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A historic pier on Skye could be brought under community control.
Meanish Pier in Glendale was where marines were landed from a Royal Navy gunboat as part of a crackdown on rebellious crofters in the 1800s. It was also used in the export of potatoes and wool and for landing herring and steam ship passengers. Glendale Trust has been discussing with Highland Council about taking over the pier, which has fallen into disrepair, and putting it back into use. The trust has secured a £10,000 grant from the Big Lottery, which will pay for an engineer's report and business plan. The pier has a long and colourful history. During 1882 and 1883, crofters rose up against their laird who was clearing land of tenants to make way for large-scale sheep production. HMS Jackal was sent into Loch Pooltiel to land marines at Meanish Pier to aid in the arrest of the rebellion's ringleader. The pier was important to trade and helped to link the area with other parts of Skye and the mainland. Trust chairman Ian Blackford said the pier's potential future uses were to be explored. He said: "People perhaps forget that up until the 1950s road transport to Glendale was very limited. "The main access into the community was indeed by sea. We used to have regular visits by the steamers, such as SS Hebrides. "In more recent decades it is fair to say the pier has fallen into disrepair. "The council took away part of the facility a few years ago and it is fairly difficult, or impossible, to access the pier today." Mr Blackford added: "One of the things we will be discussing with the community of Glendale is whether or not things could be done to reinstate that again."
An "ill-judged" Facebook comment in which a chef said she had "spiked" a diner's vegan meal has provoked an angry response from those fearing meat or other non-vegan food had been added.
Shropshire Council said it was investigating complaints about Carlini in Albrighton, Shropshire. The restaurant denied anything untoward had been included in the food. Michael Gale, who co-owns the venue said "spiked" was "poorly chosen" language. Mr Gale, said his fiancée, Laura Goodman, had not "fully realised the consequence of what it meant". Ms Goodman, also a co-owner of the restaurant, made the comments in a Facebook group called "The Boring Group" in the early hours of Saturday morning. The post initially mentioned a "pious, judgemental vegan", before Ms Goodman later wrote "spiked a vegan a few hours ago". The comments have since been removed. People responded to the post telling her that it was "mean" and "disgusting and unacceptable". Since the post was shared on social media, people have left angry reviews on Google causing the Italian restaurant in Albrighton, which has another branch in Shifnal, Shropshire, to be rated as one-star. Mr Gale added: "In no way does this excuse the comment and we totally understand the anger it has subsequently caused. No meat was used in any of the dishes." A spokesperson for the Food Standards Agency said: "People should be confident about the food they buy and be able to choose according to their particular requirements, whether for diet and health or for personal taste and preference reasons. It added: "The description, advertising or presentation of food must not mislead consumers." You might also like:
Cyclists from across the country have taken part in a 100-mile (161km) bike road race in three areas of the West Midlands.
Starting on Broad Street in Birmingham city centre, the 15,000 riders travelled through Worcestershire and Staffordshire before returning to Birmingham. Roads were closed all along the route. Event organisers apologised on Twitter for a delay in the start time and thanked people for their patience. The first person crossed the finish line just before 12:00 BST. Former West Bromwich Albion defender Darren Moore took part in the event to raise money for Cure Leukaemia. He said: "It's tough as you expect, but I'm really, really enjoying it. "The other bikers are getting me through."
The Minister of Cities has said he is "not surprised" by the results of a poll which suggests the majority of people in Yorkshire cities are ill-informed about a forthcoming referendum over elected mayors.
On 3 May people in 10 cities, including Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford and Wakefield, will be given the opportunity to decide whether they want an elected mayor. Doncaster residents will also vote on whether they want to keep the current mayoral system. The model gives people a chance to directly elect a leader, rather than councils picking who is in charge. The alternative system, which is used by most councils in the UK, is to have a council leader and a cabinet of councillors. The government believes elected mayors can provide cities with a strong, visible leadership but opponents argue it is too much power in one person's hands. An opinion poll conducted by Gfk NOP for the BBC suggested that almost two-thirds of respondents did not know there was going to be a referendum. The company surveyed 500 people each in Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford, Wakefield and Doncaster. Of the 2,500 respondents, 90% said they had been given little or no information about the vote in May. Only 8% felt they had been given the right amount of information. 'Big figures' The Minister for Cities Greg Clark said he was "not surprised" by the response. He said: "It was only a few weeks ago that the debate in Parliament took place to trigger the referenda. "Between now and May it is the responsibility of the returning officers locally to publicise the fact of the referenda... so during the weeks ahead people will be informed about it." Although the survey suggested a lack of knowledge about the referendum, it indicated the majority of people were in favour of a mayoral system for their councils. Some 53% of people said they would like an elected mayor with 37% disagreeing and 10% undecided. The poll suggested support for an elected mayor was strongest in Doncaster where the system has been in place since 2002, with 59% of people in favour. Peter Davies of the English Democrats has held the post in the town since June 2009. Mr Davies said he believed the system was "pure democracy". Polling in Wakefield suggested support for the new system was weaker than elsewhere in the region, with 47% responding that they wanted an elected mayor. Mr Clark said: "I think the leaders of our great cities ought to be so well-known and so vigorous in standing up for their cities that they should be big figures on the national and international stage." The decision to have a referendum on the issue was taken after a three-month public consultation on the issues in Autumn 2011. If a city votes in favour in the referendum, elections for mayors would then happen on 15 November. Mayors would be elected for four-year terms.
The "what colour is this dress?" meme is both a strange illustration of the way our brains work, and a classic case of how it is big media organisations - rather than just ordinary people - that often make things go viral.
BBC Trending What's popular and why Seriously, what colour is this dress? Some see white and gold, others blue and black and others something else. Tens of millions of people have now shared their opinion online, generating one of the biggest social media conversations in recent memory. The core scientific question is: why do people see the dress in different colours? Beau Lotto, a professor of neuroscience at University College London, says: "The brain has evolved not to see absolutes, but to see the difference between things." Because colours that appear in sunlight look different from those that appear under streetlights, for example, our brains have to focus on the relationship between colours, not the colours themselves. Lotto says we can "only speculate" about why some people see blue where others see white. It could be because some are focusing on the difference between the colours of the dress itself, some are looking at the difference between the dress and the background, and others are taking the colour of their computer monitor, and the room around it into account. That's some of the the science, but it doesn't quite answer why the picture went viral at such a terrific speed. That story began just before a wedding held last weekend in the Hebrides, a group of islands just off Scotland, when the mother of the bride sent a picture to her daughter asking what she thought of the dress. The bride and groom both looked at the picture and each saw the image differently. They posted the image to Facebook, asking their friends to help settle the argument. One of them, Caitlin McNeill - also part of the wedding band - reposted the image to her Tumblr blog at around 20:00 on Thursday. "Guys please help me - is this dress white and gold, or blue and black? Me and my friends can't agree," she wrote. The post saw a flurry of activity, but she couldn't have predicted the scale of the ensuing debate. Around three hours later someone at Buzzfeed picked up on the blog, reposting the picture and a snippet of the conversation, along with a poll asking readers what colours they saw. The article set the internet alight, and has now been viewed more than 24 million times. By monitoring the use of the phrase "white and gold" on Twitter, it's possible to get a rough idea of how the conversation developed. This graph shows the discussion picking up very slowly when the Tumblr blog was published at around 20:00. It wasn't until the Buzzfeed article was published just after 23:00 that use of the phrase exploded. At around 01:00, an associated hashtag - #thedress - emerged, and has maintained a consistent presence ever since. So is this a story of social media empowering the individual, giving ordinary people access to a global audience? Not quite. Really, it was old-fashioned media competition that drove the viral trend. The dramatic spike in conversation took place only in the wake of the Buzzfeed article. Its popularity on that site prompted a string of copycat articles on the news sites belonging to more established brands, as media outlets bid to exploit the huge spike in web traffic. The dress is a classical optical illusion, and that's why people love it. But it was big brand publishers getting in on the act and writing about it - kind of like the blog post that you've just read - that made it go viral. More about the viral web: Listen to our documentary 23 Amazing Reasons This radio Programme Will Change Your Life Next story: Call for a 'heterosexual pride' day mocked in Brazil You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, and find us on Facebook. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.
Glamorous locations and top name designers are what the models from the São Paulo Fashion Week are used to but on Wednesday they instead showed off creations by unheard-of designers in the less than inviting setting of the Adriano Marrey maximum security jail.
A prison courtyard with bars instead of a roof became an impromptu catwalk as the models showed off colourful crochet tops adorned with dangly tassels. The proud designers and creators of the pieces crowded around the walls to admire each other's work. Some of them were still finishing off their latest creations. For the creators dressed in regulation khaki trousers and white T-shirts, the pieces were rare bursts of colour against the grey prison walls. The unusual show is part of a project to rehabilitate inmates by teaching them to crochet. The programme has been running for three years and is the brainchild of Brazilian fashion designer Gustavo Silvestre. Inmates who join the programme get their sentences reduced by one day for every 12 hours of the course they complete. Many of the inmates are serving sentences for crimes such as drug trafficking or robbery. One of them is Felipe Santos da Silva who told Agence France Press news agency that crocheting "calms me down, it helped me overcome smoking and using drugs". Another inmate, 41-year-old Fidelison Borges, said the event had helped lift his self-esteem. "I was proud of myself seeing my creation being modelled and even more proud to know that people liked that piece that I made," the convicted robber said. All pictures subject to copyright.
Coca-Cola's latest advertising campaign has been mocked for a presumably inadvertent reference to drug use. Where does it sit in the pantheon of accidently funny ad slogans, asks Lucy Townsend.
It features the words "you're on", followed closely by the Diet Coke logo. You're on. Coke. Easily mistaken for - You're on coke. Coke being the shortened term for cocaine. The campaign, on billboards and bus stops in San Francisco and New York, has been widely tweeted and written about. David Roth tweeted - "This is real. Coca Cola's new slogan really seems to be 'You're On Coke.'" The Gothamist blog questioned a campaign that unsubtly nods toward cocaine addiction, and in industry magazine AdWeek David Gianatasio asks What has Diet Coke been snorting? If cocaine is shortened to coke, and Coca Cola is shortened to coke, shouldn't inadvertent drug references be the first thing advertising agencies check for? "It would be interesting to know what was discussed when they planned this campaign," says Ben Bold, of Marketing Magazine. "Was it a mistake? Who knows. They would certainly not want any link to drugs, but then there's the whole no publicity is bad publicity thing." Sometimes it's impossible to gauge the deliberateness of the innuendo. Context is everything. "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux" was used by the Scandinavian vacuum cleaner manufacturer for many years in the UK without mirth. But despite never being used in America - where "sucks" means "really bad" - it has been widely mocked. Other advertising gaffes are caused by words lost in translation. KFC's "Finger lickin' good" has always been mocked for a translation into Chinese that came out as "KFC eat your fingers off". And when Pepsi entered the Chinese market the translation of their slogan "Pepsi Brings you Back to Life" supposedly came out as "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Grave". But such episodes, and those like the latest Coke posters, generate free publicity. "Is it a disaster for them? Not really," says Bold. "It's on Twitter and Facebook, it's being talked about and written about." For the record, Coca-Cola denies ever making deliberate drug references. "The Diet Coke logo is the centrepiece of the ad campaign. Diet Coke in no way endorses or supports the use of any illegal substance," it said in a statement. Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook
Dumfries-born DJ Calvin Harris has withdrawn from the MTV European Music Awards because of illness.
Award organisers posted on Facebook: "We have some really sad news. Calvin Harris has taken ill and will not be able to perform at tomorrow's show. "He sends his sincere apologies. Get well soon, Calvin!" On Twitter, the 30-year-old DJ is reported to have said: "No EMAs for me this weekend. Got some heart problems. Heading home to see if it can be fixed x."
As the 27 countries of the EU respond to the deal hatched at the Brussels summit, political correspondents from France, Germany and Poland consider whether or not it was a success and what it will ultimately mean for the future of the European Union.
Jean Quatremer, Brussels correspondent, Liberation, France The eurozone has wanted to show it is determined to create a strong budgetary and economic integration with enormous powers of constraint given to the European Commission, something unimaginable two years ago. One can really talk about a leap towards federation, even if it would have been preferable to do it within European treaties. The Brussels accord also shows the strong attraction of the euro despite the current crisis: apart from the UK, all EU states have decided to sign this new treaty, including Denmark, which benefits from an opt-out. After 12 summits meant to bring a definitive solution to the euro crisis, I am extremely cautious, given how irrational the markets have been. But this new treaty is just one element in the solution: the recapitalisation of European banks, more modest than the markets have foreseen, will allow a credit crunch, and thus a recession, to be avoided. Likewise the decision of the European Central Bank to provide unlimited three-year funds at a rate of 1% is going to allow them to buy sovereign debt again: with interest rates above 1%, they are going to earn money, which will regulate the credit pump. The only loser is the UK, which has put itself in a corner. It is even a real diplomatic Pearl Harbour. None of the UK's natural allies has followed it in its attempt to repatriate powers and sabotage the treaty. There is no precedent for 26 against 1 in EU history, which underlines how bad a diplomat David Cameron is. Its position in the EU will be weakened in a grave and lasting way. In effect, the willingness of the 26 to pursue integration is going to proceed through further financial, fiscal and social integration. Only in the fiscal domain does London have the right of veto. By isolating itself, it thus risks having to support decisions it does not want, which can only hasten its exit from the EU, an exit which now seems ordained to me. I am not at all sure that would be in its interest. But I respect Great Britain's right to suicide. I have very mixed feelings about the deal because for me it's positive that we avoided treaty change which could be very risky and take two years or more to implement. That would have meant not being able to fight the EU's main problem, the debt crisis. But it's also very difficult to say what has been agreed as there appear to be more questions than answers. It's an open question what fiscal union will mean. Politically, the Polish opposition is against it and the government supports it although neither really knows the content of the deal. The summit didn't appear to solve any problems. Poland already has fiscal discipline built into its constitution and we'll have to wait for the new governments of Greece, Italy and Spain to implement their reforms. Prime Minister Donald Tusk wants to be at the heart of Europe and has come out in support of France and Germany. A few days ago Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski gave a strong speech in favour of integration. The conservative opposition argues he should have discussed it in Poland first and believes we should keep closer to the UK position. Even if Mr Tusk had been against joining the euro, French President Nicolas Sarkozy reminded him at the October EU summit that Poland had to join. The conclusion of the summit has shown that intergovernmental support is stronger than the position of the institutions. The Commission had been very much opposed to having new treaties but France and Germany are now the leading powers of the EU and want to change the EU. Then you have the UK position, with some support from the Czechs. The only clear message from the summit was that the UK wants to distance itself from integration. No-one is surprised by the position taken by UK Prime Minister David Cameron as it was well known that Britain would not support closer co-operation. In the next few months or year, I think the UK will have to decide whether it wants to remain a full member of the EU. Either there will be a referendum or, if the other 26 members of the EU support the changes, Britain will be left on its own. I was told by some British Conservative MEPs this week that they felt there would be a referendum and the British people would vote No. I think this deal is just another fix - and as it is going in the wrong direction it is not a good deal at all. As there is no agreement of all 27 EU members - especially not Britain - we are heading for two different treaties within Europe, which will split. And all because Germany demanded treaty changes. Why were these treaty changes necessary? We already have the so-called "debt brake" - it is the Maastricht Treaty. This has been agreed on by all 27 states - but has been broken again and again for the simple reason that the minute a country needs the money they will find it. It is an exercise in futility - if Maastricht didn't work, why would this? To risk breaking up Europe for something that won't work seems counter-productive. Though if anything this deal will make the crisis worse, I don't actually think the euro will go down the drain because a euro break-up would be worse than anything else. But I don't know for how long countries such as Greece and Italy can take these austerity measures. It seems to me that it is pointless, simply saying that we'll put a "debt brake" in the constitution and if countries go beyond that the European Court of Justice will say they are in breach and impose fines - as they wouldn't be able to afford to pay anyway. Europe may speak German now, as a German government minister recently commented, but the markets speak English - and they don't give a damn about language. They just want to make sure their investments are safe. And I don't see that being the case under this deal. Angela Merkel is covering her tracks. She is the main person responsible for this problem, though she is now pretending it wasn't her. I think the Chancellor played a very bad hand at the summit. The French gave in to her wishes because they see a "debt brake" as a formal thing - they hope to get what they want, which is eurobonds, down the line. I think the French played a pretty good hand. David Cameron was in an unfortunate position - he had to appease his own party and not appear to be too Europhile. But I think he hasn't got anything out of the summit, apart from being out of the deal. It's a pity he was so concentrated on British issues as there might have been a way for him to negotiate more deregulation across the board. But that wouldn't have looked as good to the Tory Eurosceptics.
A man has been charged with murdering his partner who arrived at a doctor's surgery with stab wounds and died a short while later.
Police were called to Rowley Healthcare on Hawes Lane, Rowley Regis, West Midlands at about 15:50 GMT on Monday. A woman, who has been identified by police as Tina Billingham, 54, was taken to hospital but died. Ronald Cooke, 54, of Granville Road, Cradley Heath, appeared at Dudley Magistrates' Court on Thursday. See more stories from across the Birmingham and Black Country area here He was remanded in custody to appear at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 13 February. A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Billingham died as a result of stab wounds to the chest and stomach area.
Two separate reports into why the BBC dropped a Newsnight report on sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile, and a subsequent story by the programme which led to a former senior Conservative party figure being wrongly implicated in sexual abuse, have criticised BBC management.
This graphic outlines the BBC's management structure for both Newsnight programmes, and what changes will be made in the outcome of both reviews. Pollard Review Former head of Sky News Nick Pollard was brought in to review the way a Newsnight report dealing with allegations of child abuse against Jimmy Savile was treated by the BBC in December 2011. His review was set up in October 2012 amid mounting questions about why the report was dropped from the programme. Newsnight's editor Peter Rippon stepped aside, and director of news Helen Boaden and her deputy, Steve Mitchell, removed themselves from involvement in coverage of Savile allegations, to allow the review to proceed. In his report, Nick Pollard criticised BBC management, but found no evidence of a cover-up. Steve Mitchell resigned and Peter Rippon will be replaced, and possibly move to a new role. MacQuarrie review The director of BBC Scotland Ken MacQuarrie was assigned to investigate the circumstances of a Newsnight report on 2 November this year which led to a former senior Conservative politician being wrongly implicated in child abuse. The fallout from the programme prompted the departure of director general George Entwistle after only 54 days in the role. He resigned citing "the unacceptable journalistic standards" of the report, while Helen Boaden and Stephen Mitchell stood aside from their roles completely. The MacQuarrie Review found that "basic journalistic checks on the story were not carried out" and the Newsnight team "did not make adequate attempts to seek validation for the story beyond what the reporter delivered". Newsnight's editorial team will be replaced, with deputy editor Liz Gibbons moving to a new role. The controller of the BBC's 5 live Adrian Van Klaveren, who was involved in the decision-making process on 2 November, will also move to a new senior position.
Dr Carolyn Porco is one of the world's leading planetary scientists and was part of the Voyager-1 imaging team. She helped Carl Sagan set up Voyager's famous "Pale Blue Dot" portrait of Earth when the probe had reached beyond Neptune in 1990. Here, she reflects on what it means to see the veteran craft finally make the leap to interstellar space.
It is a momentous occasion. We know now with certainty that the Voyager spacecraft, launched 36 years ago to spend the 1980s touring the outer solar system, has finally slipped beyond the protective magnetic bubble created by our Sun and into the nothingness of interstellar space. Such an event happens for the first time in human history only once. And as reported in a publication today in the journal Science, it happened last summer. Voyager was a mission of mythic proportions, with all the elements of Homeric legend, and I was unspeakably fortunate to have been a part of it. I was young then, right out of graduate school, and somehow found myself a member of the imaging team and hitching a ride on the greatest journey of scientific exploration humanity had ever undertaken. It was a defining experience of my young career. Those early memories of wide-eyed wonder at being among the first humans ever to see, in vivid detail, the planetary systems of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and the sense of privilege and pride at being a participant in such a profoundly meaningful, history-making enterprise, have never left me. I've said ever since, I lead a charmed existence and my connection to Voyager was the opening act. Even today - especially today - as we celebrate our new official status as interstellar explorers, I feel as though that intrepid little vehicle is carrying a bit of me and you along with it, as it begins its never-ending travels across the galaxy and among the stars. And because of it, we, the inhabitants of Earth, have finally arrived at eternity's door. Today, Carolyn Porco is the leader of the imaging team on the Cassini mission at Saturn. You can follow her on Twitter at @carolynporco. She also writes on her Captain's Log blog, which you can find at CICLOPS, the official website of the Cassini imaging team.
A gym in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo caused outrage after it put up a billboard featuring a picture of a barrel with the text "this is no shape for a woman". The BBC's Ayeshea Perera reports on the fight to get it taken down.
The hoarding for Osmo gym went up in a Colombo suburb last week and the row almost instantly made it on to social media. Both men and women shared pictures of the billboard along with expressions of outrage and disgust at the "blatant sexism" and "body shaming" depicted. Some began a hashtag campaign entitled #BoycottOsmo, while others tagged the organisation on Facebook asking them to take down the hoardings and apologise. However the gym did not respond, and a post featuring the images used in the billboard stayed pinned to the top of their Facebook page. "The ad was nothing very different from the typical objectification and sexist usage of women by the ad industry, which has been selling anything from cars to perfume by sexualising women and their bodies," Marisa de Silva, an activist, told the BBC. "But this ad also attempted to body shame by dictating to women the ideal shape they should resemble, almost as though it is the sole basis of their worth." So, along with a group of women who had been discussing the billboard on social media, she decided to do something about it. One of them, who did not want to be identified, tried calling Osmo's marketing manager to complain, and was told that the hoarding had used an image that had not been "approved" by the company. He did not offer to take it down. A few others decided to approach Harsha de Silva, the minister in charge of the Kotte constituency where the billboard was put up. He responded with the tweet: "I asked the Colombo MC Commissioner to remove this unapproved offensive hoarding. I would not tolerate this in Kotte." So the billboard was covered up on the basis that it did not have the necessary permissions, and the Colombo Municipal Council allowed the women to use the space to display a message against sexism for two days. Ms de Silva, who was one of the women who spoke to the minister, canvassed opinion on social media for the text of the new banner, before settling on "no more space for sexism" in Sri Lanka's three major languages - Sinhala, Tamil and English. A local graphics company stepped in with an offer of sponsorship and the banner went up a day later. But while many cheered the initiative to take down the billboard and replace it with a banner against sexism, a few men on social media warned that such a move set a "dangerous precedent" against free speech. The banner did not last long either. It was taken down after a day, and its whereabouts are currently unknown. Meanwhile Osmo also responded with an official statement on the campaign, saying that it had "withdrawn" the advertisement, which was not intended to "degrade, offend, insult or undermine any one person or women in general". It further explained that the ad had been inspired by a "disturbing" WHO report that said there were higher rates of diabetes, being overweight, obesity and physical inactivity among Sri Lankan women than men. However Ms de Silva says she hopes that some lessons have been learned from the incident. "This set off a chain reaction which I hope might make the ad industry at least think twice before subscribing to sexist advertising in the future," she said.
A new ferry built for the Stornoway to Ullapool route has made its first passenger sailing.
The £42m MV Loch Seaforth had previously done berthing trials at the two harbours. The ferry has capacity for 700 passengers, 143 cars or 20 commercial vehicles. It was named after a mail boat that sailed between Lewis and the Scottish mainland from the 1940s until the 1970s. Related Internet Links Calmac Transport Scotland
The new principal and vice chancellor of the University of Aberdeen has been named.
Prof George Boyne will start the role in August, succeeding Prof Sir Ian Diamond, who announced his retirement last year after taking up the position in 2010. Prof Boyne is originally from Aberdeen and is currently at Cardiff University. He said: "It is a great honour. The university has had an outstanding record of academic achievement."
The attack that killed 61 police cadets in Quetta has once again been followed by a government-led blame game. But the government has not faced up to its own failure to conduct a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy against all extremist groups.
By Ahmed RashidLahore Within a couple of hours of the attack on the Quetta police college on the night of 25 October, and even before sifting through the bloody evidence or taking statements from the 120 injured, government ministers immediately accused Afghanistan of helping the militants, who according to the government, belonged to an extremist anti-Shia group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). A few hours later, several groups claimed they carried out the attack but the most believable was the claim by so-called Islamic State (IS), as it also issued a photograph of the three heavily-armed assailants, who blew themselves up in the attack. The authorities however are in a state of denial about the presence of IS on Pakistani soil. After IS released the photograph, the government claimed that IS had ''outsourced'' the attack to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. It is not the first time the government has dismissed a claim by IS. In August, IS said it carried out the suicide bombing of a hospital in Quetta that killed 70 lawyers and patients - a claim that was ignored by the government. Convenient scapegoat The government claims to have eliminated LeJ in its two-year-long counter-terrorism operations. But the LeJ is still a convenient whipping boy when Islamabad is trying to deny that IS has political support in Pakistan. Accepting that IS is prevalent in Pakistan would make a mockery of the government's claims to have eliminated all terrorist groups that attack Pakistani citizens. Denying that IS is in Pakistan has become standard operational procedure for the government. However IS has a powerful presence just across the border in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. This week IS militants killed 30 civilians in Ghor province in central Afghanistan. US drones and warplanes have killed dozens of IS fighters, as have the Taliban, who see IS as an interloper on their territory. Moreover, the US commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, has repeatedly said that most IS fighters in Afghanistan are former Pakistani Taliban who have switched loyalties. Thus it is obvious that IS is trying to create chaos on both sides of the border. The government has also provided no evidence of its second major accusation that Afghanistan, with help from India, is involved in arming and training LeJ so that it can launch attacks in Pakistan. Afghanistan is hardly in a position to orchestrate such attacks. And there is no evidence of any direct Indian involvement, although Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made no bones about his desire to see unrest in Balochistan in a tit for tat retaliation for Pakistan allegedly fuelling unrest in India-controlled Kashmir. Afghanistan is beset with civil war - five provincial capitals are presently under siege - it does not control the border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan where IS is active, and it is equally difficult to believe why LeJ - a virulently anti-Shia group - should be undertaking acts of terrorism at the behest of the Afghan government. In fact, LeJ has carried out several attacks on Afghan Shias who belong to the Hazara minority. For Pakistani authorities, passing the buck has become the standard response to any terrorist attack. Yet the government and army promised two years ago that its first task would be to cleanse Pakistani soil of terrorism, that it would set its own house in order. The military has eliminated many groups that have threatened the state but two sets of extremist groups remain untouched. Comprehensive strategy The first are the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network, whose leadership is settled largely in Quetta and Peshawar and now partly in Iran. The Afghan Taliban come and go at will between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Last year Islamabad made serious efforts to persuade them to open talks with the Kabul regime but that effort has collapsed. However, the real threat is that many militant groups receive protection and sanctuary from the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan. These include multiple Pakistani groups, including the highly toxic Pakistani Taliban as well as al-Qaeda and groups from Central Asia, China, Chechnya and elsewhere. The Pakistani Taliban living under the protection umbrella of the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan have carried out numerous cross-border attacks into Pakistan, killing hundreds of people as far as Karachi and Lahore. Yet the Pakistani authorities continue treating the Afghan Taliban as guests in Pakistan. There seems to be no pressure on the Afghan Taliban to renounce their links with the Pakistani Taliban and hand them over to Pakistan. The second grouping is the plethora of Punjabi groups that live in Punjab province along the border with India. Their significance has risen in recent months with their repeated attacks on Indian security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir that have created a heightened tension between India and Pakistan. It is unclear if these attacks were carried out by militants already in Indian-administered Kashmir or from the Pakistani side. The Indians believe the latter, while Pakistan insists there are no cross border attacks. Pakistan clearly needs to deal with these two sets of groupings in a more mature, realistic and believable fashion. All major terrorist groups that started from Al-Qaeda have found a home in Pakistan at one time or another and it is clearly necessary that they should all be tackled comprehensively rather than selectively. It is equally important that the government accepts the fact that IS has a presence in Pakistan. Ahmed Rashid
Foreign investment in Australia is rarely far from the headlines with claims offshore buyers are inflating house prices and controlling too much of the country's food production. But when it comes to the farm sector, there is another side to the story.
By Liz WellsToowoomba, Queensland Australians are adept at tut-tutting about how much of the country's agricultural land has been sold to foreigners. Fuelled by regular reports about China's growth, its appetite for Australian sugar, beef, sorghum and more, and its purchase in 2013 of Australia's biggest cotton producer and irrigator on the border of Queensland and New South Wales, it is perhaps not surprising. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, foreign investors own 10% of Australia's agricultural land, a figure little changed in 25 years. But that could soon rise thanks to two huge projects being developed in Northern Territory's Top End with the help of foreign investors. Chinese conglomerate Shanghai Zhongfu is developing 15,200 hectares (37,560 acres) of valuable agricultural land in Western Australia in what is known as the Ord Stage 2 project. It will grow sugar and sorghum. Australian company Integrated Food and Energy Developments (IFED) in North Queensland is looking for capital for a A$2bn ($1.6bn, £1.02bn) beef, guar bean and sugar venture. Public pressure This kind of development is crucial if Australia wants to realise what many believe is its potential to double agricultural production by 2030, says National Farmers' Federation (NFF) chief executive officer Simon Talbot. "Australians aren't falling over themselves to invest in agriculture," Mr Talbot explains. "When it comes to opening up northern Australia, we can't do that without foreign investment." But under public pressure to keep farms in Australian hands, as of 1 March the government is requiring cumulative sales of farmland to foreign investors worth more than A$15m to be approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). Previously, approval was only required for deals worth more than A$252m. From 1 July, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will start collecting information on all new foreign investment in agricultural land, regardless of value - to take stock of what is owned by foreign investors. Uncertainty The FIRB threshold and the register should help give Australians the peace of mind they have been looking for without stemming the flow of foreign capital, says Mr Talbot. "There is massive demand for protein - dairy and beef - and horticulture, as well as grains and fibre, and China in particular is interested in areas like Tasmania and southern Western Australia. I don't think this is going to deter foreign investment," he says. He would like to see some assurances from investors about how they will engage with communities and industries they are investing in, and he says the NFF will be discussing that with the government. "We have learnt the hard way from early mining developments that agreements need to be in place post-investment," he says. Goondiwindi-based cotton and grain grower Peter Corish is another who says Australia needs to be careful not to put unnecessary impediments in the way of foreign investors. "There's a lot of uncertainty about foreign investment in agriculture," says the Queenslander. "A register will give us transparency. That's a more important step than lowering the FIRB threshold." Mr Corish is formerly chairman and managing director of Australian agricultural conglomerate PrimeAg, which sold most of its cotton and cropping properties to two US fund managers, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association (TIAA-CREF) and Global Endowment Management, in 2013. He says domestic fund managers considered buying PrimeAg's assets but did not follow through. So, without a sale to the US funds, returns to shareholders would have been lower. "Australian superannuation [pension] funds are chasing much higher returns than overseas ones. It's as simple as that," he says. Quick expansion Control of food production does not have to come through land ownership. Paul O'Meehan farms 4,800 hectares of his own land in southern Western Australia and leases another 8,000 hectares from TIAA-CREF, making him one of the region's biggest producers of wheat, barley, canola, lupins and peas. "They own the land and we rent it from them at a percentage of the value. All the grain is ours, and they put in things like buildings, roads, silos," explains Mr O'Meehan. "If I tried to expand like this myself, I could buy 1,000 to 2,000 acres every few years. I've done what I wanted to do in two years instead of two generations," he says.
Israeli archaeologists have discovered the well-preserved remains of a 2,000-year-old factory for making garum, the fabled fish sauce that the Romans took with them on all their journeys of conquest.
By News from Elsewhere......as found by BBC Monitoring The Israel Antiquities Authority came across the small cetaria, or factory for making the prized sauce, while inspecting the site of a planned sports park on the outskirts of the southern city of Ashkelon, Israel's Kan public broadcaster reports. The dig was funded by the local authorities, and young people and school children from the Ashkelon area came to help out. It is one of the very few garum factories found in the eastern Mediterranean, despite the Romans' long presence in the area and the premium they put on the pungent fermented sauce. Most surviving examples are to be found in the Iberian Peninsula and southern Italy. "We have something really unusual here," Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Dr Tali Erickson-Gini told The Times of Israel, as the Romans added garum to almost all their dishes to give them a salty savoury kick. "It's said that making garum produced such a stench that cetariae were located some distance from the towns they served, and in this case the factory is about two kilometres from ancient Ashkelon," Dr Tali Erickson-Gini said, according to Kan. You may also be interested in: Although the garum factory was gradually abandoned after the Romans left, later rulers found the site was also suitable for cultivating grapes. In the fifth century CE, a local Byzantine monastery made a living from producing wine there, and the remains of three winepresses have also been discovered at the site. Anyone curious to see what a garum factory looked like is welcome to visit on the afternoon of 22 December, when the Israel Antiquities Authority will open the site to the public free of charge. Reporting by Martin Morgan Next story: Canada's grizzly bears move into Arctic north Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.
Thirteen years of fighting in Afghanistan are due to end for UK combat troops later this year. But while many will be dreaming of home, the men and women of 34 Squadron RAF Regiment are just arriving to oversee the withdrawal.
By Thomas MartienssenBBC News The call to prayer rings out across a compound surrounded by sand-coloured walls. Men clean Kalashnikovs with rags on a large wooden table. A pot boils in a corner, where an Afghan man stands dressed in a familiar blue police uniform. As traditional music rings out and sellers stand chatting outside shops, it's difficult to remember this is not Afghanistan but south-east England. Stanford Military Training Area is home to a series of towns and villages replicating those in Helmand province. This is the culmination of six months of training, a final exercise to assess the unit's capabilities. Far from finished "Well obviously it's a little bit warmer out there, but it's good a good set-up for training really," says L/Cpl Matthew Perry, comparing the training to a previous tour in Afghanistan. This isn't his first trip, but it will be the last of many. One of the RAF Regiment's roles is to protect aircraft leaving Camp Bastion as British forces bring their role to a close in Afghanistan. Bastion was placed in the centre of one of the most violent parts of Afghanistan, Helmand province. When paired with the US Marine Camp Leatherneck, the base sprawled to the size of Reading. At its height home to almost 30,000 Nato troops, it became one of the biggest bases in Afghanistan. Camp Bastion's flight movements equal that of Stansted Airport in south-east England, and every one must be looked after from the ground. Despite the obvious risks of being involved in the final stages of a conflict over a decade old and far from finished, Flying Officer Tom Bolland isn't worried. "I'm really looking forward to getting into a testing environment where you don't know what's going to happen," he says. He's the commander of C flight, 34 Squadron RAF Regiment, a group of about 30 gunners - most of which have never been to Afghanistan before "It's my first time out there and for a lot of the guy's it's their first time as well, I've got about five lads who've been before so I can use their experience to bring the younger ones on," he says. It will be Senior Aircraftsman Mark Goodall's first tour. And standing outside a tent in southern England, there's a strong feeling of apprehension - but he feels this training is helping to prepare him. Afghan volunteers are used to make the scenarios more realistic and add to the feeling of being in Afghanistan. "From what I can see they've brought hundreds of Afghans in. They don't talk a word of English, so you have to use the interpreters. They're cooking food how they would cook food, they're living in places like they'd live and they've actually got a working well and everything, so for me it's quite realistic. Finger along his throat "We've just been with the commander of the police and we moved into this village to find out what atmospherics are like on ground." He's referring to how the place feels. It becomes a sixth sense, and many troops will know an attack is coming. This time the gunners are well aware a simulation attack is imminent, and the feeling outside the tent is tense. This ability to know when something is going to happen is a skill that previously would be learnt through experience. At the beginning of British involvement in Helmand this could come at the cost of lives. But now as the men and women role play with the tens of Afghan volunteers, it can be learnt in the safety of Britain. But among the Afghan volunteers themselves there's another feeling, one of fear. They're scared, scared of the camera, scared of being recognised by the Taliban and scared of the consequences if they are. One who will remain anonymous for this very reason slides his finger along his throat. "You know what the Taliban will do to my family if they see me?" he says. The training isn't easy, the help from the volunteers is vital. In Afghanistan, the unit will be heading miles outside the main camp in order to stop the area surrounding it from falling into Taliban hands. In 2012 the fighting was much closer to home for the RAF Regiment. On a moonless night, heavily armed militants gained access through a fence, past an unmanned guard tower. Dressed in American military uniforms, they destroyed six US Marine harrier jets, damaging a further two. The RAF Regiment's quick-reaction force, together with US Marines and helicopter gunships killed 14 militants, leaving one wounded and arrested. Two US Marines were killed and a number were injured in the fire-fight that lasted more than four-and-a-half hours. This was the worst attack in Bastion's history. It called into question the security of the camp and highlighted flaws in the previously safe airfield. The Ministry of Defence insists the flaws have been rectified - but as the soldiers work in Helmand draws to a close, the RAF Regiment's job will continue to the very end.
A taxi driver has been ordered to pay £521 in a fine and court costs for smoking inside his vehicle in Manchester.
Mohammed Yousaf, 44, was alone in his taxi when council officers spotted him smoking on Oxford Road in January. He was cautioned and offered a fixed penalty notice of £50 which went unpaid. Manchester magistrates convicted Mr Yousaf, of Moss Bank, Crumpsall, in his absence of smoking in a public place. He was fined £120 with £411 costs.
A woman in Kensington has been told to remove the red and white stripes she had painted on her house in protest over a rejected planning application.
Kensington and Chelsea council said it had given the owner a section 215 notice ordering the stripes' removal after neighbours complained. The stripes appeared earlier this month after plans to demolish the house and replace it with a new house and two-storey basement were refused. Neighbours said it looked "hideous". The house, in a quiet cul-de-sac, must be repainted by 3 July. The owner has until 5 June to appeal the decision. A council spokesman said: "The property is situated within the Kensington Square Conservation Area and its condition and appearance has attracted numerous complaints to the council's planning enforcement team."
Driving in and around Bradford has been described by some as "horrible, dangerous and like the Wild West". As part of the BBC's We are Bradford project we spoke to people about the standard of driving in order find out more about an issue which has prompted the city's police and council to take action.
In 2017 figures showed Bradford was the only district in West Yorkshire to see a rise in the number of people killed or seriously injured on its roads with the number rising from 178 the previous year to 192. The figures also showed the district was the only one to see a rise in the number of crashes owing to excessive speed and drinking. The city also featured heavily in a recent list of crash for cash hotspots, with five postcode areas - BD9, BD8, BD3, BD7 and BD5 - featuring in the top 25 worst affected areas, only Birmingham featured more often. Stacy, 41, from Pudsey - a few miles to the east of Bradford - said on Twitter "it's like the rules don't apply". She went on to say: "It's like it's every man for themselves, you have to be twice as alert. "Coming down Leeds Road into Bradford people will just pull out in front of you without any regard, just assuming that you are going to stop for them. "You see people on their phones - that tends to be the younger drivers - you see a lot of cars with a lot of people in - more than there should be - you see children with no seatbelts on. It just seems to be a way of life." Perwaiz Rajput, who has been a driving instructor in the city for almost 20 years, said he had noticed standards dropping. "It's gone from being safe and OK to a very dangerous situation in many areas of Bradford," he said. "People do not care how they drive or what they do, especially at peak times and around busy junctions. "I get out the house and I pray that I'm going to get back alive." 'Drivers need re-educating' Shad Miah, a 37-year-old restaurant manager, drops off and collects his children from school each day before driving to work in Wakefield. He said roads such as Manningham Lane, Midland Road and Leeds Road were bad for speeding drivers at times and inconsiderate drivers around schools often left the roads gridlocked. "I sometimes walk to the school because I do not have time to deal with the traffic," he said. "Midland Road can be like a race track. We've asked for speed bumps or speed cameras but we were told there had not been enough deaths. That sounded disgusting to me. "We've got some young drivers on the road that either need re-educating or they need to have their cars taken away." The issue has not gone unnoticed by those in authority. West Yorkshire Police's Operation Steerside has a team of 11 officers dedicated to tackling nuisance driving and the "fatal four" offences; drink/drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, speeding and using a phone at the wheel. Supt Daniel Greenwood said while Bradford has a "bad reputation" for poor driving standards, provisional figures for 2018 suggest the number of people killed or seriously injured is in decline. "Whether it's real or perceived it's impacting on people's behaviour, they're saying 'I won't drive in Bradford' or 'I'm afraid I'm going to die [on the roads] and that's not helpful," he said. "My message to people is really simple, when you press that accelerator a little bit harder, when you go over the speed limit, you have no idea what's round the corner, or going to step out from behind that bus and split seconds can and do change lives for the worse." 'Racing cars' Bradford Council has also taken steps to clampdown on poor driving in the city. On 7 March, councillors sanctioned powers to impose fines on drivers caught making noise, including playing loud music, revving their engines, shouting, swearing or making sexual suggestions. The move came after more than two-thirds of people said they felt "unsafe" on the city's streets due to poor driving. Councillor David Warburton said: "Anti social behaviour of revving loud engines, playing loud music and groups congregating and some times racing cars on inappropriate streets at inappropriate times is clearly wrong. "We want to do everything we can, alongside the police, to combat that and make sure the public are safe at all times." This article was created as part of We Are Bradford - a BBC project with the people of the city to tell the stories which matter to them. Get in touch Have you got a story from Bradford or a question about the city you'd like us to answer? You can submit suggestions using the tool below. Your contact info Please don't publish my name I am over 16 years old I accept the Terms of Service If you are reading this page on the BBC News app, you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question on this topic.
We know more people are playing video games in the pandemic.
Not all of those will be sitting down to play on their consoles or PCs. Recent research suggests that one in two people with a smartphone will have played a game on their phone in the last week. How many of those games make money however has been a consistent talking point within the gaming industry for years. The techniques some developers use to hook and retain players, however, are controversial. Particularly when games advertised as "free" come with in-app purchases, sometimes known as microtransactions. "If money hinders you from playing this game that's posing as free-to-play, but it's not - that's what frustrates me," says Jay-Ann Lopez, founder of Black Girl Gamers, talking on this week's BBC Sounds Press X to Continue podcast. "If you want people to pay for your game, give [them] an upfront fee. I would gladly pay for a game to download onto my phone that I'm going to enjoy forever. "I don't want to be advertised to all the time. And I think it's becoming quite dangerous, how advertisements are everywhere. "When it comes to these mobile games, and they stop you from actually enjoying the game until you pay; I don't enjoy that kind of financial model." Research suggests that the amount of money players spent on mobile games globally increased by 13% year-on-year from 2017 to 2018 - with around £50 billion spent on them in total. Press X to Continue reviewer Inel Tomlinson, has some sympathy for studios trying to make mobile games: "I do think it's a lot harder for developers to charge upfront costs. "The latest Professor Layton game came out on mobile before it came out on the Nintendo Switch. And on mobile, it cost twenty quid, and everyone's like - 'I ain't touching that. Twenty quid for a mobile game? You're having a laugh'. "It came out on the Switch for £40 - the same game. Everyone bought it." Trying to stand out in a saturated mobile game market is hard. A recent trend in mobile games forces players to wait until they can access certain levels or items - unless, of course, they're prepared to pay for the privilege - and it's these kinds of techniques that irritate some gamers. "In certain mobile games, for instance, you play for ten minutes. And then it's like, 'oh, you've now run out of lives'," says comedian Glenn Moore. "Your lives replenish in 24 hours, or you can buy some now and I'm like, 'is this a game being really irresponsible about my finances? Or is the game being really responsible for my playtime?' "I think it's the first one. It's definitely the first one." "[Developers of mobile games] have got to make money. So I understand that you've got to think of new ways of doing it," says podcast host Steffan Powell. "When monetisation gets in the way of the experience? That's when I start questioning it." But while there is so much money to be made there will still be plenty of games that rely on this funding model. Jay-Ann hopes that she can overcome her frustration to experience some of the games that are out thereon mobile devices. "There are some beautiful gems out there," admits Jay-Ann. "[Created] with a lot of hard work. There are some really beautiful stories." Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
The former Ulster Unionist MLA David McNarry has declined to attend a party disciplinary hearing on Friday.
Mr McNarry has told his party in writing that he has a prior commitment. He resigned the Stormont whip when the party leader Tom Elliot demoted him from the deputy chair of the Education Committee over an interview he gave to the Belfast Telegraph. Mr McNarry resigned from the party's assembly group in January. However, he remains a party member.
Ten migrants have been picked up and brought to Dover after attempting to cross the Channel in a dinghy.
A Border Force vessel was sent to intercept the rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RIB) after being alerted at about 08:00 BST. The occupants of the boat were given a medical assessment and later sent to be interviewed by immigration officials, the Home Office said. More than 1,300 people have crossed the Channel in small boats this year.
Many in the West have a shaky grasp of China's internal power dynamics, but they are confident about one thing - that China is facing a key moment on its path to economic development, and that it will grow into a rich economy only by becoming a lot more like us.
Stephanie FlandersFormer economics editor In public, at least, China's leaders would sign up to the first part of that statement. But they don't seem to agree on the pace of reform that is required - or its ultimate direction. They think that China - the "middle kingdom" - can get rich on its own terms, not by simply mimicking everything that happened in the West. But of course, there is a third possibility, that it doesn't get rich at all. The lesson of centuries of economic history is that China is likely to get stuck in the middle: neither a poor economy nor a rich one. This chart, from the World Bank's China 2030 report earlier this year, makes the point. Of the 101 countries that were "middle-income" in 1960, only 13 had managed to break from the pack to become advanced economies by 2008. It's interesting to note that only three of those 13 countries has a population of more than 25 million. Less than a fifth of the 180 countries in the world have made it to being advanced economies. The rest are low-income or "emerging". You might say it's only a matter of time before others join the club. But most of the countries we now call "emerging" - especially in Latin America and the Middle East - would also have been put on that list, 40 years ago. One big economic reason why countries get stuck in this "middle-income trap" is that they reach what is known as the "Lewis Point". Put simply, this is the point at which a developing country stops being able to achieve rapid growth relatively easily, by simply taking rural workers doing unproductive farm labour and putting them to work in factories and cities instead. Then there is upward pressure on wages and prices, and growth starts to slip. Many economists think that China has now reached this point, while its population is ageing fast. Some slowdown in its growth is therefore inevitable. The question is how much. China has grown by just under 10% a year, on average, since 1980. If it can grow by at least 6% or 6.5% a year from now on, the World Bank reckons it can graduate to become a high-income country before 2030 and overtake the US as the world's largest economy. (China's income per head, of course, would still be much lower than America's.) Six or 7% growth doesn't sound so hard, for a country that has defied the sceptics for so many years with its continued economic success. But from where it is now, growing at that pace would mean China transforming itself from a country driven by exports, manufacturing and investment to one centred around domestic services and consumption. Investment and consumption each now account for around 50% of China's GDP. To achieve sustainable growth from now on, the World Bank thinks the consumption share needs to rise to about 66% - and investment to fall by a similar amount. Every developed economy has made this fundamental transition. But few, if any, have done it while continuing to increase productivity - output per head - by 6-7% a year. America, Europe and Japan had the advantage of a growing labour force for most of this stage in their development. China will not. Its population is ageing much more rapidly and its labour force will be shrinking after 2016. How will that happen, if at all? The World Bank has a long list of answers, but most of them come down to increasing the amount of competition in the economy and fostering innovation. This is where the "becoming more like us" part comes in. It's conventional wisdom in the West that you can't foster innovation without strong property rights, for example. Many would also put a free press on that list - and what the World Bank euphemistically calls "higher public participation in public policy formulation". The World Bank is prohibited - by its founding statutes - from saying that democracy is better than other forms of government. Instead, in its 2030 report the Bank offers China's leaders this deliciously delicate piece of wisdom: "As economies grow in size and complexity, the task of economic management becomes more complicated, and governments usually find that they alone do not, indeed should not, have all the answers. "Governments, therefore, tend to tap the knowledge and social capital of individuals and non-government agencies, including universities, communities and think tanks. "One of the hallmarks of advanced economies is their public discussion of public policies. Indeed, such discussions are already beginning in China, but there is a long way to go." You might be tempted to call all of that democracy. The World Bank couldn't possibly comment. But you can see why, to many outside experts and commentators, the job of transforming China's economy and its political system seem to run together. They don't see how you can become the kind of country that produces the Googles and Facebooks of tomorrow and puts the consumer in the driving seat without also becoming a more open and democratic society. China's leaders think you can have modern economic success without - in the medium term at least - a modern democracy. Many in the West disagree. That could be a reflection of Western arrogance. But it's possible that they're all wrong. China may well not look like us in 20 or 30 years' time, but it might not look like an advanced economy, either.
He is one of the most recognisable and controversial figures in Irish politics.
But, after 34 years as president of Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams has announced his intention to step down as leader. The move marks a historic shift in the political landscape in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. The 69-year-old Belfast native emerged from the turbulent history of Northern Ireland to become one the island's foremost figures in republicanism. To some he is hailed as a peacemaker, for leading the republican movement away from its long, violent campaign towards peaceful and democratic means. To others, he is a hate figure who publicly justified murders carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The paramilitary group is believed to be responsible for about 1,700 deaths during more than 30 years of violence, mostly in Northern Ireland, that became known as the Troubles. The Sinn Féin leader has consistently denied that he was ever a member of the IRA, but has said he will never "disassociate" himself from the organisation. Now, following the death of former deputy leader Martin McGuinness earlier this year and Mr Adams' decision to step down, Sinn Féin and the republican movement is facing a new era. Gerry Adams was born in October 1948 in Ballymurphy, west Belfast, and both of his parents came from families that had been active in armed republicanism. His father, Gerry senior, had been shot while taking part in an IRA attack on a police patrol in 1942 and was subsequently imprisoned. Influenced by his father, the young Adams became an active republican while still a teenager. He worked as a barman at the Duke of York pub in Belfast where he was fascinated by the political gossip traded among the journalists and lawyers who frequented the bar. Imprisoned However, as the civil rights movement gathered pace in the late 1960s, the young Adams did not spend long pulling pints. Soon he was out on the streets, involved in the protests of the time, and in 1972 he was interned - imprisoned without charge - under the controversial Special Powers Art. According to his own account, he was purely a political activist, but that same year, the IRA leadership insisted that the then 24-year-old be released from internment to take part in ceasefire talks with the British government. The talks failed and were followed by the Bloody Friday murders, when the IRA detonated at least 20 bombs across Belfast in one day, killing nine people and injuring 130. Acquitted Security sources believed Gerry Adams was a senior IRA commander at the time, but interviewed after the organisation's formal apology 30 years on, he adamantly denied this. In 1977, he was acquitted of IRA membership. At the height of the 1981 IRA hunger strikes, he played a key role in the Fermanagh by-election in which Bobby Sands became an MP a month before his death. Two years later Gerry Adams became MP for West Belfast on an absentionist platform, meaning he would represent the constituency but refuse to take his seat in the House of Commons. Also in 1983, he replaced Ruairí Ó Bradaigh as president of Sinn Féin. Three years later, he dropped Sinn Féin's policy of refusing to sit in the Irish parliament in Dublin. Despite the tentative moves towards democracy, the IRA's campaign of violence continued and Sinn Féin were considered political pariahs. In the late 1980s, Gerry Adams entered secret peace talks with John Hume, the leader of the Sinn Féin's more moderate political rivals, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). Assassination bids The Hume Adams negotiations helped to bring Sinn Féin in from the political wilderness and paved the way for the peace process. But treading a line between politics and violence was risky. In 1984, Gerry Adams survived a gun attack by loyalist paramilitaries, the Ulster Freedom Fighters, in Belfast city centre. He and three companions were wounded but managed to drive to the Royal Victoria Hospital for treatment. A second murder attempt was made at Milltown cemetery, west Belfast, in 1988 at a funeral for three IRA members. Three mourners were killed but loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone said his real targets were Adams and Martin McGuinness. The 1993 Shankill bombing confirmed the tightrope Gerry Adams had to walk in order to keep hardline republicans on board with his political project. He expressed regret for the bombing that killed nine people and one of the bombers, but did not condemn it. Mr Adams then carried the coffin of the IRA man Thomas Begley, who died when the bomb exploded prematurely. But the Hume-Adams talks were beginning to bear fruit. US President Bill Clinton withstood pressure from London to grant Gerry Adams a 48-hour visa for a peace conference in New York. The visit attracted worldwide attention and Adams used it as justification to press on with politics. The Hume-Adams process eventually delivered the 1994 IRA ceasefire that ultimately provided the relatively peaceful backdrop against which the Good Friday Agreement was brokered. In 1998, 90% of the party backed its president in taking seats in the new Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont - a remarkable piece of political management given Sinn Féin's "no return to Stormont" slogan in the 1997 general election campaign. DUP deal Mr Adams stayed out of the Stormont power-sharing executive, letting Martin McGuinness take a ministerial post. When the power-sharing deal collapsed in 2003, Gerry Adams became a key player in the government's attempts to broker a new agreement between Sinn Féin and their one-time enemies, the Democratic Unionist Party. The negotiations foundered at the end of 2004, but in October 2006 both Mr Adams and DUP leader Mr Paisley indicated their support for the St Andrews Agreement, drawn up after intensive talks in Scotland. The deal led to a once-unthinkable situation, a Stormont coalition led by the DUP and Sinn Féin. A key element of the deal was Sinn Féin support for the police, whom the IRA had once deemed "legitimate targets". All-island strategy It was unthinkable in the days of the Troubles, but persuading Irish republicans to embrace policing was another step on Adams' personal and political journey between war and peace. In January 2011, Gerry Adams formally resigned as West Belfast MP in order to run for election in the Republic of Ireland. The move was believed to be in response to fears that the party was too narrowly focused on Northern Ireland and needed to boost its all-island strategy. The following month, he was elected as a Teachta Dála (member of the Irish Parliament), representing the border constituency of Louth and East Meath. Sex abuse However, closer to home, personal turmoil was unfolding in the Adams family. His brother, Liam Adams, was publicly accused of rape and child sexual abuse. The allegations were made by Liam Adams' adult daughter Aine, who waived her right to anonymity in a bid to bring her father to justice. Gerry Adams publicly named his own father as a child sex abuser as he spoke about the impact the allegations had made on his whole family. He then became embroiled in the police investigation, when it emerged his niece had told him she had been abused several years earlier. The Sinn Féin president said his brother had confessed the abuse to him in 2000 and added that he made his first report to the police about the allegations in 2007, shortly after his party voted to accept the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). In 2013, Liam Adams was jailed for 16 years for raping and abusing his daughter over a six-year period. The following year, Gerry Adams was arrested by detectives investigating the 1972 murder of Belfast woman Jean McConville. 'Innocent' The widowed mother-of-10 was abducted by the IRA in 1972 and later shot dead and secretly buried on a County Louth beach. Mr Adams said he was "innocent totally" of any involvement in the killing. He was questioned for four days, before being released without charge. The PSNI sent a file to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS). At the time, Sinn Féin accused the PSNI of "political policing" and claimed the arrest was due to a "dark side" within the service, conspiring with enemies of the peace process. The PSNI said they had a duty to "impartially investigate serious crime" and said they were committed to treating "everyone equally before the law". Transition Recent years also saw different sides of Mr Adams, however. He fully embraced the potential of social media and is well known as an enthusiastic user of Twitter. He gained a reputation for quirky tweets, many focused on his teddy bear and rubber duck collection. This frankness has also led him into controversy, however, such as in 2016 when Mr Adams apologised for using the 'N-word' in a tweet comparing the plight of slaves in the United States to that of Irish nationalists. In the meantime, Mr Adams and Sinn Féin were beginning to make plans for his transition from leadership - and these plans would begin to become public just when Northern Ireland's political process once again hit the rocks. In January 2017, Martin McGuinness quit as Northern Ireland's deputy first minister in protest at the handling of a botched energy scheme. The move led to an ongoing political crisis that between Northern Ireland's two largest parties, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin, that has yet to be resolved. Soon after his resignation, Mr McGuinness confirmed that he was in ill health and would not be standing for re-election. Sinn Féin's deputy leader added that he and Mr Adams had devised a plan for the handing over of Sinn Féin's leadership. The first part of that plan became public later that month when Michelle O'Neill replaced Mr McGuinness as Sinn Féin's leader in Northern Ireland. New era Martin McGuinness died two months later, a death that Mr Adams described in his final party conference speech as "a punch in the face". In September, Mr Adams dropped his biggest hint yet that he was set to step back from politics when he said he would outline the party's "planned process of generational change" if re-elected leader at the party's ard fhéis (party conference). Now, Mr Adams has confirmed that, after more than three decades, he will no longer be at the forefront of Irish republicanism. He will step down officially in 2018, when a new leader will be elected, but a long goodbye is not expected. Sooner rather than later, a new era in Irish politics without Mr Adams will begin. Family man Away from politics Mr Adams has been married to his wife Colette for 47 years; she does not have a public profile and does not appear with him at political events. They have a son, Gearóid Adams, a teacher well known for his involvement in Gaelic football. Mr Adams is known to enjoy walking, dogs, and Gaelic games, as well as spending time with his grandchildren.
The experiences of former soldiers who have struggled with their gender identity is being explored at an exhibition in Liverpool. Many transgender people joined the military as a "form of therapy", according to an academic who has interviewed a number of trans veterans.
By Emilia MinchevaBBC News The group, who described their experiences to historian Dr Emma Vickers, said they had to lie about women's clothing during their military life as men. The Museum of Liverpool's Dry Your Eyes Princess exhibition is named after a derogatory phrase meaning "toughen up", which participants say they "often heard" during their Army careers. Dr Vickers, from John Moores University, interviewed 20 people for the exhibition. She said: "Trans personnel in the UK were dismissed in significant numbers before 1999 and, because of the limited understanding of trans identities, officials tended to confuse gender identity with sexual identity." Dr Vickers found that many joined up in the hope the "hyper-masculinity" of the military would "rid them of discomfort they felt with their gender identity". Michaela's story: 'My biggest regret' Michaela joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in 1975 to "find the missing piece" in her life, as she felt she did not fit in. She said there was no awareness of transgender people, who were seen by authorities as "gay people wearing clothes of the opposite gender". "The view was that these people did not exist," Michaela said. While serving in Germany, she visited LGBT bars and dressed as a woman in private. She left the Army in 1981 because she felt she could not be who she was, and started a new life. "The biggest regret is that I did not do more in the forces and I was not able to officially be Michaela. "That is a regret that will stay with me till the end of my life," she said. Dawn's story: 'Being the guy everybody wanted me to be' Many trans veterans interviewed said they joined the military to prove their masculinity, but Dawn said the more she tried to become masculine, the worse she felt. She says she was "never happy". "I was playing a role. It was like the biggest camouflage I had ever put on in my life," said Dawn. "I was forced to join the Army Cadets when I was 16 to prove my masculinity and be the guy everybody wanted me to be. "I was beaten by my father after the doctor told him I wanted to be a girl. "It was decided in his head that we never mention this ever again. "He got me to say 'I am not a girl' and it was the biggest lie I ever came up with in my life." Dawn, of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, served for more than 20 years, including a stint in Northern Ireland. "My father thought the Army would make a man out of me," she said. She said she explained the discovery of tights in her Army kit by saying she used them to store her muddy running shoes. The sergeants thought it was "a genius idea" - and so adopted the same method. Abi's story: Post-Afghanistan breakdown Abi knew from a very early age that she was different and "did not fit the norm", after joining the military in the 1980s, She lived in disguise for more than 40 years "desperately trying" to please society and her family. "Everything about the person that I am now was very carefully locked away in a little box somewhere never to be opened. Nobody knew about me at all," she said. Abi transitioned in 2007 after having a breakdown following her return from Afghanistan. She left the Army after she felt she was unable to serve as a woman. In 1999, a ban on trans personnel in the armed forces was lifted. Trans is a term that refers to a person whose gender identity and/or expression differs from the sex they were "assigned" at birth. The Ministry of Defence said in a statement: "Everyone now serves regardless of gender identity and we are all about making people feel comfortable being themselves." The exhibition continues at the Museum of Liverpool until 31 January.
Jacqui Kenny's agoraphobia means a trip to the supermarket can trigger an anxiety attack and fears of impending "catastrophe". But she says her Instagram account is helping her and sufferers like her to explore remote corners of the world.
By Kate PalmerBBC News Jacqui, 43, takes shots from Google Street View - among them a group of nuns in Peru and high-rise flats in Russia - posting images to her 20,000 followers under the pseudonym "Agoraphobic Traveller". Since her 20s she has feared busy places and public transport - despite living in central London - but says the digital age has helped her travel to places she would otherwise never see. "I'll go anywhere that feels a little bit magical," she says. "They are places that would be incredibly difficult for me to travel to, so inevitably I'm attracted to them." Jacqui, who was diagnosed with agoraphobia in 2009, chooses remote, eerie places to capture and says she likes anywhere with an "other-worldly feel". "There's a lot of isolation in the shots but there is also colour and hope in there," she says. "The photos I take reflect how I feel and my agoraphobia is part of that." But her "thrill" at discovering faraway places contrasts with her fear of everyday situations. She describes going to the local supermarket as "a nightmare" and says she has not taken a Tube train in 10 years. "I'll start to panic - my palms are sweaty, I have a racing heart, I feel that my feet aren't touching the floor," she says. "Thoughts are racing through my mind - that I'm going to lose control, smash everything in the aisle - and everyone will see." Jacqui was 23 and living in Australia when she had her first panic attack during a busy day at work. "No one told me what it was and I thought I was dying," she says. "Later, a doctor said it must've been something I'd had for dinner. "He blamed it on the black bean sauce - no one was talking about mental health." Hidden illness Before starting the project in 2016, Jacqui managed to hide her symptoms from everyone except her family. At work, she ran a digital marketing company but only went to meetings in the office which was two minutes' walk from her house. She says finding and posting the images has helped her come to terms with being agoraphobic, which she had felt angry about for a long time. "Before my anxiety set in I dreamed of being a photographer," says Jacqui. "I'd resigned myself to this never happening." "Now I feel that the condition doesn't define me but is within a part of me," she says. But does spending hours online posting photos really help her condition? Jacqui admits she "thought it could be an unhealthy thing to do" to trawl the internet for hours at a time. But she says it has given her the confidence to speak about the condition and come to terms with it. "It's only when I started posting these photos I went beyond telling my family and really close friends," she says. "Before, nobody knew," she says. "Now people from all over the world are coming to me sharing similar struggles - it's amazing." She says many people misunderstand agoraphobia as a fear of open spaces, but she has discovered how varied people's anxiety can be. She has been contacted by an agoraphobic journalist who struggles in a busy newsroom and photographers who may fear travelling to a photo shoot. "Quite a few young women have asked me for advice," she says. "I tell them about my experience, but I can only offer my viewpoint as I'm obviously not a psychologist." She adds: "Everybody's dealing with something and I'm really starting to realise that." Jacqui now manages her anxiety with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which aims to change patterns of thinking - recently attending her sister's wedding in New Zealand. "I had therapy which involved a lot of anxiety and not sleeping for three months," she says. But she managed the flight after seeing a psychologist, who made her act out her worst fears. "I pretended to bang down the door of the plane, trying to get out of there," she says. "I realised how funny the situation was, and we both fell around laughing, and when I actually boarded the plane that humour helped me through it." It was not easy - but she says the trip has given her hope. "I try to do these things," she says. "There are times when I can't do it and I go home - but I know that is making it worse." What is agoraphobia?
Lesotho's prime minister and his wife are caught up in a murder investigation involving allegations so sinister that they have the makings of a crime novel. Pumza Fihlani tries to unpack the mystery from the capital of the southern African nation, Maseru.
People are going about their business in the city, vegetable vendors line the streets, taxis whizz past each rushing to the next passenger. On the surface everything is in order but newspaper billboards plastered on shop windows and tied to lamp posts give the first indication that something is deeply wrong in Lesotho. One headline reads in bold type: "Police Hunt First Lady." Another says: "Embattled PM agrees to quit." The country's first couple - Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and his current wife Maesaiah Thabane - are wanted for questioning in connection with the 2017 murder of Mr Thabane's then estranged wife, Lipolelo Thabane. The 58-year-old, who had been living apart from her husband since 2012, was killed just two days before Mr Thabane was sworn in as prime minister. One evening while returning home, she was ambushed, shot several times at close range and died on the side of a dirt road. The murder shocked the nation. At the time, Mr Thabane described it as a "senseless killing". At the time of her death, the attack was blamed on unknown armed men, but recent court papers filed by the country's police commissioner, Holomo Molibeli, have raised further questions. Among the court papers, seen by AFP news agency, was a copy of a letter, dated 23 December 2019, that the police chief wrote to the 80-year-old prime minister saying: "The investigations reveal that there was a telephonic communication at the scene of the crime in question... with another cell phone. The cell phone number belongs to you." First Lady missing A warrant of arrest of was issued for 42-year-old Maesaiah Thabane on 10 January after she failed to present herself to the police for questioning. She has not been seen publicly for two weeks and no-one seems to know where she is, well no-one willing to talk that is. Mr Thabane, who is still in the country, has avoided any questions about his wife's whereabouts. The BBC contacted government officials for comment but they were unwilling to take questions on the matter. A spokesman for the prime minister's party said "the matter has not been addressed". Population2.2 million Area30,355 sq km (11,720 sq miles) LandlockedEntirely surrounded by South Africa System of governmentConstitutional monarchy GDP per person$1,222 (£933) Last week, he reluctantly agreed to be questioned by the police. Neither Mr Thabane nor his wife have been charged. It says something about the separation of judicial and political power in Lesotho that a prime minister can be wanted for questioning but the police investigation has not been easy. Death threats The police commissioner, Mr Molibeli, told me the Thabane investigation was one of the most complex and dangerous cases he had worked on in his 32 years as a policeman. "It hasn't been easy, there have been many attempts for this investigation to not continue. "I believe what we are doing is right, as long as my conscious is clear. The people of Lesotho want to know the truth and it is our job to investigate and get to that truth," he said. People have made threats on his life for pursuing the investigation, he adds, but he insists he is not scared. "Not at all. I have people who support me. In the past the people who would've threatened me would be the army but no, I have a good relationship with them. "We all just want to get Lesotho out of this quagmire." While the police will not say what evidence they have, Mr Molibeli said the case was "strong". Those who knew Lipolelo say she shied away from the limelight and preferred her slow village life in Ha Masana on the outskirts of the capital. But the months prior to her death had been filled with turmoil. News of her protracted divorce from Mr Thabane frequently made headlines, as did a counter-suit from her to continue to be recognised as Lesotho's rightful First Lady. Divorce never finalised After he had separated from Lipolelo, Mr Thabane was living with Maesaiah as if she was his wife and she was enjoying all the perks that came with the position. Lipolelo on the other hand had been left high and dry. In 2015, after a long legal wrangle, the High Court ruled in Lipolelo's favour and ordered the government to stop using state funds to support Maesaiah. It further ruled that she was to stop "performing any functions and exercising any rights vested on the applicant [Lipolelo] as the First Spouse". It was a humiliating loss for the prime minister. The ruling meant that until the divorce was finalised, Lipolelo was still legally recognised as his spouse and his government was obliged by law to take care for of her. The divorce was never finalised. This small country is relatively peaceful, but does have a reputation for the killing of high-ranking officials. In the past, these have been as a result of a dispute within the military or political classes. Mr Thabane himself once fled to South Africa supposedly because there was a hit out on him. Mme Lipolelo, as she was known here, was neither political nor someone who had political enemies. For many her death was always suspicious. 'Lipolelo deserves justice' "I was so shocked when she died," Maseru resident Lebohang Liballo said. "What happened to her was so strange - even now the secrecy around it is strange. Mme Lipolelo deserves justice." Although people are intrigued by the case and are following each twist and turn, there is still a sense of fear. Those who agreed to speak to me asked not to have their pictures taken. "It's been a big embarrassment for the country," said Bakwena Mofoka. "It paints us as something we are not. The First Lady must come back." But Maesaiah does not appear to be backing down. Her legal team have been trying to have her warrant of arrest set aside. The court is yet to rule on the matter. Her lawyers told the Maseru High Court that the First Lady had always been willing to cooperate with the police but was busy with official duties on the day she was due to be questioned. They have not explained why she appears to have left. She is no stranger to controversy - in the last couple of years she has repeatedly been accused of interfering in the running of government, something the people of Lesotho have termed a "bedroom coup". Mr Thabane has denied the claims but the accusations have lost her favour with some in the party. Political divisions The scandal has also had political implications for the prime minister. While his supporters have questioned the timing of the investigation, claiming that their leader was the victim of a smear campaign, he has been forced to agree to step down, although he has not said when. He said he was resigning because of his age and made no link with the investigation. The governing All Basotho Convention (ABC) is deeply divided but in the days since the scandal erupted its members have tried to present a united front - if only to keep opposition parties at bay and buy Mr Thabane time to plan his next move. But he might not have too long. Hundreds of people, calling themselves "concerned citizens of Lesotho", marched in the capital last week, as part of what they promise will be a series of protests aimed at forcing the prime minister to leave immediately. "We are determined to keep protesting until he goes. "If that means that there is instability, so be it, it would have been brought on by the prime minister," protest organiser Ramahoana Mathlosa said. It was a sign of a people who are growing tired of Mr Thabane and perhaps one scandal too many. But his resignation would not be an end to the mystery surrounding who killed Lipolelo Thabane.
Energy provider SSE Airtricity is to drop natural gas prices by 7.8% and electricity prices by 8%.
The company, which supplies around 300,000 homes and small businesses in Northern Ireland, said it would save the average household over £100 a year. The reductions will come into effect on 1 April. Earlier this month, Power NI announced that it was reducing its prices for homes and small businesses by 9.2%. Budget Energy has also announced a 5% price cut.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a woman's body in Dudley.
The victim was found at an address in Crossley Street, Netherton, just before 12:40 GMT West Midlands Police said. It is not yet known how she died and the death is being treated as "unexplained", the force added. The 38-year-old suspect is in custody for questioning and a cordon remains in place, officers said, as investigations continue at the scene. Anyone with information is being urged to come forward. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]
A white South Carolina police officer has been charged with murder after a video of him shooting a black man running away from him became public - months after previous cases of police killings saw no charges against the officer. So when have police faced charges?
By Taylor Kate BrownBBC News, Washington In 2013, Russell Rios, 19, fled a Wal-mart in Conroe, Texas, after allegedly stealing about $50 (£32) in goods from the store. An officer, Sgt Jason Blackwelder, responded and chased Rios on foot to a wooded area. Blackwelder left the woods, Rios did not. Blackwelder later said in his report during a struggle Rios had choked him to the point of almost losing consciousness. Blackwelder fired his gun and killed Rios, arguing it was self-defence. But prosecutors said evidence from the scene contradicted that account, including the fact that Rios had been shot in the back of the head. Blackwelder was charged by a grand jury for manslaughter and making false statements. He was convicted in a jury trial. It is one example of the rare instances where police are arrested or charged for violent incidents related to their police work. "Everybody knows policing is violent, and [jurors] don't want to second guess those decisions," says Philip Stinson, a researcher at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and former police officer. Juries - both grand juries and trial juries - tend to "give every possible benefit of the doubt" when it comes to police officers who have killed while on-duty, Dr Stinson says. But the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings make it hard to know why that was. He adds this tendency to not charge does not exist as strongly for police officers investigated for non-violent crimes, including corruption cases. Comprehensive nationwide numbers of how many police officers kill individuals while on duty do not exist. The FBI does record "justifiable homicides" by police officers. There were 461 such homicides in 2013, but by definition, this doesn't include the number of police charged with a crime for on-duty actions. And reporting these statistics to the FBI is voluntary. In addition, even police agencies who report their overall crime numbers are not required to submit additional data on homicides, justified or not. Mr Stinson's own research found 41 police officers were charged with murder or manslaughter between 2005 and 2011. In the same time period, the FBI recorded several thousand justifiable homicides. And the process by which police officers face charges depends on the state. Some are charged by grand juries, others are charged directly by police through arrest warrants. In Baltimore in 2008, Police Officer Tommy Sanders was indicted for voluntary manslaughter while on duty when he shot and killed Edward Lamont Hunt. Mr Sanders told the court Hunt had been staring at him across a car park at a shopping centre. As he was searching Hunt, the officer said Hunt assaulted him and ran off. After giving chase, Sanders told the court he saw Hunt reach for something. Mr Sanders fired three shots, two hitting Hunt in the back. During the trial, multiple witnesses said Hunt had never assaulted the officer, nor did he reach into his coat while running. Hunt was unarmed. While the evidence led a grand jury to charge Hunt, he was eventually found not guilty. But the case was slightly different than recent cases of white police officers being accused of bias in handling of black suspects - Mr Sanders himself is black. More recently, two police officers in Albuquerque, New Mexico, have been charged with first degree murder after shooting a homeless man in the hills behind the city as he appeared to surrender, and a policeman in Alabama faces assault charges after shoving an Indian man to the ground, partially paralysing him. And in at least one case, when prosecutors do not get an indictment, they try again. Last September, Jonathan Ferrell, 24, a former college football player, was shot by Officer Randall Kerrick as he attempted to get help after being involved a car crash late at night in Charlotte, North Carolina. A woman alarmed by Farrell knocking and yelling at her door at two o'clock in the morning called police. By the time Mr Kerrick had arrived, Ferrell had walked away, looking for help elsewhere. What happened next is disputed, but it ended with Mr Kerrick shooting at the 24-year-old 12 times, 10 of the shots hitting Ferrell. Mr Kerrick's own police department said the shooting was "excessive" and said he "did not have a lawful right to discharge his weapon" during the incident. Prosecutors brought the case to a grand jury, and when they did not charge Kerrick, the state argued the jury had not had enough people and convened a second grand jury, which did indict. Mr Kerrick faces trial for manslaughter next year. And once a case goes to court, and even a conviction, the tendency to give police officers every benefit appears to extend to the sentencing as well. After his conviction, Blackwelder was given five years probation for the crime. He had faced up to 20 years based on the charge. Additional reporting by Micah Luxen
The story of Scottish athlete Eric Liddell - a devout Christian who refused to take part in an Olympic race because it took place on a Sunday - became famous after being told in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire. But almost a century later, why is the athlete regarded as a hero in China?
By Glenn CampbellPolitical correspondent, BBC Scotland In the corner of a quiet Chinese courtyard, 5,000 miles from Scotland, stands a memorial in Isle of Mull granite. The stone commemorates Eric Liddell - one of Scotland's greatest Olympians - who is buried nearby. The stone was gifted by Edinburgh University after a Scottish engineer, Charles Walker, rediscovered his grave in the Chinese city of Weifang. Liddell, the son of Christian missionaries, had been born in China in 1902 and lived there until he was five when he returned to Britain to be educated. While he was at Edinburgh University, Liddell excelled at athletics and also played rugby for the Scottish national team - as well as being a noted evangelist preacher. At the 1924 Olympics in Paris, he famously refused to run on a Sunday, ruling him out of the 100 metres race to which he was best suited. Instead, he took part in the 400 metres race and, against the odds, still won a gold medal. Soon after his Olympic triumph, Liddell finished his studies and returned to China to become a missionary. As well as religious duties, he worked as a science and sports teacher at the Anglo/Chinese College in Tianjin. After the Japanese invasion in 1937, Liddell carried on his missionary work even when it became dangerous to do so. Liddell's wife and children left China for Canada in 1941 but he stayed to help in any way he could. In 1943 he was interned at Weifang and he died of a brain tumour just months before the end of World War II, at the age of 43. The prisoner-of-war camp which held about 2,000 Westerners is now a place of learning for 2,000 Chinese teenagers. Every new pupil at the school is taught about the camp and Eric Liddell's achievements on and off the track "This part of history is a great treasure for our school," said head teacher, Zhao Guixia. "We can see the great value of humanity, especially in Eric Liddell's stories." In the camp, Liddell was affectionately known as "Uncle Eric" because he spent most of his time teaching children, organising sports and helping others. Because he was born in China, some people regard him as the first Chinese Olympic gold medallist. "It is not a joke," said Wang Hao, Weifang's director of foreign affairs. "We are very proud of Mr Eric Liddell. He is a hero". A small internment camp museum features Liddell's story but the city has plans to pay a bigger tribute. The building where he died is to be converted into a new museum with a reconstruction of Liddell's prison room and a waxwork of him inside. It will be a remarkable honour for a Christian missionary in a Communist country. Outside China, his greatest monument is the movie he inspired. Chariots of Fire has been digitally remastered and re-released to cinemas to coincide with London 2012. Eric Liddell: A Champion's Life will be broadcast on BBC Two Scotland at 2200 BST on Monday 23 July.
A man has been released without charge over the killing of a scrap metal dealer who was stabbed and beaten in his own home.
David Brickwood, 74, died in hospital after being attacked at his house in Abington, Northampton, in the early hours of 26 September 2015. A man aged 51 from the town was arrested on suspicion of murder this week but police have now released him. Officers are continuing to appeal for information in the case. A coroner found 35 injuries on Mr Brickwood's body, including blunt trauma wounds, muscle tearing and stab wounds. So far police have arrested seven people in connection with the murder, but no-one has been charged.
European leaders are billing their new proposal to deal with the refugee and migrant influx as a "game-changer", but the scheme is not agreed yet and there are doubts about whether it it is practical or even legal.
Damian GrammaticasChina correspondent The centrepiece is a plan to take any refugees and migrants who cross the sea to Greece in smugglers' boats and return them, directly, to Turkey. European Union officials say whatever is finally agreed "will comply with both European and international law". Privately, though, some admit that, while the assessment of their lawyers is "quite promising", there are legal hurdles that must be overcome. So can Europe carry out mass returns of entire groups of people? UN officials have cited the European Convention on Human Rights, arguing that it explicitly prohibits the collective expulsion of foreigners. And they say that under international law, it is not illegal for someone fleeing persecution and conflict to cross a border and ask for asylum. The problem with mass returns Around 90% of those arriving in the Greek islands say they are fleeing conflict, primarily from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan. Under international law, each person's case must be heard on an individual basis, not as a group, because they may have very good reasons for seeking protection. The second difficulty, UN officials have said, is that while returns can be legal, people can only be sent back to a country that is safe, is able to care for them, give them full access to work, to education, to healthcare, and, most important of all, will take responsibility for processing the individual's asylum claim. Read more about the migrant crisis The reason many Syrians are leaving Turkey is that it can't provide work, education and healthcare for them all. A system to apply for asylum in Europe from Turkey doesn't exist yet. Until now, the EU has not returned people to Turkey. It hasn't viewed Turkey as what's called a "safe third country". Turkey is not a full member of the Geneva Convention. It does not offer Syrians asylum, only a lesser form of international protection. And other groups like Iraqis and Afghans don't even have that option in Turkey. So while returning Syrians is questionable, returning non-Syrians may be even more problematic. Even if all the legal issues are settled there remains the practical problem of how Greece would send back all those making the crossings. Desperate people, men, women and children would have to be rounded up, held and then transported back across the sea. One in, one out In exchange for the mass returns, the EU is offering to take in large numbers of asylum seekers directly from Turkey. So for every Syrian sent back to Turkey, one already in Turkey will be resettled in Europe. But finding EU countries willing to accept the new arrivals may not be easy. Last year, EU countries pledged to shift thousands of refugees directly from Greece, Italy, and Turkey and give them new homes in the EU. Just a few hundred have actually been moved. Could countries achieve now what they have failed to make happen so far? Hungary has made clear that it is not prepared to accept quotas under this new plan. Other countries in central and eastern Europe are also opposed. So to make this work, a "coalition of the willing" - countries prepared to welcome Syrians - will have to be assembled. Germany and the Netherlands may have to be the leaders here, but they will need support from other states too. Among Turkey's demands to secure a deal is visa-free access to the EU for Turks, ideally by the end of June, but there is significant political resistance. It would allow more than 70 million Turks to travel (but not work) visa-free in Europe's Schengen zone. That hasn't happened before now because some EU countries have worried about the political backlash at home from anti-immigrant parties. France in particular has been opposed. The indications from behind closed doors at the summit were that President Francois Hollande may be willing to accept a deal on visas. But then there is the problem that Turkey does not officially recognise the Greek-Cypriot government in Nicosia (Cyprus is an EU member). That's one issue to overcome, and there is also significant opposition to visa concessions for Turkey in the European Parliament, which would have to approve the change as well. Even if all of these issues are resolved, sources say that EU countries will probably still insist Turkey meet all the technical conditions necessary for visa-free access. The hurdles, such as Turkey introducing more sophisticated biometric passports, are significant. Serious concerns This is another of Turkey's demands. It may be largely symbolic, as most EU countries believe Turkey is years away from achieving EU membership, but making any headway on this will be even harder than on the subject of visas. Opposition from Cyprus is one big issue here. Turkey must recognise the government in Cyprus before any new discussions open. Cyprus has stated clearly that it has a clear understanding from other EU countries that "Turkey cannot use its role in the refugee crisis... to ask for exchanges as regards its EU accession course". Other countries like Italy and Belgium have doubts about making concessions at a time when there are serious concerns about Turkey's political direction, about declining media freedoms, and worries about a shift towards greater authoritarianism in Turkey's politics. Privately, EU sources say agreement even to open any new accession discussions will be "very difficult" and is one of the most important things to clarify if a deal is to be done next week. For all the difficulties, though, there are powerful, political reasons why all sides want a deal. The EU as a whole wants to regain control of events in this refugee crisis. There is a real concern that countries have started going it alone, consensus has broken down, and the EU has to find a plan that reverses that dynamic. There is also a fear that if the refugee crisis remains unresolved, it could affect Britain's EU referendum. Angela Merkel needs a deal as she's come under huge political pressure at home. And the crisis has caused a real rift between the leaders of Germany and Austria that needs to be mended. Other EU leaders want to show their electorates they can protect the EU's borders, fearing that otherwise anti-immigrant parties will seize the political initiative. Closing some border crossings to deal with the refugee crisis has had economic costs too. And a deal suits Turkey as well. It is hosting millions of refugees and is under serious pressure because of the way the war in Syria has shifted with Russia's involvement. Despite their difficulties, the EU and Turkey both benefit if they can make a strategic relationship work, and they need support from each other to deal with the crises they are facing. A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.
The date of a public inquiry into improvements for a route linking London, Kent and the East Sussex coast has been announced.
The inquiry into widening the road between Tonbridge and Pembury will start on 14 May, the MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark said. "We have all been fighting so hard to get the A21 dualled," he said. The scheme is one of six priority road projects announced by the roads minister last year. The 2.5 mile stretch would be upgraded from a single to dual carriageway, with a lane added in each direction, the Highways Agency said. On 25 March the Highways Agency will be holding a pre-inquiry meeting at which the inspector will announce the procedure for submitting evidence. The inquiry is expect to last for between two and three weeks.
A statue dedicated to the South Korean music hit Gangnam Style is to be unveiled in the Seoul district made famous by the song.
The metal sculpture will show two fists overlapped in the style of the song's "horse-riding" dance move. It will be erected outside the COEX shopping centre, where part of the video was filmed. Gangnam Style was released by South Korean singer Psy in 2012 and remains the most-watched YouTube video ever. It has been viewed more than 2.4 billion times. Gangnam tourism director Park Hee-Soo said he hoped the statue would "become a landmark for our district". "Tourists can take pictures under the statue and the song will play automatically when you stand there," he added.
In the week that MPs debated a new national song for England, Tom Shakespeare wonders whether it's time for the UK to consider an alternative to God Save the Queen.
After the terrible events in Paris on 13 November 2015, we heard a lot about the French national anthem, the Marseillaise - including when the members of the French National Assembly spontaneously burst into song, and even at the England-France football match at Wembley a few days later. It was all very stirring, not just because the brutality of the terrorist outrage was so horrifying, but also because of the anthem itself. Let's overlook the fact that the lyrics are very gory, full of impure blood soaking fields and tigers mercilessly ripping their mother's breast. The point is that La Marseillaise sounds marvellous, and brings a tear to the eye. In other words, it is does the job of a national anthem, which is rallying "les citoyens", superbly. Here in Britain, the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition got into trouble recently when observers noticed that he was failing to sing our national anthem. But I don't blame him myself. It's a terrible tune, with banal lyrics. God Save the King was first sung in 1745, when Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Scots pretender to the throne of Great Britain, had just beaten a Hanoverian army near Edinburgh, and the English needed rallying. After 270 years, we have different enemies, and I humbly propose it's time we had a new anthem. Last week, I gave my view on House of Lords reform, and today I want to put 21st Century British patriotism on a secure footing. Because I agree with George Orwell that while nationalism is an evil in the world, patriotism has its place. Unlike our US cousins, we Brits feel rather embarrassed about patriotism. My friends in Norway and Switzerland regularly fly their national flag in outside their houses. If I did the same, my neighbours would think I was a fascist. I oppose nationalism, but at the same time, I'm a patriot. To quote George Orwell: "By 'patriotism' I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no wish to force on other people." So if we're agreed about feeling patriotic, what could possibly be wrong with God Save The Queen? Well, it's meant to be a national anthem, but it actually doesn't have anything to say about England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland (in fact a version briefly popular in the 18th Century added a final verse about crushing the "Rebellious Scots"). Instead, our national anthem variously discusses saving, protecting and defending the monarch, and pouring gifts on her. Whatever your views on the Royal Family, I do not think they fully personify the diversity and vibrancy of contemporary Britain. Our national anthem is very dated, and it mentions God in 12 separate places, which may be of some concern to those Britons who no longer believe in the deity. The phrase "Thy choicest gifts in store" sounds like a supermarket advert, and "knavish tricks" is all too reminiscent of the Bullingdon Club. Above all, it's a wasted opportunity to celebrate what's great about Britain. In contrast, I'd point to Advance Australia Fair. "Australians all let us rejoice / For we are young and free / We've golden soil and wealth for toil; Our home is girt by sea; Our land abounds in nature's gifts / Of beauty rich and rare / In history's page, let every stage / Advance Australia Fair". The message is all about sharing and working together, the tune's unquestionably stirring, and it has that great refrain. It's cheesy, but it's top-quality cheese. No wonder the Aussies voted for Advance Australia Fair to replace God Save The Queen back in 1977. So if we were to agree to do likewise, what would we choose? We need a song that even the tone deaf have a chance of singing effectively. There is a great advantage to familiarity. The frontrunners among the existing candidates would seem to be Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and Jerusalem. In a BBC poll in 2006, 55% of people preferred Land of Hope and Glory as a national anthem for England, and of course it's sung regularly by supporters of the England rugby team. But Land of Hope and Glory is hopelessly imperialist and also has rather too much God in it, and for those reasons I'd rule it out. Rule Britannia is very familiar from jingoistic renderings at the Last Night of the Proms, as well as being associated with the navy, what with all that ruling of waves. The second verse is perhaps rather smug and inappropriate in these days of the European Union: "The nations, not so blest as thee / Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall; / While thou shalt flourish great and free, / The dread and envy of them all." I am not sure that dread and envy is quite the tone we are going for currently, what with the emphasis on international trade and free movement of persons. I heartily approve of Jerusalem, being a fan of William Blake. I remember it from school, when we sang it on the last day of the summer term, so for me it has a strong association with liberation. Although Blake was a radical who was interested in building a new Jerusalem, most people, particularly rugby fans, know his poem in the Hubert Parry version. This song was first published at the height of World War One, to rally the public at a time when there was revulsion at the number of casualties. However, Jerusalem was taken over by the suffragettes as the Women's Voters Hymn, with Parry's approval, which is why it is now the anthem of the Women's Institute. Jerusalem was then adopted by the Labour Party after its 1945 election victory, and has also been sung by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, so it obviously has cross-party support. The man behind the music - Hubert Parry As well as its association with rugby, Jerusalem is the official anthem of the England and Wales Cricket Board. George V apparently preferred it to God Save the King. But Jerusalem is very much an English national anthem, not a British one. It's all about walking on England's mountains green, which would exclude the Welsh and Scots and Irish (not to mention those of us who live in the fens). Our northern cities - once home to those Dark Satanic Mills - might also take exception. All these memorable songs have limited relevance to how we live today. If I had my way, I would prefer us to find a new anthem, one that was stirring and memorable, but also said something about British values - fairness, inclusivity, politeness and probably also self-deprecation. Like the South African anthem, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, wouldn't it be great if it had a line or two from each of our national languages - Welsh and Lowland Scots and Irish and Scots Gaelic, as well as English? I would like the new anthem to be aspirational, but also recognisable. It should probably mention the weather at some point, and not be entirely serious. Given these requirements, it's obvious that we should nominate Alan Bennett or even an Anglophile American like Bill Bryson to draft us something. For a tune, I am sure Victoria Wood or Elton John or Billy Bragg would be glad to help. These national treasures would undoubtedly come up with several options for words and music. Then, as everyone seems to enjoy the Eurovision Song Contest so much, we could have a competitive telethon to decide which of these options offer the best lyrics and tune to represent the United Kingdom for the next century or so. I foresee an innovative new television format, along the lines of Strictly Come Dancing or The Choir, but with the best features of the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. The result would be a rebirth for patriotism, an anthem that we could all be proud of and feel ownership of and sing without reservation. We could keep God Save the Queen for royal occasions such as Windsor birthdays, weddings and funerals, but for future sporting engagements and public events and international crises, we would sing the new national anthem because it would actually mean something. It would make us feel proud of what's Great about Britain and Northern Ireland. We would be in tune with our times. More from the Magazine Wayne Rooney and Jeremy Corbyn have been criticised for staying silent while others sing God Save the Queen. What are people's reasons for refusing to sing along? Why some people don't sing the national anthem (September 2015) This is an edited transcript of A Point of View, which is broadcast on Fridays on Radio 4 at 20:50 GMT and repeated Sundays 08:50 GMT or listen on BBC iPlayer. A selection of your comments The whole point of the debate was that England doesn't have its own anthem whereas the Scots and Welsh do. We don't need a replacement for God save the Queen, we just need a separate anthem for England. If it were not already being used to such good effect I would steal the Marseillaise and have some rousing English words set to that wonderfully uplifting music. But as the Marseillaise is not available, in my view, Land of Hope and Glory is the right choice. Christopher H Sheldrake, Dorset, UK I'm no republican and have nothing against the Queen or the royal family but I think our current national anthem is inappropriately imperialistic in the pluralist society of the 21st century. "Send her victorious" suggests invasion of, or at least supremacy over, other nations. This is the sort of thing that breeds conflict not peace, and that's why it's totally inappropriate. Narrow nationalism is unhealthy and contrary to the cause of world peace and tolerance. And why do we ask God to save the Queen in particular? In some respects she may be the one least in need of salvation. Paul Graeme, Kent, UK It is not the bloodthirsty lyrics or boasts of empire that require replacement but the simple fact that no man should surely be truly glad at heart and ready to fight the foe, sporting or otherwise, when he has to sing of his desire to be the subject of a monarch and bellow his need to be reigned over for ever. How cringing is that? Let us, like so many other nations sing of a land of our fathers and a land to be inherited by our sons and daughters. Something in which we can surely all be proud. Most definitely a vastly superior claim to that of a desire to live eternally as subjects of a ruling dynasty which should have no more rights than any other true son or daughter of this nation. To sing the praises of such a family simply because of an accident of their birth should be a subject of ridicule in a developed nation in the Western world. That an educated nation such as ours can be so obsequious and genuflecting is surely a matter for shame. Let us as a nation hold up our heads and sing to the world our joy and heartfelt belief in freedom for ourselves and our children in this wonderful country of ours. Ron Hill, Herefordshire, UK What is required is not a new British anthem, whose appropriation by the English would be equally offensive in Wales and Scotland whatever its text precisely because it was British and therefore Welsh and Scottish as well as English, but a specifically English anthem to be sung before England matches, leaving God Save the Queen for matcheS in which the entire union plays as one. Leofranc Holford-Strevens The only sensible and universally acceptable expression of Britishness for a national anthem is The Chicken Song as popularised by Spitting Image. Nigel, York, UK Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
Three health boards overspent by a total of £50m last year, despite the Welsh government giving the NHS an additional £240m to deal with extra pressures.
Betsi Cadwaladr, Hywel Dda and Cardiff and Vale boards did not manage within their allocated budgets for 2014/15. Health Minister Mark Drakeford told AMs on Thursday they needed extra money to pay for some services and salaries. All three must now draw up plans to recover the money. Overspends Mr Drakeford said recovery of the money must be achieved in a way "which will not prejudice the continued provision of safe, sustainable and quality healthcare". The remaining health boards - Powys, Aneurin Bevan, Cwm Taf and Abertawe - operated within their budgets for the financial year.
Labour Ogmore MP Huw Irranca-Davies has officially stepped down from the House of Commons, to stand to represent the constituency in the Welsh Assembly.
Mr Irranca-Davies, a former minister, was appointed to the Manor of Northstead, the traditional process by which MPs are able to quit their seats. A by-election is expected to be held on 5 May, the same day as the assembly election. Labour's majority in Ogmore was over 13,000 at the 2015 general election. Mr Irranca-Davies entered Parliament in a by-election in 2002, following the death of Sir Ray Powell, and revealed he intended to stand down in October. He served as a minister in the Wales Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs between 2007 and 2010 and was also a member of Ed Miliband's shadow team from 2010-15.
In a little-noticed move, a small number of police officers are now routinely carrying sidearms while on patrol in parts of the mainland UK. How did this come about, and does it alter the relationship between the constabulary and the public?
By Jon KellyBBC News Magazine Saturday night in Inverness. Outside a McDonald's restaurant, a scuffle between two men breaks out. Three police officers arrive to intervene. So far, so mundane. Except that strapped around the hips of each of the policemen approaching the brawl is a holstered Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol. It's a sight that once would have been unthinkable. In this corner of the Scottish Highlands - an area with one of the lowest crime rates in the UK - the officers showing up to a relatively workaday disturbance are armed. Although every police force has a firearms unit, for decades it has been an article of faith that in the mainland UK, almost uniquely among major industrialised nations, the police do not carry guns as a matter of course. But with little fanfare at first, a policy of routinely allowing specialist officers to wear sidearms as they walk the streets of Scotland has come into being. After the incident in Inverness was captured by a local photographer on 12 July, local politicians expressed fears that the tradition of an unarmed constabulary was being surreptitiously eroded - a charge that would have implications for everyone in the UK. John Finnie, an independent Member of the Scottish Parliament and former police officer, was approached by a constituent who said he had seen armed officers at the finishing line of the Highland Cross biathlon in the sleepy town of Beauly. The man told the MSP he "felt less safe", assuming some sort of major incident was under way. Other sightings of armed officers in incongruous settings had emerged - at a bakery in the village of Brora, at a branch of Aldi in Inverness. They were also photographed at a routine traffic incident in Glasgow city centre. Police Scotland, the single Scotland-wide force, says when specialist officers are not deployed on active firearms duty, it is expected that they carry out normal policing duties while carrying their sidearms. It says it is not the first force in the UK to routinely arm officers, and that 42 forces in England and Wales "carry the same standing authority and deploy similarly". There seems however to be a lack of clarity about how widespread the practice is. A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers says Police Scotland's policy has precedents in London in 2009 and Bedfordshire in 2012. The Metropolitan Police, however, says its officers on routine patrols are not armed. This policy was introduced by the former Strathclyde force in 2008, and followed by Tayside in 2009 and Northern Constabulary just before the single force was created in 2013. Hitherto, firearms officers had to retrieve their weapons under a senior officer's authorisation from a locked safe in an armed response vehicle. Until this point, most people hadn't actually noticed that the policy had altered. Jimmy Gray, the leader of Highland Council, says Northern Constabulary's Joint Police Board was not fully informed what the change would mean. "It horrifies most people around here," he says. The British position Why British police don’t have guns Following an outcry, however, the Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill addressed MSPs at Holyrood on Tuesday to defend it. He said the public "understands and accepts" the need for a "small number" of officers to be armed and for the chief constable of Police Scotland, Sir Stephen House, to have operational independence over their deployment. But in the Highlands, where 16 officers are authorised to routinely carry sidearms, hostility remains strong among elected representatives, who fear that the change in tactics will only encourage criminals to arm themselves more heavily. Finnie, MSP for the Highlands and Islands, has led the opposition in the Scottish Parliament. He says it is unnecessary as officers are walking around "the safest place in the UK" with sidearms, and that the policy will only serve to frighten people. Critics pointed out the widening of the policy comes after figures for 2012-13 showed firearm offences in Scotland had fallen by 32% to the lowest for 10 years. Homicides, attempted murders and robberies in which firearms were involved were all down too. Petitions opposing the policy were started by local MP Danny Alexander and the Inverness Courier newspaper. Some 59 of 80 Highland councillors supported a motion tabled at the full council calling for a review. But following a meeting with Highland councillors in July, divisional commander Ch Supt Elaine Ferguson said the policy was unlikely to change. Ever since Robert Peel created the Metropolitan Police in 1829, the British force's unarmed status has been central to its identity. Some in London were issued with revolvers prior to 1936, but after that date only trained officers ranked at sergeant or above were issued with guns, and even then only if they could show a good reason. This was underpinned by the principle of policing by consent - the notion that officers owe their primary duty to those they serve, rather than to the state. Historically the only forces in the UK which were routinely armed were in Northern Ireland, the Ministry of Defence Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. According to Richard Garside, director of the Centre of Crime and Justice Studies, the sight of armed police has become more common in recent decades at airports and at places like the House of Commons. Cases like the murder of PC Sharon Beshenivsky, shot dead during a robbery in 2005, or of the three plain-clothes officers murdered by Harry Roberts in west London in 1966, have led to calls for the police to be armed. The international model In November 2011, Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe called for police response officers to be routinely armed with Tasers and in 2007 the centre-right think-tank Policy Exchange found 72% of 2,156 adults wanted to see more armed police patrols. But a 2006 survey of 47,328 Police Federation members found 82% did not want officers to be routinely armed on duty, despite almost half saying their lives had been "in serious jeopardy" during the previous three years. Nonetheless, Garside says the policy in Scotland represents an "escalation" and will appear surprising to a public which still cherishes a Dixon of Dock Green ideal of policing. "It does change the dynamic between the police and the public," he says. "It's always slightly alarming or unusual to see police officers in the UK carrying guns." Police Scotland insists that it is a long way from routinely arming those who serve in it. There has been no increase in the number of armed personnel. Out of 17,318 Scottish officers, only 275 routinely carry guns while on duty - 1.6% of the total. Because they work shifts, a much smaller number will be on duty at any one time. In a statement, Deputy Chief Constable Ian Livingstone said the change in policy was necessary to correct a "previous postcode lottery of services", adding that shootings in Dunblane, Cumbria, Hungerford and Northumberland demonstrated that rural areas were not immune from the threat of gun crime. He added that it made sense for armed officers "to support their colleagues in local policing divisions through regular patrols and routine tasks" when they are not carrying out their specialist duty - citing the example of a 79-year-old woman who was rescued from the Caledonian Canal in Inverness by armed officers, who were the closest unit on hand to assist. But Finnie says it isn't necessary for them to wear sidearms strapped to their hips while they carry out this kind of assistance. During his 10 years as a dog handler, he says, he would regularly be called to assist colleagues dealing with robberies or domestic violence incidents, but "I didn't take my 90lb snarling animal along with me". In addition, Dr Mick North, whose five-year-old daughter Sophie died at Dunblane Primary in 1996, hit out at the force for citing the tragedy in support of its policy. He said changes to the system would not have helped as "the incident was all over in three minutes". Police Scotland say they have only received one complaint from a member of the public about the policy, but a quarterly review in September "will take account of the views raised so far". Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
Thousands of comic fans are descending on a small Cumbrian town this weekend for an international festival. Among them will be a growing number of academics who are now taking the art form - previously regarded by many as "throwaway" - as seriously as other literature.
By Simon ArmstrongBBC News With Batman, Superman and The Avengers dominating box offices after making the leap from the page to the big screen, comic-inspired characters have been making a comeback for years. But it is not just cinema-goers who are drawn to the exploits of cartoon creations. Academics are also taking an increasing interest in the world of comics and graphic novels. There are now thought to be about 150 comic scholars in the UK - university lecturers, PhD students and independent researchers. They are exploring how subjects such as gender, feminism, history and mental and physical health are portrayed. Dr Mel Gibson, a comic book expert at Northumbria University, said the genre had "matured" in the 1980s, mainly thanks to British writers such as Bryan Talbot, Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. "That's also when academics got involved. But it's not ivory tower stuff, it's rooted in the real world. It has practical applications," she said. Dr Gibson is one of 50 leading figures from the world of graphic novels who will be appearing at the inaugural Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal from Friday until Sunday. With writers, artists and industry figures coming from as far afield as Japan, the United States and Scandinavia, the event promises to transform the picturesque Cumbrian market town. While there are still only a handful of courses across the UK dedicated solely to comics and graphic novels, Dr Gibson says they find their way into many traditional undergraduate subjects. "Some of my final-year students are looking at children's literature and as part of that they will explore comics and graphic novels," she said. "They can even be included in social work studies and paediatric nursing - Bryan Talbot's The Tale of One Bad Rat has been used by health professionals around the world dealing with people who have suffered childhood abuse. "The victims might not want to or be able to talk about their situation, but through the story they can begin a discussion. That's a valuable tool for a health worker to have in their arsenal." The Tale of One Bad Rat, written in 1994, tells the story of a girl who flees London to escape sexual abuse at the hands of her father. "That is the graphic novel I'm most proud of," said Talbot. "I still get people today writing to me to say they were abused and that the book helped them cope." The 61-year-old - a founding patron of the Lakes event - is a doyen of the comic art world. Originally from Wigan, he has lived in Sunderland for the past 15 years with his wife Mary, an academic-turned-graphic novelist, and the pair won the Costa 2012 biography prize after teaming up for Dotter of Her Father's Eyes. It was with one of the first British graphic novels, The Adventures of Luther Arkwright, that Talbot made his name in the late 1970s. A story of parallel worlds, it features several nods to the poet William Blake. More recently, 2007's Alice in Sunderland explored the links between the North East city and author Lewis Carroll, mixing myth and history along the way. In recognition of his work, Bryan was given an honorary doctorate by Sunderland University in 2009 while last year he was presented with an honorary degree of doctor of letters by Northumbria University. "Academic interest has grown over the years and I'm proud," he said. "Someone once sent me a PhD thesis they had written about Luther Arkwright and its historical elements. "When I started working in comics it was almost like working at the bottom of the artistic barrel. To most people they were only just more interesting than patterned toilet paper. "Steadily they gained credibility, but that's down to the talent of the writers and illustrators. If the novels weren't any good then no one would be taking any notice of them." Taking inspiration from the annual Angouleme International Comics Festival in France - which draws 250,000 fans - the Lakes event will feature ticketed exhibitions, workshops and panels, as well as a programme of free family-friendly events. Venues across the town will stage sessions, shops are displaying artwork by schoolchildren and college students while the town hall will even replace its Union flag with one bearing the Batman logo. Talbot's latest work, again in partnership with his wife Mary, as well as illustrator Kate Charlesworth, is Sally Heathcote: Suffragette - a tale following a maid-of-all-work and the fight for the vote in Edwardian Britain. For academics such as Dr Gibson, gender is a key area of study. "Sally Heathcote is an example of a strong central female character - something comics are now very good at," she said. "For a while it was forgotten that girls read comics, much less that they were represented within them. "In the 1960s publications such as Jackie featured comic strips, but they disappeared over a period of 20 years and those titles began to steer girls towards magazines like Cosmopolitan rather than comics, which is different to the way boys' reading patterns were shaped." For Dr Gibson the move from a niche, underground offering to graphic novels being seen by many as having mainstream educational appeal is a welcome one. "Graphic novels were once seen as throwaway, but now they are more highly valued and viewed as things which deserve space on the bookshelf."
There's really only one story in town this morning.
By Amy StewartBBC News NI Northern Ireland went to the polls yesterday after a snap election called by Secretary of State James Brokenshire in January. The front pages focus on party leaders at polling stations, but it's Arlene Foster who features most prominently. The Irish News gives an air of courtroom drama, with a full page given to a picture of Mrs Foster headlined: "The Verdict." The News Letter reports "firm evidence" of a "bigger turnout," while The Belfast Telegraph suggests turnout is "set to top 60%". It features pictures of the leaders at polling stations above the bold headline: "Decision Day". But in an unusual turn, the paper even features an "on the red carpet" Joan Rivers style round-up of the candidates' fashion choices. Some highlights seem to be Mike Nesbitt's "near sky-blue suit," Arlene Foster's "great coat" and Michelle O'Neill's "wise choice" of red. The Daily Mirror takes a lighter tone, punning with the question "Arl be back?" The papers all feature colourful photos of voters - some dressed as crocodiles and even some actual clerics and policemen. 'Arrest over prison officer murder' The Mirror, The News Letter and the Irish News front pages report on the arrest of Damien McLaughlin. He had been charged in connection with the 2012 murder of Northern Ireland prison officer David Black but, after being granted bail in May 2014, had not been seen by police since last November. Mr McLaughlin was arrested on Thursday under a European Arrest Warrant by Gardai as part of a joint intelligence-led operation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). On the weather front, it seems Doris may have been at it again, as The Irish News reports on damage caused to a listed building in Belfast. It reports that a construction firm has "blamed Storm Doris" after damage was caused to the former Bank of Ireland, near Royal Avenue during demolition of an adjacent building. An investigation has been launched by Belfast City Council planners after the Ulster Architectural Heritage society (UAHS) lodged a complaint. The Irish News says the firm responded with: "Due to the impact of Storm Doris..it became necessary to demolish the vacant and redundant premises at North Street. "During this process some minor damage was done to a previous repair". The firm says it is working with the council to ensure preservation of the building. 'Big hearted bikers' The Irish News, Belfast Telegraph and News Letter feature the story of a headmaster who's a bit cooler than your average principal. The headline is "Harley bikers bond with school principal over shared passion". Colm Davis, headmaster of Tor Bank School in Belfast suffers from motor neurone disease. He's a Harley Davison fanatic and was treated to a visit from some hairy and not-so-hairy bikers. The group of Harley Davidson bikers turned up at a teaching conference Mr Davis was attending. 'Truly heroic' There is news of a touching tribute to a life-long Ballymena United fan who passed away after a battle with cancer in The News Letter. Trevor Burns, who died on Wednesday was "first and foremost a Sky Blue fan", it reports. On his last attendance at a match, Ballymena manager David Jeffrey brought the league cup over to Trevor. It has been described as a "superb gesture which touched the family". David Jeffrey says he was "proud to dedicate the win to Trevor". 'Costa del Craigavon' There are many beauty spots in Northern Ireland, but it seems Craigavon has come out as the most desirable place to live in the region. In a survey commissioned by Royal Mail, the County Armagh town came out top, with The Irish News describing it as an "unexpected winner".
The Thorp nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield, Cumbria, has recycled its final batch of reactor fuel. But it leaves behind a hugely toxic legacy for future generations to deal with. So how will it be made safe?
By Theo LeggettBusiness correspondent, BBC News Thorp still looks almost new; a giant structure of cavernous halls, deep blue-tinged cooling ponds and giant lifting cranes, imposing in fresh yellow paint. But now the complex process of decontaminating and dismantling begins. It is a dangerous job that will take decades to complete and require a great deal of engineering ingenuity and state-of-the-art technology - some of which hasn't even been invented yet. This is why. Five sieverts of radiation is considered a lethal dose for humans. Inside the Head End Shear Cave, where nuclear fuel rods were extracted from their casings and cut into pieces before being dissolved in heated nitric acid, the radiation level is 280 sieverts per hour. We can only peer through leaded glass more than a metre thick at the inside of the steel-lined cell, which gleams under eerie, yellow-tinged lighting. This is a place only robots can go. They will begin the first stage of decommissioning - the post-operative clean-out - removing machinery and debris. Already, a mechanical arm on wheels is being carefully guided through the cave, as operators shout instructions to each other, trying to prevent the machine becoming tangled up in cables. Once cleared, the cell will be washed repeatedly using water or acids to bring down the level of radioactivity. Ultimately, the plan is for humans to be able to enter the contaminated cave. "We'll need to look at novel decontamination agents to help us clean out the plant more effectively," says Melanie Brownridge, head of technology at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Thorp: A brief history "That should help us remove more of the radioactivity early on, so that we can get on with the decommissioning job sooner." Cleaning up other parts of the plant will also need robots and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Some will need to be developed from scratch, while others can be adapted from systems already used in other industries, such as oil and gas, car manufacturing and even the space sector. "Some of these might be very small robots, able to change shape and go through small apertures into the facility," explains Ms Brownridge. "Others might be quite large devices used as platforms to take technology inside - so there will be a whole range," she says. Sellafield, and the engineering companies it works with, already have a great deal of experience developing technology for use in a highly radioactive environment. The site in Cumbria contains a number of other redundant facilities, some dating back to the 1950s and many of them heavily contaminated, which are currently being decommissioned. A flying drone has been used to map radiation in inaccessible parts of the site, for example. Remote submarines have explored and begun cleaning up old storage ponds. Other remote machines are being used to take cameras deep inside decaying bunkers, filled with radioactive debris. The job of developing machines like these is shared with a large network of specialist companies, many of them based in Cumbria itself. They form part of a growing decommissioning industry within the UK, as the country grapples with the legacy of its first era of nuclear power. The NDA believes that these companies can use what they learn at Sellafield, and other plants, to attract further business from overseas. The drone mentioned above, for example, was developed by radiation-mapping specialists Createc and UAV company Blue Bear. It is is now being used inside a damaged reactor building at the Fukushima plant in Japan. In this, the NDA has a surprising ally. The environment group Greenpeace, which bitterly opposed the opening of Thorp, is enthusiastic about decommissioning. "We do feel it's important that Sellafield confronts the decommissioning challenges that arise from Thorp's closure," says the organisation's policy director, Doug Parr. "In fact there's a good case that people there can become world experts and world leaders in the decommissioning of nuclear power stations and other installations. We would support that." The post-operative clean out at Thorp is due to take three years, but the entire decommissioning process will take decades. In the meantime, the plant will continue to serve a purpose. For the next few years, one of its ponds will be used to cool and store used nuclear fuel - though that fuel will not be reprocessed. Final demolition is expected to take place between 2075 and 2095, with the overall decommissioning bill forecast at £4bn at today's prices. More Technology of Business But that isn't the end of the matter. Thorp leaves behind thousands of steel canisters filled with a glassy mixture of high level wastes - the by-product of years of reprocessing. Their contents will remain intensely radioactive for thousands of years. Added to all this will be the wastes produced in the decommissioning process itself. They can be processed and packaged, in concrete and steel, but they cannot be destroyed. Ultimately, the government's policy is for intermediate and high level wastes - and potentially plutonium as well - to be stored within rock, hundreds of metres underground, in a so-called Geological Disposal Facility. But "currently no sites have been selected or are under consideration", the government says. So while the clean-up at Thorp will soon begin, its hazardous remains will stay in Sellafield long into the future.
When Flavia Lavorino decided to have a baby through surrogacy, she looked Ukraine up on a map and calculated the distance.
By Valeria PerassoSocial Affairs correspondent, BBC World Service Some 12,800km (8,000 miles) separate Buenos Aires, in Argentina, from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. "This was our last resort. We had stopped trying when we heard from a co-worker about trying for a baby through a gestational carrier in Ukraine, and we jumped at it," says Flavia. With José Pérez, her partner of 15 years, she had tried every possible fertility treatment. Flavia managed to get pregnant through a complex and painful procedure just once, but had a miscarriage. "So, when we got confirmation that our surrogate in Ukraine was doing well and the pregnancy was going forward, we were over the moon," says José. Little could they predict that by the time the baby was born they would be stranded on the other side of the Atlantic due to the coronavirus pandemic. Their son Manuel is now seven weeks old, but they have yet to meet him. "This is the worst nightmare. Imagine waiting for so long and then having to wait even longer, with no clear idea of when we could be allowed to travel," says José. Ukraine, like many other countries, has closed its borders to international visitors in an effort to limit the spread of Covid-19, which has killed more 300,000 people worldwide. That has left dozens of babies born to Ukranian surrogates - and due to be collected by their intended parents from overseas - in limbo. Argentina has also imposed a travel ban on all commercial flights until September as part of a strict coronavirus lockdown, making it impossible for the couple to plan a trip for the foreseeable future. 'We need to be with him' "The physical contact at this point is key, he needs to be with us and we need to be with him," says the new father. Flavia and José started their surrogacy journey in December 2018 and travelled to Kyiv four months later to create their embryos out of his sperm and her eggs. An embryo was then transferred into the womb of a gestational carrier, or "surrogate mother", that they had contacted through a local clinic. "We never met our surrogate, the clinic managed the relationship and we don't really know much about the specifics. We do know that her fees were paid, of course," says José. Commercial surrogacy is legal in Ukraine, and a big business too - though there have been concerns about the level of oversight of the industry, which has expanded significantly in recent years. The cost of an average assisted reproduction package ranges from $30,000 to $50,000 (£25,000 to £41,000), a fraction of what it costs in the US and other countries where commercial surrogacy is permitted. For the Argentine couple, it meant asking for a loan as well as borrowing money from family. They won't say how much they have spent but that "probably half of it went to the surrogate". "When we got confirmation that the transfer had been successful in late July, we started planning every single detail. We wanted to travel days before the due date, which was 10 April," says Flavia. "In the meantime, we lived this pregnancy through the monthly scans the clinic was sending us," adds José. From optimism to despair The couple had booked transatlantic flights for 2 April, with a stopover in Madrid. As the coronavirus outbreak started spreading and hit Spain badly, they realised their trip might not happened as planned. "But at first we didn't think we wouldn't be able to travel at all. I think we had this false optimism, it was more like, 'uh, it may take us longer to get to Ukraine'. We kept on planning even as we watched airports starting to shut down everywhere," says Flavia. As European countries closed their borders and Argentina went into lockdown in mid-March, the couple began to despair. "I was terrified. We knew circumstances were exceptional, but we underestimated the implications," says Flavia. The picture got complicated further by the fact that both work in healthcare. Flavia is a social worker and José is a medical doctor in an intensive care unit at a hospital just outside Buenos Aires who has been treating Covid-19 patients. As key workers, they were not allowed to take time off at first. "We started communicating regularly with the Ukrainian clinic's Spanish-speaking coordinators via WhatsApp to come up with a plan," says José. Stay put, was the message. The fertility centre had set up a place for Manuel to stay while he waited for his biological parents. "They told us the newborn babies would be safe, taken care of, well fed… They calmed us down, at least as much as it was humanly possible," says José. 'Our baby was born 12,500km away' The couple's son was born early, on 30 March. The anxious parents were texted the news early in the morning as they were on their way to work. "They told us we'd had a child, and we were 12,500km away… We had to stop the car, we almost had a crash," remembers Flavia. Later that day they got to see their healthy, 8lbs-baby boy for the first time - through a photograph. "Our surrogate asked the clinic if she could send us a WhatsApp message and she wrote to us to say she had a happy pregnancy, that she was proud to make our life-long dream come true," says José. "We never got the chance to meet her but we told her she completed our family and forever transformed our lives," adds Flavia. Baby hotel The Ukrainian clinic made arrangements for the stranded surrogate babies to stay at a small hotel the company owns on the outskirts of Kyiv. And it is not just Manuel, some 50 newborns are being looked after in a large dormitory-style nursery. "All they are doing is looking after the baby's basic health and signs of a normal development," says José. "But nobody will be able to give him the love of a parent during these crucial first weeks. That is heart-breaking." The number of babies being kept the hotel may keep growing if travel restrictions continue. New deliveries are scheduled over the coming weeks. "We have Chinese babies, Italian babies, Spanish babies, British babies," says Denis Herma, spokesman for BioTexCom Centre for Human Reproduction, the company behind the hotel. The hotel is normally offered as accommodation for the biological parents coming to Ukraine to collect their child. Now it is run by a team of nurses working round the clock under strict quarantine rules, says the fertility company. A video circulated by BioTexCom just days ago, and published by media around the world, shows the number of babies born to surrogates which have not been able to be picked up due to the lockdown. The images have also reignited the debate about what critics say is a loosely-controlled "baby-making business" in this Eastern European country. Analysis: The lockdown and the fertility tourism debate By Zhanna Bezpiatchuk - BBC News Ukraine, Kyiv From 2015, as surrogacy hotspots in Asia began shutting down one-by-one amid reports of exploitation, Ukraine turned into a global hub for commercial surrogacy. With relatively low prices compared to other countries, looser regulations and growing demand from overseas, Ukrainian reproductive clinics are booming. Many Ukrainian women, mostly from small towns or rural areas, see this as a financial opportunity. The full package may cost around $50,000 and a surrogate may get less than half that - but this is still big money by Ukrainian standards. A surrogate mother must have at least one child of her own in order to be eligible. She will have no genetic link and never takes care of the newborn. This is a strict rule designed to prevent any emotional attachment. The quarantine has laid bare some hard truths that Ukrainian health care officials seem to have ignored. Nobody knows exactly how many babies are born here each year through surrogacy. Two months into lockdown, at least 100 babies are separated from their parents. Cots at the hotel are arranged in rows, names are printed in bright colours on each baby's sleepsuit. "We feel very sorry for them, we know no one can replace their parents," nurse Olha Kuts tells the BBC. José and Flavia get daily updates from the nurses on shift, some of whom speak Spanish. "When he turned one month we had a really long videocall, it was so lovely of them," says Flavia. "It made all the difference to be able to talk to him and see him in real time." But more babies are coming in and "they cannot spend as much time as parents would like, it's becoming more complicated", says José. Diplomatic negotiations Ukraine's borders have been closed since March but some families have managed to travel with special permits. There are also negotiations under way with the Ukrainian authorities, through the embassies and consulates of the parents' countries of origin. The parents of 15 babies have been allowed in so far, including a couple from Sweden that reached the Ukrainian capital on a private jet paid for by an anonymous donor. In Argentina, there are 16 other families in the same position as Flavia and José. Three babies have been born already, and the rest are due between late May and September. The parents have launched a joint petition asking both governments to listen to their plea. "We waited for around 20 days because we understand these are very complicated times. Then we put in a legal request," explains José. Negotiations have moved forward and Ukraine has just agreed to let them enter the country. They are now asking the Argentine government to authorise a flight on humanitarian grounds. They are hoping to get a resolution "before the end of the month". But the wait will not be over when they land on the other end. "We will need to self-isolate for 14 days before we can see Manu," says Flavia. "It makes sense as there are risks involved with flying across the world, and it is also wise in terms of the wellbeing of the baby." Then they will need to process the baby's documents before heading back to Argentina - if they are allowed back in before the borders officially re-open. "We don't care about that second leg of the trip at this point. We have a son that is seven weeks old and he is far away, we need to get there and then we'll see," Flavia says. "It has been so hard to get to this point, for us to have a baby, so physically and emotionally draining. We need that wait to be over. "We need to meet him. We'll take care of everything else later."
News of the death of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has drawn reaction from around the world. Here are some key quotes:
US AND CANADA US President Barack Obama Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama Bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children. For over two decades, Bin Laden has been al-Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda. Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must - and we will - remain vigilant at home and abroad. As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not - and never will be - at war with Islam. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Canada receives the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden with sober satisfaction. Sadly, others will take his place. This does remind us why Canadian Armed Forces personnel have been deployed to Afghanistan. Through their operations there to cut off terror at its root, our men and women in uniform have made an enormous contribution to Canadian security at home and abroad. Former US President George W Bush This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done. Former US President Bill Clinton This is a profoundly important moment not just for the families of those who lost their lives on 9/11 and in al-Qaeda's other attacks but for people all over the world who want to build a common future of peace, freedom, and co-operation for our children. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg New Yorkers have waited nearly 10 years for this news. It is my hope that it will bring some closure and comfort to all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. UN SECURITY COUNCIL The Security Council welcomes the news on May 1st 2011 that Osama Bin Laden will never again perpetrate such acts of terrorism and reaffirms that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or group. The Security Council recognises this critical development and other accomplishments made in the fight against terrorism and urges all states to remain vigilant and intensify their efforts in the fight against terrorism. SOUTH ASIA Afghan President Hamid Karzai We hope that the terrorists' activities will be stopped after Osama Bin Laden's death which was his punishment. And as well, the world should realise what we have repeatedly said all these years and every single day, that the war against terrorism should not be followed in the villages of Afghanistan. The war against terrorism is not in the houses of innocent Afghan civilians. The fight against terrorism is not in bombing children and women in Afghanistan. The war against terrorism should be carried out in his safe haven, sanctuary and his training camp, not in Afghanistan, and today this has been proved right. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari Pakistan, perhaps the world's greatest victim of terrorism, joins the other targets of al-Qaeda... in our satisfaction that the source of the greatest evil of the new millennium has been silenced, and his victims given justice. He was not anywhere we had anticipated he would be, but now he is gone. Although the events of Sunday were not a joint operation, a decade of co-operation and partnership between the United States and Pakistan led up to the elimination of Osama bin Laden as a continuing threat to the civilised world. And we in Pakistan take some satisfaction that our early assistance in identifying an al-Qaeda courier ultimately led to this day. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism and therefore I think it's a great victory, it's a success and I congratulate the success of this operation. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf This was the best... good military action. But, having said that, it was not good politically, the sensitivities of Pakistan regarding the violation of the sovereignty of Pakistan. Before this, we have captured dozens of al-Qaeda operatives, and very important ones. Never have any US troops been involved. It has always been Pakistan's law enforcement agencies, smaller targets, police or rangers or the army. This is the first time where it was intelligence and action by US troops across our border. Indian foreign ministry The world must not let down its united effort to overcome terrorism and eliminate the safe havens and sanctuaries that have been provided to terrorists in our own neighbourhood. The struggle must continue unabated. EUROPE UK Prime Minister David Cameron The news that Osama Bin Laden is dead will bring great relief to people across the world. Osama Bin Laden was responsible for the worst terrorist atrocities the world has seen - for 9/11 and for so many attacks, which have cost thousands of lives, many of them British. It is a great success that he has been found and will no longer be able to pursue his campaign of global terror. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair My heartfelt gratitude to President Obama and to all of those who so brilliantly undertook and executed this operation. We should never forget 9/11 was also the worst ever terrorist attack against UK civilians, and our thoughts are with all those - American, British and from nations across the world - who lost their lives and with their loved ones who remain and who live with their loss. 9/11 was an attack not just on the United States, but on all those who shared the best values of civilisation. The operation shows those who commit acts of terror against the innocent will be brought to justice, however long it takes. So this is a huge achievement in the fight against terrorism but we know the fight against the terrorism and the ideology that Bin Laden represents continues and is as urgent as ever. French President Nicolas Sarkozy The scourge of terrorism has suffered a historic defeat but it's not the end of al-Qaeda. German Chancellor Angela Merkel The US military has achieved a decisive blow against al-Qaeda with its commando action against Osama Bin Laden and his killing. Osama Bin Laden was responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people. Terror was brought to many countries on his direct orders and in his name, against men, women and children, Christians and Muslims. Osama Bin Laden claimed to be acting in the name of Islam, but in reality he made a mockery of the basic values of his and all other religions. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi This is a great result for the United States but also for all democracies. I think that we should not lower our guard because this could provoke reactions in the world of terrorism. Spanish government The government considers the death of Osama Bin Laden... to be a decisive step in the fight against international terrorism. The government reiterates its commitment to co-operating with the United States and other nations in the fight against terrorism wherever it is developed or carried out. European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek We have woken up in a more secure world. Turkish President Abdullah Gul This shows that terrorists and terrorist group leaders in the end are caught whether dead or alive. The most dangerous and sophisticated terrorist organisation leader in the world being caught this way should be a lesson to everyone. Russia The Kremlin welcomes the serious success the United States achieved in the war against international terrorism. Retribution inevitably reaches all terrorists. MIDDLE EAST Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi When it comes to the declared death of Bin Laden, Egypt is against all kinds of violence. The Egyptian government does not have a comment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu This is a resounding triumph for justice, freedom and the values shared by all democratic nations fighting shoulder-to-shoulder in determination against terrorism. Israeli President Shimon Peres It is a great piece of news for the free world, it is a great achievement for the security forces of the United States of America, it is a great achievement for the President of the United States, Barack Obama. This man was a mega-murderer, he killed thousands and thousands of people, people who were totally innocent. He tried to murder people and murder nations including the State of Israel. He reached his end. Terrorists and murderers are so dangerous. We shouldn't fall victim to believe that they are immune. Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz We hope that with the death of Osama Bin Laden, an evil has ended. He has been an evil to himself, to his immediate family and to the Arab countries as a whole. Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib Getting rid of Bin Laden is good for the cause of peace worldwide but what counts is to overcome the discourse and the methods - the violent methods - that were created and encouraged by Bin Laden and others in the world. Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas administration in Gaza Strip We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari We, like many people in the world, are delighted to see an end to his mentality and his devious ideology. Iraqis suffered a great deal at the hands of this man and his terrorist organisation. Thousands of Iraqis were murdered and killed because of his ideologies. We as Iraqis have suffered enormously as a result of al-Qaeda and its leader. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast US and their allies have no more excuse to deploy forces in the Middle East under pretext of fighting terrorism. United Arab Emirates statement on official TV channel The killing of Osama Bin Laden is a positive step that will enhance international efforts for combating terrorism. AFRICA Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki The killing of Osama has taken place nearly 13 years after the terrorist bombings in Nairobi that led to the death of over 200 people, in an act believed to have been masterminded by Osama. His killing is an act of justice to those Kenyans who lost their lives and the many more who suffered injuries. Ethiopian statement Al-Qaeda has wrecked havoc in stateless Somalia, killed and maimed many innocent people in Kenya and Tanzania, and has for years been engaged in terrorist activities aimed at destabilising the Horn of Africa. Although the death of Osama Bin Laden does not mean the end the anti-terrorist struggle, it is, nonetheless, a big victory for the global anti-terrorist forces. ASIA PACIFIC Chinese government spokesperson We have noted the announcement and believe that this is a major event and a positive development in the international struggle against terrorism. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan We welcome this significant progress in counter-terrorism measures, and I pay respect to the efforts by the officials concerned, including those in the United States and Pakistan. Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard Whilst al-Qaeda has been hurt today, al-Qaeda is not finished. Our war against terrorism must continue. We continue to be engaged in Afghanistan so that that country does not again become a haven for terrorists. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key Osama Bin Laden was responsible for the deaths of thousands of people, including New Zealanders, in several different parts of the world. While his removal will not necessarily bring an immediate end to terrorist activity, I have absolutely no doubt that the world is a safer place without Osama Bin Laden. LATIN AMERICA Mexican government The Mexican government acknowledges the efforts of the United States in fighting and capturing the head of al-Qaeda... one of the world's cruellest and bloodiest terror organisations. Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota We're very worried that they'll be reprisals. We hope that this event doesn't trigger an attack. Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino If the United States managed to kill Bin Laden, they can celebrate it. I'm not celebrating anyone's death.
Refurbishment plans for an electric railway station on the east coast of the Isle of Man, are set to cost almost £700,000, says the Manx government.
The money will be spent "renewing ballast, sleepers and rails" at the station in Laxey, a spokesman said. The department of community, culture and leisure (DCCL) will apply for funding at the next sitting of Tynwald. "It is essential to ensure the railway can continue to operate safely," DCCL Minister Graham Cregeen said. "It is a necessary investment to improve standards and ensure that we maintain the railway for future generations." Construction of the Manx Electric Railway began in the late 1800s and typically its season runs between March and August every year - although special events are arranged during the winter months. If funding is approved during the October sitting of Tynwald, the DCCL said work will begin in November and be completed by March 2014.
For nearly two decades Sweden has been battling a mysterious illness. Called Resignation Syndrome, it affects only the children of asylum-seekers, who withdraw completely, ceasing to walk or talk, or open their eyes. Eventually they recover. But why does this only seem to occur in Sweden?
By Linda PresslyBBC News, Sweden When her father picks her up from her wheelchair, nine-year-old Sophie is lifeless. In contrast, her hair is thick and shiny - like a healthy child's. But Sophie's eyes are closed. And under her tracksuit bottoms she wears a nappy. A transparent feeding tube runs into Sophie's nose - this is how she has been nourished for the past 20 months. Sophie and her family are asylum seekers from the former USSR. They arrived in December 2015 and live in accommodation allocated to refugees in a small town in central Sweden. "Her blood pressure is quite normal," says Dr Elisabeth Hultcrantz, a volunteer with Doctors of the World. "But she has a high pulse rate, so maybe she's reacting to so many people coming to visit her today." Hultcrantz tests Sophie's reflexes. Everything works normally. But the child does not stir. An ENT surgeon before she retired, Hultcrantz is worried because Sophie does not ever open her mouth. This could be dangerous, because if there were a problem with her feeding tube, Sophie could choke. So how could a child who loved to dance become so deeply inert? "When I explain to the parents what has happened, I tell them the world has been so terrible that Sophie has gone into herself and disconnected the conscious part of her brain," says Hultcrantz. The health professionals who treat these children agree that trauma is what has caused them to withdraw from the world. The children who are most vulnerable are those who have witnessed extreme violence - often against their parents - or whose families have fled a deeply insecure environment. Sophie's parents have a terrifying story of extortion and persecution by a local mafia. In September 2015 their car was stopped by men in police uniform. "We were dragged out. Sophie was in the car so she witnessed me and her mother being roughly beaten," remembers Sophie's father. The men let Sophie's mother go - she grabbed her daughter and ran. But Sophie's father did not escape. "They took me away and then I don't remember anything," he says. Sophie's mother took her to a friend's home. The little girl was very upset. She cried, shouted "Please go and find my dad!", and beat the wall with her feet. Three days later, her father made contact, and from then on the family remained on the move, hiding in friends' homes until they left for Sweden three months later. On arrival, they were held for hours by Swedish police. Then, quite quickly, Sophie deteriorated. "After a couple of days, I noticed she wasn't playing as much as she used to with her sister," says Sophie's mother, who is expecting a new baby next month. Soon afterwards, the family was informed they could not stay in Sweden. Sophie heard everything in that meeting with the Migration Board, and it was at this point that she stopped speaking and eating. Resignation Syndrome was first reported in Sweden in the late 1990s. More than 400 cases were reported in the two years from 2003-2005. As more Swedes began to worry about the consequences of immigration, these "apathetic children", as they were known, became a huge political issue. There were reports the children were faking it, and that parents were poisoning their offspring to secure residence. None of those stories were proven. Over the last decade, the number of children reported to be suffering from Resignation Syndrome has decreased. Sweden's National Board of Health recently stated there were 169 cases in 2015 and 2016. It remains the case that children from particular geographical and ethnic groups are the most vulnerable: those from the former USSR, the Balkans, Roma children, and most recently the Yazidi. Only a tiny number have been unaccompanied migrants, none have been African, and very few have been Asian. Unlike Sophie, the children affected have often been living in Sweden for years, speak the language and are well-adjusted to their new, Nordic lives. Numerous conditions resembling Resignation Syndrome have been reported before - among Nazi concentration camp inmates, for example. In the UK, a similar condition - Pervasive Refusal Syndrome - was identified in children in the early 1990s, but there have been only a tiny handful of cases, and none of them among asylum seekers. "To our knowledge, no cases have been established outside of Sweden," writes Dr Karl Sallin, a paediatrician at the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, part of Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm. Find out more Listen to Sweden's Child Migrant Mystery on Assignment, on the BBC World Service For transmission times or to catch up online, click here So how can an illness respect national boundaries? There is no definitive answer to that question, says Sallin, who is researching Resignation Syndrome for his PhD. "The most plausible explanation is that there are some sort of socio-cultural factors that are necessary in order for this condition to develop. A certain way of reacting or responding to traumatic events seems to be legitimised in a certain context." So somehow - and we do not know the mechanism for this, and why it should happen in Sweden - the kind of symptoms displayed by the children are culturally sanctioned: this is a way the children are allowed to express their trauma. If that is the case, it raises an interesting question: could Resignation Syndrome be contagious? "That is sort of implicit in the model. That if you provide the right sort of nourishment for those kinds of behaviours in a society, you will also see more cases," says Sallin. "If you look at the very first case in 1998 in the north of Sweden, as soon as that case was reported, there were other cases emerging in the same area. And there have also been cases of siblings where first one develops it and then the other. But it should be noted that researchers who proposed that model of disease, they are not certain that there needs to be direct contact between cases. It's a topic for research." Here Sallin hits on the main obstacle to understanding Resignation Syndrome - the lack of research into it. No-one has done follow-up on what happens to these children, but we do know that they survive. For Sophie's parents, that is hard to believe. They have seen no change in their daughter in 20 months. Their days are punctuated by Sophie's regime - exercises to stop her muscles wasting, attempts to engage her with music and cartoons, walks outside in a wheelchair, feeding and changing. "You need to harden your heart with these cases," says Sophie's paediatrician, Dr Lars Dagson, who has seen her regularly throughout her illness. "I can only keep her alive. I can't make her better, because as doctors we don't decide if these children can stay in Sweden or not." Dagson shares the view commonly held among doctors treating children with Resignation Syndrome, that recovery depends on them feeling secure and that it is a permanent residence permit that kick-starts that process. "In some way the child will have to sense that there's hope, something to live for… That's the only way I can explain why having the right to stay would, in all the cases I've seen so far, change the situation." Until recently, families with a sick child were allowed to stay. But the arrival of some 300,000 migrants in the last three years has led to a change of heart. Last year, a new temporary law came into force that limits all asylum seekers' chances of being granted permanent residence. Applicants are granted either a three-year or 13-month visa. Sophie's family have the latter, and it expires in March next year. "What happens afterwards? The real issue hasn't been dealt with - it's limbo," says Dagson. He doubts Sophie will recover in 13 months. "I can't say it's not possible, but it all depends how the parents sense this - are we going to stay after these 13 months? If they're not sure about that, they cannot give Sophie the sense that everything is OK." But evidence from the town of Skara in the south of Sweden suggests that there is a way of curing children with Resignation Syndrome even if the family doesn't receive permanent residence. "From our point of view, this particular sickness has to do with former trauma, not asylum," says Annica Carlshamre, a senior social worker for Gryning Health, a company that runs Solsidan, a home for all kinds of troubled children. When children witness violence or threats against a parent, their most significant connection in the world is ripped apart, the carers at Solsidan believe. "Then the child understands - my mother can't take care of me," Carlshamre explains. "And they give up hope, because they know they are totally dependent on the parent. When that happens, to where or what can the child turn?" That family connection must be re-built, but first the child must begin to recover, so Solsidan's first step is to separate the children from their parents. "We keep the family informed about their progress, but we don't let them talk because the child must depend on our staff. Once we have separated the child, it takes only a few days, until we see the first signs that, yes, she's still there…" All conversations about the migration process are banned in front of the child. The children get up every day. They have day clothes and night clothes, and experienced staff like Clara Ogren, help them colour or draw by holding their hands to grip a pencil. "We play for them until they can play on their own. And we goof around a lot and dance and listen to music. We want to bring all their senses to life. So we might take a little bit of Coca Cola, and put it in their mouth so they taste something sweet. Even if they are tube-fed, we put them in the kitchen so they smell food," she says. "We have an expectation that they want to live, and all their abilities are still there, but they just forgot or lost the sense of using them. This work takes a lot of energy because we have to live for the children until they start to live on their own." The longest time it took for a child to recover was six months. Often the children will have no contact with their parents until they are able to talk to them on the phone. Of the 35 children Calshamre has met over the years, one of them got permission to stay in Sweden while still at Solsidan. The others recovered before their asylum status was assured. A book - The Way Back - has recently been published about Solsidan, but its work is not well-known. Could this kind of treatment help Sophie? Twenty months is a very long time for a child of her age to be disengaged from the world. What do her parents think will aid her recovery? "Maybe the new baby when it comes will help," says Sophie's father. Sophie's mother can only repeat what she has heard from the doctor. "In order for Sophie to wake up, the doctor says she and her family should feel safe." Their biggest fear is that they will be deported back to where they came from, and that the men who drove them out will find them. "They promised they will kill us. There is nothing more devastating that can happen." In order to protect the family's identity, Sophie's name has been changed Join the conversation - find us on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
Two sets of stamps are being issued by Jersey Post.
One set of stamps features some of the butterflies and moths found in Jersey and the other set shows four of the island's landmarks. It will be the third issue in the butterflies and moths series, all of which have been painted by wildlife artist William Oliver. Jersey lepidopterist, Roger Long, helped Jersey Post research the insects found in the island. There is a souvenir miniature sheet for the issue which includes three of the stamps. Sally Diamond Ferbrache, head of philatelic at Jersey Post, said it was hoped that selling them in sets of ten would help "customers find the booklets more convenient".
As public compliance dips below the level of last spring's lockdown, attention shifts to business to take the burden of infection control. New funds are available, though it's not clear where they come from, and they are focussed on firms that can be easily identified. The many smaller businesses that aren't easily reached - from taxi drivers to wedding organisers - are having to wait even longer for government support
Douglas FraserBusiness/economy editor, Scotland There is a mathematical formula at work in the massive national mission to get the 'R' rate of infection down. In manipulating the formula, the variable over which ministers have least control is compliance by the public. And if that is low, it means more has to be done with the elements in the formula which can compensate for it .They're the ones over which ministers have more control. These include the regulated parts of the economy which can influence public behaviour. Most regulated of all is alcohol, which helps explain why businesses based on out-of-home consumption take a disproportionate burden. No controls have been placed on drinking at home. Put simply, if people are drinking at home, they're not going out, and that's the outcome that public policy seeks. In the current lockdown, Scots can buy alcohol for takeaway from bars and restaurants, whereas English people cannot. That divergence could be closed, as ministers seek to set the alcoholic part of the formula as close as possible to zero. Attention then shifts to other hospitality and retail, and that is where the Scottish cabinet is also turning its attention at its Tuesday morning meeting To get people to comply with the "stay at home" message, to reduce footfall and road traffic, 'click and collect' is now in ministerial sights. It's a tribute to the ingenuity of business that it has adapted online and customer behaviour to the point that click-and-collect is seen as a public health threat. Government support A joint letter by trade bodies representing smaller independent stores, garden centres, booksellers and electrical retailers on Monday pleaded with the Scottish government not to cut off this 'lifeline'. The compensating part of the formula for such businesses is the government support regime in grants. If they are required to close down, they should be getting compensation. The allocation of money to sectors of the economy has become ever more complex, But allocation is becoming increasingly dislocated from actual money reaching bank accounts. On Monday, Scotland's finance secretary Kate Forbes announced top-up grants, with a headline-grabbing £25,000 aimed at larger hotels. That's more than in England, pointed out the Scottish National Party politician. For others in hospitality, leisure and retail, the most they could hope for is a £9,000 top-up on top of grants off £2,000 or £3,000 per month required to close. That's in line with sums available to English businesses from the UK Treasury. Where this money comes from is not clear. Somewhere in the system, there is supposed to be £375m attaching to the expanding Holyrood block grant from the Treasury, but neither Treasury nor the Scottish government seem to be able to say where that money is. That other formulaic part of government spending, named after Lord Joel Barnett, a Labour Treasury minister in the 1970s, is becoming more mysterious than predictable and functional. Either the money is there, and Kate Forbes has found it, or it's not there, and she's taking a big gamble on spending a lot of money without knowing she can meet her legal obligation to balance the books this fiscal year. The Scottish finance secretary's apparent generosity to larger hotels forced to close by the lockdown rules is seen by some business lobbies as an easy way to get the money out the door. That's in contrast with £220m announced on 9 December, which is looking increasingly stuck in bureaucracy. The assurance from Scottish government officials continues: "We were clear in the announcement then that this funding would be available to businesses in January and will be open to applications from an estimated 100,000 eligible businesses, including taxi drivers and others who are self-employed." But Conservative MSPs on Monday highlighted a government spreadsheet that appears to show few of the 30 schemes promised show much sign of opening for business to access funds this month. Only seven of them have launched, they say. The one for taxis and private hire vehicle drivers was due to open on Monday, but there was little sign of it turning up on the financial taxi rank. Where companies lack connection with government data, it's becoming more difficult to identify those in genuine need and attach relief funds to them. Two points of connection are effective: tax collection and business rates. Therefore much of the money has gone into systems that can be operated through HM Revenue and Customs (the furlough scheme and self-employed income support), and those with business rateable premises (most business grants so far). HMRC is not available to the Scottish government to link payments for those that don't pay business rates. So officialdom seems to be struggling to find a fraud-resistant mechanism with which to get money to mobile hairdressers, taxi drivers, coach operators, travelling showpeople, outdoor tourism, wedding organisers and suppliers, those who became self-employed in the past two years, and so on. The survival of such businesses is not essential to the formula of getting the R infection rate down. But as they burn through cash, without government support, they are at increasing risk of becoming collateral damage. And the survival of such firms will be important to economic recovery.
A neighbour had just walked past when an explosion tore through a small, white house in the Spanish coastal town of Alcanar last August.
By Sam PirantyBBC News Debris was flung hundreds of metres by the force of the blast and the bodies of two men landed in nearby gardens. A third man who had been on a roof terrace talking on his phone survived. The next day a van attack was launched on pedestrians in Barcelona's central tourist avenue, Las Ramblas. Hours later there was another attack, in Cambrils, a coastal town. Sixteen people died and more than 130 were injured. Catalonia had come under attack from a jihadist gang of 11 people. Investigators believe they had planned to target Barcelona's Sagrada Familia and the Camp Nou stadium, home to Barcelona football club. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was another target. The Alcanar blast late on 16 August had changed all that and the key figure, Abdelbaki Es Satty, lay dead in the rubble. But this is also a story of missed clues and intelligence failings, because Es Satty had been known to the authorities for years. And the BBC has learned that his gang of extremists was plugged into a network that, according to a surviving cell member, could have included another imam with a second cell of eight or nine young men in France. A year on, investigators in France have requested information from 10 countries and are still trying to break up that network and identify a possible French cell. Catalonia's head of counter-terrorism believes the plot could have been masterminded by someone outside Spain. The story of Es Satty's gang As neighbours emerged from the destroyed buildings in Alcanar, no-one considered an extremist link. The bodies of Es Satty, 44, and 22-year-old Youssef Aallaa were identified. "The strongest hypothesis was that it was a drugs lab," said firefighter Jordi Bort, who was among the first on the scene. It was not until emergency services had dug through the rubble the next day that the full picture emerged. There was a second blast, almost as large as the first. Nine firefighters were injured. They had stumbled on a bomb factory containing more than 200kg (440lb) of explosives. Much of it was extremely unstable, designed to cause multiple deaths. There were canisters, nails, large quantities of acetone, hydrogen peroxide, bicarbonate and detonator switches - all the ingredients to create TATP (triacetone triperoxide) explosive. They also found grenades and suicide vests. Investigators only discovered later, from material recovered from digital cameras, computers and mobile phones, that the men had planned to use these explosives at some of Europe's biggest landmarks. The attacks It was on the afternoon of 17 August that 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub jumped into a rented white van and zig-zagged down Las Ramblas at high speed, careering into pedestrians along the packed avenue. Witnesses said the driver had tried to hit as many people as possible. Many were knocked to the ground while others fled for cover in nearby shops and cafes. Abouyaaqoub killed 13 people and injured more than 130 before fleeing on foot. He then hijacked a white Ford Focus, killing the driver. A German woman injured on Las Ramblas later died, taking the death toll to 15. Eight hours later, in the early hours of 18 August, five men drove to Cambrils, 100km (62 miles) down the coast from Barcelona. They were the Barcelona attacker's brother, Houssaine Abouyaaqoub, along with Moussa Oukabir, Said Aallaa and brothers Mohamed and Omar Hychami. Their black Audi A3 car ploughed into pedestrians at the seaside resort and overturned before the gang got out wielding knives and an axe. A Spanish woman was killed and several others wounded. The attackers were wearing fake suicide vests adorned with plastic bottles to create panic. The vests also ensured they would be shot by police and, in their eyes, die as martyrs. Barcelona attacker Younes Abouyaaqoub was still on the run. His journey finally came to an end on 21 August in a field west of Barcelona. Police were tipped off by the public and Abouyaaqoub, wearing a fake explosives belt, was shot dead. The young men behind the attacks had claimed 16 lives. Who was behind these murders? Normal boys who turned to violence Ninety minutes' drive inland from Barcelona, on the edge of the Pyrenees, lies the picturesque town of Ripoll. Surrounded by pine trees and mountain rivers, this is where most of the Catalan terror cell grew up. They were all first- or second-generation immigrants from Morocco and most were childhood friends who went to the same school. They included four sets of brothers. By all accounts they were normal kids who played in the local football teams, went to after-school clubs and took part in hiking trips. Cambrils attacker Houssaine Abouyaaqoub was known as Houssa and was part of the local football team. Social worker Nuria Perpinya helped some of them at a school homework club. "They would go there after school to use the computers because they didn't have a computer or any internet connection at home," she said. "They were like all the kids," wrote Raquel Rull, the mother of one of Houssa's friends, in an emotional letter published after the attacks. "Like the one you see playing in the square, or the one who carries a big school bag filled with books, or the one who says 'Hi' and lets you go first in the supermarket queue, or the one who gets nervous when a girl smiles at him." Apart from the older Es Satty, only Driss Oukabir, the eldest of the boys, was known to the authorities. He had a criminal record for robbery, sexual assault and domestic violence, but even then his conduct had attracted little attention. On leaving school, most of them had gone to work in local factories, cafes and restaurants. How Es Satty groomed a terror cell Then Abdelbaki Es Satty arrived and started working at one of the town's two mosques, saying he was an imam. Born in Morocco's Rif mountain region, he had come to Spain in the early 2000s and had been in and out of prison until he was brought to Ripoll by a Moroccan woodcutter during the spring of 2015. For Ibrahim Aallaa, whose sons Said and Youssef were killed at Alcanar and Cambrils, Es Satty was a "bad influence" and he did not like him. He had twice visited the house uninvited when he thought Ibrahim was not at home. Said had been working in a local cafe and Es Satty said he should stop as it served alcohol and pork. Youssef had been told to stop working during Ramadan. "Es Satty's belief was too strict," Ibrahim said. "It was an interpretation of Islam that I didn't like. I told my boys too. I didn't want them to go to the mosque and I didn't talk to Es Satty." By January 2016, Es Satty had left Ripoll in search of new opportunities. He went to Belgium to preach at a mosque in Diegem, outside Brussels. He had told leading members of the community he was an informant for the Spanish intelligence services. "They didn't trust him, they asked him for some papers to convince them that he actually was an imam," said Hans Bonte, mayor of Vilvoorde. "But he didn't have a record, so he couldn't give them." The head of the mosque went to the police and Es Satty's details were put on a national database by a local police officer. The case was due to be discussed by local and national security services, but the officer heard nothing back. The Belgian officer also approached a Catalan counterpart he knew but nothing came of that either. From plot to attack Despite local authorities twice flagging up their concerns, Es Satty returned to Ripoll in April 2016, soon after the Brussels bombings. "There was a lack of information exchange between Catalan police and the federal Spanish police and that gave a lot of tension between Catalan and Spanish authorities," Mayor Bonte said. Es Satty was to return to Brussels several times. Back in Ripoll, Es Satty began work at the town's second mosque. A year before the events in Barcelona, friends of the Ripoll cell members began to notice a change in their behaviour. They stopped wearing branded clothing and visited the mosque more frequently. "They closed themselves up a little," said one. They also made regular trips to the bomb factory in Alcanar. One of the most frequent visitors was Younes Abouyaaqoub, the Barcelona attacker. The house was registered in his name and in Youssef Aalla's. In documents seen by the BBC, the cell searched online for chemistry manuals, various IS leading figures, bomb-making manuals and possible targets to attack. In order to fund the purchase of explosives and their travelling, they stole money from their places of work, and sold gold and jewellery in small towns on the coast. By now, older members of the Ripoll gang were travelling abroad and material found on computers and phones has revealed how the cell was linked to people known to authorities across Europe. There were various trips to Morocco to visit friends and family, especially ahead of the attacks, and one visit to Austria. Es Satty repeatedly travelled to Belgium too, and was last seen there two months before the Catalonia attacks. But there were two other trips that investigators found particularly interesting. In December 2016 Youssef Aallaa and Mohamed Hychami flew to Basel in Switzerland and stayed at the Olympia Hotel in Zurich. Their aim was likely to discuss logistics or financing with figures connected to a controversial An'Nur mosque. The mosque in Winterthur, which has since shut, denies such claims. One week later, those two men joined Younes Abouyaaqoub - who would eventually become the Ramblas attacker - in Brussels. And days before the Ramblas attack, the man who carried it out, Younes Abouyaaqoub, went to Paris with Omar Hychami. They took the Audi which Hychami was in when it rammed pedestrians in Cambrils. On 11 and 12 August the men's phones were tracked to central Paris as well as the city's Malakoff and Saint-Denis areas. They called contacts who were using pay-as-you-go Sim cards. Who was in charge? Investigators believe the Paris trip was part of a mission to find targets for a second cell of jihadists. That target was to be the Eiffel Tower. The question is whether Es Satty and the Ripoll cell were part of something much larger and linked to wider extremist networks and plots in Europe. "We think there is some brain outside Spain," says Manel Castellvi, head of counter-terrorism in Catalonia, "maybe in Europe, or maybe in a conflict zone, who convinced them to carry out this attack." While the TATP explosives they amassed in Alcanar were relatively easy to get hold of, Mr Castellvi believes the quantity they had, as well as their ability to make the explosives, suggests "someone with important knowledge could have given information to the cell". The BBC has also learned that Es Satty had booked a flight from Barcelona to Brussels for October 2017 - suggesting Es Satty was not planning to kill himself like the others. Why did they miss Es Satty? Es Satty had been known to intelligence agencies for years, but decisive action was never taken. When the alarm was raised in Brussels in 2016, there was a failure to communicate between Belgium and Spain, and within Spain itself. But the failings go back much further than that. Es Satty was on their radar for links to jihadists as early as 2005. He was living in Vilanova i la Geltru, a coastal town near Barcelona, and spent time with an Algerian man called Belgacem Belil. The pair were connected to a network known as the Vilanova cell. Belil became a suicide bomber in Iraq, killing 28 people in November 2003. Members of the cell were investigated for sending people to Syria and Iraq and were connected to people involved in the 2004 Madrid bombings. However, initial convictions handed down to them were quashed. Then, in 2005, Spanish authorities sought approval to tap Es Satty's phone. They believed he could be acting as an intermediary with individuals connected to militant group Ansar al Islam. Not finding enough evidence, the phone tap was lifted but, at some point, his name was added to a European database of people who support terrorism. In 2010 he was jailed in Castellon, south of Barcelona, for transporting cannabis between Morocco and Spain. While in prison, he was approached by Spain's National Intelligence Centre (CNI), most probably as a possible informant, but he was deemed unreliable. However, he was considered interesting enough for his phone to be tapped when he left prison, the BBC has learned. The CNI wanted to know if he was still in touch with extremists, but again the wire-tap was halted because a judge decided it had failed to yield relevant results. The warning signs were there and opportunities were missed. Abdelbaki Es Satty took several years to move from the fringes of extremist Islam to become the ringleader of a murderous cell in rural northern Spain. Lessons have to be learned about exchanging information, says Manuel Navarrete, Europol's head of counter-terrorism. "Barcelona showed that we need to think in a different way about local actors, a local cell that became quite sophisticated." Credits: Investigative Producer Antia Castedo and Faisal Irshaid, Executive Producer: Jacky Martens; Design by Zoe Bartholomew and Prina Shah.
Visitors have been banned from Warwick Hospital following an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug, Norovirus.
A statement on the hospital's website said patients should still attend their appointments unless they are directly notified otherwise. Jane Ives, the hospitals' director of operations, said the outbreak started at the weekend and spread very quickly. She said: "It felt like the right thing for us to do was to try and nip it in the bud." The website said exceptions to the visitor ban will be made on compassionate grounds although this does not apply to the maternity department or children's ward.
The London Olympics has just showcased the world's first live broadcast of the latest viewing technology - super hi vision, with pictures 16 times as sharp as HDTV and multi-channel surround-sound. The BBC's media correspondent Torin Douglas considers its benefits and finds out what viewers think of it.
By Torin DouglasMedia correspondent Ever since the first Olympic radio transmissions from Paris in 1924, broadcasters have used the Games to demonstrate the latest next-generation technology. The 1948 London Games were the first to be televised in people's homes. The 1964 Games in Tokyo pioneered colour TV. And in 1984 the Los Angeles Games were the first to be broadcast in High Definition, which eventually reached UK homes more than 20 years later. Back in 1948, the BBC's head of television outside broadcasts showed viewers on-screen how it was done. "Here at the Empire Pool are the cameras set up to watch the aquatic events and the boxing," he said. "The cameras are extremely complicated and use miniature valves developed for radar and other secret purposes during the war." Now, 64 years later, Olympic swimmers in London are again being televised using the latest technology. Super hi vision, developed by the Japanese broadcaster NHK, provides ultra high definition pictures - 16 times as sharp as high definition images, which themselves are four times as clear as standard TV pictures. The sound is much better too. HD surround-sound uses 5.1 channels and is very impressive. Super hi vision uses 22.2. I joined 120 viewers who had booked to see the system's first live broadcast, on a special 300-inch, cinema-size screen at the BBC's Broadcasting House in London. The morning's swimming heats from the Olympic Aquatic Centre were also transmitted to viewing theatres in the BBC's Pacific Quay headquarters in Glasgow, the National Media Museum in Bradford and venues in Tokyo, Fukushima and Washington DC. 'Testing bed' Tim Plyming, who leads the BBC's Olympic trials of the system, says they are building on the history of innovation at the event. "The scale of the Olympics is a great testing bed," he explains. "Most of the big leaps in technology that we've known - from black and white to colour and from standard definition to high definition, and now to ultra high definition - have all had their home at the Olympic Games." Plyming says the picture is so clear it is like looking through a glass wall into the stadium or aquatic centre. Other broadcasters claim it is a truly immersive experience that feels just like being there. Some licence payers have questioned whether it is a good use of the BBC's budget. "Spending money and resources on super hi vision just for prestige is a disgrace at a time when the BBC is cutting back," commented one on the BBC website. But others disagreed. "If it wasn't for the visionaries in broadcasting and video technology we would still be watching 405 line black and white television," declared one correspondent. 'Amazing' So what did my fellow viewers make of it? Quite simply, they were bowled over. "The sound was fantastic and the picture was amazing, so clear" said one London woman. "Amazing," agreed another: "You really do feel like you're in the stadium, in the atmosphere." A French man told me he had been in the Aquatic Centre on Saturday and the comparison was very good. "You seem to be there," he said. I agree. If you can't get a ticket, this experience really is the next best thing. And there are still a few tickets available - free of charge - between now and the end of the Olympics. Screenings in London and Glasgow can be booked through the BBC ticketing website, while screenings in Bradford can be booked through the National Media Museum. You can also watch some of the 1948 Olympic broadcasts and see one of the original cameras in an exhibition of Olympics TV technology at Broadcasting House. But don't expect to find super hi vision on the high street soon. HD took more than 20 years to progress from the Los Angeles Olympics into UK homes, and the latest next-generation technology will not be available domestically for some years. And apart from the likely cost, who has room for a 300-inch screen?
Zeenat Shahzadi is believed to be the first female journalist "forcibly disappeared" in Pakistan. Her family and human rights groups say she was abducted by security agencies who have been accused of illegally detaining thousands of people under the guise of anti-terrorism operations. BBC Urdu's Saba Eitizaz investigates.
Nearly a year has passed since Zeenat Shahzadi disappeared but her room seems frozen in time. Set against the peeling wall paint, her dressing table is gathering dust, her comb and favourite lipstick are exactly where she left them on the morning she went missing. Her clothes are hanging in the closet and her mother, Kaneez Bibi, keeps them fresh and ironed. "I just put away her winter clothes and took out the summer ones she will wear when she comes back," she said. Her voice trembles, as do her hands as she wipes and cleans Zeenat's things. Zeenat's mother refuses to give up hope but it was too much for her son, Zeenat's youngest brother. Saddam, who was 17, took his own life in March. His family says he was Zeenat's best friend. "He used to ask me every day when Zeenat would be coming home," said Kaneez Bibi. "On the last day he said to me, 'Mum, Zeenat is never coming back'." Kaneez Bibi starts sobbing into her scarf. "It's my fault. Why did I cry for Zeenat in front of him? That child just couldn't take it any more." Indian link Zeenat Shahzadi was a freelance reporter for local channels and also liked to call herself a human rights activist. Despite coming from a humble background, she made a career for herself and was the only one financially supporting her family. Before her abduction, the 24-year-old journalist had been working on the case of Indian citizen Hamid Ansari who went missing in Pakistan in November 2012. Through social media, she managed to get in touch with Hamid's mother in Mumbai and filed a missing person's petition in court on her behalf. She played an important role in encouraging a government commission on enforced disappearances to investigate his case. As a result, security agencies admitted to the commission that Hamid was in their custody. He was later sentenced and jailed by a military court. That same year Zeenat went missing. Human rights lawyer Hina Jillani says Zeenat's disappearance did not come out of nowhere. "Zeenat's family told us that Zeenat was forcefully picked up by security officials before [her disappearance] and detained for four hours," said Hina Jillani. "She told her family that they interrogated her about Hamid Ansari." Snatched on the street On 19 August 2015, Zeenat Shahzadi took a rickshaw to work but never got there. Two cars blocked her on the road; armed men got out and abducted her. She was due to appear before the Commission on Enforced Disappearances to give testimony on the Hamid Ansari case in the next few days. Human rights organisations are worried that her abduction represents a dangerous trend. She is the first female journalist to be "disappeared" and it happened in broad daylight in the busy city of Lahore, not some remote rural road. "We are convinced that this is the work of the secret government agencies, because when someone is detained by them, the police can be quite helpless, and we have seen that in this case," said Hina Jillani. The government sponsored Commission on Enforced Disappearances has been investigating Zeenat Shahzadi's case. A senior official, who would only talk off the record, said efforts were being made to "recover" her and expressed hope that there would be progress on her case soon. This senior official also said security agencies had denied any link to her disappearance. Above the law? Although the government set up a special commission to try to locate the increasing numbers of missing people in Pakistan, human rights activists say the country's security agencies are not accountable to anyone. According to government records, 1,300 out of a total of 3,000 cases are still pending unresolved before the commission. Human rights activists are concerned that the new counter terrorism laws brought in to deal with the country's volatile security situation have a major drawback - they give security agencies ample leeway to illegally arrest people without a warrant or explanation. They can just disappear. "When you are making new laws that run parallel to the existing legal system, then you are allowing certain individuals and institutions to operate without accountability and with impunity," said Hina Jillani. But it is the families of the disappeared who may be paying the highest price. Zeenat's mother takes some comfort from visiting her son's grave. She brings flowers and prays. She sits among the tombstones for hours. But Kaneez Bibi is deprived that sense of closure for her daughter. "Can someone just tell me whether my daughter is alive or dead? I don't even know whether to wait for her return or pray for her soul."
When Malaysian police warned activist and graphic designer Fahmi Reza that his Twitter account was under surveillance after he posted an image of the prime minister, Najib Razak, as a clown, they probably hoped such behaviour would stop.
By BBC TrendingWhat's popular and why But then members of an art collective, Grupa posted even more clownish images of the premier to express their solidarity with him and to champion the ideal of free speech. The pictures have spread across social media with the hashtag #KitaSemuaPenghasut which translates as "we are all seditious". Fahmi's mockery of the prime minister was part of a wider reaction to news last week, when the country's attorney-general cleared Mr Najib of any corruption relating to a long-running financial scandal. Grupa and Fahmi both have a history of protest against the current prime minister, though Fahmi stresses his work is anti-corruption rather than anti-Najib and says he has lampooned politicians from all sides in his work. Grupa says it is an independent group of designers and illustrators that formed just days before street protests in August that called on Mr Najib to resign. It says it designed many of the placards used in the protest. Fahmi, a long-time activist, is unrepentant. He responded to the police warning with another tweet mocking it: "Warning! This Twitter account is under police watch. Use it with prudence." On Facebook he has also made a tongue-in-cheek appeal to the authorities not to act rashly, saying his arrest would only give the issue more publicity. In July last year, $681m was found in Mr Najib's personal bank account. In the furore that followed, the prime minister removed the attorney-general investigating the issue and sacked the deputy prime minister who was vocally and actively criticising the way the matter was handled. There was widespread scepticism about the explanation that the new attorney-general gave about the source of the funds - that they were a personal donation from the Saudi royal family to Mr Najib - and the story trended for days on social media. Mr Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The Malaysian police's attempts to use social media to monitor comments about the government has also sparked debate. The Police Cyber Investigation Response Centre account that cautioned Fahmi, has also cautioned a handful of other social media users for expressing racist or libellous sentiment since it was created in January. While some say it is required to make people more aware of the legal limits of what they can say online, others point out it has been created in an era where the government has increasingly used pre-colonial sedition laws to stifle free speech. The government has also tried to eradicate visible signs of protest by attempting to ban the yellow T-shirts worn by protesters campaigning against Mr Najib. Blog by: Tse Yin Lee , BBC Monitoring Next story: Internet anger after former police brutality victim found dead in her cell In 2012, Sarah Reed was the victim of an assault by a police officer. Her death in a prison cell last month has prompted a surge of online grief and anger, driven by black British Twitter users. READ MORE.
Fire crews are tackling a large blaze at a toy distribution business.
The fire broke out at the commercial building on Cowley Road in the Marton area of Blackpool at about 07:00 GMT. About 50 firefighters from 10 fire engines are tackling the blaze. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said there were not thought to be any injuries. Thick black smoke can be seen billowing above the building and there are some road closures in the area.
The issue of whether to continue the UK government's broadcast ban on Sinn Féin in the run-up to the 1994 IRA ceasefire concentrated minds from Downing Street to the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), according to previously confidential files just released.
By Dr Éamon PhoenixHistorian and broadcaster The issue came to the forefront in November 1993 when a Conservative MP alleged at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons that in a recent interview on the Shankill bombing, then Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams "had stretched the broadcasting restrictions to the limit". As a result, the then Prime Minister John Major asked Peter Brooke, the national heritage secretary, to examine the operation of the broadcasting restrictions in relation to Northern Ireland. They had been introduced by the Home Office in 1988 to exclude violent groups from the airwaves. The view then was that such appearances enhanced the standing of such organisations. 'Martyrdom syndrome' In a memo, dated 9 November 1993, Peter Edwards of the Department of National Heritage (DEN) informed David Cooke from the NIO: "This is in response to concerns about the way that broadcasts have been using sophisticated lip-synching techniques to give a very realistic impression of the Gerry Adams' voice during interviews with him." In a response, DJ Watkins of the NIO was critical of the ban on Sinn Féin spokesmen. Many nationalists, he argued, "consider the ban… only contributes to the martyrdom syndrome on which Sinn Féin and the PIRA (Provisional IRA) survive, not to say thrive, and prevent any real opportunity for Sinn Féin to be questioned particularly about issues which might embarrass them… I strongly share that view". Mr Watkins argued that if the government's aim was to remove a grievance from republicans, they should consider ending the ban. The official concluded that while the NIO would not be in favour of lifting the restrictions at that time, such a move might be seen as "an imaginative" way in which the government might respond to the ending of IRA violence. In a memo to John Major, dated 11 February 1994, the Home Secretary Douglas Hurd recalled that during Gerry Adams' visit to New York, he had enjoyed widespread sympathy on the issue. He recommended lifting the ban in advance of the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis (annual conference) in February. 'Pro-active PR vehicle' It was not lifted until September 1994. The papers also highlight Whitehall's alarm at the republican movement's increasingly successful use of the internet for propaganda purposes and their own belated attempts to combat this. The possible threat to British national security from a sophisticated Sinn Féin website was raised by the junior Home Office Minister, David Maclean, in a letter to Sir John Wheeler on 12 March 1996. Mr Maclean wrote, enclosing documents from a Sinn Féin website: "Amongst the unsavoury nasties were these very professionally produced pages, apparently showing our complete (military) deployment in NI". The material gave details of British military, Royal Navy, RAF and Royal Irish Regiment numbers in Northern Ireland with a detailed list of permanent vehicle checkpoints (PVCs) in border areas. Mr Maclean wondered whether, since the internet already had nine million American and one million British users, the British Government should be putting "our own counter-propaganda on the net". Mr Wheeler replied, expressing his "horror" and asked his officials to explore the matter. 'Pro-active PR vehicle' The issue was discussed at the NIO Security Information Group at Stormont Castle on 3 April 1996. The meeting noted that Sinn Féin was using the internet to good advantage. Officials also learned that the NIO had a website but that it was essential for the government to use the internet as "a pro-active PR vehicle". It was agreed that the Royal Ulster Constabulary and military would provide appropriate material.
A British team is developing a car that will capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h). Powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, the Bloodhound SSC (SuperSonic Car) vehicle will mount an assault on the land speed record. Wing Commander Green is writing a diary for the BBC News website about his experiences working on the Bloodhound project and the team's efforts to inspire national interest in science and engineering.
By Andy GreenWorld Land Speed Record Holder Bloodhound project director Richard Noble has just returned from South Africa, where he's been catching up on the desert preparation and finalising some new sponsorship for our 1,000mph record attempt. The Northern Cape Government team is doing a fantastic job of clearing the world's best race track for Bloodhound - after the last rainy season, the surface is in great condition and with the stones removed, it's now looking terrific. The remnants of the old causeway, which used to run across the desert, are being re-graded to improve the surface still further. This surface grading is an exacting process, as it is easy to damage the surface. It's also an unusual one, as most dry lake beds come without causeways, so we are in slightly uncertain territory. Still, with the Northern Cape team on the case, we're on course to have the perfect track by the time we run there next year. We have no real idea how many spectators we will have when we're out in the desert in 2013. South Africa is vast - Richard drove a 2,300km round trip from Johannesburg - but everyone I met in South Africa last year was adamant that they would be there to watch. However, if we are going to create a truly global " Engineering Adventure " then we need to make sure that everyone can watch Bloodhound SSC run. We'll be transmitting live data and video from the car every time it runs, so that you can watch the event wherever you are - but first we need to get the data and video from the car to the internet. We're thrilled that Richard signed a deal last week with South African telecoms giant MTN , who will provide the "back-haul" link from the desert to Upington, some 200+km to the south (the nearest internet fibre-optic link). With this deal in place, we really can let the whole world share in the adventure. The design and build of the car is progressing well. Bloodhound designer Mark Elvin has been working closely with Hyde engineering to complete the design of the upper rear chassis and fin structure. This is one of the last major bits of chassis to design and Hyde is proving to be a great partner for us. They've been pestering us for ages to get started with fabrication, so finally we're keeping them busy. We need to make sure that the car will stay "pointy-end forwards" by keeping the aerodynamic centre of the car behind the centre of gravity. The rest of the design needed to be mostly complete before we knew where the centre of gravity of the car would be, and hence how big the fin would need to be: the bigger the fin, the further back the aerodynamic centre is. This is the last piece of the puzzle and we're just about ready to start making it, which is great. If you've already put your name on the fin, then this is where it will go - and if you haven't, now's the time to register so that your name can travel at 1,000mph ! The front chassis "buck" (the male mould) is now being "blocked up" by UMECO. This is a very apt term for the process - the buck is literally built up from tooling blocks and then machined down to the shape of the front of the car, so that the carbon fibre female mould can be produced. For this lower section (the smaller of the two pieces), UMECO will use one tonne of tooling block, with machining taking eight day shifts and eight night shifts, after which it will be hand finished and fettled for a further two days before being sealed. Then the layup of the carbon tool will begin. This is not a quick or simple process - but the final result will be one of the strongest cockpits in the world, so it's worth waiting for. Getting Bloodhound up to speed is only half of the problem - stopping it from 1,000mph is also a top priority, not just for reasons of self-preservation, but also because pulling up at exactly the right spot will shave vital seconds off the car turnaround time between the two record attempt runs, which have to be completed within an hour. The car will be fitted with airbrakes, parachutes and wheel brakes, to give me a range of options for stopping six tonnes doing 1,000mph - it's a big task. The airbrake design has now been brought to life in a video animation , while SES is making our high-speed drag chutes, and Brian Coombs has been finalising the wheel brakes. The desert brakes need to survive the 10,200RPM spin speed of a 1,000mph run, so the discs will be made from steel. However, for the UK runway tests, we need to stop the car much more quickly (i.e. before the end of the runway), so we will be using more powerful brakes for the UK runs. Brian has been working with AP Racing to produce these runways brakes, which will be carbon/carbon. Unusually, one half of the calliper (the fixed part of the brake) will be built into the upright (the suspension casting that carries the wheel hub). This is a neat way to keep the package as small as possible - after all, Brian has to fit in two wheels, two uprights with two sets of bearings, two brake packs and two sets of double wishbone suspension into the nose of the car - so it's pretty tight in there. Finally, I've had a chance to do some driver training in preparation for driving Bloodhound next year. Radical sportscars has offered us the use of one of their cars, beautifully done up in Bloodhound colours, for the occasional track day and race, so that I can improve my car handling skills. As it's a two-seat car, I can also share the experience with the occasional journalist, and perhaps even a few members of our 1K Supporters Club , to explain what I'm practising in preparation for a 1,000mph. Meanwhile, I've just finished my first race weekend and the car is still in one piece! I also learned a lot in this amazing race car, and had some fun as the "new boy" at the track. More pictures and video (including how to go from 200km/h to facing backwards in two seconds - eek!) next month. Meanwhile, we'll be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 28 June to 1 July, with the Radical on show alongside our full-size show car, so please come along and see us.
With the world's biggest bike race starting in Leeds on 5 July, BBC Yorkshire's Tour de France correspondent Matt Slater rounds up the best of the gossip, opinion and stories, on and off the bike, and also tries to explain some of cycling's unique lingo and history. TOP STORIES
So, three days then, until the big sporting contest of the English summer: Dales CC vs Barningham CC in the Darlington and District Cricket League. And here is the best bit, if you bring your whites, you might get a game. Dales CC play in Reeth, and their ground is "encircled" by some bike race or other. Other teams in the league have been similarly inconvenienced but have managed to get a postponement. But not Dales, and they are struggling for numbers. "We're snookered, really," explains club secretary Peter McKay, referencing another sport that will mean nothing to the big bike race's competitors. Here is the good news, though, you can register to play until an hour before the game starts. "As long as they are warm and breathing, we will consider them," says McKay. Full story: The Northern Echo The diary likes a bit of high-brow stuff, every now and then, and was recently watching a documentary about the US city of Detroit, which has experienced such shocking levels of blight, crime and depopulation that whole swathes of the place are being reclaimed by Mother Nature. Where there were once bustling neighbourhoods, there are now pop-up farms and nascent forests. Do you know what? It is happening in Huddersfield! Right outside the train station on St George's Square, too. Commuters had to pick their way through the legumes, livestock and "real French gardeners" this morning. Our hold on this planet really is very tenuous. Full story: The Huddersfield Daily Examiner Ahem, in a break from the usual service of stories about commemorative beers, "elf & safety gone mad", Heath Robinson-esque land art and obscure pop culture references, the diary has an official statement to share from the Prime Minister. You are almost as likely to get a decent meal in Yorkshire as you are in London, apparently, and the region is as worth a visit as Texas. Full story: gov.uk CYCLING ROUND-UP The riders have arrived (and started riding the route), the publicity caravan has landed, the press centre is open and Yorkshire is bedecked in bunting: we are only missing a doping story and then we can start the race….oh, here it is. Daryl Impey's non-selection for Orica-GreenEDGE was slightly missed in this country because of our excitement about Simon Yates getting a Tour ride at just 21. But it was noted in his native South Africa, and elsewhere, because he is an experienced domestique who wore the yellow jersey for two days at last year's Tour. We know now why Impey was not picked. The 29-year-old rider failed a drugs test for a masking agent at the South African time-trial championships in February. He revealed the news himself in a personal statement, which went on to categorically deny any intention to dope, or knowledge of how the substance got into his system. This does not need to be a huge Tour de France 2014 story at all, but it is bound to generate a lot of heat over the next couple of days, particularly as it follows a difficult fortnight in terms of doping stories for professional cycling. TWEET OF THE DAY "We are, undoubtedly, the best country in the world at pretending to love soccer. #USA #proud #FifaWorldCup." The absence of @taylorphinney from this year's Tour is a blow for lots of reasons. The American, who broke his leg in a crash last month, is a great rider who animates races with his aggressive style. He is also a bit of a character. Get well soon. TODAY'S TOUR TRIVIA The Tour loves a bit of history and is always looking for ways to add to its almost mythic past. Nothing wrong with that, of course, it helps the narrative. This year's Tour is a good example, as it is marking the start of the First World War by holding a stage through the battlefields on the French/Belgian border near Ypres. Unsurprisingly, the war interrupted the Tour, with the race resuming in 1919 on roads that will still scarred by the conflict. Cycling writer Suze Clemitson has written a superb piece in The Guardian about The Great War's impact on the race, pointing that three pre-war champions did not return home from the front.
It's every budding actor's dream - a starring role in a TV show or film that becomes a major hit. But then they try to move on - and find that their iconic character just won't let them.
By Ian YoungsEntertainment & arts reporter The latest actor to complain about being shackled to his famous alter ego is Alfonso Ribeiro. You may know him better as Will Smith's highfalutin cousin Carlton Banks from 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He's said being overshadowed by his character has "stopped me from being able to be an actor". The 45-year-old told Metro: "It has forced ME to be my character, hosting game shows and America's Funniest Videos. 'I could be a deranged killer!' "I would like to try some stuff that is different from how the world sees me, just sink my teeth into… shoot, I could be a deranged killer! "But I doubt someone would automatically think of me when they go, 'We need to cast a killer, let's get the dude who played Carlton.'" He did also say the role was "rewarding in many ways" - and you could argue that an actor is lucky to get one part in a hit show in their career. Here are some other actors who have found it impossible to leave their most famous parts behind - and some who have managed to reinvent themselves. Mark Hamill Perhaps the ultimate example of an actor known for one role, Hamill (above right) is and always will be Luke Skywalker. His non-Star Wars films remained relatively low-key so he went to Broadway, taking the title role in Amadeus in 1983. But when director Milos Forman made a big screen version, he is reported to have rejected Hamill, saying: "I don't want Luke Skywalker in this film." Hamill got around the typecasting by becoming a successful voice actor, including as The Joker in the Batman animated series. Carrie Fisher The force also remained strong for Hamill's co-star, whose performance as Princess Leia became iconic. Fisher had other roles - like in When Harry Met Sally and Hannah and Her Sisters - and wrote novels. But she said being most closely associated with Leia had been "great". "She's a very proactive character and gets the job done. So if you're going to get typecast as something, that might as well be it for me." James van der Beek Van Der Beek (second left) has struggled to shed the memory of teenage heart-throb Dawson, whose Creek was so admired by teen viewers from 1998-2003. "It did hold me back," he said in 2014, adding that movie directors would think he was too recognisable and not take him seriously. "But at the end of the day, it just makes you work that much harder." He has also parodied his own fame - even playing a bitter version of himself as an actor trying to revive his career in 2012 sitcom Don't Trust The B in Apartment 23. Jennifer Aniston This could apply to any of the cast of Friends to be honest. In fact, Aniston has arguably done better than the rest - she's been in lots of middle-ranking rom-coms and got a Golden Globe nomination for 2014 drama Cake. But who are we kidding - she's still Rachel. "It's really hard to be cast in [a dramatic film like Cake]," she said in 2015. Especially if "you're someone who is battling a persona. Sometimes it's hard to disappear from it in a role." And sometimes it's hard to get away from a certain haircut. Christopher Reeve The star of the original four Superman movies in the 1970s and '80s, Reeve later battled to "escape the cape". He took a wide variety of roles on film, TV and stage before a riding accident left him paralysed in 1995. Only his later real-life role as a campaigner for spinal cord injury research came close to eclipsing that of the Man of Steel. And a few who did escape the typecasting Will Smith Starring in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air didn't seem to hold Will Smith back. In fact, it led to a string of hit films including Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black and Ali, not to mention two Oscar nominations. And, presumably to Ribeiro's chagrin, he has even played a killer - as Deadshot in Suicide Squad. Perhaps he should be typecast a bit more. He can do comedy, action or drama - as long as he's an indomitable, smart-talking, high-energy hero. Films where he plays more sombre roles tend to tank. Harrison Ford Having proved it possible to break out of the Star Wars universe, Harrison Ford isn't just the bloke who played Han Solo. Perhaps he was lucky in that he made two more major films - Raiders of the Lost Ark and Blade Runner - before The Return of the Jedi could trap him in that particular pigeonhole. Or perhaps there's another explanation - maybe he's a better actor than his Star Wars co-stars. Emma Watson Of the main Harry Potter cast, Emma Watson is probably the one where you think "oh it's that one from Harry Potter" least often. She's done a few half-decent grown-up films and we'll see how her biggest post-Potter movie, Beauty and the Beast, performs next week. But more than that - she's positioned herself as a serious social commentator. Daniel Radcliffe, too, is desperately trying to be a proper actor. But, perhaps because he played Harry himself, it might take a bit longer for us to shake off the image of the kid with wand and glasses. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
The vinyl revival shows no sign of slowing down, with 4.1m records sold in the UK last year.
By Mark SavageBBC Music reporter And fans of the format get an early Christmas in April, when more than 500 new releases fly into independent music shops for Record Store Day. Almost all are limited editions, featuring unreleased tracks, special artwork and rare remixes. This year's selection includes everything from the Twin Peaks soundtrack to a Duran Duran live album. There's even a cassette version of Enter The Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, if that's your sort of thing. Record Store Day, now in its 11th year, is hugely important for local, independent record stores. In 2017, shops in the UK sold an extra 32,500 vinyl albums in the week of the event, with sales of 12-inch singles jumping from 2,000 to 89,000. The full, exhaustive list of releases for 2018 has just been published - and we've ploughed through it so you don't have to. Here are 10 of the records you might want to track down on 22 April. Led Zeppelin: Rock and Roll/Friends "It's been a long time since I rock and rolled." Fifty years, to be precise. Led Zeppelin celebrate their gold anniversary by issuing two rarities that didn't make it onto their comprehensive reissue series four years ago. The so-called "Olympic Studios Mix" of Friends, from Led Zeppelin III, is the more interesting track - stripping away the original's orchestration to reveal the stripped-down recording the band made at their rehearsal studio, Headley Grange. Bobbie Gentry: Live at the BBC Best remembered these days for the haunting, mysterious Ode to Billie Joe, Bobbie Gentry was, in the 1960s, a million-selling artist who befriended Elvis Presley and Tom Jones and fronted her own television show on BBC Two. Some of the music from that series is being released for the first time on this LP, which represents Gentry's first "new" album since she retired from show-business and all but disappeared in the early 1980s. Nas: Live From The Kennedy Center Four years ago, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the hip-hop classic Illmatic, Nas walked onto the stage of the Kennedy Center in a sharp black suit and performed the album in full, backed by the National Symphony Orchestra. "It's crazy, you know. I wrote this in the projects in New York City," said the star. "And here we are in the capital of America, Washington DC, and, you know, a bunch of white people with strings and all that, playing this album, and they [sic] feeling it." The performance, which was originally screened on US TV channel PBS, is now being made available on double disc vinyl. The Residents: The W***** B*** Album Oddball musical innovators The Residents were just starting out when they mailed this demo tape to Hal Halverstadt, the executive who signed Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band to Warner Bros Records. Opening with a deliberately discordant version of Strawberry Fields Forever, it rattles through 33 tracks in 39 minutes, including the country parody Oh Mommy, Oh Daddy, Can't You See That It's True? and the frankly shambolic Oh Yeah Uhh Bop Shoo Bop. Halverstadt was unimpressed with the tape (describing it as "okay at best") and returned it to the band, addressing the parcel to "Residents, 20 Sycamore St, San Francisco," giving the band their name. Unheard by the public until it was played on a US radio show in 1977, it has been widely bootlegged since. To counter that, the band are releasing the record on vinyl - although it's unclear whether this will be the full 33-track original or the 17-track "remix" they issued in 2004. Doctor Who: City of Death A classic Doctor Who story from 1979, City of Death was co-written by Douglas Adams and starring Tom Baker. Set in France, it sees the Doctor attempting to foil a plot to steal the Mona Lisa which, if successful, would erase the history of planet Earth. (It's complicated.) The TV version was the the most-watched episode of Doctor Who up to that point. This two-hour audio version is presented on translucent green vinyl because all the aliens. Sigrid: Don't Kill My Vibe EP A dramatic explosion of pop potential, Sigrid's debut EP was powerful enough to see her named on the BBC's Sound of 2018 this year. From the scornful title track to devastating piano ballad Dynamite, it's a masterclass in pop songcraft - and available for the first time on vinyl. The Cure: Mixed Up/Torn Down Back in 1990 The Cure released Mixed Up, an album of club remixes that encouraged their more socially awkward fans to hit the dancefloor. It included Paul Oakenfold's version of Close To Me, which became one of the band's most popular songs (and, later, the theme tune to BBC Three Sitcom The Smoking Room). Not only is that record being remastered for Record Store Day, but Robert Smith has delivered the long-awaited sequel, Torn Down. First mentioned in 2009, the two-disc, 16-track LP will contain new versions of A Night Like This, Three Imaginary Boys, Never Enough and The Last Day Of Summer, amongst others. Speaking in 2012, Smith said the album would feature "our favourite bands remixing Cure songs", with Mogwai among the groups involved. However, the finished record contains 16 remixes by Smith himself. Irvine Welsh and Arthur Baker: Dead Man's Trousers Irvine Welsh is reuniting the Trainspotting cast - Renton, Begbie, Sick Boy and Spud - for a third and (supposedly) final novel, due on 29 March. The plot involves organ-harvesting and Hibernians' Scottish Cup Final victory over Rangers in May 2016 - and ends with one of the characters wearing the titular "dead man's trousers". To launch the book, Welsh has teamed up with US hip-hop producer Arthur Baker to record two new tracks, which could shed further light on the plot. Michael Raven and Joan Mills: Death and the Lady Though they remain largely unknown, Michael Raven and Joan Mills made some of the most evocative and distinctive folk music recorded in the UK. Their unique sound was influenced by Raven's ability to play flamenco guitar - which, according to legend, he learned by living with cave-dwelling gypsies in Granada. This extremely rare record was originally released as a run of 250 vinyl copies in 1972. Those that still exist sell for upwards of £300. Prince: 1999 (one-disc edition) Back in 1983, the European division of Warner Bros records deleted half of Prince's career-making double album 1999 and issued it as a single disc, incorrectly assuming audiences couldn't handle such an intense dose of funk. It's a curious affair - omitting stone-cold classics like DMSR and All The Critics Love You In New York - but much sought after by completists. After the success of Purple Rain in 1984, the edited version of 1999 was consigned to the great pop dustbin and the double-disc was reinstated. This heavyweight vinyl reissue is the first new pressing of the cut-down edition in 25 years. 10 more to look out for The Notorious B.I.G.: Juicy - Back on vinyl for the first time since 1994, Biggie Smalls' debut single remains one of hip-hop's all-time classics. And if you don't know, now you know. David Bowie: Let's Dance (Demo) - Originally released online to mark the second anniversary of Bowie's death, this demo was recorded in Bowie's Swiss home in 1982. Other Bowie releases for Record Store Day include a new version of 1977 compilation Bowie Now and a three-disc recording of the star's Earl's Court shows in 1978. Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive/Substitute - A feminist anthem, a gay anthem and the 1998 French World Cup squad's official theme song, I Will Survive turns 45 this year. To celebrate, the full 12" disco version is being released alongside Substitute, which was originally the song's A side. Baxter Dury: Miami - "I'm the vicar / I'm the main course / I'm Morgan Freeman." Baxter Dury's foul-mouthed and cocksure Miami contained some of last year's best lyrics. This 12" edition contains Jarvis Cocker's fantastic slow disco remix. Arcade Fire: Arcade Fire EP - Recorded in Maine during the summer of 2002, the Arcade Fire EP was self-released via the band's website and sold at their shows. A fascinating document of a band on the cusp of greatness, before they'd truly worked out their sound. Madonna: The First Album - A replica of the Japanese edition of Madonna's debut, which came as a full-colour picture disc with a pink heart-shaped sticker and the lyrics in both English and Japanese. Courtney Barnett: City Looks Pretty/Sunday Roast - The first chance to hear two new tracks from the Aussie singer's hotly anticipated second album, Tell Me How You Really Feel, before it comes out on 18 May. Chaka Demus & Pliers: Tease Me - Jamaican dancehall duo Chaka Demus & Pliers scored six UK Top 40 hits in just 14 months between 1993 and 1994. This is the only one people remember, re-released on yellow vinyl to celebrate its 25th anniversary. (Shaggy's Oh Carolina is getting a similar treatment.) Pink Floyd: Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - An official release for the out-of-print mono mix of Pink Floyd's debut album, which many fans prefer to the more widely-available stereo version. Also includes a poster. Sufjan Stevens: Mystery Of Love EP - A 10" vinyl featuring three new songs from Oscar-winning movie Call Me By Your Name. Record Store Day takes place on Saturday 21 April. BBC Radio will premiere a selection of the exclusives in the days leading up to the event; and on Friday 20 April, Lauren Laverne will broadcast her 6 Music show from a record store (details to be announced nearer the time). Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
A television documentary looking at how five-year-old April Jones's family coped after she was murdered in 2012 has won an award.
Royal Television Society judges called BBC Wales' Week In Week Out programme's Life After April an "outstanding piece of journalism". They added it "took us deep inside the trauma of a family who were still mourning the loss of their daughter". The programme won the Nations and Regions Current Affairs award. Cardiff-born journalist Jeremy Bowen won the Interview of the Year award for his exclusive interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The HS rail link won't be finished until 2033 so why does it take two decades to finish a project like this?
By Tom de Castella and Kathryn WestcottBBC News Magazine The government has announced a provisional route for the second stage of the High Speed 2 rail link between London and the north of England. Its second phase - a Y-shaped section from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester - won't be finished for 20 years. Those working on the project say its sheer scale and complexity explains the length of time. But there are already critics of the timetable who believe it could be completed sooner. The 20-year time lag is a "complete nonsense" says Sir Peter Hall, professor of planning and regeneration at The Bartlett, University College London. If it wasn't for political considerations, the line could be built in about 10 years, he says. But what are some of the reasons that could explain a 20-year project? 1. A history of delays Any major infrastructure project in the UK has the potential to take a long time. The building of HS1 - the Channel Tunnel Rail Link - was completed 16 years after Michael Heseltine first announced it to the Conservative Party Conference in 1991. That was only 68 miles. HS2 will be 330 miles. It's not just railway lines. The public inquiry alone for Heathrow Terminal 5 took nearly four years. 2. Splitting it into two phases The biggest source of delay is that the HS2 project has been split into two. Construction for the London to Birmingham route will begin in 2017 and be finished by 2026. The Birmingham to Manchester/Leeds construction starts in the mid 2020s and is due to be finished by 2032 or 2033. Prof Hall, an advocate of high speed rail, says the phasing makes little sense. Why not start on both now so that they will be finished sooner? The same thing happened with the Channel Tunnel rail link, which could have been finished in 2003 but was done in two phases, he says. "The whole (HS2) line could be open in theory by 2023," he argues. 3. Spreading the finance The splitting into two phases is because the planning and design work is so time consuming, a spokesman for HS2 maintains. But it's easy to see a financial case for doing it. HS2 costs £32bn. With the £15bn Crossrail not due to finish until 2018, the government is keen to spread the cost of the new North-South railway over a longer period. Once Crossrail is finished, the £2bn a year that is being put into it will shift to HS2, says David Meechan, a spokesman for HS2. In other words, a longer timescale allows more of the financial burden to be passed on to the next generation. 4. Consultation Consulting the public takes time. The route for phase one of the line - London to Birmingham - was initially published in December 2010. Consultation then took place and in January 2012 changes were announced. There was more protection for sensitive areas in the Chilterns and Buckinghamshire. But that's not the end of the process. 5. More consultation Even after phase one's route was tweaked there began a second stage of consultation and planning. Detailed engineering work has to be done looking at the exact route of the line. There are environmental impact assessments. Community forums are being organised along the route. Minor tweaks are still possible. It means that phase one will not be ready to be put before parliament until the end of 2013. That's still not the end of the process. The same process then has to start all over again for phase two - the Y-shaped route north of Birmingham that has just been announced. It begins with compensation for property owners facing "exceptional hardship". Then the full consultation programme begins. 6. Buying land and people's houses The government doesn't yet own the land. And to build a railway you need far more land than the line itself will occupy, says Ben Ruse, a spokesman for HS1, also known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. "You need vast swathes of land, for instance somewhere to store the machinery and materials." It's complicated and expensive. The typical purchase price is roughly the market rate plus 10%, suggests Ruse. It can be a big business blocking the route or "Bob in his allotment". Everyone needs to be talked to and negotiated with. "We are not at the stage of CPOs on phase 1 yet," says Meechan. "But we have said that 338 dwellings along the 140 mile route between London and the West Midlands will have to be demolished to make way for the new line. Most of these will be close to the redeveloped station at Euston." 7. Demolishing Camden The most disrupted area in the country will be to the north of London's Euston station. More than half of the properties affected by the scheme between London and Birmingham are in and around Camden. Euston is being redeveloped. As part of that a section of Camden will need to be demolished. Andrew McNaughton, HS2 technical director, told the Engineer magazine last May that the London section would be the most time-consuming. "The critical part of the construction is at the south end, with the complete rebuilding and expansion of Euston station and the long tunnels through London; that's a seven to eight-year job," McNaughton said. "Out in the greenfield away from London, most of the route can be built in two years." 8. Tunnels The sheer volume of tunnelling is a major headache. The route has been revised, with tunnels extended and several more added, in an attempt to remove noise and visual impacts. Around 22.5 miles (36km) of the phase one route will now be completely enclosed in tunnel. That is 18% of the 140 miles of rail from London to Birmingham. Much of that is "green tunnels". This is essentially a deep cutting with a tube put into it, over which grass, trees and soil are placed. It is not as deep as a normal tunnel, and is much cheaper to construct. The rest is "bored" tunnelling, an extremely time-consuming process. "Tunnelling presents a real engineering challenge," says Ben Ruse, HS1 spokesman. "The North Downs Tunnel in Kent for HS1 was a mile or so long. A tunnel borer started from each end. When they met in the middle it was 4mm apart. And the engineers were shaking their heads." Four millimetres was fine and safe, he says, but the engineers wanted to be closer. It shows how exact the process has become. 9. Archaeology When any big road or rail line is cut through the British countryside there needs to be archaeological investigation to make sure vital sites will not be destroyed. The HS2 line probably won't be comparable with the painstaking efforts made during the construction of the Athens Metro, but if HS1 is anything to go by, the archaeological considerations could still be huge. Before any construction work could begin, archaeologists employed by the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project were charged with investigating areas of Kent, Essex and London. More than 40 excavations were carried out along a 46km stretch, and key discoveries included a Neolithic long house in Kent, a Romano-British villa and two Anglo-Saxon cemeteries. A vast archive of archaeological data was also established. Specialist archaeological teams will most likely be employed for the HS2 project, and English Heritage says it is continuing to "advise on the proper assessment of the impact [on listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered parks etc] of the proposed lines so that Parliament can take an informed decision when the Bill is published". 10. Regeneration This isn't just a railway. It's also effectively a massive regeneration project. That element also takes time. The wisdom of spending £32bn to cut an hour or so off journey times has been questioned by some. Justification for the huge expenditure is that it will combat the North-South divide. "High speed will bring cities in the North and Midlands closer together, so we can really start rivalling London for jobs," Mike Blackburn, chairman of Greater Manchester local enterprise partnership told the Financial Times. But delivering regeneration in practice will require planning and ingenuity. 11. Parliamentary approval Getting anything through Parliament isn't an overnight process. The bill for phase one is expected to go to Parliament at the end of 2013 and receive Royal Assent in 2015. It is a hybrid bill, which means it is debated by both houses and goes through a longer parliamentary process than public bills. These hybrid bills are allowed to roll over into a new parliament. Phase two will go to Parliament in 2018 and is hoped to win approval by 2020. Ruse says that there are profound differences between the Channel Tunnel and the new line. "We were very fortunate there was complete political consensus." It went through on its first reading. However, with HS2, there are a number of coalition MPs, whose constituencies the line passes through, campaigning against it. "There is considerable opposition to HS2, more in the Conservative Party. It may be the bill doesn't go through on its first reading," says Ruse. 12. Ecology Any major infrastructure project must protect the environment. County wildlife trusts are concerned that the proposed route of the first section will pose a threat to wildlife. They estimate more than 150 nature sites could be affected, including 10 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Four nature reserves will be directly impacted, they say, and more than 50 ancient woodlands lie in the route. Protected species - such as great crested newts - can create a major stumbling block to any development project. For example, one dual carriageway project in Cambridgeshire was delayed when £1m tunnels had to be built to enable an estimated 30,000 newts to safely cross the road. According to the contractors, it took 18 months to get the necessary licence to clear the area of newts and water voles. A significant population of rare Bechstein's bats - which are strictly protected under UK and European law - has already been discovered in Buckinghamshire, in ancient woodland either side of the proposed HS2 route. 13. Bridges As a rule of thumb, building road bridges costs 10 times as much as putting road on the flat. The same impact on cost and time is there when building railway bridges. The Channel Tunnel rail link involved building the longest high speed viaduct in the world across the Medway. And high speed rail lines require lots of road bridges as there are not level crossings. 14. Franchising and timetabling One of the advantages of the length of time construction will take is that it gives a long window for setting up and doling out the franchises. The decision over which operator should be granted the franchise can be controversial, as with the government's recent U-turn over the West Coast Mainline. With journey times slashed, the high speed lines will be much sought after by the train operating companies. Once the franchise is agreed, the painstaking work of coming up with a timetable can begin. 15. The UK isn't China The same project in China might have moved quicker. The 1,318km Beijing-Shanghai high-speed route went from design to completion in 39 months. But quickly forcing through such a scheme would be unthinkable in a democracy like the UK. David Cameron alluded to the point in an interview this week: "It's difficult to get things built in a modern industrial democracy like Britain - that's why we need to get going now." As Alan Stilwell, transport expert at the Institution of Civil Engineers, says: "We want to make sure people are properly consulted. But it does involve a longer timescale than in other parts of the world." 16. Local campaigners Campaigners in the Chilterns have already forced more tunnels to be inserted into the plans. With Chancellor George Osborne's constituency of Tatton being bisected by the new line, intense pressure from local campaigners is likely. The same thing happened with HS1 when campaigners accused the route of threatening Kent's garden of England. 17. Moving the dead There have always been developments that have touched formerly consecrated ground, and the HS2 rail line is no exception. The route is expected to run straight through old cemeteries in London and Birmingham, affecting an estimated 50,000 bodies. Strict rules apply to the exhumation of bodies. In England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice first has to grant a licence for their removal, it then has to gain planning permission and adhere to rules set out by organisations such as English Heritage and the church. Reburial must also take place - usually in other nearby cemeteries, and efforts need to be made to contact relatives and inform them of disturbance. In London, the burial grounds are, according to HS2, disused, with no bodies having been interred in a century. 18. Contingency The route hasn't been finalised. Modelling the programme of works means that contingency time or wriggle room has to be built in for unforeseen problems. Sometimes, as with Wembley Stadium, the contingency period is not sufficiently long for the mishaps that strike. It was supposed to open in the middle of 2005. It opened in March 2007. 19. Health and safety In previous centuries, it was a given that large numbers of people might die building big projects. During the construction of Brooklyn Bridge, opened in 1883, 27 people died. Nowadays there is more care taken over the safety of workers. But the risks, despite painstaking care, remain high. Ten workers died during the construction of the Channel tunnel between 1987 and 1993. 20. Laying the rails Once everything is prepared the track can be laid fairly fast. A factory train moves up the line laying track, putting down sleepers and erecting overhead wires, says Roger Ford, technology editor at Modern Railways. "They can probably do about a mile of track a day," he estimates. Even after the line is finished there needs to be testing to see it works. Months of it. You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook
Suez Environment will not take legal action after the States of Guernsey paid £3.4m following a u-turn over a £93.5m waste-to-energy incinerator.
The payment was a requirement of the agreement signed between the States and Suez last August. The Public Services department says the French company has agreed to take no further legal action over the issue. The States agreed to build the incinerator in July 2009 and started negotiations with Suez Environment. In February, under mounting pressure from lobbyists, deputies reversed their decision and agreed to start a new waste strategy from scratch. Public Services Minister Bernard Flouquet said a line had now been drawn under the issue. It was the second time the States had reversed its decision to build a waste-to-energy incinerator to deal with the island's waste. The combined cost to the island of both proposals is in the region of £12m over seven years.
The latest information on the PlayStation Network service outage.
Below is the full text of Sony's blog posting on the PlayStation Network hack and loss of personal data. Thank you for your patience while we work to resolve the current outage of PlayStation Network & Qriocity services. The following email has been sent to all PSN registrants; please read the help and support FAQ for more information. Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer: We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have: 1) Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services; 2) Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and 3) Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information. We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable. Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state/province, zip or postal code), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity passwords and login and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence that credit card data was taken at this time, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, to be on the safe side we are advising that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may also have been obtained. For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security, tax identification or similar number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well. To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant to review your account statements and to monitor your credit or similar types of reports. We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience. Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority. Please contact us at uk.playstation.com/psnoutage should you have any additional questions. Sincerely, Sony Network Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment Teams Sony Network Entertainment Europe Limited (formerly known as PlayStation Network Europe Limited) is a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited the data controller for PlayStation Network/Qriocity personal data.
Bulgarian and Romanian migration to the UK is expected to increase when working restrictions expire at the end of this year. How do families in the town called Britain's "most Eastern European" feel about another wave of immigration?
By Caroline LowbridgeBBC News, Boston The Lincolnshire town of Boston has already been transformed by rapid immigration from Eastern Europe. In 2001 virtually everyone in Boston described themselves as white British, but just 84% did so 10 years later. The census showed that the district had the largest number of non-British EU passport holders outside of London, and one school now has two-thirds of pupils from migrant households. Lincolnshire is one of the largest agricultural regions in the UK and many of those who settle in the town are employed picking crops and processing fruits and vegetables. Boston has been dubbed "the most Eastern European town in Britain" and tensions among some sections of the community have spilled over into protest. So how do three Boston families - born in England, Romania and Poland - feel about the prospect of more migrants moving there? "I work really hard, and I'm really proud of it" Milena Czaplinska, 32, moved from Poland to Boston five years ago so she could earn more money and have a better quality of life. She works as a dispenser in a pharmacy and lives with her partner Marcin Kiusinski, a taxi driver, and their three-year-old daughter Oliwia. She does not oppose more migrants moving to Boston and the UK, but believes the benefits they can claim should be restricted. "If someone wants to come here they should work a minimum of a year before they can claim benefits," she says. "I didn't even know England had a system like benefits because we don't have a system like that in Poland. I've never claimed any benefit and I work really hard, and I'm really proud of it. "I pay tax, even for the British people who sit on the benefits." Ms Czaplinska says some people - of all nationalities - abuse the benefits system by claiming money when they don't need to. "They should give something to get something back, because my taxes are going for benefits people, and it's not fair," she says. "If I can buy a house here and put something here to increase the economy of this country why can't somebody else do it?" She says it would be good if people of all nationalities could integrate more. She has had some bad experiences in Boston, including a customer refusing to be served by her and people shouting abuse at her in the street. "I think the problem is Boston is a small town and some of the people who live here don't like changes. They don't like outsiders, if you know what I mean," she says. But she believes immigration has benefitted the local economy, and believes many businesses would not be able to survive if migrant workers moved away. "I think there should be restrictions put in place" Anstice Potts, 24, is an administrator at a school and has lived in Boston and the surrounding villages for all of her life. Her fiance Matthew Brown, a 34-year-old secondary school teacher, has also lived in the Boston area all his life. "I think there are people in Boston who have strong opinions against immigration, but they are probably in the minority," says Ms Potts. "Most people are not like Dean Everitt [organiser of a protest against immigration] but him and people like him get a lot of media coverage because they shout louder than everyone else. "I think immigrants contribute more to the economy through taxes than they cost in public services, and they also bring in new skills." While she does not object to more immigration, she thinks there should be tighter controls. "I support the people who are coming across here to work and I don't want them all to be treated as if they are criminals or spongers in some way," she says. "I think there should be restrictions put in place to stop those kind of people coming in so it doesn't affect the ones who are here to do good. "They should have to work for a certain amount of time, for example one year, before being able to claim benefits, and should have a face-to-face interview because a lot are done over the phone." Ms Potts said Boston had visibly changed due to immigration from Eastern Europe. "The West Street area in particular has changed, because there were derelict car parks and empty shops, but now there are Eastern European supermarkets and we have all sorts of international restaurants and cafes," she says. "The old people don't like the changes but I think we should embrace it. It's better than seeing empty shops and it's bringing money to the country." She says migrant workers do a lot of jobs that English people don't want to do. "There is a shortage of jobs in this area but English people don't want to take the initiative to start their own businesses, we just complain there are no jobs," she says. "You can't blame people for seeking a better life because there are so many English people that go to Spain or France and buy a villa and don't bother to learn the language." As a teacher, Mr Brown is used to having lots of English as Additional Language (EAL) pupils in his lessons. "Despite the communication challenges they are very hard working and are trying to make a difference for their future," he says. "Some of the most successful pupils who have made the most progress have been EAL pupils." However, he is concerned about more potential immigration from Bulgaria and Romania. "I don't think this should happen unless the government makes careful plans to ensure there are enough jobs and housing in the area and establishes clear rules about who is allowed to enter the country and who is entitled to claim benefits," he says. Boston has had "a lot of bad press" recently about immigrants coming and claiming benefits, he adds. "Although this may be true in some cases, I have also had personal experience of many immigrants who have made a success of themselves through hard work and have made a good contribution to the Boston area," he says. "For example, I know that farmers in the area have relied upon immigrants to help their agricultural services because other people would not be willing to take on the hard work. "Also, it is great to see that a lot of immigrants have had the initiative to set up their own businesses, such as car wash companies, during the hard times of the recession." "Either you are in the European Union, or you are not" Liliana Demeter, a senior NHS nurse, moved from Romania to the UK for work and has lived in Lincolnshire since 2004. She and her husband, an electrical engineer, have three sons. Mrs Demeter believes the UK's existing employment restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian people are unfair. "Either you are in the European Union, or you are not in the European Union," she says. "They only let skilled professions come, the ones they needed. The others you are not allowed to come." But she thinks Romanian people would come to the UK on "the black market", without paying taxes, if the working restrictions remained. She says the media stereotype of Romanians is inaccurate, however. "I can take you to all my Romanian friends here in Boston, which are social workers, nurses and stuff like that, and you will see they are very good people, they have kids, we go to the church every Sunday," she says. "I've had all these discussions that we come and we take the jobs. It's not true. We go to the interviews like they go to the interviews, am I right? "Probably I think one of our advantages is that we have a culture for work, because we came from a communist country." Her son Rares, 15, has many English friends but would like more Romanian people to migrate to Boston. "Because I go to a grammar school, nearly everyone is English," he says. "I'm really looking forward to seeing more people from Romania come over, because as soon as I hear that there's anyone from Romania in Boston near my age I just basically try and find out who they are and make friends with them." You can find out more in a series of special programmes on BBC Radio Lincolnshire from 2 to 10 December.
You can now buy 100% cocoa chocolate on the High Street and sales are said to be on the rise. It's a rather acquired taste, so why is it becoming more popular and does real chocolate have to be high in cocoa to be good?
By Denise WintermanBBC News Magazine A "demanding and very powerful experience" is one description of eating chocolate with 100% cocoa content. "Pretty gruesome" is another. The people who make it say it has flavour hints of anything from leather and tobacco to olive oil and oak. If that's what you want from a chocolate bar then you're in luck . Chocolate with a very high cocoa content is increasingly being stocked in High Street shops, having largely been sold by specialist or artisan chocolatiers in the past. Hotel Chocolat sells four different bars with 100% cocoa content in its branches, while Swiss company Lindt has 99% cocoa bars in UK shops and supermarkets. The companies don't release sales figures for commercial reasons, but say there is a growing demand for the stuff. "It's been a bit of a surprise success for us and at times we have found it difficult to keep up with demand," says Angus Thirlwell, co-founder of Hotel Chocolat. "The bars are now the strongest selling part of our premium range. "People often try the bars out of curiosity and stay with them, others gradually migrate up the cocoa scale to the nirvana that is 100%." Two of the nation's most popular milk chocolate bars, Cadbury's Dairy Milk and Mars Galaxy, have a minimum 26% cocoa and 25% respectively. Cadbury's dark chocolate Bournville has a minimum of 36% cocoa. It's what most people are used to eating, so what is with this growing obsession with 100% cocoa chocolate? "People are waking up to the fact that chocolate is not a generic product," says Willie Harcourt-Cooze, owner of Willie's Cocoa, which also produces 100% cocoa chocolate. "They are realising that different beans have different flavours, you can also use the same bean and change the way it tastes in the production process. "You get wine connoisseurs, you get cheese connoisseurs, now there is a growing number of chocolate connoisseurs. A chocolate can be as complex and specialist as a fine wine." It's helping boast the sales of most premium chocolate. Market analysts Mintel say "a notable pool of consumers are becoming more discerning when it comes to their choice of chocolate and are actively seeking out more top-end brands". And with chocolate sales reaching £4bn in the UK in 2011, according to Mintel, even a niche market can create big profits. But does a high cocoa content mean high quality chocolate? Does the rise in chocolate purism all come down to superior taste? Absolutely not, say experts. "The problem is people confuse the two things," says Alasdair Garnsworthy, head chocolatier with the Chocolate Society. "Chocolate with a high cocoa content can still be made using cheap beans. You can get chocolate with a lower cocoa content that is far better because it has been made with quality beans." Using the best ingredients is much more important than cocoa content, say chocolate makers. The origin of beans plays a big part, with certain types having a better flavour than others. Then there's how the beans are harvested and stored. After that they are roasted and blended, then "conched". This is a process when beans - and other ingredients if used - are kneaded. The longer you do it, the better the flavour, says Garnsworthy. "With cheaper chocolate the beans are conched for about 24 hours, with better quality chocolate it is done for around three days." A lot of people are wrongly influenced by cocoa content because they don't know enough about chocolate to judge if it actually tastes good or not, say connoisseurs. It was the same with wine in the 1980s and coffee in the 1990s. Better quality cacao tends to grow in places like South America, says Dom Ramsey, editor of Chocablog. "If you're going for a high percentage chocolate bar, you should look for one that mentions the origin of the cocoa bean too. Single origin bars, from one country or even a single estate, have unique and distinctive flavour notes where bulk beans have very few." The lower quality bulk cocoa beans are usually grown in West Africa, adds Ramsey. The trees produce a high yield but the beans don't have a lot of flavour. Manufacturers add a lot of sugar to them in order to make them taste good. But the higher the cocoa content, the less sugar can be added to disguise bitterness. "There is no place to hide when it comes to 100% cocoa chocolate," says Hotel Chocolat's Thirlwell. "The recipe is cocoa beans, nothing else. No sugar, no vanilla. You can have different flavour profiles with different beans but they all have to be amazing quality to taste good." Even among high-end brands, 100% cocoa chocolate divides opinion. Green & Blacks is acknowledged by some chocolate makers as "opening people's eyes to dark chocolate in the the UK". Its biggest selling product in Britain is a 70% cocoa dark chocolate bar. Again, it won't release sales figures but says in the last year it has sold a bar every 10 seconds in the UK. You do the mathematics. "We would never launch a 100% or 99% bar," says James Holloman, business leader for Green & Blacks in the UK. "This is because there is no balance in terms of the taste profile. "Balance is about that cocoa hit and then the smooth feeling after. You get this by adding some sugar, vanilla and other elements. We think any dark chocolate with over 85% cocoa loses that perfect balance." Others dismiss the increasing number of high-cocoa chocolates as "more of a gimmick" than anything else. One thing is for sure, you can't stuff it down. Hotel Chocolat say it is best to eat two small pieces in succession, the first prepares your mouth and the second reveals the flavour. Harcourt-Cooze, of Willie's Cocoa, says it is best used as an ingredient in food. He sells to many of the UK's top chefs who use it in dishes like venison with chocolate sauce. But in general, the makers and lovers of fine chocolate are welcoming the move of high-cocoa chocolate from artisan chocolate shops to High Street ones. "I think it's positive that the likes of Lindt has a 99% chocolate bar being sold in the local corner shop," says Ramsey. "Not because this particular bar is great, but simply because it raises awareness and opens people's eyes to the fact that there's a world beyond Dairy Milk." You can follow the Magazine on Twitter and on Facebook
A man was killed when timber fell from a lorry and hit the car he was driving.
The 28-year-old, from Burgess Hill, died at the scene in New Road in Newhaven, East Sussex, at about 07:30 BST after the windscreen of his BMW was struck by falling timber. A 32-year-old man, from Eastbourne, has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in police custody. The Health and Safety Executive have been informed of the death, police say.
Screen star Idris Elba has joined the filming of scenes for the new Fast and Furious movie on the streets of Glasgow.
The area around the city's George Square has been closed off for stunt sequences over the past few days. Glasgow is doubling for London in the spin-off film Hobbs and Shaw - which stars Elba, The Rock, Jason Statham and Vanessa Kirby. Roads will remain closed in parts of the city centre until Sunday. All images: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty.
When they first arrived on Islamabad's sprawling Kashmir Highway three weeks ago, the anti-government protesters were burning with the desire to tear down the citadels of power - and make short work of it.
By M Ilyas KhanBBC News, Islamabad They looked around, saw what seemed like a million heads as their leaders had predicted, and punched the air harder, shouting: "Down with Nawaz Sharif". But Pakistan's prime minister is still in place. Most of them have since lost interest and left the scene. Others, who still feel obliged to hang on, keep asking journalists: "Will it end soon? Will talks succeed?" The army 'umpire' Across the fence, beyond the shipping containers which are piled one over the other to create hurdles for protesters, saunter weary-looking, bored policemen. The days when thousands of them shuffled into line and beat their batons against their glass shields to create the overawing sound of battle are behind them. Their only wish now seems to be that the government gives them orders to finish the job and go home. Most of them have been shipped to Islamabad from hundreds of miles away, leaving behind their families, clothing, toiletries and daily routines. And it has been more than a month. The key to defuse the confrontation between these two sets of adversaries lies in the hands of their respective mobilisers - one controlling the seat of power, the other lodged in two shipping containers parked side-by-side on the road outside. There may be a third contender to the issue - the "umpire" - if one is to believe Imran Khan, one of the leaders in the containers. He has been elusive about what exactly he means when he talks about the "umpire" but most Pakistanis understand this to be a reference to the country's military. This scene in Islamabad illustrates yet again the enigma that the Pakistani state has become for many around the world. It is seen as a country marred by perpetual political instability, militant attacks, a separatist insurgency across more than 40 per cent of its landmass, and a country that is eternally on the verge of economic collapse. But it is also a country which has not descended into anarchy, can beat militancy at will, whose claim of being a "responsible" nuclear power is taken seriously in international power centres, and which continues to compete with India - which is ten times bigger - for strategic one-upmanship in the South Asian region. A coup history In the 1970s, and again in the 1990s, there were widespread protests across important urban centres aiming to bring down elected governments. In 1976, the bone of contention was the election, which the opposition alleged was rigged. In the 1990s, the protests mostly centred on the allegations of corruption. On all those occasions, the governments were toppled. In 1977, we had a military coup. During the 1990s, presidents backed by the military used special constitutional powers to topple four elected governments one after the other. The present stand-off more closely resembles the 1977 model, where the president did not have the special powers to sack the government, and so the military must stage a direct coup if it wants to intervene. But a coup has not come, even though the military has kept to its pattern of the 1990s; instead of throwing its weight behind the government, it has made noises that amount to providing both players with what some analysts call a "level playing field". So as the protesters and the policemen slug it out on the streets, it is the role of the army that has been central to most debates in parliament, the two shipping containers, the media and the drawing rooms of the chattering classes. Government not isolated The two protesting leaders have separate agendas. Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's PTI party wants "freedom" from what it sees as a faulty electoral system. It accuses Prime Minister Sharif's government of having stolen last year's elections, wants it to quit and wants fresh elections, but after electoral reforms. In the neighbouring container, cleric Tahirul Qadri is espousing a wider, "revolutionary" agenda; he wants "moral reforms" which would be undertaken by a set of "clean" individuals holding state power over a longer period of time. He also wants the Punjab chief minister's scalp for the 14 June police action in which 16 of his disciples were killed. The calls from the two leaders for the government's ousting have fallen on deaf ears, and have led the ruling and opposition forces in parliament to close ranks. This is unlike the 1990s, when opposition forces tended to gravitate to the protesters, isolating the government. So the residents of Islamabad, the audiences of the Pakistani news channels all over the country and the world are witnessing an extended version of what former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, used to call the "political circus". Every day has the same grinding pattern now. It begins with the parliamentarians in their rhetorical speeches warning against threats to democracy from the "container leaders" and the "institutions" - a euphemism for the military. The night begins with hyperbole from the "container leaders" calling the parliamentarians "thieves" and reiterating their resolve to stand their ground until the "umpire" lifts his finger, as in a cricket match when a batsman is declared out. Meanwhile, the protesters and the policemen have their eyes and ears on the on-again-off-again talks. A PTI leader said yesterday the government has agreed to 5.5 out of his party's six demands. Others say a rapprochement with Mr Qadri is also on the cards. But many are of the view that a resolution will come quickly once a set of completely different issues - concerning national security and regional policy - are settled with the country's "umpire".
Energy firm Talisman has awarded a £300m five-year North Sea contract to service solutions company Sodexo.
The deal, for food and facilities management services, spans 11 offshore installations, as well as Talisman's Flotta terminal, their Aberdeen office premises and the Gyda installation off Norway. It is said to have secured 300 jobs. Sodexo said its aim was for clients to enjoy the best quality of life wherever they were.
"When I started 10 years ago it was pretty quiet."
Danny ShawHome affairs correspondent@DannyShawBBCon Twitter In a light, airy office on the ground floor of Europol's brutalist headquarters in The Hague, David Ellero, one of its senior officials, is reflecting on how the organisation has changed since he joined in 2007. In those days, some people confused Europol with Interpol and others thought it was just an annoying part of the EU's bureaucratic machinery. "Our counterparts, or the investigators in the member states, didn't really know what we did," Ellero says. Now, the European Police Office, to give it its official title, is recognised across the law enforcement world, with a budget of almost £100m, and a workforce of more than 1000, to match. Its effectiveness certainly isn't lost on the UK government, which is preparing to start negotiations about Britain's role in Europol after the country leaves the EU. Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, has said that the agency plays an "incredibly important role in keeping us safe in Europe". "The phone rings quite often," says Ellero, with typical understatement. A former detective - much of his career was spent in Italy investigating Mafia killings - he now heads a department tackling the top organised crime groups across the Continent. "For a criminal to communicate with his counterparts across Europe it takes a second on WhatsApp. "We need to make sure that... police (can act) at the same speed even if they have different judicial set-ups and and even if they speak different languages," adds Ellero, pointing out that "even pickpockets" operate transnationally. The main function of Europol, which started work in 1999, is to act as a hub for the exchange of intelligence between 750 global agencies. It also oversees databases containing tens of millions of pieces of information on criminals, offences and suspect vehicles, and it helps co-ordinate crime-fighting operations against drug dealers, human trafficking gangs and terrorists. INTELLIGENCE Forty countries - including the EU member states and others such as the US and Australia - communicate via a system called Siena - hundreds of thousands of encrypted operational messages are sent every year. The agency's main intelligence database - Europol Information System (EIS) - keeps track of crimes, suspects and convicted criminals, including terrorism cases. Only Europol members have direct access to the EIS; other countries must put in a request. Europol uses a unique database known as the Analysis Work File (AWF). More than 100 specialists based in The Hague use AWF to help investigators across the EU better understand and tackle crime and organised crime groups - the system has more than 33 million active entries. Outside Europol, other pan-European intelligence systems help in the fight against crime including the Schengen Information System (SIS). Although the UK is not among the 26 countries that have open borders under the Schengen agreement it can access the database which records cross-border movements and associated intelligence. In 2015, the SIS was interrogated three billion times by law enforcement officers across Europe with 64 million "alerts" placed on the system every day relating to everything from stolen vehicles and missing children to foreign fighters returning to Europe from Syria and Iraq. Indeed, one of the fastest-growing areas of work at Europol involves countering the spread of propaganda from terrorist groups and extremists. A 26-strong team in the Internet Referral Unit spends each day combing the web for material and then persuading social media companies and service providers to remove it. The head of the unit, Vincent Semestre, likens it to "emptying the ocean with a spoon". He says they've identified 91 internet platforms that have contained extremist content, more than 50 of which have co-operated with Europol in deleting the material. Over the past 18 months the team's most intense periods of work have come after terror attacks in Europe, when it's had to act quickly to prevent the spread of extremist images, videos and postings. "You need to have capacity in-house, which is understanding this ideology in its original language: which means staff speaking Arabic, speaking Russian, speaking Turkish," says Semestre, who worked for the French judicial police before joining Europol. "Multiplying these resources needed by all the member states would be quite difficult. "You need to have continuous monitoring of the technological environment so it made sense to have this centralised in Europol in order to provide these centralised services to all the member states," he adds. Despite the serious nature of their work, there's a relaxed and friendly atmosphere inside the Europol building - it looks more like an art college than a police station. Nevertheless, security is tight: everyone is searched on entry, bags are X-rayed, identity documents are taken away to be checked. Around the atrium, blinds are drawn on the windows of meeting rooms, signifying that confidential briefings are taking place. On the second floor, there's another layer of protection, with extra ID checks and access possible only via a palm print scanner. It's known as the "secure zone" and it's here, and on the floors above, that each of the EU's member states, plus 14 other countries, have their own staff. In total, there are more than 200 of them - they're called liaison officers - and they specialise in crimes such as gun-running, trafficking and drug smuggling. The main benefit is that representatives of each country can meet in person to sort out the complexities of cross-border police work. For Britain's 17 liaison officers, who work from an office which neighbours the bureaux of Luxembourg, the Republic of Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, an added advantage is that the language of Europol is English. Kenny Dron, who's in charge of the UK office, says there's no need for long-distance phone calls, texts... or emails. "Emails just don't work when you've got people to protect and lives to protect back in the UK," says Dron, who's spent 30 years in border policing and intelligence work. "So you've got to have that face-to-face contact to ensure that the other country and your colleagues understand the severity of the situation." Although Britain will almost certainly continue to have liaison officers at Europol after Brexit (America isn't in the EU and it has more than 20 staff based there) what's far less clear is the future of the 50 other UK law enforcement employees in the Hague. They're currently overseeing a range of cross-border policing operations, on child sexual exploitation, excise fraud and heroin trafficking, among others. One of the British officers, Laura Clark, seconded from the National Crime Agency to work in Europol's migrant smuggling centre, says it would be a "real shame" if Britain can't continue to play a major part in the organisation. "We would miss a lot of the intelligence that goes through. There's a lot of juicy intelligence that I see that wouldn't be able to get given to countries, a lot of support for investigations wouldn't happen," she says. In January, reflecting on Britain's likely relationship with Europol after Brexit, Amber Rudd told the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee: "I expect and hope us to have an active role going forward," pointing out that the UK was "one of the largest contributors" to the EU agency's database. Rob Wainwright, Europol's director since 2009, goes further, saying Britain is "rightly regarded as a natural leader" on security issues. "There is no doubt that if you look over the last 20 or 30 years the evolution of police co-operation in Europe, not just at Europol, there is a heavy British footprint around that," says Wainwright, who declares himself to be a "proud Brit". But he says the "fullest benefits" of the organisation go to EU-member states, and if, after Brexit, Britain has an arrangement with Europol akin to that of non-members such as the USA or Norway, Wainwright says there'll be "some diminution" in the UK's rights and responsibilities. They have limited access to intelligence and less say over operations and decisions. "The opportunity therefore to share that experience, the opportunity to leverage that influence, is going to change and maybe diminish and I think those in charge of running that in Britain will need to find alternative ways therefore of making sure that Britain can still have a real voice in European security affairs," he says. By then, Rob Wainwright, who's credited with introducing reforms to Europol that have enhanced its standing and effectiveness, will have left the Hague headquarters, as his contract expires in April 2018. His successor will inherit an organisation in good shape - but one that will have to adjust to a different relationship with the UK.
The maker of Hovis bread and Bisto, Premier Foods, has reported that losses narrowed to £23.5m in the six months to the end of June.
In the same period last year, it recorded a loss of £45.8m. Sales for its bread division rose 8.2% to £356m, but total grocery sales declined by 1%. Costs for reorganising the business totalled £12.4m, which included the closure of three bakeries and two distribution sites. In a statement accompanying the interim results, chief executive Gavin Darby said: "We have already completed the actions to deliver the promised £20m of overhead cost savings for 2013 and continue to keep a tight control over costs. "The restructuring of our bread and milling business is ahead of plan and we are taking the decisions necessary to create a more sustainable platform for this business."
North Korea has hailed its sixth "perfect success" of a nuclear test. The seismic readings indicate it is bigger than any other it has conducted, but the apparent collapse of a tunnel at the nuclear test site could provide valuable information, nuclear defence analyst Catherine Dill writes.
Seismic readings from the US and China place the explosion at a magnitude of 6.3, so we already know that this is likely to be the most powerful of North Korea's nuclear tests. This magnitude roughly corresponds to the lower end of predicted yields of a thermonuclear weapon - basically the second generation of nuclear weapon, which works in two stages by having one bomb set off another bomb to generate a larger explosion It is not yet clear exactly what nuclear weapon design was tested, but based on the seismic signature, the yield of this test definitely is an order of magnitude higher than the yields of the previous tests. Some estimates say that this latest test comes in at about 100-150 kilotonnes. For comparison, Hiroshima was about 15 kilotonnes. North Korea's last test in September 2016 was estimated at between 10 and 30 kilotonnes. We can guess this because equations have been developed that translate magnitude of a tremor into the estimated yield of a nuclear device tested, which is basically the strength of the bomb. But it also depends on the geology of the test site and how deep the tunnels are. We don't have all that information and that's why the information about the yields are all so preliminary. So what else can we tell from this latest test? This is where an apparent tunnel collapse reported at the nuclear test site could be very useful. The other way to learn is to monitor the composition of radionuclides released, which are the products of the nuclear reaction that are released into the atmosphere. In the past the tests have been very well contained as the tunnels where the tests took place were sealed. So we have not had much to analyse in recent years. But this explosion was large and it also looks like a portion of the tunnel collapsed. The US Geological Survey recorded a second event approximately eight minutes after the test. The USGS, as well as China, have assessed this event as a "collapse" of the cavity. Why would the tunnel collapse? It could be that the tunnel was not constructed sufficiently to handle an explosion of that size. It's also possible that they intended for this collapse to occur - a way of signalling to the world that this was an authentic test through radionuclide release, a serious advance. It is still too early to tell. What it does mean is that we are likely to get information to analyse this nuclear explosion to determine what happened under the mountains of the test site. This will take weeks or even months as monitoring sites run by the CTBTO detect these radionuclides. The information they give us may tell us the composition of the warhead: how much fissile material there was and what kind - was it plutonium or highly enriched uranium? North Korea produces both and has capability for both. North Korea's sixth nuclear test is not definitively a thermonuclear weapon from the seismic signature alone, but it appears to be a likely possibility at this point. This progress is not surprising, though the magnitude of this test is a stark reminder of the seriousness of the current moment. According to South Korean government seismologists, this test was five to six times more powerful than past tests. So what is next for North Korea and where could they go from here? Part of this depends on how the US responds. The concern among some analysts is that North Korea will feel compelled to prove this warhead they have just tested can actually fly on an ICBM. They could want to try a live firing exercise or even an atmospheric nuclear test, which was how the earliest nuclear devices were tested until that was banned. This would be among the most provocative gestures they could make in the testing arena. The timing of this test may or may not be politically significant. US-ROK joint exercises recently concluded. North Korea has been intimating that a test may occur this year, and the exact timing of this test may be for technical reasons more than political. And there is no doubt that they will glean useful technical information from this test and be able to make slight adjustments to the warhead to be confident it will work in the future. In the official state announcement after the test, Pyongyang claimed a successful test of a two-stage hydrogen (thermonuclear) bomb ready to be deployed on an ICBM that Kim Jong Un inspected the previous day. Cautious analysts have reason to continue to debate the exact nature of the device, but with the results of this test it will be difficult for observers to continue to claim that North Korea does not yet have a working nuclear weapons program. Catherine Dill is a senior research associate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
A former head teacher has appeared in court over allegations of sexually abusing pupils in Devon in the 1970s and 1980s.
Neil Dyer, then known as Geoffrey Burley, pleaded not guilty to 28 counts of indecent assault on children under the age of 16 at Plymouth Crown Court. The 70-year-old was deputy head and later headmaster of Widey Court Primary School, Plymouth. He resigned in 1993. Mr Dyer, of Plymouth, was bailed to re-appear in court in March for his trial. Earlier this year Devon and Cornwall police said all the charges related to historic offences and no-one currently at the school was involved in the inquiry.
Great crested newts are holding up expansion at a school leaving pupils to be taught in mobile classrooms.
Cambourne Village College in Cambridgeshire planned a new wing for science laboratories, workshops, a business studies suite and restaurant. It will be ready by January 2020, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesman said the great crested newts, a protected species, would be moved to an alternative habitat. "Four, high-quality mobile classrooms will provide supplementary teaching space at the college until the new facilities are ready in January. There has been no impact on September admissions," the spokesman added. Great Crested Newts Source: Froglife/BBC
Following Fifa's head of audit and compliance Dominico Scala's remarks that it was feasible for Fifa to strip a nation of the World Cup if corruption was proved, we examine exactly how this would work.
By James ReevellBBC News What needs to happen for them to lose the World Cup? Proof needs to be found that it was obtained by corrupt means. This would need to be a "smoking gun", and ideally proven as part of a criminal investigation. The consequences are so great - legal, financial, diplomatic - that nothing short of absolute proof would do. How would they do it? Essentially, Fifa's Executive Committee (the organisation's most powerful body) is the only body which can make this call. This is unprecedented territory and it all comes down to the interpretation of Fifa's rules. There is no obvious reference to corruption but there is a general clause for "unforeseen circumstances" that could be used. The problem then is defining corruption as "unforeseen circumstances," - leaving it open to interpretation what the burden of proof or level of corruption is required. How soon? The earliest it could happen would be at the Extraordinary Congress called to vote on Sepp Blatter's replacement as president. The BBC understands that this is likely to be held on 16 December. Does Sepp Blatter have a say? For now. As long as he remains president he could trigger a vote on it. The odds are that the Executive Committee will follow what he says, they normally have in the past. His successor could also announce their arrival by asking for a vote on withdrawing the rights to host the World Cup. However, it would be a bold move to make your first decision one that could potentially destroy your organisation. How would it work? In theory, very simply. Fifa would say it was tearing up the contract due to corruption. That would be quick, as long as Qatar or Russia accepted it. The problem is - they almost certainly wouldn't. So, then it would move to legal wrangling, and the injured party would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This would not be a quick process, with several unknowns. Would CAS halt the process of removing the right to host whilst it heard the case, leaving the bid in limbo? And would whoever lost out at CAS, then appeal again to a higher Swiss court? This is so unprecedented we simply do not know. Could Russia lose the 2018 World Cup? Time more than anything means that in all likelihood Russia will keep the 2018 World Cup. The ball is already rolling and the draw for qualifying takes place in less than two months. If Russia were to be stripped of the tournament it would be in 2016 at the earliest, probably later. Television is the financial power behind the World Cup and by 2016 broadcasters will be starting to make detailed plans. Uncertainty is the last thing they want - this more than anything means Fifa is unlikely to make a change. Finding a replacement host at short notice would also be difficult. Nations such as Germany or England could host it quickly but would still need to upgrade many of their stadiums. In England, probably only Wembley and Arsenal's Emirates stadium fully meet Fifa's specifications. The rest would need investment to upgrade things such as broadcast facilities - certainly not impossible, but potentially time consuming and expensive. In addition to stadiums, a host nation would have to be ready for one million visiting fans, possibly more if it was held in central Europe. Would small cities really be able to handle 50,000 fans requiring bed and board at short notice? Fifa would also require hundreds of hotel rooms for it and "members of the football family". Even last year's hosts Brazil would struggle. Much of the infrastructure there was temporary - the Estadio Nacional Mane Garrincha stadium in capital Brasilia is now a bus park. Sources: Stadium DB / media reports. Could Qatar lose the 2022 World Cup? In practical terms - yes. There is enough time before 2022 to find a new host, quite possibly one of the original bidders in the form of the US, or Australia. Legally - nobody really knows. The Qataris are bullish and will fight any move to take the tournament away from them with every legal resource at their disposal. However, the strength of their response to the corruption scandal suggests they must be nervous - and with Swiss and American criminal investigations examining their bid, they would be foolish not to be. * As outlined in original bid. In 2014 it was reported that Qatar could scale back plans to 8 or 9 stadiums. What about the money? Fifa has $1.5bn (£690m) in cash reserves and is an immensely powerful organisation, but it is going up against two nation-states. Both hosts have invested eye-watering sums of money into the tournament; Qatar is quite literally building cities to hold stadiums. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has estimated the cost of the Russian tournament at £13bn ($20bn). Qatar says its cost will be at least £23bn ($35bn). If a World Cup was removed from a host country which then successfully appealed and won compensation, Fifa could well be bankrupted. Diplomatic incident? Forget about the money, part of the allure of hosting a World Cup is prestige, a way of announcing yourself on the world stage. Qatar has systematically used sport to build itself as a global brand. It owns Paris St-Germain and sponsors European champions Barcelona; the World Cup was the final part of the jigsaw. For Qatar to be stripped of it in a mire of corruption would be humiliating. It would almost certainly damage its relations with the West, where it is a major investor. Russia is even more fraught. President Vladimir Putin has already described the US Department of Justice's corruption investigation as a Western plot to strip Russia of a World Cup. The countries that could all host at very short notice - Germany, Britain and the US - all currently have sanctions targeting Russia over the crisis in Ukraine. For the tournament to be taken away from Russia and handed to one of them would have enormous diplomatic ramifications.
Never a favourite among his own generation, Bernie Sanders has raised a movement of young people who are ready for the first major presidential candidate in their lifetimes to call himself a socialist, writes Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University.
Standing in front of the library of the University of Michigan on Sunday, Bernie Sanders could be excused if he paused a moment to reflect on the estimated ten thousands of cheering supporters. It was 60 years ago at the University of Chicago that Sanders began what he later described as "the major period of intellectual ferment in my life". Sanders joined the Young People's Socialist League and other organisations and organised his first protest. He could only marshal a force of 32 students to occupy the administration building, but he ultimately prevailed. Sanders spent much of his life fighting for big ideas with small crowds. Now, he has not just the numbers but the movement that he always dreamt of. Indeed, he is the movement. While some might not want socialism, everyone in this crowd desperately wants Sanders. Watching from the edge of the massive crowd was one person who knew all too well what Sanders may have been thinking as he stood before this university crowd. Alan Haber smiled while holding fliers for Earth Day, wearing a tiny pin that simply read "SDS." Read more on Bernie Sanders The initials stood for The Students for a Democratic Society, a radical student organisation from the 1960s. Haber was its first president. Although others grew more moderate or conservative with age, Sanders and Haber continued to organise and agitate and wait for the crowd that might eventually form. Those crowds got smaller and smaller for decades. Now the crowd was finally here and waiting for the first major presidential candidate in our lifetimes to call himself an unabashed socialist. Most of Sanders' supporters would not be born for decades when he stormed the UChicago administrative building. However, they identified with this 78-year-old radical in a way that Joe Biden can only dream of. Before the rally, I found two students setting up the stage hours before Sanders would emerge. Arden Shapiro and Hazel Gordon are precisely why the Democratic establishment is so worried about this movement - and so seemingly incapable of tapping into its energy. While they would vote for Biden if forced to in an election against Trump, they see Sanders as the only true and clear voice in the race. Arden said that she was "really angry" about the level of corporate control in our system perpetrated by both parties. A trans woman, Hazel said that she saw Sanders as the only person truly fighting to help people secure medical insurance, particularly mental health coverage. Hazel said that she viewed Biden as taking the side of corporations and did not support anything she believed in. Arden would later help introduce Sanders at the rally and called on her fellow students to bring five friends to the polling places to secure a win in Michigan over the establishment. Others were even more direct. There were the guys distributing "Eat the Rich" T-shirts. Another supporter carried a sign reading "Make Racists Afraid Again". Those images unnerve many traditional Democratic voters who see this movement as potentially careening out of control. Sanders has never done particularly well with people of his own age. Many of those who once joined his causes in the 1960s are now worried about their 401k accounts and social security payments. Sanders had to wait for a new generation and they are here in droves. The problem for the Democratic party is that they are including leaders like Biden in their fight against the "establishment". Indeed Sanders drove home that point in his speech where he denounced Biden and his "billionaire backers" for trying to kill this movement. The only reference in the speech that drew greater boos than Biden was a reference to ICE raids. For them, the future lies with Bernie and younger voices like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who electrified the crowd. Whatever happens Tuesday, Sanders has found his audience and they are not going away. Sanders has shaped a rising generation that does not recoil from the term "socialism" and believes, as he did, that compromise only invites betrayal. Every establishment figure now appears lined up against Sanders and over a dozen people told me that the concerted effort has only angered them more with the Democratic party. While half insisted that they would reluctantly vote for Biden if needed, half were not sure or outright refused to support Biden. In other words, many are likely to stay at home. They are ready to storm the White House, the ultimate administrative building, for Bernie but not willing to walk into a polling place for Biden. One former Michigan graduate wearing a homemade "Socialist Butterfly" jacket with Bernie's picture on it said that she became a socialist after listening to Sanders in 2016. She is back again in 2020 with the same commitment. She still "feels the Bern" but feels nothing for Biden. The Democratic establishment is hoping that the hatred for Trump will fill that void, but the co-ordinated effort against Sanders is only reaffirming the view that it is the establishment writ large that is the problem. Jonathan Turley gives legal analysis for the BBC and is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He was called as a Republican witness to testify at the Trump impeachment hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.
In April 2013, as Frédéric Pierucci stepped off a plane at New York's JFK airport during a routine business trip, he was seized and handcuffed by uniformed men.
By Henri AstierBBC News The 45-year-old executive for Alstom, a French energy and transport group, was then driven to the FBI building in Manhattan, where the reason for his arrest became clear. In 2003-4, a federal prosecutor explained, Pierucci had authorised bribes to Indonesian officials to secure a contract for boilers at a power plant. This was true. At the time, he was working for an Alstom subsidiary in Connecticut. Bribery was common practice at the company then. Risky business Pierucci had assumed he was safe from prosecution because he had not arranged the Indonesian kickbacks, only signed off on them. And since then, Alstom had assured the US justice department that it was cleaning up its act. But, as Pierucci discovered, the department had been gathering evidence against him on charges including wire fraud and money laundering. He did not know about them because the indictment had remained sealed - as it was for Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive who was arrested in Canada last year and denies US allegations that she helped evade sanctions on Iran. Pierucci was to spend more than five years in the clutches of the American justice system. His story illustrates the risks faced by foreign businessmen who - sometimes unbeknownst to them - are accused of breaching US law. The US government has long been dead serious about corruption. In 1977 it approved the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the world's first ban on bribing foreign officials. Elsewhere, companies continued to get away with it for decades. In the 2000s, however, spurred by a campaign by the OECD, other developed nations began to clamp down. Co-operation from foreign law-enforcement agencies helped the US government export its anti-corruption drive. Alstom is a case in point. The justice department pursued the company after Italian, Swiss and British prosecutors had exposed the company's global bribery scheme. American investigators have their own way of pursuing white-collar crime. Instead of launching raids on company offices, they start by asking for co-operation. The request is polite but the underlying message brutal: help us incriminate yourself and we will not come down as hard as we might otherwise. Prison rules When Alstom was first approached in this way in 2010, its then-chief lawyer Fred Einbinder understood the need for coming clean. "When you get a subpoena, it's not like you've got a choice," he tells the BBC. But his advice to co-operate was ignored. Later that year, Einbinder was let go. The prosecutor offered his quarry a deal: Pierucci could be released if he agreed to act as a secret FBI informant within Alstom. He declined the offer. The next day, Pierucci was denied bail and transferred to the Wyatt Detention Facility, a high-security prison in Rhode Island. He had to adjust quickly to living alongside hardened criminals. "You must not look fellow inmates in the eye. You must not touch or even brush past them. Any perceived slight can turn into a fight," Pierucci told the BBC in a recent interview. A 70-year old man was raped by a drugged-up youth in a nearby cell, he says. Detention conditions were not Pierucci's only, or even main, concern. He had no idea how long he would stay inside. The Connecticut-based lawyer appointed and paid by Alstom to defend him said his best hope for release was to plead guilty in a deal with prosecutors. 'Monumental error' The advice may have been sound, but there was a problem. Pierucci wanted to argue that he was far down the chain of command. However he soon realised that the Alstom management would never go along with a line of defence that implicated them. "At first I was happy that Alstom took charge of my defence - it was only later that I saw it had been a monumental error," Pierucci says. As months went by, the news got worse. Three other Alstom executives were arrested on bribery charges. If one of them struck a plea deal first, Pierucci's own bargaining position would be undermined. He was in a race with the other defendants to satisfy the prosecutors. Unsure about the next step, Pierucci turned to his cellmates for legal advice. Jacky, a veteran of the French Connection drug ring who had 36 years' experience of the US penal system, warned him against accepting an "open plea", where defendants sign away their presumed innocence without any guarantee on a sentence. What Pierucci wanted, Jacky said, was a "binding plea" that commits prosecutors to a specific jail term. When he relayed this request to his lawyer, he was told - correctly - that open pleas were the only option in Connecticut. But the lawyer thought he had a gentleman's agreement with the prosecutor on a six-month sentence: if Pierucci admitted sole guilt, he could expect to be free by October. The alternative was to go to trial and risk up to 125 years in jail. The pressure he was experiencing was far from unique. Thanks to mandatory sentences, US prosecutors wield huge powers. One of Pierucci's fellow detainees, who had been caught with drugs but had no previous convictions, hanged himself in his cell after being offered 15 years as an opening bid. Fired In July 2013, hoping for release within months, Pierucci bowed to the inevitable and pleaded guilty. The plea deal, however, brought little relief. Now that Pierucci was a convicted criminal, Alstom cut him loose. His absence, the dismissal letter read, "imperils the operation of the entity which you lead" and makes it impossible "to maintain our contractual relation". In addition, it noted, his misdeeds "run counter to the values and the ethics of the group". Besides being apparently fired for not turning up for work while in jail, Pierucci found it a bit rich to be lectured about integrity by a firm that had engaged in corruption in many countries and been blacklisted over these practices by the World Bank. But he recognises that the company had little choice. It made sense for Pierucci's bosses to blame him as much as they could. Meanwhile Pierucci's detention showed no sign of ending. October came and went. Six months turned into a year, without any news on sentencing. In a book on the case, Le Piège américain (the American trap), he compares his ordeal to being stuck in "an endless tunnel with slippery walls - nothing to hold on to." In June 2014, Pierucci was released after friends put up their homes as bond and later that year went home to Paris. But he was yet to be sentenced, and the possibility of more jail time still hung over him. The uncertainty lasted another three years. In September 2017 Pierucci flew back to Connecticut for sentencing. The judge gave him 30 months. He did not become a free man until late 2018, when he walked out of the Pittsburgh prison where he had served the second half of his sentence. Paranoia? Pierucci believes he was a pawn in three larger battles with global economic and political ramifications. The first is the fight between the US justice department and Alstom, which resulted in total surrender by the French company. In late 2014, it admitted having paid $75m bribes over a decade, in a scheme described by prosecutors as "astounding in its breadth, its brazenness and its worldwide consequences". Alstom settled the case for $770m (£580m; €670m) - the largest-ever FCPA fine imposed by the department. The arrests of Pierucci and other managers were crucial in breaking Alstom's resistance. As then-Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said: "It was only after the department publicly charged several Alstom executives - three years after the investigation began - that the company finally co-operated." The second battle that Pierucci believes influenced his fate was the purchase of most of Alstom by its US rival General Electric (GE). The business saga and the legal cases unfolded in lockstep. Alstom boss Patrick Kron announced plans to sell the power business - 75% of the company - in mid-2014, when it was clear that the company was in the justice department's crosshairs. Shareholders approved the sale to GE that December. Three days later, the settlement in the bribery case took Alstom's top brass off the hook. Pierucci is among many in France who claim that the justice department was helping GE by keeping the pressure on Alstom until the sale was complete. According to a French parliamentary report published last year, the threat of a huge fine "undoubtedly... precipitated Mr Kron's decision". Kron has always vehemently denied the allegation. "We absolutely did not make this transaction in response to any direct pressure on myself or anyone else," he told MPs. Alstom's power operations, he insists, were sold for the best business reasons. Indeed the purchase is widely seen as a costly mistake by GE, and in 2017 its CEO admitted as much. The US justice department's anti-corruption chief, Daniel Kahn, also rejects any suggestion of collusion. "We certainly didn't force Alstom to plead guilty in order to help out GE. That never entered into consideration," he told the BBC. Neither is the timing necessarily suspicious. The justice department could have taken the sale into account in its settlement with Alstom simply because of GE's strong anti-corruption record. "In general, we don't want to discourage companies with strong compliance programs from acquiring companies with weaker ones," Kahn says. Andrew Spalding, who teaches anti-corruption law at the University of Richmond, Virginia, notes that for any conspiracy between prosecutors and GE to work, it would also have to involve America's independent judiciary. "That's paranoia," he says. Power games The third battle Pierucci is convinced he was dragged into is the biggest of all. It is nothing less than a struggle for worldwide supremacy. In the subtitle of his book, he describes himself as a "hostage in the greatest campaign of economic destabilisation". He is not alone in believing America is seeking to weaken foreign companies. This is the way most French analysts and many politicians have described the various Alstom sagas over the years. Pierre Laporte, a former GE lawyer who now works as Pierucci's partner, notes that 70% of firms targeted for US anti-bribery action are foreign - notably European. The FCPA and other laws that apply beyond US borders, Laporte says, are "tools of economic domination". Such suspicions may sound overblown, but they reflect serious concerns in France. Alstom, whose turbines power the country's nuclear stations and submarines, is regarded as a strategic asset. Many worry that if a serious diplomatic spat arose with the US, as was the case during the Iraq war, French sovereignty could be undermined. America's judicial expansionism is a matter of concern for many countries whose companies are being pursued for doing business with Iran and other states targeted by American sanctions. Since his return to Paris, however, Pierucci has focused on the narrow issue of the fight against corruption rather than geopolitical power games. He and Laporte have set up a consultancy to help companies stay on the right side of anti-bribery prosecutors. There is a big demand for Pierucci's expertise. In 2016, France belatedly passed tough anti-corruption legislation and is enforcing it. The US justice department's Daniel Kahn says he has a "very strong relationship" with his French counterparts - this recently resulted in a successful joint action against French bank Société Générale over bribes in Libya. "Once you identify possible violations, you can put safeguards in place," Pierucci says. He tells his clients to be particularly vigilant about hidden practices by overseas partners or consultants that may put them at risk. Danger can lurk in unexpected places. In 2017 a retired Siemens manager was arrested while on holiday in Croatia and extradited to the US, where he was eventually convicted over bribes paid by the German group in Argentina in the 1990s. As the reach of US legislation expands, foreign executives who fight the law may well find that the law wins.
Two ospreys have returned to a wildlife reserve in the Highlands for their ninth breeding season.
Female EJ and male Odin are the most successful breeding pair at RSPB Scotland's Loch Garten site near Grantown on Spey. Over previous seasons 17 of their chicks have fledged. EJ, who is 20-years-old this year, has been visiting the loch for 15 years and has reared 25 chicks over that time with Odin and other males. Ospreys migrate from west Africa to Scotland to breed and can be seen hunting for fish from rivers and lochs.
Numbers of tourists travelling to Wales from the rest of the UK has risen, despite a dip in the number travelling in the UK as a whole.
Figures for 2013 show a total of 9.93 million visited to Wales, an increase of 3.4%. But the Great Britain Tourism Survey showed trips across the UK were down 2.5% compared with the previous year. It was published as a £68m by-pass opens making the journey to Tenby and Saundersfoot easier. Tourists to Wales spent £1.7billion, up 7% on 2012, while expenditure in the UK as a whole fell by almost 3%. Tourism Minister Edwina Hart said: "These figures will give the tourism industry in Wales an extra boost ahead of what is traditionally hailed as the start of the tourism season."
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design. Before the first bricks of the new V&A at Dundee are laid it has already set out a bold aim - to change the way people think about design.
By Philip SimTayside and Central reporter, BBC Scotland Construction work is about to get under way on Scotland's own branch of the V&A on the banks of the River Tay. Diggers and bulldozers are preparing the site so the first bricks can be laid, but project leaders have already built up an ambitious vision of the V&A at Dundee, years in the making - and it is a museum with a mission. V&A at Dundee director Philip Long hopes to change the way people across the country think about design and creativity, from their personal lives to business and enterprise - perhaps even inspire Scottish entrepreneurs to create the next Apple. The project can trace its roots back to 2007, when a group of organisations, initially led by Dundee University, entered talks with the Victoria and Albert museum to create its first outpost outside London, a world-leading centre of design and innovation. But the vision for this new facility goes far beyond bricks and mortar and touring exhibitions. "We want to be an international centre of design which has a mission," said Mr Long. "That is to really help people's understanding of the relevance and opportunity there is in design and creativity across all aspects of human endeavour, whether through creative expression or contributing to business and economic development. "For business and enterprise, design isn't something that just gets tacked on at the end, in marketing and graphics. "It's about developing a creative approach all the way through the business process - Apple would be an example of one company that's been extraordinarily successful in this approach." Mr Long can reel off a lengthy list of Scots currently leading their fields in design, including Ian and Moray Callum, Dumfries-born brothers who currently work as head of design for Jaguar and Ford respectively. The V&A at Dundee will not only celebrate Scotland's design heritage, running from the 1500s right up to the present day, but seek to inspire and inform the careers of future designers. Design competition It will do this from a building which is a landmark of design in itself. A competition to draw up plans for the museum on the banks of the River Tay attracted entries from right across the globe, and judges eventually chose a design by leading Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The V&A will be his first major building in the UK, but his increasingly acclaimed firm already has offices in Paris and Tokyo and has won a host of awards. Such expertise comes at a price - by the time it opens its doors in 2017, the V&A at Dundee will have cost £45m. The funding for the project has been split into three chunks of £15m. The first third has already been committed by the Scottish government, back in 2012 when the project first won official support. The next third is made up of contributions from other public sources, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, who contributed £8m towards the capital budget as well as cash for revenue costs, and the latest award from Creative Scotland. And Mr Long is hopeful that funding will soon be confirmed from the European Regional Development Fund to complete this part of the funding. The final third is to be raised from private donations, and local and national donors have already come forward with £6.7m. "We're on track and on target - we just have £8.3m to find over the development part of the project," Mr Long said. "It's a large target to find from private sources for a cultural development, but it's been heartening to see the interest locally and increasingly nationally for the project - even before being out on site, we're getting there." The V&A's new home in Dundee is right at the heart of the central waterfront, in a spot formerly occupied by the Olympia swimming pool, demolished earlier this year. The museum will form the centrepiece of a £1bn transformation of the waterfront, which is projected to bring millions of pounds of investment, hundreds of thousands of tourists and thousands of jobs to the city. "The waterfront ambition is a fantastic project in this country," said Mr Long. "It's going to be a fantastic asset for the city and for the region and for the country, and it's great that the V&A is at the forefront of all of that. "Let's not understate this, this is a lot of money coming from national agencies being given to a project born here in Dundee. "That's a fantastic sign of confidence in the project and in the city - we should all be proud of that, and I know I am."
Sira Berzas winces when she remembers the pain.
By Gemma HandySt John's, Antigua The acute ache started in her ankles before quickly spreading through her body, crippling her muscles, pounding her joints and leaving her hands and feet severely swollen. Last summer, the 38-year-old from Antigua and Barbuda was struck down with the debilitating chikungunya virus which has swept across the Caribbean infecting more than 800,000 people since it was first detected in the region in December 2013. The mosquito-borne disease, which originated in Africa and has no known cure, is characterised by the abrupt onset of fever, deep joint and muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and a rash. "I was fine when I went to bed," Ms Berzas says, "but when I woke up in the morning and tried to get up my ankles hurt so much I couldn't stand. It was very scary. After that I started getting different pains all over my body. Soon my hands were so swollen I couldn't hold anything." 'Nothing worked' Most patients recover fully although the pain can persist for several months or even years. In older people the disease can cause death. According to World Health Organization figures, 176 fatalities across the Caribbean, Latin America and US were linked to the virus in 2014. "I knew immediately it was chikungunya," Ms Berzas says. Chikungunya "I didn't go to the doctor as it's expensive and everyone I knew who'd been to their GP was just told to take paracetamol and rest. I tried painkillers but nothing worked. The mornings were the worst; my joints were so stiff I could hardly move." Ms Berzas is one of a growing number of sufferers who turned to natural remedies to alleviate the symptoms. Alternative approach In Antigua, where the minimum wage is just $3 (£2) per hour and a visit to a conventional doctor can set one back $44, herbalists specialising in "bush medicine" are often the first port of call. "When I got desperate I went to Dr Amu, the naturopath. He gave me two teas to drink and an oil to rub on my skin. It soothed the rash and diminished the pain a lot. It didn't go away but at least it was manageable," Ms Berzas recalls. It was four months before the aches finally abated. "Even now, 10 months later, my ankles still hurt in the morning. I don't know how I would have coped if it hadn't been for Dr Amu; I recommended him to lots of people. Nothing else worked for me," Ms Berzas recalls. 'Plant power' Self-taught naturopath Sylvester Tyrone "Amu" Motley prescribes a four-pronged approach to fighting chikungunya. The first is a tea to be drunk three times daily on an empty stomach. It contains echinacea to boost the immune system, and chaparral and burdock root to purify the blood, ease pain and soothe the rash, he explains. Second is a detox made by boiling five different plants in fresh spring water. "Arnica, soursop and cattle tongue are wonderful cure-alls," Mr Motley, who scours the local countryside looking for the plants, says. "Then there's neem, which is an antiseptic, and dandelion to cleanse the body. That should be drunk all day long instead of water." He also makes a special oil to be applied after bathing and at night on critical parts of the body. A staunch advocate of the power of plants, Mr Motley says he has not had the illness himself and believes that is largely due to his own intake of herbs. "It's tried to come a couple of times but my body fights it off," he adds. Scepticism In the absence of scientific evidence, conventional doctors are more sceptical. Dr Nick Fuller, whose GP practice is based in Antigua's capital St John's, told the BBC: "Herbalism is not proven so I couldn't recommend it. "But I don't see any harm in it," he adds. "At the end of the day, chikungunya is a virus and needs to run its course," he explains. With no antiviral medicines available yet to fight chikungunya, the only sure-fire way to deal with it is not to get it. The government is therefore trying to stem the outbreak in Antigua, which has seen 1,442 suspected cases to date, through preventative measures. They have stepped up insecticide spraying in communities and made bulk purchases of bed nets and repellent. A public education campaign urges residents to avoid mosquito bites by wearing clothes that cover the arms, legs and feet and to use repellents.
In December, Hilaria Baldwin - the podcaster, and wife of actor Alec Baldwin - was widely ridiculed for seeming to fake being Spanish. Korean-American student Arden Yum says that, like Hilaria, ethnic minority children may also identify with a different culture. But there are crucial differences, she suggests.
There is a TV clip showing her struggling to remember the English word for cucumber, she has a Mediterranean accent, and calls her children "the Baldwinitos". Plus, her husband told talk show host David Letterman, "My wife is from Spain." So understandably, many believed Hilaria Baldwin was Spanish. It turns out Hilaria (she pronounces her name "Ee-lah-ree-ah") was born Hillary Hayward-Thomas. She grew up and went to school in Massachusetts, and went to university in New York. Her parents liked to holiday in Spain though, and retired there when she was in her late 20s. There was a moment in December when Hilaria became one of the main topics of conversation - and humour - on social media. Comedian Amy Schumer called the episode "insane and entertaining", adding, "You can't just pretend you're from Spain." Actress Salma Hayek, who played Alec Baldwin's girlfriend on 30 Rock, was more sympathetic. "We all lie a little bit," she said this week on talk show host Andy Cohen's pop culture channel, Radio Andy. While Hayek is Mexican, her mother's ancestors were Spanish, she pointed out, adding that Hilaria was "smart to want to be Spanish - we're cool." Defending herself on her Instagram page, Hilaria said: "We celebrate both cultures in our home. Alec and I are raising our children bilingual, just as I was raised. This is very important to me. I understand that my story is a little different, but it is mine, and I'm very proud of it." She told the New York Times that identity was personal. "Who is to say what you're allowed to absorb and not absorb growing up?" she said. On the surface, she could have been describing something that my friends and I have often spoken about - racial impostor syndrome. It occurs when your internal sense of self doesn't match with others' perception of your racial identity and gives rise to a feeling of self-doubt. It's usually experienced by people like me, living in countries where we are an ethnic minority. My parents are Korean-Americans and I was born in New York city in 2002. My younger brother and I grew up in Manhattan's crowded and lively streets. We moved around various neighbourhoods and played in local parks. We were lucky to experience childhood in this city filled with people from all backgrounds and of all ethnicities. Some areas are more diverse than others, though. The Upper West Side, sandwiched between the Hudson river and Central Park, is quiet, residential, and affluent. It's also 68% white. When you picture glamorous TV shows such as Gossip Girl and Sex and the City, they're usually set in the Upper West or Upper East Side. I go to a predominantly white school, where most students are wealthy and privileged. When I was younger, I often felt defensive when my friends asked questions about the Korean food I ate or the Korean dramas that were playing on our TV when they visited. They weren't being insensitive, but I didn't want my Asian heritage to undermine the identity I presented at school. The representation of Asians in American media recycles a handful of cliches. I'd see Mulan, a Disney princess-warrior, but I couldn't relate to her ferocity. And then there was the generic Asian kid in high school shows whose only purpose was to be the nerdy, shy side-kick with no storyline. They excelled at math. They played the violin. I resented their one-dimensionality. At school, people often assumed that I would fit the stereotype of the shy Asian girl, and this became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I was afraid to raise my hand in class discussions, or to reach out to new classmates, and my self-confidence plummeted. I became silent. I thought that I had to withdraw and whitewash myself in order to fit in. I wanted to scrub clean all of the Asian parts of myself. Even though I wasn't white, I wasn't considered fully Korean, either. I was trapped in what felt like an inescapable limbo. In seventh grade, a Chinese-American friend of mine used to lightheartedly call me a banana: white on the inside, yellow on the outside. I felt like an impostor. At the time, I hadn't ever been to Korea, and I couldn't speak more than five words in Korean. I was constantly questioning my identity - doubting that I belonged in either group: "American" or "Asian". But when I turned 15, everything changed. My family moved to Hong Kong for a year because of my mother's job with an art gallery. In my new adopted city and international school, I was fully immersed in a community with other Asian people for the first time. There were people from China, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea in my grade. Even though I had grown up in the US, I no longer looked or felt like an outsider. At lunchtime, my friends and I would sit on the landing of a staircase at the front of our school and pull out our bento boxes of home-cooked Asian food, which we ate with brightly coloured chopsticks. For once I wasn't carefully unpacking the racial undertones of every interaction. We went to the beach on the south side of Hong Kong, went out to eat dim sum and listened to local bands. Memories of Hong Kong replayed in my head when I returned to New York and decided to create The Peahce Project, a platform for Asian voices in the form of interviews, art, writing and podcasts. When quarantine began in March 2020, our Instagram page started getting a lot more engagement, and one topic that connected with our audience was racial impostor syndrome. Many people with immigrant parents seemed to identify with the concept of feeling like their internal identity is in conflict with what others perceive them to be. America has a long history of assigning identity, often making people of colour question themselves. A good example of this is the introduction of "blood quantum" for Native American tribes. "Blood quantum is a system of calculating blood introduced by the federal government in the early 19th Century as a means of restricting the rights of Native American," says attorney Brett Chapman, whose relative Standing Bear was the first Native American to win civil rights for his tribe in the United States. The idea of blood quantum was then adopted by some Native Americans themselves. Florida's Miccosukee Tribe, for example, requires someone to have 50% tribal blood in order to qualify as a member. This led many to question their identity, says Brett. Native American children were also separated from their tribes and forced to assimilate with white Americans and adopt their values, he adds. "Which meant that racial impostor syndrome was forced upon them. People were made to change who they were, and then feel divorced from their tribe." Maybe Hilaria Baldwin's internal identity is in conflict with the way others perceive her? Identity is fluid and people of any race can feel a kinship to a culture that they're not part of. But her experience is clearly very different from the experience of a person of colour in the US, or that of someone who looks Asian but has been brought up in New York. To me it's inappropriate for a privileged white person to adopt the identity of a Hispanic in the US. Hilaria Baldwin evidently identifies as Spanish rather than Mexican, Puerto Rican or Cuban, but most Spanish-speakers in the US are from these places, or from Central America - and according the Pew Research Center more than half say they have experienced discrimination. A white person who passes as Hispanic never has to worry about this. Many of us don't have whiteness as a safety net. The way to address racial impostor syndrome is to open more spaces for us to tell our own stories and share our unique experiences. It's more complex than stereotypes about maths prodigies and shy kids. As told to Megha Mohan, BBC gender and identity correspondent You may also be interested in: If you walk into a doughnut shop in California, the chances are it's owned by a Cambodian family. That's because of a refugee who built up an empire, and became known as the Donut King, only to lose it all. The Donut King who went full circle - from rags to riches, twice
First Chairman, National Defence Commission: Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un, the youngest son of previous leader Kim Jong-il, succeeded his father on the latter's death from a heart attack in December 2011. In 2010 he had already been unveiled as Kim Jong-il's heir apparent, and was made a four-star general despite lacking any military experience. Soon after the death of his father, North Korean state media lauded Kim Jong-un, the newly-appointed army supreme commander, as "a great person born of heaven" It also anointed him the "great successor" of the philosophy of juche (self-reliance), signalling a continuation of the personality cult of the Kim family into a third generation. In April 2012 he formally took over as leader of the ruling Workers Party, with the new title of first secretary, as his late father became "eternal general secretary". He also became first chairman of the important National Defence Commission, with his late father promoted to "eternal chairman". His grandfather Kim Il-sung, who died in 1994, is the country's "eternal president". He ousted army chief Ri Yong-ho, who had overseen the succession to power, in July 2012 and took the title of "marshal" for himself, marking the consolidation of his political and military power. Mentor executed It is widely believed that the task of guiding and mentoring Kim Jong-un when he assumed power was entrusted to his aunt, Kim Kyung-hee, and her husband, Chang Song-thaek. Mr Chang had been seen as close to Kim Jong-il and was thought to enjoy considerable influence over Kim Jong-un But in late 2013 he was found guilty of attempting to overthrow the state and was summarily executed, in what was seen as the biggest leadership upheaval since Kim Jong-il's death. In 2016, Mr Kim called the first congress of the Workers Party in nearly four decades, in a move aimed at further cementing his position as leader. Details of Kim Jong-un's early life are scant. Born in 1983 or early 1984, he is reported to have gone to school in Switzerland and later studied at Kim Il-sung University in North Korea. After becoming leader he began to display a more informal style in public appearances, but official media swiftly quashed any hopes that this might mean a relaxation in totalitarian controls. There are concerns about the young leader's health, given his obesity. State media reported that he was suffering "physical discomfort" in September 2014 after he had been seen limping for several months, and he disappeared from public view for six weeks. Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea has continued its policy of promoting the military at home while sending mixed signals to the rest of the world about its nuclear programme. The launch of a satellite in 2012, using rocket technology banned under UN ballistic missile sanctions on North Korea, boosted Kim's standing in the ruling elite while angering his neighbours, including sole ally China. North Korea's defiant third nuclear test in February 2013 earned it another escalation of UN Security Council sanctions, approved by China. North Korea in turn stepped up its bellicose rhetoric and announced it would restart all facilities at its main Yongbyon nuclear complex, including a reactor mothballed in 2007. In 2014, North Korea test-fired two medium-range Nodong ballistic missiles . The challenges the country faces under Kim Jong-un are the same as those it had to cope with during his father's reign - a moribund economy, international isolation and widespread poverty.
A total of 99% of the first students to receive their GCSEs at the JCB Academy in Staffordshire have received grades A* to C.
The £22m academy in Rocester opened in September 2010, taking in 170 students from Staffordshire and Derbyshire. The core focus is on engineering with pupils, aged 14 to 19, also studying maths, English, science and German. David Bell, vice-chairman of governors at the academy, said he was "thrilled" with the results.
The Leave campaign's victory in the EU referendum made headlines around the world, but how did it all come about?
Mark D'ArcyParliamentary correspondent When the time comes to erect heroic bronze statues to heroes of Brexit, I have a couple of left-field nominations: Tony Wright and John Bercow. Between them they created the parliamentary channels through which a well-organised band of backbench guerrillas put relentless pressure on David Cameron to hold an EU referendum - systematically boxing him into the commitment which was fulfilled on 23 June. One of the key weapons in their Commons campaigning was the brainchild of Labour's Tony Wright. A politics professor, he chaired the Reform of the House of Commons Committee from 2008 to 2009. His brief, in response to the expenses scandal, was to devise a package of reforms to increase the standing of MPs. He came up with the Backbench Business Committee, which would have the power to choose subjects for debates on vote-able motions on the floor of the Commons - when previously all major debates had been staged by the government or opposition parties. It turned out to be crucial. "If we hadn't had the Backbench Business Committee, I don't think the referendum would have happened," said Brexit campaigner and Tory MP Peter Bone. At the time, I'm sure that the Labour and Conservative whips' offices expected the result would be a couple of thinly attended debates on niche issues at the fag-end of the parliamentary week. But others saw the potential. In particular, a group of hardline Tory backbenchers saw immediately that the Wright reforms could become a major instrument in their campaign to ensure Mr Cameron's coalition did not drift away from their version of true Conservative values, and in particular to ensure "soundness" on Europe. There was a core group of awkward squad MPs centred around Steve Baker, John Baron, Peter Bone, Douglas Carswell, Chris Chope, Philip Hollobone, David Nuttall and Mark Reckless, although others would drift in and out. They would meet for an hour, every Tuesday morning at 08:30 in Room R, an out-of-the-way committee room in the parliamentary office building, Portcullis House, to go through the Commons agenda, seeking opportunities to push their views, and agree on tactics. "It never, never, never leaked," Bone recalled. One point to note is the lack of big names - no grand ex-cabinet ministers or leadership candidates were part of this core operation; if they had been it would have looked like an embryonic leadership campaign for some King Over The Water, instantly alienating rival claimants for the leadership of the Tory Right, and their followers. So, while the group maintained diplomatic relations with the likes of David Davis and John Redwood, it avoided a full embrace of any of them. On the government side, the whips spotted there was an organised low-key insurgency under way, but, as one senior figure now admits, they didn't spot how organised and more importantly how strategic the whole exercise was. To some extent they dismissed the group as chronic conspirators with time on their hands, because they had no hope of preferment under the Cameron leadership. Early on, the group swooped to get Mr Bone and Mr Hollobone on to the Backbench Business Committee, along with the more maverick Philip Davies - where they would be well-placed to push for debates that furthered its agenda. And the other important figure was a sympathetic Labour MP in the chair, in the shape of Natascha Engel. For a while they bided their time, but behind the scenes they drew up a motion calling for a referendum and started accumulating signatures from MPs. They had to come up with a form of words which allowed all the Big Beasts to sign up - avoiding pitfalls like the idea of a two-stage referendum process, on the principle and then the terms of Brexit. 'Rebel Commander' When a convenient Thursday afternoon slot for a backbench debate appeared, with no rival contenders, Mr Hollobone suggested the moment had come to strike - and the referendum motion was put down. The group then had to launch a whipping operation to keep its supporters on-side - as the government countered by declaring a three-line whip against the motion and also rescheduled the debate from a Thursday afternoon to a prime-time Monday afternoon slot. The task for the Room R group was to hold the line against determined attempts to erode it. Here's an extract from a briefing circulated by Steve Baker - who led their whipping operation and was hailed by the Guido Fawkes website as "Rebel Commander": "Do people care enough about the issue? "In every constituency, voters are signing the People's Pledge, promising to support candidates who give them an In/Out referendum. More than twice as many people want a referendum on leaving the EU as wanted one on the voting system. More people attended the People's Pledge Congress on Saturday than have been protesting at St Paul's, notwithstanding the relative coverage. "On 25 September, at least 40,000 motorcyclists took part in Motorcycle Action Group's nationwide protest, 'EU Hands Off Biking. The only question that matters today is whether our position in the EU is a proper subject for a referendum. One way or another, all three parties have previously said that it is." What seems to have happened next is that a lot of Conservative backbenchers went back to their constituencies, talked to their association chairmen and returned, emboldened, to vote for the motion. On the day, 25 October 2011, the debate was opened by group member David Nuttall - a 2010 intake MP who had already established himself as one of the most rebellious occupants of the Tory benches. He rejected the argument that this was not the right time to discuss the issue and said even if the motion was passed, it would be years before a referendum was held. The three-line whip meant that any members of the government who backed the motion would have to resign and two unpaid parliamentary private secretaries, Stewart Jackson, and Adam Holloway, duly fell on their swords. They were among 81 Tory backbenchers who supported the motion - including some whose support came as a surprise to the core group. It was a classic example of a government winning a vote but losing the politics of an issue. In a previous parliamentary era, there would not have been such a direct route for the growing head of Eurosceptic steam inside the Conservative Party to manifest itself. Perhaps that pressure would have found another way to escape, but Dr Wright's creation allowed a Commons show of strength that the prime minister could not ignore and which clothed the Room R group in new credibility. 'Wafer-thin consent' It kept up the pressure. Another member, John Baron, launched a campaign urging Mr Cameron "to place on the Statute Book before the next general election a commitment to hold a referendum during the next Parliament on the nature of our relationship with the European Union". Nearly 100 Tory MPs signed a letter backing the idea - the thought being that while the Lib Dems and Labour might vote a referendum bill down, they would put themselves firmly on the wrong side of public opinion in the process, while the Tories would pre-empt UKIP and give themselves an important unique selling point at the general election. Finally in January 2013 the prime minister delivered his Bloomberg speech. He'd met group members at Downing Street the previous evening and told them they would like what he had to say. But even so the extent of his commitment came as a surprise: "Democratic consent for the EU in Britain is now wafer thin... "Simply asking the British people to carry on accepting a European settlement over which they have had little choice is a path to ensuring that when the question is finally put - and at some stage it will have to be - it is much more likely that the British people will reject the EU. "That is why I am in favour of a referendum. I believe in confronting this issue - shaping it, leading the debate. Not simply hoping a difficult situation will go away." Those words brought Mr Cameron a measure of peace (at least on Euro-issues, there were plenty of other rebellions) but no referendum bill would be approved by his Lib Dem Coalition partners. And here is where Mr Speaker Bercow enters our story, with a ruling on an apparently in-house issue that probably ranks as the single most important decision of his speakership. He allowed an extra amendment to the Queen's Speech, stretching the terms of Commons Standing Order 33 probably beyond breaking point in the process. Here is the explanation he gave when, ever so politely, his ruling was questioned by the Leader of the House, Andrew Lansley: "Conditions and expectations today are very different from those in October 1979, when that Standing Order was made. "I must tell the House that I have studied the wording of Standing Order Number 33 very carefully. My interpretation is that the words 'a further amendment' in the fifth line of the Standing Order may be read as applying to more than one amendment successively. "In other words, only one amendment selected by me is being moved at any time. Once that amendment is disposed of, a further amendment may then be called." That ruling cleared the way for the group to take the near-unprecedented step of moving an amendment to the Queen's Speech, regretting the non-appearance of any referendum bill. Cameron cornered A parliamentary chain reaction followed. It quickly became clear that more than 100 Conservative MPs would vote for the amendment, so Mr Cameron side-stepped and announced the Conservative Party would back a private member's bill to hold a referendum by 2017, and even published a draft bill. When the 2013 ballot for private members' bills was held, James Wharton was the top-ranking Tory - and within minutes he announced he would attempt to get the Referendum Bill into law. His bill did eventually clear the Commons, but ran aground in the Lords, and the following year a similar fate befell an identical bill from Bob Neill. By that time Mr Cameron was cornered into a referendum promise, which became a key plank of his 2015 election manifesto. And the rest is history. But there's also a lesson for the future. A small, smart, savvy group can exert huge leverage over Parliament, even in the teeth of every resource a government can deploy. And there's nothing in Commons Standing Orders that says only Brexiteers can do that.
Something green is growing in the state of Texas.
By Damian Kahya and Richard AndersonBusiness reporters, BBC News More famous for its oil prospectors than green entrepreneurs, it is home to a surprisingly large conurbation of algae start-ups. They are part of the latest generation of firms trying to solve the problems that have prevented algae making any meaningful contribution to the world's energy needs. Algae fuel is based on technologies which seek to use algae or bacteria to produce fuels by combining light, carbon dioxide, water and nutrients through photosynthesis. It is a dream which has arisen every time the oil price has spiked. Following pioneering research during the 1950s and 60s in places such as Berkeley, University of California, the US Aquatic Species Program was launched by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. The hope then, as now, was to use fast-growing, simple plant organisms to produce vast quantities of transport fuels. That programme slowly fizzled out, culminating in a report in 1998 which concluded that the price of oil needed to be far higher than the then $15-20 a barrel to make algae viable. By 2007, with the oil price well north of $100, interest in algae had risen again. "On paper, it's seven times more productive than terrestrial plants, it grows faster and the amount of oil exceeds that in terrestrial plants," says Adam Powell from the University of Swansea in Wales, which is backing a European research and development project, Enalgae. Scaling up That sort of logic, and laboratory experiments backing it up, saw a rash of start-ups around the world - and especially in the US - seeking venture capital funding based on promises of limitless, cheap, clean fuel. But none has yet succeeded in producing fuel commercially and at scale. Instead, many firms have shut down. In 2009, MIT spin-off Greenfuel Technologies closed after $70m (£44m) of investment to build its own mini-algae plant. "No-one knows how to grow any kind of micro-organism at very large scale - multiple hectares," says Prof Jerry Brand from the University of Texas in Austin, which is leading research in the field. "As you scale up, it's not that things get cheaper, but that new problems emerge." One problem is that despite being very small, you can't actually grow algae very densely. The algae closest to the light - or the surface of the water - block the light for algae lower down. Another is harvesting the green gloop, or the oil it produces. Ben Graziano is technology commercialisation manager at the UK's Carbon Trust and was in charge of the algae programme before it was scrapped as part of the government's spending cuts. "You need to find ways to harvest those particular strains that produce oil, and it so happens that those are quite challenging to harvest," he explains. Both of these make scaling up more difficult than many first thought. Currently, he says, only around 20,000 tonnes of algae are produced a year. To make any impact, it would need to be millions of tonnes. And algae's own mixed history has left the sector short on expertise. "There are probably only 10, maybe 20, people who know how to do it and you've got to go up from there," Mr Graziano says. Constant sunshine In the US, research is focused around the north-east, California and Texas. The University of Texas has curated one of the largest collections of algae in the world, with more than 3,000 strains. That, combined with the constant sunshine and plentiful local sources of carbon dioxide and dirty, brackish water have attracted firms trying to solve the seemingly intractable problems algae pose. One is AlgaEternal, which has set up its pilot on the university campus. The pilot consists of 120, 12ft-high tubes designed to make growing the algae more efficient than using shallow ponds. It isn't the only pilot of its kind - but given its high cost the idea depends on preventing contamination of the system. In the past, as Mr Graziano puts it, scientists have "woken up one morning, gone to the farm and discovered their whole system has crashed and they can't clean the tubes, and at that point you see a few bankruptcies". Another start-up, OpenAlgae, is also working with the university on a method of cost-effectively extracting the oil. But out of town, a test site has been set up for a slightly different solution, employing something which isn't technically algae at all - blue-green algae or cyanobacteria. Massachusetts-based Joule Unlimited claims that by genetically engineering the micro-organism to excrete fuel, it can avoid many of the problems that have bedevilled its rivals. "Rather than using sunlight and then water to grow up organisms which we can then harvest, we are engineering our organisms with pathways that are specific for the molecules of interest. In the case of alkanes we are making a diesel-like mixture of hydrocarbons," says Dan Robertson, the firm's senior vice-president of biology. The company, which is opening a second, larger, test site in Hobbs, New Mexico, says it eventually hopes to produce fuel at the equivalent oil cost of $50 a barrel - about half the current price of oil. Ultimately, the firm, like others, will be judged on its results. "Right now there are lots of people scaling up and growing different types of algae in the US," says Prof Peter Nixon from Imperial College London. "This is the year when they'll work out the sums - either these companies will make money or they'll go under." Roman baths In the UK, much of the research is focused on reducing the cost of algae and finding other uses beyond transport fuels. At the University of Bath, Prof Roderick Scott is working on a programme which uses waste water to lower the cost of producing fuel from algae. "We are very interested in using waste streams of various kinds, waste CO2 which is in abundance and which gives you [carbon] credits, and waste water which contains, depending on where its from, reasonably good levels of nitrates and phosphates," he says. The university is working with UK start-up Aragreen on the project, hoping to benefit from support for cleaning water and removing CO2. Prof Scott's team is also examining the local Roman baths for a possible solution to another problem faced by algae entrepreneurs - the fact that algae perform quite badly when hot. They have identified the algae which live in the baths and are testing to see if they are productive enough to produce fuel. But ultimately, success for algae in the short term may lie in the other, higher value, goods that can be produced from algae. One firm, Martek, has succeeded by producing key oils involved in baby food formula. Others are targeting the burgeoning field of nutraceuticals. "We'll see a lot of people moving into earlier, higher-value markets like proteins, fish oils, colourants and dyes," says Mr Graziano.
To say Fernando Haddad has had a busy few months is an understatement. Mr Haddad replaced former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the presidential candidate for the Workers' Party less than a month before the first round of the election. After he made it into the run-off which took place 28 October, his life got even busier as he tried - and ultimately failed - to win over voters to beat his right-wing rival Jair Bolsonaro.
By BBC MonitoringMiami team When Fernando Haddad stood in for Lula on 11 September after electoral authorities banned the former leader from running for president because of his conviction for corruption and money laundering, he was relatively unknown. The 55-year-old had served as mayor of São Paulo and also as education minister but had little name recognition outside São Paulo. Lula's wholehearted endorsement was therefore key for Mr Haddad. As Lula is serving a 12-year prison sentence, that endorsement came in the form of a letter written from his cell: "From now on, Haddad will be Lula for millions of Brazilians," it read. Key facts: A lot of voters who had backed Lula switched allegiances from Lula to Mr Haddad - he rose from 4% to 23% in the pre-election opinion polls - but he was not able to reach the almost 40% who had said they intended to vote for Lula. There is little doubt that Lula is a political godfather to Mr Haddad but despite the close links between the two men, Mr Haddad sought to project a slightly different image to that of the 72-year-old former president. Above all, Mr Haddad tried to portray himself as more of a moderate than the firebrand, working-class Lula. Part of Mr Haddad's campaign strategy was to try to woo the wider electorate with promises of gradual reforms. These promises came after turbulent years in which Brazil was rocked by an increase in violent crime and a huge political bribery scandal that has tainted the entire political class, ensnaring not only Lula but several other senior figures in the Workers' Party. In politically polarised Brazil, Lula's mantle proved as much a liability as a boost to Mr Haddad, and it was difficult for him to find the right balance.
The ruins of a spiritual retreat in northern India have become a place of pilgrimage - but not because of the guru who once lived there. It's all about the Beatles, and the time they spent there meditating and writing songs in 1968.
By Soutik BiswasBBC News, Rishikesh In the wooded hills near India's holy city of Rishikesh, a 67-year-old British man trudges gingerly through a forest. He is on his way to a derelict ashram where his musical idols once stayed. He first saw the Beatles in the summer of 1963, he says, when he was one of about 200 people in the audience at a seaside resort. The ticket cost 7d (3p). Half a century later, he has brought his family from Wales to the ashram on the banks of the Ganges once run by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi - one of the most flamboyant of the self-styled gurus to emerge from the era of hippiedom. The Fab Four were there, according to a newspaper report, for a course in "transcendental meditation, which the guru promises can cure anything that ails the Beatles or the world". "This place is a pilgrimage for Beatles fans," says the British tourist. "They come from all over the world. I had to bring my family here." The Beatles had planned a three-month-retreat at the sprawling 18-acre estate. According to some accounts, it descended into a fiasco. Ringo Starr went home after 10 days complaining about the spicy food - even though he had packed a suitcase full of baked beans. His wife, Maureen, also had a phobia of flies, and both missed their children. Paul McCartney stayed for a month, while John Lennon and George Harrison left abruptly after six weeks - there were financial disagreements, apparently, and there have long been unverified reports of the Maharishi groping another guest, the actress Mia Farrow. Lennon later wrote a scornful song, Sexy Sadie, about the guru. "Sexy Sadie, what have you done? You made a fool of everyone," goes one line. Other accounts are more upbeat. Paul Saltzman, author of The Beatles in Rishikesh, says the band wrote some 48 songs in fantastic burst of creativity, many of which made it on to the White Album. "I was there when they were working on Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," says Saltzman, who spent two weeks at the ashram. "Then it was grass and gardens. There were monkeys and emerald green parakeets in the trees." Today the ashram is a ghostly relic of those days. Mildewed and grotty stone and concrete buildings peep out of overgrown bushes and thick forests in a national park where some 1,700 elephants live, alongside tigers and leopards. But the place remains a big draw with Beatles fans. A dilapidated meditation hall christened The Beatles Cathedral Gallery, by fans has become the beating heart of the ruins. Its walls are ablaze with colourful graffiti, many of them riffing on Beatles songs, "And life flows on with you and without you," says one. The roof is peeling off and sunlight streams through the cracks. Fans sing and play guitar, and a cow lazily ambles out of the woods and across the hall. A bunch of teenagers in low-slung jeans and tight T-shirts, practise hip-hop dance moves. "We know this place is about the Beatles, but it is good for us too," one of them says. Outside, in another tumbledown building, a yoga teacher shoots a promotional video. A Russian fan talks about the Beatles' "positive energy", while an Australian student admires the graffiti and hails the band as "rebels". Legends about the Beatles' time here abound. One has it that Lennon used to live in an orb-shaped stone-floored hut. In reality, the ashram was pretty comfortable, with "ultramodern apartments tastefully furnished with hot and cold water" according to one account - and the Maharishi's residence was rumoured to have cost £35,000 ($55,000 at today's exchange rate). A helicopter flew guests in and out and a special European kitchen served up vegetarian meals three times a day. Among other star guests were singer Donovan and Beach Boy, Mike Love. According to Donovan, the Beatles wore "embroidered overblouses, fanciful brass pendants, cotton pyjama trousers broadly striped in bright colours, robes for all occasions". He adds: "They looked like gypsies." The Maharishi had promised to turn the pop stars into "fully qualified teachers or semi-gurus of Hindu meditation". One journalist reported that Lennon and Harrison were on a course of instant mysticism, and being "fed high-level philosophy in simple words". The ashram itself - leased to Maharishi by the government in 1957 - was abandoned by the guru and his followers in the mid-1970s and gradually reclaimed by nature. The yogi himself died in 2008. "The gods have left the place," says the guard at the main gate, "but the devotees keep on coming." The Beatles fly in The Beatles received a tumultuous reception when they landed in Delhi on their way to Rishikesh, in February 1968. A "hysterical mob of Delhi's teenagers gave the mop-headed, lovable Beatles a tumultuous welcome", reported the Times of India. "As soon as the announcement of their arrival came over the amplifier system, the teenagers ran helter-skelter, yelling and shouting: 'They are here, they are here.'" The Beatles were dressed in their "fancy shirts, their hair as shaggy as ever," The Statesman noted. In a Delhi hotel, the Beatles registered under the name of Brown and party. Reporters later found a Sikh sitar player giving lessons to George Harrison, while John Lennon was found trying to play a snake-charmer's flute. "Women are just beautiful here," said Lennon. "In what way?" the reporter asked. "Oh their saris and they just glide. And they are so different," Lennon replied. The Times of India reporter asked Lennon whether the Beatles would perform in Delhi. "Our instruments are not with us," he said. "Would you have given a performance if you had your instruments with you?" the reporter persisted. "We don't give performances just like that. They have to be arranged beforehand," Lennon said. Reaching the end of that line of questioning, the reporter asked about Beatles' ambitions. "We don't have any ambitions," said Lennon. "We are not a missionary group." Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.
Interviews with Prince Harry conducted during his tour of Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot with the Army have been broadcast. He talked, among other things, about his royal and military roles and the publication of secretly-taken pictures of him partying in Las Vegas.
Killing the enemy "Take a life to save a life. That's what we revolve around, I suppose. If there's people trying to do bad stuff to our guys, then we'll take them out of the game I suppose. It's not the reason I decided to do this job. The reason to do this job was to get back out here, and carry on with a job." Has he got a cushy job? "We're not at the sharp end because we're stuck in [Camp] Bastion but I know there is hopefully a minority of people that seem to think I've got a free pass, that I'm in this aircraft and therefore I'm as safe as houses... You don't get a free pass no matter who you are and if the Army didn't think they could get me out here, then they wouldn't have put me in here..." Does he feel pressure in the cockpit? "There's a lot of pressures, obviously, when we go and support the Americans or when we're escorting the Tricky [mobile hospital].... but essentially I think it's less stressful being up here than it is down there. We don't have to put on all the kit and walk around through the desert, sweating our balls off." Under attack "You presumably know what happened on my birthday? Well, it just so happened that it coincided with the, I think it was about 15 guys who attacked the base... this camp is in the middle of Afghanistan and it should be expected to be attacked at any point and the guys dealt with it really well and it was on my birthday so it was a bit of a reality check." Interest in helicopters "Our father flew, uncle's flown, all sorts of people have flown in my family - I wouldn't suggest that's where it's come from but it is great fun... I was given the opportunity in the end and I couldn't say no to it." Is Prince William jealous you are in Afghanistan? "I think there is a bit of jealousy - not just the fact that I get to fly this but obviously he'd love to be out here and I don't see why... he couldn't... no-one knows he's in the cockpit. Yes, he'd get shot at but you know, if the guys who are doing the same job as us are being shot at on the ground, I don't think there's anything wrong with us being shot at as well. Yeah, people back home have issues with that but we're not special - the guys out there are." Does it feel normal, being in Afghanistan? "For me it's not that normal, because I go into the cook house and everyone has a good old gawp and that's one thing that I dislike about being here, because there's plenty of guys in there that have never met me - and therefore probably look at me as being Prince Harry as opposed to Captain Wales, which is frustrating. But... it's as normal as it's going to get." Private life "I don't believe there is any such a thing as private life any more. I'm not going to sit here and whinge. Everybody knows about Twitter and the internet and stuff like that. Every single mobile phone has got a camera on it now. You can't move an inch without someone judging you, and I suppose that's just the way life goes." Vegas pictures "At the end of the day I probably let myself down, I let my family down, I let other people down. But at the end of the day I was in a private area and there should have been a certain amount of privacy that one should expect. Back home all my close friends rally round me and were great… but you know it was probably a classic example of me probably being too much Army and not enough prince." The press "No-one actually believes what they read. I certainly don't. Of course I read it. If there's a story and something's been written about me I want to know what's being said, but all it does is just upset me and anger me that people can get away with writing the stuff they do. Not just about me, but about everything and everybody." Duchess of Cambridge's pregnancy "Obviously I'm thrilled for both of them. It's about time. I can't wait to be an uncle... I just only hope that she and him, but mainly Catherine, hopefully she gets the necessary protection to allow her as a mother-to-be to enjoy the privacy.... I had a chat to them. I didn't send a letter of congratulation like most of the papers said." Royal v Army role "I will always be here for my grandmother, and whoever needs to send me abroad for whatever reason. I don't really have any plans. This was my main effort, to get back out to Afghanistan... As to how long I'm going to spend in the Army, who knows? I will continue to bounce between my army job and the other job... I've spent... six, almost seven years in [the] Army, and I only planned on spending three." Charity work "The last thing my brother, myself and also Catherine, the last thing we want to do is spread ourselves too thin across the ground. We want to be able to pack the punch when it's needed. I'll still stay patron to the charities that I've got. I've got the Walking With The Wounded South Pole venture coming up. Medically, if I can do that, that's perfect because I'd love to do it."
New research has highlighted security issues on four separate smart gadgets.
By Mark WardTechnology correspondent, BBC News A smart doorbell, a connected camera, a child's toy and a locator to help monitor children were all found to be vulnerable to straightforward attacks. The default passwords and bad security practices could have leaked data to attackers, said the research teams. However, all four firms have acted on the warnings, tightened up code and closed loopholes. "The problem with the Internet of Things these days is that everyone is becoming an IT shop whether they like it or not and whether they realise it or not," said Tod Beardsley, security research manager at Rapid7, who uncovered problems with two of the devices. While IoT device makers were writing code more confidently, few took the extra design steps to make sure the programming they put into smart devices was secure, the researchers found. Bad bear Mr Beardsley checked the security in two devices from separate firms: The way the bear communicated with the web was poorly configured, he found, so attackers could have interrogated it to find out more about its young owner, their family and home network. Similar problems were found with the HereO watch that could have let an attacker add themselves to a group of watches used by a family or other group. HereO's chief technology officer said his team fixed the flaw within four hours of being alerted to it. "We not only appreciate Rapid7's feedback, but also welcome and embrace the valuable support of the global IoT [internet of things] community in our relentless efforts to maintain a bar-none, zero-tolerance environment for the safety and security of our users," said Eli Shemesh. "As HereO at the time had yet to commercialise its GPS watches, at no point was any child at risk of any malicious activity." Separately, researchers at Context IS uncovered security issues with a Motorola Focus outdoor camera. If exploited, the lapses could allow a camera to be taken over and remotely controlled by an attacker and used as an entrance to infiltrate a network to which it was connected. Security experts at Pentest Partners also found problems with Ring - a smart doorbell fitted with a video camera that uses an app to beam video of callers to a phone. But by removing the cover of the gadget and pressing its set-up key it becomes possible to recover the key to the wi-fi network to which it is joined, found the security testing firm. All the security failings found by the researchers were reported to the respective firms and all have now been patched or fixed. Ken Munro from Pentest Partners said Era Home Security was "quick to respond" to the report of the bug. 'Mature' response Tod Beardsley from Rapid7 said getting the security bugs fixed in the two devices he studied was a "good and surprising outcome". "I was expecting the usual emotional response of, 'How dare you hack our stuff?' and 'What's your motivation?'" he told the BBC. "But both firms were very mature about it." He added that there were no reports of IoT devices being targeted by attackers as yet but security firms were keen to get product designers thinking about ways to secure their creations as soon as possible. Industry initiatives such as BuildItSecure.ly have been created that attempt to educate gadget makers about secure coding. "We are seeing the deployment of internet of things devices accelerate," he said, "but we can still get ahead of the curve and prevent some future disasters."
When Hull was announced as the UK's City of Culture for 2017, it triggered a wave of jibes about its cultural and socio-economic credentials. As the year draws to a close can the city build on its "one Hull of a year" and have the last laugh?
By Pritti MistryBBC News Hull is a city out on a limb, sandwiched between the end of a motorway and the North Sea. Until this year it was not generally thought of as a beacon of the arts, or as a tourist destination. Flick through the pages of the Lonely Planet's 2003 edition guidebook on Great Britain and you will find descriptions such as "a gruff no-nonsense feel" and "lacking in overt charm". But the latest edition strikes a different note, applauding new attractions such as The Ferens Art Gallery, the historic Old Town district and The Deep aquarium. "Hull's image has definitely changed," said David Else, travel writer for the tourism tome. "While Hull isn't quite topping 'must-visit' lists for England just yet, it's definitely seen an increased profile and offers more to visitors than it did a decade ago." Among those impressed by the city are American brothers Marko and Alex Ayling. Known online as the Vagabrothers, the travel vloggers made a video about Hull for their YouTube channel, which has nearly 500,000 subscribers. Alex confesses the pair had not previously heard of the city until they were invited by the Visit Britain tourism board. Unexpectedly, Marko compares Hull's transformation to the Spanish city of Bilbao - where Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum kick-started a cultural renaissance - and said it had a similar reputation and industrial aesthetic. "We didn't have any pre-conceptions when we visited," Alex added. "It wasn't, like, a bad place to visit. When we published the video there were a lot of comments like 'why would you visit Hull?' and I think as a traveller and a visitor we had a really fun time." In front of Hull Minster, a series of City of Culture robotic installations aptly titled 'Where Do We Go From Here?' stand proud. It is one of 2,000 or so events and activities that has drawn 3.5m visitors to the port this year. Across the road, 25-year-old Georgia Allenby sips on her coffee in the cafe next to the 15-bed apartment Hideout Hotel she opened back in August. She says it has since been fully booked nearly every weekend. "We've seen a massive increase in footfall just around the Old Town. "When we first acquired the property you'd maybe get a few people wander past each day but now there's a few each minute really." Ms Allenby believes too much has happened in the last year for its success to come to an abrupt halt. "It's going to carry on, it's not going to be a culture hangover next year. What City of Culture has done is get people here. "People have been staying one night, maybe two nights here and all of them are saying 'that's not long enough' and 'damn, I wish I could stay longer, I need to come back'. "So I think we will get repeat visitors coming back again and again in the future years." Echoing her enthusiasm is 58-year-old Jayne Yates, store manager of Yorkshire Linen. "It's been amazing. Footfall has increased. We've had visitors from out of town who've come to see the events and shopped and then decided to come back shopping again, which I think is absolutely fantastic for Hull." She added: "I've been the manager for Yorkshire Linen here for 17 years and this is the first year that we've had to take on any extra staff for the Christmas period, so I think that says it all, that we are getting more people through the door." But not every business in Hull shares the same sentiment. Standing opposite an empty department store in the heart of Hull's shopping area is 40-year-old independent retailer, Brookes Menswear. It faces the former BHS building emblazoned with "Welcome to Hull UK City of Culture 2017". Shift your eyes ground-level and your sight is met with rough sleepers in the doorway. Mark Harris, who took over Brookes 14 years ago, said the celebrations had not brought him any extra custom as many of the events were in the evenings and in a different area of the city. He added: "When the [Weeping Window] Poppies were here - they were located in our area - them months were pretty good. "But most of the events are on the other side of town - the Fruit market area - and that's quite a distance from us, as a retailer. "I think the people who's made money this year from the City of Culture are the food retailers and the hoteliers." He is holding on to the hope the city council will deliver on its proposal to improve the neighbouring Albion Square and Bond Street areas. The council's "£250m legacy plan" also includes the regeneration of a dock, refurbishment of the city's Maritime attractions and the continuation of the Culture Company to programme arts and cultural events. And it is that key word - 'legacy' - which is on every official's lips. Londonderry, in Northern Ireland, was the first UK City of Culture in 2013. Oonagh McGillion, director of legacy at Derry City & Strabane District Council, said the award brought in new tourism jobs and money from visitors. "You can tangibly see it in the streets," she said. "You can see more visitors, you can see more spend in the shops as a result of those increased visitors and you can see a private sector, which is much much more interested in investing in the city and investing in our key regeneration sites." Dominic Gibbons, managing director of Hull-based property developers Wykeland Group, said: "What's been fantastic is the level of collaboration. There's a feeling of 'one Hull', where you'll find cultural companies talking to private businesses, private businesses talking more to councils and the health services etc. "There's more discussion between the different sectors, which can drive the city forward. "I think the biggest part of the legacy that's been left by this year is probably being a more collaborative city, which I think is paramount to the future growth of the economy." However, one economist thinks differently. Paul Swinney, from think tank Centre for Cities, says while big cultural activities are "great for boosting civic pride" they "don't and won't change the economy" in the long term. "If we're thinking of this [City of Culture] being a tool to try improve the economies of places that aren't doing very well then actually that's not really what it's meant to do and it's not really designed to try and achieve that sort of thing. "I'm sure hoteliers and restaurateurs will definitely have had a positive impact. But what we have to think about in terms of the challenges facing cities like Hull is what are the barriers that are preventing businesses coming in to invest, particularly higher-skilled type businesses? "And I think the key challenge there is skills." When Liverpool became European Capital of Culture in 2008, visitor figures increased by 34% generating £754m for the local economy, which has "grown from £2bn to £4bn in the eight years after", said Phil Redmond, chairman of the UK City of Culture panel and the Institute of Cultural Capital. The Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks creator led Liverpool's Culture year and initiated the UK City of Culture scheme on the back of Liverpool's success. He believes putting on "big ticket, high exposure" events regularly will boost tourism and in turn, the economy. "Culture is the sum of everything we do. Culture is the sum of all our creativity. Culture lays the foundations to build the tourism industry. "If you put on a big event, if you put on a big attraction, you bring in hundreds of thousands of people into the city and it's the hundreds and thousands of people who bring the cash and cash is the real fuel of regeneration." But when the City of Culture curtain finally comes down, will the light shows, giant artworks and star-studded festivals be a catalyst for permanent change?
The Royal Air Force display team, the red Arrows, are on a tour of North America to promote the UK.
The 11-week, coast-to-coast itinerary takes in venues from Boston to Seattle and San Diego to Houston, the Ministry of Defence said. The tour will include air displays, flypasts of well-known landmarks and dozens of ground meetings. The team, based at RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, is to visit more than 25 cities across the continent. On Thursday, the team flew over famous landmarks in New York City, including the Statue of Liberty. .
Retired bishop Peter Ball - who has been jailed for 32 months after admitting abusing 18 young men across 20 years - was a sadistic sexual predator who groomed, controlled and abused his victims, one of whom ended up taking his own life.
Ball, 83, was part of the establishment of the Church of England, considered both powerful and deeply spiritual. He abused most of his victims while he lived in East Sussex and was serving as Bishop of Lewes - but would go on to carry on the abuse as Bishop of Gloucester. He admitted the abuse, which started in the 1970s and continued into the 80s and 90s, at the Old Bailey last month. 'Chose victims cleverly' Det Ch Insp Carwyn Hughes, of Sussex Police, said: "It took me by complete surprise that we ended up with so many people - it showed the extent of his offending. "He would strike upon the vulnerable whenever he had the opportunity to do so." The court heard Ball invited men to stay with him at his home to pursue religious interests in a monastic setting. Cliffe James, aged 19 at the time, explained how Ball groomed him over many months. "He prepared his victims and he chose them very cleverly - people who were vulnerable, unsure of their identities," Mr James said, after waiving his right to anonymity. "He was sadistic. He would beat me with a wooden clothes brush. I was bruised and would be in great pain for days." He explained Ball also insisted he shower naked in front of him, suggesting he needed to overcome his pride and humiliate himself, "following in the example of Christ and St Francis". Despite the years of abuse in Sussex, Ball was able to leave the diocese in 1992 to take up his post as the Bishop of Gloucester. 'Mind games' A year later however, then 16-year-old trainee monk Neil Todd prompted a police investigation, which led to Ball's resignation from the clergy. But Ball escaped with a police caution in 1993 for a single act of gross indecency against Mr Todd. Speaking from his home in Australia in 2012, Mr Todd described Ball as "not a very nice human being". "The worst of it was mental abuse," said Mr Todd. "Obviously there was a component of sexual abuse but basically it was mind games and controlling behaviour. "It stayed with me throughout my life's journey." He said it took many years to convince people he was telling the truth. Ultimately, after continuing to be haunted by his experiences, Mr Todd killed himself in 2012. Another victim, the Reverend Graham Sawyer, described how on a visit in the 1970s, Ball tried to take off his clothes and wanted an "act of commitment" from him if he was to be ordained. 'Cloak of spirituality' "The abuse started with very heavy suggestions that I remove my clothes and be completely naked in front of him," Mr Sawyer said. He said Ball was a "monster" who controlled him with a "cloak of spirituality". Ball was also in regular contact with Eastbourne vicar Reverend Roy Cotton, a convicted child abuser, who died in 2006. Phil Johnson was one of those Cotton abused. He also claims Ball abused him in front of Cotton - something that Ball denies. He said: "He was Roy Cotton's boss. It made me believe that everyone in the church knew about it and it made me completely powerless. "Because of that, I had to endure another seven years of abuse." The Church of England insists it is now a safe place and is carrying out an inquiry into Ball's activities. It has apologised to survivors of the abuse and paid tribute to "their bravery in coming forward and the long wait for justice that they have endured".
Here in full is the text of the Queen's 2015 Christmas message.
At this time of year, few sights evoke more feelings of cheer and goodwill than the twinkling lights of a Christmas tree. The popularity of a tree at Christmas is due in part to my great-great grandparents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. After this touching picture was published, many families wanted a Christmas tree of their own, and the custom soon spread. In 1949, I spent Christmas in Malta as a newly-married naval wife. We have returned to that island over the years, including last month for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders, and this year I met another group of leaders: The Queen's Young Leaders, an inspirational group, each of them a symbol of hope in their own Commonwealth communities. 'Losing a loved one' Gathering round the tree gives us a chance to think about the year ahead - I am looking forward to a busy 2016, though I have been warned I may have Happy Birthday sung to me more than once or twice. It also allows us to reflect on the year that has passed, as we think of those who are far away or no longer with us. Many people say the first Christmas after losing a loved one is particularly hard. But it's also a time to remember all that we have to be thankful for. It is true that the world has had to confront moments of darkness this year, but the Gospel of John contains a verse of great hope, often read at Christmas carol services: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it". One cause for thankfulness this summer was marking 70 years since the end of the Second World War. On VJ Day, we honoured the remaining veterans of that terrible conflict in the Far East, as well as remembering the thousands who never returned. The procession from Horse Guards Parade to Westminster Abbey must have been one of the slowest ever, because so many people wanted to say "thank you" to them. At the end of that war, the people of Oslo began sending an annual gift of a Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square. It has 500 light bulbs and is enjoyed not just by Christians but by people of all faiths, and of none. At the very top sits a bright star, to represent the Star of Bethlehem. 'Displaced and persecuted' The custom of topping a tree also goes back to Prince Albert's time. For his family's tree, he chose an angel, helping to remind us that the focus of the Christmas story is on one particular family. For Joseph and Mary, the circumstances of Jesus's birth - in a stable - were far from ideal, but worse was to come as the family was forced to flee the country. It's no surprise that such a human story still captures our imagination and continues to inspire all of us who are Christians, the world over. Despite being displaced and persecuted throughout his short life, Christ's unchanging message was not one of revenge or violence but simply that we should love one another. Although it is not an easy message to follow, we shouldn't be discouraged; rather, it inspires us to try harder: to be thankful for the people who bring love and happiness into our own lives, and to look for ways of spreading that love to others, whenever and wherever we can. One of the joys of living a long life is watching one's children, then grandchildren, then great-grandchildren, help decorate the Christmas tree. And this year my family has a new member to join in the fun. The customary decorations have changed little in the years since that picture of Victoria and Albert's tree first appeared, although of course electric lights have replaced the candles. There's an old saying that "it is better to light a candle than curse the darkness". There are millions of people lighting candles of hope in our world today. Christmas is a good time to be thankful for them, and for all that brings light to our lives. I wish you a very happy Christmas.
The old Seacat berth at the Port of Dover has begun to be demolished in what is described as the first stage of a project that will be "a catalyst for the regeneration of Dover".
The port said the work, at the former hovercraft berth, marks the start of the multi-million pound Dover Western Docks Revival project. A new cargo terminal will be built at the site in the next few years. The demolition is due to be completed by the end of the year. Tim Waggott, the port's chief executive, said: "This is a significant milestone as we continue regenerating the port."
South Africa's Rivonia Trial, which saw Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists jailed, was a key moment in the country's struggle for freedom. Now, more than 50 years later, all of the roughly 300 hours of proceedings are available to listen to for the first time. The BBC's Gavin Fischer, who has a personal connection to the trial, looks at what the tapes can reveal.
The Rivonia Trial, lasting from October 1963 to June 1964, has been well documented as a pivotal point in the fight against the white minority government in South Africa. It brought Nelson Mandela to the world stage. His famous speech from the dock, declaring that freedom and equality was "an ideal for which I am prepared to die", became a rallying cry for black people under the apartheid regime, and set the young lawyer on a path to become the country's first democratically elected president 30 years later. It could have been very different. Mandela and his co-accused faced the death penalty for acts of sabotage against the state. It was my great-uncle, Bram Fischer, who led their defence team, and was part of saving their lives. He took great risks in getting involved, as he was also an anti-apartheid activist who could himself have been in the dock at the Rivonia Trial. More myth than man to me In fact, just a few years later, he too would be arrested and sentenced to life in prison. Seen as a traitor to his own white, Afrikaner people, he was badly mistreated and died while still in custody in 1975, before I was born. But by being given access to the newly digitised tapes from the Rivonia Trial, I have been able to go back to a time before tragedy overtook Bram's life. It's been my first chance to hear him speak. Polite to all he addresses, his calm tones are shot through with a seam of fierce authority. Eyes shut and headphones on, I listen. For the first time my great uncle, who has been more myth than man to me, starts to become real. The Rivonia Trial is itself now steeped in a kind of myth, part of the great story of South Africa's journey to freedom. The new recordings give the opportunity to hear some of the journey's most famous moments. There's the searing power of Mandela's speech, Walter Sisulu's impressive philosophical outwitting of the prosecutor, the defiant humour of Ahmed Kathrada and Denis Goldberg and Elias Motsoaledi's humble but striking detailing of the life of black people in South Africa: "I did what I did because I wanted to help my people in the struggle for equal rights. I felt very strongly about the laws which discriminated against my people and which caused poverty, ill health and misery for which they suffer," he told the court. Immersing myself in the recordings, I've been able to forget the historical significance of these moments and simply be overawed by them. Not knowing what the future held, these men didn't beg for clemency or deny their actions, they used the trial to highlight the injustice being perpetrated by the government. To hear them speak is a privilege. I have also found myself getting lost in some of the trial's more mundane moments: the background chatter, the scraping of chairs, the thuds and silences as the recording equipment is adjusted. I revel in it all as the sounds swell and fall, pulling me back to that time. Then, from the midst of the crackle and hiss of the recordings, come moments of startling resonance I never knew existed and which are rarely documented in the story of the Rivonia Trial. Thomas Mashifane was a state witness, tortured into giving evidence against the accused. He had worked at a farm called Liliesleaf in Johannesburg, which Mandela and others had used as a hideout. He knew nothing of their activities, and his testimony is filled with innocuous detail, irrelevant to the case. Yet, at its end, he speaks up, unprompted, about being beaten and humiliated by the police. I can't breathe for the horror of it. I want to shrink from what white people did back then; but I also want to run over and hug him for forcing the court to hear what really happened. When I get to that moment, I have to take my headphones off, I just cannot sit in that courtroom any more. Weeks later, I meet Mr Mashifane's daughter Elizabeth. She's kind, though her manner is distant, hardened in preparation for reliving her father's ordeal. But as I play her the tape, this strength seems to drain away. It's the first time she has ever heard this testimony. "It makes me feel like it happened yesterday," she tells me. As she listens, Elizabeth looks away from me, lost in her father's words. I try to fill the silence that follows, searching for something - anything - positive to say. I end up asking if she is proud of the fact that he spoke up. For a moment, her eyes turn back to me. "But did it make any difference?" she asks. No answer is necessary. Turning away again, she says more quietly: "None of them were treated like humans." Thwadi Makena was also a labourer at Liliesleaf, and the only one left alive today. When I meet him, he strikes me as a quiet, humble man. On the tapes, he recounts being beaten by the apartheid police: "They told me to undress, I did undress. They then were in a group… and told me to run round the table and each one I passed either kicked me or struck me with fists. "My right ear is still suffering the effects, and my one front tooth in my top jaw is still loose. I just wanted to know why I was assaulted like that, when I was not committing any offence." Yet, as I play him the recording, Mr Makena's thin face comes alive and he chuckles with delight. "I feel very excited to hear my voice after so many years. It's just so amazing - I can't believe it," he tells me. As with most of those I have spoken to, recalling details of the case turns Mr Makena's mood more sombre. He was held by police, made to feel like a criminal and says the impact it had remains to this day. "I tend to feel they might come back and say some new information has been revealed and [I] need to come and make some confession," he says. "That fear has always been there." Not an end, but a beginning While the recordings contain details which can bring back difficult memories, in playing them to those closest to the trial, I have found all have appreciated the chance to hear voices they thought lost forever. It is clear even short snippets of tape can help reclaim these stories from the dehumanising mass of the apartheid state. Laws may have changed since democracy was won, but grinding structural injustice remains a reality for so many South Africans. I too often lose these individuals' stories in an effort to find sense in the state of this country. The more tales of poverty I hear, the less I understand the cause or the solution. So these tapes have a lesson for me: don't become numb. Listening is at least a start. There is no chance to hear the verdicts of the trial. Those tapes haven't been found. Maybe we'll never hear the moments when the judge showed what little mercy he could find, in the law and in himself, sentencing all the accused to life in prison. Life, not death. Not an end, but a beginning. Maybe even the beginning of a new chapter in the country's history. But as the audio plays, that story is still in the future. The tapes fuzz and hiss and you can sense the tension of what might come to pass. In these moments, the Rivonia Trial feels not so much of the past, but of the present. As I listen, my great uncle is still alive and the people around me suffer, fight and survive, not knowing what their future holds.
UN monitors have arrived in Syria to oversee a shaky ceasefire but the guns have not fallen silent and people are fearful, as the BBC's Ian Pannell observed when he secretly visited the northern province of Idlib.
Ahmed Al-Aboud's body bears the scars of the struggle for change in Syria. He joined the Free Syrian Army but was detained at a checkpoint in Saraqib, Idlib province, three months ago. He says the government forces that captured him started by beating him, then they shot him and finally they set fire to his bleeding body and left him for dead. His face, body and arms are disfigured and he pulled his robe to one side to show two clear bullet marks. That he is alive is remarkable but we met the father of eight at a public protest in an area where government forces had been active just a few days ago. "I am not afraid, I will sacrifice my soul and my life to get rid of [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad," he says. His defiance is typical of the people we have met in Idlib. That does not mean they are not afraid. They have borne the brunt of a ferocious government assault that swept through Idlib from March into early April. A frail elderly man with piercing blue eyes, his head swaddled in a keffiyeh, wept openly as he talked about what he called "Bashar's army". Abdul Aziz slashed his hand across his throat in a cutting motion, saying: "They will kill all of us". We have travelled through villages and towns where buildings had been flattened and countless homes looted and burned. Those suspected of belonging to the rebel Free Syrian Army have been rounded up and killed, we are told. Activists have been detained and tortured and many innocent civilians have lost their lives, too, the rebels say. We have been shown mass graves and gruesome videos of corpses lain out for identification. An uneasy calm has settled over the province. Although the violence has subsided and many troops have returned to barracks, each day brings fresh allegations of government attacks. It is impossible to verify these reports but we have seen President Assad's forces operating in one town, accompanied by the intermittent sound of gunfire. It is a far from perfect ceasefire and the challenge for the UN monitors may not be just verifying but trying to persuade both sides to abide by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's six-point plan. There is little optimism in the areas we were able to visit that it will work. "We are Syrian people and our crime is to call for freedom," says Ahmed al-Aboud. He does not think the government will honour its pledges. As with everyone we met, there is a bitter sense that they have been abandoned by the world. Armed insurrection "The international community, the Arab League, Europe, America, they all disappointed us," he says. If there is an opportunity for the West to recast its image in the Arab world, it seems to be disappearing fast. Money has been pledged for non-military aid but in this part of the country the only evidence of any assistance on the ground is a few walkie-talkies. The armed insurrection may have proved no match for the overwhelming firepower of the government but the popular rebellion seems undiminished. The withdrawal of military forces in many parts has allowed people to take to the streets once again; gathering, chanting and singing in the name of freedom and the overthrow of a party and family that has ruled over them for generations. Herein lies the conundrum of Kofi Annan's plan. It calls for a political process to address the aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people. Yet the difference between what the opposition wants and what President Assad is prepared to agree to is greater than ever. The lasting effect of the violent assault in this area is to harden positions and make compromise almost unthinkable. We are unable to travel to pro-government areas but they do exist. Not all Syrians are enamoured with the Free Syrian Army and the crowds that gather to protest. Some fear they are part of an Islamist takeover, that hardline Sunni extremists want to seize power and establish a government that will not respect minorities. There is certainly a history of tension between the Sunni Muslims who live here and their Alawite rulers, a heterodox off-shoot of Shia Islam. Ahmed Al-Aboud's father was held in prison for more than 25 years, detained in a crackdown on suspected Islamists in this region in the early 1980s. We have heard the same thing from many others here; stories about their relatives, accused of being members of the Muslim Brotherhood, arrested, imprisoned and beaten. It has created a spirit of defiance in Idlib and a vow that this time will be different. Perhaps that explains their determination to resist, whatever the odds. If there is to be peace it must be made with people here and in Homs, Deraa and elsewhere. The violence unleashed by President Assad's men has only made that prospect more remote. Enforcing the peace will be hard for the UN but finding a lasting political settlement will test all of Mr Annan's diplomatic skills.