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38,854,081 | The Tay Cities Deal submission document includes more than 50 projects, including a scheme to boost employment through oil and gas decomissioning.
The bid seeks £826m over 10 years from the Scottish and UK governments and their agencies.
The remainder would come from councils, colleges and universities, and the public, private and voluntary sectors.
The Tay Cities Deal submission will be discussed at Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth and Kinross councils over the coming weeks.
The final document will be submitted to both governments by the end of February.
The leaders of the region's four councils met at the James Hutton Institute in Invergowrie for the submission's formal launch.
An advanced plant growth centre and an international barley hub, both of which would involve "significant input" from the institute, are among the deal projects.
Iain Gaul, leader of Angus Council, said: "The Tay Cities region will be successful for everyone who lives here.
"By working together, public and private sector partners can deliver this ambitious, creative and forward thinking programme."
Dundee City Council leader, Ken Guild, said: "Anchored in new and exciting ways of delivering services, we are going to create a region that is inclusive, innovative, international and connected - creating growth that combines increased prosperity with greater equity, the kind that creates opportunities for all."
David Ross, Fife Council leader, said: "The opportunity to negotiate a tailored deal represents a once in a generation opportunity to deliver on the Tay Cities Regional Economic Strategy and, in turn, to improve economic outcomes for everyone across the whole region."
Ian Miller, Perth and Kinross Council leader, said: "Our submission also has an unprecedented focus on cultural regeneration, supporting Perth's bid to be UK City of Culture 2021 and Dundee's bid for European Capital of Culture 2023."
The Scottish government's economy secretary Keith Brown said: "It's fantastic to see the local authorities working collaboratively to bring together this proposal.
"This partnership approach has been clearly demonstrated through the region's asks and proposed innovative projects.
"We will continue to work closely with the councils to understand and help develop their ambitious proposals."
UK minister for Scotland Andrew Dunlop said: "The UK government is committed to delivering a UK Cities Deal for each of Scotland's seven cities.
"We look forward to working with the Tay Cities partners." | A £1.84bn proposal to create up to 15,000 jobs in Tayside and North East Fife has been announced. |
35,340,914 | 18 January 2016 Last updated at 07:40 GMT
December was the wettest month ever recorded in Scotland, with heavy rain causing the River Dee to burst its banks.
In the village of Braemar in north east Scotland, a bridge which links it to other villages and towns, has just re-opened.
Martin has been to see how people there are coping after the floods. | People living in the north of Scotland are trying to rebuild their lives after massive floods devastated homes, businesses and schools. |
33,673,100 | Speaking in Beijing, Ms Sturgeon, who is on a trade visit to China and Hong Kong, said gender equality could help transform the global economy.
Addressing senior women in government, academia and business, she referred to Hillary Clinton's famous "women's rights are human rights" speech.
Her trip is aimed at improving Scotland's links with China.
This September will mark the 20th anniversary of the then US first lady's address at the United Nations' fourth world conference on women in the same city.
Amnesty International has accused the Chinese government of a crackdown on human rights activists and women's groups in recent months.
It follows the arrest and detention for more than a month of five female activists who were planning to mark International Women's Day in March by launching a campaign against sexual harassment.
In her remarks to an audience at the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Ms Sturgeon said gender equality, as well as being a fundamental human rights issue, was "one of the great economic opportunities of the 21st century".
She said: "There are currently well over two billion working age women across the world. But there is virtually no country, on any continent, where women have equal economic opportunities to men.
"For virtually every nation, fully empowering women is probably the single simplest way, in which they can sustainably increase their productive potential.
"Gender equality can help to transform the global economy."
She added: "I know that much of the work we do in Scotland will strike a chord here in China. Gender equality is incorporated in your constitution. Women account for 45% of your workforce. And you recognise the importance of women being fully involved in decision-making.
"But like all societies - certainly including Scotland - there is also more that China can do.
"To give just one example, women are still significantly under-represented among key decision-makers in business and in government.
"The truth is, that virtually all countries are on a journey towards true gender equality, but none have completely achieved it. We all need to learn from each other how best to make progress."
Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty International's programme director in Scotland, said: "The first minister has made a significant statement of support for equality and human rights in Beijing, and we trust that she will continue a dialogue on these issues throughout her time in China." | First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said China can do more to promote gender equality and women's rights. |
34,128,618 | Many of the 34 alerts in August could have been avoided if walkers had taken precautions, Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team said.
They claim Snowdon is being treated as a "tourist destination, rather than a mountain", with people ill-prepared.
They had to rescue walkers stranded on Tuesday night without a torch after they were caught out.
Meanwhile, a walker had to be airlifted to hospital after falling on to a ledge while leaning over to take a photograph at a beauty spot.
Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation carried the man, in his 60s, to a waiting helicopter after the incident in the Conwy valley on Wednesday which took almost three hours to conclude. | Mountain rescuers in Snowdonia clocked up 750 hours in work responding to a record number of callouts last month. |
34,342,808 | Republican Marsha Blackburn, the second-highest ranking member on the House energy committee, says the jury is still out on global warming.
Pope Francis is to speak on the subject in an address to Congress on Thursday.
He told a White House audience on Wednesday the problem could "no longer be left to a future generation".
Speaking earlier this year as part of a forthcoming Radio 4 documentary series "Climate Change - Are we Feeling Lucky?", she asserted that the earth had cooled in the last 13 years by 1F. And she said no evidence would persuade her of man-made warming.
She also rejected the theory of evolution. Scientists say her views are "complete nonsense".
"The jury is still out saying man is the cause for global warming, after the earth started to cool 13 years ago," she says.
When challenged that the earth's surface temperature had not risen substantially in 13 years - but had definitely not cooled, she said: "I think we've cooled almost 1 degree (F)."
The earth's scientific authorities - including the US space agency Nasa - say the earth is still warming, with ice melting, sea level rising and oceans warming.
Ms Blackburn - who represents Tennessee, a big user of coal - declined to name the sources of her scepticism about mainstream science.
"We have met with different researchers," she says. "We had had numerous committee meetings in which we've had individuals come to present and from all of that and what we have been able to read you come to an opinion.
"There are some that feel like human activity is the cause for carbon emissions and because of that we need to revert to where we were in the 1870s for carbon emissions. I just choose to disagree with that."
Asked what scientific evidence would persuade her that climate change was a threat, she replied: "I don't think you will see me being persuaded."
Asked whether she accepted the theory of evolution she said: "No, I do not."
Ms Blackburn's views matter because Republicans in Congress are trying to roll back President Obama's attempts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Professor Brian Hoskins, a leading climate scientist at the Royal Society said her remarks were "absolutely staggering".
"It is nonsense to say the world has cooled," Hoskins said. "If no evidence will persuade Ms Blackburn of climate change, that shows how well-founded her views are."
Correction 25 September 2015: An earlier version of this report implied that Marsha Blackburn's comments were made in relation to the Pope's address. They were actually given in an earlier interview and the headline and text have been amended to make this clear.
Follow Roger on Twitter @rharrabin | The Pope's plea to tackle climate change is likely to get a cool reception from some key energy politicians in the US. |
25,847,276 | And, as per normal, I am suffering from mild altitude sickness.
Here is a typical (and true) conversation with a random stranger sitting in the partners' lounge of the Davos congress centre.
"Where are you from? Your badge says India."
"Well, I sit on the board of a big Indian institution, but I am a former minister of a Eurasian state, and I now have US citizenship, but I manage my money from a family office in London."
Yikes. I didn't ask the size of the fortune, but the phrase "family office" speaks to non-trivial sums: the turmoil and wealth-creating opportunities of the globalised world, since the collapse of communism, captured in a social introduction.
And before you ask, I inserted the catch-all "Eurasian" to protect the anonymity of said member of the global plutocracy (them is the rules of the World Economic Forum).
As for the rest of my day so far, I have nattered to a FTSE 100 chairman, two FTSE 100 chief executives, two heads of big City institutions, a Middle Eastern philanthropist, a hedge-fund superstar and a government head.
And all meetings were serendipitous.
So, amidst the hand-wringing about what they all see as the UK's growing isolation from the EU (Davos person is genetically pro-European) and bullishness about the UK's economic recovery, in just four hours I have gathered enough story leads to keep me occupied for some time.
For a journalist of my eccentric interests, Davos is like being let loose in the sweetshop.
What is on the minds of these eminences?
Well, the most interesting conversation so far was an (unusual) on-the-record briefing for a few hacks by Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.
Why was this gripping (and a bit scary)?
Well, he volunteered that Japan's current bad relations with China are redolent of the relationship between Britain and Germany 100 years ago, or shortly before World War 1.
Which is the sort of thing you would expect clever-clogs commentators to say (in fact they do say this), but it has more impact (ahem) when said by Japan's leader.
And, indeed, he elaborated.
He recognises that - just like Britain and Germany in 1914 - Japan and China are inter-dependent economies, trading partners with huge mutual interests.
Peace would therefore be the bulwark of their prosperity and that of the region.
But he was explicit that he saw the 10% per annum increase in China's defence budget as a provocation.
As for his controversial visit to the Yasukuni shrine, there was explanation, but no hint of regret or apology. Mr Abe simply insisted that China was wrong to see him as honouring a small number of "war criminals". Instead, he was paying respect to the "souls" of millions of other genuine Japanese war heroes.
And, by the way, Japan's title to the Senkaku Islands, which China disputes, is unimpeachable (or so Mr Abe said).
Given that Mr Abe says he wants peace with China and fears there could be "accidents" that shatter it, I asked him if he had a road map or plan to de-escalate the tension
Not while China pursues its military build-up, he said.
Which left me with a hollow feeling that is somewhat characteristic of encounters in this rarefied place. | So here I am, again, on the top of a Swiss mountain, surrounded by the world's wealthiest and most powerful. |
39,103,401 | Tension in the area flared up a year ago when Morocco moved into the buffer zone, breaching a UN-backed ceasefire.
The Polisario Front, which wants independence for Western Sahara, dismissed Morocco's move as a gimmick.
Morocco recently rejoined the African Union, which it had left in 1984 after the body's recognition of Polisario as the territory's government.
The decision to withdraw from the Guerguerat zone is said to have been taken in person by the Moroccan King Mohammed VI.
The move came after the sovereign spoke on the phone with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres who asked him to pull out his troops.
"The Kingdom of Morocco will proceed from today with a unilateral withdrawal from the (Guerguerat) zone," the Moroccan foreign ministry said in a statement.
Polisario said the move would hardly make any difference.
"The Moroccan decision to withdraw its troops near Guerguerat by a few hundred metres is window dressing," it said in a statement.
Western Sahara is a sparsely-populated area of mostly desert situated on the north-west coast of Africa.
It was annexed by Morocco in 1975 - a move resisted by the Polisario Front.
A 16-year insurgency ended with a UN-brokered truce in 1991 and the promise of a referendum on independence.
But this has yet to take place and Morocco still controls two-thirds of the territory, while thousands of refugees live over the border in Algeria.
Morocco's decision to withdraw its troops does not signify a major change in the kingdom's policy - it will still work towards ensuring international recognition of its claim over Western Sahara.
The announcement does, however, indicate a willingness to work with the United Nations, and in particular the new Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
Mr Guterres' predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, infuriated Rabat by describing Morocco's annexation of Western Sahara as an "occupation" - a remark he later apologised for.
Morocco is rolling out a renewed campaign on Western Sahara - including joining the African Union, and King Mohammed VI making several trips to African countries.
The military withdrawal is also presumably intended to signal a willingness to compromise.
But the Polisario Front and its supporters will want to know whether that extends to giving the Sahrawi people the referendum on their future which has been delayed for so many years. | Morocco is to pull out of a UN buffer zone in the disputed Western Sahara territory, an official statement says. |
26,486,289 | Crowds of people waved flags and sang Russian pop songs, delighted that, as far as their newly-installed regional government was concerned, they now live in the Russian Federation.
The law was rushed through the autonomous province's parliament, with 79 of 81 MPs backing the proposal to leave Ukraine.
There is, of course, the small matter of the region's referendum on that same question, now brought forward to 16 March.
Crimea's First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temirgaliev told me he was certain of victory.
"Ukrainians will become Russian citizens here", he said. "We will win this vote with 70 or 75%. The referendum is legitimate."
But Kiev begs to differ. The new Ukrainian Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, has called the move "illegitimate and with no legal basis", as Ukraine's constitution states that any change to its borders must be approved by the whole country.
A war of words has begun between Kiev and Crimea, with the autonomous government insisting that it was the revolution in Kiev that was unlawful and that only the Crimean parliament represents the will of the people.
But how justified is the confidence of the Crimean authorities that people here want to change country?
At demonstrations like the one outside the parliament, there is a clear nationalist fervour. "We want to go to Russia", says one student "not the European Union. Russians are our sisters and brothers - and this is a great idea."
It is a widely-held view among the ethnic Russian majority here, who have staged daily pro-Russia protests against what they call the "fascists and nationalists" who have taken power in Kiev. Many Ukrainian Russians feel threatened by the revolution, fearful that Ukraine's new westward trajectory threatens their language and identity.
But in over a week of reporting from Crimea, I've spoken to countless Russians who feel differently - favouring greater autonomy within Ukraine, rather than wanting to switch country.
Among them are Lena and her family - ethnic Russians who welcome me to their apartment in Simferopol, their one-year-old son plays at our feet. They are determined he should grow up a Ukrainian citizen.
"I feel sad and disappointed by this move", Lena says. "Crimea is my homeland. I would not be happy to live in Russia - it's a foreign country for me."
Her husband Dima would also vote no in the referendum. But, he tells me, the problem is that Crimea is still searching for its identity. "I'm Russian but not a citizen of the Russian federation. We are different people," he says. "I want to feel Crimean, but even when I type it on my computer, my spellchecker underlines it like it's not the right word."
Crimean Russians are split, perhaps by generation. Lena's mother, Irina, remembers 1954, when Crimea was given to Ukraine by the former Soviet leader Khrushchev in a move that many here still resent. "I would vote yes in a referendum", she says. "Crimea has always been a Russian land and I don't have any emotional bonds with Ukraine."
Aside from the Russians, there is a sizeable community of ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, who together make up around 40% of the population. They would both certainly reject changing nationality.
The Tatars were deported by Stalin to Central Asia in 1944, as punishment for alleged collaboration with the Nazis by some. Many died, and even after some eventually returned, they remained fiercely anti-Russian.
And that is the problem here. Within this small, rugged peninsula, the divisions are so deep that nothing can satisfy everyone.
For those who have only ever known an independent, united Ukraine, I found widespread opposition to a territorial break-up.
At Crimea's technical college in Simferopol, the English class has 19 students, all born after 1991, when Ukrainians voted to break away from a crumbling Soviet Union - albeit with only a slim majority in Crimea. Every single student said they wanted the province to remain as part of Ukraine and simply longed for peace.
"I was born in Ukraine, I feel Ukrainian, and I will die in Ukraine," says one. "What's happening here isn't normal. I don't want Russian troops in my country."
But it is hard to get an accurate picture of overall support for separation - or annexation - by Moscow. Crimeans have little faith in opinion polls, and with Kiev and western governments announcing the referendum won't be legal or recognised, it's not even certain to go ahead.
Crimea has thrown down the gauntlet to the Ukrainian government. The territorial integrity of the country is under threat - and Europe's borders could yet be redrawn in this disputed corner. | Outside Crimea's parliament, the leaving party for Ukraine - and the welcome celebration for Russia - had begun. |
36,506,546 | Debbie Bestwick was recognised for her services to the computer games industry after a career which started in Nottingham almost 30 years ago.
She is the founder and owner of label Team17, based in Mansfield and Wakefield, responsible for more than 70 games over the past 25 years.
Its titles have included Worms, The Escapists and the soon to be released Yooka-Laylee.
Ms Bestwick, who lives in Nottinghamshire, said: "I played my first game when I was 12-years-old. It's such an engaging form of entertainment. Cinema and reading books are passive whereas playing a game is interactive.
"It's a fantastic honour to be made an MBE. I keep thinking 'I'm just doing my job!'
"Also being a woman in this industry - I'm one of the only female owners of a business in the games industry."
As well as making its own games, like 90s classic Worms, Team17 works with independent developers.
Hits have included The Escapists - designed by an ex-roofer from Derby - and Beyond Eyes, a game about a blind girl.
Its latest title, Yooka-Laylee is being officially unveiled at the E3 conference in Las Vegas and is described as a successor to Banjo-Kazooie. | An award winning video games pioneer has been an MBE. |
39,230,777 | You wanted to know why parts of Leicestershire have a Coventry postcode.
You asked about the origins of some unusual street names in Shropshire.
And you were curious to find out why Longton in Stoke-on-Trent was known as "neck end". Here is how we got on answering your questions.
Shrewsbury has many narrow, cobbled and winding streets with names including Bear Steps, Fish Street and Grope Lane.
Historian Keith Pybus said he believed it could be because the town retains a lot of old alleys.
He said while the names of larger roads were renamed for big historical events and important people, the smaller ones preserved their medieval names.
Another historian, David Trumper, said the town once had more of these medieval names, such as Ox Lane, Corvisors Row and Pig Hill, but they have either been re-named or absorbed into other streets.
He also explained that Bear Steps was named after the Bear Inn pub, which used to be there and Fish Street was named after an open air fish market.
Meanwhile, Grope Lane got its name because it's where prostitutes used to gather - use your imagination on that one.
Places like Market Bosworth, Higham on the Hill and Congerstone in Leicestershire all have a CV13 postcode which stands for Coventry.
It can cause confusion over the whereabouts of local attractions, like Twycross Zoo, which has a CV9 postcode but is within the Leicestershire border.
Royal Mail said postcodes started in 1959 to ensure the accurate sorting, routing and delivery of post and do not necessarily reflect geographical boundaries.
The postcode for a street is determined by its nearest postal town, not the county it is in. So as parts of west Leicestershire are closer to Coventry than Leicester, they have a CV postcode.
Royal Mail said organisations who use postcode data shouldn't solely rely on the post town and recommend using other ways to identify locations.
Longton is one of the six towns which make up Stoke-on-Trent.
Richard Cresswell, president of the Longton Chamber of Trade, said the nickname came about because Longton "rests" at the southernmost tip of the city.
Hence it's seen by some living there as at the "neck end" of Stoke-on-Trent.
Have you got a question about the West Midlands?
Is there something you have seen or heard you would like us to investigate?
It could be a burning issue or something you have always wondered about the area or its people.
Use the tool below to send us your questions.
We could be in touch and your question could make the news. | People have been using Your Questions to ask us what they want to know about the West Midlands. |
35,726,693 | Brazil-born Moritz, 29, played under Freedman at Palace, helping them win promotion to the Premier League in 2012-13, and he also followed the now Reds boss to Bolton Wanderers.
He is currently playing for Buriram United in the Thai Premier League.
"It's still with the governing bodies to see if he can sign," Freedman told told BBC Radio Nottingham.
"We are desperately trying to do it. It's a position that we need."
Moritz joined Palace in August 2012, scoring five goals in a 32 appearances, but just 13 of those were starts.
He joined Bolton the following season, finding the net seven times in eight starts and a total of 27 appearances.
Freedman added: "As we speak it's with Fifa and the Football Association to see if we can have the go-ahead. We want it to be done quicker.
"He is a left-footed, very gifted player. He's in good shape. He is a goalscoring, attack-minded midfield number 10 that I think we could do with." | Manager Dougie Freedman says Nottingham Forest hope to sign ex-Crystal Palace midfielder Andre Moritz next week. |
35,880,649 | The uncapped 23-year-old was injured before his March call-up to a 40-man provisional squad, and he was not chosen for this international break.
His Posh side have also fallen from the League One play-off places.
"My form since the call-up hasn't been great so it probably pushed me away from the squad," Forrester said.
"It's just about getting back to where I was at and enjoying it again - keeping myself in the eye of [Ireland manager] Martin O'Neill.
Forrester picked up an injury at Millwall on 20 February before returning on 12 March versus Port Vale and helping Posh win at struggling Doncaster on Saturday to end a seven-game winless league run.
"The injury probably knocked me back a couple of weeks performance-wise and the last two games I've been trying to get back to where I was at and am probably struggling a little bit," Forrester told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
"If I'd had a run of games before the main call up it could have been better for me."
He will be hoping to play for a Republic side wanting to improve upon their record from Euro 2012, when they went out at the group stage having lost every game.
"Seeing them play in the European Championships four years ago, didn't do so well and you're looking saying maybe I could be there someday," he said.
"I've got close but not close enough for my liking, but it's a step in the right direction and maybe one day I'll be involved and put the jersey on with pride." | Peterborough midfielder Chris Forrester says poor form and injury since a Republic of Ireland squad call-up has seen him drop away from the fold. |
32,498,958 | They go up against home-grown stars Geneva Carr and Elisabeth Moss, in a year where British talent is particularly well-recognised.
Three of the four best director nominees are British, while Bill Nighy and Ben Miles are in the running for best actor.
The awards will be presented on 7 June.
Musicals An American in Paris and Fun Home are the front-runners, each landing 12 nominations on Tuesday, showing two sides of the Broadway experience.
An American in Paris is a sunny, heavily-choreographed adaptation of the 1951 film; while Fun Home is a moody show based on Alison Bechdel's graphic novel about her suicidal father.
The nominations also ranged from 11-year-old Sydney Lucas in Fun Home to the 82-year-old Chita Rivera, looking for her third Tony.
British talent accounts for 24 nominations in total, with two West End transfers - Wolf Hall and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, up for best play.
Dame Helen is recognised for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience, which imagines the private weekly meetings between the monarch and eight of her prime ministers.
She already has an Olivier Award for the London production, and an Oscar for portraying the Queen on the big screen.
"I've studied the shape of her mouth," said Dame Helen. "I know her face probably better than anyone else does. But it's only my portrait," she said. "I can only surmise and imagine."
Ruth Wilson is shortlisted for her role in Constellations, the tale of a relationship playing out across alternate universes.
Her co-star Jake Gyllenhall missed out on a nomination, however, joining other notable omissions such as Larry David's Fish in the Dark; and Finding Neverland, the JM Barrie musical produced by Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein, with music by Gary Barlow.
Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy are both nominated for Skylight, a revival of David Hare's 1995 drama, in which they play mis-matched lovers, as is co-star Matthew Beard.
Director Stephen Daldry - best known for his work on the films Billy Elliot and The Hours - is also up for best director for the play.
Daldry, who also directed The Audience, said: "It is a fantastic day for British theatre on Broadway. I am personally thrilled for The Audience and Skylight, and delighted too for Wolf Hall and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time"
The latter, which began life at the National Theatre, was nominated for best play, with British director Marianne Elliott also receiving a nod.
"It feels amazing," she told the BBC. "We had no idea when we first started how the hell this play was going to go down. We were taking big risks, we felt. We had no idea whether there'd be an audience for it. So to see it go to Broadway is quite amazing."
Curious Incident has six nominations in all, Skylight seven, while the RSC's double bill of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies has eight, including a best actor listing for Ben Miles, who plays Thomas Cromwell, and best director for Jeremy Herrin.
Other notable nominees included Bradley Cooper, up for best actor for his portrayal of Joseph Merrick in The Elephant Man; and Sting, who was shortlisted for best original score, despite his musical The Last Ship closing early.
Cooper, who will perform the play in the West End next month, said: "To be a part of a community that gathers together in a 13 block radius, eight shows a week, no matter what, in the greatest city in the world - for one sole purpose, to tell stories - I can't think of a better job to have. Thank you for letting The Elephant Man be a part of this season's story telling."
Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth - nominated herself for best lead actress in a musical - will host this year's ceremony.
Best musical
Best play
Best musical revival
Best play revival
Best actor in a musical
Best actor in a play
Best actress in a musical
Best actress in a play
Featured actor in a musical
Featured actress in a musical
Featured actor in a play
Featured actress in a play
Direction of a musical
Direction of a play
Best original score
Best scenic design of a play
Best scenic design of a musical
Best costume design of a play
Best costume design of a musical
Best lighting design of a play
Best lighting design of a musical
Best choreography
Best orchestrations
Special Tony Award
Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award | British stars Carey Mulligan, Ruth Wilson and Dame Helen Mirren are all up for best actress at the Tony Awards, the biggest honours in US theatre. |
34,104,287 | Residents have had to boil drinking water for three weeks after a parasite discovery at a treatment works.
Some 300,000 homes were initially affected, half of which can now use water as normal.
Parts of Chorley, Preston and South Ribble are the latest to be given the all clear from water firm United Utilities.
It has assessed hundreds of test results after discussions with Public Health England.
Action was taken after the microbial parasite cryptosporidium was found near Preston on 6 August.
Water has been treated with ultra violet (UV) light to kill the parasite, which can cause diarrhoea and cramps.
A petition calling for a parliamentary inquiry into how the bug entered the water supply has been signed by about 12,000 people.
The water firm said it hoped to lift restrictions for people in the Fylde coast area on Wednesday.
Customers can check which areas have had restrictions lifted by visiting the United Utilities website or calling 0800 912 7241. | Advice to boil tap water before drinking it has been lifted in 86,000 more homes in Lancashire. |
36,530,600 | Days of wet weather in Birmingham had left the outfield damp and without any sign of conditions improving, the umpires abandoned the game 10 minutes after the scheduled 14:00 BST start.
Both sides take a point and Derbyshire remain unbeaten in the North Group.
Warwickshire have won just one of their four matches and sit fifth. | Heavy rain saw the One-Day Cup match between Warwickshire and Derbyshire at Edgbaston called off without a ball being bowled. |
38,128,034 | With Mario Balotelli absent through injury, the Moroccan took over scoring duties, finding the top corner after being put through by Jean Seri.
It moved Nice back above Monaco, and kept them two points ahead of Paris St-Germain, who enjoyed a routine 2-0 win against Angers at the Parc des Princes.
Thiago Silva and Edison Cavani scored to secure the victory for PSG.
Elsewhere, Lyon bounced back from Sunday's defeat by PSG and moved to fourth after beating Nantes 6-0 thanks to goals from Corentin Tolisso, Alexandre Lacazette, Maxime Gonalons, Mathieu Valbuena, Mouctar Diakhaby and Nabil Fekir.
At the other end of the table, Nancy moved out of the relegation zone with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Metz.
Match ends, Guingamp 0, Nice 1.
Second Half ends, Guingamp 0, Nice 1.
Corner, Guingamp. Conceded by Mathieu Bodmer.
Attempt blocked. Nill de Pauw (Guingamp) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Foul by Mathieu Bodmer (Nice).
Moustapha Diallo (Guingamp) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Nice. Mathieu Bodmer tries a through ball, but Wylan Cyprien is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Moustapha Diallo (Guingamp) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Étienne Didot.
Foul by Anastasios Donis (Nice).
Fernando Marçal (Guingamp) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Moustapha Diallo (Guingamp) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Mathieu Bodmer (Nice) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Moustapha Diallo (Guingamp).
Substitution, Nice. Remi Walter replaces Valentin Eysseric.
Attempt saved. Marcus Coco (Guingamp) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Étienne Didot with a cross.
Corner, Guingamp. Conceded by Mathieu Bodmer.
Attempt saved. Moustapha Diallo (Guingamp) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Jordan Ikoko with a cross.
Attempt blocked. Alexandre Mendy (Guingamp) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nill de Pauw.
Substitution, Nice. Mathieu Bodmer replaces Jean Michael Seri.
Attempt missed. Nill de Pauw (Guingamp) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Alexandre Mendy.
Wylan Cyprien (Nice) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Moustapha Diallo (Guingamp).
Foul by Valentin Eysseric (Nice).
Marcus Coco (Guingamp) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Nice. Anastasios Donis replaces Alassane Pléa.
Substitution, Guingamp. Moustapha Diallo replaces Lucas Deaux.
Foul by Jean Michael Seri (Nice).
Étienne Didot (Guingamp) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Alassane Pléa (Nice).
Christophe Kerbrat (Guingamp) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Guingamp. Nill de Pauw replaces Yannis Salibur.
Alassane Pléa (Nice) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lucas Deaux (Guingamp).
Corner, Guingamp. Conceded by Malang Sarr.
Corner, Guingamp. Conceded by Malang Sarr.
Vincent Koziello (Nice) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Yannis Salibur (Guingamp).
Attempt missed. Jean Michael Seri (Nice) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Vincent Koziello.
Wylan Cyprien (Nice) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Fernando Marçal (Guingamp). | Younes Belhanda scored the only goal as Nice returned to the top of Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win over Guingamp. |
35,391,980 | Suffolk Police officers were called to Bury Road in Ipswich at about 09:35 GMT after a VW Golf and a Rover 75 collided on a roundabout near a supermarket.
They said the Golf driver, believed to be in his 70s, may have become ill just before the crash.
The Rover driver was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge with serious injuries.
A female passenger in the Golf was taken to Ipswich Hospital with chest pains.
Police are appealing for witnesses. | A man died in a two-car crash after suffering what police believe was a "medical episode" at the wheel. |
40,185,342 | The 2-1 victory ensured that Scotland qualified as the best-placed runners-up from the three groups thanks to a 0-0 draw between Brazil and Czech Republic.
Scot Gemmill's side will take on England at 14:00 BST on Thursday at Stade Parsemain in France.
Ivory Coast take on the Czechs in the other semi-final.
Scotland faced the Indonesians with captain Oliver Burke on the bench after the Leipzig winger picked up a knock in the win over Brazil.
Indonesia took a surprise lead when Putra Saghara fired past Jack Ruddy after 33 minutes.
But striker Hardie, making his first start in the tournament along with Rangers team-mate Ross McCrorie, curled the equaliser just after the half-hour mark.
Hardie added his second from the penalty spot after 65 minutes following a trip on Celtic defender Anthony Ralston, who had taken over the captaincy. | Scotland Under-20s will face England in the semi-finals of the Toulon Tournament after Ryan Hardie's double secured a narrow win over Indonesia. |
32,143,238 | Merthyr Tydfil council handed over the running of leisure and community centres, libraries and cultural sites to the trust on Wednesday.
Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust, which is supported by a board of 11 trustees, took the reins after a year of public consultation.
The trust said the move would "protect the future" of such services.
It will be led by chief executive Richard Marsh.
He said: "Operating as a trust will give us lots more opportunity to access funding and provide a more flexible way of working, which in turn will allow us to provide an even better service." | A south east Wales council has transferred control of its leisure and culture services to a trust. |
38,966,380 | Yorkshire all-rounder Willey, 26, will be out until April after having surgery on a partially torn shoulder tendon, an injury suffered in India last month.
England will play two one-day matches in Antigua in March, with a third in Barbados, before the teams face each other again in England in the summer.
The West Indies are ninth in the ODI standings, four places below England.
Middlesex seamer Finn, 27, is currently playing for Islamabad United in the T20 Pakistan Super League in the United Arab Emirates.
Willey managed just two overs in England's one-day international win over India on 22 January before a problem with his left shoulder forced him off. The injury also ruled him out of the subsequent Twenty20 series.
England ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire). | David Willey has been ruled out of England's tour of the West Indies and will be replaced by Steven Finn. |
35,612,915 | The contest in the Oban North and Lorn constituency was triggered after independent councillor Duncan McIntyre resigned due to ill-health in December.
The SNP's Julie McKenzie won the seat with 1,113 first-preference votes.
Andrew Vennard of the Conservatives came second with 609 first-preference votes, with independent candidate Kieron Green one vote behind in third. Turnout was 33.84%.
The council is controlled by a coalition of independents, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
SNP business convener Derek Mackay hailed a "fantastic result", adding: "This is the latest evidence that the party's extraordinary success continues - marking the 27th win for the SNP in the 30 by-elections that have been held since May 2015."
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said she was pleased to see the Tory vote up by 14.1% in the election. | The SNP has gained a seat on Argyll and Bute Council following a by-election. |
37,258,125 | 2 September 2016 Last updated at 14:32 BST
OK OK, we know why. There's no mistaking the big black eyes, ghostly white skin and tiny slits for nostrils the Harry Potter villain is famous for.
The colobus monkey was born after her mum had to have an operation called a C-section - the first time staff at the zoo had performed the procedure.
In the wild, colobus monkeys live in all types of forest in central Africa.
Both mum and Dark Lord-lookalike are doing well and already on the hunt for Harry Potter (not really). | The new arrival at Paignton Zoo has been nicknamed 'Voldemonkey', we can't think why... |
40,244,607 | In the New York-based production, Julius Caesar is depicted as a blond-haired businessman in a blue suit.
The production company, Public Theater, said the character was a contemporary Caesar "bent on absolute power".
One of the sponsors, Delta Air Lines, said the producers had "crossed the line on the standards of good taste".
In the Shakespearean tragedy, which is staged in New York's Central Park, Caesar is assassinated in a lengthy scene in which he fights off his attackers before succumbing to multiple stab wounds.
The lead character's wife in the play, Calpurnia, is depicted wearing designer outfits and speaking with an apparent Slavic accent - suggesting that she is based on First Lady Melania Trump, who is Slovenian.
The company released a statement saying it stood behind its production.
"We recognise that our interpretation of the play has provoked heated discussion; audiences, sponsors and supporters have expressed varying viewpoints and opinions," the statement said. "Such a discussion is exactly the goal of our civically-engaged theater".
The company added its production in no way advocated violence and pointed out the message was that "those who attempt to defend democracy by undemocratic means pay a terrible price and destroy the very thing they are fighting to save".
On its website, the company states that the play is about "how fragile democracy is," adding that it highlights how the "institutions that we have grown up with can be swept away in no time at all".
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Delta said on Monday that the "graphic staging of Julius Caesar" at the Free Shakespeare in the Park event "does not reflect" the airline's values.
President Trump's son, Donald Junior, criticised the production, asking whether boundaries had been crossed in what he described as art becoming political speech.
"I wonder how much of this 'art' is funded by taxpayers?" he tweeted, adding: "Serious question, when does 'art' become political speech & does that change things?"
On Monday afternoon, the National Endowment of the Arts answered Mr Trump's question on its website, noting that "no taxpayer dollars support Shakespeare in the Park's production of Julius Caesar".
The play opened with previews on 23 May and the production is due to run until 18 June.
Delta and the other sponsor to withdraw, Bank of America, have both supported the Shakespeare season in Central Park for several years.
In a 2012 production of Julius Caesar by New York-based The Acting Company, the Roman leader was modelled on then-President Barack Obama.
Commenting on the row, Gregory Doran, the artistic director of the UK's Royal Shakespeare Company, said that Shakespeare could often surprise modern audiences with how "relevant" he is.
"Though he often set his plays in periods and places that were remote from his own, by doing so he could talk freely about his own society," he said.
"We constantly reapply that metaphor to our own times. Shakespeare is like a magnet that attracts all the iron filings of what is happening in the world." | Two major US corporations have ended their sponsorship of a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in which the Roman leader mimics Donald Trump. |
39,750,636 | Kathleen Ann McLeish, 60, broke her wrist when she fell while working at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in June 2011.
The Court of Session heard that cleaners failed to put down signs warning of the wet floor.
Ms McLeish later developed a condition called complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in her wrist.
The court was told that it caused her "constant pain and disability".
The experienced accident and emergency nurse is now unable to swim or play the piano and has difficulties driving.
And as a consequence of the syndrome, Ms McLeish has become depressed and put on weight.
The court was told she was prescribed medication for her depression and had to be signed off work in a bid to recover.
On Friday, in a written judgement issued at the court in Edinburgh, judge Lord Mulholland ordered Ms McLeish's employers - NHS Lothian - to pay her £48,206.
In it, Lord Mulholland said Ms McLeish was also unable to do her job properly.
He wrote: "With regard to her employment she cannot do fine motor tasks such as suturing of any length and does not have the strength to manipulate broken bones back into place or conduct a physical examination which requires her to lift or move limbs.
"The injury has affected her confidence at work and her energy levels are devoted to getting through the working day.
"She does not see friends and family as much as before and is therefore more socially isolated."
The judgement tells of how Ms McLeish, whose address has not been disclosed, is a "very experienced" nurse who has worked at the A&E department at ERI since 1992.
Lord Mulholland ruled that NHS Lothian breached the Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992 in that they did not do enough to prevent the incident.
He wrote: "I therefore conclude that the pursuer received no warning (verbal, signage or visible) that the floor was wet.
"The placement of a wet floor sign would have prevented the pursuer from entering the room or entering it in the manner that she did." | A nurse who developed a debilitating health condition after slipping on a wet floor has been awarded almost £50,000 compensation. |
37,156,508 | But, as Kozo Toyota explained, he still gets bombarded with questions when he visits Ireland to play with his band from Tokyo.
Mr Toyota and his band were among those performing and competing at the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil in Ennis, County Clare, on Sunday.
The event is the biggest festival of Irish music and culture in the world, and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Thousands compete in music competitions and Mr Toyota's group was among those taking part last weekend in Ennis. They received a warm welcome and managed to make it to the finals of one competition.
"We received a standing ovation at the end of our performance and it filled us with deep emotion," said the music teacher, who is travelling back to Tokyo on Tuesday.
Mr Toyota, who has no connection to the island of Ireland other than a love for the music, discovered his passion while studying the subject at university.
"People here welcome me and my band with open arms and are very warm and kind, but it is clear they are wondering why we became Irish musicians," he told BBC News NI.
"They assume that Japanese people would have no interest in Irish music, and they are surprised when they hear us playing the songs well."
Mr Toyota mainly plays the flute and makes a living from teaching and performing the music at home in Japan.
He founded Toyota Céilí in 2011 and they became the first band to host regular céilí events in Japan.
Mr Toyota said traditional Irish music and dancing were becoming increasingly popular in Japan and the band welcome more than 100 people to some of their events throughout the year.
"I love to play music that people can dance along to," said Mr Toyota.
"When I was studying music at university, and I began my journey with Irish music, I was intrigued to learn that many Irish families played the music together - now my mother, father and younger brother accompany me often.
"There is definitely an increased interest in Irish dancing and music in Japan and it has become very popular with young people, especially students."
Speaking ahead of the Fleadh, Anne Barrington, the Irish ambassador in Japan, said the enthusiasm of Japanese players of Irish music knew "no bounds".
"It is humbling to see the dedication and passion with which this great tradition of ours is pursued here in Japan," she said. | Traditional Irish music is special to people all over the world - so perhaps it should come as no surprise to see a group of young Japanese musicians performing at a traditional Irish music festival in County Clare. |
37,596,965 | The 24-year-old completed the deal in time to go into the squad for Saturday's game at Accrington.
Cooper, the son of ex-Scotland international Neale, was on Liverpool's books as a youngster.
He has also had spells at Ross County, Elgin and Falkirk before playing 12 games for St Mirren last season, scoring once.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Cheltenham Town have signed former St Mirren midfielder Alex Cooper on a three-month contract. |
41,052,090 | Brian White, from Wolverhampton, moved to the UK from Botswana aged 15 with his adoptive family.
An application for naturalisation was rejected and he now fears being returned to his country of birth.
The Home Office said it had reassured Mr White it was trying to resolve his application as soon as possible.
A spokesman added it understood the "urgency" of his case.
A petition highlighting his battle has been signed thousands of times and received celebrity support on Twitter.
See more stories from across Birmingham and the Black Country here
Mr White, 21, lived in a Zimbabwean orphanage until the age of six. He was fostered and later adopted by the White family, who moved to Botswana and later returned to the UK.
In 2014, his application to become a British citizen by naturalisation was rejected as when he arrived in the UK, he was granted limited leave to remain by the Home Office, rather than indefinite leave which is required.
The family appealed, but that was also rejected. He is now awaiting the decision of a current application.
He was unable to take up his place to study chemistry at Oxford in 2016 after being deemed ineligible to receive student finance.
Mr White said the university kept his place open for him for a year, but it could be in jeopardy if his application is not approved.
"I don't think I've ever had time to sit down and think about it," he said.
"I'm trying my best to get it out of my mind."
He added he was "astounded" at the support of the petition, which has been shared by the likes of journalist Caitlin Moran and writer Philip Pullman and signed over 4,000 times.
End of Twitter post by @PhilipPullman
End of Twitter post by @caitlinmoran
Friend Luke Wilcox, who set up the petition, said it would be "disgusting" if the application was rejected.
"It's terrifying. He has got no links there, no family, no friends," he said. | A student faces being deported and losing his place at Oxford University due to uncertainty over his citizenship status. |
25,013,022 | The shrine is being built by Manoj Tiwary, a local film star, and will be opened to the public early next year.
Tendulkar retired from international cricket following India's victory over the West Indies in a Test in Mumbai last week.
Shortly afterwards he was awarded the country's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.
Many of his fans in India describe Tendulkar as the god of cricket.
On Tuesday, Mr Tiwary inaugurated the 5ft 6in (167cm) deity of Tendulkar amid prayers at the site of the proposed temple in Atraulia village in Bhabhua district in Bihar.
The idol of the star, sporting a blue jersey with the World Cup in his hand, is made of marble.
The 6000 sq ft (557 square metres) temple will cost seven million rupees ($112,464; £69,805) and will contain idols of other cricketers such as Indian captain MS Dhoni and star batsman Yuvraj Singh.
Mr Tiwary hopes that Tendulkar will inaugurate the temple when it is ready.
"I decided to build the temple in my village soon after India won the World Cup cricket in 2011", he told the BBC.
"The temple will provide an opportunity to the lovers of cricket from around the world to pay their respects to these cricketers who are nothing short of gods in India."
Tendulkar bowed out of international cricket after his 200th Test match - 24 years and one day after his first.
He played in 664 international matches, scoring 34,357 runs and making 100 centuries. He scored almost 2,500 more Test runs than the second-placed batsman, Ricky Ponting. | Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar might soon be worshipped in a temple planned in his name in Bihar state. |
36,825,553 | Phillips, 50, previously head coach of Neath, Aironi, London Welsh and Wales Under-18s, succeeds Rhys Edwards.
The former Neath and Wales forward, who also played rugby league for Warrington and Workington, will take up the reins with immediate effect.
"The most pleasing aspect of this role is that we have an abundance of talent in the women's game in Wales," he said.
"There's a huge increase in interest in women's and girls' rugby in Wales, and globally, at the moment, from international rugby to the community game,
"I'm looking forward to being part of that and helping players to fulfil their potential on the field."
Phillips' daughter Carys, who plays as a hooker, has won 26 caps for Wales since making her debut against Ireland in the 2013 Six Nations. | Former Wales dual code international Rowland Phillips has been appointed full-time head coach of Wales Women. |
40,658,854 | Bolton say they are aware of the new petition and that the situation is being dealt with.
Meanwhile, financial director Shaun McHugh has left just four months after being appointed.
He is the third person to have held the role in the past year following John Pelling and Anthony Massey. | Championship club Bolton Wanderers have been issued with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue & Customs, reports BBC Radio Manchester. |
38,539,319 | Chaplin took his goal tally to seven for the season and is now Pompey's leading goalscorer along with Gary Roberts.
Pompey were awarded a penalty in the 21st minute after Enda Stevens was fouled by defender Sammy Moore just inside the box.
Chaplin stepped up to take the spot-kick but Orient's goalkeeper Alex Cisak guessed the right way and parried the ball out for a corner.
The striker made amends for his miss two minutes later when he stabbed the ball home at the far post from a Carl Baker cross.
Orient were level in the 38th minute when Massey was picked out by former Pompey player Nigel Atangana and curled his shot exquisitely into the top corner from just inside the area.
Portsmouth regained their lead two minutes after half-time when Chaplin headed home from close range after Baker's cross from the right-hand side.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Portsmouth 2, Leyton Orient 1.
Second Half ends, Portsmouth 2, Leyton Orient 1.
Attempt blocked. Michael Collins (Leyton Orient) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Leyton Orient. Ollie Palmer replaces Sandro Semedo.
Corner, Leyton Orient. Conceded by Christian Burgess.
Substitution, Portsmouth. Kyle Bennett replaces Conor Chaplin.
Attempt missed. Enda Stevens (Portsmouth) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Foul by Michael Smith (Portsmouth).
Teddy Mezague (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Michael Doyle (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Sandro Semedo (Leyton Orient).
Danny Rose (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Michael Collins (Leyton Orient).
Substitution, Portsmouth. Amine Linganzi replaces Kal Naismith.
Christian Burgess (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Gavin Massey (Leyton Orient).
Michael Doyle (Portsmouth) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Michael Doyle (Portsmouth).
Paul McCallum (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt blocked. Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Alex Cisak.
Danny Rose (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Myles Judd (Leyton Orient).
Substitution, Leyton Orient. Jordan Bowery replaces Sammy Moore.
Foul by Kal Naismith (Portsmouth).
Michael Collins (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Kal Naismith (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Corner, Leyton Orient. Conceded by Christian Burgess.
Jamal Lowe (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Nicky Hunt (Leyton Orient).
Attempt missed. Kal Naismith (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Corner, Leyton Orient. Conceded by Carl Baker.
Attempt missed. Kal Naismith (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the right.
Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Sammy Moore (Leyton Orient).
Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Teddy Mezague (Leyton Orient).
Corner, Portsmouth. Conceded by Tom Parkes.
Goal! Portsmouth 2, Leyton Orient 1. Conor Chaplin (Portsmouth) header from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by Carl Baker.
Second Half begins Portsmouth 1, Leyton Orient 1. | Conor Chaplin missed a penalty and scored a brace as Portsmouth beat Leyton Orient 2-1 at Fratton Park. |
35,740,972 | Police said he was attacked by another man in the Templemore Avenue area shortly before 02:30 GMT on Sunday.
They said he had been "taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries".
Police have appealed for information. | A man has been taken to hospital after he was assaulted in east Belfast. |
32,996,008 | Ransomware is software which locks you out of your files until a fee is paid to the criminals behind the attack.
Checkpoint researcher Natalia Kolesova detailed information about Troldash, a newly-discovered strain.
Once it infects a machine, Troldash provides an email address with which to contact the attackers.
"While the most ransom-trojan attackers try to hide themselves and avoid any direct contact," Ms Kolesova explained, "Troldesh's creators provide their victims with an e-mail address. The attackers use this email correspondence to demand a ransom and dictate a payment method."
Troldash was distributed via a spam email - and once downloaded, immediately set to work encrypting files before placing a text file of ransom instructions on the target's computer.
Posing as a victim named Olga, the researcher contacted the scam artist, and received a reply with instructions to pay 250 euros to get the files back.
Suspecting the reply was automated, Ms Kolesova pressed for a more human response, asking more details about how to transfer the money, and pleading with the hacker to not make them pay.
Responding in Russian, the scammer offered to accept 12,000 roubles, a discount of around 15%. After Ms Kolesova pleaded further, the email response read: "The best I can do is bargain."
Eventually the unknown man or woman was talked into accepting 7,000 roubles - 50% less than the first demand.
"Perhaps if I had continued bargaining, I could have gotten an even bigger discount," Ms Kolesova concluded.
Ransomware is a particularly vicious problem for many victims around the world. One strain, Cryptolocker, was said to have infected more than 250,000 computers worldwide.
Another variant locked users out of their favourite games unless they paid a fee.
The company did not pay the ransom - and recommended that up-to-date security software designed to protect against ransomware and other attacks was a better approach.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC | A security software firm has warned about a new strain of "ransomware" - while finding that even Russian hackers can be haggled down. |
18,796,374 | Bowlish Infants School in Shepton Mallet was evacuated and homes and businesses in Croscombe were also deluged.
The River Sheppey in Croscombe burst its banks flooding a pub and nearby homes in the centre of the village.
The heavy rain also forced the A371 to be closed between Shepton Mallet and Wells.
The Environment Agency said a storm cloud passing over the Shepton Mallet area caused the flooding, when 30mm of rain fell in the space of 30 minutes.
Bowlish House Hotel owner Chris Ashleigh said: "The school informed us at about 10:15 that the fire service told them the river was about to burst its banks and there would be a lot of activity outside the hotel with parents collecting their children.
"Rather than have them out on the road we suggested they were brought inside.
"We've had about 60 to 70 children - they all sat down in the sitting room and dining room and they've all been very well behaved."
Somerset County Council sent a structural engineer to inspect a wall near the school which is holding back floodwater. The school will remain closed on Thursday as a precaution.
A small section of the river wall in Croscombe was hammered down by a local resident to drain the water away.
Local resident, Peter Baron, said: "There was about two foot of water on the road and so some citizens turned up with their sledgehammers and bashed the wall down, a big water spout appeared and the road cleared quickly after that."
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue said heavy rainfall had also affected parts of Wookey, such as Church Street which was under 2ft (60cm) of water in places earlier.
A spokesman for the fire service said crews had attended several properties to pump out water and to clear debris from roads.
Earlier heavy rainfall left some roads in Wookey and Shepton Mallet, such as Cannards Grave Road in Shepton under water, but this has now cleared.
The head teacher of Bowlish Infants School said it would remain closed on Thursday. | People have been clearing up the debris left behind after flash floods struck the Mendips in Somerset earlier. |
39,126,427 | Patrick Redmond, 68, from Coundon, Coventry, was assaulted at Rileys, in Hertford Place, just before 23:00 GMT on Monday.
He was taken to hospital with a serious head injury and his life support was switched off on Tuesday, West Midlands Police said.
A 37-year-old man from Radford, held on suspicion of wounding, is now being questioned on suspicion of murder.
The latest breaking news for Coventry and Warwickshire
In a statement, Rileys said it was "extremely shocked by this tragic event" and it had provided police with CCTV footage and statements from staff.
It said its thoughts were with the family of the customer who died.
Rileys said: "We take the safety of our members very seriously and have a comprehensive zero tolerance policy towards violence.
"We will work with the police, and do everything we can to help ensure those responsible are brought to justice."
The police force said it was in the early stages of its inquiry.
Ch Insp Ed Foster said: "This is a tragic case and our sympathies go to the family of the victim." | A man has died after being punched to the floor at a Coventry snooker hall. |
34,801,355 | The visitors - wearing black armbands in tribute to former goalkeeper Marton Fulop, who died on Thursday - scored the only goal when debutant Laszlo Kleinheisler smashed in from 15 yards.
In an open and entertaining game, Norway had 21 efforts on goal but could not find a way past Gabor Kiraly.
Hungary have not qualified for a major tournament since the 1986 World Cup.
The two sides will meet in Budapest on Sunday in the second leg with a place at next summer's finals in France at stake.
Only one team have qualified through the play-offs after losing the first leg since their inception for Euro 96 - Netherlands hammering Scotland 6-0 in 2003 after losing in Glasgow.
Kiraly - winning his 100th cap - was a key man throughout, making an outstanding early save to deny Norway skipper Per Ciljan Skjelbred and later dropping a corner which was eventually cleared off the line.
The hosts, who have not been to a major finals since Euro 2000, were on top in the early stages but conceded when 21-year-old Kleinheisler fired in a left-footed drive which goalkeeper Orjan Nyland could not keep out.
Norway piled on the pressure in the second half but found former Crystal Palace keeper Kiraly in inspired form, while Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg denied them a penalty when he instead booked Omar Elabdellaoui for a dive.
In the 88th minute, another Kiraly save kept out Alexander Soderlund, with substitute Pal Andre Heland heading the rebound against the crossbar.
Match ends, Norway 0, Hungary 1.
Second Half ends, Norway 0, Hungary 1.
Tom Høgli (Norway) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Adam Nagy (Hungary).
Substitution, Hungary. Tamas Priskin replaces Ádám Szalai because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Markus Henriksen (Norway) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Pal Helland with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Richárd Guzmics.
Attempt saved. Marcus Pedersen (Norway) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Pal Helland with a cross.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Tamas Kadar.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Tamas Kadar.
Pal Helland (Norway) hits the bar with a header from the centre of the box.
Attempt saved. Stefan Johansen (Norway) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Marcus Pedersen.
Marcus Pedersen (Norway) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Zoltán Gera (Hungary).
Substitution, Norway. Pal Helland replaces Per Skjelbred because of an injury.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Gergö Lovrencsics.
Foul by Even Hovland (Norway).
Ákos Elek (Hungary) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Tamas Kadar.
Attempt blocked. Marcus Pedersen (Norway) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexander Tettey.
Tom Høgli (Norway) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Adam Nagy (Hungary).
Substitution, Hungary. Gergö Lovrencsics replaces Balázs Dzsudzsák.
Substitution, Norway. Mohammed Elyounoussi replaces Jo Inge Berget.
Attempt missed. Marcus Pedersen (Norway) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Per Skjelbred with a cross.
Substitution, Hungary. Adam Nagy replaces Laszlo Kleinheisler.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Zoltán Gera.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Ákos Elek.
Foul by Stefan Johansen (Norway).
Ádám Szalai (Hungary) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Norway. Alexander Tettey tries a through ball, but Markus Henriksen is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Alexander Tettey (Norway) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left following a corner.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Attila Fiola.
Omar Elabdellaoui (Norway) is shown the yellow card.
Omar Elabdellaoui (Norway) has gone down, but that's a dive.
Attempt blocked. Jo Inge Berget (Norway) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Marcus Pedersen.
Corner, Norway. Conceded by Zoltán Gera.
Substitution, Norway. Marcus Pedersen replaces Alexander Søderlund.
Stefan Johansen (Norway) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Krisztian Németh (Hungary). | Hungary took a step towards qualifying for the Euro 2016 finals by beating Norway in their play-off first leg. |
34,187,414 | The Scots, losers to Germany on Monday, need at least four points from their last two games and for other results to go their way to reach the play-offs.
Poland visit Scotland before Gordon Strachan's side travel to face Gibraltar in October's double-header.
"We will re-gather and do our utmost to win the two games," said McGhee.
"We still have a chance. We still feel there is enough in us to get six points from the two games to come.
"Then we have to see what happens elsewhere and that's the disappointing thing, that we're relying on other results."
Should Scotland take four points and Republic of Ireland lose to Group D leaders Germany and then Poland, Strachan's men would beat the Irish to the play-off spot.
Another scenario that would allow Scotland to reach the play-offs involves Poland losing to Scotland and Republic of Ireland and the Scots also beating Gibraltar.
Friday's 1-0 defeat in Georgia set Scotland back compared to their Group D rivals, who all won in Tbilisi and Scotland cannot catch group leaders Germany, who are on 19 points.
McGhee believes the Scots have shown enough quality in the campaign so far to be confident that Poland can be overcome at Hampden before the final tie away to Gibraltar.
He admits, though, that addressing the poor display in Tbilisi is more important than taking positives from a better performance in the 3-2 loss to the Germans.
"We feel we can win the two games despite the performance in Georgia and the result," he added.
"Ireland [have the numerical advantage], although they have two hugely difficult games. Would I rather be in our position or be in Ireland's position playing against Poland and Germany? I'm not sure. Maybe we can quietly think that we're in a better position because of that.
"You've got to discount everything you saw last night. They're the world champions, the game was a spectacle, it was a fantastic occasion to have them and if we'd beaten Georgia, it would have been a carnival night, despite the result.
"We forget that performance, we have to look more closely at the Georgia performance and improve on that to beat Poland. We've played Poland already, we drew with them over there and we've had other good results. It's the elements of those games that we have to take to the Poland game.
"It was a totally different set of circumstances [against Georgia], it's not the same thing. Goals change games and Georgia got the first goal, which was critical.
"Had we got the first goal it would have been different. But they got the first goal, they played 5-4-1, it allowed them to sit in and make it really difficult for us. We weren't good enough on the night, we didn't play well enough to break them down, which was disappointing, but losing the first goal was the critical moment." | Scotland assistant Mark McGhee insists the nation can still reach the Euro 2016 play-offs despite no longer having their destiny in their own hands. |
36,384,281 | The body of Kyle Neil, 23, was discovered in the boot of a car at Windsor Road in south Belfast.
On Wednesday, Stephanie Todd, 26, of Russell Court in Belfast, pleaded guilty to obstructing police in connection with the murder.
She has also admitted driving with excess alcohol.
Her co-accused, Wesley Harry Vance, 27, formerly of Church Gate Studios in Comber pleaded guilty to Mr Neil's murder earlier this week.
Previously, Todd had denied two charges of assisting offenders by allegedly driving a car with Mr Neil's body in the boot from Mill Street, Comber to Windsor Road in Belfast on 12 April 2015 and driving the car with excess alcohol.
She was due to be tried by a jury, but following legal discussions, a new charge was added to the bill of indictment.
When Todd was charged with obstructing a constable in the execution of his duties on 12 April 2015, she replied "guilty." She was re-arraigned on the driving with excess alcohol charge, which she also admitted.
A prosecuting barrister said that in light of these pleas, the Crown was prepared to leave the assisting offenders charge "on the books, not to be proceeded with".
The jury was then dismissed by the judge, who also released Todd on bail.
She will be sentenced alongside Vance at Belfast Crown Court next month. | A Belfast woman has admitted obstructing police in connection with the murder of a man in County Down in April 2015. |
33,286,270 | Rail was at the heart of George Osborne's vision of a "northern powerhouse".
The Tory manifesto pledged: "We will electrify the main rail routes, build the Northern Hub, and provide new trains for the North."
Stood before a train in Crewe during the campaign, David Cameron said the government was taking unprecedented action to rebalance the economy like "electrifying the rail lines between the main towns and cities in the north of England".
But months before his manifesto was published, there were public warnings that electrification was in deep trouble.
In November the Office of Rail Regulation said Network Rail had missed 11 of 44 milestones.
It added: "Looking ahead, this has raised serious questions as to how the company will deliver the ambitious programme expected in CP5 (Control Period 5), particularly the electrification projects."
Control Period 5 - in rail jargon - runs from April 2014 to March 2019.
It also said Network Rail had overspent its budget by £40m in the financial year so far and the figure was due to rise to £112m for 2014/15.
That was the first of a series of warnings.
In December the ORR chief executive Richard Price wrote to Network Rail boss Mark Carne to warn that "slippage on critical milestones jeopardises the delivery and timing of important benefits to passengers and freight customers".
The warning was echoed by the chair of the ORR Anna Walker in another letter days later. The correspondence is in the public domain.
Yet another letter from the ORR that month made clear the original timetable for TransPennine electrification would slip.
The letter said: "The original 2018 completion date for electrification works is now unlikely to be deliverable and there are uncertainties around the scope, timing and costs of the project still to be resolved."
Network Rail itself indicated delays in its plans were coming in a document published in March.
A chapter on programmes in the North of England, including electrification plans, noted: "We anticipate a number of revised milestone dates will be confirmed during that process and will be published in the June 2015 update."
The Department for Transport - run then as now by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin - hadn't failed to notice the problem.
The top civil servant servant there, permanent secretary Philip Rutnam, told a parliamentary committee in January that the challenge to deliver some electrified routes was "very large".
Now the electrification of the Trans-Pennine route from York to Manchester and the Midland main line from York to Sheffield has been put on hold.
The Department insists that the Midland Mainline and TransPennine electrifications have been paused - not scrapped - and the government remains committed to making them happen.
Labour suggest the public have been deceived.
They have asked whether the prime minister and his colleagues waited until after the election to reveal a crisis in rail renewal they knew about well before polling day.
For the politicians this will become a battle not only about competence on the railways, but trust in high office. | Did the Conservatives make an election promise to electrify the railways, knowing big projects would have to be put on hold? |
37,840,391 | Once confirmed, he is expected to endorse a new, military-drafted constitution and to start appointing his own team of senior royal officials.
His father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, died on 13 October, aged 88.
The government has declared a year-long official mourning period.
The widely revered king had served 70 years as head of state, and was seen as a stabilising figure, promoting economic development and social harmony in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups.
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says there have been concerns expressed quietly over how well his son will perform the same role.
Following King Bhumibol's death, he had delayed taking the crown in order to join the people in mourning.
The crown prince, who is 64, is much less well known to Thais than his father, and does not have his widespread popularity.
Our correspondent says the crown prince will start his reign under a military government that is likely to dictate Thailand's political arrangements for several more years.
He is also likely to start appointing his own advisers to senior positions in the palace hierarchy, ending the influence of a number of elderly but powerful men who had served King Bhumibol.
Strict lese-majeste laws protect the most senior members of Thailand's royal family from insult or threat. Public discussion of the succession can be punishable by lengthy jail terms.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also said on Tuesday that restrictions on entertainment and television in place since the king's death would be lifted on 14 November.
He said: "In terms of entertainment - soap operas and movies - they can go ahead. We simply ask for co-operation. Some programmes need to lower their tone."
TV channels stopped normal broadcasting moments after the death was confirmed, and switched to broadcasts from the Grand Palace and archive footage of the royal family.
The PM said that people should still maintain decorum throughout the mourning period and refrain from wearing "inappropriate attire". | Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is to be confirmed as the new king of Thailand on 1 December, a senior source has told the BBC. |
38,667,334 | Dr Julie-Ann Maney was giving evidence at the trial of west Belfast man Christopher O'Neill, who denies murdering his baby daughter Cárágh .
Three-month-old Cárágh Walsh died on 7 February 2014.
She died two days after being taken to hospital from her Glasveigh Park home in Twinbrook.
Dr Maney was giving evidence on the second day of the trial at Craigavon Crown Court, sitting in Armagh, of Mr O'Neill, 26, from Whiterock Road.
It was suggested to the jury on the opening day of the trial by a prosecution counsel that a reason for the baby's death was that "perhaps he, ( Mr O'Neill) had snapped because she was crying and he could not get her to settle, only he knows that''.
The lawyer said it was not suggested that Mr O'Neill intended to kill his baby daughter, but that being unable to quieten her, he "must have lost self-control and that he caused those catalogue of injuries identified by the pathologists".
Dr Maney told the trial on Wednesday that on 5 February, 2014, the hospital received a call to the red "emergency telephone'' on the paediatric ward advising that a paramedic crew was on its way with a three-month-old baby girl who was in cardiac arrest.
When the ambulance arrived at the hospital doors, it was met by Dr Maney and her team who rushed baby Cárágh in for emergency treatment.
Dr Maney told the jury: "At this point we took over her airways. She had agonising breathing. Her breathing was not sufficient to sustain her life.
"She needed assisted breathing. She had no heart rate. She was effectively dead.''
The consultant paediatrician said that as a result "time was of the essence'' and her team of experts set about trying to save the baby's life.
The doctor told the trial judge that a needle was inserted into the infant's bloodstream through the bone marrow in her shin bone with "life saving medication to restart her heart''.
"At 12.43pm her heart was resuscitated. We started to feel pulses in her groin. We listened to her heart. She had heart sounds and the chest compressions were discontinued. Her cardiovascular system was responding."
Asked by the prosecution counsel if baby Cárágh was stablised at that stage, Dr Maney replied: "I would say her rate had come back.
"We had taken over her breathing but she was still gravely ill. We needed to support her breathing and give her constant care and support on a life-support machine. An anaesthetist inserted a tube from her mouth to her lungs.''
Earlier, emergency medical technician Paul McParland told the jury how on 5 February, 2014, he received an emergency call to go to Glasveigh Park as an infant had taken ill.
He said that he was about to climb the steps to the second floor flat when he was met by a colleague, Mr Heaney, who was carrying baby Cárágh out in his arms.
Mr McParland said that as he made his way back to the ambulance he was "met by a considerably highly emotional woman who tried to run towards Mr Heaney and I blocked her path''. He added that he did not know at the time that it was the baby's mother.
The court heard from the witness that the baby's father then got into the ambulance and the seriously ill baby was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital, arriving within five to seven minutes.
Under cross examination by a defence counsel, Mr McParland confirmed to the jury that he did not notice any marks or swelling on the baby when he attached a defibrillator to her body.
At hearing. | A leading consultant has told a jury that a baby girl who was rushed to hospital by paramedics was "effectively dead'' when she arrived. |
40,340,304 | Essam, 24, returns for his second permanent spell with the Whites having captained the club back in 2014-15 and played 15 games on loan last year.
The centre-back was released by Eastleigh last month after one year with the Spitfires.
Former Gillingham trainee Essam has also played for Crawley, Dartford, Woking and Luton Town.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Connor Essam has joined Dover Athletic on a two-year deal following a loan spell last season from Eastleigh. |
38,347,323 | Junior Fuller was found with stab wounds to his chest in Mill View Close, Sneinton, on Sunday and later died from his injuries, police said.
The BBC has been told Mr Fuller was holding a party to celebrate the life of a man stabbed to death in the same part of the city 24 hours earlier.
Dwayne Johnson, 29, from The Meadows, appeared in court on Saturday.
Mr Johnson was arrested on Thursday and will appear at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, police said.
The BBC understands the party was being held in honour of Martin Maughan, 27, who was found wounded in West Walk, Sneinton, on Saturday and later died from his injuries.
Ben Richardson, 19, of Main Road, Gedling, has been charged with Mr Maughan's murder, while a 43-year-old, arrested on suspicion of murder, has been released on bail.
The two stabbings are not being directly linked, police have said. | A man has been charged with the murder of a 38-year-old who was stabbed to death in Nottingham. |
35,404,544 | The National Executive Committee (NEC) met on Friday for the second time in two weeks and discussed the matter.
Its role is to sign off a list of assembly election candidates put forward by the party in Wales.
But BBC Wales understands it failed again to approve the list.
The party's source told BBC Wales: "The NEC - on which [former Conservative MP] Neil Hamilton sits - has become factionalised and is opposing the selections put forward by the party in Wales and supported by Nigel Farage.
"There are people on the NEC defying the leader in Wales.
"It's a real stalemate between the Welsh leadership, who Nigel supports, and the NEC."
Some Welsh members have warned that selecting candidates from outside Wales - including Mr Hamilton - would be damaging.
On Friday, UKIP councillor Kevin Mahoney said he would quit the party if Mr Hamilton, Mark Reckless and Alexandra Phillips were selected.
Based on its recent electoral performance in Wales, the party stands a good chance of getting several regional AMs elected in May.
Mr Hamilton did not want to comment.
A spokesman for UKIP Wales said: "There is so much vested interest in the process as it could be UKIP's first major breakthrough into a domestic parliament and the party and its members want to be sure that the best candidates are selected for the job." | UKIP's governing body is "defying" Welsh leader Nathan Gill by refusing to approve the party's assembly election candidate selections, a senior source has said. |
37,910,542 | The ban was imposed under last month's state of emergency and has been lifted because relative peace and security has been restored, Defence Minister Siraj Fegessa was quoted as saying.
Ethiopia has recently faced an unprecedented wave of violent protests.
But Mr Fegessa said the situation nationwide was now much more stable.
He said the travel ban - imposed for the safety of diplomats - was being lifted because it was "unthinkable" that the security threat was so serious.
Ethiopia last month declared a six-month state of emergency after a wave of deadly anti-government demonstrations by activists in both the Oromia and Amhara regions.
The deaths of at least 55 people at an Oromo religious festival on 2 October triggered fresh unrest, including the targeting of some foreign-owned businesses.
Rights groups say that at least 500 people have died during the protests overall.
Some of the things restricted under the state of emergency included social media, broadcast media, protests, gestures, freedom of movement and guns. | Ethiopia has lifted a ban on diplomats travelling more than 40km (25 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa without permission, state media report. |
37,608,974 | The Football Association of Zambia (Faz) had been looking to employ an expatriate coach and even conducted interviews for the position.
Former South Africa coach Gordon Igesund was tipped for the job after impressing in interviews.
But Lungu said: "Forget about an expatriate coach. We can do with an indigenous [coach]."
Lungu also offered his support to interim Chipolopolo coach Wedson Nyirenda, who was appointed as a replacement for George Lwandamina last month, saying "he is doing well".
That assessment came after Zambia's 2-1 defeat by Nigeria in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier on Sunday.
Lungu remains optimistic about Zambia's chances of booking their place at the tournament in Russia.
"We can make it. Others have made it before us. Now it is our time and I 'm sure we will make it," he added.
"Our eyes should be on the ball, we are a winning side and we should strive to win until we get to Russia." | Zambia president Edgar Lungu has told the football association to employ a local coach for the national team. |
40,365,241 | A review of the Congolese deployment pointed to "systemic problems", a statement said.
The UN peacekeeping force in the CAR has faced scores of allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation.
Almost 13,000 people are serving as part of the mission, known as Minusca.
French troops have also been accused of sex abuse in CAR. Charges were dropped against six French soldiers earlier this year, however another investigation remains open.
UN peacekeepers were deployed in 2014, with the CAR in turmoil after mainly Muslim rebels ousted President Francois Bozize, sparking a backlash from largely Christian militias.
Thousands have been killed in the violence that followed, with hundreds of thousands fleeing to neighbouring countries.
The UN said the review of the Congo-Brazzaville deployment found "the nature and extent of existing allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, in their totality, point to systemic problems in command and control".
"These problems have also been compounded by issues related to the preparedness, overall discipline, maintenance of contingent-owned equipment, and logistical capacity of these troops," it added.
A smaller contingent of police from the same force will stay on, the UN said.
With allegations of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers, including against children, continuing to emerge, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has promised a "new approach" to tackle the issue.
It is up to the countries who contribute troops to prosecute criminal cases, but guilty verdicts might not be in a nation's best interests as that would taint its reputation in peacekeeping, the BBC's Africa security correspondent Tomi Oladipo says. | Congo-Brazzaville is to withdraw more than 600 troops serving as peacekeepers in the Central African Republic (CAR) following claims of sexual abuse, the UN says. |
36,746,449 | Mr Cairns said the tournament has "put Wales on the map".
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said there had already been an increase in visitors to the Visit Wales website.
"What we need to do is make sure we convert that interest into actual visits," he added.
Mr Cairns told BBC One Wales' Sunday Politics programme: "Even if I went to the chancellor to ask him for a huge sum of money in terms of millions or billions, we never could have bought this sort of publicity.
"The international currency of football should never be understated and we now need to position ourselves to exploit that positively."
Tens of thousands of fans lined the streets of Cardiff for the team's homecoming parade on Friday.
The Welsh Government's tourism team is looking to build on the team's heroics and this week a promotional video showing off Wales was broadcast in Germany.
Mr Skates said: "The profile of Wales globally has never been higher.
"We're upping our game in many respects and we're engaging with a plethora of travel writers and broadcast media right across the world.
"What we need to do is make sure we convert that interest into actual visits and that's why I'm keen to make sure that we've got the proper resources targeted at enticing as many people as possible."
Prof Max Munday of Cardiff Business School, who previously assessed the economic impact of Swansea's promotion to the Premier League on the city, said it was more difficult to quantify the economic effects of the national team's performance.
With so many thousands of fans following the team in France, Prof Munday believed there was an argument Wales has missed out on money that would otherwise have been spent here.
Nevertheless, he said there could still be a post-tournament dividend.
"It increases that feel-good factor and we have to admit at the moment things are very very uncertain in the Welsh and UK economy as a result of leadership elections and as a result of the Brexit vote," he said.
"There is a great deal of uncertainty. Anything that can give a little fillip to confidence can be very important at these times." | The publicity Wales gained from the national team's performance at Euro 2016 could never have been bought, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns has said. |
34,151,036 | Fake mobile phone towers, often called Stingrays, offer valuable information about suspects but also collect vast amounts of data from innocent passers-by.
From now on, agencies will need to obtain a search warrant to use such devices.
The US Department of Justice said it wanted to protect citizens' privacy.
"Cell-site simulator technology has been instrumental in aiding law enforcement in a broad array of investigations, including kidnappings, fugitive investigations and complicated narcotic cases," Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates said in a statement.
"This new policy ensures our protocols for this technology are consistent, well-managed and respectful of individuals' privacy and civil liberties," she added.
The policy, which takes effect immediately, applies to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the United States Marshals Service.
It does not apply to local police forces although some states, including Washington, Virginia, Minnesota and Utah, have already imposed a warrant requirement.
The portable boxes can be used to determine the location of a suspect and can also intercept calls and text messages.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) estimates that up to 53 agencies in 21 states own Stingrays.
It has long complained that the use of the technology is shrouded in secrecy, making it hard to accurately pinpoint how widely they are used.
ACLU lawyers welcomed the move but said that more could be done to extend the policy to all law enforcement agencies.
It also pointed out that there were several loopholes in the legislation that allowed law enforcers to use the technology without a warrant.
Earlier this year, German security firm GSMK Cryptophone claimed to have uncovered evidence of at least 20 instances of the use of cell-site simulators in the UK.
The Metropolitan Police Service refused to confirm or deny it was using them. | The US government is cracking down on the way law enforcement agencies use technology to track criminals. |
33,448,643 | United said it had suffered a "network connectivity" problem - the same issue that grounded its flights on 2 June.
The US aviation authority (FAA) said the airline resolved the issues at about 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT).
The company has suffered technical issues in the past, including one that meant first-class seats were sold in error for just $100 (£65) in February.
"We experienced a network connectivity issue this morning. We are working to resolve this and apologise to our customers for any inconvenience," United said in a statement.
The problem impacted as many as 3,500 flights, the airline told the CNBC TV news network.
United customers complained of delays and a lack of information on Twitter on Wednesday morning.
One passenger, Jeralyn Novak, tweeted: "Never flying @united ever again! The whole computer system is down and stuck in Boise."
Betsy Fischer Martin, a journalist travelling with United, tweeted: "Our @united airlines pilot on their global outage: "It's like someone pulled the plug on our computers - It's embarrassing, I apologise.""
United said it was "recovering" and "restoring flight ops" after the FAA order was lifted, but long queues were reported at airports across the US.
It was the latest in a series of technical problems that the US carrier has had in recent months.
Last month, United was again forced to ground its planes across the US due to an unspecified computer problem.
And in February, the company cancelled thousands of bookings after a computer glitch allowed transatlantic flights to be bought for very low prices.
United said it would not honour the fares as the error was caused by a "third party software provider" - provoking criticism from customers.
It is not the only airline to have suffered with technical issues though.
In April, rival US carrier American Airlines also had to ground its planes after a glitch caused iPad software - used by its pilots to view flight plans - to stop working. | US carrier United Airlines grounded all of its flights for about two hours on Wednesday due to a technical issue. |
32,428,648 | An Election Commissioner concluded Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman breached election rules and must vacate his post immediately.
Four voters alleged he used "corrupt and illegal practices" in last year's election, which must now be re-run.
Mr Rahman, who denied any wrong-doing, has been banned from standing again.
At the special High Court hearing, Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey also ordered Mr Rahman to pay £250,000 in costs.
One of Mr Rahman's aides, Alibor Choudhury, was also found guilty of corrupt and illegal practices.
Tower Hamlets First, Mr Rahman's party, said the judgement was a "shock" and it was seeking further legal advice in relation to a judicial review.
Mr Mawrey - who sat as a judge - said the mayor had "driven a coach and horses through election law and didn't care".
In the Election Court judgement, he said the effect of his ruling that Mr Rahman's election was void meant it was as if the election "had never taken place" and he had not lawfully been mayor since he was re-elected for a second term on 24 May 2014.
Mr Mawrey also added: "The evidence laid before this court...has disclosed an alarming state of affairs in Tower Hamlets.
"This is not the consequence of the racial and religious mix of the population, nor is it linked to any ascertainable pattern of social or other deprivation.
"It is the result of the ruthless ambition of one man."
Mr Mawrey also described Bangladesh-born Mr Rahman as an "evasive and discursive witness whose evidence was untruthful on occasion" and suggested he had played "race" and "religious" cards.
By Karl Mercer, Political Correspondent, BBC London News
Mr Rahman's career in politics looks like it is over, unless he successfully challenges today's ruling.
But the implications of the case could be felt much wider than a courtroom on The Strand. How will the Bengali community in Tower Hamlets, many of whom voted for Mr Rahman, react? What will the judgement's impact be on community cohesion?
And for the government - should the Law Commission be asked to look at making it easier to challenge elections if there is a suspicion of fraud?
It took four local individuals in this case to risk a legal bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds to get this election overturned.
The re-run poll is likely to be on either the 7 or 11 June.
Mr Rahman ran a "ruthless and dishonest campaign to convince the electorate his rival John Biggs was a racist", Mr Mawrey said.
After the ruling, Labour London Assembly member, Mr Biggs, said Mr Rahman and his allies had "robbed the people of Tower Hamlets of the free and fair mayoral election they deserved and betrayed everyone in our community who trusted and voted for him".
The group of voters who brought the action was headed by Andy Erlam, who stood as a councillor. He said it was "a fantastic result for democracy".
The four voters mounted the legal challenge under the 1983 Representation of the People Act.
Their lawyers made a series of allegations, including "personation" in postal voting and at polling stations and ballot paper tampering.
The Election Commissioner upheld a number of the allegations, including:
Lawyers for Mr Rahman, who was re-elected for Tower Hamlets First last May, described the claims as "invention", "exaggeration" and "in some cases downright deliberately false allegations".
The Election Judgement said Mr Choudhury, who was also found guilty of illegal practices, must immediately vacate his seat as a councillor and a new by-election must be held in the Stepney ward.
In a statement, Tower Hamlets First said: "The Mayor strongly denies any wrongdoing and had full confidence in the justice system and so this result has been surprising to say the least."
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said the Election Court's judgement justified his decision to send commissioners into the council last year to take over some operations.
He said: "This judgement vindicates our action to intervene."
He added the judgement against Mr Rahman could mean extra powers being handed to commissioners.
The Met Police said it takes allegations of electoral fraud and malpractice extremely seriously and would take time to consider the election judgement.
Speaking to BBC London 94.9, former London mayor, Ken Livingston, said he found the result of the Election Court "worrying".
He said: "Let's wait and see if he is convicted of anything. The decision of the voters to put Lutfur Rahman there shouldn't be overturned by an unelected bureaucrat unless he is arrested." | An east London mayor has been removed from office and a poll declared void after he was found guilty of electoral fraud. |
40,325,749 | The incident happened around the time of the annual Guid Nychburris parade in Dumfries on Saturday.
A 21-year-old man suffered bruising to his face and a cut to his back in the attack in the Mill Green area at about 17:40.
Police said the incident involved two groups of youths, and two other people suffered minor injuries.
A statement said that a "large number" of people had been involved in the fracas.
Det Con Paul Steele said: "The town was very busy around this time with the Guid Nychburris celebrations in full swing.
"We want to hear from anyone who may have witnessed what was a serious disturbance on the Mill Green at this time involving up to eight to 10 youths, all of whom appeared to be in their mid-teens and were wearing casual sports type clothing."
Anyone with information has been asked to contact police. | A man has been seriously injured when violence flared during a town's annual summer celebrations. |
40,285,953 | It had been due to take place on Monday, but was delayed by Theresa May's efforts to strike a deal with the DUP to back her minority government.
The Queen will "dress down" to read the speech in a break with tradition.
It is expected to be a slimmed down programme after the PM lost her majority in the general election.
It is not yet clear whether EU withdrawal talks, which had been due to start on Monday, will also now go ahead on Wednesday, although Brexit Secretary David Davis has said they will start "next week".
In a statement, Mrs Leadsom said: "The government has agreed with Buckingham Palace that the State Opening of Parliament will take place on 21 June 2017."
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is planning to set out his party's own programme for government in a substantial amendment to the Queen's Speech, and will urge all other parties to back it in an attempt to topple Mrs May and form a minority Labour administration.
But the Conservatives are confident they can agree a deal with the Democratic Unionists, who have 10 MPs, that will allow them to get their programme through.
A senior Conservative source told BBC News: "The PM saw the Queen yesterday (Wednesday) and agreed the timing of the speech.
"Talks are progressing well and the two parties are in broad agreement on the principles of the Queen's Speech.
"Both parties are committed to the Union, Brexit, combating terrorism and prosperity across the UK. While talks are progressing it's important the government gets on with its business. We are confident there will be sufficient support for passing the Queen's Speech."
Buckingham Palace has said this year's state opening and Queen's Speech will take place with "reduced ceremonial elements".
Her Majesty will not wear her Imperial State Crown or robes and will travel to the Houses of Parliament by car rather than horse-drawn carriage. The traditional Royal procession will also be scaled back and the annual service of the Order of the Garter has been cancelled for the first time since 1984.
Buckingham Palace said the changes had been made because of the proximity of the State Opening of Parliament to the Queen's Birthday and Trooping the Colour parade on Saturday.
Her Majesty is expected to attend day two of the Royal Ascot race meeting on Wednesday after the State Opening earlier in the day.
Talks are continuing between the DUP and Conservatives on the details of a deal, which could see the Northern Irish party supporting the Tories on the Queen's Speech and the Budget but deciding on other issues on a vote-by-vote basis.
Mrs May is holding talks on Thursday with other Northern Ireland political parties amid concerns a DUP deal will undermine the peace process.
The prime minister was meeting separately with representatives of Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionists, the SDLP and the Alliance Party, as well as the DUP, in Downing Street.
DUP leader Arlene Foster, who met Mrs May in No 10 on Tuesday, is understood to have returned to Northern Ireland leaving her deputy Nigel Dodds to represent the party at Thursday's meeting.
The 1998 Good Friday Agreement commits the UK and Irish governments to demonstrate "rigorous impartiality" in their dealings with the different political traditions in Northern Ireland.
Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill said: "I will be making it very clear that any deal between the Tories and the DUP cannot be allowed to undermine the Good Friday and subsequent agreements."
Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire insisted the government would honour its commitments in the Good Friday Agreement and warned that time was running out if power sharing was to be restored and a return to direct rule from Westminster avoided.
"An agreement to restore devolved power-sharing government in Stormont must be reached by the 29 June deadline," he said. | The State Opening of Parliament and Queen's Speech will take place next Wednesday, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom has announced. |
19,510,289 | Craig William Dearie, 24, from Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, was found dead in a tent at Global Gathering on 28 July.
A verdict into his death ruled he died of natural causes due to Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome (SADS), said Warwickshire Coroners' Office.
Up to 40,000 people are thought to have attended the event at Long Marston airfield near Stratford-upon-Avon.
The SADS Foundation website describes the condition as "heart rhythm abnormalities that can cause sudden death in young, apparently healthy people who are undiagnosed". | A man died of undiagnosed heart condition at a dance music festival in Warwickshire, an inquest heard. |
35,985,205 | The temporary closure of the Carlisle site hit supplies of McVitie's ginger nuts, Crawford's custard creams and Carr's water biscuits, among others.
United Biscuits said there had been "substantial flood damage" to electrical equipment and ovens.
Manufacturing director Mark Taylor said customers had written to ask when the biscuits would be back on shelves.
How have we coped without biscuits?
A number of shoppers "rather than buy another pack, they actually hunted down the store manager, harangued him for 10 minutes about why ginger nuts weren't there and left the shop without buying anything", he said.
Storms Desmond and Eva caused widespread damage in Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Nearly 40 million litres of water and 540 tonnes of debris had to be cleared before normal production at the Carlisle site could resume, the company said.
Hundreds of staff, suppliers and contractors worked to get the lines running.
"It was a fantastic team effort to clean the place up, repair it and get it back in great shape," Mr Taylor said.
"We can announce officially the biscuit crisis is over."
The factory employs 640 people and produces 80,000 tonnes of biscuits a year. | Full production has resumed at a factory which flooded in December, leading to a national biscuit shortage. |
39,143,440 | The 1-in-50 scale miniature was created to test planned improvements to the beach and sea defences.
Specialists HR Wallingford built it at the company's research centre in Oxfordshire.
Tom Rigden, of the firm, said: "Computer models are improving all the time, but there's still no substitute for a physical model."
Conwy council, which commissioned the model, wants to extend the sandy beach from the centre of Colwyn Bay around to Rhos-on-Sea.
However, it needs to test how much sand is needed and how long it will stay in place before the waves wash it away.
Benji Poulton, the council's project manager, said: "Bringing in the sand is a very expensive operation, so we need to be sure that when we did bring in the sand, it will stay in the area where we put it.
"Having a model built will test the theories for a fraction of the price and give us the chance to optimise our design before we go ahead."
In 2013, the council brought half a million tonnes of sand to the beach, close to Colwyn Bay town centre.
The results of this experiment will help it to do similar work with a new section of seafront and to improve the beach and the sea defences around to Rhos-on-Sea.
The model includes wave-making machines, a replica coastline and even a miniature version of Rhos-on-Sea breakwater and slipway.
Mr Rigden, of HR Wallingford, said: "It's a 1-in-50 scale model - that means one metre in our model is equivalent to 50 metres in the real world.
"The coast is extremely complicated. The physical processes with waves, sea bed and sea shore are complex, and the forces involved are immense.
"The best way to get an idea of what is happening is to build this scale model, which allows us to test all the forces, all the processes in one go." | Scientists have built a scale model replica of Colwyn Bay seafront, hundreds of miles from the sea. |
32,950,406 | Officers have also targeted but not fire Tasers at 13-year-olds, Freedom of Information statistics requested by the Greater London Authority (GLA) Conservatives show.
The Tories said officers should use cameras connected to their Tasers to protect "the most vulnerable".
The Met said recent figures had showed a reduction in the use of Tasers.
Andrew Boff, leader of the GLA Conservatives, has called for officers to start using new body-worn cameras on their uniforms that are designed to activate automatically when the Taser is taken from its holster.
The Los Angeles Police Department already use cameras to record Taser incidents and the Met Police are currently trialling body cameras across 10 London boroughs, but they a not activated when Tasers are used.
Mr Boff said Tasers were "an important tool in public safety," but without context their use on the elderly or children was "questionable."
He said: "Body-worn cameras triggered by the use of the Taser would capture the events leading to a needed intervention.
"They have been shown to increase accountability whilst reducing complaints, protecting both police officers and the most vulnerable in society."
Tasers fire two darts with a five-second, 50,000-volt charge, which can temporarily disable its target.
The Met's website states the devices have been used by specially trained officers as an additional option to manage situations where violence is threatened or likely from a safe distance.
The Freedom of Information data obtained by Mr Boff showed in 2013 and 2014, Tasers were:
In 2013 and 2014, the Met used Tasers in 4,105 incidents, including firing them 503 times, according to figures.
The Met said the most recent Home Office figures showed there had been a reduction of 11.7% in the use of them.
The figures from October 2014 said Tasers had been fired 992 times from January to June 2014, compared to 1124 times from July to December 2013.
A Met Police spokesman added: "The MPS currently has in the region of 1,000 body-worn video cameras deployed as part of a year-long pilot. This is thought to be the world's largest trial." | Tasers have been fired at 14-year-olds and aimed at elderly people over 80 by Met Police officers, figures show. |
40,785,845 | Forest made 11 changes to the side that beat Millwall 1-0 in their Championship opener on Friday, but were still full of experience and led through Mustapha Carayol's penalty.
Cummings ran onto a Carayol pass to make it 2-0 after the break.
Shaun Whalley's penalty gave the Shrews hope but Forest held on to progress.
Carayol's cool spot-kick, after he was felled by Abu Ogogo, and a well-struck near-post shot by Scottish striker Cummings looked like ensuring a relatively smooth home win on a miserable, rain-soaked night at the City Ground.
But despite Whalley scoring after Niall Ennis was bundled over in the box by Matt Mills, Forest managed to survive a nervy final 10 minutes which saw Dimitar Evtimov make a fine injury-time save from Alex Rodman's close-range effort.
Match ends, Nottingham Forest 2, Shrewsbury Town 1.
Second Half ends, Nottingham Forest 2, Shrewsbury Town 1.
Attempt saved. Alex Rodman (Shrewsbury Town) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Foul by Andreas Bouchalakis (Nottingham Forest).
Alex Rodman (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Tendayi Darikwa.
Attempt saved. Jason Cummings (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Tendayi Darikwa (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Alex Rodman (Shrewsbury Town).
Attempt missed. Chris Cohen (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Ben Osborn.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Ben Osborn.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Matt Mills.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Lenell John-Lewis replaces Niall Ennis.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Louis Dodds replaces Ebou Adams.
Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Niall Ennis (Shrewsbury Town).
Corner, Nottingham Forest. Conceded by Ebou Adams.
Goal! Nottingham Forest 2, Shrewsbury Town 1. Shaun Whalley (Shrewsbury Town) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the centre of the goal.
Penalty conceded by Matt Mills (Nottingham Forest) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Shrewsbury Town. Niall Ennis draws a foul in the penalty area.
Goal! Nottingham Forest 2, Shrewsbury Town 0. Jason Cummings (Nottingham Forest) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Chris Cohen following a fast break.
Ben Osborn (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ebou Adams (Shrewsbury Town).
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Tyler Walker replaces Apostolos Vellios.
Attempt blocked. Jason Cummings (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Tendayi Darikwa (Nottingham Forest) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Foul by Chris Cohen (Nottingham Forest).
James Bolton (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Andreas Bouchalakis (Nottingham Forest) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ebou Adams (Shrewsbury Town).
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Shaun Whalley replaces Arthur Gnahoua.
Jason Cummings (Nottingham Forest) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Jason Cummings (Nottingham Forest).
Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Tendayi Darikwa replaces Daniel Fox.
Substitution, Nottingham Forest. Ben Osborn replaces Kieran Dowell.
Foul by Matt Mills (Nottingham Forest).
Alex Rodman (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Chris Cohen. | Jason Cummings scored on his debut as Nottingham Forest edged into the second round of the EFL Cup with victory over League One side Shrewsbury Town. |
30,805,322 | Charlotte Christodoulou from Walsall, West Midlands, was discovered in the in the grounds of Harlescott Junior school on 4 January.
Her grandfather Pete said the "fun-loving" 23-year-old was a "precious part" of the family.
West Mercia Police said they were no longer treating her death as murder.
An initial post-mortem examination proved inconclusive and further tests are being carried out.
Three people arrested on suspicion of obstructing a coroner have been released on police bail until 6 March. | The family of a woman found dead at a school in Shrewsbury have paid tribute to "a wonderful mother, daughter, sister, niece and granddaughter". |
38,219,215 | Michael John Dix, 27, died in a crash on the A4074 near Ipsden at about 00:00 GMT on 29 November.
His family said he was "a man who will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him".
An 18-year-old Wallingford man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death dangerous driving and drink driving.
A family statement said: "Mike was a devoted and loving husband to Steph, doting father to their beautiful son Tommy aged three, and a loving son and brother.
"Mike, born in Swindon and raised in Marlborough and Didcot, was known to many of his friends as 'Ped-boy' due to his love of mopeds, which he customised in his own unique style.
"All of his family are struggling to come to terms with the sudden and far too early loss of a man who will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
"Mike, we may no longer be able to hug and hold you, however nothing can extinguish your bright star shining down upon us. The love we all have for you will always remain in our hearts."
Police said an orange Scania HGV, a silver Vauxhall Corsa and a Yamaha motorcycle were involved in the crash. | The family of a motorbike rider killed in a crash have paid tribute to a "doting father" and "loving son and brother". |
39,552,641 | The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has agreed to approve the treatment, which is known as Prep.
Scientists have found that a daily dose of the drug can protect people at risk of contracting the virus.
It means Scotland will become the first place in the UK to routinely offer Prep to eligible patients.
Campaigners welcomed the SMC's decision, describing it as a "bold step" which could lead to a reduction in the spread of the virus.
They estimate that up to 1,900 people north of the border could benefit from the drug, which has the brand name Truvada and costs about £450 a month.
The anti-retroviral drug is already licensed for use by people diagnosed with HIV in Scotland.
However, the SMC's decision relates to its use on a preventative basis by people who do not have the virus.
The group said Prep was one aspect of a wider HIV prevention strategy and it should be used in combination with safe sex practices such as using condoms.
SMC chairman Dr Alan MacDonald said: "[Prep] when used together with safer sex practices may help to reduce the spread of HIV, which is an ongoing priority for the Scottish government."
It was one of series of drugs approved by the body, including Kadcyla, which is used to treat aggressive and advanced types of breast cancer.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or Prep for short) is a small, blue pill.
The pill works by protecting cells in the body and disabling the virus to stop it multiplying - should it enter the body.
Taking it once a day has been found to reduce the risk of HIV infection by 86%.
It is currently used in the US, Canada, Australia and France to help protect gay men at the highest risk of contracting HIV.
The decision on Prep was welcomed by a group of charities, including HIV Scotland and the Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland, which had campaigned as The Prep4Scotland Coalition.
In a statement, they said: "We applaud the SMC for taking this bold step to tackling HIV in Scotland.
"Prep provides opportunities to reinvigorate how people at higher risk of HIV exposure engage with testing and prevention opportunities, and it is a vital opportunity to make a real reduction in the number of new HIV transmissions.
"All NHS Boards in Scotland need to now follow the SMC's advice and ensure they're making Prep available to those who need it, so that no-one at risk is left behind."
Robert McKay, the national director for the Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland, said the move could save the health service thousands of pounds.
"Today, Scotland has made history in the fight against the HIV epidemic," he said.
"Prep can now be used as a vital tool - alongside condom use, regular testing and early treatment - to help bring an end to HIV transmission in Scotland.
"Not only will this make a life-changing difference to individuals by protecting them from a lifelong and stigmatised condition, but for every person who would have become HIV positive without Prep, NHS Scotland will save £360,000 in lifetime treatment costs."
Earlier, HIV Scotland's chief executive George Valiotis said that there was a growing demand for the treatment in Scotland.
He estimated that "a couple of dozen" Scots are already using variants of the drug after buying generic versions online.
Watty Gaffney is one of about "a couple of dozen" people in Scotland already thought to be buying generic versions of Prep online.
"I started taking it at the turn of the year. I'd been thinking about it for some time. I'd been reading up on Prep and what that means for people.
"It is essentially a preventative treatment for HIV. It seemed the natural way to move forward.
"You come into contact with people throughout your life. You don't know their history. You want to protect yourself and it seemed like the appropriate thing to do."
HIV Scotland believes the use of Prep has played a part in reducing the number of HIV infections in Scotland.
The latest figures from Health Protection Scotland show 285 new cases of HIV were reported in 2016, down from an annual average of 359 over the last five years.
The manufacturer of Truvada, Gilead, applied to the SMC after they were urged to do so by the Scottish government last year.
It followed a series of legal battles in England over whether the NHS or local authorities should pay for the medication.
The Court of Appeal eventually ruled that NHS England had the power to fund the drug,
The decision did not mean that NHS England had to fund Prep but in December it announced plans for a large scale clinical trial of the drug, expected to involve 10,000 participants over three years. | A "game-changing" drug which dramatically reduces the chances of being infected with HIV is to be made available on the NHS in Scotland. |
35,091,675 | They appear to have been killed by a missile fired by Houthi rebels at troops from the Saudi-led coalition seeking to restore Yemen's government.
Rebel and government sources said the attack, in the province of Taiz, left dozens of coalition troops dead.
The incident comes ahead of UN-brokered peace talks in Switzerland on Tuesday.
The government says a seven-day ceasefire will begin at midnight (21:00 GMT) to coincide with the talks.
The Saudi state news agency quoted a coalition statement as saying Saudi Col Abdullah al-Sahyan and Emirati officer Sultan al-Ketbi were killed early on Monday while "carrying out their duties in following up the progress of operations of liberating" Taiz province.
Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV said Col Sahyan was the head of Saudi special forces there.
The coalition provided no details about how the two officers died, but local media and Yemeni sources said they were killed in a rocket or missile strike south-west of the contested city of Taiz.
A pro-government military source told the Reuters news agency that the rocket hit at a camp housing Yemeni, Sudanese, Emirati and Saudi troops in the Dhubab area, near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab strait through the Red Sea, and that "tens were killed".
The pro-Houthi Saba news agency cited a rebel statement as saying they had fired a Soviet-era Tochka missile at a "command centre run by the enemy". The attack caused "many losses in lives and military equipment", including Apache helicopters, the statement added.
If confirmed, the attack would be the deadliest on the coalition since 45 Emirati troops were killed when a Tochka missile hit a base in Marib province, east of the capital, Sanaa, in September.
At least 5,700 people, almost half of them civilians, have been killed in air strikes and fighting on the ground since the Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign in March after the Houthis seized Sanaa and advanced towards the second city of Aden.
The already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen has also deteriorated severely, with more than 21 million people - four-fifths of the population - now requiring aid.
Since March, coalition and pro-government forces have retaken Aden and the city of Marib, but have failed to drive the rebels out of the third city of Taiz. | A Saudi military commander and an Emirati officer are reported to be among a number of Gulf, Yemeni and Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen. |
34,373,237 | Two women, aged 18 and 16, and a 20-year-old male were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth man, also 20, died later of head injuries in hospital.
The crash, on the A6201 between Upton and Hemsworth at 00:30 BST, involved a bronze-coloured Nissan.
Two men, aged 21 and 22, who were in the car and were held on suspicion of dangerous driving remain in custody.
West Yorkshire Police said it was believed the Nissan had been travelling towards Hemsworth when it struck the rear of the quad bike.
Det Ch Insp Richard Holmes said: "Widespread investigations are continuing into what is a significant incident on the district's roads, which has now tragically resulted in the loss of four lives.
"Painstaking investigative work is continuing at the scene and the road itself will not be re-opened until tomorrow."
He said the victims were all from the local area.
"Their families are currently being supported by specially-trained officers and we are not in a position to release any further details of those who have lost their lives at this time," he said.
Farmer Ben Kidson, who lives near the site of the crash, said he had heard loud cars late on Saturday evening.
"From about 11, for a good hour, I could hear cars some racing up and down the road.
"You do hear it now and again at weekends but it seemed to be a lot louder last night.
"It just seemed different and it continued until about 12:30 when I heard the police helicopter."
Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
Mr Holmes said they were also keen to speak to anyone who saw an unregistered quad bike being ridden around the Hemsworth area on Saturday evening.
"Similarly I would appeal for any witnesses who saw a bronze-coloured Nissan 350Z driven in the Hemsworth area on the evening of 26 September and up to 00.30 on the 27 September to come forward," he said. | Four people have died after the quad bike they were on was in collision with a car near Wakefield. |
36,784,684 | The Slovakia captain, 31, played 319 games for the Anfield club since signing in 2008 and completed a medical with Fenerbahce on Wednesday.
Skrtel apologised recently after appearing to support an insult of manager Jurgen Klopp on social media.
Another player likely to leave Anfield is striker Mario Balotelli, who Klopp has told to find a new club. | Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel has completed his move to Turkish side Fenerbahce for a reported £5m. |
36,795,446 | BBC Sport has learned Infantino will meet Robert Torres, a member of the investigatory chamber of the Fifa ethics committee.
The interview in Zurich - possibly as early as Friday - is part of a preliminary probe.
If there is sufficient evidence then a full investigation could be opened.
Under such circumstances Infantino could be suspended from his role for up to 90 days.
The allegations relate to a possible conflict of interest when using private jets laid on by a World Cup-bidding country; that he filled senior posts without checking people's eligibility for the role; and billing Fifa for mattresses, flowers, an exercise machine and personal laundry.
A Fifa spokesperson told BBC Sport: "The Fifa president has stated publicly he fully respects the independence and work of the ethics committee and that he would provide, if required, whatever information necessary to facilitate any potential review by the committee.
"The president has made clear that he has acted appropriately and in accordance with Fifa's code of ethics."
Infantino is said to be "very confident" that no further action will be taken with sources close to the former Uefa secretary general describing the allegations as "absurd" and "baseless".
External legal counsel is said to have been hired by Fifa to provide an independent assessment of the claims against Infantino. It is believed to have concluded he has no case to answer.
The same sources have described the allegations as part of a "vendetta" against Infantino by unnamed people who have recently left Fifa. Documents, it is claimed, have been deliberately leaked in order to destabilise the man elected to the top job in world football in February.
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Fifa has been hit by a spate of high profile departures in recent months.
Domenico Scala resigned as Fifa's head audit and compliance in May while the governing body's one time finance director and acting secretary general, Markus Kattner, was sacked that same month amid allegations of financial impropriety.
Kattner was fired after the discovery of a secret bonus scheme which paid him millions of dollars over a period of years.
A number of other employees have left, or are expected to leave, following a major restructuring within Fifa's Zurich headquarters.
A further 18 potential witnesses are understood to have been questioned as part of the preliminary probe into Infantino.
Torres is said to be leading the investigation given that the chairman of the ethics investigatory chamber, Cornel Borbely, and Infantino are both Swiss nationals.
The interview by investigators follows the leaking, to German media, of an internal Fifa memo.
Infantino was alleged by an unnamed Fifa insider to have used private jets during a trip to visit the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts Russia and Qatar, raising questions of a potential conflict of interest.
Fifa organised the flight to Moscow but an airline transfer to Doha was not available following a late change in the schedule by his Russian hosts.
Infantino and his staff then travelled by private jet, arranged by the Russians. The Gulf state in turn organised the return trip to Switzerland.
There have also been reports in Swiss and German media that Infantino, after attending the Champions League Final in Milan in May, flew on to Rome for an audience with the Pope. He then returned to Geneva.
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But sources say that flight will be argued not to be a breach of Fifa's code of ethics given it was a private arrangement with a family friend who is unconnected to football.
The leaked internal document also alleges that Infantino demanded Fifa hire an external driver, who then billed the governing body for driving Infantino's family and advisors around while he was abroad.
It also details costs authorised by Infantino of:
•£8,795 for mattresses at his home
•£6,829 on a stepper exercise machine
•£1,086 for a tuxedo
•£677 on flowers
•£132 on personal laundry
It also makes reference to how many of the candidates chosen by Infantino to fill senior posts had not passed the relevant eligibility checks, including the new Fifa secretary general, Fatma Samoura.
But Infantino believes the case will be dismissed given the relevant facts.
For example, it's understood Infantino wanted a bed removed from an office space previously occupied by Sepp Blatter. The former Fifa president is understood to have been partial to an afternoon nap on occasion.
In its place Infantino asked for a step machine, with an expectation one would be brought in from Fifa's on-site gymnasium.
Instead, officials purchased a new one with the resultant invoice being used by Infantino's enemies, according to sources, to damage him.
The Swiss-Italian is also under pressure for failing to sign an employment contract, with reports of a dispute between him and Scala, who helped set pay levels, over his salary.
A spokesman for Fifa's investigatory chamber declined to comment "on possible preliminary investigations."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Fifa president Gianni Infantino is to be interviewed by ethics investigators following allegations he breached the governing body's code of ethics. |
38,484,402 | The 21-year-old has been an ever-present in the Saddlers side this season, scoring twice in 30 games.
The right-back, whose only Premier League appearance came two years ago, spent most of last season on loan at Wycombe Wanderers in League Two.
"He really believes in what we're doing for him and it's been great watching him develop," boss Jon Whitney said.
"He's shown trust in me, like I've shown trust in him, and he feels he will continue to develop as a player and a person with another spell at Walsall," the Saddlers boss added to the club website.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Southampton's Jason McCarthy has extended his loan spell at League One Walsall until the end of the season. |
30,183,266 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Leigh Halfpenny kicked all of Wales' points, converting four of his five penalty kicks before going off injured.
South Africa were limited to two Pat Lambie penalties as Wales largely contained the Springboks attacking threat.
The tourists had a late five-metre scrum but the Wales pack disrupted the set-piece to seal a famous win.
Perhaps of more concern, however, was the injury to captain Jean de Villiers, who was carried off having dislocated his kneecap.
Much of the build-up to the match featured Wales coach Warren Gatland fielding questions about whether he was under pressure because of losses this series to Australia and New Zealand, taking his record to just one win in 27 matches against the southern hemisphere big three.
This win, to add to Wales' previous victory over South Africa in 1999 - also at the Millennium Stadium - provided a perfect riposte and kick-starts their build-up to next year's World Cup in England.
Opposite number Heyneke Meyer had not been under quite the same scrutiny, although their 29-15 defeat by Ireland in their opening tour game had raised some questions that were answered in subsequent wins over England and Italy.
Both sides were missing players because of injuries and recalls to clubs, as this match took place outside World Rugby's official international window.
With George North concussed, Liam Williams stepped into the vacant Wales wing slot, given the opportunity to redeem himself after conceding the last-gasp penalty try that denied them victory in June's second Test in Nelspruit.
Gatland had also suffered a run of injuries among his loose-head props, while Paul James had to depart back to Bath, but he could still call on British and Irish Lion Gethin Jenkins to fill the number one shirt.
Hooker Richard Hibbard had also been recalled to Gloucester, while South Africa had to change their entire back three with wing Bryan Habana and full-back Johan Goosen returning to France and JP Pietersen departing for Japan.
Wales full-back Halfpenny and Springboks fly-half Lambie exchanged early penalties, with Halfpenny unfortunate to hit the outside of the post with a later effort.
Space for the backs to work in was at a premium in a hotly contested first half, with both sides up quickly with some typically fierce defence.
Wales' best moments came from chips ahead to turn the Springboks, the tactic enjoying particular success down the left wing.
Twice Williams came close to collecting the bouncing ball to plunge over the try line, but each time Lwazi Mvovo was there a split-second before, covering across to snuff out the danger.
South Africa almost broke the deadlock when Eben Etzebeth surged through the midfield, but he knocked on as the lock was scythed down by Halfpenny's thumping tackle on the 22-yard line.
Lambie missed a long-range penalty that would have sent the Boks into the changing rooms with a narrow half-time lead, leaving the match delicately poised at the halfway stage.
Halfpenny and Lambie again exchanged early penalties after the restart, with the Springbok stand-off showing his range by slotting from the halfway line.
Wales enjoyed the best period of the game after that, keeping the ball in hand to pressurise the visitors into conceding two more penalties that Halfpenny converted.
Through all of this, the Wales half-back partnership of Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar shone, using possession wisely and keeping a level of control that South Africa found hard to wrest away.
Meyer used his bench early, making four changes including putting Handre Pollard on at fly-half in place of Lambie.
But the Springboks coach was forced into another change soon when captain De Villiers was carried off, replaced by Damian de Allende.
South Africa suffered a further blow when Cornal Hendricks was sin-binned for taking out Halfpenny in the air.
The Wales 15 was clearly shaken by the collision and left the field soon after, with Scott Williams coming on and Liam Williams switching to his preferred full-back position.
Spurred on by their man advantage, Wales laid siege to the Springboks line but met furious resistance as first Jamie Roberts and then Scott Baldwin were stopped just short.
In the closing minutes, South Africa earned a five-metre scrum that threatened to undo all Wales' hard work and deliver another gut-wrenching late loss to a southern hemisphere side.
But the Wales pack rose to the challenge, making a mess of South Africa's platform and allowing the ball to be cleared upfield.
Wales kept their heads and kept the Springboks at bay for the final few moments to seal a well-deserved, and long overdue, win.
Wales: Halfpenny (Scott Williams 67), Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Roberts, Liam Williams, Biggar, Webb, Jenkins, Baldwin, Lee, Ball, Alun Wyn Jones, Lydiate, Warburton, Faletau.
Replacements (not used): Emyr Phillips, Jarvis, Rhodri Jones, Charteris, King, Mike Phillips, Priestland.
South Africa: Le Roux, Hendricks, Serfontein, De Villiers, Mvovo, Lambie (Hougaard 58), Reinach, Mtawarira (Nyakane 54), Bismarck du Plessis (Strauss 58), Oosthuizen (Redelinghuys 70), Etzebeth (De Jager 69), Matfield, Coetzee, Mohoje (Carr 54), Vermeulen.
Replacements (not used): Pollard, De Allende.
Att: 58,235
Ref: John Lacey (Ireland). | Wales claimed only their second ever win over South Africa with a display of guts and cool control in Cardiff. |
30,986,714 | Norman was on loan to Allen Smith, 65, when he took flight from his workplace in Flitwick on 9 January.
The bird, who boasts a 6ft (1.8m) wingspan, was found at midday on Monday on an industrial estate in Barton-le-Clay.
Mr Smith, who caught him using a dead wild rabbit as bait, said he was "over the moon".
The handler said when Norman grabbed hold of the meat he managed to get hold of the straps that were still on his feet and put him in his car.
"He is now sat in the back of the car as if nothing has happened," he said.
"The help [finding him] has been fabulous and the response fantastic."
Norman had evaded capture despite numerous sightings in the past two weeks.
After making his escape, the bird, who stands roughly 3ft (0.9m) tall, was spotted in Stewartby, about five miles from Flitwick and Lidlington, before being seen roosting in a tree at Center Parcs, near Flitwick, on 16 January.
Mr Smith walked around the site but did not see him.
Two days later, the bird was spotted in a Flitton garden, where the handler got within 50 yards of the bird before "he flew off". | A golden eagle that escaped from a Bedfordshire falconer more than two weeks ago has been captured. |
31,068,721 | It happened shortly before 20:00 GMT at Finn House flats in the New Lodge area.
He was taken to hospital but police said his injuries are "not believed to be life-threatening at this time".
Insp James Murphy appealed to anyone who saw suspicious activity in the New Lodge area to contact detectives on the non-emergency number 101. | A man has been shot in both legs in what police described as a paramilitary-style attack in north Belfast. |
34,174,797 | Fran D'Alcorn, of the independent St Felix School, in Southwold, Suffolk, suggested the sector as a whole could provide places for a thousand children.
The UK will accept up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years.
And Miss D'Alcorn said the orphans among them would put pressure on local authorities, children's homes and fostering services.
Boarding schools could offer them pastoral support as well as a good education, she said.
In World War One, St Felix had helped children from Serbia, she said. In the 1930s, it had taken in refugees from the Kindertransport, which brought children from Nazi Germany. And in the late 1970s, the school had taken in children of the so-called Vietnamese boat people.
Boarding Schools' Association national director Robin Fletcher said: "We know educating the next generation is key to the future success of any country, not least a war-torn country such as Syria.
"Our boarding communities can provide a safe haven in which the refugees can have access to a strong network of pastoral support and structure including counsellors while continuing their education." | A boarding school head offering two free places to orphaned Syrian refugees is urging others to do the same. |
17,690,978 | He beat 34,000 applicants to secure the position, which came with a A$150,000 salary and a luxury villa on Hamilton Island, in Queensland.
Mr Southall took up the role accompanied by his then girlfriend and spent the next six months travelling around and promoting the area.
Nearly three years later what is he up to now?
When the charity fund-raiser, from Petersfield, in Hampshire, headed out to the Whitsunday Islands he was already a seasoned traveller who had completed solo expeditions around Africa.
Mr Southall flew to Australia to take up an unusual job sampling the tourism attractions dotted around the Great Barrier Reef.
Part of his role involved updating a blog with photos, videos and diary entries documenting his experiences to help promote the area as a tourist destination worldwide.
But the job itself was not what he first imagined it would be.
"At the time I saw the advert I thought it would be like living on a desert island like Tom Hanks in Castaway," he said.
"It became bigger the further it went on. It was after I won when I did a 10-minute slot on the Oprah Winfrey show which was broadcast in 140 countries that I thought 'This is pretty big now'."
The work led to long hours as Mr Southall, who is now 37, tried to visit as much of the region as he could.
He said: "I put in a lot of work, it should have been entitled 'the busiest job in the world'.
"Every day was a different experience: jet skiing, staying in five-star resorts, diving - and then writing about it.
"I self-imposed too much on myself because I've got a strong work ethic.
"There are 150,000 people working in tourism in Queensland so the pressure was quite high because of the responsibility I felt for them."
The job was also not without its risks - not least when Mr Southall was stung by a Irukandji jellyfish, whose venomous sting can be lethal.
But despite the pressures and the brush with one of Australia's deadly creatures, overall his experience was positive.
And while many claimed the job was a
PR stunt
Mr Southall took the role seriously, evidently impressing his employers who he now works for as a "tourism ambassador".
The role sees him promoting the entire state instead of just the area around the Great Barrier Reef.
He said: "It means I'm travelling more around the state of Queensland, into the outback, the rainforest and down to the Gold Coast.
"I'm a roving reporter, I produce and shoot video content and run a blog."
He has also done a six-part series with National Geographic and was involved in an Australian children's show called Totally Wild.
But he had not undertaken a large-scale expedition since his time in Africa and was missing the challenge of a bigger project so in May 2011 he set off on "the best expedition in the world".
The adventurer paddled, pedalled and sailed 1,600km over four months in a "Hobie" kayak from the town of 1770 to Cooktown along the Great Barrier Reef - retracing the route Captain James Cook took more than 240 years ago.
"I wanted to show people the Great Barrier Reef is alive and well - people think it has died off," he added.
The expedition has kept his wanderlust alive and he would like to go on further adventures around Asia.
But unlike his solo travels around Africa he is unlikely to undertake his next trip alone as later this year he will get married.
He said: "I came out here in a relationship, that finished a couple of years ago.
"I was over here by myself then 18 months ago I was at a tourism event and I met Sophee."
The two became engaged and in November the pair will head to Hamilton Island, Mr Southall's first home in Australia, for their wedding.
Looking back on the past three years he said: "I didn't expect to stay out here. I've always travelled and had wanderlust. This is the longest time I've stayed in one place.
"Four years ago I was travelling around Africa in a Land Rover. Now I live in Brisbane which is a city, not a very big city but I'd never done city living before."
He said he thought that if he had not won the competition he would have carried on splitting his time between working in the UK and travelling to hard-to-reach places.
"The job has allowed me to have adventures and keep exploring, write about it and learn new skills like filming, editing, presenting, public speaking and TV work," he said.
"They're great things to have done and if it wasn't for the competition I don't think I'd have done them." | In 2009 Ben Southall landed "the best job in the world" as caretaker of an Australian tropical island. |
21,630,150 | Seventy people a year are killed, and hundreds of thousands are injured, as a result of fires in cookers, fridges and tumble driers.
The Electrical Safety Council(ESC) said manufacturers need to do more to trace their customers if they need to warn them about safety issues.
It said the current guidelines are not good enough.
Last December Catherine Paterson, from Middlesbrough, had a fire that destroyed her garage.
The fire started in her tumble drier, which was only four months old.
She later found out after searching on the internet that the model she was using had a problem and had been recalled by the manufacturer.
"About ten minutes after the drier was switched on we got a call from the neighbour, who told us the garage was on fire," she told the BBC.
The fire was so fierce that it destroyed the garage in fifteen minutes, and caused £10,000 worth of damage.
"They knew the product was faulty since the end of November but no one got in touch," said Catherine.
It was beginning of February when someone got in touch to let us know that there was something wrong."
That was two months after the fire.
According to Trading Standards, the manufacturer of the tumble drier that Catherine owned did everything it could to tell people that the product was faulty.
That included putting notices in the media and online.
But Steven Curtler, product safety manager at the Electrical Safety Council (ESC), said Catherine's case highlights how current guidelines for manufacturers are not good enough. He is now calling for changes need to be made to industry procedures to ensure peoples' safety.
"One area we believe there could be significant improvement is in the traceability of products," he said.
The ESC wants more information about consumers to be taken at the point they buy the appliance.
"The more information you have about the person who has purchased that product the easier it will be to provide critical information about the safety of the product," he added.
According to figures from the ESC, on average 70 people die and 350,000 people are seriously injured every year by household items like fridge freezers, gas cookers and washing machines.
In 2011 six members of the same family, a mother and her five children, were killed in north London, when a fridge freezer caught fire.
The London Fire Brigade told the BBC that fridge freezers are the most dangerous household appliance when involved in a fire.
The problem is at the back of the fridge where there is a large amount of foam insulation, which is highly flammable.
The London Fire Brigade warned that if people notice any strange noises coming from their fridge or freezer , they should call the manufacturer or an electrical repair expert immediately. | Safety experts have called for better standards, to protect consumers from faulty goods that can catch fire. |
35,055,586 | Michael "Mikey" Williamson and Martin Shaw, who were both 23 and living in Inverness, were found dead within days of each other in October.
Family and friends fear the young men took their own lives.
Mikeysline will offer support via text messages and will be staffed by volunteers.
Jamie-Lyn McBride, a friend of the two men, said: "There is not enough support in the north of Scotland for young people contemplating suicide, or just don't know how to cope with how they are feeling."
Michael Williamson's uncle, Ron Williamson, said one of the aims of the new service would be to make people know that they were not alone in struggling with their emotions, or troubles in their lives.
He said: "The people who think they are alone don't know that the person standing next to them in the supermarket queue, or the girl in the corner desk, or the guy in the pub cracking the jokes are also suffering.
"By getting this out there, people their own age can talk to them."
Mr Williamson was found dead only hours after returning from a night out to remember his friend Mr Shaw. The pair had a wide circle of friends.
Earlier this week, their families and friends gathered with others who had lost friends and relatives in Inverness city centre to remember them and to hold a pre-launch event of the new text service. | A new support service for young people dealing with suicidal thoughts or depression will be launched on Friday following the deaths of two friends. |
33,818,216 | Police said it followed an incident where a car was driven at a man between the Newpark and Wilderness roundabouts on Saturday.
It is understood a Renault Clio narrowly avoided hitting a 45-year-old.
The 18-year-old man has also been charged with a number of offences under the Road Traffic Act and is due to appear at Livingston Sheriff Court. | A teenager has been charged in connection with an attempted murder on the A71 in Livingston. |
40,932,009 | Tom Naylor put the Brewers in front in the first half after the hosts failed to clear a corner.
Burton doubled their lead with Ben Fox's glancing header after 70 minutes.
Lee Tomlin's cross from a free-kick crept in at the back post to halve Cardiff's deficit, but their late push for an equaliser was in vain.
Four league wins from four - including an opening victory at Burton - had put Cardiff top of the Championship table, and their manager Neil Warnock demonstrated where his priorities lay by making 10 changes from Saturday's triumph at Wolves.
Burton made seven changes of their own from Friday's league win over Birmingham, and it was one of the surviving four, Naylor, who gave them the lead with a calm, low finish after 26 minutes at Cardiff City Stadium.
The visitors were coasting to victory when Fox headed in their second and, although Tomlin's goal inspired a strong finish from Cardiff, Burton held on.
Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock said: "I'm disappointed but not heartbroken.
"It's a blessing that we've not picked up any injuries.
"At 1-0 I though about Mendez and Loic and at 2-0 I didn't want to put them on. Then we scored. But we had enough chances didn't we?
"I can't blame the ref for either of the goals but I think it was his first game at this level and I thought he was poor. It's a good job it wasn't a league match.
Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough said: "I thought it was a very good performance. The only thing we're disappointed with is we ended up hanging on at the end.
"The chances we had, we should have been maybe three goals ahead and then it wouldn't have mattered.
"It's a completely different team. Cardiff have rested 10 players and rightly so, when you're top of the league. I'm afraid that's of far greater importance than the cup."
Match ends, Cardiff City 1, Burton Albion 2.
Second Half ends, Cardiff City 1, Burton Albion 2.
Attempt missed. Loïc Damour (Cardiff City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Attempt blocked. Danny Ward (Cardiff City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Loïc Damour (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Ben Turner (Burton Albion).
Substitution, Burton Albion. Luke Murphy replaces Joe Sbarra.
Foul by Loïc Damour (Cardiff City).
Joe Sbarra (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Loïc Damour (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Damien McCrory (Burton Albion).
Attempt missed. Stuart O'Keefe (Cardiff City) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Stuart O'Keefe (Cardiff City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Corner, Cardiff City. Conceded by Tom Naylor.
Lee Tomlin (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Tom Flanagan (Burton Albion).
Attempt blocked. Anthony Pilkington (Cardiff City) header from the centre of the box is blocked.
Corner, Cardiff City. Conceded by Ben Turner.
Substitution, Cardiff City. Loïc Damour replaces Greg Halford.
Foul by Bruno Ecuele Manga (Cardiff City).
Lucas Akins (Burton Albion) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Cardiff City. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing replaces Matthew Kennedy.
Foul by Lee Tomlin (Cardiff City).
Tom Flanagan (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Burton Albion. Kyle McFadzean replaces Ben Fox.
Goal! Cardiff City 1, Burton Albion 2. Anthony Pilkington (Cardiff City) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Jazz Richards (Cardiff City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ben Fox (Burton Albion).
Substitution, Cardiff City. Anthony Pilkington replaces Omar Bogle.
Greg Halford (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Matthew Palmer (Burton Albion).
Attempt blocked. Matthew Kennedy (Cardiff City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Marvin Sordell (Burton Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Lee Tomlin (Cardiff City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Goal! Cardiff City 0, Burton Albion 2. Ben Fox (Burton Albion) header from very close range to the top right corner.
Jackson Irvine (Burton Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Lee Tomlin (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Jackson Irvine (Burton Albion).
Matthew Connolly (Cardiff City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Joe Sbarra (Burton Albion). | Burton inflicted the first defeat of the season on Championship leaders Cardiff City in an EFL Cup second-round tie between two much-changed teams. |
25,312,545 | Chelsea dominated the majority of the 90 minutes, though their goal was fortuitous, with Lee Cattermole poking the ball into his own goal.
The Blues seemed to be heading to the last four until a late Fabio Borini equaliser took the match to extra time.
From then on the Premier League strugglers were the better side with Ki Sung-Yueng's thumping winner deserved.
Extra time was a scenario Jose Mourinho would have dreaded as the Chelsea manager had already been lamenting his team's packed schedule, pointing out that league leaders Arsenal had a few days extra to prepare for Monday's Premier League fixture between the two sides.
But Chelsea, who wasted a number of opportunities in a match they dominated for long periods, only had themselves to blame for prolonging what had been a tedious match up until Borini's dramatic strike.
The tireless Black Cats frustrated a Chelsea side which was much changed from the one which beat Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday. But whatever personnel the Portuguese chooses, it continues to be the same story for a team which has too often been toothless this season.
Despite an array of attacking talents in the Chelsea squad, it seems Mourinho has no-one at his disposal with the ruthlessness to kill off a game, with the former Real Madrid man particularly critical of his strikers of late.
Mourinho began with Willian, Samuel Eto'o and Andre Schurrle leading the attack and when those three failed he brought on Demba Ba and Eden Hazard towards the end of the second half, but neither made an impression.
Sunderland will be bottom of the Premier League on Christmas Day regardless of their achievements in the League Cup.
But manager Gus Poyet regarded this quarter-final as an opportunity to galvanize his players for the club's fight for top-flight survival, and the Uruguayan will surely be heartened by his players' character and courage during what was a demanding 120 minutes.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Willian, who had the freedom to float around the pitch, was the away team's most potent player and had the best chance of the first half when he dragged his effort wide of the far post.
Mark Schwarzer was underemployed in the Chelsea goal. A penalty appeal for a Cesar Azpilicueta handball was all the sparse 20,000 crowd had to shout about until Borini rewrote the script.
Chelsea had far more zip in the second half, with Cattermole's own goal giving the visitors the boost they needed.
Goal decision system technology was used before deciding whether to allow the goal, and replays also showed that Cattermole, rather than Frank Lampard, had the final touch as both players slid goalwards in chase of Azpilicueta's fine cross.
The own goal was Sunderland's sixth of the season - an ever-increasing number which has already left manager Poyet cursing his players' positioning rather than bad luck.
It was all Chelsea as Eto'o, Schurrle and Ba went close to doubling the visitors lead, but the Londoners were not clinical enough and paid the price as Borini squeezed the ball home to force the match into extra time.
From then on the momentum was with Sunderland. The Italian scuffed a further two chances, while a brilliant one-handed save from Schwarzer prevented Ki's diving header from finding the net.
But the veteran Australian could do little to prevent the midfielder from securing a memorable victory. | Sunderland progressed to the semi-final of the Capital One Cup with a thrilling extra-time victory over Chelsea. |
40,853,378 | The Labour leader called for a dialogue in the country, where more than 120 people have died during months of anti-government protests.
He has been under pressure to condemn President Nicolas Maduro, after voicing support for him in the past.
Mr Maduro has been accused of behaving like the "dictator of an evil regime" by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
In the latest developments, Mr Maduro said a search was under way in Venezuela for 10 men who escaped with weapons after an attack on a military base.
Mr Corbyn has previously supported the Venezuelan government under both socialist president Hugo Chavez and his successor Mr Maduro.
As a backbencher he attended a 2013 vigil following the death of Mr Chavez, hailing him as an "inspiration to all of us fighting back against austerity and neo-liberal economics in Europe". He also shared a platform with Mr Maduro in 2006.
Speaking in Crawley, West Sussex, where he was attending a meeting of Labour Party members, Mr Corbyn said: "I'm very sad at the lives that have been lost in Venezuela. The people who have died, either those on the streets or security forces that have been attacked by people on the street - all of those lives are terrible for the loss of them.
"There has to be a dialogue and a process that respects the independence of the judiciary and respects the human rights of all."
Asked whether he condemned Mr Maduro's actions, Mr Corbyn said: "What I condemn is the violence that's been done by any side, by all sides, in all this.
"Violence is not going to solve the issue. The issues in Venezuela are partly structural because not enough has been done to diversify the economy away from oil - that has to be a priority for the future."
He added that "effective and serious attempts at reducing poverty in Venezuela" should be recognised.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight, Juan Andrés Mejía, founding member and national director of one of the main Venezuelan opposition parties, Popular Will, said: "What I would say to to Jeremy Corbyn is that he really has to know what's going on in our country to be able to make a statement.
"Violence has not been done by both sides. Violence has been promoted by the government."
Labour MP John Spellar, a member of a new Parliamentary group on Venezuela who has been a critic of Mr Corbyn, said: "We should be clearly on the side of Venezuelan freedom and should be calling for respect for the clear mandate of the freely elected national assembly and the freeing of all political prisoners.
"That should be the position of the Labour Party."
Former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott told the BBC Mr Corbyn did not "run away" from opinions he had previously expressed about Venezuela, adding that it was important to "reassess when there are new circumstances".
Rival parties criticised Mr Corbyn's response to questions about the country.
Conservative MP Henry Smith attacked his "failure to condemn Venezuela's strangulation of democracy and descent into chaotic poverty" while Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable added: "The leadership of the Labour Party must make it abundantly clear that they have ended their infatuation with the Venezuelan regime." | Jeremy Corbyn has said he is "very sad" at lives lost in Venezuela and condemned violence done "by any side". |
38,187,837 | PC Lisa Bates lost a finger, suffered a deep wound to her head, a fractured skull and a smashed ankle during the attack in Sheffield in April.
Nathan Sumner, 35, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent but was cleared of attempted murder in October.
Sentencing Sumner at Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Julian Goose QC said he had mounted a "sustained attack".
Read more about this and other stories from across South Yorkshire
PC Bates and a fellow officer, PC Mark Garrett, were responding to a reported disturbance at Sumner's flat on Plowright Close when they were attacked.
She told the court during Sumner's trial he had shouted aggressively as he answered the door and then attacked PC Garrett.
PC Bates was then attacked with the axe but was eventually pulled to safety by a neighbour of Sumner.
Sumner fled the scene and was arrested later in a supermarket where, wearing only a pair of shorts, he had smashed bottles and thrown things at shoppers and staff members.
The court heard he had suffered from a psychotic episode.
David Brooke, for Sumner, said he was "profoundly ill at the time" and was full of "remorse" for his actions.
Prosecutor Samuel Green read a statement on behalf of PC Bates to the court.
"The events of that day changed my life forever," she said.
"Scarring to my leg and hand acts as a constant reminder of what happened.
"I continue to suffer from dizziness, headaches, nausea, nightmares and flashbacks.
"I am suffering from a loss of earnings and I have had to cancel both my wedding and honeymoon.
"It's only through luck and good fortune that I survived."
Sumner was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with an extended sentence of five years, and was also given a hospital order. | A man who attacked a policewoman with an axe has been jailed for 15 years. |
34,007,530 | Mrs May said she was "well aware of the possibility of displacement" of the issues at Calais, and was "looking at" security at ports including Dunkirk.
She spoke as the UK and France agreed a deal further improving security around Calais.
She said ministers were also in talks with Belgium and the Netherlands about security at their ports.
Commons Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz echoed Mrs May, highlighting the "dangers of the domino principle" and saying that closing one route "will only mean the problem moves to another port".
He said agreements needed to be in place with countries across Europe's north coast to prevent that.
Migrants camped in and around Calais have been making nightly attempts to reach the UK, often by boarding lorries heading for the port or the Eurotunnel.
Mrs May, who toured the Eurotunnel site in Coquelles earlier, said it had been a "difficult summer" with high levels of migrant activity and strike action in Calais.
But she said joint efforts with the French government were working.
She said France and the UK would also work with other EU states to try to ensure there were "fully functioning external borders and an asylum system that is resistant to abuse".
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said asylum seekers should be welcomed "with dignity", but illegal immigrants would not be tolerated.
The joint deal sets out measures including an extra 500 police from the UK and France, additional freight search teams, including sniffer dogs, and UK-funded flights to return migrants to their home countries.
The plan also includes a "control and command centre" that will be jointly run by British and French police and will "relentlessly pursue" people-smuggling gangs, Mrs May said.
The UK will pay £3.5m (five million euro) per year over two years towards the measures in the deal, and the Home Office said this was in addition to money previously pledged.
The six-page joint declaration says UK Border Force officers will continue visiting migrant camps to "correct any misapprehensions" about life in the UK and provide a "more dissuasive and realistic sense of life for illegal migrants" there.
Meanwhile, a demonstration by migrants - chanting "we are not animals" and "open the borders" - brought cars to a halt on a motorway and a road near the so-called "Jungle" camp.
BBC reporter Amanda Kirton said police were sent to the motorway which overlooks the camp to disperse the crowd, and tear gas was used.
About 3,000 migrants are thought to be camped in Calais.
Read more: Why is there a crisis in Calais? | The migrant crisis could shift from Calais to other ports, Home Secretary Theresa May has said. |
34,536,022 | In 2012 those tensions erupted into deadly communal violence, and since then there have been sporadic clashes.
The state was again in the spotlight earlier this year when thousands of Rohingya were found stranded on boats in the Andaman Sea trying to leave Rakhine for Malaysia.
As Myanmar looks towards landmark national elections in November, the rising Buddhist nationalism in Rakhine has made it one of the more politically unpredictable regions.
The problems in Rakhine state stem from decades of armed violence, extreme poverty and underdevelopment.
Like other minorities, the Rakhine ethnic group face economic marginalisation and discrimination by the state.
The Rohingya, meanwhile - who make up a third of the population of Rakhine state - are denied full citizenship.
In Myanmar, they are widely referred to as Bengali - they are considered migrants from Bangladesh, though they have been in Myanmar for generations.
The United Nations describes them as a "persecuted religious and linguistic minority".
Tensions spilled over into inter-communal violence in 2012 around the state capital, Sittwe, sparked by the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman.
More than 200 people died and about 140,000 people - mainly Rohingya - were made homeless.
Many now live in camps with no or limited access to food, healthcare or education. Some Rohingya have turned to people smugglers to get them to Malaysia.
After Thailand and Malaysia increased scrutiny of areas where people smugglers operate in 2015, thousands of Rohingya were abandoned at sea by the traffickers.
This brought global attention to the Myanmar government's treatment of the Rohingya.
Earlier this year, the Rohingya were stripped of their right to vote or register as candidates for the elections.
The Arakan National Part (ANP), a party of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists which was formed last year, lobbied hard for that change.
Analysts say both national parties, the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) face an uphill battle in the elections against the ANP in most of the state constituencies.
The NLD is viewed as sympathetic to the Rohingya - even though its leader Aung San Suu Kyi has steered clear of speaking out about the treatment of Rohingya. | Rakhine state on the western coast of Burma has seen long-running tension between the majority Buddhists and minority Muslims. |
34,950,619 | Mr Cairns, 45, denies charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice at Southwark Crown Court.
He is accused of falsely declaring under oath that he had never cheated at cricket in a 2012 libel case.
Justice Nigel Sweeney said on Friday he would accept a majority verdict.
Mr Cairns, who is one of New Zealand's greatest all-rounders and played 62 Tests from 1989 to 2004, is also accused of perverting the course of justice by inducing a fellow cricketer to give a false statement.
The jury of seven women and five men will resume their deliberations on Monday.
In the 2012 libel case - England's first Twitter libel trial - Mr Cairns won damages of $130,000 (£90,000) by successfully suing Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi over a 2010 tweet, which accused the cricketer of match-fixing while captain of the Chandigarh Lions in the now-defunct Indian Cricket League in 2008.
The prosecution at his current trial argued Mr Cairns had lied when he promised during the earlier trial that he had never cheated.
He is also accused of perverting the course of justice by inducing fellow New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent to give a false witness statement in a Skype call.
Mr Vincent told the court that Mr Cairns had approached him to suggest he deliberately play badly for Chandigarh Lions and said he had helped to fix matches under "direct orders" from Mr Cairns, which the defendant denies.
The trial has also heard evidence from a host of cricketers including current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, former captain Daniel Vettori, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Harris and bowler Andre Adams.
During the case, Mr McCullum told the court Mr Cairns had approached him with a "business proposition" in a hotel room in Kolkata, India, in 2008, during the Indian Premier League, which involved match-fixing.
Mr Cairns's former adviser, Andrew Fitch-Holland, of Burton Road, Manchester, is also accused of perverting the course of justice. He denies the charge. | Jurors in the trial in London of ex-New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns have been sent home for the weekend after failing to reach a verdict on their second day of deliberations. |
18,077,057 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Ultimately, England failed to triumph on their own turf but that did not stop the tournament from being a magical experience for their players and fans, leaving a lingering feel-good factor that has been sorely lacking for them in most major finals since.
What made it so special, apart from the fact the sun was shining and England were winning, for a while at least?
"It was not only that we reached the semi-finals, it was that we had a lot of fun along the way, and I think the whole country did too," Alan Shearer told BBC Sport.
"It was great to be playing all our games at Wembley and the atmosphere kept getting better the further we went."
There was something exceptional about that England side too. Shearer describes it as the best he played in during his eight-year international career and they had a team spirit to match.
Veteran commentator Barry Davies, who covered the tournament for the BBC, said: "What started that off was a rather defensive siege mentality after a couple of off-field incidents and drinking sessions. They took a lot of stick from the press and I think that gave them a feeling of 'we will show you'."
Show us they did, to a summer soundtrack supplied by the Lightning Seeds, David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, who together sang England's official song 'Three Lions'.
There were memorable lobbed goals by Davor Suker and Karel Poborsky, who helped make sure that surprise packages Croatia and the Czech Republic - who lost to Germany in the final - made a splash in their first appearances on this stage.
Scotland were the only other home nation to qualify for the finals and they came agonisingly close to making the last eight.
After a 0-0 draw with the Dutch and losing to THAT Paul Gascoigne goal for England, Craig Brown's side beat Switzerland 1-0 thanks to Ally McCoist's goal but but still finished third in Group A on goals scored, thanks to Patrick Kluivert's late consolation for the Netherlands in their 4-1 hammering by England.
But it was England who really got the party started.
Terry Venables' side began slowly with a stuttering 1-1 draw against Switzerland, notable only for Shearer's first international goal in 12 games. He ended up with five for the tournament, enough to win the golden boot as top scorer.
Things quickly got better for England. Lots better.
After Paul Gascoigne's spectacular solo strike - and 'dentist's chair' celebration - helped to sink Scotland 2-0, the Netherlands were demolished 4-1 in what was arguably England's best result at a major finals since they beat West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final.
The iconic imagery kept coming in the quarter-finals too. Yes, England had to scrap to earn a shoot-out win over Spain but there was the sight of Stuart Pearce's fist-pumping celebration after despatching his penalty that helped send them through.
Then came the semi-finals, Germany and the end of the dream - but only after a truly epic encounter.
Davies, who was at Wembley commentating, said: "That was particularly special.
"If somebody told me you are going up to heaven and you can take one game with you, I think I would take that England game. I'd try to get the result changed when I got up there, though.
"It was a night where a lot of the things I believed in about commentary worked. If you go back to the original recording it was six or seven minutes before kick-off when Des Lynam handed over to me from the studio.
"I didn't really say very much in that time because the crowd were singing constantly. I just dotted a few I's and crossed a few T's. It was a huge atmosphere and of course England were incredibly unlucky in the end."
A Shearer header gave England the lead after three minutes but Germany quickly levelled through Stefan Kuntz and, try as they might, England could not find a winner.
Teddy Sheringham had a shot cleared off the line, Shearer sent another header wide and Darren Anderton hit the post in extra-time but the chance you will probably remember best of all came when Gascoigne lunged to try to turn in Shearer's cross, but missed it by a matter of millimetres.
"When I was doing England matches, there were two goals which weren't scored, which should have been," Davies added.
"The first was Gary Lineker versus Argentina at the 1986 World Cup which would have made it 2-2 in the quarter-finals. It was one of those 'oh no' moments, not that I said it in the commentary, but I thought it to myself.
"It was the same with Gascoigne when the ball rolled across the box in extra-time. By then the game had become almost unreal. It was golden goal then, so it would have won it."
It was left to penalties to decide the winner, and an all too familiar ending from England's point of view.
Shearer, David Platt, Pearce (again), Gascoigne and Sheringham were successful from the spot but Germany also scored with their first five efforts.
That meant sudden death and, after Gareth Southgate's tame effort was saved by Andreas Kopke, Andreas Muller stepped up to fire Germany into the final.
"It was such an exciting match and it had such a sad conclusion," added Davies, who has covered 10 World Cups, seven European Championships, and countless England internationals during a broadcasting career that will also take in the hockey tournament at this summer's Olympics.
"I can honestly say that when Gareth walked up to take his penalty I did not fancy him at all. There was something wrong with his body language and you just get a feeling. It was horrible to lose like that, after coming all that way."
Share your memories of Euro 96 in the comments section below. | The slogan for Euro '96 was "when football comes home" and, for one glorious month, it felt like it actually had. |
19,799,042 | Media playback is not supported on this device
Dennis Pursley quit after GB fell short of its target of six Olympic medals in the pool, collecting just three.
"It would be nice to have someone British who knows the coaches," said double gold medallist Adlington.
"It takes time to get to know everyone and how they work. If you get someone British, they know how to start their job straight away."
British Swimming is currently undertaking a review of the sport following GB's disappointing Olympic campaign.
The findings of the panel, which includes Bob Bowman, the coach of Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, are due later this month and an announcement about Pursley's successor is expected soon after.
Adlington, Britain's most-successful Olympic swimmer, has admitted her future in the sport depends on Bill Furniss - linked as a possible replacement for Pursley - remaining as her coach.
"If I was going to carry on, I would only want to be coached by Bill," said Adlington.
"We need to sit down and see whether he thinks I have more in me and what he wants to do as a coach."
Adlington, who won two golds at the 2008 Olympics and then a pair of bronze medals in London, is unlikely to compete at the 2016 Games as she feels she will be too old for her favoured 800m event.
"Rio is probably a little bit out of reach," she said. "I will be 27 and I do think that for a female distance swimmer it is difficult.
"If I was a sprinter, I would never even question it and would be back in the water already, but it's just whether I can move down to the 200m and 400m. Bill is the only one who can really answer that for me. To be honest, after all of these years, he knows me better than I know myself."
As an ambassador for the 2014 Commonwealth Games though, Adlington admits she tempted by the thought of competing in Scotland.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I think every athlete is excited that we now have Glasgow 2014 and another home crowd with great facilities," she said.
Having won two gold medals at the 2010 Games in Delhi, she said: "I love the Commonwealths. It's definitely one of my favourite meets to take part in because of the atmosphere.
"Every athlete wants to be there and I would love to be there myself, but we'll have to see."
Adlington is about to undertake one of the biggest challenges of her career by cycling 280 miles across Zambia. The Bike for Africa project is hoping to raise £50,000 for Sport in Action.
She is due to return in the middle of October and will spend the following few weeks consulting with Furniss and national performance director Michael Scott before deciding whether to carry on competing.
"It's not something I will rush into as it's such a big decision and I'll have to sacrifice a lot to be at the top," she said. "It'll be something that I'm happy with and both Bill and I are comfortable with and confident about." | Rebecca Adlington wants a British head coach to spearhead the sport to a post-London 2012 revival. |
21,427,369 | The Richard III Society said the 7ft (2.1m) long limestone monument would blend modern and medieval style decorations to reflect the king's life.
The group was closely involved in the project to find the lost king's remains, which was confirmed last week.
Leicester Cathedral, where Richard is expected to be reinterred in 2014, said it would consider ideas but no decision had yet been made.
Source: BBC History
Conflict, rebellion and murder - discover more about Richard III's life
Richard III died at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 while fighting a rebellion by the future Henry VII.
He was buried in the church of the Greyfriars in Leicester but the precise location was lost when the building was demolished.
Working with Philippa Langley, of the Richard III Society, a University of Leicester team uncovered a skeleton in September 2012 and its identity was confirmed earlier this month.
Despite a number of rival claims, Leicester Cathedral is preparing to take possession of the remains by summer 2014 at the latest.
A spokesman for the Richard III Society said: "The tomb design was commissioned by Philippa Langley in September 2010 at the very beginning of the Looking For Richard project.
"It is based on Richard's life, and what was important and meaningful to him, and the design was undertaken by a team of specialists with over 40 years of research into Richard III.
"The society is looking forward to working with the cathedral and Leicester City Council to honour the return of the king."
The society said it expected to meet the estimated £30,000 cost through donations.
Liz Hudson, from Leicester Cathedral, said officials would brief architects about its requirements for the tomb on 12 March, with final proposals expected in the summer.
She said: "There is an agreed process to make this decision and it will ensure all views are heard and considered. No proposals will be considered outside of this process.
"This process will give us a design that will be appropriate for a working, public, worshipping cathedral and for all those who come in future generations to visit King Richard's final resting place."
A temporary exhibition in Leicester about the project has seen more than 3,000 visitors since it opened on Friday with many people queuing for up to an hour. | A design for Richard III's tomb has been unveiled by an enthusiasts' group. |
28,299,005 | After less than two years, the Clwyd West MP was told he will return to the backbenches.
Mr Jones said: "I fully understand. I told the prime minister he has my total support. I am not unhappy. It is right he should refresh his team."
His deputy, Preseli Pembrokeshire MP Stephen Crabb, is expected to replace him.
Mr Jones said anyone appointed to the cabinet knew that one day they would have this sort of conversation with the prime minister.
By David CornockBBC Wales Parliamentary correspondent
David Jones was as cheerful as anyone who had just been sacked could be...
He said he expected the reshuffle to be bigger than anticipated with a lot of departures from government.
The leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, has declined to comment on the departure until a replacement has been officially announced.
Mr Jones succeeded his former Wales Office boss, Cheryl Gillan, in September 2012, and was the 16th secretary of state and the first to have been an AM, having sat in the Welsh assembly from 2002 to 2003.
A Welsh speaker, who lives with his family in Rhos-on-Sea, Mr Jones has always described himself as a "proud Welshman".
Analysis by BBC political correspondent Dan Davies
Shortly after he was appointed as Welsh Secretary, David Jones said the UK and Welsh governments had to work together for the good of Wales.
Did he achieve that ambition?
Whether you blame him or not, the two administrations have had a combustible relationship of late.
There have been furious rows about the state of public services, in particular the NHS.
They have been to the Supreme Court to sort out legal disagreements about the extent of the Welsh assembly's law-making powers.
And there is a bitter and ongoing disagreement about who will pay to upgrade south Wales' railway lines.
Such rows are probably not what David Jones had in mind when he delivered his mission statement about setting aside political differences.
Born in London to Welsh parents in 1952, Mr Jones has lived in north Wales most of his life.
He studied law and as a solicitor worked alongside Ieuan Wyn Jones, who went on to become Plaid Cymru's leader and the deputy first minister.
David Jones became a Conservative Welsh AM in 2002, filling a seat vacated by Rod Richards. He stood down at the following year's elections.
In 2005, he was elected as the MP for Clwyd West. He was a shadow minister for Wales and then a junior minister at the Wales Office, before succeeding Cheryl Gillan as Secretary of State in September 2012.
A Liverpool FC fan, he is an avid user of Twitter - except during Lent, when he abstains from social media.
By Nick ServiniPolitical editor, Wales
David Jones pulled no punches when it came to the performance of the Welsh government...
As Welsh Secretary, he threw his weight behind proposals to build a new nuclear power plant at Wylfa on Anglesey, and supported calls to electrify the rail network in north Wales.
Mr Jones voted against UK government legislation on gay marriage and later had to clarify comments he made on the subject in an interview.
He has not always seen eye-to-eye with members of his own party in Cardiff Bay.
On devolving income tax powers to Wales, for example, he had a public disagreement with the Welsh Conservatives' leader in the assembly, Andrew RT Davies.
Before David Jones's departure was confirmed, First Minister Carwyn Jones said he wanted a "businesslike" relationship with the UK government going forward, describing Mr Crabb as "someone we can do business with". | Welsh Secretary David Jones is to be replaced in David Cameron's cabinet following a reshuffle. |
36,154,540 | Fifty-seven refugees, including 14 families and 20 children, arrived in Belfast on Thursday morning.
The families will spend five days in a special welcome centre before moving into their new homes.
The first group of Syrian refugees arrived in Northern Ireland in December 2015.
The new arrivals range in age from two years old to their late 50s, and several of the adults are believed to have university-level education.
The Department of Social Development (DSD) has direct responsibility for overseeing the operation of bringing the refugees into Northern Ireland.
One of the families will be housed in Belfast, while the remainder will be resettled in Londonderry.
Senior church leaders in Derry have said the arrival of the refugees is an opportunity for compassion.
"I think we've really all been moved by the terrible destruction that's gone on in Syria and in the wider Middle East region," said Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown.
"I think it's in the heart of the Derry people to be generous and to be welcoming. I don't doubt they'll be made very welcome here in the city and will enrich the educational experience of the children that we have here."
Church of Ireland Bishop for Derry and Raphoe Ken Good said people will want to make a difference.
"These lives have been thrown upside down, the catastrophe that has befallen so many of these families," he said.
"My vision is to look in 20 years time or so and that these children will say to us: 'We are so thankful that this city was the place we were sent, that this city welcomed us as they did, that this city turned our lives around and gave us a fresh start'."
The families will each be helped to find a home, a job and school places for their children.
The refugees are expected to live in Northern Ireland for five years, after which time they can choose whether to go back to Syria or apply for UK citizenship as long as they do not have a criminal record.
The families will be able to move freely across the UK, but will not be able to travel to the Republic of Ireland as laws regarding refugees in both jurisdictions are different.
Failure to adhere to this regulation could result in a criminal record.
It is understood that none of the first group of refugees to arrive in Northern Ireland have found employment. | A second group of Syrian refugees have arrived in Northern Ireland as part of the UK's Vulnerable Person's Relocation Scheme. |
36,670,509 | The episode of Don't Make Me Laugh, which sees comedians discuss topics without causing the audience to chuckle, went out on 21 April.
It included the subject "The Queen must have had sex at least four times."
The BBC received over 100 complaints and apologised the following day.
After presenter David Baddiel introduced the subject, panellists - including comedian Russell Kane - made sex-based jokes about the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh that the BBC Trust ruled were "personal, intrusive and demeaning".
In its findings, the trust stated "the offence felt was compounded by the date of the programme's transmission", but added it would be "hard to imagine circumstances in which this broadcast at any time or on any day would not have given rise to significant unjustified offence".
In apologising for the show, a BBC spokesman said: "We never intended for the scheduling of the programme to coincide with The Queen's birthday and are sorry for the offence caused by its timing and content."
He added that BBC Radio 4 comedy was "a broad church and often pushes boundaries".
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk. | A BBC Radio 4 show broadcast on the Queen's 90th birthday that included jokes about her sex life was in "serious breach" of editorial guidelines, the BBC Trust has ruled. |
36,590,066 | Vale of Glamorgan council said it was believed to be the first resort in Wales to offer the beach service.
Local business have provided access points to make the service possible.
The council said it was trying to "boost digital inclusion" across the area with internet access also provided at council buildings and libraries. | Free public access wi-fi has been installed along Barry Island seafront. |
36,500,012 | Gilmore, 22, has scored one try in four appearances this season for Vikings, who are currently seventh in the Super League table.
"Tom is a really talented young man with a mature head on his shoulders," head coach Denis Betts said.
"I am excited for what the future holds for Tom." | Widnes scrum-half Tom Gilmore has signed a two-year contract extension to keep him at the club until the end of the 2018 season. |
40,887,019 | The alleged incident took place immediately after the two clubs met in the Betfred Cup match at Dens Park on Wednesday.
It is understood Mr Thompson, 51, was allegedly pushed to the ground during the incident, but was not injured.
Dundee won the game 2-1 and will meet Celtic in the quarter-final.
A Dundee United spokesman said: "We can confirm there was an alleged assault on chairman Stephen Thompson immediately after the final whistle at Dens last night.
"While shocked and upset at the incident, the chairman did not require any medical treatment.
"He remains deeply disappointed that his wife and son had to witness the incident." | A 24-year-old man has been charged with assaulting Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson following the club's defeat by city rivals Dundee. |
36,597,318 | After two penalties for each side, Gagai ran 80 metres for a try put Queensland 10-4 ahead at half-time.
Gagai touched down again early in the second half, before Tyson Frizell went over to give the away side hope.
But tries from Gagai and Conor Oates either side of James Maloney's score for Blues secured the hosts' victory.
Gagai's hat-trick was the first in an Origin game since Matt King scored three tries for New South Wales in the deciding game of the 2005 series.
However, he was almost denied his opening try as he was brought down five metres short of the line by Frizell, but the Newcastle Knights winger's momentum carried him over for the score.
The 25-year-old's second try was equally impressive, as he reached back to claw in a high one-handed catch and slide over in the corner.
Frizell, who became the first Wales international to feature in the State of Origin series, powered over from close range shortly after, but Gagai touched down Johnathan Thurston's grubber kick to give Queensland a lead that proved insurmountable.
Queensland: Boyd; Oates, Inglis, O'Neill, Gagai; Thurston, Cronk; Scott, Smith, McGuire, Gillett, Thaiday, Parker.
Replacements: Morgan, Lillyman, Guerra, Papalii.
New South Wales: Moylan; Ferguson, Jennings, Walker, Mansour; Maloney, Reynolds; Woods, Farah, Tamou, Frizell, Jackson, Gallen.
Replacements: Bird, Klemmer, Fifita, Bird.
Referee: Gerard Sutton | Dane Gagai's hat-trick helped Queensland beat New South Wales 26-16 to win their 10th State of Origin title in 11 years with a game to spare. |
36,256,765 | The program - Moments - was released in some countries in 2015, but withheld elsewhere because of local data privacy rules.
The company has created a different version of the software to get around these restrictions.
But it acknowledged the new edition required "a little bit of work" for users to get the most out of it.
Moment's core features are that it automatically groups together photos featuring the same friend or friends, and then makes it easy to share the pictures with them if they have installed the same app.
In the original version, the snaps are automatically tagged with people's names, because Facebook is able to match them to other photos in its wider database.
But data protection watchdogs in the EU and Canada had expressed concern their citizens would have no way to opt out of the process.
To address this, the adapted app now links together photos of similar-looking faces but requires the user to identify who they are.
Moments is not the only app to use facial recognition to sort images.
Google Photos is the most popular alternative to do so.
But the search giant has yet to extend the facility to Europe, to avoid falling foul of the Irish Data Protection Commissioner.
Facebook has not disclosed how many people have signed up to Moments since its release on the US's iOS and Android stores 11 months ago.
However, the company has said more than 600 million pictures have been shared via the app so far.
"Our primary purpose is to solve a problem that we know that people have, where they never get the photos that their friends take of them," the app's product manager Will Ruben told the BBC.
"We view that as a pretty different type of sharing than might happen on Facebook, where people share photos more broadly with a large group of friends or even publicly.
"Moments is closer to the type of sharing that might happen these days on Whatsapp or other [private] messaging apps - but it places the photos together into a collection."
Users decide which photos are shared with the people labelled in them, and can withdraw access at a later point.
They can also use the app to turn selected photos into slideshows that can be shared to their Facebook wall and elsewhere.
The technique - which Facebook refers to as "facial clustering" - still relies on some processing being done beyond the user's handset, but Facebook said it had taken great lengths to comply with the EU and Canada's privacy rules.
"A cropped low-resolution of the photo is uploaded [to the cloud] so that your phone gets a numerical representation of that face," Mr Ruben said.
"But that number is not stored anywhere on our servers, and it is only used to compare against the other photos on your phone.
"No comparison is being done on the server."
Copies of the images are, however, stored at Facebook's data centres as soon as they are shared with someone else.
"Facebook has notified this office of the Moments app and advised us that within the EU version of the Moments app they do not control or initiate the use of any feature recognition technology," said a spokeswoman for the Irish Data Protection Commissioner.
"Consideration of this development is ongoing and we will more closely look at the technical details of the app following its release."
Mr Ruben said Facebook believed the original version of Moments remained the "best version" but the new edition was still "easy to use.
"You don't need to label all the faces on your phone," he said.
"The idea is to share with the people closest to you, so usually it's just the top 10 people or so."
One industry-watcher said the lack of auto-tagging might slow the app's adoption.
"Any additional effort that people have to put into a service creates a barrier," said Ben Wood, from the tech consultancy CCS Insight.
"The seamless experience in other markets is therefore more compelling.
"However, once people invest a little time, they will see the benefits, and it could catch on, on that basis."
Facebook's use of facial recognition has, however, caused controversy in the US.
Last week, a US judge refused to block a class action case in which it is claimed the technology violates Illinois's Biometric Privacy Act.
The law states biology-based identifiers - including facial maps and fingerprints - cannot be collected without their owners' explicit consent.
Google is also being sued over the matter. | Facebook has launched its facial-recognition-powered photo-sharing app in the EU and Canada. |
33,946,723 | The crowd at the city's war memorial included former PoW Len Gibson, who was captured at Singapore and forced to work on the Burma Death Railway.
A commemoration was also held at the Burma Star Memorial at St Thomas' Church in Newcastle.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh led a remembrance service in London.
Mr Gibson, 95, said it was "nice to see these people still remember".
"It was such a horrendous time that it's in my memory - every day there's something occurs that reminds me of those times," he said.
"They [their Japanese captors] treated us as slaves.
"If we didn't work hard they'd beat us with sticks.
"We'd wouldn't have minded working hard if they'd fed us, but they starved us."
The memorial's organiser, Sunderland Armed Forces Network chairman Graham Hall, said it was important people continued to remember.
"If nothing else it's a reminder of the inhumanity we keep on perpetrating our fellow mankind," he said.
Sunderland had the highest proportion of veterans of any city in the country at over 26,500, he added.
"I doubt whether there's many families that haven't been affected by service life in one shape or another." | Prayers have been said and wreaths laid at a service in Sunderland to mark the 70th anniversary of VJ Day, the end of the war with Japan and World War Two. |
33,438,260 | It was the first such meeting since the two countries normalised relations 20 years ago.
Mr Obama said that despite differing political philosophies, the two countries were deepening co-operation.
Analysts say the US and Vietnam are seeking stronger ties in the face of an increasingly assertive China.
This month marks 40 years since the end of the Vietnam war.
"Obviously, there has been a difficult history between our two countries in the 20th Century and there continues to be significant differences in political philosophy and political systems," Mr Obama said.
"What we have seen is the emergence of a constructive relationship that is based on mutual respect and that has benefited the people of both countries."
Mr Trong described the talks as "cordial, constructive, positive and frank".
"What is of utmost importance is that we have been transformed from former enemies to become friends [and] comprehensive partners," he said.
"I am convinced our relationship will continue to grow in the future."
He said he had invited Mr Obama to visit Vietnam and the president had accepted.
Also on the agenda were talks on trade. President Obama is seeking to create a 12-nation free trade plan known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would include Vietnam.
However, Tuesday's meeting was not welcomed by everyone.
Outside the White House, demonstrators protested against human rights violations in Vietnam, while a group of US lawmakers wrote an open letter to Mr Obama complaining about the invitation.
China has angered some of its Asian neighbours, including Vietnam, by taking a more assertive stance on territorial claims in the South China Sea.
It has deployed military equipment to the disputed Spratly Islands, claimed in part by Vietnam.
The Spratlys may have reserves of oil and gas around them and the surrounding sea is also a major shipping route and home to important fishing grounds. | US President Barack Obama has held historic talks at the White House with Vietnam's Communist Party leader, Nguyen Phu Trong. |
30,231,201 | And this week's net migration figures will only add fuel to the argument.
Suddenly it's difficult to find anyone who has anything good to say about it at all.
But the recently installed Chancellor of the University of Birmingham Lord Karan Bilimoria says there is such a thing as "good immigration".
The Indian-born founder of the Cobra Beer empire told the Mail on Sunday earlier this month that Britain would pay a high price for its latest clampdown, which includes tougher rules on student visas.
He said David Cameron had made a "big mistake" by promising "unattainable" targets from which the home secretary now admits the government has been "blown off course".
In his hard-hitting interview, Lord Bilimoria said: "The number of international students to Britain fell for the first time last year. And the number from India have collapsed by over 20%.
"Why? Because the government has an immigration policy that is sending out very damaging signals.
"I challenge the Home Secretary Theresa May to say how many illegal immigrants are there. She hasn't a clue because they've lost control of illegal immigration."
Instead, he said there should be new targets to increase the numbers of international students. France plans to double its number of students from India by 2020.
The University of Birmingham is one of two members of the elite Russell Group of research-led universities here in the Midlands.
The other, Warwick, says its 5,000-plus international students bring in fees totalling nearly £90m, which is then reinvested to the benefit of British students.
"The government may say Britain is open for business but they're sending out a message that's not so welcoming," Warwick said.
The University of Birmingham, which charges slightly lower fees, has 4,500 international students, bringing in a total of nearly £60m.
Oh to have been a fly on the wall during this week's visit to India by Lord Bilimoria, accompanied by his vice chancellor and led by the universities minister Greg Clark.
Four months on from his installation as chancellor, Lord Bilimoria seems determined to be no mere ceremonial figurehead.
The signs are he could make an impression every bit as vivid as the coat he was wearing on that epic occasion.
And he will be one of our studio guests on this weekend's Sunday Politics show in the Midlands.
I will also be joined by the Conservative MP for The Wrekin Mark Pritchard and by the Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr Khalid Mahmood.
And I hope you will be with me me too, at 11:00 GMT on BBC One on Sunday. | Immigration seems to be the big issue driving our politics - from every doorstep on every street, to Westminster, Brussels and beyond, right up to the general election and who knows for how long after that. |
40,992,723 | 20 August 2017 Last updated at 13:53 BST
The Salisbury Scouts have travelled to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, where they'll be able to witness the amazing event.
Millions of Americans are getting excited about the eclipse, with long queues to buy solar glasses and heavy traffic across states where the eclipse will be visible.
14 states will see a total eclipse, where the Sun is completely blocked by the moon. | A scouting group from the UK has arrived in America to watch the total solar eclipse on Monday and we've been following their adventures. |
34,719,526 | It is to improve access and traffic-free routes for walkers and cyclists on a three-mile stretch between Skipton and Bradley.
It is to also link Skipton town centre with the Snaygill Industrial Estate, said the Canal and River Trust.
Nick Smith, for the trust, said the work would be a "real boost" for all who use it.
There have been complaints about the condition of the towpath along this stretch. It is currently in a poor condition, muddy with little stone or hard surfacing, said the trust.
This makes access difficult for many users and the towpath is little used in winter.
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is Britain's longest man-made waterway. It was used to carry coal, limestone, wool, cotton, grain and other farm produce.
It is now primarily used for leisure boating, walking, angling and cycling.
Building the waterway started in 1770 and was only finally completed in 1816, some 46 years later. It is 127 mile (204 km) long.
There are to be some diversions on the towpath during the work, that is to last about 14 weeks, said the trust. | A £450,000 resurfacing of the towpath on part of the Leeds and Liverpool canal in North Yorkshire has begun. |
35,997,235 | The allegations concerned an argument with two taxi drivers in the East Sussex town on 5 September.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found the officer's behaviour fell short of that expected from a police officer.
The force says he has now been given management advice.
It followed a misconduct meeting on 30 March chaired by a chief officer from another force.
The officer was suspended from duty last year but the suspension was lifted on 17 February.
A spokeswoman said his role would be "considered" when a number of senior officer changes took place in the next few weeks.
The IPCC also investigated allegations that an East Sussex-based inspector unlawfully accessed a force IT system in relation to the incident.
A file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, which decided to take no further action.
The two officers were off-duty at the time of the argument. | A senior Sussex police officer cleared of allegations he made racist remarks to a taxi driver in Eastbourne has attended a misconduct hearing. |
39,484,275 | She said her daughter had 17 placements in the four years and missed nearly two years of school.
It comes some 20 years after a similar case of a 12-year-old - who the media called Sarah.
The case led to the publication of Sarah's Report which exposed failings in the care system and was supposed to ensure fail-safe improvements.
BBC Wales' Week In Week Out programme went in search of Sarah to find out what happened to her.
Sarah was a schoolgirl when she went into care for her own protection in the early 1990s. She ended up running away from foster placements and care homes, being lured into Cardiff's red light districts where she sold sex to fund her drug habit. She was 12 years old.
She was labelled a "child prostitute" in an era before the phrase "sexual exploitation" was used to describe the horror of her experiences.
Her story was told by newspapers after her mother turned to journalists to expose the scandal of a failing care system in the former South Glamorgan County Council area.
She had asked a simple question - how could her daughter go into care for her protection and end up being at even more risk?
What followed were calls for change, investigations and the publication of the Sarah Report. Lessons had to be learned about how councils treated vulnerable children in the care system, it said.
Over the ensuing 23 years I had often wondered about what happened to Sarah.
Whenever the issue of child sexual exploitation came up I wondered where she ended up. Did Sarah survive the system? She would be 35 now. How would she reflect on that time; a time when the adults who were meant to be protecting her had failed?
Back then, BBC Wales' Week In Week Out made several programmes on the issue but we never met Sarah because she had been moved again - to yet another unsuitable foster placement then another children's home and then, eventually, to a secure unit.
While making this week's Week In Week Out programme about a mother who feared for her daughter's safety in care, we decided to look for Sarah.
We wanted to know what would have made a difference to her back then and what would have stopped her running away, using drugs and taking such serious risks.
Sarah was not her real name - it was one she had chosen for anonymity in the 1990s. After all she was talking about things no girl of 12 should have to talk about, let alone be living.
After weeks of searching I got a breakthrough and finally found Sarah. I made contact, hoping she would not be scared or angry about a journalist contacting her after all these years.
What I found was an anxious woman who asked a lot of questions. Why were we making the programme? What did we know about care?
When I explained another mother had asked us the same question her mother asked journalists all those years ago, she agreed to meet.
"If you think it might help the girl who's in care now then I will talk to you," she said.
"I tried to help then, but if kids are still going through the same stuff in 2017 then something has gone wrong hasn't it?"
We arranged to meet. She gave me an address but explained she did not exactly have a home.
I was not sure what Sarah would be like now. I hoped that after being the subject of a high profile report which highlighted shortcomings, she would have spent the years that followed getting all the right help. She may have a house full of kids, a career.
I kept thinking "please let her be happy and sorted".
When she opened the front door I was shocked.
Sarah's face told her story. She looks older than her years. She looks ill.
"That's what being a crack addict does for you," she told me. "I was bigger than this when I came out of prison a few years ago."
She is now frail and has been warned that unless she stops using drugs she will die. But Sarah says the drugs are what help her to live with her past.
She agreed to be interviewed for the programme; for her it felt like the right thing. She wants so much to help children who are still in the system and who perhaps, like her, are angry, confused, feeling insecure about being in care.
All the things she felt back then.
She was angry to hear that one in 10 children in care in Wales last year experienced three or more placement moves.
"Now it makes me angry, makes me sick to my stomach to think there's kids out there now going through the same things I was going through," she said.
Just like Sarah, this young girl needed help to deal with her escalating behaviour.
She went into care because her mum could not cope with her refusing to go to school, getting into trouble with the police and sniffing lighter fuel.
But as soon as she was placed with foster carers she ran away, always back to her mum's house and the streets where she grew up, until another girl from care led her to the Riverside area of Cardiff where, back then, there was an established red light district.
Sarah showed us where she was taught to sell sex at the age of 12. She was matter of fact - there were no tears.
She said: "I was like 12, she was 15, 16 and this guy pulled over and he was like 'oh I will give you £40' and my friend passed me a condom and he gave me the money I thought do you know what, that's the easiest money I have ever made in my life and that's how I was into it.
"That money would buy me what I wanted, fags, drugs, whatever I wanted."
To the men who abused Sarah, her age and the fact that she was a sad, angry, confused child did not matter.
"A few guys did know my real age and they still had sex with me," she said.
"I used to get into the car and shake and think 'oh my God, he's going to take me away he's going to kill me he's going to dump me somewhere'.
"And I used to take drugs and alcohol to build confidence to get in that car and stuff - without that I wouldn't be able to do it.
"I didn't know about the dangers, or the sexually transmitted diseases or that I could be raped."
Sarah said one day she was picked up off the streets and attacked.
In a calm and matter of fact way, as we drove around the area where she used to wait for her abusers, she told us: "I was gang raped when I was 13 - the guy gave me a load of tablets - yeah, that was really bad that was."
I asked if she reported it to the police. She had not. She went back to the foster carer's home and said nothing.
Sarah did not think anyone would listen back then.
"You just put it to the back of your mind and move on," she said. "I was very angry person, for a long time. I can't get in relationships and stuff like that because I can't trust no-one and when a man touches me it makes me cringe."
We asked Sarah what would have made a difference to her back then. What would have stopped her running away, being drawn into that world of sexual exploitation and violence?
"Maybe if they had a foster family who did care about me and really did help me," she said.
'Turns my stomach'
Cardiff council - not involved with the recent case examined by BBC Wales - told us it was committed to doing everything possible to prevent child sexual exploitation.
It said it would be inappropriate for it to comment on the working practices of its predecessor - South Glamorgan council.
But, a spokesman added, important lessons had been learned following the Sarah Report which helped bring about marked improvements in the way local authorities look after vulnerable children.
Having met Sarah, it seemed some things had not changed for her, but if she could talk to the girl whose mum is worrying about her right now because she is in the system?
"Go to school, not to smoke cannabis, don't have sex with loads of men, just be that like that age you are supposed to be. Get her GCSEs, get a job make something of your life.
"It turns my stomach to think she could end up like me. It does make me feel physically sick, like. They need to do what they can to help her so she don't turn out like me."
Sarah is trying to build a new life and wants a future, but she is not sure if that will ever be possible.
More than two decades after her mother questioned the system and why it was not working for all children in care, Sarah is sad we are still asking. | A mother has called for an investigation after claiming her daughter ended up at greater risk after she was taken into care. |
35,989,198 | Wireless Infrastructure Group (WIG) has agreed to take on board a new shareholder.
Venture capital firm 3i Infrastructure has committed £75m to take a 25% stake in the Bellshill-based firm.
The company builds and operates telecom masts in suburban and rural areas.
Being independent of the major mobile phone operators, it provides capacity which they can pay to share.
Earlier this year, Bellshill-based WIG announced plans to invest £1bn in new UK infrastructure.
That is to be focussed on new, mainly rural locations for masts, as the telecoms regulator requires providers to reduce the 'not-spots' in coverage.
The expansion includes installation of small cells and fibre-optic wiring to boost mobile connections in big buildings and on city streets.
The company also plans to expand in meeting mobile communications demand from rail passengers.
WIG was founded 10 years ago, and now operates 2,000 masts. It has expanded into Ireland and the Netherlands, and plans to expand further into western Europe.
The investment by 3i Infrastructure adds to the shareholding by US-based Wood Creek Capital Management, and the Lanarkshire management team.
Scott Coates, chief executive of WIG, said: "Bringing an established European infrastructure investor on board, alongside our existing North American partner, provides us with the financial capabilities needed to scale up our business through investment in up to £1bn of new infrastructure.
"This will transform our ability to support our customers as they extend network coverage in rural areas and improve capacity in urban centres.
"Independent infrastructure companies like WIG provide a conduit for long term infrastructure investors to support the telecoms industry as it takes on the challenges of expanding the quality and reach of connectivity." | A Lanarkshire mobile telecom firm has secured new investment which values the whole company at £300m and opens up funding for a major expansion plan. |
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