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A National Audit Office report said there were 98 people on that salary level last year, up from 89 in 2012. The BBC said reductions in the overall number of senior managers mean some staff now have more responsibilities, which has been reflected in their pay. Meanwhile, MPs have criticised the BBC and Capita, the firm it hired, for not doing more to cut licence fee evasion. The NAO said the BBC had reduced the cost of its payroll by 6% in real terms and its senior management pay bill by £17.1m. The number of senior managers dropped from 540 to 319 between 2012 and 2016. But a target to reduce the number earning more than £150,000 by 20% has been missed. While the corporation also missed out on a target to reduce the proportion of senior bosses to 1% of the workforce by 0.6%, it expects a reorganisation will address that within the next few months. The report from the Public Accounts Committee on the licence fee criticised contractor Capita for its "poor" performance. The evasion rate currently stands between 6.2% and 7.2% and has not reduced to target levels, the committee's report said. About three million enforcement visits took place in 2015-16, but 18% fewer evaders were caught. MPs said collectors often find homes empty as more than half of visits take place during working hours. They noted the BBC has increased licence fee revenue every year since 2010-11, to £3.74bn in 2015-16, and has reduced the costs of collection by 25% in real terms. But it suggested up to £291m a year was still being lost because of people not paying the licence fee, which is currently £147 a year. MPs also said they were "concerned" about reports some Capita staff some had targeted vulnerable residents in collecting the licence fee, spurred on by an aggressive incentive scheme. Capita is expected to report its findings on the claims to BBC director general Lord Hall in the next few weeks. Responding to the NAO findings, BBC deputy director general Anne Bulford said: "The NAO report acknowledges the BBC's approach to managing our workforce is securing better value for money meaning we are better placed to face the challenges ahead. "We are pleased that the NAO has also recognised the steps taken to simplify the BBC; to increase the diversity of our workforce, and to reduce payroll costs by six per cent in real terms including almost halving the number of senior managers." On the licence fee report, a BBC spokesman said the fall in costs of collection had resulted in increased revenue for programmes and services. He added: "There has always been a small minority who refuse to pay the licence fee, so we'll continue to use the full range of enforcement methods and encourage people to buy a licence at every stage, as well as considering any further improvements which can be made."
The number of senior BBC managers paid more than £150,000 has risen, despite assurances the figure would fall.
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The all-rounder, 32, replaced Chris Gayle in 2010 and also led the team to the World T20 title in 2012. "[The board is] looking to the future and I wish the new captain all the best," Sammy said in a video posted on his Facebook page. West Indies play a two-match T20 series against India in Florida starting on 27 August. "They've reviewed the captaincy of T20 and I won't be captain anymore, nor have my performances merited selection in the squad," he added. "This is not me retiring from one-day or T20, it's just me thanking the fans and my players and the coaches I've worked with and West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for letting me lead the side for the last six years." Contacted by BBC Sport, the WICB said it could not confirm or deny Sammy's sacking. In April, Sammy's side won their second World T20 by beating England in the final at Kolkata, with Carlos Brathwaite hitting the first four balls of the final over - bowled by Ben Stokes - for six. Following the win, Sammy appeared to criticise the WICB, for which he was reprimanded by the International Cricket Council.
Darren Sammy says he has been sacked as West Indies' T20 captain four months after winning the World Twenty20.
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Officials are writing to those who had valve surgery at Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales since 2013. Experts said the risk of contracting the Mycobacterium chimaera infection was "low risk". The alert has been issued across the UK, with concerned patients urged to contact Public Health Wales. The health body said it was sending out letters to 2,770 patients potentially affected. Welsh patients will only receive letters if they received surgery at UHW in Cardiff, or in a cardiac centre in England. Patients who received surgery at Morriston Hospital in Swansea are being told that they are not at risk, as the equipment in question was not used there. Health experts said across the UK, 28 cases of infection linked to blood heaters used in the surgery had been discovered. 'Reassure patients' But there have been no new cases identified since 2015, when official guidance on the problem was first raised. Dr Eleri Davies, at Public Health Wales, said: "The risk of patients having acquired the infection is low and is far lower than the risk of delaying life-saving cardiac surgery and so we advise those who are due to have open heart surgery to still go ahead." Dr Graham Shortland, medical director at UHW, added: "I would like to reassure all patients who have received, or are scheduled to receive, cardiac treatment that they are in safe hands and that we operate a safe service. "While we acknowledge the low risk presented by the use of the heater-cooler device we use, we have fully implemented the strengthened guidelines on its use and the risk is negligible in comparison to not having heart surgery."
Nearly 3,000 Welsh patients who have undergone heart operations have been told they may have been exposed to an infection.
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The ship sent a distress signal on Monday evening, saying it was being approached by high-speed boats. The gunmen have told a local official they are fishermen whose equipment was destroyed by illegal fishing vessels. Piracy was rampant off the Somali coast until increased patrols by European naval forces contained the problem. The vessel was en route from Djibouti to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and was then diverted towards the port of Alula in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. Its tracking system has reportedly been switched off. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry has confirmed that eight of its nationals were on board. Ali Shire Mohamud Osman, the district commissioner in the town of Alula, near where the ship has been taken, told the BBC he was trying to find out if the gunmen really were fishermen or were organised pirates. "The men who are holding it claim that they are fishermen who suffered from the illegal fishing in the area. However, if we confirm that they are pirates, I will ask them to leave the area immediately. Otherwise, we will see how we can save the vessel," he said. The vessel was carrying oil and was owned by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), despite conflicting reports over the flag it was sailing under, he added. The chairman for Puntland's anti-piracy agency, Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir told the BBC the attack could be linked to illegal fishing along Somalia's coast. "Incidents of piracy have reduced. However, we cannot ignore the problems caused illegal fishing on our shores; regardless who is involved and where they are from, it's something we have been complaining about for so long," he said. The European Union Naval Force, which runs anti-piracy operations in the area, said it was too early to confirm pirate involvement. It has sent a plane to the area to investigate. Eight people are believed to have been on board the ship, which can carry almost 12,000 tonnes of cargo. John Steed of the aid group Oceans Beyond Piracy, speaking to Reuters news agency, said, "The ship reported it was being followed by two skiffs yesterday afternoon. Then it disappeared." Piracy off the coast of Somalia, usually for ransom, has reduced significantly in recent years, in part because of extensive international military patrols as well as support for local fishing communities. At the height of the crisis in 2011 there were 237 attacks and the annual cost of piracy was estimated to be up to $8bn (£7bn). However, some smaller fishing vessels have recently been seized in the area. In 2015, Somali officials warned that piracy could return unless the international community helped create jobs and security ashore, as well as combating illegal fishing at sea. Some Somali fishermen turned to piracy after their livelihoods were destroyed by illegal fishing from foreign trawlers, who benefited from the lack of a functioning coastguard in the country following years of conflict.
An oil tanker has been hijacked by suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia, reports say, the first such hijacking in the region in five years.
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1842 - China cedes Hong Kong island to Britain after the First Opium War. Over the decades, thousands of Chinese migrants fleeing domestic upheavals settle in the colony. 1898 - China leases the New Territories together with 235 islands to Britain for 99 years from 1 July. 1937 - With the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Hong Kong becomes a refuge for thousands of mainland Chinese fleeing before the advancing Japanese. 1941 - Japan occupies Hong Kong. Food shortages impel many residents to flee to mainland China. The population drops from 1.6m in 1941 to 650,000 by the end of the Second World War. 1946 - Britain re-establishes civil government. Hundreds of thousands of former residents return, to be joined over next few years by refugees fleeing the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists in China. 1950s - Hong Kong enjoys economic revival based on light industries such as textiles. 1960s - Social discontent and labour disputes become rife among poorly-paid workforce. 1967 - Severe riots break out, mainly instigated by followers of China's Cultural Revolution. Late 1960s - Living conditions improve and social unrest subsides. 1970s - Hong Kong is established as an "Asian Tiger" - one of the region's economic powerhouses - with a thriving economy based on high-technology industries. 1982 - Britain and China begin talks on the future of Hong Kong. 1984 - Britain and China sign Joint Declaration on the conditions under which Hong Kong will revert to Chinese rule in 1997. Under the "one country, two systems" formula, Hong Kong will become part of one communist-led country but retain its capitalist economic system and partially democratic political system for 50 years after the handover. 1989 - The massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in Beijing's Tiananmen Square leads to calls for the introduction of further democratic safeguards in Hong Kong. 1990 - Beijing formally ratifies Hong Kong's post-handover mini-constitution or Basic Law. 1992 April - Chris Patten becomes last British governor of Hong Kong, with a brief to oversee the colony's handover to China. 1992 October - Chris Patten announces proposals for the democratic reform of Hong Kong's institutions aimed at broadening the voting base in elections. China is outraged that it has not been consulted and threatens to tear up business contracts and overturn the reforms after it has taken control. 1992 December - Hong Kong stock market crashes. 1994 June - After nearly two years of bitter wrangling, Hong Kong's legislature introduces a stripped-down version of Chris Patten's democratic reform package. The new legislation widens the franchise but falls far short of providing for universal suffrage. 1995 - Elections held for new Legislative Council (LegCo). 1997 July - Hong Kong is handed back to the Chinese authorities after more than 150 years of British control. Tung Chee-hwa, a Shanghai-born former shipping tycoon with no political experience, is hand-picked by Beijing to rule the territory following the takeover. 1998 May - First post-handover elections held. 2001 February - Deputy Chief Executive Anson Chan, a former deputy to Chris Patten and one of the main figures in the Hong Kong administration to oppose Chinese interference in the territory's affairs, resigns under pressure from Beijing and is replaced by Donald Tsang. 2002 June - Trial of 16 members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement arrested during a protest outside Beijing's liaison office in the territory. Falun Gong remains legal in Hong Kong, despite having been banned in mainland China in 1999, and the trial is seen as a test of the freedoms Beijing guaranteed to respect after the handover. The 16 are found guilty of causing a public obstruction. 2002 September - Tung Chee-hwa's administration releases proposals for controversial new anti-subversion law known as Article 23. 2003 March-April - Both China and Hong Kong are hit by the pneumonia-like Sars virus. Strict quarantine measures are enforced to stop the disease spreading. Hong Kong is declared free of Sars in June. 2003 July - A day after a visit to the territory by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, 500,000 people march against Article 23. Two Hong Kong government members resign. The bill is shelved indefinitely. 2004 April - China rules that its approval must be sought for any changes to Hong Kong's election laws, giving Beijing the right to veto any moves towards more democracy, such as direct elections for the territory's chief executive. 2004 July - Some 200,000 people mark the seventh anniversary of Hong Kong's handover to Chinese rule by taking part in a demonstration protesting Beijing's ruling against electing the next chief executive by universal suffrage. Britain accuses China of interfering in Hong Kong's constitutional reform process in a manner inconsistent with self-governance guarantees agreed before the handover. 2004 September - Pro-Beijing parties retain their majority in LegCo elections widely seen as a referendum on Hong Kong's aspirations for greater democracy. In the run-up to the poll, human rights groups accuse Beijing of creating a "climate of fear" aimed at skewing the result. 2004 December - Chinese President Hu Jintao delivers public rebuke to Tung Chee-hwa, telling him to improve his administration's performance. 2005 March - Amid mounting criticism of his rule, Tung Chee-hwa resigns, citing failing health. He is succeeded in June by Donald Tsang. 2005 May - Hong Kong's highest court overturns the convictions of eight of the Falun Gong members who were found guilty of causing an obstruction in the territory in 2002. 2005 June - Tens of thousands of people commemorate sixteenth anniversary of crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Hong Kong is the only part of China where the 1989 events are marked. 2005 September - Pro-democracy members of LegCo make unprecented visit to Chinese mainland. Eleven members of the 25-strong pro-democracy group had been banned from the mainland for 16 years. 2005 December - Pro-democracy legislators block Mr Tsang's plans for limited constitutional reforms, saying they do not go far enough. Mr Tsang said his plans - which would have changed electoral processes without introducing universal suffrage - went as far as Beijing would allow. 2006 March - Pope Benedict XVI elevates Bishop Joseph Zen, the leader of Hong Kong's 300,000 Catholics and an outspoken advocate of democracy, to the post of cardinal. China warns Cardinal Zen to stay out of politics. 2006 July - Tens of thousands of people rally in support of full democracy. 2007 January - New rules aim to restrict the number of pregnant women from mainland China who come to Hong Kong to give birth. Many had been drawn by the prospect of gaining Hong Kong residency rights for their children and evading China's one-child policy. 2007 April - Chief Executive Donald Tsang is appointed to a new five-year term after winning elections in March. 2007 July - Hong Kong marks 10th anniversary of handover to China. New government under Chief Executive Donald Tsang is sworn in. Plans for full democracy unveiled. 2007 December - Beijing says it will allow the people of Hong Kong to directly elect their own leader in 2017 and their legislators by 2020. Mr Tsang hails this as "a timetable for obtaining universal suffrage", but pro-democracy campaigners express disappointment at the protracted timescale. 2008 September - Hong Kong's pro-democracy camp wins more than a third of seats in legislative elections, retaining a key veto over future bills. 2009 June - Tens of thousands of people attend a vigil in Hong Kong on the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The territory is the only part of China to mark the anniversary. 2009 December - Hong Kong authorities unveil proposals for political reform in response to pressure for greater democracy, including an enlarged Legislative Council; critics say the moves do not go far enough. 2010 May - Five opposition MPs are returned to their seats, in by-elections they triggered by quitting - a move intended to pressure China to grant the territory full democracy. Opposition Democratic Party, traditionally hostile to Beijing, holds its first talks with a Chinese official since the 1997 handover. 2012 July - Leung Chun-ying takes office as chief executive, succeeding Donald Tsang whose last months in office were dogged by controversy over his links with wealthy businessmen. 2012 September - Pro-democracy parties retain their power of veto over new laws in Legislative Council elections, but perform less well than expected. Turnout, at over 50%, was higher than in 2008. 2013 June - Hundreds march in support of whistleblower Edward Snowden, who fled to Hong Kong after exposing secret US surveillance programmes. 2014 June - More than 90% of the nearly 800,000 people taking part in an unofficial referendum vote in favour of giving the public a say in short-listing candidates for future elections of the territory's chief executive. Beijing condemns the vote as illegal. 2014 July - Tens of thousands of protesters take part in what organisers say could be Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy rally in a decade. 2014 August - Chinese government rules out a fully democratic election for Hong Kong leader in 2017, saying that only candidates approved by Beijing will be allowed to run. 2014 September-November - Pro-democracy demonstrators occupy the city centre for weeks in protest at the Chinese government's decision to limit voters' choices in the 2017 Hong Kong leadership election. More than 100,000 people took to the streets at the height of the Occupy Central protests. 2014 December - Authorities take down Mong Kok protest camp, leaving a few hundred protesters at two camps at Admiralty and Causeway Bay. 2014 December - Hong Kong tycoon and former government official Thomas Kwok is sentenced to five years in jail in the city's biggest-ever corruption case. 2015 June - Legislative Council rejects proposals for electing the territory's next leader in 2017. Despite pro-democracy protests and a lengthy consultation process, the plans remained the same as those outlined by China in 2014. 2016 August - Hundreds of protesters rally against the disqualification of six pro-independence candidates from Legislative Council elections on 4 September. 2016 September - A new generation of pro-independence activists win seats in Legislative Council elections in the highest turnout since the 1997 handover from Britain to China. 2016 November - Thousands of people gather in central Hong Kong to show their support for China's intervention in the territory's political affairs after Beijing moves to have two pro-independence legislators removed from office. 2016 November -The high court disqualifies pro-independence legislators Sixtus Leung and Yau Wai-Ching from taking their seats in the Legislative Council after they refused to pledge allegiance to China during a swearing in ceremony. 2016 December - Chief Executive CY Leung announces he will not see re-election when his current term ends in July 2017, citing family reasons. 2017 February - Former chief executive Donald Tsang is sentenced to 20 months in prison for misconduct in public office after he was accused of concealing private rental negotiations with a property tycoon for a luxury apartment in China, in return for awarding its owner a broadcasting licence.
A chronology of key events:
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Arthur Simpson-Kent, 48, is being held by police in Accra after his arrest in a beach resort on Saturday. The bodies of Sian Blake, 43, and the boys were found in the garden of their south-east London home on 5 January. Ghanaian police cannot hold a person for more than 48 hours without putting them before a judge. UK officers say an extradition request is yet to be made. Detectives from Scotland Yard, who are in Ghana, have already spoken to Mr Simpson-Kent. They have said an application for extradition will be "made by officers and partner agencies in due course". Ms Blake and the couple's sons were last seen on 13 December, and a missing persons inquiry was launched on 16 December. The Met Police said they spoke to Mr Simpson-Kent at their house in Erith on the same day. Ghanaian Police say Mr Simpson-Kent arrived in Ghana on 19 December. The country's police force became involved on 7 January and arrested him in in Busua, a south-west coastal resort, two days later. The actress and her two sons had died from neck and head injuries, post-mortem examinations found. Ms Blake, who had motor neurone disease, had played Frankie Pierre in 56 episodes of BBC TV soap EastEnders between 1996 and 1997. The Met has been criticised over delays in its investigation and is being investigated by the police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Speaking in Accra on Saturday, Detective Chief Inspector Graeme Gwyn, of the Met's homicide and major crime command, said he was satisfied "there was nothing we or the Ghanaians could have done any quicker", and thanked local police for their help in making an arrest.
The partner of a former EastEnders star found dead with her two young sons is set to appear before a court in Ghana.
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Maria Stubbings, 50, was strangled by Marc Chivers at her home in Chelmsford, Essex, in 2008. Earlier this year, an inquest ruled she was failed by Essex Police. Ms Stubbing's son, Bengi, who was 15 when she was killed, said he wanted a public inquiry to "spark more awareness around domestic violence". A petition set up by domestic violence charity Refuge and the families of victims, including Ms Stubbings, has been signed by almost 50,000 people. It is calling for a public inquiry into why victims of domestic violence are not getting protection. Bengi Stubbings said he wanted the issue to be "more in the open". "I'd like it [the inquiry] to get agencies to connect and come together to protect the public," he told BBC Look East. In October, the jury at an inquest into Ms Stubbings' death said Essex Police had failed in almost every part of its investigation. It said the force had made a catalogue of errors, starting in July 2008 when Ms Stubbings first contacted them after being assaulted by Chivers, who had served 15 years in prison in Germany for killing a former girlfriend. Essex's chief constable, Stephen Kavanagh, admitted the force had failed to protect Ms Stubbings and her son, but said work was being done to make sure her death was not "in vain". Mr Stubbings said he thought the "culture" around domestic violence "needed to change". "In society, we're not as aware of what the signs are," he said. "We all need to help each other to raise awareness about what domestic violence really is."
The family of a woman who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend - a convicted killer - are calling for a public inquiry into her death.
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Staff at Leicester-based Mark Group Ltd, which was founded in 1974, were told the news on Wednesday afternoon. Administrator Deloitte has made 939 redundancies, but a further 200 jobs are at risk unless a buyer can be found. A statement said Mark Group had sustained heavy losses due to "structural changes in core markets". The firm employs 1,165 people across the UK, with more than 700 based at its headquarters in Beaumont Leys. More than 570 jobs have gone at the company's headquarters, with 154 retained while a buyer is sought. In September last year, the firm announced it was cutting 670 jobs across the UK as a result of falling demand. It said a change in government policy on energy efficiency had resulted in a "significant reduction" in installation work. The Sustainable Energy Association said: "This is disastrous news for the thousand or so employees that have left Mark Group buildings to tell their families they no longer have a job." Chief executive Dave Sowden is calling on the government to rethink its entire approach to energy policy. He said: "This could easily have been avoided if the government had paid attention to clear signals about the need to instil confidence in the market. "Ministers were warned long before the election of a confidence problem in the sector due to lack of clarity on policy and frankly could have easily prevented this." A spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Climate Change said: "All job losses are regrettable and we sympathise with those affected, but commercial decisions are a matter for the company concerned. "Our priority is to keep bills as low as possible for hardworking families and businesses. "Government support has driven down the cost of renewable energy significantly and these costs are continuing to fall. We are protecting existing investment and bill payers, while reducing our emissions in the most cost-effective way."
A solar energy firm has gone into administration with the loss of more than 900 jobs.
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The object, which is 14cm (5.5in) long, was found during an excavation for a new housing development in Brunswick Road, in an area that would have been just behind the city's Roman wall. Experts say it was probably part of a winged statuette to Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. It will be put on display at Gloucester Museum once it has been studied. Neil Holbrook, from Cotswold Archaeology, said: "This find once again demonstrates that Gloucester was a high ranking city in Roman Britain and that its public spaces must have been equipped with a number of bronze statues of gods and emperors." He added that finds of Roman bronze sculpture in Britain are "extremely rare" and "very few depictions of Victoria or eagles" are known from the province. "It would be nice to think a retired Roman soldier, spending his retirement years in Gloucester, had a nice statuette to Victory as thanks for making it through the Roman invasion of Britain in one piece." Initially, archaeologists said they believed the wing came from a statue of an eagle, but Dr Martin Henig, an expert on Roman sculpture at Oxford University, studied the object and believes it is likely to have come from a statuette to victory.
An "extremely rare" Roman bronze wing has been found during an archaeological dig in Gloucester.
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The 49-year-old has been found guilty of murdering two of his patients at Stockport's Stepping Hill hospital and poisoning others by contaminating saline drips and ampoules with insulin. Investigations into the Filipino father-of-two's background have cast doubt over the validity of his qualifications. When officers from Greater Manchester Police travelled to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, they discovered inconsistencies between Chua's two nursing certificates. BBC North West Tonight understands investigators were so worried that they wrote to the government and immediately contacted the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Nazir Afzal, who was responsible for prosecuting Chua, said the Stepping Hill case raises the "extremely worrying" prospect that many untrained foreign workers could be working in UK hospitals. The former chief prosecutor for the North West believes there could be many nurses using fake qualifications in hospitals across the UK. Nazir Afzal said: "I do not know whether there were hundreds or thousands or dozens. "What I do know is the opportunities were there for them to lie about their qualifications, to obtain them fraudulently, and to cover up their disciplinary matters. "It must be, for all of us as patients, extremely worrying and desperately concerning. "In all my 24 years as a prosecutor, I have never escalated concerns to another government department except in this case," he added. The NMC's Chief Executive and Registrar Jackie Smith said significant changes had been made to the registration process since Chua came to the UK. "We're talking about identifying individuals who can practise safely," she added. "I don't know of a system that can identify potential individuals who might commit the most serious crimes." But she said she was "as assured as she can be" that the register and assessment of individuals coming to work in the UK is "as sound as it can be". On one street in Manila, North West Tonight found evidence that any document or diploma can be forged for a price. It is known as the "Recto University". Nursing degrees are particularly popular and as little as £20 can buy a qualification. One forger, who wanted to remain anonymous, told BBC News: "Lots of requests to make a diploma in nursing. On average per month 35 people are asking for that. It costs 1,500 pesos (about £22 / $34)." Chua finished his training at Manila's Galang Medical Center, which was once listed as one of the worst performing nursing schools in the Philippines and has since been shut down. When Greater Manchester Police flew out to look at his records they found his certificates did not match - and also questioned whether he sat his final nursing exam. Det Supt Simon Barraclough said: "Victorino Chua has provided us with certificates from his training. We've had two certificates. Those certificates don't correspond to each other. "Even assuming one of them is right, the other is not." While police were unable to confirm Chua's certification was forged, the detective added: "All I can say is we have absolutely no confidence that those are bona fide qualifications." Prosecutors suspect the person who sat Chua's final nursing exam was not Chua. Det Supt Barraclough said: "You have to present yourself with a photo of who you are to take the exam. When I look at that photograph, to me the person who presented to do that exam does not look remotely like Victorino Chua." The photograph was not of sufficient quality to enable facial recognition tests but police said they compared photographs of Chua from that period of time with the photos from the nursing exam. Investigators did not think the pictures matched. Det Supt Barraclough added: "You cannot be sure the nursing accreditation Chua provided is accurate because there's basically some chap who provides them for a fee. He can write anything on them." Chua's qualifications show he did fail one nursing exam. Jose Ray Fulgencio, former registrar at Galang Medical Center, told the BBC he believed Chua did graduate - but suggested his certificates could have been altered. "I don't know if there was some changes by someone else to change their official record from this office," he said. "Maybe it [buying diplomas] was a practice before by not only our school but some [other] schools also." He also told BBC North West Tonight fake qualifications were "rampant". "Not only for Galang Medical Centre but some of the universities or colleges - you can go to Recto if you want," he added. Chua had finished his nursing qualifications in June 1989. His first nursing job was at Manila's Metropolitan Hospital in April 1991. He met his wife at the hospital in 1992. In February 2002 the Chua family moved to the UK. Police also discovered Chua was disciplined at Manila's Metropolitan Hospital, which BBC News understands was for theft. But there is no mention of this disciplinary matter on the documentation he brought with him to the UK. He used this when applying for jobs in nursing homes and hospitals in Greater Manchester and Warrington. There has been a crackdown on Philippine's forgers and poor nursing schools. But education officials argued Chua's qualifications and training have no bearing on what he did. Dr Patricia Licuanan, Chair of the Commission on Higher Education, said: "I feel very strongly that the school that nurse came from, whether excellent or questionable, has nothing to do with the case." The NMC's Jackie Smith said when Chua registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council "he met the requirements in place at the time" and provided certificates and evidence of training. A number of significant changes have been made to the vetting process since Chua arrived in the UK in 2002, Ms Smith added. Supervised practice for nurses was introduced in 2007 and more stringent checks of documentation were added to the process in the last two and a half years, she added. She said: "Right now anyone coming from abroad [outside the EU] has to do an online test first of all. If they pass that test they have to obtain a visa via the Home Office. "If they manage to get a visa then they have to come here with their original documentation. We have to have a face-to-face interview. We carry out checks on that documentation. They must take a test of competence. "If they get through that test - a skills test - they go on our register. "That's very different to the process in place in 2002." She added: "There are a number of hurdles any applicant would have to overcome before getting on our register. If there are concerns about an individual there are processes in place to pick that up." If Victorino Chua was unqualified it did not make him a killer. But if the problems with his accreditation had been discovered and that had prevented him from working in the UK, he would never have been able to murder and poison patients.
Should killer Victorino Chua ever have been allowed to work as a nurse in the UK?
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LCP, in its annual report on the pensions market, said that by the end of July, the deficit was an estimated £46bn, as against £25bn a year earlier. And this month, the deficit has widened further to £63bn, LCP told the BBC. The position has deteriorated because of lower bond yields, with a sharp fall after the UK's vote to leave the EU. But sterling's fall after the Brexit result has partly offset this effect, LCP said. Falling bond yields cause problems for pension funds, because they reduce the amount of income available from investments. Bond yields have fallen even further this month, in the wake of the Bank of England's decision to cut interest rates from 0.5% to 0.25% and step up its bond-buying programme in an effort to stimulate the UK economy. However, at the same time, the fall in the value of the pound has meant that overseas investments by pension funds are worth more in sterling terms. LCP added that companies had also used interest rate hedging to negate much of the impact of falling bond yields. "FTSE 100 companies seem to have ridden out Brexit reasonably well, reflecting the level of protection that many put in place against fall interest rates," the report said. However, LCP added that Brexit, along with the collapse of department store chain BHS and the potential sale of Tata Steel's UK operations, had "highlighted the significance of corporate pension liabilities". Since both firms were suffering because of underfunded pension schemes, their plight illustrated "the impact that a large defined-benefit scheme can have on a UK company". Bob Scott, partner at LCP told the BBC that UK companies should be in a strong position to fund their pension liabilities, given that they are currently paying high levels of dividends. "If they can pay afford to pay out in a single year, dividends that are 25% more than the deficit, then they can manage their pension funding over the period," he said. "I think there is going to be some attention focused on the level of dividends for companies that have large pension deficits." He added that higher funding of defined benefit schemes would mean that pensions of those currently in work would tend to lose out relative to those who had retired. "If companies are made to pay even more money into their defined benefit pension schemes, that increases the gap between current employees most of whom have a defined contribution scheme and former employees many of whom who have defined benefits," Mr Scott said. The position has worsened since February, when FTSE 100 companies briefly had a combined pension surplus for the first time in seven years because of a fall in liability values. But in the ensuing months, "liability values increased again and earlier gains were more than offset". "None of the FTSE 100 companies we have analysed provide traditional final-salary pensions to new employees and only two continue to provide any form of defined-benefit pension provision as standard to new recruits," said LCP in its Accounting for Pensions 2016 report. "These are Diageo and Johnson Matthey, which both provide cash balance schemes." However, 57 FTSE 100 companies still allow at least some employees to pay into existing defined-benefit schemes. "Legal & General and Marks and Spencer were the only companies to announce they would be closing their schemes to future accrual, or proposing to do so, since last year's report," said LCP. But it added: "We expect to see many more pension scheme closures announced in the coming months and years - unless something is done to make pensions more affordable."
The combined pension funds deficit for companies in the FTSE 100 has seen huge increases in the past year, according to pensions expert LCP.
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Ironmasters Way and the footpath between the road and Rampart Way will be closed to improve pedestrian links to the railway station, the council said. The Department for Transport has given grants of £7.8m to fund the scheme. The work is expected to be finished on Friday 10 April, a spokesman said.
A road in Telford town centre will be closed for 12 weeks as part of an £11.8m scheme to make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
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Pools started the game well and had plenty of first-half possession but finding a way through the defence to trouble Blackpool goalkeeper Sam Slocombe was a different matter. Lewis Hawkins played in Lewis Alessandra but when he got into the area he checked back onto his right foot and his shot was blocked. The Tangerines' best effort came when Mark Cullen's shot was firmly blocked by Liam Donnelly. Pools keeper Trevor Carson saved brilliantly on 47 minutes when a swift break saw Brad Potts cross for Kyle Vassell, who picked his spot with a firm header only for Carson to keep it out. The home side almost took the lead on 61 minutes as Rhys Oates crossed and Alessandra's first-time shot fizzed low past the post. But the Tangerines opened the scoring on 64 minutes when a counter-attack saw the ball played over the top for Cullen to confidently net. Pools should have levelled on 84 minutes after they were awarded a penalty following Tom Aldred's handball. Alessandra, however, ballooned the ball high over the bar from 12 yards. Report supplied by the Press Association Match ends, Hartlepool United 0, Blackpool 1. Second Half ends, Hartlepool United 0, Blackpool 1. Jim McAlister (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Nicky Deverdics (Hartlepool United). Attempt missed. Padraig Amond (Hartlepool United) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Foul by Rhys Oates (Hartlepool United). Mark Cullen (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Hartlepool United. Nicky Deverdics replaces Lewis Alessandra. Foul by Scott Harrison (Hartlepool United). Mark Cullen (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Penalty missed! Bad penalty by Lewis Alessandra (Hartlepool United) right footed shot is just a bit too high. Lewis Alessandra should be disappointed. Penalty conceded by Tom Aldred (Blackpool) with a hand ball in the penalty area. Attempt saved. Mark Cullen (Blackpool) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Foul by Lewis Alessandra (Hartlepool United). Mark Cullen (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Substitution, Hartlepool United. Michael Woods replaces Josh Laurent. Liam Donnelly (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Mark Cullen (Blackpool). Substitution, Blackpool. Danny Philliskirk replaces Bright Samuel because of an injury. Substitution, Hartlepool United. Padraig Amond replaces Billy Paynter. Lewis Alessandra (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Kelvin Mellor (Blackpool). Lewis Hawkins (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Bright Samuel (Blackpool). Scott Harrison (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Kyle Vassell (Blackpool). Foul by Billy Paynter (Hartlepool United). (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt missed. Rhys Oates (Hartlepool United) left footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left. Goal! Hartlepool United 0, Blackpool 1. Mark Cullen (Blackpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Andy Taylor. Billy Paynter (Hartlepool United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Clark Robertson (Blackpool). Corner, Hartlepool United. Conceded by Brad Potts. Foul by Scott Harrison (Hartlepool United). Kyle Vassell (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt missed. Nicky Featherstone (Hartlepool United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Foul by Josh Laurent (Hartlepool United). Kelvin Mellor (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Brad Potts (Blackpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Corner, Blackpool. Conceded by Jake Carroll.
Blackpool kept up their hopes of claiming a play-off spot in League Two by beating Hartlepool in a scrappy encounter.
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The teams were tied at five points apiece at half-time but the Red Hands ran out 0-10 to 0-08 winners in a game played in difficult conditions. Lee Brennan scored three points in the first half but Tyrone failed to shake off Cavan until late in the match. Justin McMahon and Connor McAliskey pointed within 30 seconds to make it 0-10 to 0-7, then Killian Clarke replied. Goalkeeper Michael O'Neill made his debut for Tyrone, while Darren McCurry was handed a start and Mark Bradley was drafted in to play instead of Peter Harte, who came on as a second-half substitute. Brennan (3), Bradley and McAliskey were the point-scorers for the hosts in the first half, with Niall McDermott, Martin Reilly (2), Eugene Keating and Gearoid McKiernan registering scores for the Breffnimen. McKiernan added his second after the break, but Mattie Donnelly, Rory Brennan and McCurry responded to nudge Mickey Harte's outfit two points ahead. Cian Mackey reduced the deficit to a point, but that quickfire double from McMahon and McAliskey gave Tyrone some breathing space and they saw out the game, despite Clarke's late consolation. Tyrone are away to Galway next week, with Cavan at home to Derry in another Ulster derby. Tyrone manager Mickey Harte: "That was a hard-fought victory played in difficult conditions and very inclement weather. Fortunately we came away with the two points. "The number of wides is a concern for us, the percentage of scores from shots taken and from free-kicks, but that will take time. "Today was all about the result but there is lots of work to do in terms of our performance and things we can do better." WEEKEND ALLIANZ FOOTBALL LEAGUE RESULTS Saturday Division 1 Down 0-07 3-15 Donegal Dublin 2-14 0-14 Kerry Sunday Division 1 Cork 1-18 0-12 Mayo Roscommon 1-09 2-10 Monaghan Division 2 Derry 3-13 1-10 Fermanagh Meath 1-10 0-08 Armagh Tyrone 0-10 0-08 Cavan Laois 1-10 3-12 Galway Division 3 Clare 1-11 0-07 Sligo Limerick 1-12 2-09 Tipperary Offaly 0-12 0-10 Longford Westmeath 0-11 2-09 Kildare Division 4 Louth 2-09 0-09 London Carlow 0-10 1-12 Antrim Wexford 0-14 1-10 Leitrim Wicklow 0-13 1-08 Waterford
Tyrone edged out Ulster rivals Cavan in a closely contested Football League Division Two contest at Healy Park.
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The Swedish Oscar-winner takes over from Angelina Jolie in the latest film to be drawn from the popular video game franchise. Described as a reboot, the film is said to be an origins tale drawn from the plot of the Tomb Raider game released in 2013. Directed by the fabulously named Roar Uthaug, it's due out in March 2018. Vikander, who won an Oscar for The Danish Girl, describes Lara as "a truly iconic character" who acts as "a model for many young women". "She's trying to carve out her place in the world and connect her future with her past," the 28-year-old told Vanity Fair. Norwegian director Uthaug said the film - which also stars Dominic West as Croft's father - would focus "not only on Lara's strength and physical accomplishments but her humanity". "We see Lara as a young woman, smart and capable but largely unfocused, and follow her on a dangerous journey that will push her to her limits in every sense," he went on. Jolie previously played the role in 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its 2003 sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
It's dusty work being a Tomb Raider, as the first picture of Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft reveals.
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One hot air balloon ended up slightly off course and landed on a street in the Gortmore area of the town. Owner Jeff Lawton admitted it was not exactly a scheduled stop, but he said there was never any sense of danger. "The winds were light and we could see there was a big grassy area so we thought: 'Right, that'll work!' "There were no power lines so we knew it was safe enough." Mr Lawton, who lives in Gilford, was in County Londonderry for the Sperrins Balloon Festival which runs once a year. He said a number of bemused residents came out of their houses to see what was happening. "I'm sure it was an unusual sight to wake up to, but they seemed happy enough." Patrick Bradley, an architect whose house was featured in the BBC programme Grand Designs, was equally welcoming when a balloon landed on his property. "They landed on a field near my house. We were having a barbeque so I invited them in for a drink and in return, they offered to take me up for a trip the following day. "I'm actually not great with heights - to be honest, I accepted the offer after a few drinks - so I had to psyche myself up for it! "But they're very experienced pilots so I was in good hands and really enjoyed it - the view was amazing." Jeff Lawton said the conditions for this year's festival were much better than those of previous years. "The festival has been running for years now, but sometimes it turns into a bit of a drinking holiday because of the weather. This year, we were very lucky - it was fantastic."
Residents on a street in Maghera, County Londonderry, awoke to an unlikely sight during the Sperrins Balloon Festival.
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The incident happened at about 01:40 on Monday in Saracen Street. A car collided with the building, causing damage to a gas main. Thirteen people had to leave their homes Police Scotland said the damage had now been repaired and the gas leak sealed off. Two men are in custody in connection with a stolen vehicle. A spokesman added: "A vehicle lost control on Saracen Street and collided with a block of flats, causing damage to some of the gas fixtures. "It was necessary to have 13 people evacuated."
A block of flats in Glasgow was evacuated after a suspected stolen car crashed into a building causing a gas leak.
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If approved, the cuts, totalling £12.8m for 2015/16, will see a rise in council tax, day care centres closing and street cleaning reduced. The move comes after the Welsh government's recent budget included a 3.4% cut in funding for the council. Further cuts of over £14m in 2016/17 and £12m in 2017/18, are also planned. Despite the endorsement by the cabinet, council leader Keith Reynolds said the proposals were still subject to further consultation over the coming months. He said: "I am confident that with everyone's full support, we can ensure a balanced, fair budget with the best interests of the people of our county borough." Mr Reynolds was keen to stress the council wanted to avoid staff redundancies wherever possible. He said: "These are undoubtedly unprecedented financial times for councils across Wales. "But I want to give a very strong message that it is our overwhelming intention to protect front line services where we possibly can." Other savings proposals include the removal of Bargoed's annual ice rink, a rise in the price of meals on wheels and limited library opening times. Turning off of street lights at certain times and removing funding to help pensioners pay council tax are also recommended. The 3.9% council tax increase will, if approved, result in a weekly increase of 48p for Band A properties and 71p for Band D properties. Mr Reynolds added: "The savings targets facing us are undoubtedly tough, and we will need to take some difficult decisions. "But I am confident we will continue to deal with these challenges with a measured and balanced approach." The cuts, which will total savings of £39m over three years, will now be scrutinised before the council votes on them in full in February.
Services are to be hit significantly after draft savings and budget cuts were endorsed by Caerphilly council's cabinet.
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Three-quarters of family doctors in Scotland who took part said the amount they have to do "at times has a negative impact on quality of care". Scotland has the highest proportion of concerned GPs, according to the British Medical Association national survey. A quarter (25%) said their workload was "unmanageable". A further 17% said their workload "significantly negatively impacts" on the quality of care they can provide. Three-fifths (60%) of doctors in Scotland who took part in the 2015 national survey described their workload as being "generally manageable" but "too heavy at times". Only 8% thought having 10 minutes for each consultation was sufficient time, with 63% wanting longer consultations for certain groups of patients - such as those with long-term conditions - and 30% saying there should be more time available for all patients. A total of 1,844 doctors in Scotland took part in the research, with the BMA saying this represented 37% of all GPs in the country. When asked what would help them deliver the "essential components of general practice", 75% wanted longer consultation times, 74% believe there should be more GPs and 69% responded that increased core funding for practices would make a difference. Dr Colette Maule, co-negotiator of the BMA's Scottish GP committee, said: "This survey reflects the immense pressure that GPs working across Scotland are feeling just now. "The rising workload is simply unsustainable and something has to change otherwise general practice will break. "Giving us more time with patients, expanding the GP workforce and supporting the practice-based primary care team will help to ensure the quality of care our patients receive remains of a high standard. "In addition, providing stable funding arrangements to meet the rising costs of providing increasingly complex care in the community will alleviate some of the helplessness that GPs are clearly feeling just now. "Politicians need to stop fixating on how they can demand more from general practice and instead focus on what they can do to support GPs to provide the quality of care that our patients deserve within the constraints that exist." Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "The recently-agreed new GP contract in Scotland will give general practice financial stability, reducing the bureaucratic burden and freeing up GPs to spend more time with patients. "Individual GP practices determine their appointment and consultation arrangements. "The length of a consultation will vary depending on the clinical needs of the individual patient and is a matter of professional judgement for the GP." Ms Robison added: "The Scottish government is determined to continue supporting and sustaining Scottish general practice. Under this government, spending on GP services has increased by £69.7 million or 10%. "This government's investment in primary care has seen the number of GPs increase by 6.9%. There are now more GPs per head of population in Scotland than England."
Nine out of 10 GPs believe their workload has at times a damaging effect on patient care, a survey by doctors' leaders has found.
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The 24-year-old former Middlesbrough player has the option to extend his contract by a further 12 months. Main scored four goals in 18 league games while on loan at Oldham last season after falling out of favour at his parent club. He is Portsmouth's eighth summer signing as they look to improve on their play-off finish last season. Main's arrival at Fratton Park follows that of defender Tom Davies, who joined Pompey on Friday on a two-year deal, having been released by Accrington at the end of last season. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
Portsmouth have signed striker Curtis Main from Doncaster Rovers for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal.
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Three people died following avalanches that occurred in a 10-day period in February, the Scottish Avalanche Information Service said. SAIS added that two other fatalities during the winter of 2015/16 may also have involved avalanche activity. The service recorded 205 avalanches between December 2015 and April. Of the avalanches, SAIS said 159 were released naturally and 46 were incidents triggered by people. Some of the avalanche occurrences were minor, but others were "more significant" and resulted in people being carried with down by the avalanche, the service said. A total of 21 people were carried down by an avalanche, it said. In its report, SAIS, which has not named the three fatalities, said: "Significantly, 21 human triggered avalanche incidents occurred during a 10-day period in February, with three fatalities. "This period was also during the mid-term holidays and coincided with stormy conditions, poor visibility, snowpack instability and when considerable to high levels of avalanche hazard were issued by the SAIS, notably in the Lochaber and Creag Meagaidh areas." February saw the deaths of Adrian Bankart, 54, from Derbyshire, following an avalanche on Creag Meagaidh and Rachel Slater, 24, and Tim Newton, 27, from Bradford, who mountain rescuers say were caught by an avalanche before starting a climb on the North Face of Ben Nevis. SAIS assesses avalanche hazards in six mountain areas. These are Lochaber, Glen Coe, Creag Meagaidh, Southern Cairngorms, Northern Cairngorms and Torridon. The service provides information on the stability of snowpack on the mountains from between December and April. Every winter, hillwalkers and climbers are advised to check SAIS and mountain weather forecasts before planning trips into Scotland's hills. In its report it said the winter of 2015/16 saw severe storm cycles crossing the Atlantic and bringing "very strong storm force winds" with severe gusts. Wind speeds reached 140mph on mountain tops and often continual 100mph speeds persisting throughout some days. Arctic conditions were experienced at the end of January with northerly and easterly bringing colder temperatures and fresh snow "that presented a period of instabilities within the snow pack, and different challenges", said SAIS. In the winter of 2013/14, the service documented one of its highest numbers of avalanches with 350 snow slides detected during one of the snowiest winters in Scotland's mountains in almost 70 years. SAIS's newest season is to begin on 17 December.
A total of 109 people were involved in avalanche incidents as members of a group of walkers or climbers last winter, according to a new report.
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The widely-predicted outcome saw Mr Karimov, who has led the country for more than 25 years, secure 90% of the vote. But international observers have criticised the poll, saying that it fell short of international standards. Uzbek officials said that there was a 91% turnout for the vote. Mr Karimov, 77, has led Uzbekistan since 1989 when the country was still part of the Soviet Union, making him the only leader in the country's history. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued a statement on Monday criticising the election for a "lack of genuine political alternatives" to the incumbent and "persistent legal and organisational shortcomings". The OSCE also criticised Mr Karimov for disregarding the two-term limit placed on the presidency by the Uzbek constitution. BBC Central Asia correspondent Abdujalil Abdurasulov says that elections in authoritarian Uzbekistan are often used to boost the incumbent's legitimacy, with high turnout helping to reinforce the image of public support for the president.
Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov has been re-elected president by a landslide, according to preliminary results of Sunday's election.
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Mr Li is on an official visit to France where a UN-led climate summit will be held later this year. After meeting officials in Brussels, he said the details would be announced by the end of the month, which is Tuesday. Last November, China - the world's top greenhouse gas emitter - committed for the first time to limit its output. Chinese President Xi Jinping said the country would target 2030 for its emissions to peak. At a press conference in Brussels on Monday after meetings with EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, Mr Li said China would submit its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) report to the UN secretariat on climate change "by the end of this month". All countries are supposed to submit their INDC, as the pledges are called by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, before the Paris summit in November. The summit is aimed at reaching a pact to limit global warming to 2C (3.6F) over pre-Industrial Revolution levels, to take effect from 2020. The European Union is eager to avoid what happened at the Copenhagen UN summit in 2009, which failed to reach a deal in part because of China's reluctance to make a binding commitment. Also on Monday, Mr Li called on Greece and its creditors to reach a last-minute deal and avoid an exit from the eurozone. "Whether Greece stays within the euro is not only a question that concerns Europe, but also concerns China and Europe," Mr Li said. "In addition, this is also something that concerns world financial stability and economic recovery." China is the European Union's second-biggest trading partner.
China is set to reveal how much it intends to cut its carbon emissions by beyond 2020, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said.
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If Rombertik's evasion techniques are triggered, it deletes key files on a computer, making it constantly restart. Analysts said Rombertik was "unique" among malware samples for resisting capture so aggressively. On Windows machines where it goes unnoticed, the malware steals login data and other confidential information. Rombertik typically infected a vulnerable machine after a booby-trapped attachment on a phishing message had been opened, security researchers Ben Baker and Alex Chiu, from Cisco, said in a blogpost. Some of the messages Rombertik travels with pose as business enquiry letters from Microsoft. The malware "indiscriminately" stole data entered by victims on any website, the researchers said. And it got even nastier when it spotted someone was trying to understand how it worked. "Rombertik is unique in that it actively attempts to destroy the computer if it detects certain attributes associated with malware analysis," the researchers said. The malware regularly carries out internal checks to see if it is under analysis. If it believes it is, it will attempt to delete an essential Windows system file called the Master Boot Record (MBR). It will then restart the machine which, because the MBR is missing, will go into an endless restart loop. The code replacing the MBR makes the machine print out a message mocking attempts to analyse it. Restoring a PC with its MBR deleted involves reinstalling Windows, which could mean important data is lost. Rombertik also uses other tricks to foil analysis. One involves writing a byte of data to memory 960 million times to overwhelm analysis tools that try to spot malware by logging system activity. Security expert Graham Cluley said destructive viruses such as Rombertik were quite rare. "It's not the norm," he said. "That's because malware these days doesn't want to draw attention to itself, as that works against its typical goal - to lie in wait, stealing information for a long time."
A computer virus that tries to avoid detection by making the machine it infects unusable has been found.
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The analysis of the data also shows there are hotspots for the disease in London and Lincolnshire, with the London borough of Newham having twice the national average of prescriptions. Diabetes UK said it was good that more people were getting diagnosed. The next step was getting people to "manage their condition better". How can I reduce my risk of diabetes? The figures that were looked at by data analysis company Exasol stretched to more than 700 million rows on spreadsheets and included every prescription handed out by pharmacies in England from August 2010 to July 2016. A mapping of the data shows large variations across the country. London boroughs have three of the highest prescribing areas - with Tower Hamlets and Harrow as well as Newham in the top 10. There is also a hotspot in the East Midlands - with Lincolnshire having two of the top three highest prescribing areas - in East Lindsey and South Holland. Krishna Sarda, the engagement communities manager for Diabetes UK, told the BBC both Lincolnshire and London had similarities in their populations. "Lincolnshire is such a huge patch. It's also got a very large migrant population and a very large working class population," he said. "In London and the East Midlands there is a very large BME (black and minority ethnic) population and ethnic minorities are between two to four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes." He said both areas have done a lot of work around prevention and raising awareness of the condition. "One of the consequences of doing a lot of prevention and raising awareness is people go to their GPs to get a blood test done. "So the greater the numbers in the population demographically - and the campaign work that's happened in London and East Midlands - you'll have more people coming into the register as being diagnosed with type 2. "It's a very positive thing that people are picking up in the media, our campaign and other campaigns going on." Mr Sarda also said GPs are becoming more proactive. "I think GPs are becoming more aware that maybe one of the things they should do for their patients when they come in among other things is to get a HbA1c test done for them. "Which means we don't have people walking around silently carrying that condition and sometimes only realising when it's too late sadly." The data analysis also showed that the prescribing of second line drugs, used when people with the condition are getting sicker, has doubled in five years. He added that more analysis of this data was needed to see whether this meant people were actually becoming more ill. "It's very difficult with the limitation of the data. But if people have been diagnosed much later on or have other underlying long term conditions, then Metformin, which is a first line drug on its own, may not do the job." Diabetes is a condition that causes a person's blood sugar to become too high. Exasol said the data shows that in the first six months of 2016, the number of prescriptions for type 2 diabetes was already up by more than 8% compared with the same period the year before. There are estimated to be 3.5 million adults with type 2 diabetes in the UK. At this rate of growth they say it is predicted that there will be five million people with the disease in 2020 - five years earlier than previously anticipated.
Prescriptions for type 2 diabetes have risen by a third in England in the last five years from 26 million to 35 million a year, according to NHS data.
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Dortmund had not conceded in their four competitive games under new boss Thomas Tuchel, but trailed within 13 seconds to Jone Samuelsen's header and were three down within 22 minutes. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started the comeback on 34 minutes. And Shinji Kagawa, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang's second turned it around after the break. Dortmund have had to qualify for this season's Europa League after finishing seventh in the Bundesliga last season, leading to club legend Jurgen Klopp's departure as coach. Mkhitaryan has now scored seven goals in five matches this season. Elsewhere in the Europa League, Athletic Bilbao, on the back of their 5-1 Spanish Super Cup aggregate win over Barcelona, lost 3-2 to Zilina. The Basque side led 2-0 at the break in Slovakia but, after their opponents got back into the game, William Alves de Oliveira scored a winner deep into injury-time - his second of the match. AZ Alkmaar lost 3-2 to Astra Giurgiu, conquerors of Inverness and West Ham in the previous two rounds. Their Dutch rivals Ajax beat Jablonec 1-0. Southampton drew 1-1 with Midtjylland, with Jay Rodriguez scoring his first goal since March 2014. Robin van Persie scored with his first touch as Fenerbahce won 1-0 at Atromitos Athens.
Borussia Dortmund came from 3-0 down to beat Norwegian side Odd in a dramatic Europa League play-off first leg.
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The show, with singer Adam Lambert, will be the band's debut performance at a UK music festival and their only UK show in 2016, organisers said. Guitarist Brian May said former frontman Freddie Mercury "would have loved it". The rock legends will close the four-day festival at Seaclose Park, Newport, on 12 June. Queen drummer Roger Taylor said: "When I think of The Isle of Wight Festival I think of Hendrix, Dylan and The Who. What immortal company to be in. "Queen are thrilled to be there and can promise a special night." The band recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of their record-breaking worldwide hit single Bohemian Rhapsody. They are the first headliners to be announced for the festival which will be marking its 15th year since it relaunched in 2002.
Queen have been revealed as the Sunday night headliners for The Isle of Wight Festival next year.
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Hundreds of thousands of people are trying to survive with almost no shelter, food or medical care as temperatures fall below freezing. The ICRC called for better access for aid agencies so they could be reached. More than 12 million Syrians, including 5.5 million children, are in need of immediate humanitarian assistance. Four million people have fled abroad since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011, and about eight million are displaced within the country. The ICRC's Near and Middle East director, Robert Mardini, said five years of conflict had left much of Syria's infrastructure destroyed or severely damaged. "The humanitarian situation in Syria is catastrophic and deteriorating day by day," he said in a statement. "The people are facing a bitter winter ahead and they have very few resources. We need better access so that aid can be brought to the most vulnerable. The situation is nothing short of critical for many, many people." Mr Mardini said many of the refugees in countries neighbouring Syria, including Jordan and Lebanon, were living "in terrible conditions and are struggling to find warmth as temperatures fall". "And they live with the uncertainty of not knowing what tomorrow will bring or even if they will ever make it back home one day," he added. The ICRC has started distributing winter clothes for 300,000 children between the ages of six months and nine years old, but wants access to many more. Work has also been done to improve the living conditions of dozens of collective-shelters and other places where displaced people are being hosted. Last winter was particularly brutal, according to the UN refugee agency, with multiple snow storms hitting the region between November and January. In Lebanon's Bekaa valley, temperatures fell to -15C (5F) while refugees were shovelling up to 50cm (20in) of snow off the roofs of their makeshift dwellings. In Jordan, refugees in camps saw their shelters damaged by high winds and flooding. Although the ICRC statement made no mention of the UK's decision to begin air strikes targeting the jihadist group Islamic State in Syria on Thursday, the timing was not a coincidence, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva. The ICRC clearly hopes to remind the public of the desperate situation for Syria's civilians, our correspondent adds. In a separate development on Thursday, Russian troops in Syria were said to be working to expand and reinforce an airbase in the interior of the country. Until now Russian warplanes have been operating out of an airstrip in Latakia province, on the Mediterranean coast. But the current work is reportedly being done at the Shayrat airbase, near the city of Homs, which lies much further inland. And activists monitoring the war believe Moscow may be planning to develop the Shayrat facility into a new site from which to carry out air strikes in support of the government of President Assad.
The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Syria is deteriorating day by day as winter approaches, the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned.
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The hosts struck twice in the space of three minutes as Jack Baldwin steered in a Marcus Maddison corner before Tom Nichols produced a glorious finish from a Leo Da Silva Lopes pass. Rochdale cut their arrears within 60 seconds through Joe Thompson, before Joe Rafferty became the first man to receive his marching orders, grabbing Maddison to earn a second yellow card. The visitors were reduced to nine men eight minutes into the second half when Donal McDermott was given a straight red for jumping into a challenge on Baldwin. Posh failed to make their numerical advantage count as Wilson made fine saves to deny Maddison and Brad Inman. And Grant McCann's men were then reduced to 10 men themselves as skipper Baldwin collected a second caution for scything down Ian Henderson. It was a dismissal which briefly gave the visitors a glimmer of hope, but Paul Taylor rifled in an Inman cross with five minutes to go. Match report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Peterborough United 3, Rochdale 1. Second Half ends, Peterborough United 3, Rochdale 1. Foul by Junior Morias (Peterborough United). Harrison McGahey (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt saved. Calvin Andrew (Rochdale) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Foul by Bradden Inman (Peterborough United). Mark Kitching (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Peterborough United. Junior Morias replaces Tom Nichols. Goal! Peterborough United 3, Rochdale 1. Paul Taylor (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Bradden Inman. Attempt missed. Calvin Andrew (Rochdale) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Attempt blocked. Craig Mackail-Smith (Peterborough United) right footed shot from long range on the right is blocked. Attempt missed. Callum Camps (Rochdale) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick. Second yellow card to Jack Baldwin (Peterborough United) for a bad foul. Foul by Jack Baldwin (Peterborough United). Ian Henderson (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Paul Taylor (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Substitution, Rochdale. Andrew Cannon replaces Nathaniel Mendez-Laing. Attempt saved. Bradden Inman (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Attempt blocked. Michael Bostwick (Peterborough United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Marcus Maddison (Peterborough United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Ian Henderson (Rochdale). Attempt missed. Paul Taylor (Peterborough United) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Foul by Bradden Inman (Peterborough United). Mark Kitching (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Peterborough United. Conceded by Ben Wilson. Attempt saved. Marcus Maddison (Peterborough United) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Attempt missed. Craig Mackail-Smith (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Attempt saved. Marcus Maddison (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Substitution, Peterborough United. Craig Mackail-Smith replaces Leonardo Da Silva Lopes. Attempt missed. Calvin Andrew (Rochdale) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right from a direct free kick. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Andrew Hughes (Peterborough United). Attempt missed. Paul Taylor (Peterborough United) right footed shot from long range on the right is high and wide to the left. Substitution, Rochdale. Mark Kitching replaces Keith Keane. Jack Baldwin (Peterborough United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Jamie Allen (Rochdale) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Jack Baldwin (Peterborough United). Attempt saved. Paul Taylor (Peterborough United) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner. Jack Baldwin (Peterborough United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Donal McDermott (Rochdale) is shown the red card.
Referee Chris Sarginson issued three red cards as Peterborough beat Rochdale in a battle of two faltering League One play-off challengers.
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He wants each rail franchise to be run by joint management teams, including representatives from both the train operating company and Network Rail. Mr Grayling said: "I intend to start bringing back together the operation of track and train on our railways." The changes will start when each franchise is renewed in the future. The minister said he wanted the changes to improve services for passengers, who are travelling on an increasingly crowded and expensive network. "We need to change the relationship between the tracks and the trains on the railway," Mr Grayling said. "In my experience passengers don't understand the division between the two. "They just want someone to be in charge. They want their train to work. I agree with them," he added. Each franchise will be run by one joint team, but the franchise owners and Network Rail will continue to exist separately. The first new joint management teams will come into operation when the South Eastern and the East Midlands franchises are re-let in 2018. Network Rail's chief executive, Mark Carne, said the new plan would "bring more joined-up working within the industry". Lianna Etkind, of the Campaign for Better Transport, gave the proposal a cautious welcome. "Rail passengers are not interested in the finer details of the management of the railways, they just want trains that are punctual, safe and reliable and don't cost the earth to use," she said. "We hope that these reforms will work, but ultimately they will be judged on whether they actually deliver better and cheaper services for passengers." The establishment of railway franchises, separate from the network infrastructure, goes back to the privatisation of British Rail in 1993 by John Major's Conservative government. This separation, which is still in force, is held by some critics to be a significant source of delays to management decisions, repairs and train services. Rail privatisation was partly reversed in 2002 when the previous infrastructure owner, the privately-owned Railtrack, was taken over by the government-controlled Network Rail in the wake of the Hatfield rail crash. Mick Cash, general secretary of the RMT rail union, told the BBC the proposed changes were "a slippery slope to privatisation and the break-up of Network Rail" and that the union was "deeply concerned". "We don't want to go back to the Railtrack days," he said. "It's quite clear they want to break up Network Rail, they want to privatise the rail infrastructure. "We don't want to go back to the days of [rail disasters] Hatfield and Potters Bar - that's what happens when you get the private sector in charge of our infrastructure." Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald told the BBC that what the government "appears to be contemplating is yet further complexity, yet further fragmentation, and more opportunities for private entities to extract value out of our railway system". He said that franchises should be brought back under public ownership as they come to be renewed. However, Mr Grayling said the changes were "not about privatising Network Rail, it's not about handing over control of the track to train operating companies, it's about forging partnership alliances between the two". I have never met anyone, no matter what their politics, who thinks it was a good idea to have one company running the trains and another running the track they run on. But that's what they decided to do when they privatised the network 20 or so years ago. I've heard of crazy situations, where train companies made money out of Network Rail when it overran on engineering work (they had to pay a fine). Then the firm would make extra money running the replacement bus service too. Different companies, with different priorities. Now Chris Grayling has become the latest transport secretary to try to get Network Rail working as one with private companies to fix the problems together, rather than arguing about whose fault it is. They are already trying something like it across Scotland and with South West Trains. As for getting one private company running everything on a future Cambridge to Oxford line, some fear it's an attempt to privatise rail repairs, which ended disastrously under Railtrack. Speaking to the transport secretary, though, he told me that he had no intention of making radical changes across the network, or breaking up Network Rail. He just wants the public and private sector, train and tracks, to work together - not against - each other. The new management approach may also be applied to the running of the revived "Varsity Line" between Oxford and Cambridge. The recent Autumn Statement confirmed that the line, which was closed in the 1960s, should be rebuilt and reopened. The line will be designed, constructed and run by a new body called East West Rail, which will be separate from Network Rail. Mr Grayling said that, on this line, the track would be publicly owned but run by a private company, and would "provide a degree of comparison with Network Rail to say 'can we build lines quicker and cheaper than we are at the moment?'."
The way that England's railway network is run is set to be overhauled under plans outlined by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
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The 25-year-old spent the 2014-15 season with the Blues where he scored twice in his 44 appearances. The former Sheffield United trainee is the third player to move from the Silkmen to Chester this summer after Andy Halls and John McCombe. He is the seventh new arrival since last season from boss Jon McCarthy. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
Chester FC have re-signed midfielder Kingsley James on a two-year deal after he turned down a contract at National League rivals Macclesfield Town.
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The 57km (35-mile) twin-bore Gotthard base tunnel will provide a high-speed rail link under the Swiss Alps between northern and southern Europe. Switzerland says it will revolutionise European freight transport. Goods currently carried on the route by a million lorries a year will go by train instead. The tunnel has overtaken Japan's 53.9km Seikan rail tunnel as the longest in the world and pushed the 50.5km Channel Tunnel linking the UK and France into third place. In a speech to guests in Erstfeld, near the northern entrance to the tunnel, Swiss Federal President Johann Schneider-Ammann said it was a "giant step for Switzerland but equally for our neighbours and the rest of the continent". A live relay carried a speech from the southern end of the tunnel, in Bodio, by the Swiss federal transport minister, Doris Leuthard. Afterwards two trains set off in opposite directions through the tunnel, each carrying hundreds of guests who had won tickets in a draw, and the new route was formally open. A lavish show then got under way for the assembled guests in Erstfeld, with dancers, acrobats, singers and musicians celebrating Alpine culture and history. European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern also attended the day's events. Mr Hollande, who took part with others in a follow-up trip through the tunnel on a train, emerged on the southern side to give a speech in which he compared the Gotthard to the Channel Tunnel. Recalling the great Franco-British project, which was completed in 1994, he said: "Nobody could have imagined that one day you would be able to travel from England to France in that way." "Since then we are more united than ever and I hope the British will remember that when the day comes," he added, to laughter and applause from the audience in the Swiss village of Pollegio. The UK holds a referendum on 23 June on whether or not to remain in the EU. The French leader went on to praise European aspirations, including the free movement of people and goods. The presence of high-level guests at the opening shows that the new tunnel is about more than protecting the Alpine environment, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports. Europe's goods, whether Italian wine for the Netherlands or German cars for Greece, have to cross the Alps. Now they will able to do so more quickly, more safely, and more cheaply, our correspondent says. The project, which cost more than $12bn (£8.3bn) to build, was endorsed by Swiss voters in a referendum in 1992. Voters then backed a proposal from environmental groups to move all freight travelling through Switzerland from road to rail two years later. The completed tunnel travels up to 2.3 km below the surface of the mountains above and through rock that reaches temperatures of 46C. Engineers had to dig and blast through 73 different kinds of rock, some as hard as granite and others as soft as sugar. More than 28m tonnes of rock was excavated, which was then broken down to help make the concrete used to build the tunnel. Now the completed tunnel, delivered on time and within budget, will create a mainline rail connection between Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Genoa in Italy. When full services begin in December, the journey time for travellers between Zurich and Milan will be reduced by an hour to two hours and 40 minutes. The tunnel's course is flat and straight instead of winding up through the mountains like the old rail tunnel and a road tunnel opened in 1980. About 260 freight trains and 65 passenger trains will pass through the tunnel each day in a journey taking as little as 17 minutes. The tunnel is being financed by value-added and fuel taxes, road charges on heavy vehicles and state loans that are due to be repaid within a decade. Swiss bank Credit Suisse has said its economic benefits will include the easier movement of goods and increased tourism. Nine workers died in accidents while the tunnel was under construction. Four were Germans, three Italians, and one each came from South Africa and Austria, according to German news agency dpa. They are commemorated by a plaque near the northern end of the tunnel, Swiss media report.
The world's longest and deepest rail tunnel has officially opened in Switzerland, after almost two decades of construction work.
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Juventus, who won one of their first six Serie A games, went six points clear at the top of the table as nearest rivals Napoli lost, while Paris St-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic warmed up for Manchester City in the Champions League by scoring a hat-trick. And in the Netherlands, Ajax great Johan Cruyff was honoured by his former club in their first game since his death last month. But what else happened around Europe this weekend? BBC Sport rounds up the stories you may have missed. There has been no shortage of English managers doing well in Sweden. England boss Roy Hodgson's early managerial career was spent in charge of several clubs there including Malmo. Before him Bobby Houghton enjoyed a successful spell with Malmo, leading them to the 1979 European Cup final. As another domestic season gets under way in the Allsvenskan - Sweden's top flight - all eyes are on a Solihull-born former Stoke City and West Brom defender who is making a name for himself in a town, a six-hour drive north of Stockholm, famous for hosting World Championships in winter sports. Graham Potter is 40 yet he has guided Ostersunds FK from the fourth tier to the top flight of Swedish football in just five years. When he took charge the club was getting gates of 500. At the end of last season they were attracting 6,500. On Monday they visit Hammarby in their opening game of the season. "We've got to keep translating positive, attacking football into results," Potter told the Guardian. "It's going to be difficult but this is an historic period for the club - it's nice to be part of it." Ajax legend Johan Cruyff was remembered by his former club before and during a 3-0 win over PEC Zwolle, which fittingly lifted them back to the top of the Dutch league. As a player, Cruyff inspired Ajax to three European Cups and shared in eight league titles, before leading the Amsterdam club to the 1987 European Cup Winners' Cup as manager. Fans paid tribute to the former Netherlands international, who died on 24 March at the age of 68, by walking from Ajax's former home to the Amsterdam Arena where they now play. The match against Zwolle was then halted for a minute's applause in the 14th-minute, in reference to the shirt worn by the three-time world footballer of the year. Around 150 former Ajax players attended the game, including Cruyff's son Jordi, who was presented with a number 14 shirt by current captain Davy Klaassen. It's not often Manuel Neuer is beaten three times in one game particularly when he is representing the world champions. Yet seven days after England's 3-2 comeback win over Germany in Berlin, normal service was resumed with Neuer back to doing what he does best - keeping clean sheets. The former Schalke stopper, 30, helped Bayern to a 1-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt and in doing so reached 150 Bundesliga clean sheets in his 311th match. Only Oliver Reck on 172 matches and Oliver Kahn on 196 boast more games without conceding a goal. The celebrations continued after the final whistle for Neuer. The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) presented him with the World's Best Goalkeeper award for the third time in a row. When Suso chose to join Liverpool rather than Real Madrid, the Reds must have thought they were landing some prospect. The young Spaniard arrived from Cadiz and on his 17th birthday in 2010 signed a first professional contract at Anfield. Sadly, that was not to prove the start of a glittering career on Merseyside as the midfielder was to make just 21 first-team appearances, scoring once in a League Cup tie against Middlesbrough, before joining AC Milan in January, 2015. Twelve months on, he was on the move again with a loan move to Serie A rivals Genoa, where the Spain Under-21 international has been a regular. And finally this weekend came his moment in the sun as Suso claimed the first hat-trick of his career, scoring three of Genoa's goals in a 4-0 win over Frosinone to enhance his prospects of a permanent deal. It's been an unhappy return to Ligue 1 for Troyes and the team embarrassed 9-0 in front of their own supporters by Paris St-Germain three weeks ago have finally been put out of their misery. Promoted as champions of Ligue 2, the club from the Champagne region of northern France has had little to celebrate since. They had to wait until their 22nd game before registering a top-flight win - 3-1 away to Lille - while Troyes' season tickets holders have had next to nothing to cheer after failing to secure a home victory all season. So it was fitting the result that confirmed their relegation came at home - a 90th minute goal by Charles Diers earning Angers a 1-0 win to leave their opponents 19 points from safety with six games remaining. Only Arles-Avignon, relegated after 31 games in 2010-2011, have been relegated earlier in a 20-club Ligue 1.
Barcelona's 39-game unbeaten run was ended by 10-man Real Madrid in another dramatic El Clasico.
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James William Scott, 50, from Pathhead in Midlothian, was struck by a Vauxhall Corsa on the A68 at 09:50 on Sunday. Mr Scott was pronounced dead at the scene and the road was closed for several hours. Officers appealed for witnesses and expressed their condolences to his family and friends. Mr Scott's family said: "James was a very loving husband and father. "He would go out of his way to help anyone who needed it and had recently been nominated for employee of the month at work. "He will be sorely missed." Sgt Scott Sneddon, of Police Scotland, said: "Our sincere condolences go to James' family and friends at this very sad time. "We are still keen to speak to anyone who saw the collision on the A68 on Sunday or who has information that can help us with our inquiries into this incident."
The family of a cyclist who died after being hit by a car in Midlothian has paid tribute to the "very loving husband and father".
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Seven vehicles, including a bus with 18 passengers, were involved in the first collision which happened at 09:20 at Drumossie Brae near Inverness. No-one was injured in this incident, police said. A man in his 50s was airlifted to hospital following the second accident which happened at about 09:30 at the A9's Carrbridge junction. The trunk road was fully reopened at about 11:30. Police Scotland said the low-lying sun was a factor in the first accident, which also involved the drivers of a Ford Ranger, Ford Fiesta, Citroen C3, Volkswagen Passat, Mitsubishi Shogun and a Seat Ibiza. The second accident involved the drivers of a a Volkswagen Crafter flatbed van and a lorry. An injured man, who was in the van, was flown by air ambulance to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. Sgt Donnie MacKinnon, of Police Scotland's road policing unit, said: "We believe a contributory factor in the collision on the A9 at Drumossie has been the presence of a low lying sun, causing reduced visibility for drivers. "It is fortunate no-one has sustained life-threatening injuries and that of course is the most important thing but these collisions resulted in two separate closures of the main A9 arterial route, which brought with it disruption for all road users. "Whilst I would like to thank road users for their patience during the closures, it is also important to remind drivers of the importance of driving to the road conditions and adjusting their speed accordingly."
Two accidents, 10 minutes apart and involving a total of nine vehicles, shut stretches of the A9.
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So perhaps we should be profoundly grateful that the coalition government elected in 2010 failed so miserably in its ambition to rebalance the UK towards the makers and away from services (UK manufacturing is still more than 5% smaller than it was before the 2008 crash, whereas the service sector is about 10% bigger). The point is that manufacturing seems to be struggling again: its output fell 0.5% in July compared with a year ago - and was 0.8% lower compared with the previous month. As for exports of goods, they fell by £2.3bn to £22.8bn in July - to their lowest since September 2010. And it was a widening of our deficit with the rest of the world in trade of physical stuff that was wholly responsible for an enlargement of the overall deficit in goods and services to £3.4bn. Of course it would be foolish to read too much into a single month's figures, but more recent survey data suggests that these statistics are neither anomalous nor a temporary blip. What is going on? Why, at a time when the British economy is one of the few economic bright spots in the rich developed world, are our manufacturers staring at possible recession? Well the pound has been strengthening, making our exports less competitive, and the world economy has been slowing down, cutting demand for what we make. This slowdown has been caused in large measure (as you will surely know by now, since I've been banging on about it) by a deceleration of Chinese growth that has infected the emerging market half of the global economy particularly badly. All the signs are that this global economy will weaken further. So thank goodness that we have a world-class service sector, which is around 80% of our economy and seems to be less sensitive to global economic conditions. And hooray for mild deflation that is increasing British households' disposable income and encouraging them to spend a bit more. But the economy cannot grow at the current rate of 2.5% a year forever based purely on domestic demand - because we are buying more from the rest of the world than we sell to the rest of the world, and are financing our growth by borrowing from the rest of the world at an unsustainably great rate of 5% of GDP or national income. Or to put it another way, we run the risk that at some point our overseas creditors won't wish to lend quite so much to us to finance our lifestyles - and at that point, they would want their money back and would dump sterling. At which ill-starred juncture, the price of imports would shoot up and inflation would rise, forcing the Bank of England to raise interest rates more than would be comfortable in our heavily indebted economy. Which is another way of saying, as if you hadn't guessed, that we are not immune to global economic conditions, even if right now we - and the US - seem to be jogging along quite nicely, as Japan and the eurozone are struggling to walk. But let's not end on a sour or dismal note. Some may despair that the rebirth of British manufacturing hasn't been all that might be desired, but the UK's 5% manufacturing shrinkage since the peak is as nothing compared with the 23%, 16% and 14% contractions suffered by Italy, France and Japan respectively.
If the British economy was driven by manufacturing we could well be in seriously dire economic straits, figures released today show.
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The marines and special operations forces will assess the humanitarian situation and will not be engaged in combat, a US defence official said. The US has been carrying out air strikes against fighters from militant group Islamic State (IS). IS fighters have forced tens of thousands to flee their homes. "This is not a combat boots on the ground kind of operation," Mr Hagel said, in remarks made at Camp Pendleton in California. The "assessment team members" had arrived in the northern city of Irbil and would "give more in-depth assessment of where we can continue to help," he said. The personnel are in addition to about 250 military advisers already in Iraq. A US defence official said the government would continue to explore ways to support "Iraqis affected by the ongoing fighting in Sinjar", and to prevent "potential acts of genocide" by IS. The UN has said that tens of thousands of civilians, including members of the Yazidi sect, are trapped on Sinjar mountain by IS fighters and need "life-saving assistance". The US, Britain and France have been delivering humanitarian aid to the Yazidis stranded in the north. UK Royal Air Force jets have arrived in Cyprus to support aid delivery efforts by helping Hercules cargo planes identify safe areas on the ground to drop supplies. The US government says its planes have air-dropped nearly 100,000 meals and more than 27,000 gallons (123,000 litres) of fresh drinking water to the area, with the latest operation taking place on Tuesday. The US has also reportedly begun supplying weapons to the Kurdish forces, known as Peshmergas, who have been fighting IS in the north. Meanwhile, a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near the home of newly-appointed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad, Reuters news agency reported, citing security sources and local media. There were no immediate details on casualties. Iraq's president asked Mr Abadi to form a new cabinet on Monday, snubbing the incumbent PM Nouri Maliki. The move came after months of political infighting, which experts say has contributed to Iraq's inability to fight the IS threat. However, Mr Maliki said on Wednesday that any new government should not take office until Iraq's federal court issued a ruling on an objection that he filed against Mr Abadi's appointment. Mr Abadi is certainly off to a flying start, given the near-universal relief that an alternative to the contentious Mr Maliki has finally emerged. But he faces a gargantuan task. Pulling the fragments of Iraq back together, and especially bringing the suspicious Sunnis back on board, is going to take a lot more than pious words and good intentions. Read more: Iraq PM left out as country moves on The UN says there are now an estimated 1.2 million internally displaced Iraqis. The rapid advance across Iraq by IS militant fighters has thrown the country into chaos. IS overran Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, in June. Its fighters had taken the central city of Falluja and parts of nearby Ramadi in December 2013. On 29 June, IS said it had created a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching from Aleppo in Syria to the province of Diyala in Iraq.
The US has sent 130 more military advisers to the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel says.
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Gylfi Sigurdsson's second-half strike from 12 yards looked to have secured victory for the visitors. But Albion, with Saido Berahino on the bench a day after Newcastle had a £21m offer rejected for the striker, scrambled in a 92nd-minute leveller. It moved the Baggies up to 13th, while Swansea drop to 16th. It had looked an unlikely win for the hosts, as Tony Pulis's side failed to apply late pressure after Sigurdsson's tidy finish past goalkeeper Ben Foster. But a penalty-area scramble was kept alive by a brave header from substitute Victor Anichebe, and even though Sigurdsson cleared Darren Fletcher's shot off the line, Venezuelan Rondon was on hand to bundle in his fifth goal of the season. Scotland international Darren Fletcher had been West Brom's biggest goal threat up until that point, squandering three headed chances, and Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski made a string of impressive saves, including a sharp stop from Anichebe. But it was the introduction of Berahino just after the hour mark which brought the home support to life, with a noticeable chorus of boos accompanying the 22-year-old's arrival, although their disapproval was aimed at Pulis for removing Stephane Sessegnon, who had been one of the Baggies' most forward-thinking players on the night. In fact, fans had been chanting for the introduction of Berahino, who damaged his relationship with The Hawthorns contingent by saying he would never play for them again when he was denied a move in the summer. And even though Monday's big-money offer from Newcastle was rejected, and despite coming into the game with a dead leg, he looked lively and committed for the Albion cause. "I'm pleased the window is over," said Pulis, who received boos again at the final whistle by fans who perceive his style of play as too negative. "It's been speculation after speculation and he's a young boy who watches the TV and sees all the internet stuff. Hopefully he gets back to full fitness." Guidolin has changed little in the way Swansea play during his two games in charge, as his side persisted with the possession football they have become known for. But it was a forced change before half-time that put the Welsh club into the ascendancy, when a head injury to Ki Sung-yueng saw new signing Alberto Paloschi come on and make an instant impression. The January arrival from Italian side Chievo, who made a name for himself as a 17-year-old by scoring 20 seconds into his AC Milan debut, added the power and hold-up play Swansea have often been lacking. Media playback is not supported on this device He forced the Swans' goal by hassling Baggies defender Gareth McAuley, who could only divert Leon Britton's pass into the path of Sigurdsson for the opener, and hit the post with his own effort minutes later. But the late equaliser and the relinquishing of two points means Guidolin's side are placed precariously, just five points above the relegation zone. West Brom boss Tony Pulis: Media playback is not supported on this device "I think their keeper made some great saves and we had wonderful opportunities. Fletcher could have had four by himself. "We're relieved we got something out of it but we really should have won the game. "We're not on a bad run, the problem is we're not winning games, we're drawing games. We're a point closer to 40 points." Swansea boss Francesco Guidolin: "At the beginning of the night 1-1 could be a good result but at the end I'm disappointed. "My team played very well for all the match. I can look at the positives. We had a victory sensation but this is football. "Paloschi is a good player and he played very well. I know his ambition and that he has quality. I hope he can score many goals for us." Both sides are in action again on Saturday, with West Brom travelling to relegation-threatened Newcastle and Swansea hosting Crystal Palace. Match ends, West Bromwich Albion 1, Swansea City 1. Second Half ends, West Bromwich Albion 1, Swansea City 1. Leon Britton (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Darren Fletcher (West Bromwich Albion). Goal! West Bromwich Albion 1, Swansea City 1. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal following a corner. Attempt blocked. Darren Fletcher (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from very close range is blocked. Attempt blocked. Victor Anichebe (West Bromwich Albion) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jonas Olsson with a headed pass. Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Jack Cork. Attempt blocked. Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Victor Anichebe. Attempt missed. Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Victor Anichebe. Attempt saved. Victor Anichebe (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Attempt missed. Jack Cork (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Alberto Paloschi (Swansea City) hits the left post with a left footed shot from very close range. Attempt missed. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Wayne Routledge following a corner. Corner, Swansea City. Conceded by Claudio Yacob. Foul by Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City). Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Federico Fernández (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion). Substitution, Swansea City. Jordi Amat replaces André Ayew. Jack Cork (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Craig Gardner (West Bromwich Albion). Foul by Wayne Routledge (Swansea City). Claudio Yacob (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Offside, West Bromwich Albion. Victor Anichebe tries a through ball, but Saido Berahino is caught offside. Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Angel Rangel. Hand ball by Craig Gardner (West Bromwich Albion). Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Lukasz Fabianski. Attempt saved. Victor Anichebe (West Bromwich Albion) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Salomón Rondón. Attempt missed. Angel Rangel (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Corner, Swansea City. Conceded by Darren Fletcher. Attempt blocked. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Leon Britton (Swansea City) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion). Attempt blocked. André Ayew (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson. Attempt missed. Salomón Rondón (West Bromwich Albion) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Craig Dawson with a cross. Attempt saved. Ashley Williams (Swansea City) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson with a cross. Corner, Swansea City. Conceded by James McClean. Attempt blocked. Jack Cork (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson. Foul by André Ayew (Swansea City).
Salomon Rondon's injury-time goal rescued a point for West Brom and denied Francesco Guidolin a second Premier League win as Swansea boss.
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The woman was on a number 35 bus on Edinburgh's Stenhouse Road when the incident happened at about 13:15 on Friday. She died the next day. Two other passengers, an 86-year-old man and a woman in her 30s, were injured. Police officers are trying to trace a white Audi which they believe was either a Q3 or Q5 model. The bus had been travelling towards the city centre and was opposite Edinburgh prison. Police want to speak to any witnesses who have not yet come forward. Sgt Fraser Wood said: "Sadly a woman has died as a result of the evasive action the bus driver had to take to avoid the car. "We would like to trace the driver of the car and any witnesses to the incident on Friday."
An 86-year-old bus passenger has died after the vehicle's driver braked sharply to avoid a car.
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Rozin Khalil Hanjool, 17, who escaped the country in 2008, is a Yazidi, one of the religious minorities being persecuted heavily by the militants. She has started a petition, which has attracted 150,000 signatures, to get the government to provide more support. The government said it was already working with the Yazidi community. Miss Hanjool said more than 3,000 Yazidi women and girls had been kidnapped by IS in northern Iraq. "They have been raped and tortured by their captors," she said. "I know girls as young as 12 have been taken. If I was there now I would be so, so scared." She said that, while some women had managed to escape, they were scattered in refugee camps and getting little help. "They are scared and traumatised, some are pregnant," she said. "They need medical help, psychological support and rehabilitation." Her online petition calls on Home Secretary Theresa May, Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening and Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to meet with the Yazidi community in the UK and prepare an action plan. "These girls may seem far away, but they need our help," she said. "The support from everyone who has signed that petition means a lot. I just want these women to recover." Yazidis worship a peacock god which, in the eyes of IS, make them a valid target for extermination. The Department for International Development said: "Aid from the UK provided blankets and heating stoves for tens of thousands of families so they could survive the winter. "We continue to provide protection and support to Yazidi women and girls who are at risk of violence."
A Coventry teenager is calling for a meeting with the government about the kidnap and rape of women by so-called Islamic State (IS) forces in Iraq.
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The animal, described by police as a pit bull, attacked the 52-year-old in Holwick Road, Northern Moor, Manchester at 20:25 GMT on Wednesday. She suffered injuries to her right arm. A 34-year-old man who helped fight off the dog also suffered "numerous bites". A witness said about 20 people were "whacking the dog to get it off them". Jade Royle, 21, said: "It was horrible, all the neighbours were out. "Everyone was screaming. It was scary. She is very lucky to be alive." The woman and the man were taken to Wythenshawe Hospital and she has undergone surgery. The owner of the dog has agreed to have it put down and an investigation was "ongoing", police said. Det Sgt Sandra Callender of Greater Manchester Police said: "It took a number of people to restrain the dog until police arrived and I would like to personally thank them for their actions. "Had they not helped this woman and held on to the dog until we arrived then we could possibly have seen more injuries."
A woman suffered "severe" injuries when she was mauled by her son's dog while walking it for him as a favour, police said.
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Pybus, 19, was released by the Black Cats without making a senior appearance, but was part of this season's Football League Trophy squad. He had been training with the Bantams and played for the reserves. "Having trained with the lads already, I feel more confident now around the club," Pybus told the club website.
Bradford City have signed free-agent midfielder Daniel Pybus on undisclosed terms, following his exit from Sunderland at the end of January.
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The gang "bullied" the 20-year-old into the back of a van before threatening him with a shotgun, beating his knees with a mallet and stunning him with a Taser-style weapon. Luton Crown Court heard the gang took him captive as revenge for the apparent theft of cannabis worth £60,000. The gang admitted a range of offences and received sentences up to 20 years. The court heard the kidnap took place in Luton on 20 June last year. More on this story and other Bedfordshire news They bundled the man into the van in Downs Road before driving to an address in Ashburnham Road. During his imprisonment, the gang put a live shotgun in his mouth, stubbed out cigarettes on his arm and beat him with a knife. Ransom calls were made to the victim's relatives, and one defendant also threatened to rape him. The following morning, the victim was abandoned and left tied to the metal gate of a farm near Kensworth. He freed himself and made his way home. The court heard the gang believed two brothers had stolen cannabis from them, and targeted the victim - the boyfriend of the two brothers' sister.
Six men who kidnapped a man at gunpoint before torturing him for 30 hours have been jailed.
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Media playback is unsupported on your device 22 October 2013 Last updated at 16:20 BST Shop workers had to call the police after a two-metre alligator decided to loiter in the store's doorway. Rather than cause any bother resisting arrest, the gator calmly wandered back into the nearby woods.
Who knows what was on his shopping list, but this reptile was not really a welcome customer at a supermarket in Florida.
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Lords speaker Baroness D'Souza spent months investigating peers who collected their £300 daily allowance but did not take part in debates. One member was alleged to have kept a taxi running outside while signing in to collect the allowance. But Baroness D'Souza shelved the probe to avoid a "press storm". She told the programme: "What I wanted to find out in the research that I did a few months ago was who was attending and what they were claiming and even though it is very difficult to quantify there are some who make no contribution whatsoever but who nevertheless claim the full amount. "This is not a daycare centre or a club, it is actually a legislative house and I do firmly believe that the people who attend ought to be able to be in a position to contribute." She added: "I abandoned this research because it would have involved a degree of naming and shaming which I certainly didn't want to do. "But also that would in turn have provoked some kind of sort of a press storm which clearly, you know, I didn't wish to - to do. But I mean the reputation of the House is not that great anyhow." The peer also says the reputation of the Lords has "probably never been lower".
Members of the House of Lords who claim perks without doing any work will not be "named and shamed", BBC Two's Meet the Lords reveals.
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Rodgers' side opened last month with a 5-0 win at Hearts that clinched the title - the club's sixth successive top-flight success. And they finished April with their biggest Ibrox victory over Rangers, winning 5-1. Celtic remain unbeaten domestically this season. And they can complete a treble if they win the Scottish Cup final against Aberdeen on 27 May, having beaten the Dons in November's League Cup final. Rodgers also won the August, October and December manager of the month awards. "We obviously had some great results and even more important was how we played," said Rodgers after receiving his award. "It is always good to win, but it is even better to win well. "We had some outstanding performances and the team and the staff, we accept the award on behalf of everyone at the club."
Brendan Rodgers is the Scottish Premiership manager of the month for April after guiding Celtic to three wins and two draws.
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IS militants destroy part of Roman amphitheatre in ancient city of Palmyra, Syrian officials say
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Ambulance Service staff alerted police after the 37-year-old man was discovered on Leamington Terrace, near Bruntsfield Place, at about 05:35. The death is being treated as unexplained and detectives were particularly keen to trace a couple who may have tried to help the man earlier. They have appealed for anyone with information to come forward. Det Insp Alan O'Brien said: "Our inquiry is at an early stage and we are currently working to establish the man's identity. "However, I encourage anyone who may have noticed or spoken to this man and can provide potentially vital information on his movements to please contact police immediately. "In particular, we understand that a couple had attempted to help the deceased male and I appeal to them to come forward as soon as possible."
An investigation is under way after a man's body was found lying on a street in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh.
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There has been one cancellation at Gatwick, while Southampton, Stansted and Edinburgh airports have told passengers to check for delays. Drivers have been urged to take care and Wightlink Ferries have been suspended between Lymington, Hampshire, and Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight. A fog and ice warning covers Wales, the Midlands and southern England. The Met Office yellow "be aware" warning is in force until Wednesday morning. On Monday, Heathrow, London City, Gatwick and Southampton airport had cancellations. Bournemouth Airport Bristol Airport Cardiff Airport Gatwick Airport Heathrow Airport Luton Airport London City Airport Southampton Airport Southend Airport Stansted Airport A Heathrow spokesman said "persistent freezing fog" had reduced visibility at the airport and said Tuesday's cancellations, made out of about 1,300 scheduled flights, were to allow for delays. "With Heathrow operating at more than 99% capacity, there are no gaps in the schedule that can be used for delayed flights and as a result, some passengers may experience disruption to their journeys today," the spokesman said. "As always, Heathrow's top priority is the safety of passengers and we apologise to those whose travel has been affected by today's weather." A Gatwick spokeswoman said: "Air traffic control restrictions imposed due to fog across the South East and Europe may cause some delays to flights." Road users have also been warned of difficult driving conditions after Dorset Police reported 31 collisions on Monday morning - six times more than would occur at that time on an average weekday. The force has urged motorists to take extra care on Tuesday, while the Met Office warned journeys were likely to take longer than usual because of the adverse conditions. Meanwhile, ferries running to and from the Isle of Wight between Lymington and Yarmouth have been suspended until mid-morning on Tuesday due to dense fog, Wightlink Ferries said. It has advised customers booked on that route to re-book via Portsmouth and Fishbourne, and coaches will be provided for foot passengers hoping to travel on the alternative service. Motoring organisation the AA advises: BBC Travel BBC Weather Highways England
About 100 flights have been cancelled at London's Heathrow Airport for a second day because of fog.
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The 18-year-old, who was brought up and trains in the United Kingdom, also won a bronze as he dominated most events. Stuart Parker was also a multiple champion on day six, taking the tennis singles and doubles titles for Jersey. Guernsey tasted half-marathon success, with Lee Merrien winning men's gold and Louise Perrio taking the women's race. The Sarnians also thought they had won top honours in the 4x400m relay, but they were disqualified as team manager Tom Druce was adjudged to have pushed an opponent. That handed victory to Jersey, who had finished more than three seconds behind their Channel Island rivals. Lee, meanwhile, triumphed in the floor, high bar, parallel bars, rings and pommel horse events, while also winning bronze in the vault. "It's amazing, it's more than I could've hoped for. I knew if I came here and did all my routines cleanly then I'd have a shot at getting a few medals, but this has blown me away." In the men's tennis, Parker swept past Guernsey's Pat Ogier 6-0 6-2 in the singles final, before teaming up with Michael Watkins to beat Bermuda 6-3 6-0 in the doubles. "Stuart's the best player that's ever been at the Games I think," said Ogier after his defeat. "At times like that you've just got to applaud." Guernsey also claimed a tennis gold, Rob West and Jo Dyer thrashing hosts Gotland 6-1 6-0 in the mixed doubles final. On a day of racquet sport finals, the badminton mixed doubles pitted Elena Johnson and Ove Toennes Svejstrup against fellow Sarnians Jordan Trebert and Chloe Le Tissier. Johnson and Svejstrup triumphed 21-9 21-19 over their compatriots to take a gold medal which was always going to go to the greens. Trebert was also piped to the post in the men's singles final, as he was beaten 21-14 21-6 by Jersey's Mark Constable on his way to a silver medal. After disappointment for both Jersey's women and Guernsey's men in the football semi-finals on Thursday, both came good to win their third-place play-offs and come away with bronze. Jersey beat the Isle of Wight 3-1, while Guernsey triumphed 1-0 against Menorca thanks to Matt Loaring's goal. "It's probably my proudest moment as a footballer. After only getting this young, raw squad together six weeks ago, what we've achieved is beyond words," said record Guernsey FC scorer Ross Allen. The golf competitions, consisting of four 18-hole rounds, reached an end, with Jersey teenager Flora Keites winning silver with a combined score of 326. Her efforts, along with those of team-mates Juanita Adlington, Helen Lagadu, and Hannah Scriven, were also enough to win a women's team bronze. As competition at the Island Games came to an end before 18:00 BST, attention turned to the closing ceremony in Visby. Athletes paraded into the arena, and the official Games flag was passed on to Gibraltar, who will host the multi-sport event next, in 2019. The hosts finished fifth in the final medal table with 23 golds, just behind Jersey and Guernsey, while the Isle of Man led the way with 101 medals - 14 more than any other island. Before the final day Guernsey led their Channel Island rivals on gold medals, though they are still yet to finish above Jersey in the table since 2011.
Jersey gymnast Daniel Lee claimed five individual gold medals on the final day to ensure they finished above Guernsey in the Island Games medal table.
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Many of the calls, for workers at Sports Direct's complex at Shirebrook, in Derbyshire, were for "life-threatening" illnesses. Former workers said some staff were "too scared" to take sick leave because they feared losing their jobs. Sports Direct said it aimed to provide safe working conditions for all. A total of 76 ambulances or paramedic cars were dispatched to the distribution centre's post code between January 2013 and December 2014, with 36 cases classed as "life-threatening", including chest pains, breathing problems, convulsions and strokes. A further seven calls for ambulances were made but cancelled. The figures, which came from a Freedom of Information request made by the BBC's Inside Out team to East Midlands Ambulance Service, also revealed the service received three calls about women having pregnancy difficulties, including one who gave birth in toilets at the site. The details have since been passed to the Health and Safety Executive which has said it will examine the data. Of the 999 calls, six were about car accidents on a road or car park next to the centre, one was for a dog bite and at least two were for a store on the site. It is not clear exactly how many of these calls were for the thousands of agency workers on site. One of the cases involved 52-year-old Guntars Zarins, who suffered a stroke in the warehouse canteen. His daughter Liga Zarina-Shaw said Mr Zarins had gone to work with flu symptoms because he was too frightened to take time off. The family does not blame Sports Direct or the agency which employed him for his stroke but Ms Zarina-Shaw said her father was worried about his job. "He [was] even scared to take one day sick," she said. "Now I know why, because what is happening there is not normal," she added. Mr Zarins was paralysed down his right side but has since had another stroke and has returned to hospital. Ms Zarina-Shaw said workers were worried about a "six strikes" policy used by an agency that supplies staff to Sports Direct. A document produced by one of the agencies states: "Any person who exceeds six strikes within a rolling six-month period will have their assignment at Sports Direct ended." Workers can receive a strike for a range of "offences" including: The document adds agencies can end an assignment "at any time without reason, notice or liability". Unite said it had been told that last year there were about 3,000 agency workers at the Shirebrook headquarters of Sports Direct, which was founded by billionaire Mike Ashley. Sports Direct has also reported accidents in its warehouse have doubled in the past financial year. The firm put the rise in accidents down to on-site building work, which has resulted in "increased footfall and decreased workspace". According to council figures, there were 38 accidents reported across 2013 and 2014, including a fractured neck, when somebody was struck by a moving object, a crushed hand from moving machinery and back and head injuries. At the firm's annual meeting, Keith Hellawell, the chairman, told shareholders he was satisfied the company complied with health and safety regulations and any concerns were investigated immediately. The firm has previously been criticised as "Dickensian" in its employment practices. In a statement, Sports Direct said: "Sports Direct aims to provide working conditions in compliance with applicable employment and health and safety legislation and seeks to provide safe working conditions for all staff working in our warehouse." Adding: "We have a good working relationship with our local environmental health officer and we work together to maintain and improve the safety of our working conditions." The firm added that only 24 ambulances were called directly to its warehouse during the period covered by the Freedom of Information request. The BBC was also told it was incorrect to suggest workers went to work poorly because of the strike system and that agency staff should not fear losing their jobs if they called in sick. Inside Out is broadcast on BBC One East Midlands at 19:30 on Monday 5 October and nationwide for 30 days thereafter on the iPlayer.
Ambulances were called out to the headquarters of one of Europe's largest sports retailers 76 times in two years, a BBC investigation found.
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"Simply download the beta and let the viscera fly," said Bethesda. While many players expressed their delight on social media some complained that the new version felt slow and others took to the studio's message boards after facing server problems. So far, 41% of 1,744 reviews on the Steam platform have been positive. The BBC has contacted Bethesda for comment. Doom was first released in 1993 and had 10 million players by 1995. Software engineer and games developer Gary Riches told the BBC he grew up playing the original Doom games - and completed Doom 2 again just six months ago. After trying out Doom 4 this morning, he said he felt the pace was much slower than its predecessors due to changes such as a single close-range shot no longer taking out an enemy, and the lack of weapons "hotspots" where weapons were created in the older games. "I still like Doom 4 but it doesn't feel like Doom 4, it feels like a sequel to Quake or Unreal Tournament," he said. "To me that's disappointing. "It's still cool, it looks nice but it has lost what makes it Doom." However, others were more impressed - YouTuber Matt Unsworth described it on Twitter as "unreal" and SavageCouchSQD said it was "amazing".
The studio behind classic shooter game Doom is inviting players to test the new version for free from 15 to 17 April.
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The proposal, to be introduced to parliament, would prohibit registered sex offenders from travelling overseas. Justice Minister Michael Keenan said it would affect about 20,000 offenders who had completed punishments but remained under monitoring by authorities. Sex offenders would be able to apply for passports if they were no longer on the register, the government said. "No country has ever taken such decisive and strong action to stop its citizens from going overseas, often to vulnerable countries, to abuse kids," Mr Keenan said. About 800 registered sex offenders travelled overseas from Australia in 2016, according to the government. The government said about 3,200 sex offenders would never be eligible for passports because they were being monitored for life. Mr Keenan described child sex tourism as an "absolutely abhorrent crime". The proposal was reached with independent Senator Derryn Hinch, long time campaigner for tougher laws to deal with sex offenders. Mr Hinch said the proposal would protect children. "You go to Bali, you go to Phnom Penh, you go to Siem Reap, and you see these middle-aged Australian men there, Caucasian men, with a young local kid - they are not there to get a suntan," he told reporters on Tuesday. Last year, Australian man Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis was convicted of sexually abusing 11 girls in Indonesia and jailed for 15 years.
Convicted paedophiles would be denied passports in Australia under a "world-first" plan proposed by the government.
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The UKIP leader is launching a pamphlet later in what is being seen as an attempt to kill off pro-EU arguments ahead of the referendum campaign. Mr Farage says he would be willing to lead the "No" campaign but he said a non-political figure would be better. Pro-EU campaigners say UKIP's arguments for leaving have no basis in economic facts. In its pamphlet, The Truth About Trade Beyond The EU, UKIP argues that Britain does not need to be in the EU to have access to the single market and to export successfully. It also argues that the UK would not be isolated if it left and could negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU without signing up to "free movement" rules. UKIP's trade spokesman William Dartmouth also angrily rebutted claims that leaving the EU would cost three million jobs. "It is a deceit and people should stop peddling it. The facts simply don't support it," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He said countries such as Switzerland and China exported successfully without being a member of a trading bloc and most British businesses did not trade with the EU but still had to abide by its rules. "All the trade would continue and the trade is not dependent on there being a free trade agreement in any case," he told Today. But Lucy Thomas, campaign director for the pro-EU campaign group Business for New Europe, said UKIP's arguments did not add up. "There is no explanation of why we should leave. We currently have the best of all worlds. We export almost 50% to the rest of the EU and there are no barriers, no tariffs, it's all really straightforward and so I am not sure why we would want to take a risk and leave that. "There is no guarantee at all about what kind of standards there would be, what kind of tariffs and actually once we were to vote to leave we would have no say on the deal the rest of the EU decided to give us." Nigel Farage has, meanwhile, said he plans to be "extremely active" in the campaign for Britain's exit from the EU in the forthcoming referendum and would be willing to lead it. But he added that it would be better if it was "somebody from the world of business or entertainment who hasn't got any political baggage at all". He told LBC radio: "I am sure someone like that will emerge."
Nigel Farage has challenged five "myths" about what would happen to Britain's economy if it left the EU.
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IS fighters have surrounded the area again, leaving many families with little access to food or water. Four months since the US and Britain provided aid to those stranded, those that remain rely on Iraqi helicopters for life-saving provisions and rescue. The people face regular attacks by IS but have few heavy weapons to defend themselves. Haydar is a teenage Yazidi boy who says he has taken up arms to protect his family Ahmed Thwenee is an Iraqi air force helicopter pilot who flies regular aid and rescue missions to Sinjar After helping Yazidis escape from IS, Aliya and Azan's family first went on the run only to then find themselves trapped for months on Sinjar
Months after thousands of Iraqi Yezidis threatened by Islamic State (IS) militants escaped to safety from Mount Sinjar, the BBC's Nafiseh Kohnavard has gained rare access to the mountain, where thousands more civilians who did not flee are still trapped.
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The dancer on the stage, in front of the drummers, wears a large carved wooden head dress for this performance of Kathakali, one of India's most recognisable male-led dance-dramas. His eyes are wide and red, the contours of his face extended with a mask of moulded rice paper. His painted green face tells the audience he is their Sathwika, their hero. Part-dance and part-mime, Kathakali originated in the state of Kerala between the 16th and 17th centuries, around the same time as Shakespeare. The Kalluvazhi Chitta style being performed by these dancers was born on the stage at the now-closed Kathakali school at Olappamanna Mana in Vellinezhi, almost 200 years ago. It was originally taught in old live-in boarding schools, under the strict mentorship of a teacher, or ashan. "The Kalluvazhi Chitta style of Kathakali is distinct in the eye and feet movements. The dancer keeps their weight on the side of their feet, with the small toes bent, so that the strong steps don't cause a rush of blood to the head," says Olappamanna Damodaran, whose family ran the school (or Kaliyogam) in sleepy Vellinezhi until the 1940s. But he and others worry the old style of the dance may be dying out. The dancers I saw are the students of the school's final graduating class. And they aren't teaching anyone new. Olappamanna Mana is a 500-year-old feudal home. It holds particular significance for me. "Your great-grandfather used to come here from a very young age. He performed here as a young Kathakali dancer and was later a visiting professor at our dance school," Mr Damodaran tells me. Until his death in 1970, my great-grandfather was one of Kathakali's most well-known names. Guru Kunju Kurup won the Padma Buschan and Padma Shri, two of India's highest civilian awards, for his dancing. Although he was commonly identified as an expert of the south Kerala style of the dance, the Thekkan style, his time at Olappamanna Mana made him fluent in the northern style, the Kalluvazhi Chitta. There's only one student of Olappamanna Mana Kaliyogam who is still alive to remember the training first hand. MN Paloor studied there as a young boy shortly before the school closed. In those days, a Kathakali dancer was trained for eight to 10 years. "Training was very hard. Very hard. We woke up at 3.30am in the morning and started with our eye exercises. The teaching at Olappamanna Kaliyogam was strict and went on for more than 11 hours a day, but it resulted in the creation of great, strong Kathakali artists," MN Paloor tells me at his home in Calicut, a couple of hours away. "There's a huge difference with the training now. You can't call it 'training' nowadays. Kathakali has been destroyed." KK Gopalakrishnan, an author well known for his writings on Kathakali, agrees the old schools were rigorous. "Strenuous physical training and beatings by the ashans were the hallmark of Kathakali training, to some extent till the late 1970s. The basic rule was to 'not spare the rod and spoil the child'. "Absolute and unquestioning discipline was expected of students. Today, a trainer adhering to this old rule would end up behind bars! "Therefore, trainers prefer sparing the rod at the expense of the future of the art and this change is inevitably reflected in the standard of the students' work. This affects both the quality of performance and the stage stamina." Traditionally, Kathakali would be performed unrehearsed, on a stage level with the audience, at sunset, free of charge for locals. Patrons and feudal families would sponsor the dancers. But Mr Gopalakrishnan says these days performances, which once lasted up to eight hours in order to tell the entire religious story, have been reduced to around two hours to cater for modern audiences. Although foreign tourists to Kerala can expect to pay 30,000-50,000 rupees ($430-$720 ; £300-£500) to watch a performance, junior dancers earn between 1,000-2000 rupees, he says. Changing feudal traditions in the 1940s meant that Mr Damodaran's family could no longer be trustees of the Olappamanna Mana Kaliyogam, and the Kathakali school closed. Many of Olappamanna Mana's most famous teachers, including my great-grandfather, started teaching at larger institutions like the Kerala Kalamandalam University of Art and Culture. Initially, the style of teaching was true to the strict parameters of the old styles, but that changed. "We've had to adapt with the times," says M Krishnakumar, who is head of the department of Kathakali at the Kerala Kalamandalam. "Training was intense in your great-grandfather's day. Back then, students had evening classes as well as day classes - sometimes they only slept for two hours at night before they were up to practice again. "Now, you couldn't ask students to do that. Now we've cut down the hours students practice dancing and added classes in subjects like English and Hindi to give them a more rounded education. "This change in teaching doesn't mean we still couldn't produce great Kathakali dancers. If Kathakali runs in your blood, you can still become a great artist." Back in Vellinezhi, Mr Damodaran, whose family now run a home stay on the 300-acre estate, isn't convinced. "If Kathakali training is now a module, alongside other subjects like English and History, it means the art form is being diluted. And a dilution of a classical art means it is leading towards death." But he says the style can still be preserved. "If we have the will and support of the community. We could re-open the Kaliyogam here and teach the Kalluvazhi Chitta Kathakali here still, using local dancers who were taught by Olappamanna Mana alumni." In the exact same strict style as before? "Not the exact same way," he concedes, "but almost." Archive video footage from the David Bolland Collection/Rose Bruford University. Photo of Olappamanna Mana school by TS Nagarajan - from his book Vanishing Homes of India, by permission of his family. Performance by the Kala Chethena Kathakali Company.
In the south Indian village of Vellinezhi something rare is happening - the villagers, hearing the drums, are making their way to an outdoor stage lit by brass lamps.
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Tin Town is expected to begin filming in Llanelli in June; the original was based in Swansea. Allen has returned to Wales to star in the play Gaslight at Cardiff's New Theatre, but will be in Carmarthenshire this summer to star in the new film. Twin Town and its sequel were written and directed by Allen's brother Kevin. Keith Allen said other commitments meant his character would only make a fleeting appearance. "Maybe Emrys will just turn up as a pools winner or a ketamine addict or something, I don't know. He was going to come back as a fully fledged character, but I don't have the time." "I will turn up in it as something! Hopefully Emrys, for a day's filming." Twin Town starred Rhys Ifans and became a cult film, prompting regular calls for a sequel until Kevin Allen confirmed the plan in January. But Keith Allen said his brother's film would tell a new story. "It's not like he's remaking Twin Town, this is a completely different entity. Hence it is set in Llanelli, not in Swansea. "The subject matter is different, it doesn't involve a lot of police corruption and all that. In the original, Keith Allen played Emrys, who unwittingly buys a hotdog laced with magic mushrooms from the Lewis twins, played by real-life brothers Rhys and Llyr Ifans. Airport disruption meant Keith Allen was forced to pay a huge taxi fare to reach Swansea in time for filming. "It's still the only film I've ever done that I actually paid to be in. "So I was at Manchester airport when, I think it was a strike or planes were cancelled, something like that. "And the only way I could get there was in a black cab and of course the money was just rubbish so it cost me more in a cab fare to get there than what I got paid. And I had no idea what I was going to be doing at all, until I got there." Speaking on BBC Radio Wales in January, Kevin Allen revealed the Lewis twins would return for the sequel. At the end of Twin Town they were seen heading to Morocco on a speedboat. He also revealed Bryn Cartwright, the villain of the original played by William Thomas, would return alongside Sue Roderick who played his wife.
Actor Keith Allen will reprise the role of Emrys the farmer in the sequel to Twin Town, after revealing he "paid" to appear in the original cult film.
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Police said the attacks took place around the North Street area of the city centre last week. A woman was sexually assaulted after leaving a nightclub in the early hours of 13 July. Another woman was attacked as she walked along a riverside path near Bridge Street on 15 July. More on this and other York stories Det Insp Mark Pearson from North Yorkshire Police said both assaults happened in the early hours of the morning. "At the times these incidents happened, and in that part of the city, there's a good chance bar and door staff were clocking off or having a break, or revellers were making their way home after a night out," he said. "I'd appeal to these people in particular to carefully jog their memories of the dates in question."
A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with two sexual assaults in York.
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An electrical problem between Wandsworth Common and Clapham Junction on Thursday caused services in and out of Victoria station to be suspended. Network Rail said services were back to normal at 08:00 BST. A displaced conductor rail caused damage to six trains on Thursday, leaving commuters stranded for up to five hours. Emergency services were called in to rescue passengers on some services, with the London Fire Brigade helping about 900 off non-moving trains. Police and paramedics also brought water on board some trains for those who had been stuck inside without air conditioning. All Gatwick Express services were cancelled and passengers on Southern trains were badly affected.
Train services through south London have resumed after a power cut which left thousands stranded.
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The new stamps celebrate advances in engineering that have seen UK bridges evolve from humble stone crossings to dramatic and symbolic landmarks. Completed in 2011, the Peace Bridge features a pair of tall masts, whose system of cables overlap mid-river to form a symbolic structural 'handshake' across the River Foyle. The new stamps go on sale on Thursday. Andrew Hammond, Head of Stamps and Collectibles at Royal Mail said: "The story of Britain's engineering genius can be found in its bridges. These new stamps celebrate ten beautiful and ground-breaking landmarks that span centuries of our history." In a joint statement the First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness described Derry's newest bridge as a beacon of hope. "We welcome the announcement the Peace Bridge will feature on the latest collection of Royal Mail first class stamps. This stamp will celebrate and raise awareness of this iconic bridge which has not just physically connected two parts of the city but united our people. "When the bridge was opened in 2011 we hoped it would be a catalyst for change. Now in 2015 the bridge symbolises a new chapter in our history and is viewed not just as a foot bridge but as a beacon of hope. "The Peace Bridge belongs to everyone and through this initiative we can share it with the world." The other bridges featured on the stamps are: Tarr Steps (Exmoor); Row Bridge (Lake District); Pulteney Bridge (Bath); Thomas Telford's Craigellachie Bridge (Moray); Pont Grog y Borth / Menai Suspension Bridge; Robert Stephenson's High Level Bridge (Newcastle/Gateshead); Royal Border Bridge (Berwick-upon-Tweed); Tees Transporter Bridge (Middlesbrough); and the Humber Bridge.
Derry's Peace Bridge has been included in the latest collection of first class stamps from the Royal Mail.
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He said the battle against the "terrorists of Daesh (so-called Islamic State)" would be long and hard but they would be tracked down and annihilated. Mr Hollande was speaking after deadly jihadist attacks in Rouen and in Nice. There have also been fears this week of a new attack in central Paris. Police arrested two couples after a Peugeot 607 car was found packed with gas cylinders near Notre Dame cathedral on Sunday. The car's hazard lights were flashing and notes in Arabic were found in the car, although officials said there was no detonator inside. The first couple, said to have known links to jihadists, were detained at a service station in the south of France. Another couple were picked up in the Loiret region to the south of Paris late on Wednesday. Both couples were thought to come from the town of Montargis. The car's owner was questioned and later released, but anti-terrorist police are searching for his 19-year-old daughter who is described as radicalised. In a lengthy speech on Thursday, President Hollande said that it was incumbent on all of France - Muslims and non-Muslims - to tackle radical Islam. He launched a defence of France's strict secular separation of the state from religion. "Nothing in the idea of secularism opposes the practice of Islam in France, provided it respects the law." The speech was being closely watched by political commentators, who said he had given his biggest signal so far of planning to stand for a second term in next year's presidential election. Although he is widely expected to run, Mr Hollande's approval ratings have fallen so low that opinion polls suggest as many as nine out of 10 French voters do not want him as a candidate. Commentators noted that the speech included a series of attacks on the centre-right Republicans, in particular on ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, a front-runner in the race to be Republican candidate. Without naming him, Mr Hollande criticised a remark made by Mr Sarkozy after the murder of a priest in Rouen and of 86 people on the seafront at Nice in July. Mr Sarkozy called at the time for strong measures, complaining that "legal niceties, cautious measures and excuses for half-hearted measures are intolerable". But in his speech, President Hollande argued that constitutional principles such as freedom of expression, movement and worship were not "legal niceties". And, in a direct reference to Mr Sarkozy's own legal troubles, he asked: "Is being presumed innocent (a legal nicety)? It's pretty useful when you're defending yourself." Prosecutors say Mr Sarkozy should face trial for breaching spending limits during the 2012 presidential campaign.
French President Francois Hollande has given a powerful defence of his country's fight against terrorism, insisting that France will defeat its enemies because democracy always wins.
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The judges said the consent of the father was not required if the mother did not wish to disclose his identity. Monday's ruling overturned earlier court orders which said a woman needed the father's consent if she wanted to be a legal guardian of her child. Women's rights activists have welcomed the ruling and called it "progressive". The case was filed by a Delhi mother who had asked the court's permission to become her child's "legal guardian" without informing the father who, she said, did not know about the child's existence. A trial court and the Delhi high court had earlier ruled that she needed to disclose the father's name and get his consent for the purpose. But on Monday, Justices Vikramjit Sen and Abhay Manohar Sapre said there was "no need to insist on the father's name" and that in the case of an unwed mother, her "name is sufficient". The judgement has been praised by lawyers and activists:
India's Supreme Court has in a landmark ruling said an unwed mother does not have to reveal the name of her child's father to claim guardianship.
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Libya was under foreign rule for centuries until it gained independence in 1951. Soon after oil was discovered and earned the country immense wealth. Col Gaddafi seized power in 1969 and ruled for four decades until he was toppled in 2011 following an armed rebellion assisted by Western military intervention. In recent years the country has been a key springboard for migrants heading for Europe. Concerns have also been raised over the rise of Islamist militancy there. Population 6.4 million Area 1.77 million sq km (685,524 sq miles) Major language Arabic Major religion Islam Life expectancy 73 years (men), 78 years (women) (UN) Currency Libyan dinar The toppling of long-term leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 led to a power vacuum and instability, with no authority in full control. The National Transitional Council (NTC), a rebel leadership council which had fought to oust the Gaddafi government, declared Libya ''liberated'' in October 2011 and took over the running of the country. However, it struggled to impose order on the many armed militia that had become active in the months leading up to the ouster of Gaddafi. In August 2012 the NTC handed power to the General National Congress (GNC), an elected parliament which went on to select an interim head of state. Voters chose a new parliament to replace the GNC in June 2014 - the Council of Representatives (CoR), which relocated to the eastern city of Tobruk, leaving Tripoli controlled by powerful militia groups. The Islamic State extremist militia took advantage of the conflict between forces loyal to the outgoing GNC and the new parliament to gain control of several coastal cities, including Derna and Sirte. Late in 2015, the UN brokered an agreement to form a new "unity" government - the Presidency Council, headed by unity Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj - but both Tripoli and Tobruk administrations were reluctant to acknowledge its authority. Mr Sarraj and some of his deputies finally arrived in Tripoli in March 2016 and set up their headquarters in a heavily-guarded naval base. Libya's media environment is highly-polarised and virtually unregulated, reflecting the country's political instability. Satellite TV is a key news source and many outlets are based outside Libya. Journalism is fraught with danger; reporters face threats and attacks. Islamic State group operates its own media from its stronghold, Sirte. Some key dates in Libya's history: 7th century BC - Phoenicians settle in Tripolitania in western Libya, which was hitherto populated by Berbers. 4th century BC - Greeks colonise Cyrenaica in the east of the country, which they call Libya. 74 BC - Romans conquer Libya. AD 643 - Arabs conquer Libya and spread Islam. 16th century - Libya becomes part of the Ottoman Empire, which joins the three provinces of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan into one regency in Tripoli. 1911-12 - Italy seizes Libya from the Ottomans. Omar al-Mukhtar begins 20-year insurgency against Italian rule. 1942 - Allies oust Italians from Libya, which is then divided between the French and the British. 1951 - Libya becomes independent under King Idris al-Sanusi. 1969 - Col Muammar Gaddafi, aged 27, deposes the king in a bloodless military coup. 1992 - UN imposes sanctions on Libya over the bombing of a PanAm airliner over the Scottish town of Lockerbie in December 1988. 2011 - Violent protests break out in Benghazi and spread to other cities. This leads to civil war, foreign intervention and eventually the ouster and killing of Gaddafi. 2016 - Following years of conflict, a new UN-backed "unity" government is installed in a naval base in Tripoli. It faces opposition from two rival governments and a host of militias.
Libya, a mostly desert and oil-rich country with an ancient history, has more recently been known for the 42-year rule of the mercurial Col Muammar Gaddafi - and the chaos that followed his departure.
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The many regional and national public broadcasters - organised in line with the federal political structure - vie for audiences with powerful commercial operators. Each of the 16 regions regulates its own private and public broadcasting. Around 90% of German households have cable or satellite TV, and viewers enjoy a comprehensive mix of free-to-view public and commercial channels. This has acted as a brake on the development of pay-TV. Germany is home to some of the world's largest media conglomerates, including Bertelsmann and the publisher Axel Springer. Some of Germany's top free-to-air commercial TV networks are owned by ProSiebenSat1. Germany has completed the switch to digital terrestrial TV broadcasting. Public broadcasters ZDF and ARD offer a range of digital-only channels. While the press and broadcasters are free and independent, the display of swastikas and statements endorsing Nazism are illegal. There are several national newspapers, but the press market is strongest at a regional level, with more than 300 titles. The Bild tabloid is the best-selling daily. By 2014, 71.7 million people were online, InternetLiveStats.com reported. The leading social network is Facebook, with more than 25 million users. Its rivals include meinVZ.
Germany's competitive television market is the largest in Europe, with some 34 million TV households.
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The budget cuts include reduced spending on roads and building maintenance in 2016/17. Council leader David Ross said some of the cutbacks would "undoubtedly put strain on services and staff". The Scottish government has confirmed a £10.3bn funding deal for councils as council tax is frozen for a ninth consecutive year. Mr Ross said a total of £1.1m would be saved from the roads maintenance budget in Fife. "No-one wants to reduce funding for the upkeep of our roads," he said. "But it is an area where we can choose to do less, and so temporarily save money. "However, in the year ahead we plan to undertake a full review of our roads service, in consultation with the public, councillors and professionals." The cut is part of more than £13m worth of temporary savings identified by the local authority. "These are one-off cutbacks which will undoubtedly put strain on services and staff," Mr Ross said. "These savings will give us some breathing space as we consider ways to transform services and spending on a permanent basis to meet the ongoing budget challenge." Other savings agreed by Fife Council include: Mr Ross added that the government had allocated £16.8m extra funding for health and social care. The council agreed to cut back its funding for the service by 3.6%, or £5m, in line with the cut to the council's grant funding. He said the administration in Fife had planned to propose a council tax increase of 7.5%, a move which would have given them £7m to invest in public services. "In public feedback, two out of three people said they supported this idea," he said. "However, the government attached new conditions to our funding package and would have withheld £25m from Fife services if we'd increased council tax, ruling out this option." A total of £10.9m of the £30.9m savings will be reinvested in services in the region, he added. Deputy First Minister John Swinney welcomed the agreement of Scotland's local authorities to the financial settlement. "It is a package that is firmly focused on our joint priorities to deliver sustainable economic growth, protect frontline services and support the most vulnerable in our society," he said.
Councillors in Fife have agreed to a wide-ranging package of savings amounting to £30.9m.
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The German Constitutional Court is considering legal objections to ECB Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT) - a scheme launched in 2012 during the eurozone debt crisis, but not yet used. The ECB is buying €60bn (£46bn; $67bn) of bonds monthly to help the eurozone. That bond-buying is separate from OMT. The announcement of OMT in 2012 by ECB President Mario Draghi had a calming effect on markets that were spooked by the eurozone sovereign debt crisis. OMT would involve unlimited bond purchases. Mr Draghi famously declared that he would do "whatever it takes" to safeguard the euro. Last summer the European Court of Justice (ECJ) - the EU's top court - ruled that OMT was compatible with EU law. The scheme fell within the ECB's mandate of maintaining price stability, the ECJ decided. The idea of the ECB buying up the sovereign bonds of a country in distress, to prevent speculators forcing up yields - the interest charged on those bonds - alarms some German politicians. OMT purchases would be made under the strict terms of a eurozone bailout - a government would have to enact major economic reforms, in order to get such emergency ECB support. Observers say the German court's ruling - not expected for months - could have an impact on the current ECB bond-buying programme, known as quantitative easing (QE). The OMT critics in the German case include Peter Gauweiler, a conservative MP in the Bavarian CSU party, ex-justice minister Herta Daeubler-Gmelin (Social Democrat SPD) and leftist Die Linke MPs.
Top judges in Germany are set to examine a European Central Bank bond-buying scheme, because critics say it risks enabling the ECB to prop up indebted eurozone governments.
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Ferrari have told Kimi Raikkonen he has to improve to stay for 2016, and Ricciardo is said by sources to be the main target if the Finn leaves. Ricciardo, 25, has a contract until 2018 and said "from my understanding it's not likely I can get out". He added: "I would never rule anything out completely. I don't have experience with contracts. Things can change." The Australian, speaking in the lead-up to Sunday's British Grand Prix, said it was "a compliment" to be "recognised" by Ferrari. He said: "We're not talking about contracts or anything. But first and foremost what I want is to win. "A lot of my frustration this year is because of that. We're not in a position to win. As a driver that is really the only thing you want, at least at this point in my career when I'm still young and hungry and I feel like I have a lot of potential in me." Media playback is not supported on this device Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: "Daniel knows the team's desire to be competitive, he believes in the team and there is no risk or discussion of him being anywhere else other than Red Bull for a minimum of three years." Ricciardo, who finished third in the drivers' standings in his debut season, said Red Bull's struggles had been difficult for him to accept this year. "It has tested my personality a bit more," he said. "I have always known deep down I have been a pretty fierce competitor. I have never liked losing. "I have become a better sportsman with age. I have handled losses better. But still deep down my heart is very competitive. I want to win and proving what I did last year only makes that fire burn more. So it has been a little bit more challenging this year to take a step back. "To accept that was not easy at first. But at the same time I know this sport can do those things and unfortunately it is a game of patience." Ricciardo added he had confidence the team could become competitive again in 2016, when they hope for an improved engine from Renault. Media playback is not supported on this device "I really feel Red Bull can make a change for next year and can get back up the front," Ricciardo said. "We still have good people in the team and the ingredients to do it. That next step has to be the right step and I think we can get back up there." Renault's engine is in the region of 50-70bhp behind the standard-setting Mercedes this season, and Ricciardo said there was little hope of a major step before the end of the year. He said: "It is more looking towards next year. It's important for the team to set up a championship target next year." Ricciardo said that, with a competitive engine, the Red Bull car was "in the ballpark" with Mercedes. He said: "If we'd be faster than them, I don't know, but it would be close enough to put some pressure on."
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo says it is unlikely he will move to Ferrari next year, but has not ruled it out.
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The former Hamilton and Partick Thistle defender, 24, joined Polish top-flight club Jagiellonia Bialystok in January. Gordon admits he was shocked by the detail and sophistication of the coaching he received compared to the approach in Scotland. "I honestly feel like I'm a totally different player than what I was in Scotland," he told BBC Scotland. "I had a lot of good managers working with me both at Hamilton and at Partick Thistle. "I like to think the aggression and determination will never leave me, but in terms of understanding the game, I feel like I'm a different player. "I almost feel I didn't know how to play football until I came here, which is quite incredible. "I don't want to talk down Scottish football, but we have so much to learn in terms of technical ability, structure of play, all these things you see at international level. "The whole structure and how they make the game so easy - once you work hard and understand the way they want to play, it makes the game so much easier. "I think in terms of that, there's so much Scottish coaches can learn from coaches over here." Gordon, who has played six times for the side who top the Ekstraklasa after 31 games, feels the quality of individual coaching administered in Poland is superior to that which he was accustomed in the Scottish top-flight. The defender, who worked under managers Billy Reid, Alex Neil and Martin Canning at New Douglas Park then Alan Archibald at Firhill, says his Polish coaches "leave no stone unturned" in their match preparations. "They're a lot more precise, everything is very match-related," he said. "It's very structured. Nothing is left for players to make decisions in games. "I remember my first training session here as the new player and we had a game the next day. "Usually, you'll go through set-pieces. We did free-kicks for and against, corners for and against, and then, for some bizarre reason, and I couldn't understand it, we did pass-backs as if the goalkeeper picks the ball up and you get an indirect free-kick. "Now, I think that's only happened maybe twice in my whole career, but they did it, just to cover every single scenario. "So, if we get an indirect free-kick for or against, we know exactly what positions to take up. I think that just epitomises that no stone is left unturned. "It was my first real shock and it wasn't my last. In terms of the analysis, it's almost as if every question you have in your head is answered within the time of you stepping into that meeting and coming out. It is quite amazing." Gordon reveals the depth of the Polish coaching extends to the roles of team-mates, with players given homework and expected to understand how their colleagues will operate in match situations. "It is almost like a rule book you need to learn," the defender said. "Not only do you need to know what position to take up when you have the ball, you need to know what position to take up when every other player has the ball. "You need to know almost 11 different movements all over the park, which is incredible, and certainly took me a while to get my head around. "But now it is a lot easier to play and, quite honestly, you go into a game and you know all you need to do is show up, because everything else has been dealt with before." Gordon asserts that Scotland produces many talented youngsters but argues the Polish set-up prepares their youth players more comprehensively for the rigors of first-team football. "I don't think individual players in terms of quality are any different from the players in Poland, but I think their understanding of the game is far superior," he said. "They make far superior decisions on the ball and the movement without the ball is on a different level. "I know for a fact we have so many superb young players, but I just think we can educate them far greater from a young age so, when they get to the first team, they're a lot more equipped, psychologically, physically, to deal with the demands of being a professional football player. "Here, there are 14-15,000 fans at every one of our games and, regardless of what player plays, it's just another day at the office. "In terms of getting players ready to play top-flight football, we have a long way to go."
Scottish coaches have "so much to learn" from their Polish counterparts, according to Ziggy Gordon.
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The former Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham striker, 32, had been a free agent since leaving Crystal Palace in the summer. He represented Togo at at the African Cup of Nations earlier this month, but they failed to qualify for the knockout stages, finishing bottom of Group C. Istanbul Basaksehir are currently second in the Super Lig table. "He was one of the players on our transfer short list," said director Mustafa Erogut. "He returned with a positive report and we then contacted Adebayor. The player is impressed by the club's project and the president's vision so it is clear to us that the club and the player will contribute to each other."
Emmanuel Adebayor has joined Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir on an 18-month contract for an undisclosed fee.
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The R&B star filmed much of the video in the New Lodge flats. It is an inner city area dominated by large residential tower blocks. As part of an environmental initiative, young people and residents will clear away foliage and weeds and plant an arrangement of native wild flowers. The flower-planting scheme by organisers Grow Wild is aimed at brightening the urban area where the filming took place. We Found Love became a UK number one and depicted the singer as a drug-abusing thrill-seeker in a relationship that quickly spiralled into addiction and violence. Stephanie Baine, Grow Wild Northern Ireland manager, said: "It's all about bringing people together to brighten up forgotten spaces, and that is precisely what is happening here. "It shows the New Lodge is definitely not a hopeless place." Another part of the pop video was filmed in a muddy barley field near Bangor, County Down. Rihanna stripped to a bikini after removing a long checked dress. Traffic practically ground to a halt near Ballyrobert as drivers strained to get a glimpse of the singer and her cavalcade. But the sight became too much for the landowner Alan Graham's Christian beliefs and he politely asked the filming to stop. Volunteers who have planned the Sow Wild New Lodge Community Garden this summer will redevelop a unused and overgrown communal space in the area. Gerard Rosato, who is helping to run the project, said: "People are conscious that this area is a bit of a concrete jungle. "North Belfast is very densely built up, there is a housing shortage and nearly anything that can be built on has been built on. "Any areas which can be transformed like this should be well looked after. "My hope is that when this is a success we can get other, similar schemes off the ground and continue to spruce up the area."
An area of north Belfast branded a "hopeless place" by Rihanna in her controversial We Found Love video is set for a wildflower makeover.
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Caithness civic leader Gail Ross called for its end last year after local people raised concerns about Klaksvik's use as a whaling port. Civic leaders in the Faroese city responded by saying the whale hunting was done sustainably. Next week, Highland Council's Caithness Committee will be asked to discuss formally ending the twinning link. Options councillors will be asked to consider also include leaving the twinning status as it is. In a report to Wednesday's meeting, council officers said contact between Wick and Klaksvik had been "limited" for several years. They said the last formal visit took place in 2001 and fishing links between the two places were no longer relevant because Wick was not now a designated fish landing port.
Highland councillors are to consider breaking a twinning link between Wick and Klaksvik in the Faroe Islands.
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The British man, 40, was reportedly held on Saturday after the German national was attacked in a restaurant in the resort of Sotogrande. The victim, 43, had been arrested days before for allegedly possessing indecent images of children, the Civil Guard told the Press Association. The Foreign Office is investigating. "We stand ready to provide consular assistance if requested," a spokeswoman said. Police said they had found the victim with "very serious" wounds. He died later in hospital in nearby La Linea de la Concepcion. A spokeswoman for Spain's Civil Guard told the Press Association: "The discussion apparently began because of alleged recordings that the victim was making of the aggressor's daughter. "When he saw what was happening, he took the tablet off him, saw the recordings, threw the device to the ground and attacked him." Officers said that the suspect had been remanded in custody after appearing before a magistrate. A post-mortem examination has been carried out and authorities are awaiting results to determine how the victim died.
A Briton has been remanded in custody in Spain on suspicion of killing a man he had caught filming his daughter on a tablet, reports say.
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With the long campaign dominated by questions about his character, what he might do with power has become something of a sideshow. But he will soon have the chance to shape US domestic and foreign policy. Here is how he stands on key issues. Mr Trump has promised the biggest tax cuts since the Ronald Reagan era. He has pledged reductions across-the-board, promising working and middle income Americans "massive" cuts. His plan includes reducing the number of tax brackets from seven to three, cutting corporate taxes, eliminating the estate tax and increasing the standard deduction for individual filers. According to one analysis, the top 1% of earners would see their income increase by double-digits, while the bottom quarter gets a boost of up to 1.9%. But the Center for a Responsible Budget has also warned his plan would balloon the national debt. Mr Trump says he will create 25 million jobs over 10 years, saying too many jobs, especially in manufacturing, are being lost to other countries. He plans to reduce the US corporate tax rate to 15% from the current rate of 35%, and suggests that investing in infrastructure, cutting the trade deficit, lowering taxes and removing regulations will boost job creation. This is his signature issue. Despite critics who call it unaffordable and unrealistic, the Republican has stood by his call to build an impenetrable wall along the 2,000-plus-mile US-Mexico border. He has also called for reductions in legal immigration, ending President Barack Obama's executive actions deferring deportation proceedings for undocumented migrants, and more stringent efforts to reduce the number of these migrants living in the US. The candidate has backed away from earlier calls for the forced deportation of the more than 11 million undocumented migrants living on US soil and temporarily closing the US border to all Muslims - but not dropped them. How do Republicans think Trump's wall would work? How would Trump deport 11m from the US? Mr Trump has been warning that the US policy of admitting refugees from certain regions - the Middle East or, more generally, Muslim nations - presents a serious threat to US national security. He has attempted to bolster his case by citing often debunked internet rumours, such as that Syrian refugees are largely young, single men. He has called for the US to suspend resettling refugees until "extreme vetting" procedures can be implemented, including ideological tests to screen out extremists. He asserts that nations in the Middle East - which have already received millions of Syrian and Iraqi refugees - must do more to create safe zones for those fleeing the violence. Mr Trump has criticised the Iraq War (although his claims that he opposed it from the start are unfounded) and other US military action in the Middle East. He has called for closer relations with Vladimir Putin's Russia and says the US must make allies in Europe and Asia shoulder a greater share of the expense for their national defence and emphasises that US foreign policy must always prioritise American interests. On the other hand, Mr Trump has also taken a hard-line stance toward combating IS and has even at times asserted the US should commit tens of thousands of ground troops to the fight. He says Nato should do more to combat terrorism in the Middle East, maintaining that the US foots too much of the bill for the Alliance and that other allies should spend more on their own protection. Once upon a time, Republicans were the party of unfettered free trade. Donald Trump has changed all that. While he says he is not opposed to trade in principle, any trade deals have to protect US industry. He is firmly against the Trans-Pacific Partnership and has said that he will re-open negotiations on already signed pacts, such as the North America Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), and withdraw if US demands are not met. He has accused US trading partners like Mexico and China of unfair trade practices, currency manipulation and intellectual property theft, threatening to unilaterally impose tariffs and other punitive measures if they do not implement reforms. Mr Trump has issued no position statements on environmental issues on his website. In speeches and debates, however, he has said he opposes what he views as economically damaging environmental regulations backed by "political activists with extreme agendas". He says he supports clean water and air, but wants to slash funding to the Environmental Protection Agency. He has also called man-made climate change "a hoax" and said he would "cancel" the Paris Agreement and other international efforts to address the issue. The Republican said in March that abortions should be illegal and he supported "some form of punishment" for women who had them. His campaign quickly backed down from that statement, however, and asserted that the candidate believed the legality of the procedure should be left up to individual states, with any criminal penalties being reserved for abortion providers. He has said he supports an abortion ban exception for "rape, incest and the life of the mother". He has called for defunding Planned Parenthood. As recently as 2000, Mr Trump supported abortion rights but has said that, like Ronald Reagan, he changed his views on the matter. Obamacare is one of the outgoing president's signature policies - and Mr Trump has vowed to repeal it. His alternative would give individual states greater control over their health plans, and allow more competition across state lines. With Republicans in command of Congress, revoking Obamacare seems a real possibility. But they could face a backlash from the millions of Americans losing coverage. Violence and lawlessness is out of control in the US, according to Mr Trump. He says law enforcement agencies are unable to fight crime because of runaway "political correctness" and says they should be allowed to get tough on offenders. He says police profiling is necessary to prevent terrorist attacks on US soil. He supports "stop and frisk", claiming the policy was highly successful in New York, even though many experts disagree. The practice was ruled unconstitutional and a form of "indirect racial profiling" by a federal judge in the city. Rejecting Republican orthodoxy, Mr Trump has called for six weeks of paid maternity leave, which would amount to what the mother would receive in unemployment benefit. But this would not apply to fathers. There are no details though on how this policy would be paid for. He has blamed some shootings on lax gun laws, saying armed people could have intervened and saved lives. He frequently accused rival Hillary Clinton of wanting to eliminate gun rights during the campaign and promises his supporters that the Second Amendment would be safe. One of the most important decisions for the next president is shaping the future of the Supreme Court. There is currently one vacancy, but with several justices of retirement age, Mr Trump could have more than one appointment to make, shifting the court to the right for years to come. Mr Trump wants to create restrictions on lobbyists, by first defining who is a "lobbyist". Currently, anyone spending less than 20% of their time engaged in lobbying can call themselves an "adviser" or "consultant". Mr Trump says this is a loophole that must be closed. He also proposes there be a five-year ban preventing government officials who have recently departed the government from immediately joining lobbying firms. He also wants a lifetime lobbying ban on any former administration officials who have previously worked on behalf of foreign governments. He has called on Congress to change campaign finance laws to stop anyone who lobbies for foreign governments from raising funds for US elections. He has claimed to be "self-funding" his campaign, but has also employed a former hedge fund manager to solicit campaign funds from deep-pocket donors.
An extraordinary, unpredictable US presidential race has ended with a final twist - a Donald Trump presidency.
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Keith Harrison, who is based in County Donegal, has said that he was the subject of untrue abuse accusations. On Tuesday, the Irish government agreed to a public inquiry into the handling of allegations against Maurice McCabe. Sgt McCabe had claimed there was corruption in the Republic of Ireland's driving licence penalty points system. He was later investigated by the Republic's child and family agency over allegations of abuse, that were later found to be untrue. A commission has now been established to examine whether there was a smear campaign against Sgt McCabe, orchestrated by senior police officers. In 2009, Garda Keith Harrison prosecuted a colleague for alleged drink driving, despite opposition from senior officers. As a result, he claims, he was subjected to bullying and harassment by colleagues. Garda Harrison's solicitor told Irish broadcaster RTÉ that his client wanted "truth and justice". In a statement, Garda Harrison said: "I did not become a whistleblower lightly, given the devastating effect it has had on our family. "Whistleblowers are a fundamental part of any organisation and should be encouraged and supported to do the right thing, without fear or favour, otherwise they will not come forward into the future. "I demand that my case be included in any inquiry/commission of investigation by the government and political establishment. We will not rest until this happens," he added.
An Irish policeman wants his case to be included as part of an inquiry into an alleged smear campaign against a garda whistleblower.
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The LCR Honda rider, 31, crashed at Turn 10 during Saturday's practice session because of oil on the track. Crutchlow said he was advised by MotoGP medical director Angel Charte to pull out of the qualifying session. "I am a racer and I want to race," said the Briton after earning his grid place for Sunday's race in Brno. "I respect Dr Charte and all the doctors in the clinic a lot, but the decision was mine and that's why they got angry. "Now I have to go back to the hospital because they saw there was something [wrong] with the vertebrae." Crutchlow went for further examinations after qualifying, but the hospital checks did not reveal any significant injury and he is expected to be fit to race on Sunday. Meanwhile Honda's world championship leader Marc Marquez will start on pole for the fourth time this season. The three-time world MotoGP champion finished ahead of Italian veteran Valentino Rossi, of Yamaha, and Spain's Dani Pedrosa, of Honda.
Cal Crutchlow says he defied medical advice to qualify fifth at MotoGP's Czech round amid concerns he had suffered a back injury in a crash.
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The assault on Jinnah international airport in Karachi began late on Sunday, with security forces gaining control in the early hours of Monday. The Pakistani Taliban have said they carried out the raid as revenge for the killing of their leader last year. A government spokesman said a full investigation was under way. Asif Kirmani, a political secretary to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, also praised the security forces for their response. The Karachi airport attack comes against the backdrop of a major split in the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) - and threats of retaliation following limited military operations against foreign militants in North Waziristan. Given the violence, it seems clear that any pretence at a peace process is now over. Few seriously thought that recent talks between the government and militants were getting anywhere anyway. The attack is also a reminder, if it were needed, that despite their divisions, the Taliban retain the capability to mount spectacular strikes across Pakistan. Pakistan Taliban still deadly despite split Pakistani officials said 10 heavily armed gunmen stormed the airport in two teams of five on Sunday at 23:00 local time (18:00 GMT). The attackers, wearing explosives belts, are believed to have entered the area using fake ID cards, although some reports suggest they cut through a barbed wire fence. They threw grenades and fired at security guards in the old terminal, used for cargo and VIP operations. The airport was shut down, passengers were evacuated and flights diverted as security forces fought back. Seven militants were shot dead in a gun battle with security forces which lasted until dawn. Another three attackers detonated their explosives. The dead terminal staff were said to be mostly security guards from the Airport Security Force (ASF) but also airline workers. The initial death toll of 28 was raised after the Civil Aviation Authority said two more bodies had been found inside the terminal. Hours after the airport reopened on Monday evening, there were reports that a group of airport employees were stuck inside a cold storage facility where they had taken refuge. Their relatives gathered outside the terminal building, demanding urgent action to rescue them. A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said it was being investigated. The Chief Minister of Sindh province, Qaim Ali Shah, said the attackers "were well trained" and their plan "very well thought out". Later on Monday, security forces displayed a large quantity of weapons and ammunition seized from the attackers, as well as food, indicating they had been prepared for a lengthy siege. They also displayed the bodies of the dead militants. Army officials said there were indications that some of the gunmen may have been foreign nationals. The Taliban later said they had carried out the attack, and that its aim had been to hijack aircraft, though they failed to do so. It was "a message to the Pakistan government that we are still alive to react over the killings of innocent people in bomb attacks on their villages", said spokesman Shahidullah Shahid. Pakistan has been fighting an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, with the Pakistani Taliban the main militant group. Prime Minister Sharif recently told the BBC he was still hopeful a peace initiative with the Taliban could succeed, but the violence has continued, with Karachi a frequent target.
Pakistan's largest airport has resumed operations after an assault by militants which left at least 30 people, including the attackers, dead.
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Four fixtures are to be staged in 2016, with more next year. Hereford was shut in 2012 after 241 years of racing - the first recorded meeting there was in August 1771. ARC director of external affairs Susannah Gill told BBC Sport the decision "shows our commitment to all racing". When it closed Hereford, the company said the venue was no longer viable, citing the recession and the rise of internet betting on other sports. It also said investing in the course was difficult because it only had a 17-year lease from Herefordshire Council. Despite closing the course, ARC kept hold of the lease but has so far not been able to reach an agreement with the authority over it. Gill said: "There's no deal over the lease with the local council yet, but we said to prove that we wanted to do business we are going to re-open the track. "There will be four fixtures moved to Hereford from within the ARC group from October, and then we plan 12 more in 2017. "Relations with the council were, as you can imagine, frosty for a while after Hereford closed, but we went to them last summer and said there's a new face at the top and we want to do business." BBC racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght When ARC closed down Hereford and Folkestone, for which there are no re-opening plans, it was the first time any long-established track had been shut in over 30 years. The Hereford decision was especially controversial as it followed a confusing dispute with the local authority over the lease, which ARC then refused to release. This news, a notable boost to an area with a high number of trainers, comes as ARC's new management works to shake off its "nasty racecourse group" image gained at least partly because of the original closures.
Hereford racecourse - controversially closed by owners Arena Racing Company in December 2012 - is to reopen for business in October.
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The Cumbrians, who are yet to taste defeat in 14 League Two games this term, led through Jason Kennedy's bundled finish and although Matt Godden's spot-kick levelled proceedings, Grainger kept his cool from 12 yards to win it. Carlisle started brightly and Charlie Wyke almost broke the deadlock after five minutes as he shot just over from a Nicky Adams cross. Kennedy's sixth of the season gave the visitors the lead from close range in the 16th minute following a brilliant Jamie Jones save from another Wyke effort. Stevenage equalised just before half-time after Tom Miller was penalised for a shirt pull on Charlie Lee and Godden smashed home the resulting penalty. Referee Nicholas Kinseley awarded a second penalty in the 57th minute when Stevenage captain Ronnie Henry pushed Wyke in the area, and Grainger duly put the Cumbrians back in front. Boro, searching for only a second league win in their last six games, could have equalised but Jack King failed to convert from six yards. Reports supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Stevenage 1, Carlisle United 2. Second Half ends, Stevenage 1, Carlisle United 2. Shaun Brisley (Carlisle United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Luke Wilkinson (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Shaun Brisley (Carlisle United). Attempt blocked. Derek Asamoah (Carlisle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Tom Pett (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Tom Miller (Carlisle United). Attempt missed. Luke Wilkinson (Stevenage) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Corner, Stevenage. Conceded by Macaulay Gillesphey. Mark Gillespie (Carlisle United) is shown the yellow card. Harry McKirdy (Stevenage) is shown the yellow card. Foul by Steven Schumacher (Stevenage). Luke Joyce (Carlisle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt saved. Harry McKirdy (Stevenage) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Attempt saved. Jason Kennedy (Carlisle United) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal. Harry McKirdy (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Michael Jones (Carlisle United). Substitution, Carlisle United. Derek Asamoah replaces Jabo Ibehre. Substitution, Carlisle United. Shaun Brisley replaces Danny Grainger. Substitution, Stevenage. Michael Tonge replaces Matt Godden because of an injury. Attempt blocked. Matt Godden (Stevenage) right footed shot from very close range is blocked. Corner, Carlisle United. Conceded by Kgosi Ntlhe. Substitution, Stevenage. Tom Pett replaces Dale Gorman. Substitution, Stevenage. Harry McKirdy replaces Ben Kennedy. Ben Kennedy (Stevenage) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Ben Kennedy (Stevenage). Tom Miller (Carlisle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Kgosi Ntlhe (Stevenage) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Kgosi Ntlhe (Stevenage). Reggie Lambe (Carlisle United) wins a free kick on the right wing. Substitution, Carlisle United. Reggie Lambe replaces Charlie Wyke. Foul by Charlie Lee (Stevenage). Nicky Adams (Carlisle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Corner, Stevenage. Conceded by Macaulay Gillesphey. Attempt saved. Charlie Wyke (Carlisle United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Attempt missed. Dale Gorman (Stevenage) right footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the right following a corner. Corner, Stevenage. Conceded by Mark Gillespie. Goal! Stevenage 1, Carlisle United 2. Danny Grainger (Carlisle United) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner. Penalty conceded by Ronnie Henry (Stevenage) after a foul in the penalty area.
Danny Grainger's second-half penalty helped Carlisle to a fifth consecutive win as they triumphed 2-1 at Stevenage.
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She is accused of sending thousands of dollars to the so-called Islamic State group in Syria through a Western Union money transfer, reports say. The girl and a male accomplice, 20, who allegedly gave her the money were arrested in raids on Tuesday. The pair allegedly met in a park on Tuesday to discuss a plan to send money to Syria that day, reports said. They had reportedly developed a "sophisticated facilitation path" of wiring funds and had completed successful transfers before. The man, named by media as Milad Atai, was also arrested during Australia's biggest counter-terror raids in September 2014. The girl is accused of admitting to a police informant that she had wired A$10,000 ($7,600, £5,400) to Syria at the behest of an Islamic State fighter. She was also allegedly planning to conduct another transfer of A$5,000 when she was caught on Tuesday morning in a park along with Mr Atai, who had handed her the money. But her lawyer argued that the prosecution's case was based on inferences in her conversations with the police informant and said it may have amounted to entrapment. Mr Atai faces charges similar to the girl's. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Mr Atai was still under investigation over the death of police accountant Curtis Cheng, who was gunned down by 15-year-old Farhad Jabar. Police have reiterated concerns over extremists targeting young Australians. "[It is] disturbing that we continue to deal with teenage children in this environment," NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn told reporters on Tuesday.
A Sydney girl, 16, has appeared in court on terror financing charges which carry a maximum term of 25 years' jail.
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After the Paris attacks in 2015, England fans sang La Marseillaise at the game against France at Wembley. Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron attended the match in Paris after holding talks. The Oasis track Don't Look Back In Anger was played by the Republican Guard at the Stade de France. Fans held up red and white placards to recreate the Flag of St George, and a minute's silence was held with players from both sides lining up together. The British national anthem was played second - the anthem of the home team is normally second in international fixtures. England manager Gareth Southgate said: "We are very grateful to the French for offering this tribute to England as a country. "It's nice that the history between us doesn't come between us at those moments." Similar tributes took place when England played France at Wembley in November 2015 just days after the terror attacks in Paris. Discussions between Mrs May and Mr Macron were expected to centre on counter-terrorism. Eight people were killed and 48 injured when three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge then stabbed people in Borough Market on 3 June. The attackers were shot dead by police. Twenty-two people were killed and 116 injured by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on 22 May.
French football fans sang God Save The Queen ahead of the match between France and England in tribute to the victims of attacks in London and Manchester.
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Aleksandr Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Bureau (FSB), was addressing a Russian anti-terror committee meeting in Moscow. UK investigators believe a bomb was put in the plane's hold prior to take-off, killing all 224 people on board. The UK has suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and is bringing Britons home.
Russia should suspend all flights to Egypt until the cause of the Sinai crash is determined, the head of Russian security has suggested.
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The jury in Massachusetts will now decide what sentence 21-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will receive. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured when the bombs exploded at the finish line in April 2013. His lawyers admitted he played a role in the attacks but said his older brother was the driving force. The guilty conviction was widely expected. In the next phase of the trial, Tsarnaev's legal team will push for him to be given a life-in-prison sentence instead of death. His chief lawyer, Judy Clarke, specialises in defending high-profile clients facing the death penalty, including the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Although Tsarnaev's defence team had repeatedly appealed for a change of venue, Boston is not known for its support of capital punishment. Massachusetts abolished the practice in 1984 and has not executed anyone since 1947. But Tsarnaev was convicted of federal, not state crimes. Victims' profiles in full A police officer was killed in the days following the attack as Tsarnaev and his brother, who also died, attempted to flee. As the guilty verdicts were read on Wednesday, Tsarnaev kept his hands folded in front of him and looked down . Nearby, the mother of one victim, eight-year-old Martin Richard, wiped tears from her face after the verdict was read. Richard's father embraced one of the prosecutors. The governor of Massachusetts welcomed the verdict, and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said: "I hope today's verdict provides a small amount of closure". The family of Officer Sean Collier, who was killed days after the attack, said: "While today's verdict can never bring Sean back, we are thankful that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will be held accountable for the evil that he brought to so many families." Tsarnaev's defence team say he took part in the bombing, but argue that his elder brother, Tamerlan, was the mastermind of the attack who influenced Tsarnaev into participating. Prosecutors portrayed the brothers as equal partners in a plan to "punish America" for wars in Muslim countries. Among the most damning evidence was a video that showed Tsarnaev placing a backpack bomb near to Martin Richard, and a statement scrawled inside the boat where he was found hiding days after the attack. A court official warned against emotional outbursts as the verdict was read. "There is to be no reactions," he told people in the room. "Maintain complete silence." People on the government's side, near the FBI agents and the Watertown, Massachusetts, police chief, had cried as they watched videos of the bombings. Today they were quiet as the verdicts were read: "guilty, guilty, guilty". Earlier Tsarnaev had given his lawyer, Judy Clarke, a half-fist-bump. She didn't return it. This afternoon he was more subdued. He stood and paid close attention as the verdicts were read, occasionally rocking from side to side. He put his hands in his pockets then took them out quickly. He has long lashes, and he blinked a lot. When he was led out of the room, he walked quickly, as before, but his step was less springy. "Stop killing our innocent people and we will stop," he wrote, as he lay wounded and bleeding inside the dry-docked boat in suburban garden. The jury was also shown a surveillance video of Tsarnaev casually purchasing milk at a nearby supermarket less than 30 minutes after the bombs wreaked carnage at the finish line. Tsarnaev is an ethnic Chechen. His family moved to the US about a decade before the bombings.
The man accused of bombing the Boston Marathon in 2013 has been found guilty of all 30 charges that he faced, many of which carry the death penalty.
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Reporting restrictions which had prevented the players being named in the privacy lawsuit have been lifted. Ireland international Paddy Jackson and club teammate Stuart Olding were arrested and released in June 2016. Mr Jackson, 25, and Mr Olding, 24, deny any wrongdoing and have not been charged with any offence. Lawyers for the pair also stress their complete co-operation with the police investigation. Writs seeking damages for misuse of private information were issued against the BBC after details of their questioning were broadcast and published by the BBC and other media last autumn. Their legal teams contend they were not given sufficient notice for a right of reply before the story appeared. They claim it was a private matter and raise issues about how the information was obtained. With no date set for the hearing of the civil action over privacy, the players also sought an injunction to stop further press reporting of the case. A High Court judge refused their application earlier this year, citing the widespread coverage by other media outlets following the initial article. However, she imposed tight reporting restrictions to stop either star being identified in the litigation. Her anonymity order was aimed at ensuring no risk of prejudice to the ongoing police investigation. Appealing that decision, the BBC argued that it had been a disproportionate step. Counsel for the broadcaster emphasised both the public interest in reporting the case and the principle of open justice. Following confirmation that the players were no longer seeking to maintain anonymity, the Court of Appeal ruled that the restrictions should be lifted. Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan said: "In our view there's nothing to indicate there was a substantial barrier which ought to have interfered with the right of the press to publish the judgment that was given. "We are satisfied that we should allow the appeal in relation to that matter and discharge the orders made."
Two Ulster rugby players who were questioned by police investigating alleged sex offences are suing over media coverage of the case.
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The Australian surfer, 34, was competing at an event in Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape on Sunday when a black fin appeared behind him. He punched and kicked the shark and was soon rescued by a jet-ski. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I thought we'd lost him," his mum Elizabeth Osborne told ABC News. "I was absolutely terrified. I went over to the television almost as though I could pull him out... to save him," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from her home on Australia's Gold Coast. Ms Osborne had already lost a son to a car crash 17 years ago and she said those memories came back to her. "When Sean was killed in the car accident, I didn't see it," Ms Osborne said. "I saw this just in front of me. It was just terrible." Are South Africa's beaches safe? By Pumza Fihlani, BBC southern Africa correspondent South Africa's coastline stretching over thousands of kilometres is popular with beach goers and surfers almost all year round. But more and more reports of shark attacks have been making news in recent years begging the question: Are South Africa's beaches safe? There is a lot of speculation around why sharks attack humans but experts says that unlike in the famous world Hollywood movie Jaws, shark attacks are not planned or even malicious. The predators are said to be often curious and bite to get a sense of what the prey is. But these are predators and "caution should be exercised when at sea" says Craig Lambinon of the National Sea Rescue Institute, who sometimes respond to shark attack calls. Local experts say that while shark attacks do happen they are one of the most uncommon forms of injury or death in the world. The Natal Sharks Board says the country's beaches are considered safe by international standards, but many beaches in the country do not have shark nets so people take this into account when going swimming, surfing, diving or deep sea fishing - all popular activities here. Fanning, the defending champion at the tournament and a three-time world champion, escaped without any injuries. "I was just sitting there and I felt something just get stuck in my leg rope, and I was kicking trying to get it away," Fanning told Fox Sports. "I just saw fins. I was waiting for the teeth." Fanning said he was able to "get a punch into its back" and startle the shark. How to avoid a shark attack Can science stop sharks attacking humans? Australian firm develops 'shark-proof' wetsuits The World Surf League (WSL), which organised the J-Bay Open, said two shark were seen in the water near Fanning and another competitor, Julian Wilson, also from Australia. The two surfers are rivals but also friends and Wilson paddled towards Fanning to help him. Wilson was emotional afterwards telling the Sydney Morning Herald that he felt as if he couldn't get to Fanning quickly enough. "It came up and he was wrestling it, and I saw he got knocked off his board," Wilson said. "I was like, 'I've got a board, if I can get there I can stab it or whatever, I've got a weapon.'" Wilson's mum was also watching on TV and told reporters: "I don't know if he's crazy or a hero." The commentators said it was the first time they had seen a shark attack a competitor during an event, according to the Herald. The WSL cancelled the tournament after the incident. "Mick's composure and quick acting in the face of a terrifying situation was nothing short of heroic and the rapid response of our Water Safety personnel was commendable," it said in a statement. A video of the incident can be seen on the WSL's website here and the aftermath of the attack can be viewed here. Reuters says the waters are some of the most shark-infested in the world, and that a surfer was killed by a Great White shark close to Jeffreys Bay in 2013.
Surf champion Mick Fanning's mum watched "terrified" on live television as her son was attacked by a shark in South African waters.
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Francis Matthew, editor-at-large of Gulf News, was arrested after his wife Jane Matthew, 62, died on 4 July. The Government of Dubai's media office said preliminary investigations showed she died from a blow to the head with a solid object. The Foreign Office said support is being provided to Mrs Matthew's family. "We are also providing support to a British national detained in Dubai," a spokesman added. The media office said on Twitter that Mr Matthew had told police he assaulted his wife and threw a hammer at her, without intending to kill her. Abdul Hamid Ahmad, editor-in-chief of Gulf News, said in a statement: "We are shocked and saddened at this tragedy. "Francis was editor of the paper from 1995-2005. "He is a well-respected journalist, known for his keen insight into the Middle East. He was holding the position of editor-at-large at the time of the incident. "Both Francis and Jane have played a very active role in the British expatriate community over the past 30 years." Investigations by Dubai police are continuing.
A British journalist at a newspaper in Dubai has been charged with murdering his wife, the emirate's government says.
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Robson, who last played at the US Open in August, was beaten 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 by Magdalena Rybarikova in the first round of the BNP Paribas Open in the USA. The 22-year-old, who has struggled with a wrist injury for the past 18 months, plans to play a full clay-court season. "I'm 100% better. The last time I felt pain was in January," said Robson. "The doctor told me to 'Run Forrest'." Robson, who was quoting the 1994 Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump, was ranked as high as 27th in the world in July 2013, but she has dropped to 551 after two injury-hit seasons. She intends to use the protected ranking - given to her for being injured - during the clay-court season. Robson added: "It will always be in the back of my mind - any pain I feel in my arm and I am in panic mode. So to get the all-clear not just from the surgeon, but from other doctors I have seen is nice." The Briton held her own in the first set in Indian Wells, with both players breaking three times, but the Russian world number 97 won in 90 minutes. Robson has not won a WTA main-draw match since September 2013.
Britain's Laura Robson said she no longer felt pain in her wrist, after losing on her return to the WTA Tour.
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The move clears five officers who had been accused over the botched raid by F-16 jets near Uludere in south-eastern Turkey. Those involved had "made an unavoidable mistake", prosecutors said. Kurdish groups condemned the ruling. In December 2011 Turkey expressed regret over the raid, saying smugglers had been mistaken for Kurdish rebels. Ferhat Encu, who lost two brothers and nine other relatives in the raid, said "the killer state has been acquitted once again", the Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on its website. Last November the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Turkey over a similar air strike that took place in 1994. In that incident, 38 Kurdish villagers died in Sirnak province, near the Iraqi border. Uludere is in the same province, an area where armed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels are particularly active. The rebels have been fighting for an independent state since 1984. The European court in Strasbourg ordered Turkey to pay 2.3m euros (£2m; $3m) to the plaintiffs, saying the authorities had failed to investigate the raid properly. The military prosecutors' statement on Tuesday said the December 2011 air strike had been approved by the Turkish General Staff. "The army personnel made an unavoidable mistake while performing their duties," the prosecutors said. A lawyer representing the families of victims, Tahir Elci, denounced the ruling. He said the plaintiffs would lodge an appeal with Turkey's Constitutional Court, the AFP news agency reported. Turkey is currently gripped by political tensions in the ruling AK Party, which also affect scores of military officers convicted over alleged coup plots. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has backed calls for retrials in the high-profile "coup" investigations.
Turkish military prosecutors have dropped an investigation into the deaths of 34 Kurdish civilians in an air force bombing raid in 2011.
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Mercedes want the Finn, 27, to replace Nico Rosberg, who retired after winning the world title last month. Deputy team principal Claire Williams told BBC Sport the team would let Bottas leave "if an experienced, credible alternative was available". Williams suggested Felipe Massa could return, despite retiring at the end of this season. Whatever we decide, it must be in the best interests of this team. "I'm delighted to see that a team like Mercedes lists Valtteri as a potential replacement for Nico," Williams said. "We have always known Valtteri is one of the sport's key talents and are proud that the championship leaders recognise this. "However, Williams has its own ambitions and we must always ensure we give our team the best opportunity to move forward. Any changes would only be made if Williams remains in a strong position to compete and develop in 2017. "If we did allow Valtteri to leave, we would only do this if an experienced, credible alternative was available, such as someone like Felipe Massa, for example." Williams, who finished fifth in the championship in 2016, have rejected Mercedes' first offer for Bottas, but talks are ongoing. The team are playing hardball with Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff because he is in a difficult position having to find a team-mate for Hamilton when all the leading names are under contract. However, it is a sensitive situation because Williams use Mercedes engines and want to keep a good relationship with the German manufacturer. And now Mercedes have expressed an interest, Bottas is keen to take up the opportunity to join a front-running team. Mercedes said on Thursday that they would not make an announcement on Rosberg's replacement until at least 3 January. Media playback is not supported on this device Three-time British world champion Hamilton will be consulted about German Rosberg's replacement, but the final decision will be Mercedes'. "Basically, once they've dwindled it down to five drivers - or whatever it is, the shortlist - contractually they have to discuss with me," Hamilton, 31, told Channel 4. "But I don't have a say who it is." Williams need an experienced driver for 2017 to partner the 18-year-old Canadian rookie Lance Stroll, who is making his debut and is said to be bringing financial backing worth as much as £20m. Re-employing Massa could be a good solution for Williams. Although he announced his retirement from F1 in September, the Brazilian made it clear he wanted to continue racing. So a seat at Williams could be a good opportunity for him. And it could provide a benefit for Williams because the team could use the money it saves on the engine fee and Bottas' salary to fund technical developments and boost their competitiveness in future years. Sources say Massa made his announcement only after he realised that Williams were going to keep Bottas and sign Stroll and that he was unable to find a similarly competitive car elsewhere. Wolff's first offer to Williams for Bottas was for a reduction of 10m euros (£8.4m) in their engine bill. It is considered likely that Williams will hold out for a figure much closer to the full amount - 17m euros (£14.2m) - to release the driver. They are aware that Mercedes have money available for the deal because they no longer have to fund Rosberg's salary - which was set to be in the region of $22m (£17.6m) for each of the next two years. In a separate deal, Mercedes executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe is poised to join Williams in a senior management role. Mercedes are set to replace him with the former Ferrari technical director James Allison.
Williams are prepared to release Valtteri Bottas to become Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate in 2017.
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Terrence George, 72, died in January 2016 at the Royal Cornwall Hospital after an attack of pancreatitis caused by gall stones. He was taken to hospital with mild pancreatitis five months before, but had not had his gall bladder removed. Doctors acknowledged it could have been successfully treated at the time by the procedure, an inquest heard. Senior Coroner for Cornwall, Dr Emma Carlyon, was told Mr George had been discharged from hospital a week after being admitted, pending a six-week review, but there were delays. The inquest heard that because of a "catalogue of errors" and "systemic failures", he never had the potentially life-saving treatment. At the conclusion of the two day inquest, Mr George's family said they were "devastated" by his "entirely unnecessary death". Whilst concluding the case, Dr Carlyon said she would be writing to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, urging them to introduce new guidelines in treating pancreatitis.
New guidelines for care should be prioritised following the death of a grandfather, a coroner concluded.
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A report by the Devolution Committee endorsed the change laid down in the Scottish Election (Reduction of Voting Age) Bill. Last year's referendum saw those aged 16 and 17 being allowed to vote. The committee report followed months of evidence gathering, including from young people themselves. It is expected that the bill will be passed by Holyrood in time for the Scottish Parliament election. The MSPs welcomed work being done by the Electoral Commission and others to raise teenagers' awareness of their rights and the process for registration and voting. But it said that more action was needed to ensure that issues linked with elections were discussed in secondary schools. The report said: "The committee believes that more should be done by Education Scotland, local authorities and the Electoral Commission to ensure that all local authorities across Scotland and the relevant education bodies are best supporting the discussion of election issues in schools and colleges." In the aftermath of last year's independence referendum the committee had highlighted the need for national guidance to combat inconsistencies in schools about what issues could and could not be discussed. Their report has now recommended Education Scotland reviews and updates its guidance "to ensure consistency in this area". Committee convener Bruce Crawford said: "All parties represented on the committee and the parliament agree that 16 and 17-year-olds should be able to vote in future elections. "The experience of last year's referendum - and the enthusiasm and engagement it generated - demonstrated that young people not only want a voice, they want a vote. "In our evidence session we have heard from those involved in administering elections, in compiling registers and from representatives of young people, including young people themselves. "While the committee believes that more needs to be done to ensure that schools and colleges are best supported to help discussion of election issues, we unanimously support the general principles of this Bill."
Plans to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote in next May's Holyrood election have taken a step closer following backing from MSPs.
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Mohammed Endris is accused of smothering his son Saros Endris, eight, and his daughter Leanor, six, who were found after a fire in Holland Road, Birmingham in October. The 46-year-old also denied attempting to murder their mother, Penil Teklehaimanot. He was remanded in custody at Birmingham Crown Court until his trial, which is expected on 6 November. Mr Endris, who appeared in the dock with a head bandage, was charged with murder in January after being released from hospital following treatment for burns he suffered in a car fire. His children are thought to have died from an obstruction in their airways. More updates on this story
A father has denied murdering his two children at their home.
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The singer was honoured in the Queen's birthday honours list in recognition of his services to music and charity. Sir Rod, who was congratulated by Prince William on his long career, added he wished his parents could have seen him receive the knighthood. Sir Rod was accompanied by his wife Penny Lancaster and his two youngest children, Alastair and Aiden. Wearing tartan trousers, the star said of meeting the duke: "We talked about music and he said: 'It's great that you're still going', and I said: 'I have to - I've got eight children!'. "He congratulated me on my long career - and I said how happy this made me. I just wish my mum and dad had been here to see it." The Maggie May singer - now officially Sir Roderick - previously thanked the Queen for the honour, and promised, in a reference to the title of one of his hit songs, to "wear it well". Sir Rod said he did not agree with comments made by Liverpool FC's first black footballer, who said he turned down an MBE because it was against his values due to the reference to the word empire in the title. Sir Rod said: "The Empire's not quite as big as it used to be, but it's still there, so I'm all for keeping the [word] empire." He is to meet the Queen later at a reception at the Royal Academy of Arts. Others being honoured included David Oyelowo, who was made an OBE. The actor, currently starring in The Queen of Katwe opposite Lupita Nyong'o, said the accolade made him feel "proud to be British". Oyelowo, whose credits also include the Oscar-winning civil rights film Selma, was given a Prince's Trust grant as he was embarking on his acting career. He previously said of the OBE: "To be honoured by the Queen in this way having been aided by her son's charity feels like a beautiful full-circle moment." Vanessa Kingori, first black female publisher of British GQ, was also honoured, being made an MBE at the ceremony. Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
Sir Rod Stewart said he was "on cloud nine" after being knighted by the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace.
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Smart meters send information on energy usage directly back to the energy supplier, which eliminates the need for meter readings. Crucially, they also let the customer know just how much electricity or gas they are consuming during the day. This revelation is expected to change our behaviour, so that we switch off lights, turn down heating, and generally use less energy. The EU has said that all its members must provide smart meters by 2020 as long as there is a positive economic case to do so. Germany employed accountancy firm Ernst and Young to conduct a cost-benefit analysis and they concluded it did not make economic sense, because most householders did not use enough energy to make it value for money. As a result, Germany declined to stage a mass roll-out. Other countries have adopted smart meters with varied success. Auditors in Australia and Canada found it was too expensive. Andrew Evans, from the auditor general's office in Victoria, Australia, said there would not be any overall benefit to consumers, and the net cost was $320m (£170m) paid by consumers through higher energy bills. The British government has committed to getting 53 million smart meters into our homes and small businesses by the end of 2020, at an estimated cost of £11bn. That does not include Northern Ireland, which is still assessing whether smart meters would be in consumers' interests. There are already two million meters installed in households and businesses in the rest of the UK. Pensioner Maureen Fenlon and her husband Viv opted to have smart meters installed in their Lincolnshire bungalow a year ago. Mrs Fenlon was proud to show me the small "in-home display" which shows the cost of electricity and gas used during the day. She said seeing the real cost of using appliances has encouraged her to use her microwave more than her oven, which has saved money on bills. That kind of behaviour may cut our bills, it is claimed, by an average £26 a year per household up to 2020. According to government estimates, that could mean a total saving of around £6bn by then. The Department of Energy and Climate Change says: "Smart meters will help families and businesses take control of their energy use, bringing an end to estimated bills and helping bill payers to become more energy efficient." However, the cost of the roll-out is high, and the estimated savings rely on millions of us being willing to change our behaviour. Meanwhile, the second stage of introduction is running late. This involves a second generation of smart meters, and a new national communications network which will allow the transmission of data between smart meters and all energy suppliers. There has been criticism of how the entire smart meter project has been planned. In other countries, a central administration has handled the roll-out whereas in the UK, the government left it up to the energy companies. Some homes do not get enough wireless signal for the current generation of smart meters to work. If someone like Mrs Fenlon switches suppliers today, the in-home display may not work with the new supplier's technology; the first-generation smart meter effectively becomes "dumb". That should change in the next couple of years when the new communications network is up and running. The so-called big six energy suppliers are hoping to introduce a new kind of pricing to go with smart meters, a system used elsewhere in the world called time of use tariffs. This could mean that you are charged much more at peak times, say between 16:00 and 20:00, for using electricity. The idea is that you are being nudged to use your appliances when it is cheaper. Critics worry that this might have damaging effects on vulnerable groups of people such as the elderly and those on low incomes. According to Stephen Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Energy Policy at the University of Greenwich, older or vulnerable people who are faced with extra high costs of using energy on a cold winter evening may choose to switch off and be cold. The answer is that these "time of use" tariffs will be purely voluntary, according to Rosie McGlynn, director of new energy services at Energy UK. She argues people will be able to plan ahead better and save on their bills when they have a smart meter, and those currently on pre-payment meters will pay lower prices than they do now. Smart meters are not compulsory, although the publicity campaigns do not give that fact much prominence. The energy companies are footing the bill for installing smart meters, but they acknowledge they will pass costs on to the customer. So, even if you do not want one, you are going to be paying part of the £11bn cost. Listen to the Moneybox special on smart meters on BBC Radio 4 at 12:00 GMT on Saturday, 26 March
Millions of energy users in Britain are about to get a new metering system - smart meters - technology which has been rejected by Germany and found not to be cost-effective by other nations.
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Pakistan says his real name was Manjit Singh and accused him of involvement in the 1990 bomb attacks in Lahore and Faisalabad in which 14 people died. But his family have always insisted on his innocence. They say he was a farmer who strayed into Pakistan by mistake while drunk and that he is the victim of mistaken identity. He is thought to have been born around 1963 or 1964 and he comes from the village of Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran district near the border with Pakistan. Reports in the local media say Singh dropped out of school and began working on farms to support his family. A friend remembered playing kabaddi with Singh in the village. "He was also a very good wrestler who had no match in the region," Dilbagh Singh told a reporter. One report said that friends had preserved a tractor and a fodder cutting machine used by Singh in his memory. Singh, said the report, had been farming a field close to the Pakistan border on the day he crossed over to Pakistan. "After work, Sarabjit must have consumed liquor and crossed over to Pakistan in an inebriated state," Manjinder Singh, a friend, said. But little else is known about his life before being apprehended and much of the focus since then has been on the circumstances of his trial and sentencing. Campaigners allege his trial was unfair and he confessed under torture. His lawyers at the time also failed to appear for the hearing. British lawyer Jas Uppal, who launched an international campaign to secure Sarabjit Singh's release, has said she believes he was "being caught up in the political manoeuvrings of Delhi and Islamabad". She says he "was prosecuted and convicted in English - when he speaks only Punjabi and Urdu - and there are other serious questions over the fairness of his trial, including allegations that he was tortured in custody and forced to confess". Ms Uppal set up a website in 2009 to highlight his plight. "While his family have been pleading with Indian and Pakistani politicians to raise awareness of his case, the fact is that officials in both countries are callously indifferent to his plight," she said before his death. Sarabjit Singh's family in India was given little access to him when he was alive - his sister Dalbir Kaur was allowed by the Lahore High Court to meet him in jail in June 2011 and that was only the second time he was allowed a visit. After that meeting Ms Kaur told the BBC: "I met him in his tiny cell in jail. The meeting went on for 90 minutes. It was a very good meeting." She said that Singh inquired about his wife, his two daughters, neighbours and relatives. The two also exchanged presents. "When I tied a rakhi [a protective thread Hindu women in India tie on their brothers' wrists during the annual Raksha Bandhan festival], he wept. As a return gift, he gave me a bangle which he had made in jail," she said. "I promised him that we will get him out soon," she said at the time.
Sarabjit Singh, who has died from his injuries after being attacked in a Pakistani prison, was convicted of spying and sentenced to death in 1991.
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Andrew Robertson, from Berkshire, was killed in Derby Road in Lenton at about 16:45 BST on Thursday. The 20-year-old, who was studying biochemistry at the University of Nottingham, was described by his family as "caring" and "very easy going". Police are investigating the crash, which closed the road for several hours, but no arrests have been made. In a statement, Mr Robertson's family said: "He was a loving son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin and boyfriend. "He had many friends both at university and at home. Words cannot express how much he will be missed and we are extremely saddened by his death. "Andrew was caring, fun-loving, sociable, supportive and very easy-going. He was a team player who always kept his word and looked out for others." Nottinghamshire Police has appealed for anyone with dashcam footage of the crash to make contact.
Tributes have been paid to a student who died when he was hit by a car in Nottingham.
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They have written to pubs, nightclubs and off-licences in the city inviting licensees to a meeting on Tuesday in a bid to reduce drunken behaviour. In the letter, City of York Council said anti-social behaviour had become "a major issue" for the police. "The city is becoming a 'no-go area'... on a Saturday," it said. The letter mentions the popularity of York with stag and hen parties from other parts of the country, particularly the North East and South Yorkshire. Kay Hyde, from tourist authority Make it York, said problem drinking was becoming "a serious concern". "It's an issue, I think, which has been developing for some time and it's something the city as a whole has to get to grips with," she said. She added that a combination of education and penalties was needed to deter anti-social behaviour. "It's a mix of using a carrot and a stick to deter people so they know when they are misbehaving there will be consequences." Steve Waddington from City of York Council said that alcohol-related crime in the city's Alcohol Restriction Zone had fallen by 21% and that the aim of Tuesday's meeting was "to listen to and act on businesses' and residents' concerns about a minority of city centre users". Martin Caffrey, operations director at the York-based Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations, said action was needed to stop revellers "loading up on alcohol" bought on trains and in supermarkets. "They drink bottles bought from supermarkets and half an hour later the landlord gets the problem. "Control does work," he said. "It's a commitment to that control that's needed."
Rowdy stag and hen parties have turned the centre of York into a "no-go area" for residents and tourists, council officials have warned.
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New genetic tests reveal Warren Harding fathered a child with Nan Britton during his presidency. The tests show that Harding, who was married, was indeed the father of Elizabeth Ann Blaesing, the late Britton's daughter. Harding's immediate family and the public had rejected the claims and shamed Britton, calling her a liar. Dr Peter Harding, one of the former president's grand-nephews who spearheaded getting the DNA tests done, told the BBC he is "totally jubilant" to finally know the truth about Blaesing's father. "This has been a family mystery since I became aware of it," Mr Harding said. "There was no way to really resolve it. Back in the 1920s, there was only whether someone looked like someone else." He thinks advanced DNA testing was definitely conclusive. Mr Harding and his cousin Abigail Harding pursued the tests with James Blaesing, a grandson of Britton. Ancestry.com, which provided the test with their AncestryDNA service, confirmed the results were true to the BBC. "The family connection is definitive," said Stephen Baloglu, an executive at the company. "It's truly amazing to imagine the power DNA can have in tracing one's family story and in this case rewriting history." Blaesing died in 2005. Her mother wrote a book, The President's Daughter, in 1927, in an attempt to make money and prove Harding's paternity after his death at 57 as he had left no financial arrangement for their daughter. "It is totally wonderful to vindicate her. She published her book when women just got the vote and people weren't believing women over powerful men," Mr Harding said. "Look how she survived this thing." Britton was "vilified by everybody" for claiming President Harding's paternity, including by members of Mr Harding's family, he said, and he is "glad to reverse all that". The scandal rocked the 1920s, also known as the "Roaring Twenties" - the president was married and much older than Britton. "This is a wonderful feminist story, a woman who stuck to her guns and triumphed over 88 years," said Mr Harding. In the past, the Blaesing family did not want to submit to DNA tests, thinking it insulting to their late matriarch. Mr Harding hopes to meet more members of the Blaesing family soon and may see them at a family reunion. "There's a whole lot of children and great-grandchildren of President Harding we've never met. There was something wrong in my whole family mystery I wanted to fix - it left a whole other family out in the cold which was intolerable to me."
It turns out the rumours were always true - America's 29th president had a love child.
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Andrew McVicar, 33, of Dewsgreen, Basildon, Essex, was charged with robbery in The Drive, Hullbridge, on 19 March. Timothy Smith died two days later from head injuries. Mr McVicar appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Saturday and was remanded in custody. He will appear at the city's crown court on 27 April. He was arrested on Friday morning in north Lanarkshire.
A man has been charged in connection with a robbery in which a 57-year-old man suffered fatal injuries.
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Marc Richards' penalty was enough to give the League One leaders victory. "We watched a few (Oxford) games and a lot of teams had dropped off," Knill told BBC Radio Northampton. "We didn't want to do that, we wanted to go and play our game and try to impose ourselves on them and I thought we did that really well." The Cobblers, now eight points clear at the top of League Two after a victory over the third-placed U's, equalled a 56-year club record with their eighth successive win. The hosts managed just one shot on target in the game and Oxford boss Michael Appleton criticised the penalty decision - when John Mullins was penalised for a handball inside the area. However, Cobblers captain Richards stepped up to score his 18th goal of the season. "There was (a lot of pressure) because it took ages to get the ball back," said Knill. "Marc Richards is renowned for scoring goals and I'm sure he's been in the position many times before. "There's no better player for us to have the opportunity to score and thankfully he took it."
Northampton assistant manager Alan Knill says he was pleased with the execution of his side's pressing game in the 1-0 win at Oxford United.
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Chloe Dunn from Portsmouth had received what the judge called "sick and perverted" videos involving children aged under five. She had also corresponded online about wanting to have sex with children. Dunn admitted receiving some of the videos at Burnley Crown Court and was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for two years. The court heard how Dunn, of Eastern Road, corresponded with Sheldon Bateson, 29, from Nelson, Lancashire, about child porn in April 2014. At her request he sent her videos, classed in the most serious category of indecent images, of young children being raped by adults. The pair went on to chat online about their desire to meet in person and have sex with children. Bateson pleaded guilty at Burnley Crown Court to distributing and possessing indecent images and was jailed for three years and four months. The correspondence and videos were uncovered when Bateson's phone was later sold at a second-hand phone shop. The phone was traced to Bateson and it emerged he distributed 17 videos and numerous images to a number of people he was in contact with on the internet. Barry White, defending Dunn, described her as "naive and vulnerable with a desire for a relationship and for someone to find her attractive". In mitigation, both the defendants said they were engaged in "fantasy role play". Judge Beverley Lunt ruled it was "not appropriate" to send Dunn, who was 17 at the time of the offences, to immediate custody as she would be "extremely vulnerable in a custodial setting". Judge Lunt also pointed out there was currently no sex offender treatment programmes for women, which she labelled "short-sighted". Dunn was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register.
A 19-year-old woman who downloaded videos of children being raped has been given a suspended prison sentence.