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The witness also said her family had been forced to move to Spain to escape her daughter's alleged abusers.
Sheffield Crown Court also heard how police lost tapes of an interview with defendant Sageer Hussain in 2003.
Eight men, including Mr Hussain, deny sexually abusing three girls between 1999 and 2003.
The mother of one of the alleged victims said in a statement: "Her character changed from a lovely girl to an animal. She became horrible."
She said at one stage she discovered a mobile phone in her daughter's bedroom and rang a number stored under the name 'Waleed'.
She said a man picked up the phone and said "I ain't done owt, I ain't touched her. It isn't me".
When she asked her daughter about the phone she said she burst into tears and said "They're raping me, they're raping me".
She told the court after her daughter went to the police in 2003 her family were repeatedly threatened.
"We were so distraught that we sold the business and the home and moved to Spain," she said.
Det Con Andy Stephanek, of South Yorkshire Police, told the court the force had lost the tape of an interview with Mr Hussain when he was first questioned about the allegations.
He said it appeared that "due to the passage of time they've been destroyed".
The trial continues. | A woman who was allegedly raped and abused by eight men in Rotherham changed from a "lovely girl to an animal", her mother told jurors. |
Monday's Dublin meeting is part of an assembly External Affairs Committee inquiry and is on the day the UK begins the process of leaving the EU.
The fear is a "soft" post-Brexit border between Northern Ireland and Ireland could result in more stringent controls at Welsh ports for freight operators.
First Minister Carwyn Jones has warned that could mean job losses.
The Irish Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan, and representatives from the Irish Exporters Association were among those meeting AMs during the Dublin visit.
The UK's formal Brexit negotiations with the European Commission started on Monday in Brussels.
Launching a paper on Brexit and devolution last week, Mr Jones said the question of Ireland was "insoluble" at the moment.
He said Wales had an interest in the border between the north and south of Ireland because of Wales' maritime border with the Republic.
Mr Jones warned a "seamless" border between north and south, twinned with customs checks at Welsh ports, could provide an incentive for trade to avoid Welsh ports.
Freight operators could "go through Cairnryan in Scotland, go through Liverpool and go to Northern Ireland then down rather than mess about in Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke", he warned.
"So there are job losses there if we're not careful."
The first minister said the Welsh Government was working with the Irish government on the issue. | Brexit's impact on Welsh ports is being discussed as assembly members meet Irish politicians and business leaders. |
A 34-year-old man was arrested in connection with an outstanding warrant and is expected to appear at Glasgow Sherriff Court on Monday.
A 15-year-old male was arrested for offensive behaviour and resisting arrest and a 16-year-old male was arrested for offensive behaviour.
Three men were arrested outside the stadium in connection with assault.
The men, aged 29, 28 and 27, and all from Glasgow, are expected to appear at Aberdeen Sherriff Court on Monday.
Police said the two teenagers will be reported to the relevant authorities.
Match Commander Supt Innes Walker said: "The vast majority of fans from both football clubs followed the advice given and conducted themselves appropriately.
"The policing operation was assisted by specialist resources including the horses, the dog unit and roads policing and we appreciate the support of the overwhelming majority of fans and members of the public in allowing the Friday night game to be enjoyed and pass safely."
Celtic won the match 3-1. | A total of six people were arrested after the Aberdeen v Celtic game at Pittodrie on Friday. |
Danny McKay, 36, was shot dead at his home on Longlands Road in Newtownabbey last Thursday at 20:30 BST.
Before the murder, five masked men entered a house at Dunore Court in Belfast's New Lodge and forced the occupant to hand over his VW Bora.
At 20:50 BST the VW was found burnt-out in Ardmoulin Place in the Falls. Police believe the incidents are linked.
Detectives from the PSNI's serious crime branch, working with uniformed officers, returned to all three locations on Thursday to talk to local people and passers-by.
The officer leading the investigation, DCI John McVea, said: "We have made a number of arrests but this investigation will continue for some time. This was a brutal murder and we are asking for people's assistance."
He said they were also keen to speak to anyone who may have seen a dark coloured saloon car "being driven in a suspicious manner" in the Longlands area in the days before the murder.
"Our final appeal is about a man with a light-coloured top seen running away from the burning car at Ardmoulin Place. If you can provide information about this, we need to hear from you," he added.
A 25-year-old man was arrested by police on Thursday morning in north Belfast and is being questioned about the murder at Antrim police station. A number of other people arrested in connection with the killing have been released. | Police investigating the murder of a Newtownabbey man have re-visited three scenes connected to the killing. |
About 10 hotels, pubs and club houses were also closed, officials said.
Some estimates put Lagos' population at around 20 million, creating a constant background of noise - from the blaring of car horns, to the Muslim call to prayer and loud singing in churches.
The state government has vowed to make the city, the biggest in Africa, noise-free by 2020.
Africa Live: More on this and other news stories
In August, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LEPA) closed 22 premises after residents complained about noise emanating from them.
Following the latest crackdown, its general manager Bola Shabi said the agency would no longer allow people to pray in makeshift buildings and tents.
Mr Shabi said noise levels had been reduced by about 35%, but this was not a "pass mark yet".
"Enforcement is a continuous exercise and we have set a target for ourselves. We want to ensure that Lagos is noise-free by the year 2020," he said.
Mr Shabi said mosques complied with their instructions more than churches because when they are ordered to shut down, they "instantly bring down their speakers or reduce the noise they make''.
Nigerians are extremely religious, with a large number of evangelical churches operating in Lagos.
Christians form the majority in the city.
In 2014, 116 people died when a building owned by popular televangelist TB Joshua collapsed in Lagos. | Authorities in Nigeria's Lagos State have shut 70 churches and 20 mosques in an attempt to reduce high noise levels. |
Dave Robins from Swanley, Kent, leased non-emergency ambulances to Coperforma, which was stripped of its Sussex patient transport contract on Tuesday.
He began providing them in July after two other suppliers went bust, but has said he has only received one payment.
Coperforma said all contractors were paid in full for services received.
"In line with our contractual policy we do not discuss with third parties details of the relationship we have with individual transport service providers," a spokesman said.
More news from Sussex
Mr Robins, of UK Ambulance Sales, said he lost almost £200,000 in the summer after two patient transport companies in Sussex went bust.
Coperforma stepped in to keep the service running and, he said, did a deal with him to lease ambulances for six months from 1 July.
"They made payments for 1 July, supposed to be a six-month basis, [and] haven't made payment since.
"Invoiced them for the full amount. Nothing at all, so I feel quite aggrieved about what's gone on," Mr Robins said.
Not for the first time Coperforma are having to deal with disgruntled contractors.
We saw it with VM Langfords, Docklands Medical Services, Dedicated Care in Eastbourne and now UK Ambulance Sales.
As the "managed" handover between Coperforma and South Central Ambulance Service begins, so people within the industry are telling me that confidence in the service and in Coperforma is fragile.
Indeed, "fragile" is how the boss of the Clinical Commissioning Group, Wendy Carberry, described the entire Sussex Patient Transport Service when I interviewed her this week.
It might be that fragility leads to more problems in the months to come.
The spokesman for Coperforma said: "I can categorically state that our payments to our contractors are up to date for service received to support the Sussex patient transport service.
"I can also confirm that we are in different stages of negotiations with a small number of providers over invoice queries which we are trying to resolve as speedily as possible."
Coperforma is due to hand over its patient transport service for Sussex in a "managed transition" to South Central Ambulance Service by next April. | A businessman who supplied ambulances to an NHS patient transfer service says he was left with "thousands of pounds of debt" because he was not paid. |
The 28-year-old's contract with Korona Kielce in his homeland had expired and Grzelak has also played for Wisla Plock, Dolcan Zabki and Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biala.
He becomes head coach Ian Cathro's third summer signing.
"For me, it's important that this club will be my home and I'm really excited to be here," Grzelak told the Hearts website.
"I've had a really good impression from everybody that I've met here so far, and I've been told that the fans are fantastic.
"When I knew that I could come here, then I was very happy to come.
"My good features are that I am a strong player, who likes to tackle, and I prepare myself well for the physical side of the game. But I am also very calm on the ball.
"I can play in defence, both in the centre and on the left, and I can also play in the centre of midfield."
Hearts, fifth in last season's top flight, have already signed defender Christophe Berra and forward Cole Stockton so far this summer.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Polish defender Rafal Grzelak has joined Hearts on a two-year deal. |
The Fiji international missed Ospreys' 33-27 Champions Cup loss in Bordeaux.
Prop Nicky Smith is also available after injury for a match coach Steve Tandy expects to be one to savour.
"The weather dictates a fair bit, you can't be throwing the ball around if it's greasy, but if there's any casual supporters at that game, it won't lack in intensity and physicality," he said.
Ospreys have been involved a series of entertaining matches in Europe, the latest being their narrow defeat by Bordeaux-Begles, a match that produced eight tries.
That was in stark contrast with the Scarlets' try-less 9-6 loss at home to Glasgow on Saturday.
"Our game in Bordeaux was really pleasing to the eye and a huge physical effort," added Tandy.
"But I'm sure there'll be some physicality and intensity in the game (on Boxing Day) and I'm sure it'll be a spectacle either way."
His side start 14 points behind their west Wales rivals in the Pro12 table, with just four wins compared to the Scarlets' eight after a slow start to the season.
"It would go a long way to closing that gap on them, but we've got three games now in the Pro12 where we need to put in positive performances," said Tandy.
"The Scarlets have had a real good start to their season but we've got a bit of momentum in the way we're doing things at the minute."
New Zealand scrum-half Brendon Leonard remains doubtful with a shoulder injury. | Ospreys hope to have centre Josh Matavesi available for their Boxing Day derby match with Scarlets. |
"This is honestly the weirdest day ever," she said as the programme began.
"There's a hashtag on Twitter, #FarewellFearne, which is a bit like I've died," she added.
The 33-year-old said she was stepping down for "family and new adventures" in February, after revealing she was pregnant with her second baby.
Dave Grohl - frontman of her favourite band, Foo Fighters - led the tributes with a specially-recorded phone message for her last show.
He said: "It's one thing to be a wonderful voice on the radio, someone that has that kind of timing and sophistication and humour and knowledge - but then also to be the most beautiful woman in the world?
"Usually when you step into a radio studio, you're faced with some people that look like they should be working on the radio. In her case, she deserves to be out of the studio a little bit more."
Ricky Gervais, in character as David Brent, also left a message, saying: "Ten years on the old wireless. Lasted longer than some. Congratulations Fern Britton."
Coldplay's Chris Martin wrote a new song - Gone But Not F. Cotton - to mark her departure.
"I was very, very sad to hear my favourite show would disappear," he sang.
"Have to tell her thanks for the records she played / Thanks for introducing us to Lana Del Rey."
"Thanks for all the mornings in the lounge, we'd arrive / And sweetly you'd tell us, 'no swearing, we're live.'"
Rock band Kodaline played a specially-adapted version of their song The One, with the lyrics: "The BBC will never be the same, we're going to miss you when you're gone. / We hope the goldfish that we gave you is still alive and swimming on."
James Bay also recorded an acoustic version of Jackie Wilson's (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher.
The song, which was played at Cotton's wedding, reduced the DJ to tears.
As the broadcast began at 10:00 BST, Cotton said she was "terrified-slash-excited," having been kept in the dark about the surprises in store.
"I've been looking forward to it and dreading it in equal measures. I've barely slept."
Looking back on her time at Radio 1, she said: "I started here in my early 20s with my dear friend Reggie Yates and that feels like a lifetime ago. I find myself here on my last day, at 33, as a mum."
"I will walk out here with so many amazing memories."
The DJ hand-picked the playlist for her final show, playing favourites including Adele's Hometown Glory, Fleet Foxes' Helplessness Blues and The Avalanches' Since I Left You.
Her final track was Lana Del Rey's Video Games.
During the show, many of the artists Cotton championed over the years sent their best wishes on social media.
Sam Smith said he would "miss your sweet voice in my ears every day"; while Ellie Goulding added: "Thank you for always supporting me and supporting new music."
Cotton's show, which features the Live Lounge segment, won a Sony award for best music programme in 2012.
DJ Clara Amfo will take over the programme on Monday, playing highlights from Radio 1's Big Weekend festival, which takes place in Norwich this weekend.
Cotton will wrap up her time at the station by presenting some of the coverage over the two days of the event. | DJ Fearne Cotton has broadcast her final show on Radio 1, after almost 10 years at the station, and six at the helm of the mid-morning show. |
The money will be used for renewable energy projects with a particular focus on wave and tidal power generation.
Known as the Bryden Centre for Advanced Marine and Bio-Energy Research, it will recruit 34 PhD students and six post-doctoral research associates.
Funding is from the Interreg programme which supports projects in NI.
Some border counties of the Republic of Ireland and western Scotland also benefit from the Interreg programme.
Aside from marine energy projects the centre will focus on the anaerobic digestion of agri-food waste.
Match-funding for the projects has been provided by the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in the Irish Republic.
Partner organisations include the Ulster University, the Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the University of Highlands and Islands.
Gina McIntyre, the chief executive of the Special EU Programmes Body, which manages Interreg, said the project was aimed at tackling the low level of industry-relevant research and innovation in the local renewables sector.
"The Bryden Centre project will help address this issue by creating a new centre of competence made up of dedicated PhD students creating high quality research with strong commercial potential," Ms McIntyre added.
The Interreg programme has a total value of £240m, which is due to be distributed by 2020. | Queen's University in Belfast has been awarded more than £8m in research funding from an EU cross-Irish border scheme. |
Officials at Grade II listed Guildford Cathedral said last year it was at risk because of deteriorating plasterwork, which contained asbestos.
A £7m fundraising campaign was launched and now has only £500,000 left to meet the final target.
Preparatory work will begin next month before building starts in October.
The building, which is the last Church of England cathedral to be consecrated on a new site, is visible for miles from its Stag Hill location.
Earlier this month, the cathedral was awarded a £4.6m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
It has also raised funds from donations and a "buy a brick" campaign, which more than 200,000 people took part in.
"Guildford Cathedral is a unique and vital community resource that brings people together," Mayor of Guildford David Elms, told a benefactor reception on Tuesday.
"So many have already responded - because saving the cathedral matters."
Repairs and improvements will include restoration of the cathedral's organ, better disabled access, new lighting and sound system and making its archive materials more easily available to the public. | A 1960s-built cathedral that was "at serious risk of closure" has raised more than 90% of its £7m target for urgent repairs and development. |
East of England Euro-MP Richard Howitt said he is to become chief executive of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), which links companies with society and the wider economy.
Mr Howitt is the Labour spokesman on foreign affairs in the European Parliament.
He is also the Socialist and Democrat Group human rights spokesperson.
Mr Howitt said: "It has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role (as MEP) and I cannot thank enough the countless people who I have sought to help - and who have shown extraordinary kindness in helping me.
"It will be a great privilege to apply my experience in Europe to a truly international role [at IIRC]."
The IIRC brings together a coalition of business, investment, regulatory and civil society representatives from around the world. | A senior Labour MEP has announced plans to stand down from the European Parliament later this year. |
The station was evacuated shortly before 09:00 BST and trains did not stop at the station for nearly two hours.
Pictures on social media showed smoke billowing out from a Bakerloo line train sitting on a platform.
Transport for London (TFL) said the fire was caused by an electrical fault.
The station reopened and services resumed at around 10:50.
London Ambulance Service said it treated four people at Oxford Circus for smoke inhalation, two of whom were taken to hospital as a precaution.
BBC journalist Katie Silver was in the station at the time. She said: "I was coming off the Victoria Line but there was smoke as you walked past the Bakerloo Line and there was the smell of smoke and burning plastic.
"We were all being evacuated. Some people were running up the escalator but they had shut certain exits, although it was very orderly.
"When we got out there were a couple of people crying. I think they were scared."
TFL said a "comprehensive investigation" would take place.
Nigel Holness, London Underground's director of network operations, said: "The cause of the smoke was an electrical fault under one of the carriages, which resulted in a small fire that was quickly extinguished.
"Understandably this was a distressing incident for our customers, for which I give my sincere apologies."
If you are ever in a Tube station and hear the announcement "would Inspector Sands please go to the operations room immediately", you may find that you are asked to leave the station a few minutes later.
The message, which can be heard in the above video clip, is an automated message which is activated when the station fire alarm sounds.
TFL says the message gives them an opportunity to investigate why the fire alarm is operating.
It is a safety mechanism that has been agreed with the London Fire Brigade (LFB) and is the same system used in major national rail stations and airports in the UK.
LFB is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire.
It said it was called to attend at 08:47 and the station had been evacuated before fire crews arrived.
Tom Singer, who was at Oxford Circus station at the time, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme he saw a smoke-filled Bakerloo line Tube train coming into the platform.
"As we were waiting on the platform you could smell something coming in, as the train was coming in, and as it got closer the smell got stronger and stronger."
He added that as the train came in it was clear passengers had been moved from one of the carriages, and then when the train came to a stop people "came pouring out".
He said: "There were a lot of people with hands over mouths and coughing a lot coming off of the train.
"It looked like it was just one carriage that had the problem."
He said he also saw smoke coming from underneath the Tube train.
Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning | Four people have been treated for smoke inhalation following a fire on a Tube train at Oxford Circus in central London. |
Lucas failed to complete the first of the 10-race series but recovered to win seven of the next nine.
The 40-year-old is the only confirmed member of the British Paralympic team for the Rio Games.
"It's been a really good regatta and great to start 2016 off with a win," she said.
"We have had some great winds and some good conditions in different directions which has made it a good regatta."
The Sonar crew of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas missed out on a medal by finishing fourth.
The trio were second behind Canada going into the final day but three fifth places ended their medal hopes. | Britain's Helena Lucas finished with three wins out of three to secure overall victory in the 2.4mR event at the Sailing World Cup in Miami. |
Government limits to teachers' pay and "real terms cuts" to school budgets risk undermining standards, they warn.
"Teachers need a pay rise," they urge, in a joint statement to the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB), which sets their pay.
The government said it was attracting "the best and brightest" to teaching.
Teachers' pay increases have been limited to 1% or less for the past five years, and the government aims to keep to this limit for the next four years.
With long, hard working hours and a relatively low starting salary for a graduate, it is hardly surprising that teacher recruitment is struggling.
Qualified teachers in England can expect to start on £22,000 outside London or £27,000 in inner London.
In most cases, this is after post-graduate training, a year's school placement and a degree course.
And although there is room for growth and progression - based on performance of course - many newly-qualified teachers find the pressures of the job too much and leave soon after taking their first post.
Teachers in England have some of the longest hours and largest classes in the developed world, says the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Teaching unions have complained that although their staff were promised a 1% pay rise, this has had to be found from within existing school budgets.
Head teachers say school budgets are already at breaking point as they struggle to deal with other inflationary pressures.
But the DfE maintains new trainees can benefit from financial support, a good salary, enviable job security and a generous pension.
In October, England's education secretary, Nicky Morgan, wrote to the STRB to remind them of this policy.
But the joint statement warns that "as pay and prospects improve in comparable occupations", further pressure will be placed on teacher recruitment and retention.
This means more children will be taught by teachers who are not specialist in the subjects they teach, it adds.
With budgets "at breaking point", schools will struggle to maintain current spending - "let alone afford pay increases", it continues.
"The government must fully fund the necessary pay increases for teachers and school leaders in both England and Wales."
The six unions are:
Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, described four more years of pay austerity as a "false economy".
Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said teachers "are already leaving in droves and new graduates looking elsewhere for a career".
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, claimed 160,000 more teachers would be needed over three years to cope with a rapid increase in pupil numbers.
But she warned unless the picture improved the government would have little chance of meeting this target.
"Schools will have to start increasing class sizes or shutting courses and cutting the subject options available to pupils".
And Elaine Edwards, UCAC's general secretary urged the government to reconsider its pay policies "for the sake of our children and young people and the education system as a whole".
The STRB is expected to make its recommendations on teachers' pay in April.
A Department for Education spokeswoman said it had worked with the profession to "raise the status of teaching", adding that that a record number of highly-qualified graduates and "experienced career changers" were now teaching.
She added: "But we are determined to go further, and recognise that some schools find it harder to recruit the teachers they need, which is why we are expanding the great Teach First and Schools Direct programmes and we are launching the National Teaching Service, which will mean more great teachers in schools in every corner of the country." | A "national crisis" in teacher numbers is looming, six unions representing teachers and school leaders in England and Wales have warned. |
She had the "biggest year of her career", playing 95 shows, bringing in an average $2.4m (£1.5m) per city, according to Forbes.
Endorsement deals with companies like Pepsi and H&M, along with the surprise album she released in December 2013, helped her to the top spot.
The self-titled album was released on iTunes with no prior promotion.
Beyonce has just announced she'll be releasing a platinum version of that album later this month, which will include new songs and a concert video.
Source: Forbes
Taylor Swift came in second on the Forbes list, taking home an estimated $64m (£40m).
Completing the top three is Pink, who played 85 dates during the time period Forbes used to make its estimates.
Her earnings were valued at $52m (£32.5m).
Other artists on the list include Rihanna in fourth with $48m (£30m) and Katy Perry, who took home $40m (£25m), in fifth.
Forbes calculated earnings by looking at income from "touring, record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other ventures" between June 2013 and June 2014.
They also interviewed managers, lawyers and executives and looked at data from organisations such as Nielsen SoundScan.
Some of the high-profile artists who missed out on a spot in the top 10 included Madonna, Nicki Minaj and Alicia Keys.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Taking home more than $115m (£72m) has made Beyonce this year's best paid woman in music. |
Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said the idea was "attractive" and could help tackle poverty and inequality.
Supporters said it would help unemployed people who fear taking a job would lead to cuts in their benefits.
But Patrick Minford from Cardiff University's Business School said it was "not a workable scheme".
Under Universal Basic Income (UBI) everyone would receive the same sum of money regardless of whether they work or not.
There would be no requirements to show an individual is looking for a job either.
In Scotland the policy has support from across the political spectrum, with feasibility work under way ahead of possible pilot schemes in Glasgow and Fife.
Jamie Cooke, head of the RSA think tank in Scotland, told the BBC's Sunday Politics Wales programme: "Moving from a system where you aren't working to a system where you are, you won't face those penalties, you retain your consistent payment.
"You're given the security to be able to choose to work... or training, or to set up your own business in a way that is beneficial to you."
However Prof Minford, who was an adviser to former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, told the programme: "This is not a workable scheme because it's far too expensive.
"It creates a tremendous tax, a disincentive for the average person further up the income scale who's paying for it all."
Mr Drakeford told the assembly earlier in January he found the idea of UBI "attractive in the way that it can simplify and support people who currently have to rely on a very complex set of part-time work, part-time benefits and so on".
But he added: "The political world will face a job of convincing the public about the merits of the scheme."
Asked if he was worried by Mr Drakeford's comments, Prof Minford replied: "It's quite worrying for Wales.
"I'm hoping Wales won't go the same way [as Scotland] towards this sort of extremely expensive socialist experiment". | Paying everyone in Wales a universal basic income would be a "worrying and extremely expensive socialist experiment", an economist has warned. |
Villa instead appointed Roberto Di Matteo, but he was sacked after 124 days and replaced by Steve Bruce.
"They wanted bigger names I think, they took the lad [Di Matteo] and that is how it goes," Warnock said ahead of Cardiff's visit to Villa Park.
"I thought at the time that's their loss not mine."
The 67-year-old continued: ''There were about five clubs I spoke to. You have to look at that when you get to my age.
"I would not be here if one or two of those things had cropped up, but I am really pleased I am here. It is probably fate."
Warnock had discussions with a number of clubs in the summer, including Nottingham Forest, before joining Cardiff following the departure of Paul Trollope in October.
Trollope has since been appointed assistant manager at Brighton, replacing Colin Calderwood who left to join Bruce at Villa.
After sacking Di Matteo, who lasted just 12 games, Villa opted for former Hull manager Bruce just a week after Warnock had been installed at Cardiff.
Warnock thinks Bruce is the right man to bring success to Villa following their Premier League relegation as he is a similar manager to himself.
''With Steve and myself you get what you see. I was disappointed I did not get a chance with Villa in the summer if I'm honest, because I thought it would have been ideal to sort everything out," Warnock told BBC Wales.
"That is why I am not surprised at all Steve has gone in and done really well.
"I am not saying we are similar types, but we have the same philosophies regarding management.
''I think Steve is the right one now. He knows it's a massive club. He will be looking forward to it.
"We have had some right battles over the years. He knows he's in for a tough game on Saturday.''
Warnock believes Bruce, unbeaten at Villa, deserved a crack at the England job.
''Personally I thought he should have been England manager at the time," he said. "With his experience, playing wise, what he had done and his age and his enthusiasm, it was an ideal position for him in the summer.
''I know Gareth Southgate has done a good job, but I am surprised they have not spoken to Steve again.'' | Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock says he was "disappointed" that he did not get a call from Aston Villa over their managerial vacancy in the summer. |
The 24-year-old tight-head is among the starting XV who are given a chance to redeem themselves after the 29-13 defeat by Scotland.
Asked if he was relieved to be retained, the Exeter Chiefs player replied: "Oh yeah.
"Obviously you want to keep your place and after a loss everyone was on edge."
Francis continued: "It's good we've got a good squad and a good depth especially in my position.
"There's Samson [Lee] there's me and there's Rhods [Rhodri Jones] and there's Scott Andrews.
"If you don't have a good game there's someone knocking ready to do anything to take your place."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Wales go into Friday night's match in Cardiff off the back of defeats by Scotland and England.
Another defeat will mean it would be Wales' worst championship since 2010 and Francis accepts the players have something to prove at the Principality Stadium.
Francis says he has managed to avoid the worst of the criticism aimed at the team in Wales because he plays his club rugby in the south west of England.
"It's a bit like a fishbowl isn't it," he said.
"When the game doesn't go how you want it's quite hard not to take that personally especially if you look at the press.
"I guess I'm lucky in the weeks after the losses I've been back in Exeter.
"I didn't have to stay here and I sort of managed to get away from that and focus on something else and then come back into it.
"It's not a nation is it? It's a little part of the south west and there's only a few papers that will print anything about the rugby, but here it's all over the news." | Wales prop Tomas Francis admitted he was relieved when coach Rob Howley named an unchanged team for Friday's Six Nations match with Ireland. |
Paul Robson is the second trader at the Dutch bank to plead guilty to trying to rig the Yen Libor rate and the first Briton to do so.
Last year Rabobank paid $1bn (£597m) to US and European regulators for its part in the global rate-rigging scandal.
Barclays Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Bank have all previously been fined for rate rigging.
Mr Robson conspired to manipulate Libor submissions to benefit trading positions between 2006 and 2011, the US Department of Justice said.
Libor - London interbank offered rate - is one of the interest rates use by global banks to lend money to each other. It supports hundreds of trillions of dollars of transactions, and is used to set interest rates on credit cards, student loans and mortgages.
Regulators in the US and Europe have been investigating whether banks attempted to manipulate this and other key interest rates to benefit their own trading positions.
Nine people, including Robson, have so far been charged by the Justice Department.
US prosecutors said Robson pleaded guilty to one charge out of the 15 he had faced.
Takayuki Yagami, another former senior trader at Rabobank, in June became the first to plead guilty for his role in the scheme.
Robson worked as a senior trader at Rabobank's money markets desk in London, and also served as the bank's primary submitter for the Yen Libor calculation, the Justice Department said.
He used his position to submit rates requested by Yagami and other traders, according to prosecutors.
In 2007 Yagami asked Robson by email for a high submission for one of the rates, Robson answered: "no prob mate let me know your level."
After Yagami made his request, according to the Justice Department, Robson confirmed: "sure no prob... I'll probably get a few phone calls but no worries mate... there's bigger crooks in the market than us guys!"
In a statement Leslie Caldwell, who heads the Justice Department's criminal division, said: "The scope of the fraud was massive, but the scheme was simple. By illegally influencing the Libor rates, Robson and his co-conspirators rigged the markets to ensure that their trades made money,"
In July Lloyds Banking Group was fined £218m for "serious misconduct" for its part in interest rate rigging.
Lloyds manipulated both the yen and sterling Libor rates and tried to rig the rate for the US dollar, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and US financial regulators said.
At the time Bank of England governor Mark Carney called the misconduct "reprehensible". | A former senior trader at Rabobank has pleaded guilty to interest rate rigging in the US. |
The Ibrox outfit cut the gap to nine points with Sunday's win.
"We have six very important league games and it's important we go right through the line this season," Dons manager McInnes told BBC Scotland.
"Hopefully a Hampden cup final and finishing in second spot - I firmly believe that we will do that."
The Pittodrie side, who face Hibernian in the Scottish Cup semi-final on 22 April, went into Sunday's game having won 10 home league matches in a row.
Rangers shaded the first-half chances but the hosts were well on the front foot when Kenny Miller scored the visitors' opener after 79 minutes. The striker added a second two minutes later and substitute Joe Dodoo made it 3-0 in 83 minutes.
McInnes admits he was taken aback by the sudden turnaround and was disappointed by the manner in which his troops responded.
"I think we had real control of the game," he added. "I thought we were better team, certainly in the second half. We started both halves really well but we allowed the first half to get a bit untidy and we didn't pass the ball the way we normally do at home.
"We started the second half strongly and the game was played in their defensive third. Their keeper made a couple of very good saves, particularly from (Adam) Rooney - I thought it was past him to be honest.
"When I was contemplating changes at 0-0 I didn't feel a threat and I thought the goal was coming but unfortunately for us we played a part in our own downfall by giving away a poor goal and we had a crazy five minutes after that.
"Our reaction to losing the first goal was what I'm most disappointed with. From being in charge of the game and looking the most likely we've allowed Kenny Miller the opportunity to show his quality, and he showed it.
"Mentally we've got to be better than that. We normally respond well to going behind - it doesn't happen too often but we have to react better than that and if there's one lesson from today, it is that.
"It's a sore one for us, no doubt about it. In the eyes of our supporters that's a huge disappointment today and we understand that.
"We lost the fight today but it's important we still win the battle for second place, and hopefully get ourselves into a cup final
"We've been on a very good run but that doesn't give you any guarantees, and it's a reminder that there is still work to be done. When you lose a game like today and the huge feeling of disappointment, wishing we could play it all over again, we've got to channel that the right way. We have plenty to look forward to." | Derek McInnes is convinced his Aberdeen side will finish second in the Premiership, despite their 3-0 home defeat to third-placed Rangers. |
The mural, called Slave Labour, disappeared from a wall in Wood Green, north London, in February and appeared in a Miami sale.
But it was removed from the lot after protests by Haringey Council.
It is now up for auction in June in Covent Garden by the Sincura Group. A local councillor and the local Trades Union Congress have attacked the sale.
The mural, which depicts a boy hunched over a sewing machine making Union Jack bunting, appeared on the side of a Poundland store last May, just before the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
A spokesman for the auctioneers Sincura said the mural "has been sensitively restored under a cloak of secrecy", and will go on show alongside pieces by Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Mario Testino and Russell Young.
But Wood Green councillor Alan Strickland said: "This is a piece of art given to the community for public enjoyment, and people will find it galling that you can only view this work at an expensive champagne reception, when it belongs with the people of north London, not a private owner.
"We saw the level of public anger last time, as the story went around the world, and I expect the same this time."
And Keith Flett, secretary of the Haringey Trades Union Congress, said: "The Slave Labour Banksy belongs to the people of Haringey not to a wealthy private client."
When the mural was up for auction in Miami, it was expected to fetch up to £450,000.
There was suspicion it had been stolen when it disappeared but the Metropolitan Police said there were "no reports of any theft".
Slave Labour will go on sale at the London Film Museum on 2 June. | A Banksy artwork which had been withdrawn from an auction in the US has been put up for sale again. |
Scotland Office minister Lord Dunlop was speaking as the House of Lords debated the Scotland Bill.
Talks between the UK and Scottish governments on the fiscal framework continued over the weekend, although no agreement has yet been announced.
Lord Dunlop said the talks were at a "sensitive and critical point".
But he told peers that "significant progress" had been made.
Peers agreed to go ahead with detailed scrutiny of the new powers contained in the Scotland Bill despite the lack of agreement on the fiscal framework.
Tory former Scottish secretary Lord Forsyth had called for the final day's committee stage debate to be delayed until the fiscal framework was published.
But he withdrew his demand after opposition from both the government and Labour.
Labour's former chancellor, Lord Darling, said it was "deeply regrettable" that parliament still did not know what the fiscal framework was going to look like.
Lord Darling said there were "massive considerations" to take into account in determining tax and welfare.
He added: "I struggle to see how it's going to work. If we don't get it right, we could be simply storing up problems for the future, providing rich and fertile grounds for those who seek out grudge and grievance as a way of life."
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney held talks with his UK government counterparts in London on Friday.
Mr Swinney said afterwards that progress had been made, but some "significant issues" still remained before a final deal could be agreed.
The two government have been locked in protracted discussions about how the block grant that Holyrood receives should be adjusted when new tax powers are devolved to Scotland.
Any deal must meet the principle of "no detriment" - the idea that neither the UK or Scottish governments should lose out financially simply as a result of the decision to devolve.
Mr Swinney and Scottish Secretary David Mundell are both due to appear before the Scottish Parliament's Devolution Committee on Tuesday, where they will be asked to lay out their positions.
With the Scottish Parliament being dissolved next month ahead of May's elections, MSPs on the committee had warned of "very substantial impacts" on their ability to scrutinise any proposals if talks were not concluded by 19 February.
But Chief Secretary to the Treasury Greg Hands has said he will not be able to appear before Holyrood's Finance Committee on Wednesday to give evidence to MSPs about the talks.
Mr Hands, who has been negotiating on behalf of the UK government during the talks, had previously said he would be "very happy" to appear before MSPs once a deal had been reached.
In a letter to the committee, he said: "I fully intend to honour that commitment. Unfortunately, due to parliamentary business I can not attend your committee on 24 February.
"I look forward to appearing before your committee once the framework is agreed."
In response, committee convenor Kenneth Gibson told Mr Hands: "This would appear to suggest that you do not think an agreement will be reached on the fiscal framework before then."
He urged Mr Hands to reconsider, stating: "If this is indeed the case, then it is essential that the Finance Committee has the opportunity to hear from both governments as to why it has not been possible to reach an agreement."
The Scottish government has already warned it will pull the plug on the Scotland Bill by recommending MSPs veto the legislation if an agreement over the fiscal framework cannot be found. | A deal on the financial arrangements that will underpin Scotland's new devolution powers "seems within reach", a UK government minister has said. |
The 25-year-old man reportedly calls himself Harald Hitler.
The man, sporting a side parting and a trademark moustache, had been seen having his photograph taken outside the house in Braunau am Inn in which Adolf Hitler was born.
The lookalike had recently moved to the town on the German border, police spokesman David Furtner told the BBC.
Mr Furtner said this was not a joke or a piece of performance art.
"The young man knows exactly what he is doing," the police spokesman said.
He said the man had also been spotted in Vienna and Graz.
Pictures of the man were published by Austria's Heute.at news website on Monday.
Glorifying the Nazi era is a crime in Austria.
Last October, the Austrian authorities decided to demolish Hitler's birthplace house to stop it becoming a focal point for neo-Nazis.
Hitler was born in a rented room on the top floor of the building on 20 April 1889.
During Nazi rule, the house was transformed into a shrine to Hitler as the town drew in a wave of tourists.
But as the Nazis began to lose control in 1944, it was shut. | A Hitler lookalike has been arrested in Austria on charges of glorifying the Nazi era, local officials say. |
Bethany Hill, 20, was found dead with neck injuries in Stratford-upon-Avon on 3 February last year.
It is alleged she was killed by Jack Williams, 21, and his girlfriend, Kayleigh Woods, 23, at the flat they all shared in Hertford Road.
The pair, who are on trial at Warwick Crown Court, deny murder.
See more stories from across Coventry and Warwickshire here
Opening the case, prosecutor Stephen Linehan QC said Miss Hill was a former girlfriend of Williams and had a "volatile" relationship with Woods, a transgender woman with whom she had planned to have a child.
Jurors heard Miss Hill was found dead by a police officer in a blood-drenched bathroom.
Mr Linehan QC told the court: "In the course of the killing, Beth's wrists were bound together with duct tape and the blade was used to inflict repeated cuts across the back of her neck before she was killed by the jugular vein being cut through."
He said Miss Hill was found dead after Woods, formerly known as Kyle Lockwood, dialled 999 at 19:07 GMT on 3 February, telling the operator: "Well my best friend is dead in my flat."
Alleging the "sadistic" killing may have been carried out for "perverted pleasure", Mr Linehan QC said: "What she was saying was that her friend had killed herself while she was out of the flat and that she had returned to find blood everywhere, and that she had cleaned up the flat before making that telephone call.
"All of these things were lies. Bethany Hill had not died as a result of cutting herself - she had been brutally, brutally murdered.
"She [Woods] lied because she was one of the two people who took part in the killing and the other person was the defendant Jack Williams.
Mr Linehan said the pair had "set about trying to cover up the truth about what they did" from the moment of the 999 call.
The court heard that Miss Hill, who was brought up in Bidford-on-Avon, had a brief relationship with Williams as a teenager.
She then moved to Stratford to begin a college course, while Williams, also from the Bidford area, met Woods and moved in with her.
Before the alleged killing, the court heard, Miss Hill had also moved into the flat in Hertford Road, using the bedroom, while Woods and Williams slept in the sitting room.
The trial continues. | A woman was tied up and "brutally murdered" by her ex and his partner, who then tried to pass the killing off as a suicide, a jury has heard. |
The tie-up, announced in March, is expected to be completed by the end of this year or early 2017.
It will create one of the world's largest exchange companies with a combined value of about £21bn.
Each of the two companies has more than 5,000 staff.
The LSE said its shareholders would be asked to approve the merger on 4 July.
It added that the deal was expected to produce €250m in annual cost savings in five years, with €160m of those savings achieved by year three.
If the deal goes ahead, LSE shareholders will own 45.6% of the new holding company, while Deutsche Boerse shareholders will own 54.4%.
The two companies said together they should be able to make cost savings of €450m (£354m) a year - about 20% of the combined group's operating costs of €2.2bn last year.
The LSE group already owns Milan-based Borsa Italiana.
The newly merged company will keep both the London and Frankfurt headquarters. The new holding company, UK TopCo, will be incorporated in the UK. | The London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) has said its forthcoming merger with Deutsche Boerse could lead to as many as 1,250 job losses. |
The 33-year-old American, who has served two doping bans, recorded a time of 19.57 seconds in Oregon.
It bettered the 19.68 secs he ran in May which, at that stage, was the best in the world.
"I wanted to go out and make a statement, and that's what I did," Gatlin said.
Gatlin has been the dominant sprinter in 2015, having also achieved the quickest time in the 100m (9.74 secs).
He will go up against 100m and 200m world-record holder Usain Bolt in both events at August's World Championships in Beijing.
In a race run in a legal wind of 0.4 metres per second, Gatlin finished ahead of Isiah Young (19.93 secs) and Wallace Spearmon (20.10 secs) to record the joint-11th quickest 200m in history. | Justin Gatlin became the fifth-fastest 200m runner in history as he won Sunday's final at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. |
Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic gave the visitors a commanding 2-0 lead at the former Olympic Stadium, now known as the London Stadium.
Andy Carroll pulled a goal back and then headed the equaliser before Simone Zaza hit the winner for Juventus.
West Ham left Upton Park - their home for the past 112 years - in the summer.
They overcame Slovenia's NK Domzale 4-2 on aggregate in their first game at the London Stadium last Thursday to reach the Europa League play-off round.
West Ham's first Premier League game at the venue, which hosted athletics at London 2012, is against Bournemouth on 21 August. | West Ham marked the official opening of their new home with a 3-2 defeat against Italian champions Juventus in front of a 53,966 crowd. |
A judicial review has been launched after free taxis for pupils living 12 miles (19km) from Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Denbighshire, were stopped.
Parents claim their children's route to the bus stop is too dangerous to walk.
But a Denbighshire council spokeswoman said the policy was agreed after "extensive consultation" and through a "democratic process".
Glenda Coleman, who lives in Bryneglwys, said: "We've relied heavily on the free taxi because our children cannot walk to the bus pick up point as it is extremely dangerous.
"The council made a decision to cut this service without providing any alternatives or considering the repercussions of removing it."
Ms Coleman said it was "impossible" to drive down a nearby hill when it has snowed or there is ice on the road, meaning parents would not be able to transport their children to the bus stop, two-and-a-half-miles away.
She added: "We feel we are being punished by the council for living in a rural area as we have been provided with no alternative options for transport and it is unacceptable."
A spokeswoman for the council said: "Denbighshire's school transport policy has recently changed.
"We are aware that a small number of parents have raised concerns regarding these changes and their perceived impact.
"The policy was agreed after extensive consultation and it has gone through a democratic process.
"We have investigated complaints thoroughly and it is the right of individuals to consider taking the matter to judicial review, for which we would respond accordingly." | Parents are taking legal action against a council following its decision to cut free school transport in a rural area. |
Six authorities have told BBC Wales a meltdown in waste markets has hit their budgets.
Pembrokeshire council has seen the price it gets for steel drop by 88% over the year - while Flintshire has seen the price for plastics halved.
Experts say a slump in oil prices, cheap steel imports, and China's economic slowdown are to blame.
"We try to play the markets as best we can," Harvey Mitchell, the waste services manager for Flintshire, said.
"It makes it difficult when we do have a drop in issues we can't control, such as the global price of oil, or when larger countries flood the European market with steel."
Flintshire has been celebrating a record year for recycling household waste - up to 58% of everything thrown away now ends up at its waste recover facility in Buckley.
"But while we've seen an increase in the amount of material we've collected, we've actually seen a drop in the income because of the market prices," Mr Mitchell said.
Recycled waste netted the council £537,000 in revenue in 2015/16, but this represented a drop of 45% in the expected income - more than £400,000 in lost cash.
The pattern has been repeated in Pembrokeshire, where £360,000 has been wiped off the council's expected income, while four other councils saw a combined drop of £335,000.
"This is an issue which is impacting upon Wales as a whole, not just Pembrokeshire," a council official there said.
"Fortunately quotes for the coming months are starting to look more positive with prices starting to increase."
The impact on most of the other Welsh councils which responded to BBC Wales has been minimal, as they said are tied into long term contracts dealing with their recycling services.
But one academic expert said authorities and the public in Wales will need to refocus as they face ever increasing targets on recycling.
By 2025 Welsh authorities are being asked to recycle 70% of waste - by 2050, it should be 100%.
"Waste prevention is what this is all about," Rebecca Colley-Jones, from Bangor University's Sustainability Lab, said.
"It's about buying smartly, being able to think about what you do with it so it can be reused, because reuse is a form of waste prevention.
"Together we can provide solutions for the future." | A collapse in the global price paid for recycled waste has cost Welsh councils more than £1m in lost income. |
Barcelona forward Messi, 29, made his decision in June after missing a penalty in the shootout as Argentina lost to Chile in the Copa America, a fourth major final loss in nine years.
Bauza, who succeeded Gerardo Martino, said: "My sole intention is to see if I can talk football with Messi.
"From that will come the possibility of him being called up in our next games."
Argentina face 2018 World Cup qualifiers at home to Uruguay and away to Venezuela in the first week of September.
They are third in the 10-nation South American group with 11 points from six matches, two points behind leading pair Uruguay and Ecuador.
The top four after 18 matches qualify for the finals in Russia, while the fifth-placed team goes into an intercontinental play-off for one more berth.
Bauza, 58, is a former central defender who has won the Copa Libertadores South American club competition twice as a coach.
Asked about Messi, he added: "I want to tell him my idea and for him to tell me how things are with him and then we'll see what comes out of it.
"I have felt frustrated for losing a match or a final and understand that statement [of quitting] when you are overwhelmed with frustration, but I know it can be reversed." | New Argentina coach Edgardo Bauza wants to persuade Lionel Messi to reverse his retirement from international football. |
Police raided 43-year-old John Nicholson's Dundee home in February following a tip-off.
Officers found drugs including more than 2.5 kg of heroin with a street value of £263,000 during the operation.
Nicholson will be sentenced on 11 May after admitting being concerned in the supply of drugs at his home in the city's Raglan Street.
Defence counsel Ronnie Renucci said Nicholson pled guilty on the basis that he had allowed his house to be used for the storage of the drugs.
Mr Renucci said: "He was not the owner of the drugs. He was doing so to pay off a debt."
The High Court in Edinburgh was told police officers also recovered £100,000 worth of amphetamine and cannabis with a potential street value of between £60,000 and £90,000.
The court heard that Nicholson had previous convictions for road traffic offences and dishonesty but had never been jailed.
Lord Kinclaven deferred sentence on Nicholson for reports and remanded him in custody. | A man stored £450,000 worth of heroin, cannabis and amphetamines at his house to pay off a debt, a court was told. |
Two Diarmuid Murtagh goals helped Connacht lead 2-3 to 0-3 before Aidan Breen replied with an Ulster goal.
Damien Comer hit a third Connacht goal as they led 3-6 to 1-10 at half-time before Ulster took control.
Despite losing Chrissy McKaigue to a black card, Ulster hit 1-4 without reply, with Charlie Vernon netting.
McKaigue was joined in the Ulster squad at Carrick-on-Shannon by his Slaughtneil team-mate Brendan Rogers, despite their upcoming All-Ireland club championship duties.
Connacht started strongly with their scorer in chief Murtagh firing their opening goal after 7 minutes and again finding the net two minutes later.
Ulster responded well with Fermanagh's Breen finding the net for his provincial for the second time in a week with a 18th-minute goal.
Pete McGrath's charges cut the gap to two points twice over the next six minutes, and left the minimum between the sides for the first time, after a Tomas Corrigan score.
However, Connacht were causing the Ulster defence problems, with Galway's Comer cutting in for a 28th minute goal, as the hosts led by two at the break.
Ulster came fired up on the restart, and despite losing substitute McKaigue to a black card, kept motoring well.
Peter Harte and Corrigan added point before Vernon cut through for a goal in a spell which saw Ulster score 1-4 without reply.
Connacht could only manage two points from frees in the closing quarter, with Emyln Mulligan and Paul Conroy on target.
After the game Ulster captain Eoin Donnelly accepted the cup from GAA President Aogan O Fearghail. | Ulster clinched a 32nd Interprovincial football title as they produced a strong second half to earn a 2-16 to 3-10 comeback win over holders Connacht. |
The site has been largely inaccessible for the last 24 hours, and the service is intermittent in the UK.
The Pirate Bay has confirmed the attack on its Facebook page, saying that it did not know who was behind it, although it "had its suspicions".
A provider of DDoS defence systems said that it was unlikely that the attack came from hacking group Anonymous.
"There will be further attacks, but what's significant about this whole story is that people think that it is the Anonymous attacking a site which is typically a type of site that they defend," said Andre Stewart of Corero Network Security.
"It could be the record labels, or a government somewhere that has had enough of not being able to catch The Pirate Bay, it could be just one person who had rented some cloud power from Amazon and is sitting in a cafe, and is able to launch an attack."
Although some users may have attempted to access the site using proxies, TPB itself warned them against doing so.
"Use proxies at own risk. Don't login unless you trust the proxy supplier. Don't freak out. You'll get your TPB fix tomorrow," said the site.
TPB allows users to illegally obtain copyrighted songs, films and other content for free.
Copyright holders argue this causes a significant loss in revenue.
However, others say that it is very difficult to assess the impact of downloading on sales.
"If they're losing money and seeing that the government is not being able to stop it, there's a real monetary value reason for them to try and bring it down," said Mr Stewart.
"And if they can do it in the name of Anonymous then it's great for them.
"Equally the governments that protect these industries are frustrated as well because they haven't been able to see it close down, unlike a number of other torrent sites."
Virgin Media began preventing access to the file-sharing site following a High Court order last week.
Some time later the Virgin Media website suffered a hack attack that many thought was organised to protest against efforts to block access to TPB.
Twitter feeds associated with the Anonymous collective wrote: "Virgin Media - Tango Down #OpTPB".
But TPB criticised Anonymous for the attack, writing on its Facebook page that it did not "encourage these actions".
"We believe in the open and free internets, where anyone can express their views," wrote TPB.
"Even if we strongly disagree with them and even if they hate us. So don't fight them using their ugly methods. DDoS and blocks are both forms of censorship." | File-sharing website The Pirate Bay (TPB) has been hit by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. |
The French manager has yet to say whether he will sign a new contract to stay beyond this season, but believes the spirit he has created in 20 years at the club can live on without him.
"It's more natural for local players because they have been educated in Arsenal - players like Ramsey, Chamberlain," Wenger said.
"They have to take charge."
He added: "They should lead and take responsibility to say 'yes, that is how we want to behave, this is how we want to play, let's go together'.
"If they didn't want it, that would be a huge disappointment."
Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City (kick-off 15:00 BST), which could be Wenger's last trip to Wembley Stadium, is also his 11th semi-final as Arsenal manager. It is the Gunners' last chance of a trophy this season.
Wenger could field as many as five British players - Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Kieran Gibbs and Rob Holding - but he says a player's nationality is less important to him than "players who integrate the values of the club" and are "ready to defend these values".
"A lot is said about my future but my future is more important in the value and spirit of what we have built in 20 years than my own person," added the 67-year-old Frenchman.
In the opposite dugout, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has happy memories of Wembley as both a player and a manager with Barcelona.
The Spaniard was a member of the Barca side who won the European Cup at the ground in 1992 and he was manager when the side beat Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League final in 2011.
Guardiola said: "Wembley in my life has been so important in terms of football. We were able to win the first Champions League when Ronald Koeman made a fantastic goal against the Sampdoria of Roberto Mancini.
"The second one, we beat one of the best teams in the world in Manchester United at Wembley and, especially the way we played, always I will remember in my heart.
"Wembley is an important part of my life. Going back there will always be special." | Arsene Wenger has challenged Arsenal's British players to take responsibility for the club's future. |
He has been named as Scott Greene, a 46-year-old man from Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines.
The first officer was found shot in Urbandale at 01:06 local time (06:06 GMT) on Wednesday. The second was found 20 minutes later several blocks away.
Both were sitting in their patrol cars when they were attacked.
The motive for the attacks is unclear.
What we know about the Iowa suspect
The fallen policemen have been identified as Urbandale officer Justin Martin, 24, and Des Moines Sgt Anthony Beminio, 38.
Speaking at a news conference, Sergeant Paul Parizek of Des Moines Police said: "What we can tell by looking at the scene is that it doesn't appear that either officer had an opportunity to interact with the suspect. It doesn't look like there was an exchange of conversation.
"There definitely wasn't an opportunity for these officers to defend themselves or respond to the attack. Both officers were seated in their cars and were shot while they were sitting."
A mobile phone video posted under Mr Greene's name in October shows a man complaining to police that a group of black people had hit him and taken from him a Confederate flag he was holding during a high school sports event.
The Confederate flag is widely seen as a symbol of slavery. It was also heavily associated with the man accused of killing nine black churchgoers in South Carolina last year.
Why Confederate flag is so potent in the US
How many US police die each year?
"I was peacefully protesting," the man in the video says.
"You have to understand that in the social climate that we're in, when you fly a Confederate flag in front of a group of African-Americans, that's going to cause a disturbance," a police officer replies.
Another video appears to show a photo of Mr Greene holding the Confederate flag in front of several black people.
Police have confirmed that Mr Greene was involved in an incident at the school involving the waving of a Confederate flag in front of black people.
Sergeant Paul Parizek said Mr Greene had identified himself to a state employee just before his arrest.
"It's my understanding... he flagged down an employee of the DNR [Department of Natural Resources], presented that ID to that employee and asked that that employee call 911.
"Mr Green was taken into custody without incident. There were no injuries of any officers or Mr Green during the arrest."
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad said in a statement that the killings were "an attack on the public safety of all Iowans".
US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said: "Violence has no place in the United States of America.
"And when that violence is coldly and deliberately directed at those who risk their lives to enforce the law and to keep us safe, it is especially intolerable.
"This tragic incident is yet another reminder of the tremendous dangers that law enforcement officers face each and every day. The men and women in law enforcement deserve our gratitude and our respect." | Police in the US state of Iowa say they have arrested the suspect in the "ambush style" killing of two police officers. |
No demos on the streets of Athens - even though the Syriza government is poised to agree and implement yet more austerity and liberalisation measures, mandated by creditors and of the ilk that till recently it characterised as hateful.
And Greece's resorts are teeming: Athens airport expects 25 million arrivals this year, up from 21 million; the incremental 4 million are not all eurozone and IMF officials intent on turning the country into a protectorate run from Brussels, Frankfurt and Washington (home of the IMF).
Maybe holidaymakers were hoping to be on the ground for euro break-up history. Or more likely Greece simply looks like a wonderful place to take the kids compared with resorts closer to territory controlled by the so-called Islamic State.
But why aren't the Greeks manning the barricades in protest against already-announced, painful VAT increases and pension cuts, and in anticipation of swingeing reductions in farm subsidies, controversial privatisations and the opening of professions and industries to the harsh wind of competition?
Well it may be the calm before the revelation later this week of just how much Alexis Tsipras has conceded to obtain €86bn of new credit from the eurozone and (well maybe) the IMF, in the third bailout of this cripplingly indebted country.
Surely at the very least Greek citizens will be curious to learn why Mr Tsipras is rushing to agree terms that he and his colleagues eschewed when elected at the turn of the year.
Presumably the explanation is that Greece's near-death experience in July - the closure of banks and the collapse of economic activity - turned Syriza into disciples of TINA ("there is no alternative").
What is striking of course is that Tsipras remains remarkably popular, in spite of conspicuously failing to deliver an end to fiscal (tax and spending) austerity.
Worse, his standoff with the rest of the eurozone has saddled Greece with monetary austerity too: the continued partial closure of the banks mean they have no money to lend.
Not that many Greek companies have the confidence to ask for a loan for investment, but if retailers and wholesalers can't get adequate credit to obtain credit from abroad, Christmas will be cancelled (70% of shops' orders are placed in September and October, bankers tell me).
There is the vice, in both senses of the word. Greece is suffering from a vicious economic squeeze, which will undoubtedly further impoverish Greek people.
So for all the relief throughout the eurozone that Syriza has finally been battered into submission, the new bailout will only hold if Tsipras can offer hope of better times ahead.
Many would say that good economics and politics requires creditors to ease the burden of Greece's unsustainably large debts by between a third and a half.
So if this new bailout deal is to be that extraordinary thing, a path to genuine recovery, Brussels and - especially - Berlin will need to avoid triumphalism and manifest debt forgiveness in the face of Athens' capitulation. | I haven't been in Greece for three weeks but I am told it is eerily quiet and - in respect of tourism - surprisingly busy. |
The former double world champion, 23, missed the 2014 Commonwealth Games due to recurring trouble in her left knee.
She also underwent surgery on a long-standing shoulder problem but Sutton said the knee injury was still a cause for concern.
"Becky has had a few setbacks over the last week or so," he said.
"We looked like getting her back in the spring but there have been one or two little complications.
"I have no detailed report. That is kept between the doctors, medical team and her rehab team.
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"They are doing a great job and she is getting the best treatment possible."
James aggravated the knee injury when she returned to training following a period of rest after a minor medical procedure.
The Abergavenny-born track cyclist won silver and bronze for Wales at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, but came to international prominence at the 2013 Track World Championships.
She won golds in the keirin and sprint and also picked up bronze medals in the team sprint and 500m time trial in Minsk.
James missed out on the London Olympics in 2012 after a season wrecked by injury and illness, but Australian Sutton has no doubt that success at Rio 2016 remains realistic.
"I am totally confident we will get her right for Rio," Sutton added.
"Another four or five weeks is really not going to matter. She has lost a lot of time but give us 12 months and a clean bill of health, then Becky will be knocking them over in Rio.
"We are talking about a girl that is one of the best on the world stage.
"If anyone is going to survive this and cope mentally, it will be Becky." | Becky James has suffered a setback in her recovery from a serious knee injury, says British Cycling chief Shane Sutton. |
Carbon is the key ingredient for all life on our planet.
But how Earth acquired its "volatile elements" - which have low boiling points - such as carbon and sulphur remains a subject of some debate.
A team now argues that a collision between Earth and an embryonic planet like Mercury could provide the answer.
Details of the work appear in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"The challenge is to explain the origin of the volatile elements like carbon that remain outside the core in the mantle portion of our planet," said Rajdeep Dasgupta, a co-author of the study from Rice University in Houston, Texas.
According to a widely accepted idea called the Late Veneer Hypothesis, Earth formed from material that was largely devoid of volatiles. These elements, such as carbon, sulphur, nitrogen and hydrogen, were added later on by space rocks after Earth's core had finished forming.
"Any of those elements that fell to Earth in meteorites and comets more than about 100 million years after the Solar System formed could have avoided the intense heat of the magma ocean that covered Earth up to that point," said Yuan Li, from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
"The problem with that idea is that while it can account for the abundance of many of these elements, there are no known meteorites that would produce the ratio of volatile elements in the silicate portion of our planet."
The group had previously published papers showing that if even if carbon had not vaporised into space when the planet was largely molten, it would have ended up in the metallic core of our planet - because the iron-rich alloys there have a strong affinity for carbon.
But if this is the case, where did the carbon in the mantle and biosphere come from?
The team used laboratory experiments that can recreate the high-pressure and high-temperature conditions that exist deep inside Earth and other rocky planets.
The found that one scenario that could reconcile the discrepancies in the carbon-to-sulphur ratio and carbon abundance was an embryonic planet like Mercury colliding with and being absorbed by Earth, early in its history.
"Because it's a massive body, the dynamics could work in a way that the core of that planet would go directly to the core of our planet, and the carbon-rich mantle would mix with Earth's mantle," said Dr Dasgupta. | Much of Earth's life-giving carbon could have been delivered in a planetary collision about 4.4 billion years ago, a theory suggests. |
Last week, Paul Kenny was granted bail and banned from attending games after admitting racially abusing Sinclair.
"It was disappointing," said Gers goalkeeper Foderingham, an ambassador for equality group Kick It Out.
"No-one wants to see that in football, especially at a club I represent."
Commenting on the incident, the 26-year-old Englishman said it was "difficult when one idiot comes and starts to behave like that".
"The club has dealt with it accordingly," he said.
"The Rangers fans have been fantastic. All season and since I joined the club, they have been superb.
"I haven't (spoken to Sinclair), I can understand that he is probably upset and frustrated, but hopefully he will be all right."
Meanwhile, Foderingham admitted the Rangers players are still getting used to new manager Pedro Caixinha's methods since he took over from Mark Warburton.
"It is a different style of play," he said. "He is an intensive, aggressive type of manager who wants his sides to play as such and it will take time for the boys to adjust.
"We are doing that at the moment and hopefully we can get a good pre-season under our belts and have a good go at it next season.
"Until we start winning football matches on a regular basis, the question marks are not going to go away.
"So what we need to do is work together as a squad, as a management, as a club and get back to winning football matches." | Wes Foderingham acknowledged the hurt "one idiot" caused Scott Sinclair but says the fan, who admitted making racial gestures at the Celtic player, did not represent the Rangers support. |
The 23-year-old Ivorian broke hearts across Great Britain when he snatched victory from Lutalo Muhammad in the last second of the men's -80kg taekwondo Olympic final.
It was the Ivory Coast's first Olympic gold and he has, since Rio, become a national hero.
He has been gifted a new house and a 50 million CFA franc (£65,400) cash bonus.
Not bad for an athlete who only has access to poor facilities and finds it hard to raise funds to meet his training costs.
Cisse insists, however, his celebrity status won't distract him from his taekwondo title defence in Tokyo in 2020.
"People look at me differently now, I've become a national symbol. I can't walk in the street without being recognised, I'm a star," he told AFP.
"People approach you, they congratulate you, it's nice, touching, all this gives me strength to achieve even more."
Cisse, who stunned third seed Muhammad with a four-point score right at the death to win 8-6, was honoured by Ivorian president Alassane Ouattara on his return home.
He took the opportunity to ask for an improvement in conditions and coaching for athletes.
"We were supported. The Government did what it could. But we need new laws passed so that athletes can live off their sports," pleaded Cisse.
His request was heard and Ouattara promised to examine what could be done.
"We have talented boys and girls in taekwondo. We have to help them," insisted Cisse.
"I want to tell my little brothers to believe in their dreams. I've gone from nothing to become someone, without any help." | The phrase "one man's loss is another man's gain" could not be more apt than in the case of Cheick Sallah Cisse. |
Nigel Williams, of Caerwent, was walking on the A48 near the Northgate House bed and breakfast in Caerwent when he was hit on Saturday at about 03:30 GMT.
He was taken to Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital, but died shortly after arrival.
The father-of-three's family said he would be "sadly missed".
"He always had time for everyone he met and was always ready to help with anything and everyone," they said.
Anyone who witnessed the crash has been asked to call Gwent Police on 101. | A 55-year-old man who died after being hit by a car in Monmouthshire has been named by Gwent Police. |
Emmerson Whittel may need surgery on his jaw, while the club alleges player Josh Lynam was also bitten on the ear.
The RFL's match review panel will look at official video on Thursday, as it does for all on-field incidents.
Keighley have gathered additional video from spectators following an appeal.
Footage already online, shot from the stands, shows a number of fights breaking out on the field between the two sets of players.
Following the incident, Whittel posted on Twitter that brackets and bands had been used to try to re-align his jaw and that he faces at least three months out.
Keighley Cougars of League One, England's third-tier competition, progressed to the Challenge Cup fourth round with a 50-32 win over Fryston Warriors - a side from the second tier of England's amateur game.
The match, a "home" game for Fryston, was played at nearby Featherstone in West Yorkshire after the tie was at risk of being reversed and played at Keighley instead.
Keighley have also complained to the RFL about their off-field treatment before kick-off, as they allege players and members of staff were refused entry to the ground without a valid matchday ticket.
A statement on Keighley's website said: "The players' allocation of 'family and friends' tickets was then claimed to have been used to admit the playing squad and coaching staff into the ground.
"The club is outraged by this development."
The BBC contacted Fryston Warriors, who have declined to comment at this time. | Keighley want the Rugby Football League to consider amateur video footage when they review a brawl during the club's Challenge Cup tie against Fryston, which left a player with a broken jaw. |
The 31-year-old has been without a club since leaving English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, where he spent nine years.
He did not play at all for Tottenham in the 2014-15 season and spent the previous season on loan with Queens Park Rangers.
"Officially at St Etienne so happy - back in football," he wrote on Twitter.
Assou-Ekotto has not played for Cameroon since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil when he was involved in an argument with his team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo and even appeared to headbutt him. | Cameroon defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto has signed a one-year deal with French Ligue 1 side St Etienne. |
Police were called to Station Road, Wood Green, at about 03:20 BST after receiving reports of a stabbing outside the Jolly Anglers public house.
Paramedics treated the man, named by police as 33-year-old Vincent Harvey, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
No arrests have been made and the Met have appealed for witnesses.
Det Ch Insp Noel McHugh said there was "a large number of people in and around the Jolly Anglers pub at the time Vincent was stabbed".
"It is vital that anyone who saw this incident, or the events leading up to the incident, get in contact with police," he said. | A murder investigation has been launched after a man was stabbed to death outside a busy north London pub. |
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Ulster twice opened a seven-point lead through tries by wing Craig Gilroy and full-back Jared Payne.
In a week when the Welsh Rugby Union announced they intend to take over the region, Dragons hit back with scores by Rynard Landman and Ollie Griffiths.
Paddy Jackson's kick edged Ulster ahead before Rodney Ah You was shown a red card and Andrew claimed the key try.
Ah You was dismissed after he was adjudged to have made an illegal shoulder charge on Dragons full-back Carl Meyer.
The win means Ulster stay fourth in the Pro12 table, but their failure to gain a bonus point means fifth-placed Scarlets have reduced their cushion to three points with four matches remaining.
Playing for the last time this season at Rodney Parade, Dragons were dominated in the early stages and were seven points down within 10 minutes thanks to Ruan Pienaar's vision and Gilroy's footwork.
The South African scrum half's kick into space bounced horribly for the defenders and Gilroy dribbled the ball into space and touched down near the posts.
The Welsh region dominated possession for the rest of the half, at one stage going through 32-phases, but never really looking likely to score a try.
O'Brien's penalty was cancelled out by Pienaar with Carl Meyer' long-range penalty off target to leave Ulster with a seven-point half-time lead.
A debatable yellow card for Gilroy gave the Dragons a bridgehead which Landman turned into points with a rumbling lineout drive. O'Brien's conversion levelled the scores.
But before the Ulster wing had returned to the field of play full-back Payne cut a clever line to cross for his side's second try.
Dragons, in 10th-place in the table, again hit back with flanker Griffiths charging down a clearance and being given the benefit of considerable double and awarded the try after several TV replays.
Jackson's penalty with eight minutes remaining edged Ulster back ahead before Ah You' careless challenge reduced his team to 14-men with six minutes remaining.
Ulster rallied and kicked for the corner with Andrew claiming the crucial try from the driving lineout.
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Dragons: Carl Meyer; Adam Hughes, Tyler Morgan, Sam Beard, Tom Prydie; Angus O'Brien, Charlie Davies; Sam Hobbs, Rhys Buckley, Brok Harris, Nick Crosswell, Rynard Landman, Ollie Griffiths, Nic Cudd, Lewis Evans (capt).
Replacements: Darran Harris, Phil Price, Lloyd Fairbrother, Matthew Screech, Harrison Keddie, Sarel Pretorious, Dorian Jones, Adam Warren.
Ulster: Jared Payne; Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall, Darren Cave, Charles Piutau, Stuart Olding, Ruan Pienaar; Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring (capt), Wiehahn Herbst, Kieran Treadwell, Alan O'Connor, Iain Henderson, Chris Henry, Sean Reidy.
Replacements: John Andrew, Callum Black, Rodney Ah You, Robbie Diack, Clive Ross, Paul Marshall, Paddy Jackson, Jacob Stockdale.
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Dan Jones (Wales)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland) | John Andrew's late try secured 14-man Ulster a crucial win against Newport Gwent Dragons. |
These clouds of particles are released in explosive outbursts from the Sun.
With the Sun in an active part of its cycle, there are concerns that some storms could disrupt technology on Earth including satellite navigation signals and aircraft communications.
The Sun may seem to change little from our viewing position on Earth. With the right equipment, it is possible to see dark regions called sunspots. But up close, our Sun is a dynamic, violent beast.
Bright loops of matter arch and twist like fiery fountains above the surface of this gigantic natural nuclear reactor. And every so often an intense burst of radiation called a solar flare appears when magnetic energy - stored in our star's atmosphere - is suddenly released.
Solar flares are sometimes associated with the release of high energy particles into space - eruptions that are known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), though these can also occur on their own.
A large CME can contain billions of tonnes of gas and other matter that pours into space at several million km per hour. The charged particles in this cloud stream towards any planet or spacecraft in its path.
When these particles collide with the Earth, they can cause a geomagnetic storm - a disturbance in the magnetic sheath (or magnetosphere) that surrounds our planet, protecting its denizens from the worst effects of cosmic rays.
Many of the effects of charged particles hitting the Earth's magnetosphere are benign, such as polar lights - the Aurora borealis and australis.
Geomagnetic storms - often referred to as solar storms - cause these northern or southern lights to become visible at lower latitudes.
However, they also disrupt technology on Earth, such as communications systems - including those used by aircraft, satellite navigation signals and electrical power grids.
As such, they could wreak long-lasting havoc with communications and power infrastructure across the globe.
A 2008 report by the US National Academy of Sciences concluded that an extreme storm could cause up to $2 trillion in initial damages by crippling communications on Earth and causing chaos around the world.
As such, several agencies around the world are working to better understand the changing conditions near our planet - known collectively as space weather.
Forecasters at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center monitor activity using data from a network of sensors, including those on satellites, and US Geological Survey instruments that detect magnetic fields (magnetometers).
The Sun goes through cycles of high and low activity that repeat approximately every 11 years. It is currently gaining in activity and is expected to peak in 2013 or 2014, although nobody can be sure.
This means we can expect more solar flares and more coronal mass ejections over the next few years. The solar cycle we're currently in has been a relatively quiet one in compared with previous ones.
But that does not mean that there could not be a large event in the build up to the next "solar maximum".
Yes. In 1994, a solar storm caused major malfunctions to two communications satellites, disrupting television and radio services throughout Canada.
In March 1989, another event caused the Hydro-Quebec power grid in Canada to go down for over nine hours. The resulting damages and loss in revenue were estimated to be in the region of hundreds of millions of dollars.
But the most significant historic event remains the great solar storm of 1-2 September 1859. This disturbance shorted telegraph wires, starting fires in North America and Europe, and caused bright aurorae to be seen in Cuba and Hawaii.
In 1859, our technological infrastructure was in its infancy, but a storm with the magnitude of the so-called Carrington Event would be much more damaging today.
Paul.Rincon-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk | Solar storms are a natural occurrence caused by high-energy particles hitting the Earth. |
Highways England say the £6m layout changes on the Posthouse roundabout proved more difficult than anticipated.
Work began last summer and was expected to finish by March but it has now been pushed back to 28 June.
Wrexham MP Ian Lucas said the route was vital to the region's economy.
"Deadlines were set, missed, then extended, not once but again and again - and the level of information given to motorists has been very poor indeed," he said.
New Chester MP Chris Matheson added: "The chaos these works have caused has been a real issue for Chester for months."
A Highways England spokesperson said: "We are doing everything we can to complete the A55/A483 scheme as quickly as possible.
"We have rescheduled the street lighting installation work to take place overnight in July, so that we are able to fully open the roundabout and start operating the traffic lights from Monday 29 June." | MPs are demanding highways officials explain why roadworks on the A55 and A483 on the Chester-Wrexham border have over-run, causing months of frustration and long hold-ups for motorists. |
But in Central European media, the main focus is on the impact of the referendum on benefits for migrant workers in Britain.
Germany's n-tv news channel says Boris Johnson's intervention is a "serious setback" for the prime minister, despite the mayor's pledge not to go up against Mr Cameron in any television debates.
Olivier Bories dubs Mr Johnson the "man of the moment for Brexit" in French Catholic daily La Croix, saying that the London mayor is, "despite his constantly dishevelled blonde mop, a politician to be taken very seriously".
Like other commentators, Mr Bories highlights Mr Johnson's high media profile, but also recalls his record of gaffes at home and abroad.
Nonetheless, he does not doubt that his "carefully timed" announcement positions him as a possible successor to Mr Cameron in the event of a vote for Brexit.
Philippe Bernard, London correspondent of France's left-of-centre Le Monde, agrees that Boris Johnson's "defiance" of David Cameron gives a "potentially decisive impetus" to the Brexit campaign and could see him oust the prime minister.
He rates Mr Johnson's role as important, but also considers his "capricious personality and unpredictable political opportunism irritating to the British public" and perhaps a "threat" to the Conservative Party and the country itself.
Alessandra Rizzo in Italy's liberal La Stampa is not alone in rehearsing the personal rivalry between the prime minister and mayor, whom she dubs "perhaps the most popular politician in the country", but goes further than most in ranging them against one another in a "new Battle of Britain".
"Expect four months of intense, even heavy skirmishes" between the two Conservatives ahead of the June vote, she concludes.
Russia's pro-Kremlin NTV channel uses an even more heated analogy, dubbing Boris Johnson's move "a stab in the back".
In Hungary, the Nepszabadsag daily is gloomy about the impact of the UK referendum on developments at home. If Mr Cameron prevails, it concludes, "Hungarians working in Britain can say goodbye to part of their welfare benefits... but they lose even more if supporters of quitting win".
Tomasz Bielecki, Brussels correspondent of Poland's liberal Gazeta Wyborcza, agrees that migrant workers like the Poles "will pay most for Mr Cameron's compromise", but concludes that "if it keeps Britain in the EU, it's a price worth paying".
A British exit would weaken the European Union, especially in its dealings with Russia, and possibly lead to a "nightmare domino effect" with other countries departing, he fears.
Mr Bielecki says the prime minister's best hope is to focus on the overall advantages of the European Union rather than letting his opponents sidetrack the debate into "marginal issues - including the Brussels deal".
Other commentators agree that the referendum has implications far beyond British politics.
Jochen Buchsteiner in Germany's centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung notes that Conservative Brexit campaigners are pitching their appeal on the "primacy of national sovereignty".
They may well start asking whether Germany will demand concessions from Britain on refugees in return for the Brussels deal, which he says "owed much" to Chancellor Angela Merkel.
His concern is that a European Union still dominated by immigration, the euro crisis and "political helplessness" in June might persuade many voters that EU exit would not be a "leap in the dark" but rather a case of "stepping into the light".
Legal analyst Araceli Mangas also has concerns about the referendum, in Spain's conservative El Pais.
He writes that Britain remaining in the EU "matters a great deal", and a win for Brexit would "encourage all sorts of populists".
BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook. | Many European commentators have reacted to London Mayor Boris Johnson's decision to back Britain leaving the European Union, seeing his intervention as a problem for Prime Minister David Cameron. |
Overnight leader Rickie Fowler missed out on an automatic Ryder Cup place after carding a three-over round of 74 on Sunday to finish joint seventh.
Fowler needed to finish third and will now hope to be a wildcard pick on Davis Love's team.
Reed, on the losing team at Gleneagles in 2014, said: "I want sweet revenge, just like our whole team does."
Europe have won the competition three times in a row, and eight times in the last 10.
Reed, 26, beat fellow American Sean O'Hair and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo by a shot in New York to go top of the PGA points standings.
Scotland's Martin Laird ended two under par, while England's Olympic champion Justin Rose and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy finished on level par.
Reed, who represented the USA at the Presidents Cup in South Korea and at the Olympic Games in Brazil, added: "I finally get to play for the United States in the United States and I cannot wait to see how the fans are, and just have the whole crowd on our side this time."
Fowler's late slip-up saw 2015 Open champion Zach Johnson claim the final automatic spot.
1. Dustin Johnson
2. Jordan Spieth
3. Phil Mickelson
4. Patrick Reed
5. Jimmy Walker
6. Brooks Koepka
7. Brandt Snedeker
8. Zach Johnson
Captain Davis Love has four wildcard picks and will choose three after the BMW Championship on 11 September.
Love will make his final selection two weeks later after the Tour Championship, only five days before the Ryder Cup starts on 30 September.
Among those in contention for a spot, along with Fowler, are Bubba Watson, who finished ninth in the standings, and JB Holmes.
We've launched a new BBC Sport newsletter, bringing all the best stories, features and video right to your inbox. You can sign up here. | Patrick Reed won his first tournament of the season at The Barclays to seal his spot on the USA Ryder Cup team. |
"It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful, dynamic and one-of-a-kind mother," the statement said.
The British-born writer, sister of actress Joan Collins, died in Los Angeles, her spokeswoman said.
Collins's raunchy novels of the rich and famous sold more than 500 million copies in 40 countries.
In a career spanning four decades, all 32 of her novels appeared in the New York Times bestseller list.
The family statement said the writer lived "a wonderfully full life", adored by family, friends and readers.
"She was a true inspiration, a trailblazer for women in fiction and a creative force. She will live on through her characters but we already miss her beyond words," it added.
Collins was diagnosed with stage-four breast cancer six-and-a-half years ago, according to US celebrity magazine People.
She told the magazine in her last interview on 14 September that she had told few people about her diagnosis other than her three daughters, and did not regret her decision.
"I did it my way, as Frank Sinatra would say," she said.
"I've written five books since the diagnosis, I've lived my life, I've travelled all over the world, I have not turned down book tours and no-one has ever known until now when I feel as though I should come out with it."
She was in the UK less than a fortnight ago on a promotional tour for her latest book.
Her sister Joan, 82, who only learned the news herself in the last fortnight, told People magazine she was "completely devastated".
"She was my best friend. I admire how she handled this. She was a wonderful, brave and a beautiful person and I love her," she said.
Jackie Collins, who was born in London, began writing as a teenager, making up racy stories for her schoolfriends, according to a biography on her website.
Her first novel, The World is Full of Married Men, was published in 1968 and became a scandalous bestseller. It was banned in Australia and branded "disgusting" by romance writer Barbara Cartland.
In 1985, her novel Hollywood Wives was made into a mini-series by ABC, starring Anthony Hopkins and Candice Bergen.
Collins said that she "never felt bashful writing about sex". "I think I've helped people's sex lives," she said.
"Sex is a driving force in the world so I don't think it's unusual that I write about sex. I try to make it erotic, too."
Collins had lost her mother, second husband and fiance to cancer.
She told the Press Association earlier this month that she had chosen to celebrate life rather than mourn those she had lost.
"I refuse to mourn people, because everybody dies," she said. "Death and taxes, you can't avoid either".
Private memorial services are due to be held for her family in both the UK and in the US. | The novelist Jackie Collins has died of breast cancer at the age of 77, her family said in a statement. |
A member of the public raised the alarm after seeing the woman, aged in her 50s, fall at Peveril Point, near Swanage, on Saturday afternoon.
She was airlifted by the coastguard helicopter to King George's Field park where she was treated by paramedics.
The injured woman, who is from the Swanage area, was taken to Southampton General Hospital by air ambulance.
Ch Insp Bob Acaster, of Dorset Police, said: "Emergency services worked hard in very difficult weather to rescue the woman from the cliff and bring her to safety."
Police said the woman's family had been informed. | A woman has suffered life-threatening injuries falling from cliffs on Dorset's Jurassic Coast. |
David Fifita's second-minute try, a Ben Jones-Bishop score and three Liam Finn kicks put Wakefield 14-0 up early on, as Scott Grix and Jake Connor replied.
Tom Johnstone's length-of-the-field effort and prop Fifita's second put Wakefield's victory beyond doubt.
Jermaine McGillvary's two tries were consolations for the struggling hosts, who are still without a head coach.
Wakefield have not appeared in a Challenge Cup final since 1979, but head coach Chris Chester is one win away from a second final in as many seasons, having led Hull KR to Wembley in 2015.
Huddersfield, second from bottom of Super League and under the temporary stewardship of Andy Kelly after sacking Paul Anderson on 16 June, had knocked out holders Leeds Rhinos in the previous round.
Against Wakefield, they were made to pay for poor starts to both halves.
Giants half-back Danny Brough was sent to the sin-bin for a high shot on Reece Lyne during a sloppy opening to the first period, although he returned to set up Connor's first-half score with a jinking run and sharp pass.
That left the hosts only six points behind at the interval, but there was to be no way back for Huddersfield once Grix's loose pass had gifted Johnstone the chance to coast over for his sixth Challenge Cup try of the season.
Huddersfield: Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, Connor; Brough, Ellis; Crabtree, Hinchcliffe, Rapira, Symonds, Ta'ai, Lawrence.
Replacements: Murphy, Wood, Johnson, Mason.
Wakefield: Jowitt; Johnstone, Lyne, Tupou, Jones-Bishop; Miller, Finn; Fifita, Moore, England, Molloy, Ashurst, Sio.
Replacements: Arona, Anderson, Annakin, Walton.
Referee: Gareth Hewer. | Wakefield reached their first Challenge Cup semi-final for eight years by beating Huddersfield in the last eight. |
He had been facing charges of genocide during one of the most brutal periods in Guatemala's civil war.
Doctors said he was not able to understand any charges against him.
The medical report will affect two separate trials where he is charged with ordering the murder of hundreds of farmers and over 1,000 Mayan Indians.
General Rios Montt was found guilty of genocide and war crimes two years ago, and sentenced to 80 years in prison.
The main charges were that he and his former intelligence chief ordered the army to carry out 15 massacres of Ixil Maya indigenous people in Quiche in northern Guatemala, in which around 1,700 Indians were killed.
However, a high court then threw out the charges on procedural grounds and ordered a retrial.
Another trial began in January but ended after the judge was rejected for having made public opinions about genocide in a student thesis.
A new trial was set for July. This may now not take place because of the medical examiner's report declaring the ex-leader mentally incompetent. | A former Guatemalan general, Efrain Rios Montt, who ruled the country briefly in the 1980s, has been found mentally incapable of standing trial. |
The campaign was launched on 19 July by the Iraq War Families Campaign Group, which is made up of relatives of British troops killed in the conflict.
It aimed to reach that amount to "bring to justice those responsible for the war and the deaths of our loved ones".
The campaign was led by Reg Keys and Roger Bacon, who lost sons in Iraq.
The funding bid began after the publication last month of the long-awaited report by Sir John Chilcot into the 2003 invasion.
Chilcot report: Findings at-a-glance
The campaign group initially aimed to reach £50,000 via crowdfunding, but extended its target after raising that figure in nine hours on the CrowdJustice website.
It has now received enough backing to fund the whole campaign.
Mr Keys and Mr Bacon said in a statement: "This is great proof of the underlying support from the British people in our quest for answers and for justice.
"It is startling and humbling at the same time."
The money raised will allow the group's lawyers, McCue and Partners - currently working free of charge - to analyse the 2.6 million-word report by Sir John and prepare "a comprehensive opinion approved by expert senior counsel".
This would provide guidance on whether legal action against key people involved in the invasion of Iraq would succeed or not.
The Chilcot report did not make any findings on whether individuals acted unlawfully.
However, it rejected the legal basis for UK military action, and said then-prime minister Mr Blair overstated the threat posed by then-President of Iraq Saddam Hussein and sent ill-prepared troops into battle.
Chilcot report: Coverage in full
Mr Blair has apologised for any mistakes made, but not the decision to go to war itself.
A total of 179 British service personnel were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2009, when British troops left Iraqi soil.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians died over the period, though estimates vary considerably. | An online campaign to fund possible legal action against former Prime Minister Tony Blair and other officials has reached its target of £150,000. |
After centuries as a powerful medieval kingdom, Hungary was part of the Ottoman and then Habsburg empires from the 16th century onwards, emerging as an independent country again after World War I.
The Hungarian language belongs to the Finno-Ugric family and is one of the handful of languages spoken within the European Union that are not of Indo-European origin.
A landlocked country, Hungary is home to Lake Balaton, the largest in central Europe, and to a large number of spa towns and hot springs.
Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring
It has especially rich traditions in folk and classical music and was the birthplace of numerous outstanding performers and composers, including Franz Liszt, Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly.
Hungary became co-equal partner with Austria in a dual monarchy in the mid-19th century after an unsuccessful revolt against the Habsburgs in 1848. After a period of turmoil following World War I, an independent kingdom of Hungary was established under the authoritarian regency of Admiral Miklos Horthy.
The redrawing of European borders that took place after World War I left about five million ethnic Hungarians living in neighbouring countries. Their status remains a sensitive issue and has complicated Hungary's relations with its neighbours.
Following World War II, in which Admiral Horthy had allied himself with Germany, Hungary fell under communist rule. An uprising in 1956 was crushed by Red Army forces, but Hungary did later become the first Eastern European country to gain some economic freedom.
Hungary played an important part in accelerating the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe when it opened its border with Austria in 1989, allowing thousands of East Germans to escape to the West. Just a few months later the Berlin Wall was history.
Hungary's post-communist economic transition was achieved relatively smoothly. Within four years of the collapse of communism nearly half of the country's economic enterprises had been transferred to the private sector, and by 1998 Hungary was attracting nearly half of all foreign direct investment in Central Europe.
Ten years later, the picture looked rather less rosy. A high level of both private and state borrowing left the country particularly vulnerable to the credit crunch of 2008, and in October of that year the government was forced to appeal to the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank for massive loans in a bid to stave off economic collapse.
Dissatisfaction with the centre-left coalition government's handling of the economy from 2002 to 2010 coincided with the rise of the right-wing nationalist party Jobbik, known for its anti-Semitic and anti-Gypsy rhetoric, and a move to the authoritarian right by the Fidesz party, which won parliamentary elections in 2010 and 2014.
The two-thirds parliamentary majority gained by Fidesz in 2010 allowed it to throw out the comparatively liberal post-communist constitution and replace it with a constitution that critics say cements the governing party's hold on power and removes checks and balances essential for the healthy functioning of a democracy. Fidesz insists that the constitutional change was necessary in order to complete the work of eradicating the legacy of communism.
Fidesz scored another comfortable victory in the 2014 election, albeit with a reduced majority. Jobbik increased its share of the vote, becoming the second-largest political party in the country. | Hungary traces its history back to the Magyars, an alliance of semi-nomadic tribes from southern Russia and the Black Sea coast that arrived in the region in the ninth century. |
Are those voices being heard when it comes to the election?
Courses to help young people get into work are held at the Spectrum Centre on the Shankill Road in Belfast.
Among them is 18-year-old Donna Rennie who said she would "love to get a job".
"I've applied for loads but it doesn't work, there's always somebody better," she said.
"It's not a nice feeling."
It's a feeling Marc Young knows only too well.
"I went to school, got my GCSEs and A-levels and I thought I would walk into a job but I haven't," he added.
"I've applied everywhere and just haven't heard back which is really frustrating."
So what is the answer? What should the politicians be doing?
William Glass has been in and out of jobs for the past two years since leaving school at 16.
"Why not spend the time, the four years in school, training for a job or career that you want to be in?
"Then more people are going to have the skills they need for the job. "I want a career, I don't want to be going from job to job."
Thomas McKeown is looking for a job in youth work and he feels frustrated when he watches what happens at Stormont.
"I feel the politicians today are just so bitter-minded about wanting to get one up on each other," he said.
"How long do we actually want this to go on? It's been going on long enough."
William agrees: "I believe there are people in Stormont who are stuck in the past and fighting. "For me, that era is truly over.
"I want to see people using legal highs to get help and I want to see drug reform and better health care."
And Dylan Bell believes the politicians need to be more visible when it isn't election time.
"You see the politicians round your door every day for a month and a half," he said.
"Then the rest of the ten and a half months you see them on the news and that's it - they're more worried about being on the big screen." | Almost one in five young people are unemployed in Northern Ireland, according to latest figures. |
The old Victoria Ground, next to the A500, shut in 1997 when the club moved to the Britannia Stadium and has remained vacant ever since.
Plans for the 16-acre site include 130 homes being built initially, followed by a further 70.
David Sidaway, from the council, said he was proud to have secured investment for the "very important site".
A plan to build offices there was shelved in 2004 and in 2007 St Modwen said the recession had affected development opportunities.
Further plans for housing were announced in 2013 but never happened.
Dave Smith, from developer St Modwen Homes, said: "We understand that the Victoria Ground is an important site for both the people of Stoke-on-Trent and the city council.
"Having taken the comments from the public consultation on board, particularly for the second phase of development, we are looking forward to turning our plans for the Victoria Ground site into reality and breathing new life into the community and surrounding area."
After working with the Environment Agency over potential flooding issues, a nearby primary school to include sports pitches in the development and holding a public consultation, plans will be submitted by the end of the month, the council said. | The former home of Stoke City FC is to be redeveloped into 200 homes, a park and fields, the council says. |
WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew, 34, produced an upset to stop David Haye in a heavyweight contest last month.
But when asked if he would fight WBA and IBF champion Joshua, Bellew said: "Absolutely not. I don't need that kind of fight. He's far too good for me."
His promoter Eddie Hearn said he could fight WBO champion Joseph Parker next.
New Zealand's Parker, 25, will defend his title against Romanian Razvan Cojanu in Auckland next weekend.
Speaking after Joshua's 11th-round stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko, Bellew said: "I'm still dreaming about winning the heavyweight world title but a different portion to the one AJ has."
The Liverpudlian said he was considering retirement following his surprise victory over Haye last month on his heavyweight debut.
But on fighting Parker, he added: "I say Eddie knows what he's doing."
Promoter Hearn confirmed that an all-British Bellew-Joshua fight was not on the cards.
"Tony and Joshua are good friends," he told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek programme on Sunday morning.
"Tony Bellew has got his eye on some of the smaller guys. Fighters like Joshua are giants and Bellew isn't, but he's in the mix we talk about for challenging for world heavyweight titles."
Bellew is not a natural heavyweight, having stepped up from the cruiserweight division to fight David Haye in March.
He weighed in at 96.6kg for that fight, while Joshua was at a career heaviest of 113 kg against Klitschko on Saturday - a difference of almost 20kg.
But also in the mix for Bellew is WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder - and the American wants a unification fight against Joshua, should he take the WBO belt off Parker.
"My plans are to get the WBO belt and once I get that, if I'm given a mandatory challenger, get that out of the way and set up a mega fight early in 2018," said Wilder. | Tony Bellew still retains hope of winning a world heavyweight title but says he will not fight fellow Briton Anthony Joshua. |
However, the government has insisted there is a link between the attack and Syrian Kurdish fighters.
Prosecutors and security officials said DNA tests had identified the bomber as Abdulbaki Somer, born in the eastern Turkish city of Van.
Last week's bombing killed 29 people, at least 20 of them military personnel.
"The bomber's DNA matches that of Abdulbaki's father," a senior Turkish security official told Reuters news agency.
Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency quoted prosecutors confirming the report.
It said that Abdulbaki Somer was believed to have joined the Kurdish militant PKK group in 2005 at the age of 16 and was based in the Qandil mountains in northern Iraq until 2014.
The agency said that Somer's father had told police that his son was behind the attack.
Following the blast in Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu named the bomber as Salih Necar, a Syrian national and member of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
"Whatever the judicial inquiry concludes over the identity of the bomber, it is clear that the bomber came from Rojava, the area of the PYD," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters on Tuesday, referring to another Syrian Kurd-controlled northern Syria.
He said the bomber had entered Turkey from the region in the summer of 2014.
Turkish newspaper the Hurriyet suggested that Abdulbaki Somer may have re-entered Turkey with false papers under the name Salih Necar.
The PKK, which has been fighting for Kurdish self-determination since 1984, is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and its Western allies.
Turkey has also designated the YPG a terrorist group, but its allies, including the United States, back the YPG in its fight against so-called Islamic State (IS). | The bomber behind a deadly blast in the Turkish capital Ankara was Turkish-born, security officials say, not from Syria as the government initially said. |
The Fukui District Court lifted an injunction that had blocked the reopening of two reactors operated by Kansai Electric Power in the western city of Takahama.
The injunction was issued after locals argued the reactors could not withstand a strong earthquake.
Japan closed all its nuclear reactors after the Fukushima disaster in 2011.
The Takahama plants had already obtained approval from the country's nuclear watchdog.
"Today's two rulings show a recognition that safety has been ensured at Talahama Nuclear Power Station," Kansai said.
It aims to restart the reactors next month.
The vast majority of Japan's nuclear reactors remain closed - according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the country's nuclear generating capacity is running at less than 5% of its full potential.
The government is keen to restart more reactors, which before the Fukushima disaster supplied about 30% of the country's power.
Japan has been forced to import fossil fuels to make up the shortfall. | A Japanese court has paved the way for two more of the country's nuclear reactors to be restarted. |
The value of the deal has not been not disclosed.
The acquisition will add more than 60 employees and more than 6,000 fleet assets to Aggreko's Rental Solutions business.
Glasgow-based Aggreko said it planned to fully integrate Dryco into its North America business.
It also intends to develop "expansion plans to enter additional sectors and global markets".
Dryco specialises in moisture control, drying, heating, and cooling applications for a number of industries, including shipping, manufacturing, food processing and construction.
The company, which operates 10 full-service locations in North America, posted revenues last year of $19m (£14.6m).
Aggreko chief executive Chris Weston said: "This acquisition combines the deep technical strength of two highly respected market leaders and provides our customers with an unparalleled range of solutions that can address their HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and moisture control needs.
"It also gives Aggreko an opportunity to further support our rapidly expanding customer base within the shipping, food and beverage and painting and coatings industries." | Temporary power suppler Aggreko is expanding its offering in the United States by buying industrial climate control equipment specialist Dryco. |
Fellow scrum-half Greig Laidlaw was Scotland's man of the match in their opening Pool B win over Japan.
But Pyrgos takes over as skipper as head coach Vern Cotter rotates his squad against the USA on Sunday.
"Greig had a great game on Wednesday, but I'll focus on my role and do it to the best of my ability," said the Glasgow Warriors 26-year-old.
"I just look at it like it's a great opportunity.
"Hopefully, we get the right result."
Pyrgos led Scotland in a World Cup warm-up defeat by Ireland last month and will be determined to retain his place.
However, Laidlaw is almost certain to return for the potentially decisive meeting with South Africa in Newcastle a week on Saturday.
"I knew coming in that was how it was going to go," added Pyrgos.
"It was amazing to lead the team out against Ireland and again it's a huge honour to captain Scotland at a World Cup.
"I know how much it means to the country and I'm really excited.
"I'm not sure how I'll feel when I get out there, but it'll be a big moment for myself and my family." | Henry Pyrgos is ready to make the most of what could be his only chance to captain Scotland at this World Cup. |
The current 56 day waiting time target for treatment is to be halved to 28 days, Health Minister Mark Drakeford said.
Health boards have until next March to hit the new target and Mr Drakeford said there has already been "significant progress" in services.
Charities have warned of the growing mental health problem in Wales.
Under the old arrangements, patients had to be seen for an initial assessment within four weeks - and then there was another wait of up to eight weeks for treatment.
Now that wait for treatment time after being first evaluated has been cut to four weeks too.
The Welsh government said its waiting times for mental health assessment and treatment were are already more stringent than those in England.
£587m
spending, 2015-16
11.4%
of NHS budget
Women treated for mental illness 14%
Adults being treated for depression 9%
Rise in child and adolescent referrals since 2011 100%
NHS England has a target that 75% of adults should expect treatment within six weeks and 95% within 18 weeks.
Mr Drakeford said: "This announcement will help ensure timely access to treatment, ensuring people who need expert care and support receive the right services in the right place at the right time."
Sara Moseley, director of Mind Cymru, the mental health charity, said the new target was "welcome" but more needed to be done, including improving the type of treatment offered to people.
"I think the minister is making it very clear that mental health is a priority and we welcome that but we think this is a journey," she added.
Under the old measure, 85.5% of patients in Wales were treated within the eight weeks of being assessed in June 2015. Cwm Taf health board had the best record with 97.7% meeting the target compared to only 67.4% in the Aneurin Bevan area.
But Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Kirsty Williams said hundreds of young people would be"left behind" as they will still be subject to a longer 16 week target - one that is met only 50% of the time. | People with mental health problems are being promised faster access to treatment by the Welsh government. |
The two-page note, addressed to Mrs Ellis and dated 19 August 1945, finds him dealing with the subject of joy.
It was found by its owner in a copy of Lewis's book, A Problem of Pain, bought years before.
Auctioneer Chris Albury said "keen interest worldwide" had boosted the guide price from £1,500.
Dominic Winter Auctioneers in South Cerney said the letter had been bought by a private buyer from California.
"It's a wonderful, thoughtful letter by one of the most highly regarded English writers of the 20th Century," Mr Albury said.
"Any original and unpublished letter that gives new insights into a collectable writer's ideas is going to have an appeal, and this one has literary, autobiographical, philosophical and theological content, so ticks every box.
"The letter was written just days after Japan's surrender at the end of the Second World War and perhaps the idea of joy, which he thought very unlike pleasure, was once again on his mind."
In the letter, which is in "very good" condition, Lewis writes: "Real joy... jumps under one's ribs and tickles down one's back and makes one forget meals and keeps one (delightedly) sleepless o' nights.
"It shocks one awake when the other (security and prosperity) puts one to sleep.
"My private table is one second of joy is worth 12 hours of pleasure."
Mr Albury said the subject of joy was a "continual theme" throughout Lewis's life.
"Interesting, too, is the fact that he was to meet and marry a woman called Joy a few years later," he said. | An unpublished letter from writer and scholar CS Lewis has made £4,600 at auction in Gloucestershire, more than three times the original estimate. |
The 25-year-old midfielder had received approaches from Scottish Premiership rivals Dundee United and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Manager Alan Archibald said: "Steven has proved over the last few seasons what a valuable part of the squad he is.
"It came as no surprise that Steven had offers from other Premiership clubs."
Lawless, who joined Thistle from Motherwell in 2012, made 40 appearances this season, scoring five goals.
Thistle are also waiting to hear from Frederic Francs and Gary Miller after contract offers to the defenders.
Caley Thistle, who finished two places above the Glasgow side in seventh, had also made approaches to Lawless' midfield team-mates, Stuart Bannigan and Abdul Osman.
Bannigan rejected a new contract at Firhill along with defender Danny Seanborne, but Osman signed a new two-year deal. | Steven Lawless has extended his contract with Partick Thistle for a further two years. |
A period of uncertainty over political leadership after the announcement that David Cameron would quit has not made the mandarins' lives any easier. One familiar and important issue has bubbled up to the surface again - NHS finances.
The fraught task of finalising the Department of Health's accounts for the last financial year is close to completion. Sources indicate it's touch and go as to whether the department kept to its spending limit agreed by parliament for the health service in England.
An overspend would be a serious breach of Whitehall protocol and lead to senior officials being hauled over the coals by the National Audit Office.
Ministers and the leadership of the NHS in England are determined to demonstrate they have got a grip on the finances. To that end, a major initiative is planned involving commitments by all trusts in England to stick to agreed spending limits.
The regulator, NHS Improvement, under pressure from the government, is straining every sinew to bring down the £2.4bn total deficit racked up by trusts in the last financial year. Putting finance directors' feet to the fire and extracting pledges to stay on budget has been the priority in recent weeks.
The NHS financial announcement is likely next week and could well come on the same day as the publication of the Department of Health accounts. The government line will be that running up unplanned deficits and risking breaches of limits set by parliament will be no longer acceptable.
At a conference organised by the Reform think tank, the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt talked of the need to "restore financial discipline".
He said that trusts should not assume there was a choice between maintaining patient care standards and controlling their finances and that the two were not incompatible. Mr Hunt argued that the hospital trusts with the best ratings by the Care Quality Commission tended to be those with the lowest deficits.
But announcing commitments to prudent spending is one thing, delivering them is another. Once winter and the second half of the financial year arrives, the pressures will mount.
It's hard to see what sanctions can be applied to trust managements who feel they have to go over their agreed budgets to meet relentlessly increasing demand for patient care.
At some hospital trusts, the inevitable consequence of sticking to agreed spending totals will be longer waiting lists.
Looking longer term, the referendum has raised more questions about the sustainability of NHS finances.
The head of NHS England, Simon Stevens, has called for politicians from either side of the referendum campaign to ensure that pledges for a better funded NHS made during the campaign are delivered. But it will be harder to hold out the begging bowl to the Treasury.
The Health Foundation think tank has pointed out that the public finances will be under even greater pressure with economists revising down short-term economic growth forecasts in the wake of the Brexit vote.
Anita Charlesworth of the Foundation made the point that when the economy sneezes the NHS catches cold and that the service's finances were already "in a truly dire state".
Ministers argue that the government has already made a significant commitment to funding above the rate of inflation for the NHS at a time when other parts of Whitehall are being severely squeezed.
They say that making better use of resources, through greater efficiency, is well within the capability of most trusts. But as the NHS celebrates its 68th birthday, the question marks over financial sustainability are perhaps as big as they ever have been.
How things will look when the service celebrates its landmark 70th anniversary is anyone's guess. | After prolonged debate during the referendum, Whitehall has been busy since polling day trying to work out the implications of Brexit - including how the NHS could be affected. |
It was the 30-year-old's first triumph since a stage win on the 2015 Vuelta a Castilla y Leon and his team's first grand tour stage for two years.
Race leader Tom Dumoulin, who lost time following an unexpected toilet stop on Tuesday, had no such problems again and retained a 31-second overall lead.
Britain's Adam Yates was 30th and is 11th overall with four stages left.
Find out how to get into cycling with our special guide.
Rolland prevailed from an 18-man group who broke away 7.8km from the finish of the 219km stage from Tirano to Canazei.
Dumoulin crossed the finish line nearly eight minutes behind Rolland with the main peloton but retains possession of the pink jersey ahead of Colombian rival Nairo Quintana.
1. Pierre Rolland (Fr/Cannondale) 5hr 42min 56sec
2. Rui Costa (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +24secs
3. Gorka Izagirre (Sp/Movistar) Same time
4. Rory Sutherland (Aus/Movistar) Same time
5. Matteo Busato (It/Wilier Triestina) Same time
6. Dries Devenyns (Bel/Quick-Step) Same time
7. Felix Grossschartner (Aut/CCC) Same time
8. Omar Fraile (Sp/Dimension Data) Same time
9. Michael Woods (Can/Cannondale) Same time
10. Julien Berard (Fr/AG2R) Same time
1. Tom Dumoulin (Ned/Sunweb) 76hrs 05mins 38secs
2. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) +31secs
3. Vincenzo Nibali (It/Bahrain) +1min 12secs
4. Thibaut Pinot (Fr/FDJ) +2mins 38secs
5. Ilnur Zakarin (Rus/Katusha) +2mins 40secs
6. Domenico Pozzovivo (It/AG2R) +3mins 05secs
7. Bauke Mollema (Ned/Trek) +3mins 49secs
8. Bob Jungels (Lux/Quick-Step) +4mins 35secs
9. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/LottoNL) +6mins 20secs
10. Jan Polanc (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +6mins 33secs | Frenchman Pierre Rolland ended a two-year wait for victory by winning the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia. |
Police said the firework was dropped through the doorway of a fish and chip shop by an "unknown male".
The incident happened at about 21:15 BST on Friday at the shop in Alliance Avenue.
The man was taken to hospital where he is described as being in a stable condition.
Condemning the incident, North Belfast SDLP assembly member Nichola Mallon said: "Fireworks aren't toys, they can cause serious injury and they can cause considerable damage to property and they need to be used responsibly.
"So I would send a very clear message to parents and to young people to realise the dangers of fireworks."
Sinn Féin councillor JJ Magee said: "Hopefully the injured man will make a full and speedy recovery but it must have been a very traumatic experience."
Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them. | A man has suffered burns after he was hit by what police have described as a "large firework rocket" in north Belfast. |
Government sources told the BBC that the tribal fighters set fire to a building used by the militants.
The source said 10 IS militants and five tribesmen had died in the clashes that followed.
Issa al-Issawi, the exiled mayor of Fallujah, said that more tribesmen were joining the fight against IS.
Reports said the violence involved men from multiple tribes and IS members known as al-Hisba, who are responsible for enforcing religious strictures in the city.
"Clashes took place between sons of the al-Mahamda and al-Juraisat tribes against the al-Hisba group," Mr Issawi told AFP news agency.
He said the violence stemmed from tensions over increasingly difficult living conditions while Fallujah is besieged by Iraqi security forces.
Sheikh Majeed al-Juraisi, a leader in the al-Juraisat tribe, told AFP the clashes were part of an uprising against IS fighters in the city and called on the government and security forces to help.
Reports suggested the tribesmen had seized parts of the north of the city, but later ceded the ground back to IS jihadists.
Fallujah, which is about 50km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, has been held by anti-government forces since the beginning of 2014 and is now one of two Iraqi cities still under the IS group's control.
IS militants launched a sweeping offensive in June 2014 that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, but security forces and allied fighters have pushed the jihadists back with support from US-led air strikes. | Local tribesmen have reportedly clashed with fighters from the so-called Islamic State (IS) in the IS stronghold of Fallujah in western Iraq. |
A bill is being considered to bolster animal protection by barring any use of wild animals in travelling shows.
Martin Burton of the Association of Circus Proprietors told MSPs that a law based on the proposed ethical grounds "will eventually close your zoos".
A government consultation found widespread support for a formal ban.
The Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Bill would be the first of its kind in the UK, and is aimed at banning the use of non-domesticated animals for either performance or exhibition.
Holyrood's environment committee took evidence from a range of animal welfare and circus industry groups.
Mr Burton told members that there were no circuses with wild animals which have visited Scotland in recent times.
However, he said a lack of clarity in the legislation about what constitutes a travelling circus and the definition of a wild animal, along with the emphasis on ethics, could have far-reaching consequences.
He said: "The economic impact on animal displays in shopping centres, on displays at outdoors shows of hawks and wild birds, on reindeer and Santa, and eventually zoos will be massive.
"Eventually that is where this will all go, this will eventually close your zoos."
He added: "Once you start banning things, particularly on ethical grounds, it is clear that this will spread, because if it's ethically not right to have a wild animal in a circus, then it is ethically not right to have a wild animal appear at a gala or a county show, and it is ethically not right to have a wild animal appear in a shopping centre, and it is ethically not right to have a wild animal appear in a zoo.
"It is clear and logical that that is the only way an ethical ban can go. You can't choose your ethics, you're either going to say it is ethical or it is not ethical."
Meanwhile, Rona Brown from the Circus Guild of Great Britain said there was no scientific evidence of current welfare issues for wild animals in circuses, with government vets inspecting licensed circuses three times a year.
However, members also heard from Dr Dorothy McKeegan, from the Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow, who said the arguments in the bill were valid.
She said the use of wild animals in the circus was disrespectful, and that there was a welfare argument as well as an ethical one to be made.
Members also heard from representatives of City of Edinburgh and Argyll and Bute councils, who said they did not allow circuses to use their land if they had wild animals.
A government consultation in 2014 showed 98% of respondents thought the use of wild animals for performance in travelling circuses should be banned and 96.4% thought the use of wild animals for exhibition (without performing) should be banned.
Animal protection organisations such as the Born Free Foundation, Captive Animals' Protection Society and OneKind have also welcomed the move. | A ban on using wild animals in travelling circuses could eventually lead to zoos in Scotland being closed down, a circus leader has told MSPs. |
The angry response came after secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson said the US should deny Beijing access to new islands in the South China Sea.
Two state-run papers carry editorials strongly criticising his comments.
The hawkish Global Times tabloid warned that any such action would lead to "a large-scale war".
Beijing has been building artificial islands on reefs in waters also claimed by other nations. Images published late last year show military defences on some islands, a think-tank says.
Speaking at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Mr Tillerson likened China's island-building to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
"We're going to have to send China a clear signal that first, the island-building stops and second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed."
China's official response, from foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, was muted. China had the right to conduct "normal activities" in its own territory, he said.
Asked specifically about the remark on blocking access, he said he would not respond to hypothetical questions.
But editorials in the China Daily and the Global Times were more direct in their comments.
The China Daily suggested Mr Tillerson's remarks showed ignorance of Sino-US relations and diplomacy in general.
"Such remarks are not worth taking seriously because they are a mish-mash of naivety, shortsightedness, worn-out prejudices and unrealistic political fantasies," it said.
"Should he act on them in the real world, it would be disastrous.
"As many have observed, it would set a course for devastating confrontation between China and the US. After all, how can the US deny China access to its own territories without inviting the latter's legitimate, defensive responses?"
The Global Times, a nationalist daily, suggested that Mr Tillerson's "astonishing" comments came because "he merely wanted to curry favour from senators and increase his chances of being confirmed by intentionally showing a tough stance toward China".
China would ensure his "rabble rousing" would not succeed, it went on.
"Unless Washington plans to wage a large-scale war in the South China Sea, any other approaches to prevent Chinese access to the islands will be foolish."
The Obama administration has spoken out strongly against the island-building, pledged to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and sending navy ships to sail in contested areas.
But it has not threatened to block access to the islands, a step likely to enrage Beijing.
Mr Tillerson did not explain how the US might block access to the islands, and both Chinese papers suggested a wait-and-see policy.
"It remains to be seen to what extent his views against China will translate into US foreign policies," the China Daily said. | Blocking China from islands it has built in contested waters would lead to "devastating confrontation", Chinese state media have warned. |
He was chairman for 16 years, during which time the club enjoyed an 11-year stint in the Premier League and two Uefa Cup campaigns.
"This is a very sad day for everyone," said Brett Warburton, vice-chairman of the Championship club.
"Phil has been a personal friend for more than 30 years. We send our deepest condolences to all Phil's family."
In November, Gartside handed responsibility for Bolton's takeover negotiations to football finance executive Trevor Birch.
Birch has been trying to to find a buyer as owner Eddie Davies wants to sell, with the club £172.9m in debt.
Former Bolton player and assistant manager Phil Brown recalled Gartside taking part in a training session, with a suit on, before the Sherpa Van Trophy final in 1989.
"He just wanted to be part and parcel of a successful club, a successful team," Brown, now Southend manager, told BBC Radio 5 live.
"To go from that to become chairman of the club in 1999 and obviously the most successful period the club has ever had, culminating in two great years in Europe... it was just fantastic for Phil and his family. Today is a very, very sad day for the club."
Former Trotters captain Kevin Davies, who retired last year, said Gartside was "really ambitious" for the club.
He said: "Everyone enjoyed the journey. To be around, he was kind and looked to put his arm around the players."
Davies said people may have differing opinion about Gartside's legacy but said he and former manager Sam Allardyce had certainly changed "the direction the club was going in".
BBC Sport's Simon Stone:
Born in Leigh, Gartside was at the helm for one of the most amazing periods in Bolton's long and colourful history.
With Eddie Davies providing the funds and Allardyce the managerial expertise, Gartside helped take Bolton into the Premier League in 2001, to the League Cup final in 2004 and Europe twice in three seasons after that.
A sixth-place finish in 2004-05 - with a squad that included Jay-Jay Okocha, Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro - was an incredible effort for a club that could not rely on crowds of 25,000 even when things were going that well.
Allardyce's resignation in 2007 proved to be the beginning of the end of the good times for Bolton.
Though they retained top-flight status for another four seasons, reaching the FA Cup semi-finals in 2011, they never finished in the top half again.
By 2012, they had gone down, relegated at the end of a desperate season.
Allardyce's replacement, Sammy Lee, lasted 14 games. Gary Megson and Owen Coyle could not halt the slide.
Dougie Freedman could not secure a play-off berth in Bolton's first season as a Championship club and was replaced by Neil Lennon in October 2014.
Despite Davies agreeing to write off the club's debts as he looks for a way out, Bolton's financial situation has been described by Birch as "critical".
That is the legacy Gartside has left.
Sadly for him, it will be some time before Bolton fans can look past the current mess and remember the glorious nights against Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid that he helped create.
Had Gartside got his way, British football could have looked very different.
He was a Premier League representative on the Football Association executive board in 2009, when he put forward a proposal for Celtic and Rangers to be allowed to join the English league.
The plan was to form a 'Premier League Two' as a buffer for clubs - such as Bolton - who were unable to retain their top-flight status.
It was never formally discussed because of opposition from Uefa and many other Premier League clubs. | Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside has died aged 63 following a battle with cancer. |
Born at Alltnacaillich, Strathmore in 1714, Rob Donn could not read or write and dictated his poetry from memory in later life.
A wall hanging depicting scenes from his life and work is to be created in a project led by Strathnaver Museum and Mackay Country Community Trust.
People living in and around Strathnaver are to be invited to help make the piece of craftwork.
Donn's poetry continues to be celebrated and studied today.
Some of his work has turned into music and performed at Glasgow's Celtic Connections Festival.
Strathnaver Museum has been awarded £5,400 from the Heritage Lottery Fund's Stories, Stones and Bones programme towards the project. | A Gaelic bard is to be remembered in needlework. |
The film star and his lawyer wife Amal, want to put up eight cameras on poles in the grounds, up to five metres (16ft) high.
They also wish to attach a further 10 cameras to the property.
The Eye and Dunsden Parish Council has concerns over privacy and the CCTV system's visual impact on the village.
David Woodward, chair of the council, said: "When you are strolling next to a pretty riverbank, it's a visual intrusion close to where people are walking."
Mr Woodward said the CCTV could also cause privacy concerns for Mr Clooney's neighbours.
The property at Sonning Eye is located on an island in the River Thames on the county line between Oxfordshire and Berkshire.
South Oxfordshire District Council's conservation officer recommends approval as long as the cameras can easily be removed from the building.
The district councillor has until Friday to decide whether to put the application before a planning committee. | George Clooney's neighbours in Sonning have lodged objections to the star's plans to install 18 CCTV cameras at his Oxfordshire home. |
Both 48-hour and 24-hour strikes have already been held on seven Shell-operated platforms.
Further action was planned but was put on hold for fresh talks.
Wood Group and the Unite and RMT unions said in a statement they had held two full days of constructive discussions which would continue next week.
The statement said: "These collaborative discussions have demonstrated a clear, shared understanding of the issues being raised by all parties, plus the challenges facing the North Sea.
"We remain focused on reaching a mutually-acceptable outcome, which demonstrates collective leadership in shaping the future of the North Sea."
The initial 24-hour strike on 26 July was the first industrial action of its kind in the North Sea in nearly 30 years and was followed by a 48-hour stoppage the following week.
The platforms involved are the Curlew, Brent Alpha, Brent Bravo, Brent Charlie, Nelson, Gannet and Shearwater.
Aberdeen-based Wood Group provides maintenance and construction to Shell and signed a three-year extension to its contract earlier this year. | "Constructive" talks have been held between unions and the Wood Group in an ongoing dispute involving offshore workers. |
The sign reads "JOBS". The backdrop to Mitt Romney's first rally in Ohio today is an artful suggestion of stripped-down, industrial virtue, made in the USA.
When Romney appears, he talks big. Big changes. Big challenges. Big choices. A strategist tells me it is a deliberate contrast with what they say is President Barack Obama's "small vision for the future".
Before he appears, a prominent Romney surrogate, Senator Rob Portman, urges everyone at the rally to vote as soon as it ends. Now. Today.
If those committed enough to come to a rally have already voted, they can spend their time getting other people to the polls or persuading them to vote, he says.
In this, if only this, Republicans agree with President Obama, who votes today.
As one strategist put it, "every day is election day."
There has been a lot of talk of the ground game in this election. In the past that meant sending buses for grannies on polling day - finding out who would like to vote for you and making sure they have transport for the big day.
Finding out who is sympathetic, apathetic, reluctant or persuadable is still vital. But widespread early voting, as well as postal voting, changes the game.
Once a person says in principle they would like to vote for your candidate, you can check that they have gone to vote at all. If they haven't, you can check the next day. And the next. Until they get so fed up they do vote.
As an added bonus no last-minute blunder by your candidate allows them to change their mind.
This is why it is so important. I've repeatedly said in the end this election will all come down to turnout.
Think about what Mr Obama did in 2008: he persuaded a lot of people who didn't usually bother to vote, to vote for him. Without those extra votes he would have won, but not have won big.
Some commentators say that it isn't really that tight a race - Mr Obama is still ahead in the swing states that matter. That's true. But only by a tiny margin, well within a margin of error.
Mr Romney's team are trying to persuade disappointed Obama supporters that their man isn't worth giving another chance, and maybe theirs is.
A Romney strategist told me they were hoping for "molt" - to me a new and novel term for switchers.
So Mr Obama needs to get as many of those half-hearted 2008 voters in the bag as possible. If possible before polling day. | Four letters in burnished steel are stuck to the sort of bare metal rack that you can see in any warehouse in America. |
Mae'r ardal wedi ei chynnwys yn y 10 uchaf gan y cyhoeddwyr yn dilyn adfywiad mewn sawl lleoliad, a chyfleoedd awyr agored sy'n gwneud y gorau o'r tirlun.
Yn ogystal â'r cyfleoedd antur, mae'r gogledd yn denu pobl sy'n chwilio am fwyd da, cyfleoedd i wylio'r sêr a gwledd o dreftadaeth.
Mae Gogledd Cymru wedi cyrraedd y pedwerydd safle ar y 10 uchaf ar draws y byd, gyda Choquequirao ym Mheriw ar y brig.
Ymysg yr atyniadau sydd wedi dal llygaid y cyhoeddwyr mae Surf Snowdonia yn Nolgarrog, Conwy, gwifren Zipworld uwchben chwarel y Penrhyn ym Methesda a pharc cenedlaethol Eryri.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi croesawu'r newyddion gan ddweud bod nifer yr ymwelwyr i Gymru wedi cynyddu ac y bydd y wobr yn rhan o farchnata'r llywodraeth ar gyfer 2017.
Cafodd y 10 lleoliad eu cynnwys ar y rhestr am eu bod yn cynnig rhywbeth newydd i ymwelwyr wneud neu weld, neu fod rhywbeth arbennig yn digwydd yno yn y flwyddyn nesaf.
Roedd ystyriaeth hefyd i ddatblygiadau diweddar neu os oedd arbenigwyr Lonely Planet yn teimlo nad yw'r lle yn cael sylw haeddiannol.
Roedd ysgrifenwyr a golygyddion wedi edrych ar gannoedd o leoliadau ar draws y byd cyn penderfynu ar y 10 uchaf.
Dywedodd Tom Hall, Cyfarwyddwr Golygyddol Lonely Planet, bod gogledd Cymru yn y 10 uchaf "am fod yr ardal yn haeddu cael ei chydnabod ar y llwyfan byd-eang".
"Mae'n ardal syfrdanol gyda phob math o weithgareddau ar gael i ddiddanu teithwyr," meddai.
"Mae gogledd Cymru yn berl ac fe ddylai fod ar radar bob teithiwr."
Yn ôl Ysgrifennydd yr Economi, Ken Skates fe fydd safle gogledd Cymru ar y rhestr yn siŵr o ddenu ymwelwyr newydd: "Rydyn ni wedi gweld buddsoddiad mewn cynnyrch sydd yn denu pobl i Gymru, nifer am y tro cyntaf ac unwaith maen nhw yng Nghymru maen nhw'n profi'r croeso cynnes, y diwylliant a hanes yr ardal."
Choquequirao, Periw
Taranaki, Seland Newydd
Yr Azores, Portiwgal
Gogledd Cymru
De Awstralia
Aysén, Chile
Y Tuamotus, Polynesia Ffrengig
Arfordir Georgia, UDA
Perak, Malaysia
Skellig Ring, Iwerddon | Gogledd Cymru yw un o'r 10 lle gorau i ymweld a nhw ar draws y byd yn 2017, yn ôl Lonely Planet. |
Police probed reports hounds filled a street in Macclesfield, Cheshire, in February and allegedly killed a fox.
Lesley Martin from Cheshire Monitors said "the law needs to be strengthened" and loopholes must be tightened.
The CPS said there was not enough evidence to prove the animal's death was caused deliberately.
Ms Lesley, from the anti-hunting campaign group which monitors hunting groups in Cheshire, said the law is inadequate in its current form.
Resident Julie Clarke, 47, who witnessed the hunt in Penningtons Lane said it was "horrific" and the "dogs were out of control", leaving some locals "traumatised... scared and outraged".
A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokeswoman said police referred two files to them relating to Cheshire Forest Hunt, one on 25 February and the other on 2 January.
"In both cases our prosecutor decided there was not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction", she said.
A spokesman for Cheshire Forest Hunt said at the time they had "apologised" for what had happened.
Ms Lesley said the law "really needs to be strengthened... plus we need to have stronger sentencing so it sends a really good message to have these people brought to account".
Legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg said: "I think the problem with the hunting act is that it wasn't very well drafted and it's really quite difficult to bring prosecutions".
"I think those who thought it was going to stop hunting as a sport have been disappointed".
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs said they could not comment on individual cases, but whether an offence under the Hunting Act 2004 is taken to court would depend on whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.
He said: "The government's manifesto includes a free vote on the Hunting Act. There are no plans for a vote in this session, as with the EU negotiations beginning, this is clearly not a top priority for the first session." | Campaigners are calling for a change in the law after a decision not to charge anyone involved in a hunt that spilled on to a residential street. |
Ibrahimovic is a free agent at the end of the season and has announced he is likely to leave Paris St-Germain.
The 34-year-old scored four goals on Sunday as PSG beat Troyes 9-0 to win a fourth successive French league title.
"Look, at the moment, no," Wenger said when asked if he was interested in a deal for Ibrahimovic.
The Swede has also played for Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Ajax and Malmo in his 17-year career, winning league titles in four countries.
This season he has scored 31 goals as PSG clinched the Ligue 1 trophy with eight games to spare.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are 11 points behind Premier League leaders Leicester and face Everton on Saturday at 12:45 GMT.
Wenger said: "We have other worries at the moment. It's short-term. We are not on Zlatan's case. Even at 34, he's had a great season at PSG."
He added: "I'm just surprised by the name you've thrown at me."
In 2000, Ibrahimovic turned down a move to Arsenal, refusing to take a trial for Wenger.
"I couldn't believe it. I was like 'No way. Zlatan doesn't do auditions'," said the striker. | Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he is "surprised" the club has been linked with a summer move to sign Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. |
The band's set at Seaclose Park will be their only festival show of the year.
The set on Sunday 14 June, which will close the festival, will include original member Christine McVie, who recently confirmed that she would be rejoining the band.
Festival organiser John Giddings told Newsbeat: "It's the best news I've had in a long while."
He said that he had been asking the band to perform at the Isle of Wight for the last seven years.
"Every year I have asked without fail," he revealed. "I'd like to tell you otherwise but it's true, I have begged them."
Previous acts to headline Isle of Wight Festival include The Who, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney.
Despite his years of asking the band to perform, John Giddings explained that he thought Fleetwood Mac, whose debut album Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac went to number four in the UK in 1968, didn't need much persuading.
He said: "If you're a band of substance, it [Isle of Wight] becomes part of your bucket list really."
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings of Leon and Biffy Clyro headlined the event this year.
Talking about choosing the rest of the 2015 line-up, John Giddings said: "The problem is when you're looking for some of the top acts in the world, there aren't that many of that calibre... without repeating yourself it becomes harder by the year."
However, the organiser did say there would be some newer acts named on the line-up.
"When we announce Friday and Saturday, you will see younger bands. It's an eclectic mix of past, present and future bands."
The organiser added that the other two headline acts of the festival would be announced soon.
Giddings agreed younger bands have the ability to sell festival tickets as well as older bands like Fleetwood Mac and Lionel Ritchie, who has been named as the first act on the Glastonbury 2015 line-up.
He said: "I think younger bands of course can do it as well, but the golden age of rock and roll is past.
"The music is different now whereby you can download individual songs on iTunes and it becomes hard to name the lead singer of Bastille or Imagine Dragons."
He said "there are lots of groups out there" but added "who is the biggest act out of England that have toured stadiums in the last five years? One Direction.
"I think they'd rather be somewhere else than at the Isle of Wight festival."
However, John Giddings did say "there are great new bands out there" and referred to The Black Keys and Royal Blood as "incredible".
The Isle of Wight organiser was recently quoted as calling Ed Sheeran "boring" having suggested "we're (the UK) not building headliners any more".
He told Newsbeat that "he's jolly good fun" and after saying he'd recently met the 23-year-old added: "He's selling tickets and he's selling records and we should all be grateful for his existence."
Tickets go on sale on Friday at 09:00 GMT
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Fleetwood Mac have been announced as the first headline act of Isle of Wight 2015. |
Erin Cross, from Chester, received gene editing therapy in the USA after a £100,000 appeal raised the cash.
Doctors have told her parents she is now in remission after the therapy which took place in August.
Her mother Sarah Cross said: "It means she is now able to have a bone marrow transplant in Manchester."
She added: "I'm so glad I pushed for her to get on the trial here at Seattle, if I hadn't she wouldn't be here today."
Erin was treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia using CAR (Chimaeric Antigen Receptor) T-Cell therapy which re-engineers the cells in the lab to attack and kill cancer cells when injected back into the patient's body.
"We got a call from the hospital who told us the cancer cells have gone - we couldn't believe it as she has never come back clear from any treatment before," said Ms Cross.
"She is running round now like any six year old," she added.
Erin is due to return to the UK within the next month for a transplant at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital where a donor has already been found. | The family of a six-year-old girl suffering from leukaemia are celebrating pioneering treatment which they say has "saved her life". |
Michael McGibbon, 33, died after an attack in an alleyway at Butler Place, with police saying his killing carried the hallmarks of a paramilitary murder.
The 34-year-old was arrested in Belfast on Sunday.
Mr McGibbon was married with a young family.
A priest, Father Gary Donegan, told the BBC's Sunday News programme how Mr McGibbon's wife tried to save his life when she arrived at the scene.
Mrs McGibbon, who is a nurse, came to his aid shortly after the shooting.
Police have said Mr McGibbon had contacted them to inform them that two masked men had arrived at his house on Thursday evening.
The men asked him to come out of the house but he refused, and they told him they would return.
Mr McGibbon's murder had been referred to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland. | A 34-year-old man is still being questioned over the murder of a man who was shot in the legs in north Belfast on Friday night. |
The woman, believed to be Lithuanian, was struck by a car on the A38 near Burton-upon-Trent around 20:30 BST on 6 July after leaving the man's vehicle.
Johnathon Allison, of Colman Street, Hull, has also been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Mr Allison was remanded in custody at Cannock Magistrates' Court on 8 July.
See more stories from Stoke and Staffordshire here
Staffordshire Police said Mr Allison has been released under investigation in connection with the murder probe.
He will next appear at Stafford Crown Court on 11 August.
Police said the woman left the vehicle as it pulled into a layby, and was hit at "high speed" by an oncoming car.
She was airlifted to hospital in cardiac arrest with head, chest and pelvic injuries, but later died.
Police are now working with authorities in Lithuania to confirm the identity of the woman. | A man has appeared in court charged with breaching a restraining order following the death of a woman on a dual carriageway. |
The proposals, which are subject to parliamentary approval, allow farmers to clear drainage ditches and streams without asking permission.
Farmers had complained that the Environment Agency was micro-managing flood control.
But academics told BBC News that diverting water off farmland could increase floods where people live.
The policy change was announced Environment Minister Liz Truss at the Oxford Farming Conference after what the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said were two successful pilot schemes.
She said: "We will allow farmers across the country to maintain their own ditches up to 1.5km in length from April, so they can clear debris and manage the land."
The decision was welcomed by the National Farmers' Union (NFU).
Its president, Meurig Raymond, said: "The NFU has pressed Defra and the Environment Agency to enable farmers to undertake minor works for many years."
But Professor Alan Jenkins from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology said he feared the policy could backfire.
"Waterlogged fields are no use to farmers," he said. "They can't maintain their productivity on waterlogged soil so it makes sense for them to manage their fields accordingly.
"There is a potential downside however, in that if we increase drainage in fields during heavy rainfall it's possible there will be increased and faster transmission of water in the river system with a possible increase in flood risk downstream."
Katherine Pygott from the consultancy firm Peter Brett agreed.
"If you are a landowner you may want to maximise productivity on a grouse moor by making it drier - but if you are trying to protect a town you want to keep water back on the uplands.
"It very much depends on local conditions - sometimes it would be unhelpful to speed drainage, sometimes it would not.
"There is a risk of making a free-for-all on drainage. It would be more sensible to make the existing system work."
A government spokesman said over a million acres of prime farmland would be better protected through government investment in flood defences in the 10 years to 2021. | Experts are warning that plans to allow farmers to clear water courses on their land could make floods worse in towns. |
Robert McNaughton, 51, from Halesowen, set up fake Facebook accounts to troll the woman, West Midlands Police said.
The force said he was "hell bent" on destroying her life after she spurned his reconciliation attempts.
McNaughton, of Tenter Drive, was convicted after a trial of conspiracy to commit criminal damage.
See more stories from across Birmingham and the Black Country here
Sgt Chris Jones said: "McNaughton could not handle being rejected and became hell bent on destroying his ex-partner's life."
During December 2014 and February 2015, he bombarded her with abusive Facebook messages, threatening to release intimate images.
He also hired two men, Matthew Barker and Joden Smith, to carry out a string of attacks on her home, culminating with her car being set on fire in February 2015.
Barker, 44, of Leicester, admitted conspiracy to commit criminal damage and was jailed for 43 months.
Smith, 20, also of Leicester, admitted conspiracy to commit criminal damage and arson, recklessly endangering life and was sentenced to four years at a young offenders institution.
The men were sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 31 March. | A man who began a hate campaign against his ex-partner, which culminated in her car being petrol bombed, has been jailed for five years. |
The members of the FSB, the Russian intelligence agency, conspired with criminal hackers, according to DOJ officials announcing the charges.
Previously, Yahoo said "state-sponsored" hackers were behind the 2014 breach affecting 500 million accounts.
The suspects are also alleged to have targeted Google accounts.
Hacking was directed at Russian and US government officials, including security, diplomatic and military personnel, according to the DOJ.
The indictment also alleged that 30 million Yahoo accounts were commandeered without authorisation for use in a spam campaign.
"We will not allow individuals, groups, nation states, or a combination of them to compromise the privacy of our citizens, the economic interests of our companies, or the security of our country," said acting attorney general Mary McCord, announcing the charges.
The suspects were named in a DOJ press release as:
Baratov was arrested on 14 March in Canada.
One of the alleged hackers has been on of the FBI's most wanted cyber criminals for more than three years, according to acting Att Gen McCord.
The suspect in question, Alexsey Belan, was aided by the FSB who - according to the DOJ - provided him with "sensitive FSB law enforcement and intelligence information that would have helped him avoid detection by US and other law enforcement agencies outside Russia".
"We would hope [Russia] would respect our criminal justice system and respect these charges," said acting Att Gen McCord, acknowledging the fact that the US does not have an extradition treaty with Russia.
"The United Kingdom's MI5 made substantial contributions to the advancement of this investigation," added FBI executive assistant director Paul Abbate.
Yahoo was criticised for the delay in informing users about the 2014 breach.
The stolen data included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth and encrypted passwords, but not credit card data, according to Yahoo.
Last year, users were advised to change their passwords.
Around eight million UK accounts were believed to have been affected - including some users of BT and Sky email services.
"The indictment unequivocally shows the attacks on Yahoo were state-sponsored," Yahoo said in a statement, responding to the DOJ announcement.
"We are deeply grateful to the FBI for investigating these crimes and the DOJ for bringing charges against those responsible."
The DOJ said that the charges have no connection to the hack on the Democratic National Convention last year. | Two Russian spies are among four individuals indicted by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over a huge theft of Yahoo user accounts. |
The 50 year-old said she was "lucky to be here" after falling ill at home and looking up her symptoms online.
O'Donnell wrote on her blog that she searched "women's heart attack symptoms", which included sudden nausea and aches, before taking a few aspirin.
She visited a cardiologist the next day, who inserted a stent into an artery that was 99 per cent blocked.
O'Donnell said her chest began to ache last week and she became nauseous and feverish after helping a woman who was struggling to get out of her car in her Nyack village home, near New York.
In the blog entry on her website, a poem entitled "my heart attack", O'Donnell revealed the type of attack was known as the "widow maker".
The star, who has acted in several films and TV shows including Drop Dead Diva, Will and Grace and Nip/Tuck, also said she did not call the emergency services.
However, she issued a warning to her readers: "Know the symptoms ladies, listen to the voice inside, the one we all so easily ignore, call 911."
She recently hosted The Rosie Show on the Oprah Winfrey Network but the daily talk and gameshow was cancelled in March due to low ratings. | US comedian and talk show host Rosie O'Donnell has revealed that she suffered a heart attack last week. |
Latest figures show the the nursing and midwifery vacancy rate stands at 4.5% - the highest ever reported.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said the current situation with unfilled posts threatened patient care.
Health Secretary Shona Robison insisted staff levels within the NHS had risen to "historically high levels" under the SNP.
Figures from ISD Scotland show 2,818.9 whole-time equivalent (WTE) posts were unfilled at the end of March, a 27.5% increase from March last year.
The number of such posts lying unfilled for three months or more was up 51.3% year on year to 670.6.
During the same period, the NHS spent £8.4m more on nursing and midwifery bank and agency staff, paying out a total of £166.5m.
Vacancies for consultants have also risen year on year from 6.5% to 7.4% and there were 415.7 vacancies, of which 203.4 have lain empty for more than three months, up 38.2 from 2016.
The total number of staff working within the Scottish NHS, however, has risen 0.7% year on year to 139,430 WTE posts.
Norman Provan of the RCN warned: "If there aren't the nurses, patients won't receive the care they need."
He added: "These figures reflect the challenge faced by Scotland's NHS. Across both acute and community settings, there are simply too few nurses.
"The Scottish government can point to the increase in the number of nursing and midwifery staff, but the reality on the ground is that nurses wanting to do their very best for patients are too often coming up against the reality of vacancies in the workforce.
"Nursing morale is low and teams are struggling to recruit and retain the staff they need."
Health Secretary Ms Robison said part of the increase in vacancies was due to the creation of new posts in health boards.
She said: "Under this government, NHS staff numbers have risen to historically high levels, with more doctors and nursing staff now delivering care for the people of Scotland - including over 2,000 additional qualified nurses and midwives.
"We're committed to training and retaining our nursing staff, and earlier this year we confirmed a 4.7% increase in trainee nurses and midwives for 2017/18 - a fifth successive rise.
"We have also committed £450,000 over three years to reintroduce a national return to practice scheme." | Nursing leaders are warning the NHS in Scotland has "too few nurses" after vacancies rose to record levels. |
Earlier today George Osborne said he had no plans to do so - but he refused to completely rule out the move.
The coalition government reduced the highest income tax rate from 50% to 45% in 2013.
Ed Balls, Labour's shadow chancellor, criticised Mr Osborne's refusal to rule out a further cut.
Asked on Sky News's Murnaghan programme if there were plans to cut income tax by 5% for those earning over £150,000, George Osborne said "that's not our plan".
Challenged as to whether he would explicitly rule the move out, the chancellor replied: "You can judge us by what we say we want to do. And what we want to do is increase the tax-free personal allowance to £12,500 so people full-time on the minimum wage don't have to pay income tax and millions of people are better off.
"And when it comes to higher-rate tax payers, our priority is increasing the threshold at which you pay that higher rate to £50,000.
"Those are our big tax commitments for the coming Parliament."
When asked later if he would cut the top rate of tax, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "It's not our policy. It's not our plan.
"Our plan is to raise to £12,500 the basic rate threshold, so that we take another million people out of income tax altogether and cut tax for 30 million people. That's the plan."
But Ed Balls said: "When George Osborne cut the top rate of income tax from 50p down to 45p we know that he and David Cameron wanted to go further and actually cut it to 40p - which, if they were to do that, would mean hundreds of thousands more in tax cuts for the richest people in our society."
He added: "They need to tell us is that their plan - they won't rule it out, they should do so now."
This election issue includes income tax and national insurance levies and business taxes.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat minister David Laws has accused the Conservatives of "unbelievable cheek" in taking credit for personal tax allowance rises.
Mr Laws, a former chief secretary to the Treasury, said the prime minister and chancellor had failed to push for the move in talks with Lib Dems.
His party will spell out plans to "go further and faster" in increasing the allowance in the coming days, he said.
George Osborne said raising the level was one of his "big tax commitments".
The tax-free personal allowance is to rise from £10,600 in 2015-6 to £10,800 in 2016-7 and £11,000 in 2017-8.
Mr Laws told Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 live that was down to his party.
"What I can tell you is that there hasn't been a single Budget or Autumn Statement in this parliament where the prime minister or the chancellor have ever made this a Conservative ask," he said.
"The discussion they've had with Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander have always been on the basis that it's the Lib Dems pushing for this and it's the Conservatives pressing other policies which usually don't help those people on low and middle incomes."
The schools minister also told the programme his party would spell out further plans on the issue in the coming days.
"The Lib Dems left to our own devices, or putting our position in coalition talks, will want to go a lot further and faster than the measures set out in the Budget recently to help those people on low and middle incomes," he said.
In other election news:
Subscribe to the BBC Election 2015 newsletter to get a round-up of the day's campaign news sent to your inbox every weekday afternoon. | Labour is calling on the Conservative Party to vow that it won't lower the top rate of income tax if it wins the election. |
A grant of £1.25m was provided in 2013 to encourage authorities to install equipment in council chambers to allow them to broadcast meetings online.
But not all councils stream meetings and the latest Welsh Government move has been backed by all parties.
Conwy council said ministers will need to provide funding if the practice is to become mandatory.
Mark Drakeford, cabinet secretary for local government, said in a written answer to a question about the one-off funding in 2013 from Conservative AM Janet Finch-Saunder, "18 out of 22 local authorities are broadcasting their council meetings to some extent".
He has now proposed to make broadcasting of the meetings a "statutory requirement" as part of a package of proposals on local government reform, on which ministers are consulting.
Ms Finch-Saunders said she was concerned not all councils provided streaming, adding: "I welcome proposals to make broadcasting of council meetings a statutory requirement."
Rhondda Cynon Taf ran an initial pilot of broadcasts, but chose to end the practice.
A spokesman for the authority said the council had used Welsh Government grant funding, but did not extend its pilot as the costs "were considered excessive at a time when the council faced significant financial challenges".
"The council does tweet decisions made live from both cabinet and council meetings," he added.
Conwy council has decided to investigate audio broadcasting rather than running video of meetings after its contract with an external provider came to an end. It has aired a limited number of meetings since last September.
A spokeswoman said the council had considered whether it could fund webcasting "given the high costs involved compared to the relatively-low viewing figures" but said it felt the Welsh Government should provide funding if it is to become mandatory.
Figures for live broadcasts can be "minimal" but increases for archived videos, with viewer numbers ranging between 142 and 1,540, according to a paper seen at a council cabinet meeting.
The Welsh Local Government Association warned that longer-term IT and administrative costs for web-casting "will be considerable" and will need to be balanced against "prioritising front-line services".
A spokesman said the WLGA had been "supportive" of the roll-out of webcasting but added the costs of a mandatory requirement "will need to be set out alongside any legislation".
A Welsh Government spokesman said: "Progress has been made with the help of a single grant payment provided to local authorities but we now need to take this a step further."
UKIP's Gareth Bennett said: "Local residents in Wales will be rightly wondering why some councils appear to have closed the door on local democracy".
Sian Gwenllian of Plaid Cymru added the broadcasting of public meetings "would enable more people to be engaged in local politics". | Webcasting of council meetings could become compulsory under Welsh Government proposals. |
County are tenants at the ground which is also used by rugby union teams Newport Gwent Dragons and Newport RFC.
"We've already made our position clear in respect to the pitch issues and what we're dealing with," Davies said.
"It points to the fact Newport County are bottom of the league and I suggest he focuses on preparing his own side."
"I'm not sure why he [Westley] feels it necessary to go on about it," Davies told BBC Wales Sport.
Davies is also the chief executive of Rodney Parade Limited, which owns the ground and agreed a 10-year lease for the football club to use the stadium in 2013.
On Thursday, Westley questioned whether Newport County were getting value for money out of the leasing deal.
The Exiles have had two games - against Morecambe and Barnet - abandoned at half-time while their game against Stevenage in October was postponed because of the state of the pitch.
"It costs us more for us to have County playing there than it's worth. The estimated cost of drainage work is worth twice as much as we receive from County each season," Davies continued.
The Dragons were beaten 10-0 by Ospreys at Rodney Parade on New Year's Day on a dreadful pitch and Davies says he is aware of the state of the playing surface.
"This issue is very important and I'm not trying to say the pitch is perfect. We're doing all we can to repair the pitch but there's no short-term solution," he said.
"In the meantime, it helps no-one that it continues to dominate the agenda." | Newport Gwent Dragons chief executive Stuart Davies says he is disappointed at Newport County boss Graham Westley's criticism of the Rodney Parade pitch. |
Jamie Toland told police he woke up to find the animal gnawing at the tag around his ankle at his home in Slemish Way, Lisburn, County Antrim.
But the High Court in Belfast was told there were "no signs" of teeth marks.
Bail was refused after the judge said the explanations tested "the court's ability to accept what he says".
Remanding the 23-year-old in custody, the judge said other outcome would "defy all the rules of logic and sense".
Mr Toland had been fitted with the electronic monitoring tag last month, after he was granted bail in connection to a burglary that took place in February.
He allegedly stole £1,550 in cash and a pellet gun during the break-in at a property in Lisburn.
The accused now faces a new charge of criminal damage for allegedly removing the monitoring device.
The tag is connected to a tamper alarm, and the security firm which manages the tagging system alerted police that the alarm had been trigged on 28 October.
Mr Toland was then arrested at his home.
A prosecution barrister to the High Court: "It subsequently became clear that the electronic tag had been removed from the applicant's ankle.
The court that heard Mr Toland told police his dog chewed at his ankle tag in an attempt to get the accused to go for a morning walk.
The prosecution barrister told the judge: "The tag was examined and there were no signs of any teeth marks around it."
He added that it would take up to 40 kilos in weight to break the device.
A box installed in Mr Toland's house as part of the monitoring system had been shifted, but the accused claimed it had been moved so he could do some cleaning.
A defence lawyer told the court he accepted he faced "an uphill struggle" to secure bail for his client again.
"His account of this is that he takes the dog for a walk every morning, but he slept in and the dog was gnawing at the thing on his leg," the lawyer added.
"He said when he got up he tried to get the dog off and the item fell off his leg."
The court heard Mr Toland has been battling alcohol addiction and had suffered two serious assaults earlier this year.
He sustained a fractured jaw and a brain injury in one incident. The second attack involved being hit on the skull with a bottle.
Remanding the accused into custody, the judge said: "This is an application where I would have to defy all the rules of logic and sense to do other than refuse him bail." | A burglary suspect has claimed that his pet dog chewed off the electronic tag he had been wearing as part of his bail conditions, a court has been told. |
Figures obtained by BBC Scotland show Borders hospitals spent £3.18 per day per patient on meals and snacks.
Other health boards such as NHS Ayrshire and Arran and Dumfries and Galloway spent a similar amount.
NHS Grampian spent £3.50 per day which it said broke down as 94p for each of the two main meals and £1.62 for snacks and drinks.
Nutritional expert Prof Mike Lean said: "There must be a lower limit below which quality will be sacrificed in a variety of ways.
"Meal quality has a number of elements: it has to look good, taste good, texture must be good and it has a biological importance - so it must be nutritionally good."
A spokeswoman at NHS Ayrshire & Arran said the board provided patients with "high quality and nutritionally-balanced meals, based on a wide menu choice, at an average cost of £3.20 a day".
She said food and drink was bought through national procurement contracts to get the best deals possible.
NHS Lothian said its spent an average of £3.82 per patient across its hospitals, but costs ranged from £2.70 to just over £5.
A spokeswoman said: "We are constantly working to harmonise products, recipes and methods to reduce this cost range.
"It is important to note that, in this case, cost is not a reflection of quality since St John's hospital kitchen provides our cheapest meals but is widely recognised for the high quality meals served."
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell said: "We have a set of very rigorous nutritional guidelines that we expect all boards to adhere to.
"There will be differences in terms of price but we do expect that the nutritional guidelines will be adhered to."
The figures also found that some hospitals were sourcing 50% of their food from abroad.
Twelve out of 14 health boards said they were importing chicken from Thailand and carrots from Belgium.
Conservative MSP Brian Whittle started asking questions in parliament last year about where patients' food comes from.
He said public sector procurement needed to be looked at by the Scottish government.
"The massive disparities in local sourcing, spending and food waste across health boards in Scotland is deeply concerning," Mr Whittle said.
"If health boards are choosing to ignore high quality, local food in favour of cheaper alternatives from overseas, they're making a false economy."
He added: "Eating healthy, high-quality meals when you're in hospital can make a big difference to your recovery.
"If patients aren't eating well, they can't get well."
A spokeswoman at NHS Ayrshire & Arran said: "To help reduce waste, we ask patients to choose their next meal as close as possible to the meal time - for example, at breakfast, patients choose their lunch.
"This means that our rate of unserved meals is, on average, 3%, well below the recommended 10% target for waste.
Shetland health board said catering staff were always working to reduce food waste but that it was sometimes unavoidable due to factors such as high fluctuations in bed occupation and delayed discharge.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS board said it was a challenge to control food waste but action was being taken to ensure it was not too high.
A spokeswoman for Glasgow said in recent years it had invested £10m to create two new kitchens which "cook fresh, nutritious, healthy food supplied to all our hospitals".
She said: "The move to two new kitchens ensured all meals are now produced locally and brought to an end the contract with Tillery Valley in Wales which previously supplied freeze-cook meals to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
"The reorganisation also saw the closure of a number of older hospital kitchens, which were no longer fit for purpose and were being under-used." | Some Scottish hospitals are spending just 94p per patient meal, the BBC has learned. |
The new polymer £5 note, which is slightly smaller than its paper predecessor, will be available in branches before becoming more widely available across Scotland.
It continues to feature Sir Walter Scott and The Mound on the front, and a bridge theme on the back.
All existing paper Bank of Scotland £5 notes will be gradually withdrawn.
However, those that remain in circulation will continue to be accepted at shops, banks and cash payment machines.
Bank of Scotland also plans to replace its £10 paper note with a polymer version next year.
The new, plastic material is said to be cleaner and more resilient to being crumpled and spilled on.
In September, the Bank of England released new £5 plastic notes featuring Winston Churchill on the back.
It was the first time a polymer note had been circulated by the Bank of England, but other parts of the UK have already been using the material.
Polymer banknotes are made from a very thin, flexible, see-through plastic film, with the design printed on special layers of ink on the front and back.
Because the main material is see-through, the design can include clear spots that are like little windows you can look straight through.
More than 20 countries around the world already use polymer banknotes - they include Scotland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Last year the Clydesdale Bank brought a fully plastic note into circulation in the UK for the first time with a limited commemorative edition £5 note.
As of last week, it entered into full circulation, and has begun to replace the current paper version.
The note features Scottish engineering pioneer and entrepreneur Sir William Arrol on the front, along with the Forth Bridge and the Titan Crane.
The reverse shows several images of the Forth Bridge.
Royal Bank of Scotland's new £5 plastic note is due to enter circulation on 27 October.
It will feature Scottish novelist and poet Nan Shepherd.
Scientist Mary Somerville has already been selected for the bank's planned £10 polymer note, which is due to enter into circulation next year.
They will be the first women to appear on the bank's main issue notes. | The Bank of Scotland's first plastic banknote intended for general circulation is set to be issued. |
Defence minister Mark Lancaster said 12,565 of the homes were "expected to materialise in this Parliament".
He acknowledged this would impact on civilian and military staff but provisions were being made, he said.
The sites include an RAF base, barracks, ex-World War Two airfields and a chaplaincy centre.
They also include two golf courses at RAF Henlow and Southwick Park in Hampshire.
Meanwhile, Network Rail has announced it will release land at almost 200 sites for 12,000 new homes by 2020.
This includes 5,000 homes in London, 3,600 homes in Manchester and the north, 1,700 homes in the Midlands and the east of England and 1,400 homes in the south of England.
The 13 military sites that will be sold by the MoD are:
The MoD said the land at Venning and Parsons Barracks are the only sites that will not have housing built on them, as they will be used for commercial development at the request of Telford and Wrekin Council.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "We are getting rid of land that we don't need to build homes that we do, generating hundreds of millions of pounds in the process.
"Our commitment to protect and increase the budget for our armed forces means that every penny of that will be reinvested into defence, helping to keep Britain safe."
But shadow defence secretary Clive Lewis said: "Affordable housing is desperately needed across the UK, particularly by service families, who have seen the cost of their housing go up as conditions get worse.
"So it's disappointing that the MoD has failed to say how many of these potential new homes will be affordable, or how many could be set aside for service personnel.
"In fact, they cannot even reassure us that these sites will be used to build new homes at all," he said.
"What we're looking at is the double impact of 18,000 MoD staff losing their jobs and public land potentially being sold on the cheap for developers to profit from," a Public and Commercial Services union spokesman said.
"The government must learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure any land sold not only realises its full value, but that house-builders are forced to ensure enough affordable homes are provided."
In a written statement, Mr Lancaster said consultations will take place over the coming weeks with "stakeholders" including trade unions, to determine the future of each site and their occupants.
"The release of land by the MoD has the potential to provide land for new homes and we will continue to engage with impacted local authorities to determine how the department's assessment of housing unit allocation against each site may be considered as part of the authority's Local Plan," he said.
"I acknowledge that these moves will have an impact upon civilian and military staff; the department is making arrangements to provide for units and functions based at sites which will not have a future defence requirement."
An MoD spokeswoman said it was too early to confirm how exactly it would affect staff at the sites, but she said "the majority" will be provided for and moved to accommodation elsewhere, for example.
Mr Lancaster said the sales would contribute £225m towards the MoD's £1bn target for land release sales, as set out in its spending review last year.
The release of the sites contributes to the government commitment to provide land for 160,000 homes by 2020, he said.
The 2015 Conservative manifesto pledged that 200,000 quality Starter Homes would be built over the course of the Parliament, reserved for first-time buyers under 40 and sold at 20 % below the market price. | A total of 13 Ministry of Defence sites will be sold to provide land for up to 17,017 homes and will raise £225m, the government has said. |
The Australian defeated 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, but fell out of the semi-finals to Brazilian Adriano de Souza, who claimed his first WSL crown.
Mr de Souza paid tribute to Fanning saying "he deserved it more than me".
There has been strong support after a grieving Fanning won his Pipeline quarter-finals heat on Wednesday.
The Australian broke down in an interview after his winning heat, not long after learning of his brother's death.
He later posted on social media that it was one of the most challenging days of his life.
"I am so grateful for the incredible love and well wishes that have come my way since learning of my eldest brother's passing," Fanning said on Instagram.
"Like all my big brothers, Peter will always be a hero to me... I knew I could find the strength to take part in the final event of the season because that's what Pete would want."
It has not been disclosed how or where Peter Fanning died.
Mick Fanning came close to losing his own life in July after being forced to fight off a shark during a competition in South Africa.
Mick's mother, who is currently with him in Hawaii, said she was overwhelmed by the live televised footage of his close encounter with the shark.
"I just saw my boy going down. That was absolutely terrifying because I have lost a son before," Liz Osborne told Fairfax media.
Fanning's other brother, Sean, died in a car accident in 1998.
Immediately after clinching the Pipeline Masters title, Adriano de Souza spoke of conflicting emotions going into the final day of competition.
"I wish so much to give a hug to Mick's mum, but it's kind of scary as we are in a world title race and I didn't want to mix it up," de Souza said.
"I think Mick deserved it more than me, he's such a strong man, a three-time world champion. The strongest man I have met in my whole life." | Mick Fanning has missed out on a fourth world surf title in Hawaii after a strong performance overshadowed by the death of his brother Peter. |
Police said three 15-year-olds, two 16-year-olds and one 17-year-old struck 14 times in less than a month, threatening Birmingham motorists with knives and a firearm.
They have been given sentences of between five years and six months at youth offenders institutions.
All six pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob.
Read more news for Birmingham and the Black Country
At Birmingham Crown Court, one of the 15-year-olds, from Great Barr, was given five years after admitting conspiracy to rob, conspiracy to possess an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and dangerous driving.
A second 15-year-old, from Bordesley Green, was given three years, while a 16-year-old, from Shard End, was sentenced to two years.
The 17-year-old, from Quinton, and the second 16-year-old, from Woodgate Valley, were given eight months. The third 15-year-old, from Winson Green, was given six months.
Several motorists were physically assaulted and a moped rider was hit with a hammer as he tried to run away, West Midlands Police said.
It said they struck three times on the evening of 7 September, stealing a VW Polo at knifepoint in Winson Green and taking mopeds from two bikers in Kingstanding and Handsworth.
Examination of phones seized from the teen robbers revealed chat groups used to plan and boast about offences, suggestions on where to hide evidence and what to steal, West Midlands Police said.
Det Con Sam Price said: "These were very nasty offences and really quite shocking given their ages.
"Looking at the message exchanges they seemed to revel in the thrill of committing offences and almost deemed it as some kind of sick game." | A teenage gang which carried out violent car-jackings used chat groups to plan and boast about offences. |
Stabbing victim John Culshaw's remains were retained by Greater Manchester Police without his family's knowledge.
Dozens of other families have also been told their loved ones' body parts were kept by the force.
GMP said whether or not to contact the affected families was a decision it "agonised over for a number of months".
Mr Culshaw, 26, was stabbed to death in Wigan in 1993.
His family buried him believing his body was intact, and were unaware his stomach, liver and other tissues had been retained after two post-mortem examinations until police officers visited them in September last year.
His mother, Jennifer Shaw, said she wanted to know why it had taken so long to come to light.
"He's my son. And he's been left - half of him," she said.
"If he'd have died and they'd asked me if they could use the parts to help somebody, then yes. But just to be sat in a lab for 23 years doing nothing, that's just horrendous."
The body parts were discovered following an audit of the former Forensic Science Service in 2014, the Manchester Evening News revealed.
It found more than 180 samples - including major organs - from victims of crime in Greater Manchester were being held for the police force, which has admitted there could be more body parts unaccounted for.
It became illegal in 2006 to remove or store human tissue without families' consent following an investigation at Liverpool's Alder Hey hospital in 1999.
Organs from hundreds of babies who died at the hospital were secretly taken.
The body parts kept for Greater Manchester Police were removed before that date.
Assistant Chief Constable Debbie Ford said: "Once we knew about the samples we felt that such a sensitive issue was never going to be solely about following the regulations or the letter of the law.
"For this reason we consulted with a number of relevant people, including community and faith groups, as well as our own Ethics Committee. Following this extensive consultation it was agreed we had an ethical and moral duty to inform the next-of-kin in the vast majority of cases."
She said officers had offered a range of options for "sensitive disposal" of the samples, which the force would pay for.
However, families have been told some samples could remain unaccounted for "for various reasons", she said.
John Culshaw's family will bury his organs in a private second ceremony on Thursday.
"Somebody has made a big mistake. Not just me but a lot of other families are suffering as well," Ms Shaw said.
"I don't want anyone else to go through this. It's devastating." | A mother is preparing to bury her son for a second time after being told his organs were removed and stored in secret for more than 20 years. |
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said the impact on sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) "could not be fully mitigated".
The £1.1bn M4 proposal would cross four SSSIs along the Gwent Levels.
Welsh Government lawyers argued environmental concerns had to be balanced against other interests.
The inquiry in Newport heard the scheme would mean about 105 hectares of designated land, set aside for the protection of water invertebrates, would have to be lost.
The Gwent Levels' unique network of ditches, known as reens, were dug during Roman times and have since become a habitat for a range of rare species.
The Welsh Government has pledged to replace lost reens with new ones.
Dr Jessica Poole, of conservation body Natural Resources Wales (NRW), told the inquiry discussions between the regulator and the Welsh Government meant she was content with the proposed design of the new reens.
But she said there was no guarantee they would work, and it could be some time before they supported the aquatic insects the sites are meant to conserve.
Replicating a complex ecology that has developed over centuries would be "challenging", she said.
NRW said the Welsh Government had not demonstrated the project would comply with its statutory duty to promote sustainable development.
Should the alternative blue route, suggested by transport expert Prof Stuart Cole, be adopted - the motorway's impact on SSSI land would be "significantly reduced", Dr Poole said.
But the inquiry heard several issues NRW had raised in letters responding to the project's draft plans had been addressed and it was now satisfied on matters including water quality, drainage and some protected species such as otters and bats.
Morag Ellis QC, acting on behalf of the Welsh Government, said it was for Welsh ministers to balance any potential impact on SSSI land with other public interests related to the new motorway.
Claiming adverse effects were "fully mitigated for" was to apply a standard not in accordance with the law, she said.
She described the changes NRW had made to its initial objections after extensive discussions with Welsh Government as "a major step forward". | The scale of loss of conservation land caused by the proposed M4 relief road would be "unacceptable", a public inquiry has heard. |