Datasets:

autoevaluate

/

autoeval-eval-xsum-default-80767e-59416145366

like 0

Follow

Evaluation on the Hub 34

Jurors concluded the 96 victims of the 1989 disaster were unlawfully killed and there were police failings. Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham said "those responsible must be held to account" saying the force had gone back on its 2012 apology. The force's Police and Crime Commissioner said there had been an "erosion of trust". Dr Alan Billings said he had no choice but to act. The PCC said: "The continuing criticism that has been directed at the Chief Constable and the eroding trust and confidence in South Yorkshire Police I have been left with no choice other than to suspend David Crompton from his duties. "I have reached this decision with a heavy heart following discussions with David." Mr Crompton was due to retire in November after four years in the role. Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall, whose son James died in the tragedy, welcomed the suspension. "The system, the police force of South Yorkshire, ought to be ashamed of themselves and hang their heads in shame," she told crowds gathered at a vigil in Liverpool in memory of those who died, She added: "Let's hope that's only the beginning of what's going to happen - we have had 27 years of sleepless nights - let's hope you are getting yours now." About 30,000 were estimated to be at the vigil, where flowers and scarves were laid on the steps of St George's Hall in the city centre. Mr Burnham, who has backed the campaign for justice for the Hillsborough victims, had called for Mr Crompton's resignation in the House of Commons. He said the force had gone back on its 2012 public apology following the release of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report. Mr Burnham said: "Shamefully, the cover-up continued in this Warrington court room. Millions of pounds of public money were spent retelling discredited lies. "Lawyers for retired officers threw disgusting slurs; those for today's force tried to establish that others were responsible for the opening of the gate. "If the police had chosen to maintain its apology, these inquests would have been much shorter." Responding to calls for the force to be disbanded, Dr Billings said it was "too big a step". Although the PCC Dr Alan Billings suggests the decision to suspend David Crompton was triggered by reaction to the Hillsborough verdict, Mr Crompton's position has been under intense scrutiny for several years. In 2013 he had to apologise after accusing a Hillsborough campaign group of lying. In a memo written before the Independent Panel report on the tragedy, Mr Crompton had said his force needed to be "innovative" in its media handling otherwise they'd "just be roadkill." A year later, he came in for further criticism over South Yorkshire Police's search of Sir Cliff Richard's home, and last month a damning report revealed serious flaws in the way the force investigated child sexual exploitation. After the report was released, Mr Crompton announced he'd be retiring in November. Dr Billings' action could hasten the chief constable's departure but it illustrates a wider point: the power wielded by directly-elected police and crime commissioners. It is the fourth time since November 2012 that a PCC has suspended a chief constable - something that was very rarely seen under the previous system of police authorities. Lawyers acting on behalf of the 22 of the families welcomed the suspension. The statement from Broudie Jackson Canter said: "We hope and expect that his conduct will be subject to the rigorous and impartial scrutiny which has so long been denied to the families." Deputy Chief Constable Dawn Copley has temporarily taken over the chief role. In a statement, she said she had been "asked to act as Temporary Chief Constable" by the PCC "which I have agreed to do". "This is a significant day for South Yorkshire Police. "However, we are absolutely determined to maintain our focus on delivering the best possible policing services to the communities of South Yorkshire," she added. In 2012, Mr Crompton admitted "grave errors" were made during the Hillsborough disaster and has apologised "profoundly". On Tuesday after the inquests conclusions were delivered, he admitted the policing of the match was "catastrophically wrong" and "unequivocally" accepted the findings. Hours before his suspension, the force said: "We have never sought, at any stage, to defend the failures of South Yorkshire Police or its officers. "Nevertheless, these failures had to be put into the context of other contributory factors. In other words, where do the failings of SYP stand in the overall picture? "We are sorry if our approach has been perceived as at odds with our earlier apology, this was certainly not our intention." Home Secretary Theresa May has praised the "extraordinary dignity and determination" of the Hillsborough families. She said for 27 years the families and survivors "fought for justice from the authorities that should have been trusted, and have laid blame and tried to protect themselves." The families "have never faltered", she said, and commended their courage, determination and resolve. The fans died as a result of a crush during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium on 15 April 1989. Mrs May said the jury found that blunders by South Yorkshire's police and ambulance services "caused or contributed to" the deaths as a result of the disaster. The jury also concluded that Liverpool fans were not to blame for what happened. She read out the potential offences under investigation including gross negligence manslaughter, misconduct in a public office, perjury and perverting the course of justice. John Joyce, 72, who was at Sheffield Wednesday's ground on the day of the disaster, said like the families of the dead, he too wanted to see the police prosecuted. "From day one they were at fault. They called us robbers, pickpockets and everything. Rubbish. They switched the statements, it's been hard. I was at the game, I was in the stands, that's why I have lived with it for 27 rotten years," he said. The inquests jury heard more than two years of evidence at Britain's longest running inquests. Nine jurors reached unanimous decisions on all but one of the 14 questions at the inquests into UK's worst sporting disaster. The coroner Sir John Goldring said he would accept a majority decision about whether the fans were unlawfully killed - seven jurors agreed they were.

South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable David Crompton has been suspended following the Hillsborough inquests.

36154201

The law also permits 12-year-olds to be contracted to work for others. But they need parental authorisation. Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera said the new legislation reflects the needs of Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in South America. It also sets harsher punishment for violence against children. The law sets a sentence of 30 years in jail for child homicide. The measure, approved by Congress earlier this month, was signed into law by Mr Garcia in the absence of President Evo Morales, who was travelling to Brazil. "President Evo [Morales] intervened to make sure we found a balance between the reality and the law, between rights and international treaties," added Mr Garcia. More than 500,000 children already work to supplement the family income in Bolivia according to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef). Many work cleaning shoes and selling food in stalls in La Paz and other Bolivian cities. But others face extreme conditions in mines and in agriculture fields. Mr Morales's socialist government hopes the law will help eradicate extreme poverty in Bolivia. The International Labour Organisation says children under the age of 15 should not be allowed to work. But it allows a minimum working age of 14 for developing countries. "It would have been easier to pass a law in line with international conventions, but it would not be enforced because Bolivia's reality has other needs and characteristics," said Mr Garcia. The ILO says it is studying the legislation to decide whether it breaches international regulations on child labour.

Bolivia has lowered the legal working age to allow children to work from the age of 10 as long as they also attend school and are self-employed.

28360838

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.

37287613

He's been disqualified in the final at Queen's Club for kicking out at an advertising panel. But it wasn't just the panel that felt his frustration - the sign broke and cut the leg of a line judge. Nalbandian was disqualified for unsporting behaviour and the match was awarded to his opponent Marin Cilic. After the match, Nalbandian admitted he went too far saying, "I am very sorry, sometimes you get frustrated on court." Maybe he should think about a new career in sport - karate perhaps?

Argentinian tennis player David Nalbandian might be wishing he'd kept a lid on his temper.

18489476

In the Hautes Alpes, they are currently feeding beneath ski lifts on slopes that will soon be covered by a thick layer of snow. But this year the freedom to roam has been curtailed. Somewhere in the dark, dense forests a grey wolf is on the prowl. The wolf was hunted almost to extinction in France in the 1930s but, protected as an endangered species, it is making a surprising comeback. Some 200 wolves have colonised the southern regions of France, divided into about 20 packs. They are believed to have crossed from Italy in the mid-1990s and they are moving ever further north. Lionel Serres has 250 sheep on the mountainside this summer. Each night he pens them in behind electric fences. But the wolf is a cunning predator and so far it has killed 17 of his ewes, while 10 more are missing. Sheep spooked On the day we met, he was busy trying to recover an ewe that had been grabbed by a wolf around the neck. Its fleece was matted, thick with blood. "We have had lots of dead and injured sheep," said Lionel. "The flock is in a pretty sorry state. Some are lame, they are stressed, and some are so frightened they have miscarried lambs." At night the wolf will circle the pens until the sheep are spooked into jumping the electric fences. And so costly are these losses that in recent weeks Mr Serres has been forced to hire another shepherd, who will sleep alongside the sheep at night. He is not the only one with concerns. So angry are the farmers in this region, that on the road to Hautes Alpes, in south-eastern France, on the border with Italy, there are huge signs painted on the road - "NO to the wolf." Two hundred wolves might not sound like a huge problem. But this year there have been almost 600 attacks in which more than 2,000 sheep have been killed. That constitutes a rise of 20% on the same period last year. So, under pressure from farmers and faced with an increasing number of attacks, the local prefect has finally ordered a hunt for one individual wolf thought to be doing much of the damage. Since an anti-hunting code was agreed in 2004, only four wolves have been killed in France. Under the present rules, the wolf can only be shot legally by government marksmen or by shepherds trained and licensed to defend their flocks. Remy Saunier, the chief wolf catcher for the area, is now sending small, nightly patrols into the mountains. 'Mystical animal' "The wolf will always take the easiest prey," he said. "If it's easy he comes back, and that's what he's done here, every other night. We have tried to scare it with lights and noise but it returns. It is only our presence in these mountains that are limiting the wolf attacks. "Most people in France have welcomed the return of the wolf. It is a beautiful, mystical animal. But if these people woke in the morning to find their flock decimated, they might change their opinion." Critics say there is no evidence wolf attacks are out of control and they blame some of these sheep deaths on wild dogs. Moreover, as farmers receive 130 euros (£115; $190) in compensation for every sheep killed by a wolf, critics claim there is an incentive to exaggerate the problem. Jean-Francois Darmstaedter, the secretary general of Ferus, a French wolf protection agency, says the shepherds need to work harder to protect their sheep - though some shepherds, he points out, are wolf supporters. "Remember there are eight million dogs in France and 200 wolves," he said. "And I would bet there are more dog attacks in these mountains than wolf attacks. In this small region here we have a pack of 15 wolves, and something like 8,000 wild dogs. They aren't always in the mountains, but when they are, they cause a real mess." 'Heading for Paris' Mr Darmstaedter questions why the wolf has inspired such opposition in France. In neighbouring Italy, he says, pack numbers are three or four times as big. But then, the wolf has always provoked fear. In the 17th Century, so afraid were they of wolves, mostly rabid wolves, they were cursed in Gallic folklore by the story of Little Red Riding Hood. At a fair in Marvejols, further to the west, wolf expert Jean-Marc Moriceau is plugging his latest book, titled Man Against the Wolf. "The wolf is a successful predator," he said. "It can move huge distances in search of food. And we can safely assume that in 15 or 20 years' time, if no measures are put in place, then it's possible we will see one or two wolves hunting in the forests 80km to 100km [50-60 miles] south of Paris." Some say the expanding nature of the wolf's habitat will require that more controls are implemented - in France they are calling for a "wolf parliament", in which farmers, supporters, and politicians can all have their say. But the forests south of Paris are probably the grey wolf's limit. Western and northern France are no longer wooded or wild enough to sustain them - which means those who live in Paris, at least, can sleep easily in their beds.

In the summer months high on the French Alps the sheep graze on rich pastures.

14637701

The Lynx UK Trust has suggested trial reintroductions in Aberdeenshire, Argyll, Northumberland, Cumbria and Norfolk. It said the plan has public support and research it commissioned sets out benefits of the big cats' return. The National Farmers Union (NFU) has previously raised concerns. Scottish Natural Heritage, which is funded by the Scottish government, has also said reintroductions were "complex" and needed "considerable planning" to meet UK and international guidelines. Lynx became extinct in the UK 1,300 years ago. The Lynx UK Trust said 91% of 9,000 respondents to a survey it carried out were in favour of lynx being brought back to help control deer numbers. AECOM, consultants the trust commissioned to examine the benefits of lynx, have suggested that the cats could benefit eco-tourism as well as prevent deer from damaging crops. The trust said it now wants to hear views from landowners and farmers. Dr Paul O'Donoghue, of the trust, said: "Lynx reintroduction is a big step for all of us in the UK and this is the opportunity for a wide range of groups to really understand what it could mean, how they could be affected, and to tell us and the statutory agencies how they feel about it." Other organisations, including the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Trees for Life and Rewilding Britain, have separately said lynx could form an important part in "rewilding" areas of the UK. The Cairngorms National Park Authority has in the past weighed up the pros and cons of bringing back the big cats, and also wolves and bears. Of the three predators, lynx were deemed to have the least negative impact on farmers' businesses. NFU countryside adviser Claire Robinson said reintroductions raised "big concerns" for farmers in England. She said: "Any species introduction, particularly if it has not been in this country for hundreds of years, can have a massive impact on the many benefits that the countryside delivers. "The environment has changed drastically and we do not know how lynx would behave in the current environment. "But the biggest concern we have would be the impact on farm animals with lynx preying on lambs, poultry and outdoor piglets - those animals are farmers' livelihoods."

Farmers and landowners have been asked for their views on a proposal to bring back lynx to parts of Scotland and England.

34649320

Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Sunderland means United remain six points adrift of the Premier League top four. Asked afterwards if United can still make the Champions League places, Van Gaal said: "It will be very difficult. "After this match, the Europa League is our best route but it will not be easy because there are so many good teams." Since last season, the winners of the Europa League have been rewarded with a place in either the Champions League final qualifying stage or the group stage. United play the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie against Danish side FC Midtjylland on Thursday. They play Shrewsbury in the FA Cup next weekend and do not return to Premier League action until 28 February when they play third-placed Arsenal at Old Trafford. Van Gaal says he has not given up hope of matching United's fourth-place finish from his first campaign in charge, but has warned his squad that it now looks unlikely. "We have given five points away against Chelsea and now Sunderland, so it is too much at this time," he added. "I have said that also to the players, because you cannot close your eyes to it. It is still possible but the Europa League is easier I think. "It is also not so easy, because there is also a fantastic level in that competition, so we will have to fight for it."

Winning the Europa League is now Manchester United's "easiest route" into next season's Champions League, according to manager Louis van Gaal.

35570134

The girls were "touched inappropriately" in the Castaway Camp playground at the park in Windsor, Berkshire, on Thursday 11 August. Thames Valley Police refused to give the suspect's age or say where he was arrested, citing "safeguarding issues". The boy has since been released on police bail until 2 December. Police previously issued an E-fit of a suspect, who was described as a white man in his teens or early twenties. Officers said he was white, under 5ft 8in tall, wearing dark slim-fitting trousers, a dark t-shirt and trainers. Police began following up new leads in September after a reconstruction was shown on BBC One's Crimewatch. A 22-year-old man previously arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attacks was released without charge. Thames Valley Police said: "This is remains a live investigation and we continue to appeal for the public's help".

A boy has been arrested in connection with the sexual assault of two six-year-old girls during a trip to Legoland.

37839521

Tourism NI said it expects a strategy to be in place by early next year. Janice Gault from the Hotels Federation told the BBC's Inside Business programme it was crucial for the industry. She said a "partnership" approach was essential. "I mean we've really urged people to get a strategy at sort of quite a high level so that everybody can buy into that," she said. "Hotels have probably spent about a billion pounds in the last decade and are set to spend more." Ms Gault said another big boom was expected in the hotel market which would probably generate another half a billion pounds. "The funny thing about the strategy is we still have the target, but we don't have the strategy. We only have one way to go and that's growth and the way for us to get that is to partnership," she added.

The Hotels Federation has called for a proper tourism strategy for Northern Ireland to help boost growth in the sector.

33951665

South Wales Fire and Rescue said its crews tackled the blaze throughout the night at the former White Hart Pub on Newbridge Road, Pontllanfraith. They were called to the premises in the Sirhowy Valley village at about 19:30 GMT on Saturday. Fire crews were back at the scene on Sunday checking for any hotspots after extinguishing the flames. A joint investigation with police is now under way to establish how the fire was started, and who was responsible.

A fire at a disused pub in Caerphilly county was set deliberately, firefighters have said.

35275832

The boat is understood to have capsized in the Durris area, at Craiglug. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service initially said one of the three - believed to be teenagers - made it ashore, and efforts were being made to reach the other two who were stranded on an island in the river. They were later rescued by boat. The alert was raised shortly after 13:45.

Three girls who sparked a rescue effort in the River Dee in Aberdeenshire after reports of a boat getting into difficulties are all safe and well.

36047508

Corrie Mckeague, 23, based at RAF Honington in Suffolk, vanished after a night out in the town 11 days ago. Suffolk Police said the three young people aged between 16 and 18 were seen at Short Brackland at 04:20 BST on 24 September. They could be "potential witnesses", the force said. For updates on this story, visit BBC Suffolk Live Acting Supt Kim Warner appealed to the trio: "We appreciate that getting in touch with police may be intimidating but we do need to speak to you. "At this stage in the investigation we just need to talk to anyone who may have seen Corrie during his night out so we can build a picture." One of the teenagers is described as a white female, of quite slim build, wearing either a dark green or navy blue jumper-style top. The other two were both males, one wearing a hooded top. They were seen towards the back of Cornhill Walk shopping centre, police said. Acting Supt Warner added: "We need to find Corrie and a number of inquiries are being carried out to do this. "We know from CCTV images that we have already viewed that he engaged with a number of people during his evening out. "We have had several calls but still need to talk to anyone who may have seen him or spoken to him during the early hours." Mr Mckeague was last spotted on CCTV walking alone and eating fast food in Bury St Edmunds at 03:20 on 24 September. It is thought he stopped for a brief nap in a doorway before setting off to walk the nine miles (15km) back to the RAF Honington base alone.

Police searching for a missing RAF serviceman want to trace three teenagers spotted in Bury St Edmunds on the day of his disappearance.

37566445

He was appointed by Nigel Farage in 2014. Nevertheless, he still thinks he enjoys the support of the majority of UKIP members. Now he must convince party members in north Wales to put him on top of their list of candidates for May's assembly election. In each of the assembly's five regions, UKIP's candidates will be ranked in a ballot of party members. Mr Gill says he fought for that ballot inside the party's National Executive Committee (NEC). Some were worried about candidates imposed on them from outside Wales - candidates like former Tory MPs Mark Reckless and Neil Hamilton. Mr Gill won't be drawn on individuals. It's up to members to decide, he says. But some say Mr Gill didn't do enough - that the entire selection process should have been handled in Wales and that Mr Gill should stand down "I've worked in Wales for UKIP for 11 years. I know the vast majority of members. I've canvassed with people all over Wales in every single area," he says. "I know the quality of the people that we've got, the passionate membership, the capability that we have. And I've stood up for them. "And maybe some of the members haven't seen that because it's happened behind closed doors. But I've stood up for Wales." Critics in other parties, who dismiss UKIP as anti-Welsh, will raise an eyebrow at that statement. But the critics in his own party are the bigger problem. And because the decisions on how candidates are selected were taken in three private NEC meetings, unless those critics were in the room they have to take Mr Gill at his word. "There are people obviously who don't like me. There are people who do like me. But I think the people who back me by far outweigh those who don't." Some of those speaking out are motivated by "personal reasons", he thinks, having changed their minds about standing as candidates. And those who say he fails to represent the rank-and-file are talking "nonsense". Compared to the other parties, UKIP's selection procedure has been messy. But UKIP sells itself as the antidote to other parties. Despite being an MEP, Mr Gill doesn't see himself as part of a political class. Perhaps that's not surprising in a climate where politicians are routinely traduced. Who would identify themselves as members of the political class? I met him his at his home - a family-run bed and breakfast on Anglesey where he and his wife Jana are raising their five children. Does part of him think he could do without the flack from those who want him to quit? "Part of me does think that of course, I'm human. I've got a beautiful family. I've got a life outside politics." So why carry on? "Because we have the most important election in Wales for us in five years. We must get UKIP representation in that assembly. "And also, very likely in five or six months time we will have the whole raison d'etre of UKIP. "The whole reason why I joined UKIP is that referendum whether or not Britain should be a member of European Union. "Whether we should be governed by Brussels or whether we think we're big enough to make our own laws. "That is why I joined the party. I can't give up at the last hurdle."

Unlike the other four main party leaders in Wales, Nathan Gill wasn't elected by his party members.

35540298

Media playback is not supported on this device The Spaniard became the only man to win three times so far this season. He drove a controlled race and stayed just far enough ahead of his pursuers to maintain the lead. Great strategy calls from the team to keep me ahead through the pit stops. I knew it would be a long race to the end Button climbed up from sixth on the grid to pass Vettel at the second pit stops but was re-passed with two laps to go. However, the Englishman was promoted to second place after race stewards gave Vettel a 20-second penalty for his overtake of Button on the penultimate lap. Lewis Hamilton retired with gearbox damage after running well down the field following an early puncture. But he will not incur any penalty for a gearbox change because of his retirement. The result extends Alonso's championship lead to 34 points ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber who had a low-key race to eighth place, never showing any real pace. Alonso said: "It was tough, not an easy race. Maybe we were not the quickest in dry conditions but we were competitive and it was enough to maintain the lead. "Great strategy calls from the team to keep me ahead through the pit stops. I knew it would be a long race to the end, with Jenson putting pressure. "But the car was feeling good on top speed and traction and that was enough to keep the lead into Turn 6, and after that overtaking is not so easy." Media playback is not supported on this device The only consolation for Hamilton on the occasion of his 100th grand prix was that the McLaren showed encouraging pace following a major performance upgrade. At one stage, Hamilton unlapped himself on Vettel - although not Alonso - as he attempted vainly to recover from his early set-back. A move which angered the double world champion. Alonso was never very far in front but was always able to stay just far enough ahead of first Vettel and then Button to ensure they could not use their DRS overtaking aids to pass him into the hairpin at Turn 6. It led to a tense grand prix in which the identity of the winner was always in doubt until Alonso took the chequered flag. The Ferrari made a lightning start from pole position and although Vettel quickly closed up the initial gap Alonso had built on the first lap, the Spaniard was able to pull clear before their first pit stops to ensure he held the lead into the second stint. Meanwhile, Button was fighting past Hulkenberg and then Schumacher, to move quietly into third place. Vettel emerged from his first pit stop five seconds ahead of Button but the McLaren closed remorselessly on the Red Bull and passed the German by making his second stop a lap earlier. Vettel emerged from the pits to find Button on his outside on the run to Turn 2, and the McLaren easily took the position. Button was rarely more than a second behind Alonso from then until the end of the race but the Ferrari driver was always in control and in the closing laps he stretched away as Button began to lose grip in his rear tyres. Rather than try to take the lead, Button had to spend the closing laps fighting off a late challenge from Vettel, who passed him at the Turn 6 hairpin on the penultimate lap. Vettel said: "The pace was there but it was extremely difficult when I was close to Fernando and Jenson we seemed to lose a lot and not be able to stay close enough to try to something under braking. "I am not entirely happy, it could have been a bit better if it was clean air most of the race but that was not the case. Second place was the best we could get today and I am happy with that." Button said: "It was a close race and I couldn't quite get Fernando at the end. "When you are in the middle of three you really have to fight and I was pushing a little bit more in the early part of the stint, whereas when you're in front you can coast a bit in the bits where you don't need to push. "It was close but Fernando knows as we all do where to use Kers to keep someone behind you. I ran out of steam at the end of the straight and the gap was a little bit too big to get back. "But it was a fun race and it's nice to be on the podium again. I've had my feeling back the last two races but the pace hasn't been there [in the car], but today it was. We're there or thereabouts at the front, still a little way to go." Raikkonen provided some exciting racing as he moved up from 10th on the grid. On the way, Raikkonen engaged in top-class racing with Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher and the Force Indias of Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta. Schumacher finished seventh behind Sauber drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez. Hulkenberg and Di Resta took the final points positions in ninth and 10th.

Ferrari's Fernando Alonso beat Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and McLaren's Jenson Button in a close fight to win the German Grand Prix.

18944949

Innogy Renewables UK Ltd had been proposing a hydroelectric scheme on the River Conwy, near Betws y Coed in Snowdonia National Park. But on Wednesday it said it had decided to shelve the Conwy Falls project. The application had been due to be considered by Conwy council planning committee next week. Innogy Renewables UK said the decision to withdraw the application was made following a late request for additional information. It said that Natural Resources Wales' river basin management plan for western Wales had been updated last December, including a change to the sensitivity of salmon fisheries, following which further information had been requested. The project, providing power to 3,200 households, attracted opposition from environmentalists, anglers, canoeists and businesses. The firm has previously said it would have had a positive impact on the environment but campaigners were worried half an acre of the centuries-old Fairy Glen Wood would be destroyed by the build. In March, the park's authority turned the plans down, asking for clarification on "minor issues". Innogy Renewables UK Ltd said it would now consider its next steps. Conservation charity the Snowdonia Society said it was "relieved that the immediate threat to the wonderful Conwy Falls and Fairy Glen has passed, but concerned that it could resurface yet again".

Controversial plans for a £12m renewable energy project at a Conwy county waterfall beauty spot have been withdrawn.

37559882

The 30-year-old Scot was sent off after 20 minutes of the Exiles' 45-14 loss to Bath on Saturday. Meanwhile, Wasps prop Lorenzo Cittadini has been given a one-week ban after pleading guilty to punching Gloucester back Billy Twelvetrees on Sunday. Saracens' Jacques Burger has been given a one-week ban for bad sportsmanship.

London Irish scrum-half Brendan McKibbin has been suspended for three weeks by the Rugby Football Union for stamping on Bath's Henry Thomas.

34788695

The home side surged to an early lead at Pittodrie when Ryan Christie scored with a header after just four minutes. The Cypriot side grew in confidence and stature in the second half, though, and equalised through Ribeiro Santana. Yet indiscipline cost the visitors, with Esteban Sachetti dismissed before Shinnie's winner. Apollon head coach Sofronis Avgousti had already been sent to the stand, just after the Cypriot side equalised. It may have been a rare home European win for the Dons, but given their excellent away form in the Europa League they will be confident of seeing the job through in Larnaca next Thursday night; and they did it without their main hitman. Only Mark McGhee, John Hewitt and Drew Jarvie have scored more European goals for Aberdeen than Adam Rooney, but he may have to wait until the final qualifying round to add the nine he already has. The Irishman had a scan on a hamstring injury the day before the first leg tie and faces a race to be fit not just for the second leg in Cyprus but also the Premiership opener at home to Hamilton on Sunday week. Early on, it didn't look as if the loss of their most prolific striker in recent years would matter that much. Aberdeen started impressively, with a performance of pace, intensity and pressing that Apollon found hard to resist. They were also boosted by an early goal, with Celtic's on-loan midfielder Christie once again the man that mattered after scoring in the home leg against Siroki Brijeg before creating both in the away win in the last round. This time, the midfielder linked up effectively with former Celtic winger Gary Mackay-Steven, looping in a header from the latter's inviting cross from the left. Greg Stewart came in for some heavy treatment from Sachetti and the Argentinian midfielder was lucky to escape with only a yellow card for a shocking challenge on the former Dundee striker. However, to their credit the Cypriot side somehow survived the Dons early onslaught and started to play their way into the game with some neat passing movement that only lacked a cutting edge. It was unsurprising that Christie came closest to increasing Aberdeen's lead before the break with another lovely bit of skill at the edge of penalty area, only to see his shot fly just wide. Like the home leg against Siroki Brijeg, though, Aberdeen looked second best for long spells after the break, with substitute Antonio Jakolis causing problems down the right wing, so much so that he created an equaliser. The Croatian burst clear before pulling the ball back for Brazillian left back Jander to force an effort over the line from close range. It looked ominous for Aberdeen at that stage but Avgousti was sent to the stand before the restart and worse was to follow when Sachetti picked up a second yellow card after flattening Christie with 19 minutes remaining. The captain Shinnie rose to the occasion, with a stunning strike right out of the blue from 20 yards that arched its way into the top right-hand corner of the net.

Graeme Shinnie's 25-yard strike secured Aberdeen a narrow victory over Apollon Limassol in the first leg of the Europa League third qualifying round tie.

40692502

Former party leader Nick Clegg called her comments "utter cheek". "It is Theresa May's extreme version of Brexit which will cause real damage to the NHS," he added. The prime minister gave a speech earlier on Tuesday in which she stressed that she was the best person to lead talks on leaving the EU. She also told the audience in Wolverhampton: "If we don't make a success of Brexit, we won't have the financial means to fund the public services on which we all rely. "Our National Health Service - the institution which is there for us at the most difficult times - needs us to make a success of Brexit to ensure we can afford to provide it with the resources it needs for the future." Mr Clegg responded: "By insisting on dragging the UK out of the single market, she has chosen a UKIP-style version of Brexit which is already causing a squeeze on public services." "It's time she came clean that the risks are all of her own making. It is her choice to take this country in a dangerous and damaging direction." The Conservatives have promised increases in NHS spending in real terms reaching £8bn extra per year by 2022-23, while Labour has pledged £30bn in extra funding over the next parliament. The Lib Dems have committed to adding 1p in the pound on income tax to raise £6bn for NHS and social care services. They are also arguing for a referendum on the eventual Brexit deal, unlike Labour or the Conservatives.

The Liberal Democrats have reacted angrily to Theresa May's claim that a badly managed Brexit would mean fewer resources for public services.

40099523

Charteris left Newport Gwent Dragons for Perpignan in 2012 and then signed for Racing 92 in 2014. The 62-cap, 6ft 9in player is out of contract at the end of the 2015-16 season and would then join the Premiership club. Gloucester had also held discussions with the 32-year-old, while the Dragons had hoped to re-sign him. Racing and Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips believes Charteris' departure would be a blow for the French club. "If we do lose his talents then obviously it is a massive loss. He is one of Wales' best players at the moment," he said. "There are not many 6ft 9in guys who can make as many tackles as he makes - 18 or 20 tackles [a game]. "He carries balls, he scrummages well, he can do everything on the rugby field and is such an athlete." Newport Gwent Dragons coach Kingsley Jones said they would like to re-sign Charteris, but feared they would be outbid by English and French clubs. Bath already have a Wales lock in their squad. Dominic Day joined the club in 2012 and signed a contract extension with them in January 2015. In October, last season's Premiership runners-up missed out on the signing of Dragons back-row forward Taulupe Faletau after Wales coach Warren Gatland blocked the move. Wales fly-half Rhys Priestland is also at Bath and concentrating on his club career during a sabbatical from Test rugby.

Wales second-row Luke Charteris is set to join Bath from Racing 92 on a three-year contract.

34836996

Media playback is not supported on this device The Tigers are 19th in the table after Monday's 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough. They had only 13 senior players available on the opening day of the season, and signed six in the last two days of the summer transfer window. "Our signings have done their bit but they were last minute," said Davies. "I don't believe the manager had time to explore all of his options." Mike Phelan succeeded Steve Bruce as Hull boss in July but was only given the job on a permanent basis in October. The Tigers have scored only 11 league goals this season, fewer than any other team in the top flight. "We need someone who can put the ball in the net," added Davies. In a dour affair at the Riverside that was settled by a Gaston Ramirez header, Phelan's side did not seriously threaten the home goal until injury time. "Our first shot on target was in the 92nd minute and that is not good enough," said Davies, who described his side as "gutless" and "embarrassing" after a 6-1 defeat at Bournemouth in October. Hull, who have lost eight of their past 10 league games, were without six injured players and the suspended Dieumerci Mbokani for the trip to Boro. "Hopefully come January we will look different," said Phelan. "We need that investment. We can't afford any more injuries, it is going to be a hard slog throughout Christmas."

Hull City need help as they fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League, says defender Curtis Davies.

38215296

James Vaughan broke the deadlock on 61 minutes before doubling the Shakers' lead six minutes later. But Bury's Niall Maher was dismissed for giving away a 70th-minute penalty, which Shaun Williams converted. Callum Butcher then headed an 86th-minute equaliser before substitute Aiden O'Brien claimed a stoppage-time winner to stretch Bury's club-record losing run to 10 games. Mid-table Millwall were actually awarded a penalty early on, only for referee Chris Sarginson to change his mind. Vaughan then headed wide and team-mate Neil Danns had a shot deflected off target Millwall replied with Harry Smith and Fred Onyedinma going close, while Joel Martin's free-kick was tipped over after the break. But Mayor crossed for Vaughan to head in off the bar before the Bury striker side-footed home from a Scott Burgess lay-off. Moments later Onyedinma's goalbound effort was blocked by Maher's arm and Williams swept the spot-kick into the corner. Keeper Ben Williams kept out an Onyedinma header as Millwall pressed, but the Lions levelled as Butcher scored from Shane Ferguson's free-kick, before O'Brien turned in Mahlon Romeo's low cross. Report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Bury 2, Millwall 3. Second Half ends, Bury 2, Millwall 3. Kelvin Etuhu (Bury) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Fred Onyedinma (Millwall) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Kelvin Etuhu (Bury). Corner, Bury. Conceded by Fred Onyedinma. Attempt blocked. Danny Mayor (Bury) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration. Goal! Bury 2, Millwall 3. Aiden O'Brien (Millwall) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Fred Onyedinma. Attempt missed. Harry Smith (Millwall) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Attempt missed. Antony Kay (Bury) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high following a set piece situation. Foul by Aiden O'Brien (Millwall). Tom Pope (Bury) wins a free kick on the right wing. Attempt blocked. Danny Mayor (Bury) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Goal! Bury 2, Millwall 2. Callum Butcher (Millwall) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Shane Ferguson following a set piece situation. Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Danny Mayor. Substitution, Millwall. Alfie Pavey replaces Joe Martin. Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Ben Williams. Attempt saved. Shaun Williams (Millwall) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Attempt missed. Harry Smith (Millwall) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Attempt missed. Callum Butcher (Millwall) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Substitution, Millwall. Callum Butcher replaces Nadjim Abdou. Attempt missed. Tony Craig (Millwall) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Foul by Kelvin Etuhu (Bury). Mahlon Romeo (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt missed. Harry Smith (Millwall) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Antony Kay (Bury) is shown the yellow card. Harry Smith (Millwall) is shown the yellow card. Goal! Bury 2, Millwall 1. Shaun Williams (Millwall) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner. Niall Maher (Bury) is shown the red card. Penalty conceded by Niall Maher (Bury) with a hand ball in the penalty area. Goal! Bury 2, Millwall 0. James Vaughan (Bury) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Scott Burgess. Attempt missed. James Vaughan (Bury) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Attempt missed. Scott Burgess (Bury) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Substitution, Millwall. Aiden O'Brien replaces David Worrall. Goal! Bury 1, Millwall 0. James Vaughan (Bury) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Danny Mayor. Corner, Millwall. Conceded by Ben Williams. Attempt saved. Shane Ferguson (Millwall) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Foul by Kelvin Etuhu (Bury). Shaun Williams (Millwall) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Millwall recovered from two goals down to get back to winning ways with victory at 10-man Bury.

38035281

Alice's family had asked for the scope of the inquest to include why Arnis Zalkalns was allowed to live unchecked in the UK. The chief suspect who was jailed for murdering his wife in Latvia, Zalkalns was found hanged in west London. Alice's parents said they welcomed the coroner's decision. The full inquest, to be held in front of a jury, will start in June. Alice, 14, went missing on 28 August last year having last been seen alive on the Grand Union Canal towpath near Hanwell. Her body was found on 30 September after Scotland Yard's biggest search operation since the July 7 bombings in 2005. Builder Zalkalns, 41, is believed to have killed Alice in a sexually motivated attack and then dumped her body. He had been imprisoned in Latvia for murdering his wife but was released and travelled to the UK in 2007. His body was found in woodland in Boston Manor Park. Police said he would have been charged with Alice's murder had he lived. Alice Gross investigation - timeline The Gross family lawyer asked at a pre-hearing in October that the inquest should cover whether there was any failure by the authorities to implement statutory safeguards to protect the public under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights - the right to life. Sitting at the High Court earlier, Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox said she accepted the submissions, adding that witnesses would be called to determine "how he (Zalkalns) came to be in the country in the first place, given his convictions for murder and firearms offences". The inquest will also look at "the systems that were in place at the time, and whether appropriate checks were carried out". Katerina Laiblova, Zalkalns' girlfriend, could be called to give evidence to the inquest about his mental state prior to his death, Dr Wilcox added. In 2009 Zalkans was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a teenage girl but no charges followed. At the time of that alleged offence it appeared he was still subject to a supervisory or probationary arrangement in Latvia, that hearing was told. A statement from Alice's parents, Ros Hodgkiss and Jose Gross, said they were pleased "at the range of information that the coroner is willing to put in front of the jury". They also said it was their hope that the coroner "will be able to make recommendations to prevent this kind of thing happening again". A further pre-inquest hearing is scheduled to taken place in April.

The inquest into the death of Alice Gross will examine whether failures by the government and police contributed to her death, a coroner has ruled.

35075826

The Italian, who won last month's Fifa elections to succeed Sepp Blatter, inaugurated the facility in the war-torn country's capital Juba. He also attended the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between South Sudan and Benin, which the away side won 2-1. South Sudan played their first official friendly, against Uganda, in July 2012. It was only in 2011 that organised football was first played in South Sudan, after the country gained its independence from Sudan. South Sudan officials dressed Infantino in traditional robes and made him dance. Officials also produced a large cake to celebrate the Italian's 46th birthday. After gaining independence from Sudan in 2011, South Sudan erupted into civil war in December 2013. Infantino, who won last month's Fifa elections to succeed Sepp Blatter, is due to visit South American football confederation CONMEBOL from 28 to 29 March in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.

South Sudan Football Association's new office was opened by new Fifa president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday.

35873973

Ian Coulter, formerly of Tughans, has been questioned under caution as part of the criminal probe into the deal. He was interviewed on Wednesday and released without charge. Mr Coulter left Tughans after a dispute over a success fee linked to the deal. Nama, a state-owned so-called 'bad bank', was set up in the Republic of Ireland to take control of property loans made by the country's banks before the financial crash in 2008. It sold all of its Northern Ireland property loans to US investment firm Cerberus in April 2014 for £1.24bn. In the wake of that deal, Cerberus indirectly paid a fee of £7.5m to Tughans. A large portion of that money was then moved to an Isle of Man bank account under the control Mr Coulter. The account was allegedly intended to facilitate payments to non-lawyers or deal fixers. That caused a major dispute between Mr Coulter and the other Tughans partners. The money was moved back from the Isle of Man and Mr Coulter left the firm earlier this year. Independent politician Mick Wallace made allegations about fixers' fees linked to the deal in the Irish parliament in July. The NCA, the UK's equivalent of the FBI, then began a criminal investigation into the Nama deal after allegations about payments were made in the Irish parliament in July. The Northern Ireland Assembly and the Irish parliament also launched inquiries into the loans sale.

National Crime Agency (NCA) detectives investigating the sale of the National Asset Management Agency's (Nama) Northern Ireland loans portfolio have interviewed a former managing partner of a Belfast legal firm.

34744144

British police accuse him of stealing $250m (£160m) over eight years. The prosecutor called him a "thief in government house". Ibori, once seen as one of Nigeria's wealthiest and most influential politicians, was arrested in 2010 in Dubai and then extradited to London. Some $35m of his alleged UK assets were frozen in 2007. As his trial at London's Southwark Crown Court was about to begin, Mr Ibori changed his plea to guilty and admitted stealing money from Delta state and laundering it in London through a number of offshore companies. The BBC's Chris Summers says between 20 and 30 of Mr Ibori's supporters turned up to court - some wearing T-shirts with the slogan "Free Ibori". There was not enough room for them all in the public gallery. Prosecuting QC Sasha Wass said Mr Ibori, 53, had "tricked" his way into becoming Delta state governor, by giving a false date of birth and claiming he had no criminal record. "He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house. As the pretender of that public office, he was able to plunder Delta state's wealth and hand out patronage." He is due to be sentenced on 16 April. Ibori's wife, Theresa, his sister, Christine, his mistress, Udoamaaka Okoronkwo, and his London solicitor, Bhadresh Gohil, have all been convicted of money-laundering. Their convictions could only be reported on Monday after reporting restrictions were lifted. Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had asked the UK's Metropolitan Police to look into the ex-governor's financial affairs. "The vast sums of money involved were used to fund Mr Ibori's lavish lifestyle," Detective Inspector Paul Whatmore, the officer in charge of the investigation, said. "We will now be actively seeking the confiscation of all of his stolen assets so they can be repatriated for the benefit of the people of Delta State." He said that the money Ibori stole should have been used to pay for sanitation, power supplies and healthcare for some of the poorest people in the world. Ibori spent some of the stolen money buying six houses in London - he paid £2.2m in cash for one Hampstead mansion - and put his children in expensive British private schools, police say. Three of the money-laundering charges relate to the sale of Delta state's share in mobile phone company V-Mobile to neighbouring Akwa Ibom state. This raised $37m which Ibori stole and laundered through his solicitor Gohil, who has been jailed for 10 years. In 2007, a UK court froze assets allegedly belonging to him worth $35m. His annual salary as Delta state governor was less than $25,000. He had already left the UK when his assets were seized but he was arrested in Nigeria later that year. The charges were dismissed but he was then re-arrested in Dubai on a British warrant. Ibori has been convicted in the UK before - in 1991 for stealing, in cahoots with his wife who worked as a cashier, from the Neasden, London, branch of the DIY shop Wickes. He was also found guilty in 1992 for being in possession of a stolen credit card and having used it to fraudulently withdraw $1,590. Nigeria is one of the world's biggest oil producers. Under its federal system, state governors enjoy huge powers and control budgets larger than those of many West African countries. They have immunity from prosecution while in office. Two other former state governors have been convicted of corruption charges in Nigeria, after fleeing the UK while free on bail.

James Ibori, a former governor of one of Nigeria's oil-producing states, has pleaded guilty in a UK court to 10 counts of money-laundering and conspiracy to defraud.

17181056

Eleanor Hawkins, 23, from Derbyshire, was among a group of 10 people who stripped before taking photographs at the peak of Mount Kinabalu on 30 May. She admitted public indecency along with three other western tourists, one Dutch and two Canadians, and was imprisoned for three days. All four have now left the island. Noor Alam Khan Abdul Wahid Khan, the immigration department director of the Malaysian state Sabah, told the BBC Hawkins left Kota Kinabalu for Kuala Lumpur at 17:35 local time (10:35 BST) on Malaysia Airlines. The other three, Dutch national Dylan Snel, 23, and Canadian siblings Lindsey, 23, and Danielle Peterson, 22, left earlier on Saturday for Kuala Lumpur. Hawkins, whose sentence was back-dated to reflect time already served, was also fined 5,000 Malaysian ringgit (£860/$1,330) on Friday. She and her co-accused all admitted a charge of "committing an obscene act in public". Hawkins, who is from the Derbyshire village of Draycott, said she had been "stupid and disrespectful". Prosecutors said the four tourists, along with six others, climbed the peak to enjoy the sunrise on 30 May and then challenged each other to take off their clothes and pose for photographs. The move caused widespread offence in the region and was regarded as the cause of a magnitude 5.9 earthquake near the mountain, which is considered sacred. The earthquake, on 5 June, killed 18 people, including children, and left hundreds more stranded. Sabah state deputy chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan blamed it on the travellers showing "disrespect to the sacred mountain".

A British woman jailed for taking her clothes off on a mountain in Malaysia has left Borneo ahead of returning to the UK later.

33112680

They have not been seen since 17 May after visiting their home country of Bangladesh. It is believed the family stopped in Turkey on their way home before entering the war-torn country. A statement from relatives in the UK said they were "devastated" and the disappearance was "out of character". Bedfordshire Police said it had not confirmed whether the family had crossed the border, but inquiries were ongoing. It has not said whether any family member was on any terror lists. The family is: The BBC understands Muhammed Mannan has diabetes and his wife Minera Khatun has cancer. The couple live in Luton with other family members. The family was reported missing to police by two sons, understood to be Mr Mannan's from a previous marriage, who live in Luton. One of the sons declined to talk to the BBC. Police said the family flew to Bangladesh on 10 April and flew back to Istanbul on 11 May. They were due back at Heathrow three days later but failed to return. Community leader Ashuk Ahmed said he had known the family for 35 years, with Mr Mannan going to the local mosque a number of times a day. "Initially they went to Bangladesh and on the way back they stopped at Turkey," he said. "Many families do - Turkish Airlines offers a break in Turkey either to Bangladesh or on the way back. "The community is extremely worried about the family. There are three generations." He said no-one knew if they had joined a specific extremist Islamist group in Syria. However, he said people in the community had told him some women in the family might have been radicalised and took the rest of the family with them to Bangladesh to avoid detection. Neighbour Syed Hussain said police visited the family house after they went missing and took out paperwork. He said he heard the family went to Syria and he "felt sorry" for the elderly couple who "probably don't know anything about it". Bedfordshire Police said a family member had been in touch with relatives in the UK but they did not say where they were. So far 42 other British jihadists are thought to be in Syria or Iraq. The total includes Luton man Abu Aziz who fled the UK after being convicted of an attack on a member of the public. Luton mother-of-six Runa Khan was jailed last year for inciting terrorism in Syria. It is not known if the missing family knew Aziz or Khan. In a statement, Bedfordshire Police said: "Police can confirm they are investigating the disappearance of a missing family of 12 from Luton who failed to return home from a holiday to Bangladesh. "There is a suggestion that the family may have gone to Syria, however police have so far been unable to corroborate that information. "Police are continuing with their enquiries and are working with relatives who are still in the UK." A statement from relatives said: "We are devastated by the disappearance of these 12 and are very concerned for their safety. "This is completely out of character and we are very worried of the danger they may now be in. "This just does not make any sense. We can only think they have been tricked into going there, it is no place for elderly or young people. "We would urge any of them to please make contact with us or the police to let us know they are ok."

A family of 12 from Luton, including a baby and two grandparents, could have travelled to Syria after going missing, police have said.

33347117

Anagha Nikam was travelling by rail when she spotted a mother trying to find milk for her baby daughter. She tweeted to the ministry and asked for help, and milk was provided at the next station. The ministry is known for being proactive on Twitter, and has helped many distressed passengers in the past. The baby born in a bank queue in India's cash crisis Mother names baby born in taxi 'Uber' Ms Nikam's Twitter communication with Konkan Railway, a division of Indian Railways, happened on 12 March, but the story came to light after the ministry tweeted about it on Thursday. She was travelling in the Happa Express in the western state of Maharashtra when she used social media to seek help for the family. Here is how her Twitter exchange with rail staff unfolded: Ms Nikam was not the only who thanked the officials - others praised the ministry too for being proactive.

India's railway ministry is receiving praise on social media after it acted on a tweet from a train and provided milk to a hungry baby.

39288247

A Monitor report published in February called for the closure of acute services including the A&E department. The trust that runs the hospital was put into administration by the health regulator Monitor on Monday. Support Stafford Hospital campaigners and police said up to 30,000 people had joined the mile-long march, from the town centre to the hospital. The campaign group said the town's Market Square was so full of protesters it took 45 minutes for it to clear after the march started at about 1400 BST. Thousands of people had previously signed a petition calling for Stafford Hospital's services to remain and a campaign shop from the protest group has been set up in the town centre. By Chris KingBBC Radio Stoke For the past four years the name "Stafford Hospital" has been a byword for everything that is bad about the NHS. Today, 30,000 people turned out with their banners and placards to send out the message that they believe their hospital is now safe, and they are prepared to fight for its future. The special administrators were not there today but they will find it hard to ignore the views of so many people. Last week they told me that they were starting with a blank sheet of paper when it came to the future of services at the Mid Staffordshire Trust. This afternoon the people of Stafford gave them a clear indication of what they'd like them to write on it. Jean Tabarner, one of the marchers, said she had had cancer and that Stafford Hospital had saved her life. She said: "We've got to try - if you don't try, no-one will listen. We've got to keep plugging away and hope that the administrators listen to what the people around here want." Sue Hawkins, chair of the Support Stafford Hospital group, said she believed it was important for people to move on from what had happened in the past at the hospital. She said: "We've got a safe hospital today and we're looking to the future." She added: "We need to have an intensive care unit here, we need to have an accident and emergency 24 hours a day and we believe that's possible. "We know there have to be changes, we know there may have to be some alliance with another hospital to achieve that." Stafford Borough Council leader Mike Heenan, who joined the marchers, said: "The important thing is delivering services locally, for the local people. "That's what we're fighting for - so that acute services can stay in Stafford." Monitor has given the administrators for the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust, Ernst and Young, 145 days to work with local healthcare organisations to produce a "sustainable plan" for the future of services at the Stafford and Cannock Chase hospitals. The Contingency Planning Team (CPT) report to Monitor last month said staffing levels at the hospitals were not sufficient to meet required standards in the long term, given the current range of services and number of patients. It said some services, including accident and emergency, intensive care and maternity, could be provided at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, the Royal Wolverhampton Hospital Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust instead. Unison officials said earlier this week the administrators had told the union that they "were not bound by the recommendations". The town of Stafford has a population of about 63,000 people, while its surrounding borough is made up of 122,000 people. The area covered by the health trust extends beyond that, also taking in homes covered by the Cannock Chase Council area. Staffordshire Police said there was no trouble during the march.

Thousands of people have marched in opposition to plans to downgrade Stafford Hospital's services.

22233260

The sell-out event brought 75,000 people from around the world to see a spectacular fireworks and laser show bring in 2017. The Edinburgh celebrations claim to be the UK's largest outdoor winter festival celebrations. Entertainers performing for the crowds included Paolo Nutini, The Charlatans, Fatherson and Be Charlotte. Al Thomson, the director of organisers Unique Events, said: "What a great night. Paolo Nutini rocked the Concert in the Gardens, and revellers across the street party enjoyed a superb line-up across the four stages. "What a great way to start 2017, the 70th anniversary of Edinburgh becoming a world-leading festival city." Preliminary figures from Police Scotland indicated there were only two arrests for minor offences. The Edinburgh events are estimated to be worth more than £40m to the Scottish economy. Members of the public were allowed back on to Calton Hill this year after a ban over safety fears was lifted. Council officials decided to shut the city landmark for six hours over the bells last year saying "the hill was unlit and uneven under foot". However, the City of Edinburgh Council decided to do a U-turn following a review of last year's events. Some fireworks were also fired from the hill as part of the midnight display. More than 1,000 hours of planning goes into delivering the Midnight Moment at Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party, widely regarded as the UK's most intense six minutes of fireworks. There is 8km of wire connecting up to 94 modules, each with 32 cues, to deliver the 2.6 tonnes of fireworks up to 300m above the Edinburgh skyline. They are fired by 14 pyrotechnicians from Titanium Fireworks. There were more than 10,000 shots and stars in every firework colour. There is 8km of wire connecting up to 94 modules, each with 32 cues, to deliver the 2.6 tonnes of fireworks up to 300m above the Edinburgh skyline. They are fired by 14 pyrotechnicians from Titanium Fireworks. There were more than 10,000 shots and stars in every firework colour. Nearly 10 tonnes of equipment were used, filling three lorries and five vans. A team of more than 25 people from Titanium Fireworks, Unique Events and Historic Scotland worked into the night to clear, in eight hours, what took five days to set up. All the empty cardboard tubes will be recycled - enough to fill three large skips - as well as a metre square crate with igniter wire. The Hogmanay celebrations followed a torchlight procession from The Mound to Calton Hill on Friday.

Organisers of Edinburgh's Hogmanay have described the event as a "major success".

38483119

He set up a security agency, bringing together counter-terrorism and domestic intelligence under the authority of a single body. The king also replaced the head of the royal guard, and made several appointments to the team of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In June, the 31-year-old prince became the first in line to the Saudi throne. He replaced the king's nephew, Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, who pledged allegiance to the younger cousin. The latest changes were announced in Thursday's decrees, published by the state-run SPA news agency. It said the decisions were made in order to maintain "the highest readiness levels to keep up with the latest developments". The new security agency is now headed by Abdulaziz bin Mohammed al-Howairini, a general who will be reporting directly to the 81-year-old king. Previously, the interior ministry was in charge of counter-terrorism and domestic intelligence. The new boss of the royal guard is Gen Suheil al-Mutiri, replacing Gen Hamad al-Awhaly. As part of the overhaul, King Salman also named Mohammed el-Kuwaiz as head of the agency that regulates investments in the oil-rich country.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has issued a series of royal decrees, marking a new shake-up of top officials.

40673677

Sheffield Wednesday are set to pay £10m for on-loan striker Jordan Rhodes. "I don't need anywhere near that sort of money. Half that figure will do me," said Warnock. Warnock has outlined his proposals to owner Vincent Tan and hopes the Malaysian businessman backs them. After losing 1-0 at home to Norwich, Warnock praised his men for their performance against what he described as an expensively assembled Norwich City side. He revealed the Bluebirds' plans for the summer were already well advanced and that a rapid response would be key when the window opens. "We are already working to a figure that is acceptable to me and I think is acceptable to the board and owners," Warnock told BBC Wales Sport. "We've got two or three players we'd like to bring in, which we will try to do. "We need to do business straight away I think, not wait until the season starts. "We've got a good idea who we want. "Things change when someone comes in and buys one of the players you want, but in general we've got a good idea who we need."

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock has outlined his cut-price transfer plan, saying he does not think it would take big money to launch a promotion bid in 2017-18.

38885735

The third seed, who received a bye in the first round, beat the American wildcard 6-3 6-1 in just over an hour. Konta, the world number 18, hit 11 aces on her way to a comfortable victory. The 25-year-old will play China's Saisai Zheng, who beat Alize Cornet in her second-round match, in the last eight on Friday.

British number one Johanna Konta reached the quarter-finals of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford with a straight-set win over Julia Boserup.

36852433

Captain David Seath, 31, was a fire support team commander in 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery. He suffered a suspected cardiac arrest while running the course and later died in hospital. He was laid to rest following a funeral in St Margaret's RC Memorial Church in Dunfermline. Hundreds of mourners gathered at the church for the service, which was led by parish priest Father Chris Heenan. Capt Seath was originally from Cowdenbeath in Fife. Maj Jim McCaffery, 7 (Sphinx) Commando Battery, which is based in Arbroath, told the service: "It is with great sadness that were are here today to say farewell to Captain David Seath. "David was an inspiration to all of us. I genuinely could not have wished for a finer officer. "He will be sorely missed and our thoughts and prayers are with his family." During the service, Capt James Walker-McClimens read a tribute on behalf of Capt Seath's brother, Gary. He told the mourners: "David was my hero and my inspiration. I was so proud to say that he was a Captain in 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery and that he served his country with distinction in Afghanistan and the Middle East. "Words can't express how proud I was listening to him as he described his tours of Afghanistan and the Middle East. "I learnt so much about David's tours of duty, the strong bond of comradeship he had found in the Army as well as the many plans he had for the future. "There are no words to express how devastated I am that this story has so tragically ended, with so many chapters left unwritten." A family notice published in the Dunfermline Press said the service would be a "celebration of David's life" and urged mourners to wear bright colours. Capt Seath fell ill at the 23-mile mark while taking part in the race. Following his death, Capt Seath's friends and colleagues vowed to continue to raise money for Help for Heroes and walk the final three miles of the marathon course. More than £100,000 has been donated to a JustGiving page in his memory while about £80,000 has been raised for the charity on his own page.

The funeral of an Afghanistan veteran and Green Beret who died after collapsing during the London Marathon has been held in Dunfermline, Fife.

36210053

19 July 2016 Last updated at 12:42 BST A heatwave in Spain and a strong breeze could be bringing the hot weather north to the UK. This is called a Spanish plume. This could also mean hot and humid storms later this week. We spoke to our resident weather expert Simon King to find out more...

Glorious sunshine and temperatures of up to 35 degrees in parts of the UK, but what is causing it?

36835349

Wales international Rhys Priestland's early penalty, followed by conversions of tries for both Leroy Houston and Ollie Devoto gave Bath a 17-0 lead. Despite Irish scrum-half Brendan McKibbin's red card, Scott Steele's try whittled it back to 17-7 by the break. But Bath ran in four second half-tries from Alafoti Faosiliva, Kyle Eastmond, Priestland and Nikola Matawalu. Irish were always up against it from the 20th minute onwards after Australian scrum-half McKibbin was sent off for stamping on prop Henry Thomas's head. And their only second-half response was a try from Fergus Mulchrone 11 minutes after the break, also converted by Shane Geraghty. Former Exiles full-back Tom Homer, playing against his old club for the first time, then England fly-half George Ford took over Bath's second-half kicking duties. Homer converted the first two before Ford came off the bench to also get on the scoresheet by improving the last two. The fourth of Bath's six tries earned the visitors a bonus point as they recorded their eighth win in nine visits to the Madejski Stadium to hand the Exiles a fourth straight Premiership defeat. Along with Newcastle, who were beaten at Worcester, Irish are one of two teams at the foot of the table still seeking their first point. Bath confirmed on Friday that they had "settled on agreeable terms" to allow rugby league convert Burgess to return to the 13-man code and rejoin Australian side South Sydney Rabbitohs. The momentum appeared to swing London Irish's way in the 20th minute when Bath flanker Alafoti Fa'osiliva was yellow carded for a late tackle and the Exiles were awarded a penalty try. However, replays showed that in the build-up, Irish scrum-half McKibbin had stamped on Henry Thomas - for which referee Tom Foley brandished a red card and the penalty try was chalked off. The effect of the extra man was not immediately apparent as, within five minutes of Faosiliva's return, Ollie Devoto was then sin-binned too for a late shoulder charge on Shane Geraghty. But Bath raced out of the traps after the break when Fa'osiliva and centre Kyle Eastmond touched down within two minutes of each other. Once fellow centre Devoto had returned to bring the visitors back up to their full complement of players, there was no doubt about the end result. A first try for the club from Priestland after a strong diagonal run followed and, when Asaeli Tikoirotuma failed to deal with Semesa Rokoduguni's chipped kick, Nikola Matawalu finished things off. London Irish head coach Tom Coventry: "I didn't have a chance to go back and view (the red card) closely so I'm not going to comment about what happened. Media playback is not supported on this device "We're going to have to look at the discipline from our point of view. "I would have liked to have got a couple of bonus points from some of our losses but you have to be realistic about where we are. "I haven't come over here to sit around and lose. We've just got to be careful that we don't get ahead of ourselves. We're a team that has been under achievers and we're desperate to prove ourselves." Bath head coach Mike Ford: "Myself and (captain) Stuart Hooper spoke to Sam Burgess on Monday. He said he would address the team and at no point did he mention he wanted to leave. "Whether I was naive or not I was hoping that he'd get through that week, but we never got that chance. "We're pleased after everything that's happened. We got some good tries from the backs and we're looking forward to Toulon now. "We couldn't handle their drive. The discipline of our defence was poor, and then the turning point (McKibbin's red card) was massive. That turnaround is good fortune for us, bad luck for them." London Irish: Ojo; Lewington, Fowlie, Mulchrone, Tikoirotuma; Geraghty, McKibbin; Smallbone, Paice, Halavatau, Skivington (capt), Symons, Guest, Sisi, McCusker. Replacements: Ellis, Court, Aulika, Sheriff, Narraway, Steele, Noakes, Waldouck. Sent Off: McKibbin (20). Bath: Homer; Rokoduguni, Devoto, Eastmond, Banahan; Priestland, Cook; Auterac, Webber, Thomas, Hooper (capt), Day, Garvey, Faosiliva, Houston. Replacements: Dunn, Catt, Lahiff, Ellis, Northcote-Green, Matawalu, Ford, Williams. Sin Bin: Faosiliva (18), Devoto (33). For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.

Bath ran in six tries as they made light of Sam Burgess's return to rugby league by beating 14-man London Irish.

34713931

Radwan Hamed collapsed during a game in Belgium in 2006. Last year a judge ruled Spurs breached its duties to him. In a screening prior to signing for the club, an electrocardiogram test showed his heart was "unequivocally abnormal" but he was not stopped from playing. The club regretted a former employee had been remiss in their duties. In a statement, the family of Mr Hamed, who is now 27, said they were "relieved" a settlement had been reached, following a decade-long legal battle . "Just as Radwan had no choice but to start his difficult journey towards recovery, we had no choice but to start the difficult journey to obtain justice," they said. "We risked losing our home and faced personal financial ruin in order to pursue justice for our son. "The club did not tell us or Radwan about his potentially fatal condition. Had they done so, Radwan would not have continued to play football." The teenager collapsed during the game against Cercle Bruges on 4 August 2006 and was rushed to an intensive care unit but suffered oxygen starvation to his brain. In the 2015 hearing, Mr Justice Hickinbottom ruled the club was 70% liable or Mr Hamed's injuries and Dr Peter Mills, the Football Association's regional cardiologist for South East England, was 30% liable. The Premier League club will not be hit with a fee directly as their 70% portion was incurred by physicians they previously employed, who have agreed to indemnify the club. Football Association rules require all football academy recruits to be referred to a cardiologist to help identify those prone to potentially fatal heart conditions. Mr Hamed's MRI scan showed no obvious signs of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but Dr Mills wrote to Spurs saying the condition could not be excluded on these findings alone. Eleven months later, the teenager, who was unaware his tests had revealed an "abnormal" heart condition, signed a contract with Spurs. A spokesman for Spurs said: "The club wholeheartedly regrets that a former employee, as adjudged, was remiss in their duties to Radwan. "This judgment will hopefully now secure the best possible treatment and care for him."

A Tottenham Hotspur youth player has agreed to damages, believed to be £7m, after he was left brain damaged from a cardiac arrest on his debut.

37541121

Arbroath moved into third with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Clyde. Cowdenbeath overcame Montrose 2-0, while Stirling Albion moved up to seventh with a 3-2 win at second-placed Elgin City. Edinburgh City snatched all three points in their game against Annan thanks to Ryan Porteous' late header. Forfar went ahead against Berwick when David Cox scored just before the interval with a neat header from six yards out. Lewis Milne then added a second four minutes from time. Bobby Linn was on target in the 31st minute for Arbroath; finding the bottom corner with a neat finish. Martin Scott scored two in two minutes in the second half to clinch victory for the Red Lichties, who leapfrog their visitors in the table, before Ryan McCord added a fourth late on. Nikolay Todorov fired Cowdenbeath ahead from the penalty spot in the 20th minute after Cammy Ballantyne fouled Kris Renton in the area. And it went from bad to worse for the visitors when Ballantyne was shown a red card in the 29th minute for a foul on Craig Johnston. The hosts extended their lead through Renton's 57th-minute header. Elgin took the lead against Stirling when Darryl McHardy found the bottom corner with a left-footed strike in the 29th minute. However, the visitors equalised early in the second half when Marc McKenzie headed home at the back post from an Eddie Ferns cross. Stirling moved ahead when Blair Henderson pounced from close range after Sean Dickson's shot had been saved by the goalkeeper. Brian Cameron thought he had rescued a point for his side with a 76th-minute strike, but Jamie Mills scored the winner late on.

Forfar Athletic extended their lead at the top of the Scottish League Two table to seven points with a 2-0 win over Berwick Rangers at Station Park.

37963787

The 26-year-old was linked with Tottenham in the summer but manager Alan Pardew says Palace received no bids for him. "There was no bid but we know, if he was available for £5m, we'd have a queue from here to wherever," he said. "He's a lot more money than that, and now we've got three and a half years he's worth a lot more money." Pardew admits that the former Bristol City man could end up leaving the Eagles - if he can improve his end product. Bolasie has scored just seven league goals for Palace - who face Watford on Sunday - since joining in 2012. "I've said all along that this guy needs to deliver the final moment, and when he does that he won't be here in three and a half years," said Pardew. "If I can develop him and take this club forward, that's great. Then if a big club comes we use that money to take the club forward. Simple equation."

Crystal Palace winger Yannick Bolasie has signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract at Selhurst Park.

34371693

The ex-chief executives, who previously ran Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, M&S and B&Q, said a drop in the pound coupled with supply chain disruption would cause prices to spike. The average household could be £580 a year worse off as a result, retail union USDAW has predicted. Vote Leave rejected the claims. "Independent experts are clear, EU membership and the meddling court that comes with it have put up prices and hurt our economic growth," said Vote Leave chief executive Matthew Elliott. "The EU is costly, bureaucratic and blind to the impact it has had on people's wages and soaring energy bills." But the retail bosses, which include former Marks and Spencer boss Marc Bolland and former Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King, insisted that a UK exit from the European Union would be "catastrophic for millions of ordinary families". USDAW said it had calculated its £580 figure based on an expected fall in sterling in the event of the UK's exit from the EU, together with expected new tariffs imposed on imported EU goods including food, drink and clothing. The former bosses of Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury's and B&Q already warned last month that prices would rise amid a so-called Brexit, but their ranks have swelled with the addition of the ex-chief executives of Asda and Morrisons. Richard Lloyd, former executive director of consumer group Which?, said he was now "convinced that leaving the EU will give ordinary British families a worse deal for years to come". "My advice to consumers is clear - this could be an expensive mistake, don't risk it," he said. Tough competition from discount rivals together with low inflation means that overall the prices of groceries has steadily fallen. According to consumer research firm Kantar Worldpanel the price of groceries has fallen every month since September 2014, with the average household now spending £78.10 a week in the supermarket.

The price of everyday essentials such as food, drink and clothing would rise if the UK votes to leave the EU, former retail bosses have warned.

36583784

It allows users to control games on the touchscreen devices and can show extra information about progress. It also lets the handhelds act as controllers for the firm's Internet Explorer web browser, which will launch on the console later this year. The move poses a challenge to Nintendo's Wii U Game Pad. While the Japanese company's product is specifically designed to enhance the experience of using its next-generation console, Microsoft is offering users a way to extend the functionality of its existing games machines via third-party devices they may already have. "Xbox SmartGlass works with all the devices that you already own: the TV you already own, the phone you already own and the tablet you already own," said Marc Whitten, head of Microsoft's Xbox Live division. "Xbox SmartGlass turns any TV into a smart TV." A demo showed the highly anticipated first-person shooter Halo 4 using the facility to trigger maps and other data about its in-game environment. The announcement was made in Microsoft's keynote presentation at the E3 video games trade show in Los Angeles. Mr Whitten added that SmartGlass would also enhance television programmes and films streamed through the Xbox. He gave the example of a viewer watching Game of Thrones on their television and being able to look down at their tablets to see where on-screen characters were located on a map of the show's fantasy world. The demonstration also showed how the linked device could bring up details about the cast and characters while the user was watching a film. "It lets Microsoft say that you don't need to buy new hardware to have a two-screen experience," Stephen Totilo, editor of gaming website Kotaku, told the BBC. "Nintendo looked to be ahead of everyone else on this, but now Microsoft is breathing down its neck. But there may be a little bit of smoke and mirrors here as I'm not convinced SmartGlass will have as much functionality as the Wii U offers." The app was also mocked by South Park's creator Trey Parker who was at the event to promote a new video game featuring his characters. "How many times have you been watching an episode of South Park and thought I'd like to be able to watch this on my television while hooked into my mobile device which is being controlled by my tablet device which is hooked into my oven all while sitting in the refrigerator," he joked. New uses for Microsoft's Kinect motion and voice sensor also featured heavily in the E3 presentation. A tie-up with Nike will deliver a title towards the end of the year in which a digital personal trainer offers feedback on owners' workout techniques based on information gathered by the Kinect. Voice commands were shown being used to change team formations in the next edition of the American Football simulation John Madden NFL, and to call in air strikes in the action game Splinter Cell Blacklist. A new game called Wrecketer also allows players to use gestures to launch and guide missiles to destroy castles in a title based around a similar concept to Angry Birds. Microsoft also promoted its device as an entertainment hub. A new service called Xbox Music will offer "over 30 million music tracks" to the Xbox as well as Windows 8 and Windows Phone devices. A video suggested the service would rival similar offerings from Spotify, Rdio and others. However, details were scant with no launch date or countries mentioned, and no comment about how it would affect the firm's existing Zune product. US users were promised new content including NBA basketball games, Paramount Pictures movies and Nickelodeon children's programmes. Much of the rest of the presentation was dedicated to trailers showcasing new titles in existing video game franchises such as Tomb Raider, Fable, Call of Duty and Resident Evil. "We're probably getting a new Xbox console in 2013 so that will be what the next E3 is about, so they had to spend this year talking about the stuff that precedes it," said Mr Totilo. "But people who get upset about sequels forget they tend to be some of the best games ever made as developers don't have to worry about working with new hardware, and can instead hone their craft and be creative."

Microsoft has unveiled Xbox SmartGlass: a service to allow tablet computers and smartphones to communicate with its video games consoles.

18325815

When he was growing up in the 1960s, vegetable oil was still a precious commodity and used sparingly. Fast-forward to today and oil is now so abundant and cheaply available that most of us use it liberally in our cooking - chucking it in anything from salad dressings to deep fat frying. It's not only in our home cooking, oil is also an ingredient in most of the items we buy from the supermarket. In fact, vegetable oil, specifically soy bean oil and palm oil, are two of the eight ingredients, alongside wheat, rice, maize, sugar, barley and potato, that are now estimated to provide a staggering 85% of the world's calories. Increasingly, no matter what country we live in, we all eat similar diets which are heavy in calories and low in nutrients. It's a development that Prof Benton, a strategic research dean at the University of Leeds specialising in food security and sustainability, links directly to global trade. The production of vegetable oils and oil crops have both increased considerably over the past three decades. The rise has been driven by a combination of trade agreements, which have made it cheaper and easier to export and import oil, and various government policies. Policy incentives in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, aimed at ramping up production for export, have helped to lower the cost of vegetable oil, for example. "Competing in a global market requires a highly efficient production process driving scale and cheapness. Now we have a food system built on incredibly cheap calories," says Prof Benton. Of course, this food trade has in many cases helped reduce famine and, as Prof Benton points out, means the "poorest of poor have access to cheap calories". But he says this trade - which means more people are eating less healthy imports, rather than what is locally available - may also have helped to make us fatter. Over 50% of the world's population is not of a "healthy weight", according to Prof Benton's recent report on food production. And worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. "The poorest anywhere still struggle to get sufficient calories and are underweight, but in our rich countries, poverty often does not stop people being able to eat (and drink) calories, but it does stop them having a nutrient-rich diet," the report says. Prof Corinna Hawkes, director of the Centre for Food Policy at City, University of London, says the greatest increase in sources of calories since the globalisation era began, has come from oil crops. "There was a very sudden and marked increase in the availability of soybean and palm oil and that to me is directly related with policies that made it easier to trade," she says. Oilseeds are now among the most widely traded crops, and most processed foods contain either palm oil or soybean oil, which can help extend shelf life, she says. "Because it became much easier and cheaper for the processed food industry to import it there was no disincentive for using it," she says. A small amount of fat is an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. But fats are high in calories so eating a lot can increase the risk of becoming overweight or obese. Saturated and trans fats are also associated with heart disease. Prof Hawkes says that the low cost and availability of oil has meant some countries' cooking habits have changed. In China, for example, food is deep fried in high quantities of oil and in Brazil, people use larger amounts of oil in traditional dishes. But alongside the increased trade of oil crops, she says, it's important to note that trade in fruit and vegetables has also increased, meaning many people's diets have actually improved. This discrepancy is what Prof Hawkes calls the "quinoa question". Increasing western demand for the so-called "superfood", which has been grown high in the Andes for thousands of years, has been blamed for its skyrocketing price and unavailability for people in the countries it first came from. The question goes to the heart of the controversy surrounding globalisation: that its rise has disproportionately benefited people who are already advantaged. So while people clued-up on nutrition and health may be getting healthier thanks to global trade, those without this knowledge have seen their diet deteriorate. However, the findings of a recent study by the London School of Economics (LSE), which looked at 26 countries between 1989 and 2005 when globalisation dramatically expanded, contradict this. The research concluded that "social globalisation" - changes in the way we work and live - was what was making us fat, rather than the wider availability of cheaper and more calorific foods driven by global trade. Basically, the fact that we are are now increasingly able to work, shop and socialise whilst barely moving a muscle is to blame, says study author Dr Joan Costa-Font. "Our food intake is driven towards meeting the needs of a pre-global [socially speaking] world, where people would have to walk to places, and where there would not be as many energy-saving activities as today. Individuals would have closer personal social contacts, and would cook and spend more time on daily chores," he says. Dr Costa-Font says the research suggests that once people adapt their diet and lifestyle to these changes - basically move more and eat less - more normal weights will again prevail. He points to the US as an example. While obesity levels are alarmingly high at almost 35%, he notes that this level has stayed pretty much the same over the past decade. "That's good news. That's already something. "It may be that the US is beginning to start to learn how to eat and adjust its lifestyle to a global one. The hypothesis is that this rise in obesity is only transitory."

A teaspoon of oil, measured out with precision, is how Professor Tim Benton remembers his mother preparing items for frying.

39254804

Processed meat has been modified to either extend its shelf life or change the taste and the main methods are smoking, curing, or adding salt or preservatives. Simply putting beef through a mincer does not mean the resulting mince is "processed" unless it is modified further. Processed meat includes bacon, sausages, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, beef jerky and ham as well as canned meat and meat-based sauces. Red meat is a darker colour than white meat and includes beef, lamb and pork because of higher levels of proteins that bind to oxygen, haemoglobin and myoglobin in blood and muscle. Suspected carcinogenic chemicals can form during meat processing. These include N-nitroso compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Cooking the meat at high temperatures, especially on a barbecue, can also produce these dangerous chemicals. However, the WHO's experts admit that the cancer risk is "not yet fully understood". Each 50g of processed meat per day - fewer than two slices of bacon - increased the risk of cancer by 18%. Each 100g of red meat per day increased the risk by 17%, although the WHO admits there is limited evidence. The WHO classifies agents into one of five groups: Processed meat has been placed into Group 1 as the scientific evidence says it definitely does cause cancer. Although this does not mean all Group 1 agents - which include tobacco, plutonium and alcohol - are equally dangerous. Red meat is in Group 2A, however, because the WHO says there is insufficient evidence to give a definitive ruling. No. Estimates suggest 34,000 deaths from cancer every year could be down to diets high in processed meat. That is in contrast to one million deaths from cancer caused by smoking and 600,000 attributed to alcohol each year. The WHO says there is insufficient evidence to set safe levels. The World Cancer Research Fund charity argues for "as little as possible" processed meat and 500g of cooked red meat (or the equivalent of 700g raw) per week. An eight ounce steak is 225g. In the UK, official advice is for no more than 70 grams a day of red or processed meat so a couple of slices of bacon. Meat is still a good source of protein, B vitamins and minerals such as iron and zinc. Frankie Phillips, spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association, says: "The message is to still include red meat in the diet because it is a good source of key nutrients. "The general message is it's OK to eat some red meat but perhaps to look at ways of increasing the amount of plant-based foods - in particular, pulses." Frankie Phillips says this can be done in a number of ways, including:

The World Health Organization says processed meat does cause cancer and red meat is probably carcinogenic too.

34620617

6 November 2015 Last updated at 12:30 GMT The city has been hit by thunderstorms and heavy rains, but there has been no reports of damage. Check out this amazing time-lapse video of the storm.

A huge storm cloud rolled over Sydney, Australia on Friday giving us some amazing views.

34746674

The 24-hour Underground service was originally scheduled for September, but was delayed over a dispute about pay and conditions. Following the breakdown of talks on Wednesday, union leaders said the launch would not happen this year. But during a trip to Japan Mr Johnson said: "We are going to have a Night Tube eventually." He had previously said he was "relaxed" about when the service was introduced, as long as it happened before the end of autumn. Mr Johnson said during a business visit to Japan: "We'll do a Night Tube and obviously I hope very much that the offer on the table, which is a very good one, is now communicated properly to the workforce of London Underground and I think we should just get on with it. "We've done without it for 150 years and I'm sure we can rub along a little bit longe,r but we are going to have a Night Tube eventually." Unions took industrial action during the summer having called for increased pay and a limit on how many all-night shifts their members would be asked to do. As negotiations between the unions and London Underground came to a halt, Finn Brennan from drivers' union Aslef, said discussions had broken up because LU management had "mishandled" the process.

London mayor Boris Johnson has backed away from a timetable for the opening of the city's Night Tube.

34539267

It could be over in hours - or it could take weeks. That's how unknowable an acute counter-terrorism investigation can be for MI5 and the police. While there is a sense that there has been significant headway in the last 24 hours, we should be careful about reading too much, too soon, into how long it will take Greater Manchester Police and their colleagues to be sure they have dealt with every single possible lead after Monday's events. In recent years, we've got a greater understanding of how the more secretive end of these massive operations play out. At any one time, MI5 is handling in the region of 500 active investigations involving 3,000 "SOIs" - "subjects of interest" in security world jargon. What kind of resources does MI5 have to throw at those targets? There are around 4,000 people at MI5. Quite obviously, they are not all trained in hiding in the bushes, so it would be fanciful in the extreme to think they are watching all 3,000 SOIs at the same time. What we know about Manchester suspect Manchester attack: The victims And that means they must constantly prioritise and reprioritise. It is a pretty ruthless, and if they make the wrong call, potentially painful process. The 7 July 2005 attack on London was earth-shattering for the security service. During the eventual inquests, it emerged that between MI5 and West Yorkshire Police there had been six potential intelligence strands in which the ringleader had come on to the radar. The service pledged to massively improve its systems. There was a huge reorganisation of itself and counter-terrorism policing to create powerful regional hubs that share intelligence like never before. Since 2013, 18 plots have been thwarted, Whitehall officials say. That's a better strike rate than some of our continental neighbours. But as the workload mounts, as it has done thanks to Syria, so do the chances that something will be missed. Every piece of intelligence that comes into the system - be it from a communications intercept, a public tip-off or another source - must be tested for links to ongoing investigations. And since 2014, we have known how the security service prioritises those investigations thanks to an immensely detailed document published by the Intelligence and Security Committee. Manchester is "Priority 1" in the MI5 jargon because there is "credible and actionable" intelligence of attack planning. Further down the ladder come: •Those planning to fight overseas •Fundraisers, suspects training in the UK, and people involved in false documents •People of concern who need to be further checked out •People who were previously a threat with a risk of "re-engagement" If security chiefs think there may be a bomb-maker on the loose - as is the case at the moment - they will be throwing everything at it. Analysts, surveillance units and specialist teams - who deploy the bugs or secretly search property - are reassigned to which investigation needs them most. The benefits of such a robotic and systematic way of working are plain to see. But along the way, a proportion of the investigations - and therefore the time of teams - will lead nowhere other than to confirm the intelligence was worthless. Take this scenario: Someone calls in to say that Person X is saying scary things and buying hair bleach - a chemical that can be used to make a bomb. A week later, and after an awful lot of effort, it turns out that Person X is opening a beauty salon and it was a malicious call from an embittered former partner. These are the day-to-day challenges of grading intelligence. Since the Manchester operation began on Monday it has sucked in more and more national counter-terrorism resources. It's taken on an international dimension because of the increasingly important link to Libya. Each property search or seizure of a phone opens even more avenues of investigation for the North West Counter Terrorism Unit and colleagues. Some of those avenues will become, in time, entirely separate investigations. And each of these leads will need to be worked to a conclusion, one way or another. And that brings us round to the big question yet to be fully answered in the Manchester investigation: was there a missed opportunity to apprehend Salman Abedi? We know that the killer had been known in some shape or form to the authorities. Muslim community sources have told the BBC that they called the anti-terrorism hotline about his mindset. And we know from official sources that Abedi had been one of a larger pool of "former" SOIs whose risk remained subject to review by MI5 and its partners. Wherever he had started in the prioritisation system, he ended up right at the bottom of the list - someone they might need to review in the future if there was "credible" and "actionable" intelligence that he was re-engaging in terrorist-related activity. But we don't know why he was downgraded - what investigators turned up and how, in the prioritisation system, he was deemed to be of insufficient interest. Were those calls to the anti-terrorist hotline lacking the detail of credible and actionable intelligence? Did they come before or after he was put to one side? Or was it just partial information? Too little to trigger a new probe when there were too many more pressing demands for attention? The answer to that question is key.

The investigation into Manchester bomber Salman Abedi's connections has already branched out in multiple directions, and the whole nature of tracking people before they commit an act of terror is bewilderingly complex.

40050549

Matt Shepherd scored 15 points for the Duchy to end a run of two successive final defeats by the Red Rose county. Shepherd's converted try and penalty saw Cornwall to a 10-6 half-time lead. Shepherd crossed again in the second half before Evan Stewart's late try for Lancashire ensured a nervy finish, but could not prevent only their second Twickenham final defeat in six years. Since 2009, Lancashire had only previously once lost the Bill Beaumont Cup, in 2012, when they were beaten by Hertfordshire. Shepherd missed a penalty in the opening minutes, but he made amends two minutes later, the Launceston scrum-half going in under the posts from 30 metres out. Steve Collins pulled a penalty back and Shepherd missed a three-point attempt of his own before Cornwall were reduced to 14 men on 27 minutes. Ben Hilton was sin-binned and Chris Johnson brought Lancashire back to within a point of their opponents from the resulting penalty. But Shepherd's penalty with five minutes left in the half, coming after Chris Briers' yellow card, ensured that the Duchy went in at the break with a 10-6 lead. Shepherd took his points tally for the County Championship to 66 when he went over shortly after the break following a line out from five metres out. That made it 15-6 and, although he failed to convert his own score, his Launceston teammate Searle pushed the gap into double figures with a 63rd minute penalty. Lancashire did not threaten Cornwall until the final 10 minutes when they put the Duchy under immense pressure. Searle was sin-binned for an infringement at the breakdown and Lancashire skipper Stewart crashed over with six minutes left, Johnson adding the extras. But Cornwall's 14 men stood firm to clinch a fourth county title. Cornwall: Searle (Launceston); Dawe (Launceston), Murphy (Launceston), Webber (Redruth), Wedlake (Redruth); Webb (Taunton), Shepherd (Launceston); Freestone (Clifton), Salter (Launceston), Williams (Redruth), Whittle (Camborne), Hilton (Launceston), Fuca (Redruth), Jones (Penryn), Marriott (Redruth, capt). Replacements: Judge (Launceston), Cook (Redruth), Phillips (Redruth), Goldsworthy (Camborne), Mankee (Camborne), Parsons (Redruth), Chapman (Launceston). Lancashire: Spragg (Fylde); Dorrington (Fylde), Briers (Fylde), Rawlings (Fylde), Bingham (Rossendale); Collins (Sedgley Park), De La Harpe (Fylde); Black (Sedgley Park), Loney (Fylde), Lewis (Fylde), Nugent (Bergerac), Rawlings (Fylde), Stewart (Fylde, capt), McGinnis (Loughborough Students), Lamprey (Sedgley Park). Replacements: McGowan (Caldy), Altham (Preston Grasshoppers), Mills (Preston Grasshoppers), Arnold (Fylde), Johnson (Fylde), Brennand (Fylde), Crosley (Hartpury College).

Cornwall won the County Championship for the first time since 1999 as they beat Lancashire 18-13 at Twickenham.

32927588

The 46-year-old Scot was appointed in January 2013, succeeding Ashley Giles, when he became coach of England's limited-overs teams. Under Brown's leadership, the Bears won two trophies, the T20 Blast in 2014 and One-Day Cup last month. But they only avoided relegation in their final County Championship game. Brown's departure by 'mutual consent' after four seasons in the job ends an association going back to when he first joined the playing staff, making his debut as a Second XI player in July 1989. His job has not been made easy over the past two years by the dressing-room complications brought on by the enforced early retirement of captain Jim Troughton in 2014 and the decline of Ian Bell's England career. This culminated in a sequence of captaincy changes, which saw Varun Chopra appointed, only to then stand down and consequently return to Essex after Bell became county skipper. "The club has a very proud history of challenging for silverware and, despite winning the One-Day Cup this season, failure to qualify for the T20 Blast quarter finals and narrowly avoiding relegation from Division One of the County Championship on the last day of the season is not where the club should be," said Brown, in a statement. "It is, therefore, the right time for me to agree to step down from my role as Director of Cricket. Bears chief executive Neil Snowball added: "Dougie is a true Bear, having served the club with great distinction as a player, coach and director of cricket." Former Warwickshire boss Ashley Giles is among the list of candidates to succeed Brown, according to the BBC's Pat Murphy. Giles has been in charge of Lancashire for the last two years, but still lives in the Midlands. Another possibility is ex-England team director Andy Flower, who lives in Stratford and works in a high-ranking coaching capacity for the ECB at Loughborough. But no announcement is expected soon and the process of finding a successor could roll into November, as historical precedent suggests that Warwickshire will not rush into any new appointment. When Giles left in November 2012, it was a month and a half before Brown was appointed. by BBC WM's Richard Wilford "Dougie Brown has been at the heart of Warwickshire cricket for three decades as a player, coach and director of cricket. "He is one of the last links to the Bob Woolmer/Dermot Reeve era at Edgbaston, and has consistently set high standards for himself and the county, filling the trophy cabinet along the way. "The summer was a difficult one for Brown's Bears despite their Royal London One-Day Cup triumph at Lord's last month. "Their form in the County Championship was sketchy at best. Nonetheless, this is not a decision either Warwickshire or Dougie will have taken lightly." •Having first represented Warwickshire's second XI in July 1989, Brown made his first-class debut in April 1992. •He played 197 first-class matches in his 15 years with the Bears, making 8,066 runs at 30.50, as well as taking 515 wickets. •Brown also hit 4,096 runs in 263 one-day matches, taking 309 wickets. •Dual international, having represented both England (9 caps) and Scotland (30 caps). He also coached Namibia at the 2003 World Cup.

Warwickshire director of cricket Dougie Brown has left Edgbaston after 27 years' service to the club, as both player and coach.

37565755

The 28-year-old's nine-year-old daughter was also threatened by a member of the gang, who had a knife. The burglary happened at their home in the Turf Hill area at about 05:30 BST on Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police said. The three balaclava-wearing men stole cash, jewellery and a mobile phone before fleeing. The offender carrying the gun, said to be a small silver metal handgun, was described as Asian, slim and aged between 20 and 30. The man with the knife was black, between 30 and 40, of a medium build and with bloodshot eyes. It is believed they were met by three other men outside the property. Police are now appealing for anyone with information to contact them. Det Con Rich Shelton said: "This gang targeted a mum and her young daughter, even stooping as low as to hold a gun to the head of a woman who was clearly heavily pregnant and absolutely terrified. "Thankfully they were not physically injured and the unborn baby not harmed but the emotional trauma they have suffered is immeasurable."

A heavily pregnant woman had a gun pressed to her head when masked burglars broke into her Rochdale home.

33378305

At least two have been treated for symptoms of poisoning after being walked near a cricket pitch in Fordham Heath, Colchester, the RSPCA said. The charity has received another report of poisoning and said it was aware of a number of other owners who said their pets had also been ill. The RSPCA has advised dog walkers to avoid the area "until we know more". The dogs which were treated, both suffered "severe sickness" after being walked in a field near Eight Ash Green Cricket Club in Spring Lane, the animal charity said. More on this and other news from Essex Their owner, who did not want to be named, said: "My dog was constantly licking his feet...then he started burning up, he was sweating and had a temperature. "He was having trouble breathing, his tongue and mouth were blistered and he collapsed. It was very awful." The dogs were taken ill last week, although one had suffered similar symptoms after being walked in the area in May. Their owner has so far faced vets bills of more than £1,000. "I've spoken to other owners whose dogs have been sick and collapsed too, after walking around the field near the cricket pitch," she added. In a statement Eight Ash Green Cricket Club said it was aware of reports of suspected poisonings and "wishes to confirm that it does not use any chemicals that will prove harmful to animals or wildlife". The RSPCA said an inspector was investigating whether anything toxic had been accidentally or deliberately left in the area near the club. The charity said dog owners should contact their vet immediately if their pet showed signs of poisoning, which included vomiting, appearing drunk and uncoordinated, seizures and difficulty breathing.

Pet owners are being warned to be vigilant after a series of possible dog poisonings.

36825087

The Briton, who rides for Team Sky, posted a picture on Twitter of his damaged bike and reported the incident to local police in southern France. Commissioner Frederic Le Pollozec, of Menton police, said there had not been significant progress in the inquiry. "We couldn't find any other person to say anything about the crash," he said. Froome, 32, is due to begin the defence of his Tour de France title on Saturday. He was not badly hurt in the incident which happened at Beausoleil, near his Monaco home, on 9 May. Commissioner Le Pollozec said that Froome was unable to remember the car's registration number, or identify the vehicle from CCTV footage. "We showed him some pictures from the cameras and he couldn't say which one was the vehicle," he said. "There was a verbal fight between the driver and Mr Froome before the crash, but it is difficult to find the driver. "We took some pieces of paint from the bicycle of Mr Froome but we couldn't find any evidence to match it with a vehicle. "For now, the investigation is partially closed because we don't have any more details."

Police have been unable to trace a car driver accused of ramming into three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome while on a training ride in May.

40441457

Hatfield Colliery closed in June with the loss of 430 jobs after almost a century of production. The short ceremony took place at the mine, near Doncaster. John Grogan, chairman of the Hatfield Employee Benefit Trust, which has run the mine since 2013, said it was "the end of an era". He said: "On Monday the company will be wound up in the High Court and that will represent the end of coal mining in South Yorkshire after many generations. "In 1980 there were 50,000 miners in South Yorkshire. On Monday morning when we're in the High Court there will be none. "We're presenting this piece of coal as a symbol of our respect for all the miners who have gone before us in South Yorkshire and helped build the economy of our country and keep the lights on for many decades." Accepting the gift the Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones said: "On behalf of Doncaster and South Yorkshire I'm humbled to accept this." The only remaining deep coal mine in England, Kellingley colliery in North Yorkshire, is due to close later this year.

The last lump of coal mined in South Yorkshire has been presented to Doncaster's mayor at a ceremony marking the end of mining in the region.

33928485

Media playback is not supported on this device Silverstone has been home to the race every year since 1987. However, the British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC), which owns the circuit, says it cannot afford to host the race unless a new deal is agreed. "We have reached the tipping point," said BRDC chairman John Grant. "We can no longer let our passion for the sport rule our heads. We sustained losses of £2.8m in 2015 and £4.8m in 2016, and we expect to lose a similar amount this year." "Our hope is that an agreement can still be reached, so that we can ensure a sustainable and financially viable future for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for many years to come." Silverstone hosted the first ever Formula 1 race in 1950. It then shared hosting the British Grand Prix with Brands Hatch and Aintree before becoming its permanent home 30 years ago. Unlike many other tracks on the F1 calendar, Silverstone receives no government backing. Formula 1 owner Liberty Media said it regrets the BRDC's decision and its timing. "The week leading up to the British Grand Prix should be a week of great celebration for F1 and Silverstone," a spokesman said. "We deeply regret Silverstone has chosen instead to use this week to posture and position themselves and invoke a break clause that will take effect in three years' time. "Our focus is still to preserve the British Grand Prix. We will carry on negotiating with the promoter in good faith and in private to reach a fair and equitable solution." This content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser BBC Sport's chief F1 writer Andrew Benson: Silverstone's decision to end its contract to hold the British Grand Prix after 2019 does not necessarily mean there will not be a British Grand Prix at Silverstone in 2020 and beyond. If that sounds confusing, bear with me. Silverstone signed a 17-year contract with former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone back in 2009 that meant it had to pay £12m for the race in 2010. But the deal had a 5% annual escalator built into it, and a break clause after 2019. The fee has now gone up sufficiently that Silverstone cannot continue to hold the race and break even, let alone make a profit. So it felt it had no choice but to exercise the get-out clause, which contractually needed to be done before this year's race. But Silverstone still wants the British Grand Prix after that date, and Formula 1 still wants one, too. The rub, of course, is that the race does not necessarily have to be held at Silverstone. F1's new chairman Chase Carey told BBC Sport this week that it is his "priority" for the event to stay at Silverstone but that there was "interest from other places, other UK options, that would have appeal". It's not clear what these are, plural. But one of them is a much-rumoured potential street race somewhere in the east of London. Whether that is realistic is a different question. For Silverstone to continue as host, F1 and the BRDC now have two years or so to try to hammer out a mutually satisfactory deal. Realistically, this is the most likely option. But as Carey put it: "We are not there today." Former world champion Nigel Mansell, who claimed three of his four British GP wins at Silverstone, believes it would be "a very sad day" if the circuit no longer hosted grand prix racing. "Silverstone has the history of F1," the Briton told BBC Sport. "They deserve to have the recognition for the historical value the circuit has, which has contributed to some incredible races. "Hopefully the new F1 owners will review their thoughts and think there is a better value to that than throw it away."

The future of the British Grand Prix has been left uncertain after Silverstone's owner confirmed it has activated a break clause to cease hosting the race after 2019.

40566434

Northern Ireland's Rea finished second after an exciting duel with Welshman Davies at the Spanish circuit. Rea led for most of the race after starting ninth on the grid and briefly hit the front again on the last lap. Despite not winning for the first time this year, Rea has extended his championship lead to 50 points. Marco Melandri of Italy was third with England's Tom Sykes in fourth place. Davies crashed in Saturday's race one while leading in the closing stages, and the victory sees him regain second place in the overall standings. Rea, 30, is attempting to become the first rider to win three successive WSB titles. "I tried my hardest but it wasn't enough," said Rea. "I had a good first few laps and got stuck into a rhythm but, with the slipstream, the group stayed together. "It was so windy, it was quite scary. "On the last lap, Chaz made a mistake and opened the door but then he quickly closed it again. "Congratulations to Chaz - he did a good job after what happened yesterday." Rea started the season with double wins at Phillip Island and Thailand, and made it five out of five by winning the first race at Aragon.

Defending champion Jonathan Rea's run of five successive World Superbike victories ended when Chaz Davies won race two at Aragon on Sunday.

39472608

Customers are being charged up to £200 for exceeding their time slot by as little as half an hour. A CAS report has criticised poor practice including unclear signage and misleading parking tickets. CAS is concerned about the effect on elderly and disabled Scots. CAS describe the level of complaints in 2012/2013 as "unprecedented", with over 3,653 parking enquires - an increase of 50% on the previous year. There is currently no specific legislation or regulations regarding parking on private land in Scotland. Nor is there a system of appeal, unlike in England and Wales. The CAS report highlights the use of "misleading" private parking tickets using terminology such as "Parking Charge Notice", which many people confuse with statutory "Penalty Charge Notices", issued by police or local authorities. Both are abbreviated to PCN, but only Penalty Charge Notices are fines with legal standing. The report also criticises poor car park signage, which leaves customers unsure of how long they can park and how much they will be charged, and failing to take into account reasonable mitigating circumstances. Scottish local authorities have regulations set upon the amount they can charge for parking infractions - usually a £60 penalty, reduced to £30 if paid on time. The CAS report found that private parking charges range from £40 to £200 with many around £100, which could be considered "excessive". It also noted the fact that disabled drivers have been penalised for small infractions or supposedly failing to display their disabled badge, when in fact they had done so. CAS chief executive Margaret Lynch said that some private parking companies do behave fairly and according to industry guidelines, but criticised those that "don't use proper signage, charge inflated fees and then fail to respond properly to people who appeal." She said: "To the parking companies we say clean up your industry and offer a fair deal to your customers. To the Scottish government we say introduce regulations so that Scottish drivers have the same protections as those in England and Wales. "And to drivers themselves we say make sure you know your rights and that you stand up for them. We will help you do that, and between us we can end this problem and create a fairer system." A spokesman for Scottish government agency Transport Scotland said: "There are clearly concerns about some private parking companies and how they manage off-street parking, including the level of fines applied in some cases. "Disputes over private parking in Scotland can be resolved in the small claims court and we would remind all companies that they have a responsibility to operate within the law. "While legislation already exists to protect road users from over-zealous private car park owners, we look forward to engaging with Citizens Advice Scotland to discuss their report and the important issues raised by it."

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has launched a campaign to highlight the bad practice of some private car park operators after a 50% rise in complaints.

29630691

The 36-year-old, who rejoined the club in the summer after nine years away, made a telling debut with a 90th-minute winner to get the Shrimps off and running for the new season. Jim Bentley's side had to come from behind after debutant Mohamed Eisa gave the Robins the lead two minutes from the break in controversial circumstances. Kyle Storer swung a free-kick in from from the left and after Danny Wright headed across goal, the summer signing was on hand to poke the loose ball home from close range - with the Shrimps furious that a push by Wright had not been seen by referee Antony Coggins. The visitors went close to scoring a second six minutes after the restart when Jordan Grimes saw a close-range volley hit the post after an Alex Kenyon clearance fell perfectly for him. Three minutes later the Shrimps levelled through Thompson, who slid in at the far post to steer home an excellent low cross from Aaron Wildig after a swift Morecambe counter-attack. Thompson then provided the telling moment of a tight game at the death when he volleyed home from Vadaine Oliver's header across goal to take the points. Match report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Morecambe 2, Cheltenham Town 1. Second Half ends, Morecambe 2, Cheltenham Town 1. Foul by Michael Rose (Morecambe). Jordan Cranston (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick on the right wing. Attempt saved. Dan Holman (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Substitution, Morecambe. Sam Lavelle replaces Garry Thompson. Substitution, Cheltenham Town. Dan Holman replaces Nigel Atangana. Goal! Morecambe 2, Cheltenham Town 1. Garry Thompson (Morecambe) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the top left corner. Assisted by Vadaine Oliver. Vadaine Oliver (Morecambe) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by William Boyle (Cheltenham Town). Attempt missed. William Boyle (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right. Foul by Adam Campbell (Morecambe). William Boyle (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt missed. Carl Winchester (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Attempt blocked. Carl Winchester (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Substitution, Morecambe. Adam Campbell replaces Aaron Wildig. Aaron Wildig (Morecambe) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Aaron Wildig (Morecambe). Jerell Sellars (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Michael Rose (Morecambe) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Foul by Michael Rose (Morecambe). Nigel Atangana (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Mitchell Lund (Morecambe). Jerell Sellars (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Morecambe. Conceded by Jamie Grimes. Foul by Rhys Turner (Morecambe). Carl Winchester (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick on the left wing. Substitution, Morecambe. Rhys Turner replaces Kevin Ellison. Attempt missed. Kyle Storer (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Jerell Sellars (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Michael Rose (Morecambe). Attempt missed. Michael Rose (Morecambe) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick. Vadaine Oliver (Morecambe) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jordan Forster (Cheltenham Town). Foul by Dean Winnard (Morecambe). Mohamed Eisa (Cheltenham Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Alex Kenyon. Corner, Cheltenham Town. Conceded by Barry Roche. Attempt saved. Kyle Storer (Cheltenham Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Foul by Michael Rose (Morecambe).

Two goals from the returning Garry Thompson gave Morecambe a dramatic opening day win over Cheltenham.

40761073

The three-month tests of 137 island homes, 73 in Guernsey and 64 in Jersey, measured the level of gas in the walls. Radon occurs naturally in areas with a large amount of granite and 99 of the homes tested were below target levels. Fourteen island homes were above the target level and owners have been told to ensure there is good ventilation. The survey was carried by the islands' authorities with the UK Health Protection Agency. The 137 properties were selected to cover a range of geological conditions and population areas. The aim was to find out more about radon and its distribution. Val Cameron, the Channel Islands strategic lead for environmental health, said: "The recent survey updates and confirms the information from previous surveys; this is that radon is associated with the granite geology of the island, and not the construction material of an individual building." International research has found exposure to radon gas can increase the chances of contracting lung cancer for people who smoke. Dr Susan Turnbull, medical officer of health for Jersey, said: "To help put the main risk factors for the commonest form of lung cancer into perspective, for every 100 cases of lung cancer around 95 will have been caused by smoking alone, about four will be due to the combined effects of smoking and radon exposure. "Only one will be due to radon exposure alone. So it is a real risk, albeit a low one. The most sensible thing anyone can do to reduce their risk of getting lung cancer is to stop smoking." Mrs Cameron said: "Of the homes surveyed, some were identified as being above the action level. Advice has been given to those householders about measures to remedy the problem." Previously radon surveys were carried out in Jersey in 1987, 1992 and 1997, and in Guernsey in 1985. In 2012, tests were also carried out in Herm, Alderney and Sark. In 1984 the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the International Commission on Radiological Protection reported on the need for a reduction of radon exposures in homes.

The amount of radon gas found in the Channel Islands is associated with the geology of the island and not construction materials, a survey finds.

19686157

Sir Martin Moore-Bick sent the letter late on Thursday following weeks of discussion with survivors. There has been controversy over Sir Martin's suitability for the role and the areas the inquiry will cover. The prime minister will set out the terms of reference for the process in the coming weeks. Downing Street said: "The prime minister has received the letter and will consider it and respond shortly." How far the inquiry can go has been a source of controversy since the Sir Martin's appointment was announced. He angered survivors on his first day in the job by indicating the investigation would be "pretty well limited" to examining the cause of the fire, how it spread and how to prevent future incidents. But he later vowed to consider a "broad range of evidence" which could include why residents' warnings about fire safety were allegedly ignored by authorities. Survivors, bereaved families and other involved parties spent weeks making their case about what questions the inquiry should answer. More than 400 submissions were received during the consultation period. The "Justice 4 Grenfell" campaign said earlier this month it wanted an examination of local and national social housing policy and whether it "increased risks to residents". Questions were raised in the aftermath of the disaster about the cladding used on Grenfell and other buildings. More than 100 buildings have failed the latest fire safety tests set in the wake of the fire. Sir Martin has previously faced calls to resign from residents, while Labour MP David Lammy said he was a "white, upper-middle class man" who had "never" visited a tower block housing estate and should not have been appointed. The inquiry is due to start in September. Sir Martin has previously said an interim report could be produced within a year. The prime minister will set out the terms of reference for the process in the coming weeks.

The judge leading the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire has written to the prime minister with recommendations for its terms of reference.

40902072

Paulo Roberto Costa - who is in jail and being investigated for involvement in the alleged scheme - named a minister, governors and congressmen. Among them were members of the governing Workers Party and groups which back President Dilma Rousseff. But the names, published in a magazine, also included rivals of Ms Rousseff. Many of the names were published in Veja, one of Brazil's leading magazines, just weeks before the presidential election in which Ms Rousseff is running for a second term in office. Several politicians mentioned have denied involvement. Mr Costa claimed that politicians received 3% commissions on the values of contracts signed with Petrobras when he was working there from 2004 to 2012. He alleged that the scheme was used to buy support for the government in congressional votes. Mr Costa was arrested in 2013. He is now in jail and struck a plea-bargain deal with prosecutors before giving the names. Ahead of the election, Ms Rousseff's approval ratings have been slipping in opinion polls in favour of her rival, former Environment Minister Marina Silva. The BBC's Wyre Davies in Rio de Janeiro says the latest allegations could hurt the incumbent further, as during her presidency Petrobras has dramatically underperformed and its costs have risen sharply. It has become one of the world's most indebted oil companies and lost half of its market value in three years. The BBC has requested a comment from Petrobras about the latest allegations and is awaiting a response.

An ex-director of Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras is reported to have accused more than 40 politicians of involvement in a kickback scheme.

29097734

The A835 Ullapool was closed for several hours because of a landslide at Garve. Police Scotland warned drivers to expect delays as the weather affected a number of roads across the country. Emergency teams are also dealing with landslips on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll and Bute and the A85 in Stirlingshire at Crianlarich. The Old Military Road A83 diversion is now being used. The road between Ardnarff and Strathcarron in the Highlands, on the A890 Stromeferry bypass, is likely to be closed for at least 12 hours after a large landslide. A railway line next to the road has not been affected. The Met Office issued an amber warning of rain for the Highlands, as well as yellow warnings covering parts of Perthshire, Fife, Strathclyde and the south west. Drivers were advised to use the A87 as an alternative route between Kyle and Inverness. The Stromeferry bypass in Wester Ross has been badly affected by landslides in the past. One landslip closed the route from 22 December 2011 to 23 April 2012 and cost Highland Council £2.8m to deal with. The bypass plays a part in taking traffic around Loch Carron. Highland Council said the bypass was closed at 07:30. A spokeswoman added: "Rain has stopped falling and ground conditions appear to be easing. "Our initial assessment shows the landslip to be relatively small so we hope to have the road cleared and reopened later today. Police and engineers are on site at present. "Trains are currently unaffected." In Edinburgh, Balcarres Street has flooded. People living in neighbouring flats have put up their flood gates to stop the water from entering their homes. Meanwhile, the A82 was closed for a short time earlier on Tuesday between Tarbet and Crianlarich. The section of road has been reopened under temporary traffic lights. The A82 south of Fort William partially reopened on Monday after two landslides blocked the road on Sunday. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued flood warnings for large parts of Perthshire and Tayside, Skye, Lochaber, Speyside and Easter Ross. Flood alerts were also in place for Argyll and Bute, Wester Ross and Caithness. In Aberdeen, a vehicle was stuck in floodwater under a footbridge near Stoneywood Road. Firefighters have been pumping flood water from a filling station at Inverness' Inshes Retail Park, while travel on some roads in and around the city have also been affected by surface water. Police warned of "heavy flooding" on both carriageways of the A90 in Dundee, and officers urged caution on the roads in the west, Highlands and north east. Rail services between Gourock, Wemyss Bay and Port Glasgow have been affected by flooding. In southern Scotland, a landslip between New Cumnock and Kirkconnel means trains between between Glasgow and Carlisle will terminate and start from Kilmarnock. Alternative transport is being arranged for Kilmarnock, Dumfries and Carlisle. The bad weather is expected to ease in many areas midway through Tuesday morning. However, the Met Office said that since Saturday the worst-affected parts of the country had seen three-day rainfall totals in excess of 150mm (5.9ins). And BBC Scotland weather presenter Chris Blanchett said 265mm of rain (10.4ins) had fallen in some parts of the Highlands since Friday. For the latest information on the situation on the roads visit the BBC's travel news page. You can keep up to date with incidents and roadworks on the motorways here. Around the country you can check for travel updates from: Alternatively, for regular travel updates listen live to BBC Radio Scotland and follow @BBCTravelScot. You can also follow the BBC Scotland severe weather Twitter list. Below are a number of other traffic information sources.

Landslides have closed several roads across Scotland as further heavy rains batter the country.

29798501

Investment in TV drama has fallen by 44% since the last review in 2008. The report found that "the drops in the levels of investment, particularly on ITV, are a concern". The media watchdog's review found spending on children's programmes in the UK had also fallen from £103m in 2008 to £88m in 2014. The BBC now accounts for 97% (£84m) of total public service broadcasting spending on children's programmes. Spending by ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 on children's TV has dropped by 74% to £3m in 2014. The review points out there is "very limited provision of non-animation programming beyond the BBC". The review found that, despite the success of big budget dramas like Downtown Abbey and Doctor Who, the amount of new UK drama being shown on the main channels has fallen from 627 hours in 2008 to 371 hours in 2014. Although it noted that "audience satisfaction with drama is stable". The review found that - following the removal of specific quotas in 2003 - public service programmes in arts and classical music, religion and ethics, and formal education has significantly reduced. Ofcom also warned broadcasters need to adapt as the trend towards online viewing grows. The watchdog found that unless the main TV channels adapt their business models, they would struggle to pay for public service programming in the future. Ofcom warned another challenge for the broadcasters in the future will be delivering news to younger audiences, as viewing of TV news has fallen by 29% among people aged 16-34. It also found certain audience groups were concerned about how they were portrayed on screen - particularly people from BAME backgrounds or people with disabilities - either being under-represented or unfairly portrayed. However, the review found that general audience satisfaction was high with 79% believing PSB was delivering on its purposes, such as delivering trustworthy news and high quality programming reflecting the UK. That figure is up from 69% in 2008. The review also found PSB channels continue to make a significant contribution to UK broadcasting. In 2013, they invested just over £2bn in new UK programmes, not including sports content, compared to around £350m from non-PSB companies. The main UK TV channels, BBC, ITV, STV, UTV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and S4C, all carry programmes with public service values. Over half of all TV viewing is on these main channels - but that figure rises to more than 70% when the time shifted channels are taken into account.

An Ofcom review into public service broadcasting (PSB) in the UK has raised concerns about a fall in spending on drama and children's programming.

33360707

The 29-year-old pedestrian was struck by a silver Renault Clio on the B2173 Maidstone Road, near the junction with Hockenden Lane, just after 22:00 GMT. He was pronounced dead at the scene and his next of kin have been informed, Kent Police said. The driver of the car was injured. Witnesses are being urged to come forward.

A man has died after he was hit by a car in Swanley on Saturday night.

38710497

The 37-year-old suffered the injury on 4 June during the first innings of Sussex's County Championship Division Two win over Worcestershire. It was only the Australian's second Championship appearance of the season after he missed three of Sussex's previous four games with a knee injury. Magoffin took 5-51 in his only other game as Sussex lost at Nottinghamshire. Sussex are currently fifth in the Division Two table, with two wins from their opening five matches.

Sussex seamer Steve Magoffin will be out for six to eight weeks after suffering an Achilles tendon injury.

40203465

Luke Berry came closest to opening the scoring in the first half but saw his effort from Piero Mingoia's low cross deflected narrowly off target. Berry powered another attempt just wide of Chris Day's near post on the stroke of half-time. The match was a stop-start affair, with Tom Pett going off injured in the first half for the visitors, who then saw Fraser Franks and Connor Ogilvie both require treatment after a nasty clash of heads early in the second period. George Maris screwed a shot wide when well placed from a Barry Corr knock-down, before Stevenage wasted their big chance 18 minutes from time when Leon Legge gave the ball away in a dangerous position to top scorer Matt Godden, who fired just off target with Will Norris beaten. Michael Tonge saw a free-kick saved by Norris, while Berry headed wide at the other end as Stevenage lost ground on Portsmouth in the race for automatic promotion. Match support supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Cambridge United 0, Stevenage 0. Second Half ends, Cambridge United 0, Stevenage 0. Luke Berry (Cambridge United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Michael Tonge (Stevenage). Attempt missed. Adam McGurk (Cambridge United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Brad Halliday (Cambridge United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Charlie Lee (Stevenage). Attempt blocked. Jack King (Stevenage) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Foul by Brad Halliday (Cambridge United). Matt Godden (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Adam McGurk (Cambridge United). Michael Tonge (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Corner, Cambridge United. Conceded by Fraser Franks. Attempt saved. Matt Godden (Stevenage) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Attempt missed. Luke Berry (Cambridge United) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Foul by Barry Corr (Cambridge United). Luke Wilkinson (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt saved. Michael Tonge (Stevenage) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top right corner. Foul by Luke Berry (Cambridge United). Steven Schumacher (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Greg Taylor (Cambridge United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Steven Schumacher (Stevenage). Corner, Stevenage. Conceded by Leon Legge. Attempt missed. Matt Godden (Stevenage) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Attempt missed. Steven Schumacher (Stevenage) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Substitution, Stevenage. Ben Kennedy replaces Josh McQuoid. Substitution, Cambridge United. Harrison Dunk replaces Piero Mingoia. Attempt missed. George Maris (Cambridge United) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Steven Schumacher (Stevenage) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Piero Mingoia (Cambridge United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Steven Schumacher (Stevenage). Kaylen Hinds (Stevenage) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Brad Halliday (Cambridge United). Attempt missed. Barry Corr (Cambridge United) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Barry Corr (Cambridge United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Charlie Lee (Stevenage). Foul by Barry Corr (Cambridge United). Jack King (Stevenage) wins a free kick on the right wing. Substitution, Cambridge United. Barry Corr replaces Ben Williamson. Substitution, Cambridge United. Adam McGurk replaces Paul Lewis.

Promotion-chasing Stevenage were held to a by Cambridge in League Two.

39312689

Football was the overall winner in the attendance stakes at 43.4 million, while three of the 10 best attended showpieces were horseracing events. Rugby union attendances, boosted by the 2.5 million fans at the Rugby World Cup, climbed to 7.5 million. This year's total was less than the 75 million at UK sports events in 2012. However, that year was boosted by 11 million visitors to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. Excluding the Rugby World Cup, the 10 most popular individual sporting events of 2015 had a combined attendance of 2.5 million, with Wimbledon topping the list again. The tennis tournament attracted just under half a million spectators during the fortnight. In terms of attendees-per-event-day, Formula 1's British Grand Prix was the winner, averaging more than 100,000 per day. Referring to the popularity of horseracing events, Alan Switzer, director in Deloitte's sports business group, said: "British racecourses are on track for record attendances of 6.2 million in 2015. "Flagship events such as Royal Ascot, the Cheltenham Festival and the Epsom Derby are firmly established in the top tier of best-attended annual UK sporting events, whilst the breadth and depth of other meetings throughout the year ensure horseracing remains one of the UK's most popular spectator sports." Two new individual events entered the top 10 best-attended sporting events in 2015: MotoGP's British Grand Prix (154,000) and the Badminton Horse Trials (147,000). These events replaced the Ryder Cup and Aintree Grand National from 2014. Deloitte said that although overall attendances for the year fell short of the record of 75 million set in 2012, taking away the one-off effects of the Olympic and Paralympic Games that year, and the Rugby World Cup in 2015, attendances rose by 6% across the period. Major sporting events in the UK next year include the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, the European Aquatics Championships and the FIH Women's Champions Trophy in hockey.

Attendances at professional sports events in the UK topped 70 million this year, up 5% on 2014, according to Deloitte's sports business group.

35097124

The 25-year-old moved to the Red Rose from Somerset in 2013 and his new deal ties him to the club until 2019. Short-format specialist Buttler has scored England's three fastest ODI centuries, including a 46-ball ton against Pakistan last year. "Jos is one of the most talented cricketers in the game," said cricket director and head coach Ashley Giles. "His presence in last year's T20 Blast final at Edgbaston was a factor in us winning the competition. "Jos is a great guy to have in the dressing room too and his experience at international level really benefits the squad." Buttler, who has been playing in the Indian Premier League with Mumbai Indians, will return to Lancashire for Friday's T20 Blast home game against Durham.

England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has signed a new three-year contract with Lancashire.

36390416

Under the proposed legislation, first-time offenders who do not cause serious injury will face a maximum of 15 days police custody instead of up to two years in jail. It now needs the approval of the upper house and President Vladimir Putin. Campaigners say the bill - dubbed the "slapping law" - would mean the "exoneration of tyrants in the home". The State Duma voted 380-3 for the bill, two days after it passed its second reading. The bill, drafted by MP Olga Batalina, concerns assaults that inflict physical pain but do not cause bodily injury that threatens the victim's health. It followed a change in the criminal code in July which decriminalised battery against strangers, but made battery within the family a criminal offence. Conservatives argued that it was unacceptable that parents could therefore face harsher penalties for smacking their children than a neighbour would. Under the bill, the first offence would be considered administrative rather than criminal and punished with a fine of up to 30,000 rubles (£400; €470), detention of up to 15 days or compulsory community service up to 120 hours. Assaults causing serious injury or repeat offences within a year would still be criminal offences and carry potential jail terms. "We want to show that Russian deputies will not allow the same excesses present in Western Europe," said ruling party lawmaker Andrei Isayev, claiming that European children "inform on their parents" in order to get their way, which leads to the parents losing custody. But MPs from the Communist Party opposed the bill. "Women don't often go to the police or the courts regarding their abusive husbands, now there will be even fewer such cases, and the number of murders will increase," said lawmaker Yury Sinelshchikov. On Wednesday, Maria Mokhova, the executive director of the Sisters crisis centre for abuse victims, told Reuters: "This law calls for the exoneration of tyrants in the home. "The message is: 'Let's not punish a person who at home beat up his family, just because he has the right to do that.'" Russian interior ministry statistics show that 9,800 women died as a result of a serious assault in 2015, and that a quarter of murders and serious assaults take place in the home. A petition launched by women's rights activist Alena Popova calling for comprehensive legislation against domestic violence has reached nearly 239,000 signatures.

Russia's lower house of parliament has passed a bill to decriminalise some forms of domestic violence.

38767873

The 36-year-old front-rower had played 14 games for the Dragons following his move to Perpignan in February. However an avulsion fracture and ankle ligament tears ended his involvement for Laurent Frayssinous' side. Mason played 290 NRL games, represented New South Wales in State of Origin and appeared in 24 Tests for the Kangaroos. It was his second Super League spell, following a six-game stint with Hull KR in 2011. "He will remain among the great players who have worn the Catalans Dragons jersey," chief executive Christophe Jouffret said.

Catalans Dragons have released Australian prop Willie Mason by mutual consent, after injuries ended his 2016 Super League season.

37036828

The last episode of the ITV show, which stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman, will air on Monday evening. Chris Chibnall told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's a strange feeling actually, it's quite emotional. "It's been an extraordinary journey with the show and [its success] has taken us all by surprise." Did the critics like Broadchurch? Confirming the drama will not return for any future series, he said: "That is it and there will be no more after this one, absolutely." The storyline of the final series has centred around the rape of Trish Winterman - played by former Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh. Chibnall explained: "When I thought about telling this story, the first thing I did, along with the people I work with, was go and talk to various people and charities who worked supporting survivors of sexual assault. "We went to Dorset sexual assault referral centre and Rape Crisis and Survivors' Trust, and the question I asked them was 'Should we be telling this story in Broadchurch, is it an appropriate thing to do?' "They were unanimous in their reply and said: 'Yes, absolutely, you should, you must, because there's an incredible amount of support out there for people who survive these crimes.'" He added he was also keen for Colman and Tennant's characters - DS Ellie Miller and DI Alec Hardy - to show exemplary behaviour when dealing with the case. "I noticed Dorset Police put out a statement the other day in response to the programme saying 'If you report [a rape] you will be believed by police', so we wanted to show best practice by these extraordinary people that we'd met," Chibnall said. Chibnall's next job will be taking over the reins at Doctor Who, after Steven Moffat announced he would be leaving the programme. The last series of the show to star Peter Capaldi as the Doctor began on BBC One on Saturday, with the opening episode attracting an average of 4.6 million viewers. But Chibnall was reluctant to give too much away about what he has planned for the show when he takes over. "It's way too early to talk about Doctor Who. There's still an amazing series to go out with Peter Capaldi," he said. "I've been thinking about it for a long time and we're putting a team together. But for another year there is an amazing Doctor, there's an amazing showrunner in Steven Moffatt and I've read the scripts for this series and they are phenomenal." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].

The writer and creator of television drama Broadchurch has said he feels "emotional" about the third and final series coming to an end.

39619834

Wales have not beaten the All Blacks in 26 matches since 1953 and the world champions are undefeated at Eden Park since 1994. Flanker Warburton, who starts after a shoulder injury, returns to the ground for the first time since being sent off for a tip-tackle in the 2011 World Cup semi-final defeat by France. "He who dares wins," Warburton said. Wales are yet to beat New Zealand on their own turf and the All Blacks have won their last 34 games at the Auckland ground. The match will be New Zealand's first since beating Australia 34-17 in the 2015 World Cup final. Steve Hansen's side are favourites to win the three-Test series, but Warburton, 27, says Wales must take the game to the home team. "There are going to be opportunities in the game where it might be on to go out the back or it might be on for somebody to blitz. If it comes off it pays dividends," he said. "You're going to have to take a few risks on Saturday, you can't be conservative and expect to win." Wales coach Warren Gatland added: "When the opportunity arises, we've got to be expansive, we've got to take risks and we've got to play rugby. Often the difference between one side and the other is just a bit of magic." Warburton's controversial red card against France in 2011 came as Wales' World Cup dream ended with a 9-8 defeat. But the British and Irish Lion says returning to the scene of heartbreak will not play on his psyche. "There's so much water under the bridge since then. That never even crosses my mind," said Warburton. "This is a brand new challenge, to play the All Blacks out here." Warburton has not played since 30 April and is one of five changes to the team beaten by England last month. The Cardiff Blues forward says he has benefited from his time on the sidelines. "It's actually been a little bit of a blessing to freshen me up a bit, to top up the fitness levels," he said. "I've been doing running for a long time now so fitness won't be an issue. "Compared to the other injuries I've had it'll be a much easier transition back into Test rugby."

Wales captain Sam Warburton says his side must not be afraid to take risks against New Zealand on Saturday.

36491554

Media playback is unsupported on your device 21 October 2014 Last updated at 09:51 BST Eleven-month-old Harmonie-Rose Allen became ill in September and was rushed into Bristol Children's Hospital where she was diagnosed with a rare form of meningococcal septicaemia. Harmonie-Rose's family want to raise money to help with her care and have stuck pink ribbons all around the estate where she lives. BBC reporter Ali Vowles went to meet the family.

A fundraising campaign is under way to help a baby girl from Bath who has to have all of her limbs amputated after contracting meningitis.

29700444

Nick Bennett, group chief executive of Community Housing Cymru, which represents housing associations, was chosen from four candidates. Mr Bennett said he wanted to ensure the office provided excellent advice for service users in Wales and help drive improvement in public services. He will take over from Peter Tyndall who held the office since April 2008. Mr Bennett will have legal powers to investigate complaints about public services in Wales such as councils and health boards.

A new public service ombudsman for Wales has been approved by the National Assembly.

26864676

Dunlop, 27, lapped the course at 132.36mph on his BMW superbike and was only four seconds outside John McGuinness' absolute lap record. The Ballymoney man's speed of 131.34 in the Superstocks improved his own previous best lap of 131.22. Ian Hutchinson was second fastest in the Superbike class with 131.66. Eleven-time TT winner Hutchinson, 36, produced his time on his Tyco BMW Superbike from a standing start. Honda-mounted John McGuinness made up the top three in the blue riband class with 131.12, followed by his Honda team-mate Conor Cummins (129.99) and Yorkshire's Dean Harrison on a Kawasaki (129.97). Fermanagh rider Lee Johnston, riding a Triumph, clocked the fastest Supersport speed of the week at 124.84mph to lie sixth overall in the leaderboard. Bruce Anstey, the quickest Supersport rider to date with 124.508, came off his Superbike machine at Keppel Gate on Thursday evening, but walked away with a suspected minor ankle injury. Michael Rutter moved to the top of the Lightweight Supertwins leaderboard with a lap of 118.054mph, just bettering Ivan Lintin's speed of 118.000mph set on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, Tim Reeves and Patrick Farrance posted a lap of 114.83mph to send them to the top of the sidecar leaderboard ahead of Dave Molyneux and Dan Sayle. The final qualifying session is scheduled to take place on Friday night, with the first race, the Superbikes, due off at 11:00 BST on Saturday.

Michael Dunlop continued his Isle of Man TT practice week dominance as he set the fastest Superbike lap and set an unofficial Superstock lap record.

36440987

Margaret Gleeson, 70, died two days after a hernia operation at Wigan's Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in October 2015. Concluding an inquest into her death, Simon Jones ruled out neglect and said she died due to a rare complication. But he said he wanted to highlight concerns raised during the hearing. Mr Jones said he would write to both the hospital and the Department of Health about the issue of patient safety at weekends. However, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust said it did not believe weekend staffing levels were to blame. "The trust does not believe that Mrs Gleeson's death was the result of any difference between the resources available and services provided at the weekend and those provided on weekdays," a spokesman said. "The trust already complies with national guidelines in relation to weekend working and is actively involved in an ongoing pilot scheme investigating the possible benefits which might be derived from seven day working." The trust said its own investigation had revealed shortcomings in "some aspects" of Mrs Gleeson's care, for which it offered its "sincere apologies". The inquest, sitting at Bolton Coroner's Court, heard medics believed Mrs Gleeson's operation had been a success, but it was later discovered that internal tissue had been torn during the procedure. Her condition then deteriorated. When questioned about weekend staffing during the hearing, the trust's Dr Sadasivam Loganathan agreed it was "a major concern". He said: "You don't give the same attention as the patient deserves." Mrs Gleeson's son, Peter Gleeson, said: "I think if she'd had the operation on a Monday or any other time in the week it would have possibly been a different outcome." Her daughter Julie Barnes added: "The surgeon himself said if she'd have been reviewed and it had been picked up on the Saturday, it would have been a totally different outcome." Stephen Jones, of Leigh Day solicitors, said the family were "disappointed" the coroner did not find neglect had been a factor. "Whether the different weekend working practice within the trust had any affect in Mrs Gleeson's case we don't really know," he said. "But what we can say is that sufficient concern was expressed by the clinicians at Wigan to cause patient concern."

A coroner has vowed to raise concerns about weekend staffing levels at a hospital where a grandmother died after a routine operation.

36596125

The Rev Margaret McPhee made the comment at a carol service at St Mary's Church, Stalham in Norfolk for Stalham Academy pupils on Monday night. A parent on Facebook said she had "spoiled the magic" of Christmas. The school said Mrs McPhee had promised "she will not be making any such comments in the future". During the carol service, the curate asked children what they thought was the meaning of Christmas. When a child answered "Father Christmas", she told them he was not real. One parent said on Facebook that Mrs McPhee had "put me off taking my children to church just in case something else gets said". But another showed support and posted: "I bet this Rev is feeling terrible. No-one spoils the magic of Christmas on purpose for children." In a statement, Stalham Academy said it had received an "official apology" from Mrs McPhee.. The Ven Jan McFarlane, archdeacon of Norwich, said: "Margaret is a sensitive and sensible priest who let slip a comment which she immediately regretted. "She apologised swiftly and wholeheartedly and regrets any distress her comments may have caused."

A trainee vicar who told primary school children Father Christmas does not exist has apologised for her "insensitive, off-the-cuff remark".

30532016

7 February 2017 Last updated at 07:41 GMT Nikki is also a vlogger and spends a lot of time on the internet. So for Safer Internet Day, we thought it was a great opportunity to speak to her about how she stays safe online and deals with "haters" who say nasty things. Check out her interview with Ricky to see what she had to say...

You may recognise Nikki from CBBC's Junior Bake Off, which she won last year.

38887524

Imaginative thinking would be required to ensure trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was not affected, said Mr Ahern. But he believed customs checks were inevitable. Mr Ahern added that now was not the time for a border poll. Speaking to the BBC's Today Programme, he said: "There has to be far more consensus, there still is a divided society, the institutions are not operational. "The big issue, I think, for the Irish and the UK government is on the other side of 8 June is to try to help broker a deal to get the institutions back up and running and certainly having a border poll in the foreseeable future will not help that process." In March, Mr Ahern told the BBC's Newsnight programme that dissident republicans might use the re-introduction of border posts in Northern Ireland to justify their campaign of violence. He said a hard border with customs checks would have to be re-introduced because of the UK's decision to leave most of the customs union under Brexit. Mr Ahern drew a comparison with the IRA's so-called Border Campaign in the 1950s. But he said he did not expect a return to large-scale violence. The UK government has pledged to ensure there will be no return to the "hard border" of the past.

Former Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Bertie Ahern has warned there is no easy solution to resolving the Irish border issue before the UK leaves the EU.

39870563

The proceedings in London will be "the first time that undercover policing has been exposed to the rigour of public examination," he told a court. Helen Steel, who had a relationship with an undercover officer, said police committed "human rights abuses". But police said undercover officers can play an important role. Lawyers investigating allegations for the Home Office say they have uncovered more than 80 possible miscarriages of justice relating to undercover policing. Investigations revealed officers had also had relationships with women while undercover, and had used the names of dead children. Undercover: The allegations made to date Opening proceedings at the Royal Courts of Justice, Lord Justice Pitchford said: "It seems likely that the inquiry will expose both creditable and discreditable conduct, practice and management. "At the conclusion of its investigation, the inquiry will report to the home secretary and make recommendations as to the deployment of undercover police officers in future." "Jacqui", who had a son with a man she thought was a fellow animal rights activist, did not discover he was an undercover police officer until 25 years after he disappeared from her life. She told the BBC the discovery was "like an earthquake". "I want this inquiry to really get to the truth... and come to some conclusion about whether this money and human misery was worth it". She wants the officers themselves to have the chance to give evidence, perhaps anonymously, "and not have to worry about the Official Secrets Act or what's going to happen to them". She hopes "what happened to me... what happened to other women, will never happen again. "There is no circumstance where having sexual relations in order to get information on a group, whatever the group is, is ever justified." The home secretary ordered the review after claims police spied on the family of Stephen Lawrence. Neville Lawrence, Stephen's father, said more than one judge should oversee the case, or its conclusions should be left to a jury. "You have an old saying - two heads are better than one," he said. "Sometimes one person might miss something and the other one can bring them back to where they're supposed to be". And Ms Steel said: "These undercover policing units have committed grievous human rights abuses which are absolutely shocking in a supposedly democratic society. We want to make sure they don't happen again to anybody else, and for that to happen we need the full truth to emerge." Case study "Alison" was a member of an independent political group in London in the 1990s when she formed a relationship with a man she knew as Mark Cassidy. They were together for five years and lived together for four. But Mark disappeared suddenly, saying he'd had a row with his mother and was depressed. "His disappearance five years after we met was very sudden and unexpected and didn't make sense. I spent a long time trying to find out where he was and why he'd left," Alison told Radio 4's Today programme. She believes claims of depression were part of an "exit strategy" used by officers. "I knew I had to get on with my life and I did that, but still carried on looking and searching when I could," she added. She later found out "Mark" had a wife and children. "I've carried on with my life, I've met somebody else who I grew up with as a child which was the only reason I was able to trust them was because I knew that they were who they said they were. "And I've been fortunate enough to have a family, but many of the women who this has happened to have not been so fortunate." Lord Justice Pitchford's inquiry at the Royal Courts of Justice will look into police infiltration of political and social justice groups in England and Wales since 1968. The inquiry is expected to be split into three parts: establishing what happened, examining the procedures adopted by police to prevent wrongdoing, and recommendations for the future. Preliminary hearings are due to start in the autumn and the inquiry is set to last three years. The inquiry's terms of reference include: The allegations were first widely reported in 2011 when a former undercover officer, Mark Kennedy, offered to help defend, in court, six environmental campaigners whom he had infiltrated. That trial collapsed - and later the same year, there were further revelations of undercover relationships, one of which led to a child. By Dominic Casciani, BBC home affairs correspondent The allegations of wrongdoing by undercover police officers that have emerged since 2011 have been extraordinary. That steady stream of stories has led to the launch of a major public inquiry into their activities. The breadth and nature of what is being alleged is almost too big to grasp, but it fundamentally comes down to a simple question of whether elements of the police were out of control. Seven key issues the inquiry will examine. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said undercover policing was an important tactic, but had to be done legally. He told BBC London: "We, for the police, will make the case that our undercover officers are incredibly brave and they deal with some very dangerous people. "We think this is a vital part of our toolset and if we don't have it then we don't suffer, but the public might.

The public inquiry into undercover policing may "expose both creditable and discreditable conduct", chairman Lord Justice Pitchford has warned.

33682768

Feminist groups were joined outside Belfast City Hall by people supporting gay rights, immigrants and the disabled. Organisers said the aim was to highlight women's rights. The protest comes after a series of controversial comments by President Trump during his election campaign. Protesters said they believe the rights of many Americans are under threat from the new administration. They said they were overwhelmed by the number of people who took part. The events draw inspiration from the Women's March on Washington, which also took place on Saturday and attracted crowds of 200,000 people. Almost 700 so-called sister marches took place on Saturday across the globe. Protests by women have already taken place in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. In the UK, rallies took place in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Shipley. London organisers announced on stage that between 80,000 and 100,000 men, women and children had taken part in the rally. However, police have not given an independent estimate and the BBC has no way of verifying the figure.

Hundreds gathered for a Women's March in Belfast on Saturday as part of an international protest on the first day of Donald Trump's presidency.

38706509

The 58-year-old, who has slipped to 100 in the world rankings, failed to make a half-century break at Ponds Forge. China's Ding Junhui defeated Ireland's Greg Casey 10-4, while compatriot Liang Wenbo beat England's Joe O'Connor 10-2. There are three rounds of qualifying, with 16 qualifiers joining the world's top 16 at the Crucible from 16 April. Davis' last appearance at the Crucible showpiece came in 2010, when he produced a surprise run to the quarter-finals before being beaten by eventual champion Neil Robertson. Ding, an 11-time ranking event winner, is playing the qualifiers for the first time since 2007 after a disappointing season that has seen him drop out of the top 16. Two-time Crucible finalist Ali Carter is also through to the next stage of qualifying.

Six-time champion Steve Davis failed to reach the World Championship as he lost 10-4 to Fergal O'Brien in the first round of qualifying in Sheffield.

36008624

Gatland says he will step down after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The 52-year-old hopes to coach in his homeland once that deal expires and Brooke says he could be a candidate for the national side by then. "Warren Gatland's certainly got the capabilities of dealing with that," he said. "It's all about managing the players and he's been an All Black himself, so he knows what's required of a player. "His coaching credentials have been built through coaching in the UK. He's a quality guy and a very good coach." Two of Gatland's Wales predecessors and fellow countrymen, Sir Graham Henry and Steve Hansen, went on to coach the All Blacks. Hansen emulated Henry's exploits of 2011 by guiding New Zealand to a third World Cup with victory over Australia in the 2015 final. His contract expires in 2017 and Hansen expects to step down before New Zealand defend their title two years later. Since taking over in December 2007, Gatland has led Wales to two Grand Slams and become the longest-serving coach in their history. His deal expires after the tournament in Japan and he plans to return to his homeland, where he previously coached his native Waikato after spells with Ireland and Wasps. Waikato Chiefs chief executive Andrew Flexman says Gatland would walk into a job in Super Rugby. "He's about as credentialed as you can get and certainly in Chiefs country he's considered to be right up there," Flexman told BBC Radio Wales Sport. "We're pretty excited to hear that he's interested in rounding out his coaching career in this country. "Depending on what the lie of the land looks like for us in the future, we'd certainly engage him in a conversation around that."

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has the credentials to be All Blacks coach, according to ex-New Zealand forward Zinzan Brooke.

34741692

Paul captured global attention after he successfully predicted the results of all of Germany's seven games at the 2010 World Cup, as well as the final. Each time he opened a box marked with the winning country's flag and ate the mussel inside. There are now eight contenders in the race to become the next 'psychic' octopus for the Women's World Cup. One of the those in the running is Lola from France, aged around five months, who lives at the Sea Life Centre in Munich. Jens Bohn, who works at the aquarium, thinks she is in with a good chance, and he he told BBC World Service that Lola is both "intelligent" and a "quick learner". He has been training her in preparation for her first test on Friday, when she and the seven other octopuses will attempt to predict the winner of the opening game between Germany and Canada. But could there ever really be another Paul? "Perhaps we'll discover that Paul was the only one, the magic one, and the others are just normal octopuses," admits Bohn. "Nobody knows, but it's worth a try, isn't it?" Sixteen teams, including England, are taking part in the Women's World Cup in Germany, which runs from 26 June until 17 July.

The hunt is on to try to find a successor to the late Paul the 'psychic' octopus.

13892199

Hertfordshire Police said it was looking for Aidan Chaves in connection with "an incident of affray" in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire. The game between Sawbridgeworth Town and Clapton FC on 25 March was abandoned. It followed reports a player appeared to get a knife out after being spat at by a Clapton fan. Mr Chaves is believed to be in Hertfordshire. Police said the 26-year-old also had connections to London. The Essex Senior League match, taking place at Sawbridgeworth's Crofters End ground, was abandoned after 95 minutes. Following the match Sawbridgeworth Town said a player's registration had been terminated. A spokesman for the club said the player in question would "never represent" them again and had been given a life ban from the ground. Clapton was declared the winner because the score stood as it was at 95 minutes Sawbridgeworth Town 0 - Clapton 1.

A non-league footballer who allegedly brandished a knife at an opposition fan is being sought by police.

40307001

President Trump has also dismissed the country's top lawyer, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates after she directed the Justice Department not to defend his Executive Order on this issue. Families separated from loved ones by the ban share their stories. Samuel Jacob was born in Syria but lives in Pittsburgh, US. He recently got married but cannot be with his wife. "I am an instructor in heart and lung transplant at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Although I was born in Syria, I carry dual US and British citizenship. "My wife is a dermatologist, is currently living in the south-western city of Sweida in Syria. She holds a Syrian passport so we are affected by this ban. "We got married last October in Lebanon and although we keep in touch via Skype, she is currently unable to be with me. "A lot of money has been spent on lawyers' fees, translation and paperwork but I want to be reunited with my wife. "Also, I'm nervous about leaving the United States in case I'm not able to get back in again. "I want President Trump to let me know when my wife can join me." Helen Honarpisheh is an Iranian citizen, but a permanent resident of the US, currently living in Durham, North Carolina. "I am a physician and work at a hospital in North Carolina. "My elderly parents live in Shiraz, Iran and were hoping to visit me. They were last here in 2011. "If you live in Iran, you either have to travel to Dubai or Turkey to get a visa to visit the US. "My parents went to Dubai and spent a lot of time and money on their visa application. "They purchased their tickets and had everything arranged. But now they are banned from coming to the US to visit their daughter. "I have studied for years, worked hard day and night and paid taxes in this country. "I believe I am entitled to the very basic human right of being able to see my loved ones. "This is very demoralizing. It's like I am trapped in a big prison."

The Trump administration is standing firm over its ban on refugees from seven countries despite court rulings and mass protests against the move.

38797131

17 May 2017 Last updated at 06:49 BST Around 9,000 people were killed, and more than 8 million affected by the earthquake - roughly a quarter of the country's population It also caused massive damage to roads and buildings, with schools closed and people left homeless. But as time passes things are slowly starting to return to normal, and aid organisations like World Vision are helping people get their lives back on track. Watch Hayley's report.

Two years ago, huge earthquakes hit the South Asian country of Nepal.

39941001

Legally, it needs at least 5% of local electors for a referendum to go ahead. Those behind the petition say a mayor would offer more dynamic leadership and "rise above party politics". Council leader Tim Warren said it felt "unnecessary" so soon after the elections. If successful, a directly elected mayor would replace him. The council announced on Monday that it had received 6,818 valid signatures. A further 2,789 signatures were ruled to be invalid. Directly elected mayors were created by the Local Government Act 2000 as one option for local government, as long as the idea was backed in a referendum. Bath & North East Somerset Council said the threshold set out under the 2000 Act had been reached and "it is anticipated that the referendum will be held early next year". In Bath, the council is run by a leader and cabinet system. Philip Raby, one of the team working for a referendum, said they favoured holding it on 5 May 2016, the day of the police and crime commissioner elections. He felt a directly elected mayor would offer "visible and accountable leadership" for the wider area - something he felt the current system did not offer. Mr Warren said there were "challenging budgetary issues" to concentrate on and questioned whether there was much public appetite for a referendum. Local petitions sparked referendums which resulted in elected mayors in Salford, Greater Manchester in 2012 and in Copeland, Cumbria in 2015. The Localism Act 2011 allowed central government to trigger referendums for elected mayors - but of the ten held in May 2012, only Bristol voted in favour of getting a mayor.

A referendum on an elected mayor for Bath and North East Somerset will be held in 2016, after a petition reached the threshold of 6,437 votes.

34171973

Sally Shalloe, 51, of Attenborough, Nottinghamshire, died when her bicycle was hit by David Staley's motorbike in Middleton Boulevard in April last year. At Nottingham Crown Court, Staley, 32, admitted causing Ms Shalloe's death by dangerous driving. Staley, of Arnold, Nottingham, is due to be sentenced on 13 May. Ms Shalloe worked as a research fellow at the University of Nottingham, and husband Jim Hill said his wife previously produced studies on road safety. "She was cycling to work that morning," said Mr Hill, who had been married to Ms Shalloe for 16 years. "I had a policewoman walk into my work office and tell me she'd been killed. It was like being split in two with an axe. "It's turned my life upside down completely. I've got a constant feeling of loss." Staley was disqualified from the roads before being bailed ahead of his sentencing.

A motorcyclist has pleaded guilty to causing the death of a former road safety worker who was killed in a crash on a busy Nottingham road.

35873403

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) called for urgent government action as it revealed a 47% increase in food bank inquiries on its services. It said it provided advice on emergency food providers 7,400 times in 2014/15. The UK government said the report failed to recognise that poverty in Scotland was at a record low. A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions said it spends £90bn a year on working-age benefits to help the most vulnerable in society. The food bank statistics emerged in a new report - Living at the Sharp End - in which CAS researchers investigated the root cause of the trend. The report revealed clients often arrived at citizens' advice bureaux hungry, having not eaten for days, and with no money for essentials. A total of 71% told researchers they cut down on food when they were faced with a gap in their income. The report also found the service was increasingly seeing people who had exhausted all forms of government support and whose only option was to go to a food bank. The Scottish government is set to gain control of some aspects of welfare in September. Scottish Secretary David Mundell is expected to sign off the transfer and timetable later this week. The report's findings included a profile of the CAS clients who sought advice about food banks. It found that: CAS head of policy and public affairs Susan McPhee, called for urgent government action to prevent people slipping through the safety net of social security. "When reports like this have been published in the past, the standard reaction of the UK government has been to say that there is a support network in place that prevents people falling into destitution," she said. "Our evidence today shows beyond dispute that this is simply not the case. "If it were, there would be no need for food banks at all, yet Scottish CABs had to give food bank advice over 7,000 times last year, and our report shows that too many Scottish families are struggling in severe poverty." The report found changes to the benefits system, low pay, insecure work and the rising cost of living contributed to their clients' money problems. It also discovered that benefits problems - including administrative errors and sanctions - forced people to seek crisis support. The report makes a series of recommendations designed to increase people's resilience to "income shocks", prevent gaps in income and improve crisis assistance. Ms McPhee said: "As our new prime minister takes office, this report makes clear that the social security system is simply not working for the most vulnerable people in our society. "We make a number of recommendations in our report about how to improve this, and we want to work with both governments to make those changes happen. "But it is clear that action is needed now." The DWP said the report failed to take into account the latest statistics on poverty in Scotland. A spokeswoman said: "Work is the best route out of poverty and since 2010 there are 140,000 more people in work in Scotland. "We're also continuing to spend around £90bn a year on working-age benefits, supporting the most vulnerable in society."

The most vulnerable people in Scotland are falling into destitution because the benefits system is "simply not working", according to a charity.

36774549

Supermarket Morrisons cut the price of diesel by up to 2p per litre, and Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's followed the move with their own price cuts. The last time diesel was cheaper than petrol was 2001, according to analysis by Experian Catalyst. Morrisons said lower wholesale diesel costs meant it could pass on savings. Mark Todd, petrol director for Morrisons, said: "This is a milestone in motoring and many younger drivers won't remember the last time that diesel prices were lower than unleaded." Pump prices are influenced by factors including the distance from oil terminals and refineries, so not all diesel prices will be lower than petrol, the supermarkets said. In July 2001, diesel cost 77.92 pence per litre on average, compared with 77.94 pence for a litre of petrol, according to Experian Catalyst data. A month prior, diesel had been as much as a penny cheaper per litre, and a price difference of just under two pence was found in 2000. There may be some delay until UK motorists see the price dip among all competitors. Experian Catalyst said the on Sunday UK average prices narrowed to 117.10 pence per litre for petrol and 118.33 pence for diesel. Diesel is normally more expensive than petrol per litre for a variety of reasons, according to the United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association. While most recent investment in refineries UK has been for unleaded petrol production, more efficient engines mean petrol demand has been decreasing since the early 1990s, depressing prices by comparison to diesel, it says. However, increased supply of diesel from refineries outside the UK is likely to be the reason behind this recent price flip, according to the RAC. "With the price of crude oil standing at $56.50 and the pound relatively strong against the US dollar - the fuel trading currency - there is scope for further price cuts of up to 4p per litre off diesel over the next fortnight, and unleaded may even benefit from a slight reduction too due to the continued oversupply of oil," said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams. "Drivers of unleaded petrol vehicles should not feel short changed - what we are seeing is the diesel pump price coming down to a level closer to what it should be due to the effects of greater refining capacity in the Middle East." Wholesale prices for diesel have been cheaper than petrol since 27 May, the RAC said. As crude oil has become cheaper, both petrol and diesel prices have fallen too. However, petrol prices have fallen more slowly allowing diesel to become cheaper, says James Challinor, research director for research and consultancy group Wood Mackenzie. This is caused in part by demand for petrol from the US. "Fundamentally it is strong demand for European gasoline [petrol] from the US and West Africa that is supporting the wholesale" petrol price, he said. Refinery outages in Latin America are creating demand for exports of US petrol into that region, which in turn leads European petrol to be exported to the US, he added.

The price of diesel has fallen below petrol at some supermarkets for the first time in more than a decade, after the big chains announced price cuts.

33594585

A man lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman's Office for NI after the incident last year. He said he had been wrongfully arrested and that his home had been unlawfully searched. The man said his wife was "hysterical" at finding police in the garden. He was taken inside his house and arrested in connection with a firearms offence which had happened the previous day, before being taken into custody at a police station. The man was later released when police realised he was not the person they were looking for. When a Police Ombudsman investigator examined police files, he found that the issue lay with an incorrectly recorded date of birth in a handover information pack provided to the officer who organised the search. The officer who compiled the pack had recorded the name and address of another man of the same name, but had mistakenly added the complainant's date of birth. The officer who co-ordinated the search said she had checked the details in the handover pack, but found no-one of that name living at the address. She then searched for a more up-to-date address using the complainant's name and date of birth, which resulted in his arrest and home being searched. The officer who recorded the wrong date of birth admitted his mistake and "apologised to the complainant and his family for the upset and annoyance which resulted". It said police "later tracked down the right man, who was subsequently arrested". The Police Ombudsman investigator said "the mistake had unfortunate consequences for the man and his family". They said they had "recommended that the officer should receive a disciplinary sanction, and that has since been imposed by the police".

A police officer has been disciplined over a mistake which led to armed police being sent to the wrong address during a search of a family home in County Down.

38499801

The blast tore through the crowded Jameela market in the predominantly Shia district of Sadr City. The Sunni jihadist group, Islamic State (IS), said it was behind the bombing and that it targeted Shia militiamen. Meanwhile, medics say more than 20 civilians died when bombs dropped by the Iraqi air force hit a maternity and children's hospital in Falluja. The city lies west of Baghdad and has been controlled by IS since January 2014. The violence comes after a top American general said the US should consider embedding American troops with Iraqi forces if progress was not made in the fight against IS. Raymond Odierno, the army's outgoing chief of staff, told reporters that such forces would have a support rather than a combat role. Thursday's bomb attack in Sadr City was one of the deadliest in the capital since Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi took office a year ago. In a statement posted on Twitter, IS said the truck bomb targeted Shia militiamen from the Mahdi Army and the Popular Mobilisation forces, who have been battling the jihadist group in northern and western Iraq for more than a year. Sadr City has been the target of several bomb attacks this year claimed by IS militants, who consider Shia to be heretics. Dozens of people have been killed in bombings across Baghdad in recent months. In May and July, large car bombs exploded outside two prominent hotels. IS also continues to control vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq, but air strikes by a US-led coalition have helped Iraqi pro-government forces regain some territory since last August. "I believe that if we find in the next several months that we're not making the progress that we have, we should probably absolutely consider embedding some soldiers with them, and see if that would make a difference," said Gen Odierno, who retires as US Army chief of staff on Friday. "I think that's an option we should present to the president." Gen Odierno warned that swift and more aggressive US military action would be effective only in the short-term. "We'd probably be right back where we are today six months later," he said. "I absolutely believe that the region has to solve this problem. The US cannot solve this problem for the region." The US has already sent some 3,500 military trainers and advisers to Iraq. But the Americans' aim of training 24,000 Iraqi troops has not been achieved, with only 9,000 coming forward, according to US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.

At least 59 people have been killed after a truck bomb exploded in north-eastern Baghdad, Iraqi officials say.

33901796

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has pledged €50m (£42m) in funds for rebuilding. At least 268 people are now known to have died and 400 were injured. Teams have continued to search the rubble of toppled buildings for a second night. However, hundreds of aftershocks have hampered the efforts of the 5,000 rescuers. Another magnitude-4.7 tremor struck early on Friday. In addition to the funds, Mr Renzi cancelled taxes for residents and announced a new initiative, "Italian Homes", to tackle criticism over shoddy construction. But he also said that it was "absurd" to think that Italy could build completely quake-proof buildings. It follows criticism in the Italian press over building standards in high-risk areas. Some of the buildings that collapsed had recently been renovated. Historic towns do not have to conform to anti-quake building regulations, which are also often not applied when new buildings are put up. The 6.2-magnitude quake hit in the early hours of Wednesday, 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome in mountainous central Italy. The worst affected towns - Amatrice, Arquata, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto - are usually sparsely populated but have been swelled by tourists visiting for summer, making estimates for the precise number missing difficult. More than 200 people died in Amatrice alone. At least three Britons died in the quake, a local official in Amatrice told the BBC. The Romanian government said 11 of its citizens were missing. Bodies are still being found in the town, including one discovered in the rubble of the Hotel Roma in the city late on Thursday. An official with the fire department, Lorenzo Botti, admitted they were facing a race against time. "The chances of finding people alive in these conditions, in this type of setting, well, it's challenging," he said. But other rescuers said there was still hope, noting that one survivor was pulled from ruins in L'Aquila in 2009 three days after an earthquake that killed more than 300 people. Search teams have asked locals to disable their wi-fi passwords to help rescue workers communicate more effectively. Police have also arrested a man for attempting to break into and loot an empty home in the town, Ansa reported.

Italy has declared a state of emergency in the regions worst hit by Wednesday's earthquake as hopes of finding more survivors fade.

37192452

Compared with other European countries, many apprenticeships are low quality and too short, the Sutton Trust warns. It says thousands of apprenticeships should be created to boost the economy and improve youngsters' job prospects. The Department for Education says apprenticeships are being reformed to "drive up standards". The Association of Colleges said some existing apprenticeships were respected by industry and should be preserved. The study, which was carried out by the Boston Consulting Group on behalf of the Sutton Trust, says fewer than 200,000 of the 520,000 apprenticeships starting in England every year are rated at level three - which is equivalent to A-level. The report cites figures that suggest apprenticeships are offered by just one in five (20%) of employers in England, compared with over half (51%) in Germany, which, the report says, is considered to have one of the best vocational education systems. Only 61,000 new apprenticeship starts were for young people, whereas in Germany, 570,000 new apprenticeships are for youngsters and 90% of these are equivalent to A-levels. The report also notes that England's vocational system has 18,000 different qualifications, while Germany has 330. The report warns that since 2010, more than half (58%) of apprenticeships have been below level three and three-quarters have been aimed at those over the age of 25, many of whom are already in work. And it warns 11 young people are competing for each apprenticeship. In his foreword to the report, Sutton Trust chairman Sir Peter Lampl said the report had found that, with some exceptions, the opportunities on offer to young people who did not go to university were "poor". The attitude in England, with some exceptions, was very different to that in countries such as Germany and Switzerland, he said. "Instead of a clear system of respected vocational routes, we suffer from a complicated patchwork where too many young people are offered qualifications of little worth in a system that confuses employers and is not valued as it should be by society," he said. He said the "cruel deception" about an expansion in apprenticeships, when many were below level three and the majority went to older workers, had to stop. The report calls for apprenticeships to be radically expanded, with up to 300,000 new starts each year. The majority of these should be at level three at least for three years, with some four-year courses at level four - higher than A-levels. No more than 10% of apprenticeships should be two-year courses at level two, it says. Sir Peter said: "Real apprenticeships are as important to social mobility as good university degrees. "Students facing huge loans for a university education find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Even if they would prefer to work with training, the lack of good apprenticeships means they feel they have little choice. "England's patchwork vocational system not only hinders our economic competitiveness, it prevents tens of thousands of young people from gaining good skilled jobs." Teresa Frith, from the Association of Colleges, said: "Creating 300,000 apprenticeships, when the report acknowledges there is already a shortage of apprenticeship places for 16 to-year-olds, would be a massive challenge and although we agree that there is a business case for employers to take on apprentices, at the moment too few do. "The report also says level three apprenticeships should be the priority. This isn't a bad idea in principle but some level two apprenticeships, such as those in construction, are well-respected by the industry and should be preserved. "The report is absolutely right to say that vocational courses should only be taught in institutions with high-quality facilities and expert teaching staff and that careers advice and guidance needs to be improved." A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "We are already radically reforming apprenticeships to drive up standards so that they are more rigorous and responsive to the needs of employers. "Since 2010 over a million people have become apprentices, providing a great start to their careers. We have already insisted that apprenticeships last for a minimum of a year, include more English and maths and that every apprenticeship is a job. "We have consulted on wider reforms to drive up standards in apprenticeships further, and will publish plans later this month."

Apprenticeships in England need to be overhauled to stop many young people being awarded practical qualifications that have little worth, a report says.

24553569

John Vine said the group, typically foreign students, is growing in number. His report warned that immigration officers did not know how many of those told to leave the UK had actually left. Immigration minister Damian Green blamed the last government - but Labour said the report was damning. The latest report from the inspector focuses on a previously unknown problem in the UKBA, concerning people from outside Europe who have deadlines to leave the UK. Many of these people are students and if they do not leave when told to do so, they are added to the "migration refusal pool" (MRP). "There are over 150,000 cases nationally of migrants who have been refused an extension of stay in the UK," said Mr Vine. "The Agency does not know how many of these individuals have left the country or are waiting to be removed. "I also saw no evidence that there is a clear plan in place for the Agency to deal with this stream of work to ensure this does not become another backlog. "I believe it can and must do more to demonstrate it is dealing with this issue in a more proactive manner." The report said the number of MRP cases had grown from 153,000 in October of last year to almost 160,000 by mid-December. Mr Vine said: "The Agency needs much more effective planning in place to deal with this stream of work in order to ensure it removes individuals still in the UK who have no right to be here, while setting out clear performance targets to manage these cases much more effectively." Immigration Minister Damian Green said "Under the last government there was no effective strategy in place to ensure migrants left at the end of their time in the UK. The UK Border Agency is now working through a group of potential over-stayers to identify those who have not left. "This includes checking passenger records using our e-borders database which now covers all flights outside Europe. "This summer the UKBA launched a UK-wide operation to remove over-stayers and we have already seen 1,800 removals since the campaign started." But shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the coalition was "failing on illegal immigration." "The damning conclusion from the government's own immigration inspector has concluded that the government is giving a very low priority to finding and removing people who have been refused permission to stay. "We've had the fiasco of the border scandal, where the Home Secretary has admitted she doesn't know how many people came in without checks. We now have huge queues at our airports because of poor management and the cuts to nearly 900 UK Border Force staff."

The UK Border Agency has no "clear strategy" for dealing with a group of more than 150,000 foreign nationals staying on after visas expire, the borders and immigration inspector says.

18715036

It took $36.4m (£26.7m), trouncing Melissa McCarthy's latest comedy, Tammy, which took $21.2m (£15.6m). "This ranks as one of the lowest fourth of Julys ever," said Paul Dergarabedian, from box-office tracker Rentrak. Takings were down 44 per cent compared to last year. US Independence Day weekend is traditionally marked by the release of "tentpole" movies - from Back to the Future to Terminator 2 and Men In Black. Last year's major release was animation Despicable Me 2, which went on to take $368m (£214m), making it the fourth-biggest movie of the year in the US. But this year, there was no major release to coincide with the holiday. Michael Bay's Transformers, the fourth in the series, has a cast led by Mark Wahlberg. It has received generally poor reviews from critics, as has Tammy. The only other major new release was the horror film Deliver Us From Evil, starring Eric Bana. It opened in third place with $9.5m (£6.9m). The box office will be hoping for a boost next weekend with the release of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, starring Andy Serkis and Gary Oldman. It is expected to be one of the summer's big hitters.

Transformers: Age of Extinction has held on to the number one spot at the North American box office on an unusually quiet 4 July weekend.

28191258

Katharine of Aragon died at Kimbolton Castle in 1536, and was buried at the cathedral following a lavish funeral. A festival marks the anniversary of her death and a Catholic mass is celebrated - a rarity in an Anglican cathedral. This is one of a number of unusual stories to be told in the BBC's People's Passion, which explores the purpose of cathedrals today. Katharine was cast aside by Henry VIII for being unable to provide the Tudor dynasty with a male heir. Stuart Orme, from Vivacity Heritage which co-organises the Katharine of Aragon Festival, said: "She was revered for her piety and dignity. "Many of the population had a good deal of sympathy for Katharine after the divorce and felt she had been hard done by." Despite living in reduced circumstances after the end of her marriage, she was given an elaborate funeral on 29 January 1536, involving four bishops and six abbots. Her tomb was of black marble, with gilded letters and decoration. Mr Orme said: "But Oliver Cromwell's soldiers stole the gilding during the sack of the cathedral in 1643, while a dean of the cathedral used the marble for the floor of his summerhouse in the 1700s." It was not until the late 19th Century that a wife of one of the cathedral canons, Katharine Clayton, started a public appeal asking all the Katharines of England to donate to the replacement marble slab which can be seen today. The cathedral now marks the funeral date with the Katharine of Aragon Festival on the Friday and Saturday nearest the 29 January. A representative of the Spanish embassy is invited to a civic service on the Friday and a Catholic mass is held on the Saturday. Hundreds of children are encouraged to dress in Tudor costume, and learn how people lived in the early 16th Century from historic re-enactors. Flowers, and Katharine's heraldic symbol, the pomegranate, are laid upon her tomb. She had chosen the fruit when she was still a princess in Spain because to the medieval world it symbolised fertility.

The connection between Peterborough Cathedral and Henry VIII's Spanish queen is little known outside the city.

17337318

Clotilde Nonnez, a 56-year-old yoga teacher, says she has lived in the capital for 30 years and seen her health deteriorate. However, it became worse than ever when pollution in Paris hit record levels last December. Her lawyer says air pollution is causing 48,000 French deaths per year. "We are taking the state to task because we think the medical problems that pollution victims suffer are as a result of the authorities' lack of action in tackling air pollution," François Lafforgue told Le Monde newspaper. More cases would be brought in the coming weeks, in Lyon, Lille and elsewhere, he added. Paris has struggled for years to combat high levels of smog and the authorities have introduced fines for any vehicle not carrying a "Crit'Air" emissions category sticker - part of a scheme to promote lower-emitting vehicles. Several routes in the capital now have restrictions on car use and a 3km (1.8-mile) stretch of the Right Bank of the River Seine has become pedestrianised. Ms Nonnez says she has led a healthy life, first as a dancer and more recently as a yoga teacher, but has increasingly suffered from respiratory problems, ranging from chronic asthma to pneumonia. When pollution hit the worst levels for a decade last December, her existing bronchial condition prompted an acute pericarditis attack. "The doctor treating me says Paris air is so polluted that we're breathing rotten air. She has other patients like me, including children and babies too. My cardiologist says the same," she told the France Info website.

A Parisian woman is taking the French state to court for failing to protect her health from the effects of air pollution.

40185217

The Military Reaction Force was the subject of a BBC Panorama programme last November. Former members said the unit had shot people who may have been unarmed. The PSNI investigation has found none of the men featured "admitted any criminal act or being involved in any of the incidents portrayed". In a statement, the PSNI said: "Detectives from Serious Crime Branch have studied the contents of a BBC Panorama programme broadcast last year into the activities of the MRF. "Although there does not appear to be any admission to criminality by individuals featured in the programme, it will form part of an HET review into all deaths linked to soldiers. "This review will begin when HET resumes its work in the near future." The unit was disbanded in 1973, after 18 months. The plain-clothes soldiers carried out round-the-clock patrols in Belfast in unmarked cars. Three former members of the unit talked to Panorama. They said they had been tasked with "hunting down" IRA members in Belfast. When asked if on occasion the MRF would make an assumption that someone had a weapon, even if they could not see one, one of the former soldiers replied "occasionally". "We didn't go around town blasting, shooting all over the place like you see on the TV, we were going down there and finding, looking for our targets, finding them and taking them down," he said. "We may not have seen a weapon, but there more than likely would have been weapons there in a vigilante patrol." One of the soldiers said they were "not there to act like an army unit, we were there to act like a terror group". Solicitor Padraig Ó Muirigh represents families who believe their relatives were killed by the MRF. He said police should further investigate the soldiers' claims. "They very openly and brazenly admitted that they were in a terror gang, that they acted outside the rule of law, that they also acted outside of the yellow card rule," he said. "They also admitted being involved in fatal incidents in which people may not have been armed. "I think all of that and that very high-profile Panorama programme pointed in the direction that there should have been further investigation of these matters. "Unfortunately it appears that the PSNI have not done that, despite the request from the director of public prosecutions."

Families of people allegedly killed by an Army undercover unit have been told former members of the unit who appeared on TV admitted no crimes.

27389349

United will be in the Champions League and boss Jose Mourinho said executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has had his targets "for more than two months". Mourinho wants to enhance his forward and defensive options to challenge for the Premier League title next season. United have been linked with Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann and Burnley centre-back Michael Keane. "Ed Woodward has my list," the Portuguese manager said after his side beat Ajax to win the Europa League for the first time on Wednesday. "Now it's up to him and the owners." Griezmann has a 100m euro release clause in his contract and the 26-year-old France international said earlier this week that his chances of joining United were "six out of 10". Since then, a major stumbling block has been removed by United securing the return of Champions League football. They will go straight into the group stage after their victory over Ajax in Stockholm. Griezmann has the pace and trickery United lack but, should a move falter, Torino forward Andrea Belotti is another option. The 23-year-old Italy international has scored 25 goals in Serie A this season. Keane, meanwhile, left United for Burnley in January 2015 but Mourinho is known to be eager to bring the 24-year-old defender back to Old Trafford. The Portuguese views predecessor Louis van Gaal's decision to sell the centre-back for £2m as a mistake and believes his central defensive options are limited. In theory, a 25% sell-on clause agreed at the time of that deal should bring the price down. However, Burnley manager Sean Dyche has said the Clarets have no financial need to sell Keane, who made his England debut in March. Prior to the January transfer window, United showed interest in Benfica's Sweden centre-back Victor Lindelof, 22, while left-back is another area of weakness. Earning Champions League football means United have avoided the potential loss of £50m in sponsorship income and prize money. However, one senior club source said the forthcoming transfer window was likely to be "crazy", given the increased spending power within the Premier League as a result of the new £8.3bn TV deal and clubs such as Inter Milan and AC Milan willing to spend big to try to rediscover former glories. A year ago, Mourinho marked his first summer at Old Trafford by bringing in striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, defender Eric Bailly and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan by the first week in July, before midfielder Paul Pogba re-signed from Juventus for a world record £89m in early August. In December, BBC Sport was told the United manager felt he needed at least two more transfer windows to shape his squad. Mourinho decided not to buy in January, but since then Ibrahimovic and defender Marcos Rojo have suffered cruciate knee-ligament injuries which will keep them out until next year and former Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has left for Major League Soccer in the United States. United went on to finish sixth in the Premier League which, apart from the disastrous campaign under David Moyes in 2013-14, was their lowest placing since 1991.

Manchester United are likely to limit their summer spending to three or four key signings.

40047060

The weather phenomenon is set to exacerbate droughts in some areas, while increasing flooding in others. Some of the worst impacts are likely in Africa with food shortages expected to peak in February. Regions including the Caribbean, Central and South America will also be hit in the next six months. This periodic weather event, which tends to drive up global temperatures and disturb weather patterns, has helped push 2015 into the record books as the world's warmest year. "By some measures this has already been the strongest El Nino on record. It depends on exactly how you measure it," said Dr Nick Klingaman from the University of Reading. "In a lot of tropical countries we are seeing big reductions in rainfall of the order of 20-30%. Indonesia has experienced a bad drought; the Indian monsoon was about 15% below normal; and the forecasts for Brazil and Australia are for reduced monsoons." As both droughts and floods continue, the scale of the potential impacts is worrying aid agencies. Around 31 million people are said to be facing food insecurity across Africa, a significant increase over the last year. Around a third of these people live in Ethiopia where 10.2 million are projected to require humanitarian assistance in 2016. Can Ethiopia cope with drought? South Africa grapples with worst drought in 30 years El Nino is a naturally occurring weather episode that sees the warm waters of the central Pacific expand eastwards towards North and South America. It was originally recognised by fishermen off the coast of South America in the 1600s with the appearance of unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean. El Nino translates as Little Boy, or Christ Child. The phenomenon, which happens every two to seven years, usually peaks late in the calendar year, although the effects can persist well into the following spring and last up to 12 months. El Nino is part of what is known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle - the opposite phase of the cycle is called La Nina. La Nina is sometimes referred to as the cold phase and El Nino the warm phase The current El Nino episode is the strongest event since 1998 and is expected to be among the three most powerful ever recorded. According to the WMO, the peak three month average water surface temperatures in tropical Pacific are expected to exceed 2C above normal. Strongest El Nino since 1950 on the way Matt McGrath: 'High impacts' from globally stronger El Nino The UK's Department for International Development says (DfID) it is providing emergency support for 2.6 million people and 120,000 malnourished children. It says it will provide 8 million people with food or cash support from January 2016. "If we fail to act now against this especially powerful El Nino, we will fail vulnerable people across our world," UK International Development Minister Nick Hurd said in a statement. "Ensuring security for those affected by El Nino is important to their countries but also in Britain's national interest. Only by protecting and stabilising vulnerable countries can we ensure people are not forced to leave their homes in search of food or a new livelihood." According to the UN, around 60 million people have been forced to leave their homes because of conflict. Aid agencies like Oxfam are worried that the impacts of the continuing El Nino in 2016 will add to existing stresses such as the wars in Syria, South Sudan and Yemen. They say that food shortages are likely to peak in Southern Africa in February with Malawi estimating that almost three million people will require humanitarian assistance before March. Drought and erratic rains have affected two million people across Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. More floods are expected in Central America in January. "Millions of people in places like Ethiopia, Haiti and Papua New Guinea are already feeling the effects of drought and crop failure," said Jane Cocking, from Oxfam. "We urgently need to get help to these areas to make sure people have enough food and water. "We cannot afford to allow other large-scale emergencies to develop elsewhere. If the world waits to respond to emerging crises in southern Africa and Latin America, we will not be able to cope," she said. While many parts of the developing world will more directly feel the ongoing impacts of El Nino, the developed world will see impacts on food prices. "It takes some time for the impacts of El Nino to feed through to social and economic systems," said Dr Klingaman. "Historically food prices have gone up by 5%-10% for staples. Crops like coffee and rice and cocoa and sugar tend to be particularly affected." The El Nino event is likely to tail off into the spring - but that may not be good news either. El Ninos are often followed by La Nina events, which can have opposite but similarly harmful effects. Scientists say during an El Nino there is a huge transfer of heat from the ocean to the atmosphere. Normally, as in 1997/98, that heat transfer tends to be followed by a cooling of the ocean, a La Nina event, "It's possible but far from certain that this time next year we could be talking about the reverse of many of these impacts," said Dr Klingaman. "In places where we are seeing droughts from El Nino, we could be seeing flooding from La Nina next year. "It's just as disruptive, it's just the other way round." Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc.

The strongest El Nino weather cycle on record is likely to increase the threat of hunger and disease for millions of people in 2016, aid agencies say.

35159826