The ship docked at Catania, in Sicily, where the migrants will be handed over to the Italian authorities. Bulwark, which has been on a search and rescue mission in the area for the past month, rescued the migrants on Sunday. Captain Nick Cooke-Priest said the people traffickers were committing acts "tantamount to murder". BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale, who was on board Bulwark during the rescue, said a small, wooden vessel had been packed with about 400 people. There also had been two rubber dinghies, each carrying about 100 people, trying to get to Europe from Libya. "The fact that many didn't even have life jackets was another reminder that the gangs who trafficked them had little regard for their lives," he said. He added that five of the men rescued were going to be questioned by Italian police about possible links to the smuggling gangs. The BBC's Clive Myrie, who is in Catania, said it would take several hours to disembark all the migrants from HMS Bulwark. "They are exhausted, some are traumatised and several are pregnant, so it is going to take a long time," he said. "Once on dry land, they are taken to reception centres across the country but it could be years before they receive papers saying they can live and work freely in Italy. "As for HMS Bulwark, in the early hours it will head out to sea on the lookout for more migrant boats." The ship's captain said Sunday was a "complex" day of seven search and rescue operations, and a "huge success". "Normally we would be putting Royal Marines and sailors on to hostile shores," he told the BBC. "The only difference with what we were doing yesterday was we weren't putting my own people into harm's way. We were actually taking survivors out of their harm's way and recovering them to HMS Bulwark." He added the traffickers who sent "women, children, the old, young, pregnant out on a very perilous journey in unseaworthy vessels" were a "scourge". The UK government dispatched the ship amid a rise in the number of people dying while trying to reach Europe. The latest rescue brings the total number of individuals saved by HMS Bulwark so far to more than 2,700. Last week, Bulwark rescued 747 people from boats off Libya's coast. The 19,000-tonne assault ship is one of numerous European vessels on rescue patrol in the Mediterranean. They are patrolling about 70,000 sq miles of the central Mediterranean, looking for people including those fleeing Africa and trying to get to Europe. It is estimated more than 1,600 people have drowned so far this year trying to make the dangerous crossing.

Summary: Royal Navy warship HMS Bulwark has arrived in an Italian port, carrying 1,200 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea.


He also said men joining the course tended to "find out about booze" in first year, leading to dropouts. But he was later reported saying the information he gave "was not factual". His comments inflamed opinions in the country and some people called for him to resign. In an interview, Chris Kelly said the veterinary field, once a majority-male career, was now "dominated by women". He continued: "That's fine, but the problem is one woman graduate is equivalent to two-fifths of a full-time equivalent vet throughout her life because she gets married and has a family, which is normal. "So, although we're graduating a lot of vets, we're getting a high fall-out rate later on." Critics have pointed out that men also have families and care-giving responsibilities. The interview was in the context of changes being made to the university's veterinary science course, to make it more practical. The university's website says it offers the only veterinary degree in New Zealand. Mr Kelly said more men than women dropped out in the first year "because women mature earlier than men, work hard and pass. Whereas men find out about booze and all sorts of crazy things during their first year." Tweets and a Facebook post sent out by the university, purportedly including an apology by Mr Kelly, appear to have been deleted since. The New Zealand Herald reported that he wrote: "I was trying to explain changes Massey University has made over a number of years in the veterinary science programme in response to industry needs, and I also concede that the information was not factual." In response to the comments, a wildlife hospital attached to the university posted a picture of seven female vets and vet technicians, calling them "awesome 100% of the time". As well as taking on ceremonial duties, chancellors in New Zealand have a role in the governance of universities. Vice-chancellors tend to take on a more active role. From 2017, the vice-chancellor of Massey University will be Professor Jan Thomas, a woman who is a veterinarian and biochemist by training.

Summary: The chancellor of a New Zealand university appears to have apologised for saying a woman vet was "equivalent to two-fifths" of a man because she would take time out to have a family.


Audel, 30, ended a two-year association with the Magpies at the end of last season having made 53 appearances in all competitions. The French centre-half has also played for Triestina and Pisa in Italy as well as Macclesfield, Crewe and Lincoln. He is the National League Bluebirds ninth signing of the summer. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Barrow have signed defender Thierry Audel on a one-year deal with an optional second year, following his release by Notts County.


Neilston, south-west of Glasgow, polled best in Scotland, Morriston in Wales and Craigavon in Northern Ireland. Royal Mail said the study, conducted by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, looked at green spaces, affordable housing and commuting times. Seven northern locations, including Dalton-in-Furness in Cumbria, were in the top 10 in England, the survey said. Bebington residents, who live near the River Mersey and Port Sunlight model village, "enjoyed the ideal balance" of living close to their workplace, good schools and high employment, according to the report. By Phil Cooper, BBC Radio Merseyside, in Bebington Situated less than 10 miles from Liverpool, Bebington has been attracting people for well over a century with its laid-back charm. Villagers boast of a rural lifestyle combined with plenty of jobs and cultural highlights on their doorstep. The nearby Port Sunlight village, built at the end of the 19th Century to house workers at the Lever soap factory, is now home to an art gallery and museum. Unilever still employs about 2,000 people in the area. A future prime minister, Harold Wilson, studied here as a teenager and many of the schools retain their reputation for high academic achievement. Throw in a fine choice of pubs and restaurants and good links to the historic city of Chester, and residents say the "Most Desirable" title is fully deserved - this is a place they never want to leave. In Scotland, semi-rural areas on the outskirts of cities fared best "thanks to the affordable cost of living, lower levels of crime and better schools". They were also judged to have better transport links than more remote locations. Morriston, just to the north of Swansea, was praised for its "mix of low unemployment and reasonable house prices". Meanwhile, Craigavon in County Armagh - a planned settlement built in the 1960s - was described as having "lower than average commuting times and fewer people working over 50 hours a week".

Summary: Bebington in Merseyside is the most desirable place to live in England, according to a Royal Mail survey.


The Inspiring Governance scheme will act as a bridge between people wanting to offer their services and schools trying to find governors. A report last month found that many schools were struggling to fill gaps in their governing bodies. Schools minister Lord Nash said it could "revolutionise" how schools and governors could be matched. The project is being run by the Education and Employers careers charity and the National Governors' Association and has been funded for four years by the Department for Education. It will allow schools to search for potential recruits, either by skills they can offer or where they live. It will also provide links to support and training for new governors. Emma Knights, the NGA's chief executive, said 300,000 people were already acting as school governors, but more were needed. "School governance is very challenging but also extremely rewarding. It's for people who want to use their skills to make a positive difference to the lives of children," said Ms Knights. Nick Chambers, founder of Education and Employers, said schools and colleges could find it hard to find governors and trustees, particularly in disadvantaged areas. He said that the Inspiring Governance service would allow people to "express an interest in volunteering via a simple online form. Governing bodies can then look at the profiles of volunteers who have signed up in their area and get in touch with them directly". The project has also been backed by Russell Hobby, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, as a way for schools to find "highly skilled and highly motivated governors". The government earlier this year abandoned controversial changes to the role of governors. There had been proposals for academy trusts to operate without any parent governors - but this was scrapped by the incoming education secretary, Justine Greening. Education minister Lord Nash said it was important to strengthen governing bodies. "As the people who appoint head teachers and chief executives and hold them to account, governors and trustees should be the driving force behind school improvement, so it's essential that we do more to attract talented and committed volunteers." The Inspiring Governance website is www.inspiringgovernance.org

Summary: Schools in England are going to be helped to find governors by a free online service backed by ministers.


It follows 66 Labour MPs voting to extend air strikes to Syria, a policy opposed by party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Mr Morgan told BBC Wales most party members were "very loyal" to Mr Corbyn and "few" backed wider military action. But he said most Labour MPs were "not really Corbynistas", so the party was having to deal with a "new phenomenon". Speaking on the Good Morning Wales radio programme, Mr Morgan said: "In effect we have two Labour parties and this is a bit of a new phenomenon, so we've got to try to let it settle down and work out what's the best way forward." Mr Morgan called a suggestion by the Labour MP and former minister Frank Field that the party should have two leaders was "quite clever" but "not very workable". Mr Morgan's comments came as Labour celebrated victory in the Oldham West and Royton by-election. Deputy party leader Tom Watson called the result "very, very good" for Mr Corbyn, and urged MPs to "swing behind" their leader after a "difficult week".

Summary: Labour is effectively two political parties, due to the split between its MPs and wider membership, ex-Labour First Minister Rhodri Morgan has said.


The Main Stand would be expanded to three tiers, while work on the Anfield Road Stand is also proposed. In October 2012, the club said they would redevelop the ground rather than build a new one on nearby Stanley Park. Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre said: "Good progress has been made so far and we are proud to be able to unveil our plans." Part of the proposed redevelopment would result in the memorial to the 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster of 1989 moved into the rebuilt Main Stand. If the proposals to expand both stands go ahead, the ground's capacity would increase to 58,800. Local residents raised concerns about any expansion in 2012 because it would involve the demolition of some houses near the ground. The club said that discussions with local property owners were "progressing well" and all parties are close to agreement but added details were still to be finalised. Following a consultation process, the club expects to present its finalised plans and submit a planning application to the city council this summer. If successful, they expect construction to begin early next year with work completed by the start of the 2016-17 season. See the future plans for Anfield.

Summary: Liverpool have revealed plans to increase Anfield's capacity from 45,500 to almost 59,000.


Mr Hayes, 71, spent three months making and decorating the framework which contains 128 pots of home-grown blooms. "It was supposed to be 40ft high but the wife wouldn't let me go any higher," said Mr Hayes, who also built his own home. The tower is made up of six box sections welded and stacked on top of each other and tethered to a wall. Mr Hayes spends three hours twice a week weeding and watering his upwardly mobile flower be, and has already given it a replanting makeover. The part-time office furniture salesman said he thought up the project when he was left with a surplus of steel struts after recycling some office desks. "My wife loves it to bits, so do all my neighbours," he said. "The reason I'm proud of it is it's a one-off, it looks beautiful and I didn't need any help to make it, everything was done by me, nobody even handed me even a spanner." With its overhanging cover, the pots in Mr Hayes's flower tower each contain five different plants. Initially, they had daffodils and tulips but when those died out he replaced them with fuchsias, geraniums, pansies and others. The couple live in the bungalow Mr Hayes built over three levels himself almost 40 years ago. He has also worked as a window builder and fitter and has done odd jobs throughout his life. Mr Hayes moved to Newport from Iraq when he was 19. His father was an engineer but Mr Hayes says he is totally self taught. He said: "If you can't think how to do it, think harder!" "Some say "Jack of all trades but master of none" but I don't believe in that saying - I would challenge any plasterer, any welder."

Summary: Retired steel worker Edward Hayes has built a 26ft (8m) tower of flowers in the drive of his Newport home.


The move comes as US firm General Electric (GE) and Germany's Siemens vie to take control of French engineering group Alstom's power business. Any such takeover will now need approval from Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg. Mr Montebourg is known to favour the Siemens approach over the GE bid. In a statement, he said the government's new powers of veto would be "applied in a selective and proportional manner, taking each situation into consideration". Until now, the French government's power to intervene was confined to deals concerning defence and security matters. The decree extends this to the energy, water, transport, health and communications sectors. Last week, Alstom reported a 28% drop in full-year net profit to 556m euros ($774m; Â£456m). The company blamed the fall on restructuring costs, asset writedowns and tough economic conditions. Alstom is currently considering a $16.9bn offer from GE for its energy business, but Siemens has also shown interest in the unit. The French firm has said it will decide by the end of May which bidder it prefers. The power business accounts for about 70% of Alstom's total revenue, and if a deal went through, it would leave the company as a transport business. Alstom's transport unit makes TGV high-speed trains and signalling equipment. Both GE and Siemens have already met French President Francois Hollande to discuss their potential offers. The French government has opposed GE's offer.

Summary: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has signed a decree giving the government new powers to block foreign takeover bids for companies deemed "strategic".


A total of 19 SNP councillors were elected, up from 16 in 2012, as the Conservatives surged to 11 from three and Labour's total halved to nine. Labour's finance convener Willie Young was among the casualties, but party group leader Jenny Laing kept her seat on the council. In Aberdeenshire, the Conservatives overtook the SNP. In Moray, the SNP was the biggest party. Mr Young said after the Aberdeen result: "The Conservatives have done very well. You've got to accept you can lose. That's politics for you." By BBC Scotland political editor Brian Taylor Let's talk numbers - there have been boundary changes which mean that some comparisons are made with "notional" outcomes in 2012, the last time these councils were contested. On that count, the SNP are notionally down by a fractional seven seats. However, in terms of absolute numbers, the Nationalists have ended up with more councillors than in 2012. Plus the SNP are the largest party in Scotland's four largest cities - including Glasgow, where jubilant supporters attended their ousting of Labour. They have waited decades for that. Read more from Brian In Aberdeenshire, the Conservatives had 23 seats, up from 14, while the SNP fell eight to 21. The Lib Dems gained two to 14, independents fell from 12 to 10, and labour dropped from two to one. In Moray, nine SNP councillors were elected (down one) - along with eight Conservatives (up five), eight independent (down two) and one Labour (down two). Orkney elected its first ever Scottish Greens councillor, while the SNP gained its first representative in Shetland. Steve Sankey was elected in the East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray ward of Orkney Islands Council. Robbie McGregor won the uncontested Shetland South seat for the SNP. Shetland's political leader Gary Robinson lost his Shetland West seat.

Summary: The SNP has become the biggest party on Aberdeen City Council.


You've probably been calling her Gal Gah-dote or Gal Gah-doh all this time. Or maybe you're not at all sure and have been mumbling her surname, hoping no one will notice. But the Israeli actress recently cleared up the confusion by telling Jimmy Kimmel it's actually pronounced Gal Gad-dott. She's not the only one who's struggled with name issues. Here are a few other famous faces whose name you may have been saying wrong. Twenty years ago, no one had heard of Harry Potter author JK Rowling. But with great fame comes great name mispronunciation. Is it Roe-ling or Rowl-ling? The author once corrected an interviewer saying: "It's Rolling - as in Stone." Mamma Mia! star Amanda Seyfried is constantly correcting people on how to say her name. Sieg-freed, Sigh-freed, Sieg-fred and Say-freed have all been said to her face, and every time she cringes. She cleared it up once and for all in a 2012 interview - it's Sigh-fred. Everyone knows it's Scor-say-zee, right? Wrong. It's Scor-sess-see. The director says so himself in the fifth series of Entourage. Last year Barbra Streisand made headlines after she complained to Apple boss Tim Cook about the way Siri says her name. How is that? Well, it's pretty much the way everyone pronounces it: Strei-zand. "She pronounces my name wrong," the singer told NPR. "Streisand with a soft S, like sand on the beach." So that's Strei-sand to you and me. Shia LaBeouf famously wore a paper bag on his head at the Berlin Film Festival in 2014, saying he wasn't famous anymore. But in talking about the incident, people were forced to say his name - which was a little tricky for some. He's Shy-a La-Buf, not Shee-ya La Boof. The South African actress has had a rough time getting people to say her surname right. It's not Ther-on or Ther-own (rhymes with Throne) - she goes by Ther-in. To make things even more confusing, that's not even her actual name either. In Afrikaans, it's pronounced Shar-leeze Thrawn, but she's opted for Ther-in as she thinks it's easier to say. Here she is telling Piers Morgan how to say it properly. Simpsons creator Matt Groening has one of those names whose spelling instantly flummoxes you. But it's not Groan-ing or Green-ing - it's Gray-ning. If you've merrily been living your life calling her Susan Sarun-dun you're wrong. The Oscar winner once helpfully explained to interviewers how to pronounce her name: "It's Sa-ran-don - rhymes with abandon." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: As Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot can do anything - apart from getting people to pronounce her name correctly.


Winterbourne View treats people with learning disabilities and autism. Andrew McDonnell, who works with adults with mental disabilities, labelled some of the examples seen on film "torture". All four have been released on police bail. The hospital's owners, Castlebeck, have apologised and suspended 13 employees. Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said government regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), had been asked to conduct an urgent investigation. Avon and Somerset police confirmed that three men - aged 42, 30 and 25 - and a 24-year-old woman were arrested as part of their ongoing investigation into the hospital. During five weeks spent filming undercover, Panorama's reporter captured footage of some of the hospital's most vulnerable patients being repeatedly pinned down, slapped, dragged into showers while fully clothed, taunted and teased. The hospital is a privately owned, purpose-built, 24-bed facility and is taxpayer-funded. NHS South West said it was "appalled" by the issues raised surrounding the care home. In a statement, it said: "We always expect safe, high quality care from providers of services and the abuse of vulnerable patients is totally unacceptable." Mr McDonnell, a clinical psychologist who viewed the footage, told the programme that basic techniques for dealing with patients with challenging behaviour were ignored. He said he was shocked by some of the treatment of vulnerable patients. After seeing footage of an 18-year-old patient named Simone being verbally abused and doused with cold water while fully clothed as a punishment, he said: "This is not a jail... people are not here to be punished. "This is a therapeutic environment. Where's the therapy in any of this? I would argue this is torture." Simone's parents told the programme that she had told them she was being abused at the hospital, but they had assured her that it would not be allowed to happen. "She told us that she had been hit, her hair had been pulled and she'd been kicked - and I said no, this wouldn't happen, they're not allowed," said the patient's mother. Professor Jim Mansell, from the University of Kent and a government adviser on the use of physical restraint for those with developmental disabilities, said that from the footage it appeared that staff were "waiting to pounce on people and restrain them". "This is the worst kind of institutional care. It is the kind of thing that was prevalent at the end of the 60s and that led Britain to gradually close the large, long-stay institutions," he added. The programme decided to film secretly after being approached by a former senior nurse at the hospital who was deeply concerned about the behaviour of some of the support workers caring for patients. "I have seen a lot over 35 years but this I have never seen anything like this. It is the worst I have seen," former nurse Terry Bryan told the programme. "These are all people's sons, daughters, parents, aunties, uncles. These are all people who have got familiesâ€¦ the families themselves do not know what goes on there." Mr Bryan reported his concerns to both management at Winterbourne

Summary: Police in Bristol have arrested four people after secret filming by BBC Panorama found a pattern of serious abuse at a residential hospital.


Some 39,723 homes were repossessed by bailiffs in the 12 months to September 2016 - equivalent to 108 per day, Ministry of Justice data says. It adds that 137,773 renting households are at risk of losing their homes. Homelessness charity Shelter blamed benefit cuts and affordable housing shortages, but the government said reasons for evictions were complex. Although the number of households evicted has dipped slightly since the peak of 42,054 in 2015, Shelter says the statistics are still very worrying. Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: "The news that tens of thousands of renters have been evicted from their homes in the last year is a sobering reminder of the impact of welfare cuts and the severe lack of affordable homes. "Our deepening housing crisis means that over 120,000 children will wake up homeless this Christmas, and sadly this shows that not far behind them are many more families still desperately fighting to stay in their home. "Our helpline advisers can make the difference between a family losing their home and keeping it, but we are finding it increasingly tough to keep up with soaring demand." The majority of claims for home repossession in the year to September 2016 were from social landlords, at 60%, while 15% were by private landlords. The remaining 25% of claims were made under the accelerated procedure, which can be used by both private and social landlords in certain circumstances. A government official said: "The latest figures show that all stages of landlord repossessions have gone down compared to the last quarter. "We are committed to building the homes this country needs and have doubled the housing budget to Â£8bn to build 400,000 more affordable homes. "The reasons for repossessions can be complex, so to link it to welfare reform is misleading. "Our reforms are incentivising work and restoring fairness to the system, and we continue to spend over Â£90bn a year supporting working age people who are out of work, disabled or a carer, bringing up a family or on a low income." But Shelter said social sector evictions had risen in conjunction with the introduction of the bedroom tax and that homelessness acceptances, caused by the loss of private tenancy, have soared since cuts were made to the amount of housing benefit people receive. Chris Town, vice chairman of the Residential Landlords Association, said landlords did not spend their time looking for ways of evicting tenants. "Seeking to regain possession of a property can be a long and stressful process for both tenants and landlords. Landlords will usually only ever seek possession for a few reasons - either tenants who are not paying their rent or committing anti-social behaviour, the landlord wants to renovate a property, or wants to sell." Join the conversation - find us on Facebook

Summary: More than 100 households were evicted every day from rented homes in England last year, the latest figures show.


'Losing the Battle' was broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster on Sunday. It examined issues including post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, and attempted suicide among army veterans. The programme heard claims that increasing numbers of veterans were facing difficulties accessing help to deal with mental health problems. Brett Savage, 28, who celebrated his 19th birthday in Afghanistan, said: "I didn't expect my life to be like this now. Never. You know I can't sleep and stuff. Stupid things remind me of things." Alexander Gore described the changes he has faced since a homecoming parade in Belfast for soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. He said it was "definitely a proud moment in my life" but that after it "things just started to go downhill with the post traumatic stress really". "Now it is never going to go away, it is always going to be there and everybody is going to need help sooner or later with it," he added. Aaron Nixon, now 25, said he had to pay for a private post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assessment at a Belfast clinic this month. He explained how he suffered a gunshot wound to his leg in Afghanistan. "I lost five inches of my bone," he said. "I had five years of limb reconstruction. About 30 surgeries." While some of the veterans, from various conflicts at home and abroad, are actively seeking medical help themselves, others are turning to charities including the independent Beyond The Battlefield which is based in Newtownards, County Down. Speaking in the documentary, its chairman Robert McCartney outlined stark details about one six-month period at the centre. He said: "These guys come back and they don't know what is wrong with them. "They get into trouble with their families. "They have lost everything, and the last attempt that they will do, is suicide. "We have had 260 through here from April and I would say out of that 260, at least 50% have attempted some type of suicide." Andy Allen, now an MLA at Stormont, lost both his legs after being injured by a Taliban improvised explosive device in 2008. He now helps to run AA Veterans Support in north Belfast. He said that after they started providing the counselling services, they saw an increase from reserve personnel, "as well as individuals that served in Afghanistan and other conflicts". He added: "It's my belief and indeed 'AA Veterans Support' have pushed for it from day one, that we need a respite training centre here, dedicated to the needs of our service personnel, veterans and their families. "A one stop shop that will be able to provide all of the services under the one roof." The programme also detailed ongoing problems with the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant in Northern Ireland. Jonny Rollins, a retired army colonel who is now the local representative of the Confederation of British Service Charities, explained that a key part of the covenant cannot be implemented in Northern Ireland because local councils do not have the same powers as councils in other parts of the UK. "The core

Summary: A Northern Ireland charity is helping more than 100 army veterans who have tried to take their own lives, a BBC documentary has been told.


The Briton saved two match points to win 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 before an angry exchange with the Latvian at the net. Ostapenko claimed her racquet slipped from her hand in the second-set tie-break and was let off with a warning. Broady disagreed saying her opponent should be "straight disqualified". "You'll see on the replay, there's no way it was accidental. She threw the racquet and it hit the ball boy," British number three Broady told the umpire in an on-court exchange. WTA rules state that "players shall not at any time physically abuse any official, opponent, spectator or other person...for the purposes of this rule, physical abuse is the unauthorised touching of an official, opponent and spectator or other person". Players can be disqualified for incidents by the umpire and fined up to $10,000 (£6,830) for each violation. Former British number one Tim Henman was disqualified from Wimbledon in 1995 after accidentally hitting a ball girl with a ball struck in frustration, while David Nalbandian was thrown out of the Queens final in 2012 after kicking out at an advertising hoarding, cutting the shin of a line judge. World number 88 Ostapenko, ranked 38 places higher than Broady, was allowed to continue after a tour supervisor was called to court, with Broady appearing to be near tears over the incident. The Briton knuckled down in the third set, reeling off six successive games to snatch victory before becoming involved in an argument following the post-match handshakes. "Jelena commented that my behaviour was terrible, which I thought was a bit out of order considering the events that had gone on in the match," said Broady of the row. Broady, who beat former world number one Ana Ivanovic in the first round, will now play American Sloane Stephens.

Summary: Naomi Broady is into the ASB Classic third round after a controversial match against Jelena Ostapenko, who escaped disqualification for appearing to throw a racquet towards a ball boy.


The punishments were handed out by the ethics committee of football's world governing body, which is investigating the three over corruption allegations. It also banned ex-Fifa vice-president Chung Mong-joon for six years. Issa Hayatou, who heads Africa's football confederation (Caf), will act as Fifa president during Blatter's ban. Uefa - European football's governing body - gave Platini its "full confidence" and said it "saw no need" to replace its current president while he is suspended from all football duties. Platini - and Chung - are still hoping to replace Blatter at the top of Fifa when he steps down as president in February. Hayatou, meanwhile, has issued a statement saying he will only serve on an interim basis and will not be standing for election. Blatter, Platini and Valcke are banned from any football activity in the interim. They deny any wrongdoing. A statement issued by Blatter's lawyers said the president was "disappointed" the ethics committee had not followed its own code in allowing him an opportunity to be heard, and claimed the suspension was based on "a misunderstanding of the actions of the attorney general in Switzerland". It added: "President Blatter looks forward to the opportunity to present evidence that will demonstrate that he did not engage in any misconduct, criminal or otherwise." Former France midfielder Platini described the developments as "farcical", with the allegations against him "astonishingly vague" and "based on mere semblances". Platini said he was driven by "staunch defiance", more than "a sense of injustice or a desire for revenge", to defend himself. He said: "I refuse to believe this is a political decision taken in haste in order to taint a lifelong devotee of the game or crush my candidacy for the Fifa presidency." His ban - which can be appealed against, or even extended - means he will not be able to attend the Euro 2016 draw in Paris on 12 December. Media playback is not supported on this device Uefa's executive committee will hold an emergency meeting next Thursday and called for a "very rapid final decision" from Fifa, but said it "stands fully behind" Platini. The Football Association, which last week reiterated its support for Platini's presidency bid, said it would "await the results" of Fifa's inquiry and the Swiss investigation, while chairman Greg Dyke said the organisation would withdraw its support if Platini is found to have "behaved dishonestly". Chung said he was not surprised by his ban, but described it "as a most blatant miscarriage of justice", adding that Fifa was "in total meltdown" and the investigation against him was "politically motivated" against his presidential campaign. Britain's Fifa vice-president David Gill has called for an emergency meeting of its executive committee following Thursday's developments. Fifa's ethics committee began its investigation into Blatter after the Swiss attorney general opened criminal proceedings against the 79-year-old. He is accused of signing a contract "unfavourable" to Fifa and making a "disloyal payment" to Platini. The ethics committee also opened an inquiry into Platini over the 2m euros (£1.35m) payment, which was made nine years after the

Summary: Fifa has provisionally suspended its president Sepp Blatter, secretary general Jerome Valcke and vice-president Michel Platini for 90 days.


The bank's monthly Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) is a survey of a panel of firms that tracks indicators such as new orders, employment and exports It had shown growth for 17 months in a row but in December it indicated a slight drop in economic output. The bank's chief economist said it is not clear if this is a blip or if it signals "the start of a significant deterioration in business conditions." Richard Ramsey said that Northern Ireland is "not unique in experiencing an economic slowdown". The equivalent PMI survey for the UK shows the weakest rate of growth in 19 months, while global output growth slipped to a 14-month low in December. Mr Ramsey said external economic conditions have a major bearing on Northern Ireland's economic performance, particularly for exporters. Economic stagnation in the Eurozone and the wider global economic slowdown has impacted upon the local manufacturing sector in particular. Northern Ireland's manufacturing firms reported their first decline in output, new orders and employment since mid-2013. The economist said it was "perhaps concerning" that Northern Ireland's slowdown has been more marked than the rest of the UK. However, he added that with Northern Ireland's two most important trading partners - the UK and the Republic of Ireland - are still posting strong rates of expansion and said this should drive growth in the local economy for some time to come.

Summary: The NI economy stalled in December, research by the Ulster Bank suggests.


Summary: All photographs are copyrighted.


Nearly 600,000 migrants have reached the EU by sea so far this year, many of them travelling from Turkey to Greece before seeking to head north. Turkey made a number of demands in exchange for helping to stem the flow. In a press conference in Brussels, Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said he felt "cautious optimism" over the deal. Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse reported that an Afghan man was shot dead while trying to enter Bulgaria from Turkey late on Thursday. He was part of a "large group" of migrants trying to enter Bulgaria, AFP reported, quoting the interior ministry. In the Brussels summit, European officials agreed to: Turkey had also asked for â‚¬3bn (Â£2.2bn, $3.4bn) in aid, something German Chancellor Angela Merkel said EU states were considering. Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said talks over the sum to be given to Ankara would continue with Turkish officials over the coming days. Mrs Merkel will travel to Turkey at the weekend. "There is still a huge amount to do," Mrs Merkel said. "But you cannot say that we've achieved nothing." EU sources had said several countries were cautious about rushing into an agreement with Turkey too quickly. Among them were Greece, Cyprus and France. BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris says most EU leaders are convinced that efforts to contain the migration crisis will not succeed without closer co-operation with the Turkish government. The BBC's Matthew Price is sending social media broadcasts from Calais on the EU migration crisis. You can follow his reports here. The pull of Europe: Five migrant stories Merkel under pressure: Chancellor's migrant policy faces criticism at home Focus on Turkey: Why the EU views Syria's northern neighbour as key Crisis in graphics: Migration numbers explained Earlier on Thursday, Mrs Merkel said all EU countries must be prepared to send security staff to the bloc's external borders. She said it would be unfair to ask EU countries seeing the majority of initial migrant entries to secure borders as well. "It's quite obvious that only a few countries today take the majority of refugees and if these countries now are asked to secure the external borders on top of that, I don't think it would be what we could call a fair distribution of effort," Mrs Merkel said. She described the current situation as "very disorderly". In other developments: 593,432 migrants have arrived by sea in 2015, says IOM 3,103 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean 76% arrived in Greece via the eastern route 70.1% of arrivals in Greece were from Syria 10,043 migrants arriving in Italy were unaccompanied children 710,000 migrants have crossed EU borders this year, according to Frontex figures Turkey is hosting some two million migrants, most of them fleeing the war in neighbouring Syria. Turkey has also called for the establishment of an international "safe zone" for refugees inside northern Syria - but Mr Tusk said Russia's involvement in Syria made the idea more difficult. Also in Brussels, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron said he would present four

Summary: EU states have struck an action plan for Turkey that it is hoped will ease the flow of migrants to Europe.


The 40-year-old woman died from her injuries following the fall at Clarendon Court, Southsea, Portsmouth, on 12 February. A 46-year-old man, from Southsea, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, has been released with no further action to be taken, police said. Hampshire Constabulary added it was preparing a file for the coroner.

Summary: The death of a woman who fell from the window of a third-floor flat is no longer being treated as suspicious.


Our first job was to go to the editorial planning meeting to find out how the BBC team decide what news stories to cover. We created our own running order for the programme and had a debate about what topics should go on air. We wanted to cover education in different countries, pollution and child abuse. Then we compared our running order with the actual one for the Radio 4 show. We only had two similarities - a story about the Queen's opinion on the EU and how much we pay for our energy bills. While presenter Mr Mardell and the team prepared for the lunchtime show we went for some smartphone training. It was really interesting and helpful because it taught us how to make professional videos and photos. Top tips included how to film a five-shot sequence, with each part lasting eight seconds. With it getting closer to one o'clock, we went to listen to World at One being broadcast live in the studio. We watched from the editorial room where they were taking live calls. It was really interesting, but we knew what was going to happen beforehand because we'd been in the planning meeting! When Mr Mardell came off air we were able to interview him, and we joined him in the studio to ask him some questions. We asked him what he most liked about presenting World at One and how he got his job as a journalist. He told us his favourite part of the job is meeting lots of new people and persuading them to give their real opinions on air. He explained that he became a journalist by following his talents and started doing journalism at university. Then we asked him what his most awkward moment was. He said he hasn't had any but that he is always worried that he won't be handed the script by his producers on time and that he is scared he might say something wrong. We loved the whole day at New Broadcasting House in London. Berdan said he was inspired to be a journalist, while Sudnaz would like to be an author.

Summary: School Reporters Berdan and Sudnaz, from Heron Hall Academy, Enfield, went behind the scenes at BBC Radio 4's The World at One and asked presenter Mark Mardell to reveal his most awkward moment.


The band enjoyed several hit songs through the decade, the biggest of which was their cover version of Chip Taylor's Wild Thing which topped the US Billboard chart and made Rolling Stone magazine's greatest songs list. Presley's song Love Is All Around peaked at number five in the UK charts in 1967 but was a huge hit in 1994 when Wet Wet Wet covered it for the soundtrack to the Richard Curtis film Four Weddings And a Funeral, starring Hugh Grant. Born in Andover, Hampshire, on 12 June 1941, Presley, went to Andover Secondary Modern School. When he first learned the guitar, Presley was inspired by skiffle, a type of popular music with jazz, blues, folk, and roots influences - popularised in the UK by artists like Lonnie Donegan In his 20s Presley began listening to blues bands from America, including Louisiana Red and Lightnin' Hopkins. Presley had been working as a brick-layer and said in a previous interview it took three months for him to be persuaded to start playing music with a colleague, Howard Ginger Mansfield. His cohort was a lead guitarist and Presley in turn borrowed a bass, before being forced to drive down to London to buy his own equipment, when he was asked to return the instrument. Their first manager owned a building company and helped them by borrowing a van to carry their equipment around. The Troggs formed in 1964 and, in 1965, Presley, Chris Britton, Pete Staples and Ronnie Bond were signed by Larry Page, a budding record producer who got lucky with a new band called the Ravens, who he re-named The Kinks. After the success of The Kinks You Really Got Me, Page listened to a tape of the Troggs singing their own cover of the song and told them to come back a year later, which they dutifully did - to the day. Lost Girl backed by The Yella In Me was released on CBS, and was regarded as a flop. According to Presley, it got a single play on Radio Luxembourg. After that, Page came across a demo of Chip Taylor's Wild Thing, which had already been unsuccessfully recorded by a band called the Wild Ones. Around the same time, Presley had begun writing his own songs. Speaking to Stuart Maconie on BBC Radio 2 in 2010, he said: "I started writing on the building site when I was a brick-layer. We needed songs and when I was brick-laying." He added: "I'd finished With A Girl Like You and... in 45 minutes we had to get our gear in the studio, do the two songs and get out, because it was the end of his orchestra session and he left us only 45 minutes." "I mean our first album only took two and a quarter hours, how do you do that?", Presley laughed. "It almost takes that to play it." Wild Thing made number one in the US and the follow-up single With A Girl Like You reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 4 August 1966, where it

Summary: Reg Presley, the lead singer of the 1960's band The Troggs, has died aged 71.


According to the Daily Telegraph, the minimum fine is set to double up to £100. Current fines set by councils range between £50 and £80. Ministers are said to be preparing a "clutter-free legacy for England". And Communities minister Marcus Jones said those who drop litter would be "hit in the pocket". He added: "Dropping litter is the kind of anti-social behaviour that really gets people's backs up, and rightly so. "It's thoughtless, selfish and ruins shared spaces for everyone. Not only that, litter clearance and disposal costs hundreds of millions of pounds for councils every year - money that could be going on vital services. "If litter louts can't put their rubbish in the bin perhaps we can hit them in the pocket instead." The Clean for the Queen campaign is a nationwide clean-up operation, ahead of Her Majesty's 90th birthday. Its chief executive, Adrian Evans, said some people thought it was their "human right" to drop rubbish but has urged the public to challenge offenders. "The way I have done it in the past is to treat it as though they have made a mistake and something has inadvertently fallen out of their bag or pocket. Sort of, 'Oh no, did you mean to drop that?'" In 2015, councils in England and Wales called for new powers to tackle the "huge and spiralling" problem of people throwing litter from vehicles. In London, vehicle owners can be fined if someone drops litter from their car.

Summary: Penalties for people who drop litter could reach as much as £150 under plans set out by the Department for Communities and Local Government.


He was assaulted and had his phone stolen near Regent Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Officers were called shortly after 03:30 BST and the scene has been cordoned off while inquiries were being carried out. The force said the man was being supported by specially-trained officers. Police appealed for anyone in the area at the time to contact them.

Summary: A man has been raped and robbed in the early hours.


Anna Signeul's side are missing injured trio Kim Little, Jen Beattie and Lizzie Arnot for Euro 2017, which begins on 17 July in the Netherlands. "I think it's huge - any team at the Euros would miss players like Kim, Jenny and Lizzie," said Crichton. "The good thing is we have got a bit of strength in depth in the squad now." Manchester City defender Beattie is nursing an ankle injury, while midfielder Little, of Arsenal, and Hibernian striker Arnot have both ruptured anterior cruciate knee ligaments. "There are certainly quality players that have been brought in because of their absences, and I think those players along with myself will show it's about the squad and what we can do collectively," Glasgow City's Crichton told BBC Scotland. "I'm disappointed for them and for us, but it's part of football. We just need to go on and do what we can now without them." Boss Signeul shares Crichton's disappointment for the missing trio, especially given how close Little and Beattie have come to qualifying for major tournaments in the past, only to fall at the play-off stage. "It's very, very sad for them and I feel for the players," the Swede told BBC Scotland. "Kim and Jennifer have been part of these play-offs that were so close so many times and now when we finally made it, they are not here. "They are young and although this is the first time we've qualified, there will be many more times after this, so just focus on getting back to full fitness and helping the team get to the next World Cup." Little, voted BBC Women's Footballer of the Year for 2016, is on the way to recovery following successful surgery, and is positive about Scotland's chances in the Netherlands. "It's obviously a blow to miss it, especially when I was initially told," she said. "It was easy to accept because I knew I had no chance [of recovering from the injury in time]. It's devastating but it gives someone else an opportunity and I look forward to watching my team-mates." Scotland, drawn in Group D, begin their maiden European Championship campaign on 19 July against England, before taking on Portugal a week later, then Spain on 27 July. Crichton insists the Scots are "not going to make up the numbers" and hopes their presence and performances in the Netherlands can motivate girls and young women back home. "We'll definitely grasp the opportunity, and who knows where the tournament will take us?" she added. "In Scotland, it's really important for young kids now to have positive role models and I think that's all that any of the girls in the team look to do. We want to inspire the next generation of footballers - maybe something we didn't have a lot of as kids. "Anything we can change going forward for the next generation will be massive. Seeing the effect that major tournaments have had on other countries, I think it can definitely take Scotland to the next level. "I think letting people see us

Summary: Scotland women midfielder Leanne Crichton says competing in a first major tournament finals without three key players is a severe blow.


After leaking information about the National Security Agency's surveillance programme to the Guardian newspaper, he said he chose Hong Kong because the city has "a spirited commitment to free speech and the right of political dissent". Mr Snowden's current whereabouts cannot be confirmed. He left the hotel he had been staying in shortly after going public. The Hong Kong government has promised to handle any extradition request from the US according to established law and policy. Hong Kong signed an extradition treaty with the US shortly before the territory returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. "You get extraditions several times a year from Hong Kong," Clive Grossman S.C, a barrister and former vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, told the BBC. Under the Fugitive Offenders (United States of America) Order, both Hong Kong and the US have agreed to extradite someone who has committed "an offence which is punishable under the laws of both Parties by imprisonment or other form of detention for more than one year... unless surrender for such offence is prohibited by the laws of the requested Party." Regina Ip, a legislator and Hong Kong's former Secretary for Security, told reporters in May that the Hong Kong government was "obliged to comply with the terms of agreements" with the US government, including extradition treaties. "It's actually in his best interest to leave Hong Kong," she said, referring to Mr Snowden. However, the extradition process can be a long and complicated one in sensitive cases like this, Tim Parker, an immigration lawyer based in Hong Kong, has told the BBC. "There are a number of hurdles that could come up for the extraditing authority, to the advantage of Snowden," he said. "There is a bar under Hong Kong's extradition law... to extradition for an offence that is of a political character, [where] the prosecution is thought not just to be the application of the criminal law, but to crush that person or to crush their dissent," Mr Parker said. Another potential hurdle would be any intervention from Beijing, which could block an extradition if it raised questions "going to their national security, foreign affairs, or defence", Mr Parker says. A handover could also be halted if Mr Snowden was believed to be in danger of receiving inhumane treatment in the US, Mr Parker added. "If Mr Snowden is at risk of being detained under the sort of conditions that Bradley Manning has reportedly been detained, which the UN special rapporteurs have said amounted to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment... then Hong Kong would not be allowed under its law, and could not extradite him to the US." A further consideration is what visa Mr Snowden used to enter Hong Kong. If his visa is due to expire soon, a formal extradition request may not be needed. However, it would not be "legally possible" under Hong Kong law for Mr Snowden to be forcibly taken to Beijing, Mr Parker says. "That would be a serious breach of the autonomy under Hong Kong's One Country Two Systems arrangement. There

Summary: Edward Snowden, who has been charged with espionage by US over leaks about US surveillance programmes, is thought to have been in Hong Kong since 20 May.


In the annals of great political statements, the Limehouse declaration isn't exactly up there with the Gettysburg Address or "Peace for our time". Yet the statement issued by Labour's so-called "Gang of Four" that they were leaving to form their own Social Democratic Party still occupies an important place in British political history. Now, 36 years on, the story behind that moment is being retold in a play that, on stage at least, sees David Owen, William "Bill" Rodgers, Shirley Williams and the late Roy Jenkins reunited. It arrives at a point when Labour is once again riven by internal divisions - prompting some to ponder whether another breakaway could be on the cards. Set on 25 January 1981 in the kitchen of Owen's London home, Limehouse imagines the "gang" coming together to thrash out the details of their departure. It is, concedes playwright Steve Waters, "two years of arguments, debates, persuasion and plotting concentrated into a very short span of time". "It's fiction, but there's lots of things that come directly from reality," says Waters. "The facts of the characters' situations have been soundly researched. "No one knows what they said that day - we don't have a record of their words. That, for me, was an invitation to write the play." Rodgers, Williams, Owen and his wife Debbie were at London's Donmar Warehouse on Wednesday to see their pasts played out before them. That made for a nerve-wracking evening for Tom Goodman-Hill, the actor cast in the David Owen role. "I was very glad that David and Debbie were on the back row of the stalls, because it meant they weren't in my eyeline," says one of the stars of Channel 4's Humans. "But I've been able to meet them on a couple of occasions and talk to them about the play, so they knew what to expect." Speaking after Tuesday's press night, Lord Owen said Waters had "obviously taken a lot of licence". "But he has captured the debates, the agonies and the quite strong arguments we had," he went on. "In a way, he's captured the flavour of all of us." The veteran politician, now 78, does have one cavil, however - about the wine that is shown being liberally poured, and drunk, over the play's 105 minutes. "There was no Chateau Lafite in the Owen household," he says with a rueful smile. For her part, Baroness Williams takes issue with a point in the play where she leaves to be interviewed by the BBC. "I don't remember going off to do an interview, and I don't think they ever found any evidence I did," she insists. Generally, though, she considers Limehouse to be "gripping and very authentic". "I didn't think it would ever be a play," the 86-year-old goes on. "And who could've expected things to come full circle 35 years on?" Waters was originally approached to write about the Labour Party of today but felt it was "almost too painful to write about". "It's also a bit of a moving target," he continues. "But hopefully the

Summary: What can a play about the formation of the SDP in 1981 tell us about today's political landscape?


O'Neill's tenure has yielded just one win from 13 matches. "I strongly believe the way forward is with Michael at the helm and leading us into the Euros," commented Taylor. "I really feel if he carries on then everyone will be better for that continuity. It's going to take time." Taylor, who is working on a short-term deal as goalkeeping coach less than two years since winning his last cap, believes O'Neill needs to stay on when his contract expires at the end of the year. Media playback is not supported on this device Defeats in Luxembourg and Azerbaijan in the last two World Cup qualifiers have proved particularly frustrating for the former Shamrock Rovers boss and his coaching staff. But there is more to the story, with O'Neill working hard behind the scenes to strengthen the Northern Ireland set-up from the bottom, while also overseeing a changing of the guard in the senior side. Talks with IFA officials will resume after Tuesday's final qualification match in Israel, and Taylor hopes they go well. "Some of the young lads coming into the national side are not even playing club football, but we have a small pool of players and it's not as though we can go out and sign someone, so you do the best you can. "Michael is very, very passionate. He's hurting as much, if not more, than anyone else. "If you take the blip in Luxembourg out of it, the performances in all the other games - irrespective of the results - have been strong. Media playback is not supported on this device "It is a period of transition at the moment. It's a young squad and although the results haven't always come the lads have set a standard of performance - getting the win against Russia and going very close to a result against Portugal at home. The lads will learn from this campaign." If O'Neill does get the chance to continue his work with Northern Ireland, it is highly likely he would ask Taylor to remain part of his backroom staff. At 42, the former Fulham and Birmingham goalkeeper is only just starting to get used to the idea of his playing days being over, but he would be keen to remain involved at club level even if he was offered a full-time role by the IFA. "I sat down with Michael and he asked me to help out for five games. If he stays that doesn't necessarily mean I stay on, we'll have to sit down and talk. "I had hoped to play again this season but I've had a niggle with my shoulder and it's set me back a bit. "The coaching is something I'm very keen to progress with and there's no reason why I couldn't combine Northern Ireland coaching with a job at a club."

Summary: Northern Ireland goalkeeping coach Maik Taylor has called on the Irish Football Association to hand manager Michael O'Neill a new contract despite the side's disappointing run of results.


Costa, 28, was told by text message that boss Antonio Conte does not have him in his plans for next season. He said: "I don't know about my future. I have a contract with Chelsea and they are the ones who know what they will do with me. "I have to wait to see what decision my club makes." Spain continue to lead Group G after the win in Skopje. Manchester City midfielder David Silva opened the scoring for the fourth Spain game in a row when he finished Jordi Alba's cutback. Costa doubled the lead when he tapped in Isco's cross. Stefan Ristovski pulled one back for Macedonia when he drilled past David de Gea but Spain saw it out. Spain top the group on goal difference after second-placed Italy beat Liechtenstein 5-0. Only the group winners are guaranteed a place at next year's finals in Russia, meaning that one of the European giants are set to be in the play-offs. Match ends, Macedonia 1, Spain 2. Second Half ends, Macedonia 1, Spain 2. Kire Ristevski (Macedonia) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Isco (Spain) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Kire Ristevski (Macedonia). Substitution, Spain. Saúl Ñíguez replaces Andrés Iniesta. Attempt blocked. Pedro (Spain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Diego Costa. Attempt blocked. Sergio Ramos (Spain) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Koke with a cross. Corner, Spain. Conceded by Vance Sikov. Corner, Spain. Conceded by Stefan Ristovski. Attempt blocked. Sergio Ramos (Spain) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Vance Sikov (Macedonia) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Diego Costa (Spain) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Vance Sikov (Macedonia). Attempt saved. Diego Costa (Spain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Substitution, Macedonia. Ivan Trickovski replaces Daniel Mojsov. Attempt missed. Gerard Piqué (Spain) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Koke with a cross following a corner. Corner, Spain. Conceded by Vance Sikov. Hand ball by Ilija Nestorovski (Macedonia). Eljif Elmas (Macedonia) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Koke (Spain) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Eljif Elmas (Macedonia). Attempt blocked. Ezgjan Alioski (Macedonia) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Foul by Sergio Busquets (Spain). Stefan Spirovski (Macedonia) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Macedonia. Aleksandar Trajkovski replaces Kristijan Tosevski. Substitution, Spain. Koke replaces Thiago Alcántara. Corner, Spain. Conceded by Daniel Mojsov. Jordi Alba (Spain) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Jordi Alba (Spain). Kristijan Tosevski (Macedonia) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Isco (Spain) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Daniel Mojsov (Macedonia). Substitution, Spain. Pedro replaces David Silva. Foul by Andrés Iniesta (Spain). Eljif Elmas (Macedonia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Summary: Diego Costa said that it is up to Chelsea to make a decision on his future after he scored in Spain's 2-1 World Cup qualifying win in Macedonia.


The local woman was driving a Peugeot which collided with a Ford driven by a 22-year-old man in Angley Road at the junction with Cranbrook High Street. Kent Police said the other driver was also taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. The A229 was closed for five hours after the accident at 13:38 BST on Saturday. Det Sgt Scott Lynch said: 'It was a busy Saturday afternoon so there may have been a number of people who saw the collision. "We would ask witnesses to contact us if they haven't already spoken to an officer."

Summary: An 85-year-old woman has died in hospital after a collision between her car and another vehicle.


Manager Matt Beard told BBC Sport that Williams and Nigeria striker Asisat Oshoala would miss "a couple of months" with hamstring and knee problems. Defender Satara Murray (also hamstring) is expected to be out of action for about six weeks. "It's a big blow," said Beard. "It's the spine of your team - your central midfielder, your centre-back and your centre-forward - but it's one of those things." The players were all hurt during Saturday's WSL 1 defeat by Notts County and did not feature in Thursday's 2-0 Continental Tyres Cup victory against Everton. Williams played in all seven of England's matches at the recent World Cup, but Beard said her injury was not caused by returning to league action too soon following the tournament in Canada. "It was an impact injury," he said. "Unfortunately as she's tried to win the ball, her leg's completely hyperextended, which has caused the injury." Liverpool are the reigning Women's Super League One champions but are currently only sixth in the table after a disappointing start to the season. With the league concluding in October, Beard admitted that the new injuries would make defending their title even more difficult. "They're important players to us but it's going to give maybe one or two of the younger players an opportunity," he continued. "We'll do as much as we can, while we're still involved in everything mathematically, to finish as high as we can." Beard also told BBC Sport that he did not think he would be in a position to make emergency loan signings to cover for the injured players.

Summary: Three Liverpool Ladies players, including England midfielder Fara Williams, are set to miss the majority of the club's remaining games this season after picking up injuries.


China's government asked the National Audit Office (NAO) in July to do a round-up of the debts outstanding at a local level. The report showed some local governments were using new loans to repay more than a fifth of their debt. China has a total government debt of about 58% of its economic output. Persistent fears over the level of non-performing bad debt have affected perceptions of the world's second-largest economy, as some worry whether the loans can be paid back. The figure is still less than half the debt burdens in Japan - the world's third-largest economy - and Greece, but some analysts warn that China's debt cannot continue to grow at this pace forever. "While China's total government debt remains low by the OECD standards, the pace of the rise is still alarming," said ANZ Bank economists Liu Li-Gang and Zhou Hao. "This national debt audit result could indicate that China's local government debt almost doubled in about two-and-a-half years." According to the China Banking Regulatory Commission, local governments took up 80% of total bank lending in China at the end of 2010. Local governments in China borrowed heavily after the global financial crisis, to try to sustain growth rates. The Chinese central government has repeatedly stressed the urgent need to guard against financial risks, including the local government debt problem.

Summary: China has local government debts of 17.7 trillion yuan ($2.9tn), up 70% from three years ago, according to an official report.


The pirates are very good at what they do. They run sophisticated operations using the latest hi-tech equipment such as satellite phones and GPS. They are also heavily armed with rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47s. The pirates are known to receive tip-offs from contacts at ports in the Gulf of Aden. They use speedboats with very powerful outboard motors to approach their target. Sometimes the speedboats are launched from much larger "mother ships" on the high seas and they have even managed to seize enormous oil tankers. With warships patrolling along the Somali coast, the pirates have started to operate further away and have even staged some attacks across the Indian Ocean, closer to India than Somalia. To actually hijack the ships, the pirates first use grappling hooks and irons - some of which are even rocket-propelled - and climb aboard using ropes and ladders. The pirates have also on occasion fired at the ships to scare them into stopping, so it is easier for them to board the vessel. The pirates then sail the hijacked ship to their base, often the town of Eyl. There, pirates usually take the hostages ashore where they are normally well looked after until a ransom is paid. The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is advising ship owners to adopt measures such as having lookouts or travelling at speeds which would allow them to outrun the pirates. However, the pirates move extremely quickly and often at night and so it is sometimes too late before the crew has realised what has happened. Once the pirates have taken control of a ship, military intervention is complicated because of the hostages on board. There is also no international legal system for people accused of piracy. Although some have been put on trial in Kenya, the government says it is unfair if all the pirate suspects are sent there. One group has been jailed in the Netherlands - in Europe's first such case - while another group has been sentenced to death in Yemen. A trial in the US in 2010, meanwhile, convicted five men of piracy for an attack on a US Navy ship. But pirates apprehended on the high seas are also frequently released because of the difficulties of prosecuting them. Some argue an international court is needed, backed by the UN, with perhaps even an international prison for those convicted. The UN Security Council has approved a resolution allowing countries to pursue Somali pirates on land as well as at sea - an extension of the powers countries already have to enter Somali waters to chase pirates. But as long as Somalia continues to exist without an effective government, many believe lawlessness within the country and off its lengthy coast will only grow. The IMB estimates that 53 ships were hijacked worldwide in 2010 - 49 of them off Somalia's coast - and says a record 1,181 hostages were taken. The problem also appears to be growing. Overall, there were 445 pirate attacks in 2010, a 10% rise from 2009, the IMB says. Meanwhile, maritime piracy costs the

Summary: Pirates have been operating in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, for several years, prompting world powers to send their navies to safeguard international trade.


Glasgow Sheriff Court has previously heard that Harry Clarke was unconscious at the wheel when the lorry hit pedestrians on 22 December last year. First Bus inspector John Stewart told the FAI that Mr Clarke had blacked out while unwell at a bus stop in 2010. The inquiry is examining the bin lorry, its route and Mr Clarke's health. Mr Stewart told the second day of the FAI, which is being overseen by Sheriff John Beckett QC, that he was an inspector and had been with First Bus Glasgow for 12 years. He referred to notes he had taken on a Blackberry, detailing an incident involving Mr Clarke, while he was a bus driver, on 7 April 2010. The notes of his daily report from that day state Mr Clarke "blacked out for a couple of minutes" while at a bus stop having "taken unwell". Mr Stewart said he was alerted by a passenger on the number 54 bus that the driver had collapsed at the wheel. The witness said Mr Clarke was still in the driver's seat of the bus when he arrived at the scene, but there were no passengers on board. An ambulance was called and paramedics arrived to attend to Mr Clarke who was given the all clear and refused to go to hospital. He was not allowed to drive the bus back, which was returned to the depot by Mr Stewart. The witness said his involvement ended as soon as he left Mr Clarke and that he assumed the driver would have been sent to the company doctor. Mr Stewart, under cross-examination from Dorothy Bain QC, agreed that "other people could be killed" due to a driver being "out of control" of the bus. The witness said he did not know if a driver who had blacked out would be suspended, but he said he would not let them drive. Going back over Mr Stewart's report, it was noted that Mr Clarke had driven the bus to the stop he was at after blacking out. Mr Stewart said Mr Clarke "should have used his common sense" and not driven the bus, but said "you would have to ask him". Ms Bain asked Mr Stewart if knew that Mr Clarke was suspended from driving and had to attend doctor's appointments. The witness said he did not. The court was then shown a letter from a First Bus doctor saying Mr Clarke had suffered "loss of consciousness". In a letter, the doctor said Mr Clarke was advised that "he does not need to inform the DVLA of the incident". Ms Bain asked Mr Stewart if he knew Mr Clarke had reported passing out in a canteen at work that same day in 2010. The witness said he did not know. Mr Stewart said he could not confirm if Mr Clarke had been suffering from dizzy spells, but said he would have stopped him driving if he had. Mr Stewart will give evidence on Friday when the FAI resumes for a third day. Earlier, the inquiry heard again from Henry

Summary: The fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the Glasgow bin lorry crash which killed six people has heard the driver blacked out before while driving a bus.


The Cubbington pear tree is believed to have been growing near the Warwickshire village for more than 250 years. The Woodland Trust, which ran the Tree of the Year poll, has called for it to be preserved due to its age. HS2 officials say the tree's hollow trunk means it will have to be felled, with seedlings planted nearby. The proposed high-speed line will link London with Birmingham, but has attracted criticism due to its cost and planned route through areas of countryside. Peter Delow, chairman of the Cubbington Stop HS2 Action Group, nominated the tree for the award, and said the win sent "a clear message" to politicians to conserve the country's natural heritage. "Those who voted for our tree clearly care about the protection of our natural environment," he said. "It would be perfectly possible to build HS2 without destroying our tree and many others." Cubbington's pear tree was selected after attracting more than a third of 10,000 votes for the best tree in England, beating nine other finalists to the title. Runners-up included the Tolpuddle Martyrs tree in Dorset, Glastonbury's Holy Thorn and the Boscobel Oak in Shropshire, a descendant of the tree where the future King Charles II hid after the final battle of the English Civil War. The UK's Trees of the Year Beccy Speight, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, said public affection for the Cubbington pear tree - one of 20 within the construction boundaries of HS2's first phase - showed the importance of the natural world to the country. "Sadly many iconic trees do not have the levels of protection they deserve," she said. Ben Ruse, a spokesman for HS2, said younger trees would be planted in the area surrounding Cubbington to offset the loss of the historic pear tree. "We have always recognised the significance of the tree and will do all we can to ensure that wild pear trees continue to be a feature of the countryside around Cubbington," he said.

Summary: An ancient pear tree due to be chopped down to make way for the HS2 high-speed rail line has been voted the best tree in England.


Alan Knight, 48, and wife Helen, 34, of Sketty, Swansea, had admitted perverting the course of justice. Helen Knight was jailed for 10 months at Swansea Crown Court on Friday. Her husband, who was jailed in November 2014 on fraud and forgery charges, will serve another 14 months on top of his current prison term. Judge Huw Davies told Knight - appearing via videolink from prison - and his wife they had both committed an "extreme" example of intending to pervert the course of justice. He said: "It resulted in significant delay in bringing the offender to justice." He said this added to the distress of those facing giving evidence as Knight's trial was delayed time and time again over a period of two years. The judge called Knight's deception "calculated" and told his wife: "All in all your behaviour was unscrupulous and selfish." The judge told the court the couple came up with their elaborate plan to feign a "catastrophic" illness to try to stop the husband's trial for theft, fraud and forgery. He had been accused of taking Â£40,000 of the the life savings of his elderly neighbour, who had dementia. Every time someone in authority visited Knight, he pretended he was paraplegic and often in a coma. He admitted himself to hospital for a total of 10 weeks to avoid the trial and convinced some GPs about his mystery illness. Numerous tests were carried out but they all concluded he had nothing physically wrong with him. Meanwhile, his wife wrote to the prime minister, the deputy prime minister and her local MP and AM, telling them her husband was being forced to go to court even though he was a paraplegic and in a permanent vegetative state. Her local MP even took on her case, writing to Mr Knight's solicitors. Eventually their lies were exposed after police found CCTV and picture evidence from their computer. The photographs showed them on holiday, on day trips to places like Legoland and at a friend's wedding.

Summary: A man who faked being in a coma for two years to avoid a fraud trial has been jailed along with his wife for trying to con the courts.


Sarah Goldstein, 24, found the posts two weeks ago after her claim for personal independence payments (PIPs) was turned down. One post described how the nurse wanted to "catapult" a claimant "back to...[where] he came from". Capita, which assess claimants for the government, said it was investigating. Mrs Goldstein, who has fibromyalgia, Raynaud's phenomenon, and suffers with chronic anxiety, migraines and depression, claimed Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and first applied for PIPs in October 2014. Her husband, Jay Goldstein, said she had been assessed last year but turned down for PIPs because it was felt she was "making everything up". Mrs Goldstein reapplied for PIPs at the end of 2015 and was assessed at her home in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, in March by the nurse, who works for Capita on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DwP). But the couple's suspicions were aroused when they found they had been turned down by the nurse on the basis of a number of "falsehoods" in her accompanying report, which has been seen by the BBC. These included claims that Mrs Goldstein had given birth to 13-month-old daughter AJ naturally. Mrs Goldstein had a caesarean and said she was never asked about the birth. In addition, the report said Mrs Goldstein was "calm, relaxed and her mood appeared stable". Mr Goldstein said his wife was "clearly anxious" and did not make eye contact with the assessor. Mr Goldstein, 25, said the nurse's name was on the report, so his wife looked her up on social media "to make sure everything was above board" and discovered the posts. One, written in July 2014, appears to attack a claimant who had lost two legs as a child and had appeared on a programme about benefits. The post said he should "get a job fitting carpets" and that she "would like to catapult the scrounger back to...[where] he came from". It is believed the nurse started working for Capita a few months before the July post. Mr Goldstein said: "People need to see how people with disabilities like my wife are treated. They're human beings, they deserve a good quality of life. "[The nurse] is clearly not the best person for that job." The couple reported the posts to Capita, which, as a result, suspended the nurse and told the couple a new assessment on Mrs Goldstein would be carried out on Wednesday. Mr Goldstein said his wife, had been left "stressed" and "unwell" over the claim. A Capita spokesman said: "The individual was suspended as soon as we were made aware of the allegations, and further investigations are taking place. All prospective assessors are subject to strict security and vetting checks. We also have strict policies in place which govern the use of social media." In response to a request for a comment, the nurse told the BBC to contact Capita.

Summary: A disability benefits assessor has been suspended after allegedly posting abusive comments about disabled claimants on Facebook.


He took over on an interim basis when Craig Harrison left for Hartlepool on 26 May after guiding TNS to six consecutive Welsh titles. Steve Evans, who has been assisting Ruscoe, will also be retained. Both stepped up from coaching roles and led TNS in Champions League qualifiers against Europa of Gibraltar and Croatian side Rijeka in June and July. The Saints kick-off their Welsh Premier season away to Bangor City on 11 August. Find out how to get into football with our special guide.

Summary: Scott Ruscoe has been appointed manager of Welsh Premier champions The New Saints on a permanent basis.


Currently scratch cards and display discs are used, but Transport Minister Deputy Eddie Noel advertised for a new app-based cashless system. He said this would eventually be rolled out to street parking as well as the island's 46 car parks. It would run alongside the scratch cards so people without a smart phone could still pay to park. The price of a scratch card is 76p per unit with a monthly season ticket costing Â£123.31, and Mr Noel said the new system would cost the same as scratch cards. Mr Noel said it would give people a greater flexibility and make it easier to police as it would be likely to use number plate recognition. It should be in place by the middle of 2016.

Summary: A new cashless payment system will be introduced into Jersey car parks under new plans by the States.


The 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist improved her English record to 65.10 metres at the New South Wales Championships in Sydney. It puts her second in the all-time British list behind Scotland's Margaret Ritchie, who threw 67.48. It is the second time she has thrown an Olympic qualifying mark in three days. The 28-year-old threw 64.22m at the Auckland Track Challenge on Thursday.

Summary: Jade Lally has produced the longest discus throw by a British woman since 1983 to move to fourth in the 2016 world rankings.


Earlier this month, the force said 24 people had been charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. On Friday, it said five more people had now been charged, bringing the total to 29 and they are all from the city. Police raided 35 addresses on 26 April during an operation involving 200 officers.

Summary: Twenty-nine people have been charged following drugs raids in Newport, Gwent Police has said.


The school down the road from you that's had a bad name among parents and falling pupil numbers is taken over and turned into an academy school. The head teacher and the name will change, and there is a fair bet the discipline regime and uniform will too. Making schools independent from their local council and giving head teachers much greater leeway in whom to hire, and what to teach, isn't new. But until now, it has been applied to failing schools. The new Education Bill will extend that to "coasting schools". The government clearly intends to draw that category quite widely, which could mean many more schools than expected facing pressure to improve. The more obvious case for intervention is in local authority areas with large numbers of schools Ofsted says are less than good. In Lowestoft, Suffolk, there are four secondary schools. Only one is rated as being good, two others have just come out of special measures, and one requires improvement. Of the 20 primary schools, only eight are currently deemed to be good or outstanding. Tucked away behind streets of neat houses is Meadow Primary School. The building is a little down-at-heel, but it is surrounded by beautiful playing fields and green spaces. The school has chosen to begin a journey that hundreds more schools in England may be forced to follow in the coming years. Meadow, rated as requiring improvement, is joining the primary-only academy chain REAch2. Into this school has stepped a new head teacher, Nadia Paczuska, who was recruited through a scheme called Future Leaders. She says: "It's very isolated geographically, there is high unemployment among the parents and the area surrounding the school, it's very difficult to recruit to this area and there's a sense of low expectation of the children." In order to have enough teachers for the coming year she has recruited from Canada and Romania, and taken to social media to persuade teachers to relocate from around the UK. The local neighbourhood is mainly white, typical of Lowestoft's long-established communities. The school's standing had slipped, and there were some tense moments between parents and her predecessor, but Nadia says there is a will to change. "Most of the parents I speak to are very conscious it's not good enough, and although it had perhaps become normalised it's certainly not something the community are happy about." An appeal to the community to roll up its sleeves has led to volunteers offering to set up and run a library, and join a summer work party re-painting parts of the school. Over the holidays, the school will also be running catch-up classes for pupils. Which raises the question of whether it's Nadia's determination to lead a team improving the school that will make as much difference as becoming an academy. It is easy to make a case for intervening in schools that are underperforming. But Lowestoft also shows that simply becoming an academy, free from the management of the local council, is not a guarantee of success. Many of the pupils from Meadow Primary

Summary: It is a familiar formula in many ways.


Hemmings scored 24 goals for Cowdenbeath last season, including two hat-tricks, and was named Scottish Championship Player of the Season. Barnsley manager Danny Wilson said he did not believe the 22-year-old would struggle to adapt to English football. "He has got good pace and is a very good finisher as the stats will tell you," said Wilson. "He can play in a number of positions, but more importantly he's down the middle and has got goals in him, which is what we want to bring into the team." Hemmings began his career at Tamworth before moving to Rangers, for whom he made 10 appearances, and then joined Cowdenbeath in the summer of 2013 after a successful loan spell. He is Barnsley's second signing since being relegated from the Championship, following the arrival of ex-Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Adam Davies.

Summary: Relegated Barnsley have completed the signing of striker Kane Hemmings from Cowdenbeath on a free transfer.


City of Glasgow College student Majid Ali was recently held at Dungavel Detention Centre in Lanarkshire. Supporters believe he was deported on Tuesday night. The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases. Mr Ali had accused the Pakistani authorities of killing his uncle and cousin and abducting his brother. He first claimed asylum in the UK in 2011 after stating that his brother was the victim of an enforced "disappearance" by Pakistani authorities. More recently, Mr Ali claimed that his family home in the Balochistan province was raided by government forces, and his uncle and cousin were shot and killed. The volatile province, in the south west of Pakistan, has seen conflict between government forces and groups from the region who want more political autonomy or independence and a greater share of revenue from natural resources. The National Union of Students (NUS) had been running a campaign to keep Mr Ali in the UK. Earlier this week, NUS Scotland president Gordon Maloney said: "We are deeply concerned for Majid's safety if he is forced home. "We all recognise that nobody deserves the kind of treatment he has received in this country, or the grave danger that might await him on his forced return home." The campaign had been supported by SNP MP for Glasgow South West, Chris Stephens, who wrote to the immigration minister and Scottish secretary and attempted to raise the case in the House of Commons. Mr Stephens had said it was "fairly obvious to anyone looking at this case that Majid should be allowed to stay as there would be a genuine fear for his life if he was deported".

Summary: A Scottish-based student is thought to have been deported to Pakistan despite claims he faces political persecution and possible death in his homeland.


The hosts, who resumed on 23-0 at The Oval needing 230 runs to avoid an innings defeat, lost Rory Burns for 18. Kumar Sangakkara (84 not out) shared a century third-wicket stand with Arun Harinath (57) before the latter was caught behind off Sean Ervine. A rain shower saw the players taken off at 16:00 BST, with Surrey on 248-3 and play was called off. Surrey are now 27 points behind leaders Middlesex with just one match remaining, while Hampshire are six points from safety, but Lancashire and Durham above them have a game in hand. If Durham and Lancashire pick up a significant haul of points next week, the battle for the final relegation spot could be between Hampshire and Warwickshire, who are separated by eight points with one match left each. With Hampshire seeking 10 wickets on the final day, Brad Wheal followed up Liam Dawson's early dismissal of Burns by removing Dominic Sibley for 44, caught behind. However, on a flat pitch Sangakkara remained untroubled, reaching his seventh Championship half-century of the season having hit eight boundaries. Steven Davies' 57-run unbroken fourth-wicket partnership with the former Sri Lanka batsman saw Surrey creep towards taking the lead in the final session of play before the rain intervened. Surrey skipper Gareth Batty told BBC Radio London: "There will be people that will say that after the first four sessions of the game the pitch died and there wasn't a lot (in it) for anybody. "Fair comment, but you've still got to ride out those pressure situations. "Hampshire put us on the back foot by going so far ahead, and making it so we were the only team that could be on the wrong end of the result. "The character shown was great. On the whole, walking away with a draw is not a particularly bad result." Hampshire captain James Vince told BBC Radio Solent: "We set the game up nicely for today and the bowlers stuck to it really well and were unlucky not to have a few more wickets. "On a wicket where it was spinning out of the rough, they have left-handers, if we'd been able to get one or two more in that middle session, I'd have backed us to go on and win it. "We'll have to see how next week unfolds and then make a plan going into the Durham game (in the final week). "We're very much still alive, I think."

Summary: Surrey's slim chances of winning the Division One title ended as they drew with relegation-threatened Hampshire.


US national Joshua Samuel Aaron, 32, was held at New York's JFK airport and will appear in court on Thursday. He is one of three men accused of illegally accessing the personal information of 100 million people in 2012-15. Twelve major institutions were victims of the hacking, including JPMorgan. Mr Aaron had been a fugitive living in Moscow, but flew to the US voluntarily to face the charges, his lawyer said. In a statement on Wednesday, US Attorney Preet Bharara said: "Joshua Samuel Aaron allegedly worked to hack into the networks of dozens of American companies, ultimately leading to the largest theft of personal information from US financial institutions ever." The other two suspects are Israeli men: Gery Shalon and Ziv Orenstein. They were arrested in Israel in July 2015, and extradited to the US in June 2016. All three men were charged in November 2015. They allegedly manipulated stock prices by selling shares of companies to individuals whose contact information they had stolen. The men were also charged with running an illegal payment processing business that they used to collect $18m (Â£14.3m) in fees. Prosecutors claim the men hacked into competitors' systems to spy on them and then hacked into a credit card company investigating their payment processing business in order to avoid detection. The company hit hardest by the breach was JPMorgan. More than 83 million of the bank's customers had data stolen in the breach.

Summary: FBI and US secret service agents have arrested a man charged with the largest cyber-attack of financial firms in America's history.


The Ayoub Sisters recorded their hit Melodies From Scotland with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. It features some of Burns' most famous works, including Auld Lang Syne and My Love is Like A Red Red Rose. The sisters, who have since recorded with producer Mark Ronson, have now signed a contract with the label Decca. Although their parents are not from Scotland, the sisters said they were brought up with a love of Scottish music. Sarah Ayoub told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We were born in Glasgow but our parents are actually Egyptian so when we'd have guests at home in Glasgow, we'd be summoned to the lounge and requested to play Scottish music." Laura Ayoub said the sisters wanted to put their own mark on the music. She told the programme: "We intentionally wanted to put our own spin on it. For example, you hear Mairi's Wedding and Scotland The Brave in this piece, but they are played in a style that's almost unrecognisable." The pair's talents were recently spotted by award winning producer Mark Ronson. They had posted a cover of his hit Uptown Funk on YouTube only to be contacted by him days later. Sarah told the programme: "Mark Ronson must have seen the video and summoned us and a couple of other musicians to record a new cover in Abbey Road Studios in London. Laura added: "We'd uploaded the video about four or five days before we then received the email, which means that the time we were uploading that video was exactly the time he was going through YouTube finding these covers. It had like 20 views , which were all from our mum, so it was really just luck."

Summary: Two musical sisters from Milngavie are celebrating after their record released in time for Burns Night topped the classical charts on iTunes.


Steven Frater, 32, hid 167 diazepam tablets and quantities of heroin and oxymetholene inside his body. He then stole a television from the Asda store in Galashiels, hoping to be arrested and sent to Edinburgh Prison. Frater, formerly of Jedburgh, admitted at Selkirk Sheriff Court the theft and refusing an internal examination at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in February. The court heard he attempted to defeat the ends of justice by refusing to be examined in hospital knowing he had the controlled drugs inside his body. However, he was subsequently found to have swallowed a number of substances that he had hoped to distribute in jail. Sheriff Jamie Gilmour sentenced him to three years in prison for the offences.

Summary: A man who swallowed a large quantity of drugs in order to smuggle them into prison has been jailed for three years.


Last month, Lidl said it would introduce a living wage of £8.20 an hour, or £9.35 an hour in London. But Northern Ireland staff were not included at the time, with Lidl saying this was due to the way its business was organised. Lidl has now reversed that position. The company added that a similar pay commitment is being made to staff in the Republic of Ireland. Susan Fitzgerald, a regional officer with the Unite union, welcomed the company's decision. "This is a very significant victory for Lidl workers, our members and Unite, who led the campaign to demand equal pay for workers in Northern Ireland," she said. "We are particularly pleased that Lidl's adoption of the living wage will extend to their workforce in the Republic of Ireland. "This announcement means other retail chains are now on notice that they need to pay the living wage - there can be no justification for poverty-pay." Earlier this year, the government announced there would be a new, compulsory National Living Wage of £7.20 an hour from April 2016. But that figure is lower than the £8.20 recommendation set by the independent Living Wage Foundation. It is the rate calculated by academics as the level of pay that will give workers enough for a basic standard of living. It is an informal benchmark, not a legally enforceable minimum level of pay. Lidl has received plaudits for becoming the first UK supermarket to implement the independently recommended living wage. But its position in Northern Ireland became a PR disaster with some consumers threatening a boycott and trade unions planning protests outside shops. John Paul Scally, the managing director for Lidl in Ireland, said the majority of staff already earn above the living wage. "It is important for us to ensure that those whose hourly pay falls below £8.20 benefit from a substantial increase," he said. "This would bring them to a level that is more reflective of enjoying a better standard of living." Lidl staff at store assistant level in Northern Ireland currently start at a basic £7.20 an hour. Now all store assistants will earn a minimum of £8.20, rising to £8.80 an hour incrementally within three years. Mr Scally said the move will require an investment but he wanted to reassure customers that it will not lead to price increases. Lidl has about 600 employees in Northern Ireland who work at 38 stores and a distribution depot.

Summary: The supermarket chain Lidl will now include Northern Ireland staff in the pay rise it has awarded to workers in the rest of the UK.


Mr Biden said a political deal "would be better" but "if that's not possible" the US would pursue alternatives. US officials said Mr Biden's remarks on a deal referred to planned peace talks between Syrian officials and rebels. They said his comment on possible military action applied only to IS. The US vice-president was speaking after meeting Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul. Commenting on the chance of achieving a political settlement in Syria, Mr Biden said: "We are neither optimistic or pessimistic. We are determined." Referring to possible military action, he said this would entail "taking out Daesh", using the Arabic acronym for IS. Mr Biden said he and Mr Davutoglu had discussed how their countries could further support Sunni Arab rebels opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In other comments, Mr Biden said Washington recognised that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is banned in Turkey, was as much of a threat to Ankara as IS. "It is a terror group plain and simple and what they continue to do is absolutely outrageous," he said. The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group by Washington and the EU, has been accused of carrying out a number of deadly attacks on Turkish security forces since a truce collapsed in July. The group, which has been fighting Turkey for an autonomous homeland for the Kurds for decades, has said the truce had "no meaning" after it faced assaults from Turkish forces. Mr Biden, who also held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit, on Friday strongly criticised restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey. He said that intimidating journalists, shutting down social media and accusing government critics of treason set a poor example to the region.

Summary: US Vice-President Joe Biden has said the US and Turkey are prepared to seek a military solution against so-called Islamic State (IS) if a political agreement in Syria proves impossible.