Sir Charlie Mayfield said a Brexit would also hit consumer confidence and spending for as long as five years. Leave campaigners have previously said that the UK economy would thrive outside the EU. John Lewis was not taking sides in the EU referendum debate, Sir Charlie added. He said that the UK economy would be stronger if Britain decided to remain in the union. "As a businessman and looking at the economic issues, I do think that the economy will remain stronger if we remain in the European Union and that does matter. It matters to things like jobs, wages and public services because they do depend on how the economy is performing," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One. As well as the department store chain, John Lewis also owns Waitrose supermarkets. Sir Charlie said there were already signs of declining consumer confidence ahead of the 23 June vote. "From conversations I've had with a number of the banks, we're seeing activity slowing in the build-up to the referendum, so I do think that it's the case that this is beginning to have an impact on the economy," he said. "We're not taking sides in the debate. It is up to people to decide. But equally we have been asked to decide by our partners - that's 90,000 people who work in our business - what this means for their business because understandably they're interested." John Lewis has told staff that a vote to leave the EU would have an "adverse impact" on consumer confidence and activity. "It's very, very hard to say how long that would last, but we estimate it could be for a period of maybe five years," Sir Charlie said. "For example, you have things like a weaker currency. It will probably mean that prices rise. If there is less investment - which seems possible - then that could have an impact on jobs." However, Vote Leave campaigners have previously said the UK economy would be "turbocharged" outside the EU, with the UK able to form new trade deals with countries outside Europe. Campaigners argue that the EU sells far more into the UK than the UK sells in the EU, so it would be in the interests of other EU countries to strike a free-trade agreement with the UK after a Brexit. In March John Lewis and Waitrose staff were told their annual bonuses would be cut for the third consecutive year to 10% of their annual salary. Higher pension charges and lower property profits resulted in a fall in pre-tax profits before exceptional items from Â£343m to to Â£305.5m for the year to 30 January. Sir Charlie is also chairman of the British Retail Consortium. It issued a report in February warning that up to 900,000 jobs could be lost from the retail sector, along with the the closure of thousands of shops, over the next decade. The report blamed rising costs due to the introduction of the National Living Wage and the new apprenticeship levy for the job losses. UK retail sales rose

Summary: Leaving the European Union would probably lead to higher prices in UK shops, the John Lewis chairman has said.


And far from the mood since the general election easing on the matter of "sound money", the word among senior figures in the department is that now is the time "to hold our nerve". Sources close to the chancellor point out that plans to balance the books - meaning that the government only spends as much as it receives in revenues, mostly in taxes - have already been delayed three times since 2010. The present target is for the deficit - that difference between government income and expenditure - to be eliminated by 2025. Philip Hammond wants to maintain that plan. He sticks to a pretty well-known script when asked about increasing public spending. Government wealth, he says, comes from three main areas. The first is taxes - which, it is pointed out, the chancellor tried to increase in March, only for plans to raise national insurance contributions to be abandoned when it was revealed that it breached the Conservatives' 2015 manifesto pledge not to increase income tax, national insurance or VAT. Is increasing taxes any more palatable now? Second, borrowing - which the chancellor makes clear means increasing the amount of money that needs to be paid back by future generations. And, finally, an increase in the ability of the economy to create wealth - called productivity. It is this last area that is the most important and, conversely, the least open to direct government intervention. The Treasury - as much as it might want to - cannot simply demand that the private and public sector becomes more efficient at delivering goods and services. It takes time, money and training in skills - none of which the UK has a particularly proud tradition in. And anything that is done by the government - such as increasing investment in infrastructure projects like digital broadband or new railway links - takes a long time to feed through to stronger wealth creation, higher economic growth and higher government tax receipts. It is in within such classically "Treasury" parameters that Mr Hammond would like to see the present debate on increasing public spending considered. Today, pressure is growing from Cabinet ministers such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove for the government to relax its approach to the public sector pay cap, as my colleague Iain Watson reports. The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that every 1% increase in public sector pay would cost between £1.5 and £2bn a year. A pay rise for more than five million public sector workers who have seen their real incomes squeezed in the majority of years since the financial crisis is not cost-free. And private sector workers on average still earn 3% to 4% less than public sector workers - although their wages are now rising more rapidly and the gap is closing. Two of the major pay review bodies - for the NHS and for schools - have reported increasing problems of recruitment and retention in their sectors. That warning is likely to be repeated by the schools review body when it reports later this month. Last July,

Summary: The Treasury jealously guards its role as keeper of the public purse.


Saturday Premiership Inverness CT 2-1 Hamilton Academical Celtic 4-1 St Johnstone Kilmarnock 0-1 Dundee Motherwell 0-1 Ross County Championship Dumbarton 0-1 Falkirk Greenock Morton 1-1 Dundee United Hibernian 1-1 St Mirren Queen of the South 0-1 Dunfermline Athletic Raith Rovers 2-1 Ayr United Sunday's Premiership previews Partick Thistle v Rangers (12:15) Hearts v Aberdeen (15:00)

Summary: Match reports from Saturday's Scottish Premiership and Championship games.


The government wants to appeal to expat Turks because they can vote in a key upcoming poll. The referendum is on transferring sweeping powers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Mr Erdogan accused the Netherlands and Germany of "Nazism" in a furious outburst - and the Turkish press has echoed his anger. But elsewhere in Europe, the focus is on how the tension will impact on Turkey's fraught relationship with Europe. The pro-government newspapers Star, Yeni Safak and Aksam, the centre-right Haber Turk, and the centrist publication Milliyet all quoted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning that the Netherlands "will pay the price" for banning the rallies. The papers particularly lashed out at the Dutch authorities for using police to block Minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya's access to the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam, and then using force against Turkish protesters. Star carried a picture of a Dutch police dog attacking a protester under the headline "Wilders' dogs" - referring to Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders. Yeni Safak published the same picture with the headline "Racist dogs", while Aksam carried "Nazi dogs". Centre-right Hurriyet published the headline "Brutality". The opposition tabloid Sozcu also criticised the Dutch, publishing a huge picture of the dog attack and the question "What kind of barbarism is that?" Pro-government Sabah blasted the Netherlands, saying the country had "suspended freedoms" and "attacked with dogs". Pro-government Karar's biggest headline noted that "Holland has united Turkey", adding that the government and the opposition have become "one voice" against Holland's "scandalous conduct" and "police vandalism". Dutch reports suggest the Netherlands has also been united by the controversy. Algemeen Dagblad's report says Prime Minister Mark Rutte had refused for years to be provoked by the government in Ankara. But as the election approached, it was the final straw. And his stance has united Dutch politics: "Such a degree of unity we have not seen during this election campaign," it says. The Telegraaf features a picture of a Dutch policeman with a dog tackling a demonstrator under the headline "We're in charge here!" NRC has an interview with the prime minister, who complains the crisis has affected his ability to campaign in Wednesday's elections. The paper calls it the biggest diplomatic row of his premiership. Asked if he will apologise to Turkey, he says it was President Erdogan who likened the Netherlands to Nazi Germany, and so "he should apologise to us." German broadsheet Die Welt ran with the headline: "Erdogan has misunderstood something in international law". "Erdogan's government believes that it can apply its own authoritarian rules in foreign relations. But are consulates really the territory of a foreign state? The rules of diplomatic relations are clear," it states. Tagesspiegel, a popular broadsheet daily, wrote of "a deep crack through the Netherlands". "The relationship between the EU and Turkey is plunging into its deepest crisis," it wrote. "It seems that over the weekend new Turkish heroes were born, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan's supporters can push forward." Austrian broadsheet Wiener Zeitung ran the line that the Dutch prime minister "will not apologise to Erdogan" and "considers

Summary: Turkish newspapers are fuming at a diplomatic snub after the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria blocked the Turkish government's attempts to hold rallies in those countries.


Three bodies were found in streets nearby. A threatening message was left next to boxes, warning what were described as "traitors" and "blackmailers". Guerrero state, home to the seaside resort of Acapulco, has been plagued by years of drug-related violence. The latest gruesome incident created havoc around Chilpancingo. The body parts were discovered at around 03:00 local time (08:00 GMT) on Sunday morning. Police have not yet identified the victims. The gang has identified itself as Los Jefes, or The Bosses. Some of Mexico's most notorious gangs have been fighting for control of drug routes along the country's Pacific coast. Smaller criminal groups are also known to operate in Guerrero state, kidnapping for ransom and extorting farmers and shop owners. In 2014, 43 students disappeared in Guerrero, in a high-profile case that highlighted the involvement of local authorities and police with organised crime. Tens of thousands of people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico in the past decade.

Summary: A criminal gang in Mexico has dropped three iceboxes with a severed head in each one near a government building in Chilpancingo, the capital of the western state of Guerrero.


18 March 2017 Last updated at 17:34 GMT She made the remark during her speech to her party's conference meeting in Aberdeen. Ms Sturgeon told more than 2,000 delegates: "She has time to think again and I hope she does. If her concern is timing then - within reason - I am happy to have that discussion. "But let the prime minister be in no doubt. The will of our parliament must and will prevail."

Summary: Scotland's First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says Theresa May could re-think her approach to the timing of a second Scottish independence referendum.


Prof Graham Upton, who was vice chancellor at Oxford Brookes University and Cumbria University, will take up the role from Monday. His predecessor Prof Michael Scott formally leaves in March, but departed on 1 January to do research. Glyndwr has had an operational and academic restructure in recent months. Last June, the university was suspended from recruiting overseas students after a Home Office investigation into alleged visa fraud. Its right to sponsor foreign students was reinstated in November.

Summary: Glyndwr University has appointed an interim vice-chancellor three weeks after his predecessor left the role.


Four charities withdrew as official partners from the Kiltwalk earlier this year and its chief executive stepped down a few weeks later. The Kiltwalk stages sponsored walks across Scotland to raise money for leading children's charities. Its 2013 accounts showed more was spent on costs than went to charity. There is no suggestions regulations were broken. Kiltwalk chairman Michael Ure said it had incurred additional costs because of a "re-structuring". Mr Ure and the rest of the trustees have now stood down. The Kiltwalk said a new board would oversee the continued development of the charity. The group has also attracted support from one of Scotland's richest men, the entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter, whose foundation has committed long-term funding. Mr Hunter said: "The Kiltwalk is a fantastic concept for raising much-needed funds for Scotland's children's charities and has our absolute support. "We intend over the next couple of months to redefine and improve the model, building on the foundations already in place, to maximise returns for charities and turbo-charge Scotland's Kiltwalkers for 2016." The Kiltwalk was set up in 2011 with the aim of bringing Scotland's leading children's charities together for a series of sponsored walks. It grew from 800 walkers that year to more than 12,000 across the country in 2014. However, earlier this year four charities - CLIC Sargent, Cash for Kids, Aberlour and Edinburgh's Sick Kids Friends Foundation - withdrew as official partners. CLIC Sargent and Aberlour indicated to BBC Scotland that they had concerns over the amount of money reaching them from the Kiltwalk. The most recent set of accounts for the Kiltwalk showed that from an income of just over Â£1.6m, Â£780,000 had been spent on running costs - more than the Â£776,000 which went to charity.

Summary: A Scottish charity has replaced its entire board of trustees following concerns over the amount of money it was giving to charitable causes.


It has already reduced administrative staff from 23 to 18 and employs 63 musicians. The orchestra said it is negotiating with musicians to get rid of what it calls "restrictive practices". The orchestra assured MLAs it is trying to become less Belfast-centred. Sir George Bain, the executive chairman, told the committee it could send smaller groups of musicians out to towns that could not accommodate the full orchestra. He also added that musicians were paid full salaries even when not giving performances, but their contracts mean they could not be used for other projects, without extra payment. Earlier this month, Sir George revealed the orchestra would be forced to close by the end of the year unless it received £500,000 in emergency funding. Sir George Bain's warning came as he revealed the details behind a rescue plea to Belfast City Council that could mean a name change for the orchestra. It costs about £4.5m a year to run the Ulster Orchestra. It said it had lost 28% of funding from public sources - the equivalent of £1m - in the past four years. In a bid to survive, it has asked Belfast City Council to back a rescue plan that includes a £500,000 funding guarantee to keep it solvent until March next year when it would be restructured. It is also asking for the free use for the next five years of the Ulster Hall, which costs about £160,000 a year. According to Sir George, the orchestra could end up changing its name to something like the Belfast Symphony if the rescue plan was accepted. If the money is not forthcoming, the orchestra is warning it could go into administration before Christmas and close not long afterwards. It is the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland, and plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and the Waterfront Hall. The BBC gives financial support of £639,000 a year to the orchestra. Belfast City Council has yet to respond to the orchestra's request for additional funding.

Summary: The Ulster Orchestra has told Stormont's culture committee it cannot cut more staff to save money, while it tackles a £500,000 gap in funding.


The 27-year-old scored with a header after 72 seconds before Marco Asensio chipped in a brilliant finish for 2-0. Bale rounded Sociedad keeper Geronimo Rulli to score again in the final minute for last season's runners-up. Sociedad fans applauded throughout the ninth minute as a tribute to their former striker Dalian Atkinson, who died on Monday. Atkinson wore the number nine shirt when he played for the club during the 1990-91 season. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid - who finished third in May - started their season with a 1-1 draw at home to promoted Alaves. The hosts looked to have won it with an injury-time penalty from debutant Kevin Gameiro, after Fernando Torres had been pulled down in the area. However, the visitors, who had previously shown little ambition, gained a point thanks to Manu Garcia's fine strike in the final seconds. There were unpleasant scenes during Sporting Gijon's home game against Athletic Bilbao. The referee had to halt the match briefly because of racist chants being aimed at visitors' forward Inaki Williams by some home fans. Sporting won the match 2-1. Match ends, Real Sociedad 0, Real Madrid 3. Second Half ends, Real Sociedad 0, Real Madrid 3. Goal! Real Sociedad 0, Real Madrid 3. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by James Rodríguez. Isco (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by David Zurutuza (Real Sociedad). Attempt saved. James Rodríguez (Real Madrid) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lucas Vázquez. Attempt missed. Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Casemiro. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) because of an injury. Yuri (Real Sociedad) is shown the yellow card. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card. Casemiro (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Willian José (Real Sociedad). Attempt blocked. Xabi Prieto (Real Sociedad) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Iñigo Martínez. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Kiko Casilla (Real Madrid) because of an injury. Corner, Real Sociedad. Conceded by Marcelo. Attempt blocked. Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Xabi Prieto. Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Iñigo Martínez. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad). Substitution, Real Sociedad. Carlos Vela replaces Mikel González. Attempt missed. Xabi Prieto (Real Sociedad) header from a difficult angle on the left is high and wide to the left. Assisted by David Zurutuza with a cross following a corner. Corner, Real Sociedad. Conceded by Daniel Carvajal. Attempt blocked. Yuri (Real Sociedad) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Markel Bergara. Substitution, Real Madrid. James Rodríguez replaces

Summary: Wales forward Gareth Bale scored twice as Real Madrid opened their La Liga season with a win at Real Sociedad.


Fees are rising to a maximum of Â£9000 across the UK but in Scotland, pupils who have lived there for at least three years do not have to pay fees. This is also the case for EU students, as EU law does not allow discrimination against those from other member states. Irish passport holders in Northern Ireland count as EU students. Until now it was understood that students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland had to pay the higher fees in Scotland. But the BBC has been told that those who have Irish passports are exempt. An investigation by BBC Northern Ireland has found that some pupils in Belfast are applying for Irish passports in order to get free tuition in Scotland. A Scottish government spokesman confirmed that nationality not residence was the key when it came to defining an EU student, and that anyone with an Irish passport living in the UK could apply for free tuition. Students in Northern Ireland have dual nationality and can opt for Irish passports. Cathy Moore, chair of the Careers Teachers' Association, said: "The Scottish Parliament has said if you have an Irish passport and live in Northern Ireland and provide that, (Irish passport) you are eligible to have the fees paid." There is a degree of confusion about how widely this measure applies. It is understood some Scottish universities have told students they will be classed as UK nationals and have to pay fees. Northern Ireland born, Richard Beggs graduated from Dundee University in 2004. He tried and failed to avail of the alleged exemption: "I knew I was able to get an Irish passport and I thought I would be able to study for free but that wasn't the case. "They told me because I didn't have an address in the Republic of Ireland over the last three years that I wasn't eligible." Scottish Education Secretary Michael Russell said universities would have the final word but urged Northern Ireland students to be cautious. "The purpose of the regulations is to guarantee Scottish students free access. It is not to find ways around for other people. Because of European law, people coming from other jurisdictions do get the same treatment as Scottish students but those in the rest of the UK don't," he said. Mr Russell agreed the situation was "fluid". The DUP East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell said he had raised the issue with Angus Robertson, the SNP leader in Westminster. "Northern Ireland's citizenship issue is unique to that of the rest of the United Kingdom in that someone living in Belfast can hold both a British passport and an Irish passport. They can officially be an Irish citizen and a British citizen," he said. "With such a unique situation, the Scottish executive should take an equally unique approach to Northern Ireland students. "Rather than only those who are happy to have an Irish passport gaining free university places, the Scottish executive should remove all fees for students from Northern Ireland. "This would restore fairness in that those who wouldn't be comfortable being

Summary: A Scottish government spokesman has confirmed that sixth form pupils in the UK who hold Irish passports qualify for free university tuition in Scotland.


When he talks about the Steamship Tahoe, he calls it simply The Queen. The Queen sailed across Lake Tahoe, a breathtaking lake that straddles the border between California and Nevada, and is nestled high up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. There are few places on earth as beautiful. The steamer carried people, cargo and mail, and its passengers loved the ship's elegance, beauty and comfort. But nothing can stop the march of technology, and so once a road around the lake was built in the 1930s, demand for the SS Tahoe all but disappeared. The company that owned it lost its contract to deliver the mail, and the once-proud ship fell into a sorry state of disrepair. In came William Seth Bliss - the son of Duane Leroy Bliss, a local business tycoon - with a bright idea. He would intentionally scuttle the ship, sinking it into the lake at a depth that meant glass-bottomed boats could sail over it and get a great view. He hoped it would become a tourist attraction. However, Bliss miscalculated. When SS Tahoe hit the bed of Lake Tahoe on a fateful day in 1940, it slipped down a slope - and kept going. When it finally rested, it was 150m (490ft) underwater. Due to the lake's high altitude - almost 2,000m above sea level - diving to that depth is incredibly difficult. A team managed it in 2002, breaking a world record for high-altitude diving in the process. And that's why I found myself on the banks of Lake Tahoe with the team from OpenROV. OpenROV began, like many great ideas, as a crowdfunded Kickstarter project. Its aim was to create what is essentially an underwater drone capable of plunging into water and filming whatever it can see. Its task today was to reach the depths of Lake Tahoe and get up close to the SS Tahoe for an extended tour of the ship the likes of which nobody had enjoyed for more than 70 years. They used a drone that costs $899 (Â£685). It's dramatically cheaper than anything else capable of such a voyage, and the team hopes its work will see thousands of explorers take to the water to look closely at places that may be right under our noses but are so rarely seen. Later this year, a $1,499 model, named Trident, will go on sale. It will be able to plunge to depths of 100m and travel at the speed of an Olympic swimmer. As the SS Tahoe lies deeper than 100m, the team made several modifications for this one-off job. They dropped a long tether into the water to enable the drone to be controlled remotely at such depths. A team in a rubber dinghy on the surface transmitted data to mission control in a summerhouse commandeered by the team. From here, using a PlayStation controller, the drone was navigated down to the ship. Watching online were some of OpenROV's community of enthusiasts - some of whom backed the original Kickstarter to get the project off the ground (or

Summary: John Foster, an archaeologist, talks about boats in that charming way all nautical lovers do - as if the vessels were supermodels.


The historic playhouse, which opened on 30 May 1766, is the oldest continuously working theatre in the English speaking world. As part of the anniversary celebrations an 18th Century "thunder run", which recreates the sound of thunder above the auditorium, was recently restored. It will be used for the first time since 1942 in a production of King Lear next month. Some of the UK's most famous and best-loved actors learned their trade at the Bristol Old Vic. Graduates of the famous Bristol Old Vic Theatre School include Sir Patrick Stewart, Jeremy Irons, Miranda Richardson, Daniel Day Lewis, Patricia Routledge, Tim Pigott-Smith, Pete Postlethwaite, Mark Strong, Brian Blessed, Olivia Colman, Gene Wilder, Amanda Redman and Naomie Harris. Bristol Old Vic features a Grade I listed auditorium which has recently been restored. Although not a student at the theatre, Peter O'Toole began his stage career there, and described it as "the loveliest theatre in the world". Daniel Day Lewis called it "The most beautiful theatre in England". The old playhouse is reputedly haunted. People have reported seeing the ghost of Sarah M'Cready, the theatre manager who worked there 180 years ago, although some say it is in fact the spirit of 18th Century actress Sarah Siddons. The spirit of a former scenery painter called Richard, who died in an accident in the 1950s, is also said to sometimes move objects around. The theatre was originally built without Royal patent and was therefore technically illegal, so it had to disguise plays as musical concerts and hide its entrance from public sight. It finally got a royal patent in 1778 when it became the Theatre Royal. It became the Bristol Old Vic in 1946 when a company of actors from London's Old Vic was sent there to perform. To mark the 250th anniversary plays from each of the four centuries it has been in existence have been, or will be, performed. The original theatre was founded in 1766 by 50 men and women, who each paid £50 in return for a "silver ticket", which granted the bearer the right to watch every performance in the theatre, forever. Investors included local councillors, two future MPs and at least three Quakers. To mark the 250th anniversary new silver tickets have been minted. Each one has been sold for £50,000 to help raise funds for the theatre's redevelopment. The theatre has survived for two and a half centuries despite coming near to closure on several occasions. During World War Two much of ancient Bristol was destroyed, but the theatre sustained only slight damage. It fell into disrepair and in 1942 it was sold after a series of failed attempts to revive it. The new buyers planned to turn it into a banana ripening warehouse, but an appeal was launched to save the theatre and it reopened in 1943.

Summary: Bristol Old Vic theatre is marking its 250th anniversary.


The crash has closed the A76 Dumfries to Kilmarnock Road at Sanquhar in south west Scotland. A major clean-up operation is under way and police say the route is expected to be closed for most of the day. Lengthy diversions are in operation and motorists are being urged to avoid the area. The driver was not hurt. The glue container burst when the lorry jack-knifed on the road at 05:30, police said. The incident happened in the town centre and diversions are in place around the affected area in Sanquhar. Traffic is able to rejoin the A76 either side of the town but the re-routing has caused difficulties for large, industrial vehicles. A Dumfries and Galloway police spokesman said: "The glue container on the lorry has burst and glue spilling is affecting the road surface. "Road diversions are being put in place. However, motorists are asked to avoid the area if possible." A member of police control staff said the road closure is expected to be in place for several hours.

Summary: A road has been closed after a lorry carrying glue jack-knifed, spilling its load over the carriageway.


A Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) report found that 47% of members would vote "yes" and stay in, and around 41% would vote to leave. There were geographical differences - about 60% in Scotland would vote "yes". But a clear majority of firms felt they did not have access to unbiased information. A slim majority of firms - 50.5% of FSB members - said the UK's existing EU membership was good for the economy as a whole. However, only 34.9% thought it was good for their individual businesses. Business owner Herbert Eppel, who runs a technical translation business, was firmly in favour of the UK staying in the EU. "Leaving would have a significant impact [on businesses]," he told the BBC. "It would lead to additional bureaucracy, time, cost, effort and hassle. Everything is working pretty smoothly at the moment." He added that withdrawal would affect firms that directly import and export goods to the EU, and also peripheral UK businesses that rely on those firms. But Kelly Morris of Balgonie Castle Enterprises, an events firm, said business would be easier if the UK voted to leave. "We see the hindrance of EU regulations... the red tape and bureaucracy," she said. "Now they're talking about having to have low-powered vacuum cleaners. That's ridiculous." She added that the UK does not seem to get "value for money" from its contribution to the EU budget. Less than half of firms said they felt they had a full grasp about the possible effects on business and the UK economy of a Brexit, and said there was "a need for clear unbiased information" from the media. There were fairly large geographical variations in opinion on which would be the best way to vote. Almost 60% of firms in Scotland would vote "yes", and firms in Wales and Northern Ireland were also more likely to agree that there is a benefit from EU membership than those in England. There were also significant regional variations in England. Firms in London and the North East would be more likely to vote "yes" than firms in the East Midlands, for example. In general, firms which relied on EU imports and exports were far more in favour of a "yes" vote, while companies which did not rely on trade were less likely to see the EU as beneficial. The possible effect of a "Brexit" on trade has been a concern for some analysts, too. In June ratings agency Moody's said that a withdrawal from the EU "would worsen the UK's trade position and, through that, medium-term growth." Investment would be negatively affected, and there would be "a hollowing-out of export sector employment and capital" in the short term, it said. But some analysts say the threat to trade is overblown. Vicky Redwood, chief UK economist for Capital Economics, told the BBC: "There is a very good chance of a free trade agreement being formed to maintain a good flow of trade." If the UK were outside of the EU, it could press ahead with free trade agreements with other countries without

Summary: Small UK firms are split over whether to stay in the European Union or not, according to a survey of thousands of businesses.


The country's consumer watchdog has taken Apple to court for false advertising because the tablet computer does not work on Australia's 4G network. Apple's lawyers said they were willing to publish a clarification. However the company does not accept that it misled customers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said on Tuesday: "Apple's recent promotion of the new 'iPad with wi-fi + 4G' is misleading because it represents to Australian consumers that the product can, with a sim card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this is not the case." The watchdog then lodged a complaint at the Federal Court in Melbourne. At a preliminary hearing, Apple lawyer Paul Anastassiou said Apple had never claimed the device would work fully on the current 4G network operated by Telstra. Apple says the new iPad works on what is globally accepted to be a 4G network. The matter will go to a full trial on 2 May. The Apple iPad's third version went on sale earlier this month, with Australia the first country where it was available. Shoppers lined up by the hundreds at Apple stores on opening day and the company said it had been its strongest iPad launch to date. The ACCC said it was seeking an injunction on sales as well as a financial penalty against Apple, corrective advertising and refunds to consumers. On its website, Apple does state that 4G LTE is only supported on selected networks in the US and Canada.

Summary: US technology firm Apple has offered to refund Australian customers who felt misled about the 4G capabilities of the new iPad.


Ms Suu Kyi will start the four-day visit next Wednesday, her National League for Democracy (NLD) party said. An NLD spokesman said she would meet China's president, Xi Jinping, and premier, Li Keqiang. Relations between the countries have cooled in recent years, partly because of violence near their mutual border. Myanmar has been fighting rebels in its eastern Kokang region, which borders China's Yunnan province. At least five people in Yunnan died in March when an aircraft from Myanmar, also known as Burma, dropped a bomb on a sugar cane field. China sent patrols to the border in response. While Myanmar's military junta was under Western sanctions, and Ms Suu Kyi was under house arrest, China remained a loyal ally. But since reforms were introduced in 2011, the government of President Thein Sein has allied itself closely with the United States, although China continues to help develop major infrastructure projects in Myanmar. As head of the NLD, Ms Suu Kyi is expected to play a key role in Myanmar's presidential elections this November, although she is unlikely to be able to stand for president. She is fighting to overturn a clause in the constitution that currently blocks her from standing as a candidate. Inviting Ms Suu Kyi is an acknowledgement by the Chinese that, after the Burmese general election later this year, she's likely to be a political force they can no longer ignore. The trip will also pose a moral dilemma for the Burmese opposition leader. Just like Ms Suu Kyi two decades ago, Chinese writer Liu Xiabo has been detained for his pro-democracy activities - and then, like her, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Will Ms Suu Kyi say anything while in China about her fellow Nobel laureate? Or will she choose to remain silent to avoid embarrassing her hosts?

Summary: Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's opposition leader, will visit China for the first time next week at a time of tension between the two countries.


The O's lost 5-0 at Accrington on Tuesday, six days before a winding-up petition is due to be heard. "It was a very hurtful night - certainly my lowest night in football," Webb, 33, told BBC London. "I'm trying to take on a lot, carry a lot of things on my shoulders. It's hard." Newport's win at Morecambe on Tuesday saw Webb's side go bottom of the fourth tier for the first time this season. Orient have lost five of their last six games and are seven points from safety with nine matches remaining. Webb, who is in his first management job, added: "I'm trying to reassure players about winding-up orders, and reassure myself really because I haven't got a clue what's going on either. "The whole thing's testing, but really all we should be worrying about is setting the team up to try and win a football game. "Unfortunately, your heart sinks when it goes to 2-0 because then it really is game over when you're down the bottom." Orient will present a "funding plan" at the High Court to stave off Monday's winding-up petition, according to the English Football League. The club met with EFL officials and said they would be able to clear the debt, believed to be around £250,000, owed to HM Revenue and Customs. "We were advised that a funding plan is in place to clear the petition debt and to complete their remaining nine league fixtures," an EFL statement said. "We remain in regular dialogue with the club and, as the competition organiser, the EFL will continue to offer whatever practical assistance is available to us as the club continues to navigate itself away from their current position. "The issue of the ownership of the club is not a matter for the EFL, as long as our regulations are met and any sale of the club is a matter for its shareholders, at this stage." President Francesco Becchetti said last month he would consider selling Orient, but it is understood a number of potential offers have not been considered sufficiently financially attractive.

Summary: Leyton Orient manager Danny Webb says the club's off-field problems are weighing on him heavily after they slipped to the bottom of League Two.


First, he used a prehistoric technology: he lit a wood fire. But Prof Nordhaus also had a piece of hi-tech equipment with him - a Minolta light meter. He burned 20lb (9kg) of wood, kept track of how long it burned for and carefully recorded the dim, flickering firelight with his meter. Next, he bought a Roman oil lamp, fitted it with a wick, and filled it with cold-pressed sesame oil. He lit the lamp and watched the oil burn down, again using the light meter to measure its soft, even glow. Bill Nordhaus's open wood fire had burned for just three hours on 9kg of wood. But a mere eggcup of oil burned all day, and more brightly and controllably. Why did he do this? He wanted to understand the economic significance of the light bulb. But Prof Nordhaus also wanted to illuminate a difficult issue for economists: how to keep track of inflation, the changing cost of goods and services. 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy highlights the inventions, ideas and innovations that helped create the economic world. It is broadcast on the BBC World Service. You can find more information about the programme's sources and listen online or subscribe to the programme podcast. To see why this is difficult, consider the price of travelling from - say - Lisbon in Portugal to Luanda in Angola. When that journey was first made, by Portuguese explorers, it would have been an epic expedition, possibly taking months. Later, by steam ship, it would have taken a few days; then, by plane, a few hours. An economic historian could start by tracking the price of passage on the ship, but once an air route has opened up, which price do you look at? Maybe you simply switch to the airline ticket price once more people start flying than sailing. But flying is a different service - faster, more convenient. If more travellers are willing to pay twice as much to fly, it hardly makes sense for inflation statistics to record that the cost of the journey has suddenly doubled. It was to raise this question over the way we measure inflation that Bill Nordhaus started fooling around with wood fires, oil lamps and light meters. He wanted to unbundle the cost of a single quality that humans have cared deeply about since time immemorial, using the state-of-the-art technology of different ages: illumination. Light is measured in lumens, or lumen-hours. A candle gives off 13 lumens while it burns. A typical modern light bulb is almost 100 times brighter than that. Imagine gathering and chopping wood 10 hours a day for six days. Those 60 hours of work would produce 1,000 lumen hours of light. That is the equivalent of one modern light bulb shining for just 54 minutes, although what you would actually get is many more hours of dim, flickering light instead. Of course, light is not the only reason to burn fires: they also help keep you warm, cook your food and scare off wild animals. If you just needed

Summary: Back in the mid-1990s, an economist called William Nordhaus conducted a series of simple experiments with light.


The 34-year-old trailed 1-0 and 2-1 and despite going in level at 2-2 at the mid-session interval after two 50-plus breaks, he was not happy. "There was lot riding on it and it took me a little longer than I anticipated to settle down. "Even though I made a good break to go 1-1, I just never felt I had completely settled," said the world number 24. The Londoner produced a magnificent 131 in the fifth frame and added two more to make it four in a row and leave him needing just one for victory at the York Barbican. Northern Ireland's Swail, the world number 58, pulled one back, but Gould's fourth half-century of the match secured a quarter-final meeting with David Grace. Gould, who had never previously been beyond the second round of the UK Championship, added: "I was pleased to come out at 2-2 after the interval. And I said to myself it was the time to step up. "The 131 was the first frame after the interval and that gave me the impetus to carry on. "I got in to a rhythm and a stride and when I get I am quite hard to stop. It was important for me to stamp my authority on the match." Leeds potter Grace, who is ranked 81 in the world, beat former world champion Peter Ebdon in the fourth round.

Summary: Martin Gould said he felt the pressure in the early stages of his 6-3 last-16 UK Championship win over Joe Swail.


Mr Flynn reportedly discussed sanctions with a Russian official in the weeks before Mr Trump took office. He denied talking about this issue but later said he could not be certain. Any discussion of sanctions could have violated laws against private citizens engaging in foreign policy. Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump's top policy adviser, declined to say when asked in a number of interviews whether Mr Trump backed Mr Flynn. Mr Miller said it was not his place to comment on the "sensitive matter" concerning Mr Flynn, who was an early supporter of Mr Trump but whose position in the administration is thought to be under scrutiny. Mr Flynn spoke with Russia's ambassador, Sergei Kislyak, by phone in December. Both Mr Flynn and US Vice-President Mike Pence denied that the two men discussed US sanctions imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine and alleged hacking of the US Democratic Party. But nine current and former officials later told the Washington Post that the issue had been discussed. A spokesman subsequently told reporters that Mr Flynn "couldn't be certain" he had not discussed the sanctions. Mr Trump, who spent the weekend at his club in Florida, Mar-a-Lago, has not commented on the controversy. Mr Flynn is understood to have also been at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend. Mr Trump is said to be troubled by the situation and uncertain as to whether he will ask Mr Flynn to step down, the AP reported, citing administration officials. Several other White House officials, as well as Mr Miller, declined over the weekend to comment on the situation.

Summary: A top White House official declined in several interviews over the weekend to defend national security adviser Michael Flynn, amid controversy over his alleged contacts with Russia.


The government and private operators run TV and radio stations and outlets from American Samoa are readily available. By June 2015, there were nearly 27,000 internet users (InternetLiveStats.com). Internet cafes are widely used.

Summary: Press freedom is "generally respected", according to US-based Freedom House.


Media playback is not supported on this device A dominant performance from the pack enabled England to hit back after Alison Miller gave Ireland a 7-0 lead. Tries from Rochelle Clark, Kat Merchant, Kay Wilson and Marlie Packer (two) secured victory. England, who lost the three previous finals to New Zealand, will play Canada, with whom they drew 13-13 in the pool stage, in the final. Canada withstood late pressure to beat hosts France 18-16 in the other semi-final. Ireland were out-gunned by England's all-round superiority, led by a bruising scrummaging performance. However, after a previous best finish of seventh in a World Cup, they will look back with satisfaction at reaching the semi-finals for the first time. Their pool win over New Zealand - the defending champions - was the biggest shock in the history of the competition, but it is possible it left them too drained to once again hit the same heights in order to see off England at Stade Jean-Bouin. For the first 20 minutes the Irish were on top and they took the lead as winger Miller found herself at the bottom of the heap after Ireland's pack had driven a maul over from a line-out. Full-back Niamh Briggs, who had an outstanding tournament, landed the tricky conversion to make it 7-0 with 15 minutes played, and England were looking rattled as the Irish disrupted their line-out and used the choke tackle to force a steady stream of turnovers. England finally opened their account with a similar score to Ireland's as prop Clark burrowed over after a driving maul, and the Red Roses assumed control in the final 10 minutes of the half. Emily Scarratt was at the heart of the action, a couple of damaging runs opening up the Irish defence and a couple of accurate penalty kicks atoning for her earlier missed conversion. In between the outside centre's two penalties, she also converted England's second try after her 50m break set up the position for winger Merchant to finish in style. England were suddenly in total control and Ireland, 18-7 down at the break, needed to start the second half strongly if they were to reach a maiden final. Instead it was all England after the restart and, with their pack increasingly dominant in the scrum, the Red Roses first battered the Irish into submission up front and then exploited the space out wide to romp away. Scarratt extended the lead with her third penalty and Wilson added a third try just before the hour mark. England took off a number of players to rest them for the final, including captain and fly-half Katy Mclean, and replacement flanker Packer seized her chance to score a rapid brace of tries, both converted by replacement 10 Ceri Large. England: Waterman; Merchant, Scarratt, Burford, Wilson; Mclean (capt), Mason; Clark, Fleetwood, Hemming, Taylor, McGilchrist, Matthews, Alphonsi, Hunter. Replacements: Croker (for Fleetwood, 63 mins), Essex (for Clark, 63, Clark for Hemming, 69), Allan (for Scarratt, 68), Keates (for Taylor, 63), Large (for McLean, 68), Packer (for Alphonsi, 63), Hunt (for

Summary: England reached the Women's Rugby World Cup final for the fourth time in a row as they outclassed Ireland in Paris.


Walter Powley suffered serious burns following a fall at the Western Park View home in Hinckley Road, Leicester, in May 2012. An investigation into his death found the radiator pipes and valves at the home were not covered. It also found the owner was aware that Mr Powley was at risk of falls. During a hearing at Leicester Crown Court, Western Park Leicester, based in Queen Street, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to safety breaches. The firm was also ordered to pay £35,000 in costs. In a statement, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said Mr Powley had been admitted to the home four days before being injured. It said he fell in his room and suffered serious burns to his right leg from the radiator pipe and valves, and superficial burns to both legs. He died in hospital eight days later. Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Dr Richenda Dixon said: "This was a foreseeable and preventable fatal incident. "The scalding or burning risks from the pipes were long-standing and could have caused injury to any resident," he said. In a statement on behalf of Mr Powley's family, his son Colin said: "We are still devastated, not only by our dad's death, but also how it came about. "The fact that he died from injuries sustained as a result of, in our view, inadequate care in a place where he was supposedly safer than at home, is heart-breaking."

Summary: A care home has been fined £100,000 after an 85-year-old resident died after becoming trapped between a wardrobe and a radiator.


Vehicle examiner Philip Balderstone said he could reach the brake with his foot - but only by hand when he was standing without a seatbelt on. The fatal accident inquiry (FAI) has heard two crewmen on board during the crash were seated with their belts on. The inquiry is examining the lorry, its route and driver Harry Clarke's health. Mr Balderstone was giving evidence on the third day of the FAI, which is being overseen by Sheriff John Beckett QC at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The vehicle examination consultant, who works for the Transport Research Laboratory, was asked to produce a report on the bin lorry following the crash on 22 December last year. The court has already heard that the front driver section of the lorry cab and the rear crew section was separated by a metal bar. Mr Balderstone's report noted that the vehicle had an emergency stop button for its rear machinery. This, however, was not connected to the chassis or drive of the lorry, meaning it could not stop the vehicle. The court was then shown a picture of Mr Balderstone in the vehicle cab, trying to reach the parking brake control from the rear crew section. Mr Balderstone confirmed that he was able to reach the brake lever from the rear area and apply it "reasonably easily". The court has previously heard that the two rear-seated crewmen on the day of the crash, Matthew Telford and Henry Toal, made no attempt to apply the brake and believed they could not reach it. Mr Balderstone said he is 5ft 8in tall and could reach the parking brake "comfortably". Solicitor General Lesley Thomson, Scotland's second most senior law officer, who is leading the FAI, then asked if someone who was 5ft 3in tall could reach the brake - this is the height that Mr Telford gave for himself during evidence on Wednesday. Mr Balderstone said it would be more difficult, but could not say for sure if it would be possible. The court heard that his report recorded the brake as being 0.71m from the top of the metal bar separating the front and rear sections of the lorry cab. Mr Balderstone said it would be easier to reach the brake by going under the barrier, but this would be less safe. The witness also said he tried to reach the brake lever while seated, with a belt on and this would only be possible from one seat, to the left of the driver. He said he could "just" reach the brake lever at "fingertip stretch" after several tries while sitting with the belt on. Mr Balderstone agreed that the possibility of reaching the brake lever with a seatbelt on, while the vehicle was moving, was "remote". The witness agreed that in order to reach the brake comfortably, and operate it with their hands, a passenger would need to remove their seatbelt. He agreed that anyone doing this would need some training or knowledge of the brake lever in order to use it. The court previously heard that Mr Telford

Summary: An expert witness has told the inquiry into the Glasgow bin lorry crash, which killed six people, that he could reach the handbrake from the rear crew seats.


Craig Douglas and Dylan Rigby, who are both from Essex, are charged with promoting a lottery and advertising unlawful gambling. Mr Douglas makes gaming videos on YouTube under the pseudonym Nepenthez. He is also charged with inviting children to gamble. The two men appeared at Birmingham Magistrates' Court. The case has been adjourned until 14 October. The Gambling Commission, which brought the prosecution, has been looking into the rise of video game gambling. It is warning parents that children can be drawn into betting with so-called skins - virtual goods such as weapons or clothes that are a feature of many popular games. It has been estimated that the global market in betting on video games is worth as much as Â£4bn.

Summary: Two men have appeared in court charged with offences under the Gambling Act in what is believed to be the first prosecution involving betting on video games.


The Welsh Corner - Y Gornel Gymraeg - offers a one-stop shop for anyone searching for Welsh content on Parliament.co.uk. The section, under the Get Involved heading, includes details of the Welsh Affairs select committee's work, which is now available in Welsh. Services and publications can also be accessed there. David Clark, head of outreach and engagement for UK Parliament, said: ""Having all our Welsh services in one place is a fantastic opportunity for the UK Parliament to further engage with and reach out to the growing Welsh language community. "Investing in services, such as our Welsh language enquiry service, is a priority for us and demonstrates our commitment to outreach across the UK."

Summary: All the UK Parliament's online Welsh-language services have been brought together in one place on its website.


Gerard Donnelly was a homeless man living in Dublin's Phoenix Park. His body was found on fire in the park in the early hours of 29 November 2013. Ciaran Moran, 29, of Camden Hall, Camden Street in the city, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Mr Donnelly. Opening the case for the prosecution, senior counsel said there would be disturbing evidence. Mr Donnelly died from catastrophic head injuries caused by a blunt instrument and was pronounced dead at the scene. An aerosol can was found on his body. The jury heard a number of items were found at the scene including a lump hammer, a metal pincer tool and a propane canister with a blow torch attached. "Considerable funds" The court was told both Mr Donnelly and Mr Moran were homeless. Mr Donnelly was living in a hostel. The court heard there would also be evidence from CCTV and civilian witnesses that the accused had been in possession of a number of items. They include a gas canister, a hammer and other items consistent with those found at the scene. The jury would also hear evidence that prior to the death, the accused man was aware that Mr Donnelly was a man of "considerable funds". The court was told a member of the police had come across Mr Donnelly a month before his death and found he had £6,200 (€8,500) in cash and a deposit book showing £103,000 (€140,000). Prosecution counsel said the jury would also hear that the accused man made certain significant admissions in relation to Mr Donnelly's death.

Summary: A murder trial in Dublin has heard that a homeless man who was allegedly beaten to death with a hammer had a building society account with £103,000 pounds (€140,000).


Ex-Bayern Munich player Dante has helped Nice climb to the summit at the midway point of the season. They are two points clear of nearest rivals Monaco and five ahead of champions Paris St-Germain. "Anything can happen. We need to concentrate 100%. We have a chance," said Dante in an interview with BBC World Service's World Football. Lucien Favre's side have lost just one of their first 19 league games and entertain struggling Metz on Sunday. "When I wake up I only think to win every game because this season we can make some big dreams come true," added Dante, who joined Nice from Wolfsburg in August. Former Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has scored eight goals in nine league games for Nice since joining from Liverpool in August. Dante said: "Mario is world class. He is so important here and a very good guy. "Everybody says he is bad boy. Maybe in the last group he made some mistakes but I speak to him and he only wants to play football now." Listen to World Football's full interview with Dante.

Summary: Nice can "make dreams come true" by winning Ligue 1 for the first time since 1959, defender Dante says.


Romelu Lukaku has joined Manchester United for £75m, Arsenal have snapped up France forward Alexandre Lacazette for a club-record £46.5m, while Everton have already topped the £100m mark for money spent. But how much are those stars on the move really worth? And what fees will others linked with big-money transfers command? The CIES Football Observatory has calculated the value of the world's top players using variables such as performance, international status, contract, age and position. Test your transfer acumen with our quiz and find out who is worth what this transfer window according to CIES. No cheating - you can check out the entire CIES Football Observatory list here. This content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser

Summary: We're less than a fortnight into the summer transfer window, but Europe's top clubs are already flexing their financial muscle.


You've tried on a pair of jeans, quite liked them, but won't commit until you've visited three or four other shops. You then return to the first place and buy those jeans, having wasted the best part of an hour. Palermo owner Maurizio Zamparini is that shopper and Beppe Iachini is that pair of jeans, having been re-hired on Monday, just three months after getting the boot. Between 10 November and 15 February, the struggling Sicilian Serie A side brought in four other bosses before realising Iachini was their man all along. "I return to Palermo with great enthusiasm for the good of the club, the team and the fans," said the returning coach. Zamparini asked Palermo fans for forgiveness for "this month of chaos", adding that this had been because of his "wrong evaluation and misunderstanding" of Iachini. Nowhere did the owner promise to give that trigger finger a rest though. Palermo have failed to win any of their last four league matches and are 15th in Serie A, with 26 points from 25 games, four points clear of the drop zone. Sacking and re-hiring managers in a single season is not unusual in Italy. During the 2013-14 Serie A campaign, Catania ditched Rolando Maran who then returned, only to be sacked again. Meanwhile, in the same season, Livorno dismissed Davide Nicola - the coach who led them to promotion the previous season. Replacements Domenico Di Carlo and Attilio Perotti failed to make an impression, so Nicola was asked back again.

Summary: We've all been there.


The probe, led by Lord MacLean, looked into care at Dunbartonshire's Vale of Leven Hospital between 2007 and 2008. Of the 143 patients with C. diff, it was a contributory factor in 34 deaths. Lord MacLean said NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) had "badly let down" patients. The health board apologised unreservedly for a "terrible failure". The judge said: "The inquiry has discovered serious personal and systemic failures. "Patients at the Vale of Leven Hospital were badly let down by people at different levels of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who were supposed to care for them." He added: "There were failures by individuals but the overall responsibility has to rest with the health board." Lord MacLean said "systems were simply not adequate to tackle effectively a healthcare associated infection" like C. diff. He added: "The major lesson to be learned is that what happened at Vale of Leven Hospital to cause such personal suffering should never be allowed to happen again." Lord MacLean also expressed his view that the figure of 34 deaths was probably an underestimate as medical records were not available for all of the patients during the period in question. He cited poor facilities, such as a lack of wash hand basins and a lack of commodes, as well as issues with the fabric of the building as evidence of poor management. The judge said that prolonged uncertainty over the future of the Vale of Leven hospital contributed to poor morale and recruitment. Poor leadership among NHS GGC managers, the judge said, contributed to substandard nursing care and deficiencies in medical staffing. He said inexperienced junior doctors had too much responsibility and consultants were stretched. Lord MacLean also said antibiotics were prescribed in cases where it was inappropriate. His report identified a number of failings: There are 75 recommendations in his report, including recommendations on infection prevention and control, nursing and medical care, antibiotic prescribing, communication with patients and relatives, and death certification. Lord MacLean added: "An effective inspection regime, I am convinced, would have been able to identify the dysfunctional nature of infection prevention and control at the hospital. "There must be an effective line of reporting, accountability and assurance. "This was lacking for the Vale of Leven Hospital. In addition, repeated warnings over a number of years about the importance of prudent antibiotic prescribing had no impact." C. diff Inquiry C. diff is a bacteria which lives harmlessly in the gut of 10% to 15% of adults. It causes diarrhoea when the delicate balance of gut flora is disturbed, often following a course of antibiotics. It is easily spread via airborne spores. The inquiry into the C. diff outbreak at vale of Leven was delayed five times. The eventual cost of the inquiry is estimated to be just under Â£10m. Lord MacLean acknowledged that improvements had been made since the C. diff outbreak. He said: "NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde did introduce more effective reporting systems for CDI (C. diff) after June 2008 but the message should be reinforced that systems must ensure that important

Summary: Scotland's largest health board has been heavily criticised by an inquiry into the country's worst Clostridium difficile (C. diff) outbreak.


John Pat Cunningham was killed in Benburb, County Tyrone, on 15 June 1974. The case has been reopened by the PSNI's Legacy Investigation Branch and a murder investigation has begun. The suspect has been brought to Northern Ireland and is being questioned at Antrim PSNI station.

Summary: Police investigating the murder of a 27-year-old man shot dead by soldiers more than 40 years ago have arrested a 73-year-old man in England.


The Education and Adoption Bill addresses the problem of underperforming "coasting" schools, but allows less challenge or consultation. Labour peers wanted more consultation for parents and said academy status was not the only way to improve schools. "It seems no opposition is to be tolerated," said Labour's Lord Watson. But the government survived an opposition amendment when the result was tied at 219 votes on both sides, another amendment was defeated by a margin of 14 votes. Education Minister Lord Nash said the government's plans were manifesto commitments and weak schools needed urgent improvements without excessive procedural delays. Last week, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan introduced her own amendment to the plans so that failing academies would also come under scrutiny, with the expectation that they would be taken over by another academy chain. Prime Minister David Cameron has said that local authorities running schools should become a "thing of the past". Shadow education minister Lord Watson said there was no evidence to show academies were inherently better than local authority schools. And he warned an excess of "political dogma" was behind the push for academies and excluding the views of parents would create "mistrust and resentment". Baroness Pinnock, from the Liberal Democrats, said the government should not "dictate" to parents about changes to their local schools. But Conservative peer Lord True questioned why the process of improving schools should be held up by those who had previously been responsible when schools were struggling. Lord Harris, Conservative peer and academy sponsor, said that too often there had been delays in tackling failing schools - and that much progress could be achieved quickly if the government allowed academy chains to intervene. Ahead of the debate, Mrs Morgan had written that peers had to choose between "improving the life chances of children neglected for decades and giving in to the vested interests that oppose reform". The education secretary said the plans would ensure "all children receive the standard of education they deserve" - and the opposition amendments would preserve "the loopholes exploited by campaigners" against academies. After the opposition amendments were defeated, a Department for Education spokesman said: "We are pleased the Lords have decided to put the interests of children ahead of all others in tonight's votes on the Education and Adoption Bill. "The bill is central to our commitment to delivering educational excellence in every part of the country. "It seeks to improve the life chances of every child by giving our best school leaders the freedom to transform failing schools and introducing new measures to allow us to properly tackle coasting schools." But an alliance of education organisations, including the National Governors' Association, the Catholic Education Service and teachers and head teachers' unions, said they were "disappointed" by the outcome. "The government is wrong is wrong to say there is only one pathway to school improvement. Becoming an academy does not guarantee the higher standards of education for children that they say it does," says a statement from the education group. "The government is wrong to portray the many voices of parents

Summary: The government has survived a challenge in the House of Lords to its plan to fast-track more local authority schools in England to become academies.


Tui, owner of Thomson and First Choice, was fined 48 times during 2015 and 2016 by the travel association Abta. The breaches included inaccurate advertising and sending holidaymakers to resorts where significant building work was being carried out. Tui said it was committed to resolving any issue a customer experiences. The figures, compiled from industry data by You & Yours on Radio 4, show Tui's most recent fine of £1,500 was imposed in December 2016 for cancelling a customer's travel arrangements after the holiday had already been paid for in full. Many of the other fines were for failing to respond quickly enough to correspondence. However, three of them were for not telling customers about significant building works at their resorts before they went on holiday. Abta's code of conduct states customers should be told about building work in advance, or offered alternative travel arrangements or a full refund if the alternative would constitute a significant alteration to their holiday. Despite being fined, Tui has continued to send some holidaymakers to building sites without warning. In November 2016, Keith Parkins from Guildford in Surrey went to Tenerife with Tui's company Thomson. He arrived to find significant construction work underway at his hotel. "The arrival was, to put it bluntly, a shock," he said. "Coming down the hill, the first thing you could see was the long sun terrace, digger, bulldozer, piles of rubble, workmen, wheelbarrows, you name it. Inside, most of the hotel was taped off. The very first morning, I was woken up after 07:00 by the horrendous racket of pneumatic drills. It was just unbelievable." Thomson has offered Mr Parkins a £250 refund or a £345 travel voucher. He thinks it is insufficient, as he paid £1,762 for his holiday and is not keen on travelling with the company again. Other firms fined for breaches of the Abta code include Tui's biggest rival, Thomas Cook. It was fined on 24 occasions during 2015 and 2016, often for failing to deal with customer's complaints or for not paying arbitration awards on time. In total, it was charged £10,750. Tui was fined a total of £38,500 over the same period. "You really need to look at the percentage of problems you are seeing in terms of the total number of people they take away," said Sean Tipton from Abta. "If it is just a one-off problem, obviously that's not good enough for you as the holidaymaker, but it doesn't necessarily represent a systemic problem with the company." In a statement, Tui said the vast majority of its customers have a "great holiday", adding: "We are sorry to hear if a holiday falls short of expectations or is impacted by circumstances, which are sometimes beyond our control. We remain committed to resolving any issue a customer experiences." Thomas Cook said: "We aim for zero breaches of the Abta code and we continue to improve the business and put our customer at the heart of everything we do." "We would like to see no breaches of the code as well," said Abta's Sean Tipton.

Summary: The UK's biggest tour operator has been repeatedly fined for failing to stick to the travel industry's own code of conduct.


The proposal formed part of a public consultation by Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) into a shake-up of health services in the county. The plans have been criticised by opponents as "perverse logic". CCG chief officer Tim Goodson said all the responses to the consultation would be considered. Read more on this and other stories from across the south of England The consultation took into account 18,500 questionnaires, 2,000 people at drop-in sessions, 1,000 people interviewed over the phone and some paid focus groups. The most contentious element - to create a single special care baby unit (SCBU) covering the whole county for premature babies - was rejected by two-thirds of people. More than 25,000 people have already signed petitions against the closure of Kingfisher children's ward at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester. Another proposal to offer planned care from a single hospital and emergency care at another was supported by half the respondents but people were split over whether the A&E should be at Bournemouth or at Poole. Councillor Alan Gordon of Crossways parish, near Dorchester, said: "This is part of a long succession of financial cuts to the health service and it's about time these cuts were reversed. This is perverse logic and what we should be thinking about is funding the health service properly." CCG chief officer Tim Goodson said: "We want to consider all the responses we've had and the strength of feeling by members of the public, not just on the paediatrics and SCBU issue but some of the community issues and around the acute care stuff." A final decision on the proposals will be made later this year.

Summary: Plans to cut children's hospital services in Dorchester and create a premature baby unit in east Dorset have been met with strong opposition.


The economy added 242,000 jobs in February, better than the expected 190,000, but earnings growth slowed. The Dow Jones finished up 62.87 points at 17,006.77 while the broader S&P 500 put on 6.59 points closing the day at 1,999.99. The Nasdaq index rose 9.60 points to 4,717.02. Although the key non-farm payrolls grew, average hourly wages fell by 0.1% after a strong 0.5% increase in January. The surprise fall seems to indicate that U.S. inflation remains muted, according to analysts. Policymakers at the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, will be keeping a close eye on inflation to inform their decision as to when to raise interest rates. "The wage number might be the silver lining, if you will, against a more hawkish Fed over the next few months," said Mohannad Aama, managing director of Beam Capital Management LLC in New York. "Because the Fed has been really focused on inflation."

Summary: (Close): Stocks on Wall Street rose to their highest levels since early January on Friday, following better than expected US jobs figures.


The economy grew at an annualised pace of 2.1% in the fourth quarter of the year, the Commerce Department said, up from an earlier estimate of 1.9%. But the data had little impact on shares, with the Dow Jones up 20.23 points, or 0.1%, at 20,679.55. The S&P 500 edged up 2.17 points to 2,363.30 while the Nasdaq added 5.63 points to 5,903.18. The biggest faller in the Nasdaq was sportswear maker Lululemon Athletica, which plunged by nearly a quarter after it warned that sales were likely to fall. The company said it expected same-store sales to fall in the first quarter of the year, the first decline since 2009. Shares in ConocoPhillips jumped nearly 6% after the energy company announced it was selling oil sands and western Canadian natural gas assets to Cenovus Energy for 17.7 billion Canadian dollars ($13.3bn; Â£10.6bn). ConocoPhillips is not the first oil major to scale back its operations in the region, with both Royal Dutch Shell and Marathon Oil also having sold oil sands assets. The high costs of extraction have made it hard for companies to make profits with oil prices remaining low.

Summary: US stocks remained unmoved in early trade, despite an upward revision to the growth rate at the end of 2016.


Sheffield Wednesday's Chris Kirkland, 31, required treatment after being struck in the face during Friday's game against Leeds United at Hillsborough. Leeds fan Aaron Cawley, 21, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty at Sheffield Magistrates' Court to assault and entering the field. He was given a 16-week jail sentence and a six-year football banning order. Leeds United said the club intended to ban him from its Elland Road stadium for life. Kirkland, who has played once for England, was shoved in the face and fell to the ground moments after conceding an equaliser in the 76th minute of the match at Hillsborough, which finished in a 1-1 draw. The court was told that Kirkland made a victim impact statement which said: "I feel shocked, upset and angry. "I think the man is a thug and should be caught and put in jail. Anyone who supports what he's done is just as bad." The court heard Cawley had been drinking heavily and had already breached two previous banning orders. Prosecutor Paul Macauley said Cawley told police he had drunk a number of cans of lager and three-quarters of a litre of vodka before arriving in Sheffield and then had a further seven to 10 pints of cider. Mr Macauley said he was "so drunk" he did not remember what happened, and only realised after seeing the footage. District Judge Redhouse heard that Cawley emailed the police to say sorry and also emailed Sky Sports, which broadcast the match, in the hope his apology would be passed on to the two clubs and Kirkland. A spokesman for Leeds United said: "We are pleased to see the matter dealt with by the courts so quickly. "The club will also ban the individual for life from Elland Road when this banning order expires. "While we are pleased to see justice brought so quickly, our one disappointment is that we feel the sentence could, and should, have been considerably longer." Writing on Twitter, Angela Smith, the Labour MP for Penistone and Stockbridge, also criticised the sentence. The MP, a Sheffield Wednesday fan, wrote: "16wks prison sentence for assaulting a goalkeeper & breaching a banning order? I am quite frankly astonished! #justicenotdone."

Summary: A man has been jailed for running on to the pitch and attacking a goalkeeper during a Championship football match.


Thanks, in part, to a new era of machine learning, computer are already starting to assimilate information from raw data in the same way as the human infant learns from the world around her. It means we are getting machines that can, for example, teach themselves how to play computer games and get incredibly good at them (work ongoing at Google's DeepMind) and devices that can start to communicate in human-like speech, such as voice assistants on smartphones. Computers are beginning to understand the world outside of bits and bytes. Fei-Fei Li has spent the last 15 years teaching computers how to see. First as a PhD student and latterly as director of the computer vision lab at Stanford University, she has pursued the painstakingly difficult goal with an aim of ultimately creating the electronic eyes for robots and machines to see and, more importantly, understand their environment. Half of all human brainpower goes into visual processing even though it is something we all do without apparent effort. "No one tells a child how to see, especially in the early years. They learn this through real-world experiences and examples," said Ms Li in a talk at the 2015 Technology, Entertainment and Design (Ted) conference. "If you consider a child's eyes as a pair of biological cameras, they take one picture about every 200 milliseconds, the average time an eye movement is made. So by age three, a child would have seen hundreds of millions of pictures of the real world. That's a lot of training examples," she added. She decided to teach computers in a similar way. "Instead of focusing solely on better and better algorithms, my insight was to give the algorithms the kind of training data that a child is given through experiences in both quantity and quality." Back in 2007, Ms Li and a colleague set about the mammoth task of sorting and labelling a billion diverse and random images from the internet to offer examples of the real world for the computer - the theory being that if the machine saw enough pictures of something, a cat for example, it would be able to recognise it in real life. They used crowdsourcing platforms such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk, calling on 50,000 workers from 167 countries to help label millions of random images of cats, planes and people. Eventually they built ImageNet - a database of 15 million images across 22,000 classes of objects organised by everyday English words. It has become an invaluable resource used across the world by research scientists attempting to give computers vision. Each year Stanford runs a competition, inviting the likes of Google, Microsoft and Chinese tech giant Baidu to test how well their systems can perform using ImageNet. In the last few years they have got remarkably good at recognising images - with around a 5% error rate. To teach the computer to recognise images, Ms Li and her team used neural networks, computer programs assembled from artificial brain cells that learn and behave in a remarkably similar way to human brains. A

Summary: By 2050 some experts believe that machines will have reached human level intelligence.


Reports say at least 16 suspected militants were killed in the strikes. They come days after a militant attack on Karachi airport - 39 people were killed, including the 10 attackers. Washington agreed to suspend its drones programme in December to allow Islamabad to pursue peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). But pressure has been mounting on the Pakistani authorities to launch a ground offensive in North Waziristan amid a breakdown in peace talks. The two drone strikes took place within hours of each other, striking a compound in a village near Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. The first attack, carried out late on Wednesday night, is said to have killed four ethnic Uzbek militants and two Punjabi Taliban. The second attack on Thursday morning targeted another 10 suspected militants. On Wednesday, Uzbek militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) claimed to have carried out the attack on the airport, saying it was in retaliation for Pakistani military air strikes last month. The group, which is highly-trained and has bases in North Waziristan, has previously carried out large-scale co-ordinated attacks with al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in Pakistan. Washington uses unmanned drones to carry out strikes on Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan. However, US strikes have not taken place since 25 December 2013 in response to calls by Pakistan to halt strikes and enable peace negotiations. Pakistan carried out air strikes this week as well, saying its forces had killed at least 15 militants in the north-west Khyber region on Tuesday. Who are the Pakistani Taliban? •With its roots in the Afghan Taliban, the Pakistani Tehreek-e-Taliban movement came to the fore in 2007 by unleashing a wave of violence •Its leaders have traditionally been based in Pakistan's tribal areas but it is really a loose affiliation of militant groups, some based in areas like Punjab and even Karachi •The various Taliban groups have different attitudes to talks with the government - some analysts say this has led to divisions in the movement •Collectively they are responsible for the deaths of thousands of Pakistanis and have also co-ordinated assaults on numerous security targets •Two former TTP leaders, Baitullah Mehsud and Hakimullah Mehsud, as well as many senior commanders have been killed in US drone strikes •It is unclear if current leader Maulana Fazlullah, who comes from outside the tribal belt, is even in Pakistan, but he has a reputation for ruthlessness Who are the Taliban? Pakistan's 'fanatical' Uzbek militants

Summary: The US has resumed its drones programme in Pakistan, with two strikes on militant strongholds in the North Waziristan tribal region overnight.


By the end of the day, the Dow Jones index fell 59.44 points or 0.29% to 20,591.86, while the S&P 500 was down 8.85 points or 0.38% at 2,344.93. The tech-focused Nasdaq index dropped 30.61 points or 0.52% to 5,836.16. Financial stocks did particularly badly ahead of results from Wells Fargo, Citigroup and JPMorgan on Thursday. The S&P 500 financials index slipped 0.9%, with Wells and Citi losing 1.92% and 0.88% respectively. JP Morgan gained 0.33%. Shares in United Airlines continued to tumble as boss Oscar Munoz said he would not step down over the forcible removal of a passenger from a flight. The stock ended 1.10% lower after losing 1% yesterday.

Summary: Wall Street shares closed lower on Wednesday amid continuing concern at geopolitical tensions over Syria and North Korea.


Just 82.9% of patients at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow were dealt within four hours. This was an improvement on the previous week's figure of 77.2%, a record low for the £842m 'super' hospital, which opened in April. Across Scotland the average figure was 93.5% dealt within four hours. The government target is for 95% to be seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. In the week ending 11 October, the hospital, formerly known as the South Glasgow University Hospital, saw 1,704 accident and emergency patients and 291 fell outside the four-hour target. Twenty patients were not dealt with within eight hours. In June, the Scottish government announced that a team of experts would be sent in to help staff improve A&E waiting times at the site. Performance rose markedly as a result, with the hospital hitting a rate of more than 90% from the end of July until the end of September. Hospital director Anne Harkness said the figures were "particularly disappointing" and she was "fully committed" to putting in place a number of immediate steps to improve the situation. A statement from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "As we confirmed last week, a number of immediate steps to improve unscheduled care performance have been put in place. "The figures published today for the week ending October 11 show a 6% improvement in performance compared to the previous week, however our own management data shows that there has been a further improvement in our performance which will be reported in next week's national statistics. "We are working hard with our clinical and management teams on the ground to see us return to a consistent improvement in performance." Other A&E units which were well below the government's four-hour target included Forth Valley Royal Hospital (87.8%) and Wishaw General (85%), which also had 57 people waiting more than eight hours and 13 in excess of 12 hours. Health Secretary Shona Robison highlighted funding of £10.7m for health boards during winter, as well as £100m to tackle delayed discharge. She said: "We are continuing to work closely with health boards as they prepare for winter. This includes issuing winter guidance to health boards almost two months earlier than last year, to ensure they build in optimum levels of resilience capacity in preparation for winter. "We want to see long-term, sustainable change put in place in order to maintain the improvement in performance on last year, both during peaks and troughs of demand and working towards achieving what are rightly demanding targets." The government's record on emergency waiting times was criticised by Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume. He said: "It is worrying that this key A&E target continues to be missed, despite repeated assurances and announcements from the Scottish government and the best efforts of hard-working NHS staff."

Summary: Accident and Emergency waiting times at Scotland's newest hospital improved last week but were still below all other casualty units, new figures show.


Instead of giving consent to cookies on every website they visit, users would be able to set general preferences. The European Commission said the plans, which would also remove banners for non-intrusive cookies, would help to tackle an "overload" of such requests. But experts warned the plans could harm advert-funded media, as well as platforms such as Facebook and Google. Cookies are small files that download on to a user's device and enable tracking, sometimes to power advertising. Since 2012, EU rules have required websites to tell users what cookies are being placed on their machine. Typically, this meant a pop-up window seeking consent. European Commission vice-president, Andrus Ansip, said it was now proposing simpler rules, "so that internet users do not have to click on a banner every time they visit a website". "This way, people will be more in control of their settings," he said. Under the plans, websites could read the cookie preferences set in users' browsers. Also, banners would be scrapped for cookies that do not invade users' privacy, such as those remembering shopping cart history or counting website hits. Last year, many internet companies called for the EU to scrap the so-called "cookie law", introduced in 2012. However, the latest proposals could end up damaging online services and frustrate web users, according to a senior executive at a trade body that represents many of the world's biggest internet firms. "The banners are certainly annoying. The question is whether they come up with something that's better or worse," said James Waterworth, vice-president of the Computer and Communications Industry Association. He warned the proposals could harm a range of companies, from Facebook through to newspapers, if many users opted against allowing all but the least intrusive cookies. "If this is done wrong and it's much harder to obtain permission, then it could have a serious impact on ad-funded services," he told the BBC. Under the proposals, users could set a preference in their browser for the level of cookies to which they consent. But they might also need to do this in every app and on every device they log in to, advertising companies have warned. "People who thought cookie banners were annoying, will be disappointed to hear that things won't get better," said Townsend Feehan, chief executive of Interactive Advertising Bureau Europe. The commission's proposals on privacy rules for electronic communications cover a range of areas, including: The European Commission hopes to introduce the changes by May 2018, although experts warned that would be a tight timeline. It comes less than a year after the EU introduced the Privacy Shield, which also set rules for tech companies on data protection and privacy.

Summary: Plans to cut down on the "annoying" cookie banners that web users face have been released by the European Union.


The Beeching report of 1963 led to 189 stations in Wales being earmarked for closure, with lines and tracks ripped-up the length and breadth of the country in the decade to follow. But despite the report some Welsh lines have stubbornly refused to fade away. In fact, 32 stations have re-opened, and on Tuesday it was announced Newport could be in line for a new station. The Beeching report, officially titled The Reshaping of British Railways, set out with one aim - to cut the mounting debts of the nationalised British Rail. Chemical company boss Dr Richard Beeching was given the job, despite famously telling the Daily Mirror newspaper: "I have no experience of railways, except as a passenger. So I am not a practical railwayman. But I am a very practical man." He took what many saw as a simple accounting view of the branch lines that criss-crossed the country. If they could not turn a profit, and were not carrying sufficient passengers, then the axe should fall. To go in Wales, the Carmarthen-Aberystwyth line, the Bangor-Amlwch service, branch service to Caernarfon, the end of the Ruabon to Barmouth line, Abercynon to Aberdare, Porth to Maerdy, Barry to Bridgend - the list went on, and on. The closure list was already on top of another 166 Welsh stations and halt-stops put forward prior to the Beeching cuts. In the words of one BBC news broadcaster of the day: "There's never been a Doomsday book of British railways like this. "More than 2,000 stations will be closed. Wholesale shut down of passenger services will leave huge areas of the country to the buses. Every part of the country is affected. "In Wales too, they are drastically reduced. Many of the country services are doomed, leaving only three main links east and west." But while the axe did begin to fall - and fall swiftly in Wales, some stations and lines found themselves saved from the chop. Lines like the Conwy Valley found themselves in favour of then Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who had enthused about the "white heat of technology" rebuilding Britain. "The situation at the time was that they were building a new power station at Trawsfynydd," explained Larry Davies, Arriva Trains Wales' community manager on the line today. "Although there were a lot of local protest from people as one would expect, I think the traffic that came from the power station saved the Conwy Valley line." The nuclear power station is now decommissioned, and the last flask of empty nuclear fuel rods travelled on the lines in 1995. But because of the investment on the line in the 60s, it remains thriving. "It's a lifeline for this community, and a good connection and amazing benefit to the tourism and economy of the area, with our links with the Ffestiniog Railway and a lot of people doing the round-trip of Snowdonia," added Mr Davies. But it was a different story in north-east Wales - where the service on the Ruabon to Barmouth line came to a halt in January 1965

Summary: It is 50 years since the biggest shake-up of the rail network ever announced in Britain was published.


Detectives say significant efforts were made to conceal the body, which was discovered on Tuesday night. Alice's family have been informed. Formal identification is yet to take place and a post-mortem examination is due to be held later, police said. Convicted murderer Arnis Zalkalns, 41, from Latvia, remains the prime suspect. He was filmed cycling along the Grand Union Canal 15 minutes after Alice had walked along it, on 28 August. It is the last known sighting of the 14-year-old. The body was found in the nearby River Brent. Mr Zalkalns has been missing from his Ealing home since 3 September. Speaking outside Scotland Yard earlier, Commander Graham McNulty said: "We are unable to make a formal identification at this stage, but clearly this news is devastating for everyone involved in the search for Alice. "At this time my thoughts are with Alice's family and friends." He urged anyone with information to come forward, saying it was not too late. "I would like to thank the local community of Ealing who have shown huge support and patience during the course of our investigation. This discovery will have a significant impact throughout the borough," Cdr McNulty said. "You only need to walk around the surrounding streets to see the effect that Alice's disappearance has had on the whole community." Lauren Turner, BBC News Two women, dressed in black save for the yellow ribbon that has served as a symbol of hope for Alice Gross, walk down Hanwell's Greenford Avenue as they carry out a sombre task. One has tears in her eyes as she methodically rips the pieces of paper from lampposts and trees - the missing posters bearing Alice's image. For this community, which rallied together in the wake of the teenager's disappearance, the discovery of a body in the River Brent has cast the darkest shadow. In a local supermarket, the talk has been about the sadness everyone feels at the latest development. The shopkeeper said: "I feel very very sad. Especially for her mum. "I am a mother too - I have a 14-year-old boy. I really feel for her." Grief in Hanwell as body found Cdr McNulty read the statement out at 06:30 BST. BBC News reporter Jon Brain, who was at Scotland Yard, said: "The body hasn't been identified yet but you can be rest assured that detectives would not be holding a press conference at this time of day if they weren't absolutely convinced that it is Alice's body." He added detectives' main priority now is to find Mr Zalkalns and to ask him about his movements on that day and what he knows about Alice's disappearance and possible murder. The family's local MP, Stephen Pound, who lives near to the family in Hanwell, said there was an "an incredible sense of sadness" He said there was also "anger that we're dealing with a pretty cold, cunning predator here - someone who has concealed a body in a particularly effective way. "This is a pretty horrific business but now - our thoughts have to be with the

Summary: The disappearance of teenager Alice Gross is now being treated by police as a murder inquiry after a body was found in a west London river.


The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BPA), the group behind the clock, said the standing still is "not good news". The minute hand on the Doomsday Clock is a metaphor for how vulnerable the world is to catastrophe. "It remains the closest it has been over the past 20 years," said Rachel Bronson, BPA's executive director. In addition to nuclear arms and climate change, the group also cited growing cyber threats and an uptick in terrorist attacks in their decision to keep clock unchanged. Lawrence Krauss, chairman of the BPA's Board of Sponsors said that the Iran nuclear agreement and the Paris climate accord were good news, but said it remained unclear if the Paris agreement would actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He also noted increased tensions between the US and Russia as a sore point. Last year, the scientists moved the clock up from five-minutes-to-midnight, noting the threat of climate change, the modernisation of nuclear weapons as well as large nuclear arsenals. At the time, they said the threats were "extraordinary and undeniable threats to the continued existence of humanity". The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded at the University of Chicago in 1945 by a group of scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons. Their metaphorical clock was created two years later. Today, the group includes physicists and environmental scientists from around the world, who decide whether to adjust the clock in consultation with the group's Board of Sponsors - which includes 17 Nobel laureates. The closest the clock has come to midnight was in 1953, when it was moved to two minutes from the apocalyptic midnight, following hydrogen bomb tests by the US and Russia.

Summary: The so-called Doomsday Clock will remain set at three-minutes-to-midnight amid global perils such as climate change and nuclear proliferation.


Algerian TV broadcast footage of Mr Bouteflika's meeting with the prime minister and head of the armed forces a day earlier in the French capital. He was seen in a black dressing gown, talking, drinking from a coffee cup, and eating a pastry. Mr Bouteflika's absence has fuelled speculation about his condition. In the footage broadcast on Wednesday, the 76-year-old leader was seen during a meeting at the National Residence of Invalids, a complex built for war veterans that includes a hospital. Mr Bouteflika was taken there after being treated in Val de Grace military hospital. He looked frail, talking and smiling occasionally and moving his right hand. Algerian state media said he talked with Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and Chief of Staff Ahmed Gaid Salah for two hours, covering the draft budget and other government business that needed to be approved by the cabinet. Mr Bouteflika gave "detailed instructions" over the supply of goods ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which begins in July, APS news agency reported. It also issued a health bulletin saying that the president had suffered a transient ischaemic attack on 27 April that had "not affected his vital functions". It said doctors had "recommended that he observe a period of convalescence and functional rehabilitation to consolidate his recovery". Mr Bouteflika has been in power since 1999. His latest health problems are widely seen to have ended his chances of running for another term in presidential elections next year.

Summary: Images of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika have been shown for the first time since he went to Paris to be treated for a mini-stroke in April.