Margaret Chisholm told the High Court in Glasgow that her brother Ronnie Coulter made the admission to her after a jury cleared him of the murder. She also said that when he was on remand awaiting trial, Mr Coulter neither admitted or denied the murder. Mr Coulter denies murdering Mr Chhokar and has blamed two other men. The 48-year-old, from Wishaw, denies stabbing the 32-year-old in Garrion Street, Overtown, North Lanarkshire, on 4 November 1998. Mr Coulter has lodged a special defence blaming his nephew Andrew Coulter - Mrs Chisholm's son - and another man, David Montgomery. Mrs Chisholm was giving evidence as the trial entered its fourth week. She told prosecutor Alex Prentice QC that hours after her brother was cleared of murdering Mr Chhokar in 1999, he visited her home in Overtown. Mr Prentice asked her: "Why was he there?" and Mrs Chisholm replied: "Because he'd just been found not guilty. He was sitting on the floor in the living room leaning against a radiator." The prosecutor then asked: "What did he say?" and she replied: " He said 'I've just got away with the perfect murder.'" Mrs Chisholm also told the court that her brother said: "He took one off me, so I took one off him." She said she believed this was a reference to God and the fact that Mr Coulter had a baby girl that was stillborn. Mr Prentice also asked her about a visit she made to her brother in Barlinnie Prison in 1998 or 1999, while he was on remand awaiting trial. The prosecutor asked if she had asked him anything and Mrs Chisholm replied: "If he done it. If it was him that done Chhokar." Mr Prentice said: "Did he answer?" and She replied: "He said 'Mmhmm.' He never said aye or nah." The witness said that was all she could remember about their conversation in the prison. Mr Prentice also showed Mrs Chisholm a transcript from another murder trial in 2000, where her son Andrew and Mr Montgomery were the accused. Both were later cleared of murder. In the transcript Mrs Chisholm had said her brother told her he had stabbed Mr Chhokar. The prosecutor then asked: "Did you tell the truth on oath when you gave evidence in that trial?" and she answered: "Yes." Mrs Chisholm told the jurors that Mr Coulter phoned her from prison while he was on remand and asked her to search for a tammy (hat), with a knife wrapped inside it, on the old railway line between Overtown and Gowkthrapple. She said: "I went with my daughter Rona and my son Andrew, but with no intentions of finding them. It was freezing. We took the dog for a walk." Mrs Chisholm claimed that in an earlier phone call her brother asked her to go to Wishaw market, along with his former girlfriend Alexandra Tierney, and purchase a box of knives. She was asked what she was to do with the box of knives and replied: "Take the smallest one out and put it in Ronnie's cutlery

Summary: The sister of a man accused of stabbing Surjit Singh Chhokar in 1998 has told a trial he claimed that he had "got away with the perfect murder".


Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Kyle Naughton. Offside, Manchester City. Gabriel Jesus tries a through ball, but Leroy Sané is caught offside. Attempt missed. Alfie Mawson (Swansea City) header from the right side of the six yard box misses to the left. Assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson with a cross following a corner. Corner, Swansea City. Conceded by Aleksandar Kolarov. Fernando Llorente (Swansea City) is shown the yellow card. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Fernando Llorente (Swansea City). Corner, Swansea City. Conceded by Aleksandar Kolarov. Attempt blocked. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Gabriel Jesus. Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Fernando Llorente (Swansea City). Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Leroy Fer (Swansea City). Attempt missed. Jack Cork (Swansea City) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left following a corner. Corner, Swansea City. Conceded by Willy Caballero. Attempt saved. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) right footed shot from long range on the left is saved in the top left corner. Foul by Fernandinho (Manchester City). Martin Olsson (Swansea City) wins a free kick on the left wing. Second Half begins Manchester City 1, Swansea City 0. First Half ends, Manchester City 1, Swansea City 0. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) has gone down, but that's a dive. David Silva (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Martin Olsson (Swansea City). Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City). Martin Olsson (Swansea City) wins a free kick on the left wing. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Martin Olsson (Swansea City). Foul by Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City). Leroy Fer (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Jack Cork (Swansea City). Attempt blocked. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Attempt saved. Yaya Touré (Manchester City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne with a cross. Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Fernando Llorente. Attempt blocked. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by David Silva. Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Alfie Mawson. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Federico Fernández (Swansea City). Ilkay Gundogan remains a long-term absentee but Fernandinho and Vincent Kompany will hope to earn recalls. Swansea could name an unchanged starting line-up for a third successive game. Captain Leon Britton has returned to training following a calf problem and will be part of the

Summary: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola could again select recent signing Gabriel Jesus ahead of top scorer Sergio Aguero.


The country hopes the measures will see its international athletics ban lifted. All Russian track and field athletes intending to compete in August's Rio Games will undergo a minimum of three independent anti-doping controls. These will be carried out by the sport's governing body, the IAAF, in addition to existing anti-doping steps. BBC Sport has learned two independent international experts will also be granted full access to the Russian anti-doping agency (Rusada) in Moscow from the end of April. The experts - nominated by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) - will be tasked with ensuring the Russian anti-doping system is free of any interference and is fully independent. "Russia is implementing all necessary reforms," said Russia's Minister of Sport Vitaly Mutko. "We are 100% supportive of Wada's efforts, alongside the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and IAAF, to stamp out cheating." Russia's athletics federation was suspended by the IAAF in November last year after being accused of "state-sponsored" doping. According to a Wada commission report, the London 2012 Games were "sabotaged" by Russian dopers and the country's security services were involved in the large-scale doping programme. Moscow lab officials were also found to have been responsible for the "malicious destruction" of 1417 samples, while a follow-up report by the commission found evidence that the cheating was linked to corruption at the highest levels of the IAAF. Rusada - and its Moscow laboratory - were subsequently found non-compliant with international anti-doping standards and lost their accreditation. Media playback is not supported on this device Last month, the IAAF said Russia had made "considerable progress" but there was "significant work to be done". A German documentary by ARD claimed a suspended Russian coach was still working with elite athletes. Concerns about Russian cheating also extend beyond track and field. At the weightlifting World Championships in December, four Russians were among 17 lifters suspended after drug tests. They included three gold medalists. Wada is also investigating allegations of systemic doping in Russian swimming. As for its athletes, Russia will find out by early June whether it can send a team to the Olympic Games. Senior Rusada management were replaced in December as the agency tried to convince the world it could be revamped. Now an independent supervisory board, which met for the first time last week, has agreed the new measures. "The first meeting of the board and the presence of these independent experts are a key part of this road map," Mutko said. "Clean athletes' dreams must not be allowed to be destroyed because of other people's mistakes. This is an important step." In recent months, UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) has taken control of drug-testing in Russia while Rusada remains non-compliant with Wada's code. "We are urgently working to ensure sport in Russia is clean and fair," Natalia Zhelanova, the Russian government's anti-doping adviser, told the BBC. "We very much hope that this effort will be recognised by the IAAF and by the international sports community as a whole, so that Russian athletes can compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. "We understand that

Summary: Russia is to announce a range of reforms designed to restore trust in its scandal-ridden anti-doping agency, BBC Sport has learned.


The 1.5 percentage point increase was higher than expected, with analysts having forecast a rise of 0.5 percentage points. The bank has already raised rates from 5.5% at the start of the year but the moves have failed to combat inflation. A weak rouble and a ban on western food imports has kept inflation stubbornly high. "If external conditions improve, and a persistent trend for lowering inflation and inflation expectations emerges, the Bank of Russia will be ready to start to ease its monetary policy," the central bank said. The new rate will take effect on 5 November. The last rise was imposed at the end of July. The central bank said that inflation had reached 8.4% and would remain above 8% until the end of March. Economic growth is expected to almost grind to a halt in the final three months of this year and in the first quarter of 2015. The rouble briefly firmed after the bank's decision was announced, but then fell back into negative territory. The rise comes as Russia said it would will resume shipments of natural gas to Ukraine after Kiev makes its first payment for previous supplies next week. Meanwhile, the European Union said it had launched a trade dispute with Russia at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to challenge Russia's treatment of European agricultural and manufactured goods. The WTO said the EU had accused Russia of levying higher-than-permitted tariffs on a range of goods including paper, palm oil and refrigerators. The dispute is the fifth case involving Russia and the EU that has been brought to the WTO.

Summary: Russia's central bank has raised its key interest rate to 9.5% from 8% as it seeks to tackle inflation.


Their emotionally-charged, radio-friendly rock anthems like Radioactive and Sucker For Pain have won Grammy Awards, number one albums and a scarily loyal fanbase. But behind closed doors, the band's frontman Dan Reynolds was struggling with severe depression. Things came to a head on their last world tour. Playing 110 dates in 42 countries on five continents left the singer "numb". "It came to a point where I didn't have an option," he tells the BBC. "It was lose my family and lose my life or seek help." After the band's final concert of the tour in Amsterdam last February, the star told his bandmates he was taking a year off to tackle the condition, which has plagued him since childhood. "When I was younger, in school, I would just let it pass, and ride out the valleys and the peaks and the ups and downs," he says. "Then I tried medication and it was too scary for me, because I felt like it was going to change the music." So last year, he "went to a therapist and sat down and basically faced it head on for the first time". Having decided not to take antidepressants, his treatment took "a more holistic route" than before - changing his diet, cutting out sugar and practicing yoga and meditation. The latter, in particular, "has been huge" for the singer, who says he has trouble "quieting" his brain. Reynolds was supported through the last year by his wife, fellow musician Aja Volkman, and bandmate Wayne Sermon, whom he's known since childhood. "We're brothers, so if he's not in a good place, then none of us are," says Sermon. The guitarist admits everyone in the band has "demons that came out" after their ascent to fame - including his own issues with trust and "questioning people's motives". "When you're under a microscope, it's going to magnify all the problems you had before," he says, "But I don't want to be to be down about it, because I feel like we've come out better people. All of us." Those changes are the foundation of Imagine Dragons' new album Evolve. The artwork shows a human form ascending from a place of eternal darkness to one of light and colour, while the music is inventive and vibrant - especially when compared to the claustrophobic onslaught of their last record. "Smoke + Mirrors was super-angsty" admits Reynolds. "This album is a celebration of opening the blinds and the light shining through." On the lead single, Believer, he writes about his personal transformation while acknowledging: "My life, my love, my drive, it came from pain." "I was raised in a really conservative household and carried a heavy guilty conscience with me because of religion," he explains. "Letting go of that was really freeing and wonderful. But I've also learned to be happy for the things I learned from it and grateful for the love that I found. "If it wasn't for all of those things working in the exact way they did, Imagine Dragons would cease to exist." The seventh of

Summary: Over the last five years, Imagine Dragons have become one of the biggest bands on the planet.


The bones most commonly broken in human punch-ups also gained the most strength in early "hominin" evolution. They are also the bones that show most divergence between males and females. The paper, in the journal Biological Reviews, argues that the reinforcements evolved amid fighting over females and resources, suggesting that violence drove key evolutionary changes. Fossil records show that the australopiths, immediate predecessors of the human genus Homo, had strikingly robust facial structures. For many years, this extra strength was seen as an adaptation to a tough diet including nuts, seeds and grasses. But more recent findings, examining the wear pattern and carbon isotopes in australopith teeth, have cast some doubt on this "feeding hypothesis". "In fact, [the australopith] boisei, the 'nutcracker man', was probably eating fruit," said Prof David Carrier, the new theory's lead author and an evolutionary biologist at the University of Utah. Instead of diet, Prof Carrier and his co-author, physician Dr Michael Morgan, propose that violent competition demanded the development of these facial fortifications: what they call the "protective buttressing hypothesis". In support of their proposal, Carrier and Morgan offer data from modern humans fighting. Several studies from hospital emergency wards, including one from the Bristol Royal Infirmary, show that faces are particularly vulnerable to violent injuries. "Jaws are one of the most frequent bones to break - and it's not the end of the world now, because we have surgeons, we have modern medicine," Prof Carrier explained. "But four million years ago, if you broke your jaw, it was probably a fatal injury. You wouldn't be able to chew food... You'd just starve to death." The jaw, cheek, eye and nose structures that most commonly come to grief in modern fist fights were also the most protected by evolutionary changes seen in the australopiths. Furthermore, these are the bones that show the most differences between men and women, as well as between our male and female forebears. That is how you would expect defensive armour to evolve, Prof Carrier points out. "In humans and in great apes in general... it's males that are most likely to get into fights, and it's also males that are most likely to get injured," he told BBC News. Interestingly, the evolutionary descendents of the australopiths - including humans - have displayed less and less facial buttressing. This is consistent, according to Prof Carrier, with a decreasing need for protection: "Our arms and upper body are not nearly as strong as they were in the australopiths," he explained. "There's a temporal correlation." The facial buttressing idea builds on a previous observation by Prof Carrier and Dr Morgan that the early hominins were the first primates to evolve a hand shape compatible with making a fist - and thus, throwing a punch. That earlier paper attracted criticism from some other researchers, and Prof Carrier expects this new contribution may also prove controversial. He says that debate about the role of violence in human evolution is not new. "[Our paper] does address this debate of whether our past was violent or peaceful," he told

Summary: A new theory suggests that our male ancestors evolved beefy facial features as a defence against fist fights.


"No-one should expect that relations will suddenly deteriorate completely because of this decision," Binali Yildirim said. Turkey recalled its envoy to Germany in protest against the resolution passed by German MPs on Thursday. It promised to take "necessary steps". Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their people died in the atrocities committed by Ottoman Turks in 1915, during World War One. Turkey says the toll was much lower and rejects the term "genocide". More than 20 countries, including France and Russia, recognise the 1915 massacre as "genocide", as do most non-Turkish scholars of the period. Q&A: Armenian genocide dispute Armenian 'genocide' vote ignites press The Bundestag [German lower house] vote heightens German-Turkish tensions at a time when Turkey's help is needed to control migrant arrivals. The resolution - adopted overwhelmingly - uses the word "genocide" in the headline and text. It also says Germany, at the time an ally of the Ottomans, bears some guilt for doing nothing to stop the killings. The condemnation by Turkish politicians was widespread, including a joint statement by the ruling AK Party and two opposition parties which spoke of "indignation in the Turkish nation". However, Mr Yildirim stressed that "Germany and Turkey are two very important allies". An estimated three million people of Turkish origin live in Germany. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the resolution would seriously affect relations with Germany, and that the government would consider further measures in response to the vote. In a clear reference to Germany's Nazi past, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted: "The way to close the dark pages in your own history is not by besmirching the history of other countries with irresponsible and groundless parliamentary decisions." But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: "There is a lot that binds Germany to Turkey and even if we have a difference of opinion on an individual matter, the breadth of our links, our friendship, our strategic ties, is great." Armenian tragedy still raw in Turkey

Summary: Turkey's prime minister has condemned as a "historic error" Germany's vote to recognise the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide, but said it will not wreck the two countries' ties.


The Welsh government has held a summit on the topic after fire crews in south Wales tackled 900 blazes in March and April. Suspected fire starters, some as young as 11, have been arrested for deliberately sparking fires which have reduced vast swathes of land to ash. Crimestoppers has offered Â£5,000 for information on a series of attacks. The fires were lit across Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr. South Wales Fire Service's fire crime unit station manager Emma Bushell said: "It's definitely not risk-free fun, because of the risks to the community, to wild life and to flora and fauna. "It could have a catastrophic effect for people in the community." Ms Bushell said the service had received more than 8,000 calls in March and April - the third largest amount it has handled for this period in 15 years. However, she added: "In reality, it is not any worse that it was in previous years." This year's 900 reported grass fires incidents is more than the 580 reported in 2014, but less than 2,500 in 2010 and 1,700 in 2011. "It's a historic problem in Wales that people have always started grass fires. People are used to seeing the area black at this time of the year and the community has never really got up in arms about it," Ms Bushell added. "It seems, because of the media coverage and the social media coverage this year, the community is actually saying, 'We want this to stop', which is brilliant." Ms Bushell said it was more important than ever the public reported fire starters and gave evidence, such as CCTV footage, to the police to make sure they were brought to book. This year's fires have been exacerbated by a lack of rain and the build up of bracken and foliage which has not been burnt in previous, wetter years. Such blazes are a UK-wide problem, but Ms Bushell said the south Wales valleys, with their easily accessible mountains, were particularly prone. She said fire service efforts to educate people about the dangers of grass fires were not enough, adding: "We need to see more prosecutions." "People have traditionally said it's young kids but in my experience it's not," she added, pointing out that adults as old as 35 had been arrested over the latest slew of alleged offences. "I know that our chief fire officer is keen to get involved in some work profiling the people being caught so that we can target out education and awareness [campaigns]," she added. On Tuesday, representatives from Rhondda Cynon Taf council, South Wales Police, South Wales Fire and Natural Resources Wales met to discuss the problem. Leader of the Council, Andrew Morgan, said: "The number and frequency of the recent grass fires has been shocking and simply cannot continue. "We have been fortunate so far that no-one has been seriously injured as a result of these mindless acts, and this meeting pulled together a number of constructive and positive actions to tackle this issue." Huw Jakeway, chief fire officer for South Wales Fire and

Summary: A fire crime chief says more prosecutions are needed to stop people starting grass fires for fun.


West Sussex Fire and Rescue said crews were called to a "ferocious fire" in the kitchen of the property in Harwood Road, Littlehampton, at 12:10 BST. Police said a woman inside the house died, while two other adults were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire is currently being treated as unexplained. Anyone who saw what happened at the time the fire broke out or who may have any other information is asked to contact Sussex Police.

Summary: A woman has died and two other people have been injured following a fire at a terraced house in West Sussex.


The Richard Review says the definition of apprenticeship has been "stretched too far" and needs to be rethought. It warns that too often the traditional relationship between the employer and the person being trained has been lost. The government welcomed the report and said it would respond in due course. There has been a rapid increase in the number of apprenticeships in England in recent years, with successive governments urging young people to consider them instead of university. But there are concerns about quality, with some as short as three months. Entrepreneur Doug Richard was asked by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Education Secretary Michael Gove to consider the future of apprenticeships in England. In his review, Mr Richard says "apprenticeships or the notion of them are popular", but that this has led to many things being called apprenticeships which, in fact, are not. "Simply enough, not all instances of training on a job are apprenticeships," he says. They "require a new job role, a role that is new to the individual and requires them to learn a substantial amount before they can do that job effectively," he said. As a consequence, he says, the nation risks losing sight of the core features of what makes apprenticeships work. And he suggests they should last for at least a year, adding that those "measured in weeks or months", can still "fall short". He adds that while the knowledge required for a job could be covered in a shorter period of time, it took time for "the individual to transform from an apprentice to a skilled worker". This comes after numerous complaints that some agencies and businesses have been offering low grade apprenticeships that only last for a few weeks or even months, in exchange for cheap labour and government funding. He is clear that training to improve the skills of someone who has been in their job for some time or someone who is not yet ready to start work should not be called an apprenticeship. He warns that that the relationship between the employer and the trainee is being lost, as schemes have become government-led training initiatives, shaped by training professionals, rather than employers. He calls for a new set of qualifications which set out what a person should be able to do and know at the end of their training. But they must also offer a set of skills broad enough for other jobs. He said these new qualifications should be redefined by employers who should set the standard, rather than ministers. They should be free of the "bureaucratic box ticking assessment" and "micro-level" prescription that he says is a feature of current vocational qualifications. "It is complicated and off-putting to an employer to have to undertake paperwork gymnastics to pigeonhole their system into a redefined set of curricular approaches," he adds. He calls for the apprentice's accomplishments to be robustly tested and validated, and says they must include high quality attainments in maths and English for those who have not got GCSEs in the subjects before they start. And he

Summary: Apprenticeships in England should last for at least a year and genuinely train someone in a new role, a key report for the government says.


They have expressed scepticism over a deal by world powers to push for a cessation of hostilities within a week. They have also reiterated their demand that President Bashar al-Assad be removed from power. Earlier the president said he wanted to retake "the whole country" from rebels. Three Syrian rebel groups have expressed doubts to the BBC over the cessation of hostilities agreement: Riad Hijab, co-ordinator of Syria's main opposition bloc, earlier told the BBC's Newsnight programme that to announce a cessation of hostilities before making progress in the political process "is not realistic, objective or logical". What does truce deal amount to? How Putin is succeeding in Syria World media on Syria plan Agreement to try to bring about a cessation of hostilities and allow more access for humanitarian aid was reached by world powers late on Thursday in Germany, but neither the Syrian government nor the rebels were involved. So far there has been no sign of the UN realising its hopes of delivering aid imminently to more besieged areas. A new UN task force set up to co-ordinate aid distributions convened in Geneva on Friday. Some Syrian cities have been cut off from aid for more than a year because of fighting. About 13.5 million people are in need, the UN says. In his rare interview recorded on Thursday, Mr Assad told AFP news agency that defeating the groups ranged against him could take some time due to the involvement of regional powers. Mr Assad expressed support for peace talks but said negotiations did not mean "we stop fighting terrorism". And he vowed to sever the rebels' supply route from Turkey. Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, have almost encircled rebels in parts of the northern city of Aleppo. US state department spokesman Mark Toner said Mr Assad was "deluded" if he thought there was a military solution to the conflict. More than 250,000 people have been killed and some 11 million displaced in almost five years of fighting in Syria. Why is there a war in Syria? Anti-government protests developed into a civil war that, four years on, has ground to a stalemate, with the Assad government, Islamic State, an array of Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters all holding territory. Who is fighting whom? Government forces concentrated in Damascus and the centre and west of Syria are fighting the jihadists of Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, as well as less numerous so-called "moderate" rebel groups, who are strongest in the north and east. These groups are also battling each other. How has the world reacted? Iran, Russia and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement are propping up the Alawite-led Assad government, while Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar back the more moderate Sunni-dominated opposition, along with the US, UK and France. Hezbollah and Iran are believed to have troops and officers on the ground, while a Western-led coalition and Russia are carrying out air strikes.

Summary: Rebel groups in Syria have told the BBC they will not stop fighting because they do not believe that Russia will end its bombing campaign in support of the government.


The plan also pledged to free up hospital beds by cutting the number of patients staying longer than they need. And it set out commitments to recruit more GPs and nurses and regionalise some hospital services. It follows Audit Scotland saying the NHS had met only one of its eight waiting time targets. The public spending watchdog also said the health service needed to make unprecedented savings next year, and that NHS funding was not keeping pace with increasing demand on the service. The government's Health and Social Services delivery plan said Scotland needed a "fundamental move" away from a "fix and treat" approach. Instead, the focus will be on preventing people becoming ill in the first place, and then intervening as quickly as possible to prevent their conditions becoming more serious. The key to this will be attempting to create a culture in which healthy behaviours are the norm, starting from the earliest years and persisting throughout people's lives. The document also said mental health should be given equal importance to physical health, and stressed the need to address the underlying conditions that affect health. And it said that, when people do need hospital care, the aim should be for day surgery to be the norm, with people who need to stay longer discharged as quickly as it is safe to do so. The delivery plan said it aimed to reduce unscheduled bed-days in hospital care by up to 10% (about 400,000 bed-days) by 2018, through reducing delayed discharges, avoidable admissions and inappropriately long stays in hospitals. Once they are discharged, patients should get "more appropriate care in a more homely setting", with good quality community care in place to ensure people only stay in hospitals for as long as they need specific treatment, the plan said. And it also said that some acute local hospital services should be transferred to larger regional - or even national - centres of excellence, where patients can receive the best possible treatment. The plans said: "Ultimately, individuals and where appropriate, their families - should be at the centre of decisions that affect them. They should be given more freedom, choice, dignity and control over their care". Among the other commitments were: Announcing the plan, Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "We want more services and more care delivered closer to home. "And when someone does require specialist care in hospital we want it to be delivered in a centre of real expertise that is underpinned by our unswerving commitment to patient safety." She added: "The plan I am setting out today puts actions and timescales to an already established direction of travel which we know has the broad support of healthcare professionals, charities and patient groups. "It recognises that we must up the pace of change if we're to deliver modern, sustainable health services and that local health boards and integration partnerships have an important role to play in taking this forward over the next year and beyond."

Summary: The Scottish government has published its blueprint for the future of the NHS, with a focus on treating people closer to home rather than in hospital.


The 24-year-old, who has 26 caps for his country, has signed a deal, subject to a medical, until May 2018. Sarto said: "Glasgow Warriors are a massive club and play a great style of rugby. "I wanted to move to the UK as I know the standard of rugby is high and I want to improve my game. Joining a club like Glasgow will help me do that." Sarto knows Warriors well, having played against them for Zebre in the Pro12, and scored a try when making his international debut against Scotland in the South African Quadrangular Tournament in 2013. "I've always known Glasgow is a great club and I know Simone Favaro is enjoying it there," he said of the 27-year-old back-row forward. "I hear the fans love him and I hope I will have a similarly good relationship with them when I move over." Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend said Sarto was a player Warriors "had been tracking for a while". "Leonardo has been one of the best wingers in the Guinness Pro12 over the past few seasons and has an ability to break tackles," he added. "He has also performed well at Test level and had an excellent all-round game against Scotland last month. "We believe that he will make further improvements in our environment and will add to the competition for places in our backline."

Summary: Italy wing Leonardo Sarto has agreed to join Glasgow Warriors on a two-year contract in the summer from Zebre.


Ex-Portugal midfielder Figo, 42, pulled out on the same day as Van Praag, 67, to leave Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan as Blatter's only rival. Blatter is favourite to win a fifth term as president and Figo said: "This process is anything but an election. "This process is a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man - something I refuse to go along with." Each of Fifa's 209 member associations have a vote in the election and Van Praag, who is president of the Dutch football federation, says he will now support Prince Ali. The English Football Association also intend to support Prince Ali, while the Scottish FA had previously said they would back Van Praag. The Dutchman held a joint news conference with Prince Ali in Amsterdam on Thursday, urging his supporters to get behind the Jordanian to unseat Blatter. "Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein convincingly demonstrated that at this moment in time he is the candidate who has the biggest chance to challenge Sepp Blatter," Van Praag said. "It is impossible that Fifa moves on with its current presidency," he added. Figo also highlighted the need for change in his withdrawal statement. "I travelled and met extraordinary people who, though they recognized the value of much that had been done, also concurred with the need for change, one that cleans up Fifa's reputation as an obscure organization that is so often viewed as a place of corruption," he said. "I have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing Fifa leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with Jesus Christ. Nobody told me about this. I saw it with my own eyes." He also questioned an election process in which a main candidate - Blatter - had not produced a manifesto "so that federation presidents know what they're voting for". Figo added: "There has not been a single public debate about each candidate's proposals." The latest withdrawal comes after another presidential candidate, Frenchman Jerome Champagne, a former Fifa deputy general secretary, pulled out in February. Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder David Ginola, backed by a betting company, originally announced his intention to stand against Blatter in January, but withdrew two weeks later. The vote will be held in Zurich at Fifa's annual congress and requires the winning candidate to secure a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting. If subsequent rounds are required then a simple majority is all that is required for victory.

Summary: Luis Figo has joined Michael van Praag in withdrawing from the Fifa presidential election on 29 May.


Media playback is not supported on this device Lallana struck in the 95th minute to seal a 5-4 win moments after Sebastien Bassong had equalised for the Canaries. Klopp was swamped by his players - and his trademark specs slipped off. "I have a second pair of glasses, but I can't find them," said Klopp. "It's hard to find glasses without glasses." Klopp has broken his glasses before during a match, with that pair residing in his former club Borussia Dortmund's museum. "We won for the first time against Bayern Munich and Nuri Sahin broke my glasses. Today it was Adam Lallana," he added. Read about how the dramatic game unfolded Klopp may have been smiling at half-time but just moments earlier he was fuming at his players for allowing Bassong to make it 4-4. The Reds' defending had been particularly poor throughout, with Norwich having scored from every shot they had on target to lead 3-1. "There was about 70 minutes that were really good," said the 48-year-old. "Conceding four goals is in general not good. Conceding from set plays is the biggest rubbish ever because it is too easy for the other team. "Usually we concede from a corner but now it was from the second ball - we were like rabbits in the headlights, but we won the game in the end." Media playback is not supported on this device Klopp was not the only person who felt his side should have defended better in the game. "I am not happy obviously," said Norwich boss Alex Neil. "The game was in our hands at 3-1 but after that we managed to turn a really good performance into a bit of a shambles."

Summary: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and his players celebrated Adam Lallana's stoppage-time winner at Norwich so wildly that the German ended up breaking his glasses.


The Uruguay forward turned in Lucas Moura's cross to put the visitors ahead at the break. Thomas Meunier headed against the Nantes bar before Cavani sealed the win with a thumping 25-yard free kick. PSG, bidding for a fifth straight title, have won their past four games by scoring 15 goals and conceding none. Unai Emery's third-placed side have 45 points from 21 games - one behind Nice, who drew 1-1 at Bastia on Friday. Second-placed Monaco, above PSG on goal difference, will go top if they avoid defeat when they host second-bottom Lorient on Sunday. Elsewhere on Saturday, Guingamp stayed in fifth after drawing 1-1 at home against 10-man Rennes. Bordeaux moved above opponents Toulouse into eighth place with a 1-0 home success, while Metz boosted their survival hopes with a 2-0 home win against Montpellier. Mid-table sides Dijon and Lille remain 15th and 14th respectively following their goalless stalemate. Match ends, Nantes 0, Paris Saint Germain 2. Second Half ends, Nantes 0, Paris Saint Germain 2. Foul by Maxwell (Paris Saint Germain). Adrien Thomasson (Nantes) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt blocked. Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Hatem Ben Arfa. Offside, Paris Saint Germain. Thiago Motta tries a through ball, but Hatem Ben Arfa is caught offside. Attempt blocked. Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Hatem Ben Arfa. Attempt saved. Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Attempt blocked. Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Hatem Ben Arfa. Attempt missed. Valentin Rongier (Nantes) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Attempt saved. Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ángel Di María. Foul by Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain). Adrien Thomasson (Nantes) wins a free kick on the left wing. Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Lucas Lima. Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Hatem Ben Arfa replaces Edinson Cavani. Attempt blocked. Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Edinson Cavani. Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Maxime Dupé. Corner, Paris Saint Germain. Conceded by Lucas Lima. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Koffi Djidji (Nantes). Corner, Nantes. Conceded by Thiago Silva. Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Adrien Rabiot replaces Marco Verratti. Substitution, Nantes. Adrien Thomasson replaces Amine Harit. Attempt missed. Emiliano Sala (Nantes) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Amine Harit. Attempt saved. Ángel Di María (Paris Saint Germain) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Felipe Pardo (Nantes) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Lucas Moura (Paris

Summary: French champions Paris St-Germain moved within a point of Ligue 1 leaders Nice as striker Edinson Cavani's brace earned a 2-0 win at Nantes.


Martyn Waghorn gave Ipswich the lead against the run of play when he swept the ball past keeper Daniel Bentley. Bartosz Bialkowski made two good saves before Nico Yennaris hit the bar and Florian Jozefzoon missed a free header as Brentford went close to equalising. But Joe Garner doubled Town's lead with a powerful header from a corner to help Mick McCarthy's side clinch the win. Ipswich had failed to win any of their past five Championship matches against Brentford, but goals from summer signings Waghorn and Garner saw them extend their 100% start to the season. Waghorn has hit the ground running since joining from Rangers earlier this month and scored his fourth goal of the campaign, following good work from David McGoldrick. Brentford had their chances, with Kamohelo Mokotjo and Ollie Watkins going close, but Garner's header, which was confirmed by goalline technology, ensured Ipswich kept pace with Cardiff City at the top of the Championship. Former Rangers strike duo Waghorn and Garner have now scored a combined seven goals in just seven Championship appearances between them. Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy: "It was a thoroughly professional performance against a very good side. Everyone put in a shift and I could praise everybody for their performance. "Bart (Bialkowski) made the saves when needed and it was just a whole team performance. "Last season we didn't look like scoring at all and we do this year. It's lovely for the lads, for me and the supporters to see goals go in. They are a threat and it's great to see." Brentford boss Dean Smith: "That's certainly the word I'd use at the moment, frustration. We made one mistake in the first half and they score. We should have been out of sight in the first half, we were excellent. "We created a number of chances and didn't take them. I believe if we score when we're on top then we win the game comfortably. "We have to keep believing in what we're doing. I'm optimistic, but I'm cautious that we're losing games which we shouldn't lose." Match ends, Ipswich Town 2, Brentford 0. Second Half ends, Ipswich Town 2, Brentford 0. Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Grant Ward. Nico Yennaris (Brentford) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Flynn Downes (Ipswich Town). Theo Archibald (Brentford) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich Town). Substitution, Ipswich Town. Danny M. Rowe replaces Freddie Sears. Attempt blocked. Romaine Sawyers (Brentford) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Josh Clarke. Attempt missed. Nico Yennaris (Brentford) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner. Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Freddie Sears. Corner, Brentford. Conceded by Dominic Iorfa. Substitution, Ipswich Town. Tristan Nydam replaces David McGoldrick. Corner, Ipswich Town. Conceded by Maxime Colin. Foul by Theo Archibald (Brentford). Grant Ward (Ipswich Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Myles Kenlock (Ipswich Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Theo Archibald

Summary: Ipswich Town made it four wins from four games in the Championship with victory over Brentford at Portman Road.


The 27-year-old's deal ties him to Warriors until May 2019, having joined in 2010. Pyrgos, capped 18 times by his country, told Glasgow's website he had spoken with Dave Rennie, who will replace head coach Gregor Townsend next year. "He told me about his vision for the club and his rugby philosophy and it's exciting," said Pyrgos. "To have someone of Dave's quality coming in is brilliant for the club. "I love everything about Glasgow Warriors and the club means a huge amount to me. "This is my seventh year at the Warriors and winning the Pro12 two years ago has been the standout moment. "I'm excited for the future here and we'll be working extremely hard to continue to compete for trophies every season. I believe we have a squad capable of doing that and that's the main reason I wanted to stay." Townsend, who will become Scotland head coach next summer, added: "It's brilliant news for the club that Henry has signed for another two years. "He is one of our leaders and has developed a huge amount in his time at the club. Now he is helping the club continue to improve and evolve on and off the pitch. "There is a lot more to come from him on the playing side and we are really fortunate to have such a high quality group of scrum-halves right now."

Summary: Scotland scrum-half Henry Pyrgos has signed a new two-year contract with Glasgow Warriors.


The Athens General Index opened down about 4%, before recovering to be 1.4% lower. On Monday, the share index had dropped 16% on the first day of trading after a five-week shutdown. Major banks were close to the maximum 30% declines they are allowed in one day, a limit that was hit on Monday. Banks account for about 20% of the Athens index. Falling bank shares were offset by gains in some non-financial shares. Among the shares rising were the gaming group OPAP and some tourism-related shares such as Aegean Airlines. The main share index is down more than 50% from last year's peak. During the height of the Greek debt crisis, the stock exchange was closed for five weeks as part of the programme of capital controls to prevent people taking euros out of the country. Greek investors are still not allowed to use money in their bank accounts to trade on the stock exchange.

Summary: Greek bank shares have fallen sharply for a second day in Athens, but non-financial firms have fared better.


Madeley took to Twitter when he spotted the device above the house he shares in Cornwall with his wife, 67-year-old fellow presenter Judy Finnigan. The star, 59, said he chased the drone user and published his van registration number on the social media site. Madeley said "minutes after" his tweet the man reported himself to the police. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed they were investigating whether a drone had been used legally. Madeley said the man "called himself in to police with babbled excuses and apologies" following the incident in Talland Bay, near Looe, at about 14:00 BST on Tuesday. A force spokesman said: "Police are looking into the use of the drone and if it was being used in accordance with the law." Drones fitted with cameras must not be flown within 50m (164ft) of people, vehicles, buildings or structures, according to the Civil Aviation Authority's code.

Summary: TV's Richard Madeley has hailed "Twitterpower" after a "peeping Tom" drone was allegedly flown over the garden of his idyllic seaside home.


Media playback is not supported on this device Hill, 18, won the skeet title at the inaugural European Games in June and claimed victory at the World Cup final in Cyprus last month. She is joined by world medallist Elena Allen and world record holder Tim Kneale. "Every competition I enter, I go in trying to win," Hill told BBC Sport. "To be named as an Olympian is an incredible honour and I'm getting more confident I'm able to win these competitions." The 2013 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year added: "Hopefully I can inspire some other youngsters to get into a sport of some sort - it really does make you so determined and focused on what you want to do in life." At London 2012, Peter Wilson came away with the team's only medal - winning gold in the men's double trap, before announcing his retirement in 2014. Four of the six shooters will go to Rio having previous Olympic Games experience. Steve Scott, a World Cup gold medallist in Cyprus in October, came 12th at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and will join debutant Kneale in the double trap competition. London Olympian Allen competes against Hill in the women's skeet competition, while 2014 Scottish Commonwealth silver medallist Jen McIntosh will line-up in the 50m 3 positions event. Media playback is not supported on this device Two-time Olympian and world silver medallist Ed Ling is Britain's competitor in the men's trap. "I'm absolutely over the moon, it's a huge honour," said Ling. "I know what I'm going to expect going into this year and to obtain that Olympic medal is what we work for." Team GB are sixth on the all-time Olympic Games shooting medal table with 44 - 13 gold, 15 silver and 16 bronze. The number of Rio Olympic shooters in the squad may increase next year, as results at the European Championships in Hungary in February could unlock two additional berths. Shooting is the third sport to have British athletes officially selected for Rio 2016, after eight sailors and four canoe slalom athletes were named earlier in the year.

Summary: Amber Hill aims to become the first British woman to win Olympic shooting gold after being named in a six-strong Team GB squad for the Rio 2016 Games.


The 38-year-old has played 636 games in his career for various clubs including Sheffield United, where he was a team-mate of Cobblers boss Rob Page. He was released by Rotherham at the end of last campaign, and replaces previous keeper coach Carl Muggleton, who has left Sixfields Stadium. Kenny's most recent first-team appearance came for Oldham in 2014. "Coaching is something I always wanted to do when my playing career ended," Kenny told BBC Radio Northampton. "I've seen it more over the last few years as I've got older and when I'm training I tend to have more input with the younger lads. "I'm here as goalkeeper coach. With the new (loan) ruling, I'm registered as a player for the absolute worst case scenario. "The last couple of years I've not had much game-time and it's gradually brought me down and I've got used to it over the last few years." Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Veteran goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has joined newly-promoted League One side Northampton Town as player-coach.


The pair, aged 24 and 27, were attacked by a group wearing hooded tops, who had covered their faces, on Drumilaw Way in Rutherglen at about 02:45 on Sunday. The victims were taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Police said the incident was visible from nearby houses and have appealed for witnesses to come forward. They said the men were approached by five or six male youths at the grass area opposite the Usave store. Det Con Ross Philip said: "There are a lot of houses that overlook the grass area and roadway at Drumilaw Way and I'd like to speak to anyone who may have been disturbed by noise at this time of night and may have looked out and witnessed the two men being attacked." Hospital staff said the men's injuries were not thought to be life threatening.

Summary: Two men are in a serious condition in hospital after being assaulted in a large-scale disturbance in South Lanarkshire.


One person was killed in Kabul, one in the eastern city of Jalalabad and at least four in Parwan province. US officials apologised on Tuesday after Korans were "inadvertently" put in an incinerator at Bagram airbase. Officials at Bagram reportedly believed Taliban prisoners were using the books to pass messages to each other. The charred remains of the volumes were found by local labourers. Protesters in Kabul shouted, "Death to America!" and threw stones at Camp Phoenix, the main US base in the city. By Babrak MiakhelBBC Afghan, Jalalabad There were several demonstrations across Nangarhar province and at least two in the main city of Jalalabad. The first happened at the university. Students were angry, chanting slogans against Americans and against US troops. They were determined but not violent. A second demonstration elsewhere in the city turned ugly. I arrived as injured protesters were being taken to hospital in ambulances and private cars. People said the US apology was not enough. Oil tankers had been set ablaze. The protesters' message was that Afghans respect the other religions of troops inside Afghanistan, so why have they failed to respect Islam and the Koran? Riot police used water cannon to disperse protesters, some of whom were blocking the road leading to Jalalabad, one of the main trade routes into the capital. Witnesses said security guards were firing into the air. There were also reports of people chanting pro-Taliban slogans. One protester in Kabul was killed and 10 wounded. Four further deaths were confirmed in the Shinwari district of Parwan province, north of Kabul. There were also peaceful protests in the eastern province of Kunar. In Jalalabad, protesters burned an effigy of US President Barack Obama, and BBC Afghan reporter Babrak Miakhel said oil tankers had been set on fire. A doctor told the BBC one person had been killed and 10 injured. One protester in Kabul, 18-year-old Ajmal, told Reuters: "When the Americans insult us to this degree, we will join the insurgents." The US embassy in Kabul is on lockdown and all travel is suspended. The Taliban called on Afghan police and soldiers to redeem themselves by turning their guns away from protesters and towards Nato-led troops. The Afghan parliament held an emergency debate. In a statement, MPs condemned what had happened, called for punishment of those responsible and asked the Afghan government to send its own delegation to Bagram to establish exactly what happened and why. "Everyone is emotional," Kabul resident Mohammad Naseer Malikzai told the BBC. "I am hurting and disappointed. "I created a Facebook group where I was disputing with a lot of people. The American apology is useless." Another Kabul resident, Farhad Raza, said abusing Islam would prolong the war in Afghanistan. "These kind of actions [abusing Islam] create a gap between Afghans and Nato forces, and make people hate Nato forces, which will make this war longer than it is now," he told the BBC. US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said he and the top commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, Gen John Allen, had apologised

Summary: At least six people have been killed and dozens injured in Afghanistan after protests spread over the burning of copies of the Koran at a US airbase.


Clive Williams, 69, was headmaster at Ashdown House Preparatory School in Forest Row, East Sussex for more than 25 years before he left in 2003. He was questioned by Sussex Police about alleged sexual assault and child neglect offences against pupils. Mr Williams was not charged and was bailed until 11 November. Police said a 69-year-old man was arrested at an address in Barcombe, near Lewes, on Wednesday and a computer and documentation were seized. The man was not named but BBC sources confirmed he was Clive Williams. "During January this year we were contacted by a firm of solicitors representing a number of clients who have reported to them that they were sexually and physically assaulted by staff, whilst they were pupils at Ashdown House School near Forest Row in the 1970s," a police spokesman said. "We have since been in contact with 20 people reporting offences against them, including those clients. "Most have already been interviewed by officers from our specialist Child Protection Team in East Sussex. "The investigation continues and now spans a period from the late 1960s to the early 1980s." Sussex Police said there were no current safeguarding issues at the school. Ashdown House has been owned by the Cothill Educational Trust since 2009. The trust said in a statement in January, it understood that it may be the subject of legal proceedings relating to episodes of abuse, said to have taken place between 30 and 40 years ago. "The trustees are deeply saddened about those matters and wish to do everything they can to assist any former pupil who has been affected," it said.

Summary: The former headmaster of a prep school attended by London mayor Boris Johnson, has been arrested on suspicion of historic sex assaults.


I am a "Macaulay's child" - usually a pejorative term for an Anglicised Indian - who went to an English medium school, read Dickens and Greene and listened to The Beatles and Stones. It sounds a bit fey to attribute all this to a man who took on the Orientalists and won the argument for making English language education the basis of a "class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in intellect". But, as Zareer Masani writes in the biography, history has proved Macaulay right. More than 60 years after independence, English has become a passport to upward mobility in the wildly aspirational former colony, and more Indians are learning the language than ever before. As Masani points out, India has endured linguistic division of states and language riots, but English medium schools thrive in towns and villages today. Masani's admiration for Macaulay, a complex man of protean talents - historian, statesman, scholar, poet, essayist, parliamentarian, colonial administrator, intellectual - is evident in this highly engaging book. But he's also careful to point out that Macaulay was racist, harboured prejudices about native Indians and customs and, despite being a linguist, did not attempt to master any Indian language. "Macaulay was notoriously dismissive, if not downright hostile and contemptuous, about native Indian, and particularly Hindu, customs and religious superstitions," writes Masani. Macaulay spent four years in Calcutta, the imperial capital that was at the centre of an intellectual and cultural renaissance, but very little of that is mentioned in his writings. He grumbled about the heat, public entertainments in the city - "vile actingâ€¦ viler opera-singingâ€¦ and things which they called reunions" - and "dull" formal dinners peppered with "deplorable twaddle". The life-long bachelor also had a misogynist streak - he found the lawyers and civil servants he knew in Calcutta had "disagreeable wives". He steadfastly believed that India was not ready for self-rule, and what it could really "have [is] the next best thing - a firm and impartial despotism". Yet, in what was the first imperial education policy in British India, Macaulay aggressively pushed for English as the medium for as many Indians as possible to be given a Western education. Masani finds this vision "more egalitarian and inclusive" and less elitist than his arch critics who wanted to promote English among a small elite. Macaulay took a personal interest in running five new English medium schools which opened in Bengal, a year and a half after the reforms began in 1835 - in a single town in Bengal, he wrote, 1,400 boys were learning English. He disliked an excessively pedagogic approach to teaching English - "Give them Jack the Giant Killer and Tom Thumb", he wrote, "and then let them have Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver". By 1838, when he returned to Britain, Macaulay's reforms had led to the setting up of 40 English medium schools in Bengal which were open to all, quite revolutionary in a

Summary: "If you're an Indian reading this book in English, it's probably because of Thomas Macaulay," says the front cover blurb on a new biography of a man who foisted the Queen's language on India.


Nearly 60 firefighters and eight fire engines tackled the blaze which started in the building's basement in Princes Square, Bayswater, at about 23:00 BST. London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the three men required treatment for smoke inhalation after they became trapped and had to be rescued by crews. The cause of the fire is under investigation. A spokesman said 200 people had left the hotel before crews arrived at the five-storey building. Station manager Charles Hanks said crews had "worked hard to confine the fire to the basement and to stop it from spreading to the upper floors of the hotel". The fire was under control by 01:56.

Summary: Hundreds of people were evacuated and three men taken to hospital after a fire broke out in a west London hotel.


Exchanging goods for currency is an age old trusted system for trade. In large groups it fosters co-operation as each party has a measurable payoff. But within small groups a team found that introducing an incentive makes people less likely to share than they did before. In essence, even an artificial currency reduced their natural generosity. The study is published in journal PNAS. When money becomes involved, group dynamics have been known to change. Scientists have now found that even tokens with no monetary value completely changed the way in which people helped each other. Gabriele Camera of Chapman University, US, who led the study, said that he wanted to investigate co-operation in large societies of strangers, where it is less likely for individuals to help others than in tight-knit communities. The team devised an experiment where subjects in small and large groups had the option to give gifts in exchange for tokens. They found that there was a social cost to introducing this incentive. When all tokens were "spent", a potential gift-giver was less likely to help than they had been in a setting where tokens had not yet been introduced. The same effect was found in smaller groups, who were less generous when there was the option of receiving a token. "Subjects basically latched on to monetary exchange, and stopped helping unless they received immediate compensation in a form of an intrinsically worthless object [a token]. "Using money does help large societies to achieve larger levels of co-operation than smaller societies, but it does so at a cost of displacing normal of voluntary help that is the bread and butter of smaller societies, in which everyone knows each other," said Prof Camera. But he said that this negative result was not found in larger anonymous groups of 32, instead co-operation increased with the use of tokens. "This is exciting because we introduced something that adds nothing to the economy, but it helped participants converge on a behaviour that is more trustworthy." He added that the study reflected monetary exchange in daily life: "Global interaction expands the set of trade opportunities, but it dilutes the level of information about others' past behaviour. In this sense, one can view tokens in our experiment as a parable for global monetary exchange." Sam Bowles, of the Santa Fe Institute, US, who was not involved with the study, specialises in evolutionary co-operation. He commented that co-operation among self-interested people will always occur on a vast scale when "helping another" consists of exchanging a commodity that can be bought or sold with tokens, for example a shirt. "The really interesting finding in the study is that tokens change the behavioural foundations of co-operation, from generosity in the absence of the tokens, to self-interest when tokens are present." "It's striking that once tokens become available, people generally do not help others except in return for a token." He told BBC news that it was evidence for an already observed phenomenon called "motivational crowding out, where paying an individual to do a task which they had already planned

Summary: A new study sheds light on how money affects human behaviour.


The scheme would link Peru's Pacific coast with Brazil's Atlantic shores. The decision came after talks between the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, and Peruvian President Ollanta Humala. If completed, the railway would stretch 5,300km (3,300 miles) but campaigners fear the impact on indigenous people. Brazil, China and Peru will now begin feasibility studies into the railway. Mr Li secured Brazil's consent earlier this week, as part of his tour of Latin America. The railway would "consolidate Peru's geopolitical position as a natural gateway to South America", President Humala said. For China, it would reduce the cost of shipping raw materials and farm products. But campaigners are concerned it might destroy untouched parts of the Amazon rainforest, affecting hundreds of indigenous communities. Mr Li sought to ease fears, saying "to create the infrastructure, it is necessary to protect the environment" in a declaration with Mr Humala, AFP reported. It is likely to cost more than $10 billion (Â£6.5 billion). The route is still being examined, but would begin in the gigantic Brazilian port of Acu and ending at a Peruvian port. The Chinese President, Xi Jinping, pledged earlier this year to invest $250 billion (Â£161 billion) in Latin America over the next decade.

Summary: A Chinese scheme to build an east-west railway across South America, cutting across parts of the Amazon rain forest, has moved a step closer after Peru agreed to study the proposal.


The 32-year-old has won 31 Springboks caps at wing or full-back and has also played centre. He said: "When looking at the current squad, the average age and talent within the region, that is what got me interested. "I am keen to find my feet, settle in with boys as quickly as possible, and add value to the squad where I can." Kirchner will join three fellow South Africans at Rodney Parade - lock and captain Rynard Landman, scrum-half Sarel Pretorius and full-back Carl Meyer. He will leave Pro12 leaders Leinster after four seasons. Dragons have traditionally fared worse than their three Welsh rivals in the Pro12 and only Treviso and Zebre are below them with five games remaining for the Welsh team. They are also the subject of talks over a change of ownership that could see the Welsh Rugby Union take over. Kirchner believes Dragons "will definitely move in the right direction" in the future. He added: "New decisions and ventures aren't always easy to make, however the experience of moving to Leinster, my first move abroad, has helped and knowing a few of the other South Africans in the squad makes my decision easier." Dragons head coach Kingsley Jones said: "His experience both on and off the field will be invaluable for this young squad."

Summary: Newport Gwent Dragons have signed South Africa utility back Zane Kirchner from Pro12 rivals Leinster for 2017-18.


But Alan Hunt does. Every Friday and Saturday night, between 19:30 and 04:00, you will find the cheerful pensioner in a back office at Blandford Forum police station in north Dorset. His "job" is to monitor footage from four CCTV cameras covering the centre of Blandford, a bustling market town notable for its distinctive Georgian buildings. At closing time, with people making their way to and from Tiffany's, the town's only nightclub, Alan comes into his own, scrutinising a bank of TV screens for signs of trouble on the streets. He is patched into the police radio system and alerts officers when they're needed on the ground. "Somebody bit somebody's ear off," says the 73-year-old, recalling the worst thing he's seen in the five years he has been doing the role. "There was a chap with a knife once," he adds. The retired builder and road-sign maker is Dorset Police's most prolific volunteer. The unpaid work he does for the force fulfils an ambition he has nursed since childhood. He says: "When I left school that was my original intention - to go into policing, as a student. But unfortunately we were not a very rich family so my mother said, 'You've got to stay at home and earn some money.'" There are 400 other police volunteers in Dorset. Half work in staff roles, like Alan Hunt; half are special constables, with the full powers of police officers. Martyn Underhill, the area's police and crime commissioner, wants to increase volunteer numbers and expand what they're able to do. He says: "I see it as a fantastic resource. As Robert Peel said, 'The public are the police, the police are the public' - this brings diversity, it brings additionality, it brings great scope to policing I believe in". The Home Office also wants to extend the role of police volunteers. A consultation closed in October on plans to give them a wider range of powers and create the volunteer equivalent of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). The proposals are expected to be included in the Policing and Criminal Justice Bill later this year. Theresa May, the Home Secretary, writing in the consultation document, says unpaid police staff play a "vital role in community safety" but there is "more that volunteers can do". Mrs May says she wants to encourage people to get involved in policing if they have "skills in particular demand" such as accountancy and IT, in order to help forces investigate cyber-crime and fraud. I met Adam, 37, one of this new breed of police volunteers at the central London offices of the National Crime Agency (NCA). He didn't want me to know his surname because of the sensitive nature of what he does. His paid job is a security adviser for an insurance company that allows him to attend NCA meetings and carry out special projects - it builds up his experience, improves his CV and helps the NCA catch criminals. "Because I've got quite a lot of experience in IT, I see things maybe somewhat different to how they

Summary: Most people don't choose to spend their weekends at a police station.


The agency said almost 20 hectares of forest would have to be felled to try to stop the disease spreading. Phytophthora ramorum is a fungus-like pathogen that can kill or severely damage larch trees. Forest Enterprise Scotland (FES) is also asking woodland visitors to help prevent the spread of tree disease. It called on people to brush mud and forest debris from boots, walking poles and bike tyres when leaving and entering wooded areas. All the new sites are close to existing infected sites. FES confirmed the locations as: Fraser McDonald, a forester with the FES team in Cowal said: "Everyone has a part to play in helping prevent the spread of tree diseases and it's simply a matter of making sure that you arrive at a forest with clean boots, bike wheels - and even dog's paws. "Our Keep it Clean campaign promotes good biosecurity practice and explains that it only takes a few minutes to brush off any mud or forest debris from boots, walking poles or bike tyres. "It may not seem much but tree diseases can be carried from site to site in mud or on twigs leaves and others forest debris, so those few minutes can make a big difference." Mr McDonald said Scotland's forestry was a valuable resource for recreation and the economy of Scotland. He added: "It's important that everyone does there bit to look after Scotland's forests and help to prevent the spread of tree diseases."

Summary: A deadly pathogen that kills larch trees has been discovered in seven new locations across Argyll and Stirling, Forest Enterprise Scotland has warned.


Campaigners say its tests for people on disability allowances are "damaging and distressing" and have led to suicides. Atos, a sponsor of the Paralympic Games, said it ensures its service is "professional" and "compassionate". Protesters also targeted the Department for Work and Pensions in Westminster, where one person was arrested. The small break-away group, including two wheelchair users, blocked the doors of the office in a "surprise secret action", UK Uncut said. Protesters who got inside the DWP building have since been removed. The Metropolitan Police said one person was arrested for breach of the peace. Demonstrations have been held throughout the week, culminating in an attempt to bring the French firm's headquarters in Triton Square, Marylebone, to a close. Earlier Paralympics chief Lord Coe defended Atos and said the company had helped with the London 2012 accreditation process, recruitment of volunteers, and results delivery service. "They're partners and they help us to deliver this... Their work goes way beyond any of that visibility." The government - which makes decisions based on Atos Work Capability Assessments - has said it is trying to control the cost of disability allowances. It says more than Â£600m a year is being spent on overpayments to people who no longer qualify for the level of benefits they are receiving. It has said checks are important to make sure the benefit system supports people and does not trap them. Claire Glasman, Winvisible campaigner, has cerebral palsy and is on incapacity benefit. She said her group has campaigned for a mother with a spinal injury who was injured at work and found unfit to work but scored zero on her assessment meaning she must apply for Job Seeker's Allowance, find waged work or rely on relatives. Ms Glasman said: "We don't know how people are managing. "Women are particularly affected because we are the ones most likely to be doing unwaged caring work as well as coping with severe health problems." John Williams who has Crohn's Disease, epilepsy and a number of other conditions joined about 200 campaigners. He said he is having to live on benefits of Â£500 a month and rely on liquid food drinks. He said: "I want a fair system. It's absolutely appalling. It feels like Atos is working with the government to get the numbers down." Roger Lewis from Disabled People Against Cuts told BBC Five Live assessments were causing "huge damage and distress to disabled people". He said: "We now have a situation where we know that people have gone through the Atos assessments who have unfortunately died as a result. Some have committed suicide. Some have had heart attacks." He said a parliamentary group of MPs has been looking at coroners' reports where Work Capability Assessments have been cited as a contributing factor. The DWP said it did not have research data on the impact of assessments on people's mental health and that no links could accurately be made to suicides. A spokesman said 15% of "fit for work" decisions were overturned on appeal and the system was subject to an

Summary: Up to 150 disability rights campaigners have been protesting outside IT firm Atos, which carries out "fit for work" assessments for the government.


The Basque side are marooned near the bottom of La Liga - they are above the relegation zone on goal difference - and a limp performance in Friday's 2-0 defeat against lowly Las Palmas was the final straw. This is how his 364 days in charge went. After three days of speculation, the news was finally confirmed with a brief statement from the Basque club on Monday afternoon. "Real Sociedad would like to thank David Moyes and [his assistant, also departing] Billy McKinlay for the professional conduct, commitment and dedication which they showed during their roles in the running of the first team," the club said. "At the same time, we would like to wish them all the best in their future ventures, both professional and personal." The Scot leaves behind a team marooned near the foot of La Liga, and a limp performance in Friday night's 2-0 defeat against lowly Las Palmas was the final straw. The dismal display, as much as the result, forced club president Jokin Aperribay into holding crisis talks over the weekend. Aperribay did not want to rush into a hasty decision on the back of one bad game, but even after the dust had settled a couple of days later he still felt that a change was necessary. The official announcement was supposed to have been made on Sunday evening, but it was delayed for a few hours because Moyes's flight back to Bilbao from Manchester was cancelled. But once he returned to Spain on Monday and met personally with Aperribay, there was no need to delay the inevitable any longer and the former Everton and Manchester United coach's spell in La Liga was brought to a swift end. After La Real's recent struggles, the trip to Las Palmas was always billed as a significant encounter for Moyes's regime, but the general feeling was that his job was safe unless his team delivered a disastrous display. Unfortunately for the former Everton and Manchester United boss, 'disastrous' is pretty much the right word to describe the way his team performed - or didn't - against a Las Palmas outfit which had previously only won one game all season. The hosts were clearly superior, deserved their goals from Jonathan Viera and Sergio Araujo, and were rarely seriously threatened by Moyes's team. It took no time at all for furious criticism to emerge from La Real fans - along with serious demands for the manager's head. Until Friday night, the majority of Real Sociedad fans were, while frustrated with their team's results and sceptical about Moyes's ability to turn things around, not yet ready to express outright hostility. But that all changed immediately after the loss against Las Palmas. 'Moyes' was a trending topic on Twitter in Spain after the game, with very few of the accompanying comments offering sentiments of support. Indeed, many of them finished with the hashtag #MoyesDimision ('Moyes resign') or #MoyesVeteYa ('Moyes go now'). The media was similarly critical, with a summary of the game in local newspaper Diario Vasco complaining that "when this team

Summary: David Moyes has been sacked as Real Sociedad boss.


Felix Gutierrez-Cortez, 34, strangled Anna Maria Thomas, 61, in her Wandsworth home in December 2013. He told authorities she had fallen unconscious while meditating, but was found guilty of manslaughter by diminished responsibility. At the Old Bailey he was given an indeterminate sentence in a secure facility under the Mental Health Act. The court heard Ms Thomas had given him a place to stay in exchange for Gutierrez-Cortez acting as her carer. On 10 December the defendant called 999 claiming he had found his landlady dead and her body was found in a bedroom covered in a duvet. He later changed his story to say she regularly became unconscious during meditation and that he had stayed in the lounge for two days while she meditated in the spare bedroom. A post-mortem examination revealed she had been strangled days before Gutierrez-Cortez contacted emergency services. Det Insp Andy Rees said: "Our investigations demonstrated that she was a caring mother and grandmother and a deeply religious woman with a wide circle of friends who will miss her deeply."

Summary: A lodger who worked as a carer for his landlady has been sentenced for killing her in their south-west London flat.


The Buccaneers thrilled the home fans by taking the lead through Thamsanqa Gabuza in the 36th minute. He fired in a fierce acute-angled shot past Zied Jebali, who started after first choice goalkeeper and captain Aymen Mathlouthi failed a fitness test. Of course we wanted to keep a clean sheet at home and a lapse of concentration gave Etoile a late equaliser Pirates were lucky to be ahead at half-time after Iheb Msakni had a goal ruled offside and star Algeria-born striker Baghdad Bounedjah and Hamza Lahmar went close. Etoile's quest for an equaliser paid off as captain and centre-back Ammar Jemal slammed a loose ball beyond goalkeeper Felipe Ovono from close range in the 87th minute to silence most of the 30,000 Soweto crowd. Speaking after the match, Jemal told reporters what his equaliser meant to him. "I think it is the best goal of my life," Etoile's captain said. Despite conceding the late equaliser, Pirates coach Eric Tinkler said that the "destiny of the trophy remains wide open." "We neither gained nor lost anything after this result," Eric Tinkler said. "Of course we wanted to keep a clean sheet at home and a lapse of concentration gave Etoile a late equaliser. I thought we defended well until then. "Etoile are a good team - well organised defensively with some big, strong boys," Tinkler added. But the coach said he was not happy with some of the opposing players' tactics. "Some of them dived so much I thought they were swimming at the Olympics. "What the draw means is that instead of them coming at us in Tunisia, we will have to go at them. Scoring in every away CAF match this season gives us confidence," said Tinkler. That deciding match will be played at Stade Olympique in Sousse, Tunisia on Sunday 29 November. The overall winners receive $660,000 and qualify for a one-off Super Cup match against African Champions League winners TP Mazembe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Summary: Orlando Pirates of South Africa conceded a late goal in Soweto to hand Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia a narrow advantage as they drew 1-1 in the first leg of the African Confederation Cup final.


19 January 2017 Last updated at 18:32 GMT

Summary: As Martin McGuinness steps down from elected politics, BBC News NI looks back at his career.


In mid-May, Gen Gholamreza Jalali, the head of Iran's Civil Defence Organisation, said he saw the mainly Sunni kingdom as his chief threat in the coming year. Mainly Shia Iran and Saudi Arabia have long been regional rivals but tensions worsened dramatically last year, partly because of the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. Within days of Gen Jalali's remarks, Iranian and Saudi hackers were attacking websites in each other's countries in what Iranian media called "all-out cyberwar". On 25 May, a self-proclaimed hacker from Saudi Arabia calling himself "Da3s" apparently attacked the websites of Iran's Statistical Centre and Registration Office, defacing the homepages with a photo of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who fought an eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s. Many Iranian media sources thought the hacker had misspelled his name and that the attack was the work of the Sunni jihadist group Islamic State - widely known in the Middle East by its Arabic acronym, "Daesh". The Saudi hacker said on Twitter - where he identified himself as Salman al-Harbi - that he was not a member of the militant group, and that Da3s was the correct spelling of his nickname. Since the Stuxnet computer worm hit Iran's nuclear facilities in 2010, the country has invested heavily in cyber capabilities and set up a team of trained hackers known as the Iranian Cyber-Army. Saudi Arabia has also stepped up its investment in cybersecurity in the past year in efforts spearheaded by its National Centre for Cyber-Security. A day after Da3s's attacks, a group calling itself "Iran Security Team" retaliated by targeting Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics and King Abdulaziz University, defacing their websites with a jeering message of its own. Another team of Iranian hackers, calling themselves "Digital Boys Underground Team", hacked the Saudi Commerce Ministry's website. Over the next few days, a series of apparently tit-for-tat attacks saw more websites targeted, almost all of which were defaced or rendered inaccessible by attacks. Iran's police and cyber-police force, its judiciary, national postal service and culture ministry were all targeted. There is no evidence that official organisations in either state have been directly involved in the attacks. Iran's cyber-police chief, Gen Kamal Hadinafar, said the hackers' IP addresses had been traced back to Saudi Arabia but he did not accuse the Saudi authorities. As the attacks continued, the messages left by hackers became increasingly political and hostile. Tension between the two countries rose further when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shia cleric and opposition figure in January. Protesters in Tehran ransacked and set alight the Saudi embassy. Riyadh responded by severing all diplomatic ties with Iran. With relations at an all-time low, Tehran announced a few days ago that it would bar its citizens from attending this year's Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) after negotiations over safety broke down. Last year, more than 400 Iranian pilgrims had died in a stampede, leading to a war of words between Iranian and Saudi officials. After hacking the website of Iran's foreign ministry, a hacker group calling itself "Team Bad Dream" branded the

Summary: When Iran's top civil defence official said his country was preparing for major cyber-attacks from Saudi Arabia, perhaps even he did not think it would take such a short time for his warnings to become reality.


Francis Cadell's depiction of ''George Street and Charlotte Square'' was whitewashed over and the canvas was reused by the son of another colourist, Samuel Peploe. The Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh discovered the missing Cadell during conservation. It is estimated that the painting could sell for more than Â£50,000. The Scottish Colourists were four post-impressionist painters, Peploe and Cadell, along with John Leslie Hunter and John Duncan Fergusson. They absorbed and reworked the strong and vibrant colours of contemporary French painting into a distinctive Scottish idiom during the 1920s and 1930s. The lost Cadell work was painted around 1909 from his studio at 112 George Street, Edinburgh, and looks across the street to Charlotte Square. When the artist died in 1937, his sister Jean Percival Clark, well-known as the actress Jean Cadell, came up to Edinburgh to sort out his affairs. She was helped by Denis Peploe, son of Samuel, who was a student at Edinburgh College of Art. She gifted him some of her brother's art material and included among the canvases, probably including "George Street and Charlotte Square", taken off its stretcher, turned and re-stretched ready to be used again. It is not known why Cadell abandoned the painting, which is finished and bears a strong signature. Years later, Denis Peploe painted his own picture, Begonias, a still life on a trestle table and whitewashed over the Cadell exposed on the other side. The Scottish Gallery acquired the Denis Peploe and in the process of conservation discovered the Cadell on the reverse. Denis's son, Guy, who is director of the Scottish Gallery, told BBC Scotland that he had bought the painting at auction and was shocked when he got a call from the picture conservator. "He said 'I think there's something interesting on the other side of the picture'. "I said go-ahead take it off its stretcher and see what we can see. He called back a few minutes later and said 'bottom left hand corner, signature FCB Cadell.' "I think I choked on my morning roll." Tommy Zyw from the Scottish Gallery said: "It is heard of to have paintings on either side of a canvas. "Occasionally if an artist is struggling, he flips it over and tries again. "But in this case this is quite unusual to have two paintings by two different artists - linked by a family friendship."

Summary: A lost painting by one of the Scottish Colourists has been discovered on the reverse of another artwork.


A car bomb exploded by the hotel in Bulo-burde where African Union (AU) and Somali officers were staying and gunfire continued for another five hours, witnesses said. Six soldiers were killed, including a top Somali army commander, the AU said. The al-Shabab Islamist group said it was behind the attack and that 30 AU and army officers had been killed. A spokesman for the 22,000-strong AU force in Somalia (Amisom), Col Ali Adan Humad, said all the al-Shabab fighters involved in the raid had been killed, without specifying numbers. Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has waged an eight-year insurgency to overthrow the weak UN-backed government and create an Islamic state in Somalia. The BBC's Ibrahim Ade in the capital, Mogadishu, says al-Shabab had occupied Bulo-burde for more than five years. The town, which has a strategic bridge over the River Shabelle and is at a crossroads linking various regions of the country, was an important base for al-Shabab. Bulo-burde was captured as part of an ongoing AU and government offensive against al-Shabab, which controls much of south and central Somalia. Communications to the central Hiran region went down not long after the fighting and gunfire in Bulo-burde ended, our reporter says. Witnesses told the BBC the car blast at the hotel happened at 02:00 local time (23:00 GMT) and the fighting went on until about 07:00. Col Humad said three Djiboutian soldiers and three Somali soldiers, including Col Mohamud Amin - the military commander of Hiran who was leading the offensive in the region - were killed. Ten soldiers were also wounded, he said. Earlier, Col Humad denied there were casualties when an Amisom convoy was attacked near its base in Arbiska outside Mogadishu. Al-Shabab had released a statement saying that seven Burundian peacekeepers and five American nationals travelling in the vehicles were killed on Monday afternoon. The al-Qaeda-linked group lost control of Mogadishu in 2011, but has intensified bombings and mortar raids in the city in recent weeks. Last month, al-Shabab fighters stormed Villa Somalia, the seat of government in Mogadishu, killing at least 11 people.

Summary: Somali Islamist fighters have attacked a hotel in a strategic central town the militants lost control of last week.


The buildings, in Cambridge, Castle Donington, Taunton and Wakefield, have never opened and cost an average of £1.9m each in 2014-15. The charges are for rent, utilities and facilities management. Five other buildings were constructed as part of a Labour plan to regionalise fire control centres. These have been let out, saving £90.5m in future costs. The plan, approved in 2004, was for nine control centres to be built to replace 46 separate centres across the country. But six years later, with costs spiralling and major delays to the IT software programme, the coalition government cancelled the scheme. Fire minister Mark Francois said: "We inherited a poorly conceived and badly delivered top-down programme to create regional fire control rooms. "To avoid further taxpayers' money being wasted, the project was terminated after it repeatedly ran over budget and behind schedule." The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said it had "reduced site maintenance and support costs though renegotiating contracts with our service providers" at the four empty centres. A Freedom of Information request by BBC Somerset showed three of the four centres cost more in rent, rates and other running costs in 2014-15 than each of them did in their first full year after construction was completed. However, the amount spent on marketing the empty centres has been cut, from £37,250 in 2012-13, to £4,030 in 2014-15. "In 2014-15 the marketing strategy focused on using internet marketing and direct marketing, which by its nature does not incur significant spend," DCLG said. A spokesman added the department was in "active discussions" over letting out Castle Donington and Wakefield, with interest being shown by a telecoms company. Taunton has only had a small number of enquiries, including "a very early enquiry from a government agency in the last week". A document published by DCLG in March said the Wakefield negotiations, which involve a bidder for a separate government contract, will resolve in July when that contract is awarded. The March report also said there had been a number of viewings of the Cambridge centre with interest from a private sector internet security company, but that is no longer described as "live". The marketing company working for DCLG said it would continue its current strategy until August while also looking at alternative "cost reduction initiatives" including mothballing or reducing the equipment in the centres. Each of the vacant centres still has a £6,000 espresso machine in-situ which DCLG says are "a landlord's fixture and do not belong to the department".

Summary: Four empty fire control centres are still costing the government £7.6m a year, the BBC has learned.


In an open letter to Apple, Swift said she was withholding the record as she was unhappy with the three-month free trial offered to subscribers. "I'm not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months," she wrote. She said the plan was "unfair", arguing Apple had the money to cover the cost. "I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company," the 25-year-old said, describing Apple as one of her "best partners in selling music". "These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much," she continued. "We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period - even if it is free for the fans trying it out. "Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing." She ended her letter by calling on Apple to change its policy, suggesting she would reinstate her album on the service if the company changed its mind. "We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation." Apple has yet to comment on the issue. The rest of Swift's back catalogue will remain available on Apple Music when it launches on 30 June. It will cost $9.99 (Â£6.30) per month in the US for one person or $14.99 for families. The music industry has generally supported the company bringing its vast music library to paid streaming, and the company said it will pay 70% of the music subscription revenue to music owners. It is not the first time Swift has spoken out against streaming music - she pulled her entire catalogue from Spotify last November and had refused to offer 1989 on streaming services, saying the business had "shrunk the numbers of paid album sales drastically". 1989 went on to become one of the biggest-selling albums of 2014 and has sold more than 4.9 million copies in the US alone. Last week, UK-based independent record label Beggars echoed Swift's comments, saying it struggled "to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple's customer acquisition costs". It said it did not have an agreement with Apple that would allow it to participate in the new service but hoped the "obstacles to agreement can be removed" in the coming days.

Summary: Taylor Swift has pulled her hit album 1989 from Apple's new streaming music service and criticised the company.


The FTSE had fallen earlier in the day, with investors concerned about the continued plunge of the rouble. However the index strengthened on news of the Russian central bank's pledge to provide additional capital to the country's banks, if necessary. Figures showing a rise in UK wage growth also cheered investors. The price of Brent Crude oil, which has been falling for weeks, recovered by almost 4% late on Wednesday, reaching $62.32 a barrel. Shares in oil firms Tullow Oil, BP, and BG Group all rose more than 3% as a result, with Royal Dutch Shell 'B' rising by 2.9%. Meanwhile British Airways owner IAG fell by 4%. Dixons Carphone rose 3% after it reported a 30% rise in underlying half-year profits. The firm, which owns the PC World and Currys chains as well as Carphone Warehouse, said its UK and Ireland business had enjoyed a "barnstorming performance". All eyes will be on the US Federal Reserve later when it announces the results of its latest meeting. There is speculation that the US central bank will end its commitment to keep interest rates low for a "considerable period", suggesting a rate rise is moving closer. On the currency markets, the pound fell 0.55% against the dollar to $1.5664 and rose 0.16% against the euro to â‚¬1.2609.

Summary: (Close): London's benchmark index, the FTSE 100, closed marginally higher on Wednesday, gaining 4.65 points in late trading to close at 6336.48.