After all, the young, social-media savvy Burhan Wani had become the mascot of a new generation of home-grown rebels fighting Indian rule in the region - there are close to 100 local militants in Kashmir today, four times as many as in 2011, Indian intelligence estimates. Wani's ability to "recruit [people] into militancy from the grave will far outstrip anything he could have done on social media," tweeted Kashmir's former chief minister and opposition leader Omar Abdullah after the killing. Yet, when Kashmir predictably erupted in fury over the killing, a familiar, bloody script played out once again. Five days of clashes between protesters and security forces following Wani's killing have left at least 36 people dead and some 1,500 people, mostly aged 16-26, wounded. The curfew entered its fifth day on Wednesday, making this the worst siege the valley has faced since two popular uprisings in 2008 and 2010 in which 200 people, mostly civilian protesters, died in clashes with the security forces. Many believe last weekend again saw security forces using excessive force as they tried to control the protests. Security personnel say they are forced to open fire in the face of dire mob provocation. But allegations that the forces are trigger happy in Kashmir have never gone away. "The fact is that they used disproportionate force at the weekend, when the majority of deaths happened," says Shujaat Bukhari, editor of Rising Kashmir newspaper. Security experts say India's forces - army, paramilitary soldiers, border guards - are not equipped to handle civilian uprisings. Most are trained to fight a foreign enemy. Killing their own people in Kashmir, one of the world's most militarised regions, makes them look like an occupying force. The police does not inspire much confidence either in Kashmir, or anywhere else in India: the force is run on the basis of 155-year-old colonial law and has seen almost no reform. Nearly two decades after the uprising began in the region, the security forces still appear to be totally out of their depth in the use of modern, non-lethal weapons of crowd control. There has been a lot of talk about using water cannons, the malodorous "skunk" spray, noise machines, for example. The forces have picked on using "pellet guns" - a kind of shot gun - that have actually ended up causing serious eye injuries. Doctors say more than 100 people have received pellets in their eyes after the weekend clashes and it's feared that many may lose their eyesight. For the remainder, the forces have been resorting to firepower and tear gas. More than 100 people injured in the latest violence are suffering from bullet wounds. "Shoot to kill does not exactly help win the battle of hearts and minds in Kashmir," says one expert. The Kashmir government - an uneasy marriage of convenience between the regional People's Democratic Party and the BJP - has promised that policemen and security forces will be "made answerable" for incidents where excessive force has been used at the weekend. No-one in Kashmir believes that this will happen. There

Summary: When security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir killed a prominent militant leader in a gunfight last week, they would have surely anticipated a civilian blowback in the Muslim-dominated valley.


The Spaniard, 34, won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009, but he was stripped of the 2010 title for doping. He is one of only six riders to have won all three Grand Tours - the Tour de France, Vuelta and Giro d'Italia. "I don't think there is a better farewell than the home race in my home country," he said on Instragram. Contador, who turned professional in 2003, added: "I'm saying this happy, I'm not saying it with sadness. It's a decision I've thought about very well." He was banned for testing positive for clenbuterol - a powerful drug used to treat asthma, but which can also help build up lean muscle mass and burn off fat - at the 2010 Tour de France. Contador blamed his positive test on eating contaminated steak. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) banned Contador in February 2012, but backdated the ban to 25 January 2011. Having served five months and 19 days of a provisional suspension in 2010-11, he returned to cycling in August 2012. Contador won seven Grand Tour titles and was awarded the prestigious Velo d'Or, voted for by journalists, a record four times. Only Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi and Vincenzo Nibali have also won all three Grand Tours.

Summary: Two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador is to retire from professional cycling after the Vuelta a Espana, which starts on 19 August.


Columnist and government critic Farhad Mazhar sparked a police hunt after leaving his Dhaka home on Monday morning. There were reports of a ransom demand. Police said Mr Mazhar, 69, was eventually found on a bus travelling to the capital from the south-western city of Khulna. It is unclear if he had been abducted. Human rights groups say enforced disappearances and abductions are rising in Bangladesh. Mr Mazhar is a supporter of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Party officials say many of their activists and supporters have been detained illegally since 2014.

Summary: A well-known Bangladeshi human rights activist has been found on a bus after his family reported him missing.


The Briton, 29, saved set points in both sets as he won 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-1) to reach round two of the Aegon Championships. Lendl was courtside for the first time since 2014, having agreed last week to resume their working relationship. Murray goes on to face fellow Briton Aljaz Bedene or Frenchman Benoit Paire. Asked about Lendl, Murray told BBC Sport: "He doesn't really give many signs during the match. He's got quite a straight face. "I started working with Jamie Delgado a few months ago and that's worked extremely well, and obviously I had some of my best years with Ivan a few years ago. "I think it's a very strong team and I'm hoping they can help me win more major events." Swiss second seed Stan Wawrinka earlier lost 6-2 7-6 (7-3) to Spain's Fernando Verdasco. Media playback is not supported on this device Lendl had resumed his coaching role on Tuesday morning, directing the drills as Murray went through their first practice together for over two years. The session was cut to just an hour because of the rain which has blighted the first two days at Queen's Club, leaving Murray a little short of time on the grass. Mahut, ranked 51st, won a title on the surface 24 hours earlier in the Netherlands and looked the more sure-footed when the pair finally got on court just after 17:00 BST. The Frenchman broke serve first but could not convert the next game from 40-0, and Murray came through a tense tie-break on his third set point. Mahut had an opportunity at 8-7, failing to make a return of serve, but he moved 4-1 up in the second set and a furious Murray went close to smashing his racquet. The Scot complained to the umpire about the conditions underfoot, and Mahut would later slip over, but Murray fought back to 5-5 and saved three more set points before dominating the second tie-break. "It was tough," said Murray, a four-time winner at Queen's. "Nico's a very accomplished grass-court player and because of the weather the last few days, we haven't been able to get on the grass too much to hit. "It was a tricky first round and I'm glad I managed to get through." Wawrinka, 31, never looked comfortable on a greasy surface and struggled to cover the powerful forehand of his opponent. Verdasco wrapped up the match - which was interrupted by rain - as Wawrinka's serve faltered during a tie-break. "For sure conditions are difficult for everybody since a few days with the rain," said world number five Wawrinka. "That's the same for everybody, but it was a tough match. "Grass is always a challenging surface for my game. I need quite a lot of practice to play my best game."

Summary: Andy Murray gave coach Ivan Lendl the perfect welcome back with a fine win over France's Nicolas Mahut at Queen's Club in London.


At one point, its share price fell more than 10% on the Milan stock market. By mid-afternoon, it was still 9% down. The bank said the ECB had given it until 3 October to draw up a plan for reducing non-performing loans. Italian banks are saddled with €360bn (£300bn; $400bn) of bad debt, about a third of the eurozone's total. Monte dei Paschi accounts for €46.9bn of that total. In a draft decision sent to the bank by the ECB, it was told to reduce gross non-performing loans from €46.9bn to €32.6bn by 2018, representing a cut of 30% over the next three years. Investor concern over the strength of the industry has hit Italian banking shares this year. Several other Italian banks also suffered big share price falls on Monday. In April, Italy's financial industry approved a government-backed plan to set up a rescue fund to help weaker banks. The Atlante fund will be made up by private money, reportedly worth €5bn, and will buy up shares and bad debt in struggling banks.

Summary: Shares in Italy's third-biggest bank, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, have slumped after the European Central Bank told it to reduce its debt burden.


The foreign ministry said it acknowledged a "miscommunication" with Iraq over the deployment of its forces. It comes a day after US President Barack Obama urged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to "de-escalate tensions" with Baghdad. Turkey sent at least 150 troops into northern Iraq earlier this month saying they were to protect military trainers. Turkey has deployed troops at the Bashiqa camp near Mosul - a city controlled by Islamic State (IS) - since 2014 to train Iraqi Kurdish forces. But the Iraqi government said the latest move had been carried out without consultation and violated national sovereignty and international law. "Turkey... acknowledges the miscommunication with the government of Iraq over the deployments of Turkish protection forces," the Turkish foreign ministry said in the statement. "Turkey, in recognition of the Iraqi concerns and in accordance with the requirements of the fight against Daesh [IS], is continuing to move military forces from Nineveh province that were the source of miscommunication." The statement did not say how many troops would be moved or where they would go to. On Monday, Turkey's state-run news agency quoted military officials as saying a 10 or 12-vehicle convoy had left Bashiqa camp and was moving north. It came days after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu's office said it had decided to reorganise its military personnel at Bashiqa following talks with Iraqi officials. The Turkish government enjoys close relations with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in Iraq. But it considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) - whose Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia is a key ally of the US-led coalition against IS - as an enemy because it is an offshoot of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Summary: Turkey says it will pull more of its troops out of northern Iraq, following a partial withdrawal earlier this week.


But none of the groups fighting on the ground have been invited. So absent from the talks will be both the Assad government and the Syrian political opposition, as well as the myriad other rebel militias fighting the Assad regime. Syria's Kurds won't be present, and of course jihadist militants of the so-called Islamic State (IS) won't be either. But the hope is that if outside powers can bridge their differences, it could be a first step towards influencing at least some of the warring sides. And some things have changed since the last abortive diplomatic push to end Syria's war: Iran's nuclear deal has made it a more acceptable partner to the United States and its allies. Russia has more incentive to push for peace: to keep its military involvement in Syria limited. The mounting refugee crisis has increased pressure on Syria's neighbours and on European countries too. And there is growing alarm at the way IS militants keep extending their reach. The focus (not for the first time) will be on how to agree a political process, including changes to Syria's constitution and new elections, to open the door to a broader transition. The main sticking point remains President Bashar al-Assad's role, and whether he should be allowed to stay or at some point be forced to stand down. So where do the most important countries attending the Vienna talks now stand? The United States and other Western powers (who held a pre-meeting in Paris to present a united front in Vienna) have shifted slightly recently. They no longer say Mr Assad must go as soon as possible, but rather that a transition must guarantee that he departs under a precise timetable. Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which had been insistent Mr Assad must go, may also be softening their position somewhat. The Saudi foreign minister on Wednesday still insisted he must step down, but within a specific time frame. But Russia and Iran, both backing President Assad militarily, claim he is a necessary partner in the fight against IS jihadists, and whether he stays or goes is not a matter for outside powers, but for the Syrian people to decide in elections. What is less clear is whether behind the scenes they are prepared to be more flexible, or less. Russia's President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denounced elected leaders being ousted under pressure. He recently invited Mr Assad to Moscow to show him his support. But senior Russian officials have usually been careful to offer support to Syria's legitimate government, rather than Mr Assad himself. So would Russia support a compromise? Iran meanwhile has said there is no reason for Mr Assad to go, since he won re-election last year and his term should last until 2021. Will Tehran make him staying in power a red line? If there were no agreement in Vienna it would not be surprising, but it could also be dangerous. The Saudi government said it was coming to see if Russia and Iran were serious about a peace process, and if not, it would know

Summary: These Vienna talks for the first time include all the external countries involved in the Syria conflict Âincluding, crucially, Iran.


Stephen Evans, 18, from Holywell, appeared before Flintshire magistrates on Monday. It is alleged he intended to put life in danger, or was reckless as to whether life would be endangered, amid allegations the cars were close to people's homes. He was remanded in custody. Magistrates said the case should be sent to Mold Crown Court where he will appear at a preliminary hearing on Friday 11 September.

Summary: A man has been charged with 12 counts of arson after a dozen vehicles were allegedly torched in Holywell, Flintshire.


Allan Bryant, 23, went missing after a night out at Styx nightclub in his home town of Glenrothes on 3 November 2013. Officers began searching the house in Barnton Place on Friday 16 June. Police Scotland said the property had now been returned to its owners and no further investigations would be made at the house. Det Insp Stuart Wilson, of Police Scotland, said: "Inquiries into the circumstances of Allan's disappearance are ongoing and we are committed to finding him. "We still believe that someone in the Glenrothes area has information that will assist with our inquiries. "I would ask that person to come forward and help us give the Bryant family the answers they are desperately seeking." Mr Bryant's parents have repeatedly stated they believe he has been murdered and that his killer is still at large.

Summary: Police investigating the disappearance of a Fife man have ended the search of a house in Glenrothes without making any fresh discoveries.


The Treasury will be delighted with the recommendations from Mr Taylor, the head of the Royal Society of Arts, on gig economy companies. He is recommending that firms which have a "controlling and supervisory" relationship with their workers would have to pay a full range of benefits. That also includes millions of pounds in national insurance contributions. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Taylor - head of the government's review into modern employment practices - said that such people were not self-employed as many gig firms insist. "If you are being controlled and supervised you are probably a worker and you should get workers' rights and also the employer that employs you should be paying national insurance," Mr Taylor told me. I asked him if such a relationship encompassed firms like Deliveroo and Uber, which say that their riders and drivers are "self-employed" and have full flexibility to work when they want. "We do not mention individual companies in our report, but I think that if you look at some of the big gig work platforms, at the present time you would say their business models look as though it may be that the people who work for them would be classified as workers rather than as self-employed," he said. Mr Taylor said: "If you look at the judgments that the judges have been making [about employment rights in the gig economy], it looks as though the courts are saying that it looks as though somebody is subject to control and supervision they should be described as a worker and not self-employed. "Which, interestingly, is the same criterion used by the tax authority when they determine whether somebody is self-employed or an employee. "We think that principle is right." "Workers" - which Mr Taylor wants to redefine as "dependent contractors" - receive a wider range of benefits and protections compared with "self-employed" people, including sick pay, holiday entitlement and the minimum wage. Firms which employ them are also obliged to pay national insurance contributions to HM Revenue and Customs at 13.8% of an employees' earnings above £157 a week. Although it is difficult to judge the economic value of the gig economy, more than one million people work in the sector. If large numbers of them are reclassified as "dependent contractors" that could significantly increase taxes paid to the government by gig firms. Mr Taylor told me that government tax receipts were negatively affected by the rapid growth in the number of "self-employed" people who pay lower levels of tax than fully employed workers. "We have a big issue about the fact there is a gap between the amount of tax we pay on self-employed labour and employed labour," he said. "If you go back to the beginning of the welfare state, that difference was about two-thirds - we paid two-thirds as much for self-employed labour as we did for employed labour - now it is one-third. "And at the same time self-employment has grown. "So we are creating a fiscal headache for ourselves, and one of the things we say

Summary: One department is likely to be cheering the publication of the Mathew Taylor review into the new world of work.


However, it might do well to look to Iceland, which has come up with a radical plan to get rid of its pay gap completely. A bill was tabled in the country's parliament that would require firms to prove they offer equal pay to employees, or potentially face fines. It comes as less stringent British laws on gender pay come into effect. These will require firms to publish data on their gender pay gap, but not penalise offenders. So should the UK go further and outlaw the gender pay gap? Iceland ranks first on the World Economic Forum's 2015 Global Gender Gap Index, but the nation of 323,000 people still has a difference of 7% between the sexes. However, the new bill would require companies with 25 or more employees to go through audits and gain certification of their equal-pay programmes. Thorsteinn Viglundsson, social affairs and equality minister, accepted the law could be "burdensome" for the country's businesses, but said the benefits would outweigh the costs. And with cross party support, the bill could well become law by next January. According to Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for equal pay, similar measures must be considered in the UK. At 9.4% in 2016, the difference between average pay for male and female full-time employees in Britain was little changed from the 10.5% gap five years earlier. And a Deloitte report last year found the gender pay gap in the UK will not close until 2069 based on current salary progression. "It's impressive to see what is being introduced in Iceland and full equal pay audits would be good to see. But we are some way off that here," Mr Smethers said. Certainly, the government is making moves to tackle the issue. From Thursday, UK employers with more than 250 staff will be required by law to collect data so they can publish their gender pay gap, gender bonus gap and the number of women and men who get a bonus. But employer groups said said introducing audits and certification, as Iceland may do, would not solve the gender pay gap. Neil Carberry, director for people and skills policy at the CBI, said: "The gender pay gap and unequal pay are different. While many factors contribute to the UK's gender pay gap, unequal pay is already illegal and is only a part of the gap." He added: "To close the gender pay gap in the UK, businesses and the government need to work together to address careers advice, progression and support networks, like childcare. These are not things that an employer certification regime would address." Verity O'Keefe, senior employment and skills policy adviser at EEF, which represents manufacturers, said flaws in the UK's new rules also needed to be addressed. "The transparency [the new data collected] will drive is important, but it must also be recognised that the simple snapshot it will provide may often hide a more complex picture," she said. "Manufacturers are likely to unearth some higher than average figures. However, this is not due to a

Summary: Like many countries, the UK has made slow progress in reducing its gender pay gap.


The Shaymen held on until the 75th minute when the 28-year-old forward netted from Bradley Goldberg's cross. Halifax were then denied an equaliser as Hamza Bencherif saw his shot, following a nice turn, hit the post. The away side are a point above the drop zone, with Boreham Wood overtaking them after they drew with Barrow.

Summary: Adam Cunnington's second-half strike was enough to earn Bromley victory as Halifax dropped closer to the relegation places.


As the victims struggle with the misery of damage, mud and ruin, officials say we have entered an era of "unknown extremes" of weather and they want a "complete rethink" of how flooding is handled. Some aspects of the response are infinitely improved from earlier disasters. The emergency teams from organisations as diverse as the fire brigades, the RNLI and the police are far better co-ordinated than they used to be. In Carlisle earlier this month, I saw one mountain rescue team, well-equipped with an inflatable boat, ropes, torches and radios, inch through deep water in total darkness to carefully and tenderly deliver a frightened woman to safety. But however professional the response, questions are inevitably raised about why this effort is needed in the first place, with people demanding to know why their communities were not better defended. And that leads to a sense of anger that as victims of flooding feel ignored or let down by the authorities for failing to keep them safe. I first witnessed this during the summer of 2007 in Hull, where thousands of families were displaced by floods with some still in temporary housing a year later. One family I interviewed were incensed at the prospect of facing a second Christmas in a chilly caravan. Earlier this month, residents in Carlisle, who had watched the construction of a £38m flood-defence scheme just five years before, reacted with fury as it was overtopped by rising waters. We have heard anger too from Leeds City Council which, like many northern authorities, believes that Whitehall favours the South when it comes to allocating funds for flood defence - though the government insists that the North does better on a per capita basis. And anger has been voiced in York in the past few days as the Environment Agency made a fateful decision to lift the Foss Barrier, a key part of the city's flood defence system. With the barrier's electrical motors at risk of flooding - something which itself will face investigation - staff feared that the barrier, if left lowered, could become stuck there, trapping the waters of the Foss and causing more flooding. But, in turn, the raising of the barrier inevitably meant some homes would be flooded anyway - fewer than would have been hit with the barrier left in place, says the EA, but this is a source of deep irritation for many. Along with the despair and the anger comes another dimension: scrutiny. This starts as soon as floods start to cause damage and in some cases the arguments are unchanging year after year. At its simplest are decisions about the scale of government funding - whether the £2.3bn allocated by the government over a six-year period is enough and, crucially, where to spend the money. The longstanding Treasury rule is that for every £1 devoted to flood defence, there must be an economic benefit of at least £8 - a principle which is designed to make saving homes the priority. So cities, with their dense populations, will attract more than rural areas

Summary: Every bout of flooding triggers a predictable cycle of despair, anger and scrutiny, but this one has provoked an unprecedented level of criticism and questioning.


Hanako, which means "Flower Child", was 69 and the oldest elephant in Japan. The elephant was a gift from Thailand when it was two years old. Last year a petition was launched to improve the animal's conditions, but Hanako was deemed too old to move back to Thailand. A spokesman for Inokashira Park Zoo on the outskirts of Tokyo said Hanako was found lying on her side on Thursday morning and efforts to raise her were not successful. She died in the afternoon. The war on elephants Have we fallen out of love with elephant rides? Hanako was a popular attraction in the zoo, but the elephant, born in the wild, spent most of her life caged and alone in a concrete enclosure with little greenery. Last year a Canadian blogger wrote an article about the elephant's enclosure, describing it as a "concrete prison". That prompted the petition, which led the zoo to provide new toys and make other changes. However, the zoo said she was too old to be moved and an independent US wildlife expert said staying in a sanctuary with other elephants would bewilder Hanako after living so many years alone.

Summary: An elephant that was the focus of an international campaign to improve its living conditions has died in a zoo in Japan.


Its 4G Super Voice enables customers to make calls and send texts using a lower frequency spectrum. Other networks are looking into introducing the technology, known as Voice Over Long-Term Evolution (VoLTE). It currently works on only the Samsung Galaxy S5, but recent iPhone handsets will be added in the coming months. It is being rolled out in: Three said up to 5.5 million customers would have access to the service by 2017. Chief technology officer Bryn Jones said: "By the end of the year, one million of our customers will have access to better indoor coverage and be able to use their phones in more places than ever before."

Summary: Mobile phone provider Three has launched a UK service it says will improve reception inside buildings and in rural black spots.


The city is being divided into four areas, each being serviced on a separate day with no collections on a Monday. The changes will save up to Â£500,000 a year with the bin lorry fleet reduced by five to 21, the council said. No staff will be lost as fewer agency staff will be hired. Households have been sent information packs about the changes to the collections. Residents have been asked to check their packs to find out their new bin day and which bin is due to be emptied. Councillor Chris Poulter said: "Anyone not yet sure of the day or which bins to put out, should check their information pack, which gives full details, or they can check on the website by simply inputting their post code." Four out of five households will see their collection day change. The city crews collect about 114,000 bins every week.

Summary: Derby City Council are changing bin collection days and times from 6 June.


Media playback is not supported on this device Not since 2007 have Vern Cotter's men won a Six Nations match against Wales, with the average margin of defeat 15 points in that period. Ireland have recalled Lions fly-half Jonny Sexton as they look to re-establish themselves in the title race with a win over a resurgent France. And Sexton's main rival to be the Lions' 10 this summer, Owen Farrell, will lead unbeaten England out against the Azzuri at Twickenham on Sunday as he wins his 50th cap in arguably his most impressive championship yet. Farrell has a new partner at outside-centre in former rugby league star Ben Te'o for a fixture that England have never lost, coach Eddie Jones content to try out new combinations against at Italy side on a nine-match losing run in the Six Nations. With James Haskell back at flanker after coming off the bench to great effect in the wins over France and Wales, it is a more direct, muscular selection from Jones, blessed with a greater depth of talent than either Scotland or Wales. In an entertaining, free-scoring tournament so far, the clash at Murrayfield is pivotal to two sides who have shown both signs of rebirth and flashes of old flaws thus far. With one win and one defeat apiece, Saturday's early kick-off will go a long way to defining the season not only of the two sides but of their coaches, Cotter in his last campaign in charge, Rob Howley once again in a caretaker role as Warren Gatland focuses on Lions preparation and selection. The fixture has often produced classics - not least a Wales win in 1988 garlanded by superb tries from Jonathan Davies and Ieuan Evans, and the 31-24 thriller in 2010 when Wales were 10 points down on 76 minutes. And despite recent history it is arguably the hardest of the third round matches to call, although the loss of Scotland's captain and place kicker Greig Laidlaw to injury and the return of talismanic winger George North to Wales's ranks may prove pivotal. Ireland ran up 63 points against Italy in Rome a fortnight ago, and after a chastening opening-day defeat in Edinburgh a victory over France would keep their hopes of a third Six Nations title in four years alive. France have lost their last four away matches in this competition but led England until late at Twickenham at the start of the month, and came past Scotland in Paris with a blend of power and guile that hinted that their long statistical and stylistic slump may be coming to an end. While the return of captain Rory Best after a stomach bug will be welcomed in Dublin, Sexton's return is not without controversy. He has played very little rugby this season, this most physical of fly-halves once again dogged by injury, and in his absence Paddy Jackson has appeared liberated from the unflattering comparisons of old, kicking 12 of his 13 goals to be leading points scorer in this year's tournament. Farrell, meanwhile, has shown a craft

Summary: Scotland will attempt to end their decade-long winless streak against Wales with a team missing five key men as the Six Nations resumes this weekend.


Terngu Agera, 22, and Stephen Lansana, 22, were each sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 30 years for the murder of Zydrunas Laurinavicius. Mr Laurinavicius, from Lithuania, was stabbed on Parson Street, in Hendon, on 3 July while walking with his father. At the Old Bailey, Agera, of Sophia Road, Canning Town, and Lansana, of no fixed address, were also convicted of robbery and conspiracy to burgle. Bruno Guimaraes, Marlon O'Brien and Terae Eusebe were also jailed for conspiracy to burgle. Guimaraes, 23, of Carnarvon Road, West Ham, was jailed for three years for conspiracy to burgle and Eusebe, 21, of Hatherley Gardens, Barking, was sentenced to 28 months in prison for conspiracy to burgle. O'Brien, 22, of Woodcocks, Canning Town, was jailed for two years for conspiracy to burgle. Mr Laurinavicius was returning home from work with his father at about 16:45 BST when the group targeted them and stole the victim's bag and watch, police said. A post-mortem examination found Mr Laurinavicius died from stab wounds to the chest. All five men were convicted at the Old Bailey on 14 May. Det Insp Jamie Stevenson said: "This was a horrific, unprovoked attack on an honest hardworking man returning home from work in the middle of the day. "He was singled out and set upon by the group who were armed and used a knife to inflict fatal injuries for no other reason than to steal his possessions."

Summary: Two men have been jailed for the murder of a builder on his way home from work.


Wokingham Borough Council served a High Court injunction on travellers for setting up "unauthorised" pitches and an access road on the private land. The Gypsy Council said the authority had been quick to get an injunction but refused to provide enough gypsy sites. The council said it "utterly refutes" the accusation of racism. Housing applications in the area had been judged acceptable against the borough's planning policies, drawn up following a statutory process including consultation, it said. Caravans arrived on the Berkshire site on 24 April with the permission of the landowner, who is part of the gypsy community. But the council has taken legal action because developments that have since taken place do not have planning consent. It obtained the injunction to prevent further caravans and development on the Berkshire site, after its deadline to exit the site by Monday 27 April was ignored. "This is not a site allocated for development in the council's local plan," said director of environment, Helen Thwaites. "It is located within the countryside where the council's policies seek to protect the rural character." Residents near the site, in Blagrove Lane, have also expressed concern. Ian Andrews, of Evendons Area Residents' Association, said there was unhappiness at "a total disregard for the planning process in a quiet rural location". "Hedgerows have been ripped out during nesting season and more than 50 giant lorry loads of rubble have been dumped into what was the flood plain for several hundred homes," he said. Residents had also expressed fear of a rise in crime, which Thames Valley Police said was "unfounded". Joseph Jones, of the Gypsy Council, said: "Councils need to fulfil their target for gypsy community site provision. "Local authorities would much rather refuse planning permission and take legal action than tackle what they perceive to be the thorny issue of gypsy site provision. "The council can merrily grant planning permission for houses in the next field, but when a gypsy site application comes in from a gypsy family for a small number of pitches then there's hell to pay. "That's racism."

Summary: A council has been accused of racism for refusing planning permission for a gypsy camp after approving a housing estate in a field next door.


The proposed Leisure Hall at the South Yorkshire centre would create up to 1,400 jobs. The 330,000 sq ft (27,800 sq m) facility would include a new cinema, restaurants, gym and new community spaces. Joint owner British Land said the extension would "continue Meadowhall's evolution". The plans, part of a five-year vision to extend the leisure offer at Meadowhall, include: Around 540 jobs would be created during construction, in addition to 1,400 new jobs once the leisure hall is complete. Sheffield City Council is expected to make a decision on the application in spring. Darren Pearce, Meadowhall centre director and president of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, said the extension would be a "major milestone" for the shopping centre. Richard Wright, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce executive director, said it would be a "jewel in the Sheffield City Region's crown". He added: "The Leisure Hall will retain spend in Sheffield city region by ensuring residents do not need to travel out of the area to fulfil their shopping and leisure needs. "We welcome British Land's exciting plans and lend our wholehearted support. "They will reinvigorate Meadowhall and serve as a catalyst for further investment in the region." In Sheffield city centre, the current demolition of the Grosvenor House Hotel is under way. It will be replaced by a new £90m HSBC building in the new year as part of the Sheffield Retail Quarter. A new city centre Primark store recently opened and a nine-screen cinema is due to open in the near future.

Summary: Detailed plans have been submitted for a £300m extension of Sheffield's Meadowhall shopping centre.


For years it has been their ritual - women who lost children and husbands in 30 years of armed conflict between the Kurds and the Turkish state. I meet them in Diyarbakir - the final stop of our election trip across Turkey. Age and exhaustion are etched on their faces. One wears a necklace with a picture of her missing children. Another has a bracelet bearing the Kurdish flag. "Turkey doesn't think we Kurds are humans", says Sakine Arat, 80, who lost four sons and one daughter in the fighting. "We've tried all the political parties but none sided with us. Now we've found one - the HDP - that treats us as equals. So we will vote for it." The People's Democratic Party (HDP) is the one to watch in Turkey's election on Sunday. Its roots and support base are Kurdish but it has broadened out, becoming a powerful voice of the Turkish left. Its candidates used to run as independents, winning a handful of seats. But this time, the HDP is a single, united party - and polls show it could cross the 10% threshold to get into parliament, potentially gaining dozens of MPs and depriving Turkey's governing AKP of a majority. That would stop President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from changing the constitution to give himself more powers with an executive presidency - and is one reason why staunch Erdogan opponents are drawn to the HDP. "Turkish soldiers burnt my home four times," says Dilsah Ozgen, 76, who lost her husband and two sons. "I believe in our HDP. We will pass the 10% and drown Erdogan in a flood of votes," she says. There are around 15 million Kurds in Turkey - 20% of the population. For decades they were repressed, their identity denied: "There is no such thing as Kurds; they are simply mountain Turks," was the official refrain. In the 1980s, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was formed, waging a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state, some fighting for greater autonomy, others for independence. Forty-thousand people died. The group is still labelled a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and EU. Peace is fresh. Although conditions for Kurds have improved, the fragile ceasefire has been shaken by clashes as the peace process has stalled and the government has hardened its nationalist rhetoric. Many Kurds who supported the AKP have now shifted allegiance to the HDP. I join a local HDP candidate, Ziya Pir, at a Diyarbakir cultural centre. Around him, supporters play traditional instruments and perform songs in both Kurdish and Turkish, appropriately enough for a candidate who is not actually Kurdish. It epitomises the message of unity, of cultural crossover, that the HDP is trying to spread. "I'm Turkish - from the Black Sea - and initially people asked me: 'Why are you joining a Kurdish party?'" says Mr Pir. "But I told them it is not a Kurdish party; it is Turkish. We want a Turkey in which all people can find themselves". His uncle, Kemal, was a founder of the PKK. But he insists

Summary: Once a week they gather, beneath the same tree in the same park - to remember.


Langham Dome in north Norfolk, one of only six remaining training domes in the country, was built in 1942 and sits on the edge of a former RAF base. Film of enemy planes was projected onto its walls for target practise. A museum in the restored concrete structure is now open to visitors following grants from English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 1986, plans to restore the dome at the former RAF Langham, seen at the forefront of both defence and attack during WW2, began more than 20 years go. The restoration of the 25ft (7.6m) tall and 40ft (12m) wide dome got under way in 2013 after the project secured grants of nearly Â£650,000. One of the key issues was to protect the metal grid framework on which the dome is based, said the Friends of Langham Dome. Extensive work, involving 17 tonnes of rendering sand on the shell, was also required to ensure it was watertight. Malcolm Crowder, from the North Norfolk Historic Buildings Trust, said: "The dome was built essentially as a temporary structure over 70 years ago. "Crumbling concrete on the outer surface had allowed water to get in, causing serious deterioration to the metal framework. This became a vicious circle of decay for both the concrete and metal structure. "This situation has been reversed and the building... is now fit to grace the Norfolk skyline and educate the public for at least another 50 years. It's a truly outstanding heritage project achievement." The Langham Dome Museum is open until the end of October.

Summary: Restoration on an at-risk World War Two building which was used to train anti-aircraft gunners has been completed.


The 2-1 home triumph earned Livi an unassailable 16-point lead at the summit with four games remaining. After a flying Alloa start, the hosts' Josh Mullin and Jackson Longridge scored either side of half-time. Dylan Mackin pulled one back for the Wasps, but Livi squeezed home, sealing their return to the Championship at the first time of asking. Livingston needed only to avoid defeat to secure promotion, but when the visitors struck the post twice in the opening six minutes, a title-clinching result looked far from straightforward. That was until Pittman produced a sweetly-struck 35-yard drive to nudge the home side ahead after 17 minutes - a lead they preserved until the interval. David Hopkin's men upped the ante as the second half began, Longridge cutting in from the left flank and curling a right-foot shop beyond Neil Parry in the Alloa goal. Livi's prolific Liam Buchanan was denied a 26th goal of the season when his penalty struck the post, and he illegally converted the rebound before any other player had touched the ball. Mackin halved the deficit with 24 minutes to play, capitalising on confusion in the Livi box following a corner, and subjecting the home fans to a tense finale before the celebrations could begin. Livingston manager David Hopkin: "I'm delighted for my team, my staff and everyone that's worked hard to get us back where we belong in the Championship. "We went top in October and stayed there ever since. It's great credit to the players. Every one of them has been fantastic. "It was important we bought right, and I made sure I did my homework to get people in. I knew Mikey Miller, Sean Crichton from my days at Morton, I knew they'd won the league, I knew Sean Burn had won the league. "It was important I tried to get these guys in to try and mould a team and a squad together that had already seen this league through. It's a very difficult league, there are lot of good players and good managers in it. I'm delighted that we've kept going and got over the line." Match ends, Livingston 2, Alloa Athletic 1. Second Half ends, Livingston 2, Alloa Athletic 1. Attempt missed. Jason Marr (Alloa Athletic) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Corner, Alloa Athletic. Conceded by Alan Lithgow. Corner, Alloa Athletic. Conceded by Craig Halkett. Attempt blocked. Calum Waters (Alloa Athletic) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Foul by Alan Lithgow (Livingston). Stefan McCluskey (Alloa Athletic) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Substitution, Livingston. Nikolay Todorov replaces Daniel Mullen. Corner, Livingston. Conceded by Andy Graham. Attempt saved. Nicky Cadden (Livingston) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is saved in the bottom left corner. Foul by Stefan McCluskey (Alloa Athletic). Scott Pittman (Livingston) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jason Marr (Alloa Athletic). Daniel Mullen (Livingston) wins a free kick on the left wing. Attempt missed. Calum Waters (Alloa Athletic) left footed shot

Summary: Livingston clinched the Scottish League One title with a victory over nearest rivals Alloa Athletic.


The sixth-placed Shrimpers had influential midfielder Ryan Leonard sent off 20 minutes from time when the game was still goalless. But strikes from Nile Ranger and Theo Robinson and a stoppage-time penalty by Anthony Wordsworth saw Phil Brown's side secure a fourth successive victory. Oldham slightly shaded an uneventful first half but failed to seriously test the Shrimpers debutant goalkeeper Christian Walton. Latics would have fancied their chances when Leonard was dismissed for a late challenge on Ousmane Fane but the dismissal seemed to fire up Southend. Ranger broke the deadlock in the 75th minute when he netted for the fourth game in succession, tapping home an accurate cross from Robinson. Three minutes later, Robinson headed home a right-wing free-kick from Wordsworth before Wordsworth completed the scoring from the penalty spot in stoppage time. The penalty was awarded after Peter Clarke brought down Jermaine McGlashan and Wordsworth made no mistake with a firm effort from 12 yards. Match report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Southend United 3, Oldham Athletic 0. Second Half ends, Southend United 3, Oldham Athletic 0. Goal! Southend United 3, Oldham Athletic 0. Anthony Wordsworth (Southend United) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner. Penalty Southend United. Jermaine McGlashan draws a foul in the penalty area. Penalty conceded by Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic) after a foul in the penalty area. Connor Ripley (Oldham Athletic) is shown the yellow card. Attempt missed. Oliver Banks (Oldham Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Theo Robinson (Southend United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Ryan McLaughlin (Oldham Athletic). Jermaine McGlashan (Southend United) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Anthony Gerrard (Oldham Athletic). Nile Ranger (Southend United) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic). Attempt saved. Michael Ngoo (Oldham Athletic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Foul by Nile Ranger (Southend United). Tope Obadeyi (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick on the left wing. Attempt missed. Lee Erwin (Oldham Athletic) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Substitution, Oldham Athletic. Aiden O'Neill replaces Paul Green. Nile Ranger (Southend United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Oliver Banks (Oldham Athletic). Attempt missed. Lee Erwin (Oldham Athletic) left footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Nile Ranger (Southend United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic). Substitution, Oldham Athletic. Ryan Flynn replaces Josh Law. Substitution, Oldham Athletic. Michael Ngoo replaces Ousmane Fane. Goal! Southend United 2, Oldham Athletic 0. Theo Robinson (Southend United) header from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Anthony Wordsworth with a cross. Ryan McLaughlin (Oldham Athletic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Jermaine McGlashan (Southend United) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Josh Law (Oldham Athletic). Goal! Southend United 1,

Summary: Ten-man Southend dug deep to secure a dramatic win over Oldham at Roots Hall.


Media playback is not supported on this device Off-spinner JP Duminy took a hat-trick and leg-spinner Imran Tahir 4-26 as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 133. The Proteas then eased to their target for the loss of only one wicket in 18 overs, with Quinton de Kock making an unbeaten 78. They go on to a last-four meeting with New Zealand or West Indies in Auckland on Tuesday. South Africa's first knockout victory in 23 years of playing World Cup cricket takes them to a first semi-final since a famous defeat by Australia in 1999. In reaching their target with 32 overs to spare, AB de Villiers' side also completed the fastest successful run chase in a World Cup knockout match as Sri Lanka, finalists in the previous two World Cups, wilted. Their lacklustre display was not befitting what turned out to be the final international match for Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara's last ODI. The duo have scored 117 international centuries between them. After the Proteas' pace bowlers made early inroads, the spin pair of Duminy and Tahir took advantage of a succession of loose shots, while South Africa were excellent in the field throughout. Sangakkara, on the back of four successive hundreds, made a painstaking 45 and Lahiru Thirimanne a counter-attacking 41, but no other batsman reached 20. To cap South Africa's day, wicketkeeper De Kock, who had managed only 53 runs in his six previous innings, returned to form with a string of cover drives. Still, their victory was built on a brilliant bowling performance after losing the toss on an excellent pitch. New-ball pair Kyle Abbott and Dale Steyn took the edges of Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne Dilshan respectively before Sangakkara and Thirimanne steadied with stand of 65. While Thirimanne was fluent through the off side, Sangakkara was stodgy, taking 16 balls to get off the mark and, at one point, having six from 42 balls. When Thirimanne became the first of the seven wickets to fall to spin, Sangakkara was forced to watch from the other end as the middle and lower order fell around him. With the ball holding in the pitch, Thirimanne patted back to Tahir and Jayawardene lobbed the same bowler to short mid-wicket. Duminy, filling the fifth bowler slot which has caused South Africa problems during the tournament, then got to work to become the first Proteas player to take a World Cup hat-trick. Media playback is not supported on this device Angelo Mathews was caught at mid-on and, in Duminy's next over, Nuwan Kulasekara feathered behind before debutant Tharindu Kaushal was pinned leg before. For 19-year-old Kaushal, it was a golden duck on his ODI debut having being added to the Sri Lanka squad on the morning of the match. Sangakkara was left to play a lone hand, but his attempt at aggression was ended with a slash to third man off Morne Morkel. He departed with 14,234 runs, a tally second only to Sachin Tendulkar, in 404 matches. This was the 150th one-dayer in which he batted with Jayawardene, who

Summary: South Africa cruised into the World Cup semi-finals with a one-sided thrashing of a sorry Sri Lanka in Sydney.


The MP for Horsham in West Sussex said it was "time to make way for a younger candidate". Mr Maude held ministerial positions in the cabinets of Margaret Thatcher and John Major as well as David Cameron. He won his seat in the 2010 general election, defeating the Liberal Democrats, with a majority of 11,460. In a letter to the Horsham Conservative Association, he said: "I was first elected to the House of Commons in 1983 just before I was 30, and will be nearly 67 by the time of the election in 2020. "However, 27 years is a long time to serve as a member of parliament, and I believe now is the right time to make way for a younger candidate to carry the Conservative flag in Horsham." Mr Maude was elected to the House of Commons in 1983 as MP for North Warwickshire, where he served until 1992. After five years out of office he returned as MP for Horsham in 1997, which he has represented since.

Summary: Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has announced he is to stand down at the next election, 32 years after entering parliament.


He will take over from Sir Iain Lobban when he steps down this autumn after six years as director, Foreign Secretary William Hague announced. Mr Hannigan, 49, has been director general of defence and intelligence at the Foreign Office since 2010. Cheltenham-based GCHQ came under scrutiny after disclosures from ex-US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden. Mr Hague said: "As well as his impressive personal qualities, Robert brings to the job a wealth of relevant experience in the fields of national security, counter-terrorism and international relations. "I'd also like to thank Sir Iain Lobban for his consistently strong and professional leadership as director of GCHQ since 2008." Mr Hannigan's appointment has been agreed with Prime Minister David Cameron in consultation with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. Gloucestershire-born Mr Hannigan, a married father of two, has advised the prime minister on counter-terrorism, intelligence and security policy for a number of years. He said of his appointment: "It is a privilege to be asked to lead GCHQ, an organisation which is so central to keeping the people of this country safe. "I have great respect for the integrity and professionalism of the staff of GCHQ and for what they have achieved under the outstanding leadership of Iain Lobban. "I am excited about meeting the challenges of the coming years with them." Mr Hannigan previously worked as principal adviser to then prime minister Tony Blair on the Northern Ireland peace process. He was also responsible for the UK's first cyber security strategy and oversaw the first national security strategy, and has chaired Cobra emergency committee meetings on terrorist incidents. National Security Adviser Sir Kim Darroch, who led the recruitment process, said: "I am delighted Robert Hannigan has been appointed director, GCHQ. "He will bring energy, flair, deep knowledge and extensive experience to the role, and I look forward to working closely with him." Sir Kim thanked Sir Iain for doing "an absolutely outstanding job at an exceptionally testing time for the organisation". Sir Iain joined GCHQ in 1983, becoming director in June 2008. Last November, he became the first head of the agency to give evidence in public when he appeared before MPs on the Intelligence and Security Committee, alongside the heads of MI5 and MI6. They came under pressure to be more open after leaks by Mr Snowden revealed widespread spying by GCHQ and the US National Security Agency. Sir Iain told the committee Mr Snowden's disclosures had done immense damage to Britain's counter-terrorism efforts.

Summary: Robert Hannigan has been named as the new head of the UK's electronic surveillance agency GCHQ.


The Sussex academy wicketkeeper played for Jersey Under-19s in the Netherlands earlier in the year but has never appeared for the senior side. Opening batsman Dean Morrison, whose ineligibility for the island this summer was due to the amount of time he had spent overseas, is also selected. The annual 50-over match takes place in Guernsey on 7 September.

Summary: Jersey have named 15-year-old Jonty Jenner in their squad for next week's inter-insular game against Guernsey.


The local authority was expecting to have to tackle a funding gap of more than £21m, but that figure has been revised up to £40m. The council said the figure was reviewed following last week's UK government Autumn Statement. Senior councillors said they wanted to protect education from cuts and avoid compulsory redundancies. Council leader Margaret Davidson said the Autumn Statement had included a 4-5% cut to Scotland's budget and this would filter down to local authorities in terms of less funding from the Scottish government. She told BBC Alba that trying to find savings of £21m, which was on top of £10m of cuts already agreed for 2016-17, had been "bad enough". She added: "Now we are being told the gap could be up to £40m, almost double what we had been expecting." Ms Davidson said Highland Council would be calling for an end to the council tax freeze, as it has done in the past, to allow it to generate more revenue. Budget leader Bill Fernie described the savings local authorities were having to make as the hardest since World War Two. Last week, Highland Council said it was looking at closing all its offices and schools from lunchtime on Fridays to help it save money. Views have been sought from the public on the plan and other ideas to help the council tackle a hole in its budget. Reducing the working and school week to 4.5 days would result in significant savings, the council has said.

Summary: Highland Council has said it must save more money in 2016-17 than it had previously thought.


Broncos led through Rhys Williams before Briscoe and Liam Sutcliffe posted two quick scores for the Rhinos. James Cunningham put London back ahead but tries from Briscoe and James Segeyaro made it 20-12 at the break. Jordan Lilley, Matty Achurch and Kallum Watkins extended Leeds' lead, and despite tries from Nick Slyney, Iliess Macani and Elliot Kear either side of Briscoe's third, Leeds secured victory. Leeds maintained their 100% record in the Qualifiers, having previously recorded victories over Featherstone and Hull KR. But there was more injury woe for the Rhinos as captain Danny McGuire limped off with an ankle injury in the first half. London Broncos head coach Andrew Henderson: "I am very proud of the efforts of the guys. "We put ourselves under pressure at times and we had to absorb that and I was pleased to see us finish the game off strongly, scoring some points at the back end of the game to make the score more respectable." Leeds head coach Brian McDermott: "There were spells where I thought we were really good and some other spells in the game where I thought we were very off. "We made some periods of the game look very difficult at times with our lack of energy, but also London gave it a good crack against us and they didn't fall off like perhaps Featherstone did last week." London Broncos: Walker; Williams, Hellewell, Kear, Macani; Soward, Barthau; Slyney, Cunningham, Ioane, Harrison, Garside, Bussey. Replacements: Ackers, Thackray, Battye, Offerdahl. Leeds Rhinos: Sutcliffe; Briscoe, Watkins, Keinhorst, Hall; Moon, McGuire; Galloway, Segeyaro, Garbutt, Ferres, Ablett, Jones-Buchanan. Replacements: Cuthbertson, Achurch, Mullally, Lilley. Referee: Chris Campbell

Summary: Tom Briscoe's hat-trick helped Leeds to an easy Qualifiers victory over London.


The animals were turned back from ferries at Larne and Belfast in the run up to Christmas. Several investigations are now under way. Some of the animals were voluntarily surrendered to animal welfare officers. Others were returned to the premises they had come from. A total of 760 vehicles were stopped and searched at the two ports. The joint operation involved officials from the Department of Agriculture and the Environment and several councils. It was mounted following concerns regarding potential illegal movements of commercial consignments of dogs. It focused on the welfare of the animals during transport, the identification of the animals and the licensing and registration of dog breeding businesses. In the case of dogs moving from the Irish Republic, checks were also made that they had pet passports and complied with relevant trade requirements. As part of the investigations, information will be shared with enforcement bodies in Great Britain and the Irish Republic. Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen said the operation showed the illegal movement of dogs through Northern Ireland's ports would not be tolerated.

Summary: More than 30 dogs have been stopped from being transported from Northern Ireland ports in an operation to prevent puppy trafficking.


Police said the tanker, transporting fuel to Nato forces in Afghanistan, was hit by a bomb overnight near the town of Landi Kotal in the Khyber region. People gathered to collect spilt fuel when another fire broke out, said one senior police official. At least 14 other Nato tankers were damaged in a separate attack nearby, at the Torkham border crossing. The region is a crucial transport route for supplies destined for Nato forces in Afghanistan but the convoys frequently come under attack from militants and criminals. Local official Shafeerullah Wazir said the tanker was hit by a small bomb in the early hours of the morning. "The oil tanker caught fire after a blast caused by a small bomb before dawn," the AFP news agency quoted him as saying. "Villagers from nearby houses rushed and started collecting oil coming out of the destroyed tanker after the fire had been extinguished. "Suddenly the fire erupted again and at least 15 people including five young boys who had been collecting oil in their buckets were burnt to death." There were no injuries at the separate attack at Torkham. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but there has been an increase in Taliban activity since al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden was killed in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad on 2 May. In the deadliest incident, more than 80 people were killed by a twin suicide bombing targeting police recruits in the north-west. On Friday, one person was killed and 10 injured when the Taliban attacked a US consulate convoy in Peshawar - the first attack on US interests since US commandos killed Bin Laden. The Pakistani Taliban said the bombing was to avenge his death.

Summary: A Nato oil tanker has exploded in northwest Pakistan, killing at least 15 people, say officials.


The double killer, who is in his 40s, is in the process of changing his name to start a new life, the court heard. The man, who was referred to as "C", had killed his ex-girlfriend and her new companion, the court heard. Anonymity was "necessary" for his reintegration into the community, the judges ruled. The anonymity issue came about after C, who was released in October, applied for a High Court judicial review of a decision by the home secretary to refuse him unescorted leave in the community. Stephen Knafler QC, appearing for C, accepted that his crimes were "high up on the scale of horrific". But he said legal challenges involving mental health patients should be held in private - or at least with the individual's identity protected. Lady Hale, the court's deputy president, described C's crimes as "horrendous" and said they had caused "incalculable distress to the families of the victims". But she said that without anonymity there was "a very real risk that the progress he has made during his long years of treatment in hospital would be put in jeopardy and his reintegration in the community, which was an important purpose of his transfer to hospital, will not succeed". "I would therefore allow this appeal and maintain the anonymity order in place," she said. She also said the public had a right to know what happened in the courts, and that sensible decisions were being made. But that "right to know" had to be balanced against the potential harm the disclosure of a patient's identity could cause to the patient "and perhaps also to the hospital, those treating him and other patients". The court judgement says the Parole Board agreed to the release of the man on life licence in September and had imposed a number of conditions. One of the conditions was that C continues to have psychiatric treatment.

Summary: A convicted murderer released on parole from a secure psychiatric unit has won his Supreme Court battle to keep his identity secret.


Alongside a picture of him waving goodbye, the 35-year-old Spain international wrote on Twitter: "Lived it. Loved it. Farewell beautiful game." He won club honours with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern and the World Cup and two European Championships. Alonso told Bayern's TV channel: "It wasn't an easy decision to make, but I believe it's the right time. He added: "I always thought it would be better to quit sooner rather than later. I still feel good, but I believe this is the right moment." Alonso joined Liverpool from Real Sociedad in 2004 and was part of a famous Champions League victory in Istanbul in his first season as the Reds came back from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AC Milan on penalties. He also claimed an FA Cup, a Uefa Super Cup and a Community Shield during his time at Anfield. He moved to Real Madrid in 2009 and won a second Champions League as well as the Spanish title before a switch to Germany in 2014, where he has helped Bayern win two Bundesliga titles and reach the quarter-finals of this year's Champions League - courtesy of a 10-2 aggregate win over Arsenal on Tuesday. Alonso played 114 times for Spain and scored 16 goals as the national side won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, either side of their maiden World Cup triumph in South Africa in 2010. His final appearance for his country came at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Media playback is not supported on this device

Summary: Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has confirmed he will retire when his contract expires in the summer.


The speech built on her article in The Times on Monday and is important for a number of reasons - not least its attempt to marry a general and widespread disillusion among the public that the economy "is not working for them" with a sense that the Conservative Party's driving philosophy is about more than free markets. The first of these is straight from the playbook of Mr Miliband; the second is from Lady Thatcher. Here's Mr Miliband at the time of the 2011 Labour Party conference where he announced plans to rein in "excessive pay". "This is not an anti-business message, this is an anti-business as usual message," he told the Today programme. And here's Mrs May today, on her plans to tackle the "unhealthy and growing gap" between what she deliberately describes as "bosses" and "workers". "It is not anti-business to suggest that big business needs to change," she said. Now, of course Mrs May would be likely to splutter into her morning cup of tea if there was any suggestion that Mr Miliband was guiding her politically. As she said in her speech this morning, the Home Secretary believes that Labour's approach to "equality" holds people back. And she insisted the Conservatives remained the party of enterprise. But Mrs May's pledges to put worker representatives on company boards (as well as "consumers"), to make shareholder votes on executive remuneration binding, to oblige companies to publish data on the pay multiple between a company's chief executive and the pay of the average worker, to have a "proper industrial strategy" that could be used to block takeovers such as Pfizer's attempt to buy AstraZeneca - all are certainly a substantial attempt to build the broadest of Tory tents. Further, they are a deliberate economic pitch for the centre ground of politics, to a level of detail many will be surprised by. Anyone who thought that a Conservative-led administration under Mrs May would not be interventionist when it comes to economic and business policy will certainly have to reconsider. Mrs May even had some words for policy makers at the Bank of England, saying that ultra-low interest rates had helped home owners over those struggling to clamber on the housing ladder. So, where does Lady Thatcher fit in? Rather more subtly, but still distinctly, in the line: "We don't just believe in markets, but in communities." Lady Thatcher was clear on her distrust of "big state" solutions and spoke regularly of communities of people, even "society" despite the oft-quoted line that there was "no such thing". She said that people should be allowed to get on and should prosper, as long as they played by the rules. Mrs May appears to be echoing the sentiment, replacing the "big state" with "big business" and "vested interests". She vowed to take them on, tying a reformist line directly from Robert Peel to Joseph Chamberlain to Lady Thatcher. Mrs May also spoke of "leading on behalf of the people". Many argue that Brexit uncertainty will make the fortunes of the UK economy over the coming

Summary: In her speech this morning - which has now taken on far more weight given that she is just about ready to measure the curtains for Number 10 - Theresa May laid out a set of policies that bring together two strands of thinking and two personalities who would not have been overly comfortable in each other's company - Ed Miliband and Margaret Thatcher.


Three policemen were shot dead by suspected al-Qaeda members in a village near the border with Burkina Faso. One soldier was killed and two others wounded when a military convoy was attacked close to Nigeria's border. Thursday's attacks came three days before Sunday's controversial presidential run-off election. The opposition has said they will not recognise the results of the vote, and their candidate Hama Amadou, is currently receiving medical treatment in Paris after spending months in jail. Niger's Interior Minister Hassimi Massaoudou says the attack in a market in Dolbel village close to Burkina Faso was the work of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magrib (AQIM), which has been active in the region. "The attackers were repelled, and we are currently sweeping the area," he told the AFP news agency. The other attack was carried out by four suicide bombers in southern Diffa region that has often been targeted by Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgents. A fifth suicide bomber, a young girl, was prevented from detonating her vest, Mr Massaoudou added. Niger has porous borders with Libya, Algeria, Mali and Burkina Faso, which have all been hit by AQIM recently, and Nigeria to the south - making it vulnerable to Islamist attacks. The country is rated by the UN as one of the world's least-developed nations and was recently named as the worst country to live in.

Summary: Islamist militants from al-Qaeda and Boko Haram have killed four security forces in two separate attacks in Niger, officials have said.


Deila's side host the team from his native Norway in a Europa League Group A match. Celtic have two points from their opening three games, with Molde leading the section on seven having beaten the Scottish champions last month. Media playback is not supported on this device "It's an enormous game, a must-win match," Sutton, 42, told BBC Scotland. "To have any chance of reaching the knockout stage they have to beat Molde and then Ajax at home in the next game." Sutton was asked what it would mean for Deila's future should Celtic not get their first win in the group. "There would be questions asked if Celtic were outplayed and out-thought by Molde, but let's cross that bridge and wait for the game on Thursday," replied the Englishman. Former Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea forward Sutton, who scored more than 60 goals in his six years at Celtic, expects Molde to travel to Glasgow with "no fear". "Most people thought at the outset that Molde were the weakest team in the group," he said. "I thought Fenerbahce, with all the money they've got, would be the strongest, but it hasn't proven to be that way. "Molde have turned out to be the surprise package. They've got a game plan and an attacking threat. "They sat in against Fenerbahce then hit them on the counter attack. Against Celtic, Celtic played well for 10 minutes then that was it. Molde will come to Glasgow with no fear. "After beating Celtic, they've won two games domestically and they'll fancy it. "But, from the Celtic point of view, the players have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Celtic should just go for it. They have to win. "It's a game in which Celtic and Ronny Deila have to make a statement after a bitterly disappointing performance in Norway. Now they have the chance to put it right. "To do that, first and foremost they have to keep a clean sheet, because there's goals in the team, with [Leigh] Griffiths, and now that [James] Forrest's back and [Kris] Commons is in there. [Jozo] Simunovic at the back should help too." Celtic's group campaign after they lost to Malmo in the Champions League play-off started with a 2-2 draw against Ajax - a match they finished with 10 men. They led 2-0 against Fenerbahce in the second round of fixtures, but defensive errors allowed the Turkish side to fight back and claim a draw. In Molde, defensive frailty was also apparent as Celtic went down 3-1, "There's been some catastrophic individual errors throughout the European campaign and I understand that Ronnie has to back his players, but some of their individual decision-making has been poor and ultimately it's cost Celtic," Sutton said. "They can't keep shipping goals - that's been the problem." Sutton, who played in Celtic's 2003 Uefa Cup final defeat by Porto, feels it's understandable for Deila and Celtic to be judged on their European performances. "It happened in my time under Martin O'Neill - and to Gordon Strachan, to Neil Lennon,"

Summary: Former striker Chris Sutton believes questions will most likely be asked over Ronny Deila's position if Celtic are "outplayed and out-thought by Molde".


However, Mahmud Nacua said it would be at least another year before Libya was in a position to release whatever information it holds. The move comes on the 24th anniversary of the of bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Scotland, which killed 270 people. Bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi died this year after being released in 2009. Megrahi, a Libyan agent, was released by the Scottish government on compassionate grounds, suffering from terminal prostate cancer. He remains the only person ever convicted of the bombing, but Scottish police hope to pursue other suspects in Libya following the country's revolution and downfall of Colonel Gaddafi in 2011. Scotland's top prosecutor recently wrote to the new Libyan prime minister for help and the UK government has said it was pressing Tripoli "for swift progress and co-operation" on the Lockerbie case. Mr Nacua told the BBC no formal agreement had yet been reached, but that Libya would open the files it holds on the case. He said that would only come when his government had fully established security and stability - a process he believes will take at least a year. In April of this year, Scotland's Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland travelled to Tripoli with the director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, requesting co-operation after the fall of Gaddafi. This was followed in May by a meeting with Libya's interim prime minister in London to discuss further inquires into the bombing. At the time, a Crown Office spokesman said: "The prime minister asked for clarification on a number of issues relating to the conduct of the proposed investigation in Libya and the lord advocate has undertaken to provide this. "The prime minister made it clear that he recognised the seriousness of this crime and following the clarification he would take this forward as a priority."

Summary: The new Libyan government in Tripoli is prepared to open all files relating to the Lockerbie bombing, the country's ambassador to the UK has confirmed.


Members of Unite employed by The OCS Group have rejected three separate offers during a long-running dispute. The union has 200 members with the company and said the majority are paid just Â£7.65 an hour. The OCS Group said it was in "active discussion" with the union and hoped for a "swift resolution". Unite regional officer Jamie Major said: "OCS doesn't seem serious about settling this dispute. "At the last meeting, management gave four separate options, none of which represented an improved offer... "OCS was simply manipulating figures to rob better paid staff to fund workers on poverty pay." In a statement, the company said: "OCS is sorry that we have ended up in dispute... We hope for a swift resolution and we will be working towards that goal in the coming days. "OCS has made a serious offer to our staff and we remain in constant contact with them and the union. "We have responded to an invitation from Unite today to further talks and hope to arrange to meet in the coming week for further discussions." The ballot opens on Thursday and closes on 9 March. Unite warned of "significant strike action" if there is a yes vote.

Summary: Workers employed at Gatwick Airport to help passengers with reduced mobility are to vote on strike action in a row over pay.


There will be little space for civil society, no Western-style democracy and no listening to "well-fed foreigners who have nothing better to do than to lecture us". Instead the message of the Plenum is that President Xi wants a rules-based system in which a cleaned-up and competent Party/state bureaucracy continues to serve the "masses" unchallenged. Kleptocratic dictatorships which call themselves democratic are not thereby democratic. And the same applies to political parties which call themselves communist. The Chinese Communist Party is an entrenched ruling party whose guiding ideology is not Marxism but national "rejuvenation" and whose leader is now unashamedly reaching back to the language of his imperial forbears to unite his 1.3bn citizens. It would be easier for the world to understand if the Chinese Communist Party were to rename itself the Chinese Nationalist Party, but awkwardly that's the bunch the communists swept from power 65 years ago, so the name is forever off limits. Make no mistake though. Xi Jinping is a nationalist leader with a nationalist credo. In power for two years already, he has a further eight to go. If he can reform China's economy and hold its politics together, his era may see China overtake the US as the world's largest economy in absolute terms (it has just overtaken the US on the measure which takes account of differences in the cost of living). And by the time he leaves office in 2022, China may have built its own space station and assembled the military might to confront US strategic resolve in Asia. This is exactly what Xi Jinping means by "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation". But for China's "great rejuvenation" to succeed depends now on the success of enormously challenging economic reform, and that in turn depends on the resilience and flexibility of its politics. So what are Xi Jinping's politics? President Xi believes that China is special and different. As he puts it: "Several thousand years ago, the Chinese nation trod a path that was different from other nations." Two years into his leadership, the fond hope cherished by some dissidents and Western observers that he might be a closet liberal has been completely dashed. Since the US and China restored relations in 1979, successive US governments have argued that exposure to capitalism and globalisation would eventually bind China into the existing world order and advance the political freedoms that underpin it. But Xi Jinping has made it clear he has no time for either. Instead he is determined to make China's internal politics fit for a very different world order. And he is a more confident and purposeful leader than China has seen at the top since Mao Zedong or Deng Xiaoping. The evidence suggests that Xi Jinping simply doesn't believe in Western-style liberal democracy for China. Like many of his generation of Chinese leaders, he was dismayed by the collapse of communist rule in Moscow. He is famously reported to have said the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991 because "no-one had the balls to stand up for it". Observers often

Summary: At October's top level Communist Party meeting in Beijing, President Xi Jinping set out his vision for China's governance.


The UK's top employers recruited more graduates this year than they expected, says the High Fliers report, based on a poll of 18,000 final-year students. The increase is the biggest for four years and follows an unprecedented 23.3% dip between 2007 and 2009. But graduate numbers have increased by 85,000 to 365,000 since 2007. This suggests a further increase in graduate-level jobs will be required to keep pace with the higher number of graduates looking for work. The report says the average number of entry-level graduate roles on offer at the UK's top companies is now 190 per employer. And a third of these companies increased graduate recruitment targets for 2014. Overall a rise of 9% had been predicted, compared with the actual rise of 11.6% this year. The highest number of new graduate jobs are in the top accounting and professional services companies. This sector saw a 23.8% increase in graduate intake. The report says: "These latest results mark a very welcome improvement in the graduate job market and suggest that graduate recruitment at the leading employers is now at its highest level for seven years." Although competition for graduate jobs has eased slightly, it remains tough, with an average of 39 applications per vacancy. Four-fifths of the UK's leading employers require at least an upper-second-class degree. And employers received at least 50 applications per position for graduate jobs at: But more than two-thirds of companies plan to match or expand their recruitment levels next year. High Fliers managing director, Martin Birchall, said: "It's great news for the 'Class of 2014' leaving university this summer that Britain's top employers have stepped up their graduate recruitment so significantly this year."

Summary: The graduate job market has recovered to its pre-recession peak, with a 12% rise in the number of jobs for university leavers, a report says.


In total 14 tents were targeted, with cash, mobile phones, electrical items and credit cards stolen. The incidents took place in the Green Camping Area of the Dundrennan site in the early hours of Sunday. Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard anything suspicious in the area at the time. However, they praised the public in general for their good behaviour during the event. Police said said there were "only a few matters of minor disorder" reported and no cases of serious disorder or violence. There were 46 cases of drug possession and two cases relating to drug supply detected. Insp Stuart Davidson said: "We want to thank those who attended the festival for their generally good behaviour, and co-operation with the police and other agencies involved in the security and wellbeing of all those on site over the weekend. "We have developed good working relationships with the organisers over the years and this experience helped towards a professionally-run event. "I would also acknowledge the excellent standard of the security and stewards who assisted us over the weekend."

Summary: Police are investigating a spate of thefts on the Wickerman Festival site which were carried out while tent owners were sleeping.


His spokesman says Khodorkovsky and his wife travelled by train to Basel from Germany to accompany their two sons who are returning to their Swiss school. Khodorkovsky flew to Germany after his release on 20 December. He served 10 years in jail for fraud and tax evasion, but insists that his conviction was politically motivated. While travelling to Basel on Sunday, Khodorkovsky told Swiss TV he wanted to campaign for the release of prisoners. Q&A: Khodorkovsky and Russia Khodorkovsky: In quotes Profile: Mikhail Khodorkovsky "You can't remain quiet when you know that political prisoners languish in jail," he said. "I think campaigning for the release of those who have been jailed without justification is the job of every ordinary citizen. As far as I'm concerned, it has nothing to do with politics," he added. Khodorkovsky has not yet decided whether he wants to stay permanently in Switzerland, his spokesman said. The businessman made his fortune from the controversial privatisation of Soviet state assets. In 1995, he acquired oil giant Yukos. After President Vladimir Putin came to power Khodorkovsky made no secret of his support for the liberal opposition, In 2005 he received an eight-year jail sentence for tax evasion, fraud and embezzlement. Two years before his release date he was convicted again on further charges of embezzlement and money laundering. He had been due to be released next August, but requested a pardon because his mother is suffering from cancer. The pardon came after Russian MPs backed a wide-ranging amnesty for at least 20,000 prisoners. Two members of punk protest band Pussy Riot - jailed for staging a protest in a cathedral - have also recently been freed. Analysts say Mr Putin may have been trying to dampen international criticism of Russia's human rights record ahead of February's Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Summary: Ex-oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was freed from a Russian jail last month, has arrived in Switzerland where he has been granted a three-month visa.


The squeeze on real incomes continues to grow, though at a slower pace. Average weekly earnings increased by 2.1% compared with a year earlier - slightly higher than last month's 2% increase. But with inflation standing at 2.6%, real earnings still fell by 0.5%, the ONS figures showed. At 75.1%, the proportion of people in work is the highest it has been since 1971 - partly due to the introduction of a later state pension age for women. There were 32.07 million people in work in the three months to June - 338,000 more than for the same period last year. "The employment picture remains strong, with a new record high employment rate and another fall in the unemployment rate. Despite the strong jobs picture, however, real earnings continue to decline," said Office for National Statistics senior labour market statistician Matt Hughes. Analysis Andy Verity, economics correspondent Pay rises improved, up by 2.1% (excluding bonuses) compared with a consensus prediction of 2%. Maybe the economic theory was right after all - and pay is now ticking up because labour markets are tight. It remains, however, a long way short of what would be required to trigger the sort of wage-price spiral about which central bankers have been hyper-vigilant since the 1970s. That employees are prepared to accept wages that shrink by a tiny bit less than they did the last time these figures came out does not exactly bespeak a dramatic new assertion of workers' bargaining power. Read more from Andy here Jobs were created in the construction, accommodation and food services sectors and transport and storage industries. Pay rises improved, up by 2.1% (excluding bonuses) compared with a consensus prediction of 2%. The increase prompted some economists to suggest that wages may finally be responding to an economy which is closing in on full employment. It remains, however, a long way short of what would be required to trigger the sort of wage-price spiral about which central bankers have been hyper-vigilant since the 1970s. That employees are prepared to accept wages that shrink by a tiny bit less than they did the last time these figures came out does not exactly bespeak a dramatic new assertion of workers' bargaining power. Ruth Gregory, UK economist at Capital Economics said the figures gave some signs that the tighter labour market was leading to a recovery in wage growth. "Inflation is likely to fall back next year as the impact of the drop in the pound dwindles. What's more, the tightness of the labour market should deliver further rises in nominal wage growth over the coming quarters," she said. The pound rose rose against both the dollar and the euro following the positive news on jobs, recovering some of the ground lost on Tuesday, before losing most of those gains. However, productivity - or output per worker - continued to decline, the ONS said, issuing preliminary figures for the second quarter. Productivity was 0.1% lower than in the first quarter and "remains at around the same level as its pre-downturn peak". The number of

Summary: Unemployment in the UK fell by 57,000 in the three months to June, official figures show, bringing the jobless rate down to 4.4% - its lowest since 1975.


The blasts were heard at around 09:45 local time (07:45 GMT) in the Giza area and were around two minutes apart. Local media report that the bombs targeted police vehicles stationed near a bridge. Armed groups have stepped up their attacks in Egypt since the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi by the military in July last year. A BBC journalist at the scene says there is little obvious damage to the area. The attacks took place in Giza Square, a regular route for marches against the current government. Anti-military protests are expected in parts of the capital later, after Friday prayers. The current government has outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, declaring it a terrorist organisation. It accuses the movement of supporting attacks against the police and army - a claim the Brotherhood strongly denies. Since Mr Morsi's overthrow, more than 1,000 people have been killed and thousands of members of the Muslim Brotherhood - where the ousted leader hails from - have been detained in a crackdown by the interim authorities.

Summary: Six police officers have been wounded after two bombs went off in Cairo, the Egyptian health ministry says.


One Good Samaritan gifted £600 and another gave Sue Percival £180 following the burglary at her home at Tonypandy in Rhondda Cynon Taff. Her British Gas colleagues also raised £150 so she and her daughter were able to replace stolen goods like a laptop and three Android tablets. "Thanks to everyone. We have replaced everything " she said. "They have been so kind." The man who donated £600 wishes to remain anonymous and another set up a fundraising page after South Wales Police put out a plea for information following the burglary on Wednesday between 07:30 and 11:30 GMT. Ms Percival's grandchildren and daughter, Steph Summers, discovered the theft. Four-year-old Tristan, the first in the house, told her: "Mum, Santa's been. All the presents are open." Ms Percival said being a victim of burglary had been "devastating" as she felt it was an "invasion of privacy". She said she had not wanted to leave her home since the incident. She said neighbours had been supportive, giving her the confidence to go shopping to replace the stolen presents.

Summary: A grandmother has thanked well wishers who have saved her family's Christmas after a burglar stole £900 in presents.


Vern Cotter names his squad for the Championship on Tuesday, three months after a 35-34 quarter-final defeat. Referee Craig Joubert awarded the Wallabies a late penalty that replays suggested was an incorrect decision. "You feel you're over it and then you see something and it brings it all back," Hogg told BBC Scotland. "I was watching something on the TV a couple of weeks ago about the legacy of the World Cup and when us going out came up, it just brought back horrible memories. It was bitterly disappointing." Hogg is set to be included in a squad missing the injured Harlequins wing Tim Visser - ruled out of at least the first two games - and flanker Alasdair Strokosch, who retired from Test rugby after the World Cup. Another injury concern is Glasgow centre Mark Bennett, who was due to see a specialist on Monday to determine whether he needs an operation on his injured shoulder. The involvement of Warriors pair Ryan Wilson and Tim Swinson could hinge on the outcome of disciplinary proceedings against them following the European Champions Cup loss at Northampton. But club-mate and fellow midfielder Alex Dunbar could return to the Scotland fold after missing the World Cup with the after-effects of a knee injury sustained in training during last year's Six Nations. After the Calcutta Cup opener against England at Murrayfield on 6 February, Scotland travel to Cardiff - one of three away fixtures in this year's campaign - to face Wales in their second match a week later. Hogg says the squad will be desperate to banish the memories of not only their World Cup despair, but the embarrassment of a Six Nations whitewash last year. "It is another challenge for us now, but we can take immense confidence from the World Cup," said the 23-year-old, who has only tasted victory in three of his 19 Six Nations matches since his 2012 debut. "If I'm fortunate enough to be picked, hopefully we can produce something special in this Six Nations. England first up at Murrayfield is exactly what you want and it would be great to be part of that. "Getting a good couple of wins early doors would give us immense confidence going forward, and we'd be in the tournament if that happens. "We have let ourselves down in the last couple of Six Nations but we are looking forward to it." Hogg and his Glasgow team-mates will be hoping that joining up with Scotland provides a catalyst for rediscovering their World Cup form. Four successive defeats since Christmas have seen them slip to eighth in the Pro 12 table and effectively exit the European Champions Cup, after a third pool defeat on Sunday to Northampton. "Our target was to become the number one team in Europe and we've fallen short again," Hogg noted. "It's fine and well having good performances here and there but it's wins that we need. Europe is the be-all and end-all of club rugby so we're bitterly disappointed to no longer be part of it." After their final Champions

Summary: Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg says memories of their controversial World Cup exit to Australia are still raw as they prepare for the Six Nations.


The Washington Post says it obtained a 1991 phone conversation between a PR man calling himself John Miller, but sounding like Mr Trump, and a reporter. Mr Trump said the voice on the tape did not belong to him. Reporters who covered his early career say they regularly spoke to a Trump spokesman sounding exactly like him. They would hear from the "spokesman", named as John Miller or John Baron, when asking to interview Mr Trump. Mr Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee after pushing out more than a dozen Republican rivals in the race for the White House. Traditional Republicans are warming to him to unify the party and beat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Reacting to the Washington Post story on Friday, Mr Trump made his denial on the Today Show. "No, I don't know anything about it," he said. "You're telling me about it for the first time and it doesn't sound like my voice at all." "I have many, many people that are trying to imitate my voice and you can imagine that. This sounds like one of these scams, one of the many scams. It doesn't sound like me. "It was not me on the phone. And it doesn't sound like me on the phone, I will tell you that. It was not me on the phone." Donald Trump is an unusual man who often behaves, shall we say, unconventionally. There's plenty of evidence for this, whether or not he made calls 25 years ago pretending to be his own publicist. Many New York reporters are convinced that this is a bona fide recording of the billionaire, and the fact that he's (allegedly) boasting about his dating prowess and celebrity socialising probably isn't the kind of story Mr Trump wants circulating as he tries to present himself as a more serious general election candidate. This is just the start, however. While Mr Trump has been in the public eye for decades, and New York tabloid scrutiny can be daunting, nothing compares to the glare of the presidential spotlight. Given that this is Mr Trump's first foray into public office, his past will receive extra scrutiny - with more revelations to come. The Washington Post, for instance, has assigned a team of 20 reporters to sift through Mr Trump's background, from his business dealings to oddball stories. This latest episode definitely falls into the latter category. However, in 1990, Mr Trump admitted in court he and one of his employees used the name "John Baron" in business dealings during a case about undocumented Polish workers constructing Trump Tower. A lawyer for the workers said he received a call from someone named "Mr Baron" who threatened to sue if he did not drop a lawsuit over withheld pay for the workers, the New York Times reported. A reporter for People magazine contacted Mr Trump's office in 1991 to interview him about the end of his marriage to Ivana Trump and his relationship with model Marla Maples. The "media spokesman" called the reporter, Sue Carswell, back and began telling her

Summary: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has denied masquerading as a spokesman for himself in the 1990s after an audio tape was published.