The dataset contained 40,000 images - half of which were of men, half of women - but it is now offline. Stuart Colianni wrote a program to compile the cache of photos, intending to use them for machine learning research. Tinder accused Mr Colianni of violating its terms of service. Tech news site TechCrunch reported that the dataset originally contained many thousands of pictures from Tinder users in the Bay Area, around San Francisco in California. Some users had "multiple" photos scraped from their profiles, TechCrunch added. "Tinder gives you access to thousands of people within miles of you," wrote Mr Colianni on a web page that previously linked to the data. He explained that he was looking for a way of gathering more detailed data on human faces, adding, "Why not leverage Tinder to build a better, larger facial dataset?" He had added folders containing the photos to Kaggle, a Google-run service that allows programmers to experiment with artificial intelligence (AI) progams. AI algorithms can be trained on large sets of photographs in order to perform facial recognition tasks, but it is not clear what purpose Mr Colianni had in mind for the data. However, over the weekend he posted an update saying that he had removed the pictures. "I have spoken with representatives at Kaggle, and they have received a request from Tinder to remove the dataset," he explained. Tinder said it continued to implement measures "against the automated use" of its API (application programming interface), including steps "to deter and prevent scraping". "This person has violated our terms of service (Sec. 11) and we are taking appropriate action and investigating further," the statement added. The firm also noted that all profile images are available to anyone using the app. Programs that scrape data from the web - to compare prices on e-commerce websites, for example - are very common, noted Glenn Wilkinson, an independent security researcher. "People would have an assumption that their profile is quite private," he explained, but added that getting access to such data is not usually very difficult, even if it is prohibited - as in Tinder's case - by the terms and conditions of the service. There were potential privacy threats that could result from this, said Mr Wilkinson, pointing out that it might be possible to use profile pictures to connect people's identities on separate social media sites. "People do like to keep their dating and work life separate - but if you use the same photo on Tinder and LinkedIn, those things could get linked together," he told the BBC.

Summary: Tens of thousands of dating profile pictures were taken from Tinder by a programmer who then made them publicly available on the web.


The data would help ascertain which tower blocks fitted with cladding may be unsafe in the event of a fire. Lord Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association, said authorities lack the information they need to make such judgments. The test results, however, are considered commercially confidential. Lord Porter said: "The results that are done by the private sector must... be made public. Some tests have been done, but… the commercial companies that have done those tests are under no obligation [to share the information]." His call comes as the BBC learns that burning cladding on Grenfell Tower would have released 14 times more heat than a key government safety test allows. Lord Porter is seeking data from tests designed to check that cladding which contains combustible components is installed in a safe manner. These tests and studies would have taken place prior to the installation of cladding on buildings. They are the basis of the two principal routes for getting a proposed cladding design that uses combustible parts certified for use in a tall building. First, developers can seek approval for a design by testing the response to fire of a mock-up of their proposed cladding design in a laboratory - a so-called "fire test". Second, they can also by ask an engineer to certify that their design is similar to one that has already been tested - a so-called "desktop study". Some of the buildings discovered in recent weeks to have combustible exterior cladding may, in fact, be installed in a way that was robustly tested via a fire test. In such a case, removing the cladding may not be necessary. If, however, the cladding design has only been subjected to a desktop study, the evidence base supporting the cladding design may not be as robust. Newsnight has previously reported on cases where a desktop study argued that a design using aluminium composite panels did not need to be subjected to a fire test because it was similar enough to a design that had already been tested. That design, however, used ceramic tiles instead of aluminium panels - a material that behaves very differently in fire. The programme has also previously revealed that some building inspection agencies have approved buildings that use combustible cladding and insulation without even requesting a desktop study. In such cases, there may be no evidence at all supporting the design's safety. Officials have not, however, been able to obtain copies of tests and reports to establish how robust the evidence base is for each building. The reports are treated as commercially confidential and the intellectual property within them usually belongs to the makers of the insulation. Lord Porter told Newsnight that the laboratory responsible for doing most of the testing, the Buildings Research Establishment, "say that they can't share the test results… because they're subject to intellectual property… The tests that they've done belong to the companies." He said he was appealing to these companies to waive their rights to confidentiality. Lord Porter continued: "My worry is that the public will never have faith in

Summary: A local government leader has called for the release of confidential fire test data from private companies.


The Manchester United forward, 30, scored seven goals in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, but has not played since a knee injury in February. The top two scorers in this season's Premier League are both England strikers, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy. "Over the past two years my form for England has been really good. I've scored a lot of goals," Rooney said. "I'll keep trying to, first and foremost, help the team be successful and if I can score the goals to help achieve that then that'll be great. "I've still got a few years left, I feel," he told the PFA's 4 The Player magazine. "I'm always just thinking about what comes next and making sure I'm at my best for the summer. "I feel I'm a lot more patient now in my play. When I was younger I could be impatient and I'd end up in positions I didn't really need to be in."

Summary: England captain and record goalscorer Wayne Rooney is confident he has "a few years left" at international level.


It instead ordered a further investigation into money transfers. Questions arose over the business dealings of Mr Sharif's family when three of his children were linked to offshore accounts in the Panama Papers leaks in 2015. Mr Sharif and his family have denied any wrongdoing. They have dismissed the claims as politically motivated. The case has made headlines in recent months amid predictions it could determine the future of PM Sharif. About 1,500 police officers were deployed around the court in Islamabad. Protesters nearby urged Mr Sharif to step down with shouts of "Go Nawaz, Go Nawaz", Reuters reports. Stocks rose following the highly anticipated decision on Thursday. The Supreme Court agreed to investigate Mr Sharif's offshore wealth late last year after opposition leader Imran Khan threatened street protests. The focus of the probe was on the funds used to purchase property in London using offshore companies. Mr Sharif's daughter Maryam, tipped as a future political star, and his sons Hasan and Hussein are implicated in the allegations. Mr Sharif says the wealth was acquired legally. But his critics have suggested offshore companies were used to launder illegally-obtained wealth or avoid taxes. The Supreme Court's five-member bench was split on Thursday, with two judges voting against the prime minister but three choosing instead to order a further probe. Mr Sharif's party, the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), hailed the decision and his daughter Maryam tweeted: "Praise and glory be to Allah alone." Both the prime minister's supporters and his critics have been claiming today's decision as a victory. The prime minister wasn't disqualified - and that was the big fear he and his party had. Similarly, he hasn't been asked to step aside whilst this new investigation takes place. However, opponents of the prime minster point out that two out of the five judges did recommend Nawaz Sharif should be disqualified, and the other three all felt further investigation was needed. The prime minister's team will hope that the complex nature of the investigation could see any recommendation it reaches kicked into the long grass. In the meantime, they may try and unveil new voter-friendly policies to take the sting out of this case. At the same time Imran Khan's PTI party, which has led the corruption allegations, will hope to keep the case in the headlines ahead of elections due to take place next year. Investigators will now focus on how the family members transferred money to Qatar. PM Sharif and his daughter told the Supreme Court last November that their London property was bought through investments in companies owned by the Qatari ruling family. But the opposition in Pakistan has dismissed the claims as "fake". The so-called Panama Papers - 11 million secret documents leaked from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca - set out the offshore financial activities of political and business leaders and the wealthy elite around the world. There are legitimate ways of using tax havens and offshore companies, although these entities are often used to hide the true owners of assets or avoid paying tax on

Summary: Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled there is insufficient evidence of corruption to remove Nawaz Sharif from the role of prime minister.


Last week the IOC said individual sports' governing bodies must decide if Russian competitors are clean amid claims of state-sponsored doping. But it now says the newly convened panel "will decide whether to accept or reject that final proposal". More than 250 Russian athletes have so far been cleared to compete. The three-person panel comprises Ugur Erdener, president of World Archery and head of the IOC medical and scientific commission, Claudia Bokel of the IOC athletes commission, and Spanish IOC member Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr, son of the ex-IOC president of the same name. The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) had recommended all Russian athletes be banned after its independently commissioned report found evidence of a four-year "doping programme" across the "vast majority" of Olympic sports. The IOC stopped short of applying a blanket ban in a move criticised by Wada and others, while swimmers Vladimir Morozov and Nikita Lobintsev have become the first Russian athletes to appeal against their ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Olympics start in Rio on Friday. Meanwhile, Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova has asked again for the IOC to reassess her exclusion from Rio. The 800m runner's testimony helped shed light on the scale of doping in Russian sport, and she was to compete under a neutral flag in Rio. But the IOC ruled that she should not be allowed to take part as she had previously failed a doping test. In a letter to the IOC on Saturday, Stepanova and her husband Vitaly asked the body to "reassess the decision on Yulia". The IOC responded by saying it had rejected any review of her case and had not discussed the matter at its executive board meeting. "The final decision has been taken already," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.

Summary: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) says a three-person panel will have the final say on which Russian athletes can compete at the Rio Games.


Doug Paulley, from Wetherby, was denied access to a First Group bus when a woman with a pushchair refused to move. Senior judges overturned an earlier ruling which said the firm's wheelchair policy was discriminatory and breached the Equality Act. Mr Paulley has now lodged permission to appeal papers with the Supreme Court. According to the appeal papers the Court of Appeal's decision was "wholly inconsistent with the policy of the Equality Act 2010". Mr Paulley said he was prepared to take the case "as far as it needs to go". "Disabled people chained themselves to buses in the 1990s to make sure accessible buses were put on routes, but there's no point in having them if you can't use them," he said. In 2013 Leeds County Court ruled First Group's "first come first served" policy was unlawful and said disabled users should have priority access to wheelchair spaces. However, last year the Court of Appeal said the "proper remedy" for wheelchair users to get improvements was to ask Parliament. A spokeswoman for solicitors Unity Law, which represents Mr Paulley, said First Bus Group had indicated it objects to the application. She said a panel of Law Lords will have to consider whether to allow the appeal. Mr Paulley's case is being supported and funded by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). A spokeswoman said: "This case is of enormous importance to the thousands of wheelchair users who may wish to use public transport such as buses without having the anxiety of being told they cannot travel because the space is being occupied by buggies." First Group told the BBC it was preparing a response.

Summary: A disabled man who won a court ruling over bus wheelchair access which was later overturned has launched a bid to take the case to the Supreme Court.


The woman was arrested and had her passport confiscated after she claimed she was raped by two British men. The Dubai Public Prosecutor's office said it had closed the case after "careful examination of all evidence". It said investigations showed "the act happened with the consent of the three parties in question". A video on one of the suspect's mobile phones was found to be "key evidence". Officials said there would be no legal action and all three parties were in the process of receiving their passports and were free to leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The woman's father said he had received "conflicting stories" saying that his daughter had been released, but he said the Foreign Office had not confirmed anything yet. The woman, in her 20s, reported the alleged rape at a police station in late October, a statement from the prosecutor's office said. She was reported to have been holidaying in Dubai. The two male suspects were also arrested, questioned and had their passports confiscated, but no charges were filed against them. The campaign group, Detained in Dubai, said it was pleased with the decision. "We expect that the international outrage that this case deserved, influenced authorities to drop the charges, in order to spare the UAE of such negative press. "Others in the past have not been so fortunate but we hope that this landmarks a fresh approach to similar cases in the future." The public prosecutor's office said Dubai's legal system takes reports of all crimes "very seriously, including and especially violence against women, and conducts thorough investigations of all incidents". In Dubai all sex outside of marriage is illegal. If authorities become aware of a sexual relationship, those involved risk prosecution, imprisonment and/or fine and deportation.

Summary: A British woman, who was charged with having extra-marital sex in Dubai after reporting she was raped, has had all charges against her dropped.


Rob Stewart was speaking after plans were unveiled for 3,500-seat arena, an aquarium and a city beach area with bars, restaurants, hotels and homes. It will be the biggest landscape change since the city was blitzed during World War Two and is expected to lead to about 1,700 permanent jobs. Swansea council unveiled the plans on Friday with work due to start in 2017. It comes 10 years after a flagship scheme to redevelop Swansea city centre collapsed. Mr Stewart said: "We've been very careful to make sure what we've proposed is deliverable. We're very confident we have the right developers and right funders." Two developers - Rivington Land and Acme and Trebor Developments - have been appointed and construction work will bring about 500 jobs. The main areas to be worked on are the former St David's shopping centre, land next to the leisure centre and the civic centre site. Mr Stewart added: "People quite rightly would want to see us get on with this as soon as possible. "We are already in discussions with Welsh government, with the UK department of trade and industry in London, to make sure we can take these plans forward as quickly as possible." It will run from Whitewalls, include a cafe quarter and be built on an incline so that at the other end, people can walk straight over Oystermouth Road to where the arena will be, hosting concerts, shows, conferences and ice skating. There will also be a high-rise building next to it comprising of a hotel and flats and could become the tallest in Wales. An access route will run from there to the aquarium and city beach.

Summary: A new £500m plan to transform Swansea city centre will succeed, the leader of the city's council has said.


The girls' names were put on Twitter by the president's office on Sunday. They were flown to the capital Abuja. But in Chibok, their home region in north-eastern Nigeria, not everyone has access to the social media site. It is unclear if the government has made other attempts to let them know if their daughters are now safe. On Monday, people were checking the newspapers to see who was on the list and decide whether to make the journey to Abuja, according to the Associated Press news agency. Even parents in Abuja - where the 82 girls were flown in order to meet President Muhammadu Buhari before he left the country for medical treatment - were waiting to see if they would be reunited with their daughters. Esther Yakubu told the BBC the last three years had been a "horrible nightmare" but that even the possibility of her daughter having been rescued was giving her hope. "Whether she is among the freed ones or not, I am very happy," she said. "We started this year with 24 [returned girls] and now we have 106. It is a large number, and we have hope that, if they are alive, they will come back. "I have never been happy in my life like today. I am a mother. I accept any child that is back. My baby will be back soon, if she is among them or if she isn't." It is being reported that the girls were handed over on Saturday in exchange for five Boko Haram suspects after negotiations - a deal which has been criticised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi. In a statement, the PDP faction said the exchange had allowed terrorists to escape punishment and would embolden them to carry out further kidnappings, while the "piecemeal" release of the girls meant they still held bargaining chips. But according to lawyer Zannah Mustapha, who has acted as a mediator between the Nigerian government and the extremists, some of the girls rejected the opportunity to return home. Exactly what their motivations are remains unclear, but there is speculation they may have been radicalised, or are too ashamed to return. "Some girls refused to return... I have never talked to one of the girls about their reasons," Mr Mustapha told Reuters news agency. Boko Haram is thought to still be holding more than 100 of the original 276 girls taken from a school in north-eastern Nigeria in 2014. They are far from the only people abducted by the extremist group. Amnesty International has recorded 41 cases of mass abductions in the last three years. It puts the number of women and children kidnapped at at least 2,000. For those parents receiving good news in the coming days, the wait may not be over. None of the 21 girls who were released in October have been able to move back home, and nearly seven months later they are still being held on a military re-integration programme. They did go back to Chibok at Christmas time last year, but

Summary: Parents of the missing Chibok girls are slowly learning if their daughters are among the 82 freed by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria two days ago.


Germany-born Faas won four major photo prizes, including two Pulitzers, during his career, and served as AP's Saigon photo chief at the height of the war. In Saigon he trained and mentored young Vietnamese photographers who captured many of the war's defining images. Faas was injured in 1967 and later used a wheelchair for many years. He died after suffering years of health problems, including paralysis from the waist down. "Horst Faas was a giant in the world of photojournalism whose extraordinary commitment to telling difficult stories was unique and remarkable," said Santiago Lyon, AP's global head of photography. "He was an exceptional talent both behind the camera and editing the work of others and even in the grimmest circumstances he always made sure to live life to the fullest," Lyon said. "He will be sorely missed by scores of colleagues, especially that reduced group with whom he covered conflict, particularly the Vietnam generation." Speaking to the BBC in 2007, Faas described his job in simple terms. "I tried to be in the newspapers every day, to beat the opposition with better photos. I didn't try to do anything grandiose. The photos were used and published and asked for, becuase Vietnam was on the front pages year after year after. "I lived from day to day, from event to event. It was a perfect story for an agency photographer." He began his career covering conflicts in 1960, four years after joining the Associated Press (AP). He worked in what was then Zaire, and in Algeria, before relocating to Vietnam, where he won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1965. Accepting the award, he said he aimed to "record the suffering, the emotions and the sacrifices of both Americans and Vietnamese in... this little bloodstained country so far away," AP said. He had a front row view of much of that suffering. When not in the midst of the conflict, Faas worked at AP's Saigon base, viewing and selecting images from his photographers to transmit on the wire to the rest of the world. Under his direction, AP photographers captured images that quickly became synonymous with the long war: among the most notable were Eddie Adams' image of the execution of a Viet Cong suspect and Nick Ut's picture of a naked Vietnamese girl fleeing a napalm attack. Despite being injured in 1967, he stayed in the country until 1970. "I don't think anyone stayed longer, took more risks or showed greater devotion to his work and his colleagues," said New York Times journalist David Halberstam, who once lived with Haas. "I think of him as nothing less than a genius."

Summary: Celebrated combat photographer Horst Faas, who covered the Vietnam War for the Associated Press, has died aged 79, his daughter says.


Pvt George Fly lent the instrument to five-year-old Edna a year after surviving the Battle of Jutland. After keeping it in the family, Edna's daughter Marian Le May has now handed it back to the Royal Marines School of Music in Portsmouth. The school said it would be "proudly displayed" in its percussion suites Mr Fly joined the Royal Marines Light Infantry Divisional Band in Portsmouth in 1894. In 1915 he was drafted to the light cruiser HMS Castor which took part in the Battle of Jutland. He died in 1934 aged 58. His family believe he gave Edna the tambourine to use while dancing round the maypole at St Vincent's Royal Marines School at Gosport where she was a pupil. Mrs Le May, 74, said it had become "part of our family history". "It was never hidden away or forgotten about. But my grandchildren don't want it - they have plenty of other things to play with - so we spoke to the Royal Marines Band Service and they were pleased to have it," she said. James Pinney, marketing manager at the school, said: "It will be proudly displayed in a prominent position where trainee musicians can see it and read about one of their brave predecessors."

Summary: A tambourine borrowed by a Royal Marines bandsman for his daughter's May Day celebrations in 1917 has been returned 99 years later.


Officers working on a missing person inquiry made the discovery in Market Street at about 23:55 on Wednesday. A man has been detained and is helping police with their inquiries. A Police Scotland spokesman said: "The investigation into the circumstances is in the very early stages of establishing who the remains belong to and how that person died." He added: "Our inquiries have taken us to a number of addresses in the Montrose area where there is likely to be a police presence for some considerable time."

Summary: Police have found what are believed to be human remains at a house in Montrose.


Anyone caught smoking in a vehicle in front of a child or youth under the age of 18 will be fined 100 euros (£73). Failure to pay the fine, or to stop a vehicle and give personal details to the police could lead to a prosecution and 1,000 euros (£727) penalty. A similar ban is being considered by the Northern Ireland Assembly. Earlier this month, Stormont Health Minister Simon Hamilton announced an amendment to a bill currently going through the assembly, which if passed, would now mean smoking in cars with children would be illegal anywhere on the island of Ireland. The Irish government signed its ban into law this week, under the Protection of Children's Health (Tobacco Smoke in Mechanically Propelled Vehicles) Act. The details were announced by Minister for Children Dr James Reilly and Minister for Health Leo Varadkar. Mr Reilly said it was a central part of his government's "Tobacco Free Ireland" policy. "The Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Study 2014 found that nearly one in every five children between the ages of 10 and 17 years are exposed to toxic, carcinogenic smoke in cars," he said. "Even if windows of the car are open the young person is not protected from the harmful effect of second-hand smoke." Mr Varadkar said: "Children are more susceptible to the effects of second-hand smoke and may not be able to avoid exposure. "Second hand smoke is particularly harmful to children in enclosed spaces, such as cars." Under the new law, drivers and passengers will be banned from smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes when they are inside a vehicle with someone under the age of 18. Drivers will also be held responsible if they allow their passengers to smoke in front of children. The legislation does not apply to electronic cigarettes, which are exempt from the ban. In Great Britain, a law banning smoking in vehicles carrying children came into force in England and Wales in October. The Scotland government is planning to legislate on the issue next year.

Summary: A ban on smoking in vehicles when children are present will come into effect in the Republic of Ireland on New Year's Day, 1 January 2016.


The visitors took an unexpected lead after just four minutes when Robbie Crawford beat three men on his way to an excellent solo goal. Hibs went on to dominate possession, but they were out of sorts and struggled to create clear chances. Even once they equalised, Hibs were unable to secure a win, wth Grant Holt's header cleared off the line. The result nudges Hibs nine points clear of Dundee United, who can reduce the gap at home to Raith Rovers in the evening kick-off. Hibs suffered their setback early enough to initially consider it an inconvenience. The home fans were stunned when Crawford gathered the ball 25 yards out, to the right of the penalty area, then set-off on a run towards goal. He might not have had a plan in place, but his impetuosity took him into the danger area, and past three challenges as he jinked and weaved with the ball. Eventually, he was in a position to shoot and his low effort seemed to bobble underneath the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw. The home side have to have been resilient enough to respond, but there was a lacklustre quality to their play. Even with two fast wingers in Chris Humphrey and Martin Boyle, they failed to turn the Ayr defence. Passing was laboured, and there were symbolic moments across the field, such as James Keatings tackling his own team-mate, John McGinn, on the edge of the Ayr penalty area and Lewis Stevenson throwing the ball straight to an opponent deep inside his own half. There were inevitably half-chances, given how much possession Hibs enjoyed, but Andrew Shinnie's effort at the near post from Keatings' cross was blocked by Ayr goalkeeper Greg Fleming. Just before the interval, Shinnie also headed over. Hard words would have been spoken in the home dressing room, and Humphrey didn't reappear as Hibs boss Neil Lennon sent on Holt. Soon after the restart, Hibs' top scorer, Cummings, also made his way off the bench. By then, the home side were utterly dominating the ball, but Ayr were defending manfully and Nicky Devlin headed off the line. The pressure eventually told, though, as Cummings applied the finishing touch with his head to Keatings' cross. There was a desperate search for a winning goal, with Cummings' long-range effort pushed away and Holt's header cleared off the line by Brian Gilmour. Ayr, though, held on. Hibernian manager Neil Lennon: "The first-half performance was awful and the goal we conceded was symptomatic of the way we played. The second half was a lot better, so I'm pleased we showed a bit of character to get something out of the game. It feels like we dropped a couple of points, no question. "Our build-up play was poor, pedestrian, looked like there was a bit of panic out there at times. I don't know where that's come from. In the second half we made a few changes and got the goal we deserved and on balance should probably have won. "We forced the game in the second half, but

Summary: Championship leaders Hibernian needed a Jason Cummings header to rescue a point against second bottom Ayr United.


However, not all attendees at the "Oscars of the East Coast" party are strictly adhering to the chosen theme. The annual gala brings in millions for the museum's Costume Institute. Last year, A-listers from film, music, sports and fashion were asked to dress to the theme of Chinese influences on western fashion - with varying success. This year, the exhibit is "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology." The chairwoman of the invitation-only extravaganza is American Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who has been organising the gala for nearly 20 years. This year, tickets cost $30,000 (Â£20,456) per person - but despite the prices it is one of the hardest parties to get in to. Privacy of the guests is intensely guarded, and posting on social media after they have walked the red carpet and entered the event has been banned since last year. Last year, more than $12m was raised for the museum's Costume Institute.

Summary: Celebrities at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art have gone metallic as this year's Met Ball celebrates the convergence of man and machine.


The study is based on a century's worth of observational data drawn from 100 river basins across the world. It reveals a significant increase in the water being "lost" to the atmosphere as a direct result of human activity. This occurs through evaporation from land and water surfaces, and from plants as they transpire. The old estimates of human water consumption add up to a staggering number: 9,100 cubic km per year. This volume is about twice the size of Lake Michigan in the US. Fernando Jaramillo and Georgia Destouni from Stockholm University in Sweden have now used freely available data to update these assessments, to reveal a more precise picture of how much humans are impacting the natural water cycle at the global scale. Their research suggests human water management strategies are responsible for an additional quantity of water the size of Lake Ontario being transferred to the atmosphere - a significant element of consumption that the earlier approaches had underestimated. It means the human water footprint is actually closer to 10,700 cu km a year. "Previous assessments of human water consumption were mainly based on national statistics and global scale models. The novelty of this study is that it's based on data," Dr Jaramillo emphasized. The team has published its work in Science magazine. A presentation was also made this week to the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union - the world's largest annual gathering of Earth scientists. The authors explained that water consumption by humans goes beyond drinking water, industrial water, and water for municipalities. Water that would normally be in rivers but ends up being in the atmosphere as vapour due to human activity has been largely overlooked, and this is what the authors focused on. "The loss is from the landscape through the atmosphere and that leaves less water for both humans and other ecosystems in the landscape", Prof Destouni explained. This displacement of water into the atmosphere occurs through water evaporation or through transpiration by plants. So the total flow of water to the atmosphere is given by evapotranspiration. "We used a simple water budget: water lost by evapotranspiration is precipitation minus water runoff," Dr Jaramillo answered when asked how they used the data. Looking at their data, the scientists could see an increase in evapotranspiration when comparing the first and second halves of the last century. The question they then asked was how much of this change was being driven by human activity. They found that areas previously identified as having experienced the ecological consequences of dams and irrigation also showed the biggest increase in evapotranspiration. "Dam and irrigation developments - even though local - have a big global impact on human water consumption. That's what has not been calculated before and what we've estimated in this paper," Prof Destouni said. "The water footprint could be up to 20% larger than previously estimated," Dr Jaramillo revealed. "In dry areas, reducing the water in the environment can have an enormous impact on humans and ecosystems. In a wet landscape, it is in relative terms not

Summary: New calculations show that our already sizeable water footprint is 18% bigger than we thought.


The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, says the 16 million fares currently on offer are "baffling" for passengers. It wants to ensure passengers are offered the cheapest possible fares. The trial, starting from May, will initially benefit people travelling between Scotland and south-west England. A traveller buying an off-peak return from Wick, in northern Scotland, to Par, in Cornwall, can currently pay up to £342.50, although in practice few people pay that amount. However, by buying six separate fares for each leg of the journey, passengers can pay as little as £80 for the same trip. That would involve buying tickets from Wick to Inverness, Inverness to Edinburgh and Edinburgh to Par. The RDG says the potential saving of £262 will soon be offered to customers automatically. CrossCountry Trains, the main operator taking part in the trials, may eventually offer savings on other routes as well. Passengers travelling between London and Glasgow, or London and Edinburgh on Virgin Trains, will also benefit from clearer pricing. Operators currently have to offer a return fare between these cities, which is regulated by the government. But the RDG says it would be more transparent - and possibly cheaper - for commuters if single fares were regulated instead. It wants more booking of single fares - at ticket offices and ticket machines, as well as on the internet. Ticket machines on stations will also be updated, to make sure they show the cheapest fares available. "We're determined to overhaul the system to cut out red-tape, jargon and complication to make it easier for customers to buy fares they can trust, including from ticket machines," said Jacqueline Starr, RDG director of customer experience. The trial will also see the removal of some historic fares which do not make sense. Ben Morris, business reporter In the British Rail era, rail fares were a relatively simple affair, with ticket prices worked out on a cost-per mile basis. But in the 1990s, in an effort to make the network more efficient, the operation of rail services was handed to private train operating companies (Tocs). The Tocs were given some freedom to set ticket prices, with advanced ticket bookings particularly important to them, as it helps them to keep their trains full. To protect passengers, other fares were regulated, including season tickets and off-peak fares. The result is a patchwork of fares, that becomes even more complicated when a passenger wants to cross several train regions. Savvy travellers have been taking advantage of this by splitting their journey into several tickets, rather than one through-ticket. Today's scheme aims to make those savings available to everyone. At the moment passengers travelling between London St Pancras and Sheffield pay extra to travel via Grantham, for example, even though it takes longer. Such fares date back to the pre-privatisation era of British Rail. News of the trial was welcomed by passenger groups. "What's clear from our research is that passengers find the ticketing system far too complex," said Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus. "The presence of cheaper fares that

Summary: Passengers using cross-country train routes could save up to £260 a journey, under a trial scheme to simplify fares.


The 23-year-old Wales forward has scored 11 goals during his season-long loan at Portman Road from Premier League side Leicester City. "I think Tom will have his heart set on the Premier League and I think he'll get that," said McCarthy. "If Leicester are going to sell him, there'd be a lot of takers." He continued to BBC Radio Suffolk: "Tom has been brilliant and we've all loved him, everybody's really appreciated what he's done, but I think he has his heart set on Premier League football and why wouldn't he?" The Tractor Boys were assured of Championship safety thanks to Easter Monday's 3-1 defeat of promotion hopefuls Newcastle United. And McCarthy hinted that there could be a large turnover of players this summer as the club go into their 16th consecutive season in England's second tier. McCarthy said: "It's been tentative before being completely safe. I'll sit down and talk to (owner) Marcus (Evans) now about what we want to do and hopefully we can come up with something. "But there's a real opportunity to freshen it up because there are a lot of players out of contract and we've quite a few players on loan. "Do they want to stay? Do we want them? Can we have them? Can we sign them? There's all those things. We'll be losing a few players."

Summary: Championship side Ipswich Town have "no chance" of signing on-loan top scorer Tom Lawrence on a more permanent deal, according to manager Mick McCarthy.


The senior west London coroner Chinyere Inyama "inadvertently disposed" of a 30-page document of evidence against the chief suspect Arnis Zalkalns in November, police said. The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) tried to recover the file but concluded it had probably been destroyed. Alice went missing in August and her body was found in a river in September. Her family said they were "extremely concerned, bewildered and angry" that highly sensitive information about Alice had been lost. The force said the search for the missing 14-year-old was the largest investigation it had undertaken since the 7 July 2005 bomb attacks in London. Her body was found in the River Brent on 30 September 2014. The body of Arnis Zalkalns, 41, from Latvia, was found on 4 October, decomposed in woodland in west London. A post-mortem examination found he died from hanging. The following month, a copy of the police file against him was lost. Alice's family said: "We have looked to the police and coroner to help us through our awful loss. Yet now we learn they - either independently or together - have withheld from us the loss of this terribly sensitive information about Alice. "We are extremely concerned, bewildered and angry, and we have asked for a full written explanation as to what exactly happened and why we were not told." A spokesman for the Met said: "In November 2014 the MPS was informed by HM Coroner, London West, that he had inadvertently disposed of a single document relating to the police evidence against Arnis Zalkalns. "An investigation to recover it was undertaken. This concluded that it was highly likely it had been destroyed as waste." Police said details of the evidence against Zalkalns was provided to the media in January with the agreement of the CPS and the coroner. The coroner was given the file to assist in his preparations for the inquests into Alice Gross and Zalkalns' deaths. The Ministry of Justice said: "This clearly appears to be a troubling incident. A full investigation is now under way."

Summary: A copy of the police investigation file into the murder of schoolgirl Alice Gross was left by a coroner on a train.


At an earlier hearing, Det Sgt Matt Swash, 41, who is based at March police station, admitted accessing unauthorised information about a colleague on a police computer system. At Cambridge Crown Court, Swash was sentenced to two months in prison, suspended for 12 months. He remains suspended pending internal police misconduct proceedings. Cambridgeshire Police said Swash would face no further action over other charges, including 11 counts of sexual assault and two counts of misconduct in public office.

Summary: A Cambridgeshire police officer has been sentenced for an offence under the Computer Misuse Act.


Scientists have been getting up close and personal with white rhinos' dung heaps in South Africa, and found that they were leaving messages for other rhinos. It works because the different animals leave different chemicals in their poo, which other rhinos can smell to get clues about the rhino it came from. From those chemicals, you can work out the rhinos age, gender, whether it's looking for more territory, or is ready to mate. That's really important, because it means all the rhinos in the group know what's going on with each other so it's less likely they will fight. Researchers even got involved, by making fake poo pretending to be different rhinos. They found that dominant male rhinos acted different depending on which poo they were copying. For example, they were most interested in the fake poo which had the same chemicals as a female rhino that was ready to mate. The male sniffed it for longer, and came back to the same spot more. It's not unusual for animals to communicate through smells - that's why dogs often sniff around lamp-posts where other dogs have weed before. But rhinos are different because they use poo instead, and they leave it in the same place for all the other rhinos in their group to smell - like leaving messages on social media.

Summary: A new study says that rhinos have a smelly way to keep up with the gossip - leaving messages in poo.


The General Synod has given minimal concessions to traditionalist Anglicans who opposed the move. They had sought to be in the care of a male alternative bishop on terms acceptable to them. But the synod decided women bishops should be able to decide the identity and functions of any such bishop. The BBC's religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott said women bishops would have only to consult a code of practice guiding them in their dealings with traditionalists. He said the decision made during a synod meeting at York University had left a lot of division in its wake. Members of the synod decided there was no need for further delay to the progress of a draft law allowing women to be made bishops. The law must now receive approval from a majority of the Church's 44 diocesan synods, before returning to the General Synod. It must then receive a two-thirds majority at the General Synod before receiving parliamentary approval and the Royal Assent. Our correspondent said it had been an "extraordinary weekend of intense emotion" and although supporters were celebrating a breakthrough, some traditionalists had left the synod chamber in tears. Proposals to create a class of male-only bishops to oversee traditionalist parishes were rejected on Saturday. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, had put their personal prestige behind the compromise plan, which would have allowed parishes unwilling to serve under a woman bishop to call upon the oversight of a male alternative. It would also have given that alternative bishop considerable legally-backed independence and autonomy as part of a "joint jurisdiction" over those parishes. Although the proposal gained a majority of votes in the synod as a whole, it failed because clergy - who vote separately from lay people and bishops - defeated it by just five votes. Our correspondent said Dr Williams had put his reputation on the line with the compromise plan and would now be in a difficult position as he tried to deal with discontent traditionalists who would probably stay in the church. The proposals will now go out to dioceses and return to the synod in a year's time when there will be a final vote. Campaigner Christina Rees, a member of the General Synod and chairwoman of Women in the Church, told the Press Association the synod's decision on Monday was "a wonderful outcome". She said: "This is wonderful news. It is entirely consistent with what synod indicated it wanted two years ago. "In one sense I am not surprised but I am delighted, it is very, very good news." But traditionalists have warned that the decision could result in many of them leaving the Church of England. The Reverend Prebendary David Houlding, a leading member of the Catholic Group on the General Synod, said he was concerned and he felt as if traditionalists were running out of options. He told PA: "There are several people who will be making hard decisions about their future. "I am staying in the Church of England for the time being until I

Summary: The Church of England's ruling body has decided that women bishops should be allowed, but there are further steps to take before they can be ordained.


In the Islamic centre, blood smeared the floor and walls and bullet holes could still be seen in the aftermath of the carnage. Worshippers said they wanted to show the world the scene of the crime. Alleged gunman Alexandre Bissonette, 27, has been charged with six counts of murder and five of attempted murder. Mosque vice-president Mohamed Labidi, in an emotional news conference, said they were opening the mosque to show the consequences of hate and Islamophobia. He said they had been "attacked in the heart of their community". Mr Labadi also described the courage of one of the victims, Azzedine Soufiane, 57, who died trying to protect other worshippers as the gunman entered the mosque on Sunday during evening prayers. "When he saw the attacker recharge his gun, he ran quickly to immobilise him," said Mr Labadi. "But the attacker was quicker and shot him directly and he fell down here, he fell down here as a hero." He pointed to a patch of blood on the floor. "Without his intervention, we would have more martyrs." Mr Soufiane ran a halal butcher shop in the suburb of Sainte-Foy, down the street from the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre, and has been described as an important member of the local Muslim community. The six worshippers who died were immigrants who had moved to Quebec to seek a better life. The other victims were Khaled Belkacemi, 60, Abdelkrim Hassane, 41, Mamadou Tanou Barry, 42, Ibrahima Barry, 39, and Aboubaker Thabti, 44. The funerals for three, Mr Hassane, Mr Thabti and Mr Belkacemi, will be held in Montreal on Thursday and their bodies will be repatriated to their countries of origin. In the wake of the deadly shooting, Quebecers and their political leaders rallied around the province's Muslim community, with thousands attending vigils to commemorate those killed and injured.

Summary: The Quebec City mosque that was the scene of a deadly shooting on Sunday has opened its doors for the first the since the attack.


The route between Harwich, Essex and Esbjerg in Denmark, run by DFDS Seaways, has been in operation for nearly 140 years. The company said the route "has been struggling for a long time" and would not be able to take on costs associated with a new environmental law. The final ferry is to sail on Sunday. Chief executive of DFDS Seaways, Niel Smedegaard, said: "The route is of particular historical significance to DFDS so it's a very sad day for us all. "Our regrets go to our many passengers who must now see the last passenger ferry route between the UK and Scandinavia close." How popular are ferries? •Last year, 20.5 million people used ferries to travel abroad from the UK - the first year on year increase since 2010 •One of the most popular routes, between Dover and Calais, has had car ferries running since the 1930s •The number of passengers travelling from ports on the East Coast fell last year for the third consecutive year, to 2.2 million •A number of passenger routes linking Norway and Newcastle ceased running in 2008 •Ferries between Harwich and Hamburg in Germany were stopped in 2002 •Stena Line runs a ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. The line has seen an increase in passenger numbers in recent years From 1 January 2015, a European Union directive aimed at reducing sulphur dioxide emissions from ships will come into force. DFDS said this would have resulted in a £2m a year increase in the cost of the Harwich to Esbjerg ferry route. Mr Smedegaard said the company had not been able to reduce costs enough to enable the route to bear the extra charges. In June last year, the Sirena Seaways vessel running the Harwich-Esbjerg route hit the quay while docking and started to let in water. There were 489 passengers on board, but no-one was trapped or injured. The crash caused severe damage to the quay and holed the ferry in several places, some below the waterline. An investigation found one of the ship's back-up systems was keeping an engine running at 63% power when it was approaching the dock. This prevented tugs from moving the vessel so passengers could disembark safely. At the time, DFDS said changes were made to stop such an accident happening again.

Summary: The UK's only ferry link to Scandinavia is to close for good, marking the "the end of an era", its operator says.


Police launched a murder investigation after attending reports of fighting between two men in Bow, east London, at about 20:45 BST on Monday. Officers believe the fight began on a 488 bus and continued on Parnell Road. A man in his late 60s was found unconscious at the scene and later died in hospital. A 73-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and remains in police custody at an east London police station, where he is being questioned.

Summary: A 73-year-old man has been arrested after a fight that started on a bus led to another man's death.


If Scots were to be seven dwarves, that's what they might be called. (Until the nation's cynics get to work, of course.) Instead, they are the attributes with which Scotland's tourism agency is seeking to engage Scots and their spirit in making the country more attractive to visitors. There's a lot to do if VisitScotland and the industry are to hit an ambitious target. And it's one of the sectors that needs to succeed if Scotland is to turn around a formidable rise in its trade imbalance. The trade imbalance may not matter much, so long as Scotland is tied into the pound and part of the UK. But it is a useful indicator of economic health, and rather important to those who want to see another independence referendum. The Scottish government's figures for the whole Scottish economy have just been published, to cover the third quarter of last year, up to September. They show that, between July and September, Scots sold £6.1bn of goods and services overseas. They imported £5.1bn. That's a trade surplus, while the UK as a whole is running some very large external trade deficits. So that can't be bad for Scotland. But what about trade within the UK? Scots sold goods and services worth £10.4bn in the third quarter to the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The flow coming the other way was rather larger: £15.2bn. The trade deficit with the rest of the UK rose to £14bn in 2014, from an economy with total output of nearly £140bn. John McLaren, a keen observer of these numbers, who used to work for Public Finance Scotland, observes that the first nine months of last year saw that deteriorate sharply. Roughly £750m less was being sold to the rest of the UK, and £750m more was being bought from it. The fall in sales success to this dominant market, McLaren points out, has real implications for prosperity and jobs. Exports and imports, overseas and to the rUK, combined to reach a deficit in the third quarter of £4.25bn, the highest quarter on record. When the fourth quarter figures are published, the annual total is probably going to be above £15bn. The previous record was as recession struck in 2008, at just under £12bn. And it would mean that the imbalance has ballooned by £6bn since 2013. McLaren has been looking at another angle on this, illustrated by these most recent statistics - the relative position of Scotland and the rUK in total output, or Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The third quarter saw that rise by 0.6%, after falling in the first half of the year. What, then, if Scotland were to have a geographical share of offshore oil and gas? Surely that would help? Well, no, it would show GDP falling by 0.8%, due to the falling prices of barrels and therms. GDP per head, with oil, was 1% lower than the rest of the UK. Two years ago, it was 6% higher. A more positive take on the figures is that GDP per head in the

Summary: Warm, humorous, gutsy, sparky, soulful, determined and fun.


During a speech in London, Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Cameron had lost votes in the Scottish independence referendum by being negative. She said she wanted an overwhelming vote in favour of remaining in the EU. UKIP's Scottish MEP, David Coburn, said the SNP wanted Scottish independence while "still being ruled by Brussels". And he said leaving the EU would bring more powers back to Scotland from Brussels. Ms Sturgeon told an invited audience at the Resolution Foundation that she would be using the referendum campaign to make the case not just for the economic benefits of the EU, but also the social and employment rights that came from membership. But she again re-iterated that if Scotland voted to remain in the EU on 23 June while the UK as a whole voted to leave, it could trigger demands for a second independence referendum. Opinion polls have consistently suggested that EU membership is more popular in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK. Ms Sturgeon's intervention came as the UK government published analysis suggesting an EU exit could lead to a "decade of uncertainty", with an impact on the economy and jobs. In her speech, Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish government continued to believe that EU membership was in the best interests of Scotland. She pledged to make a "positive, constructive case" for remaining in the EU, and to "campaign wholeheartedly" to achieve an "overwhelming victory, across all parts of the UK, for remaining in the European Union". The first minister added: "It is interesting to hear many of the same arguments that we heard during the Scottish referendum repeated in the early stages of the EU referendum, albeit in different contexts. "But I do think there are some early lessons emerging from the Scottish referendum that all of us would do well to pay heed to in the weeks and months ahead." By Brian Taylor, BBC Scotland political editor An intriguing argument advanced today by Nicola Sturgeon anent membership of the EU. Ms Sturgeon opened, for the avoidance of doubt, with a first principle. She confirmed to her London audience that she remained an advocate of Scottish independence. She repeated, further, that Brexit without Scottish consent might well lead to pressure for a second independence referendum. And so we have a constructed syllogism. Brexit - Scotland = indyref2. Hence, Ms Sturgeon is of course a supporter of Brexit? QED? Right? Fundamentally wrong? Indeed, Ms Sturgeon went so far as to say: "I do want Scotland to be independent but I don't want Scotland to become independent because the UK chooses to leave the European Union." Does that mean she is firmly rejecting a possible path to independence? It can sound that way but I believe the reality is rather different. Read more from Brian Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish referendum had shown it was possible to create a "thriving democratic debate" by encouraging people to become "truly engaged in the issues". But she added that one of the undoubted lessons of the Scottish experience was that a "miserable, negative, fear-based campaign" saw supporters

Summary: Scotland's first minister has warned David Cameron against fighting a "miserable, negative, fear-based" EU referendum campaign.


Bana Alabed shared a short video of herself and the Mean Girls star. They were in Ankara, Turkey, where they met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Ms Lohan, who has been in the country for the past few days, says in the video that the pair are "sending lots of love and life and blessings" to refugees and people in Syria. The short clip shows Bana hugging the actress, who tells the camera: "We want to send to all of the people in Syria and Aleppo suffering and to all the refugees we are here supporting you and you can hang on and be strong just like Bana has." She adds "inshallah", which means "if God wills" in Arabic. Bana rose to fame after documenting on Twitter her daily life in rebel-held East Aleppo, with the help of her mother. The seven-year-old recently penned an open letter to new US President Donald Trump, asking him to open the country to refugees. Ms Lohan became a film star aged 11 when she starred in Disney's The Parent Trap, but her career has been marred in recent years by a series of scandals. Rumours began circulating this week the actress may have converted to Islam, after she was spotted in Turkey wearing a hijab. The actress also appears to have deleted all of her posts on Twitter and Instagram, changing her bio on the latter to read "alaikum salam", which means "peace be upon you" in Arabic.

Summary: The little girl who captured the world's heart tweeting about her life in East Aleppo has made a new friend - US actress Lindsay Lohan.


Nsiala, 24, was dismissed for his foul on Swindon's Luke Norris in Saturday's 1-1 draw - just six days after joining the League One club from Hartlepool. But Town are confident of winning the appeal, boss Paul Hurst claiming: "It's never a two-footed challenge. "He clearly wins the ball. We've looked at the footage," he told BBC Sport. Nsiala had already been sent off twice for Pools this season, which automatically increases the punishment, potentially sidelining him until 11 February. Unless Shrewsbury win their appeal to the Football Association, Nsiala will miss the visits of Bradford City, Oldham Athletic and Bury, as well as the trip to Gillingham. His home debut may not now come until 18 February against AFC Wimbledon. The red card was the eighth Shrewsbury have received this season - the highest number in English football's top four divisions. Meanwhile, Shrewsbury have allowed former Wolves striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake to return to Chesterfield at the end of his loan spell, during which he failed to score in seven appearances. They have also allowed on-loan winger George Waring to return to Premier League side Stoke City, having opted not to extend his deal. Hurst has also dismissed speculation linking the Shropshire club with striker James Alabi, National League side Chester's 10-goal top scorer, saying: "There's no truth in it."

Summary: Shrewsbury defender Aristote Nsiala will be banned for four games after being sent off on his debut - unless the Town are successful with an appeal.


Remus Hamza, 40, is alleged to have attacked the woman near Cardiff University as she walked home alone on 20 September last year. The prosecution at Newport Crown Court has alleged she was so drunk she could not have consented to sex. The defendant, who is Romanian and lives in Cardiff, denies rape. Mr Hamza told Newport Crown Court she smiled and "kissed him back" near the Civic Centre but did not say anything. Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Hamza said: "This girl was looking at me, laughing at me, smiling and I thought she was smiling at me because she liked me and I just grabbed her backside. "She just smiled at me and laughed... she came with me without me having to force her in any way. "If she didn't want to have sex with me that night she could have just have said no." He admitted the woman was intoxicated but claimed she had been "aware of herself". He said he didn't tell police about the "consensual sex" in his first interview because he was embarrassed and had been advised by a solicitor to give no comment. The court was told Mr Hamza pleaded guilty to exposure in a similar area in 2014.

Summary: A man accused of raping a 20-year-old woman in Cardiff during fresher's week said she "could have just have said no" to his advances, a court has heard.


The discovery could help babies with genetic diseases, elderly people and even astronauts, they say. The findings in mice, published in Scientific Reports, showed cells in the fluid strengthened bone and cut fractures by 80%. Human clinical trials are planned within the next two years. The amniotic fluid protects the baby and helps it develop inside the mother's womb. It also contains stem cells that are the building blocks of other tissues. The researchers collected the amniotic stem cells from material left over from screening tests during pregnancy or collected immediately before birth. The team at the Institute of Child Health - a collaboration of Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London - injected the cells into diseased mice. The animals had brittle bone disease or osteogenesis imperfecta. In people, the condition affects around one in every 25,000 births and can be fatal, with babies born with multiple fractures. Even those who survive face up to 15 bone fractures a year, brittle teeth, impaired hearing and growth problems. Tests on mice showed injecting the cells increased the strength, plasticity and structure of the animal's bones. The number of fractures was cut to a fifth of their original level. Dr Pascale Guillot, who conducted the research, said the findings could help people from crib to grave - from babies with brittle bone disease to pensioners with osteoporosis. She told the BBC News website: "I am extremely excited because this is a major breakthrough that will potentially affect everyone. "We are already used to putting cream on our face to slow down ageing of the skin, this will be the same for the skeleton. "I think in the next few years we will have ways to slow down the ageing of our skeleton to reduce fractures and pain. "This will also be very important for space travel as when you don't have G-force the bones become fragile." Bone is constantly being remade with cells called osteoclasts breaking down old bone and osteoblasts making new bones. Dr Guillot said brittle bone disease, osteoporosis and space travel were all characterised by osteoblasts "becoming lazy". The study showed the stem cells were increasing the natural activity of the osteoblasts - rather than directly making new bone themselves. "Stem cell transplants boost these lazy cells so they become very eager to make more bone and mature bone," added Dr Guillot. Clinical trials are already planned, but ultimately the researchers' aim is to discover which chemicals the stem cells are releasing that kick the osteoblasts into gear. Follow James on Twitter.

Summary: Cells in the amniotic fluid that surrounds a developing baby can revive ageing and weak bones, say UK scientists.


The Ministry of Justice and the Wales Office said a total of £30m will also be spent on local businesses as the new £250m prison is built. They said £1.1m had already been committed to companies in north Wales. Work started on the prison at Wrexham industrial estate in September and is due to be completed in 2017. With 2,000 inmates it will be the UK's largest. It is being built on the site of the former Firestone tyre factory. The construction company Lend Lease, which has been selected to build the prison, is holding a meeting to determine how best to deliver its promises to the community during the construction. The commitments include 100 new apprenticeships and 500 work placement days per year.

Summary: The "super-prison" being built in Wrexham will bring £23m a year to the local economy and 1,000 jobs.


The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association will walk out with Aslef, RMT and Unite on 5 August in a row over servicing the new Night Tube service. London Underground said it had made a "fair" offer and would continue to be available for talks. The four unions previously walked out on 9 July causing the entire Tube network to shut down. Talks had been held at conciliatory service Acas on Tuesday. But TSSA's general secretary Manuel Cortes said: "We were expecting to agree a framework to discuss all our concerns over staffing levels and safety at the Night Tube as well as the pay issues. "But all we got was a repeat of the 'take or leave' final pay offer which has already been rejected and no detailed talks on the Night Tube. We are willing to negotiate, they clearly are not." Steve Griffiths, London Underground's Chief Operating Officer, said: "We have made a very fair and reasonable offer on pay and the introduction of the Night Tube and we continue to urge the trade unions to put it to their members. "We will be at ACAS this week for further discussions to resolve this issue and trust the trade unions will be too." The row is over a 2% average pay rise offer for LU members and workers' terms and conditions linked to plans to introduce an all-night Tube service on the Jubilee and Victoria lines and and most of the Central, Northern and Piccadilly lines. Last week's strike saw long delays and rush hour began earlier than normal as commuters tried to find alternative ways to get to and from work.

Summary: A fourth union has announced it will be take part in a 24-hour Tube strike next month in a row over pay and conditions.


The government-proposed changes to national security laws are part of a review into counter-terrorism. The new measures would mean the Australian Defence Force (ADF) could be called in sooner to help police deal with threats. They were prompted by criticism of the speed with which police responded to the 2014 siege in a cafe in Sydney. Current legislation prevents police from calling on the ADF until they have reached the limit of their capability or capacity. Under the new measures, the military would also provide specialised training to police forces. At a press conference, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he was "taking a lot of the red tape and the gum out of the works to enable the cooperation between the police and the ADF". Two hostages and the lone gunman died in the Sydney siege and earlier this year a coroner said that the authorities had been too slow to respond How the Sydney siege unfolded Australia has seen several Islamist-inspired attacks over the past years, prompting a review of how police and authorities can respond better. In the most recent case, a terrorist holding a hostage in Melbourne was killed by police last month.

Summary: The Australian military is to be given broad new powers to respond to domestic terrorist attacks.


Samantha Jenkins, 19, from Llanelli, fell into a coma and died in 2011. Her inquest heard she had low mineral levels, which may have been the result of malabsorption caused by chewing gum. Maria Morgan told BBC's Jason Mohammad programme: "It's something that happens over a period of time - eight or 10 months." After her death, Mrs Morgan said she found receipts showing Miss Jenkins had been buying chewing gum almost every day. "The pathologist said it was going down a road he doesn't know enough about, but he said there was enough evidence there to say it was a huge thing that it could be." Her husband, Wayne Morgan, said they believed Miss Jenkins's death could be linked to sweeteners used in chewing gum. Colin Phillips, acting senior coroner for Swansea, said the cause of death was a shortage of oxygen to her brain, resulting from a convulsion caused by an imbalance of minerals in her body. "The chewing gum inside her system did not end her life, but it's a possibility the over consumption of sorbitol and aspartame was the result of all her salts going low and that's what ended her life," said Mrs Morgan.

Summary: The mother of a Carmarthenshire teenager whose death may have been caused by chewing gum wants families to be aware of the potential dangers.


Turner Prize nominee Ciara Phillips is the fourth artist to be commissioned to make a dazzle ship design. The work celebrates the untold histories of women during the war. It was inspired by the team of women who worked under British marine artist Norman Wilkinson, who invented the dazzle technique. Mr Wilkinson designed the abstract dazzle ship patterns and disorientating shapes to prevent the enemy from determining a vessel's range, speed and direction of travel. Ms Phillips's work is entitled "Every Woman" and was co-commissioned by centenary art commissions body 14-18 NOW and Edinburgh Art Festival. A spokeswoman for the festival said it took the artist's medium of screen-printing to a "new scale", covering the entire surface of the ship with a "bold gestural design". It was painted on the MV Fingal, a former lighthouse ship at Leith docks. The design, to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Jutland, also celebrates the women who worked as telegraphists and signallers during World War One. It includes a message in Morse code embedded within the pattern in retro reflective paint reading "Every Woman a Signal Tower". The message will shine out in the darkness, celebrating the ship's former role as a supplier to remote lighthouses.

Summary: A Glasgow-based artist has painted a massive design for a 72m (239ft) long ship as part of World War One centenary commemorations.


The controversial memo broke the firm’s code of conduct, Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai said on Monday in an email to employees. The memo, shared widely at the weekend, suggested there were fewer women at Google due to biological differences. Mr Pichai said the text crossed the line due to it "advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace”. Entitled Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber, the paper argued that "the abilities of men and women differ in part due to biological causes and that these differences may explain why we don't see equal representation of women in tech and leadership”. The author wrote: "We need to stop assuming that gender gaps imply sexism." Google has not confirmed who the employee is, but media reports name him as James Damore. "[I was fired for] perpetuating gender stereotypes," he told Reuters. He also claimed to have received "many personal messages from fellow Googlers expressing their gratitude" for speaking out. In his note to staff sent on Monday afternoon, Mr Pichai spoke at length about protecting free speech in Google’s ranks, and that "much of what was in that memo is fair to debate, regardless of whether a vast majority of Googlers disagree with it”. But he added: "To suggest a group of our colleagues have traits that make them less biologically suited to that work is offensive and not OK. "It is contrary to our basic values and our Code of Conduct, which expects 'each Googler to do their utmost to create a workplace culture that is free of harassment, intimidation, bias and unlawful discrimination’." The tech firm's new head of diversity, Danielle Brown, had earlier criticised the memo saying it had "advanced incorrect assumptions about gender".

Summary: A Google employee who wrote a controversial memo about workplace diversity has been fired, the BBC can confirm.


South Wales Fire and Rescue Service was called to St David's Junior and Infants School, Cwmbran, at about 20:10 BST on Saturday. The fire started in an outdoor storage container and spread to a ground-floor classroom, causing minor damage. Additional security has been put in place until the school reopens on Tuesday.

Summary: A suspicious fire which has damaged a classroom at a school in Torfaen is under investigation.


Bow Street station closed as a result of the Beeching cuts in 1965 and since then a number of people have campaigned for the stop to be reinstated. The proposed new station would be built a short distance south of the original location, which is now the site of a builders' merchants. The scheme includes a park and ride facility for 100 cars. Councillor Alun Williams, cabinet member for transport, waste and carbon management, said it was a "very exciting idea" with "strong support" from the public. "Not only will this scheme provide Bow Street and surrounding communities with a railway station but it can also help alleviate congestion and parking problems in Aberystwyth," he said. Outline drawings of the new station will be on show at a public event, organised by Ceredigion council, at Neuadd Rhydypennau on 11 July between 14:00 and 17:00 BST.

Summary: A railway station could be returned to a Ceredigion village for the first time in more than 50 years.


Snowdonia Pumped Hydro (SPH) is awaiting a planning decision for the scheme at Glyn Rhonwy in Llanberis. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has given permission to empty standing rainwater from two disused quarries at the site into Nant y Betws and Llyn Padarn. It said the permits have been issued with "strict conditions". Plans for the 99.9MWe hydro plant are being considered by the UK Planning Inspectorate, with a decision expected by early March. NRW said it was satisfied that the company will "operate safely without harming the environment or local communities." SPH said the drainage of rainwater was necessary before work can begin to sculpt the quarries that will form the upper and lower reservoirs. Their application to fill the reservoirs once they are completed by gradually abstracting water from Llyn Padarn lake has already been approved. Opponents of the scheme claim standing water in the lower quarry where ordnance was dismantled by the RAF in the 1970s may be contaminated. But SPH said independent sampling and testing of both surface and ground water at the site "show no evidence of contamination."

Summary: Developers hoping to build a £100m hydro power plant in a disused Gwynedd quarry have been granted environmental permits.


Norfolk-based Gardline, founded by the Darling family in 1969, employs 750 people and has been bought by Dutch firm, Royal Boskalis Westminster. Gardline's activities include marine geophysical surveys, offshore geotechnical services and environmental surveys. Boskalis has taken on the firm's assumed debt as part of the deal. In a joint statement, the firms said there were "significant synergies" between them. Gardline operates 40 vessels, including crew transfer ships and survey catamarans. Its head offices are in Great Yarmouth, with further activities in the USA, Brazil and Singapore. Boskalis has a fleet of more than 900 vessels and floating equipment and 11,700 employees, operating in more than 90 countries across six continents. "With the acquisition, Boskalis strengthens its position as marine services provider in north-west Europe," it said. Gardline's profits have fallen in recent years, and Boskalis said the company had suffered from the downturn in oil and gas. It said it was not forecasting Gardline's finances would be turned around in the short-term but that the acquisition "positions Boskalis well for when end-markets recover". Earlier this month, Gardline secured contracts worth £6m with Scottish Power Renewables to carry out a range of pre-construction surveys across East Anglia offshore wind farm sites. Boskalis has yet to respond to questions on whether jobs will be affected by the takeover.

Summary: A British family-owned marine services company has been sold outright in a deal worth £40m.


Scot Muir, 23, has already broken the European 3,000m and British 5,000m indoor records this year, and also took Holmes' British 1,000m indoor record. Holmes, who won Olympic gold in both the 800m and 1500m at Athens in 2004, has been impressed by her displays. "Laura has already taken the world by storm," she told Scottish Athletics. "She truly can go all the way in the sport - and by that I mean start to medal at major championships." Muir will attempt to win her first major medals at this week's European Indoor Championships in Belgrade, where she will run in both the 1500m and 3,000m. She will then switch her attention to her main target this year - the World Championships, which take place in London from 4-13 August. Media playback is not supported on this device Speaking to BBC Scotland last month, Muir said she viewed a "home World Championships" as "big", especially having seen the impact of the 2012 Olympics in London. Holmes said: "Laura first came to my attention when she was fifth at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015. "She is an unassuming girl in some respects, but you can see she is a very strong runner." Holmes added Muir had shown she can run fast but must now "translate that by racing well on the world stage". She added: "Championships are all about placings and, at only 23, Laura has already taken the world by storm. "I believe that, in 2017 at the World Championships, she can cement her place in history." Holmes believes young Scots - particularly girls - can look to the likes of Muir, Eilidh Doyle, Lynsey Sharp and Eilish McColgan for inspiration. "Role models are important in society generally, but role models from the world of sport I believe have the most credibility - especially if you are trying to inspire girls and women," she added. "Scotland have had some amazing talent in the past and it looks like it is continuing." Muir, the 2016 Scottish Athlete of the Year, will begin the final year of her five-year veterinary studies a week after the World Championships, continuing to combine them with her running career.

Summary: Laura Muir can "cement her place in history" by winning a medal at the World Championships this summer, says ex-Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes.


In a letter, David Bowers wrote that Syrian refugees should not be resettled in his city, citing security concerns. To highlight the point, he compared the concern over the refugees to the 1940s internment of Japanese Americans. The internment camps - now considered illegal - are widely considered to be an embarrassing period in US history. "I'm reminded that President Franklin D Roosevelt felt compelled to sequester Japanese foreign nationals after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and it appears that threat of harm to America from [IS] now is just as real and serious as that from our enemies then," Mr Bowers, a Democrat, wrote. More than 30 US governors have said they do not want Syria refugees resettled in their states after recent attacks in Paris tied to the so-called Islamic State killed more than 100 people. Although the governors do not have the legal authority to do so, they can complicate the resettlement process. US President Barack Obama called their response "hysterical". Virginia Republicans sought to distance themselves from Mr Bowers' remarks. "Comparing the prudent step of pausing to evaluate a vetting processes to the unconstitutional internment of American citizens proves that Democrats simply don't understand national security," John Whitbeck, the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, said in a statement. The letter drew also ridicule on social media with celebrities condemning Mr Bowers. Actor and Japanese-American George Takei wrote on Facebook: "Mayor Bowers, there are a few key points of history you seem to have missed." "The internment [not a "sequester"] was not of Japanese "foreign nationals," but of Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were US citizens," Mr Takei wrote. "I was one of them, and my family and I spent four years in prison camps because we happened to look like the people who bombed Pearl Harbour. It is my life's mission to never let such a thing happen again in America."

Summary: The mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, has come under criticism after he appeared to endorse the internment of Japanese Americans during World War Two.


Ralph Krueger, who was born in Canada but has lived in Europe for more than 30 years, has never worked in football. The 54-year-old former ice hockey player has been appointed by owner Katharina Liebherr as part of a reshaped management setup at St Mary's. "We'll look at ways to improve commercially and continue to grow what's already there," Krueger said. 2009-10: 7th (League One) 2010-11: 2nd (League One) 2011-12: 2nd (Championship) 2012-13: 14th (Premier League) 2013-14: 9th* (Premier League) * Correct on 24 February "Katharina was looking for someone to come in from sport on the leadership side. She has strong values and a fresh and interesting perspective on sport." At this stage, Krueger's exact job description remains unclear but it is understood he has acted as an advisor to Liebherr for some time. He is expected to be in the stands at St Mary's for Southampton's match with Liverpool on Saturday. During the Winter Olympics, Krueger worked as a consultant to the Canadian ice hockey team, specialising in scouting European opposition and advising on the differences between international ice hockey and that played in the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America. Canada have now won back-to-back gold medals in the men's tournament, having failed to make the podium in Turin in 2006. During that tournament, they lost to a Switzerland team coached by Krueger, who had previously managed the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL. Southampton - and football - will provide a different challenge for the German citizen but he has already spent time at the club and has held a series of lengthy talks with manager Mauricio Pochettino. He is expected to work on aspects of performance and training, as well as team-spirit and motivation. But the majority of his work will be on the commercial side. 2009 - Katharina Liebherr's late father, Markus, pays £14m to rescue Southampton from administration through his company, Mali Holdings. 2010 - After her father's death in August 2010, Katharina Liebherr inherits Mali Holdings. 2013 - In October, she is appointed to the board. 2013 - On the same day, Nicola Cortese files his notice to resign from his position as chairman. 2014 - Cortese leaves the club, making Liebherr non-executive chairman. Speaking in Sochi, Krueger said he had no intention of stepping on Pochettino's toes. "This is the start of a new world for me," he said. "I've got to come in gently. We don't need sudden changes of direction. What Mauricio doesn't need is someone getting involved day-to-day. "He and his staff need space so they can continue to grow the group. I've met Mauricio; he's very honest, a strong personality and he has strong values. I will stay in my place. He should feel comfortable." Krueger is one of three key sporting advisors that Liebherr has worked with closely over the past six months, a time during which her relationship with former executive chairman Nicola Cortese, who left the club in January, collapsed. Away from ice hockey, Krueger has also made a name for himself in motivational speaking. His

Summary: A coach who helped Canada to ice hockey gold at the Sochi Winter Olympics will begin work at Southampton this week.


The 23-year-old Spaniard played 34 times for the Blues after joining the club from Barcelona in 2011. Romeu has spent the past two seasons on loan, at German club Stuttgart and at Valencia in his homeland. He was on the bench for Chelsea's 2012 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich but missed out on the 2012 FA Cup and 2013 Europa League victories. Saints executive director of football Les Reed said Romeu had been "on the radar for some time" and "matches the Southampton profile" of being "young, hungry and developed at a top academy". "Like Ryan Bertrand, we believe we have recruited another Chelsea player with an excellent pedigree but also with lots of potential to develop," said Reed. Romeu said: "After spending two years on loan, I needed something permanent and a club with a future - and I think I chose the right one." Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Southampton have signed Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu for £5m on a three-year contract.


The review, led by new chairman Nick Basing, was set up after Goals reported its first annual loss in 12 years. The company said it expected to complete the review within the week. The news came as Paisley-based rival Powerleague announced it had opened the first of its "next generation" centres in London under a £40m expansion plan. East Kilbride-based Goals currently operates 46 centres in the UK and one in California. In a statement at the company's annual general meeting on Thursday, Mr Basing said: "The review of the company has included a wide-ranging view of the market, the performance of the company in recent years and an assessment of all assets that the company operates, along with consumer insights. "We are drawing it to completion by next week and we will announce the results of this review together with the strategic plan shortly afterwards." The review is one of six "short-term priorities" identified by Mr Basing when he took over the role of chairman in March. Goals appears close to completing another of those priorities - finding a new chief executive. Mr Basing said: "We have concluded the search for a high-quality CEO. Our expectation is that we will be able to announce details imminently." Mr Basing also reported that a near-term operational improvement plan was being implemented, adding that the company had been "encouraged by the early signs". However, he added: "On current trading, I can report that like-for-like sales are marginally negative for the first 18 weeks of the year. "However, the significant decline in last year's second half has been eroded. "This first quarter of trading in 2016 compares against positive sales growth in the same period last year." In a separate development, Powerleague announced it had officially opened the first of its "next generation" five-a-side centres in west London. The move marks the start of a £40m expansion plan by owners Patron Capital to open 13 new UK centres over the next three years. The new facility takes Powerleague's overall number of centres to 49 and strengthens the brand's presence in the south-east of England - a key growth area for the operator. The Next Generation programme marks a departure for Powerleague from its traditional focus on large three-acre sites. Under the new approach, the company is looking to build pitches on as little as 0.5 acres - including at the top of multi-storey car parks, in underground spaces and on the roofs of buildings.

Summary: Five-a-side football company Goals Soccer Centres is set to reveal a new strategic plan, after completing a full review of its operations.


Russell Sherwood, 69, of Cilfrew, Neath, was heading for Ewenny in Vale of Glamorgan as Storm Angus hit in the morning but never arrived. He disappeared at Stormy Down and registration plates from his car were found on Monday. South Wales Police said it would try to recover the car on Wednesday morning. Officers will remain at the scene overnight and the force said Mr Sherwood's family were being kept informed of any developments. Mr Sherwood left his home in a silver Ford Focus at about 06:15 GMT as flooding caused by Storm Angus hit roads in the area around Stormy Down. Tuesday's search focused around the dipping bridge on the river, and firefighters and coastguard teams were involved. The search was stood down for the evening at about 16:30 and will resume at first light on Wednesday.

Summary: A car thought to belong to a man who went missing in Bridgend on Sunday has been found in the River Ogmore.


But in recent years it, like many other seaside towns, has struggled. The advent of cheap flights abroad and a recession meant the County Antrim town was forced to reinvent itself from its 1950s heyday. And while the weather this year has been as unstable as the political landscape, neither seem to be putting tourists off spending money, with more visitors from the Republic of Ireland providing a welcome revenue stream. Visitors to the north coast traditionally come from other parts of Northern Ireland, said Naldo Morelli, managing director of Morelli's Ice Cream. "But this year, I suppose with Brexit and the pound weakening a little bit we've noticed more customers from the Republic of Ireland, so that helps too," he said. "The Northern Ireland public are very used to having four seasons in one day, so thankfully for us they eat ice cream no matter the weather." Portrush's reinvention seems to be doing the trick for traders. "Business is up 5% to 10% across the board, certainly the restaurants have been busy," said Ian Donaghey, the president of the Causeway Chamber of Commerce. While the weather is not always kind, this is sometimes actually good for local businesses, added Mr Donaghey. "If the weather is too good it keeps people on the beaches and they don't spend money in the town," he said. "What some of the traders would tell you is that they like a sunny morning and a drizzly afternoon because it drives them into Barry's [amusement arcade] and the restaurants and bars." Portrush's much loved amusements and bucket-and-spade shops are still there, but now their neighbours are trendy coffee shops, restaurants and bars. The town may not have completely shaken off its traditional image, but those who visit do not seem to mind. Business owners hope a mixture of nostalgia and new attractions will keep people visiting the north coast for the rest of this summer season, and for many years to come. It seems that come rain or shine, holidaymakers will always have a soft spot for Portrush.

Summary: The beauty of Northern Ireland's north coast made Portrush the go-to choice for family holidays for decades.


The figure is contained in a National Audit Office report about the government's reforms to the probation system, introduced in 2014. It says high workloads have "reduced" the supervision and training that staff receive and the service they provide. The Ministry of Justice said the new probation system was "continually improving". Government changes have seen the probation service split in two, with Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) supervising low and medium-risk offenders and a new National Probation Service (NPS) taking over the supervision of high-risk offenders. The report said the NPS was "not yet operating as a truly national, sustainable" service and was under-performing in 11 of 18 target levels.. It also found CRCs were not achieving their targets in 12 of 19 measures where "robust" data were available. Two of the 21 CRCs, which are run by private and voluntary sector organisations, had Â£78,000 deducted from them in total by the Ministry of Justice for failing to meet their targets on the completion of community sentence orders. The report, which also found "severe" problems with IT systems, said "fundamental issues" needed to be resolved before the new arrangements were capable of achieving value for money. "The NPS has higher than predicted caseloads and faces a difficult further period of change if it is to play a fully effective role in the transformed and national probation service," the National Audit Office says. "Its front-line managers face increasing pressure, including dealing with higher than expected workloads, now of high-risk offenders, while assimilating a heavy influx of trainees, who will take time to become fully effective professionals." A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "Major transitions in public services are always challenging but figures show the performance of the new probation system, introduced only a year ago, is continually improving. "As the report notes, the majority of offenders found that services had remained stable or improved since our reforms. Thanks to these reforms, offenders in prison for less than 12 months are now receiving support from the probation service for the very first time. "However, we are not complacent and are addressing the problems which have been identified. Public protection is our top priority and we will continue to support staff to deliver these important changes."

Summary: Some probation staff monitoring offenders in England and Wales are handling more than 70 cases at a time.


The duo impressed against New Zealand last weekend as Boyce scored his first international goal and O'Neill has hinted that they will start again. "When we've asked Josh to come and play through the middle he's never let us down," said O'Neill. "Liam has had a great season. He's looking very, very sharp in training." Media playback is not supported on this device In contrast, Kyle Lafferty's limited outings at club level this season leave him "not in the best condition we'd like him to be", O'Neill admitted on Thursday. "But for whatever part of the game he (Lafferty) plays, I'm sure he'll make sure he does a good job for us." The Northern Irish are without Conor Washington, who is getting married this weekend, while Jamie Ward, who also scored in the qualifier win over Norway in March, is ruled out by injury. Centre-back Gareth McAuley, 37, looks set to play after missing the New Zealand game because of a thigh injury but Watford defender Craig Cathcart will be missing because of a knee problem. Veteran Aaron Hughes could replace Cathcart if O'Neill's selects a back three but the manager could instead opt to switch to a back four. Northern Ireland hammered Azerbaijan 4-0 in Belfast seven months ago when the home side's set-piece prowess caused the lightweight opposition countless problems. O'Neill's squad have doubtless been practising their free-kicks and corner-kicks at length this week, which included five days in southern Turkey to acclimatise for the expected high temperatures in Baku. Media playback is not supported on this device Northern Ireland lost 2-0 in the previous visit to Baku in 2013 but O'Neill's team are a much improved outfit four years on having achieved qualification for Euro 2016. Robert Prosinecki's home side will be able to call on experienced skipper Rashad Sadygov, who missed the Windsor Park contest because of injury. Brazilian-born striker Richard Almeida is also now part of the Azerbaijan squad while another newcomer Renat Dadashov previously played for Germany's Under-17 team. O'Neill's side are second in Group C, five points behind leaders Germany, but two ahead of the third-placed Czech Republic.

Summary: Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill looks set to retain Liam Boyce and Josh Magennis as his strikers in Saturday's World Cup qualifier in Azerbaijan.


Sports Direct employs at least 3,500 agency workers at its site in Shirebrook, Derbyshire. While filming in the town, the BBC was shown houses "carved into flats", including one with rooms partitioned down the middle of its windows. Bolsover Council admitted it was caught off guard by the influx of workers. Figures obtained by the BBC also show 46 housing complaints relating to overcrowding, repairs and conditions were made from April 2015 to 21 December last year - up from 16 in 2005-06. The Sports Direct agency workers, largely employed in the company's warehouse, come mainly countries such as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Albania. There are 500 permanent staff at the site. The council estimates 1,500 people have moved to Shirebrook - which has a population of more than 13,000 - in the last four years, with many renting rooms in houses near the company's headquarters. Police community support officer (PCSO) Steve Cathcart said: "There's been an influx of Eastern Europeans and the landlords that own the houses are carving these houses up into flats. "Our concern is the fire risk, the safety to these people that are moving in." Police said more than 30 properties in the area were a particular worry. The police said one of the occupants in the house where two rooms had been visibly partitioned up to the windows works at Sports Direct, but added the resident had "no fire doors". Bolsover councillor Karl Reid, who is responsible for community cohesion, admitted the authority had not adequately prepared itself for the sudden increase in Shirebrook's population. "[On the window dividers] that is not acceptable and that will be investigated," he said. "It was a gradual thing, then suddenly there was a massive spurt. I think that's where we may have got it wrong or we weren't on the ball for it, and I have to accept that." The authority said it had introduced public spaces protection orders to stop people drinking and urinating on the town's streets. It said it was also closing off a footpath near Sports Direct because of anti-social behaviour, including human defecation. Since November, it said 20 fines have been handed out - 19 for drinking and one for urinating - to people in breach of these orders. Mr Reid added Sports Direct's senior staff was working with them for the first time in more than a decade. The company - which has declined to comment - are part of a multi-agency group called Shirebrook Forward. "They've changed their tack," Mr Reid said. "They've now - over the last six months - come to us and engaged with us on a senior management level." Sports Direct said in December they will be reviewing all agency workers' terms and conditions. It follows a BBC Inside Out investigation last October into the company's warehouse working practices. The review will be overseen by majority shareholder Mike Ashley - who also owns Newcastle United Football Club. Inside Out is broadcast on BBC One East Midlands at 19:30 on Monday 22 February and nationwide for 30

Summary: Police say they have safety concerns about overcrowded houses in the town where one of Europe's largest sports retailers is based.