There's never a good time to talk politics, but democracy starts early in the state of Iowa. By 7:30 am, as the morning fog was still lifting and the sun was starting to appear, the meeting room in the Iowa Falls Fire department was already at full capacity. A few hundred people had travelled from across the state to attend a town hall meeting, filling every chair and corner, and spilling into the hallway. Town halls are traditionally a forum for constituents to discuss their concerns with elected officials, face to face. But in the Trump era, they've taken on a new purpose - with many aggrieved voters seeing them as a way to put pressure on President Trump, by ensuring their members of Congress hold him to account. Republican officials across the country have found themselves on the receiving end of questions and demands from voters. Many, but not all, of those attending are Democrats, some from progressive groups who are organising around these events to ensure people show up. But others are simply frustrated residents, who want their voices heard. All are represented by Senator Chuck Grassley. The vast majority of the crowd at the fire station was older, in their fifties or above. Some of them came with handwritten protest signs, others clutched pieces of paper with their questions written on them. "I'm new at this," a woman named Ingrid told me. She said Trump's victory made her angry. "I felt I had to come. I'm hoping our voices get larger and that we can make sure Republicans don't just vote along party lines and listen to their constituents." And listen is exactly what Senator Grassley did, even if some felt he didn't quite answer all of their concerns. As the seven-term senator entered the room, he began by asking the group which topics they'd like to cover. As hands flew in the air, and people jostled for his attention, a range of topics were raised - everything from Russia to guns, healthcare to education. Senator Grassley wrote the questions down in a small notebook, promising to answer them in the order they were asked. A large majority of questions were about President Obama's healthcare law - the Affordable Care Act. The questions on this were impassioned, as people talked of their personal experiences of Obamacare, and their fears they could lose coverage under a Trump presidency. One elderly man attended on behalf of a friend whose son was seriously ill. He told the senator of how "his parents will probably have to face bankruptcy just as they face retirement". Other testimonies reflected the extent people here rely on government subsidised health insurance. "I'm on Obamacare, if it wasn't for Obamacare we wouldn't be able to afford insurance," said Chris Petersen, an insulin dependent diabetic who runs a farm more than an hour away. "I got a present for you," he told the senator, as he held up a box of Tums, a medicine used to relieve heartburn, "you're going to need them in the next few years." When

Summary: Republican politicians are returning to their home districts to a barrage of criticism, as many constituents demand to know how they'll hold President Trump to account.


The announcement came as the London venue unveiled its new programme which includes plays starring Ralph Fiennes, Andrew Garfield and Tamsin Greig. NT boss Rufus Norris said Sunday performances would stop because they were "always the last performances to sell". The last Sunday show will be Damon Albarn's musical Wonder.land in April. Sunday performances in the Olivier and Lyttelton theatres began in 2008 and took place about 35 weeks a year. Norris said the decision to stop them was taken after the theatre "looked very carefully at the evidence over the last few years". Giving more detail, executive director Lisa Burger said: "The fact is that there aren't as many audiences coming to Sunday performances. "Given the tight financial situation that we are in we decided that was one of the things we had to give up." The NT building on the South Bank will, however, remain open to the public on Sundays over the summer. Among the plays coming up at the National's Olivier theatre is Twelfth Night in February 2017 - with Tamsin Greig turning the traditionally male role of Malvolio into Malvolia. "That play is about lots of gender confusion anyway," Norris said. There will be more Shakespeare in early 2018 when Ralph Fiennes will star in Antony and Cleopatra. The role of Cleopatra is yet to be cast. Other highlights include: Norris described the blend of re-imagined popular classics, new plays and musical pieces as "hopefully a broad programme which will underline our commitment that we believe that theatre is for everyone".

Summary: The National Theatre has decided to axe Sunday performances due to its "tight financial situation".


Captain Doug Beattie was awarded the Military Cross for bravery. This was while serving with the Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) in Afghanistan. He said the government was failing to implement the Military Covenant, a promise to look after members of the armed forces and their families. Speaking in a BBC NI Spotlight programme to be broadcast on Tuesday night, he said military veterans in Northern Ireland do not receive the same kind of priority treatment as those in other parts of the UK. "I have missed the birth of children, I have missed the death of family members, all for the service of my country, and now I feel completely let down," he said. "It's simple, we want equality, we want parity. If I'm willing to sacrifice my life for my country in exactly the same way as somebody from England, Scotland and Wales, then I want recognition for that." The Covenant was enshrined in law in 2011 and states that the nation has a "moral obligation" to members of the army, navy and airforce and their families. It pledges support for military veterans and their families, and says those with serious physical and mental injuries should be given special consideration in some cases. In England and the rest of Great Britain, that means veterans are entitled to some form of priority medical treatment. But that does not happen in Northern Ireland. The number of veterans in Northern Ireland is huge. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) claims there could be up to 120,000, including more than 60,000 who served with the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) and home service battalions of the RIR. Critics, and even the MoD, agree that the greatest shortfall in treatment in Northern Ireland is for those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. One of those suffering from PTSD is Nikki Cunningham, a 27-year-old former army medic who completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan before being medically discharged last year. She has told Spotlight she is angry at the way she was treated, and remains haunted by her experiences in Afghanistan. "It never leaves you," she said. "The smell of burnt flesh never leaves your senses, it's always there. "You go to sleep, close your eyes, the images are there, you wake up, they are there. The slightest little noise triggers the thought, an image, an incident, and you're back to where you were, back on tour. "The army broke me, and I haven't really found that I've had the sufficient help that I needed." Robert McCartney is a former member of the RIR who served in the Falklands and Kenya as well as Northern Ireland. He was diagnosed with PTSD shortly after leaving the army and now runs a charity called Beyond the Battlefield, based in Newtownards, County Down. It helps veterans who need medical treatment and provides assistance with a range of other issues. "I actually believe that the paramilitaries and the prisoners groups and everyone else who was part of this conflict in Northern Ireland are being treated better by their people than

Summary: A highly decorated soldier has accused the government of abandoning Northern Ireland military veterans who need help for serious physical and mental injuries.


Garcia, who died in 1995, will be inducted posthumously alongside lyricist Robert Hunter for their work in the legendary psychedelic group. They will be joined by country artists Toby Keith and Bobby Braddock and blues pioneer Willie Dixon. The ceremony will take place on 18 June in New York. Songwriters Hall of Fame president Linda Moran said: "Each one of these brilliant music creators have written instantly recognisable classics, songs that are both of their time and timeless." Cyndi Lauper became a household name by covering Robert Hazard's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun in the 1980s - but she has also had hits of her own and won a Tony Award in 2013 for best score for the hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots. Linda Perry was a member of 4 Non Blondes and has written hits for stars including Pink, Gwen Stefani and Alicia Keys. One of her biggest successes was Beautiful, which was a worldwide hit for Christina Aguilera. Toby Keith has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, while Braddock is a songwriter who has had a career of more than 40 years and is the only living person to have written number one country hits in five consecutive decades. His songs have become country music standards, including DIVORCE, recorded by Tammy Wynette. Willie Dixon, who died in 1992, was one of the most prolific songwriters of all time, he has been called "the poet laureate of the blues". His most famous compositions include Hoochie Coochie Man, I Just Want to Make Love to You and You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover. Dixon's songs have been recorded by artists including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. The songwriters were chosen from a list that also included Tom Petty, Vince Gill, Elvis Costello and Kenneth Babyface Edmonds. Linda Moran said: "Our 2015 line-up of inductees represents the rich diversity of American musical styles - rock, country, blues and pop - that have captivated the world over the past six decades."

Summary: Cyndi Lauper, Linda Perry and the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia are to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.


Cook made only a single as England lost to Sri Lanka by 90 runs to trail 4-2 with one match remaining on Tuesday. Asked if he expected to be captain when England travel down under next month, first of all for a tri-series against Australia and India, he said: "Yes. "It's tough at the moment. I'm a better player than I'm showing at the moment, and I've just got to keep going." The skipper has now scored 499 runs at an average of 24.95 - with only one half century - in his last 21 ODIs, during which time England have won only eight matches. "Not scoring the runs I'd like is not a great place to be as a captain," said Cook, who has scored five ODI centuries in 91 one-day international appearances. Four of those hundreds have been as skipper, but the most recent came against West Indies in June 2012. "You want to lead from the front, and when it's not happening for you it is incredibly frustrating," he said. Cook's difficult day began when he dropped key Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara on 41 and the left-hander went on to make 112. "Days like these don't make the job any easier," he said. "It's probably a good job I'm off a lot of social media and in the middle of Sri Lanka at the moment where the internet is not so great." Meanwhile, England coach Peter Moores said the situation would be assessed after the completion of the Sri Lanka series. "It would be wrong of me as a selector and coach not to review things at the end of this series," Moores told Sky Sports. "Alastair's in a tough patch at the moment but he's working extremely hard to get out of that." After Tuesday's final match in Colombo, England have only four guaranteed matches in the triangular series against Australia and India next month before their World Cup campaign begins against co-hosts Australia on 14 February. Moores also defended Eoin Morgan, who was out first ball in Pallekele on Saturday and has made only one fifty in his last 18 ODI innings. "I think Morgan's playing well. He got a beauty today. He plays a style of cricket that aggressive and can win matches," he said. "Australia is a place where he has performed well in the past. "We'll try and pick a 15 for the tri-series that will be the team for the World Cup. You want your side settled by the time you get to that stage."

Summary: Alastair Cook has vowed to remain England one-day captain despite losing a fourth successive one-day series.


His comments come as the Tibetan exile movement meets at its headquarters in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala to discuss its future strategy. There is growing concern over the number of Tibetans self-immolating or setting themselves on fire. Activists say 51 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009. The Tibet issue: Two views Inside Tibet The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile are under increasing pressure - not just from Beijing but now also from their followers who are divided over how to continue their struggle against Chinese rule. Some of those gathering in Dharamsala this week want a more assertive policy, including more open backing of Tibetans setting themselves on fire, while others say this tactic is against Buddhist teachings and want another approach. The Dalai lama has steered a middle course. In a BBC interview, he said the immolations were a symptom of China's repressive rule in Tibet and called on its new leadership to accept the need for change. "The new leadership must use common sense and a more holistic view to serve long term-interest. There is no other way. "Just using force, censorship and to remain a closed society is almost like suicide. Judging that way, I feel there is possibility or a real chance to change." Beijing says Tibet is an integral part of China and accuses the Dalai Lama of trying to break the Himalayan region away. The Dalai Lama says he only wants greater autonomy. But, he said, it was getting harder to reach an agreement because of an increasing divide between ethnic Tibetans and the Han Chinese who have been encouraged to move there by Beijing.

Summary: The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, says he hopes for a new Chinese approach to Tibet with the expected change in its leadership next month.


Mark Jones, 45, of Cwmbran, denies murdering Amelia Jones in Pontnewydd in November, 2012. His daughter Sarah Jones was asked by the defence barrister, Roger Thomas QC, about a trip to the doctors with Amelia on 7 November 2012. She admitted "exaggerating" about the doctor's diagnosis. Mr Thomas asked her what the diagnosis was and Ms Jones told the court: "She had a cold". The court was told that she had previously said, in a text message: "They want to check her, and they might keep her in overnight". Mr Thomas suggested those two accounts differed from each other. Sarah Jones replied "Don't you over-exaggerate with stuff sometimes". Mr Thomas asked, "So you do exaggerate?" Ms Jones then replied: "Yes". Ms Jones, 26, told Newport Crown Court on Tuesday she found Amelia in tears after leaving her in Mr Jones's care in a car during a shopping trip, days before her death. The defendant's barrister quizzed Ms Jones as to why she gave uncertain answers in a police interview about whether she actually went shopping on that day. She said from the stand: "I had all my other children taken off me, I had been arrested for murder; I wasn't in the right frame of mind." Ms Jones was later released and her children were returned to her, the court heard. But Mr Thomas said the incident relating to Amelia being upset in Mr Jones's care "didn't happen at all like this". He said "Amelia was left alone in the house with Mark", and not in a car, as she had suggested. The QC accused Ms Jones of "not being entirely fair and truthful" about her recollection, adding: "The incident you have described yesterday did not occur". "It did occur", she replied. Prosecuting counsel, Paul Lewis, asked Ms Jones if she had "ever laid a finger on Amelia, so as to harm her". She replied: "No, not at all". Ms Jones told the court she now has another child with Amelia's father, Ian Skillern, who was born in 2013. The pair are no longer in a relationship. During earlier evidence, Ms Jones claimed her father said Amelia had been "a nightmare" when he babysat the night before the baby received her fatal injuries. Mr Jones insists he dropped Amelia accidentally on the two separate evenings while babysitting on his own. The case continues.

Summary: The mother of a baby girl allegedly murdered by her own grandfather has admitted she "exaggerates", a court has heard.


The bank announced the closures as part of a "strategic review". It said the move was a result of falling customer demand, and because of overlaps with other nearby branches. Seven are in Aberdeen and the north east, four in Tayside, and three in the Highlands. Two are in Edinburgh, two in central Scotland, two in west Scotland and one in Lothian, Glasgow and Forth. The full list is: A Bank of Scotland spokesperson said: "In 2014 Lloyds Banking Group announced a three-year strategy, which included a programme of planned branch closures. "As part of this strategic review, we can confirm today that Bank of Scotland will be closing 23 branches. "In most cases, this is as a result of falling customer demand while in others it is because of overlaps with other nearby branches. "Branches will continue to play an important role in our multi-channel customer offering. "Bank of Scotland is committed to maintaining a local presence and we expect to continue to have the largest branch network in Scotland."

Summary: The Bank of Scotland has announced it is to close 23 branches in Scotland.


The small pieces of plastic commonly found in toothpaste, exfoliating body scrubs and other household products and are thought to damage the environment. Environmentalists fear they are building up in oceans and potentially entering the food chain. A consultation on how a ban would work will start later this year, Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom has announced. A number of cosmetic companies have made voluntary commitments to phase out the use of microbeads by 2020. Products that contain the tiny bits of plastic won't necessarily say "microbeads" in the list of ingredients. Instead, look for the words polyethylene, polypropylene and polymethylmethacrylate - the chemical names for plastics. Nylon may also be listed as well as the abbreviations PET, PTFE and PMMA. There are several websites listing products that do and do not include plastic such as Beat the Microbead. It also has a free app where you can check products by scanning the barcode with your smartphone camera. Many cosmetics brands include information on their websites. Johnson & Johnson which produces face scrubs under the brands Neutrogena and Clean & Clear has committed to phasing out microbeads by the end of 2017. Proctor and Gamble which owns Crest toothpaste, Gillette and Olay, has also promised to stop using them by next year. Read more: Why are microbeads controversial? The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee last month said the government needed to step in to protect the environment as soon as is practicable, after it was revealed a single shower can result in 100,000 plastic particles entering the ocean. Mrs Leadsom said: "Most people would be dismayed to know the face scrub or toothpaste they use was causing irreversible damage to the environment, with billions of indigestible plastic pieces poisoning sea creatures. "Adding plastic to products like face washes and body scrubs is wholly unnecessary when harmless alternatives can be used." She said it was the "next step in tackling microplastics in our seas" following the introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge, which was introduced in England in October. Professor Richard Thompson, a marine biologist from Plymouth University, welcomed the decision. He said: "Over 680 tonnes of mircrobeads are used in the UK alone every year. That's substantially more than all of the litter we pick up on our beaches in voluntary beach cleans each year, so it's not a trivial quantity. "The sooner we can make progress with avoidable, unnecessary emissions, because it's not clear to me at all why we need to cleanse ourselves by rubbing our skin with millions of small, plastic particles. What's the societal benefit there?" The environment committee's report suggested microplastic pollution could be more damaging to the environment than larger pieces of plastic because its size makes it more likely to be eaten by wildlife and then potentially enter the food chain. As an example, it said a plate of six oysters can contain up to 50 particles of plastic. More than 280 marine species have been found to ingest microplastics, but the committee said much more research was needed into plastic pollution because there

Summary: The UK government has announced plans to ban microbeads used in cosmetics and cleaning products by 2017.


He faced criticism online after comparing costume designer Jenny Beavan to a "bag lady" when she picked up her Bafta for Mad Max: Fury Road. The presenter later insisted Beavan was a "dear friend" and had "got" the joke. Fry said he has not "slammed the door" on Twitter but said the site had become a "stalking ground for the sanctimoniously self-righteous". Writing on his official website, he said people needed to "grieve" for what Twitter had become, writing: "I like to believe I haven't slammed the door, much less stalked off in a huff throwing my toys out of the pram as I go or however one should phrase it. "It's quite simple really: the room had started to smell. Really quite bad." Fry has been presenting the Bafta film awards for 11 years and audiences have become used to his cutting wit, often involving quips about many of the stars involved. Beavan, who won the Bafta for Best Costume Design for Mad Max: Fury Road, came onto the stage at London's Royal Opera House wearing a black leather jacket, white t-shirt and dark trousers. Following her acceptance speech and once she had left the stage, Fry said: "Only one of the great cinematic costume designers would come to the awards dressed like a bag lady." But he posted a picture of the pair at a party later in the night to show his comment had not been taken badly, captioning it: "Jenny Baglady Beavan and Stephen Outrageous Misogynist Swine Fry at the after party." Fry followed that up by saying in an expletive-ridden tweet that his critics were "tragic people". His latest comment continued: "A stalking ground for the sanctimoniously self-righteous who love to second-guess, to leap to conclusions and be offended - worse, to be offended on behalf of others they do not even know. "It's as nasty and unwholesome a characteristic as can be imagined. It doesn't matter whether they think they're defending women, men, transgender people, Muslims, humanists â€¦ the ghastliness is absolutely the same." He said "the tipping point had been reached" but added: "I don't feel anything today other than massive relief, like a boulder rolling off my chest. I am free, free at last." The former QI host had more than 12 million followers on Twitter at the time he left the site. Glamour editor Jo Elvin was among those who criticised Fry for his "uncool" comments, saying she was glad Beavan "wore what she wanted". Comedian Tiernan Douieb described Fry as looking like he was dressed like "an unused Subbuteto (sic) table". Showbiz journalist Beth Neil wrote: "Stephen Fry's 'dressed as a bag lady' joke about the winner of costume design was horrid. True colours, there." Fry received support from Twitter users however, including several celebrities. Radio 1 Scott Mills DJ wrote: "I thought Stephen Fry was an excellent host tonight. Dealing with the biggest stars in the world is scary. I find this. He is a natural." Comedian Matt Lucas joked: "Stephen Fry Didn't you get the memo? No-one is allowed to

Summary: Bafta show host Stephen Fry has confirmed he has left Twitter declaring "the fun is over".


Strauss, the England and Wales Cricket Board's director of cricket, told Pietersen in May that he would not be considered for an international recall. "I think that clarity has helped," Strauss said. England won the Ashes 3-2 but trail 2-0 in the one-day series before Tuesday's third ODI at Old Trafford (14:00 BST). Pietersen, 35, who was initially sacked after the 5-0 whitewash in the 2013-14 Ashes series, remains England's record run-scorer in all formats. But Strauss believes the team has "moved on". He added: "The danger at that time was that particular issue would overshadow everything that happened on the pitch over the course of the summer. "What I was trying to do was provide clarity going forward so everyone knew where they stood. "I think the team has moved on and the team is in a pretty good place. Some of those young guys have established themselves and that's what we will be focusing on taking England forward." England have called up wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow after deciding to rest Jos Buttler for the remaining three games of the ODI series. Meanwhile, Australia could be forced into three changes after all-rounder Shane Watson, batsman David Warner and bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile were all ruled out of the rest of the series through injury. County cricket trio John Hastings of Durham, Yorkshire's Aaron Finch and Gloucestershire's Peter Handscomb have replaced them.

Summary: England are benefiting from the decision to exclude former batsman Kevin Pietersen from selection, says English cricket chief Andrew Strauss.


Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr's brother said he was found guilty of seeking "foreign meddling" in the kingdom, "disobeying" its rulers and taking up arms against the security forces. The cleric was a vocal supporter of the mass anti-government protests that erupted in Eastern Province in 2011. His arrest two years ago, during which he was shot, triggered days of unrest. Oil-rich Eastern Province is home to a Shia majority that has long complained of marginalisation at the hands of the Sunni royal family. Protests began there in February 2011 after the start of the pro-democracy uprising in neighbouring Bahrain, which has a Shia majority and a Sunni royal family. The Saudi authorities deny discriminating against Shia and blame Iran for stirring up discontent. Sheikh Nimr's brother Mohammed said on Twitter that he had been sentenced to death by Riyadh's Specialised Criminal Court, which tries terrorism cases, on Wednesday morning. A statement by the cleric's family described the verdict as "discretionary", saying the judge had the option of imposing a lighter sentence, according to the Associated Press. It also warned that the trial had been "political" and had set a "dangerous precedent for decades to come". When Sheikh Nimr, who holds the rank of ayatollah, went on trial in March 2013 prosecutors called for his execution by "crucifixion", a punishment which in Saudi Arabia involves beheading followed by public display of the decapitated body. Human rights groups expressed concern at the time that he would not receive a fair trial. They also said he had still not been given access to adequate medical care for the gunshot wounds he received during his arrest in July 2012, something denied by the authorities. Police shot Sheikh Nimr in the leg four times in disputed circumstances as they detained him after a car chase in Eastern Province's Qatif district. Officials said he rammed a security forces vehicle, leading to a gun battle. However, his family disputed the allegation that he resisted arrest and insisted that he did not own a weapon. The cleric was held for eight months before being charged and reportedly spent the first four in an isolation cell at a prison hospital in Riyadh. Activists and relatives say Sheikh Nimr, who has a wide following among Shia in Eastern Province and other states, supported only peaceful protests and eschewed all violent opposition to the government. In 2011, he told the BBC that he supported "the roar of the word against authorities rather than weapons... the weapon of the word is stronger than bullets, because authorities will profit from a battle of weapons". His arrest prompted days of protests in which three people were killed. Human Rights Watch said more than 1,040 people had been arrested at Shia protests between February 2011 and August 2014. At least 240 are still believed to be in detention. "I think the message that Saudis are saying is: 'We will arrest anybody. We don't care how high profile they are... nobody is above this. We don't have any tolerance. We don't have any flexibility,'" HRW Middle East researcher

Summary: A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced the Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr to death, his family says.


King, known for his hits Lucille, Sweet Black Angel and Rock Me Baby, died in his sleep in Las Vegas. Born in Mississippi, King began performing in the 1940s and was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was recently taken to hospital with a diabetes-related illness. Rolling Stone magazine once ranked BB King in third place in its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, just below Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman. A former farmhand, King was awarded his 15th Grammy award in 2009 for his album One Kind Favor. Even until recently, King performed in at least 100 concerts a year.

Summary: The 'King of the Blues' guitarist and singer, BB King, has died aged 89, his lawyer says.


But this was the nocturnal hum of the midshipman fish; a courtship call, and the source of a biological secret scientists have now solved. Researchers brought the fish into their lab to work out why they sang at night. The US team's findings are published in the journal Current Biology. The researchers found the singing was controlled by a hormone that helps humans to sleep - melatonin. And looking more closely at how melatonin acts on receptors in different parts of the fish's brain could help explain why it is such a powerful "chemical clock" with a role in the timing of sleep-wake cycles, reproduction and birdsong. Prof Andrew Bass, who led the research, said his curiosity about midshipman fish had been piqued by a paper written in 1924 by an academic called Charles Greene, which described how the male fish would hum at night. "Greene referred to midshipman as the California singing fish," said Prof Bass. "We discovered that females are also sonic, but it's only territorial males that build nests and produce the hum to attract females to [those] nests." To find out if the humming was controlled by an internal clock, or circadian rhythm, the team first kept a group of midshipman fish in constant light. This almost completely suppressed their humming. "But when [we gave the fish] a melatonin substitute," said Prof Bass, "they continued to hum, though at random times of day without a rhythm. "Melatonin essentially acted as a 'go' signal for the midshipman's nocturnal calling." Limiting their foghorn-like serenade to the night time probably benefits the fish; a nocturnal chorus might be timed for when females are most receptive, or when their predators are less likely to hear. But the study also suggests a broad and fundamental role for melatonin throughout the vertebrate kingdom - finding a fish with a behaviour so intrinsically linked to their body clock suggests this brain circuitry evolved in our most primitive, aquatic ancestors. Dr Ni Feng, from Yale University, who was also involved in the study, said: "Melatonin is the same supplement that humans might take to fall asleep easier and get over jetlag faster. "But in the nocturnal fish, like the midshipman, it serves to wake them up and pave the way for their nocturnal courtship song performance. "[So] our study shows that singing fish can be a useful model for studying hormones and reproductive-related vocal communication behaviours shared by many vertebrate species."

Summary: When California houseboat residents heard their low, submarine hum in the 1980s, they thought it might be coming from noisy sewage pumps, military experiments or even extraterrestrials.


Revenue for the first quarter dropped 64% to 14.8bn Taiwanese dollars ($456m; Â£315m), while the net loss was 2.6bn Taiwanese dollars, compared with a profit the year before. The firm has been struggling to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung. It is pinning hopes on its new HTC 10 phone to revive fortunes as well as its virtual reality headset Vive. "The media and consumer buzz around HTC, including for the keenly-awaited launches of the flagship smartphone and Vive virtual reality system, clearly demonstrate our leadership in innovation and have provided a great boost to the HTC brand," said Cher Wang, chairwoman and chief executive of HTC in a statement. Chief financial officer Chialin Chang added the company was hoping that the smartphone business would break even in the third quarter. The HTC 10, which comes with an "ultraselfie" front camera designed to reduce the risk of blurry shots, and the Vive headset were both only launched in April and so are not reflected in this current quarter. The success of those two products will dictate the success of the company, said analyst Ben Wood from CCS Insight. "The next quarter will be critical because we'll start to see the effect of Vive and the HTC 10 phone. The company has really got to work hard to show signs of progress," he said. "The combination of Apple's incredible success and Samsung's determination to outspend all its rivals on marketing puts HTC in a precarious position." Five years ago, HTC was the world's fourth bestselling smartphone maker with a market share of about 9%. But in 2015, it fell to 17th place with a share of about 1%, according to research firm IDC.

Summary: A sharp plunge in sales has pushed the Taiwanese phonemaker HTC into a loss for the three months to March.


The Shakespeare Schools Festival - an initiative which inspires schoolchildren to perform abridged versions of the playwright's famous work. From small beginnings, the initiative has grown into the UK's largest youth drama festival. And as the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death is marked on 23 April, we take a look back at its inception. "It all started with the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989," co-founder Chris Grace explained. As S4C's co-founder and director of animation, he had already made a name for himself kickstarting the Welsh animation industry with SuperTed and Fireman Sam. But as eastern Europe opened up, he was inspired by innovative Soviet techniques which used models, drawings and oil on glass. "I knew there was a Soviet tradition of animation which was totally different to Disney and it opened my eyes to new ways of making content accessible," he said. "I saw that Shakespeare could be a bridge between east and west; between Soviet tradition and western tradition." Working in Moscow, he helped to create 12 half-hour abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays - not an easy task when trying to maintain the original dialogue - with each one costing £500,000 to make. It was a turbulent time, with production surviving two attempted presidential coups - against Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991 and Boris Yeltsin in 1993. On one occasion, filming had to be stopped as tanks rumbled by outside, shaking the studio. On another, the studio came under fire from rebels, with bullet holes peppering the walls. "It was very exciting on one level because it was a new Europe," he said. "But it was also fearful. You didn't know the price of bread let alone what the cost of production was. "Despite this, we established a really strong production and international friendship between Wales and Russia." The 12 films, known as S4C's Shakespeare: The Animated Tales, were created in Welsh and English. Initially launched at the Royal Academy in London and City Hall in Cardiff, they went on to be released in 70 countries and won three Emmy awards. By the late-1990s, the films had a "huge up-take" in schools, introducing pupils to Shakespeare "for the very first time". "Everybody wants something new, especially critics, and animation had never been seen in this way before," Mr Grace said. "Part one was making Shakespeare accessible through a contemporary medium and part two was to take those films being used by schools and make Shakespeare accessible to young people through performance. "I thought, 'if they're watching them, why can they not perform them?'" And so, in 2000, the festival was officially launched. Living in Pembrokeshire, he arranged for eight schools to perform at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven. Each performed a half-hour play to sell-out audiences over two nights. "It's not often we get things first in Pembrokeshire, so being the venue for a national debut felt like a major honour. "Our director was a bit individual, not to mention notorious in my family for constantly giving me detentions, and she decided to set a Japanese theme around

Summary: What links William Shakespeare, the fall of the Berlin Wall, coups in Soviet Russia and eight schools in west Wales?


Rockstar's controversial game - where players commit crime in the fictional city of Los Santos - was presented with the Game of the Year gong at a ceremony in central London. Sony's The Last of Us also scooped two awards. Ken Levine - the man behind Bioshock and System Shock 2 - was honoured with a lifetime achievement award. The Golden Joysticks are the largest publicly-voted video game awards in the world, with this year more than 10 million people casting a vote. The Lifetime Achievement is a new addition to the ceremony. Mr Levine has been a high profile figure in the industry ever since he worked with designer Doug Church, on the first-person shooter, Thief: The Dark Project, credited with being one of the first titles to introduce the concept of stealth into video games. "The great thing about the still-maturing nature of video games is you get to be inspired by the work of novices and veterans alike," he said. "We're all figuring out day by day exactly what the medium is capable of." Now in its 31st year, the awards were first given out back in 1983, with the first Game of the Year award going to Jet Pac on the ZX Spectrum. Andy Robinson, editor of Computer and Videogames, said that three decades on, the awards still "represent the voice of gamers worldwide". "We've revamped the categories to reflect the diversity of modern gaming and also added the inaugural Lifetime Achievement award, which has made this year's ceremony the most thrilling for us yet," he said. The Golden Joysticks are not the only big awards for the video games industry. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts hands out its Video Game Baftas in the spring each year, although the majority of their awards are selected by a panel of experts, rather than a public vote. Grand Theft Auto 5, released last month, quickly became the fastest selling entertainment product ever, taking just three days to generate $1bn (Â£620m) in revenue.

Summary: The adult-themed crime game, Grand Theft Auto 5, has won the top prize at the Golden Joystick awards.


Sailor Victor Magnus captured the scene when a ship carrying explosives caught fire in Halifax, Canada, resulting in the deaths of 2,000 people. The explosion, on Thursday 6 December 1917, almost wiped out the town. Mr Magnus's daughter, Anne Foreman from Cornwall, is to take the pictures to the Imperial War Museum in London. It was 09:04 (GMT) when Halifax suffered the world's greatest man-made explosion at the time, when the two ships involved in the war effort collided. Standing on the shoreline was Royal Navy Lt Victor Magnus. The French ship SS Mont Blanc, which was loaded with wartime explosives, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo. The cataclysmic explosion occurred after a fire broke out on SS Mont Blanc, all of which was caught on camera by Mr Magnus. SS Mont Blanc was described as a huge 'floating bomb' because of her formidable cargo. There were more than 2,000 tonnes of picric acid, 200 tonnes of TNT, 56 tonnes of gun cotton and 223 tonnes of motor fuel on board. Records show the ship exploded and disintegrated in seconds. Altogether 3.8 sq km (1.5 sq miles) of Halifax was flattened and more than 1,900 people perished. Avid photographer Mr Magnus managed to capture plumes of smoke and a town littered with ash in his photographs. After the war Mr Magnus had three children. His daughter, Anne Foreman from Hayle, Cornwall, decided to share her father's photographs during the anniversary of the outbreak of World War One. She said: "This has brought him to life again. It's amazing, it brings tears to my eyes. Ms Foreman, aged 89, said her father was on watch during the morning of the explosion when he took the pictures. "The blast absolutely blew Halifax town into oblivion, the whole of the harbour and the town was devastated. "The thing that struck me most was a cannon that was blown three miles in land. Ms Foreman said her father was "a kind and lovely man with a great sense of humour". "There are so many things I've found out about him and his experiences from these photographs. I'm so happy he's been brought back to the forefront of our minds," she said.

Summary: Unseen pictures from World War One have been released showing what was then the world's largest explosion.


They will meet on Monday afternoon to decide their response. The boss of the bank has described this plan as getting "several holes in one in a row". Golfers will know how hard that is and the wind of political risk has just picked up. If they do decide the plan is now too risky then the government may have no choice but to nationalise the bank. That would trigger a so-called "bail in" which means people who lent the bank money would have to write it off. Unfortunately, 65% of those creditors are ordinary retail investors so the damage would be widespread and politically toxic. There is another option. The Italian government could decide to simply break the rules and nationalise the bank without hitting small investors. That might be politically expedient but would be bitterly opposed in Germany and would set back immeasurably the project of banking union (separating the financial risk of banks from their governments - a move that came in response to the eurozone crisis of 2012). The money comes directly out of some small investors' pockets or it comes out of every citizen's taxes. The latter would be seen across Europe as a massive defeat in the battle to make sure taxpayers are not the first port of call when a bank fails. The fate of Europe's oldest and weakest bank has ramifications not just for Italy but for the entire European banking reform project.

Summary: Although the share price of Europe's oldest bank Monte dei Paschi is little changed this morning, that may not last if the consortium of investors planning a â‚¬5bn cash injection abandon their rescue attempt amid the political vacuum opened up by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's departure.


Media playback is not supported on this device The top two were tied on a clearance of 4.85m, but European champion Stefanidi won by having fewer failed jumps. Bradshaw, 24, set a season's best of 4.70m, with New Zealand's Eliza McCartney taking bronze with 4.80m. Cuba's world champion Yarisley Silva managed only joint seventh with 4.60m, 31cm short of her personal best. "I am fifth at the Olympic Games and I am really happy with that. It was a step up from the last Olympics I was at in London," said Bradshaw, who was joint sixth four years ago with 4.45m. "I am an ultimate competitor so I am always going to be disappointed whatever happens. I felt I jumped the best of my season and I was so close to 4.80m. "I am just a little bit too inconsistent to mix it with the top girls in the world at the moment. I just need a year where I don't have an injury." Media playback is not supported on this device Defending champion Jennifer Suhr, the only athlete to clear five metres this season, was joint seventh and said she was suffering with an illness. "I feel horrible,'' Suhr said. "I'm actually getting concerned. It's going on day 10 and I feel worse today. "They think it's respiratory and now in the lungs. This morning I was coughing up blood. It's getting scary. "I just want to get out of here and go home and figure it out." Find out how to get into athletics with our special guide. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.

Summary: Greece's Ekaterini Stefanidi won women's pole vault gold, narrowly beating USA's Sandi Morris into silver as Britain's Holly Bradshaw was fifth.


Japan administers the uninhabited Senkaku islands, which China also claims under the name Diaoyu islands. Russian naval ships were also spotted in the area at the same time, Japanese local media said. In 2012, relations between Japan and China deteriorated after Japan bought the islands from a private owner. The islands are important because they are close to key shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and lie near potential oil and gas reserves. Reacting to the incident, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga expressed "serious concern" at a news conference, saying it would escalate tensions. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told his government to work closely with the US and other countries to deal with this, Mr Suga said. How uninhabited islands soured China-Japan ties "Around 00:50 am (15:30 GMT Wednesday), a Chinese naval vessel entered our nation's contiguous waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands," the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement. Japan's Vice-Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki summoned China's ambassador Cheng Yonghua to lodge a protest. Mr Saiki told the ambassador that the Senkakus are an inherent part of Japan's territory, in terms of history and international law, NHK reported. He demanded the vessel swiftly move away from the area. Local media reported the vessel left the area around 03:10 local time. Mr Cheng said the Chinese frigate was allowed to sail in those waters, said Kyodo news agency citing an unnamed source. Three Russian military vessels were also seen in the waters around the disputed islands, according to Jiji Press, entering around 21:50 on Wednesday and leaving around 03:05 on Thursday.

Summary: Japan has lodged a protest with the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo, after a Chinese ship sailed close to contested islands in the East China Sea.


Ms Boyd, who was elected to represent Castle ward in 2012, became the first woman to lead Stirling Council. She is currently the youngest council leader in Scotland and one of only four women. She said her decision not to seek re-election was not easy but that it was time to address "personal priorities." She said: "I am incredibly proud of what Labour-led Stirling Council has achieved over the last five years and I will continue to devote my energy to securing a City Deal for Stirling and the wider region. "The reason I am not seeking re-election is very straightforward. I made a full time commitment to the role of leading Stirling Council for the past five years and it's now time for me to address some personal priorities. "The welfare of my young family has always come first and at this time the means of achieving that is the continuing development of my legal career." She added: "I will miss my role in local government and working with councillors from across the political spectrum as well as council staff who are dedicated to delivering the best public services in very challenging times."

Summary: The Labour leader of Stirling Council, Johanna Boyd, has announced that she will not be standing in next year's local government elections.


SeaEnergy issued a statement to the stock exchange to say it is making losses, and trying to sell its assets. It warned that if it cannot find a deal, it may not be able to keep trading beyond May. The share price fell more than half following the news, but ended Friday 45% down on the day. It had already fallen more than 90% in a year - from 30p a year ago to 2.24p at the start of Friday trading. SeaEnergy was transformed from the oil explorer Ramco, and sought to find a niche in offshore renewable energy. After being forced to change tack due to a lack of funding for its ambitious wind farm plans, the Westhill-based company has been selling specialist software and specialist shipping technology to the oil and gas industry. It has also been seeking to diversify into other sectors. In a trading update, SeaEnergy said progress towards profitability was good until the oil price started falling, in late 2014. Clients cancelled or postponed orders. There were signs of improvement towards the end of last year, as budgets for 2016 were finalised. "But trading conditions deteriorated further," it has reported. Costs have been cut, and Sea Energy has given up its ship management role. "The loan facilities announced in November 2015, which were intended to bridge the gap to improved trading conditions, have proved to be insufficient and the company's cash position is becoming constrained," the company said in its statement. "Any short term improvement in performance would require a rapid upturn in the oil and gas market."

Summary: An Aberdeen firm which supplies specialist services to the oil and gas industry has warned that it is running out of cash.


Norburn's sweet strike from outside the area gave Gulls goalkeeper Brendan Moore no chance as the ball flew into the top corner with 24 minutes on the clock. Chris Holroyd confirmed victory on 65 minutes with a second memorable goal as his fierce strike went in off the crossbar. Report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Macclesfield Town 2, Torquay United 0. Second Half ends, Macclesfield Town 2, Torquay United 0. Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Paul Lewis replaces Jack Mackreth. Courtney Richards (Torquay United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Substitution, Macclesfield Town. Neill Byrne replaces John McCombe. Corner, Macclesfield Town. Substitution, Torquay United. Jamie Reid replaces Brett Williams. Goal! Macclesfield Town 2, Torquay United 0. Chris Holroyd (Macclesfield Town). Substitution, Torquay United. Sam Chaney replaces Damon Lathrope. Corner, Macclesfield Town. Corner, Macclesfield Town. Corner, Macclesfield Town. Brett Williams (Torquay United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Second Half begins Macclesfield Town 1, Torquay United 0. First Half ends, Macclesfield Town 1, Torquay United 0. Goal! Macclesfield Town 1, Torquay United 0. Ollie Norburn (Macclesfield Town). Corner, Macclesfield Town. Corner, Macclesfield Town. Corner, Macclesfield Town. First Half begins. Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

Summary: Ollie Norburn marked his Macclesfield debut with a stunning volley as Torquay were beaten 2-0 at Moss Lane.


The 19-year-old has spent the summer on trial in the Championship club's development system. Phillips was released by Liverpool in May after 10 years at the Anfield club, having joined as a nine-year-old from Blackburn. "It's a great move for me and a great opportunity to come to a club like Norwich," said Phillips. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Norwich City have signed former Liverpool youngster Adam Phillips on an initial two-year contract.


Robinson was left upset by a number of refereeing decisions as his side conceded twice in the final three minutes to draw 3-3 at home to Bristol Rovers in League One on Tuesday. "Maybe we need to cheat a little bit more, go down, scream, maybe we need to do that," he told BBC Three Counties. "Honesty in the way we're doing things doesn't seem to be getting the right rewards." After relegation from the Championship, MK Dons have won just four times in League One this season and have not recorded a home victory in 12 league games - a record that stretches back to March. "Stay on your feet, be disciplined, but you've seen tonight that's clearly not the case," added Robinson, who has been in charge of the club since May 2010. "If you stay on your feet you don't get the foul. Ultimately you lose the football and you get countered on or you get kicked in your own area by a centre forward who finds himself two yards out tapping it in."

Summary: Manager Karl Robinson says MK Dons may have to "cheat more" to win matches.


Media playback is not supported on this device The Ospreys scrum-half, 26, went down in agony after his leg was caught in a ruck against Italy and he was taken off the pitch on a stretcher. Webb has had surgery on his damaged foot but the injury was so serious he will also miss the 2016 Six Nations. "It hit me straight away, I was an emotional wreck as soon as it happened to a couple of days after," Webb said. "I still think to myself now: 'How am I here and the boys are playing?' But I'm back driving, back in the gym now. "The amount of pain I was in I knew straight away that my World Cup was over. "I'd worked so hard over the last two years, with my goal getting that number nine shirt and obviously another one was playing in the World Cup in this country. "Seeing that go out the window by one freak accident, I was pretty heart-broken." Wales' opening wins over Uruguay and England have put them in a strong position to reach the quarter-finals - and Webb says he has been cheered by those victories. Last season's Pro12 player of the year has now set himself the target of selection for the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. "I've picked myself up slowly seeing the boys win like they have done and playing well - it's just looking forward now. "My long-term goal is British Lions - that's everybody's dream - but I need to set some shorter goals so I'll do them in a couple of weeks maybe." Webb was back among his Wales team-mates on Wednesday as he and fellow injury absentee Leigh Halfpenny - the full-back ruled out of the World Cup and Six Nations with a knee injury suffered in the same game - presented the match jerseys for Thursday's game against Fiji. "It was obviously a special occasion," Webb added. "I gave a bit of a speech, which was nerve-wracking, but it was very good, I enjoyed it - I was more nervous presenting the shirts than playing. "Dan Lydiate and Toby [Taulupe Faletau] are winning their 50th caps so it was a pleasure to present them with their jerseys as well."

Summary: Rhys Webb says he knew his World Cup was over the moment he was injured in Wales' final warm-up match.


Twin B and Yasmin Evans announced on 1Xtra that the R&B singer, who's influenced the likes of Alicia Keys and Rihanna, will be playing at 1Xtra Live. It's the seventh year the flagship gigs have taken place and this year it's all happening in Birmingham. Mistajam and DJ Target will be hosting shows live from the National Indoor Arena (NIA) on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra on 15 November. Mary J Blige has won multiple Grammy awards, was ranked ninth in music channel VH1's list of the 100 greatest women in music (Madonna was number one, if you're wondering) and has sold millions of records around the world. Next month we'll get to hear some of her most famous songs live, including No More Drama, Family Affair, Real Love and I'm Going Down. She joins a 1Xtra Live line-up that already includes Rick Ross, who'll be performing his first ever live show for the BBC. Jess Glynne, Fuse ODG and Lethal Bizzle will also be on stage. George Ergatoudis, Head of Music, Radio 1 and 1Xtra, said: "There are not many events in the world that can boast having both Mary J Blige and Rick Ross. "For 1Xtra Live we've pulled together a bill featuring 1Xtra favourites from both the UK and abroad - Birmingham is in for an amazing night of live music." Joining the stars at the NIA will be 1Xtra DJs like Trevor Nelson, Charlie Sloth and Sarah Jane Crawford. There are 10,000 tickets available for the show. Tickets will go on sale on a first come first serve basis at 18:00 BST on Thursday 23 October. They'll cost Â£10 each plus handling fees and you have to be 16 or over to attend. Full terms and conditions are available on the 1Xtra website. If you can't make it to the Midlands, the show will be available to watch on the Red Button and will be streamed on the 1Xtra website. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

Summary: Sigma, Fuse ODG, Tinashe and now Mary J Blige.


The Planning Inspectorate has backed the council's decision to demand the property near Crymych is demolished. Owner's Charlie Hague and Megan Williams argued that the straw-walled house had low impact on the environment. But inspectors said that did not change rules on building in rural areas. "There is a lack of proper justification for the benefits of the low-impact development in this case for this matter to be given sufficient weight and to outweigh the policies which seek to control development in the countryside," ruled the planning inspector, Iwan Lloyd. The owners had been living in a caravan for four years, before moving into the new home just before their son Eli was born. Sculptor Mr Hague spent more than a year creating the single-storey dwelling from local materials. The couple were helped by friends and relatives at the neighbouring Lammas eco village. But Pembrokeshire council began enforcement proceedings earlier this year, after ruling it was an unauthorised dwelling built in open countryside. Deputy council leader Rob Lewis said he welcomed the planning inspector's decision. "Planning is a rigorous process with clear guidelines and if it is to be enforced fairly must also be upheld by everyone," he said. The enforcement notice gives the couple two months to demolish the property. However, the council will now consider a retrospective planning application for the house. "It will be considered on its merits," said Mr Lewis.

Summary: A Pembrokeshire couple who built a 'hobbit-style' eco home without planning consent have lost a demolition appeal.


A 21-year-old man required hospital treatment after the attack near the Stag Bar on Weavers Close on Thursday 22 December. Police Scotland has released images of a man they wish to trace in connection with the incident. They have asked him or anyone who might know him to come forward to assist with their inquiries. He has been described as a black male, aged between 25 and 35 years old with short, dark hair, dark facial hair or a beard. At the time of the incident, he was wearing a two-tone hooded anorak, dark trousers and dark footwear. He was seen in the vicinity of the incident and also subsequently in the Townhouse Hotel. It is believed that he may have links to the Liverpool or Manchester area.

Summary: Police have released CCTV images as part of investigations into an assault outside an Arbroath bar last year.


Media playback is not supported on this device The Swiss, 79, is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after he was barred for a "disloyal payment" to suspended Uefa leader Michel Platini. Both men deny any wrongdoing. Speaking on the eve of Friday's vote to elect his successor as head of football's world governing body, Blatter said: "Enough is enough. I will always be a president." Fifa's 207 member nations will choose a new president in Zurich, Switzerland. In charge since 1998, Blatter had already announced he was quitting amid a corruption crisis. Five candidates want to replace him - Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa, Gianni Infantino, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Tokyo Sexwale and Jerome Champagne. Media playback is not supported on this device Blatter, under criminal investigation by Swiss authorities for corruption, told the New York Times he had been treated like "the last of the gangsters in the world" and said his ban was "not logical". Blatter has not backed any of the candidates and said he will monitor the election in private. Asked about the legacy of his 18-year tenure, Blatter claimed he will be remembered for making football loved across the world. He pointed to the Paris attacks in November, in which bombs were let off outside the Stade de France as part of a co-ordinated attack across the French capital which killed 130 people and left more than 100 injured. Blatter referred to the two explosions being "only outside the stadium" and added: "So far, all these outlaw groups, they have never attacked football because they know and they feel that football is for everybody. "And no footballers have been killed while playing. I think football is something that puts people together that gives them hope." Media playback is not supported on this device

Summary: Outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter says he will not return to football - even if his six-year ban is overturned.


The pontiff called for reconciliation as he addressed the Friendship Stadium in Cotonou, Benin's main city in the heartland of the Voodoo religion. The 84-year-old handed over a document showing how doctrine in the Roman Catholic church could heal rifts. The liturgy was delivered in at least 10 African languages and also broadcast in St Peter's Square, Vatican City. Many in the crowd dressed in colourful robes emblazoned with the Pope's image, and some of those who had not made it inside, kneeled and prayed in the car park. The Pontiff urged them "to be attentive to the cry of the poor, the weak and the outcast" as well as "those affected by Aids or other illnesses". His spiritual vision for Africa - contained in a formal treatise - has been called a "papal road map" for the continent. It applies doctrines like turning the other cheek and forgiveness to try to address the conflicts in Africa, such as those fuelled by ethnic divisions. By Virgile AhissouBBC Afrique, Cotonou Voodoo is recognised as an official religion in Benin, followed by some 40% of the population. People across West Africa, especially Togo, Ghana and Nigeria hold similar beliefs. Voodoo has none of the negative connotations it has in the West and many of those who are officially Christian or Muslim also incorporate some Voodoo elements into their beliefs, especially in times of crisis. But Voodoo is more than a belief system, it is a complete way of life, including culture, philosophy, language, art, dance, music and medicine. Voodoo priests ask the gods to intervene on behalf of ordinary people but local adherents stress that they have nothing to do with sorcery or black magic. People here do not stick needles into dolls to cause misfortune to their enemies, as you see in some Western films. It also calls for good governance and the abolition of the death penalty, and condemns abuse of women and children. The document was drawn up two years ago at a meeting in Rome by Catholic bishops from all over Africa. Witchcraft warning On Saturday, the second day of his visit to Benin, the Pope travelled to the city of Ouidah where he called for respect for traditional beliefs but also issued a warning against witchcraft. Voodoo is widely practised in Benin, where it has none of the negative connotations often associated with it in Western countries. The Pope's first public engagement on Friday was at the presidential palace in Cotonou, where he again issued an appeal for reconciliation in front of politicians, diplomats and Church figures. The rise of Catholicism in Africa is in sharp contrast to Europe, which has seen a steep fall in the number of active faithful.

Summary: Pope Benedict has said an open-air Mass for tens of thousands of people as he wrapped up his three-day African tour.


American Salazar, who coaches Farah in the United States, denies allegations made in a BBC investigation that he has practised doping techniques. Britain's Farah, 32, has been advised to distance himself from Salazar and his US-based Nike Oregon Project (NOP). There is no suggestion that Farah himself has been involved in doping. A BBC Panorama investigation alleged Salazar, who became Farah's coach in 2011, violated anti-doping rules and doped US runner Galen Rupp in 2002 when the athlete was 16 years old. "I will document and present the facts as quickly as I can so that Galen and Mo can focus on doing what they love and have worked so hard to achieve," Salazar told The Guardian in a statement. Media playback is not supported on this device "I have said all along that I believe in a clean sport, hard work and I deny all allegations of doping." Rupp, who was second to Farah in the 10,000m at the 2012 Olympics and holds the US 10,000m record, also denies allegations of wrongdoing. British Olympic Association chairman Lord Coe, who is running for the role of president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, has defended the reputation of Salazar and believes he will mount a "robust" defence. UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner confirmed the governing body would scour Farah's records to ensure their star distance runner is clean but said the process will take "weeks rather than months" to complete. The US Anti-Doping Agency has not confirmed whether it is investigating the claims against Salazar, but the World Anti-Doping Agency president, Sir Craig Reedie, has said the situation should be investigated. Salazar, Rupp and Farah's agent, Ricky Simms, were made aware of the BBC's allegations a month ago. Meanwhile, a former coach with the NOP has told Runners World he is "not surprised" by the allegations of misuse of prescription drugs. John Cook, who was recruited by Salazar in 2003 but left the NOP in 2005, said it was easy to get a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for something like an inhaler. "If I take you and run your ass up and down the stairs five or six or seven times, then take you into the doctor, you're going to be asthmatic and fail the test and you're going to be allowed to take an inhaler," he said. "Don't get me wrong, some of these drugs make life better for certain groups. But if you're a healthy person, why the hell would you need an inhaler? I was somewhat concerned about that." He also derided the effectiveness of current drug-testing programmes. "I think it's pretty obvious that drug-testing can be circumvented in pretty much every corner," said the 73-year-old American. Cook also said his view of athletics had been tainted by what he knows and has seen. "I follow the sport without particularly much fervour or excitement because I know too much," he said. "When I was naïve, I liked it a lot more. I've been turned off pretty much."

Summary: Mo Farah's coach Alberto Salazar says he will show his accusers are "knowingly making false statements" as he continues to deny doping claims.


At Edgbaston on Saturday, England will seek to make it three wins out of three in Group B, hosting Australia, who need to win having had two games washed out. Roy has made only 27 runs in his last five innings for England but Morgan told BBC Sport: "We believe in him. "He has been a huge part of our team and we are a very strong side when Jason Roy is firing." South Africa-born Surrey batsman Roy, 26, made his one-day international debut in May 2015 and has played in 45 matches, scoring 1,458 runs at an average of 34. He made two hundreds in three matches against Sri Lanka last year - his highest ODI score of 162 taking only 118 balls - but having made three successive half-centuries in India in January, he has reached 50 only once in his last 10 innings. Morgan, one of four England batsmen to pass 50 in the tournament thus far, said he would not be telling Roy to curb his naturally attacking instincts at Edgbaston. "I don't think anyone uses the phrase 'knuckle down' in white ball cricket anymore, I definitely won't be telling Jason Roy to knuckle down," he told BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew. "Everybody is in a bit of nick and the fact that one guy isn't and we're still winning games says a lot about this team." England, twice beaten finalists in the competition, most recently against India in a rain-reduced match at Edgbaston four years ago, have won 10 of their last 11 one-day internationals, their only defeat coming in a dead rubber with South Africa at Lord's last month. "Everybody seems to be firing, it's the type of performances you need for guys to rub off on each other because even if you're in form sometimes you won't come off but you know someone else has your back in the group," Morgan said. Having already secured qualification for the semi-finals, the skipper spoke of a potential 100% record in the group stages: "It'd be a huge confidence-booster. If we're trying to win global tournaments we need to beat sides like Australia. It's a great challenge and one we're really looking forward to." Find out how to get into cricket with our inclusive guide. Australia have won the tournament twice in addition to four of the last five World Cups and skipper Steve Smith says Saturday's match is a must-win encounter for his side. "That usually does bring out the best of the Australian team in big tournaments, but England have improved and we're certainly going to have to be at our best to beat them," he said. The Australia batsmen have faced only 25 overs in the first two matches, both curtailed by rain, and Smith said: "It's not ideal we haven't got through a full fixture yet but we can't control the weather. For us it's just about treating it as a quarter-final and playing the way we know we are capable of." Asked about the pay dispute with Cricket Australia that continues at home,

Summary: England captain Eoin Morgan says "runs are just round the corner" for opener Jason Roy in the Champions Trophy.


Media playback is not supported on this device The result means Liverpool will top the table at Christmas - ahead of the Gunners on goal difference - as two teams with title pretensions of their own produced a spectacle almost devoid of entertainment and quality. Frank Lampard came closest to breaking the deadlock when he hit the woodwork in the first half, while Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud wasted two good opportunities late on to claim the win that would have seen the Gunners leapfrog Liverpool. "Credit has to go to Blues boss Jose Mourinho for getting his tactics spot on. Chelsea crowded the midfield, had a solid defence and looked dangerous on the counter-attack. Mourinho came for a point and got one." How Mourinho's tactics keep Chelsea in title race Instead, referee Mike Dean's final whistle produced a chorus of boos and chants of "boring boring Chelsea" from Arsenal fans frustrated at their team's failure to lay a glove on Jose Mourinho's team. There were some moments to debate in a match that was a niggly, messy affair played out in dreadful conditions, although arguably the biggest news of the night came further up the Seven Sisters Road where Tottenham named Tim Sherwood as Andre Villas-Boas's full-time successor. John Mikel Obi could easily have seen a red card for a shocking first-half challenge on Mikel Arteta that went unpunished by referee Dean and Arsenal were convinced they should have had a penalty when Theo Walcott tumbled after Willian stepped on his foot just before the interval. An undistinguished first half finally burst into life when Lampard found space on the end of Eden Hazard's clever flicked pass but saw his powerful effort bounce off the underside of the bar to safety. The second half, if it was actually possible, opened in even more scrappy fashion and Arteta was the victim of another poor challenge from Ramires, which finally persuaded Dean to show Chelsea's midfielder a yellow card. Mourinho made his first change with 17 minutes left, somewhat surprisingly choosing to replace Hazard with Andre Schurrle, who was soon followed into the action by Oscar, on for fellow Brazilian Willian. Jose Mourinho is now unbeaten against Arsenal in all 10 competitive matches as Chelsea manager (all against Wenger), winning five, with five draws. As a tortuous evening entered its final 10 minutes, Arsenal finally created a chance when Aaron Ramsey found Giroud with time and space but he sent a hopeless angled finish into the side-netting. The France striker was then played in again at the near post by Kieran Gibbs but he was blocked by a combination of Chelsea keeper Petr Cech and his defenders. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger declined to make any changes when the game appeared to be crying out for the invention of Spanish playmaker Santi Cazorla - resulting in a draw that was unfulfilling for both teams. Match ends, Arsenal 0, Chelsea 0. Second Half ends, Arsenal 0, Chelsea 0. Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Tomas Rosicky. Attempt blocked. David Luiz (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box

Summary: Arsenal failed to reclaim top spot in the Premier League as they played out a dreadful stalemate with Chelsea at Emirates Stadium.


9 February 2016 Last updated at 09:39 GMT One in five children will experience mental health problems before they are 11 - but only a third of schools have an on-site counsellor, suggests research by the charity Place2Be and National Association of Head Teachers. Children at Highfields Primary School have regular counsellors, one of them, Mandy, seems to be making a difference.

Summary: If left untreated, young children's mental health problems could spiral in adulthood, warns a report.


Rayo Vallecano accepted a £2m bid for the 26-year-old and the Premier League club will seal a third summer signing, subject to international clearance. Michu has passed a medical and agreed personal terms to become new Swansea boss Michael Laudrup's third signing. Laudrup said: "We're talking about a player who scored 16 goals in a small team in the Spanish league." Michu said: "I really wanted to come to Swansea because of the coach, the style of play and the Premier League. I had other offers. "I've always followed the Premier League from Spain and I watched a lot of Swansea games last season. They played good football and I liked their style." He will join fellow new signings defender Chico Flores and midfielder Jonathan de Guzman on Swansea's three-match pre-season tour to the United States on Sunday following Saturday's friendly at Welsh Premier Port Talbot Town. Unlike De Guzman and Flores, Michu has not previously worked with Laudrup but he said: "I also know how Michael Laudrup's teams play, so I'm looking forward to being part of that. "The coach was fundamental to me joining Swansea. I remember watching him as a player - he was a machine." The former Celta Vigo playmaker scored 15 goals in 37 games in his only season for Vallecano in La Liga last term. Vallecano's La Liga rivals Sevilla were also believed to be interested in signing Michu while he had also been linked with Swansea's Premier League rivals Manchester United, Fulham, Stoke City, Liverpool, Southampton, Wigan and West Bromwich Albion. Michu, an attacking midfielder, is seen as an ideal replacement for Gylfi Sigurdsson who, after an impressive loan spell at the Liberty Stadium last season, has joined Tottenham Hotspur from Hoffenheim. "I am happy that the player wanted to come here because I was here," said Laudrup. "I have never worked with him and I haven't paid him! "He has had a press conference in Madrid to say goodbye to Rayo Vallecano and he should join us for the tour to the USA."

Summary: Swansea City have completed the deal to sign Michu as the Spanish midfielder has agreed a three-year contract.


The 20-year-old's four-month loan with the League One Shrews ends in January. "Why change the environment? Why does he need to go and play in the Championship?" Pardew told BBC Sport. "I'd be quite happy for him to stay where he is - the manager's done a super job with him." Kaikai has netted five times in 12 league games for Town so far and it is the competitive nature of life in League One that Pardew wants the player to carry on experiencing. "He's liked playing for the Under-21s, but there's no league table and at that level (at Shrewsbury) it's life and death," he said. "For Sullay to deliver there is great news for us - I'm very pleased and if I don't call him back, hopefully he can stay there."

Summary: Shrewsbury Town manager Micky Mellon is doing a "super job" with striker Sullay Kaikai and he is better off there than at a Championship club, says Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew.


Media playback is not supported on this device Phelan, 53, was promoted from assistant boss to caretaker manager when Steve Bruce resigned in July. Despite a threadbare squad, he has a 100% Premier League record with wins over Leicester and Swansea. "He can handle the situation at Hull and the players are playing for him," Neville told BBC's Match of the Day. Phelan chose not to make a substitution last week and only made one in the 2-0 victory against Swansea, bringing on Shaun Maloney, who scored the opening goal. Hull are yet to make their first signing of the summer transfer window, despite the departure of several members of last season's promotion-winning squad and a long injury list. Phelan worked under Sir Alex Ferguson for 12 years, having served as a first-team coach from 2001 and assistant manager from 2008-2013. Neville said that experience means he is equipped to deal with the pressure at Hull. If you talk about someone who deserves the opportunity then it's Mick Phelan "He's done an incredible job so far," added Neville, who was part of the United squad when Phelan was on the coaching staff. "Mick's galvanised that team spirit. They've had a horrendous pre-season. They've got no squad and he's had kids on the bench. "If you talk about someone who deserves the opportunity then it's Mick Phelan." Hull's win over Swansea, which took them third in the table, was sealed by an injury-time goal from Abel Hernandez. The away fans at the Liberty Stadium chanted 'we want Phelan in' but he knows he must continue to win matches if he is to get the job on a full-time basis. He said: "It was nice to hear them singing that - it's better than hearing them singing 'we want Phelan out'. "I think everyone knows we have decisions to make on my future, the future of the staff and the ownership."

Summary: Hull City should give Mike Phelan the manager's job on a full-time basis, former England defender Phil Neville told BBC's Match of the Day.


Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which opened in 1570, is in the Guinness Book of World Records as Britain's oldest manufacturing company. The company's owner Alan Hughes said he hoped to have found a buyer by the time he retires in May. The Grade II-listed building in Whitechapel, where it has been based since 1738, has already been sold. The foundry has made numerous famous bells including the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia which summoned the city's residents to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and became a symbol for campaigners wanting to abolish slavery. The foundry also cast the bells for Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and numerous other cathedrals across the country. Mr Hughes' grandfather bought the business in 1904. "We have made this decision with a heavy heart, but in response to the changing realities of running a business of this kind," he told local community website Spitalfields Life. "The Bell Foundry in Whitechapel has changed hands many times, but it has always been a family business. "My own family has owned the foundry since 1904, but other families have run the firm throughout its history. "The business has been at its present site for more than 250 years so it is probably about time it moved once again. "We hope that this move will provide an opportunity for the business to move forward in a new direction." Mr Hughes said the firm could no longer afford the upkeep of its Whitechapel building and recently had to spend Â£20,000 to repair a leak in the roof.

Summary: A foundry which opened in Queen Elizabeth I's era and made Big Ben is up for sale.


It has been billed as the biggest edition of the event ever, with more tickets sold than in all of the eight previous championships combined. But who are the big names, when are the big races and how can you keep across the action? Here is everything you need to know. Media playback is not supported on this device The championships opened on Friday evening and run until Sunday, 23 July. There are evening sessions every day, as well as morning sessions from Saturday 15 to Tuesday 18 July and on the final Saturday and Sunday. They do, but they have to share. The recent Anniversary Games, the World Para-athletics Championships and the World Athletics Championships, which run from 4 to 13 August, are all being held at the venue this summer. West Ham's first three Premier League games of the 2017-18 season will be played away from home to accommodate the athletics. As of 6 July there had been 230,000 tickets sold, making it the most well attended World Para-athletics Championships in history. There are still tickets remaining should you decide to go. BBC Radio 5 live will be bringing you commentary throughout the 10 days, as will BBC World Service, and there will be live updates on the BBC Sport website and app. You can also watch the action on Channel 4. A total of 1,074 athletes are competing from 91 nations, with 213 medal events. Great Britain have a 49-strong team. Jonnie Peacock, the 100m sprint star who won gold at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, came to London in search of a second world title, and got it on Sunday. Hannah Cockroft won three gold medals at Rio 2016 and arrived at the championships with 12 Paralympic and World titles to her name - a total she has added to with 100m and 800m golds, with the 400m still to come Aled Davies and Jo Butterfield dominated the shot put and club throw respectively in Rio and were expected to do the same again. Davies defended his F42 discus world title on Sunday. Kadeena Cox made a name for herself in Brazil by winning gold on the cycling track and athletics track. She began in London with a bronze in the T38 200m, and was hoping to add a 400m world title to her accomplishments. Richard Whitehead, Hollie Arnold and Sophie Hahn all replicated the gold-winning success in Rio as early as day two at these championships, while Georgie Hermitage and Paul Blake had hopes of following suit. Ten-time Paralympic medallist David Weir was never considered for selection after he withdrew from British Athletics earlier this year because of a fallout with coach Jenni Banks. He has subsequently retired from track racing to focus on long-distance road racing and made his last competitive appearance last week at the London Anniversary Games. The absence of Libby Clegg should also be mentioned. Clegg won two sprint golds at Rio 2016 but had to pull out of this summer's event through injury. Media playback is not supported on this device The

Summary: London Stadium has come alive as the World Para-athletics Championships takes place at the home of the 2012 Paralympic Games.


Julie Parkin, 39, was found dead at an address in Kirkwall Close, Hylton Castle, Sunderland, on Tuesday. She taught at West Boldon Primary School. Head teacher Joanne Weightman said Mrs Parkin was "highly respected" and the school was "deeply shocked". A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held in police custody. Ms Weightman said: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic news. "Mrs Parkin was a highly valued and respected member of staff who was popular with both pupils and colleagues. "We are working with the local authority to offer support to students and staff and will co-operate fully with any police investigation."

Summary: A primary school head teacher has spoken of her shock after a teacher at her school was found stabbed to death.


It follows media speculation that the Scottish Secretary could be a potential successor to Nick Clegg. Opinion polls have suggested the Lib Dems are set to lose many seats across the UK and Scotland in May's general election. Mr Carmichael's Orkney and Shetland seat is considered to be one of the party's safest. This has led to him being named in some quarters as a possible future leadership contender. But when asked whether he would like to lead the party, Mr Carmichael said: "No. There's no vacancy and I have the constituency that is furthest away from London. "I have got a family that still includes school age children. And the commitment that it takes to be party leader in modern politics is enormous. "My family already miss out on a lot just by virtue of the fact that I'm an MP and I'm a minister and I'm away from home every week . "At least I feel that they miss out on a lot, they might feel differently." Mr Carmichael did not rule out continuing to have a role at the Scotland Office if the Lib Dems were in coalition after May. He said: "Who has a job anywhere is for the prime minister and deputy prime minister, and that is well above my pay grade. I have loved every second of being a minister but I've loved every second of being an MP."

Summary: Alistair Carmichael has appeared to have ruled out a future bid for leadership of the Liberal Democrats.


Media playback is not supported on this device Perry, in his first Triple Crown final at the age of 42, led 4-1 but missed a straightforward red for a 5-1 lead. O'Sullivan won seven frames in a row to move 8-4 ahead before Perry, helped by breaks of 117 and 92, fought back. But O'Sullivan, 41, sealed victory to defend his title and move ahead of Stephen Hendry's six Masters wins. Victory means O'Sullivan claimed the newly named Paul Hunter trophy - in honour of the three-time champion who died of cancer aged 27 in 2006 - as well as the £200,000 winners' prize money. It also ensured the world number 13 ended a run of three defeats in finals this season and defended the title he won last year by thrashing Barry Hawkins 10-1. "Joe played a brilliant tournament, a really good match and he should've beaten me. I got lucky - I stole it," said O'Sullivan. "Joe will come again and he is a tough competitor. I'm just relieved to have got over the line. The fans have been unbelievable and I really enjoyed this week." On winning seven Masters title, O'Sullivan added: "It is great to get some records, I still have the World Championship one to get. "When I was younger I was just happy to win one, so to win seven, someone up there is looking after me." 'The Rocket' had to deal with a virus in his first-round final-frame victory over Liang Wenbo and needed to repair a broken cue tip in the semi-final against Marco Fu, which he said was the "best match he has ever won". In the final, O'Sullivan seemed unsettled by noise coming from a backstage table early on, but pulled himself together to level the match 4-4 at the interval. He claimed a 32-minute ninth frame to move into the lead for the first time, and then knocked in breaks of 85 and 68 to take control. At 8-6 and with Perry fighting back, O'Sullivan made his first century of the match - a break of 112 - and 859th of his career. The Englishman then held his nerve to win a 20-minute tactical frame and claim his 17th Triple Crown title. Along with seven Masters - the first of which he won in 1995 - he has also claimed five World and five UK Championship crowns, and is now just one behind Hendry's record of 18. Media playback is not supported on this device Perry has only won one ranking title - the 2015 Players Championship - but seemed to take to the occasion well, with breaks of 72, 74 and 115 giving him a surprise lead. But rattling the final red in the jaws of the pocket when presented with the opportunity to go 5-1 up seemed to dent his confidence. Fair play to Ronnie, even when he is not at his best he is still amazing Although he rallied by clawing back three frames late on, O'Sullivan's substantial advantage was too great to overturn. "I've proved a lot,

Summary: Ronnie O'Sullivan won a record seventh Masters title by coming from behind to beat Joe Perry 10-7 in the final at London's Alexandra Palace.


There was little corporate news about to excite the market, but in the FTSE 250, shares in laundry services group Berendsen jumped 11% after it looked set to be taken over. France's Elis said it had reached an agreement in principle with the UK firm on key terms of a Â£2.2bn offer. Shares in Flybe rose 1.5% despite the airline reporting a Â£20m loss. The regional carrier has suffered after previous expansion plans proved too ambitious, but the company said the current year was going well. On the currency markets, the pound slipped 0.14% against the dollar to $1.2943, but edged up 0.2% against the euro to 1.1535 euros.

Summary: The London market edged lower, with the FTSE 100 index down 28.64 points to 7,449.98 at the close.


A specialist unit at Bangor University has refined ways of isolating active ingredients in the natural resin. The expertise in analysing the substance is now being used by the Swansea-based Compton Group to develop commercial uses for the substance. Frankincense was one of the gifts given to the infant Jesus by the Wise Men, according to the Bible story. The tale of the magi's search for the child is celebrated by Christians on Epiphany - the 12th day of Christmas, which falls on 6 January. Frankincense resin is used as incense in religious ceremonies and has been used in traditional medicinal remedies for thousands of years. It comes from the sap of Boswellia trees in parts of Asia and Africa, in particular Somalia, Ethiopia and Oman. More recent research at Cardiff University into the properties of frankincense has suggested it has anti-inflammatory properties. Dr Ahmed Ali, a research consultant for the Compton Group, said work at Bangor University's school of chemistry and its Bio-Composites Centre should help develop new commercial uses and applications for the resin. "Previous research has established that frankincense could help people with arthritis. It is hoped that not only will pain be relieved, but also further damage to ligaments and bones will be prevented," he said. "I've been investigating frankincense for over ten years and am delighted that developments are moving apace." Dr Ali said discussions are well under way with collaborators in the United States to establish new markets for products based on the frankincense research, with patents already lodged in Europe, China and the US.

Summary: Scientists at a Welsh university hope to help turn frankincense into the next new "super-ingredient".


Others of you might have read some of my stories or observations before, but it's the first time I'm writing as the BBC's political editor. Welcome. I couldn't have a better predecessor than my excellent colleague Nick Robinson, who'll soon bring his incredible insight and wit to the Today programme on Radio 4. But you and I could hardly be starting out here at a more interesting moment in British politics. Over the coming years, I'll try to unpick what's going on, try to capture the essence of what's being said in public, but also what's being discussed in private, and what that might mean for us all. This is an amazing moment, in part because pundits and politicians can't be sure of very much. The rule book is looking a bit tattered around the edges. The reliability of the polls took a hammering in May when the strong and widely held expectation that no one party could win the general election outright turned out to be totally misplaced. The SNP were on the losing side not even 12 months ago in the vote on Scottish independence, but far from defeat damaging them as you might have assumed, historic victory followed in May, as it became the third biggest party in the House of Commons. Now the Conservatives are trying to redraw their rules, casting themselves as the party of the low paid. And it seems the assumptions are about to be broken again. Not for Labour a leader who conforms to the rules it helped design - someone who talks Westminster's language, has doggedly built a career based on party loyalty, and aspires to wide appeal - but a man, Jeremy Corbyn, who has made a life out of being an insurgent in his own party, defying the leadership, and who many of his MP colleagues hardly even know. The political story of the summer has, without question, been how this relatively obscure London MP has packed out clammy meeting halls around the country, exciting thousands upon thousands of people, making himself the most likely candidate to face David Cameron across the despatch box as the leader of Her Majesty's Opposition. But, hold on. Big crowds don't make it a done deal. The actual rules of this contest, not just the excitement of upending political rules, are worth paying attention to. It's hard to find anyone in the Labour Party now who thinks that Mr Corbyn won't win the first round of votes. But that's not it. Unless he gets over 50% of the votes in that first round - far less certain - the rules dictate that whoever is in fourth place drops out and the second preferences of their backers are reallocated to the other candidates. If there is still no winner, the third-placed candidate is then eliminated with their second preferences similarly reallocated. The candidate who has accumulated the most votes through the different rounds then wins. This matters so much because crucially, given how far to the left most of Mr Corbyn's positions are compared with the

Summary: If you're reading this page for the first time then we have something in common - this is a first for me too.


The hospital said additional beds had been opened to relieve the pressure on the A&E department. A spokesperson for Belfast Trust said the situation was brought under control just before midnight on Wednesday. The RVH said anyone attending A&E could still expect to wait longer than normal. Earlier on Wednesday evening, ambulances were diverted to the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald for several hours, but they are now returning to the RVH. The hospital said some patients may still be transferred to other sites. A spokesperson for the Belfast Trust said "everything that could be done, had being done". She described it as a "very unusual situation".

Summary: The Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) in Belfast has called in extra staff to deal with an unusually high volume of patients.


Police tried to arrest opposition MP Albin Kurti, who has led a series of protests in parliament against agreements made with Serbia. Mr Kurti was reportedly not at home when masked police entered his flat in the capital Pristina on Wednesday. Another opposition MP, Donika Kadaj-Bujupi, was arrested for letting off tear gas in parliament. Scores of opposition supporters gathered in front of the government headquarters in downtown Pristina for a second day, throwing stones and paint at the building. Police arrested at least 13 protesters, the AFP news agency reported. A grenade also went off outside the constitutional court in Pristina as the raid on Mr Kurti's flat took place. But there was no confirmation that the explosion, described by police as "controlled", was connected. For weeks, Mr Kurti, a former leader of the Self-Determination Party, has spearheaded opposition to a deal with Serbia, mediated by the EU in August, that hands greater autonomy to Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority. The opposition also objects to a border demarcation deal with Montenegro that it says hands Kosovan territory to its neighbour. Police spokesperson Baki Kelani told reporters on Wednesday that they were "acting upon four detention warrants from the public prosecutor for four MPs". He said one - Ms Kadaj-Bujupi - had been detained "while we are still looking for three others". Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but has never been recognised by the Belgrade government. The split came a decade after a conflict between Serb forces and Kosovan Albanian rebels. A Nato bombing campaign against Belgrade in effect forced Serbia to cede the state. The constitutional court in Pristina last week suspended for two months the government's deal providing greater power to Serb-run municipalities pending a review. But the opposition sees the court as too close to the government. Seven people, most of them police, were hurt during protests outside the Kosovo parliament on Tuesday. Petrol bombs and stones were thrown outside the building as pepper spray and tear gas were sprayed inside the chamber. The violence broke out as King Abdullah of Jordan was on a visit to Kosovo.

Summary: Kosovo police have used tear gas to disperse protesters objecting to arrest warrants issued for opposition MPs.


22 March 2016 Last updated at 00:22 GMT The project was the idea of a BBC Learning employee and was carried out by Kitronik - an electronics kit-maker - which is another partner in the computer education project. The animations were coded using Touch Develop software and involved passing data from one Micro Bit to another in order to produce a maximum frame rate of 12 frames per second. Read more

Summary: One thousand and nine Micro Bit mini-computers have been linked together to create a large screen that can display messages and graphics.


The whales were spotted along a stretch of beach on Monday evening. Locals together with teachers and students of a local college tried to float the whales back out to sea, but they kept returning to the shore. The last time such an incident occurred in Tuticorin, was in 1973 when 147 whales died. "At least 45 whales are dead and about 36 others which were rescued and pushed back into the sea are still in the vicinity of the shore,'' Dr Patterson Edward, director of the Tuticorin-based Sugandhi Devadasan Marine Research Institute, told BBC Hindi's Imran Qureshi. Whale expert Kumaran Sathasivam said it is "very difficult" to rescue stranded whales because they all need to be pushed into the sea at the same time. "Otherwise, they will return to be with the whale that is in distress. The whales emanate a sound that is not audible to human beings and that makes them return to the shore," he said. "Also, because of their weight they are not able to get back into the water and their bodies gets overheated, and they die on the shore. You need to constantly pour water on them because their bodies are covered in a layer of fat." He said it was hard to know if the whales that had been pushed back would survive because there was a strong possibility that they would be too exhausted to swim out to sea.

Summary: At least 45 whales have died in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu after more than 80 of the animals were stranded on the shore at Tuticorin.