Asylum seekers from Commonwealth countries are allowed to vote in Thursday's election. And the Northern Ireland Community of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (NICRAS) is urging those among its 600-strong membership, who are eligible to vote, to do just that. The organisation helps refugees and asylum seekers to integrate into Northern Ireland life and lobbies politicians on their behalf. But Justin Kouame, the chair of NICRAS, said that no political parties have reached out to them during the election campaign. "They don't see it as a priority," he said. "We encourage all our members to vote - the majority of them will have a voting card and it's important that politicians know that. "The reality is Northern Ireland is changing and the voice of minorities will count. "Getting a vote from our community can make a big difference - with this election, every vote will count." Mr Kouame said politics in Northern Ireland can be "confusing" for asylum seekers, and therefore parties should make an effort to engage with them so they can make an "informed decision" on who will get their vote. And he believes politicians would also benefit from those discussions. "It's important for politicians to make contact with those communities," he said, "so they can ask them questions and try to understand the issues they face." NICRAS has laid out an election manifesto, listing numerous matters high on the agenda for its members. It wants to see a marked improvement in accommodation standards for refugees asylum seekers, and specialist mental health provision for those who arrive in Northern Ireland having fled persecution in their home county. People should not take a "cynical" view of politics ahead of this week's election, the most senior figure in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has said. It would be easy for people to be "pessimistic" about the state of Stormont, Rev Frank Sellar said, with a second poll coming just 10 months after voters last went to the ballot box. But in a letter to Presbyterian ministers and their congregations, he urged them to vote and "approach [the election] prayerfully". "You will be well aware of the spectrum of difficult and complex issues facing individuals and local communities, issues in which government often has responsibilities and a definite role to play," Rev Sellar wrote. "Engaging and participating in the democratic process is, therefore, one of the ways that we may seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which we have been called." Rev Sellar said people should use their vote "in the hope that the people we elect will work with integrity, generosity of spirit and a commitment to the common good". His comments come after Catholic bishops in Northern Ireland said last week that "each vote cast, or not cast, potentially influences the values that will shape future law and policy". Catholics "have a duty to be hopeful" and "work towards creating a society that values all of its people," said a letter signed by Archbishop Eamon Martin, the church's leader in Ireland, and four other clerics. They also said that

Summary: Election candidates should engage with asylum seekers in the final push for votes in the Northern Ireland Assembly election, a support organisation has said.


Arcan Cetin, 20, who had been awaiting trial for the mass shooting in 2016, was found dead in the Snohomish County Jail on Sunday night. He had been charged with five counts of aggravated murder, and could have faced the death penalty if found guilty. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of death. According to investigators, Cetin shot five shoppers at a Macy's department store after first trying to enter through the backdoor of a nearby cinema. The shooting spree at the Cascade shopping mall occurred less than three hours after he had sat down for dinner with his stepfather. Surveillance footage from inside the mall shows the suspect opening fire on four woman and one man as they browsed the store. Police say Cetin was inside the mall for less than one minute before he fled the store, leaving the .22 calibre rifle, which police say had been stolen from Cetin's stepfather, on a counter in the cosmetics department. He was arrested about 30 hours later as he walked near to his apartment in Oak Harbor, Washington, according to local media. Prosecutors said he confessed to the shootings, but that he did not reveal a motive. The victims - Sarai Lara, Shayla Martin, Belinda Galde, Beatrice Dotson, and Wilton Eagan - ranged in ages from 16 to 95 years old. Court records show that one year before the shooting Cetin was ordered by a judge to receive mental health treatment after a violent altercation with family members. After attempting suicide, he was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. He had been identified by doctors at the time of having a serious risk of self-harm, and had been receiving court-mandated mental health counselling in the months before the shooting. Cetin was born in Turkey, but had lived in the US since the age of six.

Summary: A man accused of killing five people at a shopping mall in Washington state has been found hanging inside his prison cell, say officials.


A delegation was sent to the remote Wa region in Shan state, which borders China, said the Kyemon Daily newspaper. The military and the United Wa State Army (UWSA) agreed to hold regular meetings and withdraw to positions they occupied before a recent stand-off. The move came as part of a government effort to reach agreements with all the country's ethnic groups. For decades, Burma, also known as Myanmar, has faced rebellions from several minority groups, seeking autonomy. The UWSA is believed to be the largest, with a fighting force numbering as many as 30,000. It reached an agreement once before with the former military regime in 1989, but recently tensions flared after the Burmese military surrounded Wa territory. The UWSA is said to be equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry. China reportedly supplied combat helicopters to the group, a report by UK-based intelligence monitor Jane's Information Group said last May. The Wa region was singled out by the international community for its involvement in huge drug problems in the region. Under intense international pressure, especially from China, the UWSA banned opium cultivation in 2005. Burma is the second largest opium grower in the world after Afghanistan, according to UN reports. Almost all of the opium it produces is grown in Shan and Kachin states. President Thein Sein's government has embarked on a series of reforms to find a solution to the problem, Ceasefires and political opening up mean international organisations such as the UN will have better access to areas that were previously considered no-go areas. Burma signed ceasefire agreements with the Karen and Kachin rebel groups earlier this year.

Summary: Burma's government and rebels from the ethnic Wa guerrilla group have reached a peace deal, state media has reported.


The nationally televised event, billed as the world's largest short festival, had been running for more than two decades. Tropfest founder John Polson described the situation as a "disaster" and said in a statement that he was devastated. He told Fairfax there was a financial discrepancy "well into six figures". "It's terrible for anybody who cares about Australian film and certainly the grassroots, emerging end of Australian film because, right now, our future is up in the air," Mr Polson said. "It's like being in a bad dream. This is 23 years of work. It's a stunning, shocking blow, with really no hint of what was to come."

Summary: Australia's long-running Tropfest film festival has been cancelled less than a month out from its scheduled date due to financial problems.


She was best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series. Stars Wars' creator George Lucas said: "She was our great and powerful princess. She will be missed by all." "Thank you Carrie Fisher for all that you've given us," tweeted the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts. Her fellow Star Wars actor Mark Hamill called the news "downright heartbreaking," adding "Carrie was one-of-a-kind who belonged to us all - whether she liked it or not". In New York, fans Eric and Elizabeth McCabe spoke of their shock at the news. "She's a hero and will always be remembered as such," said Elizabeth McCabe. "We grew up watching Star Wars and actually she looked pretty good in the last movie. We didn't realise that her health was so bad. It's really upsetting," added Eric. Carrie Fisher's mother, the actress Debbie Reynolds, wrote on her Facebook page: "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop." Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford described Fisher as "brilliant, original, funny and emotionally fearless". Fisher's ex-husband, singer Paul Simon added: "Yesterday was a horrible day. Carrie was a special, wonderful girl. It's too soon." Writer and actress Sharon Horgan, who cast Fisher as a cantankerous mother-in-law in the hit comedy series Catastrophe also expressed her sorrow at Fisher's death, calling her "fun, gifted, smart, kind, funny, funny, funny". Speaking to BBC Breakfast, actor Warwick Davis - who played Wicket the Ewok opposite Fisher in Return of the Jedi - called her "a funny, warm person... who was very unaffected by fame". Davis, who was just 12 when he played the role, added Fisher "had no airs and graces, I never saw her wanting to be treated like a celebrity." Fans of the actress have been sharing stories with the BBC about meeting her, including John Moore, who remembers discussing mental health problems which she has admitted suffering. "She has inspired me by teaching me that just because you're a little broken or a little different you can still be an inspiration and shine like she did. She was honest about her health issues and was just herself. "She taught me to not feel embarrassed or a lesser person just because you sometimes struggle to get through the day. Her death has hit me hard but it also makes me feel so proud to have been like her, different." The fans' princess Fisher had been on tour promoting her latest book, The Princess Diarist, when she was taken ill as her flight back from London neared Los Angeles last Friday. In a statement released on behalf of Fisher's daughter Billie Lourd, spokesman Simon Halls said: "It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8.55 (16:55 GMT) this morning [Tuesday]." The daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher made her film debut opposite Warren Beatty

Summary: The film industry and fans around the world have been paying tribute to the US actress and author Carrie Fisher, who has died aged 60 after a cardiac arrest.


The first attack targeted a police station in the eastern city of Van, killing one police officer and two civilians. Some 73 people were hurt. Hours later, a police station in Elazig was hit, killing at least three police officers and wounding 146 people. Turkish officials blamed the Kurdish militant group, the PKK. The PKK has carried a series of bombings targeting the police in the largely Kurdish south-east since a ceasefire with the government broke down last year. Television footage showed plumes of smoke rising above the destroyed police building in Elazig. The force of the blast blew out nearby cars, uprooted trees and left a large crater outside the building. At least eight people were killed in two attacks on police vehicles in nearby Diyarbakir and Kiziltepe last week. Since last month's failed coup in Turkey, there has been much talk of national unity. But this has not included the pro-Kurdish political party which the Turkish authorities say supports the PKK, reports the BBC's Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen. The pro-Kurdish HDP denies any link to the militants.

Summary: Two big car bombs have hit police stations in separate cities in Turkey, killing six people and wounding at least 219 others.


Downing, who had only been offered a one-year deal by the Saddlers, made 183 appearances for the club following his release by West Brom in August 2012. The 24-year-old centre-back has also previously been out on loan at Hereford United, Shrewsbury Town and Barnet. "I've always liked Paul as a player," said Dons boss Karl Robinson. The transfer will officially be completed once Downing's existing Walsall deal expires on Thursday. Downing was one of three out-of-contract mainstays from last season's beaten League One play-off semi-finalists to leave the club, having turned down their respective offers. Jason Demetriou signed last week for another League One side Southend, while Romaine Sawyers, remains linked with former Saddlers boss Dean Smith at Championship side Brentford. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: MK Dons have signed defender Paul Downing on a two-year deal after he rejected a new contract offer from League One rivals Walsall.


Almost 90 jobs were at risk after bus operator First Scotland East announced it was withdrawing services in East Lothian. In May 2016, First Group revealed plans to stop bus operations in the area from 14 August 2016. It also proposed closing its depots in North Berwick and Musselburgh. The firm had blamed "an increasingly competitive market". An agreement has now been reached which will see East Coast Buses Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lothian Buses Ltd, buy the Musselburgh and North Berwick depots with all staff having the option to be transferred. The buyer has also announced plans to improve services and increase the number of vehicles. Richard Hall, managing director of Lothian Buses, said: "We are pleased to be in a position to take on and continue providing these vital services and be part of the local economy." Paul McGowan, managing director of First Scotland East Ltd, said: "I'd like to thank all my colleagues in East Lothian for their hard work and loyalty over the years." He added: "We will be fully supporting them as they transfer to their new employer."

Summary: Threatened East Lothian bus services and jobs have been saved as part of a new takeover package from Lothian Buses Ltd.


He has longer to wait. People in Sunderland don't always do as they are told; before the vote on Britain's membership of the European Union, the Nissan chief executive urged people to vote to remain, stressing the advantages to Nissan, the region's biggest employer, of staying in the single market. They ignored him, with just under two-thirds of the Sunderland electorate voting to leave. Paul Watson, Labour and Co-operative leader of the city council since 2008, says people value Nissan's contribution to the local economy - it is the region's largest employer, providing work for 7,000 people - but that Sunderland is used to the vagaries of the world economy having big effects at home. The coal industry here powered the empire, employing hundreds of thousands to work the Durham field in scores of pits. The industry still shapes the local culture; Washington, the new town beside the Nissan plant, remains in reality an amalgamation of about a dozen pit villages, where people still identify with their immediate area rather than the wider north east. When the pits closed in the 1980s - a victim of high costs relative to imported coal and a protracted battle for supremacy between mining unions and the Thatcher government - people learned the hard way that the tide of global commerce can go out quickly. In Washington, they do not bemoan the loss of the pits themselves, as they brought their own horrible legacy of occupational diseases, but they rue the lack of something to replace them. Shipbuilding was Sunderland's other great loss. At one stage the River Wear, which divides the city, could boast that it accounted for one-quarter of the world's new ships. Only 50 years ago it was still an international force, but now there are few signs the industry ever existed. Mr Watson says the real dark days for Sunderland - the 1980s, when the town reeled under the combined closures of pits and shipyards - are now behind it. The economy has been reinvented, with call centres, Nissan and now a burgeoning tech scene picking up the slack. "The big monolithic industries have gone," said Mr Watson, who once worked in a shipyard, "but other things have come in. It is about having a strategy, and our strategy is simply to make Sunderland prosperous." At Sunderland Software City, a tech hub that would not be out of place in London's Silicon Roundabout, part of that vision is coming true. There are special effects firms, web designers and games makers. David Van der Velde, managing director of Consult and Design, a digital agency based in the centre, says people in the North East have a natural inventiveness that lends itself to technology companies. "Sunderland has always been a place where people make things, people are inventive. We've moved from making things out of steel to making things out of software, but we're still making things"

Summary: When Carlos Ghosn made his not-very-veiled threat about the future of the giant Nissan plant in Sunderland last week, he might have thought locals would have quailed and rallied to his cause.


Staff were informed of the development on Friday by chief executive officer Thomas Mayer, a source told BBC Sport. Administrators FRP said there was "a very limited window of opportunity" to save the team before the start of the 2017 season in Australia on 26 March. FRP said it was "assessing options" and that the process affected Manor's operating company Just Racing Services. Manor Grand Prix Racing, which owns the rights to the team's participation in F1, is not in administration. Team owner Stephen Fitzpatrick said in a note to staff: "It was imperative that the team finish in 10th place or better in 2016." Manor, who finished 11th and last in the championship last season, have been in talks with new investors but so far no deal has been concluded. Administrator Geoff Rowley said: "The team has made significant progress since the start of 2015, but the position remains that operating a F1 team requires significant ongoing investment. "The senior management team has worked tirelessly to bring new investment, but regrettably has been unable to do so within the time available. "Therefore, they have been left with no alternative but to place [Manor Racing] into administration." A source said several buyers had been lined up over the past few weeks and two had gone as far as conducting a due diligence process. But none of them provided the funds necessary to buy the team, nor was there any proof they had the money to run it. Fitzpatrick, the boss of the energy company Ovo, decided to put the team into administration on Thursday night. FRP were also appointed the last time the team were in administration over the winter of 2014/15, after they collapsed with debts of £35m. At the time, they were known as Marussia, and were reconstituted under their original name of Manor when Fitzpatrick bought them at the 11th hour just before the 2015 season. Manor, who are based in Banbury in Oxfordshire, suffered a blow at the end of last season when Sauber moved ahead of them into 10th place in the constructors' championship thanks to the ninth place achieved by Felipe Nasr at the penultimate race of the year in Brazil. "For much of the season we were on track," said Fitzpatrick. "But the dramatic race in Brazil ended our hopes of [finishing 10th] and ultimately brought into doubt the team's ability to race in 2017. "We made a huge amount of progress on and off track but ultimately it was not enough." That cost Manor in the region of £10m in prize money - income they needed to survive into the new season - and the loss of it has made potential drivers and their backers reluctant to commit funds to the team, sources said. Fitzpatrick said at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi that the loss of income was "not a deal-breaker" in the talks he was having with new investors. But there had been no further news from the team until Friday's development.

Summary: Manor Racing have gone into administration and will collapse without new investment.


The human body is teeming with thousands of species of microbes that affect health. A study showed that transplanting gut bacteria from obese people into mice led to the animals gaining weight, while bacteria from lean people kept them slim. The findings were published in Science. Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, Missouri, took gut bacteria from pairs of twins - one obese, one thin. The bacteria were then put into mice which had grown up in completely sterile environments and had no gut bacteria of their own. Mice with the obese twin's bacteria became heavier and put on more fat than mice given bacteria from a lean twin - and it was not down to the amount of food being eaten. There were differences in the number and types of bacteria species from the lean and obese twin. Overall it seemed those from a lean twin were better at breaking down fibre into short-chain fatty acids. It meant the body was taking up more energy from the gut, but the chemicals were preventing fatty tissue from building up and increased the amount of energy being burned. One of the researchers, Prof Jeffrey Gordon, told the BBC's Science in Action programme: "We don't dine alone, we dine with trillions of friends - we have to consider the microbes which live in our gut." However, the diet was also important for creating the right conditions for the lean twin's bacteria to flourish. A bacterial obesity therapy seems unlikely to work alongside a a diet of greasy burgers. Think you're all human? You may need to think again. For every cell that makes up the human body there are 10 bacteria living on and in it. This diversity of life is called the microbiome and it is no surprise that it affects our health. There have even been some patients who have had faecal transplants in an attempt to change the nature of their gut bacteria. Patients with C. difficile infections have an imbalance of bacteria which antibiotics sometimes fail to treat. Some medical reports suggest that samples taken from a healthy gut and piped into the patient can cure the infection. How big an impact adjusting the microbiome could have on our lives is still debated, but it is an exciting field of research. Do faecal transplants have a medical role? First census of bugs living on us Keeping both sets of mice in the same cage kept them both lean if they were fed a low-fat, high-fibre diet. Mice are coprophagic, meaning they eat each other's droppings, and the lean twin's bacteria were passed into the mice which started with bacteria that should have made them obese. However, a high-fat, low-fibre diet meant the mice still piled on the pounds. A human obesity treatment is unlikely to use transplants of thousands of species of bacteria from lean people's guts as it carries the risk of also transferring infectious diseases. Instead a search for the exact mix of bacteria which benefit weight - and the right foods to promote their growth

Summary: Bacteria living in our guts seem to be affecting our waistlines and harnessing them could lead to new ways of shedding the pounds, US research suggests.


For the half year to 30 September, lending was up 14% to Â£14.9bn, and profits rose to Â£802m However, it said that it expected "downward pressure" on its profit margins in its second half and next year due to "robust" competition. It added that incoming chief executive Joe Garner will take up his position in the spring. "This has been our best ever half year of mortgage lending along with a strong inflow of savings and the opening of over a quarter of a million new current accounts," said chief executive Graham Beale. "Mutuals, like Nationwide, are different from the banks... Nationwide is evidence that you can be successful by doing the right thing," he added. The building society said in its outlook that healthy employment growth and "robust demand from investors" - including buy to let - had driven up prices, especially in London. But it warned that "such outperformance is unlikely to be sustained over the long term, given that key measures of affordability are already stretched".

Summary: Nationwide has reported a record amount of mortgage lending for a six-month period and a 34% rise in profits.


Eddie Jones' side go into the Six Nations match looking to equal New Zealand's world record of 18 straight Test victories. However, Cotter says Scotland have enough attacking threats in their ranks to take the game to England. "The players are keen when they get their hands on the ball to express themselves at Twickenham," said Cotter. "I think that's a good attitude to have and attitude will determine a big part of the game. "We know when we defend we'll have to defend resolutely." Scotland sit third in the Six Nations table, having registered wins over Ireland and Wales either side of a narrow defeat by France in Paris. The Scots, though, have not beaten England since 2008 and have the unenviable record of not winning at Twickenham since 1983. Hamish Watson replaces the injured John Hardie in Scotland's only change from the win over Wales. England have named the returning Billy Vunipola on the bench for Saturday's match, and Cotter admits the powerful Saracens number eight is just one of many strong options Jones can call upon late in the game. "They [England] have a formula that is working well for them," said Cotter, who will be replaced by Gregor Townsend as head coach at the end of the season. "They have a bench that is coming on and finishing games off in the last 10 minutes. It's something we're aware of. "I think they'll comfortably move through the gears as the game goes on and finish in top speed and we've got to stay with them. "We know more or less what's coming and it's just a matter of withstanding that." Jones suggested in the aftermath of England's win over Italy that Scotland would be under increased pressure going into the Calcutta Cup match, with expectations raised among supporters after the wins over Ireland and Wales. "Coaches have different characters and styles," added Cotter. "That's his and everybody has their own. "I think Eddie's good fun, he's good company. I like having a chat with him outside of the game and in the game we both like to compete as best we can. "Our players know they're going to have to give their best performance. During that 80 minutes we'll have to string together a number of excellent plays in attack and defence and to think clearly to get them to start adapting to our play. "It hasn't been discussed a lot within the team, the Calcutta Cup, Triple Crown, nothing. All that has been discussed is content of the game and getting the content right. That's all this team is doing. Nothing else is being applied or talked about."

Summary: Head coach Vern Cotter insists Scotland are not going to Twickenham to merely try to contain England.


A BBC investigation has uncovered the two men staging "Botox parties" in homes and beauty salons for people desperate to banish wrinkles. While they were once registered nurses, both have been ordered to stop practising - making it illegal for them to prescribe medicine. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is investigating the BBC's findings. The appeal of Botox parties is that procedures costing upwards of Â£400 can be half the price - with the organiser often given a free treatment. Updates on this and more stories from Herefordshire & Worcestershire But clients of one man, Jonathan Henk, who calls himself "Jonny Botox", have claimed they were left in severe pain. Mr Henk, 50, describes himself as a nurse of 26 years, but was struck off by the NMC in 2012 for having sex with a mental health patient without her consent. He is now prescribing Botox to people for Â£200 a time - something that should only be done by registered practitioners. An undercover reporter filmed him at a Botox party at a house in Wolverhampton, where he injected three women. Mr Henk offered to give our reporter as much Botox as required. Wearing gloves and taking the syringe from a flask, he prepared to inject her before she told him she had changed her mind. Diane Roberts, 52, was a patient of Mr Henk's - but she says she was left with severe headaches after being injected with a substance that did not alter her appearance. "It felt like someone had put an axe in the middle of my head. It was horrible," she said. "I'm concerned as to what was being injected because I thought that Botox had an instant effect." Botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine meaning it is regulated by legislation. It can only be prescribed by a doctor, dentist or nurse in a specific patient's name - and can only be used for that patient. Once a prescription has been written, the Botox is purchased and dispensed from a pharmacy. It is not illegal for an untrained person to inject Botox - but the Royal College of Surgeons said laws should be tightened to ensure only those with proper training administer it. Health Education England has published two reports with guidelines on the qualifications individuals should have - but no new laws have yet been passed. James Kearsey advertises his services via Facebook on the page Estetica Cosmetics, and also describes himself as a nurse. But in November 2015 he was suspended by the NMC after hiding a conviction for assault from his bosses at Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley. Mr Kearsey agreed to a consultation at his home in Stourbridge, where he told our reporter he was a nurse consultant - "the same level as a doctor" - and that he makes thousands of pounds training others. He sterilised her forehead and prepared to inject her before she told him she felt sick and left. When later approached by our reporter as he attended a clinic in Blackpool, Mr Kearsey said "no comment" and ran away.

Summary: Two disgraced nurses are making thousands of pounds a week illegally prescribing Botox to patients.


Poppy is one of more than 45,000 children in the UK for whom being deaf is a part of everyday life. The 14-year-old, who is profoundly deaf, says the yellow Labrador has increased her confidence and helps her sleep at night. She is one of 27 children in the UK to have been given a hearing dog by the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. It was not until Poppy was nine years old that civil engineer Richard and housewife Rebecca noticed small changes in their daughter's behaviour which concerned them. "She was turning the volume up on the TV," said Rebecca. "When she was in the car she wouldn't hear me when I was talking to her, even though her brothers and sister could hear in the back." Concerned, they had Poppy, from Cwmbran, Torfaen, referred to an audiologist who was shocked to discover the schoolgirl was profoundly deaf and could barely hear a thing, but had been covering this up by lip-reading. Despite her acute deafness there was no affect on her schoolwork so the early signs had not been noticed. Rebecca said: "What we realised when she was diagnosed was that she had become quite proficient in lip reading, which was how she had managed to wing her way through school. No-one had noticed as there was no change in her schoolwork." She was diagnosed with the rare disease Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome type 1. Although she was given hearing aids to wear in each ear, she became withdrawn and lacked confidence both socialising and doing little things like going to the shops. She had trouble getting to sleep at night as she could not wear hearing aids, which meant should could not hear anything at all and was constantly on edge about someone coming into her room. Poppy struggled by for three years feeling more and more isolated until her mother found out about hearing dogs, who help deaf people in a similar way to guide dogs. There are 850 deaf people, mostly adults, partnered with dogs in the UK. Because of her profound deafness, Poppy was the first child to be partnered with a hearing dog in Wales. The dog was named Tanni after Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson and one of just 12 given out that year. Source: Hearing Dogs for Deaf People A year on and Poppy says Tanni has changed her life. "Having her has built my confidence," said Poppy. "She gives me more independence. Before when my mum went out I would be left at home, now I can go with her and go into shops. Before I was very reluctant to go into a shop and pay by myself. I was worried as they wouldn't know I was deaf, but now they can see from Tanni that they need to speak clearly as she wears a special harness when we're out. "Another good thing is that people ask questions about Tanni and I feel happy talking about her. It has made me more confident answering questions in general. "I have got a best friend."

Summary: A schoolgirl has become the first child in Wales to be given an official hearing dog.


Cook (65) started strongly alongside opener Nick Browne (60) as the hosts passed a century for the first wicket. Tom Westley hit a fluent 64 before he was bowled by Ben Sanderson (2-79), who earlier had dismissed Browne. Ravi Bopara (57 not out) and Dan Lawrence (44 not out) saw Essex to 335-3 at stumps. Northants also conceded 45 extras, including 28 no-balls.

Summary: England captain Alastair Cook continued his fine start to the season with a half-century as Essex took control of the first day against Northamptonshire.


16 January 2016 Last updated at 09:12 GMT Many travel great distances in search of a better life in Europe and some end up living in a makeshift camp in Calais in France hoping to make their way to the UK. Now the French government have asked them to leave parts of the camp that are close to a motorway. Watch this report from BBC Reporter Simon Jones.

Summary: Migrants and refugees have been leaving their homes in places like Syria and Afghanistan, where there is fighting, in big numbers over the last year.


The news comes on the day that the ASA upheld a complaint by Morrisons that three Aldi adverts were misleading. But Morrisons said that despite Wednesday's ruling, Aldi had launched another similar price comparison advert which was just as unfair. Aldi said in response to the new complaint that it believes its new advert fully complies with ASA rules. Morrisons latest complaint is about a price comparison TV advert tied to the Euro 2016 football competition. "It's clear they haven't changed their ways," a Morrisons spokesman said. On Wednesday, the ASA ruled that two Aldi TV adverts and one press ad that claimed consumers could make significant savings were misleading. One TV ad claimed a Â£70 Aldi shop would cost Â£98 at the "big four" supermarkets. Morrisons and two members of the public complained the adverts did not make it clear Aldi's own-brand products were being compared with branded products. However Aldi, said comparative advertising was a "well-established principle". The German discount supermarket chain said consumers were likely to interpret the comparison as intended - the branded and fresh products from Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons shown versus the Aldi products shown. The ASA said: "We acknowledged that Aldi stated they had not intended the comparisons to represent a 'typical' weekly shop, but to be a comparison between the pictured products only. "Nonetheless, we considered that was how consumers would interpret the adverts rather than as a representation of the savings which could be made by switching from a largely branded shop to shopping in Aldi, and therefore assessed them on that basis." Aldi's UK and Ireland chief executive Matthew Barnes said it was "extremely disappointed" with the "ambiguous and inconsistent" decision. "The use of comparative advertising is a well-established principle and is firmly in the interests of consumers and encourages competition between retailers," he said.

Summary: Supermarket Morrisons is to make a new complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority about discount chain Aldi.


The 25-year-old midfielder signed a two-year deal in 2015 after leaving Derby County. "It's been a long time coming but it's signed and sealed," he said. "I'm delighted. I just want to play as much as I can and try to get this club as high as they can as well. Hopefully we will stay in the league." The Brewers are 18th in the table, four points above the relegation zone.

Summary: Midfielder Tom Naylor has signed a one-year extension to his Burton Albion contract which will keep him at the Championship side until June 2018.


Chief Muktar Otieno was seized early on Thursday morning on the road to Mandera town, close to the border between Kenya and Somalia. Assistant chief Abdinoor Dakane told the BBC that Mr Otieno was tied to a tree and shot dead by the militants, after locals failed to pay a ransom. Al-Shabab has staged a series of attacks in Kenya in recent years. Kenyan troops are part of the African Union mission battling the Islamist militants in Somalia. Al-Shabab has not yet commented on Mr Otieno's killing. How Garissa has changed Kenya Kenya failings drive al-Shabab recruitment Who are Somalia's al-Shabab? Meanwhile, Kenya has extended an amnesty for al-Shabab militants to hand themselves in by a further 14 days. When making the announcement, Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said some people had already taken advantage of the amnesty but declined to say how many. Mr Otieno was abducted happened 10 km (five miles) from the place where al-Shabab gunmen killed 28 people travelling on a bus in Mandera county last November. According to the assistant chief, who witnessed Mr Otieno's abduction, a group of local elders managed to track down the assailants to a town on the Kenyan-Somali border. The group pleaded with the militants to release the chief, but when they failed to pay a ransom of 4m Kenyan shillings ($42,000; Â£28,000), Mr Otieno was shot dead in front of the clan elders, he told the BBC Somali service. Mr Dakane told the BBC that he was now resigning from his position as assistant chief of Arabia ward because he feared for his life. There has been no official comment yet from the Kenyan authorities. The killing comes at a time of heightened tension over security in Kenya, after Islamist al-Shabab fighters killed 148 people, mainly students, during an attack on a university in Garissa earlier this month.

Summary: Suspected al-Shabab militants have abducted and killed a traditional chief in northern Kenya, a local elder says.


The 49-year-old Portuguese replaces Stuart Gray, who parted company with the Championship side on 11 June after 18 months in charge at Hillsborough. Carvalhal has managed extensively in Portugal and also had a spell in charge of Turkish club Besiktas. "I firmly believe that this appointment will take our team and our club to the next level," said Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri, who took over in March. BBC Radio Sheffield says Wednesday want Swindon Town boss Mark Cooper to assist Carvalhal, who will be formally unveiled on Thursday and takes over a side that finished 13th in the second tier last season. Wednesday have not been in the top flight since being relegated in 1999-2000 and Chansiri has targeted promotion in the next two seasons. "It is important for our supporters that they watch their team play attractive, aggressive and entertaining football," he added on the club's website. "Carlos buys in completely to this philosophy and I am confident that his experience, knowledge and ability will herald the start of a successful new era for Sheffield Wednesday." Cooper, 46, has been in charge of Swindon for the last two seasons and led them to the League One play-off final last season. Joao Mario, Joao Cunha and Bruno Lage have already been named among Carvalhal's backroom staff.

Summary: Sheffield Wednesday have named Carlos Carvalhal as the club's new head coach.


Computers were rendered unusable and business ground to a halt during the hack at the Townsend Business Centre earlier this month. Locked screens displayed a sinister message demanding three 'bitcoins' in return for the safety of some files. But the centre's CEO, Maragret McMahon, said they had a "lucky escape". "We refused to pay the money, which we have been told would equal about Â£13,000 and reported the hack to the police," Ms McMahon said. Bitcoin is a crypto-currency - a system of digitally created and traded tokens to which value is assigned. Computers have to solve cryptographic problems in order to add blocks to the blockchain - a ledger that records every transaction that has ever occurred with Bitcoin. In return, those computers receive bitcoins in a process known as bitcoin "mining". Users have a "bitcoin address", to which bitcoins may be sent or from which they may be used. Addresses are stored online in wallets that function like bank accounts. Although most people refer to Bitcoin as a currency, it is worth noting that for regulatory reasons many countries - including the United States - have decided to define it as a commodity instead. "Thankfully we were able to recover almost all of the information lost and our servers were restored within three days. "The important thing to note is that we didn't have any specific vulnerabilities, but these criminals are incredibly intelligent. "They could have been round the corner in Belfast or they could have been in Taiwan - we just don't know." The business centre became aware of the hack on Wednesday 5th October and reported it to police who were able to advise what to do next. David Crozier, from Queen's University's Centre for Secure Information Technologies, said these kinds of attacks are "increasingly common". "Cyber criminals often demand to be paid in bitcoin as they believe it is an anonymous means by which they can be paid - but they are wrong," he said. "Lots of people wouldn't think twice about buying physical security for their building such as alarms and heavy gates - but they are leaving themselves exposed to criminals online by not having the correct protection. "We believe many of these crimes are going unreported and businesses are simply paying up - this is absolutely the wrong thing to do because the hackers will keep coming back for more. "Our advice is to act just as the Townsend centre did and make the PSNI aware." The PSNI have said that an investigation is underway after the ransomware demand. Det Chief Insp Dougie Grant, from the PSNI's Cyber Centre, said: "We have received a significant number of reports in relation to this type of cyber crime in recent months which is reflective of what is going on nationally and internationally and I would encourage anyone who is a victim to contact police as soon as possible."

Summary: The CEO of a Belfast business centre has issued a stark warning to other businesses after being "held to ransom" by cyber criminals.


The Magpies have lost five league games in a row and are only four points above the relegation zone. Crossley told BBC Radio Nottingham: "If Notts County were without a manager and looking for someone to get them out of it, John would be an automatic choice." Sheridan, 52, and Crossley, 47, joined Notts prior to the start of the season. "I know the chairman is really eager for us to do well," added former Nottingham Forest keeper Crossley. "He has been brilliant with and he still thinks we are the right people to turn it around. We can ask no more from him. He is with us and by us. "But we're realistic. We have lost five on the bounce and this is a results-based industry. "We know what we have to do and as far as we are concerned we will do it. But we need more from the players." Crossley said the club had "targets" and were looking to bring in players in the January transfer window as they look to get through a "sticky period". "Things have to change. We realise that and they will change in January," he said. "There is only way to get through this and that is by everyone working hard every single day and eventually it will turn."

Summary: Assistant manager Mark Crossley says boss John Sheridan has the backing of chairman Ray Trew, despite Notts County slipping to 20th place in League Two.


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described him as "a great man of the world", as he led the eulogies. US President Barack Obama said the presence of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas at the funeral was a reminder of the "unfinished business of peace". Mr Abbas was among dozens of foreign dignitaries attending in Jerusalem. Security was intensified ahead of the ceremony, with several people arrested. Delivering an emotional address, Mr Netanyahu said that while Israel and the world grieved for Mr Peres there was hope in his legacy. "Shimon lived a life of purpose," he told thousands gathered at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl cemetery. "He soared to incredible heights. He swept so many with his vision and his hope. He was a great man of Israel. "He was a great man of the world." Former US President Bill Clinton, who helped negotiate the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s, said he was Israel's "biggest dreamer". "He imagined all the things the rest of us could do. He started life as Israel's brightest student, became its best teacher and ended up its biggest dreamer.'' US President Barack Obama closed the eulogies, comparing Mr Peres to "some of the other giants of the 20th Century that I've had the honour to meet, like Nelson Mandela and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth". Mr Peres, he said, believed in equality for Palestinians. "Even in the face of terrorist attacks, even after repeated disappointments at the negotiation table, he insisted that as human beings Palestinians must be seen as equal in dignity to Jews and must therefore be equal in self determination." On Mount Herzl where evergreen trees shaded the dusty walkways from the late-summer sunshine, an extraordinary congregation assembled to say goodbye to Shimon Peres. You could have worked out that it was his funeral from the guest list alone - Prince Charles and Barack Obama, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. It's hard to imagine any other leader being mourned in quite the same way. Israel said goodbye to the last of its founding generation and global diplomacy mourned a lost star, but the children of Shimon Peres grieved a father and spoke of him with elegance and simplicity. And Mr Peres remained in command to the end, choosing his own funeral music. It was a setting of an old prayer he remembered his grandfather singing to him in the pre-war Poland of the 1920s. Elegant and mournful, it played at the end of the old president's long journey, as it had played at the start. Mixed reaction to Peres' legacy in world media Long legacy of Israel's elder statesman Obituary: Shimon Peres, Israeli founding father Before the ceremony began, Mr Abbas was seen shaking hands and speaking briefly with Mr Netanyahu. The last substantial public meeting between the two leaders was in 2010, with peace efforts completely suspended since April 2014. Hamas, the hardline Palestinian group that runs Gaza, condemned Mr Abbas's decision to attend the ceremony. Jordan and Egypt - the only two Arab countries to have

Summary: World leaders have hailed the vision of the late Israeli leader, Shimon Peres, as he was laid to rest days after his death at the age of 93.


Six people, including the former HBOS bankers, were found guilty of a scam involving fraudulent loans. The bank has been under pressure to pay compensation after it was accused of reacting too slowly to complaints from victims of the scheme. The fraud took place before Lloyds Banking Group took ownership of HBOS. "Customer cases will be considered afresh in light of all relevant evidence including new evidence that emerged during the trial," said a Lloyds statement. "Since the investigation began in 2010, it was important that the group did not do or say anything that could subsequently prejudice the trial. "The group deeply regrets that the criminal actions have caused such distress for a number of HBOS business customers." Former HBOS manager found guilty of corruption and fraud HBOS: A highly unusual fraud case HBOS fraud: "They caused me to give birth early" Ex-HBOS banker "sold his soul for swag" The statement explained that Lloyds would appoint an independent third party as part of the review and would agree the individual outcomes with it. It added: "Lloyds Banking Group will contact all those customers they have identified as potentially affected by the criminal activities and provide redress if appropriate. "Whilst this should result in all these customers being contacted proactively, any customer who believes they may have been affected can also raise concerns direct with LBG." Some of the victims lost their companies, livelihoods and even their homes because of the scam. Paul and Nikki Turner, from Cambridge, tried to report what was going on after their publishing company, Zenith, was run into the ground by the scammers. They said they have had to fight hard for 10 years to have the fraud recognised. Sources close to the investigation say the total value of the fraud may be close to Â£1bn. "A number of us have already started actions against the bank and that will continue," said Joanne Dove, a member of HBOS Reading Action Group, who are former customers of the bank. Ms Dove lost millions through her nappy service firm as a result of the fraud. "It would have been far better for the bank to admit a fraud had occurred, accept responsibility and then negotiate with the victims rather than appoint a needless third party consultant which will incur more expense, borne by LBG's shareholders and will possibly lead to extensive delays in agreeing compensation."

Summary: Lloyds Banking Group, owner of HBOS, is going to review the cases of customers affected by a fraud involving two ex-employees, who were jailed last week.


The ex-Newcastle and Spurs midfielder failed to secure the backing of five football associations, a requirement for standing in the election to head football's world governing body. "Unfortunately I will not be able to continue with my Fifa presidential candidacy," 47-year-old Ginola said. Current president Blatter, 78, is bidding for a fifth term in office. Dutch football chief Michael van Praag and former world player of the year and Barcelona winger Luis Figo have already named their five backers. The Football Association has declared its support for Asian federation member Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein. Prince Ali has said he has the required support for the vote on 29 May. In order to stand for election, candidates must have also played an active role in football administration in two of the past five years. Ginola's campaign received £250,000 backing from a leading bookmaker. Among his ideas were for the men's and women's World Cups to be played at the same time. "Today I have mixed emotions," said Ginola. "There is disappointment, anger but there is also hope. I'm very proud of my campaign and the policies I proposed to reform football. "If in the coming months and years even one of my ideas is discussed at the highest level then this will be a victory."

Summary: David Ginola has confirmed he will not stand against Sepp Blatter in May's Fifa presidential election.


The 16-year-old was in woodland, between Howitts Lane and Howitts Gardens, in St Neots, at about 17:30 BST, when he came off his bike. He suffered serious injuries to his neck and wind pipe, Cambridgeshire Police said. He was rushed to Addenbrooke's Hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition. Det Con Diane Tomlinson said: "The young man is in a serious condition in hospital and I would like to speak with anyone who may know why the rope was tied to those trees, or who may have put it there. "Anyone who uses the area, such as dog walkers, who may have information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, should call police."

Summary: A teenage motorcyclist was seriously injured when he came off his bike after hitting a rope tied between two trees.


London, New York and San Francisco have all announced major drops in the number of reported stolen smartphones since the facilities were added. A kill switch allows an owner of a stolen phone to send a command that blocks it from being accessed or reset until an ID and passcode are entered. Microsoft has yet to add the feature. Apple was first to introduce the measure. It included Activation Lock as an option in its iOS 7 operating system in September 2013. The latest statistics for the two US cities are based on a two-year period running from the start of 2013 to the end of 2014: London presented its numbers slightly differently, comparing the 12 months leading up to October 2013 with the same period the following year. It reported a 40% drop in smartphone thefts and a 38% fall in robberies of smartphones involving violence or the threat of violence. The figures from England's capital also indicate that since Apple introduced its kill switch: The three cities created the Secure Our Smartphones (SOS) initiative in 2013 to pressure smartphone manufacturers and mobile networks to help tackle smartphone thefts, after experiencing spikes in related crime. "We have made real progress in tackling the smartphone theft epidemic that was affecting many major cities just two years ago," said London Mayor Boris Johnson following the latest announcement. San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon added: "Preventing their own customers from being the target of a violent crime is the coolest technology [the mobile industry] can bring to market." The authorities are still pressing for further change. Although Apple made its kill switch the default setting on new iPhones running iOS 8 - meaning users do not need to switch it on, but rather must switch it off if they do not want it - this is not the case for other devices. So, while Google announced in October that its Android Lollipop operating system would introduce an opt-in feature called Factory Reset Protection, it is not currently offered by all handsets running the system. Likewise, Samsung's proprietary Reactivation Lock facility, offered on some of its Galaxy S5 smartphones, must also be turned on manually. The SOS initiative, however, is calling for kill switches to be automatically activated on every mobile device. "A default solution is imperative because it ensures all device are worthless to thieves," a campaign leaders said. Microsoft has promised to incorporate a kill switch into its smartphone version of Windows 10, but has yet to announce when the OS will be released. Smartphone chip maker Qualcomm has also announced a hardware-based kill switch facility, to be called SafeSwitch, that it will offer to manufacturers that use its latest processors. The firm describes this as a "superior solution" to others' software-based efforts. But handset-makers have yet to say if they will make the facility available to consumers.

Summary: The addition of "kill switch" anti-theft tools to iPhones and Android handsets appears to be acting as a major deterrent to criminals.


The reigning champions were knocked out after losing 1-0 to Morocco. The Frenchman's decision to resign after 18 months in the job was announced by the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF). The Elephants failed to register a win in Gabon, after draws with Togo and DR Congo and the defeat to the Moroccans. The federation's statement praised Dussuyer's "professionalism, commitment and human quality", adding that "the appropriate measures will be put in place to find his successor".

Summary: Michel Dussuyer has stood down as Ivory Coast manager following his team's early elimination at the Africa Cup of Nations.


Taylor, who re-signed on Friday after previously leaving Vale at the end of a short-term deal earlier this term, set up Sam Foley and scored one himself to earn Vale's second straight home win. Louis Dodds netted a consolation for the visitors but there was no way back. Vale remain in the drop zone but are now just two points below Shrewsbury. The hosts, who still have two games in hand on their relegation rivals, scored twice in the space of three minutes as Foley headed in Taylor's corner before the former Newcastle man turned in Kiko's square ball. Former Vale player Dodds' long-range strike was not enough to prevent the visitors losing for a third time in four away games. Match ends, Port Vale 2, Shrewsbury Town 1. Second Half ends, Port Vale 2, Shrewsbury Town 1. Corner, Port Vale. Conceded by Mat Sadler. Nathan Smith (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Aristote Nsiala (Shrewsbury Town). JJ Hooper (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Aristote Nsiala (Shrewsbury Town). Attempt missed. A-Jay Leitch-Smith (Shrewsbury Town) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Attempt missed. Dan Turner (Port Vale) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. A-Jay Leitch-Smith replaces Joe Riley. Ryan Taylor (Port Vale) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Ryan Taylor (Port Vale). Louis Dodds (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt saved. Tyler Roberts (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Foul by Sam Kelly (Port Vale). Gary Deegan (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Sam Kelly (Port Vale). Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the left wing. Stephen Humphrys (Shrewsbury Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Sam Kelly (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Stephen Humphrys (Shrewsbury Town). Substitution, Port Vale. Sam Kelly replaces Chris Eagles. Foul by Ryan Taylor (Port Vale). Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Nathan Smith (Port Vale) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Stephen Humphrys (Shrewsbury Town). Attempt blocked. Tyler Roberts (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is blocked. Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Remie Streete. Attempt blocked. Tyler Roberts (Shrewsbury Town) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Remie Streete. Attempt blocked. Tyler Roberts (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Attempt saved. Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Goal! Port Vale 2, Shrewsbury Town 1. Louis Dodds (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Stephen Humphrys. Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by William

Summary: Port Vale boosted their League One survival hopes as a goal and an assist from returning defender Ryan Taylor saw off fellow strugglers Shrewsbury Town.


Hibs were reduced to ten men in the first-half, Marvin Bartley seeing red after kicking out at Bobby Barr. Chances were a rarity in a niggly affair that featured six yellow cards in addition to Bartley's red. Despite dropping points yet again, Hibs go top after Queen of the South's thrashing by Morton. These sides met seven times last season and it appeared that a few feuds had carried over as the first-half was punctuated by niggling challenges and numerous appeals from both sides to referee Steven Finnie. Chances were sparse. Jean-Yves M'voto reacted quickly in the box to deny Grant Holt and Paul Hanlon hit the bar with a diving header from the resultant corner. The talking point of the half came after 38 minutes when Hibs were clearing their lines, Raith conceded a free-kick but Bartley became involved with Barr and kicked out at the Raith player in front of the referee who showed no hesitation in showing a straight red card - Hibs third red in their last four league matches. The half ended with more cards than serious goal chances - Holt, McManus and Thompson all saw in yellow in addition to Bartley's red. Neil Lennon re-jigged the Hibs side after the red card, with an emphasis on the midfielders getting forward quickly to support Holt. Ross Callachan was booked for simulation as he clearly dived seeking a penalty decision as Raith grew frustrated in trying to make their numerical superiority count. Hibs were not prepared to sit back and play for a point. More than once they sent low crosses across the box but could not find the finishing touch. An afternoon that neither manager will view with great fondness, the sense of frustration on the park bled over to the technical area with Gary Locke hoping for more from his side, while Lennon earned a quiet word from referee Finnie. It was a strong performance from Hibs after going down to 10 men and they were not prepared to sit back and play for a point. The Easter Road side were also frustrated by a two penalty claims that the referee waved away. Raith Rovers manager Gary Locke: "There were a lot of tackles going and a lot of stop-start play, it is hard to get momentum in a game when there are so many fouls. "The sending-off changed the game and I thought Hibs sat back but were dangerous on the break. "If we'd just shown a wee bit composure in the final third I thought we could have caused Hibs a lot of problems, which I thought we did early in the game but in the second-half our quality wasn't what it should be." Hibernian manager Neil Lennon: "The referee's performance was frustrating but my team were outstanding. That is the best we have played and was totally the opposite to where we were last week. "We were on the front foot second-half and our fitness levels were fantastic. It was frustrating not to win the game but we've gone top of the league

Summary: Hibernian moved top of the Championship despite a draw with Raith Rovers extending their winless run to five matches in all competitions.


More than half of the big commercial satellites that are working up there - the ones that relay our TV, phone calls, and internet traffic - were lofted by Ariane vehicles. But that dominance is now under threat from new launchers that promise to undercut Europe's best on price. America's SpaceX - there's no need to whisper the name - is wooing satellite operators with rides on its Falcon 9, for ticket prices that substantially undercut the Ariane 5. Efforts have been made to push forward with a next-generation European rocket - an Ariane 6 - that could be made much more cheaply. But the concept, which has been studied for the past 18 months, has left most observers flat. More importantly, it has underwhelmed the satellite operators as well, which is why a new concept has now been sprung on the world by Airbus Defence and Space, and Safran - the main players in Ariane production. André-Hubert Roussel, the head of launchers at Airbus, said they were left with no choice but to react. "Clearly, there was a strong feedback, which was even given in written form by some commercial operators, that the original design was not fulfilling their needs, in terms of cost, in terms of schedule, and in terms of the risks we would have been taking with what some saw as a kind of disruptive approach, such as a totally new supply chain and a completely new launch pad," he told me. Airbus and Safran have actually proposed two new concepts - a "heavy" and a "medium" -class version of Ariane 6. They call them Ariane 6.1 and Ariane 6.2. The 6.1 would do what Ariane 5 does now - loft the really big telecoms satellites, often two at a time, up to a total payload of 8.5 tonnes. The 6.2 would be used to place spacecraft into what are called Sun-synchronous orbits. These are the low-Earth orbits used by Earth observation missions, and Europe tends to use the Russian Soyuz rocket for this job currently. Ariane 6.2 would replace Soyuz. What is interesting about the new concepts is the degree to which they lean much more heavily on their heritage. "Our new proposal for Ariane 6 is driven by the desire to serve both institutional and commercial customers at a competitive price," explained Mr Roussel. "This led us quite quickly to the conclusion that we needed, first, a family of launchers with a majority of commonalities, and, second, that this family should leverage the fantastic track record of Ariane 5, and not to introduce disruption that would be very expensive for industry and damage the competence, etc. "With a family we also get to improve the cadence. In this business, the fixed costs are significant because of the low flight rate. So as soon as you increase the number of launches, you obtain very direct benefits that translate into the price of the launcher." Whereas the original Ariane 6 concept would use lower-stages comprising all solid-fuel motors (a big departure from the Ariane 5), the 6.1 and

Summary: Europe's rocket industry is currently going through something of an epiphany - the realisation that it must adapt, and fast, or simply become irrelevant.


There is growing evidence that wild birds move the disease around the world as they fly thousands of miles to their winter homes. Researchers studied the genetic code of flu viruses in birds from 16 countries infected during the 2014 outbreak. They say bird flu was carried by migrating birds from Asia to Europe and North America via the Arctic. Bird flu is an infectious disease of poultry and wild birds. The strain studied was H5N8, which first appeared in South Korea in early 2014. The virus later spread to Japan, North America and Europe, causing outbreaks at poultry farms between autumn 2014 and spring 2015. "Bird flu is a major threat to the health and well-being of farmed chickens worldwide," said lead researcher Dr Samantha Lycett of the University of Edinburgh. "Our findings show that with good surveillance, rapid data sharing and collaboration, we can track how infections spread across continents." The study suggests that the virus spread along two main migration routes - or flyways - for wild birds: According to international scientists, contact with infected wild birds or materials contaminated with their droppings was the most likely route of transmission. Commenting on the research, Dr Derek Gatherer of the University of Lancaster said H5N8 is the latest in a long line of bird flu outbreaks to cause concern. "Flyways are the routes that migrating ducks, geese and other wildfowl follow every year from their breeding grounds to their winter retreats," he said "Just as a human airline passenger can spread human flu from continent to continent, each migratory bird that carries bird flu is a potential spread risk to other points along its flyway." The study, published in the journal Science, was conducted by the Global Consortium for H5N8 and Related Influenza Viruses. Follow Helen on Twitter @hbriggs.

Summary: Monitoring birds on their long distance migrations may provide early warning of bird flu outbreaks, say scientists.


It expects net income from continuing operations, excluding goodwill impairment, to increase by about 10% from a previous 7% to 10% target. The firm said its golf business had recovered from a recent slump. Nevertheless, it expects to cut 14% of its TaylorMade-Adidas Golf global workforce by the end of the year. In the third quarter, net income from continuing operations grew 20% to â‚¬337m, while sales grew 13%. The firm reported double-digit sales increases in the US and China, despite an economic slowdown. The company's TaylorMade golf business, which it has said it could consider selling because of the sport's declining popularity, also saw revenues rise 6%, driven by double-digit growth in North America. Adidas said it was continuing to streamline the TaylorMade business and would cut its global staff by 14% by the end of the year, which it said would hit group profitability by a low double-digit million euro amount in the fourth quarter. "The investments into our brands and a leaner golf organisation will directly fuel next year's top- and bottom-line performance and set us up for sustainable profitability improvements from 2016 onwards," chief executive Herbert Hainer said in a statement.

Summary: German sportswear firm Adidas has raised its outlook for full-year sales and profits after better-than-expected results for the third quarter.


Residents of St George's Park in Telford were "not safe", at risk of abuse and occasionally left without medicine and adequate food and drink, the government report found. Some bedrooms had not been cleaned properly for a month, it said. Rotherwood Healthcare apologised in a statement to the Shropshire Star. The Care Quality Commission will inspect the home in six months, but if improvements have not been made it faces losing its licence. The home, which cares for 60 people with dementia and nursing needs, was visited in November. Inspectors found a poorly-run home, with staff so hard-pressed residents were left in their beds for hours. "People were shouting for help from their bedrooms to get out of bed and we had to seek staff members to provide support for these people on a number of occasions," inspectors said. "One person told us, 'you can't put a time on it but I hope I am up before 11am'." They found one resident "visibly in pain" waiting days for medicine and others had "appeared to have lost weight" and "showed signs of dehydration". Some areas of the home were "visibly dirty" with a strong smell of urine, the report said. The manager of the home resigned in August, and while a replacement had been found, they were not yet in position, inspectors said. The CQC said if standards had not improved by its next visit, "we will take action in line with our enforcement procedures to begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service". Rotherwood Healthcare said it had appointed a private company to help turn around the home.

Summary: A care home has been rated "inadequate" and put into special measures after inspectors found a string of failures during an unannounced visit.


Pearlman launched the careers of the Backstreet Boys, the best-selling boy band of all time, and NSync, among others. He was jailed for 25 years in 2008 over a massive $300m (Â£153m) Ponzi fraud scheme. NSync singer Lance Bass tweeted that Pearlman was not the best businessman but that he would not be where he was without his influence. The cause of death has not yet been revealed. Pearlman was inspired by the success of New Kids on the Block and formed his own record label, launching a $3m talent sweep that in 1993 selected five unknowns to be the Backstreet Boys. They went on to sell 130 million records. NSync were also a huge success, selling more than 55 million. Pearlman later managed other boy bands such as LFO, Take 5, Natural and O-Town, and the girl group Innosense, which initially featured Britney Spears. Lance Bass wrote on Twitter: "Word is that #LouPearlman has passed away. He might not have been a stand up businessman, but I wouldn't be doing what I love today wthout his influence. RIP Lou." O-Town's Ashley Parker Angel posted: "Love him or hate him, Lou gave many of us our start. It's a shame he let greed get in his way." Pearlman swindled family, friends, investors and banks by enticing them to put money into two fake companies for 20 years. Prosecutors counted at least 250 individual victims who lost a total of $200m plus 10 financial institutions that lost $100m. The judge at his trial said victims included "his family, his close friends and people in their 70s and 80s who have lost their life savings". "So the sympathy factor doesn't run high with the court," the judge said. In a statement, Pearlman had said: "Since my arrest, I've come to realise the harm that's been done. I'm truly sorry and I apologise for what's happened."

Summary: American boy band mogul Lou Pearlman has died in prison at the age of 62.


Cpl Roger Heal, based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, has been remanded in custody over the allegations. An RAF spokesman said they were unable to supply details of the charges, or Cpl Heal's age and background. Cpl Heal will face a hearing in Colchester on Tuesday. He worked with air cadets, scouts and civilian sports clubs, mainly in the London, Thames Valley, Cheshire and Northumbria areas, from 2001 to 2014. His arrest followed an investigation by a dedicated Royal Air Force Police sexual offences and child abuse investigation team. The Service Police Crime Bureau said anyone with information on crimes of this kind should contact them.

Summary: An RAF serviceman who worked with children across England is facing charges over possessing and distributing indecent images of children.


Faisal al-Saadoon and Khalaf Mufdhi were detained in Basra and accused of involvement in the deaths of two British soldiers, Staff Sgt Simon Cullingworth and Sapper Luke Allsopp. An Iraqi court later decided there was insufficient evidence to try the men. In 2010, the pair were awarded damages by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for mental suffering. Allegations that the men were mistreated by British soldiers are now being investigated by the UK's Iraq Historic Allegations Team (Ihat). Ihat was set up in 2010 to look at allegations of abuse by the British military against Iraqis between 2003 and 2009. In October, Prime Minister Theresa May said her government would take action over the "industrial scale" of claims lodged with Ihat using legal aid funding. It is not known how many troops are being investigated over the treatment of Mr al-Saadoon and Mr Mufdhi. The two men, now both in their 60s, were accused of murdering Staff Sgt Cullingworth and Pte Allsopp. An inquest found that the British soldiers were ambushed by Iraqi militiamen, taken to an Iraqi intelligence base and shot. Mr al-Saadoon and Mr Mufdhi were formally charged in 2006 with murder and war crimes but the charges were later annulled by an Iraqi court on the grounds of insufficient evidence. The pair were eventually awarded Â£36,000 in legal costs and Â£75,000 each in damages by the ECHR for suffering caused by years of living in fear of execution. The criminal claims against British soldiers were brought forward by Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), which closed in August after it was told it would no longer receive legal aid funding.

Summary: British soldiers are being investigated over allegations of mistreating two Iraqi detainees in 2003.


He told the Observerthe project, which has been years in the planning, would include six galleries and a cafe. "It's my Saatchi gallery, basically," he said. Works by Hirst and others, including Banksy and US artist Jeff Koons, will be exhibited. From 4 April, the Tate Modern will exhibit a Hirst retrospective. Hirst told the Observer his gallery, in Newport Street, Vauxhall, would be "a place to show my collection of contemporary art", which reportedly includes more than 2,000 pieces. "It feels bad having it all in crates. It's basically Bacon and beyond." Hirst, who owns five paintings by the late Francis Bacon, added: "He didn't make many and he's not making any more." The gallery - designed by architects Caruso St John - will take up the whole of Newport Street and incorporates the conversion of a terrace of three listed buildings flanked by two new buildings. Hirst's gallery follows in the footsteps of London's Saatchi Gallery, opened in 1985 by art collector Charles Saatchi to display his own collection to the public. Saatchi also sponsored Hirst, who first came to the public's attention with his 1988 Freeze exhibition of his own works and those of his fellow Goldsmiths College students. BBC Arts editor Will Gompertz said Hirst's work as a curator and champion of new art that started with Freeze - from behind-the-scenes support of unknown artists through to collecting and exhibiting - was often overlooked. "Charles Saatchi didn't make Damien Hirst, Damien Hirst made Charles Saatchi," he said. Hirst has previously said that collecting "is the way the world works, as a human being. "As you go through life, you just collect… I always think collections are like a map of a man's life." Tate Modern's Hirst retrospective will run from 4 April to 9 September and one of Hirst's most famous pieces -the £50m diamond-encrusted skull entitled For the Love of God, will be on display in the gallery's Turbine Hall from 4 April to 24 June.

Summary: Damien Hirst's public gallery in south London, which is being developed to display his personal art collection, will open in 2014, the artist has said.


Their studies on survivors in Liberia showed large numbers had developed weakness, memory loss and depressive symptoms in the six months after being discharged from an Ebola unit. Other patients were "actively suicidal" or still having hallucinations. More than 17,000 people in West Africa have survived Ebola infection. The evidence, being presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Neurology, is an early glimpse at a much wider study of long-term health problems after Ebola. The initial analysis, on 82 survivors, showed most had had severe neurological problems at the height of the infection, including meningitis, hallucinations or falling into a coma. Six months later, new long-term problems had developed. About two-thirds had body weakness, while regular headaches, depressive symptoms and memory loss were found in half of patients. Two of the patients had been actively suicidal at the time of the assessment. Dr Lauren Bowen, from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, told the BBC: "It was pretty striking, this is a young population of patients, and we wouldn't expect to have seen these sorts of problems. "When people had memory loss, it tended to affect their daily living, with some feeling they couldn't return to school or normal jobs, some had terrible sleeping problems. "Ebola hasn't gone away for these people." Infection with Ebola ravages the body. Some of the symptoms could improve with time as the body heals, others may be down to social trauma as many survivors are ostracised from their families and communities. But other symptoms, including eye problems, indicate damage to the brain, which may not heal. Meanwhile, data presented earlier, at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, raised concerns about sexual transmission of the virus in survivors. It indicated 38% of men had tested positive for Ebola in their semen on at least one occasion in the year after recovering. And in the most extreme case, Ebola had been detected 18 months later. Yet most survivors reported being sexually active, with only four in every 100 using a condom.

Summary: Most people who survive an Ebola infection will have long-lasting health problems, say doctors from the US National Institutes of Health.


Northamptonshire Police tweeted live on Saturday night to show the problems in the county's town centres. During the evening officers dealt with fights, drink-drivers and more than 100 999 calls after midnight. The force said it hoped the tweets "highlighted the impact on the police". Using the hashtag #alcoholharm, the force tweeted into the early hours about incidents in towns including Northampton, Daventry and Kettering. Officers dealt with criminal damage, fights in the street, people assaulting nightclub and hotel staff and drink-drivers, including one man who was three times over the alcohol limit. The force said since midnight its control room had received 187 calls, more than 100 of them via 999. It added it dealt with 129 incidents in total, many of them drink-related. After the night officers tweeted: "#alcoholharm is a social issue we all have a stake in solving. "Hopefully tonight has highlighted the realities of dealing with drunkenness & the impact on the #police."

Summary: A man dialling 999 to say he had been thrown out of a pub was one of a number of problem calls highlighted by a police force during a live Twitter session about excessive drinking.


PC Neil Doyle, 36, died after he and two colleagues were attacked near the Aloha Club, in Colquitt Street, on a Christmas night out on 19 December. Three men have been accused of murdering Mr Doyle and are due to face trial on 22 June. The match was played between Ormskirk Rugby Club and Merseyside Police's rugby team. They were due to play the fourth Green & Blue game, named after the respective colours of the clubs, on 20 December but the match was postponed following Mr Doyle's death. A post-mortem examination found the cause of Mr Doyle's death was bleeding around the brain. Christopher Spendlove, 30, and Andrew Taylor, 28, pleaded not guilty to murdering the officer and wounding his two colleagues when they appeared in court on 20 March. Timmy Donovan, 30, formerly of Huyton, has been remanded in custody after he was extradited following his arrest in Germany, in January. He is due to enter his pleas on 8 June. Nearly Â£30,000 has been raised for a memorial fund in PC Doyle's name, with donations going towards Merseyside Police Federation Charitable Trust. PC Doyle was based at Eaton Road station in West Derby, Liverpool.

Summary: A rugby match has been held in honour of an off-duty police officer killed in Liverpool last year.


Thomson scored following a good run and cross by Calum Gallagher and Dumbarton goalkeeper Alan Martin produced a fine double save to deny Jean-Yves M'voto. The Sons doubled their advantage thanks to another fine finish from the 23-year-old forward. Sam Stanton bundled home a third before Dumbarton added a late fourth through Garry Fleming.

Summary: Robert Thomson scored a first-half brace as Dumbarton secured an impressive victory over Raith Rovers.


It comes three weeks after NatWest closed its premises in the town. Local Conservative MP Edward Leigh said he was disappointed with the news, but warned residents they needed to support local banks and shops, or lose them. A spokesman for HSBC said it had not taken the decision lightly, and understood it was unsettling for the local community. He said: "Unfortunately, with an increase in the use of online and telephone banking over the past few years the use of the Market Rasen branch has fallen significantly, and we've taken the difficult decision to close it. "We are working with customers who use the branch to help them understand their options." In June, HSBC announced plans to shed 8,000 jobs in the UK to reduce costs. In 2012, Market Rasen was one of 12 towns to share Â£1.2m from the government as part of the Portas Pilot project, which aimed to rejuvenate UK High Streets. In the year that followed the town saw an increase in empty stores. Money from the scheme was used to revamp the market place and erect free parking signs on the outskirts of the town to attract passing trade. But, Lincolnshire County Council ordered the signs be taken down as they did not comply with national requirements. Mr Leigh said although the pilot scheme was a "valiant effort", market towns were struggling to compete for business. "At the end of the day, you can't keep the market place if people can't make a go of their businesses," he said.

Summary: HSBC has announced it is to close its branch in Market Rasen in December due to falling numbers of people using it.


West Somerset Council agreed to merge with neighbouring Taunton Deane Borough Council in September to save money. However, a group of 15 Taunton Deane councillors opposed the merger and launched a legal challenge against the move. But a High Court judge has ruled the challenge as "premature and academic". In his ruling Mr Justice Lewis said the Secretary of State "wishes consultation" to take place before he makes the final decision on the new council proposal under legislation. Taunton Deane Borough Council leader John Williams said: "This judgement is a vindication our approach so far. "It's also a testament to all the hard work and commitment of our officer team who have ensured we have acted properly and correctly at all times."

Summary: A judicial review of the decision to merge two Conservative-run local authorities in Somerset has been rejected in full.


The failure of BHS and tough competition in the clothing market contributed to the poor performance. A report filed with Companies House by Taveta investments showed pre-tax profits for the 12 months to August 27 2016 fell to £36.8m, down from £172.2m the previous year. Total sales fell 2.5% to £2.02bn. Taveta is the holding company of Arcadia which alongside its biggest brand, Topshop, owns Miss Selfridge, Burton, Evans, Wallis and Dorothy Perkins. Taveta's statement reveals its profits were dented by £129.2m in one-off charges. These exceptional costs included £26.4m related to the collapse into administration of BHS in April of last year, and the "subsequent regulatory investigations", it said. Taveta also made a £21.8m provision for "onerous" leases on loss-making stores last year. It said its financial performance was "below prior year levels". "The retail industry continues to experience a period of major change as customers become ever more selective and value conscious and advances in technology open up more diverse, fast-changing and complex sales channels. "Clothing has also become a less important part of the household budget," it added, echoing recent statements made by other High Street fashion chains. Meanwhile, Taveta said Brexit had caused economic uncertainty and the fall in sterling had dented its results. "The group is looking at initiatives to improve margin to offset the ongoing impact of weaker sterling." Market conditions remained "challenging and very competitive", with new players entering the market particularly online, it continued. And while UK unemployment was low and consumer credit availability continued to rise "the slow growth in average earnings impacts the spending power of customers". The last BHS store closed its doors last year when no buyer could be found for the chain. There was an estimated £571m hole in the BHS pension covering all future payouts. The potential of taking on such a burden was seen as one of the reasons that BHS failed to find backers or buyers for the business at a whole. In February of this year Sir Philip agreed a £363m cash settlement with the Pensions Regulator to plug the gap in the BHS pension scheme. The deal means workers will get the same starting pension that they were originally promised.

Summary: Profits at Sir Philip Green's retail empire, which includes High Street fashion chain Topshop, plummeted by 79% last year.


NFU Scotland has urged a Scottish parliamentary committee to hold an extraordinary session on the issue. The union said it did not believe payouts under the new basic payment scheme would be delivered in the normal December window. The Scottish government said it continued "to work flat out" towards starting payments by the end of 2015. The basic payment scheme is the main EU subsidy available to farmers in Scotland, and is allocated by the Scottish government following Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms. NFU Scotland said that "despite Scottish government statements to the contrary", it did not believe there was "any likelihood" of payments being delivered in December. It now wants Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead to make a public statement on when farmers will receive their payments and what their value will be. The union has also written to the Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment Committee, asking it to hold an extraordinary session to establish the anticipated timeline for payments. NFU Scotland president Allan Bowie, said: "Whilst the cabinet secretary has sought to allay fears that the payment schedule will slip, Scottish government's message has shifted from payments being delivered in 'early December' to 'late December', and we are now convinced that these payments will not be made until 2016. "We also note with interest that... the Rural Payments Agency gave an unambiguous statement... that it will commence paying the new basic payment scheme in full to farmers in England in December, with the majority receiving payment by the end of that month and the vast majority of payments completed by the end of January. "Scottish farmers and crofters - and all those who provide goods and services to our sectors - would benefit hugely from a similar clear statement on payment timetables for Scotland to allow them to plan their businesses accordingly." Meanwhile, Mr Lochhead announced that farmers and other land managers would begin to receive their share of Â£6.7m of rural development payments from next week. He said the Scottish government's Rural Payment and Inspectorate Division had begun processing more than 5,000 Land Managers Option payments covering 2014. The scheme supports agri-environment and animal health and welfare measures. The vast majority of LMO payments are expected to be paid within two weeks. Mr Lochhead said: "Today's announcement demonstrates how the Scottish government is delivering for Scotland's farmers as we deal with gargantuan challenge of implementing the biggest CAP reform in a generation. "We continue to work flat out to be able to begin making basic payments by the end of the year."

Summary: Pressure is mounting on the Scottish government to confirm when EU support payments will be delivered to farmers.


With the game's first attack, Potts found the the bottom corner after Cullen's classy touch and flick. Ollie Watkins was denied by Sam Slocombe before David Wheeler lobbed the keeper to deservedly put Exeter level. Blackpool had numerous chances before Cullen's prodded in Potts' low cross. Paul Tisdale's Exeter side dominated possession throughout and almost forced extra time when Watkins headed over in stoppage time. The Tangerines, who only had around 6,000 supporters at Wembley because of an ongoing boycott by fans in protest against the club's owners, lost skipper Tom Aldred to injury before the break but were not deterred. The margin of victory could have been bigger for Gary Bowyer's men, with substitute Bright Osayi-Samuel shooting wide and Kyle Vassell seeing an effort saved as Exeter left themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks late on. As recently as 2011 Blackpool were in the Premier League, but their drop to the second tier after just one season in the top flight was compounded by successive relegations in the past two seasons. There have been well documented off-field problems too, with the Blackpool Supporters' Trust repeatedly calling for much-maligned owners Owen and Karl Oyston to step aside. One thing the Lancashire club have not lost is their knack of successful play-off campaigns, with this their fifth final victory - more than any other club. It also adds to the trend of teams finishing seventh, the final play-off spot in League Two, going up - as it has now happened in five of the past eight fourth-tier campaigns. More to follow. Match ends, Blackpool 2, Exeter City 1. Second Half ends, Blackpool 2, Exeter City 1. Colin Daniel (Blackpool) is shown the yellow card. Hand ball by Lee Holmes (Exeter City). Attempt missed. Ollie Watkins (Exeter City) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by David Wheeler with a headed pass. Jordan Flores (Blackpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Jack Stacey (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Jordan Flores (Blackpool). Foul by Jake Taylor (Exeter City). Bright Samuel (Blackpool) wins a free kick on the left wing. Sam Slocombe (Blackpool) is shown the yellow card. Attempt saved. Kyle Vassell (Blackpool) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Bright Samuel. Attempt missed. Bright Samuel (Blackpool) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Brad Potts. Attempt missed. Lee Holmes (Exeter City) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. Corner, Exeter City. Conceded by Colin Daniel. Offside, Blackpool. Sam Slocombe tries a through ball, but Kyle Vassell is caught offside. Foul by Jordan Moore-Taylor (Exeter City). Kelvin Mellor (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Exeter City. Conceded by Will Aimson. Jordan Moore-Taylor (Exeter City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Will Aimson (Blackpool). Attempt missed. David Wheeler (Exeter City) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted

Summary: Mark Cullen and Brad Potts starred to help Blackpool return to League One at the first time of asking with victory over Exeter in the play-off final.


He was making a rare public speech as part of mass celebrations involving troops, and military vehicles in Pyongyang to mark the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party. Thousands of soldiers - many with red banners - marched past him through the city's main square in tight formation. An aircraft flypast forming the number 70 flew over the square. Tanks and missile carriers rolled past the podium where Mr Kim spoke. Parade in pictures At the scene: Steve Evans, BBC News, Pyongyang The parade was truly amazing in its immensity and organisation. It lasted for two hours with countless rows of soldiers and then civilians marching past without break. It felt at times like a meeting of a cult with citizens of North Korea jumping up and down and waving ecstatically at Kim Jong-un. The message was clear from the podium: China stands by North Korea - signalled by Kim Jong-un clutching the hand of a senior Chinese leader - and, secondly, that Mr Kim shows no sign of a softer stance towards the United States. As he put it: "The party's revolutionary armament means we are ready to fight any kind of war waged by the US imperialists". If his words were not clear enough, the hardware on parade underlined them - line upon line of trucks with missiles following line upon line of heavy artillery. The changing face of North Korea Strange history of North Korea's Communist Party State television carried the events live, adding an emotional commentary. "Iron spirit and the united forces of our army and people have enabled us to break through the imperialists' sanctions and isolation, are forcing the enemies to extreme anxiety and fear," Mr Kim said. Later, as the parade continued, tens of thousands of civilians, including school-children, danced and waved coloured pom-poms. When it announced plans for the anniversary earlier this year, the government spoke of "cutting-edge" weaponry suitable for modern warfare, and the day's event will have been closely watched for any new military hardware indicating the North's military development. No world leaders attended but China, North Korea's closest ally, sent a senior Communist Party official to the anniversary. The North Korean leader began the day by paying respects to his late father and grandfather at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, official media reported. The celebrations continued, after a downpour of rain, with an evening torchlight parade which thousands of Pyongyang citizens have been seen practising for in public squares across the city. A late-night concert featuring the all-female Moranbong Band - North Korea's most popular musical group - was also held, which cost foreigners wanting to attend about $115 (Â£75), the Associated Press news agency reports. North Korea's nuclear programme has long been a cause for alarm in the region. Pyongyang is believed to have conducted three underground nuclear tests and is threatening a fourth, despite international condemnation and sanctions. Last month, it announced it was restarting its main nuclear facility Yongbyon and that it was improving its nuclear weapons "in quality and quantity". The North claims

Summary: North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, has said his country could defend itself in any war started by the US.


The posts will be cut over three years during restructuring after the £11bn merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management. The two companies currently have a combined worldwide workforce of approximately 9,000 people. The information is contained in a detailed prospectus published by Standard Life on the deal. Managers said they expected "natural turnover" to account for some of the reductions, while other steps will be taken to minimise compulsory redundancies. The merger of Edinburgh-based Standard Life and Aberdeen is aimed at creating cost savings that could add up to £200m per year. The prospectus for shareholders stated "there will be a need to maximise operational efficiencies and cost synergies" to achieve the expected benefits of the merger. It continued: "At this time it is estimated that the integration and restructuring will result in a phased reduction of approximately 800 roles from the total global headcount of the combined group as at 31 December 2016 of approximately 9,000 over the three-year integration period. "Synergies will come in part from employee departures arising from natural turnover. "Other appropriate steps will be taken to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies, including the active management of Standard Life's and Aberdeen's recruitment and vacancies." The document reveals that the newly-merged company will be renamed Standard Life Aberdeen plc. Both companies have agreed on a 16-strong board made up of an equal number of Standard Life and Aberdeen directors. Standard Life chairman Sir Gerry Grimstone will be the chairman of the newly-merged company while Aberdeen's chairman Simon Troughton will become deputy chairman. Keith Skeoch, the Standard Life chief executive, and Aberdeen boss Martin Gilbert will become co-chief executives of the new firm. The two companies agreed the terms of the merger, which will create Britain's biggest asset manager, in March. Under the terms of the deal, Aberdeen shareholders would own 33.3% and Standard Life shareholders would own 66.7% of the combined group. A general meeting has been scheduled for June at which shareholders will be asked to approve the merger. If backed, the deal is expected to be closed by mid-August.

Summary: About 800 jobs are to be cut in a planned merger of two of Scotland's biggest financial companies.