Patrick Morrison, professor of human genetics at Belfast City Hospital, hit out at the lack of specialist staff. He accused the government of "failing" patients with Huntington's disease. The condition is a rare, inherited and highly complex neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 120 people in Northern Ireland. Huntington's disease is caused by a faulty gene which progressively destroys the central area of the brain, affecting all aspects of the person's life including physical, cognitive and behavioural processes. "The current service is severely overwhelmed and understaffed," Prof Morrison said. "For such a tragic condition where the funding of NHS services by the government has not stepped up to the mark, this is failing families with Huntington's disease." The BBC has learned there are no dedicated specialist nurses currently in place across any of the five health trusts in Northern Ireland to care for patients with this chronic and debilitating condition. The Belfast Health Trust is the only Northern Ireland trust that has two dedicated Huntington's disease nursing posts. However, due to one nurse being off ill and another changing job, currently neither post is filled at present. About 120 men and women are affected by Huntington's disease, but the actual figure is believed to be higher as many cases are undiagnosed. Patients from as far away as County Fermanagh have been contacting the Belfast Health Trust asking for help. In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Belfast Health Trust said it "had difficulties recruiting a specialist nurse to work in this team". "We have actively encouraged existing staff who may be interested in applying for the vacant post," they said. "The post has been re-advertised. In the meantime we continue to do our best to meet the needs of our service users. "There is currently a proposal in process to secure additional funding for a regional manager which would further enhance the service." In the meantime, patients have told the BBC they are relying on their families and GPs for help. One of those patients is Anne Boyd, who lives in west Belfast. Diagnosed with the condition 11 months ago, Ms Boyd said she is learning to take one day at a time. "I began noticing a lot of changes," she said. "I was dropping things and falling over. "There was also a bit of a devil in me. I was nasty, hard to live with. I wasn't a nice person." Huntington's disease progresses at different rates. Those who have had it or have witnessed a loved one suffer have described it as being especially cruel, as it affects both the mind and the body. According to Ms Boyd, as her memory has been affected she can no longer read. Her concentration and mobility are also affected and as she is confined to her home a lot of the time, she also suffers from depression. "I get up every day not really knowing what it may bring," she said. "It is really hard and not just for me, but for my family. They need help too." According to Prof

Summary: A leading expert in Huntington's disease has described the service for patients in Northern Ireland as being seriously overwhelmed.


So what exactly is the problem, and how serious is it? By UK standards, air pollution levels are high. The Department of the Environment measures outdoor air pollution on a one-to-10 scale. Parts of north-west Norfolk hit level 10 on Tuesday. On Wednesday, levels were recorded at seven - meaning high - in towns and cities in East Anglia and rural parts of south-east England. Pollution levels of five were reached in London, the Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside. The tipping point seems to have been dust from storms in the Sahara. Normally it settles in the countries of southern Europe - Spain, Malta and Greece, for example. However, winds from the south and east have brought the dust to the UK, along with industrial pollution from Europe. And because those weather conditions are stable and not changing, those particles are not being dispersed. But that is only part of the problem. Most air pollution in the UK comes from road transport and residential emissions. Leaving aside the Sahara dust, the pollution is made up of various substances, including nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ammonia. These form particles in the atmosphere. The two most common measurements are particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometres or less, known as PM2.5; and larger particles measuring 10 micrometres, known as PM10. The World Health Organization (WHO) uses PM10 levels to measure pollution, expressed in micrograms per cubic metre. It recommends mean exposure over 24 hours to PM2.5 of no more than 10 micrograms/m3, and to PM10 of no more than 25. PM2.5 particles are thought to be particularly damaging because they are so small, they can penetrate into the deepest parts of the lungs. WHO air quality guidelines Why is the UK doing so badly? Last month, the EU announced it was taking legal action against the UK because it was persistently over the safe limit for air pollution - in particular, levels of nitrogen dioxide. But the UK is not alone - most EU countries struggle to meet the targets, says Martin Adams of the European Environment Agency. In fact, the EU is currently taking action against 17 out of 28 member states with serious air quality problems. EU standards make allowances for natural sources of air pollution, including Saharan dust for Spain and ozone for coastal countries such as the UK. Frank Kelly, professor of Environmental Health at King's College London, puts the blame for the UK's pollution woes squarely on the shift to diesel vehicles over the past 10 years. Six out of 10 cars sold today in the UK are diesels, and these produce a lot of nitrogen dioxide, he says. King's College London air quality monitoring project (London only) In all, the WHO says air pollution is responsible for seven million premature deaths a year around the world. That includes indoor as well as outdoor pollution - typically, smoke from cooking stoves in developing countries. About 80% of deaths related to outdoor pollution are linked to heart disease and strokes, while 14% are due to lung or respiratory diseases, and 6% to

Summary: Health warnings have been issued for parts of England, as air pollution reaches high levels.


The baby died about six weeks ago but few details of the case were released. The child was born in Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, County Westmeath, on 16 August and died on 22 August at Dublin's National Maternity Hospital. The Health Service Executive (HSE), which runs the Republic of Ireland's public health services, confirmed it was investigating the "tragic" case. In a statement to the BBC, a spokesman said: "The HSE incident management policy is being followed and a full and thorough investigation into this tragic event has commenced. "The family are involved in this process. The hospital extends its deepest sympathy to the family," he added.

Summary: The Irish health authorities have begun an investigation following the death in hospital of a newborn baby.


Jamal Mahmoud, 21, died at the London prison on Tuesday. Two prisoners, aged 34 and 26, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. BBC News understands the weapon used was a "hunting-style knife". The motive is not yet clear, although claims about a dispute between gangs or drugs debts are being investigated. It is understood the stabbings happened in a prison wing and inmates were then moved into the jail's exercise yard, according to the BBC's Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw. He said a prison source had told the BBC the knife used in the attack had been recovered, and described it as "bigger than a Bowie knife but smaller than a machete". The weapon was not improvised, the source said. Mahmoud was attacked on the fifth floor landing of one of the prison wings, before being thrown over the railings, falling about 30ft (nine metres). Mahmoud, from Enfield in north London, was jailed in July for helping to hide a machine gun. A friend of the dead man, Danny Rynne, a scaffolder from Enfield, described him as "small" and "placid". "He's got a girlfriend who's just had a baby that was born two weeks ago. It's a shame what happened. I don't know too much about what it's about but it's a shock to everyone," Mr Rynne said. How dangerous are our prisons? The Prison Governors Association (PGA) said inmates at Pentonville were living in "squalid and brutal conditions". "If a society is judged by how it treats those it locks up, then we are in a very dark place," it said. 22,195 Assaults 31% Rise compared to the same period of the previous year 2,953 Serious assaults 5,423 Attacks on prison staff 5 Apparent homicides (in 12 months to June 2016) The association has renewed calls for a public inquiry amid what it said was an "unprecedented" rise in prison violence and suicides. In response to those comments, a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) spokesperson said the justice secretary had made clear that safety in prisons was "fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system and a vital part of our reform plans". "We are fully committed to addressing the significant increase in violence, self-harm and self-inflicted deaths in our prisons," the spokesperson added. The MoJ said measures would include spending an extra Â£14m in 10 prisons and increasing staffing levels by more than 400 prison officers. Analysis: BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw Pentonville's Governor Kevin Reilly has noted that in recent weeks people had "felt anxious" about violence at the jail. Writing in an internal newsletter, seen by BBC News, Mr Reilly said reducing violence was one of his "top five priorities". He said although there had been a slight reduction in violent incidents during the month, people remained concerned. In July the Pentonville Independent Monitoring Board said the government should "knock down" or "urgently upgrade" the 174-year-old prison. The board said the jail was "decrepit" and blamed the former legal high Spice for driving an illicit economy which in turn had led to violence, self-harm and bullying.

Summary: A prisoner has died and two others were critically injured in a stabbing at HMP Pentonville, leading to claims the prison system is in a "dark place".


Shaker Aamer was held at the US military base in Cuba over allegations he had led a Taliban unit and had met Osama Bin Laden, but was never charged. Downing Street said there were "no plans" to detain him after his arrival. Mr Aamer said he felt "obliged" to everyone who fought for him to be released, and to "bring an end to Guantanamo". "My thanks go to Allah first, second to my wife, my family, to my kids and then to my lawyers who did everything they could to carry the word to the world," he said. "I am overwhelmed by what people have done by their actions, their thoughts and their prayers, and without their devotion to justice I would not be here in Britain now." Concern has been raised over the health of the Saudi national, 48, whose family live in London, and the BBC witnessed an ambulance arrive at the airport. Number 10 said Prime Minister David Cameron "welcomes" the release of Mr Aamer, who has permission to live in the UK indefinitely because his wife is British. It also said any necessary security measures "will be put in place". The father-of-four landed at London's Biggin Hill Airport shortly before 13:00 GMT. Mr Aamer's father-in-law, Saeed Siddique, said his release was a "miracle". "It's a delightful day," he told BBC News while admitting it was also a "surprise". Mr Aamer, who was first held by US authorities in Afghanistan in 2001, maintains he was in the country doing charity work. Since 2007 Mr Aamer, who claims he was tortured, has been cleared for release twice, by US presidents George W Bush and then Barack Obama. It is understood Mr Aamer will go through standard immigration checks now he has arrived in the UK. Mr Aamer's legal representative Clive Stafford Smith told BBC News: "Shaker only wants the truth to come out he is not interested in persecuting anyone. "His first priority is health - he really is in terrible shape." In letters sent to the BBC by his lawyers earlier this month, Mr Aamer described himself as "an old car that has not been to the garage for years", saying the first thing he wanted once freed was a cup of coffee. By Dominic Casciani, BBC home affairs correspondent When the business jet carrying Shaker Aamer landed in London he was met by British officials. His lawyers say he will need urgent medical and mental assessments. He may, like others who have been held at Guantanamo, be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. While the PM has said Mr Aamer won't be detained, it's unlikely we will ever find out if MI5 separately decides to monitor him - by definition its work is secret. Mr Aamer is said to be relaxed about such prospects and has asked his lawyers to make clear he believes he has a "contract" to honour with the people of Britain. Shaker Aamer's return is the end of an astonishing and murky personal saga. But it's by no means the end of the story.

Summary: The last British resident to be held in Guantanamo Bay has landed in the UK, having been detained for 13 years.


Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes, 15, was attacked as he left Capital City Academy in Willesden, north-west London, on 23 January. Before he died in hospital, he managed to tell one of the nurses the name of his attacker. The defendant, who cannot be named because of his age, had a string of convictions for violent behaviour. He also had convictions for possessing a knife at school when he was aged 13. Prosecutors at the Old Bailey described the murder as a "deliberate, planned attack on a defenceless schoolboy." "He was happy and unconcerned as he walked out of the school gates, singing and exchanging banter with his school friends as he walked," said prosecutor Sally O'Neill QC. But within three minutes of leaving school, he was chased and stabbed by a masked boy, dressed in black, who had been waiting for him at the corner. Witnesses described Quamari shouting that he was going to be stabbed and "running for his life" back to the school. He was unable to outrun the defendant who grabbed him and stabbed him three times in his back, shoulder and upper leg before running off. One of the witnesses, a girl, recognised the attacker and almost immediately rang him. He lied to her saying he was in south London. The masked figure was caught on CCTV waiting for Quamari to come out of school and his phone confirmed he was in the area at the time of the stabbing. "This wasn't a school argument getting out of hand and someone getting hurt because one of them had a knife," continued the prosecutor. "Whoever did this to Quamari Barnes was waiting for him and as soon as he saw him, he chased him, caught him and stabbed him three times." The defendant refused to give evidence, but his barrister, Kirsty Brimelow QC, told the court that the case was "riddled with doubts" and that the police had simply "joined with the playground chat". He will be sentenced on 28 July. Det Ch Insp Jamie Stevenson said Quamari was a popular schoolboy who "didn't stand a chance" as his attacker was an adept runner. "Many of the schoolchildren who witnessed the attack initially thought the two boys were messing around. "Little did they know that within a matter of minutes Quamari would be lying helplessly on the ground fighting for his life. Those that witnessed the events have been left completely devastated by the loss of their friend."

Summary: A 15-year-old boy has been found guilty of murdering a teenager outside his school gate.


Autumn Veatch had been on a small plane with her step-grandparents which crashed in the North Cascades National Park in Washington state. She is being treated in hospital, but has no life-threatening injuries. It is not known what happened to Autumn's step-grandparents, whom she attempted to pull from the wreckage. Autumn's father, David, told reporters outside a hospital in the town of Brewster that his daughter was exhausted, but doing remarkably well. He said she was able to joke with him about all the survival shows they watched together on television, according to the Associated Press news agency. "She's just an amazing kid,'' he said. "There's more to her than she knows.'' Transport authorities said the Beech A-35, which was registered to Autumn's step-grandfather, left Kalispell in Montana at around 13:00 on Saturday. It was due to land in Lynden, Washington, later on Saturday and family members raised the alarm when there was no sign of the plane. Autumn left the scene of the crash after a day and followed the river, via a trail, downstream to the nearest road, family friend Santina Lampman told the Seattle Times. A passing motorist spotted her on Monday and took her to the town of Mazama, where she received medical attention before being taken to hospital. Doctors say she is suffering from dehydration and a treatable kind of muscle tissue breakdown caused by exercise without food or water, but that she is expected to make a full recovery. "It's a miracle, no question about it," Lt Col Jeffrey Lustick of the Civil Air Patrol told reporters. "Moments of joy like this can be hard to find." The plane's wreckage has not yet been found but the search was due to resume again on Tuesday.

Summary: A 16-year-old girl has been found after hiking to safety from the scene of a plane crash in a mountainous area of the north-western US.


It will allow the government to borrow additional money by selling bonds to pay for a large chunk of its expenses. The approval comes amid fears that Japan's economy may be heading towards a recession. The opposition had previously delayed the bill, demanding that the government call for elections first. On Friday, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda dissolved the parliament, paving the way for snap elections to be held next month. In a separate move, Japan's government warned that the economy is showing "signs of weakness", adding to concerns about the health of the world's third-largest economy. It said that industrial production is falling and exports continue to remain weak due to slowing global demand. It added that private consumption and business investment also remain subdued. Japan's economy shrunk 0.9% in the July to September quarter, from the previous three months, and there are fears it may contract further in the current quarter. "Concerning short-term prospects, weak movements would remain for the time being," the Cabinet Office said in its monthly report. This is the fourth successive month that Japan has lowered its assessment of the economy, the longest such streak since the 2008 - 2009 global financial crisis. One of the big concerns among policymakers in Japan has been continued deflation, or falling consumer prices, in the country. That has hampered their efforts to boost domestic consumption as consumers tend to put off purchases in hopes of getting a better deal later on. Consumer prices in Japan fell 0.1% in September, from a year earlier, the fifth straight month of decline. The government said that it "strongly expects the Bank of Japan to continue powerful monetary easing" to help fight deflation. Meanwhile, Shinzo Abe, the leader of the main opposition party, the Liberal Democratic Party, has said the central bank needed to set an inflation target of 3% instead of its current 1% goal to help revive growth in the economy. Mr Abe, who's party is widely expected to win a snap election, has said that if elected, he will put pressure on the bank to ease its policies further and has called for it to print "unlimited yen" to help fight deflation. His comments have had an impact on the financial markets. The yen has fallen to its lowest level against the US dollar in six-and-half-months. It was trading close to 80.97 yen against the US dollar in Asian trade. Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 2.2% to 9,024.16 points.

Summary: Japan's lawmakers have approved a crucial bill that will ensure that the government does not run out of money at the end of this month.


So how necessary is all the expensive tuition, if you want to help your child into a career treading the boards? Tallulah Treadaway is living many girls' dreams. Aged just 12 she has spent the last year leaving her sister and two brothers at home in Sussex, to take the train to London to perform in the hit musical Matilda. There's no question that it's a fulfilling experience for her. "It's an achievement," she says. "After the performance you walk out of the theatre and you hear people say 'those kids were amazing' and you feel great." Her run in Matilda has just come to an end and she is now in rehearsals for another West End production. But although she has been dancing since she was five, Tallulah is relatively untutored, at least compared to many of the other children she meets at auditions. She has noticed some of them turn up already knowing all the words and all the steps. Increasingly, parents of a new star-struck generation are forking out for a whole battery of lessons in the hope that it will help fulfil their child's dream of a show business career. But it's not a path to embark on lightly. Whereas you might happily pay £20 for a chemistry set for an aspiring scientist in the family, the parents of a promising performer can spend thousands on what is a notoriously fickle career choice. Costs vary around the country but one-to-one tuition in the south-east of England starts at £20 an hour. Group classes range from £5 - £10. The costs of uniform, costumes and exams can mount up too. And the more classes that are on offer from jazz to musical theatre, street dance to singing, the more your child will want to do. "I want to keep my daughter's dreams alive," says Naomi Phitidis, mother of one enthusiastic young performer. Her daughter Juno attends singing, drama and several dance classes, although some are scheduled fortnightly to limit time and cost pressures. "But I also want her to have some sort of security in her life," says her mother. She does sometimes wonder whether she's putting all her eggs in one basket, but firmly believes the skills and confidence that Juno is acquiring will help her whatever she does later in life. Vanessa Karl's daughter, Zoe, hopes to become a professional dancer. But she knows she's unlikely to win a place at a dance college without reaching a demanding technical standard. So Vanessa spends around £100 a week on classes for 30 weeks of the year. "If someone has a passion it's good to let them follow that passion, if you can afford it," she says. She thinks you need an absolute minimum of four years training to get into a post-16 dance school, and more is better. "If you're serious you need to be doing at least three ballet classes a week. And I think most dancers would want to do at least that." If Tallulah, Juno and Zoe do pursue careers on the stage they will

Summary: If you're the parent of a budding Darcey Bussell or Benedict Cumberbatch you'll know how quickly the bills start flooding in from drama teachers, singing coaches and dance schools.


Warwickshire Police said officers were called out from 10:30 GMT in advance of the Blue Square Bet Premier League game between Nuneaton Town and Lincoln City. British Transport Police and officers from the West Mercia and West Midlands forces helped in the operation. Officers in riot gear began making arrests at The Granby pub from 15:20. A total of 62 people were detained. They were taken by coach to Nuneaton police station where they were being interviewed. Ch Insp Adrian Knight, who was leading the response, thanked his colleagues for their work on what had been a "particularly challenging day", adding: "This operation was a true collaboration utilising resources from across the region." He went on: "It was important to take a positive approach from the start of the operation and as a result of that approach a significant number of people have been arrested for serious offences and will now be processed. "Warwickshire Police is committed to protecting people from harm, whether they live in the county or are visiting, and we will not tolerate any behaviour which puts them at risk. "Anyone intent on causing trouble in Warwickshire should be aware that we will deal with them robustly," he added. Nuneaton went on to win the game 1-0.

Summary: Dozens of people were arrested after police in riot gear were deployed ahead of a football match in Nuneaton.


The base, near Albrighton, is home to the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering. Its future was put in doubt after the government announced last year that RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire would open a training college in 2013. The RAF said working with private firms could help Cosford survive. Station Commander Jamie Johnston said: "We already have trained some elements of British industry. "Industry are finding it harder to find trained people and it's expensive to train people. It makes sense to look at how we can do that in a smarter way." RAF Cosford is estimated to contribute about £70m a year to the local economy. The government has said the base could be used by soldiers returning from Germany, although that is unlikely to happen until 2020 at the earliest. Shropshire councillor Malcolm Pate said it made sense to look at different ways to secure the base's future. Mr Pate said: "Given the technical expertise that's at RAF Cosford, I think there's a great opportunity for Cosford to have a large income stream by selling its expertise to local companies and private business." The government has revealed that a six-year review into the move of aeronautics training from Cosford to St Athan in south Wales cost taxpayers £150m. Station Commander Johnston described it as a "large sum of money" and said the military had a duty to deliver best value for money for taxpayers. Plans to move the training college were scrapped two years ago, news of which was welcomed by local business leaders, councillors and Conservative MP for the Wrekin Mark Pritchard.

Summary: RAF Cosford in Shropshire could sell its training expertise to the business community if the government moves its defence operations.


The will was filed at Manhattan Surrogate court in New York earlier this week leaving instructions from the pioneering rapper, also known as MCA. It read: "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, in no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes." Yauch died of cancer in May aged 47. His will leaves his $6.4m (Â£4.1m) estate to his widow, Dechen Yauch, and their 13-year old daughter, and gives Dechen the right to sell and manage his artistic property as the executor of the estate. The phrase "or any music or any artistic property created by me" was added in handwriting, according to Rolling Stone magazine which has seen a copy of the document. Yauch founded the Beastie Boys with rappers Ad-Rock and Mike D in the 1980s, going on to have a string of hits including Fight for Your Right (to Party) and Sabotage. He was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland in 2009 and underwent surgery and radiation therapy, which delayed the release of their latest album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Corporations have regularly used the images of deceased musicians, celebrities and historical figures in their advertisements, such as Apple's 1997 Think Different campaign featuring John Lennon, Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi. This week the remaining members of the Beastie Boys took legal action against US energy drink company Monster over allegations of copyright infringement. They lodged papers in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, claiming executives have been using their tracks in a promotional video and downloadable audio file without their permission.

Summary: Late Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch has used his will to stop people from using his music or image in advertising.


Gordon Anglesea, 79, from Old Colwyn, was convicted of one charge of indecent assault against one boy, and three indecent assaults against another. Addressing Anglesea at Mold Crown Court Judge Geraint Walters said "there can only be one sentence and that is a prison sentence". North Wales Police's assistant chief constable apologised after the trial. "The victims in this case have waited a long time for justice and I am pleased that today they have seen this done," said ACC Richard Debicki. "It has not been an easy journey from them, it has taken courage to stand by their convictions, but I hope that they will now take some solace from seeing their abuser brought to justice." "I would like to apologise on behalf of the force to those whose lives he so traumatically affected." Anglesea, a former superintendent in the Wrexham area, had denied the charges, with his defence funded by the Police Federation. He was also found not guilty of an alternative charge of a serious sexual assault, and granted bail until 4 November when he will be sentenced. Ed Beltrami, chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service Wales, said Anglesea had been in "a position of power and authority in order to prey on very young and vulnerable victims" and praised those who gave evidence for helping to secure his conviction. "I hope that it will also prove to be a meaningful step in the recovery process of his victims, who have had to live with what happened for a long time before seeing their abuser brought before the court," he added. Anglesea was arrested in 2013 as part of the National Crime Agency's Operation Pallial investigation into historical abuse across north Wales. The offences took place between 1982 and 1987, when both boys were aged 14 or 15. One boy was abused in the showers of a Home Office attendance centre in Wrexham run by Anglesea, who was a police inspector at the time. The court heard how he subjected juvenile offenders to a military-style, "short, sharp shock" regime of physical exercise, drill parades and woodwork classes on Saturday afternoons. Anglesea was "answerable to no-one" at the centre and would "inspect" the parade, make the youngsters do naked sit-ups and squat thrusts, then loiter around the showers "with a smirk on his face". His second victim was initially sexually assaulted by convicted paedophile John Allen, while living at the Bryn Alyn children's home in Wrexham and the abuse sometimes involved other adults who used him "like a toy". On one occasion, at a house in Mold, he said Anglesea "grabbed him by the hair" and indecently assaulted him, calling him "scum" and telling him he had the "power to send him away". The prosecution said both victims had been left "damaged" by the abuse and led "chaotic" lives of crime and drug and alcohol addiction. During the trial, Anglesea was questioned about links to other paedophiles, including Gary Cooke, who is currently serving 14 years in prison, and Peter Howarth, former deputy head of the Bryn Estyn children's

Summary: A former north Wales police chief has been found guilty of historical child sex offences.


The senior brother had previously been moved out of Rubane House, where he abused young boys, and became principal of a school in Downpatrick. The details were revealed at the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Inquiry. It is examining allegations of abuse at Rubane House in Kircubbin. About 200 former residents have made allegations of abuse. The inquiry also heard the De La Salle Religious Order paid compensation to victims who were sexually abused at Rubane House within years of the order ruling that a previous investigation into their abuser was "best forgotten". The HIA has been told that one victim, then aged 12, arrived at Rubane House in 1961. Three years earlier, in 1958, the order launched an internal inquiry into claims of sex abuse against the brother in charge of the home. The order subsequently ruled that "no reference is to be made at any time or to anyone regarding the inquiry". However, the senior brother continued to sexually abuse boys at the home. The order later paid the victim £27,500 in compensation. Another victim, who was in the home from 1958 to 1960, was paid £20,000 in compensation earlier this year. Junior counsel to the inquiry, Joseph Aiken, opted not to read out the contents of a statement the man made to police in 2010. Mr Aiken invited the inquiry panel to adjourn to take time to read the statement which he described as "graphic". The inquiry also heard the victim "subsequently abused his own children". Rubane House was open from 1950 to 1985. A total of 55 former residents have come forward to the inquiry to allege that they were physically or sexually abused. The sex abuse allegations at Rubane House ranged from watching children in the shower to rape, while physical abuse ranged from corporal punishment to serious assault. The HIA inquiry was set up in 2013 to investigate child abuse in residential institutions in Northern Ireland over a 73-year period, up to 1995. The Rubane House allegations form the third module of its public hearings. It had previously been examining what happened to children sent from Northern Ireland to institutions in Australia.

Summary: The De La Salle religious order moved a serial sex abuser to Africa, in 1982, despite being aware of his crimes at a boys home in County Down.


Mr Bailey, 58, was arrested over the murder of French film producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier but never charged. Ms Toscan Du Plantier was found beaten to death near her remote holiday home in west Cork on 23 December 1996. Mr Bailey told Dublin high court his life has been destroyed for the past 19 years because the police blamed him for a crime he did not commit. However, on Monday, a jury found certain police officers had not conspired to obtain statements from a witness to implicate him in the murder. Mr Bailey, who is originally from Manchester, had sued the Irish police (Garda) and the state for damages. However, most of his claims were struck out in the closing stages of the case because the judge ruled they had not been made within the six year time limit required by law. The case began on 4 November last year and heard from about 90 witnesses.

Summary: Former journalist Ian Bailey, who had sued the Irish state for wrongful arrest for murder, has lost his case.


Simon, who previously worked for Renault, Ferrari and governing body the FIA, had been with Honda since they announced their return to F1 in 2013. Simon is on gardening leave from his position and a Honda spokesman confirmed the 58-year-old's contract would end "some time this year". He refused to comment on reports Simon left as his ideas were being ignored. Honda has struggled since it returned to F1 with McLaren in 2015 and the Japanese company's programme for this year had a dismal start in last week's first pre-season test. The company used at least five engines in the course of four days at Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as a series of reliability problems restricted running. Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa admitted he "worried" about whether the company could solve a problem that led to an engine failure before the start of the season in Australia on 24-26 March. And McLaren racing director Eric Boullier admitted that the situation was "not good enough". Boullier added: "There is a bit more work to be done in Japan to investigate why we had those issues: issues that we absolutely did not expect to have - and for sure neither did Honda. "It is fixable, but it was not the plan to have these issues. They are not really serious, as there are no fundamental issues with the design."

Summary: French engine expert Gilles Simon has left his role as a consultant to Honda's struggling Formula 1 programme.


When the dumbfounded PCSOs asked what was going on, the octogenarian replied: "I couldn't fit it in the car." The man went on to say he was helping clear the house of a late relative who had collected stuffed animals. An Altrincham Police spokeswoman said the reptile in question dated back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in the 1900s. While the crocodile clearly was not going anywhere fast, the PCSOs were certainly pretty snappy when it came to posing for a picture. And there were no crocodile tears for the animal's owner either, as they helped him on his way down Navigation Road. The three officers are bracing themselves for a host of Crocodile Dundee jokes down the station after breaking the cardinal rule of "never smile at a crocodile".

Summary: Three police community support officers were in for a shock while on patrol in a leafy Greater Manchester suburb - an old man carrying a giant crocodile.


Court, 74, has said she would not fly on Qantas "where possible" in protest at its support of same-sex marriage. She then told a Christian radio station "tennis is full of lesbians". In an open letter, Navratilova said: "We should not be celebrating this kind of behaviour." The 60-year-old addressed her letter to the Margaret Court Arena, one of the main show courts at the Australian Open. She said: "It is now clear exactly who Court is: an amazing tennis player, and a racist and a homophobe. "Her vitriol is not just an opinion. She is actively trying to keep LGBT people from getting equal rights (note to Court: we are human beings, too)." In 1990, Court said Navratilova was a poor role model for young tennis players because of her homosexuality. Navratilova said she had forgiven Court for those comments, but had only just been made aware of remarks the Australian made about South Africa's apartheid regime. In 1970, Court said: "South Africa has the racial situation rather better organised than anyone else, certainly much better than the United States." Court won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, 11 of them in the Open era, which began in 1968 and allowed professionals to compete alongside amateurs. Navratilova described Court's actions as "bullying" and said sporting venues are named after athletes for "who they are as human beings" and "not just for what this person did on the field". "The platform people like Margaret Court use needs to be made smaller, not bigger," she said. Navratilova believes the Margaret Court Arena should be renamed after Evonne Goolagong, a 14-time Grand Slam winner of Australian Aboriginal descent. "I think the Evonne Goolagong Arena has a great ring to it," she added. "Now there is a person we can all celebrate. On every level." BBC Sport tennis correspondent Russell Fuller: Freedom of speech is one thing, but Margaret Court has caused widespread offence within tennis with these most recent remarks. Tennis Australia has so far tried to separate Court's views from her achievements as a player to argue the name of the arena does not need to change. But they will find it very hard to withstand such pressure from figures like Martina Navratilova. And the current generation of players have much influence, too. Andy Murray, who is a member of the ATP Player Council, says it would be difficult for players to boycott a particular court during a Grand Slam. But he points out they could collectively agree a position before the tournament, which would make life very difficult indeed for Tennis Australia.

Summary: Eighteen-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova has renewed her call for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed - describing the Australian as a "racist and a homophobe".


The members of the jury retired to consider their verdict on Friday morning. However, the case has now been adjourned until after the weekend. The judge, Lord Burns, had earlier gone through the options available in terms of the charges against Rachel and Nyomi Fee. He told members to consider the evidence dispassionately and without speculation. Rachel, 31, and Nyomi Fee, 29, deny murdering the two-year-old in a house near Glenrothes on 22 March 2014 and blaming his death on another child. The women, who are both originally from Ryton, Tyne and Wear, deny all the charges against them. The trial has been running for seven weeks at the High Court in Livingston.

Summary: The jury in the Liam Fee murder trial has been sent home until Monday.


The bill does not ban pornography in the mainly Mormon state. However, it calls for greater "efforts to prevent pornography exposure and addiction". One group representing the adult entertainment industry attacked what it called "an old-fashioned morals bill". Pornography, the bill says, "perpetuates a sexually toxic environment" and "is contributing to the hypersexualisation of teens, and even prepubescent children, in our society". Further steps must be taken to change "education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level" against what it calls an epidemic, but it does not suggest how changes should be implemented. The bill was signed by Republican Governor Gary Herbert, who said the volume of pornography in society was "staggering". One 2009 study by Harvard Business School said that Utah was the state with the highest percentage of online porn subscribers in the US. Some studies have, however, indicated that porn may not be addictive. The bill was supported by the anti-porn campaign group Fight the New Drug. Reports have pointed out the group's founders are all members of the conservative Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church. Close to 63% of the state's residents are Mormon, but Fight the New Drug's leaders have denied working on behalf of the Mormon Church. The Free Speech Coalition, a porn industry association, called for more dialogue. "We should live in a society where sexuality is spoken about openly, and discussed in nuanced and educated ways, and not stigmatised," said Mike Stabile, a spokesman for the group. "We all should work together to prevent non-adults from accessing adult material."

Summary: The US state of Utah has become the first to declare pornography a public health risk in a move its governor says is to "protect our families and our young people".


In Nigeria, it is quite common that if you fire someone for gross misconduct, that person will turn up days later in the company of his or her grey-haired, widowed mother and maybe an aged uncle and a pregnant wife. Together, they kneel at your doorstep and beg you to forgive, promising that the recalcitrant person will act differently if re-employed. Sometimes, the sacked person will phone you two months later to say that he or she has been offered employment elsewhere, then beg for a positive reference, while reminding you that the same people you meet on your way up, you shall surely meet on your way down. More likely than not, the repentant former employees are given a second chance. Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani: "My Nigerian-American friend is horrified by this Nigerian culture of wiping clean people's track records" Nigerians are usually willing to give others the opportunity to prove that they have transformed, no matter how grave their previous errors. One of the most recent, high-profile beneficiaries of this second-chance culture is Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria's new president. Back in 1983, he brought the country's then fledgling democracy to an abrupt end via a military coup, and his 18-month rule was infamous for draconian policies and human rights violations. While campaigning for the 2015 elections, Gen Buhari assured Nigerians that he was a changed man, that he was well aware of the difference between dictatorship and democracy. Many prominent citizens who had suffered in one way or the other under his rule responded by openly declaring their forgiveness for the retired general. Politician Audu Ogbeh and journalist Tunde Thompson, who were incarcerated under President Buhari's military regime, became active members of his 2015 campaign committees. My Nigerian-American friend is horrified by this Nigerian culture of wiping clean people's track records. She describes her experience as a first-year student at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where the careers counsellors often spoke about the close-knit circle in corporate America, and how easy it is to get blacklisted by all firms based on bad behaviour or poor performance at one firm. The students studied the stories of two alumni who had brought shame and financial ruin to their companies because of their unethical behaviour. "I remember the moods in the lecture rooms after each of these sessions," she said, "when we often swore to ourselves that we would never become subject material for case studies on ethical failures." No such case studies are taught in Nigerian schools. A disgraced CEO here could easily get hired in another high-profile role. Yesterday's vilified plunderer of public funds could metamorphose into tomorrow's icon of philanthropy and champion of the masses. But, one month after President Buhari's inauguration, a paradox appears to exist in the forgiveness extended towards him. Nigerians claimed to have forgiven him for the man he used to be, yet are expressing disappointment that he is not that same man they thought he was. They seem to have expected President Buhari, on assuming power, to immediately act tough: To send corrupt government officials

Summary: In our series of letters from African journalists, novelist and writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani considers Nigerians' tendency to forgive past misdemeanours and what it means for the country's new president.


The TUC said its research showed top executives receive a year's worth of the minimum wage in just one day. It said the average FTSE 100 boss was paid 123 times the average full-time salary, and called for "reality in boardrooms". A spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said she had highlighted action was needed on executive pay. The TUC research indicated the median pay award, discounting pensions, of a major FTSE 100 director soared by 47% in the five years to 2015, to Â£3.4m. That compares with what the union body says was a 7% increase for average wages during the same time frame. It took Sir Martin Sorrell of advertising giant WPP, the UK's highest paid chief executive, less than 45 minutes to earn what an average worker receives in a year, the TUC added. "We're seeing a growing disconnect between Britain's boardrooms and shop floors when it comes to pay," the TUC's Deputy General Secretary, Paul Nowak, told the BBC. Speaking ahead of the TUC annual conference in Brighton he added: "Over the last five years, Britain's bosses have seen their pay rise by nearly 50%. "And at the same time, ordinary working people have seen real terms pay freezes, and we think that's unfair, it's not right, and it's not sustainable in the long term for the health of the economy." Meanwhile, the TUC's general secretary Frances O'Grady, called on the prime minister to "deliver on her promise to put workers on company boards". She added: "This would inject a much-needed dose of reality into boardrooms and help put the brakes on the multimillion pay packages that have damaged the reputation of corporate Britain." As well as promising to put workers on boards, Theresa May has proposed making shareholder votes on executive pay binding, rather than advisory. The prime minister has also said she wants more transparency about bonus targets and for companies to reveal the ratio between chief executive pay and that of its average worker. In a speech to the G20 group of major economic nations last week, she said: "To restore greater fairness, we will bring forward a consultation this autumn on measures to tackle corporate irresponsibility, cracking down on excessive corporate pay and poor corporate governance, and giving employees and customers representation on company boards." Professor Andre Spicer, from the Cass Business School which is part of City, University of London, says some firms are already coming under pressure to curb high managers' pay. He told the BBC: "We're beginning to see disquiet amongst investors at the moment so there's been pushback amongst big executive pay deals at places like Deutsche Bank, Burberry and a number of organisations. "So investors are beginning to become fed up with this. It's likely that we're beginning to see questioning of this widespread practice, that CEOs need to be paid a lot to perform well."

Summary: The pay of directors' at FTSE 100 firms has reached "stratospheric" levels, according to a trade union body.


David Obaze, 25, was fined A$3,000 (£1,643) after pleading guilty to fixing three semi-professional games in the Victoria Premier League. Obaze is one of four Britons, all of whom played for VPL side Southern Stars, charged with corruption. The four were handed life bans by world governing body Fifa last year. Defender Reiss Noel and goalkeeper Joe Woolley were convicted and fined in December for throwing games. A fourth Briton, Nicholas McKoy, 24, has also entered a guilty plea and is scheduled for a hearing in September.

Summary: A third British footballer has been convicted by an Australian court of helping fix matches for a global betting syndicate.


Witnesses said they saw bodies being thrown "in the air" when the car mounted the pavement outside the Old Queen's Head in Islington. Two knives were found at the scene but police said they are not treating the crash as terrorist-related. Four teenagers were later arrested. None of those hurt are thought to have life-threatening injuries. Cassandra Pessaran told the BBC there were "30-odd" people standing outside the pub in Essex Road just before 23:00 BST. She said she heard "screeching tyres" then saw a vehicle "playing bumper cars with about three other cars... before going straight into a crowd of people". Aris Papachronopoulos said he "saw three people in the air" after the car drove "into the whole group". Two men and a woman are being treated in hospital. The arrested teenagers, who remain in custody, are aged between 17 and 19. They were detained on suspicion of a variety of offences including GBH with intent and possession of points and blades, the Met said. One knife was found in the car while another was discovered nearby.

Summary: Three people were taken to hospital after a car ploughed into a large group of people outside a north London pub.


Ferguson retired in 2013 as the club's most successful manager. The 74-year-old Scot had stayed away from Carrington since then. "He had not been back since he left, but I brought him back to be with his people," Mourinho told the United We Stand fanzine (subscription required). "I wanted the players to see the big man and for me and him to share some minutes and have lunch together. I enjoyed it, he enjoyed it." In his 26 years at Old Trafford, Ferguson led United to 13 league titles, two Champions League crowns, five FA Cups and four League Cups. "I'm the type of person who does not see ghosts. I respect the past and I know he loves the club," said Mourinho, who was appointed in May as the third manager to succeed Ferguson after David Moyes and Louis van Gaal. "We have good relations and I know this is his house. "When he wants to come here, to the dressing room, to see the players train, he knows he is more than welcome." Mourinho also said there was more expected of teenage forward Marcus Rashford in the current campaign after the 19-year-old's successful breakthrough last season. "Last season there were no senior players on the bench waiting for him to make a mistake. The choice was Rashford or Rashford," he added. "The situation is different this season. The number of injuries is smaller. The expectations about the players is higher. "[Former United winger] Ryan Giggs' second season [1991-92] was not comparable to the season when he started. Then, in the third season, he reached the level of Giggs. It was the final explosion of Giggs. We want to play young players but sometimes in football, it is about the moment."

Summary: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has revealed former boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been back to the club's Carrington training ground several times this season.


The names of 25 ministers were read out at a ceremony in Kabul presided over by Mr Ghani and government chief executive Abdullah Abdullah. The announcement comes after tortuous negotiations between the two former rivals who agreed to work together following disputed elections last year. The cabinet still needs to be approved by parliament. Mr Ghani's cabinet contains three women, for the portfolios of women's affairs, culture and higher education. As widely rumoured, his new foreign minister is confirmed as Salahuddin Rabbani, son of former president Burhanuddin Rabbani who was killed by a suicide bomber in 2011. New heads for Afghanistan's National Bank and the NDS, Afghanistan's National Security Directorate, were also announced. BBC Afghan's editor in Kabul, Waheed Massoud, says almost all the cabinet are new faces. Some are hardly known to the public. Many of the new ministers are young and have not been deeply involved in the years of political fighting and war which have blighted Afghanistan's recent past, he says. "The government will refer them to the parliament for a vote of confidence," Mr Ghani's chief of staff, Abdul Salam Rahimi, said. He did not say when the vote might be held. The long delay in confirming the cabinet had prompted fears that the unity government might fall apart over the issue. Mr Ghani marked his first 100 days in office last week. He was sworn in on 29 September after an election his rival accused him of winning by fraud. The United States helped broker the unity deal. Reuters news agency reports that the cabinet make-up reflects the two rival camps and contains "prominent ethnic and regional power-brokers". Mr Ghani's time in office has seen a surge in Taliban attacks as militants seek to exploit the vacuum in government. The president's biggest initiative has been to sign security agreements allowing US-led forces to end combat operations at the end of last year. At the start of this year, Afghan forces took over full responsibility for security. Some 13,000 mainly American soldiers remain in a training and support role, together with a few thousand US troops whose focus will be on counter-terrorist operations.

Summary: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has unveiled his unity cabinet more than three months after he was sworn in.


The Lesedi la Rona, almost the size of a tennis ball, was unearthed in Botswana in November. The rough diamond is 1,109 carats and believed to be more than 2.5 billion years old. It had been expected to sell for more than £52m ($70m) but the highest bid was about £45m ($61m). The auction at Sotheby's was the first time a rough diamond of such a size has gone on public sale. Why have so many huge diamonds been found recently? The auction house had called its discovery "the find of a lifetime" and earlier said that "every aspect of this auction is unprecedented". The Lesedi la Rona, which means "our light" in the Tswana language spoken in Botswana, was discovered by Lucara Diamond Corp's Karowe mine. After it failed to sell, the Canada-based company - which has retained possession of the diamond - saw its stock fall more than 14% on the Toronto Stock Exchange. According to a study by the Gemological Institute of America, the rough diamond's colour and transparency "exemplify" type IIA diamonds. Stones in this group are said to be "the most chemically pure and often show extraordinary optical transparency". In terms of its size the rough is exceeded only by the Cullinan Diamond, mined in South Africa in 1905 and presented to King Edward VII. That 3,106-carat diamond was cut into nine stones, many of which are in the British Crown Jewels.

Summary: The world's largest uncut diamond has failed to sell at a London auction after bids did not reach the minimum reserve price.


China calls the island Yongxing and has been building up a settlement there for the last two years. The school is expected to serve just 40 children, whose parents all work on the tiny island. Last month, Chinese and Vietnamese ships clashed over a drilling rig that China has placed near the islands. Beijing claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea that covers areas other South East Asian nations say are their territory. The issue has been rumbling in recent years amid an increasingly assertive stance from China over its claims. This is the latest construction project on the island of Yongxing. There is already a hospital, a library and an airport. It also has mobile telephone coverage. China has been building there for the last two years, ever since it announced that the tiny settlement was a city, the administrative centre for a vast swathe of the South China Sea. The school will teach the children of the island's growing population, mostly made up of soldiers and construction workers. But it has a wider significance: it helps cement China's territorial claims in the area. Others may have competing claims - but those will be hard to enforce as China already has a growing presence there. Earlier this month, the UN said it was willing to mediate between China and Vietnam in the dispute. Beijing claims almost the entire sea, based on a mid-20th Century map with a line apparently delineating Chinese territory, and vague historical claims going back more than 1,000 years. Vietnam says it has controlled the Paracels for centuries. Last month China's decision to move the rig sparked anti-Chinese protests in Vietnam, with mobs attacking factories and businesses. The Philippines is also in a territorial dispute with China and is in the process of taking China to a UN court over its territorial claims. It has also recently signed a new security deal with the US which would allow an expanded US troop presence, in a move seen as linked to Manila's deteriorating ties with Beijing.

Summary: China says it will build a school in the disputed Paracel Islands, boosting its presence in waters also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.


The Right Reverend Graham Tomlin said residents should be at the heart of the investigation, which is believed to have killed at least 80 people. "If you keep... the people directly affected by it out of the inquiry process, it just takes an awful lot longer to get to the truth," he said. Dr Tomlin, whose diocese includes the tower, said local trust was important. His remarks were mirrored in his formal submission to the public consultation, which closed on Friday. It is believed more than 300 submissions were made before the deadline. Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick, a retired Court of Appeal judge, has already faced calls to resign from some residents of the west London tower block. "It seems to me that the inquiry needs to get to the truth... but it also needs to win the confidence of the local people," Dr Tomlin told the BBC. If it does not, he said, "whatever recommendations it makes is unlikely to get support." He said the inquiry needs to not only look at the technical causes of the fire on the night in question, but also the issues faced by the community in the run-up to the tragedy. "I want to see local people at the heart of the inquiry, not just on the outside," he said. Residents' group Justice 4 Grenfell also made several submissions to the consultation process, including calling for investigation of the local council and a number of government departments. The fire in the 24-storey block started in a fridge freezer and destroyed 151 homes, both in the tower and surrounding areas. Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning

Summary: The Bishop of Kensington has called for locals to be closely involved in the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry.


Stroud also remains a Conservative minority, while in Cheltenham the Liberal Democrats kept a majority rule. The leader of Cheltenham's Conservatives, Rob Garnham, narrowly lost his seat to the Liberal Democrats, in a result that required a recount. One of the country's youngest councillors was elected in Stroud. In Gloucester, voters were deciding on 15 seats in the city. Deputy council leader Jennie Dallimore held her Podsmead seat for the Conservatives, where she doubled her majority. Stroud continues to be run by a Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat alliance. Conservative Paul James, leader of Gloucester City Council, said it was a "big achievement" to defend the group's eight seats from the 15 being contested. Overall the council is made up of 18 Conservative, nine Labour and nine Liberal Democrat seats. The leader of the Liberal Democrat group in the city, Jeremy Hilton, said the council was balanced but it would require "a lot of close co-operation between the three groups" to do the best for Gloucester. In Stroud, where a third of seats were up for election, the council is now made up of 22 Conservative, 20 Labour, six Green Party and three Liberal Democrat seats. It meant an overall gain of one Conservative seat, three Labour seats and one Green seat and a loss of two Liberal Democrat. Two seats on the council were vacant and one Independent candidate defected to the Conservatives. One of the country's youngest councillors was elected in the Stroud district, when 20-year-old Tory Tim Williams won the seat for Bisley. He said he would continue to work on his parents' farm while carrying out his duties. In Cheltenham, the leader of the Conservatives, Rob Garnham, narrowly lost the Park ward seat to Max Wilkinson of the Liberal Democrats, in a result which needed a recount. Overall the Liberal Democrats gained one seat and now have 24. The Conservatives remain with 12 seats, People Against Bureaucracy remain with four seats, and one Independent seat was lost. Turnout in Cheltenham was 37%.

Summary: Gloucester remains a Conservative minority administration after every party held their seats in the local elections.


The 51-year-old Welshman was only appointed in May, but the club are 16th in the table after Saturday's 4-0 home defeat by Swindon Town. Saunders lost 11 of his 20 league games in charge, and the Spireites are only four points above the relegation zone. Chairman Dave Allen said: "We will not be rushed into making a decision on a new manager." Chesterfield's last league victory was a 3-0 win over Southend on 20 October, and they have lost their last four games. Saunders succeeded Paul Cook as Spireites manager, signing a two-year contract. Cook had guided the Derbyshire side to the League One play-offs, where they lost to Preston, before leaving to take over at Portsmouth. Former Wales international Saunders had previously managed Wrexham, Doncaster Rovers and Wolves, and ended last season in interim charge of Crawley Town, but was unable to stop them being relegated to League Two.

Summary: League One side Chesterfield have parted company with boss Dean Saunders after just six months in charge.


However, it could not confirm whether they were the "skulls of beheaded heroes" which President Robert Mugabe referred to earlier this week. Zimbabwe's leader had demanded the return of those killed by the British in the late 1890s during the first uprising against colonial rule. He made the remarks at the shrine to remember the country's war dead. "We are told that skulls of our people, our leaders, are being displayed in a British museum and they are inviting us to repatriate them," he told the crowd. "We will repatriate them, but with bitterness, questioning the rationale behind decapitating them." Known as the heroes of the "First Chimurenga", they were defeated by the British after a protracted battle and the ringleaders were tried and hanged. What happened to their bodies has always remained a mystery. Zimbabwe's liberation struggle: The UK Foreign Office has now confirmed that talks have been going on since December 2014 over the "potential repatriation of Zimbabwean human remains". It said technical experts from Zimbabwe have been invited to meet their museum counterparts in London. "We await the appointment of the required Zimbabwean experts in order to take this forward," the statement said. But the BBC's Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead says it is not clear if the remains are of the rebellion leaders. The Natural History Museum, which has a collection of 20,000 human remains, said it "actively engages in discussions with governments and communities" over requests for the return of human remains. More from the BBC's Alastair Leithead on Zimbabwe: Triumvirate retains firm grip on power

Summary: The UK's Natural History Museum has said it may hold Zimbabwean human remains in its collection.


Bernard Watt was 28 when he was shot dead in Ardoyne in February 1971. Soldiers told the new inquest into his killing on Monday that they shot him as he was about to throw a bomb. But acting state pathologist Prof Jack Crane told the inquest on Tuesday that the injuries sustained by Mr Watt did not support the soldiers' claims. One soldier had said that Mr Watt dropped a bomb he was holding when he was shot, and it had exploded and "blew him down the street". Prof Crane said there was no evidence that Mr Watt had been thrown in to the air by an exploding device. Mr Watt's family disputes the soldiers' version of events and his widow told the inquest he had no links to paramilitaries. The new inquest into Mr Watt's killing began on Monday, and was ordered in 2012 by the attorney general, who asked for a number of controversial Troubles killings by the security forces to be re-examined. An initial inquest held in July 1971 resulted in an open verdict. In February, the Ministry of Defence defended a Parachute Regiment Facebook appeal asking former soldiers for information about Mr Watt's killing.

Summary: There is no evidence that a man killed during a north Belfast riot 46 years ago was holding an explosive device when he was shot, an inquest has heard.


Det Supt Tanya Jones said a member of the public discovered the body in the Basingstoke Canal at Woodham Lock in West Byfleet on Saturday. Detectives are treating his death as suspicious. Officers are looking into the circumstances that led to him being found in the water. Police believe they know who the man is and have informed his family, but have not yet released his name. Officers want to speak to anyone who was on the towpath, lock bridge or nearby footpaths between Friday night and Saturday morning and who might have heard or seen anything suspicious.

Summary: A man's body has been pulled from a canal in Surrey.


The 13-strong crew, part of a 25-nation coalition force, has been tasked to patrol two huge patches of ocean between the southern coast of Oman and the Horn of Africa. It is where Somali pirates were last seen operating - and it is where they are thought to be lying in wait for their next victims. Maritime piracy off the Somali coast is estimated to have cost the global shipping industry about $5.6bn (Â£3.6bn) last year alone and, along with the growing terrorist threat, it is one of the principal reasons David Cameron has convened this week's Somalia conference in London. Over 100 seafarers and several ships are currently held for ransom in often atrocious conditions. What started out a few years ago as a local vigilante reaction by Somali fishermen - fed up with foreign fishing fleets plundering their waters - has now evolved into a massive and sometimes murderous business. Ransoms run into the millions of dollars, crews are sometimes tortured to put pressure on ship-owners to pay up, and ships have been attacked as far as 1,000 miles (1,600km) from Somalia. So how does patrolling the vast Indian Ocean by air make any difference? It is a long sortie - ten hours in the air, banking and diving - down to the Horn of Africa and back. Flying low, the Australians record every vessel in a designated search area. Sources: European Union Naval Force Somalia , ICC International Marine Bureau The plane has an electronic optical (EO) camera beneath the nose, producing high-resolution photographs that can be beamed instantly back to analysts onshore in the UAE and Bahrain. Sitting just behind the pilot, a photographer uses a hand-held telephoto lens to take digital photos as back-up. "Basically we are just seeing what sort of vessels are in the area," says aerial analyst Sergeant Scott Brando. "We're looking for any acts of piracy. The radio operator puts through any surface contacts that the radar picks up, big or small." The Australians spot two fishing boats tied together: it looks suspicious. Something has gone overboard with a visible splash. Is it weapons? The plane zooms in low to check. It turns out to be a person, falling in as he crossed from one boat to another. The Australians send the photos back for analysis anyway. They have something called a Hisl (High Interest Shipping List) of vessels they believe have been taken over by pirates and which are now being used as "motherships" to launch attacks on unsuspecting shipping far out to sea. If pirates are confirmed onboard, the nearest warship is scrambled to investigate. But what happens behind the scenes when a ship is first approached by pirates? Will London conference help Somalia? The tranquil gardens of the British Embassy in Dubai seem an unlikely setting for a Royal Navy operations room. But this is the home of UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the first point of contact for all merchant shipping transiting the high-risk area. If a ship is under attack or getting approached by a suspicious craft then

Summary: From a desert airbase in the United Arab Emirates, a Royal Australian Air Force Orion surveillance plane taxis along the tarmac.


Brookfield Renewable UK applied to develop a site at Larbrax, near Leswalt in Wigtownshire. Dumfries and Galloway Council's landscape architect objected to the plans, claiming it would have an adverse visual impact on the surrounding coastal area. Scottish Natural Heritage also raised "significant and serious concerns". A spokesman for Brookfield Renewable UK said: "It is disappointing that the Dumfries and Galloway planning committee have failed to recognise both the many positive long-term economic benefits the Larbrax Wind Farm would bring to the Wigtownshire area, and also the limited effects of the proposal. "We appreciate that there is frustration locally following the decision and we would like to thank local residents and businesses for the time and support that they have afforded the project over the last three years. "We maintain our position that this is an acceptable and beneficial scheme and we will now carefully consider our next steps." Meanwhile, a separate proposal for a wind farm at Gass Farm, north-east of Glenluce, has been approved. Councillors backed WilloWind's plans for the nine-turbine development, subject to strict conditions.

Summary: Plans to build eight new wind turbines in the far south-west of Scotland have been rejected by councillors.


The seventh seeds beat three-time mixed doubles winners Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia 21-18 21-16 in Birmingham on Friday. It means the Adcocks become the first British semi-finalists in the competition since 2008. "We've broken the quarter-final curse that we've had for the last couple of years," said Chris Adcock. The husband-and-wife pair will meet fifth seeds Joachim Fischer Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen in the semi-finals on Saturday (12:00 GMT), with the match live on the BBC Red Button. "We've always had that belief in ourselves," said Gabby Adcock. "We are up there and beating the leading pairs." Chris Adcock added: "To be playing on the Saturday and not watching on television is a great feeling. "We've gradually played better as the tournament has gone on and right now we're over the moon to play in the semis of our favourite event. We are a bit overwhelmed but it's an amazing feeling." Earlier, England's Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the men's doubles. The pair lost 21-17 22-11 to world number ones Lee Yong Dae and Yoo Yeon Seong of Korea.

Summary: British duo Chris and Gabby Adcock have reached the All-England Championships semi-finals for the first time.


The UNHCR says it has accounted for 509,559 refugees so far, primarily in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, and that many more are yet to come forward. More than 2m people are also thought to be internally displaced within Syria. Meanwhile, a UK-based activist group says rebels led by an Islamist faction have seized an army base near Aleppo. A video posted online on Monday showed rebels overrunning the Sheikh Suleiman base near the key northern city of Aleppo and seizing military vehicles. The base is now fully under the control of rebels led by the Islamist al-Nusra Front, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Correspondents say the sprawling base was the only significant government facility remaining in a broad stretch of countryside west of Aleppo. Western nations have expressed concern at the role of Islamist groups like the al-Nusra Front in the insurgency in Syria. On Monday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton designated the al-Nusra Front a foreign terrorist organisation, freezing any assets its members may have in US jurisdictions. Jeremy Bowen's 10 key moments Postcards from the Arab Uprising Arab Uprisings: Special report The designation is largely symbolic because the group is not thought to have holdings or support in the United States, but officials hope the penalties will encourage others to take similar action and discourage Syrians from joining. Activists also reported continued government bombardment and fighting in outlying areas of the capital Damascus, which has seen fierce clashes in recent weeks. The UNHCR says Lebanon is playing host to most refugees, with 154,387 Syrian refugees either registered or in the process of being registered there. Jordan has received 142,664, while there are in 136,319 in Turkey, 64,449 in Iraq and 11,740 in North Africa, the agency says. "Syrian refugees arriving during recent bad weather reached Jordan with soaked clothing and mud-covered shoes due to heavy rainfall," UNHCR chief spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said. "Protection teams described the night-time arrivals as fearful, freezing and without proper winter clothing," she added. Since the beginning of November, 3,200 new Syrian refugees have been registered every day in the region, although some of these are thought to be people who had been in the host countries for some time but had not sought help. Most Syrian refugees were currently living outside camps "often in rental housing, with host families, or in various types of collective centres and renovated accommodation," the agency said. "The numbers of those struggling to live on the local economy and who eventually come forward to register are expected to increase," it added.

Summary: More than half a million people have now fled the conflict in Syria to neighbouring countries, according to the UN's refugee agency.


Last week he faced the embarrassment of being heckled in parliament during a chaotic session when he had to wait about an hour before he could make his state of the union address - an occasion that has all the pomp and ceremony as that of the US Congress. That came hot on the heels of the biggest political U-turn in democratic South Africa's political history when he agreed to pay back to the state some of the millions spent on upgrading his private home, Nkandla. Yet it was a tactic that failed to pay dividends as the opposition went ahead with their case at the Constitutional Court in the hope that its ruling may open the way for impeachment proceedings against him. And then there have been the other upsets in recent months. The finance ministers fiasco when he had three within two days, sending the markets into freefall and sparking the Zuma Must Fall demonstrations, which were rooted in the student protests that rocked the country last year. And he was roundly mocked and forced to issue an apology for declaring at a business meeting that Africa was the biggest continent - forgetting the huge land mass that is Asia. But Mr Zuma has always been able to laugh off the many controversies he has faced, including - before his election in 2009 - fighting off allegations of rape and corruption in relation to an arms deal. And he has always relied on the backing of the governing African National Congress (ANC) to survive his scrapes. So despite his recent political battering, Mr Zuma - an avid chess player - is unlikely to throw in the towel himself. But the ruling of the Constitutional Court, which could take several months, and the outcome of upcoming local elections may ultimately decide his fate. The president can only be removed by the ANC. The party has a parliamentary majority and so his own MPs would have to vote for him to be fired. The other scenario is that the party's national executive could demand he go - as they did to Thabo Mbeki in 2008. There is no provision in the constitution for a president to be removed from power by recall but Mr Mbeki was forced to resign. For the moment that is unlikely as senior leaders in the former liberation movement are currently at loggerheads with trade unions. "Zuma will continue to take advantage of these divisions. There's no one strong lobby group about who will succeed him," Judith February, political analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, told me. But she said there is a chink in the 73-year-old president's armour. "He is not weakened enough, unless the local government elections go hugely against the ANC, then they might want to revisit the idea of recalling him," Ms February said. So the climb down over Nkandla may have robbed him of his moral authority - but it is not checkmate, yet.

Summary: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma is experiencing the dark night of the political soul.


Rochdale councillor Shakil Ahmed said he had thought his son Waheed, 22, was on a work placement in Birmingham. The group - which also included children - from Rochdale were seized near the Syrian border. In a statement, Mr Ahmed said he wanted his son to come home "so I can find out what's going on". "My son is a good Muslim and his loyalties belong to Britain, so I don't understand what he's doing there," he said. "If I thought for a second that he was in danger of being radicalised, I would have reported him to the authorities. "He's studying a degree in politics and sociology at Manchester University and has a good future ahead of him." Greater Manchester Police and the North West Counter Terrorism force have launched an investigation to establish why the group apparently tried to enter Syria. All nine are expected to be sent back to the UK "in due course", police said. Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett said: "What is obviously concerning is why a family were seemingly attempting to take very young and vulnerable children into a war zone; such a volatile and dangerous environment is no place for them whatsoever." He said the primary concern was the "safety and welfare" of the children, and efforts were being made to ensure a "full safeguarding strategy" was in place upon their return. Officers had uncovered "no evidence whatsoever" of any imminent threat to the UK that was linked to the group, police added. Gail Hopper, director of children's services at Rochdale Borough Council, said the authority was "aware of the situation" and co-operating with police. The group was detained by Turkish authorities at Reyhanli, in Hatay province, near the Syrian border on Wednesday. They were taken to a police station in southern Turkey overnight, and then sent to a department for foreigners awaiting deportation to the UK. The UK Foreign Office has said it is in contact with the Turkish authorities. Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, said the news was "deeply worrying". "The idea you can take young children into a war zone is despicable and we condemn those adults who have done this," he said. Usman Nawaz, 25, who was part of the last Labour government's Young Muslims Advisory Group, attended the same school as Waheed Ahmed. He said he didn't believe Mr Ahmed's education in Rochdale had anything to do with the journey he had taken but it was a question the Muslim community needed to address. "Though the numbers are small we are seeing a constant drip-feeding of British Muslims either getting into the Islamic State or trying to get in," he told BBC Radio 4's Today progamme. "There are young Muslims growing up in this country who don't feel a sense of belonging to this country. "For some it probably is an adventure but for others they think they are doing something noble so it's the narrative that's being presented to them." The revelations about the group from Rochdale follows a string of cases where British citizens have

Summary: One of nine Britons detained in Turkey for allegedly trying to cross illegally into Syria has been named as the son of a Labour councillor.


The incident happened on the A923 Dundee to Coupar Angus road near Tullybaccart at about 02:30. The 18-year-old was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee but did not survive. Four other people in the car sustained minor injuries. The road was closed for investigation work and officers are urging anyone who saw the car prior to the crash to contact them. Diversions were in place and people travelling to the Rewind Festival in Perth were urged to allow extra time for their journey.

Summary: A teenager has died after a one-car crash on a road north of Dundee.


Northern Pride is billed as one of the largest LGBT festivals in the UK and is now in its ninth year, with organisers hoping to top last year's record crowd of 71,000 people over its three days. One of the highlights is the parade from the Civic Centre to the Town Moor. Fun fair, stalls and musical performances will feature at the festival, which is on all weekend. Mark Nichols, chair of Newcastle Pride, said: "We keep thinking we can't grow any more, and every year it has grown. "We started off nine years ago in Leazes Park, we outgrew that, so moved to Exhibition Park, and outgrew that, so we're now over the fence on the Town Moor." He added: "We grew from a one-day event to a three day one three years ago just because the numbers have grown so much. "Last year we had a total of 71,000, and 10,000 people marched in the city centre."

Summary: Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Newcastle for the annual Pride event.


The explosion happened at about 00:40 GMT on Sunday at a car dealership on the city's Cathedral Road. Houses in the area were evacuated while army bomb experts searched the scene and examined the device. Police said they believed the bomb was left at the dealership by a person carrying a backpack 10 minutes before it detonated. Det Insp Will Tate said: "Today we are lucky that we are not dealing with a serious injury caused by this device and the reckless actions of the person or people behind it." The security alert has ended and residents have been allowed to return to their homes. Roads that were closed during the alert have now reopened, apart from a small section of the Cathedral Road.

Summary: A pipe bomb blast has caused damage to four vehicles in Armagh, police have said.


In the 2006 movie Superman Returns the young super hero plunges to Earth from planet Krypton, landing in the wide, undulating plains of Smallville, Kansas. His spacecraft pierces the region's rich black soils and - so the story goes - Superman is raised on this sweeping farmland where he learns to run and jump and fly. A decade on from the filming of the Hollywood blockbuster, the real life location - Breeza on the Liverpool Plains of rural New South Wales - is bracing itself not against kryptonite but against coal. Earlier this month, Chinese company Shenhua received Australian government approval for a massive open-cut coal mine three kilometres from tiny Breeza. The approval was one of the last hurdles in the company's mission to dig up 10 million tonnes of black coal a year to ship from Newcastle 282km (170 miles) to the east. The project has been almost eight years in the making but it is only now that a very public fight has broken out between the region's competing stakeholders. With a physical footprint far larger than the City of Sydney local council area, the Shenhua Watermark mine has been described by local farmers as agricultural genocide. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week over its 30-year life span. One such farmer, Fiona Simson, described the Liverpool Plains as an iconic agricultural region because of its outstanding natural resources. Ms Simson, whose cropping farm is 50km from the proposed mine, is a former president of the NSW Farmers Association. "We must and will keep fighting," she told the BBC. "This project is not in the national interest." The Liverpool Plains is often referred to as NSW's food bowl and is counted among the best agricultural land in Australia because of its fertile black soils, temperate climate, good rainfall, and rich surface and underground water resources. The Association says fighting the A$1.2bn ($887m, Â£570m) mine is the most important challenge facing NSW farmers. Shenhua says the mine will not damage the region's groundwater supplies and promises to look after vulnerable ecological communities. And Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt says the mine is subject to some of "the strictest conditions in Australian history". But the approval has deepened a rift between Australia's governing Liberal party and its coalition partner, The Nationals - which has traditionally represented farmers - in a relationship already strained by the expansion of coal seam gas (CSG) mining over farming land. Earlier this month, about 120 people protested against CSG exploration in Gloucester, about 260km north of Sydney. It was the 14th protest in that area, and one of hundreds of similar protests by farmers, Indigenous Australian land owners, conservationists and urban residents against the encroachment of coal and gas extraction onto rural, and in a few cases, urban land. Agriculture Minister and Nationals member Barnaby Joyce, whose electorate of New England takes in the proposed Shenhua mine, has publicly condemned Mr Hunt's decision to approve it. "I think it is ridiculous that you would have a major mine in the midst of

Summary: Coal and gas mining continue to encroach on some of Australia's best farmland, pitting miners against farmers and creating a deep rift between the parties of the nation's ruling Conservative coalition.


The Frenchman created United's first with a neat flick for Scott Fraser, who calmly slot into the far corner. In the second half Andreu scored the second with a wonderfully measured chip from the edge of the box. United lost Mark Durnan late on to a second booking and St Mirren were unfortunate not to convert one of several chances. While most of the Buddies' first half opportunities were from long-range, in the second half both Lawrence Shankland and Tom Walsh had goal-bound chances cleared off the line. Lewis Morgan was especially creative on the wings for the hosts - who are now without a win in their opening nine Championship matches. Ray McKinnon's United are now four games unbeaten and the opening goal in Paisley was a great move, culminating in Tope Obadeyi finding Andreu at the edge of the box and the former Hamilton man skilfully setting up Fraser's assured finish. Andreu's season-long loan from Norwich appears to be a brilliant piece of business with the 28-year-old on seven goals for the campaign already. St Mirren goalkeeper Jamie Langfield had done well to block Simon Murray's effort after a poor backpass but the ball rolled to Andreu, who produced a deft chip of serious quality to find the back of the net from 18 yards to double United's lead. Durnan's bookings were for shoving with Rocco Quinn and a foul on Shankland, but the Tangerines went down to 10 men too late for Saints to properly capitalise. Dundee United manager Ray McKinnon: "It was a well deserved victory. "The first goal was fantastic; we moved it from left to right side and back into the middle for Tony Andreu to play a lovely ball to Scott Fraser who finished well. "The second one was a lovely to finish from Tony to dink the goalkeeper. He's a very, very talented footballer. "There were four or five Premiership clubs (interested in Andreu) but we told him how we wanted to play and that he'd be hugely important to us. It's so important to have someone in your team that's got that little bit of quality." St Mirren manager Jack Ross: "There were a lot more good things than negative things. "There's a way I like to play and they are still adjusting to that. United were more clinical but we created more opportunities. "If we produce a similar performance in weeks to come and we add a couple more things then we'll be okay." Match ends, St. Mirren 0, Dundee United 2. Second Half ends, St. Mirren 0, Dundee United 2. Foul by David Clarkson (St. Mirren). Blair Spittal (Dundee United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Jason Naismith (St. Mirren) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Cammy Bell (Dundee United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Attempt saved. David Clarkson (St. Mirren) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Second yellow card to Mark Durnan (Dundee United) for a bad foul. Corner, St. Mirren.

Summary: Tony Andreu was at the heart of Dundee United's win in Jack Ross' first game in charge of St Mirren.


The government wants to reverse the effects of a court ruling which expands the number of people who can claim Personal Independence Payments. The PM's official spokesman said the welfare system was a "strong safety net for those who are in need of it". Meanwhile, a No 10 aide apologised for any offence after saying benefits should go to "really disabled people". No 10 policy unit head George Freeman had faced calls to apologise after saying on Sunday those "taking pills at home, who suffer from anxiety" should not receive Personal Independence Payments. On Monday he tweeted: "Having experienced myself traumatic anxiety as a child carer living w alcohol I know all too well the pain anxiety + depression causes... "Which is why as a former health minister and policy adviser I am passionate about supporting mental health and disability, and hugely regret if my comment about the need to prioritise the most 'serious disabilities' inadvertently caused any offence which was not intended." The prime minister's official spokesman said the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) reforms were not about saving money and said that about Â£50bn a year was spent on supporting people with disabilities and health conditions. "The government has been clear on the parity of esteem we want to see between mental and physical health," the spokesman said. "What we are doing now is restoring the original intention of the PIPs which was to make sure there was a sustainable benefit to provide continued support to those who face the greatest barrier to living independent lives." Pressed on whether the prime minister had a message for those who could be affected by the changes, the spokesman said "nobody is losing out". He said a recent tribunal on assessments for PIP payments had "broadened" the criteria. The government is proposing changes to PIPs, which replaced the Disability Living Allowance, after tribunal rulings that claimants with psychological problems who cannot travel without help must be treated like those who are blind. The government says the rulings - if unchallenged - would have added Â£3.7bn to the benefits bill by 2023. The benefit is intended to help people cope with the extra costs of living with ill health or disability and are made according to the points a person scores in an assessment of their needs. Disabilities minister Penny Mordaunt said she was reforming the PIP payments to "restore the original aim of the benefit" to make sure support was given to the most needy. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he was "furious" about the proposed changes to PIPS, and said Labour would pressurise the government to reverse them in next month's Budget. The Liberal Democrats said the government was using court losses "as an excuse to severely restrict disability benefits".

Summary: Downing Street has defended plans to change access to disability benefits, saying that "nobody is losing out".


The 1996 world indoor champion, a bowls shop retailer, will again concentrate on his own competitive play. Gourlay said: "For me, the head coach role was only ever going to be for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. "And I don't think that anything will ever beat that experience of being coach at a home Games." Under Gourlay, Scotland returned from the Adelaide World Championships two years ago with six medals, including three golds. The integrated team of mainstream and para bowlers went on to win four medals, three of them gold, at Glasgow 2014. Gourlay expressed disappointment that, despite achieving twice as many medals as they targeted at the home Games, the women's team did not win any. He also admitted standing down was "an incredibly hard decision to make because the squad and I have grown really close over the past three years" and he would miss working with the players. "One of the highlights for me was the recognition and respect that bowls got at the Games, not only through the media but with other sports," said Gourlay. "We've got to be a professional sport if we want to be taken seriously and we've taken a couple of steps on the performance ladder." Double Glasgow gold medallist and Scottish Sportsperson of 2014 Alex Marshall paid tribute to the outgoing coach and team manager Ricky Taylor. "With David as coach, we had far more training camps, test series, seminars, team-building days, psychology sessions with the full support of the sportscotland institute of sport, and lots of practice sessions at Kelvingrove," he said. "David and Ricky built a programme based on the team's shots on every rink in every direction at Kelvingrove. "So, when we competed at the Games, whatever green or rink we found ourselves on, we had a great idea how it was going to perform before we went on it. That made a massive difference." Bowls Scotland believes that Gourlay helped change the sport's image - and the culture of performance bowling - in Scotland. Chief executive Alan McMillan added: "Whilst I am disappointed that David is leaving the post, he has left performance bowls in a better place and set a benchmark for anyone who has aspirations to become a world-class player. "

Summary: David Gourlay is to step down from his role as Bowls Scotland head coach after leading his team to four medals at this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.


Life "would be boring without gossip", he told Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev at talks in St Petersburg. The 62-year-old appeared relaxed and smiled before the television cameras. His disappearance from public view had sparked rumours that he might have fallen ill, died, been removed in a coup, or once again become a father. Earlier on Monday, Mr Putin ordered the Russian navy's Northern Fleet on to a state of full combat readiness in the Arctic. It came as more than 45,000 troops, as well as warplanes and submarines, started major military exercises across northern Russia. A brief video of Mr Putin's meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart at the Constantine Palace in Russia's second city was broadcast by state television without sound. There was no obvious sign that Mr Putin had been or still was suffering from any medical condition, says the BBC's Richard Galpin in Moscow. Asked by reporters about the speculation on his health, the Russian leader replied: "It would be boring without gossip." Finally the mysterious Mr Putin has been found. It is now official: he is neither dead nor would it seem has he been stricken by some life-threatening illness. In fact he looked reasonably healthy in the video broadcast of the meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart Almazbek Atambayev in St Petersburg. But while the Kremlin press office is having the last laugh about all the wild rumours of the past week, it's still saying nothing about why he cancelled meetings and was not seen in public for what was, for him, a long absence. And so at least some of the rumours may persist about what was happening behind the scenes. What is known is that on this the day of his return to the limelight, he has ordered the northern fleet of the Russian navy to conduct a massive combat readiness exercise. This comes as the US continues to deliver military equipment to the Baltic states and Poland, and while Nato navy exercises continue in the Black Sea. So it's straight back to business as usual. Where has Putin been? The best of the memes Mr Atambayev, for his part, said Mr Putin had driven him around the palace for 20 minutes before the meeting. "I can confirm that he's in excellent form," he was quoted by one journalist as saying. Mr Putin's last public appearance was on 5 March when he met Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Last week, he cancelled a number of scheduled events, including a visit to Kazakhstan that was due to take place on Thursday and Friday, and the signing of an agreement with South Ossetia. As speculation about Mr Putin's disappearance mounted, the hashtag #Putinumer (#Putinisdead) trended on Twitter. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was forced to counter questions about each rumour, dismissing them as "March madness". "So everyone has now seen the paralysed president captured by a general who has just returned from Switzerland where he was delivering a baby?" Mr Peskov asked journalists sarcastically on Monday. He said Mr Putin and Mr Atambayev had met at the Constantine Palace because

Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin has laughed off speculation about his health after making his first appearance in public since 5 March.