It was drawn up following the death of 16-year-old Bailey Gwynne, who was stabbed during a fight with a fellow pupil at Cults Academy. Staff will be provided with clarity on the recording of incidents in schools, pupil searches and when and how to confiscate weapons, including knives. The schoolboy's killer is serving nine years for culpable homicide. An independent review into the death of Bailey in October last year found his death was "potentially avoidable" if teachers had known his attacker carried a knife. The review, conducted by child welfare professional Andrew Lowe, made 21 recommendations. Other actions approved by the council include providing professional learning opportunities to teachers in order that they can deliver anti-weapon and knife crime lessons. Gayle Gorman, director of education and children's services, said: "The report before committee outlined and demonstrated Aberdeen City Council and our partners clear commitment to implement the recommendations of the review - and indeed to go further to ensure that our children, young people, families, communities and staff are as informed as they can be regarding the tragic and devastating consequences of carrying weapons. "I know that no strategy, or indeed case review, will alter the fact that Bailey is no longer with us and that his loss is keenly felt by all who knew and loved him. "As always my thoughts are with Bailey's family."

Summary: A strategy aimed at preventing knives and weapons getting into Aberdeen schools has been approved.


A study by professional services firm PwC found an average of six high street chain stores closed every week across Scotland last year. The figure was similar to 2013's but fewer new stores took their place. Overall, a net 66 shops disappeared from Scotland's high streets over the course of the year. The research found that mobile phone shops, bank branches and fashion stores were among those hardest hit. PwC said high streets were transforming as consumers increasingly adopted newer digital channels, mobile technologies and smartphone apps, adding that retailers were now favouring "clicks over bricks". Bruce Cartwright, head of business recovery services at PwC in Scotland, said: "The Scottish high street continues its drastic overhaul in response to the advance of online sales and changing consumer demand, with last year's numbers exposing the harsh impact of 'macro' changes on the high street, especially in certain sub-sectors. "Regulation has blindsided the money shops, the advance of technology has hammered some phone operators and the internet continues to dent the clothing sector. "Despite the Scottish economy reflecting healthy, sustainable growth during 2014 and into 2015, the net loss of shops has accelerated. "The insolvencies of Phones4U, Blockbuster, Albemarle & Bond and La Senza - a diverse cross-section of the retail market - epitomise these factors." He added: "Despite the continuing problem of closures, new sub-sectors - such as discount shops and charity shops - keep growing. "The strength of the restaurant and fast-food sectors is also a boost for the high street."

Summary: Scotland's high streets are facing drastic change because of pressure from online sales and changing consumer habits, according to a new report.


The 27-year-old scored twice in eight appearances for the Hammers after joining from Velez Sarsfield. But he had fallen out of favour at Upton Park following his summer move. QPR boss Harry Redknapp said: "We're really pleased to bring Mauro in. He's a good footballer, someone with great ability who can play as a number 10." A move looked on the cards after Zarate was quoted in the press as saying his manager Sam Allardyce refused to play him because he was signed by Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan. Allardyce responded to that claim by saying the player "wasn't good enough" for West Ham. After joining QPR, Zarate said: "I need to play and Queens Park Rangers have given me this chance to show what I can do." He could make his Hoops debut in the Premier League at Burnley on Saturday.

Summary: West Ham's Argentina striker Mauro Zarate has signed for Premier League rivals Queens Park Rangers on loan until the end of the season.


The six-year strategy aims to produce 15 new cars or derivatives of existing models and lift annual sales to as much as 5,000 cars, from 1,600. At least half of the cars will have hybrid engine technology. McLaren Automotive, which draws on technology used by the F1 racing team, was launched just six years ago. Mike Flewitt, McLaren Automotive's chief executive, told the BBC: "This business plan confirms that McLaren Automotive will remain proudly and fiercely independent by continuing to build the world's finest two-seater sports and supercars." But he added that plan, called Track 22, was also about broadening the Uk supercar maker's customer base with a new range of cars more attractive to the rich - rather than just the super-rich. The company is responsible for supercars including the £1m petrol-electric hybrid McLaren P1, but has already started introducing cheaper models. This includes the launch at the Geneva Motor Show of the £150,000-plus 570GT, which is pitched at some rival cars produced by Ferrari and Porsche. Rather than being a racing machine, Mr Flewitt says the 570GT is designed to give a more relaxed drive, and has been designed with a more comfortable suspension. It also has more luggage capacity. "We see this [car] as being very easy to drive on a day-to-day basis," Mr Flewitt said. About a quarter of the new £1bn investment will go directly into research and development, Mr Flewitt said. This will include work on an all-electric prototype. Electric sportscar technology is advancing fast, led by the likes of Tesla. He also hopes that the new range of cars will bring down the age profile of a typical McLaren buyer, which is 40-plus in Europe. However, the typical Chinese buyer is in his or her 20s. The Track 22 plan will involve McLaren Automotive adding about 500 staff to its existing 1,500. A second production shift has already started at the company's factory at Woking, Surrey, and a recruitment drive has begun. Many of the jobs will be skilled engineering roles. Mr Flewitt said the market for good engineers is "undoubtedly getting more competitive." But he added: "Luckily, McLaren is an attractive brand to come and work for." More than 90% of McLaren's output is for export, and the company has seen sales fall in China as the economy slows. Is he worried about the health of the global economy? "You worry about it all the time. The strategy we took was to make sure we had broad distribution. "We sell cars into 30 markets, with 82 dealerships. As one market comes down - China has dropped this year and last year - other markets strengthen," he said.

Summary: McLaren Automotive, part of the F1 group, has unveiled a £1bn expansion plan to produce up to 15 new models and recruit 500 staff.


In a televised address, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said "evil" forces were conspiring against the country but would not succeed. A range of groups have called for demonstrations, including against the handing of two islands to Saudi Arabia. Security has been stepped up across the country and at key sites. The protests have been called in defiance of an anti-protest law that gives the authorities the power to ban gatherings of more than 10 people. Monday is also a national holiday that marks the anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982. President Sisi's decision earlier this month to cede control over the two Red Sea islands sparked a rare public backlash against him. He was forced to defend the move, saying the islands - Sanafir and Tiran - had always belonged to Saudi Arabia. Egyptian troops have been stationed on the islands since 1950 at the request of Saudi Arabia. Critics, though, have objected to the way Mr Sisi has handed them back to Saudi Arabia, saying it is anti-constitutional. In his speech on Sunday, Mr Sisi said there were "people calling once again for damage to [Egypt's] security and stability. "Our responsibility is to protect security and stability, and I promise Egyptians that no-one will terrorise them again." Troops have been deployed to key areas of Egypt's main cities, and agents have reportedly rounded up dozens of activists, journalists and lawyers from their homes and cafes in Cairo. On Monday, three journalists were arrested in central Cairo, the Associated Press news agency quoted a Press Syndicate member as saying, though the grounds for their arrest are not known. The BBC's Orla Guerin, who is in the Egyptian capital, said in a tweet that pro-Sisi supporters had attacked a colleague while a policeman stood by. The colleague was "ok", she said. Interior Minister Magdy Abdel Ghaffar said security forces would "confront with extreme rigour any attempt to disturb public order", AFP news agency reports. Observers say public dissatisfaction with Mr Sisi has grown recently because of the poor state of the economy and recent alleged cases of abuse by security forces. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces in 2013, Mr Sisi led the military's overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi following mass protests against his rule. Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed and 40,000 are believed to have been jailed in a sweeping crackdown on dissent, most of them supporters of Morsi's now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Local and international human rights activists say the situation in the country is dire, with Amnesty International saying Egypt has reverted "back to a police state".

Summary: Egypt's president has warned against what he called attempts to destabilise the state, ahead of planned anti-government protests.


The New Wales Link Path spans an extra 18 miles (29km), joining the route near the Cheshire border at Saltney Ferry. It takes in four counties in all, stretching into Wrexham at Caergwrle and meeting the Offa's Dyke trail at Llandegla Forest in Denbighshire. Flintshire council secured Â£30,000 in funding to pay for route-markers. "If you are looking for a bit more of a challenge to walk around Wales, this route is for you," said councillor Bernie Attridge, cabinet member for the environment. Work on Wales Coast Path, the world's first round an entire country, began in 2007 with the formal opening in May 2012.

Summary: A new link has been added to the 870-mile Wales Coast Path at Flintshire for walkers seeking a "bit more of a challenge".


The Department of Health is launching an eight-week consultation on Monday to expand the rating programme which is run by the Care Quality Commission. The government want the ratings to cover up to 1,000 facilities including those offering pregnancy termination services and substance misuse advice. The health secretary said it would help end the "lottery" of poor practice. "Anyone who chooses to have a cosmetic procedure should have high quality and safe care - and that's why we have a tough regulator in place to help people make an informed decision," Jeremy Hunt said. "Our proposals to extend the CQC's powers to rate more providers are an important step forward in improving standards and will help to end the lottery of poor practice in parts of the cosmetic industry." The proposals also involve rating independent community health providers, ambulance services and dialysis units, with 100 cosmetic surgery clinics among the 1,000 providers who could be rated. The CQC has rated more than 10,000 providers since 2014 but it has focused on providers with the most patients, including NHS Trusts, Foundation Trusts, GP practices, adult social care providers and independent hospitals.. It does currently inspect cosmetic surgery clinics, - but does not rate them as being "outstanding", "good", "requires improvement" or "inadequate" and publish the results online, as it does with hospitals and GPs. Officials believe extending the scheme is a necessary step towards improving safety and informed choice after high profile scares such as the PIP breast implant scandal in 2012.

Summary: Cosmetic surgery clinics in England which are not up to standard could be named under new government proposals.


Arturo Vidal scored Bayern's first when he drilled home after his initial shot had been blocked. Germany striker Thomas Muller then turned in from close range as defender Mats Hummels nodded down from a corner. Forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and recent signing Ousmane Dembele went close for Dortmund. "It was difficult and Dortmund played very, very well," said Ancelotti, who took over from Manchester City-bound Pep Guardiola in the summer and has won his 18th title as a coach. "But things worked much better for us after the break and this gives us some self-confidence for the Bundesliga. "This team is already very, very strong." The Bundesliga season starts on Friday, 26 August, when Bayern begin their title defence against Werder Bremen.

Summary: Carlo Ancelotti gained his first trophy as Bayern Munich coach thanks to their 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup.


The female panda Tian Tian came into season late on Wednesday night and she was artificially inseminated in the early hours of Thursday. Keepers then tried to introduce her to male Yang Guang but her hormone levels had already dropped and he guessed she was not interested. The zoo will now keep Tian Tian under observation for the three months in the hope that a panda cub will follow. Edinburgh zoo acquired the pandas on loan from China in 2011 and previous attempts to mate the pair have failed. Tian Tian, which means Sweetie, and male Yang Guang (Sunshine) were the first giant pandas to live in the UK for 17 years. The last pandas in the UK, Ming Ming and Bao Bao, left a zoo in London in 1994 after failing to mate.

Summary: Edinburgh Zoo's pandas did not manage to mate naturally, it has emerged.


Simply titled Chuck, the 2017 release will be "comprised primarily of new, original songs" and was recorded "in various studios around St Louis". "I've worked on this record for a long time," Berry said in a statement. "Now I can hang up my shoes!" The veteran musician said the record was dedicated to Themetta "Toddy" Berry, his "beloved" wife of 68 years. Two of Berry's children, Charles Berry Jr and Ingrid Berry, will be heard on the album playing guitar and harmonica respectively. Berry Jr said the new songs "cover the spectrum from hard-driving rockers to soulful, thought-provoking time capsules of a life's work." Other longtime members of Berry's hometown backing group - among them bass player Jimmy Marsala and pianist Robert Lohr - will play on the disc. In a career spanning seven decades, Berry has released a string of classic songs such as Roll Over Beethoven and Johnny B Goode. He received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1984 and was among the first inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. "It is a great honour to be a part of this record and the broader legacy of Chuck Berry," said Paul Roper of Dualtone Records. "This body of work stands with the best of his career and will further cement Chuck as one of the greatest icons of rock and roll." Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: US rock and roll legend Chuck Berry has marked his 90th birthday by announcing his first new album in 38 years.


Media playback is not supported on this device Ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has won the competition twice as a coach, and never failed to reach the semi-finals in seven attempts. "To be here is not easy," he said. "I want to convince the players to enjoy that moment. It is beautiful." While Guardiola's previous two employers have been European champions 10 times between them, City reached their first semi-final last season and have progressed to the knockout round only four times. "People can think Manchester City have to be here but a lot of big clubs are not here," said the 46-year-old. "We are lucky guys. "Our recent history is quite good but over the long history, Manchester City was not here for a long time. "All of Europe will watch us, to analyse us, to kill us if we don't win or say how good we are if we do." City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne goes into the game having scored five goals in 32 appearances for the club this season. Last term - his debut campaign having joined from Wolfsburg for a club-record £55m in August 2015 - he scored 18 goals in all competitions. The 25-year-old Belgian says he is not interested in the figures because he is "playing better" this season. "It doesn't bother me at all that I haven't scored as often," he said. "Not everyone sees I am playing lower on the pitch. "I know how well I am doing for the team and if we can win a title, I will be very happy."

Summary: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants his players to embrace the pressure of their Champions League last-16 tie against Monaco - even though he knows the club's critics will "kill them" if they do not progress.


Tennyson, 22, will challenge Walsh for his belt at the Copper Box Arena. Known as 'The Assassin' he has a 16-1 record with 13 knockouts since turning pro in September 2012 and joined Warren's stable on Monday. "It's massive, I feel this move could bring my career to the next level," Tennyson said. "Beyond British title fights, I believe Frank Warren can bring me bigger and better titles in the future." Tennyson is the mandatory challenger to Walsh after dispatching Antonio Horvatic inside a round in Belfast last month. His British featherweight title fight is on the undercard of Billy Joe Saunders' first WBO middleweight world title defence against Ukraine's Max Bursak. "I'm not expecting to go in and blow Ryan Walsh out of the water because he's a good fighter, and he's the British champion for a reason," said Tennyson. "I'm going to go in and get the job done regardless, but I'm training for 12 rounds."

Summary: Belfast featherweight James Tennyson will fight Ryan Walsh for the British title in London on 30 April after signing with promoter Frank Warren.


Surveillance camera footage showed people walking past the girl as she lay bleeding and unconscious. It sparked a wave of condemnation and soul-searching on China's social networking sites. Doctors had earlier said Wang Yue, who had been in a coma since the incident on 13 October, was unlikely to survive. Anger and debate over toddler Police have detained the drivers of both vehicles involved in the incident, which happened in the city of Foshan in southern Guangdong Province. Wang Yue was knocked down by a van while wandering through a market, where her parents run a shop. The driver sped off without checking on the girl's condition. Over the following minutes, 18 people walked past the bleeding toddler, and another van ran over her legs, but no-one stopped to help. The distressing footage was shown on television. A rubbish collector who finally moved the toddler to the side of the street was hailed as a national hero, but the incident led many online commentators to question the state of Chinese morality. By Martin PatienceBBC News, Foshan Other than the two chalk circles marked "1" and "2" on the road, there was little to suggest anything out of the ordinary. The hardware stores selling irons, light fittings and taps were all open. Shopkeepers sat around chatting to each other. But what happened on a covered street of this huge wholesale market last week shocked China. A shopkeeper close to where the incident took place said she had been sickened when she saw the footage. "Every time I watch it, my heart breaks," said Hu Haiou. "I catch the news every night to see if she'll survive. The people who walked by were shameful." Another shopkeeper, Chen Guilin, said it had been raining hard the night of the incident. "The raindrops sounded like drumbeats on the roof," she said, "We had no idea what happened outside." Passers-by were 'shameful' A spokesman for the hospital told the AFP news agency that Wang Yue had died of "systemic organ failure", adding that no expense had been spared to try to save the girl, whose parents are migrant workers. There have been millions of internet comments about how to encourage good Samaritans - and many more expressing outrage that so many people refused to help. Her death was one of the most remarked on topics on China's Weibo - a micro-blogging site similar to Twitter - on Friday as people expressed sorrow and anger over the incident. "Farewell to little Wang Yue. There are no cars in heaven," wrote one micro-blogger. Guangdong province is debating the introduction of a law to force people to help others in obvious distress. Initial online polls, though, suggest most people are against it. "Talk about being civilised first. Is anyone paying attention to that?" read one posting. Organisations in Guangdong are also looking at other ways to encourage people to act with compassion when faced with an emergency. The provincial government's political and legal affairs committee is using its micro-blog site to gather opinions about how to "guide brave acts for

Summary: A two-year-old girl in southern China, who was run over by two vans and ignored by 18 passers-by, has died, hospital officials say.


Ismail Morinaj was detained after giving an interview in which he admitted carrying a gun for protection. Last year's match had to be abandoned as Serbian fans invaded the pitch and attacked Albanian players. Security for the Serbia team is high in Albania before Thursday's match. Although the match will take place in Elbasan, an hour's drive to the south-east of Tirana, the Serbia team are staying at a hotel in the capital surrounded by police. As the team bus arrived in Tirana, stones were thrown and a window was cracked. Serbian media reported that Albanian officials had refused to receive a note of protest from Belgrade, insisting nothing had happened. Reports from Tirana spoke of roads inside the city being closed amid a major police operation. Albania are third in their Euro 2016 qualifying group, behind Portugal and Denmark, but far ahead of Serbia and still hoping to qualify for the knock-out stages of the competition. Police arrested the 33-year-old suspect and three other men, saying they had found a Zastava pistol and several cartridges, as well as 36 tickets for Thursday's match. Tensions had already been high before the Euro 2016 tie at the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade and ordinary Albanian fans were not allowed to attend the match. The two countries have had a long and bitter history of rivalry, and ethnic-Albanian-majority Kosovo's decision to declare independence from Serbia in 2008 brought relations to a new low. Ismail Morinaj admitted flying the drone from a church across the road from the stadium. As it hovered above the pitch, a large "greater Albania" flag could be seen, portraying nationalist claims to neighbouring states. Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic snatched at the drone and fans poured on to the pitch, attacking Albania players. The ensuing brawl and the decision to abandon the game prompted football officials to deduct three points from Serbia, and they stand at the bottom of their group in Euro 2016. Only a few dozen Serb supporters will be allowed into the stadium for Thursday's match, which will have a heavy police presence. "This is an opportunity to show our values in supporting the national team and hosting the guest team," said Albanian Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri.

Summary: A man who flew a drone into a football stadium in Serbia during a Euro 2016 qualifier last October has been arrested ahead of the return leg in Albania.


The latest grouse season saw more women joining shoots and also a rise in female-only shooting parties, it has been claimed. Leys Estate and Castle Fraser Farms in Aberdeenshire were among those tailoring shoots for women. Ladies' club Glad Rags and Cartridge Bags has also filled 386 positions at events since it was set up in 2014. The Gift of Grouse campaign and Scottish Moorland Group have reported the major upturn in women's participation in grouse shooting, or taking it up for the first time. In a joint statement, they said: "The remarkable story from this year's shooting season is the increasing demand from female shooters and all-women shooting clubs which have continued to grow in popularity. "Estates have reported a significant increase in the number of female shooting parties and women joining mixed shoots." Mhairi Morriss, who runs Glad Rags and Cartridge Bags, said there were a number of reasons for this high demand. She said: "Primarily it's because we've created a community in the Scottish sporting scene where women feel accepted and encouraged to join in. "The women's shooting events being organised all over the country provide an accessible platform for newcomers to the sport or those daunted by the thought of joining a mixed shoot." Cara Richardson, who has been shooting for more than 20 years and is a co-founder of the Scottish Ladies Shooting Club, said changes to outdoor clothing had also been a factor. She said: "When I first began shooting in the 90s, it was quite a rarity to find a female gun in the shooting line. These days, it is becoming quite the norm and that's fantastic to see. "More girls are not only appearing in the gun line, an increasing number are now involved in beating and picking-up. "Also, most outdoor apparel manufacturers now provide shooting kit specifically in a ladies' cut which for many brands is a relatively new idea and an obvious recognition of demand." Andrew Grainger, of the Scottish Country Sports Tourism Group, added: "There has been a huge increase in the number of women participating in shooting, testament to the efforts made by the industry to increase awareness amongst the general public." Following what was described as a "bumper season" in 2014, cold and wet weather in May and June resulted in lower grouse numbers this year. However, some estates had higher numbers of birds because of a late second brood of chicks.

Summary: There was a "major upturn" in the number of women grouse shooting this year, according to sporting estates.


The film told the story of a fictional plot to assassinate Kim Jong-un. Hackers broke into film company Sony's computers, and weeks later threatened to target any cinema which screened the film. An FBI investigation concluded that North Korea was to blame for the cyber attack. North Korea responded angrily, with Kim Jong-un calling President Obama a "monkey". What do we know about his ambitions? Four insiders offer their insight into what Kim Jong-un wants. Jean Lee was born in America to South Korean parents and grew up hearing stories about Korean families separated by the war in 1953. A few years ago, she became the first foreign journalist to open a bureau inside North Korea. She was in the crowd when Kim Jong-un was first introduced to the Korean people at a military parade, and says he has had to work hard to establish his own power base. "When he came out there was just a complete sense of shock and awe among the people at the plaza. They had never seen a picture of him. They had only really known of his existence, officially, a few weeks earlier. "It was quite a shock to see somebody so young who was being groomed to be the next leader. He was not the oldest son, so wasn't the obvious shoo-in. There's clearly something about him, ambition, perhaps a kind of ruthlessness, some qualities that his father saw in him that he thought would carry this country into the next generation." The world saw that ruthlessness a year ago, when he ordered the execution of his uncle for allegedly trying to overthrow the state. And the regime is known to use violence to quash dissent among ordinary people too. But Jean Lee says it would be a mistake to think Kim Jong-un maintains control only through fear: "One of the things that I've seen on the ground over the past couple of years is all the construction of these skating rinks. There's actually a skateboard park, the ski resort of course that opened last year, massive projects. I see all of this as an investment that they're making in their future. He is a young man. If he is going to win the support of the future generations of North Koreans who are going to be his power base, he's got to find a way to win their loyalty and this is part of that." Geoffrey See is a Singaporean who has been travelling back and forth to North Korea for the past seven years, working with young entrepreneurs. He says North Koreans are now thinking more innovatively about the economy: "About six years ago when we first started our programme, our counterparts would often start off with a very long spiel about socialism and how this is the system they have and they are never going to change it. "In recent years instead of saying that, people talk about... trying to bring in what's best from overseas, and try to adjust it to fit into the system. So I think that's a

Summary: The recent high-profile spat with the US over the Hollywood film "The Interview" painted North Korea's enigmatic young leader Kim Jong-un as impetuous.


Daniel, from Coventry, was starved and beaten for months before he died. Last month, his mother Magdelena Luczak, 27, and her partner Marius Krezolek, 34, were jailed for 30 years each after being found guilty of his murder. Some of the missed opportunities listed in the serious case review are reproduced below: A health visitor makes a referral to children's social care - known as Children, Learning and Young People Directorate (CLYP) - following the most recent domestic abuse incident, recorded in November 2008. A social worker visits the home on 29 January to carry out an assessment and no further action is taken because it is considered Ms Luczak could protect the children. A health visitor goes to the family home to find Daniel has a bruise to the side of his head, with the explanation given that he "fell over". It is noted that Ms Luczak speaks little English. Police are called to a domestic abuse incident involving knives after an altercation between Ms Luczak and Mr Krezolek. Ms Luczak has suffered a small cut from a knife and described losing consciousness from a strangulation attempt. She said Mr Krezolek was drunk at the time and the children had witnessed everything. No reference is made by police about checking the welfare of the two Daniel and his sibling, aged 3 and 5 respectively. Mr Krezolek is arrested and released without charge. Ms Luczak also claims he is using his computer to view indecent images of young teenage girls and alleges he had raped her "many times". Mr Krezolek is not arrested or questioned in respect of these allegations. A neighbour calls the police to a domestic abuse incident, with both adults intoxicated and fighting in the presence of the children. The police record shows the children were "none the wiser" and did not witness the incident. No referral is made to CLYP. Daniel is taken to A&E by Ms Luczak and Mr Krezolek, where a fracture is found on his left arm along with multiple bruising to the arm, left shoulder and lower stomach. Daniel is noted to be interacting well with his mother and Mr Krezolek. Concerns about the history of domestic abuse incidents at the family home prompt a meeting and it is decided an "in-depth assessment" will be undertaken. CLYP are agreeable to completing a Core Assessment and for the outcomes to be fed back to all professionals. The school makes its concerns known to Ms Luczak about Daniel's continued obsession with food and that he takes food from other children's lunch boxes. He was said to be always focussed on eating whatever he could get, regularly taking four or five pieces of fruit from the "fruit corner" in the classroom. Ms Luczak seemed to say he must not eat more than what was in his lunchbox, which contained the bare minimum, school staff say. The deputy head teacher becomes concerned Daniel is not growing and of his obsession with food and organises a meeting with Ms Luczak. She says Daniel was taking food at home and

Summary: A serious case review into the death of Daniel Pelka has found 26 separate incidents required police involvement at the four-year-old's family home between March 2006 and December 2010.


Joshua Dale, 14, from Nottingham was knocked off his bike in 2012. Friends and family raised £25,000 for a skate park that Joshua had dreamt of building, and it opened a year later. The county council, which also part-funded it and managed the project, said once built, the family's charity was responsible for maintaining it. Joshua's mother, Faith Dale, who runs the Joshua Dale Skate Park Fund, said they had been "forced to close" it because it is "no longer safe to use". She said the ramps were rotting with 28 large holes appearing on them, there was a build up of moisture on the structures and "inferior plywood" had been used. "It is incredibly sad," she said. "I would love to come here in the summer and see it full with children of all ages... but we don't feel it is a safe structure anymore." She accused the county council of carrying out "an inferior build" and said they had been told repairs would cost about £28,000. Nottinghamshire County Council, which had put £50,000 towards the area, said it was "concerned about the allegations" it had not been built to a high standard. In a statement the authority said: "We built a quality design that has been used across the county for the past 10 years and maintenance for the park, once built, lies with the user group." The council said it would have a discussion with the charity and contractors.

Summary: A skate park built in memory of a teenager who died after his bike was hit by a car has been shut after three years because it is "unsafe".


Lynton Crosby will start working part-time as a campaign consultant in January and step up his involvement before the general election. Mr Crosby first worked for the party on the unsuccessful 2005 election campaign when Michael Howard was leader. Mr Shapps said he was a "serious campaigner" who would bring "focus". BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said the Australian was set to become a "big figure" in the Conservatives' strategy for the next election. Mr Crosby is known for being skilled at pushing "subliminal messages" in areas such as immigration and violent crime, our correspondent said. But his appointment could prove controversial. Last month former deputy party chairman Lord Ashcroft said it would be a mistake to hire Mr Crosby, who could be a "recipe for... conflict and confusion". Some in the party feel he is too right-wing to appeal to more moderate British voters, while others think the prime minister has enough advisers and the appointment is unnecessary, our correspondent said. Mr Shapps told the BBC's Sunday Politics: "This is a serious campaigner. Lynton brings the kind of focus that's required to manage campaigns and we have a big job to do to explain what's going on. "This country is in a global race. We need to be able to get out there, show that we can secure a brilliant future for Britain." Mr Crosby previously worked on a string of successful campaigns with former Australian prime minister John Howard. He first worked for the Conservatives on Michael Howard's unsuccessful election campaign of 2005, which focused on crime and immigration. But he went on to work with Mr Johnson on his more successful London mayoral campaigns. His appointment has been welcomed by Mr Johnson, who described him as "the best campaign manager I've ever seen". Earlier this month he called for Mr Cameron to "break the piggy bank" to get Mr Crosby to work for him. He suggested then that the Australian would be portrayed as a right-wing "attack dog" by the media but insisted he was the "soul of sweetness". His appointment comes after the Conservatives lost the parliamentary seat in the Corby by-election, in a vote which saw a 12.7% swing to the Labour Party. It was the first time the Tories had lost a mid-term by-election seat to Labour since 1997. The elections for police and crime commissioners also suffered the lowest turnout in peacetime Britain, with just under 15% of people turning out to vote on Thursday. In addition, an opinion poll of more than 2,000 people by ComRes has given Labour a 12-point lead over the Tories - the widest margin of advantage in a ComRes survey for more than seven years. The poll was conducted for the Independent on Sunday and Sunday Mirror. Tim Montgomerie, editor of political website ConservativeHome, wrote that Mr Crosby had "a good record of success and is perhaps the alpha male that Team Cameron has been missing". Conservative commentator Iain Dale told BBC News the appointment was a "fantastic move" for the party and Mr Crosby had a "great track

Summary: The Australian strategist behind Boris Johnson's mayoral campaigns is to work for the Conservatives, Tory chairman Grant Shapps has said.


Wilson, 24, is the only addition to the 18 women who formed the first group to be given central contracts in 2014. The right-hander made her international debut in 2010 but has not represented England since 2011. "She thoroughly deserves to be awarded a central contract," said ECB director of women's cricket Clare Connor. "She scored significant runs throughout the summer and has been a dedicated member of the England women's performance squad during the past 18 months." Following defeat by Australia in the multi-format Ashes series earlier this year, England appointed Mark Robinson as head coach in November. The former Sussex coach's first series in charge will be against South Africa in February 2016, with three one-day internationals followed by three T20 Internationals. England will also take part in the 2016 World Twenty20 in India, overseas tours to West Indies and Sri Lanka and a home series against Pakistan in what Connor called "the busiest ever 12 months for England women". She added: "The awarding of central contracts ensures that the squad will be as best prepared and supported as possible for each of those contests." Full list of centrally contracted professionals: Charlotte Edwards (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kathryn Cross, Georgia Elwiss, Natasha Farrant, Lydia Greenway, Rebecca Grundy, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson, Danielle Wyatt

Summary: Middlesex batter Fran Wilson has been awarded a central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board for 2016-17.


Media playback is unsupported on your device 11 October 2014 Last updated at 16:05 BST Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Alexandra Palace and Park says at the moment it is one of London's "least well known architectural treasures". The world's first television station could be renovated too under the plans, as John Thompson of Alexandra Palace Television Group explains. Jim Wheble reports.

Summary: A forgotten part of Alexandra Palace could be given a new lease of life if plans are approved to transform a Victorian theatre into a new film, play and concert venue.


The Social Market Foundation, a left of centre think tank, studied policies in Australia and the US that are similar to the UK's pension reforms. It found a significant proportion of people withdraw funds at an unsustainable rate. In the UK, thousands have cashed in their pension pots since April. The new rules, which came into force in April, allow pension savers to cash in their pension pots from the age of 55. This is one of a number of options for savers. In doing so, they pay no tax on the first 25% of these funds, but pay the normal rate of tax on the rest. Figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) found that 146,000 people cashed-in pension pots in the six months since April, withdrawing a total of Â£2.7bn. Separate data, recorded slightly differently, from the Association of British Insurers suggested that Â£2.5bn was withdrawn over the same period in 166,700 cash lump sum payments, with an average withdrawal of just under Â£15,000. Research by financial firms indicates that the funds are being used to pay off debt, upgrade the car or go on holiday. The Social Market Foundation warned that evidence from overseas revealed a danger of pensioners spending money too quickly. It said four out of 10 Australians with pension savings spent them all by the age of 75, while Americans typically withdrew at an unsustainable rate of 8% a year. The think tank is urging the government to give older people a mid-retirement financial health check, to assess how fast they are using up their money. Early withdrawal of funds provides a tax income boost for the Treasury - it is expected to take double the amount it predicted during the first year of reforms. However, if pensioners use up savings, the eventual effect is an increased reliance on benefits and the state - a long-term cost to the Treasury. Providers suggest that people are taking relatively safe approach to retirement savings. "It is clear that people are taking a sensible approach and considering how they will pay for their retirement," said Yvonne Braun, of the ABI. "However, the figures also show that ensuring people save enough for retirement remains our key challenge. With life expectancy increasing and final-salary pension provision declining, we must now turn our attention to helping customers grow bigger pots." Tom McPhail, head of retirement policy at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: "For most retiring investors, a mix and match strategy will work best, using a combination of state pension, annuity purchase and drawdown."

Summary: Individuals could be at risk of running short of retirement funds after cashing in their pension pots, analysis of overseas schemes suggests.


The funding is based on conditions including detailed development and financial plans and leasing a super-hanger at St Athan. The firm will build its new DBX model from 2020. The new plant will employ 750 highly-skilled workers. The information commissioner instructed the Welsh Government to release the details of the financial support given to the company. Ministers had initially refused to make the figure public. This was challenged through the Freedom of Information Act by businessman Tom Gallard. The Â£5.8m is "repayable business finance" according to the details released by the Welsh Government. Wales beat off more than 20 other countries to secure the deal, which was announced early last year. Mr Gallard, who runs a tech company, said: "I'm happy the Welsh Government has now released this information. It is an important principle that we must know how public funds are being spent."

Summary: Aston Martin is receiving Â£5.8m in financial support from the Welsh Government as part of the deal to bring the luxury carmaker to the Vale of Glamorgan, it has been revealed.


It was a second win of the campaign for Pete McGrath's Erne men who had lost three in a row and they move off the foot of the table. Fermanagh's top scorer Tomas Corrigan limped off early on but Sean Quigley bagged eight points for the hosts with five frees, two 45s and one from play. Derry are now bottom following their 5-15 to 2-15 defeat away to Galway. Goals from Benny Heron and Emmett McGuckin helped Derry to a 2-10 to 2-7 lead at the break in Tuam Stadium, with Danny Cummins and Tom Flynn netting for the hosts. Galway, with the wind in their favour, surged clear in the second half with Johnny Heaney netting before a Eamonn Brannigan penalty and Shane Walsh goal. Fermanagh's last two matches are Meath away next week and a home match against Derry. McGrath's men were 0-8 to 0-7 up at half-time and extended that lead with Aidan Breen scoring three points from play. However, Keelan Sexton palmed in a 46th-minute goal for Clare against the run of play which proved a wake-up call for the hosts. Fermanagh rattled off five points in a row to seal the valuable victory.

Summary: Fermanagh dug deep for a 0-18 to 1-10 win over Clare to boost their chances of survival in Division Two.


The cow, nicknamed Bessie, was one of three that escaped from Rising Sun Country Park in North Tyneside on Sunday. A helicopter and six police marksmen tracked the trio - two were recaptured but Bessie was shot "in the interests of public safety". The vigil is to take place at 18:00 BST on Friday, at a field in Chicken Lane, Wallsend. Thousands of people have liked a Facebook page set up in her memory. Those attending the vigil are asked to wear a cow onesie and bring a candle. Dave Turner, who set up the R.I.P. Wallsend Cow Facebook page, said: "It's not every day you get a cow getting shot in a field nearby. I think we need to mark this occasion with a serious send-off for Bessie. "It wasn't doing anything, it was just eating a bit of grass - it probably got sick of the grass it was eating elsewhere, it heard about a nice new patch, went down and started grazing, and the next thing is police turn up and start firing at it. "We are going to light candles and say a little prayer for her." Photographer John Millard witnessed the cow being shot dead, and described the scene to BBC Radio 5 live. He said there was a "massive police presence" with more than 15 police vehicles, a helicopter hovering overhead, and three or four officers in sniper gear. He originally thought it could have been terrorist-related, rather than, as he then realised, a "docile little cow standing in a field". A Northumbria Police spokesman said Bessie was destroyed after becoming "increasingly distressed" and "causing dangerous and severe obstructions" on a major road.

Summary: A memorial vigil will be held for a cow that was shot dead by police marksmen.


A 56-year-old local man died when the blue Ford Ka he was travelling in collided with a green Ford Explorer. Police said the crash happened just after midnight on 28 November on Ash Road at the North Ash Road junction. Ross Bryant, 27, of James Road in Dartford, has been charged with causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving while uninsured and unlicensed. He is also charged with failing to stop at the scene of a collision and failing to report a collision to police. He will appear before Dartford Magistrates Court on 28 April. Bryant was arrested on 29 November last year along with two teenage boys who have since been released without charge.

Summary: A man has been charged in connection with a fatal crash in New Ash Green last November.


"The world is watching. The use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable," said Mr Obama. A Syrian official has insisted it would "never, under any circumstances" use such weapons, "if such weapons exist". Meanwhile, the United Nations says it is pulling "all non-essential international staff" out of Syria. As many as 25 out of 100 international staff could leave this week, the UN news agency Irin reported, while all humanitarian missions outside Damascus will be halted for the time being. In a speech on nuclear non-proliferation at the National Defense University in Fort McNair, Mr Obama said: "We've worked to keep weapons from spreading, whether it was nuclear material in Libya or nor chemical weapons in Syria. Sources: CSIS, RUSI Could US remove Syria chemical weapons? "We simply cannot allow the 21st century to be darkened by the worse weapons of the 20th century." "And today I want to make it absolutely clear to Assad and anyone who is under his command... If you make the tragic mistake of using these weapons there will be consequences and you will be held accountable." But Damascus rejected allegations it was preparing to use such weapons. A foreign ministry spokesman was quoted by state television as saying: "Syria confirms repeatedly it will never, under any circumstances, use chemical weapons against its own people, if such weapons exist." Syria is believed to hold chemical weapons - including mustard gas and sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent - at dozens of sites around the country. The CIA has said those weapons "can be delivered by aircraft, ballistic missile, and artillery rockets". One unnamed US official spoke to the New York Times of "potential chemical weapon preparation". The White House says the level of concern was such that Washington is preparing contingency plans. By Kim GhattasBBC News, Washington The Obama administration is concerned about the possibility that the Assad government might use chemical weapons in last desperate stand. But the US is just as worried about the weapons falling in the wrong heads if central authority collapses. Washington has been working on contingency planning since the summer, when Mr Obama first warned that Syria's use of chemical weapons would cross a red line and could change his calculus about intervention. The US has been co-ordinating with allies in the region like Jordan and Israel about plans to secure the weapons in the event Mr Assad falls. Although the US will not give details about its planning, it's thought that securing the sites would require thousands of ground troops. The state department also said the US is speaking to the Syrian opposition about how the rebels should handle and help secure the WMDs if they gain access to them. The crisis in Syria had increased the risk of humanitarian workers in the country due to the increased risk of indiscriminate shooting by fighting forces., said Sabir Mughal, the UN's chief security adviser in Syria. The European Union, which has a diplomatic office in the Syrian capital, has confirmed it too is "to reduce activities in Damascus

Summary: US President Barack Obama has warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad he will face "consequences" if he uses chemical weapons against his people.


On Monday, The News Letter obtained a copy of an email sent to health chiefs by the Department of Health's permanent secretary, Richard Pengelly. He said he was concerned about the "overtly political tweets from colleagues across the service". He added that it was "particularly relevant during the election". The permanent secretary, who is married to DUP MLA Emma Little Pengelly, said "such public statements" were "not appropriate". Northern Ireland goes to the polls on 2 March to elect 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The trust's email said: "At all times, but particularly now as we are in the midst of the pre-election 'purdah' period, staff should be reminded that as public servants, we must at all times remain publicly neutral in terms of expressing any political opinions for example, through social media. "The trust would take this opportunity to remind you of your responsibilities". The trust then sent a follow up email to outline the section of the NI Executive's Election Guidance which is relevant to Non-Departmental Public Bodies. The Department of Health said that while staff are entitled to express personal opinions on social media, these must be "in line with the HSC Code of Conduct". Employment lawyer Rosemary Connolly from Warrenpoint, said staff receiving such an email was "highly unusual". "Individuals are entitled to have political opinions and most will have. They are entitled to express them. "The difficulty would arise if someone was expressing an offensive, aggressive opinion or harassing someone. "But simply expressing a political viewpoint in a tweet is a lawful activity, therefore it seems to me difficult to understand how an employer could require no employee tweet on any political matter. "Unless there was a provision in the contract, or a social media policy, and I would be surprised if that was the case, then people are entitled to these views. They're only subject to normal rules - defamation or breaching confidentiality in some way. "If you're on social media in your private time, you're entitled to freedom of expression as anyone would would be, providing it doesn't contravene some other obvious situation. " A Department of Health spokesperson said: "HSC staff have the right to express their own personal opinions on social media. "However, this should be in line with the HSC Code of Conduct, applicable to all HSC employees, which sets out the core standards of conduct expected of HSC staff and which complements individual organisations policies and procedures." Dr Brian Patterson, former chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, told the BBC that he thought the email was very unusual. "If these are people's personal accounts this action is somewhat unusual, even extreme," he said. "While I was chair of the BMA, I was always careful about what I said in public but that was because I represented the BMA and other doctors." He said people were entitled to their own views especially in Northern Ireland where "health is a very prominent issue". Royal College of Nursing Northern Ireland Director Janice Smyth said it "actively encourages members to

Summary: Staff in the South Eastern Trust have been sent an email instructing them not to express political opinions on social media.


The children were taken in a cross-border raid in the Gambella region last Friday, in which 208 people died. The government has said members of the Murle community were responsible. Flags have been flying at half mast in Ethiopia as the country mourns those who were killed. Africa Live: News updates from around the continent A government official in Gambella said that the abducted children would soon be rescued, the government-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate reports. South Sudan acting Foreign Minister Peter Bashir Gbandi is set to travel to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on Friday to coordinate the mission, the AP news agency reports. It says that South Sudan does not want Ethiopian troops to go deeper into the country. The area where the children are being held "is full of jungle", AP quotes Mr Bashir as saying. Ethiopia shares a long border with South Sudan and cross-border raids are not uncommon. Hours after news of Friday's attack emerged, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said the government had requested permission from South Sudan to enter its territory to pursue the attackers. The South Sudanese ambassador to Ethiopia also said his country was "cooperating and helping" the Ethiopian army to track down the raiders and rescue the abducted children. Ethiopia's request to enter South Sudanese territory seems to have been approved quickly. Before South Sudan's civil war began in 2013, joint security operations between the two countries were common as communities on both sides of the border were often involved in cattle raids. Residents of Gambella town held a demonstration on Thursday demanding "justice for what happened" and calling for better security. A mother whose husband was killed and three of her children abducted by the attackers earlier told the BBC that she had no hope of seeing her children again. "I don't know if they were killed during the crossfire," Chol Malual said. "The fighting was intense and if they survived, they will be probably be killed by the Murles." The targets of the raid were members of the Nuer ethnic group who live in both South Sudan and Ethiopia, the AFP news agency reports.

Summary: Ethiopia's army has surrounded the area in neighbouring South Sudan where it believes more than 100 abducted Ethiopian children are being held, local media report.


The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead is one of the first councils in England to launch a PledgeBank. The pledges, from cleaning graffiti to organising a street party, can only be undertaken if other residents commit to the idea. The Conservative council said the scheme helps it save money but also "results in a better social outcome". Once a pledge is made, the council will check it fits the set criteria and then publish it online. It comes after a failed Big Society scheme to get residents to donate savings in their council tax, which the council has cut for the past four years. George Bathurst, cabinet member for policy and performance, said other schemes such as Green Redeem recycling rewards were a success. He said: "No one wants to just hand over a cheque but everybody would like to do something for their community." Mr Bathurst will make the first pledge to donate five Christmas food items to FoodBank if 10 other local people will do the same by 18 December. Fiona Dent, Windsor's Labour candidate, said: "Volunteering creates strong bonds between people, reinforces their ideals and can provide the help people need in difficult times. "However, we are living through difficult times now. Most people in the middle and lower incomes are a lot worse off than they were five years ago and they may well have more than one job to help pay the bills, leaving less time for volunteer activities."

Summary: People in part of Berkshire are being encouraged to make pledges to help their community.


Media playback is not supported on this device The Chelsea boss was responding to the Arsenal manager's claim that other Premier League bosses are playing down their title chances because they "fear to fail". Chelsea hold a one-point lead over the Gunners at the top of the table. "Unlike Arsenal, we sought success and tried to build it through a concept of the game using English players." November 2007, regarding Wenger's policies at Arsenal "I think he is one of these people who is a voyeur. He likes to watch other people. There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea." October 2005, after Wenger criticised Chelsea's transfer policy Mourinho said: "If he is right and I am afraid of failure it is because I didn't fail many times. Eight years without silverware, that's failure." Under Wenger, Arsenal have not won a trophy since the 2005 FA Cup. "He's a specialist in failure," continued Mourinho. "If I do that in Chelsea, eight years, I leave and don't come back." The Portuguese manager, who won the Premier League twice in his first spell as Chelsea manager between 2004 and 2007, has won league titles in four countries, as well as the Champions League with Porto and Inter Milan. This is not the first time Mourinho has criticised Wenger, the Blues boss having described the Frenchman as a "voyeur" in 2005 after his rival questioned Chelsea's transfer policy. "He likes to watch other people," said Mourinho in October 2005. "There are some guys who, when they are at home, have a big telescope to see what happens in other families. "He speaks, speaks, speaks about Chelsea." "He's out of order, disconnected with reality and disrespectful. When you give success to stupid people, it makes them more stupid sometimes." November 2005, after Mourinho called Wenger a "voyeur" "I know we live in a world where we have only winners and losers, but once a sport encourages teams who refuse to take the initiative, the sport is in danger." August 2005, talking about Chelsea's tactics Former England striker and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker said Mourinho had gone "over the top" with his latest remarks. "Mourinho is out of order and wrong with Wenger comments," Lineker wrote on Twitter. "He's won trophies galore all over the world, playing delightful football. "Yes, Wenger hasn't won anything for a number of years, but he hasn't, until very recently, had the budget of others. Club is in great shape." Ex-Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville also entered the debate on social media. "Getting to the business end!" he wrote on Twitter. "Jose lobbing grenades out! Anyone going to take him on?" Chelsea, preparing for Saturday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Manchester City, host Arsenal on 22 March in a match likely to have a significant bearing on the title fight. Media playback is not supported on this device Mourinho has previously said his side are not contenders, describing

Summary: Arsene Wenger is a "specialist in failure", according to Jose Mourinho.


It said it would raise about £150m. It added that the share sale would support its plans for growth and further improve its ability to recruit and retain top staff. Once the company is listed, it will pay £50m to the Treasury to settle what it still owes after buying Northern Rock plc in late 2011. Virgin Money chief executive Jayne-Anne Gadhia said each employee would receive £1,000 worth of shares in the business when the flotation was completed later this month. Ms Gadhia told the BBC's business editor, Kamal Ahmed, that she believed taxpayers had gained all their money back from the bailout of Northern Rock. "In 2007, it looked like the taxpayer was going to make a big loss," she said. "Now this is the first bank properly out of the financial crisis. "Debts to the taxpayer have in every sense been fully repaid. The taxpayer has got their money back." Sir Richard said: "This is a huge day for Virgin Money. We started this company 20 years ago with Jayne-Anne Gadhia when we set out to challenge the financial services industry. "Our wonderful team have come a long way since then and have built a strong and valuable business offering great value products and services and a real challenge to the established players." Analysis: Kamal Ahmed, business editor, BBC News Virgin Money's announcement of its intention to sell a stake on the London Stock Exchange brings to an end another chapter in the sorry story of Northern Rock. The functioning bits of the bank, which spectacularly collapsed in 2007 and was bailed out in February 2008 with £1.4bn of taxpayers' money, were bought by Sir Richard Branson and US investor WL Ross for £747m in 2011. With subsequent payments, that figure has risen to £1bn. Further value is left in the "bad bit" of the bank, which was hived off under the UK Asset Resolution scheme, which is now returning profits to the Treasury. So has the government got its money back? Probably, although it is very difficult to quantify the actual costs of the multiple bailouts, of which Northern Rock was only one. Virgin Money has 75 branches throughout the UK and has 2.8 million customers. It employs 2,800 people, of whom 1,800 work at its centre of operations in Gosforth. In November 2011, Virgin Money bought the banking and mortgage lending arm of the old Northern Rock bank, which was bailed out by the Bank of England in the autumn of 2007 at the start of the international banking crisis. Northern Rock was nationalised in early 2008 and then in 2010 it was split in two - Northern Rock plc and Northern Rock (Asset Management), into which was placed its bad debt. Virgin Money's final £50m payment will take the amount it has paid the Treasury for Northern Rock to £1.02bn. Last week, another UK challenger bank, Aldermore, announced its own plans to float this month, saying it hoped to raise £75m. While Virgin Money is a retail-only bank, Aldermore, founded in May 2009, is a specialist

Summary: Virgin Money, the UK challenger bank part-owned by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, has announced plans to float shares on the London Stock Exchange.


Commissioned by actor George Clooney, the document accuses President Salva Kiir, opposition leader Riek Machar, and top generals of profiteering. It follows the trail of money with links to the families of both Mr Kiir and Mr Machar. Those named have not yet responded to the allegations. The BBC is seeking comment from them. The report's authors spent two years collecting evidence and testimony on behalf of a new investigative unit - called The Sentry - which was co-founded by the US actor. Mr Clooney said the evidence was "detailed" and "irrefutable" and that it was time for the world to take action. The actor said international lawyers, banks and real estate were involved in criminal behaviour linked to the militias and innocent civilians were paying the price. "They're stealing the money to fund their militias to attack and kill one another," he said. "We can either take action or we can spend the next decade mopping up the mess." Entitled War Crimes Shouldn't Pay, the report has found that "top officials ultimately responsible for mass atrocities in South Sudan have at the same time managed to accumulate fortunes, despite modest government salaries". "Some have been involved in questionable business deals while others have apparently received large payments from corporations doing business in South Sudan." A fall-out between President Kiir and former Vice-President Machar - the most powerful members of their respective Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups - led to the civil war which erupted in December 2013. Terrible atrocities have been carried out by both sides - often along ethnic lines. Mass rape has been used as a weapon of war and United Nations reports have detailed human rights abuses. Some 2.5 million people have been forced from their homes, and millions more need food aid. War Crimes Shouldn't Pay report, published in September 2016 When a peace deal between the two men fell apart amid heavy fighting of the streets of the capital Juba in July, any chance of a quick resolution to the crisis crumbled. "This war is about rival factions of a kleptocratic network trying to gain control of the state," said JR Mailey, the author of the report by The Sentry, which is a collaboration between The Enough Project, Not On Our Watch, and C4ADS. It says President Kiir's wife and at least seven of his children were linked to a whole range of businesses, and has evidence that Mr Kiir's 12-year-old son had a 25% share in a holding company. It says a company linked to his brother-in-law, Gen Gregory Vasili Dimitry, supplied fuel to the military while he was a senior officer. It details business connections between Gen Vasili and the Kiirs, and says that the two families hold interests in almost two dozen companies. "I was mostly struck by the breadth of sectors in which these top officials are involved," said JR Mailey, the author of the report. "We're talking everything from airlines, to banks, oil companies, mining companies, casinos. "It seems that a very small number of people control a large swathe of

Summary: South Sudan's political and military elite have made themselves rich while the country has struggled under a civil war of their making, a report says.


It dramatically restarted a row over academic selection at the age of 11 which for almost 20 years had been quietly sidelined. The speech defining her vision of a "great meritocracy" was just last September, but those plans have been shredded by the election. So what has changed for England's 163 grammar schools and the many non-selective schools affected by them? On the surface apparently nothing, beneath that almost everything. Or, as one grammar school leader said to me "politically, grammar schools are now an issue in a way they weren't. The 1997 ban on new selective schools brought a truce. David Cameron respected that truce." The school of Theresa May's former chief of staff, Nick Timothy, has a special place in this story. King Edward VI Aston School looks like a bastion of tradition, but it's taken a radical step to become more inclusive. At Aston a quota system has been introduced to set aside 25% of places for pupil premium children who had passed the entrance test. This means their family income will have been low enough at some point in the last six years to entitle them to free school meals. Similar quota systems were widely expected to be part of any plans for new grammar schools, which overall have only 3% of pupils on free school meals. There was even the possibility they might have been applied to existing grammar schools. Aston is part of a foundation that runs six of Birmingham's grammar schools. Executive director Heath Monk thinks the ditched plans, guided by May's chief of staff, might have been more surprising than many realised. "Nick Timothy was unique in seeing the expansion of grammar schools, and making them more inclusive, as part of the same agenda." Grammar schools, quietly tolerated for years, found themselves in the spotlight. Our BBC investigation of admission policies showed fewer than half gave priority to poorer children when allocating places. This included some schools with poor neighbourhoods on their doorstep. A new law might have compelled grammar schools to change, but without that what will happen to efforts to make them socially inclusive? At the King Edward VI grammar schools Mr Monk says they hope to go significantly further than the current 20-25% quotas. The risk of slightly lower exam results down the road is one they can take as the foundation runs most of the grammar schools in Birmingham. About 5% of England's secondary school pupils are educated in a grammar school. The influence of selection is greater, because grammar schools only give places to about a quarter of the children in their areas. The other local schools accept children who don't reach the score needed, don't sit the test or have special needs. "We'll be back to the bad old days, where people didn't recognise we still had grammars and secondary moderns," Ian Widdows tells me. He's the head teacher at Giles Academy in Boston Lincolnshire, which he is proud to call a secondary modern. He set up the National Secondary Moderns Association to gain recognition that they do

Summary: It was Theresa May's controversial big idea, to open a wave of new grammar schools in England.


Selling animals under 8 weeks old has also been stopped under the new rule Katy Tang, one of the politicians who helped to bring in the ban, said that she did it because she doesn't think some pet stores spend enough time thinking about animals' health or well-being. She says sometimes puppies and kittens are not treated as well as they should be and animals can also be sold when they are very young - before they are ready to leave their parents. San Francisco isn't the first place in America to bring a rule like this in. A number of other cities in America - like Phoenix in Arizona and Montgomery County in Maryland - also have laws which mean cats and dogs being sold in pet shops must come from rescue centres. In the UK, pet shops can't sell cats or dogs that are under 8 weeks old and the pet shops have to be given a license by the authorities in their area.

Summary: San Francisco has brought in a new law saying that pet shops can only sell cats and dogs that come from rescue centres.


Media playback is not supported on this device Walker is facing a two-match ban for simulation following the penalty he was awarded and converted against Celtic. Visiting captain Scott Brown called Walker "a cheat" after Sunday's match at Tynecastle, with Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers saying referee John Beaton had admitted he made a mistake. Hearts will make their case for Walker at a Scottish FA judicial panel hearing set for Thursday. Walker, 23, is now free to play in Wednesday's League Cup visit to St Johnstone. He scored from the spot to draw Hearts level in the first half before Celtic won the game with a late winner from Scott Sinclair. Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson said on Tuesday morning that he was disappointed by Brown's "cheat" comment. "I don't think you should be saying that about fellow professionals," Neilson told BBC Scotland. "If you have got an opinion on anything you are better just keeping it to yourself." Neilson did speak to Brown at full time but the penalty incident was not discussed. "I spoke with Scott after the game but just about coaching as he is doing some coaching with the under 20s. "What happens on the football park happens on the football park. We move on, he is a good guy and he speaks well and he is into his coaching so there are no issues there at all." "Disciplinary Rule 201 - At the above match you committed an act of simulation in that you did pretend that you were fouled by a player on the opposing team, namely Kieran Tierney, and did thereafter dive in the penalty box of the opposing team. That this act of simulation caused a match official to make an incorrect decision, namely the incorrect awarding of a penalty to Heart of Midlothian FC."

Summary: Hearts are to contest a diving charge against winger Jamie Walker.


The royal visit on 7 June will include a look at Europe's most powerful brain scanner, of which there is only one other in the world at Harvard University in the United States. It will allow scientists to look at how brains work in minute detail. The Maindy Park building, finished a year ago, will bring together four hi-tech scanners under one roof. The centre will concentrate on research to hopefully understand more about the causes of conditions like dementia, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia. The Connectom scanner is six times more powerful than a conventional hospital MRI scanner and has been described as the "Hubble space telescope of neuroscience". It will allow researchers to study brain cells only 1000th of a millimetre across. Using a conventional scanner has been described as looking at a galaxy through a telescope and seeing a blur. Vice-Chancellor Prof Colin Riordan said the university was "honoured" to welcome The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh to open the centre. "This will be a fitting occasion for a facility that is not only significant for the university but for Wales, the UK and Europe," he said. "The research here has the potential to unlock some of the secrets of the brain and significantly contribute towards treatments for neurological and psychiatric conditions." Prof Derek Jones, centre director, said: "This is the culmination of a huge amount of hard work by many people over several years and I would like to thank everyone who played their part in creating this remarkable facility. "The combination of the very best staff in their field and some of the most powerful scanners in the world has the potential for breakthroughs that could make a real difference to people's lives around the world." The royal couple will be invited to view brain imaging procedures and pupils from a local school will take part in activities to illustrate the power of the brain. A specially-commissioned sculpture created by PhD student Gemma Williams from the University's School of Psychology will also be unveiled. Cubric will be four times larger than the university's existing brain research imaging facilities.

Summary: The Queen is to open the new £44m Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (Cubric) next month.


Boxing on the undercard of Carl Frampton's loss to Leo Santa Cruz, the 26-year-old from Prestonpans went the distance for the first time. The Commonwealth super-lightweight champion now has eight wins since turning professional. Despite being deducted a point for low punches he won by 78-73 on two cards and 79-72 according to the third judge. Taylor described the experience of fighting in Las Vegas as "brilliant", but felt he did not hit top gear in the ring. "It was far from my best performance," the Scottish fighter said. "I was a little bit too eager to impress on the big stage. "I felt a little bit tight and tense. I couldn't get my footwork going, couldn't get flowing. I never felt like I was in any danger, I felt very comfortable in the fight. I felt like I never got out of second gear. "He was very awkward, very hard to nail clean. When I did catch him he was very good at spoiling me. It was a good learning fight for me and to good get the eight rounds in."

Summary: Josh Taylor remains unbeaten after a comfortable points victory over Alfonso Olvera on his Las Vegas debut.


The ban, the first in Scandinavia, targets the niqab as well as burqas, balaclavas and masks, and would apply in nurseries, schools and universities. However headscarves, hats and caps could continue to be worn. Most parties support the bill, which is expected to pass next year. "These clothes prevent good communication, which is important for students to receive a good education," Minister of Education and Research Torbjorn Roe Isaksen said in a statement. Interim Minister of Immigration and Integration Per Sandberg said being able to communicate with one another was a "fundamental value". Local authorities in Norway can already ban the full-face veil in schools but there is no national policy. However critics have questioned the bill's relevance given that the full-face veil is not widely worn in Norway, "There are very, very few who use the niqab, so this is marginal problem in the integration context. Therefore, I believe the proposal is not necessary," Linda Noor of the Minotenk think tank, which focuses on minority issues, told broadcaster NRK. Earlier this year a Muslim group, the Islamic Council of Norway, sparked controversy after hiring a communications officer who wore the niqab. The Islamic Council - which had received government grants to improve interfaith dialogue - was criticised by the culture minister, Muslim MPs and other Muslim organisations. It defended the move, saying Leyla Hasic was the best person for the job.

Summary: Norway is proposing a ban on the Muslim full face veil and other face-covering clothing because it says it hinders communication between pupils and teachers.


County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue crews were called to Beech Close, Brasside, on Monday evening. The street is in the Framwellgate Moor area of the city. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. A joint investigation between the fire service and Durham Police has been launched, a fire service spokesman said.

Summary: A man has died in a house fire in County Durham.


The fire on 1 January destroyed the nursery and infant classrooms at Coed Eva Primary School, Cwmbran. The teenager, together with six others, was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. The others, two aged 15, two aged 19, a 16-year-old and a 21-year-old, were released without charge last month. A reward of up to ??5,000 is being offered by Crimestoppers for information about the fire that leads directly to an arrest and conviction.

Summary: A 15-year-old boy who was arrested following an arson attack on a Torfaen school has been released without charge.


Hogg, 28, suffered the injury in a collision with a team-mate in a 4-0 defeat at Bristol City in March and was initially ruled out for the season. However, after further scans, he was allowed to return for Wednesday's 3-0 win over Norwich. "It felt worrying - I'd never felt pain like it," he told BBC Radio Leeds. "I'm a lucky boy to be out there because when the doctors said it was a fracture in my spine I feared the worst. "I'm so glad I'm able to help the boys out for the rest of the season." The former Watford man played his part as the Terriers ended a run of successive defeats against the Canaries to go back up to third in the Championship table. David Wagner's side are nine points off second-placed Brighton with seven games to play - one more than the Seagulls. Hogg believes Town could still break into the automatic promotion places. "We're just thinking about the next game. Strange things have happened this season and we are not a million miles off the top two," he added. "If we can get three points at Nottingham Forest on Saturday it will put real pressure on the top two and pressure can do strange things to people."

Summary: Huddersfield Town midfielder Jonathan Hogg said he feels fortunate to be back playing after fears he had fractured his neck.


It collided with a cargo boat crossing the Padma river, about 40km (25 miles) north-west of the capital Dhaka. Most of those who drowned were on the ferry's lower decks - 40 or 50 people were rescued or swam ashore. Witnesses said the ferry may have been overcrowded, with up to 150 people reportedly on board. Accidents are common on Bangladesh's river network, with overcrowding and poor boat quality often to blame. The ferry was raised to the surface and brought ashore on Monday. The exact number of people aboard the boat is not known, as Bangladeshi ferries do not usually have formal passenger lists. Police have arrested three people, including at least one person responsible for steering the cargo vessel. Hafizur Rahman Sheikh, who survived the crash, told Bangladesh's Prothom Alo newspaper that many passengers were trapped on the lower decks when the ferry sank. A similar accident earlier this month killed at least seven passengers in southern Bangladesh. In August 2014 more than 100 people died when a ferry with a capacity of 85 capsized with more than 200 people aboard.

Summary: At least 70 people are known to have died in a ferry accident in Bangladesh, after authorities managed to reach the vessel which capsized on Sunday.


The scooter was thrown from an over-bridge on Gartlea Road, Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, at 17:50 on Thursday, landing on top of a train. The driver brought the train to a halt and later services on the line were subject to delays and cancellation. BTP said the incident was "incredibly dangerous". They appealed for anyone with information to get in touch. PC Mark Harrigan said: "This was a particularly alarming incident for the driver of the service in question and in particular was a great inconvenience to the wider public who were subjected to lengthy delays and cancelled services as a result of this reckless act of vandalism. "Fortunately no-one was hurt, but trespassing on the railway or risking coming into contact with overhead wires is incredibly dangerous. "Criminal damage to the railway can result in serious and even fatal consequences for rail passengers, workers and those committing the damage." BTP would like to speak to anyone who may have seen people acting out of the ordinary or loitering in the Gartlea Road area, adjacent to Halfords and Morrisons petrol station, around the time of the incident.

Summary: British Transport Police (BTP) have launched an investigation after a child's scooter was thrown at a train, causing lengthy delays to services.


South Korea's new President Moon Jae-in backed proposals for a collaboration after it was suggested by sports minister Do Jong-hwan. But North Korean International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Chang Un has dismissed the idea - saying there was not time to negotiate a deal. The Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will take place from 9-25 February. The two sides have played in the same team before - at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships. However, Mr Chang told local media: "It took us 22 rounds of talks to set up that joint [table tennis] team... it took us five months. "That's the reality we face." South Korea's sports minister had suggested a joint ice hockey team - even going as far as to suggest they might allow the north to host skiing events - to help make the 2018 games a "peace Olympics". President Moon, who advocates greater dialogue with South Korea's neighbours, then put forward the idea of a wider unified Olympic squad. But Mr Chang said the games should not be used for political purposes, adding: "As an expert of the Olympics, it is a little late to be talking about co-hosting. It's easy to talk about co-hosting, but it is never easy to solve practical problems for that. It's the same for forming a joint team for ice hockey." South Korean officials have said they continue to be open to the idea. The two sides remain technically at war as the fighting at the end of the Korean War in 1953 did not end with a peace treaty. Tensions have risen recently following repeated missiles tests carried out by Pyongyang.

Summary: North Korea has rejected an offer from the South to form a unified team for next year's Winter Olympics.


Media playback is not supported on this device Goals from Divock Origi, Mamadou Sakho, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho gave the hosts victory over the Toffees, who had Ramiro Funes Mori sent off five minutes into the second half. Martinez, under pressure after a run of just three wins in 10 games, said he was "embarrassed" by the performance. "It doesn't come any worse than that," he added. "Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. The whole chain of events was horrific and it is a showing we need to forget as quickly as we can." Everton have not won at Anfield since 1999 and, after conceding two quick goals before half-time, they never looked like taking the three points on Wednesday. In the end the Reds had 37 shots on goal compared with just three for Everton, none of which were on target. "We know we shouldn't have put a show on like this," said Martinez. "Sometimes there are things in football that you can't control with events that go against you, but we brought that on to ourselves conceding those two goals in three minutes just before half-time and it's something we should be much better at." Martinez faces the task of picking up his players for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United at Wembley. Louis van Gaal's side have won five of their past six games, while Everton have not won since beating Chelsea in the quarter-finals on 12 March. "I think the game is so big at Wembley that it is a game they don't need lifting," added Martinez. "It's tough but we're going to face adversity as we have to do, as we always show with strong character, with strong responsibility. "We're going to make sure we make up for this performance today in front of our fans at Wembley." Martinez will be without defender Funes Mori for that game following his red card for standing on Origi's ankle. "Ramiro tries to win the ball. That is his intent - he doesn't try to hurt the player," said Martinez. "It is a mistimed challenge and at that time he gets Divock Origi's ankle. It could have been a yellow card, it could have been a red card. I can understand why the referee gave it. "Ramiro probably got carried away with the emotion of the derby." There could be a further concern for Martinez after fellow defender John Stones was substituted against Liverpool with a stomach problem. The Toffees finished the game with midfielders James McCarthy and Muhamed Besic in the centre of defence. "I don't like criticising managers as we have all been there but Roberto Martinez doesn't seem to have a plan B," former Everton midfielder Peter Reid told BBC Radio 5 live. "He goes 4-2-3-1 but you've got to have something else. People work you out." Never want to miss the latest Everton news? You can now add them and all the other sports and teams you follow to your personalised My Sport home.

Summary: Everton boss Roberto Martinez described Wednesday's 4-0 defeat at Liverpool as his worst moment at the club.


John McGrogan, 65, of Blackridge, began abusing the girls when they were aged six and 11. The offences were committed between 1981 and 2005 at addresses in Edinburgh. The former playground supervisor was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow. He was earlier placed on the sex offenders register. A judge heard how the victims finally revealed their ordeals in 2014 after McGrogan was convicted of child porn offences. Lord Burns told McGrogan he had "exploited" the duo for his own "gratification". He added the victim impact statements given to him had made "harrowing" reading. McGrogan will also be supervised for a further four years on his release. The first girl was aged 11 when she was raped. The other was attacked between the ages of six and 11. Both told how, during the abuse, McGrogan would try and spoil them by buying sweets or computer games. Tony Lenehan, defending said McGrogan's regret for what happened was "sincere".

Summary: A West Lothian pensioner who admitted raping two primary schoolgirls has been jailed for for eight and a half years.


The award being given to Prof Stephen Sparks, of the University of Bristol, is considered the "Nobel Prize of the earth sciences". Prof Sparks headed monitoring efforts when Montserrat's SoufriÃ¨re Hills volcano came to life in the 1990s. He will be awarded a medal and $250,000 at a ceremony in New York in June. Elected to the Royal Society at the age of 38, Prof Sparks is among the world's mostly highly-cited geologists. He is credited with being one of the first to apply maths and physics to the interpretation of volcanic processes and deposits in the field, bringing volcanology into the modern era. He pioneered methods for assessing the danger posed by active volcanic eruptions, helping governments to improve decisions about evacuations and rebuilding. Prof Sparks, who was born in London and raised in Chester, is a father-of two who now lives in Bristol with his wife Ann. Barry Voight, a volcanologist at Pennsylvania State University, said: "Everyone has an egotism that drives their research, but Steve never lets it get in the way of working with others. "You know he's not going to pick your brain and run off with your ideas. Instead, he will often improve on them." The Vetlesen Prize is supported by the G Unger Vetlesen Foundation and administered by Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University. Prof Stephen Sparks' career

Summary: A British geologist whose work has improved the ability to forecast deadly volcanic eruptions is to receive the 2015 Vetlesen Prize.


Mr Osborne is seen as one of the frontrunners to replace David Cameron, who has said he will not seek a third term as prime minister. He did not deny being a contender during an interview with BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg in Berlin. But he said he was "very focused" on the UK's EU renegotiations. This involves "delivering the best possible deal for Britain, the best possible economic plan for Britain, and getting all those decisions right", he added. Asked "what's wrong with being ambitious", the chancellor said he was "ambitious for Britain", listing his current roles and adding: "That is a huge task. I'm extremely honoured that I've been asked to undertake it, but it's all-consuming." Mr Osborne was one of three possible replacements tipped by Mr Cameron when he announced he would not seek a third term, along with Home Secretary Theresa May and London Mayor Boris Johnson. He is in Berlin to set out the UK's economic demands ahead of a planned in/out referendum on membership of the European Union.

Summary: Chancellor George Osborne avoided questions on his Conservative Party leadership ambitions, saying his current job was "all-consuming".


Leah Washington had her leg amputated after two carriages on the Smiler ride collided on 2 June. Three others suffered severe injuries. Merlin Entertainment said it had contacted those injured and all 16 on board would receive compensation. Lawyer Paul Paxton, representing three of the families, welcomed the decision. Ms Washington's boyfriend, 18-year-old Joe Pugh, from Barnsley, is being treated for two broken knees and "extensive" hand injuries at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. The couple were in the front row of the Smiler ride, alongside Daniel Thorpe and Vicky Balch, when it hit an empty carriage. Twenty-year-old Ms Balch, from Leyland in Lancashire, has undergone surgery in Stoke and is said to be in a serious, but stable condition. Mr Thorpe, 27, from Buxton, Derbyshire, is being treated for a collapsed lung and fractured leg at a hospital in Coventry. Chanda Chauhan, 49, from Wednesbury, who was sitting in the second row of the Smiler, was also admitted to Walsall Manor Hospital with internal injuries. Merlin Entertainment, which owns Alton Towers, said it had hand-delivered letters to all of those affected. Last week, chief executive Nick Varney promised there would be no problems with compensation and that those injured would "want for nothing". Alton Towers reopened to the public on Monday, but the X-Sector area, including the Smiler, remains closed. The two carriages that collided have been removed by the Health and Safety Executive to be examined in a laboratory and investigations are continuing at the theme park itself.

Summary: Lawyers representing the families of those injured in a rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers have welcomed a promise of compensation.


The report into claims made in a BBC NI Spotlight programme has been complete for more than seven months. Publication has been delayed by a legal challenge from Iris Robinson's solicitor. A reference to the legal challenge is contained in an annual report from the Assembly's standards watchdog. The Spotlight programme, broadcast in January 2010, detailed how Mrs Robinson had obtained thousands of pounds from property developers to help her teenage lover to set up a business. Standards Commissioner Douglas Bain investigated the allegations, but his report has not yet been published. "My investigation into the referral relating to the allegations made in the BBC Spotlight programme broadcast in January 2010 was completed in November 2013," he said. "However, submission of my report to the committee has been delayed by a legal challenge to its contents by a person referred to in the report." Iris Robinson's solicitor, John McBurney, told the BBC he had concerns about the impact upon his client of the production of a range of documentation included with the draft report. Those concerns relate to the relevancy of the material to the inquiry, Iris Robinson's privacy and the impact publication might have on her health and recovery.

Summary: A legal challenge has delayed the publication of an official report into allegations about the conduct of First Minister Peter Robinson and his wife.


The 36-year-old former US Open champion has fallen to 85th in the world rankings after only one top-10 finish in 25 events this year. But he had nine birdies to reach 12 under, one ahead of Derek Fathauer. Scot Russell Knox, who sealed his first Tour win in Shanghai last week, had six birdies in a 65 and is five shots back. It is an impressive recovery from McDowell, who made a double bogey at the first hole on Thursday after sending his opening tee shot out of bounds and was within a fraction of doing the same with his next attempt. "I hit my second ball further right than I hit my first - I figured I could be going home very, very soon. Thankfully, my second ball kicked in-bounds," said the Ryder Cup player, who also bogeyed the first hole in his second round, which he began from the 10th. McDowell birdied four successive holes at the El Camaleon Golf Club after making his solitary bogey of the day. "I drove the ball much, much better today than yesterday and putted just as good, really seeing these greens well, putting decisively and making a few," he said. "It's been a frustrating year but that's the game of golf we know and love and you've got to take the rough with the smooth and keep trying." Justin Leonard, the 1997 Open champion, shares fifth after mixing six birdies with three bogeys in a 68, but Englishman Greg Owen's 70 left him at one under, which was one too many for the halfway cut.

Summary: Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell carded a 63 to take a one-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the PGA Tour's OHL Classic in Mayakoba, Mexico.


Darren Jones brought down Jobi McAnuff in the penalty area and O's top-scorer Simpson took his season's tally to 22. The win means the hosts rise two places to sixth in the League Two table as new player-manager Kevin Nolan enjoyed a second successive victory. Newport produced a battling performance, but remain 20th after a night of few chances. Nolan sent in the telling cross towards McAnuff for the game's deciding moment and referee Andy Davies awarded a spot-kick for the challenge by Jones. Newport manager Warren Feeney told BBC Radio Wales: "That's possibly one of the worst decisions I've seen in the game. "People say players have bad performances, but you've got to watch what you say about these people (referees). "I wouldn't mind if he's consistent, but through the whole game, I thought he was poor from the start. "I'm gutted for the players because I don't think they deserved that."

Summary: A contentious Jay Simpson penalty was enough to earn promotion-chasing Leyton Orient victory over Newport County.


It is the second ATP Tour semi-final of the 22-year-old Briton's career and the fifth seed will face Ryan Harrison for a place in Sunday's final. The world number 45 was a break down in the first set when play was interrupted to give a fan medical help, but hit back to win nine of the last 10 games. Harrison thrashed Christopher Eubanks 6-1 6-2 in their quarter-final. American fourth seed Harrison said: "Kyle's been coming out. He was playing some amazing tennis at the end of last year and has shown some highlights of that throughout this year as well."

Summary: Kyle Edmund defeated top seed Jack Sock 6-4 6-1 to reach the last four of the 2017 Atlanta Open.


Chief executive Jonathan Ford said the FAW would be working with organisers and others as safety was "paramount". An army of fans are expected to make the trip for Wales' games in June. They face Slovakia in Bordeaux, England in Lens and Russia in Toulouse in their first major tournament since 1958. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood called for 16 June to be made a national civic day so more fans can witness Wales take on England. She said because the match will take place during working hours, employers should be encouraged to make provisions to allow employees the afternoon off. Mr Ford said it was hoped friendly matches would be held in Wales before their Group B matches to give the "boys a great send-off". The majority of home matches since 2011 have been staged at the home of Cardiff City. The last time Wales played at the Millennium Stadium was the 2-0 defeat by England in March 2011 in front of a crowd of 69,000. Mr Ford said: "Of course, there are some complications at home. There are concerts that happen in the summer at those stadia. "We've got to look at that. We've got to put it all together as quickly as possible." He said Uefa, which oversees football in Europe, took "security very, very seriously". "Tragic circumstances here, of course, very much mentioned in the ceremony and in the draw," he said, referring to the Paris attacks in November. "Our focus now has got to be on to the teams, but we will have many people working with us to ensure the environment is very secure for us," he added.

Summary: Security will be taken "very seriously" for Wales football fans in France to watch the team at the Euro 2016 finals, the Football Association of Wales boss has said.