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Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said that Brexit Secretary David Davis did not make a commitment to underwrite the funding during their meeting on Thursday. The finance minister said that up to £300m could be lost. Mr Davis also met First Minister Arlene Foster on his first Belfast visit. 'Frank exchange' Mr Ó Muilleoir told BBC Radio Ulster that he and Mr Davis had "a very frank exchange", but on the subject of Brexit "we are as far apart as Belfast is from Boston". "I believe we should respect the vote to remain, that the people here in the north voted to remain in the heart of Europe," he said. Mr Ó Muilleoir said he asked the Brexit secretary "to make a real effort" on behalf of bodies that are dependent on EU peace funds. He said the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, had said he would guarantee EU "letters of offer" issued before his autumn statement. Mr Ó Muilleoir said this was "probably the first week of December. That leaves up to £300m with a question mark over it". The finance minister said the best Mr Davis could do was "to say that he would feed that back in". 'Not good enough' He said he told the Brexit Secretary that "in my view that isn't good enough, you need to press harder than that". Speaking after his meeting with Mrs Foster, Mr Davis underlined the importance of controlling immigration and said that "we have to take control of our borders". He identified the single energy market, exports and the skills base as "things which are important to making Brexit a success in Northern Ireland". Both Mr Davis and Mrs Foster campaigned for a leave vote in the EU referendum and believe Brexit offers excellent potential trade opportunities.
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A school bus driver told how he saved 11 children by reversing off Eastham Bridge in Tenbury Wells as its apex went crashing into the River Teme. Worcestershire County Council has launched an investigation. The authority's councillor responsible for highways said lorry drivers "chose to ignore the advice". Lorries had been in the area for road works, the council said. Marcus Hart, cabinet member for highways, said: "Plainly there was suitable signage in terms of unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles and obviously lorry drivers chose to ignore advice." More reaction and updates from Hereford & Worcester Barry Gutteridge, who lives nearby, said: "We get lorries weighing 25 tonnes. No wonder the bridge collapsed." Mr Gutteridge from Eastham said he had seen 17 loads of stones go over the bridge on Tuesday - the day it gave way. Bus driver Derek Trow was taking pupils home from Lindridge St Lawrence CE Primary School in Tenbury Wells when the bridge collapsed. He saw the road give way ahead of him and managed to back up moments before it crumbled. "There was an almighty row and the apex collapsed leaving a drop of about 10ft," the 62-year-old said. "We would have gone down there. We were lucky." The Grade II listed structure was built in 1793 and was originally a toll road until the council made it free in 1907. The council said the bridge was routinely inspected last December but because it is listed, repairs will take at least a year to carry out. The area has been made safe and an investigation had been launched, a spokesman said. He added: "Our investigations into the cause of the collapse are continuing and until we complete that process it would be wrong for us to speculate." A 10-mile diversion along the A443 remains in place.
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Two people were critically injured and immediately taken to hospital on landing. Flight SA286 left Johannesburg on Tuesday and landed in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The airline said 165 passengers were on the plane when the turbulence struck over Malaysia. Witnesses on the flight told Hong Kong newspaper the South China Morning Post that many passengers hit the cabin ceiling, causing head and neck injuries. Local television images showed ambulances on the tarmac at Hong Kong's airport taking away the injured after the plane landed at around 12:30pm local time (0430 GMT). A spokesman for South African Airways said 17 passengers and three crewmembers were injured, although details of the injuries have not yet been given. Speaking to local press, the Hong Kong fire department spokesman said 14 ambulances, four fire engines, a mobile casualty treatment centre and a mobile command unit were sent to the scene.
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The club are bottom of the top Premier League and 10 points from safety. "In football terms, this is a crisis," Hollis told BBC Sport's Pat Murphy. "This is the worst position this club has been in for many a decade." Hollis said the "chequebook hasn't been locked away" should boss Remi Garde want to sign players and also defended club owner Randy Lerner. United States-based Lerner, who bought Villa in 2006, announced at the end of last season he was looking to sell the club. "Randy has actually put more than £200m in player signings, new money, coming into this over the last 10 years," said Hollis. However, he said "spending big cheques" was not going to help ease the club's predicament and instead believes stability is the key. "Five different managers in five seasons," he said. "How can new players coming in or existing players hired by the previous manager know what the game plan is?" Villa are bottom of the table after collecting just two wins and 12 points from 22 games and look destined for relegation to the Championship. Garde was appointed at the start of November following the sacking of Tim Sherwood, who guided Villa to the FA Cup final last season.
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But the firm said that despite rising profits, it plans to lay off an additional 11,000 to 16,000 workers. HP had previously announced it would cut 34,000 jobs as part of a restructuring announced in 2012. Shares in HP fell after the early release of the news. "I'm pleased to report that HP's turnaround remains on track," said chief executive Meg Whitman in a statement. "We're gradually shaping HP into a more nimble, lower-cost, more customer- and partner-centric company." However, analysts were disappointed by the firm's revenue growth, which fell 1% from the same period a year ago to $27.3bn. HP has been hit hard by declining PC sales as consumers shift towards devices such as tablets and smartphones. Ms Whitman has tried to shift the firm's focus to computing equipment and networking gear for business clients. HP began a restructuring plan in 2012 that was designed to simplify the company's business processes, accelerate innovation, lower costs and deliver better results. Ms Whitman said the turnaround remains on track, and added: "With each passing quarter, HP is improving its systems, structures and core go-to-market capabilities. "We're gradually shaping HP into a more nimble, lower-cost, more customer- and partner-centric company that can successfully compete across a rapidly changing IT landscape." HP has not specified when it expects to see the full results of its restructuring strategy. But analysts are suggesting the company should probably take a closer look at its product mix. "The world has gone mobile for computing, and HP is not exactly the go-to brand at all when it comes to smartphones and tablets," said Jon Ogg at 24/7 Wall St in a blog post. He added: "Notebooks and PCs are still not hot, and that means that printers, monitors, and other peripherals are hard to sell. That leaves it as an IT brand. As a reminder, HP decided not to spin off its PC unit with the explanation that it was going to be too costly to do so - not very comforting." HP's personal systems division was the only segment that showed a gain in revenue in the second quarter. Other divisions, namely printing as well as enterprise group and services posted a drop in revenue. The decline in revenue is one of the main reasons HP is cutting jobs. Andrew Milroy, from consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan, said: "Revenues are declining. So it is cutting staff in anticipation of revenues declining further. "HP's cost cutting and restructuring seems to be successful, but HP is struggling to make the jump into the growth market in IT in areas like cloud and mobile."
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In 1984, Prof Sir Alec Jeffreys stumbled on a method for distinguishing individuals based on their DNA. It was a discovery that went on to transform forensic science and resolve questions of identity and kinship. He receives the medal "for his pioneering work on variation and mutation in the human genome". Prof Jeffreys said he was "thrilled" by the honour. "I am particularly delighted that the award recognises our work extending over three decades into exploring DNA diversity and the processes that generate this variation, and not just our accidental foray into forensic DNA." That accidental foray came about almost exactly 30 years ago, when he was comparing the X-ray images that resulted from processing the DNA of one of his lab technicians, alongside her mother and father. "My first reaction to the results was 'this is too complicated', and then the penny dropped and I realised we had genetic fingerprinting," Prof Jeffreys has said of the original finding. In 1985, the method was used to settle an immigration dispute, which was followed by a paternity case and numerous others. Before the technique was commercialised in 1987, all tests were run in Prof Jeffreys' own lab at the University of Leicester. He and his team developed an improved technique specifically for forensic applications, which has since been developed even further. In subsequent years, Prof Jeffreys made numerous discoveries relating to the way our DNA mutates and rearranges. Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, said the award to Prof Jeffreys was "great news". Is DNA the 'smartest' molecule in existence? How does DNA testing work? "Since discovering genetic fingerprinting back in 1984, Sir Alec's work has transformed our understanding of human genetics." The Copley Medal was first awarded in 1731 and its 273 previous recipients include Albert Einstein, Francis Crick and Stephen Hawking. It alternates between physical science in odd years and biological science in even years. In 2013 it was awarded to the Nobel-winning physicist Prof Sir Andre Geim, one of the pioneers of research into graphene. Dorothy Hodgkin received the medal in 1976 and remains its only female winner.
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The Royal couple will attend a series of public engagements from 23 to 25 June. No other details have been announced so far. Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said she was "absolutely delighted". "This will be a wonderful opportunity to show Her Majesty and His Royal Highness some of the best that Northern Ireland has to offer and demonstrate the work being done to bring different parts of the community together and build a more prosperous future," she said. The Queen and Prince Philip last visited Northern Ireland in June 2012 as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour.
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The accident took place at a power plant in Fengcheng where a cooling tower was under construction. There were a number of people still trapped at the scene, China's Xinhua news agency reported. Jiangxi province's fire services said 32 fire trucks and 212 soldiers had been deployed. A total of 68 people were at the construction site at the time of the accident. Photos posted by Chinese media showed iron pipes and concrete slabs lying on the ground inside the large cooling tower. According to Jiangxi Daily, two 168m-high cooling towers were being built at the site as part of a project to add two 1,000-megawatt coal-fired power units to the power plant. The project will cost 7.67bn yuan ($1.11bn; £0.89bn) . Fatal accidents are common at industrial sites in China and there have been growing demands for more stringent safety standards.
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Lawyers said Chris Gard and Connie Yates want to spend the "maximum amount of time they have left with Charlie". The couple ended the case after a US doctor told them it was now too late to treat Charlie's rare genetic condition. Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) has not said when life support will end. However, Mr Gard and Ms Yates, from Bedfont, west London, said Charlie would not reach his first birthday on 4 August. In its statement to the High Court, the hospital said it was "increasingly surprised and disappointed" the US doctor, Professor Michio Hirano, "had not read Charlie's contemporaneous medical records or viewed Charlie's brain imaging or read all of the second opinions about Charlie's condition". GOSH said Professor Hirano had not taken the opportunity to see Charlie until last week, despite being offered the chance to do so by the hospital in January. Even though the professor gave written evidence at all the court cases, the hospital said it only emerged last week that he had not read the judge's ruling following the first High Court hearing in April. The hospital added it was concerned to hear the professor state in the witness box at the High Court hearing on 13 July that he had a financial interest in some of the treatment he proposed prescribing for Charlie. Charlie has encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. He has brain damage and cannot move his arms or legs. His parents had asked Mr Justice Francis to rule that their son should be allowed to undergo a trial of nucleoside therapy in New York, a move opposed by London's Great Ormond Street Hospital, which argued it would be "futile". The Family Division of the High Court heard on Monday that US neurologist Dr Michio Hirano was no longer willing to offer the experimental therapy after he had seen the results of a new MRI scan last week. Speaking outside court, Mr Gard said: "We are now going to spend our last precious moments with our son Charlie, who unfortunately won't make his first birthday in just under two weeks' time. "Mummy and Daddy love you so much Charlie, we always have and we always will and we are so sorry that we couldn't save you." Mr Justice Francis said he hoped lessons could be learned from the "tragic" case. He has suggested that parents and hospital bosses who disagree over life-or-death treatment for children should be forced to mediate in a bid to avoid litigation. "I recognise, of course, that negotiating issues such as the life or death of a child seems impossible and often will be," he said. "However, it is my clear view that mediation should be attempted in all cases such as this one, even if all that it does is achieve a greater understanding by the parties of each other's positions." Mr Gard's and Ms Yates's five-month legal battle started after doctors at Great Ormond Street had said the therapy would not help and
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"In the end if I keep failing and keep failing and keep failing, it'll be best for everybody if I go - but give me some time to see if I can fix the problems first," he said. At the retailer's annual meeting, independent shareholders opposed the re-election of the company's chairman. But Mr Ashley asked for "time" to regain the confidence of investors. "I believe that in 12 months' time we shall see that [chairman Keith Hellawell] does have the confidence of the independent investors," he said. "I believe that we should be given time to work on the areas of the business where we have had shortcomings." The company had earlier heard from angry shareholders at its annual meeting. A majority of independent shareholders voted against keeping Keith Hellawell as chairman, despite him having Mr Ashley's backing. Mr Ashley owns 55% of the company, which said it was "disappointed" and will hold another vote. Sports Direct executives, including billionaire Mike Ashley, faced calls at the meeting for widespread changes to the way the company is run. "I take this clear message from our independent shareholders seriously, and I will do my best to address their concerns and earn their confidence over the next year," Mr Hellawell said. Excluding Mr Ashley's votes, the re-election of Mr Hellawell was voted down by a margin of 53% to 47%. It was a telling moment in a day that was supposed to be a perfectly orchestrated piece of corporate theatre. In a bid to prove to assembled reporters that he was all too aware of Sports Direct employees' daily vexations, billionaire founder Mike Ashley demonstrated a routine search procedure at the company's Shirebrook warehouse. In his pockets? A huge wad of red £50 notes - like a caricature of a 1980s tycoon. A brash, outspoken and often controversial figure, Mr Ashley is in many ways moulded by the business culture of the decade in which he founded the sports retail empire. But the charm offensive on display at this year's annual general meeting was an attempt to rebrand himself, and Sports Direct, in an image more appropriate for an age when negative publicity can hammer a firm's bottom line, as well as its reputation. Read more: Skirmishes, charm and wads of notes Earlier in the day it was revealed that Mr Hellawell had offered to resign over the weekend, but stayed on after the board, including Mr Ashley, unanimously backed him to continue and assist in further improvements. The 74-year-old told independent shareholders that he would stay on to make improvements but would leave next year if he did not get their full backing. Now, another meeting must be called within three to four months from today to vote on Mr Hellawell's position. Legal and General Investment Management, Sports Direct's 11th largest shareholder, called for Mr Hellawell to step down immediately. Sacha Sadan, the fund's director of corporate governance, said: "At absolute minimum, we believe the current chairman should step down immediately
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Eden Park will host the first and third Tests, while Wellington's Westpac Stadium will stage the second Test. The Lions - who have not won a series against the All Blacks since 1971 - will face all of their hosts' Super Rugby teams and New Zealand Maori. The five-week trip will begin with a match against a provincial side in Whangarei on 3 June 2017. The Lions have lost four successive Test series against New Zealand since John Dawes captained them to a 2-1 victory there 44 years ago. That sequence includes a 3-0 whitewash under the direction of World Cup-winning England coach Sir Clive Woodward on their last visit 10 years ago. But the Lions will head for New Zealand having ended a 16-year wait for a series victory with a 2-1 win in Australia in 2013. The three-Test series starts in Auckland's 50,000-capacity Eden Park on 24 June. The Lions and All Blacks will then meet at Wellington's 34,500-capacity Westpac Stadium seven days later before returning to Eden Park on 8 July. Six games are scheduled before the first Test, including matches against Super Rugby teams the Blues, Crusaders, Highlanders and Chiefs. All midweek fixtures will take place on a Tuesday apart from the match against the Blues, which takes place on Wednesday, 7 June. 2017 British and Irish Lions tour fixtures: 3 June - Provincial union team (Toll Stadium, Whangarei) 7 June - Blues (Eden Park, Auckland) 10 June - Crusaders (AMI Stadium, Christchurch) 13 June - Highlanders (Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin) 17 June - Maori (International Stadium, Rotorua) 20 June - Chiefs (Waikato Stadium, Hamilton) 24 June - New Zealand (First Test, Eden Park, Auckland) 27 June - Hurricanes (Westpac Stadium, Wellington) 1 July - New Zealand (Second Test, Westpac Stadium, Wellington) 8 July - New Zealand (Third Test, Eden Park, Auckland).
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Yu Yingzeng, a Chinese-born US citizen, was jailed with her husband Peter Humphrey as part of the GlaxoSmithKline corruption scandal last August. Mr Humphrey was released earlier this week. They are expected to leave China in the coming days. Yu Yingzeng was detained along with Mr Humphrey in 2013. She was sentenced last year to two years in prison and had been due to be released on 11 July. The couple were detained after helping GSK investigate a secretly filmed sex tape of its then top manager in China. GSK was fined £300m ($465m) by the Chinese authorities for bribes to hospitals and officials in an attempt to boost sales. The couple were found guilty of illegally obtaining Chinese citizens' data and selling it to firms including GSK China. They both admitted buying background information, but said they did not realise this was illegal. Mr Humphrey was released on health grounds and has been moved to a Shanghai hospital for tests relating to cancer. He will be deported on release from hospital. The couple's family has been told their departure from China could take several days. Their son, Harvey, a university student in the UK, has not had access to them.
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Gary Sim, 21, James Watson, 27, and Paul Watson, 29, deny killing Thomas Lamb at Edinburgh's Restalrig Circus on 20 September last year. Lawyers entered not guilty pleas on their behalf at the High Court in Edinburgh. Between them, the men are accused of four charges. Prosecutors allege that Gary Sim assaulted Mr Lamb at the Tor public house in Restalrig Road on 19 or 20 September. It is claimed that Mr Sim approached Mr Lamb from behind before putting his arm around his neck, pulling him from his chair, and pushing him on the body, causing him to fall to the ground. Mr Sim then allegedly caused Mr Lamb's head to strike against a table and chair. The second charge alleges that on 20 September at Restalrig Circus, Mr Sim and the two Mr Watsons repeatedly struck Mr Lamb on the head and body. Prosecutors claim that the three men then repeatedly kicked and jumped on Mr Lamb's head and body before repeatedly striking him "with a garden fork, knife or other similar sharply pointed or bladed instrument." It is claimed that Mr Lamb sustained multiple stab wounds and that the three men murdered him. The third charge alleges that having committed murder, Mr Sim attempted to defeat the ends of justice by disposing of his clothing and washing his hands. It is claimed that he performed these actions at an address in Loganlea Drive, Edinburgh, and elsewhere in the city between 20 and 22 September in an "attempt to avoid prosecution". The fourth charge alleges that between 20 and 22 September, at Taylor Place and elsewhere in Edinburgh, James Watson cleaned his clothing and shoes in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice. The trial continues.
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Leinster winger Elise O'Byrne-White and Munster hooker Zoe Grattage will win their first caps, with flanker Ciara Griffin named among the replacements. In all, the defending champions have 10 players who will be involved in a Six Nations fixture for the first time. Ireland lost 15-5 to Wales in a warm-up fixture two weeks ago. The Irish squad features seven players who won made their first appearances in last November's autumn international against England, with Aine Donnelly and Mairead Coyne included in the starting line-up. Cliodhna Mooney, Lindsay Peat, Fiona Reidy, Ciara Cooney and Mary Healy will be looking to add a second cap to their collection from the bench. "It's very exciting to have so many new players involved in their first Six Nations game," said Tierney. "With some of the girls from last year's campaign involved with the Sevens at the moment, as well as some retirements over the past few seasons, it gives others the opportunity to pull on the green jersey. "We're now at a stage where we are developing more and more girls who are capable of competing at international level and it's a great to see." The Irish side won four of their five fixtures last year, while Wales finished fifth. Ireland Women: Niamh Briggs (Munster, capt); Elise O'Byrne-White (Leinster), Aine Donnelly (Leinster), Sene Naoupu (Connacht), Mairead Coyne (Connacht); Nikki Caughey (Ulster), Larissa Muldoon (Skewen); Ailis Egan (Leinster), Zoe Grattage (Munster), Ruth O'Reilly (Connacht); Sophie Spence (Leinster), Marie-Louise Reilly (Leinster); Paula Fitzpatrick (Toulouse), Claire Molloy (Bristol), Heather O'Brien (Toulouse). Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney (Leinster), Lindsay Peat (Leinster), Fiona Reidy (Munster), Ciara Cooney (Leinster), Ciara Griffin (Munster), Mary Healy (Connacht), Nora Stapleton (Leinster), Jackie Shiels (Richmond).
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The public sector deficit - the difference between what the government spends and what it receives in revenues - rose to 19.6bn reais ($5.1bn). This was worse than expected and much higher than October's 11.5bn reais. The government is struggling to increase tax revenues as the economy continues to shrink. Between July and September, the economy contracted by 1.7% compared with the previous quarter, deepening the country's worst recession in 25 years. The economy has shrunk in all but one of the last six quarters. Unemployment has risen sharply this year and now stands at 7.5%, putting a further strain on government finances. Inflation is also running at more than 10%, undermining the value of Brazilians' savings and their ability to spend. Brazil's economy has been hit hard by a slowdown in global demand - particularly in China - for its commodities, while a corruption scandal centred on state oil giant Petrobras has severely damaged investor confidence.
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In today's Chinese publications, English abbreviations and acronyms also pop up frequently without any Chinese translations: GDP, WTO, Wifi, CEO, MBA, VIP and the air pollutant term PM2.5 are among the most popular. This phenomenon, termed "zero translation", has sparked a fierce debate, with the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper People's Daily the latest to join the fray. "Why is zero translation so prevalent?" screams the headline in a recent commentary piece, citing as a bad example the text below, which considers the merits of an open source platform. "采用了基于OpenEdX开源平台，开发了HTML5视频播放器，不再依赖国外课程播放首选的YouTube，解决了国内用户无法访问国外edX平台问题。" "Why do we have translations for Nokia and Motorola, but not for iPhone or iPad?" ask the authors. What irritates them is the fact that these foreign terms are found not only in newspapers and online, but in serious science journals as well. They claim that such practices damage the integrity and harmony of the Chinese language, dilute the richness of the Chinese culture and hamper comprehension. "How many people can understand these words?" they ask. To put this in context - the Chinese language has over the years absorbed many foreign terms, especially English words. Early adoptions include 雷达 (leida) for "radar", 坦克 (tanke) for "tank", and 巧克力 (qiaokeli) for "chocolate". Coca-Cola, whose Chinese rendition 可口可乐 (kekou kele) literally means "tasty and jolly", conveys a sense of euphoria that it is often held up as the best brand translation. Unlike the "bad example text", these words and many others have been given Chinese characters so they blend into the Chinese language. The problem now, the commentators claim, is that English words are used directly along with Chinese, without any translations. And there are many reasons why. More and more Chinese people speak English and they like to switch between Chinese and English in conversation or when they write. The internet has helped spread English, especially in the fields of innovation and technology, while popular US and British films and TV dramas have also played a part. The three authors of the People's Daily piece also cite worship of Western culture and technology, the scarcity of good translators and laziness as possible causes. This is not the first time that attempts to purify the Chinese language have sparked national debate. US basketball is very popular in China and "NBA" was used on TV for many years before the authorities decided to ban it in 2010, in favour of the Chinese rendition 美职篮 (mei zhi lan), which literally means American professional basketball instead. This proved very controversial. In 2012, the Modern Chinese Dictionary, long considered the authority in language use, included NBA and more than 200 other foreign words in its new edition, and NBA made its way back on TV. Around 100 scholars then signed an open letter to the national publication authorities, accusing the dictionary editors of violating Chinese laws and regulations. They argued that including such English terms and abbreviations in the Chinese dictionary would do long-term damage to the language. Not everybody agreed. The official Xinhua news
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Since opening last year the show has been celebrated for casting African-American, Asian and Latino actors. However, the Actors' Equity Association said the language of the notice did not comply with their rules. Hamilton's producers say they regret the confusion, and have since amended their wording. The musical, which has been watched by the likes of US President Barack Obama, Sir Paul McCartney and Dame Helen Mirren, tells the story of America's birth, featuring the characters of Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. Created and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, it stresses the orphan, immigrant roots of one of America's founding fathers Alexander Hamilton. The controversial casting notice was posted on the musical's website and on the trade site backstage.com. Its producers said in a statement: "It is essential to the storytelling of Hamilton that the principal roles - which were written for non-white characters (excepting King George) - be performed by non-white actors. "This adheres to the accepted practice that certain characteristics in certain roles constitute a 'bona fide occupational qualification' that is legal. "This also follows in the tradition of many shows that call for race, ethnicity or age specific casting, whether it's The Colour Purple or Porgy & Bess or Matilda. The casting will be amended to also include language we neglected to add, that is, we welcome people of all ethnicities to audition for Hamilton." The updated casting call no longer capitalises the phrase "non-white actors". Hamilton is expected to open a production in Chicago this autumn, and a US national tour will begin in 2017.
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The king rules by decree over his million subjects, most of whom live in the countryside and follow traditional ways of life. The struggling economy benefited from preferential access which textile exporters had to the United States until this facility was withdrawn over human rights concerns in 2015. The country exports sugar and many Swazis work in South Africa and send their earnings home. According to UNICEF Swaziland has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world. The HIV-Aids virus has killed countless Swazis who have left behind thousands of orphans. Some 210,000 people, out of a population of 1.2 million, are estimated to be living with HIV. Population 1.2 million Area 17,364 sq km (6,704 sq miles) Major languages Swazi, English (both official) Major religions Christianity, indigenous beliefs Life expectancy 50 years (men), 49 years (women) Currency Lilangeni King: Mswati III King Mswati III was crowned in 1986 at the age of 18, succeeding his long-serving father King Sobhuza II, who died at the age of 82. The king, who is known as Ngweyama - "the lion" - often appears in public in traditional dress and has many wives. He rules by decree and has been criticised for the heavy-handed treatment of opponents and for requesting public money to pay for new palaces and luxury cars. Protesters angered by economic decline have become increasingly vocal in demanding political reform. In 2014, the government of King Mswati III further restrained an already weakened media environment in Swaziland, and both journalists and media outlets were targeted by officials through the use of restrictive legislation, Freedom House reported in 2015. The government does not restrict access to the internet, but few Swazis can afford to go online, according to Freedom House. Some key dates in Swaziland's history: 1894 - Britain and the Boer Republic of Transvaal jointly rule Swaziland. 1907 - Swaziland becomes a British High Commission territory. 1921 - King Sobhuza II succeeds to the throne, 1964 - Swaziland's first constitution enters into force, and King Sobhuza establishes a political party, the Imbokodvo National Movement (INM). 1968 - Swaziland is granted formal independence, within the Commonwealth, and adopts a new constitution. 1973 - King Sobhuza suspends the constitution and bans political parties. 1986 - Prince Makhosetive is crowned - three years early - and assumes the title of King Mswati III. 2007 - Thousands protest in the commercial capital Manzini to press for democratic reforms. 2014 - Swaziland appears to be stemming the pace of new infections of HIV/Aids, the UN reports.
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María Lorena Ramírez defeated 500 other runners from 12 countries in the female category of the Ultra Trail Cerro Rojo in Puebla, in central Mexico. She ran without any professional gear, and her pair of sandals was reportedly made from recycled tyre rubber. The Tarahumara are famous for being excellent runners. The race was held on 29 April, but only now has word about her victory spread. Apart from the sandals, she wore a skirt and a scarf in the race. The runner did not have any professional training. She finished the race at seven hours and three minutes, and was awarded 6,000 pesos ($320; £250). Reports said her job is herding goats and cattle, walking some 10-15km every day. Last year, she came second in the 100km category of the Caballo Blanco ultramarathon, in Chihuahua.
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As the crowds streamed towards the stadium known as the Cake Tin on a gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon, it seemed like the message of the Black Caps captain was getting through. By the time they drifted away into the Wellington night, having seen the Martin Guptill-inspired Kiwis destroy West Indies to earn a place in the semi-finals, the dream was fast becoming a reality. Guptill's unbeaten 237 was the highest score in a World Cup match, the second biggest in one-day internationals and the fourth best in all List A cricket. He broke his own record for the highest score by a New Zealander, becoming only the second man to hit a World Cup double ton and the fifth to do so in all ODIs. McCullum called it the "the greatest ODI innings I've seen live", former New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney said that Guptill "dazzled", while former India batsman Rahul Dravid described it as "incredible". It was a New Zealand performance befitting the excitement in a country where the World Cup feels like a bigger deal than across the Tasman Sea in Australia. Whereas Australia has struggled to fill its vast grounds, New Zealand has matched size of venue to magnitude of match to be rewarded with capacity crowds and lively atmospheres. Media playback is not supported on this device And while Australia's larger cities have few reminders that the World Cup is in the area, New Zealand's smaller towns are plastered with paraphernalia. In a rugby-obsessed nation, cricket is on the television in takeaways and hotel lobbies. Shop windows are given over to cricket-themed displays, while Black Caps flags flutter on the forecourts of a used-car dealerships. In Dunedin, the city of McCullum's birth, the road leading to its University Oval has been renamed 'Brendon McCullum Drive'. As for Guptill, he already appears to be living the dream - but it is one that was almost over before it began. At the age of 13, he was involved in a forklift accident that caused him to lose three toes. As the aspiring cricketer recovered in hospital, his father arranged for former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming to pay him a visit. "Back then I didn't think I would ever play for New Zealand," said Guptill, sensitively nicknamed 'Two Toes'. "I'm lucky enough to represent my country and I'm loving this moment." Some 15 years later, a merciless assault on the West Indies bowling etched the tall right-hander into New Zealand cricket and World Cup folklore. Not that the early signs were good. He needed the good fortune of Marlon Samuels dropping a straightforward shin-high chance at square leg in the first over and had to weather the storm of losing more illustrious partners McCullum and Kane Williamson. However, with the confidence of a century in his last innings against Bangladesh, Guptill built by driving pacemen down the ground and cutting the spinners through the off side. As he approached 200, the crowd began chanting his name. When the
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Carmarthenshire council said there have been problems at Pembrey Country Park and the Millennium Coastal Park. They relate to unauthorised camping, fishing, lighting fires, littering, dog fouling and anti-social behaviour. Anyone who sees incidents can report it to park staff or call police on 101.
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Elliott Management, which oversees about $30bn (£23.5bn) worth of assets, has earned a reputation over 40 years as a no-holds-barred activist investor, with an unusually large appetite for public face-offs. The firm famously pursued Argentine debt for more than a decade, seizing one of the country's naval ships while it was docked in Ghana and prompting the country to default. In the UK, it also intervened in coach operator National Express and fought supermarket Tesco for damages stemming from a 2014 accounting scandal. In recent weeks the firm has been making headlines again. A dispute with the head of aluminium parts maker Arconic led to the ousting of Arconic chief executive Klaus Kleinfeld. In addition, Elliott has called for overhaul at Australian mining giant BHP Billiton, put pressure on Samsung to restructure, and pushed for the hostile takeover of Dulux paint owner AkzoNobel. "They're renowned for being very involved and active," says Josh Black, editor-in-chief of Activist Insight, which tracks shareholder activism. "Just by virtue of their size… they're able to cope with more public situations at any one time." Founded in 1977 by Paul Singer, Elliott launched with $1.3m. Singer, a New Jersey native who trained at Harvard Law School, described it at the time as a "tiny, little friends-and-family" firm. Assets under management have risen sharply since, to about $19bn in 2012 and $30bn today. Its investor include very wealthy private individuals, sovereign wealth funds, foundations and pension funds. The hedge fund, which has had a base in London since 1994 as Elliott Advisors, has said it's only lost money twice - in 1998 and 2008. The firm's success has vaulted Singer into the ranks of the mega rich, with a net worth that Forbes estimates at $2.7bn. The 72-year-old Wall Street titan has also reportedly jammed with rocker Meat Loaf. A supporter of gay rights and Jewish charities, Singer has also attracted attention for his politics. He's put millions into Republican causes, backing the failed presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney, Marco Rubio and Rudy Giuliani. Last year, he said Donald Trump's anti-trade policies would lead to a global depression, but he opposed new financial rules introduced under former President Barack Obama and is likely to support some of the changes contemplated by the new regime. His firm's investment strategies range widely, from buying distressed debt, to intervening during mergers. It often targets companies where it believes the stock is undervalued, pushing for leadership changes, spin-offs, or share buybacks, which boost share values for existing stockholders. Critics compare the firm to a vulture capitalist, with a focus on short-term wins in its own interest. In 2014, French regulators fined Elliott for insider trading. Politicians worried about jobs in their districts are among those pushing back on some of the firm's recent efforts. Singer has rejected those characterisations. "I believe in a balance of power," he said at a conference last year. "There's a whole industry of people to protect corporations, an industry devoted to saying that long-termism is
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A helicopter has been deployed to help firefighters tackle the blaze which covers over 100 hectares (247 acres) in Wattsville near Crosskeys on Thursday. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service say it was started deliberately. A total of 12 fire appliances and water bowsers, as well as a mobile command unit, were sent to the incident on Wednesday night. So far, it has affected about 300 hectares (741 acres) making it the biggest such grass fire this year. Fire crews in south Wales have dealt with over 620 deliberately-set grass fires since 1 April. In Wattsville, the blaze is near an industrial area where Tata Steel has a plant.
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Jeffrey Okafor, 24, is accused of murdering Carl Beatson Asiedu outside a nightclub in Vauxhall in 2009. The prosecution said three people were targeted in the attack and Mr Beatson Asiedu, who appeared in the CBBC series M.I. High, "wasn't so fortunate". Mr Okafor of East Dulwich, south east London, denies murder. Sarah Whitehouse QC, prosecuting, told Woolwich Crown Court the stabbing took place after a crowd of people left Club Life near Vauxhall station. The prosecution said Mr Okafor was part of a larger group who attacked a smaller group on 1 August 2009. Two of the three people attacked survived, but Ms Whitehouse said: "Carl Beatson wasn't so fortunate." As well as appearing in the CBBC show, Mr Beatson Asiedu also helped to form a music group called Kidnplay and was known as Charmz. He was often booked to play at nightclubs in London and Leicester and had performed with his friend at the club on the night of his murder. A post-mortem examination concluded the cause of Mr Beatson Asiedu's death was a single stab wound to the front of the chest. "After the attack, Jeffrey Okafor actually confessed to a girlfriend that he had stabbed Carl Beatson," Ms Whitehouse said. Mr Okafor confessed in a phone call within an hour of the attack and days later he told the same woman that he had stabbed Charmz in the stomach and gave her a pair of black gloves to look after, the prosecution said. Ms Whitehouse said those gloves were passed to police and DNA which may have come from the victim was found on one of the gloves. At the time Mr Okafor also seemed agitated saying: "The Feds are going to be on to me", the jury heard. Police arrived at the defendant's address on 13 August to arrest Mr Okafor, but he had fled, the court heard. The prosecution said four days later he boarded a flight from Heathrow Airport to Lagos using his brother's passport. He was extradited from Nigeria in November 2014. The trial continues.
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Mid-game concussion assessments and the need to react promptly to serious incidents has led to the decision. Referees will also have powers to halt play if they have concussion concerns. Teams already have a "free" temporary interchange of players which is not counted in their allocation if the player is then fit to return. The Rugby Football League has also reduced video referee appointments to one per game. Also included in the four new rule changes rolled out by the RFL is a clarification of the eight-point try law, which will now see the additional penalty kick goal awarded only for an challenge on a player "in the act of scoring a try". Off-the-ball tackles on dummy runners or players not involved with play can still be dealt with by a referee but do not come under the eight-point try law. The concern behind allowing medical staff to keep radio contact with physios on the field is the desire to avoid footballing messages being passed onto players. To combat this, the equipment must operate on a different frequency not accessible to coaching staff, kit must be checked by match commissioners and the units must be marked with green tape. These rules will be implemented at reserve-grade level to test their relevance and suitability in professional rugby league:
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Media playback is not supported on this device Stephen Hunt has lodged a formal complaint with the FA after months of argument over funding and facilities. "West Ham need to be fined until they start to act like a 21st century club," he told BBC Sport. In response, West Ham claim Hunt has "threatened the club" and "refused to align" with their principles. The Hammers also say they are dedicated to equality in sport but the current arrangement with Hunt has not worked and they plan to take over the running of the women's team in due course. Hunt has listed a number of issues he has with West Ham. He claims they have stopped his team from finding their own sponsors and says they are short on funds because they had to buy their own kit. He alleges West Ham promised a cheque to cover the costs but the money has not come through and the club have stopped answering their emails. Hunt also claims his team, who play in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division, the third tier of women's football, have to train by the side of a road as West Ham will not let them use the gym. He adds that they also cannot afford a physio or a bus to take them to matches and are playing in last season's home kit, with the names of last season's players crossed out on the back. "I think West Ham have breached the underlying objectives of the FA to promote equality and grassroots football at all levels," he said. "Initially, what I thought was a lack of interest I now understand is a positive intent by senior people at West Ham to block the growth of West Ham Ladies. "It's beyond negligence, it is trying to starve us of any sort of funding." West Ham issued a statement insisting that "supporting, nurturing and facilitating the women's game is very important" to them and claim they are "a club with strong community principles and a dedication to equality in sport". The statement also explains the club's version of events. "The day-to-day management of West Ham United Ladies FC was transferred to a third party some time ago and unfortunately it is an arrangement that has simply not worked," it read. "Mr Hunt has refused to align with West Ham's principles throughout his tenure as chairman and has, on a number of occasions, threatened the club. "The club have been working for some time on plans to take West Ham United Ladies FC 'in house' and, in light of Mr Hunt's most recent deeply concerning comments, we will now be seeking to do so at the earliest opportunity. "We will, of course, seek to maintain the current West Ham United Ladies FC squad personnel where possible, and provide them with the best possible support and management moving forward. "As a result of this, women's football at West Ham United will become bigger, better and stronger, as we continue
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Assistant boss Roy Keane said the Stoke striker trained "fully" on Saturday morning after suffering with Achilles problems over the past week. "He got through it. It was a decent session for him," said Keane. Previous injury concerns Robbie Keane, Robbie Brady and James McCarthy also all trained again without any problem. "It's good for the manager to have all players available for selection," added the Republic assistant boss. LA Galaxy striker Keane, 35, missed both the warm-up games against the Netherlands and Belarus because of a calf injury, while Everton midfield McCarthy, 25, has been bothered by groin and hamstring problems since the end of the club season. Norwich's left-sided player Brady sustained a back twinge last weekend while picking his baby daughter out of the path. Media playback is not supported on this device Republic player of the year Walters had taken only a light part in training on Thursday but, like all of the squad, was given the day off on Friday. "We decided with the medical staff, we would try to keep as close to how the boys would be preparing, let's say, for club football and with Monday's game in mind, we'll train a couple of days beforehand," said the Republic boss on Friday at his team's training base in Versailles. "Although we climbed on the bus and went down to the training ground, it was really just a walk. "The medical staff are saying just leave Jon Walters as he is at this minute and let's see how he is tomorrow, just to see if there was any reaction from yesterday's training." Media playback is not supported on this device Striker Shane Long accepts that Monday's opener is likely to prove a "key game" to the Republic's chances of progressing to the second round. "If you look at the three games as a whole, I think the Sweden game is a great chance for us to put our stamp on the Euros and really put ourselves in with the best chance of progressing," said the Southampton forward. For his part, O'Neill acknowledged that the excitement is starting to build within the squad. "Very much so. It's right upon us," added the manager, whose squad arrived in France on Wednesday. "When you are coming in on Wednesday, I think you forget the competition actually starts quickly, and the weekend will fly in, I bet you. After the Group E opener against Sweden at the Stade de France, the Republic face Belgium in Bordeaux on 18 June before taking on Italy in Lille four days later.
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John Wainwright, of Arnold, Nottingham, admitted regularly calling the emergency line at Nottingham Magistrates' Court earlier. On one day in August, he called the emergency number every 10 minutes, the East Midlands Ambulance Service said. The 43-year-old will be sentenced on 19 December following psychiatric reports. The court heard Wainwright, of Oxengate, Arnold, called the emergency number 875 times over five months but that was "just the tip of a very significant iceberg". A spokeswoman for EMAS said he would sometimes call just to say "I love you" while on other occasions he became abusive. But he often used 999 as a free sex-line or would say he was possessed by the devil, she added. Magistrates were told he had alcohol problems and bipolar disorder and sentencing was adjourned for psychiatric reports to be prepared. Wainwright admitted two counts of improper use of public electronic communications.
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The remains were discovered at Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight. They were given in by a member of the public at the Boat House at about 11:00 GMT, Hampshire Constabulary said. Initial analysis has confirmed it is a human hand which had been in the water for a significant amount of time, the force said. It has been sent away for further analysis.
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He had become critically ill with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes and his body was shutting down. Six days later he lost his fight. His mother Beth believes four simple questions asked by GPs could help prevent similar deaths in future. In her own words, Beth explains why she hopes Peter's story will lead to change. I'd been watching Peter in his hospital bed all night. He was semi-awake - I was talking to him but he wasn't really responding. He kept trying to move the oxygen mask and he was just so tried. About 6am one of the nurses walked past his room and she said to me "get your head down". I said "I'm ok" but she insisted: "He's ok, get your head down." I was sat next to him and put my head down on a little pillow. I don't know what woke me up about 10 minutes later... I got a feeling. I woke with a start, looked up and he didn't look right - he looked grey. I called the nurse and said "what's going on? This doesn't look right". She came over, lifted his eyes... I don't know if she pushed the buzzer but within 30 seconds all hell broke loose. Someone said "he's really not well, talk to him" and I just started screaming "come on Peter, I'm here, mummy's here". Nurses came from everywhere, alarms were going off, doctors came in shouting for a crash team. One was doing chest compressions. They were trying to save him because he'd had a cardiac arrest. I was shouting at him all the time to wake up and telling him "mummy is here". A nurse said she would call my husband Stuart. He came as our house is only two minutes around the corner. We just watched in disbelief as a team of goodness knows how many doctors and nurses managed to restart his heart. They took him to surgery, off to try to stabilise him. We went up to the surgical department, just waiting, waiting, waiting. Just 24 hours earlier, on New Year's Day 2015, my son Peter - fun-loving, everyone's friend and so clever - had been at our home in Whitchurch, Cardiff. He had been ill with a chest infection. We'd been to see a GP and given antibiotics. But I was so worried about how ill he was that I called my parents to come over - more for reassurance, I suppose. I wanted someone to say he was ok. They took one look at him and said I should call an ambulance straight away. I started to panic. He was not breathing properly. I was very scared. A first responder arrived at our house and one of the first things he did after giving Peter oxygen was prick Peter's finger for a blood test. Within 30 seconds of coming he had diagnosed him as having type 1 diabetes - a condition where the body doesn't produce enough insulin. I was told
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So, having metaphorically handed them over to Theresa May, what now for David Cameron? Having achieved the highest office in the land at the age of 43, and departed six years later, what next for a man a few months shy of his half-century? Here is a guide to the futures of prime ministers past. The constituents of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath might have felt a little hard done by from May 2010 to May 2015, as the former prime minister was rarely to be seen in the Commons chamber. In addition to becoming a board director for the World Wide Web Foundation and an unpaid advisory role at the World Economic Forum, he was a UN special envoy on global education. He wrote the book Beyond The Crash, which covered the global financial crisis, in just 14 weeks and made a high-profile intervention in the Scottish independence referendum campaign in 2014. Ultimately, Mr Brown's former constituency, a safe Labour area for the previous eight decades, fell to a resurgent Scottish National Party. Since then, he has taken his first private-sector role, as an adviser to the US-based investment management company Pimco, his fee going to the Gordon and Sarah Brown Foundation to support charity work. After leaving Downing Street, Mr Blair stepped down from the parliamentary seat of Sedgefield, triggering a by-election, which Labour won comfortably. He was soon confirmed as a Middle East envoy for the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia, a role he held until May 2015. He also established Tony Blair Associates, providing strategic advice on political and economic trends and governmental reform, with profits going to support Mr Blair's work on "faith, Africa and climate change". But he has faced criticism for providing advice to the Kazakhstan government, which has been criticised for its human rights record. Two foundations have been set up in his name, the Tony Blair Sports Foundation and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, and a charity called the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative. Mr Blair has also found time to detail his memoirs, with an autobiography entitled A Journey, income from which has been donated to a sports centre for injured service personnel, It is claimed that he has earned up to £100m since leaving office. Mr Blair himself suggests a closer figure would be about a fifth of that sum. Most recently, he has come in for criticism following the conclusion of the Chilcot report on the inquiry into the Iraq War, which criticised the former prime minister for not exhausting all efforts to find a peaceful solution before going to war. John Major served as a backbencher through the four-year parliamentary term, after losing the 1997 general election to Tony Blair, Known for his love of cricket, he was president of Surrey County Cricket Club until 2002 and in 2005 was elected to the committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club. Sir John was knighted in 2005, the last prime minister so far to receive that
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Activities are planned in Gretna, Leith, Stirling and Dundee. Ms Hyslop said the focus of the second year of events would extend from the capital out to other parts of the country. She said World War One had had a "significant and broad impact on our nation". The calendar of events for 2015 is: Ministers are liaising with Stirling Council, Dundee City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council and the Royal Scots Regimental Association on arrangements for each event. Further details will be announced later in the year. Ms Hyslop said the events were part of the "busiest year" of the five-year commemoration programme. "The Quintinshill Rail Disaster, Gallipoli campaign and Battle of Loos each had a profound and long-lasting impact on Scotland and it is right that we pause to remember each event, and the Scottish communities who were affected," she said. "The First World War had a significant and broad impact on our nation. "Through our national commemorations the people of Scotland will have opportunities to reflect on its lasting social and civic legacy." Norman Drummond, who chairs the Scottish Commemorations Panel, said the events would take place in the communities most affected. "2015 will be the busiest year in Scotland's five-year commemorations programme," he said. "We will further pause to reflect on the horror of war, the service and sacrifice of our servicemen and women and of those at home, and the lessons we continue to learn from World War One."
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Rachael Hamilton - who stood down as a list MSP to fight the seat - took Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire with a majority of more than 9,000. She held the constituency for her party from closest rival Gail Hendry of the SNP. Labour's Sally Prentice was third with Lib Dem Catriona Bhatia fourth. The by-election was called after John Lamont stood down to fight the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk seat at Westminster which he also won. "We had an all-female line-up and I was just pleased to be one of those," said Ms Hamilton. "I am pleased to be going back to the Scottish Parliament - I am absolutely delighted. "And I am also delighted for John in his Westminster seat as well. The number of seats that we are winning throughout Scotland for Westminster - I think that is really encouraging as well - I think the Conservatives are on the up." She added that the push for another independence referendum had definitely helped her "on the doorsteps". "We can stand up and oppose independence and I believe that is what voters in the Borders were really gunning for," she said.
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The firm, which employs around 15,000 in the UK, said it would boost production of its long-range widebody A330 to seven a month in 2017. It had cut output of the older model in order to move to the new A350. But it received a boost when Iran agreed to buy 45 A330 jets as part of a $25bn (£17.4bn) deal. The January deal also included 12 A380 superjumbos, which the company said it had broken even on for the first time. Chief Executive Tom Enders told the BBC that the company was focused on breaking even, or positive margins: "I'm confident we can do this because we can further reduce the cost of the A380 and hopefully also get additional orders." He conceded that new orders for the A380 had been slow in coming, but said the company needed to be patient, and low jet fuel prices were making the A380 "even more attractive for customers". Airbus, based in France, saw net profits of €2.7bn (£2.1bn). Last year the European plane maker received orders for 1,080 commercial aircraft. Airbus has major sites in Filton, near Bristol and Broughton, North Wales where wings for the planes are made and assembled. When asked about the UK referendum he said that a vote to leave the European Union would not result in Airbus pulling out of the UK, where it has "very important" operations. However, he could not see "how an exit would improve the competitiveness of British industry". Mr Enders added that he "could not exclude" the possibility that jobs would be lost in the long-run. Mr Enders called its results "solid" and said:" The record order book supports our commercial aircraft ramp-up plans and we are driving operational efficiency." The firm said it expects the world economy and air traffic to grow this year "in line with prevailing independent forecasts and assumes no major disruptions." It plans to deliver more than 650 planes and expects its commercial order book to continue to grow. The business also makes corporate and freighter aircraft as well as helicopters and telecommunication satellites.
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William Hay said that last week he contacted the police to report the discovery of what appears to be fraud in his Foyle constituency office. He said it followed an investigation he had begun after an irregular trend in payments from his Assembly Office Cost Expenditure was brought to his attention. The DUP MLA said he had not previously noticed the irregularity. Mr Hay also informed the assembly authorities who have begun their own investigation. Mr Hay said he has suspended a member of his constituency staff pending the outcome. In a statement, Mr Hay, who is to leave his post for the House of Lords, said he had to take personal responsibility for the fact that his management of affairs in the office did not uncover what was happening earlier. "No one will be more critical of that than me," he said. "I will be making no further comment on the situation within my constituency office while the criminal investigation is ongoing."
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Former Det Ch Supt Norman Baxter also has claimed there was "a culture within the Northern Ireland Office to ensure that republicans were not prosecuted". He said the PSNI was scapegoated for the collapse of the John Downey case. Mr Baxter was giving evidence to the NI Affairs Committee at Westminster. It has begun an inquiry into the process for dealing with On the Runs, Irish republicans who had received letters stating that they were not wanted by police for paramilitary crimes committed before the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement. The letters came to light in February when the trial of Mr Downey for the 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombing was halted because he had mistakenly received one of those letters. Mr Baxter told the committee that Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Matt Baggott was wrong when he apologised and said he accepted the PSNI had made a mistake in the Downey case. He said Mr Baggott had "reacted without knowledge", and described the apology as poor leadership. He also criticised the chief constable for being prepared to "give up his force as a sacrifice to cover for the NIO". Police in Northern Ireland had known that Mr Downey was still being sought by Scotland Yard whenever the NIO sent him the letter. When his Old Bailey trial collapsed it emerged that about 190 other republicans had received similar letters. Mr Baxter added: "I thought the secretary of state's [Theresa Villiers] statement was quite disgraceful in blaming the police without any due process. "I honestly think that she, by doing so, was covering up for what was going on with this administrative process." Mr Baxter also said that Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams had put pressure on Downing Street to ask for the release of two republican suspects in 2007. Vincent McAnespie and Gerry McGeough, who were wanted for the attempted murder of part-time UDR soldier Sammy Brush in 1981, were arrested on 8 March 2007 and taken for questioning to the Serious Crime Unit at Antrim police station. Mr Baxter said: "At 9.10pm I received a phone call from duty ACC at headquarters, Gerry Adams had telephoned Downing Street demanding their release. "Downing Street rang the chief constable's office looking for their release and I got a phone call suggesting I should release them. "That, in my mind, is attempting to pervert the course of justice and that was conveyed back to headquarters. "As a police officer that is totally illegal and unconstitutional. We continued interviewing them and Mr McGeough was subsequently convicted and sentenced for attempted murder." Mr Baxter said he did not know who made the phone call from Downing Street. Mr Brush, who is now a DUP councillor said he was shocked, but not surprised by Mr Baxter's claims. "From the revelations of the get out of jail free letters I expected there would be more to come and I still think there will be more revelations to come yet because I think the
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City do not have an experienced right-back after releasing out-of-contract duo Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna. Guardiola has been linked with Tottenham's Kyle Walker but is understood to be considering whether to bid for 34-year-old Alves, who played for Juve in their Champions League final loss to Real Madrid on 3 June. It is thought Juve want £5m for Alves. Guardiola knows Alves well having brought the Brazil international to Barcelona from Sevilla for £23m in 2008. The pair won three La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups and two Champions Leagues together before Guardiola left the Nou Camp in 2012.
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Gone are the times when China could flaunt its success on the international stage, touting its ability to grow its economy at a pace the rest of the world envied. All Chinese leaders can do these days is to try to defend their track record, and attempt to reassure the financial community they know what they're doing when it comes to dealing with the risks the world's second biggest economy is facing. And that's exactly what Premier Li Keqiang did during his keynote speech at the Boao Forum. He sought to address all of the concerns that have been raised about his country's economy in recent months - from worries about an economic slowdown to the volatility in the Chinese currency, the yuan. He also spoke about whether China can manage its difficult transition from a manufacturing and investment-led economy to one that's more dependent on services and innovation. Mr Li admitted that the country is going through a difficult time, but he also pointed to the troubles the global economy is facing and talked of how those troubles are impacting China's fortunes. Against this backdrop, the premier noted what an achievement it was for China's massive economy to grow at between 6.5% and 7%. He said the country had enough policy tools left to deal with the risks its economy is facing, and that it has the solutions to fix the problems with debt and over-capacity. A lot of the same stuff that we have heard before, frankly, and often from the premier himself at other international forums. It's become the mantra for China. But increasingly it is becoming a hard sell. Today's address was very much about putting on a good face for the world - though it's doubtful whether the premier's words will be enough to convince those who have real concerns about China's economic future.
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The Bank said the problem "had only just come to light" and it was treating the concerns with "utmost seriousness". Vegans have expressed anger because the new polymer fiver contains a small amount of tallow, which is derived from animal waste products. A petition to ban the note has attracted more than 100,000 signatures. The tallow is used in an early stage of the production process and is "an extremely small amount", the Bank said. "We are aware of some people's concerns about traces of tallow in our new £5 note. We respect those concerns and are treating them with the utmost seriousness," its statement said. "This issue has only just come to light, and the Bank did not know about it when the contract was signed. "[Supplier] Innovia is now working intensively with its supply chain and will keep the Bank informed on progress towards potential solutions," it added. The petition, hosted on the Change.org website, calls on the Bank of England to "cease to use animal products in the production of currency that we have to use". It states that tallow is "unacceptable to millions of vegans, vegetarians, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and others in the UK". A number of Sikh and Hindus have also urged the notes be banned from temples, where meat products are forbidden. Hindus believe cows are holy and sacred, and many do not wear shoes or carry bags made from the skin of cattle that has been slaughtered. Practising Sikhs are strict vegetarians. The response from the UK's Hindu and Sikh communities began to gather pace after vegans and vegetarians voiced their feelings on social media on Tuesday. The new plastic £5 note was introduced in September and is more durable than the previous one. It is expected to last an average of five years - compared to two years previously.
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NHS Forth Valley commissioned internal and external reviews of the deaths of 24 unborn babies after recording an unusually high number of stillbirths. The internal report found care had been good or excellent in 20 of the cases. But it said that in the other four "different care might have influenced the outcome". The report did not specify what that meant - but the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said it uses the term to mean a baby that may have been born alive rather than stillborn. However the external review, which was carried out by a consultant and a senior midwife at neighbouring NHS Tayside, concluded that the findings of the internal report were probably "overly-self critical". It said that any changes to care would have made no difference in two of the four cases, and was very unlikely to have changed the outcome in another. In the fourth case, a pregnant woman was invited to go home and collect her belongings prior to admission. The external review said it would "probably have been appropriate" to check the unborn baby's heartbeat with a cardiotocograph (CTG) machine before the woman was sent home. But it said the CTG could "reasonably have been delayed" if other biometry on the woman's scan was reassuring. The two reports were obtained by BBC Scotland under freedom of information laws. The health board said in a statement: "The internal review did not identify any significant issues or concerns and concluded that, in the vast majority of cases, there were complex underlying factors which meant that the stillbirths sadly could not have been prevented. "These included fetal abnormalities, genetic conditions, trauma injuries and underlying health issues. "The internal review also identified a small number of cases (four) where it was felt that the care could have been improved, although this may not necessarily have altered the outcome." The external report said that, in a small number of cases, the risk factors included smoking and cannabis misuse. And it concluded that the care given by NHS Forth Valley had been to a consistently high standard, and that staff should be credited for this. It also called for national consideration to be given to a more "homogenous" system of stillbirth investigation. The two reviews were carried out after stillbirths in the Forth Valley area rose above the national average in the first half of 2016 after generally having been beneath the Scottish average since 2012. The majority of the stillbirths occurred at Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert. Dr Klara Ekevall, who compiled the health board's internal report, told BBC Scotland that the "large majority" of the cases it had looked at it were found to have had excellent care. She added: "There were four cases where we felt things might have been done differently and that there was a possibility that might have affected the outcome. Some of these things were to do with documentation or follow-up arrangements. "The external review looked at the same four
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Lady Susan Zetland was driving to the gym when she tried to turn right at the Hargill junction of the A66, near Scotch Corner, in North Yorkshire. Teesside Crown Court heard there were signs warning motorists the turning was closed and cones preventing it. Lady Zetland, of Aske Hall, near Richmond, denies dangerous driving. The 77-year-old admitted causing the crash between her vehicle, a car and a truck on 4 July, but maintains her driving had been careless. Prosecutor Paul Newcombe told the court the marchioness had already almost hit a lorry when she tried to pull out, but immediately tried again. Her actions caused a Nissan Qashqai to smash into the side of her vehicle, which caused her to spin across the carriageway where she was hit by a truck. Mr Newcombe said the wife of Lawrence Mark Dundas, the 4th Marquess of Zetland, admitted she "did not keep a proper look out for traffic". Dashcam footage from the Qashqai, which showed her £30,000 Subaru narrowly missing the HGV before pulling out into the road, was shown to the jury. "It's not just a case of careless driving but driving that falls far below that of a competent driver," said Mr Newcombe. Rod Hunt, defending, said two of the signs on the A66 approach were incorrect as they stated there was no access to the road and one of the cones was missing, leaving a gap. Giving evidence, Lady Zetland said she thought she was allowed to drive straight across the carriageway because she had seen a van do so. She also said she saw no signs stating a contraflow traffic system was in operation. The trial continues.
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The last Plantagenet king was born at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, and members of his family were buried at the local parish church. Soil from the castle grounds and two other sites will be laid around his coffin by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on 26 March. Site owner John Gould said he was "delighted" to have been involved. Soil from the castle, a Yorkist palace during the 15th Century, is one of three samples from sites significant in the former king's life to be sprinkled inside the vault where his coffin will be placed. Samples from Middleham in Yorkshire, where Richard met future wife Anne, and the site of the Battle of Bosworth, have also been collected. Some of the soil will be blessed by Bishop of Leicester Tim Stevens at a private ceremony on Sunday and will be put into a wooden casket to be displayed at the Battle of Bosworth Field Centre. Richard's body was found buried under a car park in Leicester in 2012. Mr Gould said: "It was a unique and very interesting request to be asked to provide a sample of soil from the castle site. "I have lived in the village all my life and four generations of my family have farmed here. "We have all grown up with Fotheringhay's history and often take it for granted. We are delighted to have been involved." Village chair Ros Clayton said it was "brimming with rich history". "The village played an instrumental role in the history of the Plantagenets and King Richard."
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Colombia international striker Falcao, 28, joined United in a £6m season-long loan deal on transfer deadline day. "I welcome his arrival, he makes us better," Van Persie told Fox Sports NL. "At a top club you should always go for the best, which also fits my philosophy. Falcao must fight for his place, as I also have to." Falcao scored 11 goals in 20 appearances for French Ligue 1 side Monaco last season, before suffering a knee injury in January that kept him out of the World Cup in Brazil. There was some speculation he had been brought in by United to replace Van Persie, 31, who was rumoured to require knee surgery. "I am impressed that people have the imagination to invent something like that," said the Netherlands international, who moved to Old Trafford from Arsenal for £24m in August 2012 and scored 26 league goals in his first campaign to help United to the title. "I do not know where it comes from and can say with my hand on my heart that I won't be in a hospital to have the operation."
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Sir Bruce, 88, underwent keyhole surgery after doctors discovered he had two aneurysms following a fall at his Surrey home last year. Lady Forsyth, 59, said the star was in "incredible shape mentally" but that the "operation took his energy". "He's the man I fell in love with because his brain is there," she told the Daily Mail's You magazine. She said: "The operation took his energy because of his age, there's no question about it. "Some days are better than others. On the not-so-good days, he tries to rest." An aneurysm is a potentially serious blood vessel swelling. If left untreated, larger abdominal aortic aneurysms - the type which Sir Bruce has had - can be fatal. Lady Forsyth said she hoped Sir Bruce would be able to perform again, but added: "He doesn't want to do anything publicly until he's 100% well. I respect that." She said she found it hard to contemplate a future without her husband, who she has been married to for 33 years. "I don't think about it too much. I hope I'll be prepared somehow, but it doesn't feel real. "He has a bit of a problem moving, but we still laugh and talk. I pray, I believe. The main thing is that he's doing well. The pain is more emotional; sometimes we cry, but mostly we laugh." Lady Forsyth said Sir Bruce was still enjoying puzzles and the internet and programmes including the Olympics, The Apprentice and Question Time, as well as spending time with his grandchildren. Sir Bruce has not been seen in public recently, having been too frail to attend the funerals of close friends Ronnie Corbett or Sir Terry Wogan. He left Strictly in 2014 after nearly 10 years fronting the BBC One show with Tess Daly. Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.
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It found sixth formers at Willenhall E-ACT Academy in the West Midlands were afraid to leave their common room because of younger pupils' behaviour. Inspectors rated the school inadequate overall, noting that "during 2015 and 2016, 70% of teachers left". The BBC has contacted school sponsor E-ACT for comment. More stories from the Black Country In a letter sent to parents following the critical report's publication, E-ACT said it had "strong leadership" in place "driving standards" and was "confident that Willenhall Academy will continue to make rapid progress". The school - which Ofsted described as "coasting" - was inspected in March and almost a third of pupils were found to be regularly absent. Individual aspects of provision were also given a rating of "inadequate" - among them the quality of teaching, which was described in the report as "weak", and pupil behaviour. "Persistently poor behaviour at social times and in lessons leads to many pupils feeling unsafe and not learning well," the report said. A third of the staff who responded to an online questionnaire said they did not feel pupils were safe. Oftsed said E-ACT "fully recognised the challenges" and had begun to "address aspects of greatest concern", with its leaders' judgements "fully in line with inspectors' experiences and evidence". However, it said leaders and sponsors had overseen a decline in standards since a previous inspection in 2015. "While there is an ambition to address inadequacies and to raise aspirations, there is not yet a sustainable track record in the school to suggest capacity for improvement," it continued. E-ACT's letter to parents said it was "proud of the fact that almost two thirds of our academies are rated at least good". Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning
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The 25-year-old, who signed from Stromsgodset in 2014, has agreed a three-year deal at Craven Cottage, with an option for a further 12 months. Norway international Johansen has only made one substitute appearance since Brendan Rodgers became Celtic manager in May. Johansen scored 20 goals in 114 games during his spell in Glasgow. Rodgers had confirmed that Johansen was on his way out of the club after failing to agree a contract extension. "It's been difficult because he's been unable to reach an agreement with the club," he said on Friday. "But I think he has always wanted to play in England, so the opportunity has come for him." Johansen, who has 29 caps for his country, was a regular starter under Rodgers' predecessor, Ronny Deila, the pair having worked together at Stromsgodset. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
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The Office of Fair Access says there are "stubborn gaps" in participation at highly-selective universities. But director Prof Les Ebdon said these universities were full of capable people who excelled at problem solving. His comments come after universities called for the limit on tuition fees in England to be lifted. Last week, Universities UK, representing university leaders, said it wanted fees to rise with inflation above the current £9,000 cap. The body said the value of the fees, which have been fixed since 2012, had been declining in real terms. Now Offa, which regulates fair access to higher education in England, says highly-selective universities must use their academic and research expertise to improve fair access and build on progress so far. In a speech to the Brilliant Club's annual conference, Prof Ebdon will tell an audience of university staff that the key to making faster progress is to make better use of the research expertise they have available to them. In his speech, Prof Ebdon will say: "There have been stubborn gaps in participation at highly selective universities for a long time, but the tanker is starting to turn. "Highly-selective universities are starting to achieve real change, by developing creative, evidence-led solutions underpinned by increasing understanding of what's most effective at each particular institution. "They face tough challenges in improving access. But highly-selective universities are full of highly-intelligent people who excel at solving problems. If they truly harness their wealth of research expertise, it could bring a step change in progress. "Offa has already begun to work closely with university researchers to improve evidence and understanding, and the whole sector will benefit from sharing the outcomes of this work." The Brilliant Club is a non-profit organisation that aims to widen access to top universities for outstanding pupils from non-selective state schools. The group recruits, trains and places doctoral and postdoctoral researchers into non-selective state schools and sixth-form colleges in areas where few young people take up a place at university. They give university-style tutorials to small groups of outstanding pupils to help them develop the knowledge, skills and ambition needed to secure places at top universities.
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An IS camp was attacked in Sabratha, around 70km (43 miles) west of Tripoli. The 38 people killed reportedly include Tunisian extremist Noureddine Chouchane, linked to two attacks in Tunisia last year, including one which killed 30 Britons. The IS group has been active in Libya for more than a year. The US estimates the group has up to 6,000 fighters there. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the strike was carried out "with the knowledge of Libyan authorities" but declined to confirm exactly who had been informed. "We took this action against Sabir [Noureddine Chouchan] in the training camp after determining that both he and the ISIL [IS] fighters at these facilities were planning external attacks on US and other Western interests in the region," he was quoted by AFP news agency as saying. "We see what's happening in Iraq and Syria and we believe that these fighters in Libya posed a threat to our national security interests." Libya remains in chaos more than four years after the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi and is being fought over by a number of groups, including IS. Efforts to agree on a unified government have so far been unsuccessful, with different authorities governing different parts of the country. Top IS leaders 'take refuge' in Libya Tunisia attack: What we know Control and crucifixions: Life in Libya under IS The Pentagon described Chouchane as an "experienced facilitator" who had helped move IS fighters across the Tunisia-Libya border. American F-15E fighters as well as unmanned aircraft were involved in the raid, the Pentagon said. The BBC understands that British bases were involved in the attack but no British assets, such as warplanes, were involved. The mayor of Sabratha put the death toll at 41 and said the majority of those killed were Tunisians. A statement on the council website said weapons such as machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades had been found at the site. In November, a US strike in Derna reportedly killed Iraqi IS commander Abu Nabil, also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi, who was said to be the group's leader in Libya. The US has launched several unilateral raids and operations in the country since it helped oust Gaddafi. In June, a gun attack in the Tunisian resort town of Sousse left 38 people dead, 30 of them Britons. Chouchane is also believed to have been behind the attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis last year, which left 19 people dead. The gunmen in both the Sousse and Bardo attacks are believed to have trained in Libya, which shares a border with Tunisia.
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The BBC found the authority has taken more than a year to answer five requests, which should have been dealt with in 20 working days. Alex Runswick, from Unlock Democracy, said long delays gave the perception the authority had "something to hide". The council said it was working to improve the situation. Bristol City Council added its responses were "not at acceptable levels". Ms Runswick said releasing information was "fundamental" and helped "hold government, at all levels, to account". She said the situation was "bad for our democracy". "Freedom of Information should be a positive way for councils to engage with people they serve, not something they try to hide from." During 2014 Bristol City Council responded to fewer than 50% of its 1,955 applications within 20 working days. In 2013, the figure was 60% of its 1,501 requests. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) states an authority will be scrutinised if "it appears that less than 85% of requests are receiving a response within the appropriate timescales [20 working days]" or when numbers "have gone significantly over this time limit". An ICO spokesman said the delays "clearly raise questions" about the council's performance and would examine the figures before deciding whether the authority needed to be placed on formal monitoring. Governmental departments are required to publish figures relating to their FOI performance but there is no such requirement for councils to publish the information. At present, the ICO is monitoring the "timeliness" of Cumbria County Council, Nottingham City Council, Salford City Council, and the Department of Finance and Personnel (Northern Ireland).
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In a statement, the Scottish Premiership club said the 41-year-old's exit was "mutually agreed". It became clear on Saturday that McNamara had been relieved of his duties after the 2-1 defeat at 10-man St Johnstone. The club had already announced that development squad assistant boss Dave Bowman would be caretaker manager. Assistant coach Simon Donnelly, first-team coach Darren Jackson and goalkeeping coach Craig Hinchcliffe have also left the club. United chairman Stephen Thompson, who spoke with McNamara immediately after the defeat at McDiarmid Park, will hold a news conference at Tannadice on Tuesday. The Tannadice outfit said the club and McNamara "agreed that a change was required to improve the results", with United second from bottom of the Scottish Premiership after one win in nine games. In a personal statement, Thompson said: "I'd like to personally thank Jackie McNamara for his efforts during his tenure, which saw him become the longest-serving manager in the league. "Everyone at the club knows our recent run of results and current position in the league isn't good enough and we all want the club back to where it should be - challenging for silverware and European qualification. "We've finished in the top six for eight consecutive seasons and reached four cup finals in that time against a backdrop of reducing the club's debt significantly. "Although this has not been easy, it's the standard we have set here at United." McNamara, who took charge in January 2013 after leaving Partick Thistle, led United to two cup finals. Thompson added: "This is a big club with a large squad and playing budget, so we won't be short of interest from top managers within the game. "We have one of the most exciting young squads in British football and a lot to be upbeat about. "The next manager will be taking on a talented bunch of players at an exciting time." Caretaker Bowman, a former United midfielder who won six Scotland caps and had a spell as caretaker boss at Livingston in 2007, will be assisted by United captain Sean Dillon. United travel to bottom-of-the-table Partick Thistle on Saturday.
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 202 points, or 1.2%, to 17,245 The broader S&P 500 dropped 22 points, to 2,023, while the Nasdaq index slid 77 points, to 4,927. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose by just 0.1% from the month before, compared with analysts' forecasts of a 0.3% increase. There was a surprise fall in car sales, which dropped 0.5% in October after a 1.4% rise the month before. Shares in department store chain Nordstrom dived 15% after it cut its profit and sales growth forecasts. The disappointing news came after rival department store chain Macy's also cut its profit forecast earlier this week. Macy's shares were down for a third day, falling another 4.2%. Cisco shares fell nearly 5.8%, after the network equipment maker's forecasts for second-quarter profit and revenue growth fell below expectations. "Our guidance reflects lower-than-expected order growth in the first quarter, driven largely by the uncertainty of the macro environment and currency impacts," said Cisco chief executive Chuck Robbins.
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Urgent action is needed to stop the Balearic shearwater being drowned in fishing lines and nets, say scientists. The bird breeds in the Balearic Islands, sometimes stopping off in British waters as it migrates north. Research shows the global population is not sustainable in the long term. There are about 3,000 breeding pairs left. The main threat to the bird is becoming entangled in fishing gear, according to findings published in the Journal of Applied Ecology. Other risks include hunting by the likes of cats and other small mammals. Prof Tim Guilford of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford is co-researcher on the study. He told BBC News: "The survival of adults from one year to the next and especially of young adults is much lower than we thought. "The species is unsustainable - it is on the road to extinction." Estimates suggest about half of deaths in adult birds are due to accidental capture in fishing lines and nets. Fishing on the seabed is a particular risk as birds can become entangled and drown when lines are immersed, say researchers in the UK and Spain. Changes such as setting fishing gear at night when the bird does not dive "could make a massive difference", said Prof Guilford. "The science shows just how serious the problem is, but also that there is a technically simple solution - the setting of demersal long-lines at night," he added. The Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus) is one of the rarest seabirds in the world. The seabird is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of species. It breeds on cliffs and small islets and lays only one egg. Follow Helen on Twitter.
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The celebrated novelist, who is writing a sequel to his epic bestseller A Suitable Boy, is incensed with the recent decision of India's top court to uphold a law which criminalises gay sex - a ruling seen as a major blow to gay rights. So much so that the usually calm and dapper writer has posed - unshaved, dishevelled and looking distinctly angry - on the cover of India Today magazine holding a plastic chalkboard speaking 'Not A Criminal' to promote his moving essay in the magazine on gay rights. No wonder the powerful cover has become a talking point - one doesn't remember any Indian writer doing such a thing ever in the past. Mr Seth, who took a degree in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford, was once described by The New York Times as a person with a "polite wit". I found that wit intact when I spoke to him this morning on the cover that is making waves. Why are you so angry? I am appalled by the Supreme Court judgement [criminalising gay sex]. The judgement is intellectually shallow and ethically hollow. It is slipshod in its reasoning and pusillanimous with regard to defending fundamental rights. It was squarely in the province of the Supreme Court to decide the matter, but this normally activist court has kicked the football onto the pitch of an illiberal parliament. The constitution protects the liberties and rights of Indian citizens. It is not for the judges to confer rights or take them away. It takes a fair amount to get me incensed. And a judgement which takes away the liberties of at least 50 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in India is scandalous, its inhumane - and if you wish, you can remove the e at the end of that word. Yet the way you have expressed your protest - posing on the cover of a magazine - is quite unprecedented. There's nothing heroic in doing what I have done. There are [gay] people who live lives of quiet desperation in India's towns and villages. They are bullied by their families and relatives. They need people to voice their dismay and disappointments, people who present themselves as role models. People who, however reticent or reserved they are normally, can present themselves as role models. There are several prominent India businessmen [who are gay] - who would be wonderful role models. That they don't come out is a sad dereliction of their responsibility to be sympathetic to those who are like them but much more powerless, lonely and isolated. Can you imagine the difference it would make if four or five widely admired people from different walks of life were to stand up and say: 'This is no big deal or I am bisexual'? People who have come out in the freedom of the last four years since the high court judgement can't be simply pushed back into darkness of the closet. But I am talking not of
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Nearly 98% of those who took part supported the government's call to reject the EU plan. But only 40.4% cast valid ballots - short of the required 50% threshold. A government spokesman said the outcome was binding "politically and legally", but the opposition said the government did not have the support it needed. Mr Orban urged EU policymakers to take note of the result and said he would change Hungary's constitution to make the decision binding. The controversial EU plan to relocate 160,000 migrants across the bloc would mean Hungary receiving 1,294 asylum seekers. Ferenc Gyurcsany, leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition, said the low turnout showed that most people did not support the government. "According to this result with such low turnout, the people do not support the government. And this is good." There were 220,000 spoilt ballots. The number rejecting the EU scheme was 3.3 million, while 55,000 backed it. But a government spokesman said the result could not be regarded as invalid. "The government initiated the referendum, so both politically and legally the outcome is binding," he said. "The 50% would have made a difference because parliament could have no alternative but to make a decision. But parliament is behind the government regarding the decision. This is a reinforced mandate for the government." The referendum result is both a crushing defeat and an emphatic victory for Hungary's prime minister. On the one hand, Viktor Orban led a prominent, expensive and relentless anti-EU and anti-migrant referendum campaign but failed to persuade most Hungarians to vote. On the other hand, those who did vote sided with him almost unanimously, allowing him to trumpet that a higher percentage of Hungarians voted against EU migrant quotas than voted for EU membership 13 years ago. Mr Orban says he is leading what he calls a counter-revolution against EU centralisation, a pushback against Brussels bossiness. He views himself as the man of the moment, speaking for the people of Europe. He had hoped other countries would follow suit and hold their own referendum on migrant quotas. In fact other EU countries are simply ignoring the quotas. What Hungary's prime minister is not calling for is "Huxit" - a Hungarian exit from the EU. Mr Orban is all too aware the his economy relies on EU subsidies. During last year's migrant crisis, Hungary became a transit state on the Western Balkan route to Germany and other EU destinations. In an effort to curb the influx, it sealed its border with Serbia and Croatia. The measure was popular at home but criticised by human rights groups. Voters were asked: "Do you want the European Union to be able to mandate the obligatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens into Hungary even without the approval of the National Assembly?" The EU proposal was meant to ease pressure on Greece and Italy, the main entry points for migrants and refugees into the bloc. In December Hungary filed a court challenge against the EU plan, which would see relocations over
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The 28-year-old centre-back, who signed on a free transfer from Plymouth in June, has started 17 League One games for Rovers so far this season. He picked up the injury in Monday's 4-1 loss at Charlton Athletic. Meanwhile, on-loan midfielder Charlie Colkett, 20, has been recalled to his parent club Chelsea, after 17 Rovers appearances in all competitions.
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The Republic face Switzerland and Slovakia in home friendlies over Easter with places still up for grabs ahead of the Euro 2016 finals in France. Manager O'Neill said that with only one more friendly to play against Holland in May, time is running out for some of the fringe players to impress. "I want to see a couple of the lads, the Euros are just around the corner." O'Neill's side play Switzerland at the Aviva Stadium on Friday followed by Slovakia at home on Tuesday 29 March. Although another friendly could be squeezed into the schedule, the Holland friendly on 27 May could be the last opportunity for latecomers to make a late charge into the squad, as winger James McClean did four years ago. "There's a possibility of trying to organise another match but really after these two games, it's finalising a certain number of players and hoping they come through unscathed in the next couple of months," stated O'Neill. "You are talking about very little break-time after that." Wolves defender Matt Doherty, Bournemouth and former Coleraine midfielder Eunan O'Kane, Birmingham's Stephen Gleeson, Brentford midfielder Alan Judge and Aberdeen's Jonathan Hayes are among those hoping for a taste of the action. While for some, that will simply amount to training with the senior squad at Abbotstown, O'Neill is adamant that there are some places which are yet to be nailed down. He said: "There are one or two players there who have shown their worth in the qualification games and barring injury, there's a really great chance of them going, obviously. "But there are other places up for grabs." Republic of Ireland Euro 2016 fixtures (all times BST) Monday, 13 June Republic of Ireland v Sweden (17:00; Stade de France, Paris) Saturday, 18 June Belgiumv Republic of Ireland (14:00; Stade de Bordeaux) Wednesday, 22 June Italy v Republic of Ireland (20:00; Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille)
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The software learned to analyse blood tests and scans of beating hearts to spot signs that the organ was about to fail. The team, from the UK's Medical Research Council, say the technology could save lives by finding patients that need more aggressive treatment. The results were published in the journal Radiology. The researchers, at the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, were investigating patients with pulmonary hypertension. High blood pressure in the lungs damages part of the heart, and about a third of patients die with five years of being diagnosed. There are treatments: drugs, injections straight into the blood vessels, a lung transplant. But doctors need to have an idea of how long patients might have left, in order to pick the right treatment. The software was given MRI scans of 256 patients' hearts, and blood test results. It measured the movement of 30,000 different points in the organ's structure during each a heartbeat. When this data was combined with eight years of patient health records, the artificial intelligence learned which abnormalities predicted when patients would die. The software could look about five years into the future. It correctly predicted those who would still be alive after one year about 80% of the time. The figure for doctors is 60%. Dr Declan O'Regan, one of the researchers, told the BBC News website: "The AI really allows you to tailor the individual treatment. "So it takes the results of dozens of different tests including imaging, to predict what's going to happen to individual patients very accurately. "So we can tailor getting absolutely the right intensive treatment to those who will benefit the most." The team now want to test the software works in other patients in different hospitals before assessing whether it should be made widely available to doctors. The researchers also want to use the technology in other forms of heart failure, such as cardiomyopathy, to see who might need a pacemaker or other forms of treatment. Dr Mike Knapton, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "This exciting use of computer software in clinical practice will help doctors in the future to make sure that patients are receiving the correct treatment before the condition deteriorates and leaves them needing a lung-transplant. "The next step is to test this technology in more hospitals." Follow James on Twitter.
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Wales forward Bale has been out with a calf injury for the past six weeks and, although he has now returned to full training, the former Tottenham player admitted he has not fully recovered from an ankle operation earlier in the season - and he also believes that caused the latest problem. With the team's other 10 places more or less set in stone, the debate about whether Bale or Isco should be named in Zinedine Zidane's starting line-up has been the talking point in Spain in the build-up to Saturday's final, in which Real could complete their first league and European double since 1958. And more significantly, it has become much more than a debate about this game, with Bale's longer-term future at the Bernabeu under more scrutiny than at any other time since he arrived from Tottenham for a world-record fee four years ago. Writing in Marca on Monday, for example, Roberto Palomar headlined his article: "And what if selling Bale isn't such a bad idea?" He claimed that "in time, his absence stops being a problem" and also argued that, for Real fans, the sight of Isco, Marco Asensio or Nacho watching from the stands is "more painful" than the absence of Bale, who "doesn't even provoke nostalgia". And he concluded it might not be a bad thing if an English club, "fresh from failure and with hot pockets", manages to prise the 27-year-old away from the Spanish capital. So is Bale's time at Real Madrid really coming to an end? At 8.30pm on Tuesday, 7 March, Real were in trouble. They were 1-0 down at Napoli at half-time in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie having been outplayed in the opening period and knowing that conceding again would send them out. Zidane took decisive action, abandoning his preferred 4-3-3 formation and reverting to a 4-4-2, pushing Bale back into a deeper position on the right of midfield. The intention was to put an extra body in midfield and deny Napoli the space they had been finding so easily - and it worked. A header from Sergio Ramos put Real back in control of the tie and they ended up 3-1 winners on the night, progressing easily. That game in Italy was not the first time Zidane had veered away from 4-3-3 - he had regularly experimented with several shapes - but it was perhaps a turning point because he has rarely returned to it since. At first, Bale was able to keep his place in the team as a winger in a fairly conventional 4-4-2, but that approach wasn't satisfactory because it meant Luka Modric or Toni Kroos playing out position on the other flank. And during Bale's recent absence, Zidane has made another tweak by introducing a narrow midfield diamond, with defensive-minded Casemiro at the base, Modric and Kroos on either side and Isco at the tip. It has worked extremely well. The midfield quartet have exerted far more control over possession,
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The Paris suicide attacks claimed by IS have prompted the US to issue a worldwide travel alert to its citizens. President Hollande is meeting other world leaders this week, hoping to forge a stronger alliance against IS. But Turkey's downing of a Russian jet has fuelled tension over the Syria war. Russia says a Sukhoi Su-24 warplane was shot down over Syria on Tuesday by an air-to-air missile fired by a Turkish F-16 fighter. Turkey says the Russian jet had entered its airspace. As Turkey is a Nato member the incident has put a new strain on Russian-Western efforts to neutralise the IS threat in Syria and Iraq. The US is unlikely to support French efforts to build a Russian-Western military alliance against IS, correspondents say. But there is some military co-ordination with Russia. France is now sending warplanes from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, off the Syrian coast, to pound IS targets. Russia has also stepped up air raids against anti-government rebels in Syria, since a Russian airliner was blown up over Egypt by suspected IS-linked militants last month. But Western leaders have urged Russia to focus its raids on IS, not on other groups fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. French police are examining what appears to be a suicide bomb belt dumped on a Paris street following the 13 November attacks that killed 130 people. It is said to resemble belts used by the attackers and was found in a suburb which a suspect is thought to have passed through after the attacks. The key suspect, Salah Abdeslam, remains at large and a massive manhunt for him continues. After the attacks he fled to Belgium, where he and some of the other jihadists were based. The Belgian capital Brussels remains on high alert, with schools and the metro closed, on the fourth day of an unprecedented lockdown. They are due to reopen on Wednesday, but the highest alert level will continue for at least another week. Authorities fear attacks like those in Paris may be carried out in Brussels. Prime Minister Charles Michel warned that the threat remained "imminent". How the Paris attacks are affecting Muslim children Interview transcript: 'My brothers were manipulated, not radicalised' Paris attacks: The unanswered questions Paris attacks: Who were the victims? Who were the attackers? Special report: In-depth coverage of the attacks and their aftermath The suspected explosives belt was found in a dustbin on Monday by Paris street cleaners in the Montrouge district, police say. According to AFP news agency, the device lacks a detonator. It is one of two key pieces of evidence discovered by French police and publicly linked to Salah Abdeslam. His brother Brahim blew himself up during the attacks. A mobile phone was previously found in an abandoned car he rented. Phone data suggest that on the night of the attacks, Salah Abdeslam was in the area where the belt was later found. Meanwhile, police swooped on a small village in south-western France, Arigat, hunting for a
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Navas, 31, joined City from the La Liga side on a four-year deal worth £14.9m in June 2013. He made 173 appearances for City, scoring eight goals, but played just 24 league games last season. Navas' contract with City expired in the summer, leading him to return to Sevilla, where he began his career, on a four-year deal. He was part of the Sevilla side that won the Uefa Cup in 2006 and 2007 but suffered from chronic homesickness, which led him to turn down a move to Chelsea in 2006. Navas will break Sevilla's appearance record if he makes 27 more appearances for the club. He played 393 times in his first spell, with Juan Arza Inigo holding the record on 419. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
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Fire crews are battling flames on the Kenai Peninsula and around the city of Anchorage, with emergency shelters set up for evacuees. About 500 sled-dogs have also been rescued, Associated Press reports. The authorities believe the fires were ignited by humans, but the exact cause has not yet been established. The first blaze started at around 13:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Sunday in the Willow area north of Anchorage - the heart of the state's sled-dog community and home to some 2,000 people. It initially covered just two acres, but quickly spread, fanned by strong winds and dry weather. Around 6,500 acres are now on fire, according to officials. A voluntary evacuation order was put in place affecting around 1,700 buildings. Alaska governor Bill Walker took part in an aerial tour of the region on Monday and said at least 25 homes and 20 other structures had been destroyed. Two hundred dogs are being housed at the home of Big Lake resident Martin Buser, who has also been taking in displaced residents. "Everybody's relieved that their dogs are safe and here, but the people that have lost their homes, they are dejected," he said. A second blaze erupted on the Kenai Peninsula on Monday, roughly 100 miles south of Willow. Alaska's Department of Natural Resources said the "explosive wildland fire" had forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes. So far there have been no reports of injuries. Residents with properties away from the affected areas have taken to social media to offer their homes to evacuees. Are you in Anchorage or Kenai Peninsula? Have you been affected by the wildfires? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you are available to talk to a BBC journalist, please include a telephone number. Email your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, upload them here, tweet them to @BBC_HaveYourSay or text +44 7624 800 100. Or WhatsApp us on +44 7525 900971. Read our terms and conditions.
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The small Calabrian town of Gioiosa Ionica, population 7,000, is currently home to a group of asylum seekers, who are given the imitation bank notes, or "tickets" as they are known, as part of a voucher system. The refugees can spend the cash on whatever they like, but only in the town, so that local businesses benefit. Rather than featuring European architectural gems, they bear the likenesses of a collection of communists and leftist leaders - Che Guevara on the fake €10 note, Hugo Chavez on the €20 and Karl Marx on the €50. The reverse sides feature the signature of Giovanni Maiolo, the co-ordinator of the town's refugee services. It's all part of what they see in Gioiosa Ionica as a "win-win situation". The refugees get to buy food and spend some pocket money while the shopkeepers get new customers, which helps to defuse any tensions about the new arrivals. And the "win-win" goes further than that. The town hall receives €35 (£29; $39) per asylum seeker per day from the central government in Rome. This has to cover everything, from accommodation, food and medical care to Italian language lessons, work placements and assistance with asylum bureaucracy. It also includes a couple of euros for pocket money. In an economically deprived place like Gioiosa Ionica that's more used to emigration than immigration, these sums are making a real difference. Previously empty houses now earn a rental income and more people are spending money in the local shops. The fake money ensures the asylum seekers can buy food on a regular basis, even when the funds from Rome are late. The refugee services pay the shopkeepers in real euros when the cash arrives. This way the weight of the delay is borne by the shopkeeper, who effectively gives credit to the refugee services, and not by the migrant. Looking after the refugees has created 20 much-needed jobs. It's all part of the mayor's plan. Left-of-centre Salvatore Fuda was elected three years ago on a manifesto that included bringing migrants to the town deliberately, by joining the government's "Sprar" system for the "protection of asylum seekers and refugees", which supports migrants by providing those €35 per day. "A project like ours, with 75 refugee places, brings us about €1m a year in total," says Mr Fuda. "This money is given to the town, not to the migrants, If you compare that to our annual town budget of around €8m, you can see it's a significant economic help for us. "It creates a virtuous circle - through the rental income, the jobs it's created and the money spent on food here. So it's brought an economic benefit." He hasn't just done it for the money, but also to bring an experience of multiculturalism to the local youngsters. "The children of Gioiosa Ionica will have no difficulties if they meet people of a different colour, culture or religion. They'll have learned for example that in Afghanistan or India people play cricket, not football,
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Coffee pods were a "distinct and growing product", the Office for National Statistics (ONS) declared. The pods are used to make a cup which tastes like real coffee, but can be made in a matter of seconds. However, nightclub entry fees and re-writeable DVDs are among the costs removed from the calculations. Microwave rice, in either a pouch or a tray, has been added as it reflects a long-term trend towards prepared foods. Other items to be added include a large chocolate bar. Although the inflation basket already includes a small chocolate bar, the ONS said this was an underrepresented category. Cream liqueur, meat-based party snacks, nail varnish and women's leggings have also been included for the first time. "Women's clothing is an under-covered area of the basket," said the ONS. In Women's leggings, coffee pods, cream liqueur In Microwave rice, nail varnish, large chocolate bars Out Nightclub entry,Re-writeable DVDs, CD Roms,prescription lenses Items being dropped from the list include rewriteable DVDs, which were " a declining technology", and CD-Roms. Consumers tend to use them much less, as software can be downloaded directly. The price of getting into a nightclub has also been removed from the list, as the number of clubs is declining, the ONS said. New entries last year included e-cigarettes, music streaming subscriptions, and craft beer. Among the items dropping out in 2015 were satellite navigation, as drivers switched to traffic apps on phones, or bought cars with sat navs already built in. Some of the changes represent new consumer trends, but other changes have been made for technical reasons, to reflect price changes more accurately.
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God's Own County - A Garden for Yorkshire will feature a window based on York's East Window. The window is the largest single expanse of medieval stained glass in Britain and was completed in 1408. The garden, by Welcome to Yorkshire, will showcase Yorkshire's scenery, heritage, industries and tradespeople at Chelsea. Materials used for the window will reflect Yorkshire's landscape. It will feature stone pillars carved by York Minster's masons, traditional stone and timber gargoyles and sculptures loaned from historic sites across Yorkshire. Welcome to Yorkshire say it will be their biggest garden to date for their seventh year at Chelsea. Designs for planting beds will celebrate the colours of the stained glass in the East Window. Matthew Wilson, former head of RHS Garden Harlow Carr in Harrogate, said: "With the materials and skills used to create the garden, we will be bringing over 600 years of living history to Chelsea." At Chelsea, Welcome to Yorkshire has previously won one gold medal, four silver medals, one silver gilt medal and five people's choice awards.
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The Metropolitan Police said no access was gained to any Parliament building and the incident lasted approximately 30 seconds. Both youths, who are 15 years old, have been bailed to a date in early May. The boys were arrested at about 14:30 BST on Saturday. The matter is not being treated as terrorist-related.
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Sharapova, the 2004 champion, broke her Romanian opponent in the 10th game of the opening set on Court One. The Russian led 5-0 in the second set and held off a fightback to set up a match with unseeded Zarina Diyas. Venus Williams reached the fourth round for the first time since 2011, while there were also wins for Lucie Safarova and Eastbourne champion Belinda Bencic. The 18-year-old Swiss player is into the last 16 for the first time as she beat American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 7-5 7-5. Czech sixth seed Safarova, the beaten French Open finalist, came from one set down to beat American Sloane Stephens 3-6 6-3 6-1. Australia's 22nd seed Samantha Stosur lost 6-2 6-0 to unseeded American Coco Vandeweghe, despite winning the first two games of the match. Belarus's Victoria Azarenka, the 23rd seed, also advanced into the next round, beating France's Kristina Mladenovic 6-4 6-4. Sharapova has only made it past the last 16 once in the last eight years but told BBC Sport that she expected a successful tournament this time. "I made it more difficult for myself in the first set but I felt good in the second set," said Sharapova. "She was not going to go away so I was happy I was able to finish it off. "You expect to go further and on to better things. As the matches get tougher, you have to raise your game and that's why there's only one champion. "You have to have the belief and I absolutely do. You don't work all these hours in practice to not believe in yourself. I want to be the winner and I will do my best to do so." Teenager Bencic, seeded 30th, trailed 5-1 in the first set against Mattek-Sands before winning the next six games. World number 158 Mattek-Sands, who beat seventh seed Ana Ivanovic in the previous round, could not cause another upset as Bencic set up a match against Azarenka next. Venus Williams, a Wimbledon champion in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008, claimed a routine 6-3 6-2 win over Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic. The American will now play sister Serena after she beat Great Britain's Heather Watson 6-2 4-6 7-5 in a thrilling match on Centre Court. That sets up the 26th career meeting between the sisters and the first at a Grand Slam since Serena won in the 2009 Wimbledon final. Overall, Serena leads 14-11.
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Mozambican Airlines flight TM470 left the capital Maputo bound for Angola on 29 November, but crashed, killing all 33 people all board. The Civil Aviation Institute said the pilot made a "deliberate series of manoeuvres" causing the crash. The pilot's motives are unknown, and the investigation is continuing. The plane went down in heavy rain in Namibia's Bwabwata National Park. But the head of the Civil Aviation Institute, Joao Abreu, told a news conference that the pilot, Hermino dos Santos Fernandes, had a "clear intention" to crash. Dos Santos Fernandes locked himself in the cockpit, and did not allow his co-pilot back inside until moments before the plane hit the ground, Mr Abreu said. "During these actions you can hear low and high-intensity alarm signals and repeated beating against the door with demands to come into the cockpit," he was quoted as saying by state news agency AIM. "The reasons which may have given rise to this behaviour are unknown." Investigations also showed that Dos Santos Fernandes manually changed the aircraft's altitude three times from 11,500 metres (38,000 feet) to 180 metres (592 feet). He also manually altered the aircraft's speed. Earlier this week, Namibian investigators said they had detected "no mechanical malfunction" that could have led to the crash, and the plane was one of the newest in the airline's fleet. The 33 people who died included passengers from Mozambique, Angola, Portugal, Brazil, France and China. Mozambican Airlines is currently banned from airspace in the European Union, along with all other carriers certified in Mozambique, because of safety concerns.
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Barby Dashwood-Morris admitted renovating the 600-year-old property while chairman of Wealden District Council's planning committee. Brighton Magistrates Court heard the work was a "substantial erosion" of history. Her former partner and co-defendant, Alan Proudfoot, was also fined £48,000. The changes to her Hellingly house, which included knocking down a wall and installing windows, were discovered when she tried to sell it. District judge Teresa Szagun said she "intentionally disregarded the requirement for consent - focussing on [her] own needs". Dashwood-Morris had earlier admitted six counts of breaching planning law, while Proudfoot pleaded guilty to four charges of breaching planning regulations. Mitigating, Stephen Whale told magistrates: "There was certainly no intention to commit offences and neither were they reckless." In a statement Dashwood-Morris told the court the pair "strongly believed at the time" the works did "not require authorisation." Michael Sanders, of the Hailsham Historical and Natural History Society, described the changes as "historic vandalism". He added: "We can't have people going around changing things whenever they like. It is very alarming." The interior was filmed for Channel 4 show Double Your House for Half the Money, but it was never aired. Kelvin Williams, the council's head of planning, said: "Owners of historic properties should be aware of their responsibilities to the property and future generations."
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The star was invited to perform the task by the town's MP after an "offensive" tweet on EU referendum night in which she asked, "sorry, but Kettering where are you?" She accepted, but the council was unable to pin her down to the date. The council now says her agent has said Lohan is checking her schedule. Conservative MP Mr Hollobone invited the actress to Kettering after she told millions of her social media followers she had no idea where the Northamptonshire town was. "Everyone knows where Kettering is, it's famous as the home of Weetabix," Mr Hollobone said. Switching on the Christmas lights would "redeem her political reputation", he added. Lohan replied: "Direct message me about your offer. Would be happy to light the Christmas tree in #Kettering." However, it emerged the borough council had been unable to get hold of Lohan's management team and last week Mr Hollobone said: "Lindsay Lohan please get in touch, your public awaits." It appears to have done the trick as her management team has now spoken with the council. "Understandably her schedule is very busy but they are looking to see whether she can make it work," a spokesman said. Lohan emerged as an unlikely EU referendum pundit on results night with a series of social media posts in which she pleaded with Britain not to leave the European Union.
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The frontrunner for the Republican nomination for the November election was speaking to the New York Times. Mr Trump said he would consider pulling out troops from Japan and South Korea if they did not pay the US more. He said he might stop buying oil from Saudi Arabia if it did not send troops to fight so-called Islamic State. Mr Trump insisted he was "not isolationist" but "America First". He said: "We have been disrespected, mocked, and ripped off for many, many years by people that were smarter, shrewder, tougher. "We were the big bully, but we were not smartly led. And we were the big bully who was the big, stupid bully and we were systematically ripped off by everybody." The thrust of Mr Trump's interview concerned the economic cost of US foreign policy. Mr Trump cited the US debt - "soon to be $21tn" (£14.8tn) - and linked it to the fact the US "defended the world". "No matter who it is, we defend everybody. When in doubt, come to the United States. We'll defend you. In some cases free of charge." He said that China had rebuilt itself from money that has "drained out of the United States". "They've done it through monetary manipulation, by devaluations. And very sophisticated. I mean, they're grand chess players at devaluation." He added: "I like China very much, I like Chinese people. I respect the Chinese leaders, but you know China's been taking advantage of us for many, many years and we can't allow it to go on." Mr Trump also cited Japan, South Korea, and nations in the Middle East as not paying their way. Mr Trump said the US was "not being properly reimbursed" for protecting Saudi Arabia. "Without us, Saudi Arabia wouldn't exist for very long. It would be, you know, a catastrophic failure without our protection. "They're a money machine... and yet they don't reimburse us the way we should be reimbursed." He also cited Nato, saying it was "obsolete" as the main international threat now was terrorism. "Nato is something that at the time was excellent. Today, it has to be changed." The US, he added, bore "far too much of the cost of Nato". Mr Trump expressed a similar view about the US funding of the United Nations. He said: "We get nothing out of the United Nations. They don't respect us, they don't do what we want, and yet we fund them disproportionately again." Mr Trump also referred to the criticism he had received for calling Brussels a "hellhole waiting to explode" but said that, after the deadly attacks on Tuesday, he had been proved right. He spoke of the arrest before the attacks of key suspect Salah Abdeslam. Mr Trump, who has said he supports the use of some methods of torture in some cases, said that if Belgian authorities had "immediately subjected him to very serious interrogation - very, very serious - you might have stopped the bombing". Mr Trump also
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Chris Grayling said the plan would be co-ordinated by private and voluntary sector groups who would be paid if re-offending was reduced. The mentors would help with finding housing and training opportunities. Probation officers welcomed the idea but expressed doubt about whether enough mentors could be found. Almost half of adult prisoners are re-convicted within a year of release and, like his predecessor Ken Clarke, Mr Grayling has made tackling reoffending a priority as justice secretary. In his speech on Tuesday, Mr Grayling said he would be expanding the government's use of payment-by-results to organisations which delivered cuts in reoffending. Only those who are jailed for more than a year are currently provided with opportunities to join rehabilitation programmes. The government says it wants all but the highest-risk prisoners to be in programmes by the end of 2015. Mr Grayling said: "When all we do is just take those people, release them onto the streets with £46 in their pockets and no other support, why are we surprised that they reoffend again quickly? "Whether you are the hardest of hard-liners on crime, or the most liberal observer, every single one of us has a vested interest in an enlightened approach to reducing reoffending. We can't just keep recycling people round and round the system. Having a mentor meant that when I got released I knew I had someone to talk to and tell how I felt. He was an ex-prisoner, so he has been through the system himself. He knows what it's like and he knows the struggles. Having someone can show a way to avoid stepping back into the old cycle of going back to committing crimes. It can be really tempting. When you come out there are two roads - the proper road, where you will struggle at first, or you can commit crimes. If you get away with crimes you can afford food and housing. If you don't get away with it you'll get those things supplied anyway because you'll be in prison. It definitely made a difference for me because I looked at my mentor's life, saw how good their life was and thought that if I took their advice my life could be similar. "When someone leaves prison, I want them already to have a mentor in place to help them get their lives back together. I want them to be met at the prison gate, to have a place to live sorted out and above all someone who know where they are, what they are doing, and can be a wise friend to prevent them from reoffending. "Often it will be the former offender gone straight who is best placed to steer the young prisoner back onto the straight and narrow - the former gang member best placed to prevent younger members from rushing straight back to rejoin the gang on the streets. "There are some really good examples out there of organisations making good use of the old lags in stopping the new
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Telecoms firm Total registered the name YourView for one of its online portal products in 2006. A judge ruled that YouView was "confusingly similar" to YourView. Total said it would now apply for an injunction to prevent further use of the YouView brand. YouView said it planned to appeal. In a statement, YouView said: "We maintain there is no confusion between our consumer-facing TV service, YouView, and the business-to-business billing platform, Yourview, provided by Total Ltd." But Total's lawyer Paul Gordon said: "Total's rights were plainly infringed and it had to stand firm against a much larger and better-funded opponent. "The judgment of Mr Justice Sales has vindicated Total's position. It shows that the courts of this country will protect parties against businesses such as YouView who infringe intellectual property rights. "YouView were made well aware of Total's rights before they launched the service under the infringing name yet they chose to launch it under that name regardless." Total added it would now seek an injunction to "prevent any further use of the name YouView, together with financial payment and legal costs". YouView is an internet TV service launched in July 2012 as a joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 - as well as telecoms companies BT, TalkTalk and Arqiva. Lord Sugar was the company's non-executive chairman until he stood down in March 2013. The company says it has more than one million users across the UK, and eventually aims to increase that number to 10 million. The service's working title had been Project Canvas, changing to YouView in September 2010. The name caused early concern - intellectual property lawyers warned that it could be confused with Google's video sharing site YouTube. Legal action from Total to sue YouView was launched in November 2012. On Monday, Mr Justice Sales ruled that the convergence of the telecoms and TV industry - as demonstrated by YouView's backers - risked a "strong likelihood of confusion on the part of the public".
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Rebecca Evans, 27, from Bridgend, was eight months pregnant when she died in the three-car crash near Port Talbot. Their son Cian, two, was airlifted to hospital suffering two broken legs and a fractured skull and husband Alex Evans was also in the car. "I don't have a lot of words to sum up the past week," Mr Evans said. "My life will never be the same again." He thanked the Wales Air Ambulance as Mr Evans insisted "Cian wouldn't be here today" without them. The funeral of Mrs Evans, who was expecting daughter Cari "in a couple of weeks", will be held on Tuesday in the Carmarthenshire village of Penygroes. "Becca was the most special person I've ever met." Mr Evans said in a tribute on Facebook. "She was the most amazing mother to Cian - so loving and thoughtful. "A truly beautiful person, inside and out. I have so many happy memories and I will never forget her." The couple were on their way to work at homeless charity Shelter Cymru when the crash happened. South Wales Police arrested a 50-year-old man from Cardiff on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving before releasing him on bail.
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Staffordshire Police found Mr Bachta lying in All Saints Road, where he lived, at 06:30 BST on Wednesday. He had a stab wound in his neck and later died. Twelve people have now been arrested in connection with the murder inquiry. Police said they were supporting Mr Bachta's family. Staffordshire Police said it arrested five men and one woman on Wednesday. It arrested a further six men earlier, taking the total to 12. Of the 12 arrested, seven remain in custody and five have been released on bail. Those who have been bailed are four men, aged 34, 26, 25 and 26, and a 24-year-old woman. Officers said they had been responding to a report of damage to vehicles on the street when they found the man. A police cordon remains in place on All Saints Road, between Branston Road and Uxbridge Street. Ch Insp Steve Maskrey said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Tomasz at this difficult time and we will ensure they get all the support they need. "An investigation to understand exactly what happened in All Saints Road yesterday morning is ongoing."
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Speculation rose about his whereabouts after a consortium of banks and creditors approached the Supreme Court over $1.4bn (£980m) in unpaid debts. They demanded that his passport be impounded, and a $75m (£53m) severance pay he was to receive from Diageo be blocked and used to repay them. The payout was blocked, but it emerged that Mr Mallya had already left India. The issue caused an uproar in India with opposition MPs accusing the government of allowing the flamboyant businessman to leave the country. But Mr Mallya insisted that he "did not flee from India", and also criticised his "media trial" over the issue. Media reports say Mr Mallya is currently living in London. Opposition MPs have demanded that the government should bring him back to face the law. Mr Mallya, who is a household name in India, sold a large chunk of United Spirits, which he inherited from his father, to Diageo in April 2014. He was to receive the $75m payout as settlement after being ousted from the firm in February. Mr Mallya, once dubbed by Indian media as "India's Richard Branson" and the "King of Good Times" for his lavish lifestyle also owns a stake in the Formula One team Force India.
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The PM's official spokeswoman said it reflected the government's decision to focus on domestic priorities. The deal was to provide a "training needs analysis" for Saudi prison service staff. No 10 stressed pulling out of the deal was unconnected to the case of expat Karl Andree, jailed in Saudi Arabia after being caught with homemade wine. It was thought 74-year-old Mr Andree, who has been in jail for more than a year, was facing 360 lashes but the BBC now understands a flogging was never on the cards. Despite withdrawing from the prison deal, Justice Secretary Michael Gove insisted Britain would maintain its relationship with the country. Answering an urgent question in the Commons, Mr Gove said: "And while we would never compromise on our commitment to human rights, we must also recognise that it's in the interests of the most important human right of all, the right to live in safety and security, that we should continue with necessary security co-operation with the Saudi government and with other governments." The withdrawal follows reports of a cabinet rift on the issue, with Mr Gove said to have angered Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond by seeking to pull the plug. The Times says the justice secretary wanted to pull out of the deal, saying the government should not be assisting a regime that uses beheadings, stoning, crucifixions and lashings to punish its citizens. But Mr Hammond warned that cancelling it would not be in the national interest as it would make Britain appear an untrustworthy ally - and No 10 had sided with him, the paper reports. Downing Street said there would be no financial penalties for pulling out of the bid process. Analysis by Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent Saudi officials say they are baffled by the headlines suggesting that an elderly Briton, Karl Andree, may face flogging for possessing alcohol. They say that was never even a possibility because of his age and ill health. The Saudis are unlikely to be troubled by the cancellation of a very small contract for Britain's Ministry of Justice to give training advice to Saudi prisons - £6m is nothing compared to the multi-billion dollar arms and oil deals regularly concluded with international partners. France today announced a £7bn deal with Saudi Arabia. But what the Saudis dislike intensely is public scrutiny of their much-criticised human rights record. When this escalates into personal intervention by Western leaders, such as David Cameron, it encourages some senior Saudis to look elsewhere for trading partners. The Saudis are fiercely defensive of their justice system, saying its harsh punishments are based on Sharia, Islamic law. But the way justice is meted out is often considered arbitrary, opaque and disproportionate to the offence. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who used his recent conference speech to call for the prisons deal to be scrapped, said the government had been "shamed" into the "U-turn on this terrible contract". "We should be sending a strong message to repressive regimes that the UK is
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"Of course it's a political move," Viktor Shmyrov told the BBC. Perm-36, in Russia's Ural mountains, is the only surviving camp with buildings dating back to the Stalinist terror. A non-governmental group has been managing the museum, but is disbanding after arguments with Perm officials. Millions of Soviet citizens were sent to labour camps in the notorious Gulag system, or shot, during Joseph Stalin's hardline communist rule. The worst repressions took place in the 1930s. Portraits of Stalin - taboo after the scale of his crimes was revealed - have become more common since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Surveys indicate that many Russians now regard Stalin as a hero. Speaking to the BBC by phone, Mr Shmyrov said the local authorities had decided to put their people in place at the camp. "The memorial won't disappear, but the museum has been taken over by other people appointed by the new authorities, who have totally changed the content. Now it's a museum about the camp system, but not about political prisoners. They don't talk about the repressions or about Stalin." Last year the Perm authorities cut off the site's water and electricity, complaining of unpaid bills. Mr Shmyrov said the takeover started in 2013 and triggered protests by thousands of people. He said Perm-36 covered 14,000 sq m (150,000 sq ft), with more than 20 buildings. "It will lose its significance," he said, complaining that now "the museum will be quite different". Up to 3,000 political prisoners were housed there under Stalin, and about 1,000 when Leonid Brezhnev was Soviet leader in the 1970s, he said. The prisoners included nationalists from Ukraine and the Baltic republics, and such nationalists are vilified in Russian state media today. The camp was closed in 1988 and became a museum in 1996. Mr Shmyrov said the takeover by the Perm authorities was less about a rehabilitation of Stalin than "connected with the political situation in the country". "We are already seeing the creation of a Stalinist-type state - enormous power is concentrated in the hands of one man," he said. Under President Vladimir Putin "there is no need now for repressions - the people have become obedient", he said. "The political system is returning to totalitarianism."
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Widely regarded as the third tier of the sport, after the NFL and college leagues, some matches are televised at prime time on Friday nights. But one school from Washington is struggling to get on the pitch, with three successive opponents forfeiting matches against them. The Wildcats from Archbishop Murphy High School (AMHS) won their first three matches this year by a combined score of 170-0. But their next three opponents - South Whidbey, Sultan and Granite Falls - have all refused to face them. AMHS have six players weighing at least 17 stone, including three at more than 21st, and are so dominant staff and parents from other schools are becoming increasingly concerned about player safety. A private Catholic school, AMHS is able to recruit students from a wider catchment area than the local comprehensive schools. "The level of athletes they've been able to bring in on one team doesn't match up with a lot of the teams in our league," said Tim Dennis, head coach of Granite Falls. "It's not that we're afraid to play the game, it's an injury issue." During a tense meeting of parents, players and officials, the mother of one Granite Falls player said: "My 14-year-old son is 5ft 8in and weighs 117 pounds (8st 5lbs). They've got 18-year-old players that are 6ft 5in and weigh 330 pounds (23st 5lbs). "That's like putting a Volkswagen Bug against a truck." But AMHS head coach Jerry Jensen said forfeiting matches did not "ring true" to what schools should be teaching their pupils. "This is their opportunity to face adversity, power through it, and it will serve them well in their life," he said. AMHS play in the Cascade Conference, but there are growing calls for them to play in a higher division.
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Key negotiating blocs, including the G77, and nations such as China and India say they support the proposals. France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the final draft of the agreement aimed to limit warming to "well below 2C". If endorsed, the global climate pact would represent "a historic turning point", said Mr Fabius. Earlier, French President Francois Hollande called the proposal unprecedented. COP 21 Live: Follow events in Paris "The decisive agreement for the planet is here and now,'' Mr Hollande told countries. "France calls upon you to adopt the first universal agreement on climate.'' And UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on world diplomats to "finish the job". "We must protect the planet that sustains us,'' he said. "We need all our hands on deck.'' The support of nations such as China, India and Saudi Arabia will come as a relief to the UN climate conference organisers, says BBC environment correspondent Matt McGrath in Paris. He says these nations, which are part of the Like-Minded Developing Countries group, have been seen as "foot-draggers" at previous UN climate talks. The G77 (made up of more than 130 developing nations) and the EU have also signalled support for the proposals. Nearly 200 countries have been attempting to strike the first climate deal to commit all countries to cut emissions, which would come into being in 2020. The measures in the final draft included: • To peak greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible and achieve a balance between sources and sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century • To keep global temperature increase "well below" 2C (3.6F) and to pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5C • To review progress every five years • $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020, with a commitment to further finance in the future. Hopes are running high for a "historic" deal but countries could still raise objections. The UN summit has gone over time as countries tried to overcome divisions over ambition, money and trust. The spokesman of the UN climate body behind the meeting said positions had "narrowed enormously" ahead of the presentation of the final climate deal draft. WWF-UK chief executive David Nussbaum said there were indications of a clear vision in the strong long-term goal. "The Paris deal is not just about reducing emissions, but also about protecting vulnerable places and people," he said. But Oxfam said the deal was set to short-change the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. Executive Director Helen Szoke said: "Only the vague promise of a new future climate funding target has been made, while the deal does not force countries to cut emissions fast enough to forestall a climate change catastrophe." Prof Corinne Le Quere of the University of East Anglia and director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said while the text recognised the imperatives of the science community to tackle climate change there was still a lot of work ahead to make it
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Meanwhile the US Congress is reviewing the nominations of a series of his top political nominees who are facing their own ethical questions, and concerns continue to swirl around several other high-level advisers. While Mr Trump will dominate the headlines, here's a look at some of the controversies that could dog those poised to serve under him. Walter M Shaub, director of the Office of Government Ethics, has sent a letter to congressional leaders saying that his agency has been overwhelmed by the task of certifying Mr Trump's Cabinet nominees, some of whom have yet to provide investigators with preliminary paperwork. "This schedule has created undue pressure on OGE's staff and agency ethics officials to rush through these important reviews," Shaub wrote. "More significantly, it has left some of the nominees with potentially unknown or unresolved ethics issues shortly before their scheduled hearings." He says he can't recall another time in his office's 40-year history that a hearing has been held before the review process has been completed. Democrats have pointed to the letter as grounds for delaying the series of hearings - six on Wednesday alone - for Mr Trump's nominees. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went so far as to circulate a 2009 letter by then-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell stating that all Obama administration nominees must complete an ethics office review prior to Senate consideration. Mr McConnell has rebuffed postponement requests so far, however. The distress expressed by the ethics office official has exacerbated some of the concerns over a number of top-level Trump appointees who have sprawling financial interests that could lead to conflicts of interest as they pursue their government duties. The review process is intended to identify areas where ethic issues may arise and aid the nominees in taking measures to address them before confirmation. If this process is short-circuited, those problems could instead present themselves after the official is already in office. Although Shaub did not single out anyone by name, among the individuals drawing particular attention are super-wealthy business chieftians Rex Tillerson (State Department), Steven Mnuchin (Treasury), Andrew Puzder (Labour) and Wilbur Ross (Commerce). According to the New York Times, the standard government disclosure forms don't have enough boxes for these billionaire tycoons to list all their financial interests. Details have begun to emerge on Tillerson's agreements with the ethics office, including a liquidation of $50m in personal stock from his employer, ExxonMobil, as well as his holdings in more than 150 other companies. Betsy DeVos, a billionaire Republican activist whom Mr Trump picked for education secretary, was scheduled to appear before a Senate confirmation committee on Wednesday but had yet to detail any potential conflicts of interest with the ethics office. Her appearance has been pushed back to 17 January. Congressman Tom Price, Mr Trump's choice for health and human services secretary, has also been criticised for trading $300,000 in healthcare stocks since 2012 while serving on congressional committees overseeing the healthcare industry. Trump transition officials say he will sell all
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Expecting pupils to go to their local school means poorer children are much less likely to attend high-achieving schools, says the study. It shows that the choice of good schools expands with greater affluence. The "size of your mortgage" should not be the way to allocate school places, say researchers. The study examined how families made choices between state schools - and why children from deprived families were more likely to be concentrated in the worst performing schools. The researchers, from Bristol University's Centre for Market and Public Organisation, Cambridge University and the Institute for Fiscal Studies, found that differences were not the result of wealthier families having better-informed, more strategic school preferences. Instead they found the substantial difference was that wealthier families were more likely to live in areas with more high-achieving schools. Even though poorer families might want to send their child to a school with good results, their choice was limited by a system based on prioritising those living locally. The research used information from the Millennium Cohort Study, which tracks the progress of young people born at the beginning of the new century. The research showed that the link between home address, house prices and the allocation of places allowed wealthy families to ring-fence more of the preferred options. "Different families have different sets of schools to choose from. Richer families choose between schools that have on average much higher grades than poorer families," says the research. Ellen Greaves, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said it was "disappointing" to see how parental choice was restricted by admissions rules based on distance, which meant children's education was "affected by the ability of their parents to move close to their preferred school". This inequality worked on multiple levels. Pupils in poorer areas were likely to have fewer high-performing schools in travelling distance. And within local areas, when individual sought-after schools used distance as a tie-breaker, it meant that wealthier families could afford to buy houses to get nearer to the front of the queue. "Poor parents have fewer high performing schools available to them. This will remain true as long as proximity, and hence the size of your mortgage, determines access to such schools," said Anna Vignoles, professor of education at Cambridge University. But the use of proximity as a way of allocating places is very widespread - and the study noted that the idea of sending children to a local school is well established and popular with many parents, particularly at primary level. Along with comparing academic results, the distance to school is an important factor when parents are making their school preferences. The researchers also noted that using a lottery as an alternative has been widely discussed, but in practice is used infrequently. Admissions system such as banding, designed to get a more varied mix of abilities or from a wider geographical area, are still based to some extent on where people live. Prof Vignoles says that "more imaginative school allocation mechanisms are needed". Simon
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The issue was raised by Labour MP Chris Bryant in the Commons on Thursday who said it was "entirely inappropriate" as it could reveal MPs' home addresses. Details of where MPs travel to and from have been published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. IPSA says MPs will now just be asked for the date, cost and miles travelled. Following a board meeting in the wake of last week's terrorist attack in Westminster, IPSA wrote to MPs: "In light of recent events, we have decided that we will now no longer publish any information about the places MPs travel to or from when they claim mileage. "In addition, we plan no longer to publish MPs' landlords' names. We have never published full addresses. We will look at how we might redact the names of landlords already on our website." Security concerns have grown following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox last year and the terror attack in Westminster on 22 March in which five people, including attacker Khalid Masood, were killed. MPs outside London can claim for journeys between their constituencies and Westminster and all MPs can claim 45p a mile for travel within their constituencies. They have been asked to give the purpose, origin and destination of the journey and distance travelled in miles. But there have been complaints that publishing the start and finish point of regular journeys could allow an MPs' address to be identified, particularly in rural areas with few homes. And Labour's Chris Bryant told MPs in the Commons on Thursday: "IPSA seem absolutely determined that they will publish information regarding MPs which will reveal their home addresses. "I think this is entirely inappropriate and I hope the government will stand ready to legislate if necessary." Commons Leader David Lidington told MPs the matter was "under active review" by IPSA and said: "I would certainly hope that they take action at the IPSA board to ensure that any such material that might identify a member and put a member at risk of possible attack would not be published in future." In updated advice to MPs in February, IPSA said it "redacted all sensitive and personal information" which might threaten MPs' security and advised MPs that they did not have to include postcodes or full addresses. An IPSA spokesman said: "We take the security of MPs, their staff and their families very seriously. We reviewed our publications policy over the summer, and checked it with the police who agreed that it did not put MPs' security at risk. We will always listen to police advice about security matters." But he added that they had reviewed the policy "following the recent tragic events in Westminster". The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority was set up as a response to the MPs' expenses scandal of 2009 - providing greater transparency and replacing the discredited self-regulating expenses system - but has faced criticism from some MPs.
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Ronnie Pickering's expletive-laden rant has been viewed more than a million times since it was uploaded to YouTube. He was filmed asking the rider "do you know who I am?" and challenging him to a "bare-knuckle fight" after being overtaken. According to reports, the 54-year-old grandfather has since apologised. The BBC has approached Mr Pickering for a comment. In the footage, Mr Pickering asks the motorcyclist: "Do you know who I am? You soon will do." The motorcyclist replies: "Do I care? Who are you then?" "Ronnie Pickering", responds Mr Pickering. This particular section of the pair's exchange captured the imagination of social media users, prompting dozens of parodies and tweets. Comedian Jack Whitehall tweeted: "Ronnie Pickering was so angry last night he turned the moon red." While former BBC Two Dragons' Den star Duncan Bannatyne tweeted: "Who is Ronnie Pickering?" But the video met with a mixed response in Mr Pickering's home city of Hull. Ex-Hull City footballer and boxer Curtis Woodhouse tweeted: "Serious question, do you class Ronnie Pickering as a proper world champ? Or just a regular champ? #WBA" Gavin Mellor tweeted: "Don't need City of Culture to put Hull on the map when you've got #ronniepickering" Ashley Brown tweeted: "It's a proud day in Hull as the rest of the country get to meet #RonniePickering" But Alyson Shipley tweeted: "As a resident of Hull I find Ronnie Pickering an utter embarrassment and not a good ambassador for our fine city." Mr Pickering told the Hull Daily Mail, the rider was "baiting me so I thought I would give him a few of my thoughts". Humberside Police said it was investigating the video footage and whether an offence had been committed, but no official complaint has been made.
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Tunisia were 1-0 up when they conceded a controversial penalty in the 91st minute and lost 2-1 after extra-time. "The referee has made a huge error. It's an injustice," said Leekens. "The result was forced. I can't accept it." The country's football chief Wadie Jary has resigned from the Confederation of African Football in protest. Leekens added: "In all my 45 years in football, 15 as a player and 30 as a coach, I've never seen anything like it, the result was forced. I can't accept it." It looked a harsh decision when Mauritian referee Rajindraparsad Seechurn pointed to the penalty spot in stoppage time, ruling that Ali Maaloul had fouled Ivan Bolado. Javier Balboa slotted in the kick and he went on to score the winner with a free-kick from 25 yards in the 102nd minute. "We played a good game, we've worked like mad men, we had a difficult first two weeks and we didn't deserve that," Leekens said after Saturday's match in Bata. "If they had played better than us, then I would accept defeat but I can't in this fashion. "My players gave everything and I am very proud. But I am very, very disappointed, not just for me but for Tunisia and my team. I think we deserved to go through but I wish Equatorial Guinea luck." While many neutrals may sympathise with Tunisia over the penalty awarded against them, the squad's reaction has damaged their reputation. The constant pushing and shoving between both teams that had been a feature of the match spilled over after Balboa converted the controversial spot-kick - within seconds, bottles of water were thrown from the Tunisian bench at their Equatorial Guinea counterparts. The final whistle was met by uglier scenes as at least five North African players chased referee Seechur, who struggled to keep control and had to be protected by security officials as emotions spiralled out of control. "There was a lot of anger because we were disappointed," Tunisia forward Wahbi Khazri told BBC Sport. The referee is the boss on the pitch and if he says it's a penalty, it's a penalty "It's a scandal. The referee won the match and killed the game. It's unacceptable. I think we deserved to win but the referee was better than us today. "When I see things like that, I'm keen to go home. I think we're a long way from modern-day football in Africa." Equatorial Guinea were angered by the post-match focus on the penalty, feeling that the achievement of the tournament outsiders should have been celebrated instead. Ranked 118th in the world by Fifa, Equatorial Guinea - a team that was eliminated from the qualifying campaign last year after fielding an ineligible player - have used their reinstatement as hosts to great advantage. Now a side that agreed to stage the finals in November, after original hosts Morocco pulled out, can claim to be among the best four sides in Africa. "We are so happy to be in
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The pictures, held in three albums, chronicle the construction of the library in the early 1930s and offer a "unique view" of the "huge removal job" which saw one million items successfully moved into the West Road premises. The albums by library staff member Robert George Pilgrim, another created by several members of staff, and a third more formal one donated to the university by the consulting engineer, Burnard Geen, give a detailed image of how the new UL grew up out of necessity and how staff undertook the task of relocating its treasures. They were uncovered by Liam Sims, chief library assistant in the Rare Books Department at the UL, during research into the library's 80th anniversary. He said: "These volumes are so special because they document a very important part of the UL's history. "What makes two of these unique is the fact they are albums created by staff and I cannot think of anything else quite like them in our collections. "They are a window on to a very different but significant time for the library." On 26 July 1934, the contracted porters took the final box of books by horse and cart from "old library" where the tomes had lived for 500 years, to the new building designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The monumental undertaking was captured by Mr Pilgrim, who spent three years painstakingly recording the building of the library. He took more than 100 black and white images of the construction work, captured the moving of books and informal images of staff during their breaks. The academic library, used by scholars from around the world, has the right to hold a copy of every book published and has a history that spans six centuries. Manuscripts were originally kept in chests within the university buildings until, in the 1420s, a place was created for the more than 100 volumes in the collection in the Old Schools. Over time the collection grew, with major additions in the 17th and 18th centuries and by the 19th century new buildings were required to help contain the library. In the 1920s it was noted that the University of Cambridge's old library was in danger of bursting at the seams with its contents occupying 20 miles of shelves, so playing fields belonging to King's and Clare Colleges were eventually chosen as the new site. Mr Sims said Pilgrim's photographs "might not be the work of an expert but his small images show the work in great detail - much more than the more formal images taken for Geen's album, and show details including the preparations for the King's speech to mark the opening of the library. "He must have had privileged access to the site though some of his colleagues might have wondered how much of his work he was getting done during the building, as he took a huge number of photographs." The UL was opened on 22 October 1934 by King George V, who said: "It is
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Writing a letter in the paper to its "treasured" print readers, Amol Rajan acknowledged it was "little comfort" to some the paper will continue online. "Like me you love the rustle and whiff of the paper, the thud on the doormat when it arrives, and the serendipity of each edition," he wrote. On Friday, owners ESI Media announced the paper would stop printing in March. Rajan wrote that to "treasured members of our special club the notion of us focusing on digital doesn't appeal so much". He added it was "very hard" to explain the decision but it was the "least you deserve". "The simple fact is, there just aren't enough people who are prepared to pay for printed news," he wrote. Independent to cease as print edition ESI announced on Friday it would be making "some editorial redundancies" and that the last print edition of the Independent would be published on Saturday 26 March, while the last Independent on Sunday would be on 20 March. It also confirmed it would sell its sister title, i newspaper, to the Johnston Press publishing group, for an expected £24m, subject to approval from Johnston's shareholders. Rajan said money from this sale would be invested in the paper's digital move, adding that many of the paper's writers would continue to write "the same amount of journalism" for the publication's website. The Independent was set up in 1986, and at its peak in 1989 had a circulation of more than 400,000 copies, but December's figures showed it was selling closer to 28,000. Rajan said because circulation and advertising were "very substantially" down the future of the print edition "would inevitably be one of managing decline". He said the paper was read by "millions every day" but these people were doing so through mobile phones and digital networks. Rajan added that the "multimillion pound investment" from the paper's owners, the Lebedev family, would be used to launch a worldwide bureaux and a new subscription mobile app. Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev took control of the loss-making newspapers in 2010 when he bought Independent News for Media for £1.
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Her Majesty wore blue at the State Opening of Parliament but by the time she arrived at the races, she had changed into yellow. William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said his betting firm had taken just 13 bets on yellow. The Queen wore green on Monday, when she attended the opening of the event. Mr Adams said: "After seeing the Queen wear a blue hat for her speech in Parliament, many punters expected her to remain in her clothing for Royal Ascot. "However, they were left disappointed when she was seen in her procession in a yellow hat, the second favourite in our betting." The Queen had to attend the second day of the racing event on Wednesday without the Duke of Edinburgh who was admitted to hospital on Tuesday evening.
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Ms Blake, 43, Zachary, eight, and Amon, four, were found at the family home in Erith, London, on 5 January after being reported missing on 16 December. Arthur Simpson-Kent, 48, entered guilty pleas before Mr Justice Singh at the Old Bailey via video link from Belmarsh prison. Outside court, Ms Blake's sister Ava said the family were "really relieved". Simpson-Kent, a hairdresser, was remanded in custody ahead of a three-day sentencing hearing, starting on 4 October. He was arrested at Heathrow Airport in February after being extradited from Ghana. Ms Blake and her sons died from neck and head injuries, a post-mortem examination found. Their bodies were found buried in the garden of the family home by police after Simpson-Kent had left. Days after the bodies were found, he was arrested on a beach in Ghana by local police. The arrest came after locals recognised him from a photo shared on social media and tipped off the authorities Det Ch Insp Graeme Gwyn said: "Arthur Simpson-Kent has never given a reason as to why he killed Sian, Zachary and Amon in the way that he did. "Sian's close-knit family are devastated by the loss of their much loved sister, daughter and cousin. "The deaths of Zachary and Amon have compounded their grief and they have lost two entire generations of their family to a violent and completely senseless act of murder at the hands of Simpson-Kent." Ms Blake played Frankie Pierre in 56 episodes of EastEnders between 1996 and 1997 and had been living with motor neurone disease before she died. The EastEnders actor appeared in the 1998 film Siberia and TV movie May 33rd in 2004 under her stage name Syan Blake, according to her profile on IMDB. The Met has referred the case to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) over its handling of the investigation. A serious case review is also under way.
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For many parents the thought of their children's personal data being stolen and made available online is the stuff of nightmares. So what exactly is a smart toy and should you be avoiding them in favour of a more traditional stocking filler this year? The Learning Lodge app store - which provides downloads of apps, games, music and books for toys made by VTech - had its database hacked on 14 November. The personal information stolen, which was not encrypted, included names, email addresses, passwords, secret questions and answers for password retrieval, IP addresses, postal addresses, download histories and children's names, genders and birthdates, according to Vtech. It has also been reported that photos, audio files and chatlogs were stolen - something that the firm has not yet confirmed, although it did say that only unsent messages were stored on its servers. The numbers involved are huge - according to Vtech 6.4 million children's accounts were affected and it has now employed a security firm - Mandiant - to look at the damage and fix it. Until then the app store will remain offline. If a toy is labelled "smart" then that probably means it is connected to the internet in some form, whether this be via an app, wi-fi or other method. Security has not traditionally been an area of expertise for most toymakers so combining tech and toys could lead to problems, thinks security expert Ken Munro. "My view is that the internet of toys is currently the Wild West. Every toy we touch we find security bugs with," he said. In January he demonstrated this to the BBC by hacking the software behind Vivid Toy group's conversational doll Cayla, allowing it to say things dolls probably should not say. Despite having an office full of connected toys, he will not be handing any of them over to his children. "Instead of paying £60 or £70 for a child-friendly tablet or device I would just buy a second-hand iPhone where you have the confidence that it has been locked down and is secure," he told the BBC. Hello Barbie, another net-connected toy that can share conversations, games and stories with children, has also been subject to some scrutiny from security experts. Security researcher Matt Jakubowski discovered that conversations with children stored in the cloud can be accessed by others and that the toy can also be used as a surveillance device. The risks of internet-enabled toys don't end with security, thinks activist group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. "Children confide in dolls and reveal intimate details about their lives, but Hello Barbie won't keep those secrets," it said in a statement. "When Barbie's belt buckle is held down, everything your child says is transmitted to cloud servers, where it will be stored and analysed by ToyTalk, Mattel's technology partner." ToyTalk countered that passwords are stored in a hardware-encrypted section of the doll and that no conversation history is stored on the toy. It added that stored data is
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Switzerland's access to millions of euros of EU funding is now at risk. A European Commission spokesman said the Horizon 2020 research programme and Erasmus+ student exchanges were linked to freedom of movement. Switzerland has blocked free access to its employment market for Croatians. Switzerland is not in the EU but more than half of its exports go to the 28-nation bloc and it has adopted large sections of EU policy. Horizon 2020 will provide nearly 80bn euros (£65bn; $110bn) over seven years for research projects in the EU. In the current programme Swiss participants have received more than 1.8bn euros in research grants. The first new grants are to be decided later this year. Erasmus+ has a budget of 14.7bn euros and enables more than four million young Europeans to study and get work experience abroad. Like most EU member states Switzerland is also in the Schengen zone, which enables citizens to cross European borders without passport checks. When Croatia joined the EU last summer Switzerland agreed to grant Croatians the same rights as those enjoyed by other EU workers in Switzerland. But at the weekend Switzerland said the accord could not be signed "in its current form", after an 8 February referendum invalidated the Swiss-EU pact on freedom of movement. Swiss voters narrowly backed a proposal to bring back strict quotas for immigration from EU countries. Referring to Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+, the EU's envoy to Switzerland, Richard Jones, said "there is a link between these agreements and freedom of movement". In a comment to the AFP news agency, EU Commission spokesman Joe Hennon said that "given the circumstances and in the absence of a clear political signal to do so, upcoming negotiation rounds have been postponed until Switzerland signs" the Croatia deal. Last month the EU Science Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn praised Switzerland for its success in winning EU research grants. Ms Geoghegan-Quinn said Swiss research was especially strong in the areas of computer science, health, nanoscience and new production technologies. Although the Swiss economy is booming and unemployment is low, many Swiss worry about the effects of immigration. Geraldine Savary, a senior Swiss parliamentarian and socialist, said suspension of Swiss participation in Horizon 2020 would be a "catastrophe" for the country's research, because Switzerland "receives much more today than it puts in". Speaking to the Swiss public broadcaster RTS, she said that for at least two years "researchers won't be able to submit projects". Swiss scientists in Lausanne and Zurich participating in the EU's Human Brain Project would be among those affected, she warned. Ms Savary is a science specialist in the Council of States, the Swiss upper house. Earlier Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga called Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic to tell her Switzerland would not be able to sign the deal extending the right of free access to Switzerland to the EU's newest member state. Ms Sommaruga also informed Brussels that the agreement needed to be re-examined, her spokesman Philippe Schwander said. The Swiss referendum had
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Bill Hendry, 75, was knocked down in Stockwell Lane, Knaresborough, on 26 February that year. The driver left the scene and Mr Hendry was taken to Harrogate Hospital, where he died later that day. North Yorkshire Police said the man pictured, in the former Chain Lane post office nearby, may have "vital information" about the crash. More stories from across Yorkshire He is described as being of large build, with dark hair and wearing a dark fleece. An appeal for information was made in February on the tenth anniversary of Mr Hendry's death. Det Ch Insp David Ellis said there had been a "good response" to the appeal. "During a very thorough and extensive investigation over the last decade, we've identified and spoken to numerous people who were near the scene on the day Mr Hendry died," he said. "Although the information they've shared hasn't enabled us to find his killer, it has helped build the picture as to what happened. "We'd like to thank the people of Knaresborough for their support and co-operation with this appeal so far and urge anyone who has yet to share information with us - particularly about the identity of the man in the fleece - to get in touch." It is believed the motorist involved in the crash was driving a small car or van at speed when they struck Mr Hendry, before driving off towards Boroughbridge Road.
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The photograph was taken by Fran Hockley, 29, of Stackpole, when she was diving off the coast of Skomer Island. It was highly commended in the British Sub-Aqua Club's (BSAC) nationwide Great British Diving photography competition. Ms Hockley said it was a "really lucky shot" but she was "delighted" with the recognition. "There were lots of mums with their pups playing around and I took a few shots, but it wasn't until I got home that I realised how well this one had come out," she said. About 340 photographs were entered into the competition and more than 2,300 people voted for the best image.
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But rather than simply signalling the end of big cultural projects in the region, can financial constraints herald the beginning of a new perspective on culture? Even Saudi Arabia and its high-profile projects have been badly hit. Ambitious architectural plans such as the King Abdullah Centre for World Culture, under construction close to the spot where oil was first produced for commercial export, remain unfinished almost eight years after the first stone was laid. Owner Saudi Aramco, the state's giant oil company, is considering floating shares on the stock market to raise money with some suggesting that, like other construction projects on hold, the slide in oil prices is affecting completion and also the stocking of the integral museum and galleries. Designed by Norwegian architects Snohetta, the centre would include the Kingdom's first cinema. Often referred to as the movers and sheikhas of the art world, Gulf women have been developing their own approach to culture, devising initiatives with private companies and seeking sponsorship outside the government. Sheikha Mai Al Khalifa, Director of the Authority for Culture in Bahrain, has protection of heritage in her sights, making restoration a priority. Such women are often more appreciated abroad where female empowerment is an everyday phenomenon and conservation of significant buildings the norm. The notion of soft, Gulf "girl power" is taking root as budgets are cut ever more deeply. Fierce cultural competition between Gulf states that led to the likes of the extravagant Saadiyat Island, off the coast of Abu Dhabi, is gradually being replaced by smaller-scale projects - such as the renovation and preservation of modest, pre-oil architecture. Once the economic bedrock of the island of Muharraq, the pearl was ousted by the oil economy. Now it is taking centre stage again as a designated route - a road that leads through Muharraq. The buildings that line it that were associated with the pearling trade and two oyster beds became an important part of cultural tourism. As well as keeping old skills alive through authentic restoration, the commercial sector is taking note of this model of investment in culture with its potential for profit. Expanding the idea of art beyond the confines of the museum or gallery, innovative new ways of broadening the appeal of art are helping to make it accessible to a wider public. One of the latest trends is cooking, with the arrival of the first celebrity Gulf male chef - but working alongside an artist. The kitchen in the Gulf is viewed as female-only territory but linking art and food in a novel combination has encouraged a masculine presence. The latest Bahrain Fine Arts Society exhibition paired chefs and artists to create a food and art collaboration, each craft inspiring the other. This initiative is changing the perception of art, replacing the old idea that museums are mainly vanity projects. Notorious for the opulence of its feasts - and amount of waste - the Gulf is being challenged to recycle, downscale and become sensitised by Gulf
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Ryan Webster, of Aberdeen, James Mackie, of Inverness, and Scott Hunter, of Bathgate, took up road cycling and signed up to do 150 miles for the Men United prostate cancer event. Their padlocked bikes were stolen the day after the event, outside King's Cross St Pancras station in London. They have now launched an appeal to raise £2,500 to buy replacements. This is to allow them to continue to support various charities. Mr Webster and Mr Hunter, both 28, and 30-year-old Mr Mackie bought the bikes earlier this year. The charity cycle at the weekend took them from the Olympic Velodrome to Harwich ferry port, and then to the Netherlands to reach Amsterdam. Mr Webster told BBC Scotland: "We have all had someone affected by cancer so it was a cause close to us all. "We were buzzing, we had raised more than our target. "But when we came back to the station on Sunday and the bikes were gone it was such a drop in feeling. We had thought they were secure. "And the CCTV at the spot was facing the wrong way. "The plan was to keep on cycling in future and raise more money for charity."
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The galaxy NGC 1277, just a quarter the size of our own Milky Way, hosts a black hole 4,000 times larger than the one at the Milky Way's centre. A report in Nature shows it has a mass some 17 billion times that of our Sun. The surprise finding is hard to reconcile with existing models of black hole growth, which hold that they evolve in tandem with host galaxies. Getting to grips with just how large black holes are is a tricky business - after all, since they swallow light in their vicinities, they cannot be seen. Instead, astronomers measure the black holes' "sphere of influence" - the gravitational effects they have on surrounding gas and stars. In the Milky Way, it is possible to observe individual stars as they orbit Sagittarius A*, our own local black hole, to guess its mass. But for the 100 or so far more distant black holes whose masses have been estimated, astronomers have made average measurements of associated stars' speeds - their "velocity dispersion". On a hunt for the Universe's largest black holes, astronomers using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope in the US state of Texas undertook a survey that brought in a haul of nearly 900 host galaxies. But Remco van den Bosch, then at the University of Texas at Austin, and his colleagues were surprised to find that some of the largest black holes were to be found in small galaxies. Among them was NGC 1277, 220 million light years away in the constellation Perseus, which happens to appear also in a high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope image, helping the researchers to refine their computer models. "We make a model of the galaxy and compute all the possible stellar orbits," Dr Van den Bosch, who is now at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, explained to BBC News. Could you survive falling into one? "Like a big jigsaw, we try to put those orbits together to reproduce that galaxy so it has the same stellar velocities we measure. " What the team found was that the NGC 1277 black hole was enormous - as large as our Solar System, and comprising some 14% of the entire galaxy's mass. "The only way to you can actually make those high dispersions in the centre is by having that really big black hole, there's really no other way around it," Dr Van den Bosch said. What is more, the team have five other small-galaxy candidates that, with the help of more data, could disprove the rule that big black holes only happen in big galaxies. But NGC 1277 is stranger still, and could help advance our theories of how black holes evolve in the first place. "This galaxy seems to be very old," Dr Van den Bosch said. "So somehow this black hole grew very quickly a long time ago, but since then that galaxy has been sitting there not forming any new stars or anything else. "We're trying to figure out how this
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The Red Devils were the better of two sides desperately out of form and in Collins had their match-winner. Crewe, under the spotlight for off-the-pitch headlines, are fighting to keep skipper Ryan Lowe from taking up the offer of a coaching post at Bury. The veteran striker was included in the starting XI, but it was Crawley who posed most of the threat. Josh Payne fizzed a low 20-yard drive past the post before some poor control by Perry Ng allowed a routine cross to drop into the path of Collins, who lashed home the 21st-minute opener. Enzio Boldewjin spurned a great chance to extend Crawley's lead six minutes before the break when he shot straight at Ben Garratt. Crewe improved marginally after the restart with Danny Hollands firing over and Chris Dagnall going close. But they lacked a frontman of the calibre of Collins whose intelligent cut-back set up winger Jordan Roberts for a first-time shot which was drilled inches past the far corner. And the former Shrewsbury and Swindon striker collected his second in the 76th minute after Garratt's loose pass out from the six-yard box was seized on by Billy Clifford who cut the ball back for Collins to sweep home. Report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Crewe Alexandra 0, Crawley Town 2. Second Half ends, Crewe Alexandra 0, Crawley Town 2. Harry Davis (Crewe Alexandra) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Billy Clifford (Crawley Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Harry Davis (Crewe Alexandra). Attempt missed. Billy Clifford (Crawley Town) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Attempt blocked. James Collins (Crawley Town) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Jimmy Smith. Attempt blocked. Perry Ng (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Foul by Adi Yussuf (Crawley Town). Perry Ng (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Adi Yussuf (Crawley Town) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra). Attempt missed. Chris Dagnall (Crewe Alexandra) header from very close range is just a bit too high. Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Ben Nugent replaces Danny Hollands. Substitution, Crawley Town. Adi Yussuf replaces Jordan Roberts. Attempt saved. George Cooper (Crewe Alexandra) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Substitution, Crewe Alexandra. Charlie Kirk replaces James Jones. Corner, Crewe Alexandra. Conceded by Andre Blackman. Jordan Roberts (Crawley Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Perry Ng (Crewe Alexandra). Bobson Bawling (Crawley Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Oliver Turton (Crewe Alexandra). Foul by Josh Payne (Crawley Town). Danny Hollands (Crewe Alexandra) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Goal! Crewe Alexandra 0, Crawley Town 2. James Collins (Crawley Town) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Billy Clifford.
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Pte Cheryl James was found dead from a bullet wound to her head at the Surrey barracks in 1995. Former staff sergeant Terence McEleavey said he raised concerns about the suicide theory but was told to keep quiet and think about "pension time". He said the area around the body was not preserved as it should have been. The 18-year-old from Llangollen in Denbighshire was one of four recruits to die at the base in seven years. Mr McEleavey told the hearing in Woking he was asked to identify Pte James's body, which was just inside the tree line close to one of the camp's entry gates and had been covered by a groundsheet. "I was a bit peeved with it really," he said. "There was too much activity around there." Mr McEleavey said: "They found a (bullet) case on the left-hand side of the body. It was as if they'd already made up their mind that it was a suicide and they were just walking around." But describing how he saw Pte James's body lying face down with a gun nearby, he added: "It just struck me as odd that the weapon was away from the body. "My initial thoughts were that there's no way she would have taken her own life. "She wasn't depressed or anything like that. She was just her normal, happy self." He said she had been excited about getting a posting to Germany. He also said the position of the gun later stuck in his mind and he added: "It was away from the body as if it was laid there." Who were the Deepcut four? Background to the deaths and timeline of events Mr McEleavey told the inquest senior officers directed him on how to answer in interviews and he was told that if he did not have any positive evidence he should keep it to himself. "It was along the lines of, 'you're coming to the end of your career, think about pension time'," he said. A former GP working at Deepcut told the inquest there were "all sorts" of welfare issues among recruits and an increasing number of young female soldiers came to her surgery for the morning-after pill or abortions. But Dr Alexandra McClenahan said Pte James appeared to have no mental health problems or related concerns. "She struck me as a lovely, bubbly girl and was obviously keen to get posted out of Deepcut," she said. The first inquest into Pte James's death in December 1995 recorded an open verdict. This second inquest was ordered after High Court judges quashed the original findings. The hearing continues.
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The most-watched launch in the show's history, it beat ITV's X Factor, which attracted an average audience of 7.5 million later in the evening. The show paired 15 celebrities with the professional dancers who will train them for the next three weeks. It also saw dancer Ola Jordan suffer an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. The Pole was paired with former athlete Iwan Thomas, who hoisted her awkwardly into the air in celebration. "In this one second, he ripped my skirt, broke my nail and my boobs popped out," Jordan later revealed on Twitter. Jordan, who is married to former Strictly professional dancer James Jordan, has only recently recovered from a knee injury from competing in the Channel 4 skiing series The Jump. There had been doubts over whether she could dance again. The return of Strictly also featured the return of last year's winners Caroline Flack and her partner Pasha Kovalev, who reprised their semi-final Salsa, which received a perfect score from the judges. Singer Jess Glynne also performed her number one single, Hold My Hand, while the class of 2015 performed their first group number. A peak audience of 9.7 million was watching at 20:10 BST, as BBC Breakfast presenter Carol Kirkwood learned Kovalev would be her professional partner. The show overlapped by 20 minutes with its ITV rival, which may have contributed to X Factor's lower average ratings. The line-up of celebrities and dancers now looks like this: Strictly now takes a three-week break as the stars learn the basics of ballroom and top up their fake tans. It returns with a double live episode on 25 and 26 September.
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The 31-year-old, who began his career at the Priestfield Stadium, was named in the squad for their League One match at Southend on Saturday. Crofts earned a recall to the Wales squad for their upcoming friendlies against Northern Ireland and Ukraine. He has made 18 appearances for Albion this season, but has not featured for Chris Hughton's side since February. The loan deal has a 28-day recall option between the two clubs. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.
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He has no plan and has "not reached out to us once", said the party's Senate leader, Chuck Schumer. President Trump struck an unusually optimistic tone in his first address to both legislative chambers. He has had a bumpy first 40 days in office, firing a top aide and having his travel ban halted by the courts. On Tuesday night, he said the time for "trivial fights" was over and urged the two parties sitting in front of him to come together to solve the nation's problems. But Mr Schumer listed a number of issues where the president was unwilling, in his view, to compromise or hear their side. On the Affordable Care Act, for instance, he said his party was willing to work on making the law better, but Mr Trump would consider only repeal. And Mr Schumer said the Democrats had sent the president a plan on improving the country's infrastructure but had not heard back. "The speech and reality have never been more detached in a presidential speech," he said. The Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said "all they have is rhetoric - we don't have any reality in terms of any legislation". Mr Trump was also criticised by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for saying the violence in the city was "unacceptable". Previously, the president has blamed poor leadership in the city for the high murder rate, and said he would "love to help them". But after the speech, Mr Emanuel said he had "repeatedly" requested help from the Trump government for better partnerships and more funding for mentoring and after-school programmes, but had never heard back. Republicans were largely happy with the speech, in which the president looked forward to a "new chapter of American greatness". In other speech highlights, Mr Trump: White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer described it as a "big night" and Mr Trump himself simply tweeted: "THANK YOU!" "What the American people saw last night is the president that I serve with every day," said Vice-President Mike Pence. "Broad shoulders, big heart, reaching out, focusing on the future." The White House had briefed journalists earlier in the day that the president might compromise on his hallmark issue, immigration, by being open to granting legal status to undocumented immigrants. But there was no mention of that policy shift in his speech.
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