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Evaluation on the Hub 34

NASUWT members in Derry City, Strabane, Mid Ulster, Fermanagh and Omagh council areas will strike on 31 January. The union's teachers in Belfast and Newtownabbey staged a strike on 30 November closing a number of schools. Members of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) are also due to stage a half-day strike on 18 January. In October, all teaching unions in Northern Ireland rejected an offer that would have seen their pay frozen last year and a rise of 1% for 2016-17. NASUWT regretted the further action, but had no choice but to take it, said its general secretary, Chris Keates. "Strike action can be avoided if there is an improvement on the 0% pay award for 2015/16 and a genuine commitment to meet with the NASUWT to seek to resolve our trade dispute," she said. The union's official in Northern Ireland, Justin McCamphill, said the strike was the responsibility of the education minister, Peter Weir, and the teaching employers. "Parents will also recognise that unless teachers are recognised and rewarded as highly-skilled professionals and have working conditions which free them to focus on teaching and learning, there will be a long-term detrimental impact on the quality of education provision for their children," he said. However, members of two other teaching unions, the Ulster Teachers' Union (UTU) and Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), have voted not to strike. Instead they are taking action short of a strike including non-co-operation with school inspections by the ETI. Peter Weir has previously called the strike action "futile" and urged the unions to negotiate pay settlements for the years ahead. The unions are due to meet the teaching employers again for talks on 12 January.

Teachers belonging to the National Association of Schoolmasters and Women Teachers are to stage a one-day strike over pay, workload and job insecurity.

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She became Kenya's first high-profile athlete to fail a test, when she tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in September. Jeptoo, 33, says she may have been prescribed some banned substances at a local hospital after a road accident. She has become the 45th Kenyan athlete to have failed a doping test. David Rudisha, the Olympic 800 metres champion, said he fears for Kenya's hard-won reputation after repeat allegations of doping. "Athletics Kenya followed due process in her matter and it was appropriate that she serves a two-year ban," said the governing body's chief executive Isaac Kamande. The ban comes only a few days after Athletics Kenya announced that eight more Kenyan athletes have been suspended for between one to four years for taking performance-enhancing drugs. Over the last two years Kenya has been in the spotlight after a German television programme claimed that many Kenyan athletes are doping. Jeptoo, one of most successful runners in Kenyan history, was due to be crowned world Marathon Major Champion for the year 2014 but the ceremony was called off soon after news of her failed test. She has won the previous three Boston and two Chicago marathons and also previously won the Stockholm, Paris, Milan and Lisbon marathons.

Kenya's Rita Jeptoo, winner of the Boston and Chicago marathons, has been banned for two years after failing a drugs test.

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We look at a new gadget which helps blind and visually impaired people read text and recognise faces, we talk to a tech giant about its progress in making software more accessible, and we ask what role AI could play in opening up technology for everyone. We are joined on the show this week by Johny Cassidy, a producer in the BBC's Economics Unit who has masterminded the Disability Works series across our TV, radio and web output this week. Johny lost his sight as a teenager and for the programme he tried out a new gadget called Orcam. It consists of a camera which you clip onto a standard pair of glasses and a separate unit which provides an audio description of what the device is seeing. The idea is that you can point it at text and it will read it or it can be programmed to recognise faces. This was the feature which worked best - it quickly recognised me and producer Jat Gill when we stood next to each other, reading our names out to Johny. This impressed him, but the text readout proved very clunky and slow. Johny showed us the technology he uses every day to work on a computer, a screen reader system which allows him to sort through his emails and scan online articles at breakneck speed. It seems evident that Orcam, priced at a hefty £2300, is trying to solve a problem that is already being addressed far more efficiently in software - but perhaps it will improve over time. When he took over as chief executive of Microsoft, Satya Nadella made it clear that accessibility was going to be a priority - an admission perhaps that the company hadn't been moving quickly enough. Key to that was the appointment of a new chief accessibility officer Jenny Lay-Flurrie. She tells us that, with an unemployment rate for people with disabilities in the United States twice the average, there is much to be done. The screen reading technology which we saw demonstrated by Johny Cassidy is going to get more upgrades and she described an accessibility checker built into Office that allows users to check that the documents or presentations they send can be read by anybody. Jenny, who is profoundly deaf, talked to us in our London studio from the West Coast of the United States and I was curious about how that worked. She explained that a colleague was listening into the call from another part of the US and sending her the text of my questions. At the moment, she has an interpreter who often accompanies her to meetings, but she's trying out new technology such as real-time captioning in Skype. And she points out that some ideas you might think were developed for people with disabilities, like subtitling on web videos, are now being used by everyone. Much of the progress made recently in artificial intelligence has been about teaching computers to see, hear and understand in the same way as humans do. That is changing the way we all interact with computers - we can talk to them, and they are beginning to understand our facial expressions, making them more accessible to everyone. That is the message we hear from IBM's Dr Guru Banavar, the man guiding the Watson AI project. "That's going to be the game changer with AI," he says. "Machines have to be natural with people see and hear like people do." Technology used to be a big barrier for disabled people hoping to thrive in the workplace - but in the future it could augment human capabilities, making working life easier for everyone.

This week we devote the whole of Tech Tent to a special programme on assistive technology - that's tech to help disabled people take advantage of all the advances we've seen in recent years.

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The end-of-season event gets under way on Sunday, with more than 250,000 spectators expected across eight days. Security is under review but the same measures are in place as last year, when the venue was on high alert. Jamie Murray opens play at the O2 Arena alongside doubles partner John Peers at 12:00 GMT on Sunday. "It's obviously a terrible thing that's happened," said Murray. "It's affected so many people and I guess there are a lot of shockwaves around the world that something like that can happen." At least 128 people were killed in attacks carried out by eight gunmen and suicide bombers in the French capital. Mahut, 33, and Herbert, 24, are making their debuts at the season finale for the best eight teams in the world. They will play Croatia's Ivan Dodig and Brazilian Marcelo Melo in their opening match at 18:00 on Monday, and hope to reflect events in their home country. "We are discussing with the ATP to do something, at least to wear something on the shirt," said Mahut, who lives in Paris. "We didn't talk with the other players but I'm sure they will do something. That is the only thing we can do and have a thought for the families, and let the politicians do what they have to do." The ATP confirmed "enhanced security" is in place and preparations continue as normal, reminding spectators that bag searches will be in place and no food or drink can be taken into the O2 Arena. The French pair watched events unfold on television in London and Herbert said they were "still in shock" on Saturday. "Right now are thoughts are with the victims, the families and the guys fighting to get peace and Paris secure again," he said. Having confirmed that his friends and family - who live in Strasbourg - were safe, he added: "I'm one of the lucky people, but it doesn't matter because I feel really, really touched by what is happening right now in France. "When it happens in your country I think the feeling is even worse. I mean, I'm scared right now. "Yesterday we were quite happy, it's the first time for us here working in a kind of euphoria, and then you get a message, a call, and from one second to the other you're scared, you feel bad about what happened in France. "Right now it's tough to realise because I think we're still in shock and afraid of what's happening." While the pair still plan to play in London, Mahut said "tennis comes second now" after confirming his friends and family were also safe. He said: "Of course we were scared but I think that's what they want. "It's not easy to talk about what happened right now. I just talked to the family and friends - I had some friends who were having dinner in the Bataclan area last night. "At this moment we should be having fun playing the World Tour finals but today it's really complicated for us." The World Tour Finals is the season finale for both singles and doubles, with world number one Novak Djokovic taking on Japan's Kei Nishikori at 14:00 GMT on Sunday, followed by Roger Federer against Tomas Berdych at 20:00.

French duo Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert plan to pay tribute to victims of the Paris attacks during the ATP World Tour Finals in London.

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Hannah Miley, Camilla Hattersley, Robbie Renwick, Ross Murdoch, Stephen Milne, Dan Wallace, Duncan Scott and Craig Benson will travel to Brazil. It means that Scottish swimmers make up 31% of the Team GB swim team for Rio. Wallace, a wildcard pick after falling short of the qualifying standard, Murdoch, Scott, Milne and Hattersley will be making their Olympic debuts. But, as expected, there is no place for Michael Jamieson, the 27-year-old who won a silver medal in the 200m breaststroke at the 2012 Olympics in London and had moved back to Edinburgh in a bid to make the team. Renwick and Miley will be competing in their third Olympics. Miley, who competed in Beijing and London, said: "It's quite hard to put into words what it feels like to be selected for my third Olympics. "I still love my sport as much as I've always done and to reach my third Olympics just highlights the dedication that me and my family have put into the sport." "It's another fantastic opportunity to put myself out there against the very best in the world - in the biggest event in the world - and hopefully I can come out on top." The 26-year-old, from the Garioch club, is hopeful of winning her first Olympic medal. "I feel a lot more confident, centred and happy this time around," said Miley. "My previous experiences have been great in Beijing and London, but I feel different heading into Rio and I'm confident that will help me to perform. "I'm more mature and more experienced and I'll approach this one differently to the previous two." Murdoch will swim in the 100m breaststroke after failing to qualify for the more favoured 200m event. "It's bittersweet I didn't qualify in that event I was very close to but I was touched out by my team-mate Craig Benson, who I can say I'm absolutely delighted for," said Murdoch. This will be Murdoch's first appearance at an Olympic Games - but after winning bronze in the 100m breaststroke at the recent World Championships in Russia he's aiming high in Rio. "The time that I swam during the trials would be good enough to qualify for every Olympics final in history," he explained. "As I showed from Kazan all you need is a lane and I was in lane eight and I managed to get myself a bronze medal so at the minute my focus is to get myself through the rounds as easy as possible, get myself into an Olympic final and then anything can happen. "I'm really, really please to be selected as part of Team GB for this summer. It's a bit of relief for me as I made the consideration time not the outright qualifying time. I was pretty confident I would go, but now I know." Renwick will also be eyeing a medal having won gold as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team at the World Championships. For Stirling University team-mate Benson, it is a second Olympics having been the youngest member of the GB team in 2012.

Eight Scots have been named in the British swimming team for this summer's Olympic Games.

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Members were unable to reach a compromise after eight hours of talks. The committee had considered plans - backed by deputy Leader Tom Watson - to reinstate elections to the shadow cabinet. Since 2011, the party leader has selected his own top team. Mr Watson said the proposal could help Labour "put the band back together" for a possible early election. A proposal to decide on the details of the plan ahead of Saturday's leadership election result was voted down, by 16 votes to 15. Mr Corbyn was among those to vote against it, but did agree to further talks with Mr Watson and other senior figures before the next NEC meeting this weekend, at the party's conference in Liverpool. Mr Watson said afterwards that it was a "very positive meeting". He added: "We agreed 22 changes to our rules and guidance, all sorts of positive things I'm sure the media will be really interested in." Many MPs see elections as a way of constraining Mr Corbyn, should he be re-elected as leader, and ensuring a balance of opinion at Labour's top table. Supporters of Mr Corbyn say any plan should call for party members and activists to also have a say in any elections. The Labour leader has said there is a "thirst for democracy" in the party and he backs a "widening of the franchise". Mr Watson also called for Labour's leadership election rules to be changed to exclude registered supporters who pay a one-off fee to vote. He described their participation as "unpopular" and suggested a return to a franchise of party members, trade unionists and MPs. In last year's contest, 84% of the 105,598 registered supporters who paid £3 to vote backed Jeremy Corbyn. This time around, they were asked to pay £25 to take part. Despite the increased fee, 129,000 people are thought to have applied successfully for a one-off vote in the contest between Mr Corbyn and his challenger Owen Smith - the result of which will be announced on Saturday. Registered supporters were given a say in the choice of leader as a result of changes brought in by Ed Miliband, and approved by the party in 2013, designed to open up the process to a wider audience. Critics have said it allowed the leadership election to be hijacked by far-left groups with their own agenda - although Mr Corbyn easily won the most support among all groups - including party members, trade unionists and other affiliated supporters. Mr Watson, who himself was elected deputy leader last year using the same franchise, said the reforms had been "rushed" and "unpopular". He suggested a return to the previous system used to elect Mr Miliband and his predecessors - in which voting was limited to an electoral college of party members, trade unionists, affiliate supporters and elected representatives of the party. "We created a new category of member - a registered supporter - that was pretty unpopular in all sections. We want to remove that and we want also want to enfranchise ordinary trade unionists in the process," he said. Mr Watson said he did not want the changes to be seen as a threat to Mr Corbyn and suggested they would only apply after he stood down, whenever that may be. But the BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said the move would be seen as an attempt to make it much harder for a left winger like Mr Corbyn to be elected. Arriving at the NEC meeting in central London earlier, veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner accused the media of "trying to get rid of" Mr Corbyn.

Labour has failed to agree on how to form its shadow cabinet at a meeting of its national executive committee.

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If you were sold PPI via your credit card then the differences can amount to thousands of pounds. This is because of the way some credit card providers interpret the regulatory guidelines. "It's becoming a bit of a lottery," personal finance expert Jonquil Lowe told BBC Radio 4's Moneybox programme. "The amount of redress you get depends on which provider you happen to have your credit card with," said Ms Lowe, who is a lecturer in personal finance at the Open University. These differences emerged last year when Martin Baker, managing director of the Swindon-based claims management company Renaissance Easy Claim, began challenging redress offers from MBNA, an American-based credit card provider whose cards are extensively marketed in the UK. Mr Baker noticed that MBNA's compensation offers to his clients appeared to be significantly lower than he would have expected from the high street banks. One client, Mark Pascoe, was offered £5,800 in compensation by MBNA. Had his card been with a high street bank, Mr Baker estimates he would have received more than £13,000. Mr Baker now has around 1,000 MBNA compensation clients on his books. "In a sample of our cases," Mr Baker told the BBC's Moneybox programme, "we found 80% were due more if MBNA paid according to the way the high street banks pay." On average, MBNA's redress offers amount to around half what high street banks would award on the same credit card history, he said. Capital One, another American credit card provider, "adopts a very similar approach to MBNA, with similar results," said Mr Baker. So how do such differences arise? When compensating for mis-sold PPI, regulators require card providers to put customers back into the financial position they would have been in if they had never had PPI at all. Each card provider is free to establish its own methodology for calculating redress, within overall regulatory guidelines. A key difference arises when a cardholder occasionally pays off their monthly card balance in full. To calculate the compensation owing, banks have to reconstruct a customer's credit card history, removing mis-sold PPI premiums, fees and charges that premiums triggered - for exceeding a card's credit limit, for example - and any interest charged on those payments. With these PPI charges removed the monthly amounts owing are lower. So when card-holders pay off what was their original monthly balance - they have overpaid according to their reconstructed card history. The differing treatment of such overpayments is a major cause of the differences in compensation offers, argues Martin Baker. While high street banks treat an overpayment as a temporary credit to be set against future spending on a customer's card - MBNA and Capital One treat it as a permanent loan from the customer to themselves lasting for the lifetime of the card, he says. It may sound a technicality, but it can have a significant impact on compensation. Because while regulators require card providers to pay customers 8% interest on such loans, that's far less than the amount MBNA and Capital One charge customers on their card borrowings. Martin Baker describes this as a "systemic flaw" in MBNA and Capital One's methodology. Earlier this year, the BBC asked regulators if they thought MBNA and Capital One's methodologies fell within the official rules and guidelines. The Financial Conduct Authority told the BBC they did not accept that there was "a systemic flaw" in the calculations. The Financial Ombudsman said in the cases they were seeing, "card providers were fairly compensating consumers, taking into account the FCA's guidance and the Ombudsman's approach". To work out how two such very different compensation methodologies could both seemingly be deemed acceptable by regulators, Moneybox commissioned an independent review of MBNA's calculations from the Open University's Jonquil Lowe. After a detailed analysis of MBNA's methodology Ms Lowe found it differed substantially from the regulatory guidance most banks follow. How much difference that makes to compensation, she says, will vary from case to case. Ms Lowe says regulatory guidelines do allow banks to make assumptions about what customers might have done had they not had PPI on their credit cards which include assumptions about how banks treat overpayments in their card reconstructions. But because these assumptions can have so big an impact on compensation over time, Ms Lowe says they need careful monitoring. "If an alternative method is used, it has to be appropriate and fair, given the individual circumstances of the case. "The onus has to be on MBNA to say why its method is fairer and more appropriate than the method set out by the regulator and used, in most cases, by the Ombudsman." Both MBNA and Capital One declined to be interviewed by the BBC, or to say why they claim the assumptions in their calculations are appropriate. In a statement, MBNA said its calculations were developed in line with the FCA's guidance, and based on how the Financial Ombudsman would expect them to look at individual cases. Of Jonquil Lowe's conclusions it said: "Jonquil Lowe's report sets out how she assumes the FOS might deal with MBNA's cases, based on her theoretical interpretation of general guidance. Our aim is to put customers back in the situation they would have been in, had they not taken a PPI product." Capital One said it assessed every case on its individual circumstances and is in frequent contact with the Financial Ombudsman Service to ensure its calculations were "fair and accurate". Meanwhile, regulators continue to stress that any customer who is unhappy with a redress offer can always appeal to the Financial Ombudsman for a ruling. Given the complexity of the calculations behind the offers, however, Jonquil Lowe doubts the practicality of that advice. "It took me 80 hours to unravel what was going on [and] I've got a lot of technical expertise. "The average consumer could not, I think, reconstruct their accounts in the way that I have done. Not least because the information they get along with their redress is usually not detailed enough for them to be able to make that kind of check. "It is extremely hard for consumers to know whether they had a fair redress, or not." With that in mind, Andrew Tyrie MP, the newly re-elected Chair of the influential House of Commons Treasury Select Committee said: "We'll actually be keeping a very close eye on this in the weeks and months ahead. "We've been working very hard to get a decent level of address on PPI for a long time and we're certainly not going to let go of the subject until we're satisfied a correct and decent amount of compensation is being paid."

People who were mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) can receive widely differing compensation, a BBC investigation has found.

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The money for Bridgwater Community Hospital is part of the coalition's £330m investment for new NHS facilities across England. Once built, the new hospital will have 30 inpatient beds, a midwifery-led maternity unit, a minor injury unit and X-ray and space for mobile scanners. The current hospital was built in 1813, but it has become cramped and outdated. The total cost of the project is £33m and the remaining balance will be paid for by NHS Somerset and Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Matron Sue Taylor said: "It's very old and in the summer it's very, very hot. In the winter it's quite cold, there's lots of maintenance, lots of running repairs - it's a poor old tired building now. "Sometimes your environment can have such an impact when you're trying to recover from an illness - we make the best of what we've got but when you walk into a new build it just lifts you and gives you that feeling of well-being. "There is a real lovely feel about this hospital and for many years it's served us well, but we need something more modern." In the past five years, three out of Somerset's 13 community hospitals have been replaced. Work has also got under way on the new Jubilee Building at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton. Dr Donal Hynes, a Bridgwater GP and medical director at Somerset Primary Care Trust, said: "It will make a huge difference for me and my relationship with my patients. "This is a great vote of confidence of the developments that have been achieved in Somerset where GPs, nurses, and therapists have got together to deliver a whole package of care that can be delivered in a one-stop shop setting." Somerset PCT hopes to build the new hospital on land at Bowers Lane, which will depend on planning permission. The aim is to get the hospital finished by autumn 2014.

A community hospital in Somerset is to be replaced and rebuilt with a £16m grant from the government.

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The building is to be developed on a site between Longman Road and Burnett Road to the north of Burnett Road Police Station. The new centre would allow the courts service to move out of historic Inverness Castle. The Scottish government is to fund the construction of the new two-storey Inverness Justice Centre. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has proposed that the centre has six courtrooms. It would also have facilities available for supporting and advising victims and witnesses of domestic abuse, sexual violence and provide "an environment for problem solving approaches" to help reduce re-offending and child abuse. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson has said the centre would be an important development for the city and the wider Highlands area.

Plans have been submitted to Highland Council for the new Inverness Justice Centre.

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Sredojevic, who on Sunday lead the Cranes to their first Africa Cup of Nations finals since 1978, complained on social media about not being paid. Fufa admits it owes the coach and says paying him is a priority. The association added it is meeting with the coach to resolve the issues. Fufa also explained that much of its recent income had been used to ensure the "the success of the team" in their final must-win Nations Cup qualifier against Comoros. The statement continued: "Fufa is committed to ensuring all his salary arrears are cleared and we are confident this will be handled." The coach has also said that he is prepared to take the matter to football's world governing body Fifa if necessary.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) has said that it is working on clearing the salary arrears owed to the national team coach Milutin 'Micho' Sredojevic.

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Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, former Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy and John Thurso were beaten by the SNP. The turnout for the constituencies involved exceeded 70%. The SNP's Angus MacNeil held his seat in Na h-Eileanan an Iar - which covers the Western Isles - with 54% of the votes. Mr Kennedy, who lost Ross, Skye and Lochaber to Ian Blackford, said the 2015 election's defeat of Lib Dems and Labour in Scotland would become known as the "night of the long sgian dubhs". The former Lib Dem leader said: "I am very fond of political history and tonight, if nothing else, we can all consider and reflect in years to come, and perhaps tell our grandchildren, we were there the night of the long sgian dubhs." His opponent Mr Blackford said the election in Scotland had not been about last year's referendum, but about "sending MPs from Scotland who will stand up for" Scotland's interests. In Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, Highland Council leader Drew Hendry gained almost 29,000 votes, a rise of more than 31% on the party's 2010 result to defeat Mr Alexander. Mr Alexander said he had polled about as many votes as he had in 2010 but they had not been enough to get him re-elected. He said the Liberal Democrats should hold their heads high for what they achieved in government, but conceded that "clearly we have a lot of rebuilding to do". Mr Alexander added: "The flame of Highland liberalism will keep burning and our job is to burn brighter in years to come." Lord Thurso lost Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, a seat he had held since 2001, to the SNP's Paul Monaghan who won 46% of the vote. The SNP's Mr MacNeil said his job now was to fight for the needs of the Western Isles and help his party's desire to end austerity.

High profile Liberal Democrats have lost three strongholds in the Highlands and Islands.

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If the bill is adopted, the lyrics would change from "in all thy sons command" to "in all of us command". The initiative is backed by the Liberal government and will reach the Senate soon, having passed two readings in the House of Commons. The fight to change two words to O Canada has stirred a passionate debate. Who wants to change the lyrics? A similar idea to change the lyrics was rejected in 2010 by Conservatives, who held the majority in parliament. Longtime liberal MP Mauril Belanger started the initiative this time with Bill C-210, and many in Parliament view the bill as his legacy project. Mr Belanger is sick with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and uses a computer with a voice generator because he can no longer speak. The Ottawa Citizen reports that there has been a push by Liberals and New Democrats to move the bill for Mr Belanger's sake, while some Conservatives want more time to debate the bill because of the anthem's significance to Canadians. What's the case for a gender-neutral anthem? In May, Mr Belanger presented the case for his bill: "On the eve of the 150th anniversary of our federation, it is important that one of our most recognised and appreciated national symbols reflect the progress made by our country in terms of gender equality." "We are in 2016. The Canadian population will understand why we want to make the change," New Democrat MP Christine Moore said. "It is not a big change, and there will not be a big difference in the national anthem, but the difference is significant for women all across Canada." Liberal MP Greg Fergus said it "would be nice if [Canada] stops excluding women from the national anthem", according to the Ottawa Citizen. Why stick with tradition? Some Conservative MPs have voted yes to the bill, but others want more time to debate the issue. "It is tragic that this is being done in a fashion where Canadians are being shut out," Peter Van Loan, a Conservative MP, said in committee last week, the National Post reports. "Their national anthem is being changed. They have been singing it for decades, millions of Canadians. It belongs to them, it is not a plaything of us." "We are telling Canadians, 'Guess what, you don't have a say in your national anthem. It belongs to us as politicians ... for us to deliver our worldview to you and impose it upon you'." O Canada, originally composed with French lyrics, became the country's national anthem in 1980. The first English version included the lines "Our home, our native land, True patriot love thou dost in us command". But during World War 1 that phrase was changed to "in all thy sons command" in an effort to stir patriotic feelings. Other countries have changed their national anthem lyrics to make them more inclusive. In Austria, for example, a lyric about "sons" was changed to "sons and daughters" and a lyric about "fraternal choirs" was changed to "jubilant choirs". In Switzerland, a contest was held to replace the country's national anthem in 2015, but the government has not decided on a winner yet.

The Canadian parliament is considering passing legislation that will make the English version of the national anthem gender-neutral.

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He argued that you can only have a vibrant West End if you've got a strong regional base developing the talent and he sees no reason why so much more arts funding goes into London per head of population than it does to the regions. The MP for Colchester argued: "The West End is often the showcase of our best theatre, but it does not exist in a vacuum; it exists because it is fed and sustained by the talent of regional theatres across the country." As ever, the nub of the argument was money. "Much of our regional theatre is not self-financing," Mr Quince said. "It relies on subsidies from the Arts Council and local government to ensure its year-to-year viability. In Colchester, the Mercury theatre's income is 30% grant income, with the other 70% earned." Mr Quince argued every pound spent on the Mercury theatre made £3 for the local economy. He was well-supported by MPs who praised the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth, the Buxton Opera House and the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds. The MP for Bury St Edmunds, Jo Churchill, outlined the community value of local theatres: "I have in my constituency the only example of a regency playhouse in the country. We have the historic value of the building - it is 87% self-funded and, as it reaches out, it is very hard to put a price on its social value. "We reach out to Women's Aid and work with them. We reach out to children with physical and mental disabilities and to Suffolk Age Concern. We also work with the YMCA, and young people who are homeless and without work have come to work in the theatre. Does my honourable friend agree that a price cannot be put on that? Ed Vaizey, the minister for culture, replied for the government, arguing that changes in funding were moving in the right direction. "There is a lively debate about the amount of funding that goes into London and to other areas outside London," he said. "It is important to say that when we came into office around 60% of lottery funding went outside London. That has now risen to 70%, and the Arts Council has an ambition to go further to reach 75% by the end of 2018. "It is also following the same strategy with its national portfolio organisations. In 2012, 49% of funding went to London and 51% went outside London. By 2015, that had changed to 45% in London and 55% outside London." The minister welcomed the debate and agreed in principle that regional theatres deserve every penny they get but made no promises that any more money would be forthcoming. The member for Colchester, who treated BBC Essex listeners to a burst of Les Miserables following the debate, said he would continue to campaign for theatre but promised he had no plans to tread the boards anytime soon. "They do say that politics is showbusiness for ugly people," he concluded. A thought perhaps better not shared with his colleagues.

No sooner had the curtain gone up on the new year's debates in Westminster Hall than Will Quince seized the day to make an impassioned plea for support for our regional theatres.

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They found that targeting a part of the brain called the parietal lobe improved the ability of volunteers to solve numerical problems. They hope the discovery could help people with dyscalculia, who may struggle with numbers. Another expert said effects on other brain functions would need checking. The findings are reported in the journal Current Biology. Some studies have suggested that up to one in five people have trouble with maths, affecting not just their ability to complete problems but also to manage everyday activities such as telling the time and managing money. Neuroscientists believe that activity within the parietal lobe plays a crucial role in this ability, or the lack of it. When magnetic fields were used in earlier research to disrupt electrical activity in this part of the brain, previously numerate volunteers temporarily developed discalculia, finding it much harder to solve maths problems. The latest research goes a step further, using a one milliamp current to stimulate the parietal lobe of a small number of students. The current could not be felt, and had no measurable effect on other brain functions. As it was turned on, the volunteers tried to learn a puzzle which involved substituting numbers for symbols. Those given the current from right to left across the parietal lobe did significantly better when given, compared to those who were given no electrical stimulation. The direction of the current was important - those given stimulation running in the opposite direction, left to right, did markedly worse at these puzzles than those given no current, with their ability matching that of an average six-year-old. The effects were not short-lived, either. When the volunteers whose performance improved was re-tested six months later, the benefits appear to have persisted. There was no wider effect on general maths ability in either group, just on the ability to complete the puzzles learned as the current was applied. Dr Cohen Kadosh, who led the study, said: "We are not advising people to go around giving themselves electric shocks, but we are extremely excited by the potential of our findings and are now looking into the underlying brain changes. "We've shown before that we can induce dyscalculia, and now it seems we might be able to make someone better at maths, so we really want to see if we can help people with dyscalculia. By Fergus WalshMedical correspondent, BBC News Read more in Fergus's blog "Electrical stimulation is unlikely to turn you into the next Einstein, but if we're lucky it might be able to help some people to cope better with maths." Dr Christopher Chambers, from the School of Psychology at Cardiff University, said that the results were "intriguing", and offered the prospect not just of improving numerical skills, but having an impact on a wider range of conditions. He said: "The ability to tweak activity in parts of the brain, turning it slightly 'up' or 'down' at will, opens the door to treating a range of psychiatric and neurological problems, like compulsive gambling or visual impairments following stroke." However, he said that the study did not prove that the learning of maths skills was improved, just that the volunteers were better at linking arbitrary numbers and symbols, and he warned that researchers needed to make sure other parts of the brain were unaffected. "This is still an exciting new piece of research, but if we don't know how selective the effects of brain stimulation are then we don't know what other brain systems could also be affected, either positively or negatively." Sue Flohr, from the British Dyslexia Association, which also provides support for people with dyscalculia, said the research was welcome. She said: "It's certainly an under-recognised condition, but it can ruin lives. "It makes it very hard to do everyday things like shopping or budgeting - you can go into a shop and find you've spent your month's money without realising it."

Applying a tiny electrical current to the brain could make you better at learning maths, according to Oxford University scientists.

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After a dour first hour David Jones was caught in possession and substitute Gary Madine's low cross was slotted home from close range by Liam Feeney. Gray tapped in a leveller after goalkeeper Paul Rachubka had done well to keep out his initial effort. And the former Brentford man grabbed his 20th of the season with a tremendous strike in the 85th minute. Media playback is not supported on this device The 24-year-old raced on to Fredrik Ulvestad's pass before hitting an unstoppable shot. It looked like the Clarets were going to leave the Macron empty-handed after Feeney tapped home, but Gray's double in 11 minutes gave them an 18th league win of the season. The defeat means the Trotters, who this week agreed a takeover by the Sport Shield consortium headed by former striker Dean Holdsworth, are seven points adrift of safety with 12 games to play. Burnley are now one point clear of Hull City and Middlesbrough, but have played once more match than the Tigers, and two more than Boro. Bolton boss Neil Lennon: "What you should do is get my quotes from the last few weeks and just put it in your report. "Individual mistakes have cost us the game again. I can't be critical of the team because they were excellent today. I would have been disappointed with a draw, never mind losing the game. It's tough to take at the minute." Lennon on the proposed takeover: "I'm really fed up of talking about it. Dean's worked really, really hard at this. He's put his heart and soul into it so if anyone deserves to get it it will be him. "Whether it goes through or not I cannot say. If it does then hopefully we can get the embargo lifted and strengthen the squad." Burnley manager Sean Dyche: "We were off our performance levels and still won, and that's what you have to do sometimes in the Championship, in all of football, but definitely in the Championship. "Ian Holloway told me in private in the manager's room a couple of years ago, 'Your lads have got an unbelievably strong chin' - and he mentions it a lot now because the mentality is so firm here. "I appreciate it doesn't guarantee you an outcome like that, but it gives you a whole better chance. I can imagine when I watch that back in the cold light of day with no noise, you'll see our reaction to their goal is pretty calm. It's 'get the ball lads, let's get on with it'. "It's gone immediately. We talk to the players a lot about it, focus, refocus, what's the focus now? To go and grip the game." Match ends, Bolton Wanderers 1, Burnley 2. Second Half ends, Bolton Wanderers 1, Burnley 2. Substitution, Burnley. Rouwen Hennings replaces Andre Gray. Scott Arfield (Burnley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Wellington (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Scott Arfield (Burnley). Corner, Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Fredrik Ulvestad. Attempt missed. Stephen Dobbie (Bolton Wanderers) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Darren Pratley with a headed pass following a corner. Substitution, Bolton Wanderers. Wellington replaces Jay Spearing. Corner, Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Tom Heaton. Mark Davies (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Joey Barton (Burnley). Foul by Gary Madine (Bolton Wanderers). Ben Mee (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Goal! Bolton Wanderers 1, Burnley 2. Andre Gray (Burnley) left footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Fredrik Ulvestad. Substitution, Burnley. Fredrik Ulvestad replaces David Jones. Offside, Burnley. James Tarkowski tries a through ball, but Andre Gray is caught offside. Substitution, Bolton Wanderers. Stephen Dobbie replaces Zach Clough. Gary Madine (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Ben Mee (Burnley). Corner, Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Ben Mee. Liam Feeney (Bolton Wanderers) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Scott Arfield (Burnley). Goal! Bolton Wanderers 1, Burnley 1. Andre Gray (Burnley) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the centre of the goal. Attempt saved. Andre Gray (Burnley) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Matthew Lowton. Substitution, Burnley. Matthew Taylor replaces George Boyd. Goal! Bolton Wanderers 1, Burnley 0. Liam Feeney (Bolton Wanderers) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Gary Madine. Foul by Gary Madine (Bolton Wanderers). Joey Barton (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt blocked. Joey Barton (Burnley) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by David Jones. Substitution, Bolton Wanderers. Gary Madine replaces Emile Heskey. Hand ball by Andre Gray (Burnley). Attempt missed. James Tarkowski (Burnley) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left following a set piece situation. Foul by Jay Spearing (Bolton Wanderers). Sam Vokes (Burnley) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Attempt missed. Emile Heskey (Bolton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Corner, Burnley. Conceded by Derik. Corner, Bolton Wanderers. Conceded by Ben Mee. Offside, Burnley. Joey Barton tries a through ball, but Andre Gray is caught offside. Attempt missed. Liam Feeney (Bolton Wanderers) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Mark Davies.

Burnley came from behind to go top of the Championship thanks to Andre Gray's double at lowly Bolton.

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Janet Jordon, 48, her daughter Derrin, aged six, and her partner Philip Howard, 44, were found in a house in Vicarage Road, Didcot, on 23 May. The body of murder suspect, Janet's son 21-year-old Jed Allen, was found two days later in woodland near Marston Ferry Road, Oxford. The private funeral is being held at Oxford Crematorium. The families of the murder victims described their deaths as an "unimaginable" tragedy. Post-mortem examinations confirmed all three died from multiple stab wounds.

A funeral is being held for a family who were found stabbed at their home in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

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Mr Ashley had been asked to give evidence about the treatment of his workers. It follows a BBC investigation into the Derbyshire company's warehouse working practises. Mr Ashley has until 21 March to respond after a letter from Hartlepool MP Iain Wright. The letter reveals Mr Ashley had invited the Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) select committee - which Mr Wright chairs - to a meeting at the company's base in Shirebrook. "The treatment of low-paid workers and enforcement of the national minimum wage are issues that the committee will be keeping under review over the coming months," Mr Wright's letter states. "In line with select committees' commitment to transparency, it is normal practice for the BIS Committee to meet in public at Westminster and we agreed to adhere to this practice on this occasion. "A number of alternative dates have been offered to you by the Committee Clerk, but... you have not accepted any of them, nor agreed in principle to attend. "Should you fail in your reply to agree to attend on one of the dates offered to you...the committee reserves the right to take the matter further, including seeking the support of the House of Commons in respect of any complaint of contempt." Sports Direct has not responded to the BBC's request for a comment. The company has previously pledged to review worker rights, with oversight by Mr Ashley, who also owns Newcastle United Football Club.

Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley has been threatened with being in contempt of Parliament after failing to appear in front of a committee of MPs.

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Hull-based Martin Williams Ltd took over Penman Engineering near Dumfries in November last year. The number of employees at the time had fallen to just 14 but the new owners said that now stood at 67. Director Chris Williams said that if new work they hoped to secure did come in then numbers would rise further. He said that would also leave them with the potential of a full order book for the next two years. The site on the outskirts of Dumfries employed about 140 staff before it went into administration. Mr Williams said they had completed their first stage of restructuring the company while managing to increase staffing levels. He said they had concentrated on re-employing as many people as possible while building up orders. "We have had massive support from Scottish Enterprise who have helped us from the day we took over and hold regular meetings with us to offer their support in a lot of different ways," he said. "There are numerous different projects we are tendering for currently internationally and SE have also offered us support with this as well which is invaluable to us." He said they had faced a number of challenges with suppliers who had lost money when the old company entered administration "understandably wary" of doing business with them. "However, those who support the company will be rewarded in the future as bigger projects come off," he said. "We will aim to put as much money back into the local economy and previous suppliers as possible to enable us to trade freely and have a good reputation in the future, the same as our existing company." He said that overall he was positive about the direction the business was heading in. "All in all things are looking good for the future," he said. "It is still a tough climate and with Brexit you just don't know what's around the corner. "But we are carrying on with what we know best which is to give the customer the best possible service and turnaround time that is also competitively priced."

Staffing levels could be set to double at a Scottish armoured vehicle business which was bought out of administration nearly six months ago.

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However, it said the "masterminds" behind the murder of Gen Adolphe Nshimirimana were still being sought. Prominent human rights activist Pierre Claver Mbonimpa was shot and wounded in an apparent reprisal attack following Gen Nshimirimana's killing last week. Mr Mbonimpa has been allowed to fly to Belgium for treatment. Heavy shooting was heard in the capital, Bujumbura, on Sunday night, but it was unclear who was behind it, the AFP news agency reports. Burundi has suffered serious unrest since President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision in April to seek a third term in office. Opponents argued this violated the constitution, and protests broke out in parts of the country. There was also failed coup attempt in May, as renegade generals demanded that Mr Nkurunziza steps down when his term ends. A presidential election was held last month which Mr Nkurunziza won. The result was rejected by the main opposition parties, but one of its leading members, Agathon Rwasa, agreed to take the post of deputy parliamentary speaker to promote reconciliation. The prosecutor's office said in a statement that a military vehicle was used by Gen Nshimirimana's attackers and it was subsequently burned. "The identities of the perpetrators are now known. A certain number have been arrested. The rest of them and the masterminds are being sought," it said. The attackers targeted the general's car with machine guns and rocket launchers in the Kamenge district of Bujumbura. He was widely seen as the most powerful person in Burundi after Mr Nkurunziza. Meanwhile, Mr Mbonimpa's daughter said the authorities had allowed him to leave for Belgium, the former colonial power. "He will be treated there and they can do all the tests that we can't do here. We are also more reassured about his safety there," Amandine Nasagarare said, AFP reports. The government condemned his shooting by a gunman on a motorbike last week as an act of "terrorism". Mr Mbonimpa was a staunch critic of Mr Nkurunziza's bid to run for office again, and was said to be one of the few members of Burundi's civil society who had not fled the country. In April, he was held without charge for more than 24 hours by the intelligence services after he called for protests against the president's efforts to secure a third term.

Several people have been arrested in Burundi over the assassination of a powerful general, the prosecutor's office has said.

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Edward Davies, 39, from Hampshire, has not been in touch with his family or friends since Sunday 8 May. Extensive searches involving mountain rescue teams, search dogs, police and a helicopter have been made since he was reported missing the following Wednesday. Mr Davies, an experienced hillwalker, had planned to climb Sgurr na h-Ulaidh. In a statement released on Tuesday, his family said they still held "every hope" of him being found alive. They have been told by police of the discovery of the body.

A body has been found during a search of Glen Coe for a hillwalker who was reported missing last week.

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Magicseaweed, founded in 2002 in Kingsbridge, provides forecasting and live reporting of more than 4,000 beaches around the world. Surfstitch purchased the firm as part of a combined deal that also includes surf magazine Stab. Magicseaweed said it was "thrilled" as the deal would enable it to expand. The firm employs 22 people in Kingsbridge, taking data from offshore weather buoys to forecast surfing conditions, along with allowing surfers to check conditions via web cameras on beaches. "It's a unique opportunity to find the right balance of surf forecasting, inspirational content and product offerings to our global surf community and millions of users," said co-founder Ryan Anderson. Justin Cameron, chief executive of Surfstitch, said: "We are excited to welcome Magicseaweed and Stab to the Surfstitch Group. "These businesses share our enthusiasm and passion in the action sports and youth culture space, and are ideal partners to support Surfstitch's mission to become the global destination for action sports and youth lifestyle content and online retail."

Devon-based surfing goods and forecasting firm Magicseaweed has been bought by an Australian company as part of a £7m deal.

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The Tiangong-1 or "Heavenly Palace" laboratory was launched in 2011 as part of an ambitious Chinese plan to catch up with other space powers. However, a senior space official has said the lab had "comprehensively fulfilled its historical mission". The lab is currently intact and orbiting at 370km above ground. Speaking at a press conference last week, Wu Ping, deputy director of the manned space engineering office, said: "Based on our calculation and analysis, most parts of the space lab will burn up during falling." She added that it was unlikely to affect aviation activities or cause damage to the ground. But in comments reported by the Guardian newspaper, Dr Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at Harvard University, suggested China might have lost control of the station. "You really can't steer these things," he said. "Even a couple of days before it re-enters we probably won't know better than six or seven hours, plus or minus, when it's going to come down. "Not knowing when it's going to come down translates as not knowing where its going to come down." Most of the 8.5-tonne station would melt as it passed through the atmosphere, Dr McDowell commented, but some parts such as the rocket engines, were so dense they might not burn up completely. Earlier this month, China launched its second trial space station, called Tiangong-2, in a bid to operate a crewed outpost in orbit by 2022.

China's first space station is expected to fall back to Earth in the second half of 2017, amid speculation authorities have lost control of it.

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Thunderstorms are short, sharp and shocking - for some literally. If you can hear the clouds rumbling, chances are the storm is close enough for you to be hit by lightning - it can strike up to 10 miles away from the centre of a storm. Count the seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder - if it is less than 30 seconds, there is a threat. If thunderstorms are forecast, postpone or cancel outdoor activities - especially golf and rod fishing. If a storm is approaching, take cover inside or in a car with the windows wound up - sheds, isolated trees and convertibles do not afford sufficient protection. Boaters and swimmers should get to shore as quickly as possible, as water conducts electricity. So too do metal pipes and phone lines. Unplug all non-essential appliances, including the television, as lightning can cause power surges. Do not use candles if the lights go out, as this poses a fire risk, and instead use a torch. Do not make phone calls, unless it is in an emergency, or put up an umbrella - the metal directs the current into the body. It is also best to put off baths, showers and dish washing, in case lightning strikes the house and sends a jolt of electricity through the metal plumbing. If caught outside in a thunderstorm, find a low spot away from trees, fences, and poles. If your skin tingles and hair stands on end, lightning is about to strike. Crouch down immediately, balancing on the balls of your feet, placing hands on knees with head between them. This makes you into the smallest target possible, and minimises contact with the ground. If someone has been hit by lightning, call for help as they will need urgent medical attention. It is safe to touch them - people struck by lightning carry no electrical charge that can shock other people. Check for a pulse and for breathing - if you know first aid, begin artificial respiration and CPR if necessary. If they are breathing, check for other possible injuries. Lightning strike victims have burns in two places - where the electric shock entered and then left the body, usually the soles of the feet. They may have broken bones or loss of hearing or sight. If waters start to rise, head for higher ground. Do not try to drive to safety, as cars can float in as little as a couple of feet of water, the depth of which is often very difficult to judge. Be wary of venturing out too soon - the BBC Weather Centre advises waiting 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning. Avoid downed power lines or broken cables. And one final tip - it is a myth that lightning never strikes the same place twice and always hits the tallest object. Lightning strikes the best conductor on the ground - whether it has been struck before or not. Sources: The Met Office and BBC Weather

Much of the UK has recently been hit by thunderstorms, but what is the best way to stay safe when thunder and lightning hits?

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Richard Duffy fired Vale in front after Neil Collins headed down a corner for the defender to coolly latch onto. Scunthorpe's Paddy Madden could have levelled later on but fired the ball over the crossbar from close range. But Wootton's late goal rescued a point and prevented the visitors from taking their first win in eight games. The Iron remain in 17th, a point above 18th-placed Vale who are three points above the League One relegation zone. Scunthorpe manager Mark Robins told BBC Radio Humberside: Media playback is not supported on this device "We were by no means at our best tonight but we've created enough chances to win the game. "We gave them one shot at goal and they scored. "The changes we made had an impact no doubt about that - I told Kyle (Wooten) to go make a name for himself which he has thankfully gone and done."

A dramatic injury-time equaliser from teenage substitute Kyle Wootton gifted Scunthorpe a point against relegation rivals Port Vale.

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The 30 new military advisers will raise Australia's total deployment to 300, Defence Minister Marise Payne said. Earlier this month, US authorities recommended sending at least 3,000 more soldiers to fight the Taliban. In February, the commander of US troops in Afghanistan said he needed more troops to break a "stalemate". Ms Payne told a Senate estimates hearing that the troops would help train Afghan security forces. "Given the centrality of Afghanistan in the global fight against terrorism, an enhanced Australian contribution to the resolute support mission is both timely and appropriate," she said on Monday. Ms Payne said she expected other nations in the military coalition to also commit additional forces. US combat operations against the Taliban officially ended in 2014, but special forces have continued to provide support to Afghan troops. There are about 13,000 Nato troops currently in the country.

Australia will increase its troop presence in Afghanistan following a formal request from the US, Canberra has said.

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Like any election, there will be some seats that will prove more crucial than others - some that are safer for sitting candidates than parts of Wales where there is a genuine contest. These are five seats which could reflect major shifts in the electorate and tell the story of this year's snap poll. This is Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones's back yard. And in April, Theresa May came here and parked her metaphorical tank on it. It was a statement of how ambitious the Conservative campaign is - this seat has not been blue since the 1980s. Labour is defending a majority of 1,927. If UKIP's vote vanished - it was 5,911 in 2015 - and switched to the Conservatives, the Tory candidate could be well placed to snatch it. It is one of several Labour-held marginal seats that could be vulnerable in South Wales. The margins are different, but Newport West, Cardiff West and Cardiff South and Penarth are similar battlegrounds. BBC Welsh affairs editor Vaughan Roderick said the main battlegrounds this year are areas that have been mainly Labour since the late 1980s but which the Conservatives won in 1983, such as Bridgend. "You've also got ones that the Tories just failed to win in 1983 which are also on the table," he said. "Those are your Cardiff Souths and your Wrexhams," he said. "There are the normally safe Labour seats that would be regarded as two-way marginals." "The battleground has moved deeper and deeper into Labour territory over the years," he said. "Back a couple of elections, the battleground included both Pembrokeshire seats, Monmouth, and Clwyd West. But he says "there are a host of other battleground seats that really seem to be off the table now". This is the most marginal seat in the UK. On paper this is one seat that Labour could get back. A seat it held for more than 100 years, but lost in 2015 by a whisker to the Conservatives with just 27 votes in it. The swing away from Labour in the opinion polls could make that a tougher proposition, even if the party addresses complaints that it took the constituency for granted two years ago. But if Labour is successful both here and in the tight Tory/Labour marginal of Vale of Clwyd could Labour activists be breathing a major sigh of relief that this election was not as bad for their party as the pundits predicted? In 2015 the Liberal Democrats had a terrible election. They saw major losses across the UK while their share of Welsh MPs fell from three seats to one. The pro-EU party is now pinning its hopes on capitalising on the concerns of Remain voters following the referendum. In Wales, its best bet for that strategy is Cardiff Central. It is, on paper, a marginal that Labour took from the Lib Dems in 2015 with a majority of 4,981. But could this seat frustrate Lib Dem hopes, with more Tory-inclined voters peeling away from the party and backing a Conservative candidate? If it does, this could become an example of a three-way marginal seats in Wales, and that could benefit of Labour. Vaughan Roderick said, on the basis of the local elections, Cardiff Central is "going to be difficult". "You've got a whole pile of Tory voters who, in normal times ,vote tactically for the Lib Dems," he said. "If your message is, we're the party of Remain, why should your blue-rinse Tory in Cyncoed vote Lib Dem to keep Labour out?" The Conservatives have been strongly tipped to make further inroads into north Wales since gaining Vale of Clwyd at the 2015 general election. There are a cluster of Labour/Tory marginals here - Alyn and Deeside, Wrexham and Delyn as well as Clwyd South - but Tory hopes of snatching these seats in the assembly election last year were dashed. Politics has since changed - we have a new prime minister and we have Brexit. So could the new landscape change the political colours of north east Wales? At the start of the general election campaign it was Rhondda where it was thought a senior Plaid Cymru party figure might make a run for Westminster. After not exactly stopping the speculation for several days, party leader Leanne Wood decided she would not go for the seat. Instead, the big headline selection for the party was on the Isle of Anglesey, where former leader Ieuan Wyn Jones has put his hat in the ring for the constituency of Ynys Mon. In 2015 Plaid fell just short of gaining the seat from Labour by 229 votes. In an election dominated by accusations between the two main UK parties, can Plaid prevent a squeeze on smaller parties and make gains? The constituency, Vaughan Roderick says, is probably Plaid's best hope. "You've got a funny little set of seats which involve parties other than Labour and the Tories, which were two-way marginals last time, which could become three-way marginals this time," he said. "There are three of those - Ynys Mon, Ceredigion and Cardiff Central," he said. "An upsurge in the Tory vote there could have odd impacts on who ends up winning. They are seats where you might win on 30% of the vote." We should keep one eye on Rhondda, too. Even though Leanne Wood is not running, can Plaid replicate its major success story of the assembly election last year?

On 8 June voters in Wales will head to the polls to decide who will represent them in the 40 constituencies.

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Three open-top buses took the first team, youth team and family members on a parade from Stamford Bridge towards the King's Road in west London. Chelsea ended their campaign eight points clear at the top after a final day win over Sunderland on Sunday. The match also marked Didier Drogba's final game for the club after he announced his intention to move on. Following the championship win, manager Jose Mourinho said: "We have art in our game but we also have fantastic spirit, organisation and pragmatism. "We are a complete team and that is why we are champions." The side had topped the Premier League table for a record 274 days ensuring they would be crowned champions for the first time in five years.

Thousands of football fans turned out to watch Chelsea's victory parade following their Premier League victory.

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The company also said it had seen "no evidence" of any impact of the vote in markets outside the UK. Its comments came as it reported an 11% rise in pre-tax profits to £173m for the year to 30 June. Its profits were driven by strong trading in Asia and the rest of Europe. In the UK, Hays said net fees were flat, with trading "more challenging" towards the end of its financial year, which coincided with the run-up to the EU referendum. Conditions were particularly challenging in local government and healthcare markets in the UK. Hays also said conditions were tough in banking in the City of London, and there were weakening trends in the construction and property business towards the end of the financial year. Hays chief executive Alistair Cox said: "Following the EU referendum, there is increased uncertainty in the UK market, but we have seen no evidence of any impact elsewhere. "It is too early to tell what the longer term impact may be and as ever, we will monitor activity levels closely." Kean Marden, an analyst at Jefferies, said: "In construction and property, London and larger corporates have been most impacted. To date, Hays has seen no evidence of contagion into Europe." "We are mindful that July and August are seasonally quiet months for the industry and September (which can be one of the largest revenue contributors of the year) will provide more meaningful insight." The UK comprises about a third of Hays' business. It employs about 9,200 people across 33 countries. In the Asia Pacific region net fees grew by 4%, with Australia up 5%, boosted by strong public sector growth. In continental Europe and the rest of the world, net fees increased by 15%.

Recruitment giant Hays has said the UK job market weakened "significantly" around the time of the EU referendum, but it is too early to judge the long-term impact of the vote.

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The incident happened on the 20:14 service, between Keith and Elgin, on Friday 16 June at about 21:20. The suspect - believed to be travelling with about seven other men - then got off the train at Elgin. He was white, about 25, and 6ft tall. He was wearing a black and white top and sunglasses. Det Con Nick Ritchie, of British Transport Police, said: "No-one has the right to treat another person like that. "We're determined to stamp out this kind of behaviour from our rail network, so please, if you know this man, let us know." Anyone with information can text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 682 of 16 June.

An appeal for witnesses has been made after a woman was inappropriately touched on a train travelling between Aberdeen and Inverness.

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The match was due to take place on Thursday but was rescheduled due to a frozen pitch at Stade des Alpes. Davies started ahead of Biggar at fly-half in their Pro12 win against Edinburgh on Friday, 2 December. Veteran Paul James comes in for Nicky Smith at loose-head prop and Dmitri Arhip is at tight-head for Ma'afu Fia. Wales hooker Scott Baldwin is undergoing a head injury assessment and is omitted from the Ospreys' line-up. In midfield, centre Ashley Beck makes way for Kieron Fonotia while prop Fia has a shoulder injury that has put him out of contention. Ospreys are playing in the second-tier European tournament for the first time and have a 100% record after wins over Newcastle Falcons and Lyon. Grenoble lost heavily when they played the same teams. The two teams meet again on Saturday, 17 December. Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy told BBC Radio Wales: "It's pretty poor and disappointing. We came down to the ground at 3pm and the ground was hard. The blowers and a little bit of hot air has gone on it to try and rectify it but I think it was too little too late. "It's bitterly disappointing, it affects preparations. Now we've got to stay out here. It's not as if it's an anomaly where you come here and there's a big blizzard. "There's definitely been a lack of preparation and thought gone into it and for such a big game for us, we're bitterly disappointed we haven't played the game tonight." Grenoble: Armand Batlle; Pierre Mignot,Clement Gelin, Nigel Hunt, Tino Nemani; Gilles Bosch, David Mele; Alexandre Dardet, tienne Fourcade, Walter Desmaison, Mickael Capelli, Mathias Marie, Kevin Kornath, Steven Setephano, Dylan Hayes. Replacements: Loick Jammes, Denis Coulson, Dayna Edwards, Thomas Jolmes, Henry Vanderglas, Lilian Saseras, Fabrice Estebanez, Bastien Guillemin Ospreys: Dan Evans; Keelan Giles, Kieron Fonotia, Josh Matavesi, Dafydd Howells; Dan Biggar, Tom Habberfield; Paul James, Sam Parry, Dmitri Arhip, Rory Thornton, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), James King, Dan Baker, Justin Tipuric. Replacements: Scott Otten, Nicky Smith, Rhodri Jones, Lloyd Ashley, Sam Underhill, Rob McCusker, Brendon Leonard, Sam Davies. Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)

Wales' Dan Biggar takes over from Sam Davies as Ospreys make five changes for their rescheduled European Challenge Cup game at Grenoble on Friday.

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Officials in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia all said they had not formally agreed to join the alliance. Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said 34 mainly Muslim nations would be part of the counter-terrorism grouping. Prince Mohammed said it would focus on efforts to fight terrorism in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and Afghanistan. "Currently, every Muslim country is fighting terrorism individually... so co-ordinating efforts is very important," he told a news conference. He indicated there were still "procedures" for these countries to go through before joining, "but out of keenness to achieve this coalition as soon as possible, [the alliance of] 34 countries has been announced". Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry was quoted in the Dawn newspaper as saying he was surprised by the announcement and had asked the Pakistani ambassador in Riyadh for clarification. The country's foreign office said in a statement later on Wednesday that it was "awaiting further details to decide the extent of its participation in different activities of the alliance" before making a decision on whether to join. In Indonesia, the foreign ministry said it too had not yet decided whether to join. "The government is still observing and waiting to see the modalities of the military coalition formed by Saudi Arabia," foreign ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told The Jakarta Post. Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein went further - expressing support for the coalition but ruling out any military involvement from Kuala Lumpur. "The Saudi initiative does not involve any military commitment, but an understanding that we will combat militancy," he said. Announcing the alliance, Saudi Arabia said a joint operations centre would be established in the capital Riyadh and the coalition would focus on terror groups "whatever their doctrine". It comes amid international pressure for Gulf Arab states to do more in the fight against so-called Islamic State. The BBC's Frank Gardner points out that the Shia-majority nations of Iran and Iraq, as well as Syria, are noticeably absent from the alliance. It is far from clear how it could conduct counter-terrorism operations in IS-plagued Iraq and Syria without the agreement of those governments, he adds. Saudi Arabia's list of 34 alliance members: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinians, Qatar, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

A number of countries have expressed surprise that they were included by Saudi Arabia in a new military alliance to fight terrorism.

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Cole Doyle and his family had planned a trip to Costa Rica but the first leg of the journey was overbooked. The family travelled to two other airports and spent an extra C$1,000 (£590) to get a flight. The airline has now offered them compensation. It comes after video of a man being dragged from a US flight brought overbooking to public attention. Dr David Dao has said he will sue United Airlines after he lost two front teeth and his nose was broken when the airline called security officers in to help remove him from the plane. He had refused to leave when the airline asked for volunteers to make way for staff members. In response to the huge backlash the company faced on social media, United said it would allocate seats for staff at least an hour in advance, in future. It also promised it would no longer ask law enforcement officers to remove passengers. Separately in the UK, two passengers were asked to leave an Easyjet flight they had already boarded, and told the next flight to their destination was in four days. They decided not to reschedule, as they had booked non-refundable accommodation. After the United incident, the Canadian government announced it would overhaul the rules to "ensure that passengers' rights are protected". But well before that, Cole Doyle and his brother and parents were inconvenienced by an overbooking problem. In March, the Doyle family tried to check in online to their flight to Montreal but could not assign a seat to Cole. When they got to the airport at Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, they were told there was no seat for him as the flight had been overbooked. His mother, Shanna, asked whether an adult could give up their seat for Cole but was told that even if someone did so, it would be likely to go to another passenger and could not be guaranteed for the boy. The family drove the two hours to Moncton in neighbouring New Brunswick, in the hope of getting on another flight. "I'm crying in the back seat," Cole told the Canadian broadcaster CBC afterwards."Like how do I get to where I'm going? I don't know if I'm even going to make it with my family." Once they got there, though, they found out the flight they wanted had been cancelled. "I thought it was a joke," said Cole's father, Brett. "People are fed up. You shouldn't be able to sell something twice." The family eventually made it to Montreal and caught a connecting flight to Costa Rica for their holiday, but have since complained to Air Canada and received an offer of a C$2,500 (£1,500) voucher, along with an apology. An airline spokeswoman told the Canadian Press news agency: "We are currently following up to understand what went wrong and have apologised to Mr Doyle and his family as well as offered a very generous compensation to the family for their inconvenience."

Canada's largest airline, Air Canada, has apologised after giving a 10-year-old boy's seat to someone else.

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The third seed, who received a bye in the first round, beat the American wildcard 6-3 6-1 in just over an hour. Konta, the world number 18, hit 11 aces on her way to a comfortable victory. The 25-year-old will play China's Saisai Zheng, who beat Alize Cornet in her second-round match, in the last eight on Friday.

British number one Johanna Konta reached the quarter-finals of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford with a straight-set win over Julia Boserup.

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Photos on the internet appear to show Diouf in a nightclub, just hours before the match at Southampton on 24 March. "I've made some inquiries and I've asked him about it and he denies he was there," Saunders told Radio Sheffield. "It's still ongoing and I want to get to the bottom of it. It's something I can't comprehend if it is true." Rovers lost the match at St Mary's 2-0, with Diouf playing the full game, and are currently six points adrift of safety with six matches to play. Diouf has scored six goals in 22 games since joining the club in October.

Doncaster Rovers boss Dean Saunders says the club are continuing to investigate claims that forward El-Hadji Diouf breached club discipline.

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The attacker, a 27-year-old Swiss man, also died on Sunday, they said. Five other people were hurt when the man set fire to the train and stabbed passengers in the attack on Saturday. Two of them, including a six-year-old child, are in a serious condition. Police have said that, as yet, there is no indication of a political or terrorist motive for the attack. The attack occurred around 14:20 (12:20 GMT) as the train was approaching Salez station, between the towns of Buchs and Sennwald. Several dozen passengers were on board at the time. In a statement (in German), St Gallen cantonal police said video evidence from inside the train showed the attacker, armed with a knife, pouring out a flammable liquid. Six people - including the attacker - were injured. The seventh injured person was a man on the platform who pulled the burning attacker off the train. Forensic experts are analysing the flammable liquid and the scene of the crime. Police said the attacker lived in a canton adjoining St Gallen. His address has been searched. On the basis of the video evidence, police say the man acted alone.

A 34-year-old woman who was injured in an attack by a knifeman on a Swiss train has died in hospital, police say.

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The win would normally be an indicator of Oscar success as the Directors Guild recipient nearly always goes on to claim the same prize at Hollywood's biggest night. But Affleck missed out on an Oscar directing nomination. "I don't think that this makes me a real director, but I think it means I'm on my way," said Affleck of the win. In Argo, set amidst the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, Affleck also plays the lead role of a CIA agent entrusted with extracting six Americans from the country after the US embassy was stormed. While Affleck was overlooked by the Academy for his directing role, the film has dominated other awards since the Oscar nominations, winning best director and best film at the Golden Globes and at the Critics Choice Awards. Last weekend, Argo was victorious at both the Producers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild awards, leaving Steven Spielberg's Civil War-era epic Lincoln in its wake. Many of the film professionals who vote in guild awards also cast ballots for the Oscars, so recognition from the DGA further seals Argo's status as best-picture front-runner at the Oscars on 24 February. Only six times in the DGA's history has the winner failed to take the Oscar for best director. This will be the seventh, as Affleck missed out on an Academy nomination, along with several other key favourites, including fellow Directors Guild contenders Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty and Tom Hooper for Les Miserables. Backstage at the DGA ceremony on Saturday, Affleck said he had nothing but respect for the Academy, adding that "you're not entitled to anything." "I'm thrilled and honoured that the Academy nominated me as a producer of the movie," he said. "I know our movie, we're a little bit underdog and a little bit the little engine that could, and you take me out of it maybe helps ... it's just about that picture. I feel like it's OK, I'm really lucky, I'm in a good place." Among the other DGA winners were Searching for Sugar Man director Malik Bendjelloul, who won the guild's documentary award for his study of the obscure singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriquez. The film also is nominated for best documentary at the Oscars. Lena Dunham won the TV comedy directing prize for Girls, about the lives of a group of girls in their 20s, while Rian Johnson won in the drama series series category for Breaking Bad. Milos Forman, who directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, was honoured with a lifetime-achievement award. The 65th Annual DGA Awards, hosted by Kelsey Grammer, were held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles.

Ben Affleck has won the top film honour from the Directors Guild of America for his Iran hostage drama, Argo.

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Anthony Tavernor has been restoring Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens, near Menai Bridge, on Anglesey for 20 years, describing it as his life's project. But after days of heavy rain, a "tidal wave" of flood water swept through the garden in the early hours of Saturday. It came as floods caused "chaos" across north Wales. Former farmer Mr Tavernor has been restoring the 10-acres of garden and buildings at Plas Cadnant since buying the then overgrown 200-acre estate in 1996. It now attracts visitors - both local and from abroad - and its fans include the Prince of Wales, who Mr Tavernor said had hoped to visit the estate. But the force of the water from the flooded River Cadnant has now washed away many precious plants, including some rare botanical species. It also demolished a wall dating back some 200 years, as well stone obelisks, platforms and seats. "The garden sits down in the valley so a huge amount of water came down from the fields like a tidal wave, devastating everything in its path," said Mr Tavernor. "I'm just devastated. This has been my life's project - my purpose in life - for the last 20 years and I live and dream it, "It's everything. I'm so emotionally involved with the garden. We've had so much support from people since we put the pictures on our Facebook page. It's almost like a bereavement." But he insisted he would carry on his work, despite the setback, and aimed to open as normal for visitors in February. "I was hoping to have a legacy for the future generations," he added. "I'm sure a lot of people would abandon it but I'm going to persevere." Days of rain caused floods which led to roads being closed, trains disrupted and homes evacuated on Boxing Day. Four flood warnings remain in place across north and west Wales, along with dozens of flood alerts.

A historical walled garden has been "devastated" by floods which have washed away a 200-year-old wall and rare plants, its owner has said.

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Severe storms in December 2013 caused damage to an existing dune system to the east of Barkby Beach in Prestatyn. A report, to be considered by Denbighshire councillors, says there is evidence they have begun to re-establish themselves naturally. But the council is considering creating a secondary dune system to strengthen the defences. The flood risk management report says: "The narrowness of the dunes at Barkby Beach is a cause for serious concern. "Discussions have taken place with Natural Resources Wales regarding possible options to reduce the risk of a breach at this location. "This could be such as creating a secondary dune system on the landward side of the existing dunes." About 400 people were forced to leave their homes after high tides and gale force winds battered north Wales causing flooding last December. In Rhyl, Denbighshire - one of the worst-hit areas - hundreds of properties were without power.

New sand dunes may be created to reduce the risk of flooding on a beach on the Denbighshire and Flintshire border.

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Joshua, 27, and Ukraine's Klitschko, 40, had agreed terms on a world heavyweight title bout. But Klitschko is reportedly reluctant to fight without at least one of the WBA or WBO titles on the line. Hearn said he was "crossing fingers" that Klitschko took the fight. Both the WBA and WBO will need to sanction the bout for their respective belts to be made available, but are yet to do so. Britain's Tyson Fury beat Klitschko last November to win the WBA, IBF and WBO titles, before being stripped of the IBF title for failing to fight the mandatory challenger. Britain's Joshua then beat American Charles Martin to win the IBF belt in April. Last week, Fury, 28, relinquished his WBA and WBO belts and his boxing licence was then suspended. The WBC belt is held by American Deontay Wilder. "We are beginning discussions with other opponents now while crossing our fingers that Klitschko takes the fight, regardless of how many belts are on the line," Hearn told Sky Sports. Another option for Klitschko would be to fight New Zealander Joseph Parker for the WBO belt in Germany. "In an ideal world, there would be as many belts as possible on the line, but I hope he takes up the challenge rather than a soft touch in Germany," added Hearn.

Britain's Anthony Joshua will defend his IBF heavyweight title in Manchester on 10 December whether it is against Wladimir Klitschko or another fighter, says promoter Eddie Hearn.

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South Wales Police said David Ellis, 40, his lodger, has been arrested in Ireland. Officers are liaising with Garda officers in connection with his extradition back to the UK. Retired telecoms engineer Mr Warburton, 59, has not been seen since 31 July. Police launched an appeal for information after he went missing; they said his M-reg Peugeot 205 had been spotted in north Wales before returning to Swansea. The car was found abandoned at Birkenhead port some days later. Police said Mr Ellis, who had been Mr Warburton's lodger in Sketty, had stepped off a ferry in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on 6 August. That discovery prompted a fresh appeal for information and led to Welsh officers being sent across the Irish Sea. South Wales Police said Mr Warburton's family had been informed of the latest development in the investigation and continued to be assisted by family liaison officers. Mr Warburton's body has not been found; detectives have previously said they are treating the incident as murder.

Police investigating the murder of missing Swansea man Alec Warburton say a man they wanted to speak to in connection with his disappearance has been arrested.

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A National Records of Scotland report said the Dumfries and Galloway village remained a "popular venue". There were 3,511 marriages registered in 2015 compared with 3,499 in 2014. However, last year's total is more than a third down on the record total for Gretna which dates back to 2004 when there were 5,555 weddings. Nonetheless, it can still claim to be the "marriage capital" of Scotland and accounts for 12% of all weddings. It is particularly popular for "tourism marriages" and some 84% of the weddings held in Gretna last year did not involve a resident in Scotland.

The number of marriages in Gretna topped 3,500 last year - a slight rise compared with the previous 12 months.

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The announcement follows a series of drone crashes that made the company recall its much anticipated Karma aircraft. In addition, the US company said its president, Anthony Bates, would quit his post at the end of the year after three years in the job. GoPro said that consumer demand for its products remained "solid". However, the company has posted a loss in each of its past four quarters. At the start of this month it also revealed its cash reserves had fallen to $132m (£106m) - less than half the amount at the start of the year. "I knew they were in trouble, but I didn't expect them to have such a dramatic fall from grace," Tom Morrod, director of consumer electronics at the IHS consultancy, told the BBC. "The Karma drones were their recover strategy, and when they had to be recalled it faltered. This is the result. "GoPro was struggling as an action cam specialist, which is why it needed an alternative market. The fact that the device was unsalable has damaged its prospects, at least temporarily." The job cuts represent 15% of the California-based company's workforce. The move reflects the fact that even if the fold-up Karma drone returns to sale, GoPro will probably have missed out on the Christmas shopping season. It had sold about 2,500 of the drones in the 16 days they were on the market. A problem with the machines caused a number of them to lose power mid-flight, causing them to fall uncontrolled out of the air. One video of an accident showed the drone diving on to a beach on which people were walking. There have been no reports of injuries. However, the company is being sued over claims it misled investors about demand for the product and took too long to alert the public to its power supply flaw. Reviews for GoPro's new Hero 5 cameras have generally been positive. The new devices introduced voice control, electronic image stabilisation and built-in water resistance. However, some technology blogs doubted whether the features were enough to convince existing owners to upgrade. And the company faces increased competition from rival action cams and the improved quality of smartphone cameras, many of which now also offer protection against water. As part of its cutbacks GoPro is also closing its entertainment division. The operation was announced in July 2015 and offered owners thousands of dollars for videos they had filmed using its equipment. In return it wanted the right to promote their content through its social media accounts. It also sought to sell the rights to the material to advertising agencies and split the proceeds. The company described it as a "no-brainer" for creative professionals at the time. GoPro's shares were trading 2.5% up on the day by early afternoon in New York, but they remain down on their value at the start of the year.

Action camera-maker GoPro is cutting 200 jobs and shutting down some of its services.

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Officers fired tyre-deflation rounds at the raiders' Mercedes after they tried to ram a police car to escape. Two further rounds were discharged at another car which was mistakenly thought to be involved. The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) said the officers' response was "wholly justified." No members of the public were injured during the incident on 12 February last year. The five men were arrested outside the restaurant after stealing an ATM in Carnoustie earlier that day. Seven men were convicted of blowing up cash machines at banks and supermarkets across England and Scotland at Liverpool Crown Court this week. The Pirc report said the police firearms response was "necessary and proportionate" due to the high risk posed to the public. Commissioner Kate Frame said: "The police response, to what was a significant threat to public safety and the officers themselves, was wholly justified. "They had reliable intelligence to indicate they were dealing with suspects who had access to firearms, a history of extreme violence and who had previously used high-powered stolen vehicles to ram police vehicles and escape. "When the suspects then used the same dangerous tactic to try and avoid arrest during this incident, the use of tyre deflation rounds to disable their vehicle was not only necessary but proportionate."

Police firearms officers who cornered an ATM theft gang at an Arbroath McDonald's restaurant shot at a car not involved in the crime, it has emerged.

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Since late November, Scotland's five mountain resorts have attracted 373,782 customers. The ski season is estimated to have attracted £37.5m into the local economy. With fresh snow on the slopes, CairnGorm Mountain expects skiing during the first weekend of June. Recent figures from Ski Scotland showed that this season's figures were better than the last bumper season of 2000-2001. Chair of Ski Scotland Heather Negus said: "All winter, we realised we were heading for a great season. "We had hoped to match the figure for 2001, but didn't realise we had beaten it until recently, when everything was added up - and of course, CairnGorm Mountain is still operating, so we're still counting." It is estimated that for every pound spent on the slopes another £3 is spent in the local economy with more than £28m being spent this winter in local accommodation, cafés, bars, restaurants, shops and filling stations. Ms Negus added: "All the ski areas have been delighted to see other local businesses thriving this winter. "Everything really came together for us - we had lots and lots of superb snow, which kept on coming, some truly amazing overhead weather giving 'bluebird' conditions, and, because there was also snow elsewhere in the UK, people realised that the Scottish Highlands did have skiing and snow boarding to rival the best and they came here to enjoy it."

Skiing on Scotland's snow slopes looks set to continue into the summer month of June as new figures reveal the best season in 14 years.

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Henry Reilly was UKIP's Northern Ireland candidate in last year's European elections, receiving more than 24,000 votes. The Newry, Mourne and Down councillor was suspended from the party in September, although Mr Reilly denied at the time that this had happened. A UKIP spokesman confirmed on Tuesday that Mr Reilly had been expelled. "At midday, Henry Reilly was advised that resulting from his suspension, a disciplinary meeting held yesterday took the decision to expel him from UKIP membership," he said. "There will be no further comment on this internal party decision." In September, UKIP's leader in Northern Ireland, David McNarry, confirmed to the BBC that Mr Reilly had been suspended after party leader Nigel Farage visited Belfast. However, Mr Reilly, who is from Kilkeel, County Down, had described it as a "technical issue" involving a discussion with a journalist and denied being suspended.

One of UKIP's most high profile figures in Northern Ireland has been expelled from the party.

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It is alleged Mark H Durkan adopted the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan (BMAP) without telling executive colleagues. The decision is being challenged in judicial review proceedings by the Finance Minister Arlene Foster. BMAP identifies planning zones for 40% of the Northern Ireland population. Counsel for Mr Durkan claimed he was pressurised by DUP executive colleagues over the policy, that ended any prospect of a John Lewis store at Sprucefield. Rejecting claims that he breached a ministerial code by unilaterally approving the planning framework last year, Mr Durkan's barrister said he had tried to get it on the agenda at Stormont executive meetings at least six times. The barrister said there had been an "egregious failure" by others to ensure BMAP was discussed. "That is where the system has broken down, because it never happens," he said. "Does the minister lose his executive power in circumstances where he has been thwarted by those who will not allow it to go on the executive agenda? "No, he does not lose his executive power - he has discharged his obligations, there's been no contravention of the ministerial code." BMAP covers retail, residential or commercial development not only in Belfast, but outlying areas such as Carrickfergus, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and north Down. In January 2012, then environment minister Alex Attwood announced the retailing element of the plan. This included a policy of restricting future development at Sprucefield to bulky goods such as furniture and electrical items, effectively blocking the John Lewis plan. During the two-day hearing the court was told the legal challenge involved a disagreement split down party-political lines. The DUP is opposed to the restrictions adopted by the SDLP minister in BMAP. Counsel for Mrs Foster said the plan is so controversial that it required full Stormont executive consent. However, Mr Durkan's barrister said the minister had done everything he could. The court heard how a regional development strategy in place up to 2035 aims to strengthen Belfast's role as a primary retail location. Insisting executive departments are obliged to adhere to it, the barrister asked: "How would the Department of the Environment minister properly be having regard to that policy if he had acted behind closed doors to abandon the bulky goods restriction because he had been put under pressure by a political grouping or part thereof? "That would be an abdication of his statutory responsibilities." The barrister also told the court that the ministerial code was being used to make improper demands. He said: "It cannot be right that the ministerial code is used to coerce the minister to disregard statutory obligations imposed on him." "The only way in which a minister can lose power is if there's a contravention of the code. "In this case there has been none, and he retains his executive power." The case continues.

Attempts were allegedly made to "coerce" the environment minister into ignoring his legal duties over a planning policy for greater Belfast, the High Court has heard.

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The former Rangers captain will join Killie on a three-year deal to team up with boss Gary Locke at Rugby Park. McCulloch, 37, was deemed surplus to requirements at Ibrox after Rangers' new management team of Mark Warburton and David Weir arrived in June. The former Wigan Athletic midfielder won three top-flight league titles and two Scottish Cups with Rangers. McCulloch, who played many of his 46 games for Rangers last season in central defence, joins striker Kris Boyd and full-back Stevie Smith in making the move to Kilmarnock from Ibrox this summer. Scotland international McCulloch was involved with Locke in Kilmarnock's preparations for Saturday's friendly against Berwick Rangers. He joined Wigan from Motherwell in March 2001 and, after more than six years there, moved to Rangers for £2.25m.

Lee McCulloch will sign for Kilmarnock in a player-coach role, his representative has confirmed.

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If the 70th UN General Assembly had a face, it would not only be showing its age, but it would be covered in the cuts and bruises from unending wars, new coups and the perennial problems of poverty, hunger and the new open, weeping sores that are the movements of the desperate and despairing across oceans and borders. For African leaders, the UN in New York is the place to be seen and heard every September. They are there under the magical veil of diplomatic immunity, not only because their leadership is recognised but also because it allows those who are older than the General Assembly to attend, as well as those who have been ostracised by international opinion, those who have been targeted by the International Criminal Court, and those who wish to plead for special attention or show that they are tackling corruption. Small budgets are prepared from the national coffers for the delegates accompanying the heads of state and first ladies fond of shopping, who mark the General Assembly dates in their diaries long in advance. This year's gathering has even featured a rock star Pope, and the Catholics among Africa's leadership may have wanted to touch that holy hand, though they may not have been so keen on confession. Still, it does not help to be too cynical, for Africa needs the UN more than any other continent. A brief scan of the UN's history will show us that while its predecessor, the League of Nations, threw South West Africa - present-day Namibia - from the frying pan of German occupation into the fire of apartheid jurisdiction, the UN has been largely present in tumultuous events in Africa these past 70 years. A UN Secretary General - Swedish statesman Dag Hammarskjold - lost his life in a plane crash in the Zambian town of Ndola in 1961 on his way to peace talks in the Congolese breakaway province of Katanga. Since then UN peacekeeping forces in Africa have been a regular and needed part of the continent's story: 19,000 troops are currently serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo; 12,000 are trying to restore order to the Central African Republic, another 10,000 are deployed in Mali and the UN mission in Liberia is due to end in June 2016 - having been there since 2003. Current UN peace missions in Africa The relationship between peacekeepers and Africa has been fraught with accusations of mineral theft and more seriously the sexual abuse of women and children by the international UN forces, but the security situation without them does not bear contemplation. In 2015 a look at the headlines shows us that from Libya downwards, violence prevails. It reveals that the fight for self-determination in South Sudan has resulted in increasing deaths after independence; Burkina Faso's presidential guard has become addicted to power and that economies wrecked by Ebola cannot do without international assistance. World leaders have now agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which replace the Millennium Goals, and feature many of the issues that the 20th Century grappled with. Farai Sevenzo: "From rising prices, to lack of pasture for cattle to drought and floods - food and hunger remain the continent's major worry" But paramount amongst the 17 SDGs is the struggle to end hunger. "While the number of people suffering from hunger in developing regions has fallen by half since 1990, there are still close to 800 million people undernourished worldwide, a majority children and youth," said Mogens Lykketoft, president of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly. Of course hunger has not arrived unannounced, the state of the planet and the effects of global warming have been playing havoc with people's crops all over southern Africa. Malawi, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned, faces its worst food crisis in 10 years. The WFP says 2.8 million people are at risk and that an astonishing four out of every 10 Malawian children are suffering from stunted growth. Poor rainfall affected the crops in 2013/2014 and then floods compounded the problem in early 2015 by destroying homes and wiping out food supplies. USAid's Famine Early Warning System has also listed food shortages in Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as in Sierra Leone and Liberia following the outbreak of Ebola. From rising prices, to lack of pasture for cattle to drought and floods - food and hunger remain the continent's major worry. Those attending the Sustainable Goals event spoke of its wide scope; UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said the new development blueprint was designed to "resonate with people across the world", while UN Development Programme head Helen Clark said the goals called "for a paradigm shift in how the international society understands development". Development, if truth be told, has sometimes been hampered by some of the very people who gather every September in the autumn sunshine. But it is their solemn duty - and ours - to try and develop ourselves. At its worst, the UN is a grey monolithic beast that is overstaffed with career diplomats and "angels of mercy" who run around African cities in their 4x4s on behalf of Western charities and their own ambitious career paths. But at its best, the UN is the last refuge for the powerless, the hungry and the needy. And Africa has far too many people in all three categories to do without it.

In our series of letters from African journalists, film-maker and columnist Farai Sevenzo considers why the UN matters to Africa.

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The cessation comes despite attempts to rescue the route in a £9m emergency deal, mostly from Stormont. Economy Minister Simon Hamilton had previously said the rescue package was crucial to attracted US-inward investment for Northern Ireland. A United Airlines statement said: 'We have regretfully taken this decision because of the route's poor financial performance." The ruling by the European Commission to block the funding package to protect Northern Ireland's one and only scheduled trans-Atlantic service defies logic and is an example of "abysmal Brussels decision-making". Managing Director Graham Keddie said: "You could hardly get a worse example of process-driven madness. "This is a vital link for business and losing it will be a body blow to executive ministers who use it to promote Northern Ireland to would-be investors from the United States. "This is a bad day for the executive and a bad day for Northern Ireland." "The executive did the right thing with its bid to save this key route. There was a risk to the flight and we stepped in to save it. Faced with the same circumstances again, I would make the same decisions. All public money has been recouped with interest and we retained the route for a longer period. "Our decision to support the route was praised by many and, had we not have made an effort to save the United flight, we would have been rightly criticised. "We were always aware of the potential of an issue around state aid compliance, but given the tight timescale to put a package of support in place, approval by the European Commission could not be sought in advance of agreeing a deal with United." "This is an international embarrassment. "This is a huge blow to our international standing and the minister must tell us what he intends to do to sort it out." "Awarding a £9m subsidy for a global corporation, which makes billions every year, against the advice of senior civil service officials and against state aid rules, was a dangerous commitment of resources at a time of already stretched budgets. "The gamble taken by the executive has spectacularly crash landed and there are now very serious questions for the economy minister to answer. "We need to know what communication the minister had with the European Commission before and after he issued a ministerial direction, ignoring the advice of senior civil servants. "Additionally, Simon Hamilton must outline how much public money has been spent advertising the route since the direction was issued." Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson said the decision by United Airlines to halt its Belfast to Newark route is a serious blow to Northern Ireland, in economic and social terms. He said: "To lose our only direct air route from Northern Ireland to the United States will have a serious impact on our business community as well as local people using it to visit family or for holidays. Coming just weeks after United was offered £9 million to keep the route open after they threatened to pull it is a slap in the face to our Executive. "We now learn that the funding was blocked by the EU Commission and I am calling on the Executive to explain what discussions were held with the Commission before the announcement, which was made with great fanfare. Is this another case of the Executive seeking good news headlines without adequate preparation? Did they even bother to check if this funding could break EU rules? It looks like the Executive and the Department for the Economy have let us down again. "I have consistently challenged the Minister for Economy to reveal the evidence that he used in deciding to allocate this money to United Airlines in the first place. Every time he has been unable to give a satisfactory answer. "Now that he has also been knocked back by the European Union, it is evident that he didn't even bother to check whether he was allowed to do it, let alone complete an economic appraisal for it. "Maybe, in future, the minister will consider the need for proper due process to ensure that money is being spent on things that it can actually be spent on, and that will actually have a benefit to society as a whole." "I was against this subsidy being given to United in the first place. "There are better uses for the £9m, especially when we are always being told that money's too tight to mention for a lot of departments. "There was never a guarantee. If the European Commission had not put a stop to it (the deal), there was no guarantee United was going to preserve the route anyway."

Politicians and businesses have been reacting to United Airlines ending their flights from Belfast to Newark Airport.

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They ran in seven tries to finish second in Pool Three and book their British & Irish Cup quarter-final spot. "There was some sloppiness in there that we'll have to rectify in the week," Cattle told BBC Radio Cornwall. "I thought the score flattered us a little bit - it was only in that second 20 minutes in the first half where they missed a few one-on-ones." Alex O'Meara scored a hat-trick at the Mennaye, with captain Chris Morgan, Bar Bartlett, Jake Parker, and Alex Day also going over. Pirates had Marlen Walker sin-binned while fly-half Bartlett suffered a rib injury, with the club awaiting results from an x-ray. "Us coaches are always going to be picky with the performance," added Cattle. "When we had the sin-binning it looked a little bit disjointed from the scrum but they're things we can iron out."

Cornish Pirates coach Gavin Cattle says his side has room for improvement despite their 50-24 win over Connacht.

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The detentions come less than a week before a visit to Cuba by Pope Francis. Most of the activists were members of the predominantly Catholic dissident group, Ladies in White. They walked through the streets of Havana holding up pictures of political prisoners, before they were rounded up by police. According to Cuba's main dissident website, 14yMedio, members of Ladies in White and activists from other opposition groups were handcuffed and pushed into police cars and buses on Sunday afternoon. A number of them were released hours later, it said. Cuba says the protesters are financed by right-wing American groups to destabilise the government. Cuban dissidents are planning to protest during the Pope's visit to the island, which begins on Saturday. They have accused the Cuban Catholic Church of becoming too cosy with the government of Raul Castro and failing to speak out against human rights abuses. "The Church should be concerned about this or any time human rights are involved. It's their duty," said Jose Daniel Ferrer, head of leading dissident group Patriotic Union of Cuba. He told the Reuters news agency he was handcuffed and taken to a police station after Sunday's protest. Police later dropped him off at a bus terminal, he said. The Cuban Catholic Church says it defends the respect of human rights but cannot take up individual political causes. Pope Francis played a key role in facilitating the historic negotiations between Cuba and the United States, which led to diplomatic relations being restored after more than five decades of hostilities. Senior Cuban and American officials met in secrets for months at the Vatican before Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro surprised the world last December by announcing they had agreed to mend relations.

Cuban police have detained more than 50 people who took part in a march calling on the island's communist government to release political prisoners.

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Inspectors reported a "marked increase" at HMP Risley near Warrington, Cheshire since its last inspection, some of which may not have been "justified". The report also said new psychoactive substances (NPS) were "undermining prisoner well-being" and a fifth of inmates felt conditions were "unsafe". Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke said the findings were "disappointing". The report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons followed an unannounced inspection of the jail - which houses 1,115 male prisoners - in June. While the prison had "a similar variable picture" to its last inspection in 2013, there was "some deterioration", Mr Clarke noted. An inspection in 2011 also found the use of force in some incidents at the jail was "unjustified". Mr Clarke said the high number of prisoners feeling unsafe was "worse than comparable prisons", though levels of violence were similar. He added that while "some meaningful work was being done" to deal with the "serious destabilising" issue of NPS, commonly known as legal highs, "nearly two-thirds of prisoners thought it was easy to obtain drugs". Risley "was not a sufficiently respectful prison", he said. He added accommodation standards "varied greatly" and there was a "need for more hygienic conditions and improved provision of basic amenities". The prison "did not have a grasp of the resettlement needs of the population, which was a fundamental failing for a resettlement prison," he said. "Only 40% of prisoners indicated they thought their time at Risley had made them less likely to offend. "The prison needs to go back to first principles in determining how best it can assess and resettle its prisoners." Michael Spurr, chief executive of the National Offender Management Service, said he hoped the jail's new governor would "develop the regime" at Risley. "The previous governor and his staff have worked hard to improve safety, to tackle illicit psychoactive drugs and to provide support for vulnerable prisoners, but there is more to do. "The new governor comes with an impressive track record and will build on the work of her predecessor."

A prison has seen a fourfold increase in the use of force by officers against inmates since 2013, a report has found.

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Jason Duff was discovered falling in and out of consciousness on Bo'ness Road in Polmont, Stirlingshire on 31 May last year. The case was described by a prosecutor as one with "unusual circumstances". The 44-year-old, of Cowdenbeath, Fife, was also banned from driving for four years. Depute fiscal Siobhan Monks said a member of the public was driving along the road when he came across Duff's 15-year-old Peugeot 206. Miss Monks said the Peugeot engine was running, but the vehicle was stationary, and Duff was not in it. The other motorist stopped and found Duff "lying in the road, under the influence, with his trousers down, falling in and out of consciousness". A blood sample taken at Forth Valley Royal Hospital three hours later showed Duff was still over twice the legal drink drive limit. Duff told police he had drunk alcohol and slept in his car following an argument with his girlfriend. Miss Monks said that when Duff woke up he decided to drive to work, but felt unwell, stopped his car and got out, but could remember nothing more. Solicitor advocate Stephen Biggam, defending, said: "He had become dehydrated, that's why he passed out." Duff pleaded guilty at Falkirk Sheriff Court to a charge of drink-driving. In addition to the driving ban and unpaid work order, Sheriff John Mundy placed Duff under social work supervision for 18 months. He said: "This is a serious matter. "The court does have the power to impose a custodial sentence, but it would be better for you to receive some kind of structured support."

A drink driver found by another motorist lying in the road with his trousers down has been ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

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The 64-year-old was found with critical injuries in Luxfield Road, south-east London, at about 02:10 GMT. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A 52-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder close to where the victim was found. The arrested man and the victim knew each other but were not related, the Metropolitan Police said. The victim's next of kin have been informed.

A man has been stabbed to death in Mottingham in the early hours of Boxing Day.

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Pte Sean Benton, 20, from Hastings, was found with five bullet wounds to his chest in June 1995 while on guard at a perimeter fence at Deepcut. An original inquest into his death recorded a verdict of suicide. His family applied for a new hearing after using the Human Rights Act to access evidence held by police. His twin, Tony Benton, and sister, Tracy Lewis, wept and said: "We are just happy and relieved. It's been too long." A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: "We care deeply about our young recruits and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Private Sean Benton." BBC Local Live: For the latest updates and more news The malevolent culture at Deepcut barracks Justice Collins said fresh evidence had "come to light which casts some doubt upon the correctness" of the original decision. He added that under article two of the Human Rights Act there was material that questioned the care Pte Benton received from the Army at the time. Mrs Lewis said: "Our family had just 20 years with Sean. It has taken us another 21 to secure the thorough, independent inquiry we should have seen immediately after his death." "For two decades, our family has been tormented by questions about what Sean went through at Deepcut," she added. "If his death had been properly investigated in 1995, we would have been spared years of uncertainty and pain. "It should be a source of huge shame to the Ministry of Defence and Surrey Police that our mother had to fight for so long - far longer than she should have had to - to force the authorities to answer basic questions." The family said the original inquest took less than two hours and heard from six people. A criminal investigation seven years later found no evidence of third party involvement. Pte Benton's medical records were not obtained and no evidence was gathered or presented about his experiences at the base. The family, who are represented by human rights group Liberty, believe he was subjected to severe bullying. In a statement, the MoD said: "The Armed Forces will not tolerate abuse, bullying, or discrimination. All allegations are taken very seriously and will be thoroughly investigated, either by the civil or military police and, where appropriate, action will be taken." "It would be inappropriate to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing - we will assist the coroner as necessary," it added. Pte Benton was the first of four young soldiers to die at the barracks between 1995 and 2002. Pte Cheryl James, 18, from Llangollen, North Wales, shot herself in November 1995, according to a second inquest into her death which concluded in June. However, the coroner criticised a lack of training, structure and inappropriate sexual relationships in the camp. Pte James' father, Des, said he had applied to the MoD for a full public inquiry into what went on at the barracks. Pte Geoff Gray, 17, from Hackney, east London, was found dead with two gunshot wounds to his head on 17 September 2001. Pte James Collinson, 17, from Perth, was found dead with a single gunshot wound through his chin on 23 March 2002. A date for the fresh inquest into Pte Benton's death is yet to be set.

A fresh inquest can take place into the death of a young soldier at an army barracks in Surrey 21 years ago, a high court judge has ruled.

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Her path to being the chief strategy officer of internet security firm RSA started when she travelled on her own to the US at 11-years-old. Ms Howe remembers vividly arriving at San Francisco airport on her own. "A tall, lanky, moustached immigration agent spends what feels like an eternity questioning me. I know the stakes are high. I know my family's future depends on me passing this interview" she explained at a Tedx event. Her family had fled Iran shortly before the 1979 revolution. They went to the UK and a few months later put her on a flight to the US as they "calculated that an 11-year-old girl on her own will not be turned away by immigration," she said. Their calculation paid off. The customs officer stamped her Iranian passport and she started her new life. The first thing she had to do was adapt to California - a place she described as "where all-you-can eat buffets and free-thinking rebellion are the norm". She found her safe space in coding. "I was happy in the computer room," she told the BBC. "I was an immigrant, trying to fit in a girls' school and the computer room was a safe place to be." But at 17-years-old she took an entirely different direction. She "fudged" a few details on her CV and applied for a job as a casting assistant for Steven Spielberg. "My 1968 birthday changed to 1966 so I could work legally full-time in that job," she explained. "I remember trying to stay as close to the truth as possible." Ms Howe was in her senior year at school, but was also doing a course at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) so just didn't mention the bit about school. She had also been an assistant director in theatre productions and gave that a prominent showing in her CV. She got the job and for around eight months she moonlighted between casting for a TV show and her senior year at high school. The UCLA course gave her more freedom than in normal high school and when she needed to take an exam she told her boss that she had a doctor's appointment. It would be decades before she returned to the world of coding. In that time she went from being an entertainment lawyer to business consultant to angel investor to venture capitalist. Ms Howe was meeting with the cyber security company Endgame to talk about investing in them when she was offered a job by the chief executive. "He said 'raising money is not going to be a problem. What I need is a business partner'." She took the job of chief strategic officer and eventually moved to a bigger cyber security company RSA. She described the path back to the computer room as "circular" and said she had been "distracted" by "bright shiny things" in the entertainment industry. But Ms Howe said she was not alone, as a female, in her interest in technology not turning into a career at first. Over the nine years of investing in tech, she said she had only met a "handful" of female company founders. But Ms Howe urged women to consider working in internet security specifically. She said making the internet safe was a "mission" that "appeals to women". "Solving a problem that makes the world safer, makes our personal lives safer and makes our children online safer," is how she put it. Internet security companies are struggling to fill vacancies and she said the demand for workers was only going to become bigger. The 13-year-old in the computer room now needs many more protections than when she was a teenager.

Niloofar Howe is a rare woman working in internet security.

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At the Unite Scotland union's conference in Clydebank, Ms Dugdale accused the Scottish government of making cuts to schools and social care. Also speaking, UK Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn pledged that a future Labour government would repeal the Trade Union Bill. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will be making a speech to delegates on Sunday. Ms Dugdale told the conference Scotland could not be a "fairer, more prosperous country" while councils were being "starved of the resources they need". She said: "We cannot build a better life for those children when their parents are amongst the thousands of local government workers who have lost their jobs or the 15,000 more who Cosla say could go as a result of John Swinney's £500m cut to our councils. "We should be cutting the gap between the richest and the rest, not the budget for our schools and the workers from our services. "I am calling on all trade unionists to join Scottish Labour and speak with one voice to say these SNP cuts to local councils responsible for our schools and social care just aren't acceptable." Mr Corbyn, who was delayed arriving in Scotland because of bad weather, said Labour was setting up a commission on workplace rights to be led by the Shadow Minister for Trade Unions, and former president of the National Union of Mineworkers, Ian Lavery MP. The Labour leader said: "Not only will we repeal the Trade Union Bill when we get back in 2020 we will extend people's rights in the workplace - and give employees a real voice in the organisations they work for. "That means new trade union freedoms and collective bargaining rights of course because it is only through collective representation that workers have the voice and the strength to reverse the race to the bottom in pay and conditions." Mr Corbyn said he was proud to be a member of a trade union and the unions would be "central to everything we do". An SNP spokeswoman said: "Kezia Dugdale should ask Jeremy Corbyn to support the SNP's calls for trade union laws to be devolved as Labour voted to leave these powers in David Cameron's hands, instead of allowing the Scottish Parliament to take a new and better approach, giving him carte blanche to undermine unions in Scotland." Among other issues being debated at the conference are debt, the oil industry, fracking and devolution. Meanwhile, Unite's general Secretary Len McCluskey is set to urge Labour to apologise for "betraying" Scotland to stem the drift towards the SNP which already claims two thirds of Unite's Scottish membership. Mr McCluskey will remind Scottish members that Unite is a Labour affiliated union and urge them to come back to Labour, in a speech on Sunday. He said: "The ideology of New Labour effectively alienated large swathes of the Scottish working class, which manifested itself quite dramatically last May. "Kezia has to effectively say: 'Labour is under new management, we apologise for betraying you, and we will start from scratch to try and build that trust up'."

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has called on trade unionists to "unite against SNP cuts to local councils".

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A team from Cardiff University has appealed to more than 3,000 beekeepers to send them photos, videos and audio files from hives over the summer. The noises will be analysed at the School of Pharmacy. The research will also help them learn where the bees find their feed by mapping the exact locations they were pictured or recorded. "The Africanised honey bee makes different sound to the European bees," said microbiology professor Les Bailie. "The bees we have on the roof of the school here are Italian. Do the bees in Cardiff make the same sound as those in Aberystwyth or Wrexham?" Prof Bailie said bees could make up to 10 different noises depending on their mood, including angry, calm or ill. Analysing the "known noises" can help determine where bees are from, but could also be used to play to bees to help their mood. "A happy bee is a productive bee. If you can make the bee happy by playing them the right sound they can produce more honey," Prof Bailie said. "Plotting these differences could ultimately help us in our bid to find out which plants help bees the most. "Gathering photos, video and sound files will help us understand where gaps lie and will help put plants in the right places to make bees more productive." If enough beekeepers respond, and investigators detect initial differences, the project could be rolled out to include more than 40,000 beekeepers across the UK.

Scientists are trying to find out if bees make different sounds depending on where in Wales they are.

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Watson, world ranked 110th, was beaten 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 by the Estonian Anett Kontaveit, who is the world number 99. The 24-year-old faced 18 break points - compared to just one for her opponent - on the way to losing. World 124 Broady was beaten 6-4 6-2 by German Julia Goerges, who is 46 in the women's rankings.

British pair Heather Watson and Naomi Broady were both knocked out in the first round of the Biel Bienne Open in Switzerland.

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Defence minister Mark Lancaster said 12,565 of the homes were "expected to materialise in this Parliament". He acknowledged this would impact on civilian and military staff but provisions were being made, he said. The sites include an RAF base, barracks, ex-World War Two airfields and a chaplaincy centre. They also include two golf courses at RAF Henlow and Southwick Park in Hampshire. Meanwhile, Network Rail has announced it will release land at almost 200 sites for 12,000 new homes by 2020. This includes 5,000 homes in London, 3,600 homes in Manchester and the north, 1,700 homes in the Midlands and the east of England and 1,400 homes in the south of England. The 13 military sites that will be sold by the MoD are: The MoD said the land at Venning and Parsons Barracks are the only sites that will not have housing built on them, as they will be used for commercial development at the request of Telford and Wrekin Council. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "We are getting rid of land that we don't need to build homes that we do, generating hundreds of millions of pounds in the process. "Our commitment to protect and increase the budget for our armed forces means that every penny of that will be reinvested into defence, helping to keep Britain safe." But shadow defence secretary Clive Lewis said: "Affordable housing is desperately needed across the UK, particularly by service families, who have seen the cost of their housing go up as conditions get worse. "So it's disappointing that the MoD has failed to say how many of these potential new homes will be affordable, or how many could be set aside for service personnel. "In fact, they cannot even reassure us that these sites will be used to build new homes at all," he said. "What we're looking at is the double impact of 18,000 MoD staff losing their jobs and public land potentially being sold on the cheap for developers to profit from," a Public and Commercial Services union spokesman said. "The government must learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure any land sold not only realises its full value, but that house-builders are forced to ensure enough affordable homes are provided." In a written statement, Mr Lancaster said consultations will take place over the coming weeks with "stakeholders" including trade unions, to determine the future of each site and their occupants. "The release of land by the MoD has the potential to provide land for new homes and we will continue to engage with impacted local authorities to determine how the department's assessment of housing unit allocation against each site may be considered as part of the authority's Local Plan," he said. "I acknowledge that these moves will have an impact upon civilian and military staff; the department is making arrangements to provide for units and functions based at sites which will not have a future defence requirement." An MoD spokeswoman said it was too early to confirm how exactly it would affect staff at the sites, but she said "the majority" will be provided for and moved to accommodation elsewhere, for example. Mr Lancaster said the sales would contribute £225m towards the MoD's £1bn target for land release sales, as set out in its spending review last year. The release of the sites contributes to the government commitment to provide land for 160,000 homes by 2020, he said. The 2015 Conservative manifesto pledged that 200,000 quality Starter Homes would be built over the course of the Parliament, reserved for first-time buyers under 40 and sold at 20 % below the market price.

A total of 13 Ministry of Defence sites will be sold to provide land for up to 17,017 homes and will raise £225m, the government has said.

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Her husband, Arif Yunus, was given seven years on similar charges. They have been in prison since their arrest nearly a year ago. Both still face separate charges of treason, which carries a life sentence. The couple say the case was politically motivated. Azerbaijan has repeatedly jailed human rights activists. President Ilham Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan since 2003 and has cracked down hard on political opponents. Both Leyla, 59, and Arif Yunus are in poor health - she has diabetes and hepatitis C, while he has a heart condition and has suffered two strokes. US-based Human Rights Watch condemned their prosecution as a "despicable political show trial". Levan Asatiani, an Azerbaijan researcher at Amnesty International, said "the judicial system has once again revealed itself to be no more than a cynical tool by which President Ilham Aliyev crushes any dissent". In a statement to the BBC the Azerbaijan government said the court process in the case was "open and free". It also said "the independence of judiciary and the rule of law have been fully guaranteed" in Azerbaijan. Leyla Yunus was found guilty of fraud, illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion and falsifying official documents. She is director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, a human rights group founded in 1995. It has worked with the Council of Europe - Europe's leading human rights watchdog - and other international bodies, informing them about actions to stifle political dissent in Azerbaijan. Mrs Yunus had been pressing for reconciliation between oil-rich Azerbaijan and neighbouring Armenia, to defuse their frozen conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian forces took control of the disputed territory in 1994 soon after the break-up of the Soviet Union. But sporadic clashes continue between them and nearby Azeri forces. (Update 20 August: This article was amended to add the official viewpoint of the Azerbaijan government.)

A prominent human rights activist in Azerbaijan, Leyla Yunus, has been sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for fraud and tax evasion.

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Ashley Yates, 45, used a spy pen to record images of pupils and staff at The Tynings Primary School in Staple Hill, South Gloucestershire. On Tuesday, at Bristol Crown Court, he admitted charges of making indecent images of children and voyeurism. In a letter to parents the school said "additional adult victims have been identified" which the police confirmed. On Tuesday the court heard Yates, of Filton, who is married with children, and had been in post as head at the school for eight years, filmed six girls, one boy and two members of staff. It also heard Yates had handed over passwords to computers that would assist with the continuing police investigation. A police spokesman said: "Enquiries are ongoing and we will not be commenting until sentencing." But the letter to parents on the school's website says: "Police have confirmed that additional adult victims have been identified. "These victims came to light after items were seized by police during the course of the investigation. "The additional victims are all adult victims who have been contacted. "They have also been offered support from police and the local authority. "If any further victims are identified during the course of the investigation they will be notified immediately." The school said it was working closely with the police and South Gloucestershire Council and would be disclosing as much information as possible without prejudicing the continuing legal proceedings. In a letter to families, the acting head also thanked parents for their "patience and co-operation during this difficult time". Yates has been remanded in custody until his next court hearing at Bristol Crown Court on 9 August.

A head teacher who snooped on pupils and staff in his school toilets filmed more adults than first thought.

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The side's appearance in France will be its first at a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup. Players and coaches left their base at the Vale Resort, Vale of Glamorgan, on Saturday and headed to Cardiff Airport. After a send-off from pupils from Ysgol Treganna, Cardiff, the team took off for a friendly in Sweden on Sunday. They will then head to France ahead of the team's first game of the tournament against Slovakia on 11 June.

Wales' football team has departed the country as their Euro 2016 preparations reach a climax.

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In a tweet, Eastleigh candidate Patricia Culligan claimed a Liberal Democrat standing in another seat "deliberately became HIV positive yet free NHS care v costly". She was referring to Paul Childs who is standing in Liverpool Riverside. He revealed he was HIV positive last week. In appearing to question the cost of treating British patients Ms Culligan went further than Nigel Farage, who has controversially said foreigners with HIV should not be treated for free by the NHS. The UKIP leader's comments during last week's TV debate were greeted with heavy criticism from some of the other leaders. He insisted it was right to "put our own people first". Patricia Culligan removed her tweet and apologised after UKIP was contacted by the BBC on Thursday evening. In a statement, the party said: "We wholeheartedly support the NHS being free at the point of access and kept publicly-funded. "We have spoken to Ms Culligan and advised her to retract the comment which seems to conflate two very separate issues." In a follow-up tweet she said she "sincerely" apologised for "any totally unintended offence" , saying she had misread a Mail Online article about Mr Childs. She added: "I have nothing but sympathy for sufferers." It is not clear though if she believes the NHS should ration or reduce treatment of British HIV sufferers. UKIP almost won the Hampshire seat of Eastleigh in a by-election in 2013. Ms Culligan was selected last September to fight it for UKIP. The Liberal Democrats said her comment was "disgusting and deeply offensive". A party spokeswoman said: "The Liberal Democrats will always stand up for the liberal British values of tolerance, generosity and decency." For a full list of the candidates in Eastleigh please click here. For the corresponding list in Liverpool Riverside please click here.

UKIP's candidate in a key general election seat has been forced to apologise after she appeared to question the cost to the NHS of treating British people who are HIV positive.

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On Monday the Austin resident used a golf buggy to pick some of them up. The Sure Walk project has been set up to ensure students get back safely from campus when it is dark. McConaughey, 47, graduated from the university in 1993. He is an avid fan of its American football team. A photograph of him dressed in an orange shirt driving smiling and startled students home was posted by the university on social media. Matthew McConaughey: From rom-com star to Oscar winner "Longhorns take care of each other, and it's 'safe' to say Matthew McConaughey agrees," a post on the university's Facebook page says. "Don't forget to use Sure Walk when travelling home late at night; you never know who might pick you up!" Sure Walk - or Students United for Rape Elimination - provides students of the University of Texas at Austin with "volunteer companionship while walking home from campus". It expanded its services earlier this month from 7pm to 2am every day of the week, the university's news magazine said. It provides students with "peace-of-mind when studying late at night and ensure[s] safety for all". Canada police to punish drink-drivers with Nickelback Australian man's 'breast implant' find revealed as jellyfish New five pound note not suitable for vegetarians Born in the small city of Uvalde, Texas, McConaughey eschewed a role in the family oil pipe business to study radio, TV and film at the University of Texas. Although he is perhaps best known for his leading roles in rom-coms such as Failure to Launch and The Wedding Planner, he won an Oscar for Best Actor in the 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club. In one of his latest films, The Sea of Trees, he stars as a suicidal man who travels to Japan to take his own life. Yet McConaughey has acknowledged that it is the rom-coms that have provided him with his "bread and butter", telling the Daily Telegraph in a recent interview that has no qualms about being associated with the genre.

Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has surprised students at the University of Texas at Austin by taking part in a scheme to provide them with safe late-night lifts home.

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"Rodrigo was nurturing the dream of being a professional footballer. He had been born with a real talent and everyone in his family and his community knew that he was really good at football." The teenage boy described by outreach worker Antonio Carlos da Silva could be any of Brazil's football-mad youngsters. But Rodrigo Kelton had not just stood out in training sessions. At only 14, he had already overcome great odds to make it to that age alive. Rodrigo was one of the thousands of children born into hardship in the north-eastern state of Ceara, where according to official figures more than 133,000 people live on less than 70 reais ($30; £18.50) a month. Born into deep poverty and drug addiction, Rodrigo was driven by severe social problems into a perilous existence on the streets of the state capital, Fortaleza. But according to Mr Silva, the outreach worker who first met Rodrigo living on the streets and persuaded him to move into a shelter in 2009, he was on the brink of turning his life around. "He was hoping to turn professional, so that he could help his mother get treatment for her drug addiction and buy her a house," Mr Silva recalls. Part of what helped him was being part of the Brazilian team competing in the Street Child World Cup, a global tournament that puts the spotlight on issues affecting street children. The tournament currently under way in Rio is the second such event to be held uniting teams of street children from 19 countries, four years after the inaugural competition in Durban. Bernardo Rosemeyer is the founder of O Pequeno Nazareno, a non-governmental organisation which runs the shelter into which Rodrigo moved aged nine. He says the prospect of competing in the Street Child World Cup instilled discipline in Rodrigo's life. "He had stopped taking drugs and was going to school as part of the conditions to play in the tournament," Mr Rosemeyer explains. "Being in the team was a light in his life. He was even getting on better with his mother who came to all the training sessions." But what happened to Team Brazil's best striker shortly before he was due to take part in the Cup reflects the bitter reality of children at the bottom of Brazil's society. In February, Rodrigo decided to move back to the favela, or shanty town, where his family lived. He liked a girl there and dismissed warnings by social workers about the risks of returning to the dangerous neighbourhood. As he left his home on the day of his 14th birthday with his older brother Raphael, the brothers were shot at by members of a drug gang in retaliation for an alleged robbery several years before. Rodrigo was killed and Raphael only survived because the gun had jammed. The news hit his team mates hard. "I told the players about his death when we all met up to take the bus to the training session," recalls Mr Silva. "At first, they did not believe me and thought I was lying. Then they all began to cry and to think about their strategies for survival in the communities where they live." At Rodrigo's funeral, it was his team mates who carried his coffin. On the day before their first match, they gathered in a small chapel to remember the teenager who could not make the journey with them from the streets of Fortaleza to Rio to represent their country. Goalkeeper Pedro Levi, a 15-year-old who also lived on the streets of Fortaleza before moving into a shelter, says Rodrigo has left a gaping hole in the team: "He was a great player. The best thing about him was his leadership, he would bring the whole team together. Pedro says the team is determined to bring the trophy home "for Rodrigo". Before their first match against Egypt, the players observed a minute's silence in Rodrigo's honour. Team mate Diego Rocha, 14, held a portrait of Rodrigo as Rio's Archbishop, Dom Orani Tempesta, and a former captain of Brazil's national team, Gilberto Silva, watched. Rodrigo's team went on to beat Egypt 4-0. But their victory felt bittersweet. "We dedicate this match to the memory of Rodrigo," Diego said. The team is determined that Rodrigo will not be forgotten and plan to keep displaying his portrait as they progress through the tournament to Sunday's final. But the reality for Brazil's 23,000 street children is anything but rosy. Gang and drug violence remain endemic in poor communities. In Rodrigo's home state of Ceara alone, there were 4,462 murders in 2013. Murders of street children routinely go unpunished and there has been no investigation into Rodrigo's death. Team mate Vinicius Marcos, 14, knows any of the 300 children believed to live on the streets of Fortaleza could easily run the same fate as Rodrigo. So his hope for his former team mate is a simple one: "I hope God has him in a good place."

The brutal killing of a promising teenage street footballer has concentrated minds in Brazil ahead of the World Cup this summer.

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The injured girl was riding the the Hogwarts Express train with her family, who were on holiday from Tennessee visiting Universal Studios in Orlando. Police described the explosion as a "fireball", burning the girl's face. "It was just a weird, freak accident," Lieutenant Dan Brady told the Orlando Sentinel. "It wasn't a big explosion but was definitely enough to scare everyone who was in that cab of the train," he added. Her name has not been released. The girl was riding the train, which connects Universal Studios with the Island of Adventure theme park, at about 15:30 local time (19:30 GMT) on Saturday when the device exploded. The girl suffered mild burns to her face, arm, and leg, and was taken to hospital. The vapouriser was inside another man's pocket when it malfunctioned, causing minor burns to his leg. The explosion burned a hole in a seat, but otherwise there was no significant damage to the train, officials say. Universal Studios shut down the ride temporarily to allow detectives to investigate. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Universal Studios in 2010.

A 14-year-old girl suffered burns on a Harry Potter ride when another passenger's electronic cigarette exploded, police in Florida say.

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Corporal William Savage, 30, from Penicuik, Fusilier Samuel Flint, 21, and Private Robert Hetherington, 25, both from Edinburgh, died in the blast. They were killed on Route 611 in the Nahr-e-Saraj district on 30 April 2013. The soldiers, who were in an armoured Mastiff vehicle, were unlawfully killed on active service, the coroner ruled. Coroner, Darren Salter, will now write to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon. The inquest was held at Oxfordshire Coroners Court. Earlier, it heard that an improvised explosive device (IED) had been put in place using a tunnel and was triggered using a command wire from behind the 10ft wall of a nearby compound. Post-mortem examinations concluded the three, who were with B Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, would have been deeply unconscious virtually instantly and unaware of what had happened. Mr Salter said the Mastiff was designed to resist improvised explosive device (IED) attacks. There had been earlier damage to this one, the second of three evolutions of the vehicle, in a strike in 2009. However, there was "no significant evidence" that the vehicle failed to provide the "expected level of protection", Mr Salter ruled. He also noted that experts referred to the size of the explosion as a "blast overmatch" and that the men were seated in the rear of the vehicle, which was nearest to the explosion. The men died when an improvised explosive device (IED) tore through their heavily armoured Mastiff vehicle on April 30 last year. The Royal Military Police made inquiries to the Afghan National Police about the incident, but no-one was arrested over it. The Mastiff, a protective patrol vehicle, had gone from Forward Operating Base Ouellette to another base at Lashkar Gah Durai and was on its way back again when the attack happened. There were four vehicles in the patrol. The driver of the Mastiff, Fusilier Paul Howell, said in a statement that the regular locks to the rear doors had been faulty, and he had reported them twice. He told the inquest that on the day in question, though they were stiff, they were fully sealed when closed. Extra battle locks were not deployed, but they were not supposed to be when the vehicle was in open desert, only when there were potential public order situations, he said. He said in his statement that there were 20 ammunition tins under the seats in the rear, which was normal. The inquest heard that the IED was buried under the road, had been placed there by tunnelling, and was triggered by a command wire, probably from behind the 10ft wall of a nearby compound. Sgt David Boxwell, who was in command of the patrol, said he had not been told of any problems relating to the place where the blast took place. As for tunnelling under the road, he earlier said: "I had never heard of it before." Company Sgt Major Steven Main said: "Everything we had had was off the tarmac road. IEDs were placed in the dust - it's easier to conceal." He said there was no sign on the ground of the IED. "The wire was so deep that we would not have seen it."

Three soldiers killed in a Taliban bomb blast should have been warned about insurgent activity in the area, a coroner has said.

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The former Scunthorpe, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston player worked with Blackpool manager Gary Bowyer as a trainee at Blackburn. The 27-year-old was released by York in January after making 18 appearances for the League Two side. "I've played against some of the lads before - there are some good players, and some good signings have been made this summer," he told the club website. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Blackpool have signed ex-York defender Eddie Nolan on a one-year deal.

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Public Health Wales (PHW) research also showed one in five of those who breastfeed do so for less than a month. It recommends exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months but added breastfeeding does not come easily to all mothers. Campaigners said some were "shamed" into persevering with breastfeeding even when the babies are going hungry. The Fed Is Best campaign said clinically safe feeding "comes in a variety of forms". It said babies not receiving enough milk were at risk of jaundice, hypoglycemia and dehydration. "All mothers who wish to breastfeed should be supported in doing so while ensuring their child receives all the nutrition they need to remain healthy and safe. "We have found that mothers often feel immense pressure by society and by current breastfeeding protocols to only breastfeed their newborns, even when they do not have enough milk to do so." Women can also experience pain, bleeding or cracked nipples, especially if the baby has not attached properly. PHW's survey showed 51% of people asked were definitely planning to breastfeed when they became parents in future - meaning 49% were going to bottle feed or were unsure. As part of its campaign, mothers offered advice to breastfeeding parents and those considering feeding options. PHW said breastfed babies were more likely to grow up a healthy weight and were at less risk of high blood pressure and heart disease as they got older. It can also provide health benefits for mothers. Meanwhile, a Welsh Government report showed of more than 30,000 births in 2015-16, 59% of new mothers intended to breastfeed - ranging from 50% in the Cwm Taf health board area to 84% in Powys. Cardiff and Vale figures were not available. Alice Wilkins from Cardiff, breastfed her baby Eli, now two, for 14 months. "At first, getting the latch right was frustrating," she said. "I found the best thing that I could do was stop trying, hold Eli and calm him and take a few deep breaths to calm myself. "Before my milk came in I would worry about him being hungry, so a few times I would hand express on to a teaspoon and pour it into his mouth. "It would soothe him and give him a bit of food, and give me some time to relax a little before trying again. "My top tip would be build a nest. Take the best seat on the sofa, surround yourself with everything you could need, TV controls, a cup of tea, a book. "I even had a foot rest and a nice V pillow to nestle Eli on to. You'll be there a while so you might as well be comfortable." Nia Bettridge, mother of 22-week-old Elise, said: "Don't feel guilty if breastfeeding doesn't work out for you, it is not for everyone. "Doing what suits you and baby is the most important." Karen Thompson from PHW said: "In many parts of Wales breastfeeding is very rare and bottle feeding is normal. "Unless we can change this, many babies in Wales will not get the many benefits that breast milk brings in both short term and longer term health outcomes. "Breast milk is all a baby needs in the first six months, providing them with all the vital nutrients to grow healthily. "We need to understand more about why some parents are unsure about breastfeeding and help to address those concerns in a positive way." Other tips included not worrying about routines and timings, researching breastfeeding, staying hydrated, asking for help, having confidence in your body - and not feeling guilty if breastfeeding does not work out.

Half of parents-to-be in Wales are either unsure or have decided against breastfeeding, according to a survey.

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It says "cosmetic lightening and hygiene creams... that de-pigment the skin... are now forbidden". Whitening creams have been popular for years among young women - and some men - across Africa, who believe they make them more beautiful. But medical experts say they may cause cancer, diabetes, severe skin conditions and other diseases. "The number of people with side-effects caused by these medicines is really high," Christian Doudouko, a member of Ivory Coast's pharmaceutical authority, was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. Latest African news updates Africa: Where black is not really beautiful British consultant dermatologist Justine Kluk told the BBC the major concern was over unregulated products, which may contain ingredients such as mercury or excessive amounts of steroids. "If one thinks about steroids being present in these products, they're often present in much higher quantities than we would prescribe," she said. She said the creams can cause a variety of health issues, such as "acne, thinning of the skin, glaucoma or cataracts if applied near the eyes". "Or if applied liberally to the whole body, [they can] cause high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, weight gain, mood disturbance due to absorption of large amounts of steroids," she said. However, analysts say the ban may not stop people buying the products. They are still used in The Gambia despite a ban. South Africa has the world's toughest laws against skin lighteners, having prohibited the most active ingredient - hydroquinone, but a University of Cape Town study found that more than a third of South African women still buy them. The use of whitening creams in Africa is most widespread in Nigeria - where more than 75% of women buy them, according to a 2008 UN Environment Programme study.

Ivory Coast has banned skin-whitening creams because of health concerns, the health ministry says.

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The sign - on the Beeston-bound platform of the Queen's Medical Centre stop - points commuters towards the "Univeristy Of Nottingham". The error could have been there for "seven to eight months", it is estimated. A Nottingham Express Transport (NET) spokesman said they will now be looking to replace the sign next week. People were quick to condemn the "unfortunate error", captured by a BBC journalist. It follows another spelling mishap spotted on a sign last July on the network, which stated "Chillwell Road" rather than Chilwell Road. "Absolute joke - what is happening with the world," Melanie Winskill wrote on BBC Radio Nottingham's Facebook page. Gill Bennett pondered: "Maybe the people responsible didn't go to university." A NET spokesman said it is unsure how long the error has existed at the stop, but added it "could have been there for seven to eight months". "Clearly this is an unfortunate error made during the production of the sign," the spokesman said. "We will be looking to replace it as soon as possible next week now it has been pointed out."

A misspelt sign at a stop on Nottingham's tram network has been branded an "absolute joke".

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On Wednesday, shares of Chinese solar power manufacturer Hanergy Thin Film were suspended after falling 47%, wiping out $18.6bn (£11.9bn) from its market capitalisation. That was followed by shares of Goldin Financial, which fell 55% on Thursday. Both firms had seen the price of their shares surge over the past year. Shares of Goldin Financial, which is 70%-owned by Hong Kong billionaire Pan Sutong, have jumped by more than 400% between September 2014 and March this year, according to Reuters. The firm had said that it was not aware of the reason behind the big jump in its share price. About half of Goldin's value - $16.12bn - was erased on Thursday as shares fell. Meanwhile, Hanergy shares had risen five-fold since September before the sell-off began. The firm, controlled by Chinese billionaire Li Hejun, had issued a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Wednesday saying its shares had been halted from trade "pending the release of an announcement containing inside information". Li has been considered one of China's richest men on the back of his stake in Hanergy. Nicholas Teo, market analyst at trading firm CMC markets said he had noticed the dramatic drop in Hanergy's shares right away because it had everyone "scratching their heads". "The company was very quick to call a halt to the trading, but without any news, there is plenty of speculation and potentially room for further reaction to the downside if the trading suspension is lifted," he said. "Even after the drop though, Hanergy's shares are basically twice as expensive as some of the firms in that sector." David Kuo, chief executive of The Motley Fool Singapore backed the view that Hanergy shares were overvalued. "Hanergy is involved in the much-hyped solar-panel industry. Investors are paying $50 for every dollar of profit the company makes," he said. "When expectation overtakes reality, reality eventually wins. The market is experiencing a dose of reality." There has been speculation as to the reason why the Chinese company halted trading, with Reuters citing an unnamed source as saying the firm is under investigation by Hong Kong regulators. Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has declined to make a comment. Local reports also said that Li, chairman of the firm, did not attend the firm's annual general meeting in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Shares of two Hong Kong-listed companies have plunged by about 50% in the past two days, surprising market watchers across the region.

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Media playback is unsupported on your device 18 July 2015 Last updated at 13:43 BST The video which was filmed around 1933, shows the Queen playing with a dog in the private gardens at Balmoral in Scotland. The Queen Mother raises her arm like a Nazi salute and the Queen copies her. Buckingham Palace have said the release of the video is ''disappointing''. They said the video was filmed more than 80 years ago and was from the Queen's private family collection. The Nazi salute was used by Adolf Hitler, who was Germany's leader at the time. His actions during World War Two caused the deaths of millions of people. The Sun newspaper, who released the video, have refused to say how they got the footage but said it was an "important and interesting story".

A Newspaper has shown a home video of the Queen when she was a young girl, raising her arm like a Nazi salute.

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Lord Alderdice said proposals for a new international body to monitor paramilitary activity would have "much less power" than the panel he sat on. He was a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) which operated from 2004 to 2011. The Liberal Democrat peer said the new body would only be able to produce a few proposals for the Executive. "Which will then fall into disagreement about how they should be implemented," he said. Lord Alderdice spoke on Tuesday's debate on the Northern Ireland Welfare Reform Bill in the House of Lords. The former Church of Ireland primate Archbishop Robin Eames also used the debate to express his disappointment that the "Fresh Start" deal did not include any agreement on the legacy of the troubles. Lord Eames, who was co-chair of a consultative group on the past, told peers he was well aware of the "desperate plight" of troubles' victims. He urged the government to publish the legacy papers prepared during the inter-party negotiations, arguing that the victims "deserve nothing less". Lord Eames expressed the hope that legacy issues might yet be tackled, adding that "perhaps the situation is not as bleak as it seems". The government spokesman, Lord Dunlop, said the establishment of a new monitoring body to assess the impact of paramilitary activity on local communities is "a crucial part" of the "Fresh Start" deal. Lord Dunlop said the government regretted the fact that an agreement on legacy issues could not be reached, and remained committed to continuing to work to build a consensus.

The former leader of the Alliance party Lord Alderdice has criticised plans contained in the "Fresh Start" deal.

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His firm, Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, already owns the Three mobile network, and combining it with O2 would create the UK's biggest mobile group. However, the move could face tough scrutiny from competition regulators. It would reduce the number of major operators in the UK from four to three, which might not benefit consumers. Further consolidation within the telecommunications industry is already on the cards, with BT Group in talks to buy rival operator EE. If a deal is agreed it would have to be approved by competition regulators in Brussels. Currently the UK mobile market is dominated by O2, EE, Vodafone and Three. However, Hutchison Whampoa group finance director, Frank Sixt, pointed to deals in other countries, including Ireland, which were given the green light and which also reduced the number of competitors in the market from four to three. "The European Commission has taken a positive view of four-to-three consolidations of mobile in three cases now...and we believe that the precedents that they have set in those transactions will apply for this transaction," he said. Mark Newman, chief research officer at telecoms consultancy, Ovum, thinks there may still be grounds for concern. "The big question we should be asking ourselves is whether the consolidation will result in prices going up," he said. "It's worth looking at the Austrian market which has gone from five operators a few years ago to three today. It appears as though prices have gone up in the Austrian market." O2 said in a statement: "Three is known for campaigning on behalf of its customers, much like O2. "We are confident that an agreement will mutually benefit the customers of both companies, as well as drive better value, quality and investment in one of the most digitally competitive countries in the world." These are turbulent times for the UK mobile phone industry - and for its customers. Just a few years back, there were five operators - Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2 and the scrappy outsider, Three. Now Three owner Li-Ka Shing's move for O2 means it is likely there will be three giants in charge of our phones and the prices we pay to use them. BT's move on EE, the merger of Orange and T-Mobile, appeared to raise few competition concerns because it won't cut the number of choices for consumers. Hutchison's plans are a different matter. Three has been a small player making a big impact by bold pricing moves such as offering free international roaming and unlimited data deals. But combined with O2 it would be the biggest operator, and might be keen to raise prices. The competition authorities in Brussels and in London seem certain to want to have a look at the deal, though some might argue that consolidation in Europe's most competitive mobile market is inevitable and will lead to more investment in better networks. One company which might be cheering the regulators on is Vodafone. It was already unhappy about the implications of any BT/EE deal - now what was the UK's global telecoms powerhouse faces being an also-ran in its home market. Hutchison said in a statement that the exclusive negotiations with Telefonica will take a period of several weeks. "Shareholders and potential investors of the company should note that such negotiations may or may not result in any transaction, and accordingly are advised to exercise caution when dealing in the shares of the company," it said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Hutchison shares jumped 4% on the announcement after they resumed trading in Hong Kong. They had been suspended on Friday morning pending the statement. Mr Li has spent more than £20bn on overseas acquisitions in recent years. Earlier this week, he agreed to buy the UK's Eversholt Rail Group for £1.1bn. The 86-year old is also undertaking a major reorganisation of his business empire, which has interests in property, energy, ports and telecoms. The conglomerates Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa are both controlled by Mr Li. He plans to merge them and spin off their property assets into a new company, also to be listed in Hong Kong.

Asia's richest person Li Ka-shing is in talks to buy Britain's second-largest mobile provider O2 for up to £10.25bn ($15.4bn) from Spain's Telefonica.

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German broadcaster RBB found up to 700 cases in Berlin alone. "There are many unreported cases," said Ole Schröder, a top interior ministry official. There has been a rise in asylum requests from pregnant women from Vietnam, Africa and Eastern Europe. A new law is being drafted to tackle the fake paternity racket, RBB reports. Some pregnant immigrant women are reported to have paid fake fathers and solicitors as much as €5,000 (£4,356; $5,628) to get paternity registered. Once that is done, the baby automatically becomes a German citizen and the mother has the right to stay. However, in 2013 a German Constitutional Court ruling said that even in suspicious cases it might not be worth contesting paternity, because the child could end up stateless and left in legal limbo. It is generally easier for refugees fleeing conflict to get residency in Germany than for economic migrants who have escaped poverty in Africa, Asia or Eastern Europe. Germany has moved to tighten asylum rules since the 2015 influx of more than 800,000 migrants, most of them refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Immigration is a major issue ahead of parliamentary elections in September. The influx hit some local authorities especially hard, as they struggled to house and integrate the newcomers. However, there was a sharp drop in the numbers claiming asylum in 2016, after barriers were erected on the Balkan migration route. Massive drop in German asylum seekers Record migrant numbers leave Germany Ten attacks a day on Germany migrants Polls suggest that the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD), opposed to mass immigration, has gained support and is on course to enter the federal parliament (Bundestag) for the first time. Mr Schröder, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), said "we have a lot of evidence from the immigration authorities - fake fathers are making money out of this... in other words, this involves a considerable amount of criminality". In one case reported by RBB, a far-right sympathiser, convicted for sporting neo-Nazi symbols, claimed to be the father of a Vietnamese child. Martin Steltner, a state prosecutor in Berlin, told ARD television there were signs of widespread abuse involving paternity, for example one man claiming to be the father of 10 children. The fake fathers rarely pay any child support, as many are living off social welfare, ARD reports. A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, whom governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.

German officials say growing numbers of pregnant immigrant women are paying German men to pose as fathers so that they can qualify for residency.

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The 30 gigabyte dump of stolen data appears to include nearly 200,000 emails belonging to Noel Biderman. Some experts have decided not to view the contents, but certain details are being distributed via Twitter. There has also been more fallout from the release of an earlier batch of data including Ashley Madison user emails. TrustedSec, a US security firm, has published a blog in which it verifies the basic details of the email data, released last week. The company says the files amount to 30 gigabytes' worth and regard 6,800 unique senders and 3,600 unique recipients. The veracity of the most recent data dump has also been confirmed by Norwegian security researcher Per Thorsheim, who was able to decompress the files. "I saw one email or two emails and I could verify the sender, the recipient, the domains and everything so it has to be an email from the CEO's mailbox," he told the BBC. "There's no doubt about that." However, Mr Thorsheim says that beyond verifying that the dump is real, he is not interested in reading the contents of the emails. Speaking to the BBC, the security firm hired by Ashley Madison to investigate the hack said it appeared to have been carried out through unusual means. "I can say that unlike many similar attacks, where a remote attacker has been able to use a security vulnerability such as an SQL [programming language] injection in order to dump data directly, that was not the case here," said Joel Eriksson, a security expert at Cycura. The Motherboard news site has published excerpts of several of the emails, which appear to contain discussions around Ashley Madison's security policy. "This hack affects potentially millions of people," journalist Joseph Cox told the BBC. "The massive email dump, which appears to be legitimate, gives some insight into what those who were in charge of the site really thought about security." One screenshot of the emails published by Motherboard reveals one employee's suggestion that news of a different social networking site being hacked could be "used as a PR spin". Meanwhile, users who have been linked to Ashley Madison by email addresses found in an earlier release of data have been the subject of uninvited scrutiny. Troy Hunt, who has been blogging about the implications of the hack, has described the case of church leader (who he chose not to identify) who had contacted a member of their own congregation, whose email address was linked to an Ashley Madison account. Hunt says that he has also received a "huge number of enquiries" from worried individuals who are concerned that they may be associated with Ashley Madison, whether or not they have actually created an account on the website themselves. "People are desperate to get the data," he told the BBC. "They're resorting to things that could get them into hot water, like trying to download the data themselves. "I don't think it's right for the individuals in the Ashley Madison database to have their personal lives put on display," he added. "Very often these people are entirely innocent." Mr Hunt and others have warned that users may be the subject of blackmail and extortion attempts. Indeed, security blogger Brian Krebs reported last week that spam emails demanding Bitcoin payments were targeting email addresses found in the Ashley Madison data. Although the implications of the data's release are still to be determined, some commentators are already pointing out that they could be far-reaching. Two law firms have launched a class action lawsuit against Ashley Madison in recent days, and it is possible that the plaintiffs would seek to use information from the chief executive's leaked emails to help build a case, according to Mark Watts, head of data protection at London law firm Bristows. "If the emails sent to/from the CEO are relevant to the case (ie to the class action) then I suspect that the lawyers involved would seek to rely upon them if they are helpful to the case," he told the BBC. Watts explained that even though the emails have been obtained illegally, any relevant correspondence to the case would probably have been discovered later anyway as part of the legal process. "Essentially, the claimants' lawyers would just be getting them early," he said.

A swathe of emails from the inbox of Ashley Madison's chief executive is now being scoured by a variety of security experts and journalists.

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Inspired by the lily pond in Monet's garden at Giverny in France, the painting was the top lot at Sotheby's sale of modern and impressionist works. It totalled just under £122m, including £15.2m for Piet Mondrian's 1927 Composition with Red, Blue and Grey. Sotheby's said it proved collectors are still keen to acquire "trophy art". Paintings by Sisley, Picasso, Manet and Kandinsky were also among the 46 works, with only four pieces failing to find buyers as many sold close to the top end of the pre-auction estimates and sometimes above. "The Nympheas selling for such a huge sum is again a reflection that this is still a market that is driven by trophies, that the great works by the major masters are still really sought after," said Philip Hook from Sotheby's. The auction house said the bidding for the Monet work attracted buyers from Asia and all over the world and went on for 10 minutes, going up in £250,000 increments in its final stages. It said the painting, from the "most iconic and celebrated of Monet's painting series, can be counted among the artist's greatest achievements". It once belonged to Paul Durand-Ruel, the legendary art dealer who championed the Impressionists and represented Monet. The same work had been offered for auction in 2010 but failed to reach its reserve price. Sotheby's said this time it had carried a more "realistic" estimate of £20m to £30m. The sale price of £31.7m included a buyer's premium. Two other Monet paintings were also offered in the sale, La Seine a Argenteuil which sold for £8.5m and Antibes, vue du plateau Notre-Dame, which sold for £7.9m.

A 1906 Claude Monet water lilies painting, Nympheas, has sold for £31.7m in London, the second highest price ever paid for the artist at an auction.

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It is hoped the vaccinations will halt the spread of TB from hotspot areas in the South West and West Midlands. Groups will be offered funding of up to 50% of the costs for vaccinating. The move comes as the government prepares to cull more than 1,000 badgers in west Gloucestershire and west Somerset. Areas identified for vaccination include Cheshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and East Sussex. The aim is to create a "buffer" zone to prevent the spread of the disease in new areas of the country where incidence is currently low. The programme is part of the government's strategy to achieve bovine TB free status in England by 2038. The scheme has been welcomed as "fantastic" by Dominic Dyer of the Badger Trust and Policy Advisor at Care for the Wild. "Badgers are no more than a minor player when it comes to bovine TB... culling them is a completely pointless, unscientific and ultimately unsuccessful way of dealing with this small percentage of infectious badgers," he said. Projects considered eligible for the Badger Edge Vaccination Scheme (BEVS) need to be predominantly close to the borders of the hotspot areas and must cover a minimum area of about nine sq m (15 sq km). Nigel Gibbens, the UK's Chief Veterinary Officer, urged groups to take advantage of the offer to help stop the spread of the disease. "We know vaccination cannot cure badgers already carrying TB, but used in the right areas, it can play a vital role in creating a barrier to the disease's spread," he said. Culling of badgers is due to begin again in Gloucestershire and Somerset, with the maximum number of badgers that can be culled set at 1,091 in Gloucestershire and 785 in Somerset.

A scheme to vaccinate badgers against bovine tuberculosis in a bid to tackle the disease in cattle has been launched by the government.

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From April 2017, 600,000 small firms will not have to pay business rates, while 250,000 will pay lower rates. To fund the giveaway, the chancellor capped debt interest payments used by larger firms to cut their corporation tax bills, to 30% of earnings. George Osborne also said corporation tax would be cut to 17% by 2020. Mr Osborne said his business tax reforms were part of a "Budget for small business". The chancellor announced he was permanently raising the threshold for small business rate relief from £6,000 to a maximum of £15,000 and increasing higher rate relief from £18,000 to £51,000. He said that the 600,000 small businesses relieved of paying business rates from next April would see an annual saving of nearly £6,000. Mike Cherry, policy director at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: "The chancellor has listened to our calls for the tax system to be made simpler for small businesses and the self-employed and taken important action on business rates." The chancellor also announced a number of reforms designed to help small businesses cope with what he called "the great unfairness" they faced when trying to compete with some suppliers selling goods online. Mr Osborne said the government would take measures to stop overseas retailers storing goods in the UK and then selling the goods online without paying VAT. He also introduced two new tax-free allowances worth £1,000 a year for so-called micro-entrepreneurs: people who make money from occasional jobs or through renting out property they own. The Treasury estimates that the debt interest rate relief cap, alongside other measures, will help raise £8bn over the next five years. Among those other measures was the announcement that firms making an annual profit of over £5m would face the prospect of having the amount of past losses they could carry forward to offset their corporation tax bill capped to 50% of current profits. Carolyn Fairbairn, director general of the CBI business lobby group, said: "The reduction in the headline corporation tax rate sends out a strong signal that the UK is open for global business investment, and reforms to interest deductibility are rightly in line with the international consensus. But she added: "Changes to the tax treatment of losses will make it harder for larger scale-up firms and companies that have been through tough times to play their part in the recovery."

Small businesses have welcomed what they said were long overdue reforms to tax policy as the chancellor doubled business rate relief.

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The 18-year-old man is still in hospital after the incident at Leicester's West Gate School on 27 January. The school subsequently suspended three female members of staff. Police confirmed the women were arrested in connection with allegations of neglect offences and then bailed pending further inquiries. Chair of governors, the Rev Canon Peter Taylor, said: "A number of investigations are being carried out into the circumstances of this tragic incident. "Three members of staff have been suspended while these take place." A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said the pupil "sustained injuries as a result of getting into difficulty in a swimming pool in Glenfield Road." She added that the women "aged 49, 61 and 62, have been arrested in connection with the incident on neglect offences". Leicester City Council and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are also investigating. The school - which caters for students aged four to 19 with learning difficulties and disabilities - was officially opened by Prince Edward last year.

Three special school staff members were arrested after a teenage pupil was seriously injured in a swimming pool.

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But what's brewing in this new crop of commercial meaderies - as they are known - is lot more refined from the drink that once decorated tables across medieval Europe. "Do we have any mead makers or home brewers in the group?" asks Ben Alexander, eying a crowd of a dozen or so people who have come to his Maine Meade Works, in Portland, on a rainy Friday for a tour. When no-one raises their hand, Mr Alexander launches into the full spiel. "If you guys want to come around, I'll show you how this thing works," he says, gesturing to two ceiling-high columns of stainless steel filled with something resembling a mushy golden porridge. "We mix up honey and water over there and we pump it through a hot water bath at 160 degrees [71C] in a stainless steel coil here. Each one produces about 50 to 75 gallons [227-340 litres] of mead a day," explains Mr Alexander. It's fair to say he is obsessed with mead. "It's the quintessential local beverage - you can go anywhere in the world and find honey to make mead, and I think that's unique among alcoholic beverages," he gushes. After being introduced to the drink by a home brewer, Mr Alexander thought there were profits to be had in a commercial meadery. He founded Maine Mead Works in 2008, pouring his savings and money from friends and family into the business. His business has since grown, along with the popularity of mead in the US. It's now a seven-person operation that manufactures more than 7,500 cases a year, shipping them as far away as China. Mr Alexander is not the only one to have caught on to the commercial potential of mead. Vicky Rowe, the owner of mead information website GotMead, says interest in the product in the US has exploded in the past decade. "We went from 30-40 meaderies making mead to somewhere in the vicinity of 250 in the last 10 years," she says. "I like to say that everything old is new again - people come back to what was good once." Even visitors to Mr Alexander's meadery agree. Tour participant Dirk Heseman admitted that while Maine Mead Works was the first meadery he'd actually visited, he has noticed that mead "is becoming more and more available - similar to cider". Just this year, commercial meaderies in the US have banded together to form an industry group, the American Mead Makers Association, to better share information and encourage growth in the industry. But there's a lot of work that needs to be done to improve the image of a drink long associated with Renaissance fairs and medieval re-enactments. "I think our number one challenge as an industry is awareness of what mead is," says Mr Alexander. "You ask 10 people in a room if they've ever heard of mead, and two of them might say, 'yes', and only one of them has had a very positive experience." The mead of the past was often sweet, and didn't appeal to many drinkers who were just looking for something good to pair with food. But mead has since changed. "People don't realise that just because it has honey in it, [mead] doesn't need to be sweet," says Ms Rowe, citing the proliferation of not only dry meads but also meads flavoured with fruits, herbs, and spicy peppers. Yet hampering efforts towards building mead awareness is also the name mead itself. Technically, mead is classified as wine by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which regulates alcohol sales and labelling in the US. This means that mead has to be labelled as "honey wine", which doesn't help combat people's perception of the drink as being as cloyingly sweet. "How do people recognise it as mead if you can't say the word?" says Ms Rowe. Ironically, the alcoholic beverage that most credit with the resurgence of the mead business is beer. The craft brewing movement, which was recently singled out in a report by the Atlanta Federal Reserve as a source of job growth, inspired many home brewers to expand their repertoire. "I was a home brewer, and at first I liked mead because I had never had it," says Brad Dahlhofer of B Nektar meadery in Detroit, Michigan. "Every home brewer has the same dream of, 'Hey what if I could sell this? Wouldn't that be great?'" he says. After he spent months making batch after batch of mead, perfecting his recipe, he realised that mead was "kind of an untouched category", and that no-one, at least back in 2008, was really doing it commercially. So when he and his wife, Kerri, were both laid off of their jobs in Detroit's car industry during the recession, they decided to take the plunge. Now, B Nektar is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, US meadery, shipping 1,100 cases a week across the country. But for Mr Dahlhofer and his fellow mead enthusiasts, that's just the beginning. "If you look at craft beer 25 years ago, they had 1% of the total beer market, and now they have 8%," says Maine Mead's Mr Alexander. "So we've got a long way to go, but I feel like it's got the opportunity because of the diversity of the beverage. "You've got a canvas with very few limits."

Long relegated to the dusty corners of history, mead - the drink of kings and Vikings - is making a comeback in the US.

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The legend of Emperor Yu states that he tamed the flooded Yellow River by dredging and redirecting its channels, thereby laying the foundations for the Xia dynasty and Chinese civilisation. Previously, no scientific evidence had been found for a corresponding flood. But now a Chinese-led team has placed just such an event at about 1,900BC. Writing in Science Magazine, the researchers describe a cataclysmic event in which a huge dam, dumped across the Jishi Gorge by a landslide, blocked the Yellow River for six to nine months. When the dam burst, up to 16 cubic kilometres of water inundated the lowlands downstream. The evidence for this sequence of events comes from sediments left by the dammed lake, high up the sides of Jishi Gorge, as well as deposits left kilometres downstream by the subsequent flood. Lead author Dr Wu Qinglong, from Nanjing Normal University, said he and colleagues stumbled on sediments from the ancient dam during fieldwork in 2007. "It inspired us to connect the next possible outburst flood with the abandonment of the prehistoric Lajia site 25km downstream," he told journalists in a teleconference. "But at that time we had no idea what the evidence of a catastrophic outburst flood should be." The Lajia site, famously home to the world's oldest noodles, is known as China's Pompeii; its cave dwellings and many cultural artefacts were buried by a major earthquake. "In July 2008 I suddenly realised that the so-called black sand previously revealed by archaeologists at the Lajia site could be, in fact, the deposits from our outburst flood," Dr Wu said. "The subsequent investigation confirmed this speculation and showed that the sediments from this outburst flood are up to 20m thick, and up to 50m higher than the Yellow River - indicating an unprecedented, devastating flood." He and his colleagues suggest in their paper that the very same earthquake that destroyed the Lajia dwellings probably dammed the river upstream. Less than a year later, the waters returned with a vengeance. "The flood was about 300-500,000 cubic metres per second," said co-author Dr Darryl Granger, from Purdue University in the US. "That's roughly equivalent to the largest flood ever measured on the Amazon river; it's among the largest known floods to have happened on Earth during the past 10,000 years." Using carbon dating - on flood deposits and even on fragments of bone from earthquake victims at Lajia - the researchers date the megaflood to 1,922BC, "plus or minus about 28 years", Dr Granger said. If the flood was indeed the source of the Emperor Yu legend then the founding of the Xia dynasty presumably occurred within a few decades, in about 1,900BC. This date is 200-300 years later than many previous estimations. But Emperor Yu's tale is difficult to pin down using traditional historical sources; the story survived as oral history for a millennium and its first known written record dates to around 1,000BC. On the other hand a later, circa 1,900 commencement for the Xia supports that idea that this first dynasty coincided with the transition from Stone Age to Bronze Age ways of living. Some archaeologists have already linked the Xia dynasty with the Erlitou culture, an early Bronze Age society known from digs elsewhere in the Yellow River valley. Dr David Cohen from National Taiwan University, another co-author, said the study was remarkable because of the multiple lines of evidence involved. "We have the geological evidence of just a huge outburst flood, which is incredible in itself," he said. "But then there's this coincidence of it co-occurring with the destruction of the Lajia site - which is able to give us very, very precise dates… and then that this flood was of such a scale and corresponds in time, and along the Yellow River, with both the beginnings of Bronze Age civilisation and the legend of the great flood itself. "It's just this amazing story. All these different approaches coming together - it is just great luck." Prof David Montgomery of the University of Washington is a geomorphologist with an interest in what rocks can tell us about ancient myths and legends. He was not involved in the research but wrote a commentary for the journal and discussed the findings on the BBC World Service programme Science in Action. Among the world's various flood myths, Prof Montgomery said, Emperor Yu's story is an odd one. "It's not about surviving. His basic story is about draining the flood waters; it's about river engineering." The case made for the Jishi Gorge megaflood is a plausible one, he said, particularly because it describes a flood that would have broken the Yellow River's banks far downstream and re-routed its flow. Prof Montgomery said this is just the sort of event that would take decades to deal with - and a long battle with the waters is a feature of the Yu myth. "It's very difficult to ever actually prove the origin of pre-written history events. But they've made a very interesting case, that I'm sure geologists will continue to poke at, and investigate, and argue about - because that's what we do." At a purely geological level, he added, the flood is a major and intriguing discovery. "But the cultural connection - possibly explaining the origin of the Chinese flood story - is too intriguing to ignore." Follow Jonathan on Twitter

Geologists have found evidence for an ancient megaflood which they say is a good match for the mythical deluge at the dawn of China's first dynasty.

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United took the lead on the night and in the tie when Henrikh Mkhitaryan drilled in a low finish in the 10th minute but Anderlecht equalised when Sofiane Hanni scored after 32 minutes. United were minutes away from a penalty shootout before Rashford got the winning goal after 107 minutes with a brilliant turn and finish. That means Mourinho's men won 3-2 overall across both legs of the quarter-final. Winning the Europa League is very important for United and manager Jose Mourinho as it offers another route into the Champions League, European club football's biggest competition. The other sides into the semi-finals are Ajax, Lyon and Celta Vigo with the draw taking place at midday on Friday.

Marcus Rashford's extra-time goal sent Manchester United into the Europa League semi-final beating Anderlecht 2-1 on a nervy night at Old Trafford.

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Shana Grice ended her relationship with "obsessed" Michael Lane who stalked her when she started up a new relationship, Lewes Crown Court has heard. The 19-year-old's body was discovered with her throat slit in her bedroom, which had been set alight, in August. Mr Lane denies murder. Giving evidence, his friend Natalie Fines said she bumped into him during an evening out with her parents on Saturday, 20 August. Ms Fines told the court: "He told me she'd dumped him and gone back to her ex. He wasn't very happy about it, he told me he was depressed. "As we were all leaving and hugging goodbye, he whispered in my ear 'she'll pay for what she's done'." During cross-examination by Simon Russell Flint QC, defending, she added: "I didn't think that much of it. He'd often say things like that. "For example, that he'd kill himself, and do it that night, but he didn't act on it." The trial has previously heard Mr Lane, of Thornhill Rise, Portslade, East Sussex, put a tracker device on Miss Grice's car after hearing about her rekindling of the relationship with Ashley Cooke. He was also cautioned by police after he stole a key to her back door before letting himself into her bedroom in Chrisdory Road, Portslade, to watch her sleep. The trial continues.

The man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend whispered to a friend "she'll pay for what she's done" five days before she was killed, a court heard.

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Tom Queally, 30, from Oak Lodge, Newmarket in Suffolk was found asleep in his car in Cheshire in March. He admitted the charge and received the ban and a £1,350 fine at Crewe Magistrates' Court. But his lawyer, Nick Freeman, argued he had been forced to plead guilty because the law did not recognise the sleep walking argument. The prosecution said Queally, famous for being the regular jockey of "wonder horse" Frankel, was found asleep at the wheel of his BMW at a filling station in Chelford, Cheshire,with the engine running and the lights on at 05:40 GMT on 16 March. A breath test showed a reading of 84 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of blood, when the legal limit is 35 microgrammes. His defence argued that Queally, who is originally from Dungarvan in the Irish Republic, had been a sleep walker since he was five years old. He had been out in Hale, Cheshire, and his last recollection was reading a magazine on a bed at his manager's house at 02:00 GMT. Mr Freeman said: "The thrust of my mitigation is he's completely unaware of what he's doing - he's sleep driving. "I don't think the law has kept up with scientific developments, because it seems simply unfair for a man of this quality now to have a criminal conviction for something which in my view, he's morally totally innocent." District Judge Bridget Knight said the law had previously ruled that sleep walking was not a defence for drink driving. Queally was also fined £1,350 and ordered to pay costs of £3,500. Speaking afterwards, Mr Freeman said: "The law needs to be changed to reflect this unique set of circumstances."

A top jockey has been banned from driving for 22 months after claiming he was sleep walking while drink driving.

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It was written to author Betty Shew by the 21-year-old princess in 1947, months before her marriage. The two-page note describes how the couple met, were chased by a photographer in Prince Philip's sports car and danced at London nightclubs. It was given a pre-auction estimate of £800 to £1,200 but sold for £14,400. Describing it as a "fantastic result", Richard Edmonds of the Chippenham Auction Rooms in Wiltshire said: "It was quite an honour to be able to sell such an important document, particularly as the country is celebrating the Queen's 90th birthday. "The bidding was both online and over eight phone lines. It was pretty fast and furious. At times our internet connection looked like it was lighting up." The identity of the buyer has not been disclosed. The then Princess Elizabeth agreed to share the details of her relationship with Philip, for a royal wedding souvenir book being written by Mrs Shew. In the letter, written in ink on white paper adorned with the royal crest, the princess recalls how she met Prince Philip at the age of 13, describes his love of fast cars and how the couple danced at nightclubs Ciro's and Quaglino's in London. The future Queen also writes about her wedding ring, which she says will be made of Welsh gold. She and Prince Philip married in November 1947 at Westminster Abbey, the same location as her coronation in June 1953.

A letter written by the Queen revealing how she and Prince Philip first fell in love attracted "furious" bidding as it smashed pre-auction estimates.

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Luke Durbin, 19, of Hollesley, Suffolk, failed to return home after a night out in Ipswich on 12 May 2006. His mother Nicki said when a police team took over the case and interviewed her for six hours she was able to put more emphasis on the car. She had always believed the owner of the Volvo car was significant. "I am hopeful someone will now come forward and I am convinced there is someone out there with relevant information," she said. "Despite the disappearance being nine years ago I am sure someone locally knows something. "It's a relief to know the team is now looking seriously at the importance of the car." Police know the silver or white Volvo 440 was seen in Orwell Place in Ipswich at 04:19 BST on Friday 12 May 2006, just minutes after the last CCTV images of Luke . Officers are keen to trace the driver and any occupants of the vehicle. Mr Durbin had spent part of the evening in Zest nightclub on Princes Street before leaving in the early hours. The last sighting of him was on CCTV walking across Dogs Head Street in the direction of the bus station. Det Supt John Brocklebank said: "Someone locally knows what happened to Luke, however we are still waiting for the crucial piece of information that can solve the mystery. "We're releasing the CCTV images of a Volvo seen in the area. Despite appeals we have not been able to trace the occupants of this car. "We'd like to hear from anyone who knows someone who had access to a silver or white coloured Volvo 440 around May 2006 who may have been in Ipswich around 04:00 BST that day."

The family of a teenager who vanished nine years ago has welcomed a police appeal for information about a Volvo car seen on the night he went missing.

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The Treasury says abolishing the grants, or bursaries, will allow many more nurses to be trained. But a Royal College of Nursing survey claims two-thirds of nurses wouldn't have studied nursing without them. They say it would make an existing staff shortage even worse. Bursaries are a means-tested allowance paid to those healthcare students who qualify, to help with living expenses during their training. Plans to scrap them were outlined by Chancellor George Osborne, as part of the government's Spending Review in November 2015. At the time he said the move would free up around £800m a year in government spending and create up to 10,000 new training places. But since then, nurses and other health workers have been campaigning against the axing of bursaries. Student nurses are also going to have start paying tuition fees for their courses in the same way as other undergraduates - meaning they will have to take out a student loan. First year student nurse Ellie Archer has told the BBC that the bursary was vital in allowing her to pursue her dream career. She already has one sizeable student loan from another undergraduate degree and says: "I really wanted to be a nurse and I can say without a doubt that if I had had to take out a loan to study to become a nurse, I would not have done it." Ellie believes the intensity of a nursing degree means students need extra support. "Because of the amount of time spent on a placement it is very, very difficult to pick up second jobs, so there isn't really any other way of getting an income other than having the bursary in place." There is already a model of what a future without bursaries may look like at Chorley Hospital in Lancashire, which is part of the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Student nurses there, who are on a course run in conjunction with the University of Bolton, are the first in England to pay their own way and once they have successfully completed the course, they are guaranteed a job. The trust's director of nursing and midwifery Gail Naylor explains: "We had 800 applicants for 30 places, so I think what that tells us is, there really is the demand out there. "Students are looking for different ways to train and we've been really successful in that." The Lancashire course is not alone in being oversubscribed. In 2014, there were 57,000 applicants for places on nursing degree courses, but the NHS in England could fund only 20,000 places. The Royal College of Nursing says a survey of 17,000 nurses reveals that two-thirds of them would not have studied nursing if faced with the prospect of taking out a student loan. RCN chief executive Janet Davies says: "We're concerned that perhaps we won't get the same diversity of people coming into nursing that we have currently, that having to take out a loan will put people off, particularly those people who are more mature, who may have had a career previously and who are coming into nursing as a second career." However, many of those who run nursing training courses believe there is a case for change. Dame Jessica Corner, chairwoman of the Councils of Deans of Health which represents the universities that train nurses, says: "This change actually enables universities to open up training places. "At the moment they are capped, really on the basis of affordability and estimates of what the NHS might need, which have clearly been wrong over many years. "So over time we think training places will be expanded and that will be good news for the NHS with more nurses and allied health professionals graduating." There is a shortage of qualified NHS nurses right across the UK. So far these changes are only being proposed in England. But faced with similar problems, politicians in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be watching very carefully to see what impact these changes will have.

Hundreds of nurses and midwives are expected to join a demonstration in London on Saturday calling for a rethink of plans to scrap maintenance grants for students in England.

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Female officers will be able to wear a headscarf under their caps or berets, provided it is plain and is the same colour as the uniform. Headscarf bans on university campuses and state institutions - except for the judiciary, military and police - have also been lifted in recent years. The garment has been controversial in Turkey for years. Secularists regard it as a symbol of religious conservatism. Since the 1920s, Turkey has had a secular constitution with no state religion. The opposition have accused President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) of trying to reinterpret secularism. However, public debate has also evolved to accept the hijab as an expression of individual liberties, correspondents say. No strong opposition has been voiced against this latest move. President Erdogan has long embraced Turks' right to express their religious beliefs openly, but he says he is committed to secularism. In 2010, the country's universities abandoned an official ban on Muslim headscarves. Three years later, women were allowed to wear headscarves in state institutions - with the exception of the judiciary, military and police. That year, four MPs wore headscarves in parliament. Most people in Turkey are Sunni Muslims.

Turkey has lifted a ban on policewomen wearing the Islamic headscarf.

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Assistant nurse Emilie Telander, 26, cheers as one of the day patients at Svartedalen's elderly care home in Gothenburg manages to roll a six in a game of Ludo. But her smile fades as she describes her own luck running out at the end of the year, when after 23 months of six-hour shifts, she was told to go back to eight-hour days. "I feel that I am more tired than I was before," she reflects, lamenting the fact that she now has less time at home to cook or read with her four-year-old daughter. "During the trial all the staff had more energy. I could see that everybody was happy." Ms Telander is one of about 70 assistant nurses who had their days shortened for the experiment, the most widely reported of a handful of trials in Sweden involving a range of employers, from start-ups to nursing homes. Designed to measure well-being in a sector that's struggling to recruit enough staff to care for the country's ageing population, extra nurses were brought in to cover the lost hours. The project's independent researchers were also paid to study employees at a similar care home who continued to work regular days. Their final report is due out next month, but data released so far strongly backs Ms Telander's arguments. During the first 18 months of the trial the nurses working shorter hours logged less sick leave, reported better perceived health and boosted their productivity by organising 85% more activities for their patients, from nature walks to sing-a-longs. However, the project also faced tough criticism from those concerned that the costs outweighed the benefits. Centre-right opponents filed a motion calling on Gothenburg City Council to wrap it up prematurely last May, arguing it was unfair to continue investing taxpayers' money in a pilot that was not economically sustainable. Saved from the axe at the eleventh hour, the trial managed to stay within budget, but still cost the city about 12 million kronor (£1.1m; $1.3m). "Could we do this for the entire municipality? The answer is no, it will be too expensive," says Daniel Bernmar, the Left Party councillor responsible for running Gothenburg's elderly care. But he argues the experiment still proved "successful from many points of view" by creating extra jobs for 17 nurses in the city, reducing sick pay costs and fuelling global debates about work culture. "It's put the shortening of the work day on the agenda both for Sweden and for Europe, which is fascinating," he says. "In the past 10, 15 years there's been a lot of pressure on people working longer hours and this is sort of the contrary of that." Yet while work-life balance is already championed across the political spectrum in Sweden, the chances of the Nordic country trimming back its standard 40-hour week remain slim. On a national level, the Left Party is the only parliamentary party in favour of shortening basic working hours, backed by just 6% of voters in Sweden's last general election. Nevertheless, a cluster of other Swedish municipalities are following in Gothenburg's footsteps, with locally funded trials targeting other groups of employees with high levels of illness and burnout, including social workers and hospital nurses. Cleaners at Skelleftea Hospital will begin an 18-month project next month. There's also been an increase in pilots in the private sector, with advertising, consulting, telecoms and technology firms among those testing the concept. Yet while some have also reported that staff appear calmer or are less likely to phone in sick, others have swiftly abandoned the idea. "I really don't think that the six-hour day fits with an entrepreneurial world, or the start-up world," argues Erik Gatenholm, chief executive of Gothenburg-based bio-ink company. He is candid enough to admit he tested the method on his production staff after "reading about the trend on Facebook" and musing on whether it could be an innovative draw for future talent. But the firm's experiment was ditched in less than a month, after bad feedback from employees. "I thought it would be really fun, but it felt kind of stressful," says Gabriel Peres, as he slots a Petri dish inside one of the 3D printers he's built for the company. "It's a process and it takes time and when you don't have all that [much] time it kind of feels like skipping homework at school, things are always building up." On the other side of the country, his concerns are shared by Dr Aram Seddigh, who recently completed his doctorate at Stockholm University's Stress Research Institute and is among a growing body of academics focusing on the nation's shifting work patterns. "I think the six-hour work day would be most effective in organisations - such as hospitals - where you work for six hours and then you just leave [the workplace] and go home. "It might be less effective for organisations where the borders between work and private life are not so clear," he suggests. "This kind of solution might even increase stress levels given that employees might try to fit all the work that they have been doing in eight hours into six - or if they're office workers they might take the work home." Back in Gothenburg, Bengt Lorentzon, the lead researcher for the Svartedalen care home project, argues that the concept of six-hour days also jars with the strong culture of flexible working promoted by many Swedish businesses. "A lot of offices are already working almost like consultancies. There's no need for managers to have all their workers in the office at the same time, they just want to get the results and people have to deliver," he says. "Compare that to the assistant nurses - they can't just leave work to go to the dentist or to the doctors or the hairdressers." "So I don't think people should start with the question of whether or not to have reduced hours. "First, it should be: what can we do to make the working environment better? And maybe different things can be better for different groups. "It could be to do with working hours and working times, but it could be a lot of other things as well." Listen to Maddy Savage's report on Sweden's experiment with six-hour days on The World Tonight.

Sweden has been experimenting with six-hour days, with workers getting the chance to work fewer hours on full pay, but now the most high-profile two-year trial has ended - has it all been too good to be true?

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The Welsh Government wants to remove the legal defence for parents who use corporal punishment to discipline children. But campaigners said removing the reasonable chastisement defence would leave "ordinary parents facing jail". The Welsh Government said it would make sure the law made "life better for parents and children". It is due to consult on the plans in the next 12 months. Now a group of parents, known as Be Reasonable Wales, have started a petition calling on the Welsh Government to scrap the plans. Mother-of-one Lowri Turner said there was a difference between smacking and abuse and the move would paint ordinary parents as "no better than violent thugs and child abusers". She said: "They're trying to make out that a gentle smack on the back of the legs from a loving mum is the same as beating up your kids. "Does anyone seriously think that that sort of abuse is not already illegal? "If the government can't tell the difference then they shouldn't be passing laws about it." The move would mean if an allegation of hitting a child is made against an adult, it would remove a defence for those who might argue they had not realised they had hit the child so hard. Andy James, chairman of Children are Unbeatable, a campaign group in favour of a smacking ban, accused the group of "scaremongering". He said the law had been changed to give children the same protection against assault as adults in 52 countries and there was no evidence parents would be criminalised by the move. "No-one has a right to hit another person, or to punish and control them," he told BBC Radio Wales. "Children should have the same protection from the law that we enjoy as adults." A poll of 1,000 people by ComRes on behalf of the campaign group shows 85% of Welsh adults were smacked as children and close to 70% agree that it is at times necessary to smack a naughty child. Children's Commissioner Sally Holland said she was "disappointed and saddened" people would actively campaign for their "right to hit children". She added: "Fewer parents than ever resort to smacking these days and I believe that in the next generation we will look back on the current outdated law and find it astounding that we had a legal defence for hitting those more vulnerable than us." A previous attempt to ban the smacking of children failed in the assembly in March 2015 when AMs voted against removing the defence of reasonable chastisement from the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Bill. But the Welsh Labour Government is trying again, saying it has made a "firm commitment to seek cross-party support" in the assembly to end the defence. A spokeswoman added: "We will work hard to ensure that our legislation makes life better for both parents and children." The assembly does not yet have powers to make laws on parental discipline, but these will be devolved to Wales from Westminster under provisions in the Wales Act.

Thousands of Welsh parents would be criminalised if a smacking ban is passed, campaigners have warned.

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Guinea finish bottom of Group A having needed a win against Argentina to have any chance of progressing. In the other Group A match England advanced to the last 16 with a 1-0 win over South Korea, who also go through. Guinea earned their only point of the tournament with a 1-1 draw with England on Tuesday. They began their campaign with a 3-0 loss to hosts South Korea. Marcelo Torres opened the scoring for Argentina after 33 minutes and Lautaro Martinez added a second just before half-time. Matias Zaracho and Marco Senesi scored one each in the second half before Martinez completed the scoring.

Argentina thrashed Guinea 5-0 on Friday at the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea to knock the African side out of the tournament.

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Poor weather conditions are forcing the Solar Impulse craft to head to Japan to land. The pilot was 36 hours into what was expected to be a six-day journey from China to Hawaii. The team will now wait in Japan for clearer skies before attempting to continue. Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg, who is flying solo, tweeted that he was disappointed but looking forward to the next attempt. Project co-founder Bertrand Piccard, who has been watching the flight from mission control, in Monaco, said: "We are not daredevils, we are explorers. "We have to put safety at the top of all of our priorities. "Everyone is very happy with the plane - but the weather does not fit. "We land in Nagoya and we wait for better conditions to continue." The plane should arrive at the Komaki airfield in Nagoya at approximately 23:00 local time (14:00 GMT) and its progress can be tracked on the Solar Impulse website. A spokesperson for the team said the batteries were currently fully charged. This is the seventh leg in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe using just the energy of the Sun. LEG 1: 9 March. Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Muscat (Oman) - 441km; in 13 hours and 1 minute LEG 2: 10 March. Muscat (Oman) to Ahmedabad (India) - 1,468km; in 15 hours and 20 minutes LEG 3: 18 March. Ahmedabad (India) to Varanasi (India) - 1,215km; in 13 hours and 15 minutes LEG 4: 19 March. Varanasi (India) to Mandalay (Myanmar) - 1,398km; in 13 hours and 29 minutes LEG 5: 29 March. Mandalay (Myanmar) to Chongqing (China) - 1,459km; in 20 hours and 29 minutes LEG 6: 21 April. Chongqing (China) to Nanjing China - 1,241km; in 17 hours and 22 minutes LEG 7: 31 May. Nanjing (China) to Kalaeloa, Hawaii (USA) - 8,200km; journey aborted, plane diverted to Nagoya, Japan The experimental craft, which is covered in 17,000 solar cells, took off from Abu Dhabi in March. The Pacific crossing, however, was always going to be the most challenging part of this epic journey. Solar Impulse had already waited more than a month in Nanjing for the right weather conditions to open up over the Pacific. It needs not only favourable winds to push forward, but also cloud-free skies during the day to soak up enough energy from the Sun to enable nighttime flying on its batteries. The team's meteorologists thought they had identified a suitable weather window - and the plane set off at 18:39 GMT on Saturday. Mr Borschberg had been making good progress. However, in the early hours of Monday morning (GMT), the Solar Impulse team announced it was putting the plane in a holding pattern. The pilot was asked to circle over the Sea of Japan while meteorologists assessed whether they could find their way through a worsening weather front close to Hawaii. Mr Borschberg was just hours away from the point of no return - the stage in the flight where, if something were to go wrong, the plane would be too far from land to turn back and Mr Borschberg would have to bail out into the ocean. The team decided this was not a risk worth taking. By the time the craft lands, it will have flown more than 3,000km (1,860 miles) in about 40 hours, which is already the longest flight ever made by a solar-powered airplane in terms of both duration and distance. While Mr Borschberg waits in Japan, his support team will try to identify another weather window to get to kalaeloa airport in Hawaii. However, the fear is that further delays could have an impact on later stages of the round-the-world quest. Ideally, the team needs to cross America, and then the Atlantic, before the hurricane season starts to peak in August. Follow Rebecca on Twitter.

A record-breaking attempt to cross the Pacific Ocean using a solar-powered plane has been aborted.

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Catherine - also known as the Countess of Strathearn in Scotland - joined dozens of school pupils and teachers at a tennis workshop hosted by Ms Murray in Edinburgh. Earlier she took part in a sing-along on a visit to an Edinburgh school. The events were part of a tour by Catherine of school-based charities in the city. The workshop was part of the Tennis on the Road project created in 2014 by Ms Murray, who is the mother of tennis stars Andy and Jamie. During the duchess' visit, teachers and pupils were taught how to coach and pass on the basics of tennis to children. Ms Murray said Catherine's participation in the class was "fantastic for tennis and women's sport". She added: "She said she'd love to come back and do some more." Earlier in the day, Catherine visited St Catherine's Primary where she joined an assembly. The school is one of 28 in Scotland where counsellors from children's mental health charity Place2Be support pupils having difficulties in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Pupils presented her with a quaich, a Scottish toasting cup, after she sang along to the children's song Welcome Everybody. The duchess, who is the charity's patron, told pupils: "I think everybody should start their morning like that. Have a wonderful day." The duchess, who was carrying out her first solo set of official engagements north of the border, also travelled across the city to Wester Hailes Education Centre to see work being carried out by The Art Room. The charity, of which she is patron, set up its first Scottish studio at the school in 2014 and works with children to increase their self-esteem, self-confidence and independence through art. She was greeted by cheering pupils in the school playground before attending an art session. Pupils involved in the project showed her the work they were producing. Project director Juli Beattie said she was delighted to be able to show the duchess the charity's first Scottish base. She added: "Our presence in Edinburgh represents a new phase in our growth. "The needs of the local community are imperative and our work relies on our partner schools having the vision to host an art-room studio offering early intervention to the children and young people."

The Duchess of Cambridge has shown off her tennis skills during a practice session with Judy Murray.

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A passer-by found the man, who has not been named but was in his 30s, off Promenade Street in Heywood at about 23:25 GMT on Thursday. He was pronounced dead at the scene and officers are treating the death as suspicious. A post-mortem examination is due to take place and officers have asked for any witnesses to contact them.

Police have launched an investigation after the body of man was found in an alleyway in Rochdale.

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Mr Spencer, head of Xbox, said the console, then codenamed Project Scorpio, “must deliver true 4K gaming and high-fidelity VR [virtual reality]”. The Xbox One X, as it will now be known, looks set to deliver on that first promise of 4K visuals. But on the second? Virtual reality didn’t get a single mention at the company’s bonanza press event on Sunday. So what’s happening? I think it’s fair, despite the mild protests of his PR team afterwards, to characterise Mr Spencer as something of a virtual reality sceptic - at least for now. “It’s important to listen to your customers and what they are actually looking for,” he told me. “I don’t get many questions about consoles and mixed reality in the living room. "When I do this on my PC, I’m closer to my PC - that seems to be a much more user-friendly scenario today.” What he’s saying is - the technology isn’t quite there yet, in his view. Contrast that with Sony, whose PlayStation VR has sold more than one million headsets since being launched this time last year. You’ll also notice that Mr Spencer talks about “mixed” reality, not “virtual”. The strategy from the very top at Microsoft is not in virtual worlds, but in augmented ones, where digital images are overlaid on to the real world. Microsoft's Hololens augmented reality headset device, though still in its infancy, is perhaps the most exciting piece of consumer technology in development today - and Mr Spencer seems to buy into its potential, more so than VR. “That’s where we see the most interest from customers and developers,” he said. “We are believers in mixed reality. And mixed reality on the PC is something we’re focused on.” Mr Spencer drew comparisons with Kinect, the motion-control device Microsoft released for the Xbox in 2010. Kinect was at first considered a big hit and around 24 million were eventually sold. There are signs that Hololens and mixed reality could follow that same early trajectory, Mr Spencer said. “We went through Kinect. We’ve seen what new ecosystems feel like when they’re catching momentum and really growing. We see that happening on Windows with mixed reality - that’s going to be our focus.” But that Kinect comparison isn’t exactly ideal. Despite its early success - it was recognised by Guinness as the fastest selling consumer electronics device in history - you won’t see gamers excitedly gathering around a Kinect at E3 this year, and Microsoft has now abandoned bundling in the Kinect with the Xbox One console. It was an innovative technology that ultimately lacked a practical application. In other words: it just didn’t really catch on. Will virtual reality? If it does - Microsoft's choice to go down the mixed reality road could leave the Xbox platform bereft of gaming’s next big thing.

When introducing Microsoft’s newest Xbox console in 2016, Phil Spencer didn’t mince his words.

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One woman was injured on Wednesday's incident, which led to dozens of nudist sunbathers fleeing Carataggio beach near Porto-Vecchio. Witnesses said the man had threatened the group if they did not get dressed. When they refused, he allegedly pulled out a rifle and started firing. The injured woman, reportedly in her thirties, was hit in the thigh as she ran away. The suspect - whose identity has not been revealed - owns a beachside cafe, police said on Friday. One man had been questioned in connection with the shooting but had since been released. Despite being famous among nudists, the beach is not an official naturist site and locals have complained about their presence there.

A shootout on a beach popular among naturists on the French island of Corsica was caused by a local businessman who disagreed with their presence there, police say.

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The man was identified by judicial sources as Chinese-American Xiyue Wang, a 37-year-old researcher from Princeton University. Wang was arrested last August as he tried to leave the country, according to the judiciary's news agency. The US State Department called on Iran to release all those held on "fabricated" charges. The sentence was announced on state TV by deputy judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejeie. Mizanonline, the Iranian judiciary's official news agency, said Wang was part of "an infiltration project" that sought to gather "highly confidential articles" for US and British institutions including the US State Department, Princeton University, Harvard Kennedy School and the British Institute of Persian Studies. "Before his arrest he was able to digitally archive 4,500 pages of the country's documents while under covert surveillance," the agency said. Earlier this year, the authorities in Tehran said as many as 70 people they described as spies were serving sentences in the capital's jails. The identities of only a handful have been made public. "This person, who was gathering information and was directly guided by America, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the sentence can be appealed," Mr Ejeie said on Sunday. He said the decision was taken by an Iranian court, without giving any further details. In a statement, the US Department of State did not refer to any specific person but called on Iranian authorities to release all foreign citizens it is holding "unjustly... so they can return to their families". "The Iranian regime continues to detain US citizens and other foreigners on fabricated national security-related charges," an official said.

A US national has been sentenced in Iran to 10 years in prison on spying charges, Iranian officials have said.

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