Datasets:

autoevaluate

/

autoeval-staging-eval-project-xsum-02414083-10505407

like 0

Follow

Evaluation on the Hub 34

As first reported by The Express, the settled community in the Hovefields area of Wickford reported hardcore-laden lorries arrive at the weekend. The lorries were followed by large mobile homes. Basildon Council said it is aware of "an alleged breach of planning laws". Essex Police has also been informed. The Hovefield site - which is subject to a High Court injunction preventing further development - is less than three miles (5km) by road - from the Dale Farm traveller site in Wickford. Dale Farm was Europe's largest traveller site before about 80 families were evicted from unlawful plots in 2011. Jill Walsh, of the Hovefields Residents Association, said an English Traveller family in five caravans left the site on Friday. After they departed, she said, a number of large lorries carrying concrete, hardcore and three mobile homes drove down Hovefields Avenue and onto the five acre field at the end of the road. Mrs Walsh said because of the narrowness of the road one of their neighbours - an elderly couple - had their fence ripped out and shrubbery damaged so that the lorries could get through. "If the council does not prosecute over this and deal with the situation urgently they will have a Dale Farm II, but bigger." Phil Turner, leader of Basildon Council, said: "Basildon Council is aware of an alleged breach of planning laws in the Hovefields area. "We share the frustrations of residents, but the council does not have powers of arrest and must follow the proper legal process. "As a public body, we must act within the existing legal framework, as set out by Parliament, and this adds considerable time and cost in dealing with such situations. "However, residents can be assured that the council is taking all appropriate steps to deal with unauthorised development." Essex Police said it was investigating a criminal damage report involving the fence and has urged any witnesses to contact them. A police spokesman said: "Essex Police is aware of an unauthorised traveller development on land near Hovefields Avenue. "We are liaising with the local authority and will continue to monitor the situation."

Residents have called for urgent action amid claims that a new mass Traveller site is being created at the end of their road in Essex.

39195455

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's programme was pushed through without debate, according to parliamentary speaker Salim al-Juburi. Under the plan, Mr Abadi will cut spending and eliminate senior posts. It follows recent anti-government protests over an unreliable electricity supply amid a major heatwave. Thousands of people have turned out in Baghdad and other cities to vent their anger at the authorities and pressurise them to make changes. Iraq's system of sharing government jobs has long been criticised for promoting unqualified candidates and encouraging corruption. The country has three vice-presidents - two from the Shia Muslim majority and one from the Sunni Muslim minority - and three deputy prime ministers - a Shia, a Sunni and a Kurd (also a Sunni). As a result of the reforms, senior political appointments will no longer be based on sectarian or party quotas, and the posts of vice-president and deputy PM will be abolished. Mr Abadi's seven-point plan also includes a requirement for a number of government positions to be filled with political independents - a move aimed at cracking down on corruption. Officials' benefits will also be reduced. The changes come after weeks of protests by voters angry at the way the country is governed and at the lack of investment in infrastructure. In some areas of Iraq it is common to have only a few hours of electricity each day. Tensions have become particularly fraught during a heatwave that has seen temperatures rise to 51C (123F). Frequent power cuts have made the sweltering conditions even more unbearable. Many Iraqis have cautiously welcomed the passing of the reform package, seen as a victory for Mr Abadi. But he still faces pressure to ensure the measures are properly implemented. Mr Juburi said a complementary plan containing even more reforms was needed, and called on Mr Abadi to sack ministers who were guilty of negligence and corruption.

The Iraqi parliament has unanimously approved reforms aimed at stamping out corruption, reducing government waste and easing sectarian tensions.

33861080

Unconfirmed media reports say that Chinese troops have entered what India says is its territory near the disputed border. "Chumar sector in eastern Ladakh remained active with Chinese Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) troops involved in tactical manoeuvre with the Indian army to exercise dominance by transgressing the Line of Actual Control (the de facto border)," reports the Hindustan Times. Papers also report that the army chief, General Dalbir Singh Suhag, has cancelled his Bhutan visit due to the tensions on the border. "The decision to put off the trip has been taken at a time when, for the last more than 10 days, Chinese troops have been sitting on this side of the Indian boundary in Chumar area of Ladakh," says a report on the First Post website. Some media outlets say the tensions are likely to "undo" the progress made during Chinese President Xi Jinping's India visit last week. Mr Xi and PM Narendra Modi had shown a keen interest in improving bilateral ties. "The great bonhomie generated between Asia's giants at Ahmedabad and New Delhi is withering away in the windswept cold desert of Ladakh," says the India Today website. Moving on to other stories, Abhinav Bindra, one of India's top Indian shooters, on Tuesday won two bronze medals in the ongoing Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, The Times of India reports. His good performance comes a day after he announced his retirement from the sport. Bindra on Monday tweeted that the ongoing Asian Games could be his last competitive event. "Tomorrow will mark the end of my professional shooting life! I will however still shoot, compete as a hobby shooter training twice a week," he tweeted. And finally, papers are praising India's space agency after the country's maiden mission to Mars "entered the Martian neighbourhood" on Monday. Launched last November, the spacecraft - known as Mangalyaan - will complete a 300-day journey to reach the orbit on Wednesday. "If successful, India will become the first country to make it to Mars in its maiden attempt, propelling it to an elite club of space race leaders," the Hindustan Times reports. BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. For more reports from BBC Monitoring, click here. You can follow BBC Monitoring on Twitter and Facebook.

Media reports say that Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a "stand-off" in a disputed territory near the two countries' de facto border

29321474

In fact, the Swedish star has already lost five months to making her third album... and it's still not finished. "I've been really geeking out," she giggles down the phone. "Almost to a point where it's mathematical, trying to find the balance between all the elements". When inspiration pounces, she can lose "hours, days and weeks" in the studio, "just bending different sentences and rhymes to find the best fit, to find the missing piece of the puzzle". Pop, in particular, puts "so much focus on what you say," she adds. "You have to be really neat and concise. It's important you get it right. "So it's about puzzling together a song, a good pop song, that makes sense. It really is a brain game." The first result of all this effort is Say My Name, a gigantic pop fizzbomb that's primed to explode all over the charts this month. It's a deceptively simple song built around a quirky ukulele riff, but the chorus sticks like Velcro. "Say my name," sings the star, "wear it out like a sweater that you love, cause I can't get enough when you... say my name". "I really love that chorus," she says. "It was such a good feeling when we nailed that one. Like, 'Yes!'" Her painstaking perfectionism reaches a pinnacle in the vocals. Tove is understated and conversational, making you lean in to the song's coquettish flirtation, where most pop divas would have belted out the melody in one take and gone home for a sandwich. "I don't understand how people do that," she protests. "I feel like the vocals are such a huge part of the production. Like, how do I sing this line? How much strength do I put into it? How can I make this melody as interesting as possible? How can I communicate this feeling even more." "And it's the best feeling when you find that missing piece. It's like, 'Arrroooggahh!' Amazing." And if inspiration dries up? "I play solitaire on my phone," laughs the singer. "I have the song on in the background, and I play solitaire so I'm not concentrating so hard. "It's a good way to make sure you don't overthink it. If you force the brain into shutting off then, suddenly, something will just come out of your mouth that fits." Tove Anna Linnéa Östman Styrke was born and raised in Umea, an unassuming university town near the edge of the Arctic Circle, whose most famous former inhabitant is Stieg Larsson, the author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Her mother was a ballet teacher; while her father was a musician, whose band Max Fenders scored a number one hit in 1975 with the song Vindens Melodi (Wind Melody), and who set Tove on the path to musical stardom when he gave her her first synthesiser. At the age of 16, she entered the TV talent show Swedish Idol, finishing in third place. It delivered her a solid fanbase, but she's not particularly enamoured of the experience. "Its really hard to talk about music and a thing like Swedish Idol at the same time," she once said, "because they have nothing to do with each other". "A competition like that, on TV, that's entertainment, that's a popularity competition... And afterwards, that's when you start making music." Post-Idol, Tove released a rushed, self-titled album which went platinum in Sweden. But she was unhappy with the way she was being presented, and took a three-year break, moving back home to immerse herself in music and work out who she wanted to be. The result was Kiddo, her second album, written from the perspective of a young woman finding her voice in a world that constantly tries to undermine and break women down. It featured pop's best put-down since You're So Vain ("I bet you hit the ground hard when you fell for yourself") and flicked two fingers at the men who tried to turn her into a flesh-baring pop zombie. "Hot glam seems far away from where I am / I can neither understand it nor demand it," she stated on a track called Number One. Strident, sassy and self-confident, it's no surprise that the album was named after Uma Thurman's character in Kill Bill, Beatrix Kiddo. Time Magazine called it a "feminist pop triumph", while it made several critics' end-of-year lists in 2015. Although Kiddo didn't sell in the quantities expected of a mainstream pop record, it won the singer recognition from tastemakers on Radio 1, Billboard Magazine and Rolling Stone; while a tour with pop band Years & Years gained her some real world fans. "Being the support act can be a tough job but I couldn't have chosen a better audience if I'd hand-picked them myself," she marvels. "I noticed they had fans who come back to see multiple shows and, after a while, they were all as excited to see me as they were to see Years and Years. "Just walking up on that stage and singing to that audience was amazing. That was the best thing." The 24-year-old hopes to capitalise on all this goodwill with her new single - which has just been made track of the week by Radio 1's Greg James. It sees the singer turn her keen lyrical eye towards love for the first time, a move which was prompted not by romance, but politics. "Everybody here [in Sweden] was depressed when Trump won, and you can definitely [see] negative political trends happening in Europe, as well. "With everything being kind of heavy, I'm writing more as a way to escape the world. I want to be able to zone out for a minute and have a good time." Say My Name will undoubtedly be seen as a litmus test for Tove's new material at a time when similarly-tipped female pop acts like MØ, Bebe Rexha and Dua Lipa have struggled to gain a foothold. But the singer is undaunted, saying she has a secret stash of hit singles hidden back in Sweden. "I'm going to sound so full of myself but, whatever, I'm a pop princess," she laughs. "I really feel like every song I've done so far is single material. I don't want to see any of them as 'just an album track.'" In common with Calvin Harris, who has reportedly abandoned albums altogether, she is considering releasing music in a more ad hoc nature, either as a series of standalone singles or themed EPs. "I really appreciate the album format sometimes," she explains. "Like, Beyonce's Lemonade album wouldn't work as a collection of singles. "But a lot of people, at least in my audience, just pick their favourite songs and add them to a playlist. "That means there's a lot of songs I spend time on that people don't discover. I just think it's a shame when all of the songs are really good!" Tove Styrke's single, Say My Name, is out now on RCA Records. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

It's called The Flow: A state of effortless concentration and enjoyment, where time just seems to melt away - and Tove Styrke has been getting a lot of it lately.

39824101

The union is supporting a campaign to stop Bangor University student Shiromini Satkunarajah being deported to Sri Lanka. The 20-year-old has been taken to a detention centre after being refused asylum. The Home Office said it considers each case carefully. Miss Satkunarajah, who was born in Sri Lanka but has lived in the UK for eight years, is due to finish her electrical engineering degree this summer. She was arrested on Tuesday and taken to a detention centre to await deportation on 28 February. Thousands of people have signed a petition to stop her deportation. NUS Wales deputy president Carmen Smith told BBC Wales: "We want the home secretary to stop the callous and inhumane deportation of Shiromini. "She doesn't have any family or friends in Sri Lanka. Wales is her home. "She has three months left of her degree. It's a brutal thing to do at such a time in her educational experience." Arfon MP Hywel Williams said the UK government should use "common sense" in dealing with Miss Satkunarajah's case. "She has three months to go before she graduates in a field where we really do need people and she's an excellent student," he said. "There is a certain amount of discretion they can operate and I really wish they would." A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We do not routinely comment on individual cases. "The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who genuinely need it and every case is carefully considered on its individual merits."

Any student seeking asylum should be able to finish their education here, the National Union of Students (NUS) Wales has said.

39098562

Critics of BT say it has not invested enough in Openreach and want it sold. Ofcom's chief executive, Sharon White, is currently reviewing the company's provision of superfast broadband. She said one option was "the structural separation" of Openreach from BT. Ms White explained this was among four possible options being explored. They are: BT is responsible for connecting almost all households to the network regardless of their service provider, as well as improvements to and maintenance of the network. Ms White said the UK was doing fairly well in rolling out superfast broadband compared with other major European economies which suggests a split is not a foregone conclusion. But she said it was unacceptable that 2.5 million homes did not have access to minimal broadband speeds of 10 megabits per second. The UK government has promised that internet providers will be legally obliged to provide this speed to everyone who wants it by 2020. Ofcom completed the first phase of its digital communications review in the summer and is expected to report its recommendations next year. Ms White, a high-flying Treasury civil servant before she arrived at Ofcom, is used to making these kind of decisions, though not under quite the same spotlight. When I interviewed her she told me that Ofcom was still examining all options - but suggested that she was minded to act rather than let things carry on as before: " I think there will be change," she tells me. "We're looking at a number of options, but I think it is very unlikely we will conclude that the status quo which has worked over the last 10 years is where we are likely to be over the next decade." Now, it is still far from certain that Ofcom's Sharon White will recommend that Openreach is split off - and the digital minister Ed Vaizey has already indicated that the government is sceptical about such radical action. But BT knows that it is now under the microscope of a regulator determined to prove that it is the consumer's friend. Read Rory's blog in full Previously Openreach's chief executive Joe Garner has defended their record saying they were installing broadband throughout the country at a "tremendous" rate. BT has always maintained splitting off the Openreach division would be a "mistake", saying only a company the size of BT can ensure future delivery. A spokesperson for BT said in a statement: "The UK's broadband market compares well with other major European countries, but it has also changed beyond recognition in the past decade and regulation needs to be updated to reflect that." "We believe the current model works extremely well but there is always room for improvement and for deregulation given the UK market is now far more competitive than it was a decade ago." Rivals within the industry, who have complained of poor quality of service, slow installation times and repairs, believe dramatic change is needed. A Vodafone spokesperson said: "Regulators must decide. Either break up BT and get the true competitive fibre Britain needs to compete with the world.....or let BT recreate its monopolist past and watch Britain's economy fade away." Following Ofcom's last strategic review 10 years ago, BT was obliged to create Openreach, which gives competing providers equal access to its telephone and broadband network. Essentially, those providers, such as Sky and Vodafone, pay a wholesale price to BT for use of the network and then charge telecoms customers for services.

The status quo between BT and its subsidiary Openreach, which provides the infrastructure connecting people to the internet, is unlikely to continue warns the head of the telecoms regulator, Ofcom.

34972638

Instead of The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, viewers tuning in on 7 May will see "Darren", the man in charge of keeping E4 on air, sitting in the channel's control room. It is believed to be the first time a UK channel has closed on polling day. E4 is one of the most popular youth channels on television, reaching 8.7 million 16-34 year olds every month. Its regular schedule will be suspended from 07:00 BST, when polls open, to 19:00 BST, when the channel will return to normal with Hollyoaks (polling closes at 22:00 BST). Dan Brooke, Channel 4's chief marketing officer said: "Less than half of under-25s voted at the last election so we've engaged the most powerful weapon that we have at our disposal to try and boost that number - switching off their favourite TV channel for the day." A pre-election advertising campaign, running on all of Channel 4's stations, will alert viewers to the reason for E4's absence. The adverts will ask viewers: "How many times have you missed life-changing events because you wanted to watch your favourite show? "May 7 is election day and Darren is going to turn E4 off so you might as well go and vote. You won't forget will you Darren?" However, viewers will only be able to use the switch-off as an excuse to vote if they have already registered - and the deadline has already passed. Meanwhile, Channel 4 will present an "alternative" to the election night coverage on the BBC and ITV, with a programme co-anchored by Jeremy Paxman and comedian David Mitchell. Paxman, who left BBC Two's Newsnight last June, said: "Elections matter. But that doesn't mean the coverage has to be dull. I hope there'll be room for both insight and laughter." David Mitchell added: "Our aim is to keep people watching much later than they intended and we will be judged by the dip in the nation's productivity on Friday 8 May." The show will also include special election-themed episodes of Gogglebox and The Last Leg. The BBC's coverage of the election will be anchored by David Dimbleby, while Tom Bradby presides over ITV's election show and Adam Boulton anchors Sky's coverage.

Channel 4 will shut down E4 on the day of the general election, in a bid to encourage more young people to vote.

32419574

Sterling did subsequently recover some of the losses. But there is certainly a view that the currency would decline if Britain were to decide to leave. Some analysts expect the fall in the value of sterling in the event of a Brexit vote would be very sharp . The concern reflects the view held by many - though by no means all - economists that leaving the EU would undermine the UK's economic performance. How trade and the UK's economy are affected by membership of the EU. There would be a period of uncertainty about access to the EU market for British exporters while new arrangements were negotiated. The ultimate result could be that it would be harder to sell to the EU market. It is argued that foreign investment could be hit by the uncertainty. This would be going on at a time when the UK has a large deficit in what is called "the current account deficit" - which is trade in goods and services plus some international financial transactions. The deficit has to be financed by loans and foreign investment in financial assets. Unease about the economic outlook could mean that foreign investors would only provide the finance for the deficit if sterling were cheaper. There is of course another view, reflected by Economists for Brexit that the UK would prosper outside the EU. For the short term however, it is more likely to be the majority view that moves markets and sterling in particular. Our reporting on the currency markets usually focuses on what's called the spot rates, the exchange rate that an investor pays to buy currency immediately. But they can also buy options, which are rights to buy or sell a currency (or other types of financial asset) in the future at a price fixed in advance. It's a way of getting insurance against a move in the exchange rate. If the move you are worried about doesn't happen you don't exercise the option. So you are insured, but you have had to pay for it. That part of the market suggests that investors do think a leave vote would weaken sterling. That was the message that the Bank of England Governor Mark Carney gave to a parliamentary committee back in March, in rather technical language: "We have seen a marked increase in implied volatility in the options market around the date of the referendum, once the date became known, and the skews in the option market, in other words the purchase of downside protection if the pound was going to depreciate, had gone up quite sharply." In other words, more investors were buying insurance for the time of the referendum against a fall in the pound than a rise. The Bank also says that about half the decline in sterling since November is due to news related to the referendum. Here's another sign. The financial news service Bloomberg calculates what it calls "implied volatility" from the options market. It shows a marked increase for the pound against the dollar as the referendum approaches. John Redwood the Conservative MP and Brexit supporter looks at the sterling issue rather differently. He wrote in his blog: "The pound fell from over $2 in 2008 to $1.4 in 2009 when we were firmly committed to the EU, so we know other influences can generate large sterling movements". And it must be said that Mark Carney fully recognises other factors have influenced sterling in recent months. On the current account issue, Mr Redwood argues that the immediate impact would be beneficial: "The first round effect is to improve the balance of payments by on fifth as we cancel the payments we have to make to the rest of the EU which we do not get back." The leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson also rejects the concerns about the impact on the pound from a leave vote: "The pound will go where it will over the short term. But, believe me, in the long term you can look forward to fantastic success for this country… I think the pound's value will depend entirely on the strength of the UK economy." It's also worth pointing out that a weaker pound now could be helpful to the British economy. It improves the competitiveness of British industry. It makes imported goods more expensive boosting inflation. Normally that would be unwelcome, but not at a time when inflation is well below the Bank of England's target.

The pound has weakened after new polls suggested an increased chance of a vote in the referendum to leave the European Union.

36462507

Now the US has said it is moving to seize more than $1bn (£761m) in assets, ranging from plush properties to a private jet, from people connected to the country's Prime Minister Najib Razak. The asset seizure by the US would be the largest ever by the Justice Department's anti-corruption unit. This is how the story has played out so far. 1Malaysia Development Bhd, set up by Mr Najib in 2009, was meant to turn Kuala Lumpur into a financial hub and boost the economy through strategic investments. But it started to attract negative attention in early 2015 after it missed payments for some of the $11bn it owed to banks and bondholders. Then the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported it had seen a paper trail that allegedly traced close to $700m from the fund to Mr Najib's personal bank accounts. Why is the US intervening now? The Department of Justice alleges $3.5bn (£2.6bn) was misappropriated from 1MDB. "The Malaysian people were defrauded on an enormous scale," Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe said at a news conference. Mr Najib is not named in the suit. But it refers to "Malaysian Official 1", described as "a high-ranking official in the Malaysian government who also held a position of authority with 1MDB".​ The move reflects an intention by the US to open new fronts in its fight against illicit finance. It also sets up a rare confrontations between the US and Malaysia, which is considered an important partner in the fight against terrorism. What do people involved say? 1MDB responded to the US papers by saying it had not benefited from the various transactions described in the suit. The fund has repeatedly asserted that it has never given money to the prime minister and called the claims "unsubstantiated". Mr Najib has also consistently denied taking money from 1MDB or any public funds. His office said Malaysia had "led the way in investigations into 1MDB" and would "fully co-operate with any lawful investigation". Is anyone else involved? Mr Najib has accused his fiercest critic, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, of using the scandal as a means of "political sabotage". He claims Mr Mahathir worked "hand in glove" with foreigners as part of a campaign "to topple a democratically elected prime minister." The BBC put Mr Najib's allegations to Mr Mahathir, who dismissed the claims. Instead, he called on the prime minister to show proof that he didn't pocket state funds. Over the last year, Mr Najib has also sacked his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and replaced the former attorney-general over critical comments they made about the scandal. There have been multiple domestic official investigations into the 1MDB fund, including a special task force headed by the attorney general. The team raided the office of 1MDB in 2015 and took away some documents. But the replacement attorney general cleared Mr Najib of wrongdoing in January. Multiple foreign authorities have also been investigating the company. In May, Singapore ordered Swiss bank BSI to shut down in the city-state for breaking its money-laundering laws in its dealings with 1MDB. Swiss authorities have opened criminal proceedings related to 1MDB on "suspected corruption of public foreign officials, dishonest management of public interests and money laundering". Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysians should push for a referendum on the prime minister's leadership. Opposition leader in parliament, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, called upon Mr Najib to give a full explanation in parliament and go on leave so a full probe could take place. Civil society group Bersih said Mr Najib and the attorney-general who in January had cleared the prime minister should both resign immediately to make way for independent investigations. The 1MDB controversy has frustrated many Malaysians who are struggling with the rising cost of living and what is perceived to be ingrained corruption in its political system. Last year tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets calling for the resignation of the PM. However, thousands have also rallied in support of the government. The reaction on Thursday to the US move was muted in both Malaysia's mainstream newspapers and social media. Malaysia's government has cracked down on reporting of the 1MDB scandal, blocking access to certain online news portals and targeting media groups and journalists.

The scandal surrounding Malaysia's state development fund 1MDB has gripped the country for years.

33447456

He vowed to recover billions of dollars "stolen" under previous administrations. Mr Buhari held talks with state governors over the lack of money to pay government workers their salaries. He and his All Progressives Congress won elections in March, ending some 16 years of rule by the Peoples Democratic Party. He was sworn in less than four weeks ago, taking over from Goodluck Jonathan, who had been in office since 2010. "The days of impunity and lack of accountability are over," he told state governors. "The next three months may be hard, but billions of dollars can be recovered, and we will do our best," he added. In an earlier briefing with journalists, he said it was a "disgrace" that government workers had not been paid for months. African news updates "This bad management we find ourselves in - we really need your help to protect us from people before they march on us," he said. Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo estimates that Nigeria's debts stand at about $60bn (£38bn). However, former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has rejected the claim, saying the debt was much lower and most of it was incurred by states, rather than the federal government, AFP news agency reports. The president won the elections on a promise to tackle corruption, and to lead Nigeria to greater prosperity. Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer, but most of its citizens are poor.

Nigeria's treasury is "virtually empty", President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

33239258

Charlie Jermyn died in May, about 30 hours after he was born in his parents' toilet in Penryn, Cornwall. Microbiologist Dr James Gray told the inquest in Truro that Charlie had shown some signs of illness but he was not sent to hospital for treatment. Sepsis happens when the body's immune system goes into overdrive. More on this story and other news from Devon and Cornwall Charlie's parents went to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on 8 May when Hayley Jermyn was heavily pregnant. The couple were worried the baby would arrive quickly like one of their other children. Mrs Jermyn was assessed by midwife Jane Calvin, who said the mum-to-be was "not in established labour" when she examined her five hours after arriving. "She came in at 22:00 and by the time I got to examine her at 03:00, in all that time nothing had changed," she said. Ms Calvin told the inquest there was "no sign of infection anywhere" and "I advised her to go home and get some rest". Hours later Charlie was born at home but he died of sepsis on 10 May. Dr Gray said: "If Charlie had been in hospital at a time when, or soon after, he first showed clinical signs of early-onset sepsis he would have received intravenous antibiotics at least 12 hours, and maybe more than 15 hours, before he died. "In my opinion, he would, on balance of probability, have survived in such circumstances." However, Dr Gray said he it was "impossible to say" what condition Charlie might have been left in if he had survived, for example he might have been left with brain damage. He added that the form of Streptococcal infection Charlie had was "a very serious condition and has a high mortality rate". The inquest continues.

A baby who was born in a toilet and later died of sepsis could have survived if he had been given antibiotics, an inquest has heard.

35540820

In Mid Dorset and North Poole, Conservative Michael Tomlinson beat Vikki Slade - a seat which had been held by Lib Dem Annette Brooke. The Tories held Bournemouth East and West, Christchurch, Dorset West, North and South and Poole. Tobias Ellwood was re-elected in Bournemouth East. After the count, which saw the Conservatives cross the finishing line with a 14,612 majority, Mr Ellwood said: "Two Conservative MPs return to Westminster, we're both elated." He said he aimed to support tourism in the town and would be tackling the "big challenge" of the proposed Navitus Bay wind farm. The former coalition partners lost 22.5% of their vote in that constituency. Ms Slade, the Lib Dem candidate who failed to hold on to her party's seat, tweeted: "I am looking for a job! Will consider anything that my skills fit..Please pass to anyone who may be looking!" Her CV lists dinghy sailing among her interests. Richard Drax will be returning to Parliament after winning the Dorset South seat with 23,756 votes over Labour's Simon Bowkett's 11,762. Conor Burns held the seat of Bournemouth West with 20,155 votes and Christopher Chope retained Christchurch for the Conservatives with 28,887. UKIP came second in both of these constituencies.

The Conservative Party has taken all seats across Dorset, claiming the one Liberal Democrat-held seat in the county.

32639377

Jacqueline Carol Lloyd, 46, died after being struck by an out-of-service bus on Butts Lane, Southport, at about 23:50 BST on 17 May 2015. Derek Bebbington, 57, of Moss Nook, Burscough, denied the charge during a hearing at South Sefton Magistrates' Court. He will appear at Liverpool Crown Court on 10 June.

A man has pleaded not guilty to causing death by careless driving after a woman was hit by a bus in Southport.

36286983

The rail operator said recruiting trainees at depots across the country would support the expansion of timetables and roll-out "faster, bigger and greener" trains. The roles will be based in Aberdeen, Ayr, Bathgate, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Gourock, Helensburgh, Inverness, Perth, Stirling and Tweedbank. Train drivers' union Aslef welcomed the announcement. Trainees will be paid £24,559 during their first year. This will gradually increase to £43,212, following a probationary period. ScotRail Alliance managing director Phil Verster said: "We're investing in Scotland's railways by modernising trains, expanding timetables and adding journey options - and recruiting a large group of new drivers is vital to make these improvements possible. "We are proud to be supporting local communities and the Scottish economy by creating quality jobs that will make a real impact for customers." ScotRail said it wanted to hear from "enthusiastic, reliable candidates with excellent attention spans, experience of safety-critical roles and a passion for customer service". Scottish Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: "The Scottish government is investing record levels in Scotland's railways with a £5bn package to upgrade trains, track and services across the country. "Key investment in infrastructure, such as the recent historic reopening of the Borders Railway and our substantial programme of electrification, are only part of the story. "The staff who keep our railways running are a key asset and I am delighted to launch this unprecedented, nationwide recruitment drive that will create up to 100 new train driver jobs." Kevin Lindsay, Scottish secretary of Aslef, said: "This is a great opportunity for all sections of our community to apply to join the railway. "As a union, we look forwarded to continuing our good working relationship with the Scottish government and Abellio as we jointly develop and deliver Scotland's railways."

ScotRail has announced plans to recruit up to 100 new train drivers.

34278091

But what's really in a place name? Should Beddau in Rhondda Cynon Taf be pronounced "Bather", as many of the locals do, or "Beth-eye" according to its roots in Welsh? A group of geographical and historical experts from around Wales say Welsh place names are particularly important, as they tend to be descriptive of the conditions at the time of naming, whereas English place-names are subject to obscure influences from Latin, German, French and Scandinavian languages. Despite the rich source of information which they could hold, Wales does not have a national place-name body monitoring trends and derivations, as does Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. Yet a conference this weekend, organised by The Snowdonia National Park, Cymdeithas Edward Llwyd and the Welsh Assembly Government is aiming to change that, by drawing together historians, geographers and linguists to form Wales' own place name society. Twm Elias of Snowdonia's Plas Tan y Bwlch study centre, has helped organise the Llên Natur conference, and explained: "It's not so much how people pronounce place-names today, it's about recording how locations have been named, written and pronounced over time." "People who live in Beddau are welcome to call it 'Bather' or 'Beth-eye' as they choose; it's their town after all! But if we forget that the town's name comes from Beddau, the Welsh for graves, then we'd be losing an understanding of its possible roots as an ancient, pre-Christian burial site." But whilst the true meaning of Beddau's name is not fully understood, many other historical, socio-economic, and environmental riddles have been solved through the study of how our ancestors named their lands. Through the name of Dôl-y-Pennau in Snowdonia ( which translates into "Meadow of Heads"), members of the Llên Natur project were able to point archaeologists to the previously-undiscovered site of a massacre between feuding Welsh princes, which resulted in dozens of people being beheaded before their heads were discarded in a field in the area named in their memory. A study of a concentration in eastern Wales, of places bearing the suffix 'Wern' or 'Gwern' has similarly lent fresh understanding to the trade links between medieval Wales and the Norman Marcher states. Gwern derives from the Welsh for alder tree, the willow-like wood from which was used to manufacture clogs for agricultural workers. While the trees are native throughout Wales, the frequency of Wern and Gwern in the east of the country pointed historians towards studying potential sites where they may have been grown on a commercial basis, for sale to agricultural areas over the border in Herefordshire and Shropshire. But not all the discoveries are of a purely historical nature. The pine marten, a small mammal once native to Wales, is now facing extinction. However, the number of places which include 'bela' - Welsh for pine marten - in their name is testament to the frequency with which they were once found here. Conservationists are using these places as a starting point to study satellite imagery for potential sites where pine martens may one day be re-introduced into the wild. This weekend's conference is the culmination of years of work by Duncan Brown, a Welsh-speaker whose work for the Countryside Council for Wales led to his fascination with the links between language and environment. But he warned: "It's sometimes dangerous to read too much into place names, or to take them too literally." "For example, places with 'eos' suffixes derive from the Welsh for nightingale. They're no longer native to Wales, and there's some debate whether they ever were. "Yet there are two clusters of 'eos' names in Wales, one around Carmarthenshire and Glamorganshire, and another in the north, centred around Denbighshire and northern Powys." "The south Wales group are prefixed with terms like 'llwyn', a copse, or 'y-pant' , a hollow, which correspond with the natural habitat of nightingales." "However, the group in the north have prefixes like 'llety'r', from the Welsh for a tavern or inn. "So the reference to nightingale is far more likely to have originated from someone who sung there, with the voice of a nightingale." Message of importance The Llên Natur conference is being opened with an address by Culture Minister Alun Ffred Jones. Mr Brown is hoping this will prove indicative of more concrete support for the project. "It's fantastic to have Alun Ffred along to speak anyway, as it's a real recognition of the hard work everyone has put in," he said. "Everyone knows that there's not much money to go around at the moment, but inexpensive things could make a big difference." "We've already made a huge start on a database of place-names and their origins on the Llên Natur website, and with access to support from the assembly (government) we could go even further." "Also, some within the group would like to see legislation brought before the assembly to prevent historic Welsh place names becoming anglicised or changed altogether to ones with no local significance." "Even if the resources weren't available to police it rigorously, the simple presence of legislation would send out a message of the importance that Welsh place names continue to have to this day."

Ask anyone from outside Wales to name something for which we're famous, and the odds are that the name of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on Anglesey would rank in their top five.

11800957

The New Zealander, 19, is one shot behind joint leaders Brooke Henderson and Lee Mi-rim after two rounds at the Sahalee Country Club, Seattle. Canadian Henderson, who led after round one, hit a two-over 73, while South Korean Lee had a 69 to reach two under. Scotland's Catriona Matthew is three behind on one over par after a 67. Matthew's three-under score was the lowest of the round on a tough scoring day, on which early sunshine gave way to cool temperatures and rain. Only five players are under par at the halfway stage of the second women's major of the year with Americans Gerina Piller (69) and Brittany Lincicome (70) joining Ko on one under. Ko, who won the ANA Inspiration in March to add to her victory in the Evian Championship last September, said: "If it wasn't for my putter I know I wouldn't be in this position." Henderson, 18, said she was "happy" despite dropping a shot at the 18th to lose the outright lead. "It was a tough day and the conditions made it difficult, I hung in there," she added.

World number one Lydia Ko hit a one-under-par 70 to remain in contention to win her third consecutive women's major at the Women's PGA Championship.

36506145

The unrest began when drivers erected barricades in a protest against harassment and roadblocks by police demanding bribes. When security forced stepped in, some local residents joined the protesters and threw stones at police. Some demonstrators are reported to have been beaten up. Thirty people have been arrested. Africa Live: More on this and other news stories Zimbabwe has become increasing volatile in recent weeks with frequent protests against economic hardship and alleged government corruption. Police say they have reduced the number of roadblocks following complaints. The economy has struggled since a government programme seized most white-owned farms in 2000, causing exports to tumble. Robert Mugabe, 92, has been in power since independence in 1980. Critics accuse him of using violence and rigging during recent elections - allegations he denies. Official statistics say most citizens live on just one dollar a day.

Police in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, have used tear gas and water cannons to break up a protest by minibus drivers.

36701911

The Bristol-raised creator of the Open Bionics project says he can 3D-scan an amputee and build them a custom-fitted socket and hand in less than two days. It typically takes weeks or months to obtain existing products. Joel Gibbard says he aims to start selling the prosthetics next year. "We have a device at the lower-end of the pricing scale and the upper end of functionality," he told the BBC. "At the same time it is very lightweight and it can be customised for each person. "The hand is basically a skeleton with a 'skin' on top. So, we can do different things to the skin - we can put patterns on it, we can change the styling and design. There's quite a lot of flexibility there." The 25-year-old inventor intends to charge customers £2,000 for the device, including the cost of a fitting. Although prosthetic arms fitted with hooks typically can be bought for similar prices, ones with controllable fingers are usually sold for between £20,000 and £60,000. That cost can sometimes be prohibitive for children, who usually need to change their prosthetic once or twice a year to take account of their growth. Open Bionics' hand relies on myoelectric signals, meaning it detects muscle movements via sensors stuck to the owner's skin and uses them to control its grip. A single flex of the wearer's muscles opens and closes the fingers, while a double flex changes the shape to form a pinch grip. Although the user cannot feel what the fingers are touching, sensors built into the digits can tell when they come into contact with an object to limit the pressure they exert. This means owners can pick up objects as fragile as an egg without crushing them. However, Mr Gibbard acknowledges there are still some limitations to his design. "We're using lower-cost motors than they have in high-end devices, so the overall strength is lower," he said. "So, we are testing it with users and household objects and trying to come to a compromise that means it is very affordable and still has enough power to do most of the stuff that people want." The UK engineering prize includes a £2,220 reward and the chance to compete for an international title worth $45,000 (£28,600). But, perhaps more valuably, it will also help the project gain wider recognition. "Joel Gibbard is to be congratulated in advancing the availability of functioning prosthetic devices at affordable prices," commented Miss Barbara Jemec, founding chair of the British Foundation for International Reconstructive Surgery and Training (BFirst), on learning of the prize. "Amputees, especially in developing countries, such as Sierra Leone where the civil war left many upper limb amputees, need to have access to affordable and durable prosthetics that work. "A working hand can make all the difference between hunger and being able to work and take care of yourself and your family. I shall be following the development with interest." Open Bionics started as a bedroom-based crowdfunding project in 2013, which was supported by Bristol Robotics Laboratory. Since then the design has been revised 10 times, and the number of separate parts radically reduced. Mr Gibbard says he can now size up a user in a matter of minutes using a tablet equipped with a special sensor, 3D-print the parts in about 40 hours, and finally fit them together in a further two hours. "The original design was primarily made of different plastic parts that were screwed and bolted together along with off-the-shelf components," he recalls. "It took a very long time to build, and because it was all made of plastic it was subject to a lot of weak points where it could break. "The new design is made of thermoplastic elastomer, which is basically a flexible rubbery plastic. "So, we're able to print something in far fewer pieces and then have flexible joints. "That means it's much more robust to impact forces and it requires much less assembly, so there are savings in cost, time and improvements in performance." While the current design only supports patients whose limb loss is limited to their forearms, the ultimate goal is to be able to help those with above-elbow amputations as well. The roboticist is currently based in Los Angeles where his work is being supported by Walt Disney's Techstars Accelerator mentorship and investment programme. Although he intends to start a business by selling custom-made robotic hands in the second half of 2016, the project is also "open source" - meaning anyone can share and use its designs without charge so long as they in turn share any improvements they make. This is not the first time a James Dyson Award has gone to a robotic appendage. In 2013, the University of Pennsylvania's Titan Arm - an exoskeleton for one arm designed to help people with back injuries - won the top prize.

A prototype 3D-printed robotic hand that can be made faster and more cheaply than current alternatives is this year's UK winner of the James Dyson Award.

34044453

A team of the Anti-Drug Smuggling Unit searched the 27-year-old's home in Port Louis and found 22 doses of heroin and a further one gram of the drug. Equipment used in the preparation and packaging of heroin, including razor blades and scales, were also seized. Leopold is the first-choice goalkeeper for Mauritius Professional Football League champions team ASPL 2000. He was also the reserve goalkeeper for the national team during the last Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Leopold helped ASPL 2000 to win the Charity Shield on Saturday on Rodrigues Island where they beat Pamplemousses SC 1-0. As the news of his arrest broke, some people gathered outside Leopold's home to prevent the ADSU from taking him to police custody. According to information gathered by the BBC, the police had been tracking Leopard closely for some time and gathering intelligence. A provisional charge of drug dealing has been lodged against him. Both the Mauritius Football Association and ASPL 2000 refused to comment on the issue.

Mauritius international goalkeeper Joseph Kinsley Steward Leopold has been arrested for drug dealing.

37494583

Media playback is not supported on this device Daryl Murphy put the visitors ahead early on with his first goal for the club - and only the second by the Magpies in their past six FA Cup ties. They had Aleksandar Mitrovic carried off before Jutkiewicz turned in Jonathan Grounds' low cross to level. But he twice missed late chances to steal victory for the hosts. Both sides rang the changes with Newcastle making eight to Birmingham's five, but it was the Magpies who sent their 4,671 travelling fans into raptures, in an all-Championship meeting of 13th against second, when Murphy scored from close range five minutes into his second start for Rafael Benitez's side. However, it came at a cost as fellow striker Mitrovic suffered a badly cut leg in the build-up. The visitors had chances to extend their lead, with sub Yoan Gouffran firing wide before Grant Hanley headed just over. Che Adams went close with a long-range shot for Blues prior to Jutkiewicz's equaliser and Grounds could have put the home side in front by the break, with his fierce half-volley flying just over. Blues are yet to win in five matches under Zola, but it was the Italian's side that came closest to a winner against his Spanish counterpart Benitez, who lifted the FA Cup with Liverpool in 2006. Although Matt Ritchie made an impact for Newcastle off the bench, it was Jutkiewicz who should have won it, steering a free header wide from a cross by Josh Dacres-Cogley from six yards, before then going close again. Birmingham were beaten 4-0 at St James' Park in December, but when they played there in an FA Cup third-round replay 10 years ago, they won 5-1. Birmingham boss Gianfranco Zola told BBC WM: "We had good chances to win it. But Lukas does not need to apologise. Next time they will go in. "It was important that we got something out of it. It will give big belief to the players. It is the best we have played in terms of consistency. "You could see at the beginning. We were a bit edgy and there were nerves on the bench too, but I am now more optimistic. The players are now starting to understand more what we are trying to do. "A win would be massive. You can do good things on the pitch but you need to win. Without confidence, you can't do anything." Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez told BBC Sport: "A replay is not ideal, for them or us. We made a lot of changes and changed the system but we had started well and had control before the injury to Mitrovic. "Daryl Murphy put in a tremendous effort. I'm really pleased with him and the fact that he scored too. He's a great professional. "I always approach every game looking to win. For me, the FA Cup is a massive competition. I won it with Liverpool in 2006 and I will try to do it with this squad too." Match ends, Birmingham City 1, Newcastle United 1. Second Half ends, Birmingham City 1, Newcastle United 1. Attempt blocked. Che Adams (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Maikel Kieftenbeld. Foul by David Davis (Birmingham City). Jack Colback (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Birmingham City. Conceded by Grant Hanley. Greg Stewart (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Achraf Lazaar (Newcastle United). Attempt missed. Lukas Jutkiewicz (Birmingham City) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by David Davis with a cross. Foul by David Davis (Birmingham City). Grant Hanley (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Greg Stewart (Birmingham City). Jack Colback (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Lukas Jutkiewicz (Birmingham City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Josh Cogley with a cross. Substitution, Birmingham City. Greg Stewart replaces Diego Fabbrini. Foul by Josh Cogley (Birmingham City). Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Paul Robinson (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United). Offside, Newcastle United. Daryl Murphy tries a through ball, but Matt Ritchie is caught offside. Substitution, Newcastle United. Matt Ritchie replaces Massadio Haidara. Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Ryan Shotton. Isaac Hayden (Newcastle United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Attempt saved. David Davis (Birmingham City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Che Adams. Substitution, Newcastle United. Isaac Hayden replaces Cheick Tioté. Stephen Gleeson (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Jack Colback (Newcastle United). David Davis (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United). Lukas Jutkiewicz (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Jamaal Lascelles (Newcastle United). Foul by Lukas Jutkiewicz (Birmingham City). Grant Hanley (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Lukas Jutkiewicz (Birmingham City). Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Diego Fabbrini (Birmingham City) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Stephen Gleeson with a headed pass. Second Half begins Birmingham City 1, Newcastle United 1. First Half ends, Birmingham City 1, Newcastle United 1. Ryan Shotton (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Grant Hanley (Newcastle United).

Lukas Jutkiewicz kept Gianfranco Zola's Birmingham City in the FA Cup as they came from behind to earn a third-round replay against Newcastle.

38474607

Darren Heath, 45, from Taynton, was sentenced to three years and nine months after pleading guilty to five counts of misconduct in public office. Bristol Crown Court had heard how Heath got one of his victims pregnant and convinced her to have an abortion. Gloucestershire Police believe there may be more victims. In sentencing, Judge Neil Ford QC described Heath's behaviour as "corrosive to the reputation of the police service generally". The force said Heath used his position to identify women - "often victims of crime who were already extremely vulnerable" - whom he could offend against. He was described as "manipulative and calculating" by the force, which suspended him last year following an investigation into a complaint made against him in 2012. The offences took place between 2002 and 2012. Previously, Bristol Crown Court had heard that Heath was first warned about his behaviour in 1996 - a year after joining Gloucestershire Police - following a complaint by a student. He had asked her if she "fancied a bit of fun". "She subsequently made a complaint which was dealt with by Pc Heath being given advice." Heath met his first victim in 2002 after she was arrested for drinking and driving. Six years later he met another victim who approached him in a police car after a man fell unconscious in the street. He later visited her home where the pair had sex and then persisted with visits - up to four times a week - before the woman fell pregnant with twins. Heath, who has two children of his own, then convinced her to have a termination. He met another victim after arranging a restorative justice programme for her son. The woman ended the relationship after realising Heath was "only interested in a sexual relationship", the court heard.

A "manipulative and calculating" police officer who abused his position to have sex with vulnerable women he met while on duty has been jailed.

32119148

Conte's move to Stamford Bridge was announced in April and he will take over when his Italy contract expires at the end of this summer's tournament. Ventura, 68, most recently coached Serie A side Torino and led them to 12th in the league last season. His five-year tenure at the club - including promotion from Serie B in his first year - came to an end in May. Ventura's only managerial trophy is a third division title with Lecce in 1996, but Italian football federation president Carlo Tavecchio described him as a "master of football". Tavecchio also called Ventura an "innovative" coach with "limitless experience" who has helped many players reach the national side. He will have a two-year deal until the end of the Russia 2018 World Cup and is expected to take several of his key staff from Torino to the Italy set-up. Conte announced in March that he would step down as Italy coach after Euro 2016. Italy face Belgium, Sweden and Ireland in Group E.

Italy will replace Chelsea-bound national coach Antonio Conte with Giampiero Ventura after Euro 2016.

36473762

Research suggests Oxford may be affected the most by public sector cuts Oxford among worst GCSE results Chairman of Oxfordshire Economic Partnership Frank Nigriello said small firms would not have jobs available. It comes as research suggests Oxford has one of the highest number of employees in vulnerable sectors. The BBC-commissioned study, carried out by Experian, ranks the resilience of council areas to economic shocks. In the research, Oxford was rated the third highest in England for the number of employees working in vulnerable sectors. Figures from the government estimate 48% of jobs in Oxford East are in the public sector. Mr Nigriello said Oxfordshire had very few large companies, with many people employed in the county's pioneering health services, as well as research and development, including Oxford University. He added: "If there are massive cuts in the public sector, then Oxfordshire's private sector won't have the resilience. "Small businesses don't have the opportunities or availability of jobs." A special BBC News season examining the approaching cuts to public sector spending The Spending Review: Making It Clear The Oxfordshire Economic Partnership (OEP) is a company formed by a number of business people in the county to help promote enterprise. The research also suggests Oxford has few self employed people, but that the working-age population were highly skilled. In South Oxfordshire, according to the Experian research, the situation was different, with the 11th highest proportion of those self employed in England. Mr Nigriello, who works for Unipart in Cowley, suggested the private sector should be willing to assist the public sector in making changes to their organisation. He said: "Private sector companies would be foolish not to help. "While we may be the engine that creates the wealth, we recognise that we need the services to create the community we want to live in". Oxfordshire County Council is currently looking to make more than £200m of cuts by 2015. The figure may be adjusted after the government's spending review next month. Meanwhile, the research also revealed Oxford is in the bottom five regions of the UK for GCSE results. South Today will be debating the issues raised in the spending review tonight at 2235 BST. BBC Oxford 95.2FM will be discussing the research from 0700 BST.

Private companies in Oxfordshire may not have enough capacity to employ people who lose their public sector jobs, an economics expert has warned.

11164527

Councils are relying on agency workers to cover nearly 4,000 out of 5,500 otherwise empty posts. Social workers say they are under constant pressure because of media coverage and criticism of their role in high profile cases such as the death of Ayeeshia Jane Smith. Local authorities say social workers leave for better pay as agency staff. And the Department for Education (DFE) said it was investing £100m to recruit graduates and professionals. There were 26,500 full time equivalent posts filled by children's social workers at the end of September 2015, 1,880 more than the year before. Yet a further 5,470 were vacant. The number of agency workers filling vacant posts was equivalent to more than double the total number of employed children's social workers in the North East. Official figures showed there were 4,400 new starters as children's social workers in English councils between September 2014 and September 2015. Over the same period, 4,200 people left. The picture varies from council to council. 26,500 Children's social workers 5,470 Vacant posts 3,850 agency staff in vacant posts 4,440 social workers started jobs between September 2014 and 2015 4,200 social workers left jobs over the same period The DFE said part of the increase "can be explained by improved data quality" with some councils now including management roles that were not in previous years' figures. The rise in vacancies "is an unexpected increase" and may be down to councils not having previously counted vacancies covered by agency workers. The figures show that Havering in east London saw the biggest percentage fall in the number of social workers, down from 86 to 50. It meant the borough went from one social worker for every 13 children in need to one for every 34. Tim Aldridge, head of children's services, said it had been happening to councils across England. "This is for several reasons including the public sector pay freeze seeing only 1% increases since 2010, compared to the salaries on offer to agency workers in the range of £30 an hour or more," he said. At Northamptonshire County Council, 50% of posts were being filled by agency workers. A spokesman said the figure had fallen since the statistics were compiled through a scheme to attract new social workers. "We want to increase the number of permanent children's social workers but this will take time," he said. The official figures also showed more than a quarter of all children's social workers in England had less than two years of service. Just 9% have been in service at their local authority more than 20 years. Get the data here A social worker in the North East, the author of the Social Work Tutor blog, with 139,000 followers on Facebook, says staff are having to spend too much time on paperwork and not enough with families. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said: "It's a revolving door. Social workers reach their peak after about two or three years. People come in, they burn out and they leave. "Every local authority is so scared of having another Baby P (Peter Connelly) or Ayeeshia Smith. The view is that unless there's paperwork to prove it, it didn't happen. And that leads to accountability being placed above the job of actually working with people. It puts social workers under huge pressure." Writing about the Ayeeshia Jane Smith case on Facebook, in a post shared more than 55,000 times, he added: "The media seeks to pin the blame for this harrowing tale on social workers. "We are told that we should have known this would happen, that we should have done more to prevent this tragedy. We are told that we are to blame for this little girl's death and there are lessons to be learned. "But these are lessons we have known for decades. We have too many cases, too little time and far fewer resources than we need." A serious case review is being carried out by the Derbyshire safeguarding children's board into the death of 21-month-old Ayeeshia Jane Smith. She died from a fatal heart laceration, an injury usually found in crash victims, and had suffered other injuries including a bleed on the brain in the months before she was killed. Derbyshire's children's services were rated good by Ofsted in their last inspection in 2013. Maris Stratulis, England manager at the British Association of Social Workers, said: "There is increasing pressure on local authority social workers to predict risk, which adds to the stress of the work. At the same time, more families are struggling because of austerity and there have been cuts to preventative services, all of which adds further to the pressure and workload of a social worker." Claude Knights of the charity Kidscape said there had been "avoidable child deaths" because recommendations from serious case reviews were not being implemented. Calling for a government task force to address the challenges, she said: "A great concern is that when the alarm bells are ringing loudly potentially life saving decisions are not made more swiftly." A Department for Education spokesman said: "Excellent social workers help transform lives, which is why we are committed to recruiting and retaining the very best into the profession. We need more high quality social workers who have the skills and confidence to make the decisions and judgements which are in the child's best interests. "That's why we have invested £100m in programmes to recruit the best and brightest graduates and professionals into the sector."

Almost a fifth of all children's social worker jobs in England are vacant, despite a rise in recruitment.

36026098

Mr King is not the rather better-known writer of horror novels (though his robust opinions on the dangers of monetary largesse can tend towards sleepless nights). This Mr King is senior economic adviser at HSBC. And a China expert. Writing about the country's economic slowdown in 2012, he said: "China's debt fuelled expansion was never likely to be sustainable." The amber warning lights came back on this morning when the ratings agency Moody's downgraded China's credit rating, its investor benchmark for analysing the country's economic performance. Now, the rating is still A1 - the agency's fifth highest - but nevertheless does highlight growing concerns about the amount of debt the world's most populous country is carrying. The problem is not the government's direct debt, which at less than 40% of GDP is modest by Western standards, or the eminently manageable 3% deficit (the rate at which that debt is rising). The issue is the debt being carried by the country's companies, or more specifically the "state-owned enterprises" (SOEs) that constitute the grumbling and sometimes out-of-date engines of the Chinese economy. And the debts being carried by the country's local governments - which, of course, in a state the size of China, are a little more significant than those of an English town council, say. Here, the picture is different. SOE debt stands at 115% of GDP, a figure that is steadily rising and is far higher than, say, comparable figures for Japan and South Korea (where comparable debts are around 30%). Moody's estimates that bringing the leverage of those firms down to more manageable levels would cost more than $400bn (£308bn). At the same time, China's own finance ministry has warned that some local authorities are struggling to meet day-to-day operating costs, as they find themselves caught between supporting often inefficient local businesses - making steel, for example - or funding the unpaid debts and unemployment costs associated with shutting down or reforming the mainstays of regional economies. Now, China certainly has deep pockets. Its foreign currency reserves stand at more than $3tn and its annual current account surplus is $200bn. So, debt sustainability is not a near and present danger. But, if the old joke is that when America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold, when it comes to China, it only has to think about reaching for its handkerchief and the global economy can suffer a fit of the vapours. When China announced weaker-than-expected economic data at the beginning of 2016, world stock markets went into free fall and commodity prices tumbled. In 2010, average Chinese growth hovered around 10%. It is now between 6% and 7%. More manageable than the heady days of seven years ago, yes, but there are fears that a lack of economic reform could see growth fall to 5% as President Xi Jinping balances the drive for a more efficient economy (with all the dislocating restructuring costs and possible job losses that could incur) with the need to keep political tension to a minimum. In a jittery world, China's debt mountain can loom larger than the fundamentals suggest. And Moody's downgrade is just one straw in the wind. Asian stock markets hardly paused for breath when it was announced earlier this morning and warnings of a "hard landing" for the Chinese economy have been oft-predicted and not materialised. But, Chinese bond yields are rising as investors demand a higher risk premium for funding the government's liabilities. There is no need to rush for the lifeboats yet. However, it's probably worth knowing where they are.

In his new book Grave New World, Stephen King says: "For better or worse, China is simply too big to be ignored."

40029092

Forty workers have been made redundant at Nelson Packaging's factory in Lancashire. Managing director Michael Flynn said it was mainly due to "the English bag legislation and corresponding impact on customer and retailer demand". He also blamed "aggressive overseas competition". The 5p charge for bags was introduced in England in October and followed the introduction of charges in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. One worker told BBC Radio Lancashire they believed the legislation had a "slight but not a massive impact" on the business, which has been operating since 1975 and was taken over by Cheshire-based packaging firm Intelipac three years ago. 7.6 billion Number of plastic bags issued by supermarkets in England in 2014 140 Equivalent per person 40 bags on average in every home £780m expected economic benefit over 10 years because of the charge £60m savings in litter clean up costs by 2025 80% expected reduction in bags Union representative Robert Copeland, who had been with the firm since 1986, said staff were told last Wednesday that they were being made redundant and were told to leave the factory immediately. "It's daunting as I have no interview skills. I'm 49 years old and I've got to now go into a new working environment and start again. It is scary. "I was 19 when I started and… you were seeing the children of people you have been working with for 30 years starting to come through so you had parents and children [at the factory]." Campaigners argue that plastic bags blight streets, spoil the countryside and damage wildlife, seas and coastline. Wales was the first UK nation to introduce the bag charges, followed by Northern Ireland and then Scotland. A report in 2015 found the number of single-use carrier bags handed out by shops in Wales fell by 71% since charges were introduced in 2011. Scotland and Northern Ireland introduced their charges in 2014 and 2013 respectively and also saw significant drops in usage. The number of plastic bags handed out in Scottish stores was slashed by 80% - the equivalent of 650 million carriers - in the first year of the 5p charge. Similarly, in Northern Ireland in 2014 there was a 42.6% annual reduction following a previous drop of 71%, after charges were introduced. Does the charge include all carrier bags?

The introduction of a 5p charge for plastic bags in England has been blamed for a packaging firm going into administration.

35694164

Pieces from the board game, which hasn't been played for 1,500 years, have been found in Qingzhou City in China. Archaeologists found a 14-faced dice made of animal tooth with ancient Chinese writing on it. They also discovered 21 game pieces with numbers painted onto them, as well as a broken tile decorated with two eyes. The game is said to be called "bo", but researchers are unsure how it was played. The tomb was built to bury rich Chinese people around 2,300 years ago.

An ancient board game has been found in a Chinese tomb.

34900283

The Austrian opened the scoring with a penalty after Ashley Westwood brought down Phil Bardsley. He set up his second with a looping header which he then chested in. Leandro Bacuna's late goal gave Villa hope of an unlikely point but the Premier League's bottom club remain eight points from safety. Stoke's second victory in succession moves them up two places to eighth. Villa midfielder Westwood said this week that it has been difficult to watch Match of the Day alongside his son this season because of his team's desperate form. Sadly for Westwood, it will not be any easier this weekend as it was he who conceded the penalty that led to Stoke's first goal, clumsily stopping right-back Bardsley as he broke forward after 50 minutes. When Villa fell 2-0 behind five minutes later there was still over half an hour to play but the visitors' heads dropped, with morale rock-bottom following a 6-0 loss to Liverpool in their previous game and only three league wins all season. Before the match, Villa manager Remi Garde said he was not seeing enough commitment from all his players in training. While they did pull one goal back when Bacuna slotted in as Stoke appealed for handball against Rudy Gestede in the build-up, they never looked like taking anything from the game. Apart from Bacuna's strike, the only occasions when a Villa player looked like putting the ball in the net was when defender Jores Okore twice nearly scored own goals, both times being spared by excellent saves from Mark Bunn. It might be stating the obvious but relegation is surely a certainty. Mark Hughes' side went into this game on the same points total as this stage last season and the victory keeps them on target for another top-10 finish. After three successive 3-0 losses in the league, Stoke have rebounded by beating Bournemouth and Aston Villa and look again like one of the Premier League's most stubborn opponents. Arnautovic was their catalyst throughout, creating their best openings in a poor first half before netting both their goals as the Potters effectively won the game in the first 15 minutes of the second period. While Stoke's set-pieces were often poor, they were always a threat from the flanks in open play. Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri - who created the second goal - were frequent providers as the home team sent over 26 crosses. Hosting Newcastle on Wednesday - another team in the bottom three - gives Stoke the chance to keep up the momentum. Managers' reaction Stoke boss Mark Hughes speaking to BBC Sport: "We needed to be a little more dynamic in the second half and we were. Media playback is not supported on this device "At 2-0 we were quite comfortable and cruising to a conclusion. The referee should have given a free-kick to ourselves [in the build-up to Aston Villa's goal] but at 2-1... that was a threat to us but all in all I felt we coped with it. "Every time we have had a little blip we have bounced back very quickly and we have done that today." Aston Villa boss Remi Garde, speaking to BBC Sport: "The players did what they can. Media playback is not supported on this device "The first 45 minutes we were OK and defended well. We tried to do our best but we started the second half too poorly and when you are 2-0 down it is over. "When you are bottom of the table it is difficult to play with full confidence. The fans were behind the team. We don't have enough quality properly." Stoke host Newcastle on Wednesday, 2 March (19:45 GMT) before travelling to Chelsea next Saturday (15:00 GMT). Aston Villa are home to Everton on Tuesday, 1 March (19:45) and then way to Manchester City next Saturday (15:00 GMT). Relive Stoke's win over Aston Villa here. Follow all the reaction to Saturday's football here. Match ends, Stoke City 2, Aston Villa 1. Second Half ends, Stoke City 2, Aston Villa 1. Foul by Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke City). Alan Hutton (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Jores Okore (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Giannelli Imbula (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Jores Okore (Aston Villa). Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke City) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Leandro Bacuna (Aston Villa). Attempt missed. Rudy Gestede (Aston Villa) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Joleon Lescott with a cross. Substitution, Stoke City. Mame Biram Diouf replaces Marko Arnautovic. Foul by Phil Bardsley (Stoke City). Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Mark Bunn. Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Idrissa Gueye. Philipp Wollscheid (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa). Glenn Whelan (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Rudy Gestede (Aston Villa). Goal! Stoke City 2, Aston Villa 1. Leandro Bacuna (Aston Villa) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Rudy Gestede. Substitution, Aston Villa. Rudy Gestede replaces Jordan Veretout. Attempt saved. Phil Bardsley (Stoke City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Bojan. Bojan (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Leandro Bacuna (Aston Villa). Substitution, Stoke City. Joselu replaces Jonathan Walters. Substitution, Stoke City. Bojan replaces Ibrahim Afellay. Attempt missed. Giannelli Imbula (Stoke City) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner. Assisted by Xherdan Shaqiri following a corner. Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Aly Cissokho. Offside, Aston Villa. Aly Cissokho tries a through ball, but Gabriel Agbonlahor is caught offside. Attempt missed. Giannelli Imbula (Stoke City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Xherdan Shaqiri with a cross following a corner. Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Mark Bunn. Ibrahim Afellay (Stoke City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Ashley Westwood (Aston Villa). Attempt missed. Marko Arnautovic (Stoke City) left footed shot from very close range is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Philipp Wollscheid with a headed pass following a corner. Corner, Stoke City. Conceded by Jores Okore. Substitution, Aston Villa. Scott Sinclair replaces Carles Gil. Offside, Stoke City. Xherdan Shaqiri tries a through ball, but Marko Arnautovic is caught offside. Goal! Stoke City 2, Aston Villa 0. Marko Arnautovic (Stoke City) with an attempt from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Xherdan Shaqiri with a cross. Jonathan Walters (Stoke City) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Jores Okore (Aston Villa).

Marko Arnautovic's double gave Stoke a deserved victory as Aston Villa's slim hopes of avoiding relegation suffered another blow.

35619624

Markit's latest Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 53.6, from 54 in May, the lowest reading since October 2013. Although any reading above 50 indicates expansion, analysts said the strong dollar was weighing on factory orders. Meanwhile, the US Commerce Department said construction activity in May was its highest since late 2008. Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, said in a statement that the PMI index pointed to a wider US economic slowdown. "Purchasing managers are reporting the slowest rate of manufacturing expansion for over a year-and-a-half, suggesting that the economy is slowing again. "The slowdown is largely linked to a third consecutive monthly fall in exports, in turn attributed by many companies to the strong dollar undermining international competitiveness," Mr Williamson said. The weaker figure for June was despite the data's employment sub-index rising to 55.5 in June, up from 54.6 in May and the highest level since September 2014. Meanwhile, US construction spending posted a solid gain in May, led by a big jump in non-residential projects. The Commerce Department said spending rose by 0.8% from April, pushing total activity to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.04 trillion, the highest level since October 2008. All major categories showed increases in May, led by a 1.5% rise in non-residential building, which reflected increases in spending on hotels, manufacturing facilities and amusement parks, the Department said. Developers said the spending on non-residential projects hailed positive news for the jobs market. "It's fuelled by the feeling that the job growth is there, and tenants have need for more space because of new employees,'' said Richard Bezold, chairman of Akerman's real estate.

US manufacturing growth eased in June despite jobs growth, but there was better news for the construction sector, according to two surveys.

33353354

The engineering firm says the £250m expansion of its Malmesbury headquarters will eventually bring 3,000 new jobs to the town. Planning conditions have been added regarding archaeological issues and addressing site access, along with concerns about increased traffic. The expansion is expected to be the largest in the firm's 20-year history. A spokesperson for Dyson said the decision was just one part of a number of stages in the planning process and they did not want to comment further.

Outline plans to double the size of Dyson's research centre in Wiltshire have been approved by planners.

27709982

The 51-year-old had been negotiating a release from his contract following a rift with the board over his budget. Hughes has been with the Highlanders since December 2013 and won the Scottish Cup last year, the club's first major honour. "John will be remembered as a member of a great winning team," read a brief statement from Inverness CT. Hughes had become increasingly frustrated at the loss of key squad members and spoke of his disappointment when an approach from Dundee United was blocked earlier this season. Having previously managed at Falkirk, Hibernian, Hartlepool and Livingston, he replaced Terry Butcher at the Caledonian Stadium. As well as lifting the Scottish Cup, Hughes steered Inverness to a third place finish in the Premiership last season, with this campaign opening with their first taste of European football. In March 2014, Inverness reached the League Cup final, losing on penalties to Aberdeen. The Inverness statement contained a message on behalf of Hughes, saying: "I will look back on my time in the Highlands with a genuine fondness and warm affection for the club, the area and the community. "The welcome I received from the fans and the response I got from the players throughout my two-and-a-half years there will live long in the memory as will everything else we shared in some of the ground-breaking successes we all enjoyed together during that period. "I can readily assure my successor that they will inherit an excellent group of players and to each and every one of them could I also say a huge thanks for making my time with them so successful and so memorable - I wish them and the club every success in the future."

Inverness Caledonian Thistle have confirmed the departure of manager John Hughes.

36348210

Josh Earnest said the closure of the Cuban detention camp was a national security interest. It was one of the first directives President Barack Obama ordered two months after he was elected in 2008. Inmates have slowly been transferred out and at the start of the year, 122 men were left. The peak population in 2003 was 684. Mr Earnest said the administration was "in the final stages of drafting a plan to safely and responsibly (close) the prison at Guantanamo Bay and to present that to Congress". He added: "That has been something that our national security officials have been working on for quite some time, primarily because it is a priority of the president." In 2009, President Obama admitted the January 2010 deadline he had set for closing the counter-terrorism facility would be missed. Since then, Congress bipartisan opposition has meant the transfer of prisoners to the US has been blocked. Some have been considered too dangerous to be released, but the US holds no evidence that can be used in civilian or military trials against them. The US has slowly been sending prisoners back to their home countries or to third countries, a process Mr Earnest said needs to continue if the facility is to shut. The camp was established in 2002 by the Bush administration to detain the most dangerous suspects for interrogation and the prosecution of war crimes. Controversy has centred around the period of time detainees have been held without charge and the use of interrogation techniques.

The White House is in the "final stages" of drafting a plan to close the controversial US military prison Guantanamo Bay, a spokesman has said.

33626398

"Did you set this up?" Salford City Reds owner Dr Marwan Koukash asked, at the start of the station's rugby league hour this week. The extravagant millionaire has grabbed the ailing Reds by the scruff of the neck and set about building a dream in arguably the sport's most crucial year. Having ruffled feathers with his breathtakingly bold bids to sign Sam Tomkins and Adrian Morley, Koukash has promised to make the Super League strugglers the biggest rugby club in the country within three to four years. What he has definitely done is make people talk about Salford again. Far from being a prickly atmosphere in the studio, there appeared to be real warmth between the extrovert racehorse owner, the man he wants to coach his club - Brian Noble, and the rugby league legend he wants to sign from Warrington - Adrian Morley. "The more Marwan's the merrier, the better," said Noble, the former Great Britain and Bradford Bulls coach still waiting for the right opportunity to return to the sport. "You just need passionate people with some substance behind them to push the game forward. His passion fills you with enthusiasm, you want to get going and get cracking." Those comments will have been music to the ears of the fiercely ambitious Koukash, who learned the art of hard work during three years in a refugee camp in Jordan. He admits he would be honoured for Noble to coach the team he is attempting to assemble at Salford. Another Brian - the Australian Brian Smith - is the other frontrunner. I understand Noble is keen to work with Koukash, but only if he is convinced the dream of this businessman, tempted into the sport by the RFL's chief executive Nigel Wood, can become a reality. A similar discussion about ambition and available funds saw Noble drop out of the running for the Castleford Tigers job before the appointment of Ian Millward, so Salford fans should not expect this to be a done deal. Key to the 'Good Doctor's' dream - he was labelled the 'Mad Doctor' during his outlandish early claims of racehorse success - is his campaign to raise the sport's £1.8m salary cap. Koukash has, for the past few weeks, been lobbying to lift the limit that a club can spend on players to something nearer £2.5m. His argument is that this will not only make the rugby league a more attractive proposition for the best players in Australia and halt a talent drain to rugby union, but even reverse the process and tempt union players to league. Noble agrees that the cap may need a rethink - it was introduced to stop clubs overspending. But the only man to coach a club to three Super League Grand Final victories believes we might now need a carrot to bring in the bigger names to raise the sport's profile. How much of a financial risk would this be? This is a time the sport cannot even attract a title sponsor for Super League - a situation branded unacceptable by the St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus, who cites his own club's deal with tea-makers Typhoo as proof that the sport can pull in the blue-chip brands. Media playback is not supported on this device Koukash clearly has cash and he wants to be able to spend it. But not every club is in a position to chase success in this way. Morley suggests there should be a loophole introduced to have two or three "star name" players paid as much as you like outside of the salary cap. Koukash added: "There should be a mechanism in the sport to allow certain scenarios, clubs or situations to go and spend above the cap." The man who made his millions from racehorses clearly feels he will be unable to attract rugby league's thoroughbreds to Salford under the current guidelines. Such an argument is unlikely to be met with a huge nod of approval from the likes of Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington who has built his own successful business model on a strict sliding salary scale at the Super League champions. The bigger question of course is that of the sport's profile in World Cup year. McManus says this is rugby league's "biggest single financial weakness". This is not a question about allowing Salford to sign as many players as they want. It is about maximising the exposure of the sport to the world and reaping the financial rewards of that. McManus says the game's governing body needs to take responsibility. "No sponsor is not acceptable. Either from the club's perspective or from that of the governing body," he said. "Someone has to be answerable for that. It is something none of us are happy with and someone needs to be accountable." McManus feels that if these weaknesses in the way the game is marketed are "readily identified and dealt with" then the game has never been in a stronger position to prosper and grow. Koukash will expect to be at the forefront of that.

Picture the scene inside the BBC 5 live studio: a millionaire owner of a now managerless Super League club, a highly rated out-of-work coach keen for a return to the sport and an iconic player from a rival club that the owner wants to sign.

21879270

The 41-year-old was shot and stabbed to death by Thomas Mair outside her surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on 16 June. Residents spoke on Wednesday of a hard working, popular politician whose death had cast a long shadow. Stephen Hughes, 59, said her impact on the village would not be forgotten. "Year after year we will have a memorial service in June to remember her. People will bring flowers, the children will be here from the schools. "She will be remembered as a politician who put in a lot of hard work. Her heart and soul went into things, she also kept herself local despite having to go down to London." Mrs Cox had only represented the ethnically diverse constituency of Batley and Spen for a year before she was killed. In her maiden speech to Parliament, she said: "While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we have far more in common with each other than things that divide us." It is for this philosophy of inclusivity that those who worked closely with her say she will be remembered. Iqbal Bhana, who helped the Labour politician during her election campaign, said: "Everyone still talks about losing someone committed and dedicated to changing people's lives. "Her legacy is quite substantial, her 'More in Common' philosophy has become international currency which is championed around the world. "This very simple message resonated, especially at times like these, with the current political climate. It has become much more relevant since her death." Tributes to the well-liked mother-of-two poured in following her brutal murder just yards from the market place. Resident Valerie Rookledge, said: "I was away when it happened, but I came back and all the flowers were here in the square. "It's such a quiet village, so it was a great shock. She really was trying to gather the different communities together here, and she was being successful." Batley councillor and friend of Mrs Cox, Shabir Pandor, said the community had been united in its grief. "The whole community was completely devastated and in total shock, but it pulled people together. People do have to move on, but her legacy will continue. "Her work doesn't just resonate in Batley, it resonates nationally and internationally. "It takes a unique set of skills to be a good politician, but she didn't have to try too hard - she was as natural as the sun rising and setting." Revd Paul Knight, vicar of St Peter's Church in Birstall, said: "Despite being a person of no faith, she worked tirelessly to make lives better within the faith communities. "We want to work to make sure her legacy continues and to make lives better - and it's already happening. "We're planning on holding a carol service this year with a focus on 'remembering'. "She was a 21st Century Good Samaritan." Mr Bhana said Mair's conviction would "close a sad chapter" in the lives of those affected by Mrs Cox's death. On the streets of Birstall, Craig Garbutt, 47, echoed his thoughts. "I see the verdict as a good result, it's now a way of moving forward. "An event like this is devastating, but I think it leaves the community in a stronger, tighter place."

The conviction of MP Jo Cox's murderer was met sombrely in her constituency, where people said it would "close a sad chapter" for the area.

38065618