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Prison Link Cymru had 1,099 referrals in 2015-16 and said some ex-offenders were living rough for up to a year before finding suitable accommodation. Workers at the charity claim investment in housing would be cheaper than jailing homeless repeat offenders. The Welsh Government said more people than ever were getting help to address housing problems. Changes to the Housing Act in Wales, introduced in 2015, removed the right for prison leavers to be given priority for accommodation. Prison Link Cymru, which helps people find accommodation after their release, said things were generally good for women because issues such as children or domestic violence were now considered. However, the same could not be said for men, the charity said, because issues which often affect them, such as post traumatic stress disorder or drug dependency, were often viewed as less of a priority. Andrew Stevens, who works in Welsh prisons trying to secure housing for prison leavers, said the need for accommodation was "chronic". "There's a desperate need for it, finding suitable accommodation for those leaving prison there is just a lack of it everywhere," he said. "It could take six months to a year, without a lot of help they could be on the streets for six months. "When you think of the consequences of either being on the street, especially with the cold weather at the moment or you may have a roof over your head, sometimes there is only one choice." Mr Stevens believes building more one-bedroom flats could help ease the problem. "The average price is a hundred pounds a week to keep someone in a rented flat, prison is a lot more than that so I would imagine it would save the public purse quite a few pounds," he said. Official figures show 830 one-bedroom properties were built in the year to March 2016, of an overall total of 6,900 new properties in Wales. Marc, 50, who has been in and out of prison for the past 20 years for burglary offences, said he struggled to find accommodation each time he was released. He said he would ask himself: "Where am I going to stay? Where am I going to live? Have I got somewhere where I can see my daughter." "You're put out among the same sort of people doing the same sort of thing, and it's difficult, it's difficult to get away from it. It's like every man for himself, there's nothing." Marc has now found stable accommodation with homeless charity Emmaus and said it had been life changing. "You feel safe, you got hot food, you've got company of people in similar situations to yourself but all dealing with different issues. It's a constructive, helpful atmosphere," he said. Tom Clarke, chief executive of Emmaus South Wales, agreed there was not enough support available. "We do still see [people] homeless on the streets, so clearly they haven't got accommodation and haven't got provision," he said. "I think the key is connecting people with the services they need. I don't delude myself that Emmaus can offer a one size fits all for everyone, we can't. "But there must be other opportunities and given suitable encouragement I believe that can and should happen." A Welsh Government spokesman said the national pathway for homeless services to children, young people and adults in the secure estate had prevented many people from losing their home whilst serving their prison sentence. It added there were already significant demands for one-bedroom flats across the public and private sector and it was providing 20,000 new affordable homes in the next five years.

There is a "chronic" need for more housing for prison leavers in Wales, according to a charity.

Iwan Wyn Lewis of Penygroes, Gwynedd, had been sectioned at Ysbyty Gwynedd after allegedly assaulting his mother. The 36-year-old was visited by an officer in April 2016 about his bail arrangements, which a doctor said could have added to his distress. His body was found in the Menai Strait on 2 May. Mr Lewis was receiving treatment at the hospital's Hergest unit and was later moved to the Cynan ward where he received the visit from the officer. Speaking at the inquest in Caernarfon on Thursday, consultant psychiatrist Dr Olufemi Adebajo said he was "extremely unhappy" about the visit. "I don't think the police should be able to come to the ward without special permission," he said. Asked by coroner Nicola Jones whether the conversation with the officer could have added to Mr Lewis' agitation and distress, Dr Adebajo said: "It's quite possible - even likely". He said he had known Mr Lewis for more than two years and never considered him to be a suicide risk. The day before his death, he had asked staff for extra medication because he said he was feeling agitated, but they did not change his dosage because they could see no sign of agitation. On the evening of 2 May, Mr Lewis told staff he was going to the shop, but 45 minutes later his body was found in the Menai Strait. The inquest continues.

North Wales Police has been criticised at an inquest for sending an officer to speak to a hospital patient with paranoid schizophrenia.

The fine follows the conviction of former RBS trader, Shirlina Tsang, for fraud last year. She was sentenced to 50 months in prison after being caught falsifying records of emerging markets trades. Hong Kong regulators said RBS's controls were "seriously inadequate". The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) also said there were "significant weaknesses in its procedures, management systems and internal controls." But the regulator said the fine took into account the bank's speedy action in alerting the authorities once it had discovered the illegal trades, which took place in its emerging markets rates business in 2011. "This deserves substantial credit and is the reason why today's sanctions are not heavier ones," Mark Steward, the SFC's head of enforcement, said in a statement. RBS responded with a statement, reading: "We put in place a comprehensive remediation programme that strengthened our governance and supervisory oversight, and our control environment." The fine is relatively small compared to others the bank has received in the last few years. In December RBS agreed to pay 391m euros (£320m) in penalties to the European Commission for its role in the attempted rigging of Yen Libor and Euribor - the Tokyo and euro equivalents of the London interbank offered rate, or Libor. In the same month it was fined $100m (£60m) by US regulators for violations of US sanctions against Iran, Sudan, Burma, and Cuba. The bank was found to have removed location information on payments made to US financial institutions from countries such as Iran and Cuba.

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been fined HK$6m (£460,000) by Hong Kong regulators after it failed to detect a series of unauthorised transactions by one of its traders.

It is believed to be the first alleged breach of the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPim). The suspect appeared at the Old Bailey accused of failing to contact a monitoring company and report to a police station twice in January. The Home Office has refused to comment on the case. TPims replaced control orders in January 2012. The suspect - who can only be referred to as BM - was one of nine British citizens subject to a TPim when the figures were last disclosed in March. The BBC is not aware of anyone else who has appeared in court charged with a breach of a TPim. The Home Office said: "We do not comment on individual cases. The police investigate all breaches of TPims and will prosecute where that is viable." Those subject to a TPim can be ordered to stay overnight at a specified address and report to a police station every day. Other measures include a ban on contacting particular individuals, going to certain areas and places and travelling abroad. Labour has argued that TPims have "weakened" public protection against terrorism. In March, the independent reviewer of terror laws, David Anderson, said TPims could prove less effective than control orders because they can be imposed for a maximum period of two years only. The court heard that BM is charged with two counts of breaching Section 23 of a TPim order. The allegations are that on 16 January he failed to contact a monitoring company, and on 27 January failed to report to a police station. BM, who has a grey beard and was dressed for the hearing in a white shirt, cannot be named nor have his address published for legal reasons. The prosecutor Louise Gray asked for a provisional date of 2 July to be set for a plea and case management hearing. The defendant was granted unconditional bail although he remains subject to the restrictions imposed by his TPim. A trial date was not set.

A suspected terrorist has been charged with breaching conditions imposed as part of the government's new terror monitoring powers.

Dan Coats also told a Senate panel he did not think it was "appropriate" to discuss his conversations with the president at a public hearing. His comments follow a report that President Donald Trump asked him to derail the Russia investigation. The National Security Agency chief also declined to comment on the matter. Admiral Mike Rogers told a Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday he has never "been directed to do anything illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate" as NSA director. Mr Coats echoed Mr Rogers' statements as senators pressed the pair on their interactions with the president. "I'm willing to come before the committee and tell you what I know and don't know," he said. "What I'm not willing to do is share information I think ought to be protected in an opening hearing," Mr Coats told the panel. He is later appearing in a closed session before the committee on Wednesday afternoon. This Senate testimony by intelligence community heads was billed as the undercard to James Comey's appearance on Capitol Hill on Thursday, but it turned out to be a big letdown. Top intelligence officials in the US government have taken a bunker mentality when it comes to the investigation into Russian meddling in the US election, refusing to share details of presidential conversations in open Senate testimony. Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation, it seems, has the spooks spooked. That may come as a relief to a White House that has been buffeted by a seemingly never-ending stream of controversial revelations, from allegations that the president attempted to influence the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to reports of internal divisions within the administration. The president and his aides shouldn't breath easy, however. Although today's testimony was largely a dud, Mr Comey - no longer a government employee, thanks to Mr Trump - will have more leeway to discuss his interactions with the president if he so chooses. His former colleagues my have seen discretion as the better part of valour, but the former director isn't known for backing down from a fight. Mr Coats testimony comes a day after the Washington Post reported that he told associates Mr Trump had tried to persuade the FBI to back off their investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and his ties to the Kremlin. US intelligence agencies believe Russia interfered in the US election and they are investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Moscow. But there is no known evidence of collusion and President Donald Trump has dismissed the story as "fake news". The two intelligence chiefs joined acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to testify before the panel on Wednesday. The lack of answers appeared to frustrate both Democratic and Republican senators, who repeatedly pressed the intelligence officials on the Russia inquiry. Republican Senator Richard Burr, who chairs the committee, ended the hearing by appearing to rebuke the intelligence officials for their testimony. "At no time should you be in a position where you come to Congress without an answer," he said. The following day will see the much-anticipated testimony of Mr Comey, who was leading one of the Russia investigations before Mr Trump fired him. He will be quizzed on his interactions with the president before he was sacked. Mr Comey reportedly told Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he did not want to be left alone with the president. The conversation occurred the day after the president asked Mr Comey to end the investigation into Mr Flynn during a private dinner, according to the New York Times. Mr Comey believed the attorney general should protect the FBI from White House influence, officials told the paper.

The US director of national intelligence has said he "never felt pressured" to influence the inquiry into Russia's political meddling.

The grey seal was found at Cruden Bay on Tuesday. The Scottish SPCA removed the seal from beach and took it to the charity's rescue centre where it was cut free. Ch Insp John Carle said: "The amount of netting tangled around the seal's neck was the largest I have ever seen. It was a lovely moment watching the seal heading back into the water." He added: "He was so large and heavy it took three of our officers to lift him and take him to our centre in Drumoak where we cut the net away. "If he hadn't been discovered and freed the net would eventually have cut through his skin which could have resulted in septicaemia or other infections. "Thankfully there were no injuries in this case and we were able to release him relatively quickly. "This was a very happy ending and we're so glad we were able to help."

A seal found tangled in nets on an Aberdeenshire beach has been returned to the sea.

It comes as a documentary, The Betrayed Girls is being shown on BBC One about nine Asian men jailed for grooming teenage girls in the town in 2012. Laura, who was abused by the gang from the age of 13 until she was 17, said the targeting of girls by Asian men was still going on in Greater Manchester. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it was "committed" to tackling abusers. Laura, whose identity is protected as a victim of a sex crime, told BBC Two's Victoria Derbyshire show said she was walking in Oldham town centre through an Asian community a couple of months ago. "I was still getting cars pulling over to me asking me if I wanted to go for a drink," said Laura. "It's not bothering them. I don't actually think they understand that they are doing something wrong." Nazir Afzal the north west's former chief crown prosecutor who brought the case against the Rochdale gang said five years on some victims nationally are still not being listened to. Mr Afzal overturned a decision not to charge nine men who ran the child sex exploitation ring. He said there have been "significant rises" in investigations and prosecutions into the crime and victims were more confident in reporting abuse and they are getting better support. However, he said: "Victim support groups nationally are still telling me victims are not being consistently listened to and told the case is too difficult to bring [to court]." He also said some victims of historical child sex exploitation were being told that police were focusing on current cases, too. Mr Afzal said agencies must be more proactive and more "collaborative working" was needed between the police, councils and other agencies and voluntary groups. GMP said it was "vital" they learnt the lessons from the past and it was "absolutely committed" to working with partners across Greater Manchester to tackle the sexual exploitation of children and young people. "We have been working tirelessly for many years to prevent this abhorrent crime from happening and provide support to victims and their families." Rochdale Council said public services "collectively failed" the victims but lessons have "been learnt from it". Steve Rumbelow, chief executive of Rochdale Borough Council, said: "Since 2012 the council and its partners have worked to make the changes needed, to increase knowledge, prevent harm, challenge those who wish to exploit children and better support victims and survivors." The documentary which features testimonies from victims for the first time follows a BBC One drama Three Girls. Source: Greater Manchester Police

A victim of the Rochdale grooming gang says the convictions were still "not fazing" Asian child sex abusers.

Dave Baker, of the Olympus Trust which operates near Bristol, said government cuts had left it at "crisis point". Parents described the funding problem as "diabolical". A union said the idea was "terrible" but families deserved to know the truth about funding. A Department for Education (DfE) spokesman said new funding plans would increase the trust's budget by 2.4%. The Olympus Trust runs one secondary, one all-through school and five primary academies in South Gloucestershire, to the north of Bristol. In the letter Mr Baker warned parents of the "unthinkable" decisions the trust could be forced to make from September. These include shortening the school day "because we cannot afford to staff lessons for the whole week". Other proposals are cutting teaching and support jobs within the schools, increasing class sizes and reducing the curriculum. The letter also says parents may be asked to make regular financial contributions to supplement school funding. Mr Baker said South Gloucestershire was one of the five worst-funded local authorities so had less reserves to draw upon. Beckie Morton, a parent of two daughters at Charlborough Road Primary School, is anxious about the impact any cuts will have on her girls, aged 10 and seven. She said: "It's shocking - I don't know what I'd do work-wise if they shortened the school day. "If they do this, all that will be left is the lessons and no extra support for pupils. "My eldest daughter suffers panic attacks and has received a lot of pastoral care - this will have a massive impact on her final year there." Natalie, who has a son attending at Bradley Stoke Community School, called the proposals "diabolical". She said: "At the moment we are hoping to have a special needs support worker for my son and if they cut funding he won't have that. "I don't blame the school, they are trying their best." In December, the government announced the biggest shake-up of school funding for decades. The DfE said the current system was "unfair, opaque and outdated" and the changes would see more than half of England's schools get more cash. "We recognise that schools are facing cost pressures, which is why we will continue to provide support to help them use their funding in cost-effective ways, including improving the way they buy goods and services, so‎ they get the best possible value. " Kevin Courtney, chair of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said schools were still facing an 8% reduction in spending power. He said: "All schools in England will have less money in real terms per pupil in 2020 than they do now. "This cash they talk about doesn't keep pace with spending pressures on schools. "The proposals Mr Baker has mentioned are terrible and none of them should happen, but parents deserve to know the truth about the position schools are in." The consultation on the new formula runs until 22 March 2017.

Pupils at seven schools could have shorter days after a trust head say he may have to cut hours to save money.

Tawel Fan ward at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Denbighshire, was closed more than three years ago and a report found some patients were treated like animals. It has emerged that at least seven patients' families were told treatment may have contributed to their deaths. Betsi Cadwaladr health board said an investigation was under way. It acknowledged the quality of care provided could have been a contributory factor to the deaths of some patients. A review of mortality rates on the ward has never been published although it is understood it has been completed. Relatives of one patient told BBC Wales Today they were told medical care on the ward was inadequate. Correspondence seen by the programme included an apology from the health board to the family, who do not want to be identified. One letter said: "Experts found that there were problems in the health care which may have contributed to the death." It added that "the board is very much engaged in a thorough search for the truth about the Tawel Fan ward". But the family were unconvinced lessons had been learned and said questions remained unanswered and, as far as they were aware, nobody had lost their job, let alone be prosecuted. The scandal of Tawel Fan pushed the already troubled health board into close supervision by the Welsh Government. It remains in special measures which costs £5m a year. An initial report into what happened at Tawel Fan was published almost three years ago. Two more reports are due later this year. One of them, being compiled by the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (Hascas), is expected to include details of a mortality review of Tawel Fan patients. But Geoff Ryall-Harvey, who leads the patient watchdog Community Health Council in north Wales, said it should be released as soon as possible. "It may stop this practice elsewhere," he added. A Betsi Cadwaladr health board spokesman said: "We acknowledge that the quality of care provided could have been a contributory factor to the death of some patients. "Whether this is the case will be established as part of the independent Hascas investigation, which is currently being carried out. "In order to establish whether or not the quality of care contributed to any patients' death, every aspect of every patient's care has to be investigated. "This is a complicated and time consuming process, but must be carried out in order to determine whether or not the care provided was a contributory factor to any patients' death. "Every family involved in the investigation will receive an individual report detailing the care provided to their relative. These reports will also help inform the findings of the Tawel Fan investigation."

The quality of care on a scandal-hit ward for dementia patients may have contributed to at least seven deaths, BBC Wales can reveal.

French President Francois Hollande expressed "deep sadness" at the death of Huguette Dupeu in a statement. Most of the dead in the raid were foreign tourists. Two of the attackers were killed by security forces. A huge march against terrorism is planned for Sunday that will finish outside the Bardo museum. President Hollande is among those expected at the event in the capital Tunis. Lyse Doucet: Tunisia's test of transition Cradle of 'Arab Spring' under threat The museum's planned reopening earlier this week was postponed over security concerns. Schoolchildren and students were allowed in on Friday, with the general public to be readmitted Monday. The attack, claimed by Islamic State (IS), was the deadliest in Tunisia since the uprising which led to the overthrow of long-serving ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. Over 20 people have been arrested in connection with the attack, although just two gunmen are thought to have carried out the raid. They are said to have been trained in Libya in an area controlled by IS. The Tunisian Prime Minister, Habib Essid, has admitted "shortcomings" in the country's security system and has dismissed six police chiefs over the attack.

A Frenchwoman injured in the attack on Tunisia's national museum has died of her wounds, bringing the total killed in the assault by Islamists to 22.

The Egypt-backed plan had envisaged a regional forum which analysts say might have forced Israel to reveal whether or not it has nuclear weapons. The proposal was blocked by the US, the UK and Canada. The next review is set for 2020. Israel neither confirms nor denies it has a stockpile of nuclear weapons. Speaking after four weeks of negotiations, US Under-Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller accused Egypt and other Arab countries of "not willing to let go of these unrealistic and unworkable conditions" for future talks. She also said some participants tried to "cynically manipulate" the whole process. But Egypt warned that the failure to reach a deal "will have consequences in front of the Arab world and public opinion", the Associated Press news agency reports. Last month, Egypt had proposed to stage a regional conference - with or without Israel's participation and without an agreed agenda. Some analysts suggested that this move might have forced Israel - which is not a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) - to publicly clarify its position on nuclear weapons. Decisions at NPT review conferences - held every five years - are made by consensus. The failure of the current talks means the next gathering could only be held in 2020 at the earliest.

A UN conference aimed at preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons has ended in failure after a row over a nuclear-free Middle East proposal.

The Shrimps lost their opening game of the season at newly-promoted Grimsby but then knocked Championship side Rotherham out of the EFL Cup 5-4 and have won three straight league games. "It's nice but it is early days," 40-year-old Bentley told BBC Radio Lancashire. "You're never too high and never too low and I keep saying that." He added: "It's important everyone keeps their feet on the ground - likewise when you have a sticky spell that everyone keeps check and sticks together." Kevin Ellison, 37, got the only goal of the game as Morecambe's 1-0 win at Yeovil on Saturday moved them to the top of the league. "People say about his age and this and that but if you work with him day in, day out you see how he rubs off on other people," added Bentley on Ellison. "His desire, his attitude towards training and his own recovery and own professionalism, he's a credit to himself and his family. "A lot of young people should look at him up and down the country because he is that good at what he does."

Morecambe must not get carried away despite sitting top of League Two, says Shrimps boss Jim Bentley.

The Joyce twins starred as the Irish made it three wins out of three in Bangkok on Tuesday. Isobel bagged four wickets as Zimbabwe were dismissed for a paltry 78 before Ciecilia top-scored with 36 to help Ireland to 79-3 in 15.2 overs. Victory over Scotland will secure a place in next year's World Twenty20. The top two teams from the qualifying tournament will take on the game's elite in India. Ireland have avoided a meeting with tournament favourites Bangladesh but face a tough encounter against the Scots on Thursday. Zimbabwe also came into Tuesday's game at Terdthai Cricket Ground with a 100% record in Group B but they were outclassed by the Irish. Isobel Joyce took 4-20 and Robyn Lewis 2-9 as Zimbabwe were skittled out in 19 overs. The target was easily achieved after Clare Shillington (22) and Cecilia Joyce put on an opening partnership of 48.

Ireland eased to seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe to top their Women's World Twenty20 qualifying group and set up a semi-final against Scotland.

The plans for the development on the Hatchfield Farm estate in Newmarket, Suffolk, had been approved by Forest Heath District Council. But last year Local Government Secretary Sajiv Javid refused to accept the decision. Planning judge Mr Justice Gilbart ruled that Mr Javid's decision was fatally inconsistent and "plainly deficient". The case will now have to be reconsidered. Mr Justice Gilbart, sitting in London, quashed the refusal, saying: "The secretary of state has performed a complete and unexplained volte-face in his assessment of the highways impacts of two proposals for development on the same site in Newmarket and has also failed to apply his own National Planning Policy Framework." The judge said: "There is on any view a requirement for more land for housing and other economic development in the Forest Heath District." Edward Stanley, the 19th Earl of Derby, brought the legal challenge with Moulton Parish Council and the Rural Parishes Alliance. The judge said local parish councils had for some time argued that growth in the area should not be dispersed among the rural parishes but concentrated in Newmarket. Newmarket Horsemen's Group and some others were concerned that development in the town "may have an adverse effect on the horseracing industry that is based there" and lead to increased traffic. A spokesman for Lord Derby said: "The secretary of state now has a second chance to determine the application. He should take full account of the significant benefits the planning application will bring to Newmarket when making a decision." The Department for Communities and Local Government said: "We have received this judgment and will now consider our response."

Lord Derby has won a key High Court stage of his fight to build 400 homes on his land.

"We have big ideas for the future, and part of making them happen is building Instagram into a sustainable business," it said. Ads will appear in a few months and involve just a handful of firms. Instagram was bought by Facebook for $1bn (£619m), but has never made a profit. The company, which now has 150 million users, has been a favourite among consumers but has long left analysts wondering how it could turn enthusiasm among photographers into a business model. Early efforts by Instagram to generate revenue were met with user backlash, such as when the company changed the terms of service to seemingly indicate that it would own user images and could sell those images to advertisers. The failure of this move was acknowledged in the company's posting. "As always, you own your own photos and videos. The introduction of advertising won't change this," it said. In an interview earlier this year with the BBC, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom said that Instagram must "fund its own future." Social media advertising is a booming business in the US. According to research firm eMarketer, advertisers will spend $9.5bn on social network ads worldwide this year. Facebook has boosted its efforts to gain a larger share of this ad spending. This year, the company's share of global mobile ad revenues will rise to 15.8% from 5.35% last year.

The photo sharing service Instagram announced it will start placing ads in US users photo streams in a posting on its website.

The supporters had been on a stadium tour but managed to cut themselves off from the remainder of the party. They were found on Saturday morning during a security sweep of the stadium before being handed over to police, who decided not to arrest the pair. United say there was no risk to supporters attending the Arsenal game. The pair had been searched and their belongings put through a metal detector before they went on the tour. The incident comes six months after United's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Old Trafford had to be called off at short notice when a suspect package was found in a toilet in the corner of the stadium. It turned out to be a fake explosive left behind after a training exercise earlier in the week.

Two Manchester United fans spent Friday night undetected in an Old Trafford toilet in an attempt to see Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal.

Colin Shields put Belfast ahead before Scott Aarssen levelled late in the first period. However, second-period goals from Ryan Martinelli and Mark Garside left the Giants in control. Alex Foster increased Belfast's lead to 4-1 before Steve Saviano completed the scoring with five minutes left. Belfast have a game in hand on the Devils, who defeated Coventry Blaze 5-3 on Monday evening. Cardiff are back in action against Blaze on Tuesday while the Giants are at home to Manchester Storm on Wednesday evening as the busy festive period continues. The Giants took the lead after 15:52 on Monday with Shields netting after being set up by James Desmarais and Saviano. Aarssen netted on the powerplay in the last minute of the first period but Martinelli restored the Giants' advantage on 27:41 after combining well with Saviano. Garside then fired into the Braehead net on 33:50 before Foster's powerplay effort on 51:45 and Saviano's concluding goal on 55:18. After Wednesday's game against Manchester, Braehead Clan are the visitors on Friday before Coventry Blaze take on the Giants at the SSE Arena on 2 January.

Belfast Giants remain within four points of Elite League leaders Cardiff Devils after earning a 5-1 Boxing Day away win over Braehead Clan.

It had already been announced the 30-year-old would leave the Warriors when his contract expires this summer. The South Africa-born forward becomes Sale's first new signing for next season. "Josh is a world class ball-carrying forward," said Sharks director of rugby Steve Diamond. "He has been performing well for both Glasgow and Scotland over the past five years and will complement the squad in the ball-carrying department." Strauss joined Glasgow from Super Rugby side Lions in 2012 and, after three years of residency, qualified to play for Scotland in time for the 2015 World Cup. Number eight Strauss has been sidelined by a kidney injury sustained during the Six Nations defeat by France, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament. "Since coming to the UK I always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to play in the Premiership," said Strauss. "I have really enjoyed my time with the Warriors, but I asked my agent to look around for me. He came back with Sale Sharks who have a good name, a good record in the Premiership and looked an attractive proposition."

Premiership side Sale Sharks will sign Scotland and Glasgow back row forward Josh Strauss on a three-year deal from next season.

Akpan, 25, had a goal disallowed for handball in Tuesday's loss at Sheffield Wednesday, before being shown a red card by Scott Duncan for his protests. Blackburn have also been charged with failing to ensure players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion. Akpan and Rovers have until 20 and 21 February respectively to respond. A three-match ban is the standard punishment for a red card for violent conduct. However, it is alleged that Akpan's behaviour constituted violent conduct in circumstances where the standard punishment that would otherwise apply is clearly insufficient. He is currently banned for three matches, including Sunday's FA Cup tie with Manchester United. In 1998, then-Sheffield Wednesday striker Paolo di Canio was banned for 11 games for pushing referee Paul Alcock to the ground. Seven years later, Southampton midfielder David Prutton was suspended for 10 matches after admitting two charges of improper conduct, having pushed referee Alan Wiley and attempting to confront another official.

The Football Association has charged Blackburn midfielder Hope Akpan with violent conduct after he was sent off for pushing a referee.

The 6ft 5in star had been diagnosed with brain cancer and was in intensive care in New York before his death on Wednesday. His son Rory said in a statement: "He was full of knowledge and kindness and goodness. "He always wanted to share the great and beautiful things in life." Herrmann played the beloved grandfather Richard Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, a waspish family drama set in a storybook Connecticut town. Lauren Graham, who played Herrmann's on-screen daughter Lorelai Gilmore during the show's seven series, remembered the actor as the "kindest, classiest, most talented man" and said it was a "devastating blow to lose him". "Ed Herrmann's combination of pure charisma plus his distinctive voice lit up any room he entered," she added. "He had a gentlemanly manner, a wicked sense of humour, and a sharp wit. He was well-read, interesting, and just plain fun to be around." Kelly Bishop, who played his wife Emily Gilmore, said she was "somewhat stunned" by his death, having only found out he was ill a few weeks ago. "I think everyone who knew or worked with Ed found him to be absolutely delightful," she said in a statement. "Everything looks a little dim, as if the lights went down." The actor, who trained at London's Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, was singled out for praise when Entertainment Weekly picked Gilmore Girls as one of its "new TV classics" in 2009. Describing him as an "on-screen pro", it said he could "advise, hector, and soothe with debonair slyness". But his son, Rory, said his father's favourite role had been US President Franklin D Roosevelt, whom he played in the TV movies Eleanor and Franklin and Eleanor and Franklin: The Whitehouse Years in 1976 and 1977. The actor reprised the role in the 1982 movie musical Annie, and provided the voice for FDR in Ken Burns' documentary series The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, last year. Herrmann also starred in Joel Schumacher's teen vampire film, The Lost Boys, alongside Kiefer Sutherland, where he played Max; and won a primetime Emmy in 1999 for his guest role in the Boston-based legal series The Practice. His Broadway credits included the original run of Love Letters in 1989, The Deep Blue Sea with Blythe Danner in 1998 and George Bernard Shaw's Mrs Warren's Profession, for which he won a Tony Award in 1976. He often appeared on the big screen in major films including The Wolf of Wall Street, The Aviator and Reds, and recently appeared on shows such as Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother and The Good Wife. His manager Robbie Kass said in a statement: "Besides being an accomplished actor, [Herrmann] was also a true gentleman and a scholar, as well as being incredibly kind and decent man. He will be sorely missed." Herrmann was surrounded by his family including his wife, Star, and three children when he died.

Actor Edward Herrmann, best known for his roles in TV show Gilmore Girls and vampire movie The Lost Boys, has died aged 71.

The victim was attacked because her son had eloped with an upper-caste girl about a month ago. She has alleged that police initially refused to file a case saying such incidents were not uncommon. The incident took place in Mulgaon village on Monday afternoon but reports of the atrocity have just come out. The village in Satara district falls in the constituency of the state's Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. "The women pushed me to the ground, took off my sari and started beating me up with chappals [slipper] and a stick. They pulled my hair," the victim told a television channel. She said the beatings continued for two hours. On Wednesday, police arrested five people, including the eloped girl's parents. Dalits, formerly known as "untouchables", are at the bottom of the Hindu caste system in India. Although caste discrimination is illegal, biases remain in many areas.

Police in India's Maharashtra state have arrested five members of an upper caste for beating, stripping and parading naked a low-caste Dalit woman.

The comedian and actor has been married to Malaak Compton-Rock for 19 years. A statement issued through his lawyer confirmed the split: "Chris Rock has filed for divorce from his wife, Malaak. "This is a personal matter and Chris requests privacy as he and Malaak work through this process and focus on their family." The couple have two children together, daughters, Lola Simone, 12, and Zahra Savannah, 10. Chris Rock once joked during a routine: "Relationships are hard, man. In order for any relationship to work both of you have to be on the same page. "You both have to have the same focus. And that focus is... it's all about her." Chris Rock made his name as a stand-up comic in the 1980s. The 49-year-old then went onto forge a successful TV career before appearing in films like Dr Dolittle and Madagascar. In his latest film, Top Five, Rock plays a comedian who is persuaded into having his upcoming wedding screened as part of a reality TV show. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

Chris Rock has announced that he's separating from his wife.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said the number of children in working families in poverty rose by 22,000 between 2003 and 2013. Chief executive Julia Unwin said action to help pensioners was balanced by a "worrying rise" in working people struggling to "make ends meet". The UK government said its plan for a national living wage would help people. "Work is the best route out of poverty and employment in Wales is at record levels," a spokesman said. A Welsh government spokesman added: "Despite recent improvements to the Welsh economy, we do, however, recognise in-work poverty is a growing issue and are working hard to support low-income households and deliver more well-paid jobs for the Welsh economy. "We are helping more adults access full-time employment, supporting second-earners into work and are also improving people's skills to enable them to progress in the workplace." People are classed as being in poverty if their household earns or receives less than 60% of the national average income of around £450 a week, adjusted for family size.

Low pay and scarce hours are pushing working families and young people into poverty in Wales, a new report claims.

The victim, named by police as Ali Nasrollahi, 22, was found collapsed in Barnet on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Nasrollahi, who was found at the junction of Woodside Grange Road and Grangeway, was treated by paramedics for a single stab wound but died soon after arriving at hospital. Police have launched a murder inquiry and have appealed for witnesses to come forward. No arrests have been made. Det Insp Julie Willats said: "We know that the victim had driven to Woodside Grange Road with one of his friends and met up with another friend, who had also driven there. "At some stage, the victim interacted with a group of up to four suspects, during that interaction we believe he was stabbed. "The group of suspects then ran off down Grangeway and into an alleyway that leads on to Woodside Avenue." The victim's friend Mohamed Musalam said: "I'm shocked... I had to call 10 people to confirm because it was just unreal. "He didn't deserve it at all, he wasn't that sort of a person where he hangs around with the wrong crowd or anything like that. "He was a happy guy, the sort of guy that comes into a group and makes everyone laugh. I am heartbroken." Officers are carrying out a forensic search in the area.

A man has been stabbed to death in a street in north London.

Adams will make her professional debut in Manchester on Saturday when she fights Argentina's Virginia Carcamo. "Virgil has a lot of knowledge and one thing I like about him is he knows how to take an Olympic champion and turn them into a pro," said Adams, 34. "He did it with Andre [Ward] and he's capable of doing the same with me." American Ward, 33, has gone from winning gold at the 2004 Olympics to becoming a two-weight world champion and being unbeaten in 31 fights. Adams has been training alongside the likes of IBF, WBA and WBO light-heavyweight champion Ward as she prepares for her fight, and says doing so "has left me a bit in awe, to be honest". She added: "Like every fighter, my ultimate goal is to headline a show in Las Vegas and with the way the sport is building at the moment I see no reason why I can't get there. "Other female boxers like Claressa Shields and Katie Taylor have been putting women's professional boxing on the map and now that I've joined them it can only raise the bar again."

Great Britain's double gold medallist Nicola Adams believes new trainer Virgil Hunter will play a key part in success as a professional.

The incident happened on Morningside Road, near to Jordan Lane, at about 11:45 on Sunday. A local diversion was put in place at Comiston Road and Churchill Place, following the incident. Police Scotland have appealed to anyone who may have seen the elderly woman, or the bin lorry, before the incident occurred. Sgt Andrew Miller, of the road policing unit, said: "The woman was walking with a wheeled walking aid, similar to a zimmer frame, and we're hopeful anyone who might have seen her will come forward with relevant information."

An 85-year-old woman has died after being struck by a bin lorry in Edinburgh.

The regulator has agreed to increase the amount of weight graphite bricks at the core of the reactor at Dungeness B in Kent will be allowed to lose. The bricks, which degrade over time due to radiation, are vital for safety. The Office for Nuclear Regulation said it was a "robust" body but one expert accused it of "moving the goalposts". The nuclear reactor at Dungeness B would have breached the safety margin within months which could have forced the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to prosecute or even shut it down. The safety margins cover thousands of graphite bricks at the core of Britain's 14 elderly Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs). But the bricks, each about a metre in height, are both cracking and starting to lose weight due to decades of radiation, and that could affect safety. The current graphite weight loss limit for Dungeness is set at 6.2% but the regulator says when it reached 5.7% its operator, French power giant EDF, applied to raise it to 8%. Mark Foy, deputy chief inspector at the Office for Nuclear Regulation, said "We will be in a position to agree that 8% limit within the next few weeks. Ageing is a nuclear safety issue". As part of that ageing process the licensee was required to monitor and inspect the reactors regularly. Steve Thomas, professor of energy policy at the University of Greenwich, said: "It doesn't feel good when we come up against limits and the first thing they [the ONR] do is to move the goalposts." Mr Foy stressed that the ONR was a "robust regulator" and due process had been followed. "If we feel the evidence they [EDF] have supplied is robust and sufficient to underpin the 8% case then we will agree it," he said. The graphite bricks are integral to UK nuclear power stations and they act to moderate the nuclear reaction; it will not function without them. The bricks cannot be replaced which means they are being carefully monitored as the reactors age. They become damaged through years of intense bombardment by radiation and effects of the coolant CO2 on the material. A distortion to the graphite core could prevent the control rods being inserted, which shut down the reactor in an emergency. EDF said "safety of the public and our employees is our overriding priority" and the company took a "cautious approach" working closely with the regulator and they operated with "very conservative safety margins" and safety requirements were "stringent". But in shifting the graphite limit Dungeness can still run only until the start of 2020 but that is still three years fewer than EDF would like and it may have to request a second increase in the safety limit. Prof Paul Mummery, from Manchester University, agreed that the original limits were "conservative." But he said the twin problems of graphite cracking and weight loss meant it may be "uneconomic" for EDF to keep all the 14 AGR reactors running in the long term because the regulator may insist on more inspections to demonstrate safety. "They [EDF] are making good progress but I would not be able to say with absolute confidence that they will reach 2023," he said. It was an "engineering judgement", he said, but "no one could be sure". "There was more weight loss than expected in Dungeness B and that has led to some uncertainty about the continued operation." The AGR reactors contribute about 15% of Britain's electricity, according to Prof Thomas. He said EDF wanted the old AGR reactors to last until the planned next generation of nuclear power stations came on line after 2023 but said it was reaching a "crunch point". The old reactors might not last as long as EDF would like and there were still real doubts about the plans to build the new reactor at Hinkley C in Somerset.

A key safety limit at one of Britain's nuclear power stations is being raised to allow the life of the reactor to be extended, the BBC has learned.

Forest Green, promoted from the National League, will host MK Dons in their first appearance in the competition, while FA Cup giant-killers Lincoln will be away to Rotherham. The 35 ties will be played in the week commencing Monday, 7 August. Hull City and Middlesbrough have been handed a bye into the second round, having finished above Sunderland in the Premier League last season. There was confusion after the draw, which was streamed live from Bangkok, where the competition's new sponsors, energy drink company Carabao, are based. A list of fixtures displayed on the stream showed Charlton drawn against two clubs, while AFC Wimbledon were also wrongly recorded as being at home to Swindon - the Dons were drawn at home to Brentford, and Swindon will be away to Norwich. And Forest Green were listed as being away to Wolves, who were in fact drawn at home to Yeovil. The live stream was also hampered by sound problems, with listeners on some clubs' websites unable to hear the draw. The EFL have since released a statement apologising for "a number of third party technical issues that affected coverage of [Friday's] Carabao Cup round one draw in Bangkok". It continued: "There were inaccuracies - as a result of human error - in the live graphics output that resulted in confusion and incorrect ties being displayed on screen. "In addition, some users did experience difficulties in accessing the stream on certain external platforms. Both issues are currently under investigation. "The EFL can confirm that the draw was not compromised in any way and all clubs have received confirmation of their round one ties." There are 12 former League Cup winners in the first round, with five-time champions Aston Villa the most successful side entering at this stage, ahead of four-time winners Nottingham Forest. Villa have been handed an away tie at Colchester, while Forest host League One side Shrewsbury. Newport County were drawn at home to Southend United, but the match will take place at Southend's Roots Hall stadium so the Welsh club can finish work on their pitch. The final of this season's competition will take place at Wembley on Sunday, 25 February 2018. The full draw for the first round of the EFL Cup is as follows: North Section Coventry v Blackburn Nottingham Forest v Shrewsbury Bradford v Doncaster Mansfield v Rochdale Grimsby v Derby Barnsley v Morecambe Oldham v Burton Wigan v Blackpool Bury v Sunderland Sheffield Wednesday v Chesterfield Accrington v Preston Fleetwood v Carlisle Rotherham v Lincoln Sheffield United v Walsall Scunthorpe v Notts County Crewe v Bolton Leeds v Port Vale South Section Birmingham City v Crawley Town Exeter City v Charlton Athletic QPR v Northampton Town Newport County v Southend United Bristol City v Plymouth Argyle Cardiff City v Portsmouth Millwall v Stevenage Oxford United v Cheltenham Town AFC Wimbledon v Brentford Norwich City v Swindon Town Bristol Rovers v Cambridge United Peterborough United v Barnet Wycombe Wanderers v Fulham Colchester United v Aston Villa Wolves v Yeovil Town Reading v Gillingham Forest Green Rovers v MK Dons Luton Town v Ipswich Town

Relegated Sunderland will travel to Bury in the EFL Cup first round.

The Duchess of Cambridge's sister took civil court action against a "person or persons unknown" after her account was said to have been hacked. The Sun reported it was offered the images, which included shots of Prince George and Princess Charlotte. A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of an offence under the Computer Misuse Act and later bailed. The allegations emerged after private pictures were said to have been offered to the newspaper via encrypted messaging service WhatsApp. The Sun said it had been approached by someone using a pseudonym and asking for £50,000 within 48 hours. Barrister Adam Wolanski, who led Miss Middleton's legal team, said she thought there had been a "genuine hack". He said it was a "flagrant" and "criminal" act which had caused Miss Middleton "considerable distress". Police said they were investigating the allegations and a 35-year-old man had been released on police bail pending further inquiries. He was arrested at an address in Northamptonshire late on Saturday. In the summer, Miss Middleton and hedge fund manager James Matthews confirmed their engagement, with a wedding planned for next year. Several high-profile figures have had images stolen from their iCloud accounts, including actress Jennifer Lawrence and singer Rihanna. In July, American Edward Majerczyk pleaded guilty to running a phishing campaign to steal private pictures and videos from film and TV stars, in what was known as the "celebgate" affair.

The High Court has banned publication of photographs allegedly stolen from Pippa Middleton's iCloud account.

Calling it "the hardest decision I've ever made," an emotional Mr Key said: "I don't know what I'll do next." Mr Key, a popular leader, said it was a personal decision, and later denied media reports his wife of 32 years, Bronagh, had given him an ultimatum. He said he would not be seeking a fourth term in the 2017 election. Deputy Prime Minister Bill English is likely to take over until the National party holds a caucus to choose a new leader. Mr Key made the surprise announcement during his weekly press conference. He set a date of 12 December for the formal resignation. He said his job required great sacrifices "from those who are dearest to me" and that his children had coped with "an extraordinary level of intrusion". "All I can say is that I gave it everything I had. I have left nothing in the tank." Referring to his wife, he told radio program Newstalk: "We talked about it and she likes the concept of me being home more but there was no ultimatum." Mr Key, who was formerly at Merrill Lynch as a foreign exchange dealer, ended nine years of Labour Party rule in 2008 when he ousted Helen Clark as prime minister. He won a third term for the National Party at elections in September 2014. Opposition Labour leader Andrew Little said Mr Key "has served New Zealand generously and with dedication. I wish him and his family the best for the future". Green Party co-leader Meteria Turei also wished him well. "I fought every day against John's politics but always supported his right to be a dad and a husband first," she tweeted. Known by the local media as "Teflon John" because very little controversy has stuck to him during his time in office, Mr Key is credited with steering New Zealand through the 2008 global economic crisis and out of recession. He has sought to build closer ties with the US, taking a leading role in supporting President Barack Obama's Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) - a 12 country trade deal covering 40% of the world economy. However Donald Trump's recent victory in the US has derailed that process, with his announcement the US would be quitting the TPP on his first day in office in January. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a close political ally, said that on learning of Mr Key's resignation, he sent him a text message reading "say it ain't so, bro". Mr Turnbull said New Zealand had boxed above its weight under Mr Key's leadership, and his departure will be "a great loss to New Zealand and a great loss to the world". Former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott played on their two countries' cricketing rivalry to say Mr Key had enjoyed a "fine innings". "Not many pollies retire unbeaten on a double ton," he tweeted. Australian Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said: "John Key has been a good friend to Australia. I wish him and his family all the best."

John Key has announced that he will resign as prime minister of New Zealand, after eight years in the job, citing family reasons.

The 53-year-old has come under scrutiny since information on Sir Bradley Wiggins' authorised use of banned drugs to treat a medical condition was released by hackers. And further questions about Team Sky's doping controls led MPs to claim its reputation was "in tatters". "It shouldn't even need saying, but we all back Dave B 100%!", Thomas tweeted. "I've known him a long time and I wouldn't want anyone else leading Team Sky," the 30-year-old said. Peter Kennaugh agreed with Thomas, adding: "I think all the riders on Team Sky would join me in saying they are completely behind Dave Brailsford." "He's the leader of our super Team Sky," added Elia Viviani. Michal Kwiatkowski, Owain Doull and Luke Rowe also tweeted their support for Brailsford. It follows reports that some riders have lost confidence in Brailsford and considered asking him to resign. Brailsford has denied any wrongdoing, saying TUEs "do not cross the line" over performance-enhancing drugs. Last week a Parliamentary select committee heard evidence about the former Team Sky doctor who received a 'mystery package' for Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2011, Richard Freeman. Team Sky responded saying that they were a clean team who abide by the rules. "We are proud of our stance against doping. We believe our approach to anti-doping is rigorous and comprehensive," they said in a statement. BBC sports editor Dan Roan With the future of Sir Dave Brailsford - and perhaps even Team Sky - uncertain after months of damaging revelations, this is an attempted fight-back, with several riders closing ranks around their under-fire boss at the request of management. However, it has not escaped attention that the team's leading man, Chris Froome, is yet to make clear his support, instead tweeting about a meal he enjoyed in South Africa. And if that is an act of defiance, it could place even more pressure on Brailsford as he tries to cling to his job. Media playback is not supported on this device Freeman, meanwhile, has also received the support of a former colleague. Dave Readle, who was a sports psychologist at the governing body's high performance programme from 2008 to 2014, and worked closely with Freeman, told BBC sports editor Dan Roan that the doctor "has been thrown under the bus". MPs at last week's select committee hearing were told how Freeman had failed to keep medical records of treatments for riders - a possible breach of General Medical Council rules, according to the UK Anti-Doping Agency - and ordered large quantities of the corticosteroid triamcinolone, that may have outstripped clinical need. Freeman administered Wiggins' TUEs, and took delivery of the mystery medical package in France 2011. It has also been reported that fellow doctors at Team Sky blocked him applying for a fourth TUE for Wiggins, and that he was in charge of medical supplies when testosterone patches were delivered to British Cycling in 2011, apparently in error. He has denied any wrongdoing, and is thought to be preparing written submissions to Ukad's questions. Freeman withdrew from giving evidence to the select committee on the eve of the hearing last week due to ill health. But Readle said: "Richard has been hung out to dry. He is a loyal friend, a man of honesty, integrity and loyalty, and this is a tough time for him. All this negative publicity, he's in a state of shock. "The fact that no one's come out to support him, after all the help he's given riders, it stinks. "I spent a lot of time with him and everything he did was above board, there was no cutting corners." When asked why Freeman may have failed to keep medical records, Readle said that the intensity of the workload while treating large numbers of athletes and other staff may have meant that the doctor's administration sometimes slipped. "You get bombarded with stuff in elite sport, he wouldn't have done it deliberately. Richard had lots of athletes to treat," he said.

Team Sky riders are "100%" behind team principal Sir Dave Brailsford, according to Geraint Thomas.

Ben Gerring, 29, was in the water near Mandurah, south of Perth, when the attack occurred on Tuesday afternoon. Western Australia Police said Mr Gerring's injuries were too severe to overcome and he died on Friday night. On Thursday, a 4.2m (14ft) great white shark was captured near Mandurah, but it is not known if this shark was to blame for the attack. "He was right out the back looking to get a big wave, one of the set waves that had been coming through during the day," Brian Williams, president of the Mandurah Boardriders Club and friend of the victim, told ABC on Tuesday. "He'd sort of paddled out the back, sort of past the pack slightly. And next thing all hell broke loose and they were trying to bring him in. "His board was broken in half, they found the tail part of his board," Mr Williams said. Surf Lifesaving Western Australia had reportedly issued a warning before the attack, after an unknown species of shark was seen in the area.

A surfer who lost his leg in a shark attack in Western Australia last week has died, police say.

The 49-strong team for the event, which will be at London Stadium in Stratford from 14-23 July, contains 10 athletes who won gold at Rio 2016. Two-time Paralympic champion Peacock, 24, missed out on the 2015 World Championships through injury and will look to recapture the 100m title he claimed in 2013. Media playback is not supported on this device Britain won 31 medals in Doha two years ago, including 13 golds, finishing fourth in the medal table. London will be the first time the event has been held in the same city and in the same summer as the World Athletics Championships, which run from 4-13 August. Six-time world champion David Weir is not included after withdrawing from British Athletics following a fallout with coach Jenni Banks, and double T11 100m and 200m Paralympic champion Libby Clegg misses out with an injury. Cox, 26, who has multiple sclerosis, won gold medals in track cycling and athletics at Rio 2016, but has focused her training on athletics this year before her defence of her T37 100m title. Cockroft, 24, won world gold in the T34 100m, 400m and 800m two years ago, a treble she repeated in Rio last year. Whitehead, 40, can become a four-time T42 200m world champion in London, while Jo Butterfield will be given the opportunity to defend her club throw titles in the F51 and and Aled Davies his shot title in the F42 . T38 sprinter Sophie Hahn, who has cerebral palsy, can win her third individual 100m world title, despite only being 20. Paralympic champions Hollie Arnold and Aled Sion Davies are among nine athletes from Wales included.

Paralympic champions Jonnie Peacock, Hannah Cockroft, Richard Whitehead and Kadeena Cox are in the Great Britain squad for next month's World Para-Athletics Championships in London.

Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead announced the move earlier this month. Almost 30 organisations have signed an open letter seeking an urgent meeting with him to discuss their concerns. Mr Lochhead said the changes would not affect research. Under EU rules, GM crops must be formally authorised before they can be cultivated. An amendment came into force earlier this year, allowing member states and devolved administrations to restrict or ban the cultivation of genetically modified organisms within their territory. Mr Lochhead announced he would use the amendment to request Scotland be excluded from European consents for the cultivation of GM crops. The letter - whose signatories include the National Farmers' Union, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Roslin Institute and the European Academies Science Advisory Council - said they were "extremely concerned" about the "negative impact" a ban could have. It claimed the decision was "political and not based on any informed scientific assessment of risk". The scientists and academics said outlawing the cultivation of GM crops "risks constraining Scotland's contribution to research and leaving Scotland without access to agricultural innovations which are making farming more sustainable elsewhere in the world." The letter cited examples where "a GM method has a contribution to make". It highlighted ongoing research on things which "might benefit Scotland's farmers, consumers and environment" including potatoes that can reduce fungicide use and omega-3 enriched oilseeds that may offer a more sustainable source of feed for salmon farming. Responding to the letter, Mr Lochhead said he respected the views of those in the scientific community and would be happy to meet them. He said he would "reassure them that these changes will not affect research as it is currently carried out in Scotland, where the contained use of GM plants is permitted for scientific purposes, such as in laboratories or sealed glasshouse facilities". He added: "However, just because GM crops can be cultivated in Scotland it doesn't mean they should be. "Scotland's £14bn food sector has a reputation for a clean and green image across the world and allowing the cultivation of GM crops could damage that unique selling point." Last week, a former chief science adviser to the Scottish government warned on ban on GM crops could have "apocalyptic" consequences and threaten the country's food and drinks industry. Prof Muffy Calder, who stepped down from the role in December and has yet to be replaced, said she was "disappointed and angry" and called on ministers to publish the scientific basis for their decision. Professor Neva Haites, vice president for life sciences at The Royal Society of Edinburgh, told BBC Scotland: "Most governments try to get the best advice possible before they make these decisions. "In the past we have had chief scientific advisers such as Dame Anne Glover and Prof Calder, who were there to give advice on such subjects. "We no longer have such an adviser in government at the moment and the scientific body that usually gives advice has not met for some time. "So we are suggesting it is time they actually looked again and sought some very senior advice on this subject."

A ban on growing genetically-modified crops in Scotland could threaten the country's contribution to scientific research, according to scientists, universities and farming leaders.

The project will examine hair, bone and other material from a collection amassed by a Swiss biologist - and will invite submissions from elsewhere. Many cultures relate legends of hairy, humanoid creatures that lurk in the wilds, rarely seen. But material claimed to be from such creatures have never been subjected to modern scientific techniques. "It's an area that any serious academic ventures into with a deal of trepidation... It's full of eccentric and downright misleading reports," said Prof Bryan Sykes, from Oxford University. The researchers will apply a systematic approach and employ the latest advances in genetic testing, aiming to publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals. "There have been DNA tests done on alleged yetis and other such things but since then the testing techniques, particularly on hair, have improved a lot due to advances in forensic science," the Oxford geneticist told Reuters news agency. Modern testing could get valid results from a fragment of a shaft of hair, added Prof Sykes, who is leading the project with Michel Sartori, director of the Lausanne Museum of Zoology. A 1951 expedition to Mount Everest famously returned with photographs of giant footprints in the snow, fuelling speculation about giant Himalayan creatures, unknown to science. Since then, many eye-witness reports of such creatures have emerged from remote regions of the world. These humanoid beasties are variously known as the "yeti" or "migoi" in the Himalayas, "bigfoot" or "sasquatch" in North America, "almasty" in the Caucasus mountains and "orang pendek" in Sumatra, but there are many others. Tests up to now have usually concluded that alleged yeti remains were in fact human. But, said Prof Sykes, "there has been no systematic review of this material." The project will focus on an archive of remains held at the Lausanne museum that was assembled by Bernard Heuvelmans, a Belgian-French biologist who investigated reported yeti sightings from 1950 up to his death in 2001. Other institutions and individuals will also be asked to send in details of any possible yeti material. Aside from the yeti question, Prof Sykes said he hoped the project would add to the growing body of knowledge on the interaction between different human species in the past. "In the last two years it has become clear that there was considerable interbreeding between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals ... about 2% to 4% of the DNA of each individual European is Neanderthal," he said. Those who are favourable to the idea of as-yet undescribed creatures say the yeti and orang pendek could represent survivals of Homo erectus, Homo floresiensis (the Indonesian "Hobbit") or Gigantopithecus - a giant ape that once inhabited the forests of East Asia. The idea has even spawned the term "cryptozoology" to describe the search for such beasts. Others are highly sceptical of such tales, and consider the subject unworthy of serious scientific investigation. Asked about the project's chances of success, Prof Sykes said: "The answer is, of course, I don't know," adding, "it's unlikely, but on the other hand if we don't examine it we won't know."

A UK-Swiss team will use DNA testing to investigate the origins of remains claimed to be from yeti and bigfoot.

The 21-year-old joined Tigers on loan in February, making five appearances, and is one of four uncapped players in the England squad for the summer Tests. Genge made his senior debut for Bristol in the 2013-14 British and Irish Cup, and scored six tries in 26 appearances. "Ellis has made a big impression in his time on loan with us," said Leicester director of rugby Richard Cockerill. "He is a great young prospect and he seems to have found his home at Leicester in his time on loan with us. "We hope he continues to build on that first impression and we look forward to seeing his development here." Genge is in the England squad both for Saturday's Test at home to Wales and the June tour of Australia.

Leicester Tigers have signed new England loose-head prop Ellis Genge from newly-promoted Bristol.

The government said it has now turned back 633 asylum seekers who were trying to reach Australia by boat. In July a small wooden boat, the first "illegal" vessel entry into Australia since June 2014, was spotted off the north-west coast. It was not seen again and the government refused to say where it was. The government usually refuses to comment on boat turn-backs but Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on Thursday told local media: "There were 46 people on a recent venture that did come from Vietnam; we have negotiated their return to Vietnam." "The boat that they came on has been scuttled and we have been able to stare down that venture," he said, adding that the government's policy was not to allow people arriving "illegally" by boat to settle in Australia. Australia has been sending migrant boats back to where they came from since December 2013. Refugee support group VOICE said three of the Vietnamese refugees were now in police detention in Vietnam. Spokesman Trug Doan told the Australian Broadcasting Corp they were being held "for an indefinite period for interrogation". The Greens party has said the turn-backs are a breach of the UN's Refugee Convention. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said last month that handing the Vietnamese group back to Vietnam would be refoulement - the expulsion of people entitled to claim refugee status.

Australia has confirmed it sent 46 asylum seekers back to Vietnam after intercepting their boat off the coast of Western Australia last month.

Matthew Gillard, of Connsbrook Avenue in east Belfast, pleaded not guilty to charges including kidnapping and false imprisonment. The defendant, 25, also denied charges of common assault, assaulting a police officer and driving dangerously. The charges relate to incidents in east Belfast and Comber on Saturday 4 April. Newtownards Magistrates Court heard that the defendant and the woman were in his car in east Belfast when he began questioning her about who she was seeing. A detective giving evidence in court said the woman tried to get out of the Seat Toledo car but the defendant allegedly drove off at speed, through a red light on Bloomfield Avenue. When the car stopped on the Belfast Road in Comber, the woman escaped along a lane but was carried back to the car by the defendant, the court heard. An off-duty police sergeant saw this and went to help the woman. When the sergeant tried to intervene, the defendant allegedly drove his car at the officer, forcing him to get out of the way. The sergeant was able to pull the keys from the ignition through the car's open window, but the defendant wrenched them from his grasp. He then drove to the Grand Parade area of east Belfast where the woman was released. He is also alleged to have sent the woman a message threatening that if she went to police about the incident he would "ruin her life in every possible way". The court heard that the defendant handed himself over to police on Wednesday, despite being aware since Saturday that he was wanted by the PSNI. But during police interviews he refused to answer questions put to him. An application for bail was made but this was refused. Mr Gillard will appear again in court on 1 May.

A man accused of kidnapping his partner allegedly drove at a police officer who tried to save her, a court has heard.

Security assistance has been withheld since 2011, when the Gulf state put down mass Shia-led protests. But US State Department spokesman John Kirby said that Bahrain had made progress on human rights, including the release of political prisoners. Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth fleet and has flown airstrike missions over Syria as part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State (IS). "We believe it is important to recognise that the government of Bahrain has made some meaningful progress on human rights reforms and reconciliation," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. He added that this did not mean that the US thought the human rights situation in Bahrain was adequate. "Following the lift of these holds, we will continue to press Bahrain on our human rights concerns," Mr Kirby said. He gave no details about what the security assistance would entail. The move was quickly criticised by rights groups. Sarah Margon, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch, said that the decision to lift restrictions was taking place without any "real or meaningful political reform" in Bahrain. She said in a statement that "Bahrain's jails are bursting at the seams with political detainees and the recent prison sentence for political opposition leader, al-Wefaq secretary general Sheikh Ali Salman, means that a political accommodation remains as far away as ever." Earlier in June, Sheikh Salman was jailed for four years for inciting hatred, promoting disobedience and "insulting" public institutions. Shia-dominated demonstrations against Bahrain's Sunni monarchy have occurred sporadically since 2011. Dozens died when the government moved to quash protests four years ago.

The US has said that it will resume aid to the military in Bahrain.

England scrum-half Danny Care claimed a hat-trick, while loose forward Luke Wallace crossed twice as Quins booked a home semi-final against Grenoble. But Quins were given a real scare, not reclaiming the lead until late on. Irish ran in three tries through winger Fergus Mulchrone, scrum-half Brendan McKibbin and centre Sean Maitland. And the visitors put in a spirited display that bodes well for next weekend's 11th v 12th relegation battle at Newcastle. Irish and Quins are due to meet again at the Madejski Stadium on Sunday 1 May, on the penultimate weekend of the season. But the Exiles first face an even more crucial test next weekend in that crunch meeting with the Falcons on the artificial pitch at Kingston Park. Grenoble reached the last four with a 33-32 win over Connaght, while Montpellier, who beat Sale on Friday night, will play Newport Gwent Dragons, who put out holders Gloucester, in the other semi. Harlequins v Grenoble (The Stoop) Montpellier v Newport Gwent Dragons (Altrad Stadium) Matches to be played on 22/23/24 April Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea: "We'll take the result. We're in a semi-final. We're the only English side left in the competition. We scored 20 unanswered points to come back from 30-18 down. "We were pretty inconsistent and that's the lesson we have to learn. We were up against a proud set of players and they weren't going to roll over "They had the freedom to play and we probably had that little bit of weight of expectation. It was up and down, but we scored some decisive points when the pressure was on." London Irish assistant coach Clark Laidlaw told BBC Radio Berkshire: "We're really proud of the way the players performed. It was always going to be a tough task coming here. Harlequins are a pretty strong side who've been playing well throughout the year. "We got our noses in front and, if we could have held in there a little bit longer when we were two scores up, it could have been a different night. "But, we're hugely proud of the way the boys played and we're really hoping they can play with that freedom in the weeks to come before the end of the season." Harlequins: Brown; Yarde, Lowe, Roberts, Visser; Botica, Care (capt); Lambert, Gray, A Jones, Merrick, Twomey, Robshaw, Wallace, Clifford. Replacements: Ward, O Evans, Sinckler, Matthews, Luamanu, Dickson, Marchant, Chisholm. London Irish: Fenby; Maitland, Mulchrone, Brophy-Clews, Fowlie; Geraghty, McKibbin; Smallbone, Paice (capt), Halavatau, Lloyd, Sinclair, Guest, Trayfoot, McCusker. Replacements: Cruse, Court, Palframan, Curry, Sisi, Ellis, Allinson, Steele. Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy).

Harlequins ran in five tries as they came from behind to beat London Irish in the European Challenge Cup quarter-final on home soil at The Stoop.

The scores were level at the break with Theo Fages and Matty Smith crossing for the visitors and Alex Mellor and Patrick Ah Van going over for Widnes. Saints took the lead when Mark Percival kicked a penalty, after the Vikings had been penalised for offside. That looked to be the winning score, but the hosts eventually made their pressure tell when Ah Van crashed over. The New Zealander's second try of the night gave the hosts a first home win of the season, and they are now just one point off 11th-placed Huddersfield. Victory will ease some of the pressure on coach Denis Betts, but his team did it the hard way. They were much the better team in the first half but went in level at the break after individual errors contributed to them failing to add to their 12 points. Saints had a Luke Thompson try ruled out by the video ref at 14-12 up, before Ah Van's decisive score gave Widnes a vital two points. Widnes: Hanbury, Thompson, Bridge, Runciman, Ah Van, Mellor, Gilmore, Dudson, Johnstone, Buchanan, Houston, Dean, Gerrard. Replacements: Whitley, Burke, J. Chapelhow, D. Walker. St Helens: Bailey, Swift, Fleming, Percival, Grace, Fages, Smith, Richards, Lee, Amor, Taia, Wilkin, Thompson. Replacements: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Walmsley, Peyroux, Knowles. Whitehaven v Halifax in the Challenge Cup fifth round is live on on Sunday, 23 April on Connected TV and online from 14:55 BST, along with live text commentary online.

Widnes Vikings claimed just their second Super League win of the season with a narrow victory over St Helens.

The former Manchester United striker, best known for his winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final, arrived with great fanfare in January 2014. He presented a different vision for Cardiff compared with the defensive approach of his predecessor Malky Mackay, renowned for an unspectacular, yet effective style that gained the club promotion to the Premier League in 2013. Mackay's success meant popularity with fans and that probably didn't help Solskjaer's cause. The Scot's bitter falling-out with the club's Malaysian owner Vincent Tan had disillusioned many supporters who saw Mackay's sacking as a regression for a club who had fought so hard for a top-flight return after half a century away. He may have promised a more exciting style, but under Solskjaer the Bluebirds slipped into the Premier League's bottom three for the first time and never recovered, finishing bottom. The results were shocking - 3-0 at Swansea, 6-3 against Liverpool, 3-0 defeats against Crystal Palace and Newcastle and 4-0 losses to Hull and Sunderland. Tan blamed Mackay for relegation, which was confirmed at the penultimate game of the season, and expected a swift Premier League return under the Norwegian. And so began a big recruitment drive in the summer. Nine players came in, many of Mackay's men left, but it seemed even with so many new faces Solskjaer didn't know what his best team was. He named a different starting 11 for all of the games he oversaw this season and his tinkering was deemed to have had an adverse effect on results. Two home defeats in succession, against Norwich and Middlesbrough, sealed his fate. The nature of the capitulation against the Canaries caused particular concern, Cardiff leading 2-0 before conceding four second-half goals to lose 4-2. During the 1-0 loss against Boro four days later, the Cardiff crowd vented their frustration at the Norwegian, booing him as he tried to get the ball to one of his players to take a throw-in. After the game the Norwegian said he accepted the blame for the club's poor run of form. "I'm responsible and I should get better results than we've had in the first seven games," said Solskjaer, who seems to have the ability to remain upbeat in the most trying of circumstances. The manager may be responsible for the team but many feel the board, and particularly owner Vincent Tan, have to take some responsibility too. "It was the wrong appointment for Cardiff and the wrong club for Solskjaer," said former Cardiff captain Jason Perry on BBC Radio Wales. "Do we know how Cardiff City play? No. "I think only four players played against Blackburn [in the Championship opener] that played against Middlesbrough. He picked a different back four yet again. "If you're manager or a coach you have a central strategy and you work on that." Solskjaer will not have the chance to find a strategy that works and attention now turns to the next man to work under Tan. Early favourites include Welshman Tony Pulis, who would be popular with fans given the job he did at Crystal Palace last season, and Dundee's Paul Hartley, who has overseen his club's rise to the Scottish Premiership. Things are rarely dull at Cardiff City. Whoever takes charge will discover that.

He was the Champions League hero who arrived promising an exciting brand of football, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure at Cardiff City will be remembered as a failure.

McClean, who was recently released by Nottingham Forest, was on trial with the Perth outfit in the last few weeks of the 2016-17 campaign. And the midfielder has now signed a one year deal at McDiarmid Park. Manager Tommy Wright told the club's website: "I was very impressed with Kyle in his trial and he will go straight into the first team squad." McClean has been included in Northern Ireland's squad for their opening Euro Under-21 qualifier in Estonia on Thursday. St Johnstone finished fourth in the Premiership in 2016-17 and go into the Europa League qualifiers later this month. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

St Johnstone have made 18-year-old Northern Irish midfielder Kyle McClean their first signing of the summer.

Williams was the first black woman to be named Miss America in 1983 but resigned after a magazine published nude photos of her without her consent. "I want to apologise for anything that was said or done," said Miss America CEO Sam Haskell. A tearful Williams called the statement "unexpected" and "beautiful". Now 52, she has forged a career as an actress, with major roles in Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives. She also scored a global hit in 1992 with the ballad Save the Best for Last; and her recording of Colors of the Wind from Disney's Pocahontas soundtrack earned her a Golden Globe, a Grammy and an Oscar for best original song. The New Yorker won Miss America in September 1983 but, months later, the pageant's executive committee voted unanimously to request that she resign after Penthouse magazine published naked photographs she had posed for several years earlier, Williams remains the only title-holder who was asked to resign in the pageant's history. She was invited back to the competition this year by Chairman Sam Haskell, who asked her to serve as head judge. Before the competition started, he invited her on stage to receive the apology. "I have been a close friend to this beautiful and talented lady for 32 years," he told the audience. "You have lived your life in grace and dignity, and never was it more evident than during the events of 1984 when you resigned. "Though none of us currently in the organization were involved then, on behalf of today's organization, I want to apologize to you and to your mother, Miss Helen Williams." He continued: "I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less than the Miss America you are and the Miss America you always will be." The audience gave Williams a standing ovation and TV coverage showed her mother on the verge of tears. "Thank you so much, Sam, so unexpected but so beautiful," said the actress. "I did the best that I could as Miss America in 1983 to 84," she said. "On behalf of my family, my mother in particular; [publicist] Brian Edwards, who orchestrated this entire thing to bring me back; and your leadership, your integrity and you bringing this pageant back to what it ought to be. I love you. I love the girls. And I'm so honoured to be back." Williams then returned to her seat and helped select the new Miss America - 21-year-old Betty Cantrell of Georgia.

Organisers of the Miss America pageant have apologised to actress Vanessa Williams, 32 years after she was forced to hand back her title.

The UNHCR said forced returns had "continued unabated" despite an agreement earlier this month. Under the deal, any returns would be voluntary and only "when conditions were conducive". Cameroon has rejected the accusation and said people returned willingly. According to the UNHCR, more than 2,600 refugees have been forcibly returned to Nigeria from Cameroon this year. Many are unable to go back to their villages in Borno state for security reasons and have ended up in camps for displaced people. In some cases, the UNHCR said, people had been returned "without allowing them time to collect their belongings". UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch spoke of "chaos" in the returns process and said "some women were forced to leave their young children behind in Cameroon, including a child less than three years old". Many of the returnees are now settled in the Banki camp for internally displaced people. UNHCR staff also recorded about 17 people who claimed to be Cameroonian nationals, who it said had been deported by mistake to Banki. It is common in the region to find people who have no documentary proof of their nationality. Cameroonian Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme: "I strongly deny this accusation" of forced returns. He said the Cameroonian army had been working "hand-in-hand" with the Nigerian army against Boko Haram and any civilians who had returned to Nigeria had done so of their own accord. "This repatriation has taken place willingly," he said. The Cameroonian authorities have previously said Boko Haram militants have been entering the country disguised as refugees. Militants have carried out a number of attacks in northern Cameroon in recent years, often using suicide bombers. The UNHCR said forced return constitutes a serious violation of the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1969 OAU Convention, both of which Cameroon has ratified. It called on Cameroon to honour its obligations under the conventions and continue keeping its borders open so as to allow access to territory and asylum procedures for people fleeing the Islamist insurgency.

The UN refugee agency has criticised Cameroon for the forced return of hundreds of refugees to north-east Nigeria after they had fled from the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency.

People had gathered on the bridge to watch emergency services rescue a man who had jumped into the Sanvordem river in Curchorem. Local media reported that more than 50 people were on the bridge when it collapsed late on Thursday evening. The bridge was reportedly more than 60 years old and was banned from use. A local police officer told the Hindustan Times that more people were likely to be "trapped under the collapsed bridge". Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was also monitoring the rescue operation. South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar told the Goa Herald newspaper that "it was an unfortunate tragedy". "The bridge must be demolished as the government had notified it as a dangerous bridge and notices were placed both the side of the bridge not to use it. "Right now the priority is to recover the bodies," he added.

At least two people have died and several others are feared missing after a pedestrian bridge collapsed in the Indian state of Goa.

One of the 11 children described how the trailer went "really fast down the hill" at the farm in Nottinghamshire before it "launched us off". Two members of teaching staff from Halam Primary and a farmer were also injured in the accident on 11 March. The acting head teacher of the school has apologised. One of the children, Ben, said he was frightened and the other children were crying. "The trailer gone like really fast down the hill and it gone sideways and it launched us off," said Ben. When asked how it made him feel, Ben said: "It feels like sad." Ben's mother, Sheree Cockayne, said he has been struggling to sleep since it happened and has been having nightmares and flashbacks. Mrs Cockayne, who was told about the accident by a school nurse, said: "I rushed to the QMC (Queen's Medical Centre) and Ben was brought in. He had blood all over his face. "He just laid there really shocked. He had to stay in [hospital] overnight for observation every four hours because he had concussion and felt really sick. "He's still got bruises to his head, his ribs and his chest, so he still has a few pains." Nottinghamshire County Council said another child was discharged from hospital after a check-up and one was brought into hospital later in the day for a scan, then released. A teaching assistant sustained a broken wrist, a teaching student sustained a head wound requiring stitches and the farmer, who was also in the trailer, dislocated his shoulder. The assistant will be off work for four weeks. The children were on a trip at Hills Farm in Edingley and the accident happened on Carver's Hollow. Nottinghamshire Police is investigating the incident, rather then the Health and Safety Executive, because the area where it happened is a highway. The force has asked anyone with information to contact them. Hills Farm in Edingley, where it happened, said it would not comment while an investigation is ongoing. The school's acting head teacher, Paul Nolan, said: "We are very sorry this unfortunate incident happened and we wish the children and adults who were injured a speedy recovery. "This incident has affected the whole community and everyone is supporting each other as a result." Marion Clay, the council's acting service director for education standards, said: "This is an established trip for reception pupils and as far as we know at this time all the appropriate procedures were carried out."

A group of primary school children were injured on a trip to a farm when the trailer they were in became detached from the tractor pulling it.

Martin will replace Bruce Anstey in the team, who won last year's race. McGuinness had been on his way to a third straight victory before suffering a technical issue, and eventually finished fourth. The team said the duo, who will also be team-mates at Honda at the TT races, will target the first 120+mph lap. McGuinness still holds the lap record for the class of 119.279mph (18:58.743), which he set on way to victory in 2015. Martin, from Grimsby, missed last year's TT and North West 200 to compete in the 2,712-mile Tour Divide mountain bike race in the United States. The 35-year-old has not raced since suffering multiple broken vertebrae and a fractured sternum in a crash in the Dundrod 150 Superbike race in 2015. The truck mechanic and TV personality is still looking for his first TT victory, having finished on the podium 16 times.

Guy Martin and John McGuinness will race for the Japanese-based Mugen team in this year's TT race for electric-powered machines.

The finding deals a significant blow to the theory of physics known as supersymmetry. Many researchers had hoped the LHC would have confirmed this by now. Supersymmetry, or Susy, has gained popularity as a way to explain some of the inconsistencies in the traditional theory of subatomic physics known as the Standard Model. The new observation, reported at the Hadron Collider Physics conference in Kyoto and outlined in an as-yet unpublished paper, is not consistent with many of the most likely models of Susy. Prof Chris Parkes, who is the spokesperson for the UK participation in the LHCb experiment, told BBC News: "Supersymmetry may not be dead but these latest results have certainly put it into hospital." Supersymmetry theorises the existence of more massive versions of particles that have already been detected. If found, they might help explain the phenomenon known as dark matter. Galaxies appear to rotate faster at their edges than the matter we see can account for, and one set of candidates for this missing dark matter is supersymmetric particles. However, researchers at the LHCb detector have dealt a serious blow to hopes of finding them. They have measured the decay between a particle known as a Bs meson into two particles known as muons. It is the first time that this decay has ever been observed, and the team has calculated that for every billion times that the Bs meson decays it only decays in this way three times. If superparticles were to exist, the decay would happen far more often. This experiment is one of the "golden" tests for supersymmetry, and it would appear that this hugely popular theory among physicists has failed. The result is at a statistical level of "3.5 sigma" - meaning that there is a one-in-4300 chance that the team would see the same "bump" in their data if the decay were not happening. This level makes the find worth further investigation, but falls well short of the 5-sigma level of certainty required for a formal discovery. Prof Val Gibson, leader of the Cambridge University LHCb team, said that the new result was "putting our supersymmetry theory colleagues in a spin". The results are in fact completely in line with what one would expect from the Standard Model. There is already concern that the LHCb's sister detectors might have expected to have detected superparticles by now, yet none has been found so far. If supersymmetry is not an explanation for dark matter, then theorists will have to find alternative ideas to explain those inconsistencies in the Standard Model. So far researchers who are racing to find evidence of so called "new physics" have run into a series of dead ends. "If new physics exists, then it is hiding very well behind the Standard Model," commented Cambridge physicist Dr Marc-Olivier Bettler, a member of the analysis team. The result does not rule out the possibility that super particles exist. But according to Prof Parkes, "they are running out of places to hide". Supporters of supersymmetry, however, such as Prof John Ellis of King's College London, said that the observation is "quite consistent with supersymmetry". "In fact," he said, "(it) was actually expected in (some) supersymmetric models. I certainly won't lose any sleep over the result." • The Standard Model is the simplest set of ingredients - elementary particles - needed to make up the world we see in the heavens and in the laboratory • Quarks combine together to make, for example, the proton and neutron - which make up the nuclei of atoms today - though more exotic combinations were around in the Universe's early days • Leptons come in charged and uncharged versions; electrons - the most familiar charged lepton - together with quarks make up all the matter we can see; the uncharged leptons are neutrinos, which rarely interact with matter • The "force carriers" are particles whose movements are observed as familiar forces such as those behind electricity and light (electromagnetism) and radioactive decay (the weak nuclear force) • The Higgs boson came about because although the Standard Model holds together neatly, nothing requires the particles to have mass; for a fuller theory, the Higgs - or something else - must fill in that gap Follow Pallab on Twitter

Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider have detected one of the rarest particle decays seen in nature.

But the council is to set up a group to "resolve outstanding design issues". The proposed cycle route will link Leith Walk in the east of the city to Roseburn in the west, via the city centre and Haymarket. The plans include reducing four lanes of traffic from Roseburn to Haymarket to two, and using half a carriageway and a bus lane for cyclists. Supporters of the path said it was vital for cutting congestion and would provide a safe route across the city. They said it would also encourage more active travel. But residents and shop owners in the Roseburn area said reducing loading bays to make way for bikes would have a huge impact on passing trade, and that reducing traffic lanes could increase congestion at Roseburn. The council said the new working group would be set up to help resolve outstanding design issues with the plans. It said work would start immediately to secure further funding and to "make preparations to commence the necessary statutory processes for the scheme". A final decision will be taken after the the working group's discussions. Transport convener Councillor Lesley Hinds said the council was still "100% committed" to the project but acknowledged it had divided opinion. She said a new group would be formed to try to reach a conclusion on the final route design "which the majority are happy with". Ms Hinds added: "Given the strength of feeling out there about certain aspects of the plans, there's clearly still work to be done before the final route design is agreed."

Plans for a controversial cycle path through Edinburgh have been agreed in principle by city councillors.

The 33-1 shot, ridden by David Mullins and trained by Mouse Morris, triumphed at Aintree in April to become the first novice to win the race since 1958. The nine-year-old, owned by the Gigginstown House Stud, has twice recovered from a cracked pelvis. "We didn't want to send him back to Aintree with a big weight, that wouldn't be fair," said Gigginstown's racing manager Eddie O'Leary. "He provided us with our first Grand National and we'll never forget him." BBC horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght: "As the first Grand National winner for owner Michael O'Leary's burgeoning Gigginstown House Stud as well as the first novice chaser to win the race in nearly 60 years, Rule The World has his place in history. "Though he ran highly respectably at Punchestown after Aintree, O'Leary had already hinted that, having defied serious injury to reach one of the great pinnacles, he had perhaps done his bit. "What a season for Gigginstown, with success at Aintree, in the Irish National and Cheltenham Gold Cup, but at a price. Rule the World has been retired and there are doubts whether Gold Cup winner Don Cossack will race again."

This year's Grand National winner Rule The World has been retired.

Two men, aged 23 and 24, had a noxious substance thrown over them at 19:00 BST on Tuesday on Roman Road, Bethnal Green, east London. Rahad Hussain, 23, has been charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon, namely acid. He was remanded in custody when he appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court. Mr Hussain, of no fixed address, gave no indication of a plea. He is due to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 29 August.

A man has appeared in court over an acid attack that left two people with "life-changing" injuries.

Wales in the 13th Century was a mixture of regional powers. By the middle of the previous century, most of the lowland areas, particularly in south Wales, were under English control, in the form of Anglo-Norman barons from the Marches and across Glamorganshire to Pembroke. Gwynedd and the north-west of Wales remained largely independent. Welsh princes acknowledged the ruler Llywelyn the Great and his successor Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as the overarching Prince of Wales. But as the century wore away, and Edward I of England came to power, the balance of power changed as Llywelyn refused to pay tribute to Edward. In 1276 Edward I led an invasion into Gwynedd and forced Llywelyn into the very top corner of the country, and set about his castle-building programme. An uprising in 1282 led to renewed fighting, and saw the death of Llywelyn. By the following year it was over, and English domination over Wales was entrenched. Edward's son, the future Edward II, was created Prince of Wales. At the start of the 1200s, Welsh was the language of the common people. It was how people did business, conducted family life and worshipped. By the end of the century, daily business was increasingly done in English. English settlers were encouraged to move to Wales by free land grants and the imposition of English law. As the settlers moved into the more fruitful lowlands, Welsh speakers were increasingly pushed to the higher ground, although there was crossover between the two. One of the main changes through the course of the 13th Century was the difference in the way people paid for things. According to Dr Mark Redknap, head of collections and research in the history department at the Museum of Welsh Life, the old system of "render" was starting to change. "It's fair to say that from about the end of the 13th Century the Welsh were more familiar with using money than they had been a century earlier," he said. "You had an increasing use of coinage whereas there is very much a barter economy with the pre-Norman period, and payment in kind." He said taxes to the English king were paid in cash. Coinage though was still more at the stage where the actual weight of the coins, in silver for example, was what provided the value rather than a nominal amount printed on the coin. As well as tithes paid to the church, Llywelyn had tried to levy tax on cattle and in lieu of military service. But it was Edward I who pushed formalised tax collection. By the time of his death in 1307, tax revenue from Wales had tripled. According to Gerald of Wales, the Welsh were a militaristic society, more concerned with learning to fight rather than ploughing their land more than necessary. But this only applied to free men: about a third of the population at the start of the century were bonded to a lord and worked for them on large estates. The common people wore simple clothes: a tunic and thin cloak. Although much of Wales was rural, with large forests being an important source of food and resources for many, fledgling towns had been established by the Normans in places like Carmarthen and Cardiff and by the end of the century there were around 90 small towns, although few had populations over 1,000. It is worth remembering that the population of Wales was tiny in comparison to now, with the whole population equivalent to modern-day Cardiff. Sources: BBC History; St Fagans National History Museum; The People of Wales ed Gareth Elwyn Jones and Dai Smith

As the Welsh government publishes plans to reintroduce Welsh taxes for the first time since the 13th century, BBC News looks at what life was like in Wales last time there was direct Welsh taxation.

If made law, the measure will put a 20% ceiling on any foreign stakes in Russian media, including those held indirectly through Russian partners. Russia's main media outlets are state-owned or controlled by loyal oligarchs. But top Putin ally Sergei Zheleznyak said Russia was facing "an information war unleashed against the country". Russian TV news has accused the Ukrainian government of provoking clashes in eastern Ukraine through acts of aggression, including indiscriminate shelling of civilians. The Kiev government blames pro-Russian separatists for the violence, and says Russia has fomented it by supplying soldiers and heavy weapons to the rebels. The media bill is to go before Duma (lower house) deputies on 23 September, Itar-Tass news agency reports. The restrictions would apply to magazines and internet publications as well as newspapers and broadcast media. The bill is highly likely to become law as it was proposed by MPs who usually support the pro-Kremlin group United Russia. BBC Monitoring reports that foreigners directly own stakes in some Russian mainstream media:

A bill to restrict foreign ownership in Russia's media will soon go before the parliament, which is dominated by MPs loyal to President Vladimir Putin.

Interest and participation has increased hugely in recent years across the country, according to the Outdoor Swimming Society. Eighty outdoor swims are being held over the 2015 season, with most taking place on Christmas or Boxing Day. Safety advice has been issued by the society for the first time. Spokesman Will Cairns said it was expecting more people to take part this year in the sea, rivers and lidos. "What's interesting this year is the temperature of the water. "It's three to four degrees higher in certain places than it was this time last year. Temperature does play a part." He said overall membership numbers increased from 15,000 last year to 25,000 this year and that 40% of members now actively swim throughout the winter. "The Christmas swims very much appeal to the British psyche of doing something different, something slightly weird and wonderful," he said. - Do not take part if you are pregnant, suffer from asthma or have a heart condition. - Get warm before the swim and remove your warm clothing at the last minute. - Go in feet first, not head first, and control your breathing before immersing your shoulders. - Have low expectations of how long you will be in for or how far you will go - Dry off and put on layers within ten minutes of getting out Charlie Hoskin, 33, from Cornwall, described herself as a "granite-fleshed cold-water bathing enthusiast" who always swims in the sea at Christmas. "The sensation is truly electrifying. It is a great way to test your constitution and boost your immune system," she said. Daniel Fox has been photographing the Exmouth Christmas Day swim since 2007. "Its getting massively busy now and the atmosphere is amazing. Costumes are getting wilder and there are more and more people taking part," he said. "There are about 1,000 swimmers, thousands of spectators and tens of thousands watch by webcam too so we have a worldwide audience". Brian Thomas from the Serpentine Swimming Club in London said: "We have seen a huge growth in numbers over the past five years". He said its Christmas swimming race tradition began in 1864 and about 100 people usually take part after a strict vetting process. "Swimming in a wetsuit is cheating" he said, although stressed that the club has "strict guidelines" making sure participants have acclimatised.

Christmas swims are expected to attract bumper numbers this year due to milder winter weather and growing popularity for the craze.

Gruelling fitness sessions, learning new songs and the prospect of battling the best of British and Irish rugby for a Test shirt. The 23-year-old Gloucester and Wales back row was part of an advanced guard of 14 players who met in the Vale of Glamorgan to start preparing for next month's daunting tour of New Zealand, which kicks off on 3 June. The rest of the 41-man squad are still involved in English Premiership, Pro12 or French play-offs, so coach Warren Gatland and his backroom staff have been putting the players who are available through their paces. For the 14 that boils down to exercise bikes at breakfast time; hard fitness, skills and organisation either side of lunch and community singing at supper time. Nobody said life with the Lions would be champagne and roses. Asked how his introduction to Lions rugby has been, Moriarty laughs: "Is this on the record?" Then he puts his game face on, or at least the one players wear when facing the media. "It's been good. The fitness is obviously a big element of this week," he said. Media playback is not supported on this device "We start on the bikes at 7.30, which isn't fun, but hard work pays off in the end and the training sessions have been intense with a lot of running fitness and skills and combined with some more organisational stuff, so it's been a good mixture. "It's a step up. Everybody steps up a level whatever they are doing. Everyone's going to be pushing harder than in the past. "The Lions comes around every four years and some people only get one chance and no one is going to be holding anything back, that's for sure. "It's tough. You get to know new systems and line-outs and that's got to happen pretty quickly. "We're playing in a couple of weeks' time and we're going to be hitting the ground running when we get to the first game. "You push yourself to the very edge and then you make rugby easier." Moriarty was one of the surprise selections when Gatland's squad was announced in April after his emergence for Wales and impressive form for Gloucester. He described hearing his name called out as overwhelming, but having played in all three Tests for Wales against the All Blacks in June 2016 knows exactly what to expect in New Zealand. "It's going to be a huge challenge," he added. "It's 10 games with three Tests in there and we know every single game is going to be as big as the next. "Leading up to those Tests everybody's going to be laying everything out and putting the best foot forward and everyone's going to be fighting each other for that Test shirt." The inevitable competition for places has to be contained within a team built from four countries and players used to battling against each other on the international field. So the fledgling Lions have been learning to sing from the same song sheet - literally. Moriarty has had a familiar room-mate in the shape of Gloucester and Scotland scrum-half Greig Laidlaw, who has been setting the standard in the vocal stakes. "I'm not too good at singing, but I'll have a go, as in all things," said Moriarty. "Greig's enjoying himself singing the Scottish songs, and everyone's getting into it and it's good fun. "In the evenings we have a get together and we have our song sheets and you'll get to hear it in the next few weeks, but we'll do our best on them as well." What will they sing? Well, for the moment that's as secret as the line-out calls they have been learning. "You'll find out when we go away," says Moriarty.

Ross Moriarty's introduction to life with the Lions can be summed up by three things.

One skeleton was found earlier this week, but now nine graves have been uncovered. The remains are in the process of being exhumed from underneath the area previously used as the venue's mini conference room. They are thought to be from a Quaker burial ground that existed before the Royal Pavilion Estate was built. Alan Robins, chair of Brighton and Hove City Council's tourism, development and culture committee said: "The remains are now being carefully exhumed and will be examined to determine more about the deceased before being re-buried or cremated." He added the Royal Pavilion Estate site had "so many strong historic links" and the find is "another important addition to the city's rich cultural story". Darryl Palmer of Archaeology South-East, which is managing the dig on site, said: "This is a significant find that shines a light on an important historical moment in the city. The Quaker meeting house and cemetery at the Dome is recorded on the Bishop's map of 1803 and absent by the OS town plan of 1876. "The best clue as to when worship and burial ceased is when the Quaker meeting house moved to the current location on Meeting House Lane in 1805." A spokesperson for Brighton Quakers said they were "excited" with the news "We have known for a long time about the burial ground being used from 1700 to 1805 but did not know that any Quakers were left buried there." The work at the Corn Exchange is part of a project to restore the Royal Pavilion Estate buildings and gardens. It is expected to finish by the end of 2018.

A 200-year-old burial site has been discovered during redevelopment work at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange.

The 23 year-old stroked the GB boat to a fast start and they were ahead after 500m but European champions, Romania and New Zealand proved too strong. The Romanians came out on top, with the British eight comfortably holding off the challenge from the Netherlands The GB eight now prepare for the World Championships in Sarasota in September. There was no medal success for Enniskillen's Holly Nixon in the women's quadruple sculls. Nixon and her GB team mates Bethany Bryan, Alice Baatz and Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne, were always off the pace and finished fifth in a race won by Poland.

Belfast's Rebecca Shorten won a bronze medal as part of the Great Britain women's eight at the final World Cup regatta of the season in Lucerne.

The 22-year-old told his 3.6 million subscribers, as well his followers on Twitter, in a six-minute video called Coming Out. I'm just going to be really honest," he said. "2014 is truly the year that I have accepted who I am and become happy with that person. "Today I want to talk to you guys about that and be open and honest, and tell you that I'm gay." Connor said he'd struggled with his sexuality since he was 12 and at first ignored his feelings. "Growing up I knew that I was a little bit different than everyone else," he said. "I always just had this feeling that I wasn't the same. "But it wasn't until I was 12 years old until I really had pinpointed what that was. "For some reason, my seventh-grade year, I had this thought in the back of my head, 'What if I'm gay?' I immediately was so terrified. "I'm from a small town in the Midwest. That's not a normal thing there. I didn't know what the word meant. I'd only met a couple of gay people in my entire life. "It was terrifying to me to have to think that I was something that I knew nothing about, so I immediately pushed it away and tried to not think about it." But Connor admitted he couldn't ignore what he felt and says he became depressed during his second year at university. "As anyone who's gone through this knows, you can't not think about it. "I was up all night for I can't tell you how many nights, just thinking about this. I was scared of it, I never told anyone. "I tried to avoid it at high school by dating girls. All I wanted to be was like everyone else... but I would feel nothing. "I felt so isolated... and it wasn't until my sophomore in college until I really thought about it." He says after telling a friend at university, he then told his friends, parents and siblings. "They didn't look at me differently, they didn't treat me differently" he said. "Everyone was so great. They just said, 'OK,' like it was no big deal. "This whole thing that I had built up inside me to be this huge deal for 22 years, wasn't. "In just one year I've honestly felt like I am so happy with who I am." Connor's fans also rallied round the star with hashtags like #weloveyouconnor and #proudofconnor trending in the US. However, some of his female followers said on Twitter that they were upset that they wouldn't be able to marry him. Connor Franta joined YouTube in 2010. His videos include Walking Around Naked, Dirty Habits, Getting Over Someone and 5 Ways To Get Your Crush To Like You Back. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

YouTube star Connor Franta has revealed to his fans that he is gay.

Almost completely cut off for centuries, it has tried to let in some aspects of the outside world while fiercely guarding its ancient traditions. The Bhutanese name for Bhutan, Druk Yul, means "Land of the Thunder Dragon" and it only began to open up to outsiders in the 1970s. The Wangchuck hereditary monarchy has wielded power since 1907. But Bhutan became a two-party parliamentary democracy after elections in March 2008. Population 750,000 Area 38,364 sq km (14,812 sq miles) Major language Dzongkha Major religions Buddhism (official), Hinduism Life expectancy 66 years (men), 70 years (women) Currency ngultrum Head of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck succeeded his father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, in December 2006 after the former monarch announced his abdication. His predecessor had already given up some of his absolute powers in 1998 and ruled in conjunction with the government, an assembly and a royal advisory council. Prime Minister: Tshering Tobgay Tshering Tobgay was elected Bhutan's second prime minister in July 2013, succeeding Jigme Yozer Thinley. He is president of the People's Democratic Party. He was leader of the opposition in the National Assembly from March 2008 to April 2013. He has projected himself as a reformer, rejecting official limousine and prime ministerial accommodation. Television did not come to Bhutan until 1999. For years, the country cut itself off, fearing that outside influences would undermine its monarchy and culture. Radio broadcasting began in 1973 and the internet arrived in 1999. Some key dates in the history of Bhutan: 1720 - Chinese imperial army invades and temporarily establishes control over Bhutan. 1772-73 - British intervention. 1864-65 - Further intervention by Britain. 1907 - Ugyen Wangchuck is chosen as hereditary ruler. 1910 - Treaty giving Britain control over foreign relations. 1949 - Treaty signed with newly-independent India guaranteeing non-interference in Bhutan's internal affairs, but allowing Delhi influence over foreign relations. 1958 - Slavery abolished. 1974 - First foreign tourists allowed in. 1990 - Thousands of Hindus flee to Nepal following clashes. 1998 - King cedes some powers to national assembly.

Bhutan is a tiny and remote kingdom nestling in the Himalayas between its powerful neighbours, India and China.

Wayne Maycock, Paul Bromwich and Admi Headley were last seen at HMP Leyhill at about 16:45 GMT on Sunday. Avon and Somerset Police has appealed for anyone who sees them, or knows of their whereabouts, to make contact. HMP Leyhill in South Gloucestershire is the only minimum-security prison in the South West. Headley was sentenced in 2006 for rape and robbery, Maycock was jailed in the same year for GBH, while Bromwich was sentenced in 2001 for rape. Earlier, the police force suggested all three were convicted of rape but this information was later amended. A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Public protection is our top priority. We take absconds from custody extremely seriously. We are working closely with the police and are urgently investigating this incident." According to Avon and Somerset Police: Leyhill, near Wotton-under-Edge, is a category D prison housing more than 500 inmates, including some on life sentences.

Two convicted rapists and a man convicted of assault - all considered to be a "risk to the public" - have absconded from an open prison.

Thomas Sargent was on his Yamaha Fazer motorbike on Bolton Road, Withnell, on Sunday afternoon when he was involved in a collision with a Volvo car. He was airlifted to the Royal Preston Hospital, where he later died. His family described him as a "quiet, enthusiastic, caring and loving man" with a "real passion for motorcycles". Paying tribute, they said: "He had just celebrated his 21st birthday by touring Europe on his Yamaha motorbike. "He died doing something he loved and is now at peace and resting with his Grandma. He will be dearly missed by everybody that knew him and will never be forgotten." Police are urging witnesses of the collision to get in touch.

A man killed in a crash in Chorley had recently returned from a motorbike tour of Europe as part of his 21st birthday celebrations.

Jo Deering died in 2011, aged 52, just months after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Under-fire Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust admitted it could have made better decisions about her care. However, Ms Deering's sister, Maureen Rickman, said the trust's findings "deserved to be binned". In December, the BBC revealed that the trust, which provides services to about 45,000 people in Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, had failed to investigate hundreds of unexpected deaths since 2011. Ms Deering, from New Milton, Hampshire, had paranoid schizophrenia and was discharged from hospital two weeks after being sectioned. She was sent home where she was the main carer for her 89-year-old mother, who had dementia. Four months later she took her own life. Her family said the trust should not have allowed her to go home while she was still ill. In its 2012 report, the trust said the medical team based at Waterford House who cared for Ms Deering should "be commended for their ongoing efforts to work with Joanna and her whole family in as an inclusive a way as possible, despite significant complications". Ms Rickman said: "There isn't an investigation here, nothing of the sort. I could have carried out a better investigation myself to be quite frank." She added: "It deserves to be binned - nobody would have known anything from this at all, there is nothing to take away from this other than a load of psycho babble and twaddle." In a statement, Dr Lesley Stevens, medical director at the trust, said the report found its "decision-making process about granting leave, and how we communicated this with Jo and her family, could have been better". "Robust actions to learn from this incident were fully implemented at the time," she added. She said the trust had provided community support to help Ms Deering with her role as a carer. "The way we investigate and learn when things go wrong, has changed substantially," she added.

The family of a woman who killed herself after being discharged from hospital has labelled a report into her death "psycho babble and twaddle".

Michael Gunn, a retired chartered accountant, wants to spend some of it on a new roof for the church hall. But in defiance of experts, he also wants to use the money for a transatlantic cruise. The changes take effect on Bank Holiday Monday, so Mr Gunn will receive the payment on Tuesday morning. "I had no idea they'd whisk me into the limelight, and say I am the first," he told the BBC. "But I don't mind that." Initially he wants to donate cash to the fund for the church hall roof - in the village of Newton Poppleford - after it burnt down in a fire. But later in the year he is planning to take his wife across the Atlantic on board the Queen Mary Two. Mr Gunn was not prepared to say how much he would be taking out of his pension pot, but he has taken care to heed warnings about tax bills. "What I like about this is that you are totally in charge of how much tax you are exposed to - to stay within a lower tax band," he said. Last week the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said thousands of people withdrawing money might find themselves paying much more tax than they needed to. Other experts have pointed out that, in any case, people taking out cash will have to pay what is called "emergency tax". Unless individuals can show a P45 tax form, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will treat any payments as if they are a new monthly salary. In other words, they will charge tax on the basis that the new income is repeated every month for a year. So anyone cashing in a pension of £18,000 - assuming nothing is taken tax-free- would be charged an immediate tax bill of £6,592. Those in that position will have to reclaim the tax using forms P50 or P53. However HMRC has promised they will get the money back within a month. Meanwhile, hundreds of staff from Citizens Advice - and Citizens Advice Scotland - are preparing to offer free face-to-face interviews with anyone who needs help, from Tuesday. Those aged 55 or over can go to one of 500 offices in England and Wales, or 90 in Scotland. Those living in very remote areas of Scotland can arrange home visits. But customers will only receive "guidance", not advice. "What we don't do is provide any details of which companies people can go to for pensions - or which particular products," said Richard Chilton, one of those who will be conducting the interviews. "But we provide guidance on what the options are," he said. Anyone wanting to book an interview, or receive telephone guidance, should call the Pension Wise service, on 030 0330 1001. Are you planning to cash in your pension? What do you think about the changes? Email [email protected] with your stories. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number. Email your pictures to [email protected], upload them here, tweet them to @BBC_HaveYourSay or text 61124. If you are outside the UK, send them to the international number +44 7624 800 100. Or WhatsApp us on +44 7525 900971 Read our terms and conditions.

A 57 year-old man from a Devon village has emerged as one of the first people to cash in their pensions under the government's reforms.

The 44-year-old had been in charge at Rugby Park since February 2016, when he replaced Gary Locke. He kept Killie in the Premiership last season and leaves them in sixth place. Chris Brass, 41, had been announced in December as head coach at Bury until the end of the season after David Flitcroft was fired. "Lee is someone who I have followed through his playing and managerial career," said Shakers chairman Stewart Day. "I firmly believe that Lee is the right man and he has an enthusiasm and passionate desire to take this club forward. I was overwhelmed with his knowledge of the club and the contacts he has in the game and how he believes in what we can achieve together." Former Huddersfield, Birmingham and Blackpool boss Clark takes charge of a Bury side sat in the relegation zone in the third tier and will be on the sidelines for the game against Chesterfield on Saturday. Assistant Lee McCulloch will become interim manager of Kilmarnock, with Peter Leven as his No.2. McCulloch is likely to be offered the position until the end of the season. Clark, a former midfielder at Newcastle, Fulham and Sunderland, won 10 of his 44 games in charge at Kilmarnock. "I have had a wonderful year as Kilmarnock manager," he told the club website. "The club and fans have treated myself and my family fantastically - we are in a good position with a strong and loyal squad and staff. "The directors have given me their full support in rebuilding the squad and the fans will always have a special place in my heart, but I still have huge ambition to one day manage at the highest level in England, which is obviously the Premier League. "I feel that the fresh challenge of managing a club in England's League One could provide me with the platform to build towards this goal."

Lee Clark has left Kilmarnock to become boss at League One side Bury, after they agreed a compensation package with the Scottish Premiership side.

The flight from Manchester Airport to Agadir in Morocco, was diverted to London Gatwick less than an hour after take-off on Thursday. The Thomson Airways Boeing 737-800 took off at 18:42 BST before being struck. A spokeswoman for the airline said it was an "extremely rare" event and the diversion was "precautionary". The flight later landed safely in Agadir. Liam Bolton, 27, from Chester in Cheshire, was travelling to Morocco for a holiday with his girlfriend when he heard a "sudden crack" on the aircraft. He said the plane "lit up like someone had taken a photo". "It was about 10-15 minutes after take-off and there was a large flash... everyone turned round to each other and knew it was lightning. "About half an hour later, the pilot announced we'd been hit by lightning and we'd be landing at Gatwick," he said. After around three hours on the runway, the same plane took off, he added. Thomson Airways has apologised for any inconvenience caused by the adverse weather conditions.

A plane has been forced to carry out an unexpected landing after being struck by lightning.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, which employs about 700 people, may also lose 50-60 on-call firefighters as part of the savings plan. The number of full-time crewed stations was reduced to four in a previous round of cuts - two remain in Ipswich, along with Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds. A public consultation on Suffolk County Council's plans will now take place. Seven of the county's 47 fire engines could be scrapped and Wrentham fire station may close as part of the £1.3m cuts. A fire engine in Sudbury, where a major fire broke out in September, could be replaced with a smaller "rapid response" vehicle. Matthew Hicks, of Suffolk County Council, said he was confident an "outstanding service" could be maintained. "Without question, this is a challenging set of proposals," he said. "However, they have been shaped by the feedback we received during the recent pre-consultation held in the summer. "I now encourage people to respond to this full consultation so we have a wide range of views to inform our final decisions." There has been a fall in the number of emergency calls over the last 10 years in Suffolk, in line with other authorities, from about 10,000 in 2004 to about 6,700 last year. A spokesman for the Suffolk Fire Brigades Union said they were "deeply concerned about the devastating cuts" which, they said, were "nothing but dangerous". Chairman Andy Vingoe said: "The £1.3m saving could be avoided totally if council tax was increased by less than £1.80 per person in Suffolk per year. "We strongly urge all residents to reply to the consultation to tell the council that we are not prepared to endure these cuts."

Twenty full-time firefighters could lose their jobs in Suffolk in order to meet budget cuts of more than £1m.

Alesha O'Connor, Rhodri Miller, Corey Price, all 17 and from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, and Margaret Challis, 66, from Merthyr Tydfil, were killed near Storey Arms, Brecon, in March 2015. The Aberdare inquest heard Rhodri was driving the teenagers in one car. The coroner concluded all four died as a result of a road traffic accident. The inquest was told Rhodri's car was one of seven vehicles in a convoy going on a drive from Barry on the night of 6 March. Rhys Hunter, a passenger in the car, said Rhodri had passed his test a few days earlier. He said before the group set off someone warned him "be careful, we're on a mountain" and at one point during the journey the driver ran a red light. Minutes before the crash, Mr Hunter took a picture and the speedometer in the car he was in showed 75 mph (120km/h). But Mr Hunter said Rhodri was not trying to catch up with the vehicle in front of him and had not been trying to overtake another vehicle. "Rhodri started to lose control and we collided with the other car," he said. "I'm not sure why it happened or why the car was out of control. Probably because of the way it was driven." Joseph Fetter, who was driving behind Rhodri's car, said he was driving consistently around five car lengths behind and no racing had taken place, but he had seen Rhodri's brake lights come on several times. "I think it was inexperience that made him lose control," he said. "I wasn't pushing him on - I didn't know the road at all. It was dark." Passengers in some of the other vehicles said Rhodri was not overtaking but did lose control of his car on the bend, swerving from one side of the road to the other. But survivor Emlyn Williams, who was in the other car involved in the crash along with friend Mrs Challis, disputed some of the evidence. "The car was coming down by a bend. I saw another car overtaking it. The car hit me, that was it," he said. "The only thing I knew was a bang, the windscreen broke and the airbag came out. "I tried to get out and see to Mrs Challis. I went to the other car. It was quiet, silent. There was no opportunity to steer out of the way." Drivers and passengers in vehicles travelling in the direction of Merthyr Tydfil described in police statements seeing the cars leave a lay-by at Storey Arms minutes before the collision. The inquest was told they pulled out too quickly and too close to each other. One witness said: "Boy racers. It's obvious they were on a mission." Dyfed-Powys Police Insp Gary Jones told the inquest messages found on mobile phones showed those in the convoy had discussed speed. One read: "It's madness. Everyone's racing there are 9 cars" while another read "why would I want to go along cars with turbos - I'll be the slowest there". PC David Stacey, who investigated what had happened, said it was "like nothing I had seen in 20 years service. It was a distressing scene". He told the inquest he believed what Mr Williams had seen was Rhodri's car out of control, possibly caused by approaching the unmarked bend at too high a speed and braking in the turn, but not overtaking. Rhodri and Corey were pronounced dead at the scene while Alesha and Mrs Challis died at Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr. The inquest heard new road signs had since been put in place on that section of road but the coroner recommended that signage should warn about the upcoming bend. In a statement, Rhodri's family described their son as "the child every parent would dream of", adding: "Our hearts have been ripped out, and nothing is the same." The family said they would like to see lessons learned and for young drivers to be made to realise the implications of serious car accidents in the same way as those who are caught speeding do. The family also called for more rigorous conditions to be placed on new drivers.

A fatal combination of inexperience, speed and peer pressure led to the deaths of four people in a two-car crash, an inquest has heard.

The new network will see up to 21 US-style local TV stations in areas including Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff and London. The service will be available to all terrestrial viewers and may also be offered on satellite, cable and online. Ofcom said it will decide on successful applicants this autumn, with the new channels expected to launch next year. Licences will be awarded based on a set of criteria including the provision of local news and current affairs, programme proposals, launch date and commercial viability. The 21 areas Ofcom have selected for local TV are: Belfast, Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grimsby, Leeds, Liverpool and London. Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxford, Plymouth, Preston, Sheffield, Southampton and Swansea will also benefit from the service. The areas were selected for having sufficient levels of interest from potential operators and being technically capable of receiving a local TV service. The BBC Trust also published the final details of its funding contribution for the network. As part of the current licence fee settlement, the BBC agreed to contribute up to £25 million for the successful bidder to build the network. "I hope to see some really exciting bids for new local TV channels," UK Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said. "Local TV will not only create jobs but it will also provide communities with news and content that is relevant to their daily lives."

Media regulator Ofcom has opened up bidding for operators to set up their own local TV services across the UK.

The $43bn (£33bn) deal is set to be the biggest ever foreign takeover by a Chinese company. The deal was cleared by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) which checks deals for national security implications. About a quarter of Syngenta's sales are in North America. China National Chemical Corporation offered $465 per share for Syngenta in February. Syngenta's shares subsequently fell to about 20% below that because of concerns that CFIUS would not clear the deal. However, now competition authorities elsewhere are expected to give the deal the go-ahead. In a joint statement, Syngenta and ChemChina said: "In addition to CFIUS clearance, the closing of the transaction is subject to anti-trust review by numerous regulators around the world and other customary closing conditions. "Both companies are working closely with the regulatory agencies involved and discussions remain constructive. The proposed transaction is expected to close by the end of the year." When the deal was announced earlier this year, Syngenta chairman Michel Demaré said that it would help the company's pesticides and seeds business to expand further in China. "ChemChina has a very ambitious vision of the industry in the future," he said. "Obviously it is very interested in securing food supply for 1.5 billion people and as a result knows that only technology can get them there." The Chinese company owns a variety of businesses, included the Italian tyre maker Pirelli, German machinery-maker KarussMaffei and Israel's biggest pesticides producer. The deal would be the second-biggest takeover in the chemicals industry in the past year after the $130bn Dow Chemical-DuPont merger announced last December.

Shares in Swiss agribusiness group Syngenta have risen 12% after its takeover by ChemChina was given the go-ahead by a US regulator.

The aircraft, nicknamed "Bette" after one of its pilot's girlfriends, was built in 1941 from donations from the Borough of Lambeth Spitfire Fund. It was stationed in Cornwall, Hampshire, Norfolk and Shropshire during the war but crashed in 1944. Bidding stalled below its £120,000 to £150,000 valuation. The aircraft saw service with four RAF squadrons between 1941 and 1944 and was flown by author Alec Lumsden, who gave it the name Bette and added a character from the Daily Mirror cartoon strip 'Just Jake' to the paint work. After it crashed in Shropshire in September 1944, killing its Australian pilot, its wreckage was taken to Ibsley museum, Ringwood, Hampshire and displayed. The aircraft was later passed to a collector who showed it at events. It has also been immortalised by modelmakers Airfix and Revell. John Tomlin, from Historics at Brooklands, said: "The historical side of war birds is an up-and-coming market. There are now about 42 flying Spitfires and this seems to be increasing ever year. "The rarity, the history and the provenance of all these aircraft make them very investable items and they're investments that can be used and enjoyed by a lot of people." Experts believe it would cost about £1.8m to fully restore the plane.

The fuselage of a World War II Spitfire that has spent the last few years in a garden in Oxford has failed to reach its asking price at auction in Surrey.

The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said it would not block a lower-court ruling that halted the order. Mr Trump responded with an angry tweet saying national security was at risk and there would be a legal challenge. But the 3-0 unanimous ruling said the government had not proved the terror threat justified reviving the ban. The ruling means that people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen with visas can continue to enter the US. And refugees from around the world, who were also subject to a temporary ban, are no longer blocked either. The case is now likely to end up at the highest court, the US Supreme Court. They rejected the argument, made by the Justice Department on behalf of the US government, that the president had sole discretion to set immigration policy. The court also said there was "no evidence that any alien from any of the countries named in the order" had committed a terror attack in the US. They said both sides had made compelling cases. "On the one hand, the public has a powerful interest in national security and in the ability of an elected president to enact policies. "And on the other, the public also has an interest in free flow of travel, in avoiding separation of families, and in freedom from discrimination." But they said the law stripped foreign arrivals of their rights under the Constitution. Mr Trump responded to the ruling by tweeting his dissent, and then gave an audio statement saying it was a political decision. The Justice Department, which made representations to the appeals court on behalf of the White House, said in a statement it was "reviewing the decision and considering its options". Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who had sued over the ban, said it was a complete victory for the state. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said: "Here in New York - the safest big city in America - we will always protect our neighbours, no matter where they came from or when they got here. Those are our values." Donald Trump's lawyers did not make their case. In fact, according to three Ninth Circuit judges, they didn't even really try to make their case. Rather than explaining why the temporary travel ban was needed, the administration argued that the president's authority on immigration was so sweeping that they didn't have to explain why the order was necessary. According to the court, the government was unable to say why Mr Trump's ban addressed a pressing national security threat that a temporary stay of the order would worsen. The lawyers for the challenging states, on the other hand, convinced the judges that re-imposing the order at this point would create further chaos by infringing on the due process rights of those on US soil, regardless of their immigration status. By issuing a unanimous, unsigned opinion, the judges avoid accusations of partisan bias, as one of the three was a Republican appointee. Mr Trump tweeted a sharp "SEE YOU IN COURT" following the decision - but which court? An appeal to the Supreme Court seems likely, although a better move for the president may be to fight in the lower court until Judge Neil Gorsuch joins a conservative majority on the bench. The executive order, at the end of Mr Trump's first week in office, had sparked protests and confusion as people were stopped at US borders. Then a week later, a federal judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order that stopped the ban in its tracks, after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The Justice Department appealed to the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, which heard oral arguments this week. Lawyers representing the US government argued that the ban was a "lawful exercise" of presidential authority. But the two US states said the ban had harmed universities in their states and discriminated against Muslims. The appeal judges did not rule on the constitutionality or the merits of the law, just on the question of its reinstatement. The lower court in Seattle must still debate its merits and there are other legal challenges across the country.

A US appeals court has rejected President Donald Trump's attempt to reinstate his ban on visitors from seven mainly Muslim countries.

The US economy grew at an annual rate of 0.2% in the first three months of the year, far lower than forecasts. The Federal Reserve also kept interest rates at a record low, blaming the slower growth on "transitory factors". Japan's Nikkei 225 was down 2.7% to 19,520.21, its biggest loss in nearly four months. The market extended losses after Bank of Japan left its monetary policy unchanged, while lacklustre company earnings also had their impact on the benchmark index. Shares in Honda fell 6.7% after it announced a fall in profit for the fiscal year to March, as it deals with recalls following exploding air-bags. Drug maker Takeda shares fell 3% after it warned it would make a loss because of a $2.4bn US legal settlement linked to its Actos diabetes drug. Chinese shares headed lower with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index falling 0.9% to 28,157.71, while the Shanghai Composite was 0.6% lower at 4,449.17. Shares of AAC Technologies in Hong Kong fell 5.2% after a report in the Wall Street Journal that the Apple Watch had defective component, which was supplied by the Chinese company. In Australia, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 ended down 0.8% at 5,790. South Korea's benchmark Kospi index closed down 0.7% at 2,127.17 - marking its fifth consecutive day of losses. Government data showed that the country's industrial output fell by a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in March from February - missing market expectations.

Asian markets traded lower on Thursday with investor sentiment dented by a weaker than expected first quarter growth figure in the US.

Japanese-owned chemical firm Sekisui Alveo said production at its Merthyr Tydfil Industrial Park plant will end by March 2018. The plant will be decommissioned in four stages over the next three years, the company said. It is part of a move to relocate production to Roermond in the Netherlands, it added. Alan Gunter, manufacturing director at the Merthyr Tydfil site, said the decision to decommission the plant had "not been taken lightly". "I am immensely proud of our highly professional workforce and I would like to thank them all for their commitment and dedication," he said. "We are aware that this is a difficult time for employees at the Merthyr Tydfil production plant and we will do everything to support them and their families during and after the plant's staged decommissioning. "We will also continue to collaborate with the local authorities in the coming months."

A foam factory in Merthyr Tydfil has announced it will close with the loss of 80 jobs.

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

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

Humberto Benitez Trevino's daughter caused outrage by using his influence to try to close down the bistro after it did not give her a table she wanted. The episode sparked a discussion about abuse of power in the country. The sacking suggests that Mexico has grown more sensitive to the issue, correspondents say. The episode became a trending topic on Twitter under the hashtag #ladyprofeco, after her father's agency. Mt Benitez, the attorney-general for consumer protection, and his daughter both apologised, but this did little to appease public anger. On Wednesday, President Pena Nieto ordered his dismissal. The restaurant, Maximo Bistro in Mexico City, was raided by officials after Andrea Benitez was not offered the table she had asked for. The government said that although Mr Benitez was not personally involved in the raid, the episode had become embarrassing for the institution.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has fired a senior official over an incident caused by his daughter at an exclusive restaurant last month.

Overturning a 2013 ruling, the judges did not, however, halt the programme but urged Congress to take action. The NSA's spying was leaked by Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor who has since fled to Russia. The NSA has collected data about numbers called and times, but not the content of conversations. It also allegedly spied on European firms. Among individuals targeted was German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Germany has "drastically reduced" internet surveillance for the NSA, reports say, after the US agency failed to provide "clear justification" for each search. Members of Congress could "help reinforce the court's decision" next week, American University's Gordon Adams tells me. That's when House members are expected to vote on a bill, the USA Freedom Act, that would end the NSA's collection of bulk data. Some senators, however, want things to remain the same. They've pushed for an extension of a provision, Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act that allows the NSA to collect the data. Section 215 expires in June, and an extension would allow the NSA to carry on with its work. US spy leaks: How intelligence is gathered How vulnerable is the internet? US states take aim at NSA facilities The latest verdict, by the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, came after New York District Judge William Pauley had dismissed a legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) which argued that the way the NSA tracked million of calls contravened the US constitution. The 97-page ruling says that "a provision of the USA Patriot Act permitting the Federal Bureau of Investigation to collect business records deemed relevant to a counterterrorism investigation cannot be legitimately interpreted to permit the systematic bulk collection of domestic calling records". However, the appeals court stopped short of ruling on the constitutionality of the programme, launched after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US. The Snowden revelations in June 2013 caused an international outcry, despite US administrations insisting the programme has been fully authorised. The measures - repeatedly approved in secret by a national security court since 2006 - are set to expire on 1 June. Leaders of the lower US House of Representatives would prefer to pass a bill to end the government's bulk collection of phone records and replace it with legislation that supporters say protects civil liberties. But Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated he wants to extend the Patriot Act and retain the bulk collection programme. The White House supports "an alternative mechanism to preserve the program's essential capabilities without the government holding the bulk data", said Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council. But the ACLU's deputy legal director Jameel Jaffer said: "The appeals court's careful ruling should end any debate about whether the NSA's phone-records program is lawful."

A US appeals court has ruled that bulk collection of phone records by the National Security Agency is illegal.

The huts, made of chalk and straw daub and wheat-thatched roofing, have been based on archaeological remains found at Durrington Walls, near Stonehenge. Project leader Luke Winter said: "What we're trying to do is get a sense of what these buildings looked like above-ground." The hope is to re-build the huts at Stonehenge visitor centre next year. "What makes the buildings interesting is that they were dated to about the same time as the large sarsen stones were being erected at Stonehenge," Mr Winter said. "One of the theories is that these may have housed the people that were helping with construction of that monument." Inside, the project team has used a variety of different daubs, made of pig soil [dung] or chalk and straw and construction techniques that would have been used by Neolithic people. "We've been trying a completely different way of thatching a roof. Nothing is tied onto the roof, as you would in a modern thatched building but the wheat straw that we've used is knotted and then tucked into a woven framework. "Often people think 4,500 years ago is a long time ago, which of course to us as modern people it is, but it's well into beginnings of agriculture. "We're looking at people that were farming, keeping cows and domesticating cereal crops, and of course houses were an important thing." The Neolithic huts will be kept for another two months and will open to the public during the two May bank holidays.

Three Neolithic-style huts have been built at Old Sarum to offer an insight into how Stonehenge's builders lived.

The police allege 28-year-old Nazrul, also called Nazu, was the man who raped the 74-year-old nun. The man, allegedly a Bangladeshi citizen, was arrested at a railway station in Kolkata (Calcutta). The incident caused outrage in India and led to street protests in many cities across the country. This marks the sixth arrest in the crime. Police have identified eight suspects in the attack, of which two still remain untraced. "All the five accused arrested earlier have named Nazrul as the person who raped the nun," a police officer told the BBC. Dilip Kumar Adak, deputy inspector general of the state's Criminal Investigation Department, told the AFP news agency that police acted on a tip off that Nazu, who had fled to Bangladesh after being identified from CCTV footage of the attack, was due to return to Kolkata by train. In May, the police said they had arrested Milon Sarkar and described him as the leader of the gang which attacked the convent. They said it was not clear what role the man had played in the case. During the attack in Ranaghat town on 14 March, money was stolen from the convent school and the building ransacked, before the nun was raped in the convent itself.

Police investigating the rape of an elderly nun in the Indian state of West Bengal say they have arrested a key suspect in the crime.

The Staffordshire club are second in the Premiership - the top-flight of English rugby as it stands - and have been part of the league for 15 seasons. Lichfield director of rugby Becky Williams said it was "devastating" to miss out on the new 10-team league. When asked if she hoped for a rethink, Williams said: "We deserve it." Speaking to BBC Midlands Today, Williams continued: "What we, as a club, have worked so hard to do for 25 years is to get to the required standard - which we meet." Women's Super Rugby, into which there will be a multi-million pound investment by the RFU over the first three years, is aimed at improved playing standards and increasing participation in the game. Lichfield are the only Premiership side not to be included in the new Women's Super Rugby competition, as third-placed Aylesford will operate as Harlequins from 2017. Centre Emily Scarratt, a World Cup winner and Team GB captain at the 2016 Rio Olympics, is among five Lichfield players involved in England's Six Nations campaign this season. In a statement, Women's Premiership chair Mark Francis said "the competition will be weakened" by Lichfield's absence and also "welcome the RFU to reconsider the decision". The RFU have said they are willing to work closely with the club and help "support future ambitions to compete in the new competition". Applications for a spot in Super Rugby were based around coaching and training, sports science and medical support, training and playing environment, player pools, and financial streams. There will be no promotion or relegation from the competition for the first two seasons, which starts in September. While Lichfield boss Williams is disappointed the club has been overlooked, she does stress the RFU's efforts to establish a better funded and resourced top-flight competition is "absolutely fantastic". England and Lichfield prop Justine Lucas echoed the sentiment, adding: "For the bigger picture, the RFU investing so much money into women's rugby is absolutely fantastic. "But it is a real blow for Lichfield. We have all worked so hard this year and put so much into our club rugby, Lichfield means a lot to everyone involved."

Lichfield want the Rugby Football Union to reconsider their failed bid to be part of the inaugural Women's Super Rugby competition.

Media playback is not supported on this device The 35-year-old has 184 goals in 252 matches in an international career spanning 15 years. She was in the 2015 World Cup winning squad and won two Olympic golds. "It's been an amazing, wonderful ride and I can't wait to see what the next chapter of my life brings," she said. Wambach was the 2012 Fifa Women's World Player of the Year and is also a six-time US Soccer Female Athlete of the Year winner. She will be with the US team for all four of its December matches, but her final game will come on 16 December against China in New Orleans as the last match of the 10-game tour. Media playback is not supported on this device "Abby is a player who has transcended our sport and her legacy as one of the world's greatest players is set forever," said US head coach Jill Ellis. "What she has done for women's soccer and women's sports overall with her amazing talents on the field and her personality off it has been inspiring to watch. "I am just extremely happy that she could end her career with that elusive World Cup title and go out on top, right where she deserves to be." In her career, Wambach scored just over 500 goals for her high school, college, professional club teams and the United States youth and senior international sides.

Women's football's all-time international leading goalscorer, United States striker Abby Wambach, will retire at the end of a World Cup victory tour in December.

The Academy Selsey suffered extensive damage and much of its contents was destroyed in the blaze on 21 August. The school's 453 pupils are currently being taught at four locations in the Selsey area. As well as classrooms, the temporary buildings will house science labs, workshops and food technology areas, the school said. The buildings, some of which have already been placed on the site by two large cranes, had previously been used to house staff and students from Bohunt School in Worthing while building work was carried out. Tom Garfield, head teacher of the academy, said: "We are absolutely delighted to see the first temporary school buildings arrive on site. It's a great milestone for us, the staff and students alike." He said once the remaining structures had arrived over the next few days the school would begin preparing the rooms for teaching.

Temporary classrooms are being set up at a school that was damaged by fire.

Barbara Stensland, 43, from Cardiff, went to Carmarthen on 5 August. When she tried to get a taxi from the railway station to the venue, less than one mile (1.6km) away, she was refused. Carmarthenshire council's senior licensing officer, Justin Power, said: "We will investigate this matter and take any necessary steps." Ms Stensland told BBC Radio Cymru's Post Cyntaf programme it took her more than an hour to reach the venue. She said: "I went to the first taxi in the queue outside the station, I told him where I wanted to go. "He laughed. I thought he was just joking along because I knew it was a fairly short distance. "When I said 'seriously, can I get in the taxi?' He said 'no, I'm not taking you.' So he pointed me helpfully in the right direction and told me to walk." Urtha Felda, from MS Society Cymru, said: "We have heard of people having trouble getting taxis. "If somebody's still walking you can't see that they're disabled - if someone's in a wheelchair it's really obvious. "It's not obvious, so I would say to people - don't make judgements."

A woman with multiple sclerosis has said she was refused a taxi to a meeting of the MS Society because the journey was too short.

Fly-half Sexton and flanker O'Brien have both recovered from calf injuries and should be available at Murrayfield. Sexton was injured against Castres on 20 January but is said to be "feeling very positive" about his recovery. However, uncapped Munster wing Andrew Conway has been ruled out after aggravating an existing groin problem. Ireland playmaker Sexton has the chance to cement his starting spot, provided he comes through Tuesday's session. Ulster's Paddy Jackson will start for Joe Schmidt's side if the Leinster star is ruled out while Munster's Ian Keatley has joined the squad as cover for the time being. "Johnny's making good progress and he's back on track to train on Tuesday," said Ireland team manager Paul Dean. "I think everything is fine, he's being very positive about it." O'Brien has completed the rehabilitation on his calf issue and was expected to take full part in Monday afternoon's training session. Full-back Rob Kearney says Ireland remain unfazed by his Leinster team-mate Sexton's latest quest for full fitness. Sexton battled hamstring trouble before the turn of the year, with this calf problem proving yet another unwanted hurdle. Kearney labelled injury doubts "par for the course" in any Test week, then tipped Sexton's understudy Jackson to thrive if pressed into service from the start in Scotland. "We're all so used to it now," said Kearney, of general battles for fitness. "On a weekly basis, more often than not, there's someone going in or out. "Someone picks up a niggle or they're not fully fit, so the coach doesn't risk them. The way Test rugby is now, it's par for the course. "Paddy [Jackson] has been there all last week running the plays. He's more than equipped and he's got a week head-start."

Ireland pair Jonathan Sexton and Sean O'Brien are set to resume full training after injury before Saturday's Six Nations opener against Scotland.

His comments follow a row between Ed Miliband and No 10 after the Labour leader said PM David Cameron was "wrong" not to oppose Israel's attacks. No 10 said it was shocked Mr Miliband would "play politics with such a serious issue". Thirty Palestinians have been reported killed on Sunday and militants have continued to fire rockets into Israel. The Foreign Office confirmed that Mr Hammond had spoken to the Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman and Israeli justice minister Tzipi Livni on the telephone on Sunday. During that call Mr Hammond said he reiterated the UK's "need for an immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire". He said: "I welcome indications that Israeli forces may begin to withdraw from Gaza within the next few days." Mr Hammond also told the Sunday Telegraph the crisis in Gaza could become "an endless loop of violence". "The British public has a strong sense that the situation of the civilian population in Gaza is simply intolerable and must be addressed - and we agree with them." In a strongly worded statement on Saturday, Mr Miliband said Mr Cameron had previously been "right to say that Hamas is an appalling terrorist organisation". "Its wholly unjustified rocket attacks on Israeli citizens, as well as building of tunnels for terrorist purposes, show the organisation's murderous intent and practice towards Israel and its citizens," he said. "But the prime minister is wrong not to have opposed Israel's incursion into Gaza and his silence on the killing of hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians caused by Israel's military action will be inexplicable to people across Britain and internationally." On Sunday Mr Miliband reiterated that criticism, telling the BBC the government needed to send "a much clearer message to Israel that its actions in Gaza are unacceptable and unjustifiable". "What I want to hear from David Cameron is that he believes Israel's actions are wrong and unjustified and we haven't heard that from him." He said rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian militants "cannot excuse the scale of the loss of life of innocent Palestinian civilians including children that we are seeing". The aim should be to "force both sides to have a ceasefire and the long-term solution we need", he said. Downing Street said: "The PM has been clear that both sides in the Gaza conflict need to observe a ceasefire. "We are shocked that Ed Miliband would seek to misrepresent that position and play politics with such a serious issue." Some 1,700 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the conflict began more than three weeks ago. A total of 66 Israelis have died, all but two of them soldiers. A Thai worker in Israel also died. A UN-brokered humanitarian ceasefire, intended to last 72 hours, ended on Friday after less than five hours, with each side blaming the other. Israel says it is defending itself from attacks by Palestinian militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza, saying fighters deliberately operate from civilian areas. Critics of Israel's actions say Gaza is so densely populated any conflict there will inevitably affect civilian areas and cause civilian casualties.

The situation in Gaza is "simply intolerable and must be addressed", Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says.

Kensington and Chelsea Council won an earlier case against Sophie Sotello in the magistrates' court after she refused to comply with the order. When she appealed against the decision, the council dropped its case. It said that it was now satisfied with evidence showing that her son, 11-year-old Gabriel Sotello, was receiving a suitable education. Gabriel Sotello is one of more than 21,000 children on local council records as being home schooled. According to the home education group Ed Yourself numbers have grown rapidly - by 17% between July 2013 and July 2014. Many of these pupils, like Gabriel, have never been to school. Others have been taken out because their parents felt they were being bullied, neglected or were not reaching their potential. Home schooled children do not have to follow the national curriculum or take part in public exams such as GCSEs or A-levels. Mrs Sotello says her role is not to teach Gabriel, but to point him in the right direction. "I wouldn't dream of saying I teach him," she says. "I facilitate, I find the books, I research with them, I give them the power if you like. It is child centred, finding out what makes them tick." Gabriel initiates much of his own learning and says he is inspired by the freedom to focus on what most interests him. "Freedom is what makes learning still fun," he says. "In home education you can learn at your own pace and you do learn much quicker." Parents give various reasons for shunning school, and taking direct responsibility for educating their children. Jackie Fahy, who organises a weekly meeting in a London park for like-minded parents, says some doubt the worth of the regimented school curriculum. "A lot of children come out of school not prepared. The workplace is changing so rapidly that actually the school system is huge and vast and slow to change. I'm not sure that children will be prepared for having several careers in a lifetime." Elizabeth Lil - who opted to educate her son and daughter herself - says that as a former teacher she felt that barely a tenth of her time in school was actually benefiting children. "I was a science teacher, I did maths. I've so far used trigonometry once in my adult life. What you learn at school is not necessarily the skills you need for your adult life." These parents complain that councils are exceeding their powers by carrying out routine inspections of the quality of their children's education. They insist that councils should intervene only if they have evidence that something is wrong. But grey areas persist over exactly what councils can or should do. Government guidance is clear that local authorities have no statutory duty to investigate the education children are receiving at home on a routine basis. It says that parents are not legally obliged to cooperate with requests from councils for information. The guidance tells councils not to confuse home education with truancy. But it acknowledges that if councils are concerned then they might impose the sort of school attendance order sent to the Sotellos. In a statement, Kensington and Chelsea Council acknowledged the right of parents to educate their children at home. But it said "when this happens we believe that we have a duty of care to establish that the child is receiving a suitable education".

A London council has withdrawn an order forcing a mother to send her home educated child to school.

Mr Tillerson, former head of Exxon Mobil with no previous political experience, said in an interview he was "stunned" with the invitation. "I didn't want this job. I didn't seek this job," he told the conservative website Independent Journal Review (IJR) during his recent visit to Asia. "My wife told me I'm supposed to do this." In the wide-ranging interview, Mr Tillerson said he had been due to retire this month after spending more than 40 years at oil giant Exxon Mobil. He turns 65 on Thursday. "I was going to go to the ranch to be with my grandkids," he added in the interview, as he returned to the US from Beijing. Mr Tillerson said he had never met Donald Trump before his election in November. When he was invited for a conversation with the then president-elect, he thought they would talk "about the world" given his experiences at the oil company, he added. "When he asked me at the end of that conversation to be secretary of state, I was stunned." Mr Tillerson then gave the news to his wife, Renda St Clair, who said: "I told you God's not through with you." He added: "My wife convinced me. She was right. I'm supposed to do this." It was Mr Tillerson's first interview since he took office and correspondents say he has so far kept a low profile at the state department. He came under criticism after the state department press corps was not taken along with him on his trip to Asia. The IJR's Erin McPike was the only reporter allowed to travel with him. The state department said this was because of the size of the plane. But in the interview Mr Tillerson said: "I'm not a big media press access person. I personally don't need it. "I understand it's important to get the message of what we're doing out, but I also think there's only a purpose in getting the message out when there's something to be done." Mr Tillerson has also been criticised for his close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But when the subject came up in the interview, the IJR said: "He was so cagey when Russia came up, for example, that his answer wasn't even worthy of inclusion."

The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said he only accepted the job after being convinced by his wife.

Shaw will be joined on the 18 July flight to Los Angeles by fellow England World Cup squad member Wayne Rooney. Spain's Juan Mata and David De Gea are also named, plus Japan's Shinji Kagawa. "We are delighted to have such a strong travelling squad for our pre-season tour to the United States," said assistant manager Ryan Giggs. United have already confirmed new manager Louis van Gaal will be present, even though he could be involved in the World Cup final with Netherlands, only five days before his squad leave Manchester. Van Gaal's side have a minimum of four games in the US, starting against Los Angeles Galaxy on 23 July and including an International Champions Cup programme against Roma, Nemanja Vidic's new club Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

Manchester United's £56m new signings Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw will join the squad to tour the United States later this month.

Mark Mason, 48, of Rhyl, Denbighshire, was stabbed to death in the car park of the town's Home Bargains on 27 October. James Davies, 20, was convicted of murder, and Anthony Baines, 30, and Mark Ennis, 30 were convicted of manslaughter at Mold Crown Court. Jake Melia, 21, previously admitted the charges and the four will be sentenced in June. Davies, Baines and Ennis, all from Liverpool, denied murdering Mr Mason. They also denied maliciously wounding Justin Trickett and Sam Illidge - who were in the same vehicle as Mr Mason - with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm. Mr Trickett and Mr Illidge were also stabbed in the attack, but their wounds were less severe. Baines was found guilty of one count of wounding, but Davies and Ennis were cleared of those charges. Mrs Justice Nicola Davies remanded all three in custody until sentencing, which she said would take place over three days. The trial heard the attack was the result of a turf war which had erupted between two rival gangs over the control of the drugs trade in Rhyl. Paul Lewis QC, prosecuting, told the trial Mr Mason, a father of two, was "repeatedly and fatally stabbed" by the three defendants and Melia as he sat in the passenger seat of a van in the car park. He was stabbed 22 times in less than a minute. The four killers were members of the "Pensarn Crew", sometimes called "Ste's Crew", Mr Lewis said. Mr Mason, Mr Trickett and Mr Illidge were members of "Mark's Crew", or "Marco's Crew" - although it was not suggested Mr Mason was the leader. "The fatal attack appears to have been an act of retribution on the part of the defendants and Melia," said Mr Lewis. Jurors were shown CCTV footage of a white Renault van near The Cob area of Rhyl on the afternoon of 27 October which showed the white van being stopped by a black BMW 4X4. Shouts of "stab him" and "kill him" could be heard. The prosecution said the killing was retribution for an earlier incident when Melia and Davies were said to have been chased by masked armed men while drug dealing in the area.

Three men have been found guilty of killing a rival drug dealer in a gang-related revenge attack.

The Ibrox club have been linked with another bid to land the Jambos midfielder, having had offers rejected earlier this summer. Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha watched Walker in friendly action against Newcastle on Friday night. "A lot of people continue to say a lot of things, and that's it really, there isn't a situation," Cathro said. "Jamie is happy, he is focused, he is training well, playing well. Like everyone really." Walker, 24, has turned down the chance to sign a new Hearts contract, with his current deal expiring next summer. And while Cathro refused to comment on reports suggesting the club have improved their offer to the player, the head coach is relaxed about the winger's situation. "I talk to Jamie almost every day, even on days off, because he is a player I'm fond of," Cathro said ahead of his side's trip to face Elgin City in the League Cup on Tuesday. "He is a big talent, he is someone who at a point will move on to a bigger league, a bigger club and have opportunities to work towards the top levels of the game. Of that there is no doubt. "And I'm very happy to be playing a part in how he progresses towards that. "But, for now, people are just wasting their time." Walker made his Hearts debut in the 2011-12 campaign and has scored a total of 41 goals in 135 games for the Jambos.

Hearts head coach Ian Cathro has played down reports of Rangers renewing their interest in Jamie Walker.

Borthwick, 36, left his role at the Championship side after only 43 days. The former England captain arrived at Bristol several weeks into the season having helped Eddie Jones coach Japan. "It's kicked us quite hard because this has been about planning and waiting for Steve to arrive," said Robinson. Borthwick was named forwards coach with Jones' new-look England in acrimonious circumstances last week, with Bristol owner Steve Lansdown describing the Rugby Football Union as "unprofessional" in their handling of the appointment. Robinson was forwards coach during England's World Cup-winning era under Sir Clive Woodward before taking over as England head coach himself from 2004-06. And, while he is unimpressed by the manner of Borthwick's exit, he is certain England have made an astute appointment. "I was delighted to have signed Steve and I certainly hoped he would be here for longer than 43 days," Robinson told BBC Radio Bristol. "He is a quality coach and he will be a quality coach for England and I wish him all the best. I know the England team will enjoy working with him. "I'm disappointed in the circumstance of how it's happened and why it's happened but legally I can't say too much and we have to move forward." Robinson, who has also coached Scotland, says he will not rush into appointing a replacement and has urged his forwards to handle the responsibility of Borthwick's departure. "It's down to the players to step up collectively over the next four months for us to achieve what we want to achieve," he said. "We have to focus on the next couple of weeks, with tough games coming up against London Welsh and Nottingham. There is a lot to be done over the next few weeks."

Bristol director of rugby Andy Robinson says the club have been hit hard by the departure of forwards coach Steve Borthwick, who he believes will be successful with England.

Media playback is not supported on this device Wales led 13-12 at the break but Fourie du Preez's try with five minutes remaining edged it for the Springboks. Backs Tyler Morgan and Dan Biggar plus hooker Scott Baldwin joined Wales' list of injured players during the game. "We don't want to make any excuses. South Africa won... and we weren't good enough to win," said Gatland. "At the end of the day South Africa did what South Africa do. They got one chance and they took it and that was the result." Wales lost a trio of front-line stars in centre Jonathan Davies, full-back Leigh Halfpenny and scrum-half Rhys Webb to long-term injuries before the tournament began. Two more centres - Cory Allen and Scott Williams - were then forced out of action in the opening two pool games against Uruguay and England, with wing Hallam Amos joining them. Wales then lost the versatile Liam Williams - a full-back or wing - during their punishing final pool match against Australia. Media playback is not supported on this device Fly-half Biggar went off the field after a knock to the head just before the scrum which led to South Africa's try. The player remonstrated with WRU medical manager Prav Mathema and team doctor Geoff Davies, but Gatland backed the decision. "That's a medical call," he said. "They took him off the field for a head injury assessment; it looked like he'd got a bit of a knock, he looked unsteady on his feet. "He obviously felt that he was OK, but we support our medical team 100% so there's no issues on that from the coaching set-up." 'We knew it was going to come down to fine margins," said a "proud" skipper Sam Warburton, who lamented what he felt was a premature end to the campaign. "It's a quiet changing room - it's hard to find the words, it's all so raw," he said. "It feels premature with two weeks of the competition left. We've been together since June and all those gruelling camps… it's over, done and dusted." Warburton praised the players who had come in to replace the casualties, saying: "The guys who've stepped in have done a fantastic job. This could be the last World Cup for many of us, but we go out with no regrets." Warburton was sent off in Wales' 9-8 World Cup semi-final defeat by France in 2011, and after this latest disappointment said: "Hopefully I will be around when one of these tight ones goes our way."

Head coach Warren Gatland said Wales' string of injuries were no defence for their 23-19 World Cup quarter-final defeat by South Africa.

The images appeared to show the pair on foot during a safari in June at the Gir National Park in western Gujarat state. Officials at the park said they imposed a preliminary fine because "the cricketer flouted the rules". Visitors to the park are not allowed to leave their vehicles. Jadeja's photos were posted days after Gujarat forestry officials warned of the dangers involved in taking selfies with lions, following a number of attacks. Wildlife officers say they will submit a final inquiry report to their superiors soon. A.P Singh, chief forest conservator in Gujarat state, told AFP they "had instituted a probe and called Jadeja for a statement... but since he was not available, his father-in-law Hardevsinh Solanki gave a written statement on his behalf" and paid the fine for him. Jadeja, 27, was part of India's team for the recent World T20 tournament. A photo posted on Jadeja's Instagram account showed the cricketer pointing to a pride of lions behind him, with the caption, "Family photo, having good time in Sasan (Gir) #rajputboy #wearelions". A second photo posted to the cricketer's account showed him and his wife, Reeva, with a lion looking on in the background. The national park at Gir is the only place where Asiatic lions remain in the wild. The animals, which are slightly smaller than African lions, were listed as endangered in 2008.

Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja has been fined 20,000 rupees (£229; $300) after posting photos online of him and his wife posing in front of endangered Asiatic lions.

The Bishop of Cork, Dr Paul Colton, is thought to be the first Church of Ireland bishop to make such a statement. Last month, the Assembly rejected a motion calling for the introduction of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. Dr Colton also said he hoped the church would one day recognise same-sex marriages in religious ceremonies. He told BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday Sequence programme that it was a very "divisive" debate. "The events in society are moving very rapidly and the church is not at all up to pace with the debate," he said. "I certainly support civil same sex marriage. "I also recognise that the church of Ireland's definition of marriage is for itself and I adhere to that discipline... but that is not to say that everyone must be required to take the church of Ireland's view of marriage. "Having said that I'm also among those in the church, and perhaps we're only a minority, albeit a significant one that long to see the day when we can have a discussion - as we've had discussions over the years on all sorts of other issues about the nature of marriage - with a view, ultimately, at least to the blessing of same sex couples following civil unions if not to their marriage in church as is happening in other parts of the Anglican communion." The Church of Ireland's LGBT affirming group, Changing Attitude Ireland, welcomed the comments. Chairman Dr Richard O'Leary said: "The bishop's acknowledgement of the hurt that the church has inflicted on its gay and lesbian members is greatly appreciated especially as it comes on the day we are holding services to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT)". Last month, Stormont rejected same-sex marriage for the third time in 18 months. Northern Ireland is now the only part of the UK which has not passed a law to introduce same-sex marriage. The first gay marriages have recently taken place in England and Wales, with Scotland due to follow later this year Ahead of the assembly motion, the Church of Ireland restated its position on same-sex marriage, repeating what was affirmed at its general synod in 2012. "The Church of Ireland affirms, according to our Lord's teaching, that marriage is in its purpose a union permanent and life-long, for better or worse, till death do them part, of one man with one woman, to the exclusion of all others on either side. The Church of Ireland recognises for itself and of itself, no other understanding of marriage," it said. Catholic bishops in Northern Ireland wrote an open letter to all MLAs urging them to reject the motion. The letter said the motion undermined the principle of equality by applying it "inappropriately".

A Church of Ireland Bishop has voiced his support for the introduction of civil marriage for same-sex couples.

The incident at Neil McEvoy's office took place on Thursday morning. The AM said no valuables were taken but files had been "gone through". He said metal bars had been cut to access the property at Cowbridge Road East. South Wales Police said an investigation had been launched. "For a long period, there has been a concerted campaign of political harassment against me," the South Wales Central AM claimed. He said that less than 12 months ago his home had been "ransacked", with paperwork taken. Mr McEvoy said that in the early hours of Thursday "the criminals involved went through two outside doors, down a lane, removed a screwed in hard wood cover on the back window, cut through a PVC window frame and cut through metal bars to get in the window". "Once again, valuables were ignored in the office, but drawers were broken into and files gone through in the back office which wasn't alarmed. "Thankfully, they couldn't gain access to the main part of the office without tripping the alarm." "I put in place new safety procedures for staff at the end of last term, because I am aware of serious cages being rattled," he said. "Some people would like to silence us, but this intimidation has just added to our motivation." A South Wales Police spokesman said that the break-in was reported after 09:00 GMT on Thursday. He said that investigations were ongoing and that no arrests had been made. A Plaid Cymru spokeswoman said: "Neil McEvoy has now been the subject of two break-ins, one at home and one at his office. "Plaid Cymru is supporting him and his staff at this time and is keen that the police establish whether these intrusions are linked. "All elected representatives and their staff deserve to operate in a democratic way without fear of harassment or intimidation. "The National Assembly is working with Neil and his staff to ensure their safety and security, and we strongly urge that this continues."‎

A Plaid Cymru AM has claimed he has been a victim of "political harassment" after a break-in at his constituency office in Cardiff.

Gordon Thomson, 37, said he splashed two basins of water on Russell Findlay after the incident outside his home. Mr Thomson also told the High Court in Glasgow that one of the accused, William Burns, 56, was at the scene. Mr Burns and Alexander Porter, 48, deny attacking the paper's investigations editor in Glasgow on 23 December 2015. Mr Thomson told the court that he heard a child screaming at about 08:30 and "it was more distressed than playful". He said he looked out of his window and saw his neighbour, Mr Findlay, wrestling with another man on the ground. The witness said: "I initially thought it was a burglary. I ran down the stairs and by the time I arrived there Russell was asking the gentleman certain questions." Mr Thomson told the jury that Mr Findlay was sitting astride the man who was on his back and struggling to get free. He said that lying nearby was a red Royal Mail jacket and delivery bag and a broken set of false teeth. The court has previously heard Mr Findlay say that his attacker claimed to be a postman who needed a signature for a parcel, before splashing a "corrosive liquid" on him. In court, Mr Thomson identified the man on the ground struggling with Mr Findlay as Mr Burns. Mr Thomson said that Mr Findlay told him he was an investigative reporter and someone had sent a hit on him and had thrown a substance in his face. The witness said he asked if there was anything he could do and was told by Mr Findlay to fetch water to try to wash the acid off his face. He added: "His face, the right hand side, was starting to blister and his right eye was starting to close over and was very bloodshot." The neighbour told the court that he splashed two basins of water over Mr Findlay's face before ambulance staff took over. Mr Thomson was asked if he heard the man he identified as Mr Burns say anything about who had sent him, and replied: "As he was being led away I heard the words 'Jamie boy sends his regards' or words to that effect." Under cross-examination Mr Thomson was asked if he heard that or had been told that by Mr Findlay and replied: "It's my recollection that I heard it, but possibly." PC David Ross later told the court that when Mr Burns was searched after being detained he was wearing two pairs of gloves - one black woolly pair and below that a clear pair of vinyl gloves. Eye specialist Dr Katheravelu Ramash also gave evidence. Asked what would have happened if the liquid thrown was sulphuric acid and prompt treatment had not followed, Dr Ramash replied: "He could have lost the eyesight in that eye." Mr Burns and Mr Porter deny assaulting Mr Findlay to the danger of his life by throwing sulphuric acid on his face. They also also deny shooting and attempting to murder Ross Sherlock near St Helen's Primary in Bishopbriggs on 24 September 2015. The trial before Judge Sean Murphy QC continues.

A neighbour who came to the aid of a Scottish Sun journalist after he had acid thrown on him has told a court how his face began to blister afterwards.