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China's Ministry of Culture said the firms had hosted anime that glorified violence and terrorism, and contained "vulgar" erotic elements.
Net firms Baidu, Tencent and Youku were among those named as offenders.
The announcement coincides with the introduction of wider restrictions on the use of foreign online clips.
Streaming sites now require publication licences to be able to add other countries' TV series and movies, which will be judged by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) on an individual basis. Unregistered clips must also be removed.
The official news agency Xinhua has noted that local TV stations rarely screen imported series because they are supposed to favour domestic productions.
Three specific examples of indecent anime cartoons are mentioned in a statement posted to the Ministry of Culture's website:
The ministry noted that 12 offending clips on Todou alone had attracted more than one million hits.
The firms involved have been told they will learn what penalties they face at a later stage.
Officials also announced plans to issue a "blacklist" of banned content to help the firms meet their obligations.
The move was attacked by an editorial published on Shenzhen-based news site Qianzhan.com, which questioned why adult-themed content could not be restricted to the over-18s, as is the case in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Beijing is engaged in wider efforts to restrict what foreign online content its citizens can access, via the use of a system known as the Great Firewall of China.
But one expert suggested the fact anime had been singled out for criticism, might feed into specific concerns about the spread of that genre.
"The sexualisation of child-like women may be a legitimate concern to the Chinese government," said Professor Leslie Young from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.
Another academic, however, said it signalled that the government was becoming more restrictive.
"Most websites and publications have a pretty good idea of what they can get away with," said Prof Karl Gerth, who holds a chair in Chinese studies at the University California, San Diego.
"And, for the past few years, they have internalised the more restrictive preferences of the new Xi Jinping regime.
"For this to break out in the open suggests the leeway to publish online or in print 'controversial' material of all sorts continues to narrow." | Some of China's biggest video streaming sites have been warned that they face punishment after failing to remove explicit Japanese cartoon video clips. | 32149754 |
It said policies including the National Living Wage, the apprenticeship levy and pension auto-enrolment. had placed "a number of strains" on businesses.
It warned such strains were "adding up" and could put UK economic growth and job losses at risk.
The CBI also attacked the government's "wrong-headed" visa policies.
Business have repeatedly warned that the National Living Wage, which the government says will rise to £9 per hour by 2020, will place a significant burden on small businesses, in particular in the hospitality sector.
They have also raised concerns about the government's proposals to increase the number of apprenticeships to three million but expect industry to bear much of the cost of providing training.
Meanwhile, pensions auto-enrolment is still being rolled out with some small businesses still not expected to provide work place pensions until 2018.
"Overall, UK policymakers need to deliver regulatory stability and predictability. Businesses struggle to invest when the rules repeatedly change - as we have seen in the energy sector where policy shifts have chilled investment," CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn said highlighting the recent withdrawal of subsidies for green energy schemes.
While she acknowledged public concerns about immigration and pressures on some public services, Ms Fairbarn called on the government to "reform the UK's wrong-headed visa policies that are keeping global talent from our growing firms and global student from our world class universities".
Ms Fairbarn added that while the economy had recovered strongly from the financial crisis it could be "all too easily undermined by the short-termism of modern politics. We need to avoid this pattern in 2016, and keep a sharp eye on the long-term".
The CBI director-general also called the delay in the government's decision over airport expansion in southern England an "abject failure of leadership".
She said the government must "take the big decisions on infrastructure, especially in aviation and energy, and get building roads, rail and more homes".
"Good business needs good infrastructure - yet the UK currently ranks 24th in the world, according to the World Economic Forum. We have fallen badly behind over many decades - we must catch up and then pull away," she added. | Government policies are placing a "cumulative burden" on businesses, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has warned. | 35197413 |
The Ross County striker cut inside before rifling low into the net after six minutes and the hosts dominated the remainder of the first half.
New Zealand finally posed a threat after the break with substitute Kosta Barbarouses denied by the woodwork.
It was a deserved victory and a good workout for next week's crucial World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.
Boyce jinked past his marker with a step-over and his left-foot strike whistled past a flat-footed Stefan Marinovic.
Northern Ireland should have added to their advantage but an improved All Whites side almost clinched a draw when Barbarouses curled his post onto the post.
The absence of Conor Washington and Jamie Ward gave Boyce and Josh Magennis a chance to shine in attack and they impressed in their 45 minutes together.
All eyes were on Boyce after top scoring in the Scottish Premiership last season and he linked up with Magennis for the only goal.
They complemented each other to form a promising partnership which gives boss Michael O'Neill a selection headache for the Baku qualifier.
Azerbaijan will provide a tougher test and O'Neill may pack the midfield with just one up top.
Tom Flanagan had a solid debut in defence although his mistake let in Barbarouses for New Zealand's best opportunity.
There was also a first appearance for forward Shay McCartan as he replaced Magennis with seven minutes left.
The big forward squandered a few openings but he was a constant menace to the visitors and showed he is much more than a physical force.
Two early efforts were saved while tireless running saw him dispossess Tommy Smith before his angled drive was blocked by Marinovic.
Media playback is not supported on this device
His pinpoint cross was poked wide by substitute Kyle Lafferty early in the second half before he headed just wide.
Magennis has just one goal in 28 appearances but he offers so much to the team and is expected to lead the line against Azerbaijan.
O'Neill is taking the squad for warm-weather training in Turkey to acclimatise for possible stifling conditions in next Saturday's Group C game.
The eight-day gap between the matches also gives defensive duo Gareth McAuley and Craig Carthcart time to regain full fitness.
Northern Ireland lie second, five points behind Germany but on course for the play-off spot.
Match ends, Northern Ireland 1, New Zealand 0.
Second Half ends, Northern Ireland 1, New Zealand 0.
Foul by Tom Flanagan (Northern Ireland).
Monty Patterson (New Zealand) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, New Zealand. Michael Boxall tries a through ball, but Chris Wood is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Oliver Norwood (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Shane Ferguson.
Attempt blocked. Shay McCartan (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Andrew Durante (New Zealand) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Shay McCartan (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Andrew Durante (New Zealand).
Foul by Paul Paton (Northern Ireland).
Shane Smeltz (New Zealand) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Northern Ireland. Roy Carroll replaces Michael McGovern.
Substitution, Northern Ireland. Shay McCartan replaces Josh Magennis.
Offside, Northern Ireland. Paul Paton tries a through ball, but Aaron Hughes is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Paul Paton (Northern Ireland) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
Oliver Norwood (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Michael Boxall (New Zealand).
Substitution, New Zealand. Shane Smeltz replaces Ryan Thomas.
Foul by Tom Flanagan (Northern Ireland).
Chris Wood (New Zealand) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Northern Ireland. Paul Paton replaces Stuart Dallas.
Foul by Oliver Norwood (Northern Ireland).
Ryan Thomas (New Zealand) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, New Zealand. Michael Boxall tries a through ball, but Chris Wood is caught offside.
Substitution, New Zealand. Deklan Wynne replaces Tom Doyle.
Aaron Hughes (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kosta Barbarouses (New Zealand).
Kosta Barbarouses (New Zealand) hits the right post with a right footed shot from the left side of the box.
Offside, New Zealand. Bill Poni Tuiloma tries a through ball, but Tom Doyle is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Josh Magennis (Northern Ireland) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Shane Ferguson with a cross.
Tom Flanagan (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kosta Barbarouses (New Zealand).
Shane Ferguson (Northern Ireland) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Michael Boxall (New Zealand).
Substitution, New Zealand. Kosta Barbarouses replaces Kip Colvey.
Substitution, New Zealand. Monty Patterson replaces Marco Rojas.
Offside, New Zealand. Bill Poni Tuiloma tries a through ball, but Chris Wood is caught offside.
Offside, Northern Ireland. Michael McGovern tries a through ball, but Josh Magennis is caught offside.
Offside, New Zealand. Andrew Durante tries a through ball, but Chris Wood is caught offside. | Liam Boyce scored his first Northern Ireland goal to secure a friendly win over New Zealand in Belfast. | 40054832 |
Last year, the European Parliament agreed that extra costs faced by EU travellers using a mobile phone would be scrapped in June 2017.
Detailed plans announced this week suggested that charges would only be banned for 90 days a year.
That draft has now been ripped up and new plans will be published soon.
An interim limit on roaming charges has been in place since April, with a full ban anticipated by June 2017. From that point, users within the EU will be charged the same as they would be in their home country.
The aim of the ban, in part, is to prevent EU consumers being caught out by huge bills when downloading films or other data during their European holidays.
There have been a number of cases when mobile users have been landed with bills for hundreds of euros or pounds.
Critics of the ban suggest the loss of revenue for mobile phone companies could push up prices in general, including prices for non-travellers.
The European Commission drew up plans which suggested that the full ban would in fact have a time limit.
The proposal would have let companies charge roaming fees to consumers who used their phones abroad for more than 90 days in a year or for more than 30 days in a row.
Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein said that, on average, EU citizens spent 12 days abroad per year.
"Roaming charges are going to disappear entirely by June 2017, period," he said.
But he added that, on the instruction of Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the draft proposal of exactly how that would happen would be withdrawn and a new version would be produced.
"We have been listening and now we are going back to the drawing board," he said. | European officials are rewriting detailed plans on how to bring data roaming charges to an end in countries across the EU. | 37318538 |
Where once low-wage workers churned out clothes for export, today a new company has taken up residence that is riding the wave of China's consumer spending boom.
In fact Mr Wedding - a small business employing 16 people - is part of an industry that has been booming like few others anywhere in history.
According to state media, China's marriage market - the money spent on ceremonies, catering, honeymoons and hospitality - has grown from almost nothing a couple of decades ago to a whopping annual 800bn yuan ($130bn; £78bn).
And Mr Wedding, from its old factory base, is trying to carve out a little slice of that economy by offering Shanghai's brides-and-grooms-to-be a familiar service with a twist.
"People can do a lot of almost impossible postures under water," the founder and owner, Tina Liu, tells me.
"The sense of losing gravity creates the beauty of floating."
Underwater wedding: In pictures
Two of her customers Lin Enxiao and He Huan introduce themselves by their English names - Lamea and YY.
They're not getting married until next year, but like many Chinese couples they've decided to get the wedding photographs out of the way early.
"Most of our friends did their photo shoot on dry land," YY tells me. "We wanted something different."
"When people think about wedding photos it's always grassland, white walls and doves," Lamea agrees.
"It feels good to change that picture."
China did not invent the underwater wedding shoot but it has embraced it like nowhere else.
There are dozens of studios offering the service in Shanghai alone, and it is a crowded, competitive market.
"Some talented people have a good concept and good creativity but they don't make it because they lack persistency," Tina says.
Each individual photo shoot is a painstaking, time-consuming process.
Mr Wedding's team of stylists gives Lamea and YY a full makeover, spending a couple of hours on their hair and make-up.
"We suggest that for underwater wedding pictures brides should wear a white wedding dress with a long trail," Tina says.
"And we use waterproof make-up so it doesn't run in the water."
Then, Lamea and YY, dressed for a full white wedding, are walked not down an aisle but up a small set of steps into the photography tank.
Measuring around 12ft by 12 ft (3.6m by 3.6m) - it is full of warm water with a lifeguard on hand to help them climb in and to accompany them throughout their time in the water.
Tina shouts instructions into a microphone from the other side of the tank's glass window and, taking a deep breath, Lamea and YY slip beneath the water and their wedding shoot is underway.
Tina started her business in 2003, at that point doing only traditional wedding photography, with an initial investment of 150,000 yuan.
She worked out of a small shop and used Shanghai's picturesque streetscapes as the backdrop for the photos as she had no studio of her own.
The decision to move out of the city centre, although it gave her space to expand and to build the water tank, presented a major challenge.
"Here, we are quite far away from where most people work so we lost a lot of customers," she says.
"People used to fight for a vacancy but suddenly our schedule board was blank. I felt depressed and even started to doubt the quality of my work.
"But it was useless to stay in that mood so we started addressing the internal problems, getting the teamwork right, and slowly the business came back up again."
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Today, Tina says, the it brings in a revenue of between 400,000 and 500,000 yuan a month.
But like small business owners everywhere she needs to stay constantly on her toes.
"The photography industry has reached a peak," the China Wedding Trade Association's Secretary General, Shi Kangming, tells me.
"Many famous studios have closed," he says, "and fewer young couples want wedding photos nowadays."
In 2009, he says, his organisation's figures show that around 90% of marrying couples booked the services of a wedding photographer.
Today the figure is down to just 70% - an extraordinary drop-off that highlights the fast changing pace of the industry.
But with more than 10 million couples tying the knot every year there's still plenty of opportunity for those who can adapt.
"We're launching a new project we call 'air filming'," Tina tells me.
She describes how they attach a movie camera to a small remote control drone so that aerial shots can be taken of the couple, who remain firmly on the ground.
"People will feel the product is beautiful and amazing, and although they might not be sure about it, they'll want to try when they see other people's results," she says.
The company is also introducing stop-motion animation in the form of a flipbook style photograph album.
Lamea and YY have no hesitation in paying the 2,000 yuan ($325; £200) price tag for their set of 15 underwater wedding photos.
They're delighted with the results.
"You only get married once in your life," Lamea says, "so you should spend money on what's needed."
"We started preparing a long time ago," YY adds. "We've been saving half of our income and putting it into our wedding fund for all the necessary things we'll be needing." | In a suburb of Shanghai, a shabby old textile mill serves as a model of the wider economic transformation China is trying to achieve. | 28956310 |
A government-commissioned review also recommended the creation of a new register to allow people to opt out of all charity contact.
It follows concerns about aggressive fundraising tactics by some charities.
A BBC poll suggests more than half (52%) of those who regularly give to charities feel pressure to donate more.
The review also said the main fundraising regulator should be scrapped.
Stuart Etherington, of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, who led the review, said the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) "really doesn't have the clout or the sanctions" to prevent bad practice.
When the heads of several major UK charities appeared before MPs earlier this month, they placed the bulk of the blame for improper fundraising tactics with outside agencies working on their behalf.
Sir Stuart said charities must "really carefully scrutinise what these agencies are doing", and must be prepared to accept a drop in the amount of money they raise - in the short term at least - in order to improve standards.
At present, the FRSB regulates standards set by fundraisers themselves, but the review found this was an "inappropriate arrangement".
Among the report's recommendations:
Charities could then have to submit future fundraising plans to the regulator before being allowed to recommence their activities.
The regulator could also order compulsory training for fundraisers who have not adhered to the rules, for example by failing to follow correct procedure when dealing with vulnerable people.
The BBC Radio 4 survey found 47% of the 1,006 British adults questioned donate in a planned way, including direct debit and standing order.
Of those, it found:
Sir Stuart said Britain was a "tremendously generous country" but charities were not thinking hard enough about "what it was like to be on the receiving end of some of their fundraising methods".
Two other existing regulators, the Institute of Fundraising and Public Fundraising Association, would merge and continue to monitor aspects of on-street and door-to-door fundraising, but the new overarching regulator would ultimately be responsible for all forms of fundraising.
The FRSB said it agreed some reform was needed, but said "a revamped FRSB, properly resourced, would be the most viable and cost-effective way of moving forward".
The issue was highlighted earlier this month when it was alleged that an 87-year-old dementia patient's personal details were sold or passed on by charities up to 200 times, ultimately ending up with scammers.
Samuel Rae's son, Christopher, said: "I think they [charities] have got a long way to go before they step back over the line we all thought they were behind. The charities need to do more farming and less hunting."
The Institute of Fundraising, which represents the sector, said its members wanted "to see a stronger and more robust system".
But Steve Bell, chief executive of homelessness charity Changing Lives, said the overhaul should go further, with a total ban on street collecting - or "chugging" - and doorstep cold calling. | Charities could be banned from certain forms of fundraising, such as cold-calling or mailshots, if they break stricter rules proposed for the sector. | 34327041 |
The visually impaired sprinter, 27, won gold medals in the 100m T11 and 200m T11 events at last year's Rio Paralympic Games.
She had previously competed in T12 events at World Championships.
"Really sad to announce that, due to injury, I won't be competing at the World Championships in London," Clegg said on Twitter.
Due to her deteriorating eye condition and consequent reclassification from T12 to T11, Clegg wore a blindfold while competing in Rio, where Chris Clarke was her guide.
She has a gold, a bronze and three silver medals from T12 events in World Championships and also took 100m T12 gold for Scotland at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. | Scottish Paralympic runner Libby Clegg will miss July's World ParaAthletics Championships in London. | 40049890 |
The move is being seen as an attempt to curb the circulation of "black money" - cash that has not been declared or taxed.
According to some estimates, India's underground economy accounts for 50% of its gross domestic product (GDP).
The RBI said consumers will be able to exchange old notes at retail banks.
The bank added that the notes issued before 2005 "will continue to be legal tender".
"This would mean that banks are required to exchange the notes for their customers as well as for non-customers," it said in a statement.
However, it said that after 1 July anyone who is not a bank's existing customer will have to furnish proof of identity and residence if they are looking to change more than 10 notes of 500 and 1,000 rupees denomination.
The central bank said that notes issued prior to 2005 can be indentified easily as they do not have the year of printing marked on them. | The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country's central bank, says it will withdraw all currency notes printed prior to 2005 from 31 March. | 25855204 |
Cardiff council said the automated units would close on 31 March before being removed.
Its 20-year operational contract was meant to run until April 2025.
The seven toilets are on Penlline Road, Ty Glas Road, Albany Road, Four Elms Road, Frederick Street, Delta Street and Harrowby Street.
Cabinet member for environment, Bob Derbyshire, said the running costs could "no longer be justified". | Seven public toilets across Cardiff are to shut due to high running costs - estimated at about £16 each time they are used. | 35894591 |
The force "requires improvement", Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said following a review of effective policing levels in England and Wales.
But it deemed South Wales, Gwent and North Wales police forces as "good".
Dyfed-Powys Police said it was "very aware of the work that remains ahead of us".
The watchdog judged forces on how effective they are in four areas:
The report said Dyfed-Powys Police does well at preventing crime and tackling anti-social behaviour, and that it responds well to serious and organised crime.
But it raised concerns about its investigation standards and said there were "weaknesses" in how it supports and safeguards vulnerable people.
Gwent Police was told it needs to improve how it tackles serious and organised crime while North Wales Police also needs to do more to support and protect vulnerable people.
The report also showed there were significantly more cases of anti-social behaviour per person in the Gwent force area than the rest of Wales last year - 45 incidents compared to the 31 average across England and Wales.
It comes after police had to deal with "riots" in Newport last October when groups threw fireworks and set wheelie bins set alight.
North Wales also had the highest number of organised crime groups per person out of the Welsh forces - 65 compared to the England and Wales average of 46.
And the report showed the south Wales force area had the highest number of domestic abuse cases in Wales - 20, which was slightly higher than the average of 16.
HMI Zoe Billingham, who led the inspection, said: "Over the last few years, HMIC has said consistently that police forces were managing well in increasingly difficult circumstances.
"Nonetheless, today, I'm raising a red flag to warn forces of the consequences of what is, to all intents and purposes, an unconscious form of rationing of police services."
Responding to the report, Dyfed-Powys Police's Deputy Chief Constable Darren Davies said: "The report identifies a number of areas of positive progress and good practice, but there remains the need for yet further improvement.
"The inspection was conducted some months ago, and we have and will continue to take robust steps to address the areas for improvement with the support of partners, staff and communities."
He added the force was due to introduce new initiatives "to ensure that we get the basics right in all our interactions with our communities, protect the vulnerable and deliver a high quality police service for all".
South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Alun Michael said he was "very pleased" to see the report had "once again acknowledged the good work that is being carried out" by the force.
"This latest HMIC report reflects that our commitment to prevent crime, to support victims and work in partnership is well understood throughout the force and our vision is being put into practice by officers on the frontline," he said.
North Wales PCC Arfon Jones said: "I am encouraged by the findings of the report that will provide reassurance to the people of north Wales.
"There is always room for improvement and I will continue to scrutinise the force and hold the chief constable to account to ensure the region is policed efficiently and effectively."
Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert said the increase in recording of anti-social behaviour (ASB) had "come as no surprise".
"The increase could be attributed to an improvement in the recording of crime which Gwent Police has championed.
"We have also prioritised our resources, become more efficient and we restructured the force to to provide extra officers on the frontline in our communities." | Dyfed-Powys Police has been told it must improve how it keeps people safe and reduces crime. | 39131441 |
The incident occurred at McClays Corner on the Letterkenny side of Stranolar at about 02:50 BST.
The road was closed and diversions are in place. Gardai (police) have appealed for anyone who witnessed the accident to contact them.
The name of the man who was killed has not yet been released. | A man in his 60s has died after being hit by a car in County Donegal in the early hours of Sunday. | 32188361 |
The supermarket is set to pay out about £10m with most workers getting up to £40, although some could get much more.
Some staff were paid less than the National Living Wage after contributing part of their salary to pensions, childcare and cycle to work schemes.
Tesco discovered the errors during a review as part of the implementation of a new payroll system.
In a message to staff, seen by the BBC, the supermarket said it had checked pay for the last six years.
It found the error had occurred at least once for around a third of existing staff, plus 40,000 former colleagues, the message said.
Tesco added that it would reimburse current employees by the end of March.
It will also be contacting former workers affected by the errors to arrange their payments.
Matt Davies, chief executive of Tesco UK and Ireland, said: "As soon as our own review identified this issue we took immediate action to resolve it and establish which colleagues are affected.
"We've apologised to our colleagues and our priority now is to talk to them about how this affects them individually, and make any necessary payments."
Business minister Margot James said Tesco's announcement showed the government's "approach to the enforcement of the minimum wage is clearly working".
"It is completely unacceptable for any worker to be underpaid and everybody should check their pay ahead of the national minimum and living wages rising on 1 April," she added.
The National Living Wage will rise from £7.20 to £7.50 an hour next month, for those aged 25 and over.
Last month, HMRC named 360 businesses who had failed to pay the statutory minimum wage.
Debenhams, Subway and Lloyds Pharmacy were among the companies told to refund staff. | Tesco is reimbursing 140,000 current and former staff who were left underpaid due to a payroll error. | 39218545 |
The 32-year-old former Scotland international has signed a two-year contract at Turf Moor.
Former Manchester United and Sunderland right-back Bardsley, who spent a month on loan at Burnley in 2006, is the club's fourth signing of the summer.
"There's still fire in the belly to achieve things in football and what a great chance," he said.
"Coming back here and playing again at Turf Moor is going to be a great challenge and one I'm looking forward to."
Prior to signing Bardsley, Burnley had recruited forward Jon Walters, also from Stoke, midfielder Jack Cork from Swansea and defender Charlie Taylor from Leeds.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Burnley have signed defender Phil Bardsley from Premier League rivals Stoke City for an undisclosed fee. | 40722798 |
The Greek government has requested a new bailout deal from the eurozone.
Greece is now just hours away from a deadline to repay €1.6bn (£1.1bn) to the International Monetary Fund.
After seeing sharp falls on Monday, the Dow Jones rose 23 points, or 0.1%, to 17,619. The S&P 500 index gained five points, or 0.3%, to 2,063.
The tech-focused Nasdaq index climbed 28 points, or 0.6%, to 4,986.
Among individual stocks, shares in ConAgra Foods rose 0.67% after company said it would exit its private label foods business.
General Electric shares fell 0.26% after it sold its European private equity financing business to a unit of Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp for about $2.2bn. | (Close): Stocks on Wall Street closed up slightly as investors followed talks between Greece and its creditors. | 33333888 |
Scottish Natural Heritage said the birds faced "continued pressures" across the area.
The report confirms black grouse numbers in southern Scotland are in long-term decline.
Scientists predict that drop is likely to continue unless "strategic action" is taken to address the situation.
The information is contained within the report Black Grouse Conservation in Southern Scotland - the product of a joint SNH, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and South Uplands Partnership (SUP) research project.
The report concluded that black grouse survive where they have large patches of moorland to live in.
It seeks to lay the foundations for a "landscape-scale approach" which would focus on protecting known "core" populations before increasing the population numbers and connections to other patches on the landscape.
Sue Haysom, the project manager within SNH, said: "The report provides a key foundation for strategic action and identifies the next steps to save black grouse in the south of Scotland.
"Black grouse, like many species, face a range of pressures and need our help.
"This report sets us on a firm foundation and identifies how our limited resources could be used to best effect."
She said the next step was for everyone with an interest in the black grouse to work together to develop a "strategic conservation plan".
Pip Tabor, project manager with the SUP, said: "The SUP is really pleased that this study has confirmed the need for a landscape-scale approach to black grouse conservation.
"We sincerely hope that funds will now be found to deliver the necessary actions so that we can keep this charismatic species thriving in the Southern Uplands."
Dr Phil Warren, senior scientist at the GWCT, said the black grouse of southern Scotland had "severely declined" and now only occupied "a fraction of their formerly occupied range".
"Here, urgent conservation action is required to prevent further decline and to stabilise numbers," he said.
"This project provides an important evidence base and we look forward to working and engaging with land managers and other partners to develop and implement a landscape scale plan to conserve black grouse here." | A new report has called for "greater and more sustained co-operative action" to help save threatened black grouse populations in the south of Scotland. | 30503956 |
Ellie Butler's mother, Jennie Gray, is heard to shout: "It's my daughter, she's not breathing."
A paramedic said Ellie was "cold and blue" when she arrived at the south-west London home in October 2013.
Her father Ben denies murder. Ms Gray admits perverting the course of justice by hiding or destroying evidence.
Both have denied a charge of child cruelty relating to a shoulder injury suffered by Ellie.
The pair, from Westover Close, Sutton, can both be heard on the phone during the 15-minute 999 call.
The call was made two hours after Ellie Butler suffered her injuries, the Old Bailey had been told.
Mr Butler comes on the phone and is heard swearing as he confirms the couple's home address for the ambulance, saying Ellie has "fallen down".
The child's mother broke down as the call was played in court.
First responder Sarah Hardy told the court she found Ellie in her pyjamas, lying on the floor of her bedroom, as her mother carried out CPR.
The medic said Ellie was "very cold and blue" and had no heartbeat.
When asked what had happened, she said Mr Butler told her "I don't know. I thought she was in her bedroom sleeping."
Ms Hardy told jurors she could not understand how Ellie had died until she noticed a "boggy mass" on the back of her head.
She said: "I realised the cause of death was a traumatic cardiac arrest. I had concerns as to how this had happened and called police."
A post-mortem examination revealed Ellie Butler had suffered skull fractures from at least two severe impacts.
A neighbour of the couple, Elaine Winson, described seeing a blank expression on Mr Butler's face as Ellie was taken to an ambulance.
"The mother was severely distressed and holding on to the trolley," she said. "He had no expression on his face. There was nothing."
Another neighbour Marion Cook saw Ms Gray a few days later, and said she "broke down in tears" and said Ellie "fell off her bed and hit her head on a radiator."
The prosecution said doctors ruled out an accidental fall, and put her fatal injuries down to Mr Butler either beating the girl over the head with a heavy object or throwing her against the floor or wall.
The case continues. | Jurors in the murder trial of a father accused of battering his six-year-old daughter to death have been played the 999 call made by her parents. | 36110279 |
Anbar provincial council member Athal al-Fahdawi said the government compound was within range of IS weapons and that it and the city were "in great danger".
Hundreds of people have fled Ramadi and the surrounding area in recent days.
US-led coalition aircraft are meanwhile bombing IS positions in three villages which were captured on Wednesday.
Nine people are reported to have been summarily killed by militants in one of the villages, Albu Ghanim. The Kurdish website Rudaw said four of the victims were police officers.
Mr Fahdawi said several IS suicide bombers had targeted government buildings and checkpoints in Ramadi on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Although troops and armed tribesmen had previously been able to stop the militants reaching the compound that hosts the provincial government and security headquarters, Mr Fahdawi said it was now within range of their weapons.
The interior ministry has sent "an urgent response unit", but Mr Fahdawi said the reinforcements were insufficient to repel the assault.
Another member of the provincial council insisted that Ramadi was not falling.
But Farhan Mohammed told the BBC that while Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi were both out of the country, Anbar was in the midst of a major battle.
He accused the government in Baghdad of not being serious about tackling the crisis in the province.
The BBC's Paul Adams says Anbar is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim and its leaders have accused the Shia-dominated government of ignoring their concerns - something that has helped to turn Anbar into fertile territory for IS.
The latest fighting is taking its toll on the people of Ramadi, who have suffered terribly for more than a decade, our correspondent adds.
More than 2,000 families had fled from their homes because of the fighting, migration ministry official Sattar Nowruz told AP.
Earlier this month government forces dealt a major blow to IS by recapturing the city of Tikrit, which the group seized last June.
Mr Abadi said last week that they would follow the victory in Tikrit with campaigns in Anbar province, much of which has been controlled by IS since early 2014, and the town of Baiji, near Iraq's most important oil refinery.
But IS responded by launching its own offensives on Ramadi and the Baiji refinery.
Anbar council member Sabah Karhout told an Iraqi TV channel that a "lack of planning, financial and military means" had led to the government's recent losses around Ramadi.
The US military estimates that IS has lost 25% to 30% of its territory in Iraq to government forces since the US-led coalition air campaign began in August.
However, the group still controls swathes of northern and western Iraq, including the second city of Mosul, which Mr Abadi hopes to recapture later this year. | Islamic State (IS) has stepped up its assault on the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, launching a series of suicide bomb attacks, officials say. | 32333630 |
Pyotr Levashov was held in Barcelona on Friday and is remanded in custody.
Spanish police said Mr Levashov controlled a botnet called Kelihos, hacking information and installing malicious software in hundreds of thousands of computers.
The arrest was part of a "complex inquiry carried out in collaboration with the FBI", police said.
Mr Levashov is subject to a US international arrest warrant and a Spanish court will hear whether he can be extradited.
Much of his alleged activity involved ransomware - blocking a computer's access to certain information and demanding a ransom for its release.
Mr Levashov's wife Maria told Russian broadcaster RT that the arrest had been made in connection with allegations that Russians had hacked the US presidential election.
She said Spanish police had told her the arrest was in connection with "a virus which appears to have been created by my husband and is linked to [Donald] Trump's victory".
However, Agence France-Presse news agency quoted a source close to the matter in Washington as saying that Mr Levashov's detention was "not tied to anything involving allegations of Russian interference with the US election".
A US intelligence report released in January alleged that Vladimir Putin had tried to help Mr Trump to victory, allegations strongly denied the Russian president.
Mr Trump later commented that the outcome of the election had not been affected.
Several cybersecurity experts, including Brian Krebs, have also linked Mr Levashov to a Russian spam kingpin, who uses the alias Peter Severa. | Spanish police have arrested a Russian programmer following US allegations of large-scale hacking. | 39553250 |
The more people who received these credits, and the more generous they became, the more frightened those on average or lower incomes would be of voting Tory.
Or, as they told me, so Brown and Balls hoped.
Well in the end the bribe didn't work.
In fact, Labour lost office in 2010 at a time when tax credits were costing the public sector far more than they had ever done - because incomes were so flattened by the 2008 financial and economic crisis that the top-up from tax credits rose very significantly.
So, according to the Treasury, when the modern system of tax credits began properly in 2001-2, they were costing the Exchequer the equivalent of just over 0.8% of GDP or national income.
But by 2010, the real cost of this system of subsidising work had more than doubled, to over 1.8% of GDP.
No surprise therefore that a Conservative Chancellor, George Osborne - for all his commitment to encouraging work - should view this state subsidy as excessive.
But it is quite important to note that, for all the outrage of his planned cuts to tax credits, they will still cost the government 1.2% of GDP by the end of this parliament - or a full 50% more in real terms than when they were properly launched by Brown and Balls.
So why all the fuss - especially at a time when even the Labour Party concedes that the government continues to borrow too much?
Well there is one big reason.
To state the obvious, George Osborne is taking quite a lot of money almost immediately (well next year) from a lot of poor people, most of whom are doing what would be widely seen as the right thing by working rather than choosing to live on benefits.
The available numbers on this are by no means scientifically precise.
But the House of Commons Library says that for 3.28 million in-work families, of which 2.7 million have children, the average loss will be £1,300 (and the Institute for Fiscal Studies would broadly corroborate).
Now, the vast majority of these earn less than £20,000, so the sudden loss of spending power for this group is very significant indeed. A 10% loss of real earnings would not be untypical.
There are a number of other points of significance here.
One is that, of the four elements of tax credit changes, the second biggest short-term contributor to savings for the government - yielding £1.5bn next years - is an increase from 41% to 48% in the so-called "taper" rate at which the tax credits are taken away after a recipient's income reaches a particular threshold.
In a way, that can be seen as a marginal rate of tax on additional income earned by those on low incomes: for every additional pound earned, 48p less of tax credits is received.
What is striking is that 48% is higher than the top 45% rate of tax for those earning more than £150,000.
And to many, including Tories, who worry about worsening inequalities, the symbolism of a taper rate for the poor higher than the top rate of tax looks unnecessarily inflammatory.
What is also striking is that George Osborne is doing something that chancellors only rarely do, which is that he is actually taking money away from people, rather than reforming the system so that it only affects new claimants.
Or to be more precise, the two biggest elements of the reforms - reducing the thresholds so that maximum payments are withdrawn at a lower income level, and increasing the taper rate - affect all claimants (the removal of the family element in tax credits and limiting the child top-up to two children bite only for new claimants).
He would argue that, for many, the loss of earnings will be offset by the way he is forcing employers to pay their staff more, by pushing up the minimum wage - renamed as the living wage - well above its past trend, and also by boosting the zero income-tax threshold.
But this compensation will be only gradual and - as the IFS has calculated - will not provide 100% restitution to all.
Also, even if he were to cut national insurance payments for those on low earnings - as he is said to be considering - he could not be confident that there would not still be big losses for significant numbers of poor workers.
All of which points to the biggest oddity of the reforms.
George Osborne could have made them much less contentious if all four elements applied only to new claimants.
Of course, the yield to the Exchequer would have been significantly less for two or three years.
But, because the earnings of many of today's claimants will in time rise above the maximum threshold, the long-term savings would have been almost identical to the current proposal.
Or to put it another way, the government's deficit would be reduced at a slower rate; there would have been £3bn or £4bn less of a reduction for the next couple of years, but thereafter the pace of deficit squeeze would have accelerated.
Here are the questions that presumably are whizzing round George Osborne's brain.
Is the political embarrassment for him of a slower rate of deficit erosion worth the opprobrium being flung at him, even by some on his own side, for cutting the earnings of what his party like to call lower-paid "strivers"?
And, at a time when the Labour Party has moved to the left, is it politically astute or cack-handed of him, as a contender to succeed David Cameron as Tory leader and prime minister, to be positioning himself on the hard-nosed right in this manifestation of his approach to reforming the welfare state?
George Osborne is certainly as political a chancellor as Gordon Brown was when he invented the modern system of tax credits. He will therefore be deeply concerned that he is self-harming in his remaking of that system.
Would it be political shame or glory for him to recast the reform by inserting the word "new" before "claimant" for all elements of the tax-credit reconstruction? | When Gordon Brown and his then adviser Ed Balls embarked on their reshaping of the British welfare state by massively increasing benefits delivered to lower-paid, working people through the tax credit system, one of their aims was cynically political. | 34637068 |
Figures obtained by BBC Wales show South Wales Fire and Rescue Service recorded the highest number of delays - 460 - since January 2013.
Reasons included access problems and being sent in the wrong direction.
Firefighter David Bound told the BBC delays were "a daily occurrence, sometimes several times a day".
Mid and west Wales firefighters were delayed just 11 times in three years and the north Wales service 57 times.
Crews across Wales have tackled more than 9,000 fires since January 2013.
The main reason for delays was access problems, with firefighters held up 364 times, and there were 114 delays due to crews not being able to find the blaze.
Firefighters were sent in the wrong direction 47 times and on three occasions "civil disturbances" held up crews in south Wales.
Mr Bound, watch manager at Tonypandy in Rhondda Cynon Taff, said access problems happened daily.
"Engines are quite long and wide and some streets are so narrow, with cars parked. Once we arrive we have got to get the equipment and get out of the fire engine ourselves.
"We understand it's difficult for people to park by their own houses but [it would help] if more people did think to acknowledge tight corners in their locality.
"Delays because of access are a daily occurrence, sometimes several times a day."
Mr Bound said poor or a lack of directions can also cause problems.
"We had a call recently for Penrhys and the only information we had was 'Penrhys estate' so the vehicle had to search through the estate for the fire.
"We will always attend as quickly as we can, and force entry quite quickly.
"But if there is a delay for whatever reason it delays us in our duties which could have an impact on people's lives."
The number of delays fell over the three years in south and north Wales, but rose in mid and west Wales.
Firefighters in south Wales were delayed 187 times in 2013, 138 times in 2014 and the most recent figure for 2015 was 135.
In north Wales there were 26 delays in 2013, which dropped to 14 by 2015. Mid and west Wales fighters were delayed just once in 2013 and five times in 2014 and 2015.
Some parts of Wales - including Carmarthenshire - did not record any delays in three years while Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire only recorded one each. | Firefighters in Wales have been delayed more than 500 times in three years between arriving at the scene of a fire and starting to tackle it. | 34998291 |
Mohammed Alfrouh, 20, Omar Badreddin, 18, and Mohammed Allakkoud, 18, of Newcastle, were cleared of all charges at Newcastle Crown Court.
Mr Badreddin was cleared of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old in Leazes Park, Newcastle, in May.
Mr Alfrouh was cleared of three counts of sexual assault and Mr Allakkoud of a single charge of sexual assault.
Mr Alfrouh was accused of kissing one girl in the park on two consecutive nights, and of also molesting a girl Mr Badreddin was accused of kissing behind a pavilion.
The 18-year-old insisted he did not know she was 14.
Mr Allakkuod was accused by one of the girls of holding her mouth and nose while she was attacked.
During the two-week trial defence barristers applied for the case to be thrown out, but it can now be reported.
They said that there were inconsistencies in the complainants' evidence to police, to the court and in cross-examination.
The three Syrians who came to the UK after fleeing the civil war wept in the dock after they were cleared.
Mr Badreddin came to the UK from Jordan as part of a commitment by former Prime Minister David Cameron to allow 20,000 Syrian refugees to live in Britain.
His family were being filmed by a BBC Newsnight team when the events unfolded. His older brother died in Syria and he left school at 14 to provide for his family.
Outside court a spokesman for the defendants said: "They came from Syria to live in peace - no trouble.
"They believe the judge is fair. This is a free country, it is not like Syria."
Ch Insp Steve Ammari said: "We thank the complainants for their support and help throughout."
When the jury forewoman rose to deliver their verdicts, she turned and looked at each defendant before clearly stating "not guilty". The relief in the dock was palpable.
The trial lasted more than two weeks. None of the men speak English and when they were arrested, an interpreter translated their police interviews. But in court it transpired that there were significant errors in what had been communicated. Halfway through the case, the defence barristers applied for it to be thrown out.
Omar Badreddin's father, Marwan, in the public gallery, began to cry when he heard the verdict. But when I walked into the Badreddin's home this afternoon, there was little celebration - and the tears they shed were not of joy.
The family told me ever since their son's arrest, they have felt humiliated and dishonoured, even though they were certain their son was innocent. In Syrian culture, this type of accusation is so damaging to their reputation, that even though Omar Badreddin has been cleared, they fear the stigma of it will stick.
BBC Newsnight has been following the Badreddin family for the past 11 months. You can watch a report on the programme at 22:30 on BBC Two - or catch up afterwards on iPlayer | Three Syrian men have been cleared of sexually assaulting two schoolgirls in a park. | 37647914 |
Another influential MP told BBC Newsnight the party's leader was guilty of "low-level non-violent misogyny".
Jeremy Corbyn has come under fire for appointing men to all three shadow "great offices of state" - chancellor, foreign secretary and home secretary.
He is under pressure to give more top roles to women in a reshuffle this week
Forty-three per cent of Labour's MPs are female, but the party leader, deputy leader, chair and London mayoral candidates are all male.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight Harriet Harman, who was acting Labour leader for four months after the party lost the 2015 election, said: "We can't have a men-only leadership when we are party for women and equality.
"Women expect to see men and women working together and we can't have an all-male leadership again and therefore we need to change the rules."
Jeremy Corbyn is believed to have started talks with shadow cabinet members as part of a reshuffle. Existing shadow cabinet members who are reportedly under threat include defence secretary Maria Eagle and chief whip Dame Rosie Winterton.
Jess Phillips, who was elected for Birmingham Yardley in 2015, has also criticised Mr Corbyn for failing to put women in senior positions.
"Had Tony Blair not given any of top jobs to the women - had that same make-up of his team existed - people would rightly have been up in arms," she told BBC Newsnight.
"But it's a bit like some people in the Labour Party are accepting low-level non-violent misogyny because it's Jeremy doing it."
She said she would be prepared to run for the leadership herself at a later date. "It's not something I'm planning on doing anytime soon, but it's absolutely something that I would do in the future."
In another intervention on the issue, Dawn Butler, who chairs the women's Parliamentary Labour Party, said she was concerned about the impact of forthcoming boundary changes on female MPs.
"We can't afford to lose women because it's a fight. My fear is that women will be picked off so I've written to the leader and deputy leader because Tom [Watson] is doing a review and it's a huge worry for me."
A report released last month by the Fabian Society criticised the Labour Party for "poor representation of women at all levels". Women make up 44% of Labour's membership and 43% of Labour's MPs, but just 30% of constituency Labour Party chairs and 16% of Labour council leaders.
Women also account for only 11% of the most senior Labour Party staff.
The same survey also found that women standing for selection as Labour parliamentary candidates were almost three times more likely than men to be asked questions relating to their gender.
There will be more on this story on BBC Newsnight on Monday 4 January at 22:30 GMT. You can also catch up afterwards on iPlayer | Labour's former acting leader Harriet Harman has called for a change in the party's rules to prevent another all-male team from leading the party. | 35225175 |
More than 40,000 properties in the North East - 3.8% of the area's housing stock - are empty, compared with more than 600,000 nationally.
Twelve councils in the region have formed a group to reduce the number.
Empty Property Forum chair Susan Cousins said vacant homes were a "waste of a valuable resource".
"We work with the owners to find out why the house is empty and provide the advice and support they need to bring their property back into use," she said.
"But, if we can't find an owner, or if they refuse to talk to us, we will consider taking enforcement action."
Properties have been left empty because of negative equity, unaffordable repairs, inheritance and a growing private rented sector, the council said.
More than 200,000 homes in England - and 20,00 in the North East - have been unoccupied for longer than six months.
Northumberland County Council cabinet member for housing, Allan Hepple, said this could have "a negative influence on the sustainability of an area".
Thirty privately rented homes that have been empty for two years or more will be repaired using a £750,000 government grant, the council said.
They will be chosen according to cost of repair, housing need and the impact of them remaining empty.
Some will be bought and rented out by the council.
It will take over further properties - either with or without the owners' consent- by using empty dwelling management orders. | A region with one of the highest proportions of empty homes in England has started refurbishing them to tackle a housing shortage. | 38154890 |
He described Friday's Court of Appeal ruling - which excluded 130,000 new members from voting in the party's leadership contest - as "very sad".
He also told critics to "get on board" and "take the fight to the Tories".
But rival leadership contender Owen Smith said Labour was in crisis and warned it could "disappear overnight".
Incumbent Mr Corbyn and challenger Mr Smith are competing to become the next Labour leader - a contest sparked after Mr Corbyn lost a vote of no confidence by his MPs and faced mass resignations from his top team.
On Friday, the Court of Appeal ruled the party was within its rights to stop new members voting in the contest.
The ruling backed up the decision in July of the National Executive Committee - the body that governs the Labour Party - that full members could only vote if they had at least six months' continuous membership.
That was later successfully challenged by some new members in the High Court, before the recent reverse ruling by the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal decision effectively reintroduced a voting ban on nearly 130,000 members.
Mr Corbyn told the BBC the court had "denied those members a vote in this election, which I think is very sad".
He said he believed there was no prospect of a fresh legal challenge, adding: "After all this is over we have got to look at those rules to make sure everyone gets a right to a democratic vote."
He told a rally in Milton Keynes that the power of Labour's 500,000-strong membership can sweep the party to victory at the next general election.
He said the leadership election was about "how we enthuse, excite and mobilise people to win things in their community and ultimately win things for all communities".
BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said Mr Corbyn had made an "appeal for unity" in his speech, urging those who disagreed with him to "take the fight to the Tories".
With 300,000 members having joined in the last year, Mr Corbyn said Labour was a "strong party" and could win a general election, our correspondent added.
Meanwhile, Mr Smith told supporters that political parties took "a long, long time to rise, but history tells us they can disappear very, very quickly - they can disappear overnight".
"And right now it feels to me as though we are needed as never before."
He said the party had "a duty" to fight to keep the UK within the European Union (EU) and "to see what is the reality of the Brexit negotiations", adding: "Because it will not be as was promised.
"It will not be a simple set of trade deals, it will not be an end to immigration, it will not be more money for public services - none of those things will come to pass.
"And at the end of this we should have the courage to say to the British people, if it isn't what you wanted then we would put it back to you - either as a second referendum or at a general election."
Mr Smith added that Friday's Court of Appeal ruling "doesn't change my approach to this contest", saying he would continue to make his case as to why he should become Labour's new leader. | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for the party to consider its rules and ensure all members can vote in future leadership contests. | 37070698 |
Abdirahman Sheik Mohamud, 23, allegedly gained training with al-Nusra Front and was instructed by a radical cleric to carry out an attack in the US.
He is accused of telling another man he wanted to kill American soldiers "execution-style" at a military base.
He faces charges of material support of terrorism and making false statements.
"Identifying and neutralising the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters who return to the United States is one of the National Security Division's highest priorities," Assistant Attorney General John Carlin said in a statement.
It is the latest example of US officials bringing charges against those allegedly helping Islamic State (IS) and other militant groups.
Mr Mohamud, from Ohio, left the US in April 2014 shortly after becoming a naturalised citizen, travelling to Syria after a flight to Istanbul, according to prosecutors.
His brother, Aden, had been killed while fighting with the group in Syria.
Mr Mohamud allegedly told two unnamed people when he returned to the US in June 2014 he wanted to attack a military base or prison, killing three or four people "execution style".
He told one person he had received weapons, explosives and hand-to-hand combat training, and the other he had gone through physical fitness and guarded a camp at night, according to the indictment.
He sent videos of himself in Syria to an unnamed person. In one video, he pointed to a gun in a holster on his hip and in another, he stood in front of a white house with a black flag on it.
Mr Mohamud was initially arrested in February in Columbus by local law enforcement and transferred into federal custody on Thursday after charges were brought by a grand jury. | A man who travelled to Syria to fight with an al-Qaeda affiliate has been charged over alleged plans to carry out a terror attack on the US military. | 32341305 |
Peter Gichira denied the charge during a court appearance in the capital, Nairobi, and was freed on bail.
Police say he was arrested on Saturday for trying to jump from the sixth floor of the electoral commission's offices.
He was among eight candidates who failed to meet the criteria to contest the 8 August election in Kenya.
The poll is expected to be a tight race between President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking a second term, and veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is running for a fourth time.
The BBC's Wanyama wa Chebusiri in Nairobi says Mr Gichira is a little-known politician who only came to prominence after his alleged suicide attempt.
He was disqualified from the race because he failed to obtain 2,000 signatures from people not affiliated to any party in at least 24 of Kenya's 47 counties.
Two officers rescued and arrested Mr Gichira after he broke a window pane and attempted to jump out of Anniversary Towers in Nairobi, police said.
Mr Gichira was also charged with destroying property and creating a disturbance.
He pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was released on $2,000 (£1,5000) bail.
The election will take place nearly a decade after disputed election results fuelled violence that left more than 1,000 dead and 500,000 displaced.
However, elections in 2013 passed off relatively peacefully. | A Kenyan man has been charged with attempted suicide for allegedly trying to jump from a building after his bid to run for president was rejected. | 40083366 |
A "wrong-sided prosthesis" was fitted in a separate event and a swab was left in a patient on another occasion.
The events at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth were revealed in board papers ahead of a meeting on Friday.
The hospital has apologised and said "comprehensive investigations" were being carried out.
The "wrong site" surgery was carried out in 2010 but was not discovered until March 2015, the same month as the "retained swab" incident.
A hospital spokesman said the discovery of a "wrong-sided prosthesis" in April 2015 could refer to a joint such as a knee, shoulder or hip.
Ann James, chief executive of Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We have apologised personally to the patients affected and we are extremely sorry that these mistakes have happened."
The trust said it treated half a million patients every year.
"But as our staff are human, very occasionally mistakes happen and things do not go as planned," said Mrs James.
A spokesman for the trust declined to elaborate on any details regarding the incidents "for reasons of patient confidentiality".
Derriford Hospital went on 'black alert' in January and February when it was unable to cope with the number of patients coming in.
The Care Quality Commission investigated Derriford in 2013 after eight never events within a year. | Surgery carried out on the wrong part of the body went undetected for five years in one of three "never events" at a hospital. | 32888632 |
Emergency services were called to an address on West High Street, Buckhaven, at about 12:30 on Sunday following a report of concern for a child.
The baby was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh where she remains in a critical condition.
Police said an investigation into the incident is ongoing. | A five-month-old baby girl is in a critical condition in hospital following an incident at a Fife flat. | 35587627 |
The computer server base is expected to cost $150m (??94m) and will employ up to 20 people, said the firm.
Google said it chose Chile because of its reliable infrastructure and skilled workforce.
The country has been trying to become a tech hub, with initiatives such as Start-Up Chile attracting entrepreneurs from around the world.
The search giant said the data communications centre would make its products faster to access, and more reliable for the local population.
Chile's selection is a coup for the nation bearing in mind Brazil has a much larger population, is more centrally located and contains a fast-growing tech sector.
"Chile??? fosters an atmosphere of innovation, and in recent years has developed cutting edge policies and programs that encourage the growth of the internet," Google said.
"As with all of our facilities around the world, we chose Quilicura, Chile, following a thorough and rigorous site selection process, taking many technical and other considerations into account including location, infrastructure, workforce, reasonable business regulations and cost."
Google already has data centres in the United States, Finland and Belgium, and plans to build more in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan by next year.
The centre in Chile is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013.
Opening a data centre in Latin America may help Google's ambitions in the region.
Orkut, a social network operated and owned by Google, used to be number one in Brazil and several other places in Latin America.
But according to digital media analytics company Comscore, it has now slipped to third place, behind Facebook and Twitter. | Search giant Google has decided to base its first Latin American data centre in Chile, near the capital Santiago. | 19518307 |
In July the independent TD Mick Wallace stood up in the Dáil and made an extraordinary allegation relating to the £1.2bn sale of Nama's Northern Ireland property loan portfolio.
He claimed that a Northern Ireland politician was to have been paid £7m in the aftermath of that deal with the money routed through an Isle of Man bank account.
That has set off a criminal investigation, a Stormont inquiry, hearings in the Dáil, and a subpoena in New York.
No evidence has been produced that a politician was to benefit and all parties involved have denied any wrongdoing.
But we have learned much about the conduct of that deal, including high level political involvement, potential conflicts of interest and a dispute at the top of a leading law firm.
We also learned from one witness to the Stormont inquiry, Gareth Graham, that he has hundreds of hours of recorded phone calls.
He claims these show "an ingrained culture of inappropriate and quite possibly illegal business conduct that stretches across political, legal, banking and accountancy sectors."
There was another (unrelated) shock in Belfast in November when four senior partners from KPMG were arrested in connection with suspected tax evasion.
They have not been charged and are on "administrative leave".
One of them is Eamonn Donaghy, who just two weeks earlier had been celebrating victory in his role as a campaigner to devolve corporation tax.
The 'Fresh Start' deal meant the DUP and Sinn Fein agreed a 'date and a rate' for the tax cut - 12.5% in April 2018.
The deal, which included a bit of extra money from Westminster, also included agreement on welfare reform which put Stormont's budget onto a stable footing.
But the public finances remain under pressure with some non-protected departments facing cuts of more than 5% when a new budget is passed in January.
That austerity is expected to act as a brake on economic growth in 2016.
Recovery did continue in 2015, albeit in unspectacular fashion - growth was probably round about 2%.
Unemployment continued downwards, construction finally bounced off the bottom and wages showed their first real increase since the crash.
However manufacturing, which has been a bright spot in recent years, came under pressure, in part influenced by global factors.
The biggest blow was the announcement that the Michelin plant in Ballymena will close with the loss of 900 jobs.
Northern Ireland's biggest manufacturing employer, the aerospace firm Bombardier, had another tough year and its C Series project got a state bailout in Canada.
It says it needs to cut costs in Northern Ireland by 20%, and with workers rejecting changes to pay and conditions, more job losses can't be ruled out.
The digital economy continues to surge and most notable in 2015 was the flotation of Belfast software firm Kainos.
It has carved out a profitable niche writing and managing the software for a range of public bodies.
The firm is well its way to 1,000 employees and the most senior staff became millionaires as a result of the float.
Other notable deals in 2015 included Moy Park being sold by one Brazilian firm to another for £900m; UTV's sale of its TV assets to ITV, and Ulster Bank clearing the last of property crash wreckage in the Project Rathlin deal.
Looking ahead to 2016 it's our neighbours to the south who could help soften the blow of austerity.
The Republic of Ireland is Northern Ireland's biggest export partner and its economy is surging.
The composition of that growth matters - consumer and business spending looks to be coming back and that means opportunities for more cross border trade. | It was a year of corporate intrigue, mainly relating to the aftermath of Northern Ireland's biggest ever property deal. | 35131885 |
The song, aired two weeks ago on regional broadcaster NDR's extra3 show, takes aim at Mr Erdogan's authoritarian style while also making fun of some of his physical characteristics.
Turkey last week summoned the German envoy to demand the song be withdrawn.
But both Germany and the EU have insisted press freedom is inviolable.
In the song, Mr Erdogan is criticised on a range of issues ranging from the imprisonment of journalists to heavy-handed treatment of protesters including women ("equal rights for women - they are beaten up equally").
"When a journalist writes a piece that Erdogan doesn't like, he quickly ends up in jail, newspaper offices closed down, he doesn't think twice, with tear gas and water cannons he is riding through the night," say some of the lyrics.
The song suggests that Mr Erdogan would rather bomb Kurds than what the writers term his "brothers in faith", so-called Islamic State.
The song also ridicules the recent migration deal struck between European states and Turkey seeking to stem the flow of migrants into Europe in exchange for financial aid, among other benefits.
But the Turkish leader - who correspondents say brooks no dissent - has been angered by the song, and the Turkish foreign ministry summoned Germany's ambassador to Ankara - on repeated occasions, according to reports.
A Turkish diplomatic source told AFP news agency: "We summoned the ambassador last week to communicate our protest about the broadcast that we condemned.
"We demanded that the broadcast be removed from the air."
Such demands got short shrift from European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, who "does not appreciate this movement of calling in the German ambassador just because of a satirical song", spokeswoman Mina Andreeva told reporters.
"He (Juncker) believes this moves Turkey further from the EU rather than closer to us," Ms Andreeva said, adding that "freedom of the press and freedom of expression... are values the EU cherishes".
A spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry said Berlin had told Ankara basic freedoms were "non-negotiable".
More than 1,800 people - including celebrities and schoolchildren - have been prosecuted in Turkey for insulting Mr Erdogan since he came to office in 2014, under a previously little-used law. | Germany and the EU have dismissed Turkish protests over a song aired on German television mocking President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. | 35925828 |
This is Down Street Tube station. It opened in 1907 but shut again in 1932 because it was too close to other stations to attract sufficient passengers.
During World War Two Winston Churchill initially held cabinet meetings here.
Later the railways were run from the corridors.
You can still see some of the baths in the staff quarters.
Transport for London is seeking expressions of interest to open these spaces to the public.
There are seven sites it thinks could be turned into restaurants or art galleries and it will work in partnerships or lease the spaces out to entrepreneurs.
Transport for London (TfL) is trying to optimise its commercial revenue and aims to increase revenue by £3.4bn in the next 10 years. | Behind a grey door in Mayfair is a hidden part of London's history. | 32497975 |
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 53.21 points to 16,484.99.
The S&P 500 climbed 8.53 to 1,921.27, while the Nasdaq composite gained 39.02 points to 4,542.61.
Rumours that China was considering a stimulus package lifted US markets from falls in morning trading.
"There was a lot of talk of maybe additional China stimulus. Whether the story is true or not, I don't know, but if it isn't the market will back down in a day or two," said Mace Blicksilver of Marblehead Asset Management.
A rebound in oil prices also boosted late day trading. US crude rose 1.1% to $32.21 a barrel and Brent crude was up 3.5% to $34.44 a barrel.
Chesapeake Energy rose 22.8% despite reporting an annual loss of $14.9bn. The company said it planned to cut spending by 57%.
Shares in JP Morgan ended the day flat. The bank fell 4% on Tuesday after announcing it would put an addition $500m aside to cover losses in its oil and gas portfolio.
Shares of retail chain, Target climbed 4% following the company's earnings release, which showed efforts to improve store sales were working. Target has been struggling to repair its image after several scandals including a massive breach of customer credit card data. | (Close): Wall Street ended higher on Wednesday, helped by gains in oil prices and hopes that China would add stimulus to boost its struggling economy. | 35651756 |
With 17 days until the election, much of the recent focus has been on controversies linked to his campaign.
But in a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, he sought to highlight changes he would introduce.
Among them were restrictions on lobbyists and a renegotiation on trade and climate change deals.
Mrs Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine appeared at events on Saturday in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the race for the White House.
Mr Trump's advisers indicated before his speech that the measures announced would serve as the focus for the remaining two weeks of his campaign.
Among the key details he announced were:
So there you have it, Donald Trump's final pitch to the American people.
It was a mix of Republican boilerplate (Lower taxes! Less regulation!), anti-establishment populism (Axing trade deals! Extreme vetting of immigrants!) and the kind of off-message asides that have bedevilled his candidacy (I'm going to sue all my sexual harassment accusers!)
It wasn't exactly the Gettysburg Address, but it did have some lines that could have been the foundation of a compelling outsider campaign.
"I am asking the American people to rise above the noise and the clutter of our broken politics, and to embrace that great faith and optimism that has always been the central ingredient in the American character," Mr Trump said. "I am asking you to dream big."
Americans love big dreams and candidates who, in Abraham Lincoln's words, appeal to the "better angels of our nature".
With just over two weeks left before election day, however, it is probably much too late for Mr Trump to make "faith and optimism" the focus of a campaign that has often been typified by darkness and anger.
The speech was one of the most detailed by Mr Trump during his candidacy, and also touched on matters of security, economy and trade.
He said the country was facing a "fork in the road" over its future.
While some polls have shown he has eaten into Mrs Clinton's lead over the past week, after the third presidential debate, she is still leading him in a number of the key swing states.
Before his speech, Mr Trump again attacked leading media outlets and suggested they were biased against him.
He vowed to break up media conglomerates, saying he would scrap the rumoured purchase of the Time Warner company, the owner of CNN, by AT&T. However, those comments were made outside of his main speech, and it was not clear if they were being put forward as policy.
Mr Trump also said he would sue every woman who has accused him of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour as soon as his presidential campaign was over.
Ten women have come forward to accuse him of inappropriate behaviour, in the weeks after a video emerged of him boasting of groping women and kissing them.
"Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign," he told the audience in Gettysburg.
He said the media was fabricating stories to make him "look as bad and dangerous as possible".
Who is ahead in the polls?
48%
Hillary Clinton
44%
Donald Trump
Last updated November 8, 2016 | Donald Trump, lagging behind Hillary Clinton in polls, has outlined what he would do in his first 100 days were he to become US president. | 37741792 |
Labour, which won the West Cumbrian seat with a 2,564 majority in 2015, has chosen Gill Troughton as its candidate.
The Conservatives, which came second in that poll, have selected Trudy Harrison to contest the seat.
The Liberal Democrats, UKIP and the Green Party are also fielding candidates while a number of independents are also standing.
The poll will be held on the same day as a by-election in Stoke-on-Trent Central.
Here is the full list of the candidates so far declared in Copeland: | A by-election will be held in Copeland on 23 February following the resignation of sitting MP Jamie Reed. | 38705088 |
Earlier this week, actress Chloe Moretz said she was "appalled and angry" over the marketing for her new animated Snow White film.
A poster for Red Shoes & The 7 Dwarfs showed a tall woman next to a shorter, heavier version of herself.
The caption read: "What if Snow White was no longer beautiful and the 7 dwarfs not so short?"
After plus-size model Tess Holliday tweeted a photo of the poster, Moretz apologised to her fans and said she hadn't approved the marketing.
The film's producers withdrew the ad campaign.
And last week, Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland took to social media after suggestions she looked anorexic in a recent photo.
Here are seven other stars who hit back after criticism over the way they look.
Lady Gaga came in for criticism after she wore a crop top during her performance at this year's Super Bowl.
More than 100 million people watched the legendary half-time show worldwide, but some made cruel remarks about her stomach and said she "wasn't fit enough".
The singer took to Instagram to respond with an empowering message to her fans.
"I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too," she said.
"I could give you a million reasons why you don't need to cater to anyone or anything to succeed. Be you, and be relentlessly you."
The comedian and actress has memorably taken on body shamers on more than one occasion.
When the advert for her film Trainwreck was released in 2015, one critic referred to her as a new member of director Judd Apatow's "Funny-Chubby Community".
Posting a photo of herself almost naked on Twitter, Schumer wrote: "I am a size 6 and have no plans of changing. This is it. Stay on or get off. Kisses!"
There was more to come.
At the end of 2016, she responded to social media "fat shamers" who questioned whether she was an appropriate choice to play Barbie in a forthcoming film.
Alongside a photo of herself in a swimsuit, she said she was honoured to be considered to play "an important and evolving icon".
"Is it fat shaming if you know you're not fat and have zero shame in your game?" she asked.
"I don't think so. I am strong and proud of how I live my life and say what I mean and fight for what I believe in and I have a blast doing it with the people I love.
"Where's the shame? It's not there. It's an illusion. When I look in the mirror I know who I am."
(Schumer has since left the Barbie project over a scheduling conflict.)
In 2016, the singer made her record label take down the new video for her Me Too single after she noticed she'd been digitally altered.
Or to use her words, "they photoshopped the crap out of me".
Trainor took to Snapchat to tell her fans: "I'm so sick of it, and I'm over it, so I took it down until they fix it."
She added: "My waist is not that teeny, I had a bomb waist that night. I don't know why they didn't like my waist, but I didn't approve that video, and it went out for the world, so I'm embarrassed..."
A day later, the video reappeared with Trainor restored to her rightful size.
In March this year, the star and creator of HBO's Girls responded to criticism about her recent weight loss.
Dunham had attracted headlines about her dramatic new look. But in a lengthy Instagram post which referred to her struggle to control her endometriosis, she said: "My weight loss isn't a triumph and it also isn't some sign I've finally given in to the voices of trolls."
The actress said she had made it clear over the years that she didn't care what anyone else felt about her body.
"I've gone on red carpets in couture as a size 14. I've done sex scenes days after surgery, mottled with scars. I've accepted that my body is an ever changing organism, not a fixed entity - what goes up must come down and vice versa."
Back in 2013, Jennifer Lawrence said she thought "it should be illegal to call someone fat on TV" after red carpet criticism of her own figure.
Speaking to US host Barbara Walters, The Hunger Games star said she was worried about how the media's attitude affected young people.
"The media needs to take responsibility for the effect that it has on our younger generation, on these girls who are watching these television shows, and picking up how to talk and how to be cool," Lawrence said.
She added: "I mean, if we're regulating cigarettes and sex and cuss words, because of the effect they have on our younger generation, why aren't we regulating things like calling people fat?"
The actress, who won an Oscar for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook, had previously spoken out against gossip magazines and TV shows which criticise the way women look.
She told the December 2012 issue of Elle magazine that "in Hollywood, I'm obese. I'm considered a fat actress".
The Titanic star and Oscar-winning actress has spoken on occasions about how she was bullied at school and called "Blubber".
"I was even told that I 'might be lucky with my acting, if I was happy to settle for the fat girl parts'," she said during a speech this year for the WE charity at London's Wembley Arena.
"I felt that I wasn't enough, I wasn't good enough. I didn't look right... and all because I didn't fit into someone else's idea of 'perfect.' I didn't have the perfect body."
The star said her love of acting meant she was always auditioning for roles - however small.
"I would often get cast as the crocodile, or the scarecrow, or the dark fairy, I was even a dancing frog once. But it didn't matter. I still loved it... I wanted to be great and I was determined to keep learning."
Kate, who made her film debut aged 17 in 1994's Heavenly Creatures, shot to global stardom three years later as Rose in James Cameron's blockbuster Titanic.
She said: "The most unlikely candidate, Kate from the sandwich shop in Reading, [was] suddenly acting in one of the biggest movies ever made!"
It's not just women who get criticised for how they look.
Vin Diesel found that out in 2015 after the publication of unflattering pap shots of him shirtless in Miami. Some comments on social media referred to his "dad bod".
The Fast and Furious star responded by posting a photo on Instagram which showed off his muscular physique.
He said one journalist, during an interview for his film The Last Witch Hunter, had even asked to see the "dad bod".
"Haha," Diesel wrote. "I am wondering if I should show the picture... Body shaming is always wrong!"
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Stories about "body shaming" are nothing new - but more and more celebrities are starting to fight back against the trend. | 40132608 |
The unnamed woman, a long-time anorexia sufferer, was found collapsed by her 18-year-old daughter after an apparent heart-attack.
Paramedics rushed to her home in Paris's 13th arrondissement but were unable to revive the 49-year-old.
But police who came to write a report noticed movement in her stomach.
Le Parisien reports that the ambulance team had declared her dead at 18:10 (16:10 GMT) and signed her death certificate.
But the two police officers - who arrived an hour later to write a report into the cause of death - noticed the movement when they lifted the blanket covering the body.
When an officer checked her jugular vein, they found her heart was still beating.
While one shocked officer held her hand and talked to her, the other phoned the fire service and took live instructions on how to perform CPR.
After 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation, the woman previously deemed lifeless was breathing again.
She was transferred to Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital, where she has been recovering for almost a week.
Yvan Assioma, regional secretary of the police union Alliance, called the woman's survival a "crazy story" and an "unimaginable scenario".
"Our colleagues thought they were in an episode of The Walking Dead!" he joked.
The police commissioner in charge of their district has called for the two officers to be honoured with a bravery award. | A French mother has been brought back to life by police officers, who performed CPR an hour after paramedics declared her dead. | 39723366 |
Kathleen Griffin, 57, died at her flat in Clacton, Essex, in December after being stabbed 14 times in her neck, chest, abdomen and back.
Scott Hilling, 26, who admitted her manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court.
Judge Charles Gratwicke described it as a "horrific, savage killing".
He told Hilling: "You tied her up and tortured her. She must have been petrified in those minutes or so before her death."
"This was a sickening and brutal killing of a defenceless woman, described as being kind-hearted and generous."
The judge made an order under the Mental Health Act which detains Hilling, of no fixed address, in a secure hospital to receive treatment "before or if" he is transferred to a prison to complete the remainder of his sentence.
The Parole Board would then consider whether he is no longer a risk to the public and could be released.
Hilling said voices forced him to kill, the court was told.
Hilling, who had been taken in by his kind-hearted victim at her flat in Old Road, Clacton, because he was homeless, said he watched television in between stabbing her.
The court heard that Hilling claimed he was sexually abused as a child by his father.
Senior investigating officer Det Insp Al Pitcher said: "His attack on her was savage. At no point has he ever shown any shred of remorse for his actions." | A killer who tortured and then stabbed a grandmother to death in her own home has been jailed for 16 years. | 36490679 |
The European Commission said the deal would have created a "de facto monopoly" for certain financial services.
The merger would have combined Europe's two largest stock exchange operators.
London Stock Exchange Group said it "regrets" the commission's decision, as the deal would have created a "world-leading" financial markets firm.
The commission blocked the deal, which had already been thrown into doubt by Brexit, shortly before the UK started the formal process of leaving the European Union.
It is the third time that a merger between LSE and its German rival has failed to come to fruition.
They announced plans for a "merger of equals" about a year ago, following attempts by Deutsche Boerse to strike a deal with LSE in 2000 and 2004.
However, the merger was dogged by questions about where the joint firm would be based and how it would pool liquidity between the exchanges.
Those questions intensified after the UK voted to leave the European Union.
"Timing is everything," said Neil Wilson, an analyst at ETX Capital.
"Brexit effectively killed this deal off nine months ago, so it's fitting that EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager delivered the coup de grace just a couple of hours before the UK triggers Article 50."
LSE warned last month that the deal was unlikely to receive EU approval over concerns that it would limit competition.
On Wednesday, the firm said: "This was an opportunity to create a world leading market infrastructure group anchored in Europe, which would have supported Europe's 23 million SMEs [small and medium sized enterprises]."
The UK's stock exchange operator has been a takeover target many times since 2000. Mr Wilson says the collapse of the Deutsche Boerse merger might encourage new bidders, possibly from the US.
But he says new national interest rules about takeovers of UK firms could make any deal even more difficult.
2000 - Deutsche Boerse and LSE announce talks, but no deal agreed
2000 - Sweden's OMX makes an £800m bid for LSE, but it is turned down
2004 - Deutsche Boerse returns with another bid for LSE, which is rejected
2005 - Australia's Macquarie Bank makes a £1.6bn takeover bid, also turned down
2006 - US exchange Nasdaq takes almost a 30% stake in LSE, but sees its £2.7bn offer rejected
2011 - LSE agrees merger with the Canadian stock exchange, TMX, but it falls through
2017 - LSE and Deutsche Boerse merger - which would value the combined firm at £21bn - blocked by EU
The final blow to the deal came from EU regulators' concerns about the combined firm's control over the clearing of bonds and fixed-income products in Europe.
LSE, which also operates the Italian stock exchange and has other businesses in Europe, had offered to sell its France-based clearing house to deal with those concerns.
However, the commission decided that this remedy did not go far enough.
Margrethe Vestager, the EU commissioner in charge of competition policy, said: "The European economy depends on well-functioning financial markets.
"That is not just important for banks and other financial institutions. The whole economy benefits when businesses can raise money on competitive financial markets."
The commission had ordered LSE to also sell its 60% stake in MTS, a fixed-income trading platform, but LSE said the move was "disproportionate".
Investors responded positively to the deal's collapse, with shares in LSE rising by more than 3% and in Deutsche Boerse by nearly 2%. | EU regulators have blocked London Stock Exchange's £21bn merger with German stock exchange Deutsche Boerse. | 39430799 |
The option is one of a number being considered by the Success Regime - a body set up to examine ways of improving health care in north Cumbria.
Local midwives are concerned that mothers facing unexpected problems would need a long and risky transfer.
The Success Regime said it was working to find the best long-term solution.
The body was set up by the government in response to concerns raised by watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Proposals to overhaul the service and save money include downgrading the maternity unit at West Cumberland Hospital, with "high risk" patients booked for delivery in Carlisle' Cumberland Infirmary.
However, there is concern that mothers perceived as low risk who then experience unforeseen difficulties during labour would face a journey of more than 40 miles (64km) on often congested roads.
A number of midwives have signed an open letter warning of the dangers.
Bernadette Bowness, who has been a local midwife for 36 years, said: "We're going to become a third world area because of our inaccessibility to a consultant-led unit."
"If ladies have to be transferred, mothers may die, babies may die.
"It babies have foetal distress, what with the transfer time they may end up brain damaged."
The Success Regime said a national shortage of paediatric staff had made the current situation untenable.
Its medical director, Dr Stephen Singleton, said: "Clearly it would not be ideal to be in distress at the back of an ambulance, but equally it would not be ideal to have a service fall over because we hadn't planned ahead for the future.
"In first world countries people have to travel a long way to have their babies as well."
A public consultation exercise is due to begin in September. | Midwives have warned that mothers and babies "may die" if consultant-led maternity care were to be removed from West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven. | 37037414 |
Top seed Djokovic, 28, eased into round three by beating Croatian Borna Coric 6-2 6-4 in an hour and 18 minutes.
The 20-year-old Kyrgios saw off his Swiss rival 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (6-2).
Last year, he was given a suspended 28-day ban and $25,000 (£17,250) fine after making lewd remarks about Wawrinka's girlfriend during a match.
World number one Djokovic, beaten by 55th-ranked Jiri Vesely last month, won 85% of points on his first serve against the 19-year-old Coric, who is nicknamed 'Mini Djokovic' because of his playing style.
The Serb plays 15th seed Roberto Bautista Agut on Thursday, while British second seed Andy Murray faces Frenchman Gilles Simon from 11:00 BST.
Never want to miss the latest tennis news? You can now add this sport and all the other sports and teams you follow to your personalised My Sport home. | Novak Djokovic returned from a surprise defeat in Monte Carlo to progress at the Madrid Open but fourth seed Stan Wawrinka lost to old foe Nick Kyrgios. | 36206727 |
23 January 2014 Last updated at 08:59 GMT
At first glance, they look like solid pieces made of plaster or stone... But when you pull them you see they're actually made of thousands of sheets of paper.
Chinese artist Li Hongbo starts by creating stacks of paper stuck together with glue. He then cuts, chisels and sands them into the shape that he wants.
Li said: "I discovered the flexible nature of paper through Chinese paper toys and paper lanterns." | Have a look at these amazing sculptures that can stretch like a slinky! | 25856006 |
There have been claims she had been bullying him because he was struggling with his steps.
Until now the pair had remained silent about reports Steve had apparently asked not to be left alone with Ola.
Steve said: "We have pretty much the same work ethic and attack everything with the same sort of vigour."
He added: "She is fierce, but in a way that we both want to achieve" and insisted "it's been going great".
Jordan's husband and former dancer on the show, James Jordan, tweeted his support for his wife and accused the BBC of trying to turn the public against her.
Ola said James can do whatever he wants and is "very vocal".
This all came about because of a story in a newspaper claiming someone close to the show had said: "Steve is a very bouncy personality, up for any challenge, but Ola's harsh treatment has flattened him and made him lose confidence.
"She was very rude and impatient when he found it difficult to master the shapes for last Saturday's Charleston" and "Steve resorted to asking other people to show him what he had to do".
The pair will take to the floor in Blackpool in one of the big shows of the series at the town's famous Tower Ballroom.
Co-host Claudia Winkleman will miss this weekend's spectacular so she can remain at her daughter's bedside as she recovers from burns.
Zoe Ball is expected to present the show for third consecutive week.
Strictly Come Dancing is on BBC1 Saturday night at 7pm. | Strictly's Ola Jordan and Steve Backshall have dismissed talk of problems in their partnership. | 30062890 |
There are about 37,000 people living with the virus - but campaigners say as many again are undiagnosed.
A meeting in Edinburgh on Tuesday will call on the NHS to alter its focus so Scotland can be free of the disease by 2030.
The Scottish government published a new policy on sexual health and blood borne virus treatment in 2016.
Scotland has a good record on tackling Hepatitis C, a disease affecting the liver, and often associated with drug injecting.
A greater proportion of those affected have been treated here than any other UK nation.
But the charity Waverley Care said Scotland also has the highest prevalence of the virus in the UK and 1,800 new cases are diagnosed each year, which meant a different approach should now be adopted.
It said an "informal inquiry" has been established into the eventual elimination of the disease, which chief executive Grant Sugden said was achievable as new treatment options mean Hepatitis C is now curable.
He said: "The NHS in Scotland is only treating the most severe cases at the moment.
"But we must work with those who have presented with the virus, but whose symptoms are not severe at the moment and crucially we must do more to diagnose those living with HCV, but who have not been diagnosed."
The Scottish government said it had long been at the forefront of addressing Hepatitis C and was committed to playing its part in helping achieve the World Health Organization's goal of eliminating the virus as a public health threat by 2030.
Ivan McKee, SNP MSP for Provan, who will chair the meeting in Edinburgh said: "To succeed, we need to support and encourage a flexible approach to help NHS Scotland and health boards to drive forward elimination by developing new models of care and improving access to screening, diagnosis and treatment.
"This will help to ensure Scotland's ongoing commitment to addressing HCV in a robust and sustainable way and support those with HCV to clear the virus and move on positively with their lives."
Waverley Care has launched a scheme focusing on prisoners - it is estimated that one in five of those in Scottish jails are living with HCV.
Operating at Scotland's largest prison, Barlinnie, it aims to support those released at the end of their sentence with services for housing, education and healthcare and help them access treatment for HCV.
Billy Davidson, Waverley Care's prison link worker at Barlinnie, said prisoners who were HCV positive could easily obtain treatment while serving their sentence.
But he added: "One of the biggest challenges is them falling out of the healthcare system once released.
"Often it's because they don't have support with practical issues, like finding somewhere to live or getting a job.
"By working with prisoners to plan for their release, we can make sure the right support is in place and help them to access the treatment that will allow them to clear their Hepatitis C." | A charity has called for greater efforts to eliminate Hepatitis C (HCV) from Scotland. | 40409800 |
The station includes 350 parking spaces, a waiting room, a staffed ticket office and longer platforms.
It was expected to open to passengers in November, but Network Rail admitted in April workers had faced problems.
The station is compatible with electrification of the line, which will facilitate more trains to and from Birmingham, Worcestershire County Council said.
Read more news for Herefordshire and Worcestershire
It stated longer platforms would allow additional rail services to stop at the new site, which was built about 320ft (100m) from the town's previous station.
Another station, Worcestershire Parkway, near junction 7 of the M5 for Worcester, is due to open next year.
The station, near Norton, will join the Cotswolds and Birmingham to Bristol lines.
The county council said the Bromsgrove and Worcestershire Parkway stations "are serving... different passengers".
A spokeswoman said: "Worcestershire Parkway will address the current chronic under-provision of parking spaces for mid- and south-Worcestershire passengers wishing to access trains to London or Cross Country services.
"Many of these passengers are currently driving to Birmingham International or Warwick Parkway."
The new Bromsgrove station was developed by the county council, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Network Rail, with construction contractor Buckingham Group.
It added the WMCA replaces Centro, the delivery arm of the former West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority, which jointly funded the Bromsgrove station in partnership with the council. | Bromsgrove's new £24m railway station has opened. | 36771848 |
Best won his 100th cap in a fiercely contested Dublin encounter as Ireland overcame the loss of a number of key players to emerge victorious.
"It's a win we are very, very proud of," said the Ireland captain.
"The manner in which we won against a very good Australian team - it shows the character we have in our squad."
Ireland led 17-0, but then lost Rob Kearney, Andrew Trimble and Jared Payne to injury before being pegged back and eventually overtaken by the resurgent Wallabies.
Joe Schmidt's side - already without Johnny Sexton, Robbie Henshaw and Sean O'Brien - were not derailed by their lengthening injury list.
Instead, they became the first European team since 2003 to beat all three leading southern hemisphere teams in one calendar year.
"To have a number of changes to the team and then having to make positional changes during the game makes it a win we are very, very happy with," Best said.
"You have to give credit to the Aussies, especially at the start of the second half. There just seemed to be wave after wave of gold and it took a lot of character to dig in.
"It's amazing. We get unbelievable support here and the Irish rugby fans are very, very special to me."
The Ulster hooker led his country out for the 11th time at the Aviva Stadium, receiving a standing ovation both then and again when he was replaced by Sean Cronin minutes before the final whistle.
He joins Brian O'Driscoll, Ronan O'Gara, Paul O'Connell and John Hayes in reaching the 100-cap milestone for Ireland.
"It's been a very emotionally touching time for me for me," he said. "To walk out there with my two eldest kids, to be able to savour that moment and look around, the ovation that I got, it's a very special moment for me, for my family and for Banbridge Rugby Club."
The Ireland captain is pleased with the progress his team has made in a year which began with an indifferent Six Nations campaign, but followed up with a first Test win in South Africa - although the series was lost 2-1 - and three victories from four November matches, including a first over New Zealand.
"We are building - we are reasonably happy with where we are, but we will keep building," said Best.
"England are setting a phenomenal pace at the minute and it's up to the rest of the Six Nations to catch up with them.
"We have a lot of young guys who have showed lots of guts and determination. There is a lot of fine tuning to do but that is for another day.
"There is lots of pride for me in the guys who came on. Kieran Marmion came on and played 40 minutes on the wing, while Joey Carbery slotted in very well at full-back." | Ireland's injury-ravaged side showed character and resilience to beat Australia 27-24 at the Aviva Stadium, captain Rory Best said. | 38120508 |
The attack in London Bridge and Borough Market killed seven and injured 48.
Mr Trump accused Mr Khan of downplaying the attack by telling Londoners there was "no reason to be alarmed".
Mr Khan's team said he had "more important things to do than respond to Mr Trump", who had "deliberately" taken his remarks "out of context".
"The Mayor is busy working with the police, emergency services and the government to co-ordinate the response to this horrific and cowardly terrorist attack and provide leadership and reassurance to Londoners and visitors to our city," Mr Khan's spokesperson added.
On Saturday night, following the attack, Mr Trump tweeted a message of support to the UK, but also sparked controversy after he called for his travel ban on visitors from six predominantly Muslim countries to be upheld by US courts.
On Sunday, he criticised Mr Khan, writing: "At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is 'no reason to be alarmed!'"
His tweet angered many in the UK, who pointed out Mr Khan had been referring to increased police numbers on the streets.
During an interview earlier on Sunday, Mr Khan had said: "Londoners will see an increased police presence today and over the course of the next few days. No reason to be alarmed."
Mr Khan had also said: "One of the things the police and all of us need to do is ensure that we're as safe as we possibly can be.
"I'm reassured that we are one of the safest global cities in the world, if not the safest global city in the world, but we always evolve and review ways to make sure we're as safe as we possibly can."
Following the attack, Mr Trump also tweeted that "we must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people", and that there was no gun debate after the attack "because they used knives and a truck".
Later on Sunday, Mr Trump visited the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia for the second time over the weekend.
Mr Trump and Mr Khan have clashed several times in the past.
During the US presidential campaign last year, Mr Trump first proposed the ban on Muslims entering the US, but suggested he could make an exception for Mr Khan, who is London's first Muslim mayor.
Mr Khan rejected the offer, saying: "It's not about me, it's about my friends, family and others from all around the world."
Mr Khan also accused Mr Trump of being "ignorant" about Islam and making both the US and UK "less safe".
Mr Trump responded by challenging Mr Khan to an IQ test, and said he was offended by Mr Khan, adding: "He doesn't know me, never met me... I will remember those statements." | The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has dismissed criticism from US President Donald Trump over his response to Saturday's terror attack. | 40152637 |
Official figures showed that the value of sales increased by 2.1% between July and September - slightly above the 2% growth recorded in Britain.
The volume of sales also rose by 2.1% north of the border, compared with 1.8% in Britain.
The amount of goods sold in Scotland was 4.9% up on the same period of 2015.
However, Britain as a whole achieved growth of 5.4% over the year.
It was a similar picture for the value of sales, which grew year-on-year in Scotland by 3.2%. Equivalent British growth was 3.7%.
The Scottish Retail Index figures were released by Scotland's chief statistician.
Euan Murray, of Barclays Corporate Banking in Scotland, said the third quarter of 2016 had been "a broadly positive period in the retail space with food and non-food categories both feeling the benefits".
He added: "Consumer confidence appeared to grow despite the result of the EU referendum, which it was feared would dampen spending.
"The supermarkets were the biggest winners over the quarter with sales volumes on the up.
"We will be watching the sector with interest as the inevitable post-Brexit price rises from retailers gradually trickle down to the consumer." | Scotland experienced slightly better retail sales growth than Great Britain as a whole in the three months after the Brexit vote. | 37775973 |
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Hamilton won his third championship with victory at Sunday's US Grand Prix to draw level with racing greats Sir Jackie Stewart and Ayrton Senna.
Mansell believes that fellow Briton Hamilton, 30, is "untouchable".
"Lewis is hot favourite for the 2016 and even the 2017 championship," Mansell told BBC Radio 5 live.
German driver Schumacher's record title haul included five back-to-back titles between 2000 and 2004.
Mansell believes the reliability of the Mercedes car is key to Hamilton emulating Schumacher.
Only once this season, in Singapore, has Hamilton been forced to retire from a race.
Mansell added: "In the present day, no one can touch Lewis. He deserves every accolade. There will be jealousy that he is in the best team.
"It is the start of even bigger and better things to come. I would say [to Hamilton]: Focus on Michael Schumacher's record.
"There is no reason why he cannot win more back-to-back titles. Schumacher has the most reliable car in F1 history, he won three world championships on reliability alone."
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Nico Rosberg was less than gushing in his post-race interview towards his Mercedes team-mate - even throwing a cap at him.
But other sporting champions were quick to pay more fulsome tributes, beginning with F1 drivers past and present... | Lewis Hamilton should target Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles, according to 1992 champion Nigel Mansell. | 34638209 |
The low-lying cloud is seemingly so transient and intangible, and unlike rivers and glaciers it leaves no easy-to-read impressions on the landscape.
And yet, a Santiago team has been able to trace the fog history of the Atacama Desert by studying Tillandsia plants.
Their chemistry suggests strongly that this local fog has increased over time.
It is a period covering the last 3,500 years.
"I don't think there's any other place in the world where I've actually seen a record of fog, even spanning the last hundred years," said Claudio Latorre Hidalgo from the Catholic University of Chile.
"What little we know about fog is from measurement instrumental data that we have, and from satellite data that only spans the last 20 years.
"So, this is actually a unique opportunity to study the evolution of a fog ecosystem over the Late Holocene, and what are the major drivers and controls of the mechanisms that produce that fog in the long term - the very long term."
The palaeoclimate expert was discussing his team's research here at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union - the world's largest annual gathering of Earth scientists.
The Atacama is famous for its super-arid conditions; there are places where it has not rained for years.
But life can eke out an existence if it can exploit the fog that rolls in off the Pacific. Tillandsia are a perfectly adapted opportunist.
These wiry, grey plants have no roots. They clutch weakly at sand dunes, but arrange themselves at every spatial scale to maximise their capture of the fog.
They derive everything they need from the damp air - not simply the must-have water, but also all the chemical nutrients required to underpin their biology.
Dr Latorre Hidalgo and colleagues have dug deep into the dunes to uncover a multi-millennia succession of Tillandsia; and they have described a pronounced trend: the younger the plants, the more of the lighter type, or isotope, of nitrogen atom that they have incorporated into their tissues.
Analysis of modern fog suggests this lighter nitrogen is favoured, and so the observed trend in the Tillandsia would strongly indicate the fogs of the Atacama have increased over time… with some complications.
"How the nitrogen gets into the fog is a much more complex question," said Dr Latorre Hidalgo.
"I suspect a lot of that nitrogen is of marine origin. There is a huge oxygen-minimum zone off the coast of northern Chile, where there is a lot of denitrification going on.
"So, there is a lot of molecular nitrogen going into the air and a lot of nitrous oxide as well.
"We know there is both ammonia and nitrate in the fog. So, you get both organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen."
Oxygen-minimum zones are mid-water regions in the ocean that are extremely low in oxygen abundance, in part because marine organisms are removing it very fast and also because the waters that move into the zone fail to replenish the oxygen as they themselves are depleted. This is usually cold, upwelling water. And, again, this fits the overall picture because cold coastal waters will produce more fog.
"Our monthly fog collector data shows there is a significant trend with the coastal sea-surface temperatures and the fog. So, when you get El Niño events (and local surface waters warm), this warm water dissipates the thermal inversion that's holding in the low-lying cloud and this dissipates the fog.
"We think that over the last three thousand years, the coastal waters have gotten much colder, much more productive and that's releasing nitrogen from this oxygen-minimum zone to fertilise the plants."
And it is more than just the Tillandsia that are benefiting.
The plants' success in trapping and using fog anchors a whole ecosystem that supports creatures as diverse as beetles, scorpions, spiders and even lizards.
[email protected] and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos | It is hard to imagine you could reconstruct a record of fog dating back thousands of years, but this is exactly what Chilean scientists have done. | 35065404 |
A team from the Georgia Institute of Technology found fire ants can use their antennae as "extra limbs" to catch themselves when they fall, and can build stable tunnels in loose sand.
Researchers used high speed cameras to record in detail this behaviour.
The findings are published in the journal PNAS.
Dr Nick Gravish, who led the research, designed "scientific grade ant farms" - allowing the ants to dig through sand trapped between two plates of glass, so every tunnel and every movement could be viewed and filmed.
"These ants would move at very high speeds," he explained, "and if you slowed down the motion, (you could see) it wasn't graceful movement - they have many slips and falls."
Crucially, the insects were able to gather themselves almost imperceptibly quickly after each fall.
To see how they managed this, the team set up a second experiment where, to move from their nest to their food source, the ants had to pass through a labyrinth of smooth glass tunnels.
"We could watch these glass tunnels and really see what all the body parts were doing when the ants were climbing and slipping and falling," said Dr Gravish.
The researchers were surprised to see that the ants would not just use their legs to catch themselves, but also engaged their antennae, essentially using these sensory "sniffing" appendages as extra limbs to support their weight.
Finally, the researchers wanted to look inside the hidden labyrinths that the ants constructed underground, so they put ants into containers full of sand or soil and allowed them to dig.
They then built a "homemade X-Ray CT scanner", just like a medical scanner, to take 3D snapshots of the tunnels that the ants dug in different types of soil.
"We found that ant groups all dug tunnels of the same diameter, [no matter what the] soil conditions were," said Dr Gravish.
"This suggested to us that fire ants are actively controlling their excavation to create tunnels of a fixed size."
Keeping their tunnels at approximately one body length in diameter seemed to ensure that the ants could catch themselves when they slipped and allowed the creatures to continue to dig.
Prof Dan Goldman, who was also involved in the study, explained that these remarkably successful insects were able to manipulate their environment - using it to control their movement.
His overall aim, he explained, was to distil "the principles by which ants and other animals manipulate complex environments" and bring them to bear in the design of search-and-rescue robotics.
"The state of the art search-and-rescue robotics is actually quite limited," he told the BBC.
"Lots of the materials in disaster sites - landslides, rubble piles - are loose materials, which you're going to potentially have to create structures out of.
"You might want, for example, to create a temporary structure for people buried down beneath."
Fire ants, he explained, could build stable tunnels in sand or soil with almost no moisture to bind it together, so learning from them might enable designers to build and programme robots that solve these same engineering problems. | A study showing how ants tunnel their way through confined spaces could aid the design of search-and-rescue robots, according to US scientists. | 22598821 |
Richard Carter said the new political party, standing in its first general election, wanted a "real voice" for Yorkshire.
The party, set up in 2014, stood in the last EU elections gaining 19,017 votes.
It intends to stand in 13 seats across Yorkshire in the election. Mr Carter is to contest Dewsbury, currently held by Conservative Simon Reevell.
The party would influence the outcome in certain "ultra-marginal" seats, said Mr Carter.
He said if local government reform only led to a "glorified county council there is no point" but the party wanted devolution "similar to Scotland and Wales" and to establish a parliament for Yorkshire.
"We absolutely do not want independence, we want a stronger United Kingdom that works for all parts and regions," he added.
He was speaking on BBC Look North as part of a series of interviews with party leaders.
Mr Carter qualified as a teacher at Leeds University before setting up his own business and was previously a member of the Labour Party. | The leader of Yorkshire First has called for "tried and tested, first-rate devolution" for the county. | 32146778 |
The Icelandic star had been trying to manage the polyp, which was discovered by doctors about four years ago, with diets and exercise.
The 47-year-old decided this year to undergo laser surgery, after being forced to cancel some performances of her Biophilia show in April.
"I have to say, in my case anyway: surgery rocks!" she wrote online.
"I stayed quiet for three weeks and then started singing and definitely feel like my cords are as good as pre-nodule," the singer continued.
"It's been very satisfying to sing all them clear notes again."
The performer, whose music career took off with pop group The Sugarcubes, opened her latest world tour in Manchester in July 2011.
In October last year she released Biophilia, a concept album about nature with songs inspired by such themes as DNA, tectonic plates and crystals
"I'm sorry I had to cancel stuff earlier in the year - didn't want to talk about this until I knew for sure if it would work," she wrote.
"So looking forward to singing for you in 2013."
Bjork joins a number of musicians who have had surgery on polyps - fleshy, non-cancerous growths that usually form on the vocal cords.
Last year Adele had minor surgery to remove a benign polyp, as did Australian country singer Keith Urban.
An operation to remove a small polyp from Dame Julie Andrews' vocal chords in the late 1990s caused serious damage to her voice.
The actress later took legal action against two doctors at New York's Mount Sinai hospital. | Singer Bjork has revealed she has had successful surgery to remove a polyp on her vocal cords. | 20459072 |
The Northern Irishman clocked 10.64 seconds as he finished 0.14 ahead of Namibia's Johannes Nambala.
Ireland athlete Smyth's gold came after the triumph by another Northern Irish competitor Bethany Firth who won a swimming gold for Britain on Thursday.
Eglinton man Smyth, 29, went into the 100m as a strong favourite.
However just as was the case in his heat, the world's fastest Paralympian had to work hard to hold off Namibian Nambala, who produced another personal best, with Australia's Chad Perris taking bronze in 10.83.
Visually-impaired Smyth earned doubles in Beijing and London but that will not be possible in Rio after the International Paralympic Committee opted to remove the T13 200m from the athletics programme.
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The Team Ireland athlete's winning time on Friday was 0.18 seconds outside the T13 world record he set when winning in London four years ago but he was still delighted with his latest triumph.
"It's been incredible," added the County Londonderry man.
"It's my third consecutive Paralympic Games and fifth gold medal. To be honest, it's a little bit like a fairytale.
"I keep wondering when this fairytale is going to end but thankfully it doesn't."
Smyth has been unbeaten throughout his Paralympic career which began when he achieved a double at the 2005 IPC European Championships in Finland.
The Irish athlete qualified for Friday's final by winning his heat in 10.76 seconds on Thursday as he finished 0.05 ahead of Nambala.
The 29-year-old Northern Irishman has gone as fast as 10.22 in able-bodied competition and showed good form earlier this summer when he came home in 10.39 in Florida.
As an eight year old, the world's fastest Paralympian was diagnosed with the genetic condition, Stargardt's Disease, which has left him with less than 10% of normal vision.
Later on Friday, Ireland clinched a second medal of the Games as Galway cyclist Eoghan Clifford clinched a bronze in the C3 individual pursuit.
Clifford, 36, finished more than a second ahead of Canadian Michael Sametz in the bronze-medal race off.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Irish sprint star Jason Smyth clinched his fifth Paralympic gold medal as he won a third straight T13 100m title in Rio. | 37317024 |
Acrylamide is created when starchy foods are roasted, grilled or fried for long periods at high temperatures.
The message is to cut back on browned and burnt toast, cook roast potatoes, chips and parsnips carefully - to a golden yellow colour - and eat fewer crisps, cakes and biscuits.
Are they trying to take all the fun out of life?
We try to put the latest dietary advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) into perspective.
Do not panic - you do not need to give up on the delicious Sunday roast staple just yet.
Crispy, brown roast potatoes which are traditionally cooked at very high temperatures do produce acrylamide, but the key is to try to cook them to the right colour.
"Go for gold" is what the FSA advises - that is a golden yellow colour, rather than brown.
And that applies to parsnips and all types of potato products too.
So if you are a roast potato fanatic you might want to rein in your obsession and cook them a little less often.
If you love them at Christmas and special occasions in-between, then try turning down the oven heat and taking the roast potatoes out before they start to turn excessively crispy and brown.
Well, during the browning process, when starchy foods are heated they do give off new flavours and aromas.
The bad news is that the same process also produces acrylamide, so there may have to be some trade-off between tastiness and the colour of your food.
When cooking packaged products, such as oven chips, follow the instructions carefully - they are designed to ensure you are not cooking starchy foods for too long or at too high a temperature.
Boiling, steaming or microwaving food is a much better and healthier option.
There is no need to worry about the occasional slightly overcooked piece of toast or other food.
Scraping off the dark brown bits of toast might help reduce acrylamide content a bit - and it certainly will not increase it.
But, in general, aim for a golden or lighter colour (see above).
Studies in animals found that the chemical causes tumours. This suggests that it also has the potential to cause cancer in humans.
The FSA has used that data and multiple dietary surveys to work out whether an average person's exposure to acrylamide in food is a concern.
Scientists believe that there should be a margin of exposure of 10,000 or higher between an average adult's intake of acrylamide and the lowest dose which could cause adverse effects.
But at the moment the numbers are 425 for the average adult and 50 for the highest consuming toddlers, making it a slight public health concern, UK and European food safety experts say.
However, Cambridge University risk expert Prof David Spiegelhalter is unconvinced by this very strict safety standard.
He says the margin of exposure figure is "arbitrary" and 33 times higher than the current margin for average adults in the UK, and he questions whether a public campaign should be launched on that basis.
Stopping smoking is the most important thing you can do to prevent cancer.
Keeping a healthy bodyweight and eating a balanced diet ranks second.
Our individual risk of cancer depends on a combination of genes, our environment and the lifestyle we lead, which we are able to control.
The amount of acrylamide in our diets is one small element of our food intake which we can control to help reduce our risk of cancer during the whole of our lives.
Research has shown that eating too much processed meat and red meat can increase the risk of developing cancer - that is a definite.
Cooking meat at high temperatures such as grilling or barbecuing can produce cancer-causing chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic amines (PCAs).
The FSA says the industry is doing its bit to find out how to reduce levels of acrylamide in food.
A toolkit and brochures have been produced for food manufacturers and food businesses, giving information and advice.
Evidence suggests the industry has been lowering levels of acrylamide in food over the past few years.
But there are currently no rules on the maximum limits for the chemical in food.
It is their job to make sure the food we eat is safe and to let the public know if they are concerned about any risk to our health.
This is not a new risk - people are likely to have been exposed to it since fire was first invented.
A Swedish study in 2002 was the first to reveal that high levels of acrylamide formed during the baking or frying of potato and cereal products.
And since then researchers have been trying to make sure the risks from the chemical are kept to a minimum.
Infants and toddlers are more at risk of exposure because of their smaller body weight, and their high intake of cereal-based foods.
Basically, the advice is another reason to eat a healthy, balanced diet - and make sure your children do too. | Advice on how to reduce the amount of acrylamide in our diets has been issued by the government's food safety body, because the chemical could cause cancer. | 38691915 |
The embattled electronics firm posted a loss of $8.8bn (£6.7bn) for the last fiscal year.
Auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata gave a "qualified opinion" on the financial statements, meaning it broadly endorsed the results.
Toshiba has struggled to recover from a 2015 accounting scandal.
The firm's troubles started in 2015 when it was found to have inflated the previous seven years' profits by $1.2bn.
The accounting scandal led to the resignation of several members of the firm's senior management, including the chief executive.
In late 2016, billions of dollars in losses at its US nuclear unit Westinghouse were first revealed. Toshiba, looking to diversify away from consumer electronics, had bought the business in 2006.
Its financial troubles deepened after delays and costs overruns at two US reactors, and as global appetite for nuclear energy waned following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.
Westinghouse was put into Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which protects it from creditors while it undergoes restructuring.
Toshiba had delayed the release of its financial results for months, as it struggled to secure sign-off from its auditors.
PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata on Thursday delivered a "qualified opinion" on the earnings for the year to March, as well as the April-June quarter.
That means it broadly vouched for its accounting despite finding minor problems.
The auditor's sign-off reduces the immediate threat of Toshiba being delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The company was demoted from the first tier of the exchange in June after confirming its liabilities outweighed its assets.
If Toshiba reports negative net worth - liabilities exceeding assets - for a second consecutive year it would likely prompt a delisting.
It's up to the Tokyo Stock Exchange to decide whether it can remain on the bourse.
Toshiba has narrowly escaped de-listing - for now at least. But the troubled firm's problems are far from over.
While auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers Aarata have broadly endorsed the results, there are reports that PwC also issued an "adverse opinion" on Toshiba saying the company didn't do enough to alert investors about the losses at its US Westinghouse unit soon enough. Toshiba says that it reported the losses as soon as it could.
But the risk hasn't gone away. Another deadline still looms - the company has until March 2018 to resolve its debt issues.
Analysts say it's hard to see how the beleaguered electronics giant won't face delisting soon - simply because trust in the firm's ability to resurrect itself is at an all time-low and the company hasn't done much to infuse investors with confidence.
The company needs to sell its prized chip business to cover its hefty US losses. But the sale has hit hurdles.
Toshiba is trying to offload the unit to a consortium of US, South Korean and Japanese investors. The sale has been challenged by Toshiba's partner and rival bidder, Western Digital, in court.
Toshiba is the world's second-largest chip manufacturer. Its products are used in data centres and consumer goods worldwide, including iPhones and iPads. | Toshiba has met a deadline to report its long-awaited earnings results, reducing the risk that the firm will be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. | 40873088 |
Mondelez International, which makes the treat, has made the gap between the bar's famous chocolate mountain peaks slightly bigger.
This is to reduce the weight of the bar overall.
The company said that it either had to make the bar smaller or make the price higher, and it decided to change the shape.
There has been a mixed reaction to this decision.
Some think Mondelez should have made the chocolate bar shorter so the pieces would stay the same shape. Some think the price should have been increased and the length kept the same. Others think the company has done the right thing.
It's not the first time snacks have hit the headlines. Let's take a look at some other times sweet treats have left a sour taste in people's mouths!
Sometimes, it's not the shape of a snack that companies change, but the recipe instead.
Mars products were given a shake-up back in 2010 when the company decided reduce the amount of saturated fat in its sweet treats, including Mars and Snickers bars.
Many people said the new chocolate bars didn't taste as nice. However, given that they were healthier than the previous versions, there has been no move to switch back to the old recipe.
The favourite Easter treat caused a stir back in 2015 when it was announced the shell of the egg would no longer be made from Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate.
A new chocolate was chosen that contained less cocoa. At first many people didn't like the change, saying it didn't taste as good, but so far, the change has stuck!
Jaffa cakes have had people talking for a whole different reason. Are they biscuits or are they cakes?!
After the snack appeared as a challenge in Cake Week on the most recent series of the Great British Bake Off, many viewers started arguing all over again about what they really were. But there is actually a serious reason that this matters - and it's all to do with tax.
The UK rules say that customers don't have to pay tax on products like bread, cakes, flapjacks and Jaffa Cakes. However, they do have to pay tax on certain kinds of biscuit and cereal bars.
So, we don't pay tax on Jaffa cakes at the moment. But if the people who argue that Jaffa cakes are biscuits are correct, then maybe we should!
Like with the Toblerone, back in 2012 it was decided that the Dairy Milk bar would be given a new look.
The edges of the chocolate bar were made smoother, which many people were not happy about at all - not least because it made the snack slightly smaller.
The famous chocolate bar had been the same shape ever since it first appeared on shop shelves in 1905! So far, the Dairy Milk has kept its new curves.
Not so much a scandal but more something that might make your stomach turn! Yes, you heard that flavour correctly.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, crisp makers started to experiment much more with weird and wacky flavours of crisps.
One manufacturer decided to make hedgehog-flavoured crisps, which did not go down well with animal lovers.
However, it turned out they were actually made from 'hedgerow' herbs - referring to 'hedge' in the name - and pork fat - which is the 'hog' part. So far, they haven't made a comeback!
Sometimes the scandal isn't that there's been a change - but that a company has stopped making a snack altogether!
This has happened with several products over the years, with many sweets and treats no longer appearing on shop shelves - usually because they didn't prove popular enough.
Cadbury's stopped making Wispas back in 2003 after sales fell in the 1990s. But then brought them back for a short period in 2007.
However, the public put so much pressure on Cadbury's to bring the chocolate bar back permanently that it did!
Cadbury spokesperson Tony Bilsborough said: "We brought it back temporarily to see if the desire was genuine, but fans are still rallying so we took the decision to bring it back for good."
Of course these aren't the only examples of snacks and treats that have got people talking after changing shape, recipes, price and availability over the years.
With costs of ingredients and people's tastes changing, many companies have had to tweak their products and will no doubt continue to do so.
But there are always going to be people who aren't happy about it! | Toblerone bars are changing shape and some fans aren't very happy about it! | 37907167 |
Speaking at the launch of the EFL's Every Player Counts initiative, Mills said the sport must resist becoming "set in its ways".
More than £1m from the Wembley National Stadium Trust will be shared by 25 EFL clubs to increase opportunities and get 10,000 more disabled people involved.
"Football is huge for everybody. It brings people together," said Mills.
"People are still a bit scared of disability. Anyone who is a bit different, we fear. We've got to create safe environments and encourage people to get involved. It's hugely rewarding."
The donation is the Wembley National Stadium Trust's largest single donation and its first England-wide grants programme. | Football must do more to embrace disabled players and supporters, says former England defender Danny Mills. | 38073298 |
Reading Borough Council said it would build 28 prefabricated flats for those who need urgent housing because they cannot afford private rents.
Currently 130 households in the town are staying in bed and breakfasts.
Between 2015 and 2016, the council spent £1.37m on housing families in bed and breakfasts.
Legally councils can only house families in temporary accommodation for a maximum of six weeks.
The flats will be built on a former mobile home park site in Lowfield Road, Caversham.
The council has said the stock of affordable housing in Reading has reduced because of high land prices and rents, as well as Right to Buy sales.
The 28 homes are intended to house families while the council tries to house them in authority-owned accommodation.
Councillor Richard Davies said: "Living in bed and breakfast accommodation for any length of time for those families is a pretty horrible experience.
"They're often in one room, overcrowded and don't have cooking facilities." | Plans for new temporary accommodation in Reading for homeless families to use in emergencies have been announced. | 36389202 |
Several sites and apps allow users to turn Spotify songs, YouTube videos and other streaming content into permanent files to store on phones and computers.
Record labels claim that "tens, or even hundreds of millions of tracks are illegally copied and distributed by stream-ripping services each month".
One service alone is thought to have more than 60 million monthly users.
According to research by the Intellectual Property Office and PRS For Music, 15% of adults in the UK regularly use these services, with 33% of them coming from the 16-24 age bracket.
Overall usage of stream-ripping sites increased by 141.3% between 2014 and 2016, overshadowing all other illegal music services.
In September last year, these sites were used 498,681 times to pirate music in the UK. By comparison, file-sharing service BitTorrent was used 23,567 times; and Cyberlocker sites like Dropbox and Rapidshare were accessed 104,898 times.
"As soon as we think we've come up with an innovative solution [to piracy], the pirates seem to come up with an even more innovative infringement tactic," said Pippa Hall, Chief Economist at the IPO.
Reasons given for stream-ripping included:
A quarter of the people who use stream-ripping believed the sites had the necessary rights and permissions to allow them to download and rip content; and one in five said they felt they were not doing anything illegal.
Only 56% per cent of consumers said they felt confident in identifying illegal content online, the IPO said.
Robert Ashcroft, chief executive of PRS for Music, said: "We hope that this research will provide the basis for a renewed and refocused commitment to tackling online copyright infringement.
"The long-term health of the UK's cultural and creative sectors is in everyone's best interests, including those of the digital service providers, and a co-ordinated industry and government approach to tackling stream-ripping is essential."
There was some good news for the music industry in the IPO's research, however.
It found that the average consumer spent £75 on music last year, up from £68 in 2016.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]. | Stream-ripping is now the fastest-growing form of music piracy in the UK, new research has suggested. | 40519137 |
He was acquitted of tax evasion in an Italian court last week and is waiting to hear if his disqualification by the Football League will now be quashed.
Cellino told the Times: "It's better to walk out, not because I'm dishonest but because I'm tired and hurt and lonely.
"If I could turn back time and you ask whether I would come to this club, I would say never."
The Football League said on Thursday that his ban, which was deferred, would no longer apply once they saw the court's written judgment confirming his acquittal.
Cellino, who took over at Elland Road in April 2014, agreed to sell the club to Leeds Fans United earlier in the season before calling off the deal.
It was revealed earlier this week that his son Ercole had left the club's board, while his other son Edoardo was suspended in April from all football activities for three games and fined £5,000 for or using abusive and/or insulting and/or improper language on social media.
The former Cagliari owner now says he will sell the club if he gets the right offer.
"If somebody doesn't come in then I have no choice but to run it," he said. "A lot of people have called me, but they are just fishing. I don't see the money."
Cellino has been the focus of a number of protest from fans and says he feels unsafe as a result.
"I'm scared to take a train in case someone comes up to me. My family don't come to Leeds anymore because they are scared," he added.
Leeds finished 13th in the Championship this season. | Leeds United chairman Massimo Cellino would like to leave the club and wishes he had never come to Elland Road. | 36285825 |
Webbe will be arriving in Shieldinch this autumn, among other new faces that are set to join the weekly drama.
The BBC said Webbe had filmed his first River City scenes this week as the new character Andy - a former army man and friend of the Roth family.
Blue is an English R&B group that formed in 2000, releasing their first hit All Rise in May 2001.
Other new actors joining BBC Scotland's flagship drama soon are Rebecca Atkinson (Shameless), Alana Hood (Bridget Jones's Baby, Field Of Blood, Lip Service), Juliet Cadzow (Balamory, Skins) and TV newcomers Louise McMenemy and Libby Dye.
Webbe's first episodes will air in November.
He said: "It's an amazing feeling getting a role on River City. Getting into acting and being taken seriously is something that I've always wanted to do.
"Going from being a TV extra into being in a boy band, it's an absolute dream come true. River City is full of feisty characters and I can't wait to get my teeth into Andy's storylines."
It is the first time Webbe, who is from Manchester, has acted in Scotland, but the singer-songwriter has toured with Blue and Strictly Come Dancing.
He added: "My experience has always been, the further north you go, the louder the fans get - and that's the vibe I always get in Scotland.
"People recognise you in the street and are always welcoming. I can't wait to get started on River City."
The executive producer of River City, Kieran Hannigan, said: "We're delighted to welcome our new cast members to the River City family. I'm sure Simon will be a huge hit with our fans and will turn heads as Andy when he hits the screen in November.
"Rebecca Atkinson is a fantastic addition to the cast and her character, Belinda, will send sinister shockwaves through the Murdoch clan.
"And we are really thrilled to bring on board some brilliant Scottish actors in Alana Hood, Juliet Cadzow and Louise McMenemy."
River City is on BBC One Scotland every Tuesday at 20:00. | Singer and actor Simon Webbe, from the boy band Blue, is joining River City, BBC Scotland has confirmed. | 37372053 |
Market researcher Kantar Worldpanel found Britain's grocery market grew by 3.7% in the 12 weeks to 23 April.
The results were boosted by a late start to the Easter holiday this year.
Shoppers spent £325m on Easter eggs alone, increasing the average price they paid for an egg by 8.6% to £1.65, Kantar said.
They also bought 20 million packets of hot cross buns in one week.
Tesco returned to growth, with sales up 1.9% to £7.26bn over the quarter, although its market share fell to 27.5% from 28%.
Sainsbury's sales rose 1.7% to £4.25bn, the biggest increase since June 2014, although its market share fell to 16.1% from 16.5%. On Wednesday, the retailer posted an 8.2% fall in profits and warned about rising costs.
Despite these positive quarterly sales figures, the supermarket has warned of "challenging" trading and ongoing price pressures, posting an 8.2% fall in annual profits.
Asda saw its market share fall to 15.6% from 16%, even though sales rose 0.8% to £4.1bn, its first year-on-year sales increase since October 2014.
Sainsbury's warns of rising costs
M&S to finally offer online food delivery
UK shoppers 'biggest online spenders'
Out of the big four, Morrisons was the fastest growing supermarket, helped by its The Best line attracting more affluent shoppers.
Sales went up 2.2% to £2.76bn although its market share fell 0.2% to 10.4%.
Waitrose's market share was unchanged at 5.2% while sales climbed 3.1% to £1.36bn.
Iceland, Aldi and Lidl all saw sales rise by 9.3%, 18.3% and 17.8%, with Aldi and Lidl achieving new record high market shares of 6.9% and 5% respectively.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said: "All 10 major retailers are in growth for the first time in three-and-a-half years, when we last saw like-for-like grocery inflation as high as it is now.
"While prices do look set to rise further, the current inflation rate of 2.6% is still below the average level experienced by shoppers between 2010 and 2014."
Separate figures from Nielsen also show supermarkets enjoyed their best sales this year, even without the effect of a late Easter.
Mike Watkins, Nielsen's UK head of retailer and business insight, said: "As long as real incomes don't come under too much pressure and employment remains high, shoppers will begin to adapt to moderately rising grocery prices, albeit this could be by modifying how much they spend in other retail channels." | Supermarket sales rose at their fastest rate since September 2013, driven by food shopping at Easter and higher inflation, according to industry data. | 39789699 |
Roy Thomas, the chairman of Kidney Wales Foundation (KWF), said these groups are three times more likely to need a transplant compared to the rest of the population.
But he said fewer than 2% have signed-up to the NHS Organ Donation Register.
It comes as a donor expert accused the Welsh government of misleading the assembly over its organ donation bill.
John Fabre, professor of clinical sciences at King's College London, said the policy was misinterpreted based on information from Spain's system.
Prof Fabre, the author of several papers on international systems of organ donation, claimed Spain's high donation rate was as a result of the available facilities and coordination in the Spanish health service, not the result of legislation.
The Human Transplantation Bill, which could become law by 2015, would mean adults living in Wales would have to "opt-out" of the organ donation system if they did not want to donate after death.
Currently, people have to actively "opt-in" to become a donor.
But KWF used the example of Belgium, where only 2% of the population opted-out of a presumed consent system and said it proved a "great success" with donor rates increasing by 55% in the first five years.
In evidence to the assembly's health and social care committee, Mr Thomas said a change in the law was a "key component" to a change in organ donation.
He added: "It is, however, key that the proposed legislation is implemented with the goodwill of the people of Wales.
"A transplant law provides only a legal environment which can influence the extent to which potential donors can be used.
"The law in proper practice will be essential."
Mr Thomas told the committee: "We have been campaigning for the change in the law over many years and we have a determination to see the successful implementation of the law because of the clear effect it will have in changing the cultural approach in Wales and the UK on organ donation."
A Welsh government spokesman said the Spanish government's website "points to the adoption of appropriate legislation as one element of the success of their model for organ donation". | More black, Asian and ethnic minority lives will be saved under an "opt-out" organ donation system, a charity says. | 21497147 |
Gylfi Sigurdsson scored from close range with 16 minutes left to give Paul Clement his first win as Swans boss and the club their first away league victory over the Reds.
Roberto Firmino had struck twice to draw the hosts level after Fernando Llorente's two goals in four minutes after the break.
The defeat leaves Liverpool seven points behind leaders Chelsea, who now have a game in hand, at home against Hull on Sunday.
The Tigers are one of three teams, along with Sunderland and Crystal Palace, leapfrogged by Swansea, who move up to 17th after only their second win in eight league games.
In the wake of last weekend's demoralising 4-0 defeat by Arsenal, Clement said Swansea would be "naive" to ignore the possibility of Premier League relegation this season.
On the evidence of their performance at Anfield, it would be equally naive of anyone to write them off.
In the space of seven days they have gone from a side who collapsed at the first setback to one capable of rallying under extreme pressure.
Their first-half defensive display - which saw them restrict Liverpool to a couple of half-chances - belied their status as the club with the division's most porous defence.
Their second-half performance was clinical, epitomised by Llorente's two strikes - a close-range finish following Federico Fernandez's header from a corner, followed by a header from Tom Carroll's cross - and Sigurdsson's decisive, well-placed finish. These were their only three efforts on target.
It was also gutsy. They had to dig very deep against a side who, before Saturday, were unbeaten in the league in over a year at home and who had scored 26 goals in their previous nine league games.
In the programme for this match, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp described October's encounter with Swansea in Wales - a 2-1 win sealed by a late James Milner penalty - as "one of the toughest we have had all season."
The German may feel the need to revise that after Saturday's game.
Despite having Philippe Coutinho back in the side - and ending the game with Divock Origi and Daniel Sturridge on the pitch - the Reds were short of attacking invention and strength in the absence of Sadio Mane, who is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.
Their failure to move the ball quickly enough in the first half meant they did not properly test Swansea's packed defence.
And while Firmino scored his first goals in six games - the first a header from Milner's cross, the second a fierce finish after he had chested down Georginio Wijnaldum's delivery - a total of five shots on target and an Adam Lallana deflected effort against the bar is scant product from nearly 75% possession.
With this result coming after successive away draws at Sunderland and Manchester United, the Reds are in danger of allowing a title challenge to slip away before February has even begun.
Their next game, at home to the league leaders, is now surely a must win.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "It's hard to accept. In the first half we created four or five chances which we didn't take.
"The start of the second half we were poor and then we played brilliantly and scored two. Then we were a bit passive and one player was alone in our box, which is completely senseless.
"The most disappointing moment was the third goal and I can't explain it as we had so many chances to challenge.
"It's really difficult to accept at this moment. It is fair Swansea won, no - but was it deserved, yes."
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Swansea manager Paul Clement: "We frustrated Liverpool and defended really well. We showed great togetherness and it was a massive team effort.
"At half-time I told the players we would get at least one chance, but to get three was unbelievable.
"It's very important for the confidence of the side that we can come to a big team and get a result. We need to work hard on the training pitch and make sure we get another result in 10 days' time."
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Liverpool will attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Southampton in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg on Wednesday (kick-off 20:00 GMT). The Reds then welcome Wolves to Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round on 28 January (12:30), before another home game - the big one in the Premier League against Chelsea - at 20:00 on 31 January.
Swansea's involvement in the FA Cup ended in the last round so their next game is at home against Southampton in the Premier League on 31 January (19:45).
Match ends, Liverpool 2, Swansea City 3.
Second Half ends, Liverpool 2, Swansea City 3.
Substitution, Liverpool. Joel Matip replaces Georginio Wijnaldum.
Substitution, Swansea City. Jay Fulton replaces Leroy Fer because of an injury.
Offside, Liverpool. Dejan Lovren tries a through ball, but Divock Origi is caught offside.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Leroy Fer (Swansea City) because of an injury.
Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Tom Carroll (Swansea City).
Leroy Fer (Swansea City) is shown the yellow card.
Leroy Fer (Swansea City) has gone down, but that's a dive.
Attempt blocked. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Divock Origi with a headed pass.
Attempt missed. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right from a direct free kick.
Foul by Jordan Henderson (Liverpool).
Leroy Fer (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Adam Lallana (Liverpool) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Daniel Sturridge.
Substitution, Swansea City. Borja Bastón replaces Fernando Llorente.
Foul by Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool).
Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Lukasz Fabianski.
Attempt saved. Dejan Lovren (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by James Milner.
Substitution, Swansea City. Angel Rangel replaces Martin Olsson.
Attempt saved. Divock Origi (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Dejan Lovren with a headed pass.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Alfie Mawson.
Attempt blocked. Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Goal! Liverpool 2, Swansea City 3. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea City) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.
Attempt blocked. James Milner (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Dejan Lovren.
Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Wayne Routledge (Swansea City).
Substitution, Liverpool. Divock Origi replaces Emre Can.
Goal! Liverpool 2, Swansea City 2. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Georginio Wijnaldum with a cross.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Kyle Naughton.
Foul by Emre Can (Liverpool).
Jack Cork (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Alfie Mawson (Swansea City) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Gylfi Sigurdsson with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Swansea City. Conceded by James Milner.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Fernando Llorente (Swansea City) because of an injury. | Swansea lifted themselves off the bottom of the Premier League table and dealt a huge blow to Liverpool's title hopes with a thrilling win at Anfield. | 38620045 |
The most expensive incoming transfer was Southampton's £14m signing of Italy striker Manolo Gabbiadini from Napoli, while Crystal Palace agreed a loan deal for Liverpool and France defender Mamadou Sakho very late on.
Elsewhere, Burnley broke their transfer record to sign Republic of Ireland winger Robbie Brady from Norwich, while Odion Ighalo was the major exit, joining Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai for £20m from Watford.
See below for a full list of the deadline-day deals and see every Premier League move on the transfer wall here.
Signings announced in December, some of which only went through once the window opened, can be found here.
For all the latest rumours check out the gossip page and, for all the manager ins and outs, see our list of current bosses.
01:06: Mamadou Sakho [Liverpool - Crystal Palace] Loan
00:34: Kamil Grosicki [Rennes - Hull] Undisclosed
00:09: Ross McCormack [Aston Villa - Nottingham Forest] Loan
00:05: Jack Byrne [Manchester City - Wigan] Undisclosed
23:58: Zach Clough [Bolton - Nottingham Forest] Undisclosed
23:57: Tope Obadeyi [Dundee United - Oldham] Loan
23:49: Josh Clackstone [Hull - Notts County] Loan
23:49: Omar Bogle [Grimsby - Wigan] Undisclosed
23:30: Mark Kitching [Middlesbrough - Rochdale] Undisclosed
23:30: Leonardo Fasan [Celtic - Port Vale] Loan
23:30: Danny Pugh [Blackpool - Port Vale] Loan
23:30: Louis Rooney [Plymouth - Hartlepool] Loan
23:30: Michael Kightly [Burnley - Burton] Loan
23:30: Scott Hogan [Brentford - Aston Villa] £12m
23:20: Theo Robinson [Lincoln - Southend] Undisclosed
23:13: Michael Folivi [Watford - Coventry] Loan
23:07: Tin Plavotic [Bristol City - Cheltenham] Loan
23:00: Marc Wilson [Bournemouth - West Brom] Loan
23:00: Calum Dyson [Everton - Grimsby] Loan
23:00: Yanic Wildschut [Wigan - Norwich] Undisclosed
22:47: Matthew Kennedy [Cardiff - Plymouth] Loan
22:45: Owain Jones [Swansea - Yeovil] Loan
22:45: Krystian Bielik [Arsenal - Birmingham] Loan
22:38: Jorge Grant [Nottingham Forest - Notts County] Loan
22:35: Stuart O'Keefe [Cardiff - MK Dons] Loan
22:30: Matt Macey [Arsenal - Luton] Loan
22:30: Sam Jones [Gateshead - Grimsby] Undisclosed
22:30: Marc Bola [Arsenal - Notts County] Loan
22:30: Ryan Yates [Nottingham Forest - Shrewsbury] Loan
22:30: David Cotterill [Birmingham - Bristol City] Loan
22:30: Ben Marshall [Blackburn - Wolves] Undisclosed
22:29: Jesse Starkey [Brighton - Swindon] Undisclosed
22:14: Alfred N'Diaye [Villarreal - Hull] Loan
22:09: Emyr Huws [Cardiff - Ipswich] Loan
22:08: Sylvain Deslandes [Wolves - Bury] Loan
22:02: Molla Wague [Udinese - Leicester] Loan
22:01: Manolo Gabbiadini [Napoli - Southampton] £14m
22:00: Ryan Hedges [Swansea - Barnsley] Undisclosed
22:00: Harry Cornick [Bournemouth - Gillingham] Loan
22:00: Joe Quigley [Bournemouth - Gillingham] Loan
21:58: Jordan Green [Bournemouth - Leyton Orient] Loan
21:55: Lewis Grabban [Bournemouth - Reading] Loan
21:54: Luka Milivojevic [Olympiakos - Crystal Palace] Undisclosed
21:40: Jordan Ayew [Aston Villa - Swansea] Undisclosed
21:40: Neil Taylor [Swansea - Aston Villa] Undisclosed
21:40: Aaron Simpson [Wolves - Portsmouth] Loan
21:33: Ravel Morrison [Lazio - QPR] Loan
21:29: Conor McAleny [Everton - Oxford] Loan
21:24: Josh Laurent [Hartlepool - Wigan] Undisclosed
21:15: Michael Smith [Portsmouth - Northampton] Loan
21:00: Tim Krul [Newcastle - AZ Alkmaar] Loan
20:43: Modou Barrow [Swansea - Leeds] Loan
20:39: Kevin Toner [Aston Villa - Bradford] Loan
20:37: Tom Beadling [Sunderland - Bury] Loan
20:33: Robbie Brady [Norwich City - Burnley] Undisclosed
20:30: Alfie Potter [Northampton - Mansfield] Free
20:20: Callum Cooke [Middlesbrough - Crewe] Loan
20:14: Mitchell Dijks [Ajax - Norwich] Loan
20:08: Gabriel Obertan [Unattached - Wigan]
20:00: Dominic Samuel [Reading - Ipswich] Loan
19:59: Jamie Proctor [Bolton - Carlisle] Loan
19:59: Chris Taylor [Bolton - Oldham] Loan
19:54: Anthony Grant [Port Vale - Peterborough] Undisclosed
19:48: Charlie Wyke [Carlisle - Bradford] Undisclosed
19:46: Gohi Cyriac [KV Oostende - Fulham] Loan
19:35: Pawel Wszolek [Hellas Verona - QPR] Undisclosed
19:34: Viv Solomon-Otabor [Birmingham - Bolton] Loan
19:29: Jonny Margetts [Scunthorpe - Crewe] Loan
19:11: Odion Ighalo [Watford - Changchun Yatai] £20m
19:05: Andrew Nelson [Sunderland - Hartlepool] Loan
19:00 Jason Banton [Crawley Town - Partick Thistle] Loan
19:00: David Faupala [Manchester City - Chesterfield] Loan
19:00: Liam Grimshaw [Preston - Chesterfield] Loan
19:00: Sergi Canos [Norwich - Brentford] Undisclosed
18:35: Matthew Penney [Sheffield Wednesday - Bradford] Loan
18:35: Jacob Hanson [Huddersfield - Bradford] Loan
18:15: Mikael Mandron [Eastleigh - Wigan] Undisclosed
18:15: Reece Oxford [West Ham - Reading] Loan
18:00: Tahvon Campbell [West Brom - Notts County] Loan
18:00: Eoin Doyle [Preston - Portsmouth] Loan
18:00: Adam Le Fondre [Wigan - Bolton] Loan
17:45: Neil Danns [Bury - Blackpool] Loan
17:33: Marc Klok [Oldham - Dundee] Free
17:30: Liam O'Neil [Chesterfield - Cambridge] Undisclosed
17:30: Carlton Morris [Norwich - Rotherham] Loan
17:30: Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro [Barnet - Yeovil] Loan
17:29: Rohan Ince [Brighton - Swindon] Loan
17:23: Michael Duckworth [Fleetwood - Morecambe] Loan
17:17: Conor Sammon [Hearts - Kilmarnock] Loan
17:01: Stephy Mavididi [Arsenal - Charlton] Loan
17:00: George Waring [Stoke - Carlisle] Loan
16:47: Ashley Westwood [Aston Villa - Burnley] Undisclosed
16:46: Henrik Ojamaa [Go Ahead Eagles - Dundee] Loan
16:34: James Weir [Hull - Wigan] Loan
16:32: Alex Bruce [Hull - Wigan] Loan
16:30: Jerome Sinclair [Watford - Birmingham] Loan
16:05: Kaylen Hinds [Arsenal - Stevenage] Loan
16:02: Rhys Murphy [Forest Green - Crawley] Loan
16:00: Alfonso Pedraza [Villarreal - Leeds] Loan
16:00: Matty Taylor [Bristol Rovers - Bristol City] Undisclosed
16:00: Nicky Ajose [Charlton - Swindon] Loan
15:49: Jacob Bedeau [Bury - Aston Villa] Undisclosed
15:45: Sean Murray [Swindon - Colchester] Free
15:31: Raul Correia [Radcliffe - Blackpool] Undisclosed
15:31: Tom Soares [Bury - AFC Wimbledon] Undisclosed
15:30: Ollie Palmer [Leyton Orient - Luton] Loan
15:15: Rowan Liburd [Stevenage - Leyton Orient] Loan
15:00: Stuart Moore [Reading - Luton] Loan
15:00: Kabongo Tshimanga [MK Dons - Yeovil] Loan
14:30: Jordon Mutch [Crystal Palace - Reading] Loan
14:29: Jack King [Scunthorpe - Stevenage] Free
14:10: Matt Smith [Fulham - QPR] Undisclosed
14:00: Mouez Hassen [Nice - Southampton] Loan
14:00: Glenn Murray [Bournemouth - Brighton] Undisclosed
13:30: Will Randall [Wolves - Walsall] Loan
13:16: Eggert Jonsson [Fleetwood - Soenderjyske] Undisclosed
13:06: Ulrich Nnomo [Leyton Orient - Paris FC] Loan
13:00: Dean Brill [Motherwell - Colchester] Free
13:00: Billy Mckay [Wigan - Inverness] Loan
12:46: Callum Elder [Leicester - Barnsley] Loan
12:32: Alex MacDonald [Oxford - Mansfield] Free
11:27: Craig Mackail-Smith [Luton - Peterborough] Loan
11:19: Andrea Ranocchia [Inter Milan - Hull] Loan
11:16: Matt Gilks [Rangers - Wigan] Undisclosed
11:00: Osman Kakay [QPR - Chesterfield] Loan
10:40: Arnel Jakupovic [Middlesbrough - Empoli] Undisclosed
10:31: Jordi Gomez [Wigan - Rayo Vallecano] Undisclosed
10:30: Reece Brown [Birmingham - Chesterfield] Loan
10:00: Axel Prohouly [QPR - Port Vale] Loan
09:45: Modou Sougou [Sheffield Wednesday - Moreirense] Loan
09:30: Emmanuel Adebayor [Unattached - Istanbul Basaksehir]
08:10: Marvin Emnes [Swansea - Blackburn] Loan
Premier League
Darron Gibson [Everton - Sunderland] Undisclosed
Bryan Oviedo [Everton - Sunderland] Undisclosed
English Football League
Semi Ajayi [Cardiff - Rotherham] Loan
Chuba Akpom [Arsenal - Brighton] Loan
Tyias Browning [Everton - Preston] Loan
Helder Costa [Benfica - Wolves] £13m
Liam Davis [Unattached - Cheltenham]
Jordan Flores [Wigan - Blackpool] Loan
Luke Freeman [Bristol City - QPR] Undisclosed
Alex Jakubiak [Watford - Wycombe] Loan
Lucas Joao [Sheffield Wednesday - Blackburn] Loan
Chris Long [Burnley - Bolton] Loan
Joe Murphy [Huddersfield - Bury] Loan
Maecky Ngombo [Fortuna Dusseldorf - MK Dons] Loan
John O'Sullivan [Blackburn - Carlisle] Free
Stefan Payne [Barnsley - Shrewsbury] Loan
Adrian Popa [Steaua Bucharest - Reading] Undisclosed
Ben Purrington [Plymouth - Rotherham] Undisclosed
Rekeil Pyke [Huddersfield - Colchester] Loan
Olamide Shodipo [QPR - Port Vale] Loan
Ryan Taylor [Oxford - Plymouth] Free
Aaron Tshibola [Aston Villa - Nottingham Forest] Loan
Ben Wilson [Cardiff - Rochdale] Loan
Mark Yeates [Blackpool - Notts County] Undisclosed
Scottish Premiership
Jak Alnwick [Port Vale - Rangers] Undisclosed
Anastasios Avlonitis [Unattached - Hearts] Free
Esmael Goncalves [Anorthosis Famagusta - Hearts] £170,000
Giannis Skondras [PAOK Salonica - Hamilton] Free
Alexandros Tziolis [Unattached - Hearts] Free
International
Ivan Lucic [Bristol City - Aalborg] Loan
Dimitri Payet [West Ham - Marseille] £25m
International
Mukhtar Ali [Chelsea - Vitesse Arnhem] Loan
Bojan [Stoke City - Mainz] Loan
English Football League
Sean Goss [Manchester United - QPR] £500,000
Josh Parker [Unattached - Gillingham]
Scottish Premiership
Moha El Ouriachi Choulay [Stoke - Hearts] Loan
Premier League
Robert Snodgrass [Hull - West Ham] £10.2m
English Football League
Luke Amos [Tottenham - Southend] Loan
Ruben Bover Izquierdo [Unattached - Barnet]
Cameron Brannagan [Liverpool - Fleetwood] Loan
Alex Bray [Swansea - Rotherham] Loan
Lasse Vigen Christensen [Fulham - Burton] Loan
Dion Conroy [Chelsea - Swindon] Undisclosed
Florian Jozefzoon [PSV Eindhoven - Brentford] Undisclosed
Mark Kitching [Middlesbrough - Rochdale] Loan
Kyle McAllister [St Mirren - Derby] Undisclosed
Luke Maxwell [Birmingham - Grimsby] Loan
Alex Mowatt [Leeds - Barnsley] Undisclosed
Danny Rowe [Macclesfield - Ipswich] Undisclosed
Scott Tanser [Rochdale - Port Vale] Free
Joao Teixeira [Benfica - Nottingham Forest] Loan
Luke Williams [Scunthorpe - Northampton] Loan
Cauley Woodrow [Fulham - Burton] Loan
Scottish Premiership
Blair Adams [Cambridge - Hamilton] Free
Dylan Bikey [Stirling Albion - Hearts] Free
Russell Griffiths [Everton - Motherwell] Loan
Premier League
M'Baye Niang [AC Milan - Watford] Loan
English Football League
Jonny Burn [Middlesbrough - Bristol Rovers] Undisclosed
Joe Fryer [Middlesbrough - Hartlepool] Loan
Conor Hourihane [Barnsley - Aston Villa] Undisclosed
Stephen Humphrys [Fulham - Shrewsbury] Loan
Rob Hunt [Brighton - Oldham] Loan
Josh Lelan [Unattached - Crawley]
Thanos Petsos [Werder Bremen - Fulham] Loan
Antoni Sarcevic [Unattached - Plymouth]
Steven Taylor [Unattached - Ipswich]
Scottish Premiership
Elliott Frear [Forest Green - Motherwell] Undisclosed
International
Ariel Borysiuk [QPR - Lechia Gdansk] Loan
Ziggy Gordon [Partick Thistle - Jagiellonia Bialystok] Free
English Football League
Birkir Bjarnason [FC Basel - Aston Villa] Undisclosed
James Bree [Barnsley - Aston Villa] Undisclosed
Jamie Hanson [Derby - Wigan] Loan
Matty James [Leicester - Barnsley] Loan
Joel Taylor [Stoke - Rochdale] Loan
Kyle Wootton [Scunthorpe - Cheltenham] Loan
Mauro Zarate [Fiorentina - Watford] Undisclosed
English Football League
James Hanson [Bradford - Sheffield United] Undisclosed
Ryan Lowe [Crewe - Bury] Free
Jay O'Shea [Chesterfield - Sheffield United] Loan
Connor Ogilvie [Tottenham - Stevenage] Loan
Scottish Premiership
Ryan Christie [Celtic - Aberdeen] Loan
Niall Keown [Reading - Partick Thistle] Loan
International
Tjaronn Chery [QPR - Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng] Undisclosed
Souleymane Coulibaly [Kilmarnock - Al Ahly] £800,000
Diego Fabbrini [Birmingham - Spezia Calcio] Loan
Luis Hernandez [Leicester - Malaga] Undisclosed
Jonathan Spector [Birmingham - Orlando City] Free
Igor Vetekele [Charlton - Sint-Truiden] Loan
Premier League
Lazar Markovic [Liverpool - Hull] Loan
Gerard Deulofeu [Everton - AC Milan] Loan
English Football League
Ryan Bird [Eastleigh - Newport] Undisclosed
Charlie Clough [Forest Green - Barnet] Undisclosed
Toumani Diagouraga [Leeds - Ipswich] Loan
Toni Martinez [West Ham - Oxford] Loan
Dan Scarr [Stourbridge - Birmingham] Undisclosed
Fikayo Tomori [Chelsea - Brighton] Loan
Charles Vernam [Derby - Coventry] Loan
International
Alexander Isak [AIK Solna - Borussia Dortmund] Undisclosed
Premier League
Nathan Holland [Everton - West Ham] Undisclosed
International
Brandon Adams [QPR - Persatuan Bola Sepak Perlis] Loan
English Football League
Nathan Delfouneso [Swindon - Blackpool] Free
Gerry McDonagh [Nottingham Forest - Cambridge] Loan
Premier League
Jose Fonte [Southampton - West Ham] £8m
Saido Berahino [West Brom - Stoke] £12m
Memphis Depay [Manchester United - Lyon] £16m rising to £21.7m
Omar Elabdellaoui [Olympiakos - Hull] Loan
Jake Livermore [Hull - West Brom] About £10m
English Football League
Aaron Amadi-Holloway [Fleetwood - Oldham] Undisclosed
Harvey Barnes [Leicester - MK Dons] Loan
Marcus Browne [West Ham - Wigan] Loan
Sean Clare [Sheffield Wednesday - Accrington] Loan
Kerim Frei [Besiktas - Birmingham] £2.2m
Anthony Gerrard [Unattached - Oldham]
Shayon Harrison [Tottenham - Yeovil] Loan
Tomas Holy [Sparta Prague - Gillingham] Undisclosed
Henri Lansbury [Nottingham Forest - Aston Villa] £2.75m
Bryn Morris [Middlesbrough - Shrewsbury] Free
Michael Ngoo [Bromley - Oldham] Free
Sanmi Odelusi [Wigan - Rochdale] Loan
Tommy O'Sullivan [Cardiff - Colchester] Undisclosed
Collin Quaner [Union Berlin - Huddersfield] Undisclosed
Jack Redshaw [Blackpool - Rochdale] Loan
Mitchell Rose [Mansfield - Newport County] Free
Sam Saunders [Brentford - Wycombe] Free
Markus Schwabl [VfR Aalen - Fleetwood] Undisclosed
Ryan Sweeney [Stoke - Bristol Rovers] Loan
Ryan Tunnicliffe [Fulham - Wigan] Loan
Scott Wharton [Blackburn - Cambridge] Loan
Scottish Premiership
Kristoffer Ajer [Celtic - Kilmarnock] Loan
Oscar Gobern [Mansfield Town - Ross County] Free
Milan Lalkovic [Portsmouth - Ross County] Loan
English Football League
Wes Burns [Bristol City - Fleetwood] Undisclosed
Chris Clements [Mansfield - Grimsby] Undisclosed
Jake Cooper [Reading - Millwall] Loan
Shaquile Coulthirst [Peterborough - Mansfield] Loan
Antony Evans [Everton - Morecambe] Loan
Fabian Giefer [Schalke - Bristol City] Loan
Cheick Keita [Virtus Entella - Birmingham] Undisclosed
Josh McQuoid [Luton - Stevenage] Loan
Robbie Muirhead [Hearts - MK Dons] Undisclosed
Richard O'Donnell [Bristol City - Rotherham] Undisclosed
Jermaine Pennant [Unattached - Bury]
Jed Wallace [Wolves - Millwall] Loan
Andreas Weimann [Derby - Wolves] Loan
Premier League
Patrick Bamford [Chelsea - Middlesbrough] About £5.5m
English Football League
Akwasi Asante [Solihull - Grimsby] Undisclosed
Gethin Jones [Everton - Barnsley] Loan
Nicke Kabamba [Hampton & Richmond - Portsmouth] Undisclosed
Joe Lumley [QPR - Bristol Rovers] Loan
Allan McGregor [Hull - Cardiff] Loan
Frank Nouble [Gillingham - Southend] Free
Emilio Nsue [Middlesbrough - Birmingham] Undisclosed
Jamey Osborne [Solihull - Grimsby] Undisclosed
Eli Phipps [Cardiff - Colchester] Undisclosed
Scottish Premiership
Andraz Struna [PAS Giannina - Hearts] Free
Premier League
Tom Carroll [Tottenham - Swansea] £4.5m
Martin Olsson [Norwich - Swansea] £4m
English Football League
Keshi Anderson [Crystal Palace - Northampton] Loan
Jordan Bowery [Leyton Orient - Crewe] Loan
Luke Coulson [Eastleigh - Barnet] Undisclosed
Farrend Rawson [Derby - Coventry] Loan
Joe Riley [Manchester United - Sheffield United] Loan
Tyler Roberts [West Brom - Shrewsbury] Loan
Tyler Walker [Nottingham Forest - Port Vale] Loan
Andre Wright [West Brom - Yeovil] Loan
Scottish Premiership
Malaury Martin [Unattached - Hearts]
English Football League
Luke Gambin [Barnet - Luton] Undisclosed
Kieffer Moore [Forest Green - Ipswich] Undisclosed
Jordan Spence [Unattached - Ipswich]
Scottish Premiership
Henri Anier [Unattached - Inverness]
Karleigh Osborne [Plymouth - Kilmarnock] Free
Aly Cissokho [Aston Villa - Olympiakos] Loan
Prince Oniangue [Wolves - Bastia] Loan
International
Simone Zaza [Juventus - Valencia] Loan
English Football League
Callum Connolly [Everton - Wigan] Loan
International
Igor Rossi [Hearts - Al-Faisaly Harmah] Free
Premier League
Evandro [Porto - Hull] Undisclosed
Oumar Niasse [Everton - Hull] Loan
Jeffrey Schlupp [Leicester - Crystal Palace] Reported £12m
English Football League
Brandon Comley [QPR - Grimsby] Loan
Brandon Goodship [Bournemouth - Yeovil] Free
Tom James [Cardiff - Yeovil] Free
Daniel Lafferty [Burnley - Sheffield United] Undisclosed
Ian Lawlor [Manchester City - Doncaster] Undisclosed
Paul Lewis [Macclesfield - Cambridge] Undisclosed
Gary Liddle [Chesterfield - Carlisle] Undisclosed
Joe Maguire [Liverpool - Fleetwood] Undisclosed
Joe Partington [Eastleigh - Bristol Rovers] Undisclosed
Marek Rodak [Fulham - Accrington] Loan
Alex Samuel [Swansea - Newport] Loan
Sam Winnall [Barnsley - Sheffield Wednesday] Undisclosed
International
Pierluigi Gollini [Aston Villa - Atalanta] Loan
Ola John [Wolves - Deportivo La Coruna] Loan
Jozabed [Fulham - Celta Vigo] Loan
Premier League
Tom Cleverley [Everton - Watford] Loan
Luciano Narsingh [PSV Eindhoven - Swansea] Undisclosed
Morgan Schneiderlin [Manchester United - Everton] £20m rising to £24m
English Football League
Jake Carroll [Hartlepool - Cambridge] Undisclosed
Matt Crooks [Rangers - Scunthorpe] Loan
Neal Eardley [Hibernian - Northampton] Free
Alex Gilliead [Newcastle - Bradford] Loan
George Glendon [Manchester City - Fleetwood] Undisclosed
Eoghan O'Connell [Celtic - Walsall] Loan
Alex Pike [West Ham - Cheltenham] Loan
Ivan Toney [Newcastle - Scunthorpe] Loan
Hayden White [Peterborough - Mansfield] Loan
Carl Winchester [Oldham - Cheltenham] Free
Scottish Premiership
Kouassi Eboue [FC Krasnodar - Celtic] Undisclosed
Jon Toral [Arsenal - Rangers] Loan
International
Sergiu Bus [Sheffield Wednesday - Astra Giurgiu] Free
Sebastian Polter [QPR - Union Berlin] Undisclosed
English Football League
Charlie Colkett [Chelsea - Swindon] Loan
Fankaty Dabo [Chelsea - Swindon] Loan
Chris Eagles [Accrington - Port Vale] Free
Islam Feruz [Chelsea - Swindon] Loan
Craig Gardner [West Brom - Birmingham] Loan
Callum Guy [Derby - Port Vale] Loan
International
Sandro [QPR - Antalyaspor] Undisclosed
Premier League
Cohen Bramall [Hednesford Town - Arsenal] £40,000
English Football League
Flo Bojaj [Huddersfield - Newport] Loan
Mickey Demetriou [Unattached - Newport]
Ben Gladwin [QPR - Swindon] Loan
Kazenga LuaLua [Brighton - QPR] Loan
Scottish Premiership
David Bates [Raith Rovers - Rangers] Undisclosed
International
Dan Crowley [Arsenal - Go Ahead Eagles] Loan
English Football League
Will Boyle [Huddersfield - Cheltenham] Free
Scott Brown [Wycombe - Cheltenham] Loan
Nathan Byrne [Wigan - Charlton] Loan
Pablo Hernandez [Al-Arabi - Leeds] Undisclosed
Tiago Ilori [Liverpool - Reading] Undisclosed
David Nugent [Middlesbrough - Derby] Undisclosed
Scottish Premiership
Aaron Hughes [Unattached - Hearts]
Emerson Hyndman [Bournemouth - Rangers] Loan
Sean Longstaff [Newcastle - Kilmarnock] Loan
Cal Roberts [Newcastle - Kilmarnock] Loan
Lennard Sowah [Hamilton - Hearts]
Freddie Woodman [Newcastle - Kilmarnock] Loan
International
Jay Simpson [Leyton Orient - Philadelphia Union] Undisclosed
Scottish Premiership
Alim Ozturk [Hearts - Boluspor] Free
English Football League
Craig Davies [Wigan - Scunthorpe] Undisclosed
Dominic Gape [Southampton - Wycombe] Free
Jakob Haugaard [Stoke - Wigan] Loan
Ryan Loft [Tottenham - Stevenage] Loan
Harry Toffolo [Norwich - Scunthorpe] Loan
Premier League
Markus Henriksen [AZ Alkmaar - Hull] Undisclosed
English Football League
Izzy Brown [Chelsea - Huddersfield] Loan
Reece Brown [Sheffield United - Bury] Free
Cameron Burgess [Fulham - Bury] Loan
Lawson D'Ath [Northampton - Luton] Undisclosed
Kevin Foley [Charlton - Coventry] Free
Morgan Fox [Charlton - Sheffield Wednesday] Undisclosed
Greg Halford [Rotherham - Cardiff] Undisclosed
Ibrahim Meite [Harrow Borough - Cardiff] Undisclosed
Taylor Moore [Bristol City - Bury] Loan
Luke Murphy [Leeds - Burton] Loan
Lewis Page [West Ham - Charlton] Undisclosed
Craig Reid [Gloucester City - Newport] Undisclosed
Bailey Wright [Preston - Bristol City] Undisclosed
International
Pedro Chirivella [Liverpool - Go Ahead Eagles] Loan
John Mikel Obi [Chelsea - Tianjin TEDA] Undisclosed
Jhoao Rodriguez [Chelsea - Cortulua] Loan
Premier League
Ademola Lookman [Charlton - Everton] £11m
Wilfred Ndidi [Genk - Leicester] Reported £15m
English Football League
Nathan Blissett [Torquay - Plymouth] £15,000
Julien de Sart [Middlesbrough - Derby] Loan
Jake Forster-Caskey [Brighton - Charlton] Undisclosed
Gavin Gunning [Greenock Morton - Grimsby] Free
Sam Johnstone [Manchester United - Aston Villa] Loan
Alex Jones [Birmingham - Bradford] Undisclosed
Sean Kavanagh [Fulham - Hartlepool] Loan
Freddie Ladapo [Crystal Palace - Shrewsbury] Loan
David Pipe [Eastleigh - Newport] Loan
Alex Rodman [Notts County - Shrewsbury] Undisclosed
International
Tomas Mejias [Middlesbrough - Rayo Vallecano] Loan
Premier League
Rudy Gestede [Aston Villa - Middlesbrough] Undisclosed
Lee Grant [Derby - Stoke] £1.3m
English Football League
Milan Djuric [Cesena - Bristol City] Undisclosed
Jens Hegeler [Hertha Berlin - Bristol City] Undisclosed
Sid Nelson [Millwall - Newport] Loan
Mark O'Brien [Luton - Newport] Loan
Alex Reid [Rushall - Fleetwood] Undisclosed
Jakub Sokolik [Unattached - Plymouth]
Luke Varney [Ipswich - Burton] Free
Scottish Premiership
Dean Ebbe [Unattached - Inverness]
International
Adalberto Penaranda [Watford - Malaga] Loan
English Football League
Dominic Ball [Rotherham - Peterborough] Loan
Samir Carruthers [MK Dons - Sheffield United] Undisclosed
Keith Keane [Cambridge - Rochdale] Free
International
Julian Draxler [Wolfsburg - Paris St-Germain] Reported £35.5m
Tomas Rincon [Genoa - Juventus] £6.8m
Axel Witsel [Zenit St Petersburg - Tianjin Quanjian] Undisclosed
Premier League
Joey Barton [Unattached - Burnley]
English Football League
Ben Davies [Preston - Fleetwood] Loan
Conor Grant [Everton - Doncaster] Loan
International
Ryan Babel [Unattached - Besiktas]
English Football League
Stuart Beavon [Burton - Coventry] Free
Nathan Clarke [Bradford - Coventry] Free
Diego De Girolamo [Bristol City - Cheltenham] Loan
Jonathan Edwards [Hull - Accrington] Loan
Jaanai Gordon [West Ham - Newport] Loan
Jack Mackreth [Macclesfield - Bury] Undisclosed
Alfie May [Hythe - Doncaster] Undisclosed
Aristote Nsiala [Hartlepool - Shrewsbury] Undisclosed
Emmanuel Onariase [Brentford - Cheltenham] Loan
Callum Reilly [Burton - Coventry] Loan
Harvey Rodgers [Hull - Accrington] Loan
Martin Samuelsen [West Ham - Peterborough] Loan
Marvin Sordell [Coventry - Burton] Free
Aaron Williams [Peterborough - Newport] Undisclosed
The page covers signings by Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premiership clubs, along with selected deals from overseas and the Scottish Championship. | The January transfer window has closed in England and Scotland after a hectic final few hours of business. | 38482984 |
In her latest report, Noelle Buick said that those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds were particularly affected.
She also expressed concern over how children are taught, pointing out that about one fifth of lessons were "less than good".
However, she acknowledged that a number of areas of education had improved since her last report, in 2014.
The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) observed more than 11,000 lessons and training sessions in Northern Ireland over the past two years.
While the majority of early years, primary and post-primary schools were doing well, a significant number of children were "accessing education that is not good enough", she said.
She said that about eight out of 10 primaries and seven out of 10 post-primaries were providing "high quality education".
However, that meant that "just over 78,000 children may not be getting a good enough education".
It cited reasons, including "a variation in standards across individual subjects, low teacher expectations and uninspiring teaching".
While she said most schools had good management, she was critical of the leadership in some grammar schools, saying it was "less than good" in a quarter of them.
That compared to poor leadership in only one in 10 non-grammar schools.
Her report also said it was "unacceptable that boys continue to under-perform" in exams, compared to girls.
In 2014-15, four out of 10 boys in non-grammars got at least five GCSEs at grades A*-C, including Maths and English.
That compared to just over half of girls in non-grammars.
Ms Buick blames the above trend partly on schools having fears "over the position of the school in league tables published by the media [rather than] the best interests of the pupils".
She concluded that, while progress has been made in many areas, improvement will only come with more joint working between government departments and between schools and parents. | Northern Ireland's chief inspector of schools has said too many pupils are not getting a good enough education. | 37996040 |
The Serb came back from two sets to one down to win 5-7 6-3 3-6 6-1 6-1.
Djokovic, 30, finished strongly despite making 55 unforced errors and arguing with umpire Carlos Ramos over a conduct warning.
The second seed goes on to face Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who beat France's Lucas Pouille.
The presence of new coach Andre Agassi has yet to inspire Djokovic to rediscover the form that made him a seemingly untouchable world number one this time last year.
An erratic performance saw the 12-time Grand Slam champion hit 21 errors in relinquishing a 4-1 lead in the first set.
However, Agassi's unexpected arrival midway through the second set apparently inspired Djokovic to a break of serve.
"I was focused on the screen and I saw obviously people reacting when he arrived," said the Serb.
"He was not supposed to be here today, because we have finished yesterday with our in-person collaboration here in Paris.
"I appreciate that. I respect that very much that he managed to do things and move his commitments around so he could come and watch."
That late break in the second appeared to have settled the world number two, but Schwartzman - playing his first ever third-round match at a Grand Slam - was his equal throughout the third.
The 5ft 7in Argentine then broke serve for a 5-3 lead and remarkably recovered from 0-40 to serve out the set.
With the crowd now excited by the prospect of an upset, Djokovic finally took a firm grip on the match by quickening the pace and shortening the rallies.
It was not plain sailing, however, and despite racing into a 4-0 lead in the fourth set, Djokovic became embroiled in a row with umpire Ramos after receiving two warnings in a game - one of slow play, the second for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Clearly annoyed, the champion retained his focus on the job in hand and reeled off 12 of the last 14 games as dark clouds above threatened to delay his progress.
"Playing a five-setter at this stage is good," added Djokovic.
"I enjoyed playing, really, even though of course at times I was not playing my best, especially for first three sets, but fourth and fifth sets went completely my way." | Defending champion Novak Djokovic survived a third-round scare at the French Open to beat unseeded Argentine Diego Schwartzman in five sets. | 40134827 |
PSNI officers made the arrest in Strabane on Monday using a European Arrest Warrant held by the Republic.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder and firearms offences, and is due to appear at Belfast Recorder's Court on Tuesday.
David Byrne, 33, was shot dead at the Regency Hotel on 5 February.
Two other men were injured in the attack, which Irish police linked to a gangland feud in Dublin.
A European Arrest Warrant (EAW) allows individuals to be extradited between EU member states. | A 46-year-old man has been arrested in County Tyrone in connection with an investigation into a fatal shooting at a Dublin boxing match weigh-in. | 37281710 |
A decision to extend the deal, among the most lucrative in Formula 1, would be made during 2017, he added.
"Sebastian has a contract. We work together this year and next year. Then during next year we'll see," he said.
"Each of us has goals. So it is only right that anyone, no matter who it is, earns their place and their salary."
Arrivabene's comments, made to Italian television, came at the end of a week in which Vettel has been heavily criticised in the Italian media following his involvement in a first-corner crash at the Malaysian Grand Prix last weekend.
Vettel was given a three-place grid penalty for this weekend's race in Japan after colliding with Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg while trying to overtake Red Bull's Max Verstappen. The incident put Vettel out of the race with broken suspension.
The German dominated team-mate Kimi Raikkonen in his first year with Ferrari in 2015 after joining from Red Bull, and continued to do the same in the first half of this year.
But since Raikkonen's contract was extended until the end of next season, the Finn has matched Vettel, who trails him by seven points in the championship.
Vettel would likely be ahead had he not suffered a series of technical problems in early-season races, but the two drivers have undoubtedly been more closely matched since the summer.
At the same time, Ferrari have slipped back in competitiveness, have failed to win a race with five grands prix remaining and are likely to finish the season third in the constructors' championship behind Mercedes and Red Bull.
And Vettel has on a number of occasions this year found himself disagreeing with Ferrari's sometimes questionable strategy calls and running races from the cockpit.
Arrivabene was asked by Sky Sports Italia whether Ferrari would seek to boost Vettel's confidence with a new contract, a tactic the team have used with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in the past.
He replied: "I do not think people can be conquered with renewals.
"Sebastian just needs to focus on the car. He is a person who gives so much, and sometimes this means he is interested in a bit of everything - so sometimes you have to re-focus him, remind him to be focused on the main job.
"He does not do it in a polemical spirit, but because he is totally immersed in the family that is the Ferrari team."
Ahead of the race in Japan, Vettel was asked whether he was pushing too hard in an attempt to compensate for weaknesses in the car.
"No," he said. "I see where you might come from. I explained already what happened last week, I don't think there's so much to analyse.
"You try to squeeze out everything from the car you can. Sometimes you find yourself overdriving. You always try to achieve the best and sometimes you push too hard - it's normal, it's human. Sometimes you don't push enough, so it's about finding the sweet spot in the middle."
Vettel said after qualifying on Saturday: "I haven't seen the comments. There have been a number of races where I haven't been happy with my own performance. The main focus is to progress and carry everything we can learn on to next year's car.
"I have a good relationship with him. If there is something I don't like, I tell him and the same the other way around. But we have nothing to sort out."
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | Four-time champion Sebastian Vettel will have to "earn" his place at Ferrari beyond next season, team boss Maurizio Arrivabene has said. | 37594558 |
He appeared at a gala in Havana's Karl Marx Theatre with his brother, President Raul Castro, and Cuba's ally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In his first public appearance since April, he appeared frail and remained seated during the event.
Fidel Castro, who stood down in 2008, had earlier attacked US President Barack Obama in a newspaper column.
He criticised Mr Obama for not apologising to the people of Hiroshima for the nuclear bomb dropped there by the US in World War Two. Mr Obama visited the Japanese city in May.
"He lacked the words to ask for forgiveness for the killings of hundreds of thousands of people," Mr Castro wrote.
Ninety years of Castro and the Queen
Fidel, the great survivor
Ties between the US and Cuba have been restored under Raul Castro's presidency, but after a visit by Mr Obama to Havana in March, Fidel Castro wrote that "we don't need the empire to give us anything".
The gala in Havana focused on key moments of Fidel's life, including the CIA-backed invasion attempt in the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
A large street party was also held in the capital late on Friday, and fireworks exploded when the clock hit midnight.
The BBC's Will Grant in Havana says that Fidel Castro now has all but retired from public life and is thought to exercise limited influence over political affairs in Cuba. | The former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has made a rare public appearance at an event to mark his 90th birthday. | 37074915 |
The left-hander, who has played six Tests for England, is yet to learn the full extent of the cancerous tumour which tests revealed this week.
White told BBC Radio Solent: "He has got to wait for more tests to discover the severity of the condition.
"When he knows that, he might have a battle on his hands. I back him to pull through."
Carberry told team-mates of his condition before Hampshire's T20 Blast match against Glamorgan on Thursday.
"He sat with the team before tonight's game [against Glamorgan] and wanted to tell them in person," White said.
"It was quite an emotional changing room and I think everyone was in shock and our thoughts are with Michael and his family."
The 35-year-old missed eight months of cricket when diagnosed with blood clot on his lung in November 2010.
"Michael's a guy with immense character who has been in these situations before," White said. "He is quite a pragmatic chap."
There have been numerous messages of support from around the cricket world for Carberry, who has also played at county level for Surrey and Kent as well as for Perth Scorchers in Australia's Big Bash T20 competition. | England batsman Michael Carberry has the character to beat cancer, Hampshire director of cricket Giles White says. | 36803077 |
"We will push through all the major changes our country has needed for years," George Papandreou said in Greece's second city, Thessaloniki.
Public anger over cuts boiled over into clashes between police and protesters and more than 100 people were detained.
At least 20,000 people joined the protests in Thessaloniki.
Trade unionists, students, anarchists, taxi drivers and football fans were among those holding protests outside a trade fair in the city.
Greece is struggling to meet the terms of an international loan package.
In July, eurozone leaders announced a bailout worth 109bn euros ($155bn, £96.3bn), on top of a 110bn euro lifeline granted last year.
The government has sharply criticised other eurozone states for delaying ratification of the second bailout but it is struggling to meet conditions attached to the first.
Mr Papandreou's speech was designed to reassure EU and IMF lenders increasingly frustrated with delays in reforms and missed fiscal targets that Greece would press ahead with unpopular policies, correspondents say.
"We decided to fight the battle to avoid a disaster for the country and its people and to stay in the euro," he told the trade fair.
"Any delay and wavering is dangerous for the country."
"We don't have the right to abandon this effort halfway through because if it remains half-done, [our] sacrifices will have been in vain," he added.
On Friday, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos was forced to deny rumours of impending bankruptcy, saying that the next two months would be "crucial for the very existence" of the country.
As Mr Papandreou was preparing to deliver his speech on Saturday, police were firing tear gas to drive back protesters, some of whom threw stones and set fires.
At one stage, protesters toppled metal crowd control barriers near the trade fair area.
Reuters news agency noted taxi drivers were among the most vocal protesters, with the government planning to open up their trade to competition.
A huge banner displayed by marchers in Thessaloniki read: "We owe nothing, we pay nothing, we sell nothing, we fear nothing."
Some clashes were also reported at a protest rally opposite the Greek parliament in the capital, Athens. | The Greek prime minister has vowed to press ahead with deep spending cuts, in his annual speech on the country's debt-ridden economy. | 14866641 |
But it is not just members of the LGBT community flying the rainbow flag, as more businesses than ever are supporting the fight for equality.
With almost 50 official partners, ranging from airlines to mobile networks, and a list of over 60 supporters, companies are signing up to try to stamp out prejudice.
But why are firms joining the fight for inclusion? And does the event risk becoming too commercial?
Polly Shute, director of development and partnerships for Pride in London, said it will be a record-breaking year for the event, with more than 26,500 people expected to take part.
And the number of corporate backers has mirrored the marchers' rise.
But what does Polly think is the attraction for companies to get involved?
"From their point of view, it is a message both internally and externally," she said.
"[Some] don't have a product to sell, but they support us because they want to promote inclusion in the workplace.
"Of course, it also shows external customers that a business supports the cause, but a number of these companies are already involved in charities promoting inclusion and equality, so it is a natural step."
Polly believes it also reflects a wider push for diversity in the workplace.
"It is part of a growing movement about people being able to be who they are at work, which improves things for the business and for the communities," she said.
"A lot of people who are members of the LGBT community have also risen up the ranks and they have gone through periods where they have not felt able to come out - so they want to fight this cause for their workforce."
Barclays is the headline sponsor of Pride in London for the fourth year running and believes the event is an important part of connecting with staff and customers.
Michael Roemer, Barclays' global LGBT lead and group chief compliance officer, said: "We want our colleagues, customers and clients to feel free to express who they are at all times.
"We've made great strides internally in creating an inclusive global workplace, but we want to go further.
"By supporting Pride in London, we're saying 'this is who we are' and we want to encourage everyone else to be able to say who they are, without fear."
Tesco is another sponsor keen to support the people that work there.
John Dickinson, Out at Tesco chairman, said: "Pride in London is such a fun and vibrant event and that's why we're proud to be an official sponsor again this year.
"Over 300 of our colleagues are expected to take part in the parade and 13 stores along the route will enter into the Pride spirit with special Pride-themed signs, bunting and carrier bags."
And Transport for London (TfL) is getting in the mood by decorating its Tube stations, bus stops and bikes for the event.
However, it is also a chance to promote diversity for the city it represents.
Ben Lyon, chairman of OUTbound - TfL's LGBT staff network - said: "The capital is one of the most diverse cities in the world and we are extremely proud to be part of the message to the world that, whatever your sexual orientation, London is open and welcomes you."
But what about the LGBT community? Does it welcome this corporate edge?
Jade Knight, from Nottingham, believes "commercial and mainstream is where Pride needs to be".
The 44-year-old, who has attended Pride events around the country for the past five years, said: "We want to get to the point where LGBT identities are no longer a subculture, but as acceptable on the mainstream as being cisgender and heterosexual.
"The first Prides were riots, then political protests, then a celebration of mainly gay male subculture. Pride has evolved. It's not enough for it just to be LGBT people by themselves."
But she believes the companies need to put money where their mouths are.
"Pride is just the promise," added Jade.
"They need to show up for their LGBT staff and customers all the other days of the year as well, or it means nothing."
Scott Williams, 40, from Bromley, London, has been going to the Pride event in London since 1997 and is more concerned about the direction.
"It is a good thing and a bad thing," he said.
"It allows Pride to happen as these companies contribute to the cost of running the parade and the event. Also, it's good to see companies supporting their LGBT staff.
"But the last two marches I have been to, instead of it being what the original spirit of Pride was - a protest for equal rights and standing up to show visibility - it feels like a big advertisement targeting the LGBT community."
Tilly Williams has been going to Pride in London for eight years and thinks a balance is needed.
The 26-year-old from Camberwell, London, said: "I believe lots of brands are just using it for good publicity, rather than out of any sense of social justice, which isn't ideal.
"But I think anything that increases wider society's acceptance of LGBT issues is inherently good.
"I would like to make sure those brands are supportive of LGBT rights outside of just the Pride festival though, making sure they are tough on discrimination within their company and visibly opposing anti-gay policies."
Pride in London's Polly Shute said: "I understand the concerns, but we are one of the few free Pride events.
"We want to stay that way to be as inclusive as possible, but somebody has to pay for it.
"These companies represent so many people - it is important that they support those communities at work.
"And whilst the corporate sponsors may be more visible, over 60% of those marching are not-for-profit charities or community groups.
"By bringing corporates in, we keep a free Pride and it means those groups can campaign or celebrate."
Natasha Scott, who will be marching with the gay and lesbian association of doctors and dentists on Saturday, agrees.
The 36-year-old from, Finsbury Park, London, said: "Pride, for me, is about acceptance and inclusivity - one day in the year where you genuinely don't have to worry about being yourself.
"Unfortunately to organise such a huge event in London these days costs money, and corporate sponsorship becomes necessary.
"Is it ideal? No. But if it allows Pride to continue reaching out and celebrating then I think it's worth it." | The streets of the capital will be turned into a big party this weekend when Pride in London ends with its annual march. | 40517036 |
Jonny Howson is likely to feature after recovering from a calf problem, but ex-Wolves winger Matt Jarvis remains unavailable with a hamstring injury.
Wolves have Andreas Weimann available to make his debut after his loan move from Derby, which reunited him with his old Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert.
Midfielder Romain Saiss is away on African Nations Cup duty with Morocco. | Norwich are without suspended striker Nelson Oliveira, so Cameron Jerome may return to the starting line-up. | 38619163 |
The 18-year-old joins the Championship leaders on a two-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Healey has scored sixteen goals for the Nomads during this campaign and has signed with the Bluebirds until the summer of 2015.
"We think Rhys is one with huge potential." said Malky Mackay, the Cardiff City Manager.
"We brought Rhys in after having looked at the division to see what the best young talent is there - and we think Rhys is one with huge potential. "
"He'll be training with our Development Squad and Under 18s to start with. We'll try and bleed him in gently towards the senior setup and see how he develops, but he's certainly one with great potential for the future."
A Nomads statement wished Healey well and praised Cardiff for the "brilliant way they have worked with us, generous, patient and always courteous". | Cardiff City have signed teenage striker Rhys Healey from Welsh Premiership side Gap Connah's Quay. | 21185153 |
Activists said seven members of a group known as the Black Spring were told they would be allowed to make one journey abroad for good behaviour.
One of the seven, Marta Beatriz Roque, said she believed the move was a concession ahead of next month's visit to Cuba by President Obama.
The US government has been pressing for more freedom for Cuban dissidents.
"It appears to be some kind of gift they want to present to Obama, but in reality it is nothing concrete because when we come back we will return to legal limbo," said Martha Beatriz Roque.
The decision to grant seven of the most high profile dissidents the right to travel, albeit for a single trip, serves several purposes.
First it gives the Cuban government a recent example of fairer treatment of dissident leaders on the island. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly to the Castro government, the dissidents may choose to stay in the United States, removing them from the debate inside Cuba altogether.
While human rights organisations generally welcome any easing of the restrictions on the group, some of the dissidents themselves have voiced scepticism at the move.
The thorny question of human rights in Cuba will inevitably be back in the spotlight of the world's media soon during President Obama's trip.
75 people were arrested in the Spring of 2003 during a crackdown on opposition activists.
Most were freed about five years ago on the condition that they moved abroad.
But eleven dissidents refused the terms of the amnesty and have remained in Cuba, though they have be allowed to serve their sentences outside of prison.
President Obama has said his trip to Havana on 21 and 22 March is aimed at pushing the Cuban government to improve conditions for its people.
In Washington, a White House spokesman welcomed the decision to let the dissidents travel outside Cuba.
When the thaw began in Cuba and the US's relations in December 2014, the Cuban government released 53 people considered by Washington as political prisoners.
But, according to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (an independent human rights organisation considered illegal by the Cuban government), Cuba has resumed detentions.
The Commission says on average more than 700 people were detained temporarily each month in 2015. | The Cuban government has eased travel restrictions for some of the country's best-known dissidents. | 35656854 |
A police spokesman said it happened at The Old Mill housing estate in Ratoath at about 19:45 local time.
State broadcaster, RTÉ, said two cars have been found burnt out nearby and it had "hallmarks of a gangland attack".
It said the victim was a friend of Dublin criminal Gerry Hutch, whose family was caught up in a feud that led to a hotel gun attack in February.
One man died when gunmen posing as police officers opened fire inside Dublin's Regency Hotel on 5 February, during a boxing weigh-in event.
Days later Gerry Hutch's brother, Eddie Hutch Sr, was shot dead in his Dublin flat, in a suspected reprisal for the hotel gun attack.
Their nephew, Gary Hutch, was shot dead in Spain last September, reportedly as part of the same feud.
The man who was killed in the Ratoath shooting was in his 50s but his name has not yet been released and a motive for the attack has not been confirmed.
His body remains at the scene which has been cordoned off by police.
A state pathologist has attended and a post-mortem examination is due to be carried out on Thursday, | A man has been killed in a gun attack in a village in County Meath in the Republic of Ireland. | 35887945 |
As such, he will be seen as ideally placed to restore stability and direction to the corporation after a traumatic period that saw the resignation of the previous director general, George Entwistle, after just 54 days in the job.
Lord Hall of Birkenhead, who has just left his post as chief executive of the Royal Opera House, worked at the BBC for 28 years and was its head of news and current affairs from 1996 to 2001.
For the last three years he has chaired the board for the Cultural Olympiad, the four-year programme of cultural events that climaxed with the London 2012 festival earlier this year.
Educated at King Edward's School in Edgbaston and Birkenhead School on Merseyside, Lord Hall went on to study philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Keble College, Oxford.
He began his BBC career in 1973 and worked as a trainee in the Belfast newsroom, going on to produce Today, The World at One, The World Tonight and PM on Radio Four.
He became editor of the Nine O'Clock News on BBC One at the age of 34, and went on to supervise the BBC's coverage of the 1987 general election.
Between 1987 and 1989 he was the editor of television news and current affairs, during which time he launched the BBC's televised coverage of Parliament.
Following that role, he was director, then chief executive, of BBC News and current affairs until 2001, making him responsible for the entirety of the BBC's network journalism on radio and television.
During his tenure he launched Radio 5 live, BBC News 24, BBC News Online and BBC Parliament, all of which are now integral components of the corporation's output.
Lord Hall is believed to have been on the final shortlist for the director general post ahead of Greg Dyke's appointment in 1999.
In 2001 he joined the Royal Opera House, one of the country's largest and most complex arts institutions.
His time there has seen access to the Royal Opera's work widened through nationwide Big Screen relays, the introduction of special low-price ticket schemes and the purchase of a DVD company, Opus Arte, to distribute recordings globally.
In 2007 he chaired a review for Channel 4 over its handling of Celebrity Big Brother and the ensuing race row involving returning contestant Jade Goody and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty.
Earlier this year he was appointed the channel's deputy chairman, a role he will have to relinquish after taking up the director general post in March 2013.
Lord Hall was made a CBE in 2005, has sat on the board of the British Council since 2008 and was created a life peer with the title Baron Hall of Birkenhead in 2010.
Married with two children, he is the author of two books: King Coal (1981), a history of the National Union of Mineworkers, and Nuclear Politics (1987), a history of nuclear power in Britain.
After his appointment was announced last November, Lord Hall said he wanted "to build a world-class team to lead a world-class BBC".
"This organisation is an incredibly important part of what makes the United Kingdom what it is.
"And of course it matters not just to people in this country, but to tens of millions around the world too." | Tony Hall's appointment as the BBC's new director general is the latest high-profile role for a man with a distinguished track record in broadcasting, leadership and running major organisations. | 20443614 |
The 30-year-old former Rams trainee has signed a two-year contract, with the option of a further year.
He had one season left on his deal with Hull, who he joined from Tottenham for about £5m in 2013 before making 112 league starts for the Tigers.
"Once I got wind of the serious interest from Derby, it was a no brainer," Huddlestone told Rams TV.
"Once Derby activated [a buyout clause in Huddlestone's contract], Hull decided to come with an offer then. If Hull had come with that maybe three weeks ago, before Derby were interested, I would have signed it happily and stayed there."
Hull vice-chairman Ehab Allam told the Tigers' website: "We recently met with Tom's representatives, prior to receiving the offer from Derby to discuss a new longer-term deal on improved terms.
"I feel this stated our intention to keep Tom at the club, but ultimately the decision to leave was down to Tom and his representatives. We would like to wish Tom well for the future, and thank him for his efforts."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Derby County have re-signed Hull City midfielder Tom Huddlestone for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £2m. | 40621728 |
Vilson Meshi, 30, was discovered at Pincey Mead near Pitsea Road, Basildon, on 27 February.
The footage, filmed at 02:15 GM, shows a person in a hooded top riding a bike and attempting to open car doors.
Three 16-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy, all from Basildon, are on bail following their arrest on suspicion of murder.
Mr Meshi used to lived in Pincey Mead but had moved to Glossop, Derbyshire.
A post-mortem examination found he died from smoke inhalation.
Det Ch Insp Stephen Jennings, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "Our enquiries have found this person was captured on CCTV in Pincey Mead in the early hours of the morning before Vilson's body was discovered in his Audi.
"I need to find this person to understand what they were doing in the area at that time as part of my work to establish who was responsible for Vilson's death." | Police want to trace a person filmed by CCTV in a car park the same day a man was found dead in a burned-out Audi A4. | 35756578 |
He was arrested in 2011 and sentenced in 2013 to two-and-a-half years in jail for recruiting jihadists to fight in Pakistan.
Witnesses said he shouted "allahu akbar" (God is great) as he launched his knife attacks on policeman Jean-Baptiste S. The victim's partner, fellow police official Jessica S, was later stabbed to death inside the couple's home.
The killer declared allegiance to jihadist group Islamic State in a long video posted on Facebook's live site. Pictures of his two victims were posted, according to David Thomson, a French specialist on militant Islam who saw the video before the account was suspended.
Chillingly, Mr Thomson said Abballa could he heard deciding what to do with the couple's son. The killer also refers to the European football championship currently taking place in France, declaring that "the Euros will be a graveyard".
On his computer, said police sources, was a list of figures Abballa wished to target, including two in the public eye.
Former anti-terror judge Marc Trevidic, who questioned Abballa after his 2011 arrest, said that he was one of a group of people. Two of the men had travelled to the Pakistani city of Lahore to meet a local al-Qaeda figure but were immediately arrested the moment they arrived at the airport.
At the time Abballa was a relatively minor figure, he told Le Figaro (in French). "He wanted to carry out jihad [holy war], for sure. He had been in training in France, not militarily but physically."
The leader of the eight-member group, an Indian national, was given eight years in jail and banned from French territory while six others were given lesser sentences. Abballa was jailed for three years, of which six months were suspended, with another two years of probation.
In an article from the time of his trial, Le Monde quotes him as describing himself as rudderless - and radicalised by the internet.
"I needed recognition, I didn't work and I had just failed to pass my CAP [professional qualification]. They started talking to me about religion, which I found comforting."
He went on to describe the "group effect".
"We talked only of jihad," he said. "It's like someone who lives 24 hours a day with thieves. Automatically, he too will become a thief!
"When I watched videos about the oppression of Muslims, they had such an effect on me...it was too moving. Then, it only needed a few words, and I was gone."
On release from prison he was placed on France's "S-list" of individuals seen as a danger to state security.
Abballa had reportedly been the subject of a recent anti-terrorist investigation into a Syrian jihadist group, including having his phone tapped, but that apparently did not yield sufficient evidence to merit his arrest.
A few months ago, he set up a night-time fast-food service called Dr Food which made deliveries between 22:30 and 05:00.
The delivery service featured on his Facebook page, which was suspended on Tuesday morning.
His last entry, at 05:03 (03:03 GMT) on Monday, featured a photo-montage including the Euro 2016 logo, a crucifixion and the Masonic emblem of a square and compasses, under a caption that read: "And some will say people see evil everywhere!" | Larossi Abballa, 25, was well known to French police. | 36526067 |
Ms Brophy, who currently represents the Timperley ward, was chosen at a party meeting on Wednesday.
If elected next May, she said she would work "tirelessly" on issues such as public transport, housing and health.
Party leader Tim Farron said Ms Brophy offered an "exciting alternative to 'more of the same' in this election".
"Jane is an experienced and hard-working councillor who has won stunning victories against the odds," he said. "And this election is an opportunity for her to do it again."
Ms Brophy, who has been a councillor for 16 years and also works for the NHS, said she was "looking forward to... campaigning on issues that will make a big difference to our world-class city".
Shadow Home Secretary Andy Burnham was chosen in August to represent Labour in the election, while the Conservatives, UKIP and the Green Party have yet to select a candidate for next May's election. | Trafford councillor Jane Brophy has won the nomination to become the Liberal Democrat candidate for Greater Manchester's first mayoral election. | 37384839 |
Downing Street said that measures in the Investigatory Powers Bill would provide the authorities "with the tools to keep you and your family safe".
It will "address gaps" in intelligence gathering and access to communications data which is putting "lives at risk".
But civil liberties campaigners claim it will pave the way for mass surveillance of UK citizens.
Home Secretary Theresa May's efforts to introduce a similar bill in 2012, dubbed the "snooper's charter" by critics, were blocked by the Liberal Democrats.
The new bill is designed to "maintain the ability of intelligence agencies and law enforcement to target the online communications of terrorists, paedophiles and other serious criminals".
Details of how it will work will be published in the next few days.
It is thought likely to require internet service providers and mobile operators to log much more data about what their customers are doing, including data on who people call, text, tweet and instant message, what games they play, when they post on social networks and who they send webmails.
The government has come under growing pressure to do more to respond to the fallout from the conflicts in Iraq and Syria and, specifically, the threat posed by British jihadists returning to the UK after fighting in the two countries.
The police have long argued that their ability to track the online communications of potential suspects is heavily circumscribed and the the law is not keeping pace with advances in technology.
But civil liberties campaigners fear it will lead to mass surveillance.
Essentially the government wants to upgrade the law so that is can do all the things it used to do with the post and telephones with all the plethora of online communications that now exist.
A review by the "Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation" David Anderson QC will feed into this.
The Bill will be very controversial. It is strongly opposed by many Liberals, and civil liberties groups, and the idea became even more controversial after the Edward Snowden revelations.
Jim Killock, executive director of The Open Rights Group, said: "The government is signalling that it wants to press ahead with increased powers of data collection and retention for the police and GCHQ, spying on everyone, whether suspected of a crime or not.
"This is the return of the 'snooper's charter', even as the ability to collect and retain data gets less and less workable.
"We should expect attacks on encryption, which protects all our security. Data collection will create vast and unnecessary expense."
Renate Samson, chief executive of Big Brother Watch, said: "Whilst the title may have changed from a Communications Data Bill to an Investigatory Powers Bill it will be interesting to see whether the content has radically changed.
"We have yet to see real evidence that there is a gap in the capability of law enforcement or the agencies' ability to gain access to our communications data."
The Investigatory Powers Bill is one of 26 proposed laws included in the first all-Conservative Queen's Speech since 1996.
The Conservatives are also proposing new steps to tackle extremism, including giving the home secretary new powers to ban extremist groups and allowing the authorities to close down premises being used to "support extremism".
It will also include more powers for watchdog Ofcom to take action against TV channels that "broadcast extremist content".
Downing Street said there would be "appropriate safeguards and oversight arrangements" and it would take into account a yet unpublished review of existing counter-terrorism legislation undertaken by the independent reviewer David Anderson. | New laws to give police and spies greater powers to monitor internet and phone use are in the Queen's Speech. | 32896921 |
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Gerrard was making his final appearance at Anfield before making his move to Major League Soccer with LA Galaxy - and Liverpool supporters gathered at the stadium hours before kick-off to pay tribute to their iconic captain.
Palace, however, were in no mood to indulge the celebrations and after Adam Lallana put Liverpool ahead, Jason Puncheon equalised on the stroke of half-time before substitutes Wilfried Zaha and Glenn Murray wrapped up the win.
The game itself was almost reduced to a footnote as far as Liverpool were concerned - but in a strangely low-key 90 minutes, this performance graphically illustrated the work that needs to be done by manager Brendan Rodgers once Gerrard has departed after next weekend's final game of the season at Stoke City.
After the formalities of the final whistle were completed, Gerrard went down the tunnel before re-emerging to a prolonged, deserved ovation where he was greeted by former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier, the man who made him Liverpool captain, before receiving a presentation from the club.
Gerrard then addressed Liverpool's fans before joining his team-mates on a lap of honour and then leaving the Anfield turf for the final time after a 17-year career that has brought the Champions League victory against AC Milan that he inspired in Istanbul in 2005, as well as the Uefa Cup, two FA Cups and three League Cup triumphs.
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The Premier League title may have eluded him but as he walked around Anfield it was only the good times Liverpool fans remembered - and he has given them plenty of those with his 185 goals stretched out across a glittering career.
Now Rodgers faces the Herculean task of replacing the 34-year-old, who has been a symbol of the club since he made his debut in 1998.
The game itself almost assumed the status of a sideshow as the shadow of Gerrard's farewell understandably loomed over the entire occasion.
Anfield's DJ set the tone with a pre-match playlist that was a musical tribute to Gerrard, from David Bowie's "Heroes" to the REM tune "The End Of The World As We Know It".
And The Kop was decorated with banners recalling Gerrard's greatest moments including one reading "The Best There Is. The Best There Was And The Best There Will Ever Be".
Gerrard came out to warm up ahead of his team-mates, who allowed him to take the acclaim of The Kop - and in the moments before kick-off Anfield was united in tribute to the man many regard as Liverpool's finest.
He emerged with his daughters Lourdes, Lexie and Lilly-Ella through a guard of honour formed by both sides as thunderous roars swept around Anfield.
The kick-off actually dampened the atmosphere, Liverpool taking an undeserved lead after 26 minutes when Lallana was the beneficiary of Martin Kelly's poor ball, running on and beating Wayne Hennessey with an accomplished finish.
Palace, however, continued to be the better side and were full value for the equaliser that came two minutes before half-time, Puncheon sending a 20-yard free-kick beyond Simon Mignolet after Emre Can fouled the dangerous Yannick Bolasie.
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Pardew decided to introduce Zaha to add to Palace's attacking threat - and it was a move that paid dividends as he slid in Bolasie's cross with his first touch after just 23 seconds on the pitch.
As Liverpool's defence rocked, the outstanding Bolasie almost extended their advantage when he cut inside the struggling Martin Skrtel, but struck his shot against the bar.
There was to be no final rescue act from Gerrard and substitute Murray secured Palace's win by putting in the rebound from his own penalty, which was initially saved by Mignolet.
The spot kick was awarded after Lucas fouled Zaha - although it looked as though the first contact was outside the box.
It was then time for Gerrard to take his leave - and for Liverpool to ponder how they can possibly fill the gap he leaves behind.
Match ends, Liverpool 1, Crystal Palace 3.
Second Half ends, Liverpool 1, Crystal Palace 3.
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by James McArthur.
Jerome Sinclair (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joel Ward (Crystal Palace).
Foul by Raheem Sterling (Liverpool).
Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Goal! Liverpool 1, Crystal Palace 3. Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal following a set piece situation.
Penalty saved! Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the centre of the goal.
Penalty conceded by Lucas Leiva (Liverpool) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Crystal Palace. Wilfried Zaha draws a foul in the penalty area.
Offside, Crystal Palace. Jason Puncheon tries a through ball, but Glenn Murray is caught offside.
Attempt saved. Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jordon Mutch.
Dejan Lovren (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace).
Substitution, Liverpool. Jerome Sinclair replaces Alberto Moreno.
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt blocked. Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked.
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace).
Attempt blocked. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Alberto Moreno.
Jordon Mutch (Crystal Palace) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Alberto Moreno (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jordon Mutch (Crystal Palace).
James McArthur (Crystal Palace) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Emre Can (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by James McArthur (Crystal Palace).
Substitution, Crystal Palace. Glenn Murray replaces Yannick Bolasie.
Corner, Crystal Palace. Conceded by Dejan Lovren.
Attempt missed. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Alberto Moreno.
Joel Ward (Crystal Palace) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Joel Ward (Crystal Palace).
Emre Can (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace).
Attempt missed. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Martin Kelly (Crystal Palace).
Substitution, Crystal Palace. Jordon Mutch replaces Marouane Chamakh.
Attempt blocked. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jordan Henderson. | Liverpool failed to give Steven Gerrard a victorious farewell to Anfield as Crystal Palace emerged worthy winners on an emotion-charged occasion. | 32670817 |
Beaten by Warrington in their first Super 8s fixture, Widnes led 18-0 at half-time with tries from Chris Bridge, Lloyd White and Charly Runciman.
Corey Thompson crossed twice after the break, before Ben Heaton got two scores in reply for the hosts.
Joe Mellor, who scored in his 150th career game, and Danny Craven wrapped up the win late on.
Halifax: Sharp; Heaton, Barber, Tyrer, Worrincy; Murrell, Johnston; Morris, Kaye, Fairbank, Grady, Cahalane, Grix.
Replacements: Moore, Woodburn-Hall, Sio, Douglas.
Widnes Vikings: Hanbury; Marsh, Bridge, Runciman, Thompson; Craven, Mellor; Buchanan, White, Dudson, Houston, Whitley, Cahill.;
Replacements: Manuokafoa, J Chapelhow, Olbison, Johnstone.
Referee: Gareth Hewer | Widnes Vikings got their first win of the Qualifiers, scoring seven tries in a routine victory at Halifax. | 40869095 |
The latest Scottish survey of literacy and numeracy showed reading and writing skills have declined.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson asked whether the first minister was "embarrassed, ashamed or both" by the statistics.
Ms Sturgeon said she would "carry on with the changes we're making".
The literacy statistics, which were published by the Scottish government on Tuesday, showed that fewer than half of Scotland's 13 and 14-year-olds are able to write well.
The writing performance of P4 and P7 pupils has also dropped, while the reading ability of P4, P7 and S2 pupils remains broadly similar to 2014 - but lower than 2012.
And there has been no reduction in the big gap between the performance of the country's wealthiest and most deprived pupils.
Speaking during first minister's questions, Ms Davidson said: "Today in Scotland in an S2 class of 30 pupils, on average, five can't write properly. That's double the number just four years ago.
"When the first minister sees statistics like these does she feel embarrassed, ashamed or both?"
Ms Davidson added: "We like to pride ourselves in Scotland that our education system was the best in the world and after 10 years of this SNP government, we can do so no longer."
Ms Sturgeon responded: "What I feel is utterly determined, determined to carry on with the changes we're making in Scottish education so that we continue to see the improvements in attainment and progress in closing the attainment gap."
The first minister said she was not going "in any way to diminish the significance" of the SSLN findings.
But she argued the study was a sample that measured S2 pupils against the standard they are expected to reach in S3.
In contrast, she said, the government's "comprehensive" national improvement framework data showed more than 80% of S3 pupils were meeting the required standard.
Ms Sturgeon was also pressed on evidence taken on Wednesday by Holyrood's education committee, which heard that trainee primary teachers are graduating without sufficient skills to teach maths to P7 pupils.
"We've not enough trainee teachers coming through and the ones who are aren't being taught properly," Ms Davidson said.
"That's not their fault, but if they're not getting the proper instruction, what chance do they have of teaching our children?"
The first minister said the government had increased the intake into teacher education and pointed out the content of teacher education was a matter for universities, with four Scottish universities ranked in the top seven across the UK for teacher education.
She said: "We've got good performance across education in Scotland but there are areas where we have recognised that we need to do better and this government is getting on with the job of taking the action that will deliver these improvements."
Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie also pressed the first minister on the "poor statistics" on education.
He told Ms Sturgeon he had met a mother worried about her 15-year-old son's future as he is struggling with reading and writing.
Mr Rennie said: "She is anxious about his future but she is also angry with the SNP, who have been in charge for the whole of her son's education."
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale highlighted vacant consultant posts in the NHS, which she said had risen six-fold in five years, resulting in increasing use of private-sector staff.
Ms Dugdale produced figures showing that consultant posts vacant for six months or more rose from about 30 in December 2011 to 180 in December 2016.
The Labour leader also cited a newspaper report revealing a £400m deal with agencies to supply locum doctors.
The spend comes at a time when nurses are more likely to leave the NHS because of low pay, she added, and claimed the empty posts and private-sector spending reflected a decade of "mismanagement" of the health service under the SNP.
Labour calls for a 1% pay cap for nurses to be lifted were defeated during Wednesday's parliamentary vote, with the Scottish government voting against.
Nicola Sturgeon said pay restraint had come as a result of "an extremely tight public spending environment", adding that private-sector spending fell last year, accounting for only 0.7% of the resource budget for health.
Ms Sturgeon said: "We have taken action to make sure that we are treating workers in our NHS as fairly as possible. Unlike governments elsewhere in the UK, we have targeted low pay.
"And we have also made sure that we have always accepted recommendations of the pay review body." | Nicola Sturgeon has said that falling literacy standards in Scottish schools made her "utterly determined" to press on with education reforms. | 39885792 |
Danny Johnson went close for the hosts by hitting a post with a speculative strike from 20 yards early on, before Eastleigh - who beat League One side Swindon 3-1 in midweek to reach the second round of the FA Cup - took control.
Scott Wilson got the Spitfires up and running by rising highest to head home a corner after 25 minutes, before Mikael Mandron gave them breathing room from the spot in first-half stoppage time.
Sam Jones gave Gateshead hope with his seventh goal in as many games with 19 minutes to go and Johnson equalised from the spot in the 79th minute to earn a point for the hosts.
Report supplied by Press Association.
Match ends, Gateshead 2, Eastleigh 2.
Second Half ends, Gateshead 2, Eastleigh 2.
Joe Partington (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Eastleigh. James Constable replaces Mikael Mandron.
Reda Johnson (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Gateshead 2, Eastleigh 2. Danny Johnson (Gateshead) converts the penalty with a.
Goal! Gateshead 1, Eastleigh 2. Sam Jones (Gateshead).
Substitution, Gateshead. Wes York replaces James Bolton.
Scott Wilson (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Eastleigh. Ross Stearn replaces Andy Drury.
Second Half begins Gateshead 0, Eastleigh 2.
First Half ends, Gateshead 0, Eastleigh 2.
Goal! Gateshead 0, Eastleigh 2. Mikael Mandron (Eastleigh) converts the penalty with a.
Russell Penn (Gateshead) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Gateshead. George Smith replaces Manny Smith.
Mikael Mandron (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Gateshead 0, Eastleigh 1. Scott Wilson (Eastleigh).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Gateshead fought back from 2-0 down to salvage a 2-2 National League draw with Eastleigh at Gateshead International Stadium. | 37960048 |
The MV Loch Seaforth's horn was sounded as it left the village late on Thursday afternoon, signalling the turning on of the lights.
Ullapool has not had a community Christmas lights display before.
The village's display has been organised by community group Ullapool Fire and Light Fund and will feature a Christmas tree created from creels.
The creel tree stands about 16ft tall and has been constructed almost entirely of creels normally used for catching prawns or crabs.
Thursday's switch-on included lights appearing on yachts, dinghies and fishing boats in Ullapool harbour. The display has been funded by a grant and donations. | A Caledonian MacBrayne ferry has "switched on" Ullapool's Christmas lights. | 38180998 |
"Peter has been a central figure in Northern Ireland politics for over four decades.
"In his long and distinguished record of public service, both in the House of Commons and the Assembly, he has championed the interests of Northern Ireland with unparalleled effectiveness, determination and dedication.
"Peter was key to the agreement reached this week and he can be rightly proud of his contribution.
"I have never hated Peter Robinson. I don't think Peter Robinson hates me.
"I think we have developed a good working relationship over the years, albeit we come from different allegiances.
"Despite our political differences, I recognise fully the enormous personal contribution Peter has made, building on the work of his predecessor, Dr Paisley."
"I was very sad to learn this morning of Peter Robinson's intention to retire from politics in the near future.
"From my own direct experience of working closely with Peter, I wish to acknowledge his leading role in bringing stability to the political institutions in Northern Ireland, which was most recently demonstrated in the 'Fresh Start' Agreement of which he was a key architect.
"Mere words cannot convey the enormity of the thanks owed to Peter by the DUP and by everyone who values progress in Northern Ireland.
"Peter has been a towering figure in the DUP since its foundation. He has dedicated his life to the defence of the union and to building a better life for our people. He can be justifiably proud of what he has achieved in helping secure those objectives.
"The DUP, unionism and Northern Ireland owe a huge debt of gratitude to Peter for his 40 years of unstinting public service. He is without equal within unionism for his strategic ability to chart a course through many difficult periods in our province.
"His strategic vision, calm reflection and decisive decision-making, will mark him out as something very special.
"I wish to extend thanks and best wishes to Peter Robinson and his family and good luck for the future.
"Sinn Féin will continue to work with the DUP and Peter's successor and with the other political parties as part of the effort to deliver on the recent agreement and to resolve outstanding issues from other agreements."
"His early career was forged as a right-leaning, hardline unionist so it's unsurprising that we don't have much political common ground.
"But despite our disagreements, on a human level it's clear to see that he has had a very difficult time personally and with his health.
"He has clearly played a very significant part in Northern Ireland politics, some might say in the early years he was quite detrimental.
"In recent years he's been more positive but whether we've really established power sharing as opposed to power carve ups, that's an open question."
"As party leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland he has lead our party and our country through some of the most delicate and difficult phases of the political process.
"There were times when lesser men would have given up and simply walked away, but Peter endured and has worked hard for the people of Northern Ireland. His contribution to Ulster society has been immense.
"He was the strategist in the DUP for many years, so he was masterminding the process of bringing the party into being a centre party in trying to move the 1998 Good Friday Agreement forward.
"Of course he was controversial in the earlier period as far as we were concerned in the Republic, but I would far rather remember the role he has played over the last 15 to 16 years.
"I think in the latter years he has certainly tried to be more inclusive and he's tried to bring things forward, although at various times the messages have been very mixed.
"Looking back at when times were difficult and when Northern Ireland was in very troubled times, I think the role he played at that time was not helpful, to put it mildly.
"His foresight has, without question or contradiction, delivered a Northern Ireland that can move forward confidently, with a sense of pride and purpose; and an overarching resolve never to repeat again.
"He is without doubt a major loss to both our party and unionism but I trust he will be able to enjoy an easier pace of life while still assisting us in the days that lie ahead."
"He probably learnt from his predecessor about not overstaying his welcome. I think he had the wit to go before he was pushed.
"I am saddened for him and for Northern Ireland that his legacy is to confirm IRA/Sinn Féin in government.
"We wish Peter a long and healthy retirement. Meanwhile, he remains First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive at a time when we share the ambition of seeing Stormont delivering positive outcomes for all our people. We will continue to engage positively with that objective in mind."
"I always found him to be a pragmatic and straightforward politician who was serious about moving Northern Ireland forward.
"In his role as deputy leader to Ian Paisley and then as the leader of his party and Northern Ireland's first minister, there is no doubt that he made a significant contribution to the journey that the island of Ireland has been on. | Key figures and politicians are responding to the news that Peter Robinson will be stepping down from his role as Northern Ireland's first minister and Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). | 34868297 |
All stations are expected to close, with the four main Tube workers' unions supporting action.
Drivers are unhappy at pay and conditions offered for working on the new night service.
London Underground (LU) said it has offered a deal aimed at improving work-life balance.
Tube stations across the capital will close for the second time in the space of a month, following a 24-hour walkout on 8-9 July.
Services will stop running from 18:30 BST and there will be no Tubes on Thursday.
LU said the new offer included an extra £200 per night shift for drivers and a £500 bonus for station staff by next February, as well as a further guarantees for a 32-hour, four-day week.
Aslef, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) have all turned down the offer.
Unite previously said its action "would go ahead".
BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott
The sticking point comes down to guarantees over weekend working and time off.
I'll give you an example. The unions say that a new night shift will mean a driver finishing at 8am on Sunday and then possibly starting work again on Monday morning. So the Sunday will count as their day off. They say that's not enough rest time after a night shift.
To try to reassure staff, London Underground has just sent out draft copies of what new shift-patterns might look like. It says staff will either work the same number of weekends a year, or fewer. And in the end, anyone who doesn't want to work nights won't have to.
But these talks clearly haven't been going well.
I understand the unions pulled out in the last couple of days (not permanently though). The relatively new team at London Underground is experienced in business but not in the railways, and I get the impression that there has been a bit of a culture clash over the way both sides are used to doing deals.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash claimed the night Tube plan was "rushed and botched from the off" and said his members would "not accept that their work-life balance should be wrecked to plug the gaping holes in staffing capacity that should have been dealt with from day one".
Steve Griffiths, LU's chief operating officer, said his organisation had put forward "an extremely fair revised offer".
He added: "We continue to urge them to put the new offer to their members and not subject Londoners to further unnecessary disruption."
Questions have been raised over whether the dispute will be resolved in time for the night service to begin as planned on 12 September. | A fresh 24-hour Tube strike is due to start from 18:30 BST following the failure of talks to resolve a dispute between unions and London Underground. | 33773658 |
The incident at Pentrefoelas happened at 06:40 BST, close to the spot where a man died in another crash on Wednesday.
North Wales Police said Thursday's collision involved a Citroen Xsara and a VW Golf.
The road was closed for about three hours while investigations were carried out, but has since reopened.
A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said they sent two emergency teams to the scene between Pentrefoelas and Cerrigydrudion.
"A woman was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd for a check-up. A female child was also taken in with minor injuries."
"A male was given a precautionary check at the scene but did not require further treatment." | A woman and a child have been taken to hospital following a two-car crash on the A5 in Conwy county. | 36549048 |
Samir Hussain said covering his face with his hands saved his sight but he was left unable to fully close one eye.
The 28-year-old, who is backing calls for controls on the sale of corrosive substances, said he felt the acid "eating away" at his face.
He now wears a facial mask and said customers at the Kent shopping centre where he works often ask what happened.
"I work in a public-facing role and it is something I talk about on a daily basis," said Mr Hussain, who works in Tunbridge Wells.
He must wear the mask all day and night for at least 18 months as part of his treatment following the attack at Cineworld in Crawley, West Sussex in September.
"When it was thrown, automatic reaction was to raise my hands and cover my face," he said.
"So luckily my eyesight was saved, although my eyelid does not close properly any more.
"When it hit my face it was a cold shock and that's when you feel the acid actually eating away at your flesh."
Mr Hussain, from Redhill, Surrey, is backing calls for controls on the sale of corrosive substances such as sulphuric acid, battery acid, and powerful drain cleaners.
James Berry, Conservative MP for Kingston and Surbiton, wants people buying dangerous substances to have to pay by credit or debit card so their details are recorded.
He says anyone buying the most concentrated substances should need a licence.
It follows an acid attack in Southampton, also in September last year, which left Carla Whitlock scarred and blind in one eye.
The Home Office said sulphuric acid was a reportable explosive precursor, meaning sellers must report suspicious purchases to the police.
"We are working with retailers to identify the best means of restricting sales of products with a high acidic content," said a spokesman. | A man left badly scarred when acid was thrown in his face has said he relives the attack 15 or 20 times every day. | 36826547 |
The Glasgow club secured a top-six finish in the Scottish Premiership with Saturday's 1-0 win over Motherwell.
Now they have announced funding for the new facility from the Weir family who won £160m on the lottery in 2011.
Partick Thistle managing director Ian Maxwell agreed it could help keep the Jags at the top end of the table.
"I think it gives us that opportunity," he told BBC Scotland. "It is transformational. This is the missing link we've had for a while.
"It is an amazing thing to be able to announce and I don't think the club will truly understand the difference it is going to make until we are 10-15 years down the line and we can see the benefits."
No site has yet been earmarked for the project, but the Three Black Cats, a company set up by Colin and Christine Weir to provide long-term investment, hopes to have it up-and-running within two years.
"It will be Glasgow or the Greater Glasgow area," said Maxwell, who pointed out that city rivals Celtic and Rangers both already have out-of-town facilities.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be Maryhill or anywhere near the stadium."
Thistle's various squads presently use different training facilities at locations spread around Glasgow, with Maxwell pointing out that the academy's six teams alone use "half a dozen sites on any night of the week".
Now the Three Black Cats will work with the Maryhill-based club to design and build the new training ground to Thistle's specification.
It will then be leased to the football club on a long-term basis and Maxwell paid tribute to the Weir family for their latest gesture.
"They have been absolutely incredible," he said. "They've been great for the club over a number of seasons.
"They have helped with the academy and this is the next step. This is a real legacy statement."
Thistle chairman David Beattie said it had been "a long-term ambition of the club" to house their first-team, youth and women's teams in one facility.
"The money we currently spend on facilities around Glasgow will be used to service our lease and costs at the new ground," he said.
"It reinforces that we are an established Premiership club, with a level of professionalism and ambition that these new facilities will reflect."
A Three Black Cats spokesman said they had been looking for a new long-term investment opportunity.
"Thistle's ongoing stability - through the club management's financial prudence and through the board's strong leadership - persuaded us that this development is a worthwhile investment, " he said.
"It will be an exciting project and we are keen to get on with securing land as soon as possible.
"It is our intention to have the facility completed and operational within two years and will work closely with Thistle to ensure that it is fit for purpose."
Thistle Weir Youth Academy director Gerry Britton hopes it will help the club fill their first-team with home-grown players and become one of the best places in the country to produce new talent.
"I really still can't believe it," he said. "It is always something we had dreamt of - to have our new facility - and it's fantastic news.
"It might double the amount of contact time we have with each player and it will enhance their development and ability to reach their potential." | Partick Thistle are to receive £4m funding for their first-ever dedicated training ground and believe it will help them compete for future honours. | 39567922 |
O'Keefe, 32, made the remarks at an end-of-season awards night in Sydney last week.
He was fined what Cricket Australia called a "strong penalty" of A$20,000 (£12,000; $15,000) because he had been involved in an earlier alcohol-related incident in August.
The comments have not been made public.
"There is no excuse for this and I take full responsibility and offer an unconditional apology," O'Keefe said in a statement.
He will also attend counselling.
O'Keefe took 19 wickets during Australia's recent four-Test series against India. | Spin bowler Stephen O'Keefe has been fined by Cricket Australia for making "highly inappropriate comments" while under the influence of alcohol. | 39524194 |
Scrum-half Murray needed eight stitches around his left eye after Brown tried to kick the ball from his hands during England's win on Saturday.
Brown was not cited for the incident.
"Conor's got a split next to his eye, he's had eight stitches but he's grand," said Murphy. "He didn't train today, we're just looking after him."
Munster player Murray, who toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2013, looks certain to be available for the Six Nations match against Italy on 12 March.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"He's obviously a little bit bumped up," said Murphy. "He got a bit of treatment in the [England] game, so it's a case of looking after him."
Both referee Romain Poite, who reviewed the incident on the big screen at Twickenham, and the citing commissioner decided no action should be taken against Brown.
England coach Eddie Jones said Brown, who scored a try in the second half, had done nothing wrong.
"The referee adjudicated on it. It was fair. If the ball is on the ground then you are allowed to kick it, aren't you?" Jones said.
Ireland prop Mike Ross also played down the incident, saying Brown was entitled to attempt to kick the ball.
"If the ball's exposed you're going to try to get at it by any means necessary," said Ross.
"You can always stick a foot through and kick it out. It's a part of the game and probably a bit unfortunate that Brown's heel caught Conor there."
However, former Ireland captain Keith Wood felt Brown should have been cited for dangerous play.
Speaking on Sunday, he told BBC Sport: "You have to be careful what you are doing with your feet. Brown kicks through Murray, he kicks him in the face and he will be cited, he has to be cited.
"You are allowed to use your foot in a ruck but he is at the side of his head. He had both feet flaying at it. I hope a precedent is set where you can't kick from the back through a player who is holding the ball."
Meanwhile, Ireland centre Jared Payne is on course to face the Italians after coming through a fitness test on Tuesday on the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the England game. | Ireland's Conor Murray is "lucky" he is fit to face Italy after being caught by the boot of England's Mike Brown, says assistant coach Richie Murphy. | 35696773 |
Resuming on 91, Aneurin Donald fell two runs short of his maiden first-class century as the visitors slumped from 338-4 overnight to 433 all out.
Will Tavare and Gareth Roderick fell cheaply, but Dent put on 137 for the third wicket with Hamish Marshall (58).
The 24-year-old remained unbeaten on 102 when bad light caused an early end to play with the hosts on 243-3.
Marshall's patient knock saw him surpass 1,000 runs across all competitions this season, before he was caught behind off Michael Hogan.
But Dent safely saw out the final few overs alongside Benny Howell, who made 40 not out from 50 balls to push Gloucestershire towards a second batting bonus point.
Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph told BBC Sport Wales:
"I thought we batted exceptionally well as a unit, most of our batters showed very good form and it's a pity Aneurin Donald couldn't get his hundred, I thought he played really well.
"On a wicket that didn't offer a lot of assistance to the bowlers we didn't quite hit our straps and we weren't stringing enough balls together in the same area to create some pressure.
"From the mental challenge point of view, it's potentially one of the biggest games of the season - a lot of times I've been in these situations, you just hope and pray the game flies by." | Chris Dent hit a century as Gloucestershire fought back on day two against Glamorgan at Bristol. | 34331604 |
Dave Penman, leader of the FDA union for senior Whitehall staff, said there had been a "deafening silence" from senior government figures since the resignation of Sir Ivan Rogers.
In a note to staff, Sir Ivan attacked "muddled thinking" about Brexit.
Some politicians welcomed his resignation and said someone "committed to Brexit" should be appointed.
The European Commission said it regretted Sir Ivan's departure, describing him as "a very professional, very knowledgeable, while not always easy interlocutor and diplomat who always loyally defended the interests of his government".
Labour has demanded that the government give a statement on the resignation when Parliament reconvenes next week, following its Christmas and New Year break.
But former cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith said Sir Ivan - whose warning that Brexit talks could take a decade was revealed by the BBC last month - was "not irreplaceable". He said that when a civil servant "starts going public", ministers "can no longer trust that individual".
Another pro-Brexit Conservative, Peter Lilley, said half of Sir Ivan's parting note to his fellow UK diplomats in Brussels read "like a CV" and the other half "like some degree of sour grapes".
"One has a feeling that many diplomats, Eurocrats, are actually in the business of trying to negotiate our way back in rather than committing to getting us out, and if Sir Ivan Rogers was in the former group, it's good he's gone," Mr Lilley told BBC Radio 4's The World at One.
By John Pienaar, BBC deputy political editor
For one minister - an enthusiast for Brexit - it was very simple: "You're either on board, or you're not. He wasn't. We move on." The minister sounded rather cheerful.
So, Sir Ivan Rogers had gone because his face didn't fit. Now the way was clear for a true believer in the opportunities opened up by the vote to leave the EU.
If only winning a good deal for Britain in its divorce from the European Union, and eventually on the terms of trade for the UK outside the EU, was half so simple.
Deep faith in the benefits of leaving the EU may, or may not, be an asset to whoever ends up sitting behind the Union Flag when talks finally begin after March. No-one can claim it will be a sufficient qualification, and to be fair, no-one does.
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said a "tough Brexiteer" should replace Sir Ivan, while Tory MP Dominic Raab claimed Sir Ivan's "heart hasn't really been in Brexit".
But former Foreign Office permanent secretary Lord Ricketts said he was "really concerned at the undertone of denigration" of Sir Ivan and said it was vital for ministers to "stand behind" his successor.
And Mr Penman said he had "a lot of concern" about some of the comments, adding: "What surprises me is the deafening silence from ministers who should be taking to the airwaves to defend the integrity and capability of the impartial civil service."
He added: "If the civil service is to deliver a successful Brexit negotiation, the recipe for that success is unlikely to be to starve it of resources, lack clarity of objective and be surrounded with yes men and women who will not speak truth unto power."
The government said Sir Ivan, who had been due to leave his post in October, was quitting early so a replacement could be appointed by the start of Brexit talks, which Theresa May has promised to trigger by the end of March.
In his farewell note to fellow UK diplomats in Brussels, Sir Ivan said: "I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power.
"I hope that you will support each other in those difficult moments where you have to deliver messages that are disagreeable to those who need to hear them."
On the UK's Brexit negotiations with the EU, he said "serious multilateral negotiating experience is in short supply in Whitehall", adding this was not the case in the European Commission or in the European Council.
He said the government would only succeed if it "negotiates resolutely", adding, in a reference to the remaining 27 EU states: "Senior ministers, who will decide on our positions, issue by issue, also need from you detailed, unvarnished - even where this is uncomfortable - and nuanced understanding of the views, interests and incentives of the other 27."
Downing Street said it would not comment on the resignation email, although Sir Ivan was "free to express his own opinions".
By James Landale, BBC diplomatic correspondent
Outgoing ambassadors often write valedictory notes but few are as explosive as this. Sir Ivan does not name names but his remarks do not need much decoding.
The clear implication is that the advice the UK's ambassador to the EU has been giving has fallen on deaf ears in Downing Street.
And this is why he is standing down, depriving the government of one of its most experienced Brussels hands just weeks before negotiations over Brexit are due to begin.
His resignation took Downing Street by surprise, coming some eight months before his job was due to end or be extended.
So the hunt is now on for an envoy who can speak truth to power while retaining the confidence of Downing Street, who knows Brussels but is not seen as being part of Brussels.
Sir Ivan is expected to stay on for a few weeks while such a diplomatic paragon is found.
A government spokeswoman said: "Sir Ivan Rogers has resigned a few months early as UK permanent representative to the European Union.
"Sir Ivan has taken this decision now to enable a successor to be appointed before the UK invokes Article 50 by the end of March. We are grateful for his work and commitment over the last three years."
For Labour, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer urged Brexit Secretary David Davis to come to the House of Commons next Monday to answer MPs' questions on Sir Ivan's resignation.
He called it "frankly astonishing" and "deeply concerning" that he had written in his email that he did not yet know the government's objectives for Brexit.
Sir Keir added: "Time is running out. It is now vital that the government demonstrates not only that it has a plan but also that it has a clear timetable for publication."
Earlier Mr Duncan Smith said Sir Ivan "knew very well what he was doing" when he sent the note.
He added: "You must have absolute trust and cooperation. You cannot have this stuff coming out publicly."
Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said government policy "appears to be to shout down anyone who tells them things they don't want to hear". | Ministers have been urged to stand up for civil servants following criticism of the UK's outgoing EU ambassador. | 38510623 |
The writer said the banning of his book in many countries and the subsequent threats on his life had created a "long-term chilling effect".
"A book which was critical of Islam would be difficult to be published now," he told the BBC's Will Gompertz.
He said the only way to solve the issue was for publishers to "be braver".
"The only way of living in a free society is to feel that you have the right to say and do stuff," he said.
Many Muslims regard The Satanic Verses as blasphemous, and the book is still banned in India.
The 65-year-old writer lived in hiding for many years after Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for his execution.
Sir Salman said writers were still being attacked for their works in the same way, in Muslim countries including Turkey, Egypt, Algeria and Iran.
"If you look at the way in which free expression is being attacked by religious extremism, the things of which these people are accused is always the same - it's blasphemy, heresy, insult, offence - it's this medieval vocabulary.
"We're in a difficult place because there's a lot of fear and nervousness around."
He pointed out that, as recently as last week, Channel 4 had cancelled a screening of its documentary, Islam: The Untold Story, following security threats.
"The fact a documentary about Islam can be pulled because someone is worried about the consequences is an indication of that," he said.
However, the author said he noted that, on the 20th anniversary of the fatwa, many who had arranged protests against him told newspapers they thought their actions had been a mistake.
"Some of them seemed to accept the free speech argument and understood if they had the right to say what they felt, it was wrong to prevent people who felt differently from having their say," he said.
"If that's right, then maybe we can emerge from a climate of fear."
The writer is set to release his memoirs, entitled Joseph Anton - the name he used while in hiding, and a reference to his favourite authors Conrad and Chekhov - which tell of how he was forced underground in 1989 over his book. | Sir Salman Rushdie has said he does not think his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses would be published today because of a climate of "fear and nervousness". | 19600879 |
Calling for a stable government to tackle the country's economic crisis, he said he hoped the new parliament would convene by the end of the month.
He will hold his first talks with parties on Friday.
Final results leave the centre-right Gerb party of ex-Prime Minister Boiko Borisov narrowly ahead with 30.5%.
Its Socialist rival, the BSP, won 26.6% of the vote.
Only two other parties passed the 4% threshold needed to enter parliament - the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) won 11.3% and the ultra-nationalist Ataka took 7.3%.
International observers say the vote was generally well run but add that scandals and fraud allegations have eroded trust in state institutions.
The BBC correspondent in Sofia, Nick Thorpe, says it will be hard for either main party to form a credible coalition.
By Nick ThorpeBBC News, Sofia
Boiko Borisov's centre-right Gerb party will get the first bite at forming a government, but appears to stand little chance. The Gerb number two, former Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, said Gerb could also attempt to form a minority government.
The Socialist BSP is already assembling potential allies behind its own, non-party candidate for prime minister, former Finance Minister (2005-2009) Plamen Oresherski. Mr Oresherski has called for a "broad coalition".
The third placed, mainly Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) would be obvious allies for the BSP. Nationalist Ataka leader, Volen Siderov, said he will support "policies, not parties", making any Ataka support for a future majority or minority government dependent on the adoption of Ataka policies, like revoking the licence of the Czech power company CEZ.
But mutual hostility between DPS and Gerb, and between DPS and Ataka will make talks hard.
Bulgarian views: 'Election doomed'
Key tasks for the next government include negotiating EU funds for the next seven years, drafting the 2014 budget and trying to address popular anger over poor living conditions and high power prices.
Gerb resigned in February amid protests over living standards and corruption in what is the EU's poorest country.
"It is important to have a stable government," President Plevneliev told reporters.
"Bulgaria does not need new elections now. This will scare away investors."
While the final figures for the vote were given on Wednesday, the exact seat allocations in the 240-member parliament were still unclear.
The BSP could try to form a coalition with the MRF but it is likely it would still need the support of Ataka.
Analysts say Gerb would struggle to form any coalition despite its lead in the popular vote.
Another option would be to form a technocratic government, analyst Zhivko Gerogiev was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.
"There is no other solution than a government of experts based on a programme with clear priorities," he said. "The alternative is new elections which risk to repeat the result of Sunday's vote." | The Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, says he will open talks with political parties after election results were confirmed. | 22542979 |