Stephen Mallan converted a penalty to give the Buddies the lead after Darren Cole had fouled Calum Gallagher. Liam Buchanan quickly levelled for Livi but Shankland's strike from outside the box had the visitors ahead again by half-time. Jordan White poked home for the hosts only for Shankland to fire an impressive volley and settle the match.

Summary: Lawrence Shankland scored twice as St Mirren beat second-bottom Livingston in the Scottish Championship.


The test investigates whether people can detect if they are talking to machines or humans. The experiment is based on Alan Turing's question-and-answer game Can Machines Think? No computer has passed the test before under these conditions, it is reported. However, some artificial intelligence experts have disputed the victory, suggesting the contest had been weighted in the chatbot's favour. The 65-year-old Turing Test is successfully passed if a computer is mistaken for a human more than 30% of the time during a series of five-minute keyboard conversations. On 7 June Eugene convinced 33% of the judges at the Royal Society in London that it was human. Other artificial intelligence (AI) systems also competed, including Cleverbot, Elbot and Ultra Hal. Judges included actor Robert Llewellyn, who played an intelligent robot in BBC Two's science-fiction sitcom Red Dwarf, and Lord Sharkey, who led the successful campaign for Alan Turing's posthumous pardon, over a conviction for homosexual activity, in 2013. Eugene was created by Vladimir Veselov, who was born in Russia and now lives in the United States, and Ukrainian-born Eugene Demchenko, who now lives in Russia. Transcripts of the conversations are currently unavailable, but may appear in a future academic paper. The judges and hidden human control groups were kept apart throughout the test. The event was organised by Reading University's School of Systems Engineering in partnership with RoboLaw, an EU-funded organisation examining the regulation of emerging robotic technologies. Alan Turing was an English mathematician, wartime code-breaker and pioneer of computer science. The event has been labelled as "historic" by the organisers, who claim no computer has passed the test before. "Some will claim that the Test has already been passed," said Kevin Warwick, a visiting professor at the University of Reading and deputy vice-chancellor for research at Coventry University. "The words Turing test have been applied to similar competitions around the world. However, this event involved the most simultaneous comparison tests than ever before, was independently verified and, crucially, the conversations were unrestricted. "A true Turing test does not set the questions or topics prior to the conversations. We are therefore proud to declare that Alan Turing's test was passed for the first time on Saturday." Prof Noel Sharkey, a leading expert in robotic technology and artificial intelligence, said: "It is indeed a great achievement for Eugene. It was very clever ruse to pretend to be a 13-year-old Ukranian boy, which would constrain the conversation. But these competitions are really great to push developments." But others have criticised the claim. "It's nonsense," Prof Stevan Harnad told the Guardian newspaper. "We have not passed the Turing test. We are not even close." Hugh Loebner, creator of another Turing Test competition, has also criticised the University of Reading's experiment for only lasting five minutes. "That's scarcely very penetrating," he told the Huffington Post, noting that Eugene had previously been ranked behind seven other systems in his own 25-minute long Loebner Prize test.

Summary: A computer program called Eugene Goostman, which simulates a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy, is said to have passed the Turing test at an event organised by the University of Reading.


Transport for London (TfL) had wanted to provide £30m for the proposed £175m bridge set to stretch from Temple to the South Bank in Lambeth. But talks broke down after Lambeth Council said not enough had been done to attract private sector backing. Chair of the Garden Bridge Trust, Lord Mervyn Davies, said he was "delighted to move forward with the project". In September, Lambeth Council halted negotiations and said it would only proceed if assurances were made that £30m was not taken from Transport for London. Lambeth council leader Lib Peck said: "I'm pleased we've successfully agreed a deal that will cut London taxpayers' contribution towards the Garden Bridge by two thirds." Plans for the bridge were approved in 2014, after Lambeth and Westminster City Councils granted planning permission with the chancellor and London Mayor Boris Johnson pledging £30m each, and the rest due to come from private funding. Lord Davies said: "We have been hugely successful in our efforts to raise funds from the private sector, with £85m pledged to date, and we have agreed that any of the committed funds from TfL spent over the £10 million will be treated as a loan." But Liberal Democrat Caroline Pidgeon from the London Assembly said: "While I welcome a reduction in Transport for London's payment towards the Garden Bridge, today's announcement simply raises more questions than it answers. "Why did TfL ever agree in the first place to contribute £30m to the Garden Bridge? How much will TfL be willing to lend the Garden Bridge Trust?" The Trust said it hoped to begin working on the site in the New Year.

Summary: Financial contributions to the Garden Bridge by London's public transport network have been limited to £10m.


Alan Solomons' side had scored a wonderful try through centre Will Helu after Munster had started strongly with a John Ryan score. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne kicked three penalties with a host of returning World Cup internationals on both teams. But the scrum-half saw his dramatic drop-goal attempt charged down three minutes into overtime. With just three minutes gone, Ryan muscled between Edinburgh's centres to ground the ball against the base of the post, Keatley converting. Hidalgo-Clyne replied with a penalty and Munster's Gerhard van den Heever was sin-binned for colliding with the airborne Tom Brown, but Edinburgh - supreme in the scrummage and wayward come the lineout - failed to capitalise significantly on the winger's absence. Keith Earls came within a whisker of a second try, haring after a sumptuous Conor Murray box kick deep into the Edinburgh 22, but spilling the bouncing ball at the corner flag as the cover defence heaved him out of play. Keatley thumped over a penalty from just inside Edinburgh's half after the home pack shunted a fraction too early in the scrum and Hidalgo-Clyne slotted his second three-pointer to bring the hosts back within four points at the break. Under Solomons, Edinburgh have relied more upon a pulverising pack than abandon out wide, but the try they crafted shortly after half-time was a work of some beauty. It started with Cornell du Preez, the back-row, fielding a kick in his own half and releasing Damien Hoyland down the wing with a delightful offload. Youngster Hoyland danced and shimmied his way through the Munster defenders, before the ball was swept to the other flank via Hamish Watson and Tom Brown to find Helu, who raced for the corner and grounded powerfully. Hidalgo-Clyne's conversion attempt ricocheted back off the upright. Keatley then hooked a penalty effort wide from distance and Munster lost a second man to the flash of David Wilkinson's yellow card, All Black centre Francis Saili binned as he was caught on the wrong side of a ruck. Hidalgo-Clyne converted the resulting penalty, but Munster's pivot cancelled it out with one of his own five minutes later. There is little doubt Edinburgh are on an upward trajectory, but there are still rough edges, notably in the fluidity of the backline play, to be refined - the number of infuriating fumbled passes will have more than irked Solomons. From one such vexing spill, replacement prop John Andress brought a scrum crashing to ground and Keatley regained Munster's lead with a huge kick from the tee. The visitors turned the screw. Keatley arrowed the ball in behind Brown and the Irish pack lay siege to Edinburgh's line, yielding a yellow card for the hosts' fly-half Greig Tonks. Edinburgh rallied well, though, resisting Munster's advances, and with the clock almost red, Hoyland intercepted in his own 22 to race downfield and set up a heart-stopping, but ultimately fruitless, finale. Edinburgh: Blair Kinghorn, Damien Hoyland, Will Helu, Matt Scott, Tom Brown, Greig Tonks, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne; Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford, WP Nel, Anton Bresler, Alex Toolis, Mike Coman (captain), Hamish Watson,

Summary: A late Ian Keatley penalty consigned Edinburgh to a third straight Pro12 defeat at home to Munster.


Mr McKelvie said he left after being told he may be required as a witness during the inquiry's investigations. His information had led to Labour MP Tom Watson raising concerns over whether a minister had links to a past paedophile ring. It was later reported that the police had found no evidence for such a claim. The IICSA inquiry, sparked by claims of paedophiles operating in Westminster in the 1980s, will investigate whether "state and non-state institutions have failed in their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation" in England and Wales. Mr McKelvie said he had "reluctantly" resigned after being "advised that I am likely to be required as a witness in the inquiry's investigations, and that the inquiry may need to examine my work in pursuing allegations of [child sexual abuse]". Justice Lowell Goddard, who is leading IICSA, thanked Mr McKelvie for his work on the Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel. She added: "I would also like to take this opportunity to stress that allegations concerning child sexual abuse related to Westminster are only one component of the inquiry's work. "As I said in my opening statement the inquiry's terms of reference go far broader than this and encompass all institutions within England and Wales. This important work continues." The BBC reported on Thursday that emails unearthed by the BBC's Panorama programme showed detectives dismissed the allegations made by Mr Watson in October 2012, two months after the Commons statement. The files on which Mr Watson based his statement were seized as part of an investigation involving Mr McKelvie, into the paedophile ring centred on senior social worker Peter Righton in the early 1990s. Mr Watson was briefed on their content, before making his statement, by Mr McKelvie. Mr McKelvie has told the BBC he did not claim to Mr Watson that there had been a "Westminster paedophile ring" and pointed out that the police investigations which followed the Commons statement had led to convictions of two men who were part of the original paedophile ring. It also emerged on Thursday that child sex abuse victims have been asked to resubmit information to the inquiry after it was accidentally deleted. Online forms were deleted due to a "change in our website address", the Goddard Inquiry into historical abuse said on its website.

Summary: Ex-child protection officer Peter McKelvie has resigned as an adviser to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), the inquiry says.


But the message may take some time to reach India. The country had a lone shining moment with Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda's silver medal in Men's High Jump F42 class for athletes with an impairment that affects their arms or legs. And deservedly the nation cherished Girisha's feat as medals have generally eluded India's Paralympians. But now questions are being raised at the country's ability to translate the congratulatory tone into awareness of disabled rights. India is not known for being friendly towards the disabled and most public places still lack basic facilities to help them in everyday life.ã€€ 'Second-class' citizens Even before Girisha won his medal, Indian media was abuzz with stories about problems at the Athletes' Village. Several athletes complained that the Paralympics Committee of India had failed to book accommodation for escorts and coaches at the facility. This made the lives of the athletes very tough as they were denied precious time with their coaches. Taking to CNN-IBN, weightlifter Farman Basha said his preparation was severely affected because he could not move freely in the village without his escort. "I was confident of a medal and now all my training has gone in vain," he said. The channel's editor, Rajdeep Sardesai, ran a special show to discuss whether India treats its Paralympians as second-class citizens. Many other channels and newspapers followed suit. It's an irony that the controversy received more coverage than the Games themselves. India may have won just one medal, but the Games were full of inspiring stories. The media seems to have clearly missed a chance to tell these stories to Indians in detail.ã€€ Speaking on the CNN-IBN show, Olympic silver medallist Rajyawardhan Singh Rathod said he was not surprised with the treatment of India's Paralympians. He said much needs to be changed to give equal rights to Paralympians and millions of disabled people in India. "It's an over-all attitude shift that we need to bring about in our country," he said. There is another thread to the story that the India media seems to have missed. The Indian contingent at the Paralympics did not have a single female athlete. While officials say this boils down to qualification woes, the problem runs much deeper. Most schools and colleges lack basic sporting facilities for the disabled and the ones which do rarely encourage disabled women to participate.ã€€ While stories about the controversy continue to make headlines, nobody can take anything away from Girisha. The athlete certainly fought against the odds to make sure India did not return home from London empty handed. He hails from the south Indian state of Karnataka and belongs to an average middle class family. But his determination to win a medal set him apart from others. His training in Bangalore took place away from the glare of the media and fan recognition. With support from an NGO and government, Girisha quit his bank job six months ago to concentrate on training. Today the result is there for everyone to see. And he hopes that his achievement will transcend the boundaries of sporting achievement

Summary: Record-breaking performances and packed venues made the London Paralympics the most successful ever and many say it has changed the way people look at disability.


Martin, 28, has scored seven goals in 17 appearances for Fulham in the Championship this term. He "made himself unavailable" for Friday's abandoned game at Reading, but Jokanovic insisted he would stay. "I'm not going to send him back to Derby - he's going to stay with us and respect the contract," said Jokanovic. "He stopped in training, but I have information from the medical staff that he is available to play. He decided to take a day off." He continued to BBC Radio London: "We're not a train station, you can't come in and out when you want. We need to respect ourselves, we are the oldest London club. "I don't know if he will play for Fulham, but I'm sure he's not going to play for Derby." Earlier this month, Derby manager Steve McClaren said he was surprised Martin was allowed to leave the club under previous boss Nigel Pearson.

Summary: Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic has dismissed reports that striker Chris Martin could return early to Derby from his season-long loan at Craven Cottage.


The material would "probably" be shipped back to the USA, said California-based SpaceX. The section, measuring about 32ft (10m) by 13ft (4m), was spotted between Bryher and Tresco on 26 November and brought ashore by boatmen. Company representatives have travelled to Tresco to dispose of the wreckage. "It's about being a responsible steward of our rockets after they are used," a spokesman said. SpaceX previously confirmed the wreckage was from the first stage of a successful mission to the International Space Station from September last year. "We don't need it for testing or analysis, it is a pretty straightforward piece of carbon fibre material," said the spokesman. "There are no electronics or anything. We are just trying to clean up after ourselves." The Receiver of Wreck Alison Kentuck said the debris officially belonged to SpaceX. Many islanders wanted the debris added to the Valhalla collection of figureheads from Scilly shipwrecks in Tresco Abbey Garden A spokesman for the UK's National Space Centre in Leicester said it had been "desperate" to keep the wreckage.

Summary: A section of a space rocket which was found off the Isles of Scilly, has been dismantled for disposal, its owners have confirmed.


The Nuffield Council on Bioethics while many clinics provide a good service, some give too little advice and support. It says some fail to make it clear that non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) can offer only an estimate of Down's risk and is not diagnostic. One private clinic said counselling was a vital part of the test. NIPT involves taking a blood sample from the woman to look for DNA from the baby circulating in her blood. This is how doctors can gauge the risk of possible genetic conditions affecting the baby, such as Down's. Doctors can also use NIPT to determine a baby's sex. This isn't something NHS England will be advocating when it rolls out the test to high-risk women next year, but it is already big business for some private clinics in the UK. Most private NIPT providers offer their tests to women through hospitals and healthcare clinics, although some clinics are located in retail chains on High Streets. NIPT is also available on some websites for women to order directly. The Nuffield Council, which advises on ethical issues, says the information currently offered to women and couples accessing NIPT outside the NHS can sometimes be poor and incomplete. It says some providers are not telling women enough about the limits of the test. Advertising by clinics can fail to point out that NIPT can vary in its accuracy, and that it may give a reading that turns out to be false. This is important because women use the test result to decide whether to have more risky, invasive diagnostic tests that pose a chance of miscarriage. The report says there have been instances where the NHS was "left to pick up the pieces" after women had been told that they had a high chance of carrying a baby with a genetic disease based on their NIPT result but had not been given sufficient follow-up. One woman who used a private testing service told the Nuffield Council: "My results were delivered via a telephone call on a Friday teatime. I was then told if I needed to know more to phone back on Monday. In the meantime arrangements would be made to facilitate a termination." Dr Louise Bryant, who helped write the Nuffield Council report, said: "We are concerned that some women are not being supported well enough to make informed decisions." Judith Pilling, from the private provider This is my: Health Screening & Ultrasound Centres, said trained genetic counsellors should be accessible for patients when queries or concerns arise - something her company offers. Many groups have welcomed the Nuffield Council report, but some have criticised parts of its content, including a call for a ban on the use of NIPT for determining the sex of an unborn child. The British Pregnancy Advisory Service said: "We should be absolutely clear that there is no peer-reviewed evidence of sex-selective abortion taking place in the UK. "Where any woman is under pressure to produce a male child, the ethical answer is not to deny every pregnant woman the right to find

Summary: Pregnant women are being urged to ask questions of private providers offering a new test for Down's syndrome.


Her job brought her into close contact with Goebbels - one of the worst war criminals of the 20th century. She was one of the last surviving members of staff from the Nazi hierarchy, who only spoke about her experience later in life. In a recent documentary, she said she had known nothing of the murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. In "A German Life", which was released last year, she said she felt no guilt - "unless you end up blaming the entire German population". Born in January 1911, Ms Pomsel worked as a writer for a Jewish insurance broker for a number of years during her late teenage years, before taking a similar job with a right-wing writer. Although she claimed that she had always been apolitical, she joined the Nazi party when they took power in 1933, in order to take a government job with German national radio. Her skill as a typist, she said, brought her to the role of Joseph Goebbels' secretary in 1942, during the war, when he was minister of "public enlightenment and propaganda". She described Goebbels as "a good looking man ... a bit short", who was always well-groomed and well-dressed - but arrogant. She said she was simply a secretary and knew little of the Nazi's brutal actions during the Holocaust. "The people who today say they would have done more for those poor, persecuted Jewsâ€¦ I really believe that they sincerely mean it," she said in interviews for A German Life. "But they wouldn't have done it either." But she always maintained that she did not share in the blame for the actions of her superiors. "I wouldn't see myself as being guilty," she said. "Unless you end up blaming the entire German population for ultimately enabling that government to take control. That was all of us. Including me." Her Jewish friend, Eva Lowenthal, disappeared in November 1943. Sixty years later, Ms Pomsel discovered she had died in the Auschwitz concentration camp. Ms Pomsel was captured by Soviet troops at the end of World War Two - and spent the following five years in detention camps, before rejoining German broadcasting in 1950, where she worked for the next 20 years. She would not speak openly about her time serving the senior Nazi official until a 2011 newspaper interview, and more extensively in the 2016 documentary. She passed away in Munich a few weeks after her 106th birthday.

Summary: Brunhilde Pomsel, the former secretary to Nazi Germany's propaganda boss Joseph Goebbels, has died aged 106.


Rikki Evans, 28, started playing the bagpipes at 11:00 on Wednesday and stopped playing more than 24 hours later on Thursday. Under Guinness rules he was allowed to take a 10 minute break every two hours. Mr Evans is now awaiting official confirmation from Guinness World Records that he is the new record breaker.

Summary: A man from Aberdeen hopes to have set a new Guinness World Record by playing the bagpipes for over 24 hours.


Mae Arfon Roberts yn cyflogi wyth o bobl yn ei garej Bryn Eira ar gyrion y pentref. Wrth siarad gyda'r Post Cynta ar BBC Radio Cymru, mae'n honni y bydd y system unffordd fydd yn cael ei defnyddio i reoli traffig yn ystod yr wythnos yn golygu na fydd faniau yn gallu dod a chydrannau ceir i'w garej, ac y bydd hynny'n arwain at golledion ariannol iddo. Ond dywed yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol fod y cynllun rheoli trafnidiaeth y cytunwyd arno ar y cyd efo'r gwasanaethau brys a'r cyngor sir, a bod swyddogion wedi ymweld â Mr Roberts i drafod y sefyllfa. Dywedodd Mr Roberts: "Dani heb glywed llawer o ddim byd gan y Steddfod. "Mae'r penderfyniadau i gyd wedi cael ei gwneud yn barod am y one way system. "Does 'na neb yn y pentre yn gwybod dim byd, dani'n gofyn i bobl beth sy'n digwydd a tyda ni ddim yn cael ateb straight gan neb. Fyddai'n colli miloedd wythnos yma. "Fedar y fania partiau ddim dod i fewn, fedar y cwsmeriaid ddim dod i fewn. Dwi byth eisiau gweld y Steddfod yn dod yma eto," meddai. Dywedodd llefarydd ar ran yr Eisteddfod fod eu swyddogion hwy ynghyd â Chyngor sir Ynys Môn a'r gwasanaethau brys wedi trafod a chytuno ar gynllun rheoli trafnidiaeth ar gyfer y brifwyl gyda'r bwriad o osgoi tagfeydd a hwyluso'r trigolion. "Rydym yn ymwybodol y bydd yna effaith ar rai cartrefi a busnesau ac rydym wedi ymweld â phob cartref a busnes i egluro'r sefyllfa a bod yr ymateb wedi bod yn gadarnhaol a chefnogol. "Mae'r Eisteddfod, yr heddlu a chynrychiolydd ac adran Briffyrdd y cyngor wedi ymweld â Mr Roberts ac mae'r Eisteddfod dal mewn cysylltiad ag o, ac rydan ni hefyd wedi cysylltu hefo'r cwmnïau sy'n cyflenwi Mr Roberts i drafod hwyluso pethau iddyn nhw yn ystod yr wythnos". Bydd Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Ynys Môn yn cael ei chynnal rhwng 5-12 o Awst.

Summary: Mae dyn busnes o Fodedern ar Ynys Môn yn honni y bydd ei fusnes yn colli miloedd o bunnoedd yn ystod yr wythnos pan fydd yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn ymweld â'r ardal.


A Mount Rainier National Park spokeswoman said camping gear had been found and distress signals heard from the group's avalanche beacons. She said there was little chance for survival. The group, from Seattle's Alpine Ascents International, was last heard from on Wednesday. There were two guides and four clients in the party, which began a five-day expedition last Monday. The park spokeswoman, Fawn Bauer, told Reuters the camping gear was found more than 3,000ft (900m) below the group's last known position and the group may have been caught in an avalanche. "We don't believe there was a viable chance for survival," she said. The search effort has been suspended. Ms Bauer said: "It would expose our rangers to pretty extreme conditions, so we are not able to do any kind of ground searching of that area. And, in all honesty, we may never be able to get on the ground there." The last contact was via satellite phone on Wednesday at an elevation of 12,800ft. At that time a rain system was sweeping through. When the party failed to return on Friday a helicopter was despatched. Mount Rainier stands at 14,410ft and attracts thousands of climbers each year.

Summary: Hopes are fading for six climbers who have gone missing on Mount Rainier in the north-western US state of Washington.


Mae'n frodor o Fôn, wedi ei fagu ym Modffordd ac mae pêl-droed wedi bod yn rhan fawr o'i fywyd ers iddo fod yn blentyn. Yn ogystal â'i dîm lleol, Llangefni, fe chwaraeodd hefyd i Dinas Bangor a Bethesda ac roedd yn bêl-droediwr addawol iawn, gan fod yn gapten Tîm Ysgolion Cymru. Cafodd hefyd ysgoloriaeth i fynd i chwarae pêl-droed yn yr UDA, y Cymro cyntaf i dderbyn yr ysgoloriaeth, a daeth yn chwaraewr proffesiynol cyn penderfynu troi at reoli yn Albuquerque, Mecsico Newydd. Daeth yn Swyddog Datblygu Pêl-droed yn ôl ym Môn ac yna aeth i reoli Clwb Pêl-droed Porthmadog cyn iddo ymuno gyda thîm Cymru. Yn ystod pencampwriaeth Euro 2016 y llynedd roedd yn rhan ganolog o'r tîm hyfforddi wrth i Gymru lwyddo i gyrraedd rownd gynderfynol y gystadleuaeth, a hynny wrth i Gymru gyrraedd rowndiau terfynol cystadleuaeth ryngwladol am y tro cyntaf ers Cwpan y Byd 1958. Fe gafodd cynadleddau i'r wasg UEFA hefyd eu cynnal yn y Gymraeg yn ystod y gystadleuaeth, a thîm Cymru yn creu hanes ac yn codi proffil yr iaith ar draws y byd. Bydd Osian Roberts, sydd hefyd wedi derbyn Cymrodoriaeth Anrhydeddus gan Brifysgol De Cymru a Phrifysgol Cymru Y Drindod Dewi Sant, yn annerch cynulleidfa'r Eisteddfod o lwyfan y Pafiliwn yn ystod yr wythnos.

Summary: Is-hyfforddwr tîm pêl-droed Cymru, Osian Roberts fydd Llywydd yr ŵyl yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn Ynys Môn ym mis Awst.


The hacking scheme he ran from 2008 to 2014 targeted US pizza chains in Washington state. The jury in the trial found him guilty on 38 out of 40 charges including fraud and ID theft. Seleznev, who is the son of a Russian MP, will be sentenced on 2 December and faces a mandatory jail term of four years. Prosecutors called Seleznev "one of the most prolific credit card thieves in history" who stole and sold almost 3 million credit card numbers. To carry out the hacking scheme, Seleznev hacked into point-of-sale systems in pizza restaurants and then installed malware that siphoned off copies of credit card numbers. The lists of numbers were then sold on net markets where stolen information is traded. More than 3,700 businesses were hit by the hack attacks, said prosecutors. Seleznev pleaded not guilty. US Secret Service agents arrested Seleznev and his girlfriend at a Maldives airport in 2014. Lawyers acting for the hacker said they planned to appeal against the conviction. The appeal will seek to challenge what his legal team described as his "illegal arrest" in 2014 as well as a separate ruling that let the government use evidence from a corrupted laptop seized when he was arrested. "If Roman was Canadian, this case would never have happened," Seleznev's lawyer John Henry Browne told the Wall Street Journal. "There was definitely politics involved in this." Russia has also lodged official complaints about Seleznev's seizure and extradition saying it pointed to a campaign by US authorities to "hunt" Russians all over the world. The US Department of Justice said Seleznev "was prosecuted for his conduct not his nationality".

Summary: Russian Roman Seleznev has been found guilty in the US of running a hacking scheme that stole $169m (£131m).


The "low three-figure" sum of money was taken from three purses which had been left unattended at the Aberdeen Sea Cadets base at Pocra Quay. Insp Carron McKellar said: "This is a disgraceful incident which has left the victims shocked and upset." Anyone with information on the theft is urged to contact Police Scotland. Insp McKellar added: "It is understood that the suspect entered the building while visitors were in another part of the building and took the money. Nothing else has been taken."

Summary: The theft of money from purses at a Remembrance Sunday event at Aberdeen harbour has been branded "disgraceful" by police.


The A547 at Meliden, between Rhuddlan and Prestatyn, was closed after 14:00 BST on Saturday after the collision. The child was taken to hospital, with the extent of his injuries not yet known. Police confirmed traffic had resumed on the road after 16:00 BST.

Summary: A Denbighshire road has been reopened after a boy was hit by a car, North Wales Police says.


All examples of this group, known as the Archosauromorpha, lay eggs. This led some scientists to wonder whether there was something in their biology that prevented live births. But examination of the fossil remains of a very long-necked, 245 million-year-old marine reptile from China revealed it was carrying an embryo. Jun Liu, first author of the new study in Nature Communications, told BBC News that the animal would have measured between three and four metres long, with a neck that was about 1.7m long. The embryo may have been around half a metre long and is positioned inside the rib cage of the adult Dinocephalosaurus fossil, which was discovered in 2008 in Luoping County, Yunnan Province in southern China. Researchers had to consider whether the smaller animal might have been part of the adult's last meal. But it's facing forward, whereas swallowed prey generally face backwards because predators consume the animal head first to help it go down the throat. Another line of evidence in favour of the live birth idea is that the small reptile inside the mother is clearly an example of the same species. Co-author Prof Mike Benton, from the University of Bristol, told BBC News that the fossil was important because the Archosauromorpha form one of three large groupings of land-based vertebrates (backboned animals), each including about 10,000 species. Since we now know that no fundamental biological barrier to live births exists in this group, palaeontologists would be "looking very closely" at other fossils. He suggested one target would be a group of aquatic crocodile relatives - whose mode of reproduction was not well known. Prof Liu, from Hefei University of Technology in China, said the discovery pushes back evidence of reproductive biology in the archosauromorphs by 50 million years. The mode of reproduction in Dinocephalosaurus also points to how the sex of its offspring was determined. Co-author Prof Chris Organ, from Montana State University, added: "Some reptiles today, such as crocodiles, determine the sex of their offspring by the temperature inside the nest. "We identified that Dinocephalosaurus, a distant ancestor of crocodiles, determined the sex of its babies genetically, like mammals and birds." Prof Benton explained: "This combination of live birth and genotypic sex determination seems to have been necessary for animals such as Dinocephalosaurus to become aquatic. "It's great to see such an important step forward in our understanding of the evolution of a major group coming from a chance fossil find in a Chinese field." The possibility that an eggshell once surrounded the embryo but was not preserved in fossilisation could not be ruled out, said Prof Benton. But living Archosauromorphs all lay eggs very early in embryonic development, whereas this embryo is very advanced, with well developed bones. Furthermore, the team says Dinocephalosaurus's long neck and other features of its anatomy suggest it could not have manoeuvred easily out of the water, meaning a reproductive strategy like that of turtles - which lay eggs on land before returning to the water - was probably not an option. Follow Paul on Twitter.

Summary: Scientists have uncovered the first evidence of live births in the group of animals that includes dinosaurs, crocodiles and birds.


Thanet District Council (TDC) was court ordered to lift a ban on live animal exports through the Port of Ramsgate. It paid more than £5m in compensation to traders but has not submitted an insurance claim to retrieve any money. Campaigners said taxpayers had been left to foot the bill as the council missed the deadline. Ian Driver, a community campaigner and former councillor, said the figures had only just come to light after a Freedom of Information request. Mr Driver, said: "So there you have it: a major administrative cock-up by TDC means that taxpayers have been forced to foot a £5.1 million bill some, if not all, of which would have been covered by insurance payments had the claim been submitted in time. But it wasn't." TDC said the maximum payment under the policy was £1m. A spokesman said: "The legal claims against the council have all been settled and accounted for in previous year's budgets." TDC banned live animal exports in 2012 after the deaths of more than 40 sheep. The decision was overturned by the High Court in 2014 after a long legal battle. Mr Justice Birss said the council was liable to pay damages to three companies affected by the ban. Two sheep drowned at Ramsgate in September 2012 and 44 had to be destroyed as they were sick and lame. The animals were put down after the lorry carrying them was stopped at Ramsgate by animal health inspectors. In a separate incident, a loading area floor also collapsed while sheep were taken off a lorry carrying 548 animals. Six fell in the water, with four rescued by RSPCA officers while two animals drowned. The live animal export trade resumed through Ramsgate in July 2015.

Summary: A council has been accused of a "major administrative cock-up" after failing to make an insurance claim for up to £1m.


Watkins has been banned for four years after he tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone and the stimulant methylhexaneamine. He joins team-mate Shaun Cleary, who has been banned for two years as benzoylecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, was found in his system. Both players tested positive before a friendly against Bridgend Ravens RFC. UKAD Director of Legal, Graham Arthur said: "Ryan Watkins deliberately ingested nandrolone and methylhexaneamine without any consideration for his responsibilities as an athlete. "By making this conscious choice to dope, Watkins has chosen to cheat his team-mates, the opposition and his sport. "I hope this case will act as strong deterrent to other young amateur players - the risks to your playing career, your reputation and more importantly to your health, just aren't worth it." Speaking about Cleary, Mr Arthur said: "Although Mr Cleary used cocaine three days before playing, cocaine was still in his system when he played. "Cocaine is banned from sport and athletes are solely responsible for what is in their system, regardless of whether there is an intention to cheat or not." Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips said about Cleary: "This case serves as a strong warning to everyone in the game that non-compliance with anti-doping rules carries grave consequences. "Whether intentional, or inadvertent, players have a responsibility to themselves, to each other, to their clubs and to the sport to act within the rules and spirit of the game. "We work closely with UK Anti-Doping and fully adhere to the World Anti-Doping Code. There is no room in the code for carelessness or not knowing. "We will be relentless in working with UKAD to follow up leads that out players who dope in Welsh rugby." Maesteg Harlequins are mid-table in Welsh National League Division One West Central and Cleary has been banned until 10 October, 2017. Watkins is banned until 11 September 2019.

Summary: Maesteg Harlequins lock Ryan Watkins has become the 12th Welsh rugby player to be suspended by UK Anti-Doping.


Bruce Adamson also called on ministers to gather accurate data on the number of children who go hungry because they do not have access to free meals during school holidays. About 255,230 pupils are registered for free school meals in Scotland. The government said it was "taking steps" to measure food insecurity. Mr Adamson paid tribute to charities such as the Trussell Trust, which has begun a pilot project in Glasgow to offer cookery lessons to parents struggling to make ends meet during the holidays. He told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "There shouldn't be stigma attached to having basic rights to food. "The obligation is on the state to make sure that every child in Scotland is getting access to the food, the education, the healthcare, everything that they need. And that shouldn't be a problem in the holidays. "The more support we can provide to the Trussell Trust and to all of the different programmes right across Scotland at community level that are delivering these important rights for children, the better." He added: "It is a particular challenge over the holidays, which should be a time of joy and excitement and fun, but actually it is the most challenging time of the year for many families in Scotland facing poverty." The Scottish government introduced free school meals for all children in primary 1-3 in 2015. Since then, more than 77% of the 173,000 five to seven-year-olds that are registered take up the option of a free meal at school. However, the numbers registered falls significantly for subsequent age groups, with only 39,215 registered in P4-7 and 38,841 secondary school pupils entitled to a free meal during term time. A Scottish government spokeswoman said that no child should be going hungry and that tackling inequality was a key government priority. She added: "Local authorities have the flexibility to provide meals to children outwith term time and some chose to use this flexibility during school holidays by providing holiday lunch clubs. "In addition, we have already invested over Â£350m in welfare mitigation measures, in addition to our Â£1m Fair Food Fund, which supports projects that promote dignity and harness the social potential of food to connect people and develop sustainable solutions to food poverty." She acknowledged that more work was needed to measure the numbers of children thought to be going hungry. She said: "The Scottish government has therefore taken steps to better measure the full range of food insecurity in Scotland. "Three questions on food insecurity in Scotland will be included in the Scottish Health Survey 2017. Thereafter, the full United Nations food insecurity question set will be included in the SHS from 2018 onwards. "This will allow internationally comparable baseline data on food insecurity in Scotland to be available in 2019 with further data sets available annually thereafter."

Summary: The state has a responsibility to ensure that every child in Scotland has access to food, according to the children's commissioner.


The step may make some important new medicines more affordable in the developing world, by leaving the way clear for generic companies to make cheap copies of GSK's drugs. GSK said it would adopt a graduated approach linked to a country's wealth. It said it would still seek full patent protection in richer nations. The company says the changes it is making should help people who currently cannot afford life saving medicine. In the world's poorest countries, it will allow other companies to make generics or cheaper copies of its medicine. In what it calls lower middle income countries it will continue to file patents but will grant licences to generic manufacturers in exchange for a royalty. Pharmaceutical firms are often criticised for not making their medicines affordable to people in developing countries, but the firms have argued that patenting their products is the only way to ensure research for new treatments can be funded. One exception is HIV/AIDS, where the price of drugs for people in many poor nations who are living with the condition have been drastically reduced. Sufferers of other serious illnesses though, for example, cancer, often cannot afford the drugs to treat them. GSK says changes to the way it patents drugs will make its next generation of cancer drugs more affordable. Recent figures showed GSK's sales rose 2% to £6.29bn in the quarter. However, the company fell to a pre-tax loss of £416m compared with a profit of £531m for the same period in 2014. New treatments for HIV, respiratory conditions and meningitis vaccines had sales of £682m in the quarter.

Summary: UK drugs manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline has said it will not file patents for its products in the world's poorest nations.


Officials say the photo of Ms Badu in The Star newspaper was "an insult to Islam". The paper has apologised. The Grammy-award winner was due to perform on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur and is said to be dismayed at the news. Muslim-majority Malaysia has previously warned other international artists to dress modestly for their concerts. Tattoos are forbidden in Islam and using the word "Allah" in a way deemed disrespectful offends many Muslims. The photo of Ms Badu with several words in Arabic and Hebrew written on her body features prominently on her official fan site. It is not clear whether Ms Badu's body art is permanent. The Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry says it was not aware of the tattoos when it initially approved the concert, the BBC's Jennifer Pak in Kuala Lumpur reports. Some Muslims began protesting after The Star published the photo. Now the culture ministry says it is justified in banning Ms Badu's concert because it breaches religious sensitivities and cultural values. Information Minister Rais Yatim said a government committee had decided to cancel the show because Ms Badu's body art was "an insult to Islam and a very serious offence". According to the statement, the body art "triggered public criticism that could jeopardise national security and cause a negative impact to the government's image". Concert organisers are in touch with officials and hope the cancellation will be reversed, the Associated Press news agency reports. Ms Badu, 41, had already arrived in Malaysia. She is "worried and dismayed" over the incident, according to the concert organiser. The Home Ministry has asked The Star to explain why it published the photo. The Star has already apologised, saying its inclusion in Monday's edition was "inadvertent". "We deeply regret any offence caused to Muslims and sincerely apologise for the oversight," the paper said on Tuesday.

Summary: Malaysia has cancelled a concert by US singer Erykah Badu after a publicity photo showed her with the Arabic word for "Allah" tattooed on her upper body.


Members of the NASUWT are staging a 24-hour stoppage after claiming their relationship with the trust running Whitehaven Academy has broken down. Teachers who are members of the ATL and NUT are taking part in similar action on Friday. The Bright Tribe Trust said it was working to tackle known issues. The academy was hit by a strike by the NASUWT on 10 January. The school, which caters for 620 pupils, was rated inadequate by Ofsted inspectors last October and placed in special measures after being told it must improve its leadership. Unions said teachers had "serious concerns" about the way in which they were being managed and the working environment within the school. Academy bosses said the industrial action was "disappointing" but added they were hopeful of further talks with unions. The school said classes for Year 11 pupils would be held as normal over the two days of industrial action.

Summary: A Cumbrian school has cancelled lessons for the majority of pupils after being hit by industrial action for the second time this month.


Juventus face Real Madrid in Saturday's sell-out game at Cardiff's renamed National Stadium of Wales. Grange Gardens in Grangetown was chosen for the pitch by UEFA, Cardiff council and the Football Association of Wales. Wales legend Ian Rush praised the facility, saying it would help get more kids into football. The 2017 UEFA Champions League final ambassador said it was important to have facilities in the inner city to give young people the "best chance possible". He added: "Somewhere like this you go in with a positive, but where you've got muddy pitches and all that, you go in with a negative." Rush said the next big football superstar could come from the area, adding: "We all came from places like this but unfortunately we didn't have these facilities."

Summary: A new five-a-side pitch has been unveiled in Cardiff to create a "lasting legacy" after the Champions League Final.


The 22-year-old student was assaulted and robbed by a gang of youths in a side street when he was in primary school. It was a long time ago, but he still crosses the road if a large group of people are coming his way. After all, everyone in his family has been targeted in a similar fashion. France's ethnic Chinese population have long suffered casual racism and been stereotyped as easy targets for crime. But they say they have now reached breaking point. In August, 49-year-old tailor and father-of-two Zhang Chaolin died in hospital after being attacked by three teenagers. He had been walking in a quiet street in the north Paris suburb of Aubervilliers. Zhang was reportedly kicked in the sternum and fell, striking his head on the pavement. The aim of the attack was allegedly to steal his friend's bag. The tailor had nothing on him except sweets and cigarettes. In response, on 4 September, at least 15,000 ethnic Chinese turned out in Paris's Place de la Republique to give vent to their deep feelings of insecurity. Estimated at more than 600,000 people, France has Europe's largest Chinese community. But they have not been in the country as long as more prominent migrant groups, including those from Africa. David was born in Paris to parents who migrated from China in the early 1990s. He says he has been asked publicly if he eats dogs, and has been called a "spring roll head". He has also been told to "go back to his own country" and "go and work with his little Chinese hands". Such jibes might be familiar to east Asian migrants and their descendants across the West. As with British Chinese, French Chinese say that racist comments toward them are tolerated, in a way that they are not for more established migrant communities. But in France, there is a sense that Asian migrants are targeted with particularly nasty violence. "[These attacks] are because of the beliefs they have about us," says David, who is too fearful to use his real name. A working-class and immigrant-heavy area, home to more than 1,200 mostly Chinese wholesalers, Aubervilliers is an important European textile centre. Buyers come from far and wide to haggle over Italian-made coats and Chinese-made shirts. Activists say at least 100 attacks against Chinese nationals were reported in the suburb in just the first seven months of this year. France does not keep statistics based on ethnicity, so it is difficult to know the real number of incidents. Meriem Derkaoui, the suburb's communist mayor, condemned Zhang's murder as "racist targeting". Community groups say such attacks are driven by a perception that Chinese people are weak, will not fight back and carry a lot of cash. During a recent trial of three youths accused of 11 attacks in a three-month span in Aubervilliers, the defendants insisted the ethnicity of their targets was just a coincidence. But when interrogated by police, they reportedly admitted to seeing Chinese people as "easy targets" with money on them. In interviews with the BBC, several ethnic

Summary: David Liu, a Chinese Frenchman, says he walks around Paris with "fear in his chest".


It was a ruling in a case brought by two women who wanted to wear the niqab veil, which covers all but the eyes. Belgium banned the wearing of partial or total face veils in public in 2011. The court agreed that the ban sought to guarantee the concept of "living together" and the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others". The court came to a similar judgement on Tuesday in the case of a Belgian woman who was contesting a bylaw brought in by three Belgian municipalities in 2008 that also banned face veils. The European Court of Human Rights is an international court set up in 1959 and rules on individual or state applications alleging violations of the civil and political rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights. Belgian MPs approved the ban in 2011 on the grounds of security, to allow police to identify people, although some also argued the veil was a symbol of the oppression of women. The latest case brought against Belgium was filed by Belgian national Samia Belcacemi, who lives in Schaerbeek, and Moroccan national Yamina Oussar, who lives in LiÃ¨ge. Ms Belcacemi removed her veil fearing she might be fined or jailed, while Ms Oussar opted to stay at home, curtailing her social life, the court noted. In its ruling, the court took into consideration a previous ruling it had made in a similar case brought against France over its imposition of a veil ban. It noted: "The court found that the concern to ensure respect for the minimum guarantees of life in society could be regarded as an element of the 'protection of the rights and freedoms of others' and that the ban was justifiable in principle, solely to the extent that it sought to guarantee the conditions of 'living together'." In the second case, the court made a similar ruling against the application brought by Belgian national Fouzia Dakir against the ban imposed by the municipalities of Pepinster, Dison and Verviers in 2008. An appeal against the rulings can be lodged with the Grand Chamber of the court within three months. In March, Europe's top court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), ruled that workplace bans on the wearing of "any political, philosophical or religious sign" such as headscarves need not constitute direct discrimination. However, it said such bans must be based on internal company rules requiring all employees to "dress neutrally".

Summary: The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Belgium's ban on face veils does not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.


Its reach has also expanded across the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert, attracting members from Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Senegal as well as from within Mali where, in alliance with other Islamists, it is fighting French troops on the ground. During the Mali crisis, its fighters have dramatically increased their profile, allowing them to further their aim of spreading Islamic law and jihad across West Africa. AQIM's influence over other nascent Islamist cells comes from its wealth: it is one of the region's best-armed groups thanks to the money it makes from kidnapping Westerners and drug and cigarette trafficking across the Sahara. It emerged in early 2007, after a feared militant group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), aligned itself with Osama Bin Laden's international network. Back in the 1990s, against a background of Islamist political groups testing their strength across North Africa, the military-backed authorities in Algeria at first permitted the Islamists to play a full part in the nation's political life. But then, when the Islamic Salvation Front was poised to sweep the board in a 1992 general election, they annulled the whole process and took power back. The political ferment immediately moved into violence. Armed Islamists mounted attacks across Algeria, the security forces fought back; and sometimes it was hard to tell which group had carried out which atrocity. Other states in the region - Tunisia and Morocco, Mauritania to the west and Libya to the east - also battled against Islamists. But the conflict in Algeria was particularly brutal, killing perhaps 150,000 people. It peaked in the 1990s, until an amnesty offer to Islamists in 1999 led to gradual improvements. Violence fell and the country's economy recovered during the early years of the 21st Century. However, the most feared of the militant organisations, the Armed Islamic Group or GIA, rejected the promised amnesty and continued a violent campaign to establish an Islamic state. By then it had split, with the most extreme faction calling itself the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat - a name which echoed an Islamist group in Morocco. The Arabic word "Salafist" means fundamentalist, in the sense of going back to the original texts of Islam. In September 2006 the GSPC said it had joined forces with al-Qaeda, and in January 2007 it announced that it had changed its name to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to reflect its new allegiance. At the time there had been much debate in intelligence circles about the significance of the move. Some officials dismissed it as an act of desperation by a group on its last legs, seeking to attract new recruits by aligning itself with Osama Bin Laden. Others, who saw it as far more worrying development, proved correct, as al-Qaeda has succeeded in persuading North Africa's Islamist extremists to take a more global view. In fact, the head of the US Africa Command said he believed that in 2012 AQIM, Nigeria's Boko Haram and the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab were co-ordinating their efforts. The merger announcement delighted al-Qaeda's then deputy leader

Summary: Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), to give its full name in English, has its roots in the bitter Algerian civil war of the early 1990s, but has since evolved to take on a more international Islamist agenda.


The comedy sequel earned more in its first weekend than the $65m that the first film pulled in over the course of its entire US run in cinemas. Universal's Nick Carpou described the musical sequel's success as "amazing". Directed by actress Elizabeth Banks, it marks the highest ever opening for a first-time feature film director. "People loved the first movie and it resonated well beyond that $65m that the first film did," said Carpou, Universal's domestic distribution chief. "To be able to build on the first film and expand its popularity is pretty amazing." The film sees Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson reprising their original roles, alongside newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, as the fictional a capella singing group The Barden Bellas. The story sees the Bellas square off against German aca-champions Das Sound Machine in an international singing contest. Tom Hardy's turn as the reinvented Mad Max - filling the shoes of Mel Gibson 30 years on - racked up $44.4m, having received positive reviews when it premiered at Cannes Film Festival last week. "A lot of people coming to the movie went purely on the reviews," said Warner Bros' Dan Fellman, calling the film "an incredible ride this is that it's going to propel us right into the meat of the summer". However the film remains a long way from profit. Pitch Perfect 2 cost a modest $29m to produce, while Mad Max: Fury Road carries a significant $150m price tag.

Summary: Pitch Perfect 2 has made an impressive $70.3m (£44.7m) debut at the US box office, surging ahead of George Miller's Mad Max reboot, Fury Road.


The information minister said the move was to mourn the revolutionary leader, who died on Friday at the age of 90. Cuba was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with The Gambia after Mr Jammeh took power in a coup in 1994. Mr Jammeh, 51, is seeking re-election for a fifth term in office. For the first time since he came to power he will be facing a single major opposition candidate. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch accused him of using violence to silence critics ahead of the 1 December poll and said two activists had died in custody and dozens of people had been jailed and denied medical or legal help. Mr Jammeh had strong links with Castro, with the Cuban leader sending doctors to work in The Gambia.

Summary: Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh has suspended his campaign for Thursday's election as a mark of respect for Cuba's Fidel Castro.


The BBC has seen a copy of the document, which is due to be formally signed off on Thursday. It contains policies on nationalising railways and renewing the Trident weapons system and suggests Labour will not leave the EU without a deal. Labour would not comment on the leak but the Tories called it "a shambles". According to the draft, Labour would: On energy, Labour would have at least one publicly-owned supplier in every region of the country, with the government controlling the transmission and distribution grids. First it would introduce an "immediate emergency price cap" of £1,000 a year. The manifesto still has to be approved by around 80 Labour figures, including the shadow cabinet and the party's National Executive Committee. The final version will form the foundation of Labour's pitch to voters on the 8 June general election. A spokesman for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "We do not comment on leaks. We will announce our policies in our manifesto, which is our plan to transform Britain for the many, not the few." The draft document is seen by some senior Labour figures as the most left-wing manifesto since the party was led by Michael Foot in 1983. It certainly appears to be the most detailed in a generation with a 20-point plan for workers' rights alone. Many individual policies are likely to be popular - not every privatisation is seen as having been a success and polling suggests the commitments to renationalise the railways and cap energy prices aren't as controversial as critics would claim But opponents and sceptical voters will await further detail behind the assertion that everything has been costed. Privately, many Labour MPs believe Jeremy Corbyn will get the manifesto he wants but in return he must take full responsibility if voters find it less appealing than he does . Many of the policies have been previously announced by Labour or were proposed by Mr Corbyn during his successful leadership campaign. These include banning fracking, and the draft manifesto also says nuclear power would continue to be supported. On welfare, Labour says it would scrap benefit sanctions and the so-called "bedroom tax" and restore housing benefit for people aged under 21. The triple lock protecting the state pension would be maintained, and the retirement age would not increase beyond 66. The draft was initially leaked to the Mirror and the Daily Telegraph. A Conservative spokesman said: "This is a total shambles. Jeremy Corbyn's plans to unleash chaos on Britain have been revealed. "The commitments in this dossier will rack up tens of billions of extra borrowing for our families and will put Brexit negotiations at risk." In other general election news, the Conservatives are pledging to continue meeting the Nato target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was also extending by two years a pledge to increase the defence budget by at least 0.5% above inflation annually. Labour is also promising to meet the 2% Nato pledge.

Summary: A draft of Labour's general election manifesto has been leaked, including plans to nationalise parts of the energy industry and scrap tuition fees.


Andrew Virco, 50, and Katharine Walker, 51, from Cambridge, died with two other Britons when the aircraft crashed into a glacier on South Island, on Saturday. Ms Walker's daughter, Rebecca, 22, said the couple were on a "big adventure" that had been planned for some time. "They do holidays but this was the big one... they had waited for," she said. "New Zealand was her dream. Her and Andy had been planning it for a long time. It was what they would do for their 50th birthdays. "It was their celebration together." Ms Walker was head of radiotherapy at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. Her daughter, a university student, said: "She was everything. She had a special spin on life. She worked hard and she played hard. That's the way she lived her life. "She affected so many people in so many good ways. The things she did at work were incredible. "You just walked through town and everybody would be like 'hi, hi'. I couldn't go shopping without her seeing someone she knew. Cambridge is a big place but she affected so many people. "Not having her here is just going to break so many people. It hasn't sunk in yet." She described Mr Virco, an award-winning photographer, as "amazing". "He took me into his world," she said. "He treated me like his daughter and you can't say much more than that. He's going to be missed." Nigel and Helen Charlton, aged 66 and 70, from Hampshire, also died in the crash, along with Sovannmony Leang, 27, and Josephine Gibson, 29, both from New South Wales, Australia; and pilot Mitchell Gameren, 28, from Queenstown, New Zealand. The recovery operation has been halted for the day after weather conditions at Fox Glacier deteriorated. Three bodies have been recovered. The cause of the crash is being investigated.

Summary: A couple who died in a helicopter crash in New Zealand were on a "dream" holiday to celebrate their 50th birthdays, their family has said.


Tevez, who missed a penalty against Wigan last Saturday, was back on the bench for the midweek Champions League game against Napoli. Mancini insists that Tevez, who failed to secure a summer move away from the club, must accept the situation. "In this moment there are players that are better than him but Carlos is here training," he said. "Carlos will have a chance to play. I don't know if he is happy but every player that can't play is not happy. This is normal. "He will have his moment." The form of fellow strikers Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero, who have scored six league goals apiece so far this season, mean that the 27-year-old Argentina international's chances have been limited, while Mario Balotelli has also played just one league game. But Mancini believes his free-scoring side still need to be more ruthless in front of goal than neighbours and arch-rivals Manchester United, who have scored 18 goals - three more than City - in their first four Premier League games. When City underlined their title credentials with a 5-1 win at Tottenham last month, United bettered them with a 8-2 victory over Arsenal. Mancini's men impressed again by beating Wigan 3-0 last week, only for United to hammer Bolton 5-0. The Italian said: "Man United are a top team - they have been used to winning for a long time. They have strong players. "When they played against Arsenal, when they scored two or three goals, they continued trying to score. "We need to have this mentality. If we have a game like Tottenham where we can score, we need to continue to try to play."

Summary: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says Carlos Tevez must wait for his chance to get back into the team.


It's overtaken Barack Obama's famous "four more years" tweet. When Obama sent the message after being re-elected in 2012, he made history by being retweeted more than half a million times in a few hours and smashed previous records. It's now been shared more than 750,000 times. But the One Direction tweet from 2011 in which Louis said Harry was "always in my heart" is now more popular, having been retweeted more than 780,000 times. Both still have a long way to go to beat the famous Oscar selfie posted by Ellen DeGeneres. So far that has been retweeted more than three million times. Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

Summary: A tweet from One Direction's Louis Tomlinson to Harry Styles has become the second most retweeted post of all time.


Aiden Hughes, with an address of Balmoral Road, Bangor, posed as a teenage boy before meeting his victim in a Belfast park. During the meeting, he touched the girl over her clothes. He later admitted the charge against him. Belfast Crown Court heard Hughes had marriage problems and took to the internet to "escape the stress". A prosecution lawyer told the court that Hughes met the girl on a social networking site, while pretending to be a 14-year-old called Matt Smith. They began exchanging emails which soon became sexual. Hughes asked the girl for meetings and later told her he was 20, and not 14 as previously stated, and admitted his name was Aiden. His victim reported that he made her feel "a little bit sorry for him". A defence solicitor for Hughes said he was a young man who did an extremely stupid thing and was deeply ashamed of his actions. The judge ruled Hughes be put on the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years and also made him the subject of a ten-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order, disqualifying him from working with children and restricting his use of the internet. On his release from prison, he will be required to live at an address approved by the authorities. The judge told Hughes the impact on the then 14-year-old could not be ignored or forgotten and that adults deliberately making contact with young children for sexual activity would not be tolerated.

Summary: A 30-year-old man, who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl he met online, has been jailed for 12 months.


The 27-year-old man from Blackburn was riding a grey Triumph Daytona motorcycle along the B6479 near Selside when he crashed at 19:25 BST on Wednesday. The air ambulance was called but the biker died at the scene. The road was closed for five hours to allow collision investigators to examine it.

Summary: A motorbiker has died after hitting a sign at the side of the road in North Yorkshire.


Well, it is because the government's forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility, has increased its prognosis of how much the Treasury will raise from existing taxes (not new ones) and reduced what it thinks the chancellor will shell out in interest on its massive debts. In total the OBR thinks the national debt, the aggregate of the annual deficits, will be £23bn lower over the four years to 2020, and just because it is more optimistic about tax revenues and assorted costs. Or to put it another way, George Osborne is today £23bn better off than he thought in July, and without doing anything at all. Windfall So what is the chancellor doing with this very useful £23bn that the OBR has found at the back of the sofa? Well he is using £19bn of it to cover the £4.4bn annual cost of not slashing tax credits, and making about £8bn a year less than expected in departmental savings. So on paper it looks as though the chancellor is actually being a bit more prudent than he was in July, even though some would say he is expensively moving his party nearer to the centre-ground of British politics - which he thinks has been vacated by Jeremy Corbyn's Labour. To labour the point, George Osborne is not deploying quite all of his windfall to buy off his critics by taking the teeth out of austerity. But that does not mean there is no risk for him. The OBR's fiscal optimism could well be misplaced - especially since only last week we saw government borrowing figures hideously worse than expected. But presumably, if tax revenues turn out lower and interest payments higher than the chancellor is now banking on, he can attempt to blame and kick the forecasting agency, the OBR, which he created. And he'll hope, presumably, that voters won't see double standards in his years of bashing his Labour predecessors for spending tax revenues that never looked sustainable. George Osborne has not quite morphed into his former opposite number, Ed Balls. But he is, in a more Ballsian way, counting on economic recovery to mend his overstretched finances. UPDATE 20:21 I have had a quick word with Robert Chote of the OBR, and he says that even if he had seen October's lamentable borrowing figures he would not have changed his deficit projections. His expectation is that revenues will rise for the government because of measures already taken, but which have not yet led to a higher tax yield.

Summary: So how has George Osborne pulled off the magical trick of maintaining spending on the police, imposing smaller than anticipated departmental spending cuts in general, and performing an expensive u-turn on tax-credit reductions, while remaining seemingly on course to turn this year's £74bn deficit into a £10bn surplus in 2020.


However, there were people in the TV industry who thought the cast would struggle to find work once their time on the show was up. Some of the actors were warned that they wouldn't be able to shake off their sulky, angry, teen characters. But when you look at the careers of Dev Patel and Jack O'Connell for example, they couldn't have been more wrong. Kaya Scodelario was one of the longest-serving members of the cast, appearing in series one to four as Effy Stonem. She went on to appear in sci-fi thriller Maze Runner and is now in Australia filming the next instalment of Pirates of The Caribbean with Johnny Depp. Nicholas Hoult was the only member of the main cast who had serious acting experience. He'd starred in About a Boy with Hugh Grant in 2002. He has since gone on to play Beast in the X-Men prequels and will soon be seen starring opposite Kristen Stewart in a film called Equals. Dev Patel's first job after playing Anwar Kharral in series one and two, took him from London to India and to the Oscars with Slumdog Millionaire. He told Newsbeat, he never would have got that role without Skins. "My career started off because Danny Boyle's daughter was a fan of the show, that is how I got an audition for Slumdog." He has two films out in cinemas at the moment, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with Dame Judi Dench and Chappie, starring alongside Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman. Jack O'Connell, who played Cook in series three and four, was hand-picked by Angelina Jolie to star in her most recent movie Unbroken. The 24-year-old also picked up the Rising Star Award at this year's Baftas. Fans of Game of Thrones will be familiar with Joe Dempsie and Hannah Murray who play Gendry and Gilly respectively. It is, of course, not unusual for an actor from a British television show to find success in Hollywood films. What is unusual is the amount of stars that were discovered from one single teen drama on a digital channel. So how were the makers of Skins able to spot so many talented young actors? Co-creator Bryan Elsley told Newsbeat they made a conscious decision to hold open auditions. "There are really good kids working from agencies and drama schools but just on that one occasion we decided to go a different way," he explained. "We felt if we had young people playing characters the same age as themselves, and those actors weren't too trained, it would have a more natural feel." It sounds quite risky, but Bryan said the show was such a small project to begin with, they were able to take that approach. Jack O'Connell credits the whole team for the actors' future success. "I think they knew if they were going to identify that genre, that era, that generation, they needed people on the ground level," he said. "A writing team that understood, they got that right first and then I guess they chose to cast exciting people.

Summary: E4's teen drama Skins won numerous awards and gained a cult following over its seven series.


The report warns that a failure to reintegrate returnees may lead to further radicalisation. Somalia's Islamist al-Shabab militants are believed to be recruiting heavily in neighbouring north-eastern Kenya. Kenya has seen a series of militant attacks with one at a university earlier this year killed 148 people. Although the report does not mention where the returnees came from, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) Hassan Ole Nadu has confirmed to the BBC that they were fighting for al-Shabab. The 36-page report was compiled by the IOM, Supkem and the Kenya's interior ministry. Researchers found that although most adults joined the group voluntarily, nearly a third of children interviewed said they were forced to enlist. The return of the youth, the report says, provides both "opportunities and threats for and to Kenyans". "On the one hand, they present an opportunity to counter the radicalising ideologies and recruitment strategies of armed groups," the report says. "On the other, the response of the security forces is widely perceived to be promoting further radicalisation as the returnees themselves believe that they are unsafe and have limited reintegration options." Security in the country was identified by participants as the main obstacle to their successful reintegration in the country. A total of 185 respondents were interviewed, representing nearly 30% of the estimated total of 684 returnees in the country. The majority were between 18 and 34 years old.

Summary: Nearly 700 recruits have returned to Kenya after quitting militant groups, a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.


Unknown hackers carried out a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against Ukrposhta's website. The attack began on Monday morning, but ended shortly after 21:00 local time (1900 BST). However, Ukrposhta reported on Facebook that the DDoS attack continued again on Tuesday. "Friends, we've been DDoSed," the company in a post on Tuesday. "During the first wave of the attack, which began yesterday in the morning, our IT services could normalise the situation, and after 17:00, all the services on the site worked properly. "But today, hackers are at it again. Due to their actions, both the website and services are working, but slowly and with interruptions." DDoS attacks occur when hackers flood a website's servers with a huge amount of web traffic, with the intent of taking the website offline. Attackers do this by secretly infecting computers, routers and Internet of Things-enabled devices, such as thermostats, washing machines and other home appliances, with malware and then roping the zombie computers into a botnet. "With critical systems exposed to the internet and inadequate protection, denial of service attacks can have an impact way beyond taking a website down or preventing online transactions from taking place," Sean Newman, director of Corero Network Security, told the BBC. "In this case, it was a service that was reportedly brought to its knees, but outcomes for other organisations could include manufacturing processes being interrupted or halted, potentially impacting productivity, quality and even safety. "This serves to highlight how any organisation, including those which don't transact directly with consumers, can be seriously impacted by denial of service attacks. With the level of sophistication of today's attackers, and without the latest generation of always-on, real-time automatic DDoS protection, all organisations are vulnerable to DDoS attacks of all sizes and durations." This is not the first time that Ukraine's postal service has been targeted this year - in June, Ukrposhta was hit by the NotPetya ransomware attacks, as part of a wider national attack on Ukrainian banks, the state power provider, television stations and public transport services.

Summary: Ukraine's national postal service has been hit by a two-day-long cyber-attack targeting its online system that tracks parcels.


The table, published in a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts, showed that US invested more than $48bn (Â£30bn) in the sector, up from $34bn in 2010. China slipped to second place, the authors reported, with investment only increasing by $0.5bn to $45.5bn. Globally, overall financial backing in clean energy technologies hit a record $263bn, up 6.5% from 2010 levels. The report, Who is Winning the Clean Energy Race , showed that G20 nations accounted for 95% of the investment in the sector (which does not include nuclear power). The data, compiled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, ranked the UK as seventh in the world, with $9.4bn of investment in 2011. Over the course of the year, an additional 83.5 gigawatts (GW) was added to the world's clean energy generation capacity, including almost 30GW of solar and 43GW of wind. "The sector continues to expand and is outpacing growth in the overall (global) economy. The sector reached its trillionth dollar of investment last year," observed Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew's Clean Energy Program. "We now have 565GW of installed (generation) capacity around the world. That outstrips nuclear installed capacity by 47%. "So I think the facts fly in the face of those individuals who say this is a niche industry. This a growing and maturing sector." (December 2011; source: Pew/Bloomberg) She said market data showed that the US benefited in the short-term from attracting finances, however it was unlikely to be sustained. "Investors rushed in to take advantage of expiring policies, such as tax incentives, loan guarantees, which expired at the end of 2011," Ms Cuttino told BBC News. "So when we look at the very rapid rate of growth in investment here in the US, it is hard to see how that could be maintained without the policy mechanism that spurred that growth." She suggested that there were signs that pointed towards a "drop off" in future clean energy investment as a result of "policy uncertainty". China in previous years, on the other hand, had enjoyed rapid year-on-year growth, but it only recorded a $0.5bn increase during 2011. Ms Cuttino said this was probably a result of the sector within the country maturing. "The thing that is noticeable about China is that they are world leaders in terms of attracting asset finance, which is a measure of job creation and deploying renewables. "This means they are really reaping the rewards of attracting a certain class of investment. "They have a policy that not only attracts investment and deploys renewables, but actually manufacturers and exports as well. Ms Cuttino said that all eyes would be on the Chinese during the coming 12 months because it had increase it target for solar generating capacity from 20GW by 2020 to 50GW by 2020. "So it is going to be a good location for investment, as solar incentives decline in the US and Europe," she added.

Summary: The US has regained top spot from China as the biggest investor in clean energy in 2011, according to global rankings.


The 29-year-old, capped 77 times by Wales, will become the first active international to play in the match since Australian Dan Vickerman in 2009. Roberts is currently studying part-time at Cambridge's Queens' College for a Masters degree in medical science. He will join new club Harlequins after the Varsity at Twickenham. "It is going to be a unique experience for me and something that will be different to any other game I've played at Twickenham - it's a different group of players, a different standard and different prize. But it is still a very, very important rugby match," said Roberts. "It won't be like playing for Wales against England in the World Cup, the Barbarians against New Zealand or in an Anglo-Welsh Cup Final for Cardiff Blues as I've done in the past. But I can't wait." Former Munster and Ireland A lock Ian Nagle will also play for Cambridge as they look to end a run of five successive Oxford victories. For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.

Summary: Wales and British & Irish Lions centre Jamie Roberts will play for Cambridge University in the Varsity match against Oxford on 10 December.


The 23-year-old, who scored once in 27 games last term, netted in Sunday's 2-0 friendly win at Sheffield Wednesday. "I always said if I play where I did for my last club I could get goals but I haven't really had that chance since I came here," he told Rangers' website. "Hopefully I can play in a bit more of an attacking position this season and get some more goals in the league." Midfielder Windass, playing in an advanced role, scored 17 goals for Accrington in season 2015/16 before moving to Rangers in the summer of 2016. He has scored in closed door friendly matches this summer and was delighted to hit the target in front of a health crowd as the Ibrox side rounded off their pre-season with a win against Championship outfit Wednesday. "I was pleased to get a goal - it has been a long time since I scored my last one," he added. "Obviously it is only a friendly so it doesn't mean that much but it's nice to get off the mark. "I don't think I had a point to prove this pre-season. I have no idea how the manager is thinking but I can only keep playing how I have been playing. "I have scored a few goals in pre-season so hopefully that is enough to get in the team." Following their shock Europa League exit at the hands of Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn, Rangers have drawn 1-1 with Marseille, beaten Watford 2-1 and saw off Sheffield Wednesday in friendly matches. With their season kicking off away to Motherwell on 6 August, Rangers manager Pedro Caixinha believes his new-look side are clicking into gear. "The last three games, Marseille, Watford and today Sheffield Wednesday, were fantastic for us to get our cohesion, to get our ideas, to add everything in and get our confidence and our belief," the Portuguese told the Rangers website. "The boys have been making a fantastic effort in order to keep focused and look forward, and today they had their bonus. We knew since the very beginning we are not the worst team in the world and we are not the best one, but we need to keep this focus and this approach to the game."

Summary: Josh Windass insists he will add goals to his game if he is handed the attacking role he craves a Rangers.


Thomas, 21, has agreed a three-year deal at Rugby Park after requesting a move from Fir Park. He moved to Motherwell from Celtic's youth set-up in 2014 and spent the second half of last season on loan at Queen of the South. He scored three goals in 17 appearances for the Doonhamers. Thomas, who had a year to run on his contract, started just four games for Motherwell, with a further 33 appearances from the substitutes' bench. "I wanted to have a look at Dom over the first few weeks of pre-season, but he expressed a desire to move on from the club," manager Stephen Robinson told the 'Well website. "This deal allows the lad to try and advance his career but also protects Motherwell FC's interests in the longer term, so it suits all parties." Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Kilmarnock have signed Dom Thomas, following the attacking midfielder's release from Scottish Premiership rivals Motherwell.


The fact that languages are no longer compulsory at GCSE has led to the problem, says the university's head of modern languages Dr David Barr. Around 800 global firms have bases in Belfast, employing about 75,000 people. But Dr Barr says there's now a shortage of supply to meet the demand. "Lots of companies and employers are seeing opportunities for local graduates staying in Northern Ireland," he says. "What we are fighting against is the trend nationally for graduates to think there are no jobs in Northern Ireland and then they leave us en masse." Micro Focus Belfast employs 130 people who sell software and provide customer care across Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa. Mary McDermott, who is responsible for company recruitment, says: "We don't get a lot of local graduates applying for jobs. "We could fill an English role here quite easily with 30 plus applicants. If we're looking for French, Spanish or German speakers that candidate pool is a lot lower. Fewer candidates are applying. But we find we have some really good success stories of local graduates who speak French and Spanish and who have been very successful in those language specific roles." Louise Kearney has been working at Micro Focus for six months. She speaks Spanish, French and Chinese. "When I was at school at St Louise's in Belfast it was compulsory to take a language at GCSE. I was very arty at that age and had it not been for languages being compulsory it could have been a completely different story for me today. I'm very glad I had to study languages" There are fears too that changes to the curriculum at GCSE and A level could further impact the uptake in languages. Alexandra Bell, head of modern languages at Lagan College in Belfast, says she has concerns that possible changes to GCSE and A-levels could put the study of languages "back 20 years". Teachers in Northern Ireland are currently being consulted about changes, she says. "Employers want students who can speak, communicate and sell their products," she says. "There's a concern amongst teachers that some exam boards are looking at maybe including a little too much literature. "Students should have a choice and that includes a business and careers bent in their studies. "Not that there isn't a place for literature at A-level. But give employers what they need. Someone who wants to use their languages in engineering isn't really going to need to know about Camus [Albert Camus, author of The Outsider]."

Summary: Ulster University says a serious shortage of language graduates is forcing international companies with bases in Northern Ireland to look abroad for employees


Carter has suffered with the condition for years and struggled throughout the 6-2 defeat by the three-time champion at the York Barbican. Carter, 36, told BBC Sport: "I have such a handicap living with this Crohn's disease. "When you have constant abdominal pain you can't settle." Carter, who has recovered from a life-threatening cancerous tumour on his lung, scored a fluent 89 in the opening frame. But Higgins lived up to his billing as a pre-tournament favourite, barely missing a ball thereafter. He capitalised on a couple of Carter misses to pinch the next two frames and rattled off five frames in succession before closing out victory. Two-time World Championship finalist and world number 28, Carter, added: "I missed a couple of balls and am 3-1 down. "It is so hard to compete at the top level anyway and when you have something like that, it makes it very difficult. "I don't want to keep going on about it and I don't feel like my game is a million miles away. But it is such a big handicap If you are not 100% right competing at this level." "It's a wonder I can compete at all. It's not an excuse, it's a handicap. But in the bigger picture, I am lucky to be alive I suppose."

Summary: Ali Carter said his battle with Crohn's disease put him at a huge disadvantage during his third-round UK Championship loss against John Higgins.


The deal for the Long Ashton site made the council look "totally incompetent" and threatened "to turn it into a laughing stock" a Tory councillor said. John Goulandris said money had been wasted paying the firm Park-and-Ride (PRL) for years after the council was obliged to do so. The city's transport boss said the subsidy had stopped the service ending. The site on the outskirts of Bristol was built in 1997 and leased to PRL. The council subsidised it for the first six years, but after that the service was not profitable and the council ended up running the buses. Mr Goulandris said: "Local taxpayers will be rightly outraged that we appear to have been paying this company a huge subsidy, amounting to between £5m-£6m, simply on being invoiced for managing the park-and-ride site. "Whilst I appreciate there is a lot of anguish over the current wholesale review of council expenditure to identify potential savings, this exposé demonstrates that the local authority has been incredibly wasteful - even blasé - over the use of its resources." Mr Goulandris said there should now be a review "into who agreed such a one-sided bargain". 1,500 parking spaces £4 adult fare on 903 route (before 1000) to city centre. £3 off-peak and Saturday £3.70 adult fare on 505 route Peter Mann, the council's director of transport, said if it had not continued with the subsidy after 2002 "there would be no park-and-ride", which he described as "critical to the city". The authority revealed it had been paying the subsidy for 14 years beyond its contractual obligation, during a budget review. Officers advised an immediate end to the payments which was passed by council. Mr Mann said the authority was looking to see if it could reduce costs so the service can continue. "We need to continue the private dialogue with NCP [which owns PRL]... to come to a sensible conclusion." NCP said while it was in "active dialogue" with the council "it would be inappropriate to comment any further." But in a In a letter from NCP's solicitors it said if the council removes the payments "our client would... reconsider the commercial viability of continuing the P&R operation". Bristol City Council has yet to comment.

Summary: A park-and-ride firm was paid £400,000 a year despite not running any buses since 2010, it has emerged.


Gen Sir Nicholas Houghton told the BBC's Andrew Marr that refusing to launch nuclear weapons would "seriously undermine" Britain's "deterrent". And he said he would be worried if such a view "translated into power". Mr Corbyn called on the defence secretary to "take action" against Sir Nicholas over his comments. In a statement, the Labour leader said: "It is a matter of serious concern that the chief of the defence staff has today intervened directly in issues of political dispute. "It is essential in a democracy that the military remains politically neutral at all times. "By publicly taking sides in current political arguments, Sir Nicholas Houghton has clearly breached that constitutional principle. Accordingly, I am writing to the defence secretary to ask him to take action to ensure that the neutrality of the armed forces is upheld." Mr Corbyn, a leading member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, sparked a row with his shadow cabinet at his party's annual conference when he revealed that would never press the "nuclear button" - and he has since praised Scottish Labour's rejection of Trident. Mr Corbyn has said he was elected Labour leader on a platform of opposing Trident renewal and that he is committed to "promoting an international nuclear weapons convention which would lead to a nuclear-free world". Asked about Mr Corbyn's refusal to use nuclear weapons, Sir Nicholas said: "It would worry me if that thought was translated into power as it were." He added: "The whole thing about deterrence rests on the credibility of its use. "When people say you're never going to use the deterrent, what I say is you use the deterrent every second of every minute of every day and the purpose of the deterrent is that you don't have to use it because you successfully deter. "If a prime minister said they would never press the nuclear button, "the deterrent is then completely undermined," he added. "Most of the politicians I know understand that and I think that, dare I say, the responsibility of power is probably quite a sobering thing and you come to a realisation, 'I understand how this thing works'." Attending a wreath-laying ceremony in his Islington North constituency following the Remembrance Sunday commemorations at the Cenotaph, Mr Corbyn said Sir Nicholas's comments had been "unhelpful". "I would gently say to him, with the greatest of respect, we live in a democracy where politicians are elected to Parliament in order to take political decisions," he told Channel 4 News. "If he's worried, I think he should talk to me about it. I don't think it is appropriate for serving officers to make political comments or engage in political debate." Shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle told Andrew Marr she was leading an "open-minded" review of the policy in light of Mr Corbyn's views and a vote by Scottish Labour against the renewal of Trident. She said she had yet to meet Mr Corbyn to discuss Trident but a date was in her diary. But she appeared to back Sir Nicholas, telling Andrew Marr: "I understand the

Summary: Jeremy Corbyn has accused the chief of the defence staff of political bias after he criticised the Labour leader's anti-nuclear stance.


After an impressive year on loan at Torquay in the National League last season, the 20-year-old has now quickly established himself in the Vale first team under new boss Bruno Ribeiro. "He's being scouted by Championship clubs," Smurthwaite told BBC Stoke. "You could see he's come back a man from being at Torquay for a year." Smurthwaite says that Vale youth product Smith will be offered a new deal by the League One club in the next few weeks, in preparation for what he expects to be firmed-up interest when the transfer window reopens on 1 January. "I anticipate there'll be some interest in the window, not just at the end of the season," added Smurthwaite. "But it's a long time between now and January. "There will be a new contract offered to him, as he's on a boy's wage compared to the rest of the squad. "He's obviously making himself known. And we've been having dialogue with his agent ever since he came in and played his first game in the first team." Vale stand ninth in League One, on the back of their run of three clean sheets with which they started the new campaign. Smith has also weighed in with three goals - two in the league and the other in the 1-0 EFL Trophy win over Derby County Under-23s.

Summary: Port Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite is anticipating "interest" in young defender Nathan Smith following his outstanding start to the season.


The Night Tube will provide services on several lines from September. Aslef said it had been told that unless drivers agreed to rosters they would automatically be imposed and no pay offer would be made this year. The union said LU had "closed down" negotiations, however LU said these claims were "completely untrue". The new rosters would include covering all-night services on Friday and Saturday nights when they begin. Finn Brennan, Aslef's district organiser, said: "London Underground has closed down the negotiations. "Our members are entitled to a family life and to some sort of work/life balance. "We aren't opposed to all-night services but we want them introduced in a fair and sensible way which rewards staff for their hard work." About 80% of all London Underground drivers are members of Aslef. Mr Brennan said drivers would have to work an unlimited number of weekend and night shifts for no extra pay. The Night Tube services will initially run on the Piccadilly, Victoria, Central, Jubilee and Northern lines. They will be extended to the Metropolitan, Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City lines by 2021, the London Overground in 2017 and the Docklands Light Railway by 2021. The plans are part of a six-point long term economic plan that Chancellor George Osborne and London Mayor Boris Johnson said would add £6.4bn to the London economy by 2030 and create 500,000 new jobs. Labour's London Assembly transport spokeswoman Val Shawcross said the Night Tube would be a great thing for London but "it's important it's done properly". She said: "That means recognising the impact it will have on staff who will make the night Tube possible and listening to their concerns. "Instead, last year the mayor announced a start date for the night Tube without any proper consultation with the staff and unions." Nick Brown, chief operating officer for LU, said: "To suggest that we've closed down negotiations is completely untrue and it is extremely disappointing the co-ordinated response by the unions has been to announce their intention to ballot members. "Talks have not broken down and we are committed to reaching an agreement that rewards our hard-working staff that is affordable, sustainable and fair."

Summary: Tube drivers on the London Underground (LU) are to be balloted for strikes in a row over pay for new all-night services, the Aslef union has said.


Under the deal, Baosteel is to take over its smaller competitor Wuhan Iron and Steel. Both companies are majority-owned by the state. The announcement comes as Beijing tries to overhaul the steel industry, one of the country's bloated state sectors. The merger will create a new company, China Baowu Iron and Steel Group. Based on data from 2015, the two firms together have an annual production of about 60 million tonnes a year, which would make it the country's largest steelmaker. Globally, it would be second only to Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal. Baosteel's net profit tumbled 83% to 1bn yuan ($150m) last year, while Wuhan lost 7.5bn yuan, a sharp drop from its 1.3bn yuan net profit in 2014. Steel demand in China, as well as worldwide, has slumped in the past year as the country's economic growth has slowed. The resulting overproduction has seen steelmakers around the world suffer huge losses. China has been accused of price dumping - selling its steel cheaply overseas in order to clear its stocks. In April, China promised to reduce its steel output, following a crisis meeting attended by 30 nations. Over the past 25 years, Chinese steel production has expanded hugely with output growing more than twelve-fold. China produced more than 822 million tonnes of steel in 2014 and is expected to produce even more this year. However, projected demand for its steel in 2016 is only 672 million tonnes.

Summary: Two of China's largest steel companies have announced plans for a merger, creating the world's second largest steelmaker, as the industry struggles with global overproduction.