It said in a report that cuts had not been applied equally since 2010, with local authorities in the poorest areas seeing the biggest reductions. The MPs warned further cuts could undermine councils' financial stability and threaten statutory services. Local authority funding has been cut as part of efforts to tackle the deficit. Most local authority funding in England comes from central government, with about a quarter of it raised through council tax. Public spending watchdog the National Audit Office has said that by 2016 local authority funding will have been cut in real terms by 37% since 2010. In a report on the financial sustainability of local authorities, the Public Accounts Committee said that while local authorities had responded well to cuts "on the whole", there were concerns over whether some councils would continue to be financially sustainable. "This is particularly the case for authorities responsible for adult social care and children's services," it said. Committee chairwoman Margaret Hodge, a Labour MP, said: "These cuts have not hit all local authorities equally, with reductions ranging between 5% and 40%. "Councils with the greatest spending needs - the most deprived authorities - have been receiving the largest reductions." The report said the Department for Communities and Local Government - which has overall responsibility for council funding - did not fully understand the impact of funding cuts. It said the department relied too much on spending data and had insufficient information on service levels, service quality and the financial sustainability of councils. "Without at least an idea of the amount of funding required to maintain statutory services to a minimum standard, it is hard to see how the department could ensure that local authorities are able to fulfil their statutory duties," Mrs Hodge said. The report also questioned whether the department was providing effective enough leadership to ensure councils could change the way they deliver their services to absorb future cuts and remain financially sustainable. "Overall, as pressure from cuts grows, so do the risks to local authorities' finances and their provision of services. "The depth and quality of the department's insight into these issues needs to keep pace with these changes, something it has struggled so far to achieve," the report said. In December, ministers outlined an average funding cut of 1.8% in English councils' overall spending power, as part of the local government finance settlement for 2015-16. Some councils will face cuts of up to 6.4% - which local authority bosses said would "push some authorities to breaking point". The government says the funding grants settlement was "fair for all parts of the country". Local Government Minister Kris Hopkins said at the time that the settlement still left councillors with "considerable total spending power", and that many councils were seeing growth in income from business rates.

Summary: Councils in the most deprived areas of England have been hardest hit by cuts to their funding, the Public Accounts Committee has said.


Hodgson made six changes, including resting captain Wayne Rooney, from the win against Wales - but a limp performance means Chris Coleman's side finish top of Group B and England's life is now more difficult if they go deeper into Euro 2016. England had the better chances, with Slovakia keeper Matus Kozacik saving well when Jamie Vardy broke clear in the first half, as well as blocking crucially from Nathaniel Clyne after the break. Rooney came on for the struggling Jack Wilshere after 55 minutes, but the pattern was set and Slovakia defended manfully for what should prove to be a precious point. Dele Alli had also a shot kicked off the line by Martin Skrtel just seconds after coming on as a substitute on the hour. England now travel to Nice where they face the team that finishes second in Group F - either Hungary, Portugal, Iceland or Austria - next Monday. It was a major surprise that Hodgson chose to make such mass alterations to an England team that had finally picked up some momentum with Thursday's last-gasp victory over Wales. That win put them in position to top the group by beating Slovakia. Instead, with nothing decided and with the group still open, Hodgson chose to leave out Rooney, Kyle Walker, Danny Rose, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane. Hodgson introduced Vardy and Daniel Sturridge, who both scored against Wales, as well as Clyne, Ryan Bertrand, Wilshere and Jordan Henderson. It gave England a disjointed look and they ran out of steam and threat long before the end. Time will tell if this was the selection that proved decisive in England's Euro 2016 campaign - but the bottom line is when you make a controversial choice such as that, you need to win and Hodgson's side failed. Wilshere was given a starting role as Hodgson shuffled his squad to inject freshness and to give those on the margins some game time - but it was a move that failed. The 24-year-old Arsenal midfielder looked exactly what he is at the moment: less than fully fit and off the pace after a Premier League season where injuries meant he barely featured. Wilshere played just 141 minutes of Premier League football over three games at the end of Arsenal's season. This was no sort of preparation for a major tournament and it showed, but such is Hodgson's belief in his talents that he could not resist the temptation to select him, against all logic. He strived to somehow revive his best moments but it was not to be - not through any lack of effort, simply a lack of spark, his natural game dulled by the long absences. Wilshere looked a dejected figure as he went off to be replaced by Rooney after only 55 minutes, the possibility growing that his chances of making a serious impact on Euro 2016 badly damaged. The result leaves them off to the south of France and Nice, playing next Monday instead of Saturday - but they will surely regret not finishing top of

Summary: England manager Roy Hodgson's gamble of making wholesale changes backfired badly as they stumbled to a goalless draw against Slovakia in Saint-Etienne.


Media playback is unsupported on your device 30 March 2014 Last updated at 13:54 BST The remains may be part of a massive emergency burial pit where thousands of plague victims were left 600 years ago. Lead archaeologist Jay Carver says the find "solves a 660-year-old mystery". "This discovery is a hugely important step forward in documenting and understanding Europe's most devastating pandemic," he said.

Summary: Skeletons unearthed in London Crossrail excavations have been found to be Black Death victims from the great disease of the 14th Century.


Warning: Readers may find some of the details of violence in this piece distressing. It was late October 2014, and on paper the young banker had lived what could only be described as a privileged and successful life. But over the space of a few drug- and alcohol-fuelled days, he tortured and killed Sumarti Ningsih, 23, and Seneng Mujiasih, 26, before calling the police to let them know what he had done. In court, lawyers described a much darker side to his apparently gilded existence, one involving drugs, sexual sadism, and an extreme personality disorder. Jutting had tortured Ms Ningsih for three days, before he killed her by slashing her throat over a prolonged period, nearly decapitating her. He then hid her body in a suitcase. A few days later, Jutting brought his second victim, Ms Mujiasih, to his flat. This was a woman he would go on to describe simply as "the prey" he had been hunting. "Sumarti was generous. That much is clear from the evidence in the house. Her driving force was to improve life for her family, to make them richer. Life may be peaceful in the village but she would have been all too aware of the possibilities of a life with more material comforts." The story of Sumarti: Born in Indonesia, murdered in Hong Kong Experts for the defence say Jutting's IQ score is 137 - putting him in the top 1% of the population. But they also diagnosed him with four disorders, which they said combined to lead to the killings: •Narcissistic personality disorder •Sexual sadism disorder •Cocaine use disorder •Alcohol use disorder Prosecution witnesses argued that such conditions should not "substantially" diminish his ability to control his actions. But according to the defence, when it came to his narcissism, the signs were there from an early age. Jutting was born in London in 1985. His first name Rurik was chosen by his mother, and literally translated as "great one" - it was an imperial dynasty in Russia. He described himself as an ambitious boy who had a happy childhood. But even from a young age, Jutting displayed feelings of superiority and entitlement, his defence argued. He was admitted to the prestigious private school Winchester College in his early teens but was disappointed that he ranked sixth in the scholarship selection, rather than first. When his mother expressed delight at his entrance exam results, Jutting commented that he found her reaction "almost insulting", because it implied that she was surprised he had got in. There were other troubling episodes. When he was 16, his father tried to take his own life by slashing his wrists while he was in the house. Jutting had to help provide the initial care and go to hospital with him. Jutting also said he had been sexually assaulted by another student while studying at Winchester. In 2003, he was seen by a psychiatrist, who said he experienced suicidal thoughts and that he was affected by knowledge of his parents' marital problems and concerns about his mother's health. Nonetheless, Jutting excelled

Summary: On the 31st floor of an upmarket block of flats in Hong Kong's energetic Wanchai district, British banker Rurik Jutting brutally killed two Indonesian women in what would become known as one of the city's most notorious killings.


Speaking in Vienna, US Secretary of State John Kerry said world powers would back Libya in seeking exemption from a UN arms embargo. He said IS was a "new threat" to Libya and it was "imperative" it was stopped. Last month, the Libyan government warned that IS could seize most of the country if it was not halted soon. After holding talks with international partners, Mr Kerry said: "The GNA [Government of National Accord] is the only entity that can unify the country. It is the only way to ensure that vital institutions... fall under representative and acknowledged authority. "It is the only way to generate the cohesion necessary to defeat Daesh [IS]." The requested arms embargo "exemption" for Libya will need to be approved by the UN Sanctions Committee before it comes into force. But the Libyan government's formal request for it signals that they have been given assurances that it would soon be approved. Libya remains a country where multiple administrations are still bickering over who is in charge. Armed groups in western Libya, reputed for their shifting allegiances, only loosely back the new government, and there is no clear chain of command. There is a risk that future arms shipments will either fall into the wrong hands, or exacerbate the civil conflict there between rival militias. Mr Kerry said support for arming the government was part of a package of measures agreed at the meeting, which included accelerating non-military aid to Libya. He said that as well as countering IS, the GNA should take full control of Libyan ministries, backed by the international community. A joint statement from the countries attending drew attention to Libya's role as a major transit point for migrants trying to reach Europe. "We look forward to partnering with the GNA and neighbouring countries to tackle the threat posed throughout the Mediterranean and on its land borders by criminal organisations engaged in all forms of smuggling and trafficking, including in human beings," it said. "We are ready to respond to the Libyan government's requests for training and equipping the presidential guard and vetted forces from throughout Libya." But the prime minister of Libya's unity government, Fayez Sarraj, warned major challenges lay ahead, saying taking on IS would require further outside help. "We urge the international community to assist us," he said. "We are not talking about international intervention, we are talking about international assistance in training, equipping our troops and training our youths." The North African country has been in chaos since Nato-backed forces overthrew long-time ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011. Until recently it had two rival governments competing for power, and there are still hundreds of militias, some allied to IS. Western nations hope the unity government will take on IS, which has a foothold in Sirte - the home town of Gaddafi. The militant group has launched a series of suicide bombings and attacks on oil facilities in the country.

Summary: The US and other world powers have said they are ready to arm Libya's UN-backed unity government to help it fight the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group.


Media playback is not supported on this device The 28-year-old, who won Olympic bronze in 2012, cleared 2.33m to finish second behind Italian Gianmarco Tamberi. Team captain Asha Philip was fifth in the women's 60m but Dina Asher-Smith suffered a minor hamstring injury in her semi-final and missed the final. And Lynsey Sharp and Adelle Tracey both failed to reach the 800m final. Sharp, the European and Commonwealth silver medallist, finished second in her heat, but her time of two minutes, 02.75 seconds was not quick enough to progress as a fastest loser. "Even though it may not look like it was a success, to me it was because I've learned a lot," said the Scot. In May 2014, Grabarz questioned his future in the sport after a knee operation left him jumping, in his words, "like a 16-year-old girl" and that failing to clear 1.80m on his return to training was "the most depressing day of his life". However, a first-time clearance of 2.33m saw him beat Erik Kynard, the man who won silver at the London Olympics, on countback. "I'm ecstatic, I just can't quite believe it," he said after winning Britain's third medal of the Championships. "If someone said I'd get that result two years ago I wouldn't have believed it, I would have bitten their hand off." Media playback is not supported on this device American Barbara Pierre won the women's 60m title in 7.02secs - 0.02 ahead of Dutch favourite Dafne Schippers. Philip crossed the line in 7.14 seconds to miss out on a medal. "I'm gutted," she said. "I came here for a medal, I wanted a medal. I came fifth and I didn't run a personal best or a season's best." Asher-Smith's withdrawal from the final was a precautionary move, given the Rio Olympics are only five months away. American Ashton Eaton won his third successive heptathlon title to add to the pentathlon title won by his Canadian wife Brianne Theisen-Eaton the day before. It makes them the first married couple to win gold medals at the same world championships. "I was thinking it doesn't matter what happens to me," said Eaton, who was born and lives in Portland. "Brianne is the one that stole the show. I am really happy about that and proud of her," he added of his wife, who finally ended a frustrating run of second-place finishes at major championships. Eaton's winning total of 6,470 points in the seven-event competition was 188 clear of nearest rival Oleksiy Kasyanov of Ukraine. Meanwhile, in a meeting in Slovakia, Tom Bosworth broke the 20km walk British record, finishing in one hour 20 minutes and 41 seconds. The 26-year-old Briton took one minute 22 seconds off the previous best, set by Ian McCombie in 1988.

Summary: Robbie Grabarz won high jump silver on another otherwise disappointing day for British athletes at the World Indoor Championships in Portland.


Mandy Fader, professor of continence technology at the University of Southampton, says their design has changed "very little" in 80 years. In the BBC News website's Scrubbing Up column, she criticises low investment from industry and "weak" regulation The Urology Trade Association says it is "simply incorrect" to say catheters have not improved in recent decades. The urinary catheter is a much-used, but little-discussed, device designed to drain the bladder. It is typically used in hospital to monitor how much urine patients have passed, or to make sure the bladder does not become too full. This can be for a matter of minutes - but some people are discharged with a catheter, and may continue to use one for months or even years. The tube is usually passed through the urethra and held in the bladder with a small balloon, though sometimes it is put in above the pubic bone via the abdomen into the bladder. It is connected to a drainage bag which is usually strapped onto the thigh or above the ankle. This - in turn - must be drained regularly. The catheter provides a site for bacteria to multiply and thrive, encased in a glue called "biofilm" which is resistant to detergent and antibiotics. This is a major source or urinary infection, blockages and leaks. It is estimated in the UK there are at least 90,000 people with long term urinary catheters, using them for three months or more. About one in five people who stay in hospital are fitted with a catheter, sometimes just as a matter of routine rather than requirement. Research suggests more than one in four urinary catheters inserted in A&E are unnecessary. This problem is being addressed in some hospitals. In a scheme to reduce Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI), five trusts in south London are working together to reduce harm in a scheme called "No Catheter, No CAUTI". The campaign, run by the Health Innovation Network, aims to ensure catheters are not used inappropriately, and are removed promptly. It is hoped this will reduce these infections by 30% and, if it is successful, it will be rolled out across the NHS. Dr Adrian Hopper, the network's clinical director, said: "The general view is that CAUTI is the most common hospital acquired infection and vastly more common than MRSA and C-difficile which are the infections that everyone knows about." Prof Fader says there is growing evidence that catheters are over-used, but the main concerns are about design and materials. She argues such a commonplace device should be a state of the art product, but concludes in her column that "the lowly catheter has changed very little in the last 80 years". And Prof Fader warns part of the problem lies with weak regulation, saying: "Unlike with new drugs, manufacturers do not need to show that any changes they make to catheters actually work on patients." She also criticises catheter manufacturers: "What's needed is for industry to wake up and invest more heavily in new catheter designs and... materials that resist infection." For too

Summary: A leading researcher says industry must "wake up and invest more" in urinary catheters


The 27-year-old dominated from the start, flooring his opponent in the 10th round and winning 120-108, 119-108 and 117-110 on the judges' scorecards. The belt could only be won by Yafai after the Panamanian was stripped of it when he failed to make the weight. Unbeaten in 21 professional fights, Yafai previously held the Commonwealth and British super-flyweight belts. The Birmingham fighter also won a silver medal at the 2010 European Championships during his amateur career. "It's unbelievable, it's going to take a while to sink in," he said. "I knew I was going to do it, it was just a matter of how. I just did what I needed to do. "I can't wait to headline in Birmingham as a world champion. My hands are a bit sore so I might be out for a little bit, but the second I can get in the gym I will be back working and getting ready to defend this belt." The fight was part of a packed undercard as Britain's Anthony Joshua retained his IBF world heavyweight championship by knocking out American Eric Molina. Bury's Scott Quigg won his first fight since losing to Carl Frampton in February, and his first as a featherweight, outpointing Mexico's Jose Cayetano. Former super-bantamweight world champion Quigg, 28, had his jaw broken by Frampton but showed no signs of frailty on his return to the ring. Cayetano, himself fighting at 126lb for the first time, was unmoved by most of his opponent's punches until the end of the eighth round, when he began to wilt. And Quigg finished his rival off with a flashing left-right combination at close quarters, the referee calling a halt to proceedings with Cayetano on the deck. Quigg has plenty of options at featherweight. Frampton moved up and claimed the WBA featherweight title in July, Welshman Lee Selby is the IBF title-holder and Leeds' Josh Warrington is also in the hunt for a world title. Liverpool's Callum Smith stayed on course for a world title shot with a brutal 10th-round knockout of game Lancastrian Luke Blackledge. Referee Steve Gray could have stopped the fight earlier but allowed the one-sided battering to continue until Blackledge was knocked unconscious. There were an anxious few minutes as a prone Blackledge was administered oxygen before he gingerly, and mercifully, made it back to his feet. Smith, 26, successfully defended his British title for the first time and remained unbeaten in 22 pro fights, with 17 knockouts. He is ranked number one by the WBC but Sweden's Badou Jack is defending that belt against Britain's IBF champion James DeGale in January. In a thrilling light-heavyweight contest, Frank Buglioni stopped Hosea Burton in the 12th and final round to secure the British title. Manchester's Burton, 28, built an early lead behind his jab and some ramrod right hands, and the challenger's face was a bloody mess by the middle rounds. However, the Londoner's punches started to have an effect down the stretch and Burton went down under a barrage in the 11th. Midway through the 12th, Burton was stunned

Summary: Britain's Kal Yafai won the WBA super-flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Luis Concepcion.


That is in part because of its heritage architecture, but more so because of what is inside - the headquarters of the Tata group, one of India's oldest and biggest conglomerates with more than 100 companies that have interests ranging from tea and telecoms, to salt and steel. In the past decade, it has become one of the UK's biggest employers too. So it is inside Bombay House that the fate of a steel plant, thousands of miles away in Wales, will be decided by the board of the company. When Tata took over Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus in 2007, it was seen as a bold move for an Indian firm, and here in India there was a strong sense of pride over the first signs of a shift of economic power between developing and developed countries. The excitement did not last long though. Falling steel demand post-global financial crisis has meant that Tata's steel operations in Europe, and particularly in the UK, have been suffering heavy losses. It is perhaps been among the biggest challenges facing the group's chairman Cyrus Mistry ever since he took charge in December 2012. Attempts to turn around Tata Steel Europe have included deals to sell some factories and several rounds of restructuring which in this age has come to mean job cuts. While it has had to make those tough decisions, Tata is a company that is very conscious of its public image. In nearly 150 years of operation, it has achieved a position of respect that few other Indian companies have accomplished. It is easily one of the country's most admired companies, one that is seen to care for the welfare of its employees. So even if economics forces its hand, Tata will be wary of the impact on its reputation if it decides to shut down its Port Talbot plant.

Summary: Bombay House in the historic Fort area of Mumbai is an iconic building.


John Johnston, 27, admitted taking the vehicle without consent and driving while over the legal alcohol limit. He was spotted by a CCTV operator committing the offence and stopped by police in Buccleuch Street. At Dumfries Sheriff Court he was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and given the driving ban. Johnston, who had moved from Belfast to Dumfries, committed the offence in September this year. He had been staying in homeless accommodation in the town and took the roller from Brooms Road. He then drove it across town in a bid to get home from a night out drinking with a friend. "I was just trying to find my way home," he told the court at an earlier appearance.

Summary: A man who tried to get home on a 2.5 tonne road roller after a night out drinking in Dumfries has received a 15-month driving ban.


In a long-awaited report, the UN human rights office accused both sides of atrocities, especially during the final stages of the war in 2009. In response Sri Lanka promised a local inquiry but will not allow the proposed court, which would have foreign judges. One UN estimate is that 40,000 Tamils died in the final army offensive. In the government's reaction to the report, there appears to be one major shift. Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne told the BBC that ex-President Rajapaksa and his family would not necessarily be protected if there were allegations of serious crimes against them. "Where even the president or other commanders or defence secretaries - whoever - is involved, our government is ready to take action." But otherwise Colombo is sticking to its line that a Sri Lankan process, with nothing more international than advice, will suffice. He said a series of domestic commissions, including a South Africa-style Truth Commission, will be set up "to clear the name of the country". That is not compatible with the hard-hitting UN report. Its main thrust is that a hybrid - part-international, part-Sri Lankan - tribunal is needed, because "years of denials and cover-ups" mean the Sri Lankan system is "not yet ready to handle these types of crime". Earlier this week Sri Lanka's new government unveiled plans to set up a truth and reconciliation commission to examine war crimes allegations, including those against the military. The previous government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa had resisted international pressure to investigate the issue. Unveiling the report in Geneva, UN Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said only a special court with international magistrates and investigators would be up to the huge task of examining the alleged crimes over a nine year period up to 2011. "Our investigation has laid bare the horrific level of violations and abuses that occurred in Sri Lanka, including indiscriminate shelling, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, harrowing accounts of torture and sexual violence, recruitment of children and other grave crimes," he said. He also called on the Sri Lankan government to remove from office anyone if there were credible grounds to believe they had committed human rights abuses. The report's main findings include: The report said forced recruitment by the rebels would, if proven in court, be a war crime. The denial of humanitarian assistance - which it said the government might be guilty of - could also constitute a war crime. Senior Sri Lankan minister Rajitha Senaratne told the BBC: "Our stand on war crimes is we need an internationally accepted local inquiry. We are not ready to agree with the international inquiries." Despite its promises to pursue accountability, the government elected last month would be reluctant to hold war-crimes trials, correspondents say. The BBC's Azzam Ameen in Colombo says most among the majority Sinhalese community opposed prosecuting troops. Some Tamil politicians in the north back a UN-led inquiry and say they have no faith in a domestic process. The final months of the war saw hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians trapped in territory held by

Summary: The United Nations has called for a special court to try war crimes committed during the Sri Lankan army's long conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels.


The announcement came hours after the pirates and naval forces exchanged gunfire over a boat believed to be carrying supplies to the hijackers. The tanker, which was en route from Djibouti to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, was seized on Monday with eight Sri Lankan crew members on board. It is the first hijack off Somalia's coast since 2012. Abdirahman Mohamud Hassan, the director general of the Puntland maritime police force, said: "There has been discussion going on after the gunfight this afternoon... We took our forces back and thus the pirates went away." The Sri Lankan foreign ministry said the crew members were released "unharmed, without the payment of a ransom". A pirate confirmed the release was made without a ransom payment, according to Reuters. However, John Steed, a former British army officer who has spent years negotiating the release of piracy hostages in Somalia, told the AFP news agency they had been made an offer they could not refuse. Mr Hassan earlier said that "pirates" on board the tanker had opened fire on Thursday after authorities tried to intercept a boat believed to be carrying essential supplies, such as food. Four people were wounded in the exchange of fire on Thursday, the BBC has learned. The Puntland authorities deployed local forces in the area in an attempt to assist rescue efforts for the hostages on board the vessel, the district commissioner said. The vessel was carrying oil and was owned by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), despite conflicting reports over the flag it was sailing under, he added. On Wednesday, the European Union anti-piracy naval force, which is helping to tackle piracy in the region, said the hijackers had been demanding a ransom. Authorities were then still trying to determine whether the gunmen, who have not given any details about the size of the ransom, were organised pirates or fishermen whose equipment was destroyed by illegal fishing vessels, as they had claimed to be. The EU force earlier made contact with the ship's master, who said his vessel and crew were being held captive anchored off the coast of north-east Somalia. The ship's tracking system has reportedly been switched off. Piracy off the coast of Somalia, usually for ransom, has reduced significantly in recent years, in part because of extensive international military patrols as well as support for local fishing communities. At the height of the crisis in 2011, there were 237 attacks and the annual cost of piracy was estimated to be up to $8bn (Â£7bn). However, some smaller fishing vessels have recently been seized in the area. In 2015, Somali officials warned that piracy could return unless the international community helped create jobs and security ashore, as well as combating illegal fishing at sea. Some Somali fishermen turned to piracy after their livelihoods were destroyed by illegal fishing from foreign trawlers, which benefited from the lack of a functioning coastguard in the country following years of conflict.

Summary: Somali pirates who hijacked an oil tanker have released it without condition, according to officials.


Stuart Campbell was arrested in the west of England on Friday following a complaint from a woman in south London. She had made allegations of harassment taking place over a two-year period. Mr Campbell, who was released on bail, said it concerned some tweets and insisted they were not threatening. He accused the media of "innuendo" designed to encourage "speculations". The blogger, a former computer games reviewer who was born in Stirling but lives in Bath, has been a vocal campaigner for Scottish independence and launched the Wings Over Scotland blog in 2011. On Friday he tweeted that he would be posting less frequently than usual because of "reasons totally outwith my control (don't ask)". End of Twitter post by @WingsScotland A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Police are investigating an allegation of online harassment. "The allegation was made after a woman, aged in her 30s, attended a south London police station. The harassment is said to have taken place over the past two years." Mr Campbell has been bailed, pending further inquiries, to a date in mid-September. In a statement on the Wings Over Scotland website, Mr Campbell responded to a report of his arrest which appeared in The Herald newspaper. He said that piece "has been written for maximum innuendo to allow the wildest speculations on social media - which are of course duly taking place - but the alleged events relate entirely to some tweets from our Twitter account, none of which have been deleted and all of which are still publicly visible. "Nothing more sinister or serious than some tweets has occurred or been alleged to have occurred. None of the tweets involved are in ANY way threatening, not even in a joking sense. That's all we'll be saying on the subject at this time."

Summary: The pro-independence blogger behind the Wings Over Scotland website has been arrested for alleged online harassment.


The group made a loss of $219m (Â£175.1m) compared with the same time last year when profits were $106m. However, a growing demand for "accurate and timely journalism" was helping to lift subscriber numbers for some of its news outlets, it said. News Corp gets more than half its revenue from outside the US. The firm's chief executive Robert Thomson said The Wall Street Journal now had more than 2.1 million paid subscribers and that for the first time, more than 50% of those subscribers were digital. "Audiences are craving integrity, which is why so many of our mastheads have reported strong growth in readers and subscribers this quarter," he said. "And advertisers need a trusted canvas and real results, not the muddled, muddied metrics of many digital platforms." The group reported strong performances at its book publisher Harper Collins and its digital estate agency division. Rapid expansion meant "digital real estate" was "well on the way to becoming the largest contributor to our profitability", said Mr Thomson. "This segment posted another very strong quarter, with a 16% year-over-year revenue increase, improved margins and robust audience gains," he added. Mr Thomson said a reduction in the value of print-related fixed assets at the firm's Australian newspaper business had hurt income for the quarter, together with non-cash charges related to Foxtel. News Corp's businesses include news and information services, book publishing, real estate services and cable network programming as well as pay-TV distribution in Australia.

Summary: Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has reported a loss for the three months to December, amid a difficult environment for print advertising.


Earlier this summer, the actress said she was "appalled and angry" about a billboard advert for her movie Red Shoes & the 7 Dwarfs, which suggested being overweight made you less beautiful. And now, she's spoken for the first time about a time she was fat-shamed on set by one of her male co-stars. She told Variety: "This guy that was my love interest was like, 'I'd never date you in real life,' and I was like, 'what?'. And he was like, 'yeah, you're too big for me' - as in my size. "It was one of the only actors that ever made me cry on set." Chloe didn't reveal who it was, but said the actor was in his mid 20s - while she was 15 at the time. "I went bawling to my brother and he was like, 'what happened?'. And I was like, 'he told me I was too big'. My brother was so angry. "I had to pick it up and go back on set and pretend he was a love interest, and it was really hard. It just makes you realise that there are some really bad people out there and for some reason, he felt the need to say that to me. "You have to kind of forgive and not forget really, but it was just like wow. It was jarring. I look back on it and I was 15, which is really, really dark." Chloe Grace Moretz isn't the first star to highlight the issue of body shaming. From Kate Winslet and Jennifer Lawrence (pictured) to Meghan Trainor and Amy Schumer - more and more stars are refusing to feel guilty about their appearance. "I heard my body is a topic of conversation so I wanted to say, I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too," Lady Gaga said earlier this year. Lena Dunham, meanwhile, has said: "I've accepted that my body is an ever changing organism, not a fixed entity - what goes up must come down and vice versa." Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: Chloe Grace Moretz is not a fan of body shaming.


Summer Wroniecki broke a bone in her leg when the inflatable was blown about 150 yards into the crowd at Duffus Park in Cupar, Fife, on Saturday afternoon. Summer had previously battled a rare type of cancer, which was diagnosed just after her third birthday. Her father Christian wrote on Facebook that his daughter was "comfortable". He said: "Summer is a tough cookie as you all know and will again bounce back." Mr Wroniecki posted on Monday morning that her operation would be taking place on Tuesday. It is believed an adult was also treated for a shoulder complaint after the incident. Organisers said every safety precaution was risk assessed.

Summary: A six-year-old girl, who survived a cancer battle, is back in hospital after being injured when an inflatable slide blew into a crowd in high winds.


This country's dramatic political changes have passed them by. Greater democracy has not brought greater respect for the stateless Rohingya's human rights. But the formation of an Advisory Commission on Rakhine State represents a rare glimmer of hope. For the first time, the Burmese government is seeking international expertise to try and solve one of the country's most complex problems. It's a significant shift. For years, the official Burmese mantra has been that "no foreigner can possibly understand Rakhine's problems". Now Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general, has been tasked with taking a fresh look at the issues as head of nine-member commission. His report could just add to the mountain of papers written about Rakhine and the Rohingya, or it just might be a game-changer. Will anyone help the Rohingya? Rohingya migrant crisis in 90 seconds The 'abandoned' people in Myanmar's election Aung San Suu Kyi where are you? So what's Aung San Suu Kyi up to? Well, first a cynical take. Next week the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due in the Burmese capital Nay Pyi Taw and in September Ms Suu Kyi will head to the United States for the UN General Assembly and talks with President Obama. The Nobel laureate was no doubt bracing herself for awkward questions about why she wasn't doing more to help Myanmar's Muslim minority and in particular the 800,000 or so Rohingya. Those questions can now be easily deflected with reference to this new commission. But there's more at play than that. By setting up the commission, Ms Suu Kyi is signalling that she is open to new ideas, and doesn't have all the answers. Kofi Annan may be 78 but, as you'd expect from a former UN secretary general, he's his own man. The final report, due to be delivered by the end of August 2017, is likely to contain suggestions that many Burmese consider unpalatable. Almost certainly it will insist that the Rohingya's basic human rights are respected, perhaps recommending that Myanmar offer them a better route to citizenship. In Myanmar's current political climate it's hard for Ms Suu Kyi to bring those ideas to the table. She'd be attacked not just by hardline Buddhists but many within her own party. So Kofi Annan and his report could be the "Trojan Horse" that brings this sort of proposal into the national debate. There are of course plenty of caveats. Problems as deeply entrenched as those between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine State will not be solved overnight. The animosity between them has built up over decades with many in the Buddhist majority seeing the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from across the border in Bangladesh. After the violence of 2012, more than 100,000 Rohingya were forced from their homes into camps. In the years that have followed there's been no real effort to help them return. Rakhine has become increasingly segregated, with some comparing it to South Africa's apartheid. Things have become quieter but there's been little reconciliation. Whatever the commission ends up concluding, any move to give

Summary: There haven't been many good moments for Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims in the last four years.


Causanagh Road, Loughgall Tannyoky Road, Poyntzpass Carrowreagh Road, Dundonald Edenticullo Road, Hillsborough New Line Road, Rathfriland Drumanure Road, Derrygonnelly

Summary: These roads in Northern Ireland are closed due to poor weather conditions as of Friday 15 January.


India's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.3% in the quarter compared with a year earlier, data showed. That is down from 6.1% in the previous quarter. Analysts were expecting the same figure for January to March. India is the third-largest economy in Asia but has been struggling with inflation and currency weakness. Since July last year, the Indian rupee has seen one of the biggest declines among Asian currencies, dropping more than 27% against the US dollar. "Shocking numbers as growth was even lower than lows witnessed during the financial crisis," said Anubhuti Sahay from Standard Chartered Bank in Mumbai. The BBC's Yogita Limaye in Mumbai said that just a year ago India was aspiring for double-digit growth. But a global slowdown has reduced external demand, and high inflation coupled with a weak rupee has made things more expensive within the country. Domestic demand, which India's economy is largely reliant on, has also slowed in part due to the political upheaval in the country. India's economy is suffering from "policy incoherence, shifting global risk appetite and a comatose government", said Rajeev Malik, senior economist at brokerage CLSA India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh admitted early this month that his government must do more to get the once fast-growing economy moving again. The Congress-led coalition government is caught up in a slew of corruption scandals. Key policy reforms, including allowing foreign investment in India's retail sector, have been delayed in parliament for more than a year. This has worried foreign investors and threatened the country's investment grade credit rating. "This is definitely a very important signal for the government - this is a make or break situation for India and the government has to step on the panic button," said Rupa Rege Nitsure, chief economist at Bank of Baroda in Mumbai. "If the government doesn't step in now, India's sovereign ratings may be jeopardised."

Summary: The Indian economy grew at the slowest rate since 2003 in the first three months of 2012, due to a widening trade gap and poor investment.


The 23-year-old, on loan from Chelsea, saved a penalty in normal time and one in a shoot-out when the Chairboys knocked Blackpool out of the EFL Trophy in January. And, with four minutes left on the clock in this game, Blackman saved Brad Potts' spot-kick to preserve a point. The first chance of the game fell to Adebayo Akinfenwa who drilled wide after 10 minutes. Midway through the first half a speculative effort from Potts grazed Blackman's crossbar. On the stroke of half-time Paris Cowan-Hall's low drive brought a smart save from visiting goalkeeper Dean Lyness. Shortly after the break a Potts effort was acrobatically clawed back from the goal-line by Blackman. Blackpool claimed the ball had crossed the line but their appeals fell on deaf ears. And Wycombe's keeper had his crowning moment in the dying stages, producing a brilliant save to deny Potts from 12 yards. Match report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Wycombe Wanderers 0, Blackpool 0. Second Half ends, Wycombe Wanderers 0, Blackpool 0. Luke O'Nien (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Neil Danns (Blackpool). Foul by Michael Harriman (Wycombe Wanderers). Neil Danns (Blackpool) wins a free kick on the right wing. Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Sam Saunders replaces Sam Wood. Joe Jacobson (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Jack Payne (Blackpool). Penalty saved! Brad Potts (Blackpool) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom right corner. Penalty conceded by Max Müller (Wycombe Wanderers) after a foul in the penalty area. Penalty Blackpool. Jamille Matt draws a foul in the penalty area. Attempt missed. Myles Weston (Wycombe Wanderers) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Alex Jakubiak replaces Paris Cowan-Hall. Paris Cowan-Hall (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Tom Aldred (Blackpool). Luke O'Nien (Wycombe Wanderers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Luke O'Nien (Wycombe Wanderers). Will Aimson (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Substitution, Blackpool. Neil Danns replaces Jordan Flores. Substitution, Blackpool. Jamille Matt replaces Mark Cullen. Attempt missed. Jack Payne (Blackpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Paris Cowan-Hall (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Kelvin Mellor (Blackpool). Attempt blocked. Nathan Delfouneso (Blackpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Substitution, Wycombe Wanderers. Myles Weston replaces Dayle Southwell. Jordan Flores (Blackpool) is shown the yellow card. Marcus Bean (Wycombe Wanderers) is shown the yellow card. Attempt blocked. Nathan Delfouneso (Blackpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Foul by Max Müller (Wycombe Wanderers). Nathan Delfouneso (Blackpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Adebayo Akinfenwa (Wycombe Wanderers) header from the centre of the box is too high. Marcus Bean (Wycombe Wanderers) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Jordan Flores (Blackpool). Foul by Aaron Pierre (Wycombe Wanderers). Mark Cullen (Blackpool) wins

Summary: Wycombe goalkeeper Jamal Blackman saved a penalty to thwart Blackpool for a second time this season as his side held on for a goalless draw.


Griffin Place Communications Limited, in Llantarnam, Cwmbran, employed up to 140 people, with many staff claiming they were sacked days before. Torfaen AM Lynne Neagle said the Welsh government has "serious questions to answer", while Welsh government said it would be reviewing the situation. Attempts have been made to contact the company for comment. On Friday, employees arrived at the Llantarnam offices to find the rooms empty and the doors locked. The company has notified some workers that it has commenced liquidation proceedings and many of those have claimed they are owed thousands of pounds in wages. A letter to employees from insolvency firm Finn Associates advised there will be a meeting of creditors on 13 August. Ms Neagle has arranged a public meeting for former workers on Monday at Mount Pleasant Hall in Pontnewydd. "The immediate priority now has got to be to try and support the many staff who have been devastated by this news," she said. Shadow Economy Minister William Graham said Welsh taxpayers "will rightly question" whether Welsh government's investment in the project represented value for money. Torfaen council confirmed it will be contacting seven clients employed by the company as part of the UK government's Work Programme. According to the Welsh government, support provided to the company stipulated jobs should be in place for at least three years. "We will, with immediate effect, be seeking repayment of relevant grant sums," the spokesperson added. "We have also mobilised the Welsh Contact Centre Forum, who can signpost affected staff to potential new job opportunities, and we will keep the situation under review."

Summary: A call centre in Torfaen which received £600,000 funding from the Welsh government has gone into liquidation.


The 65-year-old was found dead in the garden of his gated home in South Weald in June 2015. Although Essex Police originally thought he died of natural causes, it emerged he had been shot six times. Police said they had questioned a man originally from Tyneside but currently living in southern Spain. The force says the man was not arrested but volunteered to be interviewed at a police station in the UK. The force did not specify which police station he was interviewed at. The interview took place on Saturday morning. An inquest into Palmer's death concluded he was unlawfully killed. Police have said his shooting had "all the hallmarks of a professional hit". Palmer, once described as Britain's richest criminal and thought to have been worth £300m, got his nickname after he was arrested on suspicion of melting down gold from the Brink's-Mat robbery, although he was never convicted. The robbery in 1983 took place at Heathrow Airport when £25m worth of gold was stolen. At the time it was the biggest robbery to have ever taken place in the UK. The former scrap metal dealer, from Olton, near Birmingham, who was one of seven children, was said to have melted the metal down in the back garden of his mansion at Lansdown near Bath. However, he denied knowing it was stolen and was acquitted in 1987, blowing kisses to the jury from the dock when the verdict was delivered. Worth about £500m in today's prices, most of the gold has never been recovered and the case remains open. In 1997 Palmer was arrested in Tenerife, and returned to the UK to face charges related to a large-scale timeshare fraud. In May 2001 he was sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay a record confiscation order of £33m.

Summary: A 50-year-old man has been questioned on suspicion of the murder of notorious criminal John "Goldfinger" Palmer, detectives have said.


The home secretary and Tory leadership candidate told the Daily Mail it would be "sheer madness" to give up the UK's nuclear deterrent because of the threat posed by countries including Russia. Renewing Trident would show Britain was "committed" to working with Nato allies after voting for Brexit, she added. Labour is split over Trident, with Jeremy Corbyn opposing its renewal. Mrs May, seen as the front runner in the contest to replace David Cameron, said there was a "rapidly changing terrorist threat" from groups including so-called Islamic State and Boko Haram. But she disputed the suggestion this meant the UK no longer needed a nuclear deterrent, saying the UK still faced threats from "conventional enemies". Mrs May said this included Russia, which had showed "renewed beligerence" in its annexation of Crimea, and North Korea, which she said "continues to defy international law with its nuclear programme". Since 1969, according to government documents, a British submarine carrying nuclear weapons has always been on patrol, gliding silently beneath the waves, somewhere in the world's oceans. The logic is to deter a nuclear attack on the UK because, even if the nation's conventional defence capabilities were destroyed, the silent submarine would still be able to launch a catastrophic retaliatory strike on the aggressor, a concept known as mutually assured destruction. The submarines carry up to eight Trident missiles; each can be fitted with a number of warheads. Read more about the history of the UK's nuclear weapons system Pledging to make a "strong defence an important priority" if she is elected leader of the Conservatives, Mrs May wrote: "In the face of such strong evidence, it would be sheer madness to contemplate even for a moment giving up Britain's independent nuclear deterrent. "And there is no room for compromise, and no room for cheese paring. "We need a full fleet of four submarines, capable between them of providing what the military call 'Continuous At Sea Deterrence', or permanent, around-the-clock cover. "Doing so will send an important message that, as Britain leaves the European Union, we remain committed to working alongside our Nato allies and playing our full role in the world." Parliament is to hold a vote later this year on whether to proceed with building successor submarines to the existing Vanguard fleet, which is due to become obsolete by the end of the next decade. Mrs May said the vote should take place before the Commons summer break begins on 21 July, adding "we should get on with getting it built". She said: "A lot of parliamentary business has, for obvious reasons, been put on hold until the leadership election is complete and a new prime minister is in post. "But when it comes to the nuclear deterrent, the national interest is clear, the Conservatives are united, and we have waited long enough." Labour has become split over the renewal of Trident following the election of leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is a life-long opponent of nuclear weapons. Mr Corbyn is at odds with many of his MPs over the future of the UK

Summary: There should be a vote in the House of Commons on replacing Trident before the summer recess, Theresa May has said.


The team at King's College London say smokers are more likely to develop the disorder and at a younger age. Published in the Lancet Psychiatry, their analysis of 61 separate studies suggests nicotine in cigarette smoke may be altering the brain. Experts said it was a "pretty strong case" but needed more research. Smoking has long been associated with psychosis, but it has often been believed that schizophrenia patients are more likely to smoke because they use cigarettes as a form of self-medication to ease the distress of hearing voices or having hallucinations. The team at King's looked at data involving 14,555 smokers and 273,162 non-smokers. It indicated: The argument is that if there is a higher rate of smoking before schizophrenia is diagnosed, then smoking is not simply a case of self-medication. Dr James MacCabe, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's, said: "It's very difficult to establish causation [with this style of study], what we're hoping that this does is really open our eyes to the possibility that tobacco could be a causative agent in psychosis, and we hope this will then lead to other research and clinical trials that would help to provide firmer evidence." Clearly most smokers do not develop schizophrenia, but the researchers believe it is increasing the risk. The overall incidence of the condition is one in every 100 people normally, which may be increased to two per 100 by smoking. The researchers said nicotine altered levels of the brain chemical dopamine, which has already been implicated in the psychosis. Prof Michael Owen, the director of the Institute of Psychological Medicine at Cardiff University, said the researchers had made a "pretty strong case" that smoking may increase the risk of schizophrenia. "The fact is that it is very hard to prove causation without a randomised trial, but there are plenty of good reasons already for targeting public health measures very energetically at the mentally ill." The charity Rethink Mental Illness said: "We know that 42% of all cigarettes smoked in England are by people with mental health problems, and so any new findings about the link between smoking and psychosis is a potential worry. "However, longer-term studies are needed to fully understand this potential link."

Summary: Smoking could play a direct role in the development of schizophrenia and needs to be investigated, researchers say.


Media playback is not supported on this device Peaty, 22, who also retained his 100m title on Monday, finished in 25.99 seconds - just short of the world record 25.95 he set in the semi-final. Brazil's Joao Gomes Junior took silver and South African Cameron van der Burgh was third. "I'm feeling very good. I'm so, so happy with my displays," Peaty said. He was speaking to the BBC after taking part in the 4x100m mixed medley relay final, in which defending champions Britain finished fifth. USA won in a world record time of three minutes 38.56 seconds. Australia took silver, with China and Canada in joint third. It was a different story in his individual race, earlier. Peaty was level with his rivals in the first few strokes before he pulled away after 30 metres. The City of Derby swimmer appeared set to break the world record for a third time in two days, but narrowly fell short. The Briton suggested "equilibrium" was key to his successes. "I'm a massive believer that all areas of your life need to be equal for you to perform at your best," he added. "Lifestyle, family and friendships. If one is out then you are not going to be at that level." Media playback is not supported on this device Van der Burgh, the 2009 and 2013 world champion in the 50m breaststroke, paid tribute to Peaty's powerful performances. "I think I have to retire and give it a few years and come back when he's older," joked the 29-year-old. "It's really impressive. It's not even breaststroke anymore, he's swimming like a new kind of stroke, like a metamorphosis between [butter]fly and breast. Former British swimmer Mark Foster told BBC Sport that Peaty's display was "immense". "There not enough words to describe how good he is," he said. "Under 26 seconds for the second time - only four hundredths of a second off his best time. It was, again, an immense swim." Karen Pickering, British 2001 world 4x200m freestyle gold medallist We all know how strong Peaty is. In his semi-final he was a little bit lower in the water as he set his world record. Because he's not quite as high as he is in the 100m, he has a quicker turnover. He can keep that up for 50m, but not for a 100m - that's why he went to 25.95 seconds. You couldn't do that in the 100m because of the build-up of lactic acid. But because it's Adam Peaty, he might be able to manage that in a year. Watch the full interview on BBC Radio 5 live's page Rebecca Adlington, double Olympic champion at Beijing 2008 He is the poster boy for swimming across the world, not just in Britain Adam gets the biggest cheer from the crowd for a non-Hungarian for the whole meet. Everyone wants to see him do well because he's such a likeable character. No-one is even close to him, so you ask yourself how much more can he improve. Media playback is not supported on this

Summary: Britain's Adam Peaty defended his 50m breaststroke title with another stunning display to complete a World Aquatics Championships double-double.


The 24-year-old has started three of Exeter's four games this season. "He was fantastic, not just in his carrying and his danger in that area, but some of his high-ball stuff was absolutely top drawer," Baxter told BBC Radio Devon. "He looks a big, strong, quick, hungry rugby player and those are some of the qualities we saw in him." Woodburn is in his second season at Sandy Park after moving from Bath, where he failed to break into the side. He was a regular in the Chiefs team which made the play-off final last season and reached the last eight in the Champions Cup, an improvement which Baxter puts down to the work he has done on the training field. "He's thriving on real regular game time and lots of good input from Ali Hepher, who's doing a fantastic job with the backs," Baxter said. "They look like they're thriving on the way we're trying to play and the speed we're moving the ball and the angles we're running."

Summary: Exeter head coach Rob Baxter says winger Olly Woodburn is thriving after his two-try haul against Bristol.


It's perceived as the least corrupt country, with the longest surviving multiparty democracy on the continent, and boasts one of the world's fastest-growing economies. But, following the global economic downturn in 2008, and increasingly volatile commodity prices, the country's reliance on diamonds has come into question. For the first time Botswana finds itself cash strapped, in negative growth, and having to go to international donors. The country is looking to diversify its economy by strengthening existing sectors like tourism and cattle farming, and investing in burgeoning industries spawning from technology and entrepreneurship. Yet diamonds by far outshine any other industry in Botswana, accounting for one-third of GDP, 70% of export earnings, and about one-third of the government's revenues. However, production has peaked, and experts believe reserves of the precious stone may run out by 2030. Unemployment is also on the rise, with official jobless rates nearing 20%, and an estimated 45% of Botswana's population living below the poverty line. Economic growth was also negative in 2009, and the industrial sector shrank by 30%. Signs of labour unrest have also began showing following public sector strikes in recent years. As Linah Mohohlo, who has been governor of the Bank of Botswana for 15 years, put it in a recent interview with BBC Africa Business Report: "It is a serious concern to government, for many years now strategies have been put in place to diversify the economy away from mining." In many ways Botswana is seen as becoming a victim of its own making. Policies have favoured and protected the diamond industry, and strategies and institutions that assisted and protected its growth for decades have made implementation and expansion of newer, alternative industries difficult. The strong role of the state in the economy, plus bloated bureaucracy, often also makes it difficult for investors to enter the market. Most contracts are also government sponsored, making it hard for entrepreneurs to set up shop and compete. Despite being in the relatively stable southern African region, an electricity crisis in South Africa, and political uncertainty in Zimbabwe makes it a bit of a rough neighbourhood. In response Ms Mohohlo says she's more worried about competition from the country's neighbours, especially for foreign direct investment, and says Botswana needs to "sharpen its pencils". The manufacturing industry, for example, has "not done what we expected it to do", she says. The sector accounts for an estimated 5% of Botswana's GDP, and employs more labour than mining. In addition, Botswana has a small domestic market of only two million people and having to compete head-to-head with South Africa is a challenge. Botswana needs to come up with unique enterprises to compete effectively with South Africa, says Dr Tebogo Seleka, executive director of the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (Bidpa). "We are both in SACU (Southern African Customs Union), that means goods can enter freely, so if we chose those enterprises that South Africa is more competitive at, that puts us at a disadvantage," he says. The key to Botswana's future diversity, many believe, lies in private sector development, and

Summary: In Africa, Botswana is often seen as a diamond in the rough.


Sharon Forbes and her daughter Savannah filmed the man, Alex Davies, at a National Action rally in Bath. The video has been viewed thousands of times since they shared it. Mr Davies subsequently told the BBC that he did not condone intimidation but had a right to say his views in public. National Action is a far-right group that describes itself as fighting for a free white Britain. Ms Forbes said she felt she had to confront Mr Davies, who was speaking at the rally: "I was so incensed and so angry at the views that he was spouting that I thought I just have to get them on video." Since the video was posted on social media they have received abuse but Ms Forbes said the views of the people who had posted "are not going to intimidate us - not at all". Savannah, who is mixed race, said: "We feel too strongly to be scared of people with such a small-minded view." She added: "I didn't know that people like that still existed... and that people still had that mind set." Mr Davies said he accepted his group had racist views and the rally was "low-key" until Ms Forbes began filming.

Summary: A mother and daughter claimed they have received online abuse after posting a video showing them confront a man about his racist comments.


The cargo ship SS Politician, which had 28,000 cases of whisky, sank off Eriskay in Western Isles 75 years ago. Eight bottles of the whisky were recovered by a diver in 1987. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has suggested that two bottles it has on the Isle of Canna could be added to these eight known bottles. The bottles in the care of NTS are kept at Canna House and belonged the late John Lorne-Campbell and his wife Margaret Faye-Shaw, who gifted the property and Hebridean island to the trust. Fiona McKenzie, archivist at Canna House, said: "According to the previous archivist, the bottles have 'always been at the house'. "She was here from the 1960s and that's well before the diver brought up eight bottles in 1987. So looks like we may have two bottles that are not included in the official stats." Many other bottles were salvaged from the SS Politician at the time of its sinking in 1941 and still thought to survive, but have not been officially recorded. Hundreds of cases of whisky were hidden from customs officers by islanders. Some locations of these secret stashes have since been forgotten, according to islanders today. The SS Politician was headed for Jamaica when it ran aground on the northern side of Eriskay in bad weather. Scottish author Compton Mackenzie, published the novel Whisky Galore in 1947, which was loosely based on the shipwreck. It was adapted for the cinema in a 1949 Ealing comedy.

Summary: Two bottles of whisky recovered from a shipwreck that inspired the book Whisky Galore may have been missed from official statistics.


This huge housing project - now one of the most desirable addresses in Gaza - was built since 2012 with money from Qatar and named after the former ruler of the wealthy Gulf state. So far, more than 2,000 Palestinians - mostly low-income families - have moved in. The complex has a new school, shops, an impressive mosque and plenty of greenery. There is a constant whirr of construction noise as more buildings are erected. But as the regional crisis over Qatar escalates, Palestinians here - as elsewhere in the impoverished territory - fear the loss of their major donor and ally. "We're going to be the victims," says one resident, Baha Shalaby. "Everything's going to stop - the money, the support, the infrastructure, the building work." In recent years, Qatar has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on new homes, a hospital and main roads in the Gaza Strip. It has pledged about $1bn (Â£780m) more. It is not yet clear how its projects will be affected by the ongoing row with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries. They are trying to economically isolate Qatar, accusing it of fostering terrorism - a charge the emirate strongly denies. However, the engineer in charge of fixing Gaza's main north-south road warns of the possible wider implications of any cuts. "We have hundreds of workers, all supporting families," says Hanafi Sadallah. "Levels of unemployment in Gaza are very high, so if the Qataris end our funding, they'll all just be left sitting at home." Just over 40% of Gazans are out of work, according to Palestinian officials - one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. One of Saudi Arabia's demands has been for Qatar to stop backing Hamas, which runs Gaza. The Islamist group took over by force a decade ago - ousting Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces, a year after Hamas won legislative elections. Hamas leaders insist that Qatari help to Gaza has been primarily charitable. "The houses that were built are not for Hamas, the streets that were asphalted are not for Hamas," one senior figure, Mahmoud Zahar, tells the BBC. "The humanitarian institutions - hospitals and schools, they're also for the Palestinian people. All attempts to hitch Hamas to Qatar are wrong and void." Israel says Hamas has also used foreign funding to bolster its military infrastructure, which its blockade aims to keep from strengthening. To try to prevent any such accusations against its projects, Doha set up its own coordination office in Gaza and deals directly with contractors or works with UN agencies. Nevertheless, Qatar's initiatives have buoyed Hamas through difficult times - the tight border restrictions imposed by both Israel and Egypt, and three bloody conflicts with Israel. There has also been political and diplomatic support from Doha. The emir of Qatar is the only head of state to have visited the Palestinian territory since Hamas has been in charge. Many leaders of the group - including its former head, Khaled Meshaal, have been living in luxurious exile in Doha. Now as Hamas seeks to ease

Summary: In a playground in Sheikh Hamad City, children shriek with delight, while their parents chat in the cool shade of their peach-coloured flats.


Petro Poroshenko said 80% of Ukraine's troops left on Wednesday morning after several days of fierce fighting. Russia said Ukrainian forces had tried to fight their way out of the town after being encircled but Mr Poroshenko insisted they were never surrounded. The rebel advance on Debaltseve, which came in spite of the recent ceasefire agreement, has been widely condemned. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said the rebels' offensive had put the wider peace agreement at risk and urged Russia to "use all its influence on the separatists to make them respect the ceasefire". He also called on Moscow to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, saying Russian troops, artillery and air defence units were still active in the country. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted the rebels' actions in Debaltseve had not violated the ceasefire because it was a rebel-held city when the peace agreement was signed last week. He urged rebels to provide troops who surrendered with food and clothes and said he hoped the situation in the city would "not be used to find a pretext to actually undermine [the agreement]". Eyewitnesses saw dozens of tanks and columns of weary Ukrainian troops retreating from Debaltseve on Wednesday. Russia's state-controlled Channel One TV showed footage of what it said were rebels raising their flag on top of a high-rise building in the town. Later rebel spokesman Eduard Basurin was quoted in Russian media as saying Debaltseve was fully under the control of separatists, although there were still "disparate groups of the enemy" in the southern part of town. One rebel commander in the city told the BBC that conditions were dire, with no electricity and a shortage of food and water. He said rebels were sharing their rations with the remaining civilians. President Poroshenko said in a statement: "Debaltseve was under our control, there was no encirclement, and our troops left the area in a planned and organised manner." He called for "a firm reaction from the world to Russia's brutal violation of the Minsk agreements, the ceasefire regime and the withdrawal of heavy weaponry". Mr Poroshenko visited the soldiers who had left Debaltseve in the town of Artemivsk on Wednesday. Earlier, he said it would be an honour to shake hands with "Ukrainian heroes". A senior Ukrainian military official said 22 Ukrainian soldiers had died in Debaltseve over the past three days. Earlier, an official at a morgue in Artemivsk said the bodies of 25 Ukrainian soldiers had been brought to the facility from Debaltseve but this has not been confirmed. Rebels have claimed that hundreds of Ukrainian troops were killed in clashes around the city, but Mr Poroshenko denied this. The government in Kiev admitted that that some soldiers were taken prisoner in Debaltseve, but gave no details on how many were seized. All Wednesday, the road out of Debaltseve into government-held territory thundered to the sound of retreating armour - tanks and troop carriers full of exhausted, sometimes defiant soldiers. In a bus by the side of the road, I found one Yuri slumped on his seat, across

Summary: The Ukrainian president says his forces are making an "organised" withdrawal from the embattled town of Debaltseve.


Ashley Sibery, 39, persuaded Sital Sibery to take the class A drug minutes after she confronted him about his drug habit in their home. It happened on 2 April 2012 at their London Street property. Sibery pleaded guilty to a charge of culpable and reckless conduct at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. The court heard that when Mrs Sibery decided to confront her husband because of his erratic behaviour, the GP admitted he had been using the narcotic for two months. She told him if he did not quit his addiction, she would end his marriage to him. But despite the ultimatum, Sibery managed to persuade his wife into taking what was supposed to be his final fix. The court heard how Sibery wanted his wife to experience the feeling he got when he took the heroin. However, Mrs Sibery collapsed and started having difficulties breathing. The court also heard that Sibery, who was on bail for the offence, was now in the care of a consultant psychiatrist who was helping him to tackle his problems, and that he and his wife were still together. Sheriff Jarvie told Sibery that she would pass sentence on him at a hearing next month.

Summary: A drug-addicted doctor watched his wife lose consciousness and struggle for breath moments after injecting her with heroin in Edinburgh, a court has heard.


An independent report commissioned by the Department of Health estimated these groups cost the NHS £2bn a year. Ministers said some of that spending was unavoidable, but said it would be realistic to save a quarter. Savings would come from deterring so-called health tourism, recovering money owed by other countries and a levy on non-European temporary residents. One senior doctor questioned the government's figures and said doctors should not have to spend time "vetting eligibility" of patients. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he did not want to "turn GPs into border guards" and no-one would be denied emergency treatment, but foreign visitors must make a "fair contribution". Mr Hunt said he recognised the NHS's duty of care must "transcend" financial concerns, but collecting an extra £500m a year could pay for 4,000 extra doctors. "We have one of the most generous systems in the world when it comes to healthcare for foreign visitors, but it's time for action to ensure the NHS is a national health service - not an international one," he added. By Nick TriggleHealth correspondent The issue of which foreigners are entitled to treatment and which are not is complex. The first thing to say is if someone needs emergency care - for example if they have an accident - the NHS will treat them no matter where they come from. Another exemption is if someone has an infectious disease as treatment helps protect the wider public. Beyond that the UK has reciprocal agreements with most European countries and 28 other nations, including countries such as Canada and Australia. It means if their residents need care while here temporarily - either on holiday or working - they will be seen and the NHS will then reclaim the cost of that care from the other country. The research released by the Department of Health shows the NHS is not very good at clawing that money back. This is because of a perverse incentive in the system which ministers now want to rectify. Meanwhile, travelling to the UK deliberately for health treatment - so-called health tourism - is not allowed. The rules are less clear in other cases, such as expats and asylum seekers. The latest research is published in two separate reports by firms Prederi and Creative Research. The government has been criticised for using financial estimates from the Prederi report, but Mr Hunt said it was the "most thorough research there has ever been" in this area. The report itself notes that it is based on "incomplete data, sometimes of varying quality, and a large number of assumptions", but it says the estimates are the "best that can be made at present", and Mr Hunt said researchers had been "completely honest about what they do know and what they don't know". The government is currently consulting on the measures it will take to tackle this issue. It has already announced a £200-a-year levy on migrants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) staying for between six months and five years, and Mr Hunt said this could raise £200m a

Summary: Up to £500m could be recovered from overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS every year, ministers believe.


Arsenal will play Chelsea on 6 August at Wembley Stadium, and £1.25m could be raised from the match. Football Association chairman Greg Clarke said: "We hope that in some small way through the Community Shield we can help. "Football is for all, and we hope it can in its own way give something back to those who are most in need." The EFL said it would also be donating £175,000, with member clubs contributing their share of proceeds from the match. Chief executive Shaun Harvey said football was "coming together to make a significant commitment to the cause". Premier League clubs have agreed to contribute a total of £250,000. "The thoughts of everyone at the league and our clubs are with the people affected by this terrible event," a statement read. Seventy-nine people are missing or presumed dead after the blaze destroyed 150 homes in the Kensington tower block on 14 June. Survivors, the families of the victims and emergency services personnel will be invited to the game as guests.

Summary: Proceeds from the 2017 FA Community Shield will be donated to support those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.


RMT members working for CalMac are preparing to hold a second 24-hour strike on Friday. Union members within Argyll Ferries are also to walk out. Three days of industrial action by CalMac staff last month culminated in a 24-hour strike. The dispute has been triggered by the tendering of Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. Unions have concerns that the new contract will not protect jobs and pensions. Following a meeting on Tuesday, CalMac said dialogue with the RMT remained "open" with the talks due to reconvene on Wednesday. The RMT said that, as things stood, the 24-hour strike planned for Friday would go ahead.

Summary: Further talks are due to take place between Caledonian MacBrayne and RMT on ferry workers' jobs and pensions.


The storms over the weekend killed six people, including two Girl Guides who were crushed by a falling tree. Thousands of homes were also damaged. Poland's chief forester Konrad Tomaszewski said it would take up to two years to clear the fallen trees, and decades for the lost natural habitat to recover. He called it "undoubtedly the worst disaster in the history of Polish - and perhaps even European - forestry". It is estimated the storms brought down over eight million cubic metres of lumber across 45,000 hectares of forest. Some of the hardest hit areas were Torun, Gdansk, and Poznan - all in the northern and western parts of the country. In Torun alone, the storms left more than 23,000 hectares of damaged forest. It also destroyed the habitats of rare species. In a statement (in Polish), Polish State Forests said they found "destroyed bird nests" and "dead animals that failed to escape the storm." The disaster comes as the Polish government faces criticism for logging in Europe's oldest forest, which is situated in the east of the country. The Bialowieza forest is a Unesco world heritage site that sits along Poland's border with Belarus, and is home to rare wildlife. Unesco, EU officials, and green activists have all opposed logging there and last month the European Union's top court ordered that large-scale logging operations be immediately stopped. Logging banned in Europe's oldest forest The Polish government responded by saying logging was necessary to protect the forest from an infestation of bark beetle. The European Court of Justice will meet in a few months to determine whether the injunction will remain in place. The European Commission is taking legal action against Warsaw, and if Poland loses the case it will be liable for multimillion euro fines.

Summary: Tens of thousands of trees have been brought down by storms that wreaked havoc across northern and western Poland, the forestry service says.


Wednesday's matinee was curtailed before that evening's show was called off completely. Ticket holders for both shows will be offered refunds, a show representative has confirmed. Thursday's performance will go ahead as scheduled at London's Cambridge Theatre, it has since been announced. An audience member at Wednesday's matinee told the BBC the show was stopped after approximately 30 minutes. A representative for the theatre then came on stage and said the actress playing Matilda was unable to sing the rest of the songs, so would speak the lyrics instead. The show's interval was then extended by around 15 minutes. At the end of the interval, the theatre representative returned and said the actress's voice had deteriorated further and that the performance would be cut short. The rest of the cast then performed three songs from the second half of the show while a member of the production team narrated the story. One audience member who was at Wednesday's matinee said the afternoon had left her "genuinely gutted". She continued: "Â£75 a ticket is not cheap, and not having a healthy understudy for that price is unacceptable." "Obviously we were disappointed not to see the whole show," tweeted Debbie Stoddart, another member of the audience. "But it was evident from the first song that Matilda wasn't well so it was the right thing to stop the show. "The most important thing is the well-being of the cast, specifically the younger ones." The Royal Shakespeare Company's production is based on Roald Dahl's popular children's novel. It was adapted for the stage by playwright Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. The show became a huge box office success when it opened in London's West End in 2011. The following year the production won seven Oliviers, a record at the time. It later transferred to Broadway. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: One performance of West End musical Matilda was cancelled and another cut short after several members of its cast and their understudies became ill.


Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, who is a Hindu, was made to hold his ears while performing squats, before being beaten. Many Bangladeshis were angered by his treatment, posting photos of themselves holding their ears in solidarity. The government said the sacking was illegal and dismissed the school board. Mr Bhakta denies insulting Islam. "The head teacher was a victim of injustice. This was a heinous act," Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said. But he made no mention of local MP AKM Selim Osman who was present at the teacher's ritual humiliation in Narayanganj District near Dhaka last Friday. The MP has refused to apologise for what happened, the Daily Star reports. In footage of Friday's incident, a crowd can be heard cheering as Mr Bhakta was made to squat repeatedly and folds his hands - an action associated with shame and apology and usually reserved for children. Video and photographs showing Mr Bhakta's treatment soon went viral on social media. Mr Bhakta has told the BBC his treatment was the result of personal grudges against him. It comes in the wake of a series of attacks on secular writers and bloggers, professors and members of religious minorities in the country.

Summary: The Bangladeshi government has reinstated a headmaster who was sacked after being publicly humiliated over allegations that he insulted Islam.


The tanker hit the central reservation halfway between junction 32 for Coryton and junction 33, Cardiff West, at about 17:45 GMT on Monday. The westbound carriageway was closed from junction 30, Cardiff Gate, and one lane was also closed eastbound. One person has been taken to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant. Their condition was not known. The Welsh Ambulance Service said other people involved in the crash were not injured. There were long queues in both directions following the crash, but traffic has since eased. Diversions remain in place. South Wales Police advised motorists to avoid the area for the rest of the night. The Welsh Ambulance Service sent two rapid response vehicles, one ambulance and a doctor but an air ambulance could not be sent due to the weather conditions. Two fire engines and one rescue tender from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service remained at the scene late on Monday evening to assist police. Check if this is affecting your journey

Summary: One person has been taken to hospital after a serious crash on the M4 in Cardiff involving a tanker and a van.


The 50km (31 mile) HK Ultramarathon saw competitors cover the same stretch of road 25 times. Nestor Wong won the event in 3:24:20 and defended the course, saying it helped to hear the cheering crowds. An ultramarathon is defined as any race above the standard marathon distance. Ahead of the event, local runners criticised the course. "It will be boring and very difficult, if not dizzy, for the runners who will have to do 25 laps of the same stretch of road," Thomas Kiprotich told the South China Morning Post. "I don't mind monotonous courses, but this is a bit extreme monotony for my tastes," Michelle Lowry added. Kwan Kee, chairman of the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association and one of the race organisers, conceded that the course was "quite boring". But he told AFP spectator access would help: "It was great that we could secure this course in the heart of the city... land in Hong Kong is very limited."

Summary: Hundreds of runners have competed in Hong Kong's first inner-city ultramarathon, despite organisers describing it as "quite boring".


Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, Marseille's billionaire owner, said in April that she would sell the club following poor results and protests from fans. McCourt, speaking at a news conference, said: "I'm very excited about making Marseille a champion again." A deal is set to be completed by the end of the year and no fee has yet been disclosed. Appearing alongside Louis-Dreyfus and Marseille mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin, 63-year-old McCourt said he wants a team that can compete "year in, year out" to win Ligue 1. Marseille, who finished 13th in 2015/16 and lost to PSG in the French cup final, are 11th after three games this season.

Summary: Frank McCourt, the former owner of the LA Dodgers baseball team, is set to buy French Ligue 1 club Marseille.


The fact that the government is no longer even the biggest shareholder marks an important return to near normality. Since 2013, the government stake has been sold off at first in a couple of big chunks and then in a gradual trickle and so this moment was bound to happen at some stage. The government still owns nearly 6%, but global investor Blackrock now eclipses that and Lloyds is on trajectory to return to full private ownership later this year when taxpayers should recoup all the money they put in. It hasn't been an easy ride. The huge compensation costs of PPI mis-selling and intermittent market turbulence have hampered and delayed the process, but Lloyds, while not risk-free, can be considered pretty much out of the woods. As a plain vanilla UK savings and lending bank, Lloyds was always going to be an easier bank to fix than RBS which is still about 71% owned by the taxpayer. As a global bank with fingers in most of the pies that got burnt during the crisis, RBS has paid out over Â£50bn in fines and compensation and has its biggest reckoning yet to come. It is still facing a bill from US authorities which could end up in the double digit billions for its role in the subprime mis-selling scandal that started the whole financial crisis in the first place. While those negotiations could come to a head as early as this week (watch out for separate blog on this), RBS won't reach the point Lloyds did today for many, many years to come.

Summary: Eight years ago the government rescued Lloyds by taking a 43% stake for just over Â£20bn.


The 30-year-old joined City for £13.8m from Celta Vigo last summer and made 30 appearances, scoring six times. Half of those goals came in his first three games. He did not start a league game - or score a goal - in 2017. Last month he claimed his "daughter's face has changed colour" because of the English weather. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Sevilla have signed Spain forward Nolito from Manchester City on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £7.9m.


A pedestrian was killed when he was hit by a car on the A22 Caterham bypass 23:00 GMT on Saturday. Police say a man in his 20s was stabbed at an address on Croydon Road between 22:00 GMT and 22:55 GMT in an "altercation" with another man. The stab victim is being treated in hospital. Det Insp Claire Loving said: "It is believed the offender and victim were known to each other and officers believe there is no risk to the wider community". Officers said they believed the "two incidents may be linked" and were trying to establish what happened.

Summary: The death of a man in a road crash in Surrey may be linked to an "altercation" at a flat nearby, police have said.


The team is processing satellite images to show how rocks in a belt that stretches from Europe's Alps to China are slowly accumulating strain. Movements on the scale of just millimetres per year are being sought. The new maps are being made available to help researchers produce more robust assessments of seismic hazard. The kind of change they are trying to chart is not noticeable in the everyday human sense, but over time will put faults under such pressure that they eventually rupture - often with catastrophic consequences. "We may well discover regions that have very small strain rates that we have not been able to detect before," said Dr Richard Walters. "And that may well tell us that earthquakes are more likely in some areas that traditionally have been thought of as being completely stable and not at risk of having earthquakes at all." Dr Walters is affiliated to the UK Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (COMET). He announced the start of the new service here in San Francisco, at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Key to the UK scientists' work is the high performance of the EU's new Sentinel-1 radar satellites. This pair of spacecraft repeatedly and rapidly image the surface of the globe, throwing their data to the ground using a high-speed laser link. And by comparing whole stacks of their pictures in a technique known as interferometry, the COMET group can begin to see the very slow bending and buckling that occurs in the crust as a result of shifting tectonic plates. To initiate the service, the researchers are concentrating on the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt. This is the sector where most of the deaths arising from big earthquakes occur. In time, however, the mapping exercise will be extended to cover all major seismic hazard zones, including the rim of the Pacific basin - the so-called "ring of fire", where large tremors are also a regular occurrence. To be really effective, the team's maps need to be sensitive to movements of about 1mm per year over 100km. The system is not quite there yet, but as the Sentinels gather more and more images, the desired standard should be realised. As a proof of principle - and to give an example of what the new system can do - the COMET group showed off its maps of Turkey at AGU. These capture the 20-25mm/year westwards march of the Anatolian plateau relative to Eurasia. The focus of interest is how tectonic strain is building up along the North and East Anatolian Faults - the trigger points for so many damaging quakes in the past. Prof Tim Wright, the director of COMET, said one of the breakthroughs that had made the new service possible was simply the prodigious volumes of data the Sentinel satellite system could now feed to the ground. "To give you an example, in just one year of Sentinel operation there are 156 terabytes of data; whereas the entire 10-year archive of Envisat (a previous European radar satellite) has just 24TB.

Summary: British researchers are now routinely mapping a great swathe of Earth's surface, looking for the subtle warping that ultimately leads to quakes.


The powerful storm swept across the Pacific islands on Saturday leaving thousands of people homeless. Eleven people are known to have died. Planes have taken food, water and medical supplies to one of the worst-hit islands, Tanna island. But charities say much more aid will be needed in the weeks to come. People there are still in desperate need of shelter and water. Advice if you're upset by the news United Nations worker Joe Lowry, who is on Tanna, told the BBC: "We know what the needs are now on six of the islands and... everywhere else and those needs are definitively shelter and more shelter. "Where I was today they are pretty much out of fresh drinking water. "Food is in very short supply and lots of the food stocks that were there have been damaged. The food that was growing above ground was all swept away." Aid workers reached Tanna for the first time on Tuesday and reported 80% of homes or buildings had been partially or completely destroyed. "There's a landscape of skeleton trees and patchworks of square outlines where houses used to be," said Angus Hohenboken from aid group Oxfam. He added that the fierce winds had uprooted water tanks and blown them miles away. Crops were demolished and electricity was out. Baldwin Lonsdale, Vanuatu's president, returned to his country on Tuesday night. He'd been in Japan attending a UN conference when the cyclone hit. "I trust the people of Vanuatu. I trust my government. I trust the people that they will stand united together as a nation and to rebuild the nation," he said.

Summary: Emergency aid is beginning to reach some of the worst-hit islands of Vanuatu, helping people there after a cyclone destroyed whole villages.


This is demonstrably false. Far-right parties failed to pass a 5% barrier to enter parliament, although if they had banded together, and not split their vote, they would have probably slipped past the threshold. Only one government minister has links to nationalist parties - though he is in no way a neo-Nazi or fascist. And the speaker of parliament, Volodymyr Groysman, is Jewish. He has the third most powerful position in the country after the president and prime minister. But Ukrainian officials and many in the media err to the other extreme. They claim that Ukrainian politics are completely fascist-free. This, too, is plain wrong. As a result, the question of the presence of the far-right in Ukraine remains a highly sensitive issue, one which top officials and the media shy away from. No-one wants to provide fuel to the Russian propaganda machine. But this blanket denial also has its dangers, since it allows the ultra-nationalists to fly under the radar. Many Ukrainians are unaware that they exist, or even what a neo-Nazi or fascist actually is, or what they stand for. This hyper-sensitivity and stonewalling were on full display after President Petro Poroshenko presented a Ukrainian passport to someone who, according to human rights activists, is a "Belarusian neo-Nazi". The Ukrainian leader handed out medals on 5 December to fighters who had tenaciously defended the main airport in the eastern region of Donetsk from being taken over by Russian-backed separatists. Among the recipients was Serhiy Korotkykh, a Belarusian national, to whom Mr Poroshenko awarded Ukrainian citizenship, praising his "courageous and selfless service". The president's website showed a photo of Mr Poroshenko patting the shoulder of the Belarusian, who was clad in military fatigues. Experts who follow the far right have strongly objected to President Poroshenko's decision. They say Mr Korotkykh was a member of the far-right Russian National Unity party and also a founding member of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Society (NSS) in Russia. According to Ukrainian academic Anton Shekhovtsov, the NSS's main goal "is to prepare for a race war". Mr Shekhovtsov said the Belarusian had been charged for involvement in a bombing in central Moscow in 2007, and was detained in 2013 in the Belarusian capital Minsk for allegedly stabbing an anti-fascist activist. He was later released for lack of evidence. Even though the details involved accusations rather than facts, if true they were damning, said human rights activist Halya Coynash. Top Ukrainian officials then rejected as defamatory any claims that Mr Korotkykh had neo-Nazi ties. "Counter-intelligence has no information that could prevent him from receiving Ukrainian citizenship," said Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, the head of Ukraine's security services. Nevertheless, the fact is, neo-Nazis are indeed a fixture in Ukraine's new political landscape, albeit in small numbers. As Mr Korotkykh's case demonstrates, the ultra-nationalists have proven to be effective and dedicated fighters in the brutal war in the east against Russian-backed separatists and Russian forces, whose numbers also include a large contingent from Russia's far right. As a result, they have achieved a level of acceptance, even though most Ukrainians are

Summary: Ever since Ukraine's February revolution, the Kremlin has characterised the new leaders in Kiev as a "fascist junta" made up of neo-Nazis and anti-Semites, set on persecuting, if not eradicating, the Russian-speaking population.