The firm said that it was working to boost capacity at telephone exchanges in the worst hit areas. The news coincided with the launch of Sky Go Extra - a service allowing users to download movies and TV shows so they can be watched offline. One expert said the product might add to the strain. Sky Go Extra still works at slow internet speeds - however, Sky's other streaming services rely on the user having a 2 megabit per second connection. Some subscribers have complained their download speeds have fallen below this level at peak times. A Sky spokeswoman apologised for the problems. "Following a combination of an underlying increase in network traffic as well as a high rate of new customer additions, we are aware of capacity issues in a small number of exchanges," she said. "We are working on adding new capacity to those exchanges as quickly as we can. We apologise to all customers who have been impacted by this issue." She confirmed a report by The Register that users in Doncaster, North Wales and Bristol were among those affected, but declined to be more specific or name other locations. However, the firm has provided an online postcode checking facility for its subscribers to check if their local exchange has been flagged as having an issue. Sky also indicated that less than 5% of its broadband customer base used the affected exchanges. Andrew Ferguson, editor of the Thinkbroadband news site noted that Sky had recently run a major promotion highlighting the fact it did not place "fair use" caps on the amount of data its customers use. As a result, he said, the firm had probably attracted subscribers who downloaded significantly more than the average 23 gigabytes per month consumed by the average UK broadband user. "Sky had this problem last year in some of its exchanges, and it's definitely not the only service provider to have experienced this problem," he told the BBC. "It's very much related to the firms' promotional activities. Sky has also been pushing its fibre products recently - they offer higher speeds and people who sign up generally use more data afterwards."

Summary: Sky has acknowledged that some of its customers are experiencing slow internet speeds as a consequence of it signing up new subscribers.


Should Scotland be an independent country? And for some those six words printed on four million ballot papers did not allow for any kind of doubt. For the true believers it was simple, Scotland was a nation. Not for these purists the distraction of debate, obsessing over the price of oil and the return on government gilts. No. They took a long, if not particularly fashionable view which conjured up battles and spirits of old, ghosts of men who fought for Scotland's freedom in the 13th and 14th centuries: William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Andrew de Moray. Some who thirsted for independence drew inspiration from the Jacobite risings which attempted to restore the House of Stuart to the British throne in the 18th century. Others remembered the short-lived 1820 insurrection by the Lanarkshire weaver James Wilson and his fellow radicals who were hanged for rising up to demand parliamentary reform. And yet such undiluted historical nationalism was a largely private affair. Wilson's slogan "Scotland Free, or a Desert", which in the 1980s you would see daubed on Scottish motorway bridges in sloppy white paint, did not feature in 2014. Those days are past now. And in the past, it seems, they must remain. "You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose," said the late governor of New York, Mario Cuomo. Not in Scotland. The independence campaign of 2014 was almost entirely prosaic, with advocates focusing on what the late Professor Sir Neil McCormick called a "utilitarian nationalism" which desired independence as "the best means to the well-being of the Scottish people." This was a battle not in memory of Stirling Bridge or Bannockburn nor to avenge Flodden or Culloden but for Scotland's wallets. "Yes" lost, of course. Scotland awoke on a damp, drizzly autumn morning in 2014 to a decisive, if not overwhelming, endorsement of the Union: 44.7% had said yes to independence, 55.3% had said no. Why? A feeling has taken hold among some of "the 45", as the losers quickly became styled, that Scotland was cheated; that a powerful cabal of business, media and even the security apparatus of the British state combined to bully and frighten folk into voting no. Scottish referendum results in detail And certainly the establishment message about independence, as promulgated by an almost entirely hostile press, was strikingly negative, despite many "No" voters holding a positive, even romantic view of the union. During the campaign, supporters of the UK often said they felt sadness and dismay at the prospect of a 300-year-old relationship ending in divorce. Many Scottish citizens were born south of the border — census data put the number eligible to vote in the referendum at 422,386 — and many more Scots had personal connections, or simply an affinity with England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There were plenty of Scots for whom a commitment to the union was not a pragmatic calculation. It was simply about being British, feeling at home in London and Edinburgh, in Glasgow and Liverpool, in Aberdeen and Newcastle; about having close friends, family and colleagues north and south

Summary: It was an elegant question, as clear as the chill water in an Angus burn.


Moore, who is 6ft 5ins, scored 10 goals in 21 league appearances this season for Rovers and Torquay, where he had a brief loan spell earlier this term. The 24-year-old has penned an 18-month deal at Portman Road. Spence, 26, has signed to the end of the season having been without a club since leaving MK Dons in the summer. The former West Ham defender played 80 times for the Dons after joining on a full-time contract, following two separate loan spells. Both are unavailable for Ipswich's FA Cup third-round replay at Lincoln on Tuesday as they were not registered before the original tie. Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy confirmed on Saturday to BBC Radio Suffolk he was still searching for another striker despite signing Moore, having previously had an approach turned down by Preston for Jordan Hugill. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.

Summary: Ipswich Town have signed striker Kieffer Moore from National League side Forest Green for an undisclosed fee and former MK Dons defender Jordan Spence.


Winger Young won the last of his 30 caps against Ukraine in September 2013. But his form under Van Gaal has led to suggestions England coach Roy Hodgson might end that exile when he names his squad on 19 March for the games against Lithuania and Italy. "The manager has been fantastic," said Young. "He gives you the confidence to play and confidence helps massively." He added: "I can only repay him with my performances on the pitch. That is what I have shown this season." Young has been used as a full-back and at wing-back this season. Van Gaal picked the 29-year-old former Watford and Aston Villa player in a more orthodox wide position in the 3-0 win over Tottenham. Hodgson was at Old Trafford to watch one of United's best performances of the season - and a player who was an ever present at Euro 2012. "Fingers crossed I can get myself back into the England team," said Young, speaking at a bwin event. "I have always said I want to represent my country. It is an honour to play for England and hopefully I have done enough to get myself back into the squad. "But I am concentrating on events at my club and we will just have to wait and see."

Summary: Ashley Young says Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has helped revive his hopes of an England recall.


It is one of a number of measures being considered by the government in its consultation on curbing corporate pay. Other proposals include improving the effectiveness of remuneration committees and votes on pay packages. It comes after Theresa May appeared to row back from plans to force companies to appoint employees to their boards. The government's green paper, published this week, aims to increase public trust in business in the face of the rise in anti-globalisation and anti-business sentiment. Its proposals will include: As part of the plan to reform remuneration committees, the government is considering whether employees' representatives should be given an advisory role. Officials believe their input would spell out to the committee the impact on the wider workforce of high levels of remuneration for top executives. In September trade union body the TUC said its research showed the average FTSE 100 boss was paid 123 times the average full-time salary, and that the median pay award of major FTSE 100 directors had risen by 47% in five years to 2015 to Â£3.4m. As part of the proposed shake-up, civil servants have looked at measures being taken in other countries including the US, France and Australia. A government source said: "Businesses are a pillar of our society, creating employment opportunities and contributing significantly to funding our country's public services. "The UK has led the world in corporate governance, but our strong reputation can only be maintained if government and business regularly reviews and upgrades our governance. "Good governance helps companies take better decisions, for their own long-term benefit and the economy overall - ensuring public trust in British business and making sure the UK is the best place in the world to do business." The publication of the green paper comes after Mrs May was forced to reject claims she had watered down plans for workers to have a say in how their companies are run. She ruled out imposing the appointment of employees to company boards when she gave a talk to the CBI this week. Days later the the Bank of England's chief economist, Andy Haldane, joined company chiefs to reject proposals for annual binding votes on pay and the publication of pay ratios. The two ideas were among the prime minister's suggestions to address public unease about executive pay. A report by the Big Innovation Centre think tank argued that a binding vote would mean Britain's top firms losing out on top talent. It also said that pay ratios do not "lend themselves to valid comparisons between companies" and would likely add to misunderstanding over executive pay as well as potentially creating "perverse incentives". Instead, the report argued for less complex pay structures, a "Fair Pay Charter" and giving shareholders more say on executive pay.

Summary: Britain's largest companies will have to reveal the pay gap between their CEOs and average workers, under new government proposals.


Kat Merchant and Emily Scarratt scored early tries for England before Rawina Everitt crossed for New Zealand. Further tries from Merchant and Roz Crowley put England 24-10 up before Selica Winiata crossed on half-time. Jo Watmore added a fifth try and Scarratt's boot did the rest, Kendra Cocksedge's late try mere consolation. 23 Nov: England 16-13 New Zealand 27 Nov: England 17-8 New Zealand 1 Dec: England 32-23 New Zealand England head coach Gary Street said: "Obviously we're hugely delighted to have won here at Twickenham and to wrap up the series in front of a big home crowd. The players, as a group, were once again outstanding and they showed tremendous mental strength to get through this series and win it 3-0. "There is a lot of trust in this group and that shows every time a squad member pulls on the England shirt. We may not have won a World Cup for many years but we are definitely the number one side in the world at the moment." England produced some superb flowing rugby at Twickenham, with the backs profiting from the good work of the forwards to run New Zealand ragged on occasions. The Black Ferns had the edge in the maul but they could not cope with England's pacy all-round game. New Zealand showed attacking intent from the off but after early pressure England broke out from their own 22 as Natasha Hunt took a quick tap penalty. Watmore made good ground, producing a couple of trademark hand-offs, and Merchant supported well to scorch over in the corner. Three minutes later Scarratt latched onto Katy McLean's neat chip and full-back Scarratt converted her own try to make it 12-0. 2010: New Zealand 13-10 England 2006: New Zealand 25-17 England 2002: New Zealand 19-9 England New Zealand hit back as Everitt crossed for a converted try but the hosts were soon back on the front foot, with Merchant beating three tacklers and taking another one over the line with her for an unconverted try. Kelly Brazier landed a penalty for New Zealand as the scoreboard continued to kick over but England had the upper hand and they added a fourth try, converted by Scarratt, as prop Crowley finished off another fine attack. New Zealand are not world champions for nothing though and, with England down to 14 after Heather Fisher was sin-binned, Winiata scored in the corner to make it 24-15 at half-time. The visitors cut the gap to six points soon after the restart as Brazier squeezed over a penalty, but that was as close as they would get. The Black Ferns lost Aroha Savage to the sin-bin and Watmore made them pay with a fine try after an arcing outside break, and Scarratt soon added a penalty to give England a 32-18 lead. Cocksedge cut the gap for the world champions but England ended the game on top and looked the more likely scorers at the final whistle. England: Emily Scarratt; Katherine Merchant, Joanne Watmore, Alice Richardson, Michaela Staniford, Katy McLean, (capt), Natasha Hunt, Roz Crowley, Victoria

Summary: England women matched their male counterparts and secured a big win over New Zealand as they sealed a 3-0 series victory over the world champions.


Houses at Auvers II was hung in the Picnic Cafe on Friday to launch the Open for Art weekend festival. David Brooks, from Toronto, Canada, has been a van Gogh specialist for 18 years and claims it is not genuine. Owner Mark Lawrence insists it is a real van Gogh, but admits it has not yet been authenticated. Mr Brooks, who the Van Gogh Museum said "owns the largest van Gogh website in the world", told the BBC it was not a known work by the artist. "To me it screams 'not van Gogh'," he said, adding: "It's not well executed, the style is quite poor." The Van Gogh Museum, in Amsterdam, is the only place that can officially authenticate a van Gogh work. Mr Lawrence said he had been working with the museum to get the painting researched since the beginning of the year. The museum said it had received an email from Mr Lawrence on Monday, and had advised him to send a request for research along with a photograph of the painting. It added an investigation could take weeks or sometimes months, depending on the type of inquiry required. Mr Lawrence said: "We are doing everything that would normally be done to get it authenticated." In relation to Mr Brooks' comments, he said: "It can't be fully authenticated simply from looking at a photograph, it has to be tested." He also said it was possible the painting had areas of over-paint from restoration which "covers up some of the details". "There's a lot of heavy cracking on our painting too which is commonly found in van Gogh work particularly ones he painted thickly, and it also has a protective thick varnish on it," he added. Mr Lawrence previously said he inherited the painting from his grandfather who died in 1980, along with 200 other paintings. The 27-year-old director of the web-based Reading Gallery is looking for a permanent home for his collection, which is currently in storage and is said to include works by Rembrandt, Picasso, and Dali. He said House at Auvers II was bought in the 1920s by his great-grandfather for 300 francs in Paris, and added it was not known to the art world because it had been in his family since before van Gogh's works were first catalogued in the 1930s.

Summary: Doubt has been raised over the authenticity of a painting purported to be by Vincent van Gogh which was displayed in a Reading cafe.


Edmund, 21, is leading the British team as Andy Murray sits out the tie on clay following his Wimbledon victory. Although Murray is not playing, the British number one has flown out to support his team-mates. "If any of the players want to ask me anything, I'll help or try and give some advice," Murray told BBC Sport. "I'm not here to start telling anyone what to do. We've got a great team - this team has won the Davis Cup before. "The guys that are here helping, they do a great job and I've had that advice from them over the last few years." In Friday's second match, British number five James Ward takes on Dusan Lajovic, the world number 81. Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide. Saturday's doubles match will see Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot take on world number 405 Tipsarevic and Nenad Zimonjic. World number 67 Edmund made his debut in last year's final against Belgium as Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936. Ward, ranked 240 in the world, earned a crucial win against American John Isner in the first round of last year's competition. Serbia's world number one Novak Djokovic pulled out of the tie following his surprise defeat by American Sam Querrey in Wimbledon's third round. Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent Kyle Edmund has clocked up some useful tour wins since making his debut in last year's final and can be expected to be a major part of the GB team for another decade. Captain Leon Smith says he can "absolutely" see him as a top-10 player of the future. James Ward, with his grass court shoes in his suitcase, was planning to fly to Rhode Island last Wednesday, before a call from his captain that morning altered his plans. He has not won a tour level match since last year's Wimbledon, but the hope is that his Davis Cup experience will come to the fore. Friday's first rubber could be critical to the outcome of the tie. Edmund might be ranked 338 places above Janko Tipsarevic, but before a string of injuries the Serb was good enough to qualify for the 2012 World Tour Finals.

Summary: Great Britain's number two Kyle Edmund will take on Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic in the opening match of their Davis Cup quarter-final in Belgrade on Friday.


Two armed groups clashed near the mountainous community of Las Varas, in the state of Chihuahua. The identities of the victims and details of how the shootout unfolded were not immediately clear. Drug cartels often clash in Chihuahua, a key drug-trafficking route south of the border from the US state of Mexico. The confrontation started at 05:00 local time (11:00 GMT) and lasted for two hours, El Universal newspaper reported (in Spanish), quoting accounts from social media users. Three people were detained, the state attorney general's office said. Officials seized three vehicles, heavy weaponry and grenades, it added. The incident is the latest in a series of deadly clashes between rival drug gangs and also with the police across Mexico. Last weekend, 19 gunmen were killed in a shootout with police in the neighbouring Sinaloa state, home to the powerful cartel once led by kingpin JoaquÃn "El Chapo" GuzmÃ¡n. May was the deadliest month in Mexico since 1997, when official statistics began, with 2,186 homicides. From December 2006 until May this year, there were 188,567 murders, according to government records.

Summary: A shootout in northern Mexico has killed at least 14 people, officials say, amid a surge in drug-related violence in the country.


Francisco Palomo was shot at least 12 times by gunmen in Guatemala City. Mr Palomo, 63, defended Gen Rios Montt against charges connected to the killing of more than 1,700 indigenous Guatemalans in the 1980s. The general was sentenced to 80 years in prison two years ago but his conviction was overturned. A retrial scheduled for January has been postponed indefinitely because of a legal dispute. Mr Palomo was shot in the chest and face while driving his car at about midday on Wednesday, emergency services spokesman Raul Hernandez said. Witnesses said the gunmen were on a motorcycle. "The victim, still alive, tried to flee the attack and drove a few metres before crashing into a tree," Mr Hernandez said. The motive for the killing is still not clear.

Summary: A lawyer who represented former Guatemalan military leader Efrain Rios Montt against genocide charges has been shot dead.


Sports minister Vitaly Mutko claims the country has done everything asked of it to meet IAAF anti-doping standards after being suspended last November. Athletics' governing body says Russia has made "considerable progress" but there is "significant work to be done". Russia will find out in May if it can send athletes to the Olympic Games. Mutko told Reuters: "You say we should elect new leadership for the athletics federation - OK, we've done that. "You should not elect anyone to be the leader who has done this or that - OK, we did that. "There are no criteria. What should Russian athletics do? Dance on the table? Sing a song?" Media playback is not supported on this device Mutko's comments came after a taskforce set up by the International Association of Athletics Federations revealed its findings at a meeting in Monaco on Friday. Russia's athletics federation was suspended by the sport's world governing body in November after being accused of "state-sponsored" doping. IAAF president Lord Coe revealed five other nations - Ethiopia, Morocco, Ukraine, Kenya and Belarus - are also under scrutiny. He told BBC Sport: "We want to return trust to our sport, this is not just a Russian issue. We have to be on the front foot, we need to be proactive about these things. "I'm here to be judged on how many athletes I can get from safe secure systems into free, fair and open competition. And that has to be the sole arbiter." On the five other nations that are having their doping systems closely monitored, he said: "Ethiopia and Morocco, as a matter of urgency, both need to implement adequate and robust testing in and out of competition. "Kenya, Ukraine and Belarus have been put on a monitoring list for 2016 to strengthen their anti-doping regimes and make sure their journey to compliance is completed by the end of the year. "There are no immediate sanctions. It is just a wake-up call. Sanctions will only be considered if they don't comply with requirements." The double Olympic champion also confirmed that a final decision on whether a Russian athletics team would compete in Rio would be made at the next IAAF council meeting, which will be convened for that specific purpose in May. Russia was suspended following the publication of an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report that examined allegations of doping, cover-ups and extortion in its athletics. It must demonstrate it meets Wada and IAAF rules before being readmitted into the sport and, potentially, allowed to compete in the Rio Olympics. The suspended Russian Anti-Doping Agency (Rusada) must also be able to operate without interference, following claims the country's security services were involved in the doping programme. Rune Andersen, a former director of Wada, leads the five-strong IAAF taskforce which is examining Russia's anti-doping procedures. "Russian authorities have made significant progress to meeting many of the verification criteria established by the IAAF, including changing president and council," Andersen said. "The view of the taskforce is there is significant work still to be done to satisfy the reinstatement

Summary: Russia has questioned whether it needs to "dance on the table" or "sing a song" in order to compete in athletics at the Rio Olympics this summer.


Undefeated Rigondeaux had to call off a fight with the Liverpool boxer in March because of visa issues. The Cuban, 35, became WBA champion when Carl Frampton opted to fight for a featherweight title rather than defend his super-bantamweight belt. "It's been my childhood dream to be the best in the world," said Dickens, 25.

Summary: Britain's Jazza Dickens will fight WBA super-bantamweight title holder Guillermo Rigondeaux in Cardiff on Saturday, 16 July.


The 27-year-old Scot, who is back at number four in the world after dropping down the rankings following back surgery, is to marry girlfriend Kim Sears in April. Murray is as relaxed about that as he has been this week at the ATP event in Indian Wells, where he has progressed to the quarter-finals. He loosened up in more ways than one as he chatted to BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller and BBC Scotland's Kheredine Idessane in the commentary box... "It is three weeks on Saturday, that's all I know. Tennis players aren't normally very good with dates. "We just know it is the Indian Wells week or the Monte Carlo week or whatever. So I know it is the weekend before Monte Carlo and the weekend after Miami. "We will probably do the honeymoon later in the year, probably in the off-season. I am not sure where we're going to go yet, but there's a few ideas. "I am actually not nervous about getting married because we've been together like nine-and-a-half years and we've lived together for six or seven years as well. "So I don't think a whole lot's going to change. I kind of feel like we have been married already in terms of the way we spend our lives together and live together. "I think I will be more nervous about starting a family because that would be more life-changing, in a good way." "My brother Jamie's one. Ross Hutchins is also going to be a best man and hopefully a good friend in Barcelona [Peruvian Carlos Mier, who was Murray's room-mate at the Sanchez-Casal Academy]. "But I'm not sure yet if he [Mier] is going to be able to come. He's in Singapore just now and I'm going to try to get him over. "Kim has four bridesmaids and no maid of honour and I was saying, 'imagine you had to pick one of your four best friends you've had since you were at school'. "It is very, very difficult to choose one. She was like 'go on, pick one', but I said no. "I didn't spend a lot of time with my brother when we were 15 to 20 really, because he was training in France and I was training in Spain. "Carlos, he was my best friend during that time, which were very important years in my life, when I moved away from my family and friends. "He was the guy who was always there for me. I feel like he knows me extremely well. "My brother obviously knows me from a child - and Ross over the last six or seven years. We've become extremely close and been through a lot together as well. "Picking one was a very difficult thing to do because I had three guys that were clearly my three best friends and I would like all them to be involved in some way." "It looks a lot easier from up here, that's for sure. It's extremely simple. Every shot looks easy when you're watching from the commentary box, but it

Summary: It is a big year for Andy Murray - and not only because he is looking to add to his two Grand Slam titles.


Thousands of signallers, maintenance staff and station workers are due to walk out for 24 hours from 17:00 BST on Monday in a row over pay and jobs. If they do, limited services will run on Scotrail, Gatwick and Heathrow Express lines and Southeastern. And there will be no Virgin West Coast mainline services on Monday or Tuesday. The operator, Virgin Trains, also warned that the East Coast line would be badly affected. Widespread cancellations are also expected to be announced on CrossCountry Trains, Chiltern Railways, Arriva Trains Wales and First Great Western on Monday and Tuesday. Rail companies say further disruption and delays are likely on Wednesday, as services return to normal. If the strike goes ahead, fans of Middlesbrough and Norwich City football clubs may have trouble travelling to Wembley for the Championship play-off final at 15:00 BST on Monday. An outline of how the strike will affect all train companies is expected today, with full details likely on Saturday - but passengers are being advised not to travel unless "absolutely necessary". Talks between Network Rail and union bosses at the conciliation service, Acas, are continuing. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) have rejected a four-year pay deal of a Â£500 increase followed by three years of rises in line with RPI inflation. Virgin said if the strike was called off with enough notice, it would hope to run a "near normal" service. But Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne has advised travellers not to "bank on" the unions calling it off, although he still believes there is "a settlement to be had". He said his team would be available all week and into the weekend if necessary, to reach a deal. People who have already booked tickets should check with their train operator on the special measures in place, he added. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said his team were also prepared to continue negotiations over the weekend. "In the meantime, our picketing arrangements are in place and the response coming back from our members is one of rock-solid support," he added. The RMT has been forced into this dispute through "a wholly-unwarranted attack on safety-critical jobs, pay and working conditions" that undermines passenger safety, he added. Scottish transport minister Derek Mackay said the strike was "very likely to go ahead" and have a "significant impact" on rails and roads. ScotRail Alliance managing director Phil Verster, said the firm was "very disappointed" to have to make so many cancellations but, as it was a UK-wide national strike, "there's very little we can do about it from the Scotland side". He told BBC Radio Scotland 470 Network Rail signallers could strike and he has only 23 contingency signallers so "our capability to step in is very, very limited". Later, the High Court is due to hear a challenge from Network Rail over flaws in the ballot by the TSSA.

Summary: More rail companies are cancelling services over the bank holiday weekend, as talks continue to try to avert a planned strike by Network Rail staff.


Luiz, 27, joined the Blues from Benfica for £21.3m in January 2011. "The move is now subject to David Luiz agreeing personal terms with PSG and passing a medical," a statement on Chelsea's official website read. The Brazilian has three years left on the five-year contract he signed at Stamford Bridge in September 2012. He said on Twitter: "Thanks CFC for this time of great partnership. I'm thankful for all! It's a new challenge and together we'll go even further. Allez Paris!" Luiz has been the subject of interest from Barcelona in the last two summers, but French champions PSG - despite recently failing Uefa's financial fair play (FFP) rules - will break the transfer record for a defender to secure his services. Luiz is not part of manager Jose Mourinho's first-choice central defensive pairing and his exit would provide funds to strengthen in other areas, especially as Chelsea themselves only narrowly complied with FFP rules. Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa is among those linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. Because of FFP, Chelsea cannot afford to spend heavily on incoming players unless they recoup similar amounts from outgoings - which they could, and did, in the earlier years of owner Roman Abramovich's reign. The new financial restrictions, coupled with Mourinho's plans from a footballing perspective, are now at the forefront of the club's thinking and also explain the £37.1m sale of midfielder Juan Mata to Manchester United in January. All 12 of Luiz's goals for the Blues came in his first two-and-a-half seasons and although he played 34 games during the 2013-14 campaign, Mourinho prefers John Terry and Gary Cahill at centre-half and Luiz is not seen as a long-term option in midfield. Chelsea have high hopes for 21-year-old Czech Tomas Kalas and 19-year-old Englishman Nathaniel Chalobah as defensive options. The Blues also spent £12m on St Etienne centre-back Kurt Zouma in January.

Summary: Chelsea have agreed a deal with Paris St-Germain, worth in the region of £40m, for the sale of defender David Luiz to the French champions.


The singer-songwriter appeared on two of the festival's smaller stages - the iArena on Friday night and the Other Voices stage on Saturday. His low-key appearances came a week after he played three sold-out solo shows at Wembley Stadium. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will close the festival's 10th anniversary event with a headline slot on Sunday. Portishead headlined the event on Saturday, and were joined by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke before he played his own unannounced set at the iArena later that night. Mercury Prize winners Alt-J headlined on Friday. The bill also included music from the Manic Street Preachers and Laura Marling, comedy from Jason Manford and Ruby Wax and theatre companies like Kneehigh and Paines Plough. Sheeran played the festival at the start of his career and grew up in nearby Framlingham. He is now one of the Britain's biggest pop stars, having sold more than two million copies of his second album X in the UK. He announced his Friday night set on Twitter about an hour in advance. By the time word had spread, estimates put the crowd numbers at the woodland arena at between 1,000-3,000. The Guardian's critic Harriet Gibsone said he played an hour-long set comprising covers of songs like Blackstreet's No Diggity, Stevie Wonder's Superstition and Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine. Olly Gregson, 18, from Sussex, said: "It was an amazing show, really intimate. "Everyone was dancing and singing along. That's the best time I've ever seen him, just because it was so small. You see him in stadiums, arenas and stuff, but it's obviously amazing, the intimacy, so close to it." The following night's set was shorter but even more intimate. The festival's blog said: "Ed himself admits that he wasn't planning this, he was just having some fun. "So it came to be that a little before midnight at the Other Voices stage, Ed walks on to perhaps no more than 80 people, guitar in hand, and breaks into Thinking Out Loud." Sheeran went on to play Nina Simone's Feelin' Good and was joined by Snow Patrol's Jonny Quinn and Nathan Connolly for the band's hit Chasing Cars. The setting was a far cry from Wembley Stadium, where Sheeran played for 80,000 people last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Following a set by The Unthanks, a small crowd of about 150 people in the Other Voices room were treated to a short surprise set by Ed Sheeran. Taking to the stage shortly before midnight, Sheeran told the crowd: "I'm quite cut at the moment, wasn't expecting to play." Armed with just his guitar, and minus his loop pedals, he played a traditional Irish song and a Nina Simone cover before being joined on stage by two members of Snow Patrol to play Chasing Cars. And with that, he was gone.

Summary: Singer Ed Sheeran has delighted fans at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk by playing two surprise sets.


The 10km (6.2-mile) stretch of elevated track has seven stations and connects Alandur to Koyambedu. The journey takes 15 minutes - the metro is expected to ease traffic congestion. The construction is part of a proposed 45km (27-mile) network which is due to be completed by 2015. Chennai is the sixth Indian city to have the metro after Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Mumbai and Jaipur. The Chennai metro was inaugurated on Monday by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha. The first train was driven by a 28-year-old woman, A Preethi, an engineering diploma holder, reports say. "I am excited, my daughter's dream of becoming a loco pilot (driver) of Metro Rail has come true," Ms Preethi's father R Anbu told Press Trust of India news agency. "She quit her first job, applied for a job in Chennai metro rail, and she was the first woman to get selected. Three other women joined as pilots after her and I am happy that she was successful," he said. The 45km (27 miles)-long, 32-station service will eventually run on two corridors in the city: Washermenpet to Chennai Airport and Chennai Central to St Thomas Mount. A journalist tweeted about her first experience on the service:

Summary: A metro rail service has been launched in the southern Indian city of Chennai, making it the sixth Indian city to get the service.


East Sussex Wildlife Rescue said it had rescued 25 birds in the last 12 months at Ditchling Common Country Park. In the latest incident a fishing hook had to be removed from a swan's tongue in the charity's operating theatre. East Sussex County Council (ESCC) said it inspected the lakes and removed any discarded fishing equipment. The injured swan, along with its three cygnets was rescued on Thursday after the charity received six calls from walkers who reported seeing the bird with blood on its body and a fishing hook in its mouth. Wildlife rescue founder Trevor Weeks said a large carp hook was embedded in the swan's tongue. "The removal of the hook was a very dangerous procedure and could have resulted in the death of the swan," he said. "We've had a whole variety of calls to that lake. "We are getting everything from abscesses in their necks where hooks have become embedded, to breathing difficulties where they have got lines tightly wrapped round their necks. "There are a lot of very responsible anglers and they are just as concerned about the problem as we are but if this doesn't improve they should be banning it completely." Anglers need to apply for a permit to fish at the country park. ESCC said the danger discarded fishing equipment poses to wildlife is made clear to anglers when they are granted a permit to fish. "We litter-pick at the site once a week but, in light of the recent injury to the swan, we will carry out a further inspection at the pond and surrounding area and remove any discarded fishing lines, hooks and litter that we find," it said.

Summary: A wildlife charity is calling for fishing to be banned at an East Sussex venue after abandoned angling equipment caused injuries to 25 swans.


The 54-year-old had needed to run a double marathon on Sunday, finishing beneath a giant statue of Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg. Izzard attempted a similar feat in South Africa in 2012 but had to pull out for health reasons. It has been confirmed the comedian's endurance feat had raised more than Â£1.35m for the charity appeal. "That was very, very tough," he told reporters as he swigged from a celebratory bottle of sparkling white wine. The 27 marathons were intended to reflect the 27 years Mr Mandela had spent in prison before becoming South Africa's first black president. "It's been the hardest thing I've ever done," said a "very tired" Izzard. "Thank you to everyone who has donated [and] don't do this at home." Gary Lineker, marathon runner Paula Radcliffe and DJ Chris Moyles are among those who have tweeted their congratulations.

Summary: Comedian Eddie Izzard has completed his challenge in South Africa to run 27 marathons in 27 days for Sport Relief.


The premiere was held in New York on Sunday evening ahead of its opening this weekend. Ben Affleck stars in the film as Batman, with Henry Cavill taking the role of Superman. Affleck was described by some fans as their "favourite Batman" and "the definite Batman. The film is directed by Zack Snyder and written by David S Goyer and Chris Terrio. It was conceived after Warner Brothers announced in 2013 their intention to produce a sequel to the Superman movie Man of Steel. The company later decided the character would instead meet Batman in a new feature film - the first time the superheroes will ever have met in a cinematic setting. Tom Nolan tweeted from the world premiere in New York, saying: "So lucky to have been at the #BVSPremiere last night and I still can't believe how amazing it was. Not good. Not great. Amazing." Mariam Chubinidzhe added: "Still not over the #BVSPremiere. Still so giddy. I'm totally going to be seeing this again." Rodrigo Mariano, who attended Sunday night's screening, said: "I haven't felt this giddy after watching a movie since The Avengers. Goosebumps. Everywhere. Need to talk about it ASAP." "Lots to process and think about, but overall BvS is an excellent movie," added Ben Kahn. Others fans were quick to praise the appearance of Wonder Woman in the film, played by Gal Gadot. "The loudest applause of the night at #BVSPremiere was Wonder Woman's entrance," said Ashley Warren. Her appearance had been teased in the film's trailers and marks the first time the character has ever been seen in a live-action theatrical film. "I was pretty impressed by Batman v Superman. Everyone went crazy for Wonder Woman, she was amazing," tweeted Swati Teerdhala. But some critics noted the long duration and complex plot points. Writing in The Sun, Emma Gritt described it as an "insanely long film". "While die-hard DC Comic devotees might be punching the air as the Justice League are teasingly introduced, the average film fan may be left scratching their head," she wrote.

Summary: Fans have described the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film as "awesome" and a "must-see".


Ministers have set out plans for an "ambitious new customs arrangement" with the EU after the UK leaves. This could include a "temporary customs union" after March 2019 to prevent border problems during the process. However, the first minister said the UK "should commit to staying in the single market and customs union, period". The customs arrangements document is the first in a series of papers to be published by the Westminster government on key negotiation issues. Businesses had called for clarity since the UK announced it was leaving the EU's tariff-free trading area. Ministers said the plans would mean the "freest and most frictionless possible trade" with the rest of Europe. The newly-published paper says the UK could ask Brussels to establish a "temporary customs union" after it leaves the EU in March 2019. During this period it would also expect to be able to negotiate its own international trade deals, which it cannot currently do as a customs union member. Once any temporary arrangement expired, the paper says the UK would look to agree either a "highly streamlined" border with the EU or a new "partnership" with no customs border at all. The plan has drawn a mixed response, with Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer calling it "incoherent and inadequate" and "fantastical and contradictory". However, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said it was "encouraging", and the Institute of Directors said it was "hugely positive step". Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit negotiator, tweeted that the idea of "invisible borders" was "a fantasy". Ms Sturgeon posted an initial reaction to the customs union plan on Twitter, saying: "Seems UK gov is back to its daft 'have cake and eat it' approach to Brexit. They should commit to staying in single market and customs union, period." End of Twitter post by @NicolaSturgeon Speaking in Montrose, where the Scottish government's cabinet held a meeting prior to a public discussion event, the SNP leader told BBC Scotland that the plan "would almost be laughable" if the issues involved were not so serious. She said: "You've got the UK government appearing to say that they don't want to say in 'the' customs union, but they want to stay in 'a' customs union, which would be pretty much identical to the European customs union that we're in already. It's nonsensical and ridiculous. "I think it increasingly makes the UK government look like a bit of a laughing stock. "I wish we weren't leaving the EU, but if the UK is leaving the EU then the common sense thing to do is to stay in the single market and to stay in the customs union. Because that will mean we can continue to export goods and services and continue to travel freely like we can today. "I think the sooner we get into a common sense position the better." Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis said he envisioned the future settlement being "as close as we can to the current arrangements". Ms Sturgeon hit out at this, saying: "Why don't we

Summary: Nicola Sturgeon has dismissed the UK government's plans for a post-Brexit customs deal with the EU as a "daft 'have cake and eat it' approach".


The hosts broke the deadlock 13 minutes into the second period courtesy of a Colin Shields strike. Steve Saviano doubled the lead midway through the third period before Shields sealed victory with 46 seconds left. Belfast, who have played one game less than Cardiff, take on the Capitals again on Friday at the same venue.

Summary: Belfast Giants have closed the gap on Elite League leaders Cardiff Devils to six points with this comfortable win over the Capitals at the SSE Arena.


PC Peter Hodgkinson discharged the weapon while Andrew Pimlott, 32, was holding a lit match at his parents' home in Plymouth in April 2013. Mr Pimlott caught fire and died from his injuries five days later. The officer said he only fired because he feared Mr Pimlott was about to send himself up in flames. The inquest heard two police officers went to the home of Mr Pimlott's parents after his father called 999. His father Kelvin said his son had a can of petrol and was threatening to set fire to the building. The inquest previously heard the dead man had been served with a restraining order preventing him contacting his parents or going near their home. After PC Peter Hodgkinson and PC David Beer arrived at the scene, they saw Mr Pimlott, who was in the back garden, douse himself in petrol from a can and strike a match. "I deployed the Taser to reduce the risk the of harm to Mr Pimlott," said PC Hodgkinson. "I tried to engage with him to put down the can. I believe he was going to set himself alight so I fired the Taser." PC Beer said: "I heard the Taser sound being activated and Mr Pimlott went up in flames." Independent fire investigator Steven Andrews said he made a "very strong finding" that Mr Pimlott was set on fire by the Taser. The ignition point was on the belly where the Taser hit. "The evidence does not support that he was set alight by the match," he said. The inquest continues.

Summary: A police officer said he hoped a shot from a Taser stun gun would prevent a man soaked in petrol setting himself alight, an inquest has heard.


The 16-euro ($17.80; Â£11.60) fee is likely to deter travellers from completing bookings on services including Expedia, Opodo and ebookers. It marks the latest effort by the airline industry to steer customers towards its own websites. One expert said this not only helped cut airlines' costs but also allowed them to them promote add-on services. However, the booking services suggest their own platforms are often easier to use and help keep prices low. Lufthansa Group's move will affect tickets bought for Lufthansa itself as well as Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss from 1 September. There are two types of travel price comparison sites on the net: Lufthansa's move is expected to be damaging to the former, while allowing its own site to appear the most attractive option on the latter. "The distribution cost charge will drive up the cost of tickets booked via so-called online travel agencies like Expedia or Opodo," Martin Riecken, a spokesman for the German airline, told the BBC. "However, it is not about... trying to discourage anyone from comparing prices. "We rather aim for more transparency. Our rationale is twofold. "Firstly, to allocate the high distribution cost of global distribution systems [the flight inventory and fare databases used by online travel agents] - we are talking about a high three-digit million euro amount per annum for the Lufthansa Group - to those that are actually using the services, instead of evenly distributing these cost to all passengers. "Secondly, to take advantage of greater degrees of freedom in our sales activities, providing customers with the exact tailor-made service that they are looking for." Opodo said online travel agencies were opposed to the move and lawyers at the European Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations (ECTAA) were looking into the matter. "[This] is a global issue that affects all countries and worldwide travel agencies, traditional or online, corporate and leisure, and which is already being legally examined by the associations of European agencies," said a spokeswoman for the company. "Lufthansa Group will clearly be the one whose most affected by this decision. "The fact that they have not provided any automated alternative to the global distribution systems will cause Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss to suffer a severe lack of competitiveness against other companies that are present in these channels and don't have an extra cost for the travellers." One industry watcher said Lufthansa might have felt it had to act to boost its earnings. The company recently reported 55m euros of net profit for its last financial year, representing an 82% drop on the previous period. Its services have also been disrupted by a series of pilots' strikes and the crash of one of its Germanwings flights in March. "If you look at Lufthansa's recent performance, they have been through difficulties," said Laurie Price, an independent airlines consultant. "So they've been looking at every way to increase their bottom line. There is only so much cutting you can do. "A better way is to generate revenue. And if you can get sales direct and offer add-ons,

Summary: Lufthansa Group is to introduce a surcharge for customers who buy its flights through third-party websites.


The three children were placed in foster care after the couple's arrest by counter-terrorism officers in 2015. Mr Justice Cobb said he was suspicious the parents were going to areas controlled by so-called Islamic State. But he said their "attitude" had "genuinely changed" and he concluded that the children should return home. The judge, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court, said he was also satisfied that the couple will meet their children's needs. He said evidence showed that being in the family home will be in their best interests. Details of the case have emerged in rulings published by Mr Justice Cobb following private family court hearings in Leeds. The judge did not identify the couple. He said they were from London but lived in the north-east of England. Council social workers had asked him to make decisions about where the children should live. The couple were arrested while in a car with their children at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, Kent, during the summer of 2015. They had not been accused of any terrorism-related offences as a result of their arrest, but had faced fraud charges. The couple had told police that they were travelling to Germany to visit relatives, although the man admitted that he had been "drawn into radical extreme thinking". Mr Justice Cobb said evidence caused him "very considerable concern" and he said he was "suspicious" that the couple had been heading for areas of the Middle East controlled by IS. But he said suspicion was not enough. Mr Justice Cobb said he had been told how the couple had co-operated with social services after the children were taken into foster care. The father said he accepted that things he had said before were "not appropriate" and "not a true expression of Islam", and the mother had accepted that views she expressed "were wrong". "I am sufficiently satisfied... that the attitudes of these parents have genuinely changed," said Mr Justice Cobb. "I am satisfied from the information placed before me that these parents [will meet] the needs of these... children in all material respects." He added: "All relevant considerations point to the conclusion that it is indeed in the best interests of the children that they should [be] at home in the care of their parents."

Summary: A Muslim couple arrested over fears that they were heading to Syria for "extremist activities" have won a court fight for the care of their children.


The book, which upholds the right to ridicule religion, was finished two days before Charb was killed by Islamic militants in January, publishers say. It argues that the fight against racism is being replaced by a misguided struggle against "Islamophobia". Charb and 11 others were killed during a Charlie Hebdo editorial meeting. The attack on the Paris offices of the newspaper was carried out by two brothers, Said and Cherif Kouachi, who were later shot dead by police. Charb had received numerous death threats following Charlie Hebdo's publication of cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad in 2006. The magazine's offices were firebombed in 2012. Charb's book - which goes on sale on Thursday - is entitled An Open Letter to the Fraudsters of Islamophobia who Play into Racists' Hands. It is both a defence of Charlie Hebdo's editorial stance and an attack on the paper's detractors. "The suggestion that you can laugh at everything, except certain aspects of Islam, because Muslims are much more prickly that the rest of the population - what is that, if not discrimination?" He condemns this position as "white, left-wing bourgeois intellectual paternalism". Charlie Hebdo, which was launched in 1969, poked fun at conservatives and all religions. It had a small circulation and folded in 1981, but was resurrected in 1992.

Summary: A book written by the late editor of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, Stephane Charbonnier - known as Charb - is set to be published posthumously.


Ali Asghar Zarean told state TV that Iran would sign an agreement with China to modify the reactor before doing so. On Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency cited unnamed sources as saying the reactor had been decommissioned. It would represent a final step towards the implementation of July's nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Iran has agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Iran has for years been building a heavy-water nuclear facility at Arak, the spent fuel from which would contain plutonium suitable for a nuclear bomb. The P5+1 group of world powers - the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany - had originally wanted Arak dismantled because of the proliferation risk. But they eventually agreed that Iran could redesign the reactor so it would not produce any weapons-grade plutonium. Monday's report by Fars, which is close to the powerful Revolutionary Guards, said technicians had removed the core of the existing reactor and poured concrete into the cavity. In July, Iran agreed a landmark nuclear deal with six world powers to limit its sensitive nuclear activities for more than a decade in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions. The US is confident the agreement will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran says it has the right to nuclear energy - and stresses that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Iran will not see the UN, US and EU sanctions lifted until the global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), certifies that it has fulfilled its commitments under the deal. The precise date of the so-called "implementation day" has not been determined. But Iran says it has met those commitments earlier than expected and last week US Secretary of State John Kerry declared: "We are days away from implementation." The sanctions have cost Iran more than more than $160bn (Â£102bn) in oil revenue since 2012 alone. Once they are lifted, the country will be able to resume selling oil on international markets and using the global financial system for trade. Iran has the fourth largest oil reserves in the world and the energy industry is braced for lower prices. Iran will also be able to access more than $100bn in assets frozen overseas. But on Tuesday, Mr Zarean insisted that Iran would not decommission the reactor until it had signed a deal with China regarding its redesign - something that is expected next week. "Definitely, we will not apply any physical change in this field until a final agreement is finalised," he said, without making reference to the Fars report directly. Mr Zarean also said that once the modifications were completed and Arak went online, Iran hoped to export excess heavy water produced there to the US for research purposes, via a third country. Iran estimates it will need about 6 of the 20 tonnes a year of heavy water it will produce for medical isotopes. Government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht separately announced on Tuesday that the sanctions on Iran would be lifted

Summary: Iran's deputy nuclear chief has denied a report that the core of the Arak heavy-water reactor has been removed and filled with concrete.


A judicial review has been launched after free taxis for pupils living 12 miles (19km) from Ysgol Brynhyfryd, Denbighshire, were stopped. Parents claim their children's route to the bus stop is too dangerous to walk. But a Denbighshire council spokeswoman said the policy was agreed after "extensive consultation" and through a "democratic process". Glenda Coleman, who lives in Bryneglwys, said: "We've relied heavily on the free taxi because our children cannot walk to the bus pick up point as it is extremely dangerous. "The council made a decision to cut this service without providing any alternatives or considering the repercussions of removing it." Ms Coleman said it was "impossible" to drive down a nearby hill when it has snowed or there is ice on the road, meaning parents would not be able to transport their children to the bus stop, two-and-a-half-miles away. She added: "We feel we are being punished by the council for living in a rural area as we have been provided with no alternative options for transport and it is unacceptable." A spokeswoman for the council said: "Denbighshire's school transport policy has recently changed. "We are aware that a small number of parents have raised concerns regarding these changes and their perceived impact. "The policy was agreed after extensive consultation and it has gone through a democratic process. "We have investigated complaints thoroughly and it is the right of individuals to consider taking the matter to judicial review, for which we would respond accordingly."

Summary: Parents are taking legal action against a council following its decision to cut free school transport in a rural area.


A review of homes in Wales said they were seen as places of "irreversible decline" where residents were unable to do things that matter to them. The report was published by the Older People's Commissioner for Wales. The Welsh government said it was already taking action on issues raised in the report, A Place to Call Home? Care Forum Wales, which represents 500 care providers, said the findings support what it has long been saying. Experts in health and social care undertook unannounced visits to 100 care homes across Wales. And more than 2,000 questionnaires were completed by care home residents and their families. The report's key conclusion was: "Too many older people living in care homes quickly become institutionalised. Their personal identity and individuality rapidly diminishes and they have a lack of choice and control over their lives." It looked at residents' social participation, their home environment, diet, staffing and training as well as commissioning, regulation and inspection of services. Commissioner Sarah Rochira called "for action to deliver the change required within our care homes and ensure that quality of life sits at the heart of the delivery of residential and nursing care across Wales". She said: "While my review found excellent examples of truly person-centred care, enabling and empowering care that delivers the very best outcomes for older people, there are significant variations across Wales that result in too many older people living in care homes having an unacceptable quality of life." The review was undertaken using the commissioner's statutory powers which means care providers and public bodies have to act on the findings. Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) chief inspector Imelda Richardson said it had moved away from a tick box culture to focusing on quality of life of people during its inspections of older people's care homes in Wales. She said while the majority of care homes provide good or excellent care, there is "still an unacceptable level of care in some homes". Care Forum Wales chair Mario Kreft said the report did not "fully recognise what is being achieved despite the system". He supported a call for services being commissioned for quality rather than reinforcing a "culture of compliance to the bare minimum". He added: "The commissioning process should be about quality and securing value for money and not about paying the lowest possible price." A Welsh government spokesperson said: "The Welsh government, for its part, is already taking action on many of the areas highlighted in this report through a draft Bill to strengthen the regulation and inspection of social services. "We expect the care sector to consider this report carefully - as the Welsh government will - and reply to the Older People's Commissioner's specific points."

Summary: Many older people living in care homes have an "unacceptable quality of life" and quickly become institutionalised, says a watchdog.


The hosts had Josh Passley dismissed for bringing down Garry Thompson before Wycombe went ahead when Paul Hayes fired home Paris Cowan-Hall's ball. Thompson later saw red for a challenge on Joss Labadie and the Daggers drew level through Luke Guttridge's tap in. Wycombe won it when Cowan-Hall headed over keeper Mark Cousins from close in. Dagenham remain in the relegation places, while Wycombe move up to sixth spot, above Leyton Orient on goal difference. Dagenham & Redbridge manager John Still told BBC Radio London: Media playback is not supported on this device "I know that we're capable that we're winning four or five games together. The side's getting stronger. "The power in the team is beginning to come through. We showed good quality." "As long as we keep to the pattern that we're working to, I think the rest will slip into place. There's so much good stuff, so much energy in our team today. We went down to ten men and you wouldn't have noticed."

Summary: Wycombe moved in to the League Two play-off places with victory at lowly Dagenham & Redbridge in a game where both sides had a man sent off.


She plays a no-nonsense character in House of Cards, and in real life Robin Wright is no different. For four seasons, viewers have seen her in the role of Claire Underwood, the Machiavellian partner of stop-at-nothing politician, Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey. Both actors have also directed and produced episodes of the show. But while their roles are equally prominent, for years their salaries were not in parity. "I was like, 'I want to be paid the same as Kevin.' It was a perfect paradigm and example to use, because there are very few films or TV shows where the maleâ€”the patriarch and the matriarch are equal. And they are in House of Cards," she told an audience at New York's Rockefeller Foundation. Wright looked at statistics which showed that for some time, her character was more popular than Spacey's. "So I capitalised on it. I was like, 'You better pay me or I'm going to go publicâ€¦and they did.'" Wright's success at equalising her pay is a story to be noted, because it is still incredibly rare. "She is playing a popular and important character in a series. She has leverage and she used it," says Lisa Maatz, vice president for government relations at the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which has conducted research into the broader issue. "I admire her for standing up to them. Not everybody is going to be as fortunate. But her situation in terms of being underpaid is far too common." US government statistics show that on average, women are paid less than their male counterparts, 79 cents for every dollar a man earns. According to the White House, the median wage of a woman working full-time all year in America is about $39,600 (Â£27,116), 79% of a man's median earnings, which stand at $50,400. The statistic is widely used to illustrate the discrepancy in pay across the sexes, and looks across all sectors. In Fresno, California, Aileen Rizo took a similar stand against her employer after she learned she was receiving less pay than a new male employee, who didn't have a masters degree like she did. Ms Rizo had been working as a maths consultant for four years for Fresno County Office of Education, when she found out that the new hire was being paid at the highest salary scale (a nine), while she was being paid at the lowest (a one). When she confronted her human resources department about the difference, she was told it wasn't a mistake. "They said they'd used my prior pay as a guide, and that's why I was on less," she explained. Ms Rizo began legal action against her employers in 2013, who argued they set wages based on the employee's most recent salary, plus a five percent increase. Experience wasn't a determining factor, they said. Representatives for Fresno County pointed out that a woman working in the same department as Ms Rizo, was being paid more, and said that in the past 25 years more women had been on higher salary scales, than men in

Summary: House of Cards star Robin Wright has revealed she demanded the same pay as her co-star Kevin Spacey - but what does fighting for equal wages look like for women who are not movie stars?


The evolutionary scientist, whose books include The God Delusion, said Wales was "ahead of the rest of the UK" in showing a decline in religious belief. The census found 32% in Wales have no religion, against a UK figure of 25%. The Church in Wales said Christianity was "no longer the default setting" for many, but the picture was complex. Of those in Wales who described themselves as believers, the number of Christians fell by 14 percentage points to 57%. Prof Dawkins said: "I congratulate the people of Wales in coming out ahead of the rest of the United Kingdom in this respect - well done." He told BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales that he believed in the "wonder" of scientific truth. He said: "People who are educated in religion are positively encouraged not to investigate, not to think sceptically about why they are here, but instead to accept what people wrote 2,000 years ago. "I guess we do need focal points for communities but you can say also that religion has been a focal point for all sorts of backward, indeed bigoted, thinking about homosexuality, about abortion, the right to die, that we're seeing at the moment." He added that research commissioned by his foundation meant that the outlook for Christianity in the UK was "even more pessimistic" than the census data suggested. He said many of those who put themselves down at Christian did so because they thought of themselves "as a good person" rather than due to belief in the virgin birth, or of Jesus Christ as the son of God. Prof Dawkins dismissed the figures for people saying they were a Jedi knight or that heavy metal music was their religion as "a kind of protest" against the inclusion of a census question on religion. The census found those in Wales who are Muslim was 1.5%, up from 0.7% in 2001, while there were also slight increases Hindus or Buddhists, both up from 0.2% to 0.3%. There was also a rise in people saying they had other faiths, from 0.2% to 0.4% while the percentage who said they were Sikh or Jewish remained unchanged between 2001 and 2011 at 0.1%. Churches said they were not discouraged by the findings, and argued that Christian belief was still clearly alive and well. Following the census results, the Church in Wales said: "It should also be borne in mind that statistics can't show the whole picture in matters of faith. "The past few months, for example, have seen people in different parts of Wales turn to churches in their thousands following various tragic events: in Machynlleth, in Ely, in St Asaph. "People find God when life gets tough and it is the church's privilege to be there for them whenever and wherever we may be needed."

Summary: Atheist author Prof Richard Dawkins has congratulated the people of Wales after nearly a third of them revealed in the 2011 census that they have no religion.


Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "The only response can be: 'yes, Mr President'." Gen Petraeus resigned as CIA director in 2012 following an extramarital affair with his biographer. It later emerged he had shared classified material with her. He served as a senior officer under Presidents Bush and Obama. He was the commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, before retiring from the military to take the top position in the Central Intelligence Agency. Asked if he thought Mr Trump had the correct temperament to be the US President, he said: "It's up to Americans at this point in time not only to hope that that is the case, but if they can, endeavour to help him." He then indicated he would personally serve under Mr Trump if asked. "If you're asked, you've got to serve - put aside any reservations based on campaign rhetoric... and figure out what's best for the country," he said. "I've been in a position before where a president has turned to me in the Oval Office in a difficult moment, without any pleasantries, and said 'I'm asking you as your president and Commander in Chief to take command of the international security force in Afghanistan.' "The only response can be: 'yes, Mr President,'" he continued. A number of media outlets have linked the retired general with positions in the new administration. A report in The Guardian last week linked Gen Petraeus to the race for secretary of state, citing diplomatic sources. Mr Trump has been putting together his administration made up of friends, family, and former rivals - but several key positions, including secretary of state, remain open. General Petraeus was indirectly critical of some of Donald Trump's rhetoric during the presidential election campaign, describing the president elect's anti-Muslim comments as toxic. However, he said he had heard good things from those who have been speaking with Mr Trump since the election result. "It's interesting that those who have been talking to him have said, you know, he's very personable, very hospitable, very gracious guy, full of questions and dialogue," he said. He also suggested that Mr Trump could forge closer ties with Russia, comparing his political position to that of President Nixon's overtures to China in the 1970s. "Only Nixon could have gone to China. Anyone else would have been criticised from the right," he said. "I think that the current president would have been criticised from the right had he tried some of the kinds of outreach that, in fact, President-elect Trump may pursue." But he warned that any such outreach should be attempted "with your eyes wide open".

Summary: General David Petraeus, one of the United States' most prominent military officers, has indicated he would be willing to serve in President-elect Donald Trump's administration if asked.


Media playback is not supported on this device Five goals were scored in the first half, with Greg Stewart and Kane Hemmings striking early for Dundee. Ross County captain Andrew Davies headed in from a corner before Rory Loy diverted home Hemmings' shot. Alex Schalk netted on half-time, but Craig Wighton and Stewart with a fine solo goal made the points safe late on. After seven minutes Stewart drove through the heart of the County defence before turning the ball onto his favoured left foot and curling it into the bottom corner. Two minutes later Hemmings took full advantage of slackness in the Staggies defence and knocked home his 23rd goal of the campaign. It was no more than Paul Hartley's side deserved after a whirlwind start. Jim McIntyre's team eventually woke up and reduced the deficit after a succession of corners. Davies ghosted in at the front post and with a glancing header knocked the ball beyond David Mitchell to give the travelling fans hope of retaining their place in the top half of the table. And they should have been back on level terms when Michael Gardyne's cross was met on the volley by Martin Woods but the midfielder hammered the ball over the crossbar. Dundee however restored their two-goal advantage as once again the visitors defence was breached. Hemmings had a shot on goal that was glanced into the top corner by Loy giving Gary Woods no chance in the County goal. The first-half action though was far from over. Schalk latched onto a long through-ball and although Dens keeper Mitchell got his hand to the shot there was enough The second half failed to live up to the opening period but there were still plenty of chances created at both ends. Gardyne blasted high over the crossbar from 12 yards out while Ian McShane saved on the line from Dundee top scorer Hemmings as the home side looked for goal number four. County survived a scare when Hemmings managed to get a touch on the end of a Stewart free-kick but the ball trickled only a few inches the wrong side of the post. The home side secured all three points with four minutes left when Wighton hammered the ball home after Stewart's shot was blocked. Stewart completed the scoring when he once again fired home with a cultured left-foot shot that beat Woods. Hartley's side are now in pole position to secure a place in the top six for the season run-in.

Summary: Dundee leapfrogged Ross County and moved into the Premiership's top six, prevailing in a hugely entertaining Dens Park encounter.


Conrad Clitheroe and Gary Cooper, both from Stockport, and expat Neil Munro were reportedly taking notes near Fujairah Airport, 80 miles from Dubai, when they were arrested in February. Relatives were told they were held for "national security" reasons. The men insisted they did not take photographs. The Abu Dhabi hearing is due on Monday. Mr Clitheroe, 54, and Mr Cooper 45, were visiting their friend Mr Munro, who was born in Manchester, when they were arrested on 22 February by an off-duty police officer who had seen them monitoring planes from a car. They were near Fujairah Airport, where older and rarer aircraft can be seen. A local police official said the men had been taking photographs near an airport and were using a telescope. The men are expected to argue their actions were misinterpreted and are understood to be hoping to be granted bail.

Summary: A court hearing for British plane spotters held over allegations of suspicious behaviour in the United Arab Emirates has been postponed for a week.


Mukherjee's The Lives Of Others, a sweeping account of life in 1960s Calcutta, is 5/2 favourite to win with bookmakers William Hill. It is the first year that the prize is open to all authors writing in English, regardless of nationality. The winner will be announced at London's Guildhall on Tuesday night. Former Booker winner Howard Jacobson is among three British writers, two Americans and an Australian on this year's shortlist. Also on the list are Ali Smith, Joshua Ferris, Karen Joy Fowler and Richard Flanagan, who is next in the betting at 3/1. Jacobson, who won in 2010 for his comic novel The Finkler Question, is nominated for his futuristic love story J. It features two main characters who inhabit a world where the past is not spoken about and is shrouded in suspicion, referred to as "What Happened, If It Happened". Mukherjee's The Lives of Others begins in Calcutta in 1967, and which focuses on the secrets and rivalries within a family against a backdrop of political activism. Inverness-born Smith's How To Be Both tells two interlinking stories, one about a renaissance artist in 15th Century Italy, the other about a child of the 1960s - and the reader can decide which half to read first. She has been shortlisted twice before, with 2005's The Accidental and Hotel World in 2001. American Ferris's third novel, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, looks at atheism through the eyes of a New York dentist, who is puzzled when someone sets up an online Facebook and Twitter account in his name. The other American is Fowler, who is nominated for We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. The book, narrated by a college student Rosemary, tells the story of her family: two parents and three children - one of whom turns out to be surprisingly special. Australia's Flanagan is the only non-British representative of the Commonwealth on the shortlist. He is nominated for The Narrow Road to the Deep North, a love story set against the construction of the Thailand-Burma Death Railway in World War Two. Of all the shortlisted novels, Fowler's We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves is by far the best-selling. Since it was published in March it has sold more than 55,000 copies, according to figures from Nielsen. The next closest is Ferris's To Rise Again at a Decent Hour with just over 6,000 sales since it was published at the end of May. The announcement of the final six on 9 September caused a sales spike for all the books on the shortlist. Mukherjee's The Lives of Others, which sold 97 copies in the week before the announcement saw sales leap to 507 a week later. "It's a weak list that is more notable for the novels it has omitted than for those that have made the cut," said David Brauner, professor of contemporary literature at the University of Reading. "The strongest book on the list is Howard Jacobson's J, but I fear there may be some reluctance to make him a two-time winner so soon after Hilary Mantel's

Summary: The winner of the Man Booker Prize is announced later with British author Neel Mukherjee the bookies' favourite to take the £50,000 prize.


Ri Jong Chol said his detention was a "plot" to "damage the honour of the republic", Reuters news agency reports. He made the comments outside the North Korea embassy in Beijing after he was deported from Malaysia on Friday. Ri Jong Chol was released from police custody due to insufficient evidence. Speaking to reporters early on Saturday, he accused Malaysia of using coercion in an attempt to extract a confession. Malaysian authorities are continuing their investigation into the death of Mr Kim, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who was killed at an airport in the country's capital, Kuala Lumpur nearly three weeks ago. Ri Jong Chol, who said he was not at the airport on the day of the incident, was the only North Korean held in connection with the death. Malaysia is seeking to question several North Koreans, including an embassy official. Two women, Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam and Siti Aisyah from Indonesia, were charged on Thursday with killing Mr Kim by smearing his face with VX, a banned chemical weapon. Both women said they thought they were taking part in a TV prank. They have yet to make a formal plea in their case. Malaysia, which has condemned the use of the powerful nerve agent in the 13 February attack, is also investigating a firm thought to be used by North Korea to evade sanctions on military exports. Ri Jong Chol had lived in Malaysia for three years but, according to Reuters, his work permit expired on 6 February. Immigration director-general Mustafar Ali said Ri Jong Chol, who was escorted out of Malaysia by two North Korean embassy officials, was blacklisted from re-entering the country. Meanwhile, the government said it had launched an investigation into a company called Glocom, which has been operating in Malaysia for several years. According to a confidential United Nations report, Glocom is run by North Korea's top intelligence agency to sell military communications equipment, in violation of UN sanctions. Police said on Friday that an arrest warrant had been issued for 37-year-old Kim Uk-il, who works for North Korean national airline Air Koryo. He is believed to be still in Malaysia. Reuters news agency reported that security checks on North Koreans had been stepped up at all border crossings to prevent them from leaving. On Thursday, Malaysia announced it was cancelling visa-free travel for visiting North Koreans, citing security reasons. It has not directly blamed North Korea for the attack, but there is widespread suspicion Pyongyang was responsible. North Korea has strongly rejected the allegations. It also rejected the findings of the post-mortem examination, having objected to it being carried out at all, and has demanded the body be handed over to them. It has not yet confirmed that the body is that of Kim Jong-nam, acknowledging him only as a North Korean citizen. Mr Kim was travelling using a passport under a different name.

Summary: The North Korean suspect questioned in connection with the death of Kim Jong-nam has said he was the victim of a conspiracy by the Malaysian authorities.


The Yellows dominated possession but were caught on the break by Lenell John-Lewis who fired in spectacularly from 25 yards just before the interval. Pat Hoban rewarded Oxford's dominance when he turned and fired-in the equaliser in the 72nd minute. But County almost claimed all the points when Aaron Collins had a shot blocked in stoppage time. Newport stay in 21st position, but are now unbeaten in eight league and cup games under manager John Sheridan, while Oxford remain second, two points behind Plymouth. Oxford United manager Michael Appleton told BBC Radio Oxford: Media playback is not supported on this device "The result was frustrating, but the second-half performance I thought was magnificent. "We've had some good performances here recently, but the second half I thought they were outstanding. "We got the one goal, very unfortunate not to find the second, but I couldn't have asked any more from them. "The whole place just seemed a little but flat in the first half and I asked them to get on the front foot a bit quicker and it looked really exciting after the break. "Newport are a side that John Sheridan's got well-organised, they came here tonight to get the point they wanted and it was a fantastic finish for them. "Sometimes you've got to hold your hands up when someone puts one in the stanchion from 30 yards." Newport manager John Sheridan: "I think Oxford were the better side and put us on the back foot for a lot of the second half, but I was very pleased with the way we played first half. "It's a good point because they are going well. I just think that if we believed ourselves a little more and we were brave and we took care of the ball a little bit more we could have caused them more problems. "It's just about having a bit of game know-how and seeing the game through. But we gave the ball away cheaply and you end up on the back foot."

Summary: Oxford missed a chance to go top of League Two when they were held at home by resurgent Newport.


Marsh failed to score in 16 league games after joining Dover from Torquay for an undisclosed fee in January 2016. The 23-year-old made eight appearances for Dover last season, but finished the season on loan at National League South side Welling United. Marsh is Macclesfield manager John Askey's 10th signing since the end of last season. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Macclesfield have signed striker Tyrone Marsh on a one-year contract after he left National League rivals Dover.


Chief executive Karl Koehler is standing down and his replacement will not have a position on the main Tata board in Mumbai, unlike Mr Koehler. Tata is making 1,050 people redundant, including 750 at its Port Talbot site. Community organiser Rob Edwards said he was surprised by Mr Koehler's departure and what it meant for the future. "I think it compounds the recent news about the redundancies. You start to ask questions about long-term investments," said Mr Edwards. "There is an element of doubt, we walk a path of uncertainty," he told BBC Radio Wales's Wales at Work programme. He added that he wasn't concerned about the short-term commitments made by the company as it tries to save Â£300m as part of its current survival plan. He said the union was worried that the move weakened the voice of the European operation when it came to decisions being made by the board in future. Workers from Tata marched through Brussels with Mr Koehler and steelworkers from across Europe demanding that the EU take action on the price of Chinese imports. New chief executive of Tata Steel Europe, Hans Fischer, takes over on 1 March. Koushik Chatterjee, the group executive director for finance and corporate affairs, will add responsibility for Europe to his role on the Tata Steel board in Mumbai.

Summary: Changes at the top of Tata Steel Europe raise doubts about the "long-term investment" of the company, according the steelworkers union, Community.


School crossing patrol personnel numbers have dropped by about 75 since 2013, leading to fears about safety. Overall, councils spent £810,000 less on the service than three years ago. Stirling Council has reduced its outlay by the highest percentage, spending 50% less than in 2013. West Dunbartonshire cut its spending on patrol services by 40%. The figures were obtained from Freedom of Information requests answered by 30 of Scotland's 32 local authorities. It showed there are now just over 2,100 school patrol officers in Scotland. Despite the widespread reductions, some local authorities actually increased their spend - including Inverclyde, where it went up by more than 90% and Dumfries and Galloway, where it increased by nearly 10%. A spokesman for Stirling Council, which had the biggest cut to school patrol services, said the decision was made three years ago following substantial cuts to its overall budget. He added: "The majority of these savings were made by removing lunch-time crossing patrols and removing any patrols which duplicated existing crossing safety measures (i.e. pelican and zebra crossings nearby). The safety of our pupils is of the utmost importance and we strive to maintain key crossing patrol services where these are required." West Dunbartonshire said that patroller sites had been reduced due to a variety of factors including the relocation of schools, lack of use of sites and alternative facilities nearby. A spokesman for the council said: "Over the last three years a number of our school crossing patrollers have retired or moved on to other roles. "On review, some of the sites have no longer met the criteria for a crossing patroller and in other cases we have installed a pedestrian crossing. "Increasing numbers of pupils remaining in school over lunchtime has also meant that there is no longer demand for cover during these times." The Scottish Parent Teacher Council emphasised the importance of school patrollers for pupil safety. Eileen Prior from the organisation said: "Parents want to make sure that when they say goodbye to their child in the morning they can be confident they are going to be able to get to school safely. "The reality on the ground is that services and supports for education services are being cut at local authority level. Lollipop people provide an important service that parents really value." Figures also show that over the period between 2013-16, the number of children killed on the roads fell, although the number seriously injured increased slightly. The highest numbers of children were injured while walking during school drop-off and pick-up times. In 2013 there were five children killed while on foot and 92 seriously injured - compared to three children killed last year and 97 seriously injured. However, according to Sustrans - which promotes safe walking and cycling networks across the UK - the number of children walking to school has fallen dramatically. In its 2015 policy studies institute report, it cited figures from 1971, which showed 86% of children travelled home from school alone. That compared with figures from 2010 that showed only 25% walked to school. In

Summary: Two-thirds of Scotland's councils have cut the amount of money spent on lollipop men and women in the past three years, research by BBC Scotland has found.


Unicode, the authority on computer text and characters, has already approved adding the three flags to the next release of emojis in June. Technology companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook will be able to introduce the flags to their software from July. A UK flag is already available on smartphones and other devices. Unicode develops the mechanism for making the flags available, but manufacturers have to add the new emojis to their keyboards. Emoji flags already available include those for Ascension Island, St Barthelemy, Curacao, Diego Garcia and Djibouti. The campaign for a new range of emoji flags was started by Jeremy Burge of Emojipedia and BBC Wales' social media lead Owen Williams in March 2016.

Summary: Emoji flags for Wales, Scotland and England could be available on tablets and smartphones by the summer.


Media playback is not supported on this device "If I push it, I could go backwards or end up back on medication," he said. "There is also a chance of rejection." The former Manchester United, Newcastle and Blackburn forward suffered kidney failure in 2015 after contracting an airborne virus. He has just returned to his role as a United ambassador following surgery. The 45-year-old is not even allowed to fly to Barcelona for a Manchester United legends game on 30 June. Cole said: "It is a long road ahead. It is a tough road and different to the battles I have had before. "It is not like getting a football injury, when you go to the gym and work a bit harder." His 28-year-old nephew Alexander provided the donor kidney - "a noble job" as Cole described it. Cole has improved physically and has lost most of the weight he gained through his illness. And while there is still more work to do, Cole, who will be United's assistant manager for the return legends game against Barcelona at Old Trafford on 2 September, is looking forward to playing if a similar match is staged in 2018. He said: "I still get very tired but I can do a lot more than I was able to two years ago. If this game is played next year I want to be out there." Earlier this week, another former Newcastle and England striker, Alan Shearer, told the BBC he felt English clubs were a long way off being able to challenge for the Champions League. Cole agrees, saying: "From what I have seen in Europe, I am not sure any of the English teams will win it. They are miles apart. "If you look at Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich, a lot of the players people are talking about Premier League clubs paying £50m or £60m for can't get in their teams. "That tells you where they are at."

Summary: Former England striker Andy Cole says he faces a "long road ahead" as he recovers from his recent kidney transplant.


The 16-time TT winner, who came off his Tyco BMW at the 27th Milestone, was reported to be conscious before being flown to hospital by helicopter. Hutchinson, 37, was battling for the lead when the race was red-flagged because of the incident. He won the Superbike and Superstock races earlier in the week. He has now been transferred to Liverpool for further treatment. The race was re-started and was won by Michael Dunlop. The Bingley rider, who suffered a fractured femur, is the third most successful rider in the history of the event. He endured more than 30 operations on his left leg after an accident in 2010 and after a five-year absence from the top step returned to win eight TTs in the last three years. Hutchinson is the only man to win five TTs in a week, a feat he achieved seven years ago, and followed that up with trebles at the 2015 and 2016 meetings.

Summary: Ian Hutchinson has been taken to hospital with a broken leg after crashing on the second lap of Friday's Senior TT on the Isle of Man.


Investigators from the League Against Cruel Sports said they saw no gunmen and heard no shots when they filmed the Jedforest Hunt in February 2016. However, Malcolm Henderson told a court he had been there with a shotgun. John Clive Richardson, 66, and his son Johnny Riley, 24, both deny deliberately hunting a fox with dogs. Mr Henderson, who has worked with the hunt for the past two years, said he had been at the site near Jedburgh on the day in question. He told Jedburgh Sheriff Court he was present when a fox was flushed from cover and pursued by hounds towards his gun which the law permits. He told the trial: "I was there. "I was down in the dip but they (the investigators) would not see me from where they were standing." Earlier in the trial, Mr Richardson had told the court that Mr Henderson had shot and wounded the fox. Mr Richardson and Mr Riley, of Bonchester Bridge, deny breaching the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002. The trial will continue later this month.

Summary: A retired police wildlife crime officer has told the trial of two men accused of breaking Scots fox-hunting laws he was waiting in a gulley with a shotgun.


It was the third day of hefty falls, sparked by news on Wednesday that the company admitted falsifying fuel economy data for more than 600,000 vehicles sold in Japan. Government officials raided a company office and authorities want a full report from the company in weeks. The shares are 40% cheaper than before news of the false data emerged. Elsewhere on the Asian markets, shares of consumer electronics giant Sony also traded lower and closed down 1.7%. The company trimmed nearly 10% off its previous profit estimate for the full year to March 2016, due to a one-off charge. Sony is scheduled to report its financial results next week. On the broader Japanese market, the benchmark Nikkei 225 index reversed earlier losses and ended the Friday session higher by 1.2% - or 208.87 points - at 17,572.49. Other Asian markets traded lower on Friday, mirroring how US markets performed overnight. South Korea's Kospi closed down 0.33% at 2,015.49. In Australia the S&P ASX 200 ended the week down 0.69% at 5,236.39. China's Shanghai composite ended up 0.2% to 2,959.24. Meanwhile in Hong Kong the Hang Seng index dropped 0.7% to trade at 21,467.

Summary: Shares in Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors plunged 13.5% in Friday trade to close at 504 yen.


The Labour leader told the New Statesman his party opposed government plans to lower the overall household cap, introduced in the last Parliament. And his spokesman confirmed he was "very much in favour" of getting rid of it altogether. The Conservatives said Labour wanted a return to "unlimited welfare handouts". The BBC's Carole Walker said Mr Corbyn was asserting his authority on what was a "very difficult issue" for the party. After Mr Corbyn told the TUC conference last week he wanted to "remove the whole idea of the benefit cap", Owen Smith, his shadow work and pensions secretary, said it was "very clear" Labour was only opposing plans to reduce the limit of working-age benefits to £20,000, and to £23,000 in London. In an interview with the BBC's Newsnight, Mr Smith acknowledged the principle of a welfare cap had wide public support and it would be "foolhardy" for Labour to set themselves "unthinkingly" against public opinion. But Mr Corbyn told the New Statesman the cap was responsible for "social cleansing" in his Islington North constituency, with people forced to leave their homes because they could not afford their rent. "It's devastating for children, devastating for the family and very bad for the community as a whole," he added. His spokesman said Mr Corbyn had "laid out his position" and the policy would now go through a "collective decision-making process". Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Smith said the party leader had "clearly signalled that he wants Labour to review and refresh our thinking on social security, especially in respect of the benefit cap, and that's a challenge I know the entire party will rise to in the months ahead". Before Mr Corbyn was elected leader, the party was split over the Welfare Reform and Work Bill, which will reduce the cap to £20,000 outside of London, and £23,000 in London. In July, 48 Labour MPs rebelled against the decision by the then interim leader Harriet Harman to abstain and instead voted against the bill. The Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said "chaos and confusion" surrounded Labour's position. "Conservatives believe that nobody should be able to claim more in welfare than the average family earns by going out to work," he said. "By pledging to reverse this position, it's clear that today's Labour Party are simply not on the side of working people. They are still the same old welfare party - wanting to borrow more to spend more on benefits." In his interview, Mr Corbyn also said scrapping the Trident nuclear weapons system would become Labour Party policy if its conference votes for the change next week. Conferences votes are not technically binding on the party leadership. But asked whether scrapping Trident would become party policy if conference votes for it, Mr Corbyn said: "Well, it would be, of course, because it would have been passed at conference."

Summary: Jeremy Corbyn has reaffirmed his desire to scrap the welfare cap after differences with his shadow cabinet, calling the policy "devastating".


A draw was inevitable after only 86.2 overs were possible on the first four days after heavy rain in Sydney. The West Indies, who resumed on 248-7, were 330 all out before Warner hit an 82-ball century, the quickest ever at Sydney, as Australia reached 176-2. Australia were already 2-0 up in the series, but the draw stops them from moving top of the Test rankings. The opening two hours of the final day were also lost to rain but Denesh Ramdin was able to complete his second half century of the match before he was caught by Steve Smith off Steve O'Keefe. Fellow off-spinner Nathan Lyon had Kemar Roach (15) caught at short leg by Joe Burns to leave the tourists 300-9. Lyon than snaffled a catch at point as O'Keefe removed Jerome Taylor for 13 to finish with a Test best 3-63. In reply, Warner brought up his half century in just 42 balls with a six off Jomel Warrican but the West Indies spinner did remove Burns, who lofted a catch to Roach at mid-on to depart for 26. Mitchell Marsh (21) top-edged a sweep to Jermaine Blackwood at slip to gift Warrican (2-62) a second wicket. By then Warner had completed his 16th Test century but both sides elected to end the game as a draw midway through the final session.

Summary: Opener David Warner hit an unbeaten 122 as Australia drew a rain-affected third and final Test against West Indies.