The Dutch firm said the 26.9bn euro (Â£22.8bn) offer undervalued Akzo and showed a "lack of cultural understanding of the brand". The company, which claims its own plans for growth are superior, has been urged to reject a merger by the Dutch government and its own workers. But some Akzo investors favour a deal. PPG said it was disappointed by Akzo Nobel's decision and would "review" the firm's response. It comes several weeks after PPG increased its offer to buy the Amsterdam-based firm for the second time as it seeks to create an industry leader in the paints and coatings sector. The US firm suggested the bid was its last friendly attempt to merge with Akzo and has not ruled out putting the matter directly to shareholders. But responding on Monday, Akzo chief executive Ton Buchner said his team had conducted an "extensive review" of the bid and had again found it wanting. "The PPG proposal undervalues AkzoNobel, contains significant risks and uncertainties, makes no substantive commitments to stakeholders and demonstrates a lack of cultural understanding," he said. Akzo says its own plans for the firm - which involve spinning off its chemicals division into a separate business - would better serve shareholders. It has promised to increase its dividend for 2017 by half and pay a 1bn euro special cash dividend in November. However, it also faces mounting pressure from some of its biggest shareholders to consider a deal, having repeatedly refused to enter talks with PPG's management. Last month, the activist investor Elliot Investors also called for a vote to oust chairman Antony Burgmans - a proposal Akzo rejected. In its favour, Akzo has won political support against a tie-up, with four provincial governments having warned of its impact on jobs. The company also says that PPG would struggle to get the deal past Dutch competition regulators, which poses a risk to shareholders. As part of its latest offer, PPG offered commitments on jobs and to pay a break fee in case the deal was rejected by officials. In a statement on Monday, it said: "[Akzo] has once again refused to enter into a negotiation regarding a combination of the two companies, ignoring the best interests of its stakeholders, including long-term shareholders who overwhelmingly support engagement." Akzo Nobel shares fell more than 2% in morning trading in Amsterdam but have jumped about 30% this year.

Summary: Akzo Nobel, the owner of Dulux paint, has rejected a third takeover offer by US rival PPG Industries, leaving the door open to a hostile bid.


Police were alerted to the stabbing in Harehills Lane, Harehills, at about 15:40 GMT. The wounded teenager was taken to hospital for treatment, but died a short time later. A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder, West Yorkshire Police said. He remains in custody for questioning. Det Supt Pat Twiggs, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "This tragic incident happened in a busy area at a busy time of day with large numbers of people going about their daily business. "I am appealing directly to anyone who witnessed the incident or has information that could help our inquiries to come forward." The force is hoping to speak to anyone who saw a person running in the area or those who have mobile phone footage. The scene remains cordoned off, with police forensic examinations expected to continue over the weekend.

Summary: A 16-year-old boy has died after he was stabbed in a busy Leeds street, prompting a murder inquiry.


Chelsea reigned supreme from day one, clinched the title with room to spare and were the standout team of the season - both in defence and attack. The league has been illuminated by players such as Alexis Sanchez, arriving at Arsenal and bringing even more swagger to Arsene Wenger's cultured side - and perhaps an FA Cup winners' medal too - and Philippe Coutinho, who has managed the seemingly impossible feat of upstaging even the mighty Steven Gerrard in the Liverpool skipper's last season at Anfield. With so much talent to choose from, it has been a difficult decision - but here are the players and the manager, who I thought excelled and have earned themselves a place in my team of the season. United have a history of fielding great goalkeepers in the past and they seldom come better than Peter Schmeichel and Edwin Van der Sar. When they do come across a talent who can perform on the big stage with the same measure of accountability it is crucial that they keep him. David De Gea is in that class and it is vital United retain the Spaniard in order to win trophies in the future or progress to the latter stages of the Champions League next season. Should De Gea follow Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, it would suggest that the gulf between the two clubs is far bigger than United dare admit. Arguably Chelsea's most consistent player in recent years and a vital member of their defensive line-up. Branislav Ivanovic is capable of playing in any position across the back line and the ability to engage in attack or defence with the same intensity. I cannot recall a single campaign during his time at the club where the Serb has not played a crucial role in the big games. A real danger on attacking set plays and a warrior in defence - and a winner if ever I saw one. I thought this lad was past his best 18 months ago but the return of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge has brought a new lease of life to the former England international. There is arguably no other manager in the game who would have built his team around John Terry and no other captain who could have lead his team to the Premier League title so effectively. Terry and Mourinho were this season's perfect partnership. There have been some memorable names that have occupied the centre back position for Chelsea over the years but I never thought Gary Cahill would be one of them. The speed in which Cahill has developed into a top-class defender has been frightening. Not since the likes of Ricardo Carvalho and William Gallas have the Blues looked so secure in defence. Since his arrival at the Bridge he has won the Champions League, FA Cup, Europa League, League Cup and the Premier League title in a non-stop winning streak. Now that's impressive. Matic is the best insurance policy Chelsea have signed in years. There is no other player in the Premier League who

Summary: It has been a fantastic Premier League season.


The cash comes from chip maker Marvell which became a supporter and sponsor of OLPC in early 2009. The OLPC organisation said the grant meant it had all the development cash it needed to produce its next machine. OLPC said it would show off the first development work on the new machine at the CES show in January 2011. The cash handed over by Marvell will fund development of a tablet version of the XO - the rugged computer designed to boost education in developing nations. The device is code-named XO-3 as it will be the third device the OLPC organisation has produced. It previously scrapped plans for the XO-2 which was to resemble an electronic book. Early prototypes of the XO-3 will likely be based on the Moby machine that Marvell already makes. The finished XO-3 should be ready in 2012. The OLPC organisation was created with the intention of making a laptop costing only $100 that would be bought in huge quantities by poorer nations keen to get children using computers. The final machine produced by OLPC in 2007 ended up costing about $199 and did not sell in the huge quantities the group wanted. To date about 1.4 million XO laptops have been distributed.

Summary: The One Laptop Per Child organisation has been given a $5.6m (Â£3.5m) grant to develop a tablet version of its educational computer.


Andrew Barnes, 61, hit Luke Down with four heavy axe blows to his head, leaving him with brain injuries and close to death. Barnes, from Topsham, Devon, admitted attempted murder and was jailed for 15 and a half years at Exeter Crown Court. The judge described the axe attack as an "impetuous moment of madness". More on Andrew Barnes, and other Devon news Mr Down, 29, had been staying at Barnes's flat for free when he was attacked with the long-handled axe as he slept in the lounge. He had been paying his way by bringing round alcohol and food, but Barnes claimed he had become violent and abusive towards him, the court heard. The trigger for the attack was Mr Down's threat to claim squatter's rights and barricade himself in the flat. The court heard how the injuries would have been fatal if Barnes had removed the protective cover over the blade. Jailed Andrew Barnes was once a drug cartel pilot, flying cocaine from Colombia to the United States. Public school educated at Blundells in Tiverton, Barnes moved to America where he ran his own freight airline in the late 1970s. But his business ran into financial trouble and in the early 1980s Barnes was employed by the Medellin cartel, flying their cocaine to remote US airstrips and Caribbean islands. The planes left Colombia loaded with cocaine and returned crammed with so many dollar bills that drug lords such as Pablo Escobar built apartments with millions hidden in the cavity walls. Barnes worked mainly for Carlos Lehder, who he testified against at his trial in Jacksonville in 1988. He was jailed for eight years in the US after admitting drug smuggling, before being moved to a witness protection scheme. He returned to Britain in the late 1990s and descended into a spiral of alcohol abuse. He moved into a flat owned by his family in Topsham and worked for 18 months at the SPCK religious bookshop on Cathedral Green. In July 2001 he set light to the 15th century building housing the bookshop, causing Â£200,000 damage and forcing the evacuation of the neighbouring Ship Inn. He also set light to a boat on the banks of the River Exe after the owner refused to sell it to him, and was jailed for four years. He was a well-known figure in Exeter, Exmouth and Topsham, regaling people with tall stories of his exploits as a drug-smuggling pilot. Source: SnowBird: The Rise and Fall of a Medellin Drug Pilot Sentencing Barnes over the axe attack, Judge Mr Justice Dingemans told him: "You acted impetuously and on the spur of the moment. "While he [Mr Down] has made a remarkable physical recovery, he is going to have very serious long term health consequences. "This was an spontaneous attempt to kill because you were fed up with Mr Down saying he was going to claim squatter's rights and also lying on your bed "There is significant mitigation in the fact that he undoubtedly provoked you, although that is not to say there was any justification

Summary: A former drug cartel's pilot has been jailed for trying to kill his unwanted lodger with an axe as he slept.


The existing system, called Greenlight, is to be replaced with a scheme called Steam Direct. Greenlight lets Steam users pledge support for games that Valve then helps appear on the service. Steam Direct will let developers get their games onto the service without first having to win over audiences to a title. In a statement setting out how Steam Direct will work, Valve said developers would be able to publish directly after they completed a sign-up process. The process will require developers to submit the same sort of information they would need to open a bank account, said Valve. In addition, it added, developers will have to pay a publishing fee. Valve said it had not yet decided how much this would be, but after consulting developers it said it could range from $100 (Â£80) to $5000 per title. Valve said the fee would "decrease the noise in the submission pipeline" which many people interpret to mean is an attempt to discourage unscrupulous developers from submitting bad games as they have done with Greenlight. Many Steam regulars have complained that a lot of the games Greenlight shows off do not deserve publicity because they are poorly coded and derivative. Steam introduced a small fee of $100 for listing a game on Greenlight in a bid to discourage this practise. Games that become popular via Steam Direct will be able to recoup some of the fee they paid. "We want to make sure Steam is a welcoming environment for all developers who are serious about treating customers fairly and making quality gaming experiences," said Valve. Developer Mike Gale said it was not clear that Steam Direct would stop bad games being published on the service. Writing on his blog, Mr Gale said it would probably mean far more games reached Steam because "$100 - $5,000 is easier to come by than tens of thousands of votes required to pass the Greenlight system." He said the top end of the suggested fee was "not unreasonable" and was likely to be far less than many developers paid when creating console games.

Summary: Valve is changing the way independent game makers can get their creations onto its Steam service.


The emergency services were called to the property in the Sangomore area of Durness at about 02:00. Police Scotland said it was not known if she was in the house at the time. Her relatives have been informed. Det Insp Richard Baird said the fire was not thought to be suspicious, but the damage caused had prevented entry to the property. He said: "A joint investigation with the fire service will be carried out. "Enquiries are at a very early stage, however, initial enquiries would suggest there are no suspicious circumstances. "Due to the extensive structural damage and uncertainty of the building, gaining access to the property will take some considerable time. "Structural engineers will advise when it will be safe to enter the property."

Summary: Police are trying to trace a woman who is unaccounted for after a fire at her home in the Highlands.


Media playback is not supported on this device Al Hasawi, who took control of the Reds in the summer of 2012, would not reveal the identity of the buyers. However, BBC Sport understands that a United States consortium, led by millionaire John Jay Moores, is on the verge of securing a £50m deal. The takeover would see the former San Diego Padres owner take an 80% stake in the Championship club. Moores' consortium were previously interested in buying Premier League side Everton, and the potential new owners met club staff last week.

Summary: Nottingham Forest owner and chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi says he is close to agreeing a deal to sell the club.


Barry Gray's side have taken maximum points from their last four matches, scoring 12 goals and conceding none. In the night's other two league games, Glenavon host Glentoran and Portadown travel to Ballinamallard United. Carrick Rangers play Amateur League side Crumlin Star in a rearranged Irish Cup sixth round tie at Seaview. The winners will have home advantage against Crusaders in the quarter-finals of the competition. "We are just glad to have regular games. There has been so much 'is it going to be on, is it not going to be on' since we have had the problems with the pitch at Taylor's Avenue," said Carrick manager Gary Haveron. Warrenpoint now lie just one point behind fellow strugglers Ballinamallard, Dungannon and Carrick at the foot of the table thanks to a seven-match unbeaten league run which stretches back two months. "We are in a position now where nobody wants to sit out games. All the players are eager to get started again so everyone will be ready to go on Monday night," said 'Point boss Barry Gray. "The players we brought in during January have brought a freshness to the changing room and competition for places. "They have brought quality too and the players around them have stepped up to the mark. "Whether it's enough given our poor start to the season, we'll have to wait a couple of months to find out." Glentoran will be out to avenge a 4-1 sixth round Irish Cup defeat by Glentoran at the Oval when the sides meet again at Mourneview Park. The Lurgan Blues must plan without striker Eoin Bradley, who was sent-off in the 1-1 draw with leaders Crusaders on Friday night. Portadown central defender Ken Oman is suspended for his side's trip to Ferney Park after being dismissed in the victory over Linfield but Ronnie McFall's side should have Garry Breen and Sean Mackle available again. Ports assistant manager Kieran Harding has hailed the impact made by ex-Linfield and Derry City midfielder Philip Lowry since his recent arrival at Shamrock Park. "Philip has outstanding energy and he covers the ground. If we had him from the start of the season, we may not be in the position we are in," argued Harding, whose side have moved up to seventh in the standings. Mallards boss Whitey Anderson lamented his team's performance in a 3-0 loss to Warrenpoint on Friday and has made clear that he expects more from his players. "You can try to play all the good football you want, but unless you can display heart and desire it counts for nothing. That's what I want to see," said Anderson. Monday 15 February - 19:45 GMT unless stated Danske Bank Premiership Ballinamallard Utd v Portadown (20:00 GMT) Glenavon v Glentoran Dungannon Swifts v Warrenpoint Town Tennent's Irish Cup sixth round Carrick Rangers v Crumlin Star (at Seaview)

Summary: Warrenpoint Town will hope to continue their remarkable winning run in the Premiership when they face Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park on Monday.


The women had been legally married for a few months after one of them passed as a man in front of an Islamic cleric who presided over their wedding. But suspicious neighbours confronted the couple and reported them to police. The two women are now back with their families, forcibly separated and under surveillance by the Islamic police. The local Sharia police chief told them Islam said they must be beheaded and burned for what they had done. But Aceh, the only province in Indonesia that is allowed to implement Sharia law, has yet to adopt any provisions dealing with gay and lesbian people. The provincial parliament passed Islamic laws authorising the stoning to death of adulterers and the caning of homosexuals in 2009, but the governor has refused to sign it. Homosexuality is frowned upon but legal in Indonesia. Activists have blamed Aceh's Sharia laws for encouraging vigilantism and intolerance, and say they violate the Indonesian constitution.

Summary: Islamic police in the Indonesian province of Aceh have forced two women to have their marriage annulled and sign an agreement to separate.


Nairn Coastguard rescue team made the find at Duck Island near Culbin Forest on Sunday afternoon. Bomb squad experts were called in and carried out the controlled explosion on Monday evening. The devices were described as being covered in barnacles. The beach is understood to have been used for D-day landing training.

Summary: A controlled explosion has been carried out at a Moray beach after the discovery of old ordnance devices.


Thirteen people were killed when British paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights march through the city in January 1972. A fourteenth died later. The 66-year-old former paratrooper was arrested in County Antrim on Tuesday. It is understood he is being questioned over the deaths of William Nash, Michael McDaid and John Young. He is soldier J, who was one of the soldiers who appeared before the Saville Inquiry. Leo Young, whose brother John was killed aged 17 on Bloody Sunday, told BBC Radio Foyle that he welcomed the news. "A flood of emotions came into my head when I heard the news about the arrest," said Mr Young. "A prosecution has to happen soon. We waited for over 40 years and this is a big step. "I think about my brother every day. His life was cut short and I keep thinking about him because he would probably be married today. "I was 24 at the time and going through those inquires was a real battle. "This is a giant step and I feel for all the families involved." John Kelly, whose brother Michael was among those killed on Bloody Sunday, said the arrest "gives fresh hope". "This is a massive moment for the families and the city," said Mr Kelly. "My brother's death is no different to any other death on that day. This is major development and I hope there is an arrest in relation to my brother soon. "Hopefully there will be prosecutions soon." Sir Gerald Howarth, a Conservative MP and former defence minister who represents former soldiers on duty at the time of Bloody Sunday, said there are hundreds of families dealing with murder across Northern Ireland. "We cannot forget that a lot of families haven't had justice yet," said Sir Howarth. "It would be good if we could just close this chapter. "I'm not excusing what happened but I do not think it is in the public interest for former soldiers to be prosecuted. "This is now a matter for the prosecuting authorities though."

Summary: Detectives are continuing to question a former soldier over the deaths of three people on Bloody Sunday in Londonderry.


BBC director general Tony Hall set out plans for the next decade, saying the corporation will become an "open BBC for the internet age". A children's iPlayer and a pool of local reporters who will share work with local newspapers are also planned. Yet he said funding cuts would mean the loss or reduction of some services. Lord Hall laid out the plans at the Science Museum on Monday, ahead of the BBC's charter renewal in 2016. Citing the importance of "excellence without arrogance", he said his plans did not signal "an expansionist BBC". He did warn, however, that funding cuts would mean it would "inevitably have to either close or reduce some services", without specifying which areas might be under threat. New initiatives will include an Ideas Service, which Lord Hall said would be an "open online platform" featuring material from galleries, museums and universities as well as the corporation itself. He said: "Our new, open BBC will act as a curator bringing the best from Britain's great cultural institutions and thinkers to everyone. "Britain has some of the greatest cultural forces in the world. We want to join with them, working alongside them, to make Britain the greatest cultural force in the world. "We are extremely ambitious for this new service. "Where Google's mission is to organise the world's information, ours in a smaller way would be to understand it. We will work with anyone who can help us understand this ever more complex world." The government launched a consultation on the BBC's Royal Charter, which sets out the purpose of the BBC and how it will be governed, in July, promising to ask "hard questions" about the corporation's size and ambition. Other BBC plans include: The director general also said he wanted to enable "producers, directors, writers, artists to have the creative freedom to do things they would find it harder to do elsewhere". Quality drama will also be a priority, he said, and the BBC will make "bigger and bolder series" that will be made available on the iPlayer in their entirety. Physicist and BBC presenter Professor Brian Cox also announced a science strand named The New Age of Wonder, which will be part of the Ideas Service and will be created in partnership with organisations like the Royal Institution. "This is not an expansionist BBC" is perhaps the key political line in today's announcements. This is a response to the accusation that the corporation is "imperial in its ambitions" made by Chancellor George Osborne (along with several newspapers). Partnerships with cultural bodies, sharing news with local newspapers, opening up the iPlayer to third party content - the mood music is all about co-operation rather than competition. The second theme can be seen most clearly in the plans for bigger and bolder drama and giving people the chance to "binge" watch. The BBC is in a global marketplace - Netflix, Amazon, Google, Apple and HBO - the traditional media landscape is being blown apart. The BBC's problem is looking after its core audience and responding to a technological

Summary: The BBC has pledged to work more closely with the UK's arts and science institutions to "make Britain the greatest cultural force in the world".


Blackwell, 25, suffered a bleed on the brain in a loss to Eubank in March and was put in an induced coma. The offer comes despite Blackwell saying Eubank and his father were "inhuman" in how they reacted to his life-threatening injuries post-fight. "I ended the guy's career," Eubank Jr told ITV's Good Morning Britain. "He said everything was OK and that there were no hard feelings, but I've stopped him being able to make a living. "I wanted to come and see him because I had something for him, and that something is my British title belt." READ MORE: 'I could see no light at the end of the tunnel' - Blackwell's trainer Blackwell woke from his coma a week after the fight, which was stopped in the 10th round, without requiring an operation. Speaking to the Sun on Monday, Blackwell was critical of the Eubanks' decision to hold a news conference while he was still in hospital. "I was shocked when I first heard the things he had been saying because we had a little talk on social media," added Eubank Jr. "I believe that the belt is a goodwill gesture - I'm still ready to come and give it to him. "The guy's a true warrior, regardless of what's been said, the only thing that's important is that he is now OK, he's with his family and he can live a normal life with no restrictions."

Summary: British middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr has offered to give his title belt to retired opponent Nick Blackwell as a "goodwill gesture".


Bert Davidson, from Hopeman, near Elgin, had not seen his 1929 Humber since he sold it nearly 60 years ago. But a few years ago he was contacted by Robin Wills - whose father had owned the saloon car in the 1960s and 70s - who had tracked it down to America. Mr Wills has since restored the dilapidated car to its former glory. After towing it up to Elgin from his home in Brancepath, County Durham, Mr Davidson once again got a chance to sit behind the wheel. "I had a run around the block in it. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip," Mr Davidson told the BBC News website. "It was a grand motor car and he's done a magnificent job restoring it. The paintwork is in its original colours. The interior is all original. He tried to get me to drive it - but I said 'I'd better not!'" Mr Davidson had first come across the car at an old coachbuilders in Elgin while working at his father's garage following his National Service in 1954. It was under a dustsheet and he asked the owner if he could buy it. "He said 'No laddie, I'm not selling it'," Mr Davidson said. "I asked him again eight weeks later. This went on for two years. Eventually he said I could have it and he asked how much I had in my pocket. I got it for Â£15 which was a bargain." Mr Davidson restored the car and in 1959 entered it in the Kildrummy Rally, where vehicles travelled from Kildrummy to Aberdeen. He won the vintage class. "I was the only kilted competitor," he said. Eventually, Mr Davidson's father sold his garage and he had nowhere to keep the car so it had to go. "I sold the car to a man from RAF Kinloss or Lossiemouth for Â£185," Mr Davidson recalled. "I watched him drive away and put it completely out of my mind. That was the last I saw of it until Robin got in touch 55-60 years later. "I was very surprised when he got in touch and I am delighted that I'm going to see the car again." Mr Wills' father bought the car in about 1965 but sold it to a Newcastle car dealer in 1974, when Mr Wills was aged four. The next time Mr Wills saw it, it was when it appeared in the opening credits of the 1976 Likely Lads film. "It's unique because it has an owl on the front, on the top of the radiator," he said. "So I knew it was the same car." Mr Wills' research, which took two years, revealed that the car was later bought by a man who took it to America and it had crossed the Atlantic four times. It was also owned by the man's brother, Lotus designer Martin Waide. However, after its engine blew up in 1979 it was never driven again until Mr Wills brought it back to its former glory. "I used to talk to my dad about the car in

Summary: An 83-year-old man has been reunited with a vintage car he drove in the 1950s, after its current owner tracked him down.


The 33-year-old, whose previous clubs also include Derry City and Tranmere Rovers, played 114 times for Rovers. "It is great to be involved with such a great club as Crusaders - I hope I can bring more success to everyone here on the Shore Road," said McChrystal. "They have shown over the last lot of years how good a team they are in winning Premierships and other cups." McChrystal is the latest summer signing for the Crues after the arrival of Brian Jensen, Sean Ward, Jamie Glackin and Mark McAllister. "I am extremely pleased to get Mark to the club," said Seaview boss Stephen Baxter. "His pedigree is exactly what we need to join us and he will bring a vast amount of experience as we go into the new season."

Summary: Crusaders have brought in former Bristol Rovers defender Mark McChrystal on a one-year deal.


Sentinel-1b was carried into orbit by a Soyuz rocket that flew out of Sinamary in French Guiana. The new platform will monitor shipping lanes for pollution and icebergs, and survey land surfaces for evidence of subsidence - to name just three of the myriad applications for radar imagery. Sentinel-1b will work alongside the 1a spacecraft, which was launched in 2014. Operating in the same orbit but separated by 180 degrees, the pair will be able to map the entire Earth every six days. This promises an avalanche of data - some five terabits per day - and both satellites are carrying laser communications systems to help get all the information to the ground. The Sentinels are a flagship space project for the European Union, which has committed billions of euros to the endeavour. The satellites fit into a programme the European Commission calls Copernicus, which draws together all sorts of data about the health of the Earth, not just from orbit. Copernicus will support a multitude of services, ranging from air quality updates to crop-performance monitoring, from water-resource management to transport infrastructure planning. Esa is acting as the technical agent, procuring the satellites for the EU. Sentinel-1b is the fourth to launch, with more platforms to follow. "At the moment, we have around 36,000 self-registered users (for Sentinel data), who have downloaded already about four million images, mainly from Sentinel-1a; although this is now picking up because Sentinel-2a (a visible colour camera) has just become operational as well," explained Esa's Earth-observation director Prof Volker Liebig. The Soyuz' lift-off from French Guiana occurred at 18:02 local time (21:02 GMT), following three postponements in previous days due to meteorological and technical issues. The 2.1-tonne Sentinel was ejected 23 minutes into the ascent. The planned injection altitude was 686km (426 miles). "We will not start commissioning until we have raised ourselves to the proper orbit (693km), which could take two weeks, a maximum of three," Esa's Sentinel-1 project manager, Ramon Torres told BBC News. "We will then go into detail with the calibration of the radar instrument. We plan the commissioning review (to declare Sentinel-1b operational) for 14 September." Four other satellites were put in orbit on the same Soyuz flight. Three were university cubesats. One, however, was a French space agency mission called Microscope - a fundamental physics experiment. This satellite will spend the next couple of years investigating the so-called "equivalence principle". It is the concept in general relativity that holds that gravity accelerates all objects equally, regardless of their mass or composition. The Apollo 15 astronaut Dave Scott famously demonstrated the principle on the Moon in 1971 when he dropped a geology hammer and a falcon feather. Both hit the surface of the airless body at the same time. Microscope's examination will be much more exacting, of course. It will "drop" metal cylinders made from titanium-aluminium-vanadium and platinum-rhodium - to see if they also fall at the same rate in the vacuum of space. The experiment can sense accelerations that are a millionth of a billionth of Earth's gravity. Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow

Summary: The European Space Agency has launched a second radar satellite into the EU's new Sentinel constellation.


The visitors shaded a first half which ended with a spectacular save from Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall to deny Jonathan Kodjia. A second half of scarce quality came to life late on, as Elliott Bennett hit the post for Bristol City and Cardiff's Sammy Ameobi shot wide from four yards. Cardiff are eighth in the Championship while Bristol City climb up to 20th. Although Cardiff had shown promise earlier in the season, dwindling crowds had tempered any optimism the team's early form may have generated. Their preceding 1-0 win against Middlesbrough was watched by the lowest league attendance of 13,371 since the Bluebirds moved to their new ground in 2009. But a derby match and an attendance of 15,287, boosted by a vociferous travelling contingent, lifted the Cardiff City Stadium atmosphere. Set up in a 5-3-2 formation to counter Cardiff's rigid 4-4-2, Bristol City looked to stretch the game at every opportunity. They did so effectively and a sixth-minute cross from Marlon Pack almost led to the opening goal but Aaron Wilbraham's header was well held by Marshall. Matt Connolly had Cardiff's best chance of the first half as he nodded wide from Peter Whittingham's corner, before Marshall was called into action again moments before the break. Bennett's inviting cross found the unmarked Kodjia, and the striker's firm header was tipped over by Cardiff's Scotland international keeper. Marshall was kept busy after the interval as Bristol City went close with a Luke Freeman shot from the edge of the area which was palmed away. Neither side played with much fluency as the match became disjointed, but there was a flurry of chances in the closing moments. Kodjia had a goal disallowed as he tapped in from an offside position, before a frantic exchange in the Cardiff box ended with Bennett blasting the ball into the post. The Bluebirds countered and could have snatched an unlikely win, but an unmarked Ameobi rushed his shot and missed the target from inside the six yard box at the front post. Cardiff City manager Russell Slade said: "We were below par in the first half, we didn't have a creative edge. "We are tight and organised, but we need to be doing more, particularly at home, to be creating more opportunities. "Sometimes in football you cannot always find the level you've set yourself, but there's no need for doom and gloom." Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill said: "I'm disappointed for the boys not disappointed in them, had that last chance gone in from Ameobi it would have been a catastrophe. "We did enough to win the game, some of our football was excellent and we had some great efforts on goal. "We've got a very young team, our boys are doing a lot of learning and the Championship is a tough learning curve for them, but they are coming through it with flying colours. "We've played like we did here all season, that was not a one-off. Things will turn around for us during the season and it will come back to us." Match ends, Cardiff

Summary: Cardiff City and Bristol City fought out a frustrating goalless draw as the Severnside derby failed to ignite.


The 60-year-old man was scuba diving at Agincourt Reef in Far North Queensland when he was seen to be in trouble, tour operator Quicksilver said. The tourist, a certified diver, was helped to the surface but could not be revived. It comes after two French tourists died while snorkelling on the reef at Michaelmas Cay on Wednesday. They are both believed to have suffered cardiac arrests. Paramedics were alerted to the latest tragedy just after 12.30 local time (01:30 GMT) on Friday. "CPR was performed on a male patient in his sixties by a nurse on board a vessel and subsequently by a doctor," a Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said. The Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators (AMPTO) said the alarm was raised when the diver was spotted without a regulator in his mouth 15m (49ft) below sea level on the ocean floor. "We're not sure as to what has happened at this stage," a Quicksilver spokeswoman said. The man was travelling with his wife. It was his second dive of the day from a boat called Silver Sonic. AMPTO executive director Col McKenzie said the boat was carrying oxygen and defibrillation equipment and had operated for 11 years without serious incident. "Accidents like this are a tragedy for the surviving family members, the crew and the passengers," he said. Agincourt Reef is about 100km (62 miles) north of the city of Cairns, and about 60km north of Michaelmas Cay.

Summary: A British tourist has become the third person this week to die on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.


Jerome Lavrilleux said the former president was not aware of the "slip". It comes after a lawyer for an event organiser accused the UMP of ordering almost 11m euros ($15m; Â£9m) worth of fake invoices to cover overspends. Reports say the scandal could damage the party and complicate any efforts by Mr Sarkozy to be re-elected. Police searched the headquarters of the UMP in Paris on Monday afternoon. "There have been anomalies," Mr Lavrilleux, a deputy director of Mr Sarkozy's 2012 presidential campaign, told France's BFM TV. with tears in his eyes. "There was no wrongdoing, there was a terrible spiral, a train going at high speed and people who should have pulled the emergency alarm and didn't, and I was probably one of them," he said. He said Mr Sarkozy, UMP Chairman Jean-Francois Cope and Batien Millot, the founder of the events company Bygmalion, were not aware of the actions taken. It comes after Patrick Maisonneuve, the lawyer for Bygmalion, told the same television station that the centre-right UMP had ordered fake invoices to cover exploding campaign costs. He said it was made clear to Bygmalion that if it did not comply, it would not be paid. The UMP's chairman was already facing growing speculation that he will have to step down after the French newspaper Liberation reported this month that the party paid some 20m euros to a unit of Bygmalion, founded by two associates of Mr Cope, to organise campaign events. Mr Cope told BMF TV earlier on Monday that he knew nothing of any wrongdoing. He said he had put his trust in the people who were responsible for the party's accounts and did not think he had to look over their shoulders. Mr Cope was already expected to face challenges for the leadership of the party after the UMP's poor result in the European Parliament elections. It came second to the far-right Front National. Mr Sarkozy, who lost the presidency to Francois Hollande in 2012, is rumoured to be preparing to make a comeback in 2017. He has not commented on the scandal over his 2012 campaign finances.

Summary: A senior member of France's opposition UMP party has admitted there were "anomalies" in the accounts of Nicolas Sarkozy's 2012 presidential campaign.


Hughes qualified on residency this summer and features for the first time under head coach Eddie Jones. Leicester hooker Tom Youngs, who was overlooked earlier in the year by Jones, is recalled to the set-up. But Northampton's Luther Burrell, Chris Ashton of Saracens and Wasps' Danny Cipriani are notable omissions. Leicester flanker Will Evans and Harlequins back Joe Marchant, part of the Under-20s team who won the Junior World Championship in June, are included, while Gloucester wing Jonny May is named after recovering from a serious knee injury. England play South Africa, Fiji, Argentina and Australia later in the year, with Jones confirming his final 45-man squad at the end of September. However, this squad gives a clear indication as to Jones' thinking. "This camp sets the scene for November," said Jones. "It's important to catch up with the players prior to the start of the season and continue to put our plans in place. "We've chosen a number of new faces to attend this camp on the form they have shown recently or the potential we see in them. "Naturally players not included in this pre-season camp will be disappointed, but consistent high-level performances can change that." Northampton centre Burrell was part of the victorious touring squad to Australia, but was replaced after half-an-hour of the first Test win in Brisbane in June, and he has been omitted from the camp. After missing out on the tour of Australia because of a hamstring problem, centre Manu Tuilagi will be part of the camp, as will flanker James Haskell, despite suffering a foot injury which is set to rule him out of the autumn series. Leicester forward Mike Williams, like Hughes, is named for the first time under Jones, but Gloucester flanker Matt Kvesic misses out. Following the series win in South African with England Saxons, Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson, Mike Haley of Sale and Charlie Ewels of Bath are all involved. Other players in the camp who are uncapped at senior level are Josh Beaumont, Kyle Sinckler and Ben Te'o, with the latter two part of the tour down under. Forwards: J Beaumont (Sale Sharks), D Cole (Leicester Tigers), L Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs), J Clifford (Harlequins), W Evans (Leicester Tigers), C Ewels (Bath Rugby), J George (Saracens), E Genge (Leicester Tigers), T Harrison (Northampton Saints), D Hartley (Northampton Saints), J Haskell (Wasps), P Hill (Northampton Saints), N Hughes (Wasps), M Itoje (Saracens), G Kruis (Saracens), J Launchbury (Wasps), C Lawes (Northampton Saints), J Marler (Harlequins), M Mullan (Wasps), C Robshaw (Harlequins), K Sinckler (Harlequins), B Vunipola (Saracens), M Vunipola (Saracens), M Williams (Leicester Tigers), T Youngs (Leicester Tigers). Backs: M Brown (Harlequins), D Care (Harlequins), E Daly (Wasps), O Farrell (Saracens), G Ford (Bath Rugby), A Goode (Saracens), M Haley (Sale Sharks), J Joseph (Bath Rugby), J Marchant (Harlequins), J May (Gloucester Rugby), J Nowell (Exeter Chiefs), D Robson (Wasps), S Rokoduguni (Bath Rugby), J Simpson (Wasps), H Slade (Exeter Chiefs), B Te'o (Worcester Warriors), M Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers), A Watson (Bath Rugby), M Yarde (Harlequins), B Youngs (Leicester Tigers). Subscribe

Summary: Wasps' Fiji-born back-row forward Nathan Hughes has been named in a provisional 45-man England elite player squad for a pre-season camp this month.


The body of Peter Wrighton, 83, was found three miles south of East Harling in Norfolk on 5 August. He had been repeatedly stabbed. Norfolk Police said they wanted to trace three men seen around the woodland close to the time he died. The force said a man in his 50s seen changing into a t-shirt has been found. Police say they still want to speak to two other men; one aged 25 to 30, with tanned skin, wearing a grey or blue t-shirt, grey gym shorts and heavy-duty flip flops; the other aged 30 to 50, wearing dark clothing and seen walking without a dog to the north of the heath. Det Supt Andy Smith added: "We have already heard from more than 220 people but we will be exploring all avenues in our enquiries and we are still keen to hear from more. "We also want to hear from delivery drivers who might have travelled through or have been in the area on Saturday and who could have important dash cam footage for us to review. In addition, anyone else with images or footages of the area should contact us." There have been no arrests and no weapon has been found. Mr Wrighton was pictured on CCTV using the post office in Kenninghall at 10:10 BST, about 35 minutes before his body was found near to Fiveways Junction. "His car, a red Skoda Fabia, was parked close to The Street, the road close to the heath land where he was walking his dogs Dylan and Gemma," Det Supt Smith said. The force said it has more than 100 officers and staff working on the "significant murder investigation".

Summary: One of three "vital" potential witnesses to the murder of an elderly dog walker in woodland has been traced, police have said.


Highways England plans to "increase capacity and reduce congestion" between Worthing and Lancing. But Adur and Worthing councils say the Â£69m proposal is not fit for purpose and the government body should launch a fresh consultation with updated plans. Highways England project manager Tom Beasley said the improvements were the "best achievable option". Large-scale options were considered by Highways England, including dual carriageway schemes with flyovers. But the consultation focuses a mix of new traffic signalling and road widening on six junctions between Durrington Hill and the Lancing Manor roundabout. In a joint statement, the leader of Adur District Council, Neil Parkin, and the leader of Worthing Borough Council, Dan Humphreys, said the "modest" plans are not good enough. Mr Parkin said: "Highways England say they want to consult with us but we say this is a sham. By not allowing the public to weigh up options and see full costings how are we to make any kind of decision? "All I do know is the current scheme on the table is barely worth the disruption and certainly not worth spending Â£69m on." Mr Humphreys added: "Highways England do not seem to be taking us seriously. Our questions were met with an 'experts know best' response." But Mr Beasley said Highways England think that the proposal "would make a worthwhile improvement to people's journeys and is the best achievable option within the scope and budget available for the project". "We welcome all views and promise that we will take all responses to the consultation fully into account." Consultation into the proposal ends on 12 September.

Summary: A consultation into improvements on the A27 has been dubbed "a sham" by council leaders.


Media playback is not supported on this device Governing body the UCI introduced the ban in 2011, but a whistleblower said Team Sky continued to inject riders. One of the substances said to have been injected is Fluimucil, at the heart of the controversy over a mystery package delivered to Bradley Wiggins in 2011. Team Sky had been renowned for their robust no-needle stance. In March, British cyclist Josh Edmondson told the BBC he broke the sport's rules by secretly injecting himself with a cocktail of vitamins when riding for Team Sky. The substances are not illegal under World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) rules but there are concerns about the ethics of administering them intravenously. Ukad and the UCU are investigating claims by Edmondson that Team Sky covered up his use of banned injections. Team Sky deny doing so, insisting that Edmondson did not confess at the time, and that they did not report the case because of concerns about his mental wellbeing. PA's source, who sent the information to the House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and Ukad, is understood to have worked for Team Sky. The source said some Team Sky doctors were using intravenous recovery methods towards the end of the team's difficult first season in 2010 and continued to do so despite the UCI ban, which Team Sky publicly supported. The source has claimed Team Sky hired Dr Fabio Bartalucci in late 2010 as he was believed to have expertise in IV recovery. The Italian, who was picked up by police in an anti-doping raid at the 2001 Giro d'Italia but not charged, left in 2011. Ukad said it "does not discuss or disclose information in relation to its investigations". Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee chairman Damian Collins said: "This raises further concerns about how Team Sky policed the use of medication for riders outside of competition, and how hard they were prepared to press up against the line of what was allowed or acceptable." BBC Sport attempted to contact Team Sky. However, a spokesperson earlier told PA: "It is right that any concerns are reported to and dealt with by the appropriate authorities, and we will continue to co-operate with them."

Summary: The UK Anti-Doping Agency (Ukad) is investigating claims Team Sky may have breached cycling's 'no needles' policy, according to the Press Association.


Three years ago, rugby league legend Andy Johnson and his wife Alex received the news that all parents dread - their "cheeky, excitable and a big softy at heart" young son was diagnosed with an incurable condition which will probably claim his life before he turns 30. They were told Jack has Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy - a terminal muscle-wasting disease. Doctors predict their energetic little boy, who is now aged seven, will be in a wheelchair by the age of 12. Former Wigan Warriors star Johnson, who lives in Wigan with Alex, Jack and his little brother, three-year-old Josh, knows it is a race against time to find a cure. The couple decided they had to do something to try to push research for a cure. "A breakthrough is imminent," said Andy, 40, who retired from rugby league in 2005. With Alex, 30, he set up a charity, Joining Jack, "to help move things forward for Jack and other children like him". While focussing much of their energies on the charity, Andy admits it is impossible not to cry on a daily basis when thinking about what faces Jack. "It's like little deaths," he said. "You lose the use of your arms, then your legs." Nothing short of a cure can make it better, Andy said, but he says the support his family has had from people has been overwhelming. The charity is now backed by some of the country's biggest sports stars, including Olympic champion and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins and dual-code rugby player Sam Burgess. As for Jack himself, does he know about his condition? "Jack's aware that something is going on," said Andy. "But not quite what". You can hear the Tales of the 10 on BBC Radio Manchester each weekday until Friday, 23 January.

Summary: BBC Radio Manchester is taking a journey across Greater Manchester's 10 boroughs to meet some of the most inspiring people who live in the region.


Students said the error meant there were two possible correct answers to the multiple choice questions. Officials have said they will accept two answers as correct in each case, and the head of the national exam board has offered to resign. The annual test determines the academic futures of high school students. South Korean media said the mistake would affect the test scores of about 3,600-4,000 students. "I express deep regret and recognise an urgent need to improve the question-making process," Education Minister Hwang Woo-Yea said in a statement broadcast on television. "We will investigate the root cause of the problem," Mr Hwang said. About 640,000 students sat the nine-hour standardised test, called the College Scholastic Ability Test, on 13 November at 1,216 testing sites across the country, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said. Many students engage in intense studying for years in preparation for the exam, often with the involvement of their parents in what is an extremely competitive academic environment. A good score would mean a spot in one of South Korea's top universities. The suspect multiple-choice questions, one in the biology exam and one in the English language paper, sparked an uproar with parents and students complaining to the website of the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation (KICE) which administers the exam. Last year's exam was also controversial because of a mistake in one of the questions in the world geology section. After a year-long legal battle, Seoul High Court ruled in favour of four students who said the question was flawed. "We did our best this year to prevent erroneous questions... but again there were faulty questions, causing chaos and inconvenience among exam takers, their parents and teachers," said Kim Sung-Hoon, head of KICE.

Summary: South Korea's education minister has apologised after two faulty questions in the national college entrance exam left thousands of students confused.


Scottish Fire and Rescue's water rescue units from Perth and Glenrothes attended the incident under the Gannochy Bridge in Edzell. Fire crews from Montrose and Forfar also attended the scene after the alarm was raised at about 12:55. A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said the dog's body was later recovered from the water.

Summary: A dog has died after falling into the River North Esk in Angus despite a major rescue effort to save the animal.


Andrew Hutchinson, from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, pleaded guilty to rape, sexual assault and voyeurism committed from 2011 to 2013. The 29-year-old filmed himself raping two patients at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he worked. He also attacked women who had passed out while he was on duty at a music festival, Oxford Crown Court heard. Hutchinson targeted women who had lost consciousness through drinking too much and they were unaware they had been assaulted until contacted by Thames Valley Police. The court heard the women he raped in the A&E department at the Oxford hospital had to view parts of Hutchinson's recordings in order to identify themselves. One victim, an 18-year-old, was raped in October 2011 and a 35-year-old was raped in February 2012. He also attacked two women in their 20s while volunteering as a medic at the Wilderness Festival in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire, in August 2013. His was tending the women when he committed the crimes, one in a medical tent and the other in a nearby ambulance. Officers initially arrested him for secretly filming girls as young as nine in changing rooms at the White Horse Leisure Centre in Abingdon in November 2013. Following a search of his home, police found footage of sex attacks on his computer and mobile phone. The court was told Hutchinson also had hundreds of other voyeuristic images, including "up skirt" pictures taken on the London Underground while he was volunteering at the 2012 Olympics. Victims were also filmed at John Radcliffe Hospital and at a gym in Batley, West Yorkshire where he had previously worked. At a hearing on 30 March, he also pleaded guilty to outraging public decency, making indecent images of children, theft of a hospital camera used for internal examinations and possession of the class B drug ketamine. The victims of his crimes were aged between nine and 35, although many were unidentifiable due to the nature of the footage. Catherine Stoddart, chief nurse at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "I am shocked and horrified by the way in which Andrew Hutchinson has betrayed the patients he was entrusted to care for and his colleagues, who also trusted him." She said the hospital will be carrying out an internal review to see if Hutchinson could have been prevented from committing his crimes. Hutchinson was suspended by the trust in November 2013 following allegations he stole medical equipment. It also informed the Nursing and Midwifery Council and launched an internal investigation, which led to his dismissal. Judge Ian Pringle QC described Hutchinson's crimes as "despicable". He said: "When they were unconscious requiring your help and your assistance as their nurse, you raped them and you filmed it. "It is impossible to conceive of a greater breach of trust in our society." In a statement read out in court, one of the victims said: "I think that what he has done is much worse that doing it in the street because I had no idea what was happening, so I had no opportunity to fight back." Senior investigating officer, Det

Summary: A former nurse has been jailed for 18 years for raping and sexually assaulting unconscious women.


The Briton produced a stunning lap to be 0.360 seconds quicker than Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg - and seemed as if he may have been able to go faster. But the track was empty for the final five minutes and senior figures said the format should be rethought. Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said F1 should "apologise to the fans". "It didn't really work for me," Horner added. "We have not really put on a show. "To have Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen in fast cars not taking part with five minutes to go is wrong." Rosberg was behind both Ferraris after the first runs in the final session, but he grabbed second on his final run ahead of Vettel and Raikkonen, who will start third and fourth respectively. The first race of the new season gets under way on Sunday at 05:00 GMT, with coverage on radio 5 live from 04:00 and online from 03:30. Rosberg said straight after the session: "It's good to try something but it hasn't worked - so we should go back." Ferrari's Vettel, who qualified third but was able to change out of his overalls in time for the post-qualifying news conference because he did not run in the second part of the final session, said: "I don't see why everyone is surprised it didn't work. "It is a bit busier at the beginning of the session but for no reason. People want to see us pushing to the limit at the end of the session. It is the wrong way to go and that's what we said." The new format did work on one level, however. It made the first and second parts of the session more fraught - and one top team was caught out as Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat ended up 18th on the grid. Media playback is not supported on this device Hamilton was 0.838secs quicker than Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who was also 0.478secs behind Rosberg. The margin between the cars was such that Ferrari decided not to bother doing a second run in the final session of qualifying because they accepted they could not beat the Mercedes and preferred to save a set of tyres for the race. On the face of it, that suggests Mercedes are as far ahead of Ferrari as they were last year. But Hamilton was actually even further ahead of Vettel in qualifying in Australia last year and the German won the next race in Malaysia. Hamilton said: "I really have to take my hat off to this team - what they have done to raise the bar once more. It inspires and motivates me. "I enjoyed driving the car in qualifying, got the set-up just right. They were some sexy laps, beautiful rhythm, it felt so good. I felt like James Brown at the end of the lap." Vettel added: "We expected them to be stronger in qualifying, which they were. Very happy with the lap in the end so we saved a set for the race. We still have high hopes for tomorrow

Summary: Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as the new elimination qualifying format came in for heavy criticism.


Sheikh Obeikan, who was an adviser to the royal cabinet, opposed moves to relax gender segregation. The dismissal comes shortly after Sheikh Obeikan attacked plans by "influential people to corrupt Muslim society by trying to change the natural status of women". Saudi officials did not give a reason for Sheikh Obeikan's departure. His recent comments were taken to be an attack on tentative steps towards relaxing some stricter interpretations of Saudi law. King Abdullah has promised women the right to vote in future elections, has opened the country's first co-educational university and introduced measures against domestic violence. The head of Saudi Arabia's religious police, the "mutawa", was also replaced in January, with the new head widely seen as more moderate than his predecessor. Sheikh Obeikan achieved a degree of notoriety several years ago with a decree suggesting that unrelated Saudi men and women could mix so long as the man drank the woman's breast milk, thus creating a maternal bond between them.

Summary: Saudi King Abdullah has sacked one of his most hardline advisers, Sheikh Abdelmohsen al-Obeikan.


From 21 June, EDF customers will see electricity prices increase by 9% and gas prices go up by 5.5%. The supplier previously increased electricity prices by 8.4% on 1 March, although it cut gas prices in January. The rise was immediately criticised by the energy regulator, Ofgem, which said it was hard to justify. The average dual-fuel customer will pay an extra Â£78 a year, bringing the annual bill to Â£1,160, EDF said. Combining both increases will mean that 1.5 million EDF customers will pay 18.1% more for their electricity this year. However, taking into account the previous cut, gas prices will remain flat, the company said. Most of its customers - 1.8 million - are now on fixed price deals, so will not be affected. Ofgem was highly critical of the increases. Dermot Nolan, its chief executive, said: "EDF's second price rise in four months, when there has not been a dramatic rise in wholesale energy prices since it last put up prices, is difficult to justify and is further evidence that the energy market is not working in all consumers' interests." Commentators said EDF customers on standard tariffs could save more than Â£300 a year by switching to the best fixed-price deal. "EDF has hit millions with a second shock price hike," said Archna Luthra, head of energy at MoneySavingExpert. "If you haven't compared and switched already, see this as a final red alarm bell to take action - what are you waiting for?" EDF said it would be contacting all customers on standard variable tariffs to review their situation. The company is also introducing a new three-year fixed deal. "I know that price rises are never welcome, but the industry is facing significant cost increases," said EDF's chief executive, Vincent de Rivaz. "To be a sustainable and responsible business, we aim to make a fair margin in supplying customers. This fair margin allows us to invest for the long term, in particular in good service, innovation and smart metering." Five of the big six suppliers have announced price rises this year:

Summary: Energy firm EDF is raising the price of electricity for the second time this year for customers on standard tariffs.


In 2013/14, 99,293 students went to further education colleges, but that fell to 82,818 in 2015/16. The figures have been released by the Department for the Economy (DfE). There was a 15% drop in the number of enrolments at FE colleges over the same period, as some students can be enrolled on more than one course. According to the department, there were 180,825 enrolments at FE colleges in 2013/14, but by 2015/16 that figure had fallen to 153,817. One of the six FE colleges, Belfast Metropolitan College (BMC), had a particularly steep decline in its enrolment in just one year. The number of enrolments at BMC alone fell from 36,685 in 2014/15 to 28,514 in 2015/16 - a decline of 22.3%. When approached to explain why this was the case, they declined to comment. NUS-USI President Fergal McFerran expressed alarm at the "staggering drop" and called on the executive to make a "significant increase in the funding allocation for tertiary education and student financial support in the new budget". The college with the lowest rate of decline was South Eastern Regional College where enrolments fell by 8.3% - from 35,832 in 2013/14 to 32,858 in 2015/16. FE colleges provide a range of courses for a range of learners including: Sources working in the FE sector told the BBC that the decline in enrolments could be down to a range of factors, including budget constraints leading to cuts to courses and staff. In 2015/16 over 400 staff in the FE sector were offered voluntary redundancy. Some also said that leisure, recreational and hobby courses - or non-regulated courses - had been reduced in recent years, leading to a drop in enrolments from life-long learners. The DfE figures indicate that there has been a consequent drop in the number of enrolments to non-regulated courses over the three years. In 2013/14 there were around 39,000 enrolments to recreational courses compared to around 24,500 in 2015/16. This was a result of DfE's 'Further Education Means Business' strategy, which aimed to reduce the number of recreational courses to encourage more "economically focused provision". The chief executive of Colleges NI, Gerry Campbell, said that further education was vital for the future of Northern Ireland's economy. "While there has been a decline in relation to residential and leisure type courses, in many ways over the past two or three years there has been an increasing focus from the colleges and FE sector as a whole to engage more on the provision of economically relevant courses," he said. In a statement the Department of the Economy confirmed that the FE colleges budget had been reduced by Â£10m in 2015/16. However, they said that the enrolment statistics were "largely positive" and showed that an increasing proportion of students were leaving further education with a qualification, meeting the needs of the economy.

Summary: There has been a 16% drop in the number of students going to further education colleges in Northern Ireland over the past three years.


It would make the disused Fawley power station chimney the tallest such attraction south of London's Shard. Developers Fawley Waterside said it would be the centrepiece of a "merchant city" development. The power station closed in 2013 after more than 40 years in operation. Architects plans show a petal-shaped glass structure at the centre of a Â£1bn development featuring a marina, housing and restaurants. It also includes fast ferry links to Southampton and Portsmouth. With an application for outline planning permission due later this year, building could start in 2018. The oil-fired Fawley Power Station, on the western side of Southampton Water, was commissioned in 1971 and was capable of powering one million homes. The 300-acre site was sold to Fawley Waterside developers in 2016. Aldred Drummond of the company said: "We'd be mad to knock the chimney down - its our signature piece of infrastructure. "If you think of the money spent building the i360 in Brighton, or the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, this building is already there so with relatively little investment we can do something very spectacular." 1971 Commissioned on the western shore of Southampton Water 2,000 megawatt oil-fired power station fuelled by nearby Esso refinery 198 metre-high chimney dominates the Solent sykline 1,100 miles of cable were laid within the power station One million homes were powered by Fawley

Summary: A 650ft (198m) power station chimney could be converted into a public viewing tower and restaurant overlooking the Hampshire coast, under plans released by developers.


Under anti-tax avoidance rules, if someone's tax arrangements are found to be "abusive" they must pay back the tax they have avoided. But shadow chancellor Ed Balls pledged a "genuine deterrent" by making them liable to pay the same amount again. A Tory spokesman said it was "feeble stuff" and Labour had no economic plan. Tax avoidance, unlike tax evasion, is not illegal. Ministers have said it involves "compliance with the letter but not the spirit of the law". In recent years it emerged that companies and individuals had been greatly reducing their liabilities by making use of legal tax shelter schemes. Meanwhile the "tax gap" - the difference between the amount of tax owed and collected - rose to Â£34bn in the year to April 2013. The government's so-called general anti-abuse rule (GAAR) came into force in July 2013, after Chancellor George Osborne described aggressive tax avoidance - as well as illegal tax evasion - as "morally repugnant". It aimed to "deter taxpayers from entering into abusive arrangements, and to deter would-be promoters from promoting such arrangements". The rule is a broad set of principles designed to prevent tax avoidance, to avoid having constantly to introduce new legislation to tackle individual loopholes. Labour has previously said it would increase transparency in the tax system and prevent dormant companies from trading without paying tax. It has pledged to use some of the money raised from a tax avoidance crackdown for its Â£2.5bn NHS funding pledge. Mr Balls said Labour had supported the introduction of the anti-abuse rule, but said it was "without teeth". He said: "Those who are caught have to repay the tax they tried to avoid, but they do not face a penalty. There is still no disincentive to try and game the system. That is why Labour will bring in a tough penalty regime... with fines of up to 100% of the value of the tax which was avoided. "For the first time this will provide a tough and genuine deterrent to those who try to abuse the system and avoid paying their fair share of tax." The shadow chancellor said aggressive tax avoiders should be treated the same as people who cheat the welfare system. He added: "Through measures such as this we can ensure that no-one pays zero tax at the top so we can get the deficit down fairly, invest in our NHS, and maintain public support for the dynamic open economy we need." The proposals were backed by leading chartered accountant and tax-reform campaigner Richard Murphy, who was a member of the panel which helped draw up the anti-abuse rules. "Without such a regime, the GAAR is a toothless tiger providing, at best, Revenue and Customs with the chance to ask those found in default to play by the rules in future," Mr Murphy, who is an adviser to the Trades Union Congress and the Unite union - Labour's largest financial backer - said. "With significant penalties attached, the GAAR becomes a more potent threat and, regrettably, in the face of ongoing tax abuse, Revenue

Summary: Labour has said it plans to double the fines that can be levied on people who aggressively avoid tax, if it wins the next general election.


Daniel Bragg, 37, hit Julie Cook, 44, so hard he broke her left eye socket in the assault, police said. Ms Cook fell and hit her head on the floor, causing a serious injury. She died in hospital two days later. Bragg, who admitted manslaughter, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison. He initially denied the killing, but changed his plea on the second day of his trial at Winchester Crown Court. Bragg was overheard by friends four days before Ms Cook was killed saying "one of these days I'm going to kill her", Dorset Police said. A Domestic Violence Protection Order had been made against Mr Bragg in April stopping him from contacting or going to Ms Cook's home, the force said. However, the couple, from Bournemouth, remained in contact and on 28 April 2016 - just four days before the assault - a friend of the couple heard Mr Bragg say something to the effect of "if we carry on like this I will end up killing her". The couple had been at Pokesdown Railway Station when they started arguing and Ms Cook walked away. After punching her, Bragg initially walked away but returned to help Ms Cook, who was unconscious on the concrete platform, and took her back to her flat. The couple had been together for about four years before the incident and their relationship was described as "volatile". Det Insp Neil Phillips said: "There was no justification for such violence. Bragg and Julie clearly had a volatile relationship and efforts had been made to prevent further abuse. "However, Julie and Bragg continued to maintain contact and she tragically died as a result of his violent behaviour."

Summary: A man who punched and killed his girlfriend just days after he was overheard saying he would kill her has been jailed.


The 63-year-old retiree used to practice her religion by praying at temples, but now she volunteers seven days a week at a recycling centre to raise funds for Taiwan's Buddhist association Tzu Chi. "I have no time to go to temples. Praying is not important. Coming here every day is like praying," said Ms Hsiao. This is not how most people practice Buddhism in Chinese-speaking or even non-Chinese Buddhist societies. Their faith is usually self-focused: praying for protection in their current life and to be born into a better life after they die. But Taiwan is leading a quiet, yet powerful movement that has turned traditional Buddhism on its head, converting many Buddhists such as Ms Hsiao into doers, not just believers. Burning paper money and incense is discouraged - it's bad for the environment. Going to temples is low priority. Even praying too much is frowned upon. The focus now is on what the Taiwanese call "humanistic Buddhism" - caring for others and for society. It returns Buddhists to the core principles of Buddhism - speaking good words, thinking good thoughts and doing good deeds. "According to Buddhism, it's not enough to have benefits for oneself only, you must also have benefits for others. We should try to help as many people as we can to be relieved of suffering," said Head Abbot Hsin Bao of another major Taiwanese Buddhist association, Fo Guang Shan. The practice has helped Taiwan's leading Buddhist organisations expand in unprecedented ways. Tzu Chi Foundation - which is at the vanguard of the movement - has seven million followers, including two million overseas. Its 100,000 volunteers in Taiwan are seen everywhere in their trademark blue shirts and white trousers. They recycle plastic bottles to raise charity funds, check on elderly people living alone, provide support to poor and at-risk families, tutor children and help respond to natural disasters. Another influential Taiwanese Buddhist group, Dharma Drum Mountain, regularly holds "Buddhism 101" classes to teach people how to apply the philosophy to their lives. In one recent class for about 200 people, a psychologist used Buddhism's teachings to advise students on how to recognise and work on their own negative emotions, and how to deal with troubled family relations. "Buddhism's teachings can be used everyday and where's the best place to use them? In your family," Yang Pei told the class. Fo Guang Shan, meanwhile, holds youth camps for children. "These organisations are very different from traditional Buddhism," said Kuo Cheng-tian, a professor at National Chengchi University. "They emphasise lay believers running temples and Buddhist organisations, not just monks. And they use ordinary believers to lead charity missions." It is unclear how many Buddhists there are in the world. Buddhism is not an institutionalised religion and many Buddhists also believe in other faiths. But some estimates suggest there are half a billion to one billion Buddhists globally, making it the world's fourth largest religion. What makes Taiwanese Buddhism unique is its strong emphasis on helping society. Tzu Chi, for example, has provided post-disaster relief in more than 84 countries,

Summary: Sorting through a large pile of used clothes and household items, Hsiao Hsiu-chu is the picture of a new-age Buddhist.


The 19-year-old was called up into the Wales senior squad for the first time for the World Cup qualifier against Serbia earlier this month. James is Town's sixth signing of the summer so far. Meanwhile, defender Adam El-Abd, 32, has left the club after his contract was terminated by mutual agreement. El-Abd was made club captain last season, scoring twice in 34 appearances across all competitions. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: League One Shrewsbury Town have signed teenage winger Daniel James from Premier League Swansea City on a season-long loan.


In comparison, it is long on her vision of "a great meritocracy" and short on specific policies that could become hostages to fortune in government. So the promise not to raise income tax or national insurance contributions has gone, along with (after 2020) the triple lock on pensions. The winter fuel allowance will be means-tested with the money spent on health and social care in England (and the Welsh Government) given a share of the cash. There are big changes proposed to social care in England. The new approach means the Swansea tidal lagoon that featured in the 2015 document does not appear by name here. There is a commitment to modernise the railways but not specifically to electrify the Great Western route all the way to Swansea. The promise to scrap Severn Bridge tolls, announced earlier this week, does not feature. So just because something's not in the manifesto doesn't mean the Conservatives don't plan to do it. One other policy that could have a big impact on Wales caught my eye. The Conservatives say that after Brexit they'd replace EU funds for poorer parts of the UK with what they call a "UK shared prosperity fund" to reduce inequalities across the four nations. The manifesto says they'd consult with the devolved administrations on how to spend it, but critics will fear a power grab by a UK government apparently keen to decide priorities. This is the UK manifesto, with a Welsh version expected to be launched next week.

Summary: To the prime minister, it is "my manifesto" and Theresa May's programme for government certainly looks and feels rather different from the one David Cameron stood on two years ago (which featured Mrs May on the cover).


Alesha O'Connor, Rhodri Miller, Corey Price, all 17 and from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, and Margaret Challis, 66, from Merthyr Tydfil, were killed near Storey Arms, Brecon, in March 2015. The Aberdare inquest heard Rhodri was driving the teenagers in one car. The coroner concluded all four died as a result of a road traffic accident. The inquest was told Rhodri's car was one of seven vehicles in a convoy going on a drive from Barry on the night of 6 March. Rhys Hunter, a passenger in the car, said Rhodri had passed his test a few days earlier. He said before the group set off someone warned him "be careful, we're on a mountain" and at one point during the journey the driver ran a red light. Minutes before the crash, Mr Hunter took a picture and the speedometer in the car he was in showed 75 mph (120km/h). But Mr Hunter said Rhodri was not trying to catch up with the vehicle in front of him and had not been trying to overtake another vehicle. "Rhodri started to lose control and we collided with the other car," he said. "I'm not sure why it happened or why the car was out of control. Probably because of the way it was driven." Joseph Fetter, who was driving behind Rhodri's car, said he was driving consistently around five car lengths behind and no racing had taken place, but he had seen Rhodri's brake lights come on several times. "I think it was inexperience that made him lose control," he said. "I wasn't pushing him on - I didn't know the road at all. It was dark." Passengers in some of the other vehicles said Rhodri was not overtaking but did lose control of his car on the bend, swerving from one side of the road to the other. But survivor Emlyn Williams, who was in the other car involved in the crash along with friend Mrs Challis, disputed some of the evidence. "The car was coming down by a bend. I saw another car overtaking it. The car hit me, that was it," he said. "The only thing I knew was a bang, the windscreen broke and the airbag came out. "I tried to get out and see to Mrs Challis. I went to the other car. It was quiet, silent. There was no opportunity to steer out of the way." Drivers and passengers in vehicles travelling in the direction of Merthyr Tydfil described in police statements seeing the cars leave a lay-by at Storey Arms minutes before the collision. The inquest was told they pulled out too quickly and too close to each other. One witness said: "Boy racers. It's obvious they were on a mission." Dyfed-Powys Police Insp Gary Jones told the inquest messages found on mobile phones showed those in the convoy had discussed speed. One read: "It's madness. Everyone's racing there are 9 cars" while another read "why would I want to go along cars with turbos - I'll be the slowest there". PC David Stacey, who investigated

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


Sergeant Peter Rayner, 34, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, of 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, was killed on Friday. The soldier was carrying out a patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj area of Helmand Province. The number of British military personnel killed in operations in Afghanistan since 2001 is now 340. Sgt Rayner's wife Wendy led tributes to the "fantastic" and "loving" husband and father to son, Derek. "He loved his job and doing something which he believed in. "He will be sincerely missed by all who knew him," she said. Sgt Rayner was born into a military family, and his parents Peter and Bernadette said their son was "always full of energy and was someone who enjoyed life to the full". "As a soldier he loved his job and was totally committed to the Army, as well as his family and friends. "As a son and brother, he was a fun-loving and caring person of whom we are all very proud. "We loved him so dearly and will miss him with all our hearts." The MoD said Sgt Rayner, who had also served in Bosnia and Iraq, would be "sorely missed" and remembered for his "pre-eminence as a Javelin Commander, for his forthright manner and for his huge personality". Sgt Rayner's bravery and courage had attracted much praise in Afghanistan, it said. Lieutenant Colonel Robbie Boyd, Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, said: "He was honest, loyal and always vocal. "A true Lion of England and a man of high morals, guts and integrity. "A man who cared not just for the morale of his soldiers, but in how that morale was created. "A man with great spirit and forthrightness, who was as true as his aim was with a Javelin Missile." Major Paul Tingey, Officer Commanding Arnhem Company, 2nd Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, said Sgt Rayner left a "lasting impression" on people. "He spoke his mind and always had the best interests of his men at heart. "He was someone that you could rely on to tell you exactly what he thought. I always welcomed his words of advice. "I will remember Skippy as a devoted family man, a fanatical mountain biker and one of the best commanders that I have had the privilege to work with," he said.

Summary: A British soldier killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan has been named by the Ministry of Defence.


Both are senior managers and have a long track record with Fox. Mr Ailes resigned in July after a series of sexual harassment allegations against him by female news presenters. He has denied any wrongdoing. Fox News plays a prominent role in US election coverage. The channel's more conservative tone is popular among many Republican voters. Mr Abernethy is chief executive of Fox Television Stations, running the 28 Fox-owned channels, and Mr Shine is senior executive vice-president and close aid to the company's founder Rupert Murdoch . The men will divide the tasks of running the Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. Mr Abernethy will focus on finance, advertising sales and distribution, while Mr Shine will manage the programming. "While this has been a time of great transition, there has never been a greater opportunity for Fox News and Fox Business to better serve and expand their audiences. Together with our worldwide team of dedicated professionals, we are the most influential and powerful brand in television," said Mr Murdoch. Mr Murdoch has taken over the role of Fox News CEO and executive chairman since Mr Ailes stepped down. Mr Ailes had run the Fox News Channel since its beginning in 1996.

Summary: Twenty-First Century Fox has appointed Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine as co-presidents of Fox News, replacing Roger Ailes who stepped down last month after a sexual harassment scandal.


Baroness Campbell, 56, is the former boss of UK Sport. During her time at UK Sport from 2003-2013, she oversaw a rise in the number of British medals won at the Olympics. Kelly Simmons, the FA's director of participation and development, called Baroness Campbell "one of the most influential people in British sport". "I'm really excited about helping shape the future vision and strategy for girls and women's football," said Baroness Campbell. "Great strides have already been made both in terms of grassroots participation and at the elite level and I'm really looking forward to building on the work already done." She will focus her work on increasing grassroots participation and getting further success for England's elite women's teams. England reached the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup, eventually finishing third with a 1-0 win over Germany. Campbell, who will start her new role in March, is also chair of the Youth Sport Trust and was awarded a CBE for her services to sport in 2003.

Summary: The Football Association says Baroness Sue Campbell's appointment as its new head of women's football is a "massive statement".


28 April 2017 Last updated at 16:43 BST Thousands lined the side of the streets to cheer on the competitors. We spoke to a young Yorkshire resident Max to see what the atmosphere was like down on the start line. Check out the video.

Summary: The 2017 Tour de Yorkshire has got off to a flying start in Bridlington, Yorkshire.


Speaking about the 1948 contract Nye Bevan, the founding father of the NHS, offered consultants, he said he had "stuffed their mouths with gold". That gold was the ability to continue private practice - something senior doctors have carefully guarded since. Down the years, several ministers have had a look at the issue, but concluded it was simply too tricky to tackle. One former health secretary told me they thought consultants would simply walk away en masse if the government got tough. There has been some movement. In fact, the current contract had a little nibble at restricting private practice, by insisting that any doctor doing fewer than 11 shifts (of four hours each) a week offers any extra work to the NHS first before accepting private work. It has probably had some impact, but only a little. A full-time contract is 10 shifts, so it ties them to only an extra four hours a week before they are free to work in the private sector. But after years of shying away from the issue, the government looks like it wants to tackle this head on. It is not being explicit in coming out and saying it wants curbs on private practice. But the implications of the move by NHS England to publish earnings is clear: there is a suspicion that some doctors are raking it in and that affects their motivation when it comes to the NHS - both in terms of working extra hours for the health service and how productive they really want to be - and by publishing the details there is a hope it will make doctors think twice about how much they do. Longer NHS waiting lists means more private work as either people will pay to go private or, and this is more common, the NHS has to pay for patients to be seen privately. The private market is worth £4.6bn a year, according to market analysts Laing Buisson, with a quarter coming via NHS referrals. At a time when money is tight and ministers want to get more seven-day services, tackling this is clearly an attractive proposition. Although with the consultant contract currently in the process of being renegotiated (talks have slowed because of the junior doctor dispute), expect consultants to be hopping mad that their pay is once again in the headlines. It promises to be the mother of all battles. But if the register of private work is published, what will it show? What is known about the extent of private work is pretty sketchy. A British Medical Association survey from 2009 suggested about half of doctors in the UK (it's not limited to England) did private work - but this was a fall from six in 10 when it was done several years before that. Of those that did private work, a quarter earn under £10,000 a year, while one in six made in excess of £100,000. This included private hospital work, alongside earnings from other sources such as providing advice to pharmaceutical companies and assessments for insurance companies. But it

Summary: The fight over NHS consultants' private work - and that is exactly what this is - goes back to the very start of the NHS.


It has announced changes to the heavily criticised and regularly overspent Cancer Drugs Fund, which pays for drugs the NHS has deemed unaffordable. The new system will start in July 2016 and have a fixed budget of Â£340m. No patients receiving drugs on the old Cancer Drugs Fund will have their medication stopped. At present, the CDF can choose to pay for innovative drugs the health watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), has rejected for widespread use on the NHS. But under the new system, NICE will make all the decisions. By the time a drug comes on to the market, NICE will give it a yes, no or maybe rating. Those given the go-ahead will be routinely offered across the NHS while those given a maybe rating can be considered for the CDF. However, there will be "clear entry and exit criteria" to ensure money is spent on only the best breakthrough drugs. Bruce Keogh, medical director at NHS England, said: "Improving cancer care is an absolute priority for NHS England... that is dependent on access to treatments. "[The CDF] will provide faster access for patients, I think that's really important, and I think it will bring clarity to which drugs are the most effective sooner than we know at the moment." The fund, which was established in 2011 and covers England, has seen its costs rise to Â£340m in 2015-16 from an initial annual budget of Â£200m. An NHS official said: "Drug companies will need to price their drugs responsibly, and we make no apology for maintaining the pressure on this point on behalf of the public. "Companies keen to work with the NHS for patients will get a new fast-track route to NHS funding for promising new drugs, backed by a speeded up and more transparent NICE assessment process." Dr Paul Catchpole, from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said: "If cancer medicines go through more or less exactly the same NICE appraisal process that was in place five years ago - which necessitated the setting up of the CDF in the first place - we will largely get the same answers as before - the majority of medicines will be turned down. "Without substantial changes the ABPI estimates that under the proposals two thirds of existing CDF medicines are likely to no longer be available to NHS patients by the end of the year." Target Ovarian Cancer chief executive Annwen Jones said: "Important questions remain unanswered with this proposal. "The Cancer Drugs Fund must retain the power to make a real difference to people's lives in the face of budget cuts." Follow James on Twitter.

Summary: Cancer patients have been promised faster access to innovative medicines by NHS England.


Anatoly Kucherena told reporters his client would remain in the transit zone at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, where he has been for the past month. Earlier, airport officials said that Mr Kucherena had given Mr Snowden the travel documents. The US wants him extradited for leaking details of surveillance programmes. Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to hand him to the American authorities, but said he could stay in Russia only if he stopped leaking US secrets. Mr Snowden, whose passport has been cancelled by the US, has stayed in the airport's transit area since arriving from Hong Kong on 23 June. Who is Edward Snowden? Where will Snowden end up? Q&A: Prism He has requested temporary asylum in Russia, and said recently his favoured final destination was Latin America. Mr Kucherena visited his client at the airport on Wednesday and told a news conference later that the 30-year-old would not yet be leaving the airport. He said the application for temporary asylum had not been processed, and no travel documents had been received. "He is not planning to leave for now. He asked for temporary asylum, which in the case of a positive decision is granted for a term of one year," said Mr Kucherena. The lawyer said Mr Snowden wanted to study Russian culture, adding that he had given the American books including Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. Mr Kucherena said Mr Snowden was "anxious" about leaving the airport. "I hope that this situation will be resolved in the nearest future," he said. "This is the first time Russia is facing such a situation, and this issue of course requires time for the immigration workers." The lawyer's account contradicted that of airport officials, who earlier told local media that the lawyer had handed Mr Snowden the documents he needed to leave the airport. It was unclear whether there had been last-minute political intervention or some other problem. The Interfax news agency quoted unnamed officials saying the American would be provided with new clothes before leaving the airport. After the lawyer's news conference, the White House said it wanted clarity from Russia on his status. Spokesman Jay Carney said Washington had already made it clear to Moscow that Mr Snowden should be handed over to face espionage charges. The Snowden affair has caused diplomatic ructions around the world, upsetting America's close allies and traditional enemies. Leaks by the former CIA worker have led to revelations that the US National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting Americans' phone records. On Wednesday evening, an attempt to block funding for the programme narrowly failed in a 205-217 vote in the US House of Representatives. The White House had lobbied Congress to support the surveillance. Opponents of the US, including Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua, have all offered Mr Snowden asylum.

Summary: Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has not been given Russian travel documents, his lawyer has said, contradicting earlier reports.


Police Scotland said two men broke into the farm house near to Corsock, Castle Douglas, between 23:30 on Thursday and 01:00 on Friday. They stole items including a number of war medals, gold watches and antiques. Officers have appealed for information and said the robbers may have been "casing" the property before the raid. Det Sgt Graeme Robertson said: "I believe that whoever broke into this house knew what they were looking for - that is the medals, watches and antiques. "Thankfully the householder, a woman, who was in the house at the time, was not injured but she is very upset by what has happened." The men were described as being well spoken, with Scottish accents, of average height and build and wearing dark clothing. One of the men was wearing a balaclava and gloves. "Due to the rural location of the house and the items taken, we believe that the two men would have had to have the use of a car. "It is also entirely possible that they may have been in the area before the break in 'casing' the house so I would ask anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious behaviour around the area during this time, or anyone who may have been offered these items for sale, to contact police."

Summary: A woman has been left uninjured but very upset after two men forced their way into her home and stole valuables believed to be worth thousands.


The former Scotland Under-21 international was released by Crystal Palace after he failed to make an appearance during his two years. Kettings, 23, spent three months on loan at National League side Bromley last season, playing 14 times. He is the sixth new signing since Northern Ireland assistant Stephen Robinson was appointed as manager. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: League One side Oldham Athletic have signed goalkeeper Chris Kettings on a one-year deal.


Yves Jego has launched a drive on the Change.org website calling for vegetarian alternatives to be compulsory in all schools. More than 73,000 people have so far backed the petition. The move comes after a town in eastern France banned all pork substitutes in school meals last week. The conservative mayor of Chalon sur Saone had earlier launched his own campaign on Change.org, reiterating France's secular values. His campaign has gained 2,750 supporters. "Messages of support and of encouragement have come from every corner of France and from French people of all backgrounds, faiths and professions," the mayor, Gilles Platret, wrote. A court in the city of Dijon last week rejected an appeal against Mr Platret's intention to ban pork substitutes. "Can we force a Catholic child to eat meat on Good Friday because nothing else is proposed, or a Jew or a Muslim to eat pork?," Mr Jego asked in his petition, set up in response to Mr Platret's. He said he would propose a law if the petition received 75,000 signatories. France insists on the separation of religion and the state, and in 2004 introduced a ban on headscarves in schools. France has five million residents of Muslim descent, half of whom are under the age of 24. It also has the largest Jewish population in Europe. A secular solution to the problem of school meals was possible, said Mr Jego, of the left-wing Radical Party. The petitions have led to a debate in some quarters on the nature of secularism and what is ethically correct. "Secularism is not the denial of religions and beliefs, but the respect of all religions," wrote Houari Zeidouni, who signed Mr Jego's petition. But France's Agriculture Minister, Stephane le Foll, wrote in a tweet: "Supporting French livestock with vegetarian menus: that's Yves Jego's programme! Let's be consistent."

Summary: A French MP is campaigning for vegetarian school meals to be introduced to help pupils whose religions prevent them eating pork.


Producers of precious metals were particularly hard hit. Analysts blamed falling prices for gold and silver and adverse currency movements. Fresnillo, which owns the world's biggest silver mine, was down 4.5% and Randgold was down 4.2%. "Gold is in no man's land," said Alastair McCaig, market analyst at IG Index. He says that investors are concerned that gold could fall below $1,200 dollars an ounce, which would make some gold mines unviable. Gold is currently trading at $1,266 dollars an ounce. In China iron ore prices fell to the lowest level in almost five years, which hit shares in other miners. Rio Tinto fell 0.73% and BHP Billiton was down 0.37%. BP was 2.59% higher. Shares had slumped 6% on Thursday after a US judge found the firm "grossly negligent" over the 2010 oil spill. The ruling has made investors cautious over the firm. "I'm not buying BP here. The ruling opens up the door in the United States to more fines for BP," said Beaufort Securities sales trader Basil Petrides. "The US government has got its knife out for BP and it's sharpening the blade," he said. On the currency markets the euro was trading 0.13% higher, but still below the $1.30 level. It fell below the $1.30 level on Thursday in reaction to a surprise cut in interest rates by the European Central Bank. The Bank also launched a programme to buy private sector debt, in another effort to boost European economies. The pound was down 0.10% against the dollar at $1.6314.

Summary: (Close): The FTSE 100 index of leading blue-chip shares closed the day down by 0.36% at 6853.40.