Although there is some common ground between the two governments on, for example, the need for free trade within the single market, Carwyn Jones has complained that he didn't see the letter before it was published on Wednesday. (He has that in common with most of Mrs May's cabinet). The first minister told AMs: "I discussed the Article 50 letter in general terms with the prime minister when we met in Swansea last week. "I should be clear, though, that I didn't see the letter before today and we were not invited to contribute to its drafting. This is unacceptable and is the culmination of a deeply frustrating process in which the devolved administrations have persistently been treated with a lack of respect. "It is all the more regrettable given the UK government's stated aim was to develop a negotiating framework for the whole of the UK." Mr Jones may have been playing to an audience, but Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns hit back: "I'm a bit disappointed in that. The prime minister has been in Wales three times in the last six weeks. "We've been talking about the contents of this letter for many months. "We've clearly all made our representations but, ultimately, the UK government needs to act in the interests of the whole of the UK and that's what we're doing, specifically with Wales being mentioned." Mrs May did indeed mention Wales in the letter. She told Donald Tusk: "When it comes to the return of powers back to the United Kingdom, we will consult fully on which powers should reside in Westminster and which should be devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. "But it is the expectation of the government that the outcome of this process will be a significant increase in the decision-making power of each devolved administration." That sentence may have been written more with Scotland in mind, but it does prompt the question: which powers? Farming? Economic aid? And will the money follow the powers? Alun Cairns wouldn't answer those questions, although Carwyn Jones has said he fears there won't be any money to accompany the powers after 2020. (Perhaps Mr Jones doesn't think Jeremy Corbyn will win power that year - Labour has pledged to maintain EU funding levels on regional aid beyond 2020). Some in Whitehall think the way EU money has been spent in Wales - check out Nick Clegg's film from Ebbw Vale - is an argument for transferring those powers to Westminster, but that looks politically less likely now. We may get some more details about the process in a white paper on the Great Repeal Bill on Thursday but, at the moment, the identity of the powers the UK government wants to see devolved is something of a mystery.

Summary: Theresa May's letter triggering Article 50 may have attempted a more conciliatory tone but it does not seem to have worked with the Welsh Government.


The airline's chief executive Andrew Swaffield said bookings had dropped off in the immediate aftermath but were now recovering. Monarch's flights to Sharm el-Sheikh are still suspended and it does not expect them to resume before next year. The comments came as Monarch returned to profit for the year to 31 October. Mr Swaffield told BBC Radio 5 Live that customers were "booking closer to departure" in the wake of the attacks. He said: "They're booking in pretty big numbers and there's no lack of interest, but they're not booking quite so far out because they're waiting to see what the world has in store. "That will probably last a little while and then things will get back to normal again." Luton-based Monarch expects annual profits to exceed £40m after cost cuts helped to achieve a turnaround. Mr Swaffield said: "The key for us has been the £200m of costs we took out of the business during what was a pretty thorough restructuring during 2014." Monarch streamlined its network and fleet, modernised its working practices and benefited from lower fuel prices. The company made a loss of £94m in the previous year.

Summary: Monarch has said passengers have been booking their trips later since the terror attacks in Paris and Sharm el-Sheikh.


The Scottish FA says the paperwork for the player who joined Celtic from Ashdod in 2012 was completed in time before the 23:00 GMT deadline. But their English counterparts have different rules regarding work permits. And the 28-year-old, who has played 51 times for his country, does not automatically meet the FA's criteria. Because Nigeria are ranked 50th in the world, he would require to have played at least 75% of their country's matches over the previous two years. Ambrose played twice last year and three times in the previous 12 months. The defender has fallen out of favour at Celtic this season since Brendan Rodgers took over as manager. He has only made two appearances, the last being a Champions League qualifier against Astana in July. Should he join Blackburn, he could partner former Celtic team-mate Charlie Mulgrew, who made the switch last summer, in the Championship side's central defence. However, he has also played at right-back and for Nigeria in central midfield. His move came on a day when Chelsea failed in a bid to sign Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon, while nothing came of reports of interest from the English Premier League leaders in his team-mate, striker Moussa Dembele. The only other movement out of Celtic on deadline day was goalkeeper Leo Fasan and defender Jamie McCart joining Port Vale and Inverness Caledonian Thistle respectively on loan and winger Michael Duffy leaving on a permanent transfer to Irish club Dundalk.

Summary: Efe Ambrose's proposed loan move from Celtic to Blackburn Rovers is awaiting an English FA ruling over a work permit for the Nigeria defender.


Both led in the first half, but Gloucester went in up at the break with Marshall and Richard Hibbard scores. Sam James and Mike Phillips crossed in the first half for Sharks, who went 24-15 ahead with Byron McGuigan's try. But tries from Henry Trinder, Marshall and Billy Twelvetrees gave the hosts a bonus-point win. The result left the Cherry and Whites, in eighth, one point off sixth-placed Harlequins. However, their other top-six rivals Northampton Saints play Saracens on Sunday. Gloucester had made the early breakthrough at Kingsholm after a neat interchange between England international Jonny May and Marshall but the hosts allowed their opponents two quick tries, James and the soon-to-retire former Wales international Phillips capitalising on lax defence. Hibbard, though, put the hosts back in front after scoring off a line-out, before the scoreline turned in Sale's favour once more when AJ MacGinty set up Kieran Longbottom for a try and good play from number eight Josh Beaumont out on the wing sent in McGuigan. But Gloucester pulled clear after Trinder was left with an easy finish, and Marshall touched down his second before Twelvetrees rounded off a superb flowing move. Gloucester interim head coach Jonny Bell: "I'm delighted with the five points but we always make life difficult by hurting ourselves. "We scored five excellent tries but we gift-wrapped them three or four easy tries and there were too many fundamental mistakes. "We've probably played better this season and lost. The replacements made a big impact to get over the line today but there is still plenty to work on." Sale director of rugby Steve Diamond: "Our aim was to come down here and score four tries, which we did, but we should have had at least another point. "The second one was taken away from us in the last minute with a penalty but we couldn't see any offside for that penalty to be awarded. "We are what we are and our position in the table reflects it. Week in week out, we are inconsistent and we are even inconsistent during the course of games." Gloucester: Marshall; Sharples, Trinder, Atkinson, May; Burns, Braley; Hohneck, Hibbard. Afoa; Thursh (capt), Galarza, Moriaty, Ludlow, Clarke. Replacements: Matu'u, McAllister, Knight, Savage, Morgan, Vellacott, Twelvetrees, Halaifonua. Sale: Haley; Solomona, James, Jennings, McGuigan; MacGinty, Phillips; Harrison, Webber, Aulika, Evans, Ostrikov, Neild, B Curry, Beaumont (capt). Replacements: T Curry, Flynn, Longbottom, Nott, Pearce, Mitchell, Bedlow, Charnley. For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.

Summary: Tom Marshall scored two tries to help Gloucester maintain their hopes of a top-six finish with victory in a thrilling encounter with Sale Sharks.


Diego Simeone's side surrendered a 15-game unbeaten run as the Brazilian fired home an 88th-minute volley. A draw would have seen Atletico climb above Barcelona to the summit going into the 10-day winter break. But they had to hold on after losing skipper Gabi Fernandez to two yellows cards in the space of five minutes early in the second half. In a sometimes bad-tempered encounter, the visitors were up against it from the moment Fernandez was cautioned for a foul, then ordered in the 56th minute after committing a handball near the halfway line. Charles saw two first-half chances saved by Atletico keeper Jan Oblak in a game short on clear openings. But the Brazilian had the final say, finding the net with the aid of a deflection off defender Diego Godin for his sixth goal of the season. Barcelona have a game in hand after being without a domestic fixture due to their involvement in the Club World Cup final against River Plate.

Summary: Atletico Madrid missed a chance to go top of La Liga after falling to a late winner from Malaga striker Charles.


There were 1,820 patients waiting to be seen in May, compared to 916 in 2011. About half had waits of up to four weeks, the other half up to 26 weeks and a small number waited longer. Charity Mind Cymru said it was "very concerned" by the figures but the Welsh Government said more money was being ploughed into services and more people were being referred. Sara Moseley, director of Mind Cymru, said: "Our own research shows that far too many people are waiting for significant periods, sometimes as long as 12 months, to get the treatment they need to stay well. "We also know that the services offered across Wales are patchy, with some health board areas providing a much better service than others." She added the vast majority of Welsh speakers were not offered the choice of therapy in their first language. Although the figures have risen steadily over the six years, this year's were slightly down on 2016 but still double of that in 2011. Andrew Tamplin suffered a breakdown and paid to be seen privately. "I couldn't wait six months to see someone," he said. "I don't like to think what would've happened. I paid thousands for 20 to 30 sessions. "When you're suffering mental illness the last thing you need is more stress and anxiety [from waiting]." Gwen Goddard also paid privately for treatment but now works for Training in Mind, which teaches first aiders about mental health. She told Newyddion 9: "It was a crisis, I was so ill. When you talk about self harming and suicidal feelings it is a crisis. "People have to have prompt treatment." A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We want to ensure that people experiencing mental health problems have access to appropriate and timely services as close to their home as practical. "We continue to spend more on mental health services than on any other part of our NHS and have put in place more stringent waiting time targets to help us achieve that ambition. "We recognise there is more to be done to improve waiting time performance, but this needs to be set in context of increasing numbers of people being referred for treatment." Ms Moseley added: "We continue to call for NHS Wales to offer a full range of evidence-based psychological therapies to everyone who needs them within 28 days of requesting a referral and we welcome Welsh Government's commitment to improving waiting times."

Summary: The number of people waiting for mental health treatment has doubled in the past six years, figures have shown.


One hundred years since his birth on 3 October 1916, his family and former colleagues have been talking about the private side of the famous doctor. Victoria Jordan, his great-niece, remembers him with fondness. "In our family, Frank is remembered as a big personality who was completely dedicated to his work, but who would take centre stage at family gatherings at which he would invariably arrive at least an hour late", she said. "He was great company, had a mischievous streak and a low opinion of those in authority - and in particular, politicians!" This lack of respect for authority was a common theme and is the reason, some believe, that he has not received the credit in the UK that his achievements deserve. While Pantridge would go on to save many lives because of his invention - including the high-profile case of former footballer Fabrice Muamba, who collapsed on the pitch in 2012 and was saved by a portable defibrillator - his early life was somewhat troubled. He grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Hillsborough, County Down, his father died when he was 10 and he was expelled from school several times. But he completed his secondary education at Friends School, Lisburn, and went on to study medicine at Queen's University, Belfast, qualifying in 1939. When World War Two broke out, he was posted to the Far East as medical officer to an infantry battalion. He was captured during the fall of Singapore in 1942 and, as a prisoner of war, spent much of his time as a slave labourer on the Burma Railway. Pantridge survived the usually fatal cardiac beriberi - where protein deficiency damages the heart - which may have sparked his interest in heart disease. He was later awarded the Military Cross for his service, with the citation reading: "This officer worked unceasingly under the most adverse conditions of continuous bombing and shelling and was an inspiring example to all with whom he came into contact. He was absolutely cool under the heaviest fire." In 1950, he was appointed as a physician at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. At that time, coronary heart disease had reached epidemic proportions, Doctors knew that most coronary deaths resulted from a disturbance of the heart rhythm which could be corrected with a brief electric shock to the chest. Prof Pantridge suggested such disturbances should be corrected where they occurred, whether it be in the workplace, at home or on the street. But this meant a portable defibrillator. In 1965, with the help of John Geddes, a senior house officer, and technician Alfred Mawhinney, Prof Pantridge invented the world's first portable defibrillator, using car batteries for the current. He installed it in an ambulance and the device was first used in January 1966. That first model weighed 70 kilos, the modern devices weigh just 3kg. The so-called "Pantridge plan" was taken up in America where mobile units were swiftly put into operation. But in the UK, his invention was met with ridicule in some medical circles. It would be

Summary: Professor Frank Pantridge is remembered as the cardiologist who invented the portable defibrillator - a device that has helped save millions of lives over the past 50 years.


It comes after Camden residents tried to save the St James' Gardens site, close to London Euston, which was a burial ground from 1790 until 1853. Local church warden Dorothea Hackman said it was "quite outrageous" they were going to "dig up our dead". HS2 Ltd said the work would be done with "dignity, respect and care". Notable people buried in the gardens include Capt Matthew Flinders, the first person to circumnavigate and name Australia, and Bill Richmond, one of the first black boxers. "[These people] shouldn't be disturbed by spurious activities like this," said Ms Hackman, who helped organise the service, which was expected to be attended by 40 people. "And just think of the detrimental effect removing the benefit of the trees and green space will have on the area in terms of air quality. "There has not been destruction on this scale since the Sixties. Government has run roughshod over democracy." Resident Marian Kamlish, 92, said that "in times of austerity", such a "vanity project" was an insult to those who work for the likes of the NHS, fire and police forces. HS2 Ltd will excavate sections of the burial ground to enable it to plan the removal of the remains prior to their subsequent re-interment elsewhere. A spokesman stressed the grounds had not been in use for more than a century. "We will ensure that we treat the site with dignity, respect and care," he said. "As such, we will continue to work closely with the local community, the Archbishops' Council, the local parish, Historic England and other organisations as we proceed with the next phase of the project." In February, Parliament granted powers to build Phase 1 of the line - between London and Birmingham - which is due to open in December 2026. In June, the Department for Transport (DfT) said First Trenitalia West Coast, MTR West Coast Partnership and West Coast Partnership had all been shortlisted to operate the service on the line.

Summary: A memorial service has been held for 60,000 people whose remains are due to be exhumed in London as part of the Â£55.7bn HS2 high-speed rail project.


Ceding control of ARM is an example of the City mindset of "don't back [the] British economy", he told the BBC. But Treasury advisor Eileen Burbidge said the sale was a "great deal". On Tuesday, 95% of ARM shareholders voted to back the acquisition by Softbank. Lord Myners said ARM, which provides chip designs used by firms including Apple, was a company "at the heart of the ecosystem of modern technologies". He said control of ARM was now passing to a "very heavily-indebted, very unfocused business in Japan which does not have a good record of buying foreign companies and continuing to invest in them". Decisions on the company's future would be made in Tokyo rather than Cambridge, he said. Lord Myners added that commitments made by Softbank to the UK government to double the number of UK employees over the next five years and to keep the headquarters of the firm in Cambridge were "probably not legally enforceable". "If ARM was an American company, a German, a French company or a Japanese company, it would not be able to be sold in 60 days - there would be a question of national significance and public policy to determine whether we should sell," he said. However, Ms Burbidge said the £24.3bn deal was at a 43% premium above the closing share price the day before the deal was announced. "It's obviously a very good deal for shareholders, [and] for a company that generated just shy of £1bn in turnover last year, it represents... a really great multiple and demonstrates that Softbank saw a lot of growth potential and opportunity in the company," she said. She added that on the question of control, the company's designs were in 95% of the world's smartphones, so it was already making operational decisions based on a client base which was mainly outside the UK. "It was being led by technology advances in [phone] handsets... by people outside of the UK, mostly from Asia, a lot from the North American companies, and so a lot of it was being defined by the market anyway."

Summary: The £24.3bn deal to sell UK tech firm ARM to Japan's Softbank is an example of the UK "selling out of our winners", former City minister Lord Myners has said.


On Thursday, the firm acknowledged it read the anonymous blogger's emails in order to identify an employee it suspected of leaking information. Microsoft owns Hotmail, a free email service now called Outlook.com. John Frank, deputy general counsel for Microsoft, said it took "extraordinary actions in this case". While the search was technically legal, he added Microsoft would consult outside counsel in the future. Microsoft's actions came to light this week as part of a legal case by US prosecutors against an ex-Microsoft employee, Alex Kibalko, who was a Russian native based in the company's Lebanon office. In 2012, Microsoft had been alerted to the fact that the blogger, whose identity was kept anonymous in the court papers, had been given some stolen lines of code from the not-yet-released Windows 8 operating system. The blogger then posted screenshots of the unreleased Windows operating system to his blog. To figure out the source of the leak, Microsoft began an investigation and, as part of that search, looked into the blogger's accounts to find out the name of the employee. The search was legal because it fell within Microsoft's terms of service which state that the company can access information in accounts that are stored on its "Communication Services", which includes email, chat areas, forums, and other communication facilities. The terms of service add: "Microsoft reserves the right to review materials posted to the Communication Services and to remove any materials in its sole discretion." Nonetheless, revelations of the search have led to renewed focus on the privacy violations of technology firms. It has also left Microsoft in a difficult position, as the firm has often criticised rival Google for its automatic scanning of users' emails in order to serve them with advertising.

Summary: Microsoft is caught up in a privacy storm after it admitted it read the Hotmail inbox of a blogger while pursuing a software leak investigation.


Frazier Glenn Miller Jr, 74, targeted the sites in Kansas last year and will be put to death by lethal injection. Johnson County District Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan said: "Your attempt to bring hate to this community, to bring terror to this community, has failed." Miller responded to the sentence, by shouting "heil Hitler" before he was removed from the courtroom. He was convicted of one count of capital murder, three counts of attempted murder, and assault and weapons charges. Miller, also known as Frazier Glenn Cross, represented himself during the trial. He admitted to killing William Corporon, 69, and his grandson Reat Griffin Underwood, 14, outside the Jewish Community Centre in Overland Park, Kansas. Terri LaManno, 53, was killed outside a Jewish retirement centre. Miller told the jurors he "knew" they were going to put him on death row, and he did not care what sentence he would receive. He said he was motivated to kill Jews before he died because he believes they have too much power. Before the shooting, Miller founded several white supremacist groups and later ran twice for elected office on a white power platform.

Summary: A judge has sentenced a white supremacist to death for the killing of three people at two Jewish centres.


Elias Kachunga nipped in after Norwich failed to clear a long ball to score his 12th goal of the season. Aaron Mooy made it 2-0 with a low shot that beat Michael McGovern at his near post and Nahki Wells fired in a third underneath the visitors' goalkeeper. Huddersfield are nine points behind Brighton with a game in hand. Philip Billing had hit the post in the opening minutes for the home side and Wells struck the woodwork late on, although their three goals came at a time when Norwich - who remain nine points off a play-off place with six games to play - were having their best spell of the match. However, the game turned when Canaries defender Ryan Bennett did not deal with Tommy Smith's hopeful pass forward and Kachunga outpaced his opponent before firing in first time past McGovern. Huddersfield's victory ensured a successful return to action for midfielder Jonathan Hogg, less than three weeks after a neck injury which threatened to rule him out for the remainder of the season. There were fears that Hogg had fractured his neck in the 4-0 loss at Bristol City on 17 March, but the initial diagnosis was proved incorrect and he was cleared to return to training at the start of April. Huddersfield head coach David Wagner: "There is a long way to go but this is a big step towards a play-off position, and that's an unbelievable achievement for this club. "I've said all along, but people don't believe me, that we don't feel any pressure. We are enjoying what we are doing. We are still the small dog Huddersfield Town. Look at our budget. We know where we have come from and we know how hard it is to win in the Championship. "I am delighted about the performance all over the pitch. It was a totally deserved win and I am very proud of the players. We were poor against Bristol City but you try to learn and get better and we were unlucky to lose against Burton. Tonight we showed what we are capable of. The players trust each other and believe in what we are doing." Norwich interim boss Alan Irvine: "We went from being in a promising position to caving in and that is something the new manager needs to address. have been frank with the players and they have said the same among themselves. We cannot cave in like this. "It's a weakness of character that we've had this season and that must change. Alex (Neil) tried to solve that by changing the personnel because he thought it might be individuals, but it's throughout the team at the present time. "Whoever comes in will make their own decisions. It appears to be clear what needs to be done but it's someone else's decision." Match ends, Huddersfield Town 3, Norwich City 0. Second Half ends, Huddersfield Town 3, Norwich City 0. Attempt missed. Tareiq Holmes-Dennis (Huddersfield Town) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Corner, Huddersfield Town. Conceded by Michael

Summary: Three goals in seven second-half minutes gave Huddersfield a 3-0 win over Norwich which lifted the Terriers back up to third in the Championship.


Tshibola, 20, came through the Royals' academy system and signed his first professional contract last summer. He made his professional debut against Nottingham Forest in August. Bingham, 21, joined Mansfield from Wigan Athletic in the summer and has scored four goals in 20 games for the Stags in all competitions. Pools are awaiting clearance from the Football Association and the Football League for the duo to feature against Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.

Summary: Hartlepool United have signed Reading midfielder Aaron Tshibola on a one-month loan deal and Mansfield striker Rakish Bingham on a season-long loan.


The announcement came during a trade mission to China involving business leaders from across Scotland. SCC said a recent Chinese policy of opening up to new overseas alliances presented "a myriad of opportunities" for Scottish businesses. It added there was potential to sell goods and services which Chinese firms and consumers wanted and needed. The trade mission saw SCC hold meetings with senior business people, politicians and local government officials, as well as "think tanks" in Beijing, Yantai and Jinan in the eastern province of Shandong. The Scottish delegation was led by SCC's new president, Tim Allan, and chief executive Liz Cameron. During the visit, SCC signed a memorandum of understanding for "trade engagement and partnership" with senior officials from the Yantai municipal government. Ms Cameron said: "This exploratory visit is part of the new partnership which was formed between Scottish business, through our extensive chamber network, and the Scottish government to utilise the worldwide connectivity of the business community. "We now have a deeper understanding of how we can achieve the best exchange for business, where the opportunities exist for Scottish organisations and how we can best pursue these. "We have also identified several potential opportunities for inward investment into Scotland and will be working with Scottish government and SDI as well as other trade organisations to explore these and leverage the momentum of change within China." She added: "Our next steps will be to undertake a deep-dive of companies based in Scotland who have products, skills and expertise which have the potential to be exported to the Shandong Province area. "Our aim is to add impetus to the Scottish economy by assisting companies who have not previously thought about exporting to grasp the potential that international trade offers." According to SCC, Shandong Province represents the third largest economy in China, with a population of nearly 100 million. Key sectors it has identified as being of interest to Scottish businesses include robotics, bioscience, manufacturing, engineering and smart technologies, agriculture, food and drink and football management. SCC said there were also opportunities in consumer goods, recreation and tourism services, financial and professional services and education. SCC intends to return to the province later this year to "explore new ways to foster co-operation between the two countries".

Summary: Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) has officially opened a new international trade office in Yantai, China.


Holland and Jenkins' compatriot Stanford pre-qualified for the team in 2015, leaving one more place to fill. The likelihood is whoever finishes first out of Jenkins, 31, and Jody Stimpson in the World Triathlon race on Australia's Gold Coast will be picked. "I would love to qualify for another Olympics and go to Rio," said Jenkins. The two-time former World Champion finished third behind Stimpson in the opening round in Abu Dhabi on 5 March. "I was happy to come away with a third in Abu Dhabi," Jenkins told BBC Wales Sport. "I'd had a chest infection and came off antibiotics on the Monday and raced on the Saturday." The GB team will be announced before the Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, 11-12 June. British Triathlon say the quality of the performance in Gold Coast will be taken into consideration as well as the finishing positions. The Welsh athlete would need to finish ahead of Stimpson and show Olympic medal-winning potential. Jenkins won the world title in 2008 and 2011, and represented Team GB at two Olympic games. Media playback is not supported on this device "I've been to Beijing and London," she said. "Qualifying means a lot, but it's not going to kill me if I don't go, I'm a lot more balanced coming in to this Olympic cycle. "I have a massive desire to go, but have balance in my life so if I don't go I have other things I want to concentrate on." Jenkins has been in Australia for three weeks preparing for this weekend's race. "I think my fitness has come on really well since I've been here," she added. "I've had a really decent, consistent block of training and got some more harder running done on the road, which I haven't really done up until this point. I'm feeling strong in all disciplines." It makes a change for Jenkins who has been plagued with injuries in recent seasons. "I'm not going to lie, there's been a few times when it's nearly been it and I've thought I just can't do this any more . . . there's been tears," said Jenkins. "But there's always something that keeps me going. I don't know what it is - but there is something that keeps you going." See Helen Jenkins' interview on Sport Wales, BBC Two Wales, 19:30 BST on Friday, 8 April.

Summary: Welsh athlete Helen Jenkins is determined to join Non Stanford and Vicky Holland in the GB triathlon team at the Rio Olympics.


The Bristol-raised creator of the Open Bionics project says he can 3D-scan an amputee and build them a custom-fitted socket and hand in less than two days. It typically takes weeks or months to obtain existing products. Joel Gibbard says he aims to start selling the prosthetics next year. "We have a device at the lower-end of the pricing scale and the upper end of functionality," he told the BBC. "At the same time it is very lightweight and it can be customised for each person. "The hand is basically a skeleton with a 'skin' on top. So, we can do different things to the skin - we can put patterns on it, we can change the styling and design. There's quite a lot of flexibility there." The 25-year-old inventor intends to charge customers £2,000 for the device, including the cost of a fitting. Although prosthetic arms fitted with hooks typically can be bought for similar prices, ones with controllable fingers are usually sold for between £20,000 and £60,000. That cost can sometimes be prohibitive for children, who usually need to change their prosthetic once or twice a year to take account of their growth. Open Bionics' hand relies on myoelectric signals, meaning it detects muscle movements via sensors stuck to the owner's skin and uses them to control its grip. A single flex of the wearer's muscles opens and closes the fingers, while a double flex changes the shape to form a pinch grip. Although the user cannot feel what the fingers are touching, sensors built into the digits can tell when they come into contact with an object to limit the pressure they exert. This means owners can pick up objects as fragile as an egg without crushing them. However, Mr Gibbard acknowledges there are still some limitations to his design. "We're using lower-cost motors than they have in high-end devices, so the overall strength is lower," he said. "So, we are testing it with users and household objects and trying to come to a compromise that means it is very affordable and still has enough power to do most of the stuff that people want." The UK engineering prize includes a £2,220 reward and the chance to compete for an international title worth $45,000 (£28,600). But, perhaps more valuably, it will also help the project gain wider recognition. "Joel Gibbard is to be congratulated in advancing the availability of functioning prosthetic devices at affordable prices," commented Miss Barbara Jemec, founding chair of the British Foundation for International Reconstructive Surgery and Training (BFirst), on learning of the prize. "Amputees, especially in developing countries, such as Sierra Leone where the civil war left many upper limb amputees, need to have access to affordable and durable prosthetics that work. "A working hand can make all the difference between hunger and being able to work and take care of yourself and your family. I shall be following the development with interest." Open Bionics started as a bedroom-based crowdfunding project in 2013, which was supported by Bristol Robotics Laboratory. Since then the design has

Summary: A prototype 3D-printed robotic hand that can be made faster and more cheaply than current alternatives is this year's UK winner of the James Dyson Award.


Football supporters submitted a Freedom of Information request to obtain the tenancy agreement amid claims the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) would subsidise the rent. An Information Commissioner has said LLDC, which denied the claims, must now comply with the FOI request. LLDC had refused to reveal its rent on grounds of commercial sensitivity. The decision comes ahead of West Ham moving into the stadium for the start of the 2016-2017 football season. In reaching a decision dated 3 September, the commissioner said neither West Ham nor LLDC had been able to show how revealing the details of the tenancy agreement would place them at a commercial disadvantage or how this information could be exploited by a competitor. The stadium was built using tax payers' money and is currently in public ownership. LLDC manages the stadium and is believed to be considering whether to appeal against the independent commissioner's decision. A coalition of 14 supporters' trusts from around the country called on LLDC head, London Mayor Boris Johnson, to waive its right to appeal. They said an appeal would further delay the publication of the tenancy agreement, which they argue is in the public interest. In a statement, the trusts said the deal raised issues over the apparent use of public money to "subsidise a commercial football business". "It seems the taxpayer will be paying the cost of a series of overheads which every other club, rightly, has to pay for themselves," they said. "It is important that the taxpayer is allowed to know exactly what has gone on here, and to judge whether it is a responsible and fair use of public money." The supporters' trusts had argued the Olympic Stadium deal could give the Hammers a competitive advantage and asked the government to investigate in August, but the government said the deal had been "scrutinised" and rejected their request. Previously a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "West Ham United has a concession at the stadium and their contributions reflect that status. "The contract, awarded after an open public competition, has been widely scrutinised and tested in court. The stadium remains in public ownership and the profits from its multiple uses will flow to the taxpayer." The Olympic Stadium deal allows West Ham to host all of their home matches at the stadium. British Athletics will take control of the arena for one month every summer. LLDC has until 8 October to reveal the commercial details of the Olympic Stadium tenancy agreement.

Summary: The managers of the Olympic Stadium have been told to make public the details of a rental deal with West Ham.


Scotland's early lead had gone, the sides were level at 1-1 and the frailties at the heart of their defence were evident again. "It was a crisis," said the Scotland manager, earnestly. Crisis was a strong word to use, but it was Strachan's word and it was a revealing one. It spoke not just to the predicament his team were in against a nation ranked 176th in the world but also to Scotland's previous opening days in major championship qualification. The 0-0 draw against Lithuania that got the Euro 2000 campaign off to a grim start. The 2-2 draw against the Faroes in the first round of matches for Euro 2004. The 0-0 draw with Slovenia in week one of the qualifiers for World Cup 2006. The loss to Macedonia on the first day of the campaign to make the World Cup in 2010. The draw with Lithuania that put Scotland on the back foot straight away in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. The draw with Serbia that did the same for World Cup 2014. Scotland failed to qualify for all those tournaments, as if anybody needs reminding. "Everybody was concerned," said Strachan, about half-time in Malta. "But we had a bunch of lads who could deal with the stress." Scotland had enjoyed 72.5% possession in that opening half and their dominance of the ball wasn't reflected in a dominance on the scoreboard. This is not unusual when teams play Malta, but it's still unsettling at the time. Lots of possession doesn't always mean lots of goals. Malta can be slapstick but, on their very best days, they can also be stuffy. Strachan would have known that. Maybe that's where the mention of a "crisis" came from, a realisation that while the minnows don't win matches, they do have the capacity, from time to time, to frustrate. In the qualifiers for Euro 2016, Italy had 71% possession (and a one-man advantage for 46 minutes) against Malta and yet only scored once against them. In the return match, they had 70% possession and again they broke down their opponents only once. In the same group, Croatia had their issues with the Maltese. They, like Italy, had a one-man advantage, for 59 minutes, and enjoyed 70% of the ball but only scored twice, the second coming nine minutes from the end. In their second game with Malta, they had 64% possession and only won 1-0. Strachan had mentioned their stuffiness in the preamble. At half-time, that fear wouldn't have been far from his mind. In fairness to them, Scotland picked up the banana skin and flung it out of their road. At 2-1, they had retaken control of the game, then they benefited from a horrific refereeing error that gave them a penalty they didn't deserve, a decision that also unjustly reduced Malta to 10 men with half-an-hour left. In the Euro qualifiers, 10-man Malta managed to batten down the hatches against the 11 men of Italy and Croatia but they couldn't repeat the trick against Scotland. Strachan's team got seriously lucky with the penalty

Summary: The ghosts of failures past must have been swirling around Gordon Strachan's ears at half-time in Malta on Sunday night.


The winger, 23, set up Martin Samuelsen's goal before scoring the second in Saturday's 2-0 win over Charlton Athletic at the Abax Stadium. Maddison has now provided a league-high 15 assists for 11th-placed Posh, who are eight points off the play-offs. "On his day he is one of the best in this league, if not the best," McCann told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. "We want to try to get his best out of him more than not his best, if you know what I mean. He's bringing a lot more to the table this year." Peterborough signed Maddison, who started his career at Newcastle United, from Gateshead in 2014. "Goal-scoring wise I've been a bit off," said Maddison, who has scored eight times this season. "But assist wise, I'm up there. I've just got to help the team in any way I can."

Summary: Peterborough United manager Grant McCann says Marcus Maddison is the best player in League One "on his day".


Hartley, 28, headed home from a 91st-minute corner to send the Pilgrims to Wembley for the first time in 20 years. "I've never experienced anything like that, it's the biggest moment of my career so far," he told BBC Sport. "I was sat in the dressing room and the boys were celebrating and I was just thinking 'what's happened?'" Having drawn the first leg 2-2 at Fratton Park, the Pilgrims - who finished fifth in League two despite having led the league by five points in November - had almost all the chances in the second leg at Home Park. But the game seemed to be heading for extra time until former Stevenage and Hartlepool defender Hartley came up with the winner in front of the Argyle end. "I remember connecting with the ball and it hit the back of the boy's head and hit my head again and went in," he said. "Then I woke up and there was some big bald guy kissing me in the face. "We set up perfectly to nullify Portsmouth's threat and I think we look like a real good outfit. "I don't think Accrington or AFC Wimbledon will fancy playing us at Wembley."

Summary: Peter Hartley says scoring the injury-time winner for Plymouth Argyle in the League Two play-off semi-final against Portsmouth is his greatest moment.


Kim Wall, 30, was last seen on Thursday evening on board the vessel with the owner, 46-year-old Peter Madsen. The submarine later sank and Mr Madsen was rescued before being arrested and charged with manslaughter. The stricken vessel, the Nautilus, has been raised but no body was found and the search for Ms Wall goes on. Mr Madsen initially said that he dropped Ms Wall off before it sank but police say he has now changed his statement - although they have not said what to. Police gave no other information on why they thought the Nautilus was deliberately sunk, but it contradicts Mr Madsen's explanation that there was a technical fault. Mr Madsen has denied involvement in Ms Wall's death, and will be held in custody for 24 days while investigations continue. Ms Wall's boyfriend first reported her missing after she failed to return from what should have been a short trip on the submarine. She had been writing about Mr Madsen and his submarine, which at one stage was the largest privately-made vessel of its kind. Police are still appealing for witnesses who may have seen Ms Wall on Thursday evening. "We're still hoping that we'll find Kim Wall alive, but we are preparing ourselves for the fact that she may not be," Copenhagen police homicide chief Jens Moller said.

Summary: Danish police believe that a submarine at the centre of an investigation into a missing Swedish journalist was deliberately sunk.


In 2015, voter turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds was estimated to be 43%, compared with a 66.1% turnout overall. This year, YouGov puts the youth turnout at 58%. Polling traditionally shows that a majority of young people vote Labour. This year, the proportion has jumped to 63% for 18-29-year-olds, according to YouGov. So how did this change happen? Sam Jeffers, co-founder of Who Targets Me, which monitored the use of social media adverts by the political parties during the general election, said it seemed clear that Labour defeated the Conservatives in the social media battle. Labour's adverts had consistently been shared more widely by social media users, he said. Part of this appears to be down to the difference in tone of the adverts. While the Conservatives had almost entirely focused their adverts on the strength of Prime Minister Theresa May and the weakness of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Labour's social media adverts had been more positive, seeking to emphasise that the party was building a social movement, he said. And this had been combined with the repeated use of adverts with practical messages designed to increase youth voter turnout by giving instructions on how to register to vote and where to find local polling stations. Adverts also appeared to have been released on specific days on the basis that their message was likely to cut through for only a limited amount of time, Mr Jeffers said. For example, Labour had invested heavily on adverts attacking the Tories' so-called "dementia tax" on social care costs, days before the 8 June election. The aim of this appeared to be to suppress the older, potentially Conservative, vote or get them to switch to Labour at the last minute, Mr Jeffers said. Labour also focused its attention on more of the UK, targeting 464 constituencies in the final two days of the election campaign. The Tories targeted 205. Was it Facebook wot swung it? While the Labour Party paid for targeted adverts on social media, Momentum - the group that was set up to support Mr Corbyn's leadership bid and now campaigns for Labour - had a different social media strategy. Rather than pay for advertising, it instead sought to create content it hoped social media users would share voluntarily. The group created videos - many of them parodies - it hoped would become viral. These included Daddy, why do you hate me? - a mock political broadcast telling people to vote for Theresa May "because your children deserve worse" - which Momentum says has been viewed more than 7.6 million times across social media platforms. Its Facebook and Twitter pages feature a mixture of content, from posts mocking Theresa May's record to videos of Mr Corbyn hugging some of his supporters. Joe Todd, from Momentum, said the group had felt its strategy was working when it had realised many of the people sharing its content were not typical supporters of Mr Corbyn. Increasingly, users liking its Facebook page had been people who also liked the pages of TV programmes not known for their political

Summary: A boosted youth vote is believed to have contributed to Labour's shock election result, but what made young people turn out to vote?


Media playback is not supported on this device In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Bach stands by his handling of the crisis, but admits there are "deficiencies" in the current anti-doping system. Speaking at a meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees in Doha, the German pledged to increase funding in the fight for clean sport, if the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) was reformed. Meanwhile, Bach said he was considering a request to appear at a hearing next month of a US Congressional committee investigating anti-doping. The 62-year-old also insisted that the Rio Games had been a "great success" despite a troubled build-up and concerns over the cost of staging the event. "Achieving this under extremely difficult circumstances to make it the most watched Games in history is a great demonstration of the relevance and success of the Olympics," he said. The IOC has been heavily criticised for resisting calls from Wada to impose a blanket ban on the Russian team in the wake of a damning report by Professor Richard McLaren into systemic, state-assisted cheating and the manipulation of samples. In August, Bach rejected this as a "nuclear option" and instead gave responsibility to international federations to make decisions about their specific sport. The IAAF, athletics' world governing body, had already banned the country's track and field athletes, but hundreds of Russians competed in Rio, with the team coming fourth in the medal table. When asked if he had any regrets, Bach said: "In general, no. Take the Russian decision; we have such broad support within the Olympic movement, the national Olympic committees, the international federations, the major athlete representatives, and in the political world, where this decision was highly appreciated. "I was always sure, because with this decision we were defending our values and I always was sure we should not take a political decision. We should take a decision for sport, a decision which is doing justice to the athletes. "If you are convinced of your values then you can also weather a storm because you know in the long run - once the dust has settled and the storm is over - then the people will realise that the values have been respected. This is why in this point I don't have any regrets." McLaren's second report into Russian doping at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games is expected early next month with speculation it could lead to pressure for further sanctions against the country for the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. When asked how long it could take before Russia could be trusted again, Bach said: "That depends on the report because I don't know what's going to happen. "We have to wait and then anticipate this final report of the IOC as we've created two commissions who will also give the Russian side a chance to be heard. This is a fair procedure and then the IOC will take all of the necessary measures and sanctions." Wada holds a board meeting in Glasgow this weekend where there will be an attempt to agree a

Summary: The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach says he has "no regrets" about letting Russia compete at the Rio Games this summer, despite a state-sponsored cheating programme.


The 27-year-old had been due to face Wladimir Klitschko in a rematch, before the Ukrainian retired on Thursday. The WBA says Joshua and Ortiz have 30 days from 3 August to agree the fight. Joshua, who beat Klitschko at Wembley in April, has also been told he must face IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev before 2 December or risk being stripped of his belt. There had been plans for Joshua to fight Klitschko in Las Vegas on 11 November and Ortiz's manager, Jay Jimenez, has said his fighter could fill the void. Jimenez told Boxingscene: "We are next. We have no problem fighting on that date of November 11th in Las Vegas. Our mandatory takes precedent over Pulev's and they know that." Ortiz, 38, has 23 knockouts from 27 wins, while Pulev, 36, has one defeat in his 26 fights, with 13 stoppages. Joshua holds two of the four major belts, with New Zealand's Joseph Parker the WBO champion, while American Deontay Wilder has the WBC belt.

Summary: British heavyweight Anthony Joshua has been ordered by the WBA to defend his title against Cuba's Luis Ortiz.


Blackwell retired from boxing after he suffered bleeding on his skull and was put in an induced coma in a loss to Eubank in March. Eubank Jr will be defending his British middleweight title for the first time. "I'm not going to let a situation like what happened in my last fight affect my future performances," he said. The fight against unbeaten Doran, 28, is on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's IBF heavyweight title defence against Dominic Breazeale at London's O2 Arena. Blackwell woke from his coma a week after the fight, which was stopped in the 10th round, without requiring an operation. Eubank Sr, who was a two-time world champion in the 1990s, admitted he lost his killer instinct after the 1991 rematch with Michael Watson that left the latter with near-fatal brain injuries. But Eubank Jr, 26, said that would not happen to him as he and his father are "two different men". He added: "Something like that might affect someone's fighting style and mindset. For me, I've used it to fuel myself even more. "I'm in there to win, defend myself and attack, and to further my career, so there is no mercy. "It's the referee's job. It's not for me to have to say I should ease up."

Summary: Chris Eubank Jr says he will not be affected by his last fight with Nick Blackwell and has vowed to display "no mercy" against Tom Doran on Saturday.


There are around 200 suicides a year of people cared for by crisis teams - three times the number in hospitals. A third had been discharged from hospital in the previous fortnight, while a further third had been using the service for less than a week. The University of Manchester report suggests crisis teams in the UK are under too much pressure. Crisis resolution/home treatment (CRHT) teams are made up of psychiatrists, mental health nurses, social workers and support workers. They visit patients in their homes, administering medication and offering psychological and practical support. By Michael Buchanan, BBC social affairs correspondent Twenty years ago, there was a broad consensus within the NHS that suicides among psychiatric patients were inevitable. The landscape has now changed. Medics in Detroit proved that you could cut out all suicides and now the more innovative parts of the NHS are trying to embark on a similar exercise. But reaching that goal requires a culture change. Not just to appreciate that it is possible, but to invest in the training and other resources that will make it possible. Too often, inpatient beds have been cut with the NHS promising the savings will be invested in community services. Twenty years of research, with ever increasing suicides under the care of crisis teams, shows that simply hasn't happened. Too many psychiatric patients are still simply being failed. One other important point this research highlights - those NHS trusts that involve families in investigating deaths improve performance. Why some trusts fail to do so, or engage in some tokenistic efforts, is utterly baffling. The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCISH) report suggests the teams are bearing the pressure of caring for patients who actually need a more acute level of care, such as inpatient beds. It said crisis teams had become the "default option" in acute care "used for too many patients at high risk". Prof Louis Appleby, director of NCISH, said: "Our findings suggest that we are accepting too much risk in the home treatment these teams offer and that the crisis team is now the priority for suicide prevention in mental health." The report suggests people who live alone - as 43% of those who committed suicide did - were at particular risk and that the crisis team may not have been a "suitable" level of care. Poor access to specialist help for drug and alcohol misuse was also noted by the authors. Joy Hibbins suffered a "horrifying, shocking, terrifying and profoundly distressing" incident in 2012. Within days, she was feeling suicidal for the first time in her life, and was directed towards her local crisis team. "I found it almost impossible to engage with them as there were so many of them," she says. "A different person was coming out to see me every day. "When you've been through something extremely traumatic it is hard enough to build trust with one person, never mind a whole team and it meant that I was having to repeat information about the experience to

Summary: Suicides of people being cared for in the community are higher than among hospital inpatients, a report says.


However, since 1987 racial and political tensions have been a steady source of instability and international isolation. In 1987 a coup by indigenous Fijians overthrew the elected, Indian-dominated coalition. This triggered a series of adverse events, including the introduction - and subsequent withdrawal - of a constitution enshrining indigenous Fijian political supremacy. A further coup in 2000, led by businessman George Speight, saw the country's first ethnic Indian prime minister, his cabinet and several MPs held hostage for several weeks. These events caused great harm to the economy - the tourism industry in particular - and Fiji's international reputation. Rancour over the 2000 coup persisted, with bitter divisions over plans to grant an amnesty to those behind it. The continuing tensions generated by these disputes culminated in a bloodless military takeover in 2006 - Fiji's fourth coup in 20 years. In September 2009, Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth over its lack of progress towards democracy. It was only the second full suspension in the organisation's history. In 2012 the government agreed to hold free elections in 2014, prompting Fiji's powerful neighbours Australia and New Zealand to restore full diplomatic ties. Following the elections the Commonwealth re-instated Fiji as a member. Fiji's population, which resides mostly on the two main islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, is divided between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, the descendents of indentured labourers brought from India. The two groups were of roughly equal numbers until the mid-2000s, by which time coups and agitation had prompted thousands of Indo-Fijians to flee. Indigenous Fijians now make up small overall majority. Mixing between the two groups is minimal, and informal segregation runs deep at almost every level of society. There are also very small non-Indo-Fijian, non-Fijian minority communities, such as Chinese and Rotumans. Although the former British colony relies heavily on the sugar and tourism industries for its foreign exchange, its economy is diverse. Gold, silver and limestone are mined, and there is a strong services sector and some light manufacturing. Nonetheless, Fiji has been hampered by persistent trade and budget deficits, making it one of the world's largest per capita recipients of aid.

Summary: The 800-plus volcanic and coral islands that make up the Pacific nation of Fiji enjoy a tropical climate and host a significant tourism industry.


Women at risk of birthing complications are to be taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, about 102 miles from Wick, under the proposal. The move which will see the withdrawal of consultant obstetrics was agreed on grounds of safety, the board said. However, the change is opposed by a local campaign. A number of campaigners travelled from Caithness to stage a demonstration outside the board's meeting in Inverness. The CMU setup could be in place by April next year. Chiefs at NHS Highland said the health board already operated seven CMUs and has "a lot of experience" of this type of care. The maternity unit at Caithness General is currently led by consultant obstetricians, but it has no facilities for on-site specialist neonatal paediatric support or adult intensive care. NHS Highland has said that the majority of births at the hospital can be handled by midwives only. Internal and external reviews of services at Wick support the need for the planned changes, the health board said. Five newborn babies have died at the hospital since 2010. An external review and report suggested that at least two were "potentially avoidable". Dr Rod Harvey, NHS Highland's medical director, said the midwife-led unit would be able to identify problems in pregnancies at an early stage, allowing preparations to be made to provide care to mothers and their babies. He told BBC Radio Scotland that pregnant women who had to be transferred would be moved in a "calm and collected way". Dr Harvey said: "We are not looking for women to be transferred in large numbers in emergency ambulances. Clearly that will occasionally occur and that facility has to be available. "What we are looking to do is transfer women ideally before they go into labour, or in the very earliest stages of labour when there is still plenty of time, and to avoid ambulance emergency transfers. "We know that is a very successful model. We have got seven other Community Midwife Units in other parts of the Highlands, so we have got a lot of experience of this type of care." However, it has been claimed that mothers living in Caithness are considering not having more children because of planned changes to maternity services, it has been claimed. Bill Fernie, a Highland councillor for Wick, said he knows of young mothers "seriously thinking about limiting their families". He said people in the local community regard the health board's proposed changes to a years-long set up as a further downgrading of health services in the Far North. Mr Fernie told BBC Radio Scotland: "Certainly no-one wants to see anything unsafe, but if it is so unsafe why has very little if anything be done in the last 11 years to sort this out? "Now they come forward and all they can suggest is another downgrading. "They cannot guarantee there will be no deaths in coming years just because they have removed the consultants and have a midwife-only led unit. "Some young mothers are seriously thinking about limiting their families and not having any more children if

Summary: The board of NHS Highland has approved a plan to set up maternity services at Caithness General in Wick as a Community Midwife Unit (CMU).


The London-born, USA-raised 21-year-old will count as a foreign import because of his overseas junior development. "My dad loves it," he said. "It's different from soccer, but he loves the intensity of it. "He's only an hour and a half away, so he'll be able to get to watch me play more than he's ever done." Asked whether his football-mad dad, a former Brentford trialist and passionate Celtic and Scotland fan, understands the game, Stewart added: "I've told him that, whenever we score, or the opposition score, he's just got to make sure he cheers for the right team." "Liam is a very important signing for us," said Blaze head coach Danny Stewart. "He adds to our depth which will be crucial next season." Blaze, who won the Elite League five times in eight seasons between 2003 and 2010, finished sixth last season. Liam Stewart first developed an interest in ice hockey after moving to America to live with his mother in Southern California at the age of three. He played at a junior level with the Spokane Chiefs, before making two play-off appearances for the Quad City Mallards, and then making 13 appearances last season for the Alaska Aces. "I was there for a couple of months before I got injured," he said. "The injury is fully recovered now and I am itching to get back on the ice to start the season."

Summary: Elite League side Coventry Blaze have signed Liam Stewart, son of music legend Rod and former model Rachel Hunter, for the 2016-17 season.


William Blake: Apprentice and Master has opened at the Ashmolean Museum after 19th Century floor plans were unearthed. Blake created the majority of his books from a printing studio in the Hercules Buildings in Hercules Road, Lambeth. The studio was destroyed when the building was razed in 1918. Philip Pullman CBE, president of the Blake Society, said: "William Blake was a complete original; his power was his tenderness, his wit, his graphic line are like no-one else's. "It's good to remind people every so often about this colossal imagination and his moral vision, which are just as potent now after two hundred years as they were when he brought them into the world." The exhibition is on until 1 March 2015.

Summary: A recreation of the studio where William Blake created some of his most well-known work has opened in Oxford.


Noss Primary in Wick is closed until 30 May following what Highland Council described as a "significant failure" at the Â£15.4m building on Tuesday. Gail Ross, who is the local MSP and a councillor, said it was "a saving grace" that pupils were having their lunch and not in the rooms at the time. The new school only opened to pupils last month. It was built as a replacement for Wick's North and Hillhead primary schools. Ms Ross, who helped to unveil the name for the new school in 2014, described Tuesday's burst as "worrying" and "concerning". She told BBC Radio Scotland: "I spoke to the headmaster yesterday. He told me he came upon it in the corridor and its was like a sauna - a boiling hot water pipe had burst above two classrooms. "The only saving grace was that the children were in the dining hall at the time because it doesn't bear thinking about the consequences of that if the kids had been in the classrooms." Highland Council said the school was closed "due to a significant failure" of a hot water connection to the heating system in the ceiling of the east wing of the building. The local authority said work repairing and testing the system was expected to take three days. Graham Nichols, an officer at Highland Council, said: "While this is disappointing, the testing will give us confidence in the integrity of the water systems, and allow additional time for the building to dry out."

Summary: A "boiling hot" water pipe burst above two classrooms at a new school, an MSP has revealed.


Speaking at the London Guildhall, Mr Valls said the British media consistently portrayed France as "left-wing and anti-business". Earlier in the day, Mr Valls met David Cameron in Downing Street. The two prime ministers spoke about the ongoing threat of European recruits to Islamic State, as well as economic co-operation. Mr Valls, a member of the French Socialist Party, was appointed prime minister by President Francois Hollande in March. Chancellor George Osborne was also in attendance. Mr Cameron said the two nations were "strong allies" who faced "the same challenge in responding to Isil [Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant] in Iraq and Syria". He added that although he and his French counterpart were from "different political families", he was confident "there is a lot we can share in terms of experience about what needs to happen" in the future. The two men also discussed immigration in the European Union. A Downing Street spokesman said: "The prime minister raised the issue of free movement and said it should not be an unqualified right." "The prime minister thanked Prime Minister Valls for their co-operation in stronger security measures at Calais, and they agreed that more should be done across Europe to reduce the pull factors and to get countries where migrants arrive first to take responsibility for them." In his speech to a group of financiers and executives in the City of London, Mr Valls said sections of the British media and business classes needed to get past a "caricature" of France. He opened the speech by saying: "A French prime minister in the City is an event - a socialist French prime minister in the City is a revolution. "Every day I read your press, I listen and I watch what is being said about France. Too often I see in some of your newspapers some bias, prejudices and attacks as well," he said, with a tendency to portray France as "left-wing and anti-business". He also referenced the comments of John Lewis managing director Andy Street, who apologised last week after describing France as a nation "in decline" and saying he would advise anyone with investments in the country to "get them out quickly". Mr Valls said on Monday: "Let me remind this British businessman who all of a sudden had some sort of startling vision and said that France was finished. "He has presented excuses and apologised, and I would like to thank him for doing that, because he had forgotten that France was the fifth-largest economy in the world and second in Europe." Describing his government as "pro-business", Mr Valls went on to say that the 75% tax rate on high earners introduced by President Hollande would be reversed next year. He also announced that shops and museums in France would soon be permitted to open on Sundays. The visit comes in the wake of news last week that the European Commission is likely to reject France's draft budget at the end of this month, invoking for the first time its power to demand changes to a national budget.

Summary: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has attacked the British "caricature" of France.


The 32-year-old was released by the Paisley club after making more than 330 appearances over two stints. "He's played at the highest level in Scotland and is top flight quality," manager Ian Murray told the club website. "A player of his calibre opting to join us is a very good sign." A League Cup winner with the Buddies in 2013, Van Zanten, who also had spells at Hibs, Morton and Hamilton, made 18 appearances last season. Van Zanten is the Championship club's second summer signing, following Scott Taggart's move from Morton.

Summary: Former St Mirren full-back David van Zanten has joined Dumbarton on a one-year deal, with the option of staying for a further 12 months.


Media playback is not supported on this device The 17-year-old from Gloucestershire won the champion apprentice trophy in his maiden season this year. Marquand has racked up 68 wins across the last 12 months, prompting his trainer Hannon to make the comparison with Moore. "I think he could be a champion jockey one day," Hannon told BBC Points West. "I would be amazed if he does not go right to the top, he is the name on everybody's lips at the moment." Marquand's rapid rise has seen him nominated for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2015 award. The jockey has been named on the final shortlist for the award, alongside gymnast Ellie Downie and para-swimmer Tully Kearney. "What he has achieved is a little bit special," added Hannon. "He is a lovely guy and thoroughly deserves his success. He is very popular and he has endeared himself with everybody." Hannon, who has 300 horses based at his stables near Marlborough, is the son of former flat jockey champion Richard Hannon Sr. Moore has enjoyed great success under the guidance of Hannon and won the champion apprentice title in 2003. Since then, Moore has established himself as one of the most respected flat jockeys in horse racing and was champion jockey in 2006, 2008 and 2009. "Ryan Moore performs on the big stage and he is the best jockey in the world at the moment. He is so professional and the ultimate jockey and that's who you want to be," said Marquand, who will find out if he has won the BBC award on Sunday. "It is a yard that is constantly in the limelight and it is big to be attached to somewhere like this."

Summary: Teenager Tom Marquand has been tipped to follow in the footsteps of three-times champion jockey Ryan Moore by his trainer Richard Hannon.


And it's tucked away for a very good reason. Inside, your senses are greeted by the smell of rotting dog food, the buzz of blowflies and the purple UV light of the fly killer ready to zap escapees. This is where the museum's forensic entomologists breed different species of fly in a bid to help the police solve crimes. Museum scientist Amoret Whitaker is one of just three forensic entomologists in the UK who regularly works with the police to determine the time of death of a corpse. "As soon as a person dies, their body starts to decompose and they give off specific odours. These different chemical signals are very very attractive to insects. And in the inital stages it's especially blowflies." "So when someone dies, fairly soon, it could be within minutes blowflies are attracted to the body and they will start laying eggs immediately. These will hatch into larvae or maggots and the developmental cycle will continue." "You get a lot of male blowflies hanging around, sitting on plants around the body, waiting for suitable female mates." And it is this cycle of life and death that is critical in helping the police when they are uncertain of the timing of someone's death. By understanding the "succession" rates or the speed of growth of flies, from an egg to the larval then adult stage she and her colleagues can determine the likely time that person died. But scientists only have developmental data on perhaps half of the twelve or so species of fly that are regulary found on dead bodies. By breeding them in "captivity" under different temperature conditions they can get more accurate information about the timing of their growth and so the process of death. The accuracy of that timing depends partly on how long the body has been decomposing. If she can get to see a corpse within days of its death, when that person died can be worked out to an accuracy within hours. But, if the body has lain undiscovered for weeks, or even months, then the precision of timing can be narrowed to a matter of days. This timing can even be used to help determine whether a suspicious death should be treated as murder. "In some cases of assault, if someone has been seen leaving a pub after a fight say, then that person is found dead a few days later, if we can determine when they died to a matter of hours, we can help establish whether the person died from the assault or other causes." The time of year can dramatically affect how a body decomposes. In one case Amoret and colleagues were involved in, a man disappeared in November but his body was not discovered until the following February. One pathologist report suggested the body had been dead for just a few weeks. In fact because he had died in winter his body had effectively been "mummified". The critical evidence came from Calliphora vicina, a bluebottle blowfly often found on dead bodies. C vicina grows all year round but

Summary: At the top of a long staircase in a room in a tower, far away from the throng of visitors and other scientists and laboratories is the Natural History Museum's insectory.


The historic walled market town is popular with overseas visitors, but if they arrive in a left-hand drive coach at the drop-off point, they have to step out into moving traffic. The drop-off point could be widened to provide a walkway on the right side for foreign-registered coaches. Residents have expressed concerns coaches are avoiding the town. The work would cost Â£85,910. A report by Marianne Jackson, Conwy council's head of community development service, says: "The existing coach drop off and pick up point in Conwy is well located from a passenger point of view, but presents a growing road safety risk with the lack of separation from the flow of traffic through the town centre. "This risk is amplified as we strive to increase the market share of continental visitors to Conwy, as any overseas visitors arriving by continental coach when entering or disembarking will be on the off-side of the coach. "This means that, without a footway on the off-side of the coach, they do so into and from the adjacent live carriageway, thus presenting a considerable road safety hazard." Deputy mayor of Conwy, Bill Chapman said: "If it's a bus from another country, from France, from Germany, people can get off and walk straight into the traffic so there is a danger to our visitors. "We need our visitors here in this town and we don't want to have them killed on the streets of Conwy." Toby Tunstall, chairman of Conwy chamber of trade said the work was much needed. "It can be quite frightening," he told BBC Wales. "We see people getting off coaches and going straight across the road with traffic driving pass. Getting back on the coach, they will cross the road with cars coming across their path. "We need the coach trade to keep the tourist industry in Conwy going. The foreign visitors at the moment in particular are really keeping us going at a quiet time of year. These improvements are a really good idea." The council is proposing taking part of the car park away to give buses more room to park and providing a pavement on the other side of the lay-by to keep pedestrians safe. Conwy council's cabinet is being recommended to approve the money needed for the work to take place.

Summary: A scheme to make the medieval town of Conwy safer for foreign tourists who arrive by coach is set for approval.


The Yongbyon site processes spent fuel from power stations and has been the source of plutonium for North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. The reactor was shut down in 2007 but Pyongyang said last year that it was operational again. It has since conducted its fourth test of a nuclear weapon. That and its multiple missile tests broke existing international sanctions and provoked further measures from the UN and individual countries. The IAEA has no access to North Korea after being thrown out in 2009, so relies largely on satellite data. But the agency's head, Yukiya Amano, said recent images indicated "activities related to the five-megawatt reactor, expansion of enrichment facilities and activities related to reprocessing". Vehicles have also been seen moving at the site and there are indications of warm water being discharged, which would suggest cooling operations. Other North Korean observers have also said in recent months that the plant appears to be working again. At North Korea's recent ruling party congress, leader Kim Jong-un reinforced his policy of economic development coupled with a strong nuclear programme.

Summary: North Korea appears to have restarted its nuclear facility at Yongbyon, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said.


Fresh from Australia's success at Eurovision - when contestant Dami Im came in second - many Australian residents are about to cast a much more important vote on Europe and its future. Anyone with a British passport who lives Down Under is eligible to participate in the UK's referendum on exiting the EU if they have registered to vote in the past 15 years. With 1.2 million British nationals in Australia, and 250,000 in New Zealand, both the stay and leave camps are in full campaign mode half a world away from the UK. Southern hemisphere votes have the potential to swing the knife-edge referendum. Posters supporting both sides have sprouted in areas popular with UK residents. In some locations, such as Perth, up to 15% of the population was born in England. The referendum vote is optional. As a result there has been a strong campaign just urging voters to post their ballot slips back from Australia. "Expat conversations swirl around it," says the Guardian's cartoonist David Squires. He is a household name in Britain, even though he migrated to Australia several years ago. "I'm just overloaded trying to work out the issues and the timing is woeful - the vote comes right after Eurovision, just before the Australian general election - and with all the noise of the US election too." He feels that it's odd to have a postal vote when he has essentially left the UK behind. "I really shouldn't have a vote. I'm an ex-pat who has migrated - almost the opposite as to what the vote is about. It's great for comedy though." Some expats have been incorrectly told they need to pay to return their postal vote, which uses the free International Business Reply Service (IBRS). Post offices have asked for up to A$68 (£32) to courier votes. The UK's Electoral Commission told the BBC in a statement it was working closely with postal operators to correct misunderstandings. Expats are also closely watching the sterling and the Australian dollar, among the world's most-traded and most-volatile currency pairs. The value of the pound has recently veered between A$1.50 and A$3. At its last meeting the Reserve Bank of Australia deferred changing interest rates ahead of the Brexit vote, calling it a "near-term risk" with considerable implications for the Australian dollar. "Sterling could take a pounding with a Brexit," confirms Australian business commentator Ross Greenwood. He has spoken to many business leaders in the UK about the impact of a Brexit. "Mind you, the pound dropping would make the UK's exports more competitive, giving a boon to UK tourism. Aussies would queue at Kingsford Smith [Sydney's airport] keen to get a cheap trip back," he says. "Hundreds of Australian companies are champing at the bit to get access to Britain. They want a UK Free Trade Agreement on much better terms than Europe. "Many farmers have been enviously eyeing up their traditional British market for Australian milk, beef and wool. It would build an economic relationship that used to be the cornerstone of the Australian and British

Summary: Australians sending in postal votes for the upcoming UK referendum on European Union membership could have considerable influence on the result, writes Julian Lorkin.


The foster parents say "no discussions" took place between them and the council prior to the children's removal. The children - who are European migrants - were removed by social workers who accused the unnamed couple of belonging to a "racist party". Council leader Roger Stone said it was launching an immediate investigation. The BBC understands that the three children are all under 10 and one is a baby. The education secretary said the "wrong decision" was made "in the wrong way for the wrong reasons". By Alan SoadyPolitical correspondent, BBC News There's been an outbreak of agreement from the main parties on the principle that being a member of a political organisation such as UKIP should not prevent someone from being considered as a foster parent. Michael Gove called it "indefensible". Ed Miliband said it should "not be a bar", distancing himself from the decision made by Labour-run Rotherham Borough Council. The investigation announced by the government and the council inquiry will seek to establish the circumstances of this particular case. But, politically, it will be interesting to see whether it has any bearing on political campaigning in the run up to Thursday's Parliamentary by-election in Rotherham. He added that the Department for Education, under his leadership, would "ask the necessary questions" to determine what happened in this case. Officials from the department are understood to be trying to make contact with children's services counterparts at Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. Mr Gove told the BBC: "It is entirely wrong for this couple to have been treated in this way. That's why I believe we need a full explanation from the local authority as to why this decision was allowed to be taken. "If we say you cannot foster children because you're a member of a mainstream political party or because you have views on multiculturalism then that's utterly wrong. "This decision is arbitrary, ideological and indefensible." The education secretary added that the government was bringing forward new laws in the Children and Families' Bill to reverse the current position, which takes into account ethnic and cultural factors when placing children for adoption. "We want to make it clear that you should not allow ideological matters to preclude what's in the best interest of the child." Rotherham councillor Paul Lakin, cabinet member for children, young people and families Services has ordered an immediate investigation. He said: "Membership of a political party should not stop someone fostering children. The council takes its safeguarding responsibilities very seriously and always puts the needs of the children at the centre of that care." Mr Lakin added he wanted the report on his desk by Monday morning. Meanwhile, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said that the decision may have breached the parents' right to freedom of political opinion. It welcomed the council's decision to investigate what had happened. The council's strategic director of children and young people's services, Joyce Thacker, earlier defended the decision, saying it was influenced by UKIP's immigration policy. She said: "I have legal advice I have to follow for the placement

Summary: Michael Gove has branded a decision by Rotherham council to remove three children from a foster couple because they belong to UKIP as "indefensible".


The second tier is shaping up to be a hugely competitive league next term with Hearts, Hibernian and Rangers among the sides chasing promotion. And Houston is hoping his new charges can grab fourth place, and a play-off berth, at least. "It's our remit that we'd love to try to get in the play-offs, that would be a huge achievement," said Houston. The 55-year-old, who had been working as a scout with Celtic after leaving Dundee United last year, is relishing the chance to take on Rangers, Hearts and Hibs. It's not always the big guys that win games. I've been to Hearts, Hibs and Rangers before as a manager and won The Bairns reached the Championship play-off semi-final in season 2013-14 but were beaten by Hamilton Academical, who eventually won promotion to the Premiership. "The better chances are going to go to one of the big three clubs in the league, however, that's on paper and football is not played on paper," said Houston. "I've got to make sure that the lads I've got, when they come to face Rangers, Hearts and Hibs, there's a belief in them. "It's a great thing for the players at Falkirk to go to Ibrox, Tynecastle, Easter Road and pit themselves against what's going to be a stronger squad. "It's not always the big guys that win games. I've been to Hearts, Hibs and Rangers before as a manager and won." A former Falkirk player, Houston won the 2010 Scottish Cup as Dundee United boss. And after succeeding Gary Holt, who left the manager's position at the Falkirk Stadium to join Neil Adams' coaching team at Norwich City, Houston said returning to the Bairns was an offer he could not turn down. "I probably wouldn't have jumped at it if it had been any other club than Falkirk, as they mean an awful lot to me, " Houston added. "I left here 18 years ago to go to Hearts as a youth coach and I said in the local newspaper I'd like to go and learn the game then come back as manager. I didn't think it would be as long as 18 years but I'm delighted to be back." Houston, who said his eight month stint at Celtic had advanced him as "coach and a person", revealed he is close to securing the services of a new player-coach for Falkirk. As well as his four-year managerial spell at Tannadice, Houston was also assistant to Craig Levein when the latter was Scotland coach. The pair had previously worked together at Hearts, Leicester and Dundee United.

Summary: Peter Houston has targeted a Scottish Championship play-off place after being unveiled as the new manager of Falkirk.


Some two dozen behemoths were identified, all with masses in excess of a hundred times that of the Sun. Four were known previously, including the remarkable colossus catalogued as R136a1, which is 250 times as massive as our home star. But the new survey finds many more of the super-objects in a tight patch of sky within the Large Magellanic Cloud. "In just a tiny bit of this satellite galaxy, we see perhaps a couple of dozen stars with more than a 100 solar masses, of which nine are in a tight core just a few light-years across," explained Prof Paul Crowther from Sheffield University, UK. "But that two dozen number - that's probably more than are in the entire Milky Way Galaxy for this type of star," he told BBC News. The observations are to be published shortly in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. They build on earlier work reported in 2010 that first described R136a1 - the most massive and most luminous star identified to date. That study used data gathered principally by a ground-based telescope in Chile. This follow-up research employed the pin-sharp resolution and ultraviolet sensitivity of the orbiting Hubble telescope to tease out yet more detail. In 2010, astronomers saw four monster stars including R136a1 in the central core. Thanks to Hubble, they detect a further five. The stars are not only extremely massive, but they are also extremely bright. Together, these nine stars outshine our Sun by a factor of 30 million, said Prof Crowther. "Because they are so massive, they are all close to their so-called Eddington limit, which is the maximum luminosity a star can have before it rips itself apart; and so they've got really powerful outflows. They are shedding mass at a fair rate of knots," the astronomer added - up to an Earth mass of gaseous material per month. The question is why this tight corner of space, located in the Tarantula Nebula of the LMC, harbours so many giants. Prof Crowther thinks it is because the gas and dust in the region has become compressed as the Large Magellanic Cloud has skirted the edge of the Milky Way. One thing is for sure - none of these monster stars will be around for more than a few million years. To burn so bright is to burn briefly. "A lot of these stars will be in binaries (in pairs), and when they die they'll produce black holes, which will merge at some point in the dim and distant future. And when they do they'll produce gravitational waves. "The first detection of gravitational waves [reported by Advanced LIGO last month] was from the merger of a pair of 30-solar-mass black holes. They probably came from 100-solar-mass stars." Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Summary: Hubble has probed a clutch of monster stars about 170,000 light-years away on the edge of our Milky Way Galaxy.


The move is part of an acrimonious battle for control of the media empire that includes Paramount and MTV. Independent director Frederic Salerno has contested the move, and Mr Dauman remains chief executive. Mr Redstone's cinema chain, National Amusements, has filed with a Delaware court to approve the changes. The health of the 93-year-old Mr Redstone and his daughter Shari's influence over him have been questioned. Mr Salerno said he was filing a countersuit. In May, Mr Dauman and board member George Abrams were removed as directors of National Amusements. Mr Dauman then filed a lawsuit on behalf of himself and Mr Abrams against Shari Redstone, claiming she had manipulated her father to gain more control of the board. Ms Redstone said at the time that it was "absurd" to say she controlled her father.

Summary: Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone is seeking to remove the firm's chief executive Philippe Dauman and four other directors from the Viacom board.


Head coach Stuart Lancaster's World Cup preparations suffered a blow as for the first 70 minutes a largely first-choice XV struggled to deal with French power. Two late tries flattered the visitors, who have one game left before launching their World Cup campaign against Fiji on 18 September. "We gave away penalties and our discipline was shocking," said Robshaw. "Whether it was rust, or nerves, it wasn't good enough. Credit to France, they put us under pressure and made us make mistakes. "We gave too many penalties away, but in the second half we came out and played well but couldn't quite get over the line in the end," he told Sky Sports. "We can't give teams like France and other quality sides head starts like we did. "We'll look long and hard at ourselves, because we let ourselves down in the first half. We played well in phases but you can't wait for 40 minutes to do that." Late tries from Danny Cipriani and Jonathan Joseph made it close on the scoreboard but Lancaster was left with much to ponder by a disappointing team display in the Stade de France. Media playback is not supported on this device The head coach, who must announce his final squad by 31 August, added: "We've got to get our discipline at the breakdown - we can't give France easy position like we did. We need to improve on that, because all the little mistakes add up. "The bench made a difference. It upped the energy levels and we scored some good tries. I won't gloss over what went on before that, because it was too little too late. "There are a few players who have given me food for thought, those guys who came on and gave us the energy we needed and made a difference. "I need to have a sleep on this game and think about my final squad. We're two weeks away from playing Ireland and four weeks away from Fiji in the World Cup and we'll expect a reaction next time." England host Ireland in their final World Cup warm-up game at Twickenham on 5 September. Fly-half Ford told Sky Sports: "I thought we might snatch that at the end but we had hardly any ball in the first half and gave away too many penalties. We played some good stuff in the second-half. "In the first half a lot of our undoing was down to ourselves. We just weren't good enough in that first half and there's no excuse for that. We let them build up the score and that made it hard for us. "It was frustrating and we had to think of ways to adapt and that was constantly going through our minds. We tried to get ourselves out of a hole. "We've got to turn up against Ireland now and make sure that we win. Our basics have got to be world class."

Summary: Captain Chris Robshaw blamed England's "shocking" first-half discipline for their 25-20 defeat by France in Paris.


Jon Platt was taken to court after refusing to pay a Â£120 fine for taking his daughter, aged six, to Florida. He had argued the law only required children to attend school regularly. The council said it wanted to know why the court decided there was no case to answer. Mr Platt, a solicitor, took his daughter on holiday with the extended family, despite an absence request being rejected by the school. At a magistrates' court earlier this month he successfully argued Section 444 of the Education Act required parents ensured their children attended school "regularly", and did not put restrictions on taking them on holidays in term time. His daughter had a 93.8% attendance rate the previous academic year. Isle of Wight Council said it has started the formal process of appeal to the High Court for clarification on a matter of law. Council leader Jonathan Bacon said: "The recent media attention given to this case shows that there is interest, concern and, above all, uncertainty as to what constitutes 'regular attendance' for the purposes of the legislation in question. "The Isle of Wight Council has received clear advice that the magistrates may have failed to interpret and apply the law correctly in making their decision. "Where the law created by Parliament is uncertain, the appeal courts have the ability to lay down a binding ruling as to the correct interpretation of the law."

Summary: Isle of Wight Council begins a High Court appeal after the case against a father who took his child on holiday during term-time was thrown out by magistrates.


Broady and Watson struggled to make an impact in their first final as a pair with the top seeds from Chinese Taipei winning in just over an hour. It is the Chan siblings' third trophy of the year. Watson suffered a second-round singles defeat by Caroline Wozniacki, while Broady failed to get past round one. The 26-year-old was beaten 6-2 6-2 by British top seed Johanna Konta. "I want to thank my partner," Broady, who reached the women's doubles third round at Wimbledon with Watson this year, told BT Sport. "We've been best friends since we were about nine years old so to arrive at a final together on the same side of the net is just awesome, and I really enjoyed playing with her."

Summary: British pair Naomi Broady and Heather Watson lost 6-3 6-1 to Chan Yung-jan and Chan Hao-ching in the doubles final of the Hong Kong Open.


Its latest survey shows household spending dipped for the first time in four years last month with families "starting to feel the squeeze" as higher living costs eat into pay. "Let's face it, we are skint," says commentator Justin Urquart-Stewart. "Our card's maxed out, nothing in the savings account, pockets emptied out and nothing down the back of the sofa." Visa said physical stores saw sales drop at their fastest pace for over five years in May, with sales down 5.3% year-on-year. In contrast, spending at hotels and restaurants rose at an annual rate of 3.3%. But even though so-called "experiences" spending rose, the figures suggest people are still being careful. Josh Beer, from the Illustrious Pub Company, in Cambridgeshire, said: "More of our customers gravitated towards deals and offers in the past month, it feels as though they were biding their time, and cutting back until they became more confident in the economy." The Visa figures show overall spending was 08% lower than in 2016, the first fall since September 2013. The findings chime with official data from the Office for National Statistics, which shows that wage growth is falling back while inflation is rising, causing a squeeze on household incomes as they fail to keep pace with shop prices. The latest official figures showed wage growth behind inflation for the first time since mid-2014, and the Bank of England has said it expects this to get worse. Average weekly earnings excluding bonuses increased by 2.1% in the three months to March, while inflation rose by 2.3% in the year to March 2017. "Now is starts to hurt, with inflation above lower pay levels we will all start to feel poorer. As the consumer we have been the driver of the UK economic engine - and now you can hear it start to splutter," adds Mr Urquart-Stewart, co-founder of fund manager Seven Investment Management. One of the chief reasons for inflation's rise is the steep fall in sterling since the UK voted to leave the European Union. It is now worth between 11-15% less against the euro and the dollar, making anything we buy with our weaker currency more expensive. That leaves shops with a dilemma, shred their often already paper-thin profit margins or raise prices.

Summary: We're buying fewer clothes and pairs of shoes, although we're eating out more, according to credit card firm Visa.