Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, said that he wanted a deal with the EU "at least as free" as the present arrangements. He said anything else would be bad for all the people of Europe, whatever some politicians on the continent might say about the need to show Britain that leaving the EU is not cost free. He also suggested he wanted Britain to take its seat as an independent member of the World Trade Organisation after Brexit. At present, Britain's membership is as part of the EU and some argue that Britain joining the WTO as an independent member will be a long and difficult process. I asked Dr Fox if he agreed with car manufacturers in Britain who said yesterday that tariffs between the UK and the EU could lead to job losses. "Protectionism never actually helps anybody at all," he answered. "And as we move into the post-Brexit arena, we want it to be as free and open as possible. "And don't just look at it from the UK perspective; the European Union has a massive surplus in goods with the UK. "Who does it harm more if we end up in a new tariff environment? "Does it harm more, those who sell more to the UK, or the UK? "It is in everybody's interest that as we move forward we have at least as free a trading environment as we have today. "Anything else may not harm the politicians and the institutions, but it will harm the people of Europe and it is the people of Europe who should be at the forefront of our thoughts during that period." I also asked him about his comments that British business had grown too "fat and lazy" to take advantage of global trade opportunities. "Well, first of all, I do understand why, the media loves splashes even if they are not always the words we actually say," he said. "But let's stick to the important point here, which is we have a problem, that too few of our exporters - of our companies are now exporting. "As a share of our GDP, if you compare our exports to say Germany there's a huge difference. "If you look at total trade, imports and exports makes up about 57% of our total GDP - [it's] 86% in Germany. "We have an increasing current account deficit that needs to be closed. "And we need to ask ourselves how we can do that. What are the reasons why not all companies are performing?"

Summary: It is the strongest signal yet that Britain is plotting a "hard exit" from the European Union.


An "environmentally friendly" building with a cafe, gallery and shop is planned for the park near Wakefield. Peter Murray, executive of the YSP, said it would provide an "important new element" of the park's infrastructure and increase its income. Arts Council England has given £1.7m to the park and the remainder is to come from fundraising. A planning application for a second visitor centre has been submitted to Wakefield Council and it is due for completion in late 2017. The new building has been designed to make the minimum impact on the site, YSP said. The latest project on the 500-acre estate follows the development of the main visitor centre in 2002, the underground gallery in 2006 and refurbishment of the estate chapel in 2011. The park attracted more than 400,000 visitors in 2014 the highest number since it opened in 1977, it said. The development plans were revealed as the park's latest sculpture Wave is being installed. It is part of the installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red that was seen at the Tower of London in 2014 where 888,246 poppies honoured every death in the British and Colonial forces of World War One.

Summary: Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) has unveiled plans for a new £3.8m visitor centre at its Bretton Park entrance.


Noel Conway, who is 67 and has motor neurone disease, wants a doctor to be allowed to prescribe a lethal dose when his health deteriorates further. He said he wanted to say goodbye to loved ones "at the right time, not to be in a zombie-like condition suffering both physically and psychologically". Any doctor who helped him to die would face up to 14 years in prison. Mr Conway was too weak to attend the court in person. His lawyer, Richard Gordon QC, told the High Court in London that Mr Conway faced a stark choice either to seek to bring about his own death now whilst still physically able to do so, or await death with no control over how and when it comes. Mr Gordon said the change to the law that Mr Conway wanted would apply only to adults who are terminally ill with less than six months to live and who have a settled wish to die. Mr Conway, of Shrewsbury, told the BBC: "I will be quadriplegic. I could be virtually catatonic and conceivably be in a locked-in syndrome - that to me would be a living hell. That prospect is one I cannot accept." MPs reject 'right to die' law British man dies at Dignitas centre Assisted dying debate: The key questions Mr Conway, a retired college lecturer, was once fit and active but motor neurone disease is gradually destroying all strength in his muscles. He cannot walk and increasingly relies on a ventilator to help him breathe. As his disease progresses, he fears becoming entombed in his body. Mr Conway is being supported by the campaign group Dignity in Dying, but the issue polarises opinion. Baroness Jane Campbell - a disability rights campaigner - says changing the law would send all the wrong signals. The last major challenge to the law was turned down by the Supreme Court three years ago. It ruled that while judges could interpret the law it was up to Parliament to decide whether to change it. In 2015 MPs rejected proposals to allow assisted dying in England and Wales, in their first vote on the issue in almost 20 years. Supporters of the current legislation say it exists to protect the weak and vulnerable from being exploited or coerced. The case is expected to take up to four days. Assisted suicide - helping or encouraging another person to kill themselves - is illegal under English law. Under the terms of the Suicide Act (1961) for England and Wales, it is punishable by up to 14 year's imprisonment. In Scotland, helping someone take their own life could lead to prosecution. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to change the law, as well as some high-profile cases that have challenged it. 2001: Diane Pretty, who had motor neurone disease, fought a long, and unsuccessfully, legal battle to win the right for her to end her life. She took her case to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that her husband should be given immunity from prosecution should he help her to

Summary: The High Court has begun hearing the legal challenge of a terminally ill UK man who wants the right to die.


The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 08:23 GMT, 420km (260 miles) north-west of the capital, Port Vila. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the threat of tsunami waves had now mostly passed. The USGS said the quake was fairly shallow - at a depth of about 35km (21 miles) - but no damage had been reported so far. The quake, originally measured at 7.2, struck in the north of Vanuatu off Espiritu Santo. Quakes are fairly common in the region. Two similar sized tremors last October and December caused no damage. Vanuatu has a population of about 270,000, with some 44,000 living in Port Vila.

Summary: A 6.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu.


It said 50 were also wounded in the Hijaz Square explosion, which hit the offices of the railway company. Eight people were also killed by a rare blast in the town of Suweida, home to Syria's Druze minority, say reports. Suweida has remained under government control through the conflict, and had so far been largely free of violence. Wednesday's blast there went off outside the headquarters of the Air Force Intelligence, the most feared security service in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, said it had been a suicide car bomb and that the intelligence branch chief was among those killed. Sana blamed the attack on "terrorists", the government's way of referring to rebels forces. Syria's Druze minority - adherents of an offshoot of Shia Islam - numbers about 700,000. Its main leadership has so far stayed out of the conflict publicly. The Observatory said were conflicting reports about whether the Damascus explosion had been caused by a bomb or a mortar shell. No group has said it was behind the blast but Sana again quoted police sources blaming "terrorists. Last month, an explosion near Damascus airport cut off power to large parts of Syria. The attacks come a day after the latest round of international diplomacy failed to fix a date for a long-delayed peace conference on the Syrian conflict. The UN-Arab League envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, had hoped to hold the conference in Geneva this month. But he said he was not able to announce a date, despite a day of meetings first with senior diplomats from the US and Russia, then with the other permanent members of the UN Security Council - the UK, France and China - as well as Syria's neighbours Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey. Mr Brahimi said he was still "striving" for a summit by the end of the year. Interactive: Tent city now home to 130,000 Attempts to set up a conference have been going on for months amid disputes over who should attend and its agenda. The Syrian opposition has insisted President Bashar al-Assad should resign before any talks can take begin, but the government has rejected this. The US and Russia disagree on whether Syria's key regional neighbour Iran should be present. The idea of a conference was first mooted in May, and in September UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced a tentative date of mid-November after the Security Council passed a binding resolution on Syrian chemical weapons. On Wednesday, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying that Moscow was ready to host "informal" talks between President Assad and the Syrian opposition to begin the peace process. Mr Bogdanov, who was involved in the talks with Mr Brahimi, said such a meeting would help to create "a favourable atmosphere, so that people can meet and discuss existing issues", Russian media quoted him as saying. Source: UNHCR - Nov 2013 Meanwhile, aid agencies have warned that more than nine million Syrians, almost half the population, are now in need of humanitarian relief. The UN

Summary: Eight people have been killed in a blast in the centre of the Syrian capital, Damascus, the Sana state news agency reports.


The one-year-old spaniel bitch was found on the A20 in Harrietsham, near Ashford, on Tuesday. She had some "really nasty wounds" on her feet and legs which were "covered in pressure sores and urine scald", an RSPCA spokesman said. The dog, which has now been named Flick, has already been offered a home. She had no form of identification and was not microchipped, the RSPCA said. Live: More on this story and other news from Kent A spokesman for the charity said: "She has a docked tail and some really nasty wounds on her feet and her legs. Vets believe she has had her claws forcibly and traumatically removed, while her legs are covered in pressure sores and urine scald." Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, owners are only allowed to dock the tails of dogs who were certified working dogs under five days old, or for medical reasons as recommended by a vet. "To forcibly remove a dog's claws is an abhorrent act and is illegal under animal welfare law in this country," the spokesman added. "And to simply abandon her by the side of the road like rubbish when she is clearly injured and in need of veterinary treatment is unbelievably shocking."

Summary: An injured dog has been found dumped in a bush with an illegally docked tail and having had her claws "forcibly" removed, the RSPCA says.


Firstsource Solutions said new staff will be based at its Cardiff Bay site which already employs about 800 people. The 300 new jobs include sales and customer service roles working in both inbound and outbound departments. The company's sales vice president Kathryn Chivers said: "Firstsource Solutions is delighted to be able to continue to bring new employment to Cardiff."

Summary: Hundreds of new jobs have been announced for a Cardiff call centre.


The two children were allegedly snatched off a Beirut street earlier this month at their mother's behest. The operation was being filmed by four Australian journalists with Channel 9's 60 Minutes programme. The mother, Sally Faulkner, was soon arrested, as were the journalists, two British men and two Lebanese men. The children were returned to their father's custody. The judge overseeing the case has warned that he views the "child recovery" operation as a criminal case. Ms Faulkner had said she had not seen the young children since her estranged husband, Ali Elamine, took them from Australia to Beirut on holiday. She flew to Lebanon earlier this month with two employees of the UK-based company Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI) to recover them, accompanied by the 60 Minutes team. CCTV footage broadcast by Lebanese TV appears to show the six-year-old and four-year-old being bundled into a car by several men on a busy street in southern Beirut. They had been heading to school with a domestic worker and their paternal grandmother, who said she was knocked to the ground during the abduction. It was previously reported that the judge was pushing for Ms Faulkner to reach a custody agreement with Mr Elamine. But Mr Elamine has now said he will not drop abduction charges against Ms Faulkner because it could see the others involved released as well. Judge Rami Abdullah said on Monday that the so-called "recovery" operation amounted to a kidnapping attempt. "This is not a custody case, they are involved in kidnapping two kids," he said, according to News Corp Australia. The case has been adjourned until Wednesday to allow both sides to negotiate. Those arrested face kidnapping, assault and association charges, which can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in jail. According to reports, Judge Abdullah interviewed 60 Minutes' prominent reporter Tara Brown and Ms Faulkner briefly on Monday before the handcuffed pair were escorted out a side exit to waiting police cars. Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has been in contact with her Lebanese counterpart. "The law in Lebanon is quite different to Australian law," she said in an interview with Network Ten. "It's based on a French system, so there have been arrests, then an investigation and then an investigating judge determines whether charges will be laid and I understand we're at that stage of the proceedings," Ms Bishop said. Lebanon is not party to the Hague Convention, a treaty designed to ensure the swift return of children abducted internationally by a parent.

Summary: A Lebanese man whose estranged Australian wife has been charged with attempting to kidnap their children has said he will not drop the charges.


That's why so many Labour MPs feared a miscalculation when their party's leader brought his old comrade back into the fold. But his staggering comments today about Hitler and anti-Semitism crossed a line - they were enough for Jeremy Corbyn to suspend him. But the problem for the leader doesn't end with that act. No one believes that Jeremy Corbyn himself tolerates discrimination against Jews. But on repeated occasions Labour has been slow and clumsy in closing down cases of anti-Semitism among its members when they emerge. Any moments of delay or doubts about the leadership's determination, open the window a tiny crack to the kind of intolerance that the vast majority of the Labour Party, and indeed the public, find appalling. Public denials that there is even a issue could make it even worse. Perhaps in politics as in normal life, the first step towards fixing a problem is acknowledging that it exists. And with only a week before Jeremy Corbyn's first big test at the polls, In elections in London, Scotland, Wales, and al round England, it's the kind of mess, and political distraction Labour could do without.

Summary: For years it has been more surprising when Ken Livingstone hasn't raised hackles than when he has.


The team of scientists hope the information will help shift the focus away from the way trees look towards on the focus on biodiversity. Over the next decade, the urban environment is expected to increase by nearly 30%. Details have been published in the Landscape and Urban Planning journal. "We wanted to place the focus on city and urban locations when choosing trees, but not on the aesthetic aspects," said co-author Juliane Vogt from the Institute of Forest Growth and Forest Computer Science at Techische Universitat Dresden, Germany. She told BBC News that the goal of the database was to "find the right tree for the right place". "City planner tend to like 10 to 15 species of tree, and they like to plant them again and again - that's not really biodiversity," Dr Vogt observed. "This is why we put in 390 trees and shrubs into the database so there was a huge range of different species and varieties. Dr Vogt added that she hoped that professionals, such as city planners and landscape architects, would use the database, adding "but we also think it will be of interest for homeowners if they have a garden and want to find out what sort of tree would be suitable". She said that there were numerous benefits associated with city trees, such as shading and reducing the urban heat island effect, which make towns and cities several degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas. This is a particular problem during heatwaves. "Trees also provide habitat for other animals that have made their home within cities," She added. The long term survival and evolutionary development of species populations are shaped by the surrounding habitat. For some species, urban life has presented an opportunity for a new beginning. The BBC Natural History Unit's Planet Earth II looks at the lure of the urban jungle for wildlife in its final episode of the series. The programme, set to be broadcast on Sunday, 11 December, looks at peregrine falcons in New York, which are booming, thanks to another urban success story - the pigeon, or rock dove. Langurs, a species of monkey in India, are also thriving. Revered as a mortal connection with a god, the animals are fed. Numbers are booming. However, the growing biodiversity of urban life is not universally welcomed. Some species - racoons, rats, pigeons - are widely regarded as pests. Plants, such as the Japanese knotweed - once prized - are unwelcomed opportunists. "Trees also interact with humans and the surrounding city, so one point of the database is to take account of some of the risks, such as having poisonous trees, or trees that have brittle wood that can break," said Dr Vogt. "Some residents really dislike trees because, for example, they are too big. "In the street near where I live, there are pear trees and now, in the autumn, the pears are falling and leaving a mess on the pavement below. People are now calling for them to be cut down, even though they are healthy." Follow Mark on Twitter.

Summary: German researchers have compiled a 400-species database to encourage people to plant the "right tree in the right place" in urban areas.


Jaeseok Lee, 40, collapsed at an address in High Street, New Malden, at about 01:20 GMT on Wednesday. He died at the property. Hyojung Lim, 43, of High Street, New Malden, has been charged with his murder, Scotland Yard said. Ms Lim is due before Wimbledon Magistrates' Court later.

Summary: A woman has been charged with the murder of a man who collapsed and died at a property in south-west London.


We look at a new gadget which helps blind and visually impaired people read text and recognise faces, we talk to a tech giant about its progress in making software more accessible, and we ask what role AI could play in opening up technology for everyone. We are joined on the show this week by Johny Cassidy, a producer in the BBC's Economics Unit who has masterminded the Disability Works series across our TV, radio and web output this week. Johny lost his sight as a teenager and for the programme he tried out a new gadget called Orcam. It consists of a camera which you clip onto a standard pair of glasses and a separate unit which provides an audio description of what the device is seeing. The idea is that you can point it at text and it will read it or it can be programmed to recognise faces. This was the feature which worked best - it quickly recognised me and producer Jat Gill when we stood next to each other, reading our names out to Johny. This impressed him, but the text readout proved very clunky and slow. Johny showed us the technology he uses every day to work on a computer, a screen reader system which allows him to sort through his emails and scan online articles at breakneck speed. It seems evident that Orcam, priced at a hefty Â£2300, is trying to solve a problem that is already being addressed far more efficiently in software - but perhaps it will improve over time. When he took over as chief executive of Microsoft, Satya Nadella made it clear that accessibility was going to be a priority - an admission perhaps that the company hadn't been moving quickly enough. Key to that was the appointment of a new chief accessibility officer Jenny Lay-Flurrie. She tells us that, with an unemployment rate for people with disabilities in the United States twice the average, there is much to be done. The screen reading technology which we saw demonstrated by Johny Cassidy is going to get more upgrades and she described an accessibility checker built into Office that allows users to check that the documents or presentations they send can be read by anybody. Jenny, who is profoundly deaf, talked to us in our London studio from the West Coast of the United States and I was curious about how that worked. She explained that a colleague was listening into the call from another part of the US and sending her the text of my questions. At the moment, she has an interpreter who often accompanies her to meetings, but she's trying out new technology such as real-time captioning in Skype. And she points out that some ideas you might think were developed for people with disabilities, like subtitling on web videos, are now being used by everyone. Much of the progress made recently in artificial intelligence has been about teaching computers to see, hear and understand in the same way as humans do. That is changing the way we all

Summary: This week we devote the whole of Tech Tent to a special programme on assistive technology - that's tech to help disabled people take advantage of all the advances we've seen in recent years.


Yet that is what happened to Anthony Fletcher back in 2009, when at work one day he tried some nuts, seeds and dried fruit that had been delivered in the post by a new company called Graze. Graze had been set up a year earlier by seven friends as an internet-based business that posted healthy snacks in cardboard boxes small enough to fit through people's letter boxes. Then aged 27 and working for a drinks company, Anthony says he was "blown away by the idea of it". So much so that he immediately found out where Graze was based, drove across London to knock on its door and asked for a job. The team at Graze were impressed enough by Anthony's get-up-and-go and enthusiasm to give him the job of head of marketing. Fast forward to today and Anthony is chief executive of the business that now enjoys annual sales of more than Â£70m and that under his leadership has successfully expanded from the UK to the US. With a masters degree in chemistry from Oxford University, and a year spent doing pharmaceutical research at Princeton University in the US, Anthony might not immediately seem a perfect fit for leading a snack food business. However, while Graze's food is all natural, the company is renowned for its very scientific and technological approach to how it operates. Now selling more than 400 different snacks, ranging from flapjacks to beef jerky, and dried beetroot to carrot crisps, it constantly analyses the 15,000 customer ratings it says it receives every hour to tweak and develop new products and product combinations. This has led to the creation of such best sellers as "Veggie Protein Power", a combination of soybeans and chickpeas. Meanwhile unpopular products such as fennel and caraway seeds can be quickly dropped. Not that Anthony would claim it was always plain sailing, especially in Graze's early years. "Lots of founders and chief executives tell beautiful stories about having the right vision from the start, but it wasn't the case at Graze," he says. "We had to iterate, we tried and we failed - we had to pivot a great deal. People were excited, but not about the product." One thing that Graze initially got wrong was to try to sell slices of fresh fruit, but Anthony says it had to be axed from the range because even though they "tried to ship it as fast as possible" it wasn't arriving with the customer in good enough condition. With its own production facility, Anthony says the business can put new products on sale within 24 hours. He says: "We have a vast amount of data that we can use to understand the product and the customer. "It lets you be reckless and try different ideas. That permeates the business." It was after he had been with the business for three years that Anthony became chief executive, when he led a management buyout in 2012. The move, which was backed by US private equity group Carlyle taking a majority stake in the business, saw three of

Summary: Many of us can remember a key moment that transformed our lives, but it doesn't usually involve tasting snack foods.


Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham says he is "struggling" with whether UK action would be legal or not. So what are the key legal questions? Parliament has already rejected military intervention in Syria, in 2013. Ministers say circumstances have changed since then (notably with the rise of IS) and that they would only proceed this time with the backing of Parliament. But this is not technically necessary. Although it has become convention since the 2003 Iraq war, there is no legal requirement for Parliamentary approval for military action. Ministers say they would not proceed without a Commons vote - but they believe they have the authority, under international law, to intervene. Last month, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said there was "no legal bar" to the UK operating in Syria. In September, David Cameron suggested the UK could legally take military action in Syria without a request from President Assad, saying the Syrian president is "illegitimate". The UK is already carrying out air strikes on IS targets in Iraq. The UK says that as the Iraqi government requested intervention, this provides a "clear and unequivocal legal basis" for the military action. But no such request has been received from the Syrian government, and the UK sees the regime as illegitimate in any case. This means the legal arguments around intervention in Syria would be shaped by the complexities and conflicting interpretations of international law. The UN Charter bans "the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state" unless used in self-defence or authorised by a UN resolution. Those are the two "classic justifications" for military action, Prof Philippe Sands QC of University College London told the BBC. A UN resolution is unlikely given Russian opposition, leaving the option of self-defence. This would require ministers to show military action was needed to prevent attacks on the UK or its citizens emanating from Syria. Alternatively, the self-defence argument could be used in relation to Iraq, which has already requested military assistance. This is the argument used by the United States, which is carrying out air strikes in Syria. As to whether this would work, "we simply do not know enough about the facts" to say definitely whether the self-defence argument is justified, says Prof Sands. He believes it would be "a bit of a stretch" on the basis of what is publicly available, adding that the UK appears to have "no strategy and no clear basis of information to explain to the public what it is doing, and why it believes it is entitled in law to use force by way of self-defence". Another option would be to justify the action on humanitarian grounds. This was the basis of the government's case for intervention in 2013, when it focused on the possible use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Assad. Its legal position, published in August 2013, set out the three conditions that had to be met: "This puts the evidential bar both high and wide," BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman wrote at the time. The question would

Summary: One of the big questions facing MPs after the summer recess could be whether to authorise military intervention against so-called Islamic State (IS) extremists in Syria.


The newly crowned Women's Super League champions took the lead when Fran Kirby skipped past her marker and hit a sweet strike from the edge of the area. The visitors' best chance fell to Kelly Montgomery just after the break, but she volleyed over the bar. Glasgow keeper Lee Alexander also saved well from Millie Bright and Ana Borges. England striker Kirby had netted twice in the 4-0 win over Sunderland that sealed Chelsea's first league title on Sunday, and proved to be their matchwinner again with her 39th-minute effort. Glasgow, who reached the quarter-finals of the competition last season, struggled to create chances but were left to rue Montgomery's miss. The lively Kirby shot wide after escaping from a crowd of defenders as Chelsea pushed for a second, and after denying Bright and substitute Borges, Alexander did well late on to hold another rising strike from Kirby, giving the Scottish league champions hope for next Wednesday's second leg in Glasgow. Chelsea Ladies boss Emma Hayes told BBC Sport: "To win 1-0 at home with a clean sheet, for the first time (in Europe) in Chelsea's history, we have to savour these moments. "Overall it was a good performance. "If it wasn't for their goalkeeper, we'd be talking about at least a two-goal lead tonight." Glasgow City boss Scott Booth told BBC Sport: "I thought we were excellent. We came here to do a certain job and I couldn't have asked any more of my players. "We came up against some of the best players in the world. We more than matched them at times. "We were undone by a moment of brilliance from Kirby. I'm looking forward to the away leg, because we're still in this." Chelsea Ladies: Lindahl, Blundell, Bright, Flaherty (c), Fahey, Davison, Aluko (Borges 68), Ji, Rafferty, Kirby, Spence (Coombs 80) Subs not used: Hourihan, Chapman, Brett, Meiwald, Ayane Glasgow City: Alexander, Lauder, Love (Rafferty 88), O'Sullivan, Montgomery, Docherty, McCulloch, Ross (c), Grant, Corsie, Cuthbert (Shine 72) Subs not used: Cunningham, McMurchie, Jones, Shine, Whyte, Fleeting Referee: Olga Zadinova Attendance: 1,100

Summary: Chelsea Ladies will take a slender lead into the second leg of their Champions League last 32 tie with Glasgow City after winning on their European debut.


The district council-owned building has been upgraded for the first time in more than three decades. It includes a new 33m pool, a shallow training pool, sauna and steam room. The sports hall has been revamped and a £250,000 climbing wall has been built at the Bridgefoot centre. The double Olympic gold medallist said: "It's an amazing venue for these guys so that they can learn a life skill as well as having fun. "So many pools nowadays through this whole country have been knocked down and it's incredible that they've invested the money back to make a safe place." It is the second time Adlington has visited the centre after she opened the temporary pool provided as part of the British Gas 'Pools for Schools Programme' earlier this year. Other athletes who joined the celebrations included water polo player, Rosie Morris, who competed as the GB goalkeeper at the London Olympics in 2012. Zoe Reeve, former member of the GB Synchro Squad and triple Commonwealth Gold Medallist and three-time Olympian James Goddard also attended the event.

Summary: Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington has unveiled a £5m refurbishment of Stratford Leisure Centre.


In a landmark move, the Federal Court told six firms to divulge names and addresses of those who downloaded The Dallas Buyers Club. The case was lodged by the US company that owns the rights to the 2013 movie. The court said the data could only be used to secure "compensation for the infringements" of copyright. In the case, which was heard in February, the applicants said they had identified 4,726 unique IP addresses from which their film was shared online using BitTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing network. They said this had been done without their permission. Once they received the names of account holders, the company would then have to prove copyright infringement had taken place. The judgment comes amidst a crackdown by the Australian government on internet piracy. Australians are among the world's most regular illegal downloaders of digital content. The delay in release dates for new films and TV shows, and higher prices in Australia for digital content, have prompted many Australians to find surreptitious ways to watch new shows. The ISPs involved in the case, including Australia's second-largest provider iiNet, said releasing customer information would be a breach of privacy and lead to what is known in the US as "speculative invoicing". This is where account holders are threatened with court cases that could result in large damages unless smaller settlement fees are paid. The ISPs argued also that the monetary claims which the US company, Dallas Buyers Club LLC, had against each infringer were so small "that it was plain that no such case could or would be maintained by the applicants". But Justice Nye Perram ruled that the customer information could be released on condition it was only used to recover compensation for copyright infringement. "I will also impose a condition on the applicants that they are to submit to me a draft of any letter they propose to send to account holders associated with the IP addresses which have been identified," he ruled. Justice Perram said the ruling was also important for deterring illegal downloading. "It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that damages of a sufficient size might be awarded under this provision in an appropriately serious case in a bid to deter people from the file-sharing of films," he said. The case came to court after Dallas Buyers Club LLC contacted iiNet and other ISPs, asking them to divulge customer details without a court order. The ISPs refused. The ISPs have yet to say if they will appeal against the court ruling. Professor of Law at the University of Technology, Sydney, Michael Fraser said it was an important judgement for ISPs and customers. "If this [judgement] is upheld then the days of anonymous pirating may be over," Prof Fraser told ABC TV.

Summary: An Australian court has ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to hand over details of customers accused of illegally downloading a US movie.


The 10-year-old was bought by owners Raymond and Caroline Mould as part of a job lot of 22 horses in France that cost a total of 300,000 euros. He banked more than £1.1m from 18 wins, nine at the highest level - Grade One. The total included a rare hat-trick of success at all three of the major spring festivals - at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown in 2013. But more than that, with his ability and striking dark colouring - trainer Nicky Henderson nicknamed him an 'equine James Bond' - Sprinter Sacre gained a vast following amongst the racing public. That only grew when a heart condition was diagnosed and, though successfully treated, the horse spent nearly two years out of form and written off by many. It was a year to the day before his retirement was announced at Cheltenham's Open fixture that Sprinter Sacre returned to the big time on the track with an emotional success in the course's Shloer Chase. He completed what turned out to be his final season unbeaten with further wins at Kempton, at the showpiece Cheltenham Festival - when he regained the Champion Chase crown - and at Sandown, when Henderson believes he was back to his best. The plan had been for Sprinter Sacre to race three times this season - in Sandown's Tingle Creek Chase in December, in January's Clarence House Chase at Ascot, and in the Champion Chase. Jockey Barry Geraghty, who rode the horse 17 times, winning on 13 occasions, said the horse was "just unbelievable". "He's something special and he is to be celebrated," he said. "I've never sat on a horse over fences like him - he was electric. He was just unbelievable." Speaking before the Open meeting at Cheltenham got under way on Friday, Henderson acknowledged the vast public affection for Sprinter Sacre. "We are the curators of this beautiful, very special racehorse," he said. "It's very humbling to think that he gave, and he gives, so many people in national hunt racing, which is a great big family affair really, so much pleasure." Later in the day, another Henderson-trained horse Simonsig was put down after breaking a leg during the Shloer Chase. Henderson added: "Sprinter Sacre's retirement was not a funeral, but a celebration of life, but now we've got the funeral and the tears all of a sudden go the other way. "It is not fair for the team more than anything." Cornelius Lysaght, BBC horse racing correspondent What was it about 'Sprinter' that meant the horse was such a hit? Obviously, he was utterly brilliant, unbeatable indeed for the first two years of his racing career [2011-2013], and achieving that string of wins with a style that was positively transfixing with its power and jumping flamboyance. Then the wheels famously fell off when the heart condition was diagnosed, but we know the public loves a sporting patient and kept the faith even when their favourite proved a shadow of his former self. His return to the top was greeted with cheers and tears, and some

Summary: Sprinter Sacre, the jump racing superstar, has been retired after suffering a tendon injury.


The package on offer from the government includes a pay rise and a reduction in the retirement age. The deal will now be put to a ballot of the union's membership. Up to 10,000 prison officers in England and Wales protested last month over claims of a "surge" in jail violence. They stopped work over claims of a "surge in violence" in jails but returned to work after a High Court injunction ordered them to end their 24-hour protest. Under the agreement, prison officers will be allowed to retire at 65 - up to three years ahead of the current state pension age - at no cost to them and with full pension benefits. Uniformed staff will also be given consolidated pay rises of between 0.5% and 1% for each of the next three years, on top of usual performance-related pay increases. They also stand to receive a "recognition and retention" package totalling Â£1,000. Prisons minister Sam Gyimah, said the government and POA had also "agreed a significant number of health and safety reforms as well as new powers for governors in terms of how they deploy their staff in prisons". The POA directed members to take action last month after talks with the government over health and safety concerns broke down. It came after multiple high-profile incidents at prisons across England. In October, Jamal Mahmoud, an inmate at HMP Pentonville, died after being stabbed to death in an attack at the prison, which left two others injured. And last month prisoners caused almost Â£1m of damage during a riot at Bedford prison. Days later at HMP Isle of Wight, an inmate cut a prison officer's throat with a razor blade on the way back to his cell. In an effort to tackle safety issues Justice Secretary Liz Truss unveiled proposals detailing Â£1.3bn investment in new prisons over the next five years, including plans for 2,100 extra prison officers, drug tests for inmates on entry and exit from prisons, and more autonomy for governors. In response to the new pay deal she said: "This agreement is a good offer which rightly recognises the hard work and dedication of officers across the country doing a tough job."

Summary: Leaders of the prison officers union have reached a deal over pay and conditions following concerns about jail safety, the Ministry of Justice has said.


The project will test the effects of both types of cigarette on volunteers' blood vessel function, a key health indicator. It will recruit 135 adult volunteers who have smoked 15 cigarettes a day for a minimum of two years. The study is funded by the British Heart Foundation. Participants will be split into three groups, with one continuing to smoke tobacco cigarettes. The others will switch to electronic cigarettes containing nicotine plus flavour, or switching to electronic cigarettes containing flavour alone. Dr Jacob George, from the university's school of medicine, said: "E-cigarettes are sold on the principle that they are a much safer alternative to traditional cigarettes because they don't contain harmful substances like tobacco and tar. "However, many e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which may be harmful to blood vessels itself. "We want to see whether the e-cigarettes are better for blood vessel function compared to traditional cigarettes. "Many people seem to think that this is the case but as yet there is no hard scientific evidence to prove this." People with a history of cardiovascular disease, women who are pregnant or breast feeding and anyone with a nut allergy cannot take part in the study. Anyone who is interested in joining the study or finding out more should contact vesuvius@dundee.ac.uk

Summary: A study comparing the effect of e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes on smokers' health is being launched by Dundee University.


Amid all the speculation, one could be forgiven for saying that only one man - David Cameron - knows when the public will be asked to vote on whether to stay in the European Union or to leave. After all, it is he - and he alone - who will make the final decision. But that doesn't tell the whole truth either. The timing of the referendum hinges on when other EU leaders agree to his proposed changes to the UK's relationship with the EU, a decision which is largely out of the prime minister's hands. Current speculation is centring around June, July or September this year with few thinking it could be next year - but anything is possible. What's wrong with next year? Mr Cameron has pledged to hold the referendum before the end of 2017. Although Downing Street has, in public, strived to appear non-committal on the timing, it is widely known it would prefer to hold the poll in 2016. Why is this? 2017 is considered politically problematic for a number of reasons. The UK wants to avoid a clash with elections in France and Germany in the Spring of 2017. It also wants to avoid the vote turning into a "mid-term" referendum on the government, where the outcome could be swayed by a range of other factors. The earlier the referendum takes place, such is the received wisdom, the less chance of this happening. By leaving it until 2017, David Cameron - who is likely to back continued EU membership - could be left at the mercy of events, such as a worsening of the migrant crisis in Europe that might not play well for those backing the status quo. While some argue that the date of the poll will make little difference to the ultimate outcome, there are plenty of others who believe "going early" will benefit the Remain campaign, while a later poll will favour the Leave campaign. So, if it is going to be this year, can we narrow it down any further? Yes, but only slightly. The PM has already ruled out holding it in the first week of May, the traditional time for elections, to avoid a clash with polls for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Stormont Parliament. If he gets an agreement on his reform demands in February at a summit of EU leaders, a referendum could be held in June. But that could be tight. Once an EU agreement is reached, Parliament will need to pass secondary legislation authorising the date of the referendum and other campaign-related details. This hiatus is likely to take four to six weeks. David Cameron has said he believes at least three months should then elapse before the vote is held, to ensure the campaign is fairly conducted and both sides have enough time to mobilise their resources and put forward their arguments. Legislation currently passing through Parliament stipulates the campaign should be no less than 10 weeks. The Europe minister has hinted at a four-month campaign period while the Electoral Commission recommends a

Summary: Guessing when the referendum on the UK's EU membership will be held is Westminster's current favourite parlour game.


Excluding fuel, like-for-like sales, which strip out the impact of new store openings, fell 1.1% in the 16 weeks to 24 September. Total sales fell 0.4%. Despite the drop, the UK's second-largest supermarket said it was continuing to make progress. Chief executive Mike Coupe said he was confident its strategy would enable it to "outperform our major peers". German discount chains Aldi and Lidl, which have expanded rapidly in the UK, have been undercutting Sainsbury's and its rivals, including Tesco, Morrisons and Asda. The supermarket chain has fought back by cutting prices on its everyday products rather than run promotions. This quarter, it said it had cut the prices of broccoli, onions, Margherita pizza and its own-brand nappies. Mr Coupe said this strategy was working with customers "consistently choosing" Sainsbury's over its rivals. He also said its £1.4bn takeover of Argos-owner Home Retail Group, which was completed at the beginning of this month, would speed up its plans to allow shoppers to get their goods in different ways. Sainsbury's, which already has 15 Argos stores within its own shops, said it would open 200 digital collection points in its stores by the end of the year. The supermarket group said Home Retail Group's like-for-like sales in the second quarter to 27 August, before it took over the firm, rose 2.3%. In another attempt to win more shoppers, and amid the threat of online giant Amazon's move into grocery deliveries, Sainsbury's said it was expanding a test of its one-hour grocery delivery service in London called "Chop Chop" with orders delivered by bicycle. The retailer said it would "give customers more options to shop with us whenever and wherever they want". Sainsbury's has reported two straight years of falling profits, and analysts expect another drop in the 2016-17 financial year. In May, the supermarket said underlying profits for the year to 12 March fell to £587m from £681m in the previous year. Shares in the group have fallen 9% over the past six months. John Ibbotson, director of retail consultancy Retail Vision, said Sainsbury's simpler pricing strategy and abolition of multi-buy promotions was "distinctly underwhelming" in the current brutal market conditions, but said Argos could help the firm. "Argos should boost Sainsbury's bottom line in the short-term as well as improve its internet offer and logistics capability. "But integrating the two firms will be time-consuming and distracting, and in the current environment Sainsbury's cannot afford to take its eye off its core grocery business, even for a second," he added. Earlier this week, discount rival Aldi showed it was not immune to the effects of the continuing price war, with low prices eating into its profit margins. The firm reported a 12% rise in sales for 2015, but said operating profits had fallen 1.8%.

Summary: Sainsbury's has reported a second consecutive quarter of falling sales, blaming falling food prices.


The cases involve 165 suspects and more than 100 victims. A police spokesperson said many cases had "multiple suspects and multiple victims" but there was also a large number involving single suspects. Last year, 12 men were jailed for their part in the abuse of a single victim in Keighley. Eleven were jailed at Bradford Crown Court after being convicted of raping the girl from the age of 13 and another man was sentenced for sexual activity with her. The CSE figures, which were given to the Keighley News and confirmed to the BBC by police, compare with last year's figure of 220 cases. There were 261 suspects under investigation at the same time in 2016. A police spokesperson said: "West Yorkshire Police and partners have been proactive in their approach to encourage victims to come forward and reassure them that all reports will be taken seriously. "We have developed a far greater understanding of CSE than in the past and this has led to rapid action to prioritise resources to improve the identification and prosecution of perpetrators of this abhorrent crime."

Summary: A total of 179 cases of child sexual exploitation (CSE) are being investigated in Keighley and Bradford, West Yorkshire Police has said.


The Hugh Fraser Foundation has pledged £300,000, with £250,000 to come from the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation. GSA aims to raise £20m to restore the famous building which was badly damaged by fire on 23 May. The most recent pledges and individual donations by members of the public mean the fund currently stands at £6.4m This figure is made up of the Hugh Fraser Foundation £300,000; the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation £250,000; £150,000 in individual donations; £700,000 of Scottish government match funding (increasing to a total of £5m in line with future donations) and a £5m pledge from the UK government. The Hugh Fraser Foundation was established in 1960 by Sir Hugh Fraser with shares in House of Fraser and other investments. Dr Kenneth Chrystie, chairman of the Hugh Fraser Foundation, said the trustees were clear that they "wished to make a major and public show of support" for GSA following the fire. "We felt that it was a great privilege to be able to support the GSA to begin the process of reconstruction and recovery," he said. "I am confident that the fundraising appeal will attract world-wide support from those who share with us the desire to see the school not only recover, but regain momentum towards its future success." Firefighters managed to save 90% of the building, named after internationally renowned designer and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and 70% of its contents. GSA estimates the cost of restoring the building to be between £20m and £35m and believes the work could take up to four years. The appeal fund, which has Hollywood star Brad Pitt and Dr Who actor Peter Capaldi among its trustees, was set up last month to help raise £20m. British theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh said that he hoped the donation through his foundation would encourage others to follow. "It is hardly surprising the tragic news of the fire spread globally and we are all encouraged by the GSA's clear determination to restore the wonderful building," he said. "My admiration for Charles Rennie Mackintosh and my personal passion for original architectural design makes me even more pleased to be able to become one of the first donors to your appeal. "The contribution from my foundation will, I hope, encourage others to follow suit and it comes with enormous gratitude and respect for what you have achieved and will continue to do." GSA director Professor Tom Inns said everyone at the school had "been moved by the incredible generosity" they had been shown since the fire. "The GSA has been honoured to have the financial and personal support of the Hugh Fraser Foundation over many years, and this most recent donation is very much appreciated," he said. "The kind words of Sir Cameron and the support of The Mackintosh Foundation are also most welcome at this difficult time. "I would also like to extend the heartfelt thanks of The Glasgow School of Art to all the institutions and individuals who have donated to the appeal to date. "This support along with the many, many messages of good will and

Summary: A fund set up to help restore Glasgow School of Art's (GSA) fire-damaged Mackintosh building has received two donations totalling £550,000.


This is despite the company reporting a pre-tax profit of Â£36m in the first half of 2015, compared with a loss of Â£9m a year earlier. The group said the turnaround was due to "robust trading" in its food and funeral businesses. These are the first results since radical changes to the business were brought in at the end of last year. Following a review of the business by Lord Myners, the number of board members was cut drastically, while directors had to have qualifications suited to running the business. Members were also given one vote each. The business recorded a deficit of Â£2.5bn in 2013 following massive losses at the Co-operative Bank. Following changes in the ownership structure of the bank, the Co-op Group now holds just a 20% stake in the bank. "We've made a good start on the three year journey to rebuild the Co-operative Group," said chief executive Richard Pennycook of the half-year results. "These early days are about fixing the basics - putting in place new leadership teams and providing the investment to deliver the strategies for our businesses. Our customers and members are beginning to see the difference. The food business saw like-for-like sales at its main convenience stores increase by 3.3%, as well as 35 new store openings. The funeral business saw volumes rise by almost 12%, "principally due to a high death rate". Despite the improvement in the business seen in the first half of the year, the company warned that "we expect full-year profitability to reduce year on year, given the planned and increased levels of investment we are making in the second half of the year". It also said that, again due to greater investment, it was unlikely to declare any dividends before 2018.

Summary: The Co-operative Group has said increased investment means profits this year will be lower than in 2014.


The embalmed body is currently on display in his home city of Batac. The decision to move Marcos is controversial because of his record of huge corruption and rights abuses. President Duterte said the transfer of Marcos' body could take place next month. He said that protests against the move would be allowed as long as motorists were not inconvenienced. Army spokesman Col Benjamin Hao said that representatives of the Marcos family have visited the cemetery in the Taguig area of metropolitan Manila to pick a burial site and make initial preparations. Left wing critics of the transfer argue that it is inappropriate to provide an honourable burial to a president blamed for thousands of killings, tortures and military abductions - many of which remain unresolved. While the military comprise the majority of the 40,000 people laid to rest in the cemetery, correspondents say that military rules prohibit those who have been dishonourably discharged. President Marcos and his wife Imelda ruled the Philippines for 20 years before more than a million people took to the streets to overthrow them in what became known as the People Power Revolution of 1986. How People Power toppled dictator Marcos Earlier on Sunday President Duterte said that dozens of current or former politicians, officials and judges with links to illegal drugs must surrender and be investigated. In a nationally televised address, he named those he was accusing and ordered their security to be withdrawn. Duterte: 'Punisher' to president Local media reports say some of those named have been misidentified. But Mr Duterte said he would take full responsibility for any who turned out to be innocent. Mr Duterte was sworn in as president in June, after winning a landslide election victory a month earlier. He had previously been mayor of the country's third biggest city, Davao, for 22 years where his tough approach and controversial comments earned him the nickname "The Punisher".

Summary: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has given the go-ahead for the body of his disgraced predecessor Ferdinand Marcos to be buried in the Heroes' Cemetery in Manila.


He was pronounced dead at the scene on the A173 in Levenside, Great Ayton, at 18:10 GMT on Monday after being hit by a black BMW 1 series car, police said. The driver of the car, a 21-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He has been released on bail pending further inquiries, North Yorkshire Police said. The force has appealed for any witnesses to come forward.

Summary: An 80-year-old man who was hit by a car has died.


Kenneth David Dickie, 64, was found with a serious head injury at the Rockley Park site in Poole on Sunday 8 May. A 34-year-old man from Poole appeared before magistrates on 10 May charged with causing grievous bodily harm. A woman, aged 57, arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent and perverting the course of justice, has been bailed until July. Dorset Police said Mr Dickie died from his injuries on Saturday at Southampton General Hospital.

Summary: A man injured in an alleged assault at a Dorset holiday park has died.


The British Under-23 time-trial champion will compete in her title-winning event and women's road race next month in Herning. Mel Lowther, the Under-23 national road race champion, will also compete in both disciplines. Alice Barnes, Ellie Dickinson, Lucy Shaw and Abi Van Twisk complete the road race line-up. It will take place over a 62-mile (100.5km) course on 4 August, two days after Christian and Lowther compete in the 20-mile (31.5km) time trial event. Head coach Iain Dyer said: "This will be the first time this group of riders has raced together as a team, so it presents a good development opportunity. "In terms of the race, the course promises to be quick and flat, so we have options within the team depending on how the race unfolds. "In the time trial event, the course is pan flat which should suit both Anna and Mel, so it will be good to see how they get on against international opposition." Great Britain Cycling Team for UEC European Road Championships: Alice Barnes (Road race) Anna Christian (Road race and time trial) Ellie Dickinson (Road race) Mel Lowther (Road race and time trial) Lucy Shaw (Road race) Abi Van Twisk (Road race)

Summary: Isle of Man rider Anna Christian will represent Great Britain at the 2017 UEC European Road Championships in Denmark.


The perception that in some areas police had lost control of the streets was the most important reason disorder spread, they said. The Home Affairs Committee said insufficient numbers of officers were initially deployed and police training for public disorder was inadequate. The Metropolitan Police said it had outlined what it was doing to improve. The Policing Large Scale Disorder: Lessons from the disturbances of August 2011 report said flooding the streets with police was what ultimately quelled the disorder. "If numbers could have been increased more rapidly, it is possible that some of the disturbances could have been avoided," it said. "We regret this did not happen and, with the benefit of hindsight, we regard the operation to police the disorder in many towns and cities, and particularly in London as flawed." It said the mutual aid system, under which police officers are transferred to forces in need, could have operated more quickly; it may have left areas which had loaned officers to other forces "vulnerable". The report said anecdotal evidence from some of those convicted suggested the widespread disorder started when people saw police had "lost control" in Tottenham via television and social media. This echoes the findings of the independent Riots Communities and Victims Panel. "Clearly a feeling existed that desirable consumer goods could be made available by looting. There was a substantial element of opportunistic criminality and copycat behaviour," the report said. "The absence of a police presence or sight of police officers apparently standing by and allowing criminal behaviour to take place was distressing for those whose homes and businesses were being attacked," it added. Committee chairman Keith Vaz MP said: "Individual police officers acted with great bravery, and we commend them for their actions. However, in London and other areas, in contrast with the effectiveness of police responses in some towns and cities, there was a failure of police tactics. "This situation might have been avoided had police appreciated the magnitude of the task. "We urgently require a rapid improvement in police training to deal with public disorder. We urge the police to act more quickly in future and to review the arrangements for loaning officers from one force to another in this type of scenario." He said that, for those who lost their homes and businesses, "the state effectively ceased to exist - sometimes for hours at a time". Mr Vaz told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the committee felt that there should have been better communication between the police and the local business community to ensure that people knew what was happening and how best to protect their livelihoods. "Those areas where the chief constables had decided to take pre-emptive action and get police officers on the streets quickly were able to contain this violence much more effectively," he added. The MPs say had more officers been deployed different tactics could have been used. The Met Police is training more police to use baton rounds and is considering buying three water cannon. Mr Vaz said the committee did not feel water cannon would have

Summary: The policing operation to tackle the summer riots across England was flawed, a report from MPs has concluded.


The software giant shared the details with tech news sites Digital Foundry and Eurogamer. The console has reportedly been designed from the start to make newer games playable at ultra-high 4K resolutions and at high frame rates. The console's graphics chip uses 40 high-speed processing cores to produce the high-definition images. Detailed specifications shared with the websites reveal that the hardware inside the console will have a central processor with eight cores that run at 2.3GHz. By contrast, the eight cores in Sony's PS4 Pro run at 2.1Ghz and those in the Xbox One at 1.75GHz. The 40 cores in the graphics unit also run at a higher speed than those in the 36 cores in the Sony console and the 12 in the Xbox One. Microsoft said it set itself a target of making the whole device capable of handling six teraflops per second - one it claims to have hit. Eurogamer estimates that the graphical processing unit inside the Scorpio box is 4.6 times more powerful than the chips in the Xbox One. Just as important, it said, was the amount of memory available to games. "That means fast streaming of very high-quality art assets, which will really help at the 4K ultra HD resolutions that Microsoft is gunning for," said Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh. However, he added that the magazine's reporters had seen only one demo, that used a very well-refined game engine. Piers Harding-Rolls, a games industry analyst at IHS Technology, said the powerful hardware would help Microsoft distinguish the new devices from the Xbox One S and give it credibility with gamers keen to get the latest hardware. Scorpio's ability to handle 4K resolutions should also help align its Xbox and Windows PC gaming strategies. He added: "Third-party publishers that are developing games for both PC and console are progressively developing 4K level content, so the overhead to develop for this new platform is not as onerous as seems at first glance." Seth Barton from game news site MCV said Microsoft still had some key decisions to take with the console. "Price is the real key here," he wrote, adding that the hardware shown suggested the cost would be higher than Â£400. "For most it simply remains a very powerful console, without a clear marketing plan or a price," he said. "And so we're no closer to seeing how Microsoft is going to turn the silicon into a saleable product." Microsoft first mentioned Project Scorpio in June last year and the console is due to go on sale in time for Christmas this year. The firm is expected to give further information, including the console's name, at the E3 games show in June.

Summary: Microsoft has released some of the specifications for its new console - known as Project Scorpio.


Women are as likely as men to ask for a pay rise - but are less likely to get one, the research found. The study, by the Cass Business School and the universities of Warwick and Wisconsin, looked at 4,600 workers. It found "no support" for the "reticent female" theory, whereby women avoided asking for more money. For what it claimed was the first time, the study eliminated any impact from part-time workers earning less than their full-time counterparts, by comparing full-time males with full-time females, and part-time males with part-time females. When like-for-like male and female workers were compared, men were 25% more likely to get a pay rise when they asked, the study found. The research also concluded there was no evidence for the idea that women were reluctant to ask for a salary increase because they were more wary of upsetting their boss, or deviating from a perceived female stereotype. When analysing the results, the researchers took into account the size of the employer and the industry, whether the workers were a parent, as well as their qualifications. The study was based on data from the 2013-14 Australian workplace relations survey. Australia is thought to be the only country to systematically record whether employees had asked for a pay rise, and why they had or had not done so. Andrew Oswald, professor of economics and behavioural science at the University of Warwick, said he was surprised by the findings. "The fact that women don't ask for pay rises as often as men is a popular theory. It's a very common thing for women to say and believe, but all of the evidence is anecdotal, so it's very hard scientifically to do a proper test of this." He said one possibility was that unsuccessful men who asked for a pay rise, but did not get it, kept it to themselves, while women "were more straightforward and tell their friends". "Having seen these findings, I think we have to accept that there is some element of pure discrimination against women," Prof Oswald added. "It could be that Australia is odd. But it's a modern industrial economy halfway in character between Britain and the US, so I think that's unlikely." The study also found differences according to age, with women and men under 40 both asking for and receiving pay rises at the same rate, which the researchers said could mean that negotiating behaviour had started to change. Dr Amanda Goodall from Cass Business School - part of City, University of London - and a co-author of the study, said: "The study potentially has an upside. Young women today are negotiating their pay and conditions more successfully than older females, and perhaps that will continue as they become more senior."

Summary: The theory that women get paid less than men because they are not sufficiently pushy in the workplace is not true, a new study suggests.


The Wales Bill aims to grant the Welsh Assembly new powers over energy, transport and elections. A draft version of the bill was dogged with controversy and the UK government has promised significant changes. Labour's Shadow Welsh Secretary Nia Griffith said there should be no "unnecessary delays" to the bill. Opening the new parliamentary session on Wednesday, the Queen said: "My Government will continue to work in cooperation with the devolved administrations to implement the extensive new powers in the Scotland Act and establish a strong and lasting devolution settlement in Wales." Alun Cairns, Secretary of State for Wales, said he plans to discuss the bill with First Minister Carwyn Jones, and added: "The Wales Bill will be published as early as possible in the parliamentary session." Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Hywel Williams criticised UK ministers for providing what he called "one vague sentence on a Wales Bill that has already been announced". The Wales Bill is an attempt to re-write how Wales is governed by defining what is under the control of Westminster, known as the reserved powers model. The current system defines what is under the assembly's control, with everything else assumed to lie with the UK government. The legislation was previously announced in May 2015's Queen's Speech, but the draft version, published in October, attracted widespread criticism that it could actually reduce the assembly's powers. A final version was due to be presented to Parliament by March, but former Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb - since replaced by Alun Cairns - paused the process until the summer. Mr Crabb said the UK government would overhaul the bill, saying there were areas which needed "significant and substantial changes". It is not expected there will be detail on what may be in the new version for another few weeks. Ms Griffith said: "I want to see a bill that is workable that we can get behind, but I don't want to see any unnecessary delays." The Llanelli MP added: "As I understand it, some of the major difficulties with this bill are being tackled and there have been ongoing talks between the secretary of state and the Welsh Government." Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Mark Williams said he hoped the UK government "will have taken on the cross-party concerns and brings a bill forward which ensures a clear and coherent political settlement for the people of Wales". The Queen's Speech, read at the state opening of parliament, is drawn up by the UK government and outlines the government's policies and proposed programme for making new laws in the new parliamentary session. A commitment to a "strong and lasting" devolution settlement is becoming as regular a feature of the Queen's Speech as the ceremony that surrounds it. This is what she said last year: "My government will also bring forward legislation to secure a strong and lasting constitutional settlement, devolving wide-ranging powers to Scotland and Wales." That ushered in the draft Wales Bill, which didn't survive pre-legislative scrutiny by MPs, AMs and academics. So much for George Osborne's 2015 election pledge: "Within 100 days

Summary: Revised plans for the future of Welsh devolution will be presented to MPs in the next year, the Queen's Speech has confirmed.


It represents one of the biggest tie-ups between video gaming and a major sports league. Eventually all of the 30 NBA teams will have an e-sports division, but initially only a few will be chosen. In England, Premier League clubs Manchester City and West Ham have signed up e-sports players. The basketball e-league - known as the NBA 2K ELeague - will start playing in 2018. The teams, which will be made up of five players, will play a five-month season that mirrors the real NBA season. Those chosen to make up the teams will be given salaries and play the game as avatars that they create for themselves, rather than representing actual players. "We believe we have a unique opportunity to develop something truly special for our fans and the young and growing e-sports community," said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. "We look forward to combining our best-in-class NBA sports team operators with Take-Two's competitive gaming expertise to create a brand new league experience." Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two said: "Through the NBA 2K series, which is renowned throughout the world for capturing the authenticity of the NBA and the passion of its fans, we have a proven track record of highly successful collaboration. "With this new venture, Take-Two and the NBA aim to fuel the accelerating growth of e-sports and take the thrill of competition to exciting new heights." The UK is also recognising the growing importance of e-sports. In May 2016, West Ham became the first club in the UK to sign a professional video game competitor, Sean Allen, who represents the club at Fifa video game tournaments. Brian Blau, a director at research firm Gartner, thinks that e-sports could grow rapidly in the next few years. "Some estimates suggest that in the next five years, e-sports could become bigger than real sport, in terms of generating money and fans," he said. "It is another avenue of interaction for gamers, that is feeding off the interest in watching others play games."

Summary: The National Basketball Association has teamed up with video game publisher Take-Two Interactive to create an e-sports league in the US.


Andrew Hocking, 57, of West Sussex, sexually assaulted four girls, aged between six and 12, from 1976 to 1990 in Gloucestershire and Hampshire. He was found guilty of one count of rape and six indecent assaults following a trial at Lewes Crown Court. Sussex Police said Hocking showed "no genuine remorse" for his actions. "Hocking stands out as cold, calculating, predatory and ruthless," said Det Con Chris Smith. "Despite the strong evidence against him, he put the victims through the ordeal of having to recount their episodes of abuse." Detectives discovered records of allegations of indecent assaults on a seven-year-old girl at his home in Alveston, Gloucestershire in 1976 and 1977, while they were investigated him over the making of indecent images of children. Police were contacted by three woman claiming they had been attacked, when they were aged six, seven and 12, by Hocking at his address in Fareham, Hampshire, in the 1980s and 1990, following an appeal for information. Following a trial, Hocking was convicted of one count of rape and six indecent assaults and cleared of one indecent assault. The 57-year-old admitted making indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornography at an earlier hearing. He was ordered to be put on the sex offenders register for life.

Summary: A paedophile, branded "calculating and predatory", has been jailed for 15 years for a string of sex attacks on girls as young as six years old.


Jackson, 22, scored four goals in 36 appearances last season as Wrexham finished eighth in the table. He is Barnsley's third signing for next season, ahead of their League One play-off final at Wembley on Sunday. "Kayden has pace to burn, likes to get at defenders and will fit in nicely to the way we play," caretaker boss Paul Heckingbottom told the club website. Jackson turned down a contract offer from Wrexham for next season. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Barnsley have signed striker Kayden Jackson from National League club Wrexham on a two-year deal.


But the Taliban has been regaining ground in Sangin and is now poised to recapture the district from Afghan forces. Why is this part of Helmand so important to both sides? Regaining full control of Sangin would increase the Taliban's mobility in the north of the province and cut a key supply line for Afghan forces with Lashkar Gah. Sangin is also a rich opium production centre - meaning potential tax revenue for the Taliban from the drugs trade. The big question now is whether the Taliban can maintain their recent territorial gains in the district. Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, told the BBC late on Monday that the district administrative office had been abandoned by government forces. But Taliban fighters are cautious about entering it, he said. The Taliban is more likely to keep administrative offices unoccupied, as they have done in the Musa Qala and Nowzad regions of Helmand - where 90% of the districts are said to be under Taliban control but the centres are with the government forces. The Taliban intentionally avoids centres of the districts, where they can easily be targeted. Keeping control of the centre of Sangin would not be easy for the militants, but they may have an advantage among the local population. Many locals are resentful of government troops following military operations earlier this year which they say wrought unwarranted destruction to homes, farms, and other property. The Taliban will probably seek to exploit that resentment and foster as much sympathy for their cause as possible, as they did in Kunduz where fighters could be seen posing for photos with civilians. If the government wants to wrest total control of the area from the militants, it should look to win hearts and minds - a strategy once trumpeted by the foreign forces which controlled this part of the country. It should deploy troops who do not bear the grudges of those who fought in the civil war in 90s, soldiers who are not trying to settle old scores. Above all, it should do all it can to avoid perpetuating a cycle of violence in which the biggest victims are the local civilians.

Summary: Sangin was once the centre of operations for international forces in Afghanistan, a key district that linked Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, to the province's northern districts.


There has been damage to property but no injuries. Forecasters have indicated that it will be dry and bright for most of Scotland by Wednesday afternoon. Ferry services have been considerably disrupted and falling trees have caused some problems on roads and railways. Transport Minister Keith Brown chaired a meeting of the Scottish government's resilience team. Mr Brown said: "No-one is being complacent and whilst the weather alerts remain in place, the focused response will continue." A train travelling south from Aberdeen to Edinburgh suffered minor damage when it hit some fallen branches and a bus was hit in Aberdeen. In Edinburgh a tree landed on the side of a house in Redford Road. No-one was injured. High winds has also forced the closure of the Royal Botanic Garden in the capital. Aberdeen City Council said trees were down across the city, and the tree squad was working flat out. Huge quantities of foam blown in from the sea covered cars, buildings and a park beside Aberdeen beach at the Footdee area. Scottish Borders Council activated its emergency response team after warnings of extremely heavy rain, while Tayside Police warned of an increased risk of surface water on many routes and possible river flooding. Part of a building roof has come down blocking Bridge Street at Peterhead harbour and Grampian Police said minor roads across the region have been blocked by trees. High winds have seen restrictions on some of Scotland's bridges, while fallen trees are affecting some minor routes and ferry crossings. Historic Scotland has shut several of its sites across the country including: Fort George, Craigmillar Castle, Loch Leven castle, Inchcolm Abbey, Tantallon Castle, Seton Collegiate Church, Tolquhon Castle, Kisimul Castle, Spynie Palace, Elgin Cathedral and Inchmahone Priory. The National Trust for Scotland has closed: Brodie Castle, Newhailes, Pitmedden, Preston Mill, Fyffie castle, Haddo House, Castle Fraser, Leith Hall Gardens, Crathes Castle, Craigevar Castle, Drum Castle and Crarae Gardens.

Summary: Heavy rain and severe winds have caused power cuts and travel problems and swept sea foam into parts of Scotland.


The superhero had been declared an honorary ambassador to promote messages about women's empowerment and gender-based violence. The character's "sexualised" appearance was one element critics seized on to deem the choice inappropriate. A petition against the selection gathered nearly 45,000 signatures. The UN did not explain why the project with Wonder Woman, announced in October, would end on Friday. But spokesman Jeffrey Brez said campaigns using fictional characters often lasted no longer than a few months, Reuters news agency reported. DC Entertainment, which publishes DC Comics, said it was pleased with the exposure Wonder Woman had brought to the cause. Warner Bros and DC Entertainment are supporting a year-long campaign by the UN and its children's agency, Unicef, for gender equality and women's empowerment. In the petition against the character's appointment, opponents said the image she projected was "not culturally encompassing or sensitive". "It is alarming that the United Nations would consider using a character with an overtly sexualised image at a time when the headline news in United States and the world is the objectification of women and girls," it said. Wonder Woman - an Amazonian from the all-female paradise of Themyscira - masquerades as Diana Prince, whose occupations include an army nurse, until her services are called on by a society in peril. She first came to the public's attention in October 1941, and was most famously played by actress Lynda Carter in the hit US TV series that ran from 1975-79. The announcement came as the UN itself was under criticism for having a lack of gender parity in senior roles. Despite campaigns there has never been a female secretary general and one analysis found that in 2015 nine of 10 senior leadership jobs went to men.

Summary: The UN has ended its campaign with comic book heroine Wonder Woman, a spokesman says, less than two months after her appointment sparked outrage.


The company said it had a "temporary network issue" which affected calls and texts during Saturday afternoon and evening. It said calls had since been restored and that it is working to restore full service. But some users on Twitter complained of their texts being sent to random numbers instead of their contacts. A spokeswoman said the company was "currently investigating the cause of the service disruption" and that it apologised for any inconvenience. It also said that some "customers and non-customers" may have received a message from an unknown sender on Saturday. In a statement on its website, the company said its advice "is to ignore all text messages that you deem incorrect". Three, which has about nine million customers, experienced a data breach last year which saw personal details, including names and addresses, accessed unlawfully. Sign-up to get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning

Summary: Mobile phone company Three has apologised after some of its customers were unable to make calls or texts.


The bridge fell on to the London-bound carriageway of the motorway just after midday on Saturday 27 August. The man from Darlington has been issued with a summons to appear before Maidstone magistrates on 17 February. He will face charges of dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He will also face three counts of criminal damage. A motorcyclist suffered broken ribs when the bridge came down. No one died. The collapse happened between junctions four and three, near the junction with the M26 which links the M25 London orbital with the M20. The road, which is the main route to the Channel Tunnel and Port of Dover, had to be closed while two large cranes worked to clear the debris. The road was closed again the following weekend for the remains of the partially collapsed pedestrian bridge to be removed.

Summary: A 63-year-old man will appear in court following the collapse of a pedestrian bridge on the M20 during last August's bank holiday weekend.


The British Hen Welfare Trust said 240 of the birds were in need of new homes in Wrexham. The trust said the birds had spent the last 18 months laying eggs for supermarkets but their ability to lay had slowed down. It said they were healthy and "will soon become much-loved pets". The trust will hold a rehoming day on Sunday but said it could not save the hens if they did not have homes to go to. Gaynor Davies, the charity's head of operations, said: "There is no better feeling than watching these girls flourish after they emerge from the commercial system. "With a bit of TLC they become incredibly tame, and they're often described as cats and dogs with feathers."

Summary: Hundreds of ex-commercial hens considered too slow at laying eggs face slaughter unless they can be rehomed in north Wales, a charity has said.


The treatment isn't offered on the NHS, but it's understood some staff have occasionally put patients in touch with organisations who provide it. Experts say attempting so-called "gay cures" can be "dangerous" and "damaging". Fourteen organisations, including NHS England, have signed an agreement to stop gay conversion therapy being offered to patients. Although in general, referrals to conversion services are rare - there is evidence that GPs, counsellors and psychotherapists have made them. They will also be providing training for staff to enable them to improve support available to lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people seeking advice. The agreement, The Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy in the UK, makes it clear that NHS England, the organisation which has day-to-day responsibility for running the NHS, "does not endorse or support conversion therapy" and will make this clear to staff. It essentially means GPs will not be able to refer patients for gay therapy and that no-one employed by the NHS can provide it. Amber Dowell, communications officer at the UK Council for Psychotherapy, told Newsbeat the agreement was "really important". "It's very common for people to have feelings where they might question their sexuality, where they might want to explore the attractions they're feeling. "We want people to be able to do that in an environment that is safe, supportive and free of judgement." There are no official figures for how many people attempt conversion therapy every year, but the Department of Health has acknowledged to Newsbeat it does occasionally happen. Amber suggested that an "ignorance of the issue of the ethics involved" rather than staff being "prejudiced against LGB people" was to blame for it being offered by the NHS in the past. "I think, in trying to help people mistakenly, referrals had been made in the past," she said. Newsbeat has spoken to people who said they had experienced conversion therapy. Louise from West Yorkshire said she was blackmailed into receiving "treatment" for being gay in 2007 by her evangelical church. She later attended group sessions of around 20 women near Liverpool. "[Most] were married with children. They were there without the knowledge of their partners or their children. "If I'd been more impressionable I think I could have been really damaged by the process." Brad, from Illinois, lives in the West Midlands. He said he was "scared" when he first discovered he was gay and "wanted to do my very best to change it". He attended group therapy sessions but realised the treatment, which he said encouraged him "to do more stereotypical masculine things" wasn't going to change his feelings. "It's really sad I spent three years of my life trying to do something that was impossible." There are some who suggest it works and insist people should be able to try it. Mike Davidson told Newsbeat he "converted" with therapy over the course of two years and now provides what he calls "support" for people who have "unwanted same-sex attraction" in Northern Ireland. He thinks the service should be allowed but he wasn't able to give an accurate

Summary: NHS staff in England have been told that they should no longer help people access gay conversion therapy.


Victoria Street in Victoria flooded at about 18:00 BST on Saturday and the water gushed into several businesses including the Curzon Cinema, which had to be evacuated. Fire crews then helped some people in the venue cross the flooded pavement. Thames Water said a large pipe burst damaging the road but no customers were without water on Sunday. A spokesman for the company said: "Our team is on site arranging emergency repairs. "We apologise for any inconvenience caused and we will fix the pipe as soon as possible." The road remained closed between Palace Street and Buckingham Gate on Sunday morning and several buses in the busy area were on diversion. On its website Curzon Cinemas Victoria said: "Due to a burst water main, Curzon Victoria has had to close tonight (Saturday 6th June). "We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Summary: Cinema-goers were carried to safety by firefighters after they became stranded when a water main burst in London.


Media playback is not supported on this device The Stags dominated for long spells and had the best of the chances, but twice found themselves behind. For the second successive home game the Stags lost possession and were punished on the counter-attack as Jordan Slew ran onto the ball in his own half and raced clear on 14 minutes, leaving Jamie McGuire in his wake, and he slotted home across Brian Jensen and off the far post. It was their only effort of the half with Argyle keeper Luke McCormick by far the busier. He stopped a tame early Matt Green effort, tipped away a curling James Baxendale shot, made a fine block from Ashley Hemmings and watched a Mitch Rose blast sail over the bar. But Mansfield were level on 58 minutes as Green flicked on a Rose cross and Hemmings blasted home a rising shot under the far angle from the far post. Hemmings twice came close to another, firing just wide and hitting a post. But the Pilgrims, who have only lost once in 16 games snatched it as Slew fed Fox to fire home an excellent finish from 18 yards. Report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Mansfield Town 1, Plymouth Argyle 2. Second Half ends, Mansfield Town 1, Plymouth Argyle 2. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Sonny Bradley (Plymouth Argyle) because of an injury. Malvind Benning (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by David Ijaha (Plymouth Argyle). Foul by Malvind Benning (Mansfield Town). Ryan Donaldson (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick on the right wing. Yann Songo'o (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Darius Henderson (Mansfield Town). Foul by Darius Henderson (Mansfield Town). Ben Purrington (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Darius Henderson (Mansfield Town). Yann Songo'o (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half. James Spencer (Plymouth Argyle) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Krystian Pearce (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by James Spencer (Plymouth Argyle). Substitution, Mansfield Town. Danny Rose replaces Lee Collins. Yann Songo'o (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Malvind Benning (Mansfield Town). Attempt saved. Rhys Bennett (Mansfield Town) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Substitution, Plymouth Argyle. David Ijaha replaces Jordan Slew. Attempt missed. Ashley Hemmings (Mansfield Town) left footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right. Substitution, Mansfield Town. Darius Henderson replaces James Baxendale. Goal! Mansfield Town 1, Plymouth Argyle 2. David Fox (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jordan Slew. Foul by Yann Songo'o (Plymouth Argyle). Matt Green (Mansfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by Chris Clements. Corner, Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by Malvind Benning. Corner, Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by Krystian Pearce. Substitution, Mansfield Town. Jack Thomas replaces Mitch

Summary: David Fox's first goal for Plymouth Argyle 10 minutes from time saw them into the hat for the second round of the FA Cup after a hard-fought win at Mansfield Town.


The bridge, over the River Wharfe at Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, collapsed in December 2015, affecting 79 homes and businesses. The report, for North Yorkshire County Council, said improved defences should be a "priority". The Environment Agency said it was preparing a funding bid for improved defences. Read more about this and other stories from across Yorkshire The report said heavy rain over the Christmas period fell on ground already saturated following heavy rain throughout November and December. The level of the River Wharfe rose rapidly and overtopped the town's existing defences. It states: "An improved system of flood defences in Tadcaster is a priority for the town. "The current level of protection [for a one-in-25 year flood event] is low and whilst the rainfall preceding the flood was unusual, the risk of a repeat event remains." Don Mackenzie, executive member on North Yorkshire County Council, said: "Clearly we want to see the basic defences built up higher so that we have more than the current 25 year protection. Ideally we would like to see a 100 year protection." Nicola Eades, from Tadcaster Flood Action Group, welcomed the report. "We are working closely with the organisations [on plans for defences] but it will be about what will be acceptable to the public." She also said it would be dependent on what funding would be available nationally and regionally. The report praises the Tadcaster Flood Action Group (TFAG) for its work in improving flood awareness and resilience in the town since 2015. It concludes: "It is undoubtedly true that Tadcaster is better prepared for flooding through the actions and activities of TFAG."

Summary: Flooding which caused a road bridge to collapse, cutting a town in two, could happen again, a report has said.


The Spaniards won 22-19 with a try in the last seconds to seal the 12th and final spot for this summer's Rio Games. They join Fiji, South Africa, Great Britain, Australia, United States, Argentina, France, Kenya, New Zealand, Japan and Brazil in the men's event. "I am still trying to take it in. This is a dream for us. We are going to be Olympians," said Spain's Angel Lopez. "We believed that we were good enough, but wow, this is pretty special. "We now have to prepare. We will be very motivated and determined to do our nation, our family and Spanish rugby proud."

Summary: Spain qualified for the Olympic sevens with a dramatic late victory over Samoa in Sunday's repechage tournament final.


Mohammed Ali Abboud is on trial for murdering Agnieszka Szefler at the home they used to share in Bridge of Earn, Perthshire, in January. The jury were shown video footage of Mr Abboud telling detectives Ms Szefler "fell" with the knife in her hand. The 57-year-old denies all the charges against him. The High Court in Edinburgh heard Mr Abboud told officers that Ms Szefler's temper changed just before she had her period and that she often threw household items at him during this time. He said the 27-year-old teacher sustained serious injuries during the struggle on 23 January. He said: "She fell. She had the knife in her hand." The video footage of the police interview was shown on the fourth day of proceedings against Mr Abboud, who also denies a charge of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by covering up his role in his former partner's death. In the footage, a detective told Mr Abboud that he did not believe his claims that he did not murder Ms Szefler. The policeman then asked the accused to admit that he murdered her. But Mr Abboud said the pair got into a struggle and he was trying to stop her from causing any of them serious injury. He said: "I was trying to stop her. It got out of hand." Mr Abboud's lawyers have lodged a special defence of self defence. The trial, before judge Lord Uist, continues.

Summary: A man accused of stabbing his ex-partner to death told police she came at him with a knife and they started to struggle, a court has heard.


The Scottish Seabird Centre wants to expand its education and conservation programmes to include all marine life in a bid to remain viable. A National Marine Centre for Scotland is designed to be built at the existing Seabird centre in North Berwick. An interactive experience is planned to inspire people to care for the natural environment above and below the waves. The Scottish Seabird Centre said it needs to evolve to remain viable, it has more education requests than it can cope with and visitor expectations are at an all-time high. It has secured £3.3m Heritage Lottery funding but needs another £2m if its vision is to become a reality with the centre planned to open in 2020 for Visit Scotland's year of coasts and waters. Grace Martin, project director for the National Marine Centre, said: "The Scottish Seabird Centre currently offers visitors an opportunity to engage with nature in a sustainable way. "As a conservation and education charity, we welcome 4,000 schoolchildren a year and lead projects such as SOS Puffin. "But, as with all charities, we must move with the times to remain viable and to achieve our objectives of inspiring people to care for wildlife and the natural environment. "We have more education requests that we can accommodate and visitor expectations are at an all-time-high. "Our vision is to create a centre that is of national significance and one that the local community is proud of." Professor John Baxter, principal advisor at Scottish Natural Heritage and a trustee of the Seabird Centre, said: "The marine environment of Scotland supports a fantastic array of habitats and wildlife. "Under the surface of the seas is a hidden and very special world that we want to reveal and bring to life, for people of all ages, in exciting and engaging ways. "Scottish universities are at the cutting-edge of marine environment research but there are at present limited opportunities for the public to share in this work. "Through public engagement we know there is a high level of interest in our seas, coasts and wildlife. "This new attraction will provide an immersive and interactive experience, communicating the latest research and inspiring people to look after our natural world. It is vital that we protect and conserve our seas and their wildlife for future generations."

Summary: Plans for a £5.5m National Marine Centre for Scotland have been unveiled in East Lothian.