Alzheimer's Research UK says more government help is needed to ensure the industry does not "retreat" from the challenge of finding new drugs. The warning follows disappointing results in recent clinical trials. The pharmaceutical industry body, the ABPI, says there are over 200 medicines under development for Alzheimer's. It is estimated that more than 800,000 people in the UK have dementia. The majority have Alzheimer's disease. The numbers affected are growing fast, and the search for new treatments is becoming more urgent. But this summer two big trials have reported disappointing results. The drugs - bapineuzumab and solanezumab - failed to show benefits that researchers had hoped to see. Alzheimer's Research UK fears companies may decide that putting resources into dementia is too risky. The charity's science director, Dr Eric Karran, said the trial setbacks were "very disappointing". He warned that companies could be deterred from investing in dementia. "If you're running a business and you have options to find important new medicines in cancer, in diabetes or in neuroscience inevitably I think you have to place your bets where ultimately you will get a better chance of a return on your investment." Dr Karran said there was a need for a new model of funding to ensure the pharmaceutical industry does not "retreat" from this challenging field of research. "Now is certainly not the time to be giving up. But we need to accept that this is a challenging area and really bring all of our resources together from the pharmaceutical industry, from academia and from government, to tackle it." In response, the chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, Stephen Whitehead, insisted that companies were still working on new dementia treatments. "The industry continues to address unmet medical need in Alzheimer's as well as other neurodegenerative diseases, which are serious health challenges facing all societies with ageing demographics. Hence there is a pipeline of over 200 candidate medicines in various stages of development for Alzheimer's disease." In March this year the prime minister said extra funding for research was a central part of his plan to tackle what he called the "national crisis" of dementia. Overall funding will increase to more than 66 million pounds by 2015. In a statement, Andrew Chidgey from the Alzheimer's Society, said given the scale of the problem, funding for dementia was still far too low. "Currently there are 150 times more clinical trials focusing on treating people in the late stages of cancer than Alzheimer's disease. One in three people over the age of 65 will die with dementia. More funding for research is urgently needed if we are to defeat the condition once and for all."

Summary: A leading health research charity says drugs companies may "retreat" from dementia research without more support.


John Larkin said there should be no further police investigations, inquests or inquiries into any Trouble-related killings that took place before the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. Mr Larkin said his proposal was not a formal amnesty, but was a logical consequence of the Agreement. "I do think it's important to allow Richard Haass to do his work about parades, about flags and about dealing with the past. "Clearly the dealing with the past part is the most difficult of the three and the most difficult to unlock. "The second point I would make is that we are all democrats who believe in the rule of law, who believe in the independence of the police and prosecuting authorities, and they should if they are able to, be able to bring cases. "I think it's rather dangerous to think that you can put some sort of block on that. But of course we are all interested in ways in which people can reconcile and come to terms with the bloody past, so that they can build a viable future and a shared future for Northern Ireland." "The question of the past is difficult, because it is dealing with victims on all sides of the atrocities. "I don't think it would be helpful of me to comment on the personal submission made by the attorney general in Northern Ireland, who is in statutory office, and I have to respect his views in this context. "I think it would be difficult for families on either side of the dark time in Northern Ireland if you were to follow, for instance, that advice and put in place what the attorney general recommended." "I think what the attorney general has proposed is an amnesty. "There are 3,000 unsolved murders in Northern Ireland and those families are entitled to the right to pursue justice. "This process must be victim-centred. It must be the victims who decide how they wish to proceed, not politicians, not law officers. "In a democratic society, it is the victims who have the right to determine how they should move forward." "This issue is much bigger than simply the issue of prosecutions. "Whatever mechanisms are agreed in the future they need to be victim-centred. The views of victims must be central to any effort to deal with the legacy of the past. Their voices must be heard and respected and all victims must be treated on the basis of equality. "As it stands there is no single view from victims and survivors and it is unlikely that there will be one in the future. Some families seek truth, others seek a judicial process." "I am deeply suspicious about the timing of this. The timing is strange given that there is an active debate going on centred on dealing with the past. "I am shocked at the lack of consultation particularly with victims, never mind the executive. I can't believe he didn't understand the hurt and pain he would cause amongst victims. "There is no doubt that we have to find a way of dealing with

Summary: Politicians and public figures have been reacting to a call by Northern Ireland's attorney general for an end to prosecutions for Troubles-related killings.


Lincoln Castle underwent a Â£22m renovation project ready for the document's 800th anniversary. Castle manager Rachel Thomas said about 34,000 people visited in April - up 21,000 on last year. Last month, the castle was named as one of 12 sites in the county that could be outsourced to save the council money. Since the 11th Century castle reopened at the beginning of April, 33,941 people have visited, compared with 12,503 last April. Lincoln's copy of Magna Carta, is one of only four surviving copies. Ms Thomas said she had not expected so many visitors. "Partly, no doubt, the coverage around Magna Carta and the raising in the public consciousness of Magna Carta has helped," she said. The renovation project included a new wall walk and the reopening of the Victorian prison to visitors. The high-security underground vault houses the 1215 Magna Carta, alongside an original copy of the Charter of the Forest, which was signed two years later. The work was funded by Lincolnshire County Council, Heritage Lottery money and private donations. The authority said a final decision on whether to outsource 12 attractions including the castle, Gainsborough Old Hall and the Museum of Lincolnshire Life has not yet been made.

Summary: A castle that had a multi-million pound vault built to house a surviving copy of Magna Carta has almost tripled visitor numbers.


Everybody sitting in the stands, listening to the radio or watching on television knew they played badly. Was the talk from outside the team the kick up the backside they needed to get their game in order, or did it come from within? We'll probably never know. What we can say is that England won the third Test at The Oval by 239 runs, taking a 2-1 lead in the series in the process, because they got the basics right. The much bigger question is can they repeat it, not only on Friday at Old Trafford, but again and again beyond that? The inconsistency of this England team is something that worries a lot of people, journalists and fans, who follow them. Of their nine home wins before this one at The Oval, they have immediately followed up with a defeat. Not only are the results mixed, but there is also a nagging doubt that the quality of Test cricket that is being played, not only by England, but also their opponents, is poor. I'm talking specifically about batting, the techniques of the players and their approach to Test cricket. It's all very well to go out there and plays a few shots, take the applause of the crowd, then swish at one and get out, but that isn't Test cricket. You can't go after every ball because you think that sooner or later one will have your name on it. Negotiate the delivery that will get you out, navigate your way through the tough times, adjust to the conditions. Not all players can be tarred with the same brush. Alastair Cook grafted in difficult conditions on the first day, Ben Stokes made a flawless century, while South Africa's Dean Elgar was battling alone in the final innings of the match. But, too often, when the going gets tough, three or four wickets can fall at once. England were guilty at Trent Bridge, now South Africa have been culpable in London. So often we see a side capitulate when they are under pressure, particularly when they are batting second and replying to any sort of decent first-innings total. England, for example, have an excellent record batting first in recent home Tests, but a woeful one when they bat second. Batting first, they have won 14 of their past 17 matches, but only four from 14 when batting second. Those statistics are surprising because modern players are so used to having to respond to big totals in limited-overs cricket, of dealing with scoreboard pressure. A huge part of cricket is played in the mind, and it seems that so many are unable to deal with the heat of being behind in a Test. It can also lead to matches being very one-sided, which has been a trend in England for some time now. Whether they are winning or losing, it is usually by a huge margin. It can mean that Test cricket, although providing wonderful moments, does not provide great contests. Are we getting to the stage where we are more likely to

Summary: Despite the grumbling at the criticism they received following the heavy defeat in the second Test against South Africa, England will have probably admitted in private that what happened at Trent Bridge wasn't good enough.


The 32-year-old midfielder, who has 249 caps for England and Great Britain, was in the squad that played two matches against Canada last weekend. But head coach Jason Lee decided he could not rely on her fitness for the tournament, which starts on 31 May. Ellie Watton and Zoe Shipperley have made the 18-strong squad. Beeston forward Watton and Buckingham defender Shipperley have 15 international caps between them, but there is experience elsewhere with captain Kate Richardson-Walsh having played in three previous World Cups. England have been drawn in Pool B alongside Argentina, China, Germany, South Africa and the United States. The top two nations will qualify for the semi-finals. "We're facing some of the best teams in the world and playing the USA in our first game on 1 June is significant as they come into the tournament off the back of winning the Champions Challenge at the end of last month," said Lee. England World Cup squad: Goalkeepers: Maddie Hinch (Holcombe), Kirsty Mackay (East Grinstead) Defenders: Laura Unsworth (Holcombe), Kate Richardson-Walsh (Reading), Sam Quek (Reading), Hollie Webb (Surbiton), Sally Walton (Wakefield), Zoe Shipperley (Buckingham) Midfielders: Georgie Twigg (Surbiton), Susannah Townsend (Reading), Susie Gilbert (Reading), Ashleigh Ball (Slough) Forwards: Hannah Macleod (Leicester), Alex Danson (Reading), Sophie Bray (East Grinstead), Ellie Watton (Beeston), Lily Owsley (University of Birmingham), Nicola White (Leicester)

Summary: London 2012 Olympian Helen Richardson-Walsh has missed out on England's Hockey World Cup squad after back surgery.


That is the rather startling advice in a blogpost that is being widely shared right now. Its author, Quincy Larson, is a software engineer, who has previously written about the importance of protecting personal data. He now fears that data could be at risk every time you cross a border. His concerns were sparked by the story of Sidd Bikkannavar, an American-born Nasa engineer, who flew home from a trip to Chile last month. On arrival in Houston, he was detained by the border police and, by his own account, put under great pressure to hand over the passcode to his smartphone, despite the fact that the device had been issued to him by Nasa. Eventually, Bikkannavar did hand over both the phone and the passcode. It was taken away for 30 minutes and then returned, and he was free to go. Larson sees this as a very dangerous precedent: "What we're seeing now is that anyone can be grabbed on their way through customs and forced to hand over the full contents of their digital life." We also know that the new homeland security secretary, John Kelly, has talked of requiring visa applicants to hand over passwords to their social media accounts - though whether that could apply at the border too is not clear. And on Thursday, a new Republican congressman took to Twitter to announce proudly that he had introduced his first bill - to require the review of visa applicants' social media. Larson predicts that a policy where travellers are asked to download the contents of their phones will soon become commonplace, not just in the United States but around the world. Hence his advice to leave your mobile phone and laptop at home and rent devices when you get to your destination. Which seems a little extreme. I can't imagine being separated from my smartphone on a flight - and I'm sure many others feel the same. So I decided to seek some advice from the UK Foreign Office and the US embassy in London. Was there a danger that I would be forced by border officials to unlock my phone or hand over my social media passwords? The Foreign Office told me their travel advice did not cover this subject because they had not received any calls about it. But they did suggest that if I happened to be trapped in immigration at JFK airport with a border agent demanding my passcode, I could call the British embassy and arrange a lawyer. As for the American embassy, well I called before lunchtime on Thursday and got a perfectly pleasant response. They would need to speak to Washington and would get back to me later about the matter of my smartphone and my Facebook and Twitter accounts. As I write, it's Friday morning and I've heard nothing. Perhaps Washington has other matters on its mind. So perhaps I'd better take what I believe is known as a "burner" phone the next time I fly across the Atlantic. Update: Forty-eight hours after my first enquiry, I have now

Summary: "The next time you plan to cross a border, leave your phone at home."


The veteran act failed to decide which members would be on stage for the concert on 10 April. They said on their website the "memory of those times" would not be served by a reunion of the original line-up. Other inductees who will be honoured in New York include Nirvana, Peter Gabriel and Linda Ronstadt. Musical acts are eligible to be elevated to the Hall of Fame 25 years after their first release. Kiss, famous for their elaborate stage make-up and costumes, first formed in 1973, including current band members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Originals Ace Frehley and Peter Criss subsequently quit the group, which continued with different musicians. Their statement continued: "To bring this to a quick end, we have decided not to play in any line-up, and we will focus our attention on celebrating our induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. "This is understandably an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone." Speaking to US rock DJ Eddie Trunk, Frehley claimed Simmons and Stanley had rejected a reunion with their original bandmates. "It's very frustrating. It's what the fans wanted, it's what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wanted, and it's not gonna happen," he said. The band's statement denied that they had ever scotched a reunion with Frehley and Criss, This would have marked the original quartet's first performance together in more than 13 years, at the end of a reunion which lasted from 1996-2000. Frehley and Criss have not confirmed if they will attend the ceremony.

Summary: Rock band Kiss have pulled out of their performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in a disagreement over their line-up.


Thousands celebrated in the streets after hearing the final result was 61.3% "No", against 38.7% "Yes". But European officials warned that it could see the country ejected from the eurozone and the euro fell across the board in Asian markets on Monday. Greece's finance minister, who often clashed with creditors, has resigned. Yanis Varoufakis wrote on his blog that he had been "made aware of a certain preference by some Eurogroup participants, and assorted 'partners', for my... 'absence' from its meetings". Latest updates The prime minister had judged this to be "potentially helpful to him in reaching an agreement", he noted, adding: "I shall wear the creditors' loathing with pride." Greece's governing Syriza party had campaigned for a "No", saying that the bailout terms were humiliating. Mr Tsipras said late on Sunday that the Greeks had proved that "democracy won't be blackmailed." Speaking in a televised address, he said: "Given the unfavourable conditions last week, you have made a very brave choice.'' "But I am aware that the mandate you gave me is not a mandate for rupture.'' He said that Greece would go back to the negotiating table on Monday, adding that an International Monetary Fund (IMF) assessment published this week confirmed that restructuring Greek debt was necessary. But some European officials had already warned that creditors could take a "No" vote to mean that Greeks had rejected further talks. European leaders were varied in their openness to more talks with Greece after the vote. Germany's Deputy Chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, told local media that renewed negotiations with Greece were "difficult to imagine" and that Mr Tsipras had "torn down the bridges" between Greece and Europe. However, Italian and Belgian ministers were more conciliatory, with Belgium's finance minister saying that the door remained open to restart talks "literally, within hours". Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who heads the eurozone's group of finance ministers, said the referendum result was "very regrettable" for the future of Greece. Meanwhile, Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, warned that Europe was entering "a very difficult and even dramatic time" unless the Greek government made "meaningful" proposals in the coming hours. Greece had been locked in negotiations with its creditors for months when the Greek government unexpectedly called a referendum on the terms it was being offered. The damoclean sword hanging over Greece is that the banks will run out of cash in just a few days. Which means that a decision on what kind of limited service the banks can provide, to be made by the Greek government, will hinge entirely on whether the European Central Bank's (ECB) governing council decides to freeze, cut or increase the provision of Emergency Liquidity Assistance, or emergency loans to Greece. As for the ECB, it does not wish to be seen as Greece's Judge Dredd. It will take its lead from any statement by eurozone government heads on whether there is a realistic chance of a new deal to rescue the finances of the ailing Greek state. So the fate of Greece lies firmly where it always did, in the lap

Summary: Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said Greeks made a "brave choice" in voting to reject the terms of an international bailout in Sunday's referendum.


Phillip Chiyangwa, the chairman of Cosafa - the Council of Southern African Football Associations - has called for a meeting with other African FA chairmen in Harare in Zimbabwe on 24 February. In a letter sent by Caf on behalf of president Issa Hayatou, the governing body tells Cosafa "you do not have any authority to convene such a meeting, without Caf knowledge nor without its required approval". It adds: "Convening a meeting with representatives of many member associations outside Cosafa zone is deemed to represent an attempt to destabilise Caf. "We draw your attention to the obligation of all zonal unions to respect the authority of Caf, and not to conduct in any activities that undermine the common objectives of Caf, for the benefit of African football development. "The Caf Executive Committee reserves it rights to sanction any infringement to the Caf statutes." Caf's warning comes shortly after Cosafa announced it had unanimously endorsed Ahmad Ahmad as a presidential candidate in upcoming Caf elections. Ahmad, currently the head of Madagascar's FA, had already outlined his intention to challenge long-standing Caf leader Hayatou in March's elections in Ethiopia. Hayatou is seeking an eight term in office. Chiyangwa has already sent a reply to Caf's warning, writing "I was taken aback, to say the least, by the tone of your letter and the clear insinuation that such a gathering between presidents of member associations on the African continent would be considered, outrightly, as an attempt to destabilise Caf". He adds that Caf's statutes "promote friendly relations between National Associations, zonal unions, clubs, officials and players" and insists the meeting is for "that very objective". Chiyangwa's letter also refers to Fifa's statues relating to the protecting of human rights which he says include "freedom of Association of member associations and zonal unions for the development and growth of the game on our continent".

Summary: The Confederation of Africa Football has warned Cosafa over a planned meeting with other member associations which it says is "an attempt to destabilise" the governing body.


"Unprecedented pressure" at Yeovil District Hospital means 80 operations have been cancelled in two weeks. A temporary ward with 24 extra beds was opened in February to cope with winter pressures - but that is also full. Deputy chief executive Jonathan Howes told the BBC: "Every part of our capacity has been filled." The 345-bed hospital serves a population of about 185,000 - largely in south Somerset, North and West Dorset and parts of Mendip. It has already been on "black alert" - meaning there are not enough beds to cope with numbers coming in to A&E - twice this winter, in January and February. Dr Howes said the pressure was partly explained by the area's ageing population, many of whom have "multiple conditions". There has also been "respiratory conditions" circulating in schools and workplaces. "That, combined with pressures felt in other parts of the system so that we can't discharge people from hospital, has caused the acute crisis right now." "We are always under pressure but the last fortnight has seen the busiest period in our history. "This has been an on-going issue, we have had the highest number of attendances in our emergency department on record, up in the 170s - we normally see about 130. This has been sustained over the last fortnight. " With the "added pressure" of the Easter weekend ahead, the hospital is urging people to "think carefully" before going to A&E - as a "significant number" of those who have been in casualty could have been treated elsewhere, at minor injuries units, GP walk-in centres or by calling 111.

Summary: A Somerset hospital has declared its third "black alert" of the winter as doctors say they are dealing with the "busiest fortnight in our history".


Trustees of the Cwmaman Institute said they had six-figure debts and were struggling to keep the building open. Opened in 1892 for the local mining community, the building had a Â£3.8m lottery-funded facelift in 2001 unveiled by the Prince of Wales. Trust chairman John Oliver said they were warning groups using the venue it faced closure by the end of the year. "It's been a struggle for a number of years, and we've been running it on a voluntary basis for the main part," he said. "We hope something will crop up - we've written to Stereophonics but haven't heard back from them yet," Mr Oliver added. "We'd be pleased if they said they could help us." Stereophonics - formed in Cwmaman in the 1990s by Kelly Jones, Richard Jones and the late Stuart Cable - played some of their first gigs at the institute before winning international fame. In July trustees sold a neighbouring pub - the Shepherd's Arms - to raise funds as part of the effort to save the venue.

Summary: Rock stars Stereophonics have been asked to help save a venue where they played some of their first gigs.


With more than 40 firms now offering gas and electricity deals it warns of the danger of one becoming insolvent. At present anyone who is in credit with their energy supplier could lose out. The watchdog wants the cost of a safety net to be paid for by customers, which would have "a small impact on bills", it said. Ofgem's senior partner for consumers and competition, Rachel Fletcher, said: ""We are proposing a safety net to protect customers' credit balances in the unlikely event of a supplier failure." Under current rules, if a gas or electricity supplier becomes insolvent Ofgem appoints a replacement to ensure that customers continue to be supplied with energy. But it warns that "there may be financial implications for the failed supplier's customers". That is because as direct debit energy payments spread the cost evenly across the year, customers are often in debit during the winter and build up credit in the summer. Ofgem reckons that a typical customer's credit balance peaks at a little over Â£100 each year. But it warns that without regulatory intervention, customers are unlikely to receive all - or possibly any - of their money back if their supplier fails. Some industries already have a financial safety net for consumers. If a financial services firm goes bust, for instance, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme protects people's savings with authorised firms up to Â£75,000. The scheme is paid for by a levy on all financial services companies. Meanwhile if a travel company collapses, customers are protected if it was a member of travel trade association ABTA. The scheme is funded through a bond on members. Ofgem wants similar protection for energy customers and is proposing to allow, on a case-by-case basis, the costs of reimbursing credit balances to be spread across all energy customers. "This would better protect customers' money and have a small impact on bills," it said. The watchdog was keen to stress that it does not expect any suppliers to go out of business. "These proposals are for reassurance and to give customers the confidence to shop around and get the best energy deal," Ms Fletcher said. But it points out that while competition benefits consumers, it can lead to suppliers to fail in the same way as companies can in other markets. More than one in six - 17.4% - dual-fuel households are now with an independent provider, according to research from Cornwall Energy. It says 7.1 million customers have switched to one of the energy market's newest players since 2011.

Summary: The energy watchdog Ofgem has proposed adding a small levy to bills to ensure that consumers do not lose out if their supplier goes bust.


Stewart Hosie and Angus MacNeil are both reported to have had affairs with journalist Serena Cowdy. Mr Carlaw said he had written to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC she had seen no evidence of any breach of parliamentary expenses rules. But Ms Sturgeon, who is also the SNP leader, said it was for the watchdog to decide. She also said that "even politicians have a right to privacy". Labour MP Graham Jones is understood to have made a separate complaint about Mr MacNeil and Mr Hosie to a second watchdog, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa). Mr MacNeil is said to have stayed with Ms Cowdy at the Park Plaza hotel in London, and then claimed for the room on expenses. Ms Cowdy is reported to have later been involved in a relationship with SNP deputy leader Mr Hosie, who recently separated from his wife, SNP MSP Shona Robison. Mr Carlaw, the Scottish Conservative deputy leader, wrote to the standards commissioner, Kathryn Hudson, saying "it has been alleged in several media reports" that Mr MacNeil and Mr Hosie had "conducted their respective affairs in either accommodation or hotels paid for by the taxpayer". He said this would break rules which say members should only use expenses "in support of parliamentary duties", and nothing that could "cause significant damage to the reputation and integrity of the House of Commons". In response, the SNP said: "The expenses were approved by the Commons authorities in line with the rules on MP's London accommodation, and none of them involved any additional cost to the public purse beyond that. "This is the height of hypocrisy from the Tories, given the extent of flagrant abuse of expenses by their MPs which has been exposed in recent years - they simply don't have a leg to stand on when it come to this issue." Prime Minister David Cameron also made a veiled reference to the allegations in the House of Commons, when he said: "I know the SNP have got other things on their mind - I think actually it's mostly the same thing on their minds." Questions about the use of hotel accommodation have chiefly focused on Mr MacNeil. The MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Western Isles) has claimed about Â£90,000 in accommodation expenses since 2010/11, including Â£17,823.97 in 2014/15 - the period in which he was said to have been having an affair with Ms Cowdy. The vast majority of the claims have been for hotels in the London area. This is despite Mr MacNeil owning a flat in Lambeth, which is about a 15-minute walk from the House of Commons. Mr MacNeil, who separated from his wife last year, is understood to have bought the flat under previous Westminster expenses rules, which allowed him to charge mortgage interest payments to his parliamentary expenses. But when the rules changed following the MPs' expenses scandal, Mr MacNeil became one of several MPs who chose to rent out their properties and instead claim expenses for staying in hotels or rented accommodation when

Summary: Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw is to report two SNP MPs to a Westminster watchdog over allegations they claimed expenses for accommodation while carrying out extra-marital affairs.


Andrejs Borodins was in charge of the 1,300 tonne cargo ship Frifjord when a pilot from Dundee harbour found him staggering and incoherent. The 53-year-old Latvian had planned to sail the 250ft ship from Perth to Norway in July. Borodins was jailed for four months at Dundee Sheriff Court. The captain's drunken state was discovered when pilot Barry Nisbet came aboard at Balmerino to help steer the vessel past the road and rail bridges on the Tay. He sent Borodins to his bunk to sleep off his intoxication, with the first mate taking the wheel as the ship docked in Dundee. Police attended and arrested Borodins, who failed a breath test. He pleaded guilty on indictment to a charge under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003. Defence solicitor John Kydd said Borodins had been working at sea for 25 years, having previously done his national service in the Russian military. He said: "It is lucky for him that the pilot did what he did otherwise there could have been a disaster - there could have been an accident. "He was exhausted from doing back to back six hour shifts and that was his reason for drinking. "He says he doesn't normally drink much - this was abnormal for him." Sheriff Alastair Brown jailed Borodins for four months, reduced from six months for his early guilty plea. He said: "This charge is not equivalent to drink driving. "You put yourself in a condition where you were unable to discharge your responsibilities as master of the vessel. "I regard that as very serious - it is a gross breach of your duty."

Summary: A drunken sea captain caught sailing a cargo ship up the River Tay while almost four times the legal alcohol limit has been jailed.


SPF chairwoman Andrea MacDonald said it was "deeply worrying" that no armed officers were dispatched. The attacker in Thursday's incident injured two people before inflicting fatal injuries on himself. Police Scotland has insisted that the incident did not require the presence of armed officers. One of the victims of the attack was reported to be in a stable condition in hospital with injuries to his shoulder and arm. The other victim, a community warden, was allowed home after treatment. Ms MacDonald said: "Had the assailant been intent on harming large numbers of the public, he could have done so with impunity and the police would have been largely powerless to stop him. "Whilst not detracting in any way from the courage of the police officers who attended, the fact no armed officers were dispatched to a man attacking others with knives and an axe should be deeply worrying. "Glasgow is a city with an almost permanent armed police presence but they were not dispatched and they did not attend." She added: "This lays bare the myth that the service adequately risk-assesses incidents prior to deploying resources and that as a service we are capable of protecting the public from spontaneous incidents of extreme violence." The SPF annual conference - last month - heard calls for all officers to carry Tasers and for there to be an increase in the number of armed officers. Police Scotland has rejected these calls and stressed the value of retaining a largely unarmed police service. Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson said: "Police Scotland, along with the rest of the UK, prides itself in being an unarmed service with access to specialist firearms support whenever required. "Yesterday's incident in Glasgow city centre was a dynamic and fast-moving incident. Local officers responded rapidly and contained and dealt with it quickly. "This was not a random attack. It was planned and targeted, and armed officers were not required to attend on this occasion." Detectives have appealed for information about what they said was a "targeted" and pre-planned attack. The incident has been referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC).

Summary: The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) has said a violent incident in Glasgow raised questions about whether officers can protect the public.


The ban, which was proposed by the state's top two associations of traders, came into effect on Wednesday. The associations say that soft drinks firms take too much water from rivers, leaving farmers struggling to irrigate their land at a time of severe drought. More than a million shopkeepers are expected to comply with the ban. Two major trade bodies - the Federation of Tamil Nadu Traders Associations (FTNTA) and the Tamil Nadu Traders Associations Forum (TNTAF) - said they proposed the ban after seeing young people coming out in huge numbers last month against a ban on the local bull-taming festival, jallikattu. Many who protested against the jallikattu ban said they saw it as an attack on local customs and traditions. "We started the campaign against soft drinks several months back. But it gained momentum when we extended support to the pro-jallikattu movement," Tha Vellaiyan, president of FTNTA, told BBC Tamil. "Drinks like Pepsi and Coca-Cola are not good for your health because of their high sugar and chemical content. We are promoting Indian soft drinks, and will encourage better sales of fruit juices," he said. The associations have also urged supermarkets, restaurants and hotels to follow the ban and "help local businesses and farmers prosper". Pepsi and Coca-Cola have not commented on the ban.

Summary: Traders in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu have banned the sale of Coca-Cola and Pepsi in favour of local products.


Guidolin is under pressure with the Swans only one point above the relegation zone. Swansea's American owners, Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien, have yet to decide on Guidolin's future. However, they are compiling a shortlist of potential successors to the Italian. The owners will be in attendance at the Liberty on Saturday. Chairman Huw Jenkins has met former United States coach Bob Bradley, while former Wales and Manchester United captain Ryan Giggs would be interested in the manager's role if it was to become vacant. Bradley and Giggs are not the only options, with Swansea's hierarchy thought to be considering several other possible candidates in the event of Guidolin's departure. Any decision on Guidolin's future will be taken jointly between Kaplan, Levien and Jenkins. They have become concerned in recent weeks, with Swansea failing to win in the Premier League since their opening-day triumph at Burnley. It is understood the nature of the Swans' performances in their next few games - a trip to Arsenal follows the Liverpool fixture - will have as much of a bearing on Guidolin's future as the results. The 60-year-old succeeded Garry Monk as Swansea boss in January and, after guiding the Welsh club to Premier League safety last season, the former Udinese manager was rewarded with a two-year contract in May. Guidolin insists he still has the support of the players and he has not sought assurances from Jenkins about his future. "I spoke with the chairman last week," he said. "But at the moment the most important thing is for me to work with my players and with my team to prepare for the next game, to be focussed and with concentration." Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.

Summary: Francesco Guidolin's future as Swansea City head coach will not necessarily rest on Saturday's Premier League match against Liverpool - even though the Italian admitted it could be his last.


About 20 people are currently living in the former car showroom on Iffley Road after moving in on New Year's Eve. Leaseholder Midcounties Co-operative has said the squatters can stay until April, despite a judge granting it permission to evict them earlier. But owner Oxford University's Wadham College said it requires the building back by 27 February. This is so preparations for demolition can begin, the college said, as it intends to use the site for student housing. Neo, a spokesman for the Iffley Open House campaign group, said it was "unacceptable" for the college to try to get the squatters out by February. He added: "The weather will still be cold, I don't want people out on the streets." The campaigners have asked that the building, which has been empty for two years, be officially designated as homeless housing. Kevin Brown, group general manager at the Midcounties Co-operative, said in April the company has a legal obligation to hand the site back to Wadham College. He added: "To ensure we're able to meet that requirement, we have been granted a repossession order but our preference is not to have to use it." A Wadham College spokesperson said: "Whilst we have deep sympathy with the plight of homeless people, any solution must not delay the redevelopment of the building as homes for students. "We will continue our discussions with all parties in the hope of resolving this amicably and are seeking help from local homeless support groups and charities to help find longer-term accommodation for these homeless people."

Summary: Squatters who turned an Oxford building into a homeless shelter have been given temporary permission to stay.


Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Tidal and Amazon Prime Music are among nine services that will offer the band's tracks worldwide. The group split up in April 1970. However, their songs - including Hey Jude and Yesterday - remain hugely popular and influential. One expert suggested that the move would help their legacy endure. "In terms of digital the Beatles have always been quite late to the party - they came to iTunes in 2010, which was a good five years after the iTunes Music Store started gaining momentum," said Chris Cooke, co-founder of the music industry news site CMU. "We had expected they would probably do an exclusive deal to stream their music with one service, but it looks like instead they are going to be pretty much everywhere from day one. "So, I suppose that is them accepting that streaming is now a very serious, significant part of the record industry." Other services that have secured the band's catalogue include Deezer, Microsoft Groove, Napster and Slacker Radio. The deal involves rights to stream 224 songs from the original 13 studio albums released in the UK as well as "essential" collections including Past Masters. The tracks will be made available from 24 December. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr clocked up 17 number one singles in the British charts as the Beatles. But long after the band broke up they continued to issue songs and compilations, the most recent of which was an expanded edition of Beatles 1 put on sale last month. "There's a really simply reason why the Beatles catalogue took so long to join streaming services - their publishers didn't want to do anything to damage potential sales of reissues and retrospectives - it's a very lucrative catalogue," said Mark Mulligan from the media research firm Midia. "But they've waited until the market has got some scale and they could get the best deal. "It's a big PR catch as it helps communicate that the platforms are 'all the music in the world' - which is the value proposition of streaming services." Analysis - Mark Savage, BBC Music reporter It's a White (Album) Christmas. Some of the most enduring hits in pop are coming to a streaming service near you. The Beatles as a corporate entity have been notoriously slow in adapting to new technology. They waited five years to issue their albums on CD, and didn't talk about the download Revolution until 2010 - seven years after the iTunes store launched. Their arrival on streaming services comes as consumption on those platforms starts to overtake digital downloads as a source of income for the music industry. The number of songs streamed in the UK looks set to top 25 billion this year, up from 13.7 billion in 2014, according to the Official Charts Company. It will be interesting to see how the band's music competes against the likes of Justin Bieber - whose latest singles are being streamed almost six million times a week, exerting a firm grip on the top of the charts.

Summary: The Beatles' music is being made available on a wide range of streaming music services.


Wigan had an early double chance, with Will Grigg hitting the post from a corner before Darren Bent cleared off the line from Jake Buxton's follow-up. Rams keeper Scott Carson denied Grigg when he was put through, while Derby rarely troubled Wigan before the break. Jussi Jaaskelainen kept out Tom Ince's free-kick to ensure a point for Wigan. The draw extends Derby's unbeaten run to 10 matches, but leaves them seventh in the table and a point adrift of the play-off places, while Wigan are six points clear of Rotherham at the bottom. Second-from-bottom Wigan, a side beaten just once in the league in seven previous trips to Derby, dating back to 1984, started strongly against Steve McClaren's Rams, with Michael Jacobs testing Carson soon after Grigg and Buxton went close. Grigg remained the focal point of the Latics' attack, with Yanic Wildschut's cross for the striker forcing Derby's defence to scramble before the Northern Ireland international had the best chance of the match, bursting clear on the counter only to be foiled by Carson. Before Ince tested Jaaskelainen with a free-kick after 65 minutes, Derby's brightest moment came courtesy of Ikechi Anya in the first-half, with the winger's run teeing up Johnny Russell for a shot that blazed over the bar. Derby County manager Steve McLaren: "Scott Carson made some great saves to keep us in the game. "I was pleased to go in 0-0 at half-time but we addressed that and didn't have any problems in the second half, apart from breaking them down and getting the all-important goal. "We haven't scored enough goals and we are going to get more games like this where we need to break teams down, so we need individuals and that little bit of magic. "We need more match winners and I believe we have them but the halfway report is are we scoring enough goals? No, we're not." Wigan manager Warren Joyce: "They (the players) have a lot of pride in themselves and the club and want to do the best for the fans so every credit to the players for showing resilience. "They've got no fear or inferiority complex to come and play at Derby or Aston Villa a few weeks ago or Newcastle at home, when I thought we gave a good account of ourselves in those games. "We have to be more ruthless to finish off chances and make it easier to manage games. We're disappointed we've not won, but pleased with the performance and the discipline, the intelligence we showed tactically." Match ends, Derby County 0, Wigan Athletic 0. Second Half ends, Derby County 0, Wigan Athletic 0. Hand ball by Will Hughes (Derby County). Foul by Will Hughes (Derby County). Jake Buxton (Wigan Athletic) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Derby County. Conceded by Jordan Flores. Corner, Derby County. Conceded by Michael Jacobs. Substitution, Wigan Athletic. Jordan Flores replaces Yanic Wildschut. Will Hughes (Derby County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Will Hughes (Derby County). Nathan Byrne (Wigan Athletic) wins

Summary: Championship strugglers Wigan ended their five-match losing run with a goalless draw against play-off chasing Derby at Pride Park.


In 14 previous Games, GB has never finished lower than fifth in the medal table, and has come second seven times. But London 2012's third-place finish ended a run of three second places and Rio 2016 is set to be more challenging. "It's getting harder and harder because other nations are picking up on this and investing more money," said GB Wheelchair Tennis' Geraint Richards. "There will be a time when we can't keep increasing the medal tally but we can stay at the top end of the table." Richards, head of disability player performance at the Tennis Foundation, said he is optimistic about star performer Jordanne Whiley's chance of gold in the singles and doubles events in Rio, but was reluctant to put too much expectation on the 23-year-old in a sport that gets "tougher and tougher". It is a similar story for his counterpart at the British para-swimming team, Chris Furber. The former head coach of the successful British para-cycling team, Furber has overhauled the swimming set-up: bringing in new coaches, centralising the team in Manchester and investing in infrastructure. He is confident the team will "contribute a hefty number of medals" to the target of 121 - one more than was won in 2012 - that is the "aspirational goal" for the agency that funds Olympic and Paralympic sport, UK Sport. However, he said medal tallies are "really hard to predict", pointing to the London Games as an example. "It's not the same as Olympic sport where you get a level of performance over the four years," said Furber. "China turned up with a very strong team off the back of their home Games, Russia and Ukraine had heavily invested and Brazil were looking to their home Games, so London was challenging and Rio will be no different." "Our entire four-year cycle has been about producing a lifetime-best performances under the greatest pressure." Tim Hollingsworth, the British Paralympic Association's chief executive, has welcomed rising standards, even if it does make it harder for the British team to deliver medals. "The standard of competition globally in the Paralympic movement is changing rapidly," said Hollingsworth. "It's going to make the winning of the medals even tougher but we're on the cusp of something great with the Paralympics - London was tremendous, we're very keen to see that go forward."

Summary: British Paralympic leaders say Britain can continue to deliver medals despite increased global competition.


Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he disappeared on the Greek island of Kos on 24 July 1991. A team of 19 South Yorkshire Police officers, forensic specialists and an archaeologist are excavating farmland near to where he was last seen playing. Members of the Hellenic Rescue Team and Red Cross are assisting. Ben's family believe he was abducted, but police are now investigating whether he was accidentally run over and killed by a bulldozer. As the search team began a seventh day of digging, Det Insp Jon Cousins read a statement from Ben's family praising the volunteers. "We are so incredibly thankful for the help and support of the volunteer search teams working with officers," they said. "To know that people are giving up their own time and are as desperate as we are to find the answers about what happened to Ben is something we will be eternally grateful for. "We've been told that volunteers are coming to the site on their days off or straight from work, and we honestly can't thank them enough for that and for their dedication."

Summary: The family of missing toddler Ben Needham say they are "eternally grateful" for the volunteers who have been helping with the police search.


Widnes led early on through Charly Runciman's try, but Jermaine McGillvary crossed to put Giants 6-4 ahead. The visitors dominated from then on, as further tries from McGillvary, Lee Gaskell and Tom Symonds gave them a 14-point lead at half-time. Stefan Marsh and Rhys Hanbury went over for Widnes, but tries from Aaron Murphy and Leroy Cudjoe sealed Giants' win. Vikings finished seventh in Super League last season, but they have since seen influential stand-off Kevin Brown join Warrington, while scrum-half Joe Mellor will miss the first two months of the season through injury. The hosts were punished for their inability to handle Giants' kicking game in the first half, as a number of spilled catches gave Giants good field position to punch over the line. Huddersfield secured their position in Super League through the Qualifiers last season, but will hope for better this campaign after winning their first first season opener since beating Wigan in 2014. Widnes head coach Denis Betts told BBC Radio Merseyside: "You could see it unfolding in front of your eyes, we were solid, defended well and controlled the collisions. We scored a really good try, I thought the practice is coming together and then we gave a couple of penalties away and Danny Brough's kicking game caused us problems. "We were getting left on the floor and suddenly all the things we'd spoken about determination energy and effort we needed through the middle to control their hard-running middle unit went away. "We're a decent side, run into a couple of things with injuries, but that was a good enough side that should have given us a performance to win the game. We're a miles better side than what we showed tonight." Huddersfield Giants head coach Rick Stone told BBC Radio Leeds: "It wasn't too bad, we controlled the first half well, made a few little errors and Widens came pretty hard in the second half so there's a little bit to work on. But it's nice to go away and get a win in the first half. "We had some good intent, played nice and direct and had good intent, some good last tackle options through Danny Brough. "We came up with some decent plays to score some points and give ourselves a buffer that we needed in the end." Widnes: Hanbury; Thompson, Armstrong, Runciman, Marsh; Bridge, Gilmore; Dudson, White, J Chapelhow, Whitley, Houston, Leuluai. Replacements: Heremaia, Cahill, Olbison, T Chapelhow. Huddersfield: Gaskell; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Mellor, Murphy; Brough, Brierley; Ikahihifo, Hinchcliffe, Ta'ai, Symonds, Ferguson, Lawrence. Replacements: Wakeman, Leeming, Roberts, Clough. Referee: Jack Smith.

Summary: Huddersfield opened their Super League campaign with a comfortable 28-16 victory at Widnes Vikings.


Habyarimana Mucebo, a senior member of the Rwandan FDLR rebel group, was captured in Rutshuru, north-eastern DR Congo. Members of the FDLR fled into DR Congo after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The slaughter of some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus sparked years of unrest in the region. Mr Mucebo, the FDLR intelligence chief, has been taken into custody for interrogation, the army says. Most senior figures of the group are wanted by Rwanda for their alleged role in the 1994 killings. Mr Mucebo's arrest is not linked to genocide charges as initially reported. Congolese officials accuse him of links to atrocities blamed on the FDLR. For many years, the Hutu rebel group had become a source of instability in DR Congo's North Kivu province. Rwanda has sent troops and militias into DR Congo on several occasions since the genocide, saying they were going after the FDLR.

Summary: A Rwandan Hutu rebel commander wanted for atrocities committed on Congolese soil has been arrested in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.


Raja Ali's car was rammed and then blocked in at the side by two vehicles in Dagenham on 25 September 2016. The 33-year-old was then chased and stabbed. Abubakar Bana, from Hornchurch, Essex, and Jordon Archambie, 20, of Stratford, east London, were convicted following a trial at the Old Bailey. Daniel Welch, 34, of Winstead Gardens, Dagenham, and Zakar Yunas, 22, of Rokeby Steret, Stratford, were found guilty of violent disorder. Mussa Jalo, 21, from Norfolk Road, Dagenham, had pleaded guilty to violent disorder at the start of the trial, along with Bana, of Station Lane, and Archambie, of Hesketh Road. Jurors in the trial heard that Mr Ali was sat in his car along with two friends waiting for what they thought was a drugs deal. A Mitsubishi Shogun 4x4 then rammed into Mr Ali's car, shunting it forward, while a red Renault Megane pulled up alongside and the occupants got out armed with weapons. Mr Ali and two other men ran away but they were chased and the 33-year-old was stabbed to death in Braintree Road. Det Ch Insp Dave Whellams called it a "pre-planned and orchestrated murder". "Regardless of what Raja's intentions were that night, when he arranged to meet these men he should not have lost his life. "I hope Raja's grieving family are able to move forward knowing his attackers have now been brought to justice." All will be sentenced on 3 July.

Summary: Two men have been found guilty of the manslaughter of a drug dealer who was stabbed to death after being ambushed by a rival gang.


It has already reduced administrative staff from 23 to 18 and employs 63 musicians. The orchestra said it is negotiating with musicians to get rid of what it calls "restrictive practices". The orchestra assured MLAs it is trying to become less Belfast-centred. Sir George Bain, the executive chairman, told the committee it could send smaller groups of musicians out to towns that could not accommodate the full orchestra. He also added that musicians were paid full salaries even when not giving performances, but their contracts mean they could not be used for other projects, without extra payment. Earlier this month, Sir George revealed the orchestra would be forced to close by the end of the year unless it received £500,000 in emergency funding. Sir George Bain's warning came as he revealed the details behind a rescue plea to Belfast City Council that could mean a name change for the orchestra. It costs about £4.5m a year to run the Ulster Orchestra. It said it had lost 28% of funding from public sources - the equivalent of £1m - in the past four years. In a bid to survive, it has asked Belfast City Council to back a rescue plan that includes a £500,000 funding guarantee to keep it solvent until March next year when it would be restructured. It is also asking for the free use for the next five years of the Ulster Hall, which costs about £160,000 a year. According to Sir George, the orchestra could end up changing its name to something like the Belfast Symphony if the rescue plan was accepted. If the money is not forthcoming, the orchestra is warning it could go into administration before Christmas and close not long afterwards. It is the only full-time professional orchestra in Northern Ireland, and plays the majority of its concerts in Belfast's Ulster Hall and the Waterfront Hall. The BBC gives financial support of £639,000 a year to the orchestra. Belfast City Council has yet to respond to the orchestra's request for additional funding.

Summary: The Ulster Orchestra has told Stormont's culture committee it cannot cut more staff to save money, while it tackles a £500,000 gap in funding.


Cardiff hit the woodwork twice as Joe Ralls smashed the post with a long-range first-half strike and Anthony Pilkington hit the bar with a volley. Johnnie Jackson wasted a good opening as the Charlton captain headed over Johann Berg Gudmundsson's cross. And Charlton's Simon Makienok missed two late chances as Cardiff hung on. The Bluebirds were reduced to 10 men for the final minute of injury time after midfielder Sammy Ameobi was dismissed for a second yellow card. The point moves Charlton off the bottom table but they are now six points from safety after MK Dons and Bristol City both won. It was a battle of the sides with controversial owners and in a week where Vincent Tan vowed to halve Cardiff's £140m debt, Charlton fans handed out 2,000 Pinocchio masks and stickers before kick-off in the latest protest at Addicks owner Roland Duchatelet. And their mood would not have been helped if Anthony Pilkington's header had not been deflected over with barely a minute on the clock. Ameobi and a Peter Whittingham free-kick went close for Cardiff before midfielder Ralls' 25-yard shot cannoned back off the post. Charlton's Reza Ghoochannejhad tested Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall before an unmarked Jackson headed Gudmundsson's corner into the ground and over. Pilkington twice worried the Charton defence either side of the interval before the Cardiff striker hit the crossbar when his clever flick from Scott Malone's cross had home keeper Stephen Henderson beaten. But Charlton, with the second worst defensive record in the league, held firm and the hosts could have won their first home game since early November in added time. Zakarya Bergdich forced Marshall into a smart save before Cardiff defender Bruno Ecuele Manga cleared Makienok's effort off the line as the Welsh side drew their 13th match this season, the joint highest in the whole league. Charlton head coach Jose Riga: Media playback is not supported on this device "Cardiff deserved to win the game, but for me the most important was to see a reaction from my players. The way we played pleased me a lot. "Now we must make sure we keep this up in the next game. With these efforts we will get what we deserve. I'm realistic. Results have not been the best, but what can we do? "If you think and act like a team you can do a lot things. I believe in work, commitment and I always stay optimistic. It's a step forward." Cardiff City manager Russell Slade said: "We opened up in an effort to try and win three points rather than take just one. We had something like 22 shots and if there's any criticism we've probably only had three or four on target and that is what cost us dearly. "We felt it was two points dropped massively. We were in some good situations and it was the final shot or pass that let us down. We didn't have the final ruthless streak which was going to bring us home the three points. "The Ameobi red card was a little bit

Summary: Cardiff City missed a chance to close the gap on the Championship play-off places as Charlton Athletic battled off the bottom in a pulsating draw.


The defending champions were all out for 282 on day one, but were 51-6 at one stage during the morning session. Hodd put on 132 with Azeem Rafiq (74) and 88 with Jack Brooks (48) but was left on 96 not out when Brett Hutton (3-67) had Ryan Sidebottom lbw. Notts lost Jake Libby and debutant Tom Moores as they closed on 38-2 in reply. Yorkshire went into the game second in the table, but needing a victory to close the 26-point gap between themselves and leaders Middlesex, who are not playing this week. Steven Mullaney (3-57) ran out Adam Lyth backing up in the ninth over and then proceeded to remove Alex Lees, Jake Lehmann and Tim Bresnan with his medium-pace. Hodd and Rafiq, who was capped during the day, led the fightback over the next 33 overs before the latter was lbw to Samit Patel. Brooks, however, played his part in their revival with his highest score of the summer before sending back Libby lbw with his opening delivery of Notts' reply, and Bresnan had Moores caught at slip with the final ball of the day.

Summary: Andrew Hodd ran out of partners just short of a century after rescuing Yorkshire from a dismal start to their Championship game at Scarborough.


At first sight, with billions in subsidies, you might think that every farmer would automatically want to keep the cash flowing and therefore choose to stay in. But it's not so simple. In 2014, the most recent year with confirmed figures, UK farms received Â£3.19bn. The average payment was Â£17,735. The highest was almost Â£2m. For many farmers, particularly those working marginal land such as hills with poor soil, the subsidies act as a lifeline. Mark Williams runs a farm perched on steep slopes near Welshpool in Wales with a spectacular view over the Severn Valley. Sitting on his quad bike, a flock of sheep grazing nearby, he describes the payments as essential to keep communities like his going. He says hill farming is very difficult and that the margins on beef and sheep alone are very tight, "so the subsidy is very important to protect those farms". But travel the short distance from the Welsh uplands to the rich soils of Shropshire near Telford and you hear a very different story. Bruce Udale and his daughter Isabel Moseley, who grow animal feed on their 1,200 acres, are both determined to leave the EU. This is farming on an industrial scale, with huge fields and impressive machinery. We watch a giant tractor extend two vast arms to spray a bright green crop of wheat. The farm attracts tens of thousands of pounds in CAP payments, but Bruce and Isabel are convinced that British farmers would be better off without them. In their view, the subsidies swirling through the agricultural economy artificially inflate prices which means - according to Bruce - that the payments are not worth as much as they sound. "If we don't have subsidies", he says, "I believe our costs would come down. Land values would probably come down, rents would certainly come down, machinery costs would come down because a lot of these things are priced at what the market thinks we've got in our pockets. "So the loss would not be as great as many people think." And, because the payments come from the EU via the UK government, there is notorious bureaucracy. Isabel says it's hugely time-consuming and she resents it. "For our children's future we should take things back in hand, make our own rules and regulations in Great Britain for our benefit. "Now we have Brussels making our decisions. Yes, we have a slight input, but we can't change anyone's minds." On his hill farm, Mark Williams has an answer to that. "If they think there's going to be any less regulation, the UK is not going to revoke sheep tagging, they're not going to revoke the licences, they're not going to revoke the burial of livestock. "We're still going to have to put up with all of that." What about access to markets? Of the UK's agricultural exports, just over 63% went to the EU with about 36% going to the rest of the world. Mark says that makes the EU a crucial outlet. "Over 90% of British beef and lamb ends up in

Summary: Behind the quiet tapestry of farmland stretching across the UK is a turbulent debate over Britain's membership of the European Union.


He was the Spectator magazine's editor, when it carried an article which said "drunken fans" had "mindlessly tried to fight their way into the ground". Apologising, he said he was glad a report "lays to rest the false allegation" about the fans' behaviour The Hillsborough Families Support Group said it was "too little, too late". Mr Johnson said: "I was very, very sorry in 2004 that the Spectator did carry an editorial that partially repeated those allegations, I apologised then and I apologise now. "I do hope the families of the 96 victims will take some comfort from this report and that they can reach some sort of closure." The Spectator article, which was not signed, was written in the wake of the death of British hostage Ken Bigley in Iraq, but went on to criticise "drunken" Liverpool fans at Hillsborough. Mr Johnson said sorry at the time and went to Liverpool to reiterate his apology. But Margaret Aspinall, chairwoman of the Hillsborough Families Support Group, who lost her son James, 18, in the tragedy, said: "What he has got to understand is that we were speaking the truth for 23 years and apologies have only started to come today from them because of yesterday. "It's too little, too late. "It's fine to apologise afterwards. They just don't want their names in any more sleaze. No, his apology doesn't mean a thing to me."

Summary: London Mayor Boris Johnson has said he was "very, very sorry" for comments made in 2004 about Liverpool fans in the Hillsborough disaster.


Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) will conduct the joint inspection with its counterpart in England and Wales. From February, officers will analyse BTP's efficiency, legitimacy and leadership of the service. They will also examine strategic issues caused by the proposed transfer. BTP's inspection was commissioned by the parliamentary secretary of state at the Department for Transport (DfT) under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003. A single joint report will be produced by inspectors following the examination which will be submitted to the DfT. Derek Penman, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, said: "In addition to assessing the performance of British Transport Police in Scotland, it is my intention to use this joint inspection to identify any strategic issues arising from the proposed transfer of its Scottish operations to Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority under the Railway Policing (Scotland) Bill. "Our report and any recommendations or findings could inform future discussions about the implementation of this transfer." BTP has about 230 officers in Scotland and a network of 11 offices within major railway stations. The force currently polices all of Britain's railways, providing a service to rail operators, staff and passengers. Police Scotland is the largest force in the UK outside London, with more than 17,000 officers. Scotland's Justice Secretary Michael Matheson decided in 2015 that Police Scotland should take over railway policing when the function is devolved. The plans were criticised by rail unions who said skills and expertise in dealing with the specialist policing needs on the railways would be lost if the move went ahead.

Summary: A police watchdog will inspect British Transport Police (BTP) ahead of a proposed transfer of its Scottish operation to Police Scotland.


Some officers were sent an instruction not to wear the charity badge following the death of PC Dave Phillips on Monday, the federation's chairman said. PC Phillips died after being struck by a truck in Wallasey, Merseyside. A Met spokesman said the badge was not on the approved list but supervisors could allow it at their discretion. The grey Union Jack badge with a thin blue line running through it is produced by the Care of Police Survivors charity. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, said he personally did not have an issue with officers wearing it, the Sunday Express reported. "The Metropolitan Police Service has a dress-code policy to clarify the dress standard expected from all staff, whether they are wearing uniform or plain clothes," a force spokesman said. The approved badges that Met officers can wear include the Police Memorial Day badge, the Royal British Legion's Remembrance Day poppy and the Help for Heroes badge or wristband. The police spokesman said there was some flexibility, however, as supervisors also had it within their power to permit other badges to be worn at their discretion because different causes emerged at different times. John Tully, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation that represents rank and file officers, called for a "common-sense" approach. He told the BBC he was made aware on Tuesday of "an instruction that was cascaded down from senior officers" reiterating the Met Police's uniform regulations, but he did not think it should be enforced on this occasion. He said: "I felt the circumstances were such that common sense should allow this badge to be worn. It was in the context of police attending the memorial service for PC Keith Blakelock and having lost another colleague who died in service earlier this week. "Morale is pretty low at the moment, and this has the dual purpose of raising money for charity and for paying tribute to fallen colleagues." Mr Tully said it was unclear who had authorised the instructions to be sent out to officers recently and said the federation had not had sight of the exact wording, but posts had appeared on social media from Met officers using pen names complaining they had been instructed not to wear the Union badge. He said the death of PC Phillips was devastating and had a profound impact on police officers across the country. "This death is more unusual because he died while directly serving the public. I think that is why there has been a strong reaction to this. The charity has raised more than £140,000 for his family and it's still rising," he said. The badge sold out online on the charity's website earlier.

Summary: Met Police have been asked "not to wear a Union badge" in tribute to fallen colleagues because it breaches uniform policy, the police federation said.


The New Zealand racer set the fastest time of the week so far on his Superbike 124.888mph before achieving the fastest ever lightweight lap. His 118.812mph lightweight lap on a 250cc Honda was well within his own lap record, set in last year's race. Both Classic TT and Manx Grand Prix riders recorded timed laps in the best conditions of the week so far. There was also a noticeable improvement in times during the Manx Grand Prix qualification, with local riders leading the way. Glenn Harrison posted the quickest lap at 117.55mph, closely followed by Jamie Williams (117.23) both on junior machines. The top 15 riders all posted laps in excess of 115mph, whilst Northern Ireland's Daryl Tweed (112.855) is currently the quickest newcomer. Five riders came off during the session.

Summary: Bruce Anstey again set the pace in the third qualifying session for the 2017 Festival of Motorcycling on Wednesday.


Media playback is not supported on this device An investigation began following accusations of bullying and sexism towards top-level cyclists. A report on its findings is due in May. The head of British Cycling, Jonathan Browning, said checks were being added to protect against "behaviours that are inappropriate" to individual riders. "The combination of new leadership team and structure, and the introduction of professional processes will ensure that we deliver on this promise," Browning added. British Cycling published a 39-point action plan last month to address the draft findings of the independent review, commissioned in April 2016 by British Cycling alongside UK Sport, which provides elite funding to the organisation. It came after former technical director Shane Sutton, who was was later cleared of eight of nine allegations, was found to have used sexist language towards cyclist Jess Varnish. UK Sport chief executive Liz Nicholl says the independent review has "identified valuable lessons" for both British Cycling and other sports it funds. Initially, key findings were meant to have been published in November. But the process has been delayed by legal wrangling, as those criticised have rejected the panel's findings. The process has also been criticised for not seeking a wider range of views. Last month, British Cycling was warned it needed to do more to ease "concerns" over the way it is run before it can receive £17m. Grassroots sport funding agency Sport England said it wanted cycling's governing body to "meet the highest standards of governance" first. British Cycling will hold an extraordinary general meeting in July in a bid to vote through reforms. Meanwhile, athletes are no longer being charged to lodge an appeal should they wish to contest their removal from the sport's World Class Performance programme. Browning, who was elected chairman in February, is part of an overhaul of the leadership at the governing body, with the new performance director Stephen Park at this week's World Track Cycling Championships in Hong Kong, and new chief executive, Julie Harrington, starting in May. The organisation has also appointed its first 'people director', Michael Chivers.

Summary: British Cycling has started work on the development of a code of conduct as part of its response to an independent review into the culture of the organisation.


The Portadown Times published results from what it said was an "independent" poll ahead of May's general election. But it failed to acknowledge that the survey had actually been commissioned by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Mr Nesbitt said the article "appears to have skewed" the election result. The article suggested that the gap in support between the DUP and Sinn Féin had narrowed. The results put the DUP candidate David Simpson in first place with 30.7% of the vote, with Sinn Féin in second place on 28.1%. The Ulster Unionist candidate, Jo-Anne Dobson, was third in the poll, with 25% of the vote. Mr Simpson held his House of Commons seat for Upper Bann in the election with 15,430 votes, with Mrs Dobson polling 13,166 votes to finish in second place. The Ulster Unionist Party said the publication of the article suggested to readers that a vote for Mrs Dobson would have would "split the pro-union vote, and risk the seat being taken by Sinn Féin". The Independent Press Standards Office (IPSO) upheld Mr Nesbitt's complaint that the newspaper's description of the poll as "independent" had misled readers. IPSO said the Portadown Times had also failed to inform readers that the poll had been conducted six weeks before it was published. Mr Nesbitt said his party's canvassing team felt the publication of the "out-of-date" survey had "provoked a dramatic mood-swing on the doorstep". "I have no doubt David Simpson will do the decent thing and call a by-election, so the people of Upper Bann can vote without the artificial shadow of fear hanging over their ballot papers," he added. But DUP MLA Sydney Anderson said the Ulster Unionists needed to "accept the verdict of the people". "Every candidate is entitled to disappointment following an election defeat," Mr Anderson said. "What we are witnessing from the Ulster Unionist Party, however, is sour grapes on an industrial scale."

Summary: Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt has called for a by-election in Upper Bann after a press standards body ruled voters had been misled about a poll published in a local newspaper.


The volcano, which had been dormant for four decades, erupted on Wednesday, sending a plume of smoke and ash 10km (6 miles) into the sky. Authorities evacuated people living within a 21km (13 mile) radius. Road workers used lorries to plough through the ash, which lay up to a metre (3ft) deep in some places. As the massive ash cloud drifted south, emergency workers handed out protective masks in a wide area including parts of Chile and Argentina. "The ash might damage crops, animal feed, bridges, roads, people's work routines, tourism and especially their health," Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile's National Geology and Mines Service, said. The first eruption on Wednesday evening lasted about 90 minutes and send a huge mushroom cloud of ash into the sky. Seven hours later the volcano erupted again, this time shooting lava into the air and generating volcanic lightning. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries.

Summary: Residents and emergency workers in southern Chile have been clearing ash that rained down on towns after an eruption of the Calbuco volcano.


The 35-year-old, who missed the second half of last season with a knee injury, has committed to Swiss Indoors until 2019. Federer, who returned to action in January, won his first Grand Slam title since 2012 and his 18th in total with victory in the Australian Open. "Playing in Basel is always a highlight of the year," he said. He has won Swiss Indoors seven times since making his debut in the tournament in 1998. He is scheduled to return to action next week at the Dubai Duty Free Championships. "If I am spared again by the injuries, I am convinced that I am still capable of beating the best players in the world in the big tournaments," he said in January. Tennis correspondent Russell Fuller Federer's first appearance in his home tournament was in 1998, where as a 17-year-old he was beaten in straight sets by Andre Agassi. There is, of course, no guarantee Federer will be on the Order of Play in 2019, but this is another reminder of his long-term thinking. He missed the last six months of 2016, not just to allow his knee to recover, but also with preservation of his body in mind. At one stage, the conversation revolved around whether Federer would make it to the Rio Olympics. It is time to start the debate about Tokyo. Media playback is not supported on this device

Summary: Roger Federer has signed a three-year deal to play at his hometown event in Basel until the age of 38.


Gary McCann, 26, of Bray Street, Belfast and Aaron McCrory, 29, of Caledon Street, took a rucksack full of stock from a city shop. They also broke into Soho Books, Gresham Street, and took £800 in cash. The men had planned to contest the charges at Belfast Magistrates Court on Tuesday, but pleaded guilty to burglary and theft. The court heard McCann worked at the counter and McCrory was a security man in the city centre shop. CCTV footage showed them filling a rucksack with sex toys and paraphernalia belonging to shop boss Ian Brown before leaving without paying at the end of their shift last October. They were recorded coming back on the same night and entering without permission. Cash was stolen during that raid. The men had been planning to fight the case by claiming they acted under duress. A defence lawyer for McCrory said Soho Books was allegedly selling so-called legal highs at the time. The barrister said these were an "absolute scourge on society". "The very next day this shop closed," he said. Separate criminal proceedings have been brought against the business for allegedly supplying a dangerous product, Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS). Neither McCann nor McCrory face charges in connection with that prosecution which has been taken by Belfast City Council. Lawyers for both men said that they had been candid during police interviews. The judge said the offences warranted a prison sentence, but he gave the two men credit for their guilty pleas and suspended the five-month jail terms for 12 months.

Summary: Two Belfast men who stole £700 worth of sex toys have been given suspended prison sentences.


Media playback is unsupported on your device 19 August 2014 Last updated at 11:03 BST Flight engineers Oleg Artemyev and Aleksandr Skvortsov launched a small satellite named Chasqui I. It is a joint project between the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Peruvian government. The two cosmonauts, which is the Russian term for astronauts, are also carrying out maintenance on the ISS during the spacewalk.

Summary: Two Russian cosmonauts have set off on a spacewalk from the International Space Station (ISS) to launch a nano-satellite.


Rose, 26, was replaced by Ben Davies during Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Sunderland and had a knee scan on Thursday. The England international has started 18 of Spurs' 23 Premier League games this season, but will miss the visit of Middlesbrough on Saturday. "We need to wait until Monday to see the specialist," said Pochettino. The Argentine is also without defenders Kieran Trippier and Jan Vertonghen, who suffered an ankle ligament injury two weeks ago. "Jan Vertonghen is better and starting to run, which is very positive," added Pochettino.

Summary: Tottenham left-back Danny Rose will see a specialist on Monday to confirm the extent of his knee injury, manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed.


Gilmour's Rattle That Lock topped the official chart nearly 20,000 copies ahead of Del Rey's record, Honeymoon. It is the guitarist's second solo number one, after 2006's On An Island. He last topped the charts in November, with Pink Floyd's The Endless River. "It's thrilling to get a number one," he said. "We all want to hit the top spot, however long we've been at it." Gilmour easily outpaced the competition in a big week for new releases. He was joined in the Top 40 by new albums from Keith Richards, Drake & Future and Gabrielle Aplin. Cliff Richard scored his 43rd top 10 album with the greatest hits collection 75 at 75, which landed at number four. And country singer Ryan Adams also made a new appearance at 19, thanks to his "cover album" of Taylor Swift's 1989. The original was two places higher, marking its 48th week in the top 40. In the singles chart, Justin Bieber spent a third week at number one with his tropical dance track, What Do You Mean? - which was streamed 3.2 million times over the last week. The Canadian singer has a fight on his hands next week from Sam Smith's Bond theme, Writing's On The Wall, which has already topped the iTunes chart after eight hours on sale. Elsewhere in the top 40, Ellie Goulding scored her tenth Top 10 hit with On My Mind - the first single from her forthcoming album Delirium. The song was originally released last Thursday, making it chart-eligible for 24 hours, during which time it reached number 165. This week, it climbed 158 places to land at number seven. Other new entries included Runnin' (Lose It All), a collaboration between Beyonce and British producer Naughty Boy, which debuted at 11. One Direction's Infinity, which became available on Tuesday to coincide with the announcement of the band's fifth album, Made In The AM, made its initial chart showing at number 36. As well as Sam Smith, this week sees new singles from Little Mix and Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran. New Order, Disclosure, Chvrches and former Westlife member Shane Filan will all be vying to score the number one album.

Summary: Lana Del Rey has been denied her third consecutive number one on the UK album chart by Pink Floyd star David Gilmour.


The 41-year-old Oscar-winner was recognised for services to the film industry and to charity in last year's Queen's Birthday Honours. Zeta Jones was accompanied by her husband, US actor Michael Douglas, and their children Dylan and Carys. The former Darling Buds of May star has appeared in such films as Chicago, Traffic and The Mask of Zorro. When the announcement of the award was made last summer, the actress said she was "absolutely thrilled". "As a British subject I feel incredibly proud," she continued. "At the same time it is overwhelming and humbling." Her husband Douglas, who was diagnosed with throat cancer last year, announced in January that his tumour is gone and he is beating the disease. Veteran actor Burt Kwouk, best known for his Kato role in the Pink Panther films, received an OBE at Thursday's investiture ceremony. The 80-year-old actor appeared in three James Bond films and was most recently seen in BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.

Summary: Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones has been made a CBE by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.


Rapper Professor Green, cricketer Freddie Flintoff, comedian Ruby Wax and others say admitting their problems for the first time made them realise they were not alone. But for many, asking for help can be much harder. "We didn't really know what we were being sent to," Dan Farnworth, a paramedic in the north-west, says. "The next thing I knew, a child was just placed into my arms." It was 2015, and Dan had just been sent to a 999 call that would change his life. "When we arrived we knocked on the front door, but we couldn't get in. We didn't know what had happened inside," the 31-year-old told the Victoria Derbyshire programme. It quickly became apparent the call involved the murder of a young child. "All of a sudden this little girl was just placed in my arms," Dan, a father-of-four, says. "I just remember looking at her. I remember thinking she looked like one of my own children. She had the same colour hair as one of my children. "I just felt like I froze. It was scary. It is the worst thing I have ever seen in 12 years of doing this job." That night, the horror of what Dan had witnessed began to dawn on him. He finished his shift early and went home, but couldn't sleep. He soon realised something more serious was wrong. "I started having nightmares and flashbacks," he says. "My mind started filling in the gaps, seeing things happen that I hadn't actually seen. "It was awful. I had flashbacks during the day and I was becoming like a recluse and not talking to people at work." In the days and weeks that followed, Dan says he became "a different person". "I realised something was wrong but didn't know where to turn. It was like I was in a deep dark hole, I was scared and drinking and smoking more heavily." Dan says he was struggling to deal with his mental health problems, but feared being honest with his employers might have seen him lose his job. He had always wanted to work in the emergency services. Starting in the ambulance control room answering 999 calls, he then spent time dispatching the air ambulance, before finally applying for a job as an emergency medical technician. He had been on the road since 2010. "I was actually scared that by opening up and talking about what was going on, someone would turn round and say 'this job isn't for you'." Eventually Dan reached out to his friend and fellow paramedic Rich Morton. Dan says he typed out a text message, telling Rich what had been going on. However, he deleted it before he could send it. He re-wrote the message, but again deleted it. He wrote the message for a third time, and this time pressed send. Dan was so scared of what his friend would say that he hid his mobile phone under a pillow. "He texted me straight back, saying 'put the kettle on, I'm coming over'," he says now. "That text message

Summary: A national campaign, led by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, has released a film featuring celebrities talking about how they faced their own mental health problems.


Bethan Rhys Roberts hosts Ask the Leader on BBC One Wales at 19:00 BST on Thursday. Leanne Wood was the outsider who broke the Plaid Cymru mould when she won the party's leadership election in 2012 to succeed Ieuan Wyn Jones. She is Plaid's first female leader, the first to be a non-fluent Welsh speaker and the first from outside the party's heartlands in north and west Wales. Quite simply, she embodies the kind of person Plaid needs to win over if it is ever to become Wales' largest party. Born and raised in the Rhondda Valleys - where she still lives - her political awakening came during the miners' strikes of the 1980s. But, unlike many of her peers, Ms Wood turned to Plaid Cymru rather than Labour. The former probation officer and lecturer in social work was hired as a researcher by MEP Jill Evans. In 2003, Ms Wood realised her own political ambitions as she entered the Welsh Assembly as a regional AM for South Wales Central. Nine years later, the staunch republican - considered to be on the left of her party - was elected leader after promoting her economic vision for an independent Wales. Ms Wood says her focus as Plaid leader has always been on May's Welsh Assembly election, but the 2015 general election debates put her in the spotlight. Previous Plaid leaders could only dream of the media coverage she enjoyed, but a high public profile did not translate to any increase in seats at Westminster. Party officials and members say the public like Leanne Wood and respond to her on the doorstep. But questions remain as to whether they want her to lead the country. Friday 15 April - Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones in Llangollen Monday 11 April - Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies in Swansea Tuesday 12 April - UKIP Wales leader Nathan Gill in Swansea Wednesday 13 April - Welsh Lib Dem leader Kirsty Williams in Aberystwyth Ask the Leader can be seen on BBC One Wales at 19:00 BST each day and on the BBC iPlayer. You can also follow the programmes on Twitter - @walespolitics

Summary: Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood faces questions from an audience in Aberystwyth in the fourth of a daily series of live TV election specials.


A police cordon has been set up at a lane near Broad Street, following the incident at about 04:00 BST. Police have arrested two men aged 29 and 42. Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Summary: A 27-year-old man has died following a disturbance in Barry, South Wales Police have said.


Eubank Jr, 27, produced a fine display to win by margins of 118-110, 118-110 and 120-108 at Wembley Arena. It was only the sixth defeat of Abraham's 52-fight career. Eubank Jr will now take part in the inaugural World Boxing Super Series - an eight-man tournament featuring some of the biggest names in the division. WBA champion George Groves and fellow Britons Callum Smith and Jamie Cox are also in the competition, which has a $50m (£38m) prize fund. Eubank Jr will fight Turkey's Avni Yildirim in the Super Series quarter-finals in the autumn, with semi-finals in January and a May final in a tournament which organisers say will "change the world of boxing." Abraham, 37, has beaten Britain's Paul Smith (twice) and Martin Murray in his career and lost on points to Carl Froch in November 2010. But the German, who has held world titles at middleweight and super-middleweight, was outclassed by the younger man. Eubank took his record to 25 wins and one defeat and felt he made "a statement" with the victory. He told ITV Sport: "He's the most durable opponent I've faced. I hit him with every punch in the book. "I'm happy with the performance. I got to show my skills, I got to go the 12 rounds and get the experience in." His father, Chris Eubank Sr, a former two-weight world champion, added: "I believe he's the best in the world. Over the coming nine months, he will be able to clean the slate and come away with the Muhammad Ali Trophy and all the belts." On the undercard, Wales' Lee Selby retained his IBF world featherweight title with a unanimous points win over Argentina's Jonathan Victor Barros. Selby, 30, knocked the Argentine down in the last round before getting a wide verdict, with one judge scoring it 119-108 and two marking it as 117-110. In the featherweight division, Sheffield-based Kid Galahad maintained his unbeaten record with a 10th-round stoppage of Mexican Jose Cayetano. Galahad, 27, has now won all 22 of his professional bouts and this victory saw him collect the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title. Liverpool's Robbie Davies Jr suffered his first professional defeat in 16 contests as he was stopped in the last round of his super-lightweight bout with Poland's Michal Syrowatka. Martin Joseph Ward held on to his British super-featherweight belt and also gained the Commonwealth title with a unanimous points win over previously undefeated Anthony Cacace. Get all the latest boxing news sent straight to your device with notifications in the BBC Sport app. Find out more here.

Summary: Chris Eubank Jr retained his IBO world super-middleweight title by beating former two-weight world champion Arthur Abraham with a unanimous points win.


Figures from eight health trusts showed 53,024 people visited between 1 and 25 December, but only 29% needed emergency treatment. Other inappropriate visits during the period included patients with colds or excessive alcohol consumption. Health bosses warned that seriously ill patients could be put at risk. Source: Hospital trusts in the north east The figures were released by hospitals including Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital, Sunderland Royal Hospital, University Hospital of North Durham, Darlington Memorial Hospital and Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Speaking on behalf of the hospitals, David Evans, chief executive of Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Many of the attendances the region's hospitals are seeing are for common winter illnesses such as bad colds, viruses or stomach bugs, which always circulate in the community at this time of year. "These are best looked after at home with over the counter medication, plenty of fluids, rest and recuperation - they certainly do not need a trip to A&E."

Summary: People requesting treatment for broken finger nails and toothache at A&E departments in the north east has prompted a warning about misuse.


A third of London's boroughs suffer from high rates of TB, with more than 40 incidents per 100,000 people. Some wards in Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hounslow and Newham have rates of more than 150 per 100,000. The report said prisoners, homeless people, people with substance abuse issues, refugees and migrants were particularly at risk. Although the BCG vaccination against TB is recommended for all newborn babies in London, eight of the 24 boroughs do not offer it. The rate of infection among UK-born Londoners has risen, while among the non-UK-born it has fallen - and the report said it would be wrong to assume TB was a disease of migrants. The borough with the highest rate per 100,000 people was Newham, with 107 cases. Figures for 2013 from the World Health Organisation showed in Rwanda the figure was 69, while in Iraq it was 45. Algeria and Guatemala also had a lower incidence than the capital, the reports points out. The average rate per 100,000 in the UK as a whole was 13. A few strains of the disease are now resistant to antibiotic treatment and the cost of treating them can be as high as £500,000 per patient. Reasons include: Source: Tackling TB in London The London Assembly is calling on Mayor Boris Johnson to educate Londoners about TB, saying many people in the capital are unaware of how TB spreads. More than half of those surveyed thought spitting could transmit it. In fact, TB is usually spread by close and prolonged contact with someone who is coughing and sneezing. "Prevention is poor and awareness low, even among the medical profession itself," said Dr Onkar Sahota, the chairman of the Assembly's health committee. He described the treatment for drug-resistant strains as "expensive, complicated and terribly gruelling". "The quality of care for TB sufferers also varies across the capital," he said. The Assembly said it was "unacceptable that children are put at risk of developing a potentially life-threatening illness on the basis of which borough they are born in" and that offering BCG would not cost boroughs more. Prisoners were among the groups highlighted as being particularly at risk, but TB screening in prisons is not effective enough and the capital's approach to tackling the disease is "fragmented", the report says. The report calls on the Mayor and the Greater London Authority to fund a new "find and treat" service and use the Team London volunteer network as TB community health champions. The Mayor's office said he remains "committed to tackling TB" although recent figures show in the three years to 2014, the number of people infected in the capital fell. He is "assured by Public Health England that every effort continues to be made to prevent and treat the disease in London", a statement said.

Summary: Parts of London have higher rates of tuberculosis than Rwanda or Iraq, a report from the London Assembly says.