The 18-year-old has played 18 games since making his debut in the 2-0 loss to Leeds in January and made his first start against Rotherham a week later. Brereton came off the bench to score his first Forest goal in the dramatic 2-1 win over Aston Villa in February. "It is a great club to be at and I can't wait to find out what the future holds," he told the club website. "It was good to break through into the first team. It was tough as well but people believed in me and I was given my opportunity and thankfully I took it." Brereton joined Forest from Stoke in 2015 and is an England Under-19 international. Colin Fray, BBC Radio Nottingham's Forest correspondent After a summer of positivity so far for Forest fans following the takeover by Evangelos Marinakis, this is more news that they wanted to hear. Brereton burst brilliantly onto the first-team scene in 2016-17, and there was concern that he might be stolen away from Forest by one of the host of Premier League clubs that have been linked with him. There is huge excitement about Brereton as a player. He already has pace and power in abundance, he is a menace to defenders and has proved he can make the step up to senior level in terms of goalscoring too. His injury-time winner against Villa was one of the highlights of last season. To get his new contract finalised is another very positive step by the new owners. Brereton is one of the most exciting talents to have played for the club for years. Happy Forest fans can now look forward to watching him develop for a few more seasons or, at worst, seeing the club receive a major transfer fee if he does leave.

Summary: Teenage Nottingham Forest striker Ben Brereton has signed a new contract which will keep him at club until 2021.


The Buccaneers thrilled the home fans by taking the lead through Thamsanqa Gabuza in the 36th minute. He fired in a fierce acute-angled shot past Zied Jebali, who started after first choice goalkeeper and captain Aymen Mathlouthi failed a fitness test. Of course we wanted to keep a clean sheet at home and a lapse of concentration gave Etoile a late equaliser Pirates were lucky to be ahead at half-time after Iheb Msakni had a goal ruled offside and star Algeria-born striker Baghdad Bounedjah and Hamza Lahmar went close. Etoile's quest for an equaliser paid off as captain and centre-back Ammar Jemal slammed a loose ball beyond goalkeeper Felipe Ovono from close range in the 87th minute to silence most of the 30,000 Soweto crowd. Speaking after the match, Jemal told reporters what his equaliser meant to him. "I think it is the best goal of my life," Etoile's captain said. Despite conceding the late equaliser, Pirates coach Eric Tinkler said that the "destiny of the trophy remains wide open." "We neither gained nor lost anything after this result," Eric Tinkler said. "Of course we wanted to keep a clean sheet at home and a lapse of concentration gave Etoile a late equaliser. I thought we defended well until then. "Etoile are a good team - well organised defensively with some big, strong boys," Tinkler added. But the coach said he was not happy with some of the opposing players' tactics. "Some of them dived so much I thought they were swimming at the Olympics. "What the draw means is that instead of them coming at us in Tunisia, we will have to go at them. Scoring in every away CAF match this season gives us confidence," said Tinkler. That deciding match will be played at Stade Olympique in Sousse, Tunisia on Sunday 29 November. The overall winners receive $660,000 and qualify for a one-off Super Cup match against African Champions League winners TP Mazembe in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Summary: Orlando Pirates of South Africa conceded a late goal in Soweto to hand Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia a narrow advantage as they drew 1-1 in the first leg of the African Confederation Cup final.


Media playback is not supported on this device "Football is not in a crisis, only some difficulties," said the Fifa president. Blatter brushed off suggestions, from the British government among others, that Wednesday's presidential election - for which he is the only candidate - should be suspended. "If governments try to intervene then something is wrong," he said. "I think Fifa is strong enough that we can deal with our problems inside Fifa." Blatter, unusually appearing alone at a news conference in Zurich, gave a defiant display despite the storm surrounding the organisation. "This was an absolutely extraordinary appearance by Sepp Blatter. Delusional, one colleague said to me afterwards. "The phrase that will stick in the mind is: 'Crisis? What crisis?' - reminiscent of that famous newspaper headline during the Winter of Discontent. "But Blatter is not playing to our audience, he's playing to the members of Fifa who he hopes will re-elect him. "He wouldn't deal with Mohamed Bin Hammam's suspension, wouldn't talk about Jack Warner and his claims and wouldn't talk about reopening the World Cup 2022 vote. "After this conference there are so many questions. This is not going away for Blatter." But he ended the news conference in an angry exchange with a German reporter and talked of his time working as a journalist, complaining about a lack of "respect" from some members of the media, warning them: "We are not in a bazaar; we are in Fifa's house." The 75-year-old Blatter insisted that a Football Association inquiry by barrister James Dingemans QC looking into ex-FA and bid chairman Lord Triesman's claims of alleged Fifa impropriety had "found no elements" which would prompt the world governing to investigate further. This despite Dingemans' report revealing that Fifa executive committee Nicolas Leoz's aide had asked for the FA Cup to be named after the Paraguayan Exco member, who Triesman claimed in Parliament had demanded a knighthood from England's 2018 bid. Fifa has now published a summary of Dingemans' report on its website. Sports minister Hugh Robertson had expressed the British government's displeasure at Fifa's situation last week, calling for its presidential election to be suspended. But Blatter argued neither governments nor anyone outside the Fifa membership could have any bearing on the election process, and vowed to carry on unless Wednesday's congress decided otherwise. "If somebody wants to change something in the election or in the congress of Wednesday, these are the members of Fifa," he said. Media playback is not supported on this device "This cannot be done by the executive committee, it cannot be done by any authorities outside of Fifa - it's only the congress itself that can do it. "Congress will decide if I am a valid or non-valid candidate." Blatter is expected to stand unopposed in an election marred by a torrent of dissent from within and beyond football's world governing body. The only rival candidate to emerge - Mohamed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) - pulled out having been suspended by Fifa's own ethics committee over allegations that financial incentives

Summary: Sepp Blatter has insisted that Fifa is not in crisis, despite the "great damage" done to its image by ongoing corruption allegations.


CCTV images of Francesca Galelli and Molly Curtis, both 13, were circulated by Cambridgeshire Police. But the force issued a correction after it emerged the girls were not responsible for the theft from a branch of Superdrug in Ely. Sgt Phil Priestley said police had made an "innocent mistake". He said: "We always want to be clear and transparent if we get things wrong, and we definitely want to ensure that people know that Francesca and Molly are good people from lovely families, and this wasn't their fault". Cambridgeshire Police have revised district CCTV policies to prevent such mistakes from happening in future.

Summary: Two "completely innocent" teenage girls who were wrongly identified on police social media as prime suspects in a shop theft have received an apology.


Three men were injured in the blast at the premises on Plumpton Road in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, last October. Two of them, Jashar Lamallari, 37, and Ardian Lamallari, 42, both from Wood Green, London, later died in hospital. Simon Thomerson, 40, from Southerland Avenue in Maida Vale, London, has been charged with two counts of manslaughter by gross negligence. He also faces charges of breaching health and safety laws. More news from Hertfordshire The explosion happened at about at 16:40 BST on 3 October. At the time Hertfordshire Police said the unit was unoccupied, but it was believed the men had been carrying out some work on the building. Mr Thomerson was released on bail and will appear before magistrates in St Albans on 16 August.

Summary: A man has been charged following the deaths of two brothers in an explosion at an industrial unit.


400 Football League games later, however, Flynn will lead the Exiles to Crewe Alexandra at the weekend as their manager after the sacking of Graham Westley, albeit with the club teetering on the edge of being relegated back to non-league. But the wilderness of the non-league scene is exactly where the lifelong association between Flynn and Newport begun. Given a reprieve by manager Tim Harris and a chance with the first team after his youth team axing, Flynn also found employment as a postman. Thanks to his form with the Exiles, a nickname earned rather than chosen after years spent out of the city as a reformed club without a home, Flynn impressed as a midfielder with an eye for goal. In the non-league pyramid at least, this postman did always deliver. A switch to full time football was the dream, achieved with a transfer to Barry Town, a move that changed the course of Flynn's life. There was to be no future in shelf stacking or letter delivering for Flynn after joining the full time Welsh Premier League side, as he went on to make over 400 Football League appearances for the likes of Gillingham, Wigan and Bradford City. He returned to his first club and first love Newport County five years ago, helping to steer them to a promotion 25 years in the making. Flynn was 'heartbroken' when the club released him as Terry Butcher axed 11 players, after Newport's millionaire chairman Les Scadding opted to walk away from the club. He soon returned when the Supporters' Trust succeeded Scadding, working in various roles including as a club ambassador, in marketing, and as a first team coach. He even found time to get in a few games for Welsh League third-tier side Undy, so it was no surprise this season when Flynn came out of retirement to help the beleaguered Exiles. Flynn's career at County, and in football, was almost over before it started. "I got kicked out of the youth team. The youth team manager Glyn Jones asked me what I had done at the weekend and I said I had played for Pill. He said 'I know, I saw in the local paper you scored a hat-trick.' So he kicked me out for breaking his rules," he recalls. "I went away crying, it killed me. But the next day Tim Harris rang me and said 'come and train with the first team.' I had just started working as a postman and I had been stacking shelves in Tesco. so it was a relief. "I earned a contract though and then a move to Barry, which meant I went full time. "But I always looked out for Newport, for my entire career and I played over 400 games in the Football League. "It was hard to leave the club and the city. I had to do it to better my career, to better my life." Flynn, generally a bubbly and talkative character, struggles to express how he feels about his hometown club. "It is really difficult to put it

Summary: When Newport County threw a teenage Michael Flynn out of their youth academy for defying club rules, he feared he would spend his life doing his part time job, stacking shelves in the local supermarket.


Media playback is not supported on this device If the former Nottingham Forest and Derby County defender had access to the sort of help and support he is now eager to offer young footballers, he may well have achieved a great deal more. Now retraining as a counsellor, Charles - still best remembered for his innocent part in the infamous tackle that almost ended Paul Gascoigne's career - is determined to give something back to the sport that gave him so much. His journey has been far from smooth, with the low point a six-month prison sentence for dangerous driving and failing to give a breath sample that was brought about by his drinking. Following his time in the East Midlands Charles, who won two England caps, was forced to retire at the age of 32 after injury-plagued spells with Aston Villa, Benfica and West Ham. It was the injuries that led to the boozing. "While I was playing I was disciplined," Charles told BBC Inside Out. "As soon as I was injured - if it was for any length of time - I would maybe go out a little bit more than I would normally. But it wouldn't be all the time. "I am the first to admit that I have had my issues with drinking and I am a recovering alcoholic. But my drinking was very different from someone drinking every day. It wasn't all the time, it would be the odd time that would last two or three days. "I wasn't a typical alcoholic. I could stop and go long periods of time without drinking. "But toward the end of my football career it would last a little bit longer - definitely. As soon as I was nearly back to full fitness, I would go back in to my disciplined life again." Media playback is not supported on this device Charles has been sober for nine years. The 45-year-old is director of football at Nottingham University and is working with Priority Health - a specialist organisation to help young footballers. And he really wants to help. "If a lot more people were more honest and there wasn't such a stigma around alcoholics or drug addicts then a lot of people would benefit from it," Charles said. "We need to encourage young players not to live with addictions and talk to people. "I know it is hard for a young player to go to a coach or an assistant manager and say 'listen I am struggling with drinking' or gambling or whatever because they do think it could be detrimental to their careers and maybe they will not get the contract of their dreams. "There are things away from football clubs and there are people you can speak to. "I want people to know that if you are struggling with addiction, speak to somebody about it because it does help. You don't have to go through hell when you can address your issues a lot earlier and go on and live a normal life." His time in prison was the

Summary: Gary Charles fought alcoholism throughout his career, but still managed to play for England and feature in Wembley cup finals.


We are about to enjoy (!) the next act in the absurdist drama "Waiting for the Fed" (to raise interest rates again). Truth be told, we can be fairly sure how this scene will play out. Once again no increase in rates. Perhaps Godot will turn up first. The Fed is holding a policy making meeting and an interest rate rise is in theory at least on the agenda. Janet Yellen, the Fed Chair, and her colleagues would like to get rates back to more normal levels. The Fed currently aims to keep its main policy rate (the rates banks offer to lend to each other overnight) within a range of 0.25% to 0.5%. They raised it to that level in December last year, from practically zero where it had been since the depth of the financial crisis. But nobody expects they will hike rates at this meeting, largely because of the very weak performance of the jobs market in May. The number in employment rose by only 38,000, the fewest since September 2010. Because the US population is growing, the number of people with jobs has to rise by more than that just to keep pace. Employment growth in April was better, but still not all that strong. It's true that the unemployment rate fell markedly in May, to 4.7% from 5%. But this was due to a decline in the number of people looking for work. They are counted as "not in the labour force" rather than unemployed, even if they would like to have a job. In a recent speech, Ms Yellen described the May jobs report as disappointing and concerning. She did, however, manage to find one encouraging thing; a faster increase in average hourly earnings. After a long period in which the economic recovery has failed to have much of a favourable impact on pay it was, she said, "a welcome indication that wage growth may finally be picking up". Inflation is another factor that encourages the Fed to feel it has no need to rush the next rate rise. The latest figure for the inflation measure the Fed prefers was 1.1% in April, compared with its 2% target. That it is so low reflects some transitory factors, including the strength of the dollar (which makes imported goods cheaper) and the decline in energy prices over the last two years. But in time, those factors cease to have a direct impact, so Ms Yellen expects inflation to move back towards 2%. She also said that it's important not to attach too much significance to a single monthly jobs report. In short, a good report next month could bring interest rate rises a lot closer. So while investors think the date of the next rate increase has gone further into the future as a result of the May jobs data, the Fed is always ready to change its plans if new figures change the picture. Looking at the US economy from a longer term perspective, it is a remarkable state of affairs that we should have rates still

Summary: Perhaps the playwright Samuel Beckett was a secret economist.


Hibs trailed Celtic 1-0 at half-time, but the home side hit back through a 27-minute Abi Harrison hat-trick. Stirling University held Glasgow for 54 minutes before Hayley Lauder, Sarah Crilly and two from Haley Rosen sealed the visitors' victory. Elsewhere, Glasgow Girls beat Jeanfield Swifts 5-3. Hearts Ladies against Hutchison Vale was postponed, with a date still to be re-arranged for the tie. The semi-final draw will take place at Hampden Park on Monday.

Summary: Holders Glasgow City and last year's runner's up Hibernian have both made it through to the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.


Karen Williams and Patty King said the musician was given "foreign substances to induce his premature death" by his business manager Laverne Toney. Lawyers for King's estate said the claims are unfounded and disrespectful. Nevada's Clark County Coroner said it would investigate with the Las Vegas Police Department's homicide division. "At this point, we don't have evidence that these allegations of foul play will be substantiated," Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg said. "However, we are taking them very seriously and will be conducting a thorough investigation. "We are co-ordinating our investigative efforts with the homicide division of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. I expect the investigation will take a minimum of six to eight weeks." However a statement from the Las Vegas Police Department said: "Until such time as the Clark County Coroner determines Mr King's death to be from other than natural causes, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department is not moving forward with any investigation." King died in his sleep at his Las Vegas home on 14 May, aged 89. At the time, his doctor and the coroner said he had died of a series of small strokes connected to his Type 2 diabetes. But the guitarist's daughters alleged that King's personal assistant Myron Johnson and Toney gave him medication to induce diabetic shock. The women added that "King was sequestered from all family members" in the week before his death, and that Toney and Johnson were the only people with him. Toney, who is the executor of King's estate, shrugged off the daughters' claims. "They've been making allegations all along. What's new?" she told the Associated Press. A lawyer for King's estate also dismissed the accusations as "ridiculous". "I hope they have a factual basis that they can demonstrate for their defamatory and libellous allegations," Brent Bryson said in a statement. Earlier this year, Patty King, Karen Williams and a third daughter, Rita Washington, went to court accusing Toney of neglect, but the case was dismissed because of a lack of evidence. King was born on 16 September 1925 to sharecroppers and worked in the cotton fields as a child before picking up the guitar. Considered one of the world's greatest players, he was known for his sharp single notes and vibrato on the electric guitar he christened Lucille. Known for songs such as The Thrill Is Gone, Three O'Clock Blues and Darlin' You Know I Love You, he influenced generations of guitar players, and was inducted to both the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was married twice and had 15 natural and adopted children, 11 of whom are still alive. His funeral is scheduled to be held on Friday in Mississippi. The Clark County coroner said his investigation would not delay the service.

Summary: US authorities are investigating the death of blues legend BB King after two of his daughters claimed he was poisoned.


The evangelical church's pastor and founder, Kong Hee, was jailed for eight years - others received between 21 months and six years. The court ruled last month the group had misused church finances to fund the music career of Kong's wife, Sun Ho. All denied the charges - the church had supported them during the trial. State prosecutors said before sentencing it was "the largest amount of charity funds ever misappropriated in Singapore's legal history". Known for its slick image and wealth-focused brand of Christianity, City Harvest Church (CHC) has some 17,500 members in Singapore and branches around the world. In 2002, its launched what it called the Crossover Project - a scheme to evangelise through Ms Ho's music career. The hope was that songs like China Wine - a tune with rapper Wyclef Jean depicting Ms Ho as a Chinese exotic dancer in Jamaica - would help spread the gospel. A church-backed music production company aimed at helping her achieve mainstream success in the US was left with millions of dollars in losses when the project failed. The six were convicted on 21 October of misappropriating S$24m of church funds for the music project, and using another S$26m in an attempt to cover their tracks. They were found guilty of various counts of criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts, although the judge accepted that there was no evidence of "wrongful gain" by the defendants themselves. That lack of personal financial benefit from the fraud meant the judge did not impose the maximum sentences of up to 20 years, local media report. Ms Ho herself was not prosecuted in connection with the case and did not attend Friday's sentencing. She recently took over leadership of the church. Convictions in full

Summary: Six senior officials of Singapore's City Harvest megachurch have been jailed over a $50m Singapore dollar ($35m; £23m) fraud case.


The Russian, 28, has been taking the drug since 2006 for health issues. But it was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) on 1 January and the former world number one has been provisionally suspended from 12 March and could eventually be hit with a four-year ban. It appears a lot of athletes take meldonium, but what exactly is it, where does it come from, will we be hearing a lot more about it now and how easy is it to get hold of? Watch: Sharapova reveal she failed test Meldonium - also known as mildronate - is a drug designed to treat ischemia, a condition where there is a reduction in blood supply to body tissue. It is also said to have benefits for diabetes sufferers. According to Dr Tom Bassindale, a lecturer in forensic science at Sheffield Hallam University, it was developed in Latvia and approved in the early 2000s to treat diabetes and various heart-related diseases. Dr Bassindale says it has the ability to adjust the body's use of energy, stimulating glucose metabolism and also helping to clear fatty build-up in the arteries. Media playback is not supported on this device The ability to increase oxygen movement to muscles means meldonium could have a positive effect on stamina and endurance. Dr Bassindale said: "It's advertised as giving a mental focus, removing external stress so you feel sharper. There is a slight central nervous system effect, like with stimulants such as caffeine, which gives you a sharper edge. "But it will aid recovery quicker from a hard effort, whether that's playing multiple games of tennis or a cyclist coming back the next day for another stage. There is also an endurance effect." In a word: yes. It is not licensed in the UK, so is therefore illegal to sell there. But it is not illegal to import it from abroad for personal use. Following Sharapova's announcement, Russian supplements website RUPharma told BBC Sport it is had sold 150 packets of the drug in 24 hours, compared with 850 in the past 12 months. The website says it has increased the price of a packet of 40 250mg tablets from £15 to £27 and employ a new member of staff to deal with the demand. "As a joke, we now call mildronate the Sharaponate," said a spokesperson, who added that most of their sales are to UK and USA customers and the majority are for sport, rather than medicinal, use. The UK government's Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency urges people to not buy unlicensed drugs from abroad, as there is no guarantee that customers know if the product is safe. Assuming the product is what it says on the label, there are no tests that show any serious side effects. A Latvian manufacturer of the product - OlainFarm - says it is possible that some using the drug will suffer "headaches" and "agitation". It is also possible for there to be some skin irritation, though this is "very rare". RUPharma said: "We do not know of any negative side

Summary: Meldonium was barely on the radar until five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova revealed she recorded a positive drugs test for the substance.


Vicki Williamson, 36, of Dundee, was charged with causing the death of Liam Thornton, 26, on 12 August 2014. He died when Ms Williamson's Corsa was involved in a collision with another car on the A956 at Aberdeen's Charleston flyover. A jury at Aberdeen Sheriff Court found the charge against her not proven by a majority verdict. During the trial, the court heard that the slip road leading off the A90 was in a "poor" state of repair. It was worn in places and had a noticeable dent in the road which was often "greasy" in wet conditions. Ms Williamson told the court during her evidence that she felt as if she had skidded on black ice and her car failed to react to her trying to steer out of the way of the other car. She was seriously injured in the crash and spent 11 weeks in hospital recovering from broken ribs and a broken pelvis. A four-year-old child was also injured in the incident. Ms Williamson wept as the jury found the case against her not proven. She had previously admitted driving with a defective tyre which was marginally under the 1.6mm limit and fined 80 pounds yesterday. She was also given three points on her licence.

Summary: The case against a woman accused of causing her partner's death by careless driving has been found not proven.


Media playback is not supported on this device The Belfast bout was cancelled after Gutierrez, 24, slipped in the shower on Friday and suffered facial cuts, two broken teeth and bruising to the head. Northern Irishman Frampton, 30, had earlier weighed in for the fight a pound over the featherweight limit. That meant the contest would not have been a WBC title eliminator for him. Media playback is not supported on this device It is not clear if the rescheduled fight would be a title eliminator and much depends on the time required for Gutierrez to fully recover from his injuries. Frampton's manager Barry McGuigan said on Friday: "We're all so disappointed. It was a freak accident. "He slipped in the shower, smashed his face, the guy is concussed. He has a deep gash on his chin, his nose, lost two of his teeth." WARNING: Image of Gutierrez's facial injury below Saturday's bout was due to be Frampton's homecoming fight after losing to Mexican Leo Santa Cruz in Las Vegas in January. "Since the accident on Friday night and subsequent event cancellation, Cyclone Promotions, the SSE Arena, the Gutierrez management team, boxing authorities and relevant broadcasters have been working to agree a new date for the fight," Cyclone Promotions and the SSE Arena said on Saturday. "We appreciate the patience of all ticket holders who can retain their tickets pending confirmation of a rescheduled fight. For anyone wishing to arrange a refund, further details will be released early next week. "We wish to apologise once again for this very unfortunate cancellation and wish Andres a speedy recovery from the serious injuries he sustained last night."

Summary: Work has started on agreeing a new date for Carl Frampton's featherweight fight against Mexican Andres Gutierrez after Saturday's contest was called off.


This contradict earlier reports that a Canadair aircraft went down near the central PedrÃ³gÃ£o Grande area. More than 1,000 firefighters on the ground and planes from several countries are battling the fires. The fires have claimed the lives of at least 64 people and since Saturday. Many of the victims died in their cars as they tried to escape. More than 130 people have been injured. Portugal fires: Varzeas mourns villagers who fled Civil protection officials have said they expect the blazes to be under control soon, but warn that soaring temperatures are hampering efforts. The week's highest temperatures in the area are expected to reach about 38C (100F) and, together with windy conditions, could reignite fires that have already been brought under control. Wildfires are an annual menace in Portugal. More broke out there between 1993 and 2013 than in Spain, France, Italy or Greece, the European Environment Agency reported last year, despite the country's relatively small geographical size. Given that, was this year's tragedy preventable? Could Portugal have done anything more to save lives and minimise the damage? Read more: Just what makes Portugal such a tinderbox? One of the worst-hit areas was around the village of Nodeirinho. Thirty bodies were found inside cars and another 17 next to vehicles on the N-236 road. Portuguese media have dubbed the N-236 the "road of death". Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has questioned why the emergency services did not close the road.

Summary: Reports that a firefighting plane crashed during an operation to tackle huge blazes in central Portugal have been denied by the country's civil protection authority.


"It's a question of reason," he said on French TV. His decision prompted immediate thanks from Mr Macron, who is neck-and-neck for the first round of the election with far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Mr Valls was himself defeated in the race for the Socialist candidacy. But instead of backing the man who won, Benoît Hamon, the former prime minister announced on Wednesday that backing Mr Macron was the responsible position to take, because of the risk of giving the presidency to the right or far right. "I don't think you take risks for the Republic. So I will vote for Emmanuel Macron," he said. "France's best interests go beyond the rules of a primary." Mr Valls met Socialist MPs on Tuesday night to explain his position, and he has rejected accusations of betraying his own party. Mr Hamon has already accused party heavyweights of stabbing him in the back and said on Wednesday that he was the victim of a weekly soap opera aimed at undermining him. While not the first senior party figure to back Emmanuel Macron, Mr Valls is seen as the biggest name so far. Defence Minister Yves Le Drian and a handful of junior ministers have already given the centrist their support. For months, the spectre of implosion has hovered over the Socialist party, with commentators talking of a fault-line threatening to split the party in two. And for months senior party members have teetered and fallen to Emmanuel Macron, the man some believe betrayed the party by quitting the government and running for president. Now the centrist candidate has claimed one of the biggest scalps of all. A man once seen as Mr Macron's sworn political enemy. But the support of Manuel Valls, a prime minister to France's most unpopular post-war president, may be a mixed blessing for Emmanuel Macron. While he himself served in President Hollande's government, he has worked hard to present himself as an anti-establishment outsider; a fresh face in French politics. Mr Macron served as economy minister in Mr Valls's Socialist government but left to fight for the presidency with his own movement En Marche! (On the move). Opinions polls suggest he will qualify for the second round run-off against Ms Le Pen in May. Benoît Hamon, seen as a left-wing rebel within the party, has failed to attract mainstream support across the French left and his campaign has been eclipsed by radical left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who could beat him into fifth place in the first-round vote on 23 April. Centre-right candidate François Fillon, initially tipped to win the race, has fallen behind the two front-runners because of "fake job" allegations surrounding his British-born wife, Penelope. Both have been placed under formal investigation over the claims that she did little work for the hundreds of thousands of euros she received in public funds as parliamentary assistant.

Summary: France's ex-Prime Minister Manuel Valls has thrown his weight behind the centrist candidate for the presidency, Emmanuel Macron, and not his own Socialist party's candidate.


The Intercontinental Cup loss drops Ireland from first to second in the table with two matches to go, Ireland next playing the Netherlands in August. The winner of the group will play off against the lowest ranked Test side (currently Zimbabwe) in 2018 for full status. The three-day loss is only Ireland's third in the 13-year history of the tournament. Resuming their first innings on 170-7 - still 367 runs in arrears - John Anderson showed the necessary application as he scored an unbeaten 61 from 175 balls. He has now passed the 50 mark in all five matches he has played in the competition. He received admirable support from the tail, sharing stands of 43 with Andrew McBrine (18) for the eighth wicket and 41 for the last with Peter Chase (18) as Ireland added 91 to their overnight total. The determination with which the Irish tail had resisted Afghanistan and leg-spinner Rashid Khan - who failed to add to his five-wicket tally - offered hope the Irish could mount a spirited resistance with the bat. It was not to be, however, as Mohammed Nabi took six wickets in Ireland's second innings, and teenage leg-spinner Rashid 3-44, leaving both with a match haul of eight wickets apiece. The dismissals of Anderson and Joyce in the same Nabi over seemed to knock all resistance out of the Irish, with Niall O'Brien and Gary Wilson the joint top scorers with only 15 apiece. Ireland's next match in the competition is against Netherlands at home in August before they finish with a clash against Scotland in the UAE. They will now have to rely on results elsewhere - hoping either Hong Kong or UAE can do them a favour - if they are to have any hope of retaining their title and going forward to the Test Challenge. Before then, they will face England in two one-day internationals at Bristol and Lord's on 5 and 7 May.

Summary: Ireland's hopes of qualifying for the Test Challenge - and the chance to become a full-member nation of the ICC - suffered a serious blow as they slumped to an innings and 172-run defeat by Afghanistan in Greater Noida.


The Prime Minister's plan to call a snap general election is a sharp U-turn that could throw Stormont's faltering institutions even further off course. Talks to save devolution stalled before Easter with little hope of a deal. With the Democratic Unionist Party warning Northern Ireland was heading towards direct rule, the prospect of a Westminster poll complicates matters even further. DUP leader Arlene Foster has said the snap general election on 8 June would provide the people of Northern Ireland with the opportunity to "vote for the union". She was criticised after the Northern Ireland Assembly election last month because the poll showed a surge in support for Sinn Féin and the end of the unionist majority at Stormont. Mrs Foster has called on her voters to "unite around a strong Democratic Unionist Party that will advocate for them in Parliament". Sinn Féin welcomed news of the Westminster poll, with leader Gerry Adams tweeting: "So Ms May has called a British General Election. Sinn Féin is up 4 that! Another chance 2 vote against Brexit & 4 progress." However, Colum Eastwood, the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) was less than pleased about the prospect. "It shows you how much @TheresaMayPM thinks/cares about our peace process that she'd call an election in the middle of talks," he tweeted. Northern Ireland's two largest parties, the DUP and Sinn Féin, have spent weeks blaming each for the failure to restore Stormont's power-sharing government. Under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, any new executive government must be a coalition of both unionists and nationalists. However, long-running rows over a proposed Irish language act and deep divisions over how to deal with the legacy of the Troubles are holding up a deal. A snap general election complicates the talks process at Stormont and is a scenario that was not factored in when the discussions were paused for Easter. Those talks are expected to resume again shortly but history suggests that it is always difficult to cut a political deal at election time. It is very hard to hold talks in the morning with your opponent and then go canvassing in the evening. Political parties react differently when there is an election looming. The DUP and Sinn Féin are also diametrically split over Brexit - the issue driving Prime Minister Theresa May's plan to hold a general election. Mrs May said the poll would "guarantee certainty" during negotiations with the EU, after Labour, the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats threatened to vote against her government's final Brexit deal. Northern Ireland currently has 18 MPs, with the DUP out in front with eight Westminster seats - making it the fifth largest party in the House of Commons. Sinn Féin has four Westminster seats, having lost one in the last general election in 2015. However, under its long-standing policy of abstentionism in protest against British rule, Sinn Féin MPs do not take their seats in the Commons. The Ulster Unionist Party was the biggest winner in the last Westminster poll, having gained

Summary: Northern Ireland parties have been arguing over the prospect of a second Stormont election within two months, but they now have another challenge.


Danielle Marr, who is in her final year at The Waid Academy in Anstruther, Fife, has joined the RNLI crew in the town as a volunteer on local lifeboats. In addition to her studies, Miss Marr will have to carry a pager and respond to emergency calls throughout the day. She is following in the footsteps of her older brother Anthony. She said: "I am delighted to join the crew here at Anstruther. "I've grown up watching my brother volunteer and the difference the RNLI make in our community and I want to be a part in that. "I've been on a few exercises on both the D-class and all-weather lifeboat and have really enjoyed the experience and look forward to continuing my learning." The teenager is not the first pupil at The Waid Academy to be granted permission to leave class and rescue those in difficulties at sea. Station coxswain Michael Bruce joined the RNLI more than 24 years ago when he was at school, and he said he is "delighted" to welcome Miss Marr to the station. He added: "Having just completed her first exercise afloat since being enrolled, Danielle's enthusiasm to learn and become a competent member of the crew was clear to see. "My team are looking forward to training with Danielle and preparing her for the challenges that will undoubtedly lie ahead. "On behalf of the RNLI I would like to thank the Waid Academy for their supportive approach to pupils volunteering in the community and the benefits that come from doing so."

Summary: A 17-year-old schoolgirl has been granted permission to leave class to save lives at sea after becoming an RNLI volunteer.


The Chinese game is viewed as a much tougher challenge than chess for computers because there are many more ways a Go match can play out. The tech company's DeepMind division said its software had beaten its human rival five games to nil. One independent expert called it a breakthrough for AI with potentially far-reaching consequences. The achievement was announced to coincide with the publication of a paper, in the scientific journal Nature, detailing the techniques used. Earlier on Wednesday, Facebook's chief executive had said its own AI project had been "getting close" to beating humans at Go. But the research he referred to indicated its software was ranked only as an "advanced amateur" and not a "professional level" player. Go is thought to date back to ancient China, several thousand years ago. Using black-and-white stones on a grid, players gain the upper hand by surrounding their opponents pieces with their own. The rules are simpler than those of chess, but a player typically has a choice of 200 moves compared with about 20 in chess. There are more possible positions in Go than atoms in the universe, according to DeepMind's team. It can be very difficult to determine who is winning, and many of the top human players rely on instinct. DeepMind's chief executive, Demis Hassabis, said its AlphaGo software followed a three-stage process, which began with making it analyse 30 million moves from games played by humans. "It starts off by looking at professional games," he said. "It learns what patterns generally occur - what sort are good and what sort are bad. If you like, that's the part of the program that learns the intuitive part of Go. "It now plays different versions of itself millions and millions of times, and each time it gets incrementally better. It learns from its mistakes. "The final step is known as the Monte Carlo Tree Search, which is really the planning stage. "Now it has all the intuitive knowledge about which positions are good in Go, it can make long-range plans." Tested against rival Go-playing AIs, Google's system won 499 out of 500 matches, And last October, DeepMind invited Fan Hui, Europe's top player, to its London office for a series of games, each of which the AI won. "Many of the best programmers in the world were asked last year how long it would take for a program to beat a top professional, and most of them were predicting 10-plus years," Mr Hassabis said. "The reasons it was quicker than people expected was the pace of the innovation going on with the underlying algorithms and also how much more potential you can get by combining different algorithms together." Prof Zoubin Ghahramani, of the University of Cambridge, said: "This is certainly a major breakthrough for AI, with wider implications. "The technical idea that underlies it is the idea of reinforcement learning - getting computers to learn to improve their behaviour to achieve goals. "That could be used for decision-making problems - to help doctors make treatment plans, for example, in businesses or

Summary: A Google artificial intelligence program has beaten the European champion of the board game Go.


Public Health Wales said the Hi-Tide bar in Porthcawl remains open after the outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting. The outbreak has now been declared over. A bar spokesman said: "We are confident that we provided, and will continue to provide, the very highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene." "We would like to wish all those affected a full and speedy recovery," the spokesman added.

Summary: Fifty-six people who fell ill after attending functions at a bar in Bridgend county had the norovirus, it has been confirmed.


A study for South Lakeland District Council examined details, including types of wagons, the lengths of routes, and the width of streets. It also took into account how many right turns vehicles made, as these cause them to be delayed at junctions. The council said the Â£35,000 cost of the research would be offset by savings of Â£40,000 a year. Changes, which include different collection days for 65% of households, will come into effect in the autumn.

Summary: Bin collections in south Cumbria are due to change following a project to "optimise" collection rounds.


17 July 2016 Last updated at 19:25 BST Arriving into Belfast International Airport on Sunday morning, most of them told BBC News NI reporter Claire Graham they were happy to be home.

Summary: Northern Ireland holidaymakers returning from Turkey have been giving their reaction to the attempted military coup on Friday.


Officers had been searching for the 36-year-old, from Petworth in West Sussex, since 22:00 BST on Thursday. Ms Weeks, who plays Samantha Stewart in ITV drama Foyle's War, had last been seen 14 miles away in Chichester. Sussex police said she had been "found safe and well, and is with police". Her actress sister Perdita Weeks had earlier tweeted: "Safe and sound thank you all xxxx". Officers had said they were concerned for Honeysuckle Weeks' welfare and it was unlike her not to get in touch. She had recently told family and friends she was feeling anxious. Her agency, the Artists Partnership, said it had been "unable to get hold of Honeysuckle". Earlier this year the Cardiff-born star was reportedly ordered to wear an electronic tag after she was caught speeding on the A3 in south-west London in August 2015. A child in the back seat had not been wearing a proper seat belt and it emerged Ms Weeks had already been banned from driving. Ms Weeks recently finished work on shooting Lewis for ITV and a Sky mystery The Five. She has also appeared in The Bill, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries and Death In Paradise.

Summary: Missing actress Honeysuckle Weeks has been found safe, police have said.


The RSPB said a male hen harrier vanished from a Forest of Bowland nest three weeks ago, with males at two others not seen for a week. Male hen harriers disappearing while part of an active nesting attempt is "exceptionally unusual", the charity added. Police are investigating. The reward is for any information which leads to a successful conviction. The hen harrier is listed as a red status species, meaning that it is threatened and that populations have suffered a severe decline in numbers. In the absence of males to hunt for food, females at two of the nests were forced to abandon their eggs, the charity said. Last year there were only two breeding pairs in the Forest of Bowland. Martin Harper, from the RSPB, said: "Hen harriers are hanging on by a thread in England and the disappearances of the past few weeks have made a desperate situation even worse. "We don't know what has happened to these three birds, but we will find out and we will save our hen harriers. This is an awful setback, but it will not stop us." Source: BBC Nature

Summary: A £10,000 reward has been offered after three rare birds of prey disappeared in Lancashire.


Sylvia Bradshaw, of Fakenham, Norfolk, heard an appeal by Gamble Plant Skip Hire to find relatives of Gwendoline Harding, whose remains were found in a metal urn in one of its containers. She had been cremated in March 1996 at West Hertfordshire crematorium. Ms Bradshaw thanked the skip firm for being "decent human beings". "They've done a tremendous thing," she said. She heard her relative's name on a BBC Radio Norfolk appeal, where skip firm office manager Alex Dunmore said it was doing all it could to trace the family. He said the firm had contacted the people who ordered the skip but they did not recognise the name. Ms Bradshaw said she was "at a complete loss" as to how the remains ended up in the skip. She believed the urn had been with her father, Allan Bradshaw, in Little Snoring. Mr Bradshaw is no longer alive. Her grandmother had lived in Elstree for many years and was living in a Harrow retirement home when she died, aged 83. The ashes had been brought to her son - Mr Bradshaw - in Norfolk. Ms Bradshaw now plans to take the urn to her aunt Julie Hall, her grandmother's eldest daughter. She once took the ashes on an Orient Express trip, as that had been her mother's lifelong ambition. "I feel like she's has lots of journeys now, after this," Ms Bradshaw said. "It'll be just nice that she'll be back with her family. "It's an emotional day - I'm happy, tearful and sad at the same time."

Summary: The granddaughter of a woman whose ashes were found in a skip said it was a "massive shock".


The Beast Race featured 20 obstacles - many of them involving cold water and mud. Entrants could complete the event near Inverness solo or as part of a team.

Summary: A 10km obstacle race was held at Aldourie at Loch Ness at the weekend.


The 46-year-old Portugeuse will attend Sunday's Old Firm match against Celtic before starting work on Monday. Under-20s coach Graeme Murty will remain in interim charge for a sixth game since Mark Warburton's departure. "It is a great honour to join Rangers Football Club," said Caixinha after being released by his Qatari club Al-Gharafa on Friday. "This club has a great history and tradition and I am proud to follow in the footsteps of legendary Rangers managers like Walter Smith, Graeme Souness and Jock Wallace. "Rangers is a name that is known worldwide and I am looking forward to forging a positive relationship with supporters and meeting the playing squad and staff at the club. "I know there is a lot of hard work ahead and I assure all our fans that I will do all I can to provide a winning and entertaining Rangers team." Caixinha previously managed Uniao Leiria and Nacional in Portugal, and led Mexican side Santos Laguna to the 2014 Copa MX Apertura trophy, the 2015 Liga MX Clausura title and the 2015 Campeon de Campeones trophy, as well as the 2013 Concacaf Champions League final. Before moving into management, he spent six years as assistant to Jose Peseiro at Sporting Lisbon, Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, Greek outfit Panathinaikos, Rapid Bucharest in Romania and the Saudi Arabia national team. Caixinha, who speaks fluent English, earned some of his coaching qualifications at the Scottish Football Association's coach education centre at Largs. "We are delighted to welcome Pedro to Rangers," said managing director Stewart Robertson. "We compiled a shortlist of high-quality candidates for the position but we knew after our initial meeting with Pedro that he was the right man to take this club forward. "He is a man of great experience and authority and the board has no doubt he will help us achieve our long-term goals. I would like to thank the Rangers supporters for their patience throughout the process but we were determined to appoint the best candidate possible. "I would also like to thank Graeme Murty for taking control of the first team. He will complete his duties at Celtic Park on Sunday before returning to his role with the Under-20s and Pedro will begin his work on Monday morning." Murty has overseen Scottish Cup wins against Greenock Morton and Hamilton Academical, and a Premiership victory over St Johnstone, but league defeats by Dundee and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. The Ibrox side are third in Scotland's top flight, six points behind Aberdeen and 33 off runaway leaders Celtic, who can clinch a sixth straight title this month. Warburton, who led Rangers to promotion by winning last season's Scottish Championship, parted company with the club at the same time as assistant David Weir and head of recruitment Frank McParland. McParland has since become director of football at Nottingham Forest.

Summary: Pedro Caixinha has been confirmed as the new manager of Rangers after signing a three-year contract.


Ikechi Anya's breakaway goal after 10 minutes, reminiscent of his strike in Dortmund against Germany, proved to be the decisive moment in Prague. Scotland might have had a second had Alan Hutton been awarded what looked like a clear-cut second-half penalty. But Gordon Strachan's preparations for the World Cup qualifiers began with only a second-ever win over the Czechs. They return home to face Denmark in another friendly at Hampden Park on Tuesday, with further matches in June against Italy and France before they begin World Cup qualifying against Malta in September. Scotland manager Strachan spoke before the match of having picked difficult friendly opposition to help his players develop ahead of more meaningful fixtures. The Czechs certainly provided a stern test, reinforcing their status as winners of a tough group in the Euro qualifiers. They bombarded Allan McGregor's goal in the opening 20 minutes, only for the Hull goalkeeper to produce a string of saves to deny them. He palmed Tomas Sivok's header round the post after Borek Dockal had smashed a free-kick off the bar. A diving save to tip away Martin Frydek's rasping shot was the other highlight after Anya had bemused the home supporters by slotting Scotland in front. The Watford man raced onto Ross McCormack's through ball down the left flank and finished strongly, first time, with his left foot. The Scots' first-half display was littered with slack passes and a lack of concentration. But they began to get the Czechs' measure and became more composed as the match progressed. A flurry of substitutions on both sides also had a disruptive effect but Scotland looked assured in the second period and might have gone further ahead when substitute Matt Phillips saw his header from a Robert Snodgrass cross saved by Tomas Koubek. But McGregor was called upon once more to make another top-class intervention, turning an effort by Lukas Marecek round the post. Although the Scotland management team had stressed this was not an exercise in experimentation, Strachan took the opportunity to give Aberdeen midfielder Kenny McLean a debut. Playing just behind McCormack, McLean found possession hard to come by in what was a tough introduction to international football, which lasted 57 minutes. McCormack, given a rare chance in his first cap for two years, also lacked service but played a crucial role in Anya's goal, showing great strength and weight of pass to play the winger through. There were late debuts too for striker Tony Watt and defender Paul Caddis, which would have told the manager little about their ability to handle this level of football, but offered them a moment to savour. Match ends, Czech Republic 0, Scotland 1. Second Half ends, Czech Republic 0, Scotland 1. Corner, Scotland. Conceded by Pavel Kaderábek. Attempt missed. Matej Vydra (Czech Republic) right footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Lukás Marecek. Foul by Daniel Pudil (Czech Republic). Paul Caddis (Scotland) wins a free kick on the right wing. Substitution, Scotland. Paul Caddis replaces Ikechi Anya. Substitution,

Summary: Scotland withstood heavy early pressure to record an impressive friendly win over Euro 2016-bound Czech Republic.


The Spanish fourth seed is into round three after outclassing Dutchman Robin Haase 6-1 6-4 6-3 on Wednesday. The 30-year-old would become the first player in the Open era to win 10 titles at one Grand Slam, should he progress. "It would be such an incredible achievement by such an incredible player," said Henman. "You can't even fathom it. A lot of people don't win 10 tournaments, let alone 10 Grand Slams at one venue," added the Englishman. Nadal, who is 31 on Saturday, won his first Roland Garros crown in 2005, the first of four successive victories before claiming a further five in a row between 2010 and 2014. The Spaniard is only one of two players - the other being German Alexander Zverev - to win multiple clay-court titles this season. He won his 10th titles at Monte Carlo and Barcelona as well as his 30th Masters title in Madrid. "It is the biggest challenge in the game to beat Nadal over five sets on clay in Paris," Henman told BBC Sport. The only other player to win 10 or more titles at a single Grand Slam is Margaret Court, who won 11 Australian Opens between 1960 and 1973. "It would be one of the biggest achievements in tennis and one of the biggest in any sport," added Henman. "To have been so dominant at one of the biggest events in our sport is just incredible." After a season hampered by injuries and illness, world number one Andy Murray beat Russian Andrey Kuznetsov in the first round on Tuesday and Henman believes the Scot will be looking to "build round by round". "I wouldn't say Murray is favourite but he is the number one in the world for a reason," Henman said. "I haven't been concerned by his form because he has been ill and injured. "If he can stay healthy and injury free, he will start winning matches and tournaments because he is one of the best players out there." The Scot won his opener in four sets to set up a second-round match with Slovak Martin Klizan. He now faces a potential third-round clash with Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro. "Klizan is an awkward player but I expect Andy to come through that and Del Potro in the third round is a much bigger challenge. "Irrespective of what happens in Paris, on the grass, with his record at Queen's and Wimbledon, he will definitely be one of the favourites for those titles." Former world number four Henman believes Andre Agassi will have "lots to offer" Novak Djokovic, after the American took over as the Serb's coach for the first week in Paris. Djokovic hired eight-time Grand Slam champion Agassi, having parted company with his coaching team earlier in May. "Agassi is massively experienced and went through a lot of highs and lows," Henman said. "He is not going to teach Djokovic to hit new shots but can help him use his attributes to the best of his ability. "Agassi's experience and a new voice can certainly help. It

Summary: Rafael Nadal winning a 10th French Open would be "one of sport's biggest achievements", says former British number one Tim Henman.


The EU's new Sentinel-2a satellite has the capability to look into the water column, to see whether reefs are undergoing change. Current, anomalously high temperatures are driving a huge coral bleaching event across the globe. Early work suggests the Sentinel can detect the effects from 780km up. The satellite's two images on this page show Fatu Huku Island in French Polynesia. The one below is a full colour view of the 1.5km-long rocky outcrop. At the top of the page, however, is a picture that displays only the "blue band" from the satellite's camera. Selecting this 490-nanometre wavelength makes the submerged reef around Fatu Huku jump out. "The blue band really goes into the water. The shorter the wavelength, the better the penetration you have," explained Dr Benjamin Koetz from the European Space Agency (Esa). "With Sentinel-2a, we can see 10-15m into the water, which you just couldn't see if you were using the green band, for example," he told BBC News. Esa is sponsoring a project called Sen2Coral, which had Sentinel-2a make repeat observations of the volcanic island from February to April this year. In that time, it detected a change in sea-bottom radiance - a brightening - that is very likely related to bleaching. A dedicated field team sent to the island at the end of February confirmed that sea-water temperatures were consistently above 30C and that parts of the reef were stressed. More work is needed though to confirm the associations. Excessively warm water will cause coral polyps to expel their symbiotic algae. This drains a reef of its colour. It is not necessarily fatal but it can weaken the ecosystem, making it vulnerable in the face of other threats such as disease. Bleaching has been occurring globally on a large scale of late because of the El Nino phenomenon, which sees surface temperatures spike in many ocean regions but particularly in the central and eastern Pacific. Scientists had previously tried to observe corals in the same way as at Fatu Huku using the American Landsat spacecraft and the French Spot platform. The former does not have quite the resolution needed (just 30m versus S2a's 10m), and the latter's camera does not have the optimal band to penetrate the water column. Ultimately, if the S2a techniques can be fully validated, it should be possible to automate the detection of change at reefs. Scientists could then use the Sentinel to alert them, not just to possible bleaching but to other deleterious impacts such as pollution incidents and nutrient run-off from land. The EU satellite is ideally suited to this kind of application. It is designed to map all land surfaces (and the coastal regions where corals tend to live) every 10 days. When its sister satellite (Sentinel-2b) is launched next year, this repeat time will fall to five days. All the data is free and open. "Sentinel coverage is systematic in the sense that it covers within 20km of the coast. But this doesn't, of course, include all the corals in the world, and one of the objectives of this

Summary: Scientists are working on techniques that would allow them to routinely monitor the health of corals worldwide from orbit.


Dean McIlwaine, from Newtownabbey, was last seen in the Carnmoney Road area of Newtownabbey on Thursday, 13 July. Hundreds of people joined a search in Belfast on Monday night in a bid to find the 22-year-old barber. His cousin, Jordan Malone, told the BBC that the family has barely slept since Mr McIlwaine's disappearance five days ago. He said that he was very close with Mr McIlwaine, as they are both barbers - and that the family cannot understand why he would suddenly go missing. "Despite the search last night, we've still heard nothing - we're just going up against a brick wall," said Mr Malone. "Dean and I talked every day, he would never do something like this. Someone would normally know where he is." The police said Mr McIlwaine was last spotted on the Carnmoney Road on 13 July at about 13:00 BST, wearing a light coloured t-shirt, blue denim shorts and flip-flops. They have been carrying out searches in the Carnmoney area and across Belfast and renewed their appeal on Tuesday evening. Hundreds of people, including Mr McIlwaine's father and brother, also took part in a search in Belfast on Monday evening, organised by the Belfast City Council. Mr Malone said his aunt and uncle have barely slept since their son's disappearance, and are finding it incredibly difficult to cope. "I think they've had three hours of sleep between them since last Thursday, his brother is like a sheet - he can't take it in," added Mr Malone. "His mum can't speak. Every time the phone rings or the police arrive, she's afraid it's going to be the worst news." Mr McIlwaine is described as being 5ft 8 ins tall, of medium build with brown eyes, dark hair and a beard. He has sleeve tattoos on both arms. Mr Malone said the family had taken comfort in the support they have received from people since his cousin vanished, and added that they are "so determined" to keep searching for him. "We'll not give up, we'll keep searching, but as the days go on it does look more negative - there is just no trace of him," he added. He also had a poignant message for his cousin, in the hope that Mr McIlwaine eventually makes contact with the family. "I just want to say to him no-one is angry or mad at you. Whatever is going through your head we can help you, we just need to know you're safe. "We just need to hear from you." The police have asked anyone who may have seen Mr McIlwaine to contact them on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 121 of 14/7/17.

Summary: The family of a missing County Antrim man have said they are determined to "keep searching" until he is found.


Mr Primakov died in Moscow after a prolonged illness, Russian news agency Interfax reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had been informed of the former prime minister's death and was "deeply saddened". Mr Primakov was head of the Russian government for just eight months between September 1998 and May 1999. Born in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev in 1929, he was brought up in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. He studied Arabic at the Moscow Institute for Oriental Studies and went on to be a correspondent for state radio and television. After moving into politics and a stint as the chairman of the Soviet parliament between 1989 and 1990, Mr Primakov played a prominent role in negotiations with Saddam Hussein ahead of the first Gulf War. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, he was appointed head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and later foreign minister in January 1996. Then in 1998 he was appointed prime minister by then-president Boris Yeltsin, and was credited with introducing difficult reforms and a degree of stability to a country still reeling from financial crisis. In March 1999, Mr Primakov attempted to prevent Nato strikes against Yugoslavia. He famously ordered his pilot to turn around midway across the Atlantic while en route to the United States on an official visit, after learning that Washington had decided to launch the air raids. The incident became known as "Primakov's loop". But Mr Primakov's stint as prime minister was short lived. He was sacked in 1999 by President Boris Yeltsin, who reportedly became fearful of his rising popularity. Mr Primakov signalled his intention to run in the 2000 presidential election, but dropped out when Kremlin powerbrokers united around Vladimir Putin. In 2003, he once again travelled to Iraq and met Saddam Hussein in an attempt to prevent war, this time at Mr Putin's request. But three days later a US-led offensive began. In later life, Mr Primakov headed a business lobby group and was respected as one of Russia's leading elder statesmen.

Summary: Yevgeny Primakov, a former Russian prime minister, foreign minister and spy chief, has died at the age of 85.


Thousands entered border camps and are receiving humanitarian assistance, China's foreign ministry said. Earlier this week, about 30 people were killed on Myanmar's border with China after rebels launched a surprise raid. The violence is a blow to efforts by Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to end decades of conflict. The latest clashes, which involved artillery and small-arms fire, took place in the town of Laukkai in the Kokang region in the northern part of Shan state. Chinese foreign spokesman Geng Shuang said aid was being offered to those looking to "temporarily avoid the war", and called for an immediate ceasefire, adding that China supported Myanmar's peace process. He said that all sides needed to find a peaceful solution through dialogue and urged restraint to "prevent further escalation" and "to restore peace and stability to the border areas". On Monday, fighting erupted after the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) launched a surprise raid while dressed in police uniforms, officials said. The attack targeted police and military posts. A separate group of fighters later attacked other sites in Laukkai. Five civilians, five police officers and at least 20 rebel fighters are said to have died. This week's violence is among the worst to hit the Kokang region since 2015. Kokang has close ties to China, with locals speaking a Chinese dialect and using the yuan as currency. The worsening conflict in the borderlands has raised tensions between Myanmar and Beijing. Ms Suu Kyi's government is desperate to end the decades-long violence, amid fears it could spark a major new refugee exodus.

Summary: At least 20,000 people from Myanmar have fled across the border to China after violence erupted between ethnic rebels and the security forces.


Lloyds shares fell more than 2% after it reported a fall in first-quarter profits, and ended the day down 1.6% Pre-tax profits at Lloyds nearly halved to Â£654m after it took a Â£790m charge related to high income bonds. The mining giant Anglo-American rose 8% after it said it had agreed the sale of its niobium and phosphates businesses to China Molybdenum for $1.5bn. Tullow Oil was the best performer on the FTSE 100 rising 11% as the oil price hit new highs for 2016 for the third day in a row. The Royal Bank of Scotland fell 4.4% after it said there was a "significant risk" that it would not meet the 2017 deadline to spin off the 316-branch Williams & Glyn business. The day had started with falls in most European markets as investors reacted to the surprise decision from the Bank of Japan not to ease monetary policy further. "The lack of action [from the Bank of Japan], perversely, proves that central bank stimulus still has the power to shock, both when it is tried and when it isn't," said Chris Beauchamp, senior market analyst at IG. The FTSE 100 ended just 2.5 points higher at 6322.40. On the currency markets, the pound edged up 0.4% against the dollar to $1.4597, and 0.25% against the euro to â‚¬1.2876.

Summary: (Close): The FTSE 100 clawed back its early falls as gains in mining stocks outweighed losses among banks.


A senior adviser to Prime Minister Theresa May has told BBC Newsnight that the chancellor is expected to herald a move towards a greater focus on fiscal policy - tax and spending - in his Autumn Statement on 23 November. The move towards a more Keynesian approach towards the economy will mark a departure from former chancellor George Osborne's reliance on what he called "monetary activism". This covered interest rates and the purchase of assets by the Bank of England known as quantitative easing. George Freeman, the chairman of the prime minister's policy board, told Newsnight that Mrs May had used her speech to the Conservative party conference in Birmingham to signal "loud and clear" that she had concerns about relying so heavily on monetary policy. The PM said ultra low interest rates had produced "bad side effects", notably by hitting savers. Newsnight understands that the remarks by the prime minister show that she now believes the time is approaching for a shift in emphasis in the defining mechanism for running the economy. She believes that in future it would be wise to lean in favour of tax and spending to allow for greater public investment. The chancellor will set out the fresh thinking in his autumn statement on 23 November, marking a break with the era of Mr Osborne who championed "monetary activism" and "fiscal responsibility" - low interest rates and spending restraint with a focus on deficit reduction. Mr Freeman told Newsnight: "Philip Hammond is going to set this out in the Autumn Statement. But Theresa has been very clear that this model of the emergency QE package, bail out the banks, stabilise the economy has had a very profound effect on the distribution of wealth. "Those with assets have done very much better than those without. We have to listen to the roar we heard this year and we have to think with money available at 0% - and we want to drive an industrial strategy, getting infrastructure built - we need to make sure we are looking at all the mechanisms for making that money flows properly." He confirmed Downing Street still supports the Bank of England's independence which means it has sole control over monetary policy and it will face no restrictions on the setting of interest rates. The bank's governor, Mark Carney, decides on quantitative easing though he has to seek the approval of the chancellor. Government sources have indicated that the Treasury will continue to accept the governor's advice on quantitative easing. But Mr Freeman signalled that the prime minister believes the UK economy should enter a new era. He told Newsnight: "It is up to the Bank of England obviously to set out with their mandate how they handle that. But she is signalling loud and clear that we need to make sure we understand what effect this model of growth has had on those who are paying for it - the citizens of this country - and to use every lever we have to make sure the economy works for them." Mrs May

Summary: Chancellor Philip Hammond is planning to embark on a major shift in gear on economic policy as the government embraces a more interventionist approach with increased spending on infrastructure projects.


The work - which began in August 2014 - has now been completed. More specialist contractors were brought in as the work progressed and the budget began to rise. A council spokeswoman told BBC Scotland the last agreed budget was just under £4.3m but that the final bill for the project was still being calculated. She said: "We can confirm that the restoration of the roof of the Town House, one of Aberdeen's historic civic buildings, is now complete. "The scaffolding erected on Union Street came down over the weekend as the repairs came to a close. "In the past two years the project has revealed many ornate and historic features which are unique to the UK. "As the work progressed the scope was widened to account for additional structural issues which were previously not evident in initial assessments and which led to the schedule and budget being extended. "This included the exposure of rotten wood in the building's four towers which were found underneath the slates and lead last summer that had to be replaced." The spokeswoman added: "We made a commitment to bring this important civic building back to life and are delighted the project has now come to a close. "The final cost of the project is still to be confirmed."

Summary: The final bill for repairs to the clock tower at Aberdeen's Town House could end up at more than £4.3m, it has been revealed.


The 21-time Grand Slam singles champion lost 6-7 (3-7) 6-1 6-2 to Russian 15th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova. It was the 34-year-old American's joint earliest exit from the tournament, which she has won eight times. "The players come out and play me like they've never played before in their lives," said Williams, who had not lost in Miami since 2012. She has now not won a tournament since August, when she claimed the 69th title of her career, in Cincinnati. "I don't think it's appropriate to criticise my movement right now," she added, in response to questions from reporters. "I did the best that I could. I can't win every match." Kuznetsova said she was "really thrilled" but apologised to fans who hoped to see more of Williams at this tournament. She added: "I tried to stay at a good level the whole game. I think I did that pretty well and I'm happy with the way I served." Poland's third seed Agnieszka Radwanska also lost, beaten 2-6 6-4 6-2 by 19th seed Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland. Also on Monday, British number one Johanna Konta beat 32nd seed Monica Niculescu 6-2 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals, while Heather Watson was defeated 6-3 6-4 by Romania's Simona Halep.

Summary: World number one and defending champion Serena Williams suffered a shock defeat in the fourth round of the Miami Open.


A mayday call was made at about 05:00 BST from the Pegotty, a motor cruiser taking on water just north of Grimsby dock, the Humber coastguard said. A pilot vessel from Grimsby took two people off the boat, which sank about 25 minutes after the emergency call. The Humber and Cleethorpes RNLI lifeboats were also launched. The pilot vessel, Venus, and the two lifeboats returned to Grimsby after the rescue. "The casualties were checked over and found to require no medical attention", said the RNLI. Daniel Cooper, Cleethorpes RNLI Lifeboat operations manager, said: "Our volunteer crew managed to respond very quickly and launched the lifeboat within six minutes of the request for their assistance." The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been informed.

Summary: Two people have been rescued from a sinking boat in the Humber estuary after a collision with another vessel in the fog.


Police urged people in the Antrim Road area to remain vigilant and report any suspicious objects. A police spokesman said searches were carried out after the reported attack on Saturday evening. However, nothing has yet been found.

Summary: Searches have been carried out in north Belfast after police received information that an explosive device was thrown at one of its patrols.


The Iceland midfielder, 27, scored nine goals and assisted 13 to help save the Swans from Premier League relegation. Sigurdsson's fine form has prompted speculation linking him with a move to clubs such as Everton. "It's a good honour for me. It's always nice when you get voted for by the fans and the players," he said. "It's been a very good season for me personally with goals and assists and a good ending for the team." Centre-back Alfie Mawson, 23, was named Swansea's young player of the year having joined from Barnsley in 2016. There were also awards for top-scorer Fernando Llorente and Oliver McBurnie, who is under-23s player of the year. But it was Sigurdsson who dominated Wednesday's awards ceremony at the Liberty Stadium. After playing a starring role in Iceland's improbable run to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals, Sigurdsson signed a new four-year contract with Swansea in August. He has continued to impress this season and, despite the Swans languishing towards the bottom of the Premier League table for much of the campaign, Sigurdsson has provided more assists than any other player in the division. As a result, the former Tottenham playmaker continues to be linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium, though Swansea head coach Paul Clement has said keeping Sigurdsson will be one of his priorities this summer.

Summary: Gylfi Sigurdsson has been named Swansea City's players' and supporters' player of the year for the second successive season.


Speaking in a debate in London, Richard Ashworth MEP said "we're making ourselves look pretty darned unattractive" as a partner in the EU. UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has not ruled out a British exit if the EU fails to reform. Many Conservatives want a straight "in-out" referendum on the UK's membership. Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to make a key speech on the UK's role in Europe on 22 January. He has not yet given details about the speech, but there is speculation that he will propose a referendum, to be held after the UK election in 2015. Referring to the Conservative ambition to repatriate various powers from Brussels, Mr Ashworth said "an evolutionary solution" was the way to proceed, not "the nuclear option" of withdrawal. He warned that strident Euroscepticism was giving the impression of a Britain "snarling like a pitbull across the Channel". He went on to say that a lot of nations were on the UK's side, including Sweden, Finland and Denmark. In recent days senior politicians in the US and Germany have warned against Britain leaving the EU. But Chancellor Osborne did not rule out a British exit in an interview with Germany's Die Welt newspaper on Friday. "I very much hope that Britain remains a member of the EU," he said. "But in order that we can remain in the European Union, the EU must change. "The British people are very disappointed with the EU and people have the feeling that too many decisions are made too far away in Brussels. Our citizens are asking themselves if Europe can really solve their most pressing problems and create jobs and prosperity." Mr Cameron's coalition government is now studying areas of EU legislation where the UK may be able to claw back powers. One of its chief concerns is to ease the regulatory burden on small businesses, especially the Working Time Directive and other EU labour and welfare legislation. The government is also considering activating a clause in the Lisbon Treaty that allows the UK to opt out of areas of EU justice and policing next year. Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom is involved in that review, called the Fresh Start project. Speaking in Friday's debate, organised by the pro-EU lobby group Business for New Europe, she said the UK "needs to be at the heart of the EU", but also "needs to articulate a new relationship" with its EU partners. She said it would be feasible to negotiate a new "multilateral" arrangement on justice and policing with the rest of the EU, though conceded that it could be difficult. A leading Conservative Eurosceptic MP, Bill Cash, told the debate participants that "the people don't know what they've got in terms of legislation" from the EU. "There hasn't been a focused debate on the pros and cons [of EU membership] since 1975." He said even the widely praised EU single market was "not working, because new things have been added, increasing the burdens on business". In the debate former Labour Party leader Lord Kinnock attacked the

Summary: The leader of the UK Conservative MEPs says stridently Eurosceptic opinions give the wrong impression that Britain is one against the rest in the EU.


In an interview with the UK's ITV, Mr Trump said he was not anti-Muslim, but "anti-terror". He was reacting to remarks by UK Prime Minister David Cameron that his call for Muslims to be banned from the US was "divisive, stupid and wrong". Mr Trump made the call last year, when he was not the party's front-runner. He insisted that when he called for an immediate temporary ban on Muslims being allowed into America, there had been criticism only from politicians. Millions of people from all over the world had called in, he said, saying "Donald Trump is right". Asked whether he would re-phrase those comments in the light of the controversy they caused, Mr Trump said: "It got people thinking. Whether it's good for me or bad for me, I don't really care." 21 things that Donald Trump believes How Trump captures the White House Trump softens stance on Muslim ban Can Trump really change his image? "Something very bad" was going on that people pretended didn't exist, Mr Trump said. The world had a tremendous problem with radical Islamic terror, the New York billionaire said. "If you look at it world-wide, the world is blowing up. And it's not people from Sweden that's doing the damage, okay?" It is up to Muslims to turn in people they suspected of extremism, he told ITV. "They have to work with the police. They're not turning them in. If they're not playing ball, it's not going to work out." Referring to Mr Cameron's criticism, Mr Trump also said it looked like he was not going to have a good relationship with the UK prime minister. He also criticised the new Mayor of London Sadiq Khan for calling him "ignorant". The New Yorker is one of the least politically experienced nominees in US history, having never held elected office. Many senior Republicans have refused to back him. All other Republican rivals have dropped out of the campaign. Protests have plagued his campaign, with particular focus on his plan to build a wall on the Mexican border and deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton appears closer to the nomination, having secured more delegates than Bernie Sanders.

Summary: The presumptive Republican candidate in the US presidential election, Donald Trump, has called on Muslims to work with the police and "turn people in".


Cloth Of Stars, Humphrey Bogart and Red Verdon are the other supplementary entries at a cost of £75,000 each. Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has seven of the 18 contenders still in the race, including leading hope US Army Ranger. The additional entries mean the race will be worth £1.454m and the most valuable ever staged in Britain. If all 18 horses line up, it will be the largest Derby field for 10 years since the victory of Sir Percy in 2006. O'Brien, who has won the race five times previously, saddled eight runners in 2007 when his best finisher Eagle Mountain was second to winner Authorized.

Summary: Four horses including joint favourite Wings of Desire have been added as late entries for the Derby at Epsom on Saturday.


The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigated the German bank for the way it accounted for certain assets in reports filed during the financial crisis. The SEC said it over-valued some of these and did not have sufficient collateral to cover potential losses. Deutsche is settling without admitting or denying the charges. The bank said there was no reliable model at the time to value those trades, which were made in the aftermath of the credit crisis and the subsequent collapse of Lehman Brothers. The SEC said the risk for potential losses ran into billions of dollars - a risk which the SEC says was not properly reported to investors. Its investigation found that Deutsche overvalued the value of certain transactions designed to protect against losses on securities in the then highly volatile credit markets. The collateral covering the portfolio was only a fraction, approximately 9%, of the $98bn total in purchased protection. "At the height of the financial crisis, Deutsche Bank's financial statements did not reflect the significant risk in these large, complex illiquid positions," said Andrew Ceresney, director of the SEC's enforcement division. "Deutsche Bank failed to make reasonable judgments when valuing its positions and lacked robust internal controls over financial reporting." Last week, Deutsche Bank encountered anger from its shareholders at its annual general meeting. One of the causes of investor unease was the mounting tally of regulatory fines. Investors singled out a $2.5bn fine to settle investigations into the bank's involvement in the rigging of the Libor interest rate.

Summary: Deutsche Bank is paying $55m (£35.7m) to settle civil charges for allegedly mis-stating financial reports.


The 77-year-old retired farmer lives alone in his isolated rural cottage at Aughabrack near Dunamanagh. Neighbours heard him calling for help at about 20:00 GMT on Sunday. Two men rushed to help and used their car to block the gang's vehicle. As they approached, three men came running out, their faces masked by scarves. "All I saw was the barrel of the shotgun being pointed at us. One of the gang was shouting; 'Shoot them, shoot them'," one of the neighbours said. As the men withdrew, the gang managed to escape. The two neighbours gave chase before losing them on country roads. They returned to the house to find the elderly farmer badly shaken. It is understood he suffered serious burns to his arm when he tried to throw boiling water at his assailants. He had also been threatened with a knife. It's understood the shotgun used by the gang to threaten the neighbours belonged to the farmer. It was loaded. The pensioner is staying with relatives. Police are seeking information about a Seat car used by the gang. A Seat Toledo car CKZ 8800 was found burnt out at Daisyfield Park off the Letterkenny Road, Londonderry early on Monday. SDLP councillor Patsy Kelly described the gang who carried out the attack were "cowards".

Summary: A gang of men who assaulted a County Tyrone pensioner during a robbery threatened to shoot two neighbours who came to his aid.


The incident happened in the Corrigan's Court area on Saturday morning. Police said the victim was assaulted by two men. It is understood the 27-year-old man's injuries are not life-threatening.

Summary: A 27-year-old man has been arrested in Armagh in connection with the stabbing of a 24-year-old man in the city.


As reported in the East Anglian Daily Times, East Bergholt - the birthplace of artist John Constable - may try to "divorce" Suffolk in the housing row. Campaigner Peter Dent said Colchester Borough Council, in Essex, was known for its preservation of heritage sites. "I don't care if Suffolk would miss us. That's their problem," he said. "We've got a Colchester postcode, we've got a Colchester phone number, we would like to give it a try and work with a council that would respect the village and the heritage of Constable Country." East Bergholt has been fighting plans for new homes for a number of years. In 2016, residents won a judicial review to block the building of 10 homes. The issue was raised by Mr Dent at an annual parish council meeting in the village, where the chair asked residents for a show of hands to signal their support for the idea of becoming part of Essex. "Almost everybody, bar one or two, put their hands up," said Mr Dent, who reiterated the decision would have to be confirmed by the parish council before a village referendum would be held. Mr Dent, chair of Action East Bergholt, claims Babergh District Council "ignored the neighbourhood plan" which residents had spent "a lot of time and money" putting together. "We have fought with them long and hard for the last 18 months, and we are continuing to fight," Mr Dent said. "Frankly, we'd like to move to somewhere where we don't have to battle night and day." The chief executive of Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council, said he was "acutely conscious... many people have lost trust in their district council". Arthur Charvonia said he has held meetings with the parish council and will shortly meet the East Bergholt Society. "Repairing relationships and trust will take time... the community will need to judge Babergh District Council by our future actions rather than by my words," he added. "I look forward to supporting East Bergholt to deliver its priorities as set out in its neighbourhood plan."

Summary: Residents of a Suffolk village are considering a fight to become part of neighbouring Essex in their battle to prevent 144 homes being built.


Vehicle tyre deflation rounds were used to immobilise two vehicles during the arrest of five men on 12 February. The Police Investigation and Review Commissioner (PIRC) said two vehicles were damaged during the incident, but no members of the public were injured. A report will be submitted to the Deputy Chief Constable. Five men subsequently appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court on 15 February in connection with the theft of an ATM in Carnoustie. The men, who are all from the Birmingham and Liverpool areas, are alleged to have stolen a car from an address in Arbroath, broken into the Co-op store in Carnoustie's Barry Street and stolen an ATM. It is also alleged that one of the men drove a stolen car with false licence plates and repeatedly reversed into another car at the Westway Retail Park in Arbroath while police were standing behind the vehicle. All five men were remanded in custody and the case was continued for further examination.

Summary: Scotland's police watchdog is investigating officers' use of firearms during an operation outside a McDonald's restaurant in Arbroath.


Vertu was known for its high-end, jewel-encrusted handsets, but recently faced financial difficulties. The company's liquidation will result in the loss of nearly 200 jobs. One technology analyst said Vertu would have faced competition from companies offering to customise other smartphones with precious materials. Vertu phones carry hefty price tags - its Signature range starts at £11,100, and one model featuring 18-carat red gold costs £39,100. When contacted by the BBC, an external spokesman for the firm said: "Well it's gone into liquidation and I'm not being paid by them any more." In March, the company was sold by its former Chinese owner to Hakan Uzan, a Turkish exile in Paris. The Daily Telegraph reports that he had planned to pay £1.9m to bring the company out of administration, but it had an accounting deficit of £128m. Mr Uzan will retain the Vertu brand, technology and licenses. "It is very unusual, they hand make the phone at incredibly low volumes and they were incredibly high-priced," said Ian Fogg, an analyst at IHS Technology. He pointed out that some of Vertu's recent phones had used synthetic sapphire for its screens - something that Apple had considered for its iPhones but later abandoned because of production issues. "It is a difficult material to work with," Mr Fogg told the BBC. "One practical benefit is that the smartphone screen is made incredibly difficult to break." He also pointed out that other businesses that offered to customise consumer smartphones with precious stones or metals offered an alternative. That meant that wealthy customers could choose the handset they wanted but add the desired "bling" later. Vertu was founded by Nokia in 1998, but it was sold in 2012, and the following year Vertu switched from using Nokia's Symbian operating system on its devices to Google's Android.

Summary: A British-based company that made smartphones costing thousands of pounds will be liquidated after a plan to save it failed.


A spokesman said the university recognised the "devastating impact" that climate change could have and the "need to reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels". The university is withdrawing Â£18m of investments over the next decade. It comes after students had mounted a campaign calling for the change. More than 1,300 were involved in the campaign, which included rallies and fake oil spills. David Newall, secretary of the university's governing body, said: "The university recognises the devastating impact that climate change may have on our planet, and the need for the world to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. "Over the coming years we will steadily reduce our investment in the fossil fuel extraction industry, while also taking steps to reduce our carbon consumption." The university will freeze new investments in fossil fuels and, over 10 years, divest its hydrocarbon investment which is around 4% of its total endowment. Glasgow joins 13 American universities and many other institutions who together have pledged to withdraw more than $50bn in assets from the fossil fuel industry. Just before the recent New York climate summit, the heirs to the Rockefeller fortune announced they planned to pull their funds from fossil fuels. Campaigners say that, so far, 181 institutions and 656 individuals have agreed to withdraw their money from fossil fuels. Students in many universities are lobbying for governors to divest but are often meeting strong resistance from governing bodies charged with prudent investment of university funds. Glasgow has confirmed that its commitment is subject to reassurance that the financial impact for the university is acceptable. Its effects will be monitored by the governing body. Campaigner Callum Shaw, said: "Among students the argument about whether climate change exists is not really happening - people have read the academic papers and are not in any doubt. We started out as a small group, but the campaign quickly gained traction." Other British universities are also set to consider the issue. The School of Oriental and African Studies is expected to make a divestment decision in the next month. Decisions are also imminent from a handful of other institutions including the University of Edinburgh. Oxford University and its colleges are consulting on divestment from $3.8bn worth of investment. More than 1,000 Oxford students and academics have joined the campaign. Scientific reports have suggested it will only be possible to burn about a third of the fossil fuels already discovered and keep a stable climate. Mary Church from Friends of the Earth Scotland said: "Well done Glasgow for becoming the first university in the UK to take this hugely important step. Not only is this great news for the planet, but it also makes good financial sense [because] at some point this carbon bubble is going to have to burst." So far the divestments worldwide have not dented investments in the fossil fuel industry. Oil, gas and coal companies form one of the world's largest asset classes, worth nearly $5 trillion at current stock market values. They are liked by investors because of their profits and shareholder yield. The campaigners

Summary: Glasgow University has become the first in the UK to announce that it will sell off the shares it holds in companies that produce fossil fuels.