The Hammers took the lead when Manuel Lanzini beat Thibaut Courtois with a sumptuous curling effort from 25 yards. Fabregas's superb set piece on the stroke of half-time pegged them back. Substitute Andy Carroll looked to have won it for West Ham, before Fabregas snatched a point after Michail Antonio fouled Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Victory would have moved West Ham in front of Manchester City into fourth place, but Slaven Bilic's side were unable to add Chelsea to Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal on their list of away scalps this season. Chelsea, who remain unbeaten in the league under interim boss Guus Hiddink, stay 10th. Media playback is not supported on this device After Carroll finished clinically from Dimitri Payet's superb through-ball, West Ham were two minutes plus added time away from their first victory in Stamford Bridge at 14 years when substitute Loftus-Cheek tumbled in the area. Referee Robert Madley pointed to the spot, but replays appeared to show that rather than being clipped by Antonio, the midfielder tripped over his own feet. In addition, Antonio - who had scored in each of his previous three league matches - appeared to be outside the box when Loftus-Cheek went down. "To concede that late is gutting, but to concede it from a penalty that is not a penalty is unacceptable," Bilic said. "It was not close to the line. It was way out. It was not a penalty. We are gutted and we are not getting these decisions." Following last week's defeat by Everton in the FA Cup, reigning league champions Chelsea have nothing left to play for this season - but they showed plenty of battling spirit to take a point from this match. The Blues were not at their fluent best but 18 crosses and 22 shots told the tale of their unstinting endeavour in forward areas. Fabregas, a superb performer last season, has endured a much more difficult campaign this time round, and has sometimes been accused of going missing in difficult matches, but here he was at his influential best. His free-kick was masterful, getting the ball up and down from 25 yards and beating the dive of Adrian after Winston Reid had fouled Oscar. But his performance was about much more than goals - the 28-year-old Spaniard also had more shots, passes and touches than anyone else on the pitch. Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink: "We stared well in the first 10 minutes but we then started losing the possession too easily. We reacted just before half-time, especially with the beautiful Fabregas free-kick. In the second half we got caught on the counter, but we reacted perfectly to get the draw. "This is a very good West Ham side. They are knocking on the door for the top four. I was happy with the late penalty decision. It's difficult for me to make a judgement - I think he was tripped on the line. On the line is part of the box." Media playback is not supported on this device West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "I don't look too

Summary: Cesc Fabregas scored a free-kick and a late penalty as Chelsea earned a point to frustrate West Ham's Champions League ambitions.


The 21-year-old has won two caps, although he has dual nationality with the Republic of Ireland. O'Shaughnessy spent the last two seasons with Championship club, having joined them from French club Metz. He did not make a first-team appearance for the Bees, and spent time on loan with National League club Braintree and in Denmark with Midtylland. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Cheltenham Town have signed Finland international centre-back Daniel O'Shaughnessy after a two-week trial.


Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust said funding offered by central Norfolk clinical commissioning groups (CCG) does not meet the "volume of demand". A trust board meeting was told the CCGs were "not commissioning sufficient capacity" in beds or staffing levels. The central Norfolk CCGs said they were still in negotiations. At the meeting Andrew Hopkins, director of finance, said funding arrangements had been agreed with all its CCGs apart from central Norfolk. The meeting heard the plans put forward by central Norfolk CCGs did not provide enough funds for out of area placements, when no beds can be found in the area. There were also issues surrounding staffing levels. In previous years, the trust has been criticised over the need to send patients outside of Norfolk and Suffolk due to a shortage of mental health beds. The BBC revealed that in November last year the cost of sending Norfolk and Suffolk mental patients to other parts of the country almost tripled to Â£600,000, from an average of Â£200,000 a month in December 2013 to September 2014. In December, the trust said the number outside the counties had been cut to 24 from a high of 50 earlier in the year. Non-executive director John Brierley said: "The issue is the commissioners are not commissioning sufficient capacity to the volume of demand." If no agreement is made the dispute will go to arbitration where a final decision is made by NHS England and health watchdog Monitor. Trust chief executive Michael Scott said after the meeting: "We don't think there is adequate funding for mental health. It remains the Cinderella service. "In some areas such as Suffolk and Great Yarmouth and Waveney we have managed to agree funding. "Unfortunately across central Norfolk we are unable to agree and we have to go to arbitration." A Norfolk CCGs spokesman said: "CCGs across Norwich, South Norfolk and North Norfolk are still in discussions with the trust regarding the 15/16 contracting year. "All parties are hopeful of a swift conclusion to current negotiations." In February, this year the trust became the first of its kind in England to be put in special measures due to it not providing a "safe service".

Summary: Cash for future mental health provision in Norfolk and Suffolk has "fallen short" of what is needed, prompting a dispute with an NHS trust and a funder.


The prime minister has said Britain will vote on whether to remain in the EU on Thursday 23 June. David Cameron announced the referendum date after a cabinet meeting on Saturday to discuss his deal with the EU he says gives the UK special status. Mrs Foster said the DUP will recommend to voters to leave the EU. "At every stage in this European negotiation process we had hoped to see a fundamental change to our relationship with Europe," she said. "In our view, we see nothing in this deal that changes our outlook. Therefore we will on balance recommend a vote to leave the EU. "As every voter has the opportunity to express a view, we fully expect that DUP members and voters will hold a range of differing personal views as to what is in the best interests of the United Kingdom. "They are fully entitled to do so during what will be a momentous political debate about the direction of travel our nation chooses." The SDLP and Sinn FÃ©in are to campaign to remain within the EU, with the Alliance Party expected to do the same. The Ulster Unionists are still considering their position. Sinn FÃ©in's Martin McGuinness said the benefits of EU membership could "be felt daily across all sections of our society". "In particular, our agriculture and agri-food industry have gone from strength to strength with the help of EU Single Farm Payments," he said. "The EU has also supported key infrastructure projects and boosted our economy through peace and structural funds. "It has also been a key supporter of the progress made in the peace and political processes over the last two decades." SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has said the referendum will be one of the most important votes faced by people in Northern Ireland in decades. "It is therefore vital that a strong and positive campaign is conducted to remain in Europe. "The SDLP's campaign has already begun and today I am calling on the leaders of Sinn FÃ©in, the Alliance party and the Green Party to do their utmost in ensuring that Northern Ireland delivers a strong vote to remain in the EU on 23 June. "I would also urge the Ulster Unionist Party to do what is best for farmers and families and campaign for an In vote." Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Secretary of State has declared her intention to join the campaign in favour of leaving the EU. David Cameron has suspended collective responsibility over the issue of the UK's future membership of the EU. This means Eurosceptic ministers can campaign in favour of Brexit - against the official government position. Theresa Villiers is one of five cabinet ministers who joined the "Leave" camp. Others include Justice Secretary Michael Gove, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, Leader of the House of Commons Chris Grayling, and Culture Secretary John Whittingdale. Employment Minster Priti Patel, who is not a full cabinet member, is also in favour of leaving. Home Secretary Theresa May heads the list of those who have announced they will campaign

Summary: DUP leader Arlene Foster has said while her party remains Eurosceptic, members must decide for themselves how to vote in the EU referendum.


Rayo Vallecano accepted a £2m bid for the 26-year-old and the Premier League club will seal a third summer signing, subject to international clearance. Michu has passed a medical and agreed personal terms to become new Swansea boss Michael Laudrup's third signing. Laudrup said: "We're talking about a player who scored 16 goals in a small team in the Spanish league." Michu said: "I really wanted to come to Swansea because of the coach, the style of play and the Premier League. I had other offers. "I've always followed the Premier League from Spain and I watched a lot of Swansea games last season. They played good football and I liked their style." He will join fellow new signings defender Chico Flores and midfielder Jonathan de Guzman on Swansea's three-match pre-season tour to the United States on Sunday following Saturday's friendly at Welsh Premier Port Talbot Town. Unlike De Guzman and Flores, Michu has not previously worked with Laudrup but he said: "I also know how Michael Laudrup's teams play, so I'm looking forward to being part of that. "The coach was fundamental to me joining Swansea. I remember watching him as a player - he was a machine." The former Celta Vigo playmaker scored 15 goals in 37 games in his only season for Vallecano in La Liga last term. Vallecano's La Liga rivals Sevilla were also believed to be interested in signing Michu while he had also been linked with Swansea's Premier League rivals Manchester United, Fulham, Stoke City, Liverpool, Southampton, Wigan and West Bromwich Albion. Michu, an attacking midfielder, is seen as an ideal replacement for Gylfi Sigurdsson who, after an impressive loan spell at the Liberty Stadium last season, has joined Tottenham Hotspur from Hoffenheim. "I am happy that the player wanted to come here because I was here," said Laudrup. "I have never worked with him and I haven't paid him! "He has had a press conference in Madrid to say goodbye to Rayo Vallecano and he should join us for the tour to the USA."

Summary: Swansea City have completed the deal to sign Michu as the Spanish midfielder has agreed a three-year contract.


On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that the PSNI was wrong to allow the protests to take place in the city. The court found in favour of a resident who claimed the police failed in its legal duty to stop the parades. Loyalists protested for weeks after Belfast City Council opted not to fly the union flag every day of the year. On Thursday, Mr Hamilton said the Supreme Court ruling against police makes for "uncomfortable reading", but that he accepted it. "I apologise to the residents of Short Strand and to anyone else who was inconvenienced by this parade," he said. "The residents had their rights curtailed as a result of us allowing that parade to go forward, so I acknowledge that we have a job to do in some quarters in terms of regaining trust and confidence." Mr Hamilton said that the flag protests had presented a challenging period for the police: "There were many times when we had 80 to 120 protest sites across Northern Ireland." He added that he accepted and respected the Supreme Court judgement. "It is good, actually, after four years of legal debate and a lot of scrutiny around this to have some judicial clarity," he said. "It is uncomfortable reading in parts for us, but it does bring some clarity to us and we will review how we handle un-notified parades in the future in light of this." The ruling also identified the importance of police "operational discretion", he said. "This judgement is not saying that every time there is an un-notified parade, the police should stop it. What it means is that the police have the power to stop it. "So in some ways it's another tactic for us dealing with this very difficult and unresolved issue in Northern Ireland."

Summary: PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton has apologised to residents in the Short Strand area of Belfast over the handling of the union flag protests.


Subsea UK chief executive Neil Gordon said capital expenditure cuts and low crude price were starting to bite. But he added that the fundamentals of the sector, which supports 60,000 jobs, remained relatively strong. He was speaking at the start of Subsea Expo in Aberdeen. Subsea firms play a key role in North Sea activities, which have been coming under pressure following a sustained fall in the price of oil. This week accountants PwC said many oil and gas firms would need to transform the way they operate in order to grasp future opportunities in the sector. Its report argued companies should be looking to deploy fresh strategies, including looking to reduce costs "in a sustainable manner". Mr Gordon told delegates at Subsea Expo: "The UK's subsea sector came out of a strong 2013 to a relatively flat second half of 2014. "The existing order book kept the industry going but, as this dries up and projects are abandoned or postponed until the oil price recovers, we are in for major challenges." Mr Gordon said research suggested that overall capital expenditure growth forecasts should start to become more positive after 2016. He continued: "It is therefore imperative that during this period Subsea UK demonstrates strong leadership by pushing the industry to more quickly adopt innovation and technology. "We need to better explore how projects are currently delivered and then make the step-change to deliver major efficiencies. "While subsea companies must speed up the development of new technologies, the industry must be prepared to embrace new technology. "It has to become less risk-averse and more receptive to supporting field trials and implementation of new technology." Subsea UK is urging companies to turn to the National Subsea Research Initiative, which brings academia and industry together to collaborate on getting new technology to market much more quickly. NSRI will be focusing new research and development on a number of themes, including decommissioning methods and techniques, well intervention and small field cluster development.

Summary: The UK's subsea sector is in for two years of tough times and will only weather the storm if it embraces innovation and new technology, an industry body has warned.


PC Graham Thomas was leaving Asda in South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, last month when he saw the man run off. He dropped his own shopping and gave chase but returned to find his food and hamster treats had been taken. The shop refunded him but a Kent woman sent him a £45 postal order. He said he was "chuffed" but was sending it back. PC Thomas had left his vegetables and hamster food at the customer service desk before heading off after the shoplifter. More on this story and others from Essex He did not catch him, but was doubly unhappy when he returned to find his food had been placed in a chiller cabinet - and had been taken, presumably by another shoplifter. At the time he described it as "annoying" but said he recognised people might "find it amusing and ironic that this has happened to a copper". Asda refunded the £18 he had spent, but he has now received a postal order and letter from a well-wisher in Kent. She wrote: "I see on the Teletext that you had your shopping nicked while you were helping arrest someone." The money was so he could "get some more, this time keep your eye on it". PC Thomas said: "I'm writing her a nice letter. "I just couldn't believe it. I'm well chuffed but I can't accept it, of course, so I am sending it back." He said he had been told a woman had handed his shopping back in at the store, but the original shoplifter was still at large.

Summary: An off-duty policeman whose shopping was stolen as he tried to catch a supermarket shoplifter has received a cash windfall from a well-wisher.


17 November 2014 Last updated at 17:53 GMT This trio provides a tour of their company and explain the principles that have guided their business as part of the African Dream series.

Summary: Definition Africa is a Ugandan fashion label founded by Nadia Bhegani, Olga Mugyenyi and Nahida Bhegani, which tries to source all of its raw materials on the continent.


Arthur Howard, 74, and his 75-year-old wife Emma, from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, had the winning ticket for the Mega Friday draw on 29 January. Mr Howard said he "went into complete shock" after phoning the claims line and hearing the words "Congratulations, you're a millionaire. He now plans to trade in his taxi for a new Audi car. Mr Howard said: "It has taken a while to sink in, I even had to phone the claim line twice just to make sure it was the real thing. "When I first phoned and heard the words 'congratulations you're a millionaire' I went in to complete shock and told the call handler I would have to hang up and give her a call back." Mr Howard added: "My youngest son came over to me as he was worried something was wrong as all the colour had drained from my face. "I told him and he wouldn't believe me so we called the claim line back, putting it on loud speaker this time, and she said it again 'you are a millionaire'. It really was quite something."

Summary: A Scottish couple are celebrating after winning £1m and all-expenses paid break to Dubai in a EuroMillions draw.


Calais officials said the man was "crushed" by pallets and was found by a Hungarian driver at about 07:00 BST. The Iraqi man was travelling with two other family members, who were unhurt, a spokesman for the Prefecture du Pas de Calais said. He is the 12th person to have died trying to cross the English Channel to reach Britain since late June. Last week, a teenager, thought to be from east Africa, was killed by a freight train near the Channel Tunnel entrance in Calais. Days earlier a man died when he was electrocuted at the tunnel entrance. The situation in Calais is part of a wider migrant crisis across Europe, with huge numbers of people heading north from the Mediterranean.

Summary: A 20-year-old Iraqi has been found dead in a UK-bound lorry in Calais port, French authorities have said.


Evans lost his serve just once as he beat Italian top seed Luca Vanni 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, and he will face Israel's Amir Weintraub in the second round. Ward sent down 16 aces in a 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 win over Canada's Peter Polansky. Elsewhere, Nick Kyrgios suffered a pre-Open scare when he pulled out of his opening match at the Kooyong Classic. The 20-year-old Australian handed Belgian David Goffin victory as he retired with a foot injury. He later tweeted that it was precautionary. The year's first Grand Slam starts in Melbourne on Monday. .

Summary: Britain's Dan Evans and James Ward both won their opening Australian Open qualifiers to move within two victories of the main draw.


The E-ACT academy group says it will replace them with "academy ambassadorial advisory bodies". These new bodies will "play a central role in celebrating the academy's achievements", E-ACT has told its school governors in a letter. But governing bodies, with parental representatives, will no longer hold their local schools to account. The academy chain says it was about providing the "best possible education". A school governor described it as "authoritarian" and "repugnant". E-ACT's 23 schools are spread across England, with clusters in the West Midlands, Buckinghamshire, Bristol and the north west. As an academy chain it receives public funding to operate schools, with accounts for the academic year ending in August 2014 showing an income of Â£135m. A letter sent to governors tells them that the academy chain has decided to change its form of governance. Instead of local school governing bodies, there will be a centralised process for monitoring standards. The letter to governors says the academy chain would contact governing bodies "to discuss an appropriate transition date" and the replacement bodies would provide a different type of function, such as an "interface with the community". And it invites current governors to move over to the new bodies, but these would no longer be involved in areas such as hiring senior staff and monitoring budgets and standards. A governor in one of E-ACT's schools in the midlands said he was "shocked" at how governing bodies had been disbanded, which he described as "offensive and disrespectful to the people who freely volunteer their time to act as governors". What makes this more controversial is that E-ACT itself has a troubled record. In 2014, the academy chain lost control of 10 of its schools after Ofsted inspectors raised serious concerns about their performance. Until July 2015, the chain was operating under a financial notice to improve, imposed by the Education Funding Agency. A spokeswoman for E-ACT said the academy group had introduced "fundamental changes to how the organisation operates to ensure that every young person received the best possible education with us". She added: "Part of this involves adopting a new governance model, in line with the Department for Education's guidance. "We appreciate that change can be challenging for some, but we are committed to continuing to work closely with our governors and are encouraging each of them to take up posts in the newly-formed advisory bodies."

Summary: An academy chain is scrapping the current form of governing bodies for its schools in England.


Emergency services were called to the collision between a Nissan Qashqai and Vauxhall Corsa on the A308 Marlow Road near Maidenhead on Wednesday. The driver of the Vauxhall - a 38-year-old woman - was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and died in hospital on Monday. A nine-year-old girl in the same car was taken to hospital with serious injuries and has since been discharged. The three occupants of the Nissan all sustained minor injuries. No arrests have been made in connection with the crash.

Summary: A woman has died from her injuries five days after a car crash in Berkshire.


The man was admitted to a hospital in Glasgow in the early hours after showing possible symptoms of the virus. He was taken to the Brownlee Centre for infectious diseases at Gartnavel Hospital at about 02:20. A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the results were expected on Tuesday afternoon. A year after the outbreak in West Africa was officially declared, the virus has killed more than 10,000 people. Most deaths occurred in the worst-affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Summary: A Scottish man has been tested for the Ebola virus after returning from west Africa but health officials said it was "very unlikely" he would be positive.


The hoard, which includes silver pennies dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries, was discovered by Walter Hanks in Llandwrog in March. National Museum Wales said some of the coins were made under the ruler Sihtric Anlafsson and were a type rarely found on the British mainland. It said they were likely to have been hidden or lost between 1020 and 1030. Dr Mark Redknap, of the department of history and archaeology at National Museum Wales, said the mixed nature of the collection showed bullion played an active role in the 11th Century economy and gave an idea of the wealth of Gwynedd at the time. The museum now hopes to buy the coins and put them on display.

Summary: Viking coins and ingots found by a metal detectorist in Gwynedd have been declared treasure by a coroner.


The UK National Screening Committee has backed the test, saying it would reduce anxiety for expectant mothers. The move would prevent thousands of invasive procedures, in which one in every 200 women loses her baby. The test analyses tiny fragments of the baby's DNA that end up in the mother's blood, to look for abnormalities. Down's syndrome is a genetic condition that typically causes some level of learning disability and characteristic physical features. The NHS offers screening to women 11 to 14 weeks into their pregnancy. At the moment, an ultrasound scan, the mother's age and other factors such as smoking are combined to assess the likelihood of a baby having Down's. Anyone with a greater than one-in-150 chance of having a baby with Down's is offered an amniocentesis, in which a needle is used to extract a sample of amniotic fluid surrounding the foetus. But it is a risky procedure, which will give a negative result in the overwhelming majority of cases. The new non-invasive prenatal blood test (NIPT) will be offered to women instead. Down's syndrome is caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21, and it is this extra DNA from the baby that the test spots in the mother's blood. If the test is positive, doctors will still recommend an amniocentesis, but the invasive procedure will become unnecessary for the majority of women. The UK National Screening Committee, which advised health authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, has recommended non-invasive pre-natal testing is introduced. Dr Anne Mackie, the director of programmes at the UK National Screening Committee, told the BBC News website: "I think it has the potential to make a great deal of difference. "It will give more accurate results and reduce anxiety in a significant number of people." The new screening plan will be rolled out gradually as it is still uncertain how popular the test will be among women and how effective it will be for other conditions such as Edwards' and Patau's syndromes. But estimates suggest between 3,000 and 5,000 amniocenteses each year will no longer be necessary. Great Ormond Street Hospital conducted trials to assess how non-invasive prenatal testing could be used on the NHS. It indicated many women who would have refused the amniocentesis chose to have the safer test. Prof Lyn Chitty, who led those trials, told the BBC: "I'm very pleased that they've made the decision to introduce it into NHS maternity care for all women, we know many are going to the private sector for it at the moment. "For those getting reassurance, it's great and they can enjoy the rest of their pregnancy. "For those with a positive diagnosis, we have to put measures in place to support them." She said the testing "might" lead to an increase in abortions but her study showed "many are using it to prepare for the birth of a baby with Down's syndrome". The National Screening Committee says it is aware there may be an impact on abortion, but the voluntary test was there to give women information and it

Summary: Pregnant women in the UK should soon get a safer and more accurate test for Down's syndrome on the NHS, to reduce the risk of miscarriage.


Put together in 1973, the band enjoyed UK chart success with Gaelic songs in the 1990s and last year released their 14th and final studio album. Their song An Ubhal as Airde reached number 18 in the charts in 1995. The film, Journey Bound, is a romcom road movie being directed by Ryan Hendrick and starring Clare Grogan, Sylvester McCoy and Karen Dunbar. Runrig founding member Calum Macdonald said: "It's a refreshing and exciting challenge, so far removed from the familiarity of normal Runrig business." Still Game's Ford Kiernan, who also stars in Journey Bound and is an executive producer, said: "I first saw Runrig perform live at Glasgow University Union in the 1980s whilst I was working there, the place was jumping, the atmosphere was incredible. "It really is the icing on the cake for us and I'm over the moon they are onboard. They are the perfect musical fit for this quintessential Scottish movie."

Summary: Veteran Celtic rockers Runrig are to appear in a new Scottish film and will also compose the movie's title music.


Ennis-Hill, 30, won the 800m - the final discipline of the competition - but it was not enough to overtake Belgian Thiam who won by 35 points. Canadian Brianne Theisen-Eaton won bronze, with Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson finishing sixth. After the event, Ennis-Hill hinted she could now retire. "It's going to be a tough decision, I'm going to go away and think about it," she said. "At this moment, I'm tired and emotional, it's a big decision." Four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson told BBC Sport that he thinks Ennis Hill's career "is done". The American added: "Why would you come back? She won at the Olympics, so the World Championships in London in 2017 will pale in comparison." Ennis-Hill said she was "proud" to be back on the podium. It was the third medal Britain ended up winning inside the Olympic Stadium on Saturday after Mo Farah retained his 10,000m Olympic title and Greg Rutherford took bronze in the long jump. "Mo was incredible and Greg was amazing as well," said Ennis-Hill. "We've all done really well." After winning Olympic gold in London, Ennis-Hill had her first child, Reggie, in 2014 and won a second world title just 13 months later. "I have had an amazing few years and achieved so much in this sport," she said. "I'm really proud." The London 2012 champion, looking to become the first British female track and field athlete to win back-to-back Olympic titles, led after day one but slipped back into second following Saturday morning's long jump. A stunning javelin performance by Thiam, 21, meant Ennis-Hill had to beat the Belgian by 9.47 seconds in the seventh and final event. She could only finish 7.47secs ahead in the decisive 800m. "It's more than a dream to be Olympic champion," said Thiam. "I injured my elbow six weeks ago throwing the javelin in the Belgian championships. "At first, the doctor was not very optimistic about it. They said I had to go through the pain but if I was throwing correctly it would be OK. "I wasn't expecting to win. Maybe top eight, but not the gold." Johnson-Thompson saw her medal hopes dashed by poor performances in the shot put and javelin, where she could only manage a best of 36.36m. It was the second year in a row where the 23-year-old from Liverpool has failed to live up to expectations at a major event, following her collapse in the long jump at last year's World Championships. "I'm disappointed with my performance," she said. "I feel like I was capable of it, but there's nothing I can do. I've got no excuses, I just didn't execute." BBC Sport's chief sports writer Tom Fordyce said Thiam deserved her win, adding: "Five personal bests across seven events, a woman who is only just getting started and should go on to dominate the heptathlon for years to come." Former British sprinter and Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell said: "It's a lesson for Katarina Johnson-Thompson. This is the level of athlete she will need to beat to win at major

Summary: Great Britain's Jessica Ennis-Hill narrowly failed to retain her Olympic heptathlon title as she won silver behind Nafissatou Thiam at Rio 2016.


There was an initial outbreak at Weston General Hospital before Christmas and then a fresh outbreak afterwards. Uphill and Berrow wards are now both open and the Ashcombe maternity unit is fully open for expectant mothers. A third ward, Kewstoke remains closed and still has restrictions in place, hospital bosses said. When there was an increase in emergency admissions over the Christmas and new year period, eight out of 12 beds in the maternity unit were used for admissions but now it has returned to being fully used by the maternity unit.

Summary: Two wards at a Somerset hospital have been reopened to admissions after an outbreak of norovirus at the end of December.


In a report going to board members next week, finance director Nick Kenton said the forecast gives "significant cause for concern". However, he said there was time to breakeven by the end of financial year. Raigmore Hospital in Inverness accounts for £10.5m of the potential projected overspend. Mr Kenton said "significant effort" was needed to achieve "financial break even" and avoid the potential £15.6m overspend by the end of March next year. Waiting list initiatives, nursing reviews and the use of medical locums have been identified as causes behind the overspend at Raigmore, the largest hospital in the Highlands. Board members are due to discuss the matter on Tuesday. In a statement, the health board said: "The £15.6m overspend is a potential projected figure based on the first three months of the financial year and while the board appreciates that it will take a significant effort to achieve financial breakeven, NHS Highland remains confident that there is sufficient time remaining in the financial year to allow the breakeven target to be met." At the end of the last financial year in April the health board had to ask the Scottish government for a £2m loan to balance its books.

Summary: NHS Highland has forecast a potential £15.6m overspend based on the first three months of the financial year, but said it expects to break even.


Loch Glascarnoch near Garve supplies water to Mossford power station. A road that used to link Inverness and Ullapool, two bridges and part of a telegraph pole have been visible and were photographed by Calum Maclean. Glascarnoch and its dam form part of energy giant SSE's Conon hydro electric scheme, which involves six dams and seven power stations. The dams and power plants were built in stages between the 1940s and 1960s. A new road to Ullapool was built to replace the one lost under Loch Glascarnoch. SSE said the water level of the loch had been lowered for operational reasons. A spokesperson said: "As we head into the winter we've pulled the level down because the rain we usually get in October and November can raise the levels up by as much as one metre a day."

Summary: Water levels at a loch created in the 1950s have dropped low enough to reveal structures usually hidden underwater.


Currently, they can be punished only if unsolicited calls cause "substantial damage" to householders. Ministers will also consult on imposing heftier fines. Some consumer groups say the measures do not go far enough. The Information Commissioner's Office received 120,310 complaints about "unsolicited marketing calls" from April-November 2013. It is illegal for companies to call domestic numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). The Telephone Preference Service runs a register that allows people to opt out of any unsolicited sales or marketing calls. Individuals can register free of charge by visiting the website. Or they can call 0845 070 0707. It takes 28 days for registration to become effective. Mobile phone numbers can also be registered, although this will not prevent unsolicited text messages. It is a legal requirement that all organisations - including charities, voluntary organisations and political parties - do not make such calls to numbers registered on the TPS unless they have the individual's consent to do so. Telephone Preference Service The rules do not apply when people consent to their details being used for marketing purposes. But BBC business correspondent Joe Lynam said members of the public continued to get unwanted calls - often pre-recorded - despite being registered with the TPS. That was because not all companies were members of the Direct Marketing Association - the UK telemarketing industry body - some were overseas and some were "good old-fashioned fraudsters" out to steal money, he said. The problem of unwanted calls may never be fully eradicated, he added. Repeat offenders include firms inquiring about mis-sold payment protection insurance. Firms which flout the TPS rules can currently be fined up to Â£500,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office. Those which break media regulator Ofcom rules on silent and abandoned calls face fines of up to Â£2m. Critics say the system is not working because rules on enforcement are skewed in favour of rogue firms. Under Culture Secretary Maria Miller's plans, the current "substantial damage" threshold could be lowered. They would also make it simpler for regulators such as Ofcom, the Insolvency Service and the Information Commissioner's Office to swap data about who the offenders might be. And the Ministry of Justice will launch a consultation on Monday on whether firms that break the rules should face fines of up to 20% of their annual turnover. "Nuisance calls must stop," Ms Miller said. "At best they are an irritation and an unwanted intrusion; at worst they cause real distress and fear, particularly to the elderly or housebound. "People need to feel safe and secure in their homes. "The rules are clear - people have the right to choose not to receive unsolicited marketing calls. We will work to ensure their choice is respected." Which? executive director Richard Lloyd welcomed the plans saying he hoped regulators would now be given "the tools to get rid of the unwanted calls that millions of us are getting bombarded with". "But we've got to be honest about this - some of this is firms that are operating overseas," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

Summary: The government is planning to make it easier to fine firms that hound members of the public with nuisance calls.


The Taliban attacked from the mountains as the convoy was travelling through Laghman valley, officials say, and at least 22 insurgents were also killed. The Sar-e-Pol provincial governor said that a number of security force vehicles were destroyed. Earlier a civilian was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul. Villagers also accused Nato of killing seven civilians, including a nine-year-old child, in an air strike in eastern Paktia province. They were the first people reported killed in air strikes since the new government was installed at the end of September. However, Nato said Sunday's strike had killed "eight armed enemy combatants". The issue of Nato air strikes was the most contentious of the many disputes that former President Hamid Karzai had with the international community, reports the BBC's David Loyn in Kabul. The violence comes ahead of the withdrawal of most foreign troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, with Afghan security forces increasingly taking over from Nato-led forces in the fight against the militants. Officials say that at least seven security force members were wounded in the Sar-e-Pol ambush. Correspondents say that the early morning attack highlights Afghanistan's fragile security structure as Nato withdraws all of its combat troops. The ambush took place as security forces were travelling to reinforce colleagues in another district of Sar-e-Pol, officials say. "They called for foreign forces' air support, but they arrived very late," provincial governor Abdul Jabar Haqbin told the AFP news agency. He said the attack triggered a gun battle that lasted several hours. The Taliban were not immediately available to comment

Summary: Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan have killed at least 22 security force members in an ambush in Sar-e-Pol province north of Kabul, officials say.


More tough negotiation and reforms lie ahead if it is ever to join the EU. Its neighbour Croatia joined in 2013. Bosnia's move comes more than two decades after it emerged from a three-year conflict that cost about 100,000 lives, when Yugoslavia fragmented. The EU foreign policy chief saw the bid as a step towards European unity. "At a time when the union is questioned from within, seeing that with our immediate neighbours there is such an energy and willingness to join and work hard to adapt their countries, society, economy, institutions, systems to the European standards, gives us the sense of responsibility we have also towards our European Union citizenship," Federica Mogherini told journalists. Integration with Europe is seen as a way to help Bosnia's ailing economy and overcome its reputation for corruption that scares off investors. Last March, EU foreign ministers and Bosnia signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement that had been on hold since 2008, paving the way for the application. Dragan Covic, the chairman of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, said there would be "years of many challenges ahead", the AFP news agency reports. He submitted the application to Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, whose country currently holds the six-month EU rotating presidency. The EU was happy to see "Bosnia back on the reform path", AFP quoted Mr Koenders as saying.

Summary: Bosnia-Herzegovina has formally applied to join the 28-nation European Union - a milestone in its efforts to overcome political and ethnic divisions.


Giving evidence, the anonymous 72-year-old said Brother Lawrence Murphy took him in to his bedroom twice, forcing him to perform sex acts. If I had told anyone, I would have been belted or got the strap, he said. Castledare orphanage near Perth, run by the Christian Brothers order, was like "a legal paedophile ring", he said. The witness told the inquiry: "If someone did it in the public eye, he'd go to court, he'd get sentenced and he'd serve time. "If he'd got a habit on, if you're a Christian Brother then it seemed to be a free-for-all. "We knew what would happen if you told somebody, especially in authority, they would say 'this doesn't happen here.'" The abuse scandal of the British children sent abroad 'Name the villains', abuse inquiry told He went on to claim that Brother Murphy was later "transferred from place to place" to effectively hide him. He said his time at the orphanage still haunted him and was "probably something I will never forget". He had bottled it up for nearly 30 years and had only chosen to speak out when he found out about the inquiry, he added. Life for the orphans involved hard physical labour including pulling down trees, clearing land, digging out a swimming pool and building a handball court by chipping bricks. "You had to chip X amount of bricks before you can knock off, before you had something to eat," he told the inquiry, which is looking into abuse in England and Wales. The boys wore only a grey shirt and shorts, no matter what the weather, he said. There were no underpants and shoes were only worn when somebody important visited, otherwise feet were bare, he added. Brothers would be fully clothed with shoes and gloves while the boys shivered in the cold, he said. The inquiry also heard from another former child migrant, Oliver Cosgrove, who is now in his late sixties and who also lived at Castledare. He said the Christian Brothers, who ran the home, would visit the children's beds at night. "We were told at Castledare that we always had to sleep on our right hand side so that the heart was closer to heaven," he said. Brother Murray had fondled him and had also "come to my bed and forced me to give him oral sex," the Inquiry was told. Mr Cosgrove only fully remembered some of the abuse in 2014 after reading documents connected to an Australian abuse inquiry. He said: "The memory of this caused me to have several days of sobbing in my apartment, the apartment walls are not very thick. I used to drive down to a riverside reserve which is nearby and just sob for several hours in the night." How will the inquiry work? The first phase of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is looking at the way organisations have protected children outside the UK. Between 7,000 and 10,000 children were moved from the UK to Australia after World War Two. They were recruited by religious institutions from

Summary: A former child migrant, sent from Wales to an Australian orphanage, has told a child abuse inquiry how it was a "feast of kids" for paedophiles working there.


The £19.8m pre-tax loss for the year to May 2016 was largely due to cost of signing big-name players and a payoff for Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked as manager in October 2015. Liverpool signed 12 players in the period, spending £32m on striker Christian Benteke, who has since left, and £29m on Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino. Revenue rose £3m to £301m. The loss compared with a £60m profit for the previous year, which was largely due to the £75m sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona. The club also made £49m from the sale of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City. Commercial revenue fell £700,000 to £116m, but match day income increased by £3.4m to £62m following a pre-season tour to Australia and Asia. The team also reached the League Cup and Europa League finals. Media revenue increased by £1m to £124m. Chief operating officer Andy Hughes said the club, which has been owned by US firm Fenway Sports Group since October 2010, continued to make "solid financial progress". "We have seen continued investment in the playing squad, the expanded Main Stand, the new flagship retail store opening later this year, fully refurbished retail stores in Liverpool and Belfast, and we are consulting on a proposed development at our academy in Kirkby to bring together the first team and our young players," he said. The club said it expected "significantly improved" results for the current financial year. It has hired Peter Moore, chief competition officer at gaming firm Electronic Arts, to take over as chief executive in June. The club hopes the 61-year-old - an avid Liverpool fan - can draw on his marketing expertise to boost commercial income.

Summary: Liverpool Football Club has fallen into the red despite posting record revenue.


An online poll of more than 1,000 parents carried out by Mumsnet found that 18% of parents regretted the name they chose for their offspring, but only 2% actually changed their child's name. The main reason for any regret was how regularly the name was used by others (25%), the data suggested. Other sources of regret included spelling or pronunciation issues (11%). The Mumsnet survey has been released in anticipation of annual statistics from the Office of National Statistics on the most popular baby names of the year in England and Wales. Justine Roberts, founder of the parents' forum Mumsnet, said: "Choosing your baby's name is one of the first things new parents do, so in some ways baby name regret is great practice for parenting - you do a lot of hard work and research, try to please several people at once, and end up getting it wrong. "The consolation is that most children grow into their names, and those who don't can always fall back on middle names, nicknames or, in extremis, deed polls." According to the survey one mother said the moment she began to regret naming her daughter Elsa was when the Disney film Frozen became popular. Another mum said: "My child hates his name, and makes me feel bad for choosing it." While another parent admitted her child's name "was taken by a terrorist group, soon after she was born". Last year Oliver and Amelia were revealed as the most popular baby names in England and Wales, while in Scotland it was Emily and Jack.

Summary: Almost a fifth of parents in the UK regret the name they chose for their child, a survey has suggested.


King Bhumibol Adulyadej has had a lengthy spell in hospital in Bangkok and has not been seen in public for months. The king is widely revered and seen as an arbiter in the country's divided political arena. Thailand is preparing to celebrate 70 years of his reign on Thursday. The monarch was treated for narrowing of the arteries with "satisfactory results", the palace said in a statement. Doctors performed a procedure known as balloon surgery to widen the arteries on Tuesday after tests had shown insufficient blood in the heart muscles, the statement said. In the past month, the king has also been treated for a build up of fluid surrounding the brain and a swollen lung. An X-ray on Saturday showed less fluid around the brain, the statement said. The monarch's health is closely watched in Thailand as he is seen as a unifying symbol and pillar of stability in a society that has suffered increased political divisions and violence.

Summary: Thailand's 88-year-old king, the world's longest-reigning monarch, has undergone heart surgery, the Thai Royal Household Bureau said.


His return comes after an invitation of fellow co-founder Jack Dorsey, who was brought back as chief executive in 2015. Mr Dorsey has been trying to reboot Twitter, which claims more than 300 million monthly users, but has struggled to turn a profit. Twitter's stock bounced nearly 2% on the news. Mr Stone said he will focus on the culture of the company. "I'll shape the experience internally so it's also felt outside the company," he wrote. "More soon." Mr Stone left Twitter in 2011, after the exit of fellow co-founders. He went on to start the publishing platform Medium and a search app, Jelly Industries, which Pinterest acquired this year. Twitter co-founder talks about the future of social media Dorsey: Twitter will take time to fix After a recent visit to Twitter, Mr Stone said he couldn't turn down the chance to work there again. "When I stood next to Jack addressing the crowd of employees, I felt the energy, and I was overcome with emotion," he wrote in a post on Medium. "I realised in that moment that Twitter was the most important work of my life." Mr Dorsey also shared the news on Twitter, writing: "Excited to have Biz's energy and heart back at Twitter! #BizIsBack"

Summary: Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has said he plans to rejoin the social media site in the next few weeks.


In an exclusive interview with the BBC, the British corporate investigator who became embroiled in GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) China corruption scandal tells me his story is "a cautionary tale which many people can learn from". The risks of doing business in China, he says, are "on the same scale as the opportunities", and governments, including the British government, "have not been doing a very thorough job of making business understand the risks". "Absolutely any company going to China could be the next party to suffer our fate if they fail to understand this," he says. The fate suffered by Peter Humphrey and his wife Yu Yingzeng was to spend two years in squalid and crowded jail cells, to be denied urgent medical attention and to be separated from each other and from their son. The corporate investigator says it was both a shattering experience and a miscarriage of justice. "None of our staff did anything illegal," he told me. "We engaged third parties to help us with some parts of our work. We always instructed them to follow legal means but had no control over the methods they used." So why the prosecution and the prison term? "It doesn't stack up at all when you analyse our case and the GSK case on the basis of the information you have. It doesn't stack up at all." The couple were corporate investigators who became embroiled in a Chinese police investigation of corruption at GSK. The British pharmaceuticals giant had bribed Chinese doctors and hospitals to buy its medicines. Mr Humphrey and his wife were in no way implicated in that corruption, but had been hired by the company to investigate the source of a secretly filmed sex video of GSK's top boss in China and of whistleblower emails sent to company headquarters in London. "I believe we were collateral damage in a wider dispute between a company and the authorities which led to us being dragged in," he said. Even now, Peter Humphrey is reluctant to discuss the details of the GSK case or of his relationship with his former client. Asked why, he tells me: "It's not impossible that we may sue some of these parties or through other means try to seek redress." He says he watched the TV coverage of the GSK trial from his Shanghai prison cell. The company was found guilty of systematic bribery and fined Â£300m. He was shocked by the contrast between his punishment and theirs. "Suspended jail sentences for three or four of the main culprits when I and my wife had been sentenced to years in prison," he says. "Someone asked me recently why someone like Mark Reilly (GSK China's boss) could be set free and we were in jail. I think it's very simple, we don't have half a billion dollars. That story was about money from the beginning. Money got them into trouble and money got him out." The events which led to these trials took place in the early part of 2013 when China's new President Xi Jinping had just declared nationwide

Summary: It's exactly two years since the door of Peter Humphrey's Shanghai bedroom was kicked in by police and he disappeared into a prison nightmare which ended only three weeks ago with his deportation from China.


The League Two club applied to build an 11,000-seater stadium - that could be expanded to hold 20,000 - on the site of Wimbledon greyhound stadium. Merton Borough Council had recommended it for approval and councillors unanimously approved the plans. The original Wimbledon club left Plough Lane in 1991 because of legislation requiring all-seater stadiums. Wimbledon FC, as it was known then, shared Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park until 2003 when it was given permission to relocate about 70 miles (112km) north to Milton Keynes and was later renamed MK Dons. Many fans protested against the move and decided to form AFC Wimbledon as a non-League club. The side rose back to league status and currently plays at Kingsmeadow in Kingston upon Thames, The AFC Wimbledon Supporters Trust has agreed to sell its lease at Kingsmeadow to Premier League Chelsea to help fund the new stadium. The Plough Lane planning application that has been approved also includes 602 residential units, along with retail and commercial space and a leisure club. AFC Wimbledon's chief executive Erik Samuelson said in a message on the supporters' trust website: "This is an important step in a journey we started some years ago. "We have a long way to go and many major hurdles to clear but we want to build a stadium that is embedded in the community and operate it in an inclusive way." The Greyhound Board of Great Britain, which grants greyhound racing licenses, said it was worried about the future of the sport in London if the Wimbledon track goes. A spokesman said: "Wimbledon is the last track within the M25 and we think it is important there is a track here in London, because greyhound racing is still the fifth most popular sport in this country."

Summary: AFC Wimbledon has been given permission to build a new stadium close to its spiritual home in Plough Lane.


Organisers say that as many as 48,000 people took part but police estimates were far lower at just under 20,000. The BBC's Juliana Liu in Hong Kong says the protest was far more low key than this time last year when organisers said 500,0000 people demonstrated. In June a Beijing-backed reform package was rejected by Hong Kong legislators. The reforms would have given Hong Kong voters the right to choose their leader for the first time - subject to approval by China - and foreshadowed the huge so-called umbrella protests that followed for several months afterwards. Campaigners dismissed the reforms as offering only "fake democracy". Our correspondent says that the lower number of protesters this year has resulted in questions as to whether the public is growing tired at the failure of the pro-democracy movement to gain concessions from the Chinese government. Some have expressed disappointment that after nearly three months of paralysing the city's streets, they were unable to secure greater voting rights from China. Protesters on Wednesday congregated at Victoria Park to march in sweltering conditions to city government headquarters. Many held yellow umbrellas, the symbol of last year's demonstrations and the preferred tool of defence against police pepper spray. The demonstrators chanted derogatory slogans against Hong Hong's Beijing-backed leader CY Leung, demanding his resignation. Some carried banners calling for universal suffrage or for the downfall of the Communist Party, while others carried colonial-era Hong Kong flags. The demonstrators were in places heckled by pro-Beijing groups who hurled insults at them as they made their procession through the streets, with police often having to separate the two sides. Earlier in the day Mr Leung urged people to look to the future, Reuters news agency reports. "Even though political reforms have taken up considerable effort and time, the Hong Kong government will strengthen economic development and improve people's livelihoods," he told a flag-raising ceremony to mark the anniversary.

Summary: Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong have attended a pro-democracy rally to mark 18 years since Britain handed the territory back to China.


It follows recent controversy over MLAs' expenses. The Assembly Commission has asked IPSA, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, to update a report on the Stormont system it compiled last year. The commission held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the matters raised over the last few days. There was a public row between the Independent Financial Review Panel, which sets MLAs' allowances, and the Assembly Commission, which administers the expenses system. The IPSA report of September 2015, which was leaked to BBC Radio Ulster's Nolan Show, called for changes in the way the assembly reviewed expenses claims which had initially been refused. But the Assembly Commission, which is made up of the Speaker and MLAs from the five biggest parties, has made the point that the report, in its own words, "did not identify any major issues of concern". The recommendation about the assembly's review procedure is one of a "small number" of recommendations which the assembly authorities say they are acting on. The changes recommended in the IPSA report are to be added into the MLAs' handbook. IPSA will examine the new handbook to "quality assure" it before it is approved by the assembly. In Wednesday's meeting, the commission also confirmed its intention to develop plans for legislation to "strengthen the effectiveness" of the Independent Financial Review Panel.

Summary: The cross-party body which runs the assembly has asked the Westminster expenses regulator to do some more work reviewing the Stormont expenses system.


Northamptonshire Police tweeted live on Saturday night to show the problems in the county's town centres. During the evening officers dealt with fights, drink-drivers and more than 100 999 calls after midnight. The force said it hoped the tweets "highlighted the impact on the police". Using the hashtag #alcoholharm, the force tweeted into the early hours about incidents in towns including Northampton, Daventry and Kettering. Officers dealt with criminal damage, fights in the street, people assaulting nightclub and hotel staff and drink-drivers, including one man who was three times over the alcohol limit. The force said since midnight its control room had received 187 calls, more than 100 of them via 999. It added it dealt with 129 incidents in total, many of them drink-related. After the night officers tweeted: "#alcoholharm is a social issue we all have a stake in solving. "Hopefully tonight has highlighted the realities of dealing with drunkenness & the impact on the #police."

Summary: A man dialling 999 to say he had been thrown out of a pub was one of a number of problem calls highlighted by a police force during a live Twitter session about excessive drinking.


LinkedIn is trying to boost the business content it offers to its 300 million users. Lynda, based in California, has made hundreds of videos that teach subscribers everything from coding to business skills. Subscribers pay $375 per year to access the tutorials. Although the company was founded nearly 20 years ago, it has expanded rapidly in the past two years, adding several languages to its video offerings and increasing outside investment. "The mission of LinkedIn and the mission of lynda.com are highly aligned," said LinkedIn chief executive Jeff Weiner in a statement. "Both companies seek to help professionals be better at what they do." Shares in LinkedIn rose more than 1.5% on the New York Stock Exchange after news of the acquisition was released.

Summary: LinkedIn has bought US online learning business Lynda for $1.5bn (Â£1.1bn), making it the professional networking site's biggest acquisition to date.


Perez, 28, joined the Gunners for £17.1m last summer after two seasons at Spanish side Deportivo. He has made 21 appearances for Arsene Wenger's side in all competitions, scoring seven goals, but has not played since March. "Arsenal know we want to go, that there are no opportunities here," said Rodrigo Fernandez Lovelle. Lovelle said the uncapped Perez wanted to leave in order to get more playing time in an attempt to break into the Spain squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He added his client was "angry and sad and upset" that Arsenal had given the number nine shirt to new record signing Alexandre Lacazette without Perez "being asked". Deportivo's offer is believed to be in excess of the reported £7.9m La Liga rivals Sevilla paid to sign Nolito from Manchester City. "Deportivo made an offer a week ago - it is a permanent deal and worth more than Nolito's move to Sevilla," said Lovelle. "Of course [he was told he would play more]. Lucas signed for Arsenal and was the happiest person in the world and with all of his dreams to fulfil. "Every time he played he did well, but after every time he got fewer and fewer opportunities." Perez suffered a thigh injury in March but was fit again before the end of the season, with Wenger saying in May that he felt "a bit sorry" for him. "He's a top quality striker but I couldn't give him the games he wants and deserves," said the Frenchman. Perez joined Deportivo on an initial season-long loan from Greek side PAOK in 2014 before signing a permanent deal in 2015.

Summary: Deportivo La Coruna have made an offer to re-sign Arsenal striker Lucas Perez, says the Spaniard's agent.


Saintfiet said Adebayor and two other Togo players - Kossi Agassa and Floyd Ayite - had shown a lack of discipline after they failed to join up with the squad on time as they prepared for their opening Africa Cup of Nations qualifier next weekend. "I have no problem with the players as individuals," Saintfiet told BBC Sport from Accra. At the moment they are not part of it, but they have not been suspended and I have no problem with them. The doors are never closed for me because these are players with exceptional quality "It's their choice not to come to the hotel, not to be part of the group, and that makes the choice for me very easy to say these players are now not able to be part of the national team. "We ask only to be as one team together, to prepare us for these important games," Saintfiet explained. Togo take on Liberia in Lome on Sunday 14 June in a Group A fixture that marks the start of their qualifying campaign for the 2017 Nations Cup finals. The fixture against Ghana on Monday will be a big test for Togo against the recent Nations Cup runners-up as they prepare for the Liberia game. The absence of Tottenham striker Adebayor, Stade de Reims goalkeeper Agassa and Bastia midfielder Ayite will be a big loss for Togo but Saintfiet claims he was left with little choice saying all three players were absent for much of last week. "Floyd Ayite and [Kossi] Agassa were only one time in training and Emmanuel [Adebayor] came twice, but for the rest of the time I never saw him. "So I'm very sad about that because these three players were in my squad of 23, they are important players for the country and I was looking forward to working with them. "But if they are not able to be part of it and commit to the national team as all the other players - and we have many more players who play in Europe - the rules are the same for everyone." Despite removing all three players from the squad, Saintfiet - who previously coached Ethiopia, Namibia and Malawi - insists the trio have not been suspended and could still have a future with Togo. "At the moment they are not part of it, but they have not been suspended and I have no problem with them. The doors are never closed for me because these are players with exceptional quality. Adebayor's club Tottenham Hotspur gave him compassionate leave twice last season to return to Africa to deal with a personal family feud that the striker has discussed on social media. Saintfiet , who was appointed last month as coach of the west African nation, acknowledged Adebayor's importance to the Togo set-up. "A player like Emmanuel Adebayor is unique in Togolese football with his quality and he's a very strong player. "But again, if a player wants to be part of the team, he has to be with the team, following the rules

Summary: New Togo coach Tom Saintfiet has removed captain Emmanuel Adebayor from the squad to face Ghana in an international friendly on Monday.


Parts of Madeira Terraces, have been fenced off since summer after warnings the Victorian structure could collapse. Council leader Warren Morgan revealed in a Facebook post the authority has applied for Â£50,000 from the government's coastal revival fund. Homeless people had been sleeping under the arches. Mr Morgan said: "It is the preliminary step of the restoration process and whilst it does not detail our plans, I hope that it shows that a process, however slow, is underway." The concern with the structure surrounds the corrosion of steel beams embedded in concrete which supports the deck of the terraces. It was announced in October that more fencing was to be installed after rough sleepers were discovered. At the time, Mr Morgan said the site would be secured and staff would help people find safer accommodation.

Summary: Brighton's crumbling seafront arches may be restored after the council revealed it has applied for funding to help redevelop the site.


The final four candidates for Metropolitan Police Commissioner will face interviews with Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Policing Minister Brandon Lewis. The Commissioner is not only the head of policing in London. He or she also has a range of national responsibilities including leading on counter-terrorism, national security policing, protection of the royal family and parliamentarians and major public events. That means the job is not just about how to deploy the 31,000 police officers across the capital - but also how to deal with the complex challenges of keeping Britain and London's streets safe. So who are the final four candidates for one of the toughest jobs in policing anywhere in the world? Cressida Dick is one of the country's most experienced and well-known chief police officers who isn't actually working as one. In 2014 she left Scotland Yard to take up a highly sensitive and undisclosed director-general post at the Foreign Office. If the 56-year-old is selected to be the next commissioner, it will mean for the first time that all three top policing jobs in the UK are held by women: the Met Commissioner, the head of the National Crime Agency and the president of the National Police Chief's Council. Ms Dick joined the Met in 1983 after graduating from Oxford University. She first came to public prominence when she was the senior officer in charge of the operation in July 2005 that led to the mistaken killing of Jean Charles de Menezes as a suspected suicide bomber. When the force was later prosecuted for breaching health and safety laws, the jury in the case said they believed there was "no personal culpability" for then Commander Dick after listening to her evidence. In 2009 she became the first woman to be appointed an assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan Police, becoming the national lead for counter-terrorism across the UK. Her other experience includes taking on internal reforms of Scotland Yard and being one of the two senior officers in charge of security at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Sara Thornton became the first chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) in 2015 when it replaced the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo). It is the co-ordinating body for all of the police forces in England and Wales, bringing together all the chief officers to thrash out national policies on everything from investigating murders to modernising the workforce. That means that she has been at the heart of the extremely complex challenges of changing the way police are recruited, trained and prepared for how their role is changing as crime does in the 21st century. She joined the Metropolitan Police in 1986 after studying at Durham University and in 2000 went to neighbouring Thames Valley Police as an assistant chief constable. Seven years later she was made chief constable before becoming vice-president of the NPCC in 2011. Shortly after taking over at the NPCC she warned that in the future the public should not expect to see a police officer after some burglaries. She told

Summary: The UK's next top police officer will be chosen on Wednesday.


The new pay rates for thousands of its staff will take effect from the start of the New Year, the company said. Sports Direct - which is controlled by wealthy businessman Mike Ashley - said it would cost £10m a year. But the Unite trade union accused the company of a "PR stunt" and of "gulag" working conditions at its headquarters. The retailer came under pressure earlier this year for effectively not paying its staff the full minimum wage. It insisted on searching employees at the end of their shifts, which they were not paid for. That extra time meant the average hourly rate was as low as £6.50 an hour, instead of the national minimum wage of £6.70. "We have a responsibility to set a high moral standard," said Mike Ashley in an interview in the Daily Mirror. "I want to see Sports Direct become the best High Street retail employer after John Lewis," he said. However, the Unite trade union, which represents warehouse staff at Sports Direct, accused him of a PR stunt. "This pitiful promise by Sports Direct to pay just over the minimum wage should not distract from the 'Victorian' work practices at the retailer's massive Shirebrook depot," said Unite regional officer Luke Primarolo. "Nor should it deter HMRC from investigating the possible non-payment of the minimum wage to the thousands of agency staff who eke out a living on the site." In his interview, Mike Ashley said that workers over 21 will now earn "around" £6.85 an hour. When the new National Living Wage of £7.20 comes into effect in April 2016, staff over 21 will earn £7.35. Shareholders, including Royal London Asset Management, were among those who criticised the company, alongside the TUC and politicians. The former shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, called the retailer "a bad advert for British business". Shares in the company fell by more than 10% on 10 December, in the wake of the criticism. News of the pay re-think sent Sports Direct shares up by more than 1% in morning trading on Thursday. Earlier in the year staff members told the BBC Inside Out programme that they were too frightened to take sick days, for fear of losing their jobs. But the company denied the accusation, saying staff who failed to reach performance targets were offered support and training.

Summary: The retailer Sports Direct has announced that it will pay its staff more than the minimum wage, following criticism of its employment practices.


The 29-year-old Saracens winger was omitted from the 32-man England squad that will tour Australia next month. Ashton helped his club win the European Champions Cup and reach the Premiership final, but Jones feels Harlequins' Marland Yarde is a "better fit". "There are parts of Ashton's game we're not happy with," he told BBC 5 live. "We've spoken to him about that and if he can fix that then he can get in the squad." When asked whether Ashton, who has won 39 England caps, needs to improve defensively, Jones said their conversations were "private". Ashton missed this year's Six Nations campaign after being given a 10-week ban for making contact with the eyes of Ulster's Luke Marshall during a European Champions Cup game. He has scored 10 tries since his return, but the England boss suggested 24-year old Yarde, who crossed seven times this season, could have matched that feat given the opportunity. "Marland's got a good, strong all-round game, great coachability. I think his best rugby is ahead of him," added the Australian. "Ashton's done very well to score a lot of tries in a very strong team. You've always got to look at it in the context of what side they're playing for and the opportunities they have. "He has done some good work. It's all relative to the strength of the team you're playing in and there are other areas of the game apart from scoring tries." New Zealand-born centre Ben Te'o, who will join Worcester from Leinster before the England party leaves for Australia, is one of four uncapped players named in the squad. The 29-year-old switched codes in 2014, having represented Samoa in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup and won a National Rugby League title with South Sydney Rabbitohs. Jones, who said Manu Tuilagi is expected to undergo scans on a hamstring injury on Monday, is pleased to have Te'o as an option. "Ben's a very talented player," said the 56-year-old. "He can play through the line, he's had a great season for Leinster. He's a big guy and he hits hard. "Since I've taken the English job and known he wanted to play for England and qualifies for England, I've watched him carefully. "I've kept in contact with him and he presents a great option for us at 12." Props Ellis Genge, of Bristol, and Harlequins' Kyle Sinckler have been included in Jones' squad, along with Northampton back row Teimana Harrison. Jones says both of the uncapped props have a "competitive edge". He added: "Both aren't ready to scrummage at Test level but both have got potential, so we need to bring them through. "Genge is a boy that's not afraid of anything and that's what we need to beat Australia. He's aggressive and he can run with the ball and he's got that bit of an edge about him." The former Australia and Japan head coach continued: "Harrison has been absolutely outstanding for the Saints. "The robustness of his play, his physicality and his ball carries, his low tackling and his coachability make

Summary: Chris Ashton needs to "fix" parts of his game before he can expect to be selected for England again, says head coach Eddie Jones.


It happened at 09.30 BST on Saturday at the junction of Cheapside and Bridlesmith Gate, blocking both roads. Police cordoned off the scene but said clearing it was complicated due to overhead power lines. There are no reports of injuries. Services were suspended between Nottingham Station and Royal Centre until shortly before 13:00 with continued disruption to the timetable. A nearby branch of Barclays bank was evacuated as a precaution.

Summary: A tram and a lorry have collided in Nottingham city centre.


This son of a Suffolk trawlerman has ruled Formula 1 for nearly 40 years with a combination of astuteness, cunning, sharp practice and sheer intellectual power arguably unmatched across business and sporting worlds. He has turned what was essentially a minority activity for enthusiasts into the most-watched global sport outside the Olympics and football's World Cup. Along the way, he has made enemies and won admirers - sometimes in the same person - but standing trial on bribery charges in Munich in August presented him with one of his biggest challenges yet. A challenge that could have seen him imprisoned for a decade. In the event, Ecclestone paid a German court £60m to end the trial, in which he was accused of paying a German banker £26m to ensure that a company Ecclestone favoured could buy a stake in F1. Under German law Ecclestone was able to pay to end the trial. His personal wealth is put at $4.2bn by Forbes. In the normal business world, any chief executive who is the subject of such serious criminal charges cannot hope to hold on to his position. But this is not the normal business world and Ecclestone is most certainly not a normal businessman. Any chief executive who has referred to women as "domestic appliances" or praised Adolf Hitler for being "able to get things done" would have been shown the door with a haste to match the indecency of the remarks. Not Ecclestone, who survived those particular storms - and many more. Why? Probably because of his remarkable achievements, his all-pervading influence in F1 and, since the sport began trading as a commodity, his success in making money for his bosses. That last attribute may yet keep him in a job, now that the criminal bribery case has ended, which was more serious than a related civil case in London's High Court, which has now been dismissed. His boss - CVC chairman Donald McKenzie - has, before now, told the High Court that Ecclestone would have to be sacked if he was convicted of a criminal offence. There is another case pending - and related - in the United States, where financial firm Bluewaters has sued him, claiming it was the highest bidder in the sale of F1 in 2006. Whether any of this is the end of the road for a man of rare influence and notoriety or not, it has been a long one. Ecclestone's journey began in the 1950s, when he was a less-than-successful racer and then a manager of promising British F1 driver Stuart Lewis-Evans. When Lewis-Evans died in a fiery accident in 1958, Ecclestone disappeared off the motor racing radar for the best part of a decade, re-emerging in the late 1960s as the manager of another promising driver, Austrian Jochen Rindt. By then, Ecclestone was already very wealthy, although some way off the billionaire he is today. A former used-car salesman, he has a standard answer to anyone wondering where the money came from: "Property." But many have speculated whether he might have earned the money

Summary: With Bernie Ecclestone, the myth is so much wrapped up in the man that it is often hard to separate fact from fiction.


The average mileage for four-wheeled vehicles stood at 7,900 miles (12,700km) in 2013, official figures showed. This represents a 14% fall from a figure of 9,200 miles in 2002, the first year for which data is available. Average annual mileage has dipped steadily in the intervening period, with mileage rising only in 2007. The average figure for 2013 fell from the previous year even though the distance travelled when commuting to and from work increased from 2,500 miles in 2012 to 2,800 miles last year. Business mileage dropped from 800 miles in 2012 to 700 miles in 2013. In 2002, this figure stood at 1,300 miles. RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "While it is important to see whether individuals are driving more or less than before, official figures show overall traffic volume is on the rise again following the end of the recession. "With the population expected to increase by 10 million over the next two decades congestion is going to get worse, not better." AA president Edmund King said: "The weather in 2013, spikes in fuel prices and an increase in online shopping have all contributed to the drop in car use. "Although the coldest March in 50 years will have contributed to the fall in petrol sales in 2013, by far the biggest cause over the first quarter was the third 8p to 10p-a-litre price swing in 12 months." The figures also showed that people in England travelled 6,592 miles on average in all modes of transport last year, including walking and travelling as a passenger in a car or van. This figure is lower than the headline 7,900-mile figure for drivers, which applies to each vehicle, many of which are driven by more than one person. Each person on average walked 184 miles and travelled 288 miles by bus. The largest users of cars and vans were those living in rural areas, who walked only 97 miles on average last year. Those living in London walked the most, averaging 215 miles, while those in the West Midlands walked the least, clocking up only 161 miles. Car and van occupancy has not changed in recent years with the 2013 average being 1.57 people per journey, the same as in 2012 and 2011.

Summary: Drivers in England are clocking up the lowest number of miles on average since records began 12 years ago.


Ryan Craig Preston, 23, was also accused of drink driving, failing to stop for a uniformed constable and failing to report an accident. He was arrested after a 22-year-old man was struck by a car as he left the EQHQ nightclub in Livingston on Saturday. The victim was treated in hospital but his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. Mr Preston was also charged with failing to give police his name and address and other details. A Crown Office spokesman said Mr Preston, from Kirknewton, West Lothian, made no plea or declaration during his appearance on petition at Livingston Sheriff Court. He was committed for further examination and released on bail. The date of his next court appearance has not yet been set.

Summary: A man has appeared in court charged with attempted murder after an incident outside a West Lothian nightclub.


Pamela Ramsey Taylor, who runs a local non-profit group in Clay county, will resume work on 23 December, the Charleston Gazette-Mail said. The screen grab of the post was widely shared online. Local mayor Beverly Whaling resigned over the controversy, after she posted "Just made my day, Pam" to the comment. The Gazette-Mail quoted a letter from the acting director of the non-profit group as saying Ms Taylor would resume work at the Clay County Development Corp on 23 December. In her Facebook post, Ms Taylor had said: "It will be refreshing to have a classy, beautiful, dignified first lady in the White House. I'm tired of seeing a Ape in heels." A petition calling for Ms Taylor and Ms Whaling, the mayor of the town of Clay, to be sacked collected more than 85,000 signatures. Clay town has a population of just 491 and has no African American residents, according to the 2010 census. More than 98% of Clay County's 9,000 residents are white. The Clay County Development group, of which Ms Taylor is the director, is partly funded through state and federal grants, and the group provides services to elderly and low-income residents. The state commissioner, Robert Roswall, warned at the time that the agency risked losing funding over the issue. The controversial Facebook post spread across US and international media outlets. Ms Whaling issued a written apology, saying that her comment was not intended to be racist. "I was referring to my day being made for change in the White House! I am truly sorry for any hard feeling this may have caused! Those who know me know that I'm not in any way racist!" Clay's town council issued a brief statement apologising to Mrs Obama and condemning the "horrific" post and said "racial intolerance isn't what this community is about". Ms Taylor told local news outlet WSAZ, which first carried the story, that she acknowledged her Facebook post could be "interpreted as racist, but in no way was intended to be", and that she was expressing a personal opinion on attractiveness, not the colour of a person's skin. She told the news station she was considering legal action for slander against unnamed individuals. The state voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election, giving him 68.7% of ballots cast.

Summary: A woman suspended after calling First Lady Michelle Obama an "ape in heels" in a Facebook post is set to return to work in West Virginia, local media say.


Stewart Spence, who owns the five-star Marcliffe Hotel, said a complete rethink was needed on how rates were calculated. Mr Spence told BBC Scotland he would only continue to pay his old rates and not what he said was a 25% hike. The Scottish government said thousands of businesses would pay no rates. Why are business rates causing concern? Business rates - what do they pay? It said the non-domestic rates would raise less money than last year because thousands of small businesses had been removed from paying altogether. The Scottish government has raised the threshold for paying the rates from a rateable value of £10,000 to £15,000 and it has also reduced the rate poundage each business pays. However, the rateable value of each property will change for the first time since 2010 after a national revaluation by The Scottish Assessors' Association. Some businesses have seen a cut in the amount they pay but others have seen large increases. The hospitality sector has seen large rises and the north of Scotland has complained that the rises do not take into account the slump in the area caused by the problems in the oil industry. Mr Spence said his business rates rise equated to an extra £1,000 a week, while turnover was down by 40% due to the downturn. The hotel - a popular venue for wedding receptions and functions - has been at its North Deeside Road location since 1993. The Marcliffe was given a rateable value of £550,000 in 2010 but appealed and that was reduced to £497,000. It now has a 2017 rateable value of £575,000. The rateable value (RV) is an assessment of the annual rental value of the property and is not related to the profitability of the business. The RV is combined with a poundage rate set by the Scottish government in order to arrive at the rate a business will pay. Mr Spence said: "I am going to continue to pay my old rates - £253,000 a year. "My new rates are £315,000 a year." He called for others to take part in a boycott. Finance secretary Derek Mackay said: "Nationally, more than half of premises will pay no rates, 70% will pay either no or less rates than they do currently and the total package of reliefs we are offering will increase to more than £600m. "The Scottish government is fully committed to further engagement with the business community and stands ready to work with councils considering any options to provide support for businesses locally. "The valuation of business properties is undertaken by independent assessors, funded by local councils, not the Scottish government. "Each council retains all the business rates revenue it collects, and it is for councils to apply rates reductions, on top of existing statutory reliefs, as they see fit. "Individual business rate payers can appeal their valuation via independent processes if they feel it is incorrect." He added: "The Scottish government remains committed to supporting the economy in the north east. "The Scottish government's actions on business rates already mean that

Summary: An Aberdeen hotelier has called for a nationwide boycott of new business rates after vowing to refuse to pay any increases.


The 34-year-old carded a three-under-par 67 to end on five under alongside American Ricky Fowler at Avenel Farm. Kyle Stanley, 29, beat fellow American Charles Howell III on the first hole of a play-off after both shot a final-round 66 to end on seven under. They also secured places at The Open at Royal Birkdale from 20-23 July. "Anytime you can play in an Open, that's my favourite tournament of the year," said Laird. "To have the chance to play it anytime is special. I've heard great things about Birkdale." Four Open qualifying spots were on offer for the leading four players in the top 12 in Maryland who were not exempt. South Korean Sung Kang, who finished in an eight-way tie for fifth, also qualified. Stanley holed a putt after Howell missed from 10 feet to claim his first on the PGA Tour in more than five years. "I'm thrilled," Stanley said. "It's a special week. I knew it was just a matter of time."

Summary: Scotland's Martin Laird qualified for this month's Open Championship by finishing tied for third at the Quicken Loans National in Maryland.


The tourists were attacked when they were on their way to a temple in the holy town of Pushkar on Monday evening. The woman said her clothes were torn off and her companion was beaten up when he protested and tried to stop the men from attacking her. Pushkar is a popular destination among foreign tourists. The town hosts an annual camel fair. The men who attacked the couple "were consuming liquor", Indian media reports quoted superintendent of police Nitindeep Balaggan as saying. "The goons attempted to molest a woman tourist and tore her clothes off. They inflicted serious injuries upon her male friend when he tried to intervene," Mr Balaggan told the Hindustan Times. Indian media reports said the woman was Spanish. The nationality of her companion was not yet clear. Increasing numbers of rapes and attacks are being reported and highlighted in India, prompting widespread outrage. Last year, five men were arrested in Kolkata (Calcutta) and charged with kidnapping and repeatedly raping a Japanese student. In June 2013, a 30-year-old American woman was gang-raped in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

Summary: A foreign couple has been attacked by a group of "drunk men" in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, police said.


ScotNursing says it is only able to fill around 40% of available shifts, whereas in the past it was able to fill 90%. The company is calling on former nurses to consider doing occasional shifts. The Scottish government said it had taken measures to support nurses, and increase the numbers of nurses and midwives working in the NHS. ScotNursing chief executive Ann Rushforth said the problem was down to the lack of school leavers joining the profession. She said: "It takes four years to train a nurse. Sadly school leavers these days don't seem to want to be nurses. They want to be veterinary nurses and supermodels." Mrs Rushforth urged nurses who are still registered but may have taken a break to have a family or to work in a care home to consider updating their clinical skills. "People can make a significant difference by doing just one shift a month," she said. "There are hundreds of vacancies we can't fill but this work still has to be done by someone. People may not realise they're not getting the support they should have." During the general election campaign, both the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish Conservatives promised to employ an extra 1,000 nurses in Scotland. However, Mrs Rushforth said the problem is a severe shortage of qualified staff. "Nurses are not like instant coffee. You can't just make them. In particular, nurses willing to do occasional shifts have become as rare as pandas." ScotNursing is in discussion with further education establishments about offering easy routes for nurses to update their skills. Nurses must work a minimum number of hours per year and have completed appropriate training in order to work in the NHS. ScotNursing said occasional shifts can help them achieve this. In September last year there were 58,000 nurses and midwives employed in the NHS in Scotland, compared to 55,000 in 2005. Figures from the NHS statistics department, ISD, suggested an extra 429,000 people were seen as inpatients and outpatients over the same period. This indicates there is only one extra nurse for every 143 attendances. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned that health boards are under "tremendous pressure" to fill vacancies, but that staff numbers are failing to keep pace with the increase in patient numbers. Director of RCN Scotland Theresa Fyffe said: "There is no doubt that there simply aren't enough nurses to fill the gaps. "This is a result of growing patient demand, significant cuts to the number of nursing students recruited in 2011/12 and 2012/13 and high rates of retirement from the nursing workforce. "And the withdrawal of return-to-practice programmes over the years makes it difficult for nurses to come back to the workforce. However, where these programmes are still available they are one way of filling these gaps. "Ultimately, though, what we need is for health boards to robustly apply the nursing and midwifery workforce and workload planning tools. This is the only way in which we will get the right number of nurses with the right skills working in the right places."

Summary: Scotland's biggest nursing agency has warned there are not enough qualified nurses in Scotland to fill rota gaps.


The All Nippon Airlines (ANA) flight will take off from Tokyo around 1230 local time, bound for Hong Kong. The Dreamliner had originally been scheduled for delivery in 2008, but Boeing has suffered a string of setbacks. Boeing plans to make 10 of the planes a month from 2013. Wednesday's flight is a special charter, with normal services due to start in November. Because of the materials used in construction, Boeing says the Dreamliner is about 20% more fuel efficient than similarly sized models flying today. That would be a big help for airlines coping with the high cost of jet fuel, which is usually their biggest single cost. Japan, a country in which Boeing dominates rival Airbus, is a major market for the Dreamliner. ANA will take delivery of dozens more of the aircraft in the coming years. But Boeing's delays have hurt its business. Last week, China Eastern Airlines cancelled orders for 24 Dreamliners, rather than wait for production to pick up.

Summary: After three years of delays, Boeing's Dreamliner jet is set for its maiden commercial voyage.


The Â£12.5bn deal brings together the UK's largest fixed-line business and the largest mobile telecoms business. The CMA said it was unlikely to harm competition as BT was "smaller in mobile" and EE a "minor player" in broadband. But rival Vodafone said it still had "wider market concerns". The deal creates a communications giant covering fixed-line phones, broadband, mobile and TV. John Wotton of the CMA said: "The evidence does not show that this merger is likely to cause significant harm to competition or the interests of consumers." BT chief executive Gavin Patterson said: "The combined BT and EE will be a digital champion for the UK, providing high levels of investment and driving innovation in a highly competitive market." BT has around 88,000 employees in 61 countries, with 72,000 of those working in the UK. It controls 31% of the UK fixed-broadband market, according to Ofcom, and has a 37.6% share of the market for UK home phone traffic. The deal would add EE's 33.8% mobile market share to BT's portfolio. It started in 2014, but now the reshaping of the UK's telecoms landscape is finally nearing completion. BT and EE, with 35 million customers between them, will be a formidable force across both the fixed and mobile broadband markets that are vital to Britain's economic wellbeing. Too powerful, said rivals, with a third of each of those markets - but the UK's Competition and Markets Authority did not agree. The other piece in the jigsaw is the planned takeover of O2 by Hutchison, owner of Three, which would leave the UK with three big mobile players. That is in the hands of Brussels, but the CMA has lobbied hard to have its voice heard - and it's hard to see why this deal would be blocked now that the BT/EE merger has gone through. But there is still one more opportunity for rival firms and consumer groups to halt this consolidation. The regulator Ofcom is nearing its decision on the shape of the whole UK telecoms market - including the key question of whether BT's Openreach division, which runs the broadband network, should be hived off. Ofcom's boss Sharon White has indicated that the status quo isn't her preferred option. Her decision was due by the end of January, but has now been put back until the end of February. Perhaps Ofcom still needs to work out whether this jigsaw is coming together to produce a pretty picture for consumers. BT's EE acquisition was originally announced in February last year, and the CMA provisionally approved the merger in October last year. Rivals TalkTalk and Vodafone at the time called for competition authorities to force BT to spin off its Openreach operation. Reacting to Friday's CMA announcement, Vodafone said: "We are reviewing the CMA's document in full. "As previously stated, we believe it is imperative that the wider market concerns relating to BT Openreach raised by a number of parties and recognised by the CMA, need to be thoroughly scrutinised by Ofcom in its Digital Communications Review." Openreach maintains the UK's

Summary: BT Group's takeover of mobile phone network EE has been given final clearance by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).