The Australian rode 13.8km in 14 minutes and 56 seconds at an average speed of 55.446 km/h, with German Tony Martin five seconds behind in second. "To wear the Tour de France yellow jersey, it's a dream," Dennis said. Team Sky's Chris Froome was 50 seconds back as Steve Cummings placed highest of 10 British riders in 10th. Defending champion Vincenzo Nibali was the best performer among Froome's fellow contenders for overall victory at the 21-stage race, which ends in Paris on 26 July, Astana's Italian rider finished 22nd, seven seconds ahead of 2013 winner Froome, 15 seconds clear of Spaniard Alberto Contador and 18 seconds ahead of Colombia's Nairo Quintana. "It's the longer efforts I've been training for and I'm happy to have that out the way," said Froome. British former Olympic champion Chris Boardman set the previous fastest individual average speed over a Tour de France stage with 55.152 km/h at the 7.2km prologue of 1994. "Everything went perfectly," said Dennis, who will wear the leader's yellow jersey for the start of stage two on Sunday - a 166km ride along the Dutch coast that is likely to end in a bunch sprint. "We went with the tactic of going out early and setting a benchmark and making everyone chase me," the 25-year-old BMC rider added on ITV4. Dennis's Swiss team-mate Fabian Cancellara came third with a time of 15 minutes and two seconds, while Britons Geraint Thomas of Team Sky and Alex Dowsett of Movistar came 12th and 13th respectively. Cummings, 34, last rode the Tour in 2012 and this year is competing for Team MTN-Qhubeka, the first African-based team to tackle cycling's most prestigious race. Meanwhile, Astana's Lars Boom completed the stage despite suggestions he should be withdrawn for failing a test for low cortisol levels, which can indicate abuse of cortisone. Stage 1 result and general classification 1 Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing Team 14mins 56secs 2 Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step +5secs 3 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing +6secs 4 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Giant-Alpecin +8secs 5 Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo +15secs 6 Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa) Movistar Team a +23secs 7 Matthias Brandle (Aut) IAM Cycling at same time 8 Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar Team +29secs 9 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo +30secs 10 Stephen Cummings (Gbr) MTN - Qhubeka +32secs Selected others: 12 Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Team Sky +33secs 13 Alex Dowsett (Gbr) Movistar Team +36secs 22 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana +43secs 33 Simon Yates (Gbr) Orica GreenEdge +46secs 39 Christopher Froome (Gbr) Team Sky +50secs 46 Alberto Contador (Spa) Saxo-Tinkoff +58 57 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar +1min 1sec 68 Peter Kennaugh (Gbr) Team Sky +1min 08secs 74 Ian Stannard (Gbr) Team Sky +1min 11secs 97 Adam Yates (Gbr) Orica GreenEdge +1min 18secs 123 Mark Cavendish (Gbr) Etixx - Quick-Step +1min 26secs 180 Luke Rowe (Gbr) Team Sky +1min 54secs

Summary: Rohan Dennis rode the fastest individual time trial in Tour de France history to claim victory at the opening stage of this year's race in Utrecht.


13 October 2016 Last updated at 00:23 BST Many analysts think Sony's kit will outsell rival headsets from HTC and Facebook's Oculus division because of its lower price and the fact that more than 43 million PS4 consoles have been shipped. Even so, they add, it is likely to remain a niche product for some time to come. Strategy Analytics forecasts that only 3% of Brits will own a VR headset this year and the PlayStation model will account for just 7% of that number. The bulk, it says, will instead own more basic "shells" into which they can slot a smartphone. BBC Click's Marc Cieslak put the PS VR to the test and had reservations of his own. More at BBC.com/Click and @BBCClick.

Summary: The PlayStation's virtual reality headset is making its way into gamers' homes - the last of this year's three big VR hardware releases.


The 26-year-old GlenDronach single malt whisky was bottled in 2012 to mark the opening of Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire. A Canadian bidder paid more than twice the estimated price to secure the bottle at the auction of rare whiskies. A bottle of 52-year-old Macallan 1950 fetched £10,000, while a bottle of the Black Bowmore went for £5,200. Laurie Black, whisky expert at McTear's auctioneers, said: "There was a huge amount of interest in the bottle and we were delighted with the final price, which was several times more than previous Trump bottles have sold for. "The GlenDronach is a stunning whisky in its own right, however, the Trump connection gave this particular bottle a presidential boost."

Summary: A rare bottle of whisky signed by US president elect Donald Trump has sold for £6,000 at auction in Glasgow.


The males of the extraordinary semi-aquatic mammal - one of the only kind to lay eggs - have venomous spurs on the heels of their hind feet. The poison is used to ward off adversaries. But scientists at the University of Adelaide and Flinders University have discovered it contains a hormone that could help treat diabetes. Known as GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), it is also found in humans and other animals, where it promotes insulin release, lowering blood glucose levels. But it normally degrades very quickly. Not for the duck-billed bottom feeders though. Or for echidnas, also known as spiny anteaters - another iconic Australian species found to carry the unusual hormone. Both produce a long-lasting form of it, offering the tantalising prospect of creating something similar for human diabetes sufferers. Lead researcher Prof Frank Grutzer told the BBC's Greg Dunlop why the researchers had decided to look at the platypus and its insulin mechanisms: "We knew from genome analysis that there was something weird about the platypus's metabolic control system because they basically lack a functional stomach." They are not the only animals to use insulin against enemies. The gila monster, a venomous lizard native to the US and Mexico, and the geographer cone, a dangerous sea snail which can kill entire schools of fish by releasing insulin into the sea, both also weaponise the chemical. "That's obviously something that can be powerful in venom," Prof Grutzer said, though he stressed it was not what had led them to the discovery. "It was really coincidental," he said. He emphasised that much more research was needed before the discovery could, if ever, lead to a human treatment: "An important experiment is going to be putting this it into mice and see how it affects blood glucose levels. That's certainly very high on our priority list. "But to get to a drug is a very long journey. We still have to learn a lot more about how this platypus hormone actually works."

Summary: Platypus venom could pave the way for new treatments for type 2 diabetes, say Australian researchers.


Police were called to a ground floor flat on Falkner Street shortly before 19:30 BST. A 30-year-old man was detained before being taken to hospital after falling ill. Merseyside Police believe the incident is domestic related. They are not looking for anyone else. The force added that a post mortem examination will be carried out to establish the causes of death. As a precaution, and on advice from Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service following a report of a fuel leak inside the property, buildings on Falkner Street were evacuated. Residents have been allowed back into their properties, with the exception of the properties either side of the address. Detectives are appealing for anyone who may have information to contact them.

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the bodies of a woman and two children were found at a flat in the Toxteth area of Liverpool.


The opposition said it would work to release jailed opposition leaders and address the country's economic crisis. Mr Maduro has announced a cabinet reshuffle but vowed to veto any amnesty law for jailed politicians. The election result is the worst for the Socialist movement founded by late leader Hugo Chavez in 1999. The majority means the Democratic Unity coalition can now make sweeping changes, including replacing Supreme Court judges and making changes to the constitution pending approval in a referendum. It also wants the release of one of its leaders, Leopoldo Lopez, who was given a 13-year prison sentence for inciting violence - a charge critics say was politically motivated. But Mr Maduro said he would block any amnesty law. "The murderers have to be prosecuted and have to pay," he said in a televised address. He said his Socialist Party would hold an "extraordinary congress" to find out what went wrong at the election. The opposition meanwhile warned of looming food shortages for Venezuelans. "We urge the government to stop crying and start working," opposition leader Jesus Torrealba said. "We're just a few weeks away from a very serious problem in terms of food," he added. The elections were widely seen as a referendum on President Maduro, the handpicked successor of Hugo Chavez, and the governing PSUV's socialist policies. The opposition accused Mr Maduro's party of mismanaging the economy and of squandering the country's oil wealth. Venezuela has been hit hard by the continuing low price of oil, its main export. It also has the continent's highest inflation rate. Mr Maduro has blamed the situation on an "economic war" waged by the opposition. The opposition also accused the government of increasing authoritarianism. The election result also gives stronger momentum to the opposition should it wish to call a referendum on Mr Maduro's future. This could take place only when his presidency reaches its halfway point in April next year. However, some prominent opposition figures want to give Mr Maduro the opportunity to change policies they blame for the country's economic crisis. "If Maduro doesn't change we'll have to change the government. But the opposition's response to the economic crisis right now can't be more politics," Henrique Capriles - who lost to Mr Maduro in the 2013 presidential elections - told AP. The next presidential election is due in April 2019. 100%+ inflation level for 2015 -10% shrinking of GDP in 2015 -6% projected 2016 downturn 18.1% projected 2016 unemployment rate

Summary: Venezuelan electoral authorities have confirmed that the opposition has won a key two-thirds majority, enabling it to challenge President Nicolas Maduro.


The incident took place in North Street, close to Charing Cross, shortly before 03:00. The man was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary before being transferred to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for treatment. Medical staff described his condition as serious. An area of North Street was closed off by police following the incident. Police said they had no description of the suspect. Det Sgt Kevin Browne said: "From our early inquiries, this was an unprovoked attack on a man making his way home from a night out. "The 42-year-old man was punched by another man who then made off in the direction of Sauchiehall Street. "Our inquiries have been continuing through the night. Officers remain at the scene. "We have been analysing CCTV and speaking to people who were in the area following the incident. "At this time, we are seeking information from anyone who has information which can help trace the man responsible."

Summary: A 42-year-old man was seriously injured after being punched in an "unprovoked" attack in Glasgow city centre during the early hours of Saturday morning.


Listen to Gemma's BBC Radio 1 documentary on the BBC iPlayer. The mantra of the Games was to create an Olympic legacy to "Inspire a Generation", making sure that sport is accessible for everybody. But there are still lots of barriers to young people in sport: money, gender and family - and how about just trying to be a normal young person? How do you balance training, school work and your social life? I've been able to look into these issues for a special BBC Radio 1 documentary as part of the Radio 1 Stories documentary strand. Making the documentary was a great learning experience as I heard from Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Greg Rutherford, Gemma Gibbons, the Brownlee brothers, Karina Bryant and quite a few more about what it takes to make it to the top of the podium. But I also discovered how hard it is to grow up attempting to become an elite athlete, thanks to the touching stories of four people who are smashing down barriers to follow their Olympic dream. There's Aaron Turner, a 21-year-old judoka who struggles to make ends meet with the cost of training. Read the full BBC survey on Olympic legacy Kyle Powell is a T45 Paralympic sprinter who had to move away from his friends and family to give himself the best shot. Mercy Brown is a female weightlifter from Tower Hamlets, making her way in a sport that is traditionally dominated by men. And finally, Dan Neilson, a showjumper who used to box and play football but now loves this unconventional sport for a 21-year-old. But the Olympic impact wasn't only felt by elite athletes - you didn't even have to be good at sport to be inspired. A couple of months ago I found myself in the unlikely scenario of doing a 10K run. Stomp, stomp, stomp, I pounded along, desperate for it to be over, but not stopping nevertheless. My only training had been momentary jogging spurts, (endorphin chasing, I call it), a 'one lap' jog around my local patch of grass. To give myself the tiniest bit of credit, I do sometimes go to the gym - my trainer their calls me 'Bambi' as my balancing ability is abysmal. Some people at the gym think I'm unhinged because I'll often be vocally repeating the mantra of finding life's 'balance'. But I figure that if the joy I find in food can be matched by an hour's exercise and wipe out the post-indulgence guilt, then why not try? Media playback is not supported on this device Despite being terrified on the day of my 10k, I was invigorated by how many people had signed up to do it. It lifted me and forced me not to stop. The velocity of sport in numbers I find giddy. There is a new high to be found in looking after yourself and engaging in sport and fitness. In the UK 1.4 million more people are playing sport regularly since the bid to host the Olympics was won in 2005. If

Summary: Last year the eyes and ears of the world were on London as it hosted the Olympic Games.


Saracens - serial winners with a cult-like collective mentality - take on Clermont Auvergne, whose sublime individual talents have too often been big-day bridesmaids. Often in major finals, the only fireworks on the pitch are when the winning captain lifts the trophy. But both these teams are capable of scintillating rugby to light up Murrayfield. It will be one to relish. There is a paradox around this Saracens team. They have been in the shake-down for major honours for the past five years. Last season, they landed a Premiership-Champions Cup double. Yet when you read down their teamsheet, it is not the scary set of individual superstars that big-money French sides in particular have put together in this competition's past. I suspect that is exactly how they like it. Saracens' success has been based around putting the team first. But that approach can't disguise the fact that fly-half Owen Farrell is fast becoming world class - if he is not there already. When he initially emerged at Saracens, his game was based on his excellent distribution and dead-eyed place kicking. Now he has so much more. His passing is sharper, his tactical kicking is more varied, he is a threat when he runs with the ball in hand and, if he doesn't go through a gap himself, he has the sleight of hand to put a team-mate into one. Opposite him, as in England's narrow Six Nations win over France earlier this year, is Camille Lopez. Lopez does not have either the flourishes or the fragility you sometimes associate with French fly-halves. He was excellent in the semi-final win over Leinster, controlling the tempo of the match and minimising mistakes, and if Clermont are to win, Lopez will have to lead them to victory again. The French side will not be able to outmuscle Saracens. Instead Clermont will have to beat them at their own game, by kicking often and smartly, defending stoutly and backing themselves to be sharper at exploiting the chances when they come. That puts a lot of pressure on Lopez. If he gets frustrated by Saracens' suffocating defence and lets his concentration slip, then Farrell and co won't be caught. With the likes of Aurelien Rougerie, Damien Chouly and Morgan Parra, there is a huge amount of experience among the Clermont ranks. Unfortunately for them, it is mainly experience of losing games like this. In 14 finals in the French Championship and top-tier European competition, Clermont have won just once. Their fans travel in huge numbers and with great expectations. You saw the excitement when they poured on to the pitch after the win over Leinster and I'm sure they will outnumber Saracens in the stands. Find out how to get into rugby union with our special guide. That is great if they get in the lead and the yellow and blue flags are fluttering at Murrayfield. If it goes the other way though and Saracens go ahead, the sense of deja vu will be stifling. It won't just be the finals in which they have frozen either.

Summary: The Champions Cup has delivered a finale full of intrigue, a cliffhanger climax to end a humdinger of a tournament.


Media playback is not supported on this device The Potters, who have finished ninth for the past three seasons, were beaten 4-1 by Crystal Palace on Sunday and are bottom of the table after five games. "We have ambitions this season and if this run continues any longer we won't be able to achieve them," Hughes said. "We need to turn this round very quickly. We haven't got going yet." He added: "We've been ninth in the last three years, and we spoke about being better than that. "Collectively we need to be better. We can't keep conceding easy goals like the first two." Stoke failed to win any of their first six games last season but then won five of their next seven. The former Wales boss was backed by his Palace counterpart Alan Pardew. Some Eagles fans chanted "you're getting sacked in the morning" at Hughes, something Pardew felt was unjust. "This is an experienced manager with very, very good players," Pardew said. "Mark will deal with that. I have no concerns for him because he's terrific. He's having a bit of downtime, but he'll be fine. I have heard those chants against me. I don't think it's right."

Summary: Stoke City boss Mark Hughes says his team's poor start in the Premier League could see them miss out on their pre-season targets.


Cardiff council will discuss the plan for Waungron Road, Fairwater, which it said would cut bus travel times. However, councillor Neil McEvoy said the plan was just about getting the Local Development Plan (LDP) approved. Cabinet member Ramesh Patel said the council wanted an attractive viable public transport alternative. A Liberal Deomcrat-led coalition spent £1m upgrading the site in 2008/09 but it was shut in 2014 by the current Labour council, which said it was not financially viable. It said the interchange would be "vitally important" for a new public transport route across the city. But Mr McEvoy claimed the council had kept its plans quiet. "In politics whenever you don't want to do something you just say we can't afford it," said Mr McEvoy. "But this is not a question of finance. This is just about getting the LDP approved." In a statement, Mr Patel said the interchange would cut journey times by allowing people to travel between east and west Cardiff by bus without driving into the city centre. The site is also next to Waungron Road railway station, which he said would allow more commuters to use both buses and trains. The LDP is being examined by the Welsh government's planning inspector. The council said any proposals for strategic transport sites across the city would go through the full planning process, with consultation.

Summary: A row has broken out over a bid to create a bus interchange on a closed recycling site, seven years after it had a £1m revamp.


Just 82.9% of patients at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow were dealt within four hours. This was an improvement on the previous week's figure of 77.2%, a record low for the £842m 'super' hospital, which opened in April. Across Scotland the average figure was 93.5% dealt within four hours. The government target is for 95% to be seen and either admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours. In the week ending 11 October, the hospital, formerly known as the South Glasgow University Hospital, saw 1,704 accident and emergency patients and 291 fell outside the four-hour target. Twenty patients were not dealt with within eight hours. In June, the Scottish government announced that a team of experts would be sent in to help staff improve A&E waiting times at the site. Performance rose markedly as a result, with the hospital hitting a rate of more than 90% from the end of July until the end of September. Hospital director Anne Harkness said the figures were "particularly disappointing" and she was "fully committed" to putting in place a number of immediate steps to improve the situation. A statement from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "As we confirmed last week, a number of immediate steps to improve unscheduled care performance have been put in place. "The figures published today for the week ending October 11 show a 6% improvement in performance compared to the previous week, however our own management data shows that there has been a further improvement in our performance which will be reported in next week's national statistics. "We are working hard with our clinical and management teams on the ground to see us return to a consistent improvement in performance." Other A&E units which were well below the government's four-hour target included Forth Valley Royal Hospital (87.8%) and Wishaw General (85%), which also had 57 people waiting more than eight hours and 13 in excess of 12 hours. Health Secretary Shona Robison highlighted funding of £10.7m for health boards during winter, as well as £100m to tackle delayed discharge. She said: "We are continuing to work closely with health boards as they prepare for winter. This includes issuing winter guidance to health boards almost two months earlier than last year, to ensure they build in optimum levels of resilience capacity in preparation for winter. "We want to see long-term, sustainable change put in place in order to maintain the improvement in performance on last year, both during peaks and troughs of demand and working towards achieving what are rightly demanding targets." The government's record on emergency waiting times was criticised by Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume. He said: "It is worrying that this key A&E target continues to be missed, despite repeated assurances and announcements from the Scottish government and the best efforts of hard-working NHS staff."

Summary: Accident and Emergency waiting times at Scotland's newest hospital improved last week but were still below all other casualty units, new figures show.


9 November 2015 Last updated at 07:22 GMT Onlookers described how they were eating their meals when the lights suddenly went out and they heard a loud crash. Tests are going to take place to find out why the ground opened up swallowing 12 cars. The large hole measured 120m long and 11m wide. Luckily no one was hurt.

Summary: Cars were swallowed up when a large sinkhole opened up in a restaurant car park, in Mississippi in America


It also saw £400m of instant access savings cash being withdrawn in a period that saw it being put up for sale before a rescue deal was agreed. However, half-year losses narrowed to £135.2m from £177m last year. In June, the Co-operative Bank agreed a £700m rescue package to stop itself from being wound up. The bank said that the deal was progressing to plan and was "on track" to be completed by September. The Co-op Bank was rescued from the brink of collapse by a group of hedge funds in 2013, after bad property loans contributed to a £1.5bn hole in its finances. In February this year, the bank was put up for sale after it was unable to reach a strong enough financial footing to satisfy Bank of England regulations. However, the sale plan was dropped after its existing investors agreed to a rescue deal, which will see them swap their debt for a stake in the bank. The Co-op Group's stake in the bank will fall from 20% to about 1%. Chief executive Liam Coleman said the completion of the restructuring would "secure the future of the Co-operative Bank as a viable stand-alone entity". He also said that trading in the first half of the year had been "resilient", given the backdrop of the talks over the bank's future. Although the bank had lost current accounts, the fall was less than 2% of its total, and it still had 1.4 million current account customers. "The vast majority of customers have remained very loyal as we have progressed the sale and capital raise process and I am extremely grateful for their ongoing support," Mr Coleman said. "Of course there is more hard work ahead, and, like other banks, we recognise there are risks to the UK economy, but this is a great bank and we are positive about the future."

Summary: The Co-operative Bank has said it lost about 25,000 current accounts during the first half of the year amid the uncertainty over its future.


The roof of the house on Bashurst Hill in Itchingfield was spotted alight at 00:30 BST. West Sussex Fire & Rescue sent four engines to fight the blaze and all occupants were accounted for. Sussex Police said the cause of the blaze was unknown but there was nothing to suggest it was deliberate.

Summary: One person has been taken to hospital after a serious fire gutted a house in West Sussex during the early hours on Saturday.


The office building had been owned by the Royal London Mutual Insurance Society but was put on the market for £40m in October. The Grade I listed property has the two famous Liver Birds on its roof. Along with the Cunard and Port of Liverpool Buildings, it is one of the Three Graces on the city's waterfront. The 330,000 sq ft (31,000 sq m) building is currently home to companies including ITV and HSBC. Thomas Landschreiber, chief investment officer of Corestate, said the company is looking to "invest significant funds to maintain and strengthen this city-building office building in the long term". "As a new owner of this emblematic building, we appreciate its heritage and its importance to the people of Liverpool," he added. Source: Museum of Liverpool

Summary: Liverpool's iconic Royal Liver Building has been sold for £48m to Luxembourg-based real estate investment manager Corestate Capital Holding.


Residents have said overflow channels would stop short of the Surrey town and water could be funnelled towards them. The Environment Agency said Sunbury would see benefits from the Â£256m River Thames Scheme and risks would not rise. Spokesman David Murphy said the channels were to convey water in a channel instead of on the flood plain. Sunbury resident Kevin Ella said no-one would want to live in the town. "The houses are not going to be worth any money because people know we're at the end of a flood relief," he said. Fellow resident Jeff Dormer added: "[It is] very likely [the floods] will happen again. There is no future for us here." BBC reporter Gareth Furby said nearby Datchet would see flood levels fall by three quarters of a metre and Wraysbury would see flood levels fall by a third of a metre, but Sunbury had no minimum reduction and a maximum benefit of about 15cm, under the scheme. Mr Murphy said the whole scheme would benefit more than 15,000 properties along the Thames. He said: "The River Thames Scheme includes all communities from Datchet down to Teddington and that includes Sunbury. "Sunbury will see benefits from the scheme although those benefits will be less than other communities." He said there were proposals to develop the scheme to increase the capacity of three weirs and reduce flood levels in Sunbury. "[But] the amount that we can reduce water levels is limited because of the size of the river as it passes down through Sunbury down to Teddington," he stressed. About 1,000 homes in Surrey were flooded during the winter after the Thames reached its highest level in 60 years.

Summary: Homeowners have raised concerns a flood defence scheme for the River Thames could increase the risk to their properties in Sunbury.


Shiralee Duncan, 37, was involved in a two-car collision at the A90 Charleston flyover at about 12:50 on Thursday. The Dundee resident was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but died a short time later. Police have appealed to anyone with information about the crash to contact them.

Summary: A woman who died from her injuries after a crash on the outskirts of Aberdeen has been named.


Civil Aviation Authority data suggested there were 83 incidents at the airport in 2016, up from 44 the previous year. The British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) said the rate of attacks was dangerously high and could soon result in a serious incident. It has called for new police powers to help prevent attacks from taking place. The rate of attacks, in relation to the number of flights taking off or landing at Glasgow Airport, was "significantly high". There were 98,127 flights to and from Glasgow last year compared to 474,963 at Heathrow Airport, where there were 151 laser attacks. Birmingham and Manchester also continued to experience high numbers of attacks. Incidents at Edinburgh Airport dropped from 55 to 44 from 2015 to 2016. Across the UK, 1,258 laser attacks were reported in 2016, down from 1,439 the year before, which equates to more than three incidents a day on average. Balpa flight safety specialist Steve Landells said: "We are concerned that at more than three reports a day this figure is still dangerously high. "We're also concerned that under-reporting of incidents could mean that we don't have a true idea of the scale of the problem." He welcomed the new Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill, which proposes to increase the powers of the courts to allow them to impose prison sentences for laser attacks. He said: "Balpa wants to see these people stopped before they commit this reckless act and we hope that the bill will give police and authorities the powers to ensure they don't happen in the first place." The UK government's transport secretary Chris Grayling said shining a laser pointer at pilots was "incredibly dangerous and could have fatal consequences" He added: "Whilst we know laser pens can be fun and many users have good intentions, some are not aware of the risks of dazzling drivers or pilots putting public safety at risk. "That's why we want to take the common sense approach to strengthen our laws to protect the public from those who are unaware of the dangers or, even worse, intentionally want to cause harm. This kind of dangerous behaviour risks lives and must be stopped. "There are around 1,500 laser attacks on aircraft every year in the UK and we know there have been similar attacks on trains and buses. What I announced on 5 February 2017 are plans to give the police effective powers to investigate and bring those who misuse lasers to justice."

Summary: Laser attacks at Glasgow Airport doubled in a year, making it the second most targeted airport after Heathrow, according to latest figures.


Rhys Bennett, who was 12 at the time, was chased by the dog in a Leicestershire park, pulled to the ground and bitten on his face and body. The dog handler said he had released the dog because he did not realise Rhys and his friends were children. Leicestershire Police confirmed that an out-of-court settlement had been made. However, the force has not apologised to Rhys or his family - despite this being the reason his mother began the compensation claim. The attack happened on 13 October 2007, and the family's solicitor said the time it had taken to resolve the claim had added to the trauma. Updates on this story and updates from Leicestershire "This has been a truly traumatic experience for my client," said Dianne Collins of Nelsons Solicitors. "The police dog handler concerned said that he did not recognise the people running away as children and if he had known he would not have released the dog. "However, every other officer who was present that day did identify the 'runners' as children - and yet the dog handler still released the dog." Rhys was playing with three friends in his local park in Sapcote when they tried to get into a derelict pavilion that had been boarded up. Someone called the police and the children fled when officers arrived. The dog handler released the dog and it chased the children, pulling a girl to the ground by the wrist, releasing her and reattaching to her side. The dog then released the girl and attacked Rhys. "It was terrifying. I couldn't move," said Rhys, who is now a 20-year-old engineering student. "The dog's teeth bit into my lip and there was blood gushing everywhere. I was so scared. "I was taken to hospital and it was all a bit of a blur." As well as surgery to his face he needed counselling. He became too afraid to leave the house alone and could not even look at dogs for several years. "Following the attack I was petrified of dogs and would cross over the road if one was walking towards me," he said. "I'm less scared now, but I will never forget that day in 2007 and how scared I was. I was only 12." The matter was set for a three-day trial this week but Leicestershire Police accepted the family's offer to settle for £10,000 shortly before the trial was due to start. "No admission of liability was received nor was an apology - which was all that Mrs Bennett really wanted at the beginning of the claim," said Ms Collins. "Rhys had never been in trouble with the police before and has never been in trouble with the police since." Leicestershire Police said in a statement: "The training, deployment and management of police dogs within Leicestershire Police is constantly reviewed and developed in order to maintain the highest possible standards of professionalism."

Summary: A man who needed facial reconstructive surgery after being attacked by a police dog as a child has been given £10,000 in compensation.


Carla Lockhart made the comments at a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, of which she is a member. Ms Lockhart also confirmed a DUP statement which said she had a relative in the non-domestic scheme. In December, Sinn Féin said PAC committee member Michelle Gildernew MLA had a brother in the domestic scheme. Mrs Gildernew was absent from the committee on Wednesday. The PAC has been running an investigation into the handling of the non-domestic RHI for several months. The green energy scheme was intended to increase the creation of heat from renewable sources. However, businesses were receiving more in subsidies than they were paying for renewable fuel and the scheme became majorly oversubscribed. The fallout from the scandal surrounding the scheme, which is approximately £490m over budget, resulted in the collapse of Stormont's institutions and the calling of snap elections on 2 March. Mrs Lockhart told the committee on Wednesday her brother-in-law had been a recipient of the heat subsidy since 2014, but she had been unaware of that fact until January 2017. She was responding to a request from UUP MLA and committee chair Robin Swann for any committee member with an interest in the scheme to declare it. Mrs Lockhart said as well as being unaware of her relative's involvement with RHI, she did not "help or assist with the application process". "My mother and father have poultry farms and do not have RHI and I can let any journalist see my bank statements and they will see there's no benefit from RHI," she said. Mrs Lockhart said it would be useful to know whether any committee member absent from today's meeting had any interest in the RHI scheme. The chairman said he would ask the committee clerk to write to all its members seeking the information which would be circulated to all the other members. DUP MLA Trevor Clarke asked whether this would cover any relative including one "three times removed". Mr Swann went on to thank members for their work on the inquiry. He said they'd managed to remain "apolitical" and had done "sterling work". He said the work was now in the hands of the upcoming public inquiry. The committee does not intend to publish a report on the work done to date.

Summary: A DUP MLA has offered to let reporters see her bank statements to prove she is not benefiting financially from the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Scheme.


Valdes, 32, has signed an 18-month contract at Old Trafford. De Gea, 24, won United's player of the year award last season. "Nobody is happy to be number two and Victor has to have ambition to beat David De Gea - but it shall be very hard for him," said Van Gaal. Valdes had been training at United as he recovered from a serious knee injury. De Gea has 18 months remaining on his present deal with United after signing for the club in 2011, but he has recently been linked with a move to Real Madrid. However, the United boss says he will extend the player's terms with the club rather than succeed the 33-year-old Iker Casillas at Real. When asked if he thought De Gea would stay, Van Gaal said: "I think so, yes. There is no problem for him to sign." The Dutchman also does not see an issue with having two full Spain internationals in his squad fighting for one position. "My ambition is that I have the best players who can collaborate with each other to form the best team in the world," he said. "When we invited Victor in to have his rehabilitation at Manchester United, we did it for him and ourselves, so I could see if his quality is also still the same. He has confirmed both." Valdes' arrival on a full-time basis is likely to mean the exit of previous back-up goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard. Unbeaten in 11 games, United play Southampton with their manager able to pick from a virtually fully fit squad for the first time this season. "We only have one player injured. Can you believe it?" said Van Gaal. "I have to select, for the first time in my career at Manchester United, the 11 players and the 18." Van Gaal confirmed England winger Ashley Young would be missing for between four and six weeks with a hamstring injury.

Summary: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal says he signed Victor Valdes knowing the former Barcelona goalkeeper will not be happy being back-up for fellow Spaniard David De Gea.


It said the "irresponsible" advert for meal delivery service Diet Chef implied happiness and self-confidence could only be achieved through weight loss. The advert featured a woman, Cheryl, before and after using the service. Diet Chef said the advert showed her sense of achievement after taking control of her lifestyle. It said the actor who played both versions of Cheryl had a Body Mass Index of 27.4 when she played the earlier version, which was in the overweight category. In the advert, the later Cheryl tells her former self: "I know how you feel; you can look that good again, you know," and "I bought a bikini last week, for the first time since this picture." The former Cheryl says: "You look amazing. I never dreamed I could be that slim again." The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received complaints from 26 viewers objecting that the advert was irresponsible for exploiting women's body insecurities by implying that they needed to be slim to be happy. Complainants also said it implied that overweight women did not take care of themselves or how they looked. The former Cheryl was shown wearing a baggy shirt and had messy hair, while the current, happier Cheryl had a more polished appearance. Diet Chef said the ad showed the frustration of the former Cheryl, who did not feel able to make a change in her lifestyle or to maintain a controlled diet and so was surprised that she had done so, and the sense of achievement of the later Cheryl. It also said the advert's approach was typical of the "before and after" genre commonly used to advertise weight loss products. The ASA said the advert did not give the impression that former Cheryl had neglected her personal appearance and said viewers would be unlikely to find this part of the advert offensive. But it said the character's unhappy demeanour while talking about wearing a bikini appeared disproportionate to concerns about her weight, especially as she did not appear to be particularly overweight. The ASA said the advert "implied that weight loss was the only solution to her problems". It went on: "It therefore implied that those with insecurities about their bodies, and particularly their weight, could only achieve happiness and self-confidence through weight loss. "We therefore concluded that the ad presented a socially irresponsible approach to body image and breached the code." It ruled that the advert must not appear again in its current form and told Diet Chef "to ensure that their products were advertised in a socially responsible way".

Summary: A television advert in which a tearful woman meets a slimmer and happier version of herself has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.


The 37-year-old had a five-year wait between his first two Test appearances but has been a regular opener alongside David Warner since 2013. "I've been fortunate to have this second go at it and have loved every moment of it," he told Fox Sports. "But time calls on everyone and I think it's nearly up for me." Rogers, who has had spells with Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Middlesex and Northants in the County Championship, added: "I think to go out in the Ashes and in England where I've played a lot of cricket is pretty fitting." In his 20 Tests for Australia, Rogers has scored 1535 runs, including four hundreds, at an average of 39.

Summary: Australia batsman Chris Rogers says he plans to retire from international cricket after this summer's Ashes in England.


The new Velvet Edition dark chocolate bars go on sale in the UK this month. Instead of the Fairtrade mark, it carries the Cocoa Life certification, set up by Mondelez International, the owner of Green & Black's. Mondelez calls Cocoa Life "a holistic, cocoa sustainability programme in partnership with Fairtrade". And unlike all other Green & Black's bars, there is no organic label. Glenn Caton, Northern Europe president of Mondelez, said: "These beans are not available in organic at the scale required for Green and Black's, but I am proud that they are sustainably sourced, independently verified beans from the Cocoa Life programme, of which Fairtrade will ensure we remain an accountable partner for farmers." Green & Black's was founded on the Portobello Road in London by Craig Sams and Jo Fairley in 1991. Three years later, its Maya Gold bar was the first chocolate in the UK to be awarded the Fairtrade mark. It sources its organic cocoa from the Dominican Republic. All its ranges, apart from the Velvet Edition, will continue to be organic and carry the Fairtrade logo, which is considered to be one of the most widely recognised and trusted ethical brands in the world. Mondelez, formerly Kraft Foods, owns Green & Black's through Cadbury's, which bought Green & Black's in 2005, before being bought itself by Kraft in 2010. Its Cocoa Life branding is now rapidly replacing the Fairtrade logo across all its chocolate products. By 2019, Cadbury's entire chocolate range in the UK and Ireland - including Flake, Twirl and Wispa - will display the Cocoa Life logo. Green & Blacks said in a statement: "Cocoa Life, which is independently verified, means Green and Black's will build more and stronger relationships with farming communities and become an accountable partner, not just a buyer. " The UK Fairtrade label is administered by the Fairtrade Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation, and appears on some 5,000 products. It claims there are more than 1.65 million farmers and workers in 1,226 producer organisations across the Fairtrade system, which guarantees decent working conditions and a minimum price for produce. Last year, it went into partnership with Cocoa Life to create "greater scale and impact for cocoa farmers and their communities". It says the partnership means that five times as much Cadbury chocolate will now be made with sustainably sourced cocoa. Fairtrade admitted: "The cocoa for Cadbury products in the UK and Ireland under Cocoa Life will not be traded according to the Fairtrade Standards of certification." But it insists farmers will not lose out: "They will instead receive a competitive price for the cocoa, additional loyalty cash payments plus further investments in projects and support to improve their farming practices and implement community action plans. "The value of all this will be at least equivalent to that previously delivered under Fairtrade."

Summary: Green & Black's, which pioneered organic Fairtrade chocolate, is launching its first UK product without a Fairtrade or organic label.


The MP was suspended by Labour last week and apologised to the Commons for endorsing calls in 2014 for Israel to be moved to the United States. The comments triggered a wider row over alleged anti-Semitism within the party, with an inquiry now under way. Keith Vaz, the chair of the committee, said Ms Shah would not take part in its meetings for the time being. The committee is beginning an inquiry into the extent of anti-Semitism in the UK and will call Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Ken Livingstone, the former mayor of London who was suspended from Labour for suggesting Adolf Hitler was a Zionist, among its witnesses. Mr Vaz said Ms Shah - the MP for Bradford West who was elected to Parliament in May 2015 - had requested not to be involved in this inquiry or the committee's other activities for the time being. "Naz Shah has informed me and the committee that she wishes to stand aside from all her duties until current matters are resolved," he said. "We have accepted her decision. She will not take part in any future matters concerning the Home Affairs Select Committee with immediate effect." Mr Corbyn has asked the former head of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, to lead an inquiry into the extent of anti-Semitism and "other forms of racism" in the party. No timeframe has been given for when its findings will be published. Ms Shah told MPs last week that she regretted a series of Facebook posts in April 2014, including one endorsing a suggestion that Israel should be relocated to the United States as a "solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Summary: Ex-Labour MP Naz Shah has "stood aside" from the Commons Home Affairs select committee "until further notice".


We gathered that as we sped our way through Lisbon in a convoy of vans, escorted by heavily-armed narcotics police. "It's been a while since I've gone through red lights with sirens and blue lights," chuckled Arfon Jones, a former officer himself. BBC Wales' Week in Week Out programme brought the North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner to Portugal to see how a radical new approach to drugs was working out. Plaid Cymru's Mr Jones has led calls for cannabis to be legalised for medicinal purposes and wants the legalisation of all drugs to be considered. We spent four days filming with him in the Portuguese capital and watched as, under armed guard, vans were emptied of three tonnes of heroin, cocaine and cannabis, all seized from drugs gangs, and burnt in an incinerator. Portugal lowered the penalties for drugs possession 15 years ago, but traffickers and dealers still face jail. Police, privately sceptical at first, say the change has worked for them. "It frees up our time so we can go after the serious and organised crime," Artur Vaz, the narcotics police chief told us. It is the other end of the scale - with the drug users - where you see something really new. I filmed Pedro, in his early 20s, being dealt with by a body unique to Portugal called the Dissuasion Commission. Two casually-dressed commissioners questioned him about his private life. He had been referred here because police found him with slightly more than the 10 days' worth of drugs people are allowed. A criminal court found he was not dealing drugs, so now the Dissuasion Commissioners were working with him. This was quite unlike anything I had seen before and different from so-called drugs courts. "If a user needs help, I am in a much better position than a judge," commissioner Nuno Capaz, told Mr Jones. "He hands out a sentence. That might work if someone robbed a bank, but not if you are a drug-user." And because the commissions are run by the health department, he says he has a direct line to treatment services, speeding up referrals. "In Portugal decriminalisation isn't the big thing," said Brendan Hughes, of the European Drugs Monitoring Agency, also based in Lisbon. "They designed a whole package." I took Mr Jones to this EU agency because it is an independent evaluator of international evidence. Mr Hughes told us it was the move from criminal justice to the health department that was making the difference. "The Portuguese change is coherent and consistent," he added. And just as important, say supporters, is the boost given to health practitioners. Psychiatrist Miquel Vasconcelos showed us around the Taipas Centre, where we watched three recovering addicts receive one-to-one physiotherapy. What were the benefits of decriminalisation? we asked. "We have had more resources. More social awareness that this is a disease not a deviant behaviour, and the people affected by it are more tolerated. And we have felt we have had more acceptance as professionals," he said. We were told they got the waiting time for

Summary: The first thing a Portuguese police officer will tell you about drugs is that they are still illegal.


In total, 2.2 million patients were not seen within the target time in 2015-16 - more than double the one million figure in 2013-2014. The Royal College for Emergency Medicine (RCEM) says there is a "large and systemic problem" caused by a lack of hospital beds. NHS England said hospitals were under pressure but continuing to cope. Some hospitals publish live waiting times and current patient levels to dissuade people who do not really need A&E from coming. Live coverage from A&E unit 1,271 waits of 12 hours or more, 2015-16 260 waits of 12 hours or more, 2013-14 Dr Simon Howse, policy research manager at RCEM, said there was no evidence more people were wrongly using A&E compared with a decade ago. "In any health system some people turn up who are not in great need but studies show the level of unnecessary visits in the UK is very, very low." The problem in hospitals, he said, was "a large and systemic problem" in which "hospitals are being asked to do something they are not resourced to do. "They are trying to treat a growing and more needy population with fewer and fewer beds. "There has also been continuous growth in people over 75 years old with complex needs and they tend to take longer to treat than, say, a 25-year-old." In terms of hospital beds per capita, he said, the NHS in England now has fewer than Chile, Estonia and Turkey. Across England in 2015-2016, 85% of patients were seen within four hours. The lowest level was at The Hillingdon Hospitals in London at 68%. But Dr Howse warned some hospitals were currently recording - in figures not yet published - rates in the 50s and 60s. These rates matter, he said, because "people are being seriously put at risk" at rates of below 80%. Neil Carvey, of Leatherhead in Surrey, was advised to go to accident and emergency by a GP after he awoke shivering and in pain following an operation on his spine last December. His partner Ivanel Petrenkov told how they ended up waiting 16 hours at Epsom Hospital on Christmas Day despite there "being barely anybody there". It has since emerged Mr Carvey suffered a spinal infection as a result of complications. He is still in hospital. Mr Petrenkov, who has friends who work in health care, said: "We have lost all faith in accident and emergency." The hospital trust - which has seen a 97% rise over three years in patients waiting more than four hours, disputes the couple's 16-hour wait claim, saying: "During December, no patient waited in A&E for 16 hours to be seen." A spokeswoman for the hospital said it had "an excellent track record" of meeting a 95% target for dealing with patients within four hours. "That said, in recent weeks we have seen unprecedented levels of demand on our services and in some cases, that has meant some people have experienced longer waiting times," she said. The largest increase percentage-wise in waits of four hours or more were seen at

Summary: The number of patients waiting four or more hours at A&E has risen more than 300% at some hospitals, it has emerged.


Grant, 29, made 24 appearances for Vale this season, but moves to the ABAX Stadium on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Striker Mackail-Smith, 32, has scored only five goals in 40 games for Luton since joining the club in August 2015. He scored 99 goals in 212 games for Posh from 2007-2011, before returning for a one-month loan spell in 2014. The Scotland international has made six appearances this season, with three of those coming in the EFL Trophy. "Unfortunately we haven't seen the best of Craig due to his injuries, but with a prolonged run of games I'm sure he'll be an asset," Luton manager Nathan Jones said. Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony said on Twitter that Mackail-Smith had insisted that he would pay back his wages if he was not fit to play whilst on loan. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.

Summary: Peterborough have signed Port Vale midfielder Anthony Grant for a "six-figure fee" and Luton's Craig Mackail-Smith on loan to the end of the term.


Raiders broke into the house in Old Glamis Road between 18:55 and 19:35 on Tuesday. A full list of the items of jewellery stolen and details of the foreign currency have not yet been released by police. Officers have asked anyone who was in the area at the time to come forward.

Summary: Police are appealing for information after a safe containing foreign currency and jewellery was stolen from a house in Dundee.


Saturday Night Takeaway and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here have both been nominated for Best Entertainment Programme. If they win, it will be the presenters 13th consecutive National TV Award. The Voice will go up against Strictly and The X Factor in the Best Talent Show category. The winners will be revealed on the 22nd of January.

Summary: Ant and Dec are in competition with themselves at this year's National Television Awards.


The 20-year-old joins on a four-and-a-half-year deal, and Benfica could receive £6m more if he is sold on. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said the deal for the Portugal international was completed despite rival interest from "numerous European clubs". Earlier in January, PSG signed 23-year-old Germany forward Julian Draxler from Wolfsburg for a reported 42m euros (£35.5m). Guedes said he hoped "to become as popular" as countryman Pauleta, the prolific striker who scored 109 goals for PSG between 2003 and 2008. French champions PSG are currently third in the Ligue 1 table, three points behind leaders Monaco. Guedes has played 68 times for Benfica, scoring 11 goals and providing 16 assists. He made his professional debut with the club's reserve team, who play in Portugal's second tier, at the age of 17. He has made two appearances for Portugal, but was not part of their Euro 2016-winning squad.

Summary: Paris St-Germain have signed Benfica winger Goncalo Guedes for £25.5m.


Simon Dobbin, from Suffolk, was left brain damaged after the assault in Southend, Essex, in March 2015. Three of the 12 men sentenced at Basildon Crown Court were jailed for five years for violent disorder. Mr Dobbin's wife told the court her husband had been given a life sentence through the group's actions. He spent a year in hospital as a result of the attack which happened after his team, Cambridge United, played at Southend United's ground Roots Hall. Mr Dobbin was in court for sentencing - the first time he had come face-to-face with his attackers - but had to leave when he became upset. Det Ch Insp Martin Pasmore, who led the investigation into the attack, said the men were like a "pack of animals". He said: "These are individuals that are mainly spending their time in pubs and drinking and looking for the opportunity to have fights with other so-called football fans/hooligans." The detective also said accusations that Mr Dobbin had been ejected from the stadium on the day he was attacked were "absolute nonsense". "Let me be clear, Simon Dobbin is a thoroughly decent man," he added. "He was not involved in any form of disturbance and was not ejected from the match or any other establishment. "He is an entirely innocent victim of an unprovoked savage attack which left him with a permanent and devastating brain injury." In a victim impact statement, wife Nicole Dobbin said she "hates what these violent thugs have done to us". The offence of committing violent disorder carries a maximum term of five years in prison. The shortest sentence - 16 months - was given to Rhys Pullen, who pleaded guilty to the charge earlier in proceedings. Eight men were found guilty of violent disorder. They were sentenced to the following: Three men were jailed for conspiracy to commit violent disorder: All of the men were given a 10-year football banning order. Ian Young, 41, of Brightwell Avenue, Westcliff was found guilty of assisting an offender by hiding the group while police were conducting a search. He will be sentenced next month.

Summary: A group of football hooligans described as "a pack of animals" has been jailed over an attack which left a football fan unable to walk or speak.


RBS, which has already closed dozens of branches in Scotland since 2015, said 176 full-time posts would be affected. It added that the move was in response to the growing popularity of mobile and online banking. The union Unite reacted angrily, claiming RBS was "turning its back on the communities that have been the foundation of their business for generations". In addition to the Scottish closures, RBS announced it would shut 128 NatWest branches. A total of about 770 staff across the UK will be affected but hundreds of workers will be redeployed, the bank said. RBS branches earmarked for closure: An RBS spokesman said many more customers now preferred using mobile and online services over traditional branch counters. He said: "We interact with our customers over 20 times more through digital channels than physical ones. "Half of our personal customers in Scotland are mobile banking users - grown from 500,000 to 900,000 since 2014. "As customers change the way they bank with us, we must change the way we serve them. "The role of the branch is fast moving to a centre for advice, away from basic transactions. "While the branch will still be a core part of our offering to customers, inevitably some branches will have to close." Reacting to the news, Unite regional officer Lyn Turner said: "RBS is turning its back on the communities that have been the foundation of their business for generations. "That's bad news for our members who now have to live with the threat of redundancy - and it's bad news for customers and businesses. "Banks have a duty to the wider community and that is especially the case for banks like RBS that have large taxpayer-owned shareholdings." The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said it was "frustrated to see RBS show so little loyalty to our high streets". Scottish policy convener Andy Willox added: "Branch closures put pressure on local economies and make it harder for local firms to access banking services. "While more people might be doing online banking, that's no good for cash-based businesses or for rural firms with poor broadband. "As the big banks shut down branches in chorus, it unfortunately seems like the banking industry is content to leave some customers behind." After the closures 151 RBS branches will remain. The bank remains majority-owned by taxpayers, following its multi-billion government bailout almost a decade ago.

Summary: RBS has announced that it is shutting 30 more Scottish branches.


The 13-strong crew, part of a 25-nation coalition force, has been tasked to patrol two huge patches of ocean between the southern coast of Oman and the Horn of Africa. It is where Somali pirates were last seen operating - and it is where they are thought to be lying in wait for their next victims. Maritime piracy off the Somali coast is estimated to have cost the global shipping industry about $5.6bn (Â£3.6bn) last year alone and, along with the growing terrorist threat, it is one of the principal reasons David Cameron has convened this week's Somalia conference in London. Over 100 seafarers and several ships are currently held for ransom in often atrocious conditions. What started out a few years ago as a local vigilante reaction by Somali fishermen - fed up with foreign fishing fleets plundering their waters - has now evolved into a massive and sometimes murderous business. Ransoms run into the millions of dollars, crews are sometimes tortured to put pressure on ship-owners to pay up, and ships have been attacked as far as 1,000 miles (1,600km) from Somalia. So how does patrolling the vast Indian Ocean by air make any difference? It is a long sortie - ten hours in the air, banking and diving - down to the Horn of Africa and back. Flying low, the Australians record every vessel in a designated search area. Sources: European Union Naval Force Somalia , ICC International Marine Bureau The plane has an electronic optical (EO) camera beneath the nose, producing high-resolution photographs that can be beamed instantly back to analysts onshore in the UAE and Bahrain. Sitting just behind the pilot, a photographer uses a hand-held telephoto lens to take digital photos as back-up. "Basically we are just seeing what sort of vessels are in the area," says aerial analyst Sergeant Scott Brando. "We're looking for any acts of piracy. The radio operator puts through any surface contacts that the radar picks up, big or small." The Australians spot two fishing boats tied together: it looks suspicious. Something has gone overboard with a visible splash. Is it weapons? The plane zooms in low to check. It turns out to be a person, falling in as he crossed from one boat to another. The Australians send the photos back for analysis anyway. They have something called a Hisl (High Interest Shipping List) of vessels they believe have been taken over by pirates and which are now being used as "motherships" to launch attacks on unsuspecting shipping far out to sea. If pirates are confirmed onboard, the nearest warship is scrambled to investigate. But what happens behind the scenes when a ship is first approached by pirates? Will London conference help Somalia? The tranquil gardens of the British Embassy in Dubai seem an unlikely setting for a Royal Navy operations room. But this is the home of UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the first point of contact for all merchant shipping transiting the high-risk area. If a ship is under attack or getting approached by a suspicious craft then

Summary: From a desert airbase in the United Arab Emirates, a Royal Australian Air Force Orion surveillance plane taxis along the tarmac.


The victim, identified as Nathan Graff, was knifed multiple times by an unknown assailant on Thursday. His injuries are not life-threatening. The motive for the attack is unclear but police are investigating whether it was a hate crime. Several Israelis have been stabbed by Palestinians in Israel and the occupied West Bank in recent weeks. Mr Graff was attacked outside a kosher restaurant. Police are still searching for the assailant. A statement from Milan's Jewish community said it hoped the attack was an isolated incident. "We have never had problems in Milan. We don't think this was a personal affair - there is nothing to suggest that," the community's co-president Milo Hasbani told reporters, according to Reuters.

Summary: Italy has boosted security at Jewish sites in Milan after an Israeli Jew was stabbed in the city, officials said.


Business and political circles in Switzerland had supported the plan, which was designed to prevent taxes rising sharply for foreign investors. However 59% of voters opposed the plan in Sunday's referendum vote. The government will now need to find an alternative, which may involve higher tax rates for multinational companies. "It will not be possible to find a solution overnight," said Ueli Maurer, Switzerland's finance minister. He told a press conference it could take a year to come up with a new plan, and that Switzerland risked losing foreign investment as a result. Currently Switzerland grants special status to foreign firms which allows cantons, or districts, to offer them lower rates of tax than domestic firms, making Switzerland an attractive destination for foreign investors. But international organisations such as the OECD have deemed the system unacceptable and Switzerland has made a commitment to reform it by 2019. To avoid raising taxes for multinational companies too sharply the government had agreed to abolish the special status for multinationals but instead offer new tax breaks for research and development and other activities. As part of the proposal, Switzerland's cantons planned to lower their tax rates for businesses across the board, including domestic business, helping to avoid steep rises in tax bills when foreign firms' status was brought into line. Some of the resulting budget shortfall in the cantons would have been plugged by federal funds. But the plan was opposed by Social Democrats, Greens, trade unions and churches who argued that the reduced tax revenue would still lead to cuts in public services or higher personal taxes. "The conservative parties wanted to push through tax reform with arrogance and haughtiness against the interests of the people. The Greens demand a new proposal with a sense of proportion," the opposition leftist party said of the vote.

Summary: Swiss voters have rejected a plan to reform the country's corporate tax system, sending the government back to the drawing board.


The South American country qualified for the event by winning the Division Six tournament in Essex last September, when they beat Guernsey in the final. But the International Cricket Council launched an investigation after eligibility issues came to light. They will be replaced by Vanuatu, who finished third in Division Six. The World Cricket League is the ICC's one-day tournament for non Test-playing nations, which offers them the chance of qualifying for the World Cup. "The Surinaamse Cricket Bond (SCB) has now accepted that it failed in its duty to ensure the provision of accurate residency information in respect of a number of players," the ICC said in a statement. Suriname has also been relegated to the World Cricket League's Americas Division One and forfeited a $25,000 grant received for the tournament in Jersey, which takes place from 21 to 28 May. "We were obviously disappointed by the shortcomings in the SCB's procedures that were revealed by our investigation," said Tim Anderson, the ICC's head of global development. "There is inevitably an element of self-certification when it comes to determining compliance with the player eligibility regulations, and for this reason the wider cricketing community needs to be able to place the utmost trust in the accuracy of information submitted by other ICC members. "We are, however, heartened by the action the SCB have taken in confronting the issues raised and look forward to working closely with them to ensure they can resume their participation in ICC competitions in 2017." Nigeria, Tanzania and Oman will compete against Jersey, Guernsey and Vanuatu with the aim of winning promotion to Division Four of the World Cricket league. Have you added the new Top Story alerts in the BBC Sport app? Simply head to the menu in the app - and don't forget you can also add alerts for the Six Nations, cricket scores, your football team and more.

Summary: Suriname have pulled out of May's World Cricket League Division Five tournament in Jersey after an inquiry into the eligibility of their players.


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Summary: The Floyd Mayweather v Conor McGregor fight brought boxing and the mixed martial arts head to head, but while Mayweather won on the night, whose organisation is winning the battle of the world's most popular combat sport?


Lawyers are continuing to refer alleged abuse by soldiers to the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT). It has so far informed about 280 UK veterans they are under investigation. No 10 said David Cameron feared people were being "solicited by lawyers" enticing them into making accusations. Established in 2010 by the previous Labour government, IHAT has considered at least 1,515 possible victims, of whom 280 are alleged to have been unlawfully killed. Unlawful death cases involving 35 alleged killings have already been referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA) - the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service - along with 36 cases of alleged abuse and mistreatment with "multiple complainants". Asked about reports that some servicemen had faced repeated investigation over the same events, the prime minister's official spokeswoman said: "We are deeply concerned about these types of situation. "Every false claim that the government [has to] respond to, investigate and defend is diverting spending from the front line and from the work that our armed forces do to keep us safe. "It is important that the government looks at what it can do to stop these types of scenarios where the claims may be fabricated, or not justified, and to look at how we deliver a better system in the future." Two public inquiries have already looked at claims against UK troops in Iraq. Last year, the Al-Sweady Inquiry concluded that allegations that troops murdered and mutilated Iraqis in custody were "wholly without foundation" - although some of the detention techniques used had amounted to mistreatment. In 2011, another inquiry into claims of abuse highlighted the death of hotel worker Baha Mousa in British military custody, and blamed "corporate failure" at the Ministry of Defence for the use of banned interrogation methods in Iraq. The PM's spokeswoman added: "We are concerned at reports about people being solicited by lawyers to make allegations that - as the Al-Sweady Inquiry showed - can often be fabricated." She said IHAT's work should be "completed as quickly and efficiently as possible". IHAT's budget of Â£57.2m runs until the end of 2019 - 16 years after the invasion of Iraq began in 2003. Last week, the unit's head, Mark Warwick, said there were "lots of significant cases" being investigated and discussions would be held over whether any of them met the threshold for a war crimes prosecution. Andrew Cayley QC, the director of the SPA, has said it "will not flinch" in prosecuting British soldiers where there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing. The Ministry of Defence says it takes such allegations "extremely seriously". But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has criticised "ambulance-chasing British law firms" whom he said were inhibiting soldiers on the battlefield because they feared being hauled in front of the courts on their return. He argued there was "a strong case" for suspending the European human rights law when sending forces into action overseas.

Summary: The prime minister is "deeply concerned" that Iraq War veterans could face threats of prosecution due to "fabricated" or "unjustified" claims of misconduct, Downing Street says.


Jac Davies died following a blaze at his family home in Alltwen, Neath Port Talbot, in the early hours of July 27. His mother Jenny, 28, escaped the fire with her 11-month-old baby and daughter Kelsey, six, while other son Riley, three, was rescued by a firefighter. An inquest into Jac's death was adjourned last month. South Wales Police have confirmed a woman was arrested and bailed last month in connection with the incident. Police have not named the woman involved but it is understood to be Jac's mother. A spokesman said: "A 28-year-old woman from the Pontardawe area has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect and is currently on police bail while enquiries continue." A pre-inquest into Jac's death will be held on January 25.

Summary: The mother of a four-year-old boy who died in a house fire has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect.


Around 5,000 people were evacuated when the blaze broke out under a pavement in Holborn on 1 April. Since then work has been underway to repair the damage caused to a number of road tunnels. The Strand Underpass will be the first to reopen to traffic. From 12 June buses and taxis will be allowed to use the northbound tunnel of the Kingsway. All the roads affected should be fully reopened within the next few weeks. Workers have been operating in confined spaces to shore up the tunnels with wood and repair the brickwork. London Fire Brigade said investigations were still going on into the exact cause of the fire, which took 36 hours to extinguish. Fire crews were called when smoke was seen coming out of an inspection cover on Kingsway. Firefighters worked day and night to put the fire out and stop it spreading to buildings in the area. Several performances at the Lyceum, Duchess and Aldwych theatres were cancelled and 1,900 customers in the area were left without electricity.

Summary: A major highway which has been closed since an underground fire in central London will reopen on Wednesday.


It was widely anticipated the Spending Review would confirm the need for police efficiencies would remain at the top of the agenda, at least until 2020. The Home Office is not one of the favoured "protected" ministries shielded from cuts. And as 71% of its gross spending goes on crime and policing, that is where most of the department's cuts have bitten. Add to that Home Secretary Theresa May's determination to reform policing, and there was a strong sense the government would not change course. That was certainly the expectation at Manchester Town Hall, where chief constables and police and crime commissioners (PCCs) had gathered for their annual joint conference. At 12:30, a large group of them took their places around a television set in a room set aside for exhibitors to watch the chancellor's statement. The mood was sombre. Most chiefs and PCCs had been planning for cuts of 20-25%. The Inspectorate of Constabulary had suggested that by 2018, forces would have to shed at least 12,000 officer, staff and police community support officer (PCSO) posts, with further reductions after that. The inspectorate, known for its careful, measured commentary, warned some forces might not be able to withstand another round of cuts, because they were not efficient enough. It said the "operational viability" of some could be "in jeopardy". The National Police Chiefs Council, which co-ordinates the work of forces, feared the job losses would be even worse - 35,000 by 2020, which, Sara Thornton, who chairs the council, said in July, would be a "game changer". Constabularies with large urban areas stood to lose the most, as they tend to rely more on Home Office funding, among them Northumbria, which gets 85% of its income from central government, and the West Midlands, 83%. So, when the announcement came, towards the end of Mr Osborne's statement, that there would be no further policing cuts, there was genuine disbelief, mixed with delight. Kevin Hurley, Surrey's PCC, described the atmosphere as "euphoric", as though England had won the World Cup. Essex Chief Constable Steve Kavanagh held his hand over his mouth in shock. "I'm aghast," he said. At moments such as this, journalists reach for the official documents to look at the small print. Could it really be true? The Treasury statement appears unequivocal. "The government will protect overall police spending in line with inflation - an increase of Â£900m by 2019-20," it says. The Home Office press release, however, says the funding will enable individual forces to maintain their budgets at current cash levels. That means each force will not automatically get enough money to keep pace with inflation. They will get the same in 2019-20 as they are getting this year. Instead, extra funding will be distributed in certain specialist policing areas - firearms, tackling cybercrime and child sexual exploitation, some of which might be dealt with regionally - as well as to forces that demonstrate efficiencies. It is that extra funding that enables the government to say overall police funding is going up in real terms. In other words, the

Summary: Finding savings and fending off cuts has dominated the policing debate in England and Wales for more than five years.


Based on the age of the surrounding rocks, this is the earliest known member of the clade that produced today's birds: Ornithuromorpha. It pushes back the branching-out of this evolutionary group by at least five million years. The little bird appears to have been a wader, capable of nimble flight. The discovery is reported in the journal Nature Communications. Birds began to evolve from the dinosaurs some 150 million years ago at the tail end of the Jurassic period. This is the age of the famous but hotly contested "first bird" Archaeopteryx - now considered by many to be a feathered dinosaur. Some 20 million years later, when the newfound species was wading and flitting through what would become north-eastern China, palaeontologists believe there was quite a variety of bird life. About half of those species were Enantiornithes, a group of early birds with teeth and clawed wings that eventually all died out. The other half, including the new find, were Ornithuromorpha - a group that eventually gave rise to modern birds and looked much more like them. The branching event behind that forked diversity is what the new discovery pushes back in time; previously the earliest known Ornithuromorph was 125 million years old. The pair of skeletons that define the new species, christened Archaeornithura meemannae, were dug up from the Sichakou basin in Hebei province. "The new fossil represents the oldest record of Ornithuropmorpha," said first author Wang Min, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. "It pushes back the origination date... by at least five million years." The specimens were well preserved, revealing a number of details about A. meemannae. The bird stood about 15cm tall and its legs, even on the upper regions, had no feathers, which suggests a wading lifestyle. The size and shape of its bones also suggest good manoeuvrability in the air.

Summary: Scientists in China have described a new species of early bird, from two fossils with intact plumage dating to 130 million years ago.


Darren Ferris, 24, from Motherwell, lost control of his Ford Mondeo which hit 44-year-old Linda Carson in the town's Muirhouse Road on 27 September. Mrs Carson later died at the scene from multiple injuries. Ferris admitted causing her death by dangerous driving. He was jailed for nine years and six months. Jailing Ferris at the High Court in Edinburgh, judge Lord Turnbull told him: "Your behaviour on that evening, when seen in the context of your previous offending, demonstrates you have no sense of the civilised values by which others in our community live their lives." Lord Turnbull said Mrs Carson had been a mother and wife "in the prime of her life" who, through the random timing of taking her dog for a walk, found herself in the path of a drunk driver travelling at excessive speed. He said the author of a background report on Ferris could "detect little by way insight or genuine remorse" on his part. "The consequence of your conduct was predictable, but it was also truly tragic for Mrs Carson and her family," he said. A previous hearing at the High Court in Glasgow was told that on the day of the crash Ferris had been drinking Buckfast and was "pretty drunk". At about 20:00, Mrs Carson left her home in Gresham View, Motherwell, to walk the family dog. Ferris was seen driving the Mondeo at excessive speed, causing some witnesses to remark that he was "flying past" and driving "like an idiot". He then lost control on Muirhouse Road, causing the car to mount the pavement, hit Mrs Carson and then smash into a wall. Afterwards, Ferris got out of the car and spoke to Mrs Carson who was lying on the pavement. What he said was not heard, but a bystander then saw him put his hands to his head and shout before running from the scene. One of the people who tried to help Mrs Carson called the mobile number on the dog's collar and spoke to 47-year-old Mr Carson. He then rushed to the scene with their 11-year-old daughter and both were comforted by locals while a nurse attempted CPR on Mrs Carson until paramedics arrived. The court was told that Mrs Carson died from multiple injuries. Ferris was later seen dropping car keys from the window of his flat at Grange Tower, before police arrived and forced entry. When he saw them he became aggressive, told them to leave and denied that he had been driving. A breath test carried out on Ferris 90 minutes after the crash gave a reading of 63mcgs. The legal limit is 22mcgs. Police experts who examined the crash scene concluded that blame for the fatal collision lay with Ferris who drove at an inappropriate speed in a 30mph limit area, under the influence of alcohol and failed to negotiate a right-hand bend. Speaking after sentencing, Insp Darren Faulds, of Police Scotland, said: "Ferris, despite having already been banned from the road for a previous conviction, took the decision to get behind the wheel of that

Summary: A man with two previous drink-driving convictions has been jailed for killing a woman in a crash while he was over the limit and flouting a driving ban.


Mirfin, 32, helped the Iron to the League One play-offs and played in their semi-final loss to Millwall. "We were in a queue to speak to David. He is an outstanding centre-back," Stags boss Steve Evans said. Hunt, 26, left Chester after two years with the National League club, having played 39 league games last term. Like Mansfield's other eight summer signings to date, the lengths of their contracts have not been disclosed. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Mansfield have signed defenders David Mirfin and Johnny Hunt on free transfers after their departures from Scunthorpe and Chester respectively.


In 2014, the president of the Family Division, Sir James Munby, said judges should publish judgements in their most significant cases and certain care cases. But in 2014 and 2015, only 837 of these were published, via the legal website the British and Irish Legal Information Institute (BAILII). There were more than 25,000 care applications in English and Welsh courts during this time, though not all would result in a judgement that could be published. For many years campaigners have described the powerful family courts as secretive and unaccountable. The courts have been responsible for some highly controversial decisions, such as that to return Ellie Butler to her father's care, or the decision to take away Karissa Cox and Richard Carter's baby. Sir James Munby's "transparency initiative" has been widely welcomed, especially by the press. He wrote that it should "bring about an immediate and significant change". However, the first detailed evaluation carried out by Dr Julie Doughty of Cardiff University and others, including Alice Twaite and Paul Magrath, shows a piecemeal impact. While some judges and certain courts regularly publish judgements, others do so rarely, if at all. In Newcastle during 2014 and 2015 judges frequently sent cases for publication, as did Leeds, Manchester and East London. But no judge in Devon, South East Wales or Wolverhampton published cases during that time. The researchers warn that fewer judgements are being published now than in 2014 and 2015. "Rather than publication becoming accepted as routine, it appears to be increasingly exceptional," they say. Judges have to make sure no family involved in a case can be identified when they publish a judgement. This anonymisation can be a complex process. The researchers found there had been mistakes. One judgement was published with a name left in. Others had details that could identify a family. Judges told the researchers they lacked resources and time to prepare judgements for publication. "Even judges who are very enthusiastic about the guidance and who are keen on publishing judgements because they feel that they should be open to accountability and scrutiny, even those judges are struggling to find the time and resources to publish those judgements," says Dr Doughty. She said it was "unrealistic" to expect all care cases to be available for public scrutiny. Although many families are often wary of publication, because they're worried they or their children could be identified, some have found it very useful. Two years ago, we reported a case of a grandmother who wanted to look after her grandson, while the local authority said he should be adopted. The judge decided the boy should stay with his family. We could report it because the judgement had been posted online. The grandmother was pleased the judgement had been made public. "In our case social services did wrong. Publishing the judgement meant they couldn't do it again," she said. "They've had to be more careful since." The Family Rights Group (FRG) is a charity that helps families caught up in the family justice system. It is currently trying to help another grandmother who

Summary: The much publicised drive to open family courts in England and Wales to public scrutiny has had only limited success, according to the first national evaluation, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.


Ronan O'Mahony and James Cronin both notched two tries with Tommy O'Donnell and the Scannell brothers Niall and Rory also touching down for Munster. Derick Minnie scored a first-half try for Zebre as Munster led 24-7 at the break with Lloyd Greeff also scoring for the Pro12's bottom club in Parma. The Italian club have lost 16 of their 17 Pro12 matches this season. Ireland hooker Niall Scannell finished off a maul to open Munster's account in the third minute before his fellow international O'Donnell extended the lead on 18 minutes. After wing O'Mahony's first try, Minnie replied for Zebre on the half-hour mark before a Tyler Bleyendaal penalty left Munster 17 points clear at half-time. Munster centre Scannell joined his older brother on the scoreboard with the first try of the second half to ensure his side a bonus point, before O'Mahony secured his brace after Marcello Violi was sin-binned for the hosts. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Zebre reduced the deficit to 12 points through a converted try from South African Greeff with just under 25 minutes to play. But Munster quickly reasserted their authority as prop Cronin marked his comeback from injury with two tries in the final 20 minutes, both converted by Rory Scannell. Zebre: D Berryman; K Van Zyl, T Boni, T Castello, L Greeff; S Bordoli, M Violi; B Postiglioni, O Fabiana, B Le Roux; G Koegelenberg, V Bernabo (capt); M Mbanda, J Meyer, D Minnie. Replacements: S Tobias, A De Marchi, G Roan, J Furno, F Ruzza, C Engelbrecht, M Pratichetti, G Palazzani. Munster: A Conway; D Sweetnam, J Taute, R Scannell, R O'Mahony; T Bleyendaal, D Williams; D Kilcoyne, N Scannell, J Ryan; D O'Callaghan, B Holland (capt); P O'Mahony, T O'Donnell, J O'Donoghue. Replacements: R Marshall, J Cronin, S Archer, D O'Shea, C Oliver, A Lloyd, D Johnston, D Goggin.

Summary: Munster continued their march towards the Pro12 play-offs as they earned a 50-14 bonus-point away win over Zebre.


Twenty-four delegates from across Europe and the United States are at Goonhilly Earth Station to learn about satellite communications, and how to control orbiting spacecraft. Staff said they believed it was the only course of its type in Europe teaching how to operate such equipment. Goonhilly was the first site to receive TV images via the Telstar satellite in the 1960s. The four-day course, which runs until Friday, is aimed at giving science graduates with an interest in working in the space industry a first-hand idea of operating satellites. The delegates are being taught by space scientists, including members of the team which flew the Beagle 2 Mission to Mars. Goonhilly, on The Lizard peninsula, was built in 1962 and played a key role in the broadcasting of events including the Olympic Games, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and 1985's Live Aid concert. It was closed in 2008 by BT, which moved operations to Herefordshire. Goonhilly Earth Station Limited (GES) bought the site near Helston in 2011 to create a space science centre for space exploration and science research.

Summary: A course for space mission controllers has started in Cornwall.


The aye-aye is a kind of lemur, and looks a bit like a cross between a mouse and a bat. There are as few as 1,000 aye-ayes left in the world. At one point they were thought to be extinct due to hunting in Madagascar, an island off the southeast coast of Africa. Lynsey Bugg, from the Zoo said: "Their mother was very secretive and we didn't realise she'd had twins straight away." "It's a world first, so it wasn't what we were expecting but it's amazing, really amazing. "We wanted to monitor them and make sure they were putting on weight before we announced their arrival." Aye-ayes have been born in captivity in Britain before. A girl called Kintana was born in 2005, and a boy called Raz was born in 2008. But this is the first time that twins have been born. Lynsey said that the twins' mother Sabrina was doing a "great job with her young". "The twins are physically demanding and it is testament to Sabrina that she and the twins appear to be doing really well," she said. "Whilst we are keeping a close eye on the group, we try to adopt a hands-off approach and encourage a family dynamic close to one they would experience in the wild."

Summary: Twin baby aye-ayes have been born in captivity at Bristol Zoo for the first time.


The US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) said the 35-year-old failed to provide details of his whereabouts for testing on three occasions within 18 months. He will be stripped of any result he achieved from 17 November, 2012, the date of his third failure to comply. Gold: 2004 Olympic 200m, 2001 World Indoor Championships 200m Silver: 2008 Olympic 200m, 2004 Olympic 4x100m relay, 2004 World Indoor Championships 60m Bronze: 2001 World Championships 200m But his agent said Crawford retired after missing out on London 2012. Crawford failed to qualify for last year's Olympics after finishing seventh in the US trials final. "He's 35 years of age, and has moved on," his representative Kimberly Holland told Reuters. "Unfortunately, his announcement wasn't enough, as he had to complete retirement paper work to be removed from the testing pool." Crawford also won silver in the 200m and the 4x100m relay at the Beijing Olympics. When Usain Bolt won the first of his Olympic 200m titles in 2008, Crawford originally finished fourth, but was given the silver medal after Wallace Spearmon and Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles were disqualified for running out of their lanes. Crawford later gave his medal to Martina, who would have been the first Olympic medallist from his country. In 2003, he took part in a US television programme that saw him race against a zebra and a giraffe. He beat the giraffe but lost twice to the zebra after demanding a rematch following a false start. Crawford won the Olympic 200m title in 2004, clocking a personal best of 19.79 seconds to defeat compatriots Bernard Williams and Justin Gatlin. Usada said his ban would begin from 17 April, the date he received the sanction.

Summary: America's Shawn Crawford, the 2004 Olympic 200m gold medallist, has been banned for two years for not complying with out-of-competition drugs testing.


Media playback is not supported on this device The Imps have reached the last 16 for the first time in 130 years. Victory on Saturday would see them become the first non-league team to reach the quarter-finals since 1925. "If we're realistic, we'd probably only beat them once in a hundred times but we've got to believe this is that one game," boss Danny Cowley said. "We're going to be brave, we're going to fight and give it one hell of a go. If we do all of those things, we might give ourselves that chance. "We've achieved the impossible to get here, we've just got to go and do it again." Lincoln beat League One side Oldham and Championship teams Ipswich and Brighton to become the third non-league team to reach the fifth round since the turn of the century, after Crawley Town in 2010-11 and Luton Town in 2012-13. Cowley, whose assistant at Lincoln is his brother Nicky, said that the competition had "fast-tracked our development." "It's been brilliant and whenever this cup run ends, we will cherish what we have learned from it," he added. "It will hold us in really good stead for all of our futures." Media playback is not supported on this device It's not too late to enter this year's FA People's Cup - as long as you do it by the deadline anyway - and that is at midnight on Sunday. Entry is completely FREE, there are categories for everyone AND you can enter either as a team or an individual player. Find out all the details here.

Summary: National League leaders Lincoln City will aim to "achieve the impossible" against Premier League side Burnley in the FA Cup fifth round.


Government plans would give applicants a right to complain to an employment tribunal if they believed they had suffered discrimination. Jeremy Hunt said he wanted to create "a culture of openness" where staff feel they can speak up about patient safety. Barrister Sir Robert Francis recommended the measure after a public inquiry into Stafford Hospital deaths. Protecting NHS whistleblowers was a key recommendation from the inquiry into the scandal, which resulted in the trust that ran Stafford Hospital being fined Â£500,000 for "basic" blunders linked to the deaths of four patients. Sir Robert, the inquiry chairman, warned that staff often faced bullying and isolation if they tried to speak out and that staff struggled to find new jobs in the NHS. Under the UK-wide plans, applicants for an NHS job would have the right to complain to an employment tribunal if they had been discriminated against because they had previously raised concerns about the safety of patients. Applicants would also have the right to bring a claim in court in order to prevent discriminatory conduct. And the draft guidelines, which are out for consultation, say that discrimination of an applicant by an NHS worker should be treated like discrimination by the NHS body itself. Health Secretary Mr Hunt said: "Today we move another step closer to creating a culture of openness in the NHS, where people who have the courage to speak up about patient safety concerns are listened to, not vilified." He said the changes would ensure "staff feel they are protected with the law on their side". There has been a growing focus on patient safety since Sir Robert's inquiry in 2013. One of the main findings of that report was that people within the NHS had known about the poor levels of care at the hospital, but did not raise the alarm. Since then, a number of initiatives have been launched to improve safety. In 2015, the government introduced plans to appoint guardians to support staff who wanted to speak up about concerns over patient safety. Peter Walsh, chief executive of Action against Medical Accidents, said the plans were modest, but a "welcome move in the right direction". "It is clearly unfair that staff who have been forced to become 'whistleblowers' should be discriminated against when they seek alternative jobs. "However, this is a symptom of a much deeper cultural problem in the NHS which will not be solved with tinkering with rules here and there. "So far we have not seen a joined-up approach to supporting and protecting staff from unfair treatment when they try to do the right thing and end up having to be whistleblowers." Mr Walsh said many NHS trusts had still not appointed guardians, as recommended by the Stafford Hospital inquiry. The current consultation is open for eight weeks and will close on 12 May.

Summary: NHS whistleblowers could be protected against discrimination if they apply to work for the health service again.


Mr Whyte's lawyer entered the plea during a hearing at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday morning. The 45-year-old, who lives in London, faces a charge of fraud and a second allegation under the Companies Act. A trial is scheduled to go before judge Lady Stacey at the High Court in Glasgow in April. The Crown has alleged that Mr Whyte fraudulently obtained a "majority and controlling stake" in the Ibrox club. It is alleged that he directly, and through representatives, pretended to then Rangers owner Sir David Murray, and others, that funds were available to make all stipulated payments. The second charge under the Companies Act centres on an Â£18m payment in connection with the takeover.

Summary: The former Rangers owner Craig Whyte has pleaded not guilty to two charges, including one of fraud, in relation to his purchase of the club in 2011.