It is understood 150 people work at the office in Dundalk, County Louth. eBay have not said how many staff will be impacted by the closure. It said it will begin a formal consultation with employees. The company said the plant will close in the second quarter of 2017. The closure comes after the decision to separate eBay and its PayPal business. After the split, PayPal became landlords of the facility in Dundalk from which both companies have been based. PayPal had told eBay that it intended to expand its business and asked tenants to leave so it could occupy the facility. "We will begin a formal consultation process with our colleagues in Dundalk and will share any further information with them as a matter of priority," eBay said in a statement. A spokesperson for PayPal said it was committed to its offices in Dundalk and Dublin. "Today PayPal employs more than 2,600 teammates across both sites, and we're on track to reach 3,000 by 2018. The commitment is in line with our previous jobs announcements. "Our operations will expand and move into the office space vacated by eBay."

Summary: Internet auction site eBay has told staff at an office in the Republic of Ireland that the facility will close next year.


It proved far harder than anyone in the Treasury thought at the time. The reasons were myriad. The banks themselves were in far more of a financial mess than thought, the economic downturn was deeper than expected, the full extent of the appalling misconduct within banking (and the subsequent multi-billion pound fines) had yet to be revealed, and the Liberal Democrat side of the Coalition was far less keen on a sale than George Osborne. All these factors came together to slow progress. For Mr Osborne, many of those hurdles have now been removed, or at least reduced in size. First, the economy is in better shape, a fact that particularly helps domestic-focused banks like RBS that lend to consumers and businesses. Second, misconduct issues are slowly working their way through the system. Yes, RBS is still facing a multi-billion pound fine from the US Department of Justice for its involvement in the American sub-prime mortgage market. But investors believe that once that has been announced, possibly later this year, other misconduct problems (the European Commission inquiry into the manipulation of the foreign exchange markets and a legal challenge over the £12bn rights issue in 2008, to name two) will have less of an impact. And, frankly, a major bank without any risk issues over bad behaviour is as rare as a hen's tooth. Which tells us plenty about the depressing state of much of the banking system. Finally, the Chancellor no longer has to consider the opinions of Vince Cable, the former Liberal Democrat business minister who was far less keen on selling RBS and wondered if it could actually be turned into a state-backed lender. Mr Cable also felt badly burnt over the controversial sale of part of the government's stake in the Royal Mail. Following the election, Mr Osborne is chancellor in a Conservative majority government. And the RBS stake sale is back on. In tonight's Mansion House speech it is expected that Mr Osborne will give the first details of how the government's 80% ownership of RBS will be unwound. City sources tell me that Mr Osborne wants to take a two-stage approach. First, an inquiry into the options for a sale and a major study on how it will be done. Second, a timetable for when the sale will take place. Options for how the bank stake could be sold include a "Tell Sid" British Gas-style retail offer to the public. Or, more likely initially at least, a sale to institutions such as pension funds of a limited tranche of the shares. With a market capitalisation of £40bn, RBS is simply too big to sell in one go. What is important about the inquiry for the government is that it will give political cover and, banking sources believe, will be done by an independent individual advised by an investment bank. It will look at the vexed question of the price at which the government could sell its shares and legitimately claim that taxpayers are making a profit on the £46bn bailout provided by the state for RBS

Summary: In 2010, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer was confident that in the first five years of government he would be able to trumpet what he considered a notable achievement - the sale back to the public markets of the state's stakes in both Lloyds Banking Group and The Royal Bank of Scotland.


A vote at the East Lothian club failed to rally a two-thirds majority of members behind allowing women to join. The club has been barred from hosting the Open Championship as a result. The first minister said the club had the right to set its own rules, but said the decision was "wrong" and "damaging". Prime Minister David Cameron has also criticised Muirfield, and backed the decision to bar it from hosting the Open Championship. Mr Cameron told LBC Radio: "My general rule is that sports clubs should be totally open to both sexes, and it's outdated not to do that, particularly if you think that you're up to hosting important championships." A majority of members taking part in the vote at Muirfield backed allowing women to join, but did not achieve the necessary two-thirds of eligible members to push the move through. Golf's governing body, the Royal and Ancient, said it would not stage the Open "at a venue that does not admit women as members". Ms Sturgeon told BBC Scotland that she was "disappointed" by the "indefensible" decision. She said: "Muirfield is a private club and they're in charge of their own rules and regulations, and I accept that, but this is 2016. "Scotland has women leaders in every walk of life, in politics, in law, in business and everywhere else. I think this decision is wrong, and I hope there's a way of of looking at it again and overturning it. "As well as being wrong, it's damaging to Muirfield as a club - I want to see the Open played at Muirfield, it's a fantastic golf course, so this really is a regrettable decision." Ms Sturgeon rejected the suggestion that the decision had any wider message about Scottish society. She said: "The fact that I'm sitting here in the first minister's office says that Scotland is a country that values the contribution of women. "There are still barriers to women in every walk of life, but women also make progress in Scotland. Scotland is a welcoming place for women to progress in, so I don't want this decision to be seen as as reflection on modern Scotland, it's a reflection of a minority of members at Muirfield." Other politicians have also been quick to condemn the decision. Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said the golf club's decision was "hugely disappointing". She added: "I would urge Muirfield Golf Club to think again and find a way to reverse this decision, otherwise it will rightly find itself ostracised from the Scottish golfing community. "If ever a decision highlighted how much we need to keep up the fight for equality in Scotland this is it." Scottish Conservative MSP Rachael Hamilton, who had campaigned for allowing women members ahead of the vote, said it was "very disappointing". She said: "I understand that there are traditions involved here, and the members knew fine well what the consequences of this decision would be. "But we have to move with the times, and this will be seen widely as a very outdated attitude for a

Summary: Nicola Sturgeon has called for the "indefensible" decision of Muirfield Golf Club to reject women as members to be overturned.


This may just be it. The team has created Orion, software which integrates Leap Motion into virtual reality environments. While the likes of Oculus and HTC's Vive are experimenting with complex, often clunky controllers for VR - Leap Motion's tech allows for an accurate reconstruction of your entire hand. The software has been released to developers today, and works with existing Leap Motion devices that have already been sold. Leap Motion chief executive Michael Buckwald told the BBC that it was working with all the major VR makers to embed the device within their headsets. For now, however, the device rests within a little mount attached to the front of the headgear. The company hopes the tech will pave the way for innovative new user interfaces, as well as just fun. After much initial excitement a few years back, Leap Motion has failed to capture the imagination of technology users and sales of the $79 device have been modest. Could this be the company's killer app? Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook

Summary: Leap Motion's precise movement tracking device has long been criticised for being a great idea in need of a practical application.


At the age of 18, Cuthbert won three gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics - the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relays. Known as Australia's "golden girl", she went on to win gold in the 400m at the Tokyo Olympics eight years later. She passed away in Western Australia on Sunday night after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. End of Twitter post by @AthsAust Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull led tributes on social media calling the runner an "inspiration and a champion on and off the track". Friend and former Olympic sprinter Raelene Boyle said Cuthbert had won medals with "humility and distinction". "A lot of the athletes today could take a great deal of learning out of the way she did it," Boyle told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Cuthbert, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1969, was a torchbearer at the Sydney Olympic Opening Ceremony in 2000. "Athletics Australia is saddened to confirm the passing of Olympic legend Betty Cuthbert, our thoughts with her family and friends," Athletics Australia announced on Twitter. Cuthbert, who set nine world records during her career, was the first Australian to win triple gold.

Summary: Australian sprinting legend and four-time Olympic gold medallist Betty Cuthbert has died aged 79.


He had major surgery on his hand in November last year and feared missing out would give his rivals at his weight an advantage in racking up Commonwealth Games qualifying points. But, after testing his right hand in the semi-finals of Saturday's Championships, he then came through the final in a terrific contest against Glasgow's Jack Turner. Their bantamweight title bout was last on the card on finals night, but it was certainly worth waiting for. "I was up at 06:00 BST just buzzing to fight, I couldn't wait," said McGregor. "I wanted to get weighed in so I could refuel and we didn't get to do that until 12:00, so it was a long wait. "It's midnight now and I'm just out the ring, so it's been a long day, but it's been worth it. I'm delighted with the result." McGregor, who fights out of Meadowbank Boxing Club and is on the Great Britain performance programme, sealed his second successive Scottish title and is now hoping to add another British title to his name next month. "I think I'm among the favourites for that title," he said. "I won the Scottish last year and also won the British. "I did the double last year and I'm looking to do the exact same. I'm completely confident of doing that." If he does, he will almost certainly make the Scottish boxing team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia - and that's a prize others are also targeting. Aqeel Ahmed is determined to make up for what he calls "an unsatisfactory" Glasgow 2014 and he certainly impressed as he retained his men's flyweight title. The Keir Hardie Boxing Club fighter now goes to the British Championships in Wales hoping to do something no Scottish amateur boxer has ever done before - win three consecutive British titles. And then, he hopes, a chance to redeem himself in the Gold Coast. "I stayed amateur to have another go at the Commonwealth Games," Ahmed explained. "I missed out on a medal in Glasgow and I know how much I've improved. I'll be disappointed if I don't medal in the Gold Coast and my target is quite high going to the next Games. "My ultimate goal is a gold medal in the Gold Coast." Aberdeenshire middleweight John Docherty claimed a sixth national title in a row and hopes to go one better at next month's British Championships after taking silver last year. "On a good performance, on a good day, I reckon I'm the best in Britain to tell you the truth," he said. "Last year, I performed really badly and came second, beaten on a split [decision]. "I'm definitely aiming for the gold medal and then the big aim is Australia next year. "I've won the Youth Games. Now I want to add the senior title to that." The Commonwealth Games are also on the minds of Scotland's leading female boxers. After winning her fourth Scottish women's bantamweight title, Stephanie Kernachan, of Cleland Boxing Club, is eager to make Scottish boxing history. No

Summary: Edinburgh boxer Lee McGregor admits there was a time he thought he would not make this year's Scottish Championships.


Ward, from Montana, has been one of the featured drivers for the last five of the History Channel show's 10 seasons. The show follows drivers as they battle the elements to deliver supplies to remote communities in northern Canada. In the UK, the latest series of Ice Road Truckers had around 900,000 viewers per episode on Channel 5. A statement on Ward's Facebook page said he had been travelling from a truck show in Dallas, Texas, to start filming the pilot for new a documentary about the recovery of plane wrecks in Montana. The statement said his co-pilot, who was unnamed, also died in the crash, "Trucking has always been a large part of Darrell's life; from running the harvest rigs with his grandparents and family, to driving trucks from Montana to Alaska and all roads in between," it read. "In his free time, you could usually find Darrell giving back to the community any chance he got, he had promoted the most recent food drive to help victims in the Louisiana Floods and was scheduled to appear as the grand marshal for the Truck Convoy for Special Olympics in Nova Scotia." The message added: "His motto, 'any road, any load' fits his personality perfectly." A statement from History said: "We are saddened by the tragic loss of Darrell Ward, a beloved member of the History family. "He will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time." Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: Darrell Ward, one of the long-haul drivers made famous on TV's Ice Road Truckers, has been killed in a plane crash at the age of 52.


Pensions currently rise by the highest of inflation, average earnings or 2.5%. There have been warnings over the cost of the lock, and the government says it will review it after 2020. Shadow Treasury minister Rebecca Long-Bailey said this caused "uncertainty and worry", pledging to protect it "throughout the lifetime of the next Parliament", due to end in 2025. Speaking during Treasury questions in the Commons, Chancellor Philip Hammond said it was responsible for the government to decide which commitments it can afford to keep at a spending review before the end of Parliament. Attacking Labour's pledge, he added: "I think it tells us everything we need to know about the Opposition - that three-and-a-half years out they're willing to spray around commitments without any idea of what it's going to cost them." During last week's Autumn Statement Mr Hammond said the triple lock would be maintained until 2020 but suggested it would then be reviewed. There have been calls for it to be scrapped, including from former pensions minister Baroness Altmann, who said the costs would become "enormous" after 2020, and the previous work and pensions secretary, Stephen Crabb. Speaking after Treasury Questions, shadow chancellor John McDonnell accused the Conservatives of "abandoning older people" by not guaranteeing to continue the pledge. He added: "Labour will support the pensions triple lock and instead of cutting taxes for the super-rich and giant corporations will make sure our NHS and social care is properly funded."

Summary: Labour says it will keep the "triple lock" protecting the state pension throughout the next Parliament.


Developer Sirius Minerals wants to mine near Whitby and build a 23-mile (37km) tunnel to a Teeside processing plant. Chris Fraser, of Sirius, said its case stood "up to scrutiny" and it was determined to pursue the plan. The North York Moors National Park Authority is to consider a planning application on 30 June. The 229-page report by the park authority does not make any recommendation about the proposed mine. It acknowledged that there were likely to be economic benefits but said the proposal did not represent "exceptional circumstances". The report said the National Park Authority's statutory responsibility was to "conserve and enhance the North York Moors for the enjoyment of present and future generations". Sirius said it believed exceptional circumstances had been demonstrated and the mining was in the public interest, with environmental effects "mitigated". The term "potash" is used to describe a range of minerals containing potassium, and the proposal is to mine polyhalite. The mine would transform North Yorkshire's economy, Ryedale District Council and Scarborough Borough Council has claimed. However a report published earlier this month suggested that the five-year construction phase of the mine would cost the area's tourism industry £10m a year. The Campaign for National Parks said it hoped the authority would reject the planning application. The decision was an "important test of the protection afforded national parks" and there were strong planning grounds for turning it down, it added. Plans include a construction of a minehead at Dove's Nest Farm and Haxby Plantation about 1.6 miles (2.5km) from the village of Sneaton involving mining shafts, buildings, roads and a helicopter landing site on a 64-hectare site.

Summary: A report into a planned £1.7bn potash mine has said its economic benefits do not outweigh the harm it would cause the North York Moors national park.


The embattled Republican, cradling a basket of nachos, says to the fan "you're a big shot", their faces inches apart. The drama unfolded during Sunday's Brewers v Cubs game in Milwaukee. Mr Christie has the lowest approval ratings in the history of New Jersey, and stoked anger recently by using a beach closed to the public. The baseball heckler, Brad Joseph, said that after Mr Christie walked past his seat, "I yelled his name and told him that he sucked". "I called him a hypocrite because I thought it needed to be said," he added. Chris Christie has gone from presidential timbre to political punching bag. Such is the tragic fate of the soon-to-be-former New Jersey governor. It wasn't too long ago that Republican power brokers implored Mr Christie to be their white knight, riding into the Republican presidential nomination contest as Mitt Romney's campaign foundered. At the time his in-your-face style seemed refreshingly candid and his popularity in Democratic-leaning New Jersey gave him cross-over national appeal. Then the Bridgegate scandal - the pettiness of the apparent retribution scheme - tarnished his lustre. His idol, Bruce Springsteen, mocked him on late-night television. The media coverage grew more biting. When Mr Christie eventually did try for the White House, Donald Trump had stolen his brash, unscripted thunder. F Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that there are no second acts in American lives. That hardly seems the case these days, even for someone with Mr Christie's reputational scars. He'll always have pugnacious attitude. Now, however, it's less a tool that will help him climb the political ladder than a bit of performance art for the entertainment of sports radio listeners and baseball spectators. Earlier this month Mr Christie was booed by thousands of baseball fans at New York's Citi Field after he caught a foul ball that had landed in the stands. Also this month, he clashed on live radio with one of his constituents whom he accused of being a "communist" and a "bum". With a 15% approval rating, Mr Christie is considered to be one the least popular state governors in American history. Once a contender for the White House, his popularity has plunged after the so-called Bridgegate scandal in which his senior aides were convicted of conspiring to close one of the busiest bridges in the world as political payback against a mayor that refused to endorse Mr Christie.

Summary: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has angrily confronted a heckler during a baseball game in Wisconsin.


The man, known only as Muhamed, told an Old Bailey jury he spent 10 months undercover in Birmingham. He named three men who allegedly tried to leave the UK hidden in a lorry. Anas Abdalla and Mahamuud Diini deny preparing for acts of terrorism. Separately, Gabriel Rasmus pleaded guilty to the same offence. The three men were arrested after they were found hiding in the back of a lorry at Dover docks last April, the jury heard. Muhamed, described only in court as a "law enforcement officer", is believed to be the first undercover operative to give open evidence in a criminal trial relating to Syria. He has also told the court how he spent months infiltrating alleged extremist networks across Birmingham. Muhamed said his objectives included identifying anyone planning to travel to Syria. The court heard his native language was Serbo-Croat and throughout his evidence - given from behind a curtain - he spoke quietly with an eastern European accent. Muhamed told the court that in June 2014 he was deployed to three Birmingham areas - Sparkhill, Sparkbrook and Small Heath. He then spent months building his "legend" - an undercover identity that people trusted. Rasmus, who is 29, from Birmingham and also known as Abu Junaid, was among the men he met - and he told the court that the perfume seller dreamt of going to Syria. Over the course of some months Rasmus repeatedly asked him for help in joining the self-styled Islamic State, revealing he had twice tried to travel and been turned back in Turkey. He showed Muhamed videos of hostage killings, praised the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris and asked him whether he had contacts in the Bosnian Mujahideen. "He is extreme, he is desperate to go to Islamic State and fight [for IS]," said Muhamed. The court heard that in January 2015, Rasmus expressed his frustration while walking with Muhamed in Birmingham's Bullring Shopping Centre. Rasmus wanted to join someone he knew in Syria - but he had no means to get there. "He was sad. He said if he would stay here, he would do something, some terrorist attack," said Muhamed. "Did he say what sort of terrorist attack?" asked Sally Howes QC, prosecuting. "He said something similar to what is happening in France," replied the officer. Ms Howes also asked Muhamed how he went about his work. "My objectives were to collect evidence and information about extremist behaviour and extremist people," he said, adding that his targets for finding such people would include meeting places, mosques and restaurants. "An undercover officer cannot act as an agent provocateur," he told the jury. "We cannot encourage people to do offences. "Undercover officers can show enthusiasm and interest. But you have to check your authorisation for [taking part in such activity]." Ms Howes asked Muhamed how he would decide which people he met were potential extremists. "If someone supports Islamic State, a terrorist organisation, that for me is terrorist and extremist behaviour, and I report it. "If someone showed me pictures of people killing hostages from

Summary: An undercover officer who infiltrated alleged extremist networks told a court that a suspect threatened to attack the UK if he could not reach Syria.


South Yorkshire Police hopes to build the 50-cell suite in Shepcote Lane, near to Meadowhall shopping centre. It will replace suites in Ecclesfield, Sheffield and Rotherham, saving more than £1m a year said the police. Ch Supt Rob Odell said it was hoped the new suite would be completed by the summer of 2016. He said: "We anticipate that replacing three existing properties within Rotherham and Sheffield with one purpose-built facility will deliver annual savings of approximately £1.2m. "The majority of this will come from a reduction in staffing, but there will be other revenue savings and energy efficiencies too. "We are consulting regularly with the staff affected, who are mainly custody sergeants and detention officers, and we hope to achieve the savings through natural wastage." A public consultation on the plans has begun.

Summary: Plans for a £19m police custody centre to replace three "outdated and inefficient" suites are being submitted to Sheffield City Council.


Johnson helped the Robins avoid relegation last season after joining them from Barnsley in February. The 35-year-old, who played 199 games for City between 2006 and 2012, started his managerial career with Oldham in 2013, before moving to Oakwell in 2015. His previous contract at Ashton Gate was set to end at the end of the 2018-19 season. "Like I said when I was appointed, Bristol City is the perfect club for me," he told the club website. "We want to deliver success; everything about the club is progressive and that's why I'm desperate to be a part of that in the long term." Bristol City have won just one of their past six games in all competitions, but they are 11th in the Championship table, just four points outside the play-off places.

Summary: Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson has signed a new contract to stay with the Championship club until 2020.


Juliano Pinto, a 29-year-old with complete paralysis of the lower trunk, performed the symbolic kick-off at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo. Using his robotic suit, Mr Pinto kicked the official ball a short distance along a mat laid down by the touchline. But some observers argued the historic event was not given the attention it deserved during the opening ceremony. The identity of the young volunteer was kept a secret until after the event. His robotic exoskeleton was created by a team of more than 150 researchers led by Brazilian neuroscientist Dr Miguel Nicolelis. Dr Nicolelis tweeted called the event a "great team effort" and afterwards tweeted: "We did it!!!" "It was up to Juliano to wear the exoskeleton, but all of them made that shot. It was a big score by these people and by our science," he commented. The neuroscientist, who is based at Duke University in the US, is a leading figure in the field of brain-machine interfaces. In breakthrough work published in 2003, he showed that monkeys could control the movement of virtual arms on an avatar using just their brain activity. The scientists have been working under the banner of a consortium called the Walk Again Project. In a statement, the consortium said the World Cup demonstration would be "just the beginning" of a future "in which people with paralysis may abandon the wheelchair and literally walk again". But some TV networks didn't capture the event, prompting criticism on Twitter. Some commentators also took aim at ceremony organisers for apparently sidelining the moment in favour of performing acts. Dr Nicolelis had been training eight patients at his lab in Sao Paulo, all of whom were over 20 years of age, with the oldest about 35. "It's the first time an exoskeleton has been controlled by brain activity and offered feedback to the patients," Dr Nicolelis, a neuroscientist at Duke University, told the AFP news agency "Doing a demonstration in a stadium is something very much outside our routine in robotics. It's never been done before." The exoskeleton uses a cap placed on the patient's head to pick up brain signals and relay them to a computer in the exoskeleton's backpack. This then decodes the signals and sends them to the legs. The robotic suit is powered by hydraulics, and a battery in the backpack allows for approximately two hours of use. "The basic idea is that we are recording from the brain and then that signal is being translated into commands for the robot to start moving," Dr Gordon Cheng, at the Technical University of Munich, who is a member of the team, told the BBC in May. Dr Cheng led the development of a form of artificial skin for the exoskeleton. This skin consists of flexible printed circuit boards, each containing pressure, temperature and speed sensors. It is applied on the soles of the feet and allows the patient to receive tactile stimulation when walking with the exoskeleton. When the robotic suit starts to move and touches the ground, signals are transmitted to an electronic

Summary: A paraplegic man has made the first kick of the World Cup using a mind-controlled robotic exoskeleton.


Simon, who previously worked for Renault, Ferrari and governing body the FIA, had been with Honda since they announced their return to F1 in 2013. Simon is on gardening leave from his position and a Honda spokesman confirmed the 58-year-old's contract would end "some time this year". He refused to comment on reports Simon left as his ideas were being ignored. Honda has struggled since it returned to F1 with McLaren in 2015 and the Japanese company's programme for this year had a dismal start in last week's first pre-season test. The company used at least five engines in the course of four days at Spain's Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya as a series of reliability problems restricted running. Honda F1 boss Yusuke Hasegawa admitted he "worried" about whether the company could solve a problem that led to an engine failure before the start of the season in Australia on 24-26 March. And McLaren racing director Eric Boullier admitted that the situation was "not good enough". Boullier added: "There is a bit more work to be done in Japan to investigate why we had those issues: issues that we absolutely did not expect to have - and for sure neither did Honda. "It is fixable, but it was not the plan to have these issues. They are not really serious, as there are no fundamental issues with the design."

Summary: French engine expert Gilles Simon has left his role as a consultant to Honda's struggling Formula 1 programme.


Science and research should be a priority in the talks between the UK and the EU, says the Russell Group of research intensive universities. Any barriers "would be bad for the UK and bad for Europe", said the group's acting director, Tim Bradshaw. His comments come as the EU prepares to authorise the start of the talks. The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, is due later on Monday to seek a formal mandate from the European Council in Brussels to begin negotiations. Mr Barnier expects the talks to begin immediately after June's general election. The Russell Group says there will be "no winners" if Brexit results in barriers between researchers and has pledged to work with "all sides to secure a positive outcome". Dr Bradshaw said there had been "huge breakthroughs in medicine, engineering, and any number of fields" as a result of joint working, which he promised would continue after Brexit. "We want to maintain the closest possible relationships with colleagues across the EU, and research must be a priority during talks," he added. He called for the rights of EU students and staff at UK universities to be guaranteed after Brexit. "We value our EU colleagues very highly and need urgent assurances, that after Brexit, they will retain the same rights to stay and work in the UK that they have now. "Nearly half of all UK academic articles result from international collaboration and EU member states are some of our biggest partners. "These relationships improve the quality of UK research and underpin the strength of our science base." UK universities are among the biggest beneficiaries of the EU's huge Horizon 2020 research fund. Non-EU countries can also draw on the fund if they contribute to it - but a major condition of countries being able to participate is allowing freedom of movement for researchers, a potential stumbling block in the talks. The Conservative party manifesto, promises to "collaborate in science and innovation" with EU member states. The manifesto also pledges to secure the entitlements of EU nationals in Britain and British nationals in the EU. "There may be specific European programmes in which we might want to participate and if so, it will be reasonable that we make a contribution," the document adds. Labour's manifesto promises that the party in government would "ensure that the UK maintains our leading research role by seeking to stay part of Horizon 2020 and its successor programmes and by welcoming research staff to the UK". The party also says it will seek to maintain membership, or equivalent, with European organisations that offer benefits to the UK such as Euratom and the European Medicines Agency. The Liberal Democrat manifesto warns that "the Leave vote has already started to affect existing and proposed research programmes". "We will campaign against any reduction in investment in UK universities and for their right to apply for EU funds on equal terms." Manifestos have not yet been published for the SNP, UKIP or the Green Party.

Summary: Barriers to research collaboration in Europe as a result of Brexit would harm scientific progress, says a group of leading UK universities.


NICE, the advisory body for the health service, has already been exploring the issue. But it now wants to know what the public thinks after the idea got the thumbs up from its citizen's council. Nearly two thirds of the 32-strong group - used as a sounding board for sensitive topics - backed incentives. In May, NICE officials told the BBC incentives could play a key role in tackling smoking, obesity and drinking rates and was working with academics to see how and when they worked best. Merit Its citizen's council agrees the idea has merit - as long as the payments are not allowed to be used for unhealthy pursuits. The backing has prompted the public consultation which will be run until the end of November. Incentive schemes are already operated in some areas to mixed success, while NICE has already backed their use for drug users. However, it is unlikely the current government would allow NICE to formally recommend incentives as an option for the whole health service. A Department of Health spokesman described them as an undesirable use of money and should only be adopted as a "last resort". Instead, it seems the only way the advisory body would end up backing them would be for niche groups, such as specific age groups or for people from certain social backgrounds, if there was strong evidence they worked. NICE chairman Sir Michael Rawlins said: "We clearly face several public health challenges in today's society, some more obvious than others, and we must seek to improve these in ways that are likely to achieve the best health outcomes for those affected."

Summary: A public consultation is being launched over whether the NHS in England and Wales should offer financial incentives to encourage healthier lifestyles.


The USGS said it struck at 03:20 local time (10:20 GMT) four miles (6km) north-west of the town of American Canyon, at a depth of 6.7 miles. At least 87 people have been taken to hospital in the Napa area, a renowned wine-producing region and tourist area. California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in order to deal with the effects of the quake. Officials in Napa said in a statement that the quake - believed to be the biggest in the region in 25 years - had destroyed four mobile homes and made 16 buildings "uninhabitable", as well as causing "approximately 50" gas main breaks and around 30 leaks from water mains. The clear-up operation will begin in earnest on Monday. At least three of those injured in Napa are in a serious condition. Three historic buildings in the town had been hit and two commercial buildings "severely damaged", the statement went on. By Sunday evening, between 11,000 and 15,000 people were still reported without power, down from 70,000 people in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake. At least 33 buildings in the city of 77,000 have been "red-tagged", which means that they have been designated as unsafe to enter, Community Development Director Rick Tooker was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying. A Red Cross evacuation centre has been set up in a church in the city. The California Highway Patrol in the San Francisco Bay area tweeted that it was "checking over crossings and bridges for obvious signs of structural integrity", and asked residents to report any signs of problems. "They say [the quake] went for 50 seconds. It felt like 50 minutes. I was just too terrified to even scream," antique shop owner Patricia Trimble told Reuters. The front window of her shop was destroyed, with cabinets on their sides and merchandise strewn across the floor. The site of the earthquake was 51 miles from Sacramento and about 30 miles north-east of San Francisco. Numerous small aftershocks were also reported on Sunday. California lies on the San Andreas Fault, which forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, two of the large moving plates that form the Earth's crust. The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and subsequent fires devastated the city. In 1989, a powerful earthquake struck San Francisco, killing more than 60 people and injuring hundreds.

Summary: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 has shaken northern California, causing injuries and damage to buildings.


Campaigners have for years complained that the data claimed by manufacturers was a fantasy. Now, critics have concrete evidence of the lengths that one of the world's biggest carmakers was prepared to go to hide the truth about its diesel vehicles. That VW's bid to scam the system was revealed in the US, where the diesel car market is very small, underlines that country's more robust approach, says Greg Archer, manager at the international campaign group Transport & Environment. "They've got a much better system. In Europe, we do not test the right cars in the right way," he says. "In Europe, the cars tested are pre-production models that are specially prepared for the purpose. The industry calls them 'golden vehicles'." Europe's tests are governed by the New European Driving Cycle. Despite being called "new" the NEDC was developed in the 1970s, and got its last major revision in 1996. Cars are hooked up to measuring equipment, and go through acceleration and deceleration tests to measure carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter, fuel efficiency, and so on. Tests are carried out by independent organisations or at manufacturers' own facilities. Either way, the intention is to create a standardised, controlled environment, where temperatures, tyre pressures, fluid levels, braking, and much else can be monitored. The process is overseen by government-appointed inspectors, who in the UK come from the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), to ensure there's no corner-cutting. However, the VCA website says it will only "witness some tests being carried out". The aim is to replicate driving conditions in a busy European city. And this is where the critics cry foul. Such tests, they argue, replicate little of real-world driving, which is why so many studies have queried manufacturers' emissions data. For instance, according to a report published earlier this month by the UK Committee on Climate Change, between 2002 and 2014 the gap between official and real-world CO2 emissions for new passenger cars increased from about 10% to 35%. Europe's NEDC test involves putting cars through two cycles, one lasting about 13 minutes at an average speed of 12mph, and a second cycle lasting almost seven minutes at an average of 39mph. For Jane Thomas, from Emissions Analytics, one of the leading independent emissions analysts, the NEDC tests are "very sedate and short. There is no resemblance to real-world driving". The gentle acceleration, cruising speed, and braking used in the tests would be unrecognisable to most drivers, she says. There is no simulation of prolonged motorway driving, and carmakers use the most optimal settings to improve performance, such as the bare minimum of fuel and switching off air conditioning. She says carmakers might remove windscreen wipers, wing mirrors, and spare wheels, and even tape up doors to reduce drag. "I don't think manufacturers (in the EU) break the rules, but they do bend them," she says. "Everyone is gaming the tests in Europe." Even the VCA, on its website, says that "because of the need to maintain strict comparability of the results achieved by the standard tests, they cannot be fully

Summary: The scandal involving Volkswagen cheating car pollution rules in the US has thrown a spotlight on emissions testing - particularly in Europe.


Dr Alan Parker, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University, will lead a team to examine and alter the Ad5 virus. In its original form it can can cause airways infections and is usually spread through coughing and sneezing. But Dr Parker will use new technology to see if it can be genetically modified to destroy cancer cells. Ovarian cancer is the sixth most-common cancer among women in the UK, with around 7,400 women diagnosed each year and around 4,100 women dying from it annually. "Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage and five-year survival has remained stubbornly unchanged, at around 40%, for almost 25 years," Dr Parker said. "Using viruses as a way to treat cancer is becoming more common and we're already seeing that some are showing great promise. "People often think viruses are bad. However, they can actually be 'trained' to be an effective cancer treatment." He said he often compares the complex research to the children's film How to Train Your Dragon. "At the beginning of the film the dragon comes across as being destructive and deadly, but one of the characters then trains the dragon to be a force for great good," Dr Parker added. "It's very similar to viruses. The viruses we use in their original form can cause a cough or cold. "We want to understand how the virus infects cells so we can engineer or 'train' the virus to be a force for good by identifying and killing cancer cells." The research is estimated to take between five and 10 years to complete and, if successful, it is hoped it could also treat other forms of the disease including breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers. Ruth Amies, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Wales, said: "We hope this research will improve our understanding of ovarian cancer and help lead to the development of new treatments in the future, which could ultimately improve survival for those diagnosed with the disease."

Summary: A Cardiff scientist is to explore whether viruses can be "trained" to tackle ovarian cancer after being given a Â£250,000 Cancer Research UK grant.


Most swimmers will be take to the waters of Windermere to swim a mile (1.6Km) with some longer swims scheduled for Sunday. The event is expected to attract 10,000 swimmers, organisers said. A 10k marathon distance has also been introduced and is expected to take experienced swimmers four hours to complete. Great Swim Director Alex Jackson said: "The Great North Swim is proving to be as popular as ever, with 10,000 expected in Windermere for our ninth event here." Introducing the "10k event will provide a new challenge" he added.

Summary: Thousands of swimmers have headed to the Lake District this weekend to take part in the Great North Swim.


Goulburn Ghost Tours manager Louise Edwards confirmed on Tuesday night the company would no longer run the Belanglo Forest ghost tours. "From here on in, we will not be running Belanglo tours," she told Channel Ten's The Project. The NSW government and victim support groups had condemned the tours. Goulburn Ghost Tours has been taking groups to Belanglo, 120km (75 miles) south-west of Sydney. The company initially defended the tours, saying they were run with "respect" and were not intended to upset anyone. Milat is serving consecutive life sentences for murdering seven backpackers - two Britons, three Germans and two Australians - in the 1990s. He had buried their bodies in Belanglo, which was also the site where a teenager related to Milat murdered a friend in 2010. The family of the victim still live in the local area. Local media reported their disgust that the tours were being run. Goulburn Ghost Tours' website and Facebook page remained offline on Wednesday and a phone number for the company appeared to be disconnected. A cached version of the site advertising the Extreme Terror Tour said people would visit Milat's "old stomping ground", calling it "this most terrifying of locations". It said it would use "paranormal techniques" to solve a murder. "Are you ready to turn grey overnight? Do you love to be frightened? Would you like to solve a crime? Then the GGT Extreme Terror Tour is for you!" it said. Ms Edwards told The Project that in hindsight, more thought should have gone into the marketing of the tours. She said the company had received a lot of hate mail but also many "poignant and thoughtful" emails about why the tours should be cancelled, which "made us see this in a different light".

Summary: A company criticised for conducting tours of a New South Wales (NSW) forest where serial killer Ivan Milat buried his victims has cancelled the tours.


The 2015 winner has raced just twice since that victory and missed the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. "I'm afraid it's not going to happen, which is a real shame," said Bradstock, the wife of trainer Mark. "When you have a horse like this you must not take any risks and there is no point going there half-baked." She added: "He has just niggled the bone - he is still walking at the moment, but we must not take a risk as these niggling things can turn into fractures. "We will not rush him and we will make sure he is fine before he comes back." Bradstock said she hoped to see the 10-year-old race at the Punchestown Gold Cup in Ireland on 26 April but could not guarantee he would make the Bowl Chase at Aintree on 6 April. Coneygree last raced after a year out with a hock injury at Haydock in November, impressing as runner-up to Cue Card. "He ran a great race at Haydock, but he might have been feeling this coming on," said Bradstock. "He has no miles on the clock and I'm hoping he can become a veteran record-breaker and a novice record-breaker. "He is in very good nick, mentally, and is full of himself."

Summary: Former champion Coneygree will not run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on 17 March due to a "niggling" injury, says assistant trainer Sara Bradstock.


The MPC will publish its regular decision on borrowing costs at midday. Mr Posen, interviewed on the Today programme on Radio 4, said rates may not rise until next year. "I think they are not going to vote for a rate hike at this time and probably not until at least November and maybe not even until 2018", he said. The Bank last changed interest rates in August last year when it cut its bank rate from 0.5% to 0.25% in the immediate aftermath of the UK's referendum vote to leave the European Union. Mr Posen was asked why the Bank should not raise rates now, given the worrying rise in consumer borrowing and the past year's rise in inflation to 2.6%. He said the Bank's role was to judge where inflation might be in two to three years time - and he said that the Bank's current forecast was "too high". "It is pretty clear the economy is slowing... it's a credit-fuelled expansion and so it's likely to come to an end soon," Mr Posen said. "There's no good reason for the pound to appreciate further right now, particularly against the euro," he added. He also disagreed with the widespread view that the Bank's policy of low interest rates had stoked up excessive consumer borrowing and that this problem should be dealt with by raising rates. "The big lesson of the financial crisis is that the one interest rate the central bank controls doesn't have that much implication for the whole range of financial products and borrowings that exist in a modern economy," he said. "We were unable to stop [the crisis] solely by moving down the interest rate and we've been unable to reflate the economy just by moving the bank's interest rate also," he added. Instead, he argued, the Bank's Financial Policy Committee (FPC) should use its powers to limit the lending of commercial banks where it thought this had got out of hand. In recent months members of the MPC, including the Bank Governor Mark Carney, have differed publicly over whether or not rates should rise soon. For instance, in June Mr Carney said the time was not right for a rate rise. The next day the Bank's chief economist, Andy Haldane, said he favoured increasing the cost of borrowing later this year. Then a week later the Bank's deputy governor, Sir Jon Cunliffe, publicly suggested that now was not in fact the right time for such a move. That flurry of debate reflected the unusually divided vote at the last MPC meeting in June, when its eight members voted by only 5-3 to keep rates at their current level. Mr Posen, who was an MPC member from 2009 to 2012, said there was nothing wrong with close votes as it indicated that active debate was taking place within the committee. And he said there was "no mistaking the fact" that following Brexit, the UK economy would suffer a shock and that in two years' time it would be in "much worse shape" than it is now, with

Summary: A former member of the Monetary Policy Committee, Adam Posen, has predicted that the Bank of England will not change interest rates this month.


The organisers say more than 3,000 people took part, in spite of a heavy security presence. The government says the protest was illegal. Activists from Bahrain's Shia Muslim majority have been demonstrating against the kingdom's ruling Sunni monarchy since last February. Thursday's march in the centre of Manama was led by a prominent human rights activist, Nabeel Rajab. "We are using the streets peacefully. We are marching for our rights," he told the BBC. One activist tweeted: "Manama is filled with tear gas, protesters running in all directions, followed by shooting and riot police." A government official confirmed to the BBC that the authorities had acted to disperse the march. "Security forces warned those involved and requested them to disperse, but after they disobeyed orders the security forces took the necessary legal measures," the official said. Excessive force Bahrain's Shia Muslim majority has long complained of discrimination and human rights abuses at the hands of security police. The Interior Ministry was heavily criticised in a report by an independent committee of experts released in November. It found that the security police had used excessive force and had systematically tortured detainees while suppressing pro-democracy protests that began in February 2011. More than 40 people were killed during the violence. The report, commissioned by the king, was seen as an attempt to defuse tensions between the government and the predominantly Shia protesters. Ahead of the latest march, the government said it would rebuild 12 Shia mosques that were demolished during last year's unrest.

Summary: Security police have used tear gas and stun grenades to break up an anti-government march in Bahrain's capital, Manama.


Turkey reacted angrily when Germany's constitutional court banned Mr Erdogan from appearing by video link at Sunday's demonstration in Cologne, accusing Berlin of infringing freedom of expression. Although officially aimed at celebrating the defeat of the military coup, the protest was also viewed by many in Germany as a sign of the leverage Mr Erdogan enjoys as a result of his support among Germany's large Turkish-origin diaspora. The spat also comes as Germans are torn between fear for the survival of the EU's migrant deal with Turkey and dismay at Mr Erdogan's perceived post-coup crackdown on opponents. "This is how long the reach of Erdogan's arm is," says a report in Der Spiegel on the Cologne demonstration, pointing out that the president's AK Party won a bigger share of the vote among German Turks in last year's parliamentary elections than the 49% it garnered at home. Some German Turkish-language media reflect the mood of support for Mr Erdogan the coup has generated among many both at home and in Germany. "They shook Europe," says the Post Aktuel newspaper of the Cologne demonstration, adding that thousands had expressed their anger at the coup, "despite the best efforts of German politicians to create obstacles". Its tone mirrors that of pro-government newspapers in Turkey, such as Aksam, where a commentary urges Turks to "put aside their own slogans for a while and try to ensure that the language of unity dominates". But there is dissent too. Turkey's secularist Sozcu tabloid accuses the government of having "suspended democracy" and leading Turkey into "honourable loneliness" on the international stage. Some German Turkish media also share the misgivings about Mr Erdogan's response to the coup. The Yeni Ozgur Politika website describes the organisers of the Cologne demonstration, the pro-Erdogan Union of European Turkish Democrats, as "fascists", and reports extensively on three counter-protests, including one by German Kurds. A commentary by Sueddeutsche Zeitung's Turkey correspondent, Mike Szymanski, thinks the new "mistrust" between Germany is down to "one man" - Mr Erdogan, whom it accuses of reshaping Turkey into a "one-man country". Mr Erdogan also appears to know that it is "pictures of full migrant boats in the Aegean" that will really "clobber" Angela Merkel in her campaign for re-election next year, he adds. The jittery mood has been fanned by a demand by Turkey's Foreign Minister Mehmet Cavusoglu that the EU lift visa requirements for Turkish nationals. This is Ankara's key condition for sticking to the migrant deal, but one the EU insists cannot be fulfilled unless Turkey modifies its terrorism and other laws. "A compromise appears almost impossible," says tabloid Bild's website in its top story on what will happen if Turkey follows through on its threat to cancel the refugee deal. "Germany is faced with a dramatic decision." Many feel there is no need for Germany to buckle under the pressure. Sueddeutsche Zeitung's politics editor, Heribert Prantl, points out that the German constitutional court was right to deny Mr Erdogan the opportunity to address the Cologne rally, saying the constitution's guarantee of basic rights such as free

Summary: The row over a rally in support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Germany has brought the growing tension between the countries since July's failed military coup to the surface.


Yr Egin, being built in Carmarthen by University of Wales Trinity St David, will be ready in late spring 2018. University chiefs told the Welsh Affairs committee they hoped the site would ultimately be oversubscribed. Vice-chancellor Medwin Hughes said he hoped Yr Egin would reach 60% capacity within the next two months but conceded it would need more companies on board. "The £3m of upfront rent from S4C helps with cash flow for two to three years but we could need more than 60% capacity to break even," he told the committee on Monday. As part of its contract with the University, S4C will also be paying £60,000 in annual service charges. Brecon and Radnorshire Conservative MP Chris Davies told the committee there had been an "untidy smell around" the project and "a fog" surrounding the relationship between the university and the Welsh-language broadcaster. Mr Hughes denied it, saying: "There has been a clear and consistent message between S4C and the University. "As with any large agreement there are confidentiality agreements. In the main, the engagement between S4C and the University has been presented in an appropriate manner." MPs had summoned university leaders amid concern over a gap in funding gap for the project. Earlier in March the Welsh Government committed £3m with after the University realised that the amount of European funding available to them would not be enough. In February, First Minister Carwyn Jones told AMs that S4C promised that the move from Cardiff would be at no cost to the taxpayer.

Summary: The building which will be S4C's new headquarters has no other tenants signed up yet, MPs have been told.


A statement said "several main locations of the wreckage" had been identified. A deep sea search vessel had also sent back the first images of the wreckage, the statement added. There were 66 people on board flight MS804 when it crashed on 19 May while flying from Paris to Cairo. The Airbus A320 plane vanished from Greek and Egyptian radar screens, apparently without having sent a distress call. The Egyptian investigation committee said that investigators on board the John Lethbridge search vessel, which has been contracted by the Egyptian government, would now draw up a map of the wreckage distribution. What do we know so far? Who were the victims? Earlier this month, search teams said signals from one of the "black box" flight recorders had been detected. Signals emitted by the recorders are expected to expire by 24 June, experts have warned. The cause of the crash remains a mystery. A terror attack has not been ruled out but no extremist group has claimed the downing of the plane. Analysts say human or technical error is also a possibility. Flight data revealed that smoke detectors went off in the toilet and the aircraft's electrics, minutes before the plane's signal was lost. According to Greek investigators, the plane turned 90 degrees left and then 360 degrees to the right, dropping from 11,300m (37,000ft) to 4,600m (15,000ft) and then 3,000m (10,000ft) before it was lost from radar.

Summary: Wreckage of the EgyptAir flight that went missing over the Mediterranean last month has been found, Egyptian investigators say.


It comes after the special rapporteur on torture said some aspects violated the convention against torture. Australia detains all asylum seekers who arrive by boat, holding them in offshore processing camps. Rights groups have criticised conditions on Manus Island, where asylum-seekers are held. In a new report to be tabled to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, the rapporteur, Juan Mendez, investigated allegations of torture and abuse in more than 60 countries. In Australia, he highlighted some cases where the authorities had failed to provide adequate detention conditions, end the detention of children, or prevent escalating violence and tension at Manus Island. This meant Australia had violated the right of the asylum-seeker to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, the report said. The Australian government has rejected the report. When asked about the UN's findings, Mr Abbott told reporters: "I really think Australians are sick of being lectured to by the United Nations, particularly, given that we have stopped the boats, and by stopping the boats, we have ended the deaths at sea." He said hundreds had drowned at sea as the people-smuggling trade flourished under the previous government. Mr Abbott said stopping the flow of people coming to Australia by boat, mostly through Indonesia, was the "most humanitarian, most decent, the most compassionate thing you can do". "We have stopped the boats and I think the UN's representatives would have a lot more credibility if they were to give some credit to the Australian government for what we've been able to achieve in this area," Mr Abbott said. When asked about conditions on Manus, Mr Abbott said: "All of the basic needs of the people on Manus Island are being met ... everyone's needs for food, for clothing, for shelter, for safety are being more than met." One of the allegations investigated by Mr Mendez is the intimidation and ill-treatment of two asylum-seekers after they gave statements about violent attacks at Manus. He found their rights were in fact breached. He also found that two government changes to immigration legislation risk violating international laws prohibiting torture. The report found violations in more than 60 other countries including in the US for the 30-year imprisonment of a mentally ill man on death row. It also raises alarm at the proposed deportation of several individuals from the UK to countries that engage in torture. Australia asylum: Why is it controversial?

Summary: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said the country is "sick of being lectured" by the UN over its treatment of asylum seekers.


Work to build the Pontio centre at Bangor University began in 2012 - and it is already a year late opening. The new centre houses a theatre, digital cinema, students' union, bars and restaurant and business innovation spaces. A full programme of artistic events is due to get under way from December. Prof Jerry Hunter, the university's pro vice chancellor, said it was a "great pleasure" to finally make public some of the "fantastic facilities" on offer. "It has been a difficult journey, but now we have created a transformational centre for innovation in science and the arts in Bangor," he said. The centre is on the site of the former Theatr Gwynedd which closed in 2008, and was demolished to make way for the new project. But it has been blighted by delays along the way, and a planned autumn 2014 opening had to be abandoned.

Summary: A £50m arts and innovation centre project in Gwynedd is finally getting its finishing touches, university officials have said.


David was one of 60 cuckoos fitted with trackers by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) from 2011 and has made return trips from Africa since. But his tracker fell silent a few months ago. A team on BBC Radio Wales' Country Focus is now trying to lure David into the Tregaron woods using a fake female. Presenter Gilbert John said: "We're hoping to find out whether the lack of a signal for David shows that he is dead, or simply his equipment [is dead]." The BTO tracking project was set up to discover why half the UK's cuckoos have been lost in the last 20 years. Since 2011, many of the birds have died or their transmitters have failed, with David one of the remaining six that make the migration from the Congo rainforest, where they winter, to Wales. In previous years, he has returned to the UK between 28 April and the 14 May and experts expected him to be on the move from his wintering location, if not back on his breeding grounds, by now. The BTO has set up a mist net, a plastic cuckoo and the accompanying recording of a female in woods in Tregaron. "The hope is to entice David if he's within earshot. [Although], I have to admit, she's not a very attractive cuckoo," said John. Kelvin Jones, Welsh development officer at the British Trust for Ornithology, said a lot of people think the newer satellite technology would eliminate the need for the more traditional "ringing" system. "But without the ringing system - that is catching the birds and handling the birds - we cannot use the new technology," he said. Mr Jones said the tracking project had started to unravel the mystery of cuckoo movements.

Summary: Conservationists are searching for a missing cuckoo called David who usually returns to his Ceredigion breeding grounds.


KK Fine Foods is to open a third production hall to meet new contracts from customers including Wetherspoons, Ikea, Aldi and Morrisons. Its staff of 250, based at its premises on Deeside Enterprise Zone, will rise to 350 over the next six months. The company's £833,000 expansion has been helped by a £100,000 Welsh government loan. The business was started by chief executive Leyla Edwards in 1987 in her own kitchen, moving to Deeside in 2003 when it employed just 23 people. Last year KK Fine Foods announced a £4.2m expansion backed by the Welsh government and Finance Wales. The investment in extra manufacturing space and new equipment created 90 new jobs.

Summary: One hundred jobs are to be created after a Flintshire frozen ready meals company announced it was expanding.


The hosts fell behind just before the break when Sergio Ramos used his hand to block a shot in the box and Bruno Soriano chipped in from the spot. Ramos made amends soon after the restart, heading in from a corner. Zinedine Zidane's side put the visitors under concerted pressure throughout the second half, but Villarreal held on to deny Real the outright record. Instead they will have to share the record of 16 straight wins set by Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side in the 2010-11 season. However a point ensures they remain top of La Liga, four points ahead of Barcelona, who could only draw 1-1 with Atletico Madrid. Not many players switch between the roles of hero and villain as easily as Sergio Ramos and the volatile defender once again played both parts expertly either side of the interval. For the second game in a row he tried to disguise a handball by pretending the ball had hit his face. But the referee was having none of it and Bruno outsmarted Real keeper Kiko Casilla with a Panenka-style penalty to give Villarreal the lead. Ramos did the same against Espanyol at the weekend. It is the third penalty that Ramos has conceded in seven games across all competitions this season, yet the Spaniard made amends, losing his man at a corner and producing a powerful header that gave Sergio Asenjo no chance. It was the only one of 17 corners that the hosts converted, with Ramos also unable to persuade the referee to award Real a late penalty as he fell under the challenge of Roberto Soriano. This was the first game in which Real's 'BBC' front line of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo have all started together - a result of both injury and Zidane's commitment to rotating his squad. Yet there were only flickers of the trio's best football, especially in the first half when a resolute Villarreal stopped Real's fluid passing game and forced them to resort to shots from distance. The hosts dominated for long spells of the second half but rarely forced Asenjo into a save, with Benzema guilty of heading over two chances when well placed before both he and Bale were substituted before the end. A night of frustration for Real's talisman Ronaldo was complete when he finally found the target, only to see his effort parried away by Asenjo before slamming a late free-kick straight at the Villarreal keeper. Match ends, Real Madrid 1, Villarreal 1. Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card. Second Half ends, Real Madrid 1, Villarreal 1. Attempt saved. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Alfred N'Diaye (Villarreal). Foul by Raphael Varane (Real Madrid). Alexandre Pato (Villarreal) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Alfred N'Diaye (Villarreal). Foul by Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid).

Summary: Real Madrid missed out on a record-breaking 17th consecutive La Liga victory as they drew with Villarreal.


Arlene Foster's comments followed a week of disagreements over expenses payments. In a speech on Friday, the DUP leader called for "a completely independent system" for administering expenses. She said the electorate "need to be confident that we're one of them, fighting for them and not for ourselves". Mrs Foster added: "If people are going to vote for us, they need to have confidence in us." On Friday, the Assembly Commission and the Stormont expenses watchdog issued a joint statement on expenses payments. It said the two bodies are committed to working together to sort out the differences. In her speech to DUP members in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Mrs Foster expressed frustration that the issue was preventing her from communicating her vision for Northern Ireland. She said that she left the stability of a career in the legal profession "because [she] believed in a cause". "I wanted to make Northern Ireland a better place. I still have that vision," she said. "At the minute, no-one can hear about my vision for Northern Ireland because the administration of expenses is the main issue. "As leader of this party, I am not going to let an issue like this destabilise our strategy. "How we deal with this will reflect on how we deal with other matters of government." The first minister said that she plans to send a letter to DUP assembly candidates and other party leaders appealing for a new system to deal with financial matters in the new term. "The DUP has consistently argued that politicians should have absolutely no role in either deciding the level of their pay or expenses, or in administering the system by which those expenses are paid. "The completely independent system at Westminster may not be perfect, but it has instilled public confidence that failures of the past will not be repeated." At present, an independent Stormont regulator determines the level of MLAs' pay and Office Cost Allowances. However, claims are submitted to, and processed by staff within the assembly. Mrs Foster suggested that this "creates confusion and dents public confidence". "We need a completely independent system, just as there is in Westminster, where expenses are taken entirely out of the hands of MLAs and of staff working for the Northern Ireland Assembly," she said. "The DUP proposed exactly this kind of system 18 months ago. Sadly, other parties did not agree with us at that time. "If other parties will not join me in reforming the system, I will take steps on the floor of the House to have this put in place. I accept IPSA is more expensive and bureaucratic but it is essential that people can have confidence."

Summary: The first minister has said Northern Ireland politicians need to strive to regain the confidence of voters.


It is the first major competition the venue has hosted since under-going a post-Games makeover. The venue looks amazing and we can't wait to get diving Diver Daley relocated from Plymouth to the centre earlier this year and is part of a nine-strong GB squad. "It's the first time the whole team has been back here and it's going to be pretty special," he told BBC Sport. The venue, which hosted all of the aquatic disciplines at the London Games apart from water polo, cost more than £250m to build and had its capacity reduced from 18,000 to around 2,500 before it was re-opened to the public in February. Although long-term Chinese rival Qui Bo is missing the event, Daley will face tough opposition in the form of US Olympic gold medallist David Boudia and world synchro champion Sascha Klein of Germany. Media playback is not supported on this device Daley is currently without a partner for the 10m synchronised platform competition and likely to skip the event at the Commonwealth Games, so teenage duo Daniel Goodfellow and Matty Lee lead the British challenge in the event. "It's our first time in the pool as we weren't in the team for the Olympics, so we're really excited," Goodfellow told BBC Sport. Lee, who has won two World Series bronze medals with his team-mate so far this season, added: "Our partnership has clicked really quickly and we have a great relationship, which I think is behind our success so far." Two-time Olympian Tonia Couch dislocated her knee earlier this year but returned for the season-opening World series event in Beijing, where she won bronze. She will compete in both the individual 10m platform event and the synchronised competition with Sarah Barrow. Friday: 12:00 - women's 10m synchro final (Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow) and men's 10m synchro final (Matty Lee and Daniel Goodfellow) 19:00 - women's 3m syncho final (Rebecca Gallantree and Alicia Blagg) and men's 3m synchro final (Jack Laugher and Chris Mears) Saturday: 18:00 - women's 3m springboard final (Hannah Starling) and men's 3m springboard final (Jack Laugher) Sunday: 18:00 - women's 10m platform final (Sarah Barrow and Tonia Couch) and men's 10m platform final (Tom Daley) The event will also see 3m springboard divers Jack Laugher and Chris Mears make their long-awaited competitive debut as a pair. They teamed up after last year's World Championships, where Mears finished eighth with Nick Robinson-Baker, but he slipped in their opening training session and only recently returned to training after suffering problems with both ankles. "I was in a wheelchair for a few months, which wasn't ideal, but Jack and I practically live together and have a really close relationship which will hopefully make us a force to be reckoned with," he said. Rebecca Gallantree, who narrowly missed out on an individual medal in the Dubai leg of the series last month, will be partnered by Hannah Starling in the 3m springboard synchro final as her regular partner, Alicia Blagg, is injured.

Summary: Tom Daley will compete at the London Aquatics Centre for the first time since claiming Olympic bronze when he takes part in the World Series event.


It said Mr Russell would lead the Scottish government's negotiations with Westminster over "our future relationship with the EU". Mr Russell has been given the title of Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland's Place in Europe. He has previously held the environment, culture and education briefs. But he has been out of the Scottish cabinet since Nicola Sturgeon replaced Alex Salmond as first minister in November 2014. Ms Sturgeon said the appointment, which is subject to approval by Holyrood when it returns next month, was an indication of the importance she was placing on the negotiations. She added: "We already have an agreement with the new prime minister that the Scottish government should be fully involved in the development of the UK government's position ahead of Article 50 being triggered and beyond, and that options to protect Scotland's relationship with Europe will form part of these discussions. "By putting a dedicated and experienced minister at their centre, it will ensure that Scotland's voice is heard loudly and clearly. I am confident that Michael Russell will make strong and constructive representation to the UK government throughout this process." The first minister said External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop and Europe Minister Alasdair Allan would continue to lead discussions with EU institutions and member states. She added: "Derek Mackay will continue to have overall responsibility for the constitution, including overseeing preparations for a new independence referendum bill should that prove to be the best or only way to protect Scotland's interests." Mr Russell was previously Minister for Environment from 2007 until 2009 and then served as Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution before moving to the role of Cabinet Secretary for Education which he held until November 2014. He said he was "delighted and honoured" to accept the new role. He added: "Following the overwhelming vote in Scotland to remain in the EU, it is essential that Scotland comes together to defend our national interest. Accordingly in these discussions, it is important that the nation speaks, as much as possible, with one voice. "I will therefore want to listen and learn from the widest range of individuals, communities, organisations and companies about their hopes and fears for the future." Mr Russell, who will report directly to the first minister, is expected to attend the second meeting of the EU Standing Council next week.

Summary: Michael Russell has been appointed as the Scottish government's new minister with responsibility for Brexit negotiations with the UK government.


After decades of debate, years of acrimony over the issue in the Conservative Party, months of brutal brinksmanship in Westminster, and hours of debate this week, MPs have just approved the very first step in the process of Britain leaving the European Union. There are many hurdles ahead, probably thousands of hours of debate here, years of negotiations for Theresa May with our friends and rivals around the EU, as she seeks a deal - and possibly as long as a decade of administrative adjustments, as the country extricates itself from the EU. On a wet Wednesday, the debate didn't feel epoch-making, but think for a moment about what has just happened. MPs, most of whom wanted to stay in the EU, have just agreed that we are off. This time last year few in Westminster really thought that this would happen. The then prime minister's concern was persuading the rest of the EU to give him a better deal for the UK. His close colleagues believed the chances of them losing, let alone the government dissolving over the referendum, were slim, if not quite zero. Then tonight, his former colleagues are rubber stamping the decision of a narrow majority of the public, that changed everything in politics here for good. This isn't even the last vote on this bill. There are several more stages, the Lords are likely to kick up rough at the start. But after tonight, for better or worse, few will believe that our journey to the exit door can be halted. As government ministers have said in recent days, the moment for turning back is past.

Summary: It's begun.


The decision drops the German to third place, behind team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's Max Verstappen and cuts his points lead over Hamilton to one. Mercedes were found to have gone beyond the degree permitted to help a driver solve a technical problem. They broke a rule saying: "The driver must drive the car alone and unaided." Mercedes have lodged an intention to appeal against the decision. The Formula 1 rules were changed this year to introduce restrictions on how much teams can help drivers while they are out on track. Teams are allowed to intervene if the car has a "critical problem if a failure of a component or system is imminent and potentially terminal". Race stewards found Mercedes were allowed to give Rosberg instructions on the settings he needed to resolve the problem. But they should not have responded to his subsequent question on whether he should then change gear so the car went straight through seventh gear. Rosberg's engineer Tony Ross replied to the German's information that he had a gearbox problem with the words: "Driver default 1-0-1, chassis default 0-1, chassis default 0-1. Avoid seventh gear, Nico, avoid seventh gear." Rosberg then asked: "What does that mean, I have to shift through it? Engineer: "Affirm Nico, you need to shift through it. Affirm, you need to shift through it." Both Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff and his opposite number at Red Bull, Christian Horner, questioned the need for the rules restricting driver assistance. Horner said: "The rule is rubbish. It doesn't make a great deal of sense. But the rules are the rules. "The cars are technically very complex and you can understand why Mercedes would want to give that message to keep their driver running. "It's a team sport and the cars are a lot more complicated than they were even four years ago for the drivers to work out what they should and shouldn't be doing. "The question going forward is are these rules right for F1? That's a different question." Wolff, speaking before the decision to penalise Mercedes, drew parallels between this situation and one in last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, when Force India did not tell their driver Sergio Perez that he had a critical brake problem and the Mexican crashed out on the final lap. Wolff said: "We see that those rules maybe need a re-think between the FIA and the teams to maybe go more into detail on what is allowed or not because not communicating at all, you might as well unplug the radio and throw it out of the car. It is part of driving since a long time." However, the rule is a pet project of FIA president Jean Todt and he has so far been deaf to questions about its suitability. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.

Summary: Nico Rosberg and Mercedes have been penalised 10 seconds for breaking radio transmission rules during the British Grand Prix.


Current mayor Norma Redfearn said she wanted to give residents a "voice" on how the borough is run when she was appointed the post in 2013. Voters will be asked whether the current system should be replaced by committees of councillors. Ms Redfearn said she welcomed the poll after "promising" residents they would be given the opportunity to decide. Councillors approved plans for the referendum on Thursday. It will take place on the 5 May - the same date as the Police and Crime Commissioner elections. The council said if the results call for a change, this will take effect at the end of Ms Redfearn's current term of office in May 2017. If the outcome is to support the current system, the next mayoral election will take place in May 2017.

Summary: People in North Tyneside are being given the chance to vote on whether they want a directly elected mayor.


Made during the reign of King David I of Scotland, the penny was unearthed by a metal detector in a field in the north of England. Experts think it could fetch between Â£8,000 and Â£12,000 when it goes up for auction on 22 September. The penny bears the head of King David I, who ruled Scotland from 1124 to 1153. It is thought to have been struck some time after the Scots invaded England in 1136 to intervene in a civil war over the English throne. The coin will be auctioned in London by international coin specialists Dix Noonan Webb, and the auctioneers have described it as very important. It is one of the first to be struck bearing the head of a Scottish monarch and represents a key moment in the development of independent Scotland. The 54-year-old metal detectorist who found it has asked not to be named. He discovered the coin in a field in County Durham, on the site of a long-lost medieval village after he was given permission to search the area two years ago. He also turned up pennies from the reigns of English kings Edward I and Edward III as well as Elizabethan coins, two modern gold rings and a large number of bullets. The coin was almost certainly dropped in the medieval village which, in the 12th Century, was in an area of Northumbria granted to David I under the Treaty of Durham in 1139. It may, therefore, have lain in the soil for almost 900 years. Hiram Brown, of the Edinburgh Coin Shop, told BBC Scotland: "This coin is unique because it has an Edinburgh side with David on it, and the other side is Carlisle. It was probably struck in Carlisle. "David and his son Prince Henry attacked Carlisle and took over silver mines in that area and struck coins. "They went on to strike coins in many places in Scotland."

Summary: One of the earliest coins ever minted in Scotland is going under the hammer.


The rainbow flags with the Jewish symbol "made people feel unsafe", an organiser told the Windy City Times. Laurel Grauer said she was told to leave the so-called Dyke March "because my flag was a trigger to people that they found offensive". The organisers later hit back, saying Israel hides behind LGBT-rights. "It was a flag from my congregation which celebrates my queer, Jewish identity which I have done for over a decade marching in the Dyke March with the same flag," Ms Grauer told Windy City Times. Ms Grauer, who works for A Wider Bridge, which supports LGBT people in Israel, said she lost count of how many times she was verbally harassed by other marchers on Saturday. The Dyke March takes place one day ahead of the city's official Pride March. It is described by organisers as being a "more inclusive, more social justice-oriented" march than the city's main Pride parade. In a social media post, the Dyke March said: "This decision was made after [the expelled marchers] repeatedly expressed support for Zionism during conversations with Dyke March Collective members." Ms Grauer told the Times: "People asked me if I was a Zionist and I said, 'yes, I do care about the state of Israel, but I also believe in a two-state solution and an independent Palestine.' "It's hard to swallow the idea of inclusion when you are excluding people from that," she continued. "People are saying, 'You can be gay but not in this way.' We do not feel welcomed. We do not feel included." In a statement, the Dyke March Collective later accused Ms Grauer's organistion of "using Israel's supposed 'LGBTQ tolerance' to pinkwash the violent occupation of Palestine". A Wider Bridge hit back in a statement, saying: "That the organisers would choose to dismiss long-time community members for choosing to express their Jewish identity or spirituality runs counter to the very values the Dyke March claims to uphold, and veers down a dangerous path toward anti-Semitism." They called upon the Dyke March Collective to issue a full apology. Red State, a conservative blog, wrote: "When you're the organizer of a gay pride parade meant to celebrate 'inclusiveness,' then you're not just engaging in bigotry and anti-Semitism, but you're saying to the world you're also a giant hypocrite."

Summary: Organisers of an LGBT-rights festival in Chicago are being accused of anti-Semitism after they expelled marchers carrying the Star of David.


Hugh Shaw, the UK government official overseeing the salvage operation, said preparations were being made to allow the Hawk to begin the journey to Malta. From Malta the 17,000-tonne drilling rig is to be taken to a yard in Turkey to be broken up. The structure ran aground at Dalmore on Lewis in a storm in early August while being towed to Malta. Last week, Transocean Winner was floated on to the deck of the Hawk, a semi-submersible ship used for transporting large maritime structures over long distances.

Summary: The rig Transocean Winner is expected to be moved on a heavy lift ship from Broad Bay, Lewis, on Wednesday.


Mr Osborne is seen as one of the frontrunners to replace David Cameron, who has said he will not seek a third term as prime minister. He did not deny being a contender during an interview with BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg in Berlin. But he said he was "very focused" on the UK's EU renegotiations. This involves "delivering the best possible deal for Britain, the best possible economic plan for Britain, and getting all those decisions right", he added. Asked "what's wrong with being ambitious", the chancellor said he was "ambitious for Britain", listing his current roles and adding: "That is a huge task. I'm extremely honoured that I've been asked to undertake it, but it's all-consuming." Mr Osborne was one of three possible replacements tipped by Mr Cameron when he announced he would not seek a third term, along with Home Secretary Theresa May and London Mayor Boris Johnson. He is in Berlin to set out the UK's economic demands ahead of a planned in/out referendum on membership of the European Union.

Summary: Chancellor George Osborne avoided questions on his Conservative Party leadership ambitions, saying his current job was "all-consuming".


The prime minister said the UK should still be part of summits and negotiations when matters affecting all 28 member states were being discussed. Sources have denied the issue was the subject of a row at a dinner at the EU summit - Mrs May's first as PM. Both the French president and German chancellor warned if Mrs May pursued a "hard Brexit", talks would be hard too. Arriving at the summit in Brussels on Thursday, Mrs May pledged to continue to "work closely" with the EU after Brexit. She stressed it was important to have a "united European stance" against "Russian aggression" that included "sickening" violence in Syria. She told fellow leaders they "must be ready to take steps to change Russia's approach and the way it thinks about this if we are ever to bring an end to the violence in Syria", according to No 10 sources. Before sitting down for a dinner with fellow EU leaders that included pan-fried scallops, crown of lamb with roast fig and iced vanilla parfait, sources said Mrs May raised the issue of continuing UK participation in negotiations at an earlier meeting. Sources said she was keen that the UK was still fully included in discussions that affected all members - particularly on security issues - but denied she was concerned about being "frozen out". Troubled by the need to find a common approach to Russian ambitions in Syria, and distracted by a faltering trade deal with Canada, the EU's leaders didn't have Brexit at the top of this summit agenda. So long did proceedings over-run that it was reportedly 01:00 local time before Mrs May took the floor to offer a Brexit briefing. And brief it proved to be - EU sources said she spoke for around five minutes and there were no speeches in response from the other leaders. She used the summit though to make an important point - that just as Brexit means Brexit, so the UK remains IN the EU until the moment when it's officially out. The British view is that that means the 27 countries that will remain shouldn't jump the gun in starting to make decisions that exclude the UK. That message has now been delivered. But German MEP Manfred Weber told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It's not really normal that such a member who wants to leave a club like the EU also wants to decide the future of this club. That's really creating a lot of anger; the behaviour of the British government." The prime minister has promised to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - beginning two years of formal exit negotiations with the EU - by the end of March. This means Brexit, backed in a UK-wide referendum in June, will take place by the summer of 2019. The Brussels summit is not focused on Brexit but on issues like migration, trade and relations with Russia. On arrival, Mrs May said: "The UK is leaving the EU, but we will continue to play a full role until we leave and

Summary: Britain expects to be part of EU decision-making until Brexit, Theresa May has told fellow EU leaders.


Ex-policeman Antony Lowry-Huws, 68, of Kinmel Bay, and Sheila Whalley, 70, of Abergele, were jailed in 2013 after duping lenders across north Wales. Lowry-Huws' wife Susan, 63, who got a suspended sentence, must pay back the largest amount of £75,790. The three were convicted of conspiracy to defraud along with two others. At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Mold Crown Court, it was agreed Antony Lowry-Huws and Whalley made £4m each from their crimes. Lowry-Huws was ordered to repay £27,905, while developer Whalley will give back £18,350. His wife, who was said to be on the periphery of the scam and under the influence of her husband, benefited £896,351 and must pay back £75,790. During the trial, the court heard mortgage lenders were conned into lending thousands of pounds in mortgages on properties across north Wales, Cheshire and the north west of England. The prosecution said the deceit was achieved by inflating the value of the property used as security, hiding that in some cases no deposit was put down, or inflating the rental income potential to make the mortgage rate more acceptable. In some cases the homes on which mortgages were advanced did not exist.

Summary: Three people involved in one of the UK's biggest mortgage frauds, worth up to £24m, must repay some of the money they made.


Media playback is not supported on this device A winner must be declared on the night - as an ice hockey rink needs to be laid at midnight for a match at the same Hallenstadion venue the following day. But what else do you need to know? BBC Radio 5 live's sports news correspondent Richard Conway explains. Media playback is not supported on this device Fifa's 209 nations will gather in Zurich for what is billed as an "extraordinary congress". It was called after Sepp Blatter dramatically announced last June that he would step aside after 18 years as Fifa president. The 79-year-old Swiss said he was "laying down his mandate", which has led to some concern he may not have actually resigned. However, Fifa officials are confident he will not make an awkward re-appearance - not least because he has been banned from football for eight years over a "disloyal payment" of £1.3m to suspended Uefa president Michel Platini. Both men deny wrongdoing and are appealing against their bans. Blatter also has no accreditation to get into the conference hall on the outskirts of Zurich where the congress is being held. There are two big issues to settle. First, the FA representatives have to agree to a package of reforms designed to eliminate the problems that have plunged Fifa into crisis in recent months and restore its reputation. Then, if and when that is formalised, they have to appoint a new president. Media playback is not supported on this device Given the hype and spin around the election the reforms have been slightly forgotten about - but they are vitally important to the organisation's future. One Fifa insider believes it would be a "disaster" if measures to clean up the governing body fail. Specifically, Fifa wants members to agree to term limits for top officials along with disclosure of their salaries. Responsibility for everyday business decisions will be removed from the "political" representatives of national associations. The "executive committee" will be disbanded. In its place will come a new 36-member Fifa council, which will include a minimum of six women, to set global strategy. The day-to-day running of Fifa will pass to a new "general secretariat" - equivalent to a corporate executive board - and the secretary general, effectively the CEO, will be a powerful position. The checks and balances will be carried out by a series of committees, the most important of which will be the fully independent audit and compliance committee. Fifa wants the regional confederations and national associations to mirror their efforts over time and they will place immediate new demands on them, such as annual audits. Media playback is not supported on this device You would think so given Fifa's recent history. However, officials aren't taking any chances. The proposals need 75% approval to be passed. Acting president Issa Hayatou has been very active in spreading the message about the need to adopt the raft of proposals. Hayatou was censured by the International Olympic Committee for his part in the ISL scandal - where the sports marketing

Summary: Football's crisis-hit world governing body Fifa will meet in Zurich on Friday and elect a new leader to try to take the damaged organisation forward into a new era.


Police cars, ambulances and fire engines were involved in at least 3,636 crashes between April 2011 and March 2016. North Wales Police recorded the most incidents of those who responded, but the majority involved minor damage. The Welsh Ambulance Service said a crash on a 999 call could be "catastrophic". North Wales Police 1,506 Welsh Ambulance Service 735 Dyfed-Powys Police 567 South Wales fire 313 North Wales fire 280 Mid and West Wales fire 235 Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed North Wales Police officers were involved in 331 collisions in 2015-16 - down from 361 the previous year. The force was criticised last April when officers used a police car to deliberately run over and kill a dog which was loose on the A55 in Conwy. It reportedly cost the force Â£1,561.48 to repair the car involved but it said the majority of its reported collisions in the past five years were for minor damage. Stephen Roberts, North Wales Police's head of facilities and fleet department, said: "The majority of North Wales Police vehicles are in constant use, responding swiftly and effectively to challenging and emergency situations. Our fleet of 557 vehicles cover vast distances in all weather and road conditions. "For the period in question all incidents were reported. This includes minor scrapes or damage to vehicles which accounted for 74% of incidents during 2015. "Prior to 2015, we did not distinguish between collisions and minor damage." The Welsh Ambulance Service recorded the second highest number of incidents - 150 of which happened while on an emergency call. Incidents since April included a driver who died following a crash between two ambulances on the A499 in Gwynedd. Andrew Challenger, head of driver trainer at Welsh Ambulance Service, said emergency drivers were trained to anticipate risks and respond to hazards on the road. He said people often panicked when they saw emergency vehicles, but urged them to stay calm and advised them to find a safe place to pull in to allow them to pass. Dyfed-Powys Police, which provided information from 2012 to 2015 only, said 75 of its crashes happened while officers were attending emergency calls. A total of 26 people were injured in collisions involving the force's vehicles, including 19 officers. Gwent Police and South Wales Police would not provide figures. Among the collisions involving fire service vehicles was a crash between and car and a fire engine in Swansea in 2013. Of the crashes recorded by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, 156 happened on emergency call-outs. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue said its incidents were a mix of attending or returning from incidents, routine activities or damage found during vehicle checks.

Summary: There have been more than 3,500 crashes involving emergency service vehicles in the past five years.


Prices in November were 4.4% higher than a year earlier, compared with a 4.6% increase in October. The building society said prices rose by 0.1% from the month before, with the average cost of a home now Â£204,947. Nationwide said there were signs that demand for houses had picked up in the past few months. "There are some signs that, despite the uncertain economic outlook, demand conditions have strengthened a little in recent months, reflecting the impact of solid labour market conditions and historically low borrowing costs," said Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist. "Mortgage approvals increased in October, and surveyors report that new buyer enquiries have increased modestly. "The relatively low number of homes on the market and modest rates of housing construction are likely to keep the demand/supply balance fairly tight in the quarters ahead, even if economic conditions weaken, as most forecasters expect." Where can I afford to live?

Summary: Annual house price growth has slowed to its lowest rate since January, according to the UK's second largest mortgage lender, the Nationwide.