Cockerill, 46, was dismissed as Tigers' director of rugby on 2 January, with the club fifth in the Premiership. England head coach Jones told BBC Sport that despite having a forwards coach he would "never close the door". Jones also said Dylan Hartley would continue to captain England if he was fit enough to be selected. Northampton hooker Hartley is serving a six-week ban for catching Leinster's Sean O'Brien with a swinging arm in a Champions Cup match in December. Jones, 56, said last month that the 30-year-old had "let his country down" with the third red card of his career. But the Australian said on Tuesday that Hartley was "doing everything right" to be England captain for the forthcoming Six Nations. Cockerill had been a member of Leicester's coaching staff since 2004, taking over as head coach in 2009 and becoming director of rugby in 2010. But following a 16-12 defeat by Saracens on New Year's Day, and with Leicester 15 points adrift of leaders Wasps, Cockerill was sacked. Jones said: "I have a massive amount of sympathy for Richard Cockerill. "He is a great rugby guy, a great player for Leicester, has been a very successful director of rugby and coach. "You don't like to see that happen to anyone but the reality of being a coach is that everyone goes through that and I am sure he will end up somewhere else. "It has been a discussion point for the Leicester players. They are disappointed for Richard but know they have to get on with the job. "We are very well endowed with the forwards coaches we have at the moment so we can always look at the possibility of that [getting Cockerill]." Former England lock Steve Borthwick is currently England's forwards coach. Hartley's dismissal in Northampton's 37-10 home defeat by Leinster had jeopardised his involvement in England's Six Nations campaign, with their opening fixture against France at Twickenham on 4 February. However, he is eligible to play again from 23 January. Jones added: "A prerequisite to get into the England side is to be very fit and not playing games means he needs to undergo an unbelievably stringent fitness programme over the next five or six weeks. He is doing that and is in the best position to continue as captain. "If Dylan is right to play, he will be captain. "Everyone makes mistakes. In the last 12 months, he has made one mistake and done a hell of a lot of good things so his batting average is pretty high. If that falls, then we need to look at things. "We have had a number of chats, not any longer than five minutes, but plenty of information has been exchanged. He understands where he is at and what he needs to do. He will do it." The former Australia coach said it was a "big relief" to have James Haskell back in contention after the flanker missed the autumn internationals with a toe injury. Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi has been ruled out of England's training camp in

Summary: Eddie Jones says he sympathises with Richard Cockerill and is open to the possibility of the sacked Leicester boss joining England's coaching set-up.


England seamer Jake Ball, Luke Fletcher and James Pattinson all took three wickets as Durham were out for 162. Stuart Poynter provided the only real resistance, scoring 65 off 59 balls before he was bowled by Fletcher. Notts lost 17 overs of their reply to bad light, but seamer Chris Rushworth took two early wickets to help reduce the away side to 96-4 at stumps. Durham, playing their first game since being relegated from Division One and docked 48 points over financial issues, could have been in far worse position had it not been for Poynter's second first-class half-century. The Ireland international struck 12 fours in his innings to put pressure on the Notts attack, with his 52-run last-wicket partnership alongside Rushworth giving his side hope of getting back in contention on day two.

Summary: Nottinghamshire's bowlers dominated on the first day at the Riverside before Durham fought back with the ball.


A report for ministers called for Literature Wales to have much of its funding and responsibilities removed. Literature Wales then described the review as a "dud", filled with "inaccuracies", which its funder, the Arts Council of Wales, also criticised. Mr Skates said he had been surprised to see "personal statements" that could undermine his response to the report. The review by Prof Medwin Hughes found the board of Literature Wales was "lacking the skills and experience" to spend public money. It said there was no evidence of strong governance at Literature Wales and its mission and goals were "unrealistic and vague". In response, Mr Skates announced that several responsibilities would transfer from Literature Wales to the Welsh Books Council. They include the Wales Book of the Year award, bursaries for writers and literary events. Mr Skates has now written to the Arts Council of Wales and Literature Wales to tell them he notes the "concern" they have with elements of the report. He has asked Prof Hughes and his panel to consider their criticism of the report and to respond during the summer break. In the letter, Mr Skates assured the organisations that their "concerns are being looked at" but criticised their public responses. "Some of you clearly perceive serious issues with the report," he wrote. "You have raised these with me and have agreed with me that the review panel should consider your concerns and respond to them. "I have therefore been surprised in recent days to see personal statements appear online which could be seen as seeking to undermine the process we have all committed to, without awaiting the panel's response. "This is not helpful." In the letter, Mr Skates adds: "I hope and expect that we will move forward in a way that allows this work to be completed in good faith and in doing so maintain productive and positive working relationships, both now and in the future."

Summary: The way arts bodies responded publicly to a critical review was "not helpful", Economy Secretary Ken Skates has said.


It said such a move would "reduce the burden" on passengers who could instead go to claims companies which would take a cut of any payouts. Hundreds of flights were grounded by last Saturday's IT problems. BA said that it had "no desire to be obstructive" and would fully honour its compensation obligations. The problems, which continued throughout last weekend, disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers around the world. Under EU law, passengers can claim compensation from BA for travel disruption, worth up to 600 euros (Â£524). They can also claim expenses for items such as hotels, meals and phone calls - a matter that led to a dispute with insurers during the week. Which? said the airline sector was out of step with other service industries. In a letter to BA chief executive Alex Cruz, Alex Neill from Which? wrote: "You have 'profusely' apologised to passengers, many of whom have had their holidays ruined, and have 'committed' to following the rules on compensation. "This does not go far enough and is simply not good enough. You have failed your customers once and are in grave danger of doing it again. "By simplifying the compensation process, you have an opportunity to minimise the additional stress and inconvenience you cause your customers and ensure they are not pushed into the arms of claims management companies, who will take a large part of the money they are owed. "British Airways can, and should, seek to automatically issue statutory compensation to all affected passengers. "This would reduce the burden on passengers and mean they get back what they are legally entitled to quicker. "It would also allow you to focus on dealing with the individual additional expenses incurred by affected passengers on a case-by-case basis. "Disruptions like last weekend only highlight that it is time for all airlines to introduce measures so that, where possible, passengers are compensated automatically for delays and cancellations." A BA spokeswoman said: "We sincerely apologise for the difficulties and frustration customers faced during the huge disruption across the bank holiday weekend. "We will fully honour our EU compensation obligations and have set up a link on the home page of our website to enable customers to submit their claims as quickly and conveniently as possible. "We have no desire to be obstructive in any way and have put additional resources into our call centres to process claims as speedily as possible." According to one comparison website, an estimated 70% of all airline customers who have a right to a payout do not claim. Virgin became the first rail company to automatically compensate some train passengers if they are delayed. Travellers using its services on the West Coast main line - and who book their tickets via the company app or website - receive automatic repayments. Communications regulator Ofcom is also investigating the use of automatic compensation when phone or internet services fail. At present, customers tend to go through one of two ombudsman services.

Summary: British Airways should automatically compensate thousands of customers who were caught up in disruption last weekend, says consumer group Which?


Simons blamed construction costs and archaeology requirements for its decision to ask West Dorset District Council to find alternative developers. West Dorset District Council had agreed funding of up to Â£4m towards the scheme which includes Marks & Spencer and Waitrose stores. The council said it was "disappointed" by the decision. The company cited the requirements of English Heritage, including undertaking a full archaeological survey, as making the project financially unviable. In a letter to the council, Simons' chief executive Tom Robinson said the viability of the second phase of the project had been "marginal for a number of years". An online petition set up by residents' group Defend our Rich Cultural Heritage backing calls for archaeological investigations of the site, which lies within the walls of the old Roman town, has received almost 4,000 signatures. Anthony Alford, leader of West Dorset District Council, said: "We remain ambitious for this key town centre site. "Our vision is to keep Dorchester a thriving shopping destination and keep retailers in our county town." New council buildings, a library and an adult learning centre have already been built in Charles Street in the first phase of its regeneration.

Summary: The developer of a new retail area in Dorchester town centre has pulled out of the scheme.


An average 8.1 million people tuned in to watch the TV talent search as it was broadcast, compared with an average 4.5 million who watched The Voice. Viewing peaked at 9.6 million on ITV as 13-year-old Beau Dermott wowed the judges with her singing. Some 6.1 million saw Kevin Simm crowned the winner of the BBC's singing show. Despite winning the ratings battle on Saturday, the Britain's Got Talent opener received the lowest viewing figures of any launch show since its very first episode in 2007 when 4.9 million people tuned in. Last year 10.1 million watched the launch, down from a high of 11.1 million in 2014. Saturday's episode saw Dermott secure a standing ovation and the first Golden Buzzer from the judges - which gives her an automatic place in the live shows - following her rendition of Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked. After a slight fall in viewership for the following acts, audiences peaked again as 9.5 million watched Moldovan Alexandr Magala's sword swallowing act. The judges and crowd screamed and covered their eyes as the 26-year-old slid upside-down a pole with the sword lodged in his mouth, coming to a stop an inch above the ground. "I actually thought you were going to die," Simon Cowell admitted after the act was put through to the next round of the competition. According to overnight figures, around 40% of all TV audiences were watching Britain's Got Talent between 19:00 BST and 20:20 BST. When the programme finished, two million viewers switched over to The Voice for its final 40 minutes and to see the winner announced. Simm, who was previously in the pop group Liberty X, beat runner-up Jolan to be crowned the last winner of the singing contest on BBC One before the show moves to ITV. Although audience figures for the latest series of The Voice had started strongly with an average 7.9 million viewers, ratings steadily declined in past weeks with 4.5 million tuning into the semi-final last week. The finale drew its lowest ever ratings, down from 6.3 million viewers who tuned in to watch it last year, and 6.6 million in 2014.

Summary: The return of Britain's Got Talent was a ratings winner for ITV, scoring almost double the viewers as the final of The Voice on BBC One.


Over the summer of last year the campaign leadership took a decision which has dogged them to this day. They would highlight the overall, or gross, figure Britain contributes to the EU without taking account of the special rebate Britain receives back from the EU or billions of pounds in subsidies from Brussels. The Vote Leave campaign therefore took out their calculators and used Britain's annual £18.8bn contribution to the EU in 2014 to give them one of their main campaign messages. Divide £18.8bn by 52 and you come up with the figure of £350m, allowing the Vote Leave campaign to emblazon its campaign bus and literature highlighting the weekly figure the UK hands over to Brussels. The group has then said this money could be used to fund extra spending on public services such as the NHS. On Monday night's special Newsnight programme examining "What Out looks like", however, it was striking that energy minister and leading Brexit campaigner Andrea Leadsom eschewed this formula referring instead repeatedly to a "£10bn independence dividend". That figure represents her estimate of Britain's net contribution once the rebate and EU funding to the UK have been taken into account. On Wednesday morning the Institute for Fiscal Studies delivered another blow to the £350M a week figure in its report on the economic impact of Brexit. It said that £8bn, which takes account of the rebate and the subsidies, would be a more accurate annual figure of Britain's EU contributions. Paul Johnson, the director of the IFS, told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4: "To have that £350m [per week] after we left the EU you would have to assume something rather bizarre which is we'd left, we stopped paying contributions and our current partners nevertheless continued to pay us a rebate on contributions that we weren't making. That is where you get £350m from." These concerns are shared by some figures in the Vote Leave campaign. Key people in the campaign are not using the figure and are instead highlighting the £10bn figure cited by Leadsom. The source told me: "The £10bn is eye wateringly high so why exaggerate that? Dominic Cummings [the Vote Leave campaign director] insists on using the £350m figure on the grounds that an argument about future payments to the EU plays into Vote Leave hands. But that figure just detracts from the argument." Newsnight understands that concerns have been raised internally at Vote Leave about the use of the £350m figure by the campaign. But Dominic Cummings has insisted that arguments about the £350m figure help by highlighting the fact that the UK pays a vast amount of money into EU coffers. Polling and focus groups conducted by Vote Leave also suggest that the £350m figure is registering in the minds of voters. There is another argument that is being used internally to defend the £350m figure which explains why Matthew Elliott, the Vote Leave chief executive, is so supportive. The campaign which successfully defeated a Liberal Democrat attempt to replace Britain's first-past-the-post voting system with the Alternative Vote

Summary: From its earliest days the Vote Leave campaign believed that Britain's financial contributions to the EU would be one of its main trump cards during the referendum.


The remains of this large, rodent-like creature give clues about how mammals "took over" when dinosaurs died out. They think the newly-discovered species was a plant-eating creature that looked a bit like a beaver. The researchers noticed, in particular, the animal's teeth, which were designed for chewing plants. This group of now-extinct mammals lived alongside the dinosaurs and thrived for more than 100 million years. The scientists say that this discovery helps explain how mammals made it through the event which killed off dinosaurs, thought to be an asteroid hitting Earth. "A whole lot of mammals did die, but this group is one that made it through pretty well," Dr Brusatte explained. "That asteroid hit and suddenly the dinosaurs are wiped out. It looks like mammals were just waiting their turn and as soon as the dinosaurs disappeared, they thrived."

Summary: Scientists have discovered a species of ancient mammal that survived the event that led to the end of the dinosaurs.


We have a mass of information for you to digest on our election hub at Election 2015 - Northern Ireland - BBC News We have profiles of all 18 constituencies and the main political parties and, over the coming weeks, will take an in-depth look at the party leaders. There will, of course, be analysis from our top team of political experts. All our stories are tagged, enabling you to personalise your news feed on your mobile; whether you want to follow a particular political party or you want to keep an eye on a constituency, we will keep you up to date. We also have a clickable guide to the issues at the heart of this election. And there will be a full list of candidates by the close of nominations on 9 April. We will have all the stories as the campaign builds momentum, manifestos are launched and political broadsides are exchanged between candidates and parties. On election night, the constituency streams will really come into play as you can keep across how the vote is looking in your part of Northern Ireland. We will also have an overnight live page bringing you constant updates on how the parties are faring, who is out who is in, the big stories of the election and latest from the count centres. We'll bring you up-to-date content from our reporters and correspondents in the count centres, and will be across social media with the very latest commentary. In this election, more than ever before, the focus could be on the Northern Ireland parties if there is a hung parliament. So even after the results are in, we'll bring you all the wheeling and dealing that could result in another coalition government or a minority one. And we'll bring you analysis of what this will mean for Northern Ireland. What are the top issues for each political party at the 2015 general election? Policy guide: Where the parties stand

Summary: The general election campaign is now in full swing and you can follow every step of the way on the BBC News NI website.


Police found the injured 18-year-old after they were called to Hertford Road, Enfield, on Saturday at 22:30 BST over reports of a fight. He was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead an hour later. Two others also suffered stab wounds. In a separate incident, a man was shot and stabbed to death in broad daylight near Bow Road Tube station. The victim, 41, was killed in Eagling Close on Saturday afternoon in what police described as a "violent murder". Two men have been arrested and are in custody at east London police stations. The two teenagers who were stabbed in Enfield were found in Palmers Lane. The 17 and 19-year-olds were taken to hospital but their injuries are not being treated as life-threatening. Scotland Yard said no arrests have been made and have appealed for witnesses. In another incident earlier, a man was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition after being stabbed in the head and neck in Enfield. Police said they believe the victim, who is thought to be aged in his 30s, was attacked following an "altercation" with a group of men in Exeter Road. No arrests have been made.

Summary: A man has been stabbed to death and two others injured during a large brawl in north London.


The 28-year-old won the Chengdu event in China and will now compete in her first World Series triathlon of the season in Yokohama, Japan on Saturday. "For me the weekend was about getting back into racing and refocusing more than the victory itself," she said. "Winning gives me a bit more confidence going into the World Series." Saturday's event is raced over an Olympic distance which includes a 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run - four times the distance of the race in Chengdu. The 2013 world champion will compete alongside fellow Briton Vicky Holland, who pipped her to Olympic bronze in Rio, and 2016 world champion Flora Duffy of Bermuda, who are also competing in the World Series for the first time this season after overcoming injuries. "The level at the World Series is that much higher than the World Cup," said Stanford. "The field is pretty stacked and that's exciting that you go out there and actually get to test yourself against the best that triathlon has to offer. "It's definitely going to be hard and not as easy as it was at the weekend. I don't think the victory will come quite as smoothly. "I just want to go out there and do an Olympic distance, see where I'm at and what we have to work on for the rest of the season." The Chengdu event consisted of two events held over two days and Stanford, who had not raced on the World Cup circuit since 2011, did not expect victory. "The format of the race was unusual and I wasn't sure at all how I would do. You could have finished first or last in that situation. "I made some smart decisions whilst I was racing. I stayed quite calm which is important in that sort of race which is so fast. "It's very quick decisions in the heat of the moment and I managed to make good decisions at the right time and that helped me to the top of the podium." Swansea-born Stanford, who finished fourth at last summer's Olympic Games in Rio, has endured a difficult few months. "I got a small tear in my Achilles back in November and recovery from that hasn't been straightforward," Stanford told BBC Wales Sport. "I didn't do any proper running until end of February, so it hasn't been smooth at all. It hasn't been my best winter of training and that's why I really surprised myself at the weekend." Stanford missed out on the 2014 Commonwealth Games through injury and has her sights set on the Games at the Gold Coast next April. "The main aim for this season is to make sure I confirm my selection for the Commonwealth Games next year," Stanford said. "I was absolutely devastated to miss out on the Commonwealth Games in 2014. To sit on the sidelines and watch was pretty tough. "It's been a lifelong ambition of mine to represent Wales at the Commonwealths. "It definitely came onto my radar before the Olympic Games ever did. "It will be

Summary: Welsh triathlete Non Stanford is confident she can make the most of her first ever World Cup win following a winter disrupted by injury.


The FTSE 100 rose 102.3 points, or 1.7%, to 6,156.32. Rising prices of metals lifted mining shares, and Anglo American climbed 3.6%. The biggest riser on the index was Coca-Cola HBC, which was 6.5% higher after Citigroup upgraded its rating on the stock to "buy". In the FTSE 250, shares in bookmaker Ladbrokes jumped 6.5%. The Competition and Markets Authority said Ladbrokes and Gala Coral might have to sell about 350 to 400 shops for their planned merger to be "conditionally cleared", but the figure was lower than expected. On the currency markets, the pound fell 0.64% against the dollar to $1.4518, and dropped 0.68% against the euro to â‚¬1.2952.

Summary: (Close): The London market rose more than 1%, recovering most of the ground lost on Thursday.


Flynn's side are 22nd in League Two, two points above Hartlepool in the final relegation place. A win will ensure the Exiles remain in the EFL, but if Pools beat title-chasing Doncaster Rovers, they could return to the National League. "If we win, it's going to be the biggest party in Newport for a long time," Flynn told BBC Radio Wales. He continued: "I'm not going to pull any punches or dress it up, it is the biggest game [in their modern history] for so many reasons. It means so much to the club and amazing fans and to me." Newport were beaten 2-1 by Carlisle United on Saturday after leading in the 12th minute in a game which could have wrapped up their EFL survival. Flynn says the game against Notts County will be difficult to watch but believes his side can take the win they need to stay up. "It's going to be horrendous, it's going to be nerve-wracking but I really think the boys are going to deliver because they've been brilliant and I can't ask for much more so I'm quietly confident but it will be a stressful time," he said. "We've had some unbelievably tough games considering the league and position we were in but they've answered everything and every time we've lost, we've had a good response so I'm hoping we'll get one on Saturday." Media playback is not supported on this device

Summary: Newport County boss Mike Flynn says their game against Notts County is the biggest in the club's recent history.


It means the London club's Centre Court will hold almost 9,000 people for the June tournament which marks the start of the grass-court season. Queen's has also signed a deal with the Lawn Tennis Association to host the championships until 2026. Tournament director Stephen Farrow said the traditional Wimbledon warm-up event would be "better than ever" in 2017. "Last year we sold out within 24 hours and enjoyed a 20% increase in hospitality sales, so the demand for an increase in capacity is clear," he added. Britain's two-time Wimbledon and Olympic champion Andy Murray is the holder and record five-time winner. Next year's tournament runs from 19 to 25 June.

Summary: The Queen's Club will increase its capacity by more than 2,000 seats for the 2017 Aegon Championships.


Rachel Fee, 32, argued the judge in her 2016 trial misdirected the jury about the lesser charge of culpable homicide before they considered their verdict. Two-year-old Liam Fee died at his home near Glenrothes on 22 March 2014. Fee, also known as Trelfa, and her civil partner Nyomi Fee, 30, were both convicted of abusing and murdering the toddler. He had suffered fatal heart injuries similar to those found on road crash victims and spent the last few days of his short life in agony from an untreated broken leg and fractured arm. The pair - originally from Ryton, Tyne and Wear - were also convicted of being behind a catalogue of cruelty against two boys in their care, one of whom they tried to blame for Liam's death. Judge Lord Burns last year handed both women life sentences and ordered Rachel Fee to serve a minimum of 23-and-a-half years behind bars while "domineering" Nyomi Fee was sentenced to spend at least 24 years in prison. Senior judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh heard arguments from Fee's legal team and the Crown last month, and have now rejected the appeal in a written opinion. Fee's appeal centred on what her defence team said was a misdirection by the trial judge during his legal summing-up at the High Court in Livingston in May. Defence QC Brian McConnachie told the court the judge did not present to the jury with "the possibility that they could convict Nyomi Fee of murder and convict the appellant (Rachel Fee) of culpable homicide". The lawyer submitted there was a case, on the evidence, for the jury to identify co-accused Nyomi Fee as having been the main "actor" in committing the murder. Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC, for the Crown, argued it was a "clear case in which the Crown had established concert for murder". The appeal verdict, delivered by Lord Turnbull, concluded: "There is therefore no basis upon which it could be said that the appellant did anything less than actively associate herself with a common criminal purpose which included the taking of human life, or carried the obvious risk that human life would be taken, in the carrying-out of which murder was committed. "In the circumstances of this case the evidence led by the Crown clearly established that the appellant had associated herself with a purpose which carried with it the obvious risk that life would be taken. "We therefore agree with the trial judge and the advocate depute that the directions argued for by the appellant were correctly omitted. "For the reasons which we have given, the appeal against conviction is refused."

Summary: A mother jailed for life for murdering her toddler son in Fife has had her appeal against conviction rejected.


In those two decades, the country has come a long way but still faces many problems. Tour guide Businesswoman Cafe owner Choir mistress Farmer South Africa Direct While many blacks have moved up the economic ladder, poverty remains high, tensions still exist between blacks and whites in some areas and South Africa has one of the highest number of HIV/Aids patients in the world. For Working Lives, the BBC's Lerato Mbele travelled to Johannesburg to meet five very different South Africans living and working in and around the city. Hair salon entrepreneur Mankwane Chakela is a proud member of South Africa's growing black middle class. She grew up in a township but now lives in one of Johannesburg's more affluent suburbs. Hoping to make a similar transition is Jeff Mulaudzi, who runs tours of Alexandra, one of Johannesburg's sprawling townships. He spotted a gap in the market for adventurous tourists wanting to see the real South Africa and now shows small groups around his neighbourhood. Another part of the city undergoing a revival is Johannesburg's Central Business District where Nick Christowitz caters to a multi-racial clientele in his impeccably designed and achingly cool cafe. School choir mistress, Makgopa Gomba, had to flee her township home in the last years of the apartheid era on account of her husband's job as a policeman. But now, she is back and working in the local community. White farmer Louis Meintjes says he can trace his South African heritage back to the 1730s. Farming has never been an easy life but in the past it was more certain.

Summary: It is 20 years since South Africa held its first non-racial elections which ended white rule and saw the transfer of power to the African National Congress.


Jamaica's Bolt, an eight-time Olympic gold medallist, will be the star attraction at the first Nitro Athletics event in Melbourne on Saturday. It includes both traditional and new events, such as the elimination mile. "This will be track and field as it's never been seen before," said Bolt. The 30-year-old learned last week he would have to hand back one of his nine Olympic gold medals after Jamaican team-mate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance. Bolt said at the time: "I'm not happy, but it's just one of those things that happen in life." He is now preparing to captain the All-Stars in an event he says will bring "something different" to world athletics. Lord Coe, head of athletics' governing body, said: "Athletics, in its traditional form, remains the cornerstone of the Olympic Games. "However, we need innovation and more opportunities for our athletes to interact with fans and show their personalities." Athletics Australia president Mark Arbib says it is "the sports entertainment product track and field needs to move athletics beyond the existing format of one-day athletics meets". Find out how to get into athletics with our inclusive guide. He believes it will be a "game-changer", an event showcasing a mix of power, endurance, technique and teamwork disciplines across sprints, distance, field and Para-athletics events. Cue mixed events, medley relays and target javelin, with countdown clocks, athletes wearing microphones and fluorescent blocks and batons. Points are awarded for each of the 12 events, as the six teams compete over three one-day meetings at Melbourne's Lakeside Stadium. Four-time Olympic 400m medallist Christine Ohuruogu will lead the England team against Bolt's All-Stars, Australia, New Zealand, China and Japan. "I really do think Nitro is going to be a huge success and I think everybody around the world is watching to see how it goes," said the 32-year-old two-time world champion. Middle-distance runner Michael Rimmer and sprinter Bianca Williams are among those competing alongside Ohuruogu, while Bolt's team will include his Jamaican relay team-mates Asafa Powell and Michael Frater. "It is going to be great, going to be something different. Like cricket and Twenty20," added Bolt, who confirmed he has no plans to extend his career beyond this year's World Championships in London "I feel it will catch on. It's going to bring a lot of excitement to the sport."

Summary: England will provide one of five teams competing against Usain Bolt's All-Stars in a new athletics event IAAF president Lord Coe says will "revolutionise" the sport.


The measures include the installation of concrete roadside barriers to protect tennis fans outside the venue. The Met Police says the plans will also see firearms officers in and around the grounds and a mobile unit which can "respond to emerging incidents". Tournament organisers say there has been a "proportional uplift" in measures introduced in past years. About 7,000 people were queuing outside the All England Club on the first day of the championships. Wimbledon said the use of the barriers was part of "enhanced measures" this year and would provide "visible physical security". They have been placed along the route people take as they make their way to and from the tournament as well as in the public queuing zone. The Met Police said it "continually develops and refines plans for this type of event and planning has been under way throughout the year". "We have put together a proportionate policing plan with a significant number of resources to support the club to deliver a really safe, secure competition," said Supt Jo Edwards. "Our plans are based on a number of factors, including the threat level and recent events in London and the UK." Vehicles were driven at pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in March, on London Bridge in June and near a Finsbury Park mosque later the same month. Supt Edwards said officers will be working in uniform and plain clothes during the two-week event. Police also warned the public against pick-pockets and touts selling unauthorised tickets. Wimbledon has published security advice on its website, saying there would be extensive searches of people, bags and vehicles and urging spectators to allow plenty of time for entry. The tennis club has continued its ban on spectators bringing in selfie sticks or any "objects or clothing bearing political statements". Source: Wimbledon

Summary: Security at Wimbledon is being stepped up after the recent UK terror attacks involving vehicles hitting pedestrians.


The new inquests heard Stuart Gray gave John McBrien, of Holywell, Flintshire, heart massage and chest compressions. But the health worker said the 18-year-old was in a "desperate state" and he was "fighting a lost cause". Ninety-six fans were fatally injured in a terrace crush at the FA Cup semi-final in Sheffield on 15 April 1989. Mr Gray, who was the general manager of Kidderminster district health authority and had some first aid training, told the jury he remembers the disaster at the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest match "as vividly today" as he did 26 years ago. He reassured Mr McBrien's family he did not leave the A-Level student's side. "John was lying at my feet. I was sitting up myself, I don't know how I got there. When I came to he was lying at my feet, lying on his back," he said. "I was aware of the fact that it was probably fighting a lost cause, but the point was that he was there and I was just trying to do what I knew was the best thing I could do to see if I could get him breathing again." He said Mr McBrien was "in a desperate state" but added: "I thought that if I got some air into his lungs and I could at get his heart going again, there was at least a chance he may have survived. "So I just kept going, giving him heart massage and compressing his chest for maybe about five minutes." Mr McBrien had a place to study at Liverpool University and his mother, Joan Hope, described him as a "kind, generous and charismatic" son who "excelled academically". The inquests, in Warrington, Cheshire, continue.

Summary: A Liverpool fan who lost consciousness in the crush at Hillsborough told the inquests he "came to" and began trying to save a teenager lying next to him.


Special Report: The Technology of Business Lotus F1 Team looks to tech to win Hey you, get on to my cloud Domain shift sends cyber world dotty How to cash in with off-the-peg apps Taj Mahal comes to your living room Good question. After all, we've always had large amounts of data haven't we, from loyalty card schemes, till receipts, medical records, tax returns and so on? As Laurie Miles, head of analytics for big data specialist SAS, says: "The term big data has been around for decades, and we've been doing analytics all this time. It's not big, it's just bigger." But it's the velocity, variety and volume of data that has merited the new term. Most traditional data was structured, or neatly organised in databases. Then the world went digital and the internet came along. Most of what we do could be translated into strings of ones and noughts capable of being recorded, stored, searched, and analysed. There was a proliferation of so-called unstructured data generated by all our digital interactions, from email to online shopping, text messages to tweets, Facebook updates to YouTube videos. And the number of gadgets recording and transmitting data, from smartphones to intelligent fridges, industrial sensors to CCTV cameras, has also proliferated globally, leading to an explosion in the volume of data. These data sets are now so large and complex that we need new tools and approaches to make the most of them. Nobody really knows because the volume is growing so fast. Some say that about 90% of all the data in the world today has been created in the past few years. According to computer giant IBM, 2.5 exabytes - that's 2.5 billion gigabytes (GB) - of data was generated every day in 2012. That's big by anyone's standards. "About 75% of data is unstructured, coming from sources such as text, voice and video," says Mr Miles. And as mobile phone penetration is forecast to grow from about 61% of the global population in 2013 to nearly 70% by 2017, those figures can only grow. The US government's open data project already offers more than 120,000 publicly available data sets. The first computers came with memories measured in kilobytes, but the latest smartphones can now store 32GB and many laptops now have one terabyte (1,000GB) hard drives as standard. Storage is not really an issue anymore. For large businesses "the cost of data storage has plummeted," says Andrew Carr, UK and Ireland chief executive of IT consultancy Bull. Businesses can either keep all their data on-site, in their own remote data centres, or farm it out to "cloud-based" data storage providers. A number of open source platforms have grown up specifically to handle these vast amounts of data quickly and efficiently, including Hadoop, MongoDB, Cassandra, and NoSQL. 1,000 bytes = one kilobyte (kB) 1,000 kB = one megabyte (MB) 1,000 MB = one gigabyte (GB) 1,000 GB = one terabyte (TB) 1,000 TB = one petabyte (PB) 1,000 PB = one exabyte (EB) 1,000 EB = one zettabyte (ZB) 1,000 ZB =

Summary: As Technology of Business begins a month-long series of features on the theme of Big Data, we kick off with a Q&A backgrounder answering some of those basic questions you were too afraid to ask.


Last year's runner-up coasted into a 3-0 lead, scoring 278 unanswered points before an "embarrassing" collapse. But Trump's defeat was overshadowed by a heartbreaking missed 147 by Thailand's Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Un-Nooh fluffed a maximum break with a final black miss in the sixth frame of his 6-2 defeat against Neil Robertson. The miss cost Un-Nooh £44,000 in total. Robertson, the 2013 champion, made a 145 in the next frame to claim the highest break of the tournament and eased to victory. Un-Nooh's gut-wrenching error, after several astonishing pots had kept his hopes of a maximum alive, partly kept Trump's troubles out of the limelight. Trump, the 2011 winner, scored 112 in the first frame, 75 in the third and looked in majestic form to lead 3-0, But a kick in the sixth frame, when he could have gone 5-1 ahead, changed the course of the game according to the pre-tournament favourite. "At 4-1 I felt in complete control and was playing well, but I had a kick and it was embarrassing towards the end," he said. "It was one of those games where I didn't want to be out there any more. I didn't think I could pot a ball. I don't know what went wrong. It's worrying. "It is probably the worst I have ever felt as a professional. I was never going to win. It was very disheartening. I knew something would go wrong. It was a horrible feeling." Wenbo said: "I am very happy. At 4-3 I thought I had a chance. He missed some easy balls." In the afternoon session World number four Murphy comfortably beat Ben Woollaston, finishing an increasingly impressive performance with a stylish 106. The 2008 champion began in ominous fashion, hitting an opening-frame 83. Woollaston had several chances but Murphy showed his matchplay quality and potting ability to score two 70-plus breaks and secure victory with a 106. "I am very pleased with my performance," Murphy, 33, said. World number 30 Woollaston was amazed by some of the shots attempted by Murphy. "He goes for balls that no-one else goes for. I don't think even Judd would have gone for some of the ones he went for," Woollaston said. "In the last frame I thought I played a great safety and he made a century. Media playback is not supported on this device Murphy added: "Part of going for your shots is saying, 'I am prepared to go for my shots, are you?' "It sends a message out to your opponent. I have always gone for my shots and I always will." There were also wins for Englishmen Tom Ford and Martin Gould, Scotland's Stephen Maguire and Hong Kong's Marco Fu.

Summary: England's Judd Trump lost five frames in a row as he was beaten by China's Liang Wenbo on a dramatic evening at the UK Championship.


Thousands of trainer fans - or sneaker heads - have been braving the cold and rain to queue up at Truman Brewery just off Brick Lane. They've been buying new shoes from dealers and showing off their favourite pairs with DJs playing hip-hop to the crowd. Crepe City was founded by trainer fanatics, Ronal Raichura and Paul Smyth, in 2009. The first event held that year at Notting Hill Arts Club had 10 sellers and around 200 visitors. Around 2,500 were expected to attend the one-day event in London this year with trainer prices going from anywhere between £20 and £3,500. There were more than 200 stalls with around 2,000 different shoes for sale. Jim travelled from the US to attend the event. He said: "I wear sneakers because I used to look at the basketball players and liked their style. I like to look good and be comfy." Amar Hayer, 23, was also there looking for a new pair of trainers. "I like wearing what other people can't get," he told Newsbeat. "I sell trainers too. "I have a pair worth £3,500 and still wear them. At the end of the day they are still a trainer." "My name is Pins and I'm an artist and customise trainers. I like doughnuts and I like trainers." Nikki is 28 and said: "I like to be different and have a pair for every occasion. I have around 80 pairs. "I also love heels. I have a heel fetish too." Simian is 25 and said: "It's a lifestyle thing for me." Louis and Daniel, both 13, go to the same school. Louis said: "I have four pairs and would have loads more if I had the money. My parents get it but not as much as me." Daniel said: "I'd love more trainers. My parents don't get it." Vish, 19, is with Linda, also 19, and said he'd bought her matching shoes. "When I was young my mum bought me fake trainers so when I got cash of my own I started collecting and now I run a business selling sneakers." Lawrence, 28, said: "I deal in trainers that are all sold out in the shops. It's the hype of the shoe that dictates price. These ones are £450." Carly, 25, dad Ollie, 43, Oscar, 11, Quinn, eight, Jess, 23, and mum Lisa, 44, are at the event as part of a family outing. Ollie said: "I'm old school and have always loved trainers. My kids do too." Quinn said: "I have just got these today because they're skateboarding shoes." Ashton, 16, is on a day out at the trainer festival with John, who is 40. Ashton said: "John is my homie. We are different ages but both love shoes. These are the most expensive shoes in here. They are £3,500. "They are Back to the Future 2 shoes. They were auctioned off to raise money for the Michael J Fox's Parkinson's Foundation. "They are from the film and even light up. "In the film they are from the future 2015 - next year."

Summary: Europe's largest trainer festival, Crepe City, has been taking place in east London.


Eight journalists and two policemen were among the dead. Police issued photos of two suspects, describing them as "armed and dangerous". A third suspect reportedly handed himself in to police. Protests and vigils over the attack, the deadliest the country has seen in decades, have been held across France. President Francois Hollande called it a "cowardly murder" and declared a day of national mourning on Thursday. He said the country's tradition of free speech had been attacked and called on all French people to stand together. "Our best weapon is our unity," Mr Hollande said in a televised address late on Wednesday. Security has been stepped up across France in the wake of the attack, with Paris placed on the highest alert. Police said arrest warrants had been issued for Cherif Kouachi, 32, and his brother Said, 34, who they said were believed to be "armed and dangerous". Another suspect, Hamyd Mourad, 18, was named earlier in a police document, according to media reports. However, unnamed officials said that Mr Mourad handed himself in to police after seeing his name circulating on social media. He was arrested and taken into custody, AFP reported. Media reports described Cherif Kouachi as a militant sentenced in 2008 to three years in prison for belonging to a group sending jihadist fighters to Iraq. BBC Paris correspondent Lucy Williamson says there are separate reports of police operations taking place outside the capital and in the eastern city of Reims, 140km (90 miles) from Paris. Police did not give any details but forensic teams were later seen searching an apartment in Reims. The satirical weekly has courted controversy in the past with its irreverent take on news and current affairs. It was firebombed in November 2011 a day after it carried a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. The attack took place as the magazine was holding its weekly editorial meeting. French media have named three cartoonists killed in the attack as Cabu, Tignous and Wolinski, as well as Charlie Hebdo contributor and French economist Bernard Maris. Charlie Hebdo editor Stephane Charbonnier, 47, had received death threats in the past and was living under police protection. Cartoonist Corinne Rey, said the hooded gunmen entered the building after forcing her to enter the code to open the door. "They said they belonged to al-Qaeda," she said, adding they had spoken in fluent French. Eyewitnesses said they heard as many as 50 shots fired by the attackers both inside the Charlie Hebdo office and on the streets outside. The gunmen were captured on amateur video shooting one injured police officer at point blank range in the head on the pavement outside. They were heard shouting "we have avenged the Prophet Muhammad" and "God is Great" in Arabic ("Allahu Akbar"). Police said the masked gunmen fled to northern Paris, before abandoning their car and hijacking a second one. The Paris prosecutor, Francois Molins, said 11 people had been wounded in the attack, four of them seriously. He told reporters all efforts were being made to find those responsible, without giving any details

Summary: A major manhunt has been launched for gunmen who shot dead 12 people at the Paris office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.


A Saudi-led coalition of nine countries has been heavily criticised over the civilian death toll from a bombing campaign in Yemen. The parliament called on EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to "launch an initiative aimed at imposing an EU arms embargo". The motion passed by 449 votes to 36. There were 78 abstentions. Although the vote is not legally binding, lawmakers hope it will pressure EU governments to agree to an embargo, following a petition of 750,000 European citizens. Scottish MEP Alyn Smith, who led the motion, said EU-made weapons were being exported to Saudi Arabia "in breach of international law". Mr Smyth said: "Having grown up in Saudi Arabia I am sensitive to the realities of the Saudis and appreciate that the Saudis have concerns in their neighbourhood. "But our duty is to the civilians in Yemen, and given widespread and very valid concerns over the conduct of the war by Saudi forces, our call for an EU-wide arms embargo is proportionate and necessary." Anna MacDonald, director of campaign group Control Arms, said the group welcomed "this first step towards preventing European arms from being used to further human suffering in Yemen and elsewhere". Nearly 6,000 people have been killed since the Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in March 2015, almost half of them civilians, according to the United Nations. The US is the largest international supplier of arms to Saudi Arabia. The UK and France are the main European suppliers, while Germany has also licensed arms exports to the kingdom. Correction 26 February 2016: This report has been amended to change incorrect figures given for the European Parliament vote.

Summary: The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia over alleged breaches of international law in Yemen.


The teenager was last seen at about 20:45 BST leaving an address in Railway Street in Nelson, Lancashire. Lancashire Police thanked the public for their help and said the girl had been found in Furness, Cumbria at about 20:50. Two men, aged 47 and 22, both from Nelson, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of child abduction.

Summary: A 13-year-old girl who had been missing from her hometown since Sunday has been found safe and well.


New Hibernian boss Neil Lennon takes his side to Falkirk, who finished second above the Easter Road side on goal difference last season. Newly-promoted sides Dunfermline and Ayr United are at home to Dumbarton and Raith Rovers, respectively. Falkirk host Hibs again in the New Year fixtures, with Raith Rovers at home to Fife rivals Dunfermline. Scottish Championship fixtures 2016-17 Scottish League One Fixtures 2016-17 Scottish League Two Fixtures 2016-17 6 August Dundee United v Queen of the South Ayr United v Raith Rovers St Mirren v Morton Dunfermline Athletic v Dumbarton Falkirk v Hibernian Ayr United v Dumbarton Dundee United v St Mirren Dunfermline Athletic v Falkirk Hibernian v Raith Rovers Morton v Queen of the South Falkirk v Hibernian St Mirren v Morton Dumbarton v Dundee United Queen of the South v Ayr United Raith Rovers v Dunfermline Athletic All fixtures and kick-off times are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made.

Summary: Relegated Dundee United open their Championship campaign at home to Queen of the South on 6 August.


The watercolour, attributed to Queen Victoria's favourite artist Sir Edwin Landseer, was sold by JP Humbert of Whittlebury, Northamptonshire. The painting has attracted both firm supporters and those who doubt whether it does depict the Brontes. It was sold to a collector who plans to do more research and resell it. Bidding took off just 15 minutes before the end of the "timed" online auction with the painting sold for £40,550 hammer price (£50,038 including buyers premium) to an private investor believed to be based in the UK. Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said: "We are very pleased our theory has been accepted and endorsed by the establishment. "The evidence was compelling that this is the Brontes as painted by Landseer and its successful sale has proved that research and factual evidence will overcome apathy and negativity." Mr Humbert had decided to pull the picture, which he believes to be of "national importance", from an auction in 2012 so more research could be done. Landseer was a popular Victorian painter best known for his animal portraits and designing the bronze lions in London's Trafalgar Square. The Bronte family moved to Haworth, West Yorkshire, in 1820 where the Reverend Patrick Bronte was appointed Curate of Haworth. They lived at the Haworth Parsonage from 1820 to 1861, which is now the Bronte Parsonage Museum.

Summary: A painting claimed to be a previously unknown portrait of the three Bronte sisters has sold for more than £40,000 at auction.


Jake Lawlor headed the home side in front after 13 minutes, but out of the blue Torquay turned the match on its head in under two minutes. First Sean McGinty headed in Luke Young's corner, and seconds later Jamie Reid threaded a ball through for Ruairi Keating to plant home. Both sides missed further chances to add to the score, before Guiseley staged late drama. Kevan Hurst struck with four minutes left before a frenetic goalmouth scramble led to Guiseley's winner, with the identity of the goalscorer unclear. Match report supplied by the Press Association.

Summary: Guiseley turned impending defeat into victory against Torquay at Nethermoor Park with two late goals.


A number of recommendations to prevent a repeat of the problems caused by Storm Desmond in Cockermouth last December, have been outlined. A total of 466 properties were flooded when water from the Cocker and Derwent rivers "overwhelmed" defences in a number of locations. The Environment Agency and Cumbria County Council drew up the report. Among its recommendations is a call to consider increasing the flow of water through Gote Bridge and identifying a way to trap debris upstream of the town to avoid causing a critical obstruction. Damage to the riverbank at Cockermouth Castle and fallen trees led to blockages at the bridge, the report stated. A review of the resilience of "critical" transport and power supply infrastructure, such as the way the Jennings Brewery substation was affected, is also to be undertaken. The report's findings will be discussed at a public meeting at the town's Christ Church on Monday. The flooding of 5 and 6 December, which saw "36 hours of intense rainfall", was the fourth time the town has been severely hit since 2005. The water level was recorded as 4.476m at the South Street footbridge. Improvements to defences in the south of the town following floods in 2009 lessened its impact, the report found. Separately, a review of the performance of the existing Cockermouth Flood Risk Management Scheme is under way and expected to be completed next month.

Summary: Floods that affected nearly 500 properties in a Cumbria town had "overwhelmed" defences, a report said.


Michael Davies, 71, had been staying at a hotel with his wife at the holiday resort when he disappeared. The couple, from Blaina, Blaenau Gwent, had travelled to Sandown on the island by coach, Hampshire Constabulary said. But Mr Davies, who suffers from high blood pressure, has not been seen since the early hours of Wednesday. The force said Mr Davies wandered off after dinner at the Hotel Maria in Sandown at 21:30 BST and CCTV images later show the him less than half a mile inland from the seaside hotel. A police spokesman said: "We are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of a 71-year-old man. "Having reviewed CCTV it appears that Michael was in the Avenue Road area of Sandown just before 01:00 on Wednesday morning." Police said the pensioner's family were worried because Mr Davies relies on medication to control his blood pressure, which he would not have access to. He is described as white, with cropped white hair, and wearing a blue tee-shirt, blue Reebok jumper, jeans and a baseball cap.

Summary: A pensioner from south Wales is at the centre of a police hunt after vanishing during a coach holiday to the Isle of Wight.


Mr Biden said a political deal "would be better" but "if that's not possible" the US would pursue alternatives. US officials said Mr Biden's remarks on a deal referred to planned peace talks between Syrian officials and rebels. They said his comment on possible military action applied only to IS. The US vice-president was speaking after meeting Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul. Commenting on the chance of achieving a political settlement in Syria, Mr Biden said: "We are neither optimistic or pessimistic. We are determined." Referring to possible military action, he said this would entail "taking out Daesh", using the Arabic acronym for IS. Mr Biden said he and Mr Davutoglu had discussed how their countries could further support Sunni Arab rebels opposing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In other comments, Mr Biden said Washington recognised that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is banned in Turkey, was as much of a threat to Ankara as IS. "It is a terror group plain and simple and what they continue to do is absolutely outrageous," he said. The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group by Washington and the EU, has been accused of carrying out a number of deadly attacks on Turkish security forces since a truce collapsed in July. The group, which has been fighting Turkey for an autonomous homeland for the Kurds for decades, has said the truce had "no meaning" after it faced assaults from Turkish forces. Mr Biden, who also held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during his visit, on Friday strongly criticised restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey. He said that intimidating journalists, shutting down social media and accusing government critics of treason set a poor example to the region.

Summary: US Vice-President Joe Biden has said the US and Turkey are prepared to seek a military solution against so-called Islamic State (IS) if a political agreement in Syria proves impossible.


The 18-year-old centre-back came through the youth system at Stoke City and impressed during a trial with the Latics. The contract also includes the option of an extra year that Oldham can take up after this season. "He is really athletic, only 18 and definitely one for the future," boss David Dunn told the club website. "He has a lot of very good attributes and we spoke to Mark Bowen at Stoke City about him so we have decided he is a good young signing for us." Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: League One side Oldham Athletic have signed defender Theo Vassell on a deal until the end of the season.


Batsman Weatherley and leg spinner Crane, both 18, have both penned two-year development deals keeping them at the Ageas Bowl until 2017. Crane made his first team debut earlier this month in the T20 Blast and his County Championship debut in the current match against Durham. Weatherley captained England Under-19s on their tour of Australia last winter. Crane has also been selected in the England Under-19 Test and one-day squads to face Australia later this summer. "It's great all my hard work has started to pay off," Crane told BBC Radio Solent. "Hopefully the contract can lead to more opportunities in the first team and it's the first step on the ladder to making it. "It's a nice surprise it's happened now, I was expecting it to possibly come at the end of the season."

Summary: Hampshire youngsters Joe Weatherley and Mason Crane have signed their first professional contracts with the club.


The Dean Trust which runs Ashton on Mersey in Sale wants to send the pupils to Broadoak School in Partington. Parents claim this would be "unlawful" as their children's Educational Health and Care Plan (EHC) states that they should attend Ashton on Mersey. The trust said it was "oversubscribed". Parents have contacted a solicitor who has written a formal pre-action letter to the school outlining their legal position. If the school does not respond to the letter by Friday parents will issue judicial review proceedings, James Betts from Simpson Millar Solicitors said. Deborah Keay's 11-year-old son Samuel who has autism has been told he will be one of the pupils with special needs taken by bus to Broadoak, also run by the Dean Trust. She said the change would be very stressful and upsetting for her son. "I wanted him to go to a mainstream school, but a mainstream school that had quite a number of years of dealing with children on the autism spectrum. "I know and understand they are a victim of their own success but, at the end of the day, my child's school named on his EHC is Ashton on Mersey. It is not Broadoak and it is not the Dean Trust." Mr Betts, who is representing seven of the families, said the school is legally obliged to admit those pupils under section 43 of the Children's and Families Act 2014. "The school is still a separate legal entity and so, in the EHC, it would say Ashton on Mersey school... so that is clearly the school that they are under a legal duty to allow them to attend." Councillor John Lamb, chair of governors at Ashton on Mersey School, said it already provided just under 8% of its school places to students with special educational needs. "If you think about a comparable neighbouring school that same figure is under 1%." He assured parents: "We would provide at Broadoak, as we do here, that specialised care and attention that those children deserve and need." Trafford Council said: "Where the parent of a child with a draft educational healthcare plan expresses a preference for an academy... the council will name it in the final plan, unless, after consulting the school's governing body, one of the statutory exceptions are made out." The Regional School Commissioner is responsible for ensuring all Academies continue to meet their statutory requirements, it added.

Summary: A group of parents whose children have special needs is threatening legal action against an academy school in Trafford after accusing it of "discrimination".


Five foreign cadets based at Bassingbourn Barracks, near Cambridge, were jailed last year for attacks in the city committed in 2014. They were based in the UK as part of a British Government agreement to train Libyan troops. The MoD confirmed it was considering compensation claims. The first claimant is understood to be the male victim of Moktar Ali Saad Mahmoud, 33, and Ibrahim Abugtila, 23. They were both jailed for 12 years for rape after a court heard they acted like "hunting dogs" as they sexually assaulted him in central Cambridge in October 2014. Mahmoud and Abugtila denied attacking the man, who had earlier been at a wedding, but were caught on CCTV leading him to the park. At least one more claim has been submitted by one of three women assaulted on the same night in separate attacks. Khaled El Azibi, 19, Naji El Maarfi, 21, and Mohammed Abdalsalam, 28, were jailed after they admitted a range of charges relating to the female victims. Their attacks included trying to kiss a woman without consent and then sexually assaulting her. It is understood one victim is making her claim on the basis of negligence and breach of human rights In the aftermath, the MoD sent 300 soldiers back to Libya early, ending an agreement to put 2,000 soldiers through basic infantry and junior command training. An MoD spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that compensation claims have been received by the department. "As the claims are ongoing we are unable to comment further."

Summary: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has received legal claims from victims raped and sexually assaulted by Libyan soldiers training in the UK.


The Washington Post says it obtained a 1991 phone conversation between a PR man calling himself John Miller, but sounding like Mr Trump, and a reporter. Mr Trump said the voice on the tape did not belong to him. Reporters who covered his early career say they regularly spoke to a Trump spokesman sounding exactly like him. They would hear from the "spokesman", named as John Miller or John Baron, when asking to interview Mr Trump. Mr Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee after pushing out more than a dozen Republican rivals in the race for the White House. Traditional Republicans are warming to him to unify the party and beat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Reacting to the Washington Post story on Friday, Mr Trump made his denial on the Today Show. "No, I don't know anything about it," he said. "You're telling me about it for the first time and it doesn't sound like my voice at all." "I have many, many people that are trying to imitate my voice and you can imagine that. This sounds like one of these scams, one of the many scams. It doesn't sound like me. "It was not me on the phone. And it doesn't sound like me on the phone, I will tell you that. It was not me on the phone." Donald Trump is an unusual man who often behaves, shall we say, unconventionally. There's plenty of evidence for this, whether or not he made calls 25 years ago pretending to be his own publicist. Many New York reporters are convinced that this is a bona fide recording of the billionaire, and the fact that he's (allegedly) boasting about his dating prowess and celebrity socialising probably isn't the kind of story Mr Trump wants circulating as he tries to present himself as a more serious general election candidate. This is just the start, however. While Mr Trump has been in the public eye for decades, and New York tabloid scrutiny can be daunting, nothing compares to the glare of the presidential spotlight. Given that this is Mr Trump's first foray into public office, his past will receive extra scrutiny - with more revelations to come. The Washington Post, for instance, has assigned a team of 20 reporters to sift through Mr Trump's background, from his business dealings to oddball stories. This latest episode definitely falls into the latter category. However, in 1990, Mr Trump admitted in court he and one of his employees used the name "John Baron" in business dealings during a case about undocumented Polish workers constructing Trump Tower. A lawyer for the workers said he received a call from someone named "Mr Baron" who threatened to sue if he did not drop a lawsuit over withheld pay for the workers, the New York Times reported. A reporter for People magazine contacted Mr Trump's office in 1991 to interview him about the end of his marriage to Ivana Trump and his relationship with model Marla Maples. The "media spokesman" called the reporter, Sue Carswell, back and began telling her

Summary: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has denied masquerading as a spokesman for himself in the 1990s after an audio tape was published.


Determined to not repeat their first innings collapse, Lightning batted with resolve on a placid Contarf pitch. North Down leg-spinner Jacob Mulder (2-62) struck twice in the morning session to offer the Knights some hope. But Lightning skipper John Anderson and Simmi Singh negotiated the final two sessions with a century partnership. Despite following on from a first innings deficit of 294 runs, Leinster were never in trouble as Anderson and Singh produced the best partnership of the match with an undefeated 146. Only two wickets fell all day as the home team accumulated 221 in 91 overs.

Summary: Leinster Lightning produced an improved batting performance in their second innings against Ulster Knights to keep their unbeaten Inter-pro record.


The jury in Father Benedict Seed's trial found five other charges not proven by a majority. The 83-year-old, who appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court under the name Thomas Michael Seed, belted Paul Curran on the wrists until he bled. Seed, of Brora, denied all the charges against him. He has been fined Â£1,000. Mr Curran, now a 50-year-old businessman living in Hong Kong, told the jury at Inverness Sheriff Court that he had dreams of being "hunted" by Seed for the five years he attended the now closed Fort Augustus Abbey school in the Highlands. He said he was belted with a leather tawse which left his hands and wrists bleeding, swollen and bruised after being caught swearing. Seed, was a housemaster before being promoted to headmaster at the school, told the court that "housemasters gave corporal punishment". But he said caning was "very rare" and belting "pretty rare".

Summary: A former priest has been found guilty of assault to injury of a pupil at a former Catholic boarding school at Fort Augustus in the 1970s and 1980s.


The research used a miniscule gene transport system to deliver a poison directly into cancerous cells. It is hoped the new technique could overcome the side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Using a Designer Biomimetic Vector (DBV), Dr Helen McCarthy, from Queen's School of Pharmacy, packaged a gene into a nanoparticle 400 times smaller than the width of a human hair, allowing it to be delivered straight into breast cancer cells in the laboratory. This meant that gene (iNOS), which specifically targets breast cancer cells using DBV, would force the cells to produce poisonous nitric oxide. This would either kill the cells outright or make them more vulnerable to being destroyed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Improve As this approach leaves normal healthy breast cells unaffected, this would overcome many of the toxic side effects of current treatments. Further investigation is needed but the technique could be trialled in patients in as little as five years. Dr McCarthy's next step is to turn the nanoparticles into a dried powder that could be easily transported and reconstituted before being given to patients. Dr McCarthy said: "A major stumbling block to using gene therapy in the past has been the lack of an effective delivery system. "Combining the DBV with the iNOS gene has proved successful in killing breast cancer cells in the laboratory. "In the long term, I see this being used to treat people with metastatic breast cancer that has spread to the bones." Dr McCarthy, said patients would receive the targeted treatment 24-hours ahead of chemotherapy. "The treatment would kill the breast cancer cells as well as improving the radiation or chemotherapy," she said.

Summary: Scientists at Queen's University in Belfast have discovered a new way of causing breast cancer cells to self destruct.


Hollywood actress Glenn Close stars in the musical, which opened on Monday evening at London's Coliseum theatre. Writing in The Guardian, Michael Billington said the new production had given the show "a new lease of life". "Close delivers the big lines not with a camp flourish but as if they were sincerely felt," he said. Billington noted that the show had "none of the epic scale of the original London production" but added this was to the producers' credit: "Sometimes semi-staged is better than the luxurious grandeur of an elephantine West End musical." Glenn Close is reprising the role of Norma Desmond, a character she first played in Los Angeles in 1993. She won a Tony award for her Broadway performance in 1995. Holly Williams from theatre website WhatsOnStage said: "It might be 20 years since she bagged a Tony in this part, but I wouldn't bet against her scooping a few shiny new gongs this time round." However, some critics did note that Close's voice occasionally struggled with the higher notes. "[Close's] vocal instrument may not be as sharp as it once was, but she brings an utterly ferocious intensity to the part and the songs," Mark Shenton wrote in his review for The Stage. Time Out also had some criticisms of the production: "Like many later Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, Sunset Boulevard is not brilliant." Andrzej Lukowski added that "69-year-old Close is definitely a bit old to play 50-year-old silent movie star Norma Desmond". Rod McPhee, writing in The Daily Mirror, said Close "masterfully belts out the show's biggest numbers, and earned rapturous applause as a result. Her first musical in London's West End proves that she's far from a fading star." Sunset Boulevard tells the story of a Hollywood writer named Joe (played in the new production by Michael Xavier), who is being chased by mob creditors. Joe seeks refuge in a Los Angeles mansion, only to discover it is already being inhabited by Norma Desmond, a wealthy but forgotten silent movie star. Culture minister Ed Vaizey attended Monday evening's performance, tweeting: "Absolutely wonderful. Glenn Close gives the performance of a lifetime. One of the best things I have seen." Speaking to the BBC after she came off stage on Monday evening, Close said: "Norma Desmond is one of the best parts ever written for a woman." "It's a phenomenal show, it's such an exciting journey and it has been the best adventure. I feel so lucky. I am on such an emotional high, I've never had this kind of response."

Summary: A new production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard has received a positive response from critics.


Sexual orientation details are stored by the MoD but kept anonymous, and recruits have the option to "prefer not to say". A spokesman said the MoD, which introduced the new measure in November, "encourages diversity at all levels". Openly-gay soldiers have been allowed to serve since 2000. The spokesman said: "The MoD proudly encourages diversity at all levels. Service personnel are now encouraged to declare their sexual orientation. "Although this is not mandatory, collecting this data will give us a better understanding of the composition of our armed forces and help ensure our policies and practices fully support our personnel." Recruits are also invited to say how open they feel they can be regarding their sexual orientation. The gathered information is not visible on individual personal records or to chain of command or managers, with names removed before the data is collated to make sure no one can be identified. The MoD said there was no specific drive to recruit more lesbian, gay or bisexual personnel.

Summary: The Ministry of Defence is now asking recruits to the armed forces whether they are gay in a bid to improve diversity in the military.


Gerald Sunnie received cheques worth tens of thousands of pounds from three pensioners. He then forwarded the money to "individuals across Europe" while keeping a share of the cash. He was convicted of a £33,000 money laundering charge under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Dundee Sheriff Court heard that Sunnie initially became involved after being "deluded" into thinking that he had won a £200,000 American lottery prize that had not turned up. Sunnie started taking in cheques that he was told were to cover "European tax liabilities" on his winnings, passing the money on after taking his portion of it. The 58-year-old's bank accounts were closed down due to "fraudulent activity" and he was twice told by Trading Standards officers that he was helping to facilitate an international fraud. But he started up his activity again in August 2013, taking in dozens of cheques from three elderly victims over the course of the next year. He told his trial that a man from the fraudsters he was passing the money to had called him two weeks earlier saying his £200,000 winnings were still on the way, and that he still expected a cheque to come through his door. Sunnie's lawyer Gary McIlravey admitted that his client was "deluded". Depute fiscal Muhammad Sadiq, prosecuting, said: "It's clear he may have been a victim at first, but he did then benefit by processing payments on numerous occasions after being told it was a scam." Sheriff Simon Collins QC convicted Sunnie of money laundering, saying a large number of vulnerable people had been defrauded out of a large sum of money. The sheriff added: "By any standard the arrangement he entered, even from the outset, was obviously a scam. "He was told it was a scam and that he was taking part in a fraud and his bank accounts were closed. "He processed nearly £52,000 but claimed not to have made even inquiries of those involved in these arrangements. This stretches credulity." He said Sunnie's role had been "key" to the scam, that his motivation was "clearly personal gain" and that he had shown "little or no remorse".

Summary: A "deluded" money launderer who helped run a lottery scam that targeted elderly victims has been jailed for six months.


The Dow Jones closed down 122.65 points, or 0.61%, at 19,971.13. The S&P 500 index dropped 13.8 points, or 0.6%, to 2,280.89, while the Nasdaq fell 47 points, or 0.83%, to 5,613.7. Airline stocks fell, with American Airlines down 4.4% and United Continental dropping 3.8%. Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK said US markets had taken their lead from weak European markets "as investors wake up to the downside of what a Trump presidency might mean for risky assets". "The weekend executive order to implement more stringent vetting procedures to visitors to the US from specific destinations, as well as a wider travel ban, could well be the beginning of this realisation. "It is perhaps no surprise that the tech sector has been the most vocal given that its highly skilled workforce has a higher proportion of overseas workers due to the higher skill set required."

Summary: Stocks on Wall Street fell saw their biggest drop so far this year as investors took a cautious stance in the face of uncertainty over Donald Trump's travel and immigration curbs.


The woman - a 45-year-old mother of two - was convicted in August along with an unmarried Sri Lankan man. She was sentenced to death by stoning, while the man was sentenced to 100 lashes. Saudi Arabia's decision to stone the woman was condemned in Sri Lanka, where protests were held. Sri Lankan embassy officials visited the woman in a Saudi jail on Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minister Harsha de Silva said. The country had appealed to Saudi Arabia's government to pardon the couple. "Through our intervention, they have agreed to reopen the case," Mr de Silva said. "This is a big victory. We will provide her with legal help." Deputy minister Ranjan Ramanayake added that the Sri Lankan government was informed about the woman's case only after she had been convicted in August 2015 - despite the fact she was arrested in April 2014. "Islamic Sharia law says four respected Muslims need to be eyewitnesses for this type of case, but this has not been possible in this case," he said. "Unfortunately, not knowing the law, she has confessed under pressure without any legal help." Protests were held outside the UN compound and the Saudi embassy in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo - with some calling for a ban on sending Sri Lankan workers to Saudi Arabia. The Sri Lankan government says it is gradually reducing the number of women sent to work in the Middle East.

Summary: Saudi Arabia has agreed to reopen the case of a Sri Lankan maid sentenced to death for adultery, Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister said.


Developer Allied London bought the Quay Street site in a joint venture with Manchester City Council and plan to build flats, shops and offices there. The ITV soap was filmed there from 1982 until January 2014, when production moved to MediaCityUK at Salford Quays. Manchester City Council's planning committee voted to approve the redevelopment at a meeting on Thursday. The move comes despite more than 2,000 people signing an online petition in the hope of preventing the set from being knocked down. Campaigners had particularly called on developers to retain the Victorian terrace featuring the Rovers Return Inn and the soap's corner shop in their regeneration of the 13-acre site. English Heritage rejected the application for listed status for the old Granada Studios site made by an anonymous individual in 2012 because it was not considered sufficiently historic. The development will form part of the wider St Johns area, which is also set to feature a new Â£110m theatre and arts venue called The Factory.

Summary: The former Coronation Street set in Manchester is to be demolished, despite a campaign to save it.


All three teaching unions are now taking some form of industrial action over their concerns about the new courses. Problems highlighted include the level of bureaucracy and increased workload. These are likely to be among the topics raised at a regular meeting involving unions, education chiefs and others. The group brings together a full range of stakeholders including the Scottish government, the exams body the SQA, senior figures in education such as directors of education from local authorities, all three unions and the council umbrella body Cosla. But finding a solution which fully addresses the concerns of unions and leads to an end to industrial action will be a challenge. School qualifications have been through a three-year shake-up. Standard Grades and Intermediates were scrapped, National 4 and 5 qualifications were introduced and Highers and Advanced Highers were revamped. Although the shake-up is now complete - and this year's S4 students will be the fourth set of pupils to study for N4s and N5s - some teachers and unions have serious practical worries. Their concerns are about how the new courses are working out in practice - not the qualifications themselves or the underlying aims of the changes. One issue concerns ongoing assessments - unit assessments - in the National 5 and Higher courses. Members of the largest union - the EIS - are now taking part in a partial work-to-rule over their concerns. Teachers are not taking part in work linked to developing the new qualifications unless they are contractually obliged to. However the work-to-rule should have no direct impact on learners and the union stresses it does not cover other additional activities teachers do such as sports clubs and school trips. The EIS has argued that there is unnecessary duplication between the assessments and the exams. The union said it wanted to see an acceptable timetable for a significant reduction in unit assessments and the workload associated with them. There are also worries linked to the National 4s. In some schools and council areas, N5 candidates routinely have to complete a special unit so they still receive a N4 award if they fail their course. Some argue this is a waste of time for both the candidates and teachers unless the teacher believes there is a genuine chance of the individual candidate failing. The SSTA is likely to hold a ballot soon on taking similar action - an unofficial ballot recently suggested overwhelming support. The NASUWT has also been taking action. The qualifications agency the SQA said it had spoken extensively to a wide range of people in education including teachers, candidates and managers to gather evidence about how the new qualifications were going. This had informed discussion at the Ministerial Group on Assessment and new National Qualifications. A spokesman said this had identified that there were several factors which contributed to the workload for both teachers and students which could have had a direct impact on both the delivery of courses and assessment. One included how well prepared candidates were to start studying for them by the end of third

Summary: Ongoing issues about the workload linked to the new school qualifications in Scotland are expected to be discussed later.


Labour's Leigh Bramall said he was leaving the council to take up a job at a communication company in Sheffield. He said he remained "100% committed" to the work of the Labour run-authority but added "I have to put my family first". Council leader Julie Dore paid tribute to Mr Bramall's work saying he had "given his all to the job". More stories from across Yorkshire Mr Bramall, 42, has represented Southey since 2004 and was appointed deputy leader of the council in 2015. He said: "I have put everything into my job and love what I do. "But I have to put my family first and now is the right time for me to move on. "I am moving to a fantastic Sheffield company and feel this is a great opportunity for me to start a new chapter in my professional career which also allows me to stay in Sheffield, the city that I love." Ms Dore said: "He has been dedicated to serving the people of Sheffield as Deputy Leader of the Council and given his all to the job. "This inevitably takes its toll on your personal life and I completely understand and respect the decision he has made. I wish him all the best for his future career."

Summary: The deputy leader of Sheffield City Council has announced he is to stand down after 13 years as a councillor.


Foster, a former European 5,000m gold medallist and a Commonwealth champion at 10,000m, began his commentary career in 1980 and has since gone on to cover nine summer Olympic Games for the BBC. "I have loved every minute of my time working for BBC Sport," said Foster. It just seems the right time and the right place - at a World Championships in the UK - to say thank you and goodbye "It has been a privilege and I am very lucky to have done what I have done since my competitive career finished." The BBC's director of sport Barbara Slater said: "Brendan's knowledge, instinct, tone, timing and skill have been wonderful to listen to, and he has given all of us so many great moments. "His words and iconic commentaries will be heard for years to come." Foster, 69, was named BBC Sports Personality Of The Year in 1974 after winning gold over 5,000m at that year's European Championships in Rome, as well as setting a new world record over 3,000m at his home track in Gateshead. After retiring from the track he became one of the leading voices of the BBC's athletics coverage, taking in every Commonwealth Games since 1982 and every World Athletics Championships since the inaugural event in 1983. He has also been ever present at the London Marathon since its inception in 1981, with this year's event on 23 April to be his 37th and last. Foster said: "My very first commentary was shortly after the 1980 Olympics at a cross-country event at Gateshead and that's when I started to work with the greatest sports broadcaster of all time, David Coleman. "David was just so professional and diligent and he taught me so much. After David retired, Steve Cram took over and working with Crammy for almost 20 years has been so special too. "We have had so many special days, and those recently with Sir Mo Farah winning golds galore, particularly at the Olympic Games, are commentaries that stick out in the memory as we have witnessed true greatness. "It's also been an honour to work with so many great people who have been a part of the BBC Athletics team - both in front of and behind the camera." Media playback is not supported on this device

Summary: BBC commentator Brendan Foster is to retire following August's World Athletics Championships in London.


Locke was himself sacked by Raith Rovers last month with the Scottish Championship side on a run of 15 games without a victory. The 41-year-old inherits a side sitting seven points adrift at the foot of Scottish League Two. Caretakers Neil Hastings and Burton O'Brien take charge for the final time against Berwick Rangers on Saturday. But Locke will be present as the Blue Brazil look to end a run of 15 games without a win. Cowdenbeath said in a website statement: "We ask all fans to give Gary a very warm welcome to Central Park and their full support as we face the major challenge that lies ahead in the next couple of months." The Fife club accepted Fox's resignation as head coach on Monday. "The club regrets that, despite Liam's great efforts and true professionalism, he was not able to bring the success we all wished for," said Cowdenbeath. "He did face a number of challenges this season, some of which few managers would normally expect to encounter, especially in their first season in management. "He leaves Central Park with the respect and best wishes of the chairman and all the directors of the club." Fox, who had previously been on the coaching staff at Hearts, had taken charge at Central Park during the summer. The 33-year-old said: "Firstly, I'd like to thank Cowdenbeath for giving me the opportunity to manage their football club. "The experience gained and lessons learned in a short period of time will no doubt prove invaluable to me in my career." Locke is also a former Hearts player and started his managerial career at Tynecastle before moving on to Kilmarnock then, last summer, to Stark's Park.

Summary: Gary Locke has been appointed manager of Cowdenbeath until the end of the season after the exit of Liam Fox.


Media playback is unsupported on your device 29 July 2015 Last updated at 02:23 BST Now he finds himself with a death sentence after having been in prison for almost four years. BBC News charts the rise and fall of Colonel Gaddafi's favourite son. Video by: Mohamed Madi

Summary: Not too long ago, playboy Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was heir-apparent to an oil-rich dictatorship.


At a press conference in Sochi, Mr Cameron admitted the two men differed over how to deal with the conflict. But he said they agreed on the need to end the violence, prevent the growth of extremism and stop Syria "fragmenting". Mr Putin said the two had a "common interest" in stabilising the country. The talks, at Mr Putin's summer residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. were dominated by the two-year conflict in Syria, in which 80,000 people have been killed. The UK has recognised the coalition of forces opposed to the Syrian government and said President Bashar al-Assad must step down as part of a transition to a more representative government. By Steve RosenbergBBC News, Sochi David Cameron flew to Sochi seeking common ground with Russia on Syria. There didn't appear to be any major breakthrough. Vladimir Putin said vaguely that the two leaders had discussed "various options". There were no details about when an international peace conference proposed this week by Russia and America would take place. But the talks themselves signalled a thaw in British-Russian relations. President Putin gave Mr Cameron a tour of the stadium being built for next year's Sochi winter Olympics. And the prime minister announced a resumption of "limited co-operation" between UK and Russian security services for the Sochi Olympics. At the end of their talks, the Kremlin leader reportedly presented David Cameron with a bottle of Armenian cognac, noting that Stalin had given Churchill cognac in 1945. Mr Cameron replied that he often sits in Churchill's study at Chequers - and would keep the bottle there as a memento. Britain has stepped up support to the opposition, providing armoured vehicles and body armour as well as communications supplies, and said the EU arms embargo may need to be lifted to help opposition forces. In contrast, Russia has opposed further action against Damascus and expressed concerns about the prospect of a political vacuum in the event of the government's collapse and the rise of Islamist extremist groups. Despite their different approaches to the crisis, Mr Cameron said the two had made "real progress" in discussions he described as "substantive, purposeful and frank". He welcomed Russia's recent agreement to convene an international conference to find a political solution to the crisis. He said there was an urgent need to "break the vicious cycle that threatens to destroy Syria" and that the UK and Russia, as members of the UN Security Council and the G8, must take the lead in helping shape a political transition. "As permanent members of the United Nations, we must help to drive this process, working with partners in the region and beyond, not just bringing the regime and opposition together at one negotiating table but Britain, Russia, America and other countries helping shape a transitional government that all Syrians can trust to protect them." President Putin said he and Mr Cameron had discussed a number of steps and options to resolve the crisis", The two, he added, had "a common interest in putting an end to the violence in the

Summary: Prime Minister David Cameron has said the international community must do more to "help shape" a transitional government in Syria after holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.


Court officials carrying out an eviction order on Tuesday discovered the bodies of an 11-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl. Police did not name the woman but said the bodies were wrapped in the same plastic bag. Two of the woman's other children, aged 11 and 17, were found at a neighbour's home and placed in protective custody. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled to determine how the children died. Police Chief James Craig called it a "terrible find". Tori Childs, a neighbour, told the Associated Press that she hadn't seen the two dead children for about a year. Neighbours said the 36-year-old mother was behind on her rent on her three-bedroom apartment and was "going through some things".

Summary: A Detroit mother has been arrested after officials found two of her children dead inside her freezer.


Stephen O'Brien told reporters during a visit to Damascus that the targeting of non-combatants in the country's war was "unlawful, unacceptable and must stop". He was "particularly appalled" by government air strikes on a rebel-held suburb of the capital on Sunday. Activists said on Monday that the death toll from the attack on a market in Douma had risen to at least 96. That would make it one of the bloodiest single incidents of the four-year-long conflict, which has so far left more than 250,000 people dead. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has backed a new peace talks proposal from the organisation's Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, in a rare show of unity on a topic that has divided members. Mr de Mistura's plan involves inviting the various Syrian parties to hold talks at working groups in September, as a step towards implementing the roadmap to peace adopted by world powers in 2012 that calls for the formation of a transitional government A Syrian military source told the Reuters news agency that in its strikes on Sunday the air force had targeted the headquarters of the rebel group, Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam). State television also reported that rebels had shelled a government-held district of the northern city of Aleppo on Monday, killing 10 people and wounding 17. Mr O'Brien called on both sides to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law at the end of a three-day visit to Syria, his first to the country since becoming the UN's under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs in May. "I am absolutely horrified by the total disregard for civilian life by all parties in this conflict," he said. "Attacks on civilians are unlawful, unacceptable and must stop." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that monitors the conflict, said that in Sunday's raid on Douma air force jets fired at least 10 rockets at the town's central market before attacking again after rescue workers arrived. One video said to be of the aftermath showed a marketplace completely destroyed with surrounding buildings in ruins and vehicles on fire. Turkey has said it plans to set up a "safe zone" for civilians across its border with Syria - policed by "moderate" Syrian forces - who would thwart attacks by the government or Islamic State militants. But Mr O'Brien questioned the use of such buffer areas, saying any country which established them would have to "accept responsibility" for guaranteeing people's safety. "Otherwise very vulnerable people could flock to such safe zones only to find that they've put themselves in more harm's way," he told the BBC. A report by Amnesty International published last week accused the Syrian government of committing war crimes against the 163,000 people living under siege in Douma and other towns in the Eastern Ghouta agricultural belt around Damascus. Between January and June 2015, government forces carried out at least 60 aerial attacks on the area, killing some 500 civilians, the report said. The international community has also strongly condemned the air raids. Mr O'Brien also condemned rival armed groups for cutting

Summary: The UN's humanitarian chief has said he is "horrified" by the attacks on civilians taking place in Syria.