The Project Literacy alliance says that 11% of the world's population remains unable to read or write. The campaign is lobbying leaders attending the United Nations general assembly in New York, which has been setting global education targets. "The curse of illiteracy is global and devastating," said campaign spokeswoman Kate James. The Project Literacy campaign says it is creating a virtual "petition" on behalf of 757 million people who cannot write their own name. The partnership brings together charities such as the National Literacy Trust, BookAid and Room to Read, along with education businesses such as Pearson. The campaign says that illiteracy is a major barrier to economic development, costing $1.19 trillion (Â£1.25tn) per year. Global education targets, such as the goal of providing primary education for all, have been set since 1990. But the campaign says that in sub-Saharan Africa, there are 37% more illiterate adults than there were in 1990. The project highlights the gender gap in who is taught to read and write. Women represent about five in seven of those who are illiterate around the world. The campaign argues that literacy is linked to better health, reducing crime, job opportunities and democratic engagement. There are 32 million illiterate adults in the United States and more than 70% of the US prison population have the literacy levels of a nine-year-old or lower. The impact of illiteracy was "inequality, poverty and disease", said Ms James. World leaders have been gathering at the United Nations to approve global development targets - the sustainable development goals. These replace pledges made in the millennium year. Although some progress was made, none of the targets for education, such as universal primary education, were fully achieved by the deadline of 2015.

Summary: A coalition of charities and businesses is calling on world leaders to make tackling illiteracy a global priority.


Democratic Party deputy leader (PD), Enrico Letta, becomes prime minister at the head of a "grand coalition" including Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party (PDL). The swearing-in signals the end of two months of political deadlock. Away from the ceremony, outside the PM's office, two police officers were injured in a shooting incident. Giuseppe Giangrande, 50, was shot in the neck and is described as being in a serious condition. The second officer, 30-year-old Francesco Negri, suffered a serious wound to the leg and he remains in hospital. A pregnant woman was also slightly hurt. All three are being treated in hospital in Rome, according to Italian news agency Ansa. A 46-year-old man, named as Luigi Preiti, was arrested at the scene. Prosecutors said he had confessed to targeting politicians, angry that he had lost his job. Rome Prosecutor Pierfilippo Laviani said he "wanted to shoot politicians, but given that he couldn't reach any, he shot the Carabinieri". Former PD president Rosy Bindi said: "This has its roots in an increasingly widespread social desperation. "The dramatic problems the country is living through call for strong, radical decisions." Since February's inconclusive poll there has been political stalemate in Italy, which is still plagued by economic woes after becoming one of the first eurozone victims of the global financial crisis of 2008. The shooting happened about 1km (0.6 miles) away from the swearing-in ceremony, where, beginning with Mr Letta, the 21 new government ministers stepped forward one by one to receive the oath of office from President Giorgio Napolitano. Correspondents say the "grand coalition" between Italy's current main right- and left-wing parties is unprecedented, and will probably prove an uneasy alliance. By David WilleyBBC News, Rome A new wave of political optimism reigns, after dire predictions of the possible institutional and economic collapse of the eurozone's third largest economy. With their backs to the wall, the seriously fractured Democratic Party, and Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom Party decided to bury their ideological differences and will now try to co-operate in a last-ditch attempt to remedy a social and economic crisis that threatened to get out of hand after an indecisive February election. The history of the very few "grand coalition" experiments in Italy since World War II does not inspire hope for long-term success. But Italy's former ruling parties, which monopolised power in Rome for many decades after the end of WWII, have long since disappeared. Optimism greets Italy's grand coalition Mr Berlusconi will not be a minister but had pushed for leading figures from his party to be given top posts. Mr Alfano, the PDL's secretary and one of Mr Berlusconi's closest political allies, is deputy prime minister as well as interior minister in the new government. Among the other key appointments are Bank of Italy director-general Fabrizio Saccomanni to head the powerful economy ministry. The cabinet is to have more women than usual, including former European commissioner Emma Bonino as foreign minister. Other women given government jobs include Olympic kayaker Josefa Idem who becomes minister of equal opportunity and sports, and Anna

Summary: A new Italian government has been sworn in at the presidential Quirinale Palace in Rome.


Based in Doncaster, he simply asked a bunch of strangers: "What do you want?" With support from the Arts Council England, the results have been put on display in the Frenchgate Centre, Doncaster. "The project became led by the answers that subjects gave," says Monaghan. "Political and societal changes have rendered us all as individual consumers, those portrayed have been photographed alone, but when exhibited they are grouped together and their desires for health, happiness and a better world coalesce. "We want the same things, we want to get along, we want to be social, we want community." Monaghan also points out that, of the 150 on show, only one wanted a commodity. Here is a selection of pictures from the project. You can see more work by Les Monaghan on his blog.

Summary: There are times when it is best to keep things simple, and that's just what Les Monaghan has done for The Desire Project.


Longford in Hillingdon could be demolished if a third runway is built at neighbouring Heathrow Airport. A hotel is providing accommodation in houses it has bought for asylum seekers, including those from the so-called "Jungle" in Calais. The Home Office said it has tried to address residents' concerns. It has said decisions about the use of hotel accommodation, including which premises are used, are a matter for the contractors who bear the cost. It would not say how many asylum seekers were being sent to Longford, but said rooms were used for one or two days before asylum seekers were dispersed into temporary accommodation. BBC London filmed two coaches and three van loads arriving in one day carrying people from Iran, Sudan, Eritrea and Syria. Many of those on board said they had come from the so-called "Jungle". Three days later, another two coaches were witnessed arriving. Ray, 85, has lived in Longford for 50 years. He said asylum seekers were accommodated in the houses either side of his. "They meet and they have conversations in the middle of my front garden," he said. "We don't know where they come from, we don't know what they are and we are living next door to them, albeit they might be very nice people." The hotel, Heathrow Lodge, also rents rooms to travellers using the airport. Booking websites confirm a room can cost Â£30 a night per person, less per person if sharing. Neither the Home Office nor the hotel would say how much is paid per asylum seeker. BBC London booked a room and met eight men all staying in one house. They were asylum seekers from Sudan and Eritrea and said a few days earlier they had been sleeping rough in the camp in Calais. Mogdad from Sudan said he had paid a people trafficker 500 euros (Â£370) in Calais to get to the UK. "I have no choice," he said. "I have to get away from death." Villager Ray said: "The coaches turn up - about 20, 30 people get off, and they're transferred to all the houses that are around the village." Longford resident Leon, said: "You know, (with) what's going on around the world at the moment, they've got a right to move from dangerous areas, but it's just saturated where I live, with immigrants. "I chose to live here with the aeroplanes, but I didn't choose to live here with the three to four coaches a day moving in and out, and especially at night-time as well. The villagers insist they are not being racist. Rana Saif, who runs one of the local pubs was born in Pakistan and moving to Longford from Sweden three years ago. "No racists here," he said. He claimed the numbers of asylum seekers staying in the village had hit his takings. "No-one comes here, when they are standing 20, 80 people outside on the road, on the walls. "I am going to move from here, as soon as. "It was good before the immigrants came." While the future of the village may

Summary: Residents of a village near Heathrow Airport say they are being "overwhelmed" by people seeking asylum in the UK.


The midfielder spent three years at Tannadice but leaves after their relegation from the Premiership. Saints manager Tommy Wright told his club website: "Paul is underestimated - he's an aggressive player but has a lot of real quality too. "His range of passing is excellent and throughout this career his attitude on the pitch has been great." St Johnstone have already secured midfielders Blair Alston and Michael Coulson from Falkirk and York City respectively, while defeners Keith Watson is making the switch from St Mirren. "We believe we've captured another good signing for the forthcoming season - our fourth - and I think in all four we are bringing quality and experience into the squad," said Wright. "It not only improves the quality but also in terms of depth we are sitting, I believe, in a good position. "I've always emphasised the point that it is the whole squad that has enabled this football club to achieve what it has these past few seasons and the addition of Paul will enhance that." Paton joined United in the summer of 2013 from Partick Thistle, going on to make 90 appearances for the club. He captained the side in the latter stages of last season and thanked the club's supporters "and everybody at Tannadice" on the club's website. "There will always be a tangerine spot in my heart and I wish Dundee United every success in returning to the Scottish Premiership next season," he said. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Paul Paton has signed a two-year deal with St Johnstone after leaving Dundee United by "mutual agreement".


They allegedly tailgated the vehicle before one of them climbed onto the bonnet of their van and broke into the truck in front of them. Boxes of iPhones were then passed back through the van's roof. The theft took place on the night of 24 July, on the A73 motorway near Horst. Dutch news outlet ED said such gangs often modify their vehicles by putting an anti-slip mat on the bonnet. The risky theft tactic was first seen in Germany in 2008, the outlet said. Belgium has witnessed similar incidents, almost all targeting smartphones. Sometimes, a grinding wheel is used to break into the truck. Police spokesman Ed Kraszewski said Dutch police had been investigating truck thefts for some time, but doubted a theft like this could be pulled off. "The truck was taking its freight from A to B and did not stop. Even so [the phones] were gone," he said. "So it must have happened that way. And now we finally have the evidence, with the van and the loot." The men, aged from 33 to 43, were arrested on Saturday at a holiday park in Otterlo, in the central province of Gelderland. Police found iPhones at the address, and the van they believe was used in the crime. The men are set to appear before a judge on Tuesday.

Summary: Five Romanian men have been arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion of stealing iPhones worth 500,000 euros ($590,000; £447,430) from a moving truck.


The Ulster Unionist MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone was elected in 2015 with DUP support. MPs backed a request from the prime minister to hold a snap general election on 8 June by 522 votes to 13. Sinn Féin's northern leader said Mrs May had shown a "blatant disregard for the people of the north". Michelle O'Neill said the prime minister's announcement of a general election was about "the Tory party's self interest". Meanwhile, the SDLP rejected any suggestion of her party entering a pact with Sinn Féin. DUP MP Ian Paisley said the "deep frost button" had been pressed on power-sharing talks in Northern Ireland. Mr Paisley expressed concerns about the future of the talks process during the general election campaign. "We are seeing the freezer bags come out and the deep frost button being pressed on the Assembly," he said. In the last general election, in May 2015, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) agreed pacts in four constituencies, including the UK's most tightly-contested seat of Fermanagh and South Tyrone. That pact helped Mr Elliott take the seat from Sinn Féin's Michelle Gildernew - she had held on to it by just four votes in 2010. On Tuesday, UUP leader Robin Swann said he was "open" to discussion on the issue of pacts. Mr Elliott told the BBC on Wednesday it was important that the "people of Northern Ireland have representation at Westminster". He also said talks with the DUP would take place in the days ahead to secure the "best agreement around some constituencies". Earlier, DUP MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said his party wanted to "quickly" arrange talks with the UUP on a potential pact. Sir Jeffrey told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme that the DUP was "prepared to go further" this time. "We recognise that - if Northern Ireland is to maximise its representation and to have a strong voice in the absence of our own government - then we need to return MPs who will actually take their seats at Westminster," he said. Sinn Féin currently has four MPs but they do not take their seats in the House of Commons, in protest at British rule in Northern Ireland. Sir Jeffrey suggested there should be a new unionist pact in Fermanagh and South Tyrone and "other constituencies as well". The DUP MP highlighted South Belfast as one constituency where the unionists could gain a seat from nationalists by agreeing to stand a single-unity candidate. The seat is currently held by SDLP MP Dr Alasdair McDonnell. However, there will be no reciprocal deal between nationalist parties, according to Dr McDonnell's colleague, South Down MP Margaret Ritchie. Mrs Ritchie told Good Morning Ulster: "We don't do electoral pacts". "The SDLP fights the election - each and every election - on our own mandate and our own basis," she said. Speaking on the same programme, Sinn Féin's national chairperson, Declan Kearney, said his party shared much "common ground" with the SDLP, Alliance and the Green Party on issues such as Brexit, equality and the

Summary: The Ulster Unionist Party is to have talks with the Democratic Unionists about an electoral pact in the "next few days", Tom Elliott has said.


It will mean changes to the way calls are prioritised to concentrate on "immediately life-threatening" cases such as cardiac arrest. The ambulance service has struggled to meet its target to respond to 75% of category A calls within eight minutes. Under the new system, some call-outs, including certain types of chest pains or head injuries, will be downgraded. This will give ambulance crews longer to attend. The ambulance service said current figures showed they managed to get to 67.5% of Category A calls within 8 minutes. They said the changes would mean highly-trained call handlers targeting the right response for each patient. The new system will start at the end of this year and be reviewed after a year. Patients with immediately life-threatening conditions, such as cardiac arrest, or who have been involved in serious road traffic incidents, will be prioritised and receive the fastest response. In less urgent cases, call handlers may spend more time with patients to better understand their health needs and ensure they send the most appropriate resource for their condition. The move follows similar changes in Wales and parts of England which have proved to be highly successful - leading to faster response times for critically-ill patients. The Scottish Ambulance Service said the new response model had been developed following the most extensive clinically-evidenced review of its type ever undertaken in the UK - with nearly half a million calls examined. It is the first major change to the time-based targets system since 1974. Pauline Howie, the service's chief executive, said: "The new model will allow us to respond faster to more patients with time-critical, immediately life-threatening conditions. In other situations, we will safely and more effectively identify and send the right resource first time for patients, resulting in better overall clinical outcomes. "The focus on time-based targets for ambulance responses has changed little in around 40 years and does not take account of the advances made in clinical development of pre-hospital care." Scotland's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, said: "The Scottish Ambulance Service has undertaken a rigorous review of its clinical data, involving a full year of actual patient outcome data being analysed. "What the analysis showed was that the current coding system does not always accurately identify some patients' conditions as immediately life-threatening. And that other codes were getting an eight-minute response, although the patient's condition had no time-critical response requirement. "I am persuaded by the extensive clinical evidence that the Scottish Ambulance Service has put forward and know that patient safety is at the heart of these changes." She added: "We will keep this pilot under close review over the next 12 months to ensure that we are seeing the improvements to patient safety and patient outcomes that are expected." Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "I am pleased that this new clinical response model is based on evidence, unlike the eight-minute standard response time which was a pragmatic target set in 1974. "The quality of patient care, before a person even reaches hospital, has improved dramatically

Summary: A new response system for 999 calls is to be piloted by the Scottish Ambulance Service.


Mark Duffus, 41, from Forres in Moray, was among at least seven people who died in a suicide attack on the Kabul base of a logistics firm supplying Nato forces in Afghanistan. He was employed by international security management group Blue Hackle. Five guards, four of them Nepali, were among those killed in the gun and bomb attack, which happened early on Tuesday. In his profile on the LinkedIn social media website, Mr Duffus said he had been employed by Blue Hackle since 2005, and was working as a site security manager. He had previously served in the armed forces for nine years. The Kabul police chief told the BBC the four insurgents, who were all killed, had a truck full of explosives. Smoke was seen rising above the scene of the attack in the north of the city. Reports suggested the bombers' vehicle was stopped outside the facility by guards. When the explosives were detonated, gunmen began shooting at guards in a 30-minute battle, officials said. As well as the Nepali guards, two Afghan truck drivers who were waiting to enter the compound were killed and an Afghan guard. Kabul police chief Gen Ayub Salangi said all four attackers were killed and the blast from the truck left a large crater in the ground. This is the latest in a series of attacks on targets in the Afghan capital in recent months. Moray SNP MP Angus Robertson said: "The loss of anybody whether military or civilian in a conflict is terrible for their family, friends and the wider community. "My sympathies are very much with those family and friends in Forres and elsewhere at this sad time."

Summary: A Scottish security contractor has been killed in Afghanistan.


With just under 600 objects from the 1820s to 2007 on show, the lid will also be lifted on some lesser-known and often gruesome tales. Evidence from the Metropolitan Police's Crime Museum - also known as the Black Museum - will reveal "London's amazing hidden stories" in an exhibition from October. A briefcase, syringe and poison belonging to the Kray twins, and secret microdot messages that exposed the Portland Soviet Spy ring, are just some of the objects visitors will be able to see that have previously been behind closed doors. A published memoir containing handwritten notes in the margin by Donald Swanson, senior investigating officer on the Jack the Ripper investigation, will also feature in the exhibition. Swanson reveals his personal thoughts, naming Aaron Kosminski as prime suspect for the unsolved murders. "This is an amazing hidden story for London," Museum of London content director Finbarr Whooley said. "For 140 years, the Metropolitan Police has amassed a fascinating collection of real objects and evidence from the UK's most notorious criminal investigations that until now have been behind closed doors." In a case bringing museum visitors up to speed on more modern evidence gathering techniques , a laptop retrieved from the burning car which crashed into Glasgow Airport in a 2007 terrorist attack will also be on show. Despite the laptop being badly burnt and damaged, more than 90% of its data was retrieved, which was used to link the case to the attempted car bomb attacks in London the previous day. Among the more unusual items being revealed are the gallstones of Olive Durand Deacon, a wealthy solicitor's widow who was charmed by entrepreneur John George Haigh while staying at the Onslow Court Hotel in Kensington, west London, in 1949. Little did she know that her new acquaintance already had the blood of five murder victims on his hands. Haigh lured Mrs Deacon to his West Sussex workshop before shooting her in the back of the head and dissolving her body in acid in an act closely resembling a modern day scene from gritty US sitcom Breaking Bad. With no body to be found as evidence, it was down to a shrewd detective who spotted pebbles on the workshop floor - it later transpired these were Mrs Deacon's gallstones. The gallstones will be on display alongside the remains of Mrs Deacon's gloves and handbag. But with all of this intriguing evidence on display, is there a risk of forgetting about the victims and glamorising the crimes? The Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, thinks the exhibition carefully avoids this trap. "I am pleased the exhibition recognises that their voice is central when investigating and prosecuting crimes," she said. Met Police assistant commissioner Martin Hewitt agreed and said: "I'd be very disappointed if anyone went away thinking we were glamorising these crimes." A telling example of evidence that puts the tales of the victims who suffered at the centre of these crimes are artefacts from the 1979 Spaghetti House Siege in Knightsbridge, west London. Hostages were held for five days

Summary: From Jack the Ripper investigation notes to a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne belonging to the Great Train Robbery gang, a fascinating collection of evidence amassed from some of the most notorious crimes in the UK is to go on public display for the first time.


The four boys and one girl were reported missing on Monday afternoon. The last confirmed sighting had been at Clonfeckle Tower. The scouts, all aged 13, had been due to walk to Craigshields, north of Ae Forest. They were reported to be equipped with adequate outdoor clothing and torches. They were found and brought to safety by police officers.

Summary: Five scouts have been found safe and well after an overnight search in a forest in south-west Scotland.


The Land and Lakes plans were agreed after a £20m deal to mitigate the impact of the development on Holyhead. It will see a leisure park with 500 lodges and cottages at Penrhos Coastal Park, a further 315 lodges at Cae Glas, and 320 homes in the Kingsland area. Some of the new accommodation will house workers if a new Wylfa nuclear power plant is built on the island. "This was the largest planning application ever to be considered by the Isle of Anglesey county council," said chief executive Gwynne Jones. "The terms agreed with Land and Lakes will bring in excess of £20m to mitigate the possible impacts an application of this scale will have on the area. "Importantly, environmental concerns raised will also be addressed and will be the subject of appropriate remediation." The original application for the Land and Lakes development was first put forward in 2011, following the closure of the giant Anglesey Aluminium plant in the town. Controversially, the first part of the plans will see a holiday village built on part of the Penrhos Coastal Park, which was owned by the former metal plant. The planning proposals were initially agreed in 2013, but it has taken since then to thrash out the deal on what is known as a 106 agreement. It makes developers pay back into a community to cover the costs of providing additional school places, doctors and council support services. It also ensures the bill for any additional environmental work is picked up by the developers. The island's head of economic regeneration, Dylan J Williams added: "We're hopeful that the Land and Lakes project will bring long term economic benefits for the island as a whole and will represent a positive step in the sustainable transformation of our economy. "We now look forward to working with Land and Lakes to ensure people and businesses can take advantage."

Summary: A £120m holiday village and houses on Anglesey which could bring about 600 jobs has been given the final go-ahead.


First Greater Manchester plans to increase the price of onboard tickets by 10p in January but freeze the cost of those bought via its mTickets app. It said it wanted to encourage customers to buy tickets in advance on smartphones to speed up journey times. Passenger group TravelWatch NorthWest said it may reduce delays but penalised those without the technology. A spokesman for the bus operator said about 15,000 passengers already use the app and its research showed boarding times would be 75% faster if all passengers used it. He said the company were confident freezing ticket prices on the app would encourage more customers to pay that way. TravelWatch NorthWest's John Moorhouse said while he understood it was "an incentive to use the app, a lot don't have the internet and rely on buying [tickets] on the bus". He also said it was "unfortunate" for the 22% of passengers who do not travel with smart phones. The majority of single onboard tickets will see a 10p increase from 2 January.

Summary: Passengers buying tickets onboard some Greater Manchester buses are to pay more than those using a smartphone app.


In an interview with Mexican daily Excelsior, he called Mr Trump's rhetoric "strident". He added that "that's how [Italian fascist leader] Mussolini got in, that's how Hitler got in". The Mexican leader also said that Mr Trump had hurt US-Mexico relations. Donald Trump has said that if he is elected he will build a wall along the US-Mexico border to keep migrants from crossing into the US illegally. The Republican candidate has also insisted that Mexico would pay for the border wall, which President Pena Nieto dismissed out of hand. He said there was "no scenario" under which Mexico would ever pay for such a wall. Mr Trump, who has made the fight against illegal immigration the main plank of his campaign, outraged Mexicans last June when he called undocumented Mexican migrants "criminals" and "rapists". President Pena Nieto said Mr Trump offered "very easy, simple solutions to problems that are obviously not that easy to solve". "And there have been episodes in human history, unfortunately, where these expressions of this strident rhetoric have only led to very ominous situations in the history of humanity," he said. "That's how Mussolini got in, that's how Hitler got in, they took advantage of a situation, a problem perhaps, which humanity was going through at the time, after an economic crisis," he added. President Pena Nieto, who had up until now avoided commenting on Mr Trump's candidacy, insisted he would be "absolutely respectful" of the US political process. His predecessors in office, however, have been more outspoken. Former President Vicente Fox used an expletive on live television when he said Mexico would not pay for the border wall proposed by Mr Trump. Felipe Calderon, who governed from 2006 to 2012, also dismissed the idea saying: "Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall!"

Summary: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has compared the rhetoric of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to that of German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.


Element Power said the Irish-based giant wind farms in its Greenwire plan could power three million UK homes. It said the £6bn scheme could save consumers billions of pounds as it is cheaper than off shore wind generation. The UK government is committed to to achieving 15% of its energy consumption from renewable sources by 2020. Element Power has told BBC Wales that its plan could provide up to 10% of that target. In Wales, as in other parts of the UK, there have been large demonstrations and protests against the building of wind farms. Greenwire is seen as a way of avoiding such confrontation in future. Under the plan 40 wind farms, with a total of 700 wind turbines, would be based in the Bog of Allen in the midlands of Ireland. The electricity would then be sent under the Irish Sea. The cables would resurface at two locations in Wales; one at Pentir near Caernarfon, and the other at Pembroke. Element Power insist that, because both locations are near existing power stations, sub stations and pylons, the environmental impact would be minimal. The project, would, however call for the building of two converter stations, which would be around the size of two football pitches each. Mike O'Neill, president of Element Power, described the scheme as "a win-win situation". "This is surplus wind to Ireland's requirements and this is a great export opportunity for Ireland," he said. "It creates lots of jobs, lots of economic benefit, and for the UK... this provides 10% of the 2020 renewable energy target... and saves the UK consumer £7bn. "So overall this £6bn infrastructure project is going be (an) economic benefit for the UK, for Wales and for Ireland." Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth said it did not oppose the scheme but called for the UK to develop its own renewable energy. "This is a good project," said spokesman Guy Shrubsole. But he added: "There's huge benefits that could come to the UK from properly developing our renewable resource, whether that's wave or tidal or offshore wind or onshore wind and the number of jobs that could be coming from that, the green economy that we could be building in the UK, not just having to import energy from overseas. A Department of Energy and Climate Change spokesman told BBC Wales: "Further interconnection could open up real opportunities for the UK - to potentially lower prices, help with system balancing and enhance energy security." "The government recently called for evidence on the costs and benefits associated with trading renewable energy - we will publish the government's response in due course."

Summary: The UK government is considering plans to import wind power from Ireland to the National Grid via cables under the Irish Sea to north and west Wales.


It follows a damning report into the Tawel Fan ward at Glan Clwyd Hospital. Simon Dean, interim chief executive of Betsi Cadwaladr health board, confirmed nine staff have been reported to the Nursing and Midwifery Council and three to the General Medical Council. He will give an update on action being taken at a meeting on 11 August. Nine members of staff have been suspended, another four redeployed and three placed on restricted duties.

Summary: The number of staff reported to their professional bodies over care at a Denbighshire mental health ward has risen to 12.


He was helped off in the 40-7 defeat by the Chiefs on Tuesday. Captain and flanker Sam Warburton came through Tuesday's tour game as a late replacement for Ellis Jenkins, who pulled out with a tight thigh. Back Gareth Anscombe and back-rower Ross Moriarty also withdrew from the bench with Jamie Roberts and Taulupe Faletau coming into the match squad. Wales had already lost flanker Dan Lydiate with a shoulder injury before the tour and fellow British and Irish Lion George North departed after the opening 39-21 defeat by New Zealand because of a hamstring tear. Prop Paul James (calf) and scrum-half Lloyd Williams (ankle) have also left the tour with prop Aaron Jarvis and 18-year-old Ospreys wing Keelan Giles called up. Warburton was the only player in the starting XV against the Chiefs who featured in the opening Test. Scarlets' Aled Davies and Rhys Patchell were on the bench having been flown to New Zealand as injury cover. Ball came off the bench against New Zealand in Auckland and if he is ruled out of contention for the second Test, Luke Charteris will take over having led Wales in Hamilton. WALES TOUR SQUAD Backs: Gareth Davies, Rhys Webb, Aled Davies, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Rhys Priestland, Jonathan Davies, Tyler Morgan, Jamie Roberts, Scott Williams, Hallam Amos, Matthew Morgan, Rhys Patchell, Tom James, Keelan Giles, Eli Walker, Liam Williams. Forwards: Rob Evans, Tomas Francis, Aaron Jarvis, Gethin Jenkins, Rhodri Jones, Samson Lee, Scott Baldwin, Kristian Dacey, Ken Owens, Jake Ball, Luke Charteris, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Taulupe Faletau, James King, Ross Moriarty, Josh Turnbull, Ellis Jenkins, Sam Warburton (captain).

Summary: Lock Jake Ball has added to Wales' injury worries before their second Test against New Zealand on Saturday.


Known as the Queen of Ranthambore, Machli was described as one of the world's most photographed tigers. She had distinctive fish-shaped markings on the left side of her face. She featured in many documentaries and amazed viewers when her fight with a 14-foot crocodile was caught on film. She was one of the biggest draws for thousands of tourists visiting Ranthambore National Park, India has more than half the world's tigers, at 2,226 in the latest estimate. Machli was found starving and lying on her side near the park's boundary in northern Rajasthan state. She had not eaten in days, officials said. "We were trying to provide her treatment but she died," Ranthambore tiger project director Yogesh Kumar Sahu told AFP news agency. "It was a natural death linked to her age." Machli had slowed down in recent years and lost almost all of her teeth, according to the park's website. Her death has made headlines in India, and fans have taken to social media to pay their respects to the Queen of Ranthambore. She was named Machli, the Hindi word for fish, because of the markings on her face. Natural World BBC photo credit: MACHLI - TIGER QUEEN/Natural World/Mike Birkhead Associates/BBC

Summary: India's most famous tiger, 19-year-old Machli, has died, officials say.


Hermine is expected to make landfall in Florida around midnight on Thursday night, the first hurricane to hit the state since 2005. Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for 51 counties as residents braced for the dangerous storm. Wind gusts reached 70mph (110kmph) on Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. "This is life threatening. We have not had a hurricane in years," Governor Scott said. He added that 8,000 members of the Florida National Guard were prepared to be deployed in the wake of the storm. Mr Scott ordered evacuations in five counties in Florida's northwest and called for voluntary evacuations in three other coastal counties. Weather officials predict Hermine will cross Georgia and the Carolinas, and could bring heavy rains along the East Coast over Labour Day Weekend. Georgia Governor Nathan Deal also has declared a state of emergency for 56 counties ahead of the storm. The system also poses a risk of tornadoes near the central Florida coast, according to the NHC. The last hurricane to strike Florida was Wilma in 2005, which made landfall in the US the same year as Katrina.

Summary: Tropical Storm Hermine has strengthened into a hurricane, threatening to bring a dangerous storm surge to Florida.


The review panel says WHO was too slow to act to get on top of the deadly virus which has now killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa. And it calls for an urgent overhaul of the organisation. WHO says it has plans for reform. It has already admitted that it waited too long to declare Ebola a public health emergency of international concern. WHO Director General, Margaret Chan, admitted in May it had been "overwhelmed" by the Ebola outbreak, saying it "shook this organization to its core". The disease began spreading in December 2013, but it took until August 2014 for WHO to sound the alarm. By that point, more than 1,000 people had died of the virus. The death toll now stands at more than 11,000. According to the report, WHO lacked a culture of rapid decision-making. In the early stages of the Ebola crisis, messages were sent about the seriousness of the situation but these "either did not reach senior leaders or senior leaders did not recognise their significance". "There seems to have been a hope that the crisis could be managed by good diplomacy rather than by scaling up emergency action," the report says. WHO was also criticised for failing to keep governments and the public up to speed about the extent and severity of the outbreak. But the review praised WHO for playing a critical role in pushing forward work to find new treatments and cures for Ebola. And it said WHO should be given the job of leading future health emergency responses - be that for Ebola or an outbreak of pandemic flu, for example. The report suggests an immediate contribution from all member countries towards a $100 million special outbreak response fund, and says WHO should establish a Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response. The panel's head, Dame Barbara Stocking, former chief executive of the charity Oxfam, said the WHO must now be made fit for the task. "To me, coming from somewhere like Oxfam which is an emergency culture, you are very much, if you like, on the front foot. You are always trying to prevent a situation coming through or grab it when it starts and really get it under control very fast and those are some of the internal changes that have to be made at WHO." The WHO said it was "already moving forward" on some of the panel's recommendations including the development of the global health emergency workforce and the contingency fund. It will be up to member states to make these voluntary financial contributions. Dr Joanne Liu, President of MSF International, questioned how the recommendations would translate to real action on the ground. "We have seen so many reports calling for change, with everyone focused on how to improve future response and meanwhile, with 20-25 new Ebola cases per week in the region, we still don`t have the current epidemic under control. On Ebola, we went from global indifference, to global fear, to global response and now to global fatigue. We must finish the job," she said. Dr

Summary: The Ebola crisis proves the World Health Organization (WHO) lacks the "capacity and culture" to deal with global health emergencies, says a damning independent report, commissioned by the WHO itself.


Prime Minister David Cameron said last week that money was "no object" in the effort to aid households and businesses flooded in England in recent weeks. Parts of Dumfries and Galloway were hit by flooding over the festive period. Councillor Colin Smyth has called on Scottish ministers to ensure the region gets a share of any additional cash. He said: "What we are asking is, if there is funding being made available in the south of England will Scotland receive some of that as part of the Barnett formula? "And secondly we want to know from the Scottish government, if this is the case, will they make sure that money is spent in the areas that actually suffered from flooding." Dumfries and Galloway was one of the Scottish areas hardest hit by flooding at the end of last year and over the new year period, with residents of Kirkconnel, Carsphairn and Moniaive having to be evacuated. One family was rescued by helicopter after their farm house beside the River Nith near Closeburn was cut off by rising water. Just days later, coastal communities along the Solway bore the brunt of more severe flooding as high tides, storm surges and gale force winds combined to overwhelm sea defences. In January, Scotland's Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse said flood risk management was a "priority". He said Cosla and the Scottish government had a "pot" of Â£42m available to local authorities to bid for to help tackling flooding issues.

Summary: Dumfries and Galloway Council has said flood victims in the area should receive a share of UK government money to help those hit by severe weather.


More than 200 houses inside the enclave were burnt down. Residents reportedly refused to return the body of a Bangladeshi villager allegedly killed by the Indians. The Indian enclave, Garati, is situated inside Bangladesh, about 3.5km (two miles) from the border which is not properly demarcated. About 2,000 people live in the enclave, which is surrounded by the Bangladeshi district of Panchagarh. Indians allege that the intruder from Bangladesh was a robber but villagers from the neighbouring area deny the accusations. Reports say only half the population of the enclave has returned to the area so far. Hundreds of people have spent the last few nights out in the open as their homes were destroyed in the violence. Residents of the enclave say they had lost household goods and valuables in the mob attack. "Normalcy is slowly returning to the area. We have deployed additional forces to prevent further violence," Shahriar Rahman, a senior police official in the district of Panchagarh, told the BBC Bengali service. There has been no comment yet from the Indian side on the incident. Local journalists say this is the first major attack on an Indian enclave in many years. The incident has once again highlighted the tense relations in the border areas. India and Bangladesh have enclaves in each other's territory and the two sides have been holding talks for years to resolve all border-related issues. The two countries share a border of more than 4,100km (2,550 miles). There are more than 100 Indian enclaves inside Bangladeshi territory and there are about 50 Bangladeshi enclaves in India - thousands of people live in them. Residents of these enclaves often complain that there is virtually no infrastructure and no government. They say there is a lack of water, roads, electricity, schools and medicine. Activists say neither government is seriously interested in addressing the plight of people living in the enclaves.

Summary: Police in Bangladesh say they have arrested 11 people over an arson attack on a village in an Indian enclave inside Bangladeshi territory.


But what will this mean for consumers - particularly those who are suffering from slow broadband - or none at all? Rival telecoms companies have long argued that Openreach - the firm providing most of the UK's broadband infrastructure - should not be part of the same group as BT, which has a third of the country's broadband market. The likes of Sky and TalkTalk say this structure has been bad for competition and consumers. Ofcom agreed - as did the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. To avoid a protracted legal battle, BT has now fallen into line. The jury is still out. BT will still control Openreach's budget, even though the newly separated company will have its own boss and decide how to spend its cash. Really fast broadband requires running fibre optic cable into every home, which is very expensive. As a result, most UK broadband connections still rely on the elderly copper wires used for telephone calls. Andrew Ferguson, of the news website ThinkBroadband, said it is unclear whether separating BT and Openreach will deliver this faster option. Most observers agree that the split alone will not solve the UK's broadband problems. Slow and non-existent broadband is still an issue in some rural areas and Openreach has been criticised for its failure to address the issue. However, very few other operators appear willing to fix the problem, which is expensive and technically challenging. You have a broadband fault but it is taking weeks to fix. Sound familiar? Critics say Openreach just failed to provide adequate levels of customer service because complaints come through a customer's internet service provider, giving it no incentive to undertake repairs more quickly. Gavin Patterson, BT chief executive, admitted on Friday that Openreach's service has "not been where it needed to be" and said the separation would improve the situation. It remains to be seen how long that will take to deliver - and to remove the BT logo from thousands of BT white vans.

Summary: Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, said on Friday that BT had agreed to "legally separate" Openreach - the division that owns and operates the UK's broadband network.


Media playback is not supported on this device Gotze, 24, made 83 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund before joining Bayern Munich in 2013. The size of the deal is unknown, although reports have suggested it is in the region of £20m. "I have since his departure in 2013, always hoped that he will one day return to us," Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told the club website. Gotze helped Bayern to three Bundesliga titles, as well as scoring Germany's winning goal at the 2014 World Cup. His move to Bayern for a reported 37m euros (£31.5m) was the most expensive German transfer at the time. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Borussia Dortmund have re-signed forward Mario Gotze on a four-year deal, subject to a medical.


Ashya King was taken out of Southampton General Hospital by his mother and father against medical advice. Hampshire Police believe he may have been taken to Spain and police are at a Marbella property owned by the family. Officers said they now thought his family had "taken steps to be able to feed him". It was unclear precisely what they meant but Hampshire Assistant Chief Constable Chris Shead added: "The feeding system that Ashya needs and the other associated medical care is complex, and I would appeal to Ashya's family not to think that they are able to administer this care themselves." It is feared the battery on his medical feeding unit, which is designed only for temporary use and is not easy to replace, has now run out. He said it was unclear whether Ashya's parents had spare batteries. "Without properly administered food Ashya's situation is very serious," he said. Ashya and his family were last seen on a ferry to France on Thursday evening. Mr Shead cautioned it was possible the family may not have travelled on to Spain and asked people across Europe to remain vigilant. According to Ian Pople, a consultant neurosurgeon, the battery in the feeding machine used by Ashya can't be changed easily. It is integrated within the machine, much like an iPhone, and it means the machine has to be taken apart to replace the battery. It's also not designed to be run on batteries for a long period and is usually plugged into the mains. In other words, it's only battery-reliant for short periods, such as going to the toilet, or moving between wards. Although the arrest warrant was "based around neglect", Mr Shead said this did not necessarily mean the parents would be charged with that offence. "It purely gives us the power to arrest and then we will be able to speak to them," he said. Ashya's paternal grandmother, Patricia King, said the couple were "wonderful" and had been distraught at their child's illness. Ms King, who lives in Southsea, said her son was "the most caring and wonderful father you could ever have". She also praised her daughter-in-law, saying she had kept a bedside vigil while Ashya was in hospital. "We are a very close family," she said. Mr Shead said his force was considering sending officers from Hampshire to assist Spanish police in Marbella. He also thanked the Spanish authorities for their help with the search for the family and urged any medical professionals to be on the lookout for the family. Mr Shead said the latest information was "positive", adding: "There have been widespread media alerts across Europe. "We would now encourage anyone with links to Spain particularly, to also help us spread the appeal via social media." Interpol has issued a missing persons alert to all 190 of its member countries and said it was treating all information on the case as "high priority". Brett King, 51, and Naghemeh King, 45, removed Ashya from the ward on Thursday. A spokesman for the hospital, which contacted police six hours

Summary: A European arrest warrant has been issued for the parents of a five-year-old boy with a brain tumour, missing from hospital since Thursday.


The 22-year-old will miss the rest of the season after being punished for a breach of contract. Turkish club Trabzonspor successfully claimed he had agreed to join them in 2013, before staying with Karlsruhe. "Bayer had nothing to do with the incident," said the Turkey international. "The club have, however, been affected by the resulting punishment in a sporting and economical sense. "That's why, for me, it makes complete sense that I should not further harm the club and will therefore forgo my salary during the time of my exclusion." Leverkusen, who are mid-table in the Bundesliga, face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16.

Summary: Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu says he will not collect his salary during his four-month suspension.


Substances like Mamba and Spice can have serious side effects such as paranoia, psychosis and seizures, and have been linked to UK deaths. Previously known as legal highs, many of the drugs are untested so the risks of taking them is unknown. There have been a number of cases in towns such as Wrexham, with a lawyer saying there is a "big problem" there. Crimestoppers is now offering a reward for information on the supply of these drugs. It wants to hear from people who know of individuals who are manufacturing, importing or supplying these drugs to people in the area, including the homeless. "These substances are relatively new on the streets, so information is hard to come by as to who is producing and supplying them," said Gary Murray, the charity's north Wales regional manager. "We understand there is a stigma attached to 'grassing' on people, but these substances are dangerous, to the individuals taking them and to the community around them."

Summary: A charity has launched an appeal to help stop the supply of "dangerous drugs" in north Wales.


It dramatically restarted a row over academic selection at the age of 11 which for almost 20 years had been quietly sidelined. The speech defining her vision of a "great meritocracy" was just last September, but those plans have been shredded by the election. So what has changed for England's 163 grammar schools and the many non-selective schools affected by them? On the surface apparently nothing, beneath that almost everything. Or, as one grammar school leader said to me "politically, grammar schools are now an issue in a way they weren't. The 1997 ban on new selective schools brought a truce. David Cameron respected that truce." The school of Theresa May's former chief of staff, Nick Timothy, has a special place in this story. King Edward VI Aston School looks like a bastion of tradition, but it's taken a radical step to become more inclusive. At Aston a quota system has been introduced to set aside 25% of places for pupil premium children who had passed the entrance test. This means their family income will have been low enough at some point in the last six years to entitle them to free school meals. Similar quota systems were widely expected to be part of any plans for new grammar schools, which overall have only 3% of pupils on free school meals. There was even the possibility they might have been applied to existing grammar schools. Aston is part of a foundation that runs six of Birmingham's grammar schools. Executive director Heath Monk thinks the ditched plans, guided by May's chief of staff, might have been more surprising than many realised. "Nick Timothy was unique in seeing the expansion of grammar schools, and making them more inclusive, as part of the same agenda." Grammar schools, quietly tolerated for years, found themselves in the spotlight. Our BBC investigation of admission policies showed fewer than half gave priority to poorer children when allocating places. This included some schools with poor neighbourhoods on their doorstep. A new law might have compelled grammar schools to change, but without that what will happen to efforts to make them socially inclusive? At the King Edward VI grammar schools Mr Monk says they hope to go significantly further than the current 20-25% quotas. The risk of slightly lower exam results down the road is one they can take as the foundation runs most of the grammar schools in Birmingham. About 5% of England's secondary school pupils are educated in a grammar school. The influence of selection is greater, because grammar schools only give places to about a quarter of the children in their areas. The other local schools accept children who don't reach the score needed, don't sit the test or have special needs. "We'll be back to the bad old days, where people didn't recognise we still had grammars and secondary moderns," Ian Widdows tells me. He's the head teacher at Giles Academy in Boston Lincolnshire, which he is proud to call a secondary modern. He set up the National Secondary Moderns Association to gain recognition that they do

Summary: It was Theresa May's controversial big idea, to open a wave of new grammar schools in England.


12 November 2015 Last updated at 07:08 GMT He blasts off for his six-month mission on 15 December. But what exactly is the International Space Station and what will Tim be doing on it? Hayley's been finding out.

Summary: In a few weeks' time, British astronaut Tim Peake will be making himself at home aboard the International Space Station.


These Western countries - and their allies - want Africa to do more to promote stability so that extremists can be effectively denied room to operate. The repeated need for Western intervention in African conflicts has raised questions about the continent's efforts to achieve stability. ''There is a sense of frustration," said Comfort Ero, Africa director at the International Crisis Group (ICG). "Some African leaders would tell privately tell you that there is a sense of embarrassment.'' In Mali, the French militarily intervened in January to prevent militants from taking over the country. Libya has descended into chaos and is now thought to be home to many radical Islamist groups. Now, French intervention has also become necessary in the Central African Republic (CAR) following a takeover by mainly Muslim rebels which has led to clashes with the Christian community. After years of talk about establishing a robust military force to intervene in African conflicts, lack of political will is holding back progress. "Up to a certain extent, the Africans have become prisoners of their own rhetoric - [that] African problems need African solutions," said Roland Marchal, a senior research fellow specialising in Africa at Sciences-Po in Paris. A number of African countries prefer interventions such as those seen in Mali and the CAR because they are a good way to get military funding, he added. But Ms Ero cautions against any assumption that Africa must alone address crises that have international impact. "While there is a desire and more willingness to see an African response, the continent still requires a significant amount of international assistance," she told the BBC. She added that the challenge today is to provide a careful assessment of what the African Union can, realistically, achieve in trying to provide peace and security responses in the continent. The US and France see some obligation in being part of the fight against terrorists in Africa. After all, al-Qaeda attacked US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Militants thought to be affiliated to al-Qaeda in West Africa continue to kidnap French nationals, and threaten French business interests in the region. In February this year, the US deployed 100 troops to Niger to assist French forces in neighbouring Mali in their hunt for al-Qaeda-linked militants. Their mission is to focus on "intelligence sharing", an official said. According to media reports, the US now flies surveillance drones from Niger, tracking militants across a hostile desert region that is home to unstable states sharing porous borders. Although their joint counter-insurgency operations with a number of African countries are seen as crucial, questions remain over the sustainability of international intervention. In the absence of a robust African force, France has had to step in a number of times to intervene in local conflicts. In situations where an African force has intervened, they have often faced financial bottlenecks. In Somalia, an African Union (AU) mission - backed by the UN - has managed to beat back Islamist militant group al-Shabab. But the force's effectiveness is hindered by a lack of helicopters and other logistics. Hawa

Summary: Although often seen as rivals in global politics, the US and France are working together to prevent parts of Africa from falling into the hands of al-Qaeda-linked fighters.


Jones, 39, and Cardiff Blues pair Danny Wilson and Matt Sheratt have been added to Wales' staff for the Pacific Islands tour in June 2017. Wales head coach and assistant Rob Howley are away with the British and Irish Lions next summer. "Stephen will obviously get a lot out of it but I think there'll be more going the other way," said Pivac. Jones played well over 200 matches for Llanelli and Scarlets and returned to west Wales as a backs coach in 2015 after a spell as part of Dai Young's coaching team at Wasps. Pivac believes he has a future at international level. "He's been identified as a coach with a lot of potential and someone I believe will be a fine international coach going forward. He's going to be world class," said the New Zealander. "Wales are talking about playing an attacking game so I think Stephen will be able to add something there. He's taken a lot of his qualities he showed as a player into his coaching." Jones scored 917 points in 104 appearances for Wales and played fly-half in six Test matches for the British and Irish Lions. He is now sharing his expertise with Scarlets stand-off Rhys Patchell, a combination Pivac says is key to the team's success. "The relationship between the two is blossoming and that's great for Welsh rugby going forward," he added. "Technically Stephen is very very sound, tactically very switched on. We're in a pretty good place as a result of the hard work he's been doing."

Summary: Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac says Wales will gain when Stephen Jones joins their coaching team next summer.


Matthew Williams was found attacking Cerys Marie Yemm, 22, at a hostel in Argoed, Caerphilly county. Police used a Taser stun gun on the 34-year-old and he later died. "This really is the stuff of nightmares," said one politician. Serious further offence reviews are held if crimes are alleged to have happened within 30 days of a sentence ending. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is investigating, confirmed Williams had been a resident at the Sirhowy Arms hostel, which houses vulnerable and homeless people, including ex-offenders. It was there on Thursday that police found him attacking Ms Yemm, 22, who was from Blackwood. Sources confirmed Ms Yemm suffered substantial facial injuries. The community has reacted with shock to the murder and William Graham, a Conservative assembly member for South Wales East, said a "wider inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his release is urgently required". "Questions must be answered by authorities and a full explanation provided on the decisions taken in this extremely tragic case." The Ministry of Justice would not comment further. However, it is understood ex-offenders are not always subject to supervision if they serve their full sentence and have not previously been convicted of violent offences. Details of Williams's previous offences and the length of sentence he received have not been confirmed. Chris Evans, MP for Islwyn, said: "This was a horrific and senseless crime that must be condemned without reservation. "However, this is not the time for knee jerk reactions. A full investigation will be conducted by Gwent Police and the IPCC." Williams's family said it was in "shock" following the murder, adding it was "devastated by the death of an innocent young lady". Ms Yemm worked in sales at Next and was formerly a student of Coleg Gwent between 2008 and April 2009. She had been studying health and social care. Williams and Ms Yemm knew each other and police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the murder. A post mortem examination of Ms Yemm's body is expected to take some time to complete. Gwent Police said a lone female officer initially responded to the attack. Ch Insp Paul Staniforth told reporters on Friday Ms Yemm's family is being supported by officers. He also said the female officer and others who later attended were being supported by the force's occupational health department.

Summary: A serious further offence review will take place into the case of a man who murdered a woman in an act of cannibalism shortly after being released from prison, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed.


IS "fired at everything that moved" after entering on Thursday, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A separate IS attack on the north-eastern city of Hassakeh has displaced 60,000 people, the UN says. Kobane became a symbol of Kurdish resistance in January after an IS siege lasting several months was repelled. IS launched an apparent two-pronged offensive on Thursday after Kurdish fighters from the Popular Protection Units (YPG) cut off one of the militants' major supply routes near Raqqa. Raqqa is the de facto capital of the IS "caliphate", whose creation IS announced a year ago after it captured large swathes of northern and western Iraq and parts of Syria. "According to medical sources and Kobane residents, 120 civilians were executed by IS in their homes or killed by the group's rockets or snipers," said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the UK-based Observatory. He said women and children were among the bodies found inside houses and on the streets of the town, which is close to the border with Turkey. He described it as one of the biggest massacres by the group in the country since its offensive began last summer. The militants took the town by surprise when they launched their attack on Thursday, five months after IS was removed by Kurdish fighters backed by US-led coalition strikes. The attack at dawn on Thursday began when militants detonated a car bomb, followed by two more bombings. Reports said some of the militants may have hidden themselves among returning refugees and disguised themselves by wearing Kurdish militia uniforms. In a nearby village, IS reportedly shot dead at least 20 civilians, including women and children. Activists say clashes between some IS militants and the Kurdish YPG forces are continuing in the town. Separately on Friday, the UN said an estimated 50,000 people had been displaced within the city of Hassakeh after another IS offensive there. Another 10,000 have fled northwards towards a town near the Turkish border, it added. Hassakeh, about 270km (180 miles) east of Kobane, has been under the control of both government forces and Kurdish fighters, and IS militants have been trying to capture it for months. Overall, in four years of armed conflict in Syria, more than 200,000 people have lost their lives and more than 11 million others have been forced from their homes.

Summary: Islamic State (IS) militants have killed more than 120 civilians since launching a fresh attack on the Syrian border town of Kobane, activists say.


In its Cost of a Child in 2017 report, the charity says the cost of raising a child to the age of 18 for a two-parent family, excluding housing, childcare and council tax has risen to Â£75,436. A couple earning the National Living Wage falls 13% short of that, it said. Costs are up 4% compared with 2016. The figures for 2017 reflect rising prices - especially of public and private transport - but it is cuts to some welfare benefits and the failure to up-rate others that is causing the pinch to be so severe for low income families, the report says. "For the first time in post-war history, these cost increases are not being matched by increases in support given to families from the state," said report author Donald Hirsch, Director of the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University. He predicted the problem would become steadily worse. Two parents earning the National Living Wage of Â£7.50 an hour would fall 13% short of the income needed to provide a child with a "no-frills living standard", says the CPAG. The total includes food, clothing, heating as well as buying birthday presents and a week's self-catering holiday in the UK the charity said. A lone parent working full-time on the National Living Wage would fall short by 18%, according to the report. "Families unable to cover their costs on benefits must either undergo serious hardship, fall back on the help of their families or go into debt," the report concludes. Child benefit and child tax credit rates have not increased since 2015 and other cuts to welfare, including the benefit cap and the limiting of child tax credit entitlement to two children per family, are affecting the income of some families. The CPAG provides an annual assessment of the cost of raising a child based on the "minimum income standard" or a very basic level of provision. This is determined through in-depth discussions with members of the public, asking them what it is essential for a child to have. However the charity says that "years of austerity have reduced public expectations of what constitutes essential spending."

Summary: Higher inflation and a freeze on state benefits mean low-income parents cannot meet the basic costs of raising a child, according to the Child Poverty Action Group.


A spokesman said it was the longest tunnel found to date and was meant for use in attacks on Israeli civilians. The military wing of Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, dismissed the find, saying the tunnel was not new. The tunnel is longer than one which Israel announced it had discovered last October which reached 1.7km (1 mile). Militants have repeatedly tried to penetrate Israel using tunnels under the heavily secured border, managing to use one in a raid which killed two Israeli soldiers and saw a third, Gilad Shalit, kidnapped in 2006. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not say when or where the latest tunnel was found, but that it had thwarted a potential attack. "This advanced tunnel was intended to pose a direct link and threat to Israeli territory, and enable Hamas terrorists to reach and harm Israeli civilians," said spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner. "Tunnels such as this are built to assist terrorists in the execution of terror attacks. In the past Gaza terrorists have utilised such tunnels to Israel for infiltration, detonation and abduction of Israeli citizens." The IDF said it was still investigating the tunnel, which it said ran for hundreds of metres inside Israel - without giving a precise figure. However Hamas' military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, disputed Israel's claim. A spokesman noted "there was no military or intelligence achievement by the enemy", adding that "this tunnel is not new. "It is an old tunnel that Israel exposed two months ago and jihad fighters worked to rebuild it."

Summary: The Israeli military says it has uncovered a tunnel dug by militants from the Gaza Strip which runs hundreds of metres under Israel.


The American world number one shot seven birdies and an eagle as he moved to 16 under and overtook Patrick Reed. Reed (69) is joined on 12 under by fellow American Kevin Kisner (65) and Argentina's Fabian Gomez (66). Irishman Padraig Harrington (68) is eight under and Australia's US PGA champion Jason Day is three under (73), alongside Scotland's Russell Knox (72). Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell is one under after a 70 at the Plantation Course in Kapalua. Masters and US Open champion Spieth, who is bogey-free after his first two rounds, said: "It is nice to have no blemishes on the card. I want to prepare and start the year with a bang, but I'm only through 36 holes. There's a long way to go." Rickie Fowler (67) is on 10 under, while two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson (68) is a shot further back.

Summary: Jordan Spieth leads the Tournament of Champions by four shots after shooting a nine-under second-round 64 in Hawaii.


Jim Cassell headed City's academy when Sturridge spent three seasons there. England (2011-present): 4 caps, 0 goals Bolton Wanderers (loan 2011): 12 Premier League appearances, 8 goals Chelsea (2009-2013): 96 appearances in all competitions, 24 goals Manchester City (2006-09): 32 appearances in all competitions, 6 goals And he has been frustrated at Sturridge's lack of first-team appearances at both City and Chelsea. "Hopefully Liverpool will get the best from Daniel as he has the potential to be a top-class international striker," Cassell told BBC Sport. Cassell was City's academy director for 12 years, from 1997 to 2009, until he was given a new job heading up the club's international academies. During his time in the role, Cassell brought through Micah Richards, Stephen Ireland, Michael Johnson and Joey Barton, and won the 2008 Youth Cup. And he quickly identified Sturridge, who moved to Manchester City from Coventry City as a 13-year-old in 2003, as a huge talent who could go on to achieve success at the highest level. "Daniel was exceptional, even as a 13-year-old," Cassell said, after Sturridge completed his move to Liverpool from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee on Wednesday. "He had great pace, fantastic feet and magnificent vision. I couldn't speak too highly of him when he was with us. "He trained hard, was respectful and always immaculately turned out - I thought he was great. We knew he could go on and achieve great things." Sturridge played in the 2006 Youth Cup final against Liverpool, which City lost 3-2 on aggregate despite the striker scoring twice in the home leg. Media playback is not supported on this device He was promoted to the first team squad in the 2006-7 season, but went on to make only 21 appearances for City, scoring five goals. In July 2009 he moved to Chelsea and, although he got more first-team opportunities and won four caps for England, he was often played out wide and again failed to make a first-team place up front his own. Cassell admits it has sometimes been hard to watch such a talent sitting on the sidelines. "It's frustrating," he said. "In English football, we sometimes don't get the most out of our young players. The problem is enabling them to really establish themselves. They need that to really make it at international level. "The English game needs to be patient with these young talents."

Summary: The man who brought Daniel Sturridge through the ranks at Manchester City hopes to finally see the striker fulfil his potential at new club Liverpool.


Autumn Veatch had been on a small plane with her step-grandparents which crashed in the North Cascades National Park in Washington state. She is being treated in hospital, but has no life-threatening injuries. It is not known what happened to Autumn's step-grandparents, whom she attempted to pull from the wreckage. Autumn's father, David, told reporters outside a hospital in the town of Brewster that his daughter was exhausted, but doing remarkably well. He said she was able to joke with him about all the survival shows they watched together on television, according to the Associated Press news agency. "She's just an amazing kid,'' he said. "There's more to her than she knows.'' Transport authorities said the Beech A-35, which was registered to Autumn's step-grandfather, left Kalispell in Montana at around 13:00 on Saturday. It was due to land in Lynden, Washington, later on Saturday and family members raised the alarm when there was no sign of the plane. Autumn left the scene of the crash after a day and followed the river, via a trail, downstream to the nearest road, family friend Santina Lampman told the Seattle Times. A passing motorist spotted her on Monday and took her to the town of Mazama, where she received medical attention before being taken to hospital. Doctors say she is suffering from dehydration and a treatable kind of muscle tissue breakdown caused by exercise without food or water, but that she is expected to make a full recovery. "It's a miracle, no question about it," Lt Col Jeffrey Lustick of the Civil Air Patrol told reporters. "Moments of joy like this can be hard to find." The plane's wreckage has not yet been found but the search was due to resume again on Tuesday.

Summary: A 16-year-old girl has been found after hiking to safety from the scene of a plane crash in a mountainous area of the north-western US.


Media playback is not supported on this device Those first seven words, first delivered by Tim Robbins in the Hollywood adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Shawshank Redemption, may originally have referred to Robbins' character's plan to escape from prison. But spoken by former England youth international and Leicester Tigers player Matt Hampson, they have a much more literal meaning. Hampson was a standout prop for the Tigers' development squad, seemingly destined to one day earn full international honours with England. But 10 years ago on Sunday, Hampson, then just a 20-year-old, was left paralysed from the neck down when a scrum collapsed in a training session with the England Under-21 squad. Hampson spent 17 months in Stoke Mandeville Hospital, and now can only breathe with the help of a ventilator. Having seen his burgeoning career cut short, Hampson admitted he questioned why he had become the victim of such a serious freak accident. "That was the initial thoughts - why me, why me? "Then I saw other people who had had accidents in different scenarios and they weren't as fortunate as me to have such great support and a great network of friends and family. "I would see some people in hospital who didn't have one visitor from one week to the next and that's why I count myself very fortunate and I still do." Although support from family and friends helped Hampson, he also credits his background as a sportsman for enabling him to cope with his change in circumstance. "I think the mental strength comes from being a rugby player, from being at Leicester Tigers where it is a tough upbringing," added Hampson. "My family treat me as the same old Matt and still tell me if I am being miserable and tell me to get on with it and keep smiling. "I have a great network of friends as well who support me and treat me as the same person. I am not different. "I am just paralysed from the neck down - I am no different to anyone else really." Having come to terms with his injuries, the 30-year-old now feels it was fate that led to his accident, and with it, a greater purpose in life through a charity in his name. "I think it happened for a reason and I said this to my Dad - this will make me a better person. "I don't think I initially believed that, but I am just starting to now and I do think it has made me a better person. "I do think about people a lot more and try and help people as much as possible." One of those Hampson has helped is Harve Iradukunda. Iradukunda was a Rwandan refugee who was hit by a car and left paralysed while playing football on the street in South Africa. The Matt Hampson Foundation paid for Iradukunda to be flown to a Paris hospital, to be reunited with his mother and brother in France. "Honestly I don't know what I would have done without the Matt Hampson foundation,"

Summary: "Get busy living, or get busy dying' - I got busy living."


It gives them the same rights as married couples regarding inheritance, pensions and tax allowances. The law comes into effect on 6 April. Civil partnerships gained legal recognition in the UK in 2006. Allan Bell, MHK, Minister for Economic Development, who tabled the bill says gay rights have been brought in line with the UK after a 20-year battle. "It has been an extremely difficult time for gay people wishing to have open, loving caring relationships," he said. "But gay rights have changed beyond recognition over the last 20 years on the island. It is a very different place now, it is more tolerant, understanding and inclusive." The Isle of Man has its own parliament and own laws, some of which are very different to those in the UK. Abortion laws are much stricter, the death penalty was only abolished in 1993 and homosexuality was illegal until 1992. Same-sex couples on the island have welcomed the bill claiming they have been discriminated against for years. One man told the BBC that he and his partner were forced to take HIV tests in order to get a mortgage and life insurance on the island. "I told our broker in no uncertain terms that I didn't want to take out a policy with someone who discriminated against gay people but most on them on the island weren't prepared to give a policy unless the HIV test was taken," he said. Mr Bell said the island used to have "a very negative image with the UK and Europe". "The island was subject to a boycott of the UK trade unions who used to use the island for a lot of their conferences," he said. "We are trying to compete internationally for business and there is still the suspicion that we tend to be a backward society." "That is no longer the case. This legislation is a major statement to the outside world that we have changed. " The bill has now passed through both houses of parliament but not without resistance. It has sparked fierce debate among some groups on the island. Peter Murcott, Methodist preacher, said: "It will have a fundamental change in due course on how the next generation is brought up to conceive family life and ultimately it is going to introduce an anti-Christian attitude and it will be contrary to the beliefs of many other religions as well." Allan Bell said: "Not everyone will feel comfortable with this legislation but it's been a much easier debate than the fierce resistance we had 20 years ago when we first started this process. "The gay community on the Isle of Man has been a repressed community on the island for many years. "Today is a red letter day for the island and for those groups."

Summary: Gay couples on the Isle of Man will get the right to a civil partnership after a new law was signed in Tynwald.


The decade-long research led by staff from Chester Zoo and Natural Resources Wales has observed behaviour never seen in the UK before. The researchers studied a group of hazel dormice in Denbighshire as part of the project. It found some dormice breed before they are one year old. The research also established that some produce two litters in a year, which was known behaviour in continental European mice but had never been observed in the UK before. The study is the longest and largest of its kind in the UK. Chester Zoo's biodiversity officer Sarah Bird said: "Promiscuity in females had never been recorded before; and it will increase genetic diversity within litters, helping population survival. "Equally important are the other breeding behaviours we have seen. "It is likely that those years when females breed twice, and the young of the year also breed, is when populations can really increase. "These behaviours are likely to be critical for healthy sustainable dormouse populations in the UK." Hazel dormice are protected under European law. The numbers of dormice and the range of the species have both been in decline since recording of the animals and their habitat began in 1990. However the Denbighshire site at Bontuchel, near Ruthin, showed a large, stable population of dormice. "Our survey site in north Wales is on the very north western edge of their European range and, from the very start, we've been surprised by how many hazel dormice are there," Ms Bird explained. "That's why it's a very important project and a very important site for study, to understand why this woodland is so good for dormice."

Summary: Female dormice which have offspring with more than one father in the same litter can help ensure their survival, a 10-year study has found.


The Welshman's withdrawal means neither he nor Tour de France winner Chris Froome will compete in the USA. Froome broke a foot in a crash at the Vuelta a Espana, ruling him out. "It's been a hard decision to make but the season has taken its toll on me and I don't feel physically up for a good Worlds," Thomas, 29, wrote on Facebook. "I don't want to go there just to make up the numbers, I'd want to be competitive or at least do a good job for the boys." Thomas says he wants to rest ahead of 2016 when he feels a top-five Tour de France spot is possible along with an Olympic track medal. "I love racing for GB and the Worlds are a really special race so it was a difficult decision to make, along with the team, but I feel it's best to rest up now before it's all systems go for a big year next year." Fellow Briton Mark Cavendish crashed out of the Tour of Britain last week and suffered a shoulder injury, but is hopeful of competing in Virginia as the men's road race takes place on the final day of the championships - 27 September.

Summary: Geraint Thomas has pulled out of the UCI World Road Race Championships in Virginia from 19-27 September, saying he does not feel "physically" up to it.


The US tennis player's announcement that she is 20 weeks pregnant means she won her record-breaking 23rd and most recent Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open while eight weeks into her pregnancy, at the age of 35. On social media, the revelation has prompted both men and women to claim she is the GOAT - greatest of all time - and worthy of immense admiration. Women queued up to express their comparatively shameful attempts at exercise. "Sometimes I get a little winded when I try to just talk and walk at the same time," one tweet gasped. Pregnancy alters woman's brain 'for at least two years' The plain fact is that doing anything much during the early stages of pregnancy can be a challenge. Getting out of bed? Possibly. Making it to work? Maybe. Eating breakfast? Forget it. And that's because the female body is undergoing a massive physiological transformation. Even before any kind of bump is visible, hormones are surging and raging, causing dramatic changes in the way the body functions. During the early weeks, most women experience fatigue at some point caused by rising levels of hormones progesterone and oestrogen. The advice is usually to rest - but clearly not in Serena's case. Many women also suffer from nausea or morning sickness, which doesn't conveniently end at midday, and a small number of women are affected very severely, needing hospital treatment. Vomiting or retching is a daily hazard for the majority, sometimes before a test has even confirmed the pregnancy. But even if Serena was lucky enough to sail through the first few weeks unscathed by nausea, she would still have had other physical changes to contend with. These include the breasts becoming tender and swollen very early on, a need to go to the loo more often and sudden aversions to food and odours. During pregnancy, the amount of blood in the body increases, causing the kidneys to process extra fluid that ends up in the bladder. Pregnancy hormones can also cause constipation and heartburn as the body gears up to cater for a growing foetus. And research shows that from the fifth week of pregnancy, Serena would have experienced substantial changes to the cardiovascular system, which delivers blood supply to the foetus. Exercise is a good thing and is not dangerous for your baby, the NHS Choices website says, and it encourages women to keep active for as long as it's comfortable to do so. Serena's fitness levels and training regime may well have helped her through those early stages. However, a woman's brain undergoes a bit of rewiring too. A recent study found that pregnancy reduces grey matter in some parts of the brain, helping women bond with their baby and prepare for the demands of motherhood. In fact, the researchers said the scale of the brain changes during pregnancy were akin to those seen during adolescence. And that could explain why so many women experience mood swings during the early stages. So Serena could have been forgiven for being more than a little distracted

Summary: As one male tweeter put it: "Serena Williams won a grand slam while she was pregnant so every man should probably shut up about everything forever."


According to a pair of scientific studies, key genes in the immune system come from our ancient "cousins". The findings, which appear in The American Journal of Human Genetics, suggest we have Neanderthals to thank for being able to fight off pathogens. But interbreeding may have had a downside, as the same genes may have made us more prone to allergies. Modern-day people can trace their ancestry to a small population that emerged from Africa about 60,000 years ago. As the African humans spread out across the world, they came into contact with other ancient humans based in Europe and Western Asia. Genetic evidence suggests that these different "tribes" interbred, with part of the genome of Neanderthals still present in humans alive today. About 1% to 6% of the modern Eurasian human genome seems to come from Neanderthals and Denisovans - another extinct member of the human family. Scientists in Germany analysed the genes of both modern humans and our ancient relatives to find the source of changes in our immune system's genetic blueprints. They found some of the fragments of Neanderthal DNA in humans alive today play a key role in the immune system as the front line of defence against pathogens such as bacteria, fungi and parasites. "The evidence suggests that this genetic region contributes to the immune system of modern day humans," Dr Michael Dannemann of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told BBC News. "At some point in history it might have been an advantage to have these Neanderthal genes in terms of fighting off infections or lethal pathogens from 10,000 years ago. "It could also still be an advantage today but this is difficult to pinpoint." Dr Danneman, a co-researcher on one of the papers, said this inheritance from the Neanderthals could also have left some people more prone to allergies - because of the effect on the immune system - although this needs further investigation in the laboratory. A second group of researchers - in France and the US - independently analysed genetic data on modern people from the 1000 Genomes project together with the genome sequences of ancient humans. They came to similar conclusions - that a particular cluster of important human immune genes come from Neanderthals and Denisovans. Dr Lluis Quintana-Murci of the Unit of Human Evolutionary Genetics, Institut Pasteur, Paris, said the findings came as a big surprise. "Our big surprise was to find that this gene region has such a high Neanderthal ancestry because this region has been shown to have a major biological relevance in host survival against pathogens," he said. "Maybe we should thank Neanderthals for having given us diversity in innate immunity to survive better against pathogens." Follow Helen on Twitter.

Summary: We may owe our ability to fight disease to our extinct relatives - the Neanderthals and Denisovans.


Vice News's Jake Hanrahan and Philip Pendlebury, and Iraqi Mohammed Ismael Rasool, were detained in Diyarbakir, south-east Turkey on Thursday. Vice News said they had been moved to a "high security prison" five hours away. Police reportedly questioned them about alleged links to Islamic State and Kurdish militants, charges they deny. Vice News has condemned the charges as "ridiculous", and a "baseless" attempt by the Turkish authorities to censor their coverage. The group had been filming clashes between police and youths from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which have erupted in recent weeks, the organisation said. Turkey has limited journalists' access to the region. A Foreign Office spokesman said it was "concerned" about the arrests, and expected Turkey to uphold EU obligations to protect press freedom. "Respect for freedom of expression and the right of media to operate without restriction are fundamental in any democratic society," he said. As a state part to the European Convention on Human Rights and UN Declaration of Human Rights, "we would expect the Turkish authorities to uphold the obligations enshrined in those agreements", he said. Consular officials were in contact with the group, he added. A lawyer for the group told the BBC they had been detained by police in their hotel, and their cameras and computers had been confiscated. They were formally charged by a Turkish court with "working on behalf of a terrorist organisation" on Monday. They have denied all charges. They have until next week to lodge an appeal, but their lawyer said he was "not optimistic" about securing their release. Kevin Sutcliffe, Vice's head of news programming in Europe, said they had now been transported to a prison facility more than five hours away from where their legal representation was based, and from the court where they are due to appear. "This move appears to be a blatant obstruction of the fair legal process that Turkey has repeatedly pledged to uphold," he said. Vice News said all three men were experienced reporters and had worked extensively abroad. Mr Hanrahan, from Northampton, and Mr Pendlebury, from Wigan, had worked together on numerous stories, including the migrant crisis in Calais, it said. Journalist and translator Mr Rasool, who was born in Iraq and is based in Turkey, has worked extensively in the Middle East with the Associated Press, Anatolia Agency, and Al Jazeera, it said. No further court dates have yet been set.

Summary: The Foreign Office has said it is "concerned" about the arrest of two UK journalists and their fixer in Turkey, accused of helping a terrorist group.


Since docking with the ISS in a Soyuz craft in December, the 53-year-old station commander has kept hundreds of thousands of followers back on Earth informed and entertained from orbit. He has tweeted from the space station at least 1,500 times, capturing remarkable images of many corners of the world. His first photograph came in his first tweet from the ISS: "Space Station! Floating free, buoyed up even more by my smile :)" His first days were marked by a series of photos detailing life inside the space station. But he soon branched out into striking orbital landscapes of the planet below. We have collected just a few of Cmdr Hadfield's tweeted shots and captions here - more are available by browsing his Twitter feed @Cmdr_Hadfield. A former fighter pilot, Chris Hadfield became a trainee astronaut in 1992 after winning selection from a field of 5,330 applicants, according to Nasa. He flew on board the space shuttle, docking with the Russian space station Mir and as part of an assembly flight to the ISS in 2001. He eventually won his own slot on board the ISS in 2010, training for his current mission until lift-off in December 2012. After gathering hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers during his months on board, he made one final hit as the time came for his departure from the ISS. He posted a striking video to YouTube of him performing a version of David Bowie's renowned 1969 hit song Space Oddity. The video quickly went viral, and even prompted a response from Bowie's own official account: "Hallo Spaceboy..."

Summary: Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is due to return to Earth on Tuesday from a five-month stint on board the International Space Station.


They think it could be used to improve nutritional advice or in weight loss because people are notoriously bad at recording their own eating habits. The test, detailed in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, detects chemicals made as food is processed by the body. The research team believe it could be widely available within two years. The urine samples are analysed to determine the structure of the chemicals floating around in it using a technique called a proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This gives clues to both recent meals and long term dietary habits. The results of your body processing fruit, vegetables, fish and different types of meat leave a distinct signature in the urine. Clues to the state of the body's metabolism and gut health can also be detected by investigating the chemicals in it. The test was developed by a collaboration between Imperial College London, Newcastle University and Aberystwyth University. Dr Isabel Garcia-Perez, one of the researchers at Imperial, said: "This will eventually provide a tool for personalised dietary monitoring to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. "We're not at the stage yet where the test can tell us a person ate 15 chips yesterday and two sausages, but it's on the way." In trials, around 60% of people either under or over report what they are eating. Prof Gary Frost, another scientist at Imperial, said this could be the first independent test of what people munch on at home. He told the BBC News website: "You can really tell whether someone's been following a healthy diet or not. "The bigger you are the more likely you are to under-report what you eat. "People find it difficult to open up to what types of foods they eat at home, which is a major problem." The researchers believe the test results could help combat people's obesity or risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Prof Frost said: "If someone is very big and their profile says they're eating lots of energy dense foods like meat, then you can try to change that profile and then test them again later. "It remains to be seen, but people might respond better to that and there is a desperate need for tools to help people change their diet." He says doing the test on large numbers of people would build up a picture of what the nation was really eating, which could be used to design better public health campaigns. The scientists were able to spot the difference between healthy and unhealthy diets after tests on 19 people who spent days eating a carefully controlled set of meals. Four diets of varying degrees of healthiness were given to the patients and their urine was sampled morning, noon and night. Dr Des Walsh, from the UK Medical Research Council, commented: "Though this research is still in its early stages, it's grappling with essential methods in food and diet studies where advances are really needed. "Measuring what we eat and drink more accurately will widen the benefits of nutrition research, developing better evidence-based interventions to improve

Summary: A urine test that can reveal how healthy your meals are has been developed by UK scientists.


In an open letter to Apple, Swift said she was withholding the record as she was unhappy with the three-month free trial offered to subscribers. "I'm not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months," she wrote. She said the plan was "unfair", arguing Apple had the money to cover the cost. "I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company," the 25-year-old said, describing Apple as one of her "best partners in selling music". "These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much," she continued. "We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period - even if it is free for the fans trying it out. "Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing." She ended her letter by calling on Apple to change its policy, suggesting she would reinstate her album on the service if the company changed its mind. "We don't ask you for free iPhones. Please don't ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation." Apple has yet to comment on the issue. The rest of Swift's back catalogue will remain available on Apple Music when it launches on 30 June. It will cost $9.99 (Â£6.30) per month in the US for one person or $14.99 for families. The music industry has generally supported the company bringing its vast music library to paid streaming, and the company said it will pay 70% of the music subscription revenue to music owners. It is not the first time Swift has spoken out against streaming music - she pulled her entire catalogue from Spotify last November and had refused to offer 1989 on streaming services, saying the business had "shrunk the numbers of paid album sales drastically". 1989 went on to become one of the biggest-selling albums of 2014 and has sold more than 4.9 million copies in the US alone. Last week, UK-based independent record label Beggars echoed Swift's comments, saying it struggled "to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple's customer acquisition costs". It said it did not have an agreement with Apple that would allow it to participate in the new service but hoped the "obstacles to agreement can be removed" in the coming days.

Summary: Taylor Swift has pulled her hit album 1989 from Apple's new streaming music service and criticised the company.