Iftikhar Ahmed, 52, broke down at Chester Crown Court as he denied killing his daughter, or having anything to do with her murder. His wife Farzana Ahmed, 49, also denies murdering the 17-year-old in 2003. On Monday, the jury was told Mrs Ahmed had changed her account, claiming she saw her husband beat Shafilea on the night of the alleged murder. She also claimed he had threatened to do the same to her and their other children if she ever asked him what happened to Shafilea after she disappeared from their Warrington home. Asked by Tom Bayliss QC, defending, how he felt about his wife, Mr Ahmed said: "I love her to bits." He said that had not changed, even after she changed her story. By Nick RavenscroftBBC North of England reporter For weeks, Iftikhar Ahmed has sat in the dock while the jury has heard the accusations against him - including by one of his own children - picked over. Today was his chance to stand up and make his case. To say more than the two word "not guilty" plea that he offered the court at the start of the trial. He spoke in a quiet voice. Mainly steady but at times straining with emotion - most notably when his barrister asked him about the effect on his family of his daughter Shafilea's disappearance. "The family was devastated," he said. Sitting 10 feet away listening is his wife of 25 years. Until this week they have spoken as one - that they both knew nothing about Shafilea's death. This week, that ended when Farzana Ahmed changed her evidence. Responding to a question asking whether he would ever hurt his daughter, Mr Ahmed said "no". He was then asked if he was responsible for Shafilea's death. Again Mr Ahmed replied "no". He then added: "We were devastated to find out that she had left home in the first place." When he was asked how he felt when his daughter's body was found, Mr Ahmed struggled to respond, before adding in a strained voice: "We couldn't believe it when we heard." The run-up to the trial, Mr Ahmed said, had made them "come closer" as a family. "We have been fighting to achieve justice for our daughter Shafilea," he added. Mr Bayliss asked Mr Ahmed if he believed he would ever know what happened to Shafilea. Mr Ahmed responded: "We were hoping so but I don't think we ever will." Mr Ahmed then described Shafilea to the jury, calling her "talented and athletic". He added: "Education-wise, she was absolutely brilliant - her best subject was art, she liked making mosaics. "She was a character in herself. Very bubbly, very talkative, everything a child should be." Mr Ahmed told the court he "totally agreed" with his daughter's ambition to become a solicitor. He said that it was because of her studies that he had refused to discuss a marriage proposal for Shafilea made by a "distant uncle" on behalf of his son. He added that he did not know where the 17-year-old had

Summary: The father of Shafilea Ahmed has told a court he was not responsible for her death.


Tourist attractions and community groups are among those to benefit from the funding. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has been granted £880,000, which bosses say will be used to reach wider audiences. Birmingham-based One Dance UK will receive the highest investment of £3m, while British Ceramics Biennial in Stoke-on-Trent will receive £700,000. In a move to fund more regional organisations, 25 new groups will receive funding between 2018 and 2022. Some organisations have faced cuts to their funding but none have lost out completely. The Royal Shakespeare Company has lost 3% of their previous investment but will still be granted just under £60m. The Arts Council said in a statement it is pleased to be investing in projects that "will benefit local people". The region will see an overall increase in spending of 8% with the annual sum paid to arts organisations rising from £49.6m to £53.5m. The Lapworth Museum in Birmingham is one of the new organisations to benefit and has been granted £418, 984. Director Jon Clatworthy said it's been a "fantastic year" for the museum which has just celebrated one year since its reopening as well as a nomination for Museum of the Year. The geology museum will be using the investment to diversify its audience and develop digital technology in exhibitions. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-Upon-Avon is another receiving Arts Council funding for the first time. Chief executive Diana Owen says the Trust will spend the money "directly on activities to reach out to more people than ever before". Peter Knott, area director for Arts Council England said: "The Midlands already boasts a vibrant cultural scene with an international reputation for excellence and we look forward to seeing more great art and culture being enjoyed by more audiences in more places. "Arts and culture plays a vital role in making the area a great place to live, work and study and we're pleased to be investing in projects which will benefit local people and their communities."

Summary: A total of £215m has been pledged to 76 arts organisations across the West Midlands by Arts Council England.


Earlier, France and Germany complained that the Minsk peace deal for Ukraine was still not being fulfilled. Russia's military interventions, first in Ukraine, then in Syria, were high on the EU summit agenda in Brussels. But Italy and Slovakia want sanctions, that have cost EU exporters billions of euros, eased. The summit focused on the crises in Europe's neighbourhood. The destruction of Aleppo and the exodus of Syrian refugees, migrant pressure from Africa and Ukraine's conflict with Russia were key themes. Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 triggered the first round of sanctions. They have been ratcheted up, targeting Russian arms exporters, banks and individuals - many of them close to President Vladimir Putin - blamed for the pro-Russian insurgency in Ukraine. But this summit will also be remembered for its new language on ties with Ukraine - setting limits to EU support. Other stories: The far-reaching EU-Ukraine Association Agreement was stalled in April when Dutch voters rejected it in a referendum. So the leaders addressed Dutch anxieties with a new, legally binding EU text. "The Agreement does not confer on Ukraine the status of a candidate country for accession to the Union, nor does it constitute a commitment to confer such status to Ukraine in the future," it said. The EU will not offer Ukrainians the right to reside and work in the EU, nor offer EU military assistance. Any such help is a matter for individual governments. The leaders also sought to defuse EU tensions over the many boatloads of migrants still crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa. A plan to relocate 160,000 refugees from overcrowded camps in Italy and Greece has been opposed by Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. Only a fraction of those refugees have been moved. Italy says record numbers of African migrants have reached its shores this year. Nigeria and Eritrea are the top countries of origin. Dire poverty drives many towards Europe. "It's a structural problem that 80% of the arrivals [in Italy] have no right to asylum, so they cannot be relocated inside the EU," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. The EU sees its controversial March deal with Turkey as a model for similar deals in Africa. One with Niger is the most advanced. A key goal is to break the business model of the people-smuggling gangs who prey on migrants' misery. Since March the migrant influx to Greece has fallen dramatically, but Turkey accuses the EU of blocking its EU ambitions and failing to meet funding pledges. Mrs Merkel voiced solidarity with Turkey as it is hosts 2.7m Syrian refugees - far more than any EU country. She said all the EU leaders "recognised that even if there are very critical remarks, it is still our close neighbour". The suffering of Syrian civilians in devastated Aleppo overshadowed the talks. The EU strongly condemned the bombardment by Syrian government forces and Russian warplanes. Mrs Merkel called the bombing of hospitals "really awful". "We don't lack the will to help," she said - but she deplored the failure of UN mediation in Syria. As

Summary: EU leaders have agreed to extend economic sanctions against Russia for six more months.


Unison says the role of assistants has increased in recent years but they have different pay and conditions depending where they work, unlike teachers. There are claims some are qualified at a more senior level but paid at a lower grade. The Welsh government said it does not have the power to set conditions. But Unison says ministers could use their law-making powers and specifically the Education (Wales) Bill to standardise conditions. Where teachers are paid over 52 weeks of the year, teaching assistants are only paid in term time. Their salaries can also vary as pay is set by each of Wales' 22 local authorities unlike a nationally-agreed rate like teachers. Jessica Cromie, the Unison schools lead for Wales, says the inconsistency of what was expected from different grades of support staff "exposes a deep unfairness of the way support staff are treated". She says although the issue of assistants' conditions is not devolved, the Welsh government's Education (Wales) Bill could help as it was currently looking to improve standards across the school workforce. "What they could do as an interim measure even if they weren't going to look at pay and conditions is they could look at this issue of role inconsistency," she told BBC Radio Wales. She claimed some staff qualified to work at a senior level were employed on split contracts across the week - and paid to work at both the lower and top grades although they were using the same skills across the week. Amanda Thomas, a lecturer in early years education at the University of South Wales, says in the past she taught college students looking to become teaching assistants. She found some being used to cover work above their grade, probably because they were about £100 a day cheaper than a supply teacher. Ms Thomas also said she knows of newly qualified teachers unable to find work as supply teachers which she believes is due to schools using teaching assistants. Local government consultant Jeff Jones, a former leader of Bridgend County Borough Council, said with councils could only do so much as they are looking to make further austerity budget cuts in the years to come. "If you give more money to classroom assistants it means less money for other people," said Mr Jones, a former education spokesperson for the Welsh Local Government Association which acts for all councils. Simon Thomas, education spokesman for Plaid Cymru, said teaching assistants had become "essential" and suggested devolving pay of teachers to Wales to enable a national package to be put together to manage the terms of all education workers. In a statement, the Welsh government said: "We do not have the power to act with regards to pay and conditions of support staff. "Where we do have responsibilities for support staff we are working hard to help them with their training and development to deliver a highly skilled school workforce through the support staff action plan. "We want to raise standards of teaching and leaning by ensuring learning support workers are appropriately qualified and skilled. "The

Summary: A union has called for 17,000 teaching assistants in Wales to have a national structure for pay and conditions to end unfairness.


Official figures show councils reported 936,090 cases of fly-tipping in 2015-16, costing almost £50m to clear up. Campaigners say financial pressure on local authorities had resulted in waste collection services being cut. One council alone handled more than 70,000 cases of fly-tipping. The number of incidents in Enfield was equivalent to 216 for every 1,000 residents. It means it cost £8.24 per person in clearance costs alone. How do you stop fly-tipping? 'It fell off the back of the van' and other excuses Samantha Harding, litter programme director at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: "Financial pressure on local councils has caused some local collection services to be cut and it seems that people have taken this as a licence to dump their waste illegally. "There needs to be a review of England's struggling waste management systems, with a new ambitious programme to haul them into the 21st Century. "We cannot afford to waste our valuable resources in this way." About half of the rubbish illegally tipped was found on highways. And about a third of all incidents were classed as a "small van load" worth of waste. The figures do not yet include new powers councils were given in May 2016 to hand out on-the-spot fines of up to £400. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs figures show fly-tipping incidents had fallen from more than 1.28 million in 2007-08 to about 711,500 cases in 2012-13 before starting to rise again. Country Land and Business Association president Ross Murray said: "These figures do not tell the full story of this disgraceful behaviour, which blights our beautiful countryside. "Local authorities tend not to get involved with clearing incidences of fly-tipped waste from private land, leaving the landowner to clean up and foot the bill." The association has called for the enforcement of stronger penalties, ensuring powers to use fixed penalty notices and seize vehicles are used and reducing council fees to legally dispose of waste. Councillor Judith Blake, an environment spokeswoman for the Local Government Association said: "This is money that would be better spent on vital front line services. "Litter and fly-tipping is environmental vandalism - it's unpleasant, unnecessary and unacceptable." A Defra spokeswoman said new powers and advances in technology had made it easier for local authorities to clamp down on waste crime. She said 98% of fly-tipping prosecutions resulted in a conviction - a "clear warning" to anyone involved in "serious waste crime". "Fly-tipping blights communities and the local environment, which is why we are committed to tackling this anti-social behaviour so everyone can enjoy a cleaner, healthier neighbourhoods and countryside," she added.

Summary: Fly-tipping was reported almost 107 times every hour across England, as the number of incidents rose for the third year in a row.


Kayley Asher, 25, was attacked by Allitt while being treated at Grantham Hospital as a baby. She received £11,500 compensation but social security officials say she failed to notify them of this and must return benefits she has received. Her parents, Alan and Sharon, say they have "no intention" of giving the money back and are prepared to go to prison. Miss Asher, from Grantham, received an Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) for five years because she is unable to work and also a £120-a-week disability allowance. Her parents said they used that money for her day-to-day care and were given the £11,500 in compensation when she turned 18. However, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says she failed to declare the payout when applying for the ESA, which is a means-tested benefit. "We have never hidden the fact that Kayley had this money," said Mr Asher. "We always believed that compensation was for her future. It was awarded because she needs special care." Allitt was given 13 life sentences in 1993 for murdering four children and attacking nine others while working as a nurse at Grantham Hospital. It is believed she injected 13-month-old Miss Asher with air under her armpit, causing her to have two heart attacks. "The murderer had a go at her once and now the DWP are causing Kayley pain. It is totally wrong," said Mr Asher. "We have no idea what the future holds for us. "With a sum of money her future is secured if anything happens to her mum and I." He said they intended to appeal against the DWP's decision and would risk going to jail. A spokeswoman for the DWP said: "It is essential that claimants declare their income and savings accurately. This is to ensure that support is targeted at the people that need it most." She said other non-means tested benefits were available to Miss Asher.

Summary: A woman left brain damaged by killer nurse Beverley Allitt has been ordered to pay back £23,000 in benefits.


The indecent images on Ben Lewis's phone were discovered by a worker at LL Camps in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Co-owner Tal Landsman, who is on trial accused of child cruelty, did nothing when he was informed, jurors at St Albans Crown Court heard. Mr Landsman, 26, denies one charge of cruelty to a person under 16. He is accused of the offence between 31 July and 7 August 2015. Prosecutor Ann Evans told the jury Lewis had pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images. Lewis has admitted three counts of making indecent images and one of taking indecent images. On the first day of Mr Landsman's trial, LL Camps worker Sandra Vicente told the court Lewis, 26, had given her his phone and PIN so she could play music at a children's party on 1 August. Afterwards, a colleague asked to look at some photos Lewis had taken of him, but she then clicked on the deleted images. She first saw pictures of small children, naked and on a beach, and then saw some taken in a "changing room". "I would say they were aged three to four," she said. "I felt my brain was polluted. I felt sick." That night she said she told Mr Landsman, of Crambus Court, Admiral Drive, Stevenage. The prosecution alleges Mr Landsman, who was one of the camp's safeguarding officers, did nothing and allowed his friend to keep working. She called the police three days later after Lewis came to her with a three-year-old girl, who he said he had found in the toilets and had wet herself. The prosecution told the jury when Ms Vicente spoke to Mr Landsman he said would sort it and she should not tell anyone. Later that night Mr Landsman messaged her and asked if a "million per cent categorically" the picture she had seen was taken in the camp's changing rooms and she replied, "Yeah". "In an effort to protect his friend, he did nothing about what he had heard, and allowed the parties and activities to keep running the camp until eventually Ofsted moved in and closed the place down on August 6," said Mrs Evans. The case continues.

Summary: Naked photos of three and four-year-old girls were found on the mobile phone of a children's summer camp owner, a court has heard.


Irishman Sir Terry died on Sunday after a "short but brave battle with cancer". Born in County Limerick in 1938, he had a career in radio and television that spanned 50 years, and included his BBC Radio 2 Wake Up To Wogan programme to which Fr D'Arcy contributed. Fr D'Arcy said Sir Terry "perfected the art of radio from a very early age". "He was the only man I ever met who could make a pause sound interesting," the County Fermanagh priest told BBC Radio Ulster's The Sunday News programme. "Terry actually milked it and everybody was hanging on his every word after that. "He was just that kind of broadcaster who made everybody feel at home and feel as if they were the only one in the world he was talking to." An emotional Fr D'Arcy visited Sir Terry on Thursday "to say my goodbyes". He said it was "a sad but beautiful occasion". "The family will be awfully, awfully sad because the centre of his life was his family, his children and his wife Lady Helen especially." As a young fan and before he was ordained, Fr D'Arcy travelled to Rathmines in County Dublin to see Sir Terry's marriage to Helen in 1965. The two men became friends a short time later, but as Fr D'Arcy said, they often joked about how long their friendship had lasted. "The two of us could never remember, we used to talk about that. "[Terry] said: 'What's the difference between 40 and 50 years? We're two old curmudgeons lucky to be alive.'" Sir Terry started his broadcasting career with the Irish state broadcaster RTÉ, where he became friends with Irish icons Gay Byrne and Larry Gogan. "He began in a very dull, old building in Henry Street in Dublin, a terrible place where mice would appear in the middle of his broadcast," Fr D'Arcy said. "One day the great Mike Murphy was reading the news and Terry went in and set the bottom of the news sheet he was reading on fire. "We didn't think his broadcasting would work in England but he actually loved England, loved broadcasting and nothing better than getting reaction from his people. "As he used to say, the scriptwriters for his programme were the listeners - they sent in hundreds [of faxes and emails]." And according to Fr D'Arcy, tales of Sir Terry's antics will live long in the memories of his friends and many fans. "There will be Terry Wogan stories for eternity," he said. "It was incredible that he would take a morning programme and, by codology and foolology, lighten the days of over eight million people. "That's a legacy that anybody would be proud of." Gay Byrne, best known for presenting television and radio programmes in the Republic of Ireland, said Sir Terry was "born with a monster advantage over the rest of us". "He had a permanently funny disposition - he saw the fun in everything, and this is a huge gift to have," he told RTÉ. "He probably was the most popular and most

Summary: Sir Terry Wogan "was the one who made radio in an age of television", his close friend and fellow broadcaster Father Brian D'Arcy has said.


Police support unit vehicles and officers wearing protective clothing have been seen at the scene. The reports were made at about 10:50 on Friday morning. Police officers are at the scene and inquiries are continuing. It is understood that police were responding to reports of a man barricading himself in a flat.

Summary: Police have confirmed that they are currently responding to reports of a disturbance in Ashburn Gardens, Gourock, Inverclyde.


President Wulff was entitled to what is called a Grosser Zapfenstreich, or Grand Tattoo, in front of the presidential palace. In the dark of night, by the Tiergarten in Berlin, soldiers in full ceremonial uniform carried burning torches. Trumpets sounded. The fife and drum were prominent. But it did not feel like a celebration. Chancellor Angel Merkel did attend but the four former presidents still alive were not there. The event was overshadowed by debate over whether it should happen at all because of the allegations of corruption which have forced the current president from office. There was also a row over the music. President Wulff had requested four pieces instead of the usual three. The newspaper Bild said that he had wanted Ebony And Ivory written by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. This tune, it said, was deemed by the military band as not suitable for trumpets! What was played was Somewhere Over The Rainbow, the great hymn to a better life beyond today's troubles from The Wizard Of Oz. It was an instrumental version, but it was hard to see if anyone was humming the words: "Some day I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me." Not for some time, though. President Wulff leaves office to deal with investigations into his closeness to business people when he was a prominent politician and finally president of one of the German states, Lower Saxony. His difficulties started when it was revealed that he had been lent money on favourable terms by a businessman's wife. He then made two big mistakes: he denied a connection to the businessman when asked by the state's parliament, and he left an angry message on the voice-mail of Bild, Germany's best-selling newspaper when it started investigating and publishing details of the loan. Hell hath no fury like a newspaper threatened. Bild went into investigative over-drive, publishing a string of articles about President Wulff and holidays paid for by others. Where previously Bild had painted him as a happily married family man (helpful to a recently divorced Catholic), it examined every detail of his connections to business. Where he went and who paid for it, became the leitmotif. It all became a stand-off between president and press. He would assert that he had done nothing wrong and papers would reveal more questionable contacts and arrangements. It became too much when the prosecutors in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, asked the Bundestag to lift the president's immunity from prosecution. Mr Wulff, the country's youngest ever president at 51 when he took the job in 2010, resigned because he said the trust of the people had "been seriously damaged". A man once talked about as a future chancellor of Germany will, instead, engage closely with lawyers and prosecutors. He has one less thing to worry about: ex-presidents are entitled to a pension of 199,000 euros a year. The papers questioned whether he should get it, but it was decided that he should get the money. And a Grosser Zapfenstreich. It is worth

Summary: The president of Germany marked his early departure from office with the grandest of torchlight parades in the full tradition of the Prussian military - and with a squabble over what tunes should be played.


The secretary of state, James Brokenshire, had set early May as the deadline for the current talks process. It is thought the new deadline will be the end of June. The provisions to form an executive by that date will be included in emergency legislation that will be fast tracked through Westminster. The BBC understands the deadline extension is to allow for more talks after the Westminster election on 8 June. Mr Brokenshire has been briefing party leaders about the details that will be published on Friday. The secretary of state is under pressure from nationalist parties angry at the prime minister's decision to call a general election in the middle of the Stormont stalemate: Sinn FÃ©in and the SDLP have been scathing about the snap election. They say it exposes the government's lack of interest in the ongoing negotiations at Stormont, where round-table discussions aimed at restoring power-sharing are due to resume next week. Earlier, Sinn FÃ©in's Michelle O'Neill said she believed the "British government would prefer no assembly to one which opposes Brexit". "It's clear that the people of the north who voted to remain in the EU are regarded as saboteurs by Theresa May and her clique of Tory Brexiteers. "We are no more than collateral damage," she added. Alliance leader Naomi Long said that people were "never in a compromising mood coming up to an election". However, she said it would be better for Northern Ireland if an agreement could be reached soon. Meanwhile, it has emerged the SDLP is pushing ahead with its plan to form an anti-Brexit alliance with other parties in the run up to the general election - and its leader, Colum Eastwood, has held exploratory talks with the Green Party in Northern Ireland on the issue. "We are interested in a conversation with any party who is interested in protecting the interests of people in Northern Ireland in the face of a hard Brexit," he told the BBC's Evening Extra programme. "I went out of my way to speak to Steven Agnew (Green Party NI leader). I asked him to consider how we best take this forward." On Wednesday, MPs voted overwhelmingly to back the prime minister's call for a snap general election on 8 June - three years ahead of schedule. Shadow secretary of state Dave Anderson accused the prime minister of treating the people of Northern Ireland with contempt by calling the snap poll. He said: "They're being ignored by this government in exactly the same way as they were ignored pre-Brexit when people were saying to them: 'Are you really aware what you're doing?'" In a separate development, emergency legislation clearing the way for the collection of rates in Northern Ireland is to be published on Friday. Mr Brokenshire had promised to bring forward a bill at Westminster to allow rates bills to be issued. It is one of a number of planned contingency moves to deal with pressures caused by the ongoing political crisis.

Summary: Northern Ireland politicians will be given more time to reach a deal to restore a power-sharing executive at Stormont, the BBC understands.


10 June 2016 Last updated at 08:36 BST Chris Horn, from Newbury in Berkshire, came up with the idea whilst on his tractor and hopes the idea could spread across the UK. He says the business model could help other young farmers but adds that 40% of their revenue goes on licensing fees.

Summary: A fourth generation farmer has found a novel way to diversify his business by showing movies in his fields.


The man was walking along Onslow Road, near the railway bridge at Drumry Railway Station, at about 05:30 on New Year's Day when he was attacked by a group of people. He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where he is being treated in the high-dependency unit. Police said there was no apparent motive. Officers have been reviewing CCTV from the area and discovered that there were a number of people in the area at the time. Det Insp Grant MacLeod said: "This appears to be a totally random attack, with no apparent motive, leaving a man seriously injured. "Our inquires have revealed that despite it being fairly early in the morning, there were various people in the vicinity at the time of the attack and I am appealing to these people to get in touch. "It's possible you can provide information on the suspects which would assist our investigation in locating those responsible for this violent attack."

Summary: A 40-year-old man has serious injuries after being stabbed by a gang in a "random" attack in Clydebank.


Media playback is not supported on this device The world champion converted pole position into a lead on the first lap and was in control throughout, taking his sixth win and extending his lead to 28 points. Lotus's Romain Grosjean took third after a rear tyre failure on Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari with two laps to go. Vettel was holding off the Lotus on a one-stop strategy when the tyre exploded. It was the same tyre that had failed on Rosberg's Mercedes during Friday practice. The failure, though, prompted a furious reaction from Vettel, who was one of several leading drivers to express their concerns about tyre safety at the drivers' briefing after practice on Friday. Hamilton was on pole by nearly half a second from Rosberg and his advantage continued into the race. He was helped by Rosberg being delayed by the Force India of Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull, who beat him off the line from fourth and fifth places on the grid, as third-placed Valtteri Bottas's Williams dropped back. But early pit stops for Perez and Ricciardo put Rosberg into second place by lap nine, by which time Hamilton was 8.3 seconds in front. The lead stayed stable until they made their first pit stops, Rosberg coming in first in lap 12 and Hamilton on lap 13, the advantage of coming in first allowing Rosberg to reduce the gap to 3.4 seconds. Hamilton had a brief concern when Rosberg somehow closed the gap by a second while the field was being controlled by the virtual safety car after Ricciardo's car broke down on the pit straight on lap 21. But once the race was restarted a lap later, Hamilton soon stamped his authority on Rosberg, stretching the lead from 2.6secs on lap 23 to 5.4secs five laps later. There, Hamilton stabilised the gap and cruised to his sixth victory of the year, out of 11 races to start the second half of the season in the perfect manner. Vettel, fresh from his victory in the last race in Hungary, was the only driver to try to make a one-stop strategy work. He chose, like the dominant Mercedes not to stop under the virtual safety car, unlike most of his rivals. But unlike Mercedes, he did not stop again for fresh tyres. That promoted the four-time champion to third, ahead of Grosjean and Perez, but as the Ferrari driver nursed his tyres to the end the Lotus closed in and Vettel's tyre exploded as he was trying to resist him. "Things like that are not allowed," he told BBC Sport's Lee McKenzie. "If that happens 200 metres earlier, I am not standing here right now." Media playback is not supported on this device The result, especially impressive as Grosjean had to fight up from ninth on the grid following a five-place gearbox penalty, was a welcome boost for troubled Lotus, fighting off financial legal challenges as they try to keep the outfit afloat. Plus it was three years since the Frenchman received a one-race ban at the Belgian Grand

Summary: Lewis Hamilton beat Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to take a dominant win at the Belgian Grand Prix to extend his championship lead.


Urrvashi Singh claimed midwives from Trafford General Hospital did not carry out thorough checks, which led to son Dilraj developing further illness. Hospital bosses settled proceedings but have not admitted liability. The court heard the trust was working with the family's legal team on the payout to cover Dilraj's care costs. Seven-year-old Dilraj developed a jaundice-related brain disease called Kernicterus and has been left blind, unable to speak and with cerebral palsy. Ms Singh said that during two home visits she told midwives "something wasn't right" but they did not check her son for jaundice. When Dilraj lost weight and returned to hospital he was diagnosed and Ms Singh was told he had an hour to live. Eddie Jones, a specialist brain injury lawyer at JMW Solicitors, said: "The real pity of this case is that the brain damage sustained by Dilraj was entirely preventable if he had been given the right treatment at the right time. "Jaundice is a common condition in newborns and, whilst in rare cases the consequences can be serious, it is treatable. Sadly, the mistakes made have had a catastrophic impact on Dilraj's life and the lives of the rest of his family." This case is one of a number of similar claims across the country, he added. Ms Singh, 37 and from Stretford, said she had to give up her job as a nursery nurse to care for her son and has called for a national screening programme to identify cases. She said: "More needs to be done to ensure that midwives are alert to the signs that babies such as Dilraj are in danger of contracting Kernicterus. "There were opportunities missed to help my son. If only the link between jaundice and the risk of brain damage had been made early enough, something could have been done." In 2006, the government's former Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson, called for a national Kernicterus register and routine screening to prevent the condition occurring. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said there is currently no such register as it is a very rare condition. "We screen for rhesus disease which is the main cause of severe neonatal jaundice which can lead to Kernicterus. This is led by midwives," she said. "All midwives should be fully aware of the signs of neonatal jaundice and what to do about it." A spokesman for Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "Following detailed investigations into the circumstances surrounding Dilraj's treatment, a compromise was reached in respect of liability. "We are satisfied that a settlement has been reached and we wish Dilraj and his family well for the future."

Summary: A mother whose son was left brain damaged after midwives allegedly failed to act on signs of jaundice has won compensation at the High Court.


It's about 700km (430 miles) from Delhi to Islamabad - less than the distance between London and Geneva. A short hop in aviation terms. But you can't fly non-stop from the Indian capital to the Pakistani capital. There are no direct flights at all. It is only one of the legacies of seven decades of mutual suspicion and tension. Take another example: cricket. India and Pakistan played each other a few weeks ago in the final of the Champions' Trophy. Both countries are cricket crazy. However, the game was played not in South Asia, but in London. India and Pakistan don't play cricket in each other's countries any more, although they have met in one-day matches around the world, including in countries in their region like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. But it is almost 10 years since they faced each other on South Asian soil in a Test match. Despite a lot of shared culture and history, they are not simply rivals, but more like enemies. In the 70 years since India and Pakistan gained independence, they have fought three wars. Some would say four, although when their armies last fought in 1999, there was no formal declaration of war. The simmering tension between India and Pakistan is one of the world's most enduring geopolitical fault lines. It has prompted both countries to develop their own nuclear weapons. So the uneasy stand-off is much more than a regional dispute: it is fraught with wider danger. India and Pakistan gained their independence at the same moment. British rule over India, by far its biggest colony, ended on 15 August 1947. After months of political deadlock, Britain agreed to divide the country in two. A separate and mainly Muslim nation, Pakistan, was created to meet concerns that the large Muslim minority would be at a disadvantage in Hindu-majority India. This involved partitioning two of India's biggest provinces, Punjab and Bengal. The details of where the new international boundary would lie were made public only two days after independence. Partition triggered one of the great calamities of the modern era, perhaps the biggest movement of people - outside war and famine - that the world has ever seen. No one knows the precise numbers, but about 12 million people became refugees as they sought desperately to move from one newly independent nation to another. Amid a terrible slaughter in which all main communities were both aggressors and victims, somewhere between half a million and a million people were killed. Tens of thousands of women were abducted, usually by men of a different religion. In Punjab in particular, where Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs had lived together for generations and spoke the same language, a stark segregation was brought about as Muslims headed west to Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs fled east to India. This was not a civil war with battle lines and rival armies - but nor was it simply spontaneous violence. On all sides, local militias and armed gangs planned how to inflict the greatest harm on those they had come to see as

Summary: As India and Pakistan celebrate 70 years of independence, Andrew Whitehead looks at the lasting legacy of the Partition of British India, and the turmoil and trauma which marred the birth of the two nations.


The corruption allegations came in a video by opposition campaigner Alexei Navalny, viewed by millions on YouTube. Mr Medvedev's properties include a vineyard in Italy, a mountain villa, and two luxury yachts, it is alleged. "They pick up any old tosh, nonsense, about me or my acquaintances, and people I've never heard of," he said. It is the first time he has commented on the claims published by Mr Navalny's anti-corruption network on 2 March. Mr Navalny said the prime minister profited from a complex business network which concealed "bribes" by using offshore schemes and charity foundations. The claims stirred up mass protests which saw thousands of Russians march against the government in several cities on 26 March. Hundreds of demonstrators were detained, many of them young supporters of Mr Navalny. The following day a court jailed Mr Navalny for 15 days for disobeying a police officer. Mr Medvedev said the "provocative" video was "expensively produced - financed by private sponsors" and "aimed at achieving a specific political result". "They lure young people via social media, and those youths come out with certain slogans, unfortunately in violation of the law. In essence, they expose them to the machinery of law enforcement, and those youths suffer as a result." He was speaking to workers at a bacon factory in the Tambov region, south of Moscow. Mr Navalny - a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin associates - plans to run for the Russian presidency next year. Mr Medvedev said he had "strong nerves" which protected him from such attacks. "If I reacted each time to such attacks I simply wouldn't manage to get on with my job as normal."

Summary: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has dismissed as "nonsense" allegations that he has secretly accumulated a vast fortune including country estates.


"Is it always sunny here?" asked The Van T's from the stage during a pause between songs. The reply from the audience inside the big top to the Glasgow band's question was wry laughter. Outside the sun was blazing, as it had done the previous day, but at the back of the tent were muddy puddles. The marshy patch was a reminder of the heavy rain and gale-force winds that battered the north-west Highlands only a few days earlier. But this year's Loopallu, a two-day festival in the picturesque town that every year is officially opened by Ullapool and District Pipe Band, was blessed with some cracking weather. Colourful wellies, today's must-have festival footwear, looked as out of place in the sunshine as the t-shirts and sunburns did on Friday's last day of September and Saturday's first of October. Back in the big top, young guitar band The Van T's powered through the rest of their set. On the very same stage the night before, Feeder, who were probably writing chart hits before The Van T's were even born, closed Friday's first day of Loopallu. Earlier that day had seen performances by acts such as Lional, Manran and Fatherson. Feeder packed out the big top late on Friday night. Even the much avoided soggy corner of the tent had music fans jumping up and down on it as they belted out Buck Rogers. It was a chilly night for those under canvas in the festival campsite, with the clear sky dropping temperatures to close to zero. Going to the toilet in the middle night also came with an unusual, and slightly hazardous distraction. With Ullapool's low light pollution, the stars glittered brightly in the clear sky and it was hard not to look straight up to gawp. However, this meant not paying attention to the maze of trip wire-like tent guy ropes. Saturday dawned with a yet another cloud-less blue sky. It was mirrored in the milk pond still waters of nearby Loch Broom. Little groups of festival-goers gathered on the loch's pebbled shore to drink coffee or tea and to skim stones across the loch's waters. Everyone paused to watch the arrival of the Stornoway to Ullapool ferry the MV Loch Seaforth. From the other end of the beach came two locals. The men harvested mussels from among long strips of kelp washed up on the shore. The shellfish they gathered in a bucket were in shells the size of their fists. Gradually, the nearby festival site started coming to life. The Van T's were among the first acts up and they were later followed by the Little Mammoths. During their set, the Little Mammoths paid tribute to Gord Downie, the lead singer of Canadian band The Tragically Hip. The band recently finished a farewell tour of Canada after rock musician and writer Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Back outside in the sunshine, folk did a double take as a pirate walked among them. The man in the frock coat and tricorn hat was Mark Radcliffe, the BBC Six

Summary: The Loopallu music festival was held at the weekend in Ullapool, bringing together well-known acts, newcomers and several thousand music fans.


The senator from South Carolina told CBS This Morning that he would make an official announcement on 1 June in his home town of Central. But when asked why he was considering it, he said "I'm running" because "the world is falling apart" and he would make the best commander-in-chief. He becomes the seventh leading Republican to join a crowded field. Mr Graham has been a fierce critic of President Barack Obama's foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East. He wants US ground troops to be sent into Iraq and Syria to combat Islamic State, to prevent terror attacks in the US. Lindsey Graham tried to be coy about whether he was going to run for president, but his decision is clear - he's in. That makes four members of the US Senate - 9% of all Republican senators in office in 2014 - now running. A foreign policy hawk in the mould of Senator John McCain of Arizona, he is likely to make national security the central theme of his campaign. If polls are to be trusted, that may play well with Republican audience. He is still a long-shot, however, given that his past efforts at co-operation with Democrats and support of sweeping immigration reform put him out of step with many Republican primary voters. The mere fact that he's in a position to run for president now, however - given that just a few years ago he was seen as a prime target for a grassroots Tea Party primary challenger - is an impressive political achievement. When asked by CBS whether he thought the Republican field was weak, he revealed his intention to run himself. "I'm running because of what you see on television, I'm running because I think the world is falling apart, I've been more right than wrong on foreign policy," he said. "It's not the fault of others, or their lack of this or that that makes me want to run, it's my ability in my own mind to be a good commander-in-chief and to make Washington work." Meet the 2016 hopefuls

Summary: Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican foreign policy hawk, has confirmed that he will run for US president in 2016.


The list of MPs who will chair Labour policy committees reads like a who's who of Mr Corbyn's internal critics. They include pro-Trident MP John Woodcock who reportedly turned the air blue at a Blairite event as he summed up his views on Mr Corbyn's leadership. The annual Parliamentary party departmental committee elections normally pass without controversy. But this year there appears to have been a concerted effort by Corbyn-sceptic MPs to gain control of one of the party's policy making mechanisms, according to grassroots website Labour List. Particularly as only four of the 17 posts were contested - although that may be because most of Corbyn's Labour allies already have roles as shadow ministers. Former shadow chancellor Chris Leslie, who has said Mr Corbyn's economic policy would result in "higher inflation and higher cost of living" which would hit "the very people we should be standing up for", will chair the Parliamentary Party's Treasury committee. Ian Austin, who tweeted "I'm getting a little tired of the self-indulgent comfort-zone fantasy that Corbyn could ever persuade mainstream voters to make him PM," will chair the party's education committee. Shabana Mahmood, who quit the shadow cabinet, because she "strongly disagreed" with Mr Corbyn's economic policies, will chair the justice committee. Other Corbyn critics to be appointed to committee chairs include Caroline Flint, Tristram Hunt, Ivan Lewis, Mike Gapes and Emma Reynolds. They will have the power to stand in for shadow ministers at the despatch box, although this is rarely used, and influence policy decisions behind the scenes. Who chairs Labour backbench committees doesn't usually make the headlines - but then there has rarely been such a gulf between a leader and many of his own MPs. The lack of support for Jeremy Corbyn at Westminster was underlined by the fact that all but two of the successful candidates backed either Liz Kendall or Yvette Cooper for leader - and none backed him. Mr Corbyn had said he wanted these positions to become more influential - and that is exactly the intention of the new chairmen and women, too. Nine of them will serve on Labour's National Policy Forum. John Woodcock - who is now the Parliamentary Labour Party's defence chairman - said he will remind his leadership that MPs were elected on a policy of retaining the nuclear deterrent. And the new Treasury chairman Chris Leslie has denounced both his leader - and the shadow chancellor's - economic policies. Mr Corbyn is at odds with his many of his centre-left MPs in key policy areas, including the renewal of Trident, the welfare cap and military action in Syria. But he has vowed to open up the party's policy making process to its members, the vast majority of whom voted for him to be leader. This has sparked fears among "moderate" MPs that their views will be sidelined. "Many MPs feel the agenda of many of Corbyn's backers is less about Jeremy, more about a left realignment of the party," writes an anonymous columnist on Blairite website Progress. "This would be achieved with manifestos

Summary: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn could be facing a new battle after "moderate" MPs seized key policy making positions.


Dover took the lead on 15 minutes when Miller turned well and slotted the ball into the bottom corner. Moments later Guiseley almost equalised but Kevan Hurst's corner was headed wide by Jake Cassidy. Hurst then had a couple of attempts of his own, including a 40-yard effort, while Miller lashed an effort just wide as the visitors looked to double their advantage. Miller also hit the post after the break but the Whites did make it 2-0 on 67 minutes as Ricky Modeste headed home from close range. Miller grabbed his second with a penalty on 81 minutes and Ross Lafayette added a spot-kick of his own in added time to seal a comprehensive victory. Match report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Guiseley 0, Dover Athletic 4. Second Half ends, Guiseley 0, Dover Athletic 4. Goal! Guiseley 0, Dover Athletic 4. Ross Lafayette (Dover Athletic) converts the penalty with a. Substitution, Dover Athletic. Mitchell Pinnock replaces James Hurst. Substitution, Dover Athletic. Chris Kinnear replaces Ricky Miller. Goal! Guiseley 0, Dover Athletic 3. Ricky Miller (Dover Athletic) converts the penalty with a. Substitution, Dover Athletic. Ross Lafayette replaces Moses Emmanuel. Substitution, Guiseley. Derek Asamoah replaces Kevan Hurst. Substitution, Guiseley. Michael Rankine replaces Ashley Palmer. Goal! Guiseley 0, Dover Athletic 2. Ricky Modeste (Dover Athletic). Substitution, Guiseley. Alex Purver replaces Simon Walton. Simon Walton (Guiseley) is shown the yellow card. Second Half begins Guiseley 0, Dover Athletic 1. First Half ends, Guiseley 0, Dover Athletic 1. Goal! Guiseley 0, Dover Athletic 1. Ricky Miller (Dover Athletic). First Half begins. Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

Summary: Ricky Miller scored twice as Dover boosted their National League play-off hopes with victory at in-form Guiseley.


Bridgend county council wants to knock down Malc's Cafe in Rest Bay, to make way for the new modern facility. Porthcawl Civic Trust Society has objected to the two-storey building saying it was "out of accord" with the area's character. Councillors have backed it but said traffic plans must still be agreed. The proposals were being considered by the council's development control committee on Thursday. The council hopes the building - with public toilets, changing rooms, a new cafe/bistro, function room and covered dog walkers' area - will be used by water sports clubs. Residents said the plans would increase parking problems, late-night noise and anti-social behaviour, and the height of the building would impact on the "unspoilt" appearance of the coastline. The council said: "If successful, the water sports centre and cafe at Rest Bay will provide new high-quality facilities near the award-winning blue flag beach while establishing an iconic, contemporary attraction capable of supporting and developing sports and leisure activities in the area." Approving the proposals, the committee has imposed a number of conditions in a bid to ease the public concerns. The centre will not be allowed to operate after 21:00 in the evening and staff parking, turning area and delivery yard plans must be agreed. The council said a traffic management plan for the development must also be submitted and approved before construction can get under way.

Summary: Plans to build a new water sports centre in Porthcawl have been approved, despite concerns it could spoil the coastline.


Broad Oak Toiletries Ltd, based in Tiverton, manufactured toiletries and health and beauty products, employing 214 staff. A spokesperson said the company had ceased to trade immediately after a deal fell through to sell the business. Capacity issues at its Tiverton plant were also blamed. One employee, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "I am so scared for the future now. We haven't been paid for January and are worried any new buyer will take it on without honouring the debts." In a statement the company said: "Regrettably it has been necessary to effect the redundancies of all employees." Administrators said: "The company exhausted all possible options to continue to trade and, ultimately, in the absence of a buyer of the business as a going concern, it was forced to cease to trade and unfortunately all employees have been made redundant."

Summary: More than 200 people have lost their jobs after a Devon toiletries company confirmed it has closed.


Jon McLaughlin made several smart stops before Chris O'Grady tapped in against his old club to put the Brewers ahead. The Millers had been on top but fell further behind when John Brayford crossed for Jackson Irvine to head in. Tom Adeyemi reacted fastest to a save to pull one back, but Rotherham lacked the quality to find an equaliser. Relive Burton's victory at Rotherham as is happened Defeat leaves the Yorkshire side, led by caretaker-boss Paul Warne, 10 points from safety, while Burton move up two places to 19th. It was a first away triumph of the season for Nigel Clough's side while O'Grady's goal was his first in 389 days, as he was on hand to score after Lewis Price spilled a shot. Burton full-back Brayford spent several minutes being treated after a head injury, but came back on to assist Irvine before being replaced at the interval. Rotherham were chasing back-to-back Championship wins for the first time this season, but they have now conceded 52 league goals. Darnell Fisher volleyed wide and Izzy Brown could not find the target from inside the area as the hosts pressed, in vain, for a point. Burton manager Nigel Clough: "We didn't play anywhere near as well as we did at Aston Villa on Boxing Day but we battled away for three points. "It was tough coming here, we knew that they would have their tails up. We knew they would come out and cause us problems and they did. "The only disappointment was that we conceded just before half-time and that gave them a chance, they put us under a lot of pressure in the second half. "The timing in the year we didn't want to go into the new year without an away win. It is important psychologically to not be in the bottom three going into the new year." Rotherham's caretaker boss Paul Warne: "We played really well. We were the better team and, with respect to Burton, I thought they came for a point. "I love my lads but with the greatest of respect to them, they aren't used to playing against and having to break down two banks of four. "Did they underachieve in the scoreline? Yes. But did they underachieve in the performance? No, I don't think they did. "They are devastated, it will be tough to pick them up. But I don't believe we are relegated, I still think we have got a chance. "If I didn't then I would tell the chairman to get a different caretaker in." Match ends, Rotherham United 1, Burton Albion 2. Darnell Fisher (Rotherham United) is shown the yellow card. Second Half ends, Rotherham United 1, Burton Albion 2. Corner, Rotherham United. Conceded by Tom Flanagan. Foul by Isaiah Brown (Rotherham United). Lucas Akins (Burton Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Shaun Barker (Burton Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Lee Frecklington (Rotherham United) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Shaun Barker (Burton Albion). Substitution, Burton Albion. Shaun Barker

Summary: Two quick first-half goals helped Burton edge past bottom side Rotherham and move five points clear of the Championship relegation zone.


Sitting in an urban utopia - a sky garden overlooking Hong Lim Park, surrounded by hanging vines, infinity pools, pavilions shaped like giant birdcages and 15,000 square metres of greenery - Townsend announced his line-up to face Italy at the air-cooled indoor national stadium on Saturday amid an architectural wonder. What Townsend is about to build on the rugby field is unknown, but this was the first stop. In the absence of Richie Gray through injury and his brother Jonny, who sits out Saturday's Test but will feature against the Wallabies next weekend, he has a new second-row partnership. Glasgow's Tim Swinson and Ben Toolis, the Edinburgh lock being one of the few who managed to rise above the team's malaise in the season just gone, pair up in the engine room. "Ben gets his reward for the form he's been in with Edinburgh," said Townsend. "His work-rate, his physicality, his athleticism is really good and it gives Jonny the chance to get up to full match fitness." This will be Toolis' second cap and his first start. His one and only cap lasted just eight minutes off the bench in a game that has gone down as one of the most painful in recent years, for Scotland as a collective and for Toolis as an individual. It was February 2015 and the lock replaced his Saturday partner, Swinson, after 69 minutes of the Six Nations game with Italy at Murrayfield. Scotland were ahead 19-15 at the time. In the 77th minute, Toolis got sin-binned and the Scots ended up losing the game in what was arguably the low point of Vern Cotter's time in charge. Toolis hasn't played a Test since. Against the same opposition in Singapore, Toolis has a shot at changing his Scotland story. With Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour away with the Lions, Townsend has converted Duncan Taylor into a full-back and, on the wing, he gives Damien Hoyland his first cap since last summer. It will be Hoyland's second start for Scotland in what will be his third cap. His debut was also against Italy in August 2015. WP Nel returns at tight-head after the most frustrating injury-plagued year of his career, the same going for Taylor who has not played for his country in 12 months, a period that he described last week as a "mental battle". The Saracen had two different hamstring injuries that put him out for two months, two operations on his ankle that cost him four months, a head injury that kept him out four weeks, then shoulder damage that had him in treatment for another four. He made it back in time for Saracens' Champions Cup retention, appearing as a second-half substitute. Josh Strauss also comes into the side after being invalided out of the Six Nations in France while at the peak of his powers. Townsend joked that, in the searing humidity in training, his players have been using Strauss' magnificent beard - in its own way a fabulous creation to rival anything on the Singapore skyline - as a

Summary: As settings go, the roof of the Scotland team hotel in downtown Singapore wasn't the worst place for Gregor Townsend to name his first team as coach of the national side.


The 28-year-old was a free agent after leaving Exeter's biggest rivals at the end of his contract in the summer. Reid has also played for Yeovil Town, West Bromwich Albion, Brentford and Rotherham United. He scored a hat-trick against Exeter in the Devon derby in 2015 - the first in the fixture since 1929 - and could make his debut for the Grecians against Argyle in League Two on Saturday. Reid scored 21 goals for Argyle during the 2013-14 season while on loan at Home Park and 20 the season after. But last term he managed just seven goals as he was hampered by a foot injury, later telling the BBC that his season had been a 'write off'. Exeter need more firepower, having scored just six goals in the league so far this season, with half of those coming in their 3-2 victory at Colchester earlier this month. "I have been in talks with a few teams, but I met the manager (Paul Tisdale) on Sunday in a nice pub in Bath and he explained what he wanted to do for me," said Reid "I went home feeling refreshed and it left me with a massive smile on my face. I just couldn't wait to get the deal over the line." "I played against his teams for years now throughout my career and Exeter, whether they have been in the division above or League Two, have always been good on the eye to watch," he added.

Summary: Exeter City have signed former Plymouth Argyle top scorer Reuben Reid.


Via a webpage visitors can control lights around windows, railings and doors as well as a Christmas tree in the house's garden. The page is proving popular with hundreds of people every minute taking the chance to use the page to control the 11 different lights. Live images of the light show are also being regularly uploaded to the web. Ken and Rebecca-Ellen Woods of Fairbanks, Alaska started putting their lights online several years ago but this year the control system got a big upgrade. Mr Woods, who works in IT, has built a dedicated computer-controlled switching box that has ports for every set of lights affixed to their home. The live feed of the changing display shows lights blinking on and off at all times of day. Mr Woods told ABC News that he had got used to the constantly changing display. He added that it had got easier to live with once they only allowed lights on the exterior of the house to be controlled remotely. There are no other houses near to the Woods household so there are no neighbours to complain about the flashing display. This year the bill to run the hardware underpinning the light system looks set to reach more than $400 (Â£275) as millions of people take the chance to fiddle with the decorations over the Christmas period.

Summary: An Alaskan family has added online controls to the Christmas lights adorning their home.


In his Autumn Statement Philip Hammond said growth predictions had been cut as a result of the Brexit vote. As widely expected, he unveiled a fuel duty freeze and more cash for housing, transport and digital infrastructure. Labour said the government was "unprepared and ill-equipped" for Brexit and had "no vision". Mr Hammond told MPs the UK's deficit would no longer be cleared by 2020 - with the target instead "as early as possible" afterwards. Mr Hammond said the statement - his first major Commons event as chancellor - came exactly five months after a Brexit vote which "will change the course of Britain's history", making it "more urgent than ever" to tackle long-term economic weaknesses. Presenting the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecasts, he said borrowing would hit £68.2bn this year and £59bn next year, compared with the March forecast of £55.5bn and £38.8bn. The OBR said the referendum result meant potential growth in the current Parliament would be 2.4 percentage points lower than forecast in March. Government finances are forecast to be £122bn worse off than in the spring. Among the chancellor's announcements were: Mr Hammond said the government would prioritise "additional high-value investment" on infrastructure, which would be funded by additional borrowing. He paid tribute to his predecessor George Osborne but said he would now follow three new fiscal rules: to balance the books "as early as possible in the next Parliament", for public sector net debt to be falling as a share of GDP by the end of Parliament and for welfare spending to be within a cap. The OBR based its forecasts on the assumption that the UK would leave the EU in April 2019 - two years after the government's deadline for triggering negotiations with Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. It also assumed new trading arrangements would slow import and export growth for a decade and that migration would be restricted. It said the increased borrowing would result from weak tax receipts and lower than expected growth predictions as a result of June's vote to leave the European Union. Based on its assumptions around Brexit - the government has not yet revealed the details of its negotiating plan - it predicted the referendum result would account for an extra £58bn of borrowing. This included a predicted £16bn increase as a result of lower migration and £18.1bn because of lower productivity growth. The OBR said its forecasts for Brexit were "uncertain", and they were disputed by Conservative MP John Redwood, who said: "Their forecast probably is too low, their borrowing forecast is far too high, and we'll get good access to the single market once we're out of the EU." The Economists for Brexit group said the OBR had "assumed a pessimistic outlook for the UK economy outside the EU, based on bad economic policy-making". At the end of his speech, Mr Hammond revealed the Autumn Statement would be scrapped in future years, saying there was no need for major tax changes to be made twice a year. Instead, he added to laughter from MPs, there would

Summary: The UK economy is "resilient" despite forecasts that government finances will be £122bn worse off than previously expected by 2020, the chancellor said.


The RSPCA had planned to wait until the end of the winter breeding season before trying to catch the seal at Horsey beach. However, he has not been seen since late December. Alison Charles, RSPCA hospital manager, said: "We will just never know now if it's a happy or sad ending." It was believed the bull seal's deep wound was caused by netting. Experts said it had been too risky to try catching him for treatment when he was surrounded by females until the end of the breeding season in late January. Any action could also have disturbed mothers with their pups. If he was darted, there was a danger he could bolt into the sea, lose consciousness and drown. Peter Ansell, from the Friends of Horsey Seals group which monitors the colony, said: "He might be dead or he might have swum off to pastures new. "It's highly unlikely we will see him again - it will remain a mystery." The RSPCA had assembled a team and equipment at its East Winch centre near King's Lynn to try to catch their first wounded seal. Ms Charles said: "I recently went to inspect two females who also had been seen with netting around their necks, but it had fallen off. "Their wounds were healing and it seems it may have been possible for them to use their flippers and nails to it. "The bull seal's wounds could also have healed." Volunteers counted 1,018 pups at Horsey this winter - a record for the colony since seals began using the public beach north of Great Yarmouth in 2003.

Summary: A seal spotted on a Norfolk beach with a wound around its neck has vanished and its fate is likely to "remain a mystery", wildlife experts have said.


But occasionally I also have to take issue with the use of much bigger surveys, such as the country's biggest household one, the Labour Force Survey (LFS). One of its main uses is in the production of the unemployment figures every month. It used to be that the headline unemployment figure was the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits, but that meant the figures were vulnerable to changes in who was allowed to claim such benefits, so instead the country switched to the International Labour Organisation's definition of unemployment, which is people out of work and seeking a job, whether or not they are claiming benefits. As I reported a few weeks ago, the claimant count has lost its national statistic designation, because the introduction of universal credit has made it more difficult to calculate. But our headline unemployment figure comes from the LFS, in which the Office for National Statistics (ONS) speaks to 60,000 households once a quarter. It's a big survey, but it's still a survey. The ONS is very clear in its monthly releases about its limitations. Two weeks ago we had the unemployment figures for the three months from March to May, which it turned out had risen by 15,000 compared with the previous three months. But lower down in the release, readers were warned that the ONS was 95% confident that the actual figure was within plus or minus 80,000 of that mark, so between a rise of 95,000 and a fall of 65,000. Which may make you question our top line, that unemployment had risen for the first time in two years. Unemployment is not the only figure taken from the LFS, and there was some interesting analysis done by Migration Watch last week using the survey. The group said its research showed that groups of migrants with weaker economic characteristics (based on level of employment, rates of pay and likelihood to claim benefits) outnumbered those with stronger economic characteristics by two to one. The House of Commons Library has been looking at this analysis and questioning whether the LFS is a robust enough source to make such claims. As an example, it considers the figure given for the gap in likelihood to claim benefits between UK residents born in the UK, and those born in Pakistan or Bangladesh, between the ages of 40 and 44. It says that despite its huge sample size, the LFS is only likely to have interviewed about 27 people who fall into the category of 40 to 44 year-old benefit claimants born in Pakistan or Bangladesh. The Library suggests: "a nuanced narrative might be more appropriate than broad statements about migrants' likelihood to claim".

Summary: A lot of the stories I am asked to look at involve organisations trying to make big claims based on surveys of tiny numbers of people with questionable methodology.


Russell sustained the injury in Glasgow Warriors' Pro12 semi-final defeat by Connacht in May. "We don't expect him to play in the first two or three games of the season," Townsend told BBC Scotland. "We'll just see what happens over the next few weeks." Russell was stretchered off during Glasgow's defeat in Galway after a sickening collision with team-mate Zander Fagerson in the first minute of the match. The Scotland playmaker was kept in hospital for over a week for observation, but is now back in light training. "He's working on skills, he's very keen to be involved," Townsend continued. "Everything has gone well so far with his recovery, but obviously we're being very cautious on when he can come back to training with the team and also full training. "So far his progress has been really good."

Summary: Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend says Finn Russell is progressing well in his recovery from a serious head injury, but still expects him to miss the start of the season.


The money was raised in a funding round led by the Royal Mail Group and backed by investors, including the Scottish Investment Bank, Par Equity and technology entrepreneurs. Mallzee said the cash would allow it to "scale its global offering". The company was founded in 2013 by 27-year-old Edinburgh-based entrepreneur Cally Russell. Mr Russell pressed ahead with developing the app after turning down an offer of investment on the BBC's Dragons' Den programme. Mallzee is a personalised shopping app, which allows users access to more than 100 fashion stores at one go. It also lets shoppers build their own "style feeds". Mr Russell said: "This round of investment is going to allow us to become the leading fashion shopping app in the world and the mix of investors is going to be vital to allowing us to achieve this. "With Royal Mail Group we have a partner that plays a vital part in the online shopping environment and one which is well positioned to enable us to access new retailers." Earlier this year, Mallzee secured an exclusive promotional link-up with tech giant Samsung. In a separate development, daily fantasy sports operator FanDuel announced it had acquired Edinburgh-based mobile app developer Kotikan. FanDuel said the firm had designed and developed its mobile offering and it was "logical" to bring the Kotikan team in-house to further innovate and develop FanDuel's mobile products. FanDuel reported last week it was set for major expansion after raising $275m (£176m) in a funding round, It was founded in Edinburgh in 2009 and only operates in North America. The business focuses on US sports such as basketball, baseball and American football.

Summary: Fashion shopping app developer Mallzee is set to expand after securing £2.5m from investors.


The Stagecoach 585 service and the 4x4 crashed near the Rowan Tree restaurant, north of Ardrossan, at about 14:15. The Scottish Ambulance Service has declared the scene a major incident. Two air ambulances attended, along with specialist trauma teams. The road was closed while emergency crews dealt with the crash. Police Scotland said: "At around 1415 hours on Monday 21 March, police and emergency services responded to reports of a serious road traffic collision between a service bus and a 4x4 vehicle on the A78, north of Ardrossan, close to the Rowan Tree Restaurant. "There have been 12 people injured as a result of this incident. One person has been pronounced dead at the scene of the incident. "Two people have been taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital by air and by road ambulance. Nine others have been treated at the scene or transferred to Crosshouse Hospital for observations." A spokesman for the ambulance service said: "There are 11 casualties, several of whom are in a critical condition." A spokeswoman for Stagecoach confirmed that the 585 service from Ayr to Greenock had been "involved in a serious incident...on the A78 near Ardrossan". She said: "Our first thoughts are with those affected by this incident. "The safety of our passengers and staff is our highest priority and we are assisting the police fully with their investigation into the circumstances." A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "Our crews are at the scene of a serious road collision on the A78. "We received a call from the ambulance service at 2.15pm today and firefighters reached the incident three minutes later. "There were six appliances at the scene and firefighters worked alongside police and paramedics to assist those involved."

Summary: One person has died and 11 others have been injured - two of them critically - after a bus and 4x4 vehicle collided on the A78 in North Ayrshire.


Gwen Smith, 64, said she went up to Mary Logie's flat in Leven, Fife, after hearing the noises. She told a court that the woman accused of the murder, Sandra Weir, had answered the door of Ms Logie's flat. Ms Weir denies murder and has lodged a special defence of alibi claiming she was elsewhere in Leven at the time. Ms Smith told the High Court in Edinburgh that she lived directly downstairs from the pensioner and went upstairs to see what was going on after hearing "hammering" noises. On the third day of the trial, Ms Smith said she had then come across a "horrible situation." She told prosecution lawyer Alex Prentice QC: "Sandra says to me 'she's fell and there's blood everywhere.' "I said 'it's alright calm down I will go and see' and then I opened the door and there's Mary." Ms Smith said that Ms Logie was lying on the floor of her living room. When Mr Prentice asked her if she saw an item lying nearby, Ms Smith replied: "A rolling pin on the couch." Ms Weir denies eight charges, including murder. The trial also heard from a man who told the court he had sold Ms Weir drugs on a number of occasions. Before giving evidence, Mr Prentice told Aaron Robertson, 44, that if any of his answers implicated him, he guaranteed him immunity from prosecution. Mr Robertson said Ms Weir was visually impaired and would come to his home with a guide dog to buy drugs. He said he gave her heroin four or five times in January, charging Â£70 for a 16th of an ounce. He said Ms Weir had built up a debt of Â£320, which was paid off on 14 January. The trial at the High Court in Edinburgh continues.

Summary: The neighbour of an 82-year-old woman allegedly beaten to death with a rolling pin has told how she heard "loud bangs" coming from the flat.


The app is the latest development by Mikeysline, a charity set up following the deaths of two friends. Michael "Mikey" Williamson and Martin Shaw, who were both 23 and living in Inverness, were found dead within days of each other in October last year. Family and friends fear the young men took their own lives. Mr Williamson was found dead only hours after returning from a night out to remember his friend Mr Shaw. Launched in December last year, Mikeysline already offers support via text messages and is staffed by volunteers.

Summary: A smartphone app designed to help young people who are dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts has been launched in Inverness.


John Ashton, professor of banking at Bangor University, studied 17 years of bank account data to examine the costs faced by customers. He told the BBC that it was well documented that overdrafts were an expensive form of borrowing. What was overlooked was the "cost" of keeping large deposits in an account. By doing so, customers were missing out on much higher levels of interest that would be paid in a better home for their savings. "It is a surprise how large these amounts can be [in current accounts] - many thousands of pounds," he said. It might be possible to manage a current account to make the most of the system but, for many, the best way to get value for money is by switching to another current account altogether. Bank customers could save £70 a year on average by switching their account to another provider, an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) concluded. Why? The CMA explains: "We looked at the average charges for a customer who was £500 in credit and had a number of foreign exchange transactions in a year, and tried to work it out, if they switched to a different type of account, and we found that, if they switched to a reward account under which they received cashback rewards and interest on their credit balances, they would make the £70 saving." For those who go into the red, the savings made by switching would be even greater, the CMA suggested. The average overdraft user could save £140 a year. Heavy overdraft users could save £260. Switching is relatively simple. It is a seven-day process and all existing regular payments, incoming and outgoing, are automatically diverted to the new account. Customers, for the most part, remain unmoved despite the simplicity of the system. Last year, 1.03 million current accounts were switched last year, compared with 1.15 million the previous year. That is a fraction of the 68 million active current accounts in the UK. Commentators suggest, despite a big advertising campaign, customers do not swap owing to a lack of trust in banks to ensure direct debits are automatically switched to the new account. They also say that the complexity of these accounts and the lack of a clear "price" make it enormously difficult to decide between the options. There are 269 different current account options to choose from for UK consumers, according to financial information service Moneyfacts. One of the High Street giants - Barclays - has 69 different options on its own, although they are not all available to everyone. Customers who do attempt to find a better deal are met by a blizzard of numbers when comparing the charges levied by each account. For overdrafts, there may be authorised overdraft fees, overdraft arrangement fees, overdraft review fees, as well as the same again for going into the red without prior authorisation from the bank. To add an extra layer of complexity, the cost of an overdraft is not always clear from the interest charged. For example, two banks charge 15.9% interest

Summary: The most affordable way of holding a bank current account, an academic has concluded, is to keep small sums in it but to never go overdrawn.


An early favourite with bookmakers, the band's album beat rapper Plan B, The Maccabees, Richard Hawley, Django Django, Jessie Ware and Field Music. BBC Sound of 2012 winner Michael Kiwanuka, Ben Howard, Lianne La Havas, Roller Trio and Sam Lee also lost out. Alt-J thanked their parents for helping them to win the Â£20,000 prize. "We might just thank everyone in team Alt-J who has ever made a difference to us. And our parents... thanks for not making us get jobs!" said the band as they accepted their award. The four-piece, who met at university in Leeds in 2007 but are now based in Cambridge, said the award would probably give them "a level of security". "The Mercury Awards puts us in the hall of fame for sure, because it's such a well respected award," said frontman Joe Newman backstage. Alt-J also rubbished the idea of the so-called 'Mercury curse', a term coined after previous winners such as Speech Debelle failed to live up to the hype. "This kind of curse isn't dependent on whether you win the Mercury. It's dependent on the material that you have after you win the Mercury," said Newman. "We feel as a group we have a real strong set of songs, future songs. It's about the artist." The band revealed they would be celebrating by getting drunk. However they did add they would spend some of the prize money taking their parents out for a slap-up meal, after their families had watched the awards on TV while hosting their own Mercury-themed parties. Each of the 12 nominated acts performed live at this year's ceremony, in its new home, the Roundhouse in north London. Plan B, real name Ben Drew, opened the show with the title track from his nominated album Ill Manors, which is the soundtrack to the film he wrote, directed and starred in. He performed from the top of a new-look double-decker stage in the Camden venue, the same spot where The Maccabees later brought the show to a close with a high energy rendition of Pelican. BBC 6 Music presenter Lauren Laverne replaced longtime host Jools Holland as coverage of the event moved from BBC Two to Channel 4. Radio 1's new Breakfast Show host Nick Grimshaw fronted the backstage coverage. Other standout performances came from La Havas, who silenced the room, and Ware who like many of the nominees said they were happy just to be nominated. Most have already enjoyed a sales boost while the act behind this year's 'token jazz album', Roller Trio, said they received a host of new bookings and got a new agent the day after being nominated. HMV's Gennaro Castaldo predicted Alt-J's win could result in a "five or sixfold" increase in sales. Last week, fellow nominees Django Django, who met at art college in Edinburgh, won Q magazine's best new act award. However they admitted they were a little nervous as the Mercury's evening kicked off. "It feels a bit like we're all about to get married. To each other," said Django drummer and producer

Summary: Indie rock band Alt-J have been named winners of this year's prestigious Barclaycard Mercury Prize, with their debut album An Awesome Wave.


"We're not doing this because we've had approaches, we're doing this because we have aspirations that rely on further investment," he said. The WRU is prepared to give up its 50% stake in the region. Davies would not rule out a new name for the team under new owners, a source of conjecture in the region. Davies admitted that potential investors in the region, which has been the lowest-placed Welsh side in the Pro12 for eight out of 12 seasons, would not be attracted by the prospect of making money. "This is an exciting and wonderful opportunity to take a place at rugby's top table and to shape the region," he said. "If you look at who's involved with Welsh rugby, it's very wealthy and knowledgeable individuals who are involved for the love of the game. "It's the start of the process. In terms of our success and competitiveness, we need that fresh injection (of money)". The issue of the region's name would be up for any new owners to decide, with chairman Martyn Hazell admitting that it has been a problem since its launch in 2003. The double-barrelled name has been a compromise to try to attract supporters within and outside the city of Newport. "It's been a problem, but I'm not sure what the answer is," he told BBC Wales Sport. "Every time you want to move (change) it to Gwent, the Newport people object to it, and every time you want to do Newport, the Gwent people object. It wants addressing." There are no plans to move the team away from Rodney Parade, which is owned by Newport RFC and also hosts Newport County AFC. Chairman Hazell and leading benefactor Tony Brown are willing to give away their shares as part of the process of attracting investors. But Davies made it clear there would be no danger of the operation closing down if investors cannot be found. "It's incumbent on us all to find fresh investors, but if they don't come forward, it's business as usual and we continue as we are facing the issues we have, and cut our cloth accordingly," the former Wales number eight said. The region next play at Gloucester in the European Challenge Cup quarter-final on Saturday 9 April.

Summary: Newport Gwent Dragons chief executive Stuart Davies says the announcement of sale plans is "the start of the process," in attracting new investors.


Patrick McClean is ruled out while Ryan McBride, Aaron Barry, Dean Jarvis and Conor McDermott are all struggling to be fit and face late fitness decisions. Derry lie third in the table, six places above their opponents. The Candystripes have taken just one point from the previous two league matches between the sides this season. "I respect Finn Harps immensely and I expect it to be a fantastic derby occasion," said Shiels. "Their manager Ollie Horgan has done a fantastic job on a limited budget. They will go into the game with no fear but it's of paramount importance that we win. "I'm always loathe to predict the outcome of derby matches as there are so many twists of fate involved and so many things can go against you, including the rub of the green with decisions." The Brandywell men face an important encounter with second-placed Cork City on Monday night but the Derry boss is keen to adopt the old maxim of 'one game at a time'. "I always say that the most important game is your next one so we will be concentrating solely on Finn Harps to begin with. "We will just drive on and hope that our luck changes a bit in terms of performance and outcomes. "We have played well in our last three games but only took a point apiece from the clashes with Sligo Rovers and St Patrick's Athletic, and lost to Limerick." There will be live commentary of the game on BBC Radio Foyle 94.1FM and the BBC Sport website from 20:00 BST.

Summary: Derry City have injury concerns over a number of players ahead of their Premier Division derby against Finn Harps at Finn Park on Friday night.


Darren Sykes, 44, set fire to his home in Penistone, South Yorkshire after luring Jack, 12, and brother Paul, nine, there with new a train set. Sheffield Coroner's Court heard Jack, who later died, told doctors and police his father had set the house on fire. Both boys were unlawfully killed, coroner Christopher Dorries ruled. Mr Sykes, who had been divorced for two weeks at the time of the fire, was caught on CCTV buying petrol in portable containers from a filling station near his home in Tennyson Close on the day of the blaze. He died in the fire on October 22 along with Paul. Monday's inquest into his death recorded a verdict of suicide. Before his death, Jack was heard to say "he did it" to doctors and police, the inquest heard. Claire Sykes, the boys' mum, told the court she still carries guilt for what happened. She wished she had been home earlier from work, she said, and been able to stop Jack and Paul from going to see their father. "I wasn't there when they really needed me as a mum," she added outside court. "The only thing I could do was hold them in my arms when they died." Andre Spencer, Mr Sykes' former boss, said he was one of a number of people to get a text from his employee just moments before the fire started. "To be honest, I thought he was being a bit dramatic and that he would be at work the following day," he said. "It was only when I got a phone call from another person who received the same message that we decided to contact the police. "He was very depressed. He thought that he was going to lose access to his children." Barnsley Council said it had begun a serious case review into the deaths.

Summary: A father who killed himself and his sons in a deliberate house fire was identified by one of the boys as the culprit behind the blaze.


Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen was executed in November 1910 after poisoning his wife and hiding her dismembered remains under the cellar floor. He was caught as he tried to escape to Canada with his mistress, Ethel Le Neve, who was disguised as a boy. The letters, written while he was in prison and sold in Wiltshire, would remain in the UK, auctioneers said. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge described the atmosphere in the saleroom as "frantic" with bidders calling in from Australia and the United States. He said the letters provided a "fascinating insight" into Dr Crippen's mind during the last few days of his life. One of his final letters, written to Lady Henry Somerset on 26 October 1910 - less than a month before he was executed - details his relationship with his mistress and his view that "all yet may come right". Crippen was hanged at Pentonville prison, in London, on 23 November 1910, after an appeal against his sentence failed. He became the first criminal to be captured with the aid of wireless communication, after the captain of the ship he was escaping on to Canada, the SS Montrose, became suspicious. The ship's captain sent a telegraph message informing the owners he believed Crippen was on board. The infamous killer's letters, which are being sold by a private collector, had been expected to make between £3,000 and £5,000 in the sale at Henry Aldridge and Son auctioneers.

Summary: Letters written by one of the 20th Century's most notorious murderers have been sold for £11,000 at auction.


The car's owner came out of Aldi in Gorton, Manchester on Monday, as a man allegedly forced his wife and son, 5, out of the car and tried to drive off. As the vehicle reversed, owner Tahir Mehmood jumped in the passenger seat. The car crashed into another vehicle when the alleged car thief ran off. Kyle Jones, 23, of Cheadle Street, Openshaw is due in court later. He will appear before Manchester Magistrates' Court charged with attempted robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Summary: A man has been charged after an attempted carjacking at a supermarket car park in Manchester.


A gala opening will be held on 25 July following a Â£12 million renovation project, with Bellowhead the main act. Cardigan Castle is believed to have been home to the first ever recorded Eisteddfod in 1176. Some locals believe it is a "gross faux pas" to enlist an English group to play at such an historical cultural event. The renovated castle- which has new accommodation, a cultural centre and restaurant- hopes to attract over 30,000 visitors in its first year. Organisers the Cadwgan Trust have enlisted Welsh group 9Bach to support Bellowhead, who it describes as 'one of the best live acts in the UK' for the near sell-out 800 crowd. A pressure group was set up to protest. It is called The Friends of Rhys ap Gruffudd - who was the ruler of the old kingdom of Deheubarth in 1176 when the first Eisteddfod was held. Spokesman Hefin Wyn urged the Cadwgan Trust to rethink, saying that an English act headlining an event of such historical and cultural significance was a "gross faux pas". He said: "Perhaps they are suffering from cultural and historical amnesia. They haven't grasped how important the occasion is." Local Councillor John Adams Lewis told BBC Wales that "there is tremendous talent in the locality and some of those should be taking part." In a statement, Sue Lewis from the Cadwgan Trust said that there would be a "superb programme of events" at Cardigan Castle over the summer that would feature "national performances" and "up-and-coming local talent."

Summary: A row has erupted in Cardigan over plans to invite an English folk group to headline the opening concert at the historic town castle.


Mr Bondevik, who said he was travelling on his diplomatic passport, was held for about an hour. He said his passport also indicates he is a former prime minister. Immigration officials told him it was unrelated to President Trump's temporary ban on Iranian nationals. Instead, he was told it related to a 2015 law which places extra restrictions on countries that are part of the US visa waiver programme, according to an interview with ABC7 news. But Mr Bondevik said he has never had an issue travelling to the US with the same document before Mr Trump's order. During his 2014 Iran trip, he spoke against extremism at an international conference on behalf of human rights organisation The Oslo Centre, of which he is president. Iran is one of the seven countries affected by the controversial executive order from the new president. "I was surprised, and I was provoked," he said, suggesting that the mention of Iran had made him "stick out". "There is no reason to be afraid of a former head of government who has been on official visits several times to this country, including in the White House," he told Norwegian broadcaster TV2. The former prime minister was flying to the US to attend the national prayer breakfast event in Washington - which President Donald Trump also attended.

Summary: The former prime minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik, said he was detained at a US airport earlier this week because he had visited Iran in 2014.


The Perth club have finished in the top half of the league in each of the past five campaigns. Saints open their Premiership campaign at home to Aberdeen on Sunday. "If we were to finish seventh and miss out on the top six I wouldn't see that as a failure for our club," Wright told BBC Scotland. "Probably our fans expectations get higher and higher each season but we don't really put any demands on the players. "We want to finish top six if we can and we think we know that over the course of the season we can do that, but we certainly don't say at this stage we will finish top six." Wright feels the promotion of Rangers, who St Johnstone defeated 3-1 in last season's League Cup, will stiffen competition at the top end of the table. The Saints boss thinks Rangers will add quality to the league and that Mark Warburton's side could put in a title challenge to champions Celtic. "If you look at the players they have signed, they have improved the squad in depth," said the Northern Irishman. "They have a stronger squad than what they had last season. I think with the squad they have assembled they could mount a challenge." Saints beat Aberdeen twice last season with a 5-1 win at Pittodrie and a 3-0 victory the last time the two faced each other in April. Wright says this weekend's match, along with their next few games, means they will have to be at their best from the first whistle. "We have a difficult start to the season in terms of who we are playing," he said. "We have the top three teams in the opening few weeks. "First up Aberdeen then Hearts in the Cup, Celtic in two weeks with Motherwell a top six side next Saturday. It's a great start for us playing some of the top teams."

Summary: Manager Tommy Wright says St Johnstone once again have ambitions of a top six spot but realises competition will be fierce this season.


8 May 2017 Last updated at 15:13 BST Emmanuel Macron won to become the country's youngest president at 39-years-old. He beat rival Marine Le Pen comfortably. Jenny spoke to two kids in Paris to find out what they think of the result.

Summary: The people of France had a big vote on Sunday to decide who they want to run their country for the next five years.


Malcolm Sherratt, 64, claimed more than Â£46,000 in disability benefits over eight years, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said. He had told authorities he needed help dressing and going to the toilet. Sherratt, from Stoke-on-Trent, was jailed for 12 months after being secretly filmed by the DWP working out at a gym. He previously admitted two counts of false representation and three counts of making a dishonest representation. Sherrat, of Arbourfield Drive, began making claims three weeks after taking part in Mr Universe 2007. He told authorities he needed help cooking and washing and sometimes needed a wheelchair or sticks, the DWP said. But officials discovered he worked out twice a day and filmed him lifting weights. Sherratt was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday.

Summary: A former Mr Universe contestant who claimed he had a bad back has been jailed for benefit fraud.


The Championship Rams turned a one-goal half-time deficit into a 2-1 victory to book a place in the fourth round. McClaren told BBC Radio Derby: "We told them to keep their composure We were causing them problems and controlling the game. "How the players kept their composure and came back, credit to them." Darren Bent and Tom Ince scored goals three minutes apart in response to Matt Phillips putting the hosts ahead in the first half. And McClaren was keen to point out the contribution of a massive following from Derby. "I had heard 6,000 were coming along and they were going to fill behind the goal," continued McClaren. "We said to the players that it's a cup tie and there's 6,000 fans coming to watch, so there's a reason why we've got to fight, we've got to react and come back. "I'm so pleased for the players, I'm so pleased for the fans and very proud of them."

Summary: Manager Steve McClaren praised Derby County's control as they came from behind to knock Premier League West Brom out of the FA Cup.