Arseny Yatsenyuk said the government was sending a bill to MPs urging that Ukraine's non-bloc status be cancelled. The remarks come as Nato holds an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis in eastern Ukraine. The West has stepped up its accusations of direct Russian involvement in the conflict, following advances by pro-Russian rebels. On Thursday Nato released satellite images it said showed Russian forces inside Ukraine. and said more than 1,000 troops were operating there. Russia denies sending troops. Nearly 2,600 people have been killed since April, the UN says, when Russia's annexation of Crimea prompted the rebels to take control of large parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the far east of the country. "The government is entering a bill to Verkhovna Rada [parliament] about the cancellation of Ukraine's non-bloc status and resumption of Ukraine's course for Nato membership," Mr Yatsenyuk said. Ukraine's previous President Viktor Yanukovich, ousted earlier this year, enshrined the country's non-aligned status in the constitution in 2008. At a government meeting, Mr Yatsenyuk said Ukraine's main aim remained membership of the European Union. He said the bill that was being presented would also prevent Ukraine from joining any bloc that would stand in the way of this, meaning any economic union involving Russia. Heavy fighting is continuing near Ukraine's strategic port of Mariupol, on the Azov Sea. Rebel forces are trying to capture the city but Ukrainian government troops are digging in. On Thursday the separatists seized the nearby town of Novoazovsk. The advance has raised fears that the Kremlin might seek to create a land corridor between Russia and Crimea - a territory annexed by Russia from Ukraine in March. Rebels are also reported to have surrounded government soldiers in several places further north, near the city of Donetsk. Ukrainian forces near the town of Ilovaysk say they are cut off and have been urgently asking for supplies and reinforcements. Overnight, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the rebels to open a "humanitarian corridor" to allow encircled Ukrainian troops to leave without unnecessary casualties, though he did not specify the location. Rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko later told Russian TV that his fighters had agreed to the request, on condition that the Ukrainians hand over heavy weapons and ammunition. Ukraine security officials said in a statement that the proposal demonstrated that the rebels "are led and controlled directly from the Kremlin". At least 2,593 people had been killed in the conflict between mid-April and 27 August, the UN said in its latest report. Human rights violations like abduction and torture were "committed primarily by the armed groups", referring to the rebels, it said. Separately, Human Rights Watch said in a report that the rebels were subjecting civilians to torture, degrading treatment and forced labour. The reports of Russian troops fighting with rebels prompted renewed Western criticism of Moscow's role in the conflict. US President Barack Obama blamed Russia for the escalation but stopped short of saying its troops had invaded Ukraine. "There is no doubt that this is not a home-grown, indigenous uprising in eastern Ukraine,"

Summary: Ukraine's prime minister has said he will ask parliament to put the country on a path towards Nato membership.


Tony Smith's side followed up a 28-16 win at Wigan on 1 April with a convincing home victory, although they fell behind to Josh Charnley's try. Daryl Clark, Ben Westwood and Kevin Penny all crossed for the hosts before half-time to forge an 18-4 lead. Ryan Atkins' brace, Benjamin Jullien and Westwood's second sealed Wire's biggest Super League win over Wigan. The Warriors, for whom captain John Bateman scored a late consolation, would have gone top themselves with a win but defeat left them third. Catalans Dragons will join Warrington at the summit on 20 points if they win at Hull on Friday. The two tightest defences in the division at the start of play held firm until Charnley slid in at the corner after 17 minutes, but Shaun Wane's 150th game as Wigan head coach quickly turned sour as Clark and Westwood, who barged over with his first touch of the game, overturned the deficit. Warrington, who lost winger Tom Lineham to a head injury early in the first half, saw off a burst of Wigan pressure before Atkins' close-range try stretched the lead to 20 points and his second effectively killed the contest. The Wolves' half-back pairing of Stefan Ratchford and Kurt Gidley, who extended his contract on Wednesday, played influential roles throughout, with Gidley also landing five of his six attempts at goal. Former Great Britain international Iestyn Harris, BBC Radio 5 live sports extra "In the first 20 minutes, Warrington didn't get into their stride. As soon as Ben Westwood came onto the field and gave them some momentum, they didn't look back. "For 60 minutes they totally dominated Wigan - physically, in ability and for me that little bit of hunger. They really wanted this. "They've put a statement of intent there - they've put 40 points on Wigan Warriors. "Wigan are going to get some players back and they are going to come back strong." Warrington head coach Tony Smith: "The players were terrific tonight, particularly defensively. "We were outstanding without the ball and really played a physical game, which you have to do when you play Wigan. If you don't, they dominate you. "I love watching Ben Westwood - he's tough, hard, effective and keeps going. He's doing a great job for us." Wigan head coach Shaun Wane: "It's not tough to take - they were the better team. Warrington were outstanding. "For 25 minutes we handled them physically, but we made changes and lost a bit of momentum. "Their line speed killed us, we found ourselves under pressure and we couldn't get ourselves back into the game." Warrington: Russell; Penny, R. Evans, Atkins, Lineham; Gidley, Ratchford; Hill, Clark, Sims, Hughes, Currie, Westerman. Replacements: G. King, Cox, Jullien, Westwood. Wigan: Sarginson; Charnley, Gelling, Gildart, Tierney; Gregson, Smith; Clubb, Powell, Mossop, Bateman, Isa, Sutton. Replacements: Williams, Tautai, Burke, Wells. Referee: Phil Bentham

Summary: Warrington Wolves completed a Super League double over Wigan to move two points clear at the top of the table.


The whale, which is about 10m (33ft) in length, was washed up at Shingle Street, near Hollesley shortly after 15:00 BST on Sunday. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said it was a juvenile fin whale and that a post-mortem examination would be carried out on Tuesday. Suffolk Police warned people to stay clear of the carcass, which has been tied down. What do you do with a dead whale? Find out more about whales with BBC Nature Rob Deaville, manager of the cetacean stranding investigation programme for ZSL, said fin whales were a "fairly unusual species to be found beached in the UK". He said that last year, out of 600 strandings in the country, only about five would have been fin whales. "Looking at photos, it does look a little bit on the thin side, so starvation may be a factor but we have an open mind," he said. Andrew Capell, of HM Coastguard Search and Rescue, said: "We answered the call and we originally thought it would be a porpoise, because we tend to get them quite a bit. "But we arrived on the beach to find this rather handsome animal. "There are a few grazes on it where it has been on the shingle, but there is no other wounds or injuries. "There's a lot of interest today as it is not the sort of thing you see in Suffolk." A crew from Aldeburgh Lifeboat station was also called to Shingle Street. Coxswain Steven Saint said: "Unfortunately it had already died when the crew were there - but there were reports it had been in the water a short time before." Another whale died after being stranded at a beach in Bridlington, east Yorkshire, on Sunday.

Summary: A whale has died after beaching on a shingle bank off the Suffolk coast.


James Brokenshire said he "would come forward with further information in my own way in respect of the next step around the talks process". Mr Brokenshire was speaking ahead of meeting Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney in Dublin. He said discussions with the parties later this week would help inform his decision. The secretary of state added he was going forward with "positive intent" but that "differences firmly do remain". "My priority is to see the restoration of the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland, working on a sustainable basis to deliver good government for everyone," Mr Brokenshire said. Mr Brokenshire said: "Over the summer I have kept in touch with the political parties and I will be bringing them together over the next week as we enter a new phase of talks. "Urgent progress is required. The lack of an executive making key decisions on matters including health and education means that public services in Northern Ireland are suffering. "We need to find a way forward that will allow an executive to be formed." Mr Coveney said he planned to visit Belfast next week to meet politicians. "Northern Ireland needs a voice through a government of its own," he said. "We need to see a resumption to those discussions and hopefully a conclusion as soon as possible. "We don't want talks that are ongoing for a long period of time." Sinn FÃ©in's northern leader has written to the UK and Irish governments proposing a formal resumption of power-sharing talks. Michelle O'Neill suggested parties should be given a tight deadline from next Monday to restore the government. The Democratic Unionist Party's (DUP) Simon Hamilton described her proposal as a "stunt", saying his party had been ready to form an executive for months. Northern Ireland has been without a functioning devolved government since January. The coalition led by the two biggest parties, the DUP and Sinn FÃ©in, collapsed over a green energy scandal. Formal talks were suspended without agreement at the start of July.

Summary: The secretary of state has refused to say when talks aimed at restoring devolution at Stormont will resume.


Jersey made it past the opening round for the first time in their history after coming back from a goal down to beat Salisbury 2-1. Josie Steinson put Salisbury ahead before half-time, but two goals from Fiona Anderson, the second in the final minutes, sealed the win. Meanwhile, Guernsey won 4-1 away at Warminster-based West Wilts.

Summary: Jersey and Guernsey's women's teams are both through to the second round of the EH Trophy after first-round wins.


From 2018, people who cannot have a dish installed will be able to receive Sky over the internet instead. The company said the move would help it reach a further six million customers across Europe. One analyst said the development was a "logical step", but customers would need to live in an area with fast broadband speeds to benefit. "I don't think Sky is giving up on other things but they see this as an opportunity," said Toby Syfret, TV analyst at the Enders consultancy. "There are about two million households in the UK, mostly in dense urban areas, where people can't put up dishes. "If they can offer the full Sky experience without the need for a dish, that is broadening their offer. "But there will be questions about which homes can get it. Not everybody has the necessary broadband speed." Sky is also facing competition from new rivals such as BT and TalkTalk, which deliver pay-TV over the internet. Sky already sells its Now TV streaming service, offering a small selection of television channels and a library of on-demand programmes over the internet. However, the company told the BBC its new dish-free option was designed to provide a more complete service. Details of which channels will be carried, and whether the service will support ultra-high definition 4K broadcasts have yet to be decided. The company is currently in a dispute with broadcaster Discovery, which has threatened to remove its 12 channels from Sky on 1 February. It claims Sky does not pay a "fair price" for its channels - but Sky says Discovery's threat is about "commercial self-interest". On Wednesday, the pay-TV giant reported a 9% fall in operating profits after paying more for broadcast rights to Premier League football matches.

Summary: Sky is to offer a complete subscription television package without a satellite dish for the first time.


Hooker Tom Holmes returns for Tigers, who secured a top-eight place by beating Catalans in their last game. Warrington half-back Kurt Gidley returns in the only change to their squad from the win over Salford. Wolves, who have won four of their last five games at home, have already guaranteed a top-four finish when the Super 8s begin. Castleford (from): Chase, Cook, Crooks, Dorn, Gale, Hampshire, O Holmes, T Holmes, Maher, Mariano, McShane, Millington, Milner, Minikin, Moors, Patrick, Solomona, Springer, Tickle. Warrington (from): Atkins, Bailey, Clark, Currie, Dwyer, Evans, Gidley, Hill, Hughes, G King, T King, Lineham,, Penny, Ratchford, Russell, Sandow, Sims, Westerman, Westwood. Referee: Chris Kendall.

Summary: Nathan Massey requires surgery to fix a long-term scaphoid problem and is unavailable for Castleford.


The 23-year-old Spaniard played 34 times for the Blues after joining the club from Barcelona in 2011. Romeu has spent the past two seasons on loan, at German club Stuttgart and at Valencia in his homeland. He was on the bench for Chelsea's 2012 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich but missed out on the 2012 FA Cup and 2013 Europa League victories. Saints executive director of football Les Reed said Romeu had been "on the radar for some time" and "matches the Southampton profile" of being "young, hungry and developed at a top academy". "Like Ryan Bertrand, we believe we have recruited another Chelsea player with an excellent pedigree but also with lots of potential to develop," said Reed. Romeu said: "After spending two years on loan, I needed something permanent and a club with a future - and I think I chose the right one." Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Southampton have signed Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu for £5m on a three-year contract.


Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) said it was to highlight wider problems including teacher redundancies. Powys council's cabinet member for schools, Arwel Jones, said he was "surprised and disappointed". The NUT said it represented about half of teachers in Powys and 83.5% of those balloted voted in favour of action. The council is currently consulting on plans to reorganise secondary schools. Mr Jones added: "Strike action will not deflect our programme but could disrupt the work of school pupils at a crucial time."

Summary: Teachers in Powys are set to go on strike on Thursday in protest over "excessive workload and cuts".


Stephen Probert, 56 and his partner Joanne Winder, 40, both died following a crash on the A470 near Llanrwst., Conwy county, on Easter Sunday 2015. Lawrence Lougher, 29, of Addlestone, Surrey, was found guilty of causing the deaths of the Colwyn Bay couple by careless driving. He was jailed for 12 months at Caernarfon Crown Court. The court heard Lougher failed to check for the overtaking motorcycle when turning his BMW across the road. Mr Probert died at the scene and Ms Winder died at Ysbyty Gwynedd two days later. The court previously heard that Lougher was originally told he would not face prosecution, but there had been a review. As well as the custodial sentence, he was banned from driving for two and a half years.

Summary: A man has been jailed for causing the deaths of a motorcyclist and his passenger.


Bryony Esther, 32, from Leigh-on-Sea, was on a C2C service when 15-month-old baby Saffron awoke and needed feeding. Despite "hovering" near the priority seating area no-one offered to move and instead began sniggering, she says. Her Facebook post about what happened went viral, the Daily Mail said. C2C urged customers to be considerate. Live: For more on this and other stories from Essex Speaking to the BBC, Ms Esther said the incident unfolded as soon as she boarded the train with two of her children. "I sat my five-year-old down on what was an apparently vacant seat quite near the doors and immediately this man told me 'this seat is taken'," she said. "So we moved and we ended up stood by the toilets for the rest of the journey with a bike shoved into my legs. "It was quite unpleasant. My baby woke up and cried and she needed nursing back to sleep. "I hovered by the priority seat hoping to be offered one. I tried to make eye contact with the people sat in the priority seats but they just blanked me. "One of the people sat in the priority seats was the cyclist." Ms Esther, who was travelling to Great Ormond Street Hospital to visit her two-year-old son as he recovered from surgery, said she did not feel able to challenge the group. "I know a lot of people have unseen disabilities so I did not feel able to ask whether they could let me sit down," she added. "I lifted my top to feed her and then I looked up and realised there were five men watching and sniggering. "I felt quite intimidated and uncomfortable. I was really upset and I think this is part of wider society. "This isn't about breastfeeding. This is about a mum having to hold her baby on a moving train." A spokeswoman for train operator C2C said: "We welcome breastfeeding on all C2C trains and would hope our customers would be considerate to their fellow travellers and give up their seat when requested. "Unfortunately this does not appear to have happened on this occasion, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this caused."

Summary: A woman forced to breastfeed her baby while standing up on a packed train says she was left feeling "intimidated and uncomfortable".


Instead of eight hours a day of painting and decorating, he asked his son and business partner if he could cut down a little - to just seven hours a day. But when big jobs needed to be finished, he still finds himself putting in extra hours up his ladder to get it done. "I think I'd stagnate if I had to stay at home," he says. "I feel sorry for people that have to retire." And a growing number feel the same way. According to official figures, there are 32,000 people in the UK who are in their 80s and still hard at work, a figure that has increased by more than half in the past 10 years. And as the post-war baby boom generation reach their mid-60s, it's becoming increasingly common to work past what used to be the official retirement age. Just over one million people are still working past the age of 65, and 324,000 of those are 70 and over. Maureen Rose (above left), 72, is a psychiatric nurse. She and her colleague, 68-year-old support worker Anne Wilson, work at a mental health unit in Surrey. It can be physically challenging work and involve unsociable hours but that doesn't put them off. "I love my work, love it," says Maureen. "I've been doing it all my life. I love the patients and I feel, with my experience, I've got a lot to offer." The NHS is reviewing employment for older workers, but Anne does not believe they are denying openings to the next generation. "We're saying 'yes we can do it. We're mature, we're old but we're not written off." There are still some jobs you can't do. For example, the danger of sudden medical problems means that airline pilots cannot fly internationally past the age of 65, and if they are over 60, they must have a co-pilot who is under 60. But better lifestyles, better diets and better medicines mean that many people now reach their pension age in good health, with every chance of more healthy years ahead. Not everyone wants to fill those years with Bingo and bowls, though. For Bob, staying in work is not a problem, as he's his own boss. But for big employers, it's not so simple. The NHS is Europe's biggest employer, and it makes extensive use of older workers. In England there are 1,453 GPs, 1,207 hospital doctors and 14,816 nurses and support staff still practising past their 65th birthday. It's conducting an extensive review of the issues raised by working longer. Its research so far suggests that over-65s in good health are just as capable as their younger counterparts. Extending the working life of staff helps to fill skill shortages. But would older workers require easier shift patterns? Is that fair to their younger colleagues? And how do you evaluate if someone is no longer up to the job? These are all unanswered questions. The government is certainly keen to see more older workers. Compulsory retirement in the UK was abolished in 2011, and the state

Summary: As his 80th birthday approached, Bob Hooker decided to slow down a little.


Giglia won gold in the C1-3 3,000m cycling race on the opening day of the games, beating American Jamie Whitmore into second place. She said she had taken "extra motivation" from 10-year-old Alasdair Rowan, who suffered a stroke in July and is now recovering. At the time of the last Paralympics in London, Giglia was a sports instructor. But in January 2013, four months after the games had ended, she had a stroke and brain haemorrhage, leaving her with restricted movement down her right side. Cycling formed part of her recovery and she told the BBC in August: "I never dreamed I would get to this level, but it has allowed me to turn what was a bad situation into a good one. "It gives me something to live for and I hope what I am doing can give other people hope that they can do something with their lives." Giglia, who lived in Stratford-upon-Avon before moving to Manchester where British Cycling is based, dedicated her Paralympics victory to other stroke patients trying to come to terms with the effects and, in particular, to one 10-year-old schoolboy who had inspired her. Writing on her Instagram page before the race, she said: "My Paralympic Games kicks off tomorrow and every race I compete in I'm dedicating to individuals and their families who are all currently dealing with the after effects of a stroke!!! "Tomorrow is the 3km pursuit and is dedicated to a strong and determined young man going by the name of ALASDAIR ROWAN who is on his road to recovery and given me extra motivation to succeed...This one's for you Alasdair." Alasdair's father, Lee, told the BBC that Giglia had asked his wife, Fiona, if she could dedicate the race to their son after they were put in touch by charity Different Strokes. Giglia is a patron of the charity. Alasdair, then aged nine, had a stroke in July after suffering an aneurism. He has since returned home following an emergency operation and a month-long stay in hospital, and is hoping to return to school soon. Mr Rowan said the family had been cheering Giglia on to victory and had been filled with "nervous excitement" when they saw her carrying a picture of Alasdair as she was about to be interviewed. Mr Rowan, from Bulkington, in Warwickshire, said he was pleased that she had used the interview to raise awareness about young stroke patients. "A lot of people think strokes only happen to older people - that certainly is not the case. Alasdair is younger than normal but he's not unique." Giglia began her cycling career after she was spotted at a British Cycling talent identification event and joined its development programme in May 2014. She had her first major success in international competition at the Newport Para-cycling International in early 2015, when she won silver in the individual pursuit and bronze in the 500-metre time trial. Following this performance, she was selected for her debut UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, and finished fourth in the time trial

Summary: Megan Giglia, who won Britain's first gold medal at the Rio Paralympics, says sport gave her something to live for after she suffered a stroke and a brain haemorrhage aged 27.


John Pat Cunningham was killed in Benburb, County Tyrone, on 15 June 1974. The case has been reopened by the PSNI's Legacy Investigation Branch and a murder investigation has begun. The suspect has been brought to Northern Ireland and is being questioned at Antrim PSNI station.

Summary: Police investigating the murder of a 27-year-old man shot dead by soldiers more than 40 years ago have arrested a 73-year-old man in England.


Apple shares climbed 6.5% after the tech giant's latest results beat expectations, despite seeing a dip in iPhone sales. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index climbed 29.76 points to 5139.81. The Dow Jones fell 1.58 points to 18472.17, while the broader S&P 500 slipped 2.6 to 2166.58. Investors were not expecting the Fed to alter interest rates, but markets were looking for clues as to the timing of any rate moves in the future. The Fed said household spending was "growing strongly" and the unemployment rate had decreased for the last two months, but inflation was still below its target rate. Coca-Cola was the big loser on the Dow, falling 3.3%. The company cut its sales forecast for the year and said it was taking steps to address declining demand for its soft drinks. Twitter shares plunged 14.5% after the company reported a $107m loss on Tuesday. Aerospace company Boeing saw its share price rise 0.8%. Despite reporting its first loss since 2009, the company beat revenue expectations.

Summary: (Close): US stock markets were little moved after the Federal Reserve kept rates unchanged, but strong results from Apple helped lift the Nasdaq.


Rat droppings and a live mouse were found in the kitchen at Shimla Pinks, in Leicester, on Tuesday. Officers shut the restaurant while people were dining, with the business fined Â£1,000 during a hearing at the city's magistrates. Owner Meena Patel told the Leicester Mercury he felt "terrible" about the problem and vowed to rectify it. Leicester City Council health inspectors confirmed the closure during the hearing on Thursday. The court was told droppings were found behind the freezer and there were holes in doors and the skirting boards, allowing the rodents access to food preparation areas. Bacterial infections such as Leptospirosis and Ecoli can be spread by urine from mice and rats. The council said in a statement the owners are not allowed to open until it was satisfied they have "addressed the problems". The BBC approached Shimla Pinks for comment but has yet to receive a reply. However, Mr Patel told the Mercury he was going to "eradicate" the problem. The premises, in London Road, will close for a week to allow walls to be rebuilt and kitchen equipment replaced. Shimla Pinks has earned consistent positive reviews on Trip Advisor, earning it a "certificate of excellence" in 2015.

Summary: A curry house has been shut down after an infestation of rats and mice was found by health inspectors.


Italy, stuck in recession, hopes the fair will be a big money-spinner. Ten million tickets have been sold already for the six-month event. But shortly after the opening, protesters in Milan clashed with police, who responded with tear gas. Representatives of 145 countries are in the city for the fair, which boasts 54 national pavilions at a sprawling site. The food theme focuses on nutrition and combating hunger globally. But it is also a showcase for Italian cuisine. The exhibition has already been marred by scandal after several officials in the organising body were arrested for corruption. And violence broke out on Friday as dozens of people protesting against the Expo torched cars and broke shops windows. Some groups have criticised the fair, calling it a symbol of big business interests, and held protests. There was an anti-globalisation march by students in Milan on Thursday. Pope Francis, who spoke via a televised link-up to the opening ceremony, said he wanted every person who visited the Expo to think of the "faces of millions of people who are hungry today". Meanwhile Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said: "Today it is as though Italy is embracing the world." Italy hopes the fair, covering a one million sq m (10.7m sq ft) site, will attract some 20 million visitors and generate revenues of about $10bn (Â£5.6bn; â‚¬8.9bn).

Summary: A major global commercial fair - Milan Expo 2015 - has opened in northern Italy with food as the theme.


The mission would have a mandate for a year which could be extended if both sides request it. Negotiators for the two sides issued a joint request for the UN's involvement last week during peace talks in Cuba. They have set a deadline of 23 March for the signing of a peace accord. The UN "political mission" will consist of unarmed observers from Latin American and Caribbean nations. Colombia has seen decades of fighting between the government and the left-wing Farc movement, with more than 220,000 people killed and millions displaced in unrest which has also involved other guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries. It is the longest-running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. "It isn't common for a country to refer itself to the council, but it's exactly the kind of role the United Nations should be playing," said British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft. "I hope today will mark the start of the final stage of peace talks." US Ambassador Samantha Power warned that issues between the two sides still needed to be resolved, such as the removal of land mines and the re-integration of guerrillas into the population. The UN resolution asks Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to make detailed recommendations on the mission's size and operation to be approved by the security council within 30 days of a ceasefire. Last week, the Colombian government's lead negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, described the request to the UN as a "transcendental" moment. He said it was an "unequivocal demonstration of our desire to end confrontation". Since official peace talks started in Havana in November 2012, negotiators have reached agreement on key issues such as the political participation of the rebels, land rights, drug trafficking and transitional justice. Last September, President Juan Manuel Santos and Farc chief Timoleon Jimenez, known as Timochenko, said they wanted an agreement within six months.

Summary: The UN Security Council has approved the creation of an unarmed mission in Colombia to oversee a bilateral ceasefire, if Farc rebels and the government sign a peace agreement.


The accusations come via a formal complaint in the US by consumer groups. They, along with several EU bodies, are calling for investigations into the manufacturers. Genesis Toys, which makes the products, has not responded to a request for comment. Nuance Communications, the firm that provides speech recognition software for the products, said it takes data privacy seriously. The firm is a subject of the US complaint, filed with the Federal Trade Commission, but said it had "adhered to our policy with respect to the voice data collected through the toys referred to in the complaint". "Nuance does not share voice data collected from or on behalf of any of our customers with any of our other customers," spokesman Richard Mack said. In addition to the data protection concerns, a hack allowing strangers to speak directly to children via the My Friend Cayla doll is still possible. The Norwegian Consumer Council also assessed the toys and their terms and conditions. They found the products lacking and potentially in breach of advertising regulations. "It's quite disturbing because the company reserves the right to direct marketing towards kids," said Finn Myrstad, technical director of digital services at the council. In January 2015, the BBC and security researcher Ken Munro, at Pen Test Partners, revealed the vulnerability in Cayla's software that allowed the doll to be hacked. And Mr Myrstad said it appeared the problem had not yet been fixed, nearly two years later. According to the US complaint, the doll prompts children to provide personal data verbally - including their parents' names, the name of their school and the place where they live. It also says the toys allow unauthorised Bluetooth connections from any phone or tablet within 50ft (15m). The Norwegian Consumer Council has now filed its own complaints to three authorities in Norway, including the consumer protection ombudsman. Further complaints from other bodies are to be filed in France, Sweden, Greece, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands. Mr Myrstad added that he was concerned the manufacturers also reserved the right to change the terms and conditions at any time. "We think this is particularly worrying because we're dealing with recordings of voice - kids' data," he told the BBC. "How the data's collected how it's stored and shared - all of that appears to be almost entirely unregulated," said Rik Ferguson, a researcher at security firm Trend Micro. "And the parents are certainly not made aware in any comprehensible fashion of the extent of data that's collected or how it may be used in the future."

Summary: The makers of the i-Que and Cayla smart toys have been accused of subjecting children to "ongoing surveillance" and posing an "imminent and immediate threat" to their safety and security.


Dan Lawrence (75) and Adam Wheater's (64) 127-run partnership helped Essex create a platform before they were all out for 295, having resumed on 120-4. Middlesex, also aided by Toby Roland-Jones' 3-81, chose to not enforce the follow on, despite being 212 ahead. Sam Robson hit 77 and Nick Gubbins 64 as the hosts declared on 239-3, and Essex ended 19-0 chasing 452 to win. Given the forecast for rain on the final day, the decision not to put Essex back in to bat again was surprising. However, Robson and Gubbins built on their first-innings centuries to ensure the best chance for victory possible if the weather holds out. After dismissing former England captain Alastair Cook cheaply on day two, Roland-Jones took his third wicket of the match with the 14th ball of the third morning, as Ravi Bopara was caught at third slip, continuing his poor batting form this season. That brought Wheater to the crease, and alongside Lawrence the pair dragged Essex away from a disastrous reply to Middlesex's 507-7 declared, but Wheater was eventually out to a brilliant one-handed tumbling catch by Stevie Eskinazi at square leg to reduce the visitors to 253-6. Ryan ten Doeschate (20) was then trapped plumb lbw by Tim Murtagh, Simon Harmer hit a wide ball to Eskinazi's hands, and Lawrence and Neil Wagner were dismissed by Finn (4-51) as the final four wickets tumbled in nine overs. At a pace of more than six runs an over, Middlesex thundered to a lead of 451, thanks to Robson, Gubbins and fellow first-innings centurion Eskinazi, who hit 62 in 34 balls, going to his fifty with three successive sixes into the Grand Stand off Jamie Porter. Essex faced six overs late in the day and opener Nick Browne survived a scare when Ollie Rayner dropped him at second slip off Roland-Jones when he was on eight. Middlesex head coach Richard Scott told BBC Radio London: "We decided not to enforce the follow-on because our bowlers had sent down almost 100 overs in their first innings. "We wanted to give them a session's rest so they could come back again strong and also have the chance of bowling fresh in the morning. "Our batsmen actually did brilliantly to accelerate the scoring rate and get us a lead of 450 in time for us to have six overs at them before stumps." Essex wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Wheater told BBC Radio Essex: "We tried to slow the scoring rate in their second innings but their top three all played really well. "With the small boundary on one side it is hard to defend it. "We just have to bat well on the last day and you never know what can happen."

Summary: Steven Finn took four wickets as Middlesex continued to dominate against Essex on day three at Lord's.


The plans include electrification of the Midland Main Line between Bedford and Sheffield. Other rail improvements have been unveiled for the Manchester area, south Wales and East Coast Main Line. Prime Minister David Cameron called it the "biggest modernisation of our railways since the Victorian era". During a visit to Birmingham to announce the railway investment, the PM said it would lead to the electrification of an extra 850 miles of track. He said: "This investment will mean faster journeys, more seats, better access to stations, greater freight links and a truly world-class rail network." Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who joined the PM on the visit, said the plans would help "close the north south divide". It includes £5.2bn for the completion of current schemes, such as Crossrail and Thameslink and £4.2bn for new projects. These include: Building work on the rail projects will not start until at least 2014, as the announcement covers the period 2014 to 2019. The government said it would be funded "in part from fare rises already announced in 2010 and also from the substantial efficiency savings which projects like electrification will have on the long-term operating costs of the railways". In January this year, passengers faced average increases of RPI inflation plus 1% on regulated fares, which are set to rise by RPI plus 3% in January 2013 and 14. Transport Secretary Justine Greening told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the government had a long-term plan to make the rail industry work more efficiently and stop the above-inflation fare rises. "We've got to get the money from somewhere so, for the time being, the passengers are paying," she said. "We all know that diesel is massively expensive so if we can move over to electric trains, not only are they greener, they're also cheaper and also they are lighter too, so what that means is that when they are on the track they don't damage it so much, so maintenance costs go down too," she added. Regarding access to the rail network, she later told Parliament she was initially making £20m available for Network Rail to invite bids for new stations. Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said: "We welcome this investment, it was actually first announced under the last Labour government... but this won't help jobs and growth now, as there's not going to be a penny spent until after 2014." By Richard WestcottBBC transport correspondent A lot of electric railway lines and new track can be bought for £9.4bn but how does the money break down and what difference could it make? Oh, and who pays for it? Well, for starters, £5.2bn will go to either continue or finish off projects that have been under way for some years. But the rest is new and it will mean faster journey times, more seats and spruced up stations, with many regions in England and Wales benefiting, especially across the north of England. The trick will be to fund all of this whizzy new kit without ticket prices going through the roof. We already know season

Summary: A £9.4bn package of investment in the railways in England and Wales, including £4.2bn of new schemes, has been unveiled by the government.


Pacquiao was unanimously outpointed in Brisbane last week as 29-year-old Horn won his first world title. The Filipino, 38, urged governing body the WBO to review an "unfair decision and officiating". It asked five judges to analyse the fight and they found "Pacquiao won five rounds while Horn won seven rounds". The five "anonymous, competent judges from different countries" watched the fight without sound, it added. The WBO stressed the analysis was carried out for "transparency" as it did not have the power to reverse the original decision. "It can only be revoked when fraud or a violation of law has occurred, which is not relevant in this case," a spokesperson said.

Summary: Former welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao's controversial loss to Jeff Horn has been rescored by WBO judges - who reached the same result.


Debbie Jevans made the comments after a tweet by World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper said an early England exit was "not what they wanted to hear". Jevans would be "very upset" if England failed to make it out of their group but not in an official capacity. "From our perspective it doesn't make a difference," Jevans said. "Of course you think about it when you look at the tough group England are in and the impact that may or may not have, but I think our job as an organising committee is to make sure that we deliver an event that is the best it can be." The 48-match tournament begins on 18 September when England play Fiji at Twickenham. Stuart Lancaster's side are also in the same pool as Australia, Wales and Uruguay and only two will make it through to the knockout round. Wales head coach Warren Gatland, whose side are in the same group as England, said he was "surprised" by Gosper's comments. Jevans says she would like an England versus New Zealand final but claims the tournament's success does not hinge on the hosts' performance. "Our focus is not about who wins or is in the final," Jevans added. "From a delivery perspective we are genuinely looking at it as delivering for 20 teams and making sure they can all compete to the best of their ability. "Our biggest selling ticket so far has been Argentina v New Zealand so I am not at all concerned about England being the sole focus of the Rugby World Cup."

Summary: The chief executive of England's World Cup organising committee wants the hosts to make the knockout phase but says it's not essential for the event.


The 40-year-old joined Twitter in 2011 and often interacts with fans through his personal account. "They have no clue how to run a football club," MacAnthony told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. "No disrespect to them, yes they buy a season ticket, but they're not in a position where they have to make a decision that affects people's lives." He continued: "You're talking about the hundreds of people who work for you, you're talking about the family of the player, you're talking about the player himself, the after-effect if you don't do business. "It's all about how you handle that, I've always felt I've got that right." MacAnthony, who is celebrating 10 years as Posh chairman, has been most hurt by criticism of his transfer policy, with fans often accusing him of selling the club's best players. "I was getting it last year with Conor Washington, they were hammering him, he was one of my favourite players and I thought he would come good," said MacAnthony. "When I got £2.8m from QPR for him I felt like tweeting a picture of the agreement and going with two fingers to all the people who had, non-stop, had a go. "In other words: 'I know what I'm doing, back off, if you think you know what you're doing go buy a football club.'" Despite his public run-ins with angry fans on social media, MacAnthony has no plans to delete his account. "Winners never quit, quitters never win," he said. "I wouldn't change it, I love it, it's great fun. You do get trolled, you do get hammered, there are the ups and the downs." And MacAnthony has reiterated his pledge to secure promotion from League One this season. "I'm giving it everything this season," he added. "We're going up, there is no tomorrow, it has to be now and it has to be this season. "You could say that puts a lot of pressure on the players and the manager, they're all aware, they know what they need to do. It's time to stand up and be counted, let's get out of this league. "There is no looking back for me after this season. I'm only talking about Championship football." Listen to an extended interview with Darragh MacAnthony via the BBC iPlayer.

Summary: Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony has spoken about supporters who criticise his running of the club.


Security forces were deployed on Monday morning and heavy gunfire was heard in the streets The Ninjas were a major anti-government force in the 1997-99 civil war. The violence comes weeks after Denis Sassou Nguesso won a third presidential term in a poll that the opposition said was marred by "massive fraud". At least one police station and a government building were attacked in the Makelekele district. The Ninjas were loyal to former Prime Minister Bernard Kolelas, the father of Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, who stood in the presidential election in March and got 15% of the vote. Mr Sassou Nguesso, in power for more than 30 years, won the election with 60% of the vote. Reuters news agency reports that on Monday morning young opposition supporters were chanting "Sassou, leave!" in Makelekele , which is in the south of the capital city.

Summary: The Congolese government has blamed attacks on government buildings in the capital, Brazzaville, on the Ninja militia group.


Andrew RT Davies has joined other politicians condemning the comments by north Wales AM Michelle Brown about Labour MP Chuka Umunna. UKIP's chairman Paul Oakden has said the AM's actions will be investigated. Ms Brown said she accepted her language was "inappropriate" and "apologised to anyone" offended. The former legal adviser from Mostyn in Flintshire called the Streatham MP a "coconut" during a conversation in May 2016 with her then senior adviser, Nigel Williams. She was also recorded using an abusive remark about Tristram Hunt, who was then Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central. Mr Williams, who was her senior adviser for 12 months, was sacked by Ms Brown in May. Ms Brown said in a statement: "The point I was making is that because of his considerable wealth and privilege, Chuka Umunna cannot possibly understand the difficulties and issues that the average black person faces in this country any more than I can, and I stand by that assertion. "I do however accept that the language I used in the private conversation was inappropriate and I apologise to anyone that has been offended by it. "As far as the language I used about Mr Hunt is concerned, it was a private conversation and I was using language that friends and colleagues often do when chatting to each other." Speaking on BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement programme, the Welsh Tory leader said: "The language is completely unacceptable and it's regrettable in the second decade of the 21st Century that that type of language is held by people who hold public appointment. "From my view, if that person was in the Conservative Party - they would be suspended. "As I said - it is completely unacceptable language." Mr Davies joins both Labour and Plaid Cymru in the assembly calling for action over the comments. The Labour Group has condemned the "absolutely outrageous language" and said "anything less than immediate suspension would be a clear endorsement of Michelle Brown's racist slur". Its chairman, Delyn AM Hannah Blythyn, has written to the National Assembly's Standards Commissioner, calling for an immediate investigation. She told Sir Roderick Evans: "I believe that these comments constitute a clear breach of the Code of Conduct for Assembly Members. "I would ask that you look into this matter at the earliest opportunity." Plaid leader Leanne Wood said: "This racism reflects poorly on our parliament - the National Assembly for Wales - and that's why her party should take action on this." A second UKIP AM has also moved to distance herself from her colleague's comments. Caroline Jones told BBC Wales' political editor Nick Servini on Sunday Supplement: "Inappropriate language is not condoned by myself or anyone else in the party." However, she refused to be drawn on what action she thought the party might take, and said that was a matter for the investigation ordered by its chairman. On Saturday, UKIP AM David Rowlands said he "thought we'd put that racist language behind us as a party". "I don't know if there's been any provocation but I'm very disappointed that anyone in

Summary: A UKIP assembly member who made a racial slur about a black MP would have been suspended from the Conservative Party, says the Welsh Tory leader.


Shipping containers are a common feature of the Kenyan landscape. You'll find these steel boxes converted into comfortable homes, clinics and offices. Others are turned into shops and granaries to store farm products. But now shipping containers have entered the sphere of learning. Starting this year, national examinations materials will be stored in secure shipping containers and placed under 24-hour armed police surveillance. This is just one of the many new tough measures that the government is introducing to curb cheating in national exams. In a country where people often rely on well-connected relatives and friends to succeed, education is everything. Such is the thirst for personal development that around 20:00 on weekday evenings, you'll find the streets of Nairobi and other urban centres teeming with people of all ages going home from class. Evening classes are a popular way for Kenyans to acquire a second or third degree with the hope of rising higher in life. Competition for promotion or for the few job opportunities that become available is intense, leading to a desperate desire for more and better academic qualifications. Joseph Warungu: "There is a crisis of trust in Kenyan society." This pressure to succeed starts at primary school. As a result, cartels have emerged to take advantage. Working with some of the former national examinations council officials, police officers and teachers, these cartels have found a way to get hold of exam papers and sell them to desperate students and parents. But last year things got out of hand as the cheating reached industrial proportions. More than 5,000 primary and secondary school students had their exam results cancelled; the national examinations board was disbanded and some senior managers fired. Nearly 200 people including police officers were arrested and charged over exam malpractices. There is a crisis of trust in Kenyan society. The government cannot trust the teacher to prepare the students for exams without cheating. The teacher cannot trust the government to oversee the exams without cheating. The student cannot trust himself to pass the exam without cheating. And so in comes the tough steel containers to try and safeguard trust. This year the government is not taking any chances. By the time national exams begin in November, invigilators will have been vetted afresh. Head teachers will now be held personally liable for any incidents of cheating that occur in their schools because they will have the sole responsibility of collecting from, and returning, the exam materials to the containers at central distribution points. The government is so confident of the measures it has taken that the cabinet secretary for education gave this warning: "I want to tell all children in candidate classes, that they better prepare for the exams. The monkey business that has been going on shall never happen again". But education is not the only sector suffering from the trust deficit. Governance is badly hit. Recently, a group of more than 30 elected County Assembly members, who were planning to impeach their Nyeri county governor in central Kenya, decided to spend the night inside the County

Summary: In our series of letters from African journalists, Joseph Warungu, a former high-school teacher, examines the measures the Kenyan government has put in place to tackle cheating in national exams, which begin in early November.


The 14-year-old boy who was injured was walking with a 15-year-old boy when he was struck in Fernhill Road, near Rutherglen, at 14:15 on 24 January. Police previously said a light-green Vauxhall Corsa mounted the pavement before heading off towards Castlemilk. They have now arrested a 16-year-old male. He is expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday.

Summary: A teenager has been arrested in connection with an alleged hit-and-run incident which left a boy in hospital.


If true, it would solve one of aviation history's biggest mysteries. Earhart vanished during a 1937 flight over the Pacific - and her disappearance has been a breeding ground for speculation ever since. A photograph from the 1930s shows a figure that could be her, taken on the then-Japanese Marshall Islands. However, at least one prominent expert has poured cold water on the claim, saying he was "astounded" it had taken off. The new material - presented as evidence for an old theory - is a black-and-white photograph found in the vaults of the US National Archives. It shows a group of people standing on a dock. The label on the photograph says it was taken on Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands, presumably by a US spy. The link might seem thin, though, to the legendary pilot who five years before her disappearance had risen to fame as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. The claim is that one seated person with her back to the camera could be Earhart, while another figure on the far left in the photo is said to be Fred Noonan, her navigator on that last flight. On the very right of the picture is a blurry section which, it is claimed, shows Earhart's plane. Ric Gillespie, author of Finding Amelia and executive director of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), is certainly unconvinced. He told the BBC: "This photograph has people convinced. I'm astounded by this. I mean, my God! Look at this photograph... Let's use our heads for a moment. It's undated. They think it's from 1937. Okay. If it's from July 1, 1937 then it can't be Amelia, because she hadn't taken off yet. "If it's from 1935 or 1938 it can't be her.... This photograph has to have been taken within a very narrow window - within a couple of days of when she disappeared." He notes that the photograph came from an Office of Naval Intelligence file, saying it was "very natural" the US would want a picture of this Japanese naval asset. "And what does the photo say that it shows? ... Jaluit Atoll - Jaluit Island. It doesn't say 'Amelia Earhart in Japanese custody'! "If this is a picture of Amelia Earhart in Japanese custody, where are the Japanese? There are no soldiers in this picture. Nobody in uniform," he observes. The photograph was released by the US-based History channel ahead of a documentary to run this weekend. If the goal was to drum up attention - and hence audience numbers - it appears to have paid off. A preview of the programme has two experts backing up the claim by looking at the torso measurements of the woman alleged to be Amelia Earhart in the photo, and teeth and hairline of the figure claimed to be Fred Noonan. A far stretch? After all, the heroine has her back to the camera and it's debatable how much of a hairline let alone teeth can really be made out reliably on a faded photograph from

Summary: A newly-discovered photo suggests legendary US pilot Amelia Earhart might have died in Japanese custody - and not in a plane crash in the Pacific.


18 June 2016 Last updated at 13:53 BST The capsule, carrying Tim Peake, Tim Kopra, and Yuri Malenchenko, touched down in Kazakhstan at 10.15 on Saturday morning. Tim described the journey back to Earth as "the best ride I've been on ever".

Summary: After six months on the International Space Station, Tim Peake returned to Earth with a bump in the Soyuz capsule.


Wimbledon mixed doubles star Jamie Murray said he would not mind if his brother chose someone else for the task. Jamie told the BBC: "If I don't get asked that's absolutely fine by me." Wimbledon singles champion Andy announced his engagement to girlfriend Kim Sears in November last year. In an interview with BBC Scotland Sport, Jamie said: "I haven't been asked yet so I'm still waiting on that one. "We'll see. If I get asked: great. If not, then it's not the end of the world. "I'm sure it'll be a good day." Jamie said he was hoping to avoid having to do a speech even if he is asked to take on the post, having allowed Andy to forgo the tradition at his marriage to Alejandra Gutierrez in 2010. "He was best man at my wedding," Jamie said. "And I told him he didn't have to do a speech because I didn't want him to be stressed right through the day and not be able to enjoy it. "I could do a speech if he wants me to, but I'm not going to be sticking my hand up for the front of the queue." While few details of plans for the wedding have been revealed publicly, mother Judy Murray told the Mirror the wedding would be held in October, but said she didn't know if it would be in Scotland.

Summary: Andy Murray is getting married later this year but his older brother said that, so far, he has not been asked to take on the role of best man.


Three months of work will begin on 8 August on both carriageways of the M74 from J2A Fullarton to J6 Hamilton. Four months of work will begin on both carriageways of the M8 in mid-August from J8 Baillieston to J10 Easterhouse. The M73 will be similarly affected for six weeks from mid-September, between J1 Maryville and J2 Baillieston. The work is part of an ongoing £500m works programme to improve Scotland's motorway network. Graeme Reid, Project Manager for the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project, said: "Transport Scotland is working with the contractor to ensure these works are completed as quickly as possible. "While we're doing everything we can to minimise the disruption, delays will be inevitable, so we're asking motorists to check the Transport Scotland and Traffic Scotland websites for updates on these key routes, to plan their journeys in advance and to look at taking an alternative route if possible." The £500m project aims to upgrade central Scotland's busy motorways and significantly reduce congestion. It has been estimated that the road improvements could reduce the average daily car commute between Glasgow and Edinburgh by 20 minutes.

Summary: Drivers are being warned to expect months of "significant delays" on central Scotland's motorways as work begins to install new signage gantries.


Media playback is not supported on this device The 37-year-old was competing in his first race of the season, after missing the start of the World Cup campaign following an operation on his back. But his arm clipped a flag near the end of the super G course in Colorado and his right leg was severely lacerated. "Feeling lucky since things could have been way worse," Miller later tweeted. Some 15 skiers did not finish the race at the Beaver Creek resort in Colorado, won by Austrian Hannes Reichelt. World Cup super-G points leader Kjetil Jansrud was another casualty but was able to finish fourth despite injuring his shoulder in the process. Miller had the fastest time over the first half among the early starters, before his left arm slammed into a gate at about 100 km/h. He spiralled down the icy track and appeared to fall on one of his skis, which caused the wound. At 37 years and 115 days old, Miller was hoping to become the oldest gold medallist in an individual event at the world championships. He has won six Olympic medals, five world championship medals and was overall World Cup champion in 2005 and 2008.

Summary: Former Olympic and world champion Bode Miller will miss the remainder of the Alpine World Ski Championships after having surgery on a torn hamstring.


The news emerged days after she flew to London for medical tests. Her treatment begins immediately, her daughter said. Ms Nawaz is due to stand for election to parliament in a by-election in her husband's former seat next month. He was forced to resign in July after the Supreme Court disqualified him from office for not disclosing assets. Mr Sharif denies wrongdoing. The couple's daughter, Maryam, tweeted that the cancer had been found on the left side of her mother's neck. End of Twitter post by @MaryamNSharif In another tweet she said doctors were hopeful of curing Ms Nawaz because the disease had been diagnosed early. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. It occurs when tumours build up in tissues found in areas such as the bone marrow or lymph glands. Earlier reports suggested Ms Nawaz had throat cancer. Maryam Sharif is now expected to run her mother's political campaign while she undergoes treatment. "We hope that she will recover soon enough, but it is likely that she won't be around during the days leading up to the election," senior PML-N party member Mushahidullah Khan told BBC Urdu. Mr Sharif had to vacate his seat after becoming embroiled in the Panama papers scandal. The papers revealed his children were linked to offshore companies that owned properties in London. Kulsoom Nawaz's decision to stand for election was seen as a change of plan for the family, who indicated originally that Mr Sharif's younger brother would run for the seat, and then the premiership. But instead the ruling party elected Sharif loyalist Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as prime minister. It has been suggested he will hold office until elections next year.

Summary: Kulsoom Nawaz, the wife of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has been diagnosed with lymphoma.


The 49-year-old Portuguese replaces Stuart Gray, who parted company with the Championship side on 11 June after 18 months in charge at Hillsborough. Carvalhal has managed extensively in Portugal and also had a spell in charge of Turkish club Besiktas. "I firmly believe that this appointment will take our team and our club to the next level," said Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri, who took over in March. BBC Radio Sheffield says Wednesday want Swindon Town boss Mark Cooper to assist Carvalhal, who will be formally unveiled on Thursday and takes over a side that finished 13th in the second tier last season. Wednesday have not been in the top flight since being relegated in 1999-2000 and Chansiri has targeted promotion in the next two seasons. "It is important for our supporters that they watch their team play attractive, aggressive and entertaining football," he added on the club's website. "Carlos buys in completely to this philosophy and I am confident that his experience, knowledge and ability will herald the start of a successful new era for Sheffield Wednesday." Cooper, 46, has been in charge of Swindon for the last two seasons and led them to the League One play-off final last season. Joao Mario, Joao Cunha and Bruno Lage have already been named among Carvalhal's backroom staff.

Summary: Sheffield Wednesday have named Carlos Carvalhal as the club's new head coach.


It was thought the 1929 locomotive, called "Newstead", had been scrapped. However, it had been saved by an enthusiast who had it restored and then built a small track and shed at a convent near his home, where it remained for almost 30 years. It will be displayed at the Nene Valley Railway in Peterborough this weekend. Newstead - a Hunslet 16-inch saddle tank design - was used to transport coal at Woolley Colliery, on the border of South and West Yorkshire, before being purchased by vintage vehicle collector Malcolm Saul in the late 70s. Live: More on this and other stories from Cambridgeshire His widow Jane, said: "Malcolm said to me one day, 'I'm going to have an engine', and I said, 'Oh don't be silly'. Then it arrived." It was stored in a specially built shed on land Mr Saul rented from a convent next door. The engine was sent to Suffolk for a two-year refurbishment in the 1990s and then returned to its shed, where it remained. "Malcolm loved it, and used to tinker with it all the time. He always said one day he'd build a longer track and we'd see it in steam again," Mrs Saul said. When her husband died she contacted the Small Loco Group at the Nene Valley Railway, who went to see Newstead and described it as "one of the biggest preservation stories of the 21st Century so far". The engine will be transported the 90 minutes up the A1 on a flatbed truck later, before being put on show at the Peterborough museum as part of its celebration of industrial steam locomotives. "Newstead's owner died before he got the chance to play with her properly," Alex Alder from the Small Loco Group said. "We will restore it and put it in steam again. We want to finish what he started."

Summary: An industrial steam engine last used to haul coal in the 1970s has been "rediscovered" at a convent in the east of England.


Known as "The Bulldozer", he won with 58% of the vote to the 40% of his main rival Edward Lowassa. The victory margin was a surprise - many analysts had predicted a tighter race after four opposition parties united behind Mr Lowassa's candidature. It boiled down to Mr Magufuli's popularity, which superseded that of the governing Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) that has dominated politics since independence from British rule in 1961. So what are the five big challenges he faces once in office? Change was the buzzword during the election campaign. Now people will expect him to engage in a major house-cleaning exercise by showing the door to corrupt government officials and old-school public servants. This will pose a huge political risk, as they are well-entrenched in CCM. But Mr Magufuli, the former works minister, will have to tackle corruption head-on, as Tanzanians have had enough of it. His first big test will come with the appointment of a cabinet. Will it be made up of people untainted by corruption? If not, voters will be disappointed. After all, he has built his political career on the promise that he is not scared of taking risks, and that he works hard and acts fast. Although the official unemployment rate is at around 10%, people sometimes get the impression that the crisis bigger - a recent advert for 70 jobs in the public service posts attracted more than 10,000 applications. Interviews had to be held in a football stadium. Almost half of Tanzania's 50 million-strong population is made up of young people, and they are worst-affected by unemployment. They voted with great enthusiasm, believing their fortunes will change under Mr Magufuli. He will be under most pressure from them to deliver on his promise to create jobs - and end poverty. He has promised to revive industries which are in bad shape, like the cotton and fish processing sectors. Mr Magufuli has promised children free education from kindergarten to secondary school. While many Tanzanians welcome this, they feel it is not enough. They want a higher standard of education with improved curriculums so that Tanzania can have a better-skilled work force. Mr Magufuli will be hard-pressed to meet their demands - almost all state schools are short of desks, books and teachers. With last week's local elections in Zanzibar scrapped because of alleged rigging, Mr Magufuli will have to make sure that a re-run takes place, and that it is free and fair. When Mr Kikwete came to power, he promised to keep a close eye on the semi-autonomous islands, which are popular with tourists. But as he leaves the office, more than 60% of Zanzibaris want more autonomy for the archipelago - an indication of their dissatisfaction with the union. If Mr Magufuli can bring about a lasting solution, he will go down in history as one of Tanzania's most successful presidents - but it is a big if. Outgoing President Jakaya Kikwete promised a new constitution, but failed to deliver on it during his 10 years in office. The opposition gained many

Summary: Tanzania's President-elect John Magufuli will be inaugurated on Thursday following his landslide victory in fiercely contested elections.


MLAs have spent most of Tuesday debating the welfare reform bill, which has reached the consideration stage in Stormont's legislative process. The day's proceedings adjourned at 22:00 GMT but will resume on Wednesday. Welfare reform had caused an impasse until a deal was reached at December's inter-party talks in Stormont House. Politicians agreed to set aside tens of millions of pounds for a fund designed to provide financial support for those adversely impacted by welfare changes. Mr Robinson said the financial cost of not implementing welfare reform would have been at such a level that "we could not have sustained an executive". He said that other parties could not have an "a la carte" approach to the Stormont House Agreement. "If people genuinely want to move forward in Northern Ireland, then it is important this legislation goes through. It's important that the parties uphold the agreement that all of us reached," he said. At the start of the debate, the DUP was accused of "killing off discussion" of the bill. Ulster Unionist Roy Beggs said the DUP had done so by tabling a series of petitions of concern against amendments to the bill. "They have displayed the undemocratic nature of their attitudes as MLAs and the undemocratic nature of their party, which of course has the word democracy in their name," he said. Mr Robinson rejected Mr Beggs' claim that his party's actions were "shameful". The measure was designed as a way to safeguard minority rights in Stormont's power-sharing assembly. If a petition of concern is presented to the assembly speaker, any motion or amendment will need cross-community support. In such cases, a vote on proposed legislation will only pass if supported by a weighted majority (60%) of members voting, including at least 40% of each of the nationalist and unionist designations present and voting. Effectively this means that, provided enough MLAs from a particular community agree, that community can exercise a veto over the assembly's decisions. Apart from the amendments tabled by Social Development Minister Mervyn Storey of the DUP, only two others - put forward by the UUP - survived. However, Mr Robinson, the first minister, said assembly members were still capable of discussing the bill as well as the amendments. The SDLP's Alex Attwood accused the DUP of trying to run a "coach and horses" through the amendments. "Never before in the life of the chamber has there been such a swingeing attempt through petitions of concern to shut down what might be good law for the people of this part of the world," he said. Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said some SDLP assembly members were defying their party leader Alasdair McDonnell by tabling the amendments in the chamber. "The SDLP dissidents are clearly now in charge of the party and are prepared to risk the collapse of the Stormont House Agreement - and thereby the power-sharing institutions themselves - for the sake of party political grandstanding," he said. Generally, Northern Ireland Assembly bills reach their consideration stage a few months after MLAs first debate their principles. The fact

Summary: First Minister Peter Robinson has told MLAs the Northern Ireland Assembly would have "gone down" if there had been no agreement on welfare reform.


The rules will also apply to less senior staff who could nonetheless do serious harm to a bank. It comes two years after a parliamentary commission proposed a shake-up of the UK banking industry in the wake of the financial crisis. The regime will take effect from March. The new rules follow a public outcry after a series of scandals in the industry, including Libor rigging and foreign exchange rate fixing. The Chancellor George Osborne said in his annual Mansion House speech last month: "The public rightly asks why it is that after so many scandals, and such cost to the country, so few individuals have faced punishment in the courts." The Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, said at the same event that the "age of irresponsibility" was over as he set out new plans for jail terms for rogue bankers and traders who manipulate markets to be lengthened from seven to 10 years. Earlier today, the former UBS and Citigroup trader Tom Hayes, who is accused of manipulating the Libor rate, told a court at his trial that senior managers knew what he was doing. "I acted with complete transparency... My managers knew, my manager's manager knew. In some cases the CEO [chief executive] was aware of it," he said. Mr Hayes is the first person to be prosecuted over the Libor scandal which cost Barclays Bank a then record Â£290m in 2012 before Royal Bank of Scotland Â£390m for its part in the scandal. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) - part of the Bank of England - said their new rules would place the "burden of proof" on top banking executives in incidents of wrongdoing within their companies. The rules replace existing arrangements that require regulators to prove senior executives were responsible for wrongdoing. FCA chief executive Martin Wheatley said: "Today we have given clarity on rules that will embed personal accountability into the culture of the City. New conduct rules will add further momentum to improving standards across the industry." The PRA's rule book sets out a list of key individuals to be held to account including chief executives, finance directors, chairmen and senior non-independent directors. It means senior banking figures will be subject to a new "presumption of responsibility", meaning they will be guilty of misconduct if rules are broken in a part of a bank under their control. The PRA will consider what they knew or ought to have known about the breach, scrutinising meeting minutes, email and telephone records. Bankers will avoid punishment if they can show they took reasonable steps to avoid rules being broken, such as pre-emptive actions including reviews of the business. A certification regime will cover staff who give investment advice as well as traders submitting benchmarks - such as for interbank lending rate Libor. The FCA said it was consulting on expanding the latter to cover a wider scope of traders' activity. Regulators are also proposing a new package of measures to formalise banks' procedures for whistleblowing. British Bankers' Association (BBA) executive director Simon Hills

Summary: City regulators have published final rules that make top bank executives responsible for the misconduct of their employees -unless they can show they took steps to stop it.


The 26-year-old had a loan spell at Stanley in 2014, making three appearances, and played five games with Bristol Rovers last term. Despite joining the Spireites on a permanent basis in May 2013, Chapman played just one first-team game. "It's strange to be back but it's nice," Chapman told the club website. "I knew the goalkeepers from last season had gone on to pastures new and the manager [John Coleman] gave me a call asking if I was interested in coming back and I was delighted to." Coleman added: "It's a key position and I'm hopeful of bringing another keeper in over the next few days - and the aim is to get two good goalkeepers fighting for one place."

Summary: Accrington Stanley have re-signed goalkeeper Aaron Chapman on a two-year deal, following his release by League One side Chesterfield.


Kevin Barry's Beatlebone is described as a novel "that takes its reader to the edge - of the Western world, of sanity, of fame, of words". "Intricately weaving and blurring fiction and life, Beatlebone embodies beautifully this prize's spirit of creative risk," said judge Josh Cohen. Barry, who beat five other contenders, was awarded a Â£10,000 prize. His novel is set in Dorinish, an uninhabited island off the Irish coast, which Lennon bought in 1967 for Â£1,700. Set in 1978, it follows the former Beatle as he visits the island to attend a course of primal scream therapy. The author described it as "a play for voices". "I had no idea what I was working on for a long time with the novel Beatlebone," Barry said, ahead of the award ceremony on Wednesday. "I thought it might be a radio documentary, I thought it might be an essay, I thought it might be a play... it's ended up as being kind of all of these things." Barry's previous works include City Of Bohane and two short stories, Dark Lies The Island and There Are Little Kingdoms. The Goldsmiths Prize was founded in 2013 "to reward fiction that breaks the mould or opens up new possibilities for the novel form". Author Eimear McBride, one of the judges of the 2015 prize, won the inaugural prize for her work A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing, while last year saw Ali Smith triumph with her novel How to be Both. Smith has described the Goldsmiths Prize as "a miracle". "The change it's made is that publishers, who never take risks in anything, are taking risks on works which are much more experimental than they would've two years ago," said Smith. "That to me, is like a miracle." The panel of four judges for this year's prize included McBride, Professor Cohen (chair), author Jon McGregor and journalist Leo Robson.

Summary: A fictional book about John Lennon has won the Goldsmiths Prize, celebrating the novel at its most innovative.


David Cooley, 52, died on Thursday after sustaining head injuries outside the King Richard III pub on Monday. A 55-year-old man, originally detained on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, has been rearrested on suspicion of murder. A 47-year-old man has also been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. Mr Cooley, from Dersingham Road, Leicester, was involved in an altercation outside the premises in Highcross Street, Leicestershire Police said. A post-mortem examination found he died from a head injury. Both arrested men have been released on bail.

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the victim of a serious assault died in hospital.


The 44-year-old former Celtic boss will be assisted by Garry Parker at Easter Road. The Northern Irishman has been out of work since parting company with Bolton in March. He succeeds Alan Stubbs, who left for Rotherham United last week after two seasons in charge, culminating in a Scottish Cup final triumph. "As soon as Neil was identified as the outstanding candidate we were determined to bring him to Easter Road," said Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster. "He has managed at a very high level, taking Celtic to the last 16 of the Champions League, and we were attracted by his ability to get the most out of players and his driven, winning mentality." Lennon served Celtic as a midfielder for six-and-a-half years, winning five Scottish titles and six domestic cups to add to the two League Cups he won with Leicester. After a spell back in English football with Nottingham Forest and Wycombe Wanderers, Lennon rejoined Celtic as a coach in 2008, taking over as manager in 2010. He enjoyed further success at Celtic Park with three successive top-flight titles and two Scottish Cup triumphs before leaving in the summer of 2014. A move to Bolton followed later that year and, although Wanderers initially improved under Lennon, they were bottom of the Championship by the time he left, with the side eventually relegated. Hibs have spent the last two seasons in Scotland's second tier and missed out on promotion to the Premiership after a play-off semi-final defeat by Falkirk, having also lost out at the same stage of the play-offs in 2015. But after ending their 114-year wait to win the Scottish Cup, the Edinburgh club will enter the Europa League qualifying rounds, with their first match on 14 July. Englishman Parker, 50, was a team-mate of Lennon's at Leicester and was part of his coaching team at both Celtic and Bolton. Hibs have called a media conference for 14:00 BST on Thursday.

Summary: Neil Lennon has been confirmed as the new manager of Hibernian after signing a two-year deal.


The 19-year-old has become a fans' favourite at Aggborough after scoring four goals in 15 appearances. The National League side have also tied the midfield pair of Ousmane Fane and Elton Ngwatala to new deals. The French duo, both 22, are contracted until the end of the 2016-17 season. All three players have helped the Harriers hit their best run of form of the campaign, with the club winning three successive games in February to lift themselves off the bottom of the National League table. Before this month, Kidderminster had won just two of their previous 28 league fixtures. With 15 matches remaining, the Harriers are seven points from safety. Chief executive and majority shareholder Colin Gordon has been back in caretaker charge since Dave Hockaday left the club last month.

Summary: Relegation-threatened Kidderminster Harriers have extended the youth loan of midfielder Ben Whitfield from Premier League side Bournemouth until the end of the season.


The 25-year-old Algerian, who helped Leicester to the Premier League title, is also the PFA Player of the Year and BBC African Footballer of the Year. Borussia Dortmund's Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was second and Senegal and Liverpool striker Sadio Mane came third. "It's never easy to win a big award like that," Mahrez said. "I'm very happy to win because obviously it was against two big players. "What happened last season was amazing, we knew it wasn't going to happen again - and it won't happen again I think, for a small team like Leicester," added the first Algerian and North African to win the prestigious individual honour since its inception by Caf in 1992. Arsenal and Nigeria forward Alex Iwobi, 20, won the young player award. Countryman and Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho, 20, won the most promising talent award. South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper Denis Onyango, 31, was named Africa-based player of the year and Nigeria forward Asisat Oshoala, 22, was named female player of the year. It was Oshoala's second title after winning in 2014 in Lagos. And it was double delight for her as the Super Falcons were adjudged Women's National Team of the Year following their record-extending eighth title at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon in December 2016. Two more awards came the way of Sundowns, who were named club of the year with Pitso Mosimane winning coach of the year. Uganda's qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations after a 39-year wait was recognised with the national Team of the year award. Gambian official Bakary Papa Gassama was named referee of the year for the third time in a row. Manuel Lopes Nascimento, president of Guinea Bissau Football Federation was named football leader of the year - his country qualified for their first major continental championship by reaching the Nations Cup in Gabon. Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou, who died in November, was post-humously recognised with the African Legend award, together with Cameroonian Emilienne Mbango, one of the pioneers of women's football on the continent. The Platinium Award went to President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari.

Summary: Leicester forward Riyad Mahrez has won the Confederation of African Football's player of the year award.


Called The Highlands and Islands Creative Campus, it has been created at Blair Steading on the Altyre Estate near Forres in Moray. GSA describes it as a research and postgraduate teaching centre for "international excellence in creativity and innovation". Highlands and Islands Enterprise has been supporting the creation of the campus. The site is a base for GSA's Institute of Design Innovation.

Summary: Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has formally launched a new campus.


With England needing eight to win in Nagpur, Bumrah removed Joe Root and Jos Buttler, the former wrongly given lbw, and conceded only two runs. Ben Stokes (38) looked to be taking England to their target of 145 before falling lbw to Ashish Nehra (3-28). Opener KL Rahul earlier made 71 from 47 balls in India's 144-8. That was three runs fewer than India managed in England's comfortable seven-wicket win in the first T20 game in Kanpur, but this chase was more challenging on a slower, lower surface. And though the majority of England's attack impressed, their spinners were outbowled by India's, with pace bowlers Nehra and Bumrah making telling contributions at each end of the visitors' innings. The deciding third match takes place in Bangalore on Wednesday. England needed 24 from the last two overs, but were made favourites by the hitting of Buttler, who took 12 from Nehra's final three balls, complete with a bottom-handed fetch over the long-on fence. It was left to jerky right-armer Bumrah to defend eight runs off the concluding six balls, which began with a slice of fortune that saw Root adjudged leg before, despite an inside edge, departing for a run-a-ball 38. From there, Bumrah befuddled England with a full length and changes of pace - the tourists only laid bat on one of the last five deliveries, and even that was a Moeen Ali miscue for a single. When a swiping Buttler was bowled, England's best hope went with him, and Moeen failed to make contact when a six was needed off the final ball. England's chase was dealt an early blow by 37-year-old left-armer Nehra, who learned from the way the tourists bowled back-of-a-length to have openers Sam Billings and Jason Roy caught on the leg side from successive deliveries. From 22-2, Root rebuilt in the company of captain Eoin Morgan, England happy to accumulate in the face of the accuracy of the India spinners as only three boundaries came in one 10-over period. It took the power hitting of Stokes to ignite the chase, the left-hander making the most of a reprieve after being bowled by no-ball by spinner Amit Mishra, from the first delivery he faced. Muscling the ball to long-on for two fours and two sixes, Stokes looked to be in control of the pursuit before being pinned in front by the returning Nehra. When he departed, England required 28 from 19 deliveries. As Bumrah and Nehra excelled, they managed only 19, and 10 of those came from two Buttler blows. Whereas India's spinners used the conditions to squeeze England in the middle overs, the home batsmen pounced on slow bowlers Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson. Rashid, who did not bowl in Kanpur, and Dawson, in the side for paceman Liam Plunkett, conceded a combined 44 runs from their five overs. Rahul, who averages 64.50 in his seven T20 internationals, took each of them for a leg-side maximum to go with the sweet cover drives he played off the fast bowlers. Along with the rest of the middle order,

Summary: Jasprit Bumrah bowled a brilliant final over to give India a thrilling five-run win over England in the second Twenty20 international to level the series.


The environmental group obtained 248 pages of classified documents from the TTIP trade talks, aimed at clinching a far-reaching EU-US free trade deal. Secrecy surrounding the talks has fuelled fears that US corporations may erode Europe's consumer protections. But the EU's top trade official denied any agenda to lower EU standards. "I am simply not in the business of lowering standards," said EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem in her blog, after the Greenpeace leak was published. TTIP's supporters say a deal would create many new business opportunities. TTIP stands for Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. It would harmonise regulations across a huge range of business sectors, providing a boost to exporters on both sides of the Atlantic. The 13th TTIP negotiating round took place last week and the European Commission says it hopes to achieve a deal later this year. That could avoid any political risk posed by the US presidential election in November. The EU's chief negotiator, Ignacio Garcia Bercero, said some of Greenpeace's points were "flatly wrong", and stressed that the leaked text "is not a reflection of the outcome of the negotiation". Mr Bercero said "it is not correct to say the US is pushing for lowering of the level of protection in the EU". Greenpeace Netherlands says it obtained classified documents covering two-thirds of the areas discussed. "These leaked documents confirm what we have been saying for a long time: TTIP would put corporations at the centre of policy-making, to the detriment of environment and public health," said Greenpeace EU director Jorgo Riss. "We have known that the EU position was bad, now we see the US position is even worse." Greenpeace says the texts reveal that the US wants to replace the EU's "precautionary principle" for potentially harmful products with the less strict US approach, which aims to manage risks rather than avoid them altogether. The precautionary principle can force a manufacturer to prove the absence of danger from a product. It applies, for example, to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), whose possible risks to the ecosystem and the food chain are hotly debated. The US permits cultivation of more than 170 GM plants, whereas only one type - a maize variety - is approved for commercial cultivation in the EU. Mr Bercero denied any intention to weaken the precautionary principle. Greenpeace says the TTIP texts do not refer to the global commitment to cut CO2 emissions, as agreed at the Paris Summit on global warming. Yet the European Commission had pledged to make environmental sustainability part of any TTIP deal. There is also widespread concern in the EU about the role of commercial arbitration courts, independent of national courts, where firms can sue governments. It is one of the thorniest issues in the TTIP talks. There are fears that big US corporations could put excessive legal pressure on some EU states. The threat of being sued could have a "chilling" effect on legislators, forcing them to water down welfare protections, critics argue. The Commission and many politicians argue that TTIP would bring major benefits for the US

Summary: EU standards on the environment and public health risk being undermined by compromises with the US, Greenpeace has warned, citing leaked documents.


Hawkins, 24, finished ninth in the Rio Olympic final in August in only his third attempt at the distance. "We are delighted to confirm Callum's selection," British Athletics performance director Neil Black said. "We can already see his talent, finishing eighth at the London Marathon then a brilliant ninth place in Rio." In October, Hawkins became the first Scot to win the Great Scottish Run since 1983, setting a Scottish half-marathon record in the process with his time of 60 minutes 22 seconds.

Summary: Scottish marathon runner Callum Hawkins has become the first athlete selected for the British team at the London 2017 IAAF World Championships.


Domenico Scala announced an eight-part reform process, which includes a limit of three terms of four years for the president and the executive committee. He said: "A number of issues have their root cause in the fact that people have stayed for far too long." Sepp Blatter was Fifa president for 17 years before stepping down in June. The 79-year-old, who will leave Fifa in February 2016, was in power for a total of four terms and was elected for a fifth before resigning. Senior vice-president and executive committee member Issa Hayatou has been in place for 25 years with Spain's Angel Maria Villar Llona also an ex-co member for 17 years. Swiss-Italian Scala was set to be appointed as head of a Fifa taskforce set up to tackle corruption following the start of two ongoing criminal investigations. But after questions over the independence of the reform process, former International Olympic Committee director-general Francois Carrard was assigned with the role. After delivering his proposals, Scala, who has acted independently and wants Carrard's reform panel to adopt his ideas, also said: "If Fifa does not move, public opinion will not change. He added: "I made it very clear when Mr Blatter laid down his mandate that it was not only about the change of presidency but that there were certain systemic issues that need to be addressed. "We need reforms now, we can't wait. Fifa works very well operationally and has not come to a halt. But this is a watershed in terms of role and perception going forward." In addition to term limits, he announced plans for: The development comes after Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan said Fifa "must overcome deep-seated corruption" as he announced he will stand in the Fifa presidential election. Uefa president Michel Platini has also declared that he wants to stand for Fifa president. Former Fifa executive Chung Mong-joon of South Korea has also indicated that he will run in next year's election, as has Liberian FA president Musa Bility.

Summary: Fifa's corruption problems are a result of officials staying "too long" in key positions, according to the governing body's head of audit and compliance.


The Cubbington pear tree is believed to have been growing near the Warwickshire village for more than 250 years. The Woodland Trust, which ran the Tree of the Year poll, has called for it to be preserved due to its age. HS2 officials say the tree's hollow trunk means it will have to be felled, with seedlings planted nearby. The proposed high-speed line will link London with Birmingham, but has attracted criticism due to its cost and planned route through areas of countryside. Peter Delow, chairman of the Cubbington Stop HS2 Action Group, nominated the tree for the award, and said the win sent "a clear message" to politicians to conserve the country's natural heritage. "Those who voted for our tree clearly care about the protection of our natural environment," he said. "It would be perfectly possible to build HS2 without destroying our tree and many others." Cubbington's pear tree was selected after attracting more than a third of 10,000 votes for the best tree in England, beating nine other finalists to the title. Runners-up included the Tolpuddle Martyrs tree in Dorset, Glastonbury's Holy Thorn and the Boscobel Oak in Shropshire, a descendant of the tree where the future King Charles II hid after the final battle of the English Civil War. The UK's Trees of the Year Beccy Speight, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, said public affection for the Cubbington pear tree - one of 20 within the construction boundaries of HS2's first phase - showed the importance of the natural world to the country. "Sadly many iconic trees do not have the levels of protection they deserve," she said. Ben Ruse, a spokesman for HS2, said younger trees would be planted in the area surrounding Cubbington to offset the loss of the historic pear tree. "We have always recognised the significance of the tree and will do all we can to ensure that wild pear trees continue to be a feature of the countryside around Cubbington," he said.

Summary: An ancient pear tree due to be chopped down to make way for the HS2 high-speed rail line has been voted the best tree in England.


Media playback is not supported on this device Hill, 18, won the skeet title at the inaugural European Games in June and claimed victory at the World Cup final in Cyprus last month. She is joined by world medallist Elena Allen and world record holder Tim Kneale. "Every competition I enter, I go in trying to win," Hill told BBC Sport. "To be named as an Olympian is an incredible honour and I'm getting more confident I'm able to win these competitions." The 2013 BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year added: "Hopefully I can inspire some other youngsters to get into a sport of some sort - it really does make you so determined and focused on what you want to do in life." At London 2012, Peter Wilson came away with the team's only medal - winning gold in the men's double trap, before announcing his retirement in 2014. Four of the six shooters will go to Rio having previous Olympic Games experience. Steve Scott, a World Cup gold medallist in Cyprus in October, came 12th at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and will join debutant Kneale in the double trap competition. London Olympian Allen competes against Hill in the women's skeet competition, while 2014 Scottish Commonwealth silver medallist Jen McIntosh will line-up in the 50m 3 positions event. Media playback is not supported on this device Two-time Olympian and world silver medallist Ed Ling is Britain's competitor in the men's trap. "I'm absolutely over the moon, it's a huge honour," said Ling. "I know what I'm going to expect going into this year and to obtain that Olympic medal is what we work for." Team GB are sixth on the all-time Olympic Games shooting medal table with 44 - 13 gold, 15 silver and 16 bronze. The number of Rio Olympic shooters in the squad may increase next year, as results at the European Championships in Hungary in February could unlock two additional berths. Shooting is the third sport to have British athletes officially selected for Rio 2016, after eight sailors and four canoe slalom athletes were named earlier in the year.

Summary: Amber Hill aims to become the first British woman to win Olympic shooting gold after being named in a six-strong Team GB squad for the Rio 2016 Games.


The specialist system monitors the strain from wind, traffic and the weight of the bridge. Specialists were brought in to install the monitors which will feed data back to the control room. The bridge was closed to all traffic on 4 December after a crack was discovered in a truss under the carriageway. Engineers hope to have it repaired and open to traffic again by 4 January. An inquiry will begin after that, with MSPs agreeing that the "immediate" priority should be to get the bridge reopened. The lorries were sent over the bridge in different patterns over five hours of tests on Saturday. An inquiry will focus primarily on the structural defect, and an independent technical adviser will be asked to take part. The inquiry aims to call officials from bridge operator Amey, its predecessor the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, Transport Scotland staff and Transport Secretary Derek Mackay.

Summary: Ten lorries have been used during tests of a new state-of-the-art structural monitoring system installed at the Forth Road Bridge for the first time.