Lewis Dunne, 16, was shot in the back in Eldonian Village, Vauxhall, Liverpool, in November 2015. Jake Culshaw, 25, of no fixed address, and brothers John and Paul Martin, aged 20 and 25, of Walton, all deny murder. A jury heard the accused men had been involved in violent clashes with another group before Lewis was killed. The teenager had left his home to buy cigarettes when he was shot, Liverpool Crown Court heard. Described as "a quiet lad who kept himself to himself", he had earlier been enjoying a "perfectly ordinary evening" sharing a Chinese takeaway and watching television with his family. Ian Unsworth QC, prosecuting, told how a witness said one of the men in the rival group had curly hair sticking out of his baseball cap. Lewis too, had noticeably curly hair, he added. Mr Unsworth said the accused were among a group of men who were intent on revenge for what had happened earlier. He told the jury it was a "truly cowardly attack." Lewis was shot in the back as he walked under a bridge along a canal towpath, before four men were seen on CCTV running from the scene, the jury was told. He was "simply in the wrong place at the wrong time" and suffered "catastrophic injuries" from the shooting. The fourth man allegedly involved in the killing has not been traced. Mr Unsworth said Jake Culshaw later told people he had carried out the shooting and referred to the gun used being thrown in the water, as well as his mobile telephone. The court was told the defendant's phone has not been traced and parts of a shotgun, which is said to be the murder weapon, were recovered from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in January. Mr Unsworth said: "Each of the three defendants bears the responsibility...that we cannot say which person actually shot him does not matter. "Whether he looked like looked like one of the opposing group or whether they simply believed he was one of them, they used the gun to shoot him dead as he walked unwittingly into their path." The trial, expected to last between four and six weeks, continues.

Summary: A teenager was shot dead in what may have been a case of mistaken identity after his alleged killers sought revenge on a rival, a court heard.


A number of actions have been launched attempting to prevent the government from formally triggering Brexit without Parliament's authorisation. During the opening hearing, government lawyers told the High Court Prime Minister Theresa May did not intend to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty before the end of 2016. Article 50 begins the Brexit process. A hearing in October will allow time for a possible appeal to be completed before the government seeks to leave the EU in line with the 23 June referendum result, the court heard. The hearing will take place over two to three days. Government lawyers are expected to argue that the prime minister can use historic Royal Prerogative powers to start the process of withdrawing from the EU, a course the challengers say is unlawful. They say Parliament must give its authorisation. The judges heard that one of the law firms involved, Mishcon de Reya, had received letters of abuse which led to potential clients who had wanted to join the action withdrawing their names. "It is racist abuse, it is anti-Semitic abuse and it is objectionable abuse," Lord Pannick QC, instructed by Mishcon, told the court. The judges ruled that the lead case in the action should be that of Mishcon client Gina Miller, 51, an investment manager and philanthropist living in London who voted Remain in the EU referendum. Other applicants include London hairdresser Deir Dos Santos, 37, as well as Britons living in France campaigning as Fair Deal for Expats. Mrs May has said she will not trigger Article 50 - which sets in place a two-year process for leaving the EU - until the end of the year. The recently-appointed Brexit Secretary, David Davis, has said Brexit should be triggered "before or by the start of next year". EU leaders have urged the UK to do so as soon as possible.

Summary: A legal challenge over the UK leaving the EU will be heard by the High Court in October, two judges have decided.


US businessmen Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan are leading a bid to buy a 60% stake in Wales' only Premier League club. Swansea had hoped the deal would be done by the end of 2015-16. "It remains to be seen if it will be done before the start of next season," Jenkins told BBC Wales Sport. "Will it be taken further and finalised in the summer? We wait to see. "All we can do is try to continue along the same path and get ready for next season." Jenkins is among the shareholders set to enjoy a tenfold windfall on the shares they purchased during a successful rescue of what was an ailing club in 2002. Francesco Guidolin will remain manager for the next two seasons after signing a fresh deal. Asked whether the potential new owners had any input into the decision to retain Guidolin, Jenkins said: "They are fully aware of the way we run the club and try to do things in a certain way. "They are fully aware of how we work and why we make the decisions that we do." Jenkins also revealed Swansea held talks with former boss Brendan Rodgers before opting to stick with Italian Guidolin.

Summary: Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins says the club's proposed takeover by an American consortium may not be completed until next season.


Media playback is not supported on this device Carey's penalty in the second period of extra-time sealed a 1-0 win at Newport County in a dour second round replay. "We're going to go there and try and get a result," 27-year-old Carey said. "No-one will give us a shot at getting a result, but we've showed we can battle as a team and it's the FA Cup so you never know." The win meant the Pilgrims, who were beaten in last season's League two play-off final, reached the third round of the FA Cup for just the second time since 2010. "My whole family are mainly Liverpool fans, so I'm sure some of them will make the trip over," added the Irishman, who is rated as one of Argyle's top players, having scored 10 goals in 27 games this season. "It's a great win for the club and as a team we stuck together and dug it out. "We're getting stronger and harder to beat, we had our bad patch, but hopefully we can go on a run now because we're full of confidence and we've started to learn how to grind games out. "The main aim this season is to get promoted - we can enjoy that day (at Liverpool) when it comes - but first of all we need to go back to the league and rack up more points and that's what we'll do, but the FA Cup won't be a distraction whatsoever." Argyle striker Ryan Donaldson will miss the tie at Anfield with a broken jaw. The 25-year-old was injured in an accidental clash in training ahead of the Newport replay. "It's really disappointing for him as he'd got himself into the side," boss Derek Adams said. Fellow forward Jimmy Spencer is also on the sidelines after he broke his ankle in a training ground slip.

Summary: Liverpool-supporting Plymouth Argyle midfielder Graham Carey hopes they can cause an FA Cup upset when they visit Anfield in round three.


Thousands of fans celebrated on the pitch at full-time after the Seagulls beat Wigan. The promotion came 34 years after the club reached the FA Cup Final but was relegated. The club's chief executive Paul Barber said a 25,000-strong crowd remained at the stadium after the game on Sunday. Virgo said the scenes of euphoria at the Amex stadium followed the heartache and "dark, dark times" since 1983. From brink of disaster to the Premier League "Nothing will ever top this success in the history of the football club," he said. "They're not just going into a big league, they're going into a worldwide league and the club now will be seen all over the world." Championship leaders are promoted to the Premier League Mr Barber said: "We stayed in the ground for quite a long time because we had about 25,000 people we had to look after. "We can never encourage people to go on the pitch, but we knew they would and we knew that people had waited a very, very long time for this moment and we certainly weren't going to spoil it." Describing the scenes as "unbelievable", he added: "They'll last in people's memories for a lifetime." Setting out the club's plans before the next season, he said managers had to look at players' contracts and the stadium needed infrastructure improvements of up to Â£5m, including floodlights, media facilities and improvements to the players' area. "We're going to have some of the biggest clubs in the world visit the city and no doubt all of them will be bringing huge numbers of fans as well - so this is a special time, not just for the football club but for the whole city." The club last played in the old First Division in 1983 - they reached the FA Cup Final that year but got relegated. In 1997, the club had to sell the Goldstone Ground to pay off some of its debts. It spent two seasons 70 miles away at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium. The club then moved into the Withdean Stadium in 1999 - a council-owned athletics track on the suburbs of Brighton. Chairman Tony Bloom's arrival eight years ago paved the way for their new permanent home at the Amex stadium and the success that followed. DJ and Albion fan Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, who lives in Hove, said he was going to enjoy the moment "from now until the middle of August". "I'm going to make the most of it and enjoy it because reality will kick in. "In the middle of August we could get pasted, but it's going to be part of a learning curve," he said. Lifelong Albion fan Attila the Stockbroker - aka John Baine - said: "It's an incredible journey. Twenty years ago, bottom of the league with no ground. Now we're going into the Premier League." Ingram Losner, who has supported Brighton since he was a child and travelled from the US to watch the match, said: "The atmosphere was just building up throughout the day,

Summary: Nothing will ever top Brighton and Hove Albion's promotion to the Premier League, the club's former defender Adam Virgo has said.


Selling animals under 8 weeks old has also been stopped under the new rule Katy Tang, one of the politicians who helped to bring in the ban, said that she did it because she doesn't think some pet stores spend enough time thinking about animals' health or well-being. She says sometimes puppies and kittens are not treated as well as they should be and animals can also be sold when they are very young - before they are ready to leave their parents. San Francisco isn't the first place in America to bring a rule like this in. A number of other cities in America - like Phoenix in Arizona and Montgomery County in Maryland - also have laws which mean cats and dogs being sold in pet shops must come from rescue centres. In the UK, pet shops can't sell cats or dogs that are under 8 weeks old and the pet shops have to be given a license by the authorities in their area.

Summary: San Francisco has brought in a new law saying that pet shops can only sell cats and dogs that come from rescue centres.


Columnist and government critic Farhad Mazhar sparked a police hunt after leaving his Dhaka home on Monday morning. There were reports of a ransom demand. Police said Mr Mazhar, 69, was eventually found on a bus travelling to the capital from the south-western city of Khulna. It is unclear if he had been abducted. Human rights groups say enforced disappearances and abductions are rising in Bangladesh. Mr Mazhar is a supporter of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Party officials say many of their activists and supporters have been detained illegally since 2014.

Summary: A well-known Bangladeshi human rights activist has been found on a bus after his family reported him missing.


Gavin Rothery almost put the visitors ahead with a powerful close-range strike which was inches over. Managerless Harriers battled gamely and went close when Elton Ngwatala's fine shot struck the post. But from a late corner, Liam Dickinson connected with Jake Lawlor's header and volleyed Guiseley to a victory which left the hosts 14 points from safety.

Summary: Guiseley consigned bottom side Kidderminster Harriers to their seventh straight defeat in the National League.


Pleas for leniency from the inmates, families and diplomats were rejected by President Joko Widodo. But the execution of a Filipina who was also on death row was unexpectedly postponed. Another death row convict, a Frenchmen, was not executed because he still has an outstanding legal complaint over the rejection of his clemency appeal. Who are the prisoners and how did they end up on death row? Sukumaran, 34, was an Australian citizen, born in London. In 2006, a court in Bali found him guilty of being the ringleader of the Bali Nine - a group of Australians arrested in Bali with more than 18lb (8.3kg) of heroin. He was given the death penalty in 2006, and his plea for clemency was rejected in December 2014. His advocates claimed he had reformed since entering prison, teaching other inmates English and art. He also became an accomplished artist himself. However, all attempts to appeal against his sentence failed. Chan, 31, was an Australian who was given the death penalty along with Myuran Sukumaran. He was arrested in Ngurah Rai airport in Bali in April 2005. A court found him guilty of planning the smuggling of 18lb heroin with the group known as the Bali Nine. His plea for clemency was rejected in January 2015. Like Sukumaran, other legal challenges all failed. His supporters claimed he had turned over a new leaf and and ran Bible study classes in Bali's Kerobokan jail. There is some confusion surrounding Anderson's nationality. Initial reports said he was Ghanaian, but it was later reported he had travelled to Indonesia on a false passport and was in fact Nigerian. He was arrested in Jakarta in 2003, and a court gave him the death penalty. His clemency appeal was rejected in January 2015. Badarudin was the only Indonesian citizen amongst the group. He was born in Palembang and was found guilty of the possession of 129lb of marijuana. He was arrested in December 2000 and a year later was given the death sentence. His appeal for clemency was rejected in January 2015. Salami appeared to be a Nigerian holding a Spanish passport. He was believed to be Jamiu Owolabi Abashin, but entered Indonesia using a Spanish passport with the name Raheem Agbaje Salami. Salami was caught with 11lb of heroin inside his suitcase in Surabaya airport on 2 September 1998. A court in Surabaya gave him a life sentence in April 1999, which was reduced by the High Court to 20 years. Salami appealed and the Supreme Court gave him a death sentence. His clemency application was rejected on 5 January 2015. He tried to challenge the rejection of his clemency but the challenge failed. Gularte was a Brazilian citizen born on 31 May 1972. A court in Banten gave him the death penalty in February 2005 on charges of possessing 13.2lb of heroin that was hidden in a surf-board. He was arrested in July 2004 in Sukarno Hatta airport in Jakarta. His clemency application was rejected in January 2015. His planned execution raised concern among activists because his family

Summary: Eight prisoners convicted of drug offences in Indonesia have been executed by firing squad.


Matthew Jillard, of Bordesley Green, said he had been visited by police more than 40 times in the past 18 months, often in the middle of the night. He said police confused his house in Repton Road with a nearby address in Repton Grove. West Midlands Police said it had taken measures to stop it happening again, but Mr Jillard said they had failed. The 38-year-old labourer said in Christmas week police had mistakenly called at his house five times, disturbing the friends and family he had staying with him, including one call at 0300 GMT and one at 0500 GMT. "I just don't know what to do. Nine out of 10 times they are really apologetic. "When my girlfriend rang Police HQ at Lloyd House the gaffer there said he knew all about it because they had seminars about not getting it wrong. "We used to get post for the address in Repton Grove but that has stopped after we contacted them. "We've put up signs, we've tried to get them to change their records. Some officers have said it is their sat-nav because they're not always that accurate. "I really don't know what more we can do." A police spokeswoman said: "West Midlands Police can confirm that officers have attended an incorrect address in Repton Road on several occasions. "Officers have been in regular contact with the occupier to apologise for the mistakes. A number of measures have been put in place to stop this from happening again."

Summary: A man from Birmingham is being plagued by police calling at his house in error, due to an address mix-up.


This weekend, elements of the structure -- which commemorated a visit of Queen Victoria to the city -- will be recreated, but this time in cardboard, only to be torn down again on Sunday. It is one in a series of public art projects worldwide, but those responsible for bringing it to Dundee say, with so much change in the city, this is a good time to examine the past. "This is the second time this area has been redeveloped in living memory," says Claire Dow, producer of the People's Tower: Dundee's Royal Arch. "It's only 50 years since this whole area was changed with the Tay Road Bridge and now it's being changed again so I think for Dundee it's a good moment to think about the buildings that aren't there anymore, the buildings that are currently being built and all that architectural heritage." In a workshop not far from the city's waterfront preparations have been taking place for the event. Masking tape and cardboard boxes might not seem like obvious materials to recreate a grand archway, but 1,200 flat pack boxes are being taped into about 40 different shapes and then they will be put together on the waterfront close to its original position, using help from volunteers and passers by. "Because I'm from Dundee I know how important the arch was," says architecture student, Michelle Hunt who is helping with the preparations. "My parents have spoken about where it was originally and how it was almost devastation when it was knocked down and how they really regret it." She decided to stay and study in Dundee partly because, with the development at the city's waterfront, there is just so much going on architecture-wise. The team bringing the project to Dundee is led by French artist Olivier Grossetete. His People's Towers have been completed all over world, from Australia to Sweden, from Taiwan to Mexico, Moscow and now Dundee. "The entire project is about the participation of the people and the participation of the audience," says Dirk D'hondt who is part of the team. " It's the people's tower, proof that if you really want something, you can do it." As for knocking it down again, because it is made of cardboard it would not last too long anyway and it is safer for it to be demolished like this. "It's part of life I guess," adds Mr D'hondt "the knocking down is good fun for the kids, knocking it down and then dancing on it. They love it." Down at the waterfront, plaques in the pavement mark where the Royal Arch once stood. The cardboard structure is to be close by and will reach the size of a four-storey house. The organisers are looking for public help to build it. "It's a simple building system," says Claire Dow "where you stick some boxes together and you lift them and shunt some underneath." That is then repeated, as the structure rises up. "But of course as that gets bigger and bigger and bigger," she continues "you need more and more

Summary: To this day, some in Dundee still lament the decision to demolish the city's Royal Arch as part of developments around the Tay Road Bridge in the 1960s.


The new line-up posed inside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, with the PM flanked by Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Chancellor Philip Hammond. For some of the details behind the grinning faces, read the BBC's at-a-glance guide to Mrs May's cabinet. Or take a trip down memory lane below with some of her predecessors' "school photos".

Summary: This is the first official photograph of Prime Minister Theresa May's new cabinet.


Robyn Malcolm had been photographing a pod of whales on a feeding frenzy 500km (310 miles) south of Sydney. But she only realised she had taken the unusual picture when she went through the photos later, she told the Sydney Morning Herald. Animal experts say that witnessing such a partnership is rare. New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife whale expert Geoff Ross told the paper the coupling was very rare but he had heard of it happening once before. "The only other time was a seal trying to get away from a killer whale. The seal hopped on the back of the pectoral fins of a humpback whale," he said. Ms Malcolm insisted that the photo was not doctored. "I'm positive, because I don't know how to use Photoshop. And I do still have it on the camera so I can prove it," she told the newspaper. The meeting of seal and whale is the latest in a series of serendipitous animal piggyback rides which have been captured this year. In March, amateur photographer Martin Le-May shot this picture of a weasel clinging on to the back of a woodpecker at Hornchurch Country Park in east London. In June, a family walking in a forest in central Florida spotted this raccoon hitching a ride on the back of an alligator. Mr Richard Jones told local television station WFTV that he "snapped a lucky picture right when the gator slipped into the water and before the raccoon jumped off and scurried away".

Summary: An Australian photographer has captured a rare moment of animal communion with a shot of a fur seal surfing a humpback whale off the New South Wales coast.


Phillip Smith, 40, was arrested in a hostel in Rio de Janeiro by Brazilian police. He is expected to be extradited or deported. Smith used a passport in his birth name, Phillip Traynor, to fly to Chile and then go to Brazil on 6 November. He escaped while on a three-day release from a prison south of Auckland. Smith was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1996 after he murdered the father of a 13-year-old boy he had sexually abused between 1992 and 1995. The family had moved house but he had tracked the boy to their new home in Wellington in December 1995. He repeatedly stabbed the father, killing him. The boy managed to escaped and raise the alarm. The victim, who is now 30, told New Zealand's Fairfax media after news of Smith's capture, that he could now stop sleeping with a knife under his pillow. "It's great news, it's excellent," he said from his new home in Australia. "[I feel] relief, a bit of peace of mind that I can carry on with my life without having that fear over my shoulder." Smith's escape has thrown Corrections and various other government agencies into controversy. It has led to calls for an overhaul of short-term prison release and the monitoring of high-risk offenders. In an email Smith sent to Radio New Zealand he said he had planned the escape by running a criminal check on his birth name and discovering that it had not been red-flagged. "My only anxiety was that somebody that knew me might happen to be at the airport at the same time to identify me,'' he wrote, according to Radio NZ. He also said he had been able to fund the escape with money from various businesses he had run from prison. Smith said he chose Brazil because he thought it would be more difficult to extradite him if he was caught, as the two countries do not have a formal extradition treaty. He was arrested after a member of the public in Rio De Janeiro recognised him from images being circulated in hostels and tipped off police. Smith appeared in court after his arrest and has been remanded in custody for 60 days. New Zealand Police Detective Superintendent Mike Pannett said in a press conference on Thursday that it was a relief to have Smith back in custody. He would not, however, say how long he expected Smith to remain in Brazil. "New Zealand will bring him back as soon as possible but we are reliant on the Brazilian justice system to process and deal with the situation," Mr Pannett said. Criminal Bar Association President Tony Bouchier said police needed to be more thorough when checking the names of criminals. "There's got to be a far more robust process gone through when police are entering people's names into their systems and starting somebody off with a criminal record," he told Radio NZ. Corrections Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga urged a review of the incident "so we can make some decisions as to how we can improve how

Summary: A New Zealand man serving a life sentence for child molestation and murder who escaped to Brazil is now in custody, New Zealand police say.


The Public Policy Institute for Wales (PPW) said the move could offer training opportunities for teachers and give children more free time. But concerns include childcare access and transport availability. The Welsh Government said it was "not proposing a national policy for a four-and-a-half day school week" but was considering the report's findings. The report, commissioned by former Education Minister Huw Lewis, said while there was some anecdotal information about the potential advantages and disadvantages there was very little research on the impact. Those in favour of the system suggest the shorter fifth day would allow for more free time for pupils, which they could spend with family and friends, on after-school activities or attend appointments without missing lessons. Advocates also suggest it could improve staff well-being and free-up teachers for more training time. But the report also said school staff with children attending schools which do not use the system might have issues with childcare, and that longer days could make pupils more tired. Cerian Rolls, a mother-of-three and a part-time teacher from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taff, told BBC Radio Wales she was not convinced as a working parent by the arguments for longer school days. "To make the day potentially longer at both ends could put a strain on those working parents who are struggling like myself to get childcare," she told the Good Morning Wales programme. Ms Rolls added that many parents would be sorry if longer school days meant children had less opportunity to enjoy after-school activities. NUT Wales policy officer Owen Hathway told the programme he would be "wary" of such changes, and felt there was not yet enough evidence from other countries to show that they worked. "There's an issue on those longer days that children might become fatigued," he said. "As you come to the end of those longer afternoons you're not getting as productive a lesson as you could potentially have." Some schools in Scotland have already adopted an asymmetric school week in response to an anticipated budget cuts, with an earlier finish on Friday. The report said the move had resulted in the more effective use of teachers' time and a better use of resources, which would help schools respond to further budget cuts if they come. A Welsh Government spokesman said: "We are not proposing a national policy for a four-and-a-half day school week in Wales. "The PPIW have been asked to explore how evidence and research can support us to improve policy and practice in Wales and find new and innovative ways of doing so. "They have presented us with a range of ideas and we should consider them all in detail, as we continue to focus on ways to raise standards in our schools and aspirations for all our pupils and young people." Plaid Cymru's Shadow Education Secretary Llyr Gruffydd also said that experience in Scotland showed the four-and-a-half day week "can be made to work, creating space in the school timetable for pupils to broaden their extra-curricular experiences and for professional development opportunities for staff". He added that Plaid

Summary: Changing the school week to four longer days and a half day could save money, a report has said.


Lisa Passey, 28, and her former partner Wayne Dale, 45, left 13-month-old Kian Dale and a two-year-old child alone while the pair entertained a friend, a court heard. Earlier, Passey told Worcester Crown Court she had been "stupid" to leave Kian unsupervised for 15 minutes. Passey, from Tenbury Wells, and Dale, will be sentenced on 25 April. They were also found guilty of child cruelty with wilful neglect. More on this and other stories on Hereford and Worcester Kian Dale had been left in an upstairs bath seat in the couple's home in Kyreside, Tenbury Wells, on 26 September, 2015, Worcester Crown Court was told. Passey was with a friend downstairs while Dale was "socialising" and "using his computer". When he went upstairs to check on Kian he had drowned. Prosecutors said Passey and her friend had been drinking coffee and smoking outside. After Kian was discovered lifeless in the water, Passey dialled 999 telling the operator her baby had "drowned in the bath". The court heard Dale, of no fixed address, told police officers he "had a beer, rolled a cigarette outside and burned a CD" and that he had only left his son for "a couple of minutes". A post-mortem examination found the child's death was consistent with drowning, including what was believed to be soap bubbles in his lungs. Ms Passey, of Tenbury Wells, initially claimed she had not run a bath, but twice changed her account, the prosecutor alleged.

Summary: The parents of a toddler who drowned in a bath have been found guilty of manslaughter.


Dywedodd y byddai ASau Ceidwadol yn San Steffan yn "senedd o ddefaid gyda bathodynnau glas". Mae'r addewidion yn y maniffesto Llafur yn cynnwys £1.5bn yn ychwanegol ar gyfer gwasanaethau cyhoeddus Cymru, a chefnogaeth i forlyn llanw Bae Abertawe. Digwyddodd y lansiad yn etholaeth ogleddol Delyn, a hynny wrth i Theresa May lansio maniffesto'r Ceiwadwyr Cymreig yn Wrecsam. Dywedodd Mr Jones wrth dorf o ymgyrchwyr Llafur yng Ngholeg Cambria, Llaneurgain fod "y blaid gas wedi dychwelyd". Wrth feirniadu polisïau'r Ceidwadwyr ar ofal cymdeithasol yng Nghymru, dywedodd: "Mae'r maniffesto yn dweud un peth wrth bobl hŷn yn y wlad yma. "Dyma yw eu neges - mae'r Torïaid yn eich cymryd chi'n ganiataol. Maen nhw'n credu bod eich pleidleisiau chi'n sicr." Mynnodd fod angen dwy lywodraeth Lafur ar Gymru i sicrhau bod yr economi yn gweithio "i bawb, nid ar gyfer yr ychydig ar y top yn unig". Yn y cyfamser mae pôl piniwn newydd wedi awgrymu fod Llafur bellach ar 44% yng Nghymru, gyda'r Ceidwadwyr ar 34%. Roedd polau gan YouGov ar ran ITV a Chanolfan Llywodraethiant Cymru yn gynharach yn yr ymgyrch wedi dangos y Torïaid ar y blaen. Dywedodd Mr Jones fod gan Lafur "gynllun uchelgeisiol" ar gyfer amddiffyn, trethi a Brexit. Ychwanegodd y byddai ei blaid yn sefydlu "partneriaeth go iawn" gyda llywodraeth Lafur yn San Steffan. Cyfaddefodd fod gogledd Cymru yn ardal ble bydd brwydro agos yn yr etholiad. Ond darllenodd rhai addewidion Llafur ar gyfer y rhanbarth gan gynnwys gwireddu cynllun Wylfa Newydd, a £50m ar gyfer Metro Gogledd Cymru, a thrydaneiddio rheilffyrdd. "Mae ein maniffesto'n gynllun uchelgeisiol, cynhwysfawr o beth all Llafur Cymru wneud gyda'n gilydd, yn gweithio yn y Cynulliad a San Steffan," meddai. "Trwy gydweithio, bydd Llafur Cymru yn ymrwymo i ddiogelu'r arian fyddai wedi dod i Gymru trwy'r UE. "Bydd yr arian yna yn cael ei wario yng Nghymru, ac ar flaenoriaethau Cymreig - dim yn cael ei guddio yn Whitehall fel y mae'r Torïaid yn ei fygwth." Mae Llafur hefyd yn dweud, yn dilyn Brexit, y byddan nhw'n sicrhau'r un lefel o gymorth ariannol i Gymru ag y mae'n derbyn gan yr Undeb Ewropeaidd ar hyn o bryd. Wrth ymateb dywedodd arweinydd y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol yng Nghymru, Mark Williams, fod Llafur wedi torri addewidion o sefyll dros Gymru "dro ar ôl tro drwy bleidleisio gydag UKIP a'r Ceidwadwyr ar y mater unigol mwyaf y mae'r wlad yn ei wynebu". Ychwanegodd fod y blaid Lafur "wedi rhoi siec wag i Theresa May ar Brexit, gan alluogi'r Ceidwadwyr i ysgrifennu dyfodol oeraidd a chybyddlyd i'n plant". "Ni all y blaid Lafur bellach alw ei hun yn wrthblaid swyddogol," meddai. Dywedodd Jonathan Edwards o Blaid Cymru fod y maniffesto Llafur yn cynnwys "polisïau maen nhw wedi gwrthod gweithredu fel y blaid lywodraethol yng Nghymru". "Y realiti yw nad oes y fath beth a 'Llafur Cymru', a bydd y nonsens rhagrithiol yn mynd yn angof unwaith fydd yr etholiad drosto," meddai. "Bydd pob un AS Llafur yn dilyn yr un gorchmynion o'u harweinydd, Jeremy Corbyn a bydd y maniffesto yma'n diweddu lan yn y bin."

Summary: Mae'r blaid Geidwadol "gas" wedi dychwelyd, meddai Prif Weinidog Cymru, Carwyn Jones wrth lansio maniffesto Llafur yng Nghymru.


Holyrood Park Distillery is looking to raise £5.5m from investors for a new distillery and visitor centre. The funds will be used to renovate a former engine shed in St Leonard's Lane and buy and install equipment. The cash will also be used to help cover early start-up and production costs. Fundraising will be led by accountants and business advisers Johnston Carmichael. Plans for the distillery were approved last year by the City of Edinburgh Council. It is a joint development by David Robertson, former master distiller for The Macallan, and Rob and Kelly Carpenter, founders of the Canadian branch of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Mr Carpenter said: "We are confident that by placing a working distillery in the heart of Edinburgh's capital, with the visitor numbers and cash flow that is expected to provide, we are creating something that is quite different from the typical distillery start-up." The Holyrood Distillery will be Edinburgh's first single malt whisky distillery since Glen Sciennes closed in the 1920s. There are also plans to produce gins, liqueurs and other spirits. Distilling of Holyrood whisky is due to begin in late 2018, with bottles hitting the shelves as early as 2021, according to the company.

Summary: The company behind plans to bring single malt whisky distilling back to Edinburgh after a 90-year absence have launched a major fundraising drive.


The number of foreign visitors to The Louvre dropped by 20% to 5.3 million. The Musee d'Orsay's total attendance was down 13% to three million. The Pompidou Centre's overall figures rose 9% to 3.3 million in 2016 - but it said a rise in French visitors made up for a drop in foreign tourists. The French capital is still feeling the effects after 130 people were killed in gun and bomb attacks on 13 November 2015. Then in July, 86 people died when a lorry drove through a crowd during Bastille Day celebrations in the southern city of Nice. As well as being affected by the repercussions from the attacks, the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay were closed for five days in June because of flooding. The Louvre director Jean-Luc Martinez told Le Figaro newspaper that 2016 had been "a difficult year", and that the decline in visitors would cost the gallery almost 10 million euros (Â£8.6m), excluding the lower revenues in bookshops or restaurants. The Louvre was ranked as the most visited museum in the world in 2015, and charges 15 euros (Â£12.80) entry for adults. M Martinez said the number of Japanese visitors had dropped by 61% in 2016, while the number from Russia was down by 53%, Brazil by 47%, China by 31% and the US by 18%. At the Pompidou Centre, president Serge Lasvignes said the venue had suffered from a decline in the number of foreign tourists after "the tragic events" of 2015. But he said that in 2016 this was "more than compensated" for by the numbers of French visitors and the loyalty of the Parisian public. The Musee d'Orsay welcomed three million visitors in 2016, compared with 3.4 million in 2015. It said visitor numbers had started increasing again by November and December 2016. Hotel bookings in Paris from overseas were down by 10% in 2016, according to the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: Paris's most popular art galleries saw a decline in visits by foreign tourists in 2016, following the Islamist militant attacks in the city in 2015 and atrocities elsewhere in France.


The 20-year-old's four-month loan with the League One Shrews ends in January. "Why change the environment? Why does he need to go and play in the Championship?" Pardew told BBC Sport. "I'd be quite happy for him to stay where he is - the manager's done a super job with him." Kaikai has netted five times in 12 league games for Town so far and it is the competitive nature of life in League One that Pardew wants the player to carry on experiencing. "He's liked playing for the Under-21s, but there's no league table and at that level (at Shrewsbury) it's life and death," he said. "For Sullay to deliver there is great news for us - I'm very pleased and if I don't call him back, hopefully he can stay there."

Summary: Shrewsbury Town manager Micky Mellon is doing a "super job" with striker Sullay Kaikai and he is better off there than at a Championship club, says Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew.


The city's old and new towns have held Unesco status since 1995 and are among six world heritage sites in Scotland. The aim is to gather feedback for the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh World Heritage, and Historic Environment Scotland. The consultation will close at the end of July. Ian Perry, convener of the City of Edinburgh Council's planning committee, said: "Our World Heritage Site is of crucial importance to the future vision and development of the city. "This consultation process is an opportunity for everyone to have their say on how the site is being run. "We would like as many people as possible to let us know what they think is working well, and where we can make improvements.' Adam Wilkinson, director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said: "The management plan consultation may sound like a theoretical exercise, but the plan is a living document that provides the base from which the partners in the management of the World Heritage Site guide change. "Its review is an important opportunity for the communities of the World Heritage Site and the city in general to ensure their voice is heard. "We would urge everyone to get involved and take part in this consultation process." Barbara Cummins, of Historic Environment Scotland, said: "As partners in the Management Plan, we welcome the launch of the consultation - this provides an opportunity to gather suggestions and ideas from those who live, work and visit Edinburgh on how we manage and celebrate the Old and New Towns World Heritage Site."

Summary: A major public consultation has been launched to canvass views on how Edinburgh's world heritage site should be protected.


The 20-year-old, who has been with the Robins for four years, signed his first professional deal in 2015. The former Hereford loanee missed much of the 2016-17 term with a knee injury. "I want to make up for the last couple of years and get back playing. I am very grateful to the gaffer and the medical team. I really want to repay them now," Page told the club website.

Summary: Cheltenham Town winger Adam Page has signed a new one-year contract with the League Two club.


The proposed ban arises from a Fifa investigation into the organisation of international friendlies in South Africa in 2010. Former Zimbabwe FA executive Jonathan Musavengana and former Togo coach Banna Tchanile are facing life bans. The pair are charged with alleged bribery and corruption violations. Fifa's investigatory chamber of its Ethics Committee will now pass its findings to the panel's adjudicatory chamber. It has also proposed Nematandani be fined at least $10,400 (£7,980). In December 2012 Nematandani - then serving as Safa president - was suspended by Fifa who found "compelling evidence" that friendly internationals were fixed by Far East betting syndicates. A Fifa investigation discovered that Safa was infiltrated by convicted Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Perumal and his Football 4U organisation. Perumal organised referees for the games against Thailand, Bulgaria, Colombia and Guatemala, the outcomes of which were found to have been pre-arranged to benefit an Asian betting syndicate. In January 2013 Nematandani was reinstated as Safa president but not exonerated and he was replaced the following September after failing to earn a nomination in Safa elections, which were won by Danny Jordaan.

Summary: Former South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani is facing a minimum six-year ban for alleged ethics violations.


Media playback is unsupported on your device 10 December 2014 Last updated at 07:08 GMT Nasa astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield dropped into Newsround's mission control to answer kids questions, taste our finest space food and sing a cracking space lullaby. Here's your chance to watch it again.

Summary: It has been a fantastic year for space exploration this year, from landing the Rosetta space probe on a comet, to testing out rockets that could take astronauts to Mars.


The 19-year-old, who joined from Monaco on transfer deadline day, scored twice in Sunday's 3-2 win over Southampton as United moved to second in the table. The Frenchman now has three goals from his first two Premier League games. "He's been absolutely magnificent. They could not have hoped for any more," former Arsenal and England defender Keown told Match of the Day 3. "There was a huge transfer fee on his head, but it doesn't seem to bother him. Every time he is in front of goal he seems to be at his happiest." Martial became the most expensive teenager ever when he moved to Old Trafford, and the signing was met with surprise by some commentators in the media. Already an established France Under-21 international, he had just been called up to the senior national team when he joined Louis van Gaal's side at the beginning of September. And with team-mate Wayne Rooney having yet to score in the league this season, Martial has already proved vital to United. "I thought they would take him off at 3-1 and they do need to manage him well. He's only a young boy really," said Keown. "But he looks very powerful and mature and he's well beyond the age he played at on Sunday."

Summary: Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has been unfazed by his "huge" £36m transfer fee, says Martin Keown.


It means control over new machines with maximum stakes over £10 will be devolved, as the Wales Bill cleared its final hurdle in Parliament. Shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens wanted the power extended to existing terminals with maximum stakes over £2. UK ministers expect the bill to gain Royal Assent in February. The Wales Bill will hand Welsh ministers extra powers over transport, energy and electoral arrangements - including the power to increase the number of AMs. It will also allow the Welsh Government to make some alternations to income tax. But critics, including the Welsh Government itself, said other changes introduced too many restrictions on what it could or could not do. On Tuesday, in the Commons, UK government amendments introduced in the Lords were accepted, devolving powers over water, fishing vessels and the right to be consulted over coastguard policy. Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said it was a "landmark day" and the bill "brings clarity to the settlement and accountability for Welsh Government". In October, the UK government announced a review of FOBTs amid concern about their attraction to vulnerable people. On the question of devolving FOBT regulation, a UK government spokesman said it was "giving Wales the same powers as Scotland has to address the local social problems that these machines can sometimes create". Labour had claimed fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) were highly addictive, allowing players to stake up to £100 every 20 seconds, compared to the £2 maximum bet on a fruit machine. The party pointed to research showing there were four times as many betting shops in areas of high unemployment as in areas of low unemployment. The Campaign for Fairer Gambling estimates that customers in Wales lost over £50m on FOBTs between September 2014-15. The Association of British Bookmakers defended betting shops in Wales as the "safest place" to gamble as they were the most highly regulated retailer on the high street.

Summary: A final attempt by Labour to give Wales more power to ban fixed-odds betting terminals has been defeated in the House of Commons.


Officials said that a suicide bomber blew up a car in the city of Dammam in Eastern Province. The Islamic State (IS) group has said that it was behind the attack in a statement released on social media. At least 21 people were killed in a similar incident one week ago, when a suicide bomber struck during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque. The attack at the Imam Ali mosque in the village of al-Qadeeh was the first to be claimed by the Saudi branch of IS, which was formally established last November. In Dammam on Friday, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive device outside the al-Anoud mosque in a busy neighbourhood. The two suicide bombs in seven days against Shia mosques are intended to inflame sectarian tension, the same tactic that IS uses in Iraq and elsewhere. With a Saudi air campaign against Shia rebels in Yemen and a ratcheting up of the confrontation between the Saudis and Iran across the region, the jihadists are seizing the opportunity to sow more hatred. Hardline Saudi preachers have long denounced the Shia, and that rhetoric has only grown fiercer. The Shia have called on the authorities to stem the flow of hate speech. King Salman has promised to crush the militants and many Saudis have been expressing their solidarity with the Shia. IS still has a very long way to go in its aim of destabilising Saudi Arabia through its sectarian divide, but it is using the only method it knows - sectarian violence. A witness told Reuters news agency that he had seen a "quick explosion" and that he had been told that men had prevented the attacker from getting inside the mosque. Security forces had become suspicious of a man in a car near the mosque and had gone to investigate it. It exploded as they approached the vehicle, according to the Saudi Press Agency, SPA. One of those killed is believed to have been the driver of the car. In a statement published online, IS said "a soldier of the Caliphate" was behind the attack on the Shia community. It identified the bomber as Abu Jandal al-Jazrawi. Saudi Arabia has previously been threatened by IS. It is part of a US-led coalition against IS in Syria and Iraq. The Saudis are also leading a coalition of Arab states in an air campaign against Shia rebels in Yemen. The country's large Shia Muslim minority is mainly based in the Eastern Province, and there have been sporadic protests by Shia there to call for more rights.

Summary: A bomb has exploded outside a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia, reportedly killing at least four people.


One server was stolen from a branch in Lurgan, County Armagh, in April 2014 and another was lost a month later by a courier firm in Swindon, Wiltshire. Encryption systems were not good enough to ensure data could not be accessed, the Information Commissioner said. The company apologised and said it had since reviewed its IT security. The Information Commissioner's office said the servers, which are still missing, "held large numbers of local and national customer records and employee details". Under The Money Shop's own rules, servers should have been stored in a separate locked room, but the Lurgan store - and others - did not have rooms available to store them. It also had a "widespread practice" of moving unencrypted servers between its head office in Nottingham and its branches, the commissioner said. Old customer records were not deleted. Head of enforcement at the commissioner's office, Steve Eckersley said customers had expected their financial details to be kept safe. "Our investigations discovered that this wasn't the case and that this information was regularly left exposed when equipment was moved around the country. "There was potential for fraud and financial loss to customers, which is unacceptable, and in both cases had the data been properly encrypted the damage and distress to customers and the monetary penalty could have been avoided." Dollar UK, which owns the Money Shop, said: "Since these events took place, Dollar UK has come under new ownership and management, implementing a complete review of IT and systems security, including the replacement of those responsible for managing this essential element of business infrastructure and consumer confidence."

Summary: Payday lender The Money Shop has been fined £180,000 after losing computer servers with thousands of customers' financial details.


The 23-year-old airman, from Dunfermline in Fife, vanished while on a night out with friends in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, in September. A bin lorry collected refuse a short time later from the area the RAF Honington gunner was last seen. Suffolk Police said trawling through the landfill site in Milton, near Cambridge, could take up to 10 weeks. Officers will search more than 920 sq m (1,100 sq yd) of waste to a depth of 8m (26ft). LIVE: Updates on this story and other Suffolk news Det Supt Katie Elliott said: "Teams of specialist, search-trained police officers from both Suffolk and Norfolk will be carrying out the work to find anything that may be linked to the investigation. "We need to find Corrie and discover what happened to him. While the search may not provide the answers as to what happened, it is something we need to do as our investigation continues." Steve Gaskin, a former detective with experience of carrying out large-scale searches during his time with the Metropolitan Police, described this latest operation as a "mammoth task". He said officers will need to sift through all the earth that is moved by hand, "because it's not just Corrie they're looking for". It would also be "any other associated evidence", such as his jacket, or "anything that may have come out of his pockets". He said: "They've also got to make sure any forensic evidence that's accrued is treated and dealt with properly... in case there's a criminal case. "There's been a lapse of six months [since Corrie Mckeague went missing] and you can imagine what's on a rubbish dump - birds, rodents - so there's a good chance, with the weather and all the conditions, particularly if he's a number of metres down, that there will be an element of decomposition. "This is a mammoth task and it is analogous, I would say, to looking for a needle in a haystack." Mr Mckeague was last seen at about 03:25 BST on 24 September. Police seized a bin lorry in the early stages of the investigation, but no traces of Mr Mckeague were found in the vehicle and the landfill site was not searched at the time. However, its route appeared to coincide with the movements of Mr Mckeague's phone. Mr Mckeague' mother Nicola Urquhart previously told the BBC: "Common sense suggests that the most likely place Corrie ended up is the landfill site or the incinerator." Some 8,000 tonnes of bulk material has been removed from the site to allow officers to safely access the search area. A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice on 1 March. He has been bailed until 13 April.

Summary: Detectives investigating the disappearance of Corrie Mckeague have started a search of a landfill site.


Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is likely to receive the money from the city and county councils, along with Rushcliffe Borough Council. Alan Rhodes, leader of the county council, said the money would be raised from a low-interest loan, which would be repaid by the club at a higher rate. England beat Australia at Trent Bridge in August to regain the Ashes. The city and borough councils have both already agreed to lend £2.7m each with County Hall due to make a decision on a similar figure at a meeting in October. Two years ago the then Conservative-led County Hall came under fire for giving the club £900,000 towards a scoreboard. At the time, Labour councillor Mr Rhodes described it as "insensitive" to be giving money while making cuts to services. Since then, Mr Rhodes has become leader of the council but said this time it was different. "We are providing that loan via our own lendings," he said. "We are able to borrow money at a very low rate from the banks and we are able therefore to help Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club to be able to upgrade their facilities and they will pay that loan back with interest." He added that the council could not take out similar loans to pay for ongoing costs such as care homes. City council deputy leader Graham Chapman said the authority would get a higher rate of interest back on the loan than the current bank rate. "We are going to get some money, they're going to save some money and we're going to get some very nice stands out of it," he said. Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club would not comment before the final loan is agreed but it is understood the money would be used to revamp a stand and some facilities. Work could start this winter.

Summary: Trent Bridge cricket ground is set for a £8.1m revamp thanks to loans from three councils.


Adults are regarded as having allowed organ donation unless they have opted out. In the last year, there have been 160 organs transplanted and 39 were through deemed consent. Wales' Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said numbers were encouraging and the change had been "good news". In 2016, up to September, there were 42 deceased organ donors, broadly in line with previous years. A woman who had a double-lung transplant last Christmas has written an emotional thank-you letter to her donor's family - as Wales marks the anniversary of a major new law. Although numbers of donors naturally fluctuate year on year, the Welsh Government says it is confident that earlier hopes of a 25% increase in the number of donors will be reached in future. "There's a much greater awareness of organ donation itself," Mr Gething said. "More people are having those conversations with their loved ones about whether they want to opt in or to simply leave it as a point of deemed consent. "It makes a real difference then to have that conversation at that point in time when it becomes a possibility and makes it much easier for health staff too." He said on its own measures it had been a success but there was still more to be done and it could be several years before the full impact of the law change was apparent. 160 organ transplants in Wales 39 organs from patients under deemed consent 226 patients on transplant list - Sept 2016 6% have opted out of the system Consultant Dr Chris Hingston, clinical lead for organ donation at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, said: "We've seen a big impact at the bedside in terms of families approaching us to ask about organ donation, but equally families when we asked them if their loved ones wished to become a donor actually know the wishes. "Even if that's not to become a donor, so they're refusing, but they're confident that that's the right decision for their loved ones. "As a clinician that's all I ever wanted - that there wasn't a grey area where there's indecision and difficulty for families." Bill, 67, [whose surname we are not using] was admitted to the critical care unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff after suffering a stroke and a fall. His daughter Karen said: "Dad had talked about organ donation. "It's the last serious conversation that we'd had, not knowing that in a few weeks time, that was going to have to happen. "It was his decision and I wasn't going to challenge it because it was his decision. "I think I would have coped with it a lot worse if I hadn't have had the transplant to focus on. "It's like he still had a job to do, even though he couldn't do anything, he was still doing something. "He was looking after those organs before they could be given to somebody else. "It's made losing him easier, because it's like something good has come out of it, and I can't think of any

Summary: More organs are being donated and more lives saved a year after Wales became the only nation in the UK to introduce a new donation law, say ministers.


The words of British Chancellor George Osborne. With this week's UK state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the British government hopes to step over that golden threshold. President Xi will be accorded every honour, including a visit to the prime minister's country retreat at Chequers and an address to both Houses of Parliament. After the pomp and ceremony of a carriage on the Mall and a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, President Xi is expected to preside over the signing of some multi-billion pound business deals, including one to bring China into the heart of Britain's civil nuclear power programme. "Let us embrace the golden era," echoed the Chinese ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, in a news conference on the eve of the visit. Last year I said the UK had some catching up to do, but now the UK is catching up from behind. It is committed to being China's "best partner in the west", and in developing relations with China it is indeed becoming the leader in Europe. But as London prepares to welcome the Chinese president, the UK drive to become China's best western partner raises important questions about costs in other areas of British foreign policy and consequences for existing alliances. How China guards the Xi creation myth Nigel Inkster, former director of operations and intelligence for the Special Intelligence Service, MI6, voices concern over "a propensity on the part of some areas of the UK government to see China as little more than a giant hypermarket, to which we can export clones of Eton and Dulwich College and the kind of Burberry rainwear that few British nationals would ever wear. "But I think if that is really the way the relationship is perceived, it does not represent an adequate assessment of what it is we're dealing with." The momentum for a shift in the UK's China policy is coming very much from George Osborne, who also happens to be the bookies' favourite to succeed David Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party. Whitehall sources tell me the so-called "Osborne Doctrine" does amount to a strategic shift on China, one in which the prime minister has let the chancellor drive the agenda and where reluctant members of the cabinet are being "dragged along". The chancellor wants China to become the UK's second-largest trading partner by the end of the decade. He points out that while growth in China has slowed, it is still supplying about a quarter of global growth, enough to add an economy the size of the UK's over five years. Mr Osborne insists that this is a golden moment, where the interests of the UK and China align. China's maturing economy can absorb more of the services which are British export strengths. And UK infrastructure can soak up Chinese investment funds looking for a reliable return. Win-win for both sides, according to the chancellor. But not everyone is convinced. Jonathan Fenby is a former editor of the Observer who has written several books on China. "My unease about this policy is that in

Summary: "Let's stick together and make a golden decade for both our countries."


President Donald Trump has questioned the neutrality of Mr Mueller, who was appointed to investigate Russian interference in the US election. He has also blamed Attorney General Jeff Sessions for Mr Mueller's probe. Mr Graham warned Mr Trump that firing Mr Mueller "would be the beginning of the end" of his presidency. "Any effort to go after Mueller could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency unless Mueller did something wrong," Mr Graham told reporters on Thursday. The Trump administration has sought to discredit Mr Mueller over his friendship with former FBI chief James Comey, who had been heading the inquiry until he was sacked by Mr Trump in May. The president has also suggested Mr Mueller's team of lawyers could be biased as some had made campaign contributions to Democrats. By Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington There's no telling if Lindsey Graham's legislation insulating the independent counsel Robert Mueller from Donald Trump's wrath will go anywhere. The South Carolina Republican has been known to occasionally wander from the Senate flock. Still, this could be the first glimmers of bipartisan congressional efforts to construct a restraining barrier around the Trump presidency. Already it appears likely a bill preventing Donald Trump from unilaterally loosening current Russia sanctions will wind up on the president's desk. Despite the administration's objections that this infringes on executive foreign policy prerogatives, hardly any members of Congress have voted against the legislation. Now, amid concerns that Mr Trump may fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a way of getting at Mr Mueller, another set of handcuffs could be applied. The White House appears to be girding for war against those investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and any connections to the Trump campaign. Chances are this more aggressive posture, including a presidential feud with Mr Sessions - who served in the US Senate for 20 years - will only make matters worse, however. Like a person trapped in quicksand, the more the president struggles, the deeper he sinks. Mr Mueller has not given any details of his investigation but US media have reported he is investigating Mr Trump for possible obstruction of justice, both in the firing of Mr Comey and whether Mr Trump tried to end an inquiry into sacked national security adviser Michael Flynn. President Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia, calling it a "witch hunt". The South Carolina Republican announced he was creating a measure aimed at protecting Mr Mueller by mandating that any special counsel appointed to investigate a president or his staff could not be fired "unless you have judicial review of the firing". He added that Mr Trump was crossing a "red line" in his consideration to axe Mr Mueller, who was appointed by the Justice Department to lead the probe after Mr Comey was fired. Mr Graham's warning comes as the president has repeatedly attacked Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from the Russia inquiry after failing to disclose a meeting with the Kremlin's envoy during his confirmation hearing. Mr Sessions, known for his hardline

Summary: US Senator Lindsey Graham has said he is drafting legislation to stop any attempt by the Trump administration to fire Russia investigator Bob Mueller.


Ex-Portugal midfielder Figo, 42, pulled out on the same day as Van Praag, 67, to leave Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan as Blatter's only rival. Blatter is favourite to win a fifth term as president and Figo said: "This process is anything but an election. "This process is a plebiscite for the delivery of absolute power to one man - something I refuse to go along with." Each of Fifa's 209 member associations have a vote in the election and Van Praag, who is president of the Dutch football federation, says he will now support Prince Ali. The English Football Association also intend to support Prince Ali, while the Scottish FA had previously said they would back Van Praag. The Dutchman held a joint news conference with Prince Ali in Amsterdam on Thursday, urging his supporters to get behind the Jordanian to unseat Blatter. "Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein convincingly demonstrated that at this moment in time he is the candidate who has the biggest chance to challenge Sepp Blatter," Van Praag said. "It is impossible that Fifa moves on with its current presidency," he added. Figo also highlighted the need for change in his withdrawal statement. "I travelled and met extraordinary people who, though they recognized the value of much that had been done, also concurred with the need for change, one that cleans up Fifa's reputation as an obscure organization that is so often viewed as a place of corruption," he said. "I have seen with my own eyes federation presidents who, after one day comparing Fifa leaders to the devil, then go on stage and compare those same people with Jesus Christ. Nobody told me about this. I saw it with my own eyes." He also questioned an election process in which a main candidate - Blatter - had not produced a manifesto "so that federation presidents know what they're voting for". Figo added: "There has not been a single public debate about each candidate's proposals." The latest withdrawal comes after another presidential candidate, Frenchman Jerome Champagne, a former Fifa deputy general secretary, pulled out in February. Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder David Ginola, backed by a betting company, originally announced his intention to stand against Blatter in January, but withdrew two weeks later. The vote will be held in Zurich at Fifa's annual congress and requires the winning candidate to secure a two-thirds majority in the first round of voting. If subsequent rounds are required then a simple majority is all that is required for victory.

Summary: Luis Figo has joined Michael van Praag in withdrawing from the Fifa presidential election on 29 May.


This time, the death toll was lower than that seen in the December 2014 attack on Peshawar's Army Public School (APS), though at least 19 innocent lives were lost. The area where the attack took place is located close the tribal region of Mohmand where a strong force of native militants has been operating, its control of territory waxing and waning with the fluctuating intensity of military operations. While their control of territory has shrunk considerably, their fighters still have access to 'safe-houses' in the valley where they can feed and rest before embarking on a mission. Investigations into the APS attack last year led to the arrest of men who ran such 'safe-houses' in Peshawar and its outskirts, hosting the attackers and providing them with food and transport. Likewise, officials believe the militants who stormed the Bacha Khan University campus on Wednesday morning probably walked out of a similar safe-house in the area and, under cover of thick fog, scaled the back wall of the sprawling campus to launch the attack. TV pictures showed anxious relatives crowding the area around the front gate of the university, searching for information about the fate of their children. Students who came out through the gate spoke of gunfire, explosions and stampedes. Many in the three hostels on the campus said they locked themselves in their rooms. Others hid in the bathrooms or latched up their classroom doors. But most of them were herded out of the compound safely by the university's security guards who were apparently aided by the fog, which gave them an advantage over the attackers due to their better knowledge of the premises. The local police also arrived promptly on the scene, and helped confine the attackers to a couple of blocks on the premises. They were soon joined by the army. However that did not stop alarm spreading rapidly across the country, with frustrated voices raising questions over the army's claims to have dismantled the militant infrastructure. "Those who said 2016 was the year of the end of militancy should explain these attacks," well-known Geo TV talk-show host Hamid Mir commented, without naming army chief Gen Raheel Sharif who had made these remarks recently. Many say a recent spike in militant attacks indicates that while some Taliban groups have fragmented, they still have sanctuaries in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region and are able to share resources. And they have access to funds and weapons. Some in the Pakistani establishment blame India for picking up their bills, while others blame elements in the Afghan government. Delhi and Kabul have routinely denied such accusations in the past. But ethnic Pashtun nationalists - who inhabit the north-western region - and many political groups in Sindh and Balochistan provinces in the south, believe the fault lies with the selective nature of Pakistan's own action against militants. "Militant attacks have continued because we failed to fully implement the national action plan (NAP) that was drawn up in the aftermath of the APS attack," Mian Iftikhar Hussain, a former minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and a leader

Summary: People in Pakistan woke up on Wednesday to yet another devastating attack on an educational institution in the Peshawar valley region.


Former England batsman Carberry hit 50 off 36 balls as Perth made 144-7 despite a maiden in the final over. Pietersen, who fired a stunning six with a switch hit, and Luke Wright both made 31 but the visiting side were all out for 126 in the final over. Perth will play Brett Lee's Sydney Sixers in Wednesday's final. That match in Canberra will be the Australia paceman's final competitive game before his retirement. There were boos ringing out from a vociferous home contingent when their tailender Andrew Tye swung and missed at six nearly identical slower deliveries from Clint McKay at the end of the Perth innings. Pietersen looked to be guiding his team to victory but with 57 needed from 32 balls became the fifth wicket to fall when he advanced down the pitch to paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile and edged to the wicketkeeper. Tye atoned for his batting with superb slower balls of his own to return 4-15 from his four overs and take Perth through to their fourth successive final as the Stars, who had won five matches in a row in this campaign, lost their fourth BBL semi-final. On Saturday, Australia T20 left-hander Nic Maddison inspired the Sydney Sixers to a comprehensive 87-run win over the Adelaide Strikers in the first semi-final, with seven fours and five sixes in his 85 from 48 balls. Sydney made 181-4 after choosing to bat and then dismissed Adelaide for 94 inside 15 overs, with burly left-arm seamer Doug Bollinger taking 3-21 and Sean Abbott claiming 2-14. The Sixers also have former England opener Michael Lumb, and Carberry's former Hampshire team-mate, in their side.

Summary: Michael Carberry helped Perth Scorchers beat Kevin Pietersen's Melbourne Stars by 18 runs at the Waca and reach the Australian Big Bash League final.


Police in Cornwall were called to Great Western Beach, Newquay at 17:45 BST on Tuesday. A 38-year-old man was arrested and is in police custody. The car had to be towed on to a different beach once the tide was out in order to remove it, an eyewitness said. More on the car in the sea story, and other news Jamie Clogg from Towan Motors came to help the beach owners remove the car. He had to wait until the tide was out, after 8pm, to tow the car along the sand to Towan Beach - a journey of just under half a mile. "The car would be stuck otherwise so I went down to help them. There were police everywhere. "When the tide goes out there's a hard bit of ground which we could drive across - you'd never drive across the dry sand."

Summary: A man has been arrested on suspicion of drinking and driving after a car was driven into the sea.


In November 1990, Margaret Thatcher went to Paris for a summit on European security. In her absence, her opponents got their act together and within days she was out of power. Twenty-six years on, the new prime minister will travel to Hangzhou in utterly different circumstances. Mrs May's party may still be divided over Europe but she has the double fortune of a political honeymoon and a divided opposition. Yet this, her first outing at a truly global summit since she became prime minister, will be a big moment, a chance to meet key world leaders and establish relationships that will help shape her premiership. I understand that Mrs May is preparing to hold separate, private meetings with President Obama of the United States, President Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Modi of India. She will be keen to meet them and begin informal discussions about post-Brexit trade. They will be keen to meet her, a rare European leader who is likely to remain in office for some years to come. And what a lot they will have to discuss. With President Xi, there will be the small matter of Mrs May's decision to delay approval of the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant in Somerset, something in which China has invested billions of pounds. After years when George Osborne wrapped his arms around Beijing, Mrs May will have to explain her caution and the security concerns of some of her officials. With Mr Putin, there will be the tricky matter of EU sanctions over Ukraine, manoeuvring in the Baltics by Russia and those many incursions by their jets into British airspace. And with Mr Modi, the prime minister will have to smooth over concerns about her decision to make it harder for Indian students to come to Britain in an attempt to cut migration numbers. Yet amid these tensions, Mrs May will try to step up her diplomatic campaign to convince the international community that Britain is not turning in on itself after the vote for Brexit. Her officials talk of forging a new global role for the UK and using the G20 to highlight opportunities that will arise for the rest of the world once Britain leaves the EU. Britain, she will tell her counterparts, is open for business. The question, of course, is what this new role for Britain will be. The Foreign Office is still scratching around for ideas, but no-one yet can tell me what this great new global role will be. There is no money to spend on big initiatives and there is little appetite for military intervention. Sources at the heart of government insist that a lot is being done already. They point out that since the referendum to leave the EU, Britain has deployed hundreds more troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, Estonia and Poland, Somalia and South Sudan. It has reaffirmed its commitment to the Trident nuclear deterrent - something Mrs May did herself in the House of Commons. And the UK has also promised once again to spend 2%

Summary: When Theresa May steps on to the global stage for the first time this weekend at the G20 summit in China, she will be hoping not to repeat what happened the last time a female British prime minister attended an international conference.


First, will the Bundestag, the German parliament, back the proposed bailout, absent support from the IMF? The behaviour of Mrs Merkel, in forcing the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras against his wishes to accept future IMF involvement in the bailout, suggests she believes IMF endorsement and involvement is the sine qua non of Bundestag approval. And if the Bundestag says "Nein", we are back in the territory of Greece careering towards the euro door marked exit and penury. Second, if the IMF is saying - as it effectively does in its debt sustainability update - that Greece is insolvent without a massive debt write-off, and a write-off that eurozone governments show no sign of embracing, can the European Central Bank in good conscience increase emergency lending to banks, or Emergency Liquidity Assistance? Now Greek banks have been led to believe by the Bank of Greece that the ECB would increase ELA by around 2bn euros either today or tomorrow. If this happens, it will be a significant fillip to the Greek economy. Because the banks are planning to re-open their doors in those circumstances - either tomorrow (now unlikely) or Monday. It would not be banking and business as usual. But some of the economically devastating effects of capital controls - most of which would be retained - would be limited. Here is what the banks will do if the ECB provides just a bit more emergency lending. First, the government committee currently approving - or more accurately not approving - requests by businesses for the banks to finance imports would have its powers transferred back to the banks. Subject to rules, the banks would then start to provide finance again to companies wanting to import goods and raw materials deemed vital to Greece's economic interests. Which means the twin dangers would recede of the economy grinding to a halt for want of imports and of a humanitarian crisis caused by a shortage of medicines and foods. Second, cashiers would start to receive cheques again, and people could withdraw their maximum of 60 euros per account over the counter, and not just at cash machines. To be clear, the 60 euro limit on withdrawals would remain, perhaps for months. And transferring money abroad would remain heavily restricted. But the banks could start to provide some basic support to the economy, rather than almost none as at present. But, to repeat, this limited restoration of banking services is possible only if the ECB turns on the emergency lending tap a small amount today. Absent that, the current draconian controls will remain in place. As it happens, and despite earlier fears at the banks, the existing controls should not need to be tightened for up to 10 days, even with the ECB sitting on its hands. The reason is that the banks have a bit more cash today than they expected last week - because some cash, from supermarkets and petrol stations for example, is being recycled back into the banking system. Although the instinct of every Greek person or institution is to hoard

Summary: So two more questions about the ramifications of the IMF's trenchant opposition to the current planned structure of a Greek rescue.


The National Enquirer and RadarOnline reported a 35-minute recording, apparently of the actor, making threats about former porn star Scottine Ross. Ms Ross has taken legal action against Sheen, claiming he physically abused her and had sex with her without disclosing his HIV positive status. Sheen has not commented on the reports. Earlier this week, police officers served a search warrant on the New York headquarters of American Media Inc, the parent company of both RadarOnline and the Enquirer. According to the warrant, the Los Angeles police investigation was triggered when Ms Ross made a complaint on 31 March saying she feared for her life after reading the reports. On Thursday, the publications - neither of which have published the audio alleged to contain the star saying he would like to see a former fiancee "have her head kicked in" - refused to hand over the material to police. Dylan Howard, the Enquirer's editor-in-chief and editorial director of RadarOnline, told Reuters the outlets had no plans to turn over documents or identify their sources. He said the search warrant, signed by an LA County Superior Court judge, was illegal under both state and federal law preventing the use of such warrants against media organisations relating to "newsworthy" information. He said: "We do believe that a judge did issue this order against the law, and that's why we will not be complying with its order." In a televised interview in November 2015, Sheen said he had been diagnosed with HIV four years earlier. The former star of Two and Half Men and films including Wall Street and Platoon admitted his history of drink and drug abuse was a "bad decision" but said it was "impossible" he would have passed HIV on to anyone else. In December, Ms Ross - who was engaged to Sheen in 2014 before the relationship was broken off - filed a legal action against him accusing him of "physical, psychological and emotional abuse".

Summary: Actor Charlie Sheen is facing a police investigation over claims he made threats against an ex-girlfriend, who is suing him for assault and battery.


The city council declared the whole of Glasgow an air quality management area in 2012 after targets were exceeded. The authority said tests had shown 95% of areas were now meeting air quality targets but some still faced challenges posed by traffic emissions. The improvement is being attributed to more low-emission buses, a cycle-hire scheme and a city car club. Councillor Alistair Watson, the council's executive member for sustainability and transport, said: "While we have made very good progress, we recognise that there is more to be done. "We will continue to work together with our partners to reduce air pollution levels and improve the health of our citizens." Councillor Watson said there had been a number of initiatives over the last three years to improve air quality in the city. These included a bus quality partnership with now sees only lower emission vehicles on particular public transport routes; the introduction of a car club, and schemes to encourage more sustainable transport such as the city's first all-electric bus service and the cycle hire scheme.

Summary: Glasgow is revoking a city-wide air quality management plan after a major improvement in pollution levels.


In an unexpected decision, the BOJ eased monetary policy on worries that lower oil prices would affect consumer prices. The central bank will increase the pace at which it expands base money to 80 trillion yen ($726bn; Â£454bn) a year, instead of 60-70 trillion yen. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index closed up 4.8% at 16,413.76 after the news. It had hit a seven-year high of 16,455.84 in mid-afternoon trade after rising by more than 5%. The dollar rose 1.2% to 110.68 yen, the highest since January 2008. Several pieces of data out of Japan in the morning showing a weaker economy also failed to dent investor sentiment. The country's annual core consumer inflation eased for a second straight month in September, while its jobless rate rose in the same period. Household spending also fell more than expected last month, adding to evidence that the central bank would probably maintain its massive stimulus programme. Asian shares, meanwhile, were already up after positive economic data from the US showed strength in the world's largest economy. Data showed the US economy grew at an annual rate of 3.5% in the third quarter. The news came a day after the Federal Reserve announced the end of its monetary stimulus programme. Greater China shares followed the uptrend, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closing up 1.25% at 23,998.06 points. On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite closed up 1.3% at 2,420.9 points. In Australia, the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed up 0.9% at 5,526.60 points, following Wall Street's gains overnight. Shares in heavyweight miners BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto rose 0.8% and 1.8% respectively. In South Korea, the Kospi was up 0.3% at 1,964.43 points.

Summary: Japan led Asian shares higher after the Bank of Japan (BOJ) surprised markets by announcing more stimulus measures.


Crane driver Dempsey Nibbs killed his partner of 30 years after he suspected her of having affairs, the court heard. Judith Nibbs, 60, described as "bubbly and happy", had predicted her own death, telling colleagues, "If I'm not in on Friday, I might be dead", jurors were told. Mr Nibbs, 69, of the Charles Estate in Hoxton, denies murder. The court heard that Mr Nibbs carried out the act because he thought his partner was a "snake", and said he had killed her while "defending himself". Crispin Aylett QC, prosecuting, said the couple's relationship had soured in the spring of 2014 as Mr Nibbs suspected his partner of infidelity. Ms Nibbs had confided in her sister and a colleague at Meals on Wheels that her partner had threatened to kill her and grabbed her by the throat. During a row on 7 April, she had taunted Mr Nibbs with details of her infidelities, saying: "I have had sex eight times." On the night of 10 April, Mr Nibbs attacked her in their Hoxton flat and knocked her out, Mr Aylett said. "Having attacked his wife, the defendant then took up a kitchen knife and cut off her head," he said. The court heard how Mr Nibbs disposed of remains down the lavatory, before writing a suicide note to his son and ringing police to tell them they would find "a couple of dead bodies" at his home. The trial heard that Mr Nibbs shown no signs of mental illness in the wake of the killing. Ms Nibbs's former workmates described her as a happy, joyful, bubbly and open-minded woman. The trial continues.

Summary: A jealous man beheaded the mother of his two children in an act of "pure hatred", the Old Bailey heard.


Protesters in the towns of Rohtak and Jind set fire to police vehicles, public buildings and buses. The demonstrators are mostly from the Jat community who are unhappy about India's caste quota system. They say it puts them at a disadvantage in government jobs and at state-run educational institutes. The Jats are currently listed as upper caste but the demonstrators want job quotas similar to those granted to lower castes. Protesters again went on the rampage on Saturday despite a curfew and the deployment of the army which is reported to have opened fire on them in the Rohtak and Jhajjar districts. Demonstrations by Jats were also reported to have taken place in Delhi, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Overland transport links to Haryana have been brought to a halt by the protests. The government of Haryana has meanwhile been urged by the central government to initiate talks with Jat leaders, NDTV reported. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has already said that the government is ready to agree to the demands of the protesters "within the ambit of the constitution". Mr Khattar has urged the protesters to desist and appealed to the government to provide more troops in order to restore order. Opposition parties have called for Mr Khattar's government to be sacked by the central government and for presidential rule to be imposed on the state. On Friday protesters in Rohtak hurled rocks at security forces, while blocking traffic, attacking vehicles and attempting to set the finance minister's home on fire.

Summary: At least five people have been killed in a second day of violence related to caste rights in the northern Indian state of Haryana, police say.


Albanians Artur Doda, 24, and Leonard Isufaj, 27, leapt from the Stena Britannica, off Harwich, Essex, on 26 February last year. The pair had tried to enter the UK hours earlier inside a lorry, the inquest into their deaths in Chelmsford heard. Coroner Eleanor McGann recorded conclusions of accidental death. Mr Doda and Mr Isufaj were among a group of 15 people from different countries caught in a random x-ray check at Harwich before making it into the UK. The inquest heard Mr Doda was sliced by the "machete-like" motion of the ship's propeller while Mr Isufaj drowned. Both men were sucked underwater almost immediately after they jumped over the side of the ship, ten minutes into its journey back to Zeebrugge, Belgium. Essex coroner Ms McGann said: "The evidence suggests they were intending to swim back to England, something that they could see was tantalisingly close to them." Insp Christopher Willis, from Essex Police, told the hearing the sea would have appeared deceptively calm to the men. "To swim to land with those tides and the water temperature would have been nigh-on impossible," he said. "An Olympic swimmer would have struggled." Speaking after the hearing, Mr Isufaj's cousin, Besnik Vata, 33, from north London, said the case highlighted the plight of many immigrants. "We heard that they weren't escorted on board the ship so there was always a risk this would happen - if I was in that position I would have done the same," he said. Border Agency official Giles Young said there was no policy of escorting deportees in place.

Summary: Two deportees who died after jumping from a ferry were trying to swim back to the UK shore, an inquest has heard.


EJ has weathered a snow storm and harassment from rival ospreys while incubating her clutch of three eggs. All hatched over the past few days. The RSPB suspects mate Odin, who was bringing fish to the chicks, was frightened off by another male. On Monday, an osprey was at the nest with a fish but the chicks were dead. The bird is thought to have been EJ. RSPB Scotland said she was expected to remain at the nest and guard it against being taken over by other females. It is possible to view the nest site via a webcam. Footage on Monday morning appeared to show the nest had been abandoned. Later, on occasions, an adult osprey was seen at the nest, at one point with a fish. At the weekend, RSPB Scotland said it had decided not to intervene in what it described "heart breaking" but natural process playing out at its reserve. EJ, who is 20 years old this year, has been visiting Loch Garten for 15 years and has reared 25 chicks over that time with mate Odin and other males. The nest is in a tree on an RSPB Scotland reserve. EJ and her long-term mate Odin are the most successful breeding pair at the Loch Garten site. Over previous seasons, 17 of their chicks have fledged. Ospreys migrate from west Africa to Scotland to breed and can be seen hunting for fish from rivers and lochs. EJ's breeding seasons have been fraught with drama in the past. Incidents have included eggs being kicked out of the nest by a male bird and battles between EJs and rival females over the nest.

Summary: All three chicks being raised by a well-known female osprey in the Cairngorms have died, RSPB Scotland has confirmed.


The measure is "an attack on democracy" according to an emergency motion carried unanimously at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference. Earlier ATL general secretary Mary Bousted called the plan "madness". On Monday, School Minister Nick Gibb said the plan made schools "profession-led" - though he faced some heckling. Under the plan almost 17,000 schools which have not already converted to academy status - mostly primaries - must do so by 2020 or have committed to do so by 2022. Delegates applauded as the ATL became the third teachers' union to oppose the plans. The conference, meeting in Liverpool, voted to condemn the White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, as "an attack on democracy". Proposing the motion, Mark Baker said White Paper's proposals amounted to "Educational Excellence All Over The Place". The motion warned that conversion of schools to academy status would be achieved without regard to the wishes of parents, staff or local communities and without proper Parliamentary scrutiny. The move represented "ever greater centralism and micro-management". "It takes no account of the growing evidence of failing academies but insists on a blind adherence to an ideology with no foundation in fact," said the motion. The ATL will now work with "all those concerned", including other education unions to opposed forced academisation and to consider what forms of action - including potential industrial action - may be needed. In her speech to conference on Tuesday morning, Dr Bousted backed calls for a co-ordinated response. "Alone we can do something. Together we can do great things. "We must fight together to protect our profession, for the sake of the children and young people whose education depends on us. "And we will fight and if we fight together, with parents and councillors, with other unions, with politicians, with governors, with the whole of civil society which opposes the madness of forced academisation, then we will win," Dr Bousted concluded. Earlier in the speech Dr Bousted called the white paper a "very strange document". "It asks us to believe six impossible things before breakfast, including the big whopper - that the forced academisation of all schools will improve educational standards." The government's plans have drawn criticism from teachers, unions and Tory local councillors. At its conference over Easter, the National Union of Teachers voted to ballot for strike action over the academies plan. The NASUWT conference also voted to consider strike action if forced academisation affects members' pay and conditions. The Labour Party has said its own analysis of official figures suggests the plan could cost £1.3bn with a shortfall in funding of over £1.1bn - though ministers reject these figures. But in a speech to the NASUWT Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said there was no going back on plans to make every school an academy by 2020. Ms Morgan maintained the government's plans would improve the education system in England. The Department for Education said it was "disappointing that the ATL would rather play politics with our children's future than work constructively with us to deliver our vision for educational excellence everywhere". The

Summary: One of the most moderate teaching unions has voted for industrial action over government plans to force all schools in England to become academies.


Northern Constabulary have named the man as Daniel Maddox, 41, who was from Clackmannanshire. Emergency services were alerted to the incident at an "off-piste" skiing area in the Etive Glades on Saturday. Glencoe Mountain Resort said the experienced off-piste skier had been caught in a major avalanche. Northern Constabulary co-ordinated the search, with members of Glencoe and Lochaber rescue teams. Mr Maddox was found at about 12:00 on Sunday, in 18-20ft of snow. Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team said they would like to extend their thoughts to the family of the dead man. The searchers were assisted by an RAF Lossiemouth helicopter. John Grieve, leader of Glencoe Mountain Team, said the avalanche travelled about 1,000ft down the slope's rocky face. "The avalanche has actually gone into a gully, and in some places the snow is about 40ft deep," he said. There have been a number of serious incidents as a result of avalanches in Scotland this year. In January, four experienced climbers died on Bidean Nam Bian in Glencoe. Three people also died after an avalanche in the Cairngorms in February. Two of the climbers were off-duty members of the RAF Mountaineering Association. The third fatality was a student on a course at the Glenmore Lodge outdoor centre. In the same week there was a second fatal avalanche involving a hillwalker.

Summary: Searchers have found the body of a skier who went missing in an avalanche near Glencoe Ski Centre in the west Highlands.


In the past five years, 17,982 complaints have been lodged with the county's borough and district councils. Of those, 3,454 relate to dogs barking, the BBC Radio Suffolk Freedom of Information request found. Seven thousand complaints were made about loud music and parties, while church bells have led to 10 complaints to councils. Other complaints were made about bird scarers in fields, machinery and vehicle noise, and people shouting or talking loudly. 17,982 Total number of complaints 3,454 about barking dogs 336 about bird scarers 16 about fireworks 10 about church bells Ipswich Borough Council received the highest number of complaints over the five years, with 4,568. Waveney District Council received 3,672 complaints, while Suffolk Coastal District Council had a total of just over 3,000. Mark Johnson, senior public health officer at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, said the best thing for people to do was to speak with the person making the noise. "It's the most common sense approach because sometimes they don't even realise they're causing a nuisance to their neighbours," he said. As for dogs, Candice Rose, owner of Canine Creche in Martlesham, said they could be taught not to bark. "The key thing is reward and distraction," she said. "We distract them and then reward the good behaviour. "There are solutions, it could be a behavioural issue, in which case that can be adjusted, but if it's just through boredom - there really is no excuse in this day and age."

Summary: Barking dogs account for about a fifth of all noise complaints in Suffolk, it has emerged.


Bob Sleigh, leader of Solihull council, said he intended to seek its approval for talks in principle. The councils controlling Birmingham, Walsall, Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Dudley have backed the combined authority proposal. Cities may be in line for new housing, transport, planning and policing powers if they sign up for devolution plans. Chancellor George Osborne said on Thursday that Greater Manchester should become a blueprint for other large cities. There, leaders of 10 councils work together as part of combined authority and there are plans to elect a mayor for the entire area in two years. Labour claimed the government's "piecemeal approach" could mask big cuts to local councils' spending. On 14 July Solihull's full council will debate the plan to join other West Midlands authorities in talks over a proposed combined authority. Mr Sleigh said he told full council he intended to seek approval "for taking forward detailed discussions in principle" to support a combined authority. He said to achieve Solihull's ambition for sustainable economic growth, the borough "needs a high-performing regional platform of a scale and geography that attracts the significant inward investment needed to satisfy that ambition". Council leaders have previously said the combined authority, which could serve four million people, would help attract investment worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Summary: Solihull has moved closer to joining the proposal for a West Midlands combined authority.


The freeze will cost £640m over four years, less than the £1.9bn over five years cost projected by Transport for London during the election campaign. Mr Khan will review TfL's layers of management, cut agency staff, review projects and freeze salaries of top managers to make savings. Travelcards, monthly Oyster cards and daily caps are exempt from the freeze. The Liberal Democrats have criticised the mayor for breaking his fares freeze promise as the benefits will not be felt by passengers using travelcards. "Not what he said in his campaign," said Lib Dem London Assembly Member Caroline Pidgeon. Conservative group leader Gareth Bacon said: "Sadiq Khan was asked about his fares freeze thousands of times during the mayoral campaign. "Not once did he mention that this freeze would not include travelcards." Mr Khan said he could only freeze TfL fares, not those under the control of Department for Transport. "Londoners currently pay some of the highest public transport fares anywhere in the world," the mayor said. "My fares freeze on TfL services will make life easier for millions of people and will ensure that London becomes a more affordable city for all." London's transport commissioner, Mike Brown, said the savings needed to deliver a fares freeze for two years had been found, and the rest of the money could be found in the autumn. "For the first two years it is enshrined. The money is there. "Over the summer... all the money will be found. We will achieve this." The new mayor will:

Summary: Most passengers will pay the same fares in 2020 as they do now, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced.