At the same time though, they realise the Belgian jihadist's whereabouts was just one strand in a complex and evolving investigation being pursued under the enormous pressure created by the knowledge that their enemy may launch murderous follow-on attacks at any moment. On Wednesday evening, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins caused consternation when he revealed that "a new cell was neutralised" during the bloody raid of a flat in Saint Denis and that "this team would have been able to carry on other attacks". Suddenly we realised this was not those who'd escaped Friday's atrocities and that even if Abaaoud was proven to have been there, it was a different cell, heavily armed, that according to some official briefings was about to perpetrate a massacre in the financial district of La Defense. So we have received a salutary reminder that the journalistic narratives of an "eighth man" or an "escaped mastermind" often get in the way of understanding what is happening in a case like this. It might be done with integrity (based on official sources leaking information for their own reasons) or it might be no more than a social media echo chamber where some speculation soon becomes a "fact" bemused investigators are then quizzed about. Their inability to answer some of these questions might be seen as suspicious, whereas in fact it is no more than puzzlement. The question of how many people the authorities are looking for is in itself a complex one because the number is being added to all the time. When Mr Molins revealed on Wednesday, for example, that one of Friday's Stade de France attackers and one of the Bataclan theatre killers remained unidentified, it indicated a certainty that once those identities had been established it would generate additional lines of inquiry, raids and quite probably arrests. There have been so many of these police swoops - several hundred since Friday - that one has to ask whether they are simply taking this opportunity to bring in all sorts of jihadist suspects or whether the list of people they are looking for is much larger than we might suppose. After all, there are all manner of enablers or supporters who may be questioned for helping jihadist cells or simply complicit by their failure to report certain facts, even if they didn't have a direct role in the attack. Fanning the flames of uncertainty to achieve maximum effect, the Islamic State (IS) group on Thursday released two videos promising more attacks. "Christian countries," one speaker warned, "suicide bombers are present in your country in their tens, or rather in their hundreds." While one might dismiss this as mere propaganda, it's clear there are hundreds of returned jihadists in Western Europe, even if relatively few of them would be prepared to carry out an IS "martyrdom operation". Returning to the central issue of the 13 November perpetrators and their immediate network, there are reasons for believing it is considerably bigger than the eight men who carried out the attack. The day after these atrocities, the Iraqi government revealed

Summary: News that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, believed to be the ringleader of the Paris attacks, had died during a French police raid came as a welcome win for investigators.


The Planning Inspectorate has backed the council's decision to demand the property near Crymych is demolished. Owner's Charlie Hague and Megan Williams argued that the straw-walled house had low impact on the environment. But inspectors said that did not change rules on building in rural areas. "There is a lack of proper justification for the benefits of the low-impact development in this case for this matter to be given sufficient weight and to outweigh the policies which seek to control development in the countryside," ruled the planning inspector, Iwan Lloyd. The owners had been living in a caravan for four years, before moving into the new home just before their son Eli was born. Sculptor Mr Hague spent more than a year creating the single-storey dwelling from local materials. The couple were helped by friends and relatives at the neighbouring Lammas eco village. But Pembrokeshire council began enforcement proceedings earlier this year, after ruling it was an unauthorised dwelling built in open countryside. Deputy council leader Rob Lewis said he welcomed the planning inspector's decision. "Planning is a rigorous process with clear guidelines and if it is to be enforced fairly must also be upheld by everyone," he said. The enforcement notice gives the couple two months to demolish the property. However, the council will now consider a retrospective planning application for the house. "It will be considered on its merits," said Mr Lewis.

Summary: A Pembrokeshire couple who built a 'hobbit-style' eco home without planning consent have lost a demolition appeal.


The move came hours after it said it would abolish zero-hours contracts for its directly employed, casual retail staff. It will now employ them for at least 12 guaranteed hours a week instead. However almost all staff at the firm's troubled Shirebrook warehouse are agency workers and are not eligible. Sports Direct said the workers' rep would "give workers a voice at the highest level and to help ensure that all staff are treated with dignity and respect". It is not clear how the representative will be chosen, but it is expected that he or she will be elected. The retailer's founder, Mike Ashley, said the board move will offer a "great benefit" and provide "input [that] is invaluable". "I think it will be the one no-brainer that Sports Direct should have been doing," he said in a video interview released by Sports Direct on Tuesday night. "I want to be the pioneer who gets it done... I am going to make it happen." Investors: Sports Direct needs a new chairman Sports Direct workers share their experiences Earlier in the day, in a report commissioned by the firm, Sports Direct apologised for conditions at Shirebrook and admitted "serious shortcomings" in working practices. The retailer has been under mounting pressure to overhaul its operations. It commissioned its legal advisers Reynolds Porter Chamberlain to carry out the review after MPs accused the firm of not treating staff like humans, with working practices closer to "that of a Victorian workhouse than that of a modern high street retailer". The firm's offer of guaranteed hours will apply to the firm's 18,250 casual staff who work in its stores. The 4,059 warehouse workers supplied by agency staff, will not qualify for the offer. Just 400 of the firm's warehouse employees are on permanent contracts. In football, like most sports, timing is everything. Mike Ashley, the billionaire owner of Newcastle United and controlling shareholder of Sports Direct, knows this all too well. The release this morning of the independent review comes just a day before he faces irate shareholders at the annual general meeting. They, and trade unions, are baying for blood, and while the report may not mollify them, it changes the nature of the headlines the day before the showdown. The investigation is surprisingly hard on the company. Many had predicted a whitewash, as the law firm involved, Reynold Porter Chamberlain, does other work for Sports Direct. In a statement the company also promises a review of its corporate governance, and to engage with shareholders. That olive branch will probably come too late to change the tally at tomorrow's meeting, where chairman Keith Hellawell will almost certainly face the ignominy of having a majority of independent shareholders vote against his appointment. More from Dominic: Sports Direct review Profile of Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley Sports Direct 'needs a new chairman' Sports Direct staff 'not treated as humans' Last year an investigation by the Guardian newspaper revealed that warehouse staff were subject to lengthy security searches which, in some cases, resulted in their pay falling below the

Summary: Sports Direct, the retailer under fire for the treatment of its staff, says it will now put a workers' representative on its board.


The company has made an all-stock deal worth as much as $2.8bn (£1.9bn). Tesla shares fell 10% in extended trading after the announcement while SolarCity jumped 23%. California-based Tesla is known as a pioneer in electric cars but since last year has also been selling batteries that can power homes and businesses. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk described the deal as a "no brainer". He said it would transform Tesla into the "world's only vertically integrated energy company offering end-to-end clean energy products", from solar panels and home storage batteries to electric vehicles. Elon Musk is under serious pressure to make Tesla profitable. The path to that goal is two-fold. The cars may eventually bring in serious money, but the outlay needed to fund the manufacture of the vehicles is far greater than what sales are bringing in. But while Tesla is considered to be a carmaker first and foremost, the real money might be in selling energy technology. Its enormous Gigafactory, opening this summer, will be able to make batteries for much more than cars. The SolarCity purchase was always on the cards. Musk is already the firm's chairman and biggest shareholder, and the company's chief executive, Lyndon Rive, is Musk's cousin. Some are questioning why Tesla had to buy SolarCity rather than just work closely with it. SolarCity has struggled lately, and so some are calling this a Tesla-financed bailout.

Summary: US electric carmaker Tesla has offered to buy solar panel company SolarCity in a bid to expand its clean energy business.


Police in Aviemore were alerted to the climber's fall at Aladdin's Couloir, Coire an t-Sneachda, in the Northern Corries at about midday. Members of Cairngorm MRT and rescue personnel at Glenmore Lodge went to his aid. The helicopter based at Inverness Airport has airlifted the injured climber to Aberdeen Royal infirmary. He suffered serious head injuries in the fall.

Summary: Mountain rescue teams and an Inverness Coastguard helicopter crew have rescued a fallen climber.


The proposals were revealed in a draft improvement plan drawn up in response to Louise Casey's report, which branded the authority "not fit for purpose". Other suggestions include using mystery shoppers to test services. The council accepted previous training had been "a bit stale" with little buy-in from councillors. The Casey report was commissioned after an earlier inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay revealed that 1,400 children in the Rotherham area were abused by gangs of men, mainly of Pakistani origin, from 1997 to 2013. The improvement plan - which also includes exploring alternative governance models - will be considered by councillors on Friday. Commissioner Stella Manzie, one of five appointed to run the council, said the authority was "prioritising" training to ensure councillors were "well equipped" to perform their duties and "understand how to scrutinise performance". The improvement plan also suggests "political mentorship" of cabinet members, the leader of the opposition and leaders of other political groups be introduced by the end of June. She said training for staff would focus on areas including improving customer service, developing leadership and management skills and understanding how to work with politicians. One of the proposals is to introduce report writing training for council officers. Mrs Manzie said: "We won't be doing all this training all at once, we will prioritise it and make sure that it is spread over time and make sure that everybody who wants and needs it gets that opportunity." Prof Jay's report said there had been "blatant" collective failures by the council's leadership. Council leader Chris Read: "We've always had [training] but, to be honest, it's been a bit stale, there's not really been the buy-in from councillors. "We accept that we have got to take our share of the responsibility in Rotherham and that means we've got to get much better at being councillors so we're doing this quite intensive training programme."

Summary: Councillors and council staff in Rotherham will undergo training and political mentorship as part of a raft of measures to improve performance.


Media playback is not supported on this device Yu, 29, took the final three frames, closing with breaks of 66 and 70, for a 6-4 victory and a place in the last 32. World champion Mark Selby held his nerve to see off world number 68 Daniel Wells 6-4 after trailing 4-3. Scotland's three-time champion John Higgins came back from 3-2 down to beat Thailand's Noppon Saengkham 6-4. Welshman Mark Williams eased past England's Andrew Higginson 6-2, while Matthew Stevens beat Michael White 6-4 in an all-Welsh contest. England's Ali Carter beat Robbie Williams 6-2, but fellow Englishman Barry Hawkins went down 6-5 to Ireland's Fergal O'Brien, who made five centuries including three in a row at one stage. Media playback is not supported on this device "It was a battle," Selby told World Snooker. "My focus dipped in and out. It is still the early stages of the tournament, I don't want to peak too soon." Higgins won four of the last five frames to overcome Saengkham, ranked 69 places below him at 73 in the world. "I dodged a bullet there, I'm just delighted to get through," said Higgins. "I really did think I'd be heading up the road when I went 4-3 down. A lot of these boys are not frightened of top players any more. I felt as if the luck had ran out but the luck's still with me just now." Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app. Media playback is not supported on this device

Summary: World number two Stuart Bingham suffered a shock defeat by world number 62 Yu Delu of China in the second round of the UK Championship in York.


Roy and Shirley Erskine, from Dunblane, told the Radio Times magazine they had been sent "one or two nasty letters" about their grandson. Their daughter Judy told them to throw away the letters, which attacked the 29-year-old's behaviour on court and also criticised his accent. Mr Erskine, 82, said it was hard to deal with "very nasty" online comments. He said: "The people who write these comments, that's their prerogative, but I find it upsetting." Mrs Erskine, 84, told the magazine: "We've had one or two nasty letters. "One about Andy supposedly snarling on court, and another about his accent, saying he sounded American. "Just comments like that, but they do upset you. Judy would say, 'Put it in the bin, just forget it'. "She would tell me that there are always going to be people like that." Mrs Erskine said some of the letters provide light relief, with one man writing to tell them he thinks Murray needs to eat more baked beans. Her husband said he is one of the harshest critics of Murray's performance on court and prefers to watch him on television than live as he struggles to contain his language. He said: "If I'm at home I can kick the coffee table and use some language that I probably shouldn't." The couple revealed that Murray, who won a record fifth title at Queen's on Sunday, managed to take a run virtually unnoticed on Boxing Day. He ran from his mother's home in Bridge of Allan to nearby Dunblane, disguised in a beanie hat, and then visited the tennis courts where he watched a family game, before being recognised. Mrs Erskine said: "Andy went on court and hit with them. That must have been a lovely moment for those kids."

Summary: Andy Murray's grandparents say they have been left "upset" after receiving hate mail criticising the tennis star.


Gadlys Rovers' players found the goalposts facing away from pitch just hours before kick-off at Abernant in Rhondda Cynon Taff. It would have been impossible to score a goal as the stanchions that holds the net were pointing into the pitch. The amateur team play in the Aberdare Valley Football League. "I was amazed when I went to check the pitch," said team manager Matthew Jones. "To the right hand side I could see there was something wrong with the goals. They were the wrong way round. "I thought to myself: 'What the hell is going on?'" The 24-year-old boss was live streaming his pitch inspection in Abernant to his players when he made the discovery. Mr Jones complained to Rhondda Cynon Taf council and he said they maintained council workers had installed the goalposts correctly. "There's no way we could've played if it hadn't been sorted out," he added. "When I came back around 5.15pm they had been turned around the right way." A council spokesman said it had investigated the incident but later declined to comment further.

Summary: A football team has found a novel way of keeping a clean sheet - as the goalposts on their council-run pitch were installed the wrong way round.


The 38-year-old former Scotland and British and Irish Lions lock will work as a "resource coach". He will add expertise in the area of line-out play, while supporting the development of younger forwards. Meanwhile, scrum coach Massimo Cuttitta has left for personal reasons after almost six years with Scotland. Capped 77 times, Hines announced his retirement from international rugby following the 2011 World Cup. He will help the squad prepare for this year's tournament before broadening his role to include pro teams Edinburgh and Glasgow, the newly-established academies and international age-grade teams. "This is a fantastic opportunity to help a team I played with for 11 years," said Hines, a Heineken Cup winner with Leinster in 2011. "I think that Scotland have got some exceptional young players and I'm relishing the opportunity to help make them better than they already are. "They've got huge potential and I want to help them in their development." Hines played under Scotland head coach Vern Cotter at Clermont Auvergne and is pleased to be linking up with the New Zealander again. "The chance to work with Vern again is another great benefit of this role," he added. "He knows how I work and I know how he works, which might have been part of the decision why he asked me to come on board. We got on really well at Clermont. "Part of helping the team mature is sharing my experience and showing them how not to make the same mistakes I did, on my travels, and in my 11 years playing for Scotland."

Summary: Nathan Hines is to join the Scotland coaching staff after deciding to retire at the end of the season, midway through a two-year deal with Sale.


Lucas Piazon's calm finish gave the visitors a deserved 1-0 half-time lead. Fulham's Floyd Ayite capitalised on sloppy defending to feed Tom Cairney, who fired in the second. The win lifted Slavisa Jokanovic's side to within six points of the top six, with a game in hand, while City have lost 10 of their past 13 league games. Milan Djuric had arguably the hosts' best chance before the break, but he headed David Cotterill's dangerous cross narrowly over the crossbar. The visitors had time on the ball early on and some neat passing fed Piazon, who delicately lifted the ball past the on-rushing Fabian Giefer for the opener. A poor clearance from Adam Matthews then led to Fulham's second, as Cairney lashed Ayite's pass into the top corner. Fulham, who have now won five of their past seven games in all competitions, could have added to their tally, but Kevin McDonald glanced a corner just over the bar. Boos greeted the half-time and full-time whistles at Ashton Gate, as well as the second goal, with the Robins fans venting their frustration as they watched their side lose for a 13th time in 17 league games. Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson told BBC Radio Bristol: "I'm obviously angry, hurting and disappointed. "We didn't have the team energy today. I've got to find a team and a formation that gives us the talent and the energy to go and get close to people. "I don't think some players did enough, in terms of energy. But we have to go back to the drawing board. "I understand the fans' frustrations completely. 100%, I'm with them." Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic: "We played a very good game. We won three points, we took a clean sheet and we cut the distance between us and the top teams in the Championship. "I have to be satisfied with how my team is fighting and how they concentrated after our FA Cup exit a few days ago. "Lucas Piazon is fighting for every ball. He has been working very hard all season and today he scored a very nice goal." Match ends, Bristol City 0, Fulham 2. Second Half ends, Bristol City 0, Fulham 2. Attempt missed. Bobby Reid (Bristol City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Matty Taylor. Offside, Bristol City. Gary O'Neil tries a through ball, but Bobby Reid is caught offside. Foul by Sone Aluko (Fulham). Scott Golbourne (Bristol City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Delay over. They are ready to continue. Delay in match Kevin McDonald (Fulham) because of an injury. Hand ball by Matty Taylor (Bristol City). Attempt missed. Kevin McDonald (Fulham) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Stefan Johansen with a cross following a corner. Corner, Fulham. Conceded by Aden Flint. Corner, Fulham. Conceded by Fabian Giefer. Attempt saved. Bobby Reid (Bristol City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Joe Bryan. Tom Cairney (Fulham) wins

Summary: Fulham claimed a third Championship win in a row with a comfortable victory at Ashton Gate that left Bristol City just two points above the relegation zone.


The ex-Middlesex captain moved to Lord's from Essex in 2009 and has scored 5,977 first-class runs since making his debut for Kent in 2005. Dexter, 31, has taken 28 wickets in all formats this season and is two scalps short of his 100th first-class wicket. "It's a bit of a coup for the club," elite performance director Andrew McDonald told BBC Radio Leicester. "It is nice to have someone of Dexter's experience, leadership qualities and skill set join the club. "What he will offer in all three formats of the game is going to be superb. We felt that the little bit of extra experience was needed for this group to be the real deal next season. "It is a good sign when players like Dexter approach us. It shows the steps forward we are taking on and off the field."

Summary: Leicestershire have signed Middlesex all-rounder Neil Dexter on a three-year contract from the start of next season.


The 27-year-old Newtownards woman was third in her heat in a time of 11.57 seconds into a slight head wind. That was outside her own Irish record of 11.40 and the Rio Olympic Games qualifying standard of 11.32. Should Foster fail to make the final, Friday's race will be her last chance to attain the Olympic qualifying mark. Northern Ireland's Olympic Games qualifiers Ciara Mageean and Kerry O'Flaherty will not open their Amsterdam challenges until Friday when Christine McMahon and Ben Reynolds will also be in action. Other Rio-bound Northern Ireland athletes Paul Pollock, Kevin Seaward and Breege Connolly will run in the half-marathon events on Sunday as part of an Irish squad which will also include North Belfast's Glady Ganiel. Meanwhile Ireland's Marcus Lawler has qualified for the semi-final of the men's 200 metres.

Summary: Northern Ireland sprinter Amy Foster has reached Friday's semi-finals of the women's 100m at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam.


Jaseem Saeed, 39, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire was cleared of two counts of making threats to kill. His threats at the office of Paula Sherriff came three months before the death of MP Jo Cox in June. Saeed has been given a year-long community order for affray and must carry out 120 hours of unpaid work. Leeds Crown Court heard how he had become aggressive at the office of Ms Sherriff, Labour MP for Dewsbury, while asking for help with a passport application to travel to Iraq in March. He admitted the charge before he went on trial. Saeed appeared for the sentencing via video link from HMP Armley, where he had been on remand since the offence. The court heard Saeed threatened to shoot a case worker although the woman did not see a gun. Mr Justice Goss, who also appeared by video link from the Royal Courts of Justice, told him: "If you behave in this way again, I have already told you, you can expect a significant custodial sentence." He said it appeared that Saeed, who was originally from Iraq but has lived in the UK for 14 years, does not suffer from any psychiatric conditions but does have "anger management issues". Ms Sherriff's office is four miles (6km) from the constituency office in Birstall, where Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox died after being shot and stabbed outside her office.

Summary: A man who scared staff at an MP's constituency office has been warned he will go to jail if he ever repeats his actions.


Media playback is not supported on this device Cook, 34, signed for Jon Lewis' side following the news the county had been demoted for financial issues by the England and Wales Cricket Board. They go into Nottinghamshire's visit on Friday with a 48-point deficit. "Play some seriously good cricket and get promoted at the first attempt - what an incredible story," Cook said. "That's what you play cricket for, those moments to create history, and a moment of magic," he told BBC Look North. The South Africa Test batsman arrives at Chester-le-Street for the opening half of the season before joining up with his country for the series against England. Although his stay is relatively fleeting, Cook is keen to help establish a platform. "It appeals to me and I know the guys in the dressing room are hugely motivated," he said. "The hardships are well documented but we've got to use that as motivation rather than an excuse." Moving to Durham has allowed Cook to follow in his father Jimmy's footsteps, having spent the rest of his career in his native country with Gauteng and Lions. "To play county cricket has been a lifelong goal," Cook continued. "Ever since I was a young boy, it's the whole tradition and splendour of it all. "My dad played for Somerset many a year ago, I watched him from afar and always liked the idea of it. "He had a really successful time of it and if I can do half of that I'll have an enjoyable summer. "To be able to finally walk out there on Friday will be a great time for me."

Summary: Durham's bid for promotion to County Championship Division One despite a points penalty is a "wonderful challenge", says opener Stephen Cook.


Photographers and film-makers Kris Reid and Marty Bell, who grew up in the Highlands, and Sheffield-born Tom Welsh launched Tens in 2014. They initially raised money for the business through crowdfunding. The investment from Virgin Group founder, Sir Richard, will be used to promote sales of Tens overseas. At the moment, the UK is the largest market for the product. The three friends have not disclosed the value of Sir Richard's investment, but said it was "significant". Mr Bell, from Inverness, Mr Reid, who is also from Inverness and grew up in Beauly, and Mr Welsh met while studying at Napier University in Edinburgh. They came up with the idea to create their own sunglasses brand on a road trip in the Scottish Highlands.

Summary: A sunglasses brand founded by three friends in the Scottish Highlands and now based in Glasgow has secured investment from Sir Richard Branson.


The data would help ascertain which tower blocks fitted with cladding may be unsafe in the event of a fire. Lord Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association, said authorities lack the information they need to make such judgments. The test results, however, are considered commercially confidential. Lord Porter said: "The results that are done by the private sector must... be made public. Some tests have been done, but… the commercial companies that have done those tests are under no obligation [to share the information]." His call comes as the BBC learns that burning cladding on Grenfell Tower would have released 14 times more heat than a key government safety test allows. Lord Porter is seeking data from tests designed to check that cladding which contains combustible components is installed in a safe manner. These tests and studies would have taken place prior to the installation of cladding on buildings. They are the basis of the two principal routes for getting a proposed cladding design that uses combustible parts certified for use in a tall building. First, developers can seek approval for a design by testing the response to fire of a mock-up of their proposed cladding design in a laboratory - a so-called "fire test". Second, they can also by ask an engineer to certify that their design is similar to one that has already been tested - a so-called "desktop study". Some of the buildings discovered in recent weeks to have combustible exterior cladding may, in fact, be installed in a way that was robustly tested via a fire test. In such a case, removing the cladding may not be necessary. If, however, the cladding design has only been subjected to a desktop study, the evidence base supporting the cladding design may not be as robust. Newsnight has previously reported on cases where a desktop study argued that a design using aluminium composite panels did not need to be subjected to a fire test because it was similar enough to a design that had already been tested. That design, however, used ceramic tiles instead of aluminium panels - a material that behaves very differently in fire. The programme has also previously revealed that some building inspection agencies have approved buildings that use combustible cladding and insulation without even requesting a desktop study. In such cases, there may be no evidence at all supporting the design's safety. Officials have not, however, been able to obtain copies of tests and reports to establish how robust the evidence base is for each building. The reports are treated as commercially confidential and the intellectual property within them usually belongs to the makers of the insulation. Lord Porter told Newsnight that the laboratory responsible for doing most of the testing, the Buildings Research Establishment, "say that they can't share the test results… because they're subject to intellectual property… The tests that they've done belong to the companies." He said he was appealing to these companies to waive their rights to confidentiality. Lord Porter continued: "My worry is that the public will never have faith in

Summary: A local government leader has called for the release of confidential fire test data from private companies.


It was opposed to the ICC trying Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta on charges of crimes against humanity, said Ethiopia's Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. The AU would raise its concerns with the UN, he added. Mr Kenyatta, who was elected in March, is due to be tried in July. He denies the charges, which arise from accusations that he fuelled violence after disputed elections in 2007. Analysts say the charges bolstered his campaign in this year's poll, as many voters saw the trial as interference in Kenya's domestic affairs. He beat then-Prime Minister Raila Odinga by 50.07% to 43.28%, giving him a narrow victory in the first round. Speaking at the end of an AU summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, Mr Hailemariam said the cases of Mr Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto should be referred to the Kenyan courts. African leaders were concerned that out of those indicted by the ICC, "99% are Africans", Mr Hailemariam added. "This shows something is flawed within the system of the ICC and we object to that," he said. The ICC had been formed more than a decade ago to end the culture of impunity, but "now the process has degenerated into some kind of race hunting", Mr Hailemariam said. It was "chasing" Mr Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, despite the fact that the rival Kalenjin and Kikuyu ethnic groups, who had fought after the 2007 election, had come together to vote for them in the March poll, he added. "The AU is mandated by the assembly [of the AU] to take care of this issue, to present to the UN the core of this matter," Mr Hailemariam said. Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto were on opposite sides in the 2007 election, after which some 1,000 people were killed and 600,000 people fled their homes. The trial of Mr Ruto, who faces similar charges as Mr Kenyatta, was due to begin this month but it has been postponed. A new date is yet to be set. The ICC insists that it acts impartially, and says it intends to press ahead with the case against Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto. Source: ICC factsheet Kenyan lawyer Wilfred Nderitu, who represents about 150 victims of the violence, told BBC Focus on Africa he was concerned about the safety of witnesses if Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto were tried in local courts. He also doubted whether Kenya's judiciary was capable of dealing with such complex cases, he said. "A lot of judges don't have an international criminal justice background. Therefore, the technical expertise will be lacking," Mr Nderitu told BBC Focus on Africa. Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir attended the summit, in defiance of an ICC warrant for his arrest. It was unreasonable for the UN Security Council to refer Mr Bashir to the ICC when three of its five permanent members - the United States, Russia and China - had either not signed up to or not ratified the Rome Statute which established the ICC, said AU Peace and Security Council head Ramtane Lamamra, Reuters news agency reports.

Summary: The African Union (AU) has accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of "hunting" Africans because of their race.


Allegations of atrocities during the closing stages of that war have dogged the government ever since it ended. The rebels were also accused of abuses. The government has strenuously denied such allegations and insist they are on the path of reconciliation and rebuilding Sri Lanka's north. After independence from British rule, increasingly assertive Sinhala nationalists, resentful of what they saw as British favouritism towards minority Tamils, began to fan the flames of ethnic division. A Tamil separatist movement gained momentum during the 1970s when a number of armed Tamil groups emerged in the north and parts of eastern Sri Lanka. But in 1983 the insurgency was transformed after a brutal anti-Tamil backlash following the killing by insurgents of 13 soldiers spread throughout the country. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) emerged under the leadership of Velupillai Prabhakaran as a ruthless and highly effective fighting force. It came to run what was in effect a shadow state in the north and east. The group used suicide bombings and other attacks to devastating effect in the capital Colombo and elsewhere in the 1990s. It also killed high-profile figures, including Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa. After various peace initiatives and ceasefires failed, the government launched a final offensive in 2009 and defeated the Tigers. Until the final months of the war, the death toll for more than 25 years of conflict was estimated to be about 70,000. But the final phase, when the government and rebels battled it out as thousands of civilians were hemmed in to a tiny strip of land on the north-eastern coast, has been the subject of most scrutiny. Estimates range from 20,000-75,000 killed in the final assault, but a government estimate put the figure at about 9,000. A 2011 UN report said hospitals, UN centres and ships belonging to the Red Cross were deliberately targeted by the army. The government was accused of using heavy weaponry and UN images obtained by the BBC appeared to show shelling damage in a government-designated "safe zone" for civilians. The report also accused the Tamil Tigers of using civilians as human shields, saying the rebels shot those who tried to escape. It also said that the rebels positioned heavy weapons in hospital grounds. Sri Lanka rejected the claims in the report as biased and fraudulent. Critics say there has been little serious attempt to do this so far. The government appointed a Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, which cleared the military of allegations that it had deliberately attacked civilians. Rights groups dismissed the inquiry as "flawed". In September 2013 the government held elections for a semi-autonomous council in the island's Tamil-majority north, a move which it said was a significant step in the reconciliation process. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) won 30 seats in the 38-member council and now forms the first functioning provincial government in the north. The TNA's 80-year-old leader, Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, said the victory was a chance for everybody to "think afresh about the future". The overwhelming majority of analysts agree that in the

Summary: Sri Lanka's army defeated separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 after 26 years of civil war.


The body of Paul Jefferies, 52, was found by police at his house in Coggins Mill Lane, Mayfield, on 25 February following concerns for his welfare. A post-mortem examination showed he died from multiple injuries. The boy, from Crowborough, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is accused of killing Mr Jefferies on 23 February. He has appeared before magistrates. A 16-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man from Crowborough and a 17-year-old girl from Eastbourne were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. All three have been released on bail until 21 April.

Summary: A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a man found dead at his home in East Sussex.


China's leader attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace along with his wife, Peng Liyuan, on his four-day visit of the UK. There was chanting by pro and anti-China supporters and, during a press photo call for the Amnesty protesters, huge Chinese flags interrupted their line of vision and drumming from the groups in support of the leader intensified. People handed out bright red 'I love China' t-shirts and the crowds coming out in favour of President Xi dwarfed those who rallied against the communist ruler. Among Amnesty International protesters was Dr Shao Ting, a research scholar who was involved with the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest. Dr Shao, who now lives in London, says he was protesting because if the British government follows the Chinese model, it will "push the issue of human rights away". Amnesty, pro-Tibet and Falun Gong protesters watched on as the Mall was flanked by hordes of people clad in bright red shouting "Xi Jinping, Xi Jinping" as the politician was driven past in a gilded carriage. Amnesty protesters say they wanted to raise cases such as that of Cao Shunli, a human rights activist who died in police detention having been denied medical attention. Her family were reportedly denied access to her body. One pro-China group were visiting from Swansea University. They did not wish to be named, but one man says they were out supporting President Xi "because it (China) is our country - and we are so proud". "His visit will strengthen the link between the two countries and benefit both sides in terms of the economy." he said.

Summary: Protesters gathered at London's St James' Park as President of China Xi Jinping took part in a procession down The Mall.


SeaEnergy issued a statement to the stock exchange to say it is making losses, and trying to sell its assets. It warned that if it cannot find a deal, it may not be able to keep trading beyond May. The share price fell more than half following the news, but ended Friday 45% down on the day. It had already fallen more than 90% in a year - from 30p a year ago to 2.24p at the start of Friday trading. SeaEnergy was transformed from the oil explorer Ramco, and sought to find a niche in offshore renewable energy. After being forced to change tack due to a lack of funding for its ambitious wind farm plans, the Westhill-based company has been selling specialist software and specialist shipping technology to the oil and gas industry. It has also been seeking to diversify into other sectors. In a trading update, SeaEnergy said progress towards profitability was good until the oil price started falling, in late 2014. Clients cancelled or postponed orders. There were signs of improvement towards the end of last year, as budgets for 2016 were finalised. "But trading conditions deteriorated further," it has reported. Costs have been cut, and Sea Energy has given up its ship management role. "The loan facilities announced in November 2015, which were intended to bridge the gap to improved trading conditions, have proved to be insufficient and the company's cash position is becoming constrained," the company said in its statement. "Any short term improvement in performance would require a rapid upturn in the oil and gas market."

Summary: An Aberdeen firm which supplies specialist services to the oil and gas industry has warned that it is running out of cash.


His journey towards the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games as a para-canoeist has been one filled with life-changing obstacles and defined by a steely resolve. He began as a record-breaking junior world champion powerlifter. Then, after suffering a serious spinal injury, he embarked on an illustrious handcycling career. Marsden raced on the European circuit while based in the Czech Republic, before a neck problem again saw him admitted into the University Hospital of North Staffordshire in 2009 for what he thought was a prolapsed disc. Instead it was revealed that he suffers with a rare motor-neurone condition which affects his arms, legs and brain. "Through powerlifting I damaged my back many years ago, and after that I managed to damage my neck and had a couple of plates and (carbon) cage put in," the 44-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent told BBC East Midlands Today. In a matter-of-fact manner, Marsden says his sporting journey "has not been an easy one". When handcycling was no longer an option, he took up air rifle shooting and set his sights on London 2012, but while more representative honours came his way, he missed out on the Paralympics. Eventually, he turned to the water where he was able to combine aspects of his his first two sporting loves - powerlifting and handcycling - together in one explosive sport. "I didn't want to give up on sport," he said. "The cycling and powerlifting work quite well with the para-canoe - the gym work, the power and strength and then you have the endurance and speed work on the bike." The two-time para-canoe European champion and two-time world silver medallist now wants to realise his Paralympic ambition in Brazil when the British line-up is decided at the trials in Nottingham in June. "It would be the highlight of my sporting career," Marsden said. "As a kid I watched TV and watched the Olympics. I've seen how the Paralympics has built up over the years, from not really knowing what it was about to the status it has now, with athletes being household names. "It would be an honour to represent Great Britain at the Paralympics. "I'll be aiming for gold in Rio. There is no other place you want after all the hard work." At a warm weather training camp in Brazil, Marsden got a picture-perfect view of what he can look forward to if he does make the trip to Rio later this year. Taking a look at the city's regatta venue on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, the backdrop itself motivated him further. "It's a fantastic place," he said. "With Christ the Redeemer looking down on the regatta course, it has to be the best sporting location of any sport in the world." Interview by BBC East Midlands Today's Mark Shardlow. If you want to find out about how to get into canoeing, read our special guide.

Summary: Ian Marsden has lifted, cycled, fired and paddled for Great Britain during a sporting career that has seen him requiring reconstructive spinal surgery which left him needing to use a wheelchair.


Media playback is not supported on this device The winger, 22, was dismissed in the loss to St Johnstone after appearing to react to Stephen Mitchell's award of a foul throw. Tynecastle head coach Ian Cathro said after the game he would review the incident, but backed his player. But BBC Scotland has learned the club is not planning to lodge an appeal. Nicholson will be suspended for Saturday's home match against Dundee. "I want to see the footage [of Nicholson's red card]," Cathro said in his post-match interview following Wednesday's defeat in Perth. "I don't think there was any aggression directed in that. I take that quite clearly from how Sam describes the situation and from other players around it. That's something that needs looked at." Media playback is not supported on this device

Summary: Hearts will not appeal against the red card Sam Nicholson received for an alleged spit in the direction of an assistant referee at McDiarmid Park.


A study by professional services firm PwC found an average of six high street chain stores closed every week across Scotland last year. The figure was similar to 2013's but fewer new stores took their place. Overall, a net 66 shops disappeared from Scotland's high streets over the course of the year. The research found that mobile phone shops, bank branches and fashion stores were among those hardest hit. PwC said high streets were transforming as consumers increasingly adopted newer digital channels, mobile technologies and smartphone apps, adding that retailers were now favouring "clicks over bricks". Bruce Cartwright, head of business recovery services at PwC in Scotland, said: "The Scottish high street continues its drastic overhaul in response to the advance of online sales and changing consumer demand, with last year's numbers exposing the harsh impact of 'macro' changes on the high street, especially in certain sub-sectors. "Regulation has blindsided the money shops, the advance of technology has hammered some phone operators and the internet continues to dent the clothing sector. "Despite the Scottish economy reflecting healthy, sustainable growth during 2014 and into 2015, the net loss of shops has accelerated. "The insolvencies of Phones4U, Blockbuster, Albemarle & Bond and La Senza - a diverse cross-section of the retail market - epitomise these factors." He added: "Despite the continuing problem of closures, new sub-sectors - such as discount shops and charity shops - keep growing. "The strength of the restaurant and fast-food sectors is also a boost for the high street."

Summary: Scotland's high streets are facing drastic change because of pressure from online sales and changing consumer habits, according to a new report.


Hairdresser Jermaine McBride and a customer were attacked at her home at Woodside Heights in the Waterside area on Thursday morning. Police have arrested two men, aged 32 and 37, in connection with the incident and the attempted robbery of a Credit Union in Donemana. Mrs McBride said she felt lucky to be alive. "He says: 'Give me your keys.' I said: 'I don't have any keys, my husband's got my keys,' and he just punched me in the face and I fell to the floor," she said. "Then he just got on top of me and kept punching me in the head and in the face. "I called the woman to phone the police but she couldn't because she was too nervous. "She was holding a brush against him and I ran over to the neighbour and knocked on the door, and by the time I came back he had taken her bag and sped off." The two men left the scene in the client's car, taking her handbag and mobile phone with them. Mrs McBride said the attack has left her in pain and afraid to leave her own home. "It was all so quick. He just pushed the door open and punched me and then I was on the floor. "He lifted my head by the hair and kept punching me and I was just thinking: 'I'm going to die.' "His eyes were bulging out of his head, he was just really really angry. "I was covered in blood, my whole face was covered in blood. "My nose is cracked and is really sore and my head's sore but it could have been worse. I really do feel unsafe in my home," she said. "I always thought I would be a bit braver in situations like that, but I just knew if I had have even answered that man back I think I would have been killed. "I'm trying to keep busy because every time I'm on my own I keep busting out in tears. I wouldn't stay in the house at the minute."

Summary: Two women have been badly beaten during a hijacking in Londonderry.


Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said his party would oppose it, unless they were promised a second referendum on the UK's Brexit deal with EU leaders. Several Labour MPs are also willing to vote against it, despite the Labour Party pledging not to do so. The government says Lib Dem and Labour MPs are "trying to thwart and reverse the referendum result". With the support of Conservative MPs and the support or abstention of most Labour MPs, the bill is well placed to pass through the Commons. But the opposition of some MPs is likely to embolden critics in the House of Lords. The Liberal Democrats have long called for a referendum on the outcome of the government's negotiations with EU, but only now have they said they will definitely vote against Article 50 if their demand is not met. Mr Farron, whose party has eight MPs in the Commons, told BBC Radio 4's Today: "Article 50 would proceed but only if there is a referendum on the terms of the deal and if the British people are not respected then, yes, that is a red line and we would vote against the government." For Labour, shadow minister Catherine West, former leadership contender Owen Smith and south London MP Helen Hayes all made clear they were prepared to vote against Article 50 - which begins formal exit negotiations with the EU - if amendments were not accepted. Former Labour minister David Lammy and shadow transport minister Daniel Zeichner have said they would oppose Article 50. Opposition whip Thangam Debbonaire said she would also vote against it, if a vote were held imminently. The SNP's 54 MPs may join them. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said they will not vote for anything that undermines the will of the Scottish people, and has previously said they will vote against a bill to write EU provisions into British law to prepare for Brexit. Dulwich Labour MP Hayes said she was prepared to defy Labour whips to oppose the measure unless the government promised a second referendum. She said: "I had somebody in my surgery last week who was in tears because of Brexit and I see genuine distress amongst my constituents about what this path means. "I would not be representing them if I voted to trigger Article 50 on the basis of no information from the government about the path that they would then take us on." In posts on Twitter and Facebook earlier this week, shadow Foreign Office minister Catherine West wrote: "As I have said before, I stand with the people of Hornsey & Wood Green, and I will vote against Brexit in Parliament." Owen Smith confirmed to Today that if his bid for a second referendum failed, he was likely to oppose the bill. The SDLP's three MPs will also oppose the measure. Ministers said MPs voting against Article 50 would effectively be trying to re-run the referendum in the hope of a "different answer". "Parliament voted by a margin of six to one to put the decision on whether to

Summary: Liberal Democrat, some Labour and SDLP MPs have told the BBC they are prepared to vote against triggering Article 50.


The Labour leader said hospital waiting lists and financial deficits were rising and asked for a guarantee that the NHS, which he described as a "jewel in the crown", would be fully funded. The PM said the NHS was treating more people and outcomes were improving. He insisted that a strong economy was the backbone of a strong NHS. The exchange comes amid a bitter row between health secretary Jeremy Hunt and junior doctors over proposed changes to their contracts. Mr Corbyn said the prime minister was "trying to dig himself out of a hole" over the issue and Labour would be demanding more details of the government's latest pay offer. Turning to the wider situation in the NHS, the first time he has specifically raised the health service at PMQs since he became leader, Mr Corbyn quoted a senior figure from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine as saying "this winter will be worse than last winter and the last winter was the worst we have ever had". Mr Corbyn said that, since 2010, waiting lists at English hospitals had gone up by a third, while 3.5 million people were now waiting to be treated. He went on to quote the King's Fund think tank which he said had warned of a "rapid decline in patient care" without extra funding. "The NHS is in a problem, a problem of deficits in many hospitals, it's in a problem of waiting lists, it's in a problem of the financial crisis that has been faced with so many others. "Can you address that issue and ensure everyone in this country can rely on the NHS which is surely the jewel in all of our crowns." Mr Cameron said the Royal College of Emergency Medicine supported reforms to the NHS to create a truly seven-day-a week service and insisted that the government was committed to providing the billions in extra funding a year sought by senior NHS officials. "I believe the NHS has the resources it needs and that is why we are seeing it treat more patients, more drugs being delivered, more tests being carried out. It is a much stronger NHS and the reason is simple. We have a much stronger economy." For the fifth PMQs running, Mr Corbyn also raised the issue of tax credits, pressing the prime minister again for a guarantee that no-one would lose out from cuts to working tax credits from next April. He cited the case of a serving soldier with children who he said would be Â£2,000 worse off. Mr Cameron said the soldier in question would benefit from the increase in the personal tax allowance and an expansion in subsidised childcare but went on to defend the government's goal of a "low welfare, low tax, high pay" economy. He told the Labour leader would have to wait three weeks until the Autumn Statement to learn the government's revised proposals following its recent defeat in the House of Commons, accusing him of opposing every single reform in the area and supporting unlimited benefits. Mr Cameron tried

Summary: Jeremy Corbyn has warned of the risk of another "winter crisis" in the NHS as he and David Cameron clashed over health at Prime Minister's Questions.


A spokesman said Moscow regretted "that the West is yet again displaying a complete lack of interest" in resolving the crisis in south-east Ukraine. Russia was developing "retaliatory measures", the spokesman said. The US sanctions focused on Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in March. US President Barack Obama signed an executive order to ban the export of goods, technology and services to Crimea, in addition to new sanctions on Russian and Ukrainian individuals and companies. Mr Obama said the move showed the US would never accept Russia's annexation of Crimea. Similar measures agreed by the European Union earlier this week came into effect on Saturday. Canada announced its own sanctions on Crimea on Friday. After the peninsula was annexed, pro-Russian separatists took control of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine in April, and later declared independence. Some 4,700 people have died and another million have been displaced by fighting in recent months. On Friday, five Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting - the highest death toll since the latest attempt at a ceasefire began on 9 December. In addition to the goods, technology and services ban, US individuals or companies cannot now buy any real estate or businesses in Crimea or fund Crimean firms. The new measures also include sanctions on 24 Ukrainian and Russian individuals and on a number of companies deemed to be destabilising Ukraine. They include the Russian equity investment group, Marshall Capital Partners. The Night Wolves biker group is also targeted for its involvement in military action in Crimea. The European Union announced its own sanctions against the region on Thursday. All investment in Crimea is banned, as is participation in Russian oil and gas exploration in the Black Sea. European cruise ships will not be able to visit the peninsula's ports. But like the EU, Mr Obama said he would not yet impose new sanctions on Russia itself, urging it again to de-escalate the tension in eastern Ukraine. "The US and Canada still cannot come to terms with the results of the free expression of will that the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol made in March," Russia's foreign ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said in a statement. "The residents of Crimea today are together with the whole Russian people, who have never caved in and will not cave in to external pressure." Mr Obama said: "I again call on Russia to end its occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea, cease its support to separatists in eastern Ukraine, and fulfil its commitments under the Minsk agreement." The agreement signed by Ukraine and the rebels in Minsk, in Belarus, in September, put in place a ceasefire and set out the terms for a peace process. But Mr Lukashevich said sanctions against rebel leaders in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine undermined the political process. He concluded by advising Washington and Ottawa "to consider the consequences" of their actions. More than 1,000 people have been killed since the Minsk deal. The Ukraine crisis began a year ago, when pro-Moscow leader Viktor Yanukovych abandoned an

Summary: Russia says it will not "cave in" to pressure, following a fresh set of US, EU and Canadian sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine.


More than 100 schools have been closed. The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it was "experiencing difficulty in responding to some emergency calls" due to the weather. "We would ask that people only call 999 in a real emergency and to remain patient if there is a delay in ambulance response," the NIAS said. It said NIAS staff would "continue to prioritise calls on the basis of clinical need". A number of Translink Metro bus services were also affected on Thursday due to the snow. The Upper Hightown Road in Belfast has been closed because of poor road conditions. Police patrols in the area appealed to the public to avoid the road and obey the cordon and diversion signs. The Met Office said a yellow warning of snow and ice will remain in place until 11:00 GMT on Friday. Parents of pupils at Loughash primary school, Dunamanagh, County Tyrone, are advised that the school will be closed on Friday. Transport NI, formerly known as Roads Service, said that strong winds are also likely to combine with the snow to make conditions more difficult. It said salting and ploughing operations are continuing. Police have advised drivers to slow down, put their lights on, leave more room to stop than usual and brake gently to avoid skidding. "Drive slowly on snow in the highest gear possible," a PSNI statement said. "Do not assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads," it added. Places in the south east of Northern Ireland that do not have much snow will still be bitterly cold and will be at risk of ice, forecasters have said. The cold weather will continue throughout Thursday and it will remain very cold until the beginning of next week. Check out the latest travel news for Northern Ireland For the latest on the roads visit the BBC's travel news page and keep up-to-date with the latest updates on BBC News NI's Live pages. Alternatively, for regular travel bulletins listen live to BBC Radio Ulster and follow @BBCNITravel. Below are a number of other traffic information sources. Trafficwatch NII Transport NI Translink @PSNITraffic

Summary: Snow showers are continuing to affect the road network across Northern Ireland on Thursday and there is also the risk of ice on roads.


The 31-year-old joins former QPR team-mates Joey Barton and Clint Hill at Ibrox as he becomes Mark Warburton's sixth summer signing. Kranjcar, capped 81 times for his country, was a free agent following a spell with New York Cosmos. "We are delighted to secure a player of Niko's undoubted qualities," said manager Warburton. "Such a signing shows our desire to achieve a positive balance between young, hungry players and the undoubted necessity of experience and maturity. "In addition, I would like to thank the Cosmos for the highly professional manner in which they have conducted their business throughout this process. It has been a pleasure to deal with them." Kranjcar, who has not represented Croatia since 2013, had only been with Cosmos since March after being released by Dynamo Kiev. He revealed a three-hour dinner with Warburton in New York last month convinced him that coming to Scotland was the right move. "It was probably the most important thing," Kranjcar said. "We had a great, great talk where I found out how much I really wanted this deal to happen. "That was my first question - I hope the goal is to win the league. "I believe a club the size of Rangers, whatever situation it is in or was in the previous years, has to fight to win the league and to win it. "That is something you want to achieve when you come to a club the size of Rangers, you want to win the league and you want to fight for every title." Kranjcar previously had spells at Portsmouth, Tottenham and QPR in England after starting his career at Dinamo Zagreb in his native Croatia and then moving to Hajduk Split. As well as Barton and Hill, he joins ex-Liverpool youngster Jordan Rossiter and former Accrington duo Josh Windass and Matt Crooks as new arrivals at Ibrox. Former Burnley goalkeeper Matt Gilks could be the next, while Warburton is also looking for more cover at full-back and up front. "With his passing, creativity and top-level experience, a fully-fit and match sharp Kranjcar would be an asset to Rangers but where does he fit into the side? "He has never been a winger, even if he was often posted out wide during his spells at Portsmouth and Tottenham. By nature and talent, he is a classic number 10, a player to sit in the hole behind a main striker and orchestrate attacks without being concerned about defensive duties. "Rangers manager Mark Warburton has always tended to play 4-3-3 with a sitting midfielder, so Kranjcar would need to play in one of the advanced central midfield roles." Read more: 'Kranjcar can shine if rust is overcome' Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Summary: Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar has signed for Rangers on a two-year deal after completing a medical.


Joachim Low's world champions went ahead through Mario Gomez's penalty after 13 minutes. But Slovakia, who are in the same group as England and Wales in France, hit back through Marek Hamsik, Michal Duris and Juraj Kucka in Augsburg. The game was played in heavy rain with concerns the match might be abandoned. Germany, who are in the same group as Northern Ireland at Euro 2016, have to finalise their 23-man squad by midnight on Tuesday. Elsewhere, Euro 2012 winners Spain continued their preparations for the defence of their title with a 3-1 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Switzerland. Celta Vigo forward Nolito scored the opening two goals for Vicente del Bosque's side. Chelsea midfielder Pedro added a late third after Emir Spahic, who was later sent off, had reduced the deficit for Bosnia. Spain gave a debut at right-back for Arsenal's Hector Bellerin. Southampton's Graziano Pelle scored the only goal as Italy beat Scotland 1-0 in Malta, while Portugal - who meet England at Wembley on Thursday - were 3-0 winners at home to Norway.

Summary: Germany suffered a third defeat in four games as they were beaten 3-1 by Slovakia in the final match before their Euro 2016 squad is finalised.


Jo Meeke and Matt Gurney's son Puck died in hospital following complications in labour. They have set up an appeal to create an outdoor space for other grieving families and hospital staff. Ms Meeke, from Bosham in West Sussex, said she hoped the woodland would help people on the "long journey" of coping with the death of a child. She had an "uncomplicated dream pregnancy" but after complications in labour, Puck was born via emergency Caesarean section on 15 March. He was transferred from St Richard's Hospital in Chichester to Southampton General Hospital's neonatal ward, where he died the following day. When it became clear he would not survive, the couple had 30 minutes to say goodbye. Ms Meeke said the time together had been "a special moment that will live with us forever". "The hardest thing we're having to deal with now is the immediate raw grief of looking at photos of our son, knowing we're not going to hold that little boy," she said. "But it's all the other things we had planned for our family moving on - suddenly those things are not going to happen." The couple has set up the Puck's Promise appeal and aim to crowd-fund £65,000 to buy the woodland. Mr Gurney said he hoped it would bring "something positive" out of their experience. "I'd primarily like families who have lost children in some way to be able to use it, for a walk or overnight camp, to be with other people who have been though the same thing."

Summary: A couple who lost their newborn baby have raised more than £12,000 towards buying an area of woodland in his name.


The watchdog is working with social media and leafleting every household about signing up. It has backed Facebook's new "life event" feature enabling people to tell friends they have registered to vote. The ballot on 18 September will ask the "Yes/No" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" More than 4.1m people had registered to vote by 10 March 2014, according to the Commission's most recent figures. Those eligible to vote in Scotland include British, Irish and all other EU citizens as well as Commonwealth citizens. For the first time in the UK, the minimum voting age in the referendum has been lowered to 16. On 18 September millions of voters in Scotland will be able to decide whether their country should become independent. But how do voters register and then cast their ballot? BBC Scotland reporter Andrew Black takes you through the steps in this interactive guide. The Electoral Commission says that people must register to vote by 2 September. Scottish Facebook users who visit the social network site over the next few weeks will see posts in their newsfeed about an interactive referendum guide from the commission. Facebook politics and government specialist Elizabeth Linder said: "Millions of people from all walks of life use Facebook in Scotland, and have turned to Facebook in recent weeks to share their views on the independence debate. "But participating in the debate online isn't enough to get your opinion counted on September 18. "If you're not registered, you can't vote. It's that simple. "We hope that by enabling millions of people in Scotland to see this guide in their Facebook newsfeed, more people will know how to cast their ballot and have their say." As well as targeting young voters, the Electoral Commission is targeting other groups who are less likely to be registered to vote, including students and the homeless. Alex Robertson, director of communication at the commission, said: "We're working hard to make sure we reach all potential voters with our information campaign but we don't want to take any chances. "We're asking people to help spread the word and make sure that no one misses out on having their say. "We've produced lots of resources that people can use to do this. "They are free to use and anyone can get them from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk or by calling our helpline on 0800 3 280 280."

Summary: The Electoral Commission is intensifying efforts to encourage people in Scotland to register to vote in next month's referendum.


Glasgow Sheriff Court has previously heard that Harry Clarke was unconscious at the wheel when the lorry hit pedestrians on 22 December last year. First Bus inspector John Stewart told the FAI that Mr Clarke had blacked out while unwell at a bus stop in 2010. The inquiry is examining the bin lorry, its route and Mr Clarke's health. Mr Stewart told the second day of the FAI, which is being overseen by Sheriff John Beckett QC, that he was an inspector and had been with First Bus Glasgow for 12 years. He referred to notes he had taken on a Blackberry, detailing an incident involving Mr Clarke, while he was a bus driver, on 7 April 2010. The notes of his daily report from that day state Mr Clarke "blacked out for a couple of minutes" while at a bus stop having "taken unwell". Mr Stewart said he was alerted by a passenger on the number 54 bus that the driver had collapsed at the wheel. The witness said Mr Clarke was still in the driver's seat of the bus when he arrived at the scene, but there were no passengers on board. An ambulance was called and paramedics arrived to attend to Mr Clarke who was given the all clear and refused to go to hospital. He was not allowed to drive the bus back, which was returned to the depot by Mr Stewart. The witness said his involvement ended as soon as he left Mr Clarke and that he assumed the driver would have been sent to the company doctor. Mr Stewart, under cross-examination from Dorothy Bain QC, agreed that "other people could be killed" due to a driver being "out of control" of the bus. The witness said he did not know if a driver who had blacked out would be suspended, but he said he would not let them drive. Going back over Mr Stewart's report, it was noted that Mr Clarke had driven the bus to the stop he was at after blacking out. Mr Stewart said Mr Clarke "should have used his common sense" and not driven the bus, but said "you would have to ask him". Ms Bain asked Mr Stewart if knew that Mr Clarke was suspended from driving and had to attend doctor's appointments. The witness said he did not. The court was then shown a letter from a First Bus doctor saying Mr Clarke had suffered "loss of consciousness". In a letter, the doctor said Mr Clarke was advised that "he does not need to inform the DVLA of the incident". Ms Bain asked Mr Stewart if he knew Mr Clarke had reported passing out in a canteen at work that same day in 2010. The witness said he did not know. Mr Stewart said he could not confirm if Mr Clarke had been suffering from dizzy spells, but said he would have stopped him driving if he had. Mr Stewart will give evidence on Friday when the FAI resumes for a third day. Earlier, the inquiry heard again from Henry

Summary: The fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the Glasgow bin lorry crash which killed six people has heard the driver blacked out before while driving a bus.


Jamie Johnstone, 21, from Cranhill, died after being found with serious injuries in Balbeggie Street, Sandyhills, on 16 January. Police have confirmed that a 25-year-old man has been arrested and is being detained in connection with the incident. Nico Donnelly has already been charged with the murder of Mr Johnstone. He made no plea or declaration during a private hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday. The 22-year-old, from Cambuslang, was remanded in custody.

Summary: A second man has been arrested following the death of a man outside a block of flats in Glasgow.


The 20-year-old hit six fours, showing no ill-effects from the break to the same finger that caused him to leave England's winter tour of India early. Hameed was eventually bowled by seamer Jamie Porter as the visitors reached 319, thanks largely to a counter-attacking 74 from debutant Dale Vilas. Essex were 35-2 in reply at the close. After Lancashire opted to bat first, Hameed, playing after being hurt on the same finger practising against the Cambridge students this week, shared a third-wicket stand of 68 with Liam Livingstone. Steven Croft (48) then gave the visitors' innings impetus, but a flurry of wickets in the afternoon session put Essex in charge as Lancashire were reduced to 160-6. On his Essex debut, former Lancashire paceman Neil Wagner (3-100) and Aaron Beard (3-47) did the damage, along with the run-out of Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 15 by substitute fielder Callum Taylor. South African Kolpak signing Vilas struck 10 boundaries as his 101-ball innings to ensure there was no collapse from the visitors, but their total was still looking a little below par when he was the penultimate batsman out with the total on 268. However, England's James Anderson (13 not out) joined Kyle Jarvis (28) to put on 51 runs in fewer than 10 overs, which frustrated the hosts, taking Lancashire past 300, giving them a third batting point. Essex faced nine overs before stumps and began their reply solidly enough, but Jarvis and Anderson took a late wicket apiece to give their side a slight edge. Essex's former Lancashire paceman Neil Wagner told BBC Radio Essex: "It was tough graft out there. It was a pretty unresponsive wicket. It was quite good batting conditions with no cloud or moisture in the air and not much swing. And they played very well. "It was a wicket where if you gave yourself time it will work for you and Dane Vilas showed that. Once you got in and set on the wicket you could score freely and for long periods of time. "It was an outstanding delivery by Jamie Porter to remove Haseeb Hameed. He is a batsman who leaves the ball really well and makes good decisions. So it was a pretty good ball. "Aaron Beard is an outstanding prospect for Essex. I am very excited watching him bowl. I love working with him, he's a good kid. He's still young and the talent and ability he's got at the moment is something to be very excited about." Lancashire's England opener Haseeb Hameed told BBC Radio Manchester: "The finger is fine now. It felt almost back to normal. It was a bit of a freak incident last week, injuring it in the warm-up and it was quite painful when I batted. "We made the right decision in getting it checked out and thankfully it was all OK. It was the same finger I injured before. I was doing some short-leg practice and trapped it between ball and turf. "It swelled up quite a lot and became painful. The surgeon has suggested that when there is a

Summary: England opener Haseeb Hameed shook off a hand injury to make a confident 47 as Lancashire edged a see-saw first day of the new season against Essex.


Lawro's opponent for this weekend's Premier League fixtures is England cricket star Stuart Broad. Media playback is not supported on this device The Ashes hero is a Nottingham Forest fan who saw his team beaten 8-1 by Manchester United on his first trip to the City Ground in 1999. "I remember the guy who was sat in front of us arrived late and left early to avoid the traffic, and he missed about five goals," Broad told BBC Sport. "So it was a bit of a learning experience - now I always make sure I get to a game early and stay until the end." Make your predictions now, compare them to Lawro and other fans and try to take your team to the top of the leaderboard by playing the new BBC Sport Predictor game. Our scoring system has changed this season and a correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is now worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points. Last weekend, Lawro got five correct results from 10 Premier League games, including one perfect score. His score of 80 points saw him beat ex-F1 driver Mark Webber, who picked five correct results with no perfect scores, for a total of 50. We are keeping a record of the totals for Lawro and his guests (below), and showing a table of how the Premier League would look if all of Lawro's predictions were correct (at the bottom of the page). All kick-offs 15:00 BST unless otherwise stated Lawro's prediction: 1-1 Broad's prediction: It is time for Chelsea to bounce back. 2-0 Match report Lawro's prediction: 1-2 Broad's prediction: 2-2 Match report Lawro's prediction: 2-0 Broad's prediction: 3-1 Match report Lawro's prediction: 2-0 Broad's prediction: 1-1 Match report Lawro's prediction: 2-0 Broad's prediction: 1-0 Match report Lawro's prediction: 1-1 Broad's prediction: 1-2 Match report Lawro's prediction: 2-0 Broad's prediction: 3-0 Match report Lawro's prediction: 2-0 Broad's prediction: 2-1 Match report Lawro's prediction: 2-0 Broad's prediction: 3-1 Match report Lawro's prediction: 2-1 Broad's prediction: 0-0 Match report Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan. Lawro's best score: 140 points (week three v Jack Whitehall & week four v Darren Campbell) Lawro's worst score: 20 points (week one v Graeme Swann)

Summary: BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson is pitting his wits against a different guest each week this season.


The Ministry of Justice announced a new formula for calculating compensation payments for those who suffer long-term injuries, which means insurers will have to increase payouts. As a result, Direct Line said profits for 2016 had fallen 30% to £353m. However, it said it had seen strong growth in home and car insurance. While the changes to compensation calculations affected Direct Line's results for 2016, the company added that it did "not expect any material residual impact on 2017 profit" as a result of the reform. When the change to the payout formula was announced, a number of insurance companies said their profits would be hit. The Ministry of Justice said it was reducing what is known as the discount rate from 2.5% to minus 0.75%. The move will result in more money for the victims of accidents, and so increase costs for insurance companies.

Summary: Insurance company Direct Line has said last week's changes to the way accident victims are compensated has dented pre-tax profits by £217m.


During eight months of hearings Lord Leveson heard from some witnesses - like ex-motorsport head Max Mosley - who called for new laws to set up a tribunal which would control the press. Others, like Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, argued against statutory legislation, saying it would compromise Britain's free press. BBC News asked a selection of Leveson witnesses, and other interested parties, what they wanted out of Lord Leveson's report. The Leveson Inquiry has heard appalling evidence of press malpractice, abuse and criminality. It must have shocked the chairman as it did everyone watching. So I am optimistic he will put forward recommendations to ensure this stops. Surprisingly, given what has happened, we already have quite good press laws and the laws are backed by a code. The problem is you can't go to law unless you are rich, and several national newspapers simply ignore their own code. My hope is that Lord Justice Leveson will recommend that the power to enforce the law and the industry's own code be given to an entirely independent tribunal to which everyone has access irrespective of their means. This would require a statute. It will not have escaped him that the newspaper industry, prompted by three Royal Commissions and several judicial inquiries, has promised on at least five occasions in the last 60 years to put its house in order. It has never kept its word. So I hope he flatly rejects the Hunt/Black proposal for no statute and a mere contract between the newspapers. It amounts to "trust us - we're journalists". Given the industry's record, this is, well, laughable. British journalism has been poisoned in recent years by something that happened at most of our national newspapers. They became unaccountable, and then they became arrogant and cruel. An editor at the News of the World summed up the attitude. 'This is what we do,' he said. 'We go out and destroy other people's lives.' That's not what most journalists think, but nor, sadly, has it been the view of a tiny minority. Almost every national newspaper participated in the attempt to destroy the lives of Gerry and Kate McCann. Eight newspapers tried to destroy the life of Christopher Jefferies, the Bristol teacher wrongly accused of murder. This is bad for a profession whose mission, I was taught as a young reporter, is to bear witness to the world in a truthful way. I want a body capable of asking the hard questions, pointing the finger of blame and ensuring that lessons are learned. It must be independent of the industry and of government and it should have the clout to ensure that mighty news organisations take heed. Nobody at the Leveson Inquiry suggested that the judge should gag papers. They did ask, however, that stories should be properly researched and checked, that they should be fair, and that, if they risk harming anyone, they should pass a basic public interest test. I don't think any ethical journalist would want anything different. There has been one central issue at the heart of the

Summary: Lord Leveson's exhaustive inquiry into the media is due to report on Thursday with recommendations on the future regulation of the press and conduct between the press, politicians and police.


As well as minor public order offences, 10 of the arrests concerned alleged sectarian breaches of the peace. Eleven men are expected to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday; five others are subject of a report to the procurator fiscal; three were issued with a fixed penalty notice. Police said the behaviour of most fans at the game was "excellent". Match commander Ch Supt Andy Bates said: "As usual the vast majority of the 50,000 fans were here to enjoy the game and support their respective team; they deserve credit for their excellent behaviour. "However, again, it is the minority of fans who spoiled the occasion by for example setting off flares and singing sectarian songs. "We dealt with any incidents swiftly and with minimum disruption. As at 1700 hours, 19 men have been arrested for a number of offences - mostly alleged minor public order offences but include 10 arrests for alleged sectarian BOPs (breaches of the peace)."

Summary: Police have said 19 men were arrested for offences connected with the Celtic-Rangers football match in Glasgow.


Down 0-15 0-14 Derry Armagh 2-19 0-09 Queen's Antrim 0-09 2-20 Monaghan St Mary's 0-13 2-13 Fermanagh Donegal 1-06 2-14 Cavan Tyrone 2-17 1-07 UU

Summary: Bank of Ireland Dr McKenna Cup results


Media playback is not supported on this device Phelan, 53, was promoted from assistant boss to caretaker manager when Steve Bruce resigned in July. Despite a threadbare squad, he has a 100% Premier League record with wins over Leicester and Swansea. "He can handle the situation at Hull and the players are playing for him," Neville told BBC's Match of the Day. Phelan chose not to make a substitution last week and only made one in the 2-0 victory against Swansea, bringing on Shaun Maloney, who scored the opening goal. Hull are yet to make their first signing of the summer transfer window, despite the departure of several members of last season's promotion-winning squad and a long injury list. Phelan worked under Sir Alex Ferguson for 12 years, having served as a first-team coach from 2001 and assistant manager from 2008-2013. Neville said that experience means he is equipped to deal with the pressure at Hull. If you talk about someone who deserves the opportunity then it's Mick Phelan "He's done an incredible job so far," added Neville, who was part of the United squad when Phelan was on the coaching staff. "Mick's galvanised that team spirit. They've had a horrendous pre-season. They've got no squad and he's had kids on the bench. "If you talk about someone who deserves the opportunity then it's Mick Phelan." Hull's win over Swansea, which took them third in the table, was sealed by an injury-time goal from Abel Hernandez. The away fans at the Liberty Stadium chanted 'we want Phelan in' but he knows he must continue to win matches if he is to get the job on a full-time basis. He said: "It was nice to hear them singing that - it's better than hearing them singing 'we want Phelan out'. "I think everyone knows we have decisions to make on my future, the future of the staff and the ownership."

Summary: Hull City should give Mike Phelan the manager's job on a full-time basis, former England defender Phil Neville told BBC's Match of the Day.


Emergency services were called to the incident at Daldowie Crematorium, off the M74, near Uddingston, at about 12:30 on Thursday. Two men were taken to Wishaw General Hospital for treatment. Police said at the time there was no truth in social media speculation about a firearms incident.

Summary: A 56-year-old man has been arrested after a disturbance at a crematorium in Glasgow.


They can be bought for a fraction of the genuine fare on the "dark web", using the virtual currency Bitcoin. BBC South East bought a first class fare from Hastings to Manchester, and a monthly ticket between Gatwick and London, using them without problems. The fraudsters said they were offering "an affordable public service". The group, who are not being named by the BBC, said in a statement: "The train companies keep stuffing their pockets with public subsidies while treating the operation of rail services as an inconvenience. "No-one should be ashamed of getting one over companies like Southern Rail. "We wish one day everyone will be able to use an affordable public service. Until then, we will be providing it." The fake first class ticket to Manchester was purchased for £111, instead of £285, while the monthly season ticket from Gatwick was sold to the BBC for £100 rather than the retail price of £308. The web-seller said the magnetic strips would not work but rail staff would still let passengers through the barriers. The fake tickets were used on 12 occasions, and each time they failed to be accepted by the barriers, but BBC reporters were allowed through without any questions asked. They were also carrying genuine tickets. Rail fraud investigator Mike Keeber said the counterfeit tickets were very convincing, but "there's something on there that shouldn't be on there". "I'd rather not say what it is, as people who make this [could] change it and make our lives harder." Some transport firms are testing new technology, including Transport for London which uses bank cards, so everything is traceable back to an individual's bank. The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, said fare dodgers "deprived the railway" of about £200m a year. It said staff carried out regular inspections on trains and at stations, and being in possession of a forged ticket was a criminal offence, risking a hefty fine or prison sentence. Det Insp Jeremy Banks, from British Transport Police's Cyber Crime Unit, added that it worked closely with the rail industry, and police forces nationally, "to investigate fraud and bring offenders before the courts". "We are aware that criminals have been using the dark web in order to exploit rail firms by fraudulently selling tickets," he said. Watch a full report on BBC Inside Out South East - BBC One on Monday 31 October 19:30 GMT.

Summary: Forged rail tickets are being sold on a hidden part of the internet and being used at stations without detection, an undercover BBC investigation has found.


An extraordinary congress in Freetown on Thursday ended with Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) president Isha Johansen and her biggest critics embracing and shaking hands to pave the way for a fresh beginning for football in the country. One of the major reasons for the tension between aggrieved stakeholders and the SLFA executive committee was the setting up of an appropriate body to investigate match-fixing allegations. It's a good day. Football is bigger than us. What I want is a genuine and lasting peace This has now been resolved with the formation of an ethics body - a first for Sierra Leone football. It will be one of the association's judicial bodies and will investigate four Sierra Leone internationals, referees and administrators accused of match-fixing by the SLFA. The convening of the first congress under the current SLFA administration came about after Sierra Leone's president Ernest Bai Koroma gave the SLFA an ultimatum to solve their internal dispute on or before March 31, 2017. It was also in line with a peace road map set out by Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura (pictured below) when she visited Freetown last November. "I'm extremely happy. It's the start of a good working relationship between us and the stakeholders," said Johansen. "It's a good day. Football is bigger than us. What I want is a genuine and lasting peace." The extraordinary general assembly also paved the way for nine out of 14 Premier League teams to put an end to a breakaway league to participate in the country's top tier league which will commence soon. At the end of the congress Johansen said: "I'm pleased to announce that we are ready to play football everywhere in Sierra Leone at all levels." She also stated that the SLFA would provide almost $29,000 for the commencement of the Premier League and it would also provide financial supports to other domestic competitions including the female national league. Leader of the stakeholders, Idrissa Tarawalley, who doubles as secretary general of a Premier League club Ports Authority FC, is delighted about the truce and the decision for the Premier league to start soon. "We are happy that there is now peace as a result of a successful extraordinary congress. This is what we've been yearning for. We only hope that it'll be a sincere and lasting peace," said Tarawalley. "We look forward to further discussions with the FA on how to move things forward. "I'm also delighted that the beneficiaries - the footballers - will now have a chance to ply their trade as we have agreed that the Premier League will start soon. "For far too long we've deprived our footballers from playing. We can no longer afford to deprive them" Tarawalley added. The Sierra Leone Sports minister Ahmed Khanou, who co-chaired the congress as moral guarantor of the peace process, is also buoyed by the mood of optimism. "I'm happy about the outcome of the congress and be assured that I'm committed to getting lasting peace, " said Khanou. "The consultations will continue and I'm happy everybody is

Summary: Sierra Leone football looks set for a new start after years of problems and infighting within its governing body.


14 May 2016 Last updated at 18:29 BST Ahmed Soultan, a pioneer of Morocco's urban music scene, Listen to a sample of his track Afrobian which features Femi Kuti, Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis.

Summary: DJ Rita Ray looks at some of the best recent music releases from Morocco - and why some North African musicians are seeking inspiration further south.


De Niro is opening the Sarajevo Film Festival on Friday with a screening of his 1976 classic Taxi Driver, digitally restored for its 40th anniversary. He is also due to be presented with a lifetime achievement award. Sarajevo's film festival was founded in 1995 during the Bosnian war, after nearly four years under siege. About 300 taxi drivers have put up posters in De Niro's honour, Reuters reported. "Many of our colleagues became taxi drivers after being retired from the Bosnian army and in a sign of gratitude and compassion with the main character we have decided to stage him a warm welcome in this way," Hasib Losic of the Sarajevo Taxi Association told the agency. Taxi Driver depicts the life of an isolated, angry army veteran turned taxi driver on the streets of New York.

Summary: Taxi drivers in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo have been putting posters of Robert De Niro on their vehicles in tribute to the actor ahead of a visit.


Children have been taken hostage, forced to watch torture and even participate in beheadings, it says; others have been killed while fighting. It says it suspects there are "reasonable grounds" to believe chemical weapons have been deployed. It urges foreign powers not to increase the availability of arms in Syria. The issue of arms has been high on the international agenda of late, with the EU lifting an embargo on the sale of arms to Syria while Russia has insisted it is going ahead with the sale of an advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system to Syria. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the contract had not yet been fulfilled and Russia did not want to "disturb the balance in the region". He said he was "disappointed" by the EU move. Meanwhile, a civilian died when shells exploded near the Russian embassy in Damascus, according to the UK-based activist group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Russia is an ally of President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian rebels have targeted the embassy several times since the uprising against his regime began two years ago. The international powers are struggling to set a date for a peace conference on Syria, where the conflict is believed to have cost at least 80,000 lives. The UN Commission of Inquiry has so far been barred from Syria and was forced to rely on first-hand accounts from the country. Its report says it "documents for the first time the systematic imposition of sieges, the use of chemical agents and forcible displacement" in Syria. "War crimes and crimes against humanity have become a daily reality," it says. Syria chemical weapons allegations The report accuses both sides of abuses, but says rebel actions did not "reach the intensity and scale" of abuses committed by government-allied forces. Syria's UN ambassador Faysal Khabbaz Hamoui has rejected the report, saying the commission is "excessively exaggerating their conclusions and outcomes" while it "totally neglects the substantial events, or even marginalises them". "The Committee, despite our warnings, insisted on using sectarian language which is rejected by all brackets of the Syrian society." In the four months covered by this report - between 15 January and 15 May 2013 - investigators documented 17 suspected massacres, out of a total of 30 since the conflict began. Sieges - with civilians trapped in their homes and reliant on their captors for food, water, medicines and power - are now being used systematically as weapons of war by government forces and affiliated militia and in some instances by anti-government forces, says the report. Civilians are now becoming the victims of forced displacement by both sides, where they are threatened with attack if they do not leave the area. The report documents new violations of children's rights on top of being routinely killed, detained and displaced. In one attack by government forces on Sanamein, Deraa on 10 April, "children were forced to watch the torture or killing of parents". In another incident in April, this time in Rastan, Homs, checkpoint personnel "threatened to shoot two girls aged nine and

Summary: Syria's war has reached "new levels of brutality", the UN says, with evidence of fresh suspected massacres, sieges and violations of children's rights.


The former astronaut cheered as the United States won the women's gymnastics team title on Tuesday and saluted the special quintet, one of whom was the extraordinary Simone Biles. Biles, the innovator, the ground-breaker, is a gymnast who comes along every other generation or so - a 19-year-old hailed as the most talented anyone has seen. She is already a superstar of her sport and, by the time the Olympic flame is extinguished, is likely to orbit the same space as the planet's most recognisable stars. This 4ft 8in gymnast from Texas, placed into foster care because of her mother's struggles with drugs and alcohol and adopted when she was five by her maternal grandfather and his wife, has already won two Olympic golds at her debut Games. She could win five. She is expected to win five. She is almost untouchable. It is the end of June, at the American national championships in St Louis, and the Olympics are fewer than two months away. Biles is in the middle of her floor routine. Watching on is 2008 Olympic all-around silver medallist Shawn Johnson. The reigning champion spots Johnson in the crowd, cheekily winks at her and flashes a smile, before continuing to perform vertigo-inducing somersaults. No-one else would have the chutzpah. No-one else looks like they're having so much fun. The athlete herself says it is her ability to enjoy the spotlight which sets her apart. "It's how it works best for me and how I get success out there," she says. But cheer and calmness are not the only attributes that separate the ebullient American from the rest. It has been three years since Biles, her sport's first black female world champion, entered an all-around competition and did not win. No female gymnast has ever had her power, reached such soaring heights, been so consistent and performed jaw-dropping routines with such joy. "I would make the case that she's the best athlete in Rio," says ESPN's TJ Quinn. The differences between the three-time world champion and the others are not subtle. She is faster, stronger - her powerful run allows the teenager to include more elements in her routine than competitors who have to go further before they can start tumbling. On the floor, the girl described as having legs made by Nasa can leap a foot or two higher than her rivals. Her coach Aimee Boorman has said her pupil has exceptional "air sense", the innate ability to know where she is in mid-air. Biles is also bolder and more consistent, too. Small and light, her compact body is also perfect for her sport. "She's certainly doing the most difficult work we've ever seen," says Christine Still, a gymnastics coach and member of BBC Sport's commentary team. "In terms of performance and her ability to perform again and again, she's the best I've ever seen." As a child, Biles would watch older girls and copy them with ease. According to her coach, she will learn a new skill in three days, while most gymnasts take months or years to

Summary: It made sense that Buzz Aldrin, a man who has walked on the moon and lived without gravity, was in Rio to watch a teenage compatriot defy the earth's forces like no other athlete in history.