The BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme is a "new and exciting" programme that will be held in the UK.
The BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme is a "new and exciting" programme that will be held in the UK.
The BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme is a "new and exciting" programme that

A judicial review has begun over the decision to exclude the former Kincora boys' home in east Belfast from a child abuse inquiry being held at Westminster.

Article: The college is to become a school of fine art with "inspirational and truly world class teaching and learning spaces".
The work at the former Stow College is part of a Â£80m campus development project being undertaken by GSA.
It is scheduled to be completed in time for it be in use in the academic year 2018/19.
The design is the work of BDP architects.
GSA director Prof Tom Inns said: "The Stow Building has been a distinctive part of Glasgow's educational landscape for over 80 years.
"BDP's design harnesses the full potential of the original 1930s building, with the new roof extension, while carefully considered to meet the very specific needs of fine art internally, plays tribute to Glasgow's industrial heritage externally."
BDP Scotland chairman and architect principal Scott Mackenzie added: "BDP is delighted to be part of the GTMS team working with the Glasgow School of Art to rejuvenate the former Stow College building as a School of Fine Art.
"This project not only brings new life to a cherished Glasgow landmark, but also provides the School of Fine Art with inspirational and truly world class teaching and learning spaces."

Summary: The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has released details of how the former Stow College building will be converted.
###
Article: "Because I think the politics of Wales have changed quite profoundly in recent years and I think the picture you're going to see in the south Wales valleys will be similar to the results we've seen in the north east of England and some of these old industrial working-class areas which have shifted very markedly towards 'out'.
"And this will be one of the, I think, the stories of this referendum campaign - the way the spotlight has been shown on some of these quite marked social divisions and it poses a challenge not only to use as a Conservative government but to all the Westminster parties who increasingly look and sound the same."
It poses a challenge to parties in Wales too. Wales has 40 MPs; only five backed Brexit. Every single Welsh Labour MP backed remain. Many Labour supporters who voted for the party only last month in the Welsh Assembly elections clearly voted against the party line (if they knew what it was) on Thursday.
Some MPs are less surprised than others. One said he had been shouted at for the first time by a constituent during the referendum campaign. Others reported back on a virulent anti-politics mood and "our broken politics". One Labour source questioned the timing of Wednesday's announcement that the Assembly is to be asked to re-brand itself a Welsh parliament.
Not so long ago Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood advocated a Welsh veto on an English-led Brexit, warning: "An English vote for exit should not - by dint of sheer numbers - be able to trump a desire in Wales to stay in."
That challenge doesn't arise but Ms Wood warned at the time of a constitutional crisis if the UK's different nations voted in different ways, and with Scotland voting to remain, she may be proved right.
Welsh parties complained that the proximity of the vote with the assembly elections had made it difficult to campaign together effectively, although the timing didn't stop the Scots voting to remain.
In his resignation statement, the prime minister said Britain must prepare for negotiation with the EU. "This will...

Summary: It was shortly before 02:00 BST (I listen so you don't have to) when Stephen Crabb told radio listeners that he would not be surprised if Wales voted for Brexit.
###
Article: New legislation in the Queen's Speech will mean that the amount workers are allowed to earn before paying tax is likely to rise faster than inflation.
The national minimum wage for adults is due to rise by 3% in October, the largest real-terms rise in seven years.
Chancellor George Osborne has said it will rise from £6.50 to £8 by 2020.
The personal allowance is currently £10,600, but is due to rise to £12,500 by 2020.
As a result, the government is promising that no one working for 30 hours a week on the national minimum wage will pay tax.
At the moment, an adult working for 48 weeks a year at that rate earns £9,360, so is below the tax threshold.
However, the new law will prevent such workers having to pay tax when the national minimum wage rises at a faster rate than inflation, which is currently -0.1%.
It is also expected that the increases will feed through to the higher rate tax threshold, suggesting that the higher rate could also rise faster than inflation.
That will benefit workers who currently earn more than £42,385 a year.
Such taxpayers have been affected by so-called fiscal drag, under which more people were dragged into a higher tax bracket, as the allowance failed to be uprated in line with inflation.
Legislation being outlined will also prevent rises in income tax, VAT and national insurance during the current Parliament.

Summary: Future increases in the income tax personal allowance will be linked to rises in the national minimum wage, the government has announced.
###
Article: The Scottish government has recruited specialists from across the world to be part of its International Council of Education Advisors.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Deputy First Minister John Swinney were involved in the discussions.
The panel includes members from Australia, the US, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Malaysia and the UK.
It was set up by Ms Sturgeon after May's Scottish Parliament elections.
The first minister stressed the importance of closing the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils in Scotland's schools.
She said: "Education is the top priority for this government and I want to ensure that Scotland is a global leader.
"The deputy first minister has set out the actions we will take to substantially close the attainment gap and deliver a world-class education system in Scotland.
"The international council will bring a global perspective to this work, scrutinising our plans against the backdrop of their substantial expertise and ensuring we learn lessons from other parts of the world."
The panel members will advise the Scottish government on education priorities and ensure its plans are influenced by international best practice.
They heard from pupils and teachers as they met for the first time at Windygoul Primary School in Tranent, East Lothian.
Ontario Education Commissioner Dr Avis Glaze, who is a member of the group, said she thought Canada and Scotland could learn from each other.
She told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "I believe in Ontario we focus intensely on improving pupil's achievement and well-being, on closing achievement gaps and on capacity building.
"We believe that the way to improve the system is to make sure that all teachers and principals, and all those who work in education, have the skills that they thought they needed."
Another panel member, Prof Andy Hargreaves, told BBC Scotland that the Scottish government's ambition to close the attainment gap by focusing on pupils at the lower end of the scale would not harm the prospects of other...

Summary: An international panel set up to help ministers improve education in Scotland has met for the first time.
###
Article: A victim is taking legal action to force an independent inquiry with power to compel witnesses and the security services to hand over documents.
Gary Hoy was abused by two men who were subsequently convicted.
There have been allegations that a paedophile ring at Kincora was linked to the British intelligence services.
The government has so far refused calls for the abuse scandal at the Belfast home to be included within the scope of the inquiry established by Home Secretary Theresa May and headed by New Zealand judge Lowell Goddard.
The government has said that as child protection is a devolved matter, the right place for the Kincora allegations to be examined is Northern Ireland's Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, which has been sitting in Banbridge.
The victims of Kincora claim the Northern Ireland inquiry lacks the powers to compel evidence or witnesses from government agencies.
Amnesty International, which is supporting the victims' legal challenge, says two military intelligence officers have alleged that the security services blocked police investigations into the child abuse at Kincora in the 1970s.
The judicial review is expected to last several days.
Three senior care staff at Kincora were jailed in 1981 for abusing 11 boys.
At least 29 boys were abused at the home between the late 1950s and the early 1980s.
One of the men who was later convicted, William McGrath, is believed to have been an MI5 agent.

Summary:


People who have served in the armed forces in the past 50 years are not at greater risk of suicide than those who have not, according to a new study.

Article: The clause will be included in a draft of the BBC's next Royal Charter.
Currently, the BBC only reveals the salary details of executives who earn more than £150,000, but the government wants it to go further.
But BBC Trust chairwoman Rona Fairhead said the move was not "in the long-term interests of licence fee payers".
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Mrs Bradley said publishing the salaries would bring the BBC "in line with the civil service" on transparency.
The culture secretary said it would help ensure the BBC "produces value for money for the licence fee" and that more transparency could lead to savings that could be "invested in even more great programmes".
Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman - one of those expected to be on the list - said last week she was "all for" BBC stars' earnings being disclosed because they are "working for the public".
The BBC has said releasing stars' salary details would affect its ability to attract and retain top talent and that it has already cut the amount it pays its broadcasting stars by £8m.
Mrs Fairhead said: "We don't agree with the government on everything and are disappointed with the decision on the disclosure of presenters' pay. We don't believe this is in the long-term interests of licence fee payers."
Last month, a spokesman for the corporation said publishing stars' salaries would amount to a "poacher's charter" - which would give competitors an advantage, allowing them to make better financial offers to attract talent away from the BBC.
But the corporation must now publish the salary details of all of its staff, including on-air presenters, who earn more than £150,000 - and specify which £50,000 salary band they fall in to - in next year's annual report.
Director general Tony Hall said: "Our position on talent pay has not changed and all major broadcasters have questioned the merit of the proposal.
"The BBC operates in a competitive market and this will not make it easier for the BBC to retain the talent the public love."
The lower...

Summary: The BBC will have to name all employees and presenters paid more than £150,000 a year, culture secretary Karen Bradley has said.
###
Article: Jeremy Peat told MSPs that Scottish viewers might not have "free and unfettered" access to all BBC services.
He suggested that digital services could be cut off and viewers could be required to pay for other services.
The Scottish government said viewers "would still be able to watch all the BBC's output post-independence".
Mr Peat, appearing before the Scottish Parliament's education and culture committee, argued: "I don't think there can be the presumption that access would continue on a free and unfettered basis to all services."
In response to a question from Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur on what was likely to happen in the event of a Yes vote in September's referendum, Mr Peat said: "So far as access to BBC services is concerned post-independence, my understanding is DTT (digital terrestrial television) could be cut off close to the border."
He added: "Already so far as the iPlayer is concerned and the web is concerned, for countries outwith the UK there is a requirement to pay for access and a somewhat different service is provided.
"I would assume that the starting point again would be that those services would be available to Scotland as an independent nation in a different way from the way they are at the moment, for payment, and potentially a different service."
Mr Peat, who was a member of the BBC's governing body from 2005 to 2010, said viewers in Ireland had "access to the majority of BBC services" but that he believed it was on "a commercial basis".
Viewers in the UK pay a TV licence fee to fund the BBC. The Republic of Ireland's public service broadcaster, RTE, is funded through a licence fee and by advertising.
In 2010 the governments of the UK and the Republic of Ireland signed a memorandum of understanding enabling "the widespread availability of RTE services in Northern Ireland on a free-to-air basis, and BBC services in Ireland on a paid for basis".
In its White Paper on independence, the Scottish government proposed the establishment of a Scottish Broadcasting Service (SBS).
The SBS...

Summary: Access to BBC services in an independent Scotland "would require a great deal of negotiation", a former BBC Trust member has claimed.
###
Article: It comes over claims of irregularities in the use of Fifa grants.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied claims by Dalung that there is $802,000 (£656,500) unaccounted for in its finances.
The discrepancy has led to world football's governing body halting its annual $1.1 million grant to Nigeria.
The federation insists there were no distortions during an earlier audit and that 'the minister was clearly misinformed about the activities of the NFF board'.
The audit report must be made public so as to promote transparency, build credibility and enhance your market value.
But Dalung, who was speaking at the NFF's Annual General Meeting in Lagos, wants a fresh audit of federation finances to examine how Fifa money was awarded and spent.
"According to a report, Fifa has withheld all development funds to Nigeria for lack of proper documentation of $802,000 out of the funds released to NFF," said Dalung.
"This is a very serious issue that must be given urgent attention to avoid another international embarrassment.
"Even more so that the present administration under the leadership of Mr. President, His Excellency, Mohammadu Buhari has zero tolerance for any act of misappropriation, misapplication, embezzlement or fraud in any guise.
"To this end, the NFF is directed to immediately provide my office with detail information of receipt, disbursement and application of the Fifa development grant accordingly.
"In addition, a reputable audit firm should be appointed urgently to check the account books of the federation to ensure that funds are judiciously expended.
"The audit report must be made public so as to promote transparency, build credibility and enhance your market value."
However, the NFF released a communiqué after the AGM saying its congress expressed satisfaction with the explanation provided by the NFF board on the issues raised by the minister.
It states that: "the audited account of the Federation for the year, as audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, an internationally reputable audit firm, was...

Summary: Nigeria's sports minister Solomon Dalung has called for a "reputable audit" of the country's football federation.
###
Article: Bristol ran in six tries in a 45-19 win against Bedford at Ashton Gate to win 90-35 on aggregate over two legs.
Andy Robinson's side will hope to go one better in a third final in a row.
They will face Doncaster, who despite losing the second leg of their tie with Yorkshire Carnegie 17-14 at Castle Park, won 44-34 on aggregate.
Cross-code legend Kevin Sinfield made his final appearance at fly-half for Yorkshire after announcing his retirement last month.
Bristol and Doncaster will meet in a two-legged play-off final, starting on Wednesday, 18 May at Castle Park, with the return leg seven days later.
For the latest rugby union news, follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.

Summary: Bristol and Doncaster will meet for a place in the Premiership after both sides came through their respective Championship play-off semi-finals.
###
Article: However, there is an increased risk in certain groups, the University of Glasgow research found.
Overall, veterans were at no greater risk than the general public, whilst both Falklands and Gulf War veterans had a lower risk of suicide.
The team studied veterans in Scotland who served between 1960 and 2012.
The study compared suicide risk among 56,205 veterans born between 1945 and 1985 with 172,741 matched non-veterans.
While overall there was no significant difference in the figures for veterans and non-veterans, the risk increased for:
Young veterans were not found to be at increased risk - a finding at odds with an earlier study by the Centre for Suicide Prevention which suggested that ex-servicemen under the age of 24 had a much higher rate of suicide.
Asked to explain the differences, lead researcher Dr Beverly Bergman said the two studies used different data and methodologies.
She said: "We have a smaller number of veterans but have studied them over a longer time period.
"In our study we had only two veterans under the age of 25 who died by suicide. The two studies are not directly comparable."
Dr Bergman said there was growing evidence that there is no overall difference in long-term risk of suicide between veterans and non-veterans in the UK.
She added: "This is an important study which provides reassurance that military service in the last 50 years does not increase people's risk of suicide overall, but it draws our attention to those people whose increased risk may be overlooked, such as older veterans and women veterans.
"It also confirms that early service leavers have a slightly increased risk but that may not manifest itself until middle age."
The study, which used data from the Scottish Veterans Health Study to examine deaths classified as due to suicide or self-harm, is published in Occupational Medicine.

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Shutter Speed overcame rain-softened ground to win the Musidora Stakes at York under Frankie Dettori and will now be aimed at next month's French Oaks.

Article: In Wales, councils are responsible for funding and overseeing schools.
But in England, Mr Osborne's plan will mean local authorities will cease to have a role in providing education.
Academies are directly funded by central government and head teachers have more freedom over admissions and to change the way the school works.
It is a significant development in the continued divergence of schools systems on either side of Offa's Dyke.
And although the Welsh Government will get extra cash to match the money for English schools to extend the school day, it can spend it on any devolved policy area.
Ministers have no plans to follow suit.
At the moment, governing bodies are responsible for setting school hours and they need ministerial permission to make significant changes.
There are already more than 2,000 secondary academies in England and its extension to all state schools is unlikely to shake the Welsh Government's attachment to what they call a "community, comprehensive model" for schools.
It rejects claims that freedom given to academies can help drive up standards, and it points to academy-free Scotland as the best performing school system in the UK.
Education Minister Huw Lewis said there was "very little evidence to suggest" academies have a positive impact in driving up standards and Wales would not be following the model.
"The Tories have wasted hundreds of millions of pounds on academies and free schools and as the Chancellor finalises his budget plans to slash vital services even further, he is committing them to wasting even more on a failing endeavour.
"We have no plans to introduce the chaos and waste of academies and free schools here in Wales."
None of the main parties in May's Assembly election - including the Welsh Conservatives - have said they want to introduce academies in Wales.
Owen Hathway, NUT Cymru's policy officer, called the academy plans for England "scandalous.".
"There is no evidence that academies work, no evidence that they raise standards, no evidence that they offer better...

Summary: As Chancellor George Osborne announced all English state schools will become academies, the Welsh Government continues to reject the model here.
###
Article: A campaign group has launched a Twitter account: Shut Up Tube Chat.
It comes after travellers were handed leaflets with badges encouraging them to talk to one another on the Tube.
The Tube Chat pin is supposed to indicate to other commuters that the wearer is happy to have a conversation.
It has provoked a strong reaction, with many people making their own badges designed to discourage anyone from approaching them.
Volunteers from the Shut Up Tube Chat campaign began handing out their badges at Liverpool Street station on Friday morning.
Commuters were handed leaflets with the new badges reading: "Want nothing less than a 'chat' with one of your fellow passengers?
"Wear this badge to let them know that you'd rather drink a pint of bleach than talk with them."
The badges, which read "Don't even think about it" are designed to ensure wearers can make their way to work in peace.
The man behind the campaign, Brian Wilson from Hackney, told BBC London he had given out 500 badges.
"I can't stand the idea of having to talk to strangers on the Tube on my way to work.
"We handed loads out this morning and everyone was loving it. Proper Londoners know the score," he said.
Commuters who want nothing more than to listen to their music, read a book, stare at their smartphone screen or just ignore their fellow travellers have also expressed alarm at being encouraged to talk to one another.
Actress and writer Emma Kennedy tweeted: "Whoever came up with those Tube Chat badges has fundamentally misunderstood the misanthropy of the London commute."
Richard Cook tweeted: "Imagine being someone who willingly wears a #Tube_Chat badge, sitting there beaming, just waiting for a conversation that will never come."
And Madelaine Hanson tweeted: "The day I willingly talk to anyone on the tube will be the day I have to tell someone that their hat is on fire."
Jonathan Dunne, who came up with the idea of the Tube Chat badges and is originally from the US, admitted it was difficult to get commuters to take one of the free pins.
"I would...

Summary: London commuters have attempted to prove they are insular and unfriendly by wearing badges discouraging fellow passengers from talking to them.
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Article: Matt Baggott told the BBC that a new way must be found to deal with such cases.
He made the comments in an interview marking his final day in office.
He told the BBC that there was a "need to separate the past from the present".
"I think how ever that is done, the PSNI should no longer be accountable for dealing with issues that pre-date the Good Friday Agreement," he said.
"We have to create a situation where police resources are focused on the here and now, without taking away from the needs of justice or victims.
"But that can be done in a different place, under a different authority."
Northern Ireland attorney general John Larkin QC said last December that there should be no further police investigations, inquests or inquiries into any killings pre-dating the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
The conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century is known as the Troubles.
More than 3,600 people were killed and thousands more injured.
During a period of 30 years many violent acts were carried out, with the vast majority being committed by paramilitaries and a lesser number by the security forces.
Read more about the Troubles
Mr Larkin's proposal prompted First Minister Peter Robinson to say it was "effectively an amnesty" and that those who were victims of the Troubles had a right to expect prosecutions.
More than 3,500 people were killed during three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.
Mr Baggott, who has been a police officer for 37 years, first took up the job as head of the PSNI in August 2009.
His tenure in Northern Ireland included overseeing what was described as the safest G8 summit ever held, a policing operation praised by protesters and US President Barack Obama.
However, he also found himself heavily criticised by unionists and nationalists over how police dealt with flag protests and parades.
Protests over the flying of the union flag started in December 2012 after many people within loyalist communities were angered by the decision of Belfast City Council to restrict the number of days...

Summary: The outgoing chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said his force should not investigate Troubles-related murders from before the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
###
Article: Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Nick Gargan was suspended in May 2014 amid allegations of inappropriate conduct and, later, data protection breaches.
PCC Sue Mountstevens said he had "abused his position" by forwarding emails and "storing intimate images" on his work phone.
The news was said to come as a "huge disappointment" to Mr Gargan.
Ms Mountstevens is the first PCC to start the process of using new powers to call upon a chief constable to quit.
Turbulent times for police chief
Mr Gargan, 48, was appointed by Ms Mountstevens in January 2013, after his predecessor Colin Port quit when she asked him to reapply for his job. Mr Gargan remains on full pay but is suspended from duty, she said.
Last month, an independent QC-led panel cleared Mr Gargan of gross misconduct but found him guilty of eight misconduct charges.
The findings published on the force website largely relate to "inappropriate disclosure of information" by forwarding emails and "inappropriate use" of a police-issued phone by storing "intimate" images and text messages.
It recommended a sanction of eight final written warnings - the severest possible - but Ms Mountstevens has been petitioned by retired officers and Mr Gargan's three predecessors as chief constable, who said he should go for the good of the force.
In a statement on Wednesday, she said: "Chief Constable Nick Gargan has let down the colleagues he led and the communities he was there to protect.
"He abused his position by forwarding confidential emails, interfering with a proper recruitment process and sending, receiving and storing intimate images on his police issue phone."
She said he should have "led by example" but had instead "shown flawed judgement" and been found guilty of eight counts of misconduct "including two of discreditable conduct".
"From what I have seen and heard, he has lost the confidence of local people, police officers and staff," she said.
She said she had now "initiated the process to require him to resign".
"I think his position has become untenable,"...

Summary: A police chief guilty of misconduct has been called upon to resign by the police and crime commissioner.
###
Article: Trainer John Gosden let the unbeaten 4-7 favourite race after he walked the course and she beat runner-up Vintage Folly by a length and three quarters.
She goes to Chantilly next rather than the Oaks at Epsom, in which stablemates Enable and Coronet are top contenders.
Tasleet (14-1) took the Duke of York Stakes for trainer William Haggas.
Jim Crowley's mount won comfortably from Magical Memory in second, with Comicas third.
Shutter Speed, whose last run at Newbury saw her beat Enable into third, brought a fifth Musidora win for both Gosden and Dettori.
"We got away with it. The ground was very soft. It was hard work for her," said Dettori.
"She'll be a better horse on better ground. She's top drawer. Everything she does is very classy."
Gosden is concerned about the ground for his colt Cracksman in Thursday's Dante Stakes and will again walk the course before deciding whether he runs in the Derby trial.
BBC Sport horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght
Shutter Speed's clearly in very good order and she coped well with the soggy conditions.
She'll be off to France's Oaks, staged over 'her distance' of a mile and a quarter, and Gosden will rely on Enable and Coronet in the longer Epsom Oaks.
The trainer said he was pleased to now have a month to prepare Shutter Speed for Chantilly.
Meanwhile, the gap between Thursday's Dante Stakes and the Derby is just 16 days, so Gosden's colt Cracksman may not be asked to line up in what's sure to be an examining Dante, in terms of both quality and going.

Summary:


op Bank, which is a key part of the Co-op Bank's plan.

The Co-operative Bank says it is no longer up for sale, pending an announcement on fund-raising proposals aimed at safeguarding its future.

Article: The block measures about 720 sq km in area - roughly eight times the size of Manhattan Island in New York.
Scientists have been waiting for the PIG to calve since October 2011 when they first noticed a spectacular crack spreading across its surface.
Confirmation that the fissure had extended the full width of the glacier was obtained on Monday.
It was seen by the German TerraSAR-X satellite.
This carries a radar instrument that can detect the surface of the ice stream even though the Antarctic is currently in the grip of winter darkness.
The berg that broke away was part of the PIG's ice shelf - the front segment of the glacier that lifts up and floats as it pushes out into the ocean. The shelf will reach tens of km beyond the grounding line.
German researchers have been receiving images from TerraSAR-X every three days or so, hoping to understand better the processes that drive the glacier forward and prompt it to fracture.
This will help them improve the computer models that are used to forecast future changes in the Antarctic.
"We were very keen to see how the crack propagated," said Prof Angelika Humbert, a glaciologist with the Alfred Wegener Institute.
"We need proper calving laws, to be able to describe the evolution of ice sheets over centuries," she told BBC News.
Very big tabular bergs will come off the end of the ice shelf every 6-10 years. Previous notable events occurred in 2007 and 2001.
It is a very natural process and scientists say it should not be tied directly to the very real climate changes that are also affecting this part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Satellite and airborne measurements have recorded a marked thinning and a surge in velocity of the PIG in recent decades.
This has been attributed in part to warmer waters getting under, and melting, the ice shelf. The PIG's grounding line has pulled back further and further towards the land.
The glacier's behaviour means it is now under close scrutiny, not least because it drains something like 10% of all the ice flowing off the west...

Summary: Pine Island Glacier (PIG), the longest and fastest flowing glacier in the Antarctic, has spawned a huge iceberg.
###
Article: John Donnelly, 74, emigrated to Australia from Scotland 40 years ago.
He abused four girls when he made return trips to Scotland during the 1970s and 80s.
Donnelly was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow after being convicted of the offences following a trial in March.
The crimes had been reported to police in 2006, with the Crown Office then initiating lengthy extradition proceedings to bring Donnelly to trial.
It eventually led to the Australian justice minister granting Donnelly's return to Scotland in 2014.
Donnelly's trial heard he had preyed on the girls during return trips to Scotland between 1978 and 1988.
The abuse occurred at houses in Glasgow and Prestonpans, East Lothian.
One victim told a jury how she was left "terrified" at the hands of Donnelly.
She also recalled seeing Donnelly sneak into a young relative's bedroom before ordering him out.
Another girl was abused by him after he was allowed to stay overnight at the family home.
Passing sentence, judge John Morris QC said Donnelly had once been something of a "hero" to those who had known him.
The judge told the Donnelly that such serious offences meant a jail term had to be imposed.

Summary: A pensioner who was convicted of child abuse offences after being extradited from Australia has been jailed for four and a half years.
###
Article: From September 2017, up to 1,000 NHS staff will be able to take up the training without having to go down the conventional university route to get a nursing degree.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says it complements the nursing associate role announced a year ago.
Both initiatives aim to offer flexible routes into nursing in England.
They might also give students an affordable way to train, since ministers plan to scrap student bursaries for nurses in September 2017.
Student nurses at university are currently entitled to bursaries of £4,500 to £5,500 if they live in London - on top of a grant of £1,000 each year during their course.
The course fees are also covered.
But the government has proposed scrapping these and introducing university fees to bring health staff in line with other students.
The NHS will still provide some financial support towards expenses such as travel costs for placements.
Trainees on the apprenticeship scheme will typically be funded by the trust they work for and can join the course at different stages, depending on their qualifications and experience, and stay in work while learning.
Similarly, nursing associates get their training paid for while remaining in work.
At the end of the training - which will usually take five years - a nurse apprentice will have a nursing degree, whereas a qualified nursing associate would still need more training to become a registered nurse.
The Royal College of Nursing said it was great news that there would be more training places and opportunities for staff, but it would be important to ensure any new courses fulfilled educational needs.
Its chief executive, Janet Davies, said: "Nursing has progressed over many years, we must be careful to learn from the lessons of the past when student nurses were often seen as nursing on the cheap.
"We must be careful we do not create a two-tier system which reduces equality of opportunity.
"We need to attract people of all ages and from diverse backgrounds into the profession."
Mr Hunt said: "Nurses are the...

Summary: Aspiring nurses can soon enrol on a new on-the-job apprenticeship role, the government says.
###
Article: Runner Clive Fitzpatrick, 44, was driving on the A451 back home to Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, after a competition in Denbighshire on 15 July when the accident happened.
He went on the wrong side of a fork in the road and hit an oncoming car.
Fitzpatrick was convicted of dangerous driving at Mold Crown Court and banned from driving for 12 months.
Judge Rhys Rowlands told him he could not imagine anyone "in a million years" failing to realise they were entering a dual carriageway.
He said Fitzpatrick, who was travelling with his wife and baby in his BMW, had been guilty of "a woeful lack of attention."
Student Jessica Broom, from Wrexham, was driving along the road at nearly 50mph (80km/h) in her Renault Clio at about 21:40 BST when she saw Fitzpatrick's car coming towards her.
The two cars crashed and Ms Broom needed hospital treatment for her injuries.
The court heard Fitzpatrick's injuries stopped him from becoming a member of the British fell running team.
He claimed the sign in the middle of the road at Pontblyddyn in Flintshire, indicating which side to drive on, had been obscured and genuinely thought he was on a single carriageway.
Fitzpatrick was also ordered to take an extended driving test, pay Â£250 in costs and must carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

Summary: A man who caused a crash after driving the wrong way on a dual carriageway has been given a 12-month community order.
###
Article: Co-op Bank was forced to put itself on the market in February after it was unable to reach a strong enough footing to satisfy Bank of England regulations.
But in June, it said it was in "advanced discussions" with a group of existing investors on recapitalisation.
Now the bank says the plan has been "substantially agreed".
The Co-op Bank, in which the Co-operative Group still has a 20% stake, was rescued from the brink of collapse by a group of hedge funds in 2013.
In a statement, the bank also said talks were continuing over the separation of its pension fund from the Co-operative Group's scheme.
Under the current arrangement, the bank must carry a share of the Co-op Group's £8bn pension liabilities, something which is proving unattractive to potential investors.
Earlier this year, it reported its fifth annual loss in a row, although the £477m deficit for 2016 was an improvement on the £610m loss recorded in 2015.
When it offered itself for sale, the Co-op Bank blamed low interest rates and the higher-than-expected cost of its turnaround plan for its failure to meet the Bank's Prudential Regulation Authority rules.
The Co-op Bank has four million customers and is well known for its ethical standpoint, which its board had said made it "a strong franchise with significant potential" to prospective buyers.

Summary:


Northern Ireland's economic growth will remain the lowest of the 12 UK regions in 2015, a new report has said.

Article: AB InBev, the owner of Budweiser, agreed last year to buy SAB Miller, the FTSE 100 beermaker that counts Peroni and Grolsch among a stable of brands that spans the world. It agreed to pay investors with shares of the new combined company - and gave them a less valuable alternative of taking cash and shares.
The cash element was in sterling. Since the Brexit vote, the pound has fallen about 10% against other big currencies, leaving shareholders demanding more. On Tuesday AB InBev delivered, increasing its offer by £1 a share to £45 a share - an increase that will in aggregate cost it about £2bn more. It said that its offer was final, preventing it from making another increase.
That was still not enough for some. Aberdeen Asset Management, a top-10 shareholder in SABMiller, said the offer "remained unacceptable".
SAB directors now face a turbulent few days as they decide whether to recommend the final AB InBev offer. Later this week the final, and arguably most important, remaining regulatory clearance is expected when China's competition authority, Mofcom, rules on the takeover.
If the Chinese give the go-ahead, the SAB board is expected to meet this weekend. If they reject the offer, they face the unenviable task of placating all those shareholders who have already agreed to back it, including the two big investors - Altria, the American tobacco giant that owns Marlboro cigarettes, and Colombia's Santo Domingo family. Together the two own nearly 40% of SAB.
There is also the unenviable task of withdrawing from giant disposals that have been agreed to get the deal past other competition regulators. In Europe, for example, Asahi of Japan has agreed to buy Peroni and Grolsch.
If the SAB board accepts, they risk alienating institutional investors such as Aberdeen Asset Management ahead of possible shareholder votes to approve or reject the deal.
On top of that, there is still a risk that a British court could upset their plans.
SAB told the stock market last year that because there were two different offers -...

Summary: The £50bn takeover of one of the world biggest brewers is expected to receive a vital green light from China this week - but remains under threat from the double threat of the Brexit vote and a UK court ruling.
###
Article: Mr Ward tweeted on Tuesday: "The big question is - if I lived in #Gaza would I fire a rocket? - probably yes."
In a statement subsequently released by the Lib Dems, he said: "My comments were not in support of firing rockets into Israel. If they gave the opposite impression, I apologise."
A Lib Dem spokesman had said the party "utterly condemned" the MP's tweet.
The spokesman later added: "In light of this apology, the party and the whips will decide in due course if further disciplinary action should be taken."
Mr Ward, the MP for Bradford East, was suspended from the Lib Dem parliamentary party in July 2013 and had the whip withdrawn for three months over comments he made about Israel.
He was asked on Wednesday morning by BBC Radio 5live if he stood by his tweet on Tuesday or would apologise for it.
Declining to apologise, he said he condemned violence on both sides of the conflict, but had been seeking to understand the motives of those firing rockets at Israel.
"The question is why would they want to fire missiles when they know that the missiles will result in further Palestinian deaths, to a disproportionate level? Why are they doing it?" he said.
"They are doing it because they are absolutely desperate and politicians in the West are failing them."
He continued: "The people in Gaza cannot escape... I understand the plight of the people firing the rockets."
Referring to his original tweet, the Lib Dem MP later added, in another BBC interview: "What I was saying was, if I was there, if I had been living for year after year after year, hemmed in by air, land and sea by a mighty military force that was brutally killing my people, and the world was not responding, I think I would have to do something."
Asked if he might decide to leave the Lib Dems in protest over the official party line on Gaza, he said: "I am not going to walk away from the Liberal Democrats. They may decide to walk away from me, but I certainly am not going to walk away from them."
His later statement released by the party, containing...

Summary: The Lib Dems say David Ward has given a "categorical apology" for his comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
###
Article: Hundreds of fans had queued outside London's Prince of Wales theatre on Monday to see the first UK performance.
The Book of Mormon, which lampoons religion and musicals, has already been a huge Broadway hit.
To deafening cheers, Parker said: "It's very cool to be here for the fan performance."
He added: "We heard that a lot of you lined up overnight for tickets... and we want to say from the bottom of our hearts, you're... crazy. We don't know that any show can live up to that."
By Will GompertzArts editor
The Book of Mormon's reputation is built on its biting satire, crude humour and the mocking of Mormonism. There is plenty of all three.
But having now seen the show twice, I suspect that at least some of its success is down to its rather conservative nature.
Strip away all the vulgarities and what you are left with is a traditionally structured, feel-good musical, which is chock-full of catchy show tunes.
The Book of Mormon follows the story of two missionaries who are sent from Salt Lake City to preach in a remote Ugandan village.
Written by Stone, Parker and Avenue Q's co-creator Robert Lopez, the show is directed by Parker and Casey Nicholaw.
The Broadway show won nine Tony awards last year. It recouped its $11.4m (Â£7.3m) investment in nine months, making its money back in part by charging up to $477 (Â£304) for tickets.
The West End show is sold out until the end of July, with a small number of daily tickets available via a lottery system.
The show's content is not for the faint-hearted, with strong language and jokes about religion, Aids and female circumcision.
"We never sit down and say how can we shock," Parker told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme.  "It is unconventional material for a musical. That's the sort of stuff that we love."
Stone added: "It's about two white Mormon boys who grew up in Utah and are sent to a place with Old Testament problems - and nothing they've been taught helps them at all with these problems."
Elder Clifford Herbertson, a senior spokesman for the Church of Jesus...

Summary: South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have taken to the West End stage to introduce their satirical musical The Book of Mormon.
###
Article: The former Tory MP has denied a suggestion by a senior UKIP source that he will try to change party rules giving UKIP leader Nigel Farage sole power to appoint the leader in Wales.
Current UKIP rules allow different politicians to lead the assembly group and the party in Wales.
A source close to Mr Gill said he was confident most UKIP AMs would back him.
Mr Hamilton and Mr Gill were among seven new UKIP AMs elected on Thursday.
Gareth Bennett, Mark Reckless, David Rowlands and Mr Gill took the oath of office at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay on Saturday.
Mr Hamilton and another newly-elected AM - Caroline Jones - were present but were not sworn in.
Party sources expect Mr Hamilton to make the leadership challenge on Tuesday to Mr Gill, who was appointed UKIP Wales leader by Mr Farage in 2014.
Mr Hamilton and Ms Jones are expected to take the oath on Tuesday morning, after attending a meeting of UKIP's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) on Monday.
At the meeting they will stand down from the NEC, which is required under UKIP's rules now that they have become elected politicians.
A senior UKIP source suggested Mr Hamilton might use the meeting to attempt to change party rules stating that UKIP's national leader has the sole power to appoint the party's leader in Wales.
Mr Hamilton has denied he has such a plan.
Earlier on Saturday, Mr Hamilton told BBC Radio Wales that UKIP AMs would agree next week who should lead their group.
He stressed that Mr Gill was not automatically in charge and said there were "many people in UKIP" with the right skills for the the job.
"We're going to have a collective discussion when we all meet together and we'll come up with a decision as to which of us is likely to be the most effective leader in the assembly," he said.
Asked if he would be the best candidate, Mr Hamilton added: "I, of course, have a lot of parliamentary experience and so has [fellow UKIP AM and ex-Tory MP] Mark Reckless.
"I've been around in politics for a very long time at quite a high level, and we have many...

Summary: Neil Hamilton is expected to challenge Nathan Gill to lead UKIP's new assembly group, sources have told BBC Wales.
###
Article: PwC's Northern Ireland economic outlook said this was despite overall unemployment having fallen by more than 10,000 since June 2014.
It said poor productivity remains the single biggest challenge to Northern Ireland's sustained recovery.
PwC's Esmond Birnie said the pace of recovery was "decelerating".
"Over the past seven months business confidence has been mixed, sometimes negative but always lagging the GB regions," Mr Birnie, who is PwC's chief economist in Northern Ireland, said.
"There have also been recent mixed messages around consumer confidence, with June 2015 seeing the first rise in unemployment for more than two years; this may simply be a blip - or it may be indicative of a deeper malaise.
"Currently, Northern Ireland's output is still 8% below the pre-crisis peak of 2008 and is something of a two-speed economy with employment contracting in public sector and financial services but growing fairly rapidly in advanced manufacturing, pharma, food processing and tourism.
"PwC forecasts that Northern Ireland's economic growth will remain the lowest of the 12 UK regions at around 1.8% in 2015 - lower than the 2.2% growth experienced in 2014 - and will fall again in 2016 to around 1.7%."
The report said that Northern Ireland's unemployment claimant count increased by 200 between May and June, the first month-on-month increase since December 2008.
It said that 62% of those registered as unemployed have been out of work for more than 12 months, while 19.7% of young people aged 18-25 are unemployed - well above the UK average of 13.2%.
PwC said the recent budget "confirmed that welfare reform and austerity will continue and that Northern Ireland probably faces a further four years of challenging economic circumstances, particularly around public spending".

Summary:


Mafia criminals who are better educated tend to earn more, research suggests.

Article: Catriona Bhatia claimed that despite major investment the service was failing to live up to its name.
She said there were big differences in speeds being received by homes and businesses covered by the provision.
BT said it had invested heavily to ensure the service reached premises which would not have received it on a commercial basis.
Ms Bhatia was speaking after a report highlighted the progress made and challenges faced in improving broadband access in the south of Scotland.
Scottish Borders Council has invested Â£8.4m in the rollout of services across the region.
You shouldnt be getting 2MB when somebody down the road is getting 20MB and youre paying exactly the same amount of money.
However, she said the results were variable.
"If you pay for your electricity, you get 240 volts delivered to your house - it should be the same for your broadband speeds," she said.
"You shouldn't be getting 2MB when somebody down the road is getting 20MB and you're paying exactly the same amount of money."
Ms Bhatia said she felt the local authority was not getting the provision it had paid for.
"We have also invested a large sum of public money in this to get a contract that would deliver 94% superfast broadband across the Borders," she added.
"Not everybody within that 94% is getting the same level of service - I think it is actually a bit of a scandal and some further investigation needs to be done."
A BT spokeswoman said it had invested Â£126m in the Digital Scotland rollout on top of its commercial investment.
She said that the four-year programme was only just past its halfway point and had already benefited more than 23,600 premises in the Borders and more than 41,000 in Dumfries and Galloway.
"Every phone line is different and many factors can affect the speed of broadband, ranging from the length of the line from the fibre-enabled street cabinet, to faulty routers and existing wiring or equipment in people's homes," she said.
"When someone decides to move to a fibre-based service, their service provider should...

Summary: A Borders councillor has said she believes people are being short-changed by a superfast broadband rollout.
###
Article: However the study suggests performance has improved in other areas and there is no evidence that Wales is "lagging behind" any other part of the UK.
The research - comparing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - shows a significant deterioration in Welsh waiting times since 2009.
This was during an "unprecedented squeeze" on finances.
Those behind the research claim the performance on waiting times should "set alarm bells ringing amongst policy makers" at a time when governments across the UK are considering how to prioritise spending in a time of austerity.
But across a number of other measures - such as rates of avoidable deaths - the research suggests the NHS in Wales is broadly in line with the rest of the UK or has improved to a "similar level to England".
According to Health Minister Mark Drakeford the study proves Prime Minister David Cameron's recent attacks on the performance of the Welsh NHS had been "utterly unfounded".
"I would say this report shoots Mr Cameron's fox good and proper," he told BBC Wales.
The research, jointly commissioned by Nuffield Trust and The Health Foundation, also concludes that "the performance gap between England and the rest of the UK has narrowed in recent years" and that "there is little sign that one country is moving ahead of the others consistently across the available indicators of performance".
It also suggests differing health policies, introduced across the UK since devolution, may have had less effect on performance than may have been expected.
WAITING TIMES
In the years leading up to 2009/10, the length of time patients had to wait for a wide range of common procedures improved significantly in Wales and across the UK.
But since then waiting times in Wales for many of those procedures have lengthened substantially. This is in contrast to the trends England and Scotland.
The research notes that in 2012/13 patients in Wales waited on average about 170 days for a hip or knee replacement, compared to 77 days in England and 67 days in Scotland.
The study...

Summary: The Welsh government's decision to cut NHS funding may be responsible for longer waiting times, a report claims.
###
Article: Anyone walking into a busy pub in Manchester may well be confronted with a rather shocking sight.
At one table it looks like a group of friends are smoking, but there is no smell in the air and no ashtrays on the table. What they are using are e-cigarettes.
One of the women, Steph, says the e-cigarette has helped her to stop smoking.
"I've tried patches and inhalators," she says. "They're a lot better because you feel like you're having a cigarette."
"They're a great idea," says another woman, Lisa. "You've got the health benefits from it and it does taste like a cigarette."
The e-cigarette comes in two parts.
In one end there is liquid nicotine, in the other a rechargeable battery and an atomiser. When the user sucks, the liquid nicotine is vaporised and absorbed through the mouth. What looks like smoke is largely water vapour.
Because there is no tobacco in e-cigarettes, there is no tar and it is the tar in ordinary cigarettes that kills.
The e-cigarette market is growing fast. A survey by the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests 700,000 people in the UK were using e-cigarettes last year.
The charity estimates that number will reach a million in 2013 and some medical experts see huge potential benefits.
"Nicotine itself is not a particularly hazardous drug," says Professor John Britton, who leads the tobacco advisory group for the Royal College of Physicians.
"It's something on a par with the effects you get from caffeine.
"If all the smokers in Britain stopped smoking cigarettes and started smoking e-cigarettes we would save 5 million deaths in people who are alive today. It's a massive potential public health prize."
There are however concerns about the safety and regulation of e-cigarettes.
They can legally be sold to children. There are few restrictions on advertising. Critics say some of the adverts glamorise something that looks like smoking.
Unlike patches and gum, e-cigarettes are not regulated like medicines. It means there are no rules for example about the purity of the nicotine in...

Summary: The number of people using e-cigarettes in the UK is expected to reach a million this year but while some believe the electronic alternative to tobacco could help save hundreds of thousands of lives others think they normalise what looks like smoking and may be unsafe.
###
Article: Thousands of the small seabirds have been driven from wintering grounds off Scandinavia by stormy easterly winds.
RSPB Scotland said the event was on a "massive scale" and auks have appeared as far inland as Lentran near Beauly.
While large numbers of birds have survived the ordeal, others have been found dead including at Rosemarkie.
The birds discovered at Rosemarkie in the Black Isle were thought to have tried to find shelter among large clumps of seaweed on the beach.
Stuart Benn, of RSPB Scotland, said many of the birds were finding shelter in the Moray Firth.
He said: "What is going on is on a massive scale. I've never known anything quite like it.
"To get this number of birds so close inshore is unprecedented."
Another ornithological organisation, Rare Bird Alert, has been recording sightings of little auks at other locations in Scotland and the rest of the UK, including Orkney, Shetland, Caithness and Fife.
The birds winter in the North Sea off Denmark and also off the coast of Sweden, feeding on plankton.
They breed in colonies numbering hundreds of thousands of birds in the Arctic, including on Svalbard and Spitsbergen.
Mr Benn said the wind-blown little auks should eventually find their way back to their usual territories once the weather calms down.
Dozens of the seabirds have been rescued. The Scottish SPCA said it was caring for more than 100 of the auks at its National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross.

Summary: The numbers of wind-blown little auks appearing in Scotland have been "unprecedented", a bird conservation charity has suggested.
###
Article: The University of Essex study of 712 Italian-American mafia members in the 1960s showed their income had risen by 7.5-8.5% per extra year of education.
Those involved in complex crimes such as charging exorbitant rates for loans or extortion saw three times the boost of those who committed violent crimes.
But, on average, the 712 left education a year earlier than other white men of a similar age in their neighbourhoods.
"Criminal careers are known to start very early and are likely to be interwoven with schooling choices," the study says.
Lead researcher Prof Giovanni Mastrobuoni said education tended to have a protective effect against getting involved with crime, but he added: "It is also true that if you decide to be a criminal it's better to be a better-educated one."
The study says: "Private returns to education exist not only in legitimate but also in the illegitimate activities that imply a sufficient degree of complexity,"
"Mobster returns (in terms of income) to a year of schooling are around 7.5 to 8.5%, compared to 9-10% for the neighbour sample.
"Moreover, for mobsters who, according to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics records, were involved in white-collar crimes that require running an illegal business (ie racketeering, loan sharking, bootlegging et cetera) we found returns to education that are about three times as large as for those who are involved in violent crimes (ie robberies, murders et cetera)."

Summary:


The Scottish town which 'won' two Carbuncle honours for its ugly shopping centre has scooped Best Town at the Scottish Design Awards.

Article: The Treasury said that the "extensive" review would make sure that shoppers got the discounts they are entitled to.
Tax-free shops should not charge VAT, if passengers are going outside the EU.
In August it was revealed that some airside retailers were not always passing VAT savings on to customers, but were keeping the money instead.
The Treasury said some shops were keeping as much as half the money they should be giving to consumers.
"VAT relief at airports is intended to cut prices for those travellers - not be a windfall gain for shops," said Chancellor George Osborne.
"But many people could be paying over the odds for their purchases because the government's VAT concession isn't passed on. This is simply unacceptable," he said.
At the moment airport retailers are not legally obliged to provide a VAT discount, so it would need a change in the law to make them do so.
Some retailers have claimed it would be too difficult to introduce dual-pricing for EU and non-EU travellers - and that such a requirement would lead to delays for passengers.
WH Smith, one of the shops originally criticised, said it would co-operate with the inquiry.
Boots, which also came in for criticism, has already announced a review of its own policy.
"Since taking our decision in August 2015 to no longer ask customers to show us their boarding passes we have been continuing with our strategic review and, working together with the Airport Authorities, we are nearing conclusion," the retailer said.
"We will participate with the government review as we receive further details," it added.
Who is entitled to VAT savings?
Anyone travelling outside the 28 countries of the European Union (EU). Travellers within the EU or the UK have to pay existing rates of duty and VAT.
Do you have to show a boarding pass?
If you are buying cigarettes or alcohol in a duty free shop, you are legally obliged to show your boarding pass, to prove you are travelling outside the EU. If you are buying other goods - say books, snacks or cosmetics - you are still...

Summary: Airport shops could be forced to give VAT discounts to passengers travelling outside the European Union, following the launch of a government inquiry.
###
Article: Mr Burnham told the Guardian the role was "a cabinet-level job, which needs cabinet-level experience".
The Leigh MP said Westminster had "become a bit of an irrelevance for some people" adding that "we really need to change the way politics works".
The first elections for the role, currently filled by interim mayor Tony Lloyd, will be held in 2017.
Mr Lloyd and another former Labour minister, Ivan Lewis, are also seeking Labour's nomination.
Mr Burnham, the former health secretary, had been expected to announce his candidacy on Thursday but his intentions became clear when one of his Twitter profiles was rebranded as "Andy4Manchester".
As a national political figure over many years, Andy Burnham will be seen as the first genuine big hitter to throw his name in the hat to become Greater Manchester mayor.
The Leigh MP's move will be read by many as him giving up on a Labour return to government in 2020, but it's also a sign of the shift in power from Westminster to the North West.
Mr Burnham wasn't part of any negotiation for devolution to Greater Manchester and he was completely taken by surprise by the deal to merge health and social care, claiming the area was taking responsibility for an "NHS funding crisis" rather than anything else.
But time passes quickly in politics and Mr Burnham now sees opportunity where he once predicted disaster.
He'll be up against two well-established candidates for Labour who have spent months visiting local party groups to garner support.
He may find that being a big player in the national game doesn't particularly endear you to those who've stayed home to hold the fort but he's a formidable addition to the panel Labour members will eventually choose from.
The race to be the mayor of Greater Manchester has just got a bit more interesting.
Powerful regional mayors are a key part of the government's drive to devolve more responsibility to local authorities for Whitehall.
About 2.7 million people live in Greater Manchester, which has been at the forefront of the devolution project...

Summary: Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham will put himself forward to become the mayor of Greater Manchester.
###
Article: A firm in north Wales wants to bring the PooPrints service from the United States to the UK with up to 15 councils reportedly interested in the scheme.
Councils could make owners in problem areas register their dogs to a database which involves a mouth swab taken.
Then, DNA could be taken from mess left on a street, path or grass and used to find a match on the database.
Gary Downie, managing director of Streetkleen Bio in Ruthin, Denbighshire, believes local authorities can use new powers granted by the Antisocial Behaviour and Policing Act 2014 to force dog owners to comply.
"The purpose of the system is to get cleaner, safer open spaces," he said.
Councils the company is in talks with include Kingston-upon-Thames in south-west London, Aberdeen and Cheshire East.

Summary: DNA in dog mess could be used to catch owners who fail to clear up their pet's mess.
###
Article: A study, by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), analysed university applications made in 2008 by 50,000 would-be students.
Degree applications from 12 minority groups analysed were "significantly" less likely to result in an offer.
Universities UK said institutions were "actively addressing" the issue.
The report found that even after academic achievement, family social background and the type of school a student attended were taken into account, most minority groups were still much less likely to win a university place.
The only exceptions were mixed white/Asian and Chinese university candidates, who did not have a significantly lower chance of getting an offer.
The academics  calculated that on average, Pakistani candidates received seven fewer offers for every 100 applications compared with white British applicants, whilst Bangladeshi and black African students received five fewer offers and black Caribbean youngsters received three fewer.
The research also found that around 71% of applications from white British students to elite institutions - those with the most competitive entry requirements - resulted in an offer, more than for any other group.
At the other end of the scale, around 49% of applications to these universities from Bangladeshi students resulted in offers, along with 52% of those from Pakistani young people.
The LSE researchers also looked at the types of universities to which different ethnic groups were likely to apply.
They found that once qualifications, socio-economic status and schooling were taken into account, there was "very little" evidence that candidates from black and minority ethnic groups were reluctant or unwilling to apply to high-status institutions.
"When other variables are taken into account, candidates from most black and minority ethnic groups are just as, if not more, likely to target elite universities than comparable white British candidates," the report concludes.
All the applications examined by the LSE researchers were under 21 years of...

Summary: Ethnic minority students are less likely than their white British peers to receive offers from UK universities, research suggests.
###
Article: Cumbernauld has the dubious distinction of winning the Plook on the Plinth title for having Scotland's "most dismal" town centre in 2001 and 2005.
Judges have compared it to Kabul and described its shopping centre as a rabbit warren on stilts.
Now an online poll has seen it top a public vote for civic pride.
The Scottish Design Awards is organised by Urban Realm - which also organises the Carbuncle awards.
During the past few weeks of online voting, Cumbernauld residents helped the town move ahead of rivals such as Broughty Ferry, Dunkeld, East Kilbride, Eaglesham Linlithgow, Peebles and Pitlochry.
When the polls closed at midnight on Thursday, Cumbernauld had narrowly beaten Peebles.
The prize will be collected by a delegation from the town at a ceremony in Glasgow on Friday evening.
The Carbuncle Awards were created by Gordon Young, now editor of The Drum, one of the sponsors of the Scottish Design Awards.
He said: "The initial complaints against the town concerned the disastrous design of the town centre.
"There has been some investment in that area but the level of improvement is not great.
"However, Cumbernauld's real success story is how it has prospered despite these problems."
Mr Young said "the surrounding countryside, the high demand for housing, rich and diverse suburbs, transport links to Glasgow and Edinburgh and a vibrant community spirit" had all helped make Cumbernauld "a decent place to bring up a family".
He added: "Basically, economic success plus people power have made it a nice place to live."

Summary:


SeaWorld has been banned from bringing wild killer whales to its park in San Diego, America.

Article: With more than 10,000 people aged 11 to 25 responding, 53% wanted votes at 16, with 29% saying no and 18% unsure.
Presiding Officer Dame Rosemary Butler said it gave a "crucial insight" into young people's views.
But Conservative Monmouth MP David Davies has warned votes at 16 would undermine the legal protection 16 and 17-year-olds currently receive.
The report comes as the UK government plans further devolution which will including giving the assembly control over its own elections, including the voting age currently set at 18.
Supporters of a lower voting age claim it will boost young people's interest in politics, pointing to the Scottish independence referendum in which 16 and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote.
Dame Rosemary said she was "inspired" by many of the comments given by young people in the survey, including one who spoke of "citizens playing their part as equally as politicians".
"Young people are integral to the process of shaping the future of our nation - we must give them the right support so that we optimise their contribution," she said.
But she added politicians had to tackle the "information vacuum", as many young people said they wanted to vote but did not understand the political process.

Summary: Most young people in Wales want the voting age lowered to 16, according to consultation by the Welsh assembly.
###
Article: Over the year, export volumes fell 2.1% compared to the previous 12 months.
Meanwhile, separate figures showed the value of retail sales remained flat between April and June, with growth much lower than levels across the UK.
The number of retail sales rose 1% in Britain in the second quarter of 2016, but north of the border the rise was 0.2%
Business minister Paul Wheelhouse said the export figures showed Scotland's place within the European single market was "absolutely vital".
He said: "These statistics remind us that Scotland's economy continues to face substantial challenges.
"Subdued global demand and the impact of a lower oil price environment have contributed to a drop in first quarter export volumes for companies working in several parts of the Scottish economy."
Mr Wheelhouse added: "While Scotland's economy is fundamentally strong, our continued EU status - and, thereby, our place in the world's biggest single market - is absolutely vital when it comes to promoting trade and protecting jobs, investment and long-term-prosperity, and this why we are committed to pursuing every possible avenue to maintain our place in the EU."
The figures showed a 3.3% increase in food and drink exports while the amount of textiles, clothing and leather goods sold abroad from Scotland went up by 2.1%.
The decline in exports was recorded ahead of the UK's vote for Brexit, which some economists have suggested could make British goods and services more attractive to overseas buyers as a result of falls in the value of the pound.
The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said the latest retail figures continued the recent "trend of effectively flat retail sales".
SRC head of policy and external affairs Ewan MacDonald-Russell said: "This comes against the backdrop of an industry going through an intense period of structural, economic and regulatory change.
"Retailers are responding to this environment by becoming more innovative and productive through investment in people, technology and more efficient logistics...

Summary: Scottish manufactured exports fell by 0.5% in the first three months of 2016, according to the latest figures.
###
Article: He had an immune disorder that mean the weakened polio virus used to vaccinate him in childhood survived in his body.
Over time it has mutated into a form of the virus that can cause paralysis and he had no idea the jab had not worked.
Polio is only endemic in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria although Nigeria has now gone more than a year without a case.
The discovery was made by a team from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire.
They now warn that similar cases could trigger new outbreaks and hamper efforts to eradicate the disease.
They wrote in the journal PLOS Pathogens: "While maintaining high immunisation coverage will likely confer protection against paralytic disease caused by these viruses, significant changes in immunisation strategies might be required to effectively stop their occurrence and potential widespread transmission."
The man had a full course of polio vaccinations, including three doses of weakened live virus at five, seven and 12 months old, followed by a booster when he was about seven.
He was later diagnosed with a condition that suppresses the immune system, affecting its ability to kill viruses in the gut.
His stool samples contained high levels of polio virus - the researchers estimated the man had been shedding live polio in his stools for as long as 28 years.
The virus had also mutated dramatically and were no longer the weakened, or "attenuated", versions of the virus which are used in the vaccinations.
The infection was neutralised by using blood plasma taken from people with healthy immune systems who had been immunised against polio.
According to the scientific team, several highly mutated polio strains, originating from vaccines, had recently been isolated from sewage samples in Slovakia, Finland, Estonia and Israel.
All bore the molecular fingerprints of "iVDPVs" - vaccine-derived polio viruses from immunodeficient individuals.
The researchers are calling for enhanced surveillance including sewage sampling and stool...

Summary: A British man who was vaccinated against polio has been producing the virus for nearly 30 years.
###
Article: Reform Scotland also said health and police boards should be scrapped, and their responsibility added to councils.
It wants to see local authorities reduced from the current 32, to 19.
The think tank said the "crisis" in local government was highlighted by poor turnouts at the 3 May council elections.
The recommendations were dismissed by local authority umbrella group Cosla and the Scottish government.
In a
          new report on renewing local government
, Reform Scotland also proposed the election of mayors and the devolution of local taxes, all under plans to bring power closer to the people and "reverse the trend" of centralising power with government.
Under Reform Scotland's proposals, some city councils and ones with large areas, like Edinburgh and Highland, would stay the same.
But other neighbouring authorities, like North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire, would be merged into a new area simply known as "Lanarkshire".
The new councils under the proposed structure would be:
Reform Scotland chairman Ben Thomson said: "It is clear from the recent disappointing local election turnout that we have to take action against the erosion of local democracy in Scotland.
By Brian TaylorPolitical editor, Scotland
"This is not a party-political issue, and we hope to start a vital debate in this country which will result in a solution being found which empowers our councils, and which engages people at election-time.
"It is certainly the case that there is too much confusion caused by the inconsistent number of councils, police boards and health boards, and, by making these boundaries the same and making local authorities more responsible for these essential services, we will take a big step in the right direction."
A Cosla spokesman, described the Reform Scotland report as "disappointing" and said some of the thinking behind it was "woolly and piecemeal".
He added: "It is also interesting and somewhat odd that a think tank that champions localism is trying to deny councils the opportunity to be truly local with...

Summary: The number of Scottish councils should be cut by almost half and their powers boosted to revitalise local government, a think tank has said.
###
Article: It has also been told to stop breeding orcas in captivity in a ruling from the California Coastal Commission.
They gave the park permission to double the size of its orca enclosures on the condition that breeding and bringing in new whales stopped.
It comes after criticism of the way the whales are treated there, something SeaWorld has always rejected.
Animal rights activists have welcomed a ruling by the California Coastal Commission, an agency that makes big decisions on major building projects in that area of America.
SeaWorld had put in plans to spend $100m (Â£65m) to expand its orca facility, which the commission approved.
But their decision came with several conditions. SeaWorld cannot add any new whales from the wild to its San Diego tanks, and none of the 11 orcas currently at the park will be allowed to breed there.
SeaWorld said it was disappointed with the ruling. They issued a statement that said: "Breeding is a natural, fundamental and important part of an animal's life and depriving a social animal of the right to reproduce is inhumane."
Groups that have criticised the park said they were pleased with the decision.
The group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said: "The commission's action ensures that no more orcas will be condemned to a nonlife of loneliness, deprivation and misery."
The breeding ban will not apply to the 13 other whales at SeaWorld attractions in San Antonio and Orlando.

Summary:


Being overweight in adolescence is linked to a greater risk of bowel cancer later in life, a study suggests.

Article: The team at Anglia Ruskin University analysed translations from ancient Iraq or Mesopotamia.
Accounts of soldiers being visited by "ghosts they faced in battle" fitted with a modern diagnosis of PTSD.
The condition was likely to be as old as human civilisation, the researchers concluded.
Prof Jamie Hacker Hughes, a former consultant clinical psychologist for the Ministry of Defence, said the first description of PTSD was often accredited to the Greek historian Herodotus.
Referring to the warrior Epizelus during the battle of Marathon in 490BC he wrote: "He suddenly lost sight of both eyes, though nothing had touched him."
His report co-authored with Dr Walid Abdul-Hamid, Queen Mary College London, argues there are references in the Assyrian Dynasty in Mesopotamia between 1300BC and 609BC.
In that era men spent a year being toughened up by building roads, bridges and other projects, before spending a year at war and then returning to their families for a year before starting the cycle again.
Potential triggers for post-traumatic stress disorder
How is PTSD diagnosed?
Prof Hacker Hughes told the BBC News website: "The sorts of symptoms after battle were very clearly what we would call now post-traumatic stress symptoms.
"They described hearing and seeing ghosts talking to them, who would be the ghosts of people they'd killed in battle - and that's exactly the experience of modern-day soldiers who've been involved in close hand-to-hand combat."
A diagnosis and understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder emerged after the Vietnam War. It was dismissed as shell shock in World War One.
Prof Hacker Hughes said: "As long as there has been civilisation and as long as there has been warfare, there has been post-traumatic symptoms. It's not a 21st Century thing."

Summary: Evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder can be traced back to 1300BC - much earlier than previously thought - say researchers.
###
Article: At least 80 people died in the fire on 14 June, although the final toll will not be known for many months.
Nearly 400 holidays have been offered by the Grenfell Tower Holiday Appeal Facebook Group, set up by Angie Mays and Kay Gilbert from Devon.
The man and his family will have a week in a cottage in Marsden, Yorkshire.
More on the holiday offer for Grenfell victims and other Devon news.
The firefighter's wife, who wishes to remain anonymous to protect her husband, said: "What Kay and Angie have done from the kindness of their hearts will help so many families at such a distressing time in their lives.
"This has been the most horrific job of my husband's career and he has been utterly broken by it - as we all have - trying to support him emotionally, and trying to understand what he has been through, not to mention praying he comes home in one piece.
"Thanks to the utter kindness of these wonderful ladies and all of the generous donations to this cause, we will be able to go away for a week as a family for some much needed R&R.
"This means the world to me that I can take them away from it all, if just for a moment."
Ms Mays, a fundraiser from Ilfracombe, said short-stay offers have come mainly from small businesses, B&Bs and guesthouses all over the UK, but also in Spain and Cyprus, adding that other firefighter families are also in the process of taking up offers.
Other donations include counselling sessions, beauty treatments and meals.
Separate Facebook groups have been also set up to provide holidays in Cornwall and the Highlands.

Summary: A firefighter "utterly broken" by the Grenfell Tower blaze is to take up the offer of a free holiday with money raised by members of the public.
###
Article: Because I have been told that Labour's leader, Ed Miliband, wants to next month announce an eye-catching policy of cutting maximum university fees for students by a third, from £9,000 to £6,000.
But this would not be cheap: it could cost around £2.5bn a year, based on the £7.6bn that is expected to be lent to students this year to pay for their tuition fees.
In practice the cost might turn out to be less, because the current system imposes a hidden charge on government - in that many thousands of students are expected to be unable to repay their loans over coming years. The IFS calculates this hidden cost to the public purse, the disguised public sector subsidy, as 43.3p for every £1 lent.
This cost, of expected loan write-offs, might be lower under Labour's lower-fee system, since the smaller loans might be more affordable for more students
Even so, to be a credible commitment - at a time when the public sector deficit is £91bn - Labour would have to find a new tax to cover the significant cost.
So the shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, has been asked to make the sums add up.
As I understand it, he has not yet done so.
Ed Miliband told Labour's conference in the autumn of 2011 that he would cut student fees by a third if the party was in power then. But it has never been a manifesto commitment.
At the time, he said it would be paid for by increasing corporation tax paid by banks - but those funds are no longer available because they have already been tapped by George Osborne.
The preferred option, I am told, is to find an equivalent tax to the raid on the banks. But I understand that Ed Balls and Ed Miliband are also examining whether to replace the system of funding via student loans with a new tax on new graduates - by which those who benefit from a university degree would pay a higher tax rate.
The fee reduction would be aimed at reinforcing Labour's support among younger voters, especially those who turned against the Liberal Democrats when - as part of the government - they abandoned their opposition to fee...

Summary: We may be about to learn how much of a constraint Labour's promise to make no unfunded spending promises really is.
###
Article: Meath were presented with the trophy after the referee calculated that they had won by a point - 2-18 to 1-20.
However, it quickly became apparent that the correct score in the second-tier hurling final was 2-17 to 1-20.
Antrim had called for a replay after a result which saw the Saffrons missing out on a return to the top tier.
The rematch will take place at Newry's Pairc Esler with a 19:00 BST start.
Speaking after Tuesday morning's All-Ireland Football qualifiers draw, GAA president Aogan O Fearghail acknowledged that the the controversial hurling decider was likely to be replayed.
"If it ended in a draw, then there is only one action they can take," the GAA president told RTE.
Antrim had officially sought a replay after meeting to discuss the controversy on Monday night.
"Our expectation is the match will be replayed this weekend," Antrim chairman Collie Donnelly told BBC Sport NI on Monday.
The GAA president has ruled out the possibility that both Meath and Antrim could be promoted to next year's Leinster Championship as a compromise following Saturday's fiasco.
The Christy Ring Cup winners earn promotion to the Leinster Championship in addition to the possibility of clinching a place in the All-Ireland qualifiers.
Meath did not offer a replay, a decision which Antrim GAA chairman Donnelly described as "disappointing".
"If it was the other way round, we would have offered it straight away," he said.
"At the the end of the day nobody won the match, so it's disappointing they haven't come forward."
Donnelly suggested the match be replayed as a curtain-raiser to Meath's Leinster senior football championship match against Louth in Parnell Park, Dublin on Sunday but the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee instead decided to schedule the game for Saturday at Pairc Esler.
There are suggestions that the problem arose when the stadium scoreboard incorrectly Meath an Antrim point in the 63rd minute.
The scoreboard was quickly adjusted to register an Antrim point but there is a suggestion that the Meath...

Summary: The Christy Ring Cup final will be replayed on Saturday in Newry after GAA bosses acted on Tuesday following last weekend's scoreline controversy.
###
Article: Researchers followed nearly 240,000 Swedish men for 35 years.
The analysis, published in the journal Gut, showed overweight teenagers went on to have twice the risk of bowel cancer. The figures were even higher in obese teens.
The World Cancer Research Fund said the link between obesity and cancer was "strong".
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, with nearly 1.4 million new cases each year.
Processed red meat and abdominal fat have been linked to the disease.
The participants in the study were aged between 16 and 20 at the start.
The overwhelming majority were a normal weight, but 6.5% were overweight and 1% were obese.
There were 855 cases of colorectal cancer in the study.
However, the results showed not all weights were affected equally.
Those who were obese were 2.38 times more likely to have developed a bowel tumour.
The study, led by Orebro University Hospital in Sweden and Harvard University, said: "Late adolescence marks the transition from childhood to adulthood and is a period of accelerated growth, especially among men, thus this period may represent a critical window."
"It is important that we understand the role of exposures in childhood and adolescence in the development of colorectal cancer.
"In fact, the strong association observed between adolescent obesity and early-to-mid-life colorectal cancer, coupled with the increasing prevalence of adolescent obesity, may shed light on the increase in colorectal cancer incidence among young adults," he added.
Rachel Thompson, from the World Cancer Research Fund, said the evidence suggested that obesity was a risk factor for bowel cancer.
"This finding is interesting because it gives an indication that bowel cancer risk might be affected by our lifestyle habits throughout the life course," she said.
"In some ways, research into the relationship between factors like obesity and cancer risk is still in its infancy.
"It will be interesting to see if further research emerges in the future to back up the apparent relationship between...

Summary:


and serious problem" with the drug.
The UNODC said it was "a very serious problem" with the drug.
The UNODC said it was "

The Lebanese authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle a huge quantity of drugs to Saudi Arabia, officials say.

Article: Peter Logan, 45, from Glasgow, committed the rapes over 18 years at addresses in Glasgow and Carnoustie.
He was found guilty of two rape charges, one of indecent assault and two of assault at the High Court in Glasgow.
Logan was finally brought to justice after the daughter told her mother that Logan had raped her when she was aged between 15 and 18.
The mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, confronted Logan and both women went to the police.
Logan, whose science fiction novel Pen was published in 2015, claimed the women were liars and denied all the charges against him.
Defence counsel John Scullion said: "He was convicted of very serious offences.
"It is fair to say the jury also acquitted him of very significant aspects of the indictment.
"Given the nature of the convictions, the accused accepts your lordship must impose a significant sentence of imprisonment."
Judge Lord Kinclaven said: "As was rightly said there is no alternative to a significant custodial sentence."
A spokesman for children's charity NSPCC Scotland said: "Logan has been proven to be a sexual monster who inflicted pain, fear and misery on a mother and daughter over a prolonged period of time.
"The seriousness of his crimes is reflected in the lengthy prison sentence handed down and we now hope that his victims are given the help and support needed to recover from what has happened to them."

Summary: An author who raped a woman and her daughter has been jailed for 11 years.
###
Article: The Republican People's Party (CHP) accused broadcaster TRT of "abusing public office" and vowed to take legal action.
It has previously protested at TRT "bias" towards President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The election will take place on 7 June.
In a statement on the CHP website (in Turkish), deputy leader Bulent Tezcan said: "By taking the decision not the broadcast the advertisement, TRT has created a new scandal.
"The main purpose of state-funded television in all democratic countries is fairness of broadcasting. TRT's direction are committing the crime of abuse of public office," he added.
Mr Tezcan also reminded the broadcaster that it is "owned by the public".
TRT has so far declined to comment.
The opposition advert featured the slogan "we applaud as a nation" and criticised the "oppression" of justice, freedom and secularism in the country.
It urged voters to attend the party's first mass election rally on Saturday.
The controversy follows a ruling by a court in Ankara on Thursday, which ordered CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to pay damages for insulting President Erdogan in a speech in 2013.

Summary: Turkey's state television has banned the main opposition party's election campaign advert because it directly targets the government.
###
Article: Large majorities in the state House and Senate dismissed objections by Democratic Governor Pat Quinn.
The state had been under court order to adopt a concealed carry law.
The debate over gun rights in the US has raged since December, when a gunman killed 26 people, including 20 children, at a school in Connecticut.
Gun rights proponents say the US constitution protects an individual's right to carry guns, while opponents of the concealed carry law feared it would allow virtually unregulated possession of handguns in the city of Chicago, which is grappling with a severe gun violence epidemic.
In December, a federal appeals court struck down Illinois' ban on carrying a concealed weapon as a violation of the US constitution's guarantee of the right to bear arms. The court gave the state six months to write a law legalising it.
Mr Quinn vigorously opposed a concealed carry law, but the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal.
In May, the state legislature passed a bill despite his objections. He vetoed the bill, suggesting restrictions on concealed weapons that would satisfy him.
On Tuesday, legislators in the House and Senate easily mustered a two-thirds majority needed to override Mr Quinn's veto, barely beating the court deadline.
"Following a weekend of horrific violence in Chicago in which at least 70 people were shot and 12 killed, this was the wrong move for public safety in Illinois," Mr Quinn said in a statement after the vote.
He said legislators had "surrendered" to the National Rifle Association, a powerful gun rights lobby funded in part by weapons manufacturers.
He warned the new law would allow people to carry guns in pubs and bars, and allow people to carry virtual arsenals on their persons.
Gun rights proponents, meanwhile, celebrated.
"This is a historic, significant day for law-abiding gun owners,'' Representative Brandon Harris, a southern Illinois Democrat said, according to the Associated Press.
Referring to the clause in the US constitution that refers to gun ownership, he said, "They...

Summary: Illinois has become the last state in the US to allow residents to carry concealed handguns, after lawmakers overrode the governor's veto.
###
Article: It is said to result from ScotRail's plan to introduce 200 new services, providing 200,000 additional seats each day.
The timetable changes are the result of the Scottish government's decision to retain 13 Class 170 diesel trains.
Public transport campaigners have welcomed the announcement.
However, they insisted additional track capacity would be needed if the Scottish government was to meet its promise of "the largest programme of benefits to rail passengers seen in a generation".
Scotland's Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: "From 2018 passengers will benefit from more seats, more services and faster journey times as a direct result of the increased funding that we are putting into the rail network.
"The retention of these units will complement the arrival of our new High Speed Trains, which will allow for new and improved intercity connections.
"They will also make our rail network more resilient, creating opportunities to run faster services on key commuter routes and offering better connectivity for regional areas."
Phil Verster, Managing Director of Abellio ScotRail, described the announcement as "a really significant moment in our mission to transform Scotland's railway".
He added: "In three years' time, the service that we provide to our customers will be unrecognisable."
The plan also promises;
Colin Howden, from public transport campaign group, Transform Scotland, welcomed the announcement, but he said unless there were "concrete commitments" to upgrade routes then the network might not be able to take the added services.
He explained: "It's certainly going to be difficult to get more trains on the route from Dundee to Aberdeen unless there is a clear and transparent decision by government to upgrade the single track rail line at Montrose.
"Services from the Edinburgh to Perth are severely constrained by capacity limitations on the Fife Coast and the long single track section on the approach to Perth.
"In our view, the most significant single improvement that could be made would be the...

Summary: Rail passengers in Tayside, Stirlingshire, Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Borders are being promised a "revolution" in travel.
###
Article: Five Saudis, reportedly including a prince, were detained at Beirut's airport after two tonnes of pills branded as Captagon were found in cases due to be loaded onto a private jet.
It was the largest drug smuggling operation yet uncovered at the airport.
Captagon pills, which typically contain amphetamine and caffeine, are consumed widely in the Middle East.
The drug has helped fuel the conflict in Syria, generating millions of dollars in revenue for producers inside the country as well as being used by combatants to help them keep fighting.
NNA reported that 40 bags of Captagon pills were found by inspectors from the Gendarmerie in cases due to be put on board a jet bound for Hael, in northern Saudi Arabia.
It did not identify the Saudi citizens who were detained, but sources told the Associated Press and the AFP news agency that they included a Saudi prince.
In April 2014, Lebanese security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle 15 million Captagon pills hidden in shipping containers full of corn from Beirut's seaport, according to AFP.
Captagon, originally the trade name for the synthetic stimulant fenetylline, was first produced in the 1960s to treat hyperactivity, narcolepsy and depression.
However, it was banned in most countries by the 1980s because of it was too addictive.
In 2013, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said 64% of global seizures of amphetamine took place in the Middle East, and that most of the amphetamine was in the form of Captagon pills.

Summary: