Researchers at Glasgow University have developed a new way to protect farmed salmon from sea lice.

Article: Mortar shells landed in Mezzeh 86, an Alawite district near the presidential palace, and hit the prime minister's offices and Mezzeh military airfield.
Activists said the escalation might herald a concerted rebel campaign.
Meanwhile, Syria's main opposition bloc has elected a new leadership team at a general assembly in Qatar.
However, women delegates staged an angry protest when the Syrian National Council's (SNC) all-male team was announced in Doha, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Earlier, UK Prime Minister David Cameron urged newly re-elected US President Barack Obama to work with him to "do more" to end the conflict.
He said the US and its allies should do more to "shape the opposition, outside Syria and inside Syria, and try to help them achieve their goal - which is our goal - of a Syria without [President Bashar al-] Assad".
Mr Cameron made the plea after hearing "truly horrendous" stories of suffering from refugees at the Zaatari camp in northern Jordan.
In another development on Wednesday, a senior Turkish foreign ministry official told Reuters news agency that Ankara would make an official request to Nato to deploy a Patriot surface-to-air defence missile system along the border with Syria.
In Syria, state media broadcast pictures of the aftermath of the mortar explosions in Mezzeh 86, a western district of Damascus mostly populated by members of the president's Alawite minority sect.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based activist group, reported that three civilians had been killed and 12 injured.
Opposition activists said Mezzeh 86 had not been the target of the mortar fire. Rather, the rebels had targeted the nearby hilltop palace housing President Assad's offices, but made mistakes in calculating the trajectory of the projectiles, the activists added.
"This operation came in response to the massacres committed in our beloved city," the Lions of Islam rebel group said in a statement.
Mortars also fell on Hajar al-Aswad, killing three civilians, and there was...

Summary: Syrian rebels have carried out fresh attacks on government facilities and strongholds in the capital, Damascus.
###
Article: Hailing a "breakthrough" in Scotland and a strong showing in Wales, he said UKIP would target its first Westminster seat in next week's Newark by-election.
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has said he will not resign after his party lost all but one of its 12 MEPs.
He said he was not going to "walk away" from the job despite the poor results.
Mr Farage has been celebrating his party's triumph in the European polls, the first time a party other than the Conservatives or Labour has won a national election for 100 years.
UKIP won 27.5% of the vote and had 24 MEPs elected. Labour, on 25.4%, has narrowly beaten the Tories into third place while the Lib Dems lost all but one of their seats and came sixth behind the Greens.
With Northern Ireland yet to declare its results, the election highlights so far have been:
Mr Farage has said his party intends to build on what he has described as "the most extraordinary result" in British politics in the past century.
Speaking in London at an election rally, he said his party now appealed to all social classes and had made significant inroads in Wales and Scotland as well as winning the most votes in England.
By Nick RobinsonPolitical editor
He said the party was aiming to win the Newark by-election next week, to try and "turn the heat" up on David Cameron. They would target a dozen or more seats in next year's general election, he added.
"Our game is to get this right, to find the right candidates, and focus our resources on getting a good number of seats in Westminster next year.
"If UKIP do hold the balance of power, then indeed there will be a (EU) referendum."
Mr Farage said Labour would come under "enormous pressure" to offer the voters a referendum on Europe, and he said he did not believe Nick Clegg would still be Lib Dem leader at the general election.
"The three party leaders are like goldfish that have been tipped out of their bowl onto the floor and are gasping for air," he said.
Mr Clegg is facing calls to stand down after Sunday night's results, with MP John Pugh...

Summary: The UK Independence Party is a truly national force and has "momentum" behind it, Nigel Farage has said after its victory in the European elections.
###
Article: The tiny crustaceans are a naturally-occurring parasite that can cause disease and are responsible for many losses to wild and farmed fish stocks.
With resistance to chemical treatments rising, the Glasgow team has been looking at breeding resistance.
It has now come up with a new protocol to breed resistant fish and developed a mathematical model to predict outcomes.
Sea lice can cause skin lesions and increased susceptibility to infections by suppressing the host's immune system.
The parasite is estimated to cost the worldwide fish farming industry hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
Professor Michael Stear said: "Sea lice infection is a major threat to the health of farmed salmon and to the fish-farming economy.
"Our research has produced a practical tool for quantifying resistance to sea lice and shown that selection could substantially reduce the need for drug treatments.
"Selective breeding for sea lice resistance should reduce the impact of sea lice on fish health and thus greatly improve the sustainability of Atlantic salmon production."
The study outlining the Glasgow University model is published in the Royal Society journal Interface.
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: "There is no doubt that sea lice are a major problem for Scotland's salmon farming industry and that large amounts of chemicals are currently used to combat the problem.
"If we are to protect the wider environment, then finding ways to reduce the industry's reliance on chemicals is to be welcomed.
"However, as chemical use is only one of a number of environmental impacts from salmon farming, we need to see more farms sign up to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council's "responsible farming" labelling scheme, and pledge to operate more sustainably in all aspects of their operations."

Summary:


The Australian government has warned that the Cyclone Debbie could be the biggest ever to hit the country.
The government has issued a warning to the public that the cyclone could be the biggest ever to hit the country.
The Cyclone Debbie is expected to hit the country on Saturday, with the strongest winds and rain

Glasgow City Council will consider banning future Orange Order marches after footage showed members of the public chanting a sectarian song.

Article: More than 50 cars and 170 lots of automobilia were auctioned on Saturday at Aston Martin Works at Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire.
A 1962 DB4 Series IV Vantage Convertible, originally owned by Sir Peter Ustinov, sold for £1,513,500.
Sir Peter was an actor, writer and dramatist who died in 2004.
The highest priced car sold was a 1966 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible in Vantage specification  which made £1,524,700.
Tim Schofield, Bonhams' UK head of motor cars,  said: "The quintessentially British marque of Aston Martin attracts interest from enthusiasts across the world, a fact demonstrated here as we took bids from all corners of the globe.
"This year's sale attracted a larger and more cosmopolitan interest than ever before..."

Summary: Auction house Bonhams' biggest ever Aston Martin sale - which included a 1962 model once owned by Sir Peter Ustinov - has made more than £10m.
###
Article: Debbie has now blown out over the Tasman Sea after bringing a deluge of rain down the eastern coast from its impact point in Queensland.
Flood alerts remain, crops have been submerged and the bill may run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
A third body was found in Queensland on Saturday afternoon.
Seventy-seven-year-old Nelson Raebel died in the floodwaters in Logan, south of Brisbane.
Several people remain missing.
The main disaster zone stretches more than 1,000km (620 miles) from the point where Debbie made landfall, between Bowen and Airlie in Queensland, to the farming lands of northern New South Wales.
Evacuation orders and flood alerts remain in some areas, as water moves into the Fitzroy River catchment.
Michelle Verry, of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in Queensland, told Agence France-Presse: "It's almost the size of Texas, it's a huge catchment, and that's why it can take some time for water to make it's way downstream."
It is feared Rockhampton, in central Queensland, could suffer its biggest flood in 60 years later in the week, with thousands of homes and business at risk.
The army and emergency services are still working to restore water and electricity in badly hit areas. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes.
Local officials continued to issue warnings both about the floodwaters and the cost to their areas.
Luke Smith, mayor of Logan, said of the expected cost: "This is unprecedented for us. The sky is the limit at this stage about what that means."
The Logan river hit a 10m peak and Mr Smith urged people to stay away from swift-moving floodwaters.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: "Debbie is not done with us yet. It is going to take months to repair."
Further south in New South Wales, the mayor of Lismore described the scene there as "like a war zone".
"There is just so much debris floating around. It's really hard to even assess how long it's going to take to collect all of this rubbish," Isaac Smith said.
Two of the fatalities were in New...

Summary: Australia is surveying the devastation wrought by Cyclone Debbie, which has flooded vast tracts "almost the size of Texas" and left at least three dead.
###
Article: Footage emerged online of people appearing to sing the anti-Irish "Famine Song" at the weekend, while a band played along.
The council said the right of the Orange Order to march was not "absolute".
And it warned future parades could face greater restrictions or prohibition.
Police are investigating the footage of the song, which is sung to the tune of the Beach Boys' Sloop John B has previously been ruled to be racist by a Scottish court.
A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "The European Convention on Human Rights enshrines the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
"However, these rights are not absolute. They must be balanced by the responsibility to ensure the rights of others are not infringed."
He added that the council would have a full debrief with police and the parade organisers, and would take into account any issues of public disorder, anti-social behaviour or damage to property resulting from the procession.
And the spokesman said the council would also "take into consideration any evidenced issues and, if a future procession notification is received from the organiser, the likelihood of any restriction or prohibition may be greater."
The main County Grand Orange Order parade from George Square to Glasgow Green on Saturday saw 4,500 people in 63 bands take part and another 4,000 people spectating.
It was in celebration of Prince William of Orange's victory over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Eight arrests were made for minor disorder and alcohol-related offences.
Robert McLean, executive officer for the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, said: "At the end of the day, members of the public will sing songs to tunes.
"I have been quite clear - if police investigate we will assist with their inquiries. We look forward to the debrief and looking at any incidents that occurred."
But David Scott, campaign director for anti-sectarian group Nil by Mouth, said: "If the Orange Order are a religious and cultural organisation, what would be the relevance of a Beach Boys...

Summary:

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The BBC has been asked to investigate the death of a man who was shot in the head in a car in Belfast.
The man, who was not identified, was shot in the head in a car in the city centre of Belfast.
The BBC has been told that the man was shot in the head in a

A judge has sentenced a white supremacist to death for the killing of three people at two Jewish centres.

Article: The BBC asked Belfast's Institute for Global Food Security to examine 30 foods after the recent horsemeat scare.
Beef and lamb samples were all found to be clear, but two out of 10 products labelled as cod did not contain any traces of that fish whatsoever.
The institute said cheaper types of fish were being passed off as cod.
The institute is based at Queen's University, Belfast (QUB) and its director, Professor Chris Elliott, described the findings as "fish fraud".
He said while it was not a food safety issue, it was "another example of the integrity of the food chain being shown to be substandard".
Last month, the BBC bought a total of 30 food products at random for testing from supermarkets, shops and butchers in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland.
Ten products, labelled as beef, were tested by QUB for traces of horsemeat and 10 processed lamb products were tested for cross-contamination with pork.
All samples were found to be as described on the labelling.
Queen's University sent 10 cod products that were purchased at the same time to an institute it works closely with in Scotland for DNA testing.
"Only in eight of the 10 cases they could find cod being present," said Professor Elliott.
"Does it have an impact on safety? Really, it does not. People are buying cod, which is a high value fish, and actually they are getting a low value fish."
The snapshot survey confirms evidence from other studies, some carried out recently.
Biologists at the University of Salford carried out tests in fish and chip shops, supermarkets and restaurants across the UK and discovered that 7% of the fish was not what it was sold as.
Professor Elliott said: "The industry has to take this seriously."
He described the issue as "fish fraud" where a cheaper fish species is passed off as cod.
The Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, which represents many but not all of the big supermarkets, said any labelling issue was of concern.
Its director, AodhÃ¡n Connolly, said: "It alarms me it could be a knock for consumer...

Summary: Food tests commissioned for BBC Northern Ireland have found some products labelled as cod did not contain any cod at all.
###
Article: He plans to cut the number of MPs from 650 to 600 and review constituencies before the 2015 election.
The Boundary Commission is to be asked to redraw the constituency map, so each has roughly the same number of voters
However, Orkney and Shetland and the Western Isles would be exempt because they were "uniquely placed given their locations", Mr Clegg told MPs.
It had been feared that the island seats - which are small in terms of population - could disappear and that this would lead to their distinctive needs not being represented to the same extent in the UK Parliament.
SNP MP for Na h-Eileanan Iar, Angus MacNeil MP, said the announcement was a "victory for common sense".
"I have long argued that island constituencies are unique and cannot be parcelled up into neat population bundles in the same way as inner city seats," Mr MacNeil said.
"The announcement by the UK Government today is welcome recognition of this."
The leader of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Angus Campbell, said it was "good news for the Western Isles".
He said: "I am pleased that the Government has recognised the case that the Comhairle has made.
"If we had been tagged on to the west coast of Scotland the geography would have made it very difficult for an MP to properly represent constituents in such a spread out area. This is a common sense decision that will be warmly welcomed throughout the Western Isles."

Summary: Deputy PM Nick Clegg's pledge to retain island seats in the UK parliament has been welcomed in Scotland.
###
Article: Frazier Glenn Miller Jr, 74, targeted the sites in Kansas last year and will be put to death by lethal injection.
Johnson County District Judge Thomas Kelly Ryan said: "Your attempt to bring hate to this community, to bring terror to this community, has failed."
Miller responded to the sentence, by shouting "heil Hitler" before he was removed from the courtroom.
He was convicted of one count of capital murder, three counts of attempted murder, and assault and weapons charges.
Miller, also known as Frazier Glenn Cross, represented himself during the trial.
He admitted to killing William Corporon, 69, and his grandson Reat Griffin Underwood, 14, outside the Jewish Community Centre in Overland Park, Kansas.
Terri LaManno, 53, was killed outside a Jewish retirement centre.
Miller told the jurors he "knew" they were going to put him on death row, and he did not care what sentence he would receive.
He said he was motivated to kill Jews before he died because he believes they have too much power.
Before the shooting, Miller founded several white supremacist groups and later ran twice for elected office on a white power platform.

Summary:


The world's largest online marketplace for bitcoin has been shut down, after a court found that it was a "massive fraud" and a "massive violation of the law".
The court found that the site was a "massive fraud" and a "massive violation of the law" and ordered the company to pay $1

An American who helped run a successor to the Silk Road drug marketplace has been sentenced to eight years in jail.

Article: The journalist, who has presented Channel 4 News since 1989, gave the MacTaggart Lecture at the annual Edinburgh TV festival.
He said Facebook's inaction was a "threat to democracy".
Facebook's founder Mark Zuckerberg says the company is "experimenting" with ways to support the news industry.
In a 50-minute speech, Mr Snow said Facebook had helped Channel 4 News find a wider audience for its reports, but left publishers at the mercy of the social network.
"Facebook's principles are seldom explained in detail and can change overnight at Mr Zuckerberg's whim," said Mr Snow.
He also criticised the company's reputation for allowing false stories to spread unchallenged.
"Facebook enabled the story, 'Pope endorses Trump for President'," he said.
"That engaged more than a million people during the US elections. That same algorithm that prioritised many amazing reports of ours, also prioritised fakery on a massive scale.
"Facebook has a moral duty to prioritise veracity over virality. It is fundamental to our democracy."
Mr Snow also said Facebook had paid news publishers a "nominal rate" for their stories, which was not enough to support truthful, investigative journalism.
"Facebook feasts on our products and pays all but nothing for them. This cannot last," he told the audience.
Channel 4 has posted a transcript of the full lecture.
On Wednesday evening, Mr Zuckerberg said Facebook was exploring new ways to support journalists.
In a post on his Facebook profile, he said: "As more people get more of their news from places like Facebook, we have a responsibility to create an informed community and help build common understanding."
He said the social network was testing a way to make it easier for people to subscribe to publishers they liked, and Facebook would not take a cut of the subscription money.
He also described changes to help people check the authenticity of articles.
"Eventually, our goal is to put a publisher's logo next to every news article on Facebook so everyone can understand more about what they're...

Summary: Facebook should do more to tackle the spread of "cancerous" fake news, and help fund original journalism, newsreader Jon Snow has said.
###
Article: Researchers were able to make drops grow six times faster than normal by copying the insects' shell geometry.
Combined with other plant techniques, the team created drops that grew larger as temperatures increased.
The authors say the development could significantly improve water harvesting and electricity generation.
A little drop of water may seem insignificant but the physical processes involved in both the formation and movement of the liquid are essential to operation of thermal power plants, desalination and air conditioning systems.
Condensation is also critical to the more fundamental function of gathering water for human use in dry climates, a growing, global issue.
Researchers have made previous attempts to mimic the remarkable abilities of the Namib beetle, which uses its bumpy shell to draw all the water it needs from periodic, foggy winds in the desert.
The assumption until now has been that the surface chemistry of the beetle's back has been the key - but this new study says that it's actually the physical arrangement and location of the bumps that's critical.
The researchers also aped cactus spines by building their bumpy surface to guide the transport of the harvested drops. The slippery coating of pitcher plants inspired the team to coat the bumps with a smooth lubricant to reduce friction as the drops moved.
According to the study, drops grew six times more quickly on this surface and it was able to collect and transport a much larger volume of water in a short time compared to other materials.
"We experimentally found that the geometry of bumps alone could facilitate condensation," said Kyoo-Chul Park, a postdoctoral researcher and the first author of the paper.
"By optimising that bump shape through detailed theoretical modelling and combining it with the asymmetry of cactus spines and the nearly friction-free coatings of pitcher plants, we were able to design a material that can collect and transport a greater volume of water in a short time compared to other surfaces."
The researchers...

Summary: Scientists have drawn inspiration from the bumpy shells of Namib beetles to improve the collection and transport of water droplets.
###
Article: Brian Farrell admitted conspiring to distribute heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, in March this year.
Silk Road 2.0 was shut down in 2015, following Operation Onymous, raids that targeted almost 400 suspected illicit marketplaces around the world.
At the time, it was generating sales of about $8m (Â£5.5m) a month and had about 150,000 users.
Ross Ulbricht, who set up the original Silk Road, was sentenced in May 2015 to life in prison on several charges including distributing drugs.
Silk Road 2.0 was a copy of the original site and allowed people to use bitcoins to anonymously buy and sell drugs and other illegal goods and services via the Tor dark web network.
Farrell, who operated online using the alias "DoctorClu", had admitted his involvement with the site when prosecutors had been searching his Washington home in 2015, court papers revealed.
Blake Benthall, arrested in 2014, denies creating the Silk Road 2.0 site.

Summary:


The NHS Choices team has been working with the NHS to develop a new way of delivering care for older people.
The new system will be rolled out across the NHS in the next few years.
The new system will be based on the principles of the NHS Choices model, which is based on the principles of

Women who lead a sedentary lifestyle have faster-ageing cells than those who exercise every day, research suggests.

Article: The venue beat five other buildings to win the honour - the Royal Institute of British Architects' highest accolade.
Riba president Stephen Hodder called the Everyman an "exceptional new building".
"It is a ground-breaking example of how to build a daring bold and highly sustainable large public building in a historic city centre," he said.
The Everyman Theatre - famed for launching the careers of actors including Bill Nighy, Julie Walters and Pete Postlethwaite - first opened in 1964 in the shell of a 19th Century chapel on one of Liverpool's main streets.
However over the years it fell into a state of disrepair and architects Haworth Tompkins were tasked with designing a new theatre as part of a nine-year Â£27m rebuilding project, retaining its theme of being a "theatre for the people".
The building's facade features 105 punched aluminium panels portraying life-size images of Liverpool residents. Thousands queued to have their pictures taken, with the successful applicants having digital versions of their pictures etched onto the metal sun shades.
"The success of this exceptional new building lies in the architect's close involvement with the local community throughout the project," Mr Hodder said.
"Haworth Tompkins have struck the perfect balance between continuity and change to win the hearts and minds of the people of Liverpool with the vibrant new Everyman."
The theatre said it was "thrilled" to win the award.
"The Everyman was built with humanity at its heart," artistic director Gemma Bodinetz said.
"Since we reopened, the warmth of feeling from the public to their much-loved Everyman - given a daring and brilliant rebirth - has been almost overwhelming.
"Haworth Tompkins have delivered us a building that is sustainable, technically first rate and with unparalleled levels of accessibility for a theatre."
Steve Tompkins of Haworth Tompkins said: "Winning the Riba Stirling Prize is an enormous honour for our project team and our clients, the reward for an intensive collaboration over almost a decade,...

Summary: Liverpool's newly rebuilt Everyman Theatre has won the Riba Stirling Prize for best new building of the year.
###
Article: The 28-year-old won a dramatic keirin, that twice had to be restarted because of infringements, to add to his team sprint and individual sprint victories.
Kenny has won seven medals in total - his one silver coming at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when he finished second to Hoy in the individual sprint.
GB's track cyclists won six golds, four silvers and a bronze in the velodrome.
Kenny was cheered on by fiancee Laura Trott, who had earlier retained her omnium title to become the first British woman to win four Olympic gold medals.
"I'm proud to be part of the team's Olympic success and doing my bit," said Kenny.
"It is pretty mental [matching Sir Chris Hoy]. I was there in Beijing and knew he was special and as the years have gone by I appreciated how amazing he was then.
"To do the same is amazing."
Kenny has helped Britain win the team sprint at the past three Olympics. In addition, he has won two individual sprints and now has his first keirin title.
His victory was Britain's 19th of the Rio Olympics - equalling the gold haul from Beijing - and the 49th British medal overall.
Matthijs Buchli of the Netherlands took silver and bronze went to Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang.
The final had to be restarted twice after issues with the positioning of the riders and the electric 'derny' bike that sets the pace in the early laps.
Kenny appeared to have overtaken the back wheel of the derny before it left the track to signal the start of the sprint for the finish line but, after a delay of several minutes, he was allowed to continue.
"How close was Jason Kenny to not contesting that final? I'd say very close given they had already fired the gun to stop the race," British Cycling head coach Iain Dyer told BBC Sport.
"Ordinarily, procedure would dictate you have stopped the race and you make a disqualification if the rider's front wheel has been adjudged to have overtaken the wheel of the derny.
Find out how to get into cycling with our special guide.
"I don't want to make it sound too coercive. They had a good front view...

Summary: Jason Kenny equalled Sir Chris Hoy's British record of six Olympic gold medals on a sensational night in Rio.
###
Article: Research on 1,500 women aged 64 to 95 found those who spent many hours sitting and exercised for less than 40 minutes a day had cells that were biologically eight years older.
As people age, their cells age, causing DNA protectors to shorten and fray.
But health and lifestyle factors may speed up the process, researchers from California said.
Even in old age, it was important to keep active and avoid sitting for more than 10 hours a day, they said.
During ageing, tiny caps on the ends of DNA strands naturally shorten.
These telomeres - which have been likened to the plastic tips of shoelaces - are there to prevent chromosomes from deteriorating.
Telomere length is one indicator of biological age, which does not always match chronological age.
Shortened telomeres have been linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and major cancers.
How much regular exercise people do now also appears to be a factor in their length.
To track the women's movements in the study, they wore wore an accelerometer on their right hip for seven days in a row, during the day and night.
They were also asked to complete questionnaires on their activity.
Dr Aladdin Shadyab, lead study author, from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, said: "We found that women who sat for longer did not have shorter telomere length if they exercised for at least 30 minutes a day.
"Discussions about the benefits of exercise should start when we are young, and physical activity should continue to be part of our daily lives as we get older, even at 80 years old."
The study is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
NHS Choices advises older adults to break up long periods of sitting with light activity because "sedentary behaviour is now considered an independent risk factor for ill health".
It says adults aged 65 or older who are generally fit and mobile should try to do:
Older adults at risk of falls, or with poor balance, should also do exercises to improve balance and co-ordination at least twice a week.

Summary:


Anonymous has been accused of using Twitter to spread propaganda against the Islamic State group.

Some schools are "gaming" the exam system by entering children early, the Welsh Government director of education has said.

Article: Elizabeth Hart-Browne, 27, broke down in tears as she was cleared of all charges at the Old Bailey.
Miss Hart-Browne cried "I have just killed the man I love" after stabbing Stephen Rayner, 25, on 17 September in Acton, west London.
The mother of two said he had hit her and grabbed her by the throat.
The court heard that with young children sleeping feet away, she picked up a large kitchen knife and stabbed Mr Rayner three times, inflicting a fatal wound to the neck.
Mr Rayner staggered outside and collapsed in a pool of blood as neighbours rushed to help.
Meanwhile, Miss Hart-Browne, who worked as a jewellery designer, said she panicked and went back to clean the knife and clear up blood around the television.
When the police arrived at their home, Miss Hart-Browne was hysterical telling officers: "I didn't mean to do it, I'm so sorry.
"I have just killed the man I love."
The jury in the six-week trial took 15 hours to find Miss Hart-Browne not guilty of murder.
The court heard a row erupted after Miss Hart-Browne came home from a family party.
Miss Hart-Browne told jurors she regretted not just going to bed when she got home that night. She said if she had, Mr Rayner, originally from Bournemouth, would still be alive.
The jury was also told of the couple's volatile six-year relationship, during which Mr Rayner had attacked the defendant many times.
After one incident outside Liquid nightclub in Uxbridge in 2012, Mr Rayner threatened to throw himself into the Thames and went on to plead guilty to battery.
In 2015, Miss Hart-Browne said she had become so fearful she took out life insurance because "I believed I was in danger of him killing me and I didn't want my kids to be left with nothing".
The defendant, who was described as having had a troubled upbringing in Somerset, said her boyfriend would take on the persona of his hero Charles Bronson during his terrifying attacks.
She said: "He had a fascination with Charles Bronson. He liked his aggression.
"There were lots of stories about him attacking...

Summary: A woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend with a kitchen knife has been cleared of his murder after telling jurors she feared he would kill her.
###
Article: It has published a list of Twitter accounts it claims are spreading propaganda in support of the group.
Some accounts have been flooded with images of Japanese anime characters to try to influence search engine results for phrases connected to IS.
Many other accounts have been suspended or shut down as a result of the group's actions.
As well as targeting Twitter accounts, the operation also sought to take down Facebook pages, blogs, websites and web proxies used by supposed IS supporters.
The publication of the list is the latest in a series of "operations" by Anonymous and others hacktivist organisations against the IS group and its online supporters.
The list of more than 750 Twitter accounts that Anonymous has taken action against was published on the Pastebin website. Top of the list were accounts that had more than 10,000 followers, it said, but many others with smaller numbers of readers were also targeted.
Some accounts that Anonymous members won access to had their messages and images changed to show the ISIS-Chan anime character. Groups tackling IS propaganda online are starting to use images of the young girl in connection with the group's name and slogans in an attempt to dilute the results people get when they search for information about the group.
The Anonymous action comes after UK Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled a strategy to help tackle the "poison" of extremism. The package of measures included demands that ISPs and net firms do more to remove extremist material and identify who posted it.
It is not clear how much effect the action by Anonymous and others is having on the work IS does to spread its message online. One study released earlier this year estimated that the group and its sympathisers control more than 90,000 Twitter accounts.
"There is definitely utility in shutting down accounts," said JM Berger, an analyst that did the study of IS' use of social media.
"It's not going to eliminate IS's presence online, but it helps limit their ability to accomplish their goals,...

Summary: Hacktivist group Anonymous is ramping up efforts to tackle sympathisers of the Islamic State group on Twitter.
###
Article: Steve Davies told AMs officials were "concerned" about the volume of early entry.
It follows criticism from Education Secretary Kirsty Williams that children were being "banked" at lower qualifications.
Mr Davies said the government wants to take action on the issue in the autumn.
Ms Williams expressed concerns earlier in May that the focus on raising GCSE attainment to C grade has led to "unintended consequences", with some children put in for early entry to bank a lower qualification instead of potentially reaching higher.
The senior civil servant - asked about the issue of "early entry as a way of gaming the system" by Labour AM Lee Waters - said the Welsh Government advice was that decisions around early entry were made "in the interests of an individual child".
He told the assembly's public accounts committee that this year that some schools have conducted early entry "almost to test the system".
But he added: "I do believe... there are also those out there who are gaming."
Mr Davies acknowledged: "Sometimes that's the pressure that the system we have puts on them.
"I'm not in any way justifying it, but I can understand that people will resort to that."
Mr Davies said the government was working with Qualifications Wales (QW) to identify "the scale of the problem" with a report from the body due in September.
He added Ms Williams is "very aware of it" adding that action will be taken in the "early part of the autumn term" following the review.

Summary:


The government has announced it will be introducing a new law to force companies to disclose the identity of their employees.
The new law, which will be introduced in the autumn, will require companies to disclose the identity of their employees to the police and the courts.
The law will also require companies to disclose the identity of

A Royal Marine who is suing the Ministry of Defence for up to £8m, has denied that he broke his neck performing a "Baywatch-style" dive.

Article: Nearly 98% of those who took part supported the government's call to reject the EU plan.
But only 40.4% cast valid ballots - short of the required 50% threshold.
A government spokesman said the outcome was binding "politically and legally", but the opposition said the government did not have the support it needed.
Mr Orban urged EU policymakers to take note of the result and said he would change Hungary's constitution to make the decision binding.
The controversial EU plan to relocate 160,000 migrants across the bloc would mean Hungary receiving 1,294 asylum seekers.
Ferenc Gyurcsany, leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition, said the low turnout showed that most people did not support the government.
"According to this result with such low turnout, the people do not support the government. And this is good."
There were 220,000 spoilt ballots. The number rejecting the EU scheme was 3.3 million, while 55,000 backed it.
But a government spokesman said the result could not be regarded as invalid.
"The government initiated the referendum, so both politically and legally the outcome is binding," he said.
"The 50% would have made a difference because parliament could have no alternative but to make a decision. But parliament is behind the government regarding the decision. This is a reinforced mandate for the government."
The referendum result is both a crushing defeat and an emphatic victory for Hungary's prime minister.
On the one hand, Viktor Orban led a prominent, expensive and relentless anti-EU and anti-migrant referendum campaign but failed to persuade most Hungarians to vote.
On the other hand, those who did vote sided with him almost unanimously, allowing him to trumpet that a higher percentage of Hungarians voted against EU migrant quotas than voted for EU membership 13 years ago.
Mr Orban says he is leading what he calls a counter-revolution against EU centralisation, a pushback against Brussels bossiness. He views himself as the man of the moment, speaking for the people of Europe.
He had hoped...

Summary: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has declared victory in a referendum on mandatory EU migrant quotas, despite a low turnout that rendered it invalid.
###
Article: James Hipwell, who was jailed in 2006 for writing about firms whose shares he owned, said he witnessed repeated privacy infringements at the paper.
He told the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics that he overheard showbiz journalists openly talking about it.
Publisher Trinity Mirror has insisted its journalists work within the law.
It has also said they work within the Press Complaints Commission's (PCC) code of conduct.
Meanwhile, Heather Mills, the former wife of singer Sir Paul McCartney, has said in a statement that she never disclosed private voicemail messages from her ex-husband to former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan.
It comes after the former tabloid editor, now an interviewer for American broadcaster CNN, told the inquiry on Tuesday he had listened to a voicemail message left to her by Sir Paul.
Mr Morgan, who firmly denied any knowledge of hacking under his editorship, refused to say when or where he had heard the message - because he wanted to protect "a source". He said he had no reason to believe phone hacking was going on.
Ms Mills said she would be "more than happy" to answer any questions the inquiry had for her about the subject.
CNN said it was "seeking a response to the Mills statement from Morgan".
On Wednesday, Mr Hipwell told the inquiry he had never been given a copy of the code during his time at the paper, under Mr Morgan's editorship.
He said he never heard reference to the code, and said there were no visible signs of ethical leadership.
In a statement read to the inquiry, he stated: "I witnessed journalists carrying out repeated privacy infringements using what has now become a well-known technique - to hack into the voicemail systems of celebrities, their friends, publicists and public relations executives.
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"The openness and frequency of their hacking activities gave me the impression that hacking was considered a bog-standard journalistic tool for gathering information."
Mr Hipwell said he sat next to the showbiz team, where hacking took place...

Summary: Phone hacking appeared to be a "bog-standard journalistic tool" for gathering information, a former Daily Mirror financial reporter has said.
###
Article: Spencer Vaughan, 27, of Campbell Road, Plymouth, suffered spinal damage after hitting his head on a sand bar in Gran Canaria while on a training course.
He is seeking damages from the MoD for not warning about the dangers of diving into shallow waters.
Mr Justice Davis will give his ruling at a later date.
Mr Vaughan, who comes from Cwmbran, South Wales, is now an incomplete tetraplegic following the accident in 2009 and gave evidence from his wheelchair at London's High Court.
Mr Vaughan insisted he was "on duty" when he walked into the sea to "cool off", executing a shallow, surface dive as the waters reached waist height.
Malcolm Sheehan QC, for the MoD, suggested to Mr Vaughan that he and his comrades were simply "chilling out" on the beach.
"It is unrealistic to say that you were on duty because you had a free choice about how to spend your time", the barrister said.
The QC referred him to "other accounts" which suggested that he "ran into the water and then carried out a Baywatch-style dive".
Mr Vaughan agreed that he and his fellow marines were "relaxing and chilling out", but said their primary purpose was to exercise and to swim.
Mr Vaughan said he had walked carefully into the water to avoid a young family in front of him.
Mr Sheehan said he had "every sympathy" for Mr Vaughan's plight, but added: "On the facts of this case there is no basis for a finding of negligence on the part of the MoD."
Mr Justice William Davis has now reserved his judgment on the case and will give his ruling at a later date.

Summary:


All four schools run by a Telford academy trust have been put in special measures within a week.

Article: Andreas Hongvan drove from Sweden to Worthing to collect a broken solar panel he had successfully bid Â£189 for.
He had just driven from a similar pick-up in Nottingham where he had to climb on to a roof to "collect" his purchase.
Mr Hongvan, who lives "off grid" in Sweden, said: "I couldn't find anything like this at home. So it was worth it."
His wife was the one to first enquire about the Worthing solar panel, which was sold by Mark Cranford.
He said: "I thought they would probably decide they wouldn't bother as it was so far.
"I didn't hear anything for a day or so then his wife called and said he was at the Eurotunnel."
Mr Hongvan turned up in Worthing on Thursday in his trusted Volvo with the two solar panels from Nottingham already secured on top.
He was met by Mr Cranford and his brother Stephen.
Mr Hongvan told Stephen Cranford: "If I could buy this in Sweden I wouldn't drive all the way here, but I did my research and I couldn't find anything like it."
Mark Cranford, who said the outdated solar panel had attracted 26 bids, described his Swedish visitor as "a very nice chap, mad but nice".

Summary: A dedicated Ebay buyer travelled more than 1,700 miles (2,800km) across Europe to pick up items listed as collection-only.
###
Article: The timing of the handover of power from David Cameron looks set to be after PM's  questions on Wednesday.
Mrs May, 59, who backed staying in the EU, has been home secretary since 2010.
Mrs Leadsom, who campaigned to leave the EU, said the UK needed "strong and stable government" and that Mrs May was "ideally placed" to implement Brexit.
The 1922 committee of Tory MPs - which is overseeing the leadership contest - is holding talks with the Conservative Party board over formally declaring Mrs May the winner, after Mrs Leadsom dropped out.
A statement is expected from its chairman, Graham Brady, at about 17:00 BST.
Mrs May is also expected to make a public statement, at about 18:00 BST, according to BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith.
In a speech earlier on Monday setting out her leadership campaign platform, Mrs May - who rejected the argument that the next leader and prime minister had to have been someone on the winning side of the EU referendum - said: "Brexit means Brexit and we're going to make a success of it."
In her brief statement in Westminster, Mrs Leadsom - who was a leading light of the Brexit campaign - said a nine-week leadership campaign at such a "critical time" for the UK would be "highly undesirable".
A source close to the energy minister told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg "the abuse has been too great" for Mrs Leadsom during the contest.
Mrs Leadsom had apologised to Mrs May on Monday after suggesting in a weekend newspaper interview that being a mother made her a better candidate for the job.
Mrs Leadsom, who was flanked by some of her supporters as she read the statement, said: "Strong leadership is needed urgently to begin the work of withdrawing from the European Union. A nine-week leadership campaign at such a critical moment is highly undesirable."
She said Mrs May, the home secretary, had the support of more than 60% of Conservative MPs and was "ideally placed to implement Brexit on the best possible terms for the British people and she has promised she will do...

Summary: Theresa May is set to become the UK's next prime minister after Andrea Leadsom pulled out of the contest to become Conservative Party leader.
###
Article: Inspectors criticised teaching and leadership at the Phoenix Academy and Lakeside Academy following visits in February, rating both schools inadequate in all areas.
Wrockwardine Wood and Sutherland academies, also run by the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust, were put in special measures earlier this week.
The trust has not commented.
Ofsted criticised the trust's lack of support to the schools and said each was now considering an alternative sponsor.
Inspectors said pupils' achievement at the Phoenix Academy had dropped since it became an academy in 2013 and their latest report rated it inadequate in all areas.
A report in 2013, before it converted, rated the secondary school as "requiring improvement", while Lakeside was rated "good" in 2012 under its former name the Lord Silkin School.
In the latest report, inspectors said the curriculum at Phoenix Academy was "inadequate", while "weak teaching" meant pupils were not sufficiently challenged and were often "disengaged and disruptive".
There was particular criticism of standards in English and maths which the watchdog said were limiting pupils' achievements in other areas.
Ofsted's report said governors, managers and teachers had developed a "culture of low expectations", while leaders had failed to act decisively to halt the decline in pupils' achievement.
There was, however, some praise for the acting head teacher. Inspectors said he had introduced a number of improvement measures and some were "beginning to have an impact".
A report on Lakeside School highlighted similar concerns, criticising teachers for not sufficiently challenging pupils and for having "over generous" predictions of their achievement.
Inspectors said many pupils, whether high achievers or those with special educational needs, were "not making the progress they should" and achievements at GCSE were well below the national average.
Governors were also criticised for not holding leaders to account, while the report said management had failed to effectively monitor either pupils or...

Summary:


The government has announced that it will be spending £1.5 billion on a new £1.5 billion road network in England.
The new £1.5 billion road network will be built in the north of England, including the new A4, the A4 North, the A4 South, the A

A consultation into improvements on the A27 has been dubbed "a sham" by council leaders.

Article: The Rev Gregory Jacobs joined police on Wednesday in his first public comments since her death to urge anyone to come forward with details on what happened.
The 65-year-old judge was found dead in the Hudson River with no signs of foul play or criminality, police say.
But Mr Jacobs dismissed the possibility that she may have taken her own life.
"These reports have frequently included unsubstantiated comments concerning my wife's possible mental and emotional state of mind at the time of her death," Mr Jacobs wrote in a statement to NBC News.
"Those of us who loved Sheila and knew her well do not believe that these unfounded conclusions have any basis in reality."
Ms Abdus-Salaam, the first black woman to serve in New York's highest court, was discovered on 12 April, a day after her husband reported her missing.
Senior New York judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam found dead in Hudson River
Police had reportedly treated the death as a possible suicide, but an initial autopsy last week was inconclusive and the cause of death is still pending, according to Medical Examiner's Office spokeswoman Julie Bolcer.
Police are now treating the case as suspicious.
"Until such a determination is made, the death may be classified as suspicious, in that the circumstances have not been clearly established," the NYPD said in a statement to CNN.
Robert Boyce, chief of detectives for NYPD, told reporters there were no apparent injuries to her body and her death did not appear to be criminal in nature.
Surveillance footage showed the judge walking alone near the river in the Harlem neighbourhood about 12 hours before her body was found in the water, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
She was seen dressed in the same clothing she was wearing when her body was found, according to Sergeant Brendan Ryan.
Ms Abdus-Salaam's extended family has also pushed back on what they said are inaccurate reports that her mother and brother had committed suicide.
"Sheila's mother, the matriarch of our family who died at age 92 in 2012, did...

Summary: The husband of US judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam, found dead last week in a New York City river, has called reports of her apparent suicide "unfounded".
###
Article: The Awards for Valour (Protection) Bill tabled by Conservative MP Gareth Johnson passed its Commons second reading on Friday.
It could create a new criminal offence with a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment or a Â£5,000 fine.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon says he "fully supports" the proposal.
The bill will undergo further scrutiny by MPs at committee stage at a later date.
"Medals recognise our forces who risk their lives for freedom. It is important their service is properly protected," he said.
But James Glancy, a former captain in the Royal Marines who received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his service in Afghanistan, told the BBC's Daily Politics the bill goes "too far".
"I think it's just going too far to suggest someone could go to prisonâ€¦" he said. "I think it's very important to look at what's going on with someone that is actually pretending that they served in the armed forces.
"There may well be a serious mental health problem and actually that person just has low self-esteem, they're not a threat to the public, and they actually need professional help."
Legislation making the unauthorised wearing of medals a criminal offence was originally introduced in the aftermath of the First World War by the then secretary for war, Winston Churchill.
It remained on the statute book until 2006 when the new Armed Forces Act came into force and the provisions relating to military decorations were not carried over.
Mr Johnson's bill has the backing of the Commons Defence Committee, which said in a report earlier this week that the unauthorised wearing of medals constituted "a harm that is worthy of specific criminal prohibition".
"There is a tangible and identifiable harm created by military imposters against members of society who should rightly be held in its highest esteem," it said.
Speaking at the bill's second reading in the Commons, Mr Johnson said: "To undermine our veterans is wrong. To claim you're a military hero when you are not is wrong, and to steal valour is wrong.
"The...

Summary: A Private Member's Bill making it offence for people to wear military medals to which they are not entitled is backed by the government.
###
Article: Highways England plans to "increase capacity and reduce congestion" between Worthing and Lancing.
But Adur and Worthing councils say the Â£69m proposal is not fit for purpose and the government body should launch a fresh consultation with updated plans.
Highways England project manager Tom Beasley said the improvements were the "best achievable option".
Large-scale options were considered by Highways England, including dual carriageway schemes with flyovers.
But the consultation focuses a mix of new traffic signalling and road widening on six junctions between Durrington Hill and the Lancing Manor roundabout.
In a joint statement, the leader of Adur District Council, Neil Parkin, and the leader of Worthing Borough Council, Dan Humphreys, said the "modest" plans are not good enough.
Mr Parkin said: "Highways England say they want to consult with us but we say this is a sham. By not allowing the public to weigh up options and see full costings how are we to make any kind of decision?
"All I do know is the current scheme on the table is barely worth the disruption and certainly not worth spending Â£69m on."
Mr Humphreys added: "Highways England do not seem to be taking us seriously. Our questions were met with an 'experts know best' response."
But Mr Beasley said Highways England think that the proposal "would make a worthwhile improvement to people's journeys and is the best achievable option within the scope and budget available for the project".
"We welcome all views and promise that we will take all responses to the consultation fully into account."
Consultation into the proposal ends on 12 September.

Summary:


SABMiller has rejected an improved offer from Anheuser-Busch InBev that it says "very substantially undervalues" the company.

Article: The cover shows the Prophet holding a sign reading "I am Charlie", below the words "all is forgiven".
The magazine's lawyer Richard Malka told French radio earlier that it was important to show that staff would "cede nothing" to extremists.
Gunmen attacked the magazine's offices on Wednesday, killing 12 people.
Following the attack, the gunmen were heard shouting that they had "avenged the Prophet Muhammad".
The magazine was firebombed in 2011 after publishing Muhammad cartoons.
A total of 17 people were killed in three days of terror attacks in Paris last week.
The slogan "Je suis Charlie" or "I am Charlie" was widely used following Wednesday's attack on the magazine, as people sought to show their support.
Three million copies of Wednesday's edition are being printed. Normally only 60,000 are available each week.
Mr Malka told France Info radio: "We will not give in. The spirit of 'I am Charlie' means the right to blaspheme."
Survivors of the massacre have been working on the magazine from the offices of another French title, Liberation.
Five of Charlie Hebdo's top cartoonists were killed in the attack.
The new edition will be created "only by people from Charlie Hebdo", its financial director, Eric Portheault, told AFP news agency.
Contributions from other cartoonists were declined.

Summary: The cover of the latest edition of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has been published in French media, and depicts the Prophet Muhammad.
###
Article: St Ninian's High, in Giffnock, covers three local and two Glasgow primaries.
East Renfrewshire Council wants to limit automatic entry to its own area with Glasgow pupils only gaining access through placing requests.
It looks set to back the move after a consultation showed most local parents supported plans. Glasgow respondents and most pupils were strongly opposed.
The recommendation to proceed is contained in a report detailing the results of the consultation which ran from September to December last year.
East Renfrewshire Council is seeking to change the current St Ninian's catchment area as it says the Roman Catholic-denominational school is at capacity and cannot cope with higher numbers.
The cross-border arrangement between East Renfrewshire Council and Glasgow City Council over the school was born out of local government reorganisation in the mid-1990s.
It was agreed that pupils from St Angela's and the former St Louise's primary schools in Glasgow would attend St Ninian's.
When St Louise's was closed during a merger with St Vincent's Primary, a portion of its pupils who stayed in certain postcode areas, retained the right to transfer to St Ninian's.
New housing developments in the St Angela's catchment area also saw more children from Glasgow qualify for transfer to St Ninian's.
East Renfrewshire now wants to limit automatic admission to St Ninian's to its three local schools - St Cadoc's, St Joseph's, and Our Lady of the Missions.
Under the new proposals, the authority would only accept pupils from the Glasgow schools under placing requests, with no guarantee given as to admission.
In the case of these placing requests, priority would be given to pupils who were baptised Catholics.
More than 4,000 people - including parents and pupils - responded to the consultation on the proposals.
A majority of parents from East Renfrewshire who responded backed the moves with a majority in Glasgow opposed.
Most of the pupils from East Renfrewshire who responded to the consultation disagreed with the proposals,...

Summary: Pupils at two Glasgow primaries look set to lose the right to attend one of Scotland's top performing secondaries.
###
Article: AB InBev on Wednesday raised its offer for SAB to £42.15 a share, having previously bid £38 and £40.
SABMiller closed up 2.4% at £37.08, having risen sharply since InBev first made its move last month.
Any deal between the two would create the world's biggest brewer, worth more than £180bn.
SABMiller said its board had formally considered the new offer, and had "unanimously rejected the proposal as it still very substantially undervalues SABMiller, its unique and unmatched footprint, and its standalone prospects".
AB InBev brews Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona, while SAB brews Peroni and Grolsch, among others.
If a deal does go through, the merged company would produce one-third of the world's beer.
On Tuesday, SAB reported a 9% fall in revenues for the three months to September, which it blamed on weakening emerging market currencies.
Sales volumes were up 2%.
Shares in AB InBev closed up 0.6% in Brussels at €98.65.

Summary:


The UK's new Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will not be able to meet the EU's deadline to agree a Brexit deal.
The UK's new Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will not be able to meet the EU's deadline to agree a Brexit deal.
The UK's new Prime Minister Theresa May

UKIP's Welsh MEP post may be better left unfilled as a result of Brexit, party AM Caroline Jones has said.

Article: Its Global Economic Prospects report is forecasting 2.7% growth compared with the 2.3% seen last year.
That slight strengthening will be driven mainly by improvements in emerging markets and developing economies, the Bank says.
But there is heightened uncertainty after the US Presidential election, according to the report.
The World Bank's new forecasts suggest we can expect the unconvincing global economic revival following the financial crisis to continue.
Last year's growth figure was described as a "post-crisis low", with "anaemic" levels of investment and a further weakening of global trade.
For emerging market and developing economies, the rise in interest rates in the US and the strengthening dollar also led to a "notable tightening of financing conditions" - which means credit that is either more expensive or harder to get.
But the Bank still expects growth to accelerate in these countries, partly due to higher commodity prices, such as oil and metals, which many of them export.
The Bank's economists also expect the slowdown in two large emerging economies, Brazil and Russia, to come to an end.
For the developed economies the Bank forecasts continued weak growth of around 1.8%.  That would be slightly better than 2016, but still slow compared to the period before the crisis.
Uncertainty about future policies has increased following the British referendum on the European Union and, potentially especially significant for the global economy, Donald Trump's victory in the US Presidential election.
The report includes an analysis of why the US matters so much to the rest of the world in terms of extensive trade and financial links.
It notes that there is a great deal of uncertainty about just what policies Mr Trump's administration will pursue in office.
And it says there is the potential for stronger US growth if Mr Trump implements proposals to cuts personal and business taxes and stimulates infrastructure investment.
The report also looks at the possible impact of more barriers to international trade....

Summary: There will be only a moderate pick up in global economic growth during 2017, the World Bank has predicted.
###
Article: German Shepherd Major worked for Staffordshire Police for six years.
Major is among finalists for the National Police Dog of the Year award after tackling a man who was firing an air pistol.
Major, aged eight, has given up his police duties and will live as a family pet with his handler, Pc Lance Stevenson.
Staffordshire Police said Major and his handler were deployed to Hanley in October after reports a man was firing a hand gun while walking towards Sneyd Green.
"Armed officers were on their way to the incident but because of the immediate threat to members of the public, Major was instructed to bring the man down," a police spokeswoman said.
"Without hesitation, police dog Major quickly ran towards the male as he reached for the gun. He took hold of his right upper arm, taking him to the ground."
Pc Stevenson was then able to disarm and arrest the man who later pleaded guilty to possession of a loaded air weapon in a public place, the spokeswoman added.
The force said like other police dogs, Major had undergone "robust training".
However, he will now put his paws up at Pc Stevenson's home, making way for the officer's new sidekick, Fonz, a two-year-old German Shepherd.
The officer also handles Seamus, an English springer spaniel trained in detecting explosives.
Pc Stevenson said: "Major has constantly proved to be a valuable asset to the force in the work that he has undertaken and has played his part in hundreds of arrests."
The winner of the National Police Dog of the Year, which is organised by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), is to be announced on 14 January.

Summary: A police dog which has been nominated for a bravery award is marking Christmas with retirement.
###
Article: Ms Jones told BBC Radio Wales she did not want to give up being an AM to go to Brussels to replace Nathan Gill, UKIP Wales leader.
Mr Gill has been told by the UKIP assembly group and the UKIP party chairman Steve Crowther to stop "double-jobbing" as an AM and MEP.
Mr Gill said those making such calls were doing it out of "malice".
"We've got Brexit now and I think that, possibly, it may be best to leave that role unfilled," Ms Jones told the Good Morning Wales programme.
"I'm surprised I've not been formally asked what I'd like to do."
Ms Jones, the South Wales West AM, is one of two people who could take up the role of UKIP Wales MEP if Mr Gill made it vacant - the other being South Wales East AM David Rowlands.
She would, in theory, have first refusal over Mr Rowlands as she was third in the 2014 UKIP European Parliament election list and Mr Rowlands was fourth. The number two candidate, James Cole, is no longer in the party.
Asked if she would give up her position as AM to become an MEP, she said: "No I wouldn't. I'm not interested. Since becoming an AM I've thrown myself totally into what I'm elected to do.
"They'd have to ask David Rowlands obviously but neither of us have formally been asked, although David may say 'oh no I'm settling in in his role', and he is actually, he's doing very well.
"Quite frankly I think it's impossible to do two jobs, especially when one is in Brussels and Strasbourg and the other is in the Welsh Assembly. It's a very difficult situation."

Summary:


The US has been accused of using the death of a US soldier to justify its actions in Iraq and Syria.
The US military has been accused of using the death of a US soldier to justify its actions in Iraq and Syria.
The US military has been accused of using the death of a US soldier to justify its

Japan's PM Shinzo Abe has said he has "great confidence" in US President-elect Donald Trump and he believes they can build a relationship of trust.

Article: Bolton Wanderers Free School, which opened in 2014 as part of a £100m development near the club's stadium, offers courses to up to 400 students, but only had 95 enrol in 2015.
The school's trustees said the numbers meant it was "not financially viable".
An inspection by Ofsted in September 2016 found the school to be inadequate.
Inspectors said "a culture of low aspirations" at the school resulted in "too many students making poor progress and not meeting their target grades".
The institution offers a range of vocational courses for 16 to 19-year-olds.
Principal Toni Carr said the school was working with other education providers to find alternative courses for its students, adding that existing students in Year 13 would "continue to follow their current courses and complete these in the summer term".
She also said the school would "endeavour to ensure that teaching and learning within the college will continue with present staff... [to] ensure students are prepared for examinations this summer."
Bolton Council said it was "sorry" to hear of the closure and was "supporting the school and working directly with the young people to help them with their transitions to other educational institutions".

Summary: A football club's free school will close at the end of the academic year because of low pupil numbers, its trustees have said.
###
Article: But one, the Rolls-Royce Merlin, may have been the difference between freedom and tyranny.
Such is its lasting impact, it was celebrated on Sunday with the first ever Spitfires, Merlins and Motors event at Duxford - the Imperial War Museum's aviation centre in Cambridgeshire.
Mike Evans, who founded the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, believes the engine turned the tide of war.
"Without the Merlin, we would not have won the Battle of Britain and Hitler may have crossed the channel," he said.
Designed in Derby, it powered a series of planes which between 1940 and 1945 halted, hammered and then crippled the forces of Nazi Germany.
The Merlin had a rich heritage, developed from engines designed and used during World War I and the peacetime air speed competition, the Schneider Trophy.
Receiving no government backing, Rolls-Royce built a prototype which by 1935 was producing more than 1,000 horsepower, 40% more than its predecessor the Kestrel.
"I flew Kestrels in Harts and Hinds early on and you really noticed the difference in power [when using the Merlin].
"And it was so dependable. I flew 900 hours in Spitfires during the war and never had any trouble at all.
"All through the war the German planes, the Messerschmitts and so on, and British planes were stepping up each other in performance, manoeuvrability and speed.
"The Merlin kept up, it was improved, it got more powerful."
This performance led to it being adopted for the new generation of RAF fighters - just in time for Britain's hour of greatest need in 1940.
Leo McKinstry, author of books on the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster, said: "By preventing the Luftwaffe from gaining air supremacy over southern England, the two legendary fighters destroyed the Reich's hopes of mounting an invasion.
"But these aircraft would never have achieved that success without the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
"Robust and supremely efficient, the Merlin gave the RAF's fighters the power and performance they needed to defend our skies."
Proven in combat, demand for the Merlin grew....

Summary: For most people, an engine just gets us from A to B - and drinks expensive petrol.
###
Article: Mr Abe described the 90-minute meeting in Trump Tower, New York, as "candid", with a "warm atmosphere".
Some of Mr Trump's campaign rhetoric cast doubt over long-standing US alliances, including with Japan.
The meeting was Mr Trump's first face-to-face with a world leader since winning the presidential election.
The US and Japan have been key allies since the end of World War Two, when the US helped Japan rebuild its economy.
The president-elect has vowed to scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which Mr Abe strenuously supports as a means of countering China's growing economic strength.
The deal was approved by the Japanese parliament, despite the likelihood that it would be cancelled when Mr Trump takes office.
Mr Trump has also said Japan needs to pay more to maintain US troops on its soil, and has floated the idea that Japan and South Korea should develop their own nuclear weapons to counter the threat from North Korean missiles.
The meeting was reportedly arranged when Mr Abe rang the president-elect to congratulate him, mentioning that he would be passing through New York on the way to an Asia-Pacific trade summit in Peru.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Abe said: "We were able to have a very candid talk over a substantial amount of time. We held it in a very warm atmosphere.
"I do believe that without confidence between the two nations the alliance would never function in the future and as the outcome of today's discussion I am convinced Mr Trump is a leader in whom I can have great confidence."
The Japanese leader gave few details of the meeting but added the two agreed to meet again for deeper talks on a wider range of issues.
Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who have emerged as key advisers to Mr Trump since his surprise election victory, also met Mr Abe at Trump Tower.
Media speculation over her role has included the possibility of her becoming ambassador to Japan.
In the days since the election, Mr Trump has been speaking to dozens of world leaders as well as...

Summary:


The man who was shot dead in a car in the city centre of Johannesburg on Friday night was a former police officer, police said.
The man, who was shot dead in a car in the city centre of Johannesburg on Friday night, was a former police officer, police said.
The man, who

A man with learning difficulties has been left "absolutely traumatised" after being punched and robbed at a bus stop.

Article: President Jacob Zuma is already facing an official investigation over the multi-million dollar renovation of his homestead in KwaZulu Natal.
It and a proposed building of a nearby town has been dubbed "Zumaville".
Provincial authorities have said the road development plan preceded Mr Zuma's presidency.
But the Democratic Alliance has questioned why so much emphasis is being placed on this area of South Africa.
The BBC's Pumza Fihlani, in Johannesburg, says many development plans and road upgrades across the country, some of which are urgently needed, never get off the ground often because of lack of finance or corrupt tenders.
On Sunday, it was revealed that South Africa's Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had opened an investigation into the publicly funded construction of Mr Zuma's private residence in the district of Nkandla.
The chalets and state of the art security are said to have cost $27m (£17m).
The unveiling by the KwaZulu Natal government of two new nearby road networks, costing $67m, happened two days later.
The Democratic Alliance's Ian Ollis said that he would request that Ms Madonsela extend her investigation to include the road upgrades leading to Mr Zuma's homestead.
"KwaZulu Natal certainly has enough road and transport infrastructure projects which could have been considered as alternatives to the Nkandla projects," Mr Ollis said.
But KwaZulu Natal's Transport Minister Willies Mchunu said the road project was above board and various villages had been marked for development before Mr Zuma came to power in 2009.
"In fact, former President Thabo Mbeki identified Nkandla and Msinga as priority areas needing development. This has nothing to do with President Zuma," South Africa's Mercury newspaper quoted him as saying.
In recent months, there has also been controversy over proposals for a town to be built about 3km (two miles) from Mr Zuma's Nkandla homestead.
"Public funds should not be spent to service the home and the hometown of the president to the detriment of other projects that are meant...

Summary: The spending of taxpayers' money on the upgrade of roads near the rural home of South Africa's president should be investigated, the opposition says.
###
Article: He is acknowledged as the author of baseball's first rule book and remains to this day the only journalist to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
But not many people know Henry Chadwick, the man who helped oversee baseball's meteoric rise to national prominence, hailed from a county town in the south west of England.
A historian for Major League Baseball, John Thorn, explained: "No man was more important to the rise of baseball from boys' game to national pastime than Henry Chadwick, the game's great promoter."
Chadwick was born in Exeter in 1824 and grew up with a passion for cricket.  When he was 12 years old, his family emigrated to the US where he continued his love affair with the sport.
Following in his father's footsteps, Mr Chadwick became a journalist, and by the mid-1850s, he was writing for the New York Times as a cricket reporter.
He soon turned his attention to baseball after watching a game between New York's Gotham and Eagle clubs in 1856.
He was immediately taken by the pace of the game.
"Americans do not care to dawdle over a sleep-inspiring game, all through the heat of a June or July day," he said.
"What they do they want to do in a hurry.  In baseball, all is lightning; every action is as swift as a seabird's flight."
Through his cricketing background, Chadwick had developed a love of statistics and he refined the 'box score', which helped supporters follow the sport from home and allowed them to compare players' records.
He quickly found a place on the Rules Committee in 1858, but his main ambition was to take baseball to the masses.  He was a prolific writer who penned the first baseball guide in 1860 and took on the role of editor for Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide.
At this time, baseball and cricket were both vying for the nation's attention, yet by 1866 the former had pre-eminence.
Thorn explains: "There were many factors here, not least the Civil War and American jingoism about Britain's role in it by continuing to buy cotton from the South, for...

Summary: President Theodore Roosevelt dubbed him "the father of baseball", but the man widely credited with popularising the US national sport was actually from Devon.
###
Article: Police said the vulnerable man was targeted by two "despicable individuals" in East Kilbride on Friday night.
They threatened their 32-year-old victim with a knife before punching him and robbing him.
Det Con Stuart Burnside appealed for help in tracing the men.
He said: "These despicable individuals preyed on a vulnerable man who clearly could not stand up for himself and has been left absolutely traumatised by what happened.
"This type of abhorrent behaviour will not be tolerated and extensive enquiries are underway to find these criminals and hold them to account for their cowardly actions.
"I would appeal to anyone who was in the surrounding area late on Friday night, who may have witnessed the incident or may have seen two men matching the descriptions, to please get in touch."
The men approached their victim at a bus stop near Calderwood Square at about 23:00 on Friday. They were last seen heading towards Maxwellton Road.
Both men were white and in their mid teens or early 20s. The first was about 5ft 6in, and he was wearing a white T-shirt and dark coloured bottoms.
His accomplice was slim and about 5ft 8in. He wore a dark coloured tracksuit.
Their victim was treated at Hairmyres Hospital following the incident.

Summary:


The new Archbishop of York has been named as the Right Reverend Richard Frith.

Working grandparents could share unpaid parental leave under plans being launched by the Labour Party.

Article: The current Bishop of Hull, 65, would be hopefully installed by the end of the year, The Diocese of Hereford said.
Bishop Frith, who has four children and four step-children, has worked in a mix of urban and rural areas in his 40 years of ministry, it added.
His predecessor in Hereford, the Right Reverend Anthony Priddis, retired from the role in September.
Bishop Frith said he was "thrilled" to have been chosen.
He said: "The Diocese has a wonderful Christian heritage and I greatly look forward to playing my part in building up the church and serving the wider community."
The grandfather-of-seven has been the Bishop of Hull for 16 years.
The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu said he had brought "his passion and joyful enthusiasm to his mission for the Diocese of York".
From 1991 to 1998, Bishop Frith was Prebendary at Wells Cathedral, including being Archdeacon of Taunton for six of those years.
He was Team Rector at the Keynsham, Bath and Wells diocese from 1983 to 1992.
His new diocese covers Herefordshire, south Shropshire and parts of Worcestershire and Wales.

Summary: The new Bishop of Hereford has been announced as the Right Reverend Richard Frith.
###
Article: "I am Chelsea Manning," Pte First Class Manning said in a statement to NBC's Today programme. "I am a female."
The 25-year-old said he had felt female since childhood, wanted at once to begin hormone therapy, and wished to be addressed as Chelsea.
Pte Manning faces 35 years in prison for crimes including espionage.
The soldier could be released on parole after at least seven years in jail, his civilian lawyer David Coombs has said.
Mr Coombs has asked President Barack Obama to pardon Pte Manning, and has pledged to appeal against the verdict and sentence.
How do people who change gender choose a name?
Pte Manning will serve the sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and on Thursday, Mr Coombs indicated the soldier was willing to take legal action to force the prison to provide hormone therapy if authorities refused.
He said Pte Manning had not indicated whether he wanted to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
"The ultimate goal is to be comfortable in her skin and to be the person that she's never had an opportunity to be," he said.
Asked why Pte Manning was making this announcement now, the day after sentencing, Mr Coombs said: "Chelsea didn't want to have this be something that overshadowed the case."
Pte Manning's struggles with gender identity formed a key part of the defence through the weeks-long court martial.
Defence witnesses, including therapists who had treated Pte Manning, testified that the soldier had spoken of wanting to transition to being a woman, suggesting that these problems had affected his mental health.
Pte Manning's former Army supervisor testified that the accused had sent him a photograph of himself wearing a blond wig and lipstick.
US military prosecutors, meanwhile, described Pte Manning as a notoriety-seeking traitor and asked for a 60-year sentence in order to deter future intelligence leakers.
Pte Manning, who grew up in the US state of Oklahoma and in Wales, joined the Army in 2007 to help pay for university and, according to court martial defence testimony, to shake off a desire...

Summary: Bradley Manning, the US soldier who leaked secret US government documents to the Wikileaks website, has announced he wants to live as a woman.
###
Article: The idea forms part of Labour's women's manifesto, which has been released as a separate document to the party's main pledges.
The manifesto also promises to tackle equality in pay and give more support for childcare and paternity leave.
Labour's Harriet Harman said the document was showing women the party was "on their side".
Ms Harman launched the manifesto accompanied by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, and shadow minister for women and equalities Gloria De Piero at the Stockwell Gardens Nursery in south London.
The trio arrived in the party's woman-to-woman pink mini-bus.
Ms Harman described Labour's new policy on grandparents as "incredibly important".
She said: "For so long until quite recently politics was just a bit of a men-only game so we need to highlight the fact that politicians are there for women and democracy is there for women as well as men.
"I think we are showing women that we are on their side and will stand up for them in government.
"But I think that what we are saying about grandparents and recognising how many families depend on grandparents to help with children while the parents are working, but also that those grandparents are not retired they are working now, they are working longer.
"And therefore this new policy on grandparents I think is going to be incredibly important."
Labour leader Ed Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour earlier that this was the first time a party had looked at grandparents, and said they were a "crucial part" to help over "summer holidays or when a child is sick".
When asked about whether he was assuming that older women could afford to work for free, Mr Miliband said that this was "about going with the grain of people's lives" and that the modern workplace needed to reflect "the reality of family life".
Currently parents can claim 18 weeks unpaid parental leave, or four weeks in any given year, per child up to their 18th birthday.
Labour's new idea, which would be consulted on should Labour win power on 7 May, would be to allow grandparents to...

Summary:


The UK's economy grew at a faster pace in the first quarter of 2017 than in the previous year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
The ONS said the UK economy grew by 0.9% in the first quarter of 2017, the fastest pace since 2014.
The ONS said the

The developers of the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon have accused Natural Resources Wales (NRW) of publishing a "grossly misleading" analysis of the project's likely impact on fish.

Article: Consumer spending in the April to June period grew by 0.9% from the previous quarter, the fastest pace since 2014.
A rise in business investment also helped growth, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed.
The ONS kept its estimate for UK economic growth at 0.6% for the second quarter, unchanged from the  initial reading.
"Our survey returns, which include the period leading up to and immediately following the referendum, show no sign so far of uncertainty having significantly affected investment or GDP," said ONS chief economist Joe Grice.
Business investment increased by a stronger-than-expected 0.5% in the quarter having fallen in the first three months of the year.
However, the UK's widening trade deficit was a drag on growth during the April-to-June period.
Thomas Laskey, from Aberdeen Asset Management, said the ONS figures showed business investment was "fairly resilient" despite the uncertainty in the run-up to the referendum.
"This is the number that many investors are keeping their eye on, given how sensitive it may be to Brexit.
"The Bank of England significantly lowered its forecasts for business investment in the recent Inflation Report and Mark Carney has been pessimistic about the outlook."
Data released since the Brexit vote in 23 June has been mixed. Some business surveys suggested there had been a sharp slowdown in activity in the immediate aftermath of the referendum, but retail sales figures for July, released last week, were stronger than expected.
Many economists have predicted a marked slowdown in the UK economy following the referendum.
Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said that while he still had "serious concerns over the UK growth outlook, we are a little less pessimistic than we were in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote".
However, he added that it was "likely to be some considerable time before the economy again expands anything like 0.6% quarter-on-quarter".
"We suspect that the UK's vote to leave the European Union in...

Summary: Strong growth in spending by consumers helped to drive the UK economy ahead of the Brexit vote, official figures show.
###
Article: Npower posted losses in underlying earnings of 12m euros (Â£11m), compared with a profit of 85m euros in 2016.
It also expects the division to make a loss for the whole year and warned of regulatory intervention.
It said cost-cutting helped combat "fierce competition and political pressure" in the UK energy market.
It lost UK customers in the first quarter because of price increases on variable tariffs, but attracted 50,000 new ones with improved deals in the second half.
Innogy said earnings were hit partially because it proved harder to pass higher costs on to UK customers.
"The situation in the UK retail business remains very tense due to the fierce competition and political pressure.
"Measures to reduce costs within the scope of the restructuring programme will help to partially offset negative market effects," Innogy added.
Last month, Ofgem, the energy regulator, proposed a price cap to protect about two million vulnerable customers.
The company said potential price caps were causing uncertainty and a decline in sales to commercial and corporate customers also had a negative effect on earnings.
Innogy, which is majority owned by RWE, has been undertaking a major restructuring programme at Npower after losing thousands of customers because of billing issues and competition from new entrants.
At the end of June, Npower had 4.757 million retail electricity and gas customers in Britain, up 1% from March.
The German company as a whole reported adjusted earnings before interest and tax were 1.7bn euros (Â£1.54bn) in the first half, in line with expectations.
It was 4% higher than last year owing to earnings growth in the first quarter in its grid business.
Operating profit at its German retail business was 340m euros, up 23% from a year ago.

Summary: Npower's parent company, Innogy, has reported a loss for its UK division, but gained more customers in the first half of the year.
###
Article: Earlier this month, NRW estimated the lagoon would mean 21% of salmon and 25% of sea trout dying each year, as they migrate to and from local rivers.
Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) said the claims had no "clear scientific basis".
NRW said its figures were based on the "best available evidence" it received.
In a briefing note sent to AMs and seen by BBC Wales, TLP disputed NRW's figures and claimed that the regulator refused to share its methodology for calculating them.
"Without clear scientific basis NRW has recently published figures based in these 'what if' scenarios despite our request to consider the evidence needed to back them up prior to publication," the briefing said.
"These scenarios give unrealistic and grossly misleading impact figures [on fish]," the briefing adds.
TLP said that computer modelling carried out by experts on its behalf estimated a "worst case scenario" of the lagoon killing 2% of all species of fish.
The Â£1.3bn Swansea tidal lagoon project is being viewed by the firm as a test bed for much larger and more cost effective versions around the coast, including Cardiff, Newport and Colwyn Bay.
UK government ministers are considering the findings of a six-month review of the viability of the scheme, which is yet to be published.
Wales' Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths said the Welsh Government was "very supportive" of the scheme.
But she said both it and the industry needed clarity on the UK government's position in the "very, very near future."
NRW said it strongly disagreed with TLP's criticism, which it was "very surprised and disappointed by".
Gareth O'Shea, an NRW executive director, said: "We have received a vast amount of evidence on this subject from the applicant and have held detailed discussions with the developer for a year-and-a-half where we have shared a huge amount of information, data and our methodology.
"This has been assessed by independent experts and our own technical experts, and we have the utmost confidence that it is the best evidence available to enable us to...

Summary:


The government is to introduce a new payment system for the bus industry, to be introduced in 2015.
The scheme will also be rolled out in Tyne and Wear, Merseyside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire as well as Nottingham, Leicester and Bristol, according to transport chiefs.
Oyster cards launched in

Students at the Open University are going to have their progress monitored by a set of algorithms to spot if they need any extra support.

Article: Think tank British Future said the Brexit referendum outcome was a "vote of no confidence" in existing policies.
It said public expectations of curbs on low-skilled migration must be met.
The think tank has also released a survey suggesting almost half of Britons do not believe the government will reach its net migration targets.
Ministers have pledged to reduce net migration to below 100,000 by 2020.
British Future's report is published ahead of the release on Thursday of the latest net migration figures.
Details of the number of people coming to the UK for more than a year from across the EU and the rest of the world will be published at 09:30 BST - covering the year to 31 March.
Net migration - the difference between the estimated number of people settling in the UK and those emigrating - rose to 333,000 in 2015, the second highest figure on record, and has been above 300,000 for the past five quarters.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is sticking with her predecessor David Cameron's target of bringing the annual figure down to less than 100,000 - even though he fell well short of this during the last Parliament.
Opposition parties and some Tories have called for the target to be ditched, arguing it is distorting priorities and will be unachievable even outside the EU. But ministers say it is still a valid benchmark for "sustainable" migration levels.
In its report, British Future - which describes itself as a non-partisan body focused on addressing issues of migration, integration and identity - said the target was a "symbolic totem" for many and the failure to meet it had damaged public trust but it was unlikely to be reconsidered until the shape of the UK's Brexit deal became apparent.
"After the referendum, the debate about the future of the headline target will have little practical impact until the contours of future UK immigration policy become clearer," it wrote.
"Nobody in government or outside of it could possibly be in a position to make a sensible long-term judgement about future...

Summary: The vote to leave the EU is a chance to fix the UK's "broken" immigration system and restore trust in controlled migration, a report says.
###
Article: Greater Manchester passengers will be the first to get the new payment format, to be introduced in 2015.
The scheme will also be rolled out in Tyne and Wear, Merseyside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire as well as Nottingham, Leicester and Bristol, according to transport chiefs.
Oyster cards launched in 2003 in London, where buses are now cashless.
In the West Midlands, nearly 30 operators are already part of the Swift smart multi-operating ticketing scheme.
Greater Manchester is rolling out its "get me there" travel card across its Metrolink trams.
The bus initiative involves the Stagecoach, First, Arriva, Go Ahead and National Express companies.
In a joint statement, the chief executives of the companies involved said the move would deliver a "wider benefit than the capital's Oyster system".
They said: "Millions of people in our biggest city regions will benefit from this transformational initiative to provide London-style smart ticketing.
"Bus operators share the aspirations of our city regions to become growing economic powerhouses and we know high quality public transport is an important part of making that happen."

Summary: Bus companies are to bring in Oyster-style smart ticketing in some of England's largest urban areas.
###
Article: The scheme, developed by the OU, has been designed to observe students' paths through courses and engagement with online learning modules.
The OU's Prof John Domingue told the BBC: "This has been developed as a tool for tutors to help students.
"We are planning to use this data for students studying in 2015-16."
The programme, called OU Analyse, was developed at the university during the 2013-14 academic year.
It uses a variety of data sets held by the OU and assesses the likelihood of a student submitting their next assignment by using information gathered from four different algorithms.
The more algorithms that indicate the student will not send in their work - the higher the chance of that happening.
Prof Domingue added: "We take advantage of the fact that modules are presented many times. One can use the experience of previous students to benefit future students. An interesting fact is that the data of the interactions before the course actually starts, like reading the material available and engaging with forums, is extremely valuable.
"Currently it is deployed on 13 modules, mostly level one modules in order to try to provide timely indicators that students may be struggling.
"The model is tailored to each of the modules and by using this and identifying students, more tailored support may be provided."
The OU has taken steps to ensure that students' privacy is not compromised by the scheme - putting in place an ethics policy, agreed in consultation with a student committee, to protect their data.
Ruth Tudor, president of the Open University's Students' Association, thinks the scheme is a positive one.
"It's a great idea and a great way of providing targeted support to students who may be struggling and need extra help," she told the BBC.
"I would like to think that this would improve the drop-out rate from OU courses. You must remember they take students who have come from no academic background so it is always possible that those people take on more than they think they can manage.
"That's why data...

Summary:


A former Nottinghamshire police officer has been cleared of rape after a retrial.

A man alleged to have helped run the notorious Silk Road drug marketplace has been arrested in Thailand.

Article: The A563 Palmerston Way in West Knighton was flooded after a "trunk" pipe burst early on Friday.
Severn Trent Water apologised after more than 1,000 homes were affected but said water supplies were now back to normal in the city.
The road is closed between A6 Leicester Road and Welford Road and motorists have been told to expect delays.
Overdale Infant and Junior Schools in Eastcourt Road are also closed.
Sarah Jane O'Kane, from Severn Trent Water, said the burst pipe was classed as a "trunk pipe" which meant it held a large amount of water.
"We can only apologise for any traffic problems or any water supply problems that people are going to see."

Summary: A major road in Leicester could be closed for several days after a water main burst.
###
Article: Trevor Gray, 49, of Watnall, Nottinghamshire was found not guilty at Birmingham Crown Court of the rape of a 43-year-old woman.
The former detective sergeant was sentenced to eight years in jail in 2012 but the verdict was quashed in 2013.
A jury cleared Mr Gray in a unanimous verdict after the four-day retrial.
The former detective, who had 25 years experience with the force, was accused of rape by a woman in July 2011.
He was suspended and subsequently dismissed from Nottinghamshire Police.
Det Supt Jackie Alexander of Nottinghamshire Police said: "We take any report of sexual assault and rape extremely seriously and have a duty to investigate such allegations, whoever they are made against.
"The CPS considered it appropriate for this case to be prosecuted through the criminal justice system and having been presented to a jury over four days they have considered the evidence and made a decision to acquit Trevor Gray.
"At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further pending the outcome of his appeal to be reinstated and today's acquittal."

Summary: A former Nottinghamshire detective has been cleared of rape following a retrial.
###
Article: Canadian Roger Thomas Clark is said to have been a key adviser for Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht.
The US Department of Justice alleged that Mr Clark advised Ulbricht about the best way to run the site and how to evade the police.
The Silk Road website was shut down in late 2013 following raids by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
It was a marketplace sited on the dark web through which many people bought illegal drugs. In May this year Ross Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison for creating and running the site.
The DoJ alleges that Mr Clark was a "high-ranking" operator on the Silk Road and was instrumental in helping Ulbricht run it. He gave advice about ways to improve the technology underpinning the site, boost sales and on the best way for Ulbricht to hide his real identity, said US authorities.
Mr Clark was paid "at least hundreds of thousands of dollars" for this advice, said the DoJ in a statement announcing the arrest.
"Clark may have thought residing in Thailand would keep him out of reach of US authorities, but our international partnerships have proven him wrong," said FBI assistant director Diego Rodriguez.
On the site and in other underground forums, Mr Clark is believed to have used several nicknames including "Variety Jones, "VJ", "Cimon" and "Plural of Mongoose".
Extradition proceedings have been started against Mr Clark to transfer him from a jail in Thailand to the US.
He faces charges of narcotics conspiracy and money laundering. If found guilty of both charges he could face 30 years in jail.

Summary: