The pace of hiring permanent staff in the UK slowed down in May, according to a report.

Article: Mr Obama had previously released an official "certification of live birth" showing he was born in Hawaii.
But the White House has now published copies of the president's original birth certificate along with a statement on its website.
The document shows that Mr Obama was born in Hawaii on 4 Aug 1961 at 7.24pm.
"We don't have time for this kind of silliness," the president said in a statement to reporters.
Why has he chosen to do this now?
The issue has been back on the news agenda in recent weeks, mainly due to potential presidential candidate Donald Trump expressing his doubts about the president's birthplace.
He said he sent a team of investigators to Hawaii to try to find out more.
In response, CNN this week announced the results of its own investigation, in which it spoke to the former director of the health department on the island who said she had seen Mr Obama's original birth certificate herself.
The persistence with which the story kept resurfacing has prompted the White House to act.
In his statement, the president said it was particularly frustrating that the news about the Republican plan to cut the deficit was overshadowed by further allegations about his own birthplace.
But Mr Obama's opponents may question why it has taken the White House two years to yield to demands to see his original birth certificate.
What allegations were being made about Mr Obama?
For years, the "birthers" - as those who doubt Mr Obama's eligibility for the presidency are known - have been expressing their doubts about his place of birth.
The principal allegation was that Barack Obama was not born in the United States, and that he is therefore ineligible to be president, according to the US constitution, which states that "no person except a natural born citizen... shall be eligible to the office of President".
It was further alleged that any documents purporting to prove Mr Obama's eligibility were either insufficient or fraudulent.
Some of those challenging Mr Obama's eligibility allege that he was actually born in...

Summary: President Barack Obama has released his original birth certificate in response to allegations that he was not born in the US and not eligible to be president.
###
Article: KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) reported that the rate of expansion in hiring employees sank to a four-month low.
The rate of growth in short-term jobs however had sped up since April, the report addded.
It suggested that companies needed time to "digest the election result", which saw the Conservatives win a majority.
The number of job vacancies made available also fell to their slowest in 2015.
Although starting salaries for permanent employees continued to grow, the pace of growth sank to its lowest since April's nine-month high.
Recruitment agencies reported that the pay of temporary and contracted staff also continued to grow, although at its slowest since January.
The availability of temporary staff saw its fastest drop in seven months, leading recruitment consultants to report difficulties in hiring suitable people.
KPMG partner Bernard Brown said: "The UK job market saw a slight slowdown in May, as those on boards took time to digest the election result and work out the ramifications for their business.
" The public sector continues to suffer, with pay growth rising by just 0.2% in the last reported quarter."

Summary:


The pro-independence blogger behind the Wings Over Scotland website has been arrested for alleged online harassment.

Article: Nick Hardwick, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, said in a report that remand prisoners were treated less well than convicted inmates.
The rule that they should not be housed with convicted inmates was not being observed in practice, he added.
The prison service said it was addressing issues in the report.
Mr Hardwick said remand prisoners were often treated worse than other inmates, even though there was a long-standing principle that those on remand should have rights and entitlements not available to convicted prisoners.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said remand prisoners often got "less help" preparing for life after their release.
Case Study: Jacques More, Kent
"On remand you're not treated differently to convicted prisoners - especially in terms of sharing facilities or cells.
"In the first cell I was put in there were three of us and I was with two convicts who both smoked and I did not. Only when I began to have sore throat was I then moved.
"The only thing you can get on remand is more visits - but how can you do this if you can't contact the outside world?
"Worst of all you are unable to prepare a defence properly whilst in prison. Only after complaining and going to senior officers was I given help.
"Once you understand the system you can work it, so it's convicted prisoners who explain to you what you need to do.
"I've met guys on remand who were accused of all sorts of things and then proved not guilty - but they get treated like everyone else."
Jacques was on remand for about three months in May 2011.
Mr Hardwick said remand prisoners received fewer entitlements  "because they have not been found guilty they simply don't get things like visits, letters, and the ability to see their solicitor".
There were two reasons for this, he continued: "One is because I think often prison officers don't know the rules that apply to remand prisoners. And secondly, they simply get muddled up in the general population, so even if prison officers do know the rules, they sometimes don't know who the...

Summary: The way prisoners on remand in England and Wales are held should be changed to improve fairness and reduce costs, a report has said.
###
Article: Stuart Campbell was arrested in the west of England on Friday following a complaint from a woman in south London.
She had made allegations of harassment taking place over a two-year period.
Mr Campbell, who was released on bail, said it concerned some tweets and insisted they were not threatening.  He accused the media of "innuendo" designed to encourage "speculations".
The blogger, a former computer games reviewer who was born in Stirling but lives in Bath, has been a vocal campaigner for Scottish independence and launched the Wings Over Scotland blog in 2011.
On Friday he tweeted that he would be posting less frequently than usual because of "reasons totally outwith my control (don't ask)".
End of Twitter post  by @WingsScotland
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Police are investigating an allegation of online harassment.
"The allegation was made after a woman, aged in her 30s, attended a south London police station. The harassment is said to have taken place over the past two years."
Mr Campbell has been bailed, pending further inquiries, to a date in mid-September.
In a statement on the Wings Over Scotland website, Mr Campbell responded to a report of his arrest which appeared in The Herald newspaper.
He said that piece "has been written for maximum innuendo to allow the wildest speculations on social media - which are of course duly taking place - but the alleged events relate entirely to some tweets from our Twitter account, none of which have been deleted and all of which are still publicly visible.
"Nothing more sinister or serious than some tweets has occurred or been alleged to have occurred. None of the tweets involved are in ANY way threatening, not even in a joking sense. That's all we'll be saying on the subject at this time."

Summary:

Article: {{document}}

Summary: ||| {{target}}


The US sanctions freeze the US assets of those affected, and stop US entities from doing business with them.
Those targeted include the interior minister and the head of the army.
Last week, President Donald Trump vowed "strong and swift economic actions" if Mr Maduro held the poll, due on Sunday.
"Who

The US government has imposed sanctions on 13 senior Venezuelan officials as pressure mounts on President Nicolás Maduro ahead of a controversial vote for a new constituent assembly.

Article: For Chinese shares though, the first trading session of 2016 has resulted in more of the same.
More panic, more pessimism and more people selling their shares because of - well frankly, other people selling their shares.
So why did Chinese shares fall by 7% today, causing trading to be halted? And what does it say about confidence in the Chinese market and more importantly - the economy?
Here are four things you should know about the stock market falls in China today:
This was what most analysts said was the reason behind why shares fell. Manufacturing data contracted again - for the tenth straight month. The figures are further demonstration of the ongoing narrative about China's economy, that state led investment into manufacturing is slowing down and that the economy is transitioning into services. China releases services data on Wednesday - which should show things are improving.
This was the first day that China's new "circuit breaker" came into effect, and that's why when shares plunged by 5% trading was halted by 15 minutes. When trading resumed, and shares continued to fall by 7%, trading was suspended altogether. The measures were created last year after the stock market crash in China, but only came into effect today. Circuit breakers in themselves aren't unusual - lots of countries have them for individual stocks, or for a few minutes - but it is unusual to stop trading altogether for a share fall of 7%. An indication perhaps of just how much the authorities want to avoid another crash.
There was a sharp depreciation in the yuan just ahead of the plunge in Chinese shares. China cut the yuan's value against the dollar, making it weaker than 6.5 for the first time in more than four-and-a-half years. There's speculation that the People's Bank of China has abandoned trying to hold the yuan up against the dollar, which means it's signalling that it won't step in to shore up the yuan. There are concerns that this indicates money is flowing out of China, and that the fall could get out of control. Some...

Summary: A new year usually implies a fresh start, a chance to set things right, and begin anew.
###
Article: The sanctions freeze the US assets of those affected, and stop US entities from doing business with them.
Those targeted include the interior minister and the head of the army.
Last week, President Donald Trump vowed "strong and swift economic actions" if Mr Maduro held the poll, due on Sunday.
"Who do these imperialists in the United States think they are?" Mr Maduro said on Wednesday. "The government of the world?"
He also called the sanctions "illegal, insolent and unprecedented".
The vote, which Venezuela says will proceed as planned, is to choose the 545 members of a new constituent assembly that would rival the opposition-held National Assembly.
Critics say the president is trying to cement a dictatorship. He argues it is the only way to bring peace back to the divided nation.
The US sanctions also target the head of Venezuela's National Electoral Council, Tibisay Lucena, and former vice president Elías Jaua, who is leading the presidential commission organising Sunday's vote.
The inclusion of senior figures from the state oil company PDVSA underlines a further threat from Washington that sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector could be next.
Announcing the sanctions, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the US "will not ignore the Maduro regime's ongoing efforts to undermine democracy, freedom, and the rule of law".
"Anyone elected to the National Constituent Assembly should know that their role in undermining democratic processes and institutions in Venezuela could expose them to potential US sanctions," he said.
Mr Maduro has accused the US of stoking unrest against his government, but President Trump said last week that Washington "will not stand by as Venezuela crumbles".
A 48-hour general strike is currently under way in Venezuela, in protest at the planned vote.
A 30-year-old man was killed on Wednesday at a protest in Ejido, in the western state of Mérida. The cause of his death was not initially given.
More than 100 people have been killed in protest-related violence, since almost daily...

Summary:


The government has been trying to stop the banks from using the ink to prevent them from making multiple deposits.
The government has been trying to stop the banks from using the ink to prevent them from making multiple deposits.
The government has been trying to stop the banks from using the ink to prevent them from making multiple deposits

India is using indelible ink on fingers to ensure people get only one chance to change their big bank notes.

Article: The 38-year-old has taken on billions of dollars of vested interest on Wall Street, and won for the little guy.
His successes were detailed in the best-selling book Flash Boys by Michael Lewis, and apt for a tale that could read like a Hollywood movie script, Sony Pictures bought the film rights.
Brad's story started in 2002 when he began working as a stockbroker in New York for the Royal Bank of Canada, aged 24.
Buying shares for his clients, Brad kept running into the same problem.
It went something like this - his team would go to purchase a bundle of stocks at a certain price. But once they pressed "buy", only part of the order was available, and the price for the rest had gone up.
After some investigation he found that the problem was caused by something called "high frequency trading" (HFT).
But what is HFT? And why should we care?
HFT is a system that uses complex computer programs to execute millions of trades per second.
Using information generated at speeds many times faster than the blink of an eye, super-fast computers installed with HFT software can estimate the rising value of a stock before the increase takes place.
Utilising HFT since 1999 has enabled some large investment banks, hedge funds, and other institutional investors to buy stocks microseconds before everyone else. They then make a profit - billions of dollars over the years - by selling the shares on at a higher price.
Brad, who was trading for the likes of pension funds, and didn't have access to HFT, thought it was completely unfair. And he was determined to do something to prevent it.
So with a team of colleagues Brad started work on a way to disable HFT.
Leaving Royal Bank of Canada with its blessing, in 2012 Brad established a stock brokerage called IEX that would utilise a method to remove the advantage of HFT.
What they devised was a "speed bump", a system whereby trades are slowed down by 350 microseconds by using 38 miles of fibre optic cable stored in a compartment the size of a shoe box.
This doesn't sound like much of a...

Summary: As David and Goliath stories go, Brad Katsuyama's is a pretty good one.
###
Article: Prime Minister Narendra Modi scrapped 1,000 (Â£11.8) and 500 notes in a surprise move last week as part of a tax evasion and corruption crackdown.
People have a limited time to exchange the notes for smaller denominations, but will have their fingers marked.
The government wants to stop holders of "black cash" offloading their old rupee notes in small tranches.
Authorities often use indelible ink to stop people from voting more than once in Indian elections.
People were told they should deposit their high denomination notes in the banks, or could only exchange up to 4,500 rupees, ($65; Â£52) for smaller notes.
But to clamp down on holders of unlawfully held or untaxed cash, depositors can only make such transactions once and so the banks are using the ink to prevent them from making multiple deposits.
India scraps 1,000 rupee notes overnight
Chaos at banks over India money ban
Supporters say it is a handy way for the Indian government to tackle corruption.
The finance ministry suspects "unscrupulous" people have been trying to get around the crackdown by sending proxies to exchange their banned rupee notes.
The withdrawal of the big notes is aimed at 'black money' and targets people who have been dodging taxes by holding stockpiles of cash.
While the authorities say people will not be allowed another cash swap, critics are wondering what happens if the ink wears off?
During elections, people have used chemicals to remove the ink from their fingers so that they can vote more than once.
The government's ban on big bank notes first received widespread approval because less than 3% of Indians file tax returns.
But the switch has caused chaos with tens of millions of Indians queuing for hours to exchange and withdraw cash.
The government was ill-prepared for the ban which suddenly put 86% of the country's money supply out of circulation.
Many businesses only accept cash and hundreds of millions of Indians do not have bank accounts and only use cash.

Summary:


All but one council area of Nottinghamshire, including Nottingham city, has voted to leave the EU.

Article: The motion on Jim Logue's position was rejected by 40 votes to 33.
A call for the council to publish internal audit investigation reports was defeated by the same margin.
Mr Logue, a Labour councillor, has faced criticism over the management of subsidiary companies of North Lanarkshire Leisure.
Police Scotland has started an investigation.
North Lanarkshire Council deputy leader Paul Kelly said: "The council decided today that the leader should do what he has been doing since this smear campaign started: focus on what's important to the people of North Lanarkshire.
"Councillor Logue has spent his political career fighting against precisely the kind of practices he is now falsely accused of being involved in."
But SNP leader David Stocks said: "We have put our case to the council on behalf of the public and the council has made its decision.
"The police must now be allowed to carry out their investigation without hindrance and we will not be making further comment on this issue until the police release their findings."

Summary: Councillors in North Lanarkshire have voted down a call for the leader of the council to step aside while he faces a police investigation.
###
Article: Labour MP for Bassetlaw, John Mann, a Leave campaigner, said people voted to leave because of immigration, zero-hour contracts and job prospects and said a "divide in Britain" had been exposed.
Mansfield voted most strongly to leave, with 70.9% backing Brexit.
Rushcliffe, which includes the towns of West Bridgford and Bingham, was the only area to vote for Remain.
It saw the East Midland's highest turnout.
Meanwhile, the turnout in Nottingham was the fifth lowest in the UK at 61.8%.
Leave won by a tiny margin of just over 2,000 votes in the city.
Mr Mann said his party was "somewhat out of touch".
"With the middle classes largely voting remain because they see it as benefiting them and the working classes largely voting to leave because it dis-benefits them - that's the divide in Britain," he said.
Latest reaction and updates from Nottinghamshire
Like large parts of England, Nottinghamshire overwhelmingly voted to leave the European Union.
The margin of victory in Bassetlaw, Ashfield and Mansfield was huge, with less than a third of people voting remain.
Arguably the biggest surprise came in Nottingham, which narrowly backed Brexit.
Affluent Rushcliffe was the only area to vote Remain.
Overall Nottinghamshire voted 57.9% for Leave and 42.1% for Remain.
Conservative Anna Soubry, the MP for Broxtowe and a Remain campaigner, tweeted it was "a dreadful decision".
"People like me were told you're scaremongering, we don't want to listen to the experts," she said.
"All that has been unfortunately proved to be accurate. We have made a very, very, very bad mistake."
Labour MP for Nottingham North, Graham Allen, said David Cameron had "gambled with Britain's future" by calling for a referendum, saying people voted to leave "in protest" at the current government.
Turnout was 81.5% in Rushcliffe - the highest in the East Midlands and the only council area to vote Remain.
The vote was close elsewhere, including in Nottingham, where the split was 50.8% Leave, 49.2% Remain.
Alice, a caller to BBC Radio Nottingham from the...

Summary:


The Lancaster, a British aircraft, was flown from the Bournemouth Air Festival in the early 1950s.
The aircraft were flown from the Bournemouth Air Festival in the early 1950s.
The aircraft were flown from the Bournemouth Air Festival in the early 1950s.
The aircraft were flown from

Displays by the last two airworthy Lancaster bombers from World War Two have been cancelled after one suffered engine problems.

Article: Lower oil prices, weak growth across Europe, the upcoming general election and political unrest in parts of the world have been identified as contributing factors.
The latest business confidence monitor shows Scottish businesses recorded a confidence score of 3.6.
That was down on 22 in the last quarter and below the UK average of 16.8.
Companies were asked how they would describe their confidence in the economic prospects facing their business over the next 12 months, compared to the previous 12 months.
They scored zero for stating "as confident", positively up to 100 for more confident, and negatively down to -100 for less confident.
An average score was then calculated from all the responses.
The business monitor is conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Grant Thornton UK.
More than a third of respondents to the survey said that competition is a greater challenge than it was a year ago, while customer demand is also a growing issue.
Grant Thornton's Scotland managing partner Kevin Engel said: "Given the impact of lower oil prices, UK elections, weak European economic growth and overseas political unrest, it is not surprising confidence has dropped.
"While such a significant drop in confidence is naturally concerning, there are reasons to be optimistic.
"Our research shows that despite low confidence levels in the past, the Scottish business community is resilient, innovative and in good shape to face these challenges.
"Scottish business output continues to grow, as does long-term employment and remuneration. Whether low confidence translates to a drop in economic performance is yet to be seen."
ICAEW Scotland president Paul Adderley said: "Whilst it is always disappointing to see confidence amongst Scottish businesses decline, we should be encouraged by the fact that Scottish confidence is still in positive territory.
"Factors such as the current uncertainty in the oil and gas sector and the fact that we are in the run-up to a general election have surely...

Summary: Business confidence in Scotland has fallen to its lowest level in more than two years, according to a report.
###
Article: A Canadian Lancaster, currently on a UK tour, performed an engine shutdown during a flight in County Durham.
Its owners said it landed safely at Durham Tees Valley airport following the "precautionary" shutdown.
It had been due to fly to Bournemouth to take part in weekend displays with an RAF Lancaster bomber.
An airport spokesman said the plane had experienced an "issue" with one of its engines as it was approaching the runway at the end of a 30-minute demonstration flight for invited guests.
"The aircraft landed safely and nobody was injured and it taxied to stand.
"The Lancaster has been returned to the hangar and engineers are conducting tests to determine the cause of the fault," he added.
The last remaining flying Lancasters - owned by the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum - were due to fly at the Bournemouth Air Festival as well as the Shoreham Air Show and the Gedling Show in Nottinghamshire, as part of a two-month UK tour by the Canadian aircraft.
The aircraft are based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire for the duration of the visit.
There were over 7,000 of the type of aircraft produced between 1941 and 1946.
A statement from Bournemouth Air Festival said: "We share the disappointment of all the Canadian Lancaster fans but we understand that she is over 70 years old and these sort of things can and do happen.
"We hope she's airworthy again soon."
An airworthy Merlin engine is being shipped from the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre near Skegness and this will be fitted over the weekend.

Summary:


Two convicted rapists and a man convicted of assault - all considered to be a "risk to the public" - have absconded from an open prison.

Article: A report by the Health Select Committee says health workers should use every opportunity to deal with the problem.
The MPs also call for urgent steps so people understand the wider health benefits of physical activity.
The government says its Change4Life programme is providing widespread free advice on healthy eating and exercise.
But the MPs argue that national and local government and the NHS must do more to prevent people becoming unwell.
That could include regulation of what goes into food, a ban on marketing sugary drinks to children, and much more support for people at risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, so they do not need bariatric surgery.
"The committee regards it as inexplicable and unacceptable that the NHS is now spending more on bariatric surgery for obesity than on a national roll-out of intensive lifestyle intervention programmes that were first shown to cut obesity and prevent diabetes over a decade ago."
The report emphasises the "huge health benefits" of physical activity. The MPs cite recent research which found that for the most inactive people, walking for 20 minutes a day would have a greater positive impact than not being obese.
"It is vital that the importance of physical activity for all the population - regardless of their weight, age, gender, health, or other factors - is clearly articulated and understood."
The MPs also highlight inequalities in rates of physical activity, in particular the disparity between men and women.
Official figures suggest just 16% of girls aged five to 16 achieve recommended levels of physical activity, compared with 21% of boys.
Some 32% of women meet the recommended threshold for activity. For men, the official figure is 43%.
The report speaks of  a "fear of judgement" deterring many women from taking exercise. One witness to the committee, Julie Creffield, described the ordeal of venturing out.
"I have women who tell me they run on a treadmill in their shed because they just don't want to be seen in public, but that is part of the problem. Because we...

Summary: MPs say it is "inexplicable" that the NHS in England spends more on bariatric surgery than well-established measures to prevent obesity.
###
Article: Wayne Maycock, Paul Bromwich and Admi Headley were last seen at HMP Leyhill at about 16:45 GMT on Sunday.
Avon and Somerset Police has appealed for anyone who sees them, or knows of their whereabouts, to make contact.
HMP Leyhill in South Gloucestershire is the only minimum-security prison in the South West.
Headley was sentenced in 2006 for rape and robbery, Maycock was jailed in the same year for GBH, while Bromwich was sentenced in 2001 for rape.
Earlier, the police force suggested all three were convicted of rape but this information was later amended.
A Prison Service spokesperson said: "Public protection is our top priority. We take absconds from custody extremely seriously. We are working closely with the police and are urgently investigating this incident."
According to Avon and Somerset Police:
Leyhill, near Wotton-under-Edge, is a category D prison housing more than 500 inmates, including some on life sentences.

Summary:


The survey found that the average income for a household in the US was $1,000,000, compared to $1,000,000 for a family of $1,000,000.
The survey also found that the average income for a family of $1,000,000 was $1,000

American adults without a college education saw their overall financial circumstances decline last year for the first time in three years.

Article: The award honours and recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to broadcast entertainment throughout their careers.
Jean Philip De Tender, of European Broadcasting Union, said Fry represented "all that is best about entertainment broadcasting".
Fry, who previously won a Rose d'Or as host of QI, said he was "honoured".
He tweeted: "*blush* *giggle* *simper* - thank you very much, nice Golden Rose people."
Fry's career took off in the mid-'80s with his comedy show A Bit of Fry and Laurie, alongside House star Hugh Laurie. He went on to establish himself as a household name in series such as Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster and dramatic adaptations such as Gormenghast. His film career has included Peter's Friends, Wilde and Gosford Park.
More recently he has fronted a number of documentaries, and voices the character of Colonel K in the new series of Danger Mouse. He also played the Master of Laketown in the film adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
Fry began hosting BBC game show QI in 2003. Last month he announced he was stepping down from his role fronting the panel show after 13 years. He will be replaced by Sandi Toksvig.
"Stephen Fry represents all that is best about entertainment broadcasting in the UK, throughout Europe and across the globe," said Mr De Tender.
"Not only has he entertained generations and made us laugh, he has also, through his documentary work, shone light on challenging issues such as mental health.
"It's only fitting that the industry will show its appreciation for him in London on December 9th with an award that represents the gold standard."
The Rose d'Or 2015 will present awards next month in six categories for television and online video and five categories for radio.
Paddy O'Connell, who will host the award ceremony, said: "Stephen Fry has tried to remember to be good to people and also that the industry is made up of many, many thousands of people who don't get the credit.
"For me, I'm pleased that someone who has tried to put in the occasional word for...

Summary: Stephen Fry is to receive the Rose d'Or Award for Lifetime Achievement at a London ceremony next month.
###
Article: The finding was one of the takeaways from a US central bank survey of more than 6,640 adults published on Friday.
In total, the number of respondents with no more than a high-school diploma who said they were "living comfortably" or "doing okay" fell to 60% from 61%.
Overall, the annual survey showed US economic health improving.
Some 70% of respondents said they were either "living comfortably" or "doing okay," up from 69% the year before, and 62% in 2013 when the Federal Reserve started the survey.
But there were continuing signs of instability, with over a third of US households (35%) saying they could not cover their monthly bills or an unexpected $400 (Â£307) expense, according to the survey.
The survey also suggested that disparities between households with different education levels was growing.
Gap between rich and poor 'keeps growing'
Enriching the rich in the US - but what about the rest?
"A clear pattern over the past two years across these measures is that the improvements have been most pronounced among those with greater levels of education," researchers wrote in the report.
Nearly 100 million Americans have no education beyond high school, according to US government estimates. (The estimate excludes members of the military and people in institutional facilities such as prison.)
That fact is tied to wide differences, the survey found.
About 46% of adults with at least a college degree reported family incomes of $100,000 or more, compared to just 9% of respondents with a high school degree or less.
Adults with at least a college degree were more likely to report earning money from online activities - such as renting out properties using a website - and more likely to have a steady stream of income from month-to-month.
They were also more likely to say they received a raise in the last year, and more likely to say it exceeded the growth in their expenses.
"The thing is that earnings are so highly correlated with education and employment," said Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a...

Summary:


The driver was convicted of two sexual assaults, one of which was a "substantial" custodial sentence.
The driver was sentenced to five years in prison, and was sentenced to five years in prison.
The driver was sentenced to five years in prison, and was sentenced to five years in prison.
The

A mayor who resigned after a taxi driver he vouched for was found to have a rape conviction has been urged to leave the council altogether.

Article: The 10-year-old, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, was treated on the course but then put down after assessment back at the stables.
Gullinbursti had earlier been put down after falling in the same incident.
It takes the number of horse deaths to four at this year's Grand National meeting after Clonbanan Lad and Marasonnien collapsed on Thursday.
Neither fell but they died after being pulled up in the Fox Hunters' Chase which, like the Topham Chase, is staged over the same course as Saturday's Grand National.
Thirteen horses have died at the Aintree meeting in the past five years.
The British Horseracing Authority said there was one fatality from 661 runners at the previous two National meetings.
Since modifications to the fences and other changes three years ago, there have been no fatalities in the Grand National itself.
"While you can't remove all risk from any sport, we acted on evidence to make significant changes here at Aintree, including to the cores of every fence on the Grand National course," said John Baker, the north-west regional director for Aintree's owners Jockey Club Racecourses.
"We've seen hundreds of horses compete safely since over the last few years."
Speaking on the opening day of the meeting, Eduardo Goncalves, chief executive of campaign group League Against Cruel Sports, said: "We've seen some improvements in some places, but not enough in many."
The League Against Cruel Sports recommends removing the Becher's Brook fence where Gullinbursti and Minella Reception were fatally injured and reducing the field of any race to a maximum of 30 runners.
Marasonnien was ridden by amateur jockey Patrick Mullins - son of Irish champion trainer Willie Mullins - while Clonbanan Lad, who won last time out at Fakenham, was from Louise Allan's yard.

Summary: Minella Reception has died after a fall at Becher's Brook in Friday's Topham Chase at Aintree.
###
Article: Subhan Shafiq stepped down as Milton Keynes mayor after describing the man as being of "good current character".
This helped the driver, Mr Shafiq's friend, to get a taxi driver's licence.
Milton Keynes Council leader Peter Marland said Mr Shafiq should examine his conscience over whether he could even continue as a councillor.
Mr Marland, Labour leader of the council, said: "He resigned to protect the reputation of the council but I think it is very difficult for him to remain and keep the trust of the public after advocating for someone who has been convicted of rape.
"He must examine his own conscience on this."
Mr Shafiq, a Liberal Democrat, had described his "friend", who had been convicted of four sexual assaults, as being of "good current character".
But earlier this month a member of the public raised concerns about the driver and his licence was revoked.
The council claimed it had "taken rapid steps" to keep passengers safe.
Mr Shafiq said in a previous statement he had resigned as mayor "with deep regret".
The driver had been issued with a licence in September 2011, despite councillors knowing of his four convictions, for which he had served a "substantial" custodial sentence.
He had received a "very strong" character reference from Mr Shafiq, who became mayor in June.
The driver's convictions were discussed again in 2012 and his licence was temporarily suspended, but this ban was later "inexplicably" lifted, the council said.
Seven other drivers who give the council "cause for concern" have been identified as part of a detailed review of licence holders.

Summary:


The UK Airprox Board has been investigating the possibility of a drone flying at about 900ft (275m) and was about 2 miles (3km) from Cornwall Airport Newquay when it happened on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Devon and Cornwall Police conducted a search of the area but have not found

A "reckless drone operator" is being sought by police after reports of a "near miss" between a drone and plane.

Article: The Labour leader is expected to highlight positives from last week's elections but say the results were "mixed" for the party.
He will also criticise MPs for "parading on the media to give a running commentary on our party".
"We need, if not across-the-board unity, then at least respect for each other," he will say.
Elections 2016: At-a-glance guide
Follow the latest political news live
In Thursday's elections, Labour held onto some key councils in England, remained the largest party in Wales and its candidate Sadiq Khan won the London mayoral election.
But it failed to make significant gains in England and slipped into third place behind the Conservatives in Scotland.
Addressing the Parliamentary Labour Party, Mr Corbyn is expected to point to the party's successes before adding: "But let's be clear. The results were mixed. We are not yet doing enough to win in 2020.
"This is only the first stage in our task of building a winning electoral majority, attracting voters from all the other parties and mobilising those who have been turned off politics altogether - as we did last week in Bristol and London.
"But overall we have moved in the right direction. And now we have to build on these results."
Following his victory, Mr Khan said Labour could only win elections if it reaches beyond its own activists to a "big tent" of people.
Most MPs did not back Mr Corbyn in last year's Labour leadership contest, and some senior figures have expressed concern about the direction of the party and its prospects following the elections.
Mr Corbyn will say: "I don't expect, or even want, blind loyalty, but members and supporters expect us all to focus on taking on the Tories - and for our debates to be focused on policy, not personality."
The leader will also say the party is united in its opposition to the government's "failed economic policies", claiming there is a "broad consensus in support of a different kind of politics".
He will add: "Last week's elections showed Labour's recovery has begun in earnest. We now need to...

Summary: Labour is "not yet doing enough" to win the 2020 general election, leader Jeremy Corbyn will tell MPs.
###
Article: The Flybe passenger aircraft was flying at about 900ft (275m) and was about 2 miles (3km) from Cornwall Airport Newquay when it happened on Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Devon and Cornwall Police conducted a search of the area but have not found the drone or operator.
Insp Dave Meredith called it "an incredibly concerning incident".
Latest on the drone near miss, and other stories from Devon and Cornwall
"The close proximity of the drone to the passenger aircraft shows a complete disregard by the operator for public safety and we are appealing to the public for information to help us track down this reckless drone operator," Insp Meredith said.
A spokeswoman for Cornwall Airport Newquay confirmed a drone had flown within the air traffic zone adjacent to the final approach to the airport as the plane flew in from London Stansted carrying 62 passengers.
"Although on this occasion there was no danger of collision, Air Traffic Control (ATC) reported this incident to the police as the drone should not have been flown in that area without ATC clearance and posed a potential danger to incoming flights," she said.
A spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: "Airspace proximity incidents, whether involving two aircraft, or a drone and an aircraft, need to be fully investigated to establish the level of risk involved."
The UK Airprox Board, which investigates airspace proximity incidents, said it had not received any official report of the incident yet.
Flybe said it would "work closely" with all relevant authorities to help identify the perpetrators of any activity which could jeopardise passenger safety.
Operators of any small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not fly them within 50m (164 ft) of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the user's control, unless they have obtained permission from the Civil Aviation Authority, according to the Air Navigation Order 2009.
Figures have shown there were more reported near misses between drones and aircraft over the UK in the first six months of...

Summary:


Plans have been announced for the "oldest carnival in Europe" to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Article: The Northwestern University team questioned 686 women who were taking aromatase inhibitors as treatment for oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer.
It found 36% stopped their medication because of symptoms such as joint pain, hot flushes, weight gain and nausea.
A UK charity said it was aware some women stopped their treatment early.
Aromatase inhibitors are given to postmenopausal breast cancer patients to reduce the level of oestrogen in those whose tumours were fuelled by the hormone.
About two-thirds of breast cancers are oestrogen-sensitive, and aromatase inhibitors have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer recurring.
Patients in the Northwestern University study filled out a 46-question survey rating their quality of life and symptoms associated with breast cancer and treatment.
They were asked about their symptoms before treatment and at three, six, 12 and 24 months after starting treatment.
After three months, a third of women had severe joint pain, 28% had hot flushes and 24% had decreased libido among a range of symptoms.
The longer women were being treated, the more reported side-effects.
Those at highest risk of stopping before the recommended five years were those still experiencing side-effects from chemo or radiotherapy.
As a result of the side effects, 10% of the women had stopped taking the drug within two years. A further 26% had stopped by four years.
The researchers say there is a big gap between what women tell their doctors about side-effects and what they actually experience.
Dr Lynne Wagner led the study, which is being presented to the Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
She said: "Clinicians consistently underestimate the side-effects associated with treatment.
"They give patients a drug they hope will help them, so they have a motivation to underrate the negative effects.
"Patients don't want to be complainers and don't want their doctor to discontinue treatment. So no-one knew how bad it really was for patients."
Dr Wagner added: "This is a wake-up call to physicians that...

Summary: About a third of breast cancer patients stop taking medication because side-effects are more severe than they expect, US researchers suggest.
###
Article: The West Indian Carnival in Leeds was launched in 1967 and once again will take over Potternewton Park for the August bank holiday weekend.
An exhibition recording its heritage, political and cultural legacy is planned for the city's Tetley gallery.
There will also be a week of new plays commemorating carnival at West Yorkshire Playhouse.
Live updates and more from Yorkshire
Additionally, it has been announced that an illuminated night carnival will kick-off the annual arts and light festival Light Night in October.
A recreation of the Sun Goddess, the first Leeds Carnival Queen costume, will be featured at the exhibition from August to October.
The celebration of food, music and culture will culminate again in a parade through Chapeltown and Harehills.
An estimated 160,000 revellers attended last year's carnival, organisers said.
Arthur France initiated it after becoming homesick for his native St Kitts and Nevis.
Mr France, head of the organising committee, said: "When you come to carnival it is electric, so many things going on, beautiful costumes, beautiful colours, beautiful music."
However, attempts to bring the parade into the city centre have been shelved.
Mr France said he was "very sad and upset" at the council decision but added that it would not "dampen my spirits".
Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, said: "A lot of events are happening on the bank holiday weekend and with the advice it just wouldn't be possible."
Ms Blake added: "The oldest carnival in Europe is here in Leeds. We are so keen to make sure as a city we come together and everyone celebrates an incredible achievement."
She praised Mr France as a "legend" that had made "an absolutely fantastic contribution heading up a brilliant team of people".

Summary:


The pro-Russian gunmen in Ukraine's east seem to be following a strategy of constant expansion and pressure on the Kiev government.
Interim President Olexander Turchynov criticised local police for their "inaction" and "criminal treachery".
The US accused Russia of seeking to "change the security landscape

Pro-Russia activists have stormed several official buildings in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk.

Article: The national drop-out rate rose from 6.6% in 2011-12 to 7.4% in 2014-15, an SMF report finds, with each dropout representing "a loss of potential".
Out of all the regions in England, London performs the worst, with a drop-out rate of 9.3% in 2014-15.
The government said new laws would make universities publish drop-out rates.
The SMF study notes that many of the disadvantaged groups targeted through widening access programmes are also the groups most likely to drop out.
It says institutions with a higher in-take of black students, students whose parents work in lower level occupations or students who come from low university participation areas are more likely to have higher drop-out rates.
Statistics released by the Office for Fair Access in June showed that, in 2014-15, 8.8% of young, full-time, disadvantaged undergraduates did not continue their studies beyond the first year - up from 8.2% the year before.
The SMF says it is "futile to direct significant efforts to widen participation if the same students subsequently drop out".
"Tackling non-continuation at university is vital," the report says.
"Each dropout represents a loss of potential, a poor and probably confidence-sapping experience for a student and an investment in tuition costs which is likely to have a low return."
The research shows the South West has the lowest drop-out rate, while London has the highest:
The report says: "While [London] has successful schools and sends a high proportion of its population on to higher education, these successes are not always being translated into attainment at university.
"London's relatively poor performance in university retention is part of this story. It is one that needs to be rectified.
"While young people in London are more likely than similar individuals in other regions to attend university, drop-out rates are also higher."
The report suggests the cost of living may be a factor, as well as the fact that London has the highest proportion of students living at home (31%).
"It is possible that distance...

Summary: More must be done to tackle a steady rise in the number of students dropping out of universities in England, the Social Market Foundation (SMF) says.
###
Article: They seized the regional government's headquarters and prosecutor's office before opening fire with automatic weapons at the main police station.
Interim President Olexander Turchynov criticised local police for their "inaction" and "criminal treachery".
The US accused Russia of seeking to "change the security landscape" of Eastern and Central Europe.
By David SternBBC News, Kiev
The pro-Russian gunmen in Ukraine's east seem to be following a strategy of constant expansion and pressure on the Kiev government.
Hardly a day goes by without another incident. Just recently, official buildings in Kostyantynivka have been taken over, Western military monitors detained, peaceful demonstrators in Donetsk attacked, and now the regional administration building in Luhansk has been seized.
It is difficult to say what their ultimate goal is. Perhaps it is to keep government officials in Kiev on the defensive, forcing them to put out a number of fires at once, while others pop up throughout the region.
Or else it is simply to keep the situation unstable, in order to prevent the presidential election scheduled to take place on 25 May.
Or it could be just the opposite, as many in Kiev and throughout the country fear: to provoke the Ukrainians into a full crackdown, which would in turn spark a Russian invasion. The militants have called on Moscow to intervene on more than one occasion.
In a speech at the Atlantic Council in Washington, Secretary of State John Kerry told the Kremlin to "leave Ukraine in peace" and warned: "Nato territory is inviolable we will defend every single inch of it."
In other developments on Tuesday:
Moscow has said it has no intention of invading eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia activists have seized government buildings in more than a dozen towns and cities.
Until now, only the local office of the State Security Service (SBU) in Luhansk, a city of 465,000 people less than 30km (20 miles) from the Russian border, had been targeted.
But on Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of people shouting "Russia,...

Summary:


The official violated the International Paralympic Committee's ban on political gestures.
Belarus' neighbours Russia are banned from the Games following state-sponsored doping.

Summary: The official violated the International Paralympic Committee's ban on political gestures.
Belarus' neighbours Russia are banned from the Games following state

A Belarus official who carried a Russian flag into the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games has been banned from the competition.

Article: Amelia Saunders was a pupil at Crosfields School, Reading, where the Talbot Memorial Garden was created. She died in January 2013.
A cherry tree was planted at the site in memory of her. The garden also features a small bridge and a pergola.
It aims to offer pupils "peace and relaxation", a spokeswoman said.
During her visit, a bouquet of flowers was presented to the Princess of York by two pupils, including Amelia's four-year-old sister Charlotte.
A spokeswoman at the school said the garden, created by local designer Clare Olof, was a legacy left by the school's first chairman of governors, Clifford Talbot.
"He gave a sum of money to develop an outside area to offer children peace and relaxation," she said.
"It seemed a fitting tribute to dedicate it to Amelia."
Amelia was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in February 2012.
She died at Naomi House Children's Hospice in Sutton Scotney, Hampshire, and a memorial ceremony was held in Winchester.

Summary: A garden created in memory of a four-year-old girl who died from an inoperable brain tumour has been officially opened by Princess Beatrice.
###
Article: The official violated the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) ban on political gestures.
Belarus' neighbours Russia are banned from the Games following state-sponsored doping.
"A hero has appeared amongst us," said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry.
"This is the person who showed solidarity with people who were disgracefully treated in an inhumane way in not being allowed to compete at the Paralympics," Zakharova told Interfax news agency.
The official, identified by Russian media as Andrei Fomochkin, has had his accreditation for Rio cancelled by the IPC.
IPC head of media Craig Spence said: "I'd like to thank the media for ensuring there was a picture of the individual on Twitter pretty quickly. We managed to locate that individual and confiscate the flag pretty much within 20 minutes of the flag being displayed.
"It's seen as a political protest because he carried a Russian flag when he's in the Belarus delegation, and when you've got the president of the Belarus National Paralympic Committee being so vocal in the media before these Games saying he disagreed with our decision, then it's a pretty easy conclusion that it was a political protest.
"We check all teams before they go out into the stadium at every single Games, so that flag was pretty well hidden on that person because all of the Belarus team was searched before they went out and the flag was somewhere on the person that we didn't notice."
Fomochkin has received support from Belarus for his gesture.
"This was the right thing," Dmitri Mironchik, press secretary for Belarus's Foreign Ministry, told RIA Novosti. "If we need to answer for these gestures, then we will answer."

Summary:


The BBC's coverage of the election will be anchored by David Dimbleby, while Tom...

Summary: The BBC's coverage of the election will be anchored by David Dimbleby, while Tom...

Summary: The BBC's coverage of the election will be anchored by David Dimbleby, while Tom

Channel 4 will shut down E4 on the day of the general election, in a bid to encourage more young people to vote.

Article: The study, published in the journal Cell, shows that nearly nine in 10 men had gene mutations that could be targeted with drugs.
The study was led in the UK by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) London in collaboration with several teams in the United States.
Researchers analysed the genetic codes of tumours from 150 patients with metastatic - or advanced - prostate cancer, whose disease had spread to other parts of the body.
They found that 89% had genetic aberrations for which there were existing drugs or treatments undergoing clinical trials.
Prof Johann de Bono, of the ICR and Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust told the BBC:  "This is truly a game-changer.  We are calling this prostate cancer's Rosetta Stone, because we can now decode the disease for the first time.
"In the past, we used to treat lethal prostate cancer as a single illness but this shows that it is a group of diseases, each driven by their own set of mutations."
Prof de Bono said it meant that, using genetic testing, it would be possible to individualise patient care, heralding the arrival of personalised treatment for advanced prostate cancer.
More than 40,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and nearly 11,000 die in the UK each year.
Nearly all men with advanced disease develop resistance to hormone therapy, which is used to prevent prostate cancer cells from growing.
In the study, nearly two-thirds of the patients had mutations in a molecule that interacts with the male hormone androgen, which is targeted in current treatments.
Scientists at the ICR believe this could open up new avenues for hormone therapy.
Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were found in nearly one in five patients.
Trials at the Royal Marsden/ICR have already shown prostate cancer patients with BRCA mutations can benefit from drugs called Parp inhibitors which disrupt cancer cells' DNA repair mechanism.
One of these drugs, called olaparib, is now licensed by the EU to treat women with ovarian cancer, who carry BRCA mutations.
The research is...

Summary: Scientists have unveiled a comprehensive genetic map of advanced prostate cancer, hailing it as the disease's "Rosetta Stone".
###
Article: Instead of The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, viewers tuning in on 7 May will see "Darren", the man in charge of keeping E4 on air, sitting in the channel's control room.
It is believed to be the first time a UK channel has closed on polling day.
E4 is one of the most popular youth channels on television, reaching 8.7 million 16-34 year olds every month.
Its regular schedule will be suspended from 07:00 BST, when polls open, to 19:00 BST, when the channel will return to normal with Hollyoaks (polling closes at 22:00 BST).
Dan Brooke, Channel 4's chief marketing officer said: "Less than half of under-25s voted at the last election so we've engaged the most powerful weapon that we have at our disposal to try and boost that number - switching off their favourite TV channel for the day."
A pre-election advertising campaign, running on all of Channel 4's stations, will alert viewers to the reason for E4's absence.
The adverts will ask viewers: "How many times have you missed life-changing events because you wanted to watch your favourite show?
"May 7 is election day and Darren is going to turn E4 off so you might as well go and vote. You won't forget will you Darren?"
However, viewers will only be able to use the switch-off as an excuse to vote if they have already registered - and the deadline has already passed.
Meanwhile, Channel 4 will present an "alternative" to the election night coverage on the BBC and ITV, with a programme co-anchored by Jeremy Paxman and comedian David Mitchell.
Paxman, who left BBC Two's Newsnight last June, said: "Elections matter. But that doesn't mean the coverage has to be dull. I hope there'll be room for both insight and laughter."
David Mitchell added: "Our aim is to keep people watching much later than they intended and we will be judged by the dip in the nation's productivity on Friday 8 May."
The show will also include special election-themed episodes of Gogglebox and The Last Leg.
The BBC's coverage of the election will be anchored by David Dimbleby, while Tom...

Summary:


The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission said seven years of austerity resulted in the burden of the crisis falling disproportionally on those least able to bear it.
The commission was set up last year to promote and protect human rights in the state.
This meant those who were already disadvantaged were even more susceptible to unemployment, lower

The Irish government has been criticised for failing to adequately protect the human rights of vulnerable groups during the recession.

Article: A UK team found the Ferrigno rift using ice-penetrating radar, and showed it to be about 1.5km (1 mile) deep.
Antarctica
 is home to a geological rift system where new crust is being formed, meaning the eastern and western halves of the continent are slowly separating.
The team writes in Nature journal that the canyon is bringing more warm sea water to the ice sheet, hastening melt.
The Ferrigno rift lies close to the Pine Island Glacier where Nasa scientists found a giant crack last year; but the newly discovered feature is not thought to be influencing the "Pig", as it is known.
The rift lies beneath the Ferrigno Ice Stream on a stretch of coast so remote that it has only been visited once previously.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) project revisited the area two years ago in the person of Aberdeen University glaciologist Robert Bingham.
The plan was to make ground observations that could link to the satellite data showing unexpectedly pronounced ice loss from the area.
The team towed ice-penetrating radar kit behind a snowmobile, traversing a total of about 2,500km (1,500 miles).
"What we found is that lying beneath the ice there is a large valley, parts of which are approximately a mile deeper than the surrounding landscape," said Dr Bingham.
"If you stripped away all of the ice here today, you'd see a feature every bit as dramatic as the huge rift valleys you see in Africa and in size as significant as the [US] Grand Canyon.
"This is at odds with the flat ice surface that we were driving across - without these measurements we would never have known it was there."
The Ferrigno rift extends into a seabed trough, called Belgica.
The scientists suggest that during Ice Ages, when sea levels were much lower than at present, the rift would have channelled a major ice stream through the trough.
Now, they suggest, the roles are reversed, with the walls of the Belgica trough channelling relatively warm sea water back to the ice edge.
Penetrating between the Antarctic bedrock and the ice that lies on it and...

Summary: A rift in the Antarctic rock as deep as the Grand Canyon is increasing ice melt from the continent, researchers say.
###
Article: The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission said seven years of austerity resulted in the burden of the crisis falling disproportionally on those least able to bear it.
The commission was set up last year to promote and protect human rights in the state.
This is its first report.
Speaking on RTÃ‰'s Morning Ireland programme, Chief Commissioner Emily Logan said the government had failed to meet basic human rights standards required under international law - in the stark choices made during the recession.
There was an absence of any human rights or equality assessment of the "troika" (EU, IMF and European Central Bank) bail-out programme.
This meant those who were already disadvantaged were even more susceptible to unemployment, lower incomes or poorer living standards.
People with disabilities experienced the impact of austerity measures more acutely, with the rate of unemployment almost trebling among this group - from 8% to 22% during the recession.
The report, published on Thursday, comes ahead of a UN Committee in Geneva next week where Ireland will be asked to defend its record on human rights.

Summary:


The Scottish Building Federation's latest quarterly construction monitor saw confidence fall 22 points to -19.
It was the first negative overall confidence rating by employers since the second quarter of 2013.
It was the first negative overall confidence rating by employers since the second quarter of 2013.
There was also concern that investment decisions could be

Abuse victims whose cases are excluded from a Stormont inquiry into historical child abuse have united in a campaign for their allegations to be included.

Article: The Scottish Building Federation's latest quarterly construction monitor saw confidence fall 22 points to -19.
It was the first negative overall confidence rating by employers since the second quarter of 2013.
SBF said employers were unsettled by the economic volatility seen following last week's vote to leave the EU.
There was also concern that investment decisions could be postponed indefinitely.
The federation's survey responses were collected during June, with firms being given the opportunity to update their confidence rating following the EU vote.
SBF managing director Vaughan Hart said: "The results of our latest quarterly survey reflect much of the informal feedback I have received from individual members.
"Construction employers are unsettled by the economic volatility we have witnessed following the vote to leave the European Union last week.
"General uncertainty about the economic outlook has prompted concern that investment decisions could be postponed indefinitely.
"The potential impact on interest rates also risks provoking a sustained slowdown of activity across different sectors of the property market."
He added: "If the current economic volatility is sustained over a longer period of time, the UK Treasury may be forced to take evasive action come the time of the autumn statement with a knock-on impact on the Scottish government's budget and on local government funding.
"There is also a more general concern that the process of negotiating the UK's withdrawal from the European Union could result in paralysis within government that means important priorities such as the delivery of more housing, the development of skills, training and apprenticeships and critical improvements to the country's infrastructure risk being sidelined."

Summary: Confidence within Scottish construction has fallen to its lowest level for three years following the outcome of the EU referendum, a survey has found.
###
Article: The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry is examining allegations of abuse in state-run children's homes and other institutions in Northern Ireland.
However, victims of clerical child abuse and former residents of Magdalene laundry-style institutions in Northern Ireland are excluded from the remit.
They have launched a joint campaign.
The two groups were due to call for the remit of the Historic Institutional Abuse Inquiry to be widened.
The inquiry, chaired by retired judge Sir Anthony Hart, was set up by the Stormont Executive and is examining cases from 1922 to 1995.
It will also determine if there were systemic failings by the state, or institutions, in their duties towards children under 18.
It was originally set up to investigate cases going back as far as 1945, but it was later extended to cover the period back to the foundation of the state in 1922.
Previously, Sir Anthony has opposed further extending the scope of his inquiry to deal with abuse which took place outside institutions.
He pointed out that such a move would have significant implications in terms of time and money.
The inquiry is currently investigating 35 residential facilities.
They include 15 state-run children's homes, 13 institutions run by Catholic Church orders and four borstals or training schools.
The inquiry was announced in December 2010 and the first phase began in October 2012.
Three institutions run by Protestant churches or voluntary organisations will also be investigated.

Summary:


The airport is now home to the RAF Blenheim Light bombers, Hurricanes and Spitfire squadrons.
The exhibition will feature press cutings, photos and memorabilia to mark 20 years since the airport officially closed on 31 December 1996.
Martyn Steggalls, a director of the IAA, who worked

An airport that "refused to close" is being remembered this weekend, 20 years after flying eventually stopped.

Article: The National Union of Teachers says schools in England spent Â£733m last year on supply teacher agencies.
The union says it is wasting money intended for children's education.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan is launching a TV recruitment campaign to attract a "new generation of passionate and gifted teachers".
Head teachers have been reporting deepening problems with getting enough staff.
The Department for Education has launched a television advertising campaign to encourage more applications, saying that 35,000 trainee teachers need to be recruited every year.
There are particular problems in finding teachers in subjects such as physics, and the government is offering increasingly generous bursaries.
A physics graduate with a good degree can claim up to Â£30,000 tax free for entering teaching.
"Great teachers are at the heart of our drive to extend opportunity to every single child," says Mrs Morgan.
"That is why we are focused on attracting more talented people into the profession, to inspire young people, open doors to their future."
The teachers' union argues that the difficulty in recruiting teachers means schools are forced to use their budgets on supply staff - and that these temporary staff are not receiving the same pay and benefits as full-time teachers.
"Supply teacher agencies are making millions while supply teachers' pay continues to plummet," said NUT leader Christine Blower.
"This is money which should be used for children's education, not going towards boosting the profits of private companies."
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation rejected the NUT claims as unfair and said schools with vacancies "rely on their recruitment partners to bring in quality teachers, often at very short notice".
"Agencies charge a daily rate for temporary contracts and the majority of this will go directly to the teacher. It is up to schools, agencies and teachers to negotiate pay rates and this can vary according to location and other factors such as how much experience the teacher has," said head of...

Summary: Teachers' union leaders are warning that teacher shortages are costing schools hundreds of millions of pounds in temporary supply staff.
###
Article: Campaigners fought to save Ipswich Airport after it was earmarked for housing by Ipswich Borough Council, with some occupying the terminal building for about four months.
The anniversary of the closure is being marked with an exhibition.
Organisers said: "There is now a generation that probably doesn't even know Ipswich had its own airport."
The site was formerly a World War Two airfield and home to RAF Blenheim light bombers, Hurricanes and - for short periods - Spitfire squadrons.
During its 66-year history, the airport launched a daily flight to Clacton with a journey time of just 15 minutes in 1938 and it later handled flights carrying royal passengers and sports stars.
In the 1980s, Suckling Airways started operating flights to Amsterdam and Manchester and by 1990 the airport housed flying schools, a helicopter school, parachute centre and various support firms.
But in 1996 the borough council, which owned the airport, announced the site would close later that year, to be turned into what is now the Ravenswood housing estate.
Saturday's exhibition at the town's Transport Museum has been put together by Ipswich Airport Association (IAA) whose members will be on hand to answer questions.
The reunion and exhibition will also feature press cuttings, photos and memorabilia to mark 20 years since the airport officially closed on 31 December 1996.
Martyn Steggalls, a director of the IAA, who worked part-time at the airport, said: "It's a time when a lot of people involved in the airport can get together and reminisce.
"It's a focal point to people who used to fly from there, work there and lived nearby."

Summary:


The study found chronic pain is caused partly by a person's genetic make-up and partly by as-yet-unidentified risk factors shared by partners in the same environment.
The researchers said chronic pain is caused partly by a person's genetic make-up and partly by as-yet-unidentified risk factors shared

Partners of people with depression are more likely to suffer from chronic pain, a new study suggests.

Article: Speaking at a Mississippi rally, he said his opponent "sees people of colour only as votes not as human beings worthy of a better future".
Mr Trump added that Mrs Clinton and the Democratic party had taken advantage of the African-American community.
Mrs Clinton fired back, saying "he is taking a hate movement mainstream".
The Democratic presidential nominee called out Mr Trump for questioning the citizenship of President Barack Obama and for failing to disavow former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, adding that he was "peddling bigotry and prejudice and paranoia".
Mr Trump took aim at Mrs Clinton during a campaign stop in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday, where he was joined by Britain's outgoing UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
Mr Farage, who is viewed as a major force behind the UK's exit from the EU, told Trump supporters to "get your walking boots on" and begin campaigning.
In recent days, Mr Trump has attempted to court African-Americans after failing to gain support among this key voting bloc.
Only about 2% of black voters say they will vote for the New York businessman, according to current polls.
It's a standard part of the American political playbook not just to try to exploit your campaign opponent's weaknesses, but also to diminish his or her perceived strengths.
George W Bush adviser Karl Rove mastered this manoeuvre, best displayed in the 2004 attacks against John Kerry, a decorated veteran, for his Vietnam military service.
So it's not exactly stunning that Donald Trump is attempting to undermine what a bedrock of Hillary Clinton's campaign - her support among minority voters, particularly blacks.
The trick, however, is there has to be some appearance of substance behind the charges for them to stick. The reason Kerry was so damaged in 2004 was because the hits came from his fellow veterans and not Mr Bush.
Mr Trump's calling Mrs Clinton a bigot in a few speeches is likely to bounce off the Democratic nominee if that's all there is. A wealthy - white - New York billionaire telling blacks how terrible...

Summary: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has accused Democratic rival Hillary Clinton of being a "bigot" in his latest appeal to minority voters.
###
Article: Edinburgh University found chronic pain is caused partly by a person's genetic make-up and partly by as-yet-unidentified risk factors shared by partners in the same environment.
The team also identified significant overlaps between the risk factors for chronic pain and depression.
The scientists said chronic pain is a common cause of disability.
Scientists hope the research will help explain why some people suffer from the condition and not others.
The study used data from more than 100,000 people taking part in the Generation Scotland and UK Biobank projects - major studies investigating genetic links to health conditions.
The results of the collaboration with Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow universities are published in the latest edition of the journal PLOS Medicine.
Prof Andrew McIntosh, chair of biological psychiatry at Edinburgh University, said: "We hope our research will encourage people to think about the relationship between chronic pain and depression, and whether physical and mental illnesses are as separate as some believe."

Summary:


The men were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
The men were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
The men were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of

Police have been given more time to question five men arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences.

Article: A bottlenose dolphin has been photographed playing with an unfortunate fish.
The flounder was thrown into the air from the mammal's mouth and bounced off its nose, before being devoured.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation field officer and photographer Charlie Phillips captured the action on camera on Friday from Chanonry Point on the Moray Firth.
The firth is home to a population of bottlenose dolphins.

Summary: All images are copyrighted.
###
Article: Bomb disposal officers were sent to Birmingham's Lee Bank area on Friday and nearby roads were closed and cordoned off.
The men, two aged 32 and 37 were arrested in Stoke-on-Trent and three others, aged 18, 24 and 28, were arrested in Birmingham.
Magistrates granted police a further seven days to question the men.
Detectives from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit appeared before London's Westminster Magistrates' Court via video link on Saturday to submit their request for a warrant of further detention, a spokesman said.
The men were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
Ch Supt Sue Southern, from West Midlands Police, said: "The arrests of the five men were intelligence led and our investigation continues at full pace."
A number of properties in the Stoke and Birmingham areas have been searched as part of the investigation.
The BBC understands the force was dealing with two suspect devices that were found at a business in Lee Bank on Friday.

Summary:


The US government has been trying to get the US to borrow money from the US government to pay back the debt ceiling.

A fresh appeal to find the killer of a teenage girl who was raped and murdered in Manchester 45 years ago is to feature on BBC One's Crimewatch.

Article: Beijing's China Daily: "The agreement [on raising the US debt ceiling] is likely to avert default by Washington and it certainly is a relief for China... We still cannot rule out the possibility of a downgrade of the US credit rating if Washington fails to come up with a long-term and balanced solution to address its debt problem... For policy makers in Beijing, seeking alternative ways to invest the massive foreign exchange reserves and to reduce its rapid accumulation remain the crucial challenges." (Interview with Chen Daofu, director, Policy Research Centre, Financial Research Institute, State Council Development Research Centre)
Beijing's Global Times: "It is too early to cheer for this deal, since raising the debt ceiling simply means the US can now borrow itself into further debt... This does not seem a smart move. By using new debt to pay back the old, the US is sinking further into quicksand." (Editorial)
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: "Naturally, the problems of the USA and the dollar as well as of the EU and the euro cannot but disturb Russia. As we know, it holds its currency reserves in dollars and euros. We should assume that our government is not leaving matters to chance and is taking steps against possible risks... [There is] one unfortunate thing that Russia does not need to fear: at least, it will not face a default in the next few days." (Article by Yevgeniy Grigoryev)
Moskovskiye Novosti: "America has changed its mind about having a Judgment Day... But the obvious inability to reach an agreement that was demonstrated by political forces in the US has had an equally damaging effect on the country... The image of the country as a responsible borrower has suffered most." (Article by Denis Voroshilov and Igor Kryuchkov)
Sueddeutsche Zeitung: "State bankruptcy has been avoided, but the compromise announced by US President Barack Obama is flawed from an economic point of view. It does not resolve any of the real budgetary problems and some of its elements are even harmful to the economy." (Commentary by...

Summary: International press reaction to the voting of the US bill to avert a US debt default.
###
Article: Dorothy Leyden's body was found hours after she had been to a Jimmy Ruffin concert at the Golden Garter nightclub in Wythenshawe in April 1971.
The 17-year-old's body was found on waste ground in Collyhurst.
Her sister Pat Atkinson has made an emotional appeal for more information on her death.
The teenager spent the evening of 24 April 1971 at the concert before heading into central Manchester.
At about 02:30, she got out of a taxi she had shared with friends at Piccadilly Gardens bus station and it is thought she decided to walk home.
Her body was found the following day behind the now demolished Spread Eagle pub.
A reconstruction will show some of Dorothy's last known movements before she was attacked.
Previously, it had been thought she may have been murdered by serial killer Trevor Hardy but, this was dismissed in 2008.
Det Supt Martin Bottomley, from Greater Manchester Police, said forensic evidence proved he did not kill Dorothy.
"The suspicion that Hardy was responsible may have allowed the real killer to hide for all of this time."
Dorothy's sister recalled the moment officers broke the news of her sister's murder.
She told Crimewatch: "I remember the police coming to the front door and I just went out playing and when I came home my mum called me into the living room.
"I think she told us all one at a time and she just told me that Dorothy had been beaten and she'd died."
The appeal will be shown on Crimewatch later on BBC One at 21:00 BST.

Summary:


The world's largest food chain, the World Food Network, has been hit by a massive explosion in food production in the last few years.
The World Food Network is the world's largest food chain, the World Food Network, which has been hit by a massive explosion in food production in the last few years.

Rain has fallen on the Glastonbury Festival as fans enjoyed the first day of music on the main stages.

Article: The authors warned a loss of diversity meant more people were dependent on key crops, leaving them more exposed to harvest failures.
Higher consumption of energy-dense crops could also contribute to a global rise in heart disease and diabetes, they added.
The study appears in the journal PNAS.
"Over the past 50 years, we are seeing that diets around the world are changing and they are becoming more similar - what we call the 'globalised diet'," co-author Colin Khoury, a scientist from the Colombia-based International Center for Tropical Agriculture, said.
"This diet is composed of big, major crops such as wheat, rice, potatoes and sugar.
"It also includes crops that were not important 50 years ago but have become very important now, particularly oil crops like soybean," he told BBC News.
While wheat has long been a staple crop, it is now a key food in more than 97% of countries listed in UN data, the study showed.
And from relative obscurity, soybean had become "significant" in the diets of almost three-quarters of nations.
He added that while these food crops played a major role in tackling global hunger, the decline in crop diversity in the globalised diet limited the ability to supplement the energy-dense part of the diet with nutrient-rich foods.
Amid the crops recording a decline in recent decades were millets, rye, yams, sweet potatoes and cassava.
The study by an international team of scientists also found that the homogenisation of the global diet could be helping accelerate the rise in non-communicable diseases - such as diabetes and heart disease - which are becoming an increasing problem worldwide.
Crop failure fears
Co-author Luigi Guarino, of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, added: "Another danger of a more homogeneous global food basket is that it makes agriculture more vulnerable to major threats like drought, insect pests and diseases, which are likely to become worse in many parts of the world as a result of climate change.
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is designed to protect the genetic...

Summary: Fewer crop species are feeding the world than 50 years ago - raising concerns about the resilience of the global food system, a study has shown.
###
Article: A heavy shower on Friday afternoon brought out the wellies, ponchos and umbrellas and created puddles on site.
Friday's acts include Florence and the Machine, Motorhead, Mark Ronson and an unconfirmed band, rumoured to be The Libertines, on the Pyramid Stage.
However, Professor Stephen Hawking is unlikely to attend the event for an appearance in the Kidz Field.
A spokesperson for the physicist told The Telegraph he had pulled out "for personal reasons".
In other Glastonbury news:
Organisers have not confirmed the identity of the act who will fill the Pyramid Stage slot on Friday that was left vacant when Florence Welch was promoted to the headline slot.
Rumours about Pete Doherty and Carl Barat's band The Libertines circulated after the name "Albion" was pictured on a backstage running order. The Libertines have used the word Albion frequently during their careers.
Florence has replaced Foo Fighters, who pulled out when frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg.
The decision to promote Florence and the Machine to headline status was criticised by some fans, but organiser Emily Eavis said she made the decision "straight away".
"This is her moment," Eavis said. "She's had a number one record in America, a number one record here, and she's on fire."
'Culture of rebellion'
Meanwhile, feminist punk band Pussy Riot made an appearance in front of the Park Stage, using a theatrical protest to convey their anti-government message.
The appearance began with an actor posing as a Russian soldier standing atop a military van and declaring Glastonbury a pro-Russian republic.
Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, who were imprisoned in Russia for almost two years for their protests, then climbed up, tied him up and put one of their trademark multi-coloured balaclavas on him.
Tolokonnikova told the crowd to "develop a culture of rebellion" and, in a remark possibly aimed at other bands, said they could not just "sit on a comfy coach and drink some beer".
They were then interviewed on top of the van by singer...

Summary:


The economic research institute questioned 320 businesses following the vote on leaving the EU.
The survey found more than 60% of Scottish firms believe Brexit would have a negative impact on them.
However, the institute said there was little evidence of companies cancelling investment or recruitment outright.
The Fraser of Allander Institute, an

Most Scottish firms believe Brexit is bad for their prospects and the economy, according to a survey by the Fraser of Allander Institute.

Article: Resuming on 39-3, Durham slipped to 63-6, with Ryan Sidebottom (4-34) taking the wickets of Graham Onions, Scott Borthwick and Paul Collingwood.
Ryan Pringle (57 not out), Michael Richardson (33) and Graham Clark (25) delayed the hosts into the afternoon.
But Jack Brooks (3-55) took the final wicket of Chris Rushworth as Durham were all out for 192.
Second-placed Yorkshire are a point behind leaders Middlesex, who beat Nottinghamshire by five wickets on Friday to relegate the East Midlands county.
Durham's target of 421 always looked out of reach, especially after losing three wickets in 16 overs before close on Thursday.
Sidebottom finished with season-best bowling figures and he struck in his first and second over of the day to rip the heart of the Durham middle-order.
Clarke and Richardson put on 49 for the seventh wicket to make sure the game went behind lunch, while Pringle hit a spritely half-century and brought up his 50 with a six off Tim Bresnan.
But Durham slipped to their third Championship defeat of the season and remain in relegation trouble.

Summary: Yorkshire beat Durham by 228 runs to remain in the hunt for a third successive County Championship title.
###
Article: The economic research institute questioned 320 businesses following the vote on leaving the EU.
The survey found more than 60% of Scottish firms believe Brexit would have a "negative impact" on them.
However, the institute said there was little evidence of companies cancelling investment or recruitment outright.
The Fraser of Allander Institute, an independent research body based at the University of Strathclyde, carried out the survey between 5 July and 12 July, in the aftermath of the EU referendum.
Just over 60% of Scottish firms surveyed said they believed Brexit will have a negative impact on their business, while only 19% said it would have a positive impact. One third said the impact would be "very negative".
About 40% believe that leaving the EU could lead to a decrease in their investment and expansion plans, and 34% said that they could cut back on recruitment.
More than 70% of firms surveyed as part of the research had done no preparation for the UK exiting the EU.
Two-thirds of businesses said resolution of the uncertainty in the economy was a key issue in the negotiation of the UK's exit from the European Union, while 49% of firms cited access to the single market as a key issue.
However, the survey found little evidence of companies actually cancelling investment or recruitment plans.
A quarter of firms said they had made a decision to change their investment and recruitment plans, though the vast majority - 95% - said that decisions had been postponed rather than cancelled entirely.
Prof Graeme Roy, director of the institute, said: "This is the first hard survey evidence post-referendum of what businesses in Scotland are thinking and how they are responding to the unexpected EU referendum result.
"A clear majority believe that the impact - certainly in the short to medium term - will be negative. The survey offers some evidence that investment and recruitment plans may be being put on hold.
"Resolving the current political and economic uncertainty must now be the key priority. The longer the...

Summary:


A new £20m-a-year cap on the cost of new drugs will be introduced in the NHS in England in an attempt to save money, health chiefs have announced.

Article: The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals granted the reprieve less than eight hours before killer Scott Panetti was due to receive a lethal injection.
His lawyers had argued he was too delusional to be executed and sought a delay so his competency can be tested.
Panetti was convicted in the fatal shootings of his in-laws in 1992.
The US Supreme Court in 2002 prohibited the execution of the mentally impaired, but have allowed it for mentally ill inmates with a rational understanding.
A number of conservatives leaders had joined the fight to save Panetti's life, writing a letter asking Texas Governor Rick Perry to commute the death sentence to life in prison.
"As conservatives, we must be on guard that such an extraordinary government sanction not be used against a person who is mentally incapable of rational thought," according to the letter.
"It would be immoral for the government to take this man's life."
Ellen Stewart-Klein, an assistant Texas attorney general, meanwhile told that appeals court Panetti's medical records "strongly indicate rational awareness of his impending execution and the reason for it".
"Panetti's mental status has at best been severely exaggerated by his counsel," she added.
On Monday, in a separate appeal to halt the lethal injection, Panetti's lawyers told the US Supreme Court the Texas inmate was severely mentally ill "before, during and after the crime for which he has been sentenced to death".
Panetti was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1978 and hospitalised more than a dozen times before killing Joe and Amanda Alvarado.
"Imposition of the death penalty on people with severe mental illness, as with people with intellectual disability, does not serve the two goals of deterrence and retribution because of their reduced moral culpability," his lawyers told the court.
The Supreme Court added a provision mandating that an inmate have a rational understanding of why he was being put to death in 2007 under a previous appeal from Panetti.
His case has gone to the high court for review at least...

Summary: A US appeals court has halted the execution of a schizophrenic Texas inmate who was due to be put to death on Wednesday.
###
Article: The new measure could lead to delays of up to three years before new drugs are made available to give NHS bosses the chance to try to renegotiate the price with drug firms.
The plan was agreed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence amid mounting pressure on NHS funds.
It will be introduced from next month.
NICE chief executive Sir Andrew Dillon said the move was needed given the "significant financial challenge facing the NHS".
Patient groups and the drug industry have already objected to the plan - a consultation has been run over the past three months.
Currently, drugs that are assessed as being cost-effective by NICE are automatically recommend for use in the NHS.
Once that happens, the health service has 90 days to start offering the drugs.
But crucially that process just assesses the cost versus benefit of the drug on the basis of the impact to an individual.
It does not take into account how many people may take the drug and therefore the total cost to the NHS.
Under the new plan, widely used drugs and expensive but effective drugs that breach the £20m a year threshold will face a secondary process.
NHS England, which pushed for the change, will be able to halt the 90-day deadline and begin talks with the drug manufacturer to try to get the price down.
They will be able to apply for an extension of up to three years. At that point, NICE will review what is happening.
During this period, NICE will have the power to allow restricted use to patients deemed most in need.
The move comes as the drugs bill is on the rise. Last year £16.8bn was spent on drugs by the NHS, up from £13bn in 2011.
There is concern a breakthrough in fields such as dementia could end up costing the NHS billions of pounds.
Last year NHS bosses capped the number of patients that could be given a new drug for hepatitis C, to keep the annual cost at £200m.
The new arrangements will be applied only to new drugs.
Information provided by the industry suggested that if they had been in place they would have affected the...

Summary:


The RMT has been criticised for its lack of transparency and lack of transparency.
The RMT has been criticised for its lack of transparency and lack of transparency.
The RMT has been criticised for its lack of transparency and lack of transparency.
The RMT has been criticised for its lack of transparency and lack

Manufacturers have reported positive business trends, in the latest survey from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

Article: The union says the "comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations" is related to problems with the "ageing" fleet of Piccadilly line trains.
Transport for London (TfL) urged the RMT not to "subject Londoners to another pointless strike".
No strike date has yet been announced.
The Piccadilly line, the fourth busiest on the Underground, has been the focus of a long-running industrial dispute over safety.
In January, a door opened on a moving train as it approached Heathrow, prompting an inspection of the whole fleet.
TfL said it was an "isolated incident", but the RMT denies this.
"There are major problems with the rolling stock that are not being addressed," a spokesman for the union told the BBC.
"Despite the fact that we've got members in the depot working to try to keep the fleet going, we've got problems with doors opening between stations, wheel flats [that affect braking] and signals being passed at danger."
RMT general secretary Mick Cash added: "Those issues have left drivers in a vulnerable position and have been used by management as a tool to harass and threaten members through misuse of the disciplinary procedure."
Pat Hansberry, Operations Director for London Underground, said: "It is disappointing that the RMT is once again threatening unnecessary strike action without seeking to resolve these local issues with us first.
"We urge the RMT to continue talks with us to resolve their issues rather than threatening to subject Londoners to another pointless strike."
Piccadilly line trains are known as "1973 stock", although they came into service later that decade.
They are now among the oldest trains on the London Underground.

Summary: Piccadilly line Tube drivers have voted to strike after the RMT union accused London Underground managers of "bullying, harassment and intimidation".
###
Article: The end of last year saw growth across several sectors of the economy, but there are concerns about rising prices, skill shortages and falling sales.
Manufacturers reported their highest growth in new orders for nearly three years, with export demand still strong.
In retail, there was also a return to optimism - though only just, and despite profitability being squeezed.
In tourism, firms reported improving visitor numbers in the final quarter of the year, but falling sales revenues.
Responses to the survey, carried out for the Chambers of Commerce by Strathclyde University economists at the Fraser of Allander Institute, were more positive than the economic figures published on Wednesday.
The Labour Force Survey and the Gross Domestic Product figures showed weakness in the Scottish economy, while covering an earlier part of 2016 than the Chambers' survey.
While the GDP assessment from the Scottish government has seen a sharp contraction in the past year, the Chambers found a more positive picture, with growth in private commercial contracts.
However, there are warning signals survey, with tourism companies having difficulties in finding skilled recruits. Retail firms flagged up rising prices. Construction is expecting an investment dip.
The weakest of the five sectors covered was finance and business services. More firms in that large part of the economy saw employment fall than saw it rise. But on balance, firms say sales revenue is expected to increase.
Neil Amner, chairman of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce economic advisory group, said: "Our latest economic data shows that many Scottish businesses will have a successful 2017, with business optimism remaining positive for many sectors.
"This is good news for the economy, particularly as we continue to deal with international uncertainty and domestic issues including a rating revaluation and a potential divergence of Income Tax between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
"The overall business mood remains positive but firms expect business growth to be...

Summary: