The construction of the Gaza Strip has been a major challenge for the region since the 1980s.
The construction of the Gaza Strip has been a major challenge for the region since the 1980s.
The construction of the Gaza Strip has been a major challenge for the region since the 1980s.
The construction of the

In a playground in Sheikh Hamad City, children shriek with delight, while their parents chat in the cool shade of their peach-coloured flats.

Article: Mr Xi was speaking at the swearing-in of the territory's new leader Carrie Lam, as Hong Kong marked 20 years since its handover to China from Britain.
On Saturday afternoon, after Mr Xi had left Hong Kong, thousands of people took part in an annual march calling for greater democracy.
During Mr Xi's visit there was little opportunity for protest.
An earlier protest had led to clashes with pro-Beijing demonstrators.
Mr Xi's visit to the city - his first since becoming Chinese leader in 2013 - came amid tight police security.
Several people were detained in the morning, when a small group of pro-democracy activists clashed with pro-Beijing demonstrators close to the site where the lavish ceremony took place.
Organisers said 60,000 people took part in the later pro-democracy march, though police said the figure was much lower.
Heavy rain affected the march, which started at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. Some protesters carried yellow umbrellas, a symbol of the demonstrations which gripped the city in 2014.
Lam Wing-kee, one of the five Hong Kong booksellers who went missing in 2015 and re-surfaced in detention on the mainland, addressed the march.
The Chinese leader oversaw the swearing in of Ms Lam, the newly-elected chief executive of the territory, along with the rest of her cabinet. She is Hong Kong's first female leader.
In a speech he said that Hong Kong needed to "improve its systems to uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests".
"Any attempt to endanger China's sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government... or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland is an act that crosses the red line and is absolutely impermissible," he said.
He added that Hong Kong now enjoyed more freedom than ever before.
But while the territory's Basic Law guarantees wide-ranging freedoms under the "one country, two systems" formula, Beijing's refusal to grant universal suffrage has triggered sometimes violent unrest.
In Saturday...

Summary: Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned against "impermissible" challenges to Beijing's authority over Hong Kong.
###
Article: This huge housing project - now one of the most desirable addresses in Gaza - was built since 2012 with money from Qatar and named after the former ruler of the wealthy Gulf state.
So far, more than 2,000 Palestinians - mostly low-income families - have moved in.
The complex has a new school, shops, an impressive mosque and plenty of greenery. There is a constant whirr of construction noise as more buildings are erected.
But as the regional crisis over Qatar escalates, Palestinians here - as elsewhere in the impoverished territory - fear the loss of their major donor and ally.
"We're going to be the victims," says one resident, Baha Shalaby. "Everything's going to stop - the money, the support, the infrastructure, the building work."
In recent years, Qatar has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on new homes, a hospital and main roads in the Gaza Strip. It has pledged about $1bn (Â£780m) more.
It is not yet clear how its projects will be affected by the ongoing row with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries. They are trying to economically isolate Qatar, accusing it of fostering terrorism - a charge the emirate strongly denies.
However, the engineer in charge of fixing Gaza's main north-south road warns of the possible wider implications of any cuts.
"We have hundreds of workers, all supporting families," says Hanafi Sadallah.
"Levels of unemployment in Gaza are very high, so if the Qataris end our funding, they'll all just be left sitting at home."
Just over 40% of Gazans are out of work, according to Palestinian officials - one of the highest unemployment rates in the world.
One of Saudi Arabia's demands has been for Qatar to stop backing Hamas, which runs Gaza.
The Islamist group took over by force a decade ago - ousting Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces, a year after Hamas won legislative elections.
Hamas leaders insist that Qatari help to Gaza has been primarily charitable.
"The houses that were built are not for Hamas, the streets that were asphalted are not for Hamas," one senior...

Summary:


The party has been criticised for its lack of transparency and the lack of transparency in the way it treats its members.

A rapist who attacked a student as she walked home during freshers' week has been given an extended sentence.

Article: That was the message from a fringe event at Labour's conference in Liverpool which examined the electoral threat from UKIP - and the effect of the marginalisation of working-class communities.
While the Conservatives remain the biggest obstacle to Labour getting back into power, Jeremy Corbyn faces challenges on multiple fronts. In Scotland, there is the SNP and across large swathes of England, there is UKIP.
The party is arguably the official opposition to Labour in much of the north west and north east.
Labour MPs who feel UKIP breathing down their necks are anything but complacent, but dealing with the challenge is another matter.
"For us, it is about how you fight an emotion," says Ruth Smeeth, who won Stoke on Trent North for Labour in 2015 but saw UKIP increase its vote by 18% in the constituency.
"They were not politicians in the way we recognise them," she says of her opponents. "They didn't run political campaigns in the way we recognise political campaigns."
UKIP, like Labour, may have had its share of internal strife recently but that doesn't mean it will be any less of a threat whenever the next election takes place, activists were warned.
"There are some people trying to write off UKIP saying they are busted flush and they have peaked because of the EU referendum and (Nigel) Farage going," says Nick Lowles, founder and director of campaign group Hope Not Hate.
"But we should really caution against writing them off or at least writing off a party like that. Even if that party did not exist, there is nothing to say that people who voted UKIP at the last election would come back to Labour.
"Political and culturally, there is a huge and growing gulf between the Labour Party and Labour voters and UKIP voters."
Its research points to a growing divergence between Labour and UKIP voters in their attitudes to immigration and the threat posed by multiculturalism, with Labour voters becoming more "tolerant, open, and relaxed" about immigration and its benefits while UKIP supporters' views have moved in the...

Summary: Labour must take a hard look at itself and the gap that has opened up with millions of people who used to vote for the party.
###
Article: Remus Hamza, 41, of Riverside, Cardiff, was jailed for 12 years in February 2016 for raping the 20-year-old and was also given four years on extended licence.
He took his case to the Court of Appeal in London, arguing this was too severe.
But judges said his appeal was "totally without merit" and gave him an extra 28 days in prison for wasting court time.
Hamza claimed he had consensual sex with his victim, but was found guilty after a trial.
He had also previously exposed himself to three young women in the same area.
The woman was walking home along Museum Avenue in the early hours of 20 September 2015 after losing her friends while on a night out.
Hamza grabbed her and raped her in nearby bushes. He fled after a passer-by spotted him and called the police.
Judge Sarah Munro QC said the victim suffered serious psychological harm as a result of the attack.
Hamza's lawyers argued the crown court judge made the wrong assessment of how serious his crime was and did not take enough account of the fact he would have to serve two thirds of his jail term before his release can be considered.
Dismissing his appeal, Judge Munro said it was "not arguable" the sentence was excessive.
She added: "The provisions relating to early release and licence should be left out of the picture when determining sentence. There is no merit whatsoever in this appeal."

Summary:

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The Stanford University team said the findings were "incredibly exciting" and would now be tested in clinics.
Eventually, they believe using AI could revolutionise healthcare by turning anyone's smartphone into a cancer scanner.
Sudan's ambassador to the UK, Abdullahi Al Azreg, said Sudan did not target civilians

Artificial intelligence can identify skin cancer in photographs with the same accuracy as trained doctors, say scientists.

Article: The governor of Unity state says several people were killed in its capital Bentiu when a plane dropped  bombs on a market.
South Sudan also says its troops came under air attack in the oil-producing Heglig region which they have seized.
Sudan's ambassador to the UK, Abdullahi Al Azreg, said Sudan did not target civilians.
He insisted Khartoum had bombed military camps used by northern rebels supported by South Sudan.
"These people are occupying our land. Everybody is witnessing what they are doing. They have killed the civilians, they are doing very bad things. We will target the rebels as long as they are occupying our land," he told the BBC.
South Sudan said earlier on Saturday that it had repulsed an offensive on its positions near Heglig.
By James CopnallBBC News, Khartoum
The events of the last week are a reversal of the expected order of things. Sudan has struggled militarily, despite its greater resources.
Its troops lost the Heglig oilfield - one of its biggest sources of revenue - and so far have not been able to take it back. The Sudanese forces' one great advantage - air power - has not tipped the balance in their favour.
Sudanese political experts say the army's morale is low, and it is overstretched, as it has to fight South Sudan as well as several rebel movements who are co-ordinating together.
But - perhaps to its surprise - Sudan is winning the diplomatic war. The African Union said South Sudan's occupation of Heglig was "illegal and unacceptable".
Perhaps in reaction to these kind of statements, South Sudan then said it would withdraw its troops if UN peacekeepers were deployed to Heglig. This seems unlikely, and South Sudan simply hasn't been able to convince the world it's in the right.
So for the moment South Sudan is in the unusual position of winning the fighting - and losing the war of perceptions.
Vice-President Riek Machar said the ground fighting took place on Friday 30km (18 miles) north of Heglig.
South Sudan seized the oil field on Tuesday, sparking international condemnation and...

Summary: South Sudan has accused Sudan of launching further bombing raids on its territory and against its forces.
###
Article: The Stanford University team said the findings were "incredibly exciting" and would now be tested in clinics.
Eventually, they believe using AI could revolutionise healthcare by turning anyone's smartphone into a cancer scanner.
Cancer Research UK said it could become a useful tool for doctors.
The AI was repurposed from software developed by Google that had learned to spot the difference between images of cats and dogs.
It was shown 129,450 photographs and told what type of skin condition it was looking at in each one.
It then learned to spot the hallmarks of the most common type of skin cancer: carcinoma, and the most deadly: melanoma.
Only one in 20 skin cancers are melanoma, yet the tumour accounts for three-quarters of skin cancer deaths.
The experiment, detailed in the journal Nature, then tested the AI against 21 trained skin cancer doctors.
One of the researchers, Dr Andre Esteva, told the BBC News website: "We find, in general, that we are on par with board-certified dermatologists."
However, the computer software cannot make a full diagnosis, as this is normally confirmed with a tissue biopsy.
Dr Esteva said the system now needed to be tested alongside doctors in the clinic.
"The application of AI to healthcare is, we believe, an incredibly exciting area of research that can be leveraged to achieve a great deal of societal good," he said.
"One particular route that we find exciting is the use of this algorithm on a mobile device, but to achieve this we would have to build an app and test its accuracy directly from a mobile device."
Incredible advances in machine-learning have already led to AI beating one of humanity's best Go players.
And a team of doctors in London have trained AI to predict when the heart will fail.
Dr Jana Witt, from the charity Cancer Research UK, said:  "Using artificial intelligence to help diagnose skin cancer is very interesting, as it could support assessments by GPs and dermatologists.
"It's unlikely that AI will replace all of the other information your clinician would...

Summary:


The most important court in the UK, has made a decision that means parents are not allowed to take children on holiday during term-time, unless the school agrees.

Article: At the moment, they pay 90% of the amount due if the home was occupied.
However, Scottish Borders Council is now considering using powers which would allow them to charge twice the standard level.
It has been estimated it could generate an extra Â£900,000 although that figure might fall as homes are occupied.
The levy would not apply to homes which are unoccupied because they are being renovated unless they then lie empty for two years or more.
New build properties would also be exempt from the measure if they are being genuinely marketed for sale or let at a realistic price.
The charge would also not be applied to holiday properties.
A report to councillors has recommended that the new measure be brought in from 1 April.
It stressed that the driving force behind the measure was not to raise money but to encourage owners of long-term empty dwellings to bring them back into use.

Summary: Owners of homes in the Borders which have lain empty for a long period could see their council tax charges more than doubled.
###
Article: The ruling has come about because a dad was fined for taking his daughter out of school for a family holiday to Disney World in the United States, without her head teacher giving permission.
The man from the Isle of Wight appealed against the fine, and at first won the case, but now the UK Supreme Court has ordered him to pay the fine of Â£120.
It means that parents will now have to seek permission from the school and head-teacher to take children on holiday during a school term.
The case has caused lots of arguments because some people feel the price of holidays outside of school terms is too expensive, and many parents feel they should have the choice to go on cheaper breaks during a school term.
The Department for Education said: "We are pleased the Supreme Court agreed with our position - that no child should be taken out of school without good reason."
We've been speaking to some of you, to see what you think about the decision...

Summary:


The UHY Hacker Young Group has been a key player in the UHY Hacker Young Group since its inception in 2007.
The group has been a key player in the UHY Hacker Young Group since its inception in 2007.
The group has been a key player in the UHY Hacker Young Group since its inception in

An "explosive creativity" of craft spirits has seen 50 new distilleries open across the UK last year, according to a study.

Article: In power virtually unchallenged since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Nursultan Nazarbayev has focused on economic reform while resisting moves to democratise the political system.
He remains popular among ordinary Kazakhs. His supporters say he preserved inter-ethnic accord and stability during the reform in the 1990s, and is widely credited for the country's impressive economic growth in first decade of the new millennium.
Mr Nazarbayev has concentrated extensive powers in his own hands and is accused by the opposition of suppressing dissent. Although he says he advocates democracy as a long-term goal, he warns that stability could be at risk if change is too swift.
Born in 1940, Mr Nazarbayev came to power in 1989 as first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan and was elected president the following year. He was re-elected after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
He was re-elected against largely token opponents in 1999, 2005, 2011 and - most recently - in 2015. In each case, his share of the vote rose, reaching more than 97% in the last vote, and the conduct of every election was criticised by foreign observers.
In 2007, parliament, in which the ruling party held all seats, voted to allow the president to stay in office for an unlimited number of terms. In 2010, MPs granted Mr Nazarbayev the lifelong title of "leader of the nation".
His 2011 victory came after judges ruled unconstitutional a plan to hold a referendum on whether to let Mr Nazarbayev to stay in power until 2020 without facing election.
The president thereupon said he rejected the changes, which had been strongly backed by MPs and by many voters.
When Mr Nazarbayev does step down from the president, he will have a permanent seat on the defence council and a role as head of the people's assembly, which unites members of different ethnic groups, according to a law approved in a 2007 referendum.
The president merged his Otan ("Fatherland") party with his daughter Dariga's party, Asar, in July 2006, in a move seen as...

Summary: President: Nursultan Nazarbayev
###
Article: Accountancy group UHY Hacker Young claimed new "boutique" distillers were pushing big brands off the shelf.
It said Scotland saw a 50% rise in new distilleries over the past year, from 12 in 2015 to 18 in 2016.
In England, a record 35 new distilleries were opened last year compared with 28 the previous year.
James Simmonds, of UHY Hacker Young, said: "Both the craft spirits and the craft brewery sectors are going through a period of explosive creativity.
"You can see that in everything from the logos, branding and advertising of these products.
"The quality of the product is streets ahead of their big brand competitors.
"It is no wonder that the global drinks giants are worried, and the best way they have found to deal with that new competition is get out chequebooks and buy them."

Summary:


The RCOG's team has been working with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to develop a new approach to malaria control.
The RCOG's team has been working with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to develop a new approach to malaria control.
The RC

Pregnant women should visit countries with a risk of malaria only if their trip is essential, experts are warning.

Article: The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) recorded its highest ever number of young whales in its latest survey of marine life. The surveys began in 2003.
Twenty-eight juveniles were counted this year, three times the average compared with previous years.
Whales coming in from other areas has also been suggested as a reason.
Survey team members documented 28 juvenile minke whales and 30 adults. HWDT said it was an "unusually high proportion" of young compared to adults.
The survey had an encounter rate of one juvenile minke per 177 miles (286 km).
It also recorded the highest annual number of common dolphin sightings since the charity's expeditions began, with 723 individuals observed over 63 encounters.
The species was once uncommon in the Hebrides, but the trust's encounter rate with the species has more than doubled over the past 12 years.
Kerry Froud, HWDT biodiversity officer, said: "These intriguing changes in Scotland's marine life highlight the importance of long-term monitoring of cetaceans - so that we can better understand what is happening in our waters, and then make management recommendations to better protect this world-class area of marine biodiversity."
The surveys are carried out between May to October by scientists and volunteers on board Silurian, the trust's dedicated research yacht.

Summary: Conservationists have suggested a "baby boom" as a possible reason behind increased sightings of juvenile minke whales off western Scotland this year.
###
Article: Mothers-to-be are more likely to get malaria as their immunity is lowered, says the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).
Malaria carries serious risks for mother and baby including miscarriage, stillbirth and premature labour.
The tropical disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and causes a fever, flu-like symptoms, vomiting and diarrhoea.
There have been no malaria-related deaths in pregnant or recently pregnant women in the UK in the past decade but the RCOG says it has been receiving inquires from worried women.
In the UK, about 1,500 cases of malaria are reported each year and about 10 people will die, said the RCOG.
It says all non-essential trips to areas with a high risk of malaria should be avoided.
Risk areas include large areas of Africa, Asia including China and India, Central and South America, parts of the Middle East and some Pacific Islands.
If the trip is unavoidable, the college advises women to seek advice from a centre with expertise in malaria which will provide information on ways to reduce the risk of infection.
Women should make sure they are aware of the risk, take out measures such as mosquito nets for bite prevention and take anti-malarial medication.
Philippa Marsden, who chairs the RCOG's patient information committee, said although the risks were still relatively small it was important that women were well-informed.
Cath Broderick of the RCOG women's network said: "If women are worried about symptoms after returning from a high-risk country and think they may have malaria, they should see a doctor immediately and inform them of their recent travels."
Symptoms can take a week or more to develop after being bitten.

Summary:


The Home Office has been criticised for failing to provide a "fair and equitable" solution to the problem of "unfair and equitable" immigration.

Red-faced officials at the Home Office have been forced to correct a spelling error in a press release about new English language tests for migrants.

Article: In the year to March 2015, there were 41,176 such crimes recorded, compared with 29,466 during the previous year.
Overall crime in Greater Manchester was up 10% during the same 12-month period.
Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said: "This increase in recorded violent crime is showing some worrying trends and placing huge demand and risk on a reducing number of staff."
His force has lost more than 1,100 officers since 2010.
Greater Manchester's Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd called on Prime Minister David Cameron to "stop chipping away at the police service" and "invest in the safety of our local communities."
There were a total of 200,432 crimes recorded by Greater Manchester Police - a 10% rise, compared to 3% nationally.
Mr Lloyd said while police numbers were being cut, demands on police were increasing as they deal with more complex issues "such as child sexual exploitation and domestic abuse."
Reported sexual offences increased by 55% to 4,970 in 2014-15 while there was a 33.4 % rise in domestic violence in the region, with 19,621 recorded crimes.
Sir Peter added: "Many of these incidents are complex with vulnerable victims to be protected and dangerous offenders to be brought under control. We are bringing many more cases to court but keeping on top of this is getting more and more challenging."
On an average day, GMP deals with 532 crimes, including 51 daily victims of domestic abuse, 12 sexual assaults and 10 hate crimes.
National figures showed an increase in knife crime in England and Wales for the first time in four years.

Summary: Violent crime in Greater Manchester rose by 40% in the last year, according to the Office for National Statistics.
###
Article: Language was spelled "langauge" in the original release, put out on Thursday.
But it was corrected by officials after Twitter users ridiculed the error.
BBC Radio 4 presenter Anita Anand said it was "beyond parody" that the Home Office could not spell language in a note to migrants who have been told to learn English.
A Home Office spokesman said: "This was a regrettable typographical error that has now been corrected."
On Monday, Prime Minister David Cameron announced a Â£20m fund to teach Muslim women in the UK to speak English, claiming it would help tackle segregation and help them resist the lure of extremism.
But some Muslims have accused him of wrongly conflating the two issues.
Mr Cameron said all those who entered the UK on the five-year spousal settlement programme - not just Muslim women - would have to sit language tests after two and a half years.
Thursday's press release said the new requirement would not be implemented before October 2016, with the precise timing and further details to be confirmed by the Home Office "in the next few weeks".

Summary:


A man has been charged with using drones to smuggle cannabis, steroids and mobile phones into prison.

Article: Searching for "did the Holocaust happen?" returned a top result that claimed it did not, as Guardian journalist Carole Cadwalladr reported.
Now, the ranking has changed for US users.
The page - from white supremacist site Stormfront - remains top in the UK.
"This is a really challenging problem, and something we're thinking deeply about in terms of how we can do a better job," said a Google spokesman.
"Search is a reflection of the content that exists on the web.
"The fact that hate sites may appear in search results in no way means that Google endorses these views."
Regarding the recent change in rankings on the Holocaust query, editor of news site Search Engine Land Danny Sullivan, believes this was due to external parties' attempts to influence the ordering of results.
Mr Sullivan met Google executives and engineers last week to discuss the issue of questionable result ranking, which also affects other queries about, for example, ethnic minorities.
"I'm as horrified and disappointed by the results as many people are," he told the BBC.
However, he said Google - which processes five billion searches a day - was keen to come up with a solution that was broadly applicable across all searches, rather than just those that have been noticed by users.
"It's very easy to take a search here and there and demand Google change something," explained Mr Sullivan, "and then the next day you find a different search and say, 'why didn't you fix that?' "
Ms Cadwalladr has accused Google of disseminating "hate speech".
Other result rankings that she questioned include those for "are women evil?" and "are muslims bad?".
The BBC has also found that some additional queries, including ones without negative terms, also produce controversial answers.
For example, searching for "are black people smart?" in the UK returns a "featured snippet" at the top of the results that claims "black people are significantly less intelligent than all other races".
Mr Sullivan added that it was far more common for users to search for simple terms,...

Summary: Google has said it is "thinking deeply" about ways to improve search, after criticism over how some results - including ones discussing the Holocaust - were ranked.
###
Article: Michael Tovey, 27, formerly of Lakes Road, Erdington, Birmingham is accused of using two drones to fly contraband into HMP Birmingham last year.
In the first charges of their type brought by West Midlands Police, Mr Tovey faces 13 counts of conveying banned items into a prison.
He is set to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 7 June.
Read more news for Birmingham and the Black Country
Mr Tovey is accused of using two drones to drop contraband into the prison's exercise yard on 29 October and 6 November.
He attempted to drop a consignment near N and P wings containing four phones, SIM cards, Black Mamba, steroids and cannabis, it is alleged.
It is claimed he was also responsible for a drone that crashed into the same yard eight days later, carrying two phones and further quantities of the same banned drugs.

Summary:


The Astute class of submarines have greater firepower, state-of-the-art communications equipment and advanced stealth technology, making them quiet and harder to detect.

The third Astute Class submarine to be built at a Cumbrian shipyard has been named.

Article: "France paid al-Qaeda 25m euros for four hostages," read a headline in the Times newspaper this week.
The French government has categorically denied that any public money was used to secure the release of the four French nationals kidnapped in 2010 at a uranium plant in Niger and held by jihadist bandits linked to the regional franchise of al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim).
"We don't play that game," said the French foreign minister when asked if his government had paid for their release.
Niger's President Mohamadou Issoufou was more evasive when asked the same question directly.
He replied simply: "I think that what we must be rejoicing about is that the hostages who went through difficult ordeals, who were isolated for many months from their families, are free."
But since there was no military assault involved in the hostages' release, it is almost inconceivable that their captors would simply give up their prisoners for no reward.
Privately, some British officials are furious, as the concept of giving in to terrorist ransom demands runs directly contrary to the commitment undertaken by all the G8 leaders at the Loch Earn summit in Northern Ireland in June.
Whether it was the French government, the Niger government, the hostages' employer Areva, or any other party that may or may not have paid a ransom, the indications are that a group of ruthless and dangerous men with guns is now roaming around the Sahara with a lot more money at their disposal.
So how much money is involved in Saharan kidnaps and where does it go?
The Texas-based US strategic analysis company Stratfor estimates that with the latest payments, Aqim has earned itself about $116m (Â£72m) in ransoms since 2003.
"We have seen ransom payments by the governments of Spain, Italy, France, Canada and Austria to see their citizens released from captivity," said Stratfor Vice President of Africa Analysis Mark Schroeder.
This year a leaked Nigerian government report revealed that a ransom of $3.15m (Â£1.9m) was paid to the Nigerian...

Summary: The rumours are hard to dismiss.
###
Article: Thousands of people were at the ceremony at BAE Systems' Devonshire Dock Hall in Barrow to mark the end of the build process for Artful.
Another four of the nuclear-powered submarines are being built at the yard.
The ceremony was carried out by Amanda Lady Zambellas, wife of the Royal Navy's First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas.
BAE Systems Maritime - Submarines managing director John Hudson said: "The design and build of a nuclear-powered submarine is as challenging as it is complex, so today represents a significant milestone in Artful's programme.
"It requires real skill and innovation to deliver submarines as sophisticated as Artful and this would not have been possible without the valued contribution of our employees and the collaborative efforts of the whole submarine enterprise."
Artful will remain at the Barrow yard while commissioning activities are carried out and is due to be launched early next year for further tests.
HMS Astute and HMS Ambush have already been launched. The other vessels are at various stages in the design and build process and will be called Audacious, Anson, Agamemnon and Ajax.
The Barrow yard has been working on the Astute programme since 2001.
The Ministry of Defence said the Astute class of submarines have greater firepower, state-of-the-art communications equipment and advanced stealth technology, making them quiet and harder to detect.

Summary:


The South East Asia haze has caused hazardous air quality across the region. It has led to the cancellation of public events and schools closure over the past month, in Singapore as well as in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Singapore is putting pressure on major retailers in Singapore to not use or sell materials produced by firms linked to fires in Indonesia.

Article: Mr Zuma was responding to allegations that he had "unduly benefitted" from an upgrade to his private home in Nkandla which cost taxpayers about $23m (Â£14m).
MPs from the new Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) were not satisfied with his explanation and started chanting: "Pay back the money."
Parliament was suspended and security called to oust the EFF group.
Police entered parliament in Cape Town carrying riot shields, tear gas and batons but then aborted their plans to forcibly remove the EFF MPs.
The governing African National Congress (ANC) said it was "appalled" by the behaviour of the EFF parliamentarians.
The Democratic Alliance, the largest opposition party, said the EFF's "theatrics" meant South Africans "did not get answers from the president, to which they were rightfully entitled".
South Africans may be divided over the behaviour of the EFF in parliament but its leader Julius Malema posed questions many here still want answered.
Nkandla remains a sore point for many citizens and the president has been accused of failing to account to the public that elected him into power.
So while they may not support the chanting and disruption to a formal sitting, many are quietly applauding their stand.
Mr Malema has never been one to shy away from confrontation; it was with tough talking that he defended President Jacob Zuma before their fall-out.
However uncomfortable to watch, many see this as South Africa's democracy at work.
It is not clear when the session will resume - possibly on Friday.
Many MPs were waiting to question the president when the session was suspended.
After being pressed by Mr Malema on when he would repay the Nkandla money, Mr Zuma said he had "responded appropriately to parliament" and said it was now in the hands of the government.
The EFF has 25 MPs in the 400-member parliament after gaining 6% of the national vote in May's election.
It was the first election contested by the EFF, led by controversial former youth leader Julius Malema.
He formed the EFF last year following his expulsion...

Summary: An address to parliament by South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has been halted by opposition MPs.
###
Article: Seven firms, including major supermarkets such as NTUC FairPrice and IKEA, have been asked declare they are not doing so within a week.
The forest fires in Indonesia have deteriorated Singapore's air quality, causing a blanket of haze in the city.
FairPrice has said it removing products from one Indonesian firm.
The state-owned supermarket giant said that it was removing all paper products sourced from Asia Pulp and Paper Group (APP), following the notification from the government.
APP has been named by Singapore authorities as one of the companies suspected of contributing to the haze.
What is behind the South East Asia haze?
In a joint statement, the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) and Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said they had asked the retailers to declare that they have "not procured or used wood, paper and/or pulp materials" from firms accused of contributing to the fires.
The SEC said retailers were "a good starting point" for firms to show their commitment to sustainable procurement processes and "for consumers to show their support for brands that have environmentally friendly practices"
The haze has caused hazardous air quality across the region. It has led to the cancellation of public events and schools closure over the past month, in Singapore as well as in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Anger has been rising in the region, with increasing pressure on the Indonesian government to control the annual burning of forests to clear land for palm oil and rubber plantations.

Summary:


The council tax increase is expected to be introduced in the coming months.

There will not be a referendum on an additional council tax rise in Liverpool after the results of an online poll, the city's mayor has said.

Article: If it passes, the country will be the largest developed nation to end marijuana prohibition.
The law was tabled on Thursday, and would allow adults over 18 to possess up to 30g of dried marijuana.
The proposed legislation would allow the federal government to license producers, but provinces would be in charge of regulating consumer sale.
Other issues, such as pricing, taxation and packaging must still be worked out.
"This is a very important day, I've spent most of my adult life keeping children and communities safe," said MP Bill Blair during a press conference shortly after the legislation was presented to parliament.
The former police chief had chaired the government's cannabis task force, which laid out a blueprint for legal recreational pot in Canada.
The government is pitching the legislation as a way to keep pot out of the hands of minors and undercut organised crime.
The law would increase penalties for those who sell to children, and revamp impaired driving laws to make it easier to prosecute people who drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
It would allow police to test people's saliva if they think a driver has been using marijuana.
The current legal prohibitions have been an "abject failure" at keeping the children from getting a hold of marijuana, says Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.
Canada has some of the highest marijuana use in the world, according to the task force, especially amongst young people. About 30% of people aged 20-24 use cannabis.
The new framework would make it illegal to market marijuana products to children, or sell to anyone under 18. Provinces could raise the minimum age of consumption if they choose, the government says.
New laws would also increase the penalty for people who sell to the under-aged, as well as create a new offence for people "exploiting children in the trafficking of cannabis".
Trafficking cannabis outside the government's new legal framework would remain illegal.
Initially, only fresh and dried cannabis, cannabis oils, seeds and plants would...

Summary: Canada has laid out its plan to legalise the sale of recreational marijuana by June 2018.
###
Article: Liverpool City Council used a online budget simulator to ask residents about a proposed council tax rise of 5%, plus a further 6% to pay for social care.
Joe Anderson said the plan would not go ahead after 57% of respondents said no.
He also revealed plans for a Liverpool lottery in his New Year message on his Liverpool Express blog.
He said following the "feedback... I will not be proposing to hold a referendum on any additional increase beyond the 4.99% limit set by government".
Work was continuing on the full details of the authority's budget, he said, which would then undergo consultation in 2017.
He added that he was "surprised and proud that so many, 43%, said yes".
"It's a truly heart-warming reminder of how caring our city really is," he said.
Green party leader Councillor Tom Crone said the consultation was a "sham exercise".
"The weak consultation was never going to secure support for a tax rise," he said.
He said the mayor's decision not to hold a referendum meant there would be "tens of millions of pounds more cuts to services in the coming years".
Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Richard Kemp, said: "The public were never going to buy it over concern about the waste of existing council tax income."
Mr Anderson said the Liverpool lottery card would help local causes, adding that more details of it would be revealed in the coming months.
"Liverpool people are amongst the most generous in the country and I believe will support the initiative to help us cope with the growing numbers of people dependent on us," he said.
Councillor Kemp said his party would oppose the lottery idea.
He said: "The overwhelming evidence is that existing lottery users are already from the most deprived parts of the community.
"A new Liverpool lottery will be a tax on the poor to pay for services to the poor."

Summary:


The central bank has devalued the national currency, the yuan, to its lowest rate against the US dollar in almost three years.

Kenyans have been voting in a key election - the first since the disputed contest of December 2007 that triggered weeks of bloodshed.

Article: The lender said the move was a "one-off depreciation" of 1.9% in a move to make the exchange rate more market-oriented.
It comes in the wake of a string of weak economic data from the world's second largest economy.
At the weekend, China reported a sharp fall in exports and a slide in producer prices to a near six-year low in July.
Exports fell by 8.3% in July, far worse than expected and the producer price index was down 5.4% from a year earlier.
The midpoint for the yuan is now set at 6.2298 to $1, up from 6.1162 yuan on Monday.
The People's Bank of China (POBC) manages the rate through the official midpoint, from which trade can rise or fall 2% on any given day.
Until now, it had been determined solely by the central bank itself.
Making the rate more market-based will mean the midpoint will now be based on overnight global market developments and how the currency finished the previous trading day.
The POBC's move comes amid speculation that China is preparing to widen the trading band for the currency from the current two percent range.
China has long kept tight control of the yuan value on concerns over financial volatility and losing its policy control.
Yet it is also under pressure to reform its currency policy as it pushes to become one of the International Monetary Fund's "special drawing rights" (SDR) reserve currencies.
These are currencies which IMF members can use to make payments between themselves or to the Fund.
Analysts ask, though, whether this really is a one-time move from China.
"The question on everyone's mind is whether this is the awakening of the dragon - ushering in a new global currency war?" Angus Nicholson, market analyst with trading firm IG wrote in a note.
"If this move ushers in a new era where the CNY [Chinese yuan] fixing is increasingly reflective of the spot market, it could be positive for its prospects being included in the IMF's special drawing rights basket of currencies this year."
Asian equities outside of China slipped on the news as investors weighed the...

Summary: China's central bank has devalued the national currency, the yuan, to its lowest rate against the US dollar in almost three years.
###
Article: This time the poll was held under a new constitution, designed to prevent a repeat of that violence when more than 1,000 people died when supporters of rival candidates clashed.
They have been choosing a president, members of parliament and senators, the new posts of county governors and members of county assemblies. The presidential contest is seen as a two-horse race between Prime Minister Raila Odinga against Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.
BBC correspondents around the country sum up how the voting went.
The queues in some places stretched for more than a kilometre, as voters in Kibera stood patiently in line.
The neighbourhood is one of Nairobi's largest slums. It is the constituency of Raila Odinga, one of the favourites for the presidential contest and the scene of some of the worst violence following the last election in 2007.
Today, many had arrived before dawn, waiting patiently in line, sometimes for hours.
Voters cast their ballots into colour-coded boxes - six each - for a variety of different representatives, local and national.
The memories of five years ago are still fresh and, as the campaign drew to a close, a sense of apprehension was palpable.
Police talked of conspiracies to cause chaos and warned that violence would be met in kind.
But, in Kibera at least, as the sun grew hotter and the umbrellas came out, the mood was up-beat.
"Peace, peace," one crowd shouted as a truck of paramilitary police trundled past.
We came across a man with dreadlocks and a pot of white paint. His message, "Peace wanted alive", can be seen daubed on walls and roads around the neighbourhood.
The real test of peace, though, is likely to come once all the ballots have been cast, and the results start coming in.
As the sun begins to set, the heat is easing and some polling stations are still open after the official closing time of 17:00, with queues of people determined to cast their vote.
Tensions have been running high in this insecure and arid region near the Somali border and there has been a heavy...

Summary:


The course is offered to drivers who are caught travelling at 10% above the speed limit plus two mph, but not more than 10% plus nine mph.
The course is offered to drivers who are caught travelling at 10% above the speed limit plus two mph, but not more than 10% plus nine mph.

A plan to increase the cost of speed awareness courses has been criticised as a "self-funding merry-go-round".

Article: Researchers in New Hampshire suggest the 180km-wide Chicxulub crater in Mexico was carved out by a smaller object than previously thought.
Many scientists consider a large and relatively slow moving asteroid to have been the likely culprit.
Details were outlined at the 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
But other researchers were more cautious about the results.
"The overall aim of our project is to better characterise the impactor that produced the crater in the Yucatan peninsula [in Mexico]," Jason Moore, from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, told BBC News.
The space rock gave rise to a global layer of sediments enriched in the chemical element iridium, in concentrations much higher than naturally occurs; it must have come from outer space.
However, in the first part of their work, the team suggests that frequently quoted iridium values are incorrect. Using a comparison with another extraterrestrial element deposited in the impact - osmium - they were able to deduce that the collision deposited less debris than has previously been supposed.
The recalculated iridium value suggests a smaller body hit the Earth. So for the second part of their work, the researchers took the new figure and attempted to reconcile it with the known physical properties of the Chicxulub impact.
For this smaller space rock to have produced a 180km-wide crater, it must have been travelling relatively quickly. The team found that a long-period comet fitted the bill much better than other possible candidates.
"You'd need an asteroid of about 5km diameter to contribute that much iridium and osmium. But an asteroid that size would not make a 200km-diameter crater," said Dr Moore.
"So we said: how do we get something that has enough energy to generate that size of crater, but has much less rocky material? That brings us to comets."
Dr Moore's colleague Prof Mukul Sharma, also from Dartmouth College, told BBC News: "You would need some special pleading for an asteroid moving very rapidly - although it is possible. But of the...

Summary: The space rock that hit Earth 65m years ago and is widely implicated in the end of the dinosaurs was probably a speeding comet, US scientists say.
###
Article: Avon and Somerset Police wants to raise the cost of the course from £80 to £95 to help pay for its road policing unit.
The Alliance of British Drivers said the police should not be funded by people "who hadn't done much wrong".
Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said she would not comment on the proposal, which would be discussed later on Monday.
Alliance spokesman Bob Bull described the courses as "not about safety", "more about making money" and a "self-funding merry-go-round.
He said people who were driving at "marginally over" the speed limit should not be penalised and that the police should be concentrating on catching drivers travelling at well over the limit.
In the report, the panel said it hoped the price rise would protect the unit from further cutbacks.
The course is offered to drivers who are caught travelling at 10% above the speed limit plus two mph, but not more than 10% plus nine mph.
At the new price the course would be £5 short of the £100 fixed penalty, but without drivers getting points on their licences.
A motorist who has attended one of the courses within the past three years is not eligible to have the option of attending again.
RAC head of external affairs Pete Williams described the increased cost as "an unwelcome surprise for drivers".
Mr Williams said with more than one million motorists attending the courses each year "there is big money to be made, either by the police or those running the courses".
Staffordshire £80
North Wales £85
Gloucestershire £90
Surrey £95
City of London & Metropolitan £97
Wiltshire Not offered
Source: National Association of Driver Intervention Providers

Summary:


Supermarket plant sales are reducing customers' choice, says Gardeners' World presenter Monty Don.

Article: The announcement came as the Edinburgh-based challenger bank saw underlying profit rise by nearly 5%, to £65m.
Total income was up more than 5% to £274m in the year to 12 March.
Sainsbury's said it performed strongly in the personal loans market, with 15% year-on-year growth in the number of advances to new customers.
The bank's portfolio of insurance products also continued to perform well, resulting in new business growth of more than 10% year-on-year.
Sales of new home insurance policies increased by more than 25%.
In an interim results statement, Sainsbury's said: "Given the bank's strong trading performance and the trust people have in the Sainsbury's brand, we have decided to launch new mortgage products in 2017.
"We believe these products will complement our existing financial services portfolio and we expect customers to respond well."
Sainsbury's also reported that it was "making good progress" in moving towards "a new, more flexible" banking IT platform.
It forecasts total transition costs to be "at the top of the £340m to £380m range".
Meanwhile, Edinburgh-based Virgin Money has reported a sharp rise in gross mortgage lending.
It said lending climbed by year-on-year by 30% in the first quarter to a record £2.1bn, giving the bank a market share of 3.4%.
The bank added that residential gross mortgage lending increased by 35%, while buy-to-let lending was up by 17%.
Credit card balances surpassed £1.8bn at the end of the quarter, up from £1.6bn as at 31 December.
Virgin Money said it was looking towards an "accelerated target" of £3bn of credit card "outstandings" by the end of 2017.
Chief executive Jayne-Anne Gadhia said: "I am delighted to report it has been another excellent quarter for Virgin Money.
"We had a record start to the year for mortgages and our savings franchise continues to flourish with a strong inflow of cash ISAs.
"I am particularly pleased with the performance of the credit card business which continues to exceed expectations one year on since launching to the public."

Summary: Sainsbury's Bank is set to launch new mortgage products in 2017 after reporting a strong trading performance in the last financial year.
###
Article: Nurseries increasingly focus on plants that can be mass produced so the big stores can sell them cheaply, he says.
"You have these vast wholesale nurseries now supplying supermarkets - and that's a diminution of choice," he told Radio 4's You and Yours.
However, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) says supermarket sales actually help grow the market.
According to Kantar World Panel, nearly 40% of gardeners get their plants, bulbs and seeds from supermarkets.
"That's bad," says Don. "It's rather like the vast suppliers supplying food - you get lots and lots of the same thing mass produced to be as cheap as possible."
The UK garden market is worth around Â£5bn, with some Â£1.4bn spent on garden plants by UK consumers in 2013, according to the HTA, the industry body.
The Gardeners' World presenter believes consumers should shop around.
"I'm a huge fan of independent nurseries. That is where you get the expertise, it's where you will find people who have devoted their life to growing something.
"They will grow geraniums or trees and they will really know about it, so when you contact them, they can give you great help and assistance."
Martin Simmons, HTA director of operations, said: "People often make impulse purchases of plants in supermarkets and if this then encourages them to buy more plants then this is good for the industry and helps to grow the market.
"Buying a plant in a supermarket may be the first step for some consumers, particularly younger ones. If this grabs their interest they will naturally seek out garden centres and retail nurseries."
Waitrose told the BBC it took quality seriously, and that its plants were supplied by two reputable nurseries who supply only garden centres - not other supermarkets.
Inviting Monty Don for a visit to talk to buyers, Asda said it works with a network of expert growers to ensure it offered quality.
Sainsbury's said it had a longstanding relationship with suppliers, many of whom were family businesses. It added that it always worked to give customers choice...

Summary:


The United Kingdom has been criticised for its lack of a formal ban on wearing poppies on armbands.
The United Kingdom has also said it is "not a party to the ban".
The United Kingdom has also said it is not a party to the ban.
The United Kingdom has also said it

The Football Associations of England and Scotland say they will ignore a ban on players wearing poppies in their upcoming match on 11 November.

Article: Worker output per hour in the UK fell 1.2% during the last three months of 2015 compared with the previous quarter, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Output per hour in manufacturing fell by 2% from the previous quarter, while in the service sector it dropped 0.7%.
Poor rates of productivity in the UK have been a concern to policymakers.
In last month's Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility cut its growth forecasts for the UK economy after it lowered its predictions for productivity.
The fall in productivity in the fourth quarter of the year followed a 0.6% rise in the third quarter.
Over 2015 as a whole, output per hour rose by 1%, which the ONS said was the strongest increase since 2011.
The ONS said that labour productivity overall - covering output per hour, output per worker and output per job - was about 0.5% higher in the fourth quarter of 2015 than in the same period a year earlier.
"How productivity develops going forward is critical to the economy's growth potential," according to Howard Archer, an economist at IHS Global Insight.
"The crucial question for the UK economy is, does the fourth quarter of 2015 mark a temporary relapse in productivity. Or is it evidence that the UK has an ongoing serious productivity problem."
Suren Thiru, head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "There are deep-rooted structural problems in our economy that have dampened productivity - from skills shortages, to infrastructure bottlenecks and limited growth finance.
"Delivering solutions to these critical issues would go a long way to achieving the productivity gains we need."

Summary: Productivity among UK workers at the end of last year fell at the fastest pace since 2008, official figures show.
###
Article: The two nations meet in a 2018 World Cup qualifier on Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, when the United Kingdom remembers those who have lost their lives in war.
But Fifa, who are in charge of world football, say they do not allow any nations to have any political, religious or commercial messages on shirts.
They had turned down a request to allow England and Scotland's players to wear armbands with poppies on.
The FAs have now said that they will let their players wear the armbands anyway and will accept any punishment.
Poppies are worn by millions as a symbol to remember those who have lost their lives in war or been injured.
British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has said Fifa's refusal of players being allowed to wear poppies is "outrageous".
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, she said: "Our football players want to recognise and respect those who have given their lives for our safety and security - I think it is absolutely right they should be able to do so."
The Football Association of Wales has also written to Fifa requesting permission to wear poppies on armbands during their game against Serbia in Cardiff on 12 November but has not yet said if it will ignore the ban.

Summary:


The e-bookstore of Kobo is expected to be the first e-reader in the UK to be sold in the UK.
The e-bookstore of Kobo is expected to be the first e-reader in the UK to be sold in the UK.
The e-bookstore of Kobo

Sony has given up selling its line of Reader devices for e-books after failing to find a big enough market.

Article: Ashley Coe was working on a new solar plant for British Solar Renewables in Devon when a digger operating beneath the overhead cable caused the accident.
He suffered a serious brain injury and two other workers were also hurt, Exeter Crown Court heard.
Sub contractor Pascon was fined £35,000 for failing to manage the work safely.
Mr Coe was working for Walsall-based Pascon when the incident happened in March 2013 at Knockworthy Farm near Huntshaw.
The digger which struck the 33,000 volt cables was reversing while laying a cable in a trench and Mr Coe was helping to control the drum when he suffered the shock.
British Solar Renewables, of Butleigh, Somerset, admitted breaching the construction, design and management regulations by failing to ensure the safety of power cables.
Pascon admitted failing to plan, manage and monitor construction work adequately.
The court was told Mr Coe was left with mobility problems which prevented him from working again.  Fellow workers Malcolm Stewart and Andrew Capper suffered less serious injuries.
Simon Morgan, prosecuting, said the cables should have been protected by fencing, goal posts, and bunting to prevent vehicles operating beneath them and a banksman should have been used to ensure safe movement of plant.
BSR were fined £250,000 with £72,000 costs and Pascon were fined £35,000 with £25,000 costs.

Summary: A solar power company has been fined £250,000 after a worker suffered life-changing injuries when he received an electric shock from a high-power cable.
###
Article: "We do not have plans to develop a successor Reader model at this time," the Japanese firm told the BBC.
The PRS-T3 was the last version made and will exist as long as supplies remain in Europe.
Earlier this year, Sony pulled out of selling e-books and directed its users in the US and Europe to the e-bookstore of rival Kobo.
North American customers using Sony Readers have been directed to buy books from Kobo since February this year, and European and Australian customers since May, a Sony spokeswoman said.
But users in Japan, Sony's home country, can continue to still get its line of Readers and access Sony's Reader Store.
The news was first reported by German site Lesen.
The dominance of Amazon's range of Kindles and the growing smartphone, tablet and so-called phablet market have made it hard for Sony's suite of e-readers and rivals like Nook to carve out a niche for themselves. According to The Bookseller, Amazon has around 90% of the dedicated e-reader market in the UK.
Canadian firm Kobo was bought by Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten, which is looking to grow its business globally in a bid to challenge Amazon.
The global market in dedicated e-readers peaked in 2011 with 23 million devices sold, but is expected to fall to 10 million by 2017 as phones and tablets eat into the overall market, according to the research consultancy Gartner.
Still, the sale of printed books will be outstripped by e-books by 2018, a report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers suggested.

Summary:


The LGA said councils would still face a combined shortfall of £6.8bn by the end of the Parliament.
The government said councils would still face a combined shortfall of £6.8bn by the end of the Parliament.
The government said councils would still face a combined shortfall of £6.8

Council tax bills in England could cost an average of £200 more for band D properties by 2020, the Local Government Association has warned.

Article: The group, which refers to itself as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, had not previously maintained an established online channel for its propaganda or any official social media presence in any language.
But on 18 January, an Arabic-language Twitter account purporting to be the official outlet for a new Boko Haram media group called Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa was launched and immediately promoted by key pro-IS media operatives.
Since then, the group has used the feed to publish a stream of propaganda, including several new videos, although there has been some disruption to its media activities following the suspension of the original account by Twitter.
The increased sophistication and organisation of the propaganda that followed the launch of the Twitter account bore signs of the influence of IS, which has honed its social media exploitation over the past year.
This appeared to indicate that the group may have been assisted by IS media operatives, or influenced by IS in an indirect way.
Boko Haram has followed the example of IS by publishing branded photographs of its militants and the areas under its control to illustrate its successes on the ground.
The Twitter feed has also been posting a stream of short statements about the group's activities, claiming operations in a timely manner, in the mould of Islamic State's one-line tweeted claims.
The videos released so far via the new Boko Haram Twitter account have been more slickly crafted than the group's standard grainy offerings, with professionally designed graphics and high-quality opening sequences.
This improvement and the use of multiple languages and well-presented subtitles - using English, Arabic, French and Hausa - suggested the group may have had outside help from IS media operatives.
Arabic-language jihadist anthems have also been used, one of which has been routinely used in IS propaganda.
The latest video, showing the beheading of two Nigerian "spies", bore remarkable similarities to IS beheading videos. The staging, slow motion techniques...

Summary: Following the launch of an official Twitter feed for the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram in January, there have been multiple signs that the group's media operation has been influenced by the expansionist Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis or Isil).
###
Article: The claim comes after extra fundraising powers for councils were outlined in last week's government Spending Review.
But the LGA said councils would still face a combined shortfall of £6.8bn by the end of the Parliament.
The government said council tax was expected to be lower in real terms in 2020 than a decade earlier.
In the Spending Review, Chancellor George Osborne said local authorities responsible for adult social care would be allowed to increase council tax by 2% above existing limits.
By adding in the maximum new levies allowable without a referendum, the LGA estimated that Band D bills could cost an average of just under £200 more over the next five years.
It said this would not be enough, particularly as budgets continued to face new pressures such as those caused by an aging population.
Any shortfall might have to be made up by further increases to costs such as car parking charges, it added.
One senior councillor said councils were now also facing "a reckless gamble" of having to use cash reserves to fund services.
A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "In reality councils will have almost £200bn to spend on local services over the lifetime of this Parliament, a cash terms increase and a reduction of just 1.7% in real terms each year.
"The Spending Review offers a £3.5bn package for adult social care to ensure councils can support their older and most vulnerable residents, while at the same time council tax is expected to be less in 2019-20 in real terms than it was in 2010-11.
"With councils accounting for a quarter of all public spending it's right they continue to play their part in paying off the deficit."

Summary:


The CQC has been criticised for failing to provide a "good" service.
The CQC said it was "not a good service" and that it was "not a good service".
The CQC said it was "not a good service" and that it was "not a good service

A failing health trust has been placed in special measures, meaning all Cumbria hospital trusts are now getting extra help to boost performance.

Article: It follows media coverage claiming the institution is banning "prep" - a public school term for homework - to "save pupils from depression".
Principal Eve Jardine-Young said: "The headline about homework being banned was not entirely accurate."
She said it was being looked at as part of an "overall review of learning".
Claims the prestigious independent school was considering scrapping homework were made in The Times after an interview Ms Jardine-Young gave to the newspaper.
Although the principal admits the girls' school is looking into the "daily" prep being handed out to its 850 students, she said it was not abolishing "traditional homework".
"It's about stepping back and asking what is homework for, what is the effectiveness of the prep?," she said.
"It's an important debate to have but it's complex and it's very easy to turn it into a binary issue of 'yes or no' on homework."
In October, the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) reported that the college's set homework was "appropriate and stimulating".
But Ms Jardine-Young said the regimented "Victorian approach to homework" needed to be reviewed to make it "relevant for the 21st Century learner".
"It's about transforming and evolving from that Victorian model of the past," she said.
"It's a really important issue for all schools; the potential young boys and girls have just cannot be maximised if they are unhappy or really stressed about things in life.
"There's a lot of complexity on this so we're involving parents in that discussion and it's really crucial that the pupils themselves have a voice."
The school caters for day pupils and boarders aged between 11 and 18.

Summary: The head of Cheltenham Ladies' College has had to "break the news" to pupils that the "end of homework is not quite as imminent" as they might have hoped.
###
Article: University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust was rated as inadequate in an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
It said the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Furness General Hospital in Barrow needed to improve the quality of care.
The trust said it was "part-way through a process of significant improvement".
Last year, a separate trust covering the north of the county, North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust, was one of 11 put into special measures after the Keogh review found higher-than-expected mortality rates.
The CQC inspection took place in February and while inspectors said care in services such as maternity and A&E had improved since previous checks, they added other areas of concern had not been addressed.
Medical care in one part of the Royal Lancaster was said to be "of particular concern".
The overall recruitment of nurses and doctors was identified as a "fundamental" worry with "too much reliance" on temporary staff.
The chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said: "There is a long history of concern with the quality of service provided by the trust, so it is disappointing to report that a number of the issues that have been identified in the past remain unresolved.
"I do not believe that the trust is likely to resolve its challenges without external support."
As well as the hospitals in Barrow and Lancaster, inspectors also visited the Westmorland General Hospital, near Kendal, which was said to be providing a good service overall.
The trust's chief executive, Jackie Daniel said: "The reports reflect the fact we are part-way through a process of significant improvement which is still going to take a number of years to complete.
"It isn't an overnight job to change the culture of a large, complex organisation."
Full reports of the inspection have been published on the CQC website.

Summary:


The MHRA has closed nearly 5,000 websites selling fake or unlicensed medicines.
Many websites illegally sell drugs like Ritalin and Modafinil without a valid prescription.
Many websites illegally sell drugs like Ritalin and Modafinil without a valid prescription.
Many websites illegally sell drugs like

The government's watchdog has issued a warning to students about the dangers of taking "smart drugs".

Article: The attorney general's office said he was suspected of signing a contract that was "unfavourable to Fifa" and making a "disloyal payment" to European football chief Michel Platini.
Mr Blatter was being questioned, and his office was searched, it added.
The 79-year-old, who has run Fifa since 1998, has always denied any wrongdoing.
Fifa, which has been hit by a string of corruption allegations in recent years, said it was co-operating with the investigation.
"Swiss criminal proceedings against the president of Fifa, Mr Joseph Blatter, have been opened... on suspicion of criminal mismanagement... and - alternatively - misappropriation," the Swiss attorney general's office said in a statement.
It said Mr Blatter was suspected of signing a contract with former Caribbean football chief Jack Warner in 2005 that was "unfavourable to Fifa" and in doing so "violated his fiduciary duties and acted against the interest of Fifa..."
The contract they mention is thought to refer to a TV rights deal agreed between Fifa and Mr Warner's organisation Concacaf which, according to an investigation by a Swiss broadcaster earlier this month, allegedly resulted in a multi-million pound profit for Mr Warner's own company.
Fifa owns the TV rights to the World Cup and sells them to regional federations which then sell them on to broadcasters.
Mr Blatter's lawyer, Richard Cullen, said he was confident the inquiry would clear Mr Blatter of any wrongdoing.
"We are confident that when the Swiss authorities have a chance to review the documents and the evidence, they will see that the contract was properly prepared and negotiated by the appropriate staff members of Fifa who were routinely responsible for such contracts, and certainly no mismanagement occurred," he said.
According to the Swiss attorney general, Mr Blatter is also suspected of making a "disloyal payment" of two million Swiss francs ($2m; Â£1.3m) in 2011 to Mr Platini, the statement said.
It said the payment was "at the expense of Fifa, which was allegedly made for work...

Summary: Swiss prosecutors say they are investigating Sepp Blatter, the head of football's world governing body Fifa, on suspicion of criminal mismanagement.
###
Article: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says young people are gambling with their health by using prescription medicines in a bid to get higher marks in exams.
Many websites illegally sell drugs like Ritalin and Modafinil without a valid prescription.
The drugs can cause dependency, heart problems and psychosis.
So far this year, the MHRA has closed nearly 5,000 websites selling fake or unlicensed medicines.
Modafinil is designed to be used for a health condition called narcolepsy - a rare but serious brain disorder that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times. But some students take it to stay alert.
Others take Ritalin, a treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), for a cognitive boost.
MHRA Senior Policy Manager Lynda Scammell said: "You may be offered 'smart drugs' or 'cognitive enhancers' at university - some of them may be potent medicines which should only be prescribed by a doctor.
"Modafinil is licensed for specific medical conditions - not for use as a 'boost' during exams. Don't put your health at risk by self-medication - it could have serious side-effects.
"It's a criminal offence to supply prescription-only medicines without a valid prescription - websites offering them are acting illegally.
"Be smart - don't put your health at risk by buying medicines online and don't give your student loan to a criminal."

Summary:


The Conservatives reported £2.8m in donations in the three months after the EU referendum - the highest amount of the major parties, figures reveal.

A council which installed Braille paving stones branded "gobbledygook" has said the slabs were only intended to be "creative".

Article: A total of almost £6.5m in donations were registered for July to September, Electoral Commission figures show.
The Labour Party reported £2,027,371 in donations, while the Liberal Democrats received £928,888.
Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru reported £11,000, the BNP reported £94,428 and UKIP £42,943.
These figures relate to the period between 1 July and 30 September 2016.
The Electoral Commission said the £6.5m was £8.5m down on the second quarter of 2016 - which involved elections and the UK's EU referendum - but around £363,000 more than the same quarter in 2015.
The seven political parties to report the most donations were:
The Conservative Party received 160 donations, with Michael Davis making the biggest donation at £269,000, followed by Alexander Fraser handing over £260,000.
The party also received £200,000 from the Conservative Draws Society and £165,000 from David Brownlow.
Labour received 91 donations, including £689,362 from the UK's largest trade union UNISON, £429,928 from Unite the Union,  £308,049 from the GMB and £247,923 from the Communications Workers Union.
Transparency
Liberal Democrats received 167 donations, with Graham and Susan Tobbell contributing the most at £125,000 each. Of the Co-operative Party's four donors, £312,800 from the Co-operative Group Ltd was the largest.
Bob Posner, the Electoral Commission's director of political finance and regulation, and legal counsel, said: "This data is hugely important in ensuring that our political finance system is as transparent as possible and it is therefore always disappointing where there is a failure to meet the statutory deadline.
"Where there is no reasonable explanation for such a failure, we will take a robust approach in dealing with this."
In addition to the donations registered, five parties accepted more than £2.3m from public funds - money and assistance to parliamentary opposition parties to assist with costs.
The value of outstanding loans to political parties stood at £4,358,508 on 30 September - a decrease of £191,080 compared to...

Summary: The Conservatives reported over £2.8m in donations in the three months after the EU referendum - the highest amount of the major parties, figures reveal.
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Article: Hull City Council had hoped the decorative stones would help raise the profile of those in the city who were visually impaired.
They were supposed to spell out the poem, The City Speaks, by Shane Rhodes.
But Braille teacher Barry Wheatley said it made no sense as the Braille is too big and lacks spaces between words.
The council said it was only intended to be "creative" tactile paving.
Read more about this and other stories from East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire
Mr Wheatley said he initially thought the stones along Jameson Street and King Edward Street were a great idea but soon realised they were pointless.
"Braille is the size of your fingertips and to get down on your knees and feel this, well it is meaningless," he said.
"Even if you are a sighted Braille reader then it is like reading a sentence in print without any spaces in it.
"It is just gobbledygook."
He also said it did not work to guide blind or partially sighted people down the street, as it ran into street furniture.
Councillor Martin Mancey said he did not believe anything had "gone wrong" with the paving, which had only recently been installed.
"It was never intended to be a clearly legible form of the poem, it was an artistic interpretation.
"It has already achieved one of its purposes which was to raise the awareness of the needs of blind and partially sighted people in the city centre."
He said he was not aware of any obstacles that prevented it being used as a navigational guide.

Summary:


The Royal Yacht Britannia has been judged as Scotland's best visitor attraction every year for the past decade.

Article: A report in January revealed proposed changes that NHS bosses have since said could save Â£31m.
The 14-week consultation began in March and is to finish at midnight.
A petition against the Huddersfield hospital's closure plan currently has more than 63,000 signatures.
More than 4,300 people have already completed the consultation survey organised by the NHS Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Under the proposals all emergency, acute and high-risk planned care would be brought together at Calderdale Royal Hospital in neighbouring Halifax.
A new site in Acre Mills, Huddersfield would be developed as a hospital for planned care - but with no A&E.
The plans would eventually see 612 beds at Calderdale Royal Hospital and 120 at the proposed hospital at Acre Mills.
Several demonstrations against the closure of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary have been staged in the town.
Demolishing the infirmary and relocating emergency services to Calderdale would cost Â£470m compared with Â£501m under proposals considered for Huddersfield, said a draft public consultation document.
The proposed changes would "result in the greatest overall benefits" for people living in Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield, according to the CCGs.
The final decision on the plan is expected to be made public in October.

Summary: Plans to demolish Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and replace it with a new facility with no A&E have entered a final day of public consultation.
###
Article: And this year the yacht received a record score of 96%, the highest mark ever awarded to a visitor attraction in Scotland.
It was rated by national tourism organisation VisitScotland.
VisitScotland's quality assurance scheme, is the official measure of quality for tourism businesses.
Tourism businesses are assessed on the welcome, attitude, knowledge and efficiency of staff, as well as audience level, interpretation, maintenance and cleanliness.
With 308,906 visitors in 2015, the Royal Yacht last week announced 2015 as its best since its opening year in 1999.
Almost five million people from around the world have visited The Queen's former yacht since it opened to visitors in Edinburgh in 1998.
Britannia's chief executive Bob Downie said: "To be the best in Scotland once is a fantastic achievement, but to do this for 10 consecutive years is a phenomenal tribute to our staff who go the extra mile to ensure that all our visitors have a great experience when they visit Britannia.
"The true test of any great organisation is consistency of performance, delivering great value for time and money, year in year out, and there is no doubt that our pioneering approach to providing great customer experiences has underpinned our success."
Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland's chief executive, said: "I'd like to congratulate Britannia on this fantastic achievement, which demonstrates an outstanding commitment to quality and excellence in every aspect of the business.
"Retaining the accolade of Scotland's best attraction for 10 years running, Britannia is setting the standards for tourism in Scotland, and it is a real testament to the total commitment shown by their staff to consistently deliver a world-leading customer experience."

Summary:


The UK's emissions figures for 2011 were lower than those for the UK, but the UK's emissions figures for 2011 were lower than those for the UK.
The UK's emissions figures for 2011 were lower than those for the UK, but the UK's emissions figures for 2011 were lower than those for the UK.

Many species will not be able to adapt fast enough to survive climate change, say scientists.

Article: The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said emissions in Scotland fell by 9.9% in 2011.
The drop for the UK as a whole was 6.9%.
However, climate campaigners said the figures showed that the Scottish government still had more to do to meet future emission levels targets.
Much of the reduction was due to the weather and a switch from coal-fired electricity generation to nuclear and renewable sources.
The CCC said the reduction also reflected additional investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The committee is an independent statutory body set up under the Climate Change Act to advise the UK government on setting carbon budgets, and to report to parliament on the progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This is the latest Scottish breakdown of the UK emission figures for 2011.
There were drops of more than 20% in emissions from the the power and residential sectors, and a 15% reduction in emissions in the public sector.
Despite the fall in emissions, Scotland narrowly missed the legislated annual target of 53.4 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).
The CCC said this was due to a change in the way estimated emissions were calculated.
The committee's latest report, which is done for the Scottish government, said meeting future targets remained "very challenging".
It has highlighted several areas that will required further action in order to meet future targets.
They included developing the electric vehicle market through more investment in the charging infrastructure, and focusing on pilot projects for new farming practices.
David Kennedy, chief executive of the CCC, said: "There has been good progress in Scotland on reducing emissions in key sectors of the economy, notably through investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
"This should not be obscured by the fact that emissions in 2011 were above the level targeted because of a change to the accounting methodology. But much remains to be done in terms of policy development and implementation to achieve very...

Summary: Scotland has continued to make "good progress" on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the body which advises the UK government on the issue has said.
###
Article: A study of more than 250 plants and animals suggests their ability to adapt to changes in rainfall and temperature will be vastly outpaced by future climate change.
Amphibians, reptiles and plants are particularly vulnerable, according to US researchers.
And tropical species are at higher risk than those in temperate zones.
Some animals might be able to move geographically to cope with rising temperatures, but others live in isolated areas where they cannot move, such as in nature reserves or on mountains or islands.
Ecologists analysed how quickly species had changed their climatic niches (the conditions where they can survive) over time, and how these rates compared with that of global warming.
They analysed 266 populations of plants and animals, including insects, amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles.
Rates of change in climatic niches were much slower than rates of projected climate change, by more than 200,000 fold for temperature (on average), they said.
"Overall, our results show that rates of climatic niche change among populations of plants and animals are dramatically slower than projected rates of future climate change," said Tereza Jezkova and John Wiens, of the University of Arizona.
Mammals and birds might be better placed to survive than amphibians and reptiles, because they had the ability to regulate their own body temperatures, said Dr Wiens.
And, while some species might be able to move to higher latitudes or elevations to survive, "for a lot of organisms, that is not an option".
"It's a double jeopardy of climate change and habitat destruction," he told BBC News.
The research is published in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Follow Helen on Twitter.

Summary:


The Basques are a group of people who are not native to the Mediterranean, but are descended from the same people who lived in the Mediterranean.
The Basques are a group of people who are descended from the same people who lived in the Mediterranean.
The Basques are a group of people who are descended from

DNA from ancient remains seems to have solved the puzzle of one of Europe's most enigmatic people: the Basques.

Article: PCBs were once used in electrical gear, paints and flame retardants, but were banned from the 1970s because of their toxic effect in humans and animals.
However the manmade chemicals have persisted in the environment, and are accumulating in top predators.
The study finds Europe's cetaceans have levels of PCBs that are among the highest found in on the oceans.
Lead author Dr Paul Jepson, a wildlife veterinarian from the Zoological Society of London, said: "For striped dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and killer whales, we have mean PCB levels that are excessive - they are really high - probably the highest in the world right now, by some way.
"Europe is a big big hotspot."
The contamination is so high that some populations of killer whales are facing extinction, he added.
The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls, were manufactured from the 1920s, but were banned in the US in 1979, in the UK in 1981 and in the rest of the EU in 1987.
They were found to have a wide-ranging impact on human and animal health, from links to cancer, to suppressing the immune system and causing reproductive problems.
However, these chemicals are extremely durable and despite the ban they are still found in the environment.
"Europe produced about 300,000 tonnes of PCBs from 1954 to 1984. That was about 15% of the world's total," said Dr Jepson.
"A lot of this PCB, we don't know how much, has not been disposed of and is slowly leaking into rivers and estuaries, from landfills, and eventually into the marine environment."
The chemicals then gradually work their way up the food chain and into the top marine predators, where they accumulate in the cetacean's blubber.
The researchers analysed samples taken from more than 1,000 killer whales and dolphins in Europe's waters.
"Our findings show that, despite the ban and initial decline in environmental contamination, PCBs still persist at dangerously high levels in European cetaceans," explained Dr Jepson.
The levels are higher than those...

Summary: A pollutant is present at "dangerously high levels" in Europe's killer whales and dolphins, scientists say.
###
Article: The distinct language and genetic make-up of the Basque people in northern Spain and southern France has puzzled anthropologists for decades.
One theory proposed that they were an unmixed pocket of indigenous hunters.
Now, a study in PNAS journal suggests they descend from early farmers who mixed with local hunters before becoming isolated for millennia.
The Basques have unique customs and a language - Euskera - that is unrelated to any other spoken in Europe, or indeed the world.
Nestled in a mountainous corner of Atlantic Europe, they also show distinct genetic patterns to their neighbours in France and Spain.
It seemed logical that they were representatives of an older layer of population settlement, but just how far back their roots went has been a topic of debate.
Mattias Jakobsson from Uppsala University in Sweden analysed the genomes of eight Stone Age human skeletons from El PortalÃ³n in Atapuerca, northern Spain.
These individuals lived between 3,500 and 5,500 years ago, after the transition to farming in southwest Europe.
The results show that these early Iberian farmers are the closest ancestors to present-day Basques.
Comparisons with other ancient European farmers show that agriculture was brought to Iberia by the same migrant groups that introduced it to central and northern Europe. These pioneers expanded from a homeland in the Near East, sweeping across Europe about 7,000 years ago to usher in the period known as the Neolithic.
Once the farmers settled down, they mixed with local hunter-gatherers - the descendants of people who lived in Europe during the last Ice Age.
Indeed, the El PortalÃ³n individuals had more hunter-gatherer ancestry than pioneer farmers from Germany, Hungary and Spain who lived several thousand years earlier.
The new study also goes some way to explaining some of the differences between the Basques and their neighbours in France and Spain.
After the initial farmer-hunter mixture was set, the ancestors of the Basques became isolated from surrounding groups - perhaps due to...

Summary:


The former president of the United States, Donald Trump, has been accused of cheating on women.
The former president of the United States, Donald Trump, has been accused of cheating on women.
The former president of the United States, Donald Trump, has been accused of cheating on women.
The former president of

As the race to become the Democratic presidential candidate heats up in the United States, the left-leaning Bernie Sanders has become a surprising star on social media, with young voters using mobile phone apps to push others to #feelthebern.

Article: The accused in the city of Atlanta face counts of racketeering, making false statements and conspiring to improve test scores to win cash bonuses.
Several of the defendants have already reported to jail in Fulton County.
Former Atlanta School Superintendent Beverly Hall is among those named in the grand jury's indictment.
In 2009, she was named national superintendent of the year by the American Association of School Administrators - the same year much of the alleged cheating is said to have taken place.
According to prosecutors, Ms Hall was given a $78,000 (Â£51,000) bonus from the public school system.
"The money she received, we are alleging, was ill gotten and it was theft," Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard told reporters on Friday, when the grand jury indictment was made public.
By Tuesday morning's deadline, five educators - not including Ms Hall - had turned themselves in, the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper reported. They were being held on bail bonds of up to $1m.
All those identified by the grand jury must surrender, or face arrest at home or at work.
A 65-count indictment alleges a major conspiracy to cheat, conceal cheating or retaliate against whistleblowers, while inflating student test scores.
The defendants include senior administrators, principals, assistant principals, teachers, testing co-ordinators, a school secretary and a school improvement specialist.
Ron Carlson, professor of law emeritus at the University of Georgia, told the Associated Press news agency: "It's the largest school teaching scandal yet recorded in the country."
Each accused is charged under a Georgia state law modelled on a federal statute enacted to target organised crime.

Summary: Thirty-five former school officials implicated in a test cheating scandal have until Tuesday to surrender to authorities in the US state of Georgia.
###
Article: As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clashed in their first one-on-one debate it was the senator from Vermont who started to trend worldwide.
So what are Bernie's supporters doing differently to bolster his support amongst younger voters? One place where he is a surprising hit is the dating app Tinder.
Kevin Smit from Alkmaar in the Netherlands has used Tinder to spread the Bernie gospel. "I'm not a heterosexual male and I too believe he's sexy" he joked to BBC News.
"He's a hit because there's a lot of millennials on the app and he polls amazingly with them".
Fans of Bernie's Tinder triumphs share their success on Facebook and Tumblr.
Logan Jantzi from New York told BBC News that it was Bernie's policies which lead to his Tinder appeal.
"He discusses problems that are of actual concern to young voters"  he said.
"Gender inequality, low wages, high student loan debt, climate change, these are the things that 18-30 somethings are concerned with."
Nelson Evans, a Bernie Sanders supporter from California, told BBC News that the popularity of Bernie on social media was because his supporters didn't think their candidate received enough attention in traditional media.
"There's people who even pay the full Tinder membership fees in order to reach others across the country" he said.
"I think it's effective because, prior to the Iowa caucus, the media has completely shut Bernie out of the news cycle. For every 81 minutes of election coverage he'd get 10 seconds and Bernie supporters know that."
"But people who get their election news from the mainstream media, they have no idea what Bernie is all about. That's sort of what started the Tinder thing.
"It's amazing how you see people from 17-29 who have gone from never being interested in politics to being completely enveloped by it.
"This election represents more than just a candidate. It's an indication that the youth know what direction they want our country to go, and they're ready to work vigorously for it," he added.
The hashtag #demdebate has been used more than...

Summary:


The women, who worked at Kinsley Academy, claimed their pay had been cut after the contract switched from Wakefield Council to C&D Cleaning.
The three women were reportedly dismissed by C&D Cleaning on Monday.
The three women were reportedly dismissed by C&D Cleaning on Monday.

Three cleaners who went on strike over a pay dispute have been sacked in a move branded Scrooge-like by one MP.

Article: Copernicus will fly a constellation of satellites known as the Sentinels to take a continuous "health check" on the planet and to acquire data that can help inform and enforce EU policies.
It has been announced that the first spacecraft in the series will go into orbit, most likely, in early April.
Sentinel 1a will use radar to map the surface of the Earth.
Its information will find myriad uses, from monitoring European coastal waters for oil spills to investigating subsidence in cities.
A key role also will be to provide rapid damage maps to enable emergency services and aid agencies to respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes and severe flooding events.
Sentinel 1a is undergoing final testing at prime contractor Thales Alenia Space, at its facility in Cannes, France.
Shortly, it will be transferred to Turin, Italy, where it will take an Antonov transport plane to the Guianese spaceport in South America.
There it will be fuelled and attached to its Soyuz rocket, ready for an ascent no earlier than 28 March.
"We're making every effort to meet this date, but it's tight," said European Space Agency (Esa) director general, Jean-Jacques Dordain.
"The industrial teams are working double shifts, pretty much seven days a week," he told BBC News. 1 April is his anticipated launch date.
Copernicus is one of two flagship EU space projects, the other being the Galileo satellite-navigation system.
European states have so far committed some 7.5bn euros (Â£6.2bn; $10.2bn) to the end of the decade to build and operate Copernicus.
As such, it represents the biggest civilian Earth-observation project ever conceived, says Josef Aschbacher, the head of Esa's Copernicus office.
"Typically in Europe, we're always looking across the Atlantic and if we see something we like, we build a smaller version of it here. But something like Copernicus doesn't exist anywhere else in the world, and that's why our American and other international partners are extremely interested in collaborating."
Satellites are at their most powerful...

Summary: The date has been set for the roll-out of the European Union's multi-billion-euro Earth observation project.
###
Article: The women, who worked at Kinsley Academy, claimed their pay had been cut after the contract switched from Wakefield Council to C&D Cleaning.
The three women were reportedly dismissed by C&D Cleaning on Monday.
C&D have been approached for comment but confirmed to the Guardian the trio had had their employment terminated.
Labour MP for Hemsworth Jon Trickett said: "With only days till Christmas it looks like Scrooge has been brought back to life from Victorian times."
For updates and more stories from across West Yorkshire
Lesley Leake, Karen McGee and Marice Hall went on strike in September saying their pay had been slashed and their pensions, holiday and sick pay had also been cut when the contract changed hands after the primary school became an academy.
In October about 100 people joined the women on a protest march through Barnsley, where C&D Cleaning is based.
According to reports the women were sacked following a disciplinary hearing on 19 December.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "I am angered that three striking primary school cleaners from Kinsley have been sacked.
"When I met them, they explained how their wages were cut following the outsourcing of their contracts to a private company.
"Outsourcing is bad for our public services and workers. The cleaners' jobs must be brought back in-house with fair pay and conditions."
The BBC has approached C&D Cleaning for a comment.
In a statement published in the Guardian, the company said the women had been invited to a disciplinary hearing to "respond to allegations of gross misconduct".
It said: "The outcome of the hearing was termination of employment.
"The company will not comment further at this stage so as not prejudice any internal process."
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "These women bravely took action to protect their wages and employment rights.
"To then sack them just days before Christmas is heartless in the extreme."

Summary: