The first major trial to see if losing weight reduces the risk of cancers coming back is about to start in the US and Canada.

Article: A report commissioned by the Humanist Society of Scotland (HSS) said the position of religion had weakened in most areas of life in recent years.
But it said laws protecting religion in education had, if anything, been strengthened.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said religious groups from all faiths made appropriate contributions to education.
The 355-page HSS report, written by academics at Glasgow University, cited the growth of Sunday trading and the rise in popularity of non-religious marriages as evidence Scotland was becoming a more secular society.
HSS chief executive Gordon MacRae said: "The motivation for this commission came from the increased public and political awareness of the changing role of religion and belief in Scottish public life."
He added: "At a time when 47%, nearly one in two households in Scotland, say they have no religion, we think it is time to move to a secular education system.
"Every state school in Scotland is a faith school. We hope this document can be a catalyst for a new debate."
The report said the current education system was established by two Acts of Parliament in 1872 and 1918, when Catholic schools were absorbed into the state system.
All state schools are required to ensure all pupils take part in 'religious observance' - at least once a week for primary pupils and at least once a month for secondary schools.
These provisions were reinforced in 2004 by the Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition, and accepted in a government circular in 2011 under the SNP.
The report outlines other areas in which the position of religion is guaranteed by law in the education system:
One of the report's authors, Callum Brown, professor of Modern European History at Glasgow University, said: "There is no particular move at foot to change this, in comparison to changes, dramatic changes to marriage law, with the arrival of same-sex marriage in 2014.
"That was a phenomenal and ground-breaking change which doesn't seem to have an equivalent in relation to education."
The HSS said the growth...

Summary: The role of religion should be removed from the school curriculum, according to a humanist organisation.
###
Article: The call comes after a New York-bound plane was forced to turn back to London Heathrow Airport after a laser beam hit the cockpit after take off, causing a "medical issue" for one of the pilots.
It is illegal to shine a light at a plane "so as to dazzle the pilot", but not an offence to own or carry a laser.
The union says they are "incredibly dangerous", and could blind pilots.
Virgin Atlantic flight VS025 turned back after it was struck by the laser on Sunday evening, about six or seven miles west of Heathrow.
How dangerous are lasers to planes?
'It's only a matter of time until someone dies'
"This is not an isolated incident," British Airline Pilots Association's (Balpa's) general secretary Jim McAuslan said. "Aircraft are attacked with lasers at an alarming rate and with lasers with ever-increasing strength."
"Modern lasers have the power to blind and certainly to act as a huge distraction and to dazzle the pilots during critical phases of flight."
Former pilot and fellow member of the pilot's union Dave Smith said legislation on lasers - first introduced in 2010 - should be much tougher.
"The law from 2010 is just an offence of shining the laser into the cockpit, but of course that is very difficult to prove," he said.
Balpa is calling for sales of all but the lowest power devices to be regulated.
"Lasers should be specifically included in the offensive weapons legislation so that if someone is found to be carrying a laser without good reason then they are treated in the same way as if they are carrying a knife," a spokeswoman added.
But Dr John O'Hagan, a laser safety expert at Public Health England, believes the existing laws are adequate.
"Our recommendation is that only low-powered lasers, one milliwatt - one thousandth of a watt - should be generally available to the public.
"And in the UK now it is relatively unusual to be able to buy a laser, that looks like a laser pointer, that's at a higher power. The trouble is that you can buy them over the internet at much higher powers."
Lasers produce a...

Summary: Laser pointers should be classed as "offensive weapons", the British Airline Pilots Association has said.
###
Article: Researchers believe achieving a healthier weight could cut the risk by a fifth in breast cancer.
Around 3,200 women will take part, with half of them shifting a tenth of their body weight.
Experts said the trials were vital as it was still unclear if weight made a difference.
Dr Jennifer Ligibel, from the women's cancer centre at the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute, said: "We have known now for many years that women who are overweight or obese and are diagnosed with breast cancer have a higher risk of their cancer recurring and ultimately dying."
She said this had been seen in more than 100 studies, though the explanation for it was unclear.
She said preliminary evidence showed that losing weight after diagnosis could be helpful.
But the idea has never been tested in a large randomised trial, considered the gold-standard of medical research.
The two-year trial will start recruiting overweight and obese patients, with a BMI of at least 27, in August.
After their cancer therapy is completed, the women will have regular advice from dieticians to help them reduce their calorie intake to 1,200-1,500 calories per day.
Eventually, they will also exercise for up to 250 minutes a week.
For every 100 women in the study who do not lose weight, they expect to see 23 have a recurrence of the tumour.
If the researchers are right, then they expect only 19 in every 100 women who did shift the pounds to have a recurrence.
Dr Ligibel added: "I think it would be premature to say we know these things make a difference and that's why studies are important.
"I am quite convinced but I think we need the data to really prove it, but also to look at who benefits."
It is far from clear what changes inside an obese body could be leading to cancer recurrence, but there are theories around levels of the hormone insulin or inflammation, both of which are altered with weight gain.
If the concept is confirmed then it could apply to a wider range of cancers.
Prostate and colorectal cancer incidence is already known to be closely connected to...

Summary:


Tommy Hilfiger has said suggestions he thought Gigi Hadid was not thin enough to model are "completely false".

Article: Local authority areas in Scotland were placed in divisions that reflect the take-up of a range of renewable energy technologies.
Orkney was found to have the greatest amount of community-owned wind generation in a district with a population of less than 100,000 people.
The award was from the Scottish National Renewable Energy League.
Craig MacInnes, development manager of the Orkney Renewable Energy Forum (OREF), collected the award at the event in Glasgow.
He said: "This award for Orkney raises the profile of community wind projects and the benefits they bring.
"It shows how forward thinking many of Orkney's smaller and more remote communities have been in embracing renewable energy."

Summary: Orkney has won an award recognising the success of its community energy projects.
###
Article: European Union statistics agency Eurostat said the jobless rate in the currency union fell to 10.9% in July from 11.1% the month before.
The fall was helped by a sharp fall in unemployment in Italy, where the jobless total fell by 143,000.
It is the first time the unemployment rate in the eurozone has been below 11% since February 2012.
The wider 28-member EU saw the unemployment rate fall to 9.5%, the lowest rate since June 2011.
The lowest unemployment rate was in Germany, at 4.7%. Greece had the highest unemployment rate, at 25%, the latest available data from May showed, followed by Spain at 22.2%.
The rate of youth unemployment across the eurozone also declined to 21.9% in July from 22.3% a month earlier.
A survey released earlier on Tuesday suggested that growth in the eurozone's manufacturing sector had eased slightly in August, despite factories barely raising prices.
The closely-watched Markit eurozone manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) was 52.3 last month, below a preliminary reading that suggested it had held steady at July's reading of 52.4. However, it has remained above the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction for more than two years.
There was some good news within the data. Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland and Italy all saw strong growth, with Germany's manufacturing PMI reading jumping to 53.3 in August from 51.8 a month earlier.
Rob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said the data suggested the eurozone manufacturing sector showed continued resilience in August, with output growth and inflows of new business both strengthening.
"Based on the historical relationship, the PMI is tracking at somewhere close to a 2% annualised increase in industrial production so far in the third quarter, a modest gain but still representing a positive step forward," he said.
"The job numbers are also looking more positive, with employment rising at the fastest pace in four years. On the inflation front, lower oil prices led to the first dip in input costs since February, while selling...

Summary: Unemployment in the eurozone fell to its lowest rate in July for more than three years, figures have shown.
###
Article: The fashion designer had told Yahoo that casting directors dressed Hadid in a poncho for a fashion show because she was not as thin as the other models.
But he has now clarified his comments and said the story was misleading.
Hilfiger said: "The suggestion that I thought [Hadid] wasn't thin enough upsets me to no end. Gigi is the epitome of perfection."
In the Yahoo interview, Hilfiger referred to a 2015 fashion show in which Hadid wore a poncho which covered most of her body.
Hilfiger said he wanted Hadid to be dressed in something which better showed off her figure, but members of his creative team disagreed.
"Our casting director said, 'She doesn't really fit because you know she's not quite as tall as the other girls, she's not quite as thin,'" Hilfiger originally said.
"So they put a red, white, and blue poncho on her. It covered a lot of her body unfortunately, but it received millions of hits."
Hadid's appearance in the poncho proved hugely popular, and she later went on to collaborate with Hilfiger, launching her own line of clothing for the brand earlier this year.
After Hilfiger's comments sparked criticism, the designer criticised the original story's headline as "misleading".
Speaking to Page Six, Hilfiger said: "The casting people put Gigi in the poncho, and I was not happy.
"I was saying, 'Don't hide her body.' Even though the poncho ended up being the best-selling piece, I was very unhappy."
The designer also released a statement to Entertainment Tonight, in which he said he was "extremely proud" to have Hadid representing his brand.
"Gigi is truly the definition of a 'Tommy Girl' - her magnetic personality is bright, confident and always optimistic," he said.
"I've known her for many years, and am extremely proud to have her as the ambassador of my brand and as a collaborator of our collections.
"Any statement to the contrary is completely false. The headline from the interview with Yahoo was misleading and has since been corrected."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you...

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The Welsh NHS will need an extra £246m a year by 2030 to cope with EU migration if the UK stays in the union, leave campaigners have said.
The figures come from research published by Vote Leave Cymru.
But Wales Stronger in Europe said it was "shameful" for Mr Davies

Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa boss Michel Platini have been suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation.

Article: Reading Borough Council said it had written to Network Rail and Great Western Railway (GWR) demanding action following complaints from residents.
People in Cardiff Road had complained of trains parked in sidings with engines idling.
GWR has previously said the introduction of electric trains in 2019 will reduce the problem.
An online petition set up by residents living close to the GWR depot complained about "low-frequency noise" from trains idling in the early hours of the morning.
The council said it has warned GWR and Network Rail it could face an abatement notice.
Deputy council leader Tony Page said the responses form the companies had so far been "inadequate".
"The council is fully supportive of the huge benefits the realignment of rail lines in and around Reading has brought.
"By the same token, the concerns local residents have [about] noise and air pollution are very real and the council is lobbied on these issues regularly.
"We hope that escalating local concerns to senior management will prove more effective."
Earlier this year, GWR said the noise was within safe levels and it had changed the way it operated trains on the sidings.
Jonathan Dart, chairman of the Bell Tower Community Association, said he warmly welcomed the council's announcement to "put an end to the nuisance being caused to the residents of Cardiff Road".
However, he criticised the time it took the authority to investigate the issue.
"It took nine months and a press campaign for the council to release an officer's report stating that being in part of Cardiff Road at 03:29 was akin to being backstage at the Reading Festival," he said.

Summary: Noise and air pollution from a new rail depot in Reading could prompt legal action, it has been warned.
###
Article: Tory Monmouth MP David Davies said forecasted migration would place "huge pressure" in the coming years.
The figures come from research published by Vote Leave Cymru.
But Wales Stronger in Europe said it was "shameful" for Mr Davies to promote "fantasy figures", based on the prospect of Turkey joining the EU.
Voters will decide in a referendum on 23 June whether Britain remains a member of the 28-country union, or leaves.
Mr Davies said if Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey all gained entry to the EU, it could see the UK population grow by five million in the next 14 years.
Vote Leave suggested that could result in as many as 131,000 people coming to Wales from the EU between 2016 and 2030.
It is forecasted that, as well as an extra £246m, the Welsh NHS would need to employ 328 additional doctors in Wales just to maintain current staffing levels.
Mr Davies added: "The Welsh NHS is already facing the challenge of an ageing population, and scarce resources, but future migration will inevitably place huge additional pressures on investment and standards of care.
"Rather than sending money abroad to countries that want to join the EU I believe we should be spending our money on local priorities here in Wales, and across the UK."
Wales Stronger in Europe chairman Geraint Talfan Davies said: "These fantasy figures from Vote Leave contribute nothing to the debate except prejudice and discomfort - they are an insult to Welsh voters.
"It is shameful that David Davies - the chairman of a parliamentary committee - would put his name to this nonsense.
"He very well knows the UK has a veto on any new members and that Turkey is making next to no progress in completing the admission requirements."
Mr Talfan Davies added that with 100,000 EU citizens working in the NHS, migrants were "not straining it, they are strengthening it".
"Here in Wales, 9% of our doctors come from other EU nations and one-in-five of our care workers were born overseas," he said.
"Vote Leave would pull us away from this vital level of...

Summary: The Welsh NHS would need an extra £246m a year by 2030 to cope with EU migration if the UK stays in the union, leave campaigners have said.
###
Article: Media playback is not supported on this device
They were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) "disloyal payment" made to Platini in 2011.
The Fifa ethics committee found Blatter and Platini had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.
"I will fight for me and for Fifa," Blatter, 79, said at a news conference.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Platini said the decision was a "masquerade" intended to "dirty" his name.
Both men continue to deny wrongdoing and intend to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).
Swiss Blatter and 60-year-old Frenchman Platini have also been fined £33,700 ($50,000) and £54,000 ($80,000) respectively.
Despite the ban, both Blatter and Platini will be allowed to attend matches - including Euro 2016 in France - if they buy tickets in a private capacity.
Fifa boss since 1998, Blatter had already announced he was quitting with a presidential election in February.
Platini was tipped as a future leader of football's world governing body and is a three-time European Footballer of the Year.
He is also a former captain of France and has been in charge of Uefa - European football's governing body - since 2007.
Unshaven and sporting a plaster over his right cheek, Blatter was in defiant mood at a news conference he had called in advance of the punishments being made public.
"I will fight," he said. "I will fight for me and for Fifa."
He said he was "really sorry" that he is still "a punching ball" and that he has become tainted in the eyes of humanity.
He added that he thought he had convinced the Fifa ethics tribunal that the payment from Fifa to Platini was legitimate.
He plans to appeal, first to Fifa, then Cas. He may also take legal action under Swiss law if needed.
Blatter: Key quotes from hour-long news conference
"The decision is no surprise to me," he said in a statement. "The procedure initiated against me by Fifa's ethics committee is a pure masquerade.
"It has been rigged to tarnish my name by bodies I know well and who for me are...

Summary:


The US government has lifted the ban on Jallikattu, a form of bullfighting which has been popular for centuries in the state of Tamil Nadu.

Scientists have calculated the optimal strategy for throwing something accurately - whether it's a dart or a crumpled-up piece of paper.

Article: The order came after activists challenged the government decision on grounds of cruelty to animals.
Tuesday's court order means there will be no Jallikattu festival this year.
The Jallikattu festival was scheduled to begin on 15 January across the state. No events were held last year.
At the annual festival held in January, thousands of men chase the bulls to grab prizes tied to their horns.
Read more: The state that loves bullfighting but isn't Spain
The Supreme Court banned the festival in 2014 after objections from animal rights activists.
In its order at the time, the Supreme Court had said that the use of bulls in the sport "severely harmed" the animals and was an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
Unlike in Spain, however, the bulls are not killed in the contests in Tamil Nadu.
However, last Friday the government issued an order lifting the ban.
Many believe local political parties had lobbied to have the ban lifted with an eye on this year's state elections.
Also, the Thevar community of Tamil Nadu is politically and economically influential in at least five districts where the sport is popular and no political party wants to antagonise them.
Correspondents say Tuesday's order is a setback for the Narendra Modi-led BJP government in Delhi, which had lifted the top court's ban last week using an executive order.
"With this single act of thumbing its nose at the Supreme Court, the BJP - like the Congress before - has sent the unfortunate signal once again that court orders are binding only upon ordinary citizens, and governments are above the law; lifting the ban on Jallikattu by circumventing the order of the apex court has put the executive on a collision course with the judiciary," a commentator wrote in The Wire website last week.
Tuesday's order shows that India's top court has again reasserted the judiciary's position, many observers believe.
On Monday, the Animal Welfare Board of India, animal rights groups and activists had filed six petitions in the court, challenging the...

Summary: The Indian Supreme Court has put on hold a recent government order lifting a ban on Jallikattu, a form of bullfighting which has been popular for centuries in the state of Tamil Nadu.
###
Article: Carolyn Harris, who is chairing a parliamentary group investigating the subject, said addicts could lose thousands of pounds in one sitting.
She said the electronic touch-screen machines made "phenomenal" amounts of money for the bookmaker.
The UK government has said it was monitoring existing gambling controls.
Speaking to BBC Wales, the Swansea East MP said: "These machines are capable of taking £100 every 20 seconds, that's £300 every minute.
"And the machine doesn't give the punter, as they like to call them, the opportunity to stop and think about what they're doing. It's so rapid, it's literally pressing a button."
Fixed odds betting terminals first appeared in British betting shops in 1999. Last year, customers lost £1.7bn on the machines.
Betting shops are restricted to four machines in each shop, but critics say that had led to clusters of shops as companies try to increase the number of the terminals on the high street.
Ms Harris says the bookmakers have opened more shops in deprived areas, such as in her own constituency, and that the machines have changed how bookmakers are perceived.
"When the bookies were on the high street and they were just doing horse racing and dog racing, they were part of the fabric of the community now they're the scourge of the community."
"We need to have a complete overhaul and review of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals and hopefully come up with a solution which, it's not going to suit the bookies, but at least will help all the associated problems with these machines, including anti-social behaviour, money laundering, violence."
BBC Wales has spoken to addicts who describe them as the "crack cocaine" of gambling.
One man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "Once you're in that zone it's like nothing matters around you.
"There's nothing in the world that's more important than that machine, like making you play, put more money in, and nothing could have stopped me unless the place burned down, and even then I would have still hit the buttons till the fire brigade...

Summary: Fixed odds betting machines in bookmaker shops are dangerous and the government should review their use, a Swansea MP has said.
###
Article: US researchers say the slow-is-more-accurate rule generally applies.
In a series of calculations, they looked at the physics behind releasing a projectile with the human arm.
Their equations suggest a slow underarm throw is the best strategy for getting a piece of paper into a nearby bin.
Lead researcher Madhusudhan Venkadesan, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Yale University, said faster throws tend to be less accurate.
This is because the ball travels in a nearly straight line, so any errors in the angle at which the object is released tend to be amplified.
In slow and curved flight paths, small errors in the angle of release have little effect, he said.
"What we find is that almost the slowest arc is often the most accurate," said Dr Venkadesan.
"We've compared these calculations to published data of people throwing into wastebaskets; we've compared it to a study in dart throwing."
In sports such as basketball or darts, the strategy depends on conditions and the trade-off needed between speed and accuracy.
For example, experienced darts players throw overarm at about 5.5 metres per second, optimally releasing the dart 17 to 37 degrees before the arm becomes vertical.
On the cricket pitch, fielders are more likely to strike the wicket with a fast underarm throw.
And in basketball, the underhand free throw, nicknamed "the granny throw", has a marginal advantage over overhand, despite almost disappearing from the game.
Accurate throwing is uniquely human - a skill relied upon by our ancient ancestors for hunting with spears or stone tools.
The researchers say monkeys also throw things, but they are really bad at it.
The study is published in the journal, Royal Society Open Science.
Follow Helen on Twitter.

Summary:


The firm launched its campaign last November, but has so far been unable to reunite a single toy with its owner.
There are currently more than 40 soft toys in its lost property.
A spokesman for the firm said some would be donated to charity if not claimed within the next three months.
The toys were

Researchers at Google say they are “years closer” to rolling out a network of huge balloons to provide connectivity to rural areas.

Article: Damien Midgley, formerly of Aberford, near Leeds, was tried for child sex offences in 2014, but did not attend the hearing.
He was convicted in his absence and sentenced to six years in jail, with a warrant for his arrest also issued.
North Yorkshire Police believe the 39-year-old visited Thailand before Cambodia. Arrangements are being made for him to be deported back to the UK.
Det Insp Jane Guymer said: "Midgley clearly thought that by fleeing the UK he would be somehow immune to the sentence that the courts handed him in his absence.
"However, this case proves that international barriers are no obstacle when it comes to ensuring vile and cowardly child sex offenders are held to account for their actions."

Summary: A convicted sex offender who fled the UK has been arrested in Cambodia.
###
Article: The firm launched its campaign last November, but has so far been unable to reunite a single toy with its owner.
There are currently more than 40 soft toys in its lost property.
A spokesman said some would be donated to charity if not claimed within the next three months.
The toys were all found travelling on the First Great Western network, which covers the Thames Valley, Hampshire, London, Dorset, Sussex, Wiltshire, Somerset, Avon, Gloucestershire, Hereford, Worcestershire, Devon, Cornwall and South Wales.
A spokesman for the firm said it receives about 15 lost toys every three months.
As well as bears, he said there was a "huge range" of different cuddly animals including monkeys, rabbits, a hedgehog, penguin and lion.
He said toys found towards the start of the campaign would be washed and sent to children's charities if they remained unclaimed in November.
The train company, which originally hoped to return the toys to their owners in time for Christmas, had used mug shots of the toys on its website and posters but has now also photographed some against a beach backdrop for summer.
The train company's website enables people to submit a search for a teddy, even if they are unable to remember exactly where it was lost.

Summary: Unclaimed teddy bears found on First Great Western trains are be donated to children's charities following an unsuccessful campaign to reunite them with their owners.
###
Article: The Project Loon team, part of the company’s X research lab, said it was now able to use machine learning to predict weather systems.
It means the firm has far greater control over where its balloons go, making it possible to focus on a specific region, rather than circumnavigating the globe.
Clustering a small number of balloons greatly reduces the cost of the idea, Google’s “captain of moonshots”, Astro Teller, told reporters.
"We can now run an experiment and try to give service in a particular place in the world with ten, twenty or thirty balloons,” he said, rather than the hundreds needed previously.
“Real users” will be able to use the system in the “coming months”, he added - but he did not specify where the initial roll out would take place.
Rural ambition
Google’s aim is to provide connectivity to the around four billion people in the world who do not have access to the internet, particularly those in difficult-to-reach rural areas.
Rather than undertake huge construction projects to replicate connectivity networks in the developed world, the firm has instead experimented with beaming down connectivity from a network of huge, tennis-court sized balloons.
The balloons float in the stratosphere around 11 miles high. By raising or lowering altitude, the balloons can be caught in different weather streams, changing direction.
By using machine-learning algorithms, Google thinks it has cracked a way to predict weather with enough accuracy to make it possible to hover balloons over a relatively small area for a long period of time.
Last last year the firm was able to keep a cluster of balloons over Peru for three months.
Spin off
Over the past year Google has come under increasing pressure from its shareholders to rein in the costs of its more outlandish ideas.
Last month, the firm has spun off its self-driving project into a new company - Waymo - and has stepped up attempts to commercialise the technology amid criticism it was taking too long to make money from its work.
Mr Teller said Project Loon was one...

Summary:


The UK is home to the UK's largest earthworms, according to researchers from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.

The Woodland Trust have said that some trees should have the same rights as old buildings.

Article: Security firm Eset found the gang controlled its malware, called Turla, by posting comments about images in the singer's gallery.
The comments looked like spam but once transformed by code in the virus, directed victims to other sites.
Several other compromised websites were also being used to track victims and spread the malware.
Turla has been active since 2014 and sought to catch out government workers, diplomats and other officials, said Eset researcher Jean-Ian Boutin. It is believed to be run by a hacker group working for the Russian state.
Most often, he said, Turla's handlers compromised websites that targets would be likely to visit.
One compromised server asked visitors to install a booby-trapped extension for the Firefox web browser.
Digital detective work by Mr Boutin revealed that the command and control (C&C) channel set up between the creators of the extension and victims' machines was on the singer's Instagram page.
The malicious extension searched for comments that, when digitally transformed, matched a specific value. These were then converted into a website address that the compromised machine visited to report in or to update the malicious code they harboured.
Very few comments posted to the Instagram account had the key characteristics - suggesting that Turla's creators were testing or refining the control system.
Mr Boutin said using social media in this way made "life harder for defenders".
"Firstly, it is difficult to distinguish malicious traffic to social media from legitimate traffic," he wrote. "Secondly, it gives the attackers more flexibility when it comes to changing the C&C address as well as erasing all traces of it."
Mr Boutin added that he had been in touch with Mozilla, which was working on ways to stop extensions for Firefox being compromised in this way.

Summary: The comments section of Britney Spears' Instagram account has been used by cyber-thieves to co-ordinate attacks.
###
Article: The common species Lumbricus terrestris found on Rum are more than three times the weight and length of the average earthworm.
The researchers found the island worms growing to almost 15in (40cm) in length.
A lack of predators and fertile soil have helped to boost their size.
Rum's "optimum conditions" also mean its worms could be living for up to 10 years when worms elsewhere in UK have a lifespan of about two years.
The research has been published in the Scottish peer-reviewed scientific journal, The Glasgow Naturalist.
It draws on university scientists' investigations in 2006 to 2011 of "very large" worm burrows.
Kevin Butt, professor at the University of Central Lancashire who led the study, said: "I first noticed the large worm burrows in 2005, so I had my suspicions that there may be some pretty big worms in the area.
"We went back out to investigate this the following year and finding worms of this size was very exciting, especially when the Natural History Museum team confirmed that they had no specimens like this."
He added: "There are still unanswered questions and we plan to continue our research to find out as much as possible about these creatures.
"We're also looking forward to exploring more rural areas in the UK and abroad, in the hope that we will make more exciting discoveries like this."

Summary: A Scottish island is home to the UK's largest earthworms, according to researchers from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston.
###
Article: The charity is campaigning to help protect ancient or old trees, that have grown in the UK for hundreds of years.
They say that having more trees is good for our health as well as the environment.
Currently around 2% of the UK is listed as ancient woodland.
The UK has seen around 45 rare species of trees disappear in the last 100 years.
Some people are calling for lots more homes to be built in the UK and the Woodland Trust say they are worried that building new houses would mean that old trees would be chopped down to clear space.
The Government have been talking about the issue in a new White Paper, which presents ideas for changes to the law.
It could mean that some trees in England would be protected like historic buildings.

Summary:


Chole bhature is a spicy chickpea curry and comes accompanied with a very special kind of fried bread called bhature, and that's where the spectacle comes in.
The dish originated in the proud north Indian state of Punjab, but is now so popular across India that any number of interlopers

UK house prices rose by 9.5% in 2015, according to the lender Halifax, making it the fastest annual increase in nine years.

Article: Speaking to BBC Radio 3's In Tune, he said the "radical reducing of public subsidy" was a particular threat to regional companies.
"Opera companies are [being] forced more and more to rely on any private money they can raise," he said.
"Inevitably, a theatre like the Royal Opera House is able to raise more than smaller, less attractive companies.
"That's why we're seeing the extraordinary explosion of country house opera - Grange Park, Longborough, Glyndebourne and so on - and the shrinking of regional opera.
"All our marvellous regional opera companies are in real trouble and struggling."
Grant in aid to England's Arts Council has fallen nearly 30% in the last five years, and opera houses have not been spared from the cuts.
English National Opera was hit particularly hard, with its annual grant cut from Â£17.2m in 2014/15 to Â£12.4m in the next financial year, amid concerns over its management and business model.
Vick, who is the artistic director of Birmingham Opera Company and works in many of the world's major opera houses - including La Scala and the Royal Opera House - said he "fears for the future" of the artform.
The 61-year-old was speaking to BBC Radio 3's Suzy Klein ahead of the world premiere of Morgen und Abend (Morning and Evening) at the ROH this weekend.
He described the opera, written by Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas, as "an astonishing masterpiece".
"Unusually for opera, it deals with mature emotions," said Vick, who is directing the production about the life and death of a Nordic fisherman.
"The first half hour is about the last moments in the womb and his emergence into life," explained Vick, "and the rest of the opera is about his realisation that he's dead".
Praising the composer as a "genius", he said the opera was "existential, profound, complex and simple all at the same time".
"Today a first-time opera goer came to the dress rehearsal - a woman who does my VAT receipts for me," he said. "She said to me at the end, 'it was extraordinary - I could see the music in the...

Summary: British opera is in "crisis" as a result of funding cuts to the arts, says renowned director Graham Vick.
###
Article: Chole is a spicy chickpea curry and comes accompanied with a very special kind of fried bread called bhature, and that's where the spectacle comes in.
The dish originated in the proud north Indian state of Punjab, but is now so popular across India that any number of interlopers try and claim it as their own - including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.
Don't believe them.
Chole bhature is Punjabi through and through: as stout and hearty as the famed warriors the state has produced throughout history.
You'll never forget the first time you see it being made.
This is the sixth article in a BBC series India on a plate, on the diversity and vibrancy of Indian food. Other stories in the series:
Inside India's 'dying' Irani cafes
What Indians have done to global cuisine
The story of the samosa
Cooking the world's oldest-known curry
Why India is a nation of foodies
The chefs - because proper preparation takes real skill - slap and pound a ball of leavened dough before rolling it into a thin disk or oval shape.
Then they toss it into a great smoking pan of hot oil.
And here's where the magic happens. The bread sizzles and froths angrily for a moment before the bubbles of air trapped within begin to expand.
Then, before your eyes, the bhature inflates like a balloon.
The chef will turn it in the hot oil to ensure the surface is evenly crisp and golden.
Then he (Indian street food is almost exclusively prepared by men) will pop a couple on a plate with a generous scoop of the spicy chickpea stew.
I guarantee you'll burn your fingers in your desperation to tear open the hot bread and scoop up a generous mouthful of curry.
And if chole bhature scores high on spectacle, it also rates very highly for what food scientists call, rather clinically, "mouthfeel".
Mouthfeel is exactly what it sounds like: the way the food feels in your mouth.
Giant food businesses like McDonalds, Nestle and Kraft spend hundreds of millions of dollars making sure the physical and chemical properties of their new food products...

Summary: Chole bhature is street food as street theatre.
###
Article: In the last month, prices went up by 1.7%, said the Halifax, bringing the average price of a home to Â£208,286.
However, other lenders, such as the Nationwide measure, put the rate of increase much lower.
Last month, it said prices rose by 4.5% in 2015, less than half the Halifax estimate.
Halifax's housing economist, Martin Ellis, said one reason for the sharp increase was the continuing shortage of property for sale.
"This situation is unlikely to change significantly in the short term, resulting in continuing upward pressure on prices," he said.
The last time UK house prices rose so quickly was in 2006, when values soared by 9.9%.
The 9.5% increase in 2015 was way ahead of experts' predictions a year ago.
Martin Ellis himself predicted that prices would rise by between 3% and 5%, while most expected a figure around 4%.
Newham, in East London, was the town with the largest increase in 2015. Prices there rose by 22% in 2015, compared to 12% for London as a whole.
The different methodology of the most popular house price measures is explained here.

Summary:


The Conservatives have promised to increase the number of people who are eligible for the EU referendum, but they are also arguing for a referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the referendum on the

The Liberal Democrats have reacted angrily to Theresa May's claim that a badly managed Brexit would mean fewer resources for public services.

Article: Russians now know the name of their next president - Vladimir Putin.
They know who their prime minister is going to be - Dmitry Medvedev.
They have a pretty good idea which political party will have the majority in parliament - United Russia.
They know all this, even though parliamentary elections are still two-and-a-half months away. And the next presidential election will not be until March 2012.
The results are already clear. When Dmitry Medvedev took the stage at a party conference on Saturday and backed Vladimir Putin for president, he effectively handed back the keys to the Kremlin. Job done.
The presidential election will be little more than a referendum on what has already been agreed behind closed doors - that Mr Putin will return to the presidency.
It is unthinkable that Vladimir Putin could lose that election. He remains the most popular politician in Russia.
That is partly because of his strongman image, that goes down well with the public.
And it is partly because the political system he has created prevents any potential rivals from appearing on the scene, from getting air time on national TV, and from gaining authority.
It is the same with Russia's political parties. In December's Duma election, only those parties approved or tolerated by the Kremlin will have the opportunity to contest the poll.
Experience shows that opposition parties viewed by the authorities as anti-Kremlin or anti-Putin, and which openly criticise the Russian prime minister, normally struggle to receive official registration.
So, what do Russians make of this pre-ordained transfer of power?
Judging from some of Monday's Russian papers, there is a degree of anger.
The popular tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets has a cartoon on its front page. It shows a ballot box with a heart-shaped slot for the ballot papers. It is a sign that, in Russia, elections have become little more than a plebiscite on the nation's love of one man.
The paper accuses Vladimir Putin of wanting more than just 12 more years - two terms - in power.
"You seek...

Summary: It feels like the day after a general election.
###
Article: Intelligent Environments has launched a platform which can link the Pavlok wristband, which delivers a 255 volt shock, to a bank account.
If the funds in the account go below an agreed limit, the band kicks in.
It can also work with smart meter Nest to turn down the heating and save energy bills if funds are low.
No bank has yet announced that it will be offering the Interact IoT (Internet of Things) platform to customers but Intelligent Environments lists several British banks as clients for its existing online banking platforms.
Chief executive David Webber told the BBC the idea was about consumer choice.
"This is about reacting to changes in your financial well-being," he said.
"Willpower is great if you've got it - not everybody has."
He dismissed the idea that the concept is too controlling.
"If you get home and decide you can afford for it to be warmer you can turn it back up again," he said of the smart meter's automated "economy mode" for home heating.
The Pavlok wristband "shock" function can also be deactivated, Mr Webber added.
He admitted that it had "frivolity" but said it proved the concept.
Mr Webber said he believes the Internet of Things - the idea of connected devices communicating with each other as well as with their owners - will be a landcape-changing industry.
"I think the Internet of Things will be as transformational as tablets and smartphones were a number of years ago," he said.
"I think the interconnectedness of devices is going to transform the way we think and manage whether it's our cars or the things in our home.
"Perhaps you could use this sort of platform where, if you're running short of money your car slips into economy mode, rather than sport mode," added Mr Webber, who insisted that the platform was secure.
However Prof Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity expert from Surrey University, said the more connections which are made between devices, the greater the risk of a security weakness.
"Having a convoluted interaction between systems is almost inevitably going to lead to...

Summary: One British firm is seeking to put the buzz back into budgeting by giving bank customers an electric shock if they overspend.
###
Article: Former party leader Nick Clegg called her comments "utter cheek".
"It is Theresa May's extreme version of Brexit which will cause real damage to the NHS," he added.
The prime minister gave a speech earlier on Tuesday in which she stressed that she was the best person to lead talks on leaving the EU.
She also told the audience in Wolverhampton: "If we don't make a success of Brexit, we won't have the financial means to fund the public services on which we all rely.
"Our National Health Service - the institution which is there for us at the most difficult times - needs us to make a success of Brexit to ensure we can afford to provide it with the resources it needs for the future."
Mr Clegg responded: "By insisting on dragging the UK out of the single market, she has chosen a UKIP-style version of Brexit which is already causing a squeeze on public services."
"It's time she came clean that the risks are all of her own making. It is her choice to take this country in a dangerous and damaging direction."
The Conservatives have promised increases in NHS spending in real terms reaching Â£8bn extra per year by 2022-23, while Labour has pledged Â£30bn in extra funding over the next parliament.
The Lib Dems have committed to adding 1p in the pound on income tax to raise Â£6bn for NHS and social care services.
They are also arguing for a referendum on the eventual Brexit deal, unlike Labour or the Conservatives.

Summary:


The survey found that the average age of the population was only 2.5 years, with a median age of 2.5 years.
The survey also found that the average age of the population was only 2.5 years, with a median age of 2.5 years.
The survey also found that the average

Forty percent of people in England do not believe Jesus was a real person, a Church of England survey suggests.

Article: "And in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story'."
To some, that statement was evidence of what many already believed - the president decided to fire Mr Comey to impede the FBI's investigation into the Russia scandal.
That has led to speculation that the president may have obstructed justice - a criminal offence. But experts say that suspecting obstruction of justice and proving it are two very different things.
Broadly speaking, obstruction of justice is any interference with a judicial or congressional proceeding. It might commonly be applied in cases where someone has tampered with evidence, intimidated a witness, or failed to report a crime.
The key legal statute in this case is 18 US Code Section 1512, which contains a broad definition allowing charges to be brought against someone who "obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so".
"The statutes are quite broadly written," said Alex Whiting, a former prosecutor and law professor at Harvard Law School, "but the key factor, certainly in this case, is intent."
Mr Trump was well within his legal rights in sacking Mr Comey. "The president can fire an FBI director for turning up in the wrong tie or socks, if he wants to," said Stanford Law School professor Pamela Karlan.
"The real question is whether in doing so he was attempting to impede the FBI's investigation."
Section 1512 requires a person not only to attempt to obstruct justice but to do it with "corrupt" intent.
"That's the key word here," said Mr Whiting. "The government would have to prove that it was done corruptly, defined as having a bad intent or wrongful purpose."
Proving corrupt intent on Mr Trump's part would be difficult, Mr Whiting said, given that the president had also accused Mr Comey of poor management of the FBI and of mishandling the investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server.
"He has provided all these other explanations for why he fired him,...

Summary: The Trump administration's story of why FBI director James Comey was fired, which began to twist almost as soon as it was told, took another turn on Thursday when the president said this to NBC News:
###
Article: Anyone who is anyone has been there - even us - done it and moved on to the next thing: the #TrumpIsComing Challenge.
Donald Trump's election victory had barely been confirmed than the new craze was born.
Videos posted under variations on the phrase - currently the most popular is #TrumpsComingChallenge - show students going about daily life until someone shouts "Trump's coming." The two most common reactions seem to be to run screaming or collapse on the floor.
Emi Chavez, from Azle, Texas, claims he started it with his post just hours after the election result and challenged people to "show me how you'd react if you saw Trump".
"Me and my friends are Mexican but we were born here and everyone is scared by what Trump said about sending Mexicans back home and all the other racist things, as well," says Chavez, aged 16.
"The whole idea was to have some fun, but Trump is a very scary guy to kids of our age because we don't want our families to get split up," he adds.
"So we were just thinking about how we would just run away from him if he came near."
The video struck a chord and has inspired lots of others to make their own version, including Rudy Reyna, who posted his on his Twitter account @rudygarzareyna.
The 17-year-old from Austin, Texas, says he is not a fan of Mr Trump's but made his video just for the fun of it.
"I first spotted it on Twitter when I was scrolling on my feed and I thought it was a funny video to make so one day during school I rounded up friends and did the challenge," he says.
Students at a college in South Carolina took a slightly different approach, producing a mash-up of the #AndysComing and #TrumpIsComing challenges.
The #AndysComing challenge is based on the film Toy Story, where the toys drop to the floor when their owner Andy comes into the room.
The video shows students dancing and when someone shouts "Trump's coming", they all fall to the ground motionless.
It was made by Yung Astroo, from Columbia, South Carolina, and posted on a number of social media platforms, including...

Summary: If you're thinking about doing the Mannequin Challenge, then think again - that was SO last week.
###
Article: However, 43% of the people asked said they did believe in the resurrection - although many did not think it happened as described in the Bible.
The figures found while 57% classified themselves as Christian, fewer than 10% read the Bible and prayed regularly, or go to church at least once a month.
The Church of England's General Synod will discuss the survey in November.
The survey of more than 4,000 people was commissioned by the Church, Hope - which represents churches of all denominations - and the Evangelical Alliance - which represents evangelical Christians in the UK.
Many scholars agree that Jesus was a real man, who lived in Galilee more than 2,000 years ago, although many details surrounding his life are still debated.
But, the Church of England survey found that four in 10 people did not believe Jesus was a real person, with a quarter of 18 to 34 year olds believing he was a mythical or fictional character.
The poll was part of a wider research project looking at both practising Christians and the wider population.
After Christians, the second biggest group identified in the poll - 12% - were atheists, while 9% were agnostics, Muslims represented 3%, with Hindus and Jews both making up 2%.
English Christians are more likely than the average English adult to work in education, or professional jobs, but less likely to work in finance or insurance, the survey concluded.

Summary:


The campaign is about publicising the town's summer events.
The Edinburgh Tourism Action Group posts, written in mandarin, will highlight key points of interests.
History, architecture, film locations and shopping are featured.
Edinburgh Castle had more than 160,000 Chinese visitors in 2015 and the city is said to

A major vendor on the illegal Silk Road website and his business partner, were sentenced to five years in prison for drugs offences.

Article: The adverts, which feature the slogan "For sights you'll want to remember - visit Skegness", describe the resort as England's cultural coast.
James Gilbert, of East Lindsey District Council, said the campaign was about publicising the town's summer events.
But Claire Smith, from Stay Blackpool, said it was a "dirty tricks" campaign.
Skegness attracts more than four million visitors each year, generating Â£450m for the local economy.
Last year the resort was described in the Lonely Planet guide as "good family fun if you immerse yourself in the whole tacky spectacle".
Mr Gilbert said that view was 30 years out of date.
He said the latest campaign was designed to publicise Skegness as an "amazing resort" and to get publicity for an "amazing summer of events", which includes So Festival and the Olympic Torch Relay on 27 June.
"We are not trying to upset anyone - it's a bit of friendly rivalry," he said.
Claire Smith, who has a five star bed and breakfast in Blackpool, is president of Stay Blackpool, a guest house and hoteliers association.
She said: "It feels like a dirty tricks campaign.
"Skegness is a lovely little place and this campaign isn't drawing me in - in fact it's making me think about Blackpool and Brighton.
"It is difficult times - Blackpool has an abundance of stuff going on all summer as well, as I am sure Brighton has, but I don't think this campaign is the way to attract visitors," she said.
Blackpool attracts about 13 million visitors each year, with plans in place for a Â£220m transformation of the resort's centre.
Both Skegness and Blackpool are featured in a TV advertising campaign to encourage Britons to take their holidays at home in 2012.

Summary: Officials in Skegness are using adverts showing unflattering images of Blackpool and Brighton in a bid to promote the resort.
###
Article: A series of social media posts and adverts will aim to encourage more Chinese visitors to come to Scotland, as figures show tourism from China exceeded Â£43m over three years.
The Edinburgh Tourism Action Group posts, written in mandarin, will highlight key points of interests.
History, architecture, film locations and shopping are featured.
Edinburgh Castle had more than 160,000 Chinese visitors in 2015 and the city is said to be the second most popular UK destination among the Chinese, after London.
Robin Worsnop, Edinburgh Tourism Action Group chairman, said: "The growth of the Chinese visitor market to Edinburgh presents a great opportunity for the city's tourism sector.
"We know Chinese visitors love our historic, walkable city, our top attractions, our architecture and our unique links to major films like Harry Potter.
"Working together as a group of businesses, and supported by Scottish Enterprise and the VisitScotland Growth Fund, we're confident that these brand new official Edinburgh channels on Chinese social media platforms will help Scotland's capital become a 'must see, must visit' destination for Chinese visitors."
Manuela Calchini, regional director at VisitScotland, said: "China has huge growth potential for tourism in Scotland and we're delighted to support the Edinburgh Chinese social media campaign, through the VisitScotland growth fund.
"The campaign will give a platform to promote the very best of what Edinburgh has to offer, from its stunning architecture, fascinating history and world-renowned festivals to its delicious food and drink. And with the Scottish capital receiving 87% of Chinese visitors to Scotland, the success of this campaign will no doubt be felt far beyond the city walls.
"With Edinburgh playing a prominent role in the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, it is the perfect opportunity to encourage Chinese visitors to come face-to-face with history and explore our rich cultural heritage."

Summary: The history and culture of Edinburgh is to become the centre of a new tourism campaign in China.
###
Article: Peter Ward, 54 of Barnstaple in Devon and Richard Hiley, 30 of Tividale in the West Midlands were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.
Ward was given five years and two months, Hiley five years.
The pair pleaded guilty to possession, supply and importation of Class A and Class B drugs.
Peter Ward was known online as PlutoPete. His business specialised in supplying military-grade foil packaging that claimed to hide illegal materials from detection.
He also provided new psychoactive substances, commonly known as legal highs.
He was arrested by National Crime Agency officers in Barnstaple in October 2013 following an international operation targeting prominent vendors on dark web marketplaces like Silk Road.
Officers searched Ward's rural home and found class A and B drugs and numerous computers.
Analysis uncovered his close working with an ex-customer, Richard Hiley, who was commissioned by Ward to convert bitcoins into cash.
In December 2013, NCA officers raided Hiley's address in the West Midlands after financial records seized from Ward identified large scale transactions between the pair.
Hiley also pleaded guilty to two counts of importing a prohibited weapon after he imported five stun guns. He said they were for personal protection.
NCA Branch Commander, Ian Glover, said: "Criminals and their customers like to think that dark web market places provide an anonymous haven.
"The reality is that law enforcement works together internationally to identify and pursue these people."
Source: US Department of Justice

Summary:


The government has been criticised for its "unfair and misleading" behaviour in the past.
The government has been criticised for its "unfair and misleading" behaviour in the past.
The government has been criticised for its "unfair and misleading" behaviour in the past.
The government has been criticised for its

"Aggressive" language used by some AMs in debates about Brexit is heightening public tensions over the issue, Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies has said.

Article: The culprit left the Christmas paper after unwrapping and stealing Â£900 in items, including three Android tablets.
Sue Percival's grandchildren and daughter, Steph Summers, found the grim scene when visiting her home at Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taff.
Her four-year-old, Tristan, the first in the house, told her: "Mum, Santa's been. All the presents are open."
Grandmother-of-seven Ms Percival said: "We are devastated.
"I had finished all of my Christmas shopping because I started it in September.
"They stole the presents, including the electronic tablets I bought, all the alcohol and even all of my change that I had put in a coin counter for emergencies.
"The police said they think it is a personal targeted attack and that somebody might had waited for me to go to work."
South Wales Police's Sgt Adam Johnson said the burglar struck on Wednesday between 07:30-11:30 GMT.
He said: "The burglar forced the back door and made a search of the house, spending time to unwrap the Christmas presents which were in the house and choosing to take the high-value items and alcohol.
"The carnage was discovered by the children in the family who have now had their Christmas spoilt thanks to this callous person."
Among the items stolen were three computer tablets, trainers, perfumes sets and a large amount of alcohol.

Summary: A "callous" burglar has broken into a family's home and stolen their Christmas presents from under the tree.
###
Article: Officials say the rule is to protect the town's newly laid tarmac road.
A letter told donkey-cart owners they must manage their animal's faeces "to avoid poop all over the tarmac road creating nuisance".
BBC Monitoring's Abdullahi Yusuf Osman in Kenya says cart owners are complying - some sharing tips on social media on how to attach nappy sacks.
Donkey carts are a common sight in Wajir's town centre, our reporter says.
A similar nappy order was issued in Limuru, about 50km (30 miles) north-west of the capital, Nairobi, in 2007 but it was never put into practice, he says.
The authorities in Wajir, which is more than 600km north-east of Nairobi, are probably keen to protect the new tarmac road after waiting decades for such development, our correspondent says.
The new road was built last year and is 27km long.
The nappy notice was issued on Monday and came into affect on Thursday.
"[The county government] appreciates the contribution of the donkey-cart operators to the economy of Wajir... However the town must be kept clean at all times," it says.
"In view of the above you are directed to manage your donkey poop (faeces).... No donkey will be allowed in town without this poop-collecting bag."

Summary: Donkeys have been banned from entering Kenya's north-eastern town of Wajir unless they wear nappies.
###
Article: He complained that Dawn Bowden referred to "Goebbels-like propaganda from the right-wing media" in a recent debate.
He claimed Eluned Morgan "trivialised suicide" when saying Brexit would "slit the wrists of the Welsh economy".
Mr Davies has written to Presiding Officer Elin Jones asking her to remind AMs to use more appropriate language.
"There is a danger that the aggressive nature of debates on the subject of Britain's vote to leave the European Union is likely to worsen any tensions which exist in Welsh society," Mr Davies said in his letter to Ms Jones.
"Whatever we may feel individually and collectively about the result we all have a responsibility to conduct that civic discussion in a rational manner and with respect."
An assembly spokesman said the presiding officer had "received this correspondence on Friday afternoon and will reply to the Leader of Welsh Conservatives soon".
In response, Ms Bowden said she stood by what she said, criticising the way the "right-wing press" has portrayed recent issues such as immigration.
She added: "If he [Mr Davies] has a problem with that then my view would be, he is being over sensitive."
Ms Morgan have been asked to comment.

Summary:


The probe is set to hurtle past the dwarf world on Tuesday, grabbing a mass of pictures and other science data.
Controllers got a last health status report, before the robotic craft turned its antenna away from the Earth to concentrate on its target.
This is not expected to happen until just after midnight (GMT

A teenager is "stable and improving" in hospital after the prototype powerboat he was training in crashed and overturned in the Solent.

Article: The Department of Health had appealed against an FOI ruling that the transition risk register, requested by Labour MP John Healey, be published.
But it lost, despite civil servants' warnings that to publish confidential advice could have a "chilling effect".
Mr Healey said the ruling gave "strong legal support to a full and open debate" about NHS plans for England.
"The judgement backs the public's right to know about the risks the government is taking with its NHS plans," he said - accusing the government of having "dragged out" the process for 15 months.
The government still has the option of a further appeal to the "upper tribunal".
Meanwhile the controversial Health and Social Care Bill, which introduces an overhaul of the way the NHS is run in England, is in the final stages of its passage through Parliament.
The government had used the "section 35" defence under the Freedom of Information Act, which exempts information used in policy formulation and development from having to be released.
But it must be weighed against the balance of public interest - and in an earlier ruling the information commissioner had said in this case, that was "very strong".
A two-day hearing in central London this week heard evidence from Labour MP and former shadow health secretary Mr Healey, Una O'Brien - the top civil servant at the Department of Health - and Lord O'Donnell, who until recently was the UK's top civil servant before retiring as cabinet secretary.
Ms O'Brien told the tribunal that civil servants, who compile the risk register, needed a "safe space" to be able to advise ministers on controversial policies in "frank" language.
She argued that publishing the information would ultimately have an "insidious" effect as people would hold back in what they were prepared to write down.
Lord O'Donnell argued that the document itself was unbalanced - focusing more on the negatives than positive outcomes - and predicted the way they would be compiled in future would change, if they were published.
But the Information...

Summary: Ministers have been ordered to publish a risk assessment of the NHS shake-up under Freedom of Information laws.
###
Article: The probe is set to hurtle past the dwarf world on Tuesday, grabbing a mass of pictures and other science data.
Controllers got a last health status report, before the robotic craft turned its antenna away from the Earth to concentrate on its target.
Only when New Horizons has its trove of images safely in its onboard memory will it call home again.
This is not expected to happen until just after midnight (GMT) into Wednesday.
It means there will be a long, anxious wait for everyone connected with the mission, as they hold out for a signal that will be coming from almost five billion km away.
New Horizons' flyby of 2,370km-wide Pluto is a key moment in the history of space exploration.
Its successful execution will complete the initial reconnaissance of the "classical" nine planets in our Solar System.
It will mark the fact that every body in that system - from Mercury through to Pluto - will have been visited at least once by a space probe.
New Horizons has been returning a steady stream of information on approach to the dwarf world in recent days, but this will be as nothing compared to the huge number of observations it plans to acquire when passing just 12,500km from the surface.
This is timed to occur at 11:50 GMT (12:50 BST).
The probe will investigate not only Pluto but also its five moons: Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra.
To achieve that, it must perform a furious set of manoeuvres as it points every which way in the sky to get the images and other types of data it needs.
"I can't wait to get into the data and really start making sense of it. Right now, we're just standing under the waterfall and enjoying it," New Horizons' principal investigator, Alan Stern, told BBC News.
Just getting the probe in position to make the flyby has been a monumental feat.
Because the observations are all run on an automated command sequence, New Horizons must fly a perfect path past Pluto, and with perfect timing - otherwise its cameras will shoot empty sky where the dwarf or its moons are expected to be.
This has...

Summary: Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft has begun the most intense period of its encounter with Pluto.
###
Article: Simon Dredge suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash on Wednesday.
He was travelling in the boat along with three other professional crew including his father Peter, a champion powerboat racer.
Powerboat company, Vector World said the boat was on its first test run when it overturned just after 08:20 BST.
A spokeswoman said: "We are encouraged to hear that Simon is stable and improving."
Peter Dredge, Simon Wood-Power, a powerboat racer and Lee Hurst, a powerboat engineer were all taken to Southampton General Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
They have since been discharged.
Eyewitnesses described seeing the high-powered vessel come out of the water "like a rocket" before flipping over.
In a statement following the crash, Hampshire Constabulary said it appeared the powerboat "lost control" just before it collided with the Hamble Point cardinal mark.
The large metal buoy marks the entrance to the Hamble River.
A joint investigation into the crash is being carried out by Hampshire Police Marine Unit and the Marine Accident Investigation Branch.

Summary:


Plans to cut free parking on roads around the Royal Berkshire Hospital have been opposed by a petition of more than 2,300 signatures.

Article: Falco, a black German shepherd, was taken off active duty by Lincolnshire Police after a Yorkshire terrier named Barbie was bitten earlier this month.
The police dog was also accused of biting a member of the public in a separate incident two days earlier.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating both incidents.
More on this and other stories from across Lincolnshire on our Live page
The incident involving Barbie happened on a private lane while Falco was with handler Mick Judge. The three-year-old terrier had to be put down because of the extent of her injuries.
Barbie's owner Charles Giermak said the attack on his dog could have been avoided if Falco had been muzzled.
In a statement, Deputy Chief Constable Heather Roach said: "This was an incredibly tough decision to make given the nature of the circumstances and the fact that our dog handlers care a great deal about their dogs, as we do as a force.
"As difficult as it was to take this action, which was carried out with very heavy hearts, it was decided that the best course was to euthanise Falco to ensure this type of incident never happens again.
"An IPCC investigation is still under way so we are limited in what we can say in relation to the exact circumstances until those enquiries have been completed."

Summary: A police dog that fatally injured another dog in an unprovoked attack has been destroyed, its force has revealed.
###
Article: Ferouz Myuddin, who is 11 months old, was born in Brisbane when his mother was transferred to hospital from a refugee detention centre on Nauru.
A judge backed the government's earlier ruling that the baby was an "unauthorised maritime arrival" so could not claim refugee status.
Lawyers said he and 100 similar babies could now be sent to Nauru.
The hearing comes as the federal government considers amending the Migration Act to retrospectively declare all babies born to asylum seekers who arrive by boat as unauthorised maritime arrivals, irrespective of whether they were born on Australian soil.
If the amendments are passed, babies born to asylum seeker parents in Australia will have no right to apply for a permanent protection visa and should be transferred offshore.
Ferouz's family are Muslim Rohingyas who said they fled to Myanmar (also known as Burma) to escape persecution.
They landed on Australian territory in September last year and were taken to the off-shore processing centre in Nauru. Ferouz was born prematurely after his mother was taken to hospital in Brisbane because of concerns over her pregnancy.
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison had previously denied Ferouz a protection visa - which allows refugees to live permanently in Australia - on the basis that he had arrived on Australian territory by sea illegally.
Australia asylum: Why is it controversial?
His parents then appealed to the Federal Court but after examining how the family had entered Australia, Judge Michael Jarrett backed the government view.
He said the rule was intended to discourage people smugglers.
Lawyer Murray Watt said he was advising the Myuddin family, currently staying in a detention centre in Darwin, to appeal.
"This is a ludicrous decision given he was born here in Brisbane's Mater Hospital and he even has a Queensland birth certificate," ABC News quoted him as saying.
He said his firm - which is representing the families of 100 babies born in Australia to asylum seekers who arrived by boat - would be seeking assurance...

Summary: A federal court has ruled that a baby born in Australia to an asylum seeker is not entitled to a refugee visa.
###
Article: The proposals mean charges would be placed on 625 spaces in the area and restrictions placed on a further 741.
Reading Borough Council has spent four years designing the scheme "to relieve parking pressures at the hospital" and to make parking easier for residents.
The petition, set up by hospital staff, describes the scheme as "problematic".
The online petition opposes the introduction of pay and display meters for Addington Road, Erleigh Road and other roads around the hospital in Reading.
Clare Goulbourn-Lay, a Royal Berkshire Hospital midwife, set up the petition to express her concerns about the potential consequences of the scheme.
"By making changes to this road, you're not just making it difficult for the staff, you're making it difficult for the patients and pushing the problem further out," she said.
"With the university so close as well, there simply isn't enough parking space as it is. To add another restriction is just silly."
She has called for the scheme to be cancelled or redesigned to "help make spending time with loved ones easier" and to limit the "stress and anxiety" of staff and patients.
John Sharpe, who lives on Erleigh Road, has called the plans "divisive" and said he is concerned the restrictions will make parking pressures worse.
"I'm scared it will become impossible to live in the area," he added.
Reading Borough Council said "up to five years of public consultation had taken place on the principle of prioritising parking for residents in the area" and that further public input on the plans are being sought.
Residents have until 13 June to submit their views to the council.

Summary:


The TUC has said it will work with the Department for Education to install a temporary governing board.
The TUC has said it will work with the Department for Education to install a temporary governing board.
The TUC has said it will work with the Department for Education to install a temporary governing board.
The

Two schools at the centre of the Trojan Horse inquiry are to lose their government funding.

Article: Clothing sales suffered in April as unseasonably cold weather deterred shoppers from summer purchases.
Better weather in May sent clothing sales up 4.3% month-on-month - the biggest rise for more than two years.
The Office for National Statistics said the May increase was 6% higher than for the same month in 2015.
Analysts had expected retail volumes to increase by just 0.2% last month.
Scott Bowman, UK economist at Capital Economics, said: "It appears that Brexit concerns haven't been weighing on consumer spending. Looking ahead, we would expect retail spending to keep up a strong pace."
Average prices at stores, including petrol stations, fell by 2.8% year-on-year.
Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the slide in prices was the reason for the strong growth.
He said the fall in sterling over the past nine months meant retailers faced rising costs that they would soon pass on to consumers.
"Growth in retail sales volumes therefore is likely to slow markedly in the second half of this year, regardless of the referendum result," Mr Tombs added.
Online sales jumped by 6.4% compared with April and were 21.5% higher than May last year.
The ONS also revised up the rise for April from 1.3% to 1.9%, reflecting an unusually high amount of data received late from stores.
The three-month rate, which is less volatile than the monthly figures, rose to 1.5% from 0.9% in April.
"Even a significant fall in sales in June would see growth in the second quarter above the 1.3% rate experienced for the first quarter," Mr Bowman added.
Martin Beck, senior economic advisor to the EY ITEM Club, said the May rise in retail sales meant UK economic growth for the second quarter was "increasingly likely" to eclipse the 0.4% increase recorded for the first three months of the year.

Summary: Retail sales volumes rose by a much better than expected 0.9% in May, compared with the previous month, as UK consumers bought more clothing.
###
Article: With inflation outpacing the government's 1% limit on pay rises for state employees, real wages are being eroded, said the trades union body.
It said prison officers and paramedics were more than £3,800 a year poorer.
However, the chancellor has said state sector workers get a 10% "premium" over private sector counterparts.
The government has come under pressure since the election in June to alter its policy of limiting pay rises in the public sector.
"It's been seven long years of pay cuts for our public servants. And ministers still won't tell us if relief is on the way," TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said.
Inflation measured by the most commonly used method, CPI, which does not take housing costs into account, has picked up in recent months hitting 2.9% in May. According to the Bank of England it averaged 2.7% a year between 2010 and 2016.
The TUC calculates that if firefighters' wages had kept pace with inflation their average pay would be nearly £2,900 higher than it is. For nuclear engineers and teachers the figure is about £2,500.
On the BBC's Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Chancellor Philip Hammond said public sector pay had "raced ahead" of the private sector after the economic crash in 2008.
He added that when "very generous" public sector pension contributions were taken into account, public sector workers enjoyed a 10% "premium" over their private sector counterparts,
But Mr Hammond refused to comment on reports he had said at a meeting that public servants were "overpaid".
The average pay for an NHS paramedic is £35,577.
But if the paramedic's salary in 2010 had kept pace with inflation measured by CPI, by now he or she should be earning £39,435 - £3,888 more, says the TUC.
The TUC says if RPI (the inflation measure which does include housing costs) is used, the paramedic would need to earn £41,717 - £6,140 more -  to maintain their 2010 spending power.
The TUC's analysis suggests workers in different parts of the public sector are out of pocket in real terms to varying degrees (based on...

Summary: Firefighters, teachers and other public sector workers are thousands of pounds a year worse off than they were in 2010, the TUC has said.
###
Article: Birmingham academies Park View and Nansen Primary - rated inadequate by Ofsted - will have their funding agreements terminated.
Park View Educational Trust said it may be removed from running the schools.
Oldknow Academy and Golden Hillock School, also rated inadequate, were warned they could lose funding unless concerns were addressed.
A head teacher at one of the Trojan Horse schools said parents tried to undermine her authority and descended on the school during an Ofsted inspection.
The head teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said she heard parents speaking to an inspector about her.
She said she came close to quitting her job on a number of occasions but everything "fell into place" when news of the Trojan Horse letter broke.
"From 2012 I felt alone," she said.
"I did not know it was happening to other heads. If I had known, I could have rationalised it but at the time I felt embarrassed.
"I started thinking 'maybe it is me, maybe I'm doing something wrong.'"
On Monday, the watchdog published 21 reports into schools allegedly targeted as part of a hardline Muslim takeover.
Five of those schools, including Park View and Oldknow, were rated inadequate.
'Islamic-themed assemblies'
Birmingham City Council said it would work with Saltley School, the only local authority school placed in special measures, and the Department for Education to install a temporary governing board.
In a letter to Park View chairman Tahir Alam, education minister Lord Nash said there were "deep concerns" about the way Park View School was run.
The letter said: "I have decided under clause 5.6 of the supplementary funding agreement for the academy to give written notice of the Secretary of State's intention to terminate that agreement."
Lord Nash criticised the trust for failing to promote "spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils".
"I am deeply mindful of the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations," he said.
A similar letter about Nansen Primary School,...

Summary:


MSPs are to examine the payments received by election returning officers in Scotland.

Article: And yet, for women across France, it has huge importance: it is the moment they effectively stop being paid for 2016, thanks to the gender pay gap.
And this year, many were determined not to let it go unnoticed.
On Monday, French women were urged to quietly pack their bags and walk out of their offices at the appointed time to unite in their call for equal pay.
In France, the gap between men and women's average hourly wage was 15.1% in 2010, which, feminist group Les Glorieuses calculated, means a woman will work 38.2 days more than a man for the same salary. And that, they say, is not on.
Rebecca Amsellem, founder of Les Glorieuses, which launched the campaign, told the BBC: "To be really honest, I knew there was a huge difference between the pay - but I thought the difference would maybe be 10 working days, not a month-and-a-half."
Ms Amsellem had been inspired to do the maths after reading how Iceland, a country considered a world leader in gender equality, still has a pay gap of 14%.
For the last 11 years, women in Iceland have been walking out on 24 October at the time they should leave every day if they were to be paid the same hourly-rate as their male counterparts.
In that period in the Nordic country, the time has moved from 14:08 to 14:38.
If the pace continues, it will only take another 52 years for them to be able to leave at the same time as men - an unacceptable length of time, according to Gylfi Arnbjörnsson, president of the Icelandic Confederation of Labour.
He told Iceland's national broadcaster: "No-one puts up with waiting 50 years to reach a goal. It doesn't matter whether it's a gender pay gap or any other pay gap.
"It's just unacceptable to say we'll correct this in 50 years. That's a lifetime."
In France, it appears a parallel sense of injustice has inspired activists to adopt the symbolism of Iceland's precisely timed protests.
More than 10,000 women have indicated their interest in joining the movement on Facebook, and the hashtag "7novembre1634" has been trending in France, with...

Summary: It seems an insignificant time: 16:34 on Monday 7 November.
###
Article: Members of RMT will go on strike from 12 to 15 August, and 27 to 29 August during the bank holiday weekend.
TSSA staff plan to strike on 14 and 15 August, and 28 and 29 August.
Eurostar has made some modifications to its weekend timetable to ensure "all passengers will be able to travel", with eight services cancelled.
Eurostar said this represents just 4% of its services between Friday and Monday.
Two scheduled trains will not run on Friday. Services on Saturday will run as planned, and four services have been cancelled on Sunday and two on Monday.
A Eurostar spokesman said: "We are aware of the plans for strike action and our focus has been seeking a joint resolution whilst planning to provide a good service for our customers."
The cancelled services on Friday are the 08:04 service from London to Brussels, and the 12:52 departure from Brussels to London.
On Sunday the 14:13 and 16:43 trains from Paris to London and the 10:01 and 16:31 trains from London to Paris will not run.
On Saturday none have been cancelled, while on Monday the 07:55 train from London to Paris and the 08:43 train from Paris to London have been cancelled.
"We have made some small changes to our timetable with all passengers due to travel on affected trains notified in advance, to allow them to change their booking to another train on the same day," Eurostar said.
Eurostar runs services between London and mainland Europe, and the walkouts coincide with the Assumption Day holiday in France and Belgium on 15 August and the 29 August bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has said the actions "feel like an excuse to be militant".
But the RMT says the dispute concerned unsocial hours and duty rosters for about 80 train managers. It says Eurostar has failed to honour an agreement from 2008 over conditions for their staff.
General secretary Mick Cash said: "Our train manager members at Eurostar have a heavy commitment to shift work and unsocial hours and are sick and tired of the company's...

Summary: The first of four separate Eurostar strikes by staff from two unions gets under way on Friday but the impact on services is set to be limited.
###
Article: There have been calls for reform of the system, which often sees highly-paid council chiefs get extra payments of tens of thousands of pounds.
Holyrood's local government committee is to examine how the payments are made and how appropriate they are.
Convener Bob Doris said there was "understandable public concern" about the sums being paid out.
Returning officers have been in high demand in recent years, with Scotland going to the polls for five elections and referendums across three years.
It is estimated that almost Â£500,000 was shared between the 32 returning officers inside a matter of weeks in 2016, due to the Holyrood election and the EU referendum.
Mr Doris said the total sum may stretch to Â£1m over two years when the 2015 general election is taken into account.
The SNP MSP said: "The level of payment varies for different elections and different councils, and we're also aware some returning officers claim their payment, while others share payments with their staff. We want to find out more about how these payments operate, what their uptake is and whether they remain appropriate."
Returning officers are responsible for ensuring the smooth running of elections at a local, national and European level, as well as referendums. The role is often carried out by council chief executives on top of their normal duties.
MSPs will hear from electoral law experts and local government officials, trade unions and academics as well as returning officers across two meetings in November.

Summary:


The National Audit Office found the General Practice Extraction Service had cost Â£40m to set up instead of Â£14m.
The system was meant to make data from GP systems in England available to bodies across the health service.
But the system was meant to make data from GP systems in England

The security services could remotely take over children's toys and use them to spy on suspects, MPs have been told.

Article: Jack Lew was speaking at a meeting of the G20 group, which includes several of the world's largest economies.
Earlier this month, the European Central Bank introduced new measures to stimulate the area's flagging economy.
However it has stopped short of adopting the policies favoured by its US counterpart, the Federal Reserve.
As well as launching an asset purchase programme, through which it will buy debt products from banks, the ECB cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.05%.
The bank has been under pressure to kick-start the eurozone economy, as manufacturing output has slowed and inflation has fallen to just 0.3%.
"Europe is going to need to solve its problems and resolve differences it has internally," Mr Lew told reporters at the meeting in Australia, "but what's clear from the US experience is that the combination of taking action to boost demand in the short run and make structural changes for the long run is an important combination, and it shouldn't become a choice between the two.
"You really need to pursue both."
Mr Lew also expressed concern about the political tensions between European countries, and the effect this may have on pushing through urgent policies.
"The concern that I have is that if the efforts to boost demand are deferred for too long, there is a risk that the headwinds get stronger, and what I think Europe needs is more tailwinds in the economy," he cautioned.

Summary: The US Treasury Secretary has urged eurozone countries to "boost demand" in order to reduce unemployment and avoid deflation.
###
Article: The National Audit Office found the General Practice Extraction Service had cost Â£40m to set up instead of Â£14m.
The system was meant to make data from GP systems in England available to bodies across the health service.
But the system has provided information to just one organisation - NHS England.
The NAO said in its current form, it was "unlikely" the system could deliver what it was set up for.
The idea was to create a system that could help gather information from GP surgeries, such as the number of patients being diagnosed with dementia or getting immunised, to help with research and monitoring.
It also provides information to determine how much doctors are paid.
As well as finding that GPES had run over budget, the National Audit Office also said it was delivered late.
The original plan was for the service to be up and running by 2010, but in the end it was not until April last year that data was sent to the first customer, NHS England, which has since used it a number of times.
However, no universities, academics or other organisations have been given data, mainly because of the time taken to extract it.
A spokeswoman for the Health and Social Care Information Service, which runs the system, said: "It is clear the procurement and design stage was not good enough."
She said the organisation was in the process of improving the system.

Summary: A new GP IT system designed to improve quality and planning in the NHS in England has been criticised for running over budget and behind schedule, by a finance watchdog.
###
Article: The draft Investigatory Powers Bill would place a legal duty on internet providers to assist in hacking devices.
But it would not be restricted to phones and PCs, a tech industry chief told the Commons science and technology committee.
Antony Walker, of techUK, said anything that connected to the internet could "in theory" be hacked into.
In the future, this could include driverless cars or household appliances connected to the internet - the so-called Internet of Things - said Mr Walker.
He said the Home Office needed to spell out more clearly where it draws the line over what it calls "equipment interference", highlighting recent concerns about "smart toys" that connect to the internet and have microphones and cameras built-in.
"A range of devices that have been in the news recently, in relation to a hack, are children's toys, that children can interact with," he told the committee.
"These are devices that may sit in a child's bedroom but are accessible.
"In theory, the manufacturer of those products could be the subject of a warrant to enable equipment interference with those devices.
"So the potential extent, I think, is something that needs to be carefully considered."
In November, electronic toy company Vtech had its app store database hacked, allegedly resulting in the appearance online of personal data including children's names, dates of birth and gender.
Talking dolls, such as Hello Barbie and My Friend Cayla, have also been put under scrutiny by security experts in recent months.
Barbie manufacturer Mattel reportedly made modifications to Hello Barbie, which allows children to talk to the doll over a cloud server connection, after concerns were raised about cyber attackers potentially stealing data through it.
The police, security services, HM Revenue and Customs and other law enforcement agencies can already hack into devices provided they get a warrant.
This allows them to download the contents of computers or smartphones, track locations, listen to calls, or even switch on microphones and...

Summary:


The Chilean government has been trying to get the government to act on the issue of the ban, but the government has been trying to get the government to act on the issue of the ban.
The Chilean government has been trying to get the government to act on the issue of the ban, but the government has been trying

A Fifa official who assessed bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups has had his ban from football cut to two years.

Article: The UK government recently announced changes to the way onshore wind energy schemes are supported.
Critics fear this could lead to some proposed schemes getting the axe.
Industry body Scottish Renewables said five Scottish councils could lose out on income if developments they have invested in do not go ahead.
The UK government announced last month that new onshore wind farms would be excluded from a subsidy scheme from 1 April 2016 -  a year earlier than expected.
But there will be a grace period for projects which already have planning permission.
Energy firms had already been facing an end to subsidies in 2017.
The funding for the subsidy comes from the Renewables Obligation, which is funded by levies added to household fuel bills.
Making the announcement, UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary Amber Rudd said: "We are driving forward our commitment to end new onshore wind subsidies and give local communities the final say over any new wind farms.
"Onshore wind is an important part of our energy mix and we now have enough subsidised projects in the pipeline to meet our renewable energy commitments.
The Scottish government condemned the move.
Scottish Renewables, which promotes the industry, said five councils, had already invested more than £650,000 in site investigation and pre-planning work on publicly-owned wind farm projects.
Glasgow is one of the five local authorities. The other four were not identified in the survey.
The wind farms, if they go ahead, would bring in revenue to the councils over the next two decades.
The planned UK government changes mean many schemes could face delays or cancellation.
The survey - carried out by the Association for Public Service Excellence for industry body Scottish Renewables -  also found that 30 jobs would be at risk if projects were scrapped.
Joss Blamire, senior policy manager at Scottish Renewables, said: "Given the pressures on local authority budgets, many have looked elsewhere for income.
"Renewables not only allow Scotland's cities and towns do their bit...

Summary: Scottish councils may lose out on more than £44m of income over the next 20 years if changes are made to wind farm subsidies, according to a trade body.
###
Article: BlueBox Labs said it was particularly concerning as phone and tablet owners did not need to grant the malware special permissions for it to act.
The company added it had alerted Google to the problem in advance to allow it to mend its operating system.
Google confirmed it had created a fix.
"We appreciate BlueBox responsibly reporting this vulnerability to us. Third-party research is one of the ways Android is made stronger for users," said a spokeswoman.
"After receiving word of this vulnerability, we quickly issued a patch that was distributed to Android partners, as well as to the Android Open Source Project."
However, the many thousands of devices still running versions of the operating system ranging from Android 2.1 to Android 4.3 have not been sent the fix by relevant network operators and manufacturers remain vulnerable if they download apps from outside the Google Play store.
BlueBox has dubbed the vulnerability Fake ID, because it exploits a problem with the way Android handles the digital IDs - known as certification signatures - used to verify that certain apps are what they appear to be.
The issue is that while Android checks an app has the right ID before granting it special privileges, it fails to double-check that the certification signature involved was properly issued and not forged.
Jeff Forristal, chief technology officer of BlueBox, likened the issue to a tradesman arriving at a building, presenting his ID to a security guard and being given special access to its infrastructure without a phone call being made to the tradesman's employer to check he is really on its books.
"That missing link of confirmation is really where this problem stems," he told the BBC.
"The fundamental problem is simply that Android doesn't verify any claims regarding if one identity is related to another identity."
To make matters worse, he added, a single app can carry several fake identities at once, allowing it to carry out multiple attacks.
Mr Forristal gave three examples of how a faked certification...

Summary: An Android flaw has been uncovered that lets malware insert malicious code into other apps, gain access to the user's credit card data and take control of the device's settings.
###
Article: Former Chilean Football Association president Harold Mayne-Nicholls, 56, was one of five senior officials Fifa said were being investigated.
Mayne-Nicholls has served the suspension because the initial seven-year ban was issued in 2015.
He admitted speaking to officials from Qatar's bid about work placements for relatives at the Aspire youth academy.
Fifa's ethics committee felt those conversations provided "cause enough to doubt the integrity of the inspection process", according to leaked emails between a committee member and Mayne-Nicholls.
The Chilean's ban was initially reduced on appeal to three years, but on Friday it was further cut to two by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Mayne-Nicholls chaired Fifa's bid evaluation group for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.
In his 2010 report to Fifa, Mayne-Nicholls expressed serious concerns about conditions in Qatar, where summer temperatures can reach 50C.
Mayne-Nicholls was one of several senior Fifa officials to call for an independent report into the award process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be published in full.

Summary: