Members of Australia's Olympic swimming team said they used the sleeping medication Stilnox during a "bonding" session before the Games last year.

Article: The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed the annual rate of sales growth slowed to 4.0% last month from 4.7% in May.
That was the slowest annual growth rate since September 2014, and was below analysts' forecasts.
However, the ONS said the annual growth rate was still "strong".
Sales volumes in the April-to-June quarter were up 0.7% from the previous quarter.
The value of online sales in June increased by 1.4% compared with May and accounted for 12.4% of all retail sales.
Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist for IHS Global Insight, said June's sales data was "a little disappointing" but added that the figures were "not a body blow to improved second quarter growth hopes".
He noted that retail sales volumes "still rose by a decent 0.7%" in the second quarter, suggesting consumer spending made "a healthy contribution to GDP growth".
Many analysts have been expecting retail sales to do well, with recent statistics showing wage increases are picking up while inflation remains near zero.
The ONS said average store prices were 2.9% lower in June compared with the same month a year earlier.
Ross Walker, senior UK economist at RBS, argued that sales volumes were being "flattered" by low inflation, and that sales values data painted "a much more subdued picture".
The value of sales in the second quarter rose 0.7% from the previous three months, and rose 1.3% from the second quarter of 2014.
"We are not suggesting that UK consumer demand is weak... merely that there is little evidence of demand accelerating to above-trend rates," said Mr Walker.
In the past week, the Bank of England governor Mark Carney has hinted that UK interest rates could rise "at the turn of this year", while minutes from the last meeting of Bank rate-setters suggested some members were close to voting for a rate rise.
However, Chris Williamson, chief economist at research firm Markit, said the dip in June's sales volumes and the fall in prices would strengthen the arguments for those arguing against a rate...

Summary: UK retail sales volumes fell unexpectedly by 0.2% in June, after consumers bought fewer household goods, and less food and petrol.
###
Article: The results for Highland Council have seen the first Conservatives to be elected in 22 years, with six so far in wards in and around Inverness.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has said her party has won its first ever seat in the Western Isles.
Ranald Fraser is among the newly-elected councillors to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
The comhairle's count in Stornoway on Lewis, which has finished, has seen none of the women among the candidates elected.
Independents have dominated the Western Isles election, as they have done previously, with 23 Independent candidates being elected, followed by seven SNP, one Conservative and no Labour councillors.
Labour had three candidates elected at the last vote in 2012.
Paramedics were called to the Stornoway count after veteran SNP figure and Barra and South Uist candidate Donald Manford fell ill.
No details were available on his condition. Mr Manford is a well known figure in Western Isles politics and has been re-elected as a councillor.
In the Highlands, the five Conservatives councillors are in the wards of Inverness Ness-side, Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness Millburn, Nairn and Cawdor, Inverness South and Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh.
The results from Highland Council's count have also seen the re-election of veteran figures.
They include the council's former leader, Independent councillor Margaret Davidson, the SNP group's leader before the election Maxine Smith, former Inverness provost Helen Carmichael and long-time Labour councillor Jimmy Gray and Lib Dem Jamie Stone.

Summary: The Scottish Conservatives have made historic gains in the Highlands and the Western Isles.
###
Article: The six male athletes also said they engaged in disruptive behaviour.
The admission follows a report that assessed Australia's poor swimming performance at the London 2012 Games which pointed to a "toxic" team culture.
Swimming Australia said the swimmers will face an inquiry panel.
Stilnox, used to treat insomnia, is not considered a performance enhancer and is not a banned substance, but the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) put it on the prohibited list ahead of the Games.
In their statement, the six members of the men's 4x100 freestyle relay team said the prescriptions "were filled in Australia before their departure to their staging camp in Spain and prior to the AOC's announcement the drug was (prohibited)".
But they "acknowledge that at the time Stilnox was consumed it had been recently prohibited for use".
"We stand here collectively to confirm that we did take part in a bonding exercise during which members of the relay team took Stilnox," the six swimmers said.
"We acknowledge by our recent action in continuing a recent tradition in the Australia swim team, we have let ourselves down and the people who have supported us."
All but one team member took the medication, they said. Then they engaged in pranks they described as "childish" and "stupid", such as knocking on the doors of other athletes and making phone calls. They said they were asleep by 22:30.
"I think one of the reasons I agreed to go along with it was all the pressure I was under," one of the swimmers, James Magnussen, said. "Completely inappropriate in hindsight."
The relay team, nicknamed Weapons of Mass Destruction before the Olympics, came in fourth in the event, in which they had been expected to deliver a medal.
Magnussen, a favourite to win the men's 100 metres freestyle, won a silver.
Their admission follows the release of a review of the sport after the country's worst Olympic swimming performance in two decades.
It found that amid a lack of leadership a "toxic" team culture developed that led to bullying and misuse of...

Summary:


The new rules will be introduced in the next few months, with the new rules being introduced in the next few months.

Companies must prepare for new tougher EU rules on data protection, or face big fines, PwC has warned.

Article: About 70 people attended the meeting at Kesgrave Town Council on Monday night.
On Thursday evening residents blocked green spaces with wheelie bins and cars amid reports of more travellers descending on the town, after 13 caravans arrived last month.
The Gypsy Council called the blockades "pathetic" and "shameful".
Caravans were already in Kesgrave when rumours on social media last week suggested 100 more travellers were set to join an unauthorised camp at Grange Farm.
It led to dozens of people blockading parks, verges and gardens, with agricultural machinery also used to block off an access road.
But despite the reports, just five children and their families attended Holy Family Church for a normal daily Mass on Friday morning.
The travellers at the site are expected to leave soon, but if they do not go, the local council is due to attend another court hearing later to get them evicted.
After the meeting, one resident told the BBC: "The police have got no intention of moving them on. It's like they're scared of them, it's just a big joke really.
Suffolk Coastal District Council leader Ray Herring, who oversaw the meeting, said: "When the last caravan goes we will put in a team to clean up the site and put some temporary measures in to restrict travellers returning."
Speaking about last week's blockades, Candy Sheridan from the Gypsy Council said it was "pathetic" and "un-Christian" when people had travelled miles to celebrate a first communion for the children.
There are 185 authorised travellers pitches in Suffolk, but none in the Suffolk Coastal area.

Summary: A meeting to discuss travellers in a Suffolk town had to be held in a car park because so many residents turned up.
###
Article: Now 89% of the population of the world have access to improved water supplies, up from 76% in the base year of 1990.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon hailed the achievement of halving the number of people without access to improved drinking water.
He said it was thanks to people who had seen it not as a dream, but a vital step to improve health and well-being.
Improvement to clean water supplies has not been even: 40% of those still without access to improved drinking water live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Worldwide, almost 800 million people still drink dirty water. But in the past 20 years, two billion people have gained access to improved drinking water.
While this was the first significant Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to be reached, the charity Water Aid says that the other part of the target, for safe sanitation, is more off track than any other MDG.
The biggest challenge for this target is in India, where more than half of the population, 626 million people, do not have access to a toilet.
The other MDGs, including those on reducing poverty and improving access to education, are unlikely to be hit by 2015. The global economic downturn and greater pressure from increased population have pushed success even further out of reach.

Summary: The Millennium Development Goal for access to clean water has been reached, ahead of the target date of 2015.
###
Article: The financial services firm said new rules, coming into effect next May, could see fines soar to 20m euros (£17.4m) or more.
Fines for data breaches had already risen, from 18 in 2015, to 35 in 2016, amounting to £3.2m in total, said PwC.
There were also 23 enforcement notices, where organisations were required to improve compliance - a 155% increase.
According to PwC's research, the UK is one of the most active places in Europe for regulatory enforcement in this area, along with Italy.
Penalties issued by the UK Information Commissioner's Office in 2016 included a record £400,000 fine for telecoms firm TalkTalk over security failings that allowed a cyber attacker to access customer data "with ease".
In 2015 the online pharmacy Pharmacy 2U was also told to pay £130,000 after it sold details of more than 20,000 customers to marketing companies without their consent.
However, PwC said that when the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) becomes law across the EU next May, firms would face much tougher obligations and penalties.
In particular, the Information Commissioner's Office will be able to issue fines of up to 4% of global turnover, or 20m euros - whichever is highest. The regulator can only issues fines of up to £500,000 at present.
"UK organisations must use the remaining time to prepare for GDPR compliance before May next year," said Stewart Room, an expert in global cybersecurity and data protection at PwC.
The UK is due to adopt the new rules before it leaves the EU, but PwC said it was unlikely to water down the protections after it left the union.

Summary:

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The Crown Estate said that the UK's offshore wind power was "critical" for the UK to unlock its potential for wave and tidal energy.
The UK's offshore wind power is a key component of the UK's offshore wind power.
The UK's offshore wind power is a key component of the UK's offshore wind

Sites for testing wave and tidal energy off the west coast of Anglesey and south Pembrokeshire have been approved.

Article: Once they had done their work, you might go as far as to replace some of the furniture nibbled by the rodents but you probably wouldn't replace every single item they had touched.
Yet that was the approach taken by the New York Times when it cleaned house after its internal network was infested by a more modern nuisance - computer hackers.
Every device, be it a laptop or chunk of network hardware, known or thought to have been compromised by the Chinese hackers was thrown out and replaced with a shiny, and more importantly, clean machine.
The newspaper wanted to be sure that no trace of the hackers remained.
In addition, the NYT beefed up its defences, blocked access from other compromised machines that had been used to get into its network and found and removed every back door into the newspaper's network.
The decision to replace computers was motivated by the all-encompassing access that the attackers had to the NYT network. In an article detailing the attack, the NYT said the Chinese attackers had access for at least four months.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security company Sophos, which often helps companies cope with intrusions by hackers, said replacing all those machines was "a bit extreme".
"Normally, the most extreme measure is to reformat drives or completely wipe them but even that would be a bit of a sledgehammer," he said.
Reformatting and wiping drives was sufficient to defeat even those malicious programs that buried themselves deep in the heart of the Windows operating system, he said.
"Usually they would put a clean Windows installation on there rather than chuck out the hardware," he added.
Mr Cluley speculated that the NYT threw out the machines to reassure partners, employees and others that the intrusion had been dealt with.
The lingering problem, he said, was that the NYT was still not sure how its attackers won access to its network.
The NYT suspects a so-called "spear phishing" attack that sent targeted, booby-trapped messages to a few key individuals. After they had...

Summary: If your house was infested with mice, the chances are that you would call a pest control firm to get rid of them.
###
Article: Police said the shooting happened at Irving Plaza, near Union Square, Manhattan, where hip-hop artist TI was due to perform on Wednesday evening.
No-one has been arrested and the motive for the shooting is unclear.
Witnesses reported panic inside the concert hall when the shots rang out. Police have sealed off the area around the venue.
The victims were three men, one of whom died, and a woman, the New York Times reported.
TI, whose real name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr, was not on stage at the time. His representatives have not yet commented on the incident.

Summary: One person has been killed and three others wounded in a shooting at a music venue in New York.
###
Article: The Crown Estate said that leasing the sites for technology development was "critical" for the UK to unlock the potential of wave and tidal energy.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said the benefits could be significant in terms of the economy and renewable energy.
Wales's first commercial tidal energy farm is due to launch off Anglesey in summer 2016.
Its electricity generators will operate like wind turbines but with blades driven by tidal wave action.
Menter Mon and Wave Hub were confirmed by the Crown Estate as managers for the west Anglesey tidal and south Pembrokeshire wave demonstration zones respectively.
They will prepare and manage the sites for sub-letting to developers.
In addition, development rights for a tidal site off Holyhead Deep have been granted to Minesto.
Rob Hastings, director of energy and infrastructure at the Crown Estate said: "By providing these additional seabed rights we are pleased to be enabling further technology development and commercialisation, which will be critical if the UK is to unlock its significant natural resources for wave and tidal current energy.
"This innovative approach to leasing the seabed sees us responding to market demand and introducing managed demonstration zones to give other organisations the opportunity to lend tangible support in their local areas."
First Minster Carwyn Jones said: "The energetic waters off our coast are ideal for marine renewable energy projects.
"Our ports, supply-chain infrastructure and grid infrastructure also put us in an enviable position for developing a thriving marine energy market, both as a significant generator and as an exporter of marine energy knowledge, technologies and services."
Gareth Clubb, director of Friends of the Earth Cymru said: "To having testing sites approved for marine renewable energy is a significant step forward."

Summary:


The PDP's victory in the first round of the elections was a major blow to the party's political fortunes.
The PDP's victory in the second round of the elections was a major blow to the party's political fortunes.
The PDP's victory in the third round of the elections was a major blow

The party of Nigeria's incoming president has won a landslide in elections for powerful state governors, ending the former ruling party's dominance.

Article: Leonard Scollay, 40, died after the Diamond hit rocks and sank near Burrafirth harbour on 25 March 2014.
At Lerwick Sheriff Court, Christopher Smith, 39, also admitted neglecting to keep a proper lookout.
Sheriff Philip Mann acknowledged that Smith was "truly remorseful" over the death of a friend.
It was Mr Scollay's first voyage to sea and he had not had any sea survival training. He was not wearing a life jacket.
A previous Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report said both the skipper and Mr Scollay had taken drugs.
It said their ability to function had been significantly impaired as a result.
The MAIB report, released last year, said: "The skipper employed Leonard without ensuring that he was appropriately trained.
"It is likely that Leonard Scollay would have survived had he been wearing a lifejacket.
"However, he had taken heroin before the accident and this would have impaired his ability to survive or to appreciate his predicament."
Defence agent Martin Morrow said it was "unquestionably difficult" for the court.
Sheriff Mann said that Smith had pleaded guilty to a "very serious charge" of failing to keep a proper lookout.
"Unfortunately Mr Scollay lost his life; you fortunately survived," the sheriff said.
He said no sentence he could impose would "bring Mr Scollay back or lessen the grief" felt by his family, but by passing sentence he was "not engaged in trying to place a value on Mr Scollay's life" as that would be impossible.
Smith's six-month jail term was reduced from nine months to reflect his guilty plea.

Summary: The master of a Shetland boat that sank has been jailed for six months after he admitted failing to preserve a crewman's life.
###
Article: The panda, born on Friday at the Smithsonian National Zoo, weighs 4.8oz (136g), has a steady heartbeat, functioning lungs and digests food.
But a second cub was stillborn. Mother Mei Xiang has one other surviving cub, born in 2005.
Pandas are critically endangered and are difficult to breed. A cub born last year in Washington died after six days.
"All the external features looked perfectly normal, so the cub has been described as vibrant, healthy and active," zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson told the Associated Press news agency. "This is joyful news."
The baby panda is pink with white fur and has not opened its eyes yet.
Veterinarians took a DNA sample from the cub to establish its paternity.
Mei Xiang had been artificially inseminated with sperm from Tian Tian, the male panda at the same Washington zoo, and a panda from the San Diego Zoo called Gao Gao.
Zoo keepers are expected to try to examine the cub again on Tuesday. Its gender may not be known for two to three weeks.

Summary: A giant panda cub born at a Washington DC zoo is in "excellent" health, zoo keepers said after its first check-up.
###
Article: The All Progressives Congress (APC) won 19 of the 28 governor posts in results declared from Saturday's elections.
It is the biggest defeat for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since military ruled ended in 1999.
It lost the presidential poll last month for the first time.
APC leader Muhammadu Buhari will be inaugurated on 29 May, after he defeated President Goodluck Jonathan.
The PDP's decline has been reinforced by results from Saturday's elections for governors and state assemblies, reports the BBC's Bashir Saad Abdullahi from the capital, Abuja.
The party lost for the first time in key northern states like Katsina and Kaduna, the home of outgoing Vice-President Namadi Sambo.
It also lost control of Adamawa, one of three states badly hit by militant Islamist group Boko Haram's insurgency.
However, the party managed to hold on to Rivers State, Nigeria's oil hub.
The PDP won eight governorships, mostly in the south-east.
Taraba is the only result still outstanding, while the election in Imo state was declared inconclusive, because the number of spoilt ballot papers was larger than the margin of victory.
Elections were not held in seven states.
Analysis: Chris Ewokor, BBC Africa, Abuja
The APC has made historic gains, relegating the once-powerful PDP to a regional party. The PDP failed to get a national spread of votes, doing well only in the south-east and the oil-rich Niger Delta. Most states in the north went to the APC, along with Nigeria's commercial hub, Lagos, in the south-west.
However, the APC failed to win in any of Nigeria's five oil-producing states. This will be of huge concern to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, as militant groups could disrupt oil production and starve the federal government of much-needed oil revenue.  It is unlikely that the PDP governors in the five states would help Gen Buhari rein in the militants.
In parts of the country, the elections were marred by violence due to stiff rivalry, and the battle for power and money. Ethnic differences also fuelled the conflict in some...

Summary:


The report says the report is "not a new one" and that it is "not a new one".
The report says it is "not a new one" and that it is "not a new one".
The report says it is "not a new one" and that it is "not a new

A consumer group has revealed its latest list of shrinking supermarket items that still cost the same, or more.

Article: TLP's Â£1bn project aims to pioneer the technology with Swansea becoming the first of six lagoons around Britain.
But now Ecotricity, one of the first green energy companies in the UK, said it is working on proposals to generate electricity through tidal energy.
In a letter sent to the UK government, it claimed Swansea could be the wrong place for such a project.
Ecotricity claims it can generate tidal energy at a lower price and financed over a shorter time than TLP.
The company's founder Dale Vince said the technology used to build the "sea walls" in Swansea was hundreds of years old and offered "no technological advance".
In the letter sent in January, he said: "Our analysis suggests that Swansea Bay is simply the wrong sized project in the wrong place and it is these constraints that are at the root of its very high cost of energy."
Ecotricity, based in Stroud in Gloucestershire, told BBC Wales it wrote to the UK government before it announced a review two weeks ago into the sector.
It believes tidal power can work at a lower price than the Â£168 per megawatt hour (MWh) across 35 years that is being discussed for Swansea Bay.
Founder Dale Vince said: "We were concerned that the UK government was being pushed into paying too high a price for tidal energy through the Swansea Bay scheme.
"That would be bad for renewable energy generally because it would reinforce the myth that green energy is expensive, and bad for tidal power specifically because it may never get off the ground."
Tidal Lagoon Power is now talking with the UK government about a lower price for their electricity generation over a longer, 90 year time frame, for Swansea.
But Ecotricity said it believes that price is too still too high.
The company will not say which sites it is looking at - including whether they would include Swansea - but acknowledges that the tidal range of the Severn Estuary is very attractive.
It will make a further announcement in the summer.
The review by the UK government - which is seeking "clarity" about the...

Summary: A competitor has emerged to challenge Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) as the first to develop tidal energy in the UK.
###
Article: Stormont's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says NI doctors tend to prescribe more expensive branded medicines.
It says costs for prescription drugs in the rest of the UK have fallen, but those in NI have increased.
An estimated £73m could have been saved if NI GPs prescribed medicines in line with colleagues in Wales, it said.
The report also said around £54m could be generated if average prescribing costs were reduced by 10%.
The PAC says GPs have gone some way to achieve savings in the past four years, but they had little incentive to consider costs as they fell to the Health and Social Care Board.
The committee has criticised the Department of Health for "refusing to accept" that it was possible to do cost comparisons with England, Scotland and Wales for drug costs, describing this as "disheartening".
It also says it is unacceptable that the department has failed to reach agreement with pharmacists on a revised contract for payments.
If this had been done, more than £45m would have been released for patient services, says the PAC.
It believes the system for reimbursing pharmacists is vulnerable to fraud, with the risk of cheaper generic drugs being dispensed when a doctor has actually prescribed a more expensive medicine.
The PAC says the department's decision not to use devolved powers to get information from medicines contractors is "flawed" and a solution should be reached urgently.
Primary care prescribing costs in Northern Ireland are £460m a year - around 10% of all health and social care expenditure.
Health Minister Jim Wells said his department would consider the PAC's findings in the context of "ongoing efforts to ensure that proper procedures continue to be applied to the management of public funds and in delivering improved health and social care".
"Making comparisons with different jurisdictions is not always straightforward and whilst I acknowledge that the report has identified that further efficiencies may be possible, I welcome the Audit Office's acknowledgement that through the efforts of...

Summary: Tens of millions of pounds could have been saved if Northern Ireland GPs had prescribed lower cost drugs, according to a new report.
###
Article: Toilet roll, chocolate biscuits, orange juice and antibacterial wipes were all on the list of shrinking items reported by Which?.
The consumer group argued that making products smaller was a "sneaky way" of increasing prices.
It is further evidence of a trend towards shrinking products.
In January Unilever revealed that a number of ice creams it makes would be getting smaller.
The latest list from Which? includes:
Most brands, responding to the Which? research, said it was up to supermarkets to set the price. However, they would not disclose if they had charged the stores a lower wholesale price.
"Shrinking products can be a sneaky way of increasing prices. We want manufacturers and supermarkets to be upfront about shrinking products so consumers are not misled," said Which? editor Richard Headland.

Summary:


The Chinese government has been trying to make sure that the Chinese government is not competing with its own products in the China market.
The Chinese government has been trying to make sure that the Chinese government is not competing with its own products in the China market.
The Chinese government has been trying to make sure that the Chinese

When Lego originally decided not to sell the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei bricks with which to make a political statement, it really thought it was doing the right thing.

Article: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) also said in the last quarter of 2015 more first-time buyers purchased properties in the region than at any time since 2006.
The organisation publishes data on behalf of banks and building societies.
It said 3,700 mortgages worth £380m were taken out in 2015's final quarter.
That is a rise of 3% on the same quarter in 2014 and 6% on the previous quarter, with first time buyers accounting for 2,100 of the loans.
Derek Wilson, the CML's Northern Ireland chair, said: "Home lending in Northern Ireland for the quarter rose to its highest level since mid-2007.
"It is welcome to see more first-time buyers purchasing their first home in this period than any other quarter since 2006."
The CML is forecasting the "upward trend" to continue in 2016, despite issues around a supply of new properties.
Meanwhile, the latest property survey by the University of Ulster has said 2015 saw the strongest year for price growth since the 2008 crash.
Average prices are up by 9% on 2014, "indicating that strong market conditions are prevailing."
Property prices are 40% below what they were at the peak of the market in late 2007.

Summary: Mortgage lending in Northern Ireland has hit its highest level since the property market was heading for its peak in 2007, according to new data.
###
Article: Stuart Howatson used his fake position to agree to buy high-value security systems and get hotel accommodation.
Howatson, of Warwickshire, was jailed in 2010 for claiming to be a protection officer to the Queen, has admitted 12 counts of fraud and theft.
He is in a "troubled and anxious" state, Warwick Crown Court heard.
More on this story and others from Warwickshire.
Howatson, 37, of Fisher Road, Bishops Itchington, claimed he was the chief operations officer of the Mercedes F1 team to agree to buy security systems worth $1.1m, Â£224,000 and 23,904 Euros, the court heard.
He also got food and accommodation worth almost Â£2,800 at hotels in Kidderminster, Worcestershire and Leamington Spa, between January and September 2014, prosecutors said.
Judge Alan Parker was told Howatson was admitted to hospital after being bailed by the court on Thursday because there was insufficient time to deal with his case.
His sentencing is now due to take place next Friday.
Howatson, then living in Bewdley, Worcestershire, was jailed in 2010 for 20 months, after claiming he was a member of the Metropolitan Police and had served as an armed officer, dog handler and protection officer to the Queen. He had even misled his wife about his job.
Sentencing him over those offences, the judge at Hereford Crown Court described him as "a common trickster and conman".

Summary: A conman once jailed for posing as a royal protection police officer has failed to turn up for sentencing in court after claiming he was an F1 boss.
###
Article: Its ethical policy states that any artwork using Lego products should not "contain any political, religious, racist, obscene or defaming statements".
However, the Danish company was widely attacked by commentators and accused of not wishing to annoy the Chinese government, which Ai regularly criticises.
Lego has now relented and on Wednesday announced that it had changed its policy.
It will no longer ask customers what they want to use the bricks for, but requests that they make clear that the company does not support or endorse their projects, if exhibited in public.
But should a business be picky about whom it sells to?
The problem is that selling as much as you can to anyone and everyone can have unintended consequences.
Some customers can turn into your competitors.
LVMH, which owns luxury brands from Christian Dior clothing to Dom Perignon champagne, has had its Chinese business undermined by bulk sales ferried into the country by so-called "daigou" agents.
Taxes and currency differences make luxury goods far more expensive in China. Some analysts estimated that by mid-2015, Chinese prices were 60% higher than those in Europe.
The daigou agents, many of them students making extra cash to finance their overseas studies, buy up luxury products in bulk in Europe and Hong Kong and sell them on at home. It is sometimes known as parallel trading.
So LVMH started to watch its customers more closely.
Speaking on a conference call earlier last year, Jean-Jacques Guiony, chief financial officer at LVMH, said: "We've placed strict retail restrictions for the amount of products that people can buy.
"But, when you see someone in a store, you don't know whether they are buying handbags for themselves or to sell them on to the market in China. We are trying to make sure we are not competing with our own products in the China market, but our actions are not entirely bullet-proof."
Other companies have found it easier to try to equalise prices. The fashion house Chanel raised its European prices by 20% and cut them in...

Summary:


The world's largest swimming pool in the world, the Exmouth Christmas Day, is set to be the world's largest in the world.
The Exmouth Christmas Day is the world's largest in the world, with more than 1,000 people taking part.
The Exmouth Christmas Day is the world's largest

Christmas swims are expected to attract bumper numbers this year due to milder winter weather and growing popularity for the craze.

Article: All too often here, when the land is baked dry, the winds can strip away an inch of precious topsoil in as little as 24 hours, soil that has taken centuries to form.
In the course of the most arid years, each acre of farmland can lose up to 70 tons of soil and then, wherever the dust is dumped, it can smother the crops it lands on.
In the Oklahoma Panhandle, the most remote area of the state, recent rainfall has been so meagre that fears have been kindled of a return to the apocalyptic "Dust Bowl" scenes of the 1930s.
Back then, agriculture collapsed and thousands of people left.
A survivor of the 1930s, 101-year-old Millard Fowler, who recalls sheltering from the "rolling black clouds" of the Dust Bowl, has seen similar conditions this year.
"Somebody asked me the other day if dust storms would happen again and I said 'they already have' - we've had some pretty good dust storms this spring," he said.
One of the worst was filmed by a local woman, LeLayne Tapp, and the video showed dust engulfing the community of Boise City, turning the sunlight orange and making roads impassable.
A farmer, JB Stewart, surveying one of his ruined wheat fields, told me that he had seen many droughts in his lifetime but the current one was "insane" because it has lasted so long.
"I've seen droughts over 50 years but nothing as devastating as what we've had in the last two to three years - I've never heard of anything like what we've had," he said.
His son Jarod, the fifth generation of the family to farm this land, said: "We've lost the crop and we've now got to figure out how to stop the soil from blowing.
"I'd compare it to the death of a loved one - you nurture this crop and invest in it and then you watch that crop die, it's devastating."
Across many parts of the state, the drought is acknowledged to have started three-and-a-half years ago with between 30-50 inches less rainfall than on average over that time.
Gary McManus, the Oklahoma State Climatologist, told the BBC: "The drought right now is the worst in decades...

Summary: A menacing cloud of dust swirling above a parched field in Oklahoma is a disturbing reminder of the power of drought.
###
Article: Yet for supermarket chain Sainsbury's could it actually prove true?
Its original declaration of interest in Argos and Homebase owner Home Retail Group stunned the City, with many retail experts and investors questioning the logic of such a deal.
But Sainsbury's, which has already been trialling Argos concessions in 10 of its stores, has now offered £1.3bn to win control of Home Retail Group.
It argues buying the group would help it to boost sales growth, improve its delivery networks, and mean they could sell their products to each other's customers.
The supermarket says the leases of around half of Argos' 734 stores across the UK are due for renewal over the next four to five years, and it is believed to have identified between 150 and 200 stores which it could shut and move into a nearby Sainsbury's store.
But analysts have suggested the greatest prize of all could be Argos' delivery network. The chain may be best known for its hefty, encyclopedia-like catalogues - the basis of many a child's Christmas wishlist - but it has been steadily replacing the ring-bound catalogues and iconic blue pens with iPad-style terminals.
The shift is part of Argos' mission announced in late-2012 to reinvent itself as "a digital retail leader".
Order something from Argos before 6pm and you can have it by 10pm that same day any day of the week, for £3.95.
It's basically an "Amazon with stores" as investment bank Morgan Stanley puts it.
James Walton, chief economist at food and grocery research charity IGD, says for that reason Sainsbury's move may just make sense because it will help it to fulfil the "I want it now" demand from shoppers, what he calls "the fast order fulfilment service aspect of online".
"It was one of those announcements that you thought afterwards 'of course that's going to happen'," he says.
"It's all about serving the customer where they want it, when they want. Shopping your way anyway without any compromise. It's a huge logistical challenge which raises the bar as far as shoppers are concerned," he...

Summary: "The laminated book of dreams," was how comedian Bill Bailey once jokingly described the plastic-coated Argos catalogue.
###
Article: Interest and participation has increased hugely in recent years across the country, according to the Outdoor Swimming Society.
Eighty outdoor swims are being held over the 2015 season, with most taking place on Christmas or Boxing Day.
Safety advice has been issued by the society for the first time.
Spokesman Will Cairns said it was expecting more people to take part this year in the sea, rivers and lidos.
"What's interesting this year is the temperature of the water.
"It's three to four degrees higher in certain places than it was this time last year. Temperature does play a part."
He said overall membership numbers increased from 15,000 last year to 25,000 this year and that 40% of members now actively swim throughout the winter.
"The Christmas swims very much appeal to the British psyche of doing something different, something slightly weird and wonderful," he said.
- Do not take part if you are pregnant, suffer from asthma or have a heart condition.
- Get warm before the swim and remove your warm clothing at the last minute.
- Go in feet first, not head first, and control your breathing before immersing your shoulders.
- Have low expectations of how long you will be in for or how far you will go
- Dry off and put on layers within ten minutes of getting out
Charlie Hoskin, 33, from Cornwall, described herself as a "granite-fleshed cold-water bathing enthusiast" who always swims in the sea at Christmas.
"The sensation is truly electrifying. It is a great way to test your constitution and boost your immune system," she said.
Daniel Fox has been photographing the Exmouth Christmas Day swim since 2007.
"Its getting massively busy now and the atmosphere is amazing. Costumes are getting wilder and there are more and more people taking part," he said.
"There are about 1,000 swimmers, thousands of spectators and tens of thousands watch by webcam too so we have a worldwide audience".
Brian Thomas from the Serpentine Swimming Club in London said: "We have seen a huge growth in numbers over the past five years".
He...

Summary:


The families of 11 men who died in the Shoreham air crash will hear the reflections of emergency workers who dealt with the disaster at a service.

Article: Playing in only his ninth first-class match, 25-year-old Poysden took five successive wickets, backed by 4-41 from Chris Wright, as the visitors faltered from 100-2 to 242 all out.
Middlesex looked set with Dawid Malan (57) and Nick Compton (33) together.
But, after they went, Stevie Eskinazi's 49 was the only contribution of note.
Having limited Middlesex to just one batting point, Warwickshire then faced two overs before the close, making just a single.
Middlesex's ambitions of a first Championship title since 1993 were jolted by their former fast bowler Wright's two wickets in his first 13 balls, Sam Robson edging to slip before Nick Gubbins gave a low return catch.
But, after Compton edged to slip, Poysden took over the lead role in a Bears attack fired up to earn the one win needed to ensure their Division One status.
And Middlesex were eight down before this season's leading Bears wicket taker Jeetan Patel got in on the act with his only scalp of the day, Toby Roland-Jones, caught at leg-slip.
With Tim Ambrose ruled out by a buttock strain, Warwickshire brought in wicketkeeper Alex Mellor for his first Championship game for the Bears - his third in all after playing two for Derbyshire on loan.
Ambrose is expected to be fit for the One-Day Cup final against Surrey on 17 September, while Middlesex hope top have England paceman Steven Finn, who did some bowling in the middle before play began, back for the trip to face bottom club Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge next week.
Warwickshire bowler Josh Poysden told BBC WM:
"It was a great day for us as a team. We definitely would have batted if we had won the won the toss, so the way the three seamers bowled up front was outstanding, taking early wickets and keeping a team right up there at the top of the division down to two an over.
"I was pleased with the way I bowled and felt in a really good rhythm against the left-handers all day. In Championship cricket it's a question of how often can you bowl your best ball.
"During tea I spoke to our bowling coach...

Summary: Warwickshire leg-spinner Josh Poysden claimed a career-best 5-53 to help bowl out County Championship Division One leaders Middlesex at Edgbaston.
###
Article: It may not boast the heritage of its more illustrious London namesake, but speakers and performers at the Craddock Street hall included Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and David Lloyd George.
Swansea council has received a planning inquiry to convert the upper floors into student accommodation, with retail proposed for the ground floor.
The hall has stood empty since 2007.
The Grade II-listed building was first opened as a music hall in 1864.
Councillor Rob Stewart, leader of Swansea council, said: "Although the Albert Hall is a privately-owned listed building that we don't have responsibility for, we'll do all we can to help the private owners bring the building back into sustainable use.
"This is important because it's an historically significant building right in the heart of the city centre that we'd like to see preserved and protected for years to come."

Summary: A 152-year-old Swansea landmark could be given a new lease of life, with plans to renovate the city's Albert Hall.
###
Article: The memorial event will be attended by hundreds of firefighters, police officers, paramedics and volunteers in a chapel overlooking the crash site.
Emergency workers and community leaders have organised the 22 November service.
It will come three months after a jet crashed on to the West Sussex A27 during the Shoreham Air Show.
The Right Rev Dr Martin Warner will open the service at Lancing College with a prayer for the victims.
He said it would be an important moment for people who were caught up in the "sudden and tragic events" of that day.
The names of the victims will be read out ahead of a minute's silence at 13:22 GMT - the exact time of the crash.
Each family will then light a candle to be placed on the chapel's altar.
The relatives affected will also give the readings.
Personal reflections of the rescue effort have been written and compiled and will be read out by Sussex Police Chief Constable Giles York, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Sean Ruth, and South East Coast Ambulance Service chief executive Paul Sutton.
Two days after the crash, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry said he had  never before in his career seen anything like the Shoreham crash, in terms of its scale, tragedy and impact on the local community.
Friends and relatives gathered for the funeral of retired engineer Graham Mallinson at St Mary's Church, Newick, on Thursday,
The keen photographer had been hoping to capture shots of the Vulcan bomber, which was making one of its last appearances at the air show, when the vintage Hawker Hunter jet crashed.
He was described as being a "very dearly loved" husband, father and brother who would be "very sorely missed".

Summary:


The commission has been investigating the issue of the local tax system in the past.
The commission has been investigating the issue of the local tax system in the past.
The commission has been investigating the issue of the local tax system in the past.
The commission has been investigating the issue of the local tax system in

Replacing or reforming the council tax in Scotland could prove challenging, according to a study.

Article: The train hit the end of the platform at Once station in the capital Buenos Aires during the morning rush hour.
"We assume that there was some fault in the brakes," Transportation Secretary JP Schiavi said.
Dozens of people were trapped for hours in the wreckage but all have now been successfully taken to safety.
The government declared two days of mourning and called off planned carnival festivities in the country.
"The train was full and the impact was tremendous," a passenger identified as Ezequiel told local television after the crash on Wednesday.
Medics at the scene were overwhelmed by the casualties, he added.
"People started to break windows and get out however they could," another eyewitness told Reuters.
"Then I saw the engine destroyed and the train driver trapped amongst the steel. There were a lot of people hurt, a lot of kids, elderly," the eyewitness added.
Police outside Once station had to "keep back the curious and concerned as paramedics treated the injured", eyewitness Tom English told the BBC.
By Vladimir HernandezBBC News, Buenos Aires
Last year, at least 23 people died and over 300 were injured in train accidents in Argentina. The Once station crash is the worst since the 1970s and raises questions about the safety of the rail network.
"It is still quite safe," says Juan Alberto Roccatagliata, the director of the National Rail Authority until 2010. But, he says, accidents can happen.
"However, investment levels and maintenance have not been up to what is required to reduce the probability of things like this happening."
The Buenos Aires rail system transports some 400 million passengers a  year, making it the biggest in South America. In the 1990s, most of it was privatised in the hope of boosting investment in infrastructure.
"But this did not happen as the contracts given to private companies did not oblige them to invest in the network," says Pablo Martorelli, president of the Argentine Rail Institute.
"Companies are not interested in investing as they already get their income from...

Summary: At least 49 people have been killed and more than 600 injured in the worst train crash in Argentina in 40 years, officials say.
###
Article: Abdulazeez Dauda, popularly known as Abdul Inyass, was convicted after a trial held in secret to avoid protests.
Five of his followers were also sentenced to death last year.
These are the first death sentences for blasphemy handed down by a Nigerian Sharia court; those delivered for other offences have not been carried out.
Mr Inyass is a preacher at a local faction of the Tijaniya sect, founded in Senegal by Sheikh Ibrahim Niasse, which has a large following across West Africa.
He was reported to have said that "Niasse was bigger than Prophet Muhammad" during a lecture at an event in May, leading to violent protests in the city.
The BBC's Yusuf Ibrahim Yakasai in Kano says he then fled to the capital, Abuja, and nine of his followers were arrested for their alleged part in organising the event.
When they were arraigned in court, there were further clashes and the courthouse was set on fire, he says.
Anyone who is not satisfied with the judgement of a Sharia court can appeal to the Sharia Court of Appeal in the state within three months. From there the case can be taken to the federal Court of Appeal, which is secular and, finally, to the Supreme Court.
There are judges of the Court of Appeal who are learned in Islamic law and who would be convened by the court's president to hear the case.
The Sharia courts only try Muslims. If a case involves a Muslim and a non-Muslim, the non-Muslim will be given the option of choosing where he/she wants the case to be tried. The Sharia court can only hear the case if the non-Muslim gives written consent.
Amina Lawal, who was found guilty of adultery in 2002 and sentenced to death by stoning, was acquitted by a Sharia Court of Appeal.
Four of the followers were acquitted and the five sentenced to death are appealing against their conviction at the state's high court.
Kano has a predominately Muslim population and Islamic courts operate alongside secular courts.
Mr Inyass, whose five-month trial was held in secret for security reasons, will also be able to appeal against...

Summary: An Islamic court has sentenced a Nigerian cleric to death by hanging for insulting the Prophet Muhammad in the northern city of Kano.
###
Article: A review for the Commission on Local Tax Reform said there was no "magic bullet" to cure defects in the system.
It said the council tax had built-in problems "from day one" but a failure to modify it had stored up more difficulties for policy makers.
The commission, set up by the Scottish government and council body Cosla, will report back later this year.
Prof Kenneth Gibb, from the University of Glasgow, was asked to review different systems of local taxation across the world.
He found that a tax on property was used by almost all OECD countries and was seen by academics as a "good tax" because it was stable, difficult to avoid and could have a desirable impact on housing markets.
But it also generated confusion with taxpayers unclear whether it was a tax on wealth or a charge for services such as refuse collection.
Some felt it was unfair because it was not linked to current income.
Prof Gibb noted that a local income tax, used by many countries, was generally perceived as fairer.
But he found such a system created difficulties for local authorities because it meant their income fluctuated. There was also little opportunity to vary tax rates to reflect local priorities.
He said:  "It is clear there is no magic bullet.
"Past experience from the UK and across the world shows that reform is always going to be difficult and will inevitably be bound up with the previous experiences and traumas of past reform.
"So whilst the current council tax has many deficiencies, change and reform is a major undertaking."
The commission now intends to hold a public consultation across Scotland before publishing its report in the autumn.
A Scottish government spokesman said ministers consider the current council tax system "as a whole to be unfair".
He added: "That is why, along with our local government partners, we have established the cross-party Commission on Local Tax Reform to examine fairer alternatives.
"The Scottish government awaits the commission's report, which is due in the Autumn."

Summary:


A new tool has been launched in an effort to improve the security of online messaging.

A man who bit off half his friend's ear has been jailed for two years.

Article: Independent councillor David Clifft said offences committed inside Featherstone Prison were skewing the perceived level of risk in Essington.
The national crime map did not distinguish between offences committed in jail and those outside it, he said.
Staffordshire Police said crime had fallen overall in the area since 2009.
Staffordshire Police investigated 30 crimes at Featherstone Prison in 2008-2009 compared to 24 and 16 in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.
South Staffordshire councillor Mr Clifft said: "We're calling for those crime stats to be kept separate and also for the Hilton Services crimes to be kept separate too.
"They don't give a true reflection of crime in Essington.
"Essington is quite a safe place to live."
He said the misleading information was having a negative impact on pensioners' insurance premiums.
June Smallman, from nearby Westcroft, said it was "unfair".
"I'm a pensioner. There are a lot of pensioners in Essington and the surrounding districts and when you are on a fixed income you've got to consider every aspect of money," she added.
Mr Clifft said police forces were also potentially misallocating their resources based on the area's skewed crime statistics.
"Police are obviously using their facilities on where it says the crime spots are and they are putting policing in Essington where it is not wanted and really it could better serve somewhere else."
He said with plans to expand Featherstone Prison for up to 2,000 inmates. the situation could get worse.
"Featherstone is soon to become a super prison, and obviously the crime stats are going to be a lot higher," he added.
Graeme Trudgill, from the British Insurance Brokers' Association, said a customer's claims history was still the most important factor in pricing any home or car insurance premiums.
He said there were many insurance providers and anyone who was unhappy with their current broker's service should shop around.

Summary: Crimes committed inside a south Staffordshire prison are adversely affecting home and car insurance in a nearby village, a councillor says.
###
Article: Tor Messenger allows users to chat over the Tor (The Onion Router) network in a way which hides the location of participants.
It means that the contents of messages will only be visible to the participants.
The service will also work with platforms like Facebook even in countries where they are banned.
The tool is currently in beta and will undergo security tests.
Users wishing to remain anonymous or access chat clients blocked in their own country could use Tor Messenger to chat via services like Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Twitter, Yahoo and Internet Relay Chat.
The program does not communicate via what's often called the "dark web", a collection of hidden websites and services, but rather by sending messages across a series of internet relays (or routers) so that their origin cannot be tracked.
These relays are called "bridges".
"They're computers run by volunteers and in a censored area your computer will connect to these," explained Steven Murdoch, a security researcher at University College London who has worked on Tor projects.
"Those services are not publicly listed anywhere -  they should not be blocked even if access to the Tor network is blocked."
In addition, messages may be encrypted to provide additional security. This feature is enabled by default, though both parties in a one-to-one chat would have to have off-the-record encryption (OTR) set up.
This requires the two parties to exchange a secret key which is needed to decode the messages they send to each other.
"At the end of the day some people really do need privacy and security so this would be important to them," commented Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group.
He also told the BBC that he imagined the tool, once audited, could be used by whistleblowers, individuals wanting to complain about corruption or sources desiring to speak to journalists anonymously about a story.
"I think it shows the worries people have that chats and other clients are being snooped on," he added.
Dr Murdoch also made the point that while the...

Summary: A new chat tool has been launched in an effort to improve the security of online messaging.
###
Article: Connor Smith, 19, "turned" on work colleague Anil Jnagal during a night out on Birmingham's Broad Street, the city's crown court heard.
He was drunk and had cannabis before attacking Mr Jnagal, who had been trying to calm him down.
Smith admitted wounding and his barrister said he was remorseful but added "nothing is going to bring the complainant's ear back".
More updates on this and other stories in Birmingham and the Black Country
Prosecutor Tariq Shakoor said Smith, of Summerlee Road, worked with Mr Jnagal, 25, at a branch of Harvester in Birmingham's Star City leisure complex.
He told the court the victim remembered Smith "turning on him" and the pair fell to the floor, where the defendant bit his ear.
The court heard reconstructive surgery was unlikely due to the nature of the injury.
Jonathan Barker, defending, said Smith was in an emotional state at the time of the attack due to the recent death of his aunt.
Sentencing, Judge Richard Bond, said: "All the victim did was to try and stop you being aggressive towards others.
"It ended up with you quite deliberately using your teeth as a weapon and you bit off a really large chunk. About half of his ear has completely disappeared.
"This is not something that happens in a millisecond - to bite through somebody's ear takes real determination and a real effort."

Summary:


The prisoners were taken to the hospital in the hospital, where they were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The prisoners were taken to the hospital for treatment, and they were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The prisoners were taken to the hospital for treatment, and they were taken to the hospital for treatment.

A 94-year-old man who survived a prisoner of war camp next door to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp believes a football league which the guards allowed them to set up may have helped save his life.

Article: If the plan goes ahead it will give Tasmania some of the toughest tobacco laws in the world.
The current legal age to purchase, possess or smoke cigarettes in all Australian states is 18.
Critics have complained the proposed restrictions would be a violation of civil liberties.
Australia already has some of the world's toughest anti-smoking policies.
It introduced so-called plain packaging in 2012, where packs are coloured an identical olive brown and are covered in graphic health warnings.
The country is also one of the most expensive places in the world to buy cigarettes - from around A$20 a pack ($15; Â£10).
Parts of the world already ban cigarette sales to those under 21, including Kuwait and, from next year, Hawaii.
Around one-in-five Tasmanians smoke, with the vast majority taking up the habit before the age of 25.
The Tasmanian government proposals are part of a five-year plan to make the state Australia's healthiest by 2025.

Summary: The Australian state of Tasmania is considering raising the legal age for buying cigarettes to at least 21 and potentially as high as 25.
###
Article: The council said there were 8,300 people on the waiting list for social housing - a figure set to increase further in the next five years.
It has 13,470 properties, which has fallen from 23,000 since 1985, largely due to the Right to Buy legislation.
The Welsh Government has already said it wants to abolish it in Wales.
Most council tenants have the right to buy their homes after five years and receive a discount of up to Â£8,000 on the value.
But the authority said there was a "very high level of housing need" in the city which needed to be addressed.
Susan Elsmore, cabinet member for health, housing and wellbeing, said the council estimated it would need an extra 2,024 affordable homes each year for the next five years and research showed more than 5,000 families were living in overcrowded or unsuitable homes.
"Every month, 450 new applications for housing are received but only 860 council properties became vacant and available to let in the whole of 2015/16," she said.
"Every house sold through the [Right to Buy] scheme is a home that is no longer available to a family in need so for this reason, we will consider suspending the scheme and consulting with those who would be affected."
If the plans are agreed by councillors at a meeting on 10 November, a consultation will begin with the results considered in the new year.
Several other councils in Wales, including Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Flintshire have already approved plans to suspend the scheme.

Summary: Council tenants in Cardiff could lose the right to buy their home under plans to address the shortage of rented homes in the city.
###
Article: As Ron Jones, from Newport, prepares to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday with a service at the city's cathedral, he says that amongst all the terrible memories, there will also be a few which will make him smile.
He was captured in 1943 fighting in the Middle East, and after nine months in Italy, was transferred to forced labour camp E715, part of the Auschwitz complex.
There he spent 12 hours a day, six days a week, working with hazardous chemicals in the IG Farben works, but on Sundays they were permitted to play football.
"I think the Germans thought that letting us play football was a quick and easy way of keeping us quiet," he said.
"The Red Cross would bring us food parcels, and when they heard about our football, they managed to get us strips for four teams: England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. I was always the Wales goalkeeper.
"It kept us sane, it was a bit of normality, but it sounds wrong somehow to say I've got fond memories of playing football, considering what was going on just over the fence."
He says as well as keeping up spirits, football played a major role in his survival, and that of many of his fellow prisoners, when they were forced on one of the series of extremely long marches westwards from PoW camps during the final stages of the conflict.
Whilst many of Mr Jones's friends died on the march, he believes it is no coincidence that those who had been involved in the Auschwitz football league fared better.
"You could say the football we'd played saved our lives. The football lads were fitter, yes, but more than that, they belonged to a group which kept each other going on the march."
E715 was located close to Auschwitz III, Monowitz, which held mainly Polish resistance fighters, political dissidents, homosexuals and some captured Soviet troops.
Whilst this was not officially a death camp, Mr Jones says it did not take long for him to realise that the inmates at Monowitz were far from safe.
"In the nights you could hear shots coming from Monowitz," he said.
"Not bursts like you had...

Summary:


The FTSE 100 was down 0.62% or 46.33 points at 7,478.62.
Banking stocks were among the top risers, with Lloyds Banking Group up 1.65% and RBS adding 1.35%.
Analysts said that struggling Spanish bank Banco Popular

The FTSE 100 closed slightly lower on the last day of campaigning before the general election.

Article: The bones, which represent at least five individuals, have been dated to between 11,500 and 14,500 years ago.
But scientists are calling them simply the Red Deer Cave people, after one of the sites where they were unearthed.
The team has told thePLoS One journalthat far more detailed analysis of the fossils is required before they can be ascribed to a new human lineage.
"We're trying to be very careful at this stage about definitely classifying them," said study co-leader Darren Curnoe from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
"One of the reasons for that is that in the science of human evolution or palaeoanthropology, we presently don't have a generally agreed, biological definition for our own species (Homo sapiens), believe it or not. And so this is a highly contentious area," he told BBC News.
Much of the material has been in Chinese collections for some time but has only recently been subjected to intense investigation.
The remains of some of the individuals come from Maludong (or Red Deer Cave), near the city of Mengzi in Yunnan Province. A further skeleton was discovered at Longlin, in neighbouring Guangxi Province.
The skulls and teeth from the two locations are very similar to each other, suggesting they are from the same population.
But their features are quite distinct from what you might call a fully modern human, says the team. Instead, the Red Deer Cave people have a mix of archaic and modern characteristics.
In general, the individuals had rounded brain cases with prominent brow ridges. Their skull bones were quite thick. Their faces were quite short and flat and tucked under the brain, and they had broad noses.
Their jaws jutted forward but they lacked a modern-human-like chin. Computed Tomography (X-ray) scans of their brain cavities indicate they had modern-looking frontal lobes but quite archaic-looking anterior, or parietal, lobes. They also had large molar teeth.
Dr Curnoe and colleagues put forward two possible scenarios in their PLoS One paper for the origin of the Red Deer...

Summary: The remains of what may be a previously unknown human species have been identified in southern China.
###
Article: Andrew Coogan was found dead at the scene of the fire in stables at Shorrocks Hill Country Club in Formby.
An investigation began, but police have now confirmed it is not being treated as a suspected crime.
Mr Coogan's family described him as "a devoted uncle" who "helped many people and was a pleasure to be around".
"We will miss him dearly," they added.
Firefighters said Mr Coogan's body was found in a caravan and the dead horses in a stable.
Merseyside Police said a post-mortem had taken place but the cause of death had been withheld until toxicology tests had been completed.

Summary: The death of a man whose body was found by firefighters tackling a blaze that killed a number of horses is not being treated as suspicious, police said.
###
Article: At the end of Wednesday's trading, the FTSE 100 was down 0.62% or 46.33 points at 7,478.62.
Banking stocks were among the top risers, with Lloyds Banking Group up 1.65% and RBS adding 1.35%.
Analysts said that struggling Spanish bank Banco Popular's rescue by Santander had given the overall banking sector a boost.
On the downside, pharmaceutical companies tumbled. Shire was the biggest faller on the 100-share index, dropping 3.2%.
Meanwhile, AstraZeneca lost 1% after its announcement that it had sold the rights for its migraine drug Zomig for $302m.
Colin McLean, manager of the UK growth fund at SVM Asset Management, said uncertainty over the outcome of the election so far appeared to be having little impact on investors.
"The bigger picture is that international stocks have been doing less well," he said.
"Quite a lot of what drove markets last year has gone into reverse over the last six months and investors are looking again at some of the beneficiaries of lower growth and deflation.
"That probably drives investors a little bit more than the election," he said.
On the currency markets, the pound rose slightly against the dollar, adding 0.33% to $1.2953. It rose 0.61% against the euro to 1.1517 euros.

Summary:


A large billboard has been puzzling residents of a County Down town, and commuters on the main route between Bangor and Belfast.

Article: The action follows the revelation that a flaw with the software meant that an attacker could run down the battery of a target's car and see data about its recent journeys.
The firm had been informed of the problem a month ago but only acted after details of the issue were flagged online.
Nissan denies there was a safety issue.
However, it has disclosed that its eNV200 electric vans were also vulnerable.
The security researcher who had alerted the Japanese automaker to the problem a month ago believes the company should have taken the step earlier.
Troy Hunt said he only blogged about the risk after seeing that other people had discovered and discussed it in online forums. Even so, he said he welcomed the latest development.
"Disabling the service was the right thing to do given it appears it's not something they can properly secure in an expeditious fashion," he told the BBC.
"Hopefully this will give them time to build a more robust solution that ensures vehicle features and driving history are only accessible via the authorised owner of the car."
Mr Hunt discovered that anyone can control the heating and air conditioning systems of a stranger's Leaf by sending it commands via a web browser because the car's companion app was not configured to verify the owner's identity.
Instead, it only required a vehicle identification number (Vin).
Vin numbers are stencilled into the windscreens of cars and Mr Hunt noted that it would be relatively easy to script a process that would hunt the net for vulnerable vehicles.
In addition, the hack allowed an attacker to see details about journey times and distances, but not location details.
Mr Hunt suggested this would be enough to deduce when someone had driven far from their home and run their battery down to leave them stranded.
Since the hack would not work when cars were moving and did not affect their steering controls, he acknowledged that it would not threaten people's lives.
But after first telling Nissan about the problem on 23 January, he said he felt the company...

Summary: Nissan has suspended the functions of an app that could have been used to hack its Leaf electric cars.
###
Article: Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe told a meeting at City Hall he wanted better organisation to reduce the number of officers involved in stewarding.
About 6,000 officers were deployed to the carnival on Saturday and 7,000 on Sunday on the August bank holiday.
Westminster and Kensington authorities agreed stewarding was an issue but public safety "was paramount".
But, Sir Bernard said he thought the street festival in west London could be "cheaper and safer".
At the meeting of the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime (MOPAC) on Thursday, he said he would be writing to Westminster council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, where the carnival takes place, to advise them that he expected "more action".
He said: "We are writing formally to the local authorities... to indicate our lack of confidence at the moment in the quality of the organisation which is leading to policing having to fill the gap  - we can't take responsibility for the event."
He cited budget cuts as one of the reasons, as officers received double their daily salary on a bank holiday - meaning it cost more than £6m to police the event.
The force has previously said it is expects to make cuts of £800m by 2019.
"We have been talking for many years trying to get improvement and my judgement is it is producing limited effect - the risk to public safety remains and we cannot continue to provide policing at that level," he said.
Stephen Greenhalgh, deputy mayor for policing and crime, said: "We want a safe carnival and we want one that has a secure future and at the moment an event that is under-stewarded and over-policed is something that has to change."
A spokesman from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said: "All the other agencies, ourselves included, must of course listen very careful to any proposals they may have for reducing the cost of policing carnival, but any changes must be consistent with the safety of the public."
A Westminster City Council spokeswoman said: "We do agree that the public purse, either our budget or the...

Summary: Current levels of policing at the Notting Hill Carnival cannot continue, the Met Police commissioner has said.
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Article: The poster with the phrase #prayforjosh appeared in Holywood by the A2 within the last week.
It is part of a social media campaign supporting 13-year-old Joshua Martin, from Donaghadee, County Down.
Life took a dramatic turn for the teenager when he was diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve.
He was due to have an operation on his appendix at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
However, doctors instead discovered and removed a large primary cancer and five smaller growths.
The news shocked Josh's family, but since his diagnosis they have received lots of support from people all over the world.
It began as a hashtag on Facebook and Instagram by Bangor Elim Church, where Josh's father is on the pastoral staff, and has since gone viral.
The church's senior pastor, Gary Beattie, said he was amazed by how many people have supported Josh and his family so far.
"We were in total shock when he was diagnosed, and really the family just wanted support from people and to ask people to pray for Josh," Gary said.
"It certainly isn't a campaign as such, we just put the hashtag on our Facebook posts to get some of our congregation thinking about him. We had no idea that it would take off.
"We would use social media quite a lot because we have quite a young congregation, and we've been posting updates about Josh from his family.
"The update was shared 948 times and it's been seen by over 79,000 people. It's absolutely phenomenal.
"We thought there had been a mistake, but you can look at the views and where they've come from, and there are people all over the world supporting him, which is great."
But how did a social media hashtag lead to the appearance of the massive billboard?
Gary said that last week a mystery donor paid for the sign and it was erected at Holywood playing fields.
"We do not know where it came from, we didn't put it there, but it means a lot to have such support," Gary said.
There has also been a huge outpouring of support on Twitter for the Bangor Grammar pupil, with his classmates using the...

Summary:


The team has been accused of "failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour".

Leicester have been fined £20,000 by the Football Association over the conduct of their players during a game against Aston Villa.

Article: An interim Ofsted inspection at Park View School found staffing issues were "adversely affecting" students.
The watchdog said staff absences and a reliance on supply teachers were hampering pupils' progress.
Park View said the majority of absences were outside its control.
It was one of five Birmingham schools placed in special measures after an investigation was launched into an anonymous letter outlining an alleged Islamist takeover plot.
Inspectors said they had witnessed "unacceptable" disruptive pupil behaviour during a November monitoring visit to the academy in Alum Rock.
Students and parents told Ofsted frequent changes of staff meant teaching was not sufficiently challenging and homework was rarely handed out, according to the report.
"The academy is unable to improve quickly enough because there are insufficient leaders and permanent teachers working there," it concluded.
They said one third of the staff who responded to a questionnaire felt the school was "not well-led and managed and staff morale is low".
However, Ofsted, which previously criticised the school for failing to alert pupils to the risks of extremism, said religious teaching had improved.
Inspectors also found "a renewed focus on developing students' understanding of British values and what it means to be British".
But the curriculum "remained narrow", it said, and there was particular concern that music lessons were only timetabled for year 7 and 8 students.
In a letter to parents, acting principal Adrian Packer said Park View faced "complex recruitment issues" but was working to overcome them.
He said the school was introducing "quality assurance checks" for all supply staff and was interviewing candidates for permanent senior leadership posts.

Summary: There are still "serious concerns" about teaching quality at a Birmingham school placed in special measures in the wake of the alleged "Trojan Horse" plot, a report has found.
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Article: Facial reconstruction experts at the university developed images of the king's head from the skeletal remains found buried under a car park in 2012.
The remains of the 15th century monarch were re-buried at Leicester Cathedral this week.
The new painting is based on both the reconstruction and old portraits.
Richard III died in 1485 at Bosworth Field during the Wars of the Roses, and his remains were found buried under a car park in Leicester more than 520 years later.
Facial reconstruction experts at the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at Dundee University developed an image of the king's head from photographs and scans of the skeleton.
Janice Aitken, an artist based at the university's Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, worked with the CAHID team while painting an up to date portrait of the last Plantagenet king.
She also referenced a portrait painted by an unknown artist between 1504 and 1520, which hangs in Windsor Castle.
Ms Aitken said: "There are many copies of paintings of Richard III but I understand that there are no paintings of him directly from life in existence.
"I thought that it would be interesting to add to the visual record by combining the recent reconstruction with a work that was probably painted by a contemporary of the king."
She said being involved with the project, which led to the skeletal remains being reburied at Leicester Cathedral, had been "incredible".
"I was completely unprepared for the impact that the reconstruction would have. The story of the discovery of the remains of Richard III seems to have resonated across the world."

Summary: A University of Dundee team who worked on the original reconstruction of the face of Richard III have revealed a new portrait of him.
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Article: Leicester's Matty James and Villa's Ciaran Clark were sent off in the game.
Both clubs admitted an FA charge of "failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour".
Villa's case will be heard by an Independent Regulatory Commission.
Players clashed on the pitch during Leicester's 1-0 win following a tackle by James on Jores Okore. There was then a confrontation between the benches as the players walked off at full time.
It is the third time Villa have been found guilty of the offence this season.
They were fined £20,000 and £30,000 for failing to control their players in games against Tottenham and Manchester United respectively.

Summary:


The Dronestagram team is the first to recognise the creativity of the Dronestagram community.

Article: The party's success comes amid growing support for the movement in other countries, including Australia, Russia, Tunisia and Mexico.
Initially pirate parties made the news by bringing the subject of digital file-sharing to public attention, but more recently they have scored notable election successes.
This has been achieved in part through their exceptional internet and social media skills, and clever branding; one party has even set up its own Wikileaks-like whistleblowing site.
Since the first pirate party was founded in Sweden in January 2006, the number worldwide has increased to more than 60.
BBC Monitoring charts the progress of the movement through public pronouncements and media commentary:
The Swedish Pirate Party was formed as an offshoot of the hugely popular electronic file-sharing Swedish Pirate Bay website, which the Los Angeles Times has described as "the most visible member of a burgeoning international anti-copyright or pro-piracy movement".
The party was formed to fight for "digital rights" including freedom of information, the abolition of patents, copyright reform and privacy protection.
In 2009 four Pirate Bay defendants received prison sentences and heavy fines for damages relating to copyright violations.
The resultant publicity led to a huge growth in party membership, which quickly rose to around 18,000, and the party won two seats in the June 2009 European Parliament elections.
"We gained political credibility," said Ric Falkvinge, the Swedish party's founder and leader.
Following the Swedish Pirate Party's surge in membership, Pirate Parties International (PPI) was formally established in Belgium in April 2010, aiming to facilitate co-operation between pirate parties worldwide.
Currently the PPI has 26 party members and five observer members across four continents.
Pirate party members are overwhelmingly young and IT literate; in the UK three out of eight Pirate Party candidates in the 2010 general election were aged just 19 years old - the oldest was 41.
CNN's Fareed Zakaria...

Summary: The German Pirate Party saw a surge in support in Berlin's recent state elections, with all 15 of its candidates winning seats in the state parliament.
###
Article: It was handwritten by producer George Martin and signed by Paul McCartney, who wrote the lyrics.
Rigby's name is inscribed on a headstone in a Liverpool graveyard, where McCartney first met John Lennon at a church fete.
Deeds for the grave and a miniature Bible, dated 1899 and with her name written inside, will also be sold.
They were discovered by a relative when the estate of two of Rigby's half-sisters was left to the family.
Paul Fairweather, from Omega Auctions, said it was an "incredible coincidence" for both lots to come up for sale at the same time.
"I expect there to be fierce bidding from across the globe."
With its familiar refrain of "All the lonely people, where do they all come from", the song Eleanor Rigby was released as a double A-side single.
The song formed part of The Beatles' 1966 album, Revolver, and was released on the same day as the LP, alongside Yellow Submarine.
It also featured in The Beatles' film of the same name in 1969.
The score, written in pencil, includes notes that the song was to be recorded in London's Abbey Road Studio number two and was to include four violins, two violas and two cellos.
The items will be on sale at the Beatles Memorabilia Auction in Warrington on 11 September.

Summary: The original score for The Beatles' song Eleanor Rigby is expected to fetch £20,000 at auction.
###
Article: The winners of this year's aerial photography competition run by online site Dronestagram have been announced.
There were thousands of entries taken using drone cameras and the winners were selected by the judges - National Geographic deputy director Patrick Witty and Emanuela Ascoli, photo editor of National Geographic France - and Dronestagram's team.
Here we present the winning images from the four categories.
This year there was a special category to recognise the creativity of the Dronestagram community.

Summary:


A man was arrested after a security breach in Kolkata, Kolkata, on October 15, 2015.
The man was arrested on October 15, 2015.
The man was arrested on October 15, 2015.
The man was arrested on October 15, 2015.
The man was arrested on October 15

TalkTalk has confirmed that three of its India-based call centre workers have been arrested.

Article: Kodie Blak posted a picture of Mothers Pride Scottish Plain bread on Facebook and said due to falling sales only one factory now produced it.
The comment prompted concern about availability of the bread, and the post was shared more than 13,000 times.
The firm which produces the bread said it had no plans to stop producing it.
A spokeswoman for Hovis, which includes the Mothers Pride brand, said: "We know that Mothers Pride has a very loyal consumer base who are passionate about the Scottish batch loaf.
"We do love and appreciate the strong response of support we've seen from Scottish consumers."
Mothers Pride is a batch bread made in a large baking tray, which means the loafs only form a crust on the top and bottom.
It differs from a pan loaf, which is baked in an individual tray and so forms crust round the whole bread.
The two types of bread were immortalised in the Jeely piece song - a Scots folk song written in the 1960s - in the line: "If it's butter, cheese or jeely, if the bread is plain or pan".
Mothers Pride bread, which has been in production for 80 years, is made in Glasgow by the only batch plant left in the UK.
For a time in the 1970's and 80's it was one of the UK's best selling white breads.

Summary: A Glasgow DJ prompted concern that an iconic plain bread brand was under threat, after a social media post urging people to buy it.
###
Article: Tom Wagg, 17, a student at Newcastle-under-Lyme School, said he was "hugely excited" by his discovery.
He was 15 years old when he spotted the planet while doing work experience at Keele University and it took two years to prove its existence.
The planet does not have a name yet and a competition has been launched to find one.
Keele University's Professor Coel Hellier said Tom looked through an archive of data for "good planet candidates".
He searched through images of the night sky looking for tiny dips in light caused by a planet passing in front of its star.
"It was just my third day when I spotted what looked a good candidate, but I had already gone through more than 1,000 sets of data by then," Tom said.
"It looks boring, but when you think about what you're actually doing it's amazing really."
While Tom hunted for planets, he said many of his friends had been completing very different work experience placements.
"They've all been really excited for me," he said.
Prof Hellier said follow-up observations had to be carried out by telescopes in Chile to confirm Tom's results.
It was then studied by astronomers at the University of Geneva and the University of Liege, to prove that it had the right size and mass to be a planet.
Keele University is part of a nationwide collaboration of observatories called the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) and the planet has been given the designation WASP-142b, being the 142nd planet discovered by the group.
A competition is now on to name it and Tom said he planned to come up with a suggestion.
Dr David Gregory-Kumar, BBC Midlands Today
Tom hasn't seen his planet directly through a telescope. Instead he combed through the data generated by WASP.
WASP is a swarm of telescopes that scan the sky several times a night. They build up a picture of how bright each star usually is. But sometimes that brightness dips slightly when a planet passes in between us and the star it is orbiting.
What astronomers using WASP then do is comb through the huge amounts of data the...

Summary: A planet 1,000 light-years away has been found by a schoolboy from Staffordshire.
###
Article: The London-based telecoms provider said that it alerted police after carrying out a data security review.
However, a spokeswoman stressed that it had seen no evidence that the suspects had been involved with a high-profile cyber-breach last October.
Nearly 157,000 of TalkTalk customers' details, including bank account numbers, were stolen in the breach.
The unnamed suspects do not work for TalkTalk directly but are instead employed by Wipro, a local call centre provider, in Kolkata (Calcutta).
"Following the October 2015 cyber-attack, we have been conducting a forensic review to ensure that all aspects of our security are as robust as possible - including that of our suppliers," the company said.
"Acting on information supplied by TalkTalk, the local police have arrested three individuals who have breached our policies and the terms of our contract with Wipro. We are also reviewing our relationship with Wipro.
"We are determined to identify and deal effectively with these issues and we will continue to devote significant resource to keeping our customers' data safe."
News of the arrests was first reported by Channel 4 News.
The Indian company has said it has a "zero tolerance" policy on data theft.
"Wipro is working closely with the customer in the investigation and will continue to extend its full co-operation to the investigating authorities," it said.
"We are unable to comment on the matter that is currently under investigation."

Summary:


The new rules will affect anyone taking money out of a personal pension from 1 April 2017.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said providers who already charge less than 1% will not be allowed to raise their fees.
Those taking out new pension contracts will face no early exit charge at all.
Those taking

Tributes have been paid to a woman credited with raising awareness about the dangers of polio following the death of her footballer husband.

Article: The new rules will affect anyone taking money out of a personal pension from 1 April 2017.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said providers who already charge less than 1% will not be allowed to raise their fees.
Those taking out new pension contracts will face no early exit charge at all.
Workplace pensions will be subject to the same rules, but these will not come into effect until October 2017, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced.
Christopher Woolard, executive director of strategy and competition at the FCA, said: "People eligible for the government's pension reforms should feel able to access them as they wish.
"The 1% cap on early exit charges for existing pensions, and the 0% cap for new contracts, will mean that current and future savers will not be deterred by these charges from accessing their pension pots."
Previously some pension providers were charging fees of up to 10%, after the government announced that anyone over the age of 55 could withdraw as much as they wanted from their pensions, subject to income tax.
The "pension freedoms" came into effect in April 2015.
However, some experts believe the 1% cap is still not low enough.
"The cap on early exit fees for pensions, including occupational schemes, is a start, but 1% of a Â£100,000 pension is still a Â£1,000 charge for accessing your own savings," said Tom Selby, senior analyst at investment platform AJ Bell.
"We hope the authorities continue to monitor the cap, to assess whether it should be lower or even abolished if early exit penalties continue to prevent people utilising the new flexible pension rules."

Summary: Early exit charges for people taking money out of their pension pots will be capped at 1%, the financial regulator has confirmed.
###
Article: The unexpected discovery indicates there are large volumes of the gas contained in a type of sludgy ice called methane hydrate.
There are concerns that these new seeps could be making a hitherto unnoticed contribution to global warming.
The scientists say there could be about 30,000 of these hidden methane vents worldwide.
Previous surveys along the Atlantic seaboard have shown only three seep areas beyond the edge of the US continental shelf.
The team behind the new findings studied what is termed the continental margin, the region of the ocean floor that stands between the coast and the deep ocean.
In an area between North Carolina and Massachusetts, they have now found at least 570 seeps at varying depths between 50m and 1,700m.
Their findings came as a bit of a surprise.
Source: US Department of Energy
"It is the first time we have seen this level of seepage outside the Arctic that is not associated with features like oil or gas reservoirs or active tectonic margins," said Prof Adam Skarke from Mississippi State University, who led the study.
The scientists have observed streams of bubbles but they have not yet sampled the gas within them.
However, they believe there is an abundance of circumstantial evidence pointing to methane.
Most of the seeping vents were located around 500m down, which is just the right temperature and pressure to create a sludgy confection of ice and gas called methane hydrate, or clathrate.
The scientists say that the warming of ocean temperatures might be causing these hydrates to send bubbles of gas drifting through the water column.
They do not appear to be reaching the surface.
"The methane is dissolving into the ocean at depths of hundreds of metres and being oxidised to CO2," said Prof Skarke.
"But it is important to say we simply don't have any evidence in this paper to suggest that any carbon coming from these seeps is entering the atmosphere."
This research, though, does highlight the scale of methane that is under the waters.
Estimates suggest that these undersea...

Summary: Researchers say they have found more than 500 bubbling methane vents on the seafloor off the US east coast.
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Article: Dawn Clements urged people to get vaccinated after the death of England and Birmingham City footballer Jeff Hall from the disease in 1959.
Mrs Clements, of Kidderminster, died at the end of last month, aged 79.
The British Polio Fellowship said there are many people alive and well "who owe her a huge debt of gratitude."
Ted Hill, the charity's chief executive also commended Mrs Clements for helping shine a light on post-polio syndrome (PPS), which is a neurological condition that can occur in people who have had polio.
"It can be difficult to imagine now a time in the UK when polio was killing and paralysing thousands like Jeff," he said.
"Dawn worked to see that no one else had to go through what she did and latterly helped us with our PPS work."
Mr Hall's unexpected death at the peak of his career aged 29 shocked the nation. Take-up of the polio vaccine had been slow in the 1950s but Mrs Clements' campaign is credited with inspiring people to get vaccinated.
The charity head described Mrs Clements, who was diagnosed with lung cancer three years ago, as "an example to us all" He also passed on his condolences to her surviving husband Alan Clements.
Mr Clements thanked charities as well as the people of Birmingham for "assisting Dawn in all of her remarkable work".
"What she did 50 years ago during the worst time of her life still matters to people. Dawn would want me to thank the fans of Birmingham City and all those for all of their help and support," he said.

Summary: