and Wales facing court action at the earliest stage of the repossession process fell during the second quarter of the year compared with the first three months of the year.
The number of tenants evicted by landlords in the second quarter of the year rose by 4%

The number of homes repossessed in the UK fell again in the second quarter of the year as fewer owners fell behind on mortgage repayments.

Article: But yesterday's announcement by Ed Miliband that as prime minister he would abolish non-dom status may well be the last nail in the coffin of a political approach - not quite an ideology - which had at its core the idea that it was better to get the wealthy and powerful in the tent, rather than doing what they typically do if they are outside the tent.
To understand the scale of the shift, I spoke to a New Labour veteran. This is what he said to me about the non-dom cull: it would "alienate some people whose goodwill is a good investment for us, send the wrong signal about the UK and [is] a rather useless piece of posturing (as the last Labour government concluded for 13 years)".
In other words, it is a powerful and important symbolic break with the Blair era. But Ed Miliband would say the policy is about a good deal more than gesturing. At its kernel, for him, is a big change in his assessment of how to fulfil Labour's mission of helping the poorest.
Tony Blair's view was that reaching an accommodation with the wealthiest and most powerful was not only the route to electoral success, but was also the best way of stimulating economic growth that would generate the tax revenues that could then be deployed to lift up the poorest.
Until the great crash and recession of 2008, he and his successor Gordon Brown could argue that their calibration of Labour's style of left-wing politics, as friendly to the City of London and to those accumulating vast fortunes here, had helped to generate prosperity which in turn could be used to fund a massive expansion of spending on schools and hospitals - and therefore went with the grain of Labour history.
But for Miliband, that calculation has had to be re-done, as living standards were savagely squeezed in the years after that profound economic shock, and the welfare state has been rolled back.
Miliband would also say that the stagnating gap between the incomes of rich and poor and the widening wealth gap have shown that collaborating with the wealthy has not delivered...

Summary: The last rites have been read over New Labour, as opposed to Miliband-brand Labour, quite a few times over the past few years.
###
Article: Four, including the UK and Germany, are under fire for failing to take action against Volkswagen for cheating emission tests. Member states have two months to respond.
The German car giant has had huge fines in the US over its use of "defeat devices" used to hide true levels of emissions.
More than one million cars in the UK are involved.
Spain and Luxembourg are the other two nations who the EU says have not taken action against the company.
Another three countries - the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Greece - are being hauled up for not even including the possibility of fining carmakers over potential violations.
On top of this, the European Commission has also called Germany and the UK to account for refusing to share details of breaches of EU emissions laws they discovered through their own investigations earlier this year.
Industry commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska said in a statement: "National authorities across the EU must ensure that car manufacturers actually comply with the law."
Analysis, BBC business reporter Theo Leggett
The European Commission is showing distinct signs of frustration over the apparent unwillingness of European governments to take action against Volkswagen over its use of defeat devices - or even to keep it informed about their investigations.
In the United States, where the company was actually found to be cheating emissions tests, it has already reached a $15bn civil settlement with the authorities; it could face criminal fines as well. There has been nothing of the kind in Europe.
European law does state that carmakers which break the law should face penalties - but it's up to individual governments to enforce the rules and hand out punishments. It's worth remembering though that VW still claims that the software fitted to its cars was not actually illegal in Europe.
What the Commission really wants is the power to punish errant carmakers itself. That would, for example, prevent the governments of countries with powerful motor industries from being too soft on the manufacturers...

Summary: The European Union (EU) has started legal action against seven nations.
###
Article: A study of 3,000 patients found that chest compressions alone increased chances of survival by more than 22%.
But training in how to give both chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breaths is the best option, experts say.
The UK Resuscitation Council is due to produce new CPR guidelines next week.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a combination of chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breaths, given in the event of a cardiac arrest.
The study, compiled by doctors from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, looked at the survival rates of people treated by untrained members of the public taking instructions from the emergency services over the phone.
Dr Peter Nagele, from the department of anaesthesiology, critical care and pain therapy at the Medical University of Vienna, said that if untrained bystanders avoided mouth-to-mouth breaths during CPR, they were more likely to perform uninterrupted chest compressions.
That then increased the probability of CPR being successful.
The research in The Lancet involved two analyses.
The first used data from three randomised trials involving more than 3,000 patients.
It showed that chest-compression-only CPR was associated with a slightly improved chance of survival compared with standard CPR (14% v 12%).
In the second analysis of seven observational studies, researchers found no difference between the two CPR techniques.
The study authors maintain that continuous, uninterrupted chest compressions are vital for successful CPR.
Dr Jas Soar, chair of the Resuscitation Council from Southmead Hospital in Bristol, said: "Any CPR is better than no CPR. If you witness a cardiac arrest, dial 999 immediately. Those trained in CPR should follow existing guidance of 30 chest compressions followed by two rescue breaths.
"Those not trained should start compressions and follow instructions until an expert arrives," Dr Soar said.
Dr Meng Aw-Yong, medical adviser at St John Ambulance, acknowledged that rescue breaths could be off-putting.
"The current advice is that if you're...

Summary: Concentrating on chest compressions rather than mouth-to-mouth when giving emergency resuscitation can produce better results, says research published in The Lancet.
###
Article: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said that 2,500 homes were repossessed in April, May and June, down from 3,000 in the previous quarter.
This was also a fall from 5,400 in the same quarter last year.
Lenders said low interest rates were keeping the numbers down but homeowners must prepare for a rate rise.
"This trend is very welcome. Low interest rates are acting as a significant support for homeowners in general, and are likely to be helping to stave off low level arrears for stretched households in particular," said CML director general Paul Smee.
"As ever, we urge borrowers to think ahead to when interest rates rise, and to contact their lender without delay if they are in difficulty. Prompt action helps to prevent problems worsening."
Earlier this week, it was revealed that more than a million householders had never experienced a rise in the Bank of England's base rate while owning a home.
Some 11.1 million mortgages are outstanding in the UK, with loans worth more than Â£1.3 trillion.
The CML figures showed that 1,800 homes were repossessed from owner-occupiers, and 700 were seized from landlords in in the buy-to-let market in the second quarter of the year.
The number of owners falling into arrears on mortgage repayments had also fallen in the second three months of the year compared with the first quarter, the CML said.
Some 100,700 owner-occupiers, and 5,700 landlords, had arrears of more than 2.5% of the mortgage balance.
Ministry of Justice figures, also published on Thursday, show that the number of homeowners in England and Wales facing court action at the earliest stage of the repossession process fell during the second quarter of the year.
However, the number of tenants evicted by landlords in the second quarter of the year rose by 4% compared with the same period last year, to 10,361. Seasonally adjusted figures show a 1% decrease compared to the first three months of the year.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: "These figures are a stark warning that relentless rent rises...

Summary:


Mr Karimov's successor has been accused of being a "troublemaker" by the US government.
Mr Karimov has been accused of being a "troublemaker" by the US government.
Mr Karimov has been accused of being a "troublemaker" by the US government.

The departure from the helm by Uzbekistan's long-serving President Islam Karimov is likely to have wide-ranging repercussions for the region.

Article: Roy Moore, 69, violated judicial ethics with an order seen as directing probate judges to deny marriage licences to gay couples, a judicial panel ruled.
The decision was a "politically motivated effort" by radical groups, he said. His lawyer has vowed to appeal.
It is the second suspension for Mr Moore, an outspoken conservative.
In 2003, he was removed for refusing to take down a monument of the Ten Commandments he installed at a state building.
He was re-elected as chief justice of the state's Supreme Court in 2012.
In Friday's decision, the nine-member Alabama Court of the Judiciary unanimously decided to suspend him for the remainder of his term without pay.
The move essentially removes Mr Moore from the bench, as he will be unable to seek re-election at the end of his term, in January 2019, because of age restrictions, his lawyer Mat Staver said.
Reacting to the decision, Mr Moore said in a statement: "This was a politically motivated effort by radical homosexual and transgender groups to remove me as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court because of outspoken opposition to their immoral agenda."
The panel found that Mr Moore's ruling in 6 January showed "disregard for binding federal law" after the US Supreme Court landmark decision in June 2015 affirming gay marriage rights.
Testifying in his defence, Mr Moore said there was uncertainty after conflicting opinions on gay marriage from state and federal courts.
Mr Moore is known for his opposition to same-sex marriage, and has called homosexuality an "inherent evil" in the past.
His suspension was celebrated by the civil rights group that filed the complaints in 2003 and 2016.
"Moore was elected to be a judge, not a preacher," Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in a statement.
"The people of Alabama who cherish the rule of law are not going to miss the Ayatollah of Alabama."

Summary: Alabama's top judge has been suspended for the remainder of his term for defying federal court rulings that legalized same-sex marriage.
###
Article: Alun Davies, who is a Labour AM for Blaenau Gwent, said John McDonnell was "out of his depth".
He made the comment after Mr McDonnell produced Mao Zedong's Little Red Book in the House of Commons, saying Chancellor George Osborne was selling off Â£5b worth of assets, in particular to China.
Mr McDonnell said the reference was "a bit of a joke".
He quoted Chairman Mao to Mr Osborne and accused him of "sheer economic illiteracy" in a Spending Review speech on Wednesday.
But Mr Davies tweeted: "McDonnell is a clown. Way out of his depth. We needed leadership, strength and substance today. We got Mao".

Summary: The shadow chancellor has been branded "a clown" by a Welsh party colleague.
###
Article: Residents of flats in Clyne Court, Sketty, and Jefferys Court, Penlan, were concerned when the material used failed initial tests.
Communities Secretary Carl Sargeant hailed results of a new whole-system test as a "positive development".
It follows the failure of a system test on material used in Newport.
At least 80 people died in the Grenfell fire, and the UK government demanded urgent fire tests on all tower blocks.
Cladding from three tower blocks in Newport and four blocks of flats in Swansea had failed initial fire safety tests on the type of panels used.
Since then, the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has been carrying out whole-system tests to judge the risk of fire spreading from panels made of aluminium composite material (ACM) to entire buildings.
In a written update to assembly members, Mr Sargeant said one set of results related to tests on material "similar to the combination in place on four buildings owned by the City and County of Swansea, samples of which had previously been tested by the BRE".
This featured ACM with a fire retardant polyethylene filler with mineral wool insulation.
"The tested system passed the test, which is a positive development," Mr Sargeant said.
"Of course, landlords and owners must continue to draw on all expert advice and guidance in relation to their individual buildings."
Andrea Lewis, Swansea council's cabinet member for housing, welcomed the "very reassuring news" which she said backed up the authority's own whole-system test of the cladding system used.
She added that work to fit sprinklers in all 11 of the council's high-rise blocks would begin in November, with priority given to those with exterior cladding.
Earlier in August, it was confirmed that a whole-system test on material used in three tower blocks owned by social landlord Newport City Homes had failed.
Rockwool, the makers of the insulation involved, said the test did not properly assess their product.

Summary: Cladding similar to that used in four council tower blocks in Swansea has passed a new fire safety test in the wake of London's Grenfell disaster.
###
Article: The Uzbek government announced his death on Friday after a period of rumours about his ill health.
As is often the case with strongman regimes, no tried and tested succession mechanism is in place in Uzbekistan, and the transition of power may well be a complicated process.
Uzbekistan is the most populous Central Asian country and has the largest army.
Mr Karimov, who came to power during the Soviet era, has led the country since independence in 1991.
During his long rule, President Karimov has built a relatively stable secular regime in a region threatened by Islamist radicalism.
But many believe this has been done at the expense of human rights, and has often been an excuse to hound legitimate opposition.
It also has not completely eradicated the long-term risk posed by Islamist militancy.
Many Uzbek Islamists have simply dodged the tight security at home by fighting for the Islamic State group abroad, but should the secular government weaken, they might be tempted to come back.
Some also say that Uzbekistan's fractured and exiled opposition may turn to Islamism to boost its appeal in the majority Muslim country.
Positioned on the ancient Great Silk Road between Europe and Asia, Uzbekistan enjoys a strategic location that has attracted the interest of many foreign states throughout its long history.
Most recently, it has been one reason why Russia and Western powers have been vying for a foothold.
In 2001, Uzbekistan allowed the US to use its air bases in support of military action in Afghanistan, but four years later all foreign troops were evicted following Washington's criticism of the Uzbek government's human rights record.
Moscow will be keen to ensure that Mr Karimov's successor leans towards Russia rather than the West.
So far, unlike most Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan has been wary of Russian influence. In 2012, it withdrew from the main Russia-led regional military bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.
Political instability caused by Mr Karimov's demise could be felt far beyond...

Summary:

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China's growth is a major concern for investors around the world.
The news comes as the International Monetary Fund said it expected China's economy to grow by 6.3% this year and 6% in 2017.
Beijing had set an official growth target of "about 7%".
Chinese Premier Li Keq

China's economy grew by 6.9% in 2015, compared with 7.3% a year earlier, marking its slowest growth in a quarter of a century.

Article: Seventy people a year are killed, and hundreds of thousands are injured, as a result of fires in cookers, fridges and tumble driers.
The Electrical Safety Council(ESC) said manufacturers need to do more to trace their customers if they need to warn them about safety issues.
It said the current guidelines are not good enough.
Last December Catherine Paterson, from Middlesbrough, had a fire that destroyed her garage.
The fire started in her tumble drier, which was only four months old.
She later found out after searching on the internet that the model she was using had a problem and had been recalled by the manufacturer.
"About ten minutes after the drier was switched on we got a call from the neighbour, who told us the garage was on fire," she told the BBC.
The fire was so fierce that it destroyed the garage in fifteen minutes, and caused Â£10,000 worth of damage.
"They knew the product was faulty since the end of November but no one got in touch," said Catherine.
It was beginning of February when someone got in touch to let us know that there was something wrong."
That was two months after the fire.
According to Trading Standards, the manufacturer of the tumble drier that Catherine owned did everything it could to tell people that the product was faulty.
That included putting notices in the media and online.
But Steven Curtler, product safety manager at the Electrical Safety Council (ESC), said Catherine's case highlights how current guidelines for manufacturers are not good enough. He is now calling for changes need to be made to industry procedures to ensure peoples' safety.
"One area we believe there could be significant improvement is in the traceability of products," he said.
The ESC wants more information about consumers to be taken at the point they buy the appliance.
"The more information you have about the person who has purchased that product the easier it will be to provide critical information about the safety of the product," he added.
According to figures from the ESC, on average 70 people die...

Summary: Safety experts have called for better standards, to protect consumers from faulty goods that can catch fire.
###
Article: The site of the former Lafarge cement works in Eastgate had been earmarked for the multi-million pound scheme.
Durham County Council was set to buy the land for Â£1, and, with regional development agency One North East, spend Â£1.5m to kick-start development.
With the agency now abolished, the plan has been put on hold. The council said it was still working with Lafarge on the future of the site.
The planned eco-village would have used hot water pumped from underneath the Weardale hills to heat homes, a hotel, and a recreated Roman spa.
There were hopes it would have have created up to 250 jobs.
Lafarge, which still owns the site, said in a statement: "We remain committed to the outline plans for a renewable energy village at Eastgate.
"However the majority of our work has taken place during the severe economic conditions that the UK has been facing over recent years, and so far we are not able to give a more detailed update on those plans."
Durham County Council said in a statement: "We are still working with Lafarge on the future of the land."

Summary: Plans for an eco-village and thermal spa in County Durham have stalled.
###
Article: The promoter of the Carl Frampton fight, Barry McGuigan, paid £5,000 towards the policing bill.
The total policing bill for the event, at Titanic slipways in September, came in at £35,585. The promoter paid what was described as an "abated cost".
The amounts were revealed in a freedom of information request to the PSNI.
Frampton outpointed Spain's Kiko Martinez to secure the world IBF super-bantamweight title, in front of 16,000 boxing fans.
In its answer to the FoI request, a police spokesperson said the "abated cost" was agreed prior to the event and was "in line with PSNI and Association of Chief Police Officers charging policy".
It is understood the bill was higher than would have been expected at an event of this nature, due to additional discretionary spend by the PSNI.
Extra security measures were put in place because of the high-profile nature of the event and the risk of reputational damage to Northern Ireland, were anything to go wrong.
It is believed the cost, without the additional security, would have been closer to £10,000.
A police source said: "The PSNI billed the promoter for an amount which was deemed to be proportionate and fair."
In October, Northern Ireland's Justice Minister David Ford said First Minister Peter Robinson should have declared an interest in the fight, which received £300,000 in public money, including £250,000 from the Northern Ireland Executive.
The Irish News newspaper reported that Mr Robinson's son Gareth helped to promote the event.
Mr Robinson had asked Mr Ford about the PSNI's charging policy around such events.
The first minister rejected any idea that there had been a conflict of interest and said the discussion at the executive related to the general policy of police charging for events.
`"There was no suggestion whatsoever at any time to influence decisions pertaining to the IBF (International Boxing Federation) event in Belfast," the DUP leader said.
"Rather this was merely the catalyst for the discussion. No conflict could therefore have arisen."
The...

Summary: More than £30,000 was paid out of the public purse towards the cost of policing a world title boxing match in Belfast earlier this year.
###
Article: China's growth, seen as a driver of the global economy, is a major concern for investors around the world.
The news comes as the International Monetary Fund said it expected China's economy to grow by 6.3% this year and 6% in 2017.
Beijing had set an official growth target of "about 7%".
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said weaker growth would be acceptable as long as enough new jobs were created.
But some observers say its growth is actually much weaker than official data suggests, though Beijing denies numbers are being inflated.
Analysts said any growth below 6.8% would likely fuel calls for further economic stimulus. Economic growth in the final quarter of 2015 edged down to 6.8%, according to the country's national bureau of statistics.
Asia Business correspondent Karishma Vaswani on what the figures tell us
China editor Carrie Gracie - Is slower growth China's 'new normal'?
Can you trust the figures?
After experiencing rapid growth for more than a decade, China's economy has experienced a painful slowdown in the last two years.
It's come as the central government wants to move towards an economy led by consumption and services, rather than one driven by exports and investment. But managing that transition has been challenging.
Some argue that China's focus on creating an economy driven by consumption is misplaced. They say as the country attempts to rebalance its economy, it should focus on productivity in order to sustain high growth.
"While higher consumption can support growth in the short run, there is little in economic theory that emphasises the expenditure side of GDP as a driver of growth," HSBC's John Zhu said in a note.
Mr Zhu also said that China's current stage of development would require more investment, not less, and that the country would rebalance naturally towards consumption and services in time.
"Pushing the economy along those paths too soon would be dangerous," he said.
Analysis: Karishma Vaswani, Asia Business correspondent
It's said so often that it has become a financial markets...

Summary:


The High Court has ruled that the school district's decision to allow the children to attend school was not a "regular" attendance, and that the school district's decision to allow the children to attend school was not a "regular" attendance.
The High Court has ruled that the school district's decision to allow the children

A father is preparing for a High Court legal battle to give parents the right to take children on term-time holidays.

Article: Chevron's Kent Robertson told the BBC the case was an "extortion scheme", and accused Ecuador's state-run firm of polluting the country's Amazon region.
The legal wrangle has been going on for almost two decades, and has spawned lawsuits in the US and Ecuador.
Analysts say further appeals are likely to drag on for years.
The oil firm Texaco, which merged with Chevron in 2001, is accused of dumping billions of gallons of toxic waste into unlined pits and Amazon rivers between 1972 and 1992.
Campaigners say crops were damaged and farm animals killed, and that local cancer rates increased.
But Chevron says Texaco spent $40m cleaning up the area during the 1990s, and signed an agreement with Ecuador in 1998 absolving it of any further responsibility.
Mr Robertson, the firm's spokesman, told the BBC's World Today programme that Texaco had "operated admirably" and blamed Ecuador's state-run firm Petroecuador for any ongoing problems.
"The oilfields in question have been solely operated by the government of Ecuador's own oil company Petroecuador for the last 20 years," he said.
"Petroecuador has a deplorable environmental record and Chevron is getting blamed for actions in a country that we've never even operated in."
He accused Petroecuador and Ecuador's government of failing to live up to their responsibilities. Neither have responded to the claims.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of 30,000 Ecuadoreans, and their lawyer Pablo Fajardo described the court ruling as "a triumph of justice over Chevron's crime and economic power".
But he said the damages were not enough, and pledged to appeal.
Environmentalists hoped the case would set a precedent, forcing companies operating in developing countries to comply with the same anti-pollution standards as in the industrialised world.
US-based lobby groups Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network said in a joint statement that the decision was "historic and unprecedented".
"Chevron has spent the last 18 years waging unprecedented public relations  and lobbying campaigns...

Summary: US oil giant Chevron says it will appeal against an $8.6bn (Â£5.3bn) fine imposed by Ecuador judges, carrying on a long-running row over pollution.
###
Article: He basically has four options. Win more Hispanics, more African Americans, more women or more working class voters who might previously have voted Democrat.
Of those groups the first two are probably a lost cause. He has said too many incendiary things about Hispanics and black Americans seem to be firmly in Hillary Clinton's camp.
That leaves women - and he will try to reach them, although we don't yet know whether he can overcome his popularity deficit with women voters.
But, curiously perhaps, the easiest place for Donald Trump to rack up a few more votes is in white, working-class communities where people who once voted Democrat like the sound of the New York billionaire.
We went to Revere, Massachusetts, to meet some of them.

Summary: If Donald Trump wants to win the White House in November he will have to find support in communities he hasn't done very well with so far.
###
Article: The winner will be announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose later this year.
Jo Baker, Sebastian Barry, Charlotte Hobson, Hannah Kent, Francis Spufford, Graham Swift and Rose Tremain are in the running for the Â£25,000 prize.
Judges said they had extended the list to seven titles due to the "variety of the longlist".
They said the seven shortlisted novels offered readers "joy in the discovery of unusual subjects and times" as well as appreciation of historical research and a "visceral connection" with their characters.
The seven contenders are:
A statement from the judges said: "Our shortlist was achieved by the judges' instinctive reaction to each book.
"These seven wonderful books encapsulate moments in history in truly unforgettable ways, making the 2017 Walter Scott prize shortlist one to savour.
"The second and final judges' meeting looks set to be as lively as the first."
They will meet again to decide the winner just ahead of its announcement at the Borders Book Festival on 17 June.
The Walter Scott Prize was founded in 2009 by its patrons the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch.
The winner receives Â£25,000, and shortlisted authors each receive Â£1,000.

Summary: Seven books have been shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction.
###
Article: Jonathan Platt successfully contested a fine from Isle of Wight Council for taking his young daughter on a family holiday to Florida in April.
He will now speak up on behalf of other parents when the council seeks High Court clarification on the law.
He is crowdfunding for Â£25,000 expected legal costs and raised more than Â£1,000 in the first 24 hours.
The father wrote on the fundraising page he would spend the money on "nothing other than legal fees for solicitors and barristers".
He added: "I will take nothing personally from the money, not even travelling costs."
Isle of Wight Council is asking the High Court for clarification on what constitutes "regular" attendance at school. As Mr Platt is a "person of interest" in the case, he has a right to attend.
He said he is arguing "on behalf of all parents".
Comments on the online crowdfunding page include: "Thank you for being our voice Jon, we are all behind you."
"Well done and good luck, let's hope common sense prevails."
Mr Platt took his children to Disneyland in Florida in April despite his daughter's absence being refused by her primary school.
The council took him to court after he refused to pay a Â£120 fine.
He won his case after he told magistrates that Section 444 of the Education Act did not put restrictions on holidays during term time, provided pupils otherwise attended school regularly.
The council has applied to the High Court for an opinion on whether "the unauthorised absence of a child for seven consecutive school days on holiday... amounts to the child failing to attend the school regularly".

Summary:


The new system is based on the idea that the players are not allowed to change their passwords.
The new system is based on the idea that the players are not allowed to change their passwords.
The new system is based on the idea that the players are not allowed to change their passwords.
The new system is

Kelly Sotherton says athletics chiefs should consider tweaking events rather than rewriting existing world records.

Article: Yongzim claims to be better at handling complex searches involving several words in the language than any alternative.
But a spokesman for the government in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, told the BBC it could also be used as a "platform to promote propaganda to legitimise the illegal occupation of Tibet."
Tibet is governed as an autonomous region of China. Beijing claims a centuries-old sovereignty over the Himalayan region, yet the allegiances of many Tibetans lie with the exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, seen by China as a separatist threat.
Exile groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) around the world accuse Beijing of suppressing the region's culture and tradition with the Tibetan language being a big part of it.
Both Google - which is blocked in China and therefore also in Tibet - and the Chinese search engine Baidu can also carry out searches in Tibetan.
But Yongzim is entirely in Tibetan, including all the elements of its interface - and in that respect it is indeed a first. Its name translates as "master" or "teacher".
According to Chinese state media, the service will promote the Tibetan language and provide a dedicated platform for Tibetan-language websites.
"[It will] meet the growing needs of the Tibetan-speaking population and facilitate the building of Tibetan digital archives and the expansion of databases in the Tibetan language," an official said.
Kyinzom Dhongdue, of the Australia Tibet Council, told the BBC she welcomed the initiative as a "positive step towards popularising the use of the Tibetan language" but cautioned it could become a "propaganda tool" for Beijing.
Aynne Kokas, an expert on Chinese media at the University of Virginia in the US, also described it as being a "major technological advancement" that could be useful for "non-sensitive queries". But she said it would also "make it easier to redirect web traffic" to sites that tallied with the Chinese government's views.
The Free Tibet movement noted that the effort marked a change of...

Summary: A Tibetan search engine, backed by the Chinese authorities, has been launched.
###
Article: But behind the scenes, much larger deals are helping to move money at an unprecedented rate. Wealth is flowing from the mainland, through currency dealers in Hong Kong and beyond.
The leaked Mossack Fonseca documents have revealed to us how the families of China's leaders keep money offshore.
And now, a full analysis of the files by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists shows that nearly one third of the firm's business came from its offices in Hong Kong and China - making China the firm's biggest market and Hong Kong the company's busiest office.
Mossack Fonseca's booming China business is evidence of an even bigger trend: the reliance of China's wealthiest people on offshore investments.
Around $1tn (Â£700bn) left China last year, draining the country's foreign reserves.
It is a shift that could destabilise the entire Chinese economy.
And the relatives of China's leaders are among those who have stashed their wealth abroad.
At least seven current and former leaders were found to have links to offshore companies set up by the Panamanian law firm, including the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, and two other top leaders.
Many of these names have circulated in connection with offshore banking before, in past media reports. However, the leaked files come at a tricky time for China's leadership.
Owning offshore companies is not illegal in China but the existence of these secretive financial structures raises all sorts of questions for the families of China's leaders.
China's Communist officials are supposed to lead "clean" lifestyles that discourage them from profiting from their ruling positions, according to the party's constitution. And importantly, their families are not supposed to profit from their ties to the top.
Willy Lam, a political analyst with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says Xi Jinping has portrayed himself as "a purist in terms of morality and frugality".
Stashing vast sums in offshore accounts "definitely goes against the teachings of Xi Jinping and also well-known...

Summary: In the shadow of Hong Kong's big banks, rows of currency exchange shops specialise in quick, anonymous transactions.
###
Article: Lifeboat lets members run servers for customised, multiplayer maps for the smartphone edition of Minecraft.
There is evidence that the stolen information, including email addresses and passwords, is being offered on sites that trade in hacked data.
Analysis suggests passwords were very weakly protected so attackers could easily work them out.
Information about the breach was passed to independent security expert Troy Hunt who said he got the list from someone who trades in stolen credentials. Several people had told him the data was circulating on dark net sites.
Mr Hunt said the data was stolen in early 2015 but the breach has only now come to light.
Passwords for Lifeboat accounts were hashed, he said, but the algorithm used provided little protection.
Hashing is a technique used to scramble passwords so they are not easily read if the data goes astray.
Often, he said, a Google search for a hashed password would instantly return the correct plain text value. Well-known cracking tools could automate and speed up this process, he said.
"A large portion of those passwords would be reverted to plain text in a very short time," he said in a blogpost about the breach.
This often lead to other security problems, he said, because many people re-use passwords so finding out one can lead attackers to compromise accounts on other sites.
In a statement given to Motherboard, Lifeboat said it had taken action to limit the damage.
"When this happened [in] early January we figured the best thing for our players was to quietly force a password reset without letting the hackers know they had limited time to act," it told the news site adding that it now used stronger hashing algorithms.
It said: "We have not received any reports of anyone being damaged by this."
Mr Hunt was critical of the company for "quietly" forcing the password re-set saying this policy left him "speechless".
Instead, he said, Lifeboat should have done much more to alert users so they could quickly change passwords if they used the same one on other...

Summary: Hackers have stolen login data for more than seven million members of the Minecraft site Lifeboat.
###
Article: Media playback is not supported on this device
The 40-year-old won Olympic heptathlon bronze for Britain in 2004 and has been upgraded to two more bronze medals from 2008 after retrospective drug tests.
All world records set before 2005 could be rewritten under a new proposal from European Athletics, after the sport's latest doping scandal.
Sotherton said tweaking events would create "a new slate" and new records.
She said: "Could we go back to yards or run 101m instead of 100m?
"We all know that some of the records are completely out there. But not all of those records were achieved by people who cheated.
"Scrapping those records is unfair on those athletes. And what about my pre-2005 performances? Did they happen? Does this apply to national records too?"
Sotherton referred to the IAAF's decision to remodel the men's javelin in 1986.
Changes were made to the javelin's design because of increasingly frequent flat landings. All existing records were reset after the change, but not erased.
"I am open to the discussion - for the greater good of the sport it's a good thing," she added.

Summary:


The government has been asked to investigate claims that pro-UK campaigners breached electoral law by counting some postal votes ahead of referendum polling day.
The government has been asked to investigate claims that pro-UK campaigners breached electoral law by counting some postal votes ahead of referendum polling day.
The government has been asked to investigate claims

Thousands of people face a deadline of the end of Sunday to renew tax credits and pay tax owed, or face losing payments or being hit with penalties.

Article: Manchester-based executive Katy Jones, who previously worked on Jimmy McGovern's ITV drama about the 1989 football disaster, died on Friday aged 51.
She also worked for ITV's World in Action programme and, in recent years, produced education content for the BBC.
Sinead Rocks, head of BBC Learning, said she was "hugely talented".
"She was passionate about education and learning and her enthusiasm, energy and determination knew no bounds. Our thoughts are with her family at this very sad time."
Peter Salmon, director of BBC England, added: "Katy brought huge energy and commitment to everything she worked on. We will miss her enormously at MediaCityUK."
She was on the Hillsborough Independent Panel which, in 2012, released its report into the disaster.
Mrs Jones was also a producer on Jimmy McGovern's Sunday - about the events of the 1972 Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland - Bafta-award winning drama Mark of Cain and the 9/11 film Yasmin.
She also founded the education company Child's Eye Media in 2005 before joining the BBC when it moved to Salford in 2011.
The mother-of-two was married to Mike Spencer, who worked with her at ITV Granada.

Summary: Tributes have been paid to a BBC television producer who also served on the Hillsborough Independent Panel.
###
Article: The disruption is part of a UK wide strike called by the Unite union.
It balloted its members after failing to reach an agreement with the employer, Swissport, in a long-running dispute about pay.
A second 48-hour strike is planned to start on 6 January.
Belfast International Airport said it is looking into the implications of the strike: "December the 23rd is one of the busiest days of the year with around 62 inbound, and 62 outbound flights.
"Christmas Eve is also very busy for flights.
"We have contingency plans in place to deal with any industrial action.
"We have teams on stand-by to minimise any disruption over this busy time."
Unite Regional Officer, George Brash, has called on Swissport to engage with his union through the conciliation service ACAS.
He said: "We appreciate that this is a very busy time of year at our airports and we are urging management to make a serious offer to meet the workforce's pay expectations.
"This will be a UK-wide strike involving over 1,500 check-in staff, baggage handlers and cargo crew.
"It is likely that this will result in severe disruption at both Belfast City and International Airports where Unite represents the overwhelming majority of workers."

Summary: Passengers at Belfast International and Belfast City Airports face disruption on the 23 and 24 of December due to a planned strike by baggage handlers and check-in staff.
###
Article: Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said Better Together agents had been "taking tallies" of postal votes at sample openings held in the weeks before the count.
Election rules state the results of these openings must be kept secret.
Police Scotland said it was assessing whether a crime had been committed.
It is understood a number of complaints were made to the Electoral Commission.
The commission does not have the power to investigate criminal allegations, and has made police aware of the concerns.
The allegations surround comments made to BBC Scotland by Ms Davidson about 45 minutes after polls closed in last Thursday's Scottish independence referendum.
Ms Davidson told the Scotland Decides programme: "We have had people at every sample opening around the country over the last few weeks... and we have been incredibly encouraged by the results from that.
"Going into today, going by the postal votes that were cast, our side would have had a lead and I think that we have a confidence, I hope a quiet confidence, that the quiet majority of Scots have spoken today."
She said postal votes were not counted until after the polls closed, but added: "Different local authorities have had openings around the country. It is illegal to discuss that while any ballot is ongoing, so until ten o'clock tonight no one could talk about it.
"But there is people in the room that have been sampling those ballot boxes as they have been opened and they have been taking tallies and the reports have been very positive for us."
The Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 states that those attending the sample openings must not "attempt to ascertain at the proceedings in connection with the receipt of the ballot papers the outcome for which any vote is given in any particular ballot paper or communicate any information with respect thereto obtained at those proceedings".
Anyone convicted of breaching the law can be jailed for up to a year, and/or receive a fine of up to Â£5,000.
The sample postal vote openings, which were attended by...

Summary: Police have been asked to examine claims that pro-UK campaigners breached electoral law by counting some postal votes ahead of referendum polling day.
###
Article: Up to a million people still needed to complete their tax credit renewals in the final week before the deadline.
They would have received information about their annual review notice in a white A4 envelope, but they can renew online up until Sunday night.
Separately, many of those in the self-assessment system must pay a tax bill.
This so-called payment on account is the equivalent of half the previous year's tax bill, as an advance payment on their next bill. The other half is paid on 31 January.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) warned that anyone who failed to renew their tax credits could be in danger of having payments stopped, or find themselves paying more than they needed to.
"It is great that millions of people have renewed their tax credits or reported changes so far, but anyone who has not done so yet should take action now - it only takes a few minutes to renew online," said Nick Lodge, of HMRC.
Renewals can now also be completed via smartphone apps. The tax credit helpline - 0345 3003900 - is open until 20:00 BST on Saturday and Sunday.
To renew, they will need their renewal pack, their National Insurance number, their and their partners total income for the tax year to April 2016, the 15-digit number on their renewal pack, and details of any changes to their circumstances, such as working hours and children.
Claimants who received notices in a brown A5 envelope will see their tax credits renewed automatically and are only required to contact HMRC if they need to make any corrections or notify HMRC of any changes to household circumstances.
Those whose notices came in a white A4 envelope must renew, even if their circumstances have not changed.
The tax payment deadline affects everyone in the self-assessment system unless:
There are various ways of paying but those leaving it to the weekend are likely to be limited to paying via online or telephone banking, or via the HMRC website using a debit or credit card.
Interest is charged if the payment deadline is missed. After 28 days without payment,...

Summary:


The film's main antagonist, Gaston, is a man who is "a very good guy".
The film's main antagonist, Gaston, is a man who is "a very good guy".
The film's main antagonist, Gaston, is a man who is "a very good guy".
The

The release of Disney's Beauty and the Beast has been postponed in Malaysia.

Article: The new revised agreement will be submitted to Congress for approval, rather than put to a popular vote.
But opposition groups say it still does not go far enough in punishing rebels for human rights abuses.
The deal is aimed at ending five decades of armed conflict, which has killed more than 260,000 people.
After four years of formal talks between rebel and government negotiators, the two sides reached an agreement earlier this year.
The deal was signed in an emotional ceremony before world leaders in the Colombian city of Cartagena on 26 September.
But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos had said from the start of the negotiations that he wanted the Colombian people to have a say in the peace process.
He asked them to endorse or reject the peace agreement in a popular vote held on 2 October.
Polls had suggested the deal would pass by a comfortable margin but in a shock result it was narrowly rejected.
A bilateral ceasefire was extended until the end of the year to give the two sides time to plan their next steps.
President Santos met former President Alvaro Uribe, a vociferous opponent of the peace deal, to listen to his objections.
The government and the Farc then went back to the negotiating table to try to strike a new deal acceptable to those who had voted "no".
Changes were made to all but one of the 57 points in the original agreement.
The five main points which have been changed are:
President Santos has announced that the revised deal will be signed in a low-key ceremony in a theatre in the capital, Bogota, on Thursday.
The deal will then be sent to Congress, where the government has a solid majority, with a vote expected to be scheduled for next week.
The Democratic Centre party, founded by ex-President Uribe, has already said it will vote "no".
Its leaders say that the changes are only "cosmetic" and object to the fact that the government has said the new deal is "final".
It wants more of its demands met, including harsher sentences for Farc rebels who have committed crimes.
It also demanded...

Summary: Colombia's government says it will sign a new peace accord with Farc rebels on Thursday, after a previous deal was rejected in a referendum last month.
###
Article: Sylvia Russell said Anne Marie Morris "hasn't got a racist thought in her head".
The MP, who has apologised unreservedly, had been "looking for a metaphor to illustrate a point about Brexit", Ms Russell said.
Announcing the suspension, PM Theresa May said she was "shocked" by the "completely unacceptable" language.
Ms Morris, the MP for Newton Abbot in Devon, has been widely criticised by MPs from all parties, with Conservative colleague Helen Grant tweeting that she was "so ashamed".
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World at One, Ms Russell, president of Newton Abbot Conservative Association, said she hoped her punishment would be "proportionate".
"It is very disappointing that Anne Marie finds herself in this situation for an unintentional comment that I am quite sure that she never intended to make," she said.
According to a recording published by the Huffington Post, Ms Morris was discussing the impact of Brexit on the UK's financial services industry at an event organised by the Politeia think tank, which was attended by other MPs when she used a racist phrase.
Asked about the MP's use of language Ms Russell added: "I believe she was really looking for a metaphor to illustrate a point about Brexit - and like sometimes, when you're standing on your feet and you're speaking without a script, things come out that shouldn't come out, and Anne Marie is mortified, I would think, that people should consider that she might be a racist.
"She's not. I have known her for many years and she hasn't got a racist thought in her head."
On Monday Ms Morris told the BBC: "The comment was totally unintentional. I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused."
The suspension of Ms Morris reduces the Conservatives' working majority - which relies on DUP support - to 11, although she would be expected to back the Tories in key votes.

Summary: A Conservative MP suspended for using a racist expression has been defended by the president of her local party.
###
Article: His speech before a crowd of 12,000 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, on Monday was the first such event to start with a Christian rock band and multiple group prayers, however.
This evangelical university in the foothills of central Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains is certainly an unusual venue for the self-proclaimed "democratic socialist" senator from Vermont. Founded in 1971 by the late Christian political activist and television evangelist Jerry Falwell, the school usually hosts religious luminaries and conservative politicians, and made headlines in 2009 for rescinding official recognition for its chapter of the College Democrats because of the party's position on abortion and gay marriage.
Liberty officials extended invitations for presidential candidates from both parties to speak at their weekly convocation, however, and Mr Sanders is the only Democrat so far to accept. Republicans Ben Carson and Scott Walker are scheduled to address the mandatory weekly student meetings later this year.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz announced his bid for the Republican presidential nomination at Liberty in March.
Mr Cruz, however, was preaching to ideological soul-mates. Mr Sanders, on the other hand, has admitted that the majority of the students at Liberty "look at the world differently" than he does.
At the very start of his speech Mr Sanders defended his liberal positions and took note that they likely weren't viewed favourably among this audience.
"I understand that issues such as abortion and gay marriage are very important to you. We disagree on those issues. I get that," he said.
"But let me respectfully suggest that there are other issues out there that are of enormous consequence to our country and in fact to the entire world and that maybe, just maybe, we do not disagree on. And maybe, just maybe, we can try work together to resolve them."
The senator then spoke about the central focus of his campaign - income inequality and economic justice - leavened with the occasional biblical verse, a nod to the...

Summary: Over the past few months Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has packed arenas for campaign appearances around the country.
###
Article: The much-anticipated film sparked controversy last week after it emerged it would feature a "gay moment".
It was due for release in Malaysia on Thursday, but Disney said it was being held for a "review" of its content.
The Malaysian Censorship Board (LPF) said on Tuesday it had approved the screening but with "a minor edit concerning a gay moment in the film".
Homosexual activity is illegal in Muslim majority Malaysia, although the country's tourism minister has said banning the film is "ridiculous".
A new release date has yet to be announced.   The live-action remake was granted a "P13 parental guidance classification".
"We have approved the film so there is no more issue. Once a film receives approval, it means it can be screened," LPF Chairman Datuk Abdul Hamid said.
"However, the date of screening and where the screening takes place is not under LPF's jurisdiction. We only look at the content and give a decision on whether the movie gets approved or not."
Local cinema chains have been offering refunds for customers who have purchased tickets in advance.
Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon has spoken about the "exclusively gay moment" in the film.
It involves LeFou - the sidekick of the film's main antagonist Gaston - who tries to come to terms with feelings for Gaston that swing between lust and admiration, as a side-plot to the main story.
The decision to review the Disney classic in Malaysia courted criticism from netizens, many of whom called it "stupid and laughable".
"Malaysia bans 'Beauty and the Beast' but is okay with nonsense Malay movies with no moral values, just full of brainless jokes," wrote a Twitter user in a tweet which drew more than 4,500 re-tweets.
Priyanka Laxmiâ€

Summary:


Parts of Leeds city centre could be closed to traffic in a bid to make the city less "road heavy".

Article: The chamber voted 54-45 on Friday to seal the confirmation of Denver appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch.
Republicans took the historic step this week of changing the chamber's rules in order to ram through their pick.
At stake is the final legal say on everything from gun control to abortion to election finance to workers' rights.
Mr Gorsuch, 49, was confirmed within 65 days of his nomination, but the battle to appoint another justice to the judicial bench began with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative darling, in February last year.
It was the longest period a seat has remained unfilled on the Supreme Court since during the American Civil War in 1862.
Though Mr Gorsuch proved evasive when questioned on legal matters during his confirmation hearings, he has a solidly conservative pedigree and is expected to rule accordingly.
Republicans hope Mr Gorsuch will hand the bench's bloc of conservative justices a winning 5-4 majority.
"He's going to make an incredible addition to the court," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who led the anti-Gorsuch opposition, said the court was "increasingly drifting towards becoming a more pro-corporate court that favours employers, corporations and special interests over working America".
On Thursday, Mr McConnell triggered a legislative manoeuvre known as the "nuclear option" when Republicans lacked the 60 votes required to end debate on Mr Gorsuch.
The chamber's majority leader tore up the rulebook after Democrats mounted the first filibuster of such a nominee in half a century.
The result is a triumph for Donald Trump's young presidency. For many of those who voted for him, getting a conservative judge on to America's highest court was a top priority.
"Congratulations to an exceptionally qualified and respected judge," the president tweeted.
The vacancy on the nine-judge bench had left the justices to pass over many controversial issues, possibly to avoid a 4-4 stalemate.
The Democrats were left fuming last...

Summary: The US Senate has confirmed President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, after a bitter, 14-month battle for control of the highest court in the land.
###
Article: The missiles were launched from the Hwangju region, said South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and flew about 500km (310 miles) to 600km.
The US said the first two were believed to be short-range Scuds while the third was a mid-range Rodong or Nodong.
It comes after the US and South Korea said they would deploy an anti-missile system to counter the North's threats.
North Korea is barred by UN sanctions from any test of nuclear or ballistic missile technology. But tensions have soared since it carried out its fourth nuclear test in January.
South Korea's Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said missile tests had been "a rare phenomenon in the past" but had been taking place "continuously" this year.
"The threat to our national security has grown very quickly in a short period of time," he said.
It has also conducted several launches in recent months, including a test of mid-range missiles in June which were considered its most successful yet.
Seoul has said activity detected recently in North Korea indicates it could be preparing to conduct a fifth nuclear test imminently.
The latest launches happened between 05:45 local time (20:45 GMT on Monday) and 06:40, the South's military said, in a statement quoted by the Yonhap news agency.
"The ballistic missiles flight went from 500km to 600km, which is a distance far enough to strike all of South Korea including Busan," South Korea's military said in a statement. Busan is a port city in the south.
The US Strategic Command said it had tracked the launches, but that they had posed no risk to US interests.
Japan's Defence Minister Gen Nakatani echoed the condemnations, saying the launches were "an act of provocation that undermines regional and international security," and adding that Japan "will take all possible measures to deal with any situation".
1. The enemy launches a missile
2. The Thaad radar system detects the launch, which is relayed to command and control
3. Thaad command and control instructs the launch of an interceptor missile
4. The interceptor missile is...

Summary: North Korea has fired three ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, say US and S Korean officials.
###
Article: They have raised concerns over food hygiene and many have posted pictures of their own pets to raise awareness.
The country has already come under fire for a similar cat meat scandal and its annual dog meat festival.
Some activists are calling for these "terrible and prehistoric" customs to be dropped.
Eating cat meat is widely regarded as taboo in China, but it is still eaten in some rural regions.
On 28 October, popular regional daily The Beijing News reported that local police in the eastern city of Tianjin had found a "common courtyard house with more than 200 cats crowded into very small cages".
According to the report, "several villagers said that the 'feline house' had been leased to someone from outside the area for two to three years".
"We have often seen in the past cats being transported by vehicle, but we did not know what these people were doing," one villager said.
The news went viral after it was posted on the popular microblog Sina Weibo by influential papers the Yangtse Evening Post and Huaxi Metropolis Daily. Both said rescue teams had confirmed that the cats were to be shipped to Yunnan, Guangdong and Shandong provinces to be used as food.
The Huaxi Metropolis Daily's post was shared over 3,000 times and received thousands of comments from appalled social media users.
Within two days, the hashtag #CatMeatUsedForHamAndKebabs had become a Sina Weibo trend. Posts using the hashtag have reached more than nine million, and more than 5,000 social media users have actively used the hashtag to discuss the story.
Users appeared to be most concerned about food hygiene standards.
"I will never eat food from roadside vendors again," said Xiaocong Ban-Jiang, whose comment received more than 1,000 likes.
"What is happening to our country, why are there always problems with food and drink?" lamented Xiao Ruyi Jin Baozi in another popular post.
Weibo users across the country have been uploading pictures of their own pets in protest.
"You can't not love them; please do not hurt them. I hope you don't go to...

Summary: Chinese social media users are buzzing with outrage at news that a "feline house" in Tianjin has been keeping cats to be sold for human consumption.
###
Article: Councillors have discussed plans aimed at improving the city's transport network and changing its image as what a report calls a "motorway city".
City Square could be closed off to through traffic by 2021, as could Neville Street that runs past Bridgewater Place into the city centre.
The move forms part of the city's 2023 European Capital of Culture bid.
The plan was to get more people cycling and walking around the city, the report said.
Cycles, buses and taxis would still be allowed in City Square that lies close to the railway station.
Councillor Richard Lewis said: "It's about how me make the city both liveable and prosperous in the future."
An upgrade of Armley Gyratory, one of the busiest junctions in the city, was also in the council's plans, he said.
There were still many details to be worked out and there would be feasibility studies and consultations, Mr Lewis added.
The plans are part of a discussion on a 20-year vision for the city.
The HS2 high-speed rail network is planned to stop at a new city centre station in Leeds by 2032/33.
The council must register its capital of culture interest by December 2016 and submit a final bid in 2017. The winning bid is expected to be announced in 2018.

Summary:


A driver "blinded" by the sun drove through a red light at a pedestrian crossing and knocked down a lollipop lady, a jury has heard.

Article: Polling stations opened in all the city's 73 constituencies at 07:00 BST with results expected to be declared after midnight.
Votes will be counted after the polls close at 22:00 BST.
For the latest news from all the counts on London, go to our election live service or check the results on your constituency profile page.

Summary: Voters in London are going to the polls in the General Election after months of campaigning by political parties.
###
Article: Prof Julian Allwood said the only way to save steel jobs was to make high-value products for industries in which the UK leads the world.
New methods could scrub impurities from recycled steel to make products for the aerospace and car industries, he said.
It comes as efforts are being made to save thousands of jobs at Tata Steel's Port Talbot steel plant in south Wales.
The announcement by the Indian company that it is to sell its UK business is the latest blow to an industry which has seen a succession of job cuts.
Prof Allwood said current plans for the steel industry did not go far enough, because they did not utilise the latest technology.
In his six-year study on the steel sector, the predicament of the industry appears stark.
"The global steel industry today has more capacity for making steel from iron ore than it will ever need again," he said.
"On average, products made with steel last 35 to 40 years, and around 90% of all used steel is collected. This is easy because it's magnetic.
"The supply of steel collected from goods at the end of their life therefore lags the supply of new steel by about 40 years."
What's going wrong with Britain's steel industry?
Who might buy Tata in Port Talbot?
Is China to blame for steel woes?
Prof Allwood said the steel market would continue to grow - but all future demand growth could be met by recycling the existing stock of steel.
And it was, therefore, futile for the UK to attempt to compete against low-wage economies for mass market steel.
Reducing industrial electricity costs in Britain would help, but only a little, he said, and the UK should instead concentrate on recycled steel.
That is what is proposed by Sanjeev Gupta, the entrepreneur who has expressed interest in turning the Port Talbot works into a recycling plant.
But Prof Allwood said that plan did not go far enough, because most scrap metal contained impurities that made it suitable for only low-value products, such as steel reinforcing bars, which were subject to heavy international competition.
It...

Summary: The UK steel industry is doomed unless it embraces cutting-edge technology, a Cambridge professor has warned.
###
Article: It was dubbed the "capital of the revolution" after residents embraced the call to overthrow the president in early 2011 and much of the city fell under the control of the opposition.
But government forces launched a campaign to retake the opposition strongholds, laying siege to districts once home to tens of thousands of people.
In late 2015, rebels began evacuating the last district they held, returning the city to government hands.
Homs has long been of geographic, strategic and economic importance.
It is situated at the centre of a fertile agricultural region along the Orontes river valley at the eastern end of the Homs Gap - the only natural gateway from Syria's Mediterranean coast to the interior. It is also roughly halfway between Damascus and Aleppo, and close to Lebanon.
The history of Homs stretches back to the 1st Millennium BC. But it only gained importance during the Roman era, when it was known as Emesa and gave birth to a dynasty of emperors. It served as an important trading post on the route from the Mediterranean to India and China.
Under the Byzantines, the city became a centre of Christianity, and still has a large Christian population. It remained an important settlement after being taken in 636 by an Arab Muslim army led by the famous general Khalid ibn al-Walid, who is buried in its main mosque.
Today, Homs is one of Syria's most important industrial centres, boasting the country's largest oil refinery. It also sits at the hub of an important road and rail network that links Syria's main towns and cities.
Before the uprising, the population of Homs and its surroundings were estimated at 1.5 million.
Most of the inhabitants were Sunni Muslims, who lived mostly in western, northern and eastern districts. About 10% were Christians, who occupied much of the Old City, and some 25% were members of the president's Alawite sect, concentrated in south-eastern areas.
Anti-government protests erupted in Homs within weeks of them beginning in the southern city of Deraa in mid-March 2011.
By the end...

Summary: Homs, Syria's third largest city, has been a key battleground in the uprising against Bashar al-Assad.
###
Article: Sylvia Blackburn, 72, suffered serious head injuries outside Bedford Road Lower School, Kempston, on 19 December 2014.
Luton Crown Court heard Brian Wright, 55, of Kempston, said he was unable to see at the point of impact.
He denies causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Prosecutor Sally Mealing-McLeod said Mrs Blackburn, a lollipop lady for 20 years, had been on duty in Bedford Road as pupils were leaving school on the last day of term.
She was wearing a long-sleeved high-visibility orange and yellow coat which had reflective strips and "school crossing patrol" written on the back.
When the traffic lights turned red, she stepped out to escort a woman and her six-year-old daughter across the road.
Traffic travelling in the opposite direction stopped, but Mr Wright's VW Golf failed to stop and hit her at 14mph, the jury heard.
Witnesses described Mrs Blackburn's head hitting the screen pillar of the windscreen before she struck the wing mirror and then the road.
The married mother of three was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
She was later transferred to Bedford Hospital and is now at a residential care home for people with an acquired brain injury.
Mr Wright, of The Dell, declined to comment in police interview but in a statement said he was blinded by the setting sun and lowered his visor but was unable to see when the collision happened.
The court heard the sun was 10 minutes from setting and could have been shining into Mr Wright's eyes.
Ms Mealing-McLeod told the jury that if his vision had been affected he should have stopped.
The trial continues.

Summary:


A "glitch" which shut down all the computer systems at Edinburgh Airport caused "massive disruption" and some flight delays.

Article: The program works by tracking variations in the shape of a subject's mouth and jaw, and then searching a pronunciation dictionary to find alternative words that match the moves.
The firm says it can "literally put plausible words" into a person's mouth.
But for now, the examples it has produced are of limited use.
A video posted to YouTube shows an actor saying the short phrase "salary and tenure".
The software identifies thousands of alternative phrases that could replace the utterance based on factors such as when the lips open to enunciate a vowel or close to express certain types of consonants.
The program then ranks the strings of words according to the likelihood they would appear in that order in normal speech. This prevents it using ungrammatical phrases.
A voice synthesiser subsequently creates some of the highly ranked phrases, ensuring each bit of sound - known as a phoneme - is timed to coincide with the appropriate lip movements. This is then used to replace the original sound.
Examples of the replacement expressions created include:
The system appears to have limitations.
The actor involved had to be asked to keep the position of his head as still as possible and speak in a neutral tone to get the best results.
And even with the ranking mechanism, many of the generated phrases appear to be gibberish.
Disney's researchers acknowledge that the primary application of speech redubbing is to translate films and television programmes from one language to another.
And it seems unlikely that the system could be used to find enough suitable matching phrases to re-voice a complete film or programme imperceptibly.
However, it could potentially be used for more gimmicky applications.
One YouTube video maker, for example, already specialises in making clips that replace the voices of well-known personalities with deliberately ridiculous lip-synched utterances for comedic effect.
His creations include Beyonce singing nonsensically at US President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony and a version of Game Of...

Summary: Disney has developed software that automatically redubs video clips with new words that fit the speaker's lip movements.
###
Article: Officials have already issued warnings about jellyfish in Mediterranean coastal waters for France and Italy.
But local marine biologists said this year's increase was "no different" from other years and that the blooms consisted of non-stinging species.
They added that they were monitoring the situation very closely.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman told BBC News: "We have been alerted to large numbers of jellyfish in the Mediterranean this summer, especially in a number of key holiday destinations for UK tourists.
"We have updated our travel advice for a number of Mediterranean countries to reflect this issue."
She added that the Foreign Office aimed to keep its advice "as informative and useful for visitors as possible".
Global problem
However, Stefano Piraino - project co-ordinator of the Mediterranean JellyRisk programme - said there was no need for tourists to be unduly concerned.
"Of course, as in any other ocean or sea in the world, there might be some problems," he said.
"In the Mediterranean, we are lucky and do not have deadly [jellyfish]."
But he did acknowledge: "We are experiencing, as in many other places around the world, an increase in jellyfish."
Prof Piraino, a marine biologist at the University of Salento in southern Italy, said the JellyRisk programme - also involving researchers from Spain, Tunisia and Malta - was set up because there was growing concern about the impact of increasing number of jellyfish on human activities in the region, such as fishing as well as tourism.
He told BBC News that the programme's main focus was on a citizen science campaign.
"This is a very important tool," Prof Piraino observed.
"We have, since 2009, used this approach where we are asking tourists, sailors, fishermen, divers - all the people that are in the sea - to send information about the presence of jellyfish."
The team have developed a smartphone application that not only allows people to send information, but also receive details about the abundance of jellyfish in their area.
The app also provides...

Summary: The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Greece, warning that jellyfish blooms have been reported and for people to heed local advice.
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Article: The band will be joined by Idlewild and Honeyblood in an all-Scottish line-up for the Concert in the Gardens.
Organisers said it was a "real coup" that Biffy Clyro would make their only live UK performance of the year at the event which they last headlined in 2010.
Tickets for the concert go on sale next week.
In a statement, Biffy Clyro said: "We are so happy to come out of musical hibernation to kick off 2016 with the show on Hogmanay.
"We want to rock off the cobwebs and prepare for the year of da biff. Nothing can compete with Edinburgh's celebrations and we hope to make it a special night for everyone."
Pete Irvine, director of Edinburgh's Hogmanay, said: "Their stand-out performance two years ago headlining T in the Park reminded us that they are one of the most exciting live bands ever to come out of Scotland.
"Biffy have built a big international following and headlining an impressive Scottish line-up at Concert in the Gardens will please both the Scots and our audience who come from over 70 countries."
Full details of the street party line-up and other events will be announced in October.

Summary: Biffy Clyro will headline Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations this year, it has been announced.
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Article: BAA said the problem had been caused by a hardware fault which saw the check-in desks and boarding screens fail for almost three hours.
Edinburgh Airport said there was "congestion" as passengers had to be checked in manually from 07:30.
Flights were also delayed as passengers did not know which gates to go to.
The problem was fixed at about 10:00.
A man at the airport told the BBC Scotland news website he was delayed at the airport for about an hour.
He said: "My flight didn't leave until 10am because the computers were down. There were queues at the check-in desks and people didn't know where to board their flights.
"There was massive disruption."
A BAA spokesman said: "We had a slight issue this morning with the network which meant that we lost some computer services.
"It did not cause any cancellations or any great delays, but it did cause some queuing in the check in area between 7am and 9am.
"Our team were on it and, following investigation, it was found to be a hardware fault that was sorted quickly."
He added: "We saw some flights delayed by about half an hour, and congestion in the check-in area which was cleared as soon as the fault was fixed."

Summary:


The European Commission has ruled that the European Union's decision to ban the use of neonicotinoids was a "totally unacceptable" decision.
The European Commission has ruled that the European Union's decision to ban the use of neonicotinoids was a "totally unacceptable" decision.
The European Commission has

A new study covering 17 EU countries says that far more honeybees are dying in the UK and other parts of northern Europe than in Mediterranean countries.

Article: The Family Division of the High Court said the boy should receive care to minimise suffering in his final months.
He was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2012. His parents had argued that doctors could still treat his symptoms.
He is expected to live for three to six months, and specialists said "curative treatment" was no longer possible.
Doctors told the court the boy should have "palliative chemotherapy" to reduce pain, and medication.
But his mother, a former nurse, said she thought the tumour was slow growing, and was worried about the side effects of chemotherapy and a "cocktail of painkillers".
The boy's parents had appealed for their "beautiful" son's "right to life", and his father wept as the judge outlined the decision.
Mr Justice MacDonald said the case was "unbearably sad" and said the youngster's parents were suffering "unimaginable agony".
But the judge said he was satisfied the boy's prognosis was terminal and that pain could become unbearable if not treated.
The treatment put forward by doctors was in the boy's best interests, he added.
The hearing was not open to the public and the judge banned the reporting of anything which might identify the boy, including his age, address or name of hospital authority with responsibility for care.
Mr Justice MacDonald said: "Neither the mother or the father in this case are anything other than loving parents who are simply trying to stay upright in the darkening storm which has engulfed their family."

Summary: A terminally ill boy should be moved to a palliative care regime proposed by specialists despite his parents' objections, a judge has ruled.
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Article: The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has placed male bear Arktos in an enclosure next to female Victoria's at its Highland Wildlife Park.
The society said Victoria was showing signs she might be ready to breed, but it would not be until later this month before the pair shared an enclosure.
Polar bear cubs were last born in the UK almost 25 years ago.
Arktos is one of two male bears at the park at Kincraig, near Aviemore.
He was deemed to be more suited genetically than younger male bear Walker for the breeding attempt.

Summary: Polar bears involved in a Scottish captive breeding project have come face to face for the first time.
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Article: It smashed into the lunar surface about 3.8 billion years ago, forming Mare Imbrium - the feature also known as the right eye of the "Man in the Moon".
Scientists say the asteroid was three times bigger than previously estimated and debris from the collision would have rained down on the Earth.
The research is published in the journal Nature.
The asteroid was so big it could be classified as a protoplanet - a space rock with the potential to become a fully formed world.
Lead author Prof Peter Schultz, a planetary geologist from Brown University in the United States, said: "One implication of this work is that the asteroids may not have been these small chunks flying around - there may have been many more of these very large protoplanets.
"It would have been a catastrophic period of time."
The Imbrium crater measures more than 1,200km (750 miles) across. Until now, scientists used computer models to estimate the size of the asteroid that led to its formation.
But for the new assessment of the collision, Prof Schultz recreated the smash in the lab.
Using a three-storey-high, hyper-velocity gun, his team fired small spheres of metal travelling at more than 22,000km per hour (13,000mph) into a curved aluminium plate.
"We film it with high-speed cameras: things that go up to one million frames a second," Prof Schultz told BBC World Service's Science in Action programme.
By analysing the slowed-down footage and the pattern of debris, the researchers were able to calculate the size of the asteroid that crashed into the Moon.
"We know there were big asteroids, but we have increased the size significantly," explained Prof Schultz.
"The previous estimate for the Imbrium asteroid was in the order of 80km, and we've increased that by a factor of three."
The researchers say it would have been travelling at more than 70,000km per hour (40,000mph), hitting the lunar surface at an angle of about 30 degrees.
The colossal high-speed impact not only left a giant dent in the near-side of the Moon, it also would have sent...

Summary: One of the Moon's biggest craters was created by an asteroid more than 250km (150 miles) across, a study suggests.
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Article: The European Commission says it is Europe's most comprehensive study so far of bee colony deaths.
Winter mortality was especially high for bees in Belgium (33.6%) and the UK (29%) in 2012-13. But in spring-summer 2013 France was highest with 13.6%.
Bumblebees and other wild bees were not studied, nor were pesticide impacts.
The study, called Epilobee, described 10% as an acceptable threshold for bee colony mortality - and Greece, Italy and Spain were among the countries with rates below that threshold.
The mortality percentages are national estimates based on representative samples. All 17 countries applied the same data collection standards, the report says.
The survey covered almost 32,000 bee colonies.
But there is also much concern about death rates among wild bees, which are vital pollinators too.
Last year the EU introduced a ban on four chemicals called neonicotinoids which are used in pesticides.
They are believed to be linked to the collapse of bee colonies across Europe, though there is a heated scientific debate over the chemicals' impact and many experts say further studies are needed.
The Commission wanted pesticide impacts to be included in the Epilobee study, but it was overruled by member states' governments.

Summary:


A man who was employed by a nursery has been arrested on suspicion of possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

The White Tigers were also safe going into their final game, which they lost 4-0 at relegated Bishop's Stortford.

Summary: A man who was employed by a nursery has been

Lee Hodges says his Truro team have underachieved by a "country mile" by finishing the season one place above the National League South drop zone.

Article: Sian, who's 15 and goes to school in Aberystwyth, passed the indoor skydiving exam as part of her physical education course.
It's believed Sian is the first person ever in the UK to take the exam as part of her GCSEs.
She needed special permission from her teachers before she was allowed to take it. Sian passed her exam with 'flying' colours, achieving a mark of 93%!
Indoor skydiving allows people to experience freefall without having to leap out of an aircraft with a parachute.
Sian says she "loves the feeling of weightlessness".
Both of Sian's parents are skydivers and her 83-year-old grandmother performed an indoor sky dive for her 80th birthday.
There are only three skydiving tunnels in the UK, at Manchester, Milton Keynes and Bedford.

Summary: A schoolgirl from Wales has taken a skydiving test as part of her GCSEs.
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Article: The minor ailment service is currently open to children, over-60s, those with medical exemption certificates and people on certain benefits.
A trial in the Inverclyde area will extend the service to all patients registered with a GP from Monday.
It will test whether it can reduce the pressure on practices and free up GPs.
Under the pilot, patients suffering from conditions such as backache, acne, diarrhoea, headaches or eczema can have their symptoms assessed and receive advice or treatment at one of the 19 community pharmacies in the area.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said the Scottish government was working with the GP profession to "improve and redesign the way primary care is delivered" in Scotland.
She said: "We are shifting the balance of care away from hospitals and into the community, increasing our investment in primary care and GP services by Â£500m by the end of this parliament.
"We know that pharmacists are well qualified to successfully deal with patients who have minor ailments, ensuring appropriate treatment, advice or referral.
"Indeed, this service has been successfully running across Scotland for eligible patients since 2006.
"By extending the minor ailment service to all patients in Inverclyde we will be able to test the benefits for patients and service provision generally."
She added: "Importantly, we want to know whether this will reduce the burden on GPs and other local services, if it will deliver and support better and appropriate access to primary care for patients, and how the current service could be further developed nationally."

Summary: A service that allows people to be treated by a pharmacist for minor conditions is to be extended in a pilot aimed at easing the burden on GPs.
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Article: The BBC understands the alleged offences are not connected to Mama Bears Day Nursery in south Devon where he was employed.
The man, 43, from Paignton, has resigned from his position, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
He has been released on bail until 5 May.
A spokesman for the nursery said: "An ex-employee from our Queen Elizabeth Road and Long Road nurseries has been arrested in conjunction with downloading indecent images of children... There is currently no evidence to link these images to the nursery.
"We always take the safeguarding of our children very seriously."
A spokesman for South Devon College, where the nursery is based, said Mama Bears was a separate facility.

Summary: A man employed by a nursery has been arrested on suspicion of possessing and distributing indecent images of children.
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Article: "I'm frustrated to say the least, but very pleased that we've stayed in this division," Hodges told BBC Cornwall.
"In a couple weeks time I'll be pleased we're still in this division, but we're going to have to raise the bar."
The Cornish side were safe going into their final game, which they lost 4-0 at relegated Bishop's Stortford.
"Well done for staying up," he added. "But we've underachieved by a country mile."
Having been play-off semi-finalists in 2015-16, after finishing fourth in the table, the White Tigers dropped to 19th in 2016-17, letting in 99 goals from their 42 league games, more than any other side above the bottom three.
Hodges says he will meet chairman Peter Masters this week to discuss plans for next season.
"There are a lot of decisions to be made on players," he said. "There's a few bonuses there for players who have done very well and competed, and others know that they've not been up to the standard."

Summary:


The RMT has been in the process of making a decision to leave the country.
The RMT has been in the process of making a decision to leave the country.
The RMT has been in the process of making a decision to leave the country.
The RMT has been in the process of making

A man who murdered a Lancashire man in a "jealous, frenzied knife attack" at his ex-partner's house has been jailed for life.

Article: Now the Conners are coming back, more than 20 years after the last episode of Roseanne was aired.
All the original cast are returning - after getting up to some successful and surprising stuff in the intervening two decades.
In another reality, instead of President Trump, we might now be talking about President Barr.
In 2012, the real Roseanne ran for president. She didn't get very near the White House, though - she failed to gain the presidential nomination for the Green Party and ended up running for the Peace and Freedom Party, gaining 67,000 votes.
As well as that, she's had her own talk show, done stand-up comedy, judged Last Comic Standing, hosted Momsters: When Moms Go Bad and starred in the reality show Roseanne's Nuts, about her macadamia nut farm in Hawaii.
And in 2015, she revealed she has macular degeneration and glaucoma, saying at the time her vision was "closing in now".
Goodman was brilliant as Roseanne's husband Dan and he's remained one of America's best-loved actors, plying his trade in films like The Big Lebowski, The Flintstones, 10 Cloverfield Lane and Kong: Skull Island.
On TV, he's starred in political comedy Alpha House and middle-age coming-out sitcom Normal, Ohio - and reunited with Barr for a pilot of a sitcom called Downwardly Mobile in 2012. But it was never made into a series.
That same year he spoke about a 30-year battle with alcoholism, telling the Guardian: "It was becoming more and more debilitating. It was life or death. It was time to stop."
Metcalf found fame as Roseanne's little sister Jackie, but has certainly stepped out of her on-screen big sister's shadow.
She's had Emmy nominations for guest spots in 3rd Rock from the Sun, Monk and Desperate Housewives - and in 2016 got a hat-trick of Emmy nominations in a single year, for Getting On, Big Bang Theory and Horace and Pete.
On stage, she's had four Tony Award nominations for her appearances on Broadway - including for Misery in 2016 and A Doll's House, Part 2 this year.
Gilbert, who played sardonic younger daughter...

Summary: They were one of America's favourite families in the late 1980s and '90s - with their affectionate bickering, everyday crises, growing pains and belly laughs beamed into more than 20 million homes in the US.
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Article: In the ballot, 91% voted in favour of the industrial action. They also backed action short of a strike.
The RMT said strikes were likely to be held before Christmas.
The union has claimed the operator Serco has failed to fix a raft of issues with the rolling stock.
Serco said Christmas was one of the service's busiest times of the year.
Peter Strachan, managing director of the Caledonian Sleeper, said:  "While we are disappointed that the RMT has voted in favour of industrial action and action short of a strike, we have not yet received notification from the RMT of their intention.
"Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for the Caledonian Sleeper service and we therefore remain hopeful that we can minimise any disruption to guests."

Summary: RMT union members working on the Caledonian Sleeper rail service linking Scotland and London have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.
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Article: Emma Carpenter, 17, of Nottingham, had been treated at a unit for teenagers with eating disorders before her death in hospital, on 22 December 2006.
When the teenager was referred she weighed about four stone (25kg) and had a body mass index (BMI) of 10.
According to the NHS, an ideal BMI for an adult is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Emma died of organ failure 10 days after being admitted to the intensive care unit at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham.
Dr Timothy Bowling, a consultant gastroenterologist at Nottingham Universities Hospital Trust, told the coroner that if Emma had been referred to hospital when her BMI was 12 she would have survived.
The inquest also heard how the alcoholism of Emma's mother was "inextricably linked" to the girl's condition.
Glyn Flowerdew, Emma's grandfather, told the court that the teenager had lived with him and his wife for about a year before her death because her mother was an alcoholic and showed signs of suicidal behaviour.
Questions over the identity of his granddaughter's biological father had also caused concern, Dr Flowerdew said.
The inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court is expected to last two weeks.

Summary: A girl who died as a result of anorexia could have survived if she had been admitted to hospital sooner, an inquest has been told.
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Article: Adam Wilson, of Lostock Hall, was found with serious injuries at a property on Albrighton Crescent in Lostock Hall near Preston in September.
Jason Taylor, 21, of Westfield, Lostock Hall denied murder but was found guilty after a trial by jury.
At Preston Court, he was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years.
Mr Wilson died as a result of catastrophic bleeding from a stab wound in his thigh, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Sophie Lorimer from the CPS North West said the "brutal attack" in front of his ex-partner was "purely motivated by jealousy".
"He could not accept that the relationship with his ex-girlfriend was over," she said.
Taylor's girlfriend said he bombarded her with text messages and phone calls which "progressively became more and more abusive".
"The final text he sent to her stated he was giving her one last chance before things turned sour.
"Minutes later he violently broke into her house where Adam Wilson was also present."
Ms Lorimer said Taylor then stabbed Mr Wilson numerous times with a large knife which he had taken with him.
Taylor carried out the "frenzied" knife attack "fully aware" there were two young children also present at the house, she said.
He then fled and hid from police in a neighbouring garden, she added.
Ms Lorimer said Taylor had shown "no remorse" throughout the case in which he claimed he was acting in self-defence.
Det Ch Insp Neil Ashton of Lancashire Police said Taylor's actions were carried out "in anger and jealousy".
He said: "His actions were completely unprecedented and resulted in the needless and very sad loss of a young man's life."

Summary: