Women who lead a sedentary lifestyle have faster-ageing cells than those who exercise every day, research suggests.

Article: The venue beat five other buildings to win the honour - the Royal Institute of British Architects' highest accolade.
Riba president Stephen Hodder called the Everyman an "exceptional new building".
"It is a ground-breaking example of how to build a daring bold and highly sustainable large public building in a historic city centre," he said.
The Everyman Theatre - famed for launching the careers of actors including Bill Nighy, Julie Walters and Pete Postlethwaite - first opened in 1964 in the shell of a 19th Century chapel on one of Liverpool's main streets.
However over the years it fell into a state of disrepair and architects Haworth Tompkins were tasked with designing a new theatre as part of a nine-year Â£27m rebuilding project, retaining its theme of being a "theatre for the people".
The building's facade features 105 punched aluminium panels portraying life-size images of Liverpool residents. Thousands queued to have their pictures taken, with the successful applicants having digital versions of their pictures etched onto the metal sun shades.
"The success of this exceptional new building lies in the architect's close involvement with the local community throughout the project," Mr Hodder said.
"Haworth Tompkins have struck the perfect balance between continuity and change to win the hearts and minds of the people of Liverpool with the vibrant new Everyman."
The theatre said it was "thrilled" to win the award.
"The Everyman was built with humanity at its heart," artistic director Gemma Bodinetz said.
"Since we reopened, the warmth of feeling from the public to their much-loved Everyman - given a daring and brilliant rebirth - has been almost overwhelming.
"Haworth Tompkins have delivered us a building that is sustainable, technically first rate and with unparalleled levels of accessibility for a theatre."
Steve Tompkins of Haworth Tompkins said: "Winning the Riba Stirling Prize is an enormous honour for our project team and our clients, the reward for an intensive collaboration over almost a decade,...

Summary: Liverpool's newly rebuilt Everyman Theatre has won the Riba Stirling Prize for best new building of the year.
###
Article: The 28-year-old won a dramatic keirin, that twice had to be restarted because of infringements, to add to his team sprint and individual sprint victories.
Kenny has won seven medals in total - his one silver coming at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when he finished second to Hoy in the individual sprint.
GB's track cyclists won six golds, four silvers and a bronze in the velodrome.
Kenny was cheered on by fiancee Laura Trott, who had earlier retained her omnium title to become the first British woman to win four Olympic gold medals.
"I'm proud to be part of the team's Olympic success and doing my bit," said Kenny.
"It is pretty mental [matching Sir Chris Hoy]. I was there in Beijing and knew he was special and as the years have gone by I appreciated how amazing he was then.
"To do the same is amazing."
Kenny has helped Britain win the team sprint at the past three Olympics. In addition, he has won two individual sprints and now has his first keirin title.
His victory was Britain's 19th of the Rio Olympics - equalling the gold haul from Beijing - and the 49th British medal overall.
Matthijs Buchli of the Netherlands took silver and bronze went to Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang.
The final had to be restarted twice after issues with the positioning of the riders and the electric 'derny' bike that sets the pace in the early laps.
Kenny appeared to have overtaken the back wheel of the derny before it left the track to signal the start of the sprint for the finish line but, after a delay of several minutes, he was allowed to continue.
"How close was Jason Kenny to not contesting that final? I'd say very close given they had already fired the gun to stop the race," British Cycling head coach Iain Dyer told BBC Sport.
"Ordinarily, procedure would dictate you have stopped the race and you make a disqualification if the rider's front wheel has been adjudged to have overtaken the wheel of the derny.
Find out how to get into cycling with our special guide.
"I don't want to make it sound too coercive. They had a good front view...

Summary: Jason Kenny equalled Sir Chris Hoy's British record of six Olympic gold medals on a sensational night in Rio.
###
Article: Councillors will discuss whether to grant a licence to Uber on Monday.
Objections have come from the GMB union and taxi companies, but calls have also been made for the council to support Uber drivers as small business owners.
Councillor Mary Mears said there were serious concerns and urged the council to refuse the licence.
Founded six years ago, San Francisco-based Uber "connects riders to drivers" with an app that uses GPS technology to locate available vehicles.
Users tap their phone to hail a cab and pay automatically on arrival with a credit or debit card.
Drivers sign up as independent contractors and are their own boss.
In Brighton, objections to the application raised issues about identification of Uber cars, whether vehicles would be wheelchair accessible, whether customers' data was secure, and how drivers would be checked.
But Darren Fell, founder of Hove-based Crunch Accounting, which works for micro-businesses including Uber drivers, said the city had to embrace change.
He said there were already 15,000 Uber drivers in the country, the smartphone app was creating thousands of new business owners, more platforms were emerging in the marketplace and the world was changing.
Arguing that Uber would bring an economic boost to Brighton and Hove, he said: "The council would be out of their minds to consider banning it. We are an entrepreneurial, dot com-savvy city.
"I want to see the council behind it. Do they support digital business or don't they?
"Users absolutely love it and all around the world we see people trying to ban it."
He said Uber offered a livelihood for someone who could not invest in a Hackney carriage - and it also offered drives balanced lives.
"Many of the drivers are family men," Mr Fell said.
"They can spend time with their family, their wife can go to work, they can see their children, and then they can go out to work in the evening in complete control of their lives.
"This is what the freelancing world gives people."
A spokeswoman for Uber said: "Uber has been licensed as an...

Summary: City chiefs considering whether to allow Uber to operate in Brighton have been told they would be "out of their minds" to ban the taxi-hailing app.
###
Article: Research on 1,500 women aged 64 to 95 found those who spent many hours sitting and exercised for less than 40 minutes a day had cells that were biologically eight years older.
As people age, their cells age, causing DNA protectors to shorten and fray.
But health and lifestyle factors may speed up the process, researchers from California said.
Even in old age, it was important to keep active and avoid sitting for more than 10 hours a day, they said.
During ageing, tiny caps on the ends of DNA strands naturally shorten.
These telomeres - which have been likened to the plastic tips of shoelaces - are there to prevent chromosomes from deteriorating.
Telomere length is one indicator of biological age, which does not always match chronological age.
Shortened telomeres have been linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and major cancers.
How much regular exercise people do now also appears to be a factor in their length.
To track the women's movements in the study, they wore wore an accelerometer on their right hip for seven days in a row, during the day and night.
They were also asked to complete questionnaires on their activity.
Dr Aladdin Shadyab, lead study author, from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, said: "We found that women who sat for longer did not have shorter telomere length if they exercised for at least 30 minutes a day.
"Discussions about the benefits of exercise should start when we are young, and physical activity should continue to be part of our daily lives as we get older, even at 80 years old."
The study is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
NHS Choices advises older adults to break up long periods of sitting with light activity because "sedentary behaviour is now considered an independent risk factor for ill health".
It says adults aged 65 or older who are generally fit and mobile should try to do:
Older adults at risk of falls, or with poor balance, should also do exercises to improve balance and co-ordination at least twice a week.

Summary:


The government has been working with the government to identify the scale of the problem, and it is working with the government to identify the scale of the problem.

Some schools are "gaming" the exam system by entering children early, the Welsh Government director of education has said.

Article: Elizabeth Hart-Browne, 27, broke down in tears as she was cleared of all charges at the Old Bailey.
Miss Hart-Browne cried "I have just killed the man I love" after stabbing Stephen Rayner, 25, on 17 September in Acton, west London.
The mother of two said he had hit her and grabbed her by the throat.
The court heard that with young children sleeping feet away, she picked up a large kitchen knife and stabbed Mr Rayner three times, inflicting a fatal wound to the neck.
Mr Rayner staggered outside and collapsed in a pool of blood as neighbours rushed to help.
Meanwhile, Miss Hart-Browne, who worked as a jewellery designer, said she panicked and went back to clean the knife and clear up blood around the television.
When the police arrived at their home, Miss Hart-Browne was hysterical telling officers: "I didn't mean to do it, I'm so sorry.
"I have just killed the man I love."
The jury in the six-week trial took 15 hours to find Miss Hart-Browne not guilty of murder.
The court heard a row erupted after Miss Hart-Browne came home from a family party.
Miss Hart-Browne told jurors she regretted not just going to bed when she got home that night. She said if she had, Mr Rayner, originally from Bournemouth, would still be alive.
The jury was also told of the couple's volatile six-year relationship, during which Mr Rayner had attacked the defendant many times.
After one incident outside Liquid nightclub in Uxbridge in 2012, Mr Rayner threatened to throw himself into the Thames and went on to plead guilty to battery.
In 2015, Miss Hart-Browne said she had become so fearful she took out life insurance because "I believed I was in danger of him killing me and I didn't want my kids to be left with nothing".
The defendant, who was described as having had a troubled upbringing in Somerset, said her boyfriend would take on the persona of his hero Charles Bronson during his terrifying attacks.
She said: "He had a fascination with Charles Bronson. He liked his aggression.
"There were lots of stories about him attacking...

Summary: A woman accused of stabbing her boyfriend with a kitchen knife has been cleared of his murder after telling jurors she feared he would kill her.
###
Article: It has published a list of Twitter accounts it claims are spreading propaganda in support of the group.
Some accounts have been flooded with images of Japanese anime characters to try to influence search engine results for phrases connected to IS.
Many other accounts have been suspended or shut down as a result of the group's actions.
As well as targeting Twitter accounts, the operation also sought to take down Facebook pages, blogs, websites and web proxies used by supposed IS supporters.
The publication of the list is the latest in a series of "operations" by Anonymous and others hacktivist organisations against the IS group and its online supporters.
The list of more than 750 Twitter accounts that Anonymous has taken action against was published on the Pastebin website. Top of the list were accounts that had more than 10,000 followers, it said, but many others with smaller numbers of readers were also targeted.
Some accounts that Anonymous members won access to had their messages and images changed to show the ISIS-Chan anime character. Groups tackling IS propaganda online are starting to use images of the young girl in connection with the group's name and slogans in an attempt to dilute the results people get when they search for information about the group.
The Anonymous action comes after UK Prime Minister David Cameron unveiled a strategy to help tackle the "poison" of extremism. The package of measures included demands that ISPs and net firms do more to remove extremist material and identify who posted it.
It is not clear how much effect the action by Anonymous and others is having on the work IS does to spread its message online. One study released earlier this year estimated that the group and its sympathisers control more than 90,000 Twitter accounts.
"There is definitely utility in shutting down accounts," said JM Berger, an analyst that did the study of IS' use of social media.
"It's not going to eliminate IS's presence online, but it helps limit their ability to accomplish their goals,...

Summary: Hacktivist group Anonymous is ramping up efforts to tackle sympathisers of the Islamic State group on Twitter.
###
Article: Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order to bring down emissions to 40% below 1990 levels, in the next 15 years.
The US state was already one of the most ambitious in its previous targets and has forced companies to pay for their carbon pollution.
Mr Brown said the new target must be met for the sake of future generations.
He called the plan "the most aggressive benchmark enacted by any government in North America to reduce dangerous carbon emissions".
There were few details about how he intends to meet this target, but the governor has previously talked about increasing renewable electricity sources, reducing petrol use in vehicles and improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings.
Mr Brown mentioned by name some sectors that will have to reduce emissions - industry, agriculture and energy, plus state and local governments.
"With this order, California sets a very high bar for itself and other states and nations, but it's one that must be reached - for this generation and generations to come,'' he said in a statement.
California is the second-biggest producer of carbon dioxide through fossil fuels among US states.
The new target brings California in line with a similar commitment made by the 28 countries of the European Union, but beyond what the US federal government has set.
The state is already well on its way to meeting the 2020 goal set by Mr Brown's predecessor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
California has been enduring one of the worst droughts in its history, and the governor made clear as he issued the new order that he  links this problem to greenhouse gas emissions and the warming of the Earth.
Climate change, he said, "poses an ever-growing threat to the well-being, public health, natural resources, economy, and the environment of California".
The loss of snowpack, drought, rising sea levels, wildfires, heat waves and smog were examples of how the state was feeling its effects, he added.
Three years ago, California launched one of the largest "cap-and-trade" programmes in the US, which...

Summary: California has stepped up its attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting tough new targets for 2030.
###
Article: Steve Davies told AMs officials were "concerned" about the volume of early entry.
It follows criticism from Education Secretary Kirsty Williams that children were being "banked" at lower qualifications.
Mr Davies said the government wants to take action on the issue in the autumn.
Ms Williams expressed concerns earlier in May that the focus on raising GCSE attainment to C grade has led to "unintended consequences", with some children put in for early entry to bank a lower qualification instead of potentially reaching higher.
The senior civil servant - asked about the issue of "early entry as a way of gaming the system" by Labour AM Lee Waters - said the Welsh Government advice was that decisions around early entry were made "in the interests of an individual child".
He told the assembly's public accounts committee that this year that some schools have conducted early entry "almost to test the system".
But he added: "I do believe... there are also those out there who are gaming."
Mr Davies acknowledged: "Sometimes that's the pressure that the system we have puts on them.
"I'm not in any way justifying it, but I can understand that people will resort to that."
Mr Davies said the government was working with Qualifications Wales (QW) to identify "the scale of the problem" with a report from the body due in September.
He added Ms Williams is "very aware of it" adding that action will be taken in the "early part of the autumn term" following the review.

Summary:

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The MoD's decision to allow the MoD to use its own private email system was a "bog-standard journalistic tool" for gathering information, a former Daily Mirror financial reporter has said.
Mr Vaughan said he had never heard reference to the code, and said there were no visible signs of ethical leadership.

A Royal Marine who is suing the Ministry of Defence for up to £8m, has denied that he broke his neck performing a "Baywatch-style" dive.

Article: Nearly 98% of those who took part supported the government's call to reject the EU plan.
But only 40.4% cast valid ballots - short of the required 50% threshold.
A government spokesman said the outcome was binding "politically and legally", but the opposition said the government did not have the support it needed.
Mr Orban urged EU policymakers to take note of the result and said he would change Hungary's constitution to make the decision binding.
The controversial EU plan to relocate 160,000 migrants across the bloc would mean Hungary receiving 1,294 asylum seekers.
Ferenc Gyurcsany, leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition, said the low turnout showed that most people did not support the government.
"According to this result with such low turnout, the people do not support the government. And this is good."
There were 220,000 spoilt ballots. The number rejecting the EU scheme was 3.3 million, while 55,000 backed it.
But a government spokesman said the result could not be regarded as invalid.
"The government initiated the referendum, so both politically and legally the outcome is binding," he said.
"The 50% would have made a difference because parliament could have no alternative but to make a decision. But parliament is behind the government regarding the decision. This is a reinforced mandate for the government."
The referendum result is both a crushing defeat and an emphatic victory for Hungary's prime minister.
On the one hand, Viktor Orban led a prominent, expensive and relentless anti-EU and anti-migrant referendum campaign but failed to persuade most Hungarians to vote.
On the other hand, those who did vote sided with him almost unanimously, allowing him to trumpet that a higher percentage of Hungarians voted against EU migrant quotas than voted for EU membership 13 years ago.
Mr Orban says he is leading what he calls a counter-revolution against EU centralisation, a pushback against Brussels bossiness. He views himself as the man of the moment, speaking for the people of Europe.
He had hoped...

Summary: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has declared victory in a referendum on mandatory EU migrant quotas, despite a low turnout that rendered it invalid.
###
Article: James Hipwell, who was jailed in 2006 for writing about firms whose shares he owned, said he witnessed repeated privacy infringements at the paper.
He told the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics that he overheard showbiz journalists openly talking about it.
Publisher Trinity Mirror has insisted its journalists work within the law.
It has also said they work within the Press Complaints Commission's (PCC) code of conduct.
Meanwhile, Heather Mills, the former wife of singer Sir Paul McCartney, has said in a statement that she never disclosed private voicemail messages from her ex-husband to former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan.
It comes after the former tabloid editor, now an interviewer for American broadcaster CNN, told the inquiry on Tuesday he had listened to a voicemail message left to her by Sir Paul.
Mr Morgan, who firmly denied any knowledge of hacking under his editorship, refused to say when or where he had heard the message - because he wanted to protect "a source". He said he had no reason to believe phone hacking was going on.
Ms Mills said she would be "more than happy" to answer any questions the inquiry had for her about the subject.
CNN said it was "seeking a response to the Mills statement from Morgan".
On Wednesday, Mr Hipwell told the inquiry he had never been given a copy of the code during his time at the paper, under Mr Morgan's editorship.
He said he never heard reference to the code, and said there were no visible signs of ethical leadership.
In a statement read to the inquiry, he stated: "I witnessed journalists carrying out repeated privacy infringements using what has now become a well-known technique - to hack into the voicemail systems of celebrities, their friends, publicists and public relations executives.
Follow Ross Hawkins on Twitter
"The openness and frequency of their hacking activities gave me the impression that hacking was considered a bog-standard journalistic tool for gathering information."
Mr Hipwell said he sat next to the showbiz team, where hacking took place...

Summary: Phone hacking appeared to be a "bog-standard journalistic tool" for gathering information, a former Daily Mirror financial reporter has said.
###
Article: The Crime Survey for England and Wales found 4.2% of separated adults had been victims in the year ending March 2015.
The figure for those married or in civil partnerships was 1%.
New detailed data also showed students were more likely than other groups to be victims of violent crime.
Responding to the survey, 3.4% of full-time students said they had been victims at least once in the last year, compared to 1.9% of people in "routine and manual" jobs, 1.8% of the long-term unemployed and 1.5% of people in "managerial and professional" work.
Among those surveyed were 1,067 separated people, 15,014 who were married or in civil partnerships and 1,027 full-time students.
Based on reporting their own experiences of violent crime in the year up to the end of March 2015, higher-risk groups included men, people aged 16-24, those of a "mixed or multiple ethnic background" and "adults in low-income households".

Summary: People separated from their partners are more than four times more likely to be victims of violent crime than those who are married or in civil partnerships, figures suggest.
###
Article: Spencer Vaughan, 27, of Campbell Road, Plymouth, suffered spinal damage after hitting his head on a sand bar in Gran Canaria while on a training course.
He is seeking damages from the MoD for not warning about the dangers of diving into shallow waters.
Mr Justice Davis will give his ruling at a later date.
Mr Vaughan, who comes from Cwmbran, South Wales, is now an incomplete tetraplegic following the accident in 2009 and gave evidence from his wheelchair at London's High Court.
Mr Vaughan insisted he was "on duty" when he walked into the sea to "cool off", executing a shallow, surface dive as the waters reached waist height.
Malcolm Sheehan QC, for the MoD, suggested to Mr Vaughan that he and his comrades were simply "chilling out" on the beach.
"It is unrealistic to say that you were on duty because you had a free choice about how to spend your time", the barrister said.
The QC referred him to "other accounts" which suggested that he "ran into the water and then carried out a Baywatch-style dive".
Mr Vaughan agreed that he and his fellow marines were "relaxing and chilling out", but said their primary purpose was to exercise and to swim.
Mr Vaughan said he had walked carefully into the water to avoid a young family in front of him.
Mr Sheehan said he had "every sympathy" for Mr Vaughan's plight, but added: "On the facts of this case there is no basis for a finding of negligence on the part of the MoD."
Mr Justice William Davis has now reserved his judgment on the case and will give his ruling at a later date.

Summary:


The commission said it wanted to "shine a light on the 'black boxes'" that made up France's 941 abattoirs.
The inquiry was launched after a series of secretly filmed videos shocked the French public.
The inquiry was also said to be studying ways to improve the working conditions of abattoir

All four schools run by a Telford academy trust have been put in special measures within a week.

Article: Andreas Hongvan drove from Sweden to Worthing to collect a broken solar panel he had successfully bid Â£189 for.
He had just driven from a similar pick-up in Nottingham where he had to climb on to a roof to "collect" his purchase.
Mr Hongvan, who lives "off grid" in Sweden, said: "I couldn't find anything like this at home. So it was worth it."
His wife was the one to first enquire about the Worthing solar panel, which was sold by Mark Cranford.
He said: "I thought they would probably decide they wouldn't bother as it was so far.
"I didn't hear anything for a day or so then his wife called and said he was at the Eurotunnel."
Mr Hongvan turned up in Worthing on Thursday in his trusted Volvo with the two solar panels from Nottingham already secured on top.
He was met by Mr Cranford and his brother Stephen.
Mr Hongvan told Stephen Cranford: "If I could buy this in Sweden I wouldn't drive all the way here, but I did my research and I couldn't find anything like it."
Mark Cranford, who said the outdated solar panel had attracted 26 bids, described his Swedish visitor as "a very nice chap, mad but nice".

Summary: A dedicated Ebay buyer travelled more than 1,700 miles (2,800km) across Europe to pick up items listed as collection-only.
###
Article: The timing of the handover of power from David Cameron looks set to be after PM's  questions on Wednesday.
Mrs May, 59, who backed staying in the EU, has been home secretary since 2010.
Mrs Leadsom, who campaigned to leave the EU, said the UK needed "strong and stable government" and that Mrs May was "ideally placed" to implement Brexit.
The 1922 committee of Tory MPs - which is overseeing the leadership contest - is holding talks with the Conservative Party board over formally declaring Mrs May the winner, after Mrs Leadsom dropped out.
A statement is expected from its chairman, Graham Brady, at about 17:00 BST.
Mrs May is also expected to make a public statement, at about 18:00 BST, according to BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith.
In a speech earlier on Monday setting out her leadership campaign platform, Mrs May - who rejected the argument that the next leader and prime minister had to have been someone on the winning side of the EU referendum - said: "Brexit means Brexit and we're going to make a success of it."
In her brief statement in Westminster, Mrs Leadsom - who was a leading light of the Brexit campaign - said a nine-week leadership campaign at such a "critical time" for the UK would be "highly undesirable".
A source close to the energy minister told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg "the abuse has been too great" for Mrs Leadsom during the contest.
Mrs Leadsom had apologised to Mrs May on Monday after suggesting in a weekend newspaper interview that being a mother made her a better candidate for the job.
Mrs Leadsom, who was flanked by some of her supporters as she read the statement, said: "Strong leadership is needed urgently to begin the work of withdrawing from the European Union. A nine-week leadership campaign at such a critical moment is highly undesirable."
She said Mrs May, the home secretary, had the support of more than 60% of Conservative MPs and was "ideally placed to implement Brexit on the best possible terms for the British people and she has promised she will do...

Summary: Theresa May is set to become the UK's next prime minister after Andrea Leadsom pulled out of the contest to become Conservative Party leader.
###
Article: The commission said it wanted to "shine a light on the 'black boxes'" that made up France's 941 abattoirs.
The inquiry was launched after a series of secretly filmed videos shocked the French public.
The videos showed animals being treated violently, while rules on hygiene and humane killing were ignored.
Nearly 100 people were interviewed by the commission over four months.
Documentary filmmakers, veterinarians, abattoir managers and owners as well as academics were among those who gave evidence to the inquiry.
Some of the 30 deputies who made up the commission also made surprise visits to four abattoirs to see conditions for themselves.
The undercover videos that prompted the inquiry were released by animal ethics pressure group L214.  The inquiry was also said to be studying ways to improve the working conditions of abattoir employees.
The commission delivered its 255-page report on Tuesday and among the 65 recommendations reported by French media were:
L214 said it welcomed the inquiry, which it said had "given a life to hundreds of thousands of animals that die each day behind the walls of abattoirs in France". It released more video on Tuesday, showing sheep hanging from chains and struggling after their throats had been cut as part of the ritual slaughter of thousands of animals.
The pressure group argued that the commission had limited itself to superficial measures rather than "immediately practicable solutions" such as reducing consumption of meat and animal products.
It also claimed that electric stunning prior to slaughter was unambiguously backed by scientists and veterinarians.
Stunning has been obligatory in the EU since 1979 but most countries make exceptions for religious communities.
Under halal (Islamic) and shechita (Jewish) rules, an animal's throat must be cut quickly with a sharp knife while still conscious.

Summary: Video surveillance in abattoirs is among measures proposed by a French parliamentary inquiry into slaughterhouse conditions.
###
Article: Inspectors criticised teaching and leadership at the Phoenix Academy and Lakeside Academy following visits in February, rating both schools inadequate in all areas.
Wrockwardine Wood and Sutherland academies, also run by the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust, were put in special measures earlier this week.
The trust has not commented.
Ofsted criticised the trust's lack of support to the schools and said each was now considering an alternative sponsor.
Inspectors said pupils' achievement at the Phoenix Academy had dropped since it became an academy in 2013 and their latest report rated it inadequate in all areas.
A report in 2013, before it converted, rated the secondary school as "requiring improvement", while Lakeside was rated "good" in 2012 under its former name the Lord Silkin School.
In the latest report, inspectors said the curriculum at Phoenix Academy was "inadequate", while "weak teaching" meant pupils were not sufficiently challenged and were often "disengaged and disruptive".
There was particular criticism of standards in English and maths which the watchdog said were limiting pupils' achievements in other areas.
Ofsted's report said governors, managers and teachers had developed a "culture of low expectations", while leaders had failed to act decisively to halt the decline in pupils' achievement.
There was, however, some praise for the acting head teacher. Inspectors said he had introduced a number of improvement measures and some were "beginning to have an impact".
A report on Lakeside School highlighted similar concerns, criticising teachers for not sufficiently challenging pupils and for having "over generous" predictions of their achievement.
Inspectors said many pupils, whether high achievers or those with special educational needs, were "not making the progress they should" and achievements at GCSE were well below the national average.
Governors were also criticised for not holding leaders to account, while the report said management had failed to effectively monitor either pupils or...

Summary:


government has been criticised for failing to provide a "fair and balanced" solution to the problem of the financial crisis.
The government has been criticised for failing to provide a "fair and balanced

A consultation into improvements on the A27 has been dubbed "a sham" by council leaders.

Article: The Rev Gregory Jacobs joined police on Wednesday in his first public comments since her death to urge anyone to come forward with details on what happened.
The 65-year-old judge was found dead in the Hudson River with no signs of foul play or criminality, police say.
But Mr Jacobs dismissed the possibility that she may have taken her own life.
"These reports have frequently included unsubstantiated comments concerning my wife's possible mental and emotional state of mind at the time of her death," Mr Jacobs wrote in a statement to NBC News.
"Those of us who loved Sheila and knew her well do not believe that these unfounded conclusions have any basis in reality."
Ms Abdus-Salaam, the first black woman to serve in New York's highest court, was discovered on 12 April, a day after her husband reported her missing.
Senior New York judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam found dead in Hudson River
Police had reportedly treated the death as a possible suicide, but an initial autopsy last week was inconclusive and the cause of death is still pending, according to Medical Examiner's Office spokeswoman Julie Bolcer.
Police are now treating the case as suspicious.
"Until such a determination is made, the death may be classified as suspicious, in that the circumstances have not been clearly established," the NYPD said in a statement to CNN.
Robert Boyce, chief of detectives for NYPD, told reporters there were no apparent injuries to her body and her death did not appear to be criminal in nature.
Surveillance footage showed the judge walking alone near the river in the Harlem neighbourhood about 12 hours before her body was found in the water, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD).
She was seen dressed in the same clothing she was wearing when her body was found, according to Sergeant Brendan Ryan.
Ms Abdus-Salaam's extended family has also pushed back on what they said are inaccurate reports that her mother and brother had committed suicide.
"Sheila's mother, the matriarch of our family who died at age 92 in 2012, did...

Summary: The husband of US judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam, found dead last week in a New York City river, has called reports of her apparent suicide "unfounded".
###
Article: The Awards for Valour (Protection) Bill tabled by Conservative MP Gareth Johnson passed its Commons second reading on Friday.
It could create a new criminal offence with a maximum penalty of six months' imprisonment or a Â£5,000 fine.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon says he "fully supports" the proposal.
The bill will undergo further scrutiny by MPs at committee stage at a later date.
"Medals recognise our forces who risk their lives for freedom. It is important their service is properly protected," he said.
But James Glancy, a former captain in the Royal Marines who received the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross for his service in Afghanistan, told the BBC's Daily Politics the bill goes "too far".
"I think it's just going too far to suggest someone could go to prisonâ€¦" he said. "I think it's very important to look at what's going on with someone that is actually pretending that they served in the armed forces.
"There may well be a serious mental health problem and actually that person just has low self-esteem, they're not a threat to the public, and they actually need professional help."
Legislation making the unauthorised wearing of medals a criminal offence was originally introduced in the aftermath of the First World War by the then secretary for war, Winston Churchill.
It remained on the statute book until 2006 when the new Armed Forces Act came into force and the provisions relating to military decorations were not carried over.
Mr Johnson's bill has the backing of the Commons Defence Committee, which said in a report earlier this week that the unauthorised wearing of medals constituted "a harm that is worthy of specific criminal prohibition".
"There is a tangible and identifiable harm created by military imposters against members of society who should rightly be held in its highest esteem," it said.
Speaking at the bill's second reading in the Commons, Mr Johnson said: "To undermine our veterans is wrong. To claim you're a military hero when you are not is wrong, and to steal valour is wrong.
"The...

Summary: A Private Member's Bill making it offence for people to wear military medals to which they are not entitled is backed by the government.
###
Article: The Bank, which is the main issuer of banknotes in the UK, said only about a quarter of cash in circulation is being used to buy and sell things.
Some is being hoarded, outside of bank accounts.
Much is held for travel money overseas or used illegally in the "shadow economy", the Bank said.
Banknotes with a value of £62.6bn were estimated to be in circulation at the end of July, according to the latest figures from the Bank.
That is the equivalent of £1,000 for every person in the country.
Recent industry figures showed that the number of cashless payments in the UK had overtaken the use of notes and coins for the first time. Card use, such as contactless payments, and digital transactions using smartphones are on the rise.
Yet, the value of banknotes in circulation has tripled over the last 20 years, according to the Bank's report.
"Over the next few years, consumers are likely to use cash for a smaller proportion of the payments they make," it said.
"Even so, overall demand is likely to remain resilient. Cash is not likely to die out any time soon."
48%
of payments made by consumers, businesses and financial firms were in cash
34%
of consumer payments are expected to be in cash by 2024
4.4% of adults “rarely” use cash at all
£67 is the average ATM withdrawal
1% of consumer payments were made by cheque in 2014
The Bank report suggested that between 21% and 27% of total UK cash was being used for transactions at any one time last year.
The rest was in various places including being "buried in the garden".
"People may choose to save their money in a safety deposit box, or under the mattress, or even buried in the garden, rather than placing it in a bank account," the Bank warned.
Some UK currency is hoarded by overseas visitors - either keeping it after returning from a trip to the UK, or as a store of value.
Cash is also used in the darker side of economic activity, the Bank added.
"The evidence available indicates that no more than half of Bank of England notes in circulation are likely to be held for use...

Summary: At least half of all UK banknotes in circulation are held overseas or used in the black market, a Bank of England report suggests.
###
Article: Highways England plans to "increase capacity and reduce congestion" between Worthing and Lancing.
But Adur and Worthing councils say the Â£69m proposal is not fit for purpose and the government body should launch a fresh consultation with updated plans.
Highways England project manager Tom Beasley said the improvements were the "best achievable option".
Large-scale options were considered by Highways England, including dual carriageway schemes with flyovers.
But the consultation focuses a mix of new traffic signalling and road widening on six junctions between Durrington Hill and the Lancing Manor roundabout.
In a joint statement, the leader of Adur District Council, Neil Parkin, and the leader of Worthing Borough Council, Dan Humphreys, said the "modest" plans are not good enough.
Mr Parkin said: "Highways England say they want to consult with us but we say this is a sham. By not allowing the public to weigh up options and see full costings how are we to make any kind of decision?
"All I do know is the current scheme on the table is barely worth the disruption and certainly not worth spending Â£69m on."
Mr Humphreys added: "Highways England do not seem to be taking us seriously. Our questions were met with an 'experts know best' response."
But Mr Beasley said Highways England think that the proposal "would make a worthwhile improvement to people's journeys and is the best achievable option within the scope and budget available for the project".
"We welcome all views and promise that we will take all responses to the consultation fully into account."
Consultation into the proposal ends on 12 September.

Summary:


The report from the Census Bureau also found that the poverty rate fell for all racial groups, in the steepest decline found since 1968.
Low income workers received the largest boost, bringing median income levels back to before the recession.
The report from the Census Bureau also found that the poverty rate fell for all racial groups

SABMiller has rejected an improved offer from Anheuser-Busch InBev that it says "very substantially undervalues" the company.

Article: The cover shows the Prophet holding a sign reading "I am Charlie", below the words "all is forgiven".
The magazine's lawyer Richard Malka told French radio earlier that it was important to show that staff would "cede nothing" to extremists.
Gunmen attacked the magazine's offices on Wednesday, killing 12 people.
Following the attack, the gunmen were heard shouting that they had "avenged the Prophet Muhammad".
The magazine was firebombed in 2011 after publishing Muhammad cartoons.
A total of 17 people were killed in three days of terror attacks in Paris last week.
The slogan "Je suis Charlie" or "I am Charlie" was widely used following Wednesday's attack on the magazine, as people sought to show their support.
Three million copies of Wednesday's edition are being printed. Normally only 60,000 are available each week.
Mr Malka told France Info radio: "We will not give in. The spirit of 'I am Charlie' means the right to blaspheme."
Survivors of the massacre have been working on the magazine from the offices of another French title, Liberation.
Five of Charlie Hebdo's top cartoonists were killed in the attack.
The new edition will be created "only by people from Charlie Hebdo", its financial director, Eric Portheault, told AFP news agency.
Contributions from other cartoonists were declined.

Summary: The cover of the latest edition of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has been published in French media, and depicts the Prophet Muhammad.
###
Article: St Ninian's High, in Giffnock, covers three local and two Glasgow primaries.
East Renfrewshire Council wants to limit automatic entry to its own area with Glasgow pupils only gaining access through placing requests.
It looks set to back the move after a consultation showed most local parents supported plans. Glasgow respondents and most pupils were strongly opposed.
The recommendation to proceed is contained in a report detailing the results of the consultation which ran from September to December last year.
East Renfrewshire Council is seeking to change the current St Ninian's catchment area as it says the Roman Catholic-denominational school is at capacity and cannot cope with higher numbers.
The cross-border arrangement between East Renfrewshire Council and Glasgow City Council over the school was born out of local government reorganisation in the mid-1990s.
It was agreed that pupils from St Angela's and the former St Louise's primary schools in Glasgow would attend St Ninian's.
When St Louise's was closed during a merger with St Vincent's Primary, a portion of its pupils who stayed in certain postcode areas, retained the right to transfer to St Ninian's.
New housing developments in the St Angela's catchment area also saw more children from Glasgow qualify for transfer to St Ninian's.
East Renfrewshire now wants to limit automatic admission to St Ninian's to its three local schools - St Cadoc's, St Joseph's, and Our Lady of the Missions.
Under the new proposals, the authority would only accept pupils from the Glasgow schools under placing requests, with no guarantee given as to admission.
In the case of these placing requests, priority would be given to pupils who were baptised Catholics.
More than 4,000 people - including parents and pupils - responded to the consultation on the proposals.
A majority of parents from East Renfrewshire who responded backed the moves with a majority in Glasgow opposed.
Most of the pupils from East Renfrewshire who responded to the consultation disagreed with the proposals,...

Summary: Pupils at two Glasgow primaries look set to lose the right to attend one of Scotland's top performing secondaries.
###
Article: The annual report from the Census Bureau also found that the poverty rate fell for all racial groups, in the steepest decline found since 1968.
Low income workers received the largest boost, bringing median income levels back to before the recession.
This was the first recorded rise in American household incomes in eight years - or since the Obama presidency.
Figures for Americans who lack healthcare also dropped, as did the poverty rate.
In 2015 there were 43.1 million Americans living in poverty, 3.5 million fewer than in 2014.
Angry US middle classes feel the squeeze
The 40-year hurt
Real median household income was $56,500 (£42,900) in 2015, the Census Bureau reported, up from $53,700 (£40,700) the year before.
About 2.4 million more Americans have found full-time year-round work in 2015, according to Census officials.
But median incomes only rose for workers in US cities, and not for rural or farm workers.
There is still a large disparity between white and black workers' incomes.
The median household income for black Americans in 2015 was $36,898 (£28,000). The median household income for white Americans was $63,000 (£47,770).
Income inequality has been a major issue throughout the 2016 campaign.
Hillary Clinton has promised equal opportunities to all American workers, while Donald Trump says he will be the "the greatest jobs producing president that God ever created".

Summary: Average American incomes rose by 5.2% in 2015, in the fastest increase ever recorded by the federal government.
###
Article: AB InBev on Wednesday raised its offer for SAB to £42.15 a share, having previously bid £38 and £40.
SABMiller closed up 2.4% at £37.08, having risen sharply since InBev first made its move last month.
Any deal between the two would create the world's biggest brewer, worth more than £180bn.
SABMiller said its board had formally considered the new offer, and had "unanimously rejected the proposal as it still very substantially undervalues SABMiller, its unique and unmatched footprint, and its standalone prospects".
AB InBev brews Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona, while SAB brews Peroni and Grolsch, among others.
If a deal does go through, the merged company would produce one-third of the world's beer.
On Tuesday, SAB reported a 9% fall in revenues for the three months to September, which it blamed on weakening emerging market currencies.
Sales volumes were up 2%.
Shares in AB InBev closed up 0.6% in Brussels at €98.65.

Summary:


Ms Jones said she would not give up her position as an MEP if she was not elected to the European Parliament.

UKIP's Welsh MEP post may be better left unfilled as a result of Brexit, party AM Caroline Jones has said.

Article: Its Global Economic Prospects report is forecasting 2.7% growth compared with the 2.3% seen last year.
That slight strengthening will be driven mainly by improvements in emerging markets and developing economies, the Bank says.
But there is heightened uncertainty after the US Presidential election, according to the report.
The World Bank's new forecasts suggest we can expect the unconvincing global economic revival following the financial crisis to continue.
Last year's growth figure was described as a "post-crisis low", with "anaemic" levels of investment and a further weakening of global trade.
For emerging market and developing economies, the rise in interest rates in the US and the strengthening dollar also led to a "notable tightening of financing conditions" - which means credit that is either more expensive or harder to get.
But the Bank still expects growth to accelerate in these countries, partly due to higher commodity prices, such as oil and metals, which many of them export.
The Bank's economists also expect the slowdown in two large emerging economies, Brazil and Russia, to come to an end.
For the developed economies the Bank forecasts continued weak growth of around 1.8%.  That would be slightly better than 2016, but still slow compared to the period before the crisis.
Uncertainty about future policies has increased following the British referendum on the European Union and, potentially especially significant for the global economy, Donald Trump's victory in the US Presidential election.
The report includes an analysis of why the US matters so much to the rest of the world in terms of extensive trade and financial links.
It notes that there is a great deal of uncertainty about just what policies Mr Trump's administration will pursue in office.
And it says there is the potential for stronger US growth if Mr Trump implements proposals to cuts personal and business taxes and stimulates infrastructure investment.
The report also looks at the possible impact of more barriers to international trade....

Summary: There will be only a moderate pick up in global economic growth during 2017, the World Bank has predicted.
###
Article: German Shepherd Major worked for Staffordshire Police for six years.
Major is among finalists for the National Police Dog of the Year award after tackling a man who was firing an air pistol.
Major, aged eight, has given up his police duties and will live as a family pet with his handler, Pc Lance Stevenson.
Staffordshire Police said Major and his handler were deployed to Hanley in October after reports a man was firing a hand gun while walking towards Sneyd Green.
"Armed officers were on their way to the incident but because of the immediate threat to members of the public, Major was instructed to bring the man down," a police spokeswoman said.
"Without hesitation, police dog Major quickly ran towards the male as he reached for the gun. He took hold of his right upper arm, taking him to the ground."
Pc Stevenson was then able to disarm and arrest the man who later pleaded guilty to possession of a loaded air weapon in a public place, the spokeswoman added.
The force said like other police dogs, Major had undergone "robust training".
However, he will now put his paws up at Pc Stevenson's home, making way for the officer's new sidekick, Fonz, a two-year-old German Shepherd.
The officer also handles Seamus, an English springer spaniel trained in detecting explosives.
Pc Stevenson said: "Major has constantly proved to be a valuable asset to the force in the work that he has undertaken and has played his part in hundreds of arrests."
The winner of the National Police Dog of the Year, which is organised by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), is to be announced on 14 January.

Summary: A police dog which has been nominated for a bravery award is marking Christmas with retirement.
###
Article: It said it had placed 140 families in emergency accommodation at a cost of Â£3.2m. Last year the figure was 40.
It blamed "shortages in affordable housing, rising rents in the private rental market and welfare reform".
The Department for Work and Pensions said it was "completely misleading" to blame homelessness on welfare reform.
Labour councillor Naomi Rylatt said: "There's a fight for the property we have in Bristol,
"So rents for the private rental go up and people who are in long-term permanent work then can't afford the rent they're being charged. They then find themselves homeless."
Mother-of-two Ria Stevenson found herself homeless earlier this year when she was unable to afford temporary accommodation offered to her by the council.
She said: "When I got there [to the temporary accommodation] and was ready to sign the forms, they said it would cost me, I think it was Â£803 for the month.
"Because I wasn't entitled to housing benefit... I'd have to cover all that myself, which was unaffordable. I couldn't do it, so I ended up being homeless."
The council report said: "Factors including the shortage of affordable housing in Bristol, rising rents in the private rental market and welfare reform have led to a significant increase in the amount of accommodation that is 'spot purchased' to meet our statutory duties to house people on an emergency basis."
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: "There are many reasons for homelessness and to suggest that they are due to welfare reform is completely misleading.
"We provided almost Â£500m to local councils to support people transitioning to our reforms and have already seen those affected by them take action by moving into work or downsizing."
Bristol is run by an independent mayor with a cabinet of councillors from different parties. Labour holds the largest number of seats on the city council.

Summary: The number of families facing homelessness in Bristol more than trebled in the past year, according to Bristol City Council.
###
Article: Ms Jones told BBC Radio Wales she did not want to give up being an AM to go to Brussels to replace Nathan Gill, UKIP Wales leader.
Mr Gill has been told by the UKIP assembly group and the UKIP party chairman Steve Crowther to stop "double-jobbing" as an AM and MEP.
Mr Gill said those making such calls were doing it out of "malice".
"We've got Brexit now and I think that, possibly, it may be best to leave that role unfilled," Ms Jones told the Good Morning Wales programme.
"I'm surprised I've not been formally asked what I'd like to do."
Ms Jones, the South Wales West AM, is one of two people who could take up the role of UKIP Wales MEP if Mr Gill made it vacant - the other being South Wales East AM David Rowlands.
She would, in theory, have first refusal over Mr Rowlands as she was third in the 2014 UKIP European Parliament election list and Mr Rowlands was fourth. The number two candidate, James Cole, is no longer in the party.
Asked if she would give up her position as AM to become an MEP, she said: "No I wouldn't. I'm not interested. Since becoming an AM I've thrown myself totally into what I'm elected to do.
"They'd have to ask David Rowlands obviously but neither of us have formally been asked, although David may say 'oh no I'm settling in in his role', and he is actually, he's doing very well.
"Quite frankly I think it's impossible to do two jobs, especially when one is in Brussels and Strasbourg and the other is in the Welsh Assembly. It's a very difficult situation."

Summary:


Japan's PM Shinzo Abe has said he has "great confidence" in US President-elect Donald Trump and he believes they can build a relationship of trust.

Article: Bolton Wanderers Free School, which opened in 2014 as part of a £100m development near the club's stadium, offers courses to up to 400 students, but only had 95 enrol in 2015.
The school's trustees said the numbers meant it was "not financially viable".
An inspection by Ofsted in September 2016 found the school to be inadequate.
Inspectors said "a culture of low aspirations" at the school resulted in "too many students making poor progress and not meeting their target grades".
The institution offers a range of vocational courses for 16 to 19-year-olds.
Principal Toni Carr said the school was working with other education providers to find alternative courses for its students, adding that existing students in Year 13 would "continue to follow their current courses and complete these in the summer term".
She also said the school would "endeavour to ensure that teaching and learning within the college will continue with present staff... [to] ensure students are prepared for examinations this summer."
Bolton Council said it was "sorry" to hear of the closure and was "supporting the school and working directly with the young people to help them with their transitions to other educational institutions".

Summary: A football club's free school will close at the end of the academic year because of low pupil numbers, its trustees have said.
###
Article: But one, the Rolls-Royce Merlin, may have been the difference between freedom and tyranny.
Such is its lasting impact, it was celebrated on Sunday with the first ever Spitfires, Merlins and Motors event at Duxford - the Imperial War Museum's aviation centre in Cambridgeshire.
Mike Evans, who founded the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, believes the engine turned the tide of war.
"Without the Merlin, we would not have won the Battle of Britain and Hitler may have crossed the channel," he said.
Designed in Derby, it powered a series of planes which between 1940 and 1945 halted, hammered and then crippled the forces of Nazi Germany.
The Merlin had a rich heritage, developed from engines designed and used during World War I and the peacetime air speed competition, the Schneider Trophy.
Receiving no government backing, Rolls-Royce built a prototype which by 1935 was producing more than 1,000 horsepower, 40% more than its predecessor the Kestrel.
"I flew Kestrels in Harts and Hinds early on and you really noticed the difference in power [when using the Merlin].
"And it was so dependable. I flew 900 hours in Spitfires during the war and never had any trouble at all.
"All through the war the German planes, the Messerschmitts and so on, and British planes were stepping up each other in performance, manoeuvrability and speed.
"The Merlin kept up, it was improved, it got more powerful."
This performance led to it being adopted for the new generation of RAF fighters - just in time for Britain's hour of greatest need in 1940.
Leo McKinstry, author of books on the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster, said: "By preventing the Luftwaffe from gaining air supremacy over southern England, the two legendary fighters destroyed the Reich's hopes of mounting an invasion.
"But these aircraft would never have achieved that success without the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
"Robust and supremely efficient, the Merlin gave the RAF's fighters the power and performance they needed to defend our skies."
Proven in combat, demand for the Merlin grew....

Summary: For most people, an engine just gets us from A to B - and drinks expensive petrol.
###
Article: Paul Flynn called on colleagues critical of Mr Corbyn to "shut up".
Jo Stevens said the move was "self-indulgent".
But Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock is one of a handful of Labour MPs to publicly back the motion.
He accused Mr Corbyn of a "lacklustre" campaign.
Mr Corbyn said on Saturday he would not stand down if there was a challenge to his leadership of the Labour Party.
During his speech in London, he cited a petition urging him to stay on that has attracted around 150,000 signatures from the general public.
Jo Stevens, MP for Cardiff Central, said she believed it was "terribly unfair" to blame the referendum result on the Labour party.
"Two-thirds of Labour voters, according to the polls, voted to Remain," she said. She suggested that the support for Remain among SNP voters was "identical".
"So our situation is no different," she said.
Asked whether she will be backing the no-confidence motion, she said: "I think it's self-indulgent.
"I think we should be focusing entirely on what the country now needs.
"Our responsibility as a party is to ensure we go into these negotiations protecting the rights that EU membership gave us - human rights, consumer rights, environmental rights, and most importantly, our rights at work.
"They have to be safeguarded.  We fought for them for many, many decades and we've got to make sure that they stay."
Newport West MP Paul Flynn agreed, saying of some colleagues' criticism of Jeremy Corbyn: "I wish they'd shut up and get on with the job that we have to represent our own people."
"If you go ahead and undermine Jeremy, the only result will be two Labour parties because the party in the country is not going to accept a group of parliamentarians overthrowing a decision taken by huge majority by the rank and file of the party," he added.
But Mr Kinnock said: "Jeremy did about ten rallies during the campaign. If it were the short campaign for a general election you'd normally expect the leader to be doing ten rallies in a week.
"So I do think it was a lacklustre campaign. Not...

Summary: Two Welsh Labour MPs have called on their colleagues in Westminster to dismiss a motion of no confidence in their leader Jeremy Corbyn for not campaigning hard enough during the EU referendum.
###
Article: Mr Abe described the 90-minute meeting in Trump Tower, New York, as "candid", with a "warm atmosphere".
Some of Mr Trump's campaign rhetoric cast doubt over long-standing US alliances, including with Japan.
The meeting was Mr Trump's first face-to-face with a world leader since winning the presidential election.
The US and Japan have been key allies since the end of World War Two, when the US helped Japan rebuild its economy.
The president-elect has vowed to scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which Mr Abe strenuously supports as a means of countering China's growing economic strength.
The deal was approved by the Japanese parliament, despite the likelihood that it would be cancelled when Mr Trump takes office.
Mr Trump has also said Japan needs to pay more to maintain US troops on its soil, and has floated the idea that Japan and South Korea should develop their own nuclear weapons to counter the threat from North Korean missiles.
The meeting was reportedly arranged when Mr Abe rang the president-elect to congratulate him, mentioning that he would be passing through New York on the way to an Asia-Pacific trade summit in Peru.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Abe said: "We were able to have a very candid talk over a substantial amount of time. We held it in a very warm atmosphere.
"I do believe that without confidence between the two nations the alliance would never function in the future and as the outcome of today's discussion I am convinced Mr Trump is a leader in whom I can have great confidence."
The Japanese leader gave few details of the meeting but added the two agreed to meet again for deeper talks on a wider range of issues.
Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who have emerged as key advisers to Mr Trump since his surprise election victory, also met Mr Abe at Trump Tower.
Media speculation over her role has included the possibility of her becoming ambassador to Japan.
In the days since the election, Mr Trump has been speaking to dozens of world leaders as well as...

Summary:


The Co-op Party is a group of people who have been involved in the Co-operative Party since the early 1980s.
The Co-op Party is a group of people who have been involved in the Co-operative Party since the early 1980s.
The Co-op Party is a group of people

A man with learning difficulties has been left "absolutely traumatised" after being punched and robbed at a bus stop.

Article: President Jacob Zuma is already facing an official investigation over the multi-million dollar renovation of his homestead in KwaZulu Natal.
It and a proposed building of a nearby town has been dubbed "Zumaville".
Provincial authorities have said the road development plan preceded Mr Zuma's presidency.
But the Democratic Alliance has questioned why so much emphasis is being placed on this area of South Africa.
The BBC's Pumza Fihlani, in Johannesburg, says many development plans and road upgrades across the country, some of which are urgently needed, never get off the ground often because of lack of finance or corrupt tenders.
On Sunday, it was revealed that South Africa's Public Protector Thuli Madonsela had opened an investigation into the publicly funded construction of Mr Zuma's private residence in the district of Nkandla.
The chalets and state of the art security are said to have cost $27m (£17m).
The unveiling by the KwaZulu Natal government of two new nearby road networks, costing $67m, happened two days later.
The Democratic Alliance's Ian Ollis said that he would request that Ms Madonsela extend her investigation to include the road upgrades leading to Mr Zuma's homestead.
"KwaZulu Natal certainly has enough road and transport infrastructure projects which could have been considered as alternatives to the Nkandla projects," Mr Ollis said.
But KwaZulu Natal's Transport Minister Willies Mchunu said the road project was above board and various villages had been marked for development before Mr Zuma came to power in 2009.
"In fact, former President Thabo Mbeki identified Nkandla and Msinga as priority areas needing development. This has nothing to do with President Zuma," South Africa's Mercury newspaper quoted him as saying.
In recent months, there has also been controversy over proposals for a town to be built about 3km (two miles) from Mr Zuma's Nkandla homestead.
"Public funds should not be spent to service the home and the hometown of the president to the detriment of other projects that are meant...

Summary: The spending of taxpayers' money on the upgrade of roads near the rural home of South Africa's president should be investigated, the opposition says.
###
Article: He is acknowledged as the author of baseball's first rule book and remains to this day the only journalist to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
But not many people know Henry Chadwick, the man who helped oversee baseball's meteoric rise to national prominence, hailed from a county town in the south west of England.
A historian for Major League Baseball, John Thorn, explained: "No man was more important to the rise of baseball from boys' game to national pastime than Henry Chadwick, the game's great promoter."
Chadwick was born in Exeter in 1824 and grew up with a passion for cricket.  When he was 12 years old, his family emigrated to the US where he continued his love affair with the sport.
Following in his father's footsteps, Mr Chadwick became a journalist, and by the mid-1850s, he was writing for the New York Times as a cricket reporter.
He soon turned his attention to baseball after watching a game between New York's Gotham and Eagle clubs in 1856.
He was immediately taken by the pace of the game.
"Americans do not care to dawdle over a sleep-inspiring game, all through the heat of a June or July day," he said.
"What they do they want to do in a hurry.  In baseball, all is lightning; every action is as swift as a seabird's flight."
Through his cricketing background, Chadwick had developed a love of statistics and he refined the 'box score', which helped supporters follow the sport from home and allowed them to compare players' records.
He quickly found a place on the Rules Committee in 1858, but his main ambition was to take baseball to the masses.  He was a prolific writer who penned the first baseball guide in 1860 and took on the role of editor for Spalding's Official Base Ball Guide.
At this time, baseball and cricket were both vying for the nation's attention, yet by 1866 the former had pre-eminence.
Thorn explains: "There were many factors here, not least the Civil War and American jingoism about Britain's role in it by continuing to buy cotton from the South, for...

Summary: President Theodore Roosevelt dubbed him "the father of baseball", but the man widely credited with popularising the US national sport was actually from Devon.
###
Article: Politically, one of the most significant announcements alongside the Co-op Group's annual results is the publication of the motions to be put before the annual general meeting on May 16.
Now, this may all seem horrendously dull until you arrive at Motion 9: "political donations".
Effectively, the board is asking the members of the Co-operative Group (that's its customers) whether they want to continue financially supporting the Co-operative Party. Or any party for that matter.
The Co-op Party includes among its members a number of prominent Labour MPs including Ed Balls, Stella Creasy and Chris Leslie. They stand as candidates of both the Co-operative Party and the Labour Party, and the two political movements have strong historical ties.
Last year Co-op Group gave Â£625,000 to the Co-op Party, a figure that was already down on previous years.
The motion says: "To determine the Society's policy on Political Donations
The board has carefully not given a view. But it is interesting to note that the new Co-op chairman, Allan Leighton, did sign a letter backing Labour in 2001.
There is also what is called a Members Motion, put forward by those who support continuing political donations of up to Â£1m a year to "support the objectives of the co-operative movement".
If that is voted through, that would mean the Co-op Group would continue financial support for the Co-op Party.
It is a fascinating debate, which brings together the very different membership model of the Co-op Group and the correct financial balance between business and politics.

Summary: The UK's biggest mutual organisation will vote on whether to stop financially supporting the Co-op Party, which has strong ties to Labour.
###
Article: Police said the vulnerable man was targeted by two "despicable individuals" in East Kilbride on Friday night.
They threatened their 32-year-old victim with a knife before punching him and robbing him.
Det Con Stuart Burnside appealed for help in tracing the men.
He said: "These despicable individuals preyed on a vulnerable man who clearly could not stand up for himself and has been left absolutely traumatised by what happened.
"This type of abhorrent behaviour will not be tolerated and extensive enquiries are underway to find these criminals and hold them to account for their cowardly actions.
"I would appeal to anyone who was in the surrounding area late on Friday night, who may have witnessed the incident or may have seen two men matching the descriptions, to please get in touch."
The men approached their victim at a bus stop near Calderwood Square at about 23:00 on Friday. They were last seen heading towards Maxwellton Road.
Both men were white and in their mid teens or early 20s. The first was about 5ft 6in, and he was wearing a white T-shirt and dark coloured bottoms.
His accomplice was slim and about 5ft 8in. He wore a dark coloured tracksuit.
Their victim was treated at Hairmyres Hospital following the incident.

Summary:


The new Labour leader, David Coombs, has announced he wants to live as a woman.

Working grandparents could share unpaid parental leave under plans being launched by the Labour Party.

Article: The current Bishop of Hull, 65, would be hopefully installed by the end of the year, The Diocese of Hereford said.
Bishop Frith, who has four children and four step-children, has worked in a mix of urban and rural areas in his 40 years of ministry, it added.
His predecessor in Hereford, the Right Reverend Anthony Priddis, retired from the role in September.
Bishop Frith said he was "thrilled" to have been chosen.
He said: "The Diocese has a wonderful Christian heritage and I greatly look forward to playing my part in building up the church and serving the wider community."
The grandfather-of-seven has been the Bishop of Hull for 16 years.
The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu said he had brought "his passion and joyful enthusiasm to his mission for the Diocese of York".
From 1991 to 1998, Bishop Frith was Prebendary at Wells Cathedral, including being Archdeacon of Taunton for six of those years.
He was Team Rector at the Keynsham, Bath and Wells diocese from 1983 to 1992.
His new diocese covers Herefordshire, south Shropshire and parts of Worcestershire and Wales.

Summary: The new Bishop of Hereford has been announced as the Right Reverend Richard Frith.
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Article: "I am Chelsea Manning," Pte First Class Manning said in a statement to NBC's Today programme. "I am a female."
The 25-year-old said he had felt female since childhood, wanted at once to begin hormone therapy, and wished to be addressed as Chelsea.
Pte Manning faces 35 years in prison for crimes including espionage.
The soldier could be released on parole after at least seven years in jail, his civilian lawyer David Coombs has said.
Mr Coombs has asked President Barack Obama to pardon Pte Manning, and has pledged to appeal against the verdict and sentence.
How do people who change gender choose a name?
Pte Manning will serve the sentence at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and on Thursday, Mr Coombs indicated the soldier was willing to take legal action to force the prison to provide hormone therapy if authorities refused.
He said Pte Manning had not indicated whether he wanted to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
"The ultimate goal is to be comfortable in her skin and to be the person that she's never had an opportunity to be," he said.
Asked why Pte Manning was making this announcement now, the day after sentencing, Mr Coombs said: "Chelsea didn't want to have this be something that overshadowed the case."
Pte Manning's struggles with gender identity formed a key part of the defence through the weeks-long court martial.
Defence witnesses, including therapists who had treated Pte Manning, testified that the soldier had spoken of wanting to transition to being a woman, suggesting that these problems had affected his mental health.
Pte Manning's former Army supervisor testified that the accused had sent him a photograph of himself wearing a blond wig and lipstick.
US military prosecutors, meanwhile, described Pte Manning as a notoriety-seeking traitor and asked for a 60-year sentence in order to deter future intelligence leakers.
Pte Manning, who grew up in the US state of Oklahoma and in Wales, joined the Army in 2007 to help pay for university and, according to court martial defence testimony, to shake off a desire...

Summary: Bradley Manning, the US soldier who leaked secret US government documents to the Wikileaks website, has announced he wants to live as a woman.
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Article: The largest universities get the bulk of the funds because that is where the best research is conducted. But that means that they continue to thrive while the rest are left in their wake. It also means that new high-tech industries tend to base themselves around the large universities which tend to be in the South East of England.
Research funding is distributed by scientific experts, who are independent of ministers. They do so on the basis of the quality of research and the strength and reputation of the research group. This tried and tested formula has seen the emergence of some of the world's highest ranking research universities.
It has also meant that the UK leads in many areas of science. With less than 1% of the world's population the UK produces 16% of top quality published research.
The new Science Minister, Jo Johnson, has signalled there may be a shift in research funding.
In his first major policy speech Mr Johnson has indicated that research funds could in future be distributed more widely across the UK. Currently nearly half of public science spending is concentrated in Oxford, Cambridge and London. He also indicated that there would be more emphasis on research to drive growth.
He chose to make his announcement in the north of England. Addressing an audience at the Rolls-Royce Factory of the Future, which is part of the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, he described his new strategy as "one nation science".
"The fact is, 46% of public investment in research goes to the Golden Triangle (internationally renowned universities in London, Oxford and Cambridge). We must and we will continue to fund research on the basis of excellence and ensure we are competing with the very best in the world," he said.
"But we do have to ensure we recognise that other parts of the country that have proven research excellence in their universities, and ensure we fund excellence wherever it is found in order to realise the productivity gains that we have seen in the Golden Triangle. To...

Summary: Critics of the present system of science funding say it's rather like modern football where the richest clubs are the most successful, which makes them even richer enabling them to continue to be successful.
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Article: The idea forms part of Labour's women's manifesto, which has been released as a separate document to the party's main pledges.
The manifesto also promises to tackle equality in pay and give more support for childcare and paternity leave.
Labour's Harriet Harman said the document was showing women the party was "on their side".
Ms Harman launched the manifesto accompanied by shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper, and shadow minister for women and equalities Gloria De Piero at the Stockwell Gardens Nursery in south London.
The trio arrived in the party's woman-to-woman pink mini-bus.
Ms Harman described Labour's new policy on grandparents as "incredibly important".
She said: "For so long until quite recently politics was just a bit of a men-only game so we need to highlight the fact that politicians are there for women and democracy is there for women as well as men.
"I think we are showing women that we are on their side and will stand up for them in government.
"But I think that what we are saying about grandparents and recognising how many families depend on grandparents to help with children while the parents are working, but also that those grandparents are not retired they are working now, they are working longer.
"And therefore this new policy on grandparents I think is going to be incredibly important."
Labour leader Ed Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour earlier that this was the first time a party had looked at grandparents, and said they were a "crucial part" to help over "summer holidays or when a child is sick".
When asked about whether he was assuming that older women could afford to work for free, Mr Miliband said that this was "about going with the grain of people's lives" and that the modern workplace needed to reflect "the reality of family life".
Currently parents can claim 18 weeks unpaid parental leave, or four weeks in any given year, per child up to their 18th birthday.
Labour's new idea, which would be consulted on should Labour win power on 7 May, would be to allow grandparents to...

Summary:


The developers of the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon have accused Natural Resources Wales (NRW) of publishing a "grossly misleading" analysis of the project's likely impact on fish.

Article: Consumer spending in the April to June period grew by 0.9% from the previous quarter, the fastest pace since 2014.
A rise in business investment also helped growth, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed.
The ONS kept its estimate for UK economic growth at 0.6% for the second quarter, unchanged from the  initial reading.
"Our survey returns, which include the period leading up to and immediately following the referendum, show no sign so far of uncertainty having significantly affected investment or GDP," said ONS chief economist Joe Grice.
Business investment increased by a stronger-than-expected 0.5% in the quarter having fallen in the first three months of the year.
However, the UK's widening trade deficit was a drag on growth during the April-to-June period.
Thomas Laskey, from Aberdeen Asset Management, said the ONS figures showed business investment was "fairly resilient" despite the uncertainty in the run-up to the referendum.
"This is the number that many investors are keeping their eye on, given how sensitive it may be to Brexit.
"The Bank of England significantly lowered its forecasts for business investment in the recent Inflation Report and Mark Carney has been pessimistic about the outlook."
Data released since the Brexit vote in 23 June has been mixed. Some business surveys suggested there had been a sharp slowdown in activity in the immediate aftermath of the referendum, but retail sales figures for July, released last week, were stronger than expected.
Many economists have predicted a marked slowdown in the UK economy following the referendum.
Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at IHS Global Insight, said that while he still had "serious concerns over the UK growth outlook, we are a little less pessimistic than we were in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote".
However, he added that it was "likely to be some considerable time before the economy again expands anything like 0.6% quarter-on-quarter".
"We suspect that the UK's vote to leave the European Union in...

Summary: Strong growth in spending by consumers helped to drive the UK economy ahead of the Brexit vote, official figures show.
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Article: Npower posted losses in underlying earnings of 12m euros (Â£11m), compared with a profit of 85m euros in 2016.
It also expects the division to make a loss for the whole year and warned of regulatory intervention.
It said cost-cutting helped combat "fierce competition and political pressure" in the UK energy market.
It lost UK customers in the first quarter because of price increases on variable tariffs, but attracted 50,000 new ones with improved deals in the second half.
Innogy said earnings were hit partially because it proved harder to pass higher costs on to UK customers.
"The situation in the UK retail business remains very tense due to the fierce competition and political pressure.
"Measures to reduce costs within the scope of the restructuring programme will help to partially offset negative market effects," Innogy added.
Last month, Ofgem, the energy regulator, proposed a price cap to protect about two million vulnerable customers.
The company said potential price caps were causing uncertainty and a decline in sales to commercial and corporate customers also had a negative effect on earnings.
Innogy, which is majority owned by RWE, has been undertaking a major restructuring programme at Npower after losing thousands of customers because of billing issues and competition from new entrants.
At the end of June, Npower had 4.757 million retail electricity and gas customers in Britain, up 1% from March.
The German company as a whole reported adjusted earnings before interest and tax were 1.7bn euros (Â£1.54bn) in the first half, in line with expectations.
It was 4% higher than last year owing to earnings growth in the first quarter in its grid business.
Operating profit at its German retail business was 340m euros, up 23% from a year ago.

Summary: Npower's parent company, Innogy, has reported a loss for its UK division, but gained more customers in the first half of the year.
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Article: Colin Swatton is much more than just a caddie to the Australian star who broke his major duck with victory at the US PGA Championship at Whistling Straits on Sunday.
Swatton's support helped his ailing boss complete the US Open at Chambers Bay. Within two months Day fulfilled his golfing potential in brilliant style with a record-breaking major championship score of 20 under par.
To have risen from such a stricken position to the top of the golfing world, reflects the journey Day has taken in life with Swatton as mentor, coach and caddie.
It is little wonder that Day tearfully embraced Swatton immediately after tapping in the putt that gave him a three-shot victory over new world number one Jordan Spieth.
"On the 18th all I said was 'I love you'," Swatton said. "And he loves me, and we were a blubbering mess. It was pretty cool.
"This makes me incredibly proud. To stand on the 18th green and share that moment.
"I knew with the work ethic and the drive and the motivation, the skills would develop over time. He will continue to grow and to get better."
It was Swatton who played the father figure after Day's father died from cancer. The young Queenslander was in serious danger of going off the rails and the then teacher at the Hills International Golf Academy was his saviour.
"He's been there for me since I was 12 and a half years old," Day said. "He's taken me from a kid that was getting into fights at home and getting drunk at 12 and not heading in the right direction to a major champion.
"And there's not many coaches that can say that in many sports. So he means the world to me. I love him to death."
Golf's newest major champion only took up the game when his late father rescued an old three wood from a rubbish dump. It only became Day's salvation because it brought him into contact with Swatton, who imposed a disciplined coaching regime.
"Growing up, we - my mom - we were poor," Day said. Following his father's death, his mother needed to take out a second mortgage.
On Sunday her son banked a cheque for...

Summary: When Jason Day fell flat on his back at the US Open in June, his head swimming with debilitating vertigo, the first person to help him to his feet was the most important man in his life.
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Article: Earlier this month, NRW estimated the lagoon would mean 21% of salmon and 25% of sea trout dying each year, as they migrate to and from local rivers.
Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) said the claims had no "clear scientific basis".
NRW said its figures were based on the "best available evidence" it received.
In a briefing note sent to AMs and seen by BBC Wales, TLP disputed NRW's figures and claimed that the regulator refused to share its methodology for calculating them.
"Without clear scientific basis NRW has recently published figures based in these 'what if' scenarios despite our request to consider the evidence needed to back them up prior to publication," the briefing said.
"These scenarios give unrealistic and grossly misleading impact figures [on fish]," the briefing adds.
TLP said that computer modelling carried out by experts on its behalf estimated a "worst case scenario" of the lagoon killing 2% of all species of fish.
The Â£1.3bn Swansea tidal lagoon project is being viewed by the firm as a test bed for much larger and more cost effective versions around the coast, including Cardiff, Newport and Colwyn Bay.
UK government ministers are considering the findings of a six-month review of the viability of the scheme, which is yet to be published.
Wales' Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths said the Welsh Government was "very supportive" of the scheme.
But she said both it and the industry needed clarity on the UK government's position in the "very, very near future."
NRW said it strongly disagreed with TLP's criticism, which it was "very surprised and disappointed by".
Gareth O'Shea, an NRW executive director, said: "We have received a vast amount of evidence on this subject from the applicant and have held detailed discussions with the developer for a year-and-a-half where we have shared a huge amount of information, data and our methodology.
"This has been assessed by independent experts and our own technical experts, and we have the utmost confidence that it is the best evidence available to enable us to...

Summary:


The scheme is being rolled out in the UK, with the aim of increasing the number of students coming to the UK for more than a year.
The scheme is being rolled out in the UK, with the aim of increasing the number of students coming to the UK for more than a year.
The scheme is being

Students at the Open University are going to have their progress monitored by a set of algorithms to spot if they need any extra support.

Article: Think tank British Future said the Brexit referendum outcome was a "vote of no confidence" in existing policies.
It said public expectations of curbs on low-skilled migration must be met.
The think tank has also released a survey suggesting almost half of Britons do not believe the government will reach its net migration targets.
Ministers have pledged to reduce net migration to below 100,000 by 2020.
British Future's report is published ahead of the release on Thursday of the latest net migration figures.
Details of the number of people coming to the UK for more than a year from across the EU and the rest of the world will be published at 09:30 BST - covering the year to 31 March.
Net migration - the difference between the estimated number of people settling in the UK and those emigrating - rose to 333,000 in 2015, the second highest figure on record, and has been above 300,000 for the past five quarters.
Prime Minister Theresa May has said she is sticking with her predecessor David Cameron's target of bringing the annual figure down to less than 100,000 - even though he fell well short of this during the last Parliament.
Opposition parties and some Tories have called for the target to be ditched, arguing it is distorting priorities and will be unachievable even outside the EU. But ministers say it is still a valid benchmark for "sustainable" migration levels.
In its report, British Future - which describes itself as a non-partisan body focused on addressing issues of migration, integration and identity - said the target was a "symbolic totem" for many and the failure to meet it had damaged public trust but it was unlikely to be reconsidered until the shape of the UK's Brexit deal became apparent.
"After the referendum, the debate about the future of the headline target will have little practical impact until the contours of future UK immigration policy become clearer," it wrote.
"Nobody in government or outside of it could possibly be in a position to make a sensible long-term judgement about future...

Summary: The vote to leave the EU is a chance to fix the UK's "broken" immigration system and restore trust in controlled migration, a report says.
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Article: Greater Manchester passengers will be the first to get the new payment format, to be introduced in 2015.
The scheme will also be rolled out in Tyne and Wear, Merseyside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire as well as Nottingham, Leicester and Bristol, according to transport chiefs.
Oyster cards launched in 2003 in London, where buses are now cashless.
In the West Midlands, nearly 30 operators are already part of the Swift smart multi-operating ticketing scheme.
Greater Manchester is rolling out its "get me there" travel card across its Metrolink trams.
The bus initiative involves the Stagecoach, First, Arriva, Go Ahead and National Express companies.
In a joint statement, the chief executives of the companies involved said the move would deliver a "wider benefit than the capital's Oyster system".
They said: "Millions of people in our biggest city regions will benefit from this transformational initiative to provide London-style smart ticketing.
"Bus operators share the aspirations of our city regions to become growing economic powerhouses and we know high quality public transport is an important part of making that happen."

Summary: Bus companies are to bring in Oyster-style smart ticketing in some of England's largest urban areas.
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Article: The deal makes Micro Focus one of the UK's biggest tech companies, with total annual revenues of $4.5bn (£3.4bn).
It is acquiring assets from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), including former UK tech champion Autonomy which HP bought in an ill-fated deal in 2011.
Micro Focus was promoted to the FTSE 100 last week, replacing ARM after it was bought by Japan's Softbank.
A string of acquisitions has turned Micro Focus, based in Berkshire, England, from being a relatively small player to being worth over £5bn, with revenues doubling in 2015.
Shares in Micro Focus closed 14.5% higher at £22.38 after jumping as much as 21%, making it the biggest riser on the FTSE 100.
The rise and rise of Micro Focus
Kevin Loosemore, Micro Focus executive chairman, said the deal marked a significant milestone for the company.
Mr Loosemore said he approached Hewlett Packard Enterprise in February about a deal and was not put off by the market turbulence that followed the Brexit vote in the UK.
HPE has more than 50,000 customers including many of the biggest US companies.
We are accustomed to headlines bemoaning another UK industrial champion falling to a foreign predator. This morning the tide, if only briefly, is flowing the other way.
Micro Focus, a fast-growing technology firm based in Newbury, Berkshire, is merging with a division of the original Silicon Valley titan, Hewlett-Packard.
Although the combination will have a slim majority of shareholders from the US company, this is a British takeover. The new Micro Focus will keep its listing on the London Stock Exchange, and the management will be British.
The new entity should have a stock market value north of £10bn - about twice the market cap of Sainsburys.
While it is tempting to see this as a swallow that might herald a golden summer of takeovers by ambitious British companies, it has more to do with the weakness of an ageing tech giant rather than a resurgence of appetite on this side of the Atlantic.
Hewlett-Packard is rightly credited with having founded Silicon Valley,...

Summary: UK tech firm Micro Focus is buying the software business of a division of Hewlett-Packard for $8.8bn (£6.6bn).
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Article: The scheme, developed by the OU, has been designed to observe students' paths through courses and engagement with online learning modules.
The OU's Prof John Domingue told the BBC: "This has been developed as a tool for tutors to help students.
"We are planning to use this data for students studying in 2015-16."
The programme, called OU Analyse, was developed at the university during the 2013-14 academic year.
It uses a variety of data sets held by the OU and assesses the likelihood of a student submitting their next assignment by using information gathered from four different algorithms.
The more algorithms that indicate the student will not send in their work - the higher the chance of that happening.
Prof Domingue added: "We take advantage of the fact that modules are presented many times. One can use the experience of previous students to benefit future students. An interesting fact is that the data of the interactions before the course actually starts, like reading the material available and engaging with forums, is extremely valuable.
"Currently it is deployed on 13 modules, mostly level one modules in order to try to provide timely indicators that students may be struggling.
"The model is tailored to each of the modules and by using this and identifying students, more tailored support may be provided."
The OU has taken steps to ensure that students' privacy is not compromised by the scheme - putting in place an ethics policy, agreed in consultation with a student committee, to protect their data.
Ruth Tudor, president of the Open University's Students' Association, thinks the scheme is a positive one.
"It's a great idea and a great way of providing targeted support to students who may be struggling and need extra help," she told the BBC.
"I would like to think that this would improve the drop-out rate from OU courses. You must remember they take students who have come from no academic background so it is always possible that those people take on more than they think they can manage.
"That's why data...

Summary: