Carmarthen's Guildhall has a "self sufficient" future say council leaders, as the county takes ownership of the historic building.

Article: Two Technics SL-1200 models were unveiled - one of which is limited to a run of 1,200 units - marking the first update in years to the brand.
Panasonic has said the launch was inspired by a resurgence in vinyl record sales.
The production of Technics turntables had ceased in 2010.
At the time, some audiophiles and DJs had expressed disappointment over the well known brand's discontinuation.
But in September last year, Panasonic said that Technics would return.
The decision to halt the production of Technics turntables five years ago was a "strange" one, according to Andy Clough, editor of What Hi-Fi magazine.
"They had a fantastic brand with a huge heritage," he said. "From our point of view [the re-launch is] really exciting, it's a sort of update if you like on an iconic turntable - something of a legend amongst DJs and hi-fi people."
Mr Clough commented that while there was a resurgence in vinyl sales, the boom should be viewed in context.
"It's still very much a niche thing - albeit a growing niche," he said.
The refreshed models boast a number of mechanical improvements.
Panasonic has included a new motor in the updated turntable, which is designed to be quieter and less prone to vibrations than previous models. The result is, the firm claims, better sound quality.
Both editions will be released later in 2016 with the 50th Anniversary model, the Grand Class SL-1200GAE, being made available this summer in a limited edition run.
Retro audio formats aren't the only nostalgic tech featuring at CES this year.
Kodak has also announced an initiative to revive the Super 8 film format and is presenting a prototype of a new Kodak Super 8 camera.
It features digital functionality - including an LCD screen allowing users to frame and view recorded scenes live.
The company's initiative has already garnered support from top Hollywood directors including Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino and Steve McQueen - all of whom have praised the qualities of Super 8 film.
There are no details on when Kodak's new camera might...

Summary: Panasonic has revealed the capabilities of its revived Technics turntables at the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
###
Article: The law was passed after a referendum in May, when the Irish state became the first in the world to legalise same-sex civil marriage by popular vote.
It is not yet known when and where the first same-sex wedding will be held.
But the first people to be affected are same-sex couples who have already wed legally abroad. Their marriages are now automatically recognised by the state.
They include Orla Howard and her wife Dr Grainne Courtney, who were married in the United States in May 2013.
The couple have been in a relationship for the last 13 years and live in Dublin with their two grown-up daughters.
"It's a terrific moment, because our marriage will be the same as any straight couple's marriage from Monday morning," Ms Howard told BBC Northern Ireland.
"It will bring all of the rights and protections that marriage brings, from the constitutional point of view, to our family and that's one of the key things for us."
Same-sex couples who are seeking to wed for the first time will be able to do so from Monday onwards, but it is not yet known who is in line to make legal history by marrying a person of the same sex in a Republic of Ireland ceremony.
The first newlyweds are likely to be couples who had already applied to register a civil partnership over the coming hours or days, but who now have the option to convert this into a marriage application for the same date.
Registrars have been contacting couples who fall into this category to find out their preferences.
People who are already in a civil partnership in the Republic of Ireland can now also choose get married, but they must give at least five day's notice of their intentions to a civil registration office.
Civil partners who do not wish to get married will remain as civil partners, their legal status will not be affected by the new law.
However, new applications for civil partnerships are no longer being accepted.
The Marriage Act 2015 only applies to civil marriage, and no Irish church or religious organisation that objects to the new law will be...

Summary: Same-sex marriage has now become legal in the Republic of Ireland, after new legislation came into effect on Monday.
###
Article: The firm revealed on its website that it will also stop shipping the Micro MV cassette, used in video cameras.
It has not produced a compatible camera for the Micro MV since 2005.
Sony launched the format in 1975, a year before JVC's rival the VHS cassette - which eventually became the market leader after a long battle between the two brands and their fans.
Although many felt Betamax was the superior format, some cite the longer recording length of VHS tapes and the cheaper manufacturing costs for VHS machines among factors as to why VHS eventually won out.
But there were also other issues at play.
"The reason VHS won out in the UK was that most people chose to rent their video machines in the early days and most of the rental chains were owned by Thorn EMI which made VHS machines under various names," commented Tony Miles, who used to work in a Sony store.
"Some independent chains rented both, but many people went for 'the same type as my friends' - so VHS triumphed."
The BBC still has Betacam tapes in some of its archives - a format that Sony created building on Betamax's foundations - but most broadcasters have stopped using even them.
"It's sad when the consumables of a format dies because then you can never go back to it," said BBC video editor Pete Doherty.
"I remember watching Michael Jackson's Thriller on Betamax. It represents the time when we were just beginning to watch things on demand.
"If you missed a programme on TV before that, you just had to wait for the repeat.
"Having said that, I don't think many people will miss Betamax. I can't imagine there are many machines left to play them on."

Summary: Sony has announced that it will stop selling Betamax video cassettes in March 2016.
###
Article: Holyrood's environment committee said it was "deeply disappointed" with the national marine plan - which has taken five years to formulate.
It aims to balance the oil and gas and renewable energy industries with the need to protect the environment.
Ministers said they would respond to the concerns "in due course".
The draft marine plan, published at the end of 2014, covers Scotland's sea areas out to 200 nautical miles and aims to protect and boost areas such as the energy industry, tourism and transport, while meeting the needs of the environment.
'Vague aspiration'
But the cross-party environment committee's convener, SNP MSP Rob Gibson, said it was lacking in clarity.
"The committee is deeply disappointed that a government plan five years in the making is simply not yet fit for purpose," he said.
"Multiple uses are made of our marine environment, and increasingly these are coming into conflict, but the Scottish government's draft national marine plan does not provide a clear and concise set of policies that can be consistently applied by decision-makers and those using the marine environment.
"There is a danger the plan in its present form will create conflict by having highly prescriptive actions in some areas, while setting out vague aspirations in others.
"Simply put, instead of making the marine environment easier, it risks making it more difficult."
Calum Duncan, convenor of Scottish Environment Link's marine taskforce, said: "Scotland's environment community have followed the development of the National Marine Plan closely.
"It is a chance not just to ensure developments at sea are well co-ordinated and sustainable, but also to enhance the diminished health of our seas, which is the legal duty of Scottish ministers.
"A good place to start is putting in place proper fisheries management in our marine protected areas (MPAs), but current plans allow scallop dredging and bottom trawling to continue across large areas of some MPAs."
A Scottish government spokesman said its marine plan had won "widespread...

Summary: Scottish government plans to protect the nation's seas are not fit for purpose and could even make the current situation worse, MSPs have said.
###
Article: It bought the Grade II listed building for £225,000 in the summer.
The Guildhall had been facing uncertainty after the Ministry of Justice announced it was one of 10 law courts to close in Wales.
The council said it was still investigating how to make best use of the venue.
Carmarthenshire council's deputy leader and executive board member for resources, David Jenkins said one of the main reasons for buying it was to "ensure a secure future."
He said it was a "focal point" not just for Carmarthen, but for the whole county.
"It has a tremendous history. Murderers have been tried and condemned to death here."
They include Ronnie Harries, who was one of the last men to be hanged in Wales. He was sentenced to death in 1953 after murdering his relatives Phoebe and John Harries at their home in Llangynin, Carmarthenshire.
The Guildhall was also the setting for Gwynfor Evans' landmark victory as first Plaid Cymru MP in 1966.
Mr Jenkins admitted when the Ministry of Justice announced the building was to be sold, they were hoping "to pick it up for a £1," but ended up paying the district valuer's price tag.
The council is now speaking to potential partners, including Carmarthen Town Council and Dyfed-Powys Police, about the building's future.
"We've got ideas of bringing some of our own services in here," said Cllr Jenkins.
"It'll also be good as a museum. We could bring people inside just to see how beautiful it is.
"The intention is to make the building self sufficient."

Summary:


The man overseeing Fifa's presidential polls should step aside due to conflict of interest, says the Liberian FA.

Article: ITV talent show X Factor averaged an audience of 5.6m for the first live show of the series on Saturday night.
More than 9.4m people saw Kirsty Gallacher perform her last routine - a Halloween-themed one - on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing.
The two shows overlapped for 15 minutes at 2000 GMT.
A spokesperson for ITV said audience figures for The X Factor would rise when recorded viewing was factored in, including people watching on ITVPlayer.
Audience figures for Sunday's results show were up, with an average of 6.7m viewers tuning in to watch Bupsi and girlband Alien Uncovered leave X Factor. Sunday's instalment of Strictly, which did not overlap with X Factor, got 9.6m viewers.
Bupsi, who was mentored by Simon Cowell in the Overs category, had the lowest public vote, meaning she was the first to exit the series.
Alien Uncovered failed to impress the judges in the sing-off, who opted to save 18-year-old Kiera Weathers following her rendition of REM's Everybody Hurts.
After the result, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, who is mentoring the groups, said: "I think I'm in shock. I'm devastated."
On Strictly, Gallacher's Halloween-themed Charlston failed to wow the judges as she and partner Brendan Cole were voted off the show.
She became the fifth celebrity to leave after singer Jamelia triumphed in the dance-off.

Summary: Strictly Come Dancing attracted nearly 4m more viewers than X Factor on Saturday, with ITV's show losing 1m viewers since last week.
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Article: It comes as Polish-speaking pupils have overtaken the number of Bengali-speakers in schools in Wales.
One independent analyst fears a "significant loss of specialist expertise and support".
Ministers said despite tough times they were "proud" of increased funding going to schools.
The latest statistics for numbers of pupils in schools whose first language is not English or Welsh shows a 27% rise since 2011.
There are 3,421 Polish-speaking pupils, 575 more than Bengali-speakers.
But as the landscape in the types of languages spoken has shifted, so has the way specialist help for pupils is funded.
Since 2014, there has been a reduction in funding to support pupils learning English and Welsh as additional languages (EAL/WAL).
Then in April 2015, the Minority Ethnic Achievement Grant was merged with a number of other Welsh government grants into the more general Education Improvement Grant which is now managed by four consortia of local authorities.
The old funding arrangements, in place for nearly 50 years, have involved most local authorities employing a specialist central pool team of staff at councils to work in schools and assist pupils with language development and curriculum learning.
There are worries with money no longer ring-fenced by councils, that support could be cut back and the flexibility lost to respond to changes in pupil numbers and needs.
One independent analyst wants ministers to ensure that funding is protected and prioritised.
Dr Jonathan Brentnall says that almost 90% of schools in Wales now have at least one pupil of minority ethnic background on their rolls and many of these are additional language learners.
He says some schools have little or no past experience in meeting EAL/WAL pupils' needs and with less specialist expertise available they may struggle to do so.
While, particularly some urban schools are well established in teaching children with different language backgrounds, there is a danger that if more funding is delegated to school budgets, those with smaller numbers will not...

Summary: There are worries that changes to funding could hit specialist support for 23,500 pupils who do not speak English or Welsh as a first language.
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Article: Operation Julie involved more than 800 officers from 10 forces, and smashed two LSD production and distribution networks thought to have been supplying up to 90% of the UK's market in the drug.
In a mission which, at times, took on a comic element, specially trained officers spent most of 1976 undercover in the Welsh countryside, disguised as hippies.
In order to divert suspicion they staged fights with local police, who were largely unaware of the "hippies'" true identity.
On one occasion they were left listening to Radio Cymru for an entire day, when sheep gnawed through the bugging devices they had planted in the Tregaron home of ringleader Richard Kemp.
Down the road in Llanddewi Brefi, another group of male officers garnered unwelcome attention when they were suspected of being a "gay cult".
This necessitated the introduction of female officers, including Sgt Julie Taylor, after whom the operation would eventually take its name, and who was immortalised in The Clash's song Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad.
But despite these more light-hearted elements, when police finally swooped in March 1977, they  seized 6.5 million LSD "tabs", along with share certificates and Swiss bank accounts valued in the millions.
Lyn Ebenezer, author of Operation Julie: The World's Greatest LSD Bust, was working as a freelance journalist in the area at the time.
He believes it is this juxtaposition between comic and gravity which has caused Operation Julie to live on in the memory through numerous books, films and TV and radio dramas.
"Cardiganshire was at the time the counter-culture capital," he said.
"The likes of the Rolling Stones, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix had all made pilgrimages to the area, so perhaps it's no surprise that it became the centre of LSD production.
"But we didn't have a clue what was going on with these strange groups who'd moved in.
"To be honest, if anyone seemed more likely to be drug dealers then it was the police acting as hippies, as the actual dealers were all educated professional...

Summary: Forty years ago this month police descended on Ceredigion and Powys, as part of what remains one of the world's biggest ever counter-drug operations.
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Article: The unofficial target for the service in England is to get half of the people who turn to it for help to quit in the short-term - that is to say to give up for at least four weeks.
Over all the NHS failed to achieve this in any of the years from 2001 to 2011.
In fact, the data published on the British Medical Journal website shows if anything performance deteriorated slightly.
In the first year examined by the study 35% of those who used the service quit, compared to 34% in the most recent year.
But that would do the service an injustice.
In terms of providing value for money, stop smoking is among one of the most "cost-effective" treatments adopted by the NHS in the past decade, according to Martin Dockrell, of the Action on Smoking and Health campaign group.
Each short-term quitter costs the NHS just over Â£300 (I say NHS because even though smoking is now the responsibility of local government councils get a ring-fenced budget from health to pay for such schemes).
In terms of benefit to health, which is determined by a complex calculation known as quality adjusted life year, the health service would be prepared to pay five times as much.
Not only this, but the reach it has is impressive.
According to the figures for the year up to March 2011, the service made contact with about 8% of the nation's smokers.
Of course, only a minority end up quitting in the long term.
About 80% of those who give up for four weeks will relapse at some point.
But, nonetheless, the service is helping make inroads into what was considered only a few years ago to be a hardcore group of smokers which were pretty resistant to stop smoking advice.
Since the mid 1990s the numbers of smokers have been hovering stubbornly above the 20% mark.
However, there are signs that is beginning to fall, albeit slowly.
In recent years the numbers have come down by less than 1% a year.
Some of that is down to smokers dying and the success of health campaigns in discouraging a new generation of smokers from taking up the habit.
But some of it is...

Summary: It is easy to look at the study produced on the performance of the NHS stop smoking service in its first decade of existence and conclude money has been wasted.
###
Article: Domenico Scala, who heads up Fifa's Ad-Hoc Electoral Committee, is Swiss-Italian - as is Gianni Infantino, one of the five presidential candidates.
Scala excused himself from the 2015 elections as he shared nationality with a candidate, Swiss Sepp Blatter.
LFA boss Musa Bility says he will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if Scala does not withdraw by Thursday.
The battle to replace long-standing president Blatter takes place in 18 days' time.
"Article 7.4 of the Electoral Regulations is clear that any member of the Ad-Hoc Electoral Committee who has a conflict of interest … is thereby barred from sitting as a member of the Committee and must be replaced," Bility wrote in a letter to Scala on Monday.
Ahead of elections in May 2015 between Blatter and Prince Ali of Jordan - both Scala and Claudio Sulser, who was also on the Ad-Hoc Electoral Committee, stepped aside for this reason.
"Prior to the final review process, Domenico Scala (as a dual Swiss/Italian national) and Claudio Sulser (as a Swiss national) withdrew from their positions to avoid any appearance of a potential conflict of interest based on nationality," Fifa wrote at the time.
However Andreas Bantel, a spokesman for Scala, says "the fact that a member of the ad-hoc electoral committee has the same nationality as a candidate does not result in a conflict of interest.
"There is no such provision whatsoever in the relevant regulations of Fifa," he told BBC Sport.
"For the last election period Mr Scala withdrew because the Swiss candidate was the incumbent President. Scala did so in order to avoid even any appearance of a potential conflicted of interest situation and simply as a precautionary measure on a voluntary base.
"For this election there are five candidates with no incumbent President. Hence, there is no potential conflict of interest at all."
It remains to be seen whether Bility will go ahead with his threat to take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
In his letter to Scala, he wants to know why the same process has not...

Summary:

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The University of Oxford is currently exhibiting some of its collection as part of a three-day event to mark the centenary of Thomas' untimely death.

A collection of manuscripts and notebooks which belonged to poet and novelist Edward Thomas are to be conserved thanks to a grant.

Article: Figures show that for those aged 65, men can expect to live for another 19 years and women a further 21 years.
But there is concern that too many elderly people are living in poor health.
And the figures vary across the country, with the North East and North West having lower life expectancies for 65-year-olds than other regions.
Life expectancy among older age groups in England rose to its highest level in 2014 - with male life expectancy increasing by 0.3 years at age 65 and 0.2 years at ages 75, 85 and 95 since 2013.
Female life expectancy increased by the same amounts at the same ages.
This comes after a fall in life expectancy in some older age groups between 2011 and 2012.
The only region where male and female life expectancy did not increase in 2014 was in the North East, where male life expectancy was higher in 2013.
Among local authorities in England, the majority showed an increase or no change in life expectancy at age 65 - but one quarter showed a decrease.
In the past, statistics have tended to focus on life expectancy at birth but now that most deaths in England occur in people over the age of 80, patterns of mortality in older age groups are becoming more important.
Prof John Newton, chief knowledge officer at Public Health England, said the report presented a positive national picture that made achieving "a good quality of life in later years even more important".
"This report is an opportunity to remind people that, even during mid-life, it is not too late to improve your health," he said.
"Most of us could make changes today, like stopping smoking, being more active or eating better, that would allow us to look forward to healthier later years."
He said it was not clear what had caused the variation in trends between local areas.
Danny Dorling, professor of human geography at the University of Oxford, said there was an urgent need to find out why improvements had stalled in many parts of England in recent years.
"Beneath the headline figures of this report, there is evidence of worsening...

Summary: Older people in England are living longer than ever before, a report from Public Health England says.
###
Article: Theophilus Horsoo, 41, of Milton Keynes, registered as a supply teacher with Simply Education Limited in 2014.
A National College for Teaching conduct panel heard he was convicted in 2013 of "ill-treating or wilfully neglecting" a person without capacity.
Mr Horsoo admitted he was "dishonest" in not disclosing the offence.
The panel heard the conviction related to an incident in 2012 in which a vulnerable adult "service user" was locked in a bedroom by Mr Horsoo who used a belt to secure the door shut.
The panel was told the Mr Horsoo "took no account of the risk to the service user".
In banning him from teaching, the panel said: "Mr Horsoo stated how sorry he was for the actions he took to lock the service user in his room. This was a serious error of judgment on his part.
"He also apologised for not disclosing this conviction when applying for jobs in 2014 which he realised, with the benefit of hindsight, he was clearly obligated to so."

Summary: A man has been banned indefinitely from teaching after he failed to disclose a conviction for locking a vulnerable adult in his bedroom using a belt.
###
Article: What is school performance data?
School performance data is statistical information showing how well pupils in England have done in public examinations taken at key points in their educational journey.
Data is published for children's attainment in national curriculum tests, often known as Sats, which are sat at the end of primary school at age 10 or 11.
At secondary school level, data is published detailing pupils' performance in GCSEs (and equivalent exams) at age 16 and A-levels (and equivalents) at age 18.
Secondary schools are considered to be "underperforming" if fewer than 40% of their pupils get five GCSEs at grade A*-C, including English and maths, and if the school has a below average score for pupils making the expected progress between Key Stage 2 (end of Year 6) and Key Stage 4 (end of Year 11) in English and maths.
Yes. From this year, only a pupil's first attempt at a qualification is included for league tables, aiming to end the practice of schools repeatedly entering pupils for exams in order to could boost their ranking.
The list of qualifications included has also been restricted to those which the government says are of the highest, academic quality and the number of non-GCSEs counting has been capped at two.
This is part of government reforms designed to make the exams and accountability system more rigorous.
The recognition of some popular unaccredited International GCSE qualifications have been phased out and no longer count for league table purposes.
Overall GCSEs have been toughened with exams taken at the end of the course and detailed changes to core subjects.
This year, primary schools are considered to be "underperforming" if fewer than 65% (up from 60% last year) of pupils get a Level 4 in maths, reading and writing, and pupils are not making the expected progress in these three subjects between the end of infants (age six or seven) and age 10 or 11, when they prepare to leave primary school.
Results of English grammar, punctuation and spelling tests are not taken into account in...

Summary: The BBC News website looks at key questions about the publication of school performance data in England.
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Article: The amnesty, at HM Maghaberry Prison, near Lisburn, was called amid fears that fake diazepam pills were circulating within the prison.
But the Prison Service has not confirmed what prompted the move.
It is understood that only a small number of inmates took advantage of the amnesty during the last weekend of September.
It is thought that the amnesty set out to tackle an influx of fake diazepam pills known as "the blue plague".
The pills have been responsible for many deaths in Scotland, and have been widely reported as having had a role in the death of Jonathan Adair, the son of former loyalist paramilitary leader Johnny Adair.
Maghaberry Prison faces an ongoing problem with illegal drugs.
Staff at the prison say the problem is getting worse and that the situation is approaching crisis point.
The number of prisoners who availed of the amnesty has not been released, but I understand it was as few as five - despite an assurance that handing over drugs would have absolutely no repercussions.
The amnesty was ordered by Maghaberry prison governor, Steve Davis.
In a statement, the Prison Service said the governor would use all the tools at his disposal to keep prisoners safe.
Since July, 11 visitors to Maghaberry Prison have been arrested on suspicion of trafficking drugs into the prison.

Summary: Inmates in a high-security prison have been given the opportunity to surrender illegal drugs without repercussion.
###
Article: Cardiff University is currently exhibiting some of its collection as part of a three-day event to mark the centenary of Thomas' untimely death.
But Alan Hughes, head of special collections and archive, said some other items were in poor condition.
The National Manuscripts Conservation Trust has awarded them almost Â£3,000.
The university holds the largest archive of Thomas' letters, diaries, notebooks, poems, photographs and personal belongings.
Mr Hughes said the grant had allowed us it to "collaborate with Glamorgan Archives to undertake essential conservation work on many of Edward Thomas' notebooks".
He said nine were in particularly poor condition due to acidification, fragile bindings and general deterioration over time.
"Many are unable to be handled without a high risk of further damage and are therefore inaccessible to scrutiny, celebration, digitisation and study," he said.
Thomas, known for his poems written as World War One raged across Europe, was killed in the Battle of Arras at Easter 1917, at the age of 39.
While he was born in England, Prof Katie Gramich who organised this week's event, said his parents were Welsh and he loved Wales.
She said his work was influenced by the time he spent walking in Wales and he felt "cheated of a Welsh identity".
The exhibition, which runs until the autumn, features previously unheard archive recordings of family and friends, interviewed by the university's Prof R George Thomas in 1967.

Summary:


Local and international banks have been accused of rigging the price of South Africa's currency, the rand, by the country's competition watchdog.

Article: Kite Power Systems (KPS) has gained backing for its project at West Freugh near Stranraer from E.ON, Schlumberger and Shell Technology Ventures (STV).
Paul Jones of the company said it was an "endorsement" of its research and development work on the technology.
A demonstration system will be put in place next year with further systems planned in years to come.
The technology uses two kites tethered to spool drums and as they fly they turn the drums to produce electricity.
A full-sized kite could generate two to three megawatts of electricity, which KPS said was comparable to a 100m conventional wind turbine.
The company has said it could eventually employ up to 500 people by 2025.
Mr Jones said: "The backing of these companies will accelerate KPS's commercial development plans towards deploying lower cost, deep-water offshore wind energy on a global scale."
KPS was established in 2011 and to date has invested more than £3m in technology development.
Geert van de Wouw, managing director of STV, said he had been convinced over time of the value of the KPS technology.
"It is an interesting contribution to renewable energy generation and a good fit to explore through Shell's New Energies business," he said.
E.ON senior vice president Frank Meyer said: "The approach of KPS has the potential to become a game changer for the wind energy market.
"It supports one of our overall targets to drive down the costs for renewable energy.
"In addition to this, we catch the opportunity to be a first mover in producing renewable energy at locations where it is, for economic and technical reasons, not possible today."
Oil and gas services company Schlumberger made its investment as it believes the technology could be used on offshore oil platforms, remote onshore drilling operations and decommissioned offshore wind turbine towers.
Commenting on the news, WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: "We hope the investment enables this emerging renewable technology to achieve its aim of developing a commercial-scale project.
"Kite...

Summary: Plans for one of the world's first kite power stations in south west Scotland have secured £5m of new investment.
###
Article: The warning comes after a survivor was found to have traces of Ebola in his semen almost six months after recovery.
This is some 90 days later than previously documented.
It is unclear whether Ebola can still be spread at this point. But officials have launched further investigations to evaluate the risks.
There have been no proven cases of Ebola being transmitted through sexual contact with survivors during this or previous outbreaks.
But according to Dr Nathalie Broutet, a medical officer at the World Health Organization, the recent case prompted experts to strengthen their advice.
Dr Broutet told the BBC: "The patient is the first we have seen where there is a trace of virus present in semen beyond three months.
"This made us change our recommendations to go beyond three months."
The new advice says: "For greater security and prevention of other sexually transmitted infections, Ebola survivors should consider correct and consistent use of condoms for all sexual acts beyond three months until more information is available."
It builds on previous guidance suggesting abstinence or safe sex up to 90 days after symptoms first develop.
But Dr Broutet cautioned further analysis must be done.
"Even though the sample was positive for fragments of the virus this does not prove it was passed on sexually.
"We need to be very careful and need more clarity about this," she said.
Scientists are planning to send the sample to the Centres for Disease Control in the United States to see if the traces of Ebola they found are active and capable of being spread.
And Dr Broutet is helping to set up studies in Sierra Leone and Guinea to offer male survivors further checks.
According to the WHO, there is no current evidence to suggest that active Ebola virus is present in vaginal fluids once someone has recovered.
Ebola is known to spread through close contact with the bodily fluids of a person who has the active virus and shows symptoms of the disease - such as a high fever.
Experts emphasise that people who have recovered from...

Summary: The WHO has urged Ebola survivors to be even more cautious during sexual contact to ensure the virus is not passed on to their partners.
###
Article: Cancer Research UK highlighted the statistics as it issued advice on safety in the sun this summer.
In Scotland, 900 people aged 55 and over are now diagnosed with malignant melanoma - the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
The total number diagnosed across all age groups is about 1,300.
The charity said rates of malignant melanoma have risen from almost 25 per 100,000 people in those aged 55 and over in 1993/95 to 53 in 100,000 people in the age group in 2012/14.
The number of people dying from the disease is also increasing.
For the first time, about 150 people aged 55 and over die from malignant melanoma each year in Scotland, based on the 2012/14 figures.
The charity has linked the increase to the cheap package holiday boom dating from the 1960s.
Rates of malignant melanoma in Scotland for under 55s have also risen by 27% in the past 20 years.
Despite the increase in diagnosis and deaths, the number of people surviving their disease is also increasing, the charity said, with nine in 10 people diagnosed with malignant melanoma in Scotland today surviving their disease for at least five years compared to eight in 10 in the early 90s.
Linda Summerhayes, spokeswoman for the charity in Scotland, said: "Getting sunburnt doesn't mean that you'll definitely develop melanoma but it does increase your chances of developing the disease.
"It's worrying to see that malignant melanoma rates are continuing to rise and it's very important that people take care of their skin in strong sun, even if they've been sunburnt in the past.
"We all need some sun for vitamin D but enjoying the sun safely and avoiding sunburn can reduce your risk of malignant melanoma."
As well as sunscreen, she said: "The best way to protect skin when the sun is strong is to spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm and to cover up with a T-shirt, hat and sunglasses."

Summary: Skin cancer rates in Scotland have more than doubled among those aged 55 and over in the past 20 years, a leading charity has reported.
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Article: The 61-year-old will replace Lord Gill, who retired in May.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Lord Carloway, who was appointed a judge in February 2000, had a "wide breadth of experience" in both the civil and criminal courts.
She said: "His commitment to continuing reform and modernisation of our justice system is clear."
Ms Sturgeon added: "Under his leadership I am confident that the already substantial improvements to Scotland's courts will continue."
The Lord President is the senior judge in Scotland and the head of the judiciary.
As presiding judge of Scotland's supreme civil and criminal courts, he acts as both Lord President of the Court of Session and the Lord Justice General of the High Court of Justiciary.
The Lord President also chairs the Board of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.
Before he became Lord Carloway, Colin Sutherland was a graduate of Edinburgh University and was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1977.
He served as an advocate depute from 1986 to 1989, was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1990 and became a judge in 2000.
In 2011 he published the Carloway Review, which looked at key elements of criminal law and recommended the requirement for corroboration in Scottish criminal prosecutions should be abolished.
The Scottish government dropped its plan to scrap corroboration earlier this year but other recommendations from the Carloway paper were taken forward in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill, approved by parliament earlier this week.
James Wolffe, QC, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, said: "His appointment as head of Scotland's judiciary is richly merited - having regard not only to his personal qualities but to his distinguished career of service, as an advocate before his appointment to the bench in 2000, as a judge since that date, and since 2012 as Lord Justice-Clerk.
"Lord Carloway becomes Lord President at an important time for our legal system as it responds to technological, social and institutional change. I look forward very much indeed to working with...

Summary: Lord Carloway has been announced as the new Lord President, Scotland's most senior judge.
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Article: Global giants Barclays, JP Morgan and HSBC are among 17 banks named as part of the two-year investigation.
Banks colluded, using online chat rooms to co-ordinate fictitious bids and offers in order to sway the market, the competition commission says.
It has called for the banks to be fined 10% of in-country annual turnover.
The banks are now likely to face prosecution at the country's Competition Tribunal over the alleged currency manipulation, which investigators say goes back as far as 2007.
Several banks have already said they will cooperate with the authorities.
Speaking in parliament earlier, South African President Jacob Zuma welcomed the competition commission's investigation, saying that the government was prepared to act against the distortion of the financial markets "to protect our country's economy".
He also reiterated the government's commitment to establish a state bank, adding that new players must be allowed to enter to diversify the financial sector.
Analysis: Matthew Davies, Africa Business Report editor, Johannesburg:
Foreign exchange scandals have rocked the international markets over the past ten years and now it's South Africa's turn to host one.
The governing ANC party says the latest developments expose an "ethical crisis in the South African banking sector".
The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters is calling for the banks to have their operating licences immediately revoked.
However, another opposition party, the Democratic Alliance says the timing of the case is suspicious, given that in his State of the Nation address last week, President Jacob Zuma referred to the competition authorities as one of the tools that would be used to drive radical economic transformation forward.
Even if, as expected, the 17 banks come to some sort of settlement with the South African authorities, the whole saga will still be another blow to the sector's reputation.
It has also given certain politicians more ammunition to bash the banks yet again - President Zuma recently accused the country's four...

Summary:


London's FTSE 100 index has recorded its biggest weekly loss this year after poor manufacturing figures in China exacerbated global economic fears.

Article: Overall the assessments were improving but were "not timely enough" in about 25% of cases, the watchdog found.
Inspectors visited 10 local authorities and examined 123 cases in a survey commissioned by Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw.
Progress was "encouraging" but there was still more to do said Sir Michael.
Earlier Ofsted reports, among them the 2012-13 annual report into children's social care, identified poor quality assessments by social workers, particularly in the weaker local authorities.
Ofsted says good assessments are crucial to building an accurate picture and ensuring "decisive, effective action to protect children".
The 2012-13 report found only four in 10 local authorities were "good" or better for safeguarding.
Poor assessment was a key theme.  In particular, the report said, the views of children and families were rarely considered.
In the latest survey inspectors noted steady progress in the quality, efficacy and timeliness of assessments.
"A greater proportion of assessments resulted in children and families receiving the right help and support at the right time," they found.
But the report says delays in assessment sometimes still leave children "at potential risk of harm".
"The improvement in the quality of care assessments is encouraging," said Sir Michael.
"However there is still more to do before we can be assured that all children and families are receiving the high standards of care required."
David Simmonds, deputy chairman of the Local Government Association, said the progress was "testament to the hard work of local authorities" but agreed they could do more.
"Councils acknowledge the need for improvement in children's mental health services, provided by the NHS, which has for a long time been a 'Cinderella service' without the capacity to meet need.
"With councils taking the reins of public health work we are beginning to see progress in partnership with local GPs â€Žas inadequate national services are redesigned locally."
He said care assessments for vulnerable children were...

Summary: Vulnerable children in England could be at risk because of delays in social workers' assessments of the care they need, Ofsted has said in a report.
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Article: Government Senator Fiona Nash revealed she is a UK citizen by descent because of her Scottish-born father.
Australian politicians are not allowed to hold dual citizenship.
The saga has gripped Australian politics for five weeks, forcing dozens of MPs to make statements about their citizenship status.
Ms Nash is deputy leader of the National Party, the junior partner in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's governing coalition.
Like Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who is a New Zealand dual citizen, Ms Nash said she would continue in her position until the High Court clarifies a section of Australia's constitution.
She said she had legal advice that she had not breached rules.
Four other politicians will also have their eligibility tested in court as early as next week:
Mr Joyce sits in the lower House of Representatives, where Mr Turnbull's government has only a one-seat majority.
If any government MPs in the lower house were to be ruled ineligible, it would trigger a complex process that could threaten Mr Turnbull's hold on power.
On Thursday, Australian Justice Minister Michael Keenan was forced to deny he was a British citizen, but his case will not go before court.

Summary: A sixth Australian MP will have their eligibility for office decided by the nation's High Court over the issue of dual citizenship.
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Article: Danny Healy-Rae told the Irish Times that issues with the N22 were caused by "numerous fairy forts in the area".
The road had previously been repaired but problems had reappeared.
Mr Healy-Rae said he shared local belief that "there was something in these places you shouldn't touch".
He added that the road passed through an area that was rich in fairy folklore and magic.
The N22 is the main road between Killarney in County Kerry and Cork.
In Irish folklore, it is believed that disturbing areas, said to have strong connections to fairies, could bring bad luck or a curse.
These areas include fairy forts, also known as raths or lios, which are the remains of hillforts or ancient circular dwellings, and fairy trees or thorn bushes.
Some people believe that destroying or tampering with these forts, trees or bushes, could lead to them dying young or becoming seriously ill.
Mr Healy-Rae, an independent TD (Irish member of parliament) for County Kerry, said: "I have a machine standing in the yard right now. And if someone told me to go out and knock a fairy fort or touch it, I would starve first."
The issue was raised at Kerry County Council, where Mr Healy-Rae's daughter, Maura, is a councillor, last week.
She told a council meeting that her father was convinced fairies were in the area of the road problems.
Mr Healy-Rae also raised the issue at Kerry County Council in 2007 when he was a councillor, asking if a dip in the N22 near Curraglass was caused by "fairies at work".
The Irish Times reports that the council's road department replied that it was due to a "deeper underlying subsoil/geotechnical problem".
Mr Healy-Rae, whose brother Michael is also a TD, has previously hit the headlines for comments in which he denied any human impact on climate change and said that "God above" controlled the weather.

Summary: Bad luck caused by disturbed fairy forts is causing dips in a major road between County Kerry and County Cork, an Irish member of parliament has said.
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Article: The Leeds United Supporters' Trust (LUST) raised £4,400 to fund a wall design on the M621 underpass on Lowfields Road.
A competition to design the mural was won by Jameson Rogan, a Leeds-based designer, illustrator and muralist.
More than half of those who voted picked his mural featuring the First Division title-winning team of 1991-92.
More on this and more stories from Yorkshire
It includes the team's midfield from that era with the four figures of David Batty, Gordon Strachan, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister.
Dave Carrington, LUST chairman, said: "The players are pictured looking towards Elland Road so that fans can walk through the underpass, shoulder-to-shoulder with their heroes."
The trust said it is working with Mr Rogan to perfect the design before clearing of the site starts.
It is hoped the mural is to be completed for an unveiling on 9 September.
LUST has gained permission from the Highways Agency and Leeds City Council to paint a design on the underpass.

Summary: A planned design for a Leeds United mural on the approach to their Elland Road ground has been unveiled.
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Article: The FTSE has fallen 5.2%, or 363 points, since Monday.
On Friday the index closed 2.8% lower, while markets in Paris and Frankfurt saw falls of about 3%.
Shares also plunged on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones, Nasdaq and S&P 500 indexes all down more than 3% by the close.
Only one company on the FTSE 100 saw gains on Friday - Royal Mail, which rose by 1.6%.
The FTSE 100 has fallen for nine sessions in a row, its longest losing streak since 2011. It is almost 13% below an all-time high hit in April.
In the US, the S&P 500 suffered its biggest daily percentage drop in nearly four years on Friday, losing 64.8 points, or 3.19%, to 1,970.89.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 3.12%, and the Nasdaq dropped 3.52%.
As well as global stock markets, US oil prices also dived on Friday, with New York crude dipping below $40 a barrel for the first time since the financial crisis and marking its longest weekly losing streak since 1986.
Earlier, data from China indicated factory output in August shrank at its fastest pace in more than six years.
The private Caixin/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) dropped to 47.1 from 47.8 in July. A figure below 50 indicates contraction.
The data triggered another sell-off in Chinese shares, which ended the day down more than 4%.
The decline comes on the heels of weaker-than-expected economic data in July, plus this month's yuan devaluation and a stock market plunge.
Investors are growing increasingly concerned, as the Shanghai Composite index is now down 12% this week.
Friday's factory output reading for China was the lowest since March 2009, during the depths of the global financial crisis, and the sixth consecutive below the 50-point level.
The Caixin flash PMI is the earliest economic measure of the Chinese economy to be released each month and is closely watched for clues on how growth is faring.
Earlier in August, China's official economic growth data showed a further slowdown in the past quarter, expanding 7% compared with a year earlier, its slowest pace...

Summary:


Wildlife sanctuaries across southern Australia have been helping injured animals - by asking the public to sew mittens and pouches!

Article: The scale drawings of the Mackintosh were made by Queensland University of Technology professor George Cairns in the 1990s as part of a Phd at GSA.
He has now donated them to the art school in the hope they can aid efforts to restore the iconic building.
GSA is still engaged in a bid to raise Â£20m to restore the Mackintosh.
Prof Cairns said: "I am delighted to be able to return to Glasgow today after so many years and to be able to donate this set of drawings which I made as part of my doctoral thesis to the GSA.
"I hope very much that they will prove of interest and use to the teams working on the restoration of the Mack and to generations of students who have the privilege to study Mackintosh's masterpiece."
GSA said it would add the drawings to its "significant archive of material relating to Mackintosh's masterpiece".
They will be digitised and accessible for academic and public research through the GSA's online archives in the coming months.
Liz Davidson, senior project manager for the Mackintosh Building restoration project, said: "We are keen to continue to access as much information as possible about the building in planning our approach to the restoration.
"Professor Cairns has already been generous in his time in liaising with the design team and these particularly detailed drawings are going to be an invaluable source of information."

Summary: The project to restore Glasgow School of Art's (GSA) fire-damaged Mackintosh building has been boosted by a donation of detailed architectural drawings.
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Article: Mr Farage had to be escorted from the Canons' Gait pub in a police van after angry confrontations on Thursday.
He told BBC Scotland the incident was deeply racist and displayed a total hatred of the English.
Mr Farage called on Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond to condemn the behaviour. The SNP said the UKIP leader had "lost the plot".
Mr Farage hung up during a telephone interview with the Good Morning Scotland programme on BBC Radio Scotland after being pressed about his lack of knowledge of Scottish politics and the low level of support for his party north of the border.
He later described the interview as "insulting".
First Minister Alex Salmond said that Mr Farage's accusation of a "hate campaign" from the BBC during the radio interview showed it would be a "great mistake" to take "somebody of that mentality with any degree of seriousness".
Mr Salmond added: "We can frankly do without UKIP, who dislike everybody and know absolutely nothing about Scotland."
When asked if he condemned the demonstration against Mr Farage, the first minister said: "If there's been any law-breaking - and that's yet to be established - then obviously we condemn that, as we always do in Scotland, but you've got to get things into context.
"A student demonstration isn't the Dreyfus trial."
Mr Farage was in Edinburgh to launch his party's Scottish campaign following recent electoral gains in England.
Police said two men had been arrested following the protest.
Speaking to the Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Farage said: "If this is the face of Scottish nationalism, it's a pretty ugly picture."
He added: "The anger, the hatred, the shouting, the snarling, the swearing was all linked in to a desire for the Union Jack to be burnt."
The UKIP leader said the demonstrators did not represent Scotland and dismissed suggestions his party was an irrelevance north of the border.
"The fact that 50 yobbo fascist scum turn up and aren't prepared to listen to the debate, I absolutely refuse to believe is representative of Scottish...

Summary: UKIP leader Nigel Farage has described protesters who besieged him in an Edinburgh pub as "fascist scum".
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Article: A survey of 1,211 IoD members indicated they believe that the deficit reduction should be achieved mainly through spending cuts rather than tax rises.
Infrastructure and education were other major policy areas the business body's members would like to see addressed.
IoD director Simon Walker said it was time for "decisive action".
More than half of those who took part in the survey, which was conducted immediately after the general election, also strongly opposed increases in national insurance, income tax, VAT and business rates.
The research also found support for improving the UK's broadband capability, investing in energy generation, and spending on railways.
In addition, there was also overwhelming support for a crackdown on tax avoidance.
Mr Walker said: "The election result was more decisive than most expected, and now is the time for the new government to take decisive action.
"Returning the budget to surplus must be the overriding goal in this Parliament, but businesses want the emphasis to be on finding further reductions in spending, not significantly raising taxes."

Summary: The new Conservative government should make bringing down the deficit a priority, members of the Institute of Directors (IoD) have said.
###
Article: David Davis called for a "brisk but measured" approach, with a likely exit from the EU around December 2018.
He said the "first order of business" should be to strike trade deals with non EU countries.
Meanwhile his predecessor, Oliver Letwin, warned the UK had no trade negotiators to lead its exit talks.
Mr Davis, a longstanding campaigner for Brexit, was appointed as secretary of state for leaving the EU by new prime minister Theresa May.
Mrs May has previously said she will not trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which starts a two-year process of leaving, before the end of 2016.
In a Sun article, Mr Davis repeated comments made just before his appointment about how the UK should approach its departure from the EU.
Key to the negotiations will be access to the European single market, which EU leaders have said is conditional on accepting the free movement of people.
Mr Davis said the "ideal outcome" would be "continued tariff-free access" to the EU single market, adding: "Once the European nations realise we will not budge on control of our borders, they will want to talk, in their own interests.
"But what if they are irrational, as so many Remain-supporting commentators asserted they would be in the run-up to the referendum?
"This is one of the reasons for taking a little time before triggering Article 50. The negotiating strategy has to be properly designed, with serious consultation."
He said the government should consult beforehand with the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments as well as business, unions and universities.
"This whole process should be completed to allow triggering of Article 50 before or by the start of next year," he said.
Prior to Mr Davis's appointment, Oliver Letwin was in charge of a "Brexit unit" inside the government.
Mr Letwin, who was fired by Mrs May when she took over, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that because the EU had led trade talks with other countries since 1973, "we do not have trade negotiators", adding: "Trade negotiators who are Brits at the...

Summary: The new minister in charge of Brexit says the UK should be able to formally trigger its departure from the EU "before or by the start of next year".
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Article: Media playback is unsupported on your device
13 January 2015 Last updated at 16:34 GMT
Adelaide and Victoria in southern Australia have seen some of the worst bushfires for 30 years.
Injured possums, koalas, kangaroos and wallabies have been arriving at animal rescue centres almost every day.
A charity called IFAW appealed for the public to sew tiny mittens, to help protect koalas that had burned paws.
So many people sent in mittens, they received enough to last them for a year.
Now the charity has asked people to sew comfy pouches help the injured baby kangaroos, called joeys, recover.
The pouches help keep the babies warm but have to be changed after every feed, so up to six pouches are needed for each animal every day.
The animals are being looked after by keepers at Adelaide Zoo.
Once they're better they will be released back to the wild.

Summary:


Thistlecrack ended the three-year reign of Reve De Sivola to cruise to an impressive victory in the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

Article: UK scientists found that putting patients in a virtual reality (VR) environment while being treated can reduce anxiety levels.
The researchers said this "bottled nature" approach could help many people get past their fears - but not all.
Those who experienced a more urban VR environment in the study did not receive the same benefits.
The findings have been published in the Environment and Behaviour journal.
"Our idea was that if we bring nature into a stressful situation, such as the one in a dentist's surgery, then that should have a similar benefit as when people are able to go out into nature," explained co-author Sabine Pahl from the University of Plymouth, UK.
"We know about the benefits of the natural environment in psychological and physiological terms - people can feel relaxed and restore their cognitive resources.
"We also know in dentistry, there is a high percentage of people with dentist anxiety and their teeth tend to be in a worse state and they tend to miss appointments because they are worried about going to the dentist; and that, of course, has an effect on their teeth.
"We are trying to intervene in that dental anxiety process," Dr Pahl told BBC News.
Because it was not possible to walk on the beach or in the woods while receiving treatment in a dentist's chair, the researchers decided to "bottle nature" and allow patients to experience it via virtual reality technology.
The team's study involved 70 patients, divided into three groups: one receiving standard care, without the use of VR technology; another being treated while experiencing an urban environment via VR; and a group experiencing a VR beach (nature) environment.
"What we found was that the experience of pain was much lower among the people in the nature VR group," Dr Pahl observed.
"This finding is important to us because people could say that it was just the distraction provided by VR, but the difference was stronger in the nature VR than in the urban VR.
"In fact the response among patients in the standard care and urban VR...

Summary: Could sitting in the dentist's chair really be as enjoyable as a walk on the beach?
###
Article: The number of nose jobs, face lifts and breast implant operations all soared by more than 10% last year.
The biggest boom was in the popularity of liposuction - up by 41%.
Baaps said it was "the most impressive rise in demand" since the start of the recession in 2008.
There were 50,122 cosmetic procedures in 2013 - a rise of 17% on the previous year. Baaps said the increase had been "across the board".
The top 10 procedures were:
Breast enhancements were the most popular operation in women, while nose jobs were the cosmetic surgery of choice in men.
Rajiv Grover, a consultant plastic surgeon and president of Baaps, said: "Both the UK economy and the British public seem to be well on the way to regaining their shape with the most impressive rise in demand for cosmetic surgery we have seen since the onset of the recession in 2008.
"The continued double-digit rise of cosmetic surgery underlines the fact that whether it is breast augmentation or anti-ageing procedures like face-lifting, the public are choosing tried-and-tested surgical methods rather than the magical-sounding quick fixes that fail to deliver promised results."
The reputation of the cosmetic surgery industry was brought into question during a scandal involving faulty breast implants.
A lack of record-keeping meant some surgeries were unable to tell their patients if they were affected by the recent scare over sub-standard PIP implants.
Health ministers described it as a "cowboy industry" steeped in "murky practices".
In January a new register was set up to record the details of every breast implant operation in England.
Fresh efforts are also being made to regulate adverts for surgery, to end the era of "win a boob job" competitions.
The industry was worth Â£750m in the UK in 2005, Â£2.3bn in 2010 and is forecast to reach Â£3.6bn by 2015.

Summary: There has been a dramatic increase in the popularity of plastic surgery in the UK, according to figures from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps).
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Article: Mr Li, who serves as vice chairman of China's parliament, reportedly engineered the promotion of his nephew to a plum government position.
In October, Mr Li was promoted to join China's elite 25-member Politburo. Now, the Hong Kong media reports he has checked into a Beijing military hospital, suffering from stress.
If Chinese investigators are pursuing a case against Li Jinguo, he has good reason to be worried. China's new Party leader, Xi Jinping, vowed to crack down on corruption in his first speech to the public in October and so far, he appears to be keeping his word.
Just last week, Mr Xi promised he would battle both "tigers" and "flies", indicating that officials at all ranks were under scrutiny.
Li Xinde, an influential citizen journalist, was the first person to interview the whistleblower exposing Li Jianguo's high-flying nephew. The fact that this case has been picked up by the authorities, he says, shows that things are changing in China.
"When Xi came into power, people were accustomed to ineffective anti-corruption campaigns," Li Xinde explains.
"They're usually characterised by lots of words and few actions, or 'big thunder, small rain', but this time, Xi's speeches have produced real results."
Li is a common surname in China and the two Lis are unrelated.
The blogger, Li Xinde, also points to a second case, the downfall of China's "Housing Sister", to underline the fact that this time, the Party is serious about tackling corruption. Gong Ai-ai is believed to have illegally purchased more than 20 units of China's so-called affordable housing, building up a portfolio worth $159m (Â£100m).
"These cases were successful not only because Chinese internet users exposed them, but also because the Party acted so swiftly to deal with it," Mr Li says.
All evidence, he says, that individual citizens are no longer working alone to expose corruption on a case-by-case basis. Instead, there is new hope that the system as a whole is becoming more transparent.
More transparent, maybe. But the Chinese...

Summary: Even among China's jaded internet users, this was big news: Li Jianguo, a Communist official operating at the very top of the party, was under investigation for corruption.
###
Article: The charity says nearly two-thirds of people fear a diagnosis would mean their life is over.
But it says an early diagnosis can actually help people to live as well as possible.
And it wants everyone to confront head-on the challenges posed by dementia.
In a survey of 2,000 adults, almost half thought they would have to stop driving immediately while one in five feared losing their partner or friends if they were diagnosed with dementia.
Nearly 60% thought they would struggle to join in conversations and almost half worried people would think they were "mad" if faced with a diagnosis.
But the charity said these myths about dementia were stopping people from getting the best possible treatment and also preventing them from planning for the future.
There are many possible symptoms of dementia, and anyone experiencing them is encouraged to see a doctor as soon as possible. Common symptoms include:
Source: NHS
How to spot dementia in a loved one
Living at home with dementia
How can we keep Alzheimer's at bay?
One in three people surveyed said they didn't go and see their GP because they thought memory problems were just a natural part of the ageing process.
Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said delays in seeking medical attention were something they wanted to change.
"Too many people are in the dark about dementia - many feel that a dementia diagnosis means someone is immediately incapable of living a normal life, while myths and misunderstandings continue to contribute to the stigma and isolation that many people will feel."
He said he wanted to reassure people that life doesn't end when dementia begins.
"There's no question that it can have a profound and devastating impact on people, their family and friends - but getting a timely diagnosis will enable people with dementia to live as well as possible."
There are around 850,000 people in the UK with a form of dementia - a figure that is predicted to rise to one million in less than 10 years and to two million by 2051.

Summary: More than half of those seeking a diagnosis for dementia have delayed going to their GP by at least a year, according to a survey carried out by the Alzheimer's Society.
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Article: Trained by Colin Tizzard, the 2-1 favourite took control at the penultimate hurdle and pulled away to win by eight lengths.
Jockey Tom Scuadmore said: "He gave me a lot of pleasure. It's a special day."
Reve De Sivola held on for second and Deputy Dan trailed in third, another 12 lengths further back.

Summary:


Competition for nesting sites could explain why some birds and bumblebees are declining faster than others.

Article: The team were studying the birth of stars when they discovered a supermassive black hole and saw clouds speeding towards it at 800,000 mph.
The observation supports a theory black holes feed on clouds of cold gas.
Dr Timothy Davis from the school of physics and astronomy said it was a "magical" experience.
He added: "At that very moment, nature gave us a clear view of this complicated process, allowing us to understand supermassive black holes in a way that has never been possible before.
"It's possible that the black hole has an ever bigger appetite and is devouring even more of these cold clouds of gas surrounding it."
Researchers said previous models suggested the gradual growth of supermassive black holes happened when surrounding hot gas accumulates smoothly onto them.
But these observations - a first - suggest in addition to this, these black holes may occasionally "gobble up" faster-moving cold gas as it comes nearby.
The astronomers are part of an international team studying the Abell 2597 galaxy, one of the brightest in the universe.
The results were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.
Prof Michael Macdonald, co-author of the paper, from MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, admits they got "very lucky."
"We could probably look at 100 galaxies like this and not see what we saw just by chance," he said.

Summary: Astronomers at Cardiff University have observed a supermassive black hole preparing to "feast" in a galaxy one billion light years from Earth.
###
Article: Ashley Keast, 26, was jailed for 32 months in March after he admitted breaking in to a property in Rotherham.
On Wednesday, he was jailed for a further four years after being found guilty of making threats to kill.
Keast, of Norfolk Court, Rotherham, was convicted after a trial at Sheffield Crown Court.
The court heard Keast had arranged for a threatening letter to be sent to the victim of the burglary after he was jailed.
He was also found guilty by a jury of witness intimidation and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Keast was arrested in connection with the burglary after he took a selfie on a stolen SIM card and sent it to his victim's colleagues.
PC Adam Broughton said: "Following the original conviction for burglary, the victim in this case felt that justice had been done. Unfortunately, this was not the end of the ordeal.
"The safety and wellbeing of any victim of crime is our main priority and this sentence reflects the seriousness of threats, intimidation and attempts by anyone to pervert the course of justice."

Summary: A thief jailed after taking a picture of himself burgling a house has been sentenced to a further four years for threatening to kill his victim.
###
Article: His short-lived presidential campaign, unambiguously calling for a tighter application of Sharia, or Islamic law, quickly gained appeal among ordinary Egyptians.
It also produced some of the most surprising drama of the political race.
Well-known for his anti-American rhetoric, Mr Abu Ismail, a lawyer and television preacher, was told he was disqualified after it emerged that his dead mother had a US passport.
This made him ineligible under election laws that specify that the parents and spouse of a presidential candidate must only ever have held Egyptian citizenship.
For Egypt's leftists and liberals, the development inspired a tide of irreverent jokes at his expense on social media.
However, there could be a much more serious side to the end of Hazem Abu Ismail's presidential bid.
His angry supporters spent the night outside the presidential election headquarters building in northern Cairo after it rejected his appeal against the decision. There have been clashes with security forces.
"If Sheikh Hazem doesn't succeed, there will be another revolution in this country," said one Salafist, Mohamed Said. "This man's reputation has been torn apart. It is a conspiracy by the United States and Egypt."
The "sheikh" has consistently shown an ability to bring out large crowds. At his rallies, he has sometimes looked like he is in danger of being crushed by the sheer numbers of enthusiastic fans.
Hardline Islamism mixed with charisma has been the secret to his popularity. It helped him turn from a fringe candidate into a mainstream contender.
"We love him because he is a Muslim and will enforce Sharia law. This is in the interests of all Egypt," said Abdullah Mohammed at a support rally. He wore a mask of Mr Abu Ismail's face over his own long beard and held up an Egyptian flag.
"President Mubarak made us eat bread with salt but Sheikh Hazem will let us eat bread with butter," he added.  "He has many good ideas."
Mr Abu Ismail, who is 51, has expounded his political beliefs in weekly lectures at the Asad Ibn al-Farat...

Summary: With his signature smile and long, whitish beard, Hazem Abu Ismail, can still be seen on posters all across Cairo - on cars, roadsides and even on the walls of some schools and government buildings.
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Article: Concerns that the public body could be merged with Scottish Enterprise were raised by Labour MSP David Stewart earlier this week.
Ms Sturgeon made her comments during First Minister's Questions in Holyrood.
Green MSP John Finnie had earlier asked a question on the future of the development agency.
The first minister said: "I think Highlands and Islands Enterprise does a fantastic job, and has done a fantastic job over the last 50 years.
"I can give the assurance to the member that we will make sure it is in a position to carry on with those functions and provide the excellent services it does to the Highlands of Scotland."
HIE provides support and services to businesses in the Highlands, Western Isles, Northern Isles, Moray and Argyll.
Earlier this week, Mr Stewart raised his concerns that HIE was to be wound up.  Inverness-based economic consultant Tony Mackay had reported the Scottish government was considering merging HIE with Scottish Enterprise.
The Scottish government announced in May that it would carry out a review of enterprise and skills support.
The review, carried out over the summer, included an "end-to-end review of the roles, responsibilities and relationships" of Scottish Enterprise, HIE, Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council.
Its findings have yet to be released.
Ahead of the move, ministers said they wanted to ensure that the Scottish government and public agencies were "delivering the joined-up support that our young people, universities, colleges and businesses need to increase sustainable economic growth".

Summary: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the Scottish government will make sure Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) can continue to provide its services.
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Article: Research suggest animals that build their nests in early spring may win the fight for available habitat at the expense of late breeders.
Conservation efforts should focus on ensuring rare species have enough places to nest, say scientists.
For example, areas could be left to grow wild between spring and summer to help bumblebees establish nests.
Habitats such as hedgerows and hay meadows are being lost in many countries, meaning that fewer nesting sites are available.
Competition among animals for a suitable place to nest could explain why some species are struggling to survive.
"Ecologists understand why some groups of species are declining more, such as why farmland species are declining more than woodland species," said Dr Andrew Higginson of the University of Exeter.
"But an enduring mystery is the big variation in the declines of closely related species. Fighting over nest sites may be part of the reason - when nest sites are hard to come by, the species that will suffer most are those that nest later in the year."
The University of Exeter study analysed population changes in more than 200 bird species and 40 bumblebee species around the world.
The population data was combined with a mathematical model that used game theory to predict the likely behaviour of bees and birds when faced with competition for nesting sites.
It calculated the implications of fighting for nesting sites, based on the size of each species, the time of nesting and the quality of the nesting site.
The study found larger species that nest early generally do better, while smaller bees and birds that nest later in the year lose out in the struggle for habitat.
For example, the chaffinch is doing well in the UK, while the goldfinch is on the decline.
"We need to have a more holistic approach to providing good habitat for animals," Dr Higginson told BBC News. "We need to worry about the whole life cycle not just what they eat."
He said conservation efforts for animals such as birds and bees tend to focus on providing food.
Restoration...

Summary:


The festival will be held at the weekend, with the festival being held at the weekend.
The festival will be held at the weekend, with the festival being held at the weekend.
The festival will be held at the weekend, with the festival being held at the weekend.
The festival will be held at the

T in the Park organisers have announced an overhaul of the festival's campsite that will see it increase in size by a quarter.

Article: The UK's only snowsports music festival was held at the weekend.
Groove CairnGorm, which made its debut in 2016, has been set up along the lines of continental snowsports music festivals Snowbombing and Snowboxx.
It is held in partnership with CairnGorm Mountain ski centre and Badaguish Outdoor Centre near Aviemore.
This year's acts included DJ sets by Basement Jaxx and Mike Skinner, also performances by Blonde and The Lafontaines.
Photographer James Roberts captured some of the scenes from the weekend.

Summary: All pictures copyrighted.
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Article: Asda has given a commitment to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it will alter the way it presents promotional deals.
However, the supermarket said there were no specific findings against it.
The regulator was investigating whether supermarkets were misleading customers with confusing price promotions.
The investigation came after a super-complaint by the consumer group Which?.
At the time it issued the super-complaint, in April 2015, Which? cited several examples of what it called misleading pricing by supermarkets:
In July last year, the CMA said it had found evidence that supermarkets were misleading consumers with promotions, and found some examples that "could be in breach of consumer law".
Presenting the CMA's latest findings, executive director Michael Grenfell said: "The CMA's examination of the market, following the super-complaint, found that supermarkets generally take compliance seriously, but there were some promotional practices that could mislead shoppers."
The CMA said it had "had particular engagement with Asda in relation to specific areas of concern".
It added that Asda had made a commitment to change the way it operates "was/now" and multi-buy pricing deals.
Asda has said it will ensure that:
A spokesperson for Asda said, "All supermarkets were asked to review their pricing practices and make any necessary changes.  The CMA has asked for a commitment from Asda on our promotional pricing rules and we were happy to provide this.
"It's important that customers know that the CMA did not make any findings against Asda, and it hasn't questioned our commitment to every day low prices."
The CMA said Asda had been asked to make the changes by August this year - and it would check how those changes were working six months later.
Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director, said: "We are pleased to see the CMA investigation has resulted in Asda taking action to stop misleading special offers.
"Asda has been found breaking the rules and now must immediately clean up their act."

Summary: Asda is to change its price promotions after being singled out by the competition regulator in a probe into supermarket pricing practices.
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Article: But the judge - in halting the president's controversial executive order on immigration - said he was making sure President Trump's actions follow the law.
That sets two theoretically equal branches of the government against one another - and could bring about a crisis.
The separation of powers is crucial to understanding how the US is governed.
The country's constitution established its treasured system of checks and balances - where the different branches of government hold equal authority and offset one another.
The federal government's power is split into three distinct parts - the executive branch, which includes the president and his cabinet; the legislative branch, Congress, which makes the laws; and the judiciary.
This works well most of the time, with each branch co-operating with the next.
But with the president in open conflict with another branch, there are fears that an impasse could be reached.
That could lead to a constitutional crisis - a scenario in which the situation cannot be resolved - particularly after Mr Trump seemed to openly question the judge's authority.
"The President's hostility toward the rule of law is not just embarrassing, it is dangerous," Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, from the Senate judiciary committee, said.
"He seems intent on precipitating a constitutional crisis."
There are about 700 federal district judges in the US - the type facing down the president's order.
Unlike state court judges, these men and women are part of the federal court system - along with the Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals.
Day to day, it's the 94 District Courts which deal with interpretation of US laws, treaties, and public officials - powers devolved to them from the Supreme Court.
The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made...
But the courts do not offer opinions on government policy unless they are asked - they only interpret law when a case is brought...

Summary: Donald Trump says he is defending the United States from terrorism - but a "so-called judge" is "making the job very difficult".
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Article: Their study on 111 people, published in the journal Physical Biology, could spot the difference between healthy and heart-attack patients.
They are investigating whether testing for the cells can be used to predict those about to have a heart attack.
The British Heart Foundation said it was unlikely to change practice in the short term.
The team, at the Scripps Research Institute in California, looked for circulating endothelial cells in the blood of patients.
Fatty plaques build up on the walls of blood vessels and can ultimately rupture, releasing fragments of the plaque into the bloodstream. This can block the flow of blood in the vessels around the heart and cause a heart attack.
During this process endothelial cells were also released into the blood, the researchers said.
Tests in 79 patients after a heart attack were compared with 25 healthy people and seven having treatment for diseased blood vessels.
One of the researchers, Prof Peter Kuhn, said: "The goal of this paper was to establish evidence that these circulating endothelial cells can be detected reliably in patients following a heart attack and do not exist in healthy controls, which we have achieved.
"Our results were so significant relative to the healthy controls that the obvious next step is to assess the usefulness of the test in identifying patients during the early stages of a heart attack."
Commenting on the findings, Dr Mike Knapton, from the British Heart Foundation, said: "In the short to medium term, it is unlikely to change how people in the UK are treated as we already have good ways to treat and diagnose heart attacks, and targets to ensure rapid pain-to-treatment times.
"This study appears to be laying the groundwork for future research to see if this test could be used to identify patients in the early stages of a heart attack."

Summary: Patients who have a heart attack have unique cells floating in their blood, say US researchers.
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Article: Last year's event, the first at Strathallan in Perthshire, was criticised over traffic issues and antisocial behaviour.
DF Concerts said improvements include colour-coded zones, better signage and 24-hour dedicated management teams.
This year's event will take place between 8 July and 10 July.
The Stone Roses, Calvin Harris and Red Hot Chili Peppers will headline the main stage over the three nights.
Last year's T in the Park had a daily attendance of about 85,000 people with an estimated 70,000 of those camping.
DF Concerts has produced an animated video highlighting the new campsite layout.
T in the Park security manager Colin Brown, said: "We have overhauled the campsite layout and management and guarantee there will be well-informed stewards on hand to assist with any questions.
"The layout, clearly marked-out zones and improved signage will make getting about much easier, meaning our campers can concentrate on having a good time."
DF Concerts said the Slam and King Tut's tents would open exclusively for campers on Thursday 7 July.
Last week, the promoter announced that this year's festival arena will increase in size by a third.
It will publish revised transport plans for the event next week.
Campsite entertainment manager Gail MacKenzie said: "We know that the campsite is a huge part of the T in the Park experience and have listened to feedback from last year.
"As a result the entertainment will be enhanced and we're even opening the King Tut's Tent on the Thursday for the first time ever. "

Summary:


A bell-ringer who "wheedled, connived, bullied and bribed" boys as young as eight has been jailed for 10 years for a string of sex offences.

Article: Minuscule sensors have been glued to the backs of 10,000 healthy honey bees around the world to help understand why huge numbers of bees are dying.
Like electronic tags that track the movement of cars through toll roads, these tiny trackers send information back to receivers half the size of a credit card that are strategically placed at bee hives.
Australian researchers involved in the global research project compare the sensor to an adult carrying a backpack, weighing about a third of what a honey bee can carry.
But unlike the average backpacker, this extra load will remain in place for the rest of the bee's life.
The microscopic technology has been developed in Tasmania by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) over the past two years as part of an international research project investigating bee health.
Around the world, wild bee populations have plummeted thanks to habitat loss, pesticides and diseases, say scientists.
That puts crops that need to be pollinated at risk, says CSIRO Science Leader Professor Paulo de Souza.
"In some parts of the world, a healthy hive of bees can be like clockwork one day, and then every single bee is dead the very next day, and we have no idea why," Prof. de Souza told the BBC.
"It's happening so frequently that it's now a syndrome called colony collapse disorder, and no scientist working alone would be able to solve this," he says.
A predatory mite called the Varroa destructor has killed many colonies over the past decade.
Australian honey bees have so far remained immune to the devastating mite, putting Australia in an ideal position to coordinate a global research effort, says the CSIRO team.
The tiny sensors they have developed weigh just 5.4 milligrams. They contain a battery that generates energy by vibration, and record a bee's time away from the hive and the distance each bee travels.
Each sensor will record a bee's exposure to pesticides, air pollution and water contamination, as well as taking note of the insect's diet and...

Summary: An international group of scientists, beekeepers, farmers and technology companies is using cutting-edge technology to help find out why honey bee populations around the world are crashing.
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Article: Reports say the ECB will inject up to €1 trillion by buying government bonds worth up to €50bn (£38bn) per month until the end of 2016.
Creating new money to buy government debt, or quantitative easing (QE), should reduce the cost of borrowing.
The ECB also said eurozone interest rates were being held at 0.05%.
The eurozone is flagging and the ECB is seeking ways to stimulate spending.
Lowering the cost of borrowing should encourage banks to lend and eurozone businesses and consumers to spend more.
It is a strategy that appears to have worked in the US, which undertook a huge programme of QE between 2008 and 2014.
The UK and Japan have also had sizeable bond-buying programmes.
What is a government bond?
Governments borrow money by selling bonds to investors. A bond is an IOU. In return for the investor's cash, the government promises to pay a fixed rate of interest over a specific period - say 4% every year for 10 years. At the end of the period, the investor is repaid the cash they originally paid, cancelling that particular bit of government debt.
Government bonds have traditionally been seen as ultra-safe long-term investments and are held by pension funds, insurance companies and banks, as well as private investors. They are a vital way for countries to raise funds.
Up until now, the ECB has resisted, although the bank's president, Mario Draghi, reassured markets in July 2012 by saying he would be prepared to do whatever it took to maintain financial stability in the eurozone, nicknamed his "big bazooka" speech.
Since then, the case for quantitative easing has been growing.
Earlier this month, figures showed the eurozone was suffering deflation, creating the danger that growth would stall as businesses and consumers shut their wallets, as they waited for prices to fall.
The ECB's bond-buying programme is likely to begin in March, although the final decision over whether to start the measures will be taken at a meeting of the bank's 25-member policy-making board on Thursday.
There remains a possibility...

Summary: The European Central Bank (ECB) has confirmed it will shortly announce "further measures" to stimulate the ailing eurozone economy.
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Article: But they add that the drop will roughly be balanced by slow uplift due to tectonic activity.
And they have yet to analyse satellite images of the region in which the most famous Himalayan peak - Everest - is located.
However, there continues to be debate over exactly how tall Everest is.
"The primary stretch that had its height dropped is a 80-100km stretch of the Langtang Himal (to the northwest of the capital, Kathmandu)," said Richard Briggs, a research geologist with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The Langtang range is the region where many locals and trekkers are still missing, presumed dead, after the avalanches and landslides that were triggered by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25 April.
Scientists believe the height of a handful of other Himalayan peaks, including the Ganesh Himal to the west of the Langtang range, may also have dropped.
The satellite images they have analysed so far have focused on central Nepal, which was the hardest hit by the quake. Everest is to the east of this main shaking zone.
Scientists say whether or not the world's highest peak saw a change in its height by few centimetres will have to be further confirmed by ground survey and GPS or an airborne mission.
"But what we see in the data that we evaluated further away from the plate boundary, to the north of the capital Kathmandu, is a clearly identifiable region with subsidence of up to 1.5m," says Christian Minet, a geologist with the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), which processed the Nepal earthquake data sent by the Sentinel-1a satellite.
Scientists with DLR's Earth Observation Centre of compared two separate images of the same region sent by the satellite, before and after the quake.
"The positive value we have received (from the satellite image) after the quake means the area (the mountains in and around the Langtang region) is further away from the satellite and it is lower now," said Mr Minet.
"But with this result we cannot say that a specific mountain is one-point-something-metres lower; it is the...

Summary: The height of a swathe of the Himalayas has dropped by around one metre as a result of the devastating Nepal earthquake, scientists say.
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Article: Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith tabled a proposal which would have excluded Parliament's standards committee from any role in determining whether errant MPs should face re-election.
But MPs rejected the idea by 340 to 166 following a free vote in the Commons.
Introducing recall powers was a key part of the 2010 coalition agreement.
The government-sponsored Recall of MPs bill is being scrutinised in Parliament, after it passed its second reading last week.
The bill proposes that an MP would face a by-election if 10% of constituents sign a petition after the MP is found guilty of "serious wrongdoing".
The bill has been referred to the Committee of the whole House, meaning its individual clauses can be examined by any MP in the House of Commons chamber, rather than the usual committee of between 16 and 50 MPs.
Under the government-backed plans there would be a by-election if 10% of constituents sign a petition after the sitting MP is either sentenced to more than 12 months in jail, or banned from the Commons for more than 21 days.
Mr Goldsmith, MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston, has created a rival plan in which MPs are to face a recall referendum if 5% of voters in a constituency sign a "notice of intent to recall" and 20% then sign a "recall petition".
Only if all three stages are passed would there be a by-election called.
Mr Goldsmith said his amendment would give more power to the public to force a vote but it was overwhelmingly defeated in a Commons vote on Monday.
Speaking during the four-hour debate, Mr Goldsmith urged MPs to put aside concerns about the technicalities and cost of recall elections and focus of the principles involved.
"What is at stake now is a matter of principle - do we trust our voters to hold us to account or not?
"The public today is better informed, better educated, less deferential than at any time in our history. Recall is not radical - it is a mere nod towards those changes."
Constitution Minister Sam Gyimah pledged instead to look at a new Liberal Democrat proposal to...

Summary: The Commons has rejected calls for Parliament's role in a proposed new system for recalling misbehaving MPs to be substantially reduced.
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Article: Liam Cann, 22, of Blind Lane, Goldhanger, Essex, contacted a number of boys while playing Xbox games online, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.
He was convicted of 23 sex offences in October last year, having abused six boys from 2006 until 2014.
Judge John Dodd described the defendant as "clever and calculating".
The judge told the court that Cann, a bell-ringer at his local church, had bribed his victims "with Fifa game currency", which players can use to buy in-game features and build their teams of footballers.
Cann, who admitted one offence of possessing indecent images, was given an extended licence period of six years to remain in place after his release, and was placed on the sex offenders register for life.
His other offences included sexual grooming, attempted rape of a child under 13, and nine counts of sexual activity with a child.
A police investigation was started after one of the boys' mothers contacted the NSPCC.
One of his victims told the court he had been contacted by Cann "by messaging" and had later received a naked image of the 22-year-old.
"He gave me £20-£50 through the Xbox and I drew it on Liam's account. I knew he gave another boy £200."

Summary: