The late start to Scotland's latest snowsports season had a "significant impact" and reduced the number of days available for skiing and snowboarding.

Article: The oil giant said its profits had fallen by 51% to $5.9bn (Â£4.1bn), compared with $12.1bn in 2014 following a dramatic slide in oil prices.
BP was the biggest faller on the FTSE 100, falling 35.9p to 331p after announcing its biggest loss for more than two decades.
Oil prices fell sharply on Tuesday, with Brent crude down 5.3% to $32.42.
BP's underlying fourth-quarter profits sank to $196m, compared with $2.2bn for the same period in 2014 and far worse than analysts had expected.
A further 3,000 job cuts were also announced by BP on Tuesday.
Last year, it said 4,000 jobs would go in its upstream division as part of a $2.5bn restructuring programme.
BP said its upstream business, which covers exploration and production, slumped to a $728m loss in the final quarter.
The latest reduction of up to 3,000 jobs by the end of 2017 affects staff and contractors in its downstream segment.
This refers to its refined oil products, such as fuel, lubricants and petrochemicals, that are used to make products such as paint and plastic bottles.
Bob Dudley, BP chief executive, said the company was making good progress in managing and lowering costs and capital spending.
"We are continuing to move rapidly to adapt and rebalance BP for the changing environment," he added.
Oil prices have been hit by the slowing global economy, the strong US dollar and oversupply.
BP's dividend will remain unchanged at 10 cents a share for the quarter.
Sanjiv Shah, chief investment officer at Sun Global Investments, said: "The short term looks difficult but shareholders should be encouraged by the fact that a pick-up in prices is expected soon and that BP management are committed to continue paying out current dividend levels."
Analysis: Kamal Ahmed, economics editor
In the final three months of 2014, the cost of a barrel of Brent crude was $77. In the final three months of 2015, it was $44.
Today it is $34. That is the background to today's results from BP.
Bob Dudley, BP's chief executive, told me two weeks ago that he expected the oil price...

Summary: Shares in BP have ended the day almost 9% lower after it reported that annual profits had more than halved.
###
Article: Harley Medical Group and Transform said European regulators' failures over breast implants manufactured by French company Poly Implant Prothese had caused financial and operating issues.
The UK's regulator had acted appropriately, but lessons should be learned, the Department of Health said.
The PIP implants had been filled with industrial silicon.
Spot checks in 2010 revealed the silicon had not been medical-grade.
Last December the French government announced it was advising all PIP patients to have their implants removed as a precaution and UK clinics were deluged with calls from worried women.
The Harley Medical Group in London had used nearly 14,000 PIP implants and initially offered free replacements, but it is now charging patients Â£2,500 because of spiralling costs.
Managing director Pierre Guillot told BBC Radio 4's The Report programme: "We have a duty of care to our patients and to date we have performed over 1,000 replacement surgeries, in the majority of cases at no cost to the patient."
However, Mr Guillot said the PIP implant scandal had taken his company from a "reasonable profit" to one that has made a loss for two consecutive years.
"We have operating and financial capacity issues," he added.
"We cannot finance the failures of the European regulatory system to have spotted a faulty implant for 12 consecutive years.
"You have to remember that these implants were CE marked. The CE marking means that the implants are not only safe but that the medical devices are efficacious."
Organisations across Europe award the mandatory CE marks to products in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Once a product has a CE mark in one EEA country, it can be exported to all the others - individual countries do not then make their own additional checks.
So, after a CE mark was awarded to PIP implants in Germany, the UK regulator along with others in Europe accepted them as safe to use - when in fact they had rupture rates twice to six times as high as others on the market.
The EU is looking at tightening up the...

Summary: Two of the UK's leading private providers of cosmetic surgery are calling for improved regulation.
###
Article: Under a court order, ISPs already block access to many of the biggest sharing sites that link to illegal content, including Pirate Bay.
But users can visit so-called proxy sites that bypass the restrictions.
One of the newly blocked sites said the ban was "totally unreasonable".
Under a High Court ruling in a case brought by rights holders, it was agreed that ISPs would ban sites on a list that could be regularly updated.
Rights holders include music industry body BPI and the Premier League.
"Under existing BPI blocking orders relating to 63 illegal websites, ISPs are required to block the illegal sites themselves, and proxies and proxy aggregators whose sole or predominant purpose is to give access to the illegal sites," according to the BPI.
Virgin confirmed that it, along with the other major ISPs, was now blocking proxy sites in line with the original ruling.
"Virgin Media is required to block certain sites by the UK High Court. As a responsible ISP, we comply with court orders addressed to us."
Among the blocked sites are piratebayproxy.co.uk, piratebayproxylist.com and ukbay.org.
The operator of UKBay.org, identified just as Dan, told piracy news website TorrentFreak that the new bans were "totally unreasonable".
"To block a site that simply links to another site just shows the level of censorship we are allowing ISPs to get away with," he said.
"UKBay is not even a PirateBay proxy. It simply provides links to proxies. If they continue blocking sites that link to sites that link to sites, there'll be nothing left."

Summary: UK internet service providers have begun blocking access to websites that provide a list of Pirate Bay alternatives, as part of the battle against online piracy.
###
Article: The government's "devolution revolution" to councils includes housing, transport and planning.
The Communities and Local Government Committee welcomed the policy but said there was a "significant lack of public consultation" in the process.
Councils said they recognised the "need for greater public engagement".
Greater Manchester has been at the forefront of the government's move to devolve powers and spending controls to local government through a series of "deals" with each area.
Chancellor George Osborne has hailed Manchester's deal as creating a "Northern Powerhouse", and similar agreements have been struck with other regions in England, which have to adopt ministers' preferred model of an elected mayor in return.
The committee said it strongly supported the principle of devolution, saying the current deals "should be the starting point, not the destination".
But the MPs, who held a public evidence session in Greater Manchester as part of their inquiry, also said many people had complained about a lack of consultation.
"The vast majority of contributions, often made in angry tones, arose from the perceived lack of efforts by the combined authority to engage the public about the deal relating to their local area," the committee said.
"For devolution to take root and fulfil its aims, it needs to involve and engage the people it is designed to benefit. There has been a consistent very significant lack of public consultation, engagement and communication at all stages of the deal-making process."
Council leaders from other parts of the country told the committee the public had not been consulted before their deals were agreed.
It is particularly important to engage the public where health powers are being devolved, the MPs said, because "the public's response is likely to be more emotional".
The committee said the government had driven the first wave of devolution deals through "at rapid pace", which meant "no opportunity for engagement with residents", but said council leaders should still have communicated...

Summary: Councils in England must do a better job of telling residents about new powers they are being given by Whitehall, MPs have said.
###
Article: Education Secretary Michael Gove wanted new O-level-style GCSE exams and tougher A-levels introduced in 2015.
But Ofqual said it could not be confident "high-quality GCSEs" or new A-levels in maths and modern languages would be ready so soon.
Mr Gove accepted the exam boards needed more time to get it right.
The education secretary has been clear he is in a hurry to change the exams system, describing the current GCSEs as "not fit for purpose".
But teaching unions, head teachers, examiners and elite private school leaders have expressed concerns about the pace of change to the system.
The regulator, Ofqual, warned soon after the shake-up was first announced that it would intervene if it thought the programme of reform was moving too fast.
In a letter to Mr Gove, just published on the Ofqual website, chief regulator Glenys Stacey wrote: "It is clear that the amount of work needed on GCSEs, including the development of strengthened regulatory arrangements, means we cannot be confident that new, high-quality GCSEs in all subjects could be ready in good time for first teaching from 2015."
The exams regulator says it will focus on the new GCSEs in English literature, language and maths - the subjects with which there are the "biggest concerns" - and hopes to have these ready for first teaching in September 2015.
But the new GCSEs in science, history and geography will be delayed until 2016.
Ms Stacey added a review looking at the planned new A-levels had found "fundamental" work was needed on maths and further maths.
More time would also be needed for new A-levels in modern languages, she said.
Mr Gove wrote back, saying he had agreed the reformed GCSEs should be "re-phased".
In the letter, dated 6 September, he says: "We must replace the modular GCSE treadmill with exams that encourage the skills universities and employers want, such as essay writing and mathematical problem-solving.
"That is why I wanted new GCSEs in core academic subjects to be in place for teaching from 2015.
"However, I accept that much more...

Summary: Much of the government's plans to revamp England's exams system are being delayed by a year because of concerns by the exams watchdog, Ofqual.
###
Article: Ski-Scotland, the organisation that promotes Scottish snowsports, said it had involved 207,770 skier days.
It also estimated that the industry generated almost Â£21m for the economy during the season.
Previous seasons have involved bigger numbers - 2012-13 had 290,996 skier days and raised more than Â£29m.
The more recent 2014-15 season involved 230,634 skier days, raising Â£23.2m.
It was also the first in years that all five of Scotland's outdoor ski centres - Nevis Range, Lecht, CairnGorm Mountain, Glencoe Mountain and Glenshee - opened for snowsports before Christmas.
For the latest season, the sites had to wait until January for sufficient snow cover, though Nevis Range near Fort William and the Lecht in Aberdeenshire were able to open for a short time at the end of December.
Ski-Scotland said the late start had a "significant impact", but added that it was still pleased with the contribution the industry made to the economy.
Chairwoman Heather Negus said of the figures: "Although they are lower than last season, they are much better than anticipated, given the late start to the season.
"This year, the season did not start until mid-January, as opposed to last winter, when our first ski areas were open by mid-December."
A skier day means one person who skis or snowboards on one day. Many of the same people return to the slopes several times during the season.

Summary:


Two pro-gun US senators have called for changes to firearm laws, as the first victims of the 26 victims of Newtown school shootings were buried.

Article: The Scottish Design Relay begins in Dundee in August before travelling to Orkney, Caithness, Shetland, Govan, and Aberdeen.
Groups of young people will work with local designers and be introduced to an object with a link to their community.
The new designs and prototypes will be displayed in the V&A Dundee museum.
The local objects include a model of the Dounreay Fast Reactor, a 100-year-old hooded Orkney chair, and a Fair Isle jumper once worn by the commander in chief of the British Home Forces.
The Govan leg of the relay includes a "Clutha" vase designed by Christopher Dresser and made with trademark bubbles and streaks by Glasgow glass-makers James Couper & Sons.
The Aberdeen group will study an enamelled plaque by James Cromar Watt, an architect and jeweller of the Scottish arts and crafts movement.
Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said: "The Scottish Design Relay highlights just how special and varied this collection will be and, even more excitingly, has the potential to inspire a new generation of designers.
"The new prototypes produced by the young people will be displayed in the museum, providing a great opportunity for everyone who visits V&A Dundee to see the vibrancy of Scotland's design future."
Mhairi Maxwell, the museum's project coordinator, said: "V&A Dundee will celebrate Scotland's design achievements and this project is a great opportunity to help inspire the young designers of the future.
"At each stage of the Scottish Design Relay those taking part will define a problem and come up with a solution after being guided through the design process.
"This is a real opportunity to connect young people to their design heritage and create something that could have a positive impact on their community."

Summary: V&A Dundee has launched a national project inspired by a selection of objects that will be displayed in the new museum when it opens in 2018.
###
Article: The fossils had previously been classified as belonging to a different dinosaur group.
But Nick Longrich from the University of Bath said the remains represent a new species of the dinosaur - Pentaceratops.
Pentaceratops is a smaller cousin of the familiar plant-eater Triceratops.
Details of the research have been published in the journal Cretaceous Research.
The journal says Pentaceratops lived about 75 million years ago.
Dr Longrich said: "We thought we had discovered most of the species, but it seems there are many undiscovered dinosaurs left."

Summary: A new species of horned dinosaur has been identified from fossils held in a Canadian museum for 75 years.
###
Article: Dairy cows are usually culled when they get older and cannot produce as much milk, and their male calves are normally killed or sold for meat.
At the Ahimsa dairy in Rutland, oxen are put to work and cows can "retire".
The farm was previously on rented land in Leicestershire but has secured its future with land bought in Manton.
Nicola Pazdzierska said that while their milk was more expensive, many people were willing to spend the extra.
"We charge a lot more for the product but part of that money is going into our cows' pension fund, and at the same time, we don't think milk should be a cheap product," she said.
"In London a pint of craft beer can sell for Â£6.20, so we don't think it's unsustainable for our milk to sell for Â£4.50 a litre at a farmers' market, or Â£3.50 for members.
"We want to make the model replicable so other farms can follow."
Source: Ahisma Dairy Foundation
The Ahimsa Dairy Foundation was founded in 2011 and originally produced milk in partnership with an organic farm in Kent.
The organisation was inspired by the farm at Bhaktivedanta Manor, in Hertfordshire, which is run by the Hare Krishna movement, after being donated by Beatles musician George Harrison.
The cows would produce milk in Kent and retire to the Ahimsa farm in Groby, in Leicestershire.
All of the organisation's 30 animals now live at the new farm in Manton, Rutland, and all of the milk production is there too.
In future, the farm aims to produce its own cheese and also create a visitor centre.

Summary: The UK's first "slaughter-free" dairy farm has moved to a new permanent home - where it hopes to provide a model for other farms to copy.
###
Article: York Art Gallery will introduce a £7.50 entrance fee after the body that runs it had its council subsidy cut by 60%.
That follows Brighton Museum and Art Gallery's decision to charge tourists.
Museums Association president David Fleming said charging for entry was now on the agenda at many other venues that face local council funding cuts.
"I'm absolutely certain that museums all over the country are considering introducing admissions fees in order to try to help plug the gaps that are appearing in their budgets," he said.
But the move would only be successful in towns and cities that attract a significant number of tourists, he added.
Entrance charges at many publicly-funded museums and galleries were dropped around 15 years ago in an attempt to bring in a wider range of visitors.
The government has pledged to keep free entry at venues classed as national museums - such as the British Museum, Tate and National Gallery - which are funded directly by the government.
But that pledge does not cover council-funded venues in towns and cities across the country.
York Art Gallery is one of four attractions run by York Museums Trust, which has seen its subsidy from City of York Council fall from £1.5m per year in 2012 to £600,000 this year.
The gallery scrapped entrance fees in 2002 - but will reintroduce them when it reopens on 1 August after an £8m renovation and expansion.
York Museums Trust chief executive Janet Barnes said she expected further funding cuts in the coming years.
"Given that we've just put £8m into the gallery and it's a much bigger place, we think now is the moment to introduce charging," she said.
"Obviously we would really hope not to, but we just couldn't see any other way of being sustainable in the longer term."
York attracts seven million tourists per year, who are used to paying entrance fees, Mrs Barnes explained.
Income from sources like philanthropy, events and the shop and cafe provide "piddling amounts" compared with admissions income, she continued.
"They're not big enough lumps of...

Summary: Council-funded museums and galleries across the UK are considering scrapping free entry as cuts bite, the head of the Museums Association has said.
###
Article: BBC Scotland has learned that Finnish officials will present papers to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg this week.
The papers will back the Scottish government in a case being brought by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).
The Finnish ministry of health said the issue was a "question of principle".
Legislation to bring in the Scottish government's alcohol price plan was passed by Holyrood in May 2012, but ongoing legal challenges have prevented the policy from being implemented.
The SWA has described the legislation, which is supported by health professionals and the police, as "un-targeted, misguided and illegal" and has claimed it would raise the price of a bottle of whisky.
It has taken its case to the European courts after the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled last year that minimum pricing was legal.
The Scottish government believes its reforms, which will set a 50p minimum price for a unit of alcohol in a bid to cut crime and improve health, are lawful, and has urged the alcohol industry to respect the will of the Scottish parliament.
Ismo Tuominen, who heads up alcohol policy at the Finnish ministry of health, said: "Finland has decided to back Scotland in this court case.
"This is a question of principle. If a nation wants to have its own decisions concerning public health and concerning alcohol policy, we are at the same side of that nation."
Last year, BBC Scotland reported that five European wine-producing nations - France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Bulgaria - were trying to block Scotland's plans for minimum alcohol pricing.
They claimed that the legislation breached European free trade law by discriminating against imported alcohol products.
But Ireland said at the time that its "strong view is that minimum pricing is a proportional measure."
Mr Tuominen added: "The Scottish government has been very active with all member states in the European Union. The Finnish remarks will be be published at the end of this week."
The move comes as Finland prepares to enact tough new alcohol...

Summary: The Finnish government is set to give its support to the Scottish government in a controversial court case over minimum pricing levels for alcohol.
###
Article: Democrats Mark Warner and Joe Manchin, who have "A" ratings from the National Rifle Association (NRA), now say action is needed after the massacre.
President Obama has held a meeting with three of his cabinet to discuss how the law might change.
Noah Pozner and Jack Pinto, both aged six, were buried on Monday.
They were among 20 children and six adults killed at Sandy Hook school in Connecticut.
Other victims' funerals will be held throughout the week, and the town has already begun removing Christmas decorations in mourning.
Two adults who were injured in the attack survived are recovering in hospital and would be crucial witnesses as police continue their investigation, it was confirmed on Monday.
Lt Paul Vance said they were recovering and would be interviewed at an appropriate time.
Children who witnessed the attack would also be interviewed - in the presence of parents and professionals - Lt Vance added.
The Sandy Hook gunman was named as Adam Lanza, who took his own life at the end of a killing spree that began with him shooting dead his own mother.
Despite a long history of pro-gun views, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin told US network MSNBC on Monday that it was time to "move beyond rhetoric" on gun control.
Mr Manchin, a gun owner and frequent hunter, said: "I don't know anyone in the sporting or hunting arena that goes out with an assault rifle."
"It's common sense. It's time to move beyond rhetoric. We need to sit down and have a common sense discussion and move in a reasonable way."
Virginia Senator Mark Warner, another Democrat who has backed gun owner's rights, told reporters outside the Virginia capitol that the "status quo isn't acceptable". He later called for "rational gun control" in an interview with a local news broadcaster.
Mr Warner said he had been approached repeatedly over the weekend as people began to seek answers and solutions.
On Sunday President Barack Obama told residents at a vigil in Newtown the US must do more to protect its children.
Rate per 100,000 people
Source: FBI...

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Survey work to find the tomb of King Henry I, who is believed to be buried at Reading Abbey, has started.

Article: The MPs also called on the government to bring in rules to slow down the speed at which the machines operate.
Bookmakers should employ more staff to help reduce crime linked to the terminals, they added.
But industry body the Association of British Bookmakers said the group of MPs was "a kangaroo court".
Shares in William Hill fell more than 7% and Ladbrokes Coral shares fell more than 6% after the MPs' announcement.
Fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) are gambling machines, normally located on bookmakers' premises, where players can stake large amounts of money on games such as roulette.
Given the potential for big losses due to the maximum £100 stakes and the speed of spin on the terminals, the government should take immediate action, said Labour MP Carolyn Harris.
"The government has a duty to protect the most vulnerable in our society and to act in the public interest.
"We therefore strongly urge them to properly regulate FOBTs and to do so with immediate effect," she said.
The all-party parliamentary group on fixed-odds betting terminals, which Ms Harris chairs, said it had received reports of increased crime due to the presence of the machines in bookmakers.
The government should consider not just "problem gambling" but also "wider gambling-related harm caused by FOBTs and the cumulative impact on families and communities that these machines can have".
However, the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) described the group of MPs as "a kangaroo court".
"It is a small group of anti-bookmaking MPs, funded by casinos and arcades that will benefit from undermining bookmakers," an ABB spokesman said.
"When a properly balanced and independent Select Committee of MPs investigated FOBTs, they came out strongly in favour of them.
"As opposed to that Select Committee report, this is a biased and highly misleading piece of work, with no material evidence to support their claims."
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in the process of reviewing fixed-odds gambling machines.

Summary: A cross-party group of MPs has said maximum stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals should be cut from £100 to £2 to reduce "societal harm".
###
Article: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) went public after Nutella's makers asked for it to be reclassified.
It currently classes the chocolate and hazelnut spread as a dessert topping, with a serving size of two tablespoons.
Parent company Ferrero wants Nutella bracketed with jam and honey, with a serving size of one tablespoon.
The company says the difference is important as it dictates the nutritional data on the product's label, which influences shoppers. US government surveys Nutella fans
The most expensive Nutella in the world?
How the world went nuts for a hazelnut spread
Two tablespoons of Nutella contain 200 calories - about the same as two slices of bread. The idea that people use two tablespoons comes from the 1990s, when the spread was a popular ice-cream topping - but Ferrero says it is usually eaten on toast nowadays in smaller amounts.
In response, the FDA is gathering comments online about how much "nut cocoa-based spread" fans are eating at a time.
In a survey of 722 mothers who buy Nutella, Ferrero found 74% ate it on toast or sandwiches. About 14% said they ate it on its own.
In the UK and other countries, Nutella jars list a portion as 15g - or one tablespoon.
Even if it was reclassified, Nutella would still be twice as calorific as most jams, which contain around 50 calories per tablespoon.
Nutella was created by the Ferrero family in the 1940s in the Piedmont region of Italy, which is famed for its hazelnuts. In 1946, young confectioner Pietro Ferrero launched a solid version named Giandujot, or Pasta Gianduja, that had to be cut with a knife.
The first spreadable version - Supercrema - came a few years later and Nutella as we know it today was born in 1964, complete with its iconic glass jars.
The Ferrero company is the number one user of hazelnuts in the world, buying up 25% of the entire world supply.
The BBC asked readers to tell us by email how they eat their Nutella, and how much they get through.
Many say they pair the chocolate treat with bread or toast but others favour crackers...

Summary: The US food regulator is asking Nutella fans how big a portion they eat, in a row over the average size of serving of the sweet spread.
###
Article: Data from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) showed independent schools appealed 6% of results in 2015.
That compared with 2.1% for council-run secondaries.
The Scottish government said "no young person is at a disadvantage through the results service in Scotland".
Labour said appeal fees should be scrapped in order to "level the playing field for every pupil".
It is concerned that fees of up to Â£39.75 for appeals could deter some local authority schools from applying.
The new appeal rate figures were revealed in evidence from the SQA to MSPs on Holyrood's Education Committee,
Fees were introduced by the SQA in 2014 to help deter schools from putting in purely speculative appeals.
In 2013 local authority schools submitted 62,486 appeals, but the following year the total dropped to 7,056 before rising again in 2015 to 9,584.
Labour education spokesman Iain Gray said it seemed SNP ministers "could not care less about this unfairness in the system".
He said: "They talk the talk on equity, so they should back a fair education system by committing to scrap these unfair fees, and level the playing field for every pupil."
With the 2016 exam results published last week week, Mr Gray said: "Pupils across Scotland will be considering this weekend whether to appeal grades they received on Tuesday.
"An exam appeal decision can be the deciding factor between a pupil getting to college or university, with all the opportunities that may bring. Money shouldn't come into it.
"The figures clearly show that the SNP's introduction of exam appeal fees has put pupils from state schools at a disadvantage compared to those educated privately.
"That is just not fair."
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "No young person is at a disadvantage through the results service in Scotland. Only schools and colleges can make requests to SQA's results services.
"Whether the pupil is from a local authority or independent school, a review can only be requested if the school has a legitimate query about a candidate's results.
"As...

Summary: Scottish Labour has renewed its call for exam appeal charges to be scrapped after new figures showed private schools were much more likely to appeal results than local authority schools.
###
Article: It will be an "absolute" cap, based on the way limits for pre-payment meters have worked since the beginning of April.
The party has rejected the idea of a relative cap, which would limit the difference between the cheapest fixed-price deal and the more expensive Standard Variable Tariff (SVT) to, say, 6%.
That model was particularly controversial, as critics said suppliers would simply increase the price of fixed-rate deals, to maintain the differential with SVTs.
The idea of any form of capping was rejected by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last summer.
However, when it issued its final report, the CMA admitted its members were divided on the issue.
If the Conservatives win the election, the regulator Ofgem would be asked to introduce a price cap along the lines of one introduced in April to cap prices on households with pre-payment meters.
Currently 16% of consumers are forced to buy their energy in advance, usually because their credit rating is poor.
The CMA ordered a cap on their charges because such households do not benefit from the competition that exists for all other consumers.
Under this system, the CMA has come up with an initial maximum figure for prices in each region of the UK, usually in line with the cheapest existing pre-payment meter tariff.
That number is adjusted every six months, taking into account wholesale energy costs, inflation, environmental obligations and the cost of transporting energy around the network.
But the CMA has always stressed that the pre-payment meter cap is temporary. By the time every home has a smart meters installed, it expects competition between suppliers to be working properly. As a result this cap is due to expire in 2020.
The cap is also designed to allow suppliers to price below the level of the cap if they want to.
However, critics say that suppliers would be likely to increase their prices up to the level of the cap.
"In New Zealand, a price cap resulted in price bunching up around the cap, and a loss of competition," said Iain Conn, chief...

Summary: The Tories have announced a key new detail in how their proposed energy price cap would work.
###
Article: Mike Nesbitt made the history remark at his party's annual conference.
He told Monday's BBC's Nolan Show his view has not changed. He said he was "warning" his party same-sex marriage was likely to be introduced regardless.
He said he believed marriage should be "between a man and a woman" but added the issue gives him "sleepless nights".
"I am against same sex marriage, but I am challenging myself always on these issues," Mr Nesbitt told the programme.
He said as a mental health campaigner, suicide statistics within the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community gave him "pause" for thought about his own attitude to same-sex marriage.
Northern Ireland is currently the only place in the UK and Ireland that has not legalised same-sex marriage. Stormont MLAs have rejected it four times.
Mr Nesbitt repeated that the UUP has not changed its policy of allowing its members to vote according to their consciences on the issue and said that position would not change while he remained as party leader.
However, he said he believed same-sex marriage could be introduced "through the courts".
"I was just warning our conference that I think that the argument will be lost.
"For those who cannot bring themselves to support same-sex marriage, I think we will be on the wrong side of history and I'm just laying it down as a warning - prepare yourselves," Mr Nesbitt said.
He also told the programme that his own children did not understand why he had "an issue with same-sex marriage".
He said surveys had suggested that the majority of people in Northern Ireland, especially younger people, were in favour of allowing gay couples to marry.
During his speech at the UUP conference on Saturday, Mr Nesbitt said: "Some of us support same-sex marriages, some of us don't and I think it's part of the beauty of the Ulster Unionist Party that we respect each others' positions.
"I'm not going to labour the point today, but to those of us who cannot bring ourselves to support a change in the law, I say this - be aware, we are on the...

Summary: The UUP leader has said he will still vote against same-sex marriage, despite saying that UUP members who oppose it will be "on the wrong side of history".
###
Article: Investigations using ground-penetrating radar equipment have begun on land around St James Church next to the remaining ruins of Reading Abbey.
The Hidden Abbey Project hopes to uncover the high altar where the king and Queen Adeliza are buried.
The survey is the first comprehensive archaeological investigation at Reading Abbey for more than 150 years.
Further survey are due to be carried out on the abbey church, Forbury Gardens and Reading Gaol car park.
John Mullaney of the Hidden Abbey Project said: "What we shall discover we do not know - maybe much, maybe little.
"I hope all our work will tell us more about one of England's greatest buildings and about the King who was buried in Reading."
The investigations are being carried out alongside conservation work on the 900-year-old abbey which closed to the public in the summer of 2009 after a survey showed its walls were in too poor condition.
After a successful bid for Â£1.77m of lottery funding they are due re-open to the public in 2018.
Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, founded Reading Abbey in 1121.
After his death in Normandy in December 1135, his body was brought to Reading sewn into a bull's hide. He was laid to rest in January 1136.
The abbey was partly destroyed during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII but there is no definite record of what happened to Henry I's remains.

Summary:


A South African lion called Sylvester who twice fled a national park will be rehoused rather than put down, and encouraged to become an alpha male.

Article: A recent headline in a local newspaper captured the reaction of many Nigerians to the latest disease outbreak in our country: "From Bats To Rats As Lassa Fever Takes Off Where Ebola Stopped".
Rats are the newest terrorists in town.
Since August 2015, the Lassa haemorrhagic fever outbreak, which is usually transmitted via infected rats, has spread to 17 states in Nigeria, resulting in about 76 fatalities, including at least one doctor who had treated infected patients.
However, Nigeria seems bent on ensuring that rats do not do as much damage as the bats, who were the primary carriers of Ebola, which left more than 11,000 dead after it began in Guinea in 2014 and spread to 10 other countries, including Nigeria.
We may not have a Pied Piper to lure the pests into the River Benue with his shrill notes, but the federal government has appointed a National Lassa Fever Action Committee to plan how to halt the outbreak.
Rat poison seller:
"The Boko Haram Rat Disposal was an instant hit, becoming very popular with customers"
"With the resources available to us, we will collectively eliminate the disease in Nigeria soon," assured the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, at a meeting during which the committee was inaugurated.
Meanwhile, a ban has been placed on eating rats - a delicacy in certain parts of the country - which my friend's father tells me tastes like grasscutter or squirrel meat.
"You remove the entrails and roast it without boiling it first," he said.
"When you add some pepper and salt, it becomes quite tasty."
As a young man in the late 1960s, he had fought on the Biafran side during the civil war, when many ethnic Igbos were forced to eat rodents in order to ward off starvation.
In addition, public service announcements continue to warn against consuming foods that may have been exposed to rats, especially when not prepared with heat.
Particular caution has been drawn to the drinking of garri, a powder produced from cassava that is sometimes left open in storerooms accessible to rats.
Garri soaked in...

Summary: In our series of letters from African journalists, novelist and writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani looks at Nigeria's current war on rats.
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Article: Serious problems with BA's systems led to thousands of passengers having their plans disrupted on Saturday.
Passengers described "chaotic" scenes at the airports, with some criticising BA for a lack of information.
The airline apologised and said it was refunding and rebooking customers.
BA advised customers to continue checking the status of their flight on its website www.ba.com before travelling to the airport.
The airline said there was no evidence the computer problems were the result of a cyber attack.
The company's chief executive Alex Cruz had said it was believed "the root cause was a power supply issue".
Other airlines flying in and out of the two airports were unaffected.
The IT failure had affected check-in and operational systems, including customer service phone lines.
BA said although some of its IT systems have returned, "there will be some knock-on disruption to our schedules as aircraft and crews are out of position around the world.
"We are repositioning some aircraft during the night to enable us to operate as much of our schedule as possible throughout Sunday."
A BA spokesman added: "We are continuing to work hard to restore all of our IT systems...
"We are extremely sorry for the huge disruption caused to customers throughout Saturday and understand how frustrating their experiences will have been.
"We are refunding or rebooking customers who suffered cancellations on to new services as quickly as possible and have also introduced more flexible rebooking policies for anyone due to travel on Sunday and Monday who no longer wishes to fly to/from Heathrow or Gatwick."
Earlier, the airline said most long-haul flights due to land in London on Sunday were expected to arrive as normal.
The GMB union had suggested the failure could have been avoided, had the airline not outsourced its IT work.
BA denied the claim, saying: "We would never compromise the integrity and security of our IT systems".
Aviation expert Julian Bray told the BBC the IT failure had an impact on planes taking off, as well as...

Summary: British Airways says it is aiming to run a "near normal schedule" at Gatwick and the "majority of services" from Heathrow on Sunday after a "major" IT failure saw all flights cancelled.
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Article: Building work on the design museum began in March, and BAM Construction has now completed the coffer dam which will allow the structure to be built out into the Tay.
The building is due to be complete by December 2017, opening in 2018.
BAM said the project was "on target to deliver a world-class building".
The coffer dam is a watertight structure built around the part of the museum which will protrude out into the Tay, creating a dry area for land reclamation work to proceed.
Work on the dam had to be complete by the beginning of June, to avoid interfering with the harbour seal breeding season.
Having seen the project delayed for several years and its cost almost double from £45m, V&A Dundee director Philip Long said he was delighted to see work moving ahead.
He said: "We are thrilled at the progress and pace of work in the first three months of construction. The project really comes to life when you see the form of the building marked out on site.
"It will be hugely exciting for all of us to watch its striking physical shape emerge over the coming months and years up to opening.
"V&A Dundee will be a world-class design museum for Scotland, a place that will inspire and delight hundreds of thousands of visitors from Dundee and far beyond."
Work on the building's foundations is now under way, and the first of three tower cranes is to be erected next month.
Doug Keillor, regional director for BAM Construction in Scotland, said: "BAM is on target with our construction programme to deliver a world-class building that will be a source of pride for the people of Dundee and Scotland.
"We have formed an excellent working partnership with V&A Dundee and Dundee City Council which is always the foundation of a successful project."

Summary: The construction of Dundee's £80m branch of the V&A museum has passed its first major milestone with the completion of a coffer dam.
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Article: Experts are learning more about how to contain the virus that has infected around 7,500 people in West Africa.
The race is on to stop this deadly disease that kills more than half of those it infects.
Here's what is known.
Ebola is spread by direct contact with contaminated body fluids. Blood, vomit and saliva can all carry and spread the deadly virus.
The relatives of sick patients and the healthcare workers who care for them are at highest risk of infection, but anyone who comes into close proximity potentially puts themselves at risk.
For that reason, contact should only be for essential medical care and always under the full protection of the right clothing.
The virus can't breach protective gear, such as gloves, mask/face shield, a full body suit and tough rubber wellington boots, but too few have access to state-of-the-art kit.
Those who do get to wear it should keep changing it every 40 minutes to be safe. Inside the suit it can get up to about 40C. Getting into the kit takes about five minutes. Taking it off again takes the wearer and a designated helper "buddy" about 15 minutes.
This is one of the most dangerous times for contamination and people are sprayed with chlorine as this happens.
Surgical cap
Goggles
Medical mask
Scrubs
Overalls
Apron
Double gloves
Boots
Respirator
The cap forms part of a protective hood covering the head and neck. It offers medical workers an added layer of protection, ensuring that they cannot touch any part of their face whilst in the treatment centre.
Goggles, or eye visors, are used to provide cover to the eyes, protecting them from splashes. The goggles are sprayed with an anti-fogging solution before being worn. On October 21, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  announced stringent new guidelines for healthcare personnel who may be dealing with Ebola patients. In the new guidelines, health workers are advised to use a single use disposable full face shield as goggles may not provide complete skin coverage.
Covers the mouth to protect from sprays...

Summary: As the outbreak continues to spread, the fear of catching the disease is rising.
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Article: Its large and strong economy has allowed it to bankroll the bailouts that have kept some of its neighbours - and the euro - afloat.
The graphics below help explain why it is so dominant, and powerful - and also some of the problems it faces.
Germany's large population (the biggest in Europe) and vibrant economy add up to a GDP that far outweighs other European powers.
It also has the strongest export sector and the lowest unemployment of any big European country.
The success of the economy and low unemployment - especially when compared to other EU countries - mean Germany has become a magnet for jobseekers. The number of immigrants has been rising and surpassed a million people in 2012 for the first time since 1995.
They come especially from former communist countries - as well as recession-hit Italy, Spain and Greece - and head for Berlin, the wealthy southern regions, and the industrial west.
Despite Germany's strong economy, not everyone is doing well. Under wage restraint agreements, many people's incomes have barely grown in years, and many people who have jobs still require benefit top-ups.
There is also still a clear divide, 22 years since reunification, between incomes in the old East Germany, and the old West.

Summary: Germany, which holds federal elections on 22 September, is Europe's dominant country.
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Article: Karoo national park authorities had originally considered putting Sylvester down but will now rehouse the animal away from male competition.
The lion's plight was highlighted in a Twitter campaign in South Africa.
Sylvester will now join two young female lions in Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape province.
Sylvester escaped at the end of March by crawling under an electric fence after heavy rain dislodged earth, a park spokesperson said at the time.
It is thought three-year-old Sylvester was running away from threatening older males.
The move will establish him as the dominant male, said Fundisile Mketeni, CEO of South Africa National Parks.
"There is always a risk that this lion may break out again but this will be mitigated to a large extent by reducing any potential conflict with other males," Mr Mketeni added.
Last June, Sylvester went on a three-week sheep-killing spree, wandering 300km (180 miles) before he was found taking a nap by rangers and airlifted from the Nuweveld Mountains.
When he was found he was fitted with a tracking collar.
The second time he escaped, rescuers followed the signal from his collar to find him high up in the mountains in Western Cape again.
He was tranquilised and airlifted by helicopter, an operation the park authorities captured on video.
He had been away for four days.

Summary:


A second multifuel power station has been approved for Ferrybridge.

Article: Science fiction and biographies were the next most popular genres, according to the poll to mark the start of Book Week Scotland.
The Ipsos mori poll of 1,000 adults found one in four readers preferred crime fiction.
One in 10 opted for science fiction and biography, while historic fiction was the preferred choice of 9% of readers.
The survey also found that almost 80% of Scots read or listen to books for enjoyment - with nearly half of them doing so every day.
Of those who don't read for enjoyment, three quarters said they had read a newspaper in the past few months.
Hundreds of events organised by Scottish Book Trust will take place across the country as part of Book Week Scotland.
There will be author appearances from writers including Alexander McCall Smith, Chris Brookmyre and Liz Lochhead.
Marc Lambert, chief executive of Scottish Book Trust, said: "It is hardly surprising that the country which gave us Ian Rankin, Denise Mina, Iain Banks, Val McDermid, Christopher Brookmyre and many others has bred a generation of crime enthusiasts.
"It's also very heartening to see that almost half of Scottish people read a book for pleasure most days or every day. Reading has many proven health benefits, not least stress reduction and memory improvement, but above all it is a really enjoyable pastime."
Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "Our national Book Week has gone from strength to strength since it was established in 2012.
"Scottish Book Trust is doing some outstanding work to make reading more accessible to those who find it challenging and I believe everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy reading and our literary heritage."

Summary: Crime is the favourite form of fiction for the majority of Scottish book readers, a survey has suggested.
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Article: The claim: Leaving the EU would put £250bn of trade at risk, according to Britain Stronger in Europe.
Reality Check verdict: The group has taken a set of figures predicting the benefits of EU membership and used that to reach a figure for the risks of leaving. It would not necessarily work like that. Also, the figures include imports, a fall in which would not necessarily be a bad thing.
In a press release announcing the number, former Chancellor Alistair Darling said: "Those wanting to leave the EU want to pull Britain out of the single market, which would mean introducing tariffs and barriers to our trade and putting billions of vital trade at risk."
The figure is based on part of the Treasury's work on the impact of a Brexit.
The Treasury compared the amount of trade done between EU members with the amount done by non-members.
That's a tricky thing to do. While the method chosen is reasonable, the conclusions should not be seen as precise.
Its analysis concluded trade with EU countries was 76% higher as a result of Britain being in the EU than it would be if Britain were not.
It also identified smaller benefits coming from membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), and from other free trade agreements negotiated by the EU.
For the EEA it was 44%, and for the other free trade agreements it was 17%.
BSIE has taken those Treasury figures for gains from EU membership, reversed them, and used them to conclude £250bn of trade would be at risk if the UK were to leave the EU.
But looking at how much trade is increased by signing a free trade agreement is not the same as predicting that amount would be at risk from leaving.
The effect of leaving may or may not be the reverse of the effect of joining - there are no examples of countries leaving the EU that could form the basis for the research.
To reach the £250bn figure, BSIE has started with the total amount of trade the UK did with the EU in 2014, which was about £520bn.
Remember, that's a figure for both exports and imports.
But some might think a reduction...

Summary: Britain Stronger in Europe (BSIE) says £250bn of trade would be at risk if the UK were to leave the European Union.
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Article: Nicola Sturgeon backed the idea as she launched the SNP's general election manifesto in Edinburgh on Monday.
Plaid leader Leanne Wood said she was "very pleased" to have that support.
"Just as the SNP is doing for Scotland, Plaid Cymru is fighting for the best deal possible for Wales in this election," she said.
"Parity of funding with Scotland would see Wales receiving an extra Â£1.2bn a year - Â£400 for each man, woman and child."
Ms Wood said Plaid Cymru would prioritise health and education for extra spending.
She added: "I look forward to Plaid and SNP MPs continuing to work together in Westminster after May 7th in order to fight for policies that will benefit not only the people of Wales and Scotland but the people of the UK as a whole."
Answering a question at the SNP manifesto launch, Ms Sturgeon had said: "I do support Leanne Wood's and Plaid Cymru's call for parity for Wales but not at the expense of Scotland, because I do not accept that Scotland is subsidised and I will argue passionately against that notion for as long as I am in politics."

Summary: Plaid Cymru has welcomed support from the Scottish first minister for Wales to have the same level of funding and power as Scotland.
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Article: Rabies in domestic cattle and camels, infected by wild dog and fox bites, has been on the rise in north-west China.
Because there is no oral vaccine for wild animals in China, it is impossible to prevent this type of spread.
A vaccine for large domestic animals is what is needed, the researchers say, but the canine vaccine could provide a stop-gap measure.
Their findings are published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
China has the second highest number of reported rabies cases in the world after India. The majority of infections come from contact with China's estimated 100 million-plus dogs.
Despite an increase in the dog population, human infections have been declining as a result of domestic dog vaccinations and education programmes.
But rabies is spreading to areas beyond the traditional rabies hotspot in the south, where five provinces account for 60% of human infections.
Despite the government's commitment to eradicate rabies in China by 2025, numerous cases of livestock infections have been reported in previously unaffected areas, like the Xinjiang Autonomous Regions.
This follows a concerted, government-led campaign to develop areas that were traditionally only sparsely populated. Domestic vaccination in these regions is low and dog ownership is high, with as many as 70% of rural households keeping dogs.
Infection of livestock by wild dogs and foxes is an urgent concern to researcher Rong-Liang Hu and his team from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Changchun.
"It is likely that rabies will rapidly spread among non-vaccinated animals and spill over into humans," they write in the paper.
Herds infected by rabies can lead to huge economic losses for local farmers and risk transmission to humans, through contact with animals or consumption of infected meat.
Dr Hu's team collected tissue samples from infected cattle and camels in two areas of northern China and confirmed the virus had most likely been transferred from wild dogs and foxes.
They also conducted an experiment on 300...

Summary: Scientists in China have found that a rabies vaccine usually given to dogs can also protect livestock.
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Article: In 2000, its number of people aged 60 or over surpassed 10% of the total population, and almost 7% of the population were aged 65 and over.
According to government figures, at the end of 2011, when the total Chinese population reached 1.34 billion, 13.7% of the population were 60 or over - that's 185 million people.
Those aged 65 or over accounted for 123 million people, or just over 9%.
Source: UN
The ageing process in China has two distinguishing features. First, it has happened at a much faster rate than in other countries.
According to UN figures, the ratio of those aged 60 and over across the world rose by 3 percentage points in the 60 years from 1950 to 2010, while in China it increased by 3.8 percentage points in just the 10 years from 2000 to 2010.
Secondly, China is one of a few countries in the world in which the population has aged before becoming rich or even moderately rich.
The UN considers a country to be ageing when 7% of its population is aged 65 or over - the threshold used to be 10% of a population being 60 years old or over.
While more than 60% of the world's ageing nations reached that threshold when their GDP per capita exceeded $10,000 (Â£6,215) - and 30% reached the threshold when their income reached $5,000 - China officially became an ageing country when its GDP per capita was less than $1,000.
This inevitably means there are more financial constraints when it comes to any potential solutions.
China's unprecedented demographic transformation has been mainly caused by a significant increase in the country's life expectancy. People are living longer life thanks to significant improvements in living standards, including improved nutrition, access to education and medical care.
Another factor is China's one-child policy, which was imposed by the state in 1980. According to a government, this caused a sudden decrease in the country's birth rate and prevented 400 million extra births over the past three decades.
There is debate among scholars over the exact figure. Some say the drop in...

Summary: It is more than a decade since China officially became an ageing nation, and since then, the country's ageing process has only picked up speed.
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Article: The site at Knottingley, West Yorkshire is to burn fuel from refuse, industrial and commercial waste including wood, said operator Multifuel Energy Ltd.
The Â£300m plant is to create hundreds of jobs over a three-year build and should produce electricity for about 160,000 homes, it said.
The adjoining coal-fired Ferrybridge 'C' plant is to close in March 2016, it was announced in May.
The Secretary of State has granted development consent for the new plant.
Construction is expected to begin in 2016 with about 35 permanent jobs once it is operational.
The power station is expected to produce up to 90MWe of electricity annually by burning 675,000 tonnes of waste that could have ended up in landfill, said Multifuel Energy
It is to be built next to the newly-constructed Ferrybridge Multifuel 1 that stated operations earlier this year.
Multifuel Energy is a joint venture between power company SSE and and waste management company Wheelabrator Technologies.

Summary:


Virgin East Coast rail workers have voted to go out on strike in a dispute over job cuts, working conditions and safety, the RMT union has said.

Article: When undercover X-Ray researchers visited zero-rated food premises in the Vale of Glamorgan all but one failed to disclose their score.
Wales is the only part of the UK where customers have a legal right to know the food hygiene rating of their local cafÃ© or takeaway.
Scores range from a "very good" five to zero, meaning "in need of urgent improvement".
Stickers featuring the score must be prominently displayed and staff must tell customers their score if they ask. There is a Â£200 fixed penalty notice for failing to do this.
Whilst food premises which have a high score display their scores prominently - in some cases on giant banner adverts - X-Ray has found that some of the least hygienic break the law and lie about their ratings.
The programme targeted the Vale of Glamorgan which had the highest proportion of zero-rated food outlets in Wales, according to the Food Standards Agency's website.
An X-Ray researcher visited all of those in the county which should have been displaying a zero rating.
No hygiene scores were seen at any of the premises - and when undercover researchers asked, only one restaurant - the Sully Inn, near Barry - was honest about the score.
In Barry, Pizza Knight and Mariano's Pizzeria claimed not to have a score, the Far East takeaway falsely claimed theirs was under review and Romeo Pizza said they had a "good" rating of four.
Rob Wilkins from the Food Standards Agency, which oversees the food hygiene rating scheme, was concerned by the findings.
"It's clearly not what the legislation was introduced for. Customers can expect to see stickers in windows and they can expect an honest answer from food business operators," he said.
"For those businesses that are not prepared to partake in it there are sanctions and they should be applied."
At least 45 businesses in Wales have already received Â£200 fixed penalty notices for failing to display their hygiene ratings and there have been several prosecutions for repeated breaches of the law.
When asked why they failed to display their zero...

Summary: Some of Wales' least hygienic takeaways and pubs are flouting the law by failing to display their poor food hygiene ratings, an investigation by BBC Wales' X-Ray programme has revealed.
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Article: In an interview with Al Jazeera, Abu Mohammed al-Julani said al-Nusra Front was focused on capturing Damascus and toppling President Bashar al-Assad.
He also promised to protect Syrian minorities that disavowed Mr Assad.
A rebel alliance including al-Nusra has been making gains in north-western Syria, capturing the city of Idlib.
Rebel fighters are now advancing on the Mediterranean coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of the president and his heterodox Shia Muslim Alawite sect.
The hour-long interview with Julani broadcast on Wednesday night was his second with Qatar-based Al Jazeera since 2013, when al-Nusra Front split from what is now Islamic State (IS).
It was not clear where it was filmed and Julani's face was not shown. He sat on an ornate chair opposite the interviewer, Ahmed Mansour, with his back to the camera.
Julani said al-Nusra had been instructed by the overall leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, to avoiding launching attacks abroad that might jeopardise its operations in Syria.
"We are only here to accomplish one mission, to fight the regime and its agents on the ground, including Hezbollah and others," he stressed, referring to the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement that is fighting alongside government forces.
"Al-Nusra Front doesn't have any plans or directives to target the West. We received clear orders not to use Syria as a launching pad to attack the US or Europe in order to not sabotage the true mission against the regime. Maybe al-Qaeda does that, but not here in Syria."
The al-Nusra leader also denied claims by the US that it had a secret cell called the "Khorasan Group" that was tasked with plotting attacks outside Syria.
"There is nothing called Khorasan group. The Americans came up with it to deceive the public. They claim that this secret group was set up to target the Americans but this is not right."
The US-led coalition against Islamic State, to which al-Nusra is violently opposed, has bombed several bases that US officials say were used by the Khorasan group.
"Our...

Summary: Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria has been ordered by the jihadist network not to use the country to launch attacks on the West, the group's leader has said.
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Article: The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was sent samples after 35 Peshmerga fighters became ill near Irbil in August.
On Monday, the sources said the samples tested positive for sulphur mustard.
If confirmed, it would be the first known use of chemical weapons in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
OPCW experts recently concluded that sulphur mustard was used in August in neighbouring Syria, during fighting between IS and rebel forces.
Sulphur mustard - commonly known as "mustard gas" although it is liquid at ambient temperature - is a powerful irritant and blistering agent which causes severe damage to the skin, eyes and respiratory system and internal organs.
The OPCW's report does not apportion blame for the attack in Iraq on 11 August, sources in The Hague told the Reuters and AFP news agencies.
But when the Kurdistan Regional Government's ministry of Peshmerga affairs first reported the incident, it made it clear that it held IS militants responsible.
The ministry said the affected Peshmerga fighters had been deployed along the frontline with IS, near the towns of Makhmour and Gwer when about 37 rounds exploded beside them, releasing a "white dust and black liquid". Tests on blood samples "revealed traces of mustard gas", it added.
OPCW spokesman Malik Ellahi would only confirm on Monday that the watchdog had sent a team of experts to Iraq to assist the government's investigation.
"The team completed its mission and the OPCW has shared the results of its technical work with the government of Iraq," a statement said, according to AFP.
The OPCW's Executive Council is expected to discuss the findings next month.
Experts are still uncertain about how IS might have obtained chemical weapons.
One unnamed diplomat told the Reuters news agency that it was possible the sulphur mustard was obtained from the Syrian military's stockpile, which was supposedly destroyed after a deadly attack involving the nerve agent sarin outside Damascus in August 2013.
However, CIA director John Brennan...

Summary: Sources at the global chemical watchdog say sulphur mustard was used last year in an attack on Kurdish forces in Iraq blamed on Islamic State (IS) militants.
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Article: Pte Gavin Williams, 22, from Hengoed, Caerphilly county, suffered heart failure at Lucknow Barracks in Tidworth, Wiltshire, on 3 July 2006.
He had been punished for disobedience and drunken incidents.
A captain at the time said he raised issues about another physical punishment a month before.
Owain Luke, now a lieutenant colonel, told the inquest in Salisbury, Wiltshire, that while Sgt Russell Price was involved in both incidents, it was "more akin to bullying" than reflective of wider treatment.
Lt Col Luke said he raised concerns with Adjutant Capt Mark Davis, the officer in charge of discipline.
He said he told the captain "two of my soldiers had been mistreated by provost staff or PTIs (Physical Training Instructor) and that this is wrong and he should look into it".
It was the only such incident he had been aware of before, Col Luke said.
His soldiers, he added, had been ordered by Sgt Price to carry out a physical punishment which resulted in their civilian clothes being ruined.
The coroner's court previously heard that Sgt Price ordered Pte Williams to carry out intensive exercise in a gym on one of the hottest days of the year.
Pte Williams collapsed with heatstroke and later suffered heart failure after the punishment. Ecstasy was found in his blood when he died in hospital.
Lt Col Luke said he got the impression Capt Davis felt physical punishment was appropriate "under some circumstances".
He added: "It's easy to see now that it might be part of a wider treatment, but I didn't see it like that at the time."
Sgt Price's line manager, Maj Lee Davies, said he knew nothing about beastings being carried out.
The coroner's court heard Sgt Price had previously told police investigating Pte Williams's death that "everyone knew that it went on" and "physical discipline was never done in a discrete manner".
In a statement to officers, he added: "The adjutant and the RSM (regimental sergeant major) never asked me to stop."
Maj Davies said he felt Sgt Price was still in an "old mentality" before Army rules on...

Summary: Concerns were raised about "mistreatment" before the death of a soldier subjected to intense beasting exercise, an inquest has heard.
###
Article: Speaking ahead of the party's spring conference, Mr Farage said UKIP would back future Tory budgets if they helped eliminate the current deficit by 2018.
He said George Osborne had failed to meet his deficit targets since 2010 because he had shirked "tough choices".
UKIP would quit the EU, axe HS2 and cut the foreign aid budget to save cash.
In a speech to UKIP activists in Margate, Kent,  Mr Farage said he was "optimistic", "upbeat" and "bullish" about his party's chances at the general election.
He predicted the party would get a "good number of UKIP MPs over the line" and emerge as the "main opposition to the Labour Party" in the north of England.
"I  believe in Britain, I believe in you, I believe we will score a famous victory on 7 May," he said.
Mr Farage added that the campaign for the general election had begun in January and was the longest and most negative in history.
"People of this country need the politics of hope and of inspiration that says things could be better," he said.
It would not be easy for UKIP, he said, because the whole of the political establishment was against the party and he urged candidates who might face attacks to "ignore it, turn the other cheek and tell voters what we stand for".
The party, which had its first two MPs elected to Westminster last year, is seeking to boost its representation further, with an eye on potentially holding the balance of power in the event of another hung Parliament.
The Conservatives have dismissed talk of potential post-election deals with UKIP although Mr Farage, who is standing in the Thanet South constituency in Kent, has suggested he would "do a deal with the devil" if it would lead to an early referendum on the UK's future in the EU and the UK ultimately leaving the union.
Asked if he would support a future Conservative-led government if it was reliant on UKIP votes to get Budget proposals through Parliament, Mr Farage said he would, but only if it "sticks to its promises" to reduce the £90bn deficit on day-to-day spending.
"Let's face it,...

Summary: UKIP will back the Conservatives' deficit reduction strategy in the next Parliament but only if they "stick to their promises", Nigel Farage has said.
###
Article: Five out of six (84%) of those who voted in the ballot backed walkouts and the union said its leaders will now consider their next move.
Destinations on the line include London, Aberdeen, Inverness and Hull.
Virgin Trains responded to the result by saying it would run a full timetable during any RMT strike action.
The two sides are in dispute over staffing changes, which the company says would have no impact on safety and no compulsory job losses.
The union's general secretary Mick Cash said: "RMT will not sit back while nearly 200 members' jobs are under threat and also conditions and safety are put at risk."
David Horne, managing director for Virgin Trains on the east coast, said: "With our guarantees that there will be no compulsory redundancies, no impact on safety and a full timetable in place during any action, we urge the RMT not to call a strike which will cost its members pay for no reason, and to rejoin us around the negotiating table."

Summary:


Ill-health or disability is forcing one in eight people to stop working before they reach the state pension age, the TUC says.

Article: Bath and North East Somerset Council had shortlisted two sites close to the A4, but a "huge public outcry" followed that decision.
It said it would now look at a raft of "joined up transport improvements".
Council leader Tim Warren said the eastern park-and-ride had been "challenging" but said ultimately it must put the safety of road user first.
He said some of the other transport measures the authority would look at included:
Two preferred sites for a park-and-ride to the east of Bath were chosen from a shortlist of eight.
A greenbelt site on the west side of Mill Lane at Bathampton Meadows was eventually chosen over neighbouring council-owned land because the 800-car site would be less visible and have potential for a future rail link.
Mr Warren added improving transport and tackling Bath's traffic problems "remain one of our highest priorities".
"In light of the issues with site access, and taking into consideration all the various factors with these two sites, it is therefore recommended that the council should not proceed with either of these sites and we should instead commit all our efforts to pursuing the other traffic and transport measures we have set out."
The proposed eastern park-and-ride would have joined the city's other three at Newbridge, Lansdown and Odd Down.

Summary: Plans for a controversial park-and-ride to the east of Bath have been shelved "primarily on road safety grounds".
###
Article: Justin Welby told the Mail on Sunday the UK needed a united negotiating strategy for exiting the EU.
He said the commission should be under Parliament's authority, chaired by a senior politician.
Cabinet minister Priti Patel rejected the idea and said ministers were focused on getting "the right deal".
Formal Brexit negotiations began last Monday in Brussels. Key subjects to be negotiated include the status of EU nationals and Britons living elsewhere in the EU, the size of any "divorce" bill and how the UK will trade with the EU once it leaves.
In his article, the archbishop wrote that - with a hung parliament - there was "an understandable temptation for every difference to become a vote of confidence".
But he said that would be a "disaster", as British negotiators would not have "confidence in their backing from the UK".
He claimed a commission, with parties from the whole political spectrum, could "hold the ring for the differences [in opinion] to be fought out".
It should be under the authority of the Commons, and chaired by a senior politician, but without the authority to bind Parliament, he said.
"We need the politicians to find a way of neutralising the temptation to take minor advantage domestically from these great events," the archbishop wrote.
He added that Britain's decision to leave the EU was the third time in two centuries that the UK had to "redefine the place of our country in the world".
But International Development Secretary Priti Patel rejected the idea of a cross-party commission.
She told BBC Radio 5 live's Pienaar's Politics: "I think the point is, this isn't about commissions. The public voted last year to leave the European Union. Our job as government now is obviously securing the right deal for the country and not rerunning those arguments of Remain and Leave from last year."
In the same article, the archbishop said the Grenfell Tower fire - and the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London - had "brought out the best of communities in crisis".
"Communities have staggered,...

Summary: The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged the prime minister to set up a cross-party commission to "draw much of the poison" from Brexit negotiations.
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Article: A row led to the bell-ringing group being dismissed in October, following a sex assault claim against a member.
The bells could remain silent on Christmas Day for what is thought to be the first time since the 14th Century.
A statement by York Minster Society of Change Ringers (YMSCR) has claimed Minster bosses have also declined attempts to "restore good relations".
Thirty volunteers from YMSCR were sacked amid the row over one of its members being accused of indecent assault.
On Friday, the Minster said efforts to recruit replacements from other areas to cover Christmas bell-ringing had been thwarted by "intimidation".
The Minster has said the team member concerned was deemed to pose an "ongoing risk" and could not be reinstated.
This was despite an application for a Sexual Risk Order - which can be made by a court against an individual deemed to pose a risk of harm, irrespective of whether an offence has been committed - being refused by magistrates in December 2015 and no charges having been brought.
The volunteer ringing team of 30 were then dismissed after refusing to accept the Minster's decision.
The YMSCR has now said no members have engaged in any intimidation of other ringers.
The statement also said no member had been found guilty of any crime related to safeguarding, and that no evidence for the Minster's risk assessment had been sought from the group.
The group said it had not been offered safeguarding briefings by Minster staff, and the group had always complied with safeguarding policies.
The Minster has previously said it had always intended to recruit a new team of volunteers by Easter 2017 and that all the dismissed bell-ringers were welcome to apply.

Summary: York Minster's bell-ringers have denied intimidating or threatening other ringers who might replace them.
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Article: Food already has calorie information, but most alcohol is exempt.
Public health experts say mandatory labelling is needed to inform consumers and help halt rising rates of obesity.
However, the MEPs' vote is not binding and it will still take many months, or even years, before the proposals could become law.
Alcoholic drinks that contain more than 1.2% alcohol by volume are exempt from EU regulations on nutritional labelling that came in to force in 2011 covering all food and soft drink.
Glenis Willmott, MEP for the East Midlands, is a supporter of the call to implement mandatory alcohol labelling.
She said: "Europe is still the heaviest-drinking region in the world but many people don't realise that a large glass of wine contains the same number of calories as a slice of cake.
"In order to reduce the burden of alcohol-related harm, we must make sure people are given clear information to enable them to make informed choices."
And in the BMJ this week, Fiona Sim, chairwoman of the Royal Society for Public Health, says among adults who drink, an estimated 10% of their daily calorie intake comes from alcohol.
Yet a recent survey found that 80% of the 2,117 adults questioned did not know the calorie content of common drinks, and most were completely unaware that alcohol contributed to the total calories they consumed.
"Information provided to consumers must be honest and useful," she writes. "There is no reason why calories in alcohol should be treated any differently from those in food."
Some alcoholic-drink manufacturers have, voluntarily, begun to introduce nutritional labelling.
A spokesman for the Portman Group, which represents alcohol producers, said: "A number of drinks companies and retailers are already taking voluntary action when it comes to calorie labels.
"But we live in a digital age and should be thinking innovatively about how people access information, not just focusing on product labels which are limited in size and space.
How many calories
Source: Royal Society for Public Health, Drinkaware

Summary: MEPs have backed calls for calorie labels to be put on all alcoholic drinks in a vote at the European Parliament.
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Article: Accident and emergency and maternity services at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch could be moved to hospitals in Worcester or Birmingham.
It is part of plans by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust to save £50m.
The 32-page report has been produced by Redditch Borough and Bromsgrove and Stratford-on-Avon district councils.
It stated: "The removal of services from Redditch will leave what is already a vulnerable society with the worst accessibility to health services in the region.
"[It] will introduce substantial inequalities with the populations of Redditch, Bromsgrove, Studley, Alcester and neighbouring areas being significantly worse off than all other areas in Worcestershire."
The report has been submitted to Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) for its current review of the county's hospitals.
The CCG is looking at two options for services at the Alexandra Hospital as part of a £35m reorganisation of health services in Worcestershire.
For the first option, some services at Alexandra Hospital would move to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
Alternatively, it would be taken over by a University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Birmingham's QE Hospital.
The council report said if downgrading services was unavoidable, then Birmingham was the more "feasible option" because of better transport links.
Leader of Redditch Borough Council, Bill Hartnett said: "The prevalence of stroke, asthma and high blood pressure in Redditch are higher than the national average with over 28% of adults obese.
"With a clear link between physical and mental health problems and deprivation, the removal of key health services from the Alexandra Hospital to an inaccessible central base would put some of our most vulnerable residents at risk."
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust were unavailable for comment.

Summary: Cutting services from a Worcestershire hospital will put some of the most vulnerable people in the county at risk, a joint council report has said.
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Article: It found almost half a million people have had to leave work for medical reasons within five years before they were due to retire.
In March the government announced an independent review into the state pension age.
Research by the TUC research points to a significant north/south divide.
In the south west of England, just one in 13 people blamed sickness or disability for leaving work. However, that figure rises to one in seven in the north of England, Scotland and Wales and one in four in Northern Ireland.
Those in the lowest-paid jobs or in manual work are also twice as likely to stop working for health reasons than managers or professionals.
TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "These figures show that we must hold off on any further rises in the pension age until we have worked out how to support the one in eight workers who are too ill to work before they even get to state pension age.
"People should be able to retire in dignity with a decent pension when the time is right. Older workers have a crucial role to play in the labour market but we can't expect the sick to wait longer to get a pension when they may need financial support more than ever."
A government review of the state pension age is being led by ex-CBI chief John Cridland. Its findings are due to be published in May.
The state pension age is set to rise to 65 for both men and women by November 2018 and 67 by 2028.
Tom McPhail, head of retirement policy at financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown, said earlier this year: "Those joining the workforce today are likely to find themselves waiting until their mid-seventies to get a pay-out from the state system."

Summary:


The Co-op has been ordered to provide clearer insurance quotations, after it failed to tell motorists about separate charges for no claims bonuses.

Article: In a report to the UN, it underlined the need for stop-and-search to take place within the legal framework set out by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
It initially raised the issue with the UN Human Rights Committee a year ago.
The body has previously called for an end to non-statutory stop-and-search.
The latest move follows public concern about the widespread use of stop-and-search measures in Scotland.
Police have considered scrapping consensual searches, having already committed to ceasing the practice with under-12s.
Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) chairman Prof Alan Miller said: "Stop-and-search has its place as a means of ensuring public safety.
"However, it should only be carried out where there is a clear legal basis for interfering with someone's basic right to privacy.
"We should all be free to go about our daily business unless the police have reasonable suspicion that we are doing something illegal.
"Police Scotland has repeatedly failed to take appropriate steps to address the concerns that the commission and others have raised.
"A review announced in February promised progress but, in reality, has not led to any tangible change."
He added: "Unlawful stop and search continues to take place on Scotland's streets. This must stop."
SHRC said it looked forward to a forthcoming report by the Stop and Search Advisory Group, established by the Scottish government, and would respond accordingly.
In a statement, Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson said: "Police Scotland recognises it is important to strike a balance between protecting the public and the rights of the individual and we are committed to complying with requirements of the Human Rights Act and our Code of Ethics and Police Values, where stop and search must be carried out with integrity, fairness and respect."
ACC Mawson said "some areas for improvement" had been identified following an extensive review of stop-and-search by Police Scotland and independent reviews by bodies such as the...

Summary: The Scottish Human Rights Commission has taken its concerns about controversial police stop-and-search practices to the United Nations.
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Article: The State of Rural Services report says lack of public transport is harming opportunities in education.
There are also concerns about gaps in access to broadband in rural areas.
Margaret Clark, of Rural England, said rural youngsters were losing out because of "poor transport services".
The report warns that young people's choices in secondary school and further education are significantly narrowed in rural areas by patchy and expensive public transport.
Most young people in these countryside areas cannot get to school in a "reasonable travel time" by public transport or walking, which means their choices depend on where they can be driven by their parents.
The Rural England study says there are more people with low qualifications in rural areas - but being able to improve their skills in further education is made difficult because of weak transport links.
Local authority funding for buses in rural areas has fallen by 25% in the past four years, says the report, and about half of people in smaller villages do not have access to any public transport.
It also shows that the amount spent on transport by rural students is 20% higher than in urban areas.
The report says that 17% of England's population live in a rural area - and this tends to be an older population than the national average.
But for those young people in the country there are concerns that they are being isolated from services expected elsewhere in the country.
It is harder to get apprenticeships, there are few big employers to help with work experience and a lack of broadband can be a barrier to online learning and help with homework.
David Hughes, chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said choices about education should be based on what was the best option and "not just making the decision based on the cheapest bus or train fare".
Kirstie Donnelly, managing director of City & Guilds, said the study raised "significant concerns" about access to education outside of towns and cities.
"The sad reality is that we are seeing signs of a...

Summary: Three out of five young people in rural areas of England do not have adequate public transport to get to secondary school, according to research from Rural England.
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Article: The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales has announced how it will allocate £132m of public money.
Research and part-time undergraduate provision has been prioritised.
But it warned the increasing cost of the student tuition fee grant could also impact higher education funding.
HEFCW received a reduced budget from the Welsh Government this year, though the cut of £11m was less than originally feared.
Scrapping support for part-time postgraduate study - which received £6.5m last year - was one of the outcomes of a lower budget settlement, it said.
As well as funding from HEFCW, universities receive student tuition fees of up to £9,000 per student, which include more than £5,000 per year through the tuition fee grant for Welsh students.
HEFCW's budget from the Welsh Government has dropped as the tuition fee grant payments have increased.
It is estimated tuition fee grants will cost the Welsh government £237 million in 2016-17.
But it has told HEFCW that it might withhold another £21m of its budget if the cost exceeds this sum.
For the next academic year HEFCW allocated:
Dr David Blaney, chief executive of HEFCW, said: "Using HEFCW funding, universities and other higher education providers can continue to ensure part-time courses are as accessible as possible by keeping the cost down.
"These courses must continue to be an attractive option for students whose circumstances are not suited to a full-time course.
"Research funding accounts for over 60% of our total allocation and, as the largest public investor in research in Wales, we are pleased that we can continue to provide universities with this critical research funding.
"The increasing cost of the tuition fee grant may impact further on these funding allocations.
"The findings of Professor Sir Ian Diamond's independent review of higher education funding and student finance arrangements will be critical to informing a future policy that provides a sustainable balance of investment between Welsh students and Welsh higher education providers."

Summary: Support for part-time postgraduate study has been scrapped due to a reduced budget this year, the body in charge of funding Welsh universities has said.
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Article: S&P said the the referendum result could lead to "a deterioration of the UK's economic performance, including its large financial services sector".
Rival agency Fitch lowered its rating from AA+ to AA, forecasting an "abrupt slowdown" in growth in the short-term.
The moves come after Chancellor George Osborne said the UK will face the future "from a position of strength".
Speaking earlier, in an attempt to restore calm to the markets, the chancellor said the economy would need to "adjust" but was strong enough to cope.
S&P had been the only major agency to maintain a AAA rating for the UK. It has now cut its rating by two notches to AA.
On Friday, Moody's cut the UK's credit rating outlook to negative.
A rating downgrade can affect how much it costs governments to borrow money in the international financial markets. In theory, a high credit rating means a lower interest rate (and vice versa).
S&P said that the leave result would "weaken the predictability, stability, and effectiveness of policymaking in the UK".
Other things being equal, a downgrade can mean higher borrowing costs. But this time other things are not equal at all.
Since the event which led to the downgrade - the referendum - those costs have gone down.
The risk associated with UK government debt or bonds might in some sense be a little higher than before, but they are still seen as a safe investment compared with other assets.
In a situation where investors have become more reluctant to hold risky assets they buy safer ones including government bonds and that tends to lower the interest rate the government has to pay when it next goes to the market to borrow.
And then there is the increased chance that the Bank of England will reduce its own interest rates because of concerns about the economic impact of Brexit. That tends to push government borrowing costs in the same direction.
Fitch expects an abrupt slowdown in UK growth in the short term.
But it also warned that medium term growth is likely to be weaker "due to less favourable terms for...

Summary: The UK has lost its top AAA credit rating from ratings agency S&P following the country's Brexit vote.
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Article: Daventry District Council already uses three dog control orders (DCOs) targeting dog foul, dogs in play areas and dogs on leads.
The "new power" proposed by the council would force dog owners to show how they would clear up after their animals.
The council admits the idea, to be decided on Thursday, could be "controversial".
Owners caught without a bag or other means of collecting dog mess could be issued with a £100 penalty notice, with the potential of a £1,000 court fine if left unpaid.
A spokesman for the council said: "The proposed new power to enable our officers to require dog owners to produce the means by which they will pick up after their dogs has the potential to be controversial.
"The consultation process will give the public an opportunity to lobby against the use of this power or alternatively provide essential support to its introduction."

Summary: Dog owners caught without the means of clearing up after their pets could be fined up to £1,000.
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Article: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had ordered all insurance companies to split out the extra charges for the additional protection.
But the Co-op was the only firm which missed a deadline to do so, in August last year.
As a result around 120,000 customers received quotations that were unclear.
From 1 February, the Co-op will provide two separate quotations - one with no claims bonus protection, and one without.
"It is very disappointing that a major company such as Co-op Insurance has taken so long to provide this vital information to its customers," said Adam Land, senior director of remedies, business and financial analysis at the CMA.
"Before the order came into force, the price and benefits of NCB [no claims bonus] protection were often unclear to drivers.
"We expect the Co-op to fully comply with the terms of our directions immediately, so that motorists can search more easily for the best deal for them, and decide whether or not they want this optional cover."
The Co-op said most of its quotations do now provide separate details of no claims bonus charges.
"For 90% of our new business customers we are already fully compliant with this order," a spokesperson said.
"We are part way through a major transformation programme, which when complete will allow us to be fully compliant and enable us to provide best in class service to our members."

Summary: