The two nations meet in a 2018 World Cup qualifier on Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, when the United Kingdom remembers those who have lost their lives in war.
The Football Association of Wales has also written to FIFA requesting permission to wear poppies on armbands during their game against Serbia

The Football Associations of England and Scotland say they will ignore a ban on players wearing poppies in their upcoming match on 11 November.

Article: Worker output per hour in the UK fell 1.2% during the last three months of 2015 compared with the previous quarter, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Output per hour in manufacturing fell by 2% from the previous quarter, while in the service sector it dropped 0.7%.
Poor rates of productivity in the UK have been a concern to policymakers.
In last month's Budget, the Office for Budget Responsibility cut its growth forecasts for the UK economy after it lowered its predictions for productivity.
The fall in productivity in the fourth quarter of the year followed a 0.6% rise in the third quarter.
Over 2015 as a whole, output per hour rose by 1%, which the ONS said was the strongest increase since 2011.
The ONS said that labour productivity overall - covering output per hour, output per worker and output per job - was about 0.5% higher in the fourth quarter of 2015 than in the same period a year earlier.
"How productivity develops going forward is critical to the economy's growth potential," according to Howard Archer, an economist at IHS Global Insight.
"The crucial question for the UK economy is, does the fourth quarter of 2015 mark a temporary relapse in productivity. Or is it evidence that the UK has an ongoing serious productivity problem."
Suren Thiru, head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "There are deep-rooted structural problems in our economy that have dampened productivity - from skills shortages, to infrastructure bottlenecks and limited growth finance.
"Delivering solutions to these critical issues would go a long way to achieving the productivity gains we need."

Summary: Productivity among UK workers at the end of last year fell at the fastest pace since 2008, official figures show.
###
Article: The two nations meet in a 2018 World Cup qualifier on Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, when the United Kingdom remembers those who have lost their lives in war.
But Fifa, who are in charge of world football, say they do not allow any nations to have any political, religious or commercial messages on shirts.
They had turned down a request to allow England and Scotland's players to wear armbands with poppies on.
The FAs have now said that they will let their players wear the armbands anyway and will accept any punishment.
Poppies are worn by millions as a symbol to remember those who have lost their lives in war or been injured.
British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has said Fifa's refusal of players being allowed to wear poppies is "outrageous".
Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, she said: "Our football players want to recognise and respect those who have given their lives for our safety and security - I think it is absolutely right they should be able to do so."
The Football Association of Wales has also written to Fifa requesting permission to wear poppies on armbands during their game against Serbia in Cardiff on 12 November but has not yet said if it will ignore the ban.

Summary:


"We are not going to be able to afford to buy e-readers, but we are going to be able to afford to buy e-readers, but we are going to be able to afford to buy e-readers, but we are going to be able to afford to buy e-readers

Sony has given up selling its line of Reader devices for e-books after failing to find a big enough market.

Article: Ashley Coe was working on a new solar plant for British Solar Renewables in Devon when a digger operating beneath the overhead cable caused the accident.
He suffered a serious brain injury and two other workers were also hurt, Exeter Crown Court heard.
Sub contractor Pascon was fined £35,000 for failing to manage the work safely.
Mr Coe was working for Walsall-based Pascon when the incident happened in March 2013 at Knockworthy Farm near Huntshaw.
The digger which struck the 33,000 volt cables was reversing while laying a cable in a trench and Mr Coe was helping to control the drum when he suffered the shock.
British Solar Renewables, of Butleigh, Somerset, admitted breaching the construction, design and management regulations by failing to ensure the safety of power cables.
Pascon admitted failing to plan, manage and monitor construction work adequately.
The court was told Mr Coe was left with mobility problems which prevented him from working again.  Fellow workers Malcolm Stewart and Andrew Capper suffered less serious injuries.
Simon Morgan, prosecuting, said the cables should have been protected by fencing, goal posts, and bunting to prevent vehicles operating beneath them and a banksman should have been used to ensure safe movement of plant.
BSR were fined £250,000 with £72,000 costs and Pascon were fined £35,000 with £25,000 costs.

Summary: A solar power company has been fined £250,000 after a worker suffered life-changing injuries when he received an electric shock from a high-power cable.
###
Article: "We do not have plans to develop a successor Reader model at this time," the Japanese firm told the BBC.
The PRS-T3 was the last version made and will exist as long as supplies remain in Europe.
Earlier this year, Sony pulled out of selling e-books and directed its users in the US and Europe to the e-bookstore of rival Kobo.
North American customers using Sony Readers have been directed to buy books from Kobo since February this year, and European and Australian customers since May, a Sony spokeswoman said.
But users in Japan, Sony's home country, can continue to still get its line of Readers and access Sony's Reader Store.
The news was first reported by German site Lesen.
The dominance of Amazon's range of Kindles and the growing smartphone, tablet and so-called phablet market have made it hard for Sony's suite of e-readers and rivals like Nook to carve out a niche for themselves. According to The Bookseller, Amazon has around 90% of the dedicated e-reader market in the UK.
Canadian firm Kobo was bought by Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten, which is looking to grow its business globally in a bid to challenge Amazon.
The global market in dedicated e-readers peaked in 2011 with 23 million devices sold, but is expected to fall to 10 million by 2017 as phones and tablets eat into the overall market, according to the research consultancy Gartner.
Still, the sale of printed books will be outstripped by e-books by 2018, a report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers suggested.

Summary:

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The group, which refers to itself as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, had not previously maintained an established online channel for its propaganda or any official social media presence in any language.
The group has also been using the feed to publish a stream of short statements about

Council tax bills in England could cost an average of £200 more for band D properties by 2020, the Local Government Association has warned.

Article: The group, which refers to itself as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, had not previously maintained an established online channel for its propaganda or any official social media presence in any language.
But on 18 January, an Arabic-language Twitter account purporting to be the official outlet for a new Boko Haram media group called Al-Urwah al-Wuthqa was launched and immediately promoted by key pro-IS media operatives.
Since then, the group has used the feed to publish a stream of propaganda, including several new videos, although there has been some disruption to its media activities following the suspension of the original account by Twitter.
The increased sophistication and organisation of the propaganda that followed the launch of the Twitter account bore signs of the influence of IS, which has honed its social media exploitation over the past year.
This appeared to indicate that the group may have been assisted by IS media operatives, or influenced by IS in an indirect way.
Boko Haram has followed the example of IS by publishing branded photographs of its militants and the areas under its control to illustrate its successes on the ground.
The Twitter feed has also been posting a stream of short statements about the group's activities, claiming operations in a timely manner, in the mould of Islamic State's one-line tweeted claims.
The videos released so far via the new Boko Haram Twitter account have been more slickly crafted than the group's standard grainy offerings, with professionally designed graphics and high-quality opening sequences.
This improvement and the use of multiple languages and well-presented subtitles - using English, Arabic, French and Hausa - suggested the group may have had outside help from IS media operatives.
Arabic-language jihadist anthems have also been used, one of which has been routinely used in IS propaganda.
The latest video, showing the beheading of two Nigerian "spies", bore remarkable similarities to IS beheading videos. The staging, slow motion techniques...

Summary: Following the launch of an official Twitter feed for the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram in January, there have been multiple signs that the group's media operation has been influenced by the expansionist Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis or Isil).
###
Article: The claim comes after extra fundraising powers for councils were outlined in last week's government Spending Review.
But the LGA said councils would still face a combined shortfall of £6.8bn by the end of the Parliament.
The government said council tax was expected to be lower in real terms in 2020 than a decade earlier.
In the Spending Review, Chancellor George Osborne said local authorities responsible for adult social care would be allowed to increase council tax by 2% above existing limits.
By adding in the maximum new levies allowable without a referendum, the LGA estimated that Band D bills could cost an average of just under £200 more over the next five years.
It said this would not be enough, particularly as budgets continued to face new pressures such as those caused by an aging population.
Any shortfall might have to be made up by further increases to costs such as car parking charges, it added.
One senior councillor said councils were now also facing "a reckless gamble" of having to use cash reserves to fund services.
A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said: "In reality councils will have almost £200bn to spend on local services over the lifetime of this Parliament, a cash terms increase and a reduction of just 1.7% in real terms each year.
"The Spending Review offers a £3.5bn package for adult social care to ensure councils can support their older and most vulnerable residents, while at the same time council tax is expected to be less in 2019-20 in real terms than it was in 2010-11.
"With councils accounting for a quarter of all public spending it's right they continue to play their part in paying off the deficit."

Summary:


The CQC is a "special" care facility in the Westmorland General Hospital, which is located in the Westmorland General Hospital.
The CQC is a "special" care facility in the Westmorland General Hospital.
The CQC is a "special" care facility in the

A failing health trust has been placed in special measures, meaning all Cumbria hospital trusts are now getting extra help to boost performance.

Article: It follows media coverage claiming the institution is banning "prep" - a public school term for homework - to "save pupils from depression".
Principal Eve Jardine-Young said: "The headline about homework being banned was not entirely accurate."
She said it was being looked at as part of an "overall review of learning".
Claims the prestigious independent school was considering scrapping homework were made in The Times after an interview Ms Jardine-Young gave to the newspaper.
Although the principal admits the girls' school is looking into the "daily" prep being handed out to its 850 students, she said it was not abolishing "traditional homework".
"It's about stepping back and asking what is homework for, what is the effectiveness of the prep?," she said.
"It's an important debate to have but it's complex and it's very easy to turn it into a binary issue of 'yes or no' on homework."
In October, the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) reported that the college's set homework was "appropriate and stimulating".
But Ms Jardine-Young said the regimented "Victorian approach to homework" needed to be reviewed to make it "relevant for the 21st Century learner".
"It's about transforming and evolving from that Victorian model of the past," she said.
"It's a really important issue for all schools; the potential young boys and girls have just cannot be maximised if they are unhappy or really stressed about things in life.
"There's a lot of complexity on this so we're involving parents in that discussion and it's really crucial that the pupils themselves have a voice."
The school caters for day pupils and boarders aged between 11 and 18.

Summary: The head of Cheltenham Ladies' College has had to "break the news" to pupils that the "end of homework is not quite as imminent" as they might have hoped.
###
Article: University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust was rated as inadequate in an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
It said the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Furness General Hospital in Barrow needed to improve the quality of care.
The trust said it was "part-way through a process of significant improvement".
Last year, a separate trust covering the north of the county, North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust, was one of 11 put into special measures after the Keogh review found higher-than-expected mortality rates.
The CQC inspection took place in February and while inspectors said care in services such as maternity and A&E had improved since previous checks, they added other areas of concern had not been addressed.
Medical care in one part of the Royal Lancaster was said to be "of particular concern".
The overall recruitment of nurses and doctors was identified as a "fundamental" worry with "too much reliance" on temporary staff.
The chief inspector of hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, said: "There is a long history of concern with the quality of service provided by the trust, so it is disappointing to report that a number of the issues that have been identified in the past remain unresolved.
"I do not believe that the trust is likely to resolve its challenges without external support."
As well as the hospitals in Barrow and Lancaster, inspectors also visited the Westmorland General Hospital, near Kendal, which was said to be providing a good service overall.
The trust's chief executive, Jackie Daniel said: "The reports reflect the fact we are part-way through a process of significant improvement which is still going to take a number of years to complete.
"It isn't an overnight job to change the culture of a large, complex organisation."
Full reports of the inspection have been published on the CQC website.

Summary:


The pharmines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says young people are gambling with their health by using prescription medicines in a bid to get higher marks in exams.
The pharmines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says young people are gambling with their health by using prescription medicines in a bid to get higher marks in exams.
The pharm

The government's watchdog has issued a warning to students about the dangers of taking "smart drugs".

Article: The attorney general's office said he was suspected of signing a contract that was "unfavourable to Fifa" and making a "disloyal payment" to European football chief Michel Platini.
Mr Blatter was being questioned, and his office was searched, it added.
The 79-year-old, who has run Fifa since 1998, has always denied any wrongdoing.
Fifa, which has been hit by a string of corruption allegations in recent years, said it was co-operating with the investigation.
"Swiss criminal proceedings against the president of Fifa, Mr Joseph Blatter, have been opened... on suspicion of criminal mismanagement... and - alternatively - misappropriation," the Swiss attorney general's office said in a statement.
It said Mr Blatter was suspected of signing a contract with former Caribbean football chief Jack Warner in 2005 that was "unfavourable to Fifa" and in doing so "violated his fiduciary duties and acted against the interest of Fifa..."
The contract they mention is thought to refer to a TV rights deal agreed between Fifa and Mr Warner's organisation Concacaf which, according to an investigation by a Swiss broadcaster earlier this month, allegedly resulted in a multi-million pound profit for Mr Warner's own company.
Fifa owns the TV rights to the World Cup and sells them to regional federations which then sell them on to broadcasters.
Mr Blatter's lawyer, Richard Cullen, said he was confident the inquiry would clear Mr Blatter of any wrongdoing.
"We are confident that when the Swiss authorities have a chance to review the documents and the evidence, they will see that the contract was properly prepared and negotiated by the appropriate staff members of Fifa who were routinely responsible for such contracts, and certainly no mismanagement occurred," he said.
According to the Swiss attorney general, Mr Blatter is also suspected of making a "disloyal payment" of two million Swiss francs ($2m; Â£1.3m) in 2011 to Mr Platini, the statement said.
It said the payment was "at the expense of Fifa, which was allegedly made for work...

Summary: Swiss prosecutors say they are investigating Sepp Blatter, the head of football's world governing body Fifa, on suspicion of criminal mismanagement.
###
Article: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says young people are gambling with their health by using prescription medicines in a bid to get higher marks in exams.
Many websites illegally sell drugs like Ritalin and Modafinil without a valid prescription.
The drugs can cause dependency, heart problems and psychosis.
So far this year, the MHRA has closed nearly 5,000 websites selling fake or unlicensed medicines.
Modafinil is designed to be used for a health condition called narcolepsy - a rare but serious brain disorder that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times. But some students take it to stay alert.
Others take Ritalin, a treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), for a cognitive boost.
MHRA Senior Policy Manager Lynda Scammell said: "You may be offered 'smart drugs' or 'cognitive enhancers' at university - some of them may be potent medicines which should only be prescribed by a doctor.
"Modafinil is licensed for specific medical conditions - not for use as a 'boost' during exams. Don't put your health at risk by self-medication - it could have serious side-effects.
"It's a criminal offence to supply prescription-only medicines without a valid prescription - websites offering them are acting illegally.
"Be smart - don't put your health at risk by buying medicines online and don't give your student loan to a criminal."

Summary:


The Conservatives reported over £2.8m in donations, while the Labour Democrats received £3,000, the BNP reported £94,428 and UKIP £42,943.
The Labour Democrats received £3,000, the BNP reported £94,428 and UKIP £42,943.

A council which installed Braille paving stones branded "gobbledygook" has said the slabs were only intended to be "creative".

Article: A total of almost £6.5m in donations were registered for July to September, Electoral Commission figures show.
The Labour Party reported £2,027,371 in donations, while the Liberal Democrats received £928,888.
Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru reported £11,000, the BNP reported £94,428 and UKIP £42,943.
These figures relate to the period between 1 July and 30 September 2016.
The Electoral Commission said the £6.5m was £8.5m down on the second quarter of 2016 - which involved elections and the UK's EU referendum - but around £363,000 more than the same quarter in 2015.
The seven political parties to report the most donations were:
The Conservative Party received 160 donations, with Michael Davis making the biggest donation at £269,000, followed by Alexander Fraser handing over £260,000.
The party also received £200,000 from the Conservative Draws Society and £165,000 from David Brownlow.
Labour received 91 donations, including £689,362 from the UK's largest trade union UNISON, £429,928 from Unite the Union,  £308,049 from the GMB and £247,923 from the Communications Workers Union.
Transparency
Liberal Democrats received 167 donations, with Graham and Susan Tobbell contributing the most at £125,000 each. Of the Co-operative Party's four donors, £312,800 from the Co-operative Group Ltd was the largest.
Bob Posner, the Electoral Commission's director of political finance and regulation, and legal counsel, said: "This data is hugely important in ensuring that our political finance system is as transparent as possible and it is therefore always disappointing where there is a failure to meet the statutory deadline.
"Where there is no reasonable explanation for such a failure, we will take a robust approach in dealing with this."
In addition to the donations registered, five parties accepted more than £2.3m from public funds - money and assistance to parliamentary opposition parties to assist with costs.
The value of outstanding loans to political parties stood at £4,358,508 on 30 September - a decrease of £191,080 compared to...

Summary: The Conservatives reported over £2.8m in donations in the three months after the EU referendum - the highest amount of the major parties, figures reveal.
###
Article: Hull City Council had hoped the decorative stones would help raise the profile of those in the city who were visually impaired.
They were supposed to spell out the poem, The City Speaks, by Shane Rhodes.
But Braille teacher Barry Wheatley said it made no sense as the Braille is too big and lacks spaces between words.
The council said it was only intended to be "creative" tactile paving.
Read more about this and other stories from East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire
Mr Wheatley said he initially thought the stones along Jameson Street and King Edward Street were a great idea but soon realised they were pointless.
"Braille is the size of your fingertips and to get down on your knees and feel this, well it is meaningless," he said.
"Even if you are a sighted Braille reader then it is like reading a sentence in print without any spaces in it.
"It is just gobbledygook."
He also said it did not work to guide blind or partially sighted people down the street, as it ran into street furniture.
Councillor Martin Mancey said he did not believe anything had "gone wrong" with the paving, which had only recently been installed.
"It was never intended to be a clearly legible form of the poem, it was an artistic interpretation.
"It has already achieved one of its purposes which was to raise the awareness of the needs of blind and partially sighted people in the city centre."
He said he was not aware of any obstacles that prevented it being used as a navigational guide.

Summary:


The report was published in the UK's The Queen's Daily Telegraph.
The report was published in the UK's The Queen's Daily Telegraph.
The report was published in the UK's The Queen's Daily Telegraph.
The report was published in the UK's The Queen's Daily Telegraph.
The report was published

The Royal Yacht Britannia has been judged as Scotland's best visitor attraction every year for the past decade.

Article: A report in January revealed proposed changes that NHS bosses have since said could save Â£31m.
The 14-week consultation began in March and is to finish at midnight.
A petition against the Huddersfield hospital's closure plan currently has more than 63,000 signatures.
More than 4,300 people have already completed the consultation survey organised by the NHS Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Groups.
Under the proposals all emergency, acute and high-risk planned care would be brought together at Calderdale Royal Hospital in neighbouring Halifax.
A new site in Acre Mills, Huddersfield would be developed as a hospital for planned care - but with no A&E.
The plans would eventually see 612 beds at Calderdale Royal Hospital and 120 at the proposed hospital at Acre Mills.
Several demonstrations against the closure of Huddersfield Royal Infirmary have been staged in the town.
Demolishing the infirmary and relocating emergency services to Calderdale would cost Â£470m compared with Â£501m under proposals considered for Huddersfield, said a draft public consultation document.
The proposed changes would "result in the greatest overall benefits" for people living in Calderdale and Greater Huddersfield, according to the CCGs.
The final decision on the plan is expected to be made public in October.

Summary: Plans to demolish Huddersfield Royal Infirmary and replace it with a new facility with no A&E have entered a final day of public consultation.
###
Article: And this year the yacht received a record score of 96%, the highest mark ever awarded to a visitor attraction in Scotland.
It was rated by national tourism organisation VisitScotland.
VisitScotland's quality assurance scheme, is the official measure of quality for tourism businesses.
Tourism businesses are assessed on the welcome, attitude, knowledge and efficiency of staff, as well as audience level, interpretation, maintenance and cleanliness.
With 308,906 visitors in 2015, the Royal Yacht last week announced 2015 as its best since its opening year in 1999.
Almost five million people from around the world have visited The Queen's former yacht since it opened to visitors in Edinburgh in 1998.
Britannia's chief executive Bob Downie said: "To be the best in Scotland once is a fantastic achievement, but to do this for 10 consecutive years is a phenomenal tribute to our staff who go the extra mile to ensure that all our visitors have a great experience when they visit Britannia.
"The true test of any great organisation is consistency of performance, delivering great value for time and money, year in year out, and there is no doubt that our pioneering approach to providing great customer experiences has underpinned our success."
Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland's chief executive, said: "I'd like to congratulate Britannia on this fantastic achievement, which demonstrates an outstanding commitment to quality and excellence in every aspect of the business.
"Retaining the accolade of Scotland's best attraction for 10 years running, Britannia is setting the standards for tourism in Scotland, and it is a real testament to the total commitment shown by their staff to consistently deliver a world-leading customer experience."

Summary:


The report was published in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
The report was published in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
The report was published in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
The report was published in the journal

Many species will not be able to adapt fast enough to survive climate change, say scientists.

Article: The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said emissions in Scotland fell by 9.9% in 2011.
The drop for the UK as a whole was 6.9%.
However, climate campaigners said the figures showed that the Scottish government still had more to do to meet future emission levels targets.
Much of the reduction was due to the weather and a switch from coal-fired electricity generation to nuclear and renewable sources.
The CCC said the reduction also reflected additional investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The committee is an independent statutory body set up under the Climate Change Act to advise the UK government on setting carbon budgets, and to report to parliament on the progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This is the latest Scottish breakdown of the UK emission figures for 2011.
There were drops of more than 20% in emissions from the the power and residential sectors, and a 15% reduction in emissions in the public sector.
Despite the fall in emissions, Scotland narrowly missed the legislated annual target of 53.4 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).
The CCC said this was due to a change in the way estimated emissions were calculated.
The committee's latest report, which is done for the Scottish government, said meeting future targets remained "very challenging".
It has highlighted several areas that will required further action in order to meet future targets.
They included developing the electric vehicle market through more investment in the charging infrastructure, and focusing on pilot projects for new farming practices.
David Kennedy, chief executive of the CCC, said: "There has been good progress in Scotland on reducing emissions in key sectors of the economy, notably through investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
"This should not be obscured by the fact that emissions in 2011 were above the level targeted because of a change to the accounting methodology. But much remains to be done in terms of policy development and implementation to achieve very...

Summary: Scotland has continued to make "good progress" on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the body which advises the UK government on the issue has said.
###
Article: A study of more than 250 plants and animals suggests their ability to adapt to changes in rainfall and temperature will be vastly outpaced by future climate change.
Amphibians, reptiles and plants are particularly vulnerable, according to US researchers.
And tropical species are at higher risk than those in temperate zones.
Some animals might be able to move geographically to cope with rising temperatures, but others live in isolated areas where they cannot move, such as in nature reserves or on mountains or islands.
Ecologists analysed how quickly species had changed their climatic niches (the conditions where they can survive) over time, and how these rates compared with that of global warming.
They analysed 266 populations of plants and animals, including insects, amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles.
Rates of change in climatic niches were much slower than rates of projected climate change, by more than 200,000 fold for temperature (on average), they said.
"Overall, our results show that rates of climatic niche change among populations of plants and animals are dramatically slower than projected rates of future climate change," said Tereza Jezkova and John Wiens, of the University of Arizona.
Mammals and birds might be better placed to survive than amphibians and reptiles, because they had the ability to regulate their own body temperatures, said Dr Wiens.
And, while some species might be able to move to higher latitudes or elevations to survive, "for a lot of organisms, that is not an option".
"It's a double jeopardy of climate change and habitat destruction," he told BBC News.
The research is published in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
Follow Helen on Twitter.

Summary:


The different language and genetic make-up of the Basque people in southern Spain and southern France has puzzled anthropologists for decades.
One theory proposed that they were an unmixed pocket of indigenous hunters.
Now, a study in PNAS journal suggests they arrived at the Iberian farmers' farm in the southern

DNA from ancient remains seems to have solved the puzzle of one of Europe's most enigmatic people: the Basques.

Article: PCBs were once used in electrical gear, paints and flame retardants, but were banned from the 1970s because of their toxic effect in humans and animals.
However the manmade chemicals have persisted in the environment, and are accumulating in top predators.
The study finds Europe's cetaceans have levels of PCBs that are among the highest found in on the oceans.
Lead author Dr Paul Jepson, a wildlife veterinarian from the Zoological Society of London, said: "For striped dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and killer whales, we have mean PCB levels that are excessive - they are really high - probably the highest in the world right now, by some way.
"Europe is a big big hotspot."
The contamination is so high that some populations of killer whales are facing extinction, he added.
The research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.
PCBs, polychlorinated biphenyls, were manufactured from the 1920s, but were banned in the US in 1979, in the UK in 1981 and in the rest of the EU in 1987.
They were found to have a wide-ranging impact on human and animal health, from links to cancer, to suppressing the immune system and causing reproductive problems.
However, these chemicals are extremely durable and despite the ban they are still found in the environment.
"Europe produced about 300,000 tonnes of PCBs from 1954 to 1984. That was about 15% of the world's total," said Dr Jepson.
"A lot of this PCB, we don't know how much, has not been disposed of and is slowly leaking into rivers and estuaries, from landfills, and eventually into the marine environment."
The chemicals then gradually work their way up the food chain and into the top marine predators, where they accumulate in the cetacean's blubber.
The researchers analysed samples taken from more than 1,000 killer whales and dolphins in Europe's waters.
"Our findings show that, despite the ban and initial decline in environmental contamination, PCBs still persist at dangerously high levels in European cetaceans," explained Dr Jepson.
The levels are higher than those...

Summary: A pollutant is present at "dangerously high levels" in Europe's killer whales and dolphins, scientists say.
###
Article: The distinct language and genetic make-up of the Basque people in northern Spain and southern France has puzzled anthropologists for decades.
One theory proposed that they were an unmixed pocket of indigenous hunters.
Now, a study in PNAS journal suggests they descend from early farmers who mixed with local hunters before becoming isolated for millennia.
The Basques have unique customs and a language - Euskera - that is unrelated to any other spoken in Europe, or indeed the world.
Nestled in a mountainous corner of Atlantic Europe, they also show distinct genetic patterns to their neighbours in France and Spain.
It seemed logical that they were representatives of an older layer of population settlement, but just how far back their roots went has been a topic of debate.
Mattias Jakobsson from Uppsala University in Sweden analysed the genomes of eight Stone Age human skeletons from El PortalÃ³n in Atapuerca, northern Spain.
These individuals lived between 3,500 and 5,500 years ago, after the transition to farming in southwest Europe.
The results show that these early Iberian farmers are the closest ancestors to present-day Basques.
Comparisons with other ancient European farmers show that agriculture was brought to Iberia by the same migrant groups that introduced it to central and northern Europe. These pioneers expanded from a homeland in the Near East, sweeping across Europe about 7,000 years ago to usher in the period known as the Neolithic.
Once the farmers settled down, they mixed with local hunter-gatherers - the descendants of people who lived in Europe during the last Ice Age.
Indeed, the El PortalÃ³n individuals had more hunter-gatherer ancestry than pioneer farmers from Germany, Hungary and Spain who lived several thousand years earlier.
The new study also goes some way to explaining some of the differences between the Basques and their neighbours in France and Spain.
After the initial farmer-hunter mixture was set, the ancestors of the Basques became isolated from surrounding groups - perhaps due to...

Summary:


The accused in the city of Atlanta face counts of racketeering, making false statements and conspiring to improve test scores to win cash bonuses.

The defendants include senior administrators, principals, assistant principals, teachers, testing co-ordinators, a school secretary and a school improvement specialist.

The defendants include senior administrators

As the race to become the Democratic presidential candidate heats up in the United States, the left-leaning Bernie Sanders has become a surprising star on social media, with young voters using mobile phone apps to push others to #feelthebern.

Article: The accused in the city of Atlanta face counts of racketeering, making false statements and conspiring to improve test scores to win cash bonuses.
Several of the defendants have already reported to jail in Fulton County.
Former Atlanta School Superintendent Beverly Hall is among those named in the grand jury's indictment.
In 2009, she was named national superintendent of the year by the American Association of School Administrators - the same year much of the alleged cheating is said to have taken place.
According to prosecutors, Ms Hall was given a $78,000 (Â£51,000) bonus from the public school system.
"The money she received, we are alleging, was ill gotten and it was theft," Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard told reporters on Friday, when the grand jury indictment was made public.
By Tuesday morning's deadline, five educators - not including Ms Hall - had turned themselves in, the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper reported. They were being held on bail bonds of up to $1m.
All those identified by the grand jury must surrender, or face arrest at home or at work.
A 65-count indictment alleges a major conspiracy to cheat, conceal cheating or retaliate against whistleblowers, while inflating student test scores.
The defendants include senior administrators, principals, assistant principals, teachers, testing co-ordinators, a school secretary and a school improvement specialist.
Ron Carlson, professor of law emeritus at the University of Georgia, told the Associated Press news agency: "It's the largest school teaching scandal yet recorded in the country."
Each accused is charged under a Georgia state law modelled on a federal statute enacted to target organised crime.

Summary: Thirty-five former school officials implicated in a test cheating scandal have until Tuesday to surrender to authorities in the US state of Georgia.
###
Article: As Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders clashed in their first one-on-one debate it was the senator from Vermont who started to trend worldwide.
So what are Bernie's supporters doing differently to bolster his support amongst younger voters? One place where he is a surprising hit is the dating app Tinder.
Kevin Smit from Alkmaar in the Netherlands has used Tinder to spread the Bernie gospel. "I'm not a heterosexual male and I too believe he's sexy" he joked to BBC News.
"He's a hit because there's a lot of millennials on the app and he polls amazingly with them".
Fans of Bernie's Tinder triumphs share their success on Facebook and Tumblr.
Logan Jantzi from New York told BBC News that it was Bernie's policies which lead to his Tinder appeal.
"He discusses problems that are of actual concern to young voters"  he said.
"Gender inequality, low wages, high student loan debt, climate change, these are the things that 18-30 somethings are concerned with."
Nelson Evans, a Bernie Sanders supporter from California, told BBC News that the popularity of Bernie on social media was because his supporters didn't think their candidate received enough attention in traditional media.
"There's people who even pay the full Tinder membership fees in order to reach others across the country" he said.
"I think it's effective because, prior to the Iowa caucus, the media has completely shut Bernie out of the news cycle. For every 81 minutes of election coverage he'd get 10 seconds and Bernie supporters know that."
"But people who get their election news from the mainstream media, they have no idea what Bernie is all about. That's sort of what started the Tinder thing.
"It's amazing how you see people from 17-29 who have gone from never being interested in politics to being completely enveloped by it.
"This election represents more than just a candidate. It's an indication that the youth know what direction they want our country to go, and they're ready to work vigorously for it," he added.
The hashtag #demdebate has been used more than...

Summary:


The women were reportedly dismissed by C&D Cleaning on Monday.
The women were reportedly dismissed by C&D Cleaning on Monday.
The women were reportedly dismissed by C&D Cleaning on Monday.
The women were reportedly dismissed by C&D Cleaning on Monday.
The women were reportedly

Three cleaners who went on strike over a pay dispute have been sacked in a move branded Scrooge-like by one MP.

Article: Copernicus will fly a constellation of satellites known as the Sentinels to take a continuous "health check" on the planet and to acquire data that can help inform and enforce EU policies.
It has been announced that the first spacecraft in the series will go into orbit, most likely, in early April.
Sentinel 1a will use radar to map the surface of the Earth.
Its information will find myriad uses, from monitoring European coastal waters for oil spills to investigating subsidence in cities.
A key role also will be to provide rapid damage maps to enable emergency services and aid agencies to respond to natural disasters such as earthquakes and severe flooding events.
Sentinel 1a is undergoing final testing at prime contractor Thales Alenia Space, at its facility in Cannes, France.
Shortly, it will be transferred to Turin, Italy, where it will take an Antonov transport plane to the Guianese spaceport in South America.
There it will be fuelled and attached to its Soyuz rocket, ready for an ascent no earlier than 28 March.
"We're making every effort to meet this date, but it's tight," said European Space Agency (Esa) director general, Jean-Jacques Dordain.
"The industrial teams are working double shifts, pretty much seven days a week," he told BBC News. 1 April is his anticipated launch date.
Copernicus is one of two flagship EU space projects, the other being the Galileo satellite-navigation system.
European states have so far committed some 7.5bn euros (Â£6.2bn; $10.2bn) to the end of the decade to build and operate Copernicus.
As such, it represents the biggest civilian Earth-observation project ever conceived, says Josef Aschbacher, the head of Esa's Copernicus office.
"Typically in Europe, we're always looking across the Atlantic and if we see something we like, we build a smaller version of it here. But something like Copernicus doesn't exist anywhere else in the world, and that's why our American and other international partners are extremely interested in collaborating."
Satellites are at their most powerful...

Summary: The date has been set for the roll-out of the European Union's multi-billion-euro Earth observation project.
###
Article: The women, who worked at Kinsley Academy, claimed their pay had been cut after the contract switched from Wakefield Council to C&D Cleaning.
The three women were reportedly dismissed by C&D Cleaning on Monday.
C&D have been approached for comment but confirmed to the Guardian the trio had had their employment terminated.
Labour MP for Hemsworth Jon Trickett said: "With only days till Christmas it looks like Scrooge has been brought back to life from Victorian times."
For updates and more stories from across West Yorkshire
Lesley Leake, Karen McGee and Marice Hall went on strike in September saying their pay had been slashed and their pensions, holiday and sick pay had also been cut when the contract changed hands after the primary school became an academy.
In October about 100 people joined the women on a protest march through Barnsley, where C&D Cleaning is based.
According to reports the women were sacked following a disciplinary hearing on 19 December.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "I am angered that three striking primary school cleaners from Kinsley have been sacked.
"When I met them, they explained how their wages were cut following the outsourcing of their contracts to a private company.
"Outsourcing is bad for our public services and workers. The cleaners' jobs must be brought back in-house with fair pay and conditions."
The BBC has approached C&D Cleaning for a comment.
In a statement published in the Guardian, the company said the women had been invited to a disciplinary hearing to "respond to allegations of gross misconduct".
It said: "The outcome of the hearing was termination of employment.
"The company will not comment further at this stage so as not prejudice any internal process."
Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: "These women bravely took action to protect their wages and employment rights.
"To then sack them just days before Christmas is heartless in the extreme."

Summary:


The school's headmaster said the "significant focus and distraction" caused by the prom " does not fit into the ethos of our school".
The letter from the colleague also referred to "alcohol and drug consumption at after-parties" as "a significant concern".
The letter from the colleague also referred to "

A girls' school has scrapped its end of year prom claiming it is too much of a "distraction" to pupils.

Article: The game is Nintendo's first full venture into mobile gaming and marked a significant shift for the firm which had previously not made apps.
The game is only available via Apple's app store and currently has an average rating of 2.5 stars.
Many players criticised the game and said it was expensive compared with other titles on the store.
The full game costs $10 (Â£8) but the first three levels of the game are free to play.
Super Mario Run was released on 15 December and since then, Nintendo shares have fallen. Shares in gamemaker DeNA Co, which helped develop the game, have fallen by 14% over the same time period.
The game is the first fruit of a strategic change in direction Nintendo signalled in 2015 when it announced that it planned to start producing mobile games.
It features Nintendo's mustachioed plumber scurrying across a scrolling landscape as he makes another attempt to rescue Princess Peach.
Players have complained that the three free levels could be completed too quickly and that it was too costly to buy the whole game.
"A $10 upfront cost to unlock the game is a huge ask and one that flies in the face of current mobile games being free-to-play," Daniel Ahmad, an analyst for researcher Niko Partners, told Bloomberg.
Nintendo needed to do more to let people know what they would get if they paid for it, he added.
Players have also criticised the game's need for an always-on internet connection which limited when and where they could play it.
Despite the negative reaction, Super Mario Run has topped the charts for most profitable games in many nations. Analysis firm App Annie said its monitoring of the game suggest it was downloaded more than 37 million times in its first three days. On average, it said, people spent more than 13 minutes every day on the game.
The launch of Super Mario Run came as Nintendo and partner Niantic relaunched Pokemon Go. That game enjoyed huge success earlier in the year but interest in it rapidly dwindled as updates dried up.

Summary: Bad reviews of Nintendo's Super Mario Run mobile game have led to an 11% fall in the firm's share price.
###
Article: The school's headmaster said the "growing expense and luxury" forced on parents was also a major concern.
Beaulieu Convent School in Jersey also referred to "worries about alcohol and drug consumption" at the end of Year 11 event for pupils aged 15-16.
A former pupil said the prom was an important milestone and accused the school of overreacting.
Chris Beirne, headmaster, said the "significant focus and distraction" caused by the prom "does not fit into the ethos of our school".
Writing to parents Mr Beirne cited a letter from an unnamed colleague who was convinced the preparations and the event were "not positive, constructive or healthy experiences".
The colleague wrote: "The financial strain and the inevitable competition associated with this is another very unwelcome, and sometimes crushing, aspect for many parents."
The letter from the colleague also referred to "alcohol and drug consumption at after-parties" as "a considerable concern".
It said the strain of trying "to be slim, fashionable, have perfect skin" led to "unacceptable pressure".
Mr Beirne said he could no longer "safely manage the risk" associated with the event.
The independent Catholic school said it would continue to offer Year 13 leavers a celebratory mass with their families followed by a drinks reception at the school.
The Â£5,400-a-year convent has around 760 students aged 4-18.
Former pupil Hannah Hosegood, 20, said her prom was "a first taste of maturity" and the school should tackle individual pupils if they had concerns about drugs or alcohol.
She said: "It's really upsetting knowing those girls won't be able to experience an event you spend a fair amount of time looking forward to and remember for the rest of your life."

Summary:


The Scottish national team has been in the midst of a massive campaign to raise £1,000,000 for the first time since the start of the season.
The Scottish national team has been in the midst of a massive campaign to raise £1,000,000 for the first time since the start of the season

A terminal cancer patient who has been told he has just months to live has conquered Mount Everest.

Article: Shot put world champion Aled Sion Davies and F46 Javelin thrower Hollie Arnold were among 13 initially selected in June.
And seven more were added when the rest of the 54-strong team was announced on Tuesday, 26 July.
They are Kyron Duke, Sabrina Fortune, Jordan Howe, Rhys Jones, Steven Morris, Laura Sugar and Olivia Breen.
Sugar, who will compete in the T44 sprints, took up athletics after watching the 2012 Games in London having previously represented Wales at hockey.
Born with the foot condition Talipes, Sugar was left with no ankle movement in her left leg after surgical correction, but was determined to take part in sport in school.
"I grew up and kind of ignored the fact that I shouldn't be able to do sport and became a hockey player for Wales," she told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"But after watching London 2012 I was inspired by that and I never realised that my foot made me eligible for the paralympics and I signed up for a talent day and it all kicked off from there.
"That was three years ago and now I'm heading for my first paralympics."
Davies, won F42 discus gold at the London Games, but cannot defend his title because the event will not be held in Rio. He also took a bronze at the in the shot put in 2012.
Breen is the only other Welsh track and field athlete going to Rio who won a medal in London - a bronze in the T35-38 4x100m relay.
Aled Davies (F42 shot put), Hollie Arnold (F46 javelin), Kyron Duke (F40 shot put and javelin), Sabrina Fortune (F20 discus), Jordan Howe (T35/F35 sprints), Rhys Jones (T37 sprints), Steven Morris (T20 1500 metres), Laura Sugar (T44 100 metres), Olivia Breen (38 sprints).

Summary: Great Britain's track and field team at the Rio Paralympics will include nine Welsh athletes.
###
Article: Ian Toothill said he believes he is the first cancer patient to scale the world's highest mountain.
The Sheffield Wednesday fan planted a flag of rivals Sheffield United at the summit for charity.
The 47-year-old personal trainer, who reached the summit on Monday, has raised almost £31,500 ($40,600) for Macmillan.
He tweeted: "Nothing to see here, just some cancer dude [Sheffield Wednesday] fan on the summit of Everest with a @SUFC_tweets flag."
Live updates and this and other stories from Yorkshire
Mr Toothill, originally from Sheffield, lives in Willesden Green in London and has climbed in the Himalayas.
He was diagnosed with bowel cancer in June 2015 and told in early 2016 that he had beaten the disease, but later found out it had returned.
He said he has been told he has "just several months left to live".
Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield in February, he said: "I'm determined to prove anything is possible."
He reached the top of the North Col route on 16 May and the summit of Everest on 5 June.
Miss NJP tweeted: "What an amazing achievement and a wonderful moment for @IanToothill. Feeling emotional. So glad you made it to the top #climbingforcancer".
The Sheffield Wednesday fan planted the rival Sheffield United flag at the summit after a friend donated £1,000.
Mr Toothill was accompanied part-way of the climb by Leslie Binns, from Rotherham, who abandoned his climb to the summit after saving the life of a fellow climber last June.
His fundraising bid raised almost £31,500, beating the target of £29,100.

Summary:


The SNP has held a South Ayrshire Council ward following a by-election which was called after the previous incumbent was elected as an MP.

Article: The No Surrender Parent Club marched around the war memorial in the city before attending a service in St Columb's Church of Ireland Cathedral.
The march is held separately from the main St Patrick's Day parade in Derry.
A club spokesperson said it was a "possibility" that they could join the main event in future years, and said they would "consider" any invitation.
The Apprentice Boys of Derry is an organisation set up to commemorate the Siege of Derry in August 1689.
It is named in memory of 13 young apprentices - supporters of the Protestant King William III - who closed the gates of the walled city to stop the advancing army of the Catholic King James II.
The club decided to march this year after the success of their demonstration 12 months ago which marked their 150th anniversary.
After the parade, club spokesman Gordon Porter said: "St Patrick's Day, as you know, throughout the world is a celebration of the whole of Ireland.
"A major part of that story is the siege of Derry, which is what the association of the Apprentice Boys is all about, so it's only right that we are parading today.
"We can tell our story once again within the city of Londonderry, and it only bodes well for the city that two cultures can walk along beside each other."
When asked if the Apprentice Boys would join the main parade at any point in the future, Mr Porter said: "Possibly, in the future, there could be a situation where that might happen. If we get the invite, we'll take it on merit and we'll certainly look into that.
"At the minute we're quite happy to do this by ourselves but in the future it is a possibility," he added.

Summary: The Apprentice Boys of Derry have marked St Patrick's Day with a parade and church service in Londonderry.
###
Article: The SNP's John Wallace won the Ayr East ward after the vote on Thursday.
Turnout for the by-election was 34.4%, with 4,006 votes cast out of an electorate of 11,638.
The by-election was called following the resignation of Corri Wilson, who was elected as SNP MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock earlier this year.

Summary:


The number of women dying from cancer of the womb - known as uterine cancer - has increased by nearly 20% in the past decade.
"The number of women dying from cancer of the womb - known as uterine cancer - has increased by nearly 20% in the past decade.
"The number of women

A graduate jobseeker has spoken of her horror at being called a "home-educated oddball" by a prospective employer.

Article: Data showedthat more cases are now being diagnosed. While women are living longer after a diagnosis, the total number of deaths has also increased.
It has been argued that rising levels of obesity were behind the rise.
Cancer Research UK said the finding was "hugely troubling".
Cancer of the womb is the fourth most common cancer in women and tends to occur after the menopause.
From the 1970s to 1996 the incidence of womb cancer stayed roughly the same at about 13.7 cases for every 100,000 women in the UK. It now stands at 19.6 per 100,000, a 43% increase.
Survival rates have improved with 77% of women now living at least five years after treatment. However, deaths have gone up.
In the past decade the mortality rate has gone from 3.1 to 3.7 deaths from uterine cancer for every 100,000 women. In 2010, 1,937 women died from the cancer.
Prof Jonathan Ledermann, a gynaecological cancer expert at the charity, said: "It's hugely troubling that more women are dying from womb cancer, but we shouldn't let this cloud the fact that the chances of surviving the disease are still better than ever.
"This is due to better organisation of care for women's cancers and more widespread use of one-stop clinics for post-menopausal bleeding, as well as advances in the use of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy through clinical trials."
Rachael Gormley, from the World Cancer Research Fund, said: "Womb cancer is one of several types of cancer where there is strong evidence that obesity increases risk. Others include breast, bowel, oesophageal, pancreatic and kidney.
"As levels of obesity rise, we can expect the number of cancer cases to also increase.
"Taking steps to avoid becoming obese, such as eating a healthy diet and being active each day, is one of the most important things we can do to reduce our risk of cancer."

Summary: The number of women dying from cancer of the womb - known as uterine cancer - has increased by nearly 18% in the past decade, according to the charity Cancer Research UK.
###
Article: Anna Jacobs read the description by Tecomak Environmental Services in an email inviting her for interview.
Attached seemingly by accident, the comments suggested Ms Jacobs, of Horsmonden in Kent, was "worth an interview if only for a laugh".
The company said it was investigating thoroughly but added the comments had been taken out of context.
Ms Jacobs told BBC South East Today she was initially excited to be invited for the interview for a position of office administrator.
But then she saw the "absolutely awful summary" and said she was "furious".
Below the formal invitation, the e-mail from Tecomak read: "Home educated oddball. Can't get a job since leaving uni. Forages for mushrooms.
"Difficult to assess from her CV - might be very good but equally could be a biscuit short of a packet or a left-wing loon tree hugger.
"Worth an interview if only for a laugh."
Ms Jacobs said she had a lot to offer and could not believe the firm was considering wasting her time for "a laugh".
So far, she said she has received no apology or explanation from Tecomak.
Employment lawyer Richard Atkins, said all jobseekers are entitled to equal treatment when applying for positions.
"On the face of it, this e-mail does not show that she has been treated with fairness and respect," he said.

Summary:


The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says GSK has made a "significant contribution" to the market, and has made a "significant contribution" to the market.
The CMA said it has made a "significant contribution" to the market, and has made a "significant contribution" to the market.

Pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and some generics companies have been fined for being anti-competitive.

Article: Special Report: The Technology of Business
Councils 'wasting millions' on IT
Tech promises sustainable healthcare
Mobile brightening Africa's future
Can we 'green' our toxic buildings?
War on waste helps businesses profit
But unplugged from the mains, they only last as long as the energy held within their batteries.
And there's the rub.
While scientists are constantly dreaming up new ways to generate and bottle energy - from rhubarb and paper to viruses and urine - commercial battery technology has changed remarkably little in the past 50 years, particularly when compared with the advances in the devices they power.
As Tim Probert, editor at Energy Storage Publishing, says: "The battery industry is pretty conservative. It says a lot that we are still using very old technology like lead-acid in batteries.
"Breakthrough technologies are great but they need a reality check - this industry is all about small, incremental improvements."
The humble AA battery has been around since the 1940s and is based on 19th Century technology. But it still has a 15% share of the global battery market, along with other alkaline batteries.
And the lead-acid battery, which is fundamental to most combustion engine-powered cars, was invented more than 150 years ago and holds a 20% share of the market.
Clearly the battery industry, which is worth almost $90bn (Â£54bn; 66bn euros) globally, is not keeping pace with innovation in consumer electronics.
Even the near-ubiquitous rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which powers most modern gadgets, was invented in the 1970s.
It has about a 40% market share.
Electric vehicle pioneer Tesla, the brainchild of serial entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk, uses so-called 18650 lithium cells - "essentially old laptop batteries", according to Mr Probert - to power its cars.
Most laptop manufacturers gave up on 18650s long ago, but Tesla believes this old tech still has a future, and even has plans to build its own "gigafactory" to produce them.
"By choosing smaller, cylindrical cells, we have been...

Summary: Mobile devices have transformed our lives, giving us the freedom to talk, work, watch and listen on the move.
###
Article: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says GSK made more than £50m of payments to companies making generic versions of its anti-depressant Seroxat to delay them coming to market.
GSK has been fined £37,606,275 and the generic firms have to pay £7.4m.
But GSK says its actions actually saved the NHS money and brought the generic drugs to the market sooner.
The other companies fined were Generics UK, Merck, Alpharma, Activis UK and Xellia Pharmaceuticals.
The CMA found that between 2002 and 2004, GSK had made agreements to pay cash to its competitors to prevent them bringing the generic version of Seroxat, called paroxetine, to market.
In addition to the cash payments, the CMA said the deals allowed the competitors to bring small amounts of paroxetine to market instead of GSK, transferring some of the profits to the generic manufacturers without increasing competition.
Michael Grenfell from the CMA said: "Today's decision sends out a strong message that we will tackle illegal behaviour that is designed to stifle competition at the expense of customers - in this case, the NHS and, ultimately, taxpayers."
But GSK said it disagreed with the ruling and was considering appealing.
"GSK and the generics companies entered into these agreements at the time in order to settle costly, complex and uncertain patent disputes," its spokesperson said.
"The agreements allowed the generics companies to enter the market early with a paroxetine product and ultimately enabled a saving of over £15m to the NHS."
The CMA pointed out that after generic paroxetine entered the market properly at the end of 2013, average prices for the drug fell more than 70% in two years.

Summary:


The Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine has been split two ways for groundbreaking work on parasitic diseases.

Article: Norbert Hofer's new slogan translates as "So help me God" which his party says reflects "a strong anchorage in Christian and Western values".
But leaders from Protestant churches said God was the defender of the weak, "who today include refugees".
Mr Hofer's Freedom Party has campaigned against immigration.
The Christian leaders - not including the country's dominant Catholic Church - also said God was not Western, but universal.
"God cannot be manipulated for personal intentions or political purposes," Bishop Michael Buenker said in a joint statement with other Protestant leaders (in German).
"We consider that mentioning God for one's own political interests and using him along with reference to the Christian West to indirectly attack other religions and cultures amounts to an abuse of his name and of religion in general.
"We reject the use of God for political campaigning."
In response, Mr Hofer tweeted the lyrics to the Austrian national anthem (in German), which mention God, a picture of a US dollar note  bearing the slogan "In God we trust" and a picture of the cover of a book about German Chancellor Angela Merkel, entitled So wahr mir Gott helfe.
Mrs Merkel used the optional phrase at her swearing-in ceremony. It is the exact same slogan as Mr Hofer used, and translates to "So help me God".
Mr Hofer is facing an independent Green-backed candidate, Alexander van der Bellen, in an election which is being rerun because of procedural irregularities. If he wins, he will become the first far-right head of state in Europe since the EU was founded.
In May, he lost by 31,000 votes to Mr van der Bellen, but the Freedom Party's claim of procedural irregularities was upheld in court and the election will be re-run in December. The re-run had to be postponed after an October attempt was curtailed due to postal vote envelopes not being sticky enough.
The Freedom Party said Mr Hofer's slogan had come directly from his heart.
Party official Herbert Kickl said the phrase was "in no way a misuse of the concept of God"...

Summary: Christian leaders in Austria have criticised a far-right presidential candidate for invoking the name of God in a political campaign slogan.
###
Article: The research, by William C Campbell, Satoshi Omura and Youyou Tu, has led to drugs to treat diseases affecting more than 3.4 billion people around the world.
One of them, malaria, most people have heard of. But the other two illnesses, onchocerciasis or "river blindness" and lymphatic filariasis or "elephantiasis" - both caused by roundworm parasites  - are lesser known.
People catch these worms from bites from infected insects such as flies or mosquitoes.
Left untreated, the worms grow and multiply, causing disabling symptoms in their host.
The drug ivermectin kills the first larval stage of the parasite - the babies of adult female worms.
William C Campbell discovered this by studying bacteria living in soil samples obtained by Satoshi Omura from a Japanese golf course in Ito City, in the Shizuoka region.
One particular strain of bacterium, Streptomyces avermitilis, caught his eye because of its potent anti-parasitic properties.
Working with drug company Merck and Co, he then set about purifying this agent.
Since 1987, Merk (MSD) has given ivermectin away free to those countries that need it most.
Last year, it donated more than 300 million doses to treat river blindness and elephantiasis.
Meanwhile, Chinese scientist Youyou Tu had been focusing her attentions in the 1960s and 70s on finding a new treatment for malaria.
The staples quinine and chloroquine were failing because the parasite that causes malaria - Plasmodium falciparum - had learned how to evade their attack.
Disheartened by the lack of effective drugs to tackle this mosquito-borne disease, the professor turned to traditional medicine to hunt for a new option.
She found that an extract from the sweet wormwood plant Artemisia annual was sometimes effective - but the results were inconsistent, so she went back to ancient literature, including a recipe from AD350.
This ancient document - Ge Hong's A Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies - recommended a handful of qinghao [the Chinese name for the plant extract] immersed in two litres of water,...

Summary:


The BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed that the BBC has confirmed

In the summer months high on the French Alps the sheep graze on rich pastures.

Article: The clause will be included in a draft of the BBC's next Royal Charter.
Currently, the BBC only reveals the salary details of executives who earn more than £150,000, but the government wants it to go further.
But BBC Trust chairwoman Rona Fairhead said the move was not "in the long-term interests of licence fee payers".
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Mrs Bradley said publishing the salaries would bring the BBC "in line with the civil service" on transparency.
The culture secretary said it would help ensure the BBC "produces value for money for the licence fee" and that more transparency could lead to savings that could be "invested in even more great programmes".
Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman - one of those expected to be on the list - said last week she was "all for" BBC stars' earnings being disclosed because they are "working for the public".
The BBC has said releasing stars' salary details would affect its ability to attract and retain top talent and that it has already cut the amount it pays its broadcasting stars by £8m.
Mrs Fairhead said: "We don't agree with the government on everything and are disappointed with the decision on the disclosure of presenters' pay. We don't believe this is in the long-term interests of licence fee payers."
Last month, a spokesman for the corporation said publishing stars' salaries would amount to a "poacher's charter" - which would give competitors an advantage, allowing them to make better financial offers to attract talent away from the BBC.
But the corporation must now publish the salary details of all of its staff, including on-air presenters, who earn more than £150,000 - and specify which £50,000 salary band they fall in to - in next year's annual report.
Director general Tony Hall said: "Our position on talent pay has not changed and all major broadcasters have questioned the merit of the proposal.
"The BBC operates in a competitive market and this will not make it easier for the BBC to retain the talent the public love."
The lower...

Summary: The BBC will have to name all employees and presenters paid more than £150,000 a year, culture secretary Karen Bradley has said.
###
Article: In the Hautes Alpes, they are currently feeding beneath ski lifts on slopes that will soon be covered by a thick layer of snow.
But this year the freedom to roam has been curtailed. Somewhere in the dark, dense forests a grey wolf is on the prowl.
The wolf was hunted almost to extinction in France in the 1930s but, protected as an endangered species, it is making a surprising comeback.
Some 200 wolves have colonised the southern regions of France, divided into about 20 packs. They are believed to have crossed from Italy in the mid-1990s and they are moving ever further north.
Lionel Serres has 250 sheep on the mountainside this summer. Each night he pens them in behind electric fences. But the wolf is a cunning predator and so far it has killed 17 of his ewes, while 10 more are missing.
Sheep spooked
On the day we met, he was busy trying to recover an ewe that had been grabbed by a wolf around the neck. Its fleece was matted, thick with blood.
"We have had lots of dead and injured sheep," said Lionel. "The flock is in a pretty sorry state. Some are lame, they are stressed, and some are so frightened they have miscarried lambs."
At night the wolf will circle the pens until the sheep are spooked into jumping the electric fences.
And so costly are these losses that in recent weeks Mr Serres has been forced to hire another shepherd, who will sleep alongside the sheep at night.
He is not the only one with concerns. So angry are the farmers in this region, that on the road to Hautes Alpes, in south-eastern France, on the border with Italy, there are huge signs painted on the road - "NO to the wolf."
Two hundred wolves might not sound like a huge problem. But this year there have been almost 600 attacks in which more than 2,000 sheep have been killed. That constitutes a rise of 20% on the same period last year.
So, under pressure from farmers and faced with an increasing number of attacks, the local prefect has finally ordered a hunt for one individual wolf thought to be doing much of the damage.
Since an...

Summary:


A photo of the officer's photo shows the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the officer's photo showing the

A poster urging parents not to use the police to scare their children has been seen more than 3.5 million times.

Article: Exeter Chiefs chairman Tony Rowe was given the Freedom of Exeter for his outstanding services to rugby.
Mr Rowe immediately exercised his right to lead sheep through the city, draping four animals in the flags of the teams who will be appearing in Exeter.
The Chiefs are hosting three world cup games at their Sandy Park ground.
During his 20-year involvement with the Exeter Chiefs, Mr Rowe presided over the club's promotion to rugby's top flight in 2010 and the construction of the Sandy Park stadium.
Exeter City Council said it can bestow the honour on anyone who has "undertaken something which is outstanding or has helped enhance the reputation of the city".
The former Royal Marine bandsman is being recognised for his services to rugby union, which the council said has "helped promote the city around the globe".
The businessman follows in the footsteps of Exeter-based Olympic athlete Jo Pavey and Great Britain swimmer Liam Tancock, who were both given the Freedom of the City in 2015.
Sandy Park will host it's first world cup group game when Tonga face Namibia on 29 September. It will then host Namibia versus Georgia on 7 October and Italy versus Romania on 11 October.

Summary: A freeman has used his ancient right to herd a flock of sheep through a city centre to publicise the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
###
Article: The poster features an officer and a message to parents asking them not to use the threat of the police when disciplining their children.
Durham Constabulary wants children to see officers as people who can help rather than simply law enforcers.
And the force's poster has been shared more than 47,000 times and liked by almost 35,000 people on Facebook.
A force spokesman said: "Children should be taught from an early age that if they feel like are in danger and they need help, they can approach an officer who will reassure them."
However, the poster has divided opinion on Facebook.
Jeff Rowse said: "Telling them they will go to jail if they are bad is wrong how? Surely that is the major reason for having a police force? And jails?"
In response Paul Parry said: "Telling a three-year-old that if he doesn't eat his dinner the policeman will come and take him to jail isn't true and will only serve to instil fear into that child.
"The police shouldn't be used to reinforce bad parenting."
Others were more taken with the officer, with several people asking for him to be moved to their local force or saying they would happily go to him for help.

Summary:


The British Army has been in the Army since the war.
The British Army has been in the Army since the war.
The British Army has been in the Army since the war.
The British Army has been in the Army since the war.
The British Army has been in the Army since the war.

A sheep which is the mascot of a British Army regiment has been promoted at a ceremony marking its formation.

Article: Tropical forests are being cleared for rubber plantations, putting endangered birds, bats and primates at risk, say UK researchers.
By 2024, up to 8.5 million hectares of new rubber plantations will be needed to meet demand, they report in Conservation Letters.
This could have a "catastrophic" impact on wildlife, they warn.
Species such as the endangered white-shouldered ibis, yellow-cheeked crested gibbon and clouded leopard could lose precious habitat, said the team led by Eleanor Warren-Thomas, from the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia.
"The tyre industry consumes 70% of all natural rubber grown, and rising demand for vehicle and aeroplane tyres is behind the recent expansion of plantations. But the impact of this is a loss of tropical biodiversity," she said.
"We predict that between 4.3 and 8.5 million hectares of new plantations will be required to meet projected demand by 2024. This will threaten significant areas of Asian forest, including many protected areas."
Eight-point-five million hectares is about the size of the land area of Austria.
Rubber is the most rapidly expanding tree crop within mainland Southeast Asia.
Concern has been growing among conservationists that switching land use to rubber cultivation can harm soil, water and biodiversity.
The first review of the effects on biodiversity and endangered species found the problem was comparable to oil palm and was linked to the growing tyre market.
The study focussed on four biodiversity hotspots in which rubber plantations are expanding:
It found that numbers of bird, bat and beetle species can decline by up to 75% in forests that have been converted to rubber.
The researchers, from UEA and the University of Sheffield, are calling on tyre manufacturers to support initiatives such as certification schemes.
Commenting on the study, Dr Matthew Struebig of the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, UK,  said certification standards for the rubber industry were key to protecting...

Summary: The global demand for rubber tyres is threatening protected forests in Southeast Asia, according to a study.
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Article: Private Derby XXX was promoted to the rank of lance corporal at an event in Chester marking eight years of the Mercian Regiment.
He was awarded his honour by the colonel of the regiment, Brigadier Andrew Williams.
The Swaledale ram, who is officially classed as a soldier, received his promotion for "good behaviour".
He is the 30th in a line of mascot rams running back to the Indian Mutiny War in the mid-19th Century.
The first Private Derby was acquired in 1858 by the 95th (Derbyshire) Regiment of Foot and became the mascot of the Mercian Regiment when it formed in 2007.
Lance Corporal Derby XXX joined the regiment in February 2014.
He has his own army number, gets paid to buy his rations and takes his holidays during the mating season on the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire.
During his career, Lance Corporal Derby XXX has also helped switch on the Christmas lights in Ashbourne and met Prince William at the unveiling of a memorial commemorating the 1914 Christmas Truce.

Summary:


The PIP breast implants are the most common surgical procedures in the world.
The PIP breast implants are the most common surgical procedures in the world.
The PIP breast implants are the most common surgical procedures in the world.
The PIP breast implants are the most common surgical procedures in the world.

A register of patients in England with breast and other cosmetic implants has been set up to allow them to be traced in the event of any safety concerns.

Article: His rival Ted Cruz swept the board in that state, where delegates are selected by senior party activists.
Mr Trump is still well ahead in the Republican race but if he does not get 1,237 delegates in the state-by-state contests, he could lose out anyway.
A winner could well emerge from a contested convention in July.
In that scenario, many of the delegates can back who they want to after the first ballot, opening the door for Texas Senator Mr Cruz or even the third candidate in the race, John Kasich.
Senior Republicans have voiced concern about Mr Trump's chances of winning in November's general election, and oppose his hardline views on immigration.
Next week New Yorkers get the chance to pick their nominees in the Republican and Democratic contests, in a pivotal moment in the process.
But on Monday, Mr Trump, a New York businessman, told Fox News he was angry about the way Mr Cruz had won all the delegates in Colorado.
"They weren't given a vote. It's a crooked deal. The system is rigged, crooked. That's not the way democracy is supposed to work."
Delegates are party members with the power to vote for each candidate at the party conventions held in July, where the nominee is formally confirmed.
In the modern political era, most states have opted to hold state-wide primaries or caucuses to determine the number of delegates pledged to a particular candidate.
But Colorado decided to select its delegates in a different way, at its own state convention.
His new campaign manager Paul Manafort accused the Cruz campaign of "Gestapo tactics" in how they had persuaded delegates to support him.
Mr Trump told a rally on Sunday that the person who wins the most votes in the primary process should automatically be the nominee.
"What they're trying to do is subvert the movement with crooked shenanigans," he said.
He also revealed that only one of his three children residing in the state of New York will be able to vote.
"They didn't register in time," he said. "So they feel very, very guilty."
One of Mr Trump's most...

Summary: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has described as "rigged" the way the US state of Colorado picks its presidential nominee.
###
Article: The move comes after faulty Poly Implant ProthÃ¨se (PIP) silicone breast implants were recalled in 2010, affecting thousands of women.
The inclusion of individual patients' details will not be mandatory.
However, all providers of breast implant surgery will be expected to participate in the scheme.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "We want the NHS to be the safest healthcare system in the world and anyone who chooses to have a cosmetic procedure has the right to safe care.
"The PIP breast implant scandal in 2010 affected thousands of people which is why we asked NHS Digital to develop a new register which will allow people to be traced swiftly if that is ever needed."
As a result of poor record-keeping following the PIP scandal, many women were unable to find out if they had been given the faulty implants.
In some cases, because surgery providers had gone out of business, women who received the implants could not be traced.
The Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry - which will be managed by NHS Digital - will include patients treated by both NHS and private providers.
And participation in the registry will be noted during Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections.
The registry will be expanded in the future to also cover other cosmetic implants, such as buttock or calf implants.
It is expected to record more than 20,000 cases of implant surgery every year and allow complications with specific implants to be picked up.
Providers will be expected to submit data on patients via an online portal.
Explicit consent from patients will be required to add their details to the registry - and this is in addition to the usual consent for the surgical procedure.
Noel Gordon, chair of NHS Digital, said the registry marked a major step forward in improving patient safety for people who undergo breast implant surgery each year.
"We look forward to working with patients and providers to ensure that the benefits of this important registry are delivered."
The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic...

Summary:


The team said the team was "strongly determined to fight against tax fraud, tax avoidance, and tax evasion".
The team said the team was "strongly determined to fight against tax fraud, tax avoidance, and tax evasion".
The team said the team was "strongly determined to fight against tax fraud,

The Scots accent is flourishing and proving resilient against a growing homogenised anglicised accent across English regions, new research suggests.

Article: The final communique said members were determined to develop measures to stop firms shifting profits from a home country to pay less tax elsewhere.
The UK, France and Germany were the main movers behind the drive.
The communique also said members would refrain from devaluing their currencies to gain economic advantage, amid fears of a new "currency war".
The fears had been sparked by Japan's recent policies, which have driven down the value of the yen, aiding its exporters.
A recent survey carried out by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that multinational firms could exploit gaps between tax rules in the different countries in which they operate.
The finance ministers of the UK, France and Germany - George Osborne, Pierre Moscovici and Wolfgang Schaeuble - said international action was needed to crack down on companies which transfer profits from their home country to another in order to pay lower taxes.
CompuGlobalHyperMegaNet UK Ltd is a subsidiary of the imaginary US company CompuGlobalHyperMegaNet Corp. It assembles widgets from parts manufactured at CGHMN Corp factories in China, and then sells them in the UK.
"Transfer pricing" rules apply to the cost of parts, the fee payment and the interest on the loan. If CGHMN Corp overcharged for any of these, it would reduce CGHMN UK Ltd's corporation tax bill in the UK, while increasing CGHMN Corp's taxable profits in another country.
*For usage of intellectual property rights and brands owned by the US company
How do companies avoid their tax?
Mr Osborne decried a global taxation system he said had been guided by principles set out by the League of Nations in the 1920s, with few changes since.
He said: "We want businesses to pay the taxes that we set in our countries. And that cannot be achieved by one country alone."
Mr Moscovici said France was "strongly determined to fight against tax fraud, tax avoidance, and tax evasion".
He added: "We must avoid situations in which some companies use international and domestic law to...

Summary: G20 finance ministers meeting in Moscow have pledged to crack down on tax avoidance by multinational companies.
###
Article: A team from Glasgow University studied recorded speech of Glaswegians from the early 20th Century to the present.
They found evidence of common UK accent changes, such as the use of "f" for "th" in words like think, and a dropped letter 'l', as in people to peopo.
Overall though, the researchers said the Scots accent remained distinctive.
The three-year Sounds of the City study, was led by Professor Jane Stuart-Smith, director of the university's laboratory of phonetics.
"We were quite surprised by what we found," she said.
"The assumption is that traditional dialects generally across the UK are being eroded and some are dying out altogether, but what we have learned, particularly with the Glasgow accent, is that Scots accents are actually flourishing.
"Interestingly, what is not happening in Scotland is the dilution of accents to a more homogenised anglicised accent on the scale that we are seeing in England, and in fact the Scots accent remains very distinctive."
As part of its study, the Glasgow team built up a digitised body of recorded speech sounds.
The team said its work suggested the distinctive Scots accent had undergone two kinds of changes.
One set are common accent changes, which have spread right across the UK, such as the "f" and "l" examples.
The team said this change was being spread partly by dialect contact and partly by the popularity of TV shows set in London.
The project also uncovered a second set of finer changes local to Scotland.
These included how vowels were pronounced in words such as boat, goat and coat, or stop sounds that are pronounced in words like pin, top and cat.
The researchers anticipated these sounds either to be stable over time, or perhaps to be changing in the same way as in Anglo-English accents.
Their evidence suggested, however, that these features and others were all changing, the changes were local to Scotland and not affected by Anglo-English changes, and that they had been happening for 100 years or more.
The Glasgow team said the trigger for some of these...

Summary:


On stage in Sochi, Russia's most famous pop star whips off his sequin-encrusted angel wings and launches into a love song.
The two men have indeed known each other for more than two decades. In 1994, Kirkorov was one of the judges.
The two men have indeed known

The Russian Orthodox Church says it has not found any fragrant myrrh seeping from a bronze bust of Tsar Nicholas II, after a Russian MP made such a claim.

Article: Philipp Kirkorov was once referred to as Russia's Michael Jackson. The man who called him that was America's Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump.
"Oh, Donald Trump, oh my God," exclaims Kirkorov, when I mention the tycoon's name. "First time we met, we had a feeling we know each other many, many years!"
The two men have indeed known each other for more than two decades. In 1994, Kirkorov and his ex-wife Alla Pugacheva performed at Trump's Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City.
"After the show Donald Trump came to our dressing room. We got a big, fantastic gold trophy from him and his organisation for being the first Russian artists to play the Taj Mahal. When Alla and I divorced, I kept the trophy!"
In 2013, when Donald Trump brought the Miss Universe Contest to Moscow, Kirkorov was one of the judges. He has been a guest in the Republican candidate's home.
A President Trump, he believes, would be Russia's friend.
"He was very often a guest of Russia, he loves Russia and Russians," Kirkorov tells me. "If Trump will be President, the relationship between our countries will be much closer. And I pray for that. Because we are two big countries, two big nations. We must be friends."
Kirkorov's famous friend is singing from the same hymnbook.
Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with people? Wouldn't it be nice if we got along with Russia?"
"If we could get along with Russia, wouldn't that be a good thing, not a bad thing?" Donald Trump suggested on the campaign trail.
He has also hinted he would consider recognising Crimea as part of Russia, he has criticised Nato and suggested lifting sanctions against Russia.
So, how unusual is it for a US presidential candidate to be so pro-Moscow?
"It's never happened - it never happened in the last 70 years or so," believes Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Moscow, currently director and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University.
"Trump says things about Russia, about Putin personally, that are way...

Summary: On stage in Sochi, Russia's most famous pop star whips off his sequin-encrusted angel wings and launches into a love song.
###
Article: A Church commission inspected the bust in Crimea after Natalya Poklonskaya made the claim on a Russian TV channel.
Revolutionaries murdered Nicholas II - the last tsar - with his wife and children in 1918. The Church made most of the murdered family saints in 2000.
President Vladimir Putin has done much to restore the Church's prestige.
In the past some Russian Orthodox worshippers have claimed to see myrrh seeping from holy icons - but not from any busts of the old ruling family, the Romanovs.
Ms Poklonskaya's claim about the bust in Crimea's capital Simferopol was derided by some on Russian social media.
She claimed it was a sign that the dead tsar wanted Russia to "prosper and be great again", 100 years after his abdication.
The Crimean branch of the Russian Orthodox Church said its commission "did not detect traces of holy secretion on the bronze bust... nor on icons in the [nearby] chapel".
The Church said the chapel's priest "should continue observations, and if there are any traces of holy secretion he should immediately inform the bishop and the commission".
In the past some Roman Catholic worshippers have also made claims about weeping statues of the Virgin Mary.
Ms Poklonskaya was born in Ukraine and has lived in Crimea since 1990. She was appointed Crimean chief prosecutor in May 2014, after Russian forces had annexed the peninsula from Ukraine.
She has been a deputy in the Duma - Russia's lower house of parliament - since September 2016.

Summary:


The UK Cards Association said it was the first integrated transport authority to introduce contactless ticketing.
More was spent using this technology last year than during the previous eight years combined.
About half of all debit cards are fitted with contactless capability.
This allows shoppers to spend up to £30 on their card by

One in eight purchases made on UK cards in December used contactless technology, marking a surge in the use of the alternative to loose change.

Article: This means the government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - beginning formal exit negotiations with the EU - on its own.
Theresa May says the referendum - and existing ministerial powers - mean MPs do not need to vote, but campaigners called this unconstitutional.
The government is appealing, with a further hearing expected next month.
The prime minister's spokeswoman said she would be calling President of the EU Commission Jean-Claude Juncker to say she intended to stick to her March 2017 deadline for triggering Article 50.
Amid suggestions that she might try to call an early general election, she added that Mrs May believed "there shouldn't be an election until 2020 and that remains her view".
A statement is to be made to MPs on Monday but the government says it has no intention of letting the judgement "derail Article 50 or the timetable we have set out".
Brexit Secretary David Davis said he presumed the court ruling meant an act of Parliament would be required to trigger Article 50 - so would be subject to approval by both MPs and peers.
But the government was going to contest that view in an appeal, and said the referendum was held only following "a six-to-one vote in the Commons to give the decision to the British people".
"The people are the ones Parliament represents - 17.4m of them, the biggest mandate in history, voted for us to leave the European Union. We are going to deliver on that mandate in the best way possible for the British national interest," he told the BBC.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged the government "to bring its negotiating terms to Parliament without delay", adding that "there must be transparency and accountability to Parliament on the terms of Brexit".
But UKIP leader Nigel Farage said he feared a "betrayal" of the 51.9% of voters who backed leaving the EU in June's referendum and voiced concern at the prospect of a "half Brexit".
BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said the court ruling could mean potentially "months and months" of parliamentary hurdles...

Summary: Parliament must vote on whether the UK can start the process of leaving the EU, the High Court has ruled.
###
Article: Just over one billion contactless transactions were completed in 2015, the UK Cards Association said.
More was spent using this technology last year than during the previous seven years combined.
About half of all debit and credit cards are fitted with contactless capability.
This allows shoppers to spend up to £30 on their card by placing it next to a sensor in a shop, without the need to enter a four-digit Pin.
One in 13 purchases was on contactless during the whole year, but use grew to one in eight by December, the UK Cards Association said.
One of the most common ways to use the technology is on the London Underground network, where more than a million journeys a day are paid for by placing credit and debit cards next to sensors when entering and exiting stations.
Transport for London said it was the first integrated transport authority to introduce contactless ticketing.
Concerns have been raised in the past over security of contactless cards, although the industry said that fraud levels on contactless payments were low.
Consumer group Which? said in July that, although the risks were low, it would be possible for somebody standing very close to "lift" card details without the owner knowing. Wrapping the card in tin foil, or putting it in a foil-lined wallet would guard against this.
Every contactless card has an in-built security check which requires a Pin to be entered after a number of consecutive contactless payments, to verify the genuine cardholder.

Summary: