Both clubs had an easy £50m or so to spend on central strikers, and the best they could apparently come up with between them was a kid with a handful of goals to his name so far. While Martial has been a revelation for United, a turbo-charged and cool-headed game-changer in terms of his impact on the team so far, Arsene Wenger was left examining internal solutions. For Arsenal, who spent most of the transfer window like a teenager agonisingly watching the telephone to see if Karim Benzema's number would flash up, this was particularly frustrating. Ever since the most prolific striker in their history, Thierry Henry, opined last April that Arsenal couldn't win the Premier League title without an upgrade in that department, the pressure to improve cranked up. "I'm afraid they need a top, top quality striker to win this league again," he said. It was pretty clear, as far as Henry was concerned, that his compatriot Olivier Giroud was not in that "top, top quality" bracket. It is telling that Theo Walcott was not really a major part of that conversation. At the time he was kicking his heels, mostly on the bench, trying to maintain the right mixture of patience and determination to take a chance when it came having spent a year recovering from a cruciate ligament injury. More or less all of 2014 was spent rehabilitating, and changing his perspective as he became a father. Arsenal's first choice centre-forward? It was his ambition but it felt like a long shot. Right now, ahead of a compelling challenge between Arsenal and Manchester United this weekend at the Emirates, the position feels like Walcott's for the taking. He has had to wait a long time to press his case. As he says: "I'll play anywhere, but the manager started playing me up front slowly." Opportunities are now knocking. Wenger's inability to sign anyone in the last transfer window pushed Walcott up the pecking order, which appears to have been advanced even more by Giroud having a difficult time of it lately. The Frenchman was jeered when he missed some chances for the national team, and sent off in Arsenal's defeat by Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, and Walcott looks to have eased in front. Giroud was the starter for the first two games of the Premier League campaign. But since then Walcott has started five of the last six Premier League and Champions League fixtures. Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright recently called for Walcott to be given "a genuine run of games up there… let him prove he can do it". He has responded by chipping in with regular goals and assists. His chance conversion still needs to improve, but 12 from 13 Premier League starts is not to be sniffed at. Once he got that unexpected berth to lead the line at the FA Cup final, in which he opened the scoring against Aston Villa, this was always going to be a key season. His confident body language suggests he feels he belongs up front now and welcomes the responsibility. He also possesses a coolness of character which means he doesn't look affected if he misses a chance, and just concentrates on waiting for the next one. Can he be the answer? It is still too early to say, but one thing that is clearly different about this campaign is Wenger's attitude towards a player he has worked on for almost a decade. For the first time the manager regards Walcott purely as a central striker. Every minute of this season he has played so far has been in that role, not at all on the right flank he occupied for a long time, where he could sometimes get lost. His performance against Leicester last weekend was full of the kind of movement to stretch defences, sharp runs, and strong interplay with team-mates that outline his case well. The unconvinced point out that Leicester, with their high defensive line and cavalier style, are dream opponents for a speedy player like Walcott to whizz around on the counter-attack. The question of whether he can be as effective in tight home games where buses are parked and spaces squeezed remains in the balance. If during that sequence of games Wright called for, he can learn to be effective, and make the difference, in those situations Arsenal really might be on to something. Walcott mentioned Wright's style as an inspiration. "He obviously scored so many goals and caused havoc for defenders. He wasn't the tallest man in the world but the amount of pressure he would put on defenders just scared them," Walcott explained in an interview with Arsenal Player. "I can learn from the runs he made, the pace he had in his game and his finishing. When he was in the box he didn't panic." A connection with Alexis Sanchez is forming. As well as enjoying the space to dash into at Leicester, they created a goal for each other in the Champions League defeat by Olympiakos. It was a bright spot on a dark night for Arsenal, and a positive for Wenger to cling to as they prepare for United's visit. It seems extraordinary that the England forward will have been at Arsenal long enough to qualify for a testimonial soon. In January he will have been at the club for 10 years. The manager sees a difference in the 26-year-old these days, and the influence he hopes he can bring. "When he arrived here he was a boy, a little boy who discovered a world where he did not know anything about it. He has become very mature, he has gone through difficult periods so he is a very strong man today. He can become a prolific goalscorer." Henry, who spends so much time around Arsenal these days as he works on his coaching badges, will cast his eye over both Walcott and Martial with considerable interest this weekend.

Question: On the day Anthony Martial 's status exploded as the teenager became a luxury - @placeholder prospect for Manchester United , and Arsenal 's vain summer search for an elite striker ended in disappointment , it was easy to reach the conclusion that the pool of established , talented forwards at the north London club was worryingly dry .


The recent release of thousands of sensitive diplomatic cables is just the latest in a long list of "leaks" published by the secretive site, which has established a reputation for publishing sensitive material from governments and other high-profile organisations. In October the site released almost 400,000 secret US military logs detailing its operations in Iraq. They followed hot on the heels of nearly 90,000 classified military records, which gave an insight into the military strategy in Afghanistan. And in April 2010, for example, Wikileaks posted a video on its website that shows a US Apache helicopter killing at least 12 people - including two Reuters journalists - during an attack in Baghdad in 2007. A US military analyst is currently awaiting trial, on charges of leaking the material along with the cables and military documents. However, the site's recent prominence is part of a longer and controversial history that started in December 2006, when it first hit the net. Since that time it has split opinion. Spotlight on 'sensitive' sites For some it is lauded as the future of investigative journalism; it has been described as the world's first stateless news organisation. For others - particularly the governments and corporations whose secrets it exposes - it is a risk. In October 2009, it posted a list of names and addresses of people it claimed belonged to the British National Party (BNP). The BNP said the list was a "malicious forgery". And during the 2008 US elections, it published screenshots of the e-mail inbox, pictures and address book of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Other controversial documents hosted on the site include a copy of the Standard Operating Procedures for Camp Delta, a document that detailed restrictions placed on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Many of these were uploaded to the website, which allows anyone to submit documents anonymously. However, a team of reviewers - volunteers from the mainstream press, journalists and Wikileaks staff - decides what is published. "We use advanced cryptographic techniques and legal techniques to protect sources," Mr Assange told the BBC in February. The site says that it accepts "classified, censored or otherwise restricted material of political, diplomatic or ethical significance" but does not take "rumour, opinion or other kinds of first hand reporting or material that is already publicly available". "We specialise in allowing whistle-blowers and journalists who have been censored to get material out to the public," said Mr Assange. It is operated by an organisation known as the Sunshine Press and claims to be "funded by human rights campaigners, investigative journalists, technologists and the general public". Since Wikileaks first appeared on the net, it has faced various legal challenges to take it offline. Prior to the most recent leaks, it said it had fought off more than 100 legal challenges successfully. In 2008, for example, the Swiss bank Julius Baer won a court ruling to block the site after Wikileaks posted "several hundred" documents about its offshore activities. It was eventually overturned. But more recently, the site has faced new challenges. The private life of Mr Assange, its editor-in-chief, has been laid bare and it has lost key staff and supporters. The site has also been targeted in a series of cyber attacks. Various firms - including web giant Amazon - have also terminated agreements to host the site and provide services to it. In addition, companies - including Mastercard, Visa and PayPal -  have withdrawn the ability that allows people to donate to the site. Its Swiss bank account has also been closed. But it is not the first time that the site has faced financial problems. In February 2010 it suspended operations as it could not afford its own running costs. Donations from individuals and organisations saved the site. Only time will tell, if it can do it again with many sources of funding now cut off. Despite all of these setbacks, Wikileaks has largely remained defiantly online. It has moved its operations between various companies and countries. It has also encouraged volunteers to set up "mirrors" of the site - hosted on different servers around the world. "[To] keep our sources safe, we have had to spread assets, encrypt everything, and move telecommunications and people around the world to activate protective laws in different national jurisdictions," Mr Assange said earlier this year. Throughout its history, the site has been supported and hosted by the Swedish ISP PeRiQuito (PRQ), which became famous for hosting file-sharing website The Pirate Bay. "If it is legal in Sweden, we will host it, and will keep it up regardless of any pressure to take it down," the ISP's site says. The ISP continues to host its most recent - and most controversial - documents. The site also hosts documents in other jurisdictions, including France. Its experience of different laws around the world meant that it was drafted to help Icelandic MPs draw up plans for its Icelandic Modern Media Initiative (IMMI) earlier this year The plan calls on the country's government to adopt laws protecting journalists and their sources. Its involvement in the IMMI gave the site a new credibility. At the same time, it has grown and gained more notoriety. The site's rapid expansion - and the amount of material it has recently received - has meant that it has had to change its tactics. In the past, it was able to verify and publish documents itself. But for its most recent leaks it has adopted a new tactic - partnering with news organisations such as the Guardian, Der Spiegel and the New York Times - to help check and distribute the material. "We take care of the source and act as a neutral intermediary and then we also take care of the publication of the material whilst the journalist that has been communicated with takes care of the verification," Mr Assange said earlier this year. "It provides a naturalâ€¦ connection between a journalist and a source with us in the middle performing the function that we perform best."

Question: Whistle - blowing website Wikileaks has @placeholder the news , both because of its steady drip feed of secret documents , but also because of the dealings of its enigmatic front man Julian Assange .


Mr Chanos, who is betting against the shares of both firms, described the bid as a "shameful example of corporate governance at its worst". Tesla made a $2.8bn (1.9bn) offer for SolarCity on Tuesday. Tesla's chief executive Elon Musk said the deal, which will be paid for in Telsa shares, was a "no brainer". The two firms have close ties. Mr Musk owns 22% of SolarCity and sits on the company's board. SolarCity's chief executive Lyndon Rive and Mr Musk are cousins. "As a combined automotive and power storage and power generation company, the potential is there for Tesla to be a trillion-dollar market cap company," Mr Musk said. Mr Chanos has taken short positions in both Tesla and SolarCity. When investors take short positions they borrow shares of a company, sell those shares and try to buy them back at a lower price. Mr Chanos said SolarCity was "headed toward financial distress," and neither company could handle the burden of a tie-up. "[SolarCity] is burning hundreds of millions in cash every quarter, a burden that now Tesla shareholders will have to bear, at a total cost of over $8bn," he said. Mr Musk said SolarCity would not impact Telsa's cash flow and would have its own positive cash flow in the next three to six months. SolarCity reported a loss of $25m in the first quarter and has liabilities of $6bn, which includes debt and unpaid tax. On Wednesday, Tesla's share price put the company's value at $29.8bn while SolarCity's was $2.2bn. SolarCity's shares have fallen over 50% during the last year, but rose more than 3% on Wednesday. Tesla shares closed more than 10% lower.

Question: Tesla 's bid to buy @placeholder solar energy firm SolarCity has been called " shameful " by financier Jim Chanos .


Similar to the December plans which were suspended, there will be three sets of dates for industrial action by junior doctors in England. Two of them will see routine and non-urgent care affected by doctors' walkouts. The third, in February, will involve doctors refusing to provide any care, including for emergencies. So what chance is there, if any, of the first strike on January 12th being avoided? Both sides have said they are willing to go to the conciliation service ACAS but getting the process set up and running in time for enough ground to be covered seems a big ask. Jeremy Hunt has introduced a new senior player into his negotiating team - Sir David Dalton, chief executive of Salford Royal Foundation Trust - in Mr Hunt's words to "facilitate further constructive discussion". The Secretary of State no doubt hopes a fresh perspective from an experienced NHS chief might help break the logjam. But the words from both sides after the announcement of strikes by the British Medical Association did not suggest there was a lot of room for manoeuvre.  Interpretations of what happened on Monday, the first day of substantive talks since before Christmas, differed significantly. Frustration and diminishing trust were all too apparent. The Government side, comprising the Department of Health and NHS Employers, said they were bemused at the turn of events. They say they went into Monday's meeting with a significant new proposal aimed at addressing the BMA's concern about doctors being made to work excessive hours. This would see trusts fined for breaches of agreed ceilings on hours in a system overseen by "Guardians" responsible for safeguarding doctors' working conditions. The Government side claim that the BMA read through the proposal but refused to discuss it before announcing their strike plans. Mr Hunt argues that 15 out of 16 key issues in the dispute have been addressed by the Government and that its only pay for unsocial hours which is unresolved. He appears to have reached this figure by taking the areas identified at earlier ACAS talks and added some issues of concern raised by the BMA. The BMA has rejected the idea there is only one out of 16 issues which is still outstanding. Ministers may feel they have addressed important areas of dispute but, doctors argue, that's not the same as resolving them. The union is adamant that the stumbling block is not just pay and that there are major differences over safeguards on hours. BMA leaders say the new plans for fining trusts put forward by the employers did not add up and were far from robust, so were not worth discussing. The clock is ticking and the first day of action is not far off. The BMA, while being ready for further talks, seems determined to press on with action if required with all the implications for patients.  Jeremy Hunt and David Cameron now have to decide how much they want to avoid strikes and whether they have gone far as they reasonably can to placate the doctors.

Question: The festive season in the final weeks of 2015 saw peace if not goodwill @placeholder on the world of junior doctors and their NHS employers as they sat around the negotiating table . It was not to last . The first days of 2016 have seen a return of the hostile rhetoric and strikes firmly put back on the agenda .


Actually, scrub the word contemporary. For example, Gladstone's budget speeches lasted more than four hours. That would try the patience of even the most zealous supporter. And weary Roman citizens probably said to the persistent senator Cato: "Look, this Carthage obsession of yours.  For Jupiter's sake, let it go, man!" Either way, Nicola Sturgeon has again detected the scunner factor at play. Voters in Scotland have thrilled to seven electoral tests in three years. They are already anxious over the uncertainty attendant upon Brexit. Are they ready for yet more eager talk from the SNP and the Scottish Government about the prospect of indyref2? Nicola Sturgeon has concluded that they are not. So she has "reset" her thinking on the subject and has postponed immediate preparations for such a plebiscite. Instead, she intends to focus upon securing the best possible deal from Brexit for Scotland. She believes, further, that such a mission is made more feasible by a UK Government weakened by the absence of a single party majority. So what has changed, in practice, as opposed to rhetorically? Not, you understand, that the UK Government and the Conservative Party regarded the demand as urgent in the first place. The Scottish Secretary David Mundell has said not now, almost certainly not within the lifetime of the present Holyrood Parliament. Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, has come within a whisker of saying "not ever" - although, to be clear, she retains the option of indyref2 returning at some point. So, one, the indyref2 Bill is shelved. Two, the Section 30 request is also on ice. But, three, the First Minister intends to return to the topic once Brexit negotiations conclude which she anticipates should be in Autumn 2018. Certainly not a surrender, then. Not a retreat. Perhaps a tactical withdrawal, recognising that the talk of indyref2 damaged the SNP during the UK election in which the party lost 21 seats - while still outpolling all their opponents in Scotland. To be clear, further, Ms Sturgeon believes it is still in prospect that there will be an independence referendum before the next Holyrood elections in May 2021. I asked her about this. She began her reply by using the word "likely" in re indyref2. Somewhat cheekily, I intervened to offer the alternative phrase "highly likely" - the verdict she had herself used on the morning after the Brexit vote. Rightly ignoring my insolence, Ms Sturgeon continued to explain that it would still be feasible to restart the process after Brexit talks concluded - and to hold such a poll before that next Holyrood contest. Which prompts a range of questions. One, would there be time? The Scottish Government believes that the ground work - now shelved - is there. The Holyrood Bill is ready, albeit now in abeyance. The issues arising from a Section 30 transfer were well ventilated last time out, before the 2014 poll. Two, will Nicola Sturgeon go for it? She is resolutely not saying, as a matter of policy. She believes folk are, as outlined earlier, fed up with endless talk of the referendum process. So no more on that for now. Instead, she will re-energise the campaign on the broader concept of independence itself, rather than the process. Linking that, at all times, to the challenge she sees posed by Brexit. Three, would the UK Government tolerate indyref2 on that amended timetable? There are very few signs that they would - although, of course, Brexit could change matters. At Holyrood, opposition leaders who support the Union accused Ms Sturgeon of being in denial. They said there should be no indyref2 during the present Holyrood Parliament. And David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, amplified that point on behalf of the UK Government who, remember, would have to sanction indyref2 on the basis that Holyrood does not presently have the power. He says the FM has merely sanctioned a postponement, rather than taking the issue off the table which, he asserts, is what the people want. Little sign there of bending to the FM's possible future will. An issue deferred, then. But an issue which remains the fundamental fault line in Scottish politics.

Question: I have always felt the " scunner factor " to be particularly potent in contemporary politics . ( For those who lack the Scots @placeholder of Burns , Scott or Welsh , a person who is scunnered is one who is less than gruntled . )


They were finding it difficult to get homes and jobs, so they held protests. The Loyalist community held their own protests in response. Even before this, the different views of both sides of the community was a long-standing problem, so there was a lot for people to get annoyed about. British troops were sent in to deal with the problem, but they soon came into conflict with an armed group who wanted a totally independent Ireland - the Irish Republican Army (IRA). It led to armed Loyalist groups attacking the Catholic community. From the 1970s to the 1990s, armed groups on both sides held violent campaigns. The IRA carried out deadly bombings in Britain and Northern Ireland. Armed Loyalist groups responded by killing Catholics. Thousands of people died. The conflict is known as the Troubles.

Question: After the @placeholder was split , there were fewer Catholics in Northern Ireland .


18 February 2015 Last updated at 16:21 GMT The war in Syria has been going on for almost four years now, and around ten million people have had to flee their homes. The children we spoke to from Syria are just some of the refugees who had to leave their homes to avoid the fighting, and now go to a school in the Jabal al-Taj area of the capital city Amman in Jordan. They spoke about their lives before the war, and what they do in their spare time.

Question: British kids from a school in Bury , in the @placeholder - west of England , sent in their questions for a group of Syrian children who have escaped the conflict in their home country .


The Royal Sussex County Hospital welcomed the news, which will allow some of the oldest buildings in the NHS to be replaced. The safety and management of the Brighton hospital's A&E unit were rated "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on Friday. Chief nurse Sherree Fagge said the changes would be dramatic. "The first new building will open in late 2019," she said. "On that day I think few people will recognise it as the same hospital they have visited in the past." The government approved the full business case for the redevelopment last week. The full rebuilding programme will take nine years and be split into three stages but all clinical services will remain on site throughout. Ms Fagge said all the buildings along the front of the hospital would be replaced, including some in use 25 years before Florence Nightingale began nursing in the 1840s. Brighton's A&E unit was rated the second worst in England in July, with 19.9% of people waiting more than four hours. Richard Beard, spokesman for Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals, said the redevelopment would ease pressure on A&E. Conservative MP for Brighton and Kemptown, Simon Kirby, said receiving final approval was great news for the city. "This redevelopment will enable the hospital to provide the very best facilities that the patients and staff deserve," he said.

Question: A hospital whose A&E was @placeholder by care inspectors has been given final approval for a £ 484.7 m rebuild .


"Reviens Leon! (Come back, Leon!)," shouts his portly wife. "I've got the same at home." Today the catchphrase "Reviens Leon!" has been commandeered for a very different campaign: to lure back to France the thousands of tech whizz-kids who spent the last decade fleeing abroad. In an open letter in Le Monde, the heads of 10 successful French start-ups pleaded with Silicon Valley expatriates to book their return flights to Paris. "France is not the country it was when you left," they wrote. "It is now full of the opportunities which you used to search for elsewhere. Today, we've got the same at home. "It's in France that it is happening. So come back, Leon!" Today great efforts are being made to show the world that France is no longer a land of "ossified structures, stultifying routines and petty-minded middle-managers" (to use the language of the letter). The young economy minister and former banker Emmanuel Macron has made three trips abroad this year to high-tech conventions, most recently in Israel last week. At each stop he urges investors to forget the cliches, and to focus on the business transformation that he says is under way. So what truth is there in the claim that the French digital "ecosystem" is beginning to produce the goods? "It is not an exaggeration. Things really have changed in Paris in the last couple of years," says Christopher Ciminelli, who runs the tech news website 01net.com. "Business creators in France are younger and younger. The government is genuinely taking steps to help. I would say the whole image of France abroad - certainly in the digital field - has become very positive." The list of successful ventures is certainly beginning to catch the eye. Top of the list are the three French "unicorns" - non-listed digital companies that are valued at more than $1bn. These are the internet ad-placing company Criteo; the flash-sales pioneer Vente Privee; and the car-sharing facilitator BlaBlaCar. BlaBlaCar's founder Fred Mazzella explained to me the changes that have helped his company reach 20 million customers in 19 countries. "Over the last couple of years the system of financing - which was a real problem in France - has been transformed.  Before, there were gaps in the financing chain from business angels to large professional investors. "But today there are many new types of investor in Paris - like the entrepreneurial fund ISAI - and you can raise anything from one to a hundred million euros. It's made a huge difference, turning start-ups into scale-ups." Another factor is the spread of incubators - places like The Family, NUMA, and 50Partners - which provide not just a physical base for new companies, but also advice and knowhow. From the government side, Mazzella praises initiatives such as the Research Tax Credit, which means start-ups can get reimbursed up to three-quarters of their spending on research projects. But the big shift has been one of mentality. "A few years ago, all the top students who came out of the best 'grandes ecoles' - their ambition was to work in the established giants like BNP or L'Oreal," says Mazzella. "Now they all say they want their work in start-ups and build their own." Source: Fortune Global 500 Of course it is in the interest of Mazzella, Macron et al to talk up France as much as possible. They need the investors and they need the brains. And not all may be as rosy as they like to portray. In Israel last week, venture capitalist Yoav Tzruya said French start-ups were still "too happy to stay on the French market, rather than having global ambitions. And they still need better financing." Macron himself admitted France was "15 years late when it comes to finance - but we are stepping up the pace". Compared to London, Paris still lags far behind when it comes to attracting outside money. According to Management Today, Paris drew under 400 Tech Investment Projects in the past decade against London's more than 1,000. And there remains France's reputation as a high-tax country with an overweening state sector. Le French-bashing is not exactly out of fashion. Still, one constant has held true through the hi-tech explosion:  the ability of French grandes ecoles to turn out highly competent computer engineers and business modellers. These are the people scooped up by the thousand in California and London. And these are the Leons now being urged to come home.

Question: A popular French TV advert for pasta sauce from the 1980s showed a jolly rustic fellow chasing after a train that was laden with all sorts of lovely @placeholder .


"That should be something which is enabled and encouraged, not slowed down by BT," he told the House of Commons on Tuesday evening. The MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich had called a debate about the roll out of superfast broadband which he called: "The single most important issue facing rural Suffolk and many rural businesses and homes." Many schools and farmers in his constituency were served by poor broadband provision, he told MPs. Some places had been waiting for more than two years for superfast broadband, while those who had it found that it didn't live up to its name. Suffolk and Norfolk were two of the first counties in the country to sign up to the superfast broadband roll out: a deal between the government, county councils and BT to provide better broadband to homes and villages in rural areas. Dr Poulter conceded that the scheme is going well with 100,000 new properties due to be upgraded by this September, but his concern was that BT was dragging its feet and was slow to prioritise coverage in hard to reach areas. "Suffolk has had issues with getting BT to prioritise coverage of industrial estates and business parks which are vital to the Suffolk economy," he said. "In general BT tend to ignore Suffolk's priorities in favour of their own." Other MPs from Suffolk agreed. Peter Aldous (Waveney) claimed BT had under invested in its commercial roll-out. His colleague Jo Churchill (Bury St Edmunds) called superfast connectivity "the fourth utility". He said: "It disables our constituents if we do not give them the facility." Dr Poulter had another gripe which many broadband users may also share - "superfast broadband is only superfast at times of low usage," he said. "Businesses will obviously be using the internet and broadband services at peak times and if the superfast broadband service they have bought into is not superfast, then it is not fit for the purpose for which it was intended." This is not the first time that MPs from the East have expressed concern about the speed of the broadband roll out and the role of BT. Several from the region were present at another Westminster debate a few weeks ago on the provision of broadband in the South West. South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon expressed his frustration with BT by accusing the company of "talking crap". The Culture Minister Ed Vaizey told this week's debate he was unstinting in his praise for BT but believed "it does have some problems with customer service". He added that it was slow to keep its promises and explain to customers why delays occur. "When BT gets on the ground and does the mapping exercises, it might find that getting to a particular village is more complicated than it had thought, so it revises its plan," he said. This, he accepted, caused "great consternation" and he said BT should be better at keeping customers informed. Although he added that people should remember: "We cannot deliver it overnight." A spokesman for BT told us:" We are committed to making superfast fibre broadband as widely available across Suffolk as quickly as possible. "It's a huge task with around 100 engineers and support staff involved, and we have already connected 367 green roadside fibre broadband cabinets and laid more than 1,700km of fibre cable".

Question: Was Dr Dan Poulter MP speaking for many businesses and households in the region when he called on BT to " go further and faster and more quickly " when there is @placeholder ?


Media playback is not supported on this device Double world champion and Olympic silver medallist James, 25, announced her retirement on Wednesday, 17 August and plans to start a baking business. "It came about two weeks ago and I thought 'this is what I want to do' and it just clicked," she said. "I came to the decision it was the right thing for me to do and I'm feeling very excited." The Welsh athlete won the world sprint and keirin titles in 2013 and took silver at the same events at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Her Olympic success came after a two-year battle with knee injuries and illness and after she "gave up" her life for a year to concentrate on qualification. Speaking on BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales programme, James explained she had spent a year-long break after Rio contemplating her future career. Media playback is not supported on this device "It's been up and down," she said. "I was on such a high after the Olympics, and then you have a massive dip and it's really hard to get out of that rut. "People say you have the post-Olympic blues and I definitely had that, but then I came out of that dip and I was half training and trying to figure out what to do. "I was so happy with my decision and was scared to tell people what I wanted to do. I had to do what I wanted in my heart." Find out how to get into cycling with our special guide. James' decision to turn her cake-making hobby into her profession was announced less than a month after she said she was looking forward to returning to action after her break. But the Abergavenny competitor says she can look back on her career without regrets. "I kind of gave up my life the year before Rio because I wanted to give it everything," said James. "So I gave up my life, I shipped off my dog Lola to George (boyfriend, rugby player George North) and committed everything just to get to Rio. "I'm so happy with everything I've achieved in my career. I didn't feel like I was desperate to carry on to the next Olympics, I'm so chuffed with what I've done. "I just felt for me this is the right time to move and start my next career. "If it (cycling) wasn't what I wanted to do I knew in my heart I wouldn't achieve what I'd want to. I couldn't do anything half-hearted - if I didn't really want to do it I knew I wouldn't achieve my goals and be the best I could be."

Question: Becky James said she @placeholder with " post - Olympic blues " before finally deciding to quit cycling .


Take the example of Andrew. It was Saturday and he was woken up with a start by his mother. There were four officers at the front door and he was about to be arrested. "I’d only had four hours sleep and I’m only wearing gym shorts,” he recalled. “I’m thinking, what happened? I was completely confused.” Unbeknown to his parents, 24-year-old Andrew - not his real name - had recently finished a six-month drug programme after he was caught in possession of marijuana and ecstasy. Which is why he was so confused. It was his first offence and he had done the course as asked. A judge had then told him the case had been dismissed. “I did what I was supposed to." But the court’s new computer system had other ideas and Andrew was put into a police car and driven off to jail. Andrew’s story is just one of many relating to Odyssey, the new system being rolled out across much of California to deal with case file management. So far, the problems have seen people wrongfully arrested, held in prison longer than required and in several cases mistakenly told they must register as sex offenders. The software, created by Texas-based Tyler Technologies, costs about $5m (£4m) and is set to gradually replace a decades-old e-filing system that looks like something a hacker would use in a Hollywood movie. Tyler Technologies acknowledged in a statement that the upgrade process had been “challenging” - but said poor training was to blame for bad inputting of data and integration with third-party applications that often introduce glitches into the system. One of the state's early adopters of the new technology is Alameda County, an area which covers around 1.5 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area, though not San Francisco itself. The county’s public defender, Brendon Woods, is now supporting many clients who have been affected by the issues. He said a cumbersome user interface was causing the time taken to update a record to jump from around one minute to as much as 30 minutes per entry. As well as wrongful arrests and incorrectly extended custody, Mr Woods has seen several cases of misdemeanour offenses incorrectly appearing on the system as serious felony charges. He sees the continued use of the software as a threat to the constitutional rights of many people living in the county. “It’s something that shouldn’t happen,” Mr Woods told the BBC. “When you could be out in the community, working, providing for your family, seeing your kids… and then one minute you are in jail - due to no fault of your own? “That is absolutely terrible.” Mr Woods has filed a motion to compel the court to either keep accurate same-day records or completely abandon the new system, which he described as being unfit for purpose. The initial judge in the case chose not to hear the motion, instead referring it to a more senior judge to be heard in mid-January. That is too long to wait, Mr Woods argued -  and so he has appealed against that decision to Alameda County’s Superior Court. Until it is resolved, he said his inbox is steadily filling up with incidents in Alameda County and beyond. “I got an email yesterday,” he says. “We had a client who took a [plea] deal and he was supposed to be released the day before Thanksgiving. The system wasn’t inputted properly. He was held an extra four days.” Minor driving offences were incorrectly appearing as serious felonies,  meaning if an affected person applied for a job, they are likely to be flagged as having a serious criminal record. Mr Woods added: “We’ve had clients who were supposed to register as drug offenders, the system shows them as registering as sex offenders.” Tyler Technologies provided a statement to the BBC in which it defended its software, and shifted blame back to Alameda County’s staff. It said many factors could impact the software’s usefulness, among them training of those who use the technology. “We are confident that we have the experience to help our client navigate those inevitable headwinds, just as we have done many times before with other complex implementations,” spokesman Tony Katsulos said. “However, this must be a co-operative process. A project’s success is contingent on both parties  -  the jurisdiction and the software provider - working co-operatively together. “We have reiterated our commitment to this approach to Alameda and continue to make ourselves available to them.” Alameda County is not the only area to have struggled with Odyssey. Similar problems have been reported in Tennessee and also in Indiana - where prosecutors have had a perhaps more troubling issue of inmates being mistakenly released early. But Tyler Technologies said the problems only amounted to a handful of issues given the software is used in over 600 counties across 21 US states. The plea for patience angered Andrew, who said were it not for a supportive family, his life could have spiralled as a result of the wrongful arrest. He said he expected some people to have less concern about the issue given that those being mistakenly arrested were involved in a crime of some nature. “If you don’t sympathise with me, I don’t really care at this point. What happened to me was definitely not fair. There’s no justification for that. “I paid my dues, I’m better for it. “But that was not right.” Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC and on Facebook

Question: People 's jobs and @placeholder are being jeopardised by the roll - out of new software by California 's courts .


Nicola Sturgeon spoke out as she confirmed that a full independent review group had been established to examine the care system. It will be chaired by Fiona Duncan, chief executive of Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland. And it includes five people who have experience of being in care. Ms Sturgeon said "swift progress" had been made in setting up the new body. She said the review group would look at the legislation, practices, culture and ethos of the care system and listen to young people who had experienced it and their families, with the aim being to improve their quality of life and future outcomes. Speaking at a reception for young people who have been in care, she said: "Every young person should have an equal opportunity to succeed in life, no matter their circumstances. "However, we know that there are still many challenges facing young people in care and that their opportunities are all too often not the same as other young people in Scotland. "The care system must and can do better by our most vulnerable children and young people. "They need to know they are loved and feel cared for - this review is not about determining if this can be achieved, but how we create a system that puts love for the children it cares for at its heart." She added: "Swift progress has been made setting up the review, culminating with the establishment of the review group, with people with care experience at its heart. "I very much welcome all of the members who will be dedicating their time to sit on the review group during this crucial first stage. "The wide breadth of experience, expertise and contribution of each panel member is vital in carrying out this review." Ms Duncan, from the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, which gives grants to help disadvantaged people and communities, said: "We really can, will and must deliver a review that changes lives and is transformational. "Without the voice of care experience, this review would not be happening - and without that voice, it will not deliver. "Many young people, their families, and professionals involved in the care system have an important contribution to make, and I look forward to learning from them in the coming weeks and months."

Question: Five people who @placeholder up in care have been placed at the heart of a new review of the system , the first minister has said .


She takes over from Huw Irranca-Davies, the Ogmore MP who is now seeking election to Cardiff Bay himself. First Minister Carwyn Jones said being a candidate meant Mr Irranca-Davies had to stand aside as co-ordinator, but said Mrs Gregory would "marshal our resources with great skill". She said she would "build on the solid foundations" her colleague had made.

Question: Welsh Labour has named @placeholder Ogmore AM Janice Gregory as its new campaign co-ordinator for the assembly election .


Matthew Grimstone Parents Sue and Phil and brothers David and Paul paid an emotional tribute to the footballer, who played for Worthing United. They said: "The family are in total shock at losing our dearest son Matthew so tragically at 23 years old. "He was the kindest person you could ever meet, with a great wit. "In his 23 years, we can honestly say he never lost his temper." The family went on to say that football was his passion in life and he loved working at Brighton & Hove Albion as well as playing for Worthing United. He had also been a referee. "Matt has been taken from us at just 23 and we still think he is going to walk through the front door any minute now." Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club say he was on his way to play for Worthing United against Loxwood in the Southern Combination Premier Division at Lyons Way at the time of the air crash, along with his Mavericks teammate Jacob Schilt. Mr Grimstone, 23, worked at the club for the past seven years - starting with the Albion as part of the match day event team at Withdean. Chief executive Paul Barber said: "Matt's been a very popular member of our ground staff team and has proved to be an absolute credit to the club and his boss Steve Winterburn." Worthing United FC released a statement, saying:  "Grimbles was our first team goalkeeper, 23 years of age and a huge talent, quiet and reserved but a brilliant player with a huge potential to go further in the game." Jacob Schilt Seagulls supporter Mr Schilt was travelling with his Mavericks teammate Matthew Grimstone when their vehicle was hit by the aircraft. Alongside Mr Grimstone, Mr Schilt was part of Worthing United's Sussex County League Division Two championship-winning side last season, and also played for an Albion supporters' team in this year's Robert Eaton Memorial Fund (REMF) match against Crystal Palace at Lewes in April. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club paid tribute to him, with chairman Tony Bloom saying: "The thoughts and prayers of everybody at the club are with Matt and Jacob's family and friends at this shocking time. Our thoughts are also with all the people who have lost loved ones in this horrendous accident." Chief executive Paul Barber added: "I got to know Jacob as one of the REMF squad, during the coaching sessions we held leading up to this year's charity match against Crystal Palace. As well as being a very good footballer, Jacob is a popular and impressive young man." Worthing United FC released a statement, saying: "Jacob, who was 23 years of age, small in stature and a tenacious midfielder, was very skilful with an eye for goal." "At this point we don't know how or if we will cope with this. Worthing Utd is a family, part of the football family, we have been moved by the number of tributes to them that we have received form our fellow clubs and from the public." Mr Schilt and Mr Grimstone attended the same secondary school, Varndean, leaving in 2008. The school said in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we remember former students Matt Grimstone and Jacob Schilt who died tragically at the weekend in the Shoreham Airshow crash. "Jacob's father, Bob Schilt, was a teacher at the school from 1989 to 2009 and is remembered affectionately by staff who knew him." Matt Jones Matt Jones, 24, a personal trainer, was named on Facebook by his sister Becky Jones as one of the dead. She wrote: "Thank you to everyone who has messaged me. We are devastated to say Matt Jones was one of the fatalities." Maurice Abrahams Chauffeur Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Brighton, was driving his "beloved Daimler" when the plane crashed. It has been widely reported that he was on his way to pick up a bride for her wedding. His family issued a statement through Sussex Police: "Maurice is a well-respected and loved father and husband. He enjoyed his work chauffeuring his beloved Daimler car and he enjoyed gardening. "He was proud to have served in the Grenadier Guards and the Parachute Regiment. He served in Cyprus and Bahrain with the UN. In his 30s he served as a police officer with Hampshire Police." Mark Reeves The family of Mark Reeves, 53, said he died while combining two of his favourite hobbies, riding his cherished Honda motorbike to photograph planes at an air show. He was a computer-aided design technician in west London who fundraised for cancer charities by parachuting and abseiling. His family said in a statement: "Mark Reeves - motorbiker, golfer, photographer, fund-raiser - but above all else, son, brother, husband, father and grandfather. "As many times before, he had travelled to an air show and parked up on the outskirts to grab the best photos, but he had never been to the Shoreham air show before. "We will remember him as a gentle, loving, incredibly giving family man, husband to Wendy, father to Luke, granddad to three beautiful grand-daughters, brother to Denise and loving son of Ann and Kenneth. "With his family he moved to Seaford nine years ago, drawn by our love of the sea and for Mark in particular, love of the sun. "He was a sun worshipper and an enthusiastic holidaymaker, travelling to Fuerteventura and Madeira in recent years and would often be seen relaxing with a cocktail in hand. "We thank everyone who has sent their love, condolences and prayers and while we appreciate that many others will be experiencing similar unspeakable grief in such tragic and public circumstances, that we now be allowed to grieve ourselves in private and in peace." Tony Brightwell The family of Tony Brightwell, 53, from Hove, said he was enjoying his passion of watching planes and cycling before he died. Outside of being a health care manager for Sussex Partnership NHS and Brighton and Hove City Council, he was an aircraft enthusiast and had learnt to fly at Shoreham airfield. With his pilot's licence, he had attended the airfield many times and was hoping to fly again one day. His fiancee Lara said she is heartbroken that their "plans to spend their lives in the sun will now never happen". "I watched him cycle off into the sun on his treasured ridgeback bike to watch the air show at Shoreham for a couple of hours, but he never came home," she said. Daniele Polito Daniele Polito was in the same car as Matt Jones, when the Hawker Hunter plane crashed and exploded on the A27 in West Sussex. Posting on Facebook, his sister Marina said: "I miss you loads already little (big) bro! Keep making people smile." Ms Polito said that many people loved her brother and would "miss him loads". "I would just like to say a massive thank you to every one who has supported my family over the last few painful days. "I am overwhelmed by the kindness you have all shown. I know many people loved him and will miss him loads, "As long as we keep him in our hearts and memories, he will never really leave us." Mark Trussler Window cleaner and builder Mark Trussler is thought to have been riding his motorbike on the A27 when the plane crashed on Saturday. His fiancee Giovanna Chirico posted a message on Facebook saying that her worst fears had been confirmed. She wrote: "Yesterday my worst fears were confirmed and I lost not just my fiance but my best friend, soul mate and sidekick. "No words can describe how much all ur family and friends r going to miss u. "So glad I got to spend the last 12 years of my life with u an love u always and eternally." Dylan Archer Dylan Archer was on a cycle ride with his friend Richard Smith when he died in the crash. Mr Archer, an IT company director, was raised in the Midlands and came to live in Brighton in 1991. He leaves a partner, Alice, and their two sons aged 15 and 12. The family said in a statement: "Dylan was a kind and loving father, partner, brother, grandson and friend. His dry humour and generous nature will be greatly missed by all who knew him. "The family are very touched by all the tributes, and thank everyone for their kindness and generosity." Richard Smith Richard Smith, 26, from Hove, was brought up in Buckinghamshire before going to university in Birmingham. His family moved to Hampshire in 2008 and he worked in a cycle shop in Cosham. He moved to Hove two years ago where he worked in marketing and web development. His family said: "Richard's passions in life were for his family, friends and his beloved bikes. His boundless enthusiasm was infectious. He was a truly wonderful, caring and loving person. He will be so sorely missed by all who knew him." He leaves a partner Victoria, parents Julie and Jonathan, and brothers William and Edward. Retired engineer, Graham Mallinson, 72, had been hoping to capture shots of the Vulcan bomber which was making one of its last appearances at Shoreham Airshow when he was killed. The keen photographer from Newick, East Sussex, was described as being "at the right place at the wrong time, doing what he loved best on a beautiful summer's day," when the jet crashed. In a statement, his family said: "He was the kindest and most generous man, who regularly gave his time to help others. Always loyal and reliable, he was a private and loving family man with a great sense of humour. "A very caring husband and father who was dearly loved, he will be very sorely missed by all his family and the wide circle of friends who had the good fortune to know him."

Question: Eleven people died in the Shoreham air crash when a vintage jet crashed on to @placeholder on 22 August . Investigators looking into the disaster publish their final report later . This is what we know about the victims .


Texas-based namesake Gina Miller was initially bemused to be branded a traitor who had "ruined our democracy". She said she received several hundreds of messages, including death threats, adding: "It was absolutely vitriolic". It came after the High Court ruled that Theresa May must seek Parliamentary approval before invoking Article 50 to start formal EU exit negotiations. London's Gina Miller, an investment manager and philanthropist, was the lead claimant in the case and was widely photographed and quoted in media coverage of the decision. Brexit court case: Who is Gina Miller? The US-based Ms Miller said she first became aware of the London investment manager's legal moves in October, after a few people mixed up the two women's Twitter addresses. But she said Thursday's "crazy" Brexit backlash took her completely by surprise. "On Twitter, on Facebook - there were some f-bombs, lots of people saying I was a traitor. 'You're ruining our democracy', 'F-off and move to France' - and much more'. She added: "I even had an email. In the subject box it said: 'I hope you die, I sincerely hope you get cancer and die'." Having visited the UK on previous occasions, Ms Miller said: "It was in overwhelming contrast to the very proper, polite British behaviour I'd seen before." The London-based Ms Miller, 51, who was born in Guyana but grew up in Britain, has not answered those critics who have targeted her on social media. But speaking outside the High Court on Thursday, she said she was aware of being called a "black widow spider" and had suffered abuse from those in favour of leaving the EU. She said: "That nickname is wrong on so many levels. But I do not and will not let other people bring me down. I believe that level of abuse means I am doing something right for investors." She did not respond to the BBC's request for comment. The American Gina Miller, who is also a multi-media consultant with Smith Geiger, a market research and strategy group, said: "If I were counselling her, I'd suggest she be a little bit more overt [on social media]. "You have to expect some sort of reaction - and it's better to take ownership of it." One of the legal groups that brought the case to the High Court, Mishcon de Reya, previously said that a number of other clients who wanted to join the action withdrew their names after receiving letters of abuse. Yet for US-based Ms Miller, the abuse has introduced her to a whole new fanbase - boosting her number of followers on Twitter to 28,000 - who can now keep up with her daily insights on American football and baseball. To make it clear, she did tweet: "Again, to my new UK-friends: Wrong Gina Miller. It's @thatginamiller you want. Appreciate all the engaging dialog though." She later said: "The tide began to shift when they realised I was the wrong Gina Miller - with lots of people saying they were sorry. "I started talking to some of them about soccer - one even asked me what I thought of Queen's Park Rangers' manager." She added: "I'll take them, I hope they'll stay - if they want to chat about sports, I'm their girl."

Question: A US sports presenter has been @placeholder with online abuse after being mistaken for Brexit campaigner Gina Miller .


Cardiff's The Clink, run by low-risk inmates from Prescoed and Cardiff prisons, was ranked 10th in TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants UK. Restaurants run by celebrity chefs Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux Jr also made the list. The Clink aims to reduce reoffending. Opened in 2012, The Clink Cardiff is now one of four restaurants run by prisoners across the UK through The Clink Charity. It offers 30 category D prisoners full-time work in the kitchen and restaurant, who gain catering and hospitality qualifications to help them gain employment upon their release. Other inmates work at the farms and gardens at HMP Prescoed in Usk, Monmouthshire, where they plant, maintain and harvest crops while working towards horticultural qualifications. The idea was created by award-winning chef Alberto Crisci, who set up the first restaurant at High Down prison in Surrey in 2009. Meet the prisoners behind the success here. TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Favourite Fine Dining Restaurants UK 2015:

Question: A restaurant @placeholder by prisoners has been named alongside Michelin - starred eateries in a list of the UK 's 10 best rated .


Terri the loggerhead turtle washed up in Jersey and needs to return to a warmer climate to be released. She was treated for shell damage and signs of an infection, and vets started a campaign to send her home. After calls on social media for money, Guernsey company Aeris Aviation offered Mr Dickinson's jet at a reduced cost. The 57-year-old singer, famous for hits including Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter and Run To The Hills, is a qualified pilot, having learnt to fly in the 1990s. Originally the plan was to send Terri by private jet at the cost of £22,000. But now she will be able to take a much shorter flight - approximately five hours instead of the 12 originally quoted - and £6,000 raised in a public fundraising campaign will go towards the cost. Mr Howarth said his colleagues were grateful for the support they had been given by people and businesses in Jersey. He said: "A jet has become available at a far reduced price and with the donations at the hospital and online we have reached the price we need for the jet. "It shows how much one little turtle can bond people together. We had interest immediately from Dubai, Australia and America. "The sea life trust in the UK offered money if we need it, which we hope to put towards a satellite tracker so people can follow Terri on her journey."

Question: A @placeholder turtle will be flown home to the Canary Islands in a private jet owned by Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickinson .


Hafez al-Assad was the architect of modern Syria. Following decades of coups and counter-coups in Syria, Hafez used the network he had built in the posts of Commander of the Syrian air force and Minister of Defence to seize power in 1970. To maintain his position, Hafez created a system of divide and rule and personalised his power to such an extent that it was he alone who held the state together. His successor would inherit a weak government and state institutions. It was Hafez's eldest son, Bassel, that was groomed for power. But Bassel's death in a car accident in 1994 thrust his brother Bashar to the fore. When Bashar al-Assad assumed the presidency in 2000 following Hafez's death, many expected him to be a chip off the old block, but this has not proved to be the case. When Bashar took over, he was obliged at first to work with his father's coterie of revolutionary leaders - many of whom had headed the state's key institutions, such as the security services and military, for decades. But, in order to assert his independence, he slowly pushed them aside in favour of his own close set of advisers. In most cases, key ministries and state agencies had been under the purview of Hafez's trusted allies since the 1970s. Although these institutions were politically weak, they had served as important vehicles of patronage and provided an essential link between the presidency and its support base. As such, state institutions engendered a strong sense of loyalty among their employees and beneficiaries and, in doing so, became sturdy pillars of the state. By pushing his father's peers aside, Bashar imposed his own urban elite on society and undermined the integrity of key institutions. Hafez rose to power with a generation of leaders that had emerged largely from rural provinces and retained close links to their constituencies. Bashar's inner circle, on the other hand, essentially comprises children of the elite - a generation raised in the city, with no constituency other than their own concentric networks of influence. The extent of Bashar's control was the subject of much debate right up to the beginning of the uprisings in March 2011. There were questions over whether Bashar was subject to the undue influence of powerful "barons" and family members, including his sister, Bushra, her late husband, Asef Shawkat, and his brother Maher. Many concluded that Bashar was a natural reformer and had every intention of opening Syria up, but was constrained by his father's clique. This was a simplistic assessment of Bashar's character; Bashar carefully cultivated a number of Western journalists, academics and policy-makers to help him appear accessible, sympathetic and thoughtful. Four years later, such a debate is moot. Neil Quilliam is the acting head of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the think tank Chatham House, which is running the Syria and its Neighbours Policy Initiative.

Question: The conflict in Syria has @placeholder in major global powers , some supporting and some opposing President Bashar al - Assad . The Assad family has ruled Syria for more than four decades , but how did they rise to power ?


The 14-year-old told detectives she was approached by the man, at the northern end of Sheep Walk in Ovingdean, Brighton, on Wednesday afternoon. She described the man as white and in his 40s. The attack happened at about 14:00 GMT, police said. Det Insp Lee Horner, of Sussex Police, said officers would be conducting house-to-house inquiries in the area. He appealed for anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously or with any information to contact the force.

Question: A man is being @placeholder by police after a teenage girl was raped in a field in Sussex , in the middle of the day .


"If there are transactions and subsequent gains, it is natural...for the finance ministry to consider how it can impose taxes," said chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga. Japan also said banks cannot provide bitcoin as a product to customers. The government is trying to determine the total volume and value of bitcoins in circulation around the world. Some estimates put the global market for Bitcoins, a virtual currency created, or 'mined' through complicated computer algorithms, at about $7bn (Â£4.2bn). Countries and their tax authorities have been grappling with how to regulate it, with some seeing it as a route for tax evasion or money laundering. Russia has declared transactions illegal, China has banned its banks from handling Bitcoin trades, and there have been calls for the US to do the same. Singapore has imposed a tax on Bitcoin trading and using it to pay for services, after classifying it as goods, rather than a currency. Last month leading Bitcoin exchange, Tokyo-based MtGox, filed for bankruptcy after losing an estimated 750,000 of its customers' Bitcoins.

Question: Japan 's government said Bitcoin is not a currency but that some transactions using the virtual @placeholder should be taxed .


Leading 2-1 from the first leg, the visitors extended their advantage through Ibrahimovic's scruffy first-time shot from Kim Kallstrom's corner. Ibrahimovic clipped in a 25-yard free-kick to all but clinch a finals spot. Denmark levelled on the night through Yussuf Poulsen and Jannik Vestergaard, but fell two goals short on aggregate. Following Ibrahimovic's two away goals, the 1992 European champions needed to score at least four times in Copenhagen to avoid being eliminated after scoring just once themselves in Sweden. Despite their late rally, it proved a task too far for the Danes as veteran coach Morten Olsen's 15-year reign came to an end. Olsen's side dominated the opening exchanges, but were left deflated when Ibrahimovic peeled off his marker to convert Kallstrom's well-worked corner. Sweden looked in complete command from that point and, although the Danes restored some pride, the visitors managed to earn a measure of revenge for the 2010 World Cup play-off defeat by their Scandinavian rivals. Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Wales. Match ends, Denmark 2, Sweden 2. Second Half ends, Denmark 2, Sweden 2. Attempt missed. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Denmark) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Nicolai Jørgensen. Goal!  Denmark 2, Sweden 2. Jannik Vestergaard (Denmark) header from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Christian Eriksen with a cross following a corner. Corner,  Denmark. Conceded by Andreas Granqvist. Attempt blocked. Jannik Vestergaard (Denmark) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Daniel Agger. Corner,  Denmark. Conceded by Martin Olsson. Offside, Denmark. Simon Kjaer tries a through ball, but Jannik Vestergaard is caught offside. Corner,  Sweden. Conceded by Daniel Agger. Attempt blocked. Jannik Vestergaard (Denmark) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Nicolai Jørgensen with a headed pass. Substitution, Sweden. Martin Olsson replaces Pierre Bengtsson. Offside, Sweden. Gustav Svensson tries a through ball, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic is caught offside. Foul by Daniel Agger (Denmark). Marcus Berg (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Substitution, Denmark. Jannik Vestergaard replaces Riza Durmisi. Goal!  Denmark 1, Sweden 2. Yussuf Poulsen (Denmark) header from the right side of the six yard box to the top left corner. Assisted by Riza Durmisi with a cross. Substitution, Sweden. Oscar Hiljemark replaces Sebastian Larsson because of an injury. Attempt missed. Marcus Berg (Sweden) left footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a cross. Attempt missed. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right from a direct free kick. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Denmark) is shown the yellow card. Foul by Daniel Agger (Denmark). Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Goal!  Denmark 0, Sweden 2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) from a free kick with a right footed shot to the top right corner. Foul by Daniel Agger (Denmark). Emil Forsberg (Sweden) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Daniel Agger (Denmark) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Marcus Berg (Sweden). Corner,  Denmark. Conceded by Sebastian Larsson. Attempt saved. Christian Eriksen (Denmark) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Sebastian Larsson (Sweden) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Riza Durmisi (Denmark) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Sebastian Larsson (Sweden). Substitution, Sweden. Gustav Svensson replaces Kim Källström. Foul by Lars Jacobsen (Denmark). Emil Forsberg (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner,  Denmark. Conceded by Pierre Bengtsson. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Denmark) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Emil Forsberg (Sweden). Foul by Michael Krohn-Dehli (Denmark). Marcus Berg (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Question: Zlatan Ibrahimovic 's double helped Sweden reach their fifth successive European Championship finals at the expense of @placeholder Denmark .


In late 1944, Major Hunter Reinburg, commanding officer of 122 Squadron of the American Marine Corps, had a hankering for ice cream. Not surprising perhaps, since he was posted to the sweltering, jungle-covered South Pacific island of Peleliu. So Hunter set his resourceful team of aircraft engineers to work on Operation Freeze. After some trial and error, they found that by mounting a large can filled with milk onto the underside of each wing tip of their fighter planes, attaching a stirring shaft to a wind-driven propeller, and then undertaking a training sortie at 30,000 feet, they could supply 100 servicemen with a helping of ice cream every day, whilst simultaneously provoking the Japanese to waste a few shells trying to bring them down. Hunter was, however, missing a trick. If, instead of flavouring his favourite treat with army-issue cocoa powder, he'd cast his eye around him to see what fruits and spices the South Pacific had to offer, then he really would have been ahead of his time. He could have tried lychee, coconut, cardamom, nutmeg or ginger - flavours that ice cream makers are now starting to experiment with. In the 70 years since Hunter went to such lengths to satisfy his passion for frozen dairy desserts, global ice cream brands have spread their reach to almost every corner of the planet. Even in Peleliu he could now probably pick up a Cornetto from his corner store. But for many years, flavours from the big international brands remained stubbornly conservative,  dominated by chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. Now though, thanks to migration, long-haul travel, and the internet, consumers are becoming more adventurous and manufacturers are taking note. Parlours have sprung up across the US offering Persian-style saffron, orange blossom, and rosewater ice cream, sprinkled with nuts and drizzled with honey; and Indian-inspired flavours such as masala chai, pineapple, and kulfi. At Chinatown Ice Cream Factory in New York, where they've been offering exotic ice creams for 40 years, they've noticed an uptick in interest from customers. Owner Christina Seid says there's often a queue of 20 customers waiting to try her Chinese-inspired range, which includes red bean, toasted sesame, and taro (a kind of sweet potato) ice cream. She thinks Americans are ready to embrace these flavours in a way they perhaps weren't when her parents, Chinese immigrants, first set up the shop. "My father was the pioneer of a lot of these flavours. Back then people didn't even know what a mango or green tea was. "Now, nothing is really weird." She thinks red bean flavour, common in China, will eventually become mainstream in the US. 13bn litres eaten globally last year China consumed most at 3.3bn litres Norwegians ate the most per head at 9.8 litres Sales grew fastest in India at 13% In many of the world's biggest ice cream markets appetites have been flagging for traditional take-home tubs. Consumers are worrying about the sugar content and there's a lot of competition. According to market research firm Mintel, ice cream sales are stalling in some markets. As a result, firms are watching what happens in places like The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory carefully. "Trends are born in the parlours where they can afford to take a gamble," says Alex Beckett, global food and drink analyst at Mintel. "They become fashionable. Then they travel from Brooklyn to LA and Chicago, then to Sydney, London, Berlin, and eventually they will be picked up by manufacturers who will start to set the market for these more ethnic styles" Yee Kwan Chan, who is based in the UK city of Sheffield and whose family is also Chinese, travels to far flung parts of the world in search of inspiration for her Yee Kwan line of desserts. "I just want to create authentic flavours you'd find in Asia," she says. Her concoctions include chocolate miso, black sesame seed, and durian - the fruit with the pungent odour often likened to sewage or something rotting - which is surprisingly popular in Asia. At Christmas she travelled to Hong Kong and is now producing egg custard tart ice cream, evoking the afternoon tea treat popular there. "With the East Asian palate we've got sweet and we've got sour and then we have bitter: we use all our senses," says Ms Chan. With foreign travel and Asian food so popular, she's convinced that Asian-inspired flavours will be on the shop shelves in the US and Europe as a matter of course in a few years' time. But for that to happen at any scale, larger manufacturers will also need to get on board. Unilever, the world's largest producer, is open to the idea. They already make a myriad of flavours to suit local palates, including red bean Cornettos in China, a liquorice recipe for Scandinavia, and they've just launched a "dung dung" ice cream - based on an "earthy" tasting fruit - in Indonesia. Matt Close, Unilever's executive vice president of global ice cream, says they've always got an eye out for new flavours that might "travel". More from the BBC's series taking an international perspective on trade: What makes this Kate Spade bag unusual? Where's hot? This summer's most popular holiday spots The lucrative world of 'the super tutor' Read more global trade series here. This year in India, the world's fastest growing ice cream market, they launched a kulfi ice cream, made with condensed milk and flavoured with rose water so it tastes a little like Turkish Delight. "I'm absolutely convinced kulfi would work in the UK," says Mr Close. "You'd start where there are big Indian communities, but there is no reason that wouldn't stretch." While taro and red bean recipes might be harder to export, matcha (green tea) flavours seem likely to be at the forefront of any Asian invasion, he thinks. "We've just launched a matcha ice cream in the Philippines. We'll take it to other markets. "I'd put money on the idea that there'd be green tea ice cream or green tea ice lollies in most markets in the not too distant future." Booza - also known as Dondurma (in Turkey), this is made with ground powdered orchid root and mastic gum. These ice creams melt more slowly and have a thicker, chewier texture. Thai rolled ice cream - the latest Asian ice cream trend involves pouring mixture onto a freezing slab of metal then rolling it up like a piece of paper Durian ice cream - only the very adventurous are usually attracted by the the prickly Asian fruit that smells so bad it's illegal to carry it on the subway in Singapore. An acquired taste. Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning

Question: We all love Thai curries , Japanese noodles and Indian snacks , so why not Asian - inspired desserts ? With the amount of ice cream @placeholder stalling in some markets , manufacturers are starting to experiment with exotic flavours .


The 20-year-old has scored six goals this season, including both in City's 2-0 win over Mansfield last week. Championship clubs are reportedly interested in signing the striker. "I'm sure there'll be lots of clubs interested in him one day, but at the moment he's our player and I don't really want him to go," Tisdale said. Watkins made his City debut as a teenager in May 2014 and was given his first start in the Devon derby at Plymouth Argyle in November 2015. "He's a good young player and he's a very good age for someone who's playing regular league football and scoring goals," Tisdale told BBC Sport. "He's athletic and I'd be amazed if there aren't clubs looking at him, but that's the same for other players as well and I'm not looking for players to go, we're just getting things going, but we'll see what happens." Exeter have done major deals in the last two January transfer widows - Matt Grimes left for Swansea City in a club-record £1.75m deal in 2015 and Tom Nichols joined Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee - believed to be six figures - at the start of this year. "You can't get ahead of yourself, you just have to keep working hard and if people are talking about you then you're obviously doing something right," said Watkins. "I just want to keep working hard and help the team climb up the table."

Question: Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale says he would not be surprised if @placeholder come in for striker Ollie Watkins during next month 's transfer window .


Newport are understood to have made an approach to Linfield asking for permission to speak to Feeney. The Welsh side parted company with manager Terry Butcher on Thursday and former Plymouth boss John Sheridan has been appointed as his successor. Sheridan is believed to want Feeney as his assistant at Rodney Parade Feeney, who won 46 Northern Ireland caps, has guided Linfield to the top of the Irish Premiership this season, with the Blues current four points clear of champions Crusaders. On Friday morning, the Belfast man declined to comment on his potential move away from the Irish League. Former Plymouth striker Feeney was appointed Blues boss in 2014. Ex-Republic of Ireland international Sheridan left his role as Plymouth boss last season where he worked with current County chief executive Jason Turner.

Question: Linfield manager Warren Feeney could be @placeholder to leave the Windsor Park club to take up an assistant 's role at League Two club Newport County .


Media playback is not supported on this device Never is it easy. Seldom is it predictable. Only occasionally does it not involve knocking knees and mangled nerves. The Grand Slam dream is on for England, but this was so nearly a nightmare to out-do even the horrors of the World Cup defeat seven months ago. England were 16-0 ahead at half-time, a lead that should have been at least seven points wider. With seven minutes to go that had shifted out to 25-7. Game over. Set sights on Paris, start thinking about only a second Slam in 20 years. Maybe that was the problem. That, a couple of missed tackles, and Rhys Priestland suddenly moving the ball like Rhys Priestland can sometimes, and George North racing away for one try, and then Toby Faletau crashing through for another. Four minutes, 14 points. Twickenham gone from party to panic, England defending with 14 men, North set free again to accelerate at the left-hand corner flag. In that World Cup match England had blown a 10-point lead with just over half an hour to play, thrown away a seven-point advantage with 10 minutes left. In 2008, at the start of Wales' own Grand Slam year, they had led 16-6 at the interval and shipped 20 points after it. This would have been more calamitous still. Had Manu Tuilagi not reached North and shoved him into touch, it might have come to pass. Had the line judge the advantage of the many screen-grabs doing the social media rounds late on Saturday night, he might not have called North out at all. Tuilagi had been predicted to make a critical impact off the bench. What no-one foresaw was that it would be with a tackle rather than a run. It should never have got so close, for this was a match not only being dominated by England at the interval but being butchered by Wales. Wales coach Warren Gatland was full of furrowed-brow fury afterwards. "Only the players can answer the question why they were so flat and lethargic, because we didn't turn up in that first half. At this level it's not acceptable as far as I'm concerned." You could understand the anger even if you took umbrage at the abdication of responsibility, or neglected to recall that the same thing happened in their opening fixture against Ireland. In Dublin, Wales had fallen 13 points down before rousing themselves and fighting back for a draw that could have been more. At Twickenham they were not just off the pace but off the scale. Nineteen missed tackles in the first 40 minutes alone, eight penalties conceded, line-outs lost, hard hands and soft heads everywhere. Alex Cuthbert had one of those games when he looks less like a lethal finisher and more like a man likely only to shoot himself in the foot. The only complaint about England was one that dogged them under previous coach Stuart Lancaster: a profligacy in attack, a lack of ruthlessness with the line in sight and the defence splintered. Media playback is not supported on this device Twice in the first 20 minutes they blew clear try-scoring chances, once when Mike Brown cut back inside rather than pinning back ears for the empty corner, again when George Ford failed to spot Anthony Watson overlapping and unmarked outside him and held on instead. Ford endured one of his more difficult games, his charged-down kick leading to the Dan Biggar try that first gave Wales hope, even if Ben Youngs' long, underpowered pass also played its part. There was so much else that was good about England that it didn't seem to matter. Quick ball from the forwards put Youngs on his toes and the men outside him in space. Smart use of that ball stretched the usually tight Welsh defence one way and then back the other. Leading the charge was Maro Itoje, described by Jones as a Vauxhall Viva at the start of this campaign, upgraded to an Astra after his first start a fortnight go, on Saturday crashing through tackles like a bulldozer, digging at the breakdown like a JCB and accelerating away from defenders like a Porsche. For a 21-year-old in his first season of international rugby it was dangerously close to the complete second-row performance: 14 tackles, more than any other England player, two defenders beaten, one clean break made, a turnover won, two Welsh line-outs stolen and all four thrown to him secured. It is just one reason why England supporters will go into next Saturday's Grand Slam decider against France with significantly more optimism than the last two times a clean sweep was in sight. They are away once again, just as they were against Wales on the final night of the 2013 season and against Ireland on the last afternoon in 2011. But while Wales were a team with two Slams of their own in the previous four seasons and a side about to supply the key men in a Lions series victory, and Ireland a team containing two of the all-time greats in Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell, this is a French side as predictable as those of old were cavalier. Not since 2011 have they finished above fourth in the Six Nations table. Only once in the past five meetings between these two in this tournament have they emerged victorious, and that with a last-gasp try two years ago. Springtime in Paris has always held its own special allure. Next Saturday it could be where an English nation falls in love with a small, hard-bitten Australian who used to delight only in winding them up. "The Grand Slam is on, isn't it?" grinned Jones on Saturday night, eschewing the caution and caveats more familiar to men with his job. "All we need to do is prepare well. We prepare well, we play well, we win the game." Simple. Or so he will hope, this time at least.

Question: Eddie Jones may only have been England 's coach for four games , but already he has a veteran 's understanding of how it has to be when his @placeholder nation succeed in sport .


The dense forests of Latvia do not usually echo with the sound of soldiers barking orders in broad Scouse, Mancunian or Lancastrian accents. But that was certainly the case last week during Nato's "Exercise Silver Arrow". Two hundred and fifty soldiers from The 2nd Battalion the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (known as 2LANCS) have been taking part in an operation the alliance has used to reacquaint itself with its core role -  safeguarding the freedom and security of its member states. It follows years of peacekeeping and counter insurgency elsewhere. Helicopter gunships and jet fighters roared overhead in the clear blue skies as 2LANCS infantrymen engaged the "enemy" amongst the larch and birch trees. Kingsman Dale Williams from Cumbria, a veteran of Afghanistan like most of his colleagues, described Exercise Silver Arrow as being worth its weight in gold. He said: "We're going back to the old styleâ€¦in wooded areas and so on. We've been doing a lot of gun training because we've got a lot of new lads in our gun platoon." The exercise is also designed to send a strong message to Moscow. When troops loyal to Russia took control of Crimea in southern Ukraine, it triggered the biggest crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War. Nato has said it "stands with Ukraine" in the face of Russia's "destabilising" influence., and called on Russia to stop the "illegal" annexation of the region. Latvia also has a sizeable Russian population. By holding Exercise Silver Arrow Nato hopes to show it's also serious about the defence of its most recent members in Eastern Europe, Latvia included. 2LANCS' commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Hamish McCormack, said their presence sent a message of reassurance to all of the Baltic states. "It's not just this exercise but all of the other exercises that have been taking place in Estonia and will take place later this year in Poland," he said. Out in the forests surrounding the Adazi base near the Latvian capital Riga, soldiers were firing blanks - and laser beams. Sensors built into their fatigues told them if they'd been 'killed' or 'wounded'. While no-one died, it was deadly serious. Corporal Mick Cousins, from Liverpool, said regimental prestige played its part. "There's a lot of pride at stake. Everyone wants to win. They've got that fighting spirit in them you know. Especially Chindit Company, 2LANCS. We're not used to losing." The exercise saw 2LANCS fighting alongside forces from Latvia and the US as 'friendlies'. Norwegians and Estonians played the role of 'the enemy' in this battle group-sized event. Kingsman Daniel Richardson from Blackpool said: "Afghan was a bit more real than this. But it feels good to work with Nato allies and seeing things that they do and how it comes together." Dilapidated site To some, Adazi might seem an ironic location for Nato's exercise headquarters. The Union Flag and the regimental banner flew above a base that two decades ago would have been filled with Russian-made tanks - their guns trained west, ready to defend the old Soviet Union and its satellites against Nato forces. Now it's a dilapidated site. But it did at least provide shelter for 2LANCS' headquarters and the logistics staff. While electricity was in short supply and there was only basic accommodation, there was at least hot food and water. By contrast, the soldiers in the field were forced to endure conditions they'd expect for real. A week on army rations and a total absence of washing facilities other than those they carried in their kit. For them, it was a minor issue. Kingsman Jack Urban from Bolton summed it up: "I'm not really bothered about that. I'm used to it. It's what we do. I miss my missus much more." Soldiers from 2LANCS were challenged and Chindit Company unexpectedly encountered 'enemy fire' and suffered 'heavy losses'. But in the end, the regiment 'prevailed'. As the shouting subsided and the guns fell silent, Lieutenant Colonel McCormack said it proved they could do what they have been trained to do. "We've proved that to ourselves, our partners and anyone else who's watching."

Question: Hundreds of soldiers from the North West have taken part in a huge Nato exercise in Latvia . Their mission : To prepare for the defence and security of Europe . BBC North West Tonight 's Mark Edwardson @placeholder them to see if events in Ukraine have given Nato a new focus .


The touching and beautifully-shot drama about growing up gay and black in Miami is seen as an outside bet to upset the La La Land bandwagon at the Oscars. It confirmed its status as the awards circuit's second favourite film with six Independent Spirit Awards. La La Land wasn't eligible for the awards, which reward low-budget films. Moonlight was made for $1.5m (Â£1.2m) over 25 days - but has now recouped $21.5m (Â£17.3m) at the North American box office. It also has eight Oscar nominations, compared with La La Land's 14. In his acceptance speech, Casey Affleck, who won best male lead, gave a taste of the political tone that is likely to dominate the Oscars. He told the ceremony: "The policies of this administration are abhorrent and they will not last. They're really un-American. "I know this feels preachy and boring and I'm preaching to the choir but I'm just lending my little voice to the chorus here." British actress Naomie Harris, who appears in Moonlight, said the current political climate is "definitely going to be reflected" at the Oscars. "Really great art reflects society," she told BBC News. "It also edifies us. It shows us a different way of operating. So I definitely think it's going to be a very political year this year at the Oscars." She also said Moonlight has struck a chord because it has fed "our universal yearning for connection". She said: "We're all yearning to connect, and I think in a society where we have so much technology that makes us feel as though we're connected, but it's not really about true connection. It's not heartfelt connection. "And that's what we're all longing for, and I think that, in Moonlight, is what's demonstrated." The Independent Spirits ceremony is the traditional precursor to the Oscars and is one of the awards season's more informal events. It honours films made for less than $20m (Â£16m). Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Question: The cast and creators of Moonlight have @placeholder up for Sunday 's Oscars by winning the top prize at Saturday 's Independent Spirit Awards .


Media playback is unsupported on your device 22 April 2015 Last updated at 21:02 BST Electrical equipment exploded underneath Stratford Road in Shirley on Monday, causing smoke and then flames to repeatedly shoot out of the pavement, in front of a row of shops and parked cars. The passer-by managed to film the explosion on his mobile phone. West Power Distribution said engineers were despatched after receiving a call at about 17:00 BST. They isolated electricity supplies and cordoned off the area before repairing an underground link box.  A spokesman described the incident as very rare. The surrounding footpath and tarmac was replaced on Tuesday.

Question: A pedestrian has @placeholder an underground explosion in a manhole in Birmingham where flames leaped several feet in the air .


A verdict of misadventure was recorded over the death of 23-year-old Charlotte Christodoulou in Shrewsbury in January. The inquest heard she and her boyfriend went into Harlescott Junior School as a short cut on their way home. She was unable to climb out over a 10ft (3m) fence but her boyfriend, who was able to, left her, the court heard. Ms Christodoulou died of hypothermia, Shropshire Coroner John Ellery ruled. It was not clear if her boyfriend, Lloyd Butler, went back for her, the court was told. Det Con Andrea Ross, from West Mercia Police, said Mr Butler was seen on CCTV leaving the school fields alone at about 20:00 GMT on Sunday 4 January. Because Ms Christodoulou, who who was living in Radbrook but was originally from Walsall, was disoriented, she was unable to find her way out in the cold and dark, the inquest heard. She was wearing only thin clothing in freezing weather conditions. Pathologist Dr Alexander Kolar told the hearing she most likely died in the early hours of the morning but, because she was intoxicated, she was able to withstand the sub-zero temperatures slightly longer than usual. Three people originally arrested on suspicion of her murder and obstructing a coroner were later released without charge. Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.

Question: A woman froze to death after climbing into school @placeholder late at night after drinking and taking drugs and not being able to get out , an inquest has heard .


A drug called mephedrone was causing so many health problems its importation had been banned in Guernsey, while the Jersey authorities had criminalised its possession and supply, pre-empting the Home Office, which was still in the process of taking advice on whether the drug should be controlled in the UK under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. At Guernsey Prison, I was told more than a third of inmates were addicted to mephedrone, which was said to have a similar effect to amphetamines, ecstasy or cocaine and whose side effects included psychosis, weight loss and insomnia. When the story appeared, some people questioned whether I had exaggerated what was happening, misinterpreted the evidence or confused mephedrone for the similar-sounding, but completely different, heroin-substitute methadone. In fact what I had reported on was the tip of a drugs iceberg which included a range of new psychoactive substances (NPS), known as "legal highs", synthetic chemicals which mimic the effects of illegal drugs. They were legal to possess and supply, but had the potential to cause mood swings and sudden changes in behaviour. The iceberg has continued to grow.  In 2011, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, the government's official drugs advice panel, said the advent of NPS had "changed the face of the drug scene remarkably and with rapidity". By last year, Nick Hardwick, then Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, declared that NPS represented the "most serious threat" to the security of the prison system. And last week, the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board said the emergence of NPS was "undiminished" and a "public health challenge", with 602 new types of the drug reported in 2015 - 5% more than the year before. The government's main response to NPS has been to outlaw them: 500 substances, including mephedrone, now fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act. But if the aim was to stop the spread of NPS, then the approach has failed.  As each drug is made illegal, the chemical structures are tweaked to create a new substance which falls outside the legislation. The new substance is on the market so quickly that its health and social harms can't be assessed and action taken to disrupt the supply. So, the government is trying something radically different - the significance of which has not yet been fully appreciated. From 6 April, sweeping new powers will come into force in the UK making it an offence to produce or supply any substance intended for human consumption that can produce a psychoactive effect. It's a reversal of the current system, under which drugs are prohibited only after they've been identified, tested and evaluated.  In future, the only psychoactive substances that won't be banned are those that have already been specifically excluded. People who break the new law could find themselves jailed for seven years. Given the blanket nature of the measures and the severity of the possible sanctions it is not surprising they had a rather turbulent passage through Parliament. Some have compared the law to the Dangerous Dogs Act, the infamous 1991 legislation, drafted at speed in response to a string of attacks on people by aggressive dogs. One problem is the term "psychoactive substance".  It is defined in the Act as something that "affects the person's mental functioning or emotional state", a description that appears to be deliberately wide and vague. How would it be applied to new substances whose psychoactivity has yet to be tested? Could harmless herbal products or strong spices be caught up?  Expect a few courtroom battles over that. Another difficulty is the exemptions list: alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, medicines, food, drink and drugs that are already controlled are on it. But "poppers", chemicals popular among gay men to enhance their sexual experience, are not - a decision described as "fantastically stupid" by Conservative MP Crispin Blunt, a poppers user. A third issue relates to sentencing. Although people caught with NPS for their own use won't be punished, the penalties for production and supply don't, on the face of it, appear to distinguish between different types of psychoactive substances, a concern raised by the Home Affairs Committee and in the House of Lords. That may well lead to a stream of appeals by those who feel they have been unfairly sentenced, though the Home Office says sanctions will be proportionate to the drugs which cause the most harm. Of course, the fact that NPS will be subject to an automatic ban and possible criminal sanctions is likely to send a strong message about the dangers of the drugs - and may act as a deterrent: greater public awareness of the risks is one of the aims of the legislation. But will the measures themselves succeed in reducing availability and consumption? Even the Home Office acknowledges there is no hard evidence yet to support that from the countries with comparable systems - the Republic of Ireland, Romania and Poland. In its "impact assessment" document about the measures, prepared in May 2015, officials said "no formal evaluation" had been completed in any of the three nations, though it pointed out that hundreds of head-shops, which are thought to have sold NPS, had closed. The BBC later reported, however, that Irish police found it hard to bring prosecutions under their new legislation - a problem which could also beset British law enforcement agencies, given the law has been modelled on Ireland's. The Home Office impact assessment says there is "considerable uncertainty" about the impact of the ban on businesses which sell NPS because they occupy a "grey area" between the licit and illicit drugs markets. It accepts there is a risk users will turn to the internet and organised crime groups to obtain NPS, or even switch to substances that are banned under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Nevertheless, it estimates there will be 12 fewer NPS-related deaths each year - though quite how officials arrived at that figure is unclear. If lives were to be saved, health costs reduced and harm to communities diminished, the architects of this ground-breaking legislation would no doubt claim it to be a success. In England and Wales in 2014, there were 67 deaths linked to new psychoactive substances - treble the number in 2010, when I made that visit to Guernsey. But NPS are just a small part of a far bigger drugs problem which claimed 3346 lives in 2014. Most of the deaths were caused by the abuse of opiates such as heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and tranquilisers. According to the Office for National Statistics it was the highest number of drug-related deaths since comparable records began in 1993. That alarming fact makes the need for a renewed focus on the drug problem more urgent than ever - indeed, the Home Office is "refreshing" its five-year drugs strategy, with a new version to be published in the coming weeks. But the new strategy is likely to be similar to what is already in place, which is why there will be more attention on the hugely controversial Psychoactive Substances Act: the critics will be watching closely.

Question: Six years ago this month , I reported from the Channel Islands on a disturbing new @placeholder .