Changes to electoral boundaries in north west Wales, before the last election, meant the old Caernarfon seat disappeared to make way for Arfon, which now includes the university city of Bangor. Caernarfon Castle and Snowdon are notable landmarks in an area where tourism and the public sector are significant employers. The boundary changes boosted Labour's chances, but Plaid Cymru held on to the seat in 2010 with a majority of 1,455. This election sees a re-run of that closely fought contest between Plaid Cymru's Hywel Williams and Labour's Alun Pugh. Hywel Williams was elected as MP for Caernarfon in 2001, replacing former Plaid Cymru leader Dafydd Wigley. Outside his office, in the shadow of Caernarfon Castle, he revealed he started campaigning a year and a half ago. "I'll be very glad to see the end of this campaign and have a normal life again, but our response to it being a marginal seat is to work even harder," he said. A fair deal for north Wales - from Cardiff Bay and Westminster - is one of his main campaigning messages. "It's a chain isn't it? The county council here is really strapped for cash and facing huge cuts. The money comes from Cardiff, and the money for Cardiff comes from London. "We want to stand up for Wales and say that £1.2bn would make us equal with Scotland and go a very long way to curing our economic problems." Former AM and Welsh Labour minister, Alun Pugh, believes the result in Arfon is on a knife-edge. He said there were still many undecided voters "so it's incredibly difficult to call". On the doorstep in Bangor, his message to voters is that the election is essentially a choice between a Labour or Conservative government. "Earlier this morning, I met a 61-year-old who's working 50 hours a week. She has two jobs and she's finding it very difficult just to pay fuel and food bills." "If you want to abolish zero-hours contracts and see a substantial rise to the national minimum wage there's only one choice available on the ballot paper, and that's Labour". The Conservative candidate is standing for election for the first time and has been finding campaigning "really, really good fun". In what is viewed as a two-horse race between Labour and Plaid Cymru in this seat, Anwen Barry said she was hoping to make inroads and build on the 4,500 votes her party polled last time. "The main topic that is coming up on the doorstep is still the economy - people are still very, very worried about the economy. They want to keep it on track", she said. Though health is devolved and therefore not directly affected by the election, she said voters were concerned about local NHS issues. "There have been so many issues up in the north of Wales - with the Betsi Cadwaladr situation, the downgrading of special baby care - there's been a lot of problems with that and people are rightly concerned living in such a rural area". The Liberal Democrats came fourth in Arfon five years ago. The party's candidate, Mohammed Shultan, said his priority was to secure "decent living wages" "The main issue in this constituency is that people are finding it very difficult to get jobs," he said. "There are no jobs at all, so my aim is to create more jobs and get the unemployment down in this area." UKIP's Simon Wall claims his party is getting a positive response from voters in Arfon. He said people were fed up of "the ping-pong politics" between other parties, and looked to UKIP as "a party of change". "Our EU membership and our right to self-determination as a country is a huge issue for people on the doors," he said. "The £56 million a day that we're sending to the EU, that's a huge issue for people." The Socialist Labour Party is also standing in Arfon, and you can see the full list of candidates here.

Question: Plaid Cymru-held Arfon has fewer constituents than any other seat on the UK @placeholder , and Labour says it is battling for every single vote .


Qatar's Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiya set the tone of the Gulf Co-operation Council's Foreign Ministers' meeting with his opening words, saying it was being held in "very exceptional circumstances and challenges that have been unprecedented". The main topic of Monday's talks has been the US effort to allay Arab concerns over the 14 July nuclear deal with Iran. Saudi Arabia and its closest allies fear that the deal will make it more, not less, likely, that Tehran will eventually build a nuclear bomb. They also suspect that with up to $150bn (Â£96bn) of newly-unfrozen funds, Iran's more extremist elements will step up their support for militant Shia groups around the region. A separate trilateral meeting between the US, Russian and Saudi foreign ministers has been focusing on Syria. But Gulf Arab governments also have mounting security concerns closer to home. Despite being the most prosperous and stable part of the Arab world, the six Gulf Arab states now find themselves facing a twin threat of domestic terrorist attacks from two ideologically opposed foes: Sunni and Shia extremists. In late July, Bahrain suffered one of the most serious attacks on its police force. An improvised bomb ambushed a police convoy, killing two officers and injuring others. Investigators say the explosive used was of military quality and similar to explosives the authorities say have been intercepted coming from Iran. They believe this latest device came from Shia militants in Iraq, funded and trained by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Bahrain has long accused Iran - and specifically elements of its intelligence security apparatus - of promoting violent unrest in the island state. Opposition figures say the government has often talked up this threat as a pretext for cracking down on protests and stifling any challenge to the Sunni monarchy by the Shia, who form a majority of the indigenous population. But Western diplomats share Bahrain's concerns, following a number of recent discoveries of explosives and weapons coming in by sea and over the causeway from Saudi Arabia, that Bahrain is being targeted by violent Shia extremists outside the country. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are also highly suspicious of Iran's activities in the region, which is why their armed forces have been actively helping Yemeni troops push the allegedly Iranian-backed Houthi rebels out of Aden. But the deadliest terrorist threat in the Gulf right now comes from the Sunni jihadists of so-called Islamic State (IS). In the space of five weeks this summer the Najd Province group, an IS affiliate, carried out three suicide bombings - two in Saudi Arabia and one in Kuwait. In all, 52 people were killed and hundreds injured. In each case the targets were Shia Muslims, murdered in their mosques as they attended Friday prayers. The jihadists of IS consider the Shia to be heretics. Analysts believe the aim of these bombings is to provoke a violent response from the Shia, setting off a sectarian conflict that will recruit more of the Gulf's Sunni citizens into the ranks of IS. After hitting Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, experts believe Bahrain is the next likely target. The numbers of IS supporters in the Gulf is disturbingly high and probably far greater than official figures suggest. In July the Saudi authorities announced they had arrested 431 suspected IS members, on top of a further 93 announced in April. Aymen Deen, the former al-Qaeda operative and expert on IS, believes there has been a recent change of strategy by the militant group. He says that rather than encouraging Gulf Arab supporters to come to Syria, the IS leadership is now telling them to remain in their own countries to plan attacks there, on the authorities, on the Shia and on Westerners.

Question: If Gulf Arab foreign ministers tell US Secretary of State John Kerry their full list of fears this week then he may need to extend his current visit to Doha . Because the list is @placeholder longer almost by the day .


On the bustling Avenue Reforma in the capital of Guatemala, in Central America, he has to keep his wits about him. He has to be prepared at all times for the very real threat of armed robbery, a kidnapping attempt, or even murder. With an average of 13 murders per day across the country last year, Guatemala is one of the most dangerous nations in the world, outside of a warzone. Bedevilled by drug gangs, grinding poverty and an abundance of guns, violent crime rates are sky high. In the capital, no suburb "including the upscale shopping, tourist and residential areas" are "immune to daytime assaults", warns the US State Department. It adds that the situation is a "serious concern", not helped by "weak law enforcement and judicial systems", or the country's "legacy of societal violence" - a reference to the Guatemalan Civil War that ran from 1960 to 1996. Under such circumstances it is perhaps no surprise that the country's private security sector is booming. "The demand is always increasing," says Alredo Rosenberg, a manager at one such security firm, Sedicop. "Unfortunately this comes from the problem of insecurity that we all experience as Guatemalans." Sedicop is one of almost 100 legally registered private security firms protecting citizens and businesses in Guatemala. A similar number of other security businesses work without government approval. In total, there are estimated to be as many as 150,000 private security guards in the country, compared with a police force of just 30,000. This is in a country with a population of 15.5 million, of which 4.5 million live in and around the capital. Sedicop and its 500 employees offer a range of services. If a business would like to see a shipment safely delivered, Sedicop can send a patrol car to drive with the van or lorry, for a price of $2 (Â£1.50) per km. Want a security guard to watch a business premises? Prices start from $545 a month. Need a bodyguard? That's from $775 a month. "People will pay for security," says Sedicop operations director Hans Castillo. "That's because it's a person's life we are talking about." For fans of US heavy metal band Metallica, the group's 2010 concert in Guatemala City was an incredible night full of crunching guitar riffs and pounding drum solos. But for Julio Colon, the outdoor gig of 27,000 people simply screamed "security hazard". Mr Colon, a manager at private security firm Seguridad Integral, was given overall responsibility for the safety of the event. He equipped the football stadium where the concert took place with metal detectors, formulated an exit plan, and ensured that security personnel with walkie-talkies were stationed everywhere. Thankfully the event passed without incident. With people in Guatemala wanting life to go on as normal despite the daily security concerns, concerts and football matches continue to be held in the country. And Seguridad Integral has now provided security at thousands of such events since it was founded in 1990. "At the time there weren't any companies that specialised in covering large events," says Mr Colon. "Overseeing an event where there is movement of a lot of people in a few hours is very different to just looking after a building." While most security firms in Guatemala provide general security services for companies, Seguridad Integral continues to specialise in large events, carving out its own niche. It charges as much as $26,000 per event. Mr Colon says that demand has steadily grown, and that the firm now has 150 employees. Such is the continuing demand in Guatemala for private security firms, that it has attracted entrants from overseas. Ohad Steinhart moved to the country in 1994 to work as a firearms instructor after completing his service in the Israel Defence Forces. About two years later he opened his own private security firm, Decision Ejecutiva, which offers personalised security packages, mainly to Guatemalan, Mexican and American businesspeople. At the time his clients' biggest concern was kidnapping. However, Mr Steinhart says he needs to continue to adapt to an ever-changing security situation in Guatemala. He adds that in recent years there has been a big rise in the number of extortion cases. "In this country when you close one hole, another two open," he says in regard to Guatemalan security issues. Decision Ejecutiva charges from $1,500 per month for a personal bodyguard, and now employs 300 people. While Guatemala now has more than 200 private security firms, Mr Steinhart says there is ample work for all of them. And this situation is not likely to change any time soon. Adriana Beltran, a security expert at US think tank Washington Office On Latin America, says that private security firms are so in demand in Guatemala because people don't believe that the police or other state institutions can protect them. "Those who can afford it turn to private security firms for protection," she says. Back on Avenue Reforma the security guard is still walking back and forth, and doesn't stop to talk. He was hired by a building that has cafes and restaurants at street level, with offices above containing a law firm, travel agent and TV station. Hector Bernhard, the building's administrator, says: "We had lots of robberies, so we had to put guards outside... when there are guards people think more carefully [about committing a crime]." Follow Business Brain editor Will Smale on Twitter @WillSmale1

Question: A guard @placeholder a shotgun paces back and forth outside a commercial building in central Guatemala City .


A member of staff and a customer were covered with fuel before the suspect fled with a quantity of cash. The raid happened at a branch of Mark Jarvis, in Bentley, near Doncaster, at about 17:40 BST on Tuesday. South Yorkshire Police said the man was wearing a grey coat, blue jeans and black gloves. The force has appealed for witnesses. Det Sgt Debra Renwick said: "Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident, however the victims were left shaken and I would urge any witnesses who may be able to assist with our investigation, to please contact us." More stories from across Yorkshire

Question: Two people were @placeholder with petrol and threatened by a man in a balaclava during a robbery at a bookmakers .


But the 75-year-old law professor has played a key role in the impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff. Under Brazil's constitution, he became acting president after the Senate voted in favour of launching an impeachment trial against Ms Rousseff, suspending her. Mr Temer is a discreet politician who seems always to be hovering around the centre of everything important, yet - up until now - never in the spotlight. But recently he has come out of the shadows, as a skilled politician intent on ending the Rousseff presidency and beginning a new era in Brazil. Mr Temer's most notable achievement as a politician has been to help the country's biggest political party - the PMDB - form coalitions with every president in the past two decades. He is currently party president. He presided over Brazil's lower house of Congress during the years of the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government (1995-2002), when Brazil underwent a liberal programme of privatisations and opening-up of the economy. And under Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2002-10, known as Lula) and Ms Rousseff, he has played a key role in helping push forward their Workers' Party agenda of state-led investments. But rather like his party, which has not held outright power for over two decades, Mr Temer has always been a kingmaker, but never king. Both party and man avoid clear ideological positions, which leaves them in a comfortable position for negotiating their participation in coalitions of any political colour. As Brazil's political crisis worsened and Ms Rousseff's Workers' Party bore most of the brunt for the many scandals in the country, the PMDB saw an opportunity to finally seize power. For most of last year, as Ms Rousseff's situation deteriorated, Mr Temer kept a low profile. But in December, things began to change. The then-speaker of Brazil's lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, also a PMDB politician, opened impeachment proceedings against Ms Rousseff for allegedly doctoring government public finances - an allegation the president denies. A few days later, a bitter letter written by Mr Temer to Ms Rousseff was leaked to the press, in which he complained that he had been neglected in making key decisions in the coalition. In March, the PMDB officially abandoned the coalition. In April, the battle between Mr Temer and Ms Rousseff for Brazil's top job finally came out into the open. Mr Temer sent a WhatsApp recording to a few MPs with a draft of the speech he had prepared in case Ms Rousseff lost the 17 April impeachment vote in the lower house. In it, he outlined how Brazil needed a "government to save the country". Mr Temer said the message was sent by mistake, but Ms Rousseff accused him of deliberately releasing his speech. Furthermore she accused both Mr Temer and Mr Cunha of being "chief and vice-chief of a coup" against her. Both men denied they were conspiring for Brazil's top job. In the days leading to the 17 April vote, both Mr Temer and Ms Rousseff met dozens of lawmakers, with some accounts of tough negotiations of jobs and promises in exchange for votes in Congress from both sides. So what could Brazilians expect now? In October 2015, the PMDB launched a manifesto called Bridge to the Future, which outlined what policies they would defend within the coalition. Most policies are popular with businesspeople and investors and would go a lot deeper into rebalancing Brazil's budget than President Rousseff has done so far - such as creating a minimum age for retirement, changing the scope of social programmes, opening up the oil sector, making labour laws more flexible and cutting mandatory spending in health and education. However, many of those policies are likely to find a lot of resistance. "It is the type of programme that even a government that was elected by the people with total legitimacy from the vote would have a very hard time approving in the middle of such a big crisis," says economist Laura Carvalho, from USP university. "They will try to push that through and there's going to be a lot of resistance from social movements and labour unions." Mr Temer has signalled he may approach the opposition PSDB party to secure a majority in Congress - but that would be a hard sell for many, as the majority of Brazilians rejected the party in the 2014 elections. There are also questions of how Mr Temer would handle corruption investigations, as his party features prominently in many scandals, including the speakers of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, and the former speaker of the lower, Mr Cunha. Mr Cunha was suspended from the post of lower house speaker earlier this month over allegations he tried to obstruct a corruption investigation against him. So far Ms Rousseff has refrained from intervening in the Federal Police and court investigations into alleged corruption at state oil firm Petrobras - even when the scandal caused serious damage to her party. Would Mr Temer do the same? He is not under direct investigation, but Mr Cunha - a powerful ally who has led much of the impeachment process that may benefit Mr Temer in the end - is alleged to hold millions of dollars in Swiss bank accounts. Mr Cunha denies the allegations. There is a public outcry against Mr Cunha, so Mr Temer will be under pressure to turn against him and keep investigations independent. During many occasions throughout the current crisis, Ms Rousseff has stressed that she was elected by 54.5 million Brazilians in 2014 and therefore has legitimacy to lead the country. As her vice-president, Mr Temer indirectly received the same votes. He will now lead the whole nation - even those who until a few weeks back did not even know who he was.

Question: Until recently most Brazilians would have @placeholder to recognise Michel Temer if they were shown a picture of the vice - president .


Duncan suffered a heart attack in July and died at a hospital in Los Angeles after failing to recover. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2000 for his portrayal as convicted murderer John Coffey alongside Tom Hanks in The Green Mile. Paying tribute to his co-star, Hanks described him as "magic". "I am terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike," said the actor. "He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of The Green Mile. "He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned," Hanks added. A former bodyguard, the 6ft 4in (1.93m) Duncan was an imposing figure who played a wide variety of action roles and also voiced animated parts. His versatility saw him team up with Bruce Willis to save the Earth in Armageddon, then play it for laughs in Will Ferrell's racing comedy Talladega Nights. In recent years he was seen in US sitcom Two and a Half Men and could be heard in animated comedy Family Guy. But he will be remembered primarily for his role as John Coffey  a convicted murderer possessed of extraordinary healing powers, in the adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Green Mile. His performance won him a nomination as best supporting actor and kick-started an acting career that only began once he gave up bodyguard work in his thirties. The film's director Frank Darabont described Duncan as "one of the finest people I've ever had the privilege to work with or know". "Michael was the gentlest of souls - an exemplar of decency, integrity and kindness," he said in a statement. "The sadness I feel is inexpressible." Duncan, who was born in Chicago in 1957, died on Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His fiancee, the reality TV personality Reverend Omarosa Manigault, asked for privacy until his funeral and memorial events were announced.

Question: Actor Michael Clarke Duncan , who rose to prominence playing a death row inmate in @placeholder film The Green Mile , has died at the age of 54 .


But which companies have managed to stand out in this important market? The BBC asked global brand research company Millward Brown to find the 20 most powerful foreign brands in China, the ones that have gone in and succeeded where many others have failed. We then asked those companies to tell us the secrets of their success. Between 2011 and 2013, Millward Brown carried out almost 60,000 face-to-face and online interviews with consumers in 10 Chinese cities as part of their market research in the country. The company then analysed its findings for the BBC, ranking brands on how "meaningful", "different" or "salient" they were and how easily they came into consumers' minds. Thirteen of the top 20 brands are from the US, two from Germany, two from France, one from Italy and one from the Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Unilever. South Korea's Samsung is the only Asian brand on the list. The opportunity is there for the taking. Millward Brown has found that Chinese consumers once valued low prices above any other factor when making choices. But a mix of higher living standards and falling trust in local brands means people are looking to international brands more. "Our research shows that in the last three years, trust in Chinese brands has eroded quite dramatically," says Millward Brown's Peter Walshe. "This is an opportunity for well-known and well-supported international brands to make their move as consumers start to value quality and experience as much as price." So how do you create a brand that works in China? We asked the companies on our list and 11 of them; Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Nike, L'Oreal, Apple, Samsung, Adidas, Armani, Omo, VW and the number one brand KFC gave us the lowdown on how it's done. All of the brands have been pioneers in China, entering before 2000. Coca-Cola has been there since 1927 and by 1948 was shifting more than a million bottles a year in Shanghai, making it the biggest city for the company outside the US. Nike says it's been there since 1981, VW started in 1983, KFC in 1987 and McDonald's followed in 1990, so getting in early seems to be a key factor. The Chinese market is changing quickly and many of the companies are learning to keep up. "Everyone is learning about how they need to work with changing social attitudes and continuous aspirational trade-ups, even the Chinese themselves." according to McDonald's. "Never assume what works for your mature markets will work for China. Success comes for those who stay relevant to the needs of the Chinese consumer." Other brands, such as Unilever's detergent Omo, go in with a fully researched understanding of the behaviours of consumers. It found that in many markets a family would use three buckets to wash clothes but Chinese consumers used five buckets for their laundry and Omo pitched their brand accordingly. Nike is developing products around Chinese habits and sports, which it then plans to sell in other markets. Giorgio Armani says that when he went into China, he painted the door of the store in Beijing red as he thought it would appeal more to his customers. Now Armani says he doesn't really change his offering in China from other markets as the customers want the Western style he sells internationally. Having got in early, many of the companies are building on that advantage. Some of the numbers are staggering. KFC has 4,400 restaurants in 850 cities and will add another 700 this year. McDonald's says it is opening 10 restaurants a week and during 2012-15 Coca-Cola will invest $4bn expanding in China. But it's not all fast food and fizzy drinks. Apple is doubling the number of stores in China in the next two years. For German carmaker Volkswagen, China is its biggest market, representing a third of its global business and it has seven new production plants in the pipeline. Many of the brands that spoke to us stressed the importance of looking beyond the coastal cities of Shanghai and Beijing to the staggering growth and new consumers in cities across the country. Both Samsung and L'Oreal tailor their approach in China to different regions. Adidas says of the 800 stores it opened in China last year, half of them were in these so-called "lower-tier" cities. It has found very different attitudes in the north and the south of the country but says even in inland cities, consumers are increasingly looking to buy aspirational foreign brands. Running a business in China is difficult to do from outside the country, and many of these multinationals tell us that their success is built on finding the best Chinese talent and joint venture partners. KFC, L'Oreal, VW and Adidas all say that hiring and then training the best local talent helps them understand their customers better.

Question: The masses of new middle - @placeholder consumers in China are one of the big targets for global companies battling the sluggish economies of Europe and North America .


The Imagination Library, in Rotherham, was launched in 2007 as the first UK arm of a project pioneered in the US. It encourages children under five to read by sending them a free book every month and to date has given more than 950,000 books to children in the town. The council said it was withdrawing its support because of government cuts. Leader of the Labour-run authority Chris Read said: "Faced with a fifth consecutive year of savings as part of the government's programme of austerity, now totalling £116.9m since 2010, the council was faced with making some difficult decisions in agreeing its budget for 2015-16. "In addressing the cuts, we have responded to residents' priorities and sought to minimise the impact on front-line services where possible. "Residents told us which areas were most important to them, and this has resulted in additional investment being put into children's services, extra street cleansing and resurfacing roads. "We appreciate that many families have valued the work of the Imagination Library, but unfortunately the cuts to the council meant that we could no longer afford to fund it to the tune of £400,000 over the next two years." He said children would continue to receive books from the Imagination Library until the summer. A spokesman for the Dolly Foundation said it was "disappointed" with the council's decision. He said: "We currently reach 85% of all the children under five in Rotherham. "Internal and external research continues to affirm the positive impact the programme has on better preparing children for school. "The programme has been successful and we hope that the parents and caregivers who value the programme will share their feelings with the council."

Question: A children 's reading @placeholder backed by US country singer Dolly Parton is facing closure after a council said it was withdrawing £ 400,000 of support .


And that's left many questioning the underlying health of the global economy and wondering what comes next. At heart, anyone grappling with this issue is really asking themselves three inter-related questions: how sharp is China's slowdown? What happens next to commodities? And when will the US Federal Reserve raise interest rates? The direction of China's stock market is very much a third order issue - despite all the attention over the last week. It matters little to investors outside China, as foreign ownership is still very limited - except perhaps as a gauge of sentiment. It matters only a little more to Chinese investors - who are still a tiny subset of the Chinese people. Its wild gyrations certainly don't tell us much about the underlying health of the Chinese economy. So on to the first real question - how sharply has China slowed? Growth is certainly down from the double digit levels seen in the last decade. Officially the economy is growing at a still healthy 7% a year, but many independent analysts put the real number at closer to 5%. That is still a healthy rate of growth for a country at China's stage of development - and given that China's economy is now much bigger than it was, 5% in 2015 contributes to global demand as much as 10% of a much smaller economy did earlier in the century. China's economy was always going to slow, but to understand the panic about this (and panic really is the word) one has to assume one of two things. Either investors hadn't really previously discounted the fact that growth would really slow, or they are worried that the slowdown is sharper - something below 5%. The latest bout of global risk aversion was kicked off by China's surprise decision to devalue its currency against the dollar. Many took that as a sign of panic amongst Chinese policy makers - an attempt to kickstart exports and boost growth. The decision was badly communicated and coincided with thin (and usually more volatile) August markets. But for what it's worth, it strikes me as a fundamentally sensible move to partially uncouple the renminbi (RMB) from a rising dollar at a time when the dollar is likely to continue rising and other Asian currencies are weak. That doesn't amount to an abandonment of China's "rebalancing" away from exports and investment and towards consumption, but a prudent step to take more control of their own monetary policy rather than being shackled (through a semi-pegged currency) to steps taken by the US Federal Reserve. Bad Chinese manufacturing data last week rekindled those fears about the extent of the slowdown, but other data (especially consumption) point to healthier growth. If growth is chugging along at 5%, then China has the difficult task of managing an economic transition and the shape of the world economy will begin to shift but fundamentally global growth isn't in danger. If though it's actually as low as 3% or even 1%, then the recent asset price falls are only the start. Secondly, there's the question of commodities - and especially oil. Commodity prices are at their lowest level since 1999. This is the core of the debate between the "deflationists" and the "reflationists". To some that signals a world economy in serious trouble - weak demand for commodities signalling a slowdown in growth. But to others this is mainly a supply side story - just look at oil, where US production has soared. And cheaper commodities create what might be counter-intuitively thought of as "disinflationary force for reflation" - lower fuel and food prices boost real household disposable incomes, allowing more money to spend on other goods. Cheap petrol has been a motor of UK and European growth this year. It certainly looks like Saudi Arabia's decision to maintain high production levels last year - read by many as an attempt to drive higher-cost US shale producers out of the market - has failed. US shale really has two motors. The first was high oil prices which made production economically tenable - that motor has failed. But there was a second: easy access to credit to maintain cash flows and finance growth. And that motor, despite some signs of spluttering, still seems to be working. Faced with lower prices, US producers are focusing on their best fields and raising their efficiency. If commodity prices stay low then - all things being equal - this is a boon to importers in developed countries and a drag on emerging economy exporters. Finally there's the question of when the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates. The markets had been expecting that to happen in September - but that now looks less likely. Market turmoil, slower global growth, weaker commodity prices and a stronger dollar (and hence less inflationary pressure) all give ammunition to those urging the Fed to wait. On the other hand, to back down isn't cost free. It may appear to "reward" bad behaviour in the markets - the Fed has many responsibilities but supporting stock prices isn't one of them. The central bank may be reluctant to delay if it is seen as an attempt to do this - which might encourage excessive risk taking in the future. Managing the transition from near-zero rates to more "normal" policy was always going to be tricky. The Fed (like other monetary policy makers) has staked a lot on communication - by making clear that rates would rise in a gradual and controlled way to a lower level than in the past it sought to manage the fallout from a change in policy. To delay hiking now may damage the credibility of that communication effort (a September rise having been well flagged in advance) and make the eventual task harder. Many economists are now pushing their Fed hike-timing estimates out to December or even March next year. A lot may depend on how the markets play out in the weeks ahead. These are the three real questions facing the global economy. It's easy to get caught up in moves in the markets over the course of a single day or how currencies and stock indices performed over a week. I know this as I get caught up in this most days. But it's always worth stepping back and looking at the big picture. UK and US growth is relatively solid - not spectacular but solid. The Eurozone seems to be staging a weak recovery - though better than other years, supported by aggressive monetary policy. Low commodity prices are an almost unambiguously good thing for the developed world. But alongside that healthier picture for the developed world is a much weaker one for the emerging world. Global growth still hasn't returned to the levels seen before 2008 and maybe it won't. The pattern of global growth is changing. But it doesn't look like we are the verge of another global recession.

Question: It 's been a rough August for investors . As has now been @placeholder ad nauseam , trillions of dollars have been wiped off global stock markets .


4 February 2016 Last updated at 14:54 GMT It was held close to the scene of one of the attacks, in which a 76-year-old woman suffered a broken jaw. Personal alarms and safety packs are to be distributed to older people in the area, as Catherine Morrison reports.

Question: Several hundred people have attended a rally in west Belfast after a number of recent violent robberies in which elderly residents were @placeholder .


Mr Lamb supported remain in the European Union referendum in a strongly euro-sceptic area where last time around UKIP garnered more than 8,000 votes. The North Norfolk constituency contains the holiday resorts of Sheringham, Cromer and Wells-next-the-Sea, along with the small inland towns of Holt, North Walsham and Fakenham, and many more villages. The constituency has a high number of elderly people, with 4% of the population over 85 years, making pensions and social care key issues. It is also an agricultural area and issues such subsidies for farming after Brexit will figure high in many people's minds. North Norfolk had the rare distinction of being an agricultural seat which elected a Labour MP between 1945 and 1970 and had a strong tradition of organised agricultural trade unionism. The Conservative Sir Ralph Howell took the seat in 1970 and it remained Tory until Norman Lamb of the Liberal Democrats won the seat in 2001. The candidates, profiled in alphabetical order according to their surname: I am the only candidate who lives and works in North Norfolk, so I know the issues facing voters here. I am involved in improving health, housing and care in North Norfolk. I have extensive experience running national charities and working across government to champion the case for investment here. Universal mobile and broadband coverage. Universal mobile and broadband coverage. I have played football at Chelsea, Fulham and QPR. I would have loved to have been alive when Clem Attlee was Prime Minister in the pioneering post-war government. I was fortunate to campaign in the USA for Barack Obama when he was elected in 2008. Both would be great. I have demonstrated my passion and commitment to my community, North Norfolk, for the last 16 years. As an MP, I have worked hard to give a voice to those who are disadvantaged and marginalised in society - and in particular, fighting on behalf of those with mental ill health. A bold solution to the crisis in NHS and social care. I want an NHS we can be proud of on its 70th birthday - properly funded, treating mental and physical conditions with equal priority, and joined-up with a compassionate social care system that meets today's needs. I would deliver a fairer, sustainable way of funding health and social care to ensure dignity in old age, including the cap on care costs I fought for as health minister. I would invest more in children's education, so that they can flourish and make the most of their talents. I re-mortgaged my house to fund a grime album.  My eldest son, Archie, is a music producer who discovered the artist Tinchy Stryder. We helped him launch his breakthrough album, which spawned three Top 10 singles including two that topped the charts. Talented man! Jo Grimond. He was a great liberal thinker - a radical - who was all about giving power to people. For him, politics was about empowering individuals to flourish and make decisions about their lives. That principle drives my determination to defend people's rights and give them more control over public services. I'm standing to be MP for the area I grew up in because I want to make North Norfolk a better place and to live and work. As part of Theresa May's team, I will deliver a better deal for North Norfolk than it has had in the past. I backed Brexit, like the majority of the people in North Norfolk. Now I want to see it delivered with the best possible deal for Brexit and beyond - not have the damaging uncertainty and attempt to undermine that vote with a second referendum which the Liberal Democrats want. I would tackle long-running issues that North Norfolk has faced. My priorities are delivering comprehensive mobile coverage, ensuring every home and business gets high speed broadband by 2020, helping regenerate towns including North Walsham, delivering more affordable homes, good school places, and looking after people who have worked hard. I've had a pint of Rockhopper in the Victory Bar in Port Stanley after meeting the penguins on the Falkland Islands. The country needs Theresa May's strong and stable leadership. In an alternative scenario, then Winston Churchill was an inspirational leader who defined Britain's place in the world. He would get a good Brexit deal!

Question: The North Norfolk constituency is set to be high on the list of seats Conservatives want to take from the Liberal Democrats , and with UKIP @placeholder aside , former minister Norman Lamb 's 2015 majority of 4,000 is in their sights .


The company that runs HMP Northumberland insists the prison is under control and says the same number of layoffs would have been had it remained in the public sector. But a series of incidents, since French multinational Sodexo took over in December 2013, have attracted criticism from staff, MPs and union officials. Paul Miller was an officer at the 1,300-capacity Acklington jail for 23 years and picked up awards for his service. "I loved my job. I loved the banter. I had a great rapport with the prisoners. I was proud to wear the crown on the uniform," he said. He, along with about 200 of the 588 staff, took voluntary redundancy earlier this year. The 48-year-old now runs a photo booth business with his wife Julie but he says if the prison had stayed in the public sector, he would have remained in the service. "I think it's immoral to run this for money," he said. "Why should somebody make profit out of somebody's misfortune?" Labour MP Ian Lavery, whose Wansbeck constituency is nearby, said he was "vehemently opposed" to privatisation of the Prison Service. But the prison was not without shortcomings before the contract was put out to tender. Its last inspection report in 2012 said a third of prisoners were locked up during the working day with nothing to do. This, says Sodexo, is one of the areas in which it is making progress, as it works to fulfil its commitment to bring more work into the prison. But the 2012 report also found the prison was relatively safe and "respectful". In a year which saw a group of prisoners take over a wing, a member of staff hospitalised in an assault and a small group of prisoners running riot after fire broke out in six cells, Mr Miller also says one of his friends was headbutted by a prisoner. Mr Lavery said: "It looks very much as if it's a powder keg. I'm worried a member of staff is going to get seriously harmed." It is unclear if there has been a genuine increase in violence, or whether there has simply been greater scrutiny since privatisation. The Ministry of Justice, which holds the figures on the number of assaults, has refused to release them for the period after December 2013. "Don't get me wrong, it did happen in the Prison Service as well but not in these numbers," Mr Miller said. "We always felt we were good at interacting with the prisoners and there was a lot of respect both ways." But he believes there are now too few staff to forge relationships with prisoners and keep control of them. "When I first went to HMP Northumberland, we had 60 prisoners with a senior officer and five officers running a wing," he said. By the time he left, this had dropped to two officers in charge of a wing with no senior officer, he said. Frances Crook, chief executive of campaigning charity the Howard League for Penal Reform, said staffing levels were "particularly concerning". She said 2014 had been "a year to forget" for the prison. In a statement, Sodexo said it constantly reviewed staffing levels and had hired 27 new officers as a result. Sir Alan Beith, the Liberal Democrat MP whose Berwick constituency includes the prison and who is chair of the Justice Committee, said staffing was a concern. But he pointed out that when the HMP Northumberland contract was put out to tender, the public sector bid also included a planned staff reduction of 200. "I visit a lot of prisons, some of them are public sector, some of them are private sector and there's good and bad in both," he said. "The thing that tends to make prisons not work well is the immediate aftermath of any kind of change. "There has been a general increase in violence across the prison system and it's clearly affected HMP Northumberland." Staff cuts have been made across the board and government figures recently released showed a 15% increase in attacks on officers across the prison system, since the coalition came into power. Sodexo sees some of the criticism it has received over its running of HMP Northumberland as unfair. In a statement, the company said: "We're disappointed with the negative perception of HMP Northumberland when our experienced staff do fantastic work in a challenging environment. "Our highest priority is to run a safe prison and this is never an area of compromise. "Criticism of staffing levels has taken the focus away from HMP Northumberland as a working prison. "We are committed to reducing reoffending and more prisoners are now working in the prison for longer hours than ever before as part of our resettlement strategy." The public will get a sense of the current situation in the jail next month, when inspectors who visited in September publish their report. As staff cuts take place across UK prisons, the conclusions they reach may provide valuable lessons for the whole system.

Question: An MP described it as a " powder keg " . A union called it a " tinderbox " and said its members did not feel it was safe . HMP Northumberland , in north - east England , has been under scrutiny ever since it was privatised a year ago and cut a third of its staff . So is the criticism @placeholder ?


It follows recent media reports suggesting Michael Beaumont might be open to the sale of the Fief of Sark in the future. He said: "I will not sell the fief under any circumstances for any sum, however high. "I have no intention of reneging on my obligations accepted on my becoming seigneur." Mr Beaumont said: "If Chief Pleas becomes unable to operate as a free democratic assembly due to external intimidation then I would give serious consideration to surrendering my lease to the Crown." The island's government underwent significant reform in 2008, following a referendum after calls for change were made under the European Convention of Human Rights. Those changes did not include the abolition of the feudal roles of Seigneur and Seneschal. The billionaire brothers Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay, who own the neighbouring island of Brecqhou, have been among those calling for more radical reform, including an end the feudal roles. In 2010 the Seneschal stood down from his role as president of Chief Pleas as he was seen to have an "unfair" dual role because he is also the island's senior judge. The role of Seigneur, or Lord, of Sark is a hereditary title. Mr Beaumont became the 22nd person to take up the position in 1974. It dates back to 1565 when Queen Elizabeth I granted a fief for the island, on condition that it was kept free of pirates and occupied by at least 40 men who could carry arms.

Question: The Seigneur of Sark will not sell the island under any circumstances , he has said in a @placeholder .


Party activists mocked Colum Eastwood's decision on social media. Gerry Adams' chief spokesperson Richard McAuley tweeted a picture of Mr Eastwood on the platform at the conference. He wrote: "Everything u ever needed to know about the SDLP in one image." Mr Eastwood told BBC's The View programme: "If we're about convincing people that a united Ireland's a good idea, that's the kind of nationalism I'm involved in. "It's an open nationalism. It's not a narrow nationalism. It's not one that thinks speaking to unionism is a bad thing. "I really don't understand where Sinn Féin are coming from in all this, but it really puts to bed this notion that there's any kind of unionist engagement coming from Sinn Féin." Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said: "Sinn Féin have a unionist outreach officer and now they're outraged we are outreaching to the SDLP. That's just hypocritical." But, Declan Kearney, who leads Sinn Féin's reconciliation programme, said it was all part of "the cut and thrust of politics". He said: "I suppose the real question to ask is whether we're now seeing a situation where the SDLP are sleepwalking into getting bossed by the Ulster Unionist Party and whether there's a prospect of them eventually becoming absorbed into Fianna Fáil in the south or the UUP in the north. "What we actually need to see is political unionism stepping up to the plate and beginning to reach out to republicanism and nationalism in a way that republicanism and nationalism has been reaching out to political unionism. "There's been no reciprocation. That's a source of a great deal of discontent and concern and frustration within the wider republican constituency." Meanwhile, DUP MLA Lord Morrow told The View his party would not invite a Sinn Féin leader to its party conference. "The difference in an Ulster Unionist conference and a DUP conference is very clear," he said. "We have a party conference; we have an array of speakers from the DUP and we don't have to go out and invite others to come in and fill the space to tickle the emotions of our delegates." The View will be broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland on Thursday night at 22:45 BST.

Question: Sinn Féin has been accused of turning its back on unionist outreach after its response to the SDLP leader 's @placeholder at the Ulster Unionist conference .


Who were these men and - 100 years later - has there been a lasting legacy from their deaths? The vast majority of those who drowned or died from hypothermia were South Africans recruited to work as manual labourers on the Western Front. Many had signed up hoping they would win more political freedoms if they demonstrated their willingness to help the British Empire's war effort. The Mendi had already completed a 34-day journey from Cape Town when it sailed past the Isle of Wight in foggy weather on 21 February. At about 05:00 GMT, a Royal Mail packet-boat, the SS Darro, ploughed into the Mendi at full speed, smashing a 20ft (6m) hole on her starboard side. It ripped through to crowded holds where men were sleeping in tightly-packed tiers of bunks. A total of 646 people died. Only 267 survived the sinking; 195 black men, two of the four white officers and 10 of the 17 white NCOs. From the safety of the Darro, Captain Harry Stump stood by and watched - but for reasons that are still murky, did nothing to save the lives of the men. Why didn't he help? The SS Darro sustained only minor damage and there was plenty of room on board, according to the official investigation. Survivors were instead picked up by the destroyer HMS Brisk and then other ships. South African historian Professor Albert Grundlingh, said it was difficult to explain Cpt Stump's actions. "It's shrouded in mystery," he said. "At a tribunal Cpt Stump said it was dark, and he couldn't see in the conditions. Maybe he was confused or lost his nerve. "Was is because the men were black? There has certainly been speculation to that effect, but no firm conclusion. In South Africa, people believed that." The SANLC was formed in response to a British request for manual workers on the Western Front. The men were to have become part of a huge multinational labour force. Their role was to build the railways, trenches, camps and roads upon which the Allied war effort depended. They were not allowed to bear arms, were kept segregated, and were not eligible for military honours. Following the disaster, bodies continued to be washed up on both sides of the Channel for several weeks. The news of the sinking reached South Africa two weeks after it happened. Prime Minister General Louis Botha rose in parliament to inform the nation, and the house unanimously carried a motion conveying "parliament's sadness". Botha praised the labour corps for "doing everything possible" in the war and for their "loyalty to the flag and the King". This deference did not stretch to awarding medals to any of the black servicemen - living or dead - from the South African Native Labour Force. Such honours were reserved for white officers only. In the years that followed, the disaster was not made much of in South Africa. Indeed, some African National Congress (ANC) leaders viewed war veterans as "sell-outs", according to Prof Grundlingh, and felt "embarrassed" about black military service. Col Daisy Tshiloane, a former member of the ANC's military wing, said she had learned the story of the Mendi in "ANC camps". Speaking as a South African deputy defence advisor in 2014, she said she found it "very hurtful" that "so many black African lives meant nothing". The story was not included in school curriculums set by the country's white rulers but was passed on from generation to generation, says author Fred Khumalo. "It's a huge gap in our history," says the writer of Dancing the Death Drill, a novel based on the sinking. The book's title comes from an unconfirmed but persistent anecdote about Reverend Isaac Wauchope Dyobha, a pastor on the ship. He was a prominent member of a group of East Cape African intellectuals, who encouraged their compatriots to join the Labour Corps in the hope the show of loyalty would benefit black people politically. The story goes that he told the doomed men: "Be quiet and calm, my countrymen, for what is taking place now is exactly what you came to do. "You are going to die, but that is what you came to do. "Brothers, we are drilling the drill of death. "I, a Xhosa, say you are all my brothers, Zulus, Swazis, Pondos, Basutos, we die like brothers. "We are the sons of Africa. "Raise your cries, brothers, for though they made us leave our weapons at our home, our voices are left with our bodies. He then led them in a barefoot dance - the "death drill" - drumming their feet on the deck as the ship wallowed and sank. Historians have varyingly described the legend as "pure nationalist mythology based on African oral tradition" or containing a "solid core of truth". Other stories of heroism include that of Joseph Tshite, a schoolmaster from near Pretoria, who encouraged those around him with hymns and prayers until he died. A white sergeant was supported by two black compatriots, who swam with him and found place for him on a raft. The site of the wreck was discovered by an English diver in 1974 and an official memorial was erected by the South African government in 1986 at Delville Wood in France. By then, South Africa's black majority had lived under decades of apartheid rule, the hopes that loyalty in WW1 would lead to greater political rights having been long dashed. However, in post-apartheid South Africa, the story is now better known. A Mendi medal for bravery was established in 2003 and a modern South African navy ship bears its name. And the controversy over the actions - or lack of - by Cpt Stump rumbles on. He was found entirely to blame for the sinking. An official report ruled he was going too fast and had not sounded a warning whistle in the fog. According to Prof Grundlingh, the captain never explained why he did not help the stricken men on board the Mendi, nor express any regret or remorse. Yet despite calls for him to be jailed, the only sanction he faced was to have his licence suspended for a year. "He must have heard the cries proceeding from the water for hours [after the accident]," the report into the disaster said. "There was nothing to have prevented him from sending boats on the then smooth water... had he done so, many more lives would have been saved. "His inaction was inexcusable."

Question: In the pre-dawn darkness of a February morning in 1917 , a ship carrying hundreds of black South African men was sunk in the English Channel . But this was no @placeholder of war . A Royal Mail cargo ship had ploughed full speed into the SS Mendi - and its captain inexplicably did nothing to help .


Signings from June and July, plus any deals confirmed since the closure of the January transfer window, can be found on the July,June and spring 2017 editions of this page while you can see who each club has let go at the end of the 2016-17 season on our released player round-up. For all the latest rumours check out the gossip page and, for all the manager ins and outs, see our list of current bosses. Premier League Oliver Burke [RB Leipzig - West Brom] Undisclosed Premier League Florent Hadergjonaj [Ingolstadt - Huddersfield] Loan Zlatan Ibrahimovic [unattached - Manchester United] Football League Ben Godfrey [Norwich - Shrewsbury] Loan Jay-Roy Grot [NEC Nijmegen - Leeds] Undisclosed Mark Roberts [Cambridge - Forest Green] Free Kevin Toner [Aston Villa - Stevenage] Loan Jon Toral [Arsenal - Hull] Undisclosed Mallik Wilks [Leeds - Accrington] Loan David Worrall [Millwall - Port Vale] Free Premier League Sam Clucas [Hull - Swansea] Undisclosed Paulo Gazzaniga [Southampton - Tottenham] Undisclosed Abdelhamid Sabiri [Nuremberg - Huddersfield] Undisclosed Davinson Sanchez [Ajax - Tottenham] Undisclosed Football League Harry Forrester [Rangers - AFC Wimbledon] Loan Stephen Kingsley [Swansea - Hull] Joe Mason [Wolves - Burton] Loan Football League Omar Beckles [Accrington - Shrewsbury] Undisclosed Liam Bridcutt [Leeds - Nottingham Forest] Undisclosed Kane Hemmings [Oxford - Mansfield] Loan Savvas Mourgos [Arsenal - Norwich] Undisclosed Max Muller [Wycombe - Morecambe] Loan Rafa Soares [Porto - Fulham] Loan Matt Taylor [Northampton - Swindon] Free Premier League Chris Wood [Leeds - Burnley] Undisclosed (reported £15m) Football League Cohen Bramall [Arsenal - Birmingham] Loan Nadir Ciftci [Celtic - Plymouth] Loan Sam Gallagher [Southampton - Birmingham] Loan Luke Hendrie [Burnley - Bradford] Loan Carl Jenkinson [Arsenal - Birmingham] Loan Sid Nelson [Millwall - Yeovil] Loan International Ismael Bennacer [Arsenal - Empoli] Undisclosed Samir Nasri [Manchester City - Antalyaspor] Fee rising to £3.2m Premier League Jose Izquierdo [Club Brugge - Brighton] Undisclosed (reported £13.5m) Premier League Olarenwaju Kayode [Austria Vienna - Manchester City] Undisclosed Football League Dion Donohue [Chesterfield - Portsmouth] Undisclosed Jordan Flores [Wigan - Chesterfield] Loan Matt Grimes [Swansea - Northampton] Loan Stefan Payne [Barnsley - Shrewsbury] Undisclosed Sean Raggett [Lincoln - Norwich] Undisclosed fee Sean Raggett [Norwich - Lincoln] Loan Sean Scannell [Huddersfield - Burton] Loan Scottish Premiership Josh Meekings [Inverness - Dundee] Free International Olarenwaju Kayode [Manchester City - Girona] Loan Blaise Matuidi [Paris St-Germain - Juventus] £27.8m Gabriel Paulista [Arsenal - Valencia] Undisclosed Football League Steve Arnold [Dover - Gillingham] Free Omar Bogle [Wigan - Cardiff] Undisclosed Baily Cargill [Bournemouth - Fleetwood] Loan Dimitri Cavare [Stade Rennais - Barnsley] Undisclosed Luke Coddington [Huddersfield - Northampton] Free Rui Fonte [Braga - Fulham] Undisclosed Craig Mackail-Smith [Luton - Wycombe] Free Jack Stobbs [Sheffield Wednesday - Port Vale] Loan Cauley Woodrow [Fulham - Bristol City] Loan Scottish Premiership Brandon Barker [Manchester City - Hibernian] Loan International Max Gradel [Bournemouth - Toulouse] Loan Premier League Joselu [Stoke - Newcastle] £5m Jese Rodriguez [Paris St-Germain - Stoke] Loan Gylfi Sigurdsson [Swansea - Everton] £45m Football League Jordan Green [Bournemouth - Yeovil] Free Sheyi Ojo [Liverpool - Fulham] Loan Scott Quigley [New Saints - Blackpool] £35,000 Frederico Venancio [Vitoria Setubal - Sheffield Wednesday] Loan Premier League Gareth Barry [Everton - West Brom] Undisclosed Football League Will Jaaskelainen [Bolton - Crewe] Free Tom Lawrence [Leicester - Derby] Undisclosed Ben Nugent [Crewe - Gillingham] Free Football League Osman Sow [Henan Jianye - MK Dons] Undisclosed Isaac Vassell [Luton - Birmingham] Undisclosed International Sofiane Feghouli [West Ham - Galatasaray] £3.87m Tony Watt [Charlton - Oud-Heverlee Leuven] Undisclosed Football League Leandro Bacuna [Aston Villa - Reading] Undisclosed Alex Bruce [Hull - Bury] Free Football League Kyle Howkins [West Brom - Cambridge] Loan Premier League Bruno Martins Indi [Porto - Stoke] £7m Football League Marcus Antonsson [Leeds - Blackburn] Loan Lewis Baker [Chelsea - Middlesbrough] Loan Harvey Barnes [Leicester - Barnsley] Loan Shaun Donnellan [West Brom - Walsall] Loan Kazenga LuaLua [Brighton - QPR] Loan Mamadou Thiam [Dijon - Barnsley] Undisclosed Scottish Premiership Conor Sammon [Hearts - Partick] Loan Miles Storey [Aberdeen - Partick] Undisclosed International Marc Muniesa [Stoke - Girona] Loan Premier League Soufyan Ahannach [Almere City - Brighton] Undisclosed Timothy Fosu-Mensah [Manchester United - Crystal Palace] Loan Football League Tony Andreu [Norwich - Coventry] Free Reece Cole [Brentford - Newport] Loan Leonardo Fasan [Udinese - Bury] Free Brian Graham [Hibernian - Cheltenham] Free Scottish Premiership Stevie May [Preston - Aberdeen] Undisclosed International Jordan Amavi [Aston Villa - Marseille] Loan Marten De Roon [Middlesbrough - Atalanta] Undisclosed Premier League Andre Gray [Burnley - Watford] Undisclosed Football League Shaun Cummings [Millwall - Rotherham] Free Diallang Jaiyesimi [Norwich - Grimsby] Loan Gyamfi Kyeremeh [unattached - Oldham] Seb Larsson [Sunderland - Hull] Free Elliot Osborne [Fleetwood - Morecambe] Loan Premier League Mario Lemina [Juventus - Southampton] £15.4m up to £18.1m George Thomas [Coventry - Leicester] Undisclosed Richarlison [Fluminense - Watford] £11m Football League Harry Cornick [Bournemouth - Luton] Undisclosed Niclas Eliasson [IFK Norrkoping - Bristol City) reported £1.8m JJ Hooper [Port Vale - Grimsby] Free Ivo Pekalski [Halmstads - Oxford] Undisclosed Premier League Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting [Schalke - Stoke] Free Sead Haksabanovic [Halmstads BK - West Ham] Undisclosed (reported £2.7m) Davy Propper [PSV Eindhoven - Brighton] Undisclosed (reported £6m) Football League Alex Baptiste [Middlesbrough - QPR] Free Cameron Borthwick-Jackson [Manchester United - Leeds] Loan Tyler Denton [Leeds - Port Vale] Loan Tom Field [Brentford - Bradford] Loan Jamie Jones [Stevenage - Wigan] Free Kyel Reid [Coventry - Colchester] Loan Jonathan Smith [Luton - Stevenage] Free Martyn Waghorn [Rangers - Ipswich] Undisclosed Kaiyne Woolery [Wigan - Swindon] £350,000 Football League Marco Stiepermann [Bochum - Norwich] Undisclosed Football League Simon Bloch Jorgensen [Bronshoj Boldklub - Accrington] Free Harry Bunn [Huddersfield - Bury] Undisclosed Harry Chapman [Middlesbrough - Blackburn] Loan Tom Dallison [Brighton - Accrington] Loan Tyler Forbes [Brighton - Accrington] Loan Stephy Mavididi [Arsenal - Preston] Loan Duckens Nazon [Wolves - Coventry] Loan Josh Onomah [Tottenham - Aston Villa] Loan James Pearson [Barnet - Coventry] Free Matty Pearson [Accrington - Barnsley] Undisclosed Antonee Robinson [Everton - Bolton] Loan Ryan Sweeney [Stoke - Bristol Rovers] Loan Dominic Telford [Stoke - Bristol Rovers] Loan Michael Tonge [Stevenage - Port Vale] Free Tom Trybull [ADO Den Haag - Norwich] Free Ben Whitfield [Bournemouth - Port Vale] Loan Ben Wilson [Cardiff - Oldham] Loan Ryan Yates [Nottingham Forest - Notts County] Loan Scottish Premiership Cammy Bell [Dundee United - Kilmarnock] Free Milan Nitriansky [unattached - Partick Thistle] International Fernando [Manchester City - Galatasaray] Undisclosed Gaston Ramirez [Middlesbrough - Sampdoria] Undisclosed Premier League Kelechi Iheanacho [Manchester City - Leicester] £25m Football League Modou Barrow [Swansea - Reading] £1.5m Issam Ben Khemis [Lorient - Doncaster] Free Matt Done [Sheffield United - Rochdale] Free Kieran Dowell [Everton - Nottingham Forest] Loan Neal Eardley [Northampton - Lincoln] Free Noel Hunt [Portsmouth - Wigan] Free Rob Kiernan [Rangers - Southend] Undisclosed Rodney Kongolo [Manchester City - Doncaster] Loan Brad Potts [Blackpool - Barnsley] Undisclosed Ben Reeves [MK Dons - Charlton] Free Ricardinho [Gabala - Oxford] Free Sam Surridge [Bournemouth - Yeovil] Loan Aaron Wilbraham [Bristol City - Bolton] Undisclosed International Neymar [Barcelona - Paris St-Germain] £200m Ragnar Sigurdsson [Fulham - Rubin Kazan] Loan Football League Amadou Ba [unattached - Southend] Jevani Brown [St Neots Town - Cambridge] Free Ouasim Buoy [Juventus - Leeds] Free Kyle Knoyle [West Ham - Swindon] Free Kevin Lokko [Maidstone - Stevenage] Undisclosed Jayson Leutwiler [Shrewsbury - Blackburn] Undisclosed Robbin Ruiter [Utrecht - Sunderland] Free Ivan Toney [Newcastle - Wigan] Loan Scottish Premiership Ellis Plummer [Manchester City - Motherwell] Free Anthony Stokes [Blackburn - Hibernian] Free International Ouasim Bouy [Leeds - Cultural Leonesa] Loan Emiliano Martinez [Arsenal - Getafe] Loan Football League Leo Bonatini [Al Hilal - Wolves] Loan Ryan Brunt [Plymouth - Exeter] Free Reece Burke [West Ham - Bolton] Loan Sam Cosgrove [Wigan - Carlisle] Free Josh Cullen [West Ham - Bolton] Loan Rob Dickie [Reading - Lincoln] Loan Elliot Hodge [Lincoln - Notts County] Undisclosed Nicky Hunt [Leyton Orient - Notts County] Undisclosed Idris Kanu [Aldershot - Peterborough] Undisclosed Sam Lavelle [Bolton - Morecambe] Free Aiden O'Neill [Burnley - Fleetwood] Loan International Jesus Navas [Manchester City - Sevilla] Free The page covers signings by Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premiership clubs, along with selected deals from overseas and the Scottish Championship. Transfer windows in other major European and global leagues extended in February and March.

Question: The summer transfer window formally @placeholder on 1 July , and closes at 23:00 BST on Thursday , 31 August . Players who are free agents at that time will be able to join a new club afterwards .


Cologne police also made "serious mistakes" in not calling reinforcements and the way they informed the public. More than 500 criminal complaints were filed, 40% alleging sexual assault. Apparent retaliatory attacks in Cologne on Sunday were condemned by the government as inexcusable. The Pope meanwhile said Europe's "humanistic spirit" risked being undermined. The "immense influx" of migrants was causing problems, he said, but the continent had the means to strike a balance between protecting its citizens and helping migrants. North Rhine-Westphalia state's interior minister Ralf Jaeger said that recent arrivals in Germany were among the suspects in the attacks, which took place in central Cologne, in the area of the cathedral and the main railway station. Nineteen individuals are currently under investigation by the state police in connection with the attacks, NRW's interior ministry says in a report (in German), none of them German nationals. Those 19 suspects include 14 men from Morocco and Algeria. Ten of the suspects are asylum seekers, nine of whom arrived in Germany after September 2015. The other nine are possibly in Germany illegally, the interior ministry says. The scale of the assaults on women in Cologne and other German cities has shocked Germany. Mr Jaeger is himself under political pressure. On Friday he fired Cologne's police chief, Wolfgang Albers. Addressing state MPs on Monday, Mr Jaeger criticised police for not calling for reinforcements on the night, and also for the way they informed the public about the investigation in the days after the events. His report details how a group of around 1,000 men of North African and Arabic origin gathered on 31 December. Smaller groups formed, surrounding women, then threatening and attacking them, he said. These groups were predominately made up of North African men who had travelled to Cologne from different cities. "After the intoxication with drugs and alcohol came violence," said Mr Jaeger. "It culminated in the acting out of fantasies of sexual omnipotence. That must be severely punished." Around 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in Germany in 2015. Chancellor Angela Merkel's immigration policy has come under criticism since the attacks. Riot police used water cannon to disperse anti-migrant protesters in Cologne on Saturday. On Sunday evening, a group of around 20 people attacked six Pakistanis, two of whom had to be treated in hospital. Two Syrian men were attacked in two separate incidents. Three men from Guinea were assaulted in a fourth attack, police said. Crime division chief Norbert Wagner said police were investigating whether the attacks were co-ordinated on social media. Justice Minister Heiko Maas condemned those attacks, saying: "As abominable as the crimes in Cologne and other cities were, one thing remains clear: there is no justification for blanket agitation against foreigners." He said it appeared that some people "appear just to have been waiting for the events of Cologne". Mrs Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said "nothing excuses" retaliatory assaults on immigrants. Monday's report into the attacks in Cologne says that the combination of group sexual violence with robbery had not previously been seen in Germany. It notes that similar crimes took place in other parts of Germany on 31 December, including in Hamburg. The report describes a modus operandi known as "taharrush gamea" in Arabic, meaning group sexual harassment in crowds, and compares it to incidents reported in Cairo's Tahrir Square at the time of the Egyptian revolution. Sex attacks on Tahrir Square A joint federal and state working group has been set up to examine the phenomenon and how to combat it.

Question: The men suspected of attacking women in Cologne on New Year 's Eve were " almost exclusively " from a @placeholder background , mainly North African and Arab , an official report says .


David Shepherd, 26, of Stratton, Cornwall, drove 50 miles and took four trains after realising he had forgotten to get it in the post. The passport had to get to customer Hugh Munro in Rye, Sussex, by 09:00 BST the following day so that his planned visit to Amsterdam could go ahead. Mr Shepherd said his instinct was to "keep the customer happy". Mr Munro was heading to the Dutch capital for a charity board meeting after stopping off at his sister's house in Rye. Mr Shepherd, who has been postmaster at Stratton Store for 11 months, said: "I knew it was vital he had it. "His neighbour brought it in. But it wasn't given to the postman at collection time, so I finished work at 7pm and drove to Exeter to catch the 1am train to London." Mr Shepherd drove 50 miles to Exeter; caught the train to London Paddington; took the Tube to St Pancras; a further train to Ashford, Kent; and a final train to Rye. He had just 15 minutes to deliver the passport before catching the train straight back, a journey which cost him more than Â£150. Mr Shepherd said: "I just thought, 'I know the customer, I know it has to get there'. I didn't want to let him down." Mr Munro said he was "amazed" to hear that Mr Shepherd had beaten him to his sister's house. "It shows how dedicated he is," said Mr Munro. "Stratton is a fantastic place and David is a brilliant part of it. "People keep stopping me in the street and asking if I've got my passport, though." Mr Monro gave Mr Shepherd a bottle of champagne as a thank you for his efforts. "If the Post Office has an award scheme for going above and beyond the call of duty, he should definitely receive recognition," Mr Munro added.

Question: A dedicated postmaster embarked on a 300 - mile journey to @placeholder - deliver a passport on time .


Today could be just another day he may have felt the same, as events moved with dizzying speed. First, it was the news that the government had reassigned 350 police officers in the capital Ankara to different posts (mostly demotions) by a government decree published at midnight. They included chiefs of financial crimes, anti-smuggling, cybercrime and organised crime units. This was followed by other breaking news - a simultaneous corruption operation in five cities across Turkey, with more than 25 people, businessmen and state officials, detained on suspicion of bribery and fraudulent tenders. Then the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which appoints senior members of the judiciary, decided to investigate Istanbul's newly appointed police chief and several prosecutors overseeing the corruption probe started in December last year. Later, the top police officers in charge of the operation conducted earlier in the day were dismissed from their posts. An opposition MP called for the president to intervene in the crisis. A former Turkish president had once famously said "24 hours is a very long time in politics". Even he probably could not have predicted such a day. All these moves come as the AKP government led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tries to contain the massive political fallout from the corruption probe into four government ministers, several businessmen and bankers. This has become the biggest challenge to the AKP government's 11-year rule and Mr Erdogan has been quick to retaliate, condemning the probe as a "dirty plot" to topple his government. Mr Erdogan said he would not permit "a state within a state", a phrase apparently referring to the movement led by the highly influential Islamist cleric Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in the US since 1999. Mr Gulen is said to have millions of followers across the world and extensive influence over the state bureaucracy, the police force and the judiciary in Turkey. The government accuses him and his movement, referred to as "Cemaat" in Turkey, of being behind the graft probe - a charge Mr Gulen denies. However, the recent crisis in Turkey is increasingly seen as not only a corruption investigation which is alleged to involve the closest circles of Mr Erdogan, but a bitter power struggle between AKP and Cemaat. Some believe that Cemaat's support was crucial in the election victories of AKP for three consecutive terms; that they have helped the government in curbing the powers of the military by their influence within the judiciary with the help of high-profile cases like Ergenekon and Sledgehammer which saw hundreds of military officers - including the previous chief of staff of the armed forces - jailed; that as the "common enemy" was driven out of the picture they started to become wary of each other's power and hence a fight for holding the ropes of Turkey started. Many commentators in Turkey label the recent fallout as a "state crisis" since the government is perceived to be intervening in the judiciary, and the principle of separation of powers does not seem to be as intact as it should in a democracy. On the other hand, Cemaat is not a transparent movement; no-one knows the extent of its financial power, how many millions of followers it has, how influential it is in key offices within Turkish state and what would happen if it gained further influence. Neither does anyone know who might win this full-scale battle: Mr Erdogan or Mr Gulen. Supporters of both sides accuse each other of undermining democracy and the rule of law; the media has become increasingly polarised with either pro-Erdogan or pro-Gulen voices leaving little space for others and the Turkish public increasingly feeling as if they are watching a fierce tennis match, holding their breaths. Recently, it was alleged that there could be detente between Mr Erdogan and Mr Gulen through a letter Mr Gulen sent to the president of the country. But that option does not seem to be on the table any more. Now there is speculation that there might soon be an investigation into Cemaat, with accusations it is a "terrorist organisation". On the other hand there is a possibility that people affiliated to Cemaat could leak new allegations involving influential people close to the government. With the local elections in two months time, a presidential election this summer and a general election next year; with Turkish lira falling to a record low against the dollar and the foreign investors watching events nervously, many people in Turkey fear the path ahead with bitter power struggles, may cause political and economic instability in the country.

Question: Benjamin Harvey , Bloomberg 's Istanbul bureau chief , recently tweeted : " Considering unfollowing Turkish politics completely on mental health @placeholder . "


Media playback is unsupported on your device 19 November 2013 Last updated at 19:46 GMT Following the deaths of six cyclists in a period of 14 days, there have been increased calls for restrictions on HGVs during peak times. Paul Hutchin shows reporter Marc Ashdown what it is like driving a lorry in the capital.

Question: Heavy @placeholder vehicles have been involved in nine of this year 's 14 cyclist crash fatalities in London .


Australia's Channel Nine said reporter Tara Brown and three colleagues faced four charges, including kidnapping. Five people arrested alongside them - including the children's Australian mother - have also been charged. The mother, Sally Faulkner, says her estranged Lebanese husband moved the children to Lebanon without permission. Channel Nine said it had been "seeking to highlight" cross-border custody disputes. The Australian journalists and Ms Faulkner were detained by Lebanese police on Thursday along with two British employees of the UK-based company Child Abduction Recovery International (CARI), and two Lebanese men, officials said. On Tuesday, the official National News Agency reported that Mount Lebanon's Attorney General, Claude Karam, had filed charges, including participating in an abduction, against the nine suspects and referred to the case to an investigating magistrate. CCTV footage broadcast by Lebanese TV appears to show six-year-old Lahala and four-year-old Noah being bundled into a car by several men on a busy street in southern Beirut on Wednesday morning. They had been heading to school with a domestic worker and their paternal grandmother, who says she was knocked to the ground during the abduction. On Saturday, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told reporters that diplomats had been in touch with Lebanese officials and were providing consular assistance to Ms Faulkner and the TV crew. "Given the sensitivities of this case and the fact children are involved, we are handling this very carefully," she said. Channel Nine has refused to say whether it paid CARI to recover the children for Ms Faulkner. However, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Tuesday cited Lebanese officials as saying they had a signed statement from a member of the "recovery team" saying the network had paid A$115,000 ($88,100; Â£61,600). Channel Nine said in a statement: "It is extremely important to stress that we are severely limited in what we can say given that matters are now part of a legal process in Lebanon. We are co-operating fully with the Lebanese authorities and it is important to stress that we respect the laws of Lebanon and its judiciary. "Regrettably a number of inaccurate media reports are exacerbating the concern and confusion of the families of those being detained." A Lebanese judicial official told the Associated Press news agency that the investigating magistrate would gather testimony from the suspects beginning on Tuesday. The magistrate would explore whether Ms Faulkner had custody of the children under Australian law, which might serve as a mitigating factor, the official said. The custody dispute between Ms Faulkner and her ex-husband, Ali Elamine, has reportedly been going on for several years. She says he took the children to Lebanon for a holiday last year but did not return. Mr Elamine told Lebanese media that Ms Faulkner and Australian security agencies knew he was leaving Australia with the children and denied kidnapping them. He also revealed that he did not plan to sue his former wife, explaining: "She is the mother of my children... if I were her I would have done the same." Lebanon is not party to the Hague Convention, a treaty designed to ensure the swift return of children abducted internationally by a parent.

Question: Prosecutors in Lebanon have filed charges against an Australian TV crew @placeholder over an attempt to abduct two children in a custody dispute .


Ceredigion council unanimously voted to impose the ban following concerns over the impact on land, wildlife and farm life. The move was proposed by councillor Mark Strong and seconded by councillor Catrin Miles. In October 2013, the Welsh government called on councils to make a stand, stopping short of an outright ban.

Question: Releasing Chinese and air lanterns on council land and @placeholder in Ceredigion has been banned .


There were demonstrations in several US cities overnight. Many people are angry that Donald Trump was elected because of things he has said about women and immigrants. But his rival, Hillary Clinton, told supporters that Mr Trump had to be given a "chance to lead".

Question: Thousands of people in the US have been @placeholder about the election of Donald Trump as the next president .


Winch operator Paul Ormsby and winch man Ciarán Smith have been missing since Rescue 116 crashed off the County Mayo coast on 14 March. The Irish Coast Guard said the search would now also cover coastline along Counties Donegal and Galway. Four people were on board the helicopter when it came down. Capt Dara Fitzpatrick died after she was rescued from the sea hours after the crash. The body of her co-pilot, Capt Mark Duffy, was later recovered from the wreckage. On Sunday, the wreckage of the helicopter was lifted from the Irish Sea but the two missing crew members were not found. The Irish Coast Guard, writing on social media, said underwater searches would resume on Thursday, weather permitting. The extension of the search comes after the sister of Ciarán Smith appealed for fishermen along the Irish coast to join the search. Orla Smith said that local knowledge could be crucial in finding the two men. An investigation into what happened to the helicopter is continuing. The Air Accident Investigation Unit has said there was no indication of any mechanical problems in the seconds before the impact. It is thought the inquiry into the cause of the crash on 14 March will now focus on operational issues.

Question: The search for two Irish Coast Guard crew members missing since a helicopter crash has been @placeholder along the Irish coast .


Jocelerme Privert told the BBC that devastating losses from last month's Hurricane Matthew were equal to the country's entire national budget. Mr Privert said Haiti was facing a "major food crisis" and worsening levels of malnutrition. He urged governments around the world to do more to help. Hurricane Matthew ripped through Haiti on 4 October. The Category 4 storm, the strongest to hit the Caribbean in a decade, devastated large parts of the country and affected 2.1 million people. The Haitian government estimates 1.5 million people are in need of immediate assistance, including more than 140,000 people who are living in temporary shelters. Speaking from his home in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, Mr Privert said that he "didn't want to see Haitian people die because of the unavailability of international assistance". The president warned that without immediate financial support to replant crops destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, Haiti's situation could worsen further. "If we don't manage to re-launch agriculture then in three to four months we'll find ourselves with a major food crisis," he told the BBC. "Our projection is that we need between $25m (Â£20m) and $30m to resolve the farming issue. Right now we have $2.5m." Non-profit relief organisation J/P HRO, which has been delivering aid to the people of Haiti since 2010, says there could be a serious crisis in the offing. "What we're seeing is a lot of hunger. Haiti has experienced three years of drought before the hurricane so there were already high levels of malnutrition. "Now tens of thousands of acres of crop land and millions of fruit trees have been destroyed," J/P HRO's chief executive Ann Lee said. Within a week of Hurricane Matthew hitting Haiti, the United Nations launched a flash appeal to raise $120m. $2bn Estimated loss caused by Hurricane Matthew $120m Sum UN wants to raise $45.6m Pledged so far $23m Sum pledged by US More than a month on, 38% has been raised, with the United States pledging the lion share. The UK has committed Â£8m ($10m) to helping Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, of which Â£1.3m have so far been paid to the UN appeal. A spokesperson for the UK government said that "Britain has played its part in assisting those in immediate need" by providing water, shelter, sanitation and protection. But according to Ms Lee, some of the more remote communities have not been reached at all. "There is gratitude because we bring some assistance to them but there's also a lot of despair, everyone is suffering," she says. Mr Privert insists more needs to be done: "The international community has expressed deep sympathy for the Haitian people and heads of state have contacted us, heads of government have provided some support both moral and material, but it is not enough."

Question: The international community is falling short in its commitment to Haiti 's recovery , the country 's @placeholder President Jocelerme Privert says .


Twenty-one-year-old striker Ollie Watkins and midfielder Ethan Ampadu, 16, have been linked with bigger clubs. Watkins signed in July 2013 and has scored 30 goals in 55 appearances, whilst Ampadu was named Wales Young Player of the Year in November. Tisdale told BBC Radio Devon: "I want to keep this team together for the season. Nobody is in a rush to sell." He continued: "There's plenty of interest and enquiries but this is the best group of players I have had in a long time. "The club is in a healthy place and doesn't need the money. It's a good quality problem to have."

Question: Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale has confirmed @placeholder transfer interest in two of his young stars .


The new connector will be reversible, bringing an end to the everyday irritant of trying to force a USB cable in the wrong way. The images were first published by technology news site The Verge. The USB Implementers Forum anticipates the new designs will be finalised in July. But rollout of new ports will take some time as manufacturers gradually incorporate them into their products. The new Type-C standard will be similar in size to the current MicroUSB connector, typically used for charging mobile phones and cameras. The first USB cables were released in the mid-1990s and, until now, could only be plugged into a computer or other device one way round to ensure a data connection. Other improvements to the new cable include:

Question: A new design for USB - a standardised connection for data transfers between electronic devices - has been @placeholder off for the first time .


The New Democratic Party (NDP) ended the Progressive Conservatives' (PC) 44-year rule of the province. Political observers were stunned by the result, with one commentator saying: "Pigs do fly". Alberta's Premier Jim Prentice, a former member of Tory Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet, said he was stepping down from political life. He only became premier in September, and called the snap election in April to seek a mandate after bringing in a tough tax-raising budget. "My contribution to public life is now at an end," Mr Prentice said as he conceded defeat, blaming the collapse in oil prices and the subsequent financial problems. Alberta witnessed a political earthquake last night. The major oil producing province in Canada, it has been the country's major economic engine for several years. However, the precipitous drop in the price of oil created a $7bn hole in the province's finances. Prentice decided to base his campaign on a budget that increased taxes/fees (except for corporations), slightly cut government spending and ran a $5bn deficit. However, this budget angered many Albertans and they responded by electing Notley who campaigned on a very different vision. Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley called the surprising win "a fresh start for our great province". The result could be seen as a warning to Mr Harper, a Conservative, with a general election looming in October. "I look forward to working with future Premier Notley on issues of importance for Albertans and all Canadians, including creating jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity across the province and country," Mr Harper said in a statement on Wednesday. The NDP, which has never held more than 16 seats in the 87-seat legislature, looks set to win about 55 seats. The PCs got around 11, behind the newer and even more conservative Wildrose Party. Wildrose leader Brian Jean said his party would serve as the opposition and would keep NDP "on its toes".

Question: A left - @placeholder party has won a surprise victory in Alberta , one of Canada 's most conservative provinces .


A court was told that Elspeth McVie kept cats and kittens in "uninhabitable" conditions until her local authority intervened. The council inspector said she had to rush home and shower straight afterwards. Perth and Kinross Council is seeking to recover the property from Ms McVie. Council inspector Lynne Selbie told a civil hearing at Perth Sheriff Court she had worked in housing and gone into properties for about 20 years. Ms Selbie said: "I honestly have to say that in my opinion that is the worst I have ever seen. "It was uninhabitable. It was a clear health hazard. It was sad that somebody was living in those conditions." Ms Selbie told the court that, as an animal lover, she found the experience "really traumatic." She said:  "I went into the property and discovered there was a huge amount of cats - more than we had thought. "They were quite feral. It was quite alarming for me because I had never seen so many cats. There were babies (kittens), and a cat having kittens. "We went upstairs. There was lots and lots of clutter, bags and cardboard boxes. The bathroom and toilet were really dirty and I retched and ran outside." Ms Selbie told the court that the carpets were soggy underfoot and the cats were so frightened and distressed they were jumping over banisters and up the wall. She said: "The cats had been scratching up the walls. My opinion was that the damage to the property was significant. "She had stated she only had one dog and one cat but then openly admitted at a later date that she had been hiding them." Ms Selbie told the court that a number of the cats did not appear to be in a healthy condition. She said it was decided they should be taken away and re-homed. Perth and Kinross Council is seeking a decree for recovery of the property in Perth's Newhouse Road from Ms McVie. The civil hearing, before Sheriff William Wood, continues.

Question: A home where up to 25 cats were allowed to run @placeholder was described by a housing officer as " the worst " she had ever seen .


The mother and two children have been spotted in front gardens since they escaped from a farm in Oxfordshire on Sunday. Owner Steve Castle said Patches, Star and Tri are not aggressive, but is concerned for their welfare. The animals made their bid for freedom from Home Farm in Long Wittenham. Residents have since reported llamas peeking into their homes but Mr Castle said the curious creatures have a habit of using windows as makeshift mirrors. "If they get bored they just go for a wander. And they like looking at themselves so people with big windows might see them looking at their reflections. "People think they're dreaming when they see them." The llama family has been clocked in residential areas of Saxons Heath and on the main road from Didcot to Clifton Hampden. They were also discovered in a field at the nearby Earth Trust, but jumped over a fence before they could be returned home. Mr Castle said they were particularly jumpy as they were previously owned by travellers who used them to train lurchers to hunt deer. He added: "If a dog chases them obviously they run. That's how all this started, they ran away from a dog walker after they escaped. "But they're not dangerous, they are very fond of people."

Question: If you happen to look up from breakfast one morning and see a llama peering in the window , do n't worry - it 's just @placeholder its reflection .


20 January 2017 Last updated at 09:50 GMT Mr Paisley, son of former first minister Dr Ian Paisley, said Mr McGuinness's "remarkable journey not only saved lives, but made the lives of countless people better". Mr McGuinness forged a friendship with the late Dr Paisley when they shared power at Stormont, despite previously being sworn enemies. When Dr Paisley died, Mr McGuinness said he had lost "a friend". On Thursday, Mr McGuinness confirmed he would not stand in the Northern Ireland Assembly election citing health issues.

Question: Democratic Unionist Party MP Ian Paisley praises Martin McGuinness , former IRA leader turned politician , who is retiring from front - line @placeholder .


Eamon Bradley, 28, from Melmore Gardens in Creggan is accused of receiving weapons training at a rebel camp in Syria in 2014. He was arrested after returning home later. On Wednesday, the jury at Londonderry Crown Court was read transcripts of his interviews with the police. He told police after training with a rebel faction called the Army of Islam he took part in three battles, two against government forces and one against ISIS near the city of Aleppo. But he said he never used his AK47 or grenade on the battlefield. He became disillusioned with the fighting and returned home. Earlier, the trial heard that Mr Bradley contacted people on social media to help him get into the country to join the rebellion. Mr Bradley, a Muslim convert, denies six charges, including attending a rebel training camp in Syria and receiving training in guns and grenades. The case is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. Mr Bradley told police he got a bus from Derry to Dublin in February 2014 after meeting a contact on Facebook. He then flew to Istanbul and got a second internal flight to Adana, in southern Turkey, where he made contact with sympathizers through the mobile messaging service, WhatsApp. He told detectives he travelled near the Turkey/Syria border but he was warned to go no further because it was controlled by so-called ISIS. Mr Bradley said he stayed with a man in a nearby village who he believed had contacts with the Free Syrian Army. Asked why he was travelling to Syria and if he had any concerns, he told detectives: "I just wanted to be among the people who were being bombed". He added that he had no concerns because he "trusted in Allah". Mr Bradley said he spent about two months in the village before a group of men, who claimed to have been held captive by ISIS, helped him cross into Syria on a makeshift raft. He then joined a mountain training camp belonging to the group Jaysh al-Islam - the Army of Islam. Detectives were told that it was here that he learned to fire AK-47 rifles and Russian machine guns; he also received some instruction on the use of mortar bombs. Mr Bradley told police that he was the only western European at the camp and was on the bottom rung of the ladder when it came to the group's command structure. The trial continues.

Question: A Derry man accused of terrorism in Syria told detectives that he never fired a single shot against the @placeholder in his whole time there .


Long-standing divisions in Venezuela have been brought to the fore by a deepening economic crisis. GM said its Venezolana plant in the city of Valencia had been "unexpectedly taken by the public authorities". The US car giant said it would "take all legal actions" to defend its interests. It said other assets, including vehicles, had been taken from the plant in the industrial hub of Valencia, which is one of country's largest cities. The car firm added that the seizure would cause irreparable damage to the company, its 2,678 workers, its 79 dealers and to its suppliers. Venezuela's Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. At least three people were killed in protests this week against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela's car industry has been hit by a lack of raw materials due to currency controls and stagnant local production.

Question: General Motors has said its Venezuelan car plant has been @placeholder by the government as political tension rises in the country .