Start again, Brian. Do you remember Johann Lamont complaining that the party she led, the Scottish Labour Party, was treated "like a branch office" by comrades in London? I certainly do. And I also remember the conversation with a senior Labour figure who told me: "Brian, we're not treated like a branch office. We are a branch office." But, of course, you remember all this. It was, at the time two years ago, a defining condemnation of Labour's relationship with Scotland - only faintly reduced in force by the fact that it was delivered by Ms Lamont on demitting office, when a little vitriol is perhaps to be expected. That comment has hovered over Scottish Labour since, a decidedly unwelcome Banquo - although one cannot stretch that metaphor too far, not least because the recent leitmotif of Labour in Scotland has been famine rather than feast. Now, finally, Scottish Labour is seeking to dispel the Lamont lament. To push it away.  To diminish its lingering force. More precisely, the UK party as a whole is enacting a plan for greater Scottish autonomy - after a prolonged period of consultation and consideration. In October last year, Labour's leaders, Jeremy Corbyn and Kezia Dugdale, agreed the outlines of internal party devolution. Now it has been endorsed by the UK party's National Executive  Committee (NEC) and should be carried by the pending UK party conference in Liverpool. Broadly, it gives the Scottish party control over Westminster candidate selection, constituency party organisation and policy, both devolved and reserved. Ms Dugdale has voiced delight.  Whaur's yer branch office noo, as she so nearly said. Further, she told me it entrenched the position of the Scottish leader as heading an autonomous, distinct Scottish party.  She was, she said, the boss of the party in Scotland, taking orders from nobody south of the border. However, there are limits. This is, deliberately and explicitly, enhanced devolution rather than independence. Indeed, the extent of continued co-operation across the border is stressed and vaunted by the party. Kezia Dugdale told me that the party in Scotland remained firmly part of "the Labour family" and was fully committed, for example, to working flat out for the return of a UK Labour Government at Westminster. So the limits? Firstly, funding remains as is. Consider primarily the cash from affiliates - that is, mostly, trades unions. Generally, their cash goes to the UK party - with an impact across the UK, including in Scotland. But, when Holyrood elections are pending, there are donations to the party in Scotland. In addition, individual unions support individual candidates who are affiliated to their cause. It has been decided that there will be no attempt to unpick this. Which, of itself, involves a substantial degree of cross-border co-operation. Again, vaunted by Scottish Labour, without caveat. Then there is policy. Ms Dugdale says the new approach entrenches policy autonomy for the Scottish party. Over devolved and reserved issues. They can debate what they like, consider what they like - and adopt relevant policy positions. Except these policy positions, as endorsed by the Scottish party, will not necessarily feature in the manifesto advanced by Labour at a UK General Election. Such a manifesto is, inevitably, a digest of policy positions as set out in the party programme, determined by Clause 5 of Labour's rule book. This will still be the case, even after Scottish party autonomy. So, in the new set-up, Scottish Labour will participate in the Clause 5 meeting which decides the party's policy programme, presumably advocating positions agreed by the Scottish party. Where there is a difference between the Scottish position and that adopted, say, by the UK conference, then there will be discussion and debate. A reconciliation process designed to lead to a common position. At a UK General Election, Scottish Labour candidates will stand upon the same platform as candidates elsewhere in the UK. Again, consider context. Labour is seeking UK power, on an agreed UK policy platform. It cannot, credibly, offer voters a pick and mix. But, I asked Kezia Dugdale, what if the Scottish party wants to scrap Trident - and the UK party does not? There would be, said Ms Dugdale, a reconciliation process with regard to any issue where there was a range of positions. The difference, she said, was that the Scottish party would have a distinct, autonomous position - and would be able to argue for that within the counsels of the wider party. Devo Max, remember. And that "Labour family"? Somewhat strained, of late. Less The Broons. More Kane and Abel. Alongside ratifying Scottish autonomy, the Liverpool conference may be a mite - just a tad - preoccupied by the declaration of its leadership contest. It seems fairly certain that Jeremy Corbyn will win out, over Owen Smith. What then? Will the internal insurrection against Mr Corbyn, driven mostly by MPs, subside? Perhaps, for a period at least, if and when he wins a further democratic contest. And what will the newly autonomous Kezia Dugdale do? She backed Owen Smith, suggesting that Mr Corbyn lacked the broad appeal to win power for Labour. Will she continue with that tone? I would reckon not. Such comments, appropriate to a leadership contest, have to be shelved when the outcome is declared. Expect an acceptance of the outcome and an appeal for unity. Reconciliation, Clause 5 style. For now.

Question: Remember Johann Lamont ? Silly question ; of course you do . She remains , after all , a prominent member of the Scottish Parliament . A committee convener , no less , and one who , I am told , now displays her innate wit and drollery on a particular social @placeholder .


Dimitri Seluk told BBC Sport that Toure was "very upset" and could leave. Toure initially played down the row on Twitter, saying: "Don't take words that do not come from my mouth seriously." If they don't respect him then, easy, Yaya will leave But he then wrote: "Everything Dimitri said is true. He speaks for me. I will explain after the World Cup." City gave Toure a birthday cake as they flew to Abu Dhabi and tweeted their congratulations after he turned 31 on 13 May, but Seluk says he was ignored by the club's owners when the squad arrived in the United Arab Emirates last week to celebrate their Premier League title triumph. "None of them shook his hand on his birthday. It's really sick," Seluk said. City declined to comment officially on Seluk's initial claims and are yet to respond to BBC Sport over Toure's subsequent comments. The agent also claimed Toure was unhappy in March 2013, shortly before he signed a new four-year contract, but insisted this latest row is about "respect", not money. "He got a cake but when it was Roberto Carlos's birthday, the president of Anzhi gave him a Bugatti," Seluk added. "I don't expect City to present Yaya with a Bugatti, we only asked that they shook his hand and said 'we congratulate you'. It is the minimum they must do when it is his birthday and the squad is all together. Roberto Carlos's agent Paulo Teixeira: "This particular situation was due to the fact Anzhi Makhachkala president Suleyman Kerimov likes Roberto Carlos very much and decided to give him a car. "It was extraordinary situation and not common practice in football. Roberto Carlos, before the Bugatti, had seven cars. He didn't need a car but he accepted the gift." "I hear one newspaper has written that City congratulated him from Twitter but this is a joke. It is better they don't put anything on Twitter if they are not saying anything to him. "The club's owners ate a 100kg cake after winning the Premier League this season but when they and the players were all together, none of them shook his hand on his birthday. It shows they don't care about him. "Of course Yaya is upset about this. If this happened to you as a journalist in the BBC and nobody shakes your hand, you will say bye-bye and go to work for somebody else. It is normal." The agent of Carlos, Paulo Teixeira, told BBC World Service he did not know why Seluk had chosen to refer to the ¡ê800,000 Bugatti Veyron that the former Brazil defender received as a gift for his 38th birthday in 2011. "I don't see why this is coming out," Teixeira said. "It's nothing to do with the contract of the player. Toure has got enough money to buy 10 or 20 Bugattis. This is about egos. "If Yaya's agent comes out with this, it's because he understands his player, what his player needs and maybe he's trying to make the management of the club do something for the player. But I don't know why they're picking up on this, it's almost to the limit of being ridiculous." Seluk is adamant he is not looking to negotiate an improved contract for Toure, saying: "No. Money is not important. He has enough money. Media playback is not supported on this device "The most important thing is a human relationship and maybe this is his opportunity for Yaya to find that. If City don't respect him, then, easy, Yaya will leave. No problem. "It is more important he plays for a club that respects him more than having a few thousand pounds added to his salary." "I have spoken to him about leaving and we will see what happens, but, at the moment, Yaya is really upset." It is not the first time either Toure - who named his second child after Seluk - or the agent have claimed the player does not get the respect he deserves. In a recent interview for the BBC, Toure said he felt he was not regarded as one of the best players in the world because he is from Africa. "Proper recognition has only come from the fans," he said. "I don't want to be hard and I don't want to be negative, but I want to be honest."

Question: Yaya Toure has thrown his Manchester City @placeholder into doubt by backing up his agent 's claims that the club 's wealthy owners showed him a lack of respect on his 31st birthday .


Haseeb Hamayoon, 28, sent the image to friends and a co-accused branding the officer "kaffir" - non-believer - London's Woolwich Crown Court was told. Prosecutors say Mr Hamayoon, Yousaf Syed, 20, and Nadir Syed, 22, plotted an attack using a Rambo-style knife. The cousins deny all charges. The image, allegedly taken on 19 September 2014, shows the back of the officer and was apparently taken by someone in a car. Mr Hamayoon wrote: "Look at this kaffir. Hounslow parking lot." Nadir Syed wrote back: "How can you pray in such a place?" Mr Hamayoon replied: "You're right I'm walking out. This kaffir cop yeh.  Looking inside every car who's in there. I gave him a dirty look." Mr Syed replied: "He's looking for u mate. Mi5 sent him to keep eye on y." The messages were exchanged on encrypted messaging service Telegram. Prosecutor Max Hill QC told the court: "You'll see on Mr Hamayoon's mobile phone two photos taken that show a police officer or PCSO walking away from the car and around a car park. "The photos are taken from the driver's seat of the car. Those images are created on the telephone. It's quite clear what Mr Hamayoon was writing messages about." Two days later, IS militants issued a "fatwa" calling on followers to attack Westerners. It implored them to: "Rig the roads with explosives for them. Attack their bases. Raid their homes. Cut off their heads." Prosecutors claim the trio plotted to carry out a terror attack in the UK. Mr Hamayoon and Nadir Syed, from Hounslow, west London and Yousaf Syed, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, filmed themselves stamping on a Remembrance Day poppy and were obsessed with the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby, it is claimed. The trial continues.

Question: A supporter of so - called Islamic State @placeholder a police officer in a mosque car park before plotting to carry out a knife attack around Remembrance Sunday 2014 , a court heard .


Newspaper L'Equipe said on Thursday that the Racing Metro fly-half had been banned from playing until 14 February by French Rugby's medical commission. Sexton has yet to recover from a bang to the head he suffered in Ireland's win over Australia last month. "He will not play a match until he's 100%," said Racing coach Laurent Labit. Sexton has not played since Ireland's Australia game on 22 November and has again been left out of the Racing squad for Saturday's Top 14 game against La Rochelle. The Irish Rugby Football Union's medical staff are expected to assess Sexton's fitness either later this month or early in the New Year. Ireland's second Six Nations match will see them taking on France at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on 14 February. If the reports are accurate, Sexton would be available for Ireland's France game but would be in danger of being ruled out of the Rome contest a week earlier. Sexton's exceptional performances during Ireland's impressive autumn series emphasised his importance to coach Joe Schmidt's plans ahead of next year's World Cup. The fly-half is in his second year with the French club but will rejoin Leinster at the end of this season. Sexton will be replaced at Racing Metro by New Zealand star Dan Carter who will join the club on a three-year contract and become the sport's highest-paid player.

Question: Ireland fly - half Jonathan Sexton is a fitness doubt for his @placeholder 's Six Nations opener against Italy on 7 February according to French reports .


Media playback is not supported on this device The Dutchman will become the youngest F1 driver in history when he competes in next year's championship. Media playback is not supported on this device Verstappen, who turns 17 next month, currently races in Formula Three. "I'm a relaxed guy. I will handle it," Verstappen, who will replace Jean-Eric Vergne at Toro Rosso, told the BBC. Verstappen is the son of former Formula 1 driver Jos, 42, who contested 106 grands prix for teams such as Benetton and Tyrrell between 1994 and 2003. Max Verstappen will break the record for F1's youngest ever driver by almost two years when he lines up for his debut next year. Spain's Jaime Alguersuari - who was 19 years and 125 days when he raced in Hungary, also for Toro Rosso, in 2009 - is the current record holder. Alguersuari left Torro Rosso and F1 at the end of the 2011 season. The youngest driver to earn a Championship point is Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat, who was 19 when he finished ninth in this season's opening race in Australia. The Russian will be Verstappen's team-mate in 2015. Verstappen was a successful kart racer before driving for Van Amersfoort Racing in this year's Formula Three Championship. He made an impressive transition to F3, winning six consecutive races at one stage, and has eight victories in 27 races so far this season, leaving him second to Frenchman Esteban Ocon in the overall standings. Although he will graduate to F1 with fewer than 40 single-seater races under his belt, it is not unheard of for drivers to make the step up to the top level of the sport with such low levels of experience. Finland's Kimi Raikkonen had only contested 23 single-seater races when he graduated to F1 in 2001. He went on to become world champion in 2007 and is a 20-time grand prix winner. Verstappen is not fazed by his fast-track progress and believes the hardest transition has already been made. "I think the biggest step I had was karting to F3. I think F3 to F1 will be a smaller step," he told BBC Radio 5 live. "I'm not that worried about it. The cars are a really safe. I think it's more dangerous to bike through a big city than race in an F1 car." Verstappen's F3 team boss also believes he can succeed. "It is a huge step but I think if anyone can do it, it's Max," Frits van Amersfoort told the BBC. "I've never seen a kid that age who is so calm and so relaxed. He has incredible feeling with the car. "Time will tell and it's a huge step, but I think Max is capable of doing it. He will need some guidance and Toro Rosso will give him that for sure." By joining Red Bull's junior team, Verstappen is following the same career path as four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and his Red Bull team-mate, Australian Daniel Ricciardo. BBC 5 live correspondent James Allen said Verstappen might have the necessary requirements to race in F1 but that some drivers would be concerned at sharing the grid with a 17-year-old. "The governing body, the FIA, has to award a super licence and you can't race a Formula 1 car until you've got a super licence," Allen explained. "The minimum requirement for that is some victories in certain important feeder categories. "Verstappen ticks the boxes, so he is eligible for a super licence, but I think there will be quite a debate this weekend at the Belgian GP." The ousted Vergne, 24, has collected 11 points for Toro Rosso this season after making his F1 debut for the team in 2012. The Frenchman wrote on Twitter: "Toro Rosso is a good school. I learnt a lot. Now focused on a great end of season. "I'm already working for 2015. Still a lot to show in F1."

Question: Sixteen - year - old Max Verstappen insists it is " more dangerous to bike through a big city than race in an F1 car " after being @placeholder up to drive for Toro Rosso .


Billy Midmore, 23, was found guilty by a jury in 2016 of attacking Carla Whitlock in a Southampton street. He was jailed for 15 years with five years extended licence for causing grievous bodily harm with intent. Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, said Midmore had an "appalling" record and the sentence was "not excessive". Ms Whitlock, a mother-of-six, was sprayed with drain cleaner containing sulphuric acid in Guildhall Square in September 2015. Train CCTV showed Midmore giving a high-five and fist-bumping a friend hours later. The trial at Southampton Crown Court heard the attack happened after Ms Whitlock brokered a drug deal which went wrong. Midmore's brother Geoffrey, 27, was robbed of drugs and cash worth ?¡ê2,000. On the morning the acid was bought, Geoffrey Midmore sent a message to his girlfriend saying: " It's cool though - I know who robbed me and set it up." Later that day, he messaged a photograph of the drain cleaner, with the words: "This is the one face melter". At the appeal, Billy Midmore's barrister argued the later message was hearsay evidence and should not have been admissible at the trial. The barrister, Mark Ruffell, also argued Billy Midmore should have had a chance at his trial to question his brother about the message and why he sent it. The Crown had argued the brothers, from London, bought the acid together and the attack was a joint enterprise. Lord Thomas said the sentence handed to Billy Midmore was "not excessive or wrong in principle" in view of the defendant's "appalling list of previous convictions". He said he would explain his decision to refuse the appeal against conviction at a later date.

Question: One of two brothers , jailed for an acid attack which left a woman @placeholder and blind in one eye , has lost his appeals against both conviction and sentence .


Work has begun on constructing the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (Bowl) in the Outer Moray Firth at a cost of ¡ê2.6bn. More than 80 turbines have been proposed for the scheme. The new ¡ê3m fund is open to community groups, charities and non-profit-making organisations. It will operate over five years with ¡ê2m available for projects in Caithness and Sutherland and ¡ê1m for applications from Moray. Energy giant SSE, one of the companies involved in Bowl, has announced the establishment of the fund's panel. Its members are Caithness and North Sutherland Fund co-ordinator David Shearer, Highlands and Islands regional director at Scottish Council for Development and Industry Fraser Grieve and chief executive of Moray Chamber of Commerce Sarah Medcraf. Also Prof James Hunter, who is Emeritus professor of history at the University of the Highlands and Islands, and SSE's head of community investment Morven Smith.

Question: An independent panel has been set up to consider applications to a community projects fund @placeholder to a massive offshore wind farm project .


We're talking about the boys of February 1951 - February 1955, a band of men who broke all records and lost 15 games in a row in what was then the Five Nations championship. There were nuances, of course. Some narrow losses. A missed kick here and a dodgy call there. A try-scoring opportunity spurned. A lineout that went badly wrong. Rugby has changed profoundly but, 60 years on, don't those gripes sound a little familiar? Jock King was a hooker in the midst of that run, his international record reading played four, lost four. Jack Hegarty was a back-row - played six and lost six. Donald Cameron was a centre with the same record. Hamish Dawson, a prop, played in seven of the 15 defeats. Doug Elliot and Peter Kininmonth, back-row forwards, played in nine. Kininmonth was captain for five of them, before the mantle passed to another poor soul whose luck was no better. We mention them now because their ghosts are beginning to hover above their successors' heads six decades later. Greig Laidlaw's team are beginning to close in on them in the annals of the damned. This Scotland team have now left behind the pre- and post-war team of 1939-1947 who lost seven on the bounce. Not that they're ever likely to forget, but Laidlaw's men are on nine-in-a-row, the second worst run in the championship in Scotland's 145-year history. They can bring it to an end with victory in Rome this weekend, of course. They're good enough and they're favourites to do it. How they must crave the win, not just to build a path to the future, but to obliterate all these reminders of the past. Nine straight losses. Looked at coldly, it's a number to make you wince. Even when you put it in context, it still doesn't get a whole lot better, but it needs to be done. Scotland lost six of those nine games by seven points or less. They lost eight of them against teams that few thought they would beat. The only game they lost that they were expected to win was Italy, at Murrayfield, last season. That's where we're at. We beat them up for losing to teams that we expect to lose to. It's a crazy kind of logic borne out of frustration and angst. Rome needs to be different. There can be no excuses, no nuances. Italy are not a better team than Scotland. Media playback is not supported on this device That argument holds water against all the other Six Nations sides but not against Italy. The reverse is true on current evidence. Man for man, you'd select a heap more Scots than you would Italians in a composite XV. This is an eminently beatable side that must be put away or else, truly, the ground will open and devour Vern Cotter and his players. The nine defeats have taught Scotland more lessons than a high school kid could hear in a year. They learn and then unlearn. They heed and then forget. They move up only to move back. Scotland 17-19 France - When your opponents' lineout is in complete disarray - France lost eight of their 14 throws - you take advantage. When you're ahead with 90 seconds left, you see it out. You don't lose your head under pressure, give away a penalty and get beaten in a game you ought to have won. Wales 51-3 Scotland - You don't pick up needless yellow cards. Or in this case, an early red card that ended any chance of a victory. France 15-8 Scotland - You take your points, part I.  If you miss a straightforward drop-goal, as Finn Russell did, you could suffer. If you miss a makeable conversion, as Laidlaw did, you pile the pressure on yourself. When you pick up another yellow card, for Johnnie Beattie, you invite trouble. When you don't score in the entire second half, you don't deserve to win. Scotland 23-26 Wales - You take your points, part II. You make your possession pay. So many visits to the Welsh 22 and not enough to show for it. You keep the scoreboard ticking. You plant the seed of doubt. Scotland 19-22 Italy - When you're winning with 10 minutes to go, you don't lose your mind, as Scotland did. They mentally imploded all over the park. They conceded penalty after penalty. Botched a lineout. Missed a critical kick to touch. Picked up two yellow cards. And got suckered, again, by Italy's lineout maul. The lack of leadership in these moments was gobsmacking. England 25-13 Scotland - You take your points, part III. Scotland didn't score in the second half, again. Scotland 10-40 Ireland - You take your points, part IV. No points in the second half once more. Not enough aggression either. Maybe it still wouldn't have been enough against an Irish team on a points-scoring mission, but Scotland lost the physical battle resoundingly and almost embarrassingly. Scotland 9-15 England - You take your points, part V. Laidlaw missed a kickable penalty. Russell missed a makeable drop-goal. Scotland scored three points in the second half. Had Russell made a key pass to Stuart Hogg, the full-back might have gone the length of the field to score. We've all seen this movie before. Wales 27-23 Scotland - You don't cough up four lineouts. You don't fail to execute another gorgeous overlap for the second week in a row - John Barclay missing Hogg. You hope the referee doesn't get it wrong in awarding your opponent a try that should never have been, but it happens. It seems to happen to Scotland a lot. If there's a refereeing blunder in Rome, it can't mean the difference between victory and defeat for Scotland. They need to be better than that. They know more than any of us will ever know about the myriad ways they have lost these nine games because they've lived them, studied them, been tormented by them. Rome has to be the end of the self-inflicted damage and the beginning of something different. From those nine losses you could cut together 80 minutes of action that would make Scotland look like Wales in their Golden Era. There is talent, but is there composure, is there manic aggression combined with detached cool, is there ruthlessness or just another breakdown under pressure, is there a win or another failure? This team doesn't need to learn any more lessons. They've heard them all. They just need to win a game of rugby.

Question: It 's safe to say that if you @placeholder the names of the Scotland players from the infamous era of the early 1950s , not too many of the current team would have heard of them .


Retail sales dropped 1.9% in December, the biggest monthly fall for more than four and a half years. In response, sterling weakened against other currencies, and the pound was down 0.10% against the dollar at $1.2330, and 0.22% lower against the euro at 1.1549 euros. The FTSE 100 share index closed 10 points down, or 0.14%, at 7,198.44. BT Group gained 2.41%, making it the second biggest riser on the index. Investors appeared to welcome the announcement that it would raise prices for its broadband and landline services, while television customers will start having to pay for BT Sport. The biggest was loser on the blue chip index was AstraZeneca, which fell by 3.36%. On Thursday rival firm Bristol-Myers Squibb said it was not going to seek accelerated US approval for a combination of its two immunotherapy drugs as an initial treatment for lung cancer. AstraZeneca's shares were hit because it has similar drugs in development. Royal Mail shares closed down 2.01%, as investors continued to react to Thursday's news of a further decline in the number of letters being delivered. Royal Mail shares had fallen nearly 6% on Thursday. On the FTSE 250, shares in chemicals maker Synthomer jumped by 12.4% after it raised its profit forecast for 2016, saying it expects to report pre-tax profits of about ?¡ê120m.

Question: News of a sharper - than - expected fall in UK retail sales last month hit the @placeholder of the pound on Friday .


Naidoo, of Indian and African heritage, has sold millions of albums in Germany, but songs such as 2012's Wo Sind (Where Are) have been widely criticised. Anti-racism groups complained after his selection, on Thursday, for the Stockholm contest. Public broadcaster ARD denied the "brilliant" singer was racist. Executive Thomas Schreiber added:  "It was clear that his nomination would polarise opinions, but we were surprised about the negative response. "The Eurovision Song Contest is a fun event, in which music and the understanding between European people should be the focus. "This characteristic must be kept at all costs. The ongoing discussion about Naidoo could harm the image of the Eurovision Song Contest. "This is why Naidoo will not represent Germany. We will quickly decide now, how the German entry for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest will be found". In 2014, when Germany marked the 25th anniversary of reunification, Naidoo was criticised for appearing at a rally of the controversial Reichsbuerger group, which wants the re-establishment of Germany as a two-border state. On Friday, Germany's most popular newspaper, Bild, questioned his selection, on its front page. Anti-racism group the Amadeu Antonio Foundation also described the choice as "problematic". In response, Naidoo, 44, said on Facebook, in his native language, that it was "OK for me" and that ARD had urged him to compete in the first place. He also said he represented a Germany that was "open to the world" and tolerant of different religions and lifestyles. This year's contest was won by Swedish singer Mans Zelmerlow with his upbeat pop track Heroes, which was accompanied by innovative animated visuals. Germany, which came last in this year's competition, with zero points, would name a new contender as soon as possible, Mr Schreiber said.

Question: Germany has withdrawn its @placeholder for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest , following criticism singer Xavier Naidoo 's lyrics are anti-Semitic and homophobic .


Mark Dornan, 22, was arrested after officers from the UK Border Force intercepted a parcel sent from Belgium. The parcel was opened at a Royal Mail depot in Coventry and found to contain over half a kilo of the Class B drug. Police obtained a search warrant and raided Dornan's home in Raploch, Stirling on 8 April. Stirling Sheriff Court was told officers found a shoebox in his bedroom containing digital scales, almost ?¡ê570 in cash, and a card containing notations. They also found a message on a phone about an agreement to supply someone with a half-ounce of the drug for ?¡ê125. Dornan, a plasterer from Raploch, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of herbal cannabis. Defence agent Frazer McCready said his client, a father-of-one, had no criminal record. Mr McCready said: "He was having financial difficulties, and was clearly beyond his means. "Unfortunately rather than go to some sort of debt counselling, as he is now doing, he foolishly decided to embark on this exercise with regard to his debts by involving himself in the supply of cannabis. "Clearly that type of drug was going to be intercepted, and it was. "There were consequences immediately." Sheriff Wyllie Robertson told Dornan that despite the fact he had no offending history, he had "no alternative" but to impose the jail sentence, because of the value of the drug involved.

Question: A man who ordered cannabis on the " dark web " and @placeholder to deal the drug to clear his debts has been jailed for six months .


It is one of the very few observations of the phenomenon from the UK and Ireland. The observatory said the detection was made around the time of a thunderstorm over Dublin on the 24/25 July 2013. The images show the sprite, a carrot-shaped flash of light, rising high above the thunderclouds as seen from Armagh. Typical lightning discharges often jump between clouds or between clouds and the ground. Sprites are associated with similarly powerful electrical fields that occur high above the clouds of the Earth's atmosphere often during particularly intense thunderstorms. The rare flashes are observed at heights from around 50 to 100 km, in the middle part of the Earth's atmosphere known as the mesosphere. Because they are red and usually far away, to the naked eye sprites appear very faint and, like lightning, only last for a very short time - at most for up to a few hundredths of a second. But they are very energetic phenomena and can measure up to several tens of kilometres across. Their discovery in the late 1980s was unexpected, and only became possible when light-sensitive, surveillance-type video cameras were introduced. The Armagh Observatory has used three of those cameras since 2005 to help study meteor activity in this region of the Earth's atmosphere. On 25 July, around 15 lightning flashes were seen between 01:00 and 03:00 BST. At 01:05 BST the luminous, carrot-shaped sprite was recorded on video. The Armagh Observatory's John McFarland said its ground location appeared to have been at least 30 km from Armagh roughly towards the direction of counties Louth and Dublin. "It appears to be a typical 'red sprite', sometimes called a 'carrot' sprite owing to its distinctive shape," Mr McFarland said. "Apart from being extraordinary and awesome to behold, the relatively recent discovery of sprites reminds us that the Earth's upper atmosphere remains a mystery, with a lot still to be learned about the environment of our own planet." A moving image of the phenomenon can be seen at the observatory's website.

Question: The Armagh Observatory has @placeholder a rare atmospheric phenomenon known as a ' sprite ' on film .


On Sunday, the royal couple will visit Sheway, which has helped vulnerable mothers since 1993 in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, an area of the city that has become synonymous with urban poverty and substance abuse. The visit is part of the upcoming Canadian tour by Will and Kate, and one of their first engagements over the week-long visit. Manager Patti Zettel, who described the duke and duchess's planned visit as "mind-blowing," noted Sheway was modelled on a facility in Glasgow, Scotland, that had received Princess Diana's support. "It shows a commitment to a particular group of marginalised individuals - women and addiction - for a quarter of a century now by the royal family," she said. Princess Diana, Prince William's mother, embraced a wide range of humanitarian causes before her death in 1997. She advocated for the homeless and vulnerable youth, and took a personal interest in some unpopular causes of the time, including people with HIV/Aids. The Sheway stop itself is brief - it's expected to last about an hour - but is important to the programme's clients. "It's a validation that their lives and their experiences have meaning and that their stories deserve to be told," Zettel said. Besides the visit to Sheway, over the course of some 30 separate engagements the duke and duchess will pay tribute to veterans of the Afghanistan conflict, will visit staff and volunteers who helped support Syrian refugees recently welcomed to Canada, will meet first responders, will travel to the Great Bear Rainforest - the world's largest temperate rainforest - and will meet a number of First Nations communities. While the tour itinerary nods to Princess Diana's legacy and doesn't shy away from social issues, it also offers many opportunities to showcase the breathtaking natural beauty of British Columbia - Canada's western-most province - and the Yukon, a territory in the country's north. Nathan Tidridge, who has written extensively on the monarchy, said Canadians rarely spend time thinking about the royal family despite the fact that Queen Elizabeth is the Canadian monarch. Still, Tidridge said Canadians will tune in due to the "glossy magazine" aspect of the youthful royal family. By highlighting efforts towards reconciliation with Canada's First Nations, conservation and charity work, these tours help "tell our national story". "Any moments that gather us together as a community are really, really, important. It's those intangible moments that royal tours really offer us," he said. This is Will and Kate's second visit to Canada as a couple. They were previously in Canada in 2011, shortly after their wedding. The Duke and Duchess will travel with their two young children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. As during the 2011 visit, the family is expected to be a popular draw. Shachi Kurl, executive director of the polling group Angus Reid Institute, said coverage of royal tours in Canada tends to be positive, and Canadian opinion on the royal family tends to be personality driven - many like and respect the Queen and her grandson Prince William, though have lukewarm feelings towards the Prince of Wales. But they are divided over the role of the monarchy in this country. "When you remove the personalities from the equation and ask the bigger question about who should be our head of state, should we continue as the monarchy, or is that an outdated notion - there you do see some pretty big division in this country," she said. Carolyn Harris, an historian and author, said that Will and Kate, as young, modern and relatable royals, have sparked a renewed interest in the royal family among Canadians. "There is a sense now of there being a very clear future for the royal family [in Canada]." 24 Sept Victoria,  British Columbia: Their Royal Highnesses, accompanied by their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, arrive in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. 25 Sept Vancouver, British Columbia:  The Duke and Duchess will visit Sheway, the Immigration Services Society of British Columbia, an event celebrating young leaders in Canadian arts, music, sport, charity, business, and film, and finally the visit the Kitsilano Coastguard Station. 26 Sept Bella Bella and the Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia: The Duke and Duchess will travel to the Great Bear Rainforest, visit with  the Heiltsuk First Nations community and attend a reception hosted by the province of British Columbia at Government House. 27 Sept Kelowna, British Columbia and Whitehorse, Yukon: They will tour the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia and take part in the BC Government's "Taste of British Columbia" festival at Mission Hill Winery before flying to Whitehorse, where they will be greeted by members of the Canadian Rangers. 28 Sept Whitehorse and Carcross, Yukon: Will and Kate will visit the MacBride Museum and meet members of Whitehorse's cultural community before travelling to Carcross, where they will be welcomed by the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. 29 Sept Victoria, British Columbia: The royal couple and their children attend children's party in the grounds of Government House, which will be attended by military families. 30 Sept Haida Gwaii, British Columbia:  The Duke and Duchess visit Haida Gwaii, the archipelago on the northern coast of British Columbia and is home to the Haida Nation. They will attend the opening of the new Haida Gwaii Hospital and Care Centre. They will join local youth for a fishing expedition on the waters of Hecate Strait. 30 Sept Victoria, British Columbia: The royal couple will visit the Cridge Centre for the Family, which provides services and support for women who have experienced domestic violence. They will then meet families who have received support from the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre and later youth working with the Sail and Life Training Society. They end their tour with a public official departure ceremony at Victoria Harbour Airport.

Question: Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge 's visit to a Canadian charity that supports pregnant women struggling with addiction will be a " wonderful closing of the loop " of the work Princess Diana did in that same realm some 25 years ago , says the @placeholder 's manager .


Mr Trump accused Mr Cruz of negative campaigning and "cheating" and threatened to sue him "for not being a natural born citizen". Mr Cruz condemned the "amazing torrent of insults and obscenities that come out of [Trump's] mouth". The two lead the Republican field. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are contesting the Democratic ticket. So far, Mr Cruz has won the Iowa caucus while Mr Trump came first in the New Hampshire primary on 9 February. The full 2016 field Why are Americans so angry? Does America need to change how it elects its presidents? The next contest will be the South Carolina primary on 20 February. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Hewlett Packard executive Carly Fiorina dropped out of the race after disappointing performances in New Hampshire. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Ohio Governor John Kasich and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush are still in the race and will be at Saturday's debate. Mr Cruz released a television advertisement before Saturday's debate condemning Mr Trump's "pattern of sleaze", which seems to have prompted Mr Trump's threat of legal action. Mr Trump has previously accused Mr Cruz of fraud and had called for the Iowa caucuses to be restaged. He has also attacked Mr Cruz over his birth in Canada. Mr Cruz has previously said there is "zero chance" of a lawsuit succeeding because the constitution's definition of "natural born citizens" included people born to an American parent. Mr Cruz was born in Calgary to an American mother and a Cuban father. At a rally last Monday, Mr Trump repeated an audience member's vulgar remark about Mr Cruz, leading many to criticise him. 20 February - South Carolina primary (Republican); Nevada caucus (Democrat) 23 February - Nevada caucus (R) 27 February - South Carolina primary (D) 1 March - 'Super Tuesday' - 15 states or territories decide 18-21 July - Republican convention, nominee picked 25-28 July - Democratic convention, nominee picked 8 November - US presidential elections In depth: Primary calendar

Question: Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have @placeholder ahead of a debate between the remaining Republican contenders for president .


Andrew Le Masurier died three months ago. Geoffrey Morris from the club said Mr Le Masurier was an inspiration as well as a dedicated and passionate collector. The club's first model railway exhibition since the death of Mr Le Masurier started on Saturday and is one of its largest. It attracted hundreds of model railway fans from across the island and featured a range of different trains and models. Mr Morris said: "The late Andrew Le Masurier was profoundly deaf, but he was one of our most active members. "We were so proud to make a lovely nameplate in the form of a Great Western Railway nameplate, which proudly says the 'Andrew Le Masurier Hall'. "This is our 33rd exhibition. We have held them at various venues around the island."

Question: The headquarters of the Jersey Model Railway Club has been @placeholder in memory of one of its members .


Costa, 28, was heavily linked with a move to the club in the January transfer window. But Tianjin said: "We have no intention of becoming involved in any unhealthy competition and, consequently, paying a premium price." Costa's 20 top-flight goals this season helped Chelsea win the league title. Tianjin were promoted to the Super League last season and have Italian World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro as their manager. The club's owner, Shu Yuhui, said in January that a bid to sign Costa had been scuppered by new rules in the Chinese Super League which mean only three foreign players can be fielded per game.

Question: Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian say they have not made contact with Chelsea striker Diego Costa or his @placeholder " during the past six months " .


Boris took five years to build at a cost of ?¡ê350,000. The robot "sees" objects with sensors on its face and wrists. In 10 seconds it calculates up to a thousand possible ways to grasp an object with its five robotic fingers and plans a path of arm movements to reach its target, avoiding obstructions. "It's not been programmed to pick it up - it's been programmed to learn how to pick it up," explained Professor Wyatt from the University of Birmingham. "The idea is to get the robot to load your dishwasher." "You get a bunch of objects off a table, scattered as you might have them on a kitchen surface, and the robot will look through the set of objects, find one it wants to pick up, figure out where to put it in the dishwasher, and load it," said Professor Wyatt. Why has Boris been assigned kitchen duties? "It's a typical task that humans engage in. So by putting that into a robot, we hope to make the robots more flexible in future."

Question: A robot @placeholder Boris unveiled today will be loading dishwashers by next year , its developers claim .


In his strongest remarks on the issue yet, Mr Obama said climate change would "impact every country on the planet". The US president made his comments in a speech to students at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut. He has previously identified climate change as a central issue for the remainder of his time in office. Faced with strong opposition on the issue from Republicans and industry, Mr Obama used his speech to frame the threat in terms of national security. He said: "I'm here today to say that climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security and make no mistake: it will impact how our military defends our country. "Denying it or refusing to deal with it endangers our national security. It undermines the readiness of our forces." He went on to list specific military facilities seen as under threat from adverse weather conditions. "Around Norfolk, high tides and storms increasingly flood parts of our Navy base and an air base. In Alaska, thawing permafrost is damaging military facilities. "Out West, deeper droughts and longer wildfires could threaten training areas our troops depend on." He told the Coast Guard Academy students: "You are part of the first generation of officers to begin your service in a world where the effects of climate change are so clearly upon us. "Climate change will shape how every one of our services plan, operate, train, equip, and protect their infrastructure, today and for the long term." Mr Obama has used executive orders on climate change to circumvent opposition in Congress - issuing one in March ordering federal agencies to cut greenhouse gas emissions. In China last year, he committed to reducing US carbon emissions by 26-28% by 2025, and he will travel  to Paris in December for an international summit on greenhouse gases.

Question: President Obama has called climate change " a serious threat to global security " and heavily @placeholder climate change deniers .


Martyn Poliakoff of Nottingham University estimates that a solid gold trophy of its size - 36cm (14 in) high - would weigh at least 70kg (154lb). He concludes that the trophy, or at least part of it, must be hollow. Fifa insisted that the metal part of the current trophy, which dates back to 1974, was "solid gold". It told the BBC News website the prize weighed 6.175kg, including 4.9kg of "solid 18-carat gold" and two layers of the semi-precious stone malachite. Nobody wins the coveted trophy outright as Fifa retains possession between tournaments, awarding a gold-plated replica to each World Cup champion. Making his case on the university's Periodic Table of Videos website, Professor Poliakoff said a genuinely solid gold cup of this height would be "as much as the weight of quite a large adult". "Gold is very heavy, it's one of the densest metals that there is," he said. "According to my calculations, if it was solid all the way through, it would have somewhere between 70 and 80kg of gold in it." The professor suggested the term "solid gold" might mean "the metal part is gold all the way through - it isn't that there is a thin layer of gold and the rest is steel, for example". "However, I think - and I have no means of knowing - that perhaps the ball at the top, which is the world, is probably hollow... because I don't think that it would be light enough for people to wave above their heads, and also it would be a big waste of gold." The professor added that he was "not very interested in football". "I was a teenager when England won the World Cup in 1966," he said. "I didn't watch the game then and I haven't watched a World Cup match since then, but perhaps I will watch something this year."

Question: A British @placeholder professor has calculated that if the World Cup trophy were really solid gold it would be too heavy for footballers to lift .


The live broadcast was suspended as doctors attended to him. Mr Lee had been "unsteady because of prolonged standing, heat and dehydration," a statement from his office said. "His heart is fine and he did not have a stroke." He later resumed his speech to applause. Lee Hsien Loong, 64, has been in office since August 2004. Last year, he had surgery to remove his prostate gland. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in the 1990s but recovered. Mr Lee's People's Action Party (PAP) has been in power since 1959, when Singapore was still a self-governing British colony. A former army officer and Cambridge-educated mathematician, he followed his father Lee Kwan Yew into politics in 1984 at the age of 32. As he resumed his speech, he said his government's "top priority" would be preparing for succession. Mr Lee said a new prime minister "must be ready" to take office after the next general election. The PAP won a decisive victory in last year's elections. Elections in Singapore are held every five years. As prime minister, the younger Mr Lee has launched policies to build a competitive economy, introducing new programmes to upgrade the education system, investing in research and development and transforming the city-state.

Question: Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong has fainted as he was @placeholder a speech during a National Day rally .


A passenger alerted American Airlines cabin crew when his smartphone identified the network as one available nearby and police were notified. After an investigation lasting several hours, police at the airport said no crime had been committed. The flight from LA to London on Sunday was eventually rescheduled for Monday. Many broadband subscribers re-name their home wi-fi network to personalise it. When a device comes within range of the network, its name will appear on a list of potentially available wi-fi connections. While some use their family name or the name of their house, others take a more satirical approach. "It can be a kooky way of saying you support a local football team or you want to bait your neighbour who supports the opposing team," said Stuart Miles of tech review site Pocket Lint. "Some people use it as advertising. It's an unwritten code of spreading a message that you're allowed to do - but obviously sometimes it's funny and sometimes it's not." In a discussion about favourite wi-fi names on community site Reddit, users admitted to using titles like "FBI Surveillance Van", "ISIS HQ" and names that sounded like computer viruses to alarm passers-by. The acronym LAN (Local Area Network) - the name given to a network linking a small group of computers in a home or business hub - has also been the subject of puns. 'Get off my LAN', 'the promised LAN' and 'WuTangLAN', a homage to US rappers Wu-Tang Clan, are popular choices.

Question: A wi - fi @placeholder named " Al - Quida Free Terror Nettwork " ( sic ) has resulted in a long delay for passengers on a plane at Los Angeles airport .


The blaze broke out in Wilmslow Road, underneath runway one, at about 18:00 GMT Cheshire Police said. Photos from the scene show plumes of smoke billowing out of the underpass. An airport spokeswoman said all flights had been diverted to runway two as a precaution and she believes it will be back to normal soon. Some planes are delayed and passengers should check the status of their flight with their airline, she added. Passengers have reported being stuck at foreign airports as a result, while others said their flights had been diverted to Liverpool and Birmingham. Adam Harrington has tweeted: "Fire at Manchester airport so sat on a runway in Alicante for an hour and a half."

Question: A car fire in a road tunnel has led to one of Manchester Airport 's runways being @placeholder - causing delays to some flights .


Despite owning two platinum discs (both for his self-titled debut album), he insists he "can't really get excited" about awards and chart positions. "Anyone can get a number one now," he says, dismissively. "You only have to sell, like, 20,000 albums or something. "If you speak to another band and you say, 'Oh, I had a number one album,' they'll be like, 'yeah, so did we, and John had one last week as well.' It's not really an achievement any more." "You know, The charts are the charts. I can't really get excited about anything I see in them." Nonetheless, the Nottingham-born star has described his third album - out this week - as a "make or break" release. "This is a pretty brutal industry," he explains. "If your record sales aren't great, you might not get the chance to make another one." Fittingly, the album's title track, On My One, imagines what would happen if he lost it all. "Three years on the road, 400 shows," he sings, "Where do I call home? No place to go." It's a simple blues lament - just two chords and Bugg's voice - that cleaves to the singer's tried and tested template. But the rest of the album is much more adventurous. First single Gimme The Love marries a buzzing bassline to a shuffling Stone Roses drumbeat, while the string-drenched ballad Love, Hope and Misery sounds like a slightly more nasal version of Paolo Nutini. Both NME and Q Magazine have described the record a "re-invention" but Bugg would rather it was called "a continuation". "I'm just doing my thing, man." Work on the album began in Malibu last year, but the initial sessions were scrapped in favour of Bugg's home demos. "Weirdly enough, the label preferred my recordings to [the producer] I'd been recording with," he says. So he went back home and worked on the album in his front room, where the lack of highfalutin studio gadgetry proved to be a source of inspiration. "In Nottingham there was a Telecaster knocking around and it only had five strings on it. That's what I did Gimme The Love on. It's cool, things like that, because you're very limited in what you can do and that helps.  When you've got a blank canvas, it can be a bit overwhelming and you can't really come up with any ideas." In fact, for the first time, the singer wrote the entire album by himself - laying to rest the claim of inauthenticity that has bugged him (no pun) since it emerged he  shared credits with the likes of Iain Archer (Snow Patrol) and Brendan Benson (The Raconteurs) on his first two albums. He now likens those co-writing sessions to an apprenticeship - "free education" for a musician who taught himself guitar on YouTube. His playing is noticeably improved on the new record, something he attributes to taking a year off. "When you're playing the same songs every night, sometimes the last thing you want to do in the day is play your instrument. So the time off helped. I had a chance to mess around with different styles and just practise." He shows off a supple ability on the R&B-influenced Never Wanna Dance, and breaks out a killer guitar solo on the relationship drama Bitter Salt. The latter track is one of a handful of songs co-produced by Garret "Jacknife" Lee (U2, REM, Taylor Swift), who turned the low-key original into a rollicking blues stomp. "I'd written it as a folk song. Then I recorded it with Jacknife and the next day I came in and it sounded like that!" says Bugg. "That can be tough. I don't want anyone messing around with my songs. But what I liked about Jacknife is [that] it was still exactly the same song, it was just in a completely different genre. It's got a Jefferson Airplane vibe about it, which I thought was pretty cool." Bugg was only 17 when he first came to fame and he quickly earned a reputation for being surly and uncooperative in interviews. In his first encounter with BBC News in 2012, he frequently sounded like a teenager being asked about their homework (which, essentially, he was). "If you look back at some of my old interviews, I'm much more shy and reserved," he admits. These days, he's more confident, with a line in acerbic humour - but his skirmishes with the press have made him cynical. "Sometimes in interviews, you can come across as the guy that's not so nice, or not very pleasant. But a lot of the time it's the person on the other side that made you feel that way. You know, they've pissed you off in some way and then it reflects. I don't know if they do it on purpose..." He grimaces as he talks about being told to "put on a smile" for television appearances. "Especially in America, you've got to be so enthusiastic or else there's no point in doing it. Or so they tell me. And that can be hard, when you're not feeling like smiling, to put one on. That's just not me. "I just feel," he concludes, "like the time spent doing a lot of interviews could be used making more music. Then the people doing the interviews can have something to write about. But that's just my take on it." He makes it clear this is not one of those interviews... but our time is running out, nonetheless. So, if the charts are no longer a reliable indicator of success, how will Bugg decide whether his new album has been a hit or a miss? "I guess, for me, it's when you go and play the shows and the festivals and see what kind of crowd you draw. I think that reflects more than the record sales. "And Gimme The Love's on Match Of The Day quite a bit, so I'm happy with that. I'll take that." On My One is out now on Virgin EMI

Question: Jake Bugg is not , to put it mildly , the sort of person to sugar - coat his @placeholder .


It was a show of anger typical of Rio - lots of samba and singing mingled with loud calls for political change. Brazil has got used to political surprises - from major corruption probes to last year's impeachment of Dilma Rousseff - but the past few weeks here have been tumultuous. After the leaking of audio recordings where Mr Temer appears to be encouraging bribes, the country's leader is now under investigation. People are angry. Well-known Brazilian artists and musicians including the singer-songwriter and political activist Caetano Veloso took part in the concert, joining the people on the streets to make their voices louder. "We are here for our rights," says actor Daniel Oliveira. "It's an important day for Brazil." The president, though, maintains he has done nothing wrong and has repeatedly refused to resign. "I think Temer is a lame duck," says Sergio Abranches, a political analyst who thinks this is a presidential crisis like no other. "He'll never recover his political authority. He can remain in power though and that will be very bad for Brazil." "Fora Temer" (Out with Temer) is a chant that has become popular in recent months - and maybe the crowd's demands could be met. On 6, 7 and 8 June the country's Superior Electoral Court will meet to decide whether or not to annul the 2014 presidential elections - the elections that Dilma Rousseff won with Michel Temer as her running mate. Michel Temer: Brazil president faces new corruption accusations Brazil president retreats from attempts to suspend investigation Brazil: President Temer's first year after impeachment Michel Temer: The man who now leads Brazil If that election was annulled, it would be down to Congress to choose a successor for the period until next year's elections. Not everybody is happy with that. People at the protest chanted "directas ja" - "direct elections now".  It's an expression that was first used in the 1980s when Brazilians took to the streets to ask for democratic elections after two decades of military rule. But the chant is gaining traction once again as Mr Temer's troubles increase. "We want to give back to the people the right to choose their next president directly," says Congress member Alessandro Molo, who is hopeful that the Electoral Court will decide to take Mr Temer out. "We have a president [that] we didn't elect," says Arthur Bezerra, one of the protesters. "He was elected as vice-president but not with this political platform he's trying to put right now. "So we need to get him out of there and we cannot have a new president appointed by the same politicians that are involved in this corruption." The next few weeks are really important for Brazilians - if, when and how their president will leave. It is a waiting game that everybody wants to be over to get on with rebuilding political faith in the country.

Question: It was a miserable day on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro . But the heavy fog smothering the normally sunny @placeholder did not put thousands of people off from heading down to Copacabana to join calls for President Michel Temer to step down .


Oceans hold billions of tonnes of uranium at tiny concentrations, but extracting it remains uneconomical. A report at the 244th meeting of the American Chemical Society described a new technique using uranium-absorbing mats made from discarded shrimp shells. A range of improved approaches were outlined at a symposium at the meeting. The developments are key to a future nuclear power industry. Uranium is currently mined from ore deposits around the world, but there are fears that demand may outstrip the supply of ore as nuclear power becomes more widespread. At issue is the tremendously low concentration of uranium in seawater: about three parts per billion, so that just 3.3mg exist in a full tonne of water. As a result, extracting it is an inherently costly process. Much work carried out in Japan in recent decades has sought to address that. Researchers there came up with a design of a mat of plastic fibres impregnated with molecules that both lock onto the fibres and preferentially absorb uranium. That work culminated in a 2003 field test that netted a kilogram of the metal. The mats can reach 100m in length, suspended underwater at depths up to 200m. They are withdrawn and rinsed with an acid solution that frees the uranium, and the cycle is repeated. Research has focussed on improving both the braided fibres of the mat and the "ligand" that captures the uranium, which has most often been a molecule called poly-acrylamidoxime. Several groups at the conference said they had been working on variations on this molecular theme, or variants of porous "nanoparticles" made of silica (the stuff of sand) or carbon. Robin Rogers of the University of Alabama, who organised the symposium, outlined an improvement developed in his own group: seafood shells. He said that in the wake of both Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill in the region, "we began working with the Gulf Coast Agricultural and Seafood Co-operative... and with the shrimpers and crabbers there, and found they were paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to get rid of their waste [shells]". "We discovered an 'ionic liquid' - a molten salt - could extract a very important polymer called chitin directly from shrimp shells," he added. Chitin is a long-chain molecule that is the principal component in crustaceans' shells, but its toughness and its ability to be "electrospun" into fibres that can be made into mats make it an ideal sustainable and biodegradable choice for uranium harvesting. While research is continuing, there is still some way to go to reach cost parity with the more mature - but more environmentally damaging - technology of mining uranium ores. "We have not reached a point where we can 'downselect' to a [single] technology, but we have shown that we can double the capacity of what the Japanese have done," Dr Rogers said. "But the economic analysis being done at the University of Texas has told us that we're not good enough yet, even in today's economy, so we have to improve." The work is promising enough, though, to begin to remove a concern about the sustainability of those terrestrial sources and any stumbling block that may present to growth in the nuclear power industry.

Question: A happy coincidence in the seafood industry has raised the prospects of harvesting uranium - the @placeholder source for nuclear power - from seawater .


I love all his work but, particularly, Hard Times. It is a brilliant, taut indictment of industrialism and utilitarianism. But there is also the Micawber Principle, from David Copperfield. Mr Micawber concisely reminded us of the precarious nature of economic life. He explained this to young Copperfield as follows. "Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen, nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery." The First Minister has had to face her own Micawber Principle, of late, in the shape of the GERS figures which suggested that Scotland had a ?¡ê15bn deficit in the most recent year studied, twice the level in the UK as a whole in relation to the economy. Yesterday, in contemplative mood when facing the wicked media, Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged that the figures were "difficult", driven largely by reduced revenue from the North Sea. But today, facing her political opponents, there was no room for compromise whatsoever. For example, quizzed by Willie Rennie of the Liberal Democrats, she essayed a tirade against his party's former UK coalition with the Conservatives. She said she would take no lectures on the economy from such a one as Mr Rennie. What appeared evident is that she was disinclined to answer questions from him either. It was perhaps understandable. The figures are indeed difficult and challenging and politically awkward. Tough to defend. So Ms Sturgeon opted instead to attack, lambasting her opponents with eager ferocity. It may have added little to Socratic debate - but then, unless I missed it, Socrates isn't standing for election to Holyrood in May. Labour's Kezia Dugdale said the FM was "in complete denial", that the case for independence had been "devastated" and that the SNP were pursuing cuts in vital services. Ms Sturgeon retorted that Labour's approach amounted to a "sheer and utter disgrace". She depicted Ms Dugdale as inviting the people of Scotland to pay more in tax to meet Tory cuts to which Scotland was subjected because Labour had successfully fended off independence. More generally, she accused her opponents of talking Scotland down, of neglecting the underlying strength of the Scottish economy. Ruth Davidson had a go for the Tories. She accused Ms Sturgeon of perpetuating a "con" upon the people of Scotland during the referendum by underplaying the prospective reductions in oil revenues. In reply, Ms Sturgeon chose to single out an alternative example of what she believed to be deception. The PM, she said had promised an oil boom if Scots rejected independence. It had been, she said, "bluff and bluster". Each counter-attack by the FM was greeted by throaty cheering from the SNP back benches. Then we got to Willie Rennie. For some reason, these exchanges regularly appear notably icy. Such was the case again today. Mr Rennie challenged the First Minister to "look me in the eye" and say she had believed the buoyant oil figures around prior to the referendum. "Oh, look out," as you can hear John Lennon declaring during the sublime closing sequence of Abbey Road. (It is Lennon, isn't it? Would have to consult my sons.) Ms Sturgeon was off. How about that coalition, Mr Rennie, propping up Messrs Cameron and Osborne, "ripping billions out of the Scottish budget"? Apparently, the Lib Dem leader's hypocrisy had now reached new levels. Look me in the eye, she said, batting back the challenge. Mr Rennie stared, angry and disconsolate in equal measure. PS: Neglected earlier to praise the mighty United for an outstanding performance in the Cup against the estimable Ross County. Incredible display. Incredible fight. More of that in the league and we'll be grand.

Question: We all owe Charles Dickens a huge debt . For his warm , emotive @placeholder ; for his incisive social commentary ; for the fact that his work led to that seminal movie , the Muppets Christmas Carol .


He told the Huffington Post UK he could not "believe" it when he saw the Times reports of what he had said in a Pakistani television interview. He said his comments were "completely wrong", "unacceptable" and the product of a "twisted mind" - but took "full responsibility" for them. The peer has been suspended by Labour. Lord Ahmed told the Huffington Post that he was not anti-Semitic and said he did not have "any explanation or excuse" for his comments. "I only believe in facts and to be honest I should have stuck with the facts rather than with conspiracy theories," he told The Huffington Post, later reiterating his apology to the Press Association. When he saw the video on The Times website of the interview he says was given two or three years ago he said: "I was horrified... I could not believe that this was me." Asked if he had a message for Labour leader Ed Miliband, Lord Ahmed said: "He's of the Jewish faith and I'm sorry that I embarrassed him or anyone else in the Labour Party. "I'm particularly sorry to all my colleagues in the House of Lords and in the House of Commons because one thing many of them know is that I'm not anti-Semitic or a conspiracy theorist." Lord Ahmed's comments came in a television interview, thought to have been broadcast in April last year, while he was on a visit to Pakistan. He told an Urdu-language broadcast he should have been sentenced by a magistrate but pressure had been placed on the courts to charge him with a more serious offence because of his support for Palestinians. "My case became more critical because I went to Gaza to support Palestinians. My Jewish friends who own newspapers and TV channels opposed this," the Times reports him as saying in the television interview. He said the judge who had sentenced him had been appointed to the High Court after helping a "Jewish colleague" of Tony Blair during "an important case", the newspaper adds. Lord Ahmed was jailed for 12 weeks in 2009 after sending and receiving text messages while driving. He was freed by the Court of Appeal after serving 16 days of the sentence because of "exceptional" mitigation relating to his community work. He had been involved in a fatal crash minutes after sending the messages on Christmas Day 2007. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving but did not face the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving because no causal link could be established between his texts and the crash. But the case was transferred from Sheffield Magistrates Court to Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing because the district judge in the case felt his sentencing powers were not sufficient. The 55-year-old Pakistan-born businessman and Labour Party activist was appointed to the House of Lords by Tony Blair in 1998. He was one of the first three Muslim peers, He was suspended and investigated by the Labour Party in 2012 after allegations he had called for a ?¡ê10m bounty for the capture of US Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush. He was subsequently cleared and reinstated.

Question: Lord Ahmed has apologised " completely and unreservedly " for blaming Jewish - owned media @placeholder for his imprisonment for dangerous driving .


Stephanie Meakin, from Crewe, lied about her mobility for 11 years - during which time she was also seen wading into the sea for baptisms and jogging to a bank. Recorder Mary Loram, at Liverpool Crown Court, said she was a "thoroughly dishonest woman". Meakin was sentenced to 15 months, suspended for a year. More updates on this and other stories in Staffordshire The court heard she legitimately began receiving Disability Living Allowance at the highest rate in 1995 due to severe back trouble, which had significantly improved by 2001. She denied dishonestly failing to notify a change in circumstances. The 51-year-old, of Springwell Close, was seen wearing high heels, walking up a steep hill and exercising her Rottweiler. She also went on a church mission to South Africa, during which she had a "luxury" visit to the Kruger National Park, and twice flew to see relatives in her homeland of the Philippines, jurors heard. "The evidence was overwhelming, but you persisted in the lie to the jury that throughout you were in crippling pain," Ms Loram told her. The court heard she was deeply religious and established the Church of Abundant Life in Crewe after moving to the UK to marry her husband. When department of work and pensions investigators raided her home, they uncovered a life insurance application form on which she stated that, apart from high blood pressure, she had no on-going health problems and exercised several times a weeks. Defending, Andrew Higginson said Meakin's daughter had since disowned her but her sons were standing by her. He said Meakin suffers from "widespread pain syndrome", depression, has mild to moderate disability and now lives with one of her sons.

Question: A pastor who dishonestly claimed ¡ê 37,000 in benefits because she was in " crippling pain " @placeholder the Hokey Cokey at a church Christmas party .


The 12-year-old, a pupil at Wolfreton School at Willerby, near Hull, fell into a lake near Meymac in the Massif Central region on Tuesday. She died in hospital in Limoges on Wednesday. Balloons were released in her memory at the school and special prayers were held at St Luke's Anglican Church in Willerby. Jessica was one of 24 students and three staff on a five-day trip to the Club Correze adventure centre in France. It is believed she became trapped under an overturned pontoon, which she and a group of children were jumping from while swimming.

Question: Family and friends of Jessica Lawson , who died on a school trip to France , have @placeholder to remember her .


The hosts were chasing the game after only two minutes when Alex Corbisiero touched down, before Leigh Halfpenny kicked four penalties. Australia fought back just before the break but the Lions took control in the second half for a dominant 41-16 win. (provided by Opta Sports) "We had too many errors early on and we gave them a head start," said Horwill. "We started the second half like we wanted to start the game and then we let them get away with it and they were too good. "We dug deep and we tried as much as we could. I'm very proud of every single one of my players, but in the end you would have to say that the better team on the night won." After losing the second Test 16-15 in Melbourne, Lions coach Warren Gatland said training in the build-up to the final Test had been focused on improving set-pieces, particularly their scrum. That work paid off as the Lions won all 10 of their scrums, while Australia managed just three of their six. "We just had to hold onto the ball and build pressure and we didn't do that," added Horwill. "We let them into the game and we let them execute the way they wanted to and they scored points. "It was a bit disappointing from us in the scrum. We'd done so well in the first two Tests but we let ourselves down there a bit. We've got to work on that." Australia coach Robbie Deans admitted he was unsure about his future in the wake of the thrashing. After five years in the role he has been coming under increasing pressure and when asked about remaining as the Wallabies' first foreign coach, the New Zealander said: "You don't presume anything in this industry. Those decisions  are made by others." Wallabies' skipper Horwill gave short shrift to questions about Deans's future. "Robbie's the coach. He's contracted, he's the coach. He's a great coach and now's not the time to time to talk about it," Horwill told a post-match press conference. "We'll review everything at the end after this. Five minutes after I've played a Test match is not the time to talk about coaching positions."

Question: Australia captain James Horwill believes too many errors early in the decisive third Test against the British and Irish Lions cost them a @placeholder win .


A gene that scientists identified in these strange, aquatic creatures -  called tardigrades - helps them survive boiling, freezing and radiation. In future, it could be used to protect human cells, the researchers say. It was already known that tardigrades, also known as water bears, were able to survive by shrivelling up into desiccated balls. But the University of Tokyo-led team found a protein that protects its DNA  - wrapping around it like a blanket. The scientists, who published their findings in the journal Nature Communications, went on to grow human cells that produced that same protein, and found that it protected those cells too. This, the scientists suggest, means that genes from these "extremophiles", might one day be used to protect living things from radiation - from X-rays, or as a treatment to prevent damage from the Sun's harmful rays. Tardigrades are more commonly - and cutely - known as water bears. Scientists had thought that they survived radiation exposure by repairing the damage done to their DNA. But Prof Takekazu Kunieda, of the University of Tokyo, and his colleagues, carried out an eight-year study of a tardigrade genome to pinpoint the source of its remarkable resilience. To identify their secret weapon, researchers scrutinised the genome of one tardigrade species, looking for proteins that were attached to the DNA, and that therefore might have a protective mechanism. They found one that they have called "Dsup" (short for "damage suppressor"). The team then inserted the Dsup gene into human cells' DNA, and exposed those modified cells to X-rays; Dsup-treated cells suffered far less DNA damage. Prof Mark Blaxter of the University of Edinburgh told BBC News that the study was "groundbreaking". "This is the first time an individual protein from a tardigrade has been shown to be active in radiation protection. "[And] radiation is one of the things that's guaranteed to kill you." By sequencing and examining the genome, this study also appears to resolve a strange genetic controversy about these creatures. Research published in 2015, involving a different tardigrade species, concluded that the creature had "acquired" a portion of its DNA from bacteria through a process called horizontal gene transfer. That study suggested that some of these beasts' notorious imperviousness had been snipped out of the bacterial genetic code. This study found no evidence of this gene transfer. The tardigrades themselves, though, were far more resistant to X-rays than the human cells that the researchers manipulated. "[So] tardigrades have other tricks up their sleeves, which we have yet to identify," said Prof Matthew Cobb from the University of Manchester. With further research, scientists think that genes like Dsup could make it safer and easier to store and transport human cells - protecting, for example, delicate human skin grafts from damage. Prof Kunieda and his co-author on the study, Takuma Hashimoto, applied to patent the Dsup gene in 2015. Prof Cobb added that, in principle, "these genes could even help us bioengineer organisms to survive in extremely hostile environments, such as on the surface of Mars - [perhaps] as part of a terra-forming project to make the planet hospitable for humans". And scientists with a fascination for tardigrades think this discovery could be the tip of the iceberg. Prof Blaxter said that tardigrade research could even explain how exactly "radiation damages DNA, and how we might prevent DNA damage from other sources". Prof Takekazu Kunieda told BBC News that he hoped more researchers would join the "tardigrade community". "We believe there [are] a lot of treasures there," he added.

Question: Researchers have discovered a genetic @placeholder secret of Earth 's " hardiest animal " .


The History in Heels project will highlight untold stories of women from Manx history through a series of pop-up displays and events. An MNH spokeswoman said the 10-month project will let people "follow in the footsteps of the women who made Mann". It will run at seven MNH site between March and December 2015. Amongst those featured will be the stories of internees, beauty queens, TT racers and politicians. Co-curator Jude Dicken said the displays will take a "fresh and surprising approach to some of the remarkable island women and their personal histories". She said: "We want to introduce these women to our visitors, get them to hear their voices and think about their stories." History in Heels also marks the centenary of the National Federation of Women's Institutes and celebrates the 65th anniversary of the formation of the Isle of Man Women's Institute. The first pop-up display will take place at Castle Rushen on 8 March to mark International Women's Day.

Question: A project which aims to shine a light on some of the Isle of Man 's " most remarkable women " will be @placeholder by Manx National Heritage this month .


"Do you mean Big Joe?" asks one woman in Liverpool city centre when I ask about the Liverpool City Region's mayoral election on 4 May. While Joe Anderson is mayor of the city of Liverpool, there are five other boroughs in this newly created region - Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral in Merseyside, plus Halton in neighbouring Cheshire. And Mr Anderson was beaten by Steve Rotheram last August in the battle to be selected as Labour's candidate in the Liverpool City Region's mayoral election. The "Liverpool City Region" does not have a long-established political history - even choosing its name was not problem-free. Now that a devolution deal has been thrashed out, though, what will her or his powers be? The mayor will have significant powers over transport, which could transform the lives of the 1.5 million people who live there by redesigning bus routes and offering integrated ticketing systems. He or she will also be in charge of housing, which many argue is desperate for root-and-branch reform. Liverpool City Region's Mayoral Election Candidates (listed in alphabetical order) Roger Bannister - Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition Paul Breen - Get the Coppers off the Jury Tony Caldeira - Conservative Carl Cashman - Liberal Democrat Tom Crone - Green Party Tabitha Morton - Women's Equality Party Steve Rotheram - Labour Paula Walters - UKIP Find out more about the candidates - and their key manifesto commitments Local authorities included in the mayoral region: Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton, and Wirral Along with the leaders of the six boroughs, and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the mayor will be part of the combined authority, which will also take control of training and skills, and consider how to best invest ?¡ê900m over the next 30 years. This isn't the comprehensive and detailed deal they have down the Mersey in Greater Manchester. Liverpool City Region has not secured control over policing and fire and rescue, for example, and are only "working on" a deal for health and social care devolution. In the wording of the deal, it's also notable that in many areas Liverpool City Region will "work with" central government rather than be "free from" Whitehall. There are big issues around governance too. I'm told the constitution - which will decide how policies are passed - won't be fully ironed out until the mayor is elected. Is it fair to send the voters to the polls without that clarity? Also the Local Enterprise Partnership will get to vote on whether certain policies pass. Again, is it right that a non-elected body can do that? Despite not having the depth and the history of the Greater Manchester deal, though, I have found a level of public engagement in the mayoral race. One young mum in the south of the city told me: "You need to know Liverpool to control it." Merseyside's sense of identity is arguably almost unrivalled in the UK, and that could play out well for whoever becomes mayor on 5 May once the votes are tallied. There is also an economic optimism intertwined with devolution. The opening page of this devolution deal talks about commercial ventures including Superport,  3MG in Halton, and science and innovation strengths at Daresbury. These may be jargony phrases to the majority of the 1.5 million who live here, but companies like Peel Holdings don't invest ?¡ê400m without expecting a decent return. There is also growing support at Westminster. Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman has been a strong voice in making sure the Buses Bill (part of devolution) delivers all that it promises. The combined authority tells me that once its mayor is in place, it will start lobbying Whitehall for even more powers. Merseysiders are known for a determination to get what they want, so we can expect a fascinating few years ahead.

Question: In the @placeholder of many Scousers , they already have a mayor .


The Ministry of Public Security said 1,168 cultural relics worth more than 500m yuan ($80m; ¡ê52m) had been found. The artefacts are thought to be illegally excavated in Niuheliang, a Neolithic archaeological site in north-eastern Liaoning province. The ministry said the activities of the looters had severely damaged the site. Among the artefacts was a coiled jade dragon, one of the earliest known depictions of the mythological creature, authorities said. Unesco says the Niuheliang archaeological site, which dates back 5,500-5,000 years, was a burial and sacrificial centre in the late Hongshan period. State media described the recovery as the biggest operation of its kind since the founding of modern China in 1949. The date of the recovery operation was not provided, but the ministry said in a statement that 1,000 police officer were involved. The looters were said to be split into 10 gangs that were responsible for everything from the excavation to the selling of the relics, according to China Daily. Four archaeologists are also thought to be involved, the newspaper said. "Artefacts are sold at a fast speed and traded frequently in a short time," said Cai Binghui, a police officer who was involved with the case according to China Daily.

Question: Police in China have taken 175 people into custody in what authorities are calling the country 's biggest ever operation to recover @placeholder artefacts .


Fellow crew members Tim Kopra and Scott Kelly will go outside the ISS to fix a broken component, possibly as early as Monday, Nasa said. "It will be a very busy and interesting day for Tim," said Libby Jackson from the UK Space Agency. Mr Peak arrived at the ISS on Tuesday. He is the first UK astronaut to be employed as a professional astronaut by the European Space Agency. The space walk is taking place so the astronauts can try to fix a component called the "mobile transporter" -  a rail that runs along much of the length of the space station, which a robotic arm can move along. Mr Peake, who is spending six months in space, will be following the space walk from the inside, the BBC's science correspondent Pallab Ghosh said. His duties will involve getting the crew suited and out of the airlock while talking to mission control, he added. The mobile transporter became stuck on Wednesday. "The cause of the stall is being evaluated, but experts believe it may be related to a stuck brake handle," said the mission's operations manager, Kenny Todd. The space walk will be the third in Mr Kelly's career and the second for Mr Kopra. Meanwhile, Mr Peake, who is spending his first weekend in space, has thanked the thousands of people around the world who sent him good luck messages. His blog also contains a selection of some of the best messages from social media sites Twitter and Instagram. As he does not have the time to reply to each message individually, he wrote: "The support for our launch was outstanding, and I want to thank each of you for the #GoodLuckTim messages. "From the schoolchildren who watched the launch in class, people watching on the underground, and viewers outside of UK, your messages have shown how much interest there is in space and they mean a great deal to me. "We are very busy up here but I promise to start sharing more of our life in space soon." The former Army aviator and helicopter test pilot has posted three pictures to his Twitter feed since Friday - one of the view towards Earth, one of him giving a thumbs-up to all his supporters and another of him giving blood for experiments being conducted in space. On Friday, during a live link-up from the space platform, he said his first few days in space had been "absolutely spectacular". Answering questions from reporters gathered at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, he said the first two hours had been "pretty rough" and he had been feeling "disorientated and dizzy". But he was able to show them a backwards somersault and said he was surprised how quickly his body had adapted to weightlessness.

Question: UK astronaut Tim Peake is to be involved in @placeholder two astronauts carry out a space walk outside the International Space Station ( ISS ) next week .


Media playback is not supported on this device The two come head to head in the Euro 2016 semi-final, with Bale's Wales facing the biggest game in their history, and Ronaldo, at the age of 31, running out of time to win an international trophy with Portugal. How do the two compare - and who has been more effective at Euro 2016? Bale, 26, has had more joy during the tournament than his Real colleague - so far at least. He has scored three goals to Ronaldo's two and they came in three different group games, whereas Ronaldo's two came in a 3-3 draw with Hungary. Bale has scored two of his five free-kicks, with Ronaldo, 31, failing to score from 10, meaning he has zero goals from 41 free-kick attempts at major tournaments. Ronaldo has had more shots than anyone else in the tournament (36), with Bale joint second - all the way down on 21 and level with Belgium's Kevin de Bruyne. Poland's Arkadiusz Milik and Ronaldo's team-mate Nani are joint fourth on 19. Ronaldo has attempted more passes, with a much better passing accuracy than Bale - but the Welshman has had much more success with his dribbles. If one of these players does prove to be the hero, when is the damage likely to be done? Bale tends to do his scoring at international level earlier on, while Ronaldo leaves it late. Some 60% of Bale's goals for Wales come in the first half, compared to 38% for Ronaldo. Bale has scored three of his 22 goals in the opening 15 minutes, compared to two of Ronaldo's 60. Ronaldo has scored four goals in the last minute, something Bale has never achieved for his country. Yet. There is no doubt whose trophy cabinet is bigger. Neither player nor their team has won an international tournament but Ronaldo has won everything at club level. The Portuguese has won 12 major trophies for Manchester United and Real, to Bale's three. And that's not to mention Ronaldo's three Ballon d'Or awards for the world's top player and four Golden Boots in England and Spain. Bale has none. They are level, however, on PFA player of the year awards - two each. The two have played against each other five times in total at club level, with Ronaldo being on the winning side every time. Is this the perfect time for Bale to seek revenge against his Real Madrid team-mate? Create leagues and play against your friends in BBC Sport's new Euro 2016 Predictor game

Question: Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo may be prolific team - mates for Real Madrid but on Wednesday they will become @placeholder for 90 minutes - or maybe more .


Only Bournemouth, Swansea and Arsenal have been found to be 100% compliant with Uefa recommendations for wheelchair spaces at their grounds. Tottenham are bottom of the list with 28%, behind Watford (35%) and Aston Villa (41%). The survey was carried out by charity Revitalise before the start of the new Premier League season. It follows a BBC Sport investigation in March 2014 which highlighted the issue. In June, top-flight clubs were threatened with legal action after the Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) said it had received a number of complaints about clubs, including Manchester United removing walking aids from away fans. Other examples received by the ECHR include disabled fans being prevented from obtaining season tickets, and problems such as families with young disabled children being unable to sit together at matches. Guidelines on how football clubs in the UK should cater for disabled spectators have been in place since 2004, while European football governing body Uefa's recommendations were published in 2003. The number of wheelchair spaces a stadium should provide is based on its capacity. Last month in the House of Lords during the second reading of the Accessible Sports Grounds Bill, Lord Holmes of Richmond, Britain's most successful Paralympic swimmer, called on Premier League sponsors and broadcasters to pull out of football unless progress was made in providing facilities for disabled fans. If enacted into law, the bill would give local authorities the power to refuse to issue a safety certificate to a sports ground which does not comply with accessible stadia guidelines.

Question: A new survey has suggested that many Premier League clubs are @placeholder to fail disabled fans .


The sum comprises Premier League prize money, Champions League participation cash, and increased match day revenues from ticket and hospitality sales. The Foxes will also enjoy a higher valuation of sponsorship assets, and a growth in fan bases globally, it said. Leicester clinched a fairytale first championship on Monday evening. Chelsea's 2-2 draw with second-placed Tottenham Hotspur meant the north London club could not catch Leicester. The East Midlands club will now feature in the Uefa Champions League next season, taking them to an even larger European and world TV audience. Spencer Nolan, head of consulting at Repucom UK and Ireland, said adding fans worldwide remained "central to realising the club's full potential as a commercial entity". "While it is too early to really evaluate the rapidly growing fan bases we are starting to see across Asia for example, social media provides us an opportunity to start to quantify this surge." This season, the club's Facebook page following has grown by a huge 540%, making it one of the fastest growing accounts of any sports team globally. Algeria's 500,000 followers represent Leicester City's largest fan base on the social network (16.7%), thanks to the performances of PFA Player of the Season, team winger Riyad Mahrez. There have also been large increases in Thailand and Italy, the homelands of the club's owners and manager respectively. Mr Nolan said the summer would be an important time for the East Midlands club to build its commercial presence. "Leicester City FC's real commercial potential will become clearer in the season break as brands vie to associate themselves to the club and, in turn, the league winners aim to maximise the returns their status could command," he said. He also said that in the 2015-16 season, Leicester's TV audiences had soared by more than 23% globally - "which will help... to increase the value of their sponsorship properties next term". "The task now is to optimise the value of those assets and ensure they attract the incomes Leicester City could now generate."

Question: Leicester City are set for a potential ¡ê 150 m boost for winning the Premier League title , analysts at sports @placeholder and marketing firm Repucom have said .


15 December 2014 Last updated at 16:16 GMT When Ruuxa was born, his mum couldn't take care of him properly and he was hand-reared by zoo keepers at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The zoo keepers there paired Ruuxa with Raina, a Rhodesian ridgeback, when she was around four weeks old, to be his life-long friend. The video shows Ruuxa and Raina running around together, after Ruuxa recently had to have an operations on his legs. Raina went with him to the hospital and sat with him after the operation, whilst he recovered. Ruuxa has made a complete recovery and is happy to be running around again with his puppy pal.

Question: A cheetah cub called Ruuxa and puppy named Raina have been @placeholder together as friends at a zoo in America .


The Arsenal star is with the Scotland squad in Larnaca for the Cyprus Cup. Only seven of the 22 in Anna Signeul's current squad play in Scotland. "Of course you want to develop the game in Scotland but for the national game it's great we have players who have ambition and who want to go elsewhere to become full-time professionals." Glasgow City have dominated the domestic game in Scotland but a lack of investment means only a handful of players can dedicate their careers to the game full-time. Clubs like Celtic, Rangers and Hibs are affiliated to the men's set-up but receive no direct funding. The contrast is stark in England and other countries such as Germany and France where they have fully funded professional leagues. It is hardly surprising, then, that those nations and others like them dominate the international scene. Little, who has just returned to the UK to play with Arsenal after a successful spell with Seattle Reign, left Scotland when she was only 16. So do other young Scots need to do the same to get similar opportunities now? "I think so - getting that opportunity has obviously helped me tremendously," said the 26-year-old. "Because the league in Scotland is not professional, you can't expect players to train at the level needed to compete with the elite." The Scottish Football Association recently announced that the home-based players in the Scotland squad will be funded full-time in a bid to prepare properly for their first major finals, but Little thinks the exposure and attention the competition will generate could help create a full-time league. "What else is going to do it?" she said. "More exposure creates opportunity and things can move forward. The Euros can definitely provide a platform." Goalkeepers: Shannon Lynn (Vittsjo), Lee Alexander (Glasgow City). Defenders: Jennifer Beattie (Manchester City), Frankie Brown (Bristol City), Rachel Corsie (Seattle Reign), Ifeoma Dieke (Vittsjo), Emma Mitchell (Arsenal), Joelle Murray (Hibernian). Midfielders: Leanne Crichton (Notts County), Erin Cuthbert (Chelsea), Lisa Evans (Bayern Munich), Hayley Lauder (Glasgow City), Kim Little (Arsenal), Joanne Love (Glasgow City), Christie Murray (Doncaster Rovers Belles), Leanne Ross (Glasgow City), Caroline Weir (Liverpool). Forwards: Lizzie Arnot (Hibernian), Fiona Brown (Eskilstuna United), Lana Clelland (Tavagnacco), Jane Ross (Manchester City).

Question: Scotland midfielder Kim Little hopes this summer 's European Championship in the Netherlands can be the @placeholder for a domestic professional women 's game .