That isn't an assertion about today's politics. It was the verdict of the US Central Intelligence Agency on Labour back in 1985, in a memo for the agency's director on the early phase of Neil Kinnock's leadership. This memo is one of millions of the CIA's historical records which have just been made available online. Previously researchers had to actually visit the US National Archives in Maryland in order to access this database of declassified documents. The records reveal the deep level of concern inside the CIA about the strength of the Left within Labour in the early 1980s, a political force which the agency regarded as anti-American. A report written in the run-up to the 1983 general election states that "a Labor majority government would represent the greatest threat to US interests". The agency was particularly worried by Labour's then policy of opposition to nuclear weapons, which included cancelling plans for the Trident submarine programme. This report was especially scathing about leading figures on the traditionally pro-nuclear Labour right who had compromised with this stance. It said that "most disheartening from the viewpoint of US interests" was the position of the party's deputy leader, Denis Healey. It reported that he still had ambitions to lead the party and as a result "he apparently has decided to appease the left by attacking US arms control policy, denouncing Trident, and denying he ever supported the NATO INF [Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces] program". The report added that the growing power of the Left meant that "even moderates like Healey have been forced to ape anti-American rhetoric". Entitled "The British Labor Party: Caught between Ideology and Reality", the document is a detailed account of the balance of power between left and right in the party and trade unions, as seen by the CIA. It also records that leading Labour politicians had told US officials they did not take all of the party's policy programme seriously. The CIA was also concerned by what it saw as Europe's large centre-left and socialist parties (including Labour) being too sympathetic to the Soviet Union. One 1982 report concluded "We have long contended that Moscow's most effective allies in Western Europe are not the Communist Parties, but self-styled Social Democrats who have betrayed the original tenets of social democracy." Another newly accessible document is a record of a 1981 meeting between delegations led by the US Defence Secretary Caspar Weinberger and Margaret Thatcher, who was on a prime ministerial visit to Washington. The meeting discussed the controversial American plans for an Enhanced Radiation Weapon (ERW), more commonly known as the "neutron bomb", a weapon which was said to be able to kill very large numbers of people while leaving buildings standing. Also present at the meeting was Mrs Thatcher's Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, who told the Americans that "it is considered unsporting in Europe for a weapon to kill people only". The database contains just two references to the current Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn. One noted his support in 1986 for an El Salvadoran trade union federation, Fenastras, which was linked to Marxist guerrillas during the country's civil war, while the Americans backed the military government. This is just a small immediate selection from millions of pages covering a wide range of American and international issues which reveal the CIA's analyses and preoccupations in the past. Records relating to more recent events have not yet been declassified. The CIA's decision to make all these documents searchable and accessible followed a legal case brought by MuckRock, a US organisation that promotes access to public records.

Question: The Labour Party is " in the @placeholder of urban leftists given to ideological extremes with only fringe appeal " .


Michael Abiona, 34, was greeted with posters reading "Local Houses 4 Local People" at Glenluce Drive, east Belfast, on Tuesday. Mr Abiona who has been living in Northern Ireland since 2010 said four women and a man were outside the house. They asked how he had managed to get the house and whether he was disabled. Now, he said, he will not move into the Housing Executive property at Garnerville because the mother of his son is frightened and will not allow their child to visit the house. Mr Abiona said he had reported what happened to the police. Mr Abiona is active in race relations in Northern Ireland and  serves in key roles in the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities and  the Nigerian Association. Anti-racist rallies have been held across Northern Ireland in recent weeks following a spate of racist attacks. It also follows a public apology by First Minister Peter Robinson after he said he would not trust Muslims involved in violence or devotees of Sharia law, but would trust Muslims "to go to the shops" for him. He claimed he was misinterpreted, and apologised to Islamic leaders in Belfast. He had been speaking in support of Belfast pastor James McConnell who described Islam as "heathen" and "satanic". He also apologised for his comments.

Question: A man from Nigeria has said he is afraid to move into his new Belfast home after he @placeholder to find five people with banners on the doorstep .


House prices here have jumped by almost 60% in the last five years, while apartments have risen by 44%, according to figures from corelogic.com.au. There are many reasons why, among them record low interest rates, generous tax breaks for investors and foreign buyers. With a young family to support, Claude Robinson, 46, whose wage is above the national average, says house prices are "out of control, astronomical". As each month passes, he sees his chances of buying a home in Sydney receding as prices continue to spiral. "It is a difficult market to get into for someone like me," he tells the BBC at his rented flat in the suburb of Campsie. "I earn a decent wage of about A$85,000 (US$65,000; ¡ê50,000) a year but to try and support my family, pay my rent and get a 10% deposit is just an impossibility. "The old Australian dream of owning a home is not a reality any more." Now a coalition of charities in New South Wales wants to team up with first-time buyers who otherwise would be locked out of the market. The aim of a shared ownership scheme is to help people earning between A$70,000-100,000 a year, including teachers and police officers, who don't qualify for council or social housing but can't afford to buy on their own. "It is really fulfilling what I think is a dream for most of us, which is to own a home," says Wendy Hayhurst, the chief executive of the New South Wales Federation of Housing Associations. She says the initiative would be a practical way to address an affordability crisis. "You will take out a mortgage for your share and the community housing provider will pay the rest of a mortgage on that property, and at some point if your income goes up you can buy another slice of that property. "So as your life changes as you become richer, you can eventually own the whole house - it is a leg-up." Similar schemes run in Britain, along with others in Western and South Australia. One idea would be for charities in New South Wales to build or buy a block of flats, where the rent from tenants would subsidise those in the shared ownership partnership programme. Claude Robinson sees it as his only realistic chance of reaching the first rung on the property ladder in a red hot market. "I think over the last 10 years I've heard two or three times: 'Oh, it'll burst, it'll burst, but it hasn't; it just keeps going up. It is a liveable city, it is a beautiful city but it comes at a huge cost financially." On the other side of Sydney's glittering harbour in upmarket Seaforth, a crowd of potential buyers and sticky-beak, or inquisitive, neighbours is gathering for that great Australian tradition - the onsite auction. It's backyard theatre where property ambitions are realised, or dashed. Up for sale is a rundown four-bedroom cottage that is in need of a renovator's careful touch. Set beside parkland on more than 600 sq m, the property first sold for A$23,000 in the early 1970s. How times have changed. Cajoled by the sleek patter of the auctioneer, the assembled bidders slowly begin to show their hands. A young migrant couple from Russia, Vita and Nikolai, make the first bid of A$1.3m. They would offer no more and end up disappointed. "It is hard, especially for young families to buy a house nowadays," says Vita. "It is quite demoralising at the moment." The hammer eventually came down with the price in excess of A$1.7m. "It is a huge boom. Interest rate cuts have a lot to do with it but Sydney is a very desirable place to live. It is becoming more and more expensive," explains real estate agent Trent Brewer. I ask him if he sympathises with first-home buyers in a city like Sydney? "My heart goes out to them, it really does," he says. "The median house price in Seaforth is A$2.1m. For a first-home buyer to get into somewhere like Seaforth it is virtually impossible without the assistance of family members." Not everyone, though, is daunted by trying to scale this real estate Everest, and one prospective buyer at the Seaforth auction told me that prices were not insurmountable. "I think the media is really hyping it up a lot at the moment, so I don't think it is too much of a problem. As long as you've got good jobs (and) reasonable incomes you should be able to cover mortgages. "It's more just a matter of getting in and actually finding the right place before other people do." In Sydney, the median house price over the three months ending in July was A$880,000, and A$670,000 for apartments. Few expect those figures to fall anytime soon, although a building frenzy could leave Australia's most populous city with a glut of flats that could put downward pressure on prices. But for many Australians the property dream is slipping away. Research from the University of Melbourne predicts that fewer than half of Australian adults will own a home by next year, down from the often-quoted figure of around two-thirds.

Question: Perhaps buying a house in Sydney , Australia 's most expensive city , should be an Olympic event . It takes stamina , meticulous planning and very deep @placeholder .


Yet, as he selects his cabinet, observers are already pointing out that he is putting together the richest administration in US history. So far, his choices include a billionaire investor, a woman who married into a retail dynasty and a multi-millionaire banker. Democrats have been quick to the attack. "Donald Trump's administration: of, by and for the millionaires and billionaires," tweeted Bernie Sanders, a Vermont senator who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr Trump, of course, brings immense wealth to his new role. The property tycoon's worth is estimated at $3.7bn (¡ê3bn) by Forbes magazine, with more than 500 businesses in his empire. But he might not be the richest member of his team. His nominee for education secretary, Betsy Devos, is the daughter-in-law of Richard DeVos, who founded the Amway retail giant. Forbes puts their family wealth at $5.1bn. Next up is Wilbur Ross, the president-elect's pick for commerce secretary. Forbes puts the wealth of Mr Ross, who headed Rothschild Inc's bankruptcy practice before starting an investment firm, at $2.5bn. Mr Ross's deputy will be Todd Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team and the son of Joe Ricketts, a businessman who has an estimated wealth of $1.75bn. In any other company, Mr Trump's choice for treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, might have been expected to be the richest person in the room. After 17 years at Goldman Sachs, he founded a hedge fund and later bought a bank that became known for seizing the homes of borrowers who fell behind on mortgage payments. Reports put his wealth at over $40m. Elaine Chao, who will take on the transport secretary role and is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, is the daughter of a shipping magnate. Ben Carson, frontrunner for the housing portfolio, and Tom Price, who will head health and human services, are also reported to be multi-millionaires. Mr Trump's moneyed line-up has not gone unnoticed. Last month, the Politico news website speculated that the combined wealth of the cabinet could top $35bn - though this depended on the inclusion of oil mogul Harold Hamm as energy secretary and includes a claim by Mr Trump that his wealth exceeds $10bn. Quartz subsequently pointed out that the $35bn figure exceeded the annual Gross Domestic Product of Bolivia. The Democrats also have some high earners. The Obama cabinet contains one person who could challenge Team Trump in the wealth stakes - Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune. Forbes puts her wealth at $2.4bn. Current Secretary of State John Kerry is reported to be worth about $200m and several other Obama cabinet members are estimated to be in the $1m-$10m range. However, it was Mr Trump's insistence that he would "drain the swamp" in Washington and represent working-class Americans that won him support in blue-collar areas around the country. Will choosing such a wealthy cabinet alienate his voters? A spokesman for Mr Trump said that his appointments were not inconsistent with his campaign pledges. "You want some people that are insiders and understand the system and some outsiders that are creative thinkers, out-of-the-box thinkers and disruptors," Anthony Scaramucci, of Trump's transition committee, told Reuters news agency. The Democrats disagree - particularly in the case of Steven Mnuchin, who Democrat Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren called "just another Wall Street insider". "That is not the type of change that Donald Trump promised to bring to Washington - that is hypocrisy at its worst," they said in a joint statement. "This pick makes clear that Donald Trump wants to cater to the same Wall Street executives that have hurt working families time and again."

Question: US President - elect Donald Trump took a populist tone on the campaign trail , pledging to stand for a beleaguered working class @placeholder by the elite .


Brighton and Hove City Council has set up a cross-party panel to look into the issue of the "party houses". There are about 300 in the city, with concerns about the problems they cause most evident in the Queen's Park area. Chair of the panel Geoffrey Bowden said: "We don't want to be killjoys... but there are responsibilities." The councillor said the properties were houses "which sit cheek by jowl with families which live there all the time". "There are some really superb operators, and they do certainly take care "We need to bottom-out whether these are businesses or not, because if they are businesses then they should be paying business rates, and they should be paying for commercial waste to be taken away," Mr Bowden said. The panel plans to gather evidence from as many people as possible, including the owners of "party houses", before reporting back to the full council. Mr Bowden said:  "People having a decadent weekend is one thing, but if you live next door and have to get up for work in the morning you might take a more hardline approach."

Question: Houses let out to @placeholder for stag and hen weekends are to be the subject of a council investigation amid complaints about noise and anti-social behaviour .


The victim, 55, had taken a man, who introduced himself as Lewi, for a test drive after posting an advert for his Audi RS4 on the online forum. The pair met on Mallow Road in Hedge End at around 18:.30 GMT on Sunday 11 January. When they got out of the car, the suspect pushed the victim to the ground, took the keys and drove off. The suspect is described as aged between 28 and 30-years-old. He was Asian in appearance, 5ft 7ins tall, with short black hair. He had pock marks on the left-hand side of his face and was wearing blue jeans and a dark, lightweight, waterproof jacket. The victim suffered minor injuries. Det Con Maryann Attard-Charrett said the car registration number was YK51 BBF. "Have you spotted it or been offered it for sale, possibly at below its market value price?" she said.

Question: A man who advertised a car on Gumtree was @placeholder by the prospective buyer , who then drove off in the vehicle .


Bana Alabed disappeared from the social network on Sunday as a government offensive was launched on rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo. However, a new tweet from her mother on Monday suggested there was still grave danger and that there was "nowhere to go". The account, which details life in the war, has more than 160,000 followers. Many have expressed concern about her safety. A BBC source says both she and her mother, Fatemah, who often tweets on her behalf, are in an undisclosed location. However, a new tweet from Fatemah on Monday read: "Under attack. Nowhere to go, every minute feels like death. Pray for us. Goodbye - Fatemah #Aleppo". Author JK Rowling was among those who used Twitter to call for information about Bana's whereabouts on Sunday. Ms Rowling sent Bana an entire set of Harry Potter eBooks after the young girl posted that she liked to read "to forget the war". In a conversation with the BBC in October, Fatemah said her daughter wanted "the world to hear our voice". The family, which includes Bana's two younger brothers, were believed to live in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, which has come under heavy bombardment from the army in recent weeks.

Question: A seven - year - old girl whose tweets from a @placeholder Syrian city drew worldwide attention is safe , the BBC has learned .


The survey, carried out ahead of the Holyrood election, suggested support for raising the very top rate of tax. But there was also apparent backing for keeping Scottish tax rates in line with England. The Ipsos MORI survey interviewed 1,002 people between 18 and 29 March. Respondents were asked to rank a range of policy ideas. A score of one meant the policy was poor and should not be implemented. A score of 10 meant: great idea, do it tomorrow. Respondents could choose any number between one and 10, generating an average score for the policy. Here, in the first of two pieces, we look at the issues of..... These are topics which have been to the fore in the election campaign so far. Responses tend to cluster in the middle - with few ideas attracting dominant support and few being dismissed entirely. There is, however, apparent support for the Labour idea that the top rate of income tax for those earning more than ¡ê150,000 a year should be increased from 45p to 50p. That attracts a net score of 7.3. That ranking is perhaps no surprise. There are very few people in Scotland earning that level of salary. It is perhaps a human characteristic to support the notion that somebody else should pay more tax. 332,000 Approximate total for the UK 17,000 Approximate total for Scotland Further, the idea of increasing the top rate, advanced by Labour's Kezia Dugdale, has also been backed in principle by Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP leader. Ms Sturgeon has resisted the plan in practice on the grounds that well-heeled residents might alter their tax plans to avoid the extra levy - either by changing their base or by shifting from income to dividends which will continue to be taxed at the lower Westminster level. Labour has stressed that HMRC has plans in place to counter such avoidance. Ms Sturgeon cites advice from her officials to the effect that Scotland could lose net revenue if only 7% of top earners contrived to change their circumstances. The SNP leader says she would be willing to contemplate such a tax increase in future if she could be convinced that Scotland would not lose out. It seems likely that Labour will continue to pursue her over this topic. Further, on tax, our survey suggests a net score of 6.5 for the idea that the rate of income tax for people in Scotland should be kept at the same level as for people in England. That is the Conservative approach - although one might also note that, with modifications, the SNP also currently intend to leave rates alone. The key difference is that the SNP also favour cancelling an effective tax cut for higher earners announced by the Chancellor. 372,000 Approximate total number 10% Working population ¡ê190m Value of 40p tax cut plan 14,000 Workers removed if cut adopted in Scotland It is perhaps worth noting that support for the status quo on tax rates slightly outpolls backing for the Labour and Liberal Democrat idea that all rates of income tax should be increased by 1p in the pound, with the money primarily diverted to education. But the difference is marginal and, again, the rankings are mostly grouped in the middle. It seems there is, as yet, no clear verdict among the Scottish people on tax. That is perhaps understandable. These are new powers - and hence new politics. Plus there is a very fundamental choice to be made, particularly with regard to the standard rate. The Conservatives argue that it is wrong, from first principles, for people in Scotland to pay more than in England. Labour and the Liberal Democrats argue that it is right to ask people to pay more tax in order to protect public services, with the emphasis upon education. The SNP say that increasing the standard rate is wrong in that it amounts to asking the low-paid to shoulder the burden of "Tory cuts". Then there is a further debate about the impact upon the lowest-paid. Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats say they would protect those earning less than ¡ê20,000 from paying more in tax than they do at present. That is, primarily, because the overall starting rate for income tax is due to increase under Treasury plans. (LibDems claim the credit for this tendency, dating back to their period in coalition. Lib Dems also suggest they might introduce a zero rate to entrench further the support for the low paid.) Rivals have criticised Labour in particular, noting that they formerly talked of a rebate administered via councils to help the low-paid. Labour say this was only for the first year, before fully enhanced powers took effect, and has been overtaken. The SNP say an increase in the standard rate is still wrong. They say, at the very minimum, it cancels out for Scotland any benefit for the low-paid from the UK increase in the starting rate for tax. They say they can raise cash for services - a cumulative ¡ê2bn over a parliamentary lifetime - from cancelling the effective tax cut for higher earners set out by the Chancellor, together with their council tax proposals. With regard to higher rate tax, the SNP have now set out details involving a CPI inflation rate increase in the threshold for the 40p rate - which would thus be lower than under the Chancellor's plans, meaning that people in Scotland on that upper rate would pay more than in England. The details of that SNP package only emerged after we had formulated our questions for the survey. However, we did ask in very general terms about the idea of pegging the threshold for the higher rate of tax at the current level, even if people in the rest of the UK only started paying the 40p rate on higher incomes. That attracted a net score of 5.3, close to the midway point on our scale. Ms Sturgeon argues that the detailed SNP package is gaining support as it becomes evident that it obliges higher rate taxpayers to stump up more than in England while protecting low and middle earners. Her rivals dissent, on various grounds. It seems certain that the political parties - all the political parties - will have to continue to evangelise their tax plans in detail in order to build support. Turning now to council tax, there was a mean score of 6.2 for the idea that those living in more expensive homes should contribute more. That outpolled the notion of increasing all rates of council tax by up to 3%, with the money devoted to schools. That policy ranked 5.1 Again, though, these are figures broadly in the middle. Once more, the parties will require to explain their distinctive approaches. Tax is rarely popular with individuals - unless others are paying. Finally, welfare. There was 7.3 support for the idea that the level of free childcare should be broadly doubled for three and four year olds. That is an SNP policy although other parties also have offers on childcare. The idea of increasing the cash support for those who care for people with disabilities was ranked 6.4. Eight questions on tax, council tax and welfare (plus mean score) All figures are mean scores based on answers provided between one and 10. One means the policy should never be put in place, and 10 means that it is very important and should be put in place quickly.

Question: Scotland remains divided in @placeholder to taxation , according to a new poll for BBC Scotland .


If Monday's bombing was an attempt to interrupt the lifestyles of proud Mancunians then it has failed, say figures from the city's vibrant entertainment scene. Manchester's two time-honoured traditions of gigs and sporting events are continuing, with a renewed sense of defiance. The Great Manchester Run - Europe's largest 10km event - will go ahead on Sunday. Football rivalries have been put to one side, with fans coming together to wish Manchester United well after the Red Devils' Europa League triumph. Indie rock band The Charlatans have planned a day of musical entertainment in the city's Oldham Street on Friday, just a five-minute walk away from the scene of the blast. And Rugby League club Salford Red Devils are offering fans free entry to their game at AJ Bell Stadium on Friday. Several other gigs have gone ahead in the meantime. One Tuesday, the day after the attack, a Simple Minds concert went ahead in the city after the band said cancelling their show would have felt "cowardly". The same night, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr made a surprise appearance with Broken Social Scene at the Albert Hall. Dave Haslam, a writer and former DJ at the Hacienda, said music could be part of a "great healing process". "As a DJ for 35 years I've seen dance floors in front of me packed with people from all ages, backgrounds, ethnic groups and sexualities, united under the glitter ball" he said. "That is really what life in Manchester is like. That is who we are." Mr Haslam, who has arranged a fundraising event for victims of the attack, said Manchester people "measure out their lives in musical events". "That's true whether it's young kids going to Manchester Arena or students coming to the city to go to obscure Northern Quarter venues, or older people, who still go to gigs," he said. "Music is seen as something that brings us together." The point was underlined in the city on Thursday, when crowds broke out into a rendition of Oasis's hit Don't Look Back in Anger after observing a minute's silence. Manchester music historian Paul Wild said there was a grim irony in the fact that Monday's attack targeted a concert. "It's an unpleasant thought to think that this will be in the city's history for ever more," he said. "This city is so strong in its musical heritage. It's been very touching to see the response." Mr Wild drew attention to similar scenes of unity after the Paris attacks of November 2015. Co-ordinated attacks on a concert at the Bataclan theatre, restaurants, cafes and the Stade de France football stadium left 130 people dead. Heavy metal band Eagles of Death Metal later returned to the Bataclan for a performance in memory of the victims. Mr Wild said: "I can imagine that we might see something like that in Manchester. "I think we could see a huge musical event planned in the months ahead. Perhaps an event back at the Arena." In sport, Manchester United dedicated the team's cup final win over Dutch side Ajax to the victims of the bombing. The club and Manchester City later announced they had jointly pledged ?¡ê1m to an emergency fund set up to support survivors and their families. Wednesday night's match in Stockholm was described as "a release" by United fan and football writer Andy Mitten. Mr Mitten, who edits the fanzine United We Stand, said: "Stories were starting to seep through at the match about friends of friends affected by the attack. Lots of people know people who died or had been seriously injured. "It almost allowed people to forget about it for a while and relegate it from their minds for a few hours. "But as Jose Mourinho said, you would swap everything for just one life." David Hart, one of the organisers behind the Great Manchester Run, said there had been an "overwhelming desire" for the event to go ahead. "The final decision rested with Greater Manchester Police and the council, but now it's our job to deliver," he said. "The clamour for the run to happen was just absolutely phenomenal. I've never seen anything like it." Mr Hart said there would be three separate minutes of silence held at the various start points for the run. Psychologist Dr Tom Fawcett said it was human nature or, as he phrases it, "human spirit" for people to unite after traumatic events. The specialist in mental resilience said: "You see it throughout history. During the Second World War, after the London bombings and the attacks on the Twin Towers. "In New York particularly, it was incredible how that city was transformed. "Individually, it's very difficult for people to deal with trauma. We don't have the coping skills. But collective strength is stronger. You see it in football, with siege mentality. "This time it's a whole city that's been ripped apart, and a whole country that's been emotionally scarred. "Ultimately this atrocity will make Manchester a stronger city. But it's a terrible price to pay."

Question: The Manchester attack may have tested the city 's @placeholder , but people are finding light in the darkness through it s twin loves of music and sport .


And it struck a chord - after decades of power shortages, Lebanon was to be plugged in again. But the slogan didn't live up to its promises and instead of more lights on, Lebanon has recently plunged even deeper into darkness. And that's just one of the many problems plaguing the country and shutting the system down, making "LebanOFF" more than just an amusing slogan. The most recent service disruption has to do with rubbish collection. The main landfill site that used to take rubbish from the capital has closed after exceeding its capacity, and no alternative was sought or found to avoid the disaster. It prompted a civil society group to adopt the motto "You Stink", addressed to politicians. But none of these problem is new or surprising. They are the manifestation of a system in crisis. Since the end of the 15-year civil war in 1990, little attention has been given to investment in infrastructure. The country was in ruins and so were basic services. Other than in central Beirut, which was handed over to a private estate company, very few projects were implemented to improve the quality of services nationwide. While consecutive governments didn't appear to care about long-term planning and projects, people relied on private and unofficial service providers. A parallel system emerged and the state never stepped in to live up to its responsibilities and address basic problems in a sustainable way. And it isn't only about incompetence on the level of the day-to-day running of the country. The chronic problems have deeper roots. A few basic facts are enough to show the level of dysfunction within the country. Lebanon has been without a president for more than 450 days. The 27th parliamentary session to elect a president in August was as ill-fated as the previous 26. Lebanon is caught in deep political divisions mirroring the regional fault lines. The MPs who are deeply allied to one player or another in the region, have been unable to decide on a president, a mainly ceremonial role, reserved for a Christian in a sectarian power-sharing system. As the presidential elections stall, so does the parliament's work. The MPs have extended their own terms twice, dismissing calls for elections and legitimate representation. They have been unable to agree on whether to continue legislating before voting for a president. The result is paralysis in parliament for over a year. What remains is a lame government. Session after session, the cabinet meets to discuss whether its decisions should be adopted by consensus or simple majority in the absence of a president who has the right to preside over the cabinet sessions. The circle of institutional paralysis is thus complete. "This constitutional situation is practically the worst since the independence of Lebanon," says Mario Abou Zeid, a scholar from the Carnegie Center. The paralysis has cost Lebanon, a heavily indebted country, a lot, including international aid and grants worth $1bn (?¡ê635m). Recently the crisis has been spreading to other key positions in the country. The mandate of the current commander-in-chief, another Christian position, was due to expire in September. After months of government squabbling over the appointment of a new commander, divisions couldn't be bridged. The minister of defence decided unilaterally to extend the term of the current commander. In practice, it's a delay of the crisis, a one-year break before the same problem re-emerges. As a senior journalist put it: "The extension is a sign of general failure. No-one won. It's the government that lost the most." What he meant was that to resort to extending terms rather than appointing new leaders is one of the signs of the inability of the political class to overcome its differences and go on with managing state affairs even at a bare minimum. Nevertheless, the extension infuriated a main political group, the Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), who called for protests against the minister's decision. The response of a minister from a rival party was dismissive. "Neither our rivals nor ourselves are able at the moment to mobilise our bases. People are just fed up with all of us. They worry about the garbage on the streets, their salaries and other daily issues. They also know deep down that the main decisions are made outside the cabinet and even outside the country." Resignation or evasion of responsibility? Whatever the case, many people seem to have developed a sort of apathy towards the rampant corruption and the incompetence of the political elite. Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, the outside world looked at neighbouring Lebanon as a country at risk of catching fire from the war next door. Despite being hit hard by several security breaches thought to be linked to the situation in Syria, and a direct confrontation with Syrian opposition groups in a border town last August, Lebanon remains relatively stable. It's the political situation inside the country that seems at the moment to be the most alarming.

Question: " Leban OFF , LebanON " was a catchy and successful @placeholder campaign launched by the Ministry of Energy in 2010 to hail a new age for electricity provision in the country .


The dump, which is thought to cover at least half an acre and is several feet thick, is on private land near Owthorpe Road, Cotgrave. Fire crews have been called to the site several times, most recently at the weekend. Nottinghamshire County Council said an Enforcement Notice to clear the site by 1 September had been served. According to people living nearby, much of the waste had been stored in large plastic bundles but these had been opened when fires started. Jonathan Smith, from the council, confirmed they had served the notice in April. He said: "This activity has been done without planning permission and without the prior knowledge of the county council. "An enforcement notice requiring the removal of all waste from the site and restoration to its former condition has been served on the landowners and other parties who we believe have an interest in the site." If this is not obeyed the council can clear the land and recover costs and the landowner could face court action. Tessa Bunby posted on a Cotgrave Facebook page: "I'm sure there is a process to these things but the [local authority] being aware since April is mind-boggling". Resident Drew Willie said: "You only have to look at it, it is disgusting and it is going to cost a fortune to clean it up. "There is probably a lot of hazardous waste, the kids are going to come up here and set fire to it again and the fire brigade will have to come and put it out. "And it is just a waste of resources, all from somebody being irresponsible and dumping stuff here they shouldn't."

Question: A @placeholder to clear a " disgusting " field of rubbish in Nottinghamshire is close to expiring .


MPs rejected a bid by Labour's Chris Leslie to force the government to consult Parliament on the deal struck with the EU before it is finalised. It came after ministers pledged that a "meaningful" vote would be offered. Labour and some Tories had pushed for MPs to have a decisive say on the final terms, but the 326 to 293 vote means the bill remains unchanged. MPs are still debating other elements of the draft legislation, which will authorise the prime minister to formally begin Brexit negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Theresa May has already promised Parliament will get a say on the final deal, but critics, including some Conservatives, said they wanted more than the "take it or leave it" vote being offered. Any possibility of a Conservative rebellion appeared to be halted by comments from Brexit Minister David Jones. Mr Jones said MPs would get a say on the final draft Brexit agreement before it was voted upon by the European Parliament. "This will be a meaningful vote," he told MPs. "It will be the choice of leaving the EU with a negotiated deal or not." However, some MPs questioned whether any concessions had in fact been offered. Asked what would happen if Parliament rejected the Brexit deal or if there was no agreement with the EU to vote upon, Mr Jones said that in each scenario the UK would still leave the EU but "fall back on other arrangements". This would effectively see the UK default to World Trade Organization trade rules, involving potential tariffs on exports and imports. Opponents of Brexit have said this would cause real damage to British business, but supporters say the UK can live with the consequences if necessary as the UK would then be free to negotiate its own trade arrangements. Mr Jones said the government wanted to avoid a situation in which ministers were  sent back to the negotiating table to hammer out a better deal. This, he said, would be hard given the two-year limit for talks and would also be "the surest way of undermining our negotiating position and delivering a worse deal". Former chancellor Ken Clarke - the only Tory to vote against kickstarting the Brexit process last week - said Parliament should have the opportunity to shape the final deal, while former SNP leader Alex Salmond said MPs should have a genuine choice without the "Sword of Damocles" hanging over them. Labour's Chuka Umunna said the choice facing MPs was "unacceptable", Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg described it as a "symbolic handout" while Green Party leader Caroline Lucas said MPs were being "duped". But Labour's font bench claimed the move as a "significant victory" in response to its repeated demands for a "meaningful" vote at the end of the two-year negotiation process. The party withdrew its proposed amendment before Mr Leslie's was defeated. MPs, who overwhelmingly backed the European Union Bill last Wednesday, are currently in the middle of three further days of more detailed debate, with the Commons looking at amendments proposed by MPs. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who backed the Remain side in last year's EU referendum, has ordered his MPs to support the government's bill, whether his party's amendments are accepted or not. If passed by Parliament - with the House of Lords due to scrutinise it after the Commons - the bill would allow Prime Minister Theresa May to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, getting divorce talks with the EU under way. Mr Corbyn argues that it would be undemocratic to ignore the will of the people, as expressed in last June's EU referendum. Shadow business secretary Clive Lewis has vowed to oppose the bill unless Labour amendments are passed in the Commons. Frontbench members of parties are generally expected to resign from their post if they ignore a three-line whip.

Question: The government has seen off an attempt to add @placeholder to its Brexit bill as a Conservative rebellion was avoided .


The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been on tour in Germany with a very specific purpose:  to reassure the country that Brexit doesn't mean the break-up of a beautiful relationship. Prince William, after speaking a few words in German, told guests at a British embassy garden party: "This relationship between UK and Germany really matters, it will continue despite Britain's recent decision to leave the European Union. I am confident we will remain the firmest of friends." But since the British election, German politicians are more troubled than ever about Brexit. The German council for foreign relation's director, Daniela Schwarzer, told me: "Policymakers in Berlin are surprised and worried at the degree of confusion in London, the lack of clarity as to the strategy the UK wants to follow. "There is a lot surprise about how the negotiations are being handled and the somewhat incoherent messages which come out of London." Of course, Germany is just one country in the European Union -  but it is first among equals, its chancellor by far the most senior politician, with a new and determined ally in President Macron, who's refreshed the Franco-German alliance. Even before Brexit became a reality, there's been an argument, almost an assumption, that German industry would put pressure on German politicians to argue for a good deal for the UK, access to the European market without having to abide by the rules. So far, Mrs Merkel has been adamant: no cherry picking. Will German industry push her to change her mind? I visited the Trumpf company in Stuttgart, a concern with a turnover of 3bn euros (?¡ê2.7bn) a year that makes sheet metal, laser cutters and machine tools. It employs 4,000 people in Germany and another 8,000 globally: in the USA, China, Japan, South Korea - and Luton, Southampton and Rugby. The company's Heidi Maier tells me orders from the UK are up, because people have got used to the idea of Brexit. "Despite political insecurities and decisions we don't like and we don't back, our business is doing very well," she says. We stand in front of the True Punch 5000. The machine is swift and certain, precise and elegant, all the qualities that make Germans so proud of their engineering prowess. The exact opposite of these qualities - slowness and uncertainty - is what worries German industry about Brexit. I ask Ms Maier what they want Mrs Merkel to push for. "What would help is decisions, and fast decisions," she says. "As soon as we know the new rules, we can go ahead. We are actually preparing for tariffs, which is the implication [of what the British government is saying], which would worsen our business. The goods we produce in Great Britain would become more expensive due to the tariffs, and we don't know how our customers would react to that." Most German businesses tend to lobby government through powerful trade associations. And one industry has more horsepower than any other. Germany's glittering car industry is an industrial giant with immense political clout and a 400bn euro turnover, employing 800,000 people. And the relationship with the UK is very important. One in seven cars exported from Germany goes to the UK, its single biggest market. Ever since Brexit was a speck on the horizon, enthusiasts for leaving have argued the mighty German auto industry wouldn't allow politicians to punish Britain, a point I put to Matthias Wissman, the president of the VDA, the German automotive industry association. "What we want is to keep the European Union of the 27 together," he says. "That is the first priority. Second priority is to have a trade area with the UK with no tariff barriers, no non-tariff barriers. That is possible if the UK understands what the preconditions are. "We want a good deal for Britain, but the best deal for Britain would be to stay in the customs union. Anything else would be worse for both sides, the best thing would be to stay in the internal market like Norway." He accused pro-Brexiteers of making "totally unrealistic" promises. "I see a lot which is astonishing for a friend of Great Britain. I miss the traditional British pragmatism. We would like to have it in the future, but I see more and more ideological points of view which make pragmatism very difficult and unfortunately in both parties, Conservative and Labour." When I put to him Liam Fox's view that a trade deal with the EU could be "one of the easiest in human history", he laughs and says it would take years and years but "time is running out". "You need a transition period. And if you want an easy solution, stay in the customs union and the internal market. "A transition period would also be very pragmatic. We hope that on the British side that gets deeper and deeper into the intellectual capabilities of those who decide." This is not just the view of one man, or one industry. There seems to be a consensus among the industrial powerbrokers. Klaus Deutsch of the federation of Germany industry, the BDI, makes it clear they did not want Brexit in the first place and would like the UK to stay in the single market and observe all the rules. But that's not the government's intention, so what follows? "We would favour a comprehensive agreement. But the most important thing is legal certainty in the period from A to B.  If you don't have a transition period of many years, then there will be a huge disruption to all sorts of businesses. "The concern of business is unless you get a clear cut and legally safe agreement, you can't sell pharmaceuticals, or cars or what have you, across the Channel, you have to stop business, divest, change business models." He makes it clear only the British government can decide what it wants, but what about the idea they'll push Mrs Merkel to soften her approach? "That's completely unlikely," Mr Deutsch says. "The importance of the European Union for German corporates is even higher than the importance of a bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. So, the priority of safeguardinga€| the unity of the European Union is much more important than one economic relationship. There are a lot of illusions, it won't happen." Speaking on BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend programme, Owen Paterson, the former cabinet minister, who recently visited Germany, told me he had felt a "sense of denial" in the country over Brexit. "It is hugely in everyone's interest that we maintain reciprocal free trade and as we have absolute conformity of standards, everyone should get their head round that," he told me. "Whereas [the Germans] are still thinking entirely in terms of remaining in the current institutions and that's clearly what we are not going to do. "We're not going to stay in the single market. We are not going to stay in the customs union. We're certainly not going to stay under the remit of the European Court of Justice. I found that that was something they had not really got their heads round." And my overriding impression of the view of the big beasts of Germany industry? Frustration that they don't know where the British government wants to head and a strong sense that any outcome will be worse than what exists. But also a total rejection of the idea that the economic relationship with the UK outweighs the German interest in European unity.

Question: It must be serious . They 've @placeholder the Royals .


For 19 years the Pococks have lived off the electricity grid, on a croft at Cougie in Glen Affric in the Highlands. They are fiercely proud of where they live and about being self sufficient. The family grows its own food - they have two dairy cows, pigs, sheep, geese, ducks and hens. Mum Sasha, 36, runs a pony trekking business while her 42-year-old husband, Iain, supplements the household income by gathering and selling scrap metal. The couple's four children - Sarah, Ryan, Ewan and Douglas - help with the running of the croft and pitch in looking after the livestock and the trekking business's 19 horses. The effort to heat and light the crofthouse, however, dominates family life. The croft is not connected to the National Grid and the family gets its electricity from a generator and a small wind turbine. But when diesel levels are low and the wind does not blow, the TV and domestic appliances are out of action and the children have to do their homework by candlelight and head torches. With a lack of power comes great responsibility. Iain carries out regular maintenance to the diesel generator and wind turbine, while the children spend a cold and wet Saturday gathering firewood. Tonnes of timber are needed to keep the house warm in winter. Iain's mother, Val, also lives on the croft. She and her family moved from Cardiff to Cougie in 1962 seeking an alternative to city life. Sixty percent of her pension goes on paying for fuel. The Pococks say they cannot get grants to install a larger turbine or solar panels because the funding requires surplus power to be exported to the Grid. Ironically, the croft is close to a massive multi-million pound electricity project. Energy giant SSE is upgrading the 137-mile (220km) Beauly to Denny transmission circuit. The 400,000-volt line will triple the capacity of the existing system, and eventually transmit vast amounts of energy from planned renewable power schemes in the Highlands to central Scotland. Six hundred new towers are being built - a reduction of 200 on the existing number. However, some towers are taller and reach heights of 65m (213ft). Opponents to the upgrade have complained that the new towers will spoil mountain landscapes. The project is expected to be completed in 2014 at an estimated cost of ¡ê600m. Sasha says the upgraded line is a blot on the landscape and, in return for having to live with it, her family should get some help getting mains electricity. "We live here in a croft at the end of the glen in the middle of nowhere, and we love it," she says. "We chose to live here. It's a great place to raise a family." But while she and her family thrive in the glen's wild, wide open spaces, Sasha is desperate for a reliable source of power. Seeing work being done to the Beauly-Denny line only fuels her quest for it. Tending to a ewe and her young lambs on a hillside overlooking the croft, Sasha's eldest child Sarah admits some people frown at her family's lifestyle. She said: "One of my friends goes to me: 'Oi, you don't look like a hillbilly, but you live like one'. And I go 'yeah, I suppose you could say that, but we're not quite though'." For Sarah there is a big distraction from the family's electric dreams. She has left school for university and swapped Glen Affric's quiet dark nights for the bright lights of Edinburgh. Power to the Pococks; A year in the life of a crofting family is a Timeline Films production. It will be shown on Thursday on BBC Two Scotland from 21:00.

Question: In the shadow of a power line @placeholder a ¡ê 600 m revamp is a family of six with no connection to the National Grid . A BBC documentary recorded a year in their lives .


Media playback is not supported on this device Four round-robin games involving the Scottish men and women's rinks will be shown, along with the semi-finals and finals of both competitions. Skip Eve Muirhead - the 2013 world champion and 2014 Olympic bronze medallist - is looking to improve on last year's silver medal. And Tom Brewster leads the men's team. Brewster is joined by Glen Muirhead, Ross Paterson and Hammy McMillan, while the women's rink will be completed by Anna Sloan, Vicki Adams and Lauren Gray. Sweden are defending the men's title at Braehead Arena, while Muirhead's team lost out to Russia in last year's final. The top eight nations in each competition will qualify for their respective World Championships next year, with the women's event in Beijing between 18-26 March and the men in Edmonton, Canada, from 1-9 April. "We know there will be huge interest in the fortunes of both Scottish teams so we're delighted to show many of the leading matches," said BBC Scotland Sport's Grigor Stirling. "As it's being played on home soil we know there will be a terrific atmosphere at Braehead and it should make for exciting viewing."

Question: The BBC Sport website is to stream @placeholder action from the European Curling Championships , which get under way in Glasgow on Saturday .


Drinkhall lost 4-1 to European number one Dimitrij Ovtcharov, with team-mates Liam Pitchford and Sam Walker having been eliminated a round earlier. Walker and David McBeath made it to the last 16 of the doubles in Germany. However, their challenge was ended by a 4-2 defeat by Taipei duo Chien-An Chen and Cheng-Ting Liao. "I don't think we even played our best and there's a lot more to work on and improve. It's promising times for us as a pair," said Walker. Drinkhall and Pitchford went out in the last 64 of the doubles following a 4-2 loss to India's Sharath Kamal Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran. "Overall, I'd have like to have done better but in both the singles and doubles I got to where my seeding was, so it wasn't good or bad," said Drinkhall. No women's squad went to Germany as the top two players - Kelly Sibley and Tin-Tin Ho - were unavailable.

Question: Paul Drinkhall was @placeholder in the last 64 of the men 's singles as England 's final remaining player was knocked out of the 2017 World Championships .


Jack Morrisson was reported missing on Friday, leading to searches of the water in Sutton at Hone, near Dartford. His body was found on Saturday. His death is not being treated as suspicious, a Kent Police spokesman said. His family said: "Jack, you were like a beautiful angel that we were sent. We have been so lucky to have you." Jack played football for Volenti Football Academy, but his one true love was fishing, his family said. In a statement, Jack's family said: "You were like our little golden boy, your life was so charmed and everything you wanted seemed to come to you. "You have brought so much joy to us and we feel so blessed to have had you."

Question: A 16 - year - old boy whose body was found in a fishing @placeholder has been described by his family as their " golden boy " .


Three other members of the family are suspected to have recently died from the virus. The cases were reported in the southern region of Nzerekore, where the outbreak began in December 2013. The Ebola outbreak killed more than 11,300 people - mostly in Guinea and its neighbours Sierra Leone and Liberia. The new cases were reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) hours after it declared the latest Ebola flare-up to be over in Sierra Leone. The WHO has warned that sporadic cases of Ebola are likely to re-emerge as the virus can linger on in body fluids of some survivors. Analysis: Tulip Mazumdar, BBC global health correspondent This is yet another blow in the long lingering fight against Ebola. But it is not unexpected. Guinea was in fact the only one of the three worst affected countries that hadn't had a re-emergence of the virus after the outbreak was officially declared over there on 29 December 2015. Both Sierra Leone and Liberia have reported little clusters of new cases after declaring the outbreaks over. But they've been dealt with quickly. A risk of new flare-ups remains because Ebola can persist in body fluids of some survivors for months after they recover. A very small number of new cases have been linked to sexual transmission. The world is in new territory here - scientists are still learning as the worst Ebola outbreak in history continues to unfold. More than 17,000 Ebola survivors are dealing with a wide range of complications and social stigma. Some scientists say there's a risk the virus may become an ever-present disease in West African society. 11,315 Deaths - probable, confirmed and suspected (Includes one in the US and six in Mali) 4,809 Liberia 3,955 Sierra Leone 2,536 Guinea 8 Nigeria

Question: Two new Ebola cases have been confirmed in Guinea , almost three months after it @placeholder the end of the outbreak .


Hanad Mohamed, 23, is due to appear in court on Friday on a murder charge. He is accused of killing Anthony Smith, 21, seen posing with Mr Ford in a photo reported to have been provided to news media by the people who have the video. Mr Ford has denied the video exists, accusing the media of stoking a scandal that has roiled city politics. Journalists from the Toronto Star and US website Gawker say they have seen - but not obtained - a video that appeared to show Mr Ford smoking the drug. In a photograph they say was provided to them by the people who showed them the video, Mr Ford can be seen posing with his arm around Smith. Mr Mohamed was arrested on Wednesday in Alberta and is charged with murder. In April, 23-year-old Nisar Hashimi turned himself in over the killing and also faces a murder charge. The video has not been released publicly and has not been verified. Gawker used a crowd-funding campaign to raise $200,000 (?¡ê140,000) to buy the video, but the website said it lost contact with the people in possession of the footage. Mr Ford has said he does not smoke crack cocaine and is not an addict. "I cannot comment on a video that I've never seen or that does not exist," he said last week. The mayor has come under mounting pressure to resolve the issue as city councillors have called openly for him to step aside or seek help. Two departures from the Toronto mayor's office on Thursday joined a stream of defections and sackings in recent days. Brian Johnston, a policy adviser, told Canadian media he had resigned. Kia Nejatian, the mayor's executive assistant, has also left. Earlier in May, Mr Ford sacked his chief of staff Mark Towhey. His office has denied reports that it ordered emails and phone records to be destroyed after other city hall aides were fired or quit in recent days.

Question: A second man has been arrested in the death of a man linked to a video @placeholder to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine .


Caroline Starmer, 28, of Leicester, will face a charge of intent to pervert the course of public justice. She claimed the security guard told her she must stop breastfeeding and forcibly removed the baby from her at Primark's Leicester store on 13 July. She is due to appear at Leicester Magistrates' Court on 24 August. Ms Starmer had posted her allegations on a "Free to Feed" Facebook page. She was also interviewed by a news agency and the allegations appeared in numerous national newspapers and on news websites. Police have told people not to post anything online that might prejudice the court proceedings. "Criminal proceedings have now commenced and the defendant has the right to a fair trial," a statement said. "It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."

Question: A mother who claimed a security guard @placeholder her while removing her breastfeeding baby from her in Primark has been summoned to appear at court .


Lawyers for singer Katy Perry contacted Fernando Sosa, who had sold the design via an online directory of blueprints. Left Shark became a viral hit after appearing to forget its steps during a routine with the 30-year-old artist. 3D-printing is becoming an increasing headache for companies trying to protect their intellectual property. Falling costs of 3D printers, coupled with a growing community of model designers, means many small products can be made to a relatively high quality. In a letter, the lawyers said Perry had not consented to the use of the shark, which was being sold through Shapeways.com. "Your unauthorised display and sale of this product infringes our client's exclusive rights," read the letter, posted on Instagram by Mr Sosa. Mr Sosa was selling the design for $24.99 (?¡ê16). After the item was removed by Shapeways, Mr Sosa submitted the design to a different site, Thingiverse, and offered it free-of-charge. On the site, Mr Sosa wrote: "Apparently sharks, palm trees and beach balls are all now copyrighted... anyways I'm making this available to everyone. "Now you can 3D print your very own Left Shark. Just make sure you download this file ASAP since just in case it's taken down." Intellectual property lawyer Dai Davis told the BBC he expects disputes like this to become more common, and that industry must adapt to facilitate demand. "In the same way copyright is difficult to protect in music because of the way the internet has allowed piracy sites, in the same way you already have lots of sites popping up which will increasingly allow unlawful copies of design rights [for objects]." He suggested that companies would perhaps be wiser to offer their own official 3D-printed designs, rather than putting effort into removing designs by others. The man inside one the shark costumes, professional dancer Scott Myrick, said of the performance: "The visibility was terrible. I ran into a palm tree but the camera missed it." Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

Question: A website has been @placeholder to remove a design for a 3D - printed model of the " Left Shark " dancer from the Super Bowl half - time show .


"What actually came out in court is not the truth," her father Barry Steenkamp told Australia's Channel Seven TV. There is uncertainty over Pistorius' early release from prison, due last week, after South Africa's justice minister blocked the move. The Paralympic star was jailed for five years in 2014 for culpable homicide, a charge equivalent to manslaughter. The Olympic athlete admits shooting dead Ms Steenkamp, but insists he mistook her for an intruder. But this was dismissed by Mr Steenkamp: "He got angry, she went off to the toilet, locked herself inside, and then him pulling out the gun and shooting." "Why didn't he just let her walk away?" her mother June Steenkamp said, reiterating the family's belief that Pistorius killed Ms Steenkamp deliberately. What next for Oscar Pistorius? Oscar Pistorius - in 60 seconds The making and unmaking of Oscar Pistorius Justice Minister Michael Masutha last week said that the decision to free the athlete after serving 10 months of his five-year sentence had been taken prematurely. He has now suspended the decision and sent it back to the parole board for review, a process which could take months, legal sources have told the BBC. Under South African law, Pistorius is eligible for release under "correctional supervision", having served a sixth of his sentence. Prosecutors have lodged an appeal, calling for the athlete's conviction to be converted to murder, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years. During sentencing, Judge Thokozile Masipa said the state had failed to prove Pistorius' intent to kill when he fired. Pistorius was born without the fibulas in both of his legs, and had surgery to amputate both below the knee while still a baby. He went on to become one of South Africa's best-known sports stars, and was the first amputee sprinter to compete against able-bodied athletes, at the 2012 London Olympics.

Question: The parents of Reeva Steenkamp have for the first time @placeholder the verdict in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial .


4 February 2015 Last updated at 18:09 GMT Parts of Hokkaido in Japan were covered in snow as deep as 1.8 metres high after a massive winter storm hit the area. In a small place called Rausu Town some people's houses were completely submerged in snow and could not leave their homes for days. Some of Japan's soldiers have been to help clear the snow from houses and roads in the worst affected areas. Around 200 schools have closed in the area, and 100 train services have stopped. No-one has been seriously hurt because of the bad weather, and roads are beginning to re-open again.

Question: In the @placeholder of Japan , people have received a record amount of snow over the last few days .


But it knows that it lost a lot last night. Some of its best known and most effective MPs. And most of their political momentum. It's almost impossible for the party to now argue that the people of Scotland want another Scottish referendum when 60% of the electorate voted for parties which have vowed to block another vote on independence. A very sombre-looking Nicola Sturgeon said last night she and the party would now need to reflect on what this result means for indyref2. But you don't have to think very long or very hard to realise it now looks very unlikely to happen. Inside the SNP members will also now have to consider whether their call for another referendum back in March was a tactical blunder. Even though they did not know at the time that there would be a general election. Deputy First Minster John Swinney has said this morning: "We will take time and care to reflect on the outcome of this result. But we have to acknowledge that the question of a second independence referendum was a significant motivator of votes against the SNP in this election, and we have to be attentive to that point." Scottish Tories are much more buoyant than their Conservative colleagues down south. Ruth Davidson looked delighted as she watched her party unseat the SNP's former leader Alex Salmond and their Westminster leader Angus Robertson. Ms Davidson immediately declared that the idea of an independence referendum was "dead". Sorry, your browser cannot display this content. Enter a postcode or seat name The 12 seats the Scottish Tories won make a big difference to the overall UK result. Without them Theresa May would not be considering staying on as PM. And the Scottish party's resurgence means people are already talking about Ruth Davidson as a future UK PM herself. One of the big surprises of the night in Scotland was the comeback of the Scottish Labour Party. Not only did it win seven seats - up from the one single seat they won in 2015 - it also made significant dents in SNP majorities all over the country as the Corbyn surge swept across the border. Ironic given how opposed the leadership of the Scottish Labour Party is towards Mr Corbyn. The Lib Dems are also very happy to take four seats, including ousting John Nicolson who was one of the SNP's strongest media performers. This result could have been even worse for the SNP. Where it did cling on it was often by a single fingernail. It won North East Fife by just two votes, Perth and North Perthshire by 21 and Glasgow South West by 60. In the heat of the night some SNP sources started briefing against Nicola Sturgeon and her husband who is chief executive of the SNP and mastermind of its campaign. Her position as SNP leader is safe for now. But her party and her reputation have been damaged. What remains to be seen is how much influence the SNP's 35 MPs can wield in Westminster. A hung parliament means the third largest parliamentary group may be diminished but could still be very important.

Question: The official line from the SNP is that it won this election . It has the largest number of seats in Scotland - more than all the other parties @placeholder together . That , they say , has always been the definition of victory .


Today's Scottish Conservative manifesto is no different, blending its offer on UK powers - as set out in the UK launch yesterday - with longer-term devolved ambitions, for example on education and housing. But there is always room in politics for targeting the other lot.  That is particularly true in this strategic election - where parties are, for example, projecting or denouncing coalition options. The Scottish Tory launch featured two conjoined elements where the party talked explicitly about matters concerning their rivals - beyond the customary rhetoric of decrying them as useless, damaging and inept. Firstly, the Tories in Scotland want to "bring the SNP down to size", to curb their ambitions to hold a further referendum on independence.  Secondly, they want to borrow Labour votes in Scotland to help achieve that ambition. Ruth Davidson characterised Labour as being engaged in "civil war".  It might not last, she courteously added.  Labour might "find its way back".  But, for now, she argued that Labour was spent as an anti-SNP force in Scotland. In essence, she urged tactical voting by Labour supporters switching to the Tories in seats where that could make a difference.  For the avoidance of doubt, Labour does not share the Tory analysis nor their prescription. But how about that issue of an independence referendum?  The Conservatives have cited two criteria before indyref2 would be feasible. One, after the completion of Brexit.  The prime minister, David Mundell, Ms Davidson, everyone else in blue, stresses that is not just the conclusion of talks:  it would involve the implementation of Brexit. Incidentally, the PM did not envisage a direct role for the first minister in said negotiations.  That would be for the UK government which she hopes to continue to lead.  She would consult the Scottish government - but the bargaining with the EU would be conducted by the departing member state. And that meant the UK, led by either her or Jeremy Corbyn. But back to the question of indyref2.  If it has to await the conclusion of Brexit, how long would that take?  Two years negotiations?  Maybe longer, if the EU 27 agree?  How long for implementation?  One year?  More?  Much more? The participants at today's launch decline to say. And the second criterion?  That is evidence of consent, evidence of a desire by the Scottish people to be asked about independence once more. But how, the wicked media asked at the launch, is that to be measured?  Opinion polls?  The outcome of the current election in Scotland? Further, I asked that question again when I interviewed the PM in East Lothian.  The answer on each occasion was a variant upon "not now". I understand.  I get the concept.  Again for strategic reasons, the Tories do not want absolutely to rule out a referendum, to say a blunt never.  When the plan was first disclosed, David Mundell was at pains to suggest that a plebiscite might, perhaps, be feasible, in the future. In practice, though, they hope that it might become never.  That their Unionist pitch might thrive.  That more and more voters in Scotland might be cajoled to turn away from the cause of independence.  That the issue, in short, by dint of electoral campaigning, might not arise.

Question: An election manifesto is designed to allow a party to set out what it would do if @placeholder governmental power or , as a very minimum , Parliamentary influence .


The Irrawaddy river slips past fields of yellowing rice at a leisurely pace, reflecting the slower speed of life in the villages of the delta. The unprecedented changes that have taken place since the military relaxed its hold on power five years ago are most visible in the commercial capital, Yangon. The lives of those who make their living from the land have not seen such transformations - the opening of Myanmar's economy has less meaning for them. Hinthada is an archetypal agricultural trading town; a stopping point for the Irrawaddy river boats making their way from Yangon to Mandalay, and a commercial hub for the rice trade. It lies just at the point where the Irrawaddy spreads out into the vast delta, far enough from the coast to have been only slightly affected by the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, although it still suffers seasonal flooding. But this year the little town has taken on outsize importance, because of the political prominence of one of its native sons, U Htay Oo. He is a former general and confidante of one-time military ruler Than Shwe, and now the de facto leader of the ruling party, the USDP, following a dramatic purge in August of Shwe Mann, a powerful and ambitious man once talked of as a possible presidential candidate. Mr Htay Oo is a much more low-key personality, little-known outside Myanmar until this year. But as the most senior USDP leader, along with President Thein Sein, he needs to hold on to his parliamentary seat in this week's election for his party to uphold its claim to be the natural party of government. In the 2010 election he won a landslide, with more than 80% of the vote. But that was before Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) agreed to take part; in the Irrawaddy delta the USDP faced no real competition. This time U Htay Oo has a fight on his hands. The distinctive red flag of the NLD, with its gold peacock and white star, is visible everywhere on the road to Hinthada. In town you see even more of them, along with life-sized portraits of "The Lady". There are two such portraits of Ms Suu Kyi flanking Myint Thein's clothing shop. Inside young brides-to-be awkwardly peruse lace blouses and matching longyis to wear at their weddings. Myint Thein, his wife and staff were proudly wearing NLD colours. He recites a list of grievances against the local government, from land grabs - a prevalent problem in a country where all private land ownership was once banned by the military regime - to monopolisation of rice milling and trading by well-connected "cronies". "They are offering us fake change", he says of the ruling party's reform programme. "Here in the rural areas we can see that the progress they talk about is fake - people are facing real poverty and limited job opportunities." A walk through the town centre talking to shop owners revealed only one who was willing to state that he would vote for the USDP. We stopped by a metal workshop run by a local Muslim family. Their biggest concern was a planned rally later in the week by the hard-line Buddhist-nationalist movement, Ma Ba Tha, which is campaigning for restrictions on Muslim life. Pressure from Ma Ba Tha has resulted in both main parties fielding not a single Muslim candidate, although Muslims make up at least 5% of the population. Asked which party he would back, U Maung Maung Win told us he would vote NLD, because, he said, "he trusted Daw Suu". Nobody spoke about the NLD candidate and some did not know who he was -  a local teacher called Khin Maung Yee, who was an anti-military activist even back in his student days in the 1970s.  No-one mentioned NLD policies, which have been kept vague. As elsewhere in Myanmar, in Hinthada the party is campaigning on a single issue; electing Aung San Suu Kyi. Their simple message, of hope and change, has very few details. Later in the day, at an NLD rally, supporters arrived from surrounding villages piled onto chugging, steaming agricultural trucks, cheering wildly, then disgorging to join the dancing and singing. The air fizzled with unbridled optimism. They could be in for a disappointment. Down at the USDP headquarters party officials preparing for a visit to the countryside for their boss the next day were unperturbed by the NLD festivities. "They are like crows", observed one functionary, "always making noise". "We are like pigeons. We try not to disturb or excite the people." Mr Htay Oo spent the morning driving out to what for him may be richer pastures; two small villages on the outskirts where he delivered the same speech to a sleepy crowd dressed in identical green party t-shirts. He had a few digs at "The Lady", telling his audience not to be taken in by pretty actresses. But his main message was to warn farmers not to risk the progress of recent years with a bet on an untried party - that only a party with power and money, which can guarantee stability and unity, can promise development. "It's true the NLD is well known", he told me. "But people should vote USDP because all the candidates for the party have a good track record in developing the country." As if to underscore the point, he made a generous donation to one village to help them fund a Buddhist celebration. In the warm afterglow of his visit, the villagers were understandably inclined to say they would support his party. The warning about not risking what they had gained, little though that is in most villages, also seemed to have resonated with communities which have nothing to fall back on when things go wrong, and were recently in need of government help during the monsoon floods. On the road back to Hinthada we saw more farmers harvesting the rice, some with small tractors but many in the backbreaking traditional way, with small hand-held scythes. Myint Tin and her husband told us they were paid around $4 for each long day of seasonal work in the fields. They do not own land themselves. Asked about the election, Myint Tin was shy at first, and did not appear to have an opinion. Then, without prompting, she said she would vote for the NLD, saying she believes only "Daw Suu" would really help the poor. With no recent history of free voting, and no real polling, it is difficult to guess which way the people of Hinthada will go; there are a few other parties visible in the area, but it is essentially a two-horse race. Will people who have experienced decades of being told what to do by their military overlords take a chance on the untested NLD, or will they stick with what they know? Videos filmed and produced by Daniel Bull

Question: This is the story of Hinthada , a sleepy market town in Myanmar 's watery heartland that has become an unlikely political battleground . The BBC 's Jonathan Head follows one man who simply has to win here to retain @placeholder , through a landscape that has seen little change .


Italian Cavasin became the eighth man to take on the manager's role since president, and fellow countryman, Francesco Becchetti took over the East London club in July 2014. But he could not arrest a worrying sequence that has seen Orient win just once in eight matches in League Two. Defender Burgess stole up unmarked to powerfully head home a corner from Carl Baker on 57 minutes to settle the contest. The opening half was a period of half-chances, although Pompey did have the ball in the net when Conor Chaplin's first-time flick into the net was ruled out for offside. The visitors were given an excellent opportunity to break the deadlock when O's keeper Alex Cisak attempted to send a short pass to a defender, but only succeeded in picking out Chaplin. The Orient shot-stopper saved his blushes by saving the striker's effort. Orient felt they should have had a penalty when Paul McCallum went to ground after 12 minutes but referee Christopher Sarginson waved away their frantic appeals. Having fallen behind, Orient were unable to break down a well-organised Portsmouth side who almost doubled their lead when O's full-back Nicky Hunt headed a cross against his own post before the ball was scrambled clear. Reports supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Leyton Orient 0, Portsmouth 1. Second Half ends, Leyton Orient 0, Portsmouth 1. Attempt missed. Carl Baker (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Yvan Erichot (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Milan Lalkovic (Portsmouth). Attempt blocked. Sandro Semedo (Leyton Orient) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Attempt blocked. Tom Parkes (Leyton Orient) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Attempt blocked. Tom Parkes (Leyton Orient) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Corner,  Leyton Orient. Conceded by Christian Burgess. Substitution, Leyton Orient. Ollie Palmer replaces Ulrich N'Nomo. Substitution, Portsmouth. Milan Lalkovic replaces Kyle Bennett. Attempt missed. Gary Roberts (Portsmouth) right footed shot from more than 35 yards misses to the left. Corner,  Portsmouth. Conceded by Tom Parkes. Attempt blocked. Kyle Bennett (Portsmouth) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Attempt missed. Gary Roberts (Portsmouth) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left. Corner,  Portsmouth. Conceded by Callum Kennedy. Attempt blocked. Gary Roberts (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Attempt missed. Curtis Main (Portsmouth) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Jay Simpson (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Christian Burgess (Portsmouth). Foul by Alan Dunne (Leyton Orient). Gary Roberts (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Substitution, Portsmouth. Curtis Main replaces Conor Chaplin. Substitution, Portsmouth. Danny Rose replaces Amine Linganzi. Foul by Gavin Massey (Leyton Orient). Amine Linganzi (Portsmouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Jens Janse (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Amine Linganzi (Portsmouth). Foul by Jens Janse (Leyton Orient). Kyle Bennett (Portsmouth) wins a free kick on the left wing. Goal!  Leyton Orient 0, Portsmouth 1. Christian Burgess (Portsmouth) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Corner,  Portsmouth. Conceded by Sandro Semedo. Attempt saved. Alan Dunne (Leyton Orient) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Attempt blocked. Sandro Semedo (Leyton Orient) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Ulrich N'Nomo (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Amine Linganzi (Portsmouth). Ulrich N'Nomo (Leyton Orient) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Gary Roberts (Portsmouth). Second Half begins Leyton Orient 0, Portsmouth 0. Substitution, Leyton Orient. Alan Dunne replaces Paul McCallum.

Question: New Leyton Orient manager Alberto Cavasin saw his side beaten by a Christian Burgess goal as Portsmouth took the @placeholder at Brisbane Road .


The claim: Speaking in Swindon, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "Half a million children are now being taught in super-size classes of over 36." Reality Check verdict:  This is incorrect. Actually about 42,000 pupils are in classes of 36 or more - about 1% of children. Mr Corbyn appears to be confusing statistics.  It is right, as the earlier Labour press release said, to say about half a million pupils in state-funded primary schools in England are in classes of between 31 and 35. Jeremy Corbyn said in a speech in Swindon on Friday: "Half a million children are now being taught in super-size classes of over 36." This is at odds with what his party's press release said, which was that half a million children in state-funded primary schools are in classes between 31 and 35 pupils. That's about 12% of primary school pupils. That figure is confirmed by government figures from the school census (see tables 6a and 6b), which also says that about 42,000 pupils are in classes of 36 pupils or more, which is about 1% of primary school pupils. Government rules say no infant school child should be taught in a class size greater than 30 - that's children in Key Stage 1 who are aged five to seven. That rule can be waived in exceptional circumstances - usually if twins or siblings are admitted to the school, or a child in care has to be given a place. The official school census for 2016 shows that more than half of Key Stage 1 classes with one teacher have either 29 or 30 pupils in them. Of the infant classes with more than 30 pupils, roughly 95% have 31 or 32 pupils. Classes with more than 32 children in them are uncommon. Rules on classes sizes do not apply to children in Key Stage 2, which is ages seven to 11. Between 2006 and 2016, the average Key Stage 1 class grew from 25.6 to 27.4 but at Key Stage 2, where there is no cap on numbers, it has remained stable at around 27 pupils in a class on average. While numbers of pupils in oversized classes has increased, the number of primary school aged children has increased by about half a million over that period. Since 2010, the proportion of children in classes of 31 to 35 pupils has risen from 10.6% to 11.9%. Read more from Reality Check Follow us on Twitter

Question: Labour claims that pupils in England 's primary schools " are @placeholder like sardines " in classrooms .


Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has suggested holding an informal summit in the capital, Bratislava, in September, to give leaders of the remaining EU countries a chance to consider the future of the union. A "post-Brexit crisis summit", the news website euraktiv.sk calls it, saying that its theme will be "Whither the EU?" and will aim to articulate "a new vision" for the bloc as it prepares for the UK's departure. It recalls that Mr Fico told the European Council meeting in Brussels earlier this week that anyone who believes that after Brexit "we can just offer the European public more of the same is making a big mistake". According to Euraktiv.sk, if the summit takes place, it will be the first EU summit to be held outside Brussels since 2010 and the tone could be set by Central and Eastern European countries that joined the bloc in 2004. Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak has already taken part in post-Brexit talks with his counterparts from the Visegrad 4 group (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary) which were held in the Czech capital, Prague, on Monday. The meeting was also attended by the French and German foreign ministers. The day after the Prague meeting, Mr Lajcak visited London for talks with his British opposite number Philip Hammond. Slovak daily Pravda points out that Mr Lajcak was the first EU minister to visit London after the Brexit vote. According to the paper, Mr Lajcak believes that Slovakia's experience in handling a "divorce" - it became an independent state in 1993 after having been part of Czechoslovakia - might now stand it in good stead. However, Slovak media are in no doubt about the scale of the task facing the country. "The presidency is beginning to haunt Fico," news website aktualne.sk declares. The Slovak presidency will be "all about Brexit," Michaela Terenzani predicts in the English-language Slovak Spectator. And the junior partner in Slovakia's coalition government, the mixed Slovak-Hungarian Most-Hid (Bridge) party, posted a statement on its Facebook page saying that "Britain's decision completely changes the Slovak presidency, it becomes the number one issuea€| It is extremely important that Slovakia rises to the challenge of this presidency, for never before has a presiding country faced such a tough task". BBC Monitoring reports and analyses news from TV, radio, web and print media around the world. You can follow BBC Monitoring  on Twitter and Facebook.

Question: As Slovakia prepares to assume the @placeholder presidency of the EU on 1 July , Slovak media looks at the challenges the country faces in tackling the fallout from Brexit .


When Andrew O'Neill, 25 and formerly of Skelmersdale in Lancashire, arrived in Wigan town centre on 19 April to "meet" 14-year-old "Alex" he was instead attacked and filmed by a group of men. O'Neill admitted attempting to meet a girl under 16 and was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 12 months. A man arrested on suspicion of assault and blackmail was bailed last month. The 25-year-old is due to answer to police bail in June. An earlier hearing at Wigan Magistrates' Court heard O'Neill had booked a hotel room. He lost two teeth after being attacked when confronted. O'Neill managed to escape and report what happened to police, who arrested and charged him with attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming.

Question: A man who was tricked into thinking he had @placeholder a sexual encounter with an under-age girl has been jailed .


Jamie Wisbey was also carrying a locking saw knife, a mask, latex gloves and a wig when he was spotted near the South Inch park in Perth. The Plymouth fisherman claimed he had been using Bear Grylls-style survival skills during the night. A jury at Perth Sheriff Court found him guilty of having the weapons. Wisbey's arrest sparked a high-level investigation after he was discovered with a bag containing "worrying" material including links to Libya and a Turkish phrasebook. Jailing him for two years and three months, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: "As far as the jury was concerned you had them as weapons. What also had a sinister aspect was the wig, balaclava and gloves you had. "I also consider it is appropriate to protect the public from serious harm upon your release and I will make a supervised release order for 12 months." Wisbey had been seen in the bushes near the park on 1 June by a couple who had gone to feed the ducks because they were unable to sleep. The fisherman claimed he had missed his train on the way to join a scallop boat in Buckie and had been using the Bear Grylls survival skills. He told the trial: "I knew I was coming to Scotland so I was watching Bear Grylls and was interested in camping and things like that. I had cat gut for fishing and cotton wool for tinder and things like that. "I didn't really know the wig was in the stuff in my bag. It was given to me by one of the family as a joke." He had told police during an interview that the wig was to keep his head warm. Wisbey told the jury he had acted in a "sly and sneaky" manner by trying to hide the bag containing the crossbow and arrows and other items. He admitted he planned to use the balaclava as a mask and said: "I thought it would be handy. It's Scotland. It's warm where I come from, but it's freezing here." Fiscal depute Gavin Letford said: "Did Bear Grylls give you the advice to take on a fishing boat a wig, a crossbow and a mask? Were all of these items taken together not for the purpose of going on a fishing boat, but for some other purpose you were not wanting the police or court to find out about?" Wisbey also had 11 bottles of methadone in the name of Monique Phoenix in his bag. Wisbey was found guilty of having a crossbow and arrows, a locking saw blade and methadone in the South Inch park and the railway station in Perth on 1 June. When Wisbey first appeared on petition, the court had to be hastily convened in the back of a G4S prisoner escort van over fears he had a contagious skin condition akin to scabies.

Question: A man who was seen @placeholder in bushes near a playpark with a crossbow and arrows has been jailed for more than two years .


Media playback is not supported on this device "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" He recites the words to give him strength, words that make him think of his mother, Roxana, his father, Humberto, and three siblings in Costa Rica. Family is the second pillar in his life. God is the first. If Psalm 27 has given Campbell the conviction to play without fear, whoever the opposition, that fearlessness has also become a feature of the way Costa Rica have played in this World Cup. The Central Americans have already upset the odds by topping a group containing three former World Cup winners in England, Italy and Uruguay - and it has been Campbell who has provided the stand-out performances, notably in the 3-1 win over Uruguay. Media playback is not supported on this device But for all the plaudits the 22-year-old has received in Brazil, he remains something of an unknown quantity to fans of his parent club. It was back in 2011 that a teenage Campbell signed for Arsenal from Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa - but he has still to play a game for them. Having been denied a work permit when he first joined the Premier League side, Campbell was loaned to Lorient in France and Real Betis in Spain before a spell at Olympiakos in Greece. In fact, his only appearance in England to date came for the Greek side last season, when he took on Manchester United in a Champions League last-16 tie in March. Three weeks earlier, he had announced himself with a 25-yard strike in the first leg. But Arsenal fans may grow more familiar with him soon - on the strength of his performances for Costa Rica, he has now been granted the right to work in the UK. Paulo Wanchope, Costa Rica's assistant manager, says the young striker is desperate to play for the Gunners, where he has two years remaining on his contract. "Joel really wants to go back to Arsenal and play," the former Derby, West Ham and Manchester City striker said. "I told him that the only way to do that was by performing well on the pitch at this World Cup. He has done well, but he can perform even better. Arsene Wenger is watching him." Indeed he is. The Arsenal manager has already said he wants Campbell at pre-season training, having been impressed by his direct running and willingness to shoot on sight against Uruguay. So what can Gunners fans expect if Campbell lines up at Emirates Stadium next season? There is a steel behind the raw talent that marks Campbell out as a force to be reckoned with. He was born in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, but his family is from the English-speaking area of Limon, which explains the Scottish surname. The third of four children, he grew up surrounded by football, fighting to be noticed. As a youngster, he would juggle empty cans on the street. On one such occasion he was spotted by then Costa Rica manager Ricardo La Volpe. The national side were playing friendlies close by and, while his friends bought tickets to go to the games, Campbell told them all he wanted to go, but as a player. A few weeks later, La Volpe called him up to the Costa Rica national team. "Who is Messi? Who is Neymar?" the manager said at the time. "Gentlemen of the press - I present to you: Campbell. I discovered him playing with cans." Those who have worked with him talk about his dedication in training, his work ethic, his desire to get better and better. They also talk of a confident, calm young man - a winner. Campbell bought 100 packets of World Cup stickers trying to find one of himself. None of the 500 was of him. "I've always said you have to think about winning," his father Humberto said. "I've always said that success goes hand in hand with sacrifice. We get him to set goals." His immediate goal is to take Costa Rica to further success at this World Cup, "We always believed we could do this," Campbell said. "Football is not decided by the shirt you are wearing. With work and effort, you can win against anyone. We are very satisfied, very happy with what we have achieved but we will keep working to do more." His life is changing on and off the field. He celebrated his goal against Uruguay was by tucking the ball up his shirt, a nod to Maria Fernanda Cascante, his pregnant girlfriend. "I dedicated my goal to my family, my girlfriend and our child. Was it the most important goal of my life? I hope that is still to come," he said. "This is unforgettable. We are part of history. Nobody would have put a dollar on this team qualifying but there you go. It can change football in Costa Rica. "These are the best days of my career." So far. Better days may yet lie ahead.

Question: As Costa Rica 's players tie their laces and the team 's coaches shout final instructions before Sunday 's World Cup last - 16 tie with Greece , Arsenal striker Joel Campbell will @placeholder , take a breath and begin whispering to himself .


Omaree Lindsay, 19, of Cecil Road, Croydon, rode into Co-Op in Streatham Road, Mitcham, on 6 September. He appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to a number of offences. He was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work for offences including theft, failing to comply with a court order and driving a vehicle on the pavement. District Judge Adrian Turned also ordered Lindsay to pay ?¡ê150 in costs. The court order Lindsay had failed to comply with was an order to complete unpaid for work in the community issued on 28 of August for a driving offence.

Question: A teenager who used a " hoverboard " to @placeholder a supermarket and steal a crate of Lucozade , has been spared jail .