Ministers said the plans would mean the "freest and most frictionless possible trade" with the rest of Europe. This could include a "temporary customs union" after Brexit to prevent border problems as the UK leaves the EU. Businesses have called for clarity since the UK said it was leaving the customs union - the EU's tariff-free trading area - as part of Brexit. The customs union document is the first of a series of papers to be published by the UK government on key negotiation issues. On Wednesday it is expected to set out proposals for the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Countries in the customs union don't impose tariffs - taxes on imports - on each other's goods. Every country inside the union levies the same tariffs on imports from abroad. So, for example, a 10% tariff is imposed on some cars imported from outside the customs union, while 7.5% is imposed on roasted coffee. Other goods - such as soap or slate - have no tariffs. The UK's departure from the EU's customs union was confirmed at the weekend in a joint article by Chancellor Philip Hammond and Trade Secretary Liam Fox. According to the newly-published government paper, the UK could ask Brussels to establish a "temporary customs union" after it leaves the EU in March 2019. But during this period, it would also expect to be able to negotiate its own international trade deals - something it cannot do as an EU customs union member. Once this period expires, the UK will look to agree either a "highly streamlined" border with the EU, or a new "partnership" with no customs border at all. The government said the interim arrangements would mean businesses would only have to adjust once to the new arrangements. All of this will have to be negotiated with the EU - and the two sides have not yet even started discussing trade matters. Other obstacles - including the size of the UK's "divorce bill" - need to be agreed first. Keir Starmer, Labour's shadow Brexit secretary, said the proposals were "incoherent and inadequate" and were designed to "gloss over deep and continuing divisions within the cabinet". "These fantastical and contradictory proposals provide no guidance for negotiators or certainty for businesses," he added. Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said the plan would "only delay the economic pain caused by leaving the customs union". "We still face the prospect of more red tape for businesses, longer queues at our borders and higher prices for consumers once the transition comes to an end." However, the CBI, which represents British businesses, said the proposal was "encouraging". Its deputy director general, Josh Hardie, added: "The clock is ticking and what matters now is giving companies the confidence to continue investing as quickly as possible." Adam Fleming, BBC Brussels reporter, said the UK was seeking a customs union agreement "that will keep things broadly the same for an interim period - an attempt to reassure business". "Firms will be told they'll only have to change their processes once," he said. "In Brussels, EU negotiators are likely to stick to their position that that the future relationship can't be considered until agreement has been reached on their priority issues - the rights of citizens, a financial settlement and the Irish border." BBC political correspondent Ben Wright said the UK government was "straining to show that it does have a route-map for Brexit". He said ministers were also attempting to "subtly" put the issue onto the negotiating table sooner than  Brussels wants. "They want to hustle EU negotiators into talking about trade much sooner than Brussels intends," our correspondent said.

Question: The UK has set out the " ambitious new customs arrangement " it wants to @placeholder with the EU after Brexit .


Hygiene concerns about Cats, Cakes and Coffee were raised shortly after it opened in Leicester in August. A hygiene rating of one means "major improvement necessary". But owner Lisa Rivers insisted she was only given the low rating because of a paperwork problem, and closed the cafe due to her own ill health. "The cats are all back at their home, and happy and healthy," said Ms Rivers. "The rating of one was given purely because I didn't have the paperwork on the premises on the day the environmental health visited." Leicester City Council, which inspected the cafe, received several reports from concerned members of the public. Dominic Shellard, vice chancellor of De Montfort University in Leicester, tweeted that he was "very disturbed" when he visited the cafe describing an "overpowering smell of cat faeces". But Ms Rivers insisted the cafe was hygienic and the cats were happy. The charity Cats Protection has concerns about cat cafes, and said there are "welfare implications of having a number of cats in a limited space with groups of people unknown to them coming and going throughout the day". The world's first cat cafe is thought to have opened in Taiwan in 1998, and the concept then became popular in Japan. The idea has spread around the world in recent years, with cat cafes in Paris and London attracting long waiting lists.

Question: A cat cafe offering animal lovers the chance to " snuggle " pets while having a snack has closed down after receiving a @placeholder hygiene rating of just one .


But they are not movie stars or supermodels: they are Hong Kong's A-list "tutor kings" and "tutor queens", offering pupils a chance to improve mediocre grades. In Hong Kong's consumer culture, looks sell. Celebrity tutors in their sophisticated hair-dos and designer trappings are treated like idols by their young fans who flock to their classes. And they have earnings to match - some have become millionaires and appear regularly on television shows. "If you want to be a top tutor, it definitely helps if you are young and attractive. Students look at your appearance," said Kelly Mok, 26, a "tutor queen" at King's Glory, one of Hong Kong's largest tutorial establishments. Her designer clothes and accessories are not just for the billboards; it's how she likes to dress outside classes. But she is also careful to add that she wouldn't be in such high demand if she could not deliver top grades in her subject, English. Richard Eng from Beacon College is often credited with being the first of Hong Kong's "star tutors". A former secondary school teacher, he says he got the idea after he featured in photographs advertising his sister, a performance artist. "In school all the teachers look the same, there's no excitement," he said. His own image appears on special ring-binders and folders containing study tips, or pens which harbour a pull-out scroll with his picture and other gifts. Such items became so sought after that they propelled him to near-rock star status among young people. The celebrity tutor phenomenon is a result of the huge growth in out-of-school tutoring in Asia. It is fuelled by highly pressured examination systems and ambitious parents wanting their children to secure places at top universities and high-status secondary schools. In societies where success is equated with good exam results, parental anxiety converts into a "steady stream of revenue" for tutoring establishments, according to a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The tutoring industry, or "shadow education" as the ADB calls it, has become very widespread in Asia, fed by the growth in universities and the rising proportion of school leavers aiming for university. Hong Kong University's professor Mark Bray, one of the authors of the ADB study, said a staggering 72% of final-year school students in Hong Kong now go to private tutors. Richer families have always paid for individual tutoring, but the star tutors offer exam tips and revision notes to the less well-off,  studying in groups of over 100. It's not just Hong Kong. Tutoring has "spread and intensified in Asia and become more commercialised," said professor Bray. In South Korea, 90% of primary school children attend such classes. In South Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, tutorial schools use star tutors to attract even more students. "They have found a way to appeal to young people and pull them in. They create a buzz," he said. "We had this phenomenon of star tutors in Kota as well," said Pramod Maheshwari, chief executive of Career Point Coaching School in Kota, Rajasthan, India, a city of residential tutorial colleges which attract students from all over the country. "It can give you an edge." But ultimately, he says, expansion of tutoring is driven not by personalities but by "the inefficiency of the school system". "Across India, students' education level is not up to the mark, and millions are preparing for competitive college examinations. It is a huge market," said Mr Maheshwari. In China, where private tutorial schools were unknown until the economy opened up in the 1990s, New Oriental Education and Technology has grown to become one of the largest tutoring schools in Asia with around 2.4 million students this year. It boasts 17,600 teachers in 49 cities and an online network of over 7.8 million users. Listed on the New York stock exchange since 2006, its founder Michael Yu (also known as Yu Minhong), became a multi-millionaire on the back of his blend of rote learning exercises, stand-up comedy and motivational speeches. A man from a humble background, who had become an English teacher at Peking University, Mr Yu used the Hong Kong model of employing star tutors to prepare students for tests for universities abroad. Extensive tutoring is sometimes seen as contributing to East Asian countries' high performance in international school comparisons, particularly in mathematics. But professor Bray points out that the high performers in the international Pisa tests (Programme for International Student Assessment) also include countries that do not use much tutoring, such as in Scandinavia. There have also been attempts to reduce the impact of tuition. In the 1980s, the South Korean government issued a blanket prohibition on such private tutoring. It proved to be unenforceable, but it reflected worries that tuition can put too much pressure on pupils, with teachers complaining that pupils were falling asleep in class after long nights of tutoring. In 2009, the South Korean government adopted measures to limit the number of hours students spent in "hagwons" or tutorial centres in a bid to reduce childhood stress and increase the level of creative thinking. But the impact has been limited, pushing many tutorial classes online. The government has since realised that the only way to change is to alter the exam culture, reducing the number of university entrance exams and encouraging universities to consider applicants on more than just exam scores. A Singaporean study showed that while tutoring can have a positive influence on the subject being tutored, time taken away from other subjects may lead to a decline in overall academic performance. The ADB report says in all parts of Asia, families are spending a considerable amount of the household income on tutoring. It may contribute to improved achievement for individual students, but it can exacerbate social inequalities. Although there is some evidence of a cultural propensity to pay for tutoring - cities such as Vancouver in Canada and Sydney in Australia with large Chinese communities have a lot of tutoring - this is not the only factor. "What happens in tutoring depends on what the schools and universities ask for. The parents will respond to whatever they think will get them in," said professor Bray. Hong Kong recently shifted from a system similar to GCSEs and A-levels used in the UK to a single examination taken at age 17, leading to an explosion in tutoring. "There is greater pressure on students because there is only one examination that determines whether you get into university," said Kelly Mok. "With so many tutors in Hong Kong, students don't know who to choose so they go for the 'tutor kings' and 'tutor queens'," she said. Some students just attend the lectures and watch video recordings of lectures while others purchase add-ons such as personalised interaction with the star tutor or tutor's aide via Facebook or email. But as more students enrol, it can become increasingly difficult to keep up with examination tips learned by classmates. "Students who would not otherwise have had tutoring may now do so in order not to be at a competitive disadvantage," says professor Bray. But Richard Eng denies that tutors are sowing panic. "Panic comes from the exams themselves. If there was no examination in Hong Kong, no matter what I say or look like, they would not come to me."

Question: They strike glamorous poses in posters in shopping malls and on the @placeholder of buses .


The research, funded by Tenovus Cancer Care, found cancer survivors need greater support from health organisations following treatment. University of South Wales researcher Jonathan Tigwell is presenting his initial findings at the National Cancer Research Institute conference. The full report will be published in February next year. Mr Tigwell conducted the study with 15 women, 13 of whom were Welsh, to get a detailed understanding of their experiences. "There is increasing scientific evidence linking work to health maintenance and that work may help with recovery for conditions such as cancer," he said. "If breast cancer survivors are returning to work at the wrong time, this can significantly affect their long term health, negatively impact on their wider relationships and create avoidable unemployment that would lead to further economic impact." Rhiannon Skilton of Tenovus Cancer Care said: "We have supported more than 2,600 women with breast cancer during the last year, many of whom will have already gone, or will be considering going, back to work." Case study Amanda Symonds, 48, from Gwaelod y Garth, near Cardiff, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and discharged from Velindre Hospital on New Year's Eve. The single mother-of-one said: "The thought I had in my mind then was, 'I'm not just closing a chapter on this year, I'm closing the whole book'. But it wasn't to be. "I would go as far as to say I found this year much harder to deal with than last year." She said her treatment and support at Velindre had been "amazing" but felt she lost her "comfort blanket" when she was discharged. "They do tell you you're going to feel rubbish for a while after your treatment's finished, it's very tiring, but I wasn't prepared for how rotten it's made me feel." Ms Symonds had a phased return back to work and her employer, United Welsh Housing Association had been "absolutely marvellous", but two months in she was going to bed as soon as she finished work. She said she had seen a cancer psychologist, but her worries were not about the cancer coming back, they were about getting back to normal and having her life back.

Question: Support for breast cancer patients should not end when they are @placeholder , according to a new study .


Take a look at how they got on as they learned from the professionals how to make and report the news. BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood brightened up School Report News Day by passing on some good advice to pupils from Lilian Baylis Technology School in south London. She told Elizabeth and Marta that the secret to good broadcasting was all in the breathing. Scott Mills and Radio 1 co-presenter Chris Stark came in to the School Report newsroom to help pupils phone schools around the UK for updates for the live page. It reminded Scott of his first work experience placement and Chris said everyone was working really hard, despite the lack of coffee! School reporters Sherona and Marijudy, both 14, from St Mary's Catholic High School in Croydon, have been learning how to use their smartphones to shoot video and edit audio. They've also picked up some top tips on zooming in with your feet rather than the camera. What's the worst thing about getting up early? When has a news story changed while you're on air? Pupils asked their questions live on BBC Radio 2. School Reporters from Lister Community School in Newham interviewed BBC Radio 3 presenter Suzy Klein and British solo-clarinettist Emma Johnson. Among other nuggets, they learned some top tips about broadcasting and how to improve as a musician. School Reporters from Prendergast Ladywell School in Lewisham spent their BBC School Report News Day at the BBC's 1Xtra studios. They met and interviewed the radio station's Sarah Evans and presenter A. Dot, and discovered how the studio operates from day to day. Students fromHaggerston School in Hackney spent School Report News Day with BBC Newsbeat learning exactly what skills are needed to be a broadcaster. Rrahiim, Mildred, Reuben, Colin and Tobi list their top-tips for future School Reporters.

Question: Pupils from schools around the @placeholder have been visiting the BBC on School Report Day , meeting presenters , journalists and producers who work there .


In his closing speech, prosecutor Philip Evans told Woolwich Crown Court the men had given "lies" and "half truths" as evidence during the trial. Carl Wood, William Lincoln, Jon Harbinson and Hugh Doyle all deny being part in the ?¡ê14m theft. Four other men have already pleaded guilty to taking part in the raid. Summing up the case against the accused men, Mr Evans said the robbery had involved a "staggering sum of money" and had been a carefully planned operation by men who knew what they were doing. He asked the jury to consider whether the "ringleaders" - who had already pleaded guilty - would have trusted those on trial to look after their jewel-laden bags and not take a "peek" inside. "The men who have pleaded guilty were a group who thrived on acquisitive crime - taking people's money and possessions, greed in reality. "What they needed were people who wouldn't question that," he said. Referring to Mr Lincoln's claim that he did not know what was in the bags he helped move, he asked the jury whether they could "believe that for one second?" "They were never going to let that significant commodity go into the hands of someone they did not trust," he said. Mr Evans insisted the four men had not told the truth to the court. "On each of the four occasions that you have heard the defendants give evidence, each of them have told you lies," Mr Evans said. He added that it did not matter what size role each of the men had played because "if you take part knowingly, you're guilty". The case continues. Daniel Jones, 60, of Park Avenue, Enfield; John Collins, 75, of Bletsoe Walk, Islington; Terry Perkins, 67, of Heene Road, Enfield, and Brian Reader, 76, of Dartford Road, Dartford, have all previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary.

Question: Four men accused of being part of the Hatton Garden raid were trusted to be involved because of their " @placeholder to the ringleaders " , a court has heard .


If you don't like the latter, I'm afraid there's only bad news in store - there will be more leaflets and canvassing than ever during the next six weeks. That's in large part due to the fact that there is a real spring in the step of the smaller parties, buoyed by a general disappointment in their larger, more-established, opponents. Let's talk about UKIP first because it is they who are making this election so different across the North West. In terms of winning seats, their main - and arguably only - Greater Manchester target appears to be Heywood and Middleton, where they ran Labour very close in last autumn's by-election. But UKIP's impact will be felt much more widely - their claim last week that they are the "new party for the working class" will have sent shivers down some Labour spines. The Tories, meanwhile, are just as worried about losing precious votes in the key marginals which will ultimately decide the result of the election nationally. Chancellor George Osborne will surely be hoping his devolution deals, and the inclusion of Greater Manchester in the so-called Northern Powerhouse, will win over some hearts, minds and votes - but for decades this hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Conservatives. The Greens are also talking up their chances, but it will be interesting to see from whom will their votes come if they do? And will Bez have as much of an impact on politics in Salford and Eccles as he did on the Manchester music scene with the Happy Mondays? Bez - more formally known as Mark Berry - will be fighting on an anti-fracking ticket in the seat being vacated by Labour's Hazel Blears, who has represented the area since 1997. Political punditry can often be a mug's game but let's take a look at some of the other key battles across the region. Labour is very confident of taking Manchester Withington back from the Liberal Democrats. John Leech may have voted against his government on the Bedroom Tax/ Spare Room Subsidy issue, but his party's U-turn on university tuition fees may not play so well in a constituency packed with students. The Lib Dems could also be at risk in their more established seats of Hazel Grove and Cheadle, but their support is much more established in those seats. Elsewhere, the Tories are after Bolton West - where Labour's Julie Hilling has a majority of just 92 - while Labour fancy their chances of regaining Bury North. Conservative David Nuttall swept in there last time after the expenses scandal which ultimately saw the jailing of Labour incumbent David Chaytor. During the next six weeks, BBC North West Online and BBC Radio Manchester will be giving you all the information you need to make an informed choice about the parties and their positions. Three big events during the campaign will be one-hour live debates on Thursday evenings from mid-April, in Withington, Heywood and Bolton. The economy, immigration, and health - chosen as a result of audience research - will be the main themes. Will the parties' manifestos come alive or quickly unravel? Will there be any "Gillian Duffy" moments when the party leaders visit our area? Nobody yet knows but it will be fascinating to watch it all unfold. And to return to the Greater Manchester run - It's a 10k grind rather than a sprint - something we should all remember as this first week of the campaign begins to pick up pace. You can follow my updates on Twitter and listen to my reports on BBC Radio Manchester throughout the campaign.

Question: It 's always just after the clocks go forward that the streets around here fill up with two things - people in garish clothes training for the Great Manchester run , and political candidates @placeholder your vote .


Williams was presented with the Freedom of Stoke-on-Trent at the city's Town Hall in July. A Freedom of Information request found ¡ê100 was spent on catering after the singer requested guests be provided with cheese and bacon oatcakes. The remainder of the ¡ê259 total was spent on flowers and ceremonial scrolls, the authority said. A series of events was held in Stoke earlier this year to mark the star's 40th birthday. Williams, who grew up in the city, told the private ceremony he was "honoured" by the accolade. Oatcakes, which resemble a pancake with a sweet or savoury filling, are considered a traditional Staffordshire delicacy. In recent years there has been a push for the dish to be awarded protected status, as in the case of Cornish pasties or Melton Mowbray pork pies.

Question: A council spent ¡ê 100 on oatcakes @placeholder at a ceremony honouring Robbie Williams , it has been revealed .


Calls to the NHS 111 helpline have been a lot higher than the same time last year. Yet the weather has not been unusual for winter and norovirus and flu numbers are nothing out of the ordinary. So what's going on? Nobody, it seems, has a very clear answer. The weekly NHS England figures (ending 24 January) reveal an 8% year-on-year increase in attendances at major A&E units. Calls to 111 were 20% higher than the same week last year. A Welsh government spokesman said there had been a sharp rise in the number of people seeking treatment in emergency departments. It seems to have been a similar picture in Scotland, though with some improvement on last winter according to its government. This week the pressures don't seem to have eased, though we don't yet have the detailed data. There were reports of an "extremely serious situation" at one hospital which had to cancel all routine operations and appointments, apart from cancer surgery, for two days. GPs in north London were told that two local hospitals were experiencing "very high pressure on beds" which created a "significant challenge to safe operating". Practices were asked to consider using alternative options for their patients including walk-in centres. It adds up to a service under even greater pressure than most had expected. NHS England noted there had been bad weather last week, which might have accounted for some of the increase in patient numbers. But while paying tribute to the "remarkable" job done by staff in providing high quality services, NHS chiefs acknowledged the "very real" pressures which were not expected to ease in the run-up to spring. Heads of emergency departments point out there has not been a sudden new spike in numbers of people coming through their doors. They argue that there has been a steadily increasing trend going back a couple of years. Familiar factors are quoted, including numbers of frail, elderly patients with multiple conditions needing an increasing range of care and treatment. One specialist in geriatric medicine told me more older patients were coming into A&E because of problems with care in their home. This could be because social care was lacking in some way, or because a spouse had become unable to cope. But the surge in hospital attendances was by no means dominated by the over-65s. One theory being put forward is that A&E is a well-regarded "brand" amongst the public and is trusted to deliver high quality care even with a wait. This could tie in with people feeling that their local GP practice is overburdened and a perception that appointments are not easy to get. In a 24/7 culture people increasingly expect instant service, including from the NHS. Winters are always busy in the NHS and there are always difficult weeks. This one is unusual because of the scale of the increase in demand. If one thing is clear, it is that people are not getting the message to avoid A&E and go elsewhere unless it's a genuine emergency. Special report page: For the latest news, analysis and video Winter across the UK:  A guide to how the NHS is coping Video: Why hospitals are under so much pressure Video: How a hospital can grind to a halt

Question: The numbers @placeholder in accident and emergency units have surged .


Phone footage showing Kashif Samuels hurling racist and Islamophobic abuse at the Turkish man in Tottenham, north London, went viral on 15 October. Samuels, 25, who handed himself into the police, said he was "ashamed and disgusted" at his actions. Speaking before sentencing by Highbury Corner magistrates, he said he saw a "monstrous person" in the footage. Samuels, who pleaded guilty on 21 October to a racially aggravated public order offence, said: "It's definitely nothing I can be proud of." He told BBC Radio London: "I saw a monstrous person to be honest I didn't realise existed within me, and now that I've seen it all I can try and do now is prove through future actions that that is not who I am or what I want to be." Samuels, of Duffield Drive, Tottenham, described himself as "a person of colour" and said: "I can't ask for forgiveness, all I can say is my remorse and sorrow is genuine."

Question: A former chef who @placeholder a man 's walking frame off a London bus has been jailed for four months .


Stephen Downes, from Glebe Gardens in Moira, is a teacher at Parkview Special School, Lisburn, County Antrim. He had denied hitting a child's face after she took another pupil's milk. He also denied assaulting a second girl who then fell against a radiator . Parents of the two children said they were glad justice had been done. They added that the case had been very difficult for their families. The children both attend Parkview Special School where Downes has been a senior teacher since 1997. The offences took place in late 2010 and early 2011. He had faced a total of five charges but the judge at Lisburn magistrates court dismissed three of them and found him guilty of two charges. Downes is due to be sentenced on 10 May.

Question: A special @placeholder teacher has been found guilty of cruelty to children after he assaulted two 12 - year - old girls who have severe learning difficulties .


The men can now delicately pluck the stalks out of cherries. Sensors on the artificial hand are used to send signals directly to the nerves, the study, published in Science Translational Medicine, said. Meanwhile, a Swedish team has made a separate breakthrough in artificial limbs - anchoring bionic arms directly on to the bone to improve control. One of the beneficiaries of the American work was Igor Spetic, who lost his right hand in an accident four years ago. He was fitted with a bionic replacement, but it was incapable of feeling the world around him. He had to carefully watch what he was doing and judge by eye whether he was squeezing too hard. A team at Case Western Reserve University attached sensors to the bionic hand and in surgery fitted "cuffs" around the remaining nerves, which were capable of delivering electronic stimulation. The team could send different patterns of electronic stimulation to the nerves using a computer. These were interpreted in the brain as different sensations. The team "mapped" these sensations to 19 different locations on the hand, from the palm to the tip of the thumb, and matched the sensors to the different electronic patterns of stimulation. They then moved on to pressure and textures. Mr Spetic can tell, while blindfolded, whether he is handling different materials such as Velcro or sandpaper. He has been using the sensing hand for two-and-a-half years. Another patient has been using the system for one and a half years. Lead researcher Prof Dustin Tyler told the BBC: "They can do really fine delicate tasks now. "We believe within five to 10 years we will have a system completely implanted so we would see a person in the morning, they would have the procedure to put electrodes on each nerve and a device for their pocket, so that when they turn it on they can feel their hands." Mr Spetic said: "I would love to feel my wife's hand, just to hold hands would be the ultimate." In both patients the modified hand had the added bonus of eliminating "phantom limb pain", in which patients still feel pain from the hand that is no longer there. Meanwhile, scientists at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden say they have implanted the first bone-anchored bionic arm. The technique known as "osseointegration" involved connecting the arm directly to the bone, nerves and muscles in the residual stump of the patient's arm. It gave the patient better control. Dr Max Ortiz Catalan said: "We have used osseointegration to create a long-term stable fusion between man and machine, where we have integrated them at different levels. "The artificial arm is directly attached to the skeleton, thus providing mechanical stability. "Then the human's biological control system, that is nerves and muscles, is also interfaced to the machine's control system. "Reliable communication between the prosthesis and the body has been the missing link for clinical implementation of neural control and sensory feedback, and this is now in place."

Question: Advances in bionic hands have @placeholder a sense of touch to two patients for more than a year , report US scientists .


The 34-year-old hooker also told the Australian Broadcasting Corp that he was stepping down as captain immediately. "I think it's the right time to call time on my career at this level," said Moore, who has played 120 Tests. Flanker Michael Hooper is set to take over the captaincy of the Wallabies, according to local media. Moore, who has played in three World Cups since his debut in 2005, said he had been considering the "very tough" decision for months. Injuries "were not a factor", he added. "It has been a big part of my life and it means a lot to me playing for Australia," he told the ABC. "I felt it is the right time to finish the year strongly and then let the next crop of players take the team forward." Moore, the 10th most capped international player of all time, plans to play one more season of Super Rugby with the Queensland Reds before retiring from the sport.

Question: Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore has announced he will @placeholder international rugby union by the end of the year .


Neither side was able to take the initiative before the break. Omari Sterling-James ventured forward and drilled against the base of a post for the Moors and that was the closest either side came. Ryan Cresswell broke the deadlock early in the second half when he advanced to head in an inswinging corner. Another defender, Reda Johnson, soon made it two as he connected with a long Michael Green throw and dispatched past Nathan Vaughan. The comfortable win saw Moore end his new club's four-match losing streak with a fully deserved clean sheet. Report supplied by the Press Association. Match ends, Eastleigh 2, Solihull Moors 0. Second Half ends, Eastleigh 2, Solihull Moors 0. Substitution, Eastleigh. Jai Reason replaces Andy Drury. Andy Drury (Eastleigh) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Substitution, Eastleigh. James Constable replaces Ryan Bird. Substitution, Solihull Moors. Stefan Moore replaces Jordan Gough. Substitution, Solihull Moors. Connor Franklin replaces Darryl Knights. Goal!  Eastleigh 2, Solihull Moors 0. Reda Johnson (Eastleigh). Goal!  Eastleigh 1, Solihull Moors 0. Ryan Cresswell (Eastleigh). Substitution, Solihull Moors. Shepherd Murombedzi replaces Bobby James Moseley. Second Half begins Eastleigh 0, Solihull Moors 0. First Half ends, Eastleigh 0, Solihull Moors 0. First Half begins. Lineups are announced and players are warming up.

Question: Ronnie Moore celebrated his first home game as Eastleigh manager in @placeholder with a win at home to Solihull Moors .


With the game at 0-0, Rangers striker Conor Washington's header hit the bar and appeared to cross the line but it was not given by the officials. "It is very difficult to take for my lads," Holloway told BBC Radio London. "Unfortunately we are left bemoaning a decision where we scored a goal and it wasn't given." Having lost their Championship fixture thanks to Sam Gallagher's stoppage-time winner, Holloway thinks its time that technology is used to help the officials in the second tier. "We scored today but we lost 1-0. Can you please explain that to me Fifa, Uefa or whoever you are?" he questioned. "I'd like us to stand up for ourselves and actually take over our own game. It would make sense. "The officials can only do the job they are asked. The fourth official doesn't need to be stood in between myself and (Blackburn boss) Owen Coyle as we are never going to have an argument - he should be watching a screen. "You just need to see what the company I used to work for can show the fourth official. He'll have seen clearly it's a goal and could have said it within five seconds, and we'd have been 1-0 up and in a much better situation."

Question: QPR boss Ian Holloway says the English Football League should use @placeholder technology after his side had a goal ruled out in losing 1 - 0 at Blackburn .


The house was badly damaged in the incident in the Killyglen Road area of the town on Sunday afternoon. The men, aged 24 and 34, are being questioned about the attack which was reported to police shortly before 16:45 BST. It follows a series of arson attacks in Larne over recent days. On Monday, a hair salon in the town was extensively damaged when a car was driven through its metal shutters. It is not yet known if the Killyglen Road incident is linked to the previous attacks. However, Ulster Unionist MLA Roy Beggs, who represents East Antrim, said the latest incident "all the hallmarks of a tit-for-tat attack between feuding criminals". "Another car has been set on fire and, with the risk of an exploding petrol tank, homes have been endangered along with the lives of local residents," he added. Alliance MLA Stewart Dickson said the attacks must "stop now before someone is injured or killed". "This situation cannot be allowed to increase any further and I appeal to everyone involved to help put an end to things." A Northern Ireland Ambulance Service spokesman told the BBC its staff were called to the scene just before 17:00 BST, after a report that the car has been driven into the house. A number of people were assessed by paramedics but no-one was taken to hospital.

Question: Two men have been arrested after a @placeholder car was " set on fire and abandoned " against the front door of a house in Larne , County Antrim .


The software, called Greyball, seeks to identify officials around the world trying to catch Uber drivers operating illegally. It then denies them service. The ride-hailing firm has been using the tool to secure early access to cities where its operations had not yet been authorized. But having defended the system just a few days ago, it has now done a U-turn. "We are expressly prohibiting its use to target action by local regulators going forward," said Uber's chief security officer Joe Sullivan. He said the same technology had also been used for many other purposes, including for marketing promotions and deterring Uber riders using the app in violation of the company's term of service. These are understood to include stopping users aiming to physically harm drivers and targeting competitors looking to disrupt operations. These uses will not be affected by the ban. Mr Sullivan said that because of the way the system was configured, it would take some time to ensure the prohibition was fully enforced. Greyball identified regulators posing as ordinary passengers, by collecting data on the location used when ordering a taxi and determining whether this coincided with government offices. A report by The New York Times found that it also checked credit card information to establish whether the user was linked to an institution or law enforcement authority. Uber, the report added, even visited phone shops to trace smartphones bought by city officials setting up multiple accounts in an effort to catch the company's drivers. Once individuals suspected of attempting to entrap drivers were identified, they would be served a "fake" version of the Uber app, with fictitious cabs on view. If there were they were successful in ordering a real one, they would have their booking cancelled. Uber has been hit by a series of controversies recently. A video of its chief Travis Kalanick swearing at a driver appeared on social media, and there had also been allegations the company had routinely ignored cases of sexual harassment.

Question: Uber says it will ban a secret software tool from being used to @placeholder undercover regulators .


The headlines are lurid and specific: "North Korea's Kim Jong-un 'binge-eating and drinking' to cope with assassination fears." "NK leader suffering from insomnia, adult diseases," reads another. Around the world, a briefing given by the South Korean National Intelligence Service is generating coverage. North Korea's leader has, we are told, gained an enormous amount of weight. He can't sleep. He fears for his life. But how reliable are these briefings, which the South Korean spy agency gives the country's politicians? The truth is that their methods, like those of spies everywhere, are part hard information and part conjecture. I once had lunch with an analyst from the National Intelligence Service (NIS). I can't tell you exactly who he was, because he refused to give out his business card. However, he opined that a woman in Kim Jong-un's inner circle was pregnant. When I asked how he knew, he replied that she was suddenly appearing in photographs with flat, sensible shoes. He may, of course, have been right. Some mothers do say that when they were pregnant, they discarded uncomfortable heels. But the story does illustrate the tenuous ways in which the analysis of photographs in the North Korean media might be hit or miss. Maybe the lady being analysed by South Korea's spy agency just felt like a change of shoe. Maybe the NIS had further, corroborating information. We do not know. Trying to make sense of North Korea's leader Chinese patience with "Kim The Fat" wears thin Not Kim Jong-un's first brush with possible ill health Guesswork, intelligence and a bucket of salt: The North Korea rumour mill In the current case, concluding that the Supreme Leader has put on weight is easier. The pictures in North Korean media show the pounds which can't be photoshopped off. According to the National Intelligence Service, he was 90kg in 2012 but now weighs 130kg. Similarly, two years ago, Kim Jong-un was shown limping on North Korean state television, and then, three months later, hobbling with the aid of a walking stick. You don't need to be James Bond to conclude that there was something wrong with at least one of his legs. The surmising (probably in Seoul's intelligence agency, with the aid of medical experts) was that he was suffering from gout, an illness associated with over-indulgence, though there are other causes too. He may have had surgery, which would have explained his absence from public view between the pictures of him limping in discomfort and then with a walking-stick. But seeing the obvious in the photographs is easy. Drawing the right conclusions is harder. This kind of information usually emerges when the NIS briefs South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee in private. This briefing to politicians then gets passed on to journalists and the information ends up in the newspapers. There is obviously plenty of room for error and distortion in this process. How much spin is put on the bald facts is unclear. In the latest case, the information published was a lot more than the visible evidence of Kim Jong-un's weight-gain. All kinds of theories were also posited. South Korea's main news agency, Yonhap, reported the briefing thus: "Rep. Lee Cheol-woo of the ruling Saenuri Party, who chairs the committee, said Kim is currently under great stress due to his safety, which has led to excessive binge eating and drinking. "Kim also fears that overseas media reports on his childhood may spread throughout Pyongyang, which may hurt his legitimacy as the leader of North Korea. "During his childhood, Kim would stop eating for long periods of time when his mother scolded him, which reflects his stubborn character, Lee quoted the NIS as saying." The perils of trusting too much in such sources of information were borne out earlier in this year. In February, the South Korean media cited a similar briefing by the NIS in which it was said that chief of staff of the North Korean army - Kim Jong-un's right-hand-man - had been executed. The South Korean headline was: "N Korea's military chief executed on corruption charges: sources." Three months later, the South Korean government said that Ri Yong-gil, the general previously said to be dead, appeared to be alive. His name had appeared on a list of party officials. Pictures of him in North Korean media showed him to be very much alive, though wearing three-star rather than four-star military insignia. It seems he had been demoted but not executed. None of this is to decry the work of intelligence agencies, making the best of scant information, including analysing photographs. But it is to caution against concluding more than the evidence justifies, and the weaving of elaborate theories into supposed fact. More importantly, even if Kim Jong-un is unhealthy - and the pictures certainly suggest he might be - that certainly doesn't mean his reign is going to end soon.

Question: After South Korea 's spy agency briefed politicians about North Korean leader Kim Jong - un 's rapid weight gain , prompting speculation he suffered from paranoia - induced insomnia , the BBC 's Stephen Evans reflects on the @placeholder of such observations .


Brexit could prove to be the biggest blow yet. It sends shockwaves far beyond British borders. The UK gave the EU a second seat at the UN Security Council, one of only two serious military forces (alongside France), respected diplomatic expertise and a driving force behind making the single market more competitive. All that will now disappear from the EU display cabinet. And as Britons anxiously scan the markets, watching the effect of Brexit on the pound, Europeans fear for the future of what had been a nervously recovering euro. Deeper crisis for Greece perhaps? Italy too is a huge concern. How will this impact the pockets of hundreds of thousands of families across the continent? The EU also worries Brexit could reverse 70 years of European integration. In all my years watching European politics, I have never seen such a widespread sense of Euroscepticism. Plenty of Europeans looked on with envy yesterday as Britain cast its in-out vote. Many of the complaints about the EU raised by the Leave campaign resonated with voters across the continent. Across Europe leading Eurosceptic politicians queued up on Friday morning to crow about the UK referendum result. "Victory for freedom," tweeted Marine Le Pen of France's National Front. She has called for a vote on EU membership in France.  There are similar voices in Italy, the Netherlands and beyond. The mood in Brussels this morning is deeply gloomy. The Brexit vote sends screaming alarm bells; warning that the EU in its current form isn't working. Two processes will soon be launched here - both fraught with difficulty. Untangling the UK from everything EU and negotiating a new relationship once David Cameron or his successor formally starts the Leave process. And a political scramble as the EU tries to save itself, possibly disintegrating further in the process. Expect deep divisions between EU nations and Brussels bureaucrats about the direction the EU now takes. Closer union to show a united European front, or reform and a rethink of the European project? Prime ministers across Europe look nervously over their shoulders at increasingly influential Eurosceptic, more nationalist-minded political rivals.

Question: The Leave vote in the UK is a huge @placeholder blow for the EU - already reeling from the migrant crisis , the euro crisis and fears about what is seen as an aggressive Russia next door .


An emotional Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner proposed legislation that would return control of its debt to the government. "Excuse me if I get a little nervous, I usually have more poise," she said. A New York court last month blocked an interest payment to bondholders as a result of a row with US investors. The $539m payment was for bonds, issued under US legislation, that were restructured following Argentina's default in 2002. A US judge ruled that a deal must first be struck with a group of hedge funds that had rejected the restructuring deal and wanted full payment - known as "hold-outs". The draft legislation would replace Bank of New York Mellon as the bondholders' trustee with state-run Banco Nacion, which would enable Argentina to pay the interest owed to the majority of bondholders who agreed to the deal. Bank of New York Mellon has been forbidden from transferring funds. Ms de Kirchner has refused to give in to the "hold-outs" demanding full payment and said the new voluntary deal would be in line with the terms of agreements made in 2005 and 2010. More than 90% of creditors agreed to accept large losses at the time. "If bondholders decide - in individual or collective form - to ask for a change of the legislation and jurisdiction of their bonds ... the economy ministry is authorised to implement a swap for new public bonds under local legislation," Ms de Kirchner added. "I really feel we are living a moment of great injustice in Argentina." However, analysts said the move dashed hopes that Argentina could strike a deal with the hedge funds demanding full payment and allow the country to move out of default and return to global capital markets. It was also unclear whether Argentina could sidestep the US court's ruling. Alejo Costa, strategy chief at investment bank Puente in Buenos Aires, said: "Argentina could end up in contempt." There are also fears that dragging out the debt crisis could worsen Argentina's recession and further weaken the peso. Unemployment rose to 7.5% in the second quarter as consumer spending and industrial output both fell.

Question: Argentina 's president has announced plans for a debt swap to try to @placeholder a US court ruling that pushed Argentina into a second default .


Fresh-faced financial technology start-ups (fintechs) are coming up with new mobile-first services - payments, loans, money transfers, digital currencies - and threatening to steal customers, particularly younger ones. Investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates that $4.7tn (?¡ê3.3tn; a??4.1tn) in revenue for traditional financial services is at risk of being displaced by these fintech upstarts. "From Amazon's transformation of the retail sector, to Uber's revolution in personal transportation, banks are taking heed of what is happening in other industries," says Mohit Joshi, global head of financial services at tech consultancy, Infosys. "The biggest banking market challenge is coming not from challenger banks, but from fintech start-ups." This is why many old banks have been flirting with younger models in an effort to stay hip. But are such apparently mismatched relationships doomed to failure? At the southern tip of Africa, in Cape Town, global banking giant Barclays is busy developing a secret tech solution to make it easier for consumers to make payments online. But it has called on the expertise of local tech start-up Peach Payments to help, and the two are working on a product aiming to change the way people transact online in emerging markets. Rahul Jain, co-founder of Peach Payments, says: "We are helping them actually design the product since we have the feedback from the market and understand e-commerce from the perspective of the merchant and the consumer. 'Invaluable feedback' "This is invaluable feedback which the bank doesn't have normally." From the bank's point of view, "it's about recognising that not all innovation has to happen within our own four walls," says Lubaina Manji, head of Barclays' group innovation office. "There is a talented and vibrant start-up community globally, which Barclays can work with to co-create the future of financial services." Peach Payments was one of 10 start-ups to participate in a 13-week Tech Lab Africa accelerator programme hosted by Barclays in Cape Town in December. The bank also runs programmes and hubs in the UK, USA, and Israel, and has plans to launch activities in India and Lithuania. Another start-up taking part in the programme was Nigerian firm Aella Credit, which has built an instant loan approval and payment platform that relies on data analytics to identify creditworthy borrowers. Aella Credit director Akinola Jones says his firm has remained in constant communication with Barclays' innovation team since taking part in the programme. But sceptics will point out that Barclays' recent decision to sell its Africa operations shows that such partnerships may be more to do with playing catch-up than leading from the front. All those attractive fintech start-ups may appear tempting, but there is no consensus among the big beasts on the best way to get a piece of the action. Some banks, such as Santander, National Bank of Australia and Citigroup, are providing venture funding and seed investments for fintechs. Others, such as Barclays, Bank of America, and Sberbank, are creating or partnering with start-up incubator programmes. Others still, like Spain's BBVA, are simply buying them up. "We're yet to see which type of approach will prove the most fruitful, but industry experts are unanimous in their belief that those banks which bury their heads in the sand and fail to acknowledge the impact of fintechs are putting their entire business at risk," says Vincent Bastid, chief executive of Efma, a research and networking organisation for financial institutions. Efma has just produced a report looking at the impact of fintechs on the established financial services industry. In a similar example, French bank BNP Paribas has linked up with Swiss fintech accelerator, Fusion - a partnership the bank says is "at the heart" of its digitisation plan. Based in Geneva, Fusion takes on 10 start-ups each year, and puts them through a 12-month intensive programme of mentoring, funding, and access to markets. Kim Potvin, chief operating officer at BNP Paribas (Suisse), believes the partnership is already yielding tangible results, and will help its Swiss arm become "a leading player in the financial services of the future." Fusion's programme director Sebastien Flury describes the partnership as a "win-win" situation, with benefits for banks and start-ups alike. But if all this sounds a little too cosy, entrepreneur Daniel Doderlein, chief executive of Norwegian cloud-based mobile payments platform Auka, has this stark warning for fellow fintech start-ups. "If you partner with banks too early on, they can basically poison the well for you - you effectively become a consultant. They take the air out of the innovation balloon and the project dies instantly." By building his own platform, mCash, and establishing a consumer business first, Mr Doderlein found he was then able to sell it to initially sceptical banks from a position of strength. Norway's Sparebank 1 bought the mCash business in October last year. And Gareth Mellon of research firm Frost & Sullivan warns that the jury is out on just how effective such partnerships are. Many are purely "defensive strategies" by the banks, he says, and have proved difficult to integrate within existing business models. "While fintechs have brought heightened innovation, they remain limited in their scope and, in many ways, are forced to rely upon the established players to ensure market adoption," says Mr Mellon. Perhaps the biggest threat to banks, in Europe at least, is the European Commission's forthcoming Payment Services Directive 2, due to come into force early in 2018. This aims to open up electronic payments to more competition by forcing banks to open up their IT systems to new entrants, thus encouraging innovation. "If you don't provide a mobile payments app to your customers, your risk being marginalised," says Mr Doderlein. "It's going to be a bloodbath." Perhaps the banks need tech start-ups more than tech start-ups need the banks. Follow Technology of Business editor @matthew_wall on Twitter.

Question: Banks around the world are realising that in the rapidly developing world of smartphones and apps they are at risk of falling behind in the innovation @placeholder .


The prime minister acknowledged that "these wounds run very deep" during his visit to Jamaica, where he faced calls to apologise from campaigners. He said Britain's role in wiping slavery "off the face of our planet" should be remembered. Jamaican PM Portia Simpson Miller said she had raised the issue in talks. Addressing MPs in Jamaica's parliament, Mr Cameron said slavery was "abhorrent in all its forms". He added: "I do hope that, as friends who have gone through so much together since those darkest of times, we can move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future." Mr Cameron also announced ¡ê25m in British aid for a new Jamaican prison and a ¡ê300 million development package for the Caribbean which will provide grants for infrastructure projects, including roads and bridges. He said his visit - the first by a British prime minister in 14 years - was to "reinvigorate" ties between the countries, and that he wanted to concentrate on future relations rather than centuries-old issues. Mrs Simpson Miller said while she was "aware of the obvious sensitivities", Jamaica was "involved in a process under the auspices of the Caribbean Community [Caricom] to engage the UK on the matter". During Mr Cameron's speech, a small group of protesters with placards that read "reparations now" gathered outside parliament. For more than 200 years Britain was at the heart of a lucrative transatlantic trade in millions of enslaved Africans. According to ship records it is estimated about 12.5 million people were transported as slaves from Africa to the Americas and the Caribbean - to work in often brutal conditions on plantations - from the 16th century until the trade was banned in 1807. In 1833, Britain emancipated its enslaved people and raised the equivalent of ¡ê17bn in compensation money to be paid to 46,000 of Britain's slave-owners for "loss of human property". University College London has compiled a database of those compensated. Among those listed is General Sir James Duff, who it is claimed is a first cousin six times removed of David Cameron. He was awarded compensation worth around ¡ê3 million in today's terms. Others who received compensation include the ancestors of novelists George Orwell and Graham Greene, as well as distant relatives of Arts Council chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette and celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott. The issue of former slave-owning nations compensating former colonies is a contentious one in the Caribbean, where national commissions have calculated the sums could run into trillions of dollars. One suggestion has been that the money could be provided in the form of debt relief. BBC News correspondent Elaine Dunkley, who specialises in African Caribbean social affairs, said: "There really has been an issue with reparation in Jamaica, we can't say that the reception there [to Mr Cameron's visit] has been universally warm. "Correcting the wrongs of the past is not only costly but complicated and David Cameron has said that he doesn't feel reparation is the way forward in this case." Mrs Simpson Miller told the United Nations in 2013 there should be "an international discussion in a non-confrontational manner" and its parliament had passed a motion backing reparations. One Jamaican MP, Mike Henry, threatened to boycott Mr Cameron's speech at the country's parliament if he did not engage on the issue. Campaigners also called on Mr Cameron to make a personal apology, saying one of his own ancestors was paid compensation for the loss of his slaves in 1834. Bert Samuels, a member of Jamaica's National Commission on Reparations, told Television Jamaica "he needs to atone, to apologise personally and on behalf of his country". Sir Hilary Beckles, chairman of Caricom's reparations commission, wrote in an open letter in the Jamaica Observer that the UK must "play its part in cleaning up this monumental mess of Empire". Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who lived in Jamaica for two years in his youth, said that, as prime minister, he would be ready to apologise for the slave trade. Speaking at Labour's annual conference in Brighton, Mr Corbyn said it was "the most brutal part of our history and the history of Jamaica". During his two-day visit, Mr Cameron revealed the UK will spend ¡ê25m on building a prison in Jamaica so that foreign criminals in the UK can be sent home to serve sentences in the Caribbean. More than 600 Jamaican nationals are in UK jails but cannot be deported because of Jamaica's poor prison conditions. Officials say the foreign aid-funded deal could save taxpayers ¡ê10m a year when transfers begin in 2020. The Howard League for Penal Reform criticised the plan, saying it was "the wrong use of foreign aid" and would fail to address the real issue of overcrowding in British prisons.

Question: David Cameron has @placeholder out making reparations for Britain 's role in the historic slave trade and urged Caribbean countries to " move on " .


The 44-year-old was arrested in Reading on Saturday afternoon on suspicion of assault and a drugs offence and was taken to nearby Loddon Valley Police Station. Officers became concerned for his welfare and took him to hospital. He was discharged the same day but was then found unresponsive in his cell on Sunday and died later, police said. Formal identification has not taken place yet but the man's next of kin have been informed. He was found unresponsive in his cell at about 04:00 BST on Sunday and was declared dead in hospital an hour later, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said. It is mandatory for cases involving the death of detainees to be referred to the IPCC. Det Ch Supt Tim De Meyer said Thames Valley Police was "co-operating fully" with the investigation. "Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time," he added.

Question: The police watchdog is investigating the death of a man who @placeholder in custody .


The mill has been unused for more than a decade and various regeneration plans have failed to get off the drawing board. The 24-acre site has been bought by a company which is associated with the Warwickshire-based St Francis Group. Earlier this year, the St Francis Group was part of a consortium which bought the Sirocco site in Belfast. Hilden Mill was formerly home to the Barbour Thread factory which had occupied the site since 1823. The previous owner was granted planning approval for a redevelopment scheme that involved up to 600 homes though that planning permission has since lapsed.

Question: The Hilden Mill complex near Lisburn , in County Antrim , has been sold to an English @placeholder company .


Admittedly you will have to fill in a rigorous application form that looks like it has been written by someone who has spent too long working for Deloitte or Accenture, but bureaucracy exists in every walk of life - so why not on the path to violent jihad? Among the cornucopia of material found at Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad declassified on Wednesday is this priceless document - a job application form for becoming a member of al-Qaeda. Points 1-3 are fairly unremarkable - please write clearly and answer truthfully  - pretty much what you would expect to find were you applying for a clerk's job at the local water company You then fill in all the personal details - including name, date of birth, father's name, grandfather's name, profession etc etc That is page one. Page two is where it starts to part company with the average job application form. Amid the quite ordinary and prosaic questions like "What foreign languages do you speak?" "What education level have you attained?", there are the more unusual -  "Date of your arrival in the land of jihad", "Which Shaykhs do you listen to or read often?", "Do you know anyone who travels to Western countries?" On page three, the form gets down to the nitty gritty. Have you ever been convicted by any court? Have you ever been in jail or prison? In normal circumstances, the preferred - likely required -  answer to those two questions is a big NO. I am going to guess that this form is really looking for a YES. And then these two questions - Do you wish to execute a suicide operation? What objectives would you like to accomplish on your jihad path? And at the end of the form, a return to the - almost - banal. Do you have any chronic or hereditary diseases? Who should we contact in case you became a martyr? Followed by lines for an address and phone number of the person who will be informed of your not-so-accidental death. It is hard not to read this without a slight sense of disbelief. But then I remembered my undergraduate studies of the German sociologist and philosopher, Max Weber. His great piece of work was to identify the depersonalising effects of bureaucracy, and how it marked out a modern organisation. Bureaucracies are organised according to rational principles. Offices are ranked in a hierarchical order and their operations are characterised by impersonal rules. But who knew that in the dusty, arid mountains around Tora Bora, there was a cave devoted to al-Qaeda's HR, codifying the skill-sets of every applicant?

Question: Fed up with your current job ? Feel you 're not properly @placeholder ? Bored of the 9 - 5 routine ? Al - Qaeda has a job application for you .


Arteta, 29, joined the Gunners on a four-year contract just before the transfer window closed. The deal had looked dead earlier after talks between the two clubs broke down but Arteta handed in the transfer request an hour before the deadline. Arsenal also signed Chelsea's Yossi Benayoun, 31, on a season-long loan. "Mikel indicated to me that he wished to join Arsenal if a bid came in," said Everton manager David Moyes. Media playback is not supported on this device "I am very disappointed to lose him but the prospect of Champions League football was something I wasn't able to offer him." According to BBC sports news correspondent Dan Roan, there is anger behind the scenes at Goodison because Arteta left his announcement so late that there was no time to re-invest the money. Roan added: "Arsenal offered ¡ê5m on Tuesday and offered ¡ê10m on Wednesday afternoon - both bids were rejected. Any deal was dead until around 1900 BST, when Arteta told Moyes he wished to leave. "Moyes spoke to the chairman, Bill Kenwright, and said he did not want to keep a player who did not wish to play for Everton. "Arteta was Everton's highest-paid player ever on around ¡ê75,000 a week and took a big pay cut to join Arsenal." Arteta joined Everton from Real Socieded for ¡ê2m in 2005 and has scored 35 goals in 208 appearances. He started his career with Barcelona before spells with Paris Saint-Germain FC and Rangers. The Spaniard suffered a knee ligament injury in February 2009 and was sidelined for almost 12 months before signing a new five-year deal in August 2010. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown told BBC Sport that both Arteta and Benayoun were "solid signings". "Arsenal made eight signings during this transfer window, which is the biggest turnover of players Arsene Wenger has sanctioned since he came to the club back in 1998. He brought very well then, with a big group coming in - Petit, Overmars, Garde, Manninger, Wreh. Lots came in at once and we've not seen Wenger do that since. It hasn't really been his style of management. The amount of players he has brought in is a big call and only the results will tell as to whether or not he has got the right blend." Read more from Martin Keown But when asked if they would be adequate replacements for the departed Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, Keown added: "No they're not, it's very hard to replace those players. "I think back to the [Dennis] Bergkamp era, the impetus those players brought. Arteta is a great passer, Benayoun is not getting into Chelsea team. It's a mixed bag for Arsenal fans." Benayoun, the Israel captain, wrote on social networking site Twitter: "I sign with Arsenal, very happy and excited about it, but now my head is only in the game against grecce on Friday, thanks for the support." Both clubs later confirmed the move had gone through. Chelsea offered Liverpool ¡ê8m plus Benayoun for Reds midfielder Raul Meireles on Tuesday, but that deal was rejected. He joined Blues from Liverpool for ¡ê5m in July 2010 but was restricted to 10 appearances last season because of an Achilles injury and has seen only one minute of action this time round. It had been rumoured Benayoun would be included in an offer from Chelsea for Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric. Newcastle had also been linked with the Israeli. Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner completed a move away from Emirates Stadium just before the window closed, joining Sunderland on a season-long loan.

Question: Arsenal have signed Everton 's Mikel Arteta for ¡ê 10 m after the Spanish midfielder submitted a transfer request to @placeholder through the move .


Mercedes signed the Finn this week after agreeing a deal to buy him out of his Williams contract to replace Rosberg, who retired after winning last year's world title. Wolff said: "Lewis said he thought Valtteri was a nice guy. "One of the guys he actually got along with well in Formula 1 and he felt he was a good option." Wolff, who was talking to Finnish commentator Oskari Saari for a podcast, said he believed there might be less tension between Hamilton and the 27-year-old Finn than there was between the triple world champion and Rosberg. "I think that works well," he added. "It was OK already between Nico and Lewis, but there was the luggage of the past... Now it is a completely new relationship and there is no animosity. "There will be moments where it is going to be difficult, but I think that how the personalities are for the team it's going to be a good situation and one that is maybe a bit easier to handle than the past. But I could be wrong." BBC Sport revealed on Monday that Bottas had signed a one-year contract, with options to extend it into subsequent seasons. Wolff said that was because a number of leading drivers' contracts were up for renewal at the end of the 2017 season - including multiple world champions Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso of Ferrari and McLaren - and Mercedes wanted to keep their options open. "We wouldn't have chosen Valtteri if we thought that he was not good enough to continue with the team," said Wolff. "But, as a matter of fact, the market is very dynamic at the moment. Next year options open - young drivers, Sebastian, Fernando, Valtteri, many of them. So it is about understanding that - and Valtteri does. "Equally we have great faith and confidence in him that he can stay with us for a long time, but now we need to see how the season goes."

Question: Lewis Hamilton has @placeholder Mercedes replacing Nico Rosberg with Valtteri Bottas , says team boss Toto Wolff .


The initial allocation of 25,000 has been increased to 29,058 for the games against Poland, Ukraine and Germany. An extra 816 tickets are available for the game against Poland on 12 June. An additional 1,726 fans will be able to attend the Ukraine game on 16 June with the total for the Germany game on 21 June jumping from 8,000 to 9,516. The Irish Football Association received over 50,000 ticket applications for Northern Ireland's matches at the tournament. Supporters will find out by the end of February whether their applications have been successful, with priority to be given to those who attended games during qualification. The smallest increase in tickets being made available is for the opening fixture against Poland in Nice, with the allocation rising from 6,000 to 6,816. On Tuesday the Republic of Ireland were given more than 6,500 more tickets for Euro 2016 after talks between the Football Association of Ireland and Uefa. Republic fans now have a total ticket allocation of 32,502 for their games against Sweden, Italy and Belgium.

Question: Northern Ireland have received an extra 4,058 tickets for Euro 2016 , bringing the total for their three fixtures @placeholder in France to more than 29,000 .


Based on CT scans, the organs are fitted into a realistic synthetic "body" and connected to pumps which mimic human breathing and blood flow. Nottingham Trent University, with the NHS and Ministry of Defence, used silicone gels to replicate the feel of human tissue. Bespoke models could now be created to prepare for individual operations. Richard Arm, of Nottingham Trent University's School of Art & Design, said he was asked to come up with a heart model for a surgeon who wanted to practice performing an implant. He said: "When making more organs, the trickiest part was the flexibility. "The heart has 17 different 'hardnesses' so 'does it feel right?' turns out to be a bit vague. "Then we put them together and I knew we were getting it right when I started to feel sick." The prototype - officially known as a thoracic trauma trainer - will be exhibited to trauma treatment experts. After feedback, two models are due to be produced for the MoD by December 2017. Colonel Peter Mahoney, emeritus professor at Defence Medical Services, said the requirement was for training equipment that was portable, robust and reusable, while "also achieving a realism" that had only previously been possible with dead bodies. He added: "We wanted to start with the chest, because it is a common area connected with trauma, but if it could be created with realistically-moving lungs and blood vessels then any other body parts would be possible." Future developments could include the brain, eyes, stomach, pancreas, liver and kidneys, the vascular system in a person's legs and bespoke models for patient-specific preoperative surgical planning.

Question: Life - like body parts have been 3 D @placeholder to help army surgeons deal with trauma injuries .


Mr Johnson, the Mayor of London, announced on Sunday that he would be backing the campaign for Britain to leave the EU. His intervention in the debate - made, as he termed it, with "deafening eclat" - was even said to have helped cause the pound to slide on the international money markets as traders thought it made the possibility of a so-called Brexit more likely. He has arguably the highest profile of any of the governing Conservative Party except the Prime Minister David Cameron, but those outside the UK may be wondering: who is he, and is that actually his hair? Read on. Profile: Boris Johnson How could 'zip wire prat' become prime minister? Read more about the UK's referendum on the EU Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, to give him his full name, was born in New York and is descended from Turkish, French and German stock. He describes himself as a "one-man melting pot". He first made a name for himself in journalism, including a stint as Brussels correspondent for the right-wing Daily Telegraph newspaper and editor of The Spectator magazine. His humorous persona led him to become a fixture on various television programmes, including the satirical BBC panel show Have I Got News For You. He still has a lucrative and entertaining column in the Daily Telegraph, in which august forum he explained the reasons for his decision on the EU. As a politician, he has been a Conservative member of parliament for two constituencies, Henley from 2001 to 2008 and then Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 2015. Lest you think he was putting his feet up between parliamentary mandates, he is also currently serving the second of two terms as mayor of London, no mean feat in a city where the centre-left Labour Party has dominated in recent decades. That's indicative of the position Mr Johnson has carved out for himself as one of the most charismatic politicians in the UK who has wide appeal beyond Conservative heartlands - polling has suggested that his stance on the EU referendum may sway some undecided voters. Just look what happens when you type his name into Google.co.uk. Not quite. He has previously courted controversy for his remarks about (among others) the populations of Liverpool, Portsmouth and Papua New Guinea, not to mention run-ins with his own party leadership and TV chef Jamie Oliver. Last October he accidentally flattened a 10-year-old schoolboy at what was meant to be a friendly game of photo-op rugby in Japan. But none of this seems to have affected his standing among the party faithful or the public at large. Even getting stuck on a zip-wire during the London Olympics in 2012, a sure-fire route to derision for any other politician, only enhanced his eccentric image. Mr Johnson finally ended months of speculation about which side of the EU debate he would back in an immaculately impromptu media scrum outside his home in North London, having reportedly informed the prime minister of his decision earlier the same day. He said that he had come to his decision as a result of deeply held convictions and "after a huge amount of heartache". His father Stanley, a former Conservative member of the European parliament, said that his son had performed a noble and potentially "career-ending move", ruining any chance of serving in Mr Cameron's cabinet. But Mr Cameron has already said he won't run for another mandate when his current one ends in 2020. Some observers of British politics point out that even if the UK votes to remain in the EU, positioning himself in the "Out" camp won't do Mr Johnson any harm with grassroots Conservatives, many of who are Eurosceptic and will have the final say in choosing a new leader. In this, some suggest, he is implementing his long-standing policy on cake: "My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it." No, that's Donald Trump. Also a pioneer of unorthodox political hair, but they don't get on. When Mr Trump commented that parts of London are "so radicalised the police are afraid for their lives", Mr Johnson retorted: "The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump." No, I've confused you now by mentioning Donald Trump. Same hair though. No, that's Julian Assange.

Question: Foreign observers of the UK 's debate on its forthcoming referendum on whether to stay in the European Union may have noticed an awful lot of fuss about the @placeholder of a man called Boris Johnson - yes , that man on the zip wire .


Jamie Toland told police he woke up to find the animal gnawing at the tag around his ankle at his home in Slemish Way, Lisburn, County Antrim. But the High Court in Belfast was told there were "no signs" of teeth marks. Bail was refused after the judge said the explanations tested "the court's ability to accept what he says". Remanding the 23-year-old in custody, the judge said other outcome would "defy all the rules of logic and sense". Mr Toland had been fitted with the electronic monitoring tag last month, after he was granted bail in connection to a burglary that took place in February. He allegedly stole ?¡ê1,550 in cash and a pellet gun during the break-in at a property in Lisburn. The accused now faces a new charge of criminal damage for allegedly removing the monitoring device. The tag is connected to a tamper alarm, and the security firm which manages the tagging system alerted police that the alarm had been trigged on 28 October. Mr Toland was then arrested at his home. A prosecution barrister to the High Court: "It subsequently became clear that the electronic tag had been removed from the applicant's ankle. The court that heard Mr Toland told police his dog chewed at his ankle tag in an attempt to get the accused to go for a morning walk. The prosecution barrister told the judge: "The tag was examined and there were no signs of any teeth marks around it." He added that it would take up to 40 kilos in weight to break the device. A box installed in Mr Toland's house as part of the monitoring system had been shifted, but the accused claimed it had been moved so he could do some cleaning. A defence lawyer told the court he accepted he faced "an uphill struggle" to secure bail for his client again. "His account of this is that he takes the dog for a walk every morning, but he slept in and the dog was gnawing at the thing on his leg," the lawyer added. "He said when he got up he tried to get the dog off and the item fell off his leg." The court heard Mr Toland has been battling alcohol addiction and had suffered two serious assaults earlier this year. He sustained a fractured jaw and a brain injury in one incident. The second attack involved being hit on the skull with a bottle. Remanding the accused into custody, the judge said: "This is an application where I would have to defy all the rules of logic and sense to do other than refuse him bail."

Question: A burglary suspect has claimed that his pet dog chewed off the electronic tag he had been wearing as part of his bail @placeholder , a court has been told .


Texting can also cut pupil absence, according to the Queen's University Belfast evaluation. The programme involved 15,697 pupils in 29 schools across England, half of whose parents were sent texts. Schools have been using texts to communicate with parents for some time, according to head teachers' leaders. The pupils who took part in the study were from Year 7 - the first year of secondary school, Year 9 and Year 11 - the GCSE year. The parents of about half the pupils involved in the trial were sent roughly one text a week during the school term, for a year starting in September 2014. Overall, the programme amounted to about 30 texts over the year. They included the dates of upcoming tests and warnings about missed homework as well as details about what the children had learned during the day, aiming to prompt conversations at home about school. In each school, either the parents of the Year 11 group or the Year 7 and Year 9 groups were allocated to receive the texts. The researchers carried out baseline tests to determine pupils' abilities at the beginning of the year and used figures from the National Pupil Database to determine their progress. They found that the intervention appeared to have "an extremely small, positive, yet statistically significant impact" on attainment, particularly on maths and absenteeism. The researchers found the effect of the intervention was not statistically significant in English and science. The texts cost the schools about ?¡ê6 per pupil over the year, says the report. The study was one of a series funded by the Education Endowment Foundation. EEF chief executive Sir Kevan Collins said the "simple and cheap" programme could be "a better bet for schools" than persuading parents to attend school-run parenting classes, particularly at secondary school. Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, agreed using text and social media could be "a highly efficient way of communicating with parents". Mr Trobe was particularly impressed with the impact of the texts on pupil absenteeism, shown in the trial. He said that as long as the system was easy for schools to operate, did not incur excessive costs or add to teachers' workload leaders "this is something that schools can take on and develop".

Question: Texts from schools to parents about tests and homework can boost secondary pupils ' maths grades by the @placeholder of a month in class , research suggests .


Former state-appointed emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose were charged for failing to protect residents from the toxic water. Two city employees were also charged with felony counts related to the case. Flint's drinking water became contaminated with lead in 2014 after the city changed its water supply. Attorney General Bill Schuette charged Mr Earley and Mr Ambrose with false pretences, conspiracy to commit false pretences, misconduct in office and wilful neglect of duty in office. He also charged former city employees Howard Croft, a public works superintendent, and Daugherty Johnson, a utilities manager, with conspiracy to operate a plant that was not equipped to properly treat water from the Flint River. "The tragedy that we know of as the Flint water crisis did not occur by accident," Mr Schuette said. "Flint was a casualty of arrogance, disdain and failure of management, an absence of accountability." Mr Johnson's attorney, Edwar Zeineh, told the AP news agency his client will plead not guilty. The others and their lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment. The water crisis made national headlines after tests found high amounts of lead in blood samples taken from children in the majority African-American city. The contamination can be traced back to April 2014, when Mr Earley, the emergency manager at the time, decided to change the city's water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money. The acidic water of Flint River corroded the city's pipes, which leached lead into the water. Flint switched back to the previous water system in October 2015 and federal regulators say that filter tap water is now safe to drink, but still recommend bottled water for young children and pregnant women. So far 13 people have been charged in connection to the investigation into Flint's water supply and an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease. The state brought charges against two state regulators and a city employee for official misconduct in April. In July, prosecutors charged six health and environmental workers for concealing data that showed elevated levels of lead in children's blood was tied to the water supply. Mr Early and Mr Ambrose face up to 46 years in prison while Mr Croft and Mr Johnson could face up to 40 years behind bars. Mr Schuette's announcement comes a day after a report found nearly 3,000 areas with recently recorded lead poisoning rates twice as much as those in Flint during the height of the city's water crisis. More than 1,100 of those communities had a rate of elevated blood tests at least four times higher, according to the Reuters report.

Question: Four more city workers have been charged in the investigation into the lead - @placeholder water crisis in Flint , Michigan , state prosecutors said .


12:00 Tuesday local time (07:00 GMT): A spokesman for the Taliban tells the BBC that militants have attacked the army-run school in response to military operations in North Waziristan and the Khyber area. The BBC's Wietske Burma in Islamabad tweets: Local channels quote police saying between four to six gunmen wearing security uniform have entered the school. Gunfire is heard from inside the building. Footage from the scene shows injured children and young people being taken away. Security forces close the road and cordon off the area. 13:00-14:00 (08:00-09:00 GMT): The Pakistani army says a gun battle is still under way at the school. The bulk of the 500 students and staff inside the building have been evacuated, officials say. Schoolchildren are photographed being ushered away from the area. Regional government officials update the media on early estimates of the number of people killed. 14:00-15:00 (09:00-10:00): The death roll rises quickly. Local officials go on to say 126 people have been killed, most of them children. Dozens more are injured and taken to Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital. Meanwhile, students are reportedly still being held hostage inside the school. Military officials say a rescue operation is taking place. 15:30 (10:30 GMT): Several explosions are heard from inside the school, as well as continuing gunfire. Reports later emerge of a suicide bomb going off inside the school. Frantic parents continue to search for news of their children. 16:00 (11:00 GMT): More children are being rescued from the siege, officials say. 17:15 (12:15 GMT): An army spokesman says six suspected militants are dead, and bombs planted by the attackers are hampering the military operation. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has by now reached Peshawar and is being briefed on the operation. 20:00 (15:00 GMT): Pakistani officials say the attack is over, with all of the attackers killed, although security forces are still checking for bombs. Soldiers continue to patrol the streets of Peshawar. Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise. This boy's mother was reportedly a teacher at the school and was killed during the siege. Pakistan's army spokesman Asim Bajwa says 132 children and nine staff members were killed in the attack. The final number of people killed is yet to be confirmed.

Question: An attack by the Taliban on a school in Peshawar is being seen as one of the worst - ever in Pakistan . Militants stormed the building and scores of children and staff were killed . Here is how @placeholder unfolded .


Abedul Karou and his wife escaped Syria earlier this year after being told nine-year-old son Mohamed had been killed in a bombing raid. They later discovered the youngster was alive - but all borders have been closed and Mohamed is trapped. Mr Karou, now living in Penicuik, said he just wants to hug and kiss his son. The Home Office has said Mohamed must have a DNA test to prove he is the couple's son before he can be brought to the UK. But there are no test centres in Syria due to the devastating civil war, and the nearest are in neighbouring countries which have closed their borders to Syria. Prime Minister Theresa May has now vowed that the case will be looked at. Mr Karou said: "My sister sent me a picture and I saw him and cried, because he has no clothes. "He's not eating well because there is no food of course. I don't know if he's being covered in the night - how he sleeps, how he eats, how he's living. We don't know." The family were separated after a bombing attack in Homs, in the west of Syria. Mr Karou said: "My mind was saying he is dead but there was something, a small light of hope in my heart, that he was still alive. Unless I see his dead body I wouldn't believe he had died." He said he was "very happy" when he learned his son was alive but was very worried for him now. Mr Karou said his son was in a "miserable situation" and is concerned he may be kidnapped by jihadis and trained by them. Midlothian MP Owen Thompson has now written to Home Secretary Amber Rudd to ask her to help after receiving an assurance from Theresa May at Prime Minister's Questions that the case would be looked at. He said: "This family have gone through an unimaginable amount of pain: from finding out that their son is still alive to the agony and frustration of the last six months trying to get Mohamed out of Syria. "A Red Cross chaperone has been offered to take Mohamed across the border but the Home Office has advised against this because it is just too dangerous. This little boy is in an extremely vulnerable position and urgently needs our help to ensure that he can be reunited with his family in Scotland. "In light of the exceptional circumstances in this case, I call on the Home Secretary to take immediate action to remove Mohamed from the imminent danger he faces." Mr Karou added: "When I came here and when I see people, communities start talking about my case and they try to open a big conversation about it, my hope is getting bigger and I really feel happy now. "It's like every father who is responsible for a family. He wants to see a complete, happy family. He wants to get back after a long day and see a complete family waiting for him. He wants to hug him he wants to kiss him."

Question: A Syrian couple living in Scotland after fleeing the war - torn country fearing their son was dead have @placeholder to be reunited with him .


Media playback is not supported on this device Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe sums up the Championships at the All England Club rather well. Pristine surfaces, the all-white dress code, strawberries and, most importantly, the world's best tennis players all striving for one of sport's most prestigious prizes. And it is all about to start again. Here are the key things you need to know. The gates open at Wimbledon on Monday, but the fun started a week ago. Qualifying began on Monday, 26 June as lower-ranked players not automatically in the draw competed for the 16 remaining men's places and 12 women's spots. Britain's Alex Ward, ranked world number 855, took one of them, but the likes of Marcus Willis, Liam Broady and Katy Dunne did not make it. The seedings, given to the top 32 players in each singles draw, were announced on Wednesday. Things really started getting moving on Friday, when the draw was made. Play begins on the outside courts at 11:30 BST on Monday, before Britain's Andy Murray, the reigning men's champion, has the honour of opening on Centre Court at 13:00 BST. Murray, Wimbledon champion in 2013 and 2016, has struggled with a hip injury in the lead-up to his title defence. The world number one was forced him to pull out of two warm-up matches at the Hurlingham Club, but practised at the All England Club on Friday and Saturday. And, putting aside his injury concerns, the Scot has been well short of his blistering form 12 months ago. Media playback is not supported on this device The Scot's start to the grass-court season has not been ideal - he lost his only match on the surface so far this year. Murray, 30, won the Queen's title before both Wimbledon triumphs, but this month he suffered a surprise first-round defeat by Australian world number 90 Jordan Thompson at the Aegon Championships. "There is no guarantee that I won't do well at Wimbledon, but it certainly would have helped to have had more matches," said Murray before his injury troubles. Seven-time champion Roger Federer, fresh from winning his fourth title of the year at the Halle Open, is still seen by many as the man to beat. The 35-year-old Swiss won the Australian Open in January - a record 18th Grand Slam title. Another success at Wimbledon will put him clear of the men's record of seven singles titles he shares with Pete Sampras, and move him to within one of Martina Navratilova's all-time record of nine. Federer's long-time rival Rafael Nadal is also among the Wimbledon favourites after winning his 10th French Open crown at Roland Garros. Nadal, 31, has overcome his own injury problems to climb back up to second in the world rankings. Novak Djokovic held all four Grand Slam titles going into last year's Championships. Now he holds none. The 30-year-old Serb, who rediscovered some form by winning the Eastbourne title, has dropped to fourth in the world rankings after a troubled year in which he has split with his coaching team. No Serena Williams and no Maria Sharapova. The ladies' draw might be lacking a bit of stardust without the sport's two biggest names - 22-time Grand Slam champion Williams is pregnant, Sharapova is injured - but that does not mean it will be any less exciting. Will we see a new women's champion this year? More than likely. Only two former winners - Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova - are playing at SW19. Kvitova - champion in 2011 and 2014 - would be a fairytale winner as she continues her return from a career-threatening hand injury sustained when she was stabbed by an intruder at her home. Media playback is not supported on this device The new girl on the block, 20-year-old French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, might just stun everyone again, while Czech Karolina Pliskova will be feeling confident about her chances after winning the Eastbourne singles. And then, of course, there's Britain's Johanna Konta (more on her next). Like Murray, British women's number one Johanna Konta has seen her preparations marred by an injury scare. Konta, ranked seventh in the world, said on Friday she was "not 100% certain" if she will be fit enough to play at Wimbledon after suffering a back injury. The 26-year-old is aiming to raise hopes of a first female British winner since Virginia Wade in 1977. Konta is the first top-10 British woman at Wimbledon since Jo Durie reached the quarter-finals in 1984, however she has only ever won one match in the main draw. Her build-up to this year's tournament began with a run to the Nottingham Open final, where she lost to world number 70 Donna Vekic, a potential second-round opponent. She then lost in the second round of Birmingham's Aegon Classic but then beat Ostapenko and world number one Angelique Kerber to reach the Eastbourne semi-finals, only to withdraw having suffered the injury late in her quarter-final win over Kerber. Joining Murray and Konta in the main draw are 10 other British players. Kyle Edmund and Aljaz Bedene qualified automatically as they are ranked inside the world's top 100, while seven players have been given wildcards. Naomi Broady, Heather Watson, Laura Robson and Katie Boulter go into the women's draw, along with Brydan Klein, Cameron Norrie and James Ward in the men's. Alex Ward, ranked world number 855, joined them after battling through three rounds of qualifying at Roehampton. However, Dan Evans - ranked 50th in the world - will not play after revealing that he failed a drugs test in April. Media playback is not supported on this device 9 - record number of singles titles (Martina Navratilova) 250 - the number of ball boys and girls 14,979 - the number of seats on Centre Court 39,000 - capacity in the grounds at any one time 54,250 - number of balls used during the Championships 140,000 - servings of strawberries sold 320,000 - glasses of Pimm's sold 31,600,000 - total prize money (¡ê) for 2017 Wimbledon remains one of the few major UK sporting events for which you can still buy tickets on the day of play. That means, unless you've already bagged one in the ballot, you're going to have to join the famous queue. Thousands of people gather daily in nearby Wimbledon Park to wait for a limited number of tickets which are available for Centre Court, Court One and Court Two (except for the last four days on Centre Court, when all are sold in advance). Several thousand ground passes, meaning fans can use unreserved seating and standing room on courts three to 18, are available each day at the turnstiles. But don't rely on using your debit card to pay for them - it is cash only. Not got a ticket? Can't be bothered with the queue? Don't worry, because there will be more than 150 hours of coverage on BBC One and BBC Two over two weeks, plus 100 hours of action on BBC Radio 5 live. Sue Barker will once again be at the helm, while three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker returns to our commentary team alongside Pat Cash, Annabel Croft, Tim Henman and John McEnroe and many more. You can also take control of the coverage yourself by choosing between up to 15 live HD streams on your smartphone, tablet and connected TVs. Murray will once again give us an exclusive insight into his Wimbledon campaign with his column for the BBC Sport website. There will also be a range of content on BBC Sport's Twitter,Facebook and Instagram accounts - and, as always, we want you to get involved. This year is a special anniversary as The Championships marks 90 years of coverage on the BBC. Coverage of the Championships started on radio in 1927, and a decade later TV viewers were able to switch on and catch the action. Sue Barker set off around the world in a special BBC One documentary to find out what is it about the green grass of Wimbledon that makes us all become tennis fans for two weeks every summer. "I still get goose-bumps when I walk into the All England Lawn Tennis Club at the start of tournament and that will never change," says the 1977 semi-finalist.

Question: " There 's a certain beauty and majesty to Wimbledon - the @placeholder , the way the grass looks on TV . "