Kay's 30 Days of The Smiths, created in collaboration with artist Oberman Knocks, mixes the band's music, the tales of people called Smith and her own words into a soundscape. The work will be staged at The Lowry, a stone's throw from lead singer Morrissey childhood home and the Salford Lads Club, where the quartet were photographed for the sleeve of their album The Queen Is Dead. It aims to investigate what it is to be a Smith, find links between the people born with the name and the band and play with the notion that "if you listen to the word 'Smith', you hear the sound of the word 'myth'. Kay interviewed 30 Salford Smiths, most of who liked "the fact they shared a name with other people". "For every single Smith, there will be another Smith that has got exactly the same name, and any Smith will have been in any situation, like being mistaken for another Smith, so it lends itself to a lot of different funny, as well as tragic, stories," she says. "And it lends itself to a whole series of experiences which are very mundane and ordinary and also very extraordinary. "There is nobody that is not a somebody." Kay says these mix-ups and mistaken identities are worn as a badge of pride, with people "collecting these stories like a collector might pick up beer coasters". "They liked the frisson and the energy that is in that anonymity. "Quite a few people said that it made them feel a great freedom knowing that there was another Smith out there - it liberated them and they felt they could do absolutely anything they liked because lots of people held their name." Kay found she ended up talking about everything "from murder to suicide to love to divorce to commitment to dedication" with people who seemed "compelled to tell" their stories. "I went and knocked on these doors and I didn't know what to expect," she says. "In some cases, it was really surprising. "One woman had three massive tarantulas, and that was the thing she was most excited about. "Another woman was talking about being kidnapped in her own house, while another, a man, spoke about watching his best friend being murdered in his street. "A man told me about loving his wife so much that he took her surname, and his family then got annoyed with him. "And a son was talking with his 70-year-old mother about how he loved her but not his father and he felt funny still having his father's name - and the mother said, 'Our name means nothing to us.'" However far apart their stories seemed, though, she says they all had one thing in common apart from their surname - their love for Salford. "There was a feeling that Salford itself was a character, a big open-hearted place," Kay says. "I didn't speak to a single person that disliked Salford. "When I asked them how far they had travelled, some people hadn't been much further than Salford, while others had been to China, South Africa or Japan, but they all really loved coming back and said there is nowhere like it in the world. "Everybody said that completely seriously." BBC 6 Music presenter Mark Radcliffe says: "The idea of taking this music and involving local Smiths and making it into a thing was something I didn't feel that I wanted to be left out of." Using Salford's neighbouring city as shorthand for the whole area, he says The Smiths were "the quintessential Manchester band". "They have all the hallmarks of great Mancunian music, which I've distilled down to an essence of music that has an uplifting melancholia," Radcliffe says. He says choosing which tracks to include was a task of "great difficulty", but the three he picked - This Charming Man, What Difference Does It Make? and Panic - "express the different tenors of The Smiths' sound". "This Charming Man is incredibly romantic," he says. "Upbeat but downbeat at the same time, it speaks of abandon and escape but still stuck in a room because you 'haven't got a stitch to wear' - there's a release and a containment in that song. "Panic has that sense of great mischief and malevolence, which is very much a part of Mancunian humour. "The Smiths are laced with Mancunian humour, which can be seen as so dry, it borders on the cruel. There is that no-nonsense element to it. "And What Difference Does It Make? is a great motto, a great adage to live by. "None of us matter very much, though Morrissey may disagree. "We are all but ants, little Smiths - and this is not meant disparagingly - but we're all little Smiths with our little stories living in Salford or wherever, and at the end of the day, what difference have any of us made?" Some of Kay's interviewees were "massive fans" of The Smiths and "actually knew members personally", but others "didn't like the band and found the music depressing and nihilistic". And while she did find one person who had gone to school with Morrissey, she says the stories they told her about their own lives were far more interesting than any such reminiscences. She says "nobody seemed frustrated" by the misunderstandings and remarks their name had opened the door to, as "they had all got used to it and it had become part of their life". "They were used to not being believed when they said their surname was Smith," says Kay. "Somebody, when they had got married, had turned up at the hotel and checked in and said, 'Smith'. The staff said, 'That's a good joke, what's your real name?' "That kind of thing had happened to people a lot." Kay says her interviewees were also united by a sense of belonging. "The connection is so random - you share a surname but what else?" she says, "And yet, the people who share the surname Smith felt like they were part of a clan. "One guy said, 'If I bump into another Smith when I'm out having a drink, I think that guy has got my back,' which was lovely and old-fashioned,  a sense of belonging to a clan. "And there is a Smith tartan, after all". 30 Days of The Smiths is at The Lowry on 7 and 8 May as part of the Week 53 festival. To see more interviews with the Smiths of Salford take a look at BBC Radio Manchester's Facebook page.

Question: What difference does a name make ? Scotland 's national poet Jackie Kay says that in the case of anyone with the UK 's most common surname , Smith , the answer is both a great @placeholder and none at all .


On Wednesday, shares of Chinese solar power manufacturer Hanergy Thin Film were suspended after falling 47%, wiping out $18.6bn (?¡ê11.9bn) from its market capitalisation. That was followed by shares of Goldin Financial, which fell 55% on Thursday. Both firms had seen the price of their shares surge over the past year. Shares of Goldin Financial, which is 70%-owned by Hong Kong billionaire Pan Sutong, have jumped by more than 400% between September 2014 and March this year, according to Reuters. The firm had said that it was not aware of the reason behind the big jump in its share price. About half of Goldin's value - $16.12bn - was erased on Thursday as shares fell. Meanwhile, Hanergy shares had risen five-fold since September before the sell-off began. The firm, controlled by Chinese billionaire Li Hejun, had issued a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Wednesday saying its shares had been halted from trade "pending the release of an announcement containing inside information". Li has been considered one of China's richest men on the back of his stake in Hanergy. Nicholas Teo, market analyst at trading firm CMC markets said he had noticed the dramatic drop in Hanergy's shares right away because it had everyone "scratching their heads". "The company was very quick to call a halt to the trading, but without any news, there is plenty of speculation and potentially room for further reaction to the downside if the trading suspension is lifted," he said. "Even after the drop though, Hanergy's shares are basically twice as expensive as some of the firms in that sector." David Kuo, chief executive of The Motley Fool Singapore backed the view that Hanergy shares were overvalued. "Hanergy is involved in the much-hyped solar-panel industry. Investors are paying $50 for every dollar of profit the company makes," he said. "When expectation overtakes reality, reality eventually wins. The market is experiencing a dose of reality." There has been speculation as to the reason why the Chinese company halted trading, with Reuters citing an unnamed source as saying the firm is under investigation by Hong Kong regulators. Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has declined to make a comment. Local reports also said that Li, chairman of the firm, did not attend the firm's annual general meeting in Hong Kong on Wednesday.

Question: Shares of two Hong Kong - listed companies have plunged by about 50 % in the past two days , surprising market watchers across the @placeholder .


The Home Affairs Committee urged the government to state an "effective cut-off date" for when EU citizens in the UK would be granted the right to stay. It added there could be fresh delays and backlogs in the immigration system if more people tried to enter the UK. Ministers said it would be "wrong" to set out details before exit talks. The government has confirmed it will seek curbs on free movement rules that currently give EU nationals the right to live and work in other member states. But it has said it is not possible to give a firm guarantee about the status of EU nationals currently living in the UK without a reciprocal pledge from other nations about British nationals living on the continent. The committee's report said the outcome of the 23 June referendum, in which Britain voted to leave the EU, had placed EU nationals living in the UK "in a potentially very difficult and uncertain position". "Past experience has shown that previous attempts to tighten immigration rules have led to a spike in immigration prior to the rules coming into force," the MPs said. "EU citizens living and working in the UK must be told where they stand in relation to the UK leaving the EU and they should not be used as bargaining chips in the negotiations." By Danny Shaw, home affairs correspondent Every three months, the Home Affairs Committee meticulously documents the progress made by immigration officials in dealing with asylum cases, processing visa applications and removing foreign national offenders. It's usually a depressing read, with examples of inefficiencies, backlogs and delays. Today's report is no exception - but with an extra complication. Britain's looming exit from the European Union raises the possibility of a sudden influx of EU citizens to the UK anxious to claim their right to residence. If, as the report suggests, a "cut-off date" months or two years into the future is identified it's hard to see how a "surge" in arrivals can be prevented. Name a date in the past - 23 June for example - and there'll be howls of protest from those who arrived afterwards. Dr Swati Dhingra, from the London School of Economics, told BBC 5 live the rise in the national living wage in the UK might encourage people to travel to the country. She also said if there was a cut-off date "a lot of people might think, if they want to move to the UK - now is the time". The report said the most obvious cut-off period would be the date Article 50 - the formal mechanism to leave the EU - is triggered, or when the UK actually leaves the bloc. It said the first step to establishing where EU nationals in the UK were living and working was through National Insurance numbers or a system of registration, and the process needed to start quickly. A government spokesman said: "We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out further unilateral positions in advance. But there is clearly no mandate for accepting the free movement of people as it has existed up until now."

Question: There could be a spike in UK @placeholder ahead of Britain 's withdrawal from the European Union and the possible end to free movement rights , MPs have warned .


He was the rangy intellectual presenter on late night TV arts shows of the early 1990s in the UK, who looked like he might moonlight in an experimental jazz band. The author and academic entered politics in his native Canada, becoming leader of the opposition party, before last autumn taking on a job as president of the Central European University in Hungary. Mr Ignatieff, in his late sixties, might have been forgiven for thinking that this was a job before retirement - but instead he has stepped into a political storm. The Budapest university has become a symbolic battleground between liberal internationalism and a rising tide of populist nationalism - with loud protests that the Hungarian government is trying to close it down. Mr Ignatieff says it would be the first time a post-War European state had "got away with shutting down a free university". "That's what makes it unprecedented. That's what makes it shocking. "Now that's crossing a line. We haven't been there before. "We see absolutely no reason why we should be forced out of Budapest, we think it's outrageous," says the university president, speaking in London. "We're a free institution, and this is about a drive to control," says Mr Ignatieff. The Hungarian government has insisted this is not the case and the university has only to fall in line with new higher education regulations. And over the weekend, there were signs that Hungary's ruling Fidesz party would bow to pressure from the European Parliament's centre-right grouping to protect "basic freedoms". But this is a dispute with deep roots - not least in relation to the role of the university's funder, George Soros. The Budapest-born billionaire and Holocaust survivor has been a prominent backer of liberal causes. And Mr Ignatieff says Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has had a "longstanding vendetta" against Mr Soros. Mr Orban, in turn, told the European Parliament last week that it was Mr Soros who was the aggressor against Hungary. Mr Soros has other feuds running. He has called US President Donald Trump a "con man and would-be dictator" and has become a hate figure for some of the US president's supporters. He has also been a vocal opponent of Russian leader Vladimir Putin. And at the weekend, demonstrators in Budapest were chanting: "Europe, not Moscow," fearing that the push against the university was part of a move to look eastwards rather than west. Adding spice to the antagonism is the fact that Mr Orban's early career was helped by a grant from George Soros in the late-1980s, bringing him to study in Oxford. The young student who wrote about civil society and the transition to democracy is now the prime minister facing street protests. And there have been some who have seen this all as a proxy struggle between a liberal establishment and the supporters of Mr Trump, Mr Putin and Mr Orban. In the French presidential elections, Emmanuel Macron is accusing his opponent, Marine le Pen, of being part of an alliance with Mr Orban and Mr Putin. The Central European University (CEU) is a liberal, international institution, accredited in the US as well as Hungary, and created to promote democratic values after the end of Soviet rule. Mr Ignatieff was speaking at the University of East London, about projects that both universities run to support refugees - another position unlikely to win friends with those hostile to immigration. More stories from the BBC's Global education series looking at education from an international perspective, and how to get in touch. You can join the debate at the BBC's Family & Education News Facebook page. But the CEU president says it has been a major miscalculation to believe that the Trump presidency would line up against the university. "I think one of the assumptions that Mr Orban must have made is that if he squashed an American institution, the Trump administration wouldn't care -  because it's associated with liberalism and all these hated things. "In fact the American administration has been extremely forthright, right out of the gate." The dispute over the university has continued to ripple outwards - with a surrounding digital blizzard of claim, counter-claim and fake news. The European Commission has launched proceedings against Hungary, with vice-president Frans Timmermans saying the country's new rules on higher education were "perceived by many as an attempt to close down the Central European University". A collection of European scientists has written to Mr Orban to say moves against the university were "totally at odds with what we thought was taken for granted in free democracies". But Mr Orban's reply showed no sign of changing direction. He wrote back that the scientists' claims do not "correspond with reality" and there had been "false allegations" and an "international disinformation campaign" against Hungary's government. So what happens next? Until anything else is confirmed, Mr Ignatieff says that from October the university's licence can be withdrawn and they will be unable to recruit students. "We're not going to shut down, but we may have to leave the country." And he says that they have received offers from six other countries to take the university. But he is still campaigning to stay in Budapest - and not wanting to burn any bridges, emphasises that there is no political challenge to Mr Orban. "This is not fascism. This is a populist democrat, he won a free and fair election. In Budapest, you're not in the deep freeze of Communist Hungary or fascist Germany." Mr Ignatieff also says the hand of Mr Putin shouldn't be seen everywhere: "We invest in Putin powers that he can only dream of. We pump the guy up bigger than he actually is." But this is a line in the sand, says Mr Ignatieff. If universities can be shut down in the heart of Europe, then what does it mean for the future of democracy? "Democracy is not just majority rule, it's not just free media, it's not just a free judiciary. It's about institutions that have the right to govern themselves," he says. "This is a battle for something I really care about, this is really deep in me. "Universities are infuriating, they're difficult. But if you want a democracy, you want free institutions. It's really important." "This is one I couldn't afford to miss and one I can't afford to lose."

Question: Michael Ignatieff is not a person you would expect to find at the centre of a global political power play @placeholder names such as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin .


Riot police used clubs and tear gas to evict the farmers who protested on Tuesday in Van Giang district of Hung Yen province near the capital. Villagers had camped in the area to try to keep the authorities and private developers away from the site. Land rights disputes in Vietnam are becoming increasingly violent. Around 2,000 police and security officers were deployed to repossess the area. "They threw stun grenades and came towards the field... then 100 bulldozers were sent in to clear crops," a local resident, who identified himself only as Kien, told the BBC Vietnamese service. A private company, Vihajico, has been trying for years to build a satellite city called EcoPark, covering 500 hectares of land in the area. More than 4,000 families will lose their farmland as a result of the development, AP news agency reports. Residents have been offered 36 million Vietnamese dong ($1,700; ?¡ê1,000) as compensation for every 360 sq m plot of land. However, some locals have said that the compensation is inadequate, and accuse officials of corruption. Land rights are a contentious issue in Vietnam, where the Communist government owns all land and usage rights are unclear. In January, fish farmer Doan Van Vuon made headlines after he used homemade mines and shotguns in an attempt to stop police from seizing his land.

Question: Vietnamese police have @placeholder 20 people after hundreds of farmers protested on a disputed plot of land near Hanoi , state media report .


"As a young woman there are so many things you are told you can't do," says Klara "Our message is always to do it." The folk duo, who grew up in a suburb of Stockholm, started writing and performing together just seven years ago, aged 14 and 16. On Wednesday they will be playing the Albert Hall themselves. "We went ahead and started writing and performing our songs." The sisters particularly wanted to deliver a workshop for young girls. "It's really nice for us to get to meet the girls. And because we started out at the same sort of ages as they are now, they can relate to our story," says Johanna, now 23. The workshop is part of the Royal Albert Hall's education workshops programme, which brings rising stars into contact with aspiring teenage musicians. Other sessions have been led by Jake Bugg and Emeli Sande. The audience of 12- to 16-year-olds are treated to a private performance of First Aid Kit hits: Waitress Song, Wolf, their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water - and finally Emmylou. "I wrote my first song when I was six," Klara tells the audience. "Music has always been part of our lives but we never went to music school." The girls were born into a musical family. Their talk includes references to their earliest influences, ranging from their father's time in a Swedish rock pop band to listening to the Spice Girls and the Back Street Boys. By their early teens, they had moved on to less typical idols for their age group: Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Gram Parsons and The Carter Family. "We became more kind of geeks," says Klara. Klara taught herself to play the guitar and Johanna learned to play keyboard. "We don't know any music theory - well, maybe a little bit." Now they say they know each other so well they "hardly have to think" about how their voices work together when singing different harmonies. Their global break came with a cover of Fleet Foxes' Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, which the American band shared online. "They put our cover on their page," says Johanna. "It got half a million views really quickly". Soon afterwards, they began touring internationally and left school aged 16 and 18. "We made our first like real album five years ago and have never gone back." Johanna reveals she once applied for Pop Idol "and I didn't get in, but now I have my revenge!" The question-and-answer session reveals their teenage crushes and the meaning of their matching tattoos. "It's a native American sign for protection. It's a sisterhood thing. "We travel around a lot, and it can be scary playing these big stages - but having your sister there means you feel more at home," says Klara. "We still fight, especially about we wear on stage," adds Johanna. The girl-only workshop is a hit with the participants. "There's less pressure than if there had been boys here. We can do what they do," says 16-year-old Rhiannon. "It's more comfortable. You don't feel as self-conscious," adds Lanta, 15. The fact the band are largely self-taught also generates interest. "I am awful at music theory too," says Rhiannon. "I liked that they auditioned for Pop Idol and didn't get in," says Joy. "Their voices work so well together, and I love their passion for music," says Sarah. After a short break it's time for a harmony workshop, a chance to learn the parts of Emmylou and a joint performance. The sisters teach the students the voice exercises they learned after Johanna lost her voice and missed two performances. "The girl who taught us this said not to do it in front of anyone you are in love with. You stick your tongue behind your teeth and then push it out. "Come on guys you've got to do this. "It stretches your tongue and your throat." The students are split into two groups, one to learn the melody of Emmylou, the other the harmony. At first the students are soft and shy - but by the end of the workshop they are singing strongly. "This sounds great," says Klara. "I want them to come on stage with us and join our tour."

Question: In a room lined with huge photographs of the greats who have @placeholder the Royal Albert Hall in the past , the Soderberg sisters , also known as First Aid Kit , lead a singing workshop for girls from local schools .


Tuesday marks the start of another three-day strike by the RMT in what is the longest running strike since the railways were privatised in 1996. The first strike began back in April. But how are commuters bearing up under the stress and strain? Southern rail strike to bring 'major delays' How to claim a refund for Southern disruption Eight strike questions answered Alistair Cansdale is a 42-year-old digital marketer who commuted from Haywards Heath in West Sussex to London Victoria. "In the end I couldn't take it any longer. Last week I took a big jump and decided to give up my highly paid job in London  - with nothing to go to. "I was working for a difficult management team who were constantly checking up on people's hours. I spent the whole afternoon every day thinking - what's the earliest I can leave?" Mr Cansdale said his usual 45-minute journey could take up to three hours. "It was awful," he said, "and all for ¡ê5,000 a year" - the price of his annual season ticket. "Quitting was a huge relief but it's also been unnerving. It's a relief that I don't have to do the daily commute any more." Natalie Davies is a 45-year-old personal assistant living in Kent and working in the City. "I had to move to Edenbridge three years ago to look after my mother and to be honest the problems have not just been throughout this year - the Uckfield line has always been bad - it's just escalated to supremely diabolical this year," she said. She said her boss has been "very sympathetic" but she "cannot be seen to be favouring me". "The number of times I have had to pay ¡ê80-¡ê100 for a cab home as we only get one train home an hour," she added. "It's soul-destroying and completely ruining my life at the moment as I have to put everything on hold." Hannah Blowey, 27, from Eridge in East Sussex, said: "I'm almost eight months pregnant. I'm going on maternity leave earlier than I would have done if the service home was more reliable. "It's always a crush getting on the train - and even though I'm heavily pregnant I don't always get a seat," she said. "When I mentioned to the district nurse that I was commuting to London on the Uckfield line she immediately asked if I wanted to be signed off. "You can't go on maternity leave three months early - you have to carry on." Teresa Baldock commutes from Crowborough in East Sussex to London Bridge where she works as a publishing sales manager. She says she's missing out on seeing her baby daughter because of cancelled trains on her journeys home from work. "It's absolutely horrendous," she said. "I've been late home every night for the past three weeks. My husband has been coming out with our baby daughter in the car at night to pick me up from different stations when the trains have been cancelled. "I only have half an hour to see my 14-month-old baby on the four days a week I work in London - but if I'm late I don't see her at all." She said her boss has allowed her to work from home one day a week. "I was having a meltdown," she said. "Most days by the time I get to work I just want to curl up under my desk and go to sleep, and from 4pm onwards I'm planning my journey home." Lorna Cobbett, 37, travels from Horsham in West Sussex to London Victoria. "My commute is meant to take 55 minutes - but on a bad day it can take two hours. "I have triplets, one of them seriously disabled with a life-limiting condition," she said. "My real fear is that I won't be able to get back if my daughter ends up in hospital. Thankfully, the last time we had to call an ambulance for her, earlier this month, I was working from home. "If I'm in London, how do I know I'm going to be able to get to her as quickly as I need to? It makes me really angry." Bradley Rees, a 43-year-old software developer, says the service between Durrington in West Sussex and London Victoria is "hell - the conditions do get really dangerous". "Commuters are cannon fodder caught in the middle of the dispute," he says. He has designed a free app - Southern Fail - to help people understand the human impact of what's been happening, he said. "People have had enough - they're quitting their jobs, they don't see their families - it's taken a real emotional and physical toll."

Question: Things are @placeholder to get a whole lot worse for commuters on trains operated by Southern . The dispute between the rail operator and the RMT union over the role of conductors has now spread , as Aslef drivers also voted to strike in a dispute over driver - only operated trains .


Two goal-line clearances frustrated the hosts' Josh Magennis in the first half. Dundee had the better of the second half and saves by Jamie MacDonald denied Paul McGowan and Kane Hemmings. A point may well prove vital in Killie's quest to avoid the relegation play-off spot, which they currently occupy. The Rugby Park side have taken four points from the last six available, leaving them level with Partick Thistle and 11 points ahead of Dundee United, while Dundee's fine run extends to five games unbeaten. The Ayrshire side almost got their new manager's Premiership stewardship off to the perfect start. Craig Slater and Greg Kiltie combined to release Magennis, who turned Darren O'Dea before slotting the ball beyond goalkeeper Scott Bain only for Kevin Holt to clear off the line. Magennis was proving a handful for the Dundee defence and he brought out a fine save from Bain with a driven shot. Greg Stewart had the visitors' first real effort after getting beyond Kevin McHattie but his angled shot was deflected wide by the outstretched leg of Conrad Balatoni. It was a fast tempo affair but the home side came close from two corner kicks. Gary Dicker volleyed McHattie's cross just over and Magennis then had a header blocked on the line by Nick Ross. In between those chances a Slater free-kick from wide on the left almost caught out Bain but the keeper managed to readjust and flick the ball away. On the half-hour mark after withstanding some Killie pressure Stewart robbed Slater in the middle of the park before setting up Rory Loy, a former Killie youth player, who turned a first-time effort over the bar. Media playback is not supported on this device Paul Hartley's team started the second period sprightly and Hemmings blasted wide from 20 yards within seconds of the restart. The big striker then turned provider, setting up Paul McGowan for a powerful left-foot shot from 12 yards that was superbly turned round the post by MacDonald. Hemmings, who had scored 14 goals in his previous 14 appearances, looked again to add to his tally with another sweet strike that MacDonald blocked well diving to his left. The visitors came close to clinching the winner right at the end when Thomas Konrad nodded just wide of MacDonald's left-hand post.

Question: Lee Clark had to be content with a draw as he @placeholder top - flight football in Scotland for the first time as Kilmarnock manager .


The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) issued the warning as the Craven Country Thunder event in Saskatchewan comes to the end on Sunday. In a statement, it said festival-goers "are definitely having fun and we have noticed at times they feel inspired to 'dance like nobody's watching'". "The reality is that other people at the event ARE watching," the RCMP said. "While the RCMP fully supports everyone's desire to have fun and enjoy themselves, we do ask that you please do so while wearing clothes." The police have already reported "a couple" of public nudity incidents since the festival opened on Thursday, CBC News reports. However, no-one has been charged. Dozens of other - mostly minor - incidents have been reported at the festival. Thousands of people attend the annual country music festival in Craven, just north of the city Regina.

Question: Dance and enjoy yourself , but not naked - that is a police @placeholder to revellers at a music festival in central Canada .


Ketamine is licensed to be used as an anaesthetic but has a reputation as an illegal party drug. Writing in The Lancet Psychiatry, Dr Rupert McShane, who has led a trial in Oxford, since 2011 says ketamine can work on patients with depression "where nothing has helped before". However, he is calling for a national registry to monitor its use. Dr McShane says tens of thousands of people who have not responded to other treatment could be helped by the drug. But he adds there should be a national registry for those who prescribe the treatment to monitor the results and avoid misuse of the Class B substance. Of the 101 people taking part who had failed to find a successful depression treatment, 42 of them responded to the ketamine. "The first ketamine infusion literally saved my life," says one patient. "I had felt so desperate I was going to end it all. "Subsequent ketamine treatment has enabled me to return to my job full-time. I still struggle at times but being able to work again has given me such a boost." Dr McShane hopes more doctors will use it to treat depression but fears that the UK could follow the US where there are private ketamine clinics that vary in their clinical checks. "We think that patients' treatment should be in specialist centres and formally tracked in national or international registries. This will help us to pick up any safety or abuse problems with longer term use and narrow down what dose, frequency, route and durations of treatment works best." The dosage of ketamine used in his trial is much less than the amount used by people who take it as an illegal party drug - and he warns against any kind of self-medication. Dr McShane also warns it is "not a miracle" drug for depression and "maintaining the benefit is a challenge", which has so far only been achieved by repeated dosing. But participant Louise, a 36-year-old former nurse, said she did not feel that she was becoming dependent on the drug. "I definitely do not feel at all, in any way 'hooked on' or addicted to the ketamine. I have more trouble with withdrawal and side-effects if I miss a couple of doses of my (standard) antidepressant than I do with the ketamine." Commenting on the paper, Prof Allan Young, from the The Royal College of Psychiatrists, said there were still "significant gaps" in knowledge about ketamine's use. "Before ketamine can be recommended for use in clinical practice, extensive research is required to understand how to optimally use ketamine for treating depression," he said. "The Royal College of Psychiatrists has concerns for patient safety and hence recommends mental health practitioners to proceed with caution when treating patients with ketamine." Cardiff University psychiatrist Dr Paul Keedwell said: "Ketamine in the treatment of depression is one of the most exciting discoveries in psychiatry for years. "However, more research is needed and having a registry allows researchers to share new findings, positive or negative."

Question: Doctors trialling the use of ketamine to treat depression are calling for the treatment to be @placeholder out .


Francis Auld had stood trial accused of killing Amanda Duffy in Hamilton in 1992 and the case was found "not proven" by a jury. Last year, the Crown Office failed in a bid to secure a retrial of the 45-year-old by using double jeopardy laws. It is understood Mr Auld had been suffering from pancreatic cancer and he died on Saturday in a hospice. Law firm Murray, Hamilton and Chalmers, which had acted for Mr Auld during the attempt for a retrial, confirmed his death. Judges at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh rejected an attempt by prosecutors to submit new evidence. The Crown wanted to rely on a conversation between prison officer Alexander McCartney and Mr Auld which took place sometime in June 1992. The judges ruled that the new evidence was not admissible and could not be used against Mr Auld and the case could not go ahead.

Question: A man who was @placeholder of murdering a 19 - year - old student in South Lanarkshire 25 years ago has died .


The fed-up bobby laid into anti-social teenagers, parents, and community support officers in the message. It appeared on the GMP Irlam and Cadishead page on 7 May, prompting a complaint from a teacher, according to the Manchester Evening News. Greater Manchester Police's Salford branch said it is investigating. Ch Insp Glenn Jones said: "We have launched an internal investigation after we received a report of an inappropriate post on a GMP Facebook account. "Officers and staff are expected to uphold the standards of behaviour in all of their duties including on social media." The post has since been deleted. "Good Morning everyone. "An update on what's occurred in the area over the past 24hrs or so. It would be very quiet if it wasn't for one thing...or several "things" "Kids/Yoofs/Yobs/Delinquents (cross out which one). "There was a call to Heron Drive, Irlam to youths sitting or jumping on vehicles. The youths had gone home to mummy when officers arrived and no damage was found. "There was a report of drunken youths on the fields at Sandy Lane, Irlam. Again, they had made off back to mummy, probably claiming that they had been doing their science project homework at a mates. How to get alcohol out of ?¡ê3.60 dinner money. "Please try and find out what your little Keanu or Beyonce are doing at night. If they're drinking or smoking weed, there will be signs. If they are, they will no doubt be causing mither in the street. "Youths were throwing stones at residents houses and residents themselves, from the railway viaduct over Roseway Avenue, Cadishead. "And finally, there was a call to Tesco at Woodrow Way, Irlam. Security called to report one man and his dog at the Cashpoint machines. "Many cashpoint areas have points where you can leave deposits for the bank.  They did so.... Defecating at the cashpoint... Not the dog.... The man.We have a description (Of the man- not the deposit) and CCTV of the incident. The dog is entirely innocent... Wonder if it's a shih-tzu? "Only me in today as the PCSO's don't work on Sunday's. They have the day off to play with their crayons and Lego. "Take care and lock your kids up till school time on Monday."

Question: A world - weary police officer who posted a tirade about " stoned youths " on a force Facebook page has @placeholder himself in trouble .


It's a fair bet that clothing or jewellery popped into your head, but how about posh apartments? In fact, the Italian fashion designer is now creating swanky homes around the globe from China to India and the UK. Similarly surprising examples abound from car firm Bugatti opening clothing stores to fashion designer Vivienne Westwood opening a restaurant in Hong Kong. And there are countless examples of luxury firms which have lent their name to anything from baby bottles to furniture. It's a natural move for a company which is successful in one area to try to extend its reach into new ones, and the attractions are obvious. It can seem "irresistibly profitable, for doing practically nothing," says management consultant and author Peter York, who has been an adviser to many large luxury businesses. Yet if it isn't done well, branching out from their core business risks harming a luxury firm's reputation. Mr York cites fashion firm Pierre Cardin as "a cautionary tale". The Italian-born France-based designer was one of the pioneers of brand licensing and his name is now carried on hundreds of products, from shirts and bottled water to tins of sardines. While the approach made Mr Cardin - dubbed "the licensing king" -  wealthy, with him estimating his private empire was worth a??1bn ($1.5bn; ?¡ê897m) in 2011, some say it has meant the brand is worth less as a result. Mr Cardin himself however was unapologetic, telling The New York Times: "I've done it all. If someone asked me to do toilet paper, I'd do it. Why not?" But Mr York says Pierre Cardin is a classic example of stretching a brand too far. "In the end, if you overdo it, your brand is devalued. I think the brands which are most careful have the longest future." Yet determining when a brand has gone too far is not necessarily clear cut. A Harvard Business Review study of 150 luxury brand extensions says that the number of new areas a company extends into isn't a problem by itself, but says their success depends on whether they are "adjacent" products: things which have some kind of logical link to the company's main offering. It's an approach which Italian jewellery and luxury goods firm Bulgari has tried to take. The firm, which was founded over 130 years ago by a silversmith and started off making jewellery and accessories, became familiar to a wider audience in the fifties and sixties as Rome's large film studio Cinecitta took off. Roman Holiday, Ben Hur, War and Peace and La Dolce Vita  were all shot in the famous studios, and a parade of film stars and producers discovered the Italian brand whilst there, helping to win the brand global recognition. Elizabeth Taylor, it was reported, knew just one word in Italian: Bulgari. Bulgari chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin said it was this international reputation that drove it to expand beyond Europe, opening its first flagship store in New York in the 1970s. Gradually it also moved beyond jewellery into watches, fragrances and eventually bags - all of which Mr Babin said fitted in with the firm's "mission of making the lady more unique, more special". Yet, more recently, it has made what seems like a rather surprising leap, venturing into the hotel business. It opened its first hotel in Milan in 2004, and in the 12 years since has opened just two more, although a further three are planned. Mr Babin says a hotel stay is the "ultimate luxury experience" and suggests that it's similar to the way that its jewellery, often bought to mark a marriage or a birthday, becomes part of an experience. "The hotel is not something that stays with you forever, but it can create a unique emotion and memory you will keep with you forever," he says. He believes that if Bulgari's foray into the sector has succeeded it is in part because they've kept the hotels small "as if they were a private house", and limited their number, enabling them to retain tight control over their quality. "When you move from a core business to a new business, the temptation is often to take it less seriously. We've approached the new businesses in a very authentic way and are treating them as top priorities," he says. The fact hotels are not the firm's core business has also removed the pressure for a quick return on their investment, he says. But the real trick, he says is to say no. "For the three [hotels] we're going to open, we've reviewed 50 to 100 projects and we have said no in 97% of cases." For Silvio Ursini, creative director of the hotels and resorts division, it's even simpler. "Don't venture into a business just because it's there or you want to grow. Do something only if you have something to say," he says. This feature is based on interviews by Life of Luxury series producer Neil Koenig.

Question: If the name Giorgio Armani came up in a game of word @placeholder , what would you say ?


The acrobat also broke her arm and briefly lost consciousness, her mother told a Brisbane radio station. Skinner was performing during the Kooza show at Brisbane's Skygate venue. "It will take six to 12 weeks to heal, but her arms and legs work, which is the main thing," Anne Skinner said. She was speaking to radio station River 94.9. A spokesperson for the Cirque du Soleil show said: "A Kooza performer, Lisa Skinner, was injured during a performance in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon. "She was transported to a local hospital, where she is receiving the medical care she needs. We are happy to report that Lisa is currently stable and in good condition. "At this time, our priority is on supporting Lisa and her family so they can focus on her recovery. The thoughts and love from the cast and crew of Kooza are with her." Skinner, who has toured previously with Cirque du Soleil, was a member of the Australian gymnastics team in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. She won gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Sunday's performance was halted while Skinner was taken to hospital but the show later resumed. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Question: Cirque du Soleil star and Australian Olympic gymnast Lisa Skinner has been @placeholder with a head brace after fracturing a vertebra in a fall during an aerial hoop routine .


Despite the absence of 23-time TT winner John McGuinness, Kneen believes more than 10 riders are capable of victory in the solo classes. "There are some really fast lads and it's going to be very tough but I will have to bring my A game to the races," the 29-year-old said. The opening race of this year's festival will take place on Sunday. Earlier this year, Kneen achieved his first Enkalon Trophy success on his BMW Superstock machine in the Irish Championship short circuit meeting at Bishopscourt. And despite limited practice this week he leads the Superstock timesheets and has posted the fourth quickest lap on his Superbike. Rico Penzkofer, ex-racer and Penz13.com BMW Motorrad Racing team principal said: "He is a proper Manxman and will be prepared for the fortnight in the best possible way - he literally lives the track." Since his TT debut in 2009, Kneen has been a regular top-10 finisher with a best of fifth in the 2010 Supersport Race. The 29-year-old made his Mountain Course debut in 2008 when he became the first rider in history to record three race wins in a week at the Manx Grand Prix. He said: "This week the weather hasn't played ball, but I feel good. We are working hard to get all the bikes set up right and comfortable. I just need more laps now but we're all in the same boat. "I looking forward to all the races but especially the big bikes. I'm much more confident on them now and much more experienced." The Braddan man will also ride for the Jackson Racing Honda team with Josh Brookes in the TT's two Supersport races.

Question: The strength in @placeholder is as high as ever at this year 's Isle of Man TT , according to local racer Dan Kneen .


Barnaby Joyce had said Boo and Pistol would have to be put down by Saturday if they did not leave, because they were "snuck in" from the US. Mr Joyce told the BBC he believed they were leaving by private jet on Friday, which he said was "the wisest move". But he has also expressed concerns the dogs could now be left stateless. "The question is if he breached our laws, then did he follow the correct laws in the US?" Mr Joyce told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "My worry is will the US let them back in? If not ... will they have anywhere to go?" Johnny Depp is living in Australia while filming the fifth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. He and his wife Amber Heard are accused of not declaring the Yorkshire Terriers to customs officials when they flew into Queensland by private jet last month. Australia has strict import laws to prevent non-native diseases entering the country. The fate of the dogs has gripped Australia and world media. An online petition calling on Mr Joyce to spare them now has more than 17,000 signatures and it sparked a debate about the #waronterrier on Twitter. Dog row sparks #waronterrier "I get that Johnny Depp broke the law by not telling someone about his dogs but the response is death? That's the largest over-reaction ever," said Alexis Rogers on Facebook. Facebook user Bree Graham MacTaggart agreed: "They don't have to kill the dogs. They could just quarantine them." Others, however, did not express much sympathy for the Hollywood actor. "Very disappointed that Johnny Depp has acted so irresponsibly - he flouted the law," said Facebook user Rebecca Gracey. How did social media react? Terriergate grips Australia The dogs should have been properly checked and certificated and then quarantined after arriving in Australia. Their illicit entry appears to have been uncovered after a grooming salon on the Gold Coast posted pictures of them on its Facebook page. Mr Joyce said on Thursday: "If we start letting movie stars even though they've been the 'sexiest man alive' twice to come into our nation, then why don't we just break the laws for everybody? "It's time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States." Mr Joyce meanwhile had demanded an apology from a radio presenter who accused him of over-reacting. Kiis FM "shock jock" Kyle Sandilands told Mr Joyce in an angry telephone interview on Friday that he sounded "like an absolute clown" who made Australians "sound like a bunch of hillbilly redneck losers" by publicly threatening the life of someone's pets. "Sound like a classy guy.  You're a government minister. Have some decency." Mr Joyce replied "it's the law, mate; that's how it works," before he was cut off. Customs officials are facing questions over how the dogs were let in despite the strict regulations, while Depp and Heard could face a fine. Can you take your dog to Australia? Source: Australian Department of Agriculture

Question: Actor Johnny Depp 's dogs are preparing to leave Australia to @placeholder a death threat , the country 's agriculture minister has said .


That's what some TSB customers will be able to do from September when the bank introduces iris recognition to its mobile banking app. It will be the first bank in Europe to introduce the technology, but its arrival will test customers' trust in biometric technology. Customers will need the latest Samsung Galaxy S8 to use the new way of accessing their TSB accounts. Once they have registered their irises, they will be able to log in by simply looking at the phone. TSB's chief information officer Carlos Abarca said iris recognition was the most secure form of biometric authentication currently available. "It takes advantage of 266 different characteristics, compared with 40 for fingerprints." He said it offered customers a combination of security and convenience: "It's extremely fast - it takes less than a second to get in - and the gesture is very natural. And you don't have to remember secret numbers or passwords." Samsung added iris scanning to the biometric security options, alongside face recognition and fingerprint scanning, when the phone went on sale earlier this year. In May the German hacking group the Chaos Computer Club said it had fooled Samsung's iris scanner with a photo used to make a dummy eye. Samsung insisted that it would take an extraordinary set of circumstances, where someone had access to both the phone and a high definition photo of its owner's eye, to beat its system. TSB's Carlos Abarca said he was confident in the security of iris scanning: "There's no security option that is absolutely perfect. We're relying not only on the biometrics but the digital certificate on the phone. To fake your eyeball is potentially possible - but it is extremely difficult." Biometrics has been touted as the solution to establishing someone's identity for the last twenty years but has made slow progress. You can see facial recognition and iris scanning in use at automated passport control systems in various parts of the world, but it's the widespread adoption of smartphones which promises to supercharge adoption of the technology. The fingerprint scanning which arrived on Apple's iPhone in 2013 and is now a feature of many Android smartphones allows millions of users to pay for anything from a cup of coffee to a train journey by touching their phone. Isabelle Moeller of the Biometrics Institute has been working to promote adoption of the technology since 2001. She says consumers have two major concerns: "Privacy and safety - they want to know their data is secure and the system can't be spoofed." But she says the industry is establishing benchmarks for best practice: "If we can get that right the convenience that biometrics offers can create a fantastic customer experience." TSB customers can already log on to their mobile banking app using fingerprint recognition. The minority with a high-end Samsung may try out iris scanning when it becomes an option in September. But in the biometric battle the simplicity of just putting a finger on your phone may prove more attractive than holding it up and looking at it.

Question: Imagine logging onto your bank account just by @placeholder at your phone .


Many streets were left under deep water after the torrential downpour, More than half Aberdeen's expected July rain fell in just a few hours. The council said staff should be commended for their efforts to combat the problems, which included more than 600 sandbags being distributed throughout the city. Council leader Councillor Jenny Laing said: "Our teams worked extremely hard yesterday afternoon, through the night and into today to protect properties and keep people safe on the roads. They should be commended for their efforts. "Our partners in Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are also to be thanked for their work too in helping people out during the floods. "We can appreciate that flooding causes huge problems and inconveniences to residents and businesses which is why there are plans in place to alleviate the problems working in partnership with Scottish Water."

Question: Aberdeen City Council is working with Scottish Water to improve drainage to alleviate the kind of flooding @placeholder in the city on Tuesday .


"This campaign has taken on the big money interests in the economic establishment. We've taken on the political establishment, and we've taken on the media establishment," he said. "And we're gaining ground every day." For many in the audience, that "political establishment" includes the leader of their own party for the past seven years, Barack Obama. Their disillusionment with a president who campaigned on hope and change eight years ago is palpable. "He disappointed me," says Leslie Liston from Henderson, Nevada. She says she supported Mr Obama in 2008 because of the groundbreaking nature of his being the first black US president, but her priorities have now shifted. "I'm not just going to vote for someone to be the first of something, I'm going to vote for somebody because they know what they're talking about and they want to do the right thing," she said. Who is he? How the self described "Democratic socialist" has shaken up the Democratic race 17 things Sanders believes: The Vermont senator in his own words The billionaire vs the socialist: How he compares with the other key outsider candidate, Donald Trump Ms Liston said this was the first political rally she had ever attended - and Saturday will be the first time she has participated in the Nevada caucuses. Others in the crowd, however, were veterans of the first Obama campaign in 2008 and painted a picture of a inspirational candidate who had gone astray once in power. "Obama seemed to start with the right idea, motivating people, getting young people energised and activated to vote," said Debra Mayes of Los Angeles. "Where he failed is not sustaining that movement. He just dropped the ball on that." Sanders supporters focused on what they see as the shortcomings of the Obama administration, and of moderate Democrats beholden to their corporate donors. The establishment Democrats, they said, essentially wasted the majorities the party had built during the years leading to Mr Obama's sweeping victory. If Democratic leaders, including Mr Obama, had been more ambitious, they would have been able to establish a lasting congressional majority, the argument goes. "He was supposed to bring universal health care, and he just sacrificed that at the very beginning of the discussion," said Noah Neumark, who travelled from Los Angeles to help the Sanders campaign in Nevada. "I know he had a lot of contention with the Republicans, but when you're negotiating you want to start from the high point." Instead, he says, Mr Obama's election was a promise of change unfulfilled; a great hope dashed. The Sanders fans in Nevada are not arriving at these views by chance, either. In many ways they are reflecting the position of the man they spent Friday evening cheering. Earlier this month during a television interview, Mr Sanders said that Mr Obama has been unable to provide the leadership to "close the gap" between the views of the American people and the actions of a conservative-dominated Congress. "What we need, when I talk about a political revolution, is bringing millions and millions of people into the political process in a way that does not exist right now," Mr Sanders continued. It is a revolution that some may have thought Mr Obama would usher in, instead of the progressive-tinted pragmatism that his presidency represented. Mr Sanders's disagreements with the president go back much farther than this current campaign. In 2012 he repeatedly said that the nation would benefit from a progressive candidate challenging Mr Obama's re-election campaign in the party primaries. "In a democracy, it's not a bad idea to have different voices out there," he said during an interview. According to Patrick Caldwell of the progressive magazine Mother Jones, the Obama campaign even began preparing for a possible challenge from Mr Sanders. That never materialised. But the Vermont senator gave only a tepid endorsement of Mr Obama during the general election, noting that the president "has not been as strong as he should standing up to Wall Street". In the past few years Mr Sanders has opposed Obama-backed legislative priorities, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal (which Mrs Clinton also now is against), government surveillance programmes and the president's budget compromises with congressional Republicans. According to a report by CQ Weekly, Mr Sanders voted against Mr Obama's interests 17.5% of the time last year - more than all but four Democratic senators. Another strike against the president came in the form of a cover blurb, written by the senator, for a book titled Buyers' Remorse: How Obama Let the Progressives Down. "Read this book," Mr Sanders urged. What it all amounts to is a campaign for the Democratic nomination that is leavened with critiques of the sitting Democratic president - a man still immensely popular with many in the party. That has created an opening for Mrs Clinton, who at the Democratic debate on 11 February went on the attack. "The kind of criticism that we've heard from Senator Sanders about our president, I expect from Republicans," she said. Mr Sanders replied that her attack was a "low blow" and that he has worked with Mr Obama in the past. There is a bit of irony in Mrs Clinton's recent move to contrast herself with Mr Sanders as the heir to the Obama legacy. Just last autumn she seemed to be trying to do exactly the opposite - perhaps as a way of protecting her political left flank. Mr Sanders' early success in Iowa and New Hampshire however has proved that strategy unsuccessful. Now the former secretary of state needs help from those who still strongly support the president - particularly black voters. In 2011, when Mr Sanders was musing about how someone on the left should challenge Mr Obama's re-election campaign, he gave a speech denouncing billionaire Wall Street crooks and a Democratic Party that was little different from the Republicans. All these themes should sound familiar to anyone following the 2016 Democratic campaign. Mr Sanders also had some advice for Mr Obama: "Fight for a progressive agenda, and do not equivocate," he said. "You're not going to be able to win unless you're prepared to fight." Now, looking ahead to what could be a long battle with Mrs Clinton for the Democratic nomination, it seems Mr Sanders is taking his own advice to heart.

Question: On the eve of the Nevada caucuses , in an outdoor amphitheatre in a suburb of Las Vegas , Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders outlines to the crowd of several thousand the @placeholder arrayed against his upstart presidential campaign .


Emergency services were called to Longtown Bridge, near Carlisle, on Tuesday after a 32-year-old man got into difficulties in the water. The man had just rescued a young girl from the river, Cumbria Police said. Chief Fire Officer for the county, Jim Onions, warned people against swimming during heatwaves because of strong currents. Divers and rescue crews were involved in the search, along with the coastguard and an RAF helicopter with thermal imaging equipment. The body has not been formally identified. Mr Onions said: "We are really worried that during a hot spell - especially in the school holidays - people enter the water for a cooling dip because the water looks calm on the surface. "But I've seen highly skilled firefighters in the water struggling because of strong undercurrents." The rescued girl is at Cumberland Infirmary receiving treatment.

Question: A body has been recovered from a Cumbrian river after a search for a man @placeholder in the water .


Twenty-four people are still missing and at least 27 people have been injured, eight seriously. Officials have warned of further heavy rain and the risk of mudslides, as the extreme weather moves north. The torrential rain comes in the wake of Typhoon Etau, which ploughed through Japan earlier this week. The region affected is a vast area northeast of Tokyo, stretching from Ibaraki prefecture, a short distance from the capital, right up to Miyagi prefecture, around 350km (217 miles) away. In Ibaraki prefecture: In Tochigi prefecture: In Miyagi prefecture: Fukushima prefecture: Sixty-two-year-old Hisako Sekimoto, who was rescued by military helicopter in the early morning, said she spent a sleepless night on the upper floor of her flooded house with her husband and three cats. "There was no time to escape. All we could do was go upstairs. It was horrifying,'' she said. "I kept praying the water wouldn't come upstairs." The chief forecaster at the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Takuya Deshimaru, has said the rainfall over the past few days was "unprecedented". Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed a co-ordinated and speedy emergency response "Before anything else, we will continue to do our utmost to save lives and rescue victims, to secure the lives of people," he told reporters. Japanese authorities have emphasised disaster prevention and response in recent years, stung by criticism at the time that their response to the 2011 tsunami and earthquake was sluggish.

Question: Rescue work is continuing across northeast Japan , where at least three people have died in severe flooding and many remain @placeholder .


The detentions, which were not terror-related, took place over the weekend in the capital Dakar and Thies. The assaults on a hotel in Mali and a hotel and restaurant in Burkina Faso, both claimed by Islamists, have raised security fears in the region. Senegal has been comparatively safe but is a popular tourist destination. Last week the Senegalese government ordered hotels to improve security or face closure. Senegalese security forces would also step up patrols, the interior minister said. Eyewitnesses report that presence is already being felt, with police being seen in higher numbers and many vehicles searched. Those detained over the weekend were not targeted as terror suspects but as part of the wider security alert, officials said. Their offences ranged from possessing drugs to having incorrect documents for their vehicles, according to the authorities. "Security has been reinforced on all levels,'' justice ministry spokesman Soro Diop was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said it was behind the attack in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, last month that killed 30 people. The Islamist militant group also claimed the siege on the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, in November last year, that left 20 people dead. AQIM is based in the Sahara Desert and roams between Mali, Niger and Algeria. Senegal has so far avoided a major attack by Islamist militants, despite sharing a border with Mali.

Question: Police in Senegal have detained 900 people as part of a security operation @placeholder militant attacks in Burkina Faso and Mali .


And yet, with all manner of irony, it was the humiliation Moyes suffered at his former club that sounded the death knell for the Scot and provided the signal for United's owners the Glazers to mark the end of an error. The sight of Everton, the team he left behind after 11 years last summer, outplaying United with a verve and swagger under Roberto Martinez that has barely been seen since Moyes succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson, was clearly the final straw. And the sound of Moyes talking up aspects of an abject United performance in the 2-0 defeat only confirmed the long-held suspicion that he simply could not come to terms with the standards the club and their supporters demand. United's hierarchy have done their best to be supportive of the man they handed a six-year contract on the advice of Ferguson but the evidence of their own eyes has convinced them they cannot afford to slide any further. The planned summer overhaul could not be entrusted to Moyes. The sacking of the 50-year-old will also be a personal embarrassment for Ferguson. His endorsement of Moyes, a manager he saw in his own younger image and likeness, has proved to be a flawed one. United may now be regretting taking the unusual step of allowing a manager, no matter how successful, to hand-pick his successor in an organisation of such scale. If there is blame to be apportioned, Ferguson must take his share. Moyes looked a safe and sensible line of succession after Ferguson ended 26 years with United's 20th crown. But the unknown factor was how a manager who had never won silverware and had only overseen two Champions League qualifiers in a creditable Everton career would cope with the unique demands of Old Trafford. The answer was that he could not. There are, of course, mitigating circumstances. Most regular observers of United admitted the squad that won the title was not vintage, propelled towards the Premier League by one last transfer market flourish from Ferguson in the shape of Robin van Persie. Moyes was cut this slack but the decline from champions to marginal also-rans simply had to be arrested. Everton's win left them 12 points ahead of United. It also left the reigning champions 23 points behind leaders Liverpool, officially out of Champions League contention for the first time in 18 years and struggling to even qualify for the Europa League. United went out of the FA Cup at home to Swansea City in the third round, lost the Capital One Cup semi-final on penalties over two legs to Sunderland and a sign of their declining status was confirmed when a 4-2 aggregate defeat by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final was almost given the gloss of a moral victory. The Glazers, ruthless though they are, would have accounted for transition. What they would not have counted on was the feeling that Moyes might manage a terminal decline - hence the decision to remove him. Moyes did have to tackle that flawed squad but the bottom line is that he has engineered his own downfall by simply not being up to the job. The transfer of expectations from Everton to those at United has proved too much for him, indeed almost from the time he came through the door. Moyes either could not, or would not, speak the language of positivity expected at United. A prime example was when he labelled Liverpool as favourites for their recent visit to Old Trafford. The words would never have been dragged from a screaming Ferguson. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said he would not have delivered a similar message even if they had been bottom of the league. On arrival he seemed in awe of the job in hand, rarely showing the steely determination and defiance that marked him out at Everton. The road to his departure almost started at the very beginning, with a dreadful summer in the transfer market - not helped by rookie executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. Within days of his arrival Moyes backed away from deals the club had in place to sign Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who later joined Bayern Munich, and Benfica centre-back Ezequiel Garay. Then, main targets such as Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas,Everton full-back Leighton Baines and even the plan to try and re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo came to nought. In their place came what seemed to be an almost panic-stricken ¡ê27.5m expenditure on Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, the identikit of the sort of player United did not need and whose sole attraction seemed to be that he was available. And even though Juan Mata was widely hailed as a fine signing at ¡ê37.5m from Chelsea in January, he never came accompanied by any sort of clear plan as to where Moyes might immediately use him. Moyes was also guilty of throwing the baby out with the bathwater when he assembled his backroom staff. It was understandable he would, as most managers do, bring the bedrock of his previous Everton staff with him in assistant Steve Round, long-time cohort Jimmy Lumsden, goalkeeping coach Chris Woods and former United player Phil Neville. But to dispense with the likes of Mike Phelan, in particular, looked unwise at the time and nothing has happened to change that view. Surely it would have been better to keep a reliable, trusted figure who had played such a key role in the Ferguson era, who could advise him on some of the potential pitfalls? Ryan Giggs was added to the backroom team to give it an added United presence but that has always looked more of an arranged marriage of convenience than part of a carefully-assembled strategy. There was a sense that Moyes never carried the faith of United's players - that he was a man out of his depth handling the bigger stars who would question his methods (and perhaps more pertinently his record) than those who followed him at Everton. Training sessions were understood to be long and tactically laborious, in contrast to the short sharp work of the Ferguson, Rene Meulensteen and Phelan era. Whatever approach Moyes was employing, it resulted in removing the exciting cutting edge that was the hallmark of Ferguson and replaced it with a blunt instrument. Some will say, with a measure of justification, that the players should have adapted but it is difficult in any walk of life to settle for something inferior when you have sampled success brought by the best. Moyes has also struggled to get the best out of the injury-troubled Robin van Persie, with constant speculation about their personal relationship denied by the manager. One unqualified success for Moyes was his relationship with Wayne Rooney, still trying his heart out for United and his manager in the final seconds of misery at Goodison Park. There is irony there, too, in that Moyes and Rooney parted on sour terms when he left Everton as a teenager and was intent on leaving United when he arrived as manager. Moyes handled this stick of dynamite left behind by Ferguson deftly, with Rooney producing outstanding form and also pledging his long-term future to the club. On the pitch, however, Moyes provided the sort of natural caution that often drew criticism from Everton fans. The cavalier attacking policy of Ferguson was in complete contrast to his successor's approach, which must have come as a culture shock to a very patient Old Trafford gallery. Add 11 Premier League defeats from 34 games and this has proved the sort of grim evidence that has led the Glazers to cut Moyes adrift, even with a six-year contract. This has led United to the decision that Moyes is not the man to spend a transfer budget well in excess of ¡ê100m that they expect to use in the summer to right the current wrongs. Moyes has not shown a sure enough touch on the pitch or in the markets to provide a compelling case to stay - and the question remains whether a man who has no serious track record of silverware would have the reputation and profile to attract stellar names to Old Trafford without the cushion of Champions League football to fall back on. There will be sympathy for Moyes. The task of succeeding Ferguson was always going to be a poisoned chalice. However, he inherited the Premier League champions, no matter how in decline they were, and spent ¡ê65m adding to that squad. It will also pain Moyes that his final game ended with the derision of Everton fans ringing his ears. It was a desperate 90 minutes for the Scot on his old ground, hearing his fractured relationship with his former supporters being spelled out in graphic terms. Of greater significance for Moyes and United was that Goodison Park was the place where they finally decided he was no longer up to the task of managing Manchester United.

Question: The sight of the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe in the direction of Manchester United manager David Moyes when he returned to Everton was part publicity stunt and part black @placeholder .


The seven-time Formula 1 world champion suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident in December 2013. He left hospital in September 2014 to continue his recovery at home after coming out of a medically induced coma. Schumacher, 47, continues to receive treatment at his home in Switzerland following the accident in France. Speaking at the opening of an exhibition of Schumacher's career in Marburg, Germany, Sabine Kehm said: "He is the most successful driver in history and sometimes, on days like this, it is good to be reminded of it. "Of course, Michael is not here and of course we miss him. We know what has happened and cannot change it. "We must accept it and hope with everything we have that, with continued support and patience, he will one day be back with us." In November, FIA president Jean Todt said Schumacher was "still fighting". Earlier this month his former boss at Ferrari Luca di Montezemolo said the latest news about Schumacher's health was "not good".

Question: The manager of @placeholder racing legend Michael Schumacher says she hopes " that with continued support and patience he will one day be back with us " .


The village of Jiangbei, in Jiangsu province, is being razed to make way for a high-tech development zone. The couples found they could qualify for two new houses and at least $19,000 (?¡ê15,500) extra if they divorced and claimed compensation as singles. Some are over 80, and most said they planned to continue living together. Families who have been living there for generations have little choice but to move to new housing provided by the local government. Each couple could expect to get one 220 sq m house. China's rush for divorce But the families read the fine print and realised that if they were divorced through the courts, they could also claim an extra 70 sq m property and some cash in compensation. A law firm is charging more than $2,000 (?¡ê1,600) to help people with their divorces, China Daily reports. Some of the couples are expecting to remarry at a later date. "Everybody is doing this, we will deal with other things later," one villager told the Nanjing Morning Post. It is not clear whether any of the couples will actually receive the extra compensation. Officials say they are aware of the loophole and do not know whether the compensation arrangements will be changed. Similar cases have occurred before in the area of Nanjing, Jiangsu's regional capital, China Daily reported.

Question: More than 160 couples in a village in eastern China have decided to divorce in order to get more compensation after the @placeholder demolition of their homes .


Paul Kelly, deputy leader of North Lanarkshire Council, was speaking the day after plans for 500 redundancies at the Uddingston base were made public. Belgium owners Ageas said it was looking to close the site by the end of March next year. The Scottish government said it was "ready to assist" if jobs do go. Mr Kelly told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that closure would have a "direct impact on the Lanarkshire area and the local community". He added: "This is a very significant number of jobs and our immediate concern is with the workforce and their families. This is the lead up to Christmas, it is devastating news. "But we are wanting action, we are wanting to immediately act on this that is why we have called on the establishment of a taskforce." Mr Kelly urged the Scottish government to get round the table with other partners "to do all we can" and "as soon as possible". Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish government are understood to be seeking another company which could use the insurance firm's contact centre skills. Five years ago, the company had more than 900 staff in North Lanarkshire. It now employs 521 people at the Tannochside Business Park site. An Ageas spokeswoman said Kwik Fit Insurance Services had been "under pressure for some time" as a result of changes in the way people buy insurance and the way the personal insurance market now operates. Mr Kelly said he did "not disagree" with the reasons Ageas had given for the planned closure but he believed the current workforce was "highly skilled and a huge asset" to the wider business community. He explained that the council had written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asking for the establishment of a taskforce. Business minister Paul Wheelhouse said on Tuesday that he was "very disappointed" to learn of the proposed closure. He added: "Should any job losses proceed, we stand ready to assist those affected through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) and our Finance Sector Jobs Taskforce. "I am keen to meet with North Lanarkshire Council to work together with them to ensure we support the local community and secure investment at the site." Ageas said it would now enter into a consultation period ahead of the planned shut down next year.

Question: A taskforce to save jobs at the Kwik Fit insurance @placeholder in Lanarkshire should be set up " as soon as possible " , a local councillor has said .


Joe Pugh, from Barnsley, was one of five people on board the Smiler seriously injured on 2 June. He was on the front row of the ride with girlfriend Leah Washington, 17, who has since had her leg amputated. Speaking on ITV's This Morning, Mr Pugh, 18, said he did not feel any anger towards Alton Towers. "How they've been with me since the accident, they have been unreal," he said. "You could not thank them enough. "Obviously when health and safety checks get released and we find out what actually happened I might feel a different emotion but until then I don't feel angry. "I don't want to point the blame at anybody until something gets released." Mr Pugh also said he would never go on a rollercoaster again. "Maybe in ten 15 years I might change my mind but at this moment, definitely not," he said. Mr Pugh said he turned down painkillers after the crash but had two paracetamol when he got into an ambulance. He said he initially feared he could be paralysed but realised he could feel his toes. Medics had told Mr Pugh he would always struggle with stairs as a result of his injuries. The toilet and settee in his bungalow have been raised to make life easier for him, he said. Daniel Thorpe, a 27-year-old assistant hotel manager from Buxton, Derbyshire, 20-year-old Vicky Balch from Leyland in Lancashire, and Chandaben Chauhan, 49, of Wednesbury, West Midlands, also suffered injuries. Merlin Entertainments, which owns the park, has confirmed all those on board at the time of the crash will receive compensation.

Question: A teenager whose knees were shattered in a rollercoaster crash at Alton Towers has said he does not blame the @placeholder park .


The match ended 0-0 - just as it did when the sides when in the group stage last week - and, with no extra time played in the competition, penalty kicks were required to determine a winner. Goalkeeper Akram Elhadi Salim was Sudan's hero, saving the very first effort from Eric Johana and then going on to score the final kick to give his side a 5-3 victory. Sudan will next face Rwanda, who also need a penalty shootout to advance. The defending champions were held to a goalless draw by Kenya but emerged victorious 5-3 after spot-kicks. Uganda and Ethiopia meet in the other semi-final.

Question: Sudan beat @placeholder South Sudan in a penalty shootout to reach the semi-finals of the Cecafa Cup in Ethiopia .


The flame was also taken on a cliff top chair-lift at The Needles when it arrived on the island en-route from             Bournemouth to Southampton . Sailing Olympian Shirley Robertson carried the flame in Newport. The day began at Bournemouth Pier and the 59-mile route will include a stop at Southampton football club's ground. The flame travelled through 12 communities on Saturday: Bournemouth, Boscombe, Christchurch, Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington, Totland, Yarmouth, Carisbrooke, Newport, East Cowes and Southampton. At midday the convoy boarded a ferry from Lymington to the Isle of Wight. And fittingly, it was there that sailor Dame Ellen joined the relay in East Cowes which is famous for its week-long regatta. Cowes has hosted the sailing event since 1826 and it is now the largest of its kind in the world. Dame Ellen is best-known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman, who once held the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe. She said after carrying the torch: "The other torchbearers are inspiring people who were wonderful to meet but the strongest impression I have from today are the faces - smiles, smiles and more smiles from young and old alike. "The sense of pride, happiness and community was my lasting feeling - all brought alive, in an instant, by the Olympic torch." Another of Britain's finest sailors, Ms Robertson, was among the day's 92 torchbearers. She was the first British woman to win two Olympic gold medals at consecutive games - in Sydney 2000 and then four years later in Athens. Search maps, check street routes and join in 70 days of live coverage in video, stories and pictures Find out where the Olympic torch is going Other highlights of the relay's journey on the Isle of Wight included a visit to             Osborne House  - which was built as a summer residence and retreat for Queen Victoria, who died there in 1901, and Prince Albert - and a trip for two torchbearers on             The Needles chair-lift  at Alum Bay beach. Blue Peter's Big Olympic Tour  was due to have been held at Osborne House but was moved to Bournemouth when the site became waterlogged. Later in Southampton, the flame was exchanged by the side of the pitch at St Mary's Stadium between Alice Constance, 29, from Chepstow and Nicholas Nuttall, 53, from Southwater. The evening celebration at Mayflower Park included performances from Wretch 32 - a dance troupe who will provide a unique fusion of street performance, theatre and sport - and dance act Twist and Pulse. A total of 8,000 people will carry the flame during its 8,000 mile, 70-day journey to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London on 27 July.

Question: Yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur was cheered on as she @placeholder with the Olympic flame in East Cowes when the torch relay reached the Isle of Wight .


At least 10 children and teenagers were among those killed by a driver who slammed a lorry through a crowd gathered on the Promenade des Anglais, in the southern French city. Bastille Day is a national holiday in France, marking the start of the French Revolution, and it is when families gather to watch big fireworks displays. The identity of the victim in the picture is not known, but the image, taken by Reuters photographer Eric Gaillard, has been widely shared on social media. Italy's Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, one of the many foreign leaders to express solidarity, said: "We are used to seeing postcards from Nice full of beauty, not images of death with a doll near a destroyed stroller. Reacting is a moral duty." Some 30,000 people were thought to have been attending the celebrations along the promenade, a seafront boulevard lined with palm trees and wide walking areas. This illustration by Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff, based on the picture, has also been shared hundreds of times on Twitter. Some have likened the image to that of Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy who died on a Turkish beach, face down in the sand. It became a symbol of the refugee crisis, last year. Unlike other recent attacks, many of the victims in Nice are children and teenagers. A local hospital said dozens of them have been treated. Other pictures have also shown broken toys, slippers and objects that were left behind. "As the lorry passed by me a young boy of 10 or so just managed to leap to one side and escape by inches. "Tragically dozens of those on foot, young and old alike, were not so lucky," Simon Coates, a solicitor from Leeds told the BBC. "Virtually everyone I saw on the promenade was either dead or beyond real help with truly terrible injuries." France's government has offered psychological counselling to the young and their relatives, and some of them have shared their experiences. A journalist from the French newspaper Le Monde told the story of eight-year-old Aya, who returned to the beach front to wait for a missing friend after the attack. Their two families were to meet in the evening for the fireworks, she says, but the friend did not come. So Aya came back to their meeting point in the daytime, hoping to see her friend again, the journalist added. But her friend did not arrive.

Question: It is a picture that for many came to symbolise the devastation of the attack in Nice : a doll lying on the street next to a @placeholder body .


Scientists at the University of Aberdeen are working to find ways to prevent hackers enticing people into downloading malware. Recent large-scale incidents included one that affected the NHS across the UK,  including Scottish health boards. The researchers suggest hackers "exploit" certain human behaviour. The scientists believe the main problem faced by big organisations is getting computer users to follow existing security policies. The project will test how Artificial Intelligence (AI) and persuasion techniques can improve the way safety advice is followed. The UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has awarded the research team ?¡ê756,000 towards their Supporting Security Policy with Effective Digital Intervention project, which now has total funding of more than ?¡ê1m. Dr Matthew Collinson, who is the principal investigator on the project, said: "If we look at most cyber security attacks, there is a weakness relating to human behaviour that hackers seek to exploit. "Their most common approach, and the one we are most familiar with, is the use of phishing emails to entice a user to download malware on to their computer. "One of the main problems faced by companies and organisations is getting computer users to follow existing security policies, and the main aim of this project is to develop methods to ensure that people are more likely to do so." The project coincides with the launch of a new masters degree in AI at the university.

Question: The way people @placeholder to phishing emails and common cyber attacks will be the focus of a ?¡ê1 m university research project to improve online security .


Sixty years ago the North Sea battered the east coast of England, surging two miles inland. It was caused by a high spring tide, low pressure and exceptionally strong northerly gales. The surge cost 307 lives in English coastal towns and villages. Many more died on the continent and at sea. The Princess Royal attended a service at Chelmsford Cathedral to mark the anniversary, where she was introduced to guests connected with the Great Flood. The service brought together survivors from Essex and further afield, including representatives from the Netherlands where 1,800 people were killed. During the service, the horror on Canvey Island was re-enacted by children from a theatre workshop and three candles representing the lives lost in Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium were lit. Smaller acts of remembrance took place across Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. Shirley Orchard was 16 and living on Canvey Island with her father, mother and nine-year-old sister. She has a vivid memory of the disaster. She said: "We lived across a road which ended in Small Gains Creek where a lot of people lived in houseboats and we could hear them all screaming. We were lucky to have an upstairs room and were high enough to be above the water. "My father had a general store and I worked there with him. It was the worst hit shop on the island as the water went in one end and out the other and damaged a lot of the stock. "I did have a cry when I heard the story about the baby found floating in her pram. "The mother and father, as well as being friends of mine, were also customers in the shop. "The last person I served that day was the mother of the baby and it was very sad as they had tried for seven years for a baby. "They were both found dead sitting huddled up together just below from where they had left the baby. "I remember we were taken off the island by army truck in the middle of the night." In Hunstanton, Norfolk, a smaller event was held to honour the late Reis Leming, the first non-Briton to win the George Medal for bravery in peacetime. The American airman, who died in November aged 81, became the hero of the hour when the floods struck by single-handedly rescuing 27 people, despite not being able to swim. His widow, Kathy Leming, travelled to the town from Oregon in the US along with his daughter, Debra and son, Michael, who wore his father's flying jacket. Mrs Leming said: "It's just amazing to me that this community values him so much. "To me he was just the normal man I lived with for 40 years. But I come here and I see his name everywhere and it is really touching." A bus was named in his honour before a procession along the town's seafront and an unveiling of a new Reis Leming Way street sign by his family. About 24,000 homes were damaged and more than 30,000 people moved to safety during the floods, which affected 1,000 miles of British coast. More than 177 were lost at sea in fishing boats and more than 130 on the ferry Princess Victoria, which was sailing between Scotland and Ireland when it sank.

Question: Survivors and relatives of those killed in one of the UK 's worst natural disasters @placeholder to remember the floods of 1953 .


An uncrowned green harp flag was flown above Liberty Hall by the Irish Citizen Army in the week before the rebellion. But it was taken by a soldier when the British Army shelled and stormed the building, and it was later given to a military museum in County Fermanagh. It has now been presented to the Irish president ahead of events to mark the revolt's centenary this weekend. President Michael D Higgins praised the move by the Inniskillings Museum in Enniskillen, saying it was a "magnificent contribution to the 1916 commemorations". The rising was a short and ill-fated republican rebellion in 1916 against British rule in Ireland. In spite of its military failure, it is seen by many historians as a significant stepping-stone in the partition of the island and the eventual creation of the Republic of Ireland. The Irish Citizen Army helped plot the rising and manufactured weapons in Liberty Hall. The Proclamation, one of the most important documents in Irish history, was printed in the building the night before the rebellion. A green harp flag had been hoisted above Liberty Hall on Sunday 16 April 1916 in a ceremony led by James Connolly, the commander of the Irish Citizen Army. Nine days later, soldiers from the Enniskillen-based Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers arrived in Dublin to quell the rebellion and the next morning an armed patrol yacht opened fire on Liberty Hall in preparation for their assault. By that stage, the building was virtually empty. Acting Corporal John McAlonen, a 21-year-old fusilier, retrieved a flag, made from green tabby weave wool with an appliqued yellow wool harp, from the ruins of the hall. It was presented to the Inniskillings Museum in 1935 by Col John McClintock, who was the commanding officer of the 3rd Inniskillings during the Rising. The museum has said months of analysis and research indicate the flag in its possession is the same one flown above the Dublin hall at the time of the rising. It contacted the current occupiers of Liberty Hall, the Irish trade union SIPTU, and a decision was taken to conserve the flag and loan it for public display.

Question: A flag found in the ruins of a building where the 1916 Easter Rising was @placeholder has been returned to Dublin .


The drop in oil - and consequently petrol - prices have helped the already booming car industry to attract even more buyers. Yet, despite the assistance plummeting oil has offered the industry, carmakers are still setting their sights on an electric future. Advertised as road ready, stylish and cost effective, many car brands are counting on consumers' worries about the environment, or desire for convenience, to push the electric vehicle market forward. The Chevy Bolt is one of the cars leading the way in that field. General Motors unveiled the concept car at the Consumer Electric Show, in Las Vegas, but are touting the production model at this week's motor show in Detroit. The Bolt will cost $30,000 (?¡ê20,622) with a tax credit from the US government, and GM says the car will go into production at the end of this year. The Bolt is very much designed for urban living. It has a smaller frame than many cars, which the designers say will make it easier to manoeuvre through traffic and fit into tight parking spaces. The car can go approximately 200 miles on a full battery, which is close to the average range of half a tank of petrol in the US. It does take about nine hours of charging to get the battery from empty to full. The average American only drives 40 miles a day, though. So, GM is quick to point out that recharging will typically only take a few hours. "A quarter of the battery takes about two hours to charge, so it's about the same amount of time as your smart phone," says Darin Gesse, product manager for the Bolt. The Bolt was also designed to appeal to a growing number of rideshare drivers and passengers. "The Uber environment, the stop-and-go, the Lyft environment, that is ideal for a vehicle like this," says Mr Gesse, in reference to taxi-booking apps Uber and Lyft. Stopping and starting - typical of urban driving - also adds to the appeal of electric cars, which use regenerative breaking to "top up" the power, and get back 95% of the energy used to start the car. According to Mr Gesse the interior of the Bolt was designed with ridesharing in mind. The backseat can fit three passengers, and also has no foot wells to make it easier to climb in and out. The company may be onto something. Ride-hailing services such as Lyft and Uber like to suggest that they lead to fewer numbers of cars on the road, and thus a cut in emissions. Environmentally-conscious passengers, particularly on America's west coast, are likely to be supportive of further efforts to cut emissions. General Motors announced last week that it made a $500m (?¡ê344m) investment in Lyft to help develop a fleet of driverless vehicles. The US manufacturer has not said whether it will join forces with Lyft to help drivers buy or lease the Bolt. As well as developing all-electric vehicles, manufacturers continue to make advances with hybrid petrol/electric cars. Volkswagen - whose green credentials have been damaged by the scandal involving its diesel cars - premiered the Tiguan GTE Active concept, a hybrid sports utility vehicle (SUV), at the Detroit motor show. The Tiguan is a nod to the company's need to offer SUVs to meet North American demand, while the plug-in electric engine is a chance for VW to take a second stab at wooing environmentally inclined drivers. The lithium battery can take the car 20 miles before it switches to a traditional engine that can get the car a further 560 miles. "I think electric cars will play a really important role worldwide," says Dr Herbert Diess, head of the board of management that looks after the Volkswagen brand. Demand from America's west coast and environmental policies in China are helping to increase electric cars sales, says Dr Diess. The Tiguan was in the works before VW's use of "defeat devices" to hide emission levels was revealed, and will not be available in the US until 2017. Meanwhile, Chrysler unveiled its new minivan - Pacifica - that comes in a hybrid plug-in version. The car is the newest spin on Chrysler's Town & Country luxury passenger minivan. The hybrid Pacifica can go 30 miles on its electric engine before switching to petrol. Chrysler says it decided to launch the Pacifica as a hybrid because people-movers - used typically for many short trips per day - were "ideally suited" to rely on electric engines. Carmakers are having to emphasise the other benefits of electric vehicles, such as saving time and skipping the inconvenience of filling the tank. "Here in Michigan, and in the north, I've yet to discover a heated gas station," says Mr Gesse on a day when Detroit's temperature reached -10C. GM hopes convincing people of the ease of re-powering their cars at home will encourage more sales of the new Bolt and their existing hybrid the Volt. It is likely that the tech-focused markets and environmentally conscious drivers will, for the time being, make up the bulk of the entirely electric market. With emissions standards changing however, more and more car companies are aware that moving to electric is the way forward.

Question: Filling up at the pump has rarely been less terrifying . A worldwide over @placeholder has pushed the price of oil to an 11 - year low .