The Games, which run from 7-18 September, will see around 4,350 athletes from more than 160 countries travel to Rio, Brazil, to compete in 526 medal events in 22 different sports. Britain enjoyed a hugely successful London Paralympics in 2012, winning 120 medals, including 34 golds, to finish third on the medal table behind China and Russia. With a team of more than 200 expected to be named for the Games, here's a look at some of the Paralympic athletes hoping to make an impact in 2016 on the biggest stage of all. Despite being only 17, Moore has been playing wheelchair basketball for eight years and is now a key part of the GB women's squad who will be playing at next year's Rio Paralympics. Charlotte has a busy life, combining her first year of A Level study in Biology, Chemistry and PE with training alongside the rest of the GB players who are based at the University of Worcester. The teenager, who is paralysed from the waist down, enjoyed double medal success in 2015, first helping the GB Under-25 Women to the world title before securing bronze at the European Championships. "Having so many others on the team around the same age as me has been really good," she said. "I would love to be selected to Rio and try and put in the same sort of performance that I did at the Europeans but under that bit more pressure." In January 2013 the then 27-year-old Giglia was working as fitness coach when she suffered a stroke which left her with restricted movement down her right side. Keen to get back into sport, cycling formed part of her recovery and after being spotted by British Cycling, she joined their development programme in 2014. She made her major international debut in 2015, racing in both the World Track and World Road Championships, and finished the year on a high at the Manchester Para-Cycling event, winning a gold in the C3 pursuit race. "At the moment, I don't allow myself to think too much about Rio because you never know what is going to happen" said Giglia. "I never dreamed I would get to this level but it has allowed me to turn what was a bad situation into a good one. It gives me something to live for and I hope what I am doing can give other people hope that that can do something with their lives." The Norwich teenager is Britain's top ranked junior and is hoping to make his Paralympic debut in Rio at the age of 18. Hewett was born with a heart problem, which required surgery when he was six months old, and then aged seven he was diagnosed with a condition called Perthes Disease, which affects his hip joint. Hewett's 2015 saw him make his debut in the Wimbledon wheelchair doubles event in July and also win singles titles in Berlin and Italy and the British Open doubles title. "It has definitely been a roller-coaster year," he said. "I had some good wins over top 10 players but also some sloppy performances so there is a lot to take out of it for next year. "Getting to Rio would mean a lot. I've had to overcome a lot but this has been my goal and it would prove that all the hard work and the sacrifices my family and I have made were worth it and a medal would be a dream come true." Having won team bronze at London 2012, Wilson wants to add an individual medal to that if he is selected for Rio. The 20-year-old was the youngest member of the GB table tennis squad in London, missing out on a medal in the singles before linking up with Will Bayley and Aaron McKibbin for the team event. Wilson, who has a condition which affects the growing ends of the bones, is expecting to find out whether he has been selected for Rio early in 2016. He said: "After London, I suffered with a shoulder injury, and that meant a lot of rehabilitation. I also had knee and shoulder operations, so it has required a lot of patience and a lot of waiting around." "That has helped me improve in the gym and improve psychologically and everything is coming together now." Watching Hannah Cockcroft and David Weir win gold medals at the 2012 London Paralympics proved a key moment in the life of Coventry teenager Kare Adenegan. Having been left out from participating in sports at school for health and safety reasons, the Games made her realise that she could take part in sport, despite her cerebral palsy, and she quickly discovered that there was an athletics club in her city. In October, aged 14, she was the youngest member of the GB team at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, winning two bronze medals. "The World Championships were a stepping stone and I learned a lot about technique and tactics which should be beneficial for future competitions. The thought that I might be competing at Rio Paralympics is extremely exciting" says Adenegan. He may only have made his England debut a few months ago, but Crossen is already targeting gold with Great Britain at the Rio Paralympics. The 25-year-old defender, from Stockton-on-Tees, impressed in June as England finished fifth at the Cerebral Palsy World Championships, their best ever, to secure a place for GB in Brazil. He admits he almost gave up football "10 times" after a stroke at the age of 22 left him with restricted movement on his left side. Crossen said: "I am going for gold. Definitely a medal is the aim going into it. I am not going there to be a tourist, I am going for a medal. "I would say we have got the third-best team in the world. I know the rankings don't say that but I think we could beat anyone on our day."

Question: The Rio Paralympic Games are fast approaching and Britain 's top @placeholder athletes are hoping that the coming year can bring success .


The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) also revealed that it has received almost ¡ê6m to cover administration costs of the course. BBC News NI obtained the data through a freedom of information request. The speed awareness course began in June 2010 and may be offered to drivers as an alternative to penalty points. A total of 187,608 speed awareness courses have been completed since then. The maximum speed of a participant on the course was recorded at 86mph in a 70mph zone. Suneil Sharma completed it a few months ago in Belfast after he was caught driving at 38mph in a 30mph zone and said the course was "worthwhile but tedious". "It was certainly worth doing the course rather than taking the penalty points," he said. "They remind you of some of the basic things like leaving the house on time to avoid you driving quickly. "I think I am a more careful driver now that I have been on it." Mr Sharma said he was "completely gobsmacked" to hear how many people had taken part in the course. The BBC has also obtained some figures about the speed awareness course and the Young Driver Scheme, which relates to the numbers of people who completed the course between 2011 and 2014. More men than women have been caught speeding. In 2012, almost 50% more men than women took part in the course, with 15,995 men taking part compared to 10,994 women. During the same period, 1,463 people completed the course twice while three people completed it on three occasions. People who are caught speeding while under the age of 25 will complete a different course known as the Young Driver Scheme. About 2,000 young people have been completing it each year. The figures also reveal that about 100 young people each year are completing the course while they still have their R plates. The course costs ¡ê89 and lasts for four hours, during which drivers are taught about the dangers of speeding and the impact of speeding during an accident. On average, drivers will only be given the opportunity to take part in the course if they are driving within 10mph of the speed limit. The course is offered at eight locations in Northern Ireland and is delivered by contractor AADriveTech.

Question: Almost 190,000 speed awareness courses have been taken across Northern Ireland since the scheme was @placeholder seven years ago .


On Saturday, James Brokenshire became the first secretary of state to attend a gaelic football match in Northern Ireland. It is understood he was in the stadium's control room when the anthem was played. The Northern Ireland Office said he attended "in the spirit of friendship". However, A County Armagh Labour MP said Mr Brokenshire had "snubbed" the anthem. "I think that's quite a regressive step," Conor McGinn told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme. "I'm confused and bemused by it and I've asked him to clarify why he did it." Mr McGinn said he understood Mr Brokenshire arranged it so "he wouldn't be present to take his seat" when the anthem was played before the McKenna Cup final. "Four years ago Her Majesty The Queen visited Dublin and Croke Park, we've since had a reciprocal visit from the Irish president where both anthems were played with mutual respect, were attended by the taoiseach (Irish prime minister), the prime minister, other ministers. "So what I want to find out is: Is this a change of protocol and why Mr Brokenshire didn't observe the normal courtesies and protocols around the playing of the national anthem?" In 2012, then first minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson attended the McKenna Cup final, his first GAA match. Mr Robinson also took his seat just before the game began after the anthem was played. In 2011, then sports minister Car¨¢l N¨ª Chuil¨ªn became the first senior Sinn F¨¦in member to attend a Northern Ireland international football match. She also did not take her seat until after God Save the Queen was played. Mr McGinn said he was "not naive" about the feelings of unionist or nationalist politicians, but that Mr Brokenshire is a "UK government minister". "James Brokenshire should be there as the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, a co-guarantor of the (Good Friday) agreement and someone who is above the fray, in a sense. "He should observe proper respect and protocols for the Irish national anthem, in the way that I would expect the Irish foreign minister to observe the protocols of the UK national anthem." A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) said Mr Brokenshire was "delighted" to attend the match and he "did so in the spirit of friendship". "Saturday night was about sport, not politics," the spokesperson added. Speaking about the match on Saturday, Mr Brokenshire said he had received an "absolutely incredible" welcome.

Question: The Secretary of State has been @placeholder after it emerged he took his seat at a GAA game after the playing of the Irish national anthem .


It will run across social media and digital platforms for the next month warning potential and existing child sex predators that officers are "on to them". Chief Constable Phil Gormley said he would not tolerate Scottish children being groomed. The Scottish government is supporting the ?¡ê40,000 campaign. The campaign outlines how abusers gain power over their victims by violence, coercion or intimidation. They often target young people by offering them something, such as food, drugs, alcohol, gifts or affection, in return for sex. The drive's digital launch follows two weeks of phone box adverts being placed across Scotland where abusers are known to target young people. Chief Constable Phil Gormley said: "Children across Scotland, both boys and girls, are being groomed for sex by predators. "This kind of insidious behaviour can, at times, be hidden under a veil of seemingly innocent contact when in reality the child is being groomed to be sexually abused. "Sexually exploiting a child will not be tolerated and our message to perpetrators is simple: we know how you operate, where you operate and the techniques you use. We're on to you." Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "Keeping children safe from abuse and exploitation is a key priority for the Scottish government and we fully support the work of Police Scotland to tackle those who prey on children." The charity Barnardos Scotland, which is also supporting the campaign, urged people to report any concerns they might have.

Question: Police Scotland has launched its first public @placeholder campaign to tackle child sexual exploitation ( CSE ) .


Kay plays a supermarket worker forced to spend his commute with a colleague as part of a company car-share scheme. The star has also directed the six half-hour episodes. The series will be the first to be made available online on the iPlayer in its entirety before being broadcast on a BBC TV channel. The iPlayer is mainly used as a catch-up service, but Car Share is part of a trial in which 40 hours of programming will be made available online first. BBC One controller Danny Cohen said: "It is hugely exciting that Peter Kay is coming to BBC One with his new series - even more so with the innovative plan we have to launch the show online." Peter Kay is among the UK's most popular comedians and is best known on TV for Channel 4 shows like Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere. In 2010 and 2011, he broke the world record for the biggest-selling stand-up tour, which was seen by 1.1 million people over 113 arena nights. He is also the first comedian to sell 10 million DVDs in the UK. He said: "To be finally working with the BBC on a new comedy is a great opportunity. "And the idea of two people car sharing to work each day really appealed to me, as it highlights the comedy in the minutia of the daily trek and allows the spiralling conversations of life to unwind in all of their glory."

Question: Comedian Peter Kay is to make his first BBC One sitcom , but the show , @placeholder Car Share , will go out on TV only after making its debut on the BBC iPlayer .


It's a tiny slice of forest in an urban landscape. Hawthorn and crab apple trees provide a shady canopy over a collection of shrubs, wildflowers and grasses. The garden, London Glades, at the Hampton Court Flower Show, is designed to mimic the forest floor. Mounds of rotting wood and garden waste have been covered with topsoil to be more sustainable and echo the natural contours of the wild. Jon Davies of Future Gardens London says the garden sets out to explore a deeper relationship with nature. "One of the main things we're working with is Hugelkultur, which in German means hill culture," explains Jon. "It's the idea of creating mounds in the ground, so contouring the land rather than just having it flat." He says the contours create interesting planting environments for different plants. "We're trying to get a Hugelkultur revolution going on, especially in the urban environment, and saying, 'Look, your gardens don't have to be flat,'" he explains. "We can create these really cool contours, which create really interesting planting environments." Part of the concept of the garden is to invoke the senses. Strawberries nestle among other plants, where you can reach out and pick them. There's moss to tickle your toes if you walk barefoot along soft paths. "We're trying to get people to get all their senses involved when experiencing this garden," says co-creator Andreas Christodoulou. "So there's an edible element to every plant and so therefore you can taste what the plants are like. "There's a lovely smell, especially during the rain, along the lawn paths, and we encourage people to take off their shoes as they walk through so that they can feel and try to explore the soft landscaped paths." Plants are chosen for their textures and flowers, while the trees create dappled light and shade. The overall effect is soft and wild, rather than the straight lines and manicured lawns of traditional gardens. "We want to try and get a feeling of nature, and the woodland and the wildness into an urban setting so you feel very connected in a deeper way to the natural environment," says Jon. Martyn Wilson from Wilson Associates Garden Design is behind a garden that echoes the way nature takes over abandoned industrial spaces. "The concept is around the regeneration of brownfield sites as they're known," he explains. "My inspiration is from places such as the High Line in New York and the Landschaft Park at Duisberg in Germany, but also major regeneration sites such as the former MG Rover site in Longbridge in Birmingham." Sculpted steel forms the basis of the garden, together with concrete blocks. The planting includes birch trees, buddleia bushes, grasses and ferns. "I'm of the view that people perhaps walk past these spaces," says Martyn. "They perhaps don't look through the hoarding and see what's going on inside. So I'm hoping people will look at these sites and hopefully see the beauty of them. " Old factories and industrial spaces can go through periods of transition where they are reclaimed by nature. Even a small patch of land of 9 by 5 metres can harbour wildlife. Plants peep through gravel as if they have sprung up naturally, attracting insects such as damselflies. "This is in essence a gravel garden - it's low maintenance... and if you're wanting to encourage wildlife it's very pollinator beneficial," says Martyn. Follow Helen on Twitter.

Question: Projects such as the High Line in New York have used industrial spaces to create wildlife havens in the heart of the city . It 's a trend that 's spreading around the world . So how can you connect with nature on your own patch of @placeholder ?


The mother was at Derby Bus Station on Wednesday evening when she was seen slapping the child. Police arrested the 35-year-old mother on suspicion of common assault, interviewed her and gave her two cautions. Derbyshire Police said the child was now being looked after by social care. It is legal for a parent to physically punish a child in the UK if the punishment is "reasonable". However, the Children Act 2004 removed the defence of "reasonable chastisement" in England and Wales for any punishment towards a child that leads to bruising, swelling, cuts, grazes or scratches. Scotland and Northern Ireland have similar laws. A United Nations report suggested the UK should pass laws to ban parents from smacking their children.

Question: A child has been taken away from a mother who slapped the four - year - old across the face , then swore at and pushed a woman who @placeholder .


Yet Polish apple grower Barbara Domasiewicz and her family are unlikely to reap the rewards. That's because neighbouring Russia has always been the biggest single customer for the fruits produced on her family's farm. Now the fate of much of her crop hangs in the balance. Russia's ban on produce from the EU, in retaliation for sanctions over Ukraine is not without precedent. Imports from Poland were halted once before in 2008. But this latest trade embargo has hit just a month before the annual harvest, and there is now a real chance that at least some of the crisp, juicy crop in these orchards, 55km (34 miles) south of the capital Warsaw, will just go to waste. It's a hot, late summer day and Barbara is out in the orchards, walking the neat and fragrantly ripening rows with the marketing director of Ecogrupa, the nearby co-operative that distributes her apples. She tells him she has no illusions about how tricky it will be to find replacement customers willing to take large quantities of her crop. "We are happy with the quality, but just don't know whether we can sell our apples or what price we can now get. The kind of apples we grow are good sellers in Russia but less popular in many other places in Europe." Half of all Poland's apples are exported and last year half of that total went to bulk buyers in Russia for onward distribution to supermarkets and stores. So the embargo puts a squeeze on Polish farmers that is hard to stomach. Brussels puts the value of the country's entire fruit trade with Russia at over 339m euros (¡ê271m). Poland's vegetable sales there came in at about 173m euros (¡ê138m). Poland was also a major, though not the largest, supplier of dairy and meat products. Most of the produce is sold through co-operative trading companies owned collectively by the growers. The largest is Ecogrupa. It has previously sent up to 20 trucks a day across the Russian border, with each 21-tonne load containing some 80,000 apples. Staff have already had plenty of enquiries from global customers looking to buy the now surplus crop, though only for rock-bottom prices. Ecogrupa's marketing director, Pawel Zalewski, has forged close relationships with his Russian buyers and emphasises he has no quarrel with them whatsoever. He thinks the ban has already hit shoppers there hard - with typical fruit price rises of around 60%. He says he would not be surprised if Moscow looked for a face-saving way of reversing the ban before it officially expires in a year. But he says the events of the last few weeks are also a wake-up call for the entire industry. "Way before the embargo our group started to see that we should change our approach and move away from exporting apples by the crateload to buyers only looking for the lowest price. "Margins in the industry are very low and we need to change the mindset of consumers. Polish apples are a great product which we can now treat very carefully and sell to new customers abroad." So Ecogrupa is encouraging Polish growers to rise above the loss of Russian bulk business by improving quality. Mr Zalewski proudly shows off a vast new processing warehouse built with the aid of EU funds. The place is packed with industry-leading plant and robots to store, clean and grade apples by size and colour markings, even automatically probing the quality right though to the core without leaving a mark. The best of the apples go into custom-designed and branded packaging, finding ready buyers in northern Europe, including Scandinavia and beyond. Now the group is diversifying into turning even more of its growers' produce into "not from concentrate" apple juice and offering pre-peeled and cut fruit to caterers and restaurants. Adding value to the apple crop would also meet the approval of Malgorzata Starczewska-Krzysztoszek, chief economist of Lewiatana, the Polish Confederation of Private Employers. She is also on a prestigious economic board which advises the Polish prime minister. "What's happened is a reminder that we need to change our agricultural model. We produce very good natural products and we must use technology to keep them in better condition, to improve packaging to prolong life without adding chemicals. "There is a lot of room for innovation in Poland, but I think we can do it because we are always much better when we're under pressure." It may not be until December that the financial impact of the embargo on the apple trade becomes clear. Most fruit famers were braced for this ban. But it is not yet clear how much they are willing or able to make the investments needed to replace the bulk trade with Russia with sales to Western fruit buyers who insist on named varieties of the highest quality. When it comes to the EU-wide emergency relief for embargo-hit farmers, apple producers are far from first in the queue. Soft fruit and some vegetable growers have first call on a share of the 125m euro (¡ê100m) fund, designed to avert a price slump by taking some apples out of the European market. Measures are being put in place to try to divert some of this surplus fruit to the needy, but many in the industry fear the mechanisms may not work and countless tonnes of apples will have to be destroyed. Decisions will have to be made as to whether it is worth preserving some or all of the unsold crop in cold storage. Ecogrupa's vice president Jacek Skoneczny welcomes the EU aid but says Polish growers might be better served if they were allowed to send the embargoed apples to places like the Middle East or North Africa to help those in need and also promote their products in such new markets. "We are happy that the farmers can get EU money, but it might be better that, instead of wasting fruit, we could sell it cheaply to the market outside Europe. People would be able to taste our apples and next time they might come back and buy them."

Question: It 's promising to be one of Poland 's best apple harvests since records began . There has been plenty of rain and just the right amount of @placeholder .


Protesters refused to take an alternative route suggested by police in central Santiago and hurled stones at them, the government said. Students said they were brutally attacked by riot police. They are demanding that the government of Michelle Bachelet speed up reforms that will guarantee free university education for all Chileans. "We are tired of waiting," read banners carried by students in the demonstration. President Bachelet took office in 2014, promising to implement a number of social measures to reduce inequality. She had served a first term between 2006 and 2010. One of the most contentious issues during the government of her centre-right predecessor, Sebastian Pinera, was Chile's educational system, which critics say favours the private sector. She said policies guaranteeing everyone a free education would show that the country was heading in the right direction. Last year, however, Ms Bachelet's government scaled down the reforms as Chile faced an economic downturn. Many left-wingers felt betrayed by the change of pace. On Saturday, during Ms Bachelet's annual state-of-the-nation address violent protests erupted in Valparaiso. Demonstrators set up barricades and hurled firebombs in Valparaiso, where Chile's Congress meets. Police fired tear gas and water cannon. A security guard died from fume inhalation when masked protestors burned a pharmacy and supermarket. "We are going to stay on the streets. From today onwards, we expect that the protests will only intensify," said Marta Matamala, head of the University of Santiago student union.

Question: A student demonstration in Chile has turned violent as police used tear gas and water cannons to @placeholder the march .


On Tuesday China winds up a weeklong public holiday to mark National Day, the anniversary of the 1949 Revolution when the Communist Party came to power. Since then, the Party has imposed tight control over the media, and at times of crisis the room for nuanced reporting shrinks to zero. In the early days of last week, the state propaganda machine met the Hong Kong protests in almost total silence as it awaited instructions from the Communist Party leadership on what to say. Now, despite the distraction of National Day celebrations, the orders have come down, and the machine is working at full throttle. The Chinese state controls the press. Over recent days, the Communist Party flagship newspaper has set the tone for Hong Kong coverage with several commentaries and editorials on its front page. Monday's edition explained the Party's thinking on the principle of democracy, with an editorial which argued that "respecting the will and interests of the majority is the common essence of all democracies." The column went on to argue that Britain had done nothing for democracy in Hong Kong and to insinuate that the 'Occupy' movement is the tool of hostile foreign interests. Using illegal means to achieve "noble" purposes is a lie told by a small group of ambitious schemersa€|.who maintain the colonial mentality and are hostile towards democracy. Missing from this primer on democracy is any mention of what citizens should do when they see their laws as unjust and their leaders as unaccountable. At no point in the past turbulent week have China's media mentioned that Hong Kong's demonstrators are peaceful nor have they tackled the rights and wrongs of non-violent civil disobedience. The People's Daily does not address Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King. Nor for that matter does it rush to revisit its own revolution. The simple fact is that there would be no celebrating the 65th anniversary of the People's Republic if Mao Zedong had followed current Party instructions on lawful protest. Mao himself had little time for civil disobedience. He is famous for lines like 'political power comes from the barrel of a gun' and 'revolution is not a dinner party'. He would have scoffed at the 'umbrella revolutionaries' with their hands in the air and signs apologising for disruption. The Chinese public gets its national television news from one place, CCTV. Pictures present particular problems for propaganda organs and several days into the Hong Kong crisis, there were only words. But since the weekend, CCTV has run long reports from its reporters in Hong Kong showing traffic disruption and a chorus of angry voices opposed to the protests from commuters to shopkeepers and foreign residents. The only images of the protesters themselves are carefully edited to give the impression that police are dealing with a potentially violent crowd of extremists. There are no interviews with the demonstrators and no attempt to address their point of view. Monday evening's news headline on CCTV was 'All walks of life express strong dissatisfaction towards Occupy Central'. Anything which may remind mainland citizens of the Tiananmen democracy protests of 1989 is particularly sensitive. Western social media like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are blocked in China. The photo sharing application Instagram which is normally available has also now been blocked so that images of Hong Kong's protest cannot circulate. And on China's Twitter equivalent, Weibo, searches for "Occupy Central", "Hong Kong students" and "Umbrella Revolution" return error messages. A concerted campaign to eradicate images which present the demonstrators as idealistic, numerous, vulnerablea€|and especially young. China now has its own clear narrative of what's happening in Hong Kong and is working hard to close down any alternative. But at the same time as depriving his citizens of images from the "umbrella revolution" China's president Xi Jinping will no doubt be watching them closely himself.

Question: Quiz question : What has been the top trending story on China 's social media this week ? Wrong answer : Hong Kong . Correct answer : People @placeholder ' Guoqing ' , which in Chinese means ' national celebration ' .


The new exhibition at the Museum of Cambridge on Castle Street includes some items never seen by the public. It features reports of some of those imprisoned in both the County Gaol where the county council offices now stand and the Borough Gaol on Gonville Place, where the YMCA stands. The exhibition runs until July. County Gaol, on the site of the city's Norman castle, was constructed between 1802 and 1807. It was used until 1915 and was finally demolished in 1928. Shire Hall, the council headquarters on Castle Street was constructed using some of the old prison bricks. The Borough - or Town - Gaol overlooking Parker's Piece, was built in 1829 and pulled down in 1878. The YMCA and a multi-storey car park now occupy the site. Among those who passed through the penal system were a pair of murderous lovers, Elias Lucas and Mary Reader. They were hanged at County Gaol on 13 April 1850 for killing Susan Lucas. The unfortunate wife of Elias - and sister of Mary - was poisoned with arsenic to enable her killers to marry. Instead, they were hanged together in the prison courtyard. Others escaped the ultimate punishment and were instead deported. John Frederick Mortlock, 33, described as a "gentleman of Cambridge" was sentenced to "21 years' transportation" in 1842 after being found guilty of attempting to murder a man with a pistol. As late as 1942 what might appear to be severe sentences for minor criminal acts were still being handed out. Jesse Whitehead, a 26-year-old plumber from Kent, was jailed for a year for stealing a silk handkerchief from a member of Queen's College in the city. Some of the items on show have been brought out of storage at the museum while many others have been donated either by descendants of the original owners, or collectors.

Question: Truncheons , handcuffs and the dying words of two murderers are among @placeholder documenting the history of crime and punishment in Cambridge .


The woman, in her 40s, was asleep in her car in a lay-by at Dunnington, near York, when she was attacked. North Yorkshire Police said the woman was attacked on 1 July, but they have only now obtained a description. The driver is about 55 years old, 5ft 10in tall with blonde or light hair and a tattoo on his upper left arm. His lorry was cream or white in colour, with red lettering on the side including the letters D and E. Det Ch Insp Dave Ellis, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "I believe that fellow drivers may recognise the description of this man, or of his lorry, and will be able to provide information which will help to identify him."

Question: Police investigating the night - time rape of a vulnerable woman have @placeholder a description of a lorry driver they want to speak to .


The deal was one of several announced during US President Donald Trump's weekend visit to the Middle East which boosted US markets. The Dow Jones rose 0.43% to 20,894.90. The wider S&P 500 climbed 0.52% to 2,394.03, while the Nasdaq was up 0.84% at 6,134.70. Defence companies were among the best performing stocks after the US and Saudi Arabia agreed a $110bn arms deal. Shares in Boeing climbed 1.6%, Lockheed Martin rose 1.6%, and Raytheon was 0.6% higher. Shares in Blackstone, which counts Hilton hotels and craft chain Michaels Stores among its investments, jumped more than 6%. Blackstone said on Saturday it is starting a new investment programme focused on infrastructure, to be financed by $20m from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, as well as other investors and debt. Infrastructure has been a key talking point for Mr Trump, who says the US is falling behind when it comes to roads and other projects. He has pledged to jumpstart public and private investment in the area. Shares in Ford climbed 2.1% after the carmaker said it had replaced its chief executive Mark Fields, following a major reshuffle. Ford's new chief is Jim Hackett, who formerly ran the company's self-driving car division. Oil price rises also drove energy stock prices higher.

Question: Shares of US financial services giant Blackstone jumped on Monday after the firm said it would invest $ 100 m in infrastructure , with partners that @placeholder Saudi Arabia .


The cities are bidding for the Games after Durban was stripped of the event. Warner says it is more cost effective to use the stadium, which hosted the 2012 Olympics and 2017 World Athletics and Para-athletics Championships. "The first one to make the call has the knockout bid," he said. Liverpool's plan will see a temporary athletics track put into Everton's proposed new stadium, while Birmingham is planning on refurbishing Alexander Stadium, the home of the national championships. "If I was leader of the Liverpool or Birmingham bid I would be ringing [London Mayor] Sadiq Khan and say 'you know what, can we have the athletics in London and we will do everything else?" Warner told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek. Warner, who is also co-chairman of London 2017, said: "I spoke to a civil servant, who is heavily involved in the Commonwealth Games bid, he said he was going to be 'be rinsing the treasury for half a billion pounds to put on an English Commonwealth Games.' "My answer is, save a load of money, use this amazing facility, which is the best in the world and make it an English bid." Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson told BBC Radio Merseyside: "Liverpool's case is around the fact that - with the athletics village, with the things that we would put in place - there would be a huge legacy, not just economic but for sport, for our children, for the future." Both cities will be inspected in August, before the final decision in September. The Department of Culture, Media and Sport will then forward the bid to the Commonwealth Games Federation. Cities in Canada, Australia and Malaysia are also expected to bid for the Games.

Question: Liverpool and Birmingham should ask to use London Stadium for athletics as part of their 2022 Commonwealth Games bids , says @placeholder UK Athletics chief Ed Warner .


Eighty badgers were vaccinated between September and November and an expansion across Penwith, Cornwall, is planned. Prof Rosie Woodroffe, from the project, said up to 1,000 badgers could be vaccinated in the "next few years" and it may be an alternative to the cull. But the government said it was pursuing a "comprehensive 25-year strategy to deal with the disease". The seven-year project is costing about ?¡ê1m and is being funded by the Badger and Cattle Vaccination Initiative, the National Trust and through fundraising, with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) providing the trial with vaccinations for free. Prof Woodroffe, who started the pilot in 2013, said it had so far been deemed a success because of "good participation from land owners" and meeting the 80 badger vaccination target. She said: "TB is a terrible problem for farmers and badgers are part of that problem. "It's been tested on badgers and reduces the risk. It has the potential to reduce the spread." Sue James, who allowed the vaccination to take place on her land in West Cornwall, said: "It seems to me if there's a chance vaccinations can help farmers we should give it a go." Defra said: "England has the highest incidence of bovine TB in Europe and that is why we are pursuing a comprehensive 25-year strategy to deal with the disease, which includes cattle controls, badger vaccination and culling badgers where TB is rife." The Penwith peninsula covers the far west of Cornwall.

Question: A trial to give Bovine TB vaccines to badgers will @placeholder after it was deemed a success by scientists in Cornwall .


St Joseph's College in Stoke-on-Trent said if every parent paid the optional ¡ê60 per term per child, it would have an additional ¡ê196,000. In a statement, it said like all schools nationally it was "under increasing financial pressure". The government said it had "protected the core schools budget in real terms since 2010". Read more news for Staffordshire In a letter to parents, the school in Trent Vale for 11 to 18-year-olds, said it was "facing cuts next year of ¡ê289,000 in addition to the more than ¡ê1m that has been cut" over the previous five years. It said that meant it had had "¡ê200 funding cut per pupil per year since 2013 with another ¡ê286 per pupil cut from this year's budget". In a statement, the school said whilst it could meet its "core" commitments, the provision of "the outstanding opportunities that we strive to offer has been supported by parents for the last 20 years via a voluntary payment to the school fund". It added: "We have recently reminded parents, as we do annually, of the benefits to their children of supporting the school in this way." The government said school funding was "at its highest level on record at almost ¡ê41bn in 2017-18" and that was set to rise, as pupil numbers increase, to ¡ê42bn by 2019/20. It said: "We recognise that schools are facing cost pressures, which is why we will continue to provide support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways and make efficiencies.

Question: Parents at a state school have been @placeholder to pay a fee every term to help plug a near ¡ê 300,000 gap in funding .


Josh Matavesi's interception try set the seal on the win, but it was fly-half Biggar's control and kicking that put Ospreys in charge. Biggar reacted positively to missing some first-half kicks to accumulate a personal match tally of 20 points. "He was frustrated and took it upon himself to go out and give us some yards," said Ospreys captain Jones. "You watch Dan - whether it's with Wales or the Ospreys - and when he's playing well he gets us on the front foot and that fulcrum between 9, 10 and 12 is pretty good when he's firing." Biggar's personal contribution helped Ospreys make a winning start against the team lying second in England's Premiership. Jones was happy with his team's win after their poor form in the early rounds of the Pro12. Ospreys lie eighth in the table after losing five of their opening seven matches. "People didn't expect too much from us in this first game, but it's a good start," added Jones. "It's the home win that we needed off what we're mature enough to say is a disappointing start in the Pro12, and this was the game we needed. "If you look at the game it probably could have gone either way and we were lucky to get a couple of decisions and get on the front foot." Ospreys face last season's runners-up Clermont Auvergne away in the second round of matches on 22 November. "It's massive step up," added Jones. "We've got a quick turnaround, but hopefully we can get out there and get something. "They've had a indifferent start but they always peak for the ERC - they've been to a couple of finals and the squad and the reputation they have got playing at home."

Question: Alun Wyn Jones @placeholder Dan Biggar after he inspired Ospreys to a 25 - 13 win over Exeter in the European Champions Cup.


Iran was against US intervention, he said, and the world should respect the results of Iraq's April election which saw victory for Nouri Maliki's alliance. But the ayatollah has been overtaken by events. The past week has seen the US launch air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in northern Iraq, while in Baghdad Mr Maliki has failed in his bid to return to the prime minister's office. Although this all goes contrary to Iran's stated wishes, officials in Tehran have said almost nothing. "Iran's silence shows they are happy with what's happening in Iraq," says Ghassan Attiyah, president of the Baghdad-based Iraqi Foundation for Development and Democracy. Mr Attiyah says that Iraq's new Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi has strong ties to Iran and for this reason the Iranians have not tried to block his nomination. "They were not happy with Maliki from the beginning but they accepted him because the Shia bloc supported him in parliament," he says. "But when he started losing and alienating Kurds and Sunnis, Iran didn't like it." Iran has also confounded expectations that it would issue an angry condemnation of the US air strikes this week on IS positions in northern Iraq. In fact, in a striking change of tone, an advisor to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that Iran and the US should work together to counter IS in Iraq. Observers say the realisation that the militants are now just 25km (16 miles) from Iran's western border may well have influenced thinking in Tehran. It is clear that the threat posed by the Islamic State is another factor in Iran's decision not to actively oppose the appointment of Mr Abadi as Iraq's new prime minister. Unlike US President Barack Obama, Iran's president has yet to congratulate Mr Abadi on his appointment. But in a phone call on Monday to congratulate another newly elected leader in the region, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said a government must be formed in Iraq "as soon as possible", and that Iran would support "the person who is approved by the majority of Iraqi lawmakers". It was the first clear indication that Iran was not intending to stand firmly behind Mr Maliki as it has done for its other regional protege, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. There was more bad news for Mr Maliki on Tuesday when the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, also voiced support for the move in Baghdad to choose a new prime minister. Mr Shamkhani's call for all Iraqi groups and coalitions to keep united and work together to protect national unity seemed like a coded message to Mr Maliki that his time was running out. The hardline Javan newspaper, affiliated to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, adopted a similar tone. In an editorial, it called on him to show "selfless compliance" to the Iraqi president's decision. The final nail in the coffin was Ayatollah Khamenei lending his support to Mr Abadi's appointment on Wednesday. "I hope the designation of the new prime minister in Iraq will untie the knot and lead to the establishment of a new government and teach a good lesson to those who aim for sedition in Iraq," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech to foreign ministry officials and diplomats. "Maliki won't leave easily," says Mohsen Milani, the Iranian-born director of the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies in Florida. "But if both Iran and the US support the new government, he has to go." Mr Maliki said Mr Abadi's nomination was a "violation of the constitution" but for Iran what is important at the moment is to see a unified Shia bloc in Iraq and a new government formed without further delay. And if Mr Maliki cannot deliver either of these things, then as far as Iran is concerned, his time is up.

Question: Less than two months ago , Iran 's Supreme Leader , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , @placeholder out his position on Iraq .


For the rescued children this donation, from Red Cross Nigeria and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was the first chance to get out of the tattered clothes they had been wearing for months, since the very day they were kidnapped by Boko Haram. Handing out clothes to the women and children as well as buckets, towels and soap is the easy part.  It is much harder to help them recover from the physical and psychological damage. "I saw death when I was with Boko Haram.  I lived with death," says Margaret. "It's only God that saved me. But I'm not the same person now." Her two-year-old daughter, Halima, is asleep on her lap, as her young son Jacob, four, cries relentlessly from fever and struggles to sit up on the bed beside her. "We saw so many ugly things.  People were slaughtered with knives in front of us.  It has changed my view of the world completely," she told me. Margaret escaped from captivity several months ago so it was surprising to find her amongst the just rescued women and children. She was there for an extraordinary reunion. When Boko Haram gunmen stormed her village near Damboa late last year Margaret was abducted along with Halima and Jacob. But she had three other children, aged six, eight and 10, back at home - with no one looking after them.  With the jihadists terrorising the towns and villages, killing and abducting, Margaret was worried sick about their safety. "So I just took the risk and fled with Halima," she said adding that it would have been impossible to escape carrying both children. She took the painful decision to leave Jacob in the jihadist camp and begged another abductee, 20-year-old Hauwa, to look after him. I met Hauwa in another room of the school that is a temporary home for the rescued women and children. "We really suffered there.  We were beaten if we didn't pray.  Every day we were beaten," she tells me.  Many of the children fell sick because they were eating so badly in the jihadist camp in the Sambisa forest. Despite all the challenges she still managed to keep Jacob and another woman's child safe - a heroic act that also helped her avoid being handed out as a wife of a Boko Haram fighter. "I am not married but I told them I was.  I said: 'Look, here are my two children.'" Hauwa also protected the children during the terrifying rescue mission when the Nigerian military stormed the camp. "When the aircraft were above us we lay under the bushes to avoid being hit by bullets," she says. "The soldiers were shooting because they thought we were Boko Haram.  Some of our women were hit, some died and others were wounded." Hearing that the Nigerian military had brought 275 of the rescued women and children to Yola, Margaret headed to the school "to find out if I was lucky". "When I found my son, Jacob, here, I was so happy it was as if I could fly," Margaret said, her face suddenly lighting up. Jacob needs a lot of help though. He is severely malnourished, as are more than 30 of the 200 children that were brought here. Help is available at the very basic clinic that has been set up at the school but some are disturbingly emaciated, with protruding ribs, and need emergency treatment. Retired midwife Mary Galadima points to three children recovering on a mattress on the floor. "That evening when they were brought here you would shed tears when you see them. These three here couldn't walk - we had to carry them, they were so weak. "When we give them food they start vomiting and they have diarrhoea because they stayed so long there in the bush," says Mrs Galadima, who is now a village health worker in a government-funded programme to boost care in the most vulnerable parts of the country. "Some also have eye problems because they became infected due to the harsh conditions they lived under, or the eyes were damaged when bombs exploded," she says. "If we know that there is a psychological problem we counsel them, and reassure them.  That is all we are doing." The United Nations Population Fund, ICRC and volunteers are also helping with some counselling. "Any human being put under such level of stress becomes overwhelmed and the normal coping mechanism, the in-built resilience is stretched beyond breaking point," says one community leader from Borno state, who asked not to be named. After helping many former abductees he says some display clear signs of Stockholm syndrome. "They are brainwashed and indoctrinated so I have met some women who begin to think what the group is doing is right," he says. Given the staggering level of suffering and heartbreak and the memories that haunt these women and children, the need for psychosocial support is overwhelming. Boko Haram gunmen grabbed Safiya last December when she went to sell food in the market. She was several months pregnant and was taken with her husband. Just hours into her ordeal she tasted the brutality of the jihadists. "They killed my husband using a knife.  Right in front of me they slit his throat," she said. From then on it was a battle for survival for both her and the unborn child, as she was moved from camp to camp - ending up in the harsh environment of the Sambisa forest. "Every day they would come around and tell us we were infidels and we should convert and accept their religion," she recalls. "Some days they beat us. Sometimes they would starve us of food and even water." Safiya gave birth last week to a baby boy - just one day before the Nigerian military attacked to rescue them. "We were very happy to see the soldiers because Boko Haram has said they would sell us and we never thought we would get out and live amongst people again." Safiya then tells me she has three other children aged nine, six and three. "They were at home in Lassa when I was abducted at the market." She has not seen them since then and has no idea how they have fared as the insurgency has battered the towns and villages of the north-east. The Red Cross says at least 60 of the children at the camp in Yola have been separated from their parents. In recent months a local radio and TV station has helped reunite some relatives but so many families have been torn apart during this conflict there is a great need for more tracing of relatives to be done. There are also many victims of sexual violence who need delicate counselling.  Some young women and teenage girls held by Boko Haram have been forced to marry more than five men. "Any time they go for an operation and one of the fighters is killed they will force the young woman to marry another one," says the community leader from Borno state. "Eventually she becomes a habitual sex slave." The survivors have extraordinary levels of resilience and had to be resourceful in order to get through the ordeal.  Now they need huge amounts of long-term help as they try to heal. All names of survivors have been changed.

Question: They queued up for brand new clothes and flip - flops - cellophane - wrapped dresses for the girls and @placeholder shirts and shorts for the boys .


The owners of the Cereal Killer Cafe said staff were "absolutely terrified" when protesters targeted the shop on Saturday night. Police said the disorder, which spread into Brick Lane, began at about 20:00 BST and lasted for several hours. One man was arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage. Alan Keery, who runs the Cereal Killer cafe with his twin brother Gary, told the Evening Standard newspaper: "There were children there - they were terrified. "The staff were absolutely terrified. It was an angry mob throwing paint at the windows. They had torches and pigs' heads." He added: "We're being targeted as the poster boys of gentrification and that's not our fault." One witness told the BBC: "We don't know why they did it but they were wearing Cameron masks. They've written Class War on their banners. "And later threw paint on the cafe. The staff and employees barricaded themselves inside." The brothers from Belfast, who opened the cafe in December 2014, were forced to defend their prices after a Channel 4 interviewer asked whether local people could afford ?¡ê3.20 for a bowl of cereal. On Sunday they tweeted: "The mob won't win, wearing masks with pitch forks and torches, it's 2015. #hatecrime" The pre-planned demonstration was advertised on Facebook, with organisers saying: "We don't want luxury flats that no-one can afford, we want genuinely affordable housing. "We don't want pop-up gin bars or brioche buns - we want community. "Soon this City will be an unrecognisable, bland, yuppie infested wasteland with no room for normal (and not so normal) people like us. "London is our home and worth defending against this onslaught of dog-eat-dog economics. "Working class people are being forced out of our homes but we won't go out without a fight."

Question: Activists opposed to what they claim is the gentrification of parts of east London threw paint and daubed the word " scum " on a @placeholder selling cereal .


When the original Star Wars films were at the peak of their popularity in the rest of the world it was the late 1970s and China was just emerging from the Cultural Revolution. Even this new film will be released in Chinese theatres on 9 January, a month later than the rest of the world. This is mostly due to the fact that foreign studios had already used up China's annual quota of 34  foreign films. China places strict quotas on Hollywood blockbusters to prevent competition with domestic releases, although one industry official, said the date could work to the film's advantage as it is closer to Chinese New Year. "Good things come to those who wait," said another fan. "The one month wait will be totally worth it," said one fan on Chinese microblogging site, Weibo. One even saw a potential positive to Chinese internet censorship. "No spoilers please, fans like me can't see the film until next year so this is the one time I am grateful for Chinese internet censorship!" commented Vicky Zhu, a Beijing fan. Disney has pulled out all stops to drum up interest in China, the world's second largest film market. "We are thrilled to bring Star Wars: The Force Awakens to China," said John Hsu, Disney's general manager in China at a promotional event. The studio staged several publicity stunts ahead of the film's release, even placing 500 miniature stormtroopers at Beijing's iconic Great Wall. Disney also reached out to Chinese-Korean K-pop group EXO, to release a dance song, a strategic and savv move. Called "Lightsaber", the music video is set in a Jedi club and sees members carrying lightsabers. But the studio did not stop there. It enlisted Chinese heartthrob Lu Han - often referred to as the country's answer to Canadian singer Justin Bieber - to sing the movie's official theme song in both English and Chinese. Director JJ Abrams and lead cast members, including new fan favourite droid BB-8 walked and rolled up the red carpet in a December premiere in Shanghai. A brand new official verified Weibo account was also set up and an active discussion thread soon appeared on the site, drawing in commentary and engaging thousands of fans. "The message that Star Wars delivers is one of moral guidance within spirituality. Good always triumphs evil, I think all Chinese can identify with that," remarked one Chinese fan. But amid all the excitement and Star Wars buzz building up, Disney hit controversy. It unveiled a re-versioned movie poster for the Chinese market - with a few tweaks. New lead character Finn, played by black British actor John Boyega was shrunken in size, compared to the original poster. "Star Wars' Finn (who happens to be black) and Chewbacca (happens to be Wookiee) get shafted in China," pointed out US Twitter user Ray Kwong. "We all know John Boyega has a major role in the new film so who are Chinese authorities to try and dictate his part?" said one angry fan. Major fan favourite, Chewbacca was also cut out of the Chinese version of the poster. "Where's Chewbacca? We all know authorities love to discriminate but why is China targeting Wookiees now," said another fan. Authorities are yet to respond to the social media outcry this sparked. Star Wars fans in China have also long been vocal in declaring their hope for a Chinese Jedi. And they want it to be Hong Kong martial arts legend Donnie Yen - famed for his role as a Wing Chun master in the popular 'Ip Man series'. "If George Lucas is smart, he will know that casting Donnie Yen will be the way to break into the Chinese market," said a Beijing fan on Weibo. "If John Boyega can be cast as a major character then please consider Donnie Yen as a Jedi," said another fan. The excitement spiralled further after Shanghai fans caught a glimpse of the Hong Kong action star who showed up at the Chinese premiere. The sighting soon began trending on Chinese social media and dozens of memes were created. "Donnie Yen could take on 20 stormtroopers at one go. He would make an awesome Jedi," said a Weibo user. Another fan summed it up: "Ip Man at the Star Wars premiere! Could this be a sign?"

Question: In 2015 almost every single country on earth @placeholder the release of the new Star Wars film , but China had to wait until this weekend . How will the unique world of new orders , rebel forces and evil empires go down there ?


But not, it seems, those living in the village of Lavertezzo, Switzerland. Residents here are thoroughly fed up with a recent influx of tourists, who they accuse of turning their idyllic valley into "an open air toilet". This latest stream of tourists were all apparently inspired by a minute-long video, which has been watched 2.6m times so far, dubbing the area "the Maldives of Milan". In it, filmmaker Marco Capedri and his friends frolic in the crystal clear waters of the Verzasca river, in the shadow of an imposing double-arched stone bridge. "A magnificent canyon crossed with emerald waters - one hour from Milan and 45 minutes from Varese," Mr Capredi's post proclaimed. With that, Lavertezzo's residents - who are no strangers to tourists - found themselves overwhelmed by Italians crossing the border in search of a taste of paradise. "I thought the valley had exploded," one resident told Ticino News [in Italian]. Another accused the tourists, who came from all over, of turning the valley into "an outdoor toilet" and "running semi-naked down the street". The reporter, meanwhile, noted the "socks, cigarettes and cans" left behind by the day-trippers. The town's mayor, Roberto Bacciarini, was more circumspect in his response. Speaking to Italian newspaper Repubblica [in Italian], he admitted the video had done "a good job" in attracting people to the area, but added: "[Mr Capredi] would do us a favour if he asked his compatriots to park their cars in an orderly manner, and respect the rules of the place."

Question: Most people would be delighted if their home town was @placeholder to the Maldives , one of the world 's top beauty spots .


The 25-year-old, recently dropped from the Great Britain team, alleged that Sutton made sexist comments and told her to "go and have a baby". "I want to change the culture and their treatment of women," she said. "I hope by shining a light and sharing my experiences, the relevant people can investigate and make changes." UK Sport, which funds British Cycling's elite performance programmes, said it had been in contact with British Cycling to ensure the allegations were investigated. "We take allegations of sexism extremely seriously,"  it said. "As a recipient of funding, British Cycling should assure us this will be dealt with fairly, swiftly and transparently. "We expect the highest levels of professionalism from athletes and staff and have zero tolerance to sexist behaviour." Varnish has been been invited to meet the equalities officer of British Cycling to discuss her concerns. A British Cycling spokesman said: "A gold medal is valued by us, no matter who wins it and we are equally proud of all our Olympic and world champions." He added that medals won by the Great Britain cycling team are "testament firstly to the dedication and talent of our riders" but also a "tribute to a significant investment in passion, commitment and resources by our performance staff". Sutton, 58, denies any wrongdoing and says British Cycling did not renew her contract because her times had slowed over the past three years. Media playback is not supported on this device Varnish added: "I remain open to sharing my experiences with both British Cycling and/or UK Sport, and will happily engage with any investigations into the comments that Shane Sutton has made to me, and other riders." The Worcestershire-born rider also said she would like to compete for Britain again, adding that she was not too old and "not a waste of UK Sport's money". Earlier, Olympic champions Victoria Pendleton and Nicole Cooke both criticised British Cycling following Varnish's claims. "I know exactly how miserable they made me," two-time Olympic gold medallist Pendleton told the Daily Telegraph. "I never really felt I had the same respect as my male team-mates." Cooke, the 2008 Olympic road race champion, told the Guardian: "I have my own experiences of Shane and sympathise with Jess. "Speak out and your dreams will be destroyed and years of hard work wasted. Or put up with it and hope." "I spoke out from the age of 19 and I know what happens." Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell Shand said on Monday that she was "surprised" at Varnish's claims of sexism.

Question: Jess Varnish says she spoke out against British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton with the hope of changing attitudes at the @placeholder .


Mark Warwick said there were "lots of significant cases" and that discussions would be held over whether they met a war crimes threshold. Lawyers are continuing to refer alleged abuse by soldiers to the Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT). The Ministry of Defence said it took such allegations "extremely seriously". Two public inquiries have already looked at claims against UK troops in Iraq. Mr Warwick, a former police detective who is in charge of IHAT, told the Independent that the allegations being investigated included ones of murder. The inquiry has considered at least 1,515 possible victims, of whom 280 are alleged to have been unlawfully killed. Mr Warwick said: "We would look at the credibility of the allegation in the first instance and, when we've looked at a lot of these extra cases coming to us, some of them are duplicates of cases, some of them we've already identified as part of our own investigation process, and some are multiple allegations, where we would investigate as a single allegation." IHAT's budget of ¡ê57.2m runs until the end of 2019 - 16 years after the invasion of Iraq began in 2003. "Over the next 12 to 18 months, we will review all the caseload to better understand the picture and then I think we can say whether 2019 seems realistic," said Mr Warwick. BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said Mr Warwick's comments may have been a response to an interview by Michael Fallon reported in the Telegraph. In it, the defence secretary said soldiers were inhibited on the battlefield because they feared "ambulance-chasing British law firms" would haul them in front of the courts on their return. Public Interest Lawyers, which represents some alleged victims, said IHAT was "failing to investigate" those responsible for "systemic" abuse. "Despite public inquires, court proceedings ongoing since 2004 and the IHAT team of investigators, there is yet to be a single prosecution resulting from IHAT's work," a spokesman said. Carla Ferstman, director of the human rights charity Redress, told the Independent that the "incredibly slow pace" of IHAT's investigations was "wholly unacceptable". She added: "Things seem to still be moving at a snail's pace. We call upon the government to ensure IHAT can, and does, do what it was set up to do, and to do it now. This cannot be a whitewash." Col Richard Kemp, a former army commander in Afghanistan, agreed that the investigation needed to be completed urgently, but said it was "inconceivable" that that number of allegations against British troops could be legitimate. "Of course one has to be concerned about these allegations, but the number, the sheer number, thousands of allegations made against British soldiers in Iraq, I just cannot believe that any significant number of them can be valid," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. However, Dr Andrew Williams, from the University of Warwick, said the investigations could take "some years more", saying the process could "drag out for a long time to come". Dr Williams - who has written about the murder of Iraqi civilian Baha Mousa - said the "lapse of time" since the alleged crimes could hamper investigations. "In terms of obtaining the witness testimony from the Iraqi civilians concerned, that will be tricky. They are obviously still based in Iraq and getting hold of them, interviewing them, is a long process and logistically very difficult." A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: "The vast majority of UK service personnel deployed on military operations conduct themselves professionally and in accordance with the law. "Where there is sufficient evidence, members of HM Forces can be prosecuted." An inquiry into claims of abuse by UK troops in Iraq highlighted the death of 26-year-old hotel worker Mr Mousa, who died in UK military custody in September 2003. It concluded in September 2011, with inquiry chairman Sir William Gage blaming "corporate failure" at the Ministry of Defence for the use of banned interrogation methods in Iraq. The Al-Sweady Inquiry, set up in 2009, followed allegations made in judicial review proceedings at the High Court that the human rights of several Iraqis were abused by British troops in the aftermath of a firefight with insurgents near the town of Majar al-Kabir. Inquiry chairman Sir Thayne Forbes said allegations that troops murdered and mutilated Iraqis in custody were "wholly without foundation". But he did conclude that some of the detention techniques had amounted to mistreatment.

Question: UK soldiers who fought in the Iraq War may face prosecution for war crimes , according to the @placeholder of a unit investigating alleged abuses .


In September it will be 10 years since the Jyllands Posten newspaper inflamed the Muslim world with the publication of 12 cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, including one of him with a bomb in his turban. The country has been perpetually vigilant since 2005, after its embassies in the Middle East were burned, and Danish exports threatened. Kurt Westergaard, the 79-year-old cartoonist who drew the seminal turban caricature, has spent the past decade living under a death fatwa (religious ruling). He narrowly escaped an attempt to kill him at home, and had to lock himself into a panic room when a Somali militant broke into his home in the city of Aarhus. He continues to live under police protection. The national intelligence service and the police have thwarted at least one potential attack against the offices of Jyllands Posten. Security at the paper's headquarters, and those of other publications, has been quietly stepped up in the wake of January's Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris. The intelligence agency PET decided against increasing the official level of alertness after the Paris attacks. PET officers were on protection duty at the cafe on Saturday when the gunman sprayed the entrance with automatic fire. Their presence and return fire ensured the death toll was not more severe. The police appear confident that they have killed the perpetrator, an apparent lone wolf. But Copenhagen remains on a state of high alert. Now the recriminations will begin. The Danish chapter of Pegida - Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of Europe - is planning to march through Copenhagen on Monday evening.

Question: It was always a case of not if but when . What 's surprising is that it has @placeholder this long for Denmark to be scarred by a fatal terror attack .


With more than 80% of the ballots counted, Mr Museveni has secured 61% of the votes. His main rival Kizza Besigye, who is under house arrest, is on 34%. Full results are due in a few hours' time. EU observers have criticised the poll, saying the governing party had created an "intimidating atmosphere". The election has been marred by sporadic violence and opposition allegations of electoral fraud, with social media sites and messaging apps blocked. "Voters actively participated in the campaign events and expressed a remarkable determination while waiting for the long hours on the election day to cast their ballots," said EU Chief Observer Eduard Kukan. "However, the [governing] National Resistance Movement's domination of the political landscape distorted the fairness of the campaign." Mr Besigye was arrested on Friday on suspicion he was planning to publish his own results, breaking electoral laws, police said, before being escorted to his home. "We shall detain him until results are announced," Kampala police chief Andrew Felix Kaweesi told Uganda's New Vision newspaper. It is the fourth time Mr Besigye, candidate for the opposition Forum for Democratic Change, has taken on President Museveni. The two men were once allies, with Mr Besigye serving as Mr Museveni as his personal doctor when they were guerrilla fighters. Mr Museveni seized power in 1986 and is credited with restoring stability to Uganda. However, critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian. The next closest challenger to Mr Museveni, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, is in a distant third. He is also reportedly under house arrest. Uganda's old guard tries new election tactics

Question: Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni looks set to @placeholder his 30 years in power with official results showing him taking a strong lead in elections .


The American former swimmer, 31, wants US lawmakers to push for global anti-doping reforms. "I don't believe I've stood up at an international competition and the rest of the field has been clean," he said. Phelps was giving evidence at a US House of Representatives hearing into improving anti-doping measures. The US government helps to fund the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and the committee could recommend giving more money to the organisation. Phelps, who won 23 Olympic gold medals, added: "Throughout my career, I have thought that some athletes were cheating and in some cases those suspicions were confirmed. "Given all the testing I and others have been through, I have a hard time understanding this." Phelps spoke out against drugs cheats at the Rio Olympics. When asked about Russian Yulia Efimova, who won Olympic silver after two positive tests, he said dopers returning to elite action "breaks his heart". Media playback is not supported on this device A report commissioned by Wada and written by lawyer Richard McLaren claimed in December that more than 1,000 Russian athletes benefited from a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015. Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency, also addressed Tuesday's hearing at the House of Representatives. He told politicians the International Olympic Committee had let down clean athletes after opting against a blanket ban of Russian athletes at Rio 2016. The IOC instead allowed individual sports to decide their own policy. "At least two Olympic Games were corrupted and, at the Rio Games this past August, scores of Russian athletes were allowed to compete without credible anti-doping measures," said Tygart. "When the moment came, despite mountains of evidence and vocal opposition from anti-doping leaders and clean athletes from around the world, the IOC chose to welcome the Russian Olympic Committee to Rio." Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied government officials were complicit in doping the country's athletes. "In Russia we never had, don't have, and I hope won't have a state-sponsored doping programme. On the contrary, there will only be a fight against doping," he said in a television broadcast. He added a new doping control system was being put together.

Question: Michael Phelps , the most decorated Olympian of all time , believes he never @placeholder against a completely clean international field .


Media playback is not supported on this device Wiggins and Team Sky boss Brailsford have come under scrutiny since information on the rider's authorised use of banned drugs to treat a medical condition were released by hackers. There are also questions over a medical package he received in 2011. "Can people believe in Team Sky? 100%," Brailsford told the BBC. UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) has been investigating allegations of doping in cycling after it emerged a mystery medical package was delivered to a Team Sky doctor for Wiggins on the final day of the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine, which the Briton won. Brailsford, the former performance director of British Cycling, last month told a parliamentary select committee he understood the package contained a legal decongestant, Fluimucil. Ukad chairman David Kenworthy last week told BBC Sport he found the evidence of Brailsford and British Cycling president Bob Howden "extraordinary", saying the answers to the select committee on the content of the medical package were "very disappointing". But when this was put to Brailsford, he answered: "The only extraordinary thing I could see was that he [Kenworthy] actually commented on the whole process himself. "There is an open investigation that is still ongoing." Wiggins, 36, announced his retirement from cycling last month. Britain's most decorated Olympian's use of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) came to light after his confidential medical information was leaked by hackers 'Fancy Bears'. TUEs allow the use of otherwise banned substances if athletes have a genuine medical need, and Wiggins, who has asthma, said he took them to "put himself back on a level playing field". There is no suggestion Wiggins, British Cycling or Team Sky have broken any rules. "It is regrettable," added Brailsford. "But equally the test of time is the key thing, and over time we will continue to perform at the highest level, continue to do it the right way, continue to give people a reason to get behind us and feel proud of our achievements. "The judgement of what happened in the past will be made in the appropriate time, but for me we have done it the right way, and we'll continue to do it the right way. He added: "I'm proud in what I've done, I've been doing this a long time, and I've been doing it for 20 years. I'm very much focused on the season ahead."

Question: Sir Dave Brailsford says Team Sky can be trusted " 100 % " , despite " regrettable " questions over Sir Bradley Wiggins ' medical @placeholder .


Germany, Austria and the Netherlands blocked Turkish attempts to hold rallies in those countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed retaliation, accusing them of "Nazism". On Monday, the Dutch foreign ministry issued a new travel warning, urging its citizens in Turkey to take care and noting the new "diplomatic tensions". The warning to "avoid gatherings and crowded places" came as Turkey's foreign ministry lodged a formal protest with the Dutch envoy. Meanwhile, the Dutch deputy prime minister, Lodewijk Asscher, said that "to be called Nazis by a regime which is walking backwards in regards to human rights is just disgusting". The BBC's Mark Lowen, in Istanbul, said the two Nato allies were now locked in an "unprecedented diplomatic crisis". The proposed rallies aimed to encourage a large number of Turks living in Europe to vote Yes in a referendum on 16 April on expanding the president's powers. The plans were criticised by senior EU officials on Monday. In Germany, for example, there are more than three million people of Turkish origin, of whom an estimated 1.4m are eligible to vote in Turkish elections. In effect, the diaspora is Turkey's fourth-largest electoral district. Planned rallies in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands were blocked after officials cited security concerns or said the rallies could stoke tensions. A gathering in France went ahead, however, after officials said it did not pose a threat. Two Turkish ministers were barred from addressing rallies in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, with one of them escorted to the German border. Police used dogs and water cannon against protesters waving Turkish flags in Rotterdam. Mr Erdogan likened the Netherlands to "a banana republic", demanded international organisations impose sanctions on the Netherlands, and accused countries in the West of "Islamophobia". "I have said that I had thought that Nazism was over, but I was wrong. Nazism is alive in the West," he added. He warned that countries would "pay the price" for their actions. On Monday morning, Turkey summoned the Dutch charge d'affaires in Ankara for the third time in three days. He was handed two notes, protesting against the treatment of the minister escorted to Germany, and the treatment of protesters in Rotterdam. Dutch PM Mark Rutte called Mr Erdogan's comments "unacceptable", and demanded an apology. The pressure from Turkey comes days before the Dutch election, in which Mr Rutte is facing pressure from anti-Islam candidate Geert Wilders. Germany's foreign minister said he hoped Turkey would "return to its senses". Chancellor Angela Merkel has said her government is not opposed to Turkish ministers attending rallies in Germany, as long as they are "duly announced". At a news conference on Monday, she said the Nazi comparisons were "completely unacceptable" and that the Netherlands had her full support. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he had postponed a meeting later this month with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim because "with the current Turkish attacks on Holland the meeting cannot be seen separated from that". He said he was concerned that "democratic principles are under great pressure" in Turkey.

Question: The Netherlands has warned its citizens over travel to Turkey as a row between the countries shows no @placeholder of abating .


Sanaa Shahid was with her four-year-old son when they were targeted by solicitor Alexander Mackinnon on the Glasgow-bound service from London. He took exception to their presence in first class and told them they should not be in the country. Mrs Shahid said the incident had also left her young son fearful. Speaking on BBC Scotland's Kaye Adams programme, Mrs Shahid said she was determined to speak up against racism. She told the programme: "I'm born and bred in Glasgow. I consider myself to be Scottish Pakistani. Everything has finished now, but if I was to travel down to London, if I go on public transport, it would still be in the back of my mind. "I'm not scared to speak up, which is why I did speak up about all of this, because no-one should accept this and no-one should make you feel like you don't belong in your own country. But the thing that scares me is that there's people out there that won't know what to say. "If this was to happen to my mum, my mum would maybe turn round and say to me 'just ignore it'. MacKinnon was fined last week at Carlisle Magistrates Court after admitting the racially aggravated offence, carried out on 29 December. Mrs Shahid, who works as a corporate lawyer, said she was accosted by a drunken MacKinnon on the 14:30 train as it travelled north. He had targeted her son, telling him to be quiet as he sat in the carriage quietly playing a computer game. He then turned to Mrs Shahid and said they did not belong in first class or the country. Mrs Shahid told MacKinnon he was a racist and began filming him. As he prepared to be escorted from the train by British Transport Police, MacKinnon told Mrs Shahid: "You're so wonderful wasting police time, miss", before swearing at her and her son. Mrs Shahid answered: "You're a disgrace to humanity. Just get off." Mrs Shahid said the incident had also taken its toll on her four-year-old son. She told the programme: "He is aware. he's a very sensitive boy and he was aware of everything that had happened at the time. "He's fearful of the police. He thinks that the police are there to take you away if you are bad. "In the few days after the incident he said 'mama is the police going to take me away, I'm naughty, is the police going to take me away?' Mrs Shahid added: "It has affected him, but it's something that we're working on."

Question: A woman who was racially abused on a train has spoken of her apprehension about travelling on public transport in @placeholder .


Abendanon has agreed to join Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne in the summer after the French side agreed to pay an undisclosed transfer fee. The 27-year-old has played 193 games for the Premiership club since his debut in the 2005-06 season. Media playback is not supported on this device Eastmond, 24, joined Bath in 2011 after switching codes from rugby league. He had an injury-hit first season in the 15-man game but has now made 46 appearances for the club, scoring eight tries, and has two senior England caps. In November, Bath were forced to play down speculation that Eastmond was keen to return to rugby league, after he walked out at half-time during Bath's LV= Cup win over Sale. He has now signed a new two-year deal with the West Country outfit - and remains on England's radar, having started for the Saxons in their draw with Scotland A on Friday. "We've been talking to Kyle for quite a while and it was never in doubt," head coach Mike Ford told BBC Radio Bristol. "He's integral to how we want to play. We believe, with his skill set, that he can drive the way we want to play in the future. "He's happy to stay and we are happy to keep him." Abendanon won his first England cap as a replacement against South Africa in Pretoria in June 2007, and made his second and final appearance when he started the 21-15 defeat by France at Twickenham two months later. Eastmond added: "I've learned so much since joining Bath and that's down to the set-up here and the people around me. "All I want to do is improve and to help the team achieve great things. I'm really happy to have extended my contract as there's no other club I'd rather play for." Abendanon, capped twice by England, signed a new three-year contract in January 2012. But following the arrival of teenage England prospect Anthony Watson in the summer, he has struggled to keep a first-team place at Bath. "Nick approached us at the start of the season and said there was an offer pending in France," explained Ford. "It was a shock at the time. "We discussed it with him and his desire to play in France at this time of his career was very strong. "We granted him early release from his contract and it's been very amicable. He goes with our best wishes." Abendanon told the club website: "I have loved every minute I have played for Bath and want to thank the club for giving me the opportunities they have. "This has been an extremely hard decision for me, but I feel this is the right time to challenge myself in a new environment."

Question: Bath have @placeholder centre Kyle Eastmond has signed a new contract , but full - back Nick Abendanon is to leave the club at the end of the season .


Avon Fire Authority has been in the spotlight since three senior officers left in five years under "unusual circumstances". Evidence of infighting was also uncovered by the BBC. Fire Service chief Kevin Pearson said the claims were "old, unfounded and had been dismissed several times". The Home Office said the allegations "cannot be ignored". Mr Pearson said: "Some of them [the allegations] relate to me personally and circumstances around allegations of expenses irregularities, the use of a lease car. "But the more serious of the allegations relate to decisions made by the authority many years ago." Some councillors have been pushing for the investigation for several months. Councillor Nick Wilton said: "I feel vindicated that the minister has seen sufficient evidence that it's raised concerns in his mind and he's taken this step. "I think it's very important that we have an impartial, balanced, thorough investigation of the facts." In a statement, the Home Office told the BBC: "The extent, seriousness and persistence of the allegations made against Avon Fire and Rescue Authority cannot be ignored. "The Government has notified the authority that we intend to take action and will announce details of a full statutory inspection in due course." The inspection is being carried out under the 1999 Local Government Act. Peter Abrahams, chairman of the authority, said: "We are confident this inspection will show how Avon Fire and Rescue continues to provide excellent services to our communities, despite significant financial pressures. "We are also confident that the inspection will bring an end to the unnecessary and unjustified criticism of our service in the past."

Question: A fire authority is to @placeholder a government inspection amid " serious and persistent " allegations against it .


In 2002, Suzan-Lori Parks won a Pulitzer Prize for her play Topdog/Underdog.  She remembers suddenly getting a lot of attention as a writer. "I did an interview with Charlie Rose on TV," she says.  "And he said: 'Hey you're an overnight success'.  I told him yes - but it's been a long night. "I think almost no writers are overnight successes.  Winning an award is always a combination of many things." But that play, which in New York starred Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright, made Parks's name.  The following year it travelled to the Royal Court in London and now she's back at the same venue with the play Father Comes Home from the Wars. It's set in and around the American Civil War and President Lincoln's proclamation of 1863, which was a huge step towards the abolition of slavery.  But it's hardly a traditional historical epic.  Actually, it's three separate plays. Sitting over a lunchtime sandwich, Suzan-Lori (the z was a misprint which somehow stuck) says she tries not to talk much about the unusual structure. "In fact, the play I wrote first is now the final play of the three.  But there are six other plays waiting to take the story on.  They're in different stages of completion and some of them are in very bad drafts. "As a writer I rewrite.  But basically they'll come up to the present day - or at least much nearer to it.  I think a little perspective is good so maybe they'll stop in the 1950s or '60s." The central character of Hero has been promised his freedom from servitude in 1860s America - but to secure it he'll need to fight alongside his master for the pro-slavery Confederate side.  The story owes something to the classical epic the Odyssey, though that's only one influence. Parks is no stranger to experimenting with form.  A decade ago she wrote 365 Days/365 Plays for which she forced herself to write a play a day for a year. "Some were long and some very short.  For instance there was one called Lickety Split, in which a woman runs on stage and licks a man from head to toea€| and then she splits.  Some of the other plays are so long they still may be running - who knows?" The new play investigates how people reacted to their own freedom - a topic Parks thinks is still relevant today. "How does one respond to the notion of freedom?" she asks. "Most of us in the western world are free yet we are constrained also.  We are tied down to things and the question of how we exercise the freedom we have is complex. "Freedom often is not something your master can grant you.  I think it's something you grant yourself." So does the fact that Parks is herself African-American add a potency to the play's themes? "Well, first I am specific but then I am universal.  There are issues which are individual to me as an 'African-American woman person' - but there are questions we all wrestle with today, whoever we are.  We're all wondering what that word, freedom, means. "So in this play the characters are asking, 'Who am I and what am I doing here?  And what are we to each other?'" Her writing is regularly praised for its wit and lack of predictability.  Her approach to dialogue is sparky and unusually adventurous - so does she, as a successful black playwright, want to find new ways of using African-American speech interestingly on stage? "I am interested in language, certainly, but I am always interested in people first.  I love my people - but I also just love people.  Making African-American characters use language interestingly is important to me. It's my job but also it's my calling and my joy.  But I want to put us all on stage." The play has a very American setting but Parks says she's delighted with the cast in London.  "The accent I asked for is what they call General American, so there's no temptation to slip into a southern drawl.  When we did our first stumble-through of the script I wept it was so good. "We have actors of African descent and of European descent but I've been really impressed how they've all found themselves in the stories on stage." After London, Parks is not getting a holiday.  She's working on a stage musical adaptation of the 1972 reggae film The Harder They Come and there's a novel, plus a project for Amazon.  And there's a band called Sula and the Noise and a young son. Then Parks remembers something else. "And there are the other Father Comes Home plays as well.  I have to find time for six of them somewhere." Father Comes Home from the Wars is at the Royal Court theatre in London from 15 September. Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Question: When , two years ago , the play Father Comes Home from the Wars premiered in New York , it received rave reviews . Now the author Suzan - Lori Parks is in London to make the play work for British audiences . But she @placeholder out it 's actually three plays - with much more to come .


Unused substitute Callum Murray was in the Buckie squad that drew 0-0 with Formartine United on Saturday but the club deny any wrongdoing. The Moray club could secure the title with a win at home to bottom club Strathspey Thistle this weekend. The league's eventual winner will have the chance to join the SPFL next term. Victors of the Highland and Lowland Leagues will meet in a play-off to decide who should face the Scottish League Two bottom club in the League Two play-off final. A meeting of the Highland League's management committee will be held on Thursday. Murray had been on loan to rivals Deveronvale but was recalled by Buckie as cover for injured players and sat on the bench throughout Saturday's goalless draw. Whether he was eligible to be involved or not will come down to the interpretation of the Highland League's rule 8.9.6, which governs the registration of players. Any breach is subject to a fine of up to ¡ê500 and a mandatory three-point deduction for each game affected. SHFL secretary Rod Houston told the BBC that Thursday's meeting had become necessary "after a storm on social media". Buckie and Cove Rangers are two points behind leaders Brora Rangers but Brora have played all of their games. Cove face Lossiemouth on Saturday in the final game of the season and Buckie have a superior goal difference going into their meeting with Strathspey. In season 1992-1993, Elgin City won the Highland League but were later stripped of the title after having been found to have fielded ineligible players.

Question: Scottish Highland Football League title challengers Buckie Thistle could face a damaging points deduction amid claims they @placeholder an ineligible player .


The man was carrying no proof of identity when he was found in the city of Nagato on Saturday. Police are expected to hand him over to immigration officials who will decide whether he is a genuine defector. In 2011, nine North Koreans were picked up by the Japanese coastguard after spending five days at sea. They later settled in South Korea. Some 29,000 North Koreans have fled the country since the peninsula was divided at the end of the Korean War in the 1950s, many of them crossing the border into China. In April, a senior North Korean military officer who oversaw spying operations defected - South Korean officials said at the time that such high level defections were rare. Any North Korean who makes it to the South enters into a rehabilitation programme and is given an aid package to help them start a new life. Despite this, many find it hard to adjust.

Question: Police in Japan are questioning a man who says he jumped from a North Korean ship and swam ashore @placeholder to a plastic container , media report .


Members from the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) will not join walk outs on 5 and 7 February. The RMT union announced the action on Friday after abandoning talks at the conciliation service Acas. The TSSA said LU's proposals "pave the way for a resolution". It wants further talks with management. General secretary Manuel Cortes said the offer included the creation of an additional 325 new posts which "goes some way towards restoring adequate safety on our Tube". But the union's overtime ban will remain in place while TSSA representatives "seek further talks with LU". Members of the RMT will walk out for 16 hours from 18:00 GMT on 5 February, and then hold a 15-hour strike from 10:00 on 7 February. A 24-hour strike by the RMT and TSSA earlier this month over the same issues led to much of the Tube network being shut. BBC London transport correspondent Tom Edwards said the TSSA was the smaller of the two unions so the strike would still have a large impact. But he said the TSSA's announcement could lead to more talks between the RMT and LU. A spokesperson for the RMT said "all planned action remains on" but union representatives will return for more talks at Acas on Tuesday. General secretary Mick cash has accused LU of compromising safety on the Tube because of "cash-led cuts to staffing levels". Steve Griffiths, LU's chief operating officer, said the proposal had been made "to both unions in order to end this dispute". "We are available for further discussions this week to provide clarification on the implementation of these proposals," he said. Transport for London (TfL) has previously said it would address the recommendations of a report which said job cuts had caused "significant issues" for Underground passengers.

Question: One of the unions which was in dispute with London Underground ( LU ) in a row over staff numbers has @placeholder two planned strikes .


The Council of the Isles of Scilly says it has been told it will need to borrow up to ¡ê3.5m to cover costs until April. Debts have been building up for several years and the council says it only has ¡ê500,000 in the bank. The authority governing about 2,200 inhabitants said it underestimated its income and was also hit by new environmental laws. More on the Scilly finances story, plus more Devon and Cornwall news The council has been issued with a Section 24 notice by its external auditors Grant Thornton under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 saying its had "inadequate financial controls". The council has said it will need to review its financial strategy for the next few years. The authority has also voted to take out a loan of up to ¡ê3.5m because council tax is collected for only the first 10 months of the year, with no income for the last two. The authority expects to have overspent this year by nearly ¡ê500,000 and may have just over ¡ê40,000 left in the bank at the end of this financial year, it said. Steve Sims, the council's vice chairman and chair of the finance, audit and scrutiny committee, said the council had been running at a deficit of about ¡ê400,000 "for about four years" and "it has hit us now". "We have made ¡ê500,000 of savings," he said. "But we underestimated the income we were going to get." Debts have been mounting since 2013 because the council "has to be compliant with environmental laws which we've ignored before," Mr Sims added. He also blamed a "pretty creaking software system of finance" which it was working with Cornwall Council to improve.

Question: A remote group of British @placeholder is about to run out of money for the day - to - day running of the community .


Colin Hough, of Shrewsbury, volunteered to spend time in the box, in a 24-hour Tesco supermarket, to raise money for children's charity Cauldwell Children. He went into the box at midday on Thursday and came out at 14:00 BST on Saturday. He said the toughest part had been the nights, with lights on in the shop and people shopping around him. Former bus driver Mr Hough volunteered for the challenge after reading about the charity's Locked in for Autism campaign. The box in the supermarket measures 3m by 2m. "The store staff have been so supportive, tapping on the glass to see if I'm okay," he said. "I was a bit nervous going into it but I thought, it's for a really good cause, and it's actually opened up my eyes to what children with autism go through. "One little girl gave me a card she had made, thanking me for what I'm doing, that made me feel very proud." Mr Hough can be supported through his Just Giving page.

Question: An 81 - year - old man has @placeholder a challenge to spend 50 hours locked inside a perspex box .


The aim is to reinstate Scott's Square and Horner's Square that were previously demolished. Councillor Steven Bayes, of Hull City Council, said he hoped the scheme would "put the area on the map as one of Hull's unique cultural gems". The plans have been submitted by Wykeland Beal with the City Council. The application includes four rebuilt commercial units on Humber Street suitable for retail units, restaurants or caf¨¦s. Horner's Square dated back to the mid-1800s while records show Scott's Square was created from about 1757 by local builder Joseph Scott.

Question: A planning application has been submitted for more than 100 @placeholder as part of a ¡ê 17 m scheme to regenerate Hull 's Fruit Market area .