Dubbed Athena, the satellite will be some 12m in length and weigh about five tonnes when launched in 2028. The European Space Agency's (Esa) Science Programme Committee selected the project at a meeting in Toulouse. Design work now will confirm the technologies and industrial capability needed to construct the mission, which is costed at over one billion euros. "It's a tremendously exciting moment for the team; it's not every day you have a billion-euro decision go in your favour," said Prof Paul Nandra, the chairman of the Athena Coordination Group. "We've just got to build it and get it up there, and as long as we do our job right, there's nothing that should stop that," he told BBC News. The SPC will meet again, probably in 2019, to give a full and final approval to the telescope project. This should be a rubber stamping exercise - provided costs can be contained and no technical showstoppers are identified. In truth, there should be no surprises. The Athena concept has been under study for a number of years already by leading scientists and industrial partners. Athena is regarded as a next-generation observatory - an X-ray equivalent to the giant machines such as the Square Kilometre Array and the European Extremely Large Telescope that will view the cosmos at longer wavelengths. Athena will have a survey capability and sensitivity a hundred times better than today's best X-ray space telescopes - America's Chandra mission, and Esa's XMM-Newton telescope. Athena will use its advanced optics and detectors to look deep into the Universe and far back in time. The key objectives are twofold - to understand how gas was assembled into the galaxies and galactic clusters we see around us today, and to study the origin and evolution of the monstrous black holes that reside at the centres of galaxies. An Athena-like telescope is needed to do this because the processes being investigated are extremely hot, and radiate at high energies - in the X-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The telescope will carry some novel mirrors for the purpose, incorporating "silicon pore optics".  These use stacks of silicon material to corral the X-ray photons towards the telescope's two big instruments. "The Wide Field Imager does what it says - it maps X-rays over a wide field, and that's what you need to discover black holes in the distant cosmos, to count them, and to see how they formed in the early Universe when the first stars and galaxies were also forming," explained Prof Nandra, who is affiliated to the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany. "The X-ray Integral Field Unit will do spectroscopy, measuring very accurately the energy of the X-ray photons. The XIFU enables you to do lots of very interesting astrophysics, mostly regarding hot gas structures in the Universe." One interesting question for the forthcoming design study concerns Athena's launcher. Ordinarily, the choice would be a heavy-lifting Ariane 5, but there is no certainty that this rocket will still be in production by 2028. Europe would hope by then to have a new vehicle, Ariane 6. However, its specifications are currently under review and the ability to loft a telescope the size of Athena has yet to be confirmed. Athena is what Esa terms a "Large Class" mission - its biggest and most expensive space science ventures. It likes to launch one of these every few years. Gaia, a star mapper, has just gone into orbit. This will be followed in 2016 by BepiColombo, a joint project with Japan to go study the planet Mercury. Juice, a mission to Jupiter and its moons, is taking the 2022 launch opportunity. And with Athena targeted for 2028, it is likely the 2034 slot will go to a trio of satellites known as Lisa, which will aim to detect gravitational waves in space. Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Question: Europe has @placeholder the process that should lead to the biggest X-ray space telescope ever built .


However, 13% of those who claimed ¡ê4bn, saying they were misled about the financial state of the bank, are still heading for court next month. The bank announced it had agreed terms with a further 9% of all the claimants, taking the total to 87%. The previous agreement was reached in December 2016. The bank put aside ¡ê800m to settle the litigation and is understood to have paid a further ¡ê10m towards the legal costs for the latest agreement. However, RBS emphasised that the settlements reached were "without any admission of liability". They concern the rights issue in spring of 2008, months before the bank had to be bailed out. Then chief executive Fred Goodwin raised ¡ê12bn from shareholders, telling them the bank was sound. The legal claim is that bank executives knew of the Royal Bank's weakness and misled shareholders. The court case, due to start on 22 May, is scheduled to see Mr Goodwin on the stand on 8 June. It is reckoned by Royal Bank that the court case could continue for three to five years. Its strategy has been to try to reach out-of-court settlements, removing uncertainty over the potential costs. Chief executive Ross McEwan said: "We have been very clear that putting our legacy issues behind us is a priority so that we can focus on building the best bank for our customers, shareholders and employees. "We are pleased to have reached this agreement. We will continue to explore the possibility of settlement with the remaining claimants but if we cannot settle on agreeable terms we will defend the claims at trial." Royal Bank of Scotland is to publish its results for the first three months of 2017 on Friday morning.

Question: Royal Bank of Scotland has moved closer to reaching a full settlement with the shareholder @placeholder suing it over a 2008 issue of shares .


The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) is a monthly survey of a panel of firms, tracking indicators such as new orders, employment and exports. It had shown a fall in activity in July, the first month after the Brexit vote, but has now bounced back. The survey also points to accelerating inflationary pressures. This is due to increased import prices because of the fall in value of sterling. The PMI is produced by Ulster Bank and its chief economist, Richard Ramsey, said that while the headline shows a return to growth there are also "notable weaknesses.' He said "the two growing concerns are the surge in inflationary pressures and stagnation within the local services sector." The services sector is the dominant part of Northern Ireland's economy. The survey showed it had its first fall in employment levels in 39 months and also experienced a drop in new orders. Mr Ramsey said the full effect of growing inflationary pressure will depend in part on firms' ability and appetite to absorb higher import costs. But he warned consumers: "Price rises and a squeeze on disposable incomes is already in the pipeline. "This will hit consumer spending and economic growth in the months ahead."

Question: Northern Ireland 's private sector grew in August as the weakening of sterling @placeholder exports and cross-border shopping , a survey has suggested .


Arlette Ricci, 73, was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay a a??1 million (?¡ê720,000;$1.1m) fine. The court also confiscated two properties worth four million euros (?¡ê2.9m;$4.2m). HSBC's Swiss private banking arm is being investigated after a leak revealed large scale tax fraud. Ms Ricci, who can appeal, was given a two-year suspended sentence on top of her one-year custodial sentence. Her daughter, Margot Vignat, 51, was also convicted and given an eight-month suspended sentence. Ms Ricci was accused of hiding millions of euros from the French authorities to evade tax using an offshore HSBC account. She was ordered by the court to pay millions in back taxes for the period of 2007-2009, with the exact amount to be set at a later date. Ms Ricci's lawyer, Jean-Marc Fedida, claimed his client had been made an example of, calling her sentence "extremely severe". Mr Fedida said he may ask the judge to let Ms Ricci serve the sentence under lenient conditions, such as partial liberty or wearing an electronic tag. But telephone recordings quoted in court apparently showed that the perfume heiress was aware she was breaking the law. In one phone conversation, she said, laughing, "I believe I did the right thing and I never heard from Bercy so all is well," referring to the French finance ministry. "Yes, inevitably, necessarily because all that is illegal anyway," she said. Ms Ricci, who has consistently denied the accusations against her, will now have to decide whether to appeal against her conviction. She was the first of around 50 French nationals to face trial over tax evasion in the HSBC case. Her prosecution was seen as a test case for the so-called "Swissleaks" scandal. A list of thousands of HSBC's clients was passed to the French government in 2009 by whistleblower Herve Falciani, a former employee of the bank's private operation in Switzerland. But the bank's tax-evasion practices didn't come to light until the documents were reported by the BBC's Panorama programme and a host of other international media outlets in 2015. Widespread media coverage led to criminal investigations in the US, France, Belgium and Argentina but not in the UK, where HSBC is based. The UK's HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) was given the leaked data in 2010 and identified 1,100 people from the list of 7,000 British clients who had not paid their taxes. But almost five years later, only one tax evader has been prosecuted. In February, HSBC Group Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver admitted "unacceptable" practices had taken place at the bank's Swiss arm.

Question: The heir to the Nina Ricci perfume and @placeholder fortune has been convicted of tax fraud by a Paris court after hiding millions in an offshore HSBC account .


Tributes poured in for Benaud, a former Australian Test captain, after his death last year aged 84. The limited-run coin salutes his career on and off the field, and features iconic fan group "The Richies". It was conceived with the approval of Benaud's widow, Daphne. The Royal Australian Mint said the number of coins - 95,929 - was inspired by combining nine statistics from Benaud's playing career. After 63 Tests between 1952 and 1964, Benaud became even better known as a prolific commentator, author and columnist. He was a fixture of summer, inspiring a fan group who attended games wearing Benaud's trademark cream jacket. They also donned grey wigs and carried fake microphones as a light-hearted show of respect. Benaud last commentated in England in the 2005 Ashes series, but he worked on in Australia until 2013. The co-founder of The Richies, Michael Hennessy, said the commemorative coin was a fitting tribute to Benaud. "He's only the second cricketer to be honoured on a coin after Don Bradman," he told the BBC. "He'll never be replaced, obviously, he's a one-of-a-kind icon of the game." Mr Hennessy said it was an honour to have The Richies featured in the coin's final design. "So many people grew up listening to Richie, he shaped summer for so many people," he said. "Cricket has changed but the game will move on and at least it's nice to remember him with tributes like this." The Richies have petitioned to turn day two of the SCG Test, played in early January, to be officially recognised as Richie Day.

Question: He was called " the @placeholder of cricket " and now legendary commentator Richie Benaud will be the face of a 50 cent coin in Australia .


On a bad day, the security checks could add a good hour to a round trip between Belfast and Dublin. Some in the Remain camp argued that a vote to exit the European Union would see a return of permanent border checkpoints. Those in the Leave camp, including Secretary of State Theresa Villiers, insisted that was nonsense. EU Referendum results So what now? The honest answer is that nobody quite knows. Those who dismiss claims that a "hard border" could return point to what is called the Common Travel Area between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which allows the free movement of people and goods. There have been such agreements, which pre-dated the European Union (EU), that allowed easier cross-border movement. However, it is unclear how those arrangements will be affected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU. When the United Kingdom formally exits the EU, it is possible the EU will insist on some form of checks on the movement of people for security reasons, and goods, for the purposes of gathering any taxes due on products entering its territory from a non-member state. However, there would be enormous pressure on the Irish government to resist any EU demands for permanent border checkpoints for domestic political reasons. When he began talking to Sinn F??in in the hope of influencing republicans to end their campaign of violence, former SDLP leader John Hume argued that the border was irrelevant and did not exist in practical terms. The sight of armed guards at permanent border checkpoints would make that border highly visible and hugely controversial. Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Enda Kenny said on Friday that the Irish government will seek to maintain the Common Travel Area. That clearly suggests he does not envisage a "hard border". It is unclear at this stage what impact Brexit might have on policing arrangements in Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) can currently share intelligence with other European police forces and access central data bases through Europol, and can participate in joint investigation teams. It can also use European Arrest Warrants to ask other police forces to arrest suspects on its behalf. Likewise, other European police forces regularly ask the PSNI to act on their behalf. The future of all of those arrangements and structures is now unclear. It is possible they may all have to re-negotiated by the British government with each individual member state in the EU. The PSNI hopes that will not be necessary and that the EU will recognise the mutual benefits of keeping existing arrangements in place. But nothing is clear, and the fog of uncertainty is unlikely to be lifted anytime soon. Get the results in full.

Question: Those who experienced the " hard border " that existed between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland during the Troubles will shudder at the memory of long queues of @placeholder as ID was checked and vehicles searched .


Iago Falque put the hosts in front after 15 minutes as he burst clear down the right and picked out the bottom corner with a left-footed strike. The striker then turned provider, sliding in Marco Benassi to finish one-on-one against Ciprian Tatarusanu. England keeper Hart saved Borja Valero's deflected strike but could not prevent Khouma Babacar's late header. The win follows last week's 3-1 victory over Roma as Torino extended their unbeaten run to four games. Elsewhere, AC Milan fought back from 3-1 down to beat Sassuolo 4-3 thanks to three second-half goals, including a stunning volley from 18-year-old Manuel Locatelli. Match ends, Torino 2, Fiorentina 1. Second Half ends, Torino 2, Fiorentina 1. Foul by Nenad Tomovic (Fiorentina). Andrea Belotti (Torino) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt missed. Antonio Barreca (Torino) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Daniele Baselli following a corner. Attempt blocked. Afriyie Acquah (Torino) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Corner,  Torino. Conceded by Mat¨ªas Vecino. Attempt blocked. Adem Ljajic (Torino) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Andrea Belotti. Corner,  Torino. Conceded by Carlos Salcedo. Davide Astori (Fiorentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Andrea Belotti (Torino). Foul by Khouma Babacar (Fiorentina). Luca Rossettini (Torino) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Torino. Daniele Baselli replaces Marco Benassi. Attempt missed. Antonio Barreca (Torino) left footed shot from the left side of the box is just a bit too high. Attempt saved. Josef Mart¨ªnez (Torino) header from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Antonio Barreca with a cross. Attempt blocked. Andrea Belotti (Torino) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Marco Benassi. Goal!  Torino 2, Fiorentina 1. Khouma Babacar (Fiorentina) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Hrvoje Milic with a cross. Attempt missed. Davide Zappacosta (Torino) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Afriyie Acquah. Attempt blocked. Adem Ljajic (Torino) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Mirko Valdifiori. Foul by Carlos S¨¢nchez (Fiorentina). Andrea Belotti (Torino) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Mauro Z¨¢rate (Fiorentina) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Mirko Valdifiori (Torino). Carlos Salcedo (Fiorentina) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Carlos Salcedo (Fiorentina). Andrea Belotti (Torino) wins a free kick on the right wing. Attempt saved. Josef Mart¨ªnez (Torino) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Adem Ljajic. Corner,  Torino. Conceded by Carlos Salcedo. Attempt blocked. Adem Ljajic (Torino) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Andrea Belotti. Foul by Mat¨ªas Vecino (Fiorentina). Andrea Belotti (Torino) wins a free kick on the left wing. Carlos Salcedo (Fiorentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Andrea Belotti (Torino). Foul by Carlos Salcedo (Fiorentina). Andrea Belotti (Torino) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Substitution, Torino. Josef Mart¨ªnez replaces Iago Falque. Attempt saved. Andrea Belotti (Torino) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Iago Falque with a cross. Attempt missed. Hrvoje Milic (Fiorentina) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high. Assisted by Nikola Kalinic with a headed pass. Borja Valero (Fiorentina) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Question: Joe Hart helped Torino secure back - to - back @placeholder victories in Serie A as they held on to beat Fiorentina .


The 79-year-old was commissioned to write and direct the six-part untitled show earlier this year. "I'm doing my best with it, but I should never have gotten into it," he said at the Cannes film festival. "I thought six half-hours would be a cinch, but it's not. It's very hard. I'm not good at it, I'm floundering." He added: "It could be a cosmic embarrassment. I just hope I don't disappoint Amazon." When it was announced in January Allen was making the series, the Annie Hall director made similar self-deprecating comments about the project. "I don't know how I got into this - I have no ideas and I'm not sure where to begin," he said. The TV series - the first Allen has ever created - is due to be available to Amazon Prime subscribers in the US, UK and Germany next year. The director is promoting his 46th film - Irrational Man - at the Cannes film festival. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, it tells of a philosophy professor who is deeply depressed until he perks up at the thought of committing a murder. Discussing the film's plot surrounding life's choices, Allen was typically bleak at its press conference, saying: "Life has its own agenda, and it runs right over you. "We're all going to end up in a very bad position sooner or later. The same position, but a bad one - and the only way out of it, the only thing you can do as an artist, is to explain to people how life is worth living and has a meaning."

Question: Woody Allen has admitted he made a " catastrophic mistake " @placeholder up to create a TV series for Amazon 's online video service .


The proposed rally has been widely opposed - police have refused to issue it a permit and injunctions to block the event are before the Australian Human Rights Commission and New South Wales Supreme Court. But anti-multiculturalism group Party for Freedom still plans to go ahead with its event on Saturday. The party's spokesman, Nick Folkes, told the BBC his group respected the local community and had complied with requests from authorities to stage the rally at a park away from the intended site at Cronulla beach. "We're not going down to start a riot, that's not our intention at all. We understand that Cronulla is a beautiful place," Mr Folkes said. "What happened 10 years ago protected [it], Cronulla's remained pretty peaceful and they haven't had gangs coming in," Mr Folkes said. Mr Folkes says that some locals support his point of view, but community leaders are adamant that the views of the Party for Freedom are not widely held in Cronulla. Chamber of commerce spokeswoman Annette Tasker said the rally would be disastrous for local businesses. Business owners blamed the riots for a sharp drop in business in the years following 2005, with some reporting drops in trade of up to 50%. "The trauma that business owners suffered 10 years ago is of no concern to [Party for Freedom] whatsoever," Ms Tasker said. "Some people didn't make it, they just didn't make it. You can only suffer financial loss for so long. "It's very hard to overcome fear in a business." Sutherland Shire Deputy Mayor Hassan Awada, a Muslim who came to Australia from Lebanon, ran a barber shop in Cronulla at the time of the riot. He said in the wake of the riots he was inundated with support. "I could not count the number of people who walked into my shop to basically let me know and reassure me that after what happened they were just as disappointed as I was," Mr Awada said. "They destroyed the local area's reputation [then] and this group is doing exactly the same, claiming to come to the area to support the Australian way of life, but ... destroying it." Police say there will be a large police presence in Cronulla on Saturday. New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione will make an official statement later in the week. Referring to the events of 2005, Mr Scipione told Australia's 60 Minutes in November: "The place was just swimming with alcohol, large crowds, a lot of emotion and then the build of the heat. All of those together, it's almost like a perfect storm." The Party for Freedom follows an agenda largely focused on preventing Muslims from immigrating to Australia. It was one of the groups involved with Reclaim Australia. The Reclaim Australia movement has pushed anti-immigration groups into the media spotlight recently with several series of rallies held in major cities this year. A loose coalition of groups with widely varying agendas, the common in the movement's Australia's ideology is opposition to Islam and a perception that the government kowtows to minority groups.

Question: It is 10 years since a race riot blew up in the usually tranquil Sydney suburb of Cronulla . An anti-immigration group 's plan to hold a " @placeholder " rally has locals fearing a new outbreak of violence .


Among the gloom and the water, stories of uplifting community spirit, of rescues and of neighbourly support have emerged. In what has been a devastating week for many people, here are some of the stories of those involved. The residents of Brunton Avenue, a quiet street not far from the River Eden in Carlisle, shared the horror of Storm Desmond. For many it was the second time they had watched their homes being submerged. "This is my lovely home," Sarah Betton says, wading through the water in her living room, "it will need a bit of decorating." At its peak, the floods reached halfway up her front window. Her new "dream" kitchen had just been finished, she says. A wooden train track - a recent birthday present for her son - floats in a corner. He has been asking to play with it, she adds. "There were quite a few toys and DVDs, which are all replaceable, but it is that thing of explaining to a three-year-old why he can't have his Thomas the Tank Engine DVD or his train." Further along the road, Alan Shaw picks up a Christmas bauble floating across his living room. "Everything has gone," he says. "Just forget it. Goodnight Vienna." "Stuff I can cope with," he says, his voice cracking, "as long as the family was all right - that was my only worry. We will get it sorted. We got it sorted last time." Brothers Ben, 12, and 10-year-old Sam were among those rescued from the roof of homes in Carlisle. "We couldn't get downstairs because the water was just so high," Ben says. "It was probably up to my head. "We pretty much just stayed upstairs. We didn't really have anything to do until the boat came." Sam says his family had to climb out of the bathroom window. "We had to climb down the roof and get into the boat," he adds. Marion Riley's mother - who is in her 80s - was also forced out of her home. Returning to the house the day after, Marion says: "I just can't believe it. You just can't believe what the water does. "My stomach is churning and I feel absolutely horrible inside because it is the first time we have seen what flood water does to somebody's property." Kindness is keeping Cumbria afloat Ten of the UK's worst weather events How could climate change affect the UK? Storm Desmond: Your questions Why did defences not stop flooding? As the water levels rose in Carlisle on Saturday night, student Beth Simpson went to the pub for dinner because she was unsure if it was safe to use her cooker. Soon power was down, her phone signal was gone, and she was unable to contact her housemates. The 21-year-old was rendered homeless, left only with the clothes she had gone out in. "It was really, really scary. I didn't know how far the water had come up into my house. I didn't even know if my housemates were safe. "People were saying, 'Come and stay at mine, I've got a spare bed or a sofa.' It was quite remarkable." Beth and her friends returned home on Monday, picking up what belongings they could salvage. They have now all moved out and are having to find new accommodation to complete their final year of university. "It is just surreal. It kind of feels like an out-of-body experience." Jacinta Cooper's bridal shop in Carlisle's Warwick Road - one of the worst-hit areas of the city - was badly flooded. "These are shoes and mannequins," she says, pointing to a sodden corridor. "These are a couple of dresses that a lady was thinking about choosing," she says, pointing to two badly-damaged dresses hanging on the wall. "She was actually going to come back on Saturday afternoon but we had to close because of the fear of getting home. "She didn't get the chance to choose it." Her voice cracking with emotion, she adds: "I just do want my brides to know everything will be OK for them." "You can't resell it because it is all contaminated," says Billy Bone, as he piles all the food from his corner shop into a skip. He estimates he is throwing away ?¡ê45,000-?¡ê50,000 of stock. "We are skipping it and the shelving is going, so we are just stripping it all out. "It'll be quite a large sum of money." "Dogs, cats, rabbits, birds - you name it - hamsters, we rescued them all to be honest, as well as people," Chris Egan, from the Maryport Inshore Rescue, says. The lifeboat team - which consists of 18 volunteer crew - was called out to Carlisle at 09:00 GMT on Sunday. They spent 10 hours in Carlisle. Most of the crew had already spent 16 hours helping in Cockermouth and Penrith on Saturday - working through the night and finally getting to bed at 06:00 GMT. Some had been out on Thursday and Friday night after work. On Monday, it was back to the day job. "There are a lot of people walking around with bags under their eyes," he adds. Production: Dominic Bailey and Ben Fell

Question: The flooding in Cumbria was indiscriminate . It hit families , pensioners , and children alike . It hit some people for the second time since 2009 . In total , more than 6,000 homes were flooded across the @placeholder . The huge mop - up is now under way , even as the threat of further flooding remains .


The American, 22, won the Masters and US Open, missed out by one shot on a play-off at The Open and finished second in the US PGA Championship. Spieth has won twice in 2016 but blew a five-shot lead at the Masters in April. "Most of the questions are comparing to last year and that's unfair because that's happened less than a dozen times to anybody in golf," he said. "I would appreciate if people would look at the positives over comparing to maybe what would hopefully happen to me a few times in my career, a year like last year. "So it seems a bit unfair, at 22, to be expecting something like that all the time." Spieth made four birdies in the first seven holes at The Open on Saturday but dropped five strokes in seven holes as he finished five over for the tournament after three rounds.

Question: Jordan Spieth feels he is being unfairly @placeholder after failing to replicate his successes of 2015 .


The incident happened in the garden of a house on Newington Road at about 10:30 on Saturday. The worker was confronted by a man and then followed for a short while. The Royal Mail employee was unhurt but said to be left in a "state of shock". PC Emma Neylon said it was a "strange incident" to happen in broad daylight on a Saturday morning. The man police want to trace is described as being white, in his early 40s, about 5ft 6in to 5ft 8in tall with short brown hair described as ruffled. He was wearing a navy blue hooded top, beige shorts and spoke a foreign language. The man was acting in what was described as an "erratic manner".

Question: A postal worker has been threatened and then followed by a man while making his @placeholder in Annan .


The Bevan Foundation said eight new taxes would help make Wales "greener, healthier and better off". The Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru welcomed the report. But UKIP said the taxes would make Wales "more miserable" and the Conservatives said the report "smacks of nanny statism". Under the Wales Act 2014, the Welsh Government has the power to establish new taxes in devolved areas. The taxes proposed by the think tank are: Bevan Foundation director Victoria Winckler said the sunbed tax would need to be "fairly substantial" to deter people. She said: "We think taxes are actually really important. We've got used to talking about taxes as if they're a bad thing. "But actually taxes pay for all the good things we have." Cabinet secretary for finance Mark Drakeford said: "The power to introduce new Welsh taxes could be used to improve the lives and wellbeing of people across the country. "This is a very helpful report and raises awareness of these new powers." UKIP assembly group leader Neil Hamilton said: "The Bevan Foundation wants to make Wales a more miserable place by taxing the people's pleasures." He added: "Mark Drakeford's refusal to rule out these killjoy taxes shows the danger of giving tax-raising powers to a Welsh Labour government, as the Tory government in London proposes in the Wales Bill now going through Parliament. "Wales should be given the referendum on tax-raising powers we were promised before giving Labour the power to tax us out of existence." Welsh Conservative economy spokesman Russell George said: "The report, while well-intentioned, smacks of nanny statism and will serve only to discourage entrepreneurs, boost the black market economy and create another unnecessary layer of bureaucracy." He added: "Arbitrary taxes will do nothing but leave the people of Wales worse off at a time when gross disposable income already lags behind the rest of the UK." The Bevan Foundation's research was funded by a grant from the anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Trust. Plaid Cymru's shadow cabinet secretary for external affairs, Steffan Lewis, said: "Plaid Cymru was the first major party to propose the introduction of a levy on sugar drinks and we are a party committed to embracing new ideas in other areas of fiscal policy too. "Over the coming period, the priority will be to secure enhanced fiscal responsibility for Wales so that we can deliver accountability and greater levers for social justice and prosperity." ENDS

Question: Charges on sunbed use and take - away food @placeholder are among a number of taxes the Welsh Government should introduce , according to a think tank .


Officers were called to the school in South Lanarkshire on 21 December. It is understood parents were notified about the incident before the end of term. South Lanarkshire Council said it was aware of the incident. Police said a decision had still to be made on whether to refer the matter to a social work-led team or the Scottish Children's Reporter Administrator. A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: "An 11-year-old male pupil at a primary school in South Lanarkshire has been referred to the Youth Justice Co-ordinator (a police officer within the Restorative Justice Department) for alleged drugs offences. "A decision has still to be made as to disposal - whether a referral to the Early and Effective Intervention Co-ordinator - a multi-agency team with a social work lead - or a police report to the Scottish Children's Reporter Administrator."

Question: A primary school pupil has been reported to police after allegedly being caught with cannabis in @placeholder .


A limit of 12 books per cell has been removed, while relatives and friends can now send books to inmates directly. The rule changes, affecting more than 80,000 inmates in England and Wales, are meant to help prepare inmates for work when released. Mr Gove said those "languishing in prison" were "potential assets" who could be "productive and contribute". The scrapping of the rules from 1 September is one of Mr Gove's first key changes to prison policy since being appointed as justice secretary. The restriction on receiving books directly came as a result of the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme, introduced in November 2013 under Mr Gove's predecessor, Chris Grayling. It prevented prisoners from receiving direct parcels unless there were "exceptional circumstances", such as a medical condition. Although inmates were still allowed to use prison libraries, critics claimed they were often inadequately stocked and could be hard to access because of staff shortages. That scheme was relaxed after a High Court ruling in December found that restricting prisoners' access to books was unlawful. Subsequently, people were allowed to buy new books for prisoners through four approved retailers - Blackwell's, Foyles, Waterstones or WH Smith - who would send them to prisoners directly. Mr Gove's changes will remove the limit of 12 books to a cell, as long as prisoners observe overall limits on the volume of personal possessions. They will also allow people to send parcels of books directly to inmates without having to buy them through approved sources. Governors will still be able to withhold any books which they deem "inappropriate, not conducive to rehabilitation, or contrary to the safe running of the prison". And rules on receiving parcels other than book-only packages will remain. Mr Gove said the most important thing that could be done for people in prison was ensure they were usefully employed, and received skills needed for employment, such as literacy and numeracy. He cited Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute as a "big influence" on this thinking. "He believes that we should see all human beings as assets, not liabilities," he said. "I agree. Every individual has something to offer, every one of us can earn respect. People who are currently languishing in prison are potential assets to society. They could be productive and contribute. "If we look at them only as problems to be contained we miss the opportunity to transform their lives and to save ourselves and our society both money and pain." Chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, Frances Cook, who had fiercely criticised the book restrictions, said the move was a "fantastic final coda" to its Books For Prisoners campaign.

Question: Rules restricting the number of books a prisoner can have have been @placeholder by Justice Secretary Michael Gove .


The yellow submarine is currently in Punta Arenas, Chile, and is due to sail for the Southern Ocean on Friday. Scientists will use the robot to survey cold, deep waters that help to regulate Earth's climate. The 3.5m-long sub was given the name that a public poll had suggested - but which ministers subsequently blocked - go on the JCR's replacement. No matter - there is still enormous interest in the humorous moniker and the autonomous vehicles that will carry it underwater. Southampton's National Oceanography Centre has built three robots in its new Autosub Long Range class, and all will be branded Boaty when they go out on an expedition. The subs can stay down for weeks on end. They have a depth rating of 6,000m and a range of 6,000km. The robots have proven their capabilities in a series of sea trials and are now open to the general scientific community to use. First up is a mission being run by the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Southampton. Their scientists plan to deploy Boaty to swim through a gap in the ocean floor ridge that extends northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Known as the Orkney Passage, this opening is the main gateway for dense, cold waters formed around the White Continent to move into the Atlantic. It is a key motor in the so-called "great ocean conveyor" - the relentless system of deep circulation that helps redistribute all the heat energy that has built up in the climate system. The passage floor is very rugged, and will challenge Boaty's autonomous systems to keep it safe. Mike Meredith from the British Antarctic Survey said: "Boaty's a very intelligent underwater system; it can sense the environment around it, so it knows the height it is above the seabed and it can map out its trajectory and its position in a very advanced way." Povl Abrahamsen is a co-investigator on the cruise and took the pictures on this page. He added: "This is the first time that Boaty will be used in this type of environment, and it certainly will bring challenges. "We're very much hoping that Boaty will help to give the spatial coverage that we can't really get from other methods." Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

Question: " Boaty McBoatface " has just been @placeholder aboard the UK 's polar ship , the RRS James Clark Ross .


Sunday's race will be only the third time in 163 years that the women's competition is raced on the same day and stretch of water as the men. Te Water Naude, 20, will row for Oxford in the four and quarter mile course. "It's a big deal, especially the women on the tideway. It sets a precedent for other women's sports," she said. She continued: "I watched the Boat Race on TV when I was little and I had no idea there was a women's race until I was much older. "I hope that girls and women watching it are inspired to take up more sport and enjoy it. Part of this whole thing is enjoying the process and how long it takes to build up to this one day." Media playback is not supported on this device 26-year-old Josh Bugajski, a third year Oncology master's student whose mother is Welsh, says representing Oxford is a momentous achievement in one of the world's signature sporting events. "It is probably the biggest event imaginable for many rowers. I know the Olympics are put forward as the biggest in the world but I think for many people who are in the Boat Race, this can almost overshadow getting an Olympic medal," he said. "We are billed as having trained for the last seven months but in reality there are guys who have trained for years for this one race. "It's nice to know if you are involved in a Boat Race and especially if you win a Boat Race, your name will be carved into history and it will be there for as long as the race carries on for. "Because of the attractiveness of the race it has brought in really top end rowers. "That does mean the race is generally of a very high standard. "It's very comparable to international racing. Just the prowess of it means it's a very attractive race to be part of."

Question: Welsh rower Rebecca te Water Naud¨¦ hopes more women will be @placeholder to start rowing as the men 's and women 's Boat Race takes place on the same day .


The speech built on her article in The Times on Monday and is important for a number of reasons - not least its attempt to marry a general and widespread disillusion among the public that the economy "is not working for them" with a sense that the Conservative Party's driving philosophy is about more than free markets. The first of these is straight from the playbook of Mr Miliband; the second is from Lady Thatcher. Here's Mr Miliband at the time of the 2011 Labour Party conference where he announced plans to rein in "excessive pay". "This is not an anti-business message, this is an anti-business as usual message," he told the Today programme. And here's Mrs May today, on her plans to tackle the "unhealthy and growing gap" between what she deliberately describes as "bosses" and "workers". "It is not anti-business to suggest that big business needs to change," she said. Now, of course Mrs May would be likely to splutter into her morning cup of tea if there was any suggestion that Mr Miliband was guiding her politically. As she said in her speech this morning, the Home Secretary believes that Labour's approach to "equality" holds people back. And she insisted the Conservatives remained the party of enterprise. But Mrs May's pledges to put worker representatives on company boards (as well as "consumers"), to make shareholder votes on executive remuneration binding, to oblige companies to publish data on the pay multiple between a company's chief executive and the pay of the average worker, to have a "proper industrial strategy" that could be used to block takeovers such as Pfizer's attempt to buy AstraZeneca - all are certainly a substantial attempt to build the broadest of Tory tents. Further, they are a deliberate economic pitch for the centre ground of politics, to a level of detail many will be surprised by. Anyone who thought that a Conservative-led administration under Mrs May would not be interventionist when it comes to economic and business policy will certainly have to reconsider. Mrs May even had some words for policy makers at the Bank of England, saying that ultra-low interest rates had helped home owners over those struggling to clamber on the housing ladder. So, where does Lady Thatcher fit in? Rather more subtly, but still distinctly, in the line: "We don't just believe in markets, but in communities." Lady Thatcher was clear on her distrust of "big state" solutions and spoke regularly of communities of people, even "society" despite the oft-quoted line that there was "no such thing". She said that people should be allowed to get on and should prosper, as long as they played by the rules. Mrs May appears to be echoing the sentiment, replacing the "big state" with "big business" and "vested interests". She vowed to take them on, tying a reformist line directly from Robert Peel to Joseph Chamberlain to Lady Thatcher. Mrs May also spoke of "leading on behalf of the people". Many argue that Brexit uncertainty will make the fortunes of the UK economy over the coming months and years difficult to forecast. Mrs May, launching herself as the UK's next prime minister, appears to want to be tested on whether that economy is seen as working for everyone.

Question: In her speech this morning - which has now taken on far more weight given that she is just about ready to measure the curtains for Number 10 - Theresa May laid out a set of policies that bring together two strands of thinking and two @placeholder who would not have been overly comfortable in each other 's company - Ed Miliband and Margaret Thatcher .


Yusf Pirot, 16, of Arnold in Nottingham said he wanted to show the world that not all Muslims were terrorists. "The reason I wanted to do it was because I grew up in a society where I was being called a terrorist nearly every day," he said. A video of his hugs has attracted millions of views on social media. Another video of a blindfolded Muslim man asking for hugs in the aftermath of the Paris attacks has also gone viral. Yusf said: "This idea was in my head for a long time - I wanted to send a message out to the world and tell them that I am a Muslim - there are 1.7bn of us in the world that doesn't mean that every single one of us is a terrorist. "Deep inside I do care - and it hurts me. "I was really shocked and surprised. I thought it would be a normal video and ... not a big deal. I was like 'wow'." He said he decided to stage his hug event after hearing about the terrorist attacks in Paris: "I was shocked - why would anyone want to hurt another human being a€| why would  they kill innocent people for no reason? "When I was blindfolded I heard a few people saying negative things - one person said to his friend what would happen if I punched him in the face?" The teenager said "some brainwashed people think it is alright to go and  blow themselves up a€| not all Muslims think the same way". Wendy Feargrieve of Calverton, who stopped to give Yusf a hug, said: "He was blindfolded and he couldn't see who was going up to him and what they were going to do. I walked up to him... and he put his arms around me and I told him he was very brave to do what he was doing." Yusf's older brother Salam, who arrived with his family from northern Iraq in 2007, told the BBC: "We are proud of him and what he did."

Question: A Kurdish Muslim teenager who handed out free hugs to strangers while blindfolded said he has been @placeholder by the response .


If it's longevity in a job you are looking for, you really should not be heading to the Ghana parliament. Judging from the experience of its 24 years of existence, it seems to be a place more for short-term apprenticeships. The 7th parliament of Ghana's Fourth Republic was inaugurated earlier this month and many Ghanaians stayed up until midnight to watch on television as all 275 members swore the oath of allegiance at a colourful ceremony. The Honourable Elizabeth Ohene: "It costs a lot of money to get elected into parliament and some people don't finish paying off their debts before they lose their seats. But at least they are assured of being called Honourable for... life" Our parliament is getting a reputation for being an unsentimental place where members, no matter how revered they might be, are regularly chucked out unceremoniously. The membership of the house seems to get renewed comprehensively at elections every four years. When this Fourth Republic started life 24 years ago on 7 January, 1993, the current governing party, the NPP, were not in parliament, having boycotted the parliamentary elections. The NPP first entered parliament in 1997 with 61 elected members. Today, there are 169 NPP MPs but only one, Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu, dates back to the 1997 intake. He is the current majority leader, and speaking at the midnight sitting, he put it this way with a wistful smile: "I am the lone ranger in my party's caucus from the 1997-2001 stock. Just two remain in the 2001-2005 stock. For the 2005-2009 group, we have 20 remaining." The situation is no less dramatic on the NDC side of the House. Of the 189 members of the NDC that entered the house in January 1993, only one survives today as a Member of Parliament, Alban Bagbin. He has been elected second deputy speaker and he pointed out equally wistfully that on his side of the house, 80 of his colleagues lost their seats during the recent elections and out of that number, 42 were one-term members. This new parliament has 182 new entrants in the 275-member chamber.  Of the 93 continuing members, not many can be described as "old hands". The newly commissioned Parliament Training Institute is going to be very busy as the new members are taken through the arcane ways of the house. There are voices being raised today about the brutal attrition rate of the membership of the house and the need for us to build institutional memory in our parliament. Something tells me such voices will disappear once the political party primary season starts and the jostling begins to find candidates for the parliamentary elections. In our country, anybody who has been in parliament for three terms is mocked mercilessly as a "Mugabe", who should be forced to stand down. Nobody says so openly but part of the attraction of wanting to go to parliament is obviously the financial remuneration. Our MPs tend to look well-off and are assured of a handsome package at the end of the four-year term. That is what the public sees, and of course the parliamentarians are called "Honourable", and this counts for very much hereabouts. And yet the life of an MP in Ghana can be a trial and a temptation. Being an MP means you wake up each morning to a long queue of people in your house. Some of them want money to pay school fees or hospital bills, some want jobs for themselves or for their children or both, some just want to tell their MP they are angry the MP's vehicle drove past them and did not offer them a ride and they wouldn't be voting for him or her at the next elections. You ignore your demanding constituents at your electoral peril. In the meantime there is a lot of excitement about the new intake. They are younger, the youngest being the 23-year old female university student who sits on the majority benches. There are 35 women in the house, nowhere near the number that we all think we should have, but they are a power-packed group. On the majority side, a 35-year old female is the deputy majority leader. The majority of people who make it into our parliament still come from the teaching profession but the lawyers and bankers, doctors now constitute a sizeable number. It costs a lot of money to get elected into parliament and some people do not finish paying off their debts before they lose their seats. But at least they are assured of being called "Honourable" for the rest of their lives and many consider that a worthwhile investment.

Question: Life as an MP in Ghana is traditionally a short - lived stint , partly because of a tradition of mocking longstanding MPs as " Mugabe " , @placeholder journalist Elizabeth Ohene , herself a former MP , in our series of letters from African journalists .


The musical, which was plagued with problems from its inception, took $2.9m (¡ê1.8m) over nine performances last week, according to The Broadway League. The Edge said it was a "proud day" for everyone who has been involved. The show, which cost $75m (¡ê48m) to make, is the most expensive Broadway show to be produced. Initially the production was beset with problems, which included injuries to some of the cast members, opening night delays, poor reviews and unpaid royalty claims. "For all the problems, there was magic on the stage," Bono said. "Things did get chaotic and messy after our producer Tony Adams died. But this week's news has us all giddy again and we are raising our glasses to Tony, to our indefatigable cast, crew, creative - and production team." Co-producer Jeremiah Harris admitted he and his colleague, fellow producer Michael Cohl, "came into a very difficult situation" when they signed up. "We've changed the team. We added players when we needed to. We've moved some players around to different positions. And the success we've had here is the culmination of all those people working hard to get done what we've gotten done," he said. According to figures collected by Cohl and Harris, it is thought that half of all attendees to Spider-Man had never been to a Broadway show before. They claim the production has been seen by more than 600,000 people during the past year. 'Longevity' 1. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark - $2.9m (¡ê1.8m) 2. Wicked - $2.7m (¡ê1.7m) 3. The Lion King - $2.4m (¡ê1.5m) 4. Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway - $2m (¡ê1.2m) 5. How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - $1.9m (¡ê1.2m) Figures recorded over nine shows The musical has beaten the previous record set by Wicked in 2011, which took $2.2m (¡ê1.4m) over an eight-show run in January last year. Over Christmas and New Year many productions added a ninth show to their regular eight-show week, which helped boost total ticket takings this year. Head-to-head last week, over nine shows, Wicked took $2.7m (¡ê1.7m). However, Wicked which is performed at the Gershwin Theatre, has about 100 seats less than the 1,930-seat Foxwoods Theatre, home of the superhero musical. The Lion King recorded takings of $2.4m (¡ê1.5m) and Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway took a total of $2m (¡ê1.2m) Harris insisted they still had a long way to go. "The time to crow is when we have sustained longevity and we've returned the money to our investors." Not all shows enjoyed healthy ticket sales over the festive period, with producers of the musical Lysistrata Jones announcing the comedy will close on Sunday.

Question: Spider - Man : Turn Off the Dark , @placeholder by U2's Bono and The Edge , has taken the highest single - week takings of any show in Broadway history .


The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has said that most "thoughtful" politicians, officials and businesses from Britain and the rest of the European Union realise that the two year deadline is simply not achievable. The government position is becoming clearer. By the end of the Article 50 timetable - which Number 10 believes will be March 2019 - the UK will have legally agreed to leave the EU. But it will not be like jumping off a cliff edge. Rather, Britain and the EU will still have a close relationship, with many EU rules remaining in place. They will slowly be unravelled over subsequent years as Brexit is made a reality. Many businesses will welcome the strong guidance from the Treasury. The financial services sector and other large UK businesses fear that the substantial amount of work needed to reformulate the relationship with the rest of the EU is simply not possible in two years. Mr Hammond appears to be preparing the ground ahead of the next general election. By the time Theresa May goes to the country in 2020, the UK will have agreed to leave the EU. But, in practical terms, we may well not have actually fully left.

Question: The government has given the strongest @placeholder yet that the Brexit process could take a lot longer than the two years needed for the official Article 50 exit process to be completed .


The survey of 1,000 adults carried out by YouGov for the Greater London Authority showed 58% wanted TfL to have more powers over train services. The poll also showed only 14% supported the government's decision to overrule a plan for TfL to take over the services. The Department for Transport said it was "determined to improve journeys". The survey comes as a cross-party group of MPs have written to the prime minister urging her to review Transport Secretary Chris Grayling's decision. The letter was signed by Conservative MPs Tania Mathias and Bob Neill, Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake and eleven Labour MPs. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the poll showed it was "time for the transport secretary to stop burying his head in the sand and listen to what commuters want". "This is much more important than party politics - it is about people's jobs, time with their family and quality of life," he said. A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said the mayor's business plan for taking over Southeastern routes "provided no extra capacity in peak hours, and there was no funding identified for improvements to infrastructure". "We can deliver service improvements through partnership, without the need for a massive reorganisation," the spokesperson said. Earlier this month Mr Grayling was urged to resign by his fellow Conservative MP Mr Neill after a leaked letter showed he opposed rail devolution to keep it "out of the clutches" of Labour. The transport secretary said costs were the reason for overruling the plan, although he has not yet commented about the letter.

Question: Most Londoners believe suburban rail routes should be @placeholder by Transport for London ( TfL ) , according to a new poll .


"The Gherkin really started the trend," says Peter Rees, ex-chief planner of the City of London and professor at UCL's Bartlett School of Architecture. It is not the first building to earn a nickname inspired by items usually found in the kitchen pantry. Indeed, Prince Charles also dubbed the 309m-high Shard an "enormous salt cellar". With work having resumed on the Can of Ham in January and the Cucumber on its way, BBC News explores some of the capital's most high-profile morsels. So what came first - the building or the name? "The Gherkin is circular so wind can flow around it more easily. It's smaller at the top so the closer you get to it, the less oppressive it gets. And it's tapered at the bottom to maximise the amount of space there. "When you put those practical considerations together, you get an iconic shape," says Prof Rees. But the shape of the building - real name 30 St Mary Axe - drew jeers and taunts from some after its completion in late 2003. "They called it the 'Erotic Gherkin' and it was meant to be offensive, but it caught people's attention," he says. "One year, just before Christmas, there was a laser light show that lit it up like a Christmas tree. When the public saw it, they fell in love with the shape." Officially called the Willis Building, the tower's design was influenced by "overlapping curved shells". It is now popularly known as the Prawn - a name architects Foster + Partners refuse to use. "The name was not given by us, nor was our intention to design a building which resembles a prawn," a spokeswoman said. Another London gem is the Olympic Velodrome, nicknamed the Pringle. Its curved roof, designed to reduce hot air inside and collect rainwater, reminded journalists of the famous snack. "It's funny how the 'Pringle' nickname for the building has stuck," the BBC's Adrian Warner has said. "People will start rewriting history and claiming they came up with it." "We already have a giant gherkin in the City, now it looks as if we are going to have an enormous salt cellar as well," the Prince of Wales said in 2003. The name didn't stick - nowadays the skyscraper in London Bridge - the UK's tallest - is much better known as the Shard. Prof Rees laughs as he remembers the Leadenhall Building being dubbed the Cheesegrater. "I take credit for this one," he says. "When I first saw a model of the building, I told Richard Rogers [the architect] I could imagine his wife Ruth, who owns a restaurant, using it to grate parmesan on pasta. I don't think he was too happy, but it stuck." The skyscraper has a distinctive wedge shape to protect views of St Paul's Cathedral and horizontal fins to cut out the sun's glare. The cylindrical residential tower, officially known as 1 Merchant's Square, is set to shoot up in the near future, although construction and completion dates are not confirmed. Architect Robin Partington, who also worked on the Gherkin, said: "Nicknames can often reinforce the identity and branding of the building, but can conflict with the corporate vision." A squat, tubby tower is soon to take its place on London's dining table. Nicknamed the Can of Ham, the 24-storey office block - real names 60-70 St Mary's Axe - was granted planning permission seven years ago, but construction was put on hold and resumed in 2015. It is set to be completed in 2018. Two new substantial skyscrapers have been planned for London's skyline. One Undershaft, which might be as tall as the Shard, could become known as "the Waffle", Prof Rees jokes. And a new tower at 22 Bishopsgate has already been called the Club Sandwich, he says. 309m height of the Salt Cellar (Shard) 224m height of the Cheesegrater 6,000 capacity of the Pringle 178m circumference of the Gherkin at its widest point 222 apartments to be built in the Cucumber Not everyone is a fan of the move towards bold architecture. Architect Barbara Weiss, who campaigns to protect London's skyline, argues that the trend in iconic buildings is "unhealthy" for the capital. "Since the Gherkin, a burst of commercial buildings stands in place of civic monuments," she says. "It's just glorifying money and it's unhealthy to society, politics, the economy. They stand up as ghettos in the air, especially the residential towers for the extremely wealthy." The obsession with iconic buildings is not just limited to towers, Ms Weiss says. She compares London's architecture a to a "pack of liquorice allsorts" with all the buildings "trying to be such different shapes and sizes". Ham, cheese and pickles. Welcome to the London lunchbox.

Question: Since the Gherkin @placeholder London 's skyline in 2003 , a number of architectural delicacies have popped up around the capital . Prince Charles once likened the capital to an " absurdist picnic table " , but has it really started to resemble a giant 's feast ?


Police have only just revealed the discovery last month of fake "Captagon" pills and say they do not know if they were destined for the Middle East. Meanwhile, Italy's financial police revealed this week they had uncovered 37.5m pills of another drug, tramadol, also used by Islamist fighters. The cargo was heading for Libya. Tramadol is a synthetic opioid-like drug used as a painkiller. Italian police said the consignment had come from India and would have been used for two purposes: to help finance Islamist terrorism and for use by jihadist fighters as a stimulant and to heighten resistance to physical stress. Abuse of tramadol was described by a report this year as "rampant" in the ranks of Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria and to have played a role in "enabling atrocities on both sides of the conflict". The main ingredient of counterfeit Captagon tablets is usually amphetamine but illegal drug-makers often add caffeine or other substances. It is widely seen as fuelling the conflict in Syria, as the drug has generated millions of dollars in revenue and has been used by combatants. The drug previously sold as Captagon was a psychostimulant called fenethylline, banned since the 1980s, related to amphetamine. Taking the drug lowers inhibitions to violence and prolongs a fighter's ability to remain alert for combat. The counterfeit Captagon pills were found in a barn in Brunssum in the southern Dutch province of Limburg, along with a tablet-making machine and other drugs. Police said the tablets had been analysed by the Netherlands Forensic Institute and found to contain two ingredients, amphetamine and caffeine. The pills were of a type used as a stimulant in the Middle East but it was not known if that was their destination. A man who lived in the neighbouring house was arrested a few days after the discovery last month and a woman was detained on Monday. Two other suspects are being sought. In March, Greek police arrested four suspects in a fake Captagon-making ring and confiscated 650,000 tablets.

Question: Dutch police are searching for two suspects after a drugs laboratory was found with a large stash of pills @placeholder by jihadists .


Bogdan Nawrocki, 21, went missing from his Radford home in January 2014, prompting a major police appeal. In February, Robert Marcinkiewicz-Szurkowski, 27, of Sneinton, was jailed for 27 years for killing Polish national Mr Nawrocki. The 10-day blaze at the Player Street building is not connected to the murder inquiry, officers said. Det Ch Insp Tony Heydon, who led the investigation, said: "We succeeded in seeing justice carried out for Bogdan but despite a vast amount of searches, we have been unable to give his family the opportunity to give him the funeral he deserves. "We still have a ?¡ê5,000 reward for information so if you know anything that could help, it's not too late." Nottingham Crown Court heard traces of Mr Nawrocki's blood were found during a search of a property in Osborne Street that he shared with his killer. He had been the victim of "a prolonged and violent attack" and his body taken away from the property. Police have searched more than 40 sites, including previously at the former Player's cigarette factory, but Mr Nawrocki's body has never been located. Det Ch Insp Heydon said they had received new information several weeks ago and had already planned the search when the fire took hold. He said: "We have had to allow the fire service get on with their job and now that is completely out, we can access the site safely. "The site is extensive and there are underground tunnels so there were safety issues for officers conducting the search." The blaze broke out in part of the Player's building which was being renovated into student accommodation. About half the structure had to be pulled down to allow crews to get to pockets of fire. An investigation into how the fire started is currently under way.

Question: Tunnels beneath a former factory , partly @placeholder after a fire , are to be searched for a murdered man 's body .


Research by the BBC found the shortfall facing 22 hospital trusts in the region had risen by 63% compared to 2013-14. NHS Providers, a lobby group representing NHS organisations, said the level of debt represented about a quarter of the UK's total NHS debt. The government said it had managed to increase the NHS budget by ¡ê2bn. Of the 22 trusts, only four - Luton and Dunstable, Bucks Healthcare, Papworth and James Paget - predict surpluses in 2014-15. Ipswich Hospital forecasts a ¡ê12m deficit, while the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, predicts a ¡ê14.9m deficit. Northampton Hospital predicts a ¡ê16.7m deficit. NHS Providers said "sustainable" funding solutions were needed. Saffron Cordery, its director of policy and strategy, said the whole NHS faced a ¡ê1bn deficit. "We've reached a point where we're at genuine risk of damaging quality of care for patients," she said. Allyson Pollock, a University of London professor of public health research and policy, said it was likely hospitals would look to generate cash through providing "non-NHS services, such as more private patients". Political blogger Iain Dale said: "I don't think there is a short-term solution. Any future government will at some point have to write-off debts." Richard Murray, director of policy at the King's Fund think tank, called for less "premium agency nursing" to be used and more care in the community. Both Ipswich and Bedford hospitals said their deficits were linked to increased demand from patients, with people living longer. Nick Hulme, chief executive of Ipswich Hospital, said there was a "systemic problem" with NHS funding, in that there were "more sicker patients and patients living longer". The Luton and Dunstable Hospital, which expects a ¡ê19,000 surplus, said it had not "sacrificed quality" and was meeting targets. A Department of Health spokesman said: "We've been able to increase the NHS budget by an extra ¡ê2bn for the next financial year, and NHS England's own chief executive Simon Stevens acknowledged we had 'listened and responded with the funding [needed] for next year to sustain frontline NHS services and kick-start transformation'."

Question: The ¡ê 259 m deficit facing East of England hospitals poses a " genuine risk of damaging quality of care " , it has been @placeholder .


For centuries, women at official Thetford Town Council functions have been required to seek the mayor's permission to take their hats off. However men are trusted to use their own judgement and may discard their headwear all on their own. The historic maxim will be mulled over at a meeting next month, after the newly-elected councillor Francesca Robinson said it was "demeaning". So forget the urban myths about killing Welshmen with longbows or being allowed to herd your sheep over city bridges - here are some real rules you may be breaking without realising it. Section 54 of the Metropolitan Police Act stipulates you are not allowed to carry a plank along a pavement in London, unless you are unloading it from a vehicle. The ban extends to casks, tubs, hoops, wheels, ladders, poles and placards. And if you thought you would get around the rule by rolling your tub along, that's banned too. The law is in place to prevent nuisance and increase ease of passage on public thoroughfares. You are also not allowed to fly a kite if it could cause annoyance, slide upon ice or snow in any street in a manner which could cause injury to others, or "ride or drive furiously, or so as to endanger the life or limb of any person" in any thoroughfare. Residents on a new development in Beverley, East Yorkshire, are subject to a restrictive covenant banning them from hanging out the washing or airing clean clothes outdoors. Covenants prohibiting hanging washing in the front garden are fairly common, but the one at Westwood Park covers windows, balconies, roof terraces, communal gardens and potentially even the back gardens of individual houses on the site. The idea behind the rule at the luxury location is to prevent peoples' smalls fluttering in the breeze, which could detract from the look of the estate. The developers, though, did fit every home with a washer-dryer to help the enforcement of the covenant. Other common covenants prevent occupiers from erecting fences in their front garden, keeping livestock other than domestic pets, washing their cars on the premises and removing any grassed areas. Frank Blades was not ready to rush away from the graveside after laying his wife Violet to rest at Hannah Park Cemetery in Worksop, Nottingham in the summer of 2015. He stayed for an extra 20 minutes - and was billed ?¡ê160 for it. A spokesman for the funeral directors said: "We incurred a charge of ?¡ê160 from Bassetlaw District Council due to their gravediggers working beyond their contracted hours when our client wished to visit other family graves following the funeral. "As with any third-party fee that we pay on behalf of our clients this was included in our final invoice." Liz Prime, head of neighbourhoods at Bassetlaw District Council, said she was surprised the charge had been passed on and not absorbed by the funeral company. "The council has certainly not penalised Mr Blades for spending additional time at his wife's graveside to mourn her loss." Mr Blades said: "I just accepted it. I just tried to forget it. I am saying this because it might happen to other people." Handling a salmon in suspicious circumstances sounds like it may be an archaic law, but it is in fact enshrined in Section 32 of the Salmon Act 1986. It is aimed at selling fish gained through illicit means - rather than people furtively skulking around dark corners clutching their Salmo salar. The phrasing is broad enough to provoke thought, however. A five-hour House of Lords debate about the issue in February 1986 decided the wording would protect unwitting people from the then-in-place wider law of "possessing salmon which have been illegally taken, killed or landed". If you want chips with your suspiciously-handled fish, make sure they're legal. The Polish Potatoes Order 2004 makes it illegal for someone to "import into England potatoes which he knows to be or has reasonable cause to suspect to be Polish potatoes". An exception is made if you write to an inspector at least two days before you plan to bring your tubers over, giving details of: The law was introduced in response to ring rot outbreaks in Poland. In 2012, the Food and Environment Research Agency reinforced the guideline, by demanding a ring rot test certificate accompany the spuds. This was triggered by a poor crop in the UK leading to importers searching for European replacements. A rule introduced at the beginning of 2011 banned staff at Carlisle City Council from talking about anything not work-related. If employees wanted to discuss the weather, holidays or babies (the three categories specified in the instructions), they were told to clock-out - so they would not be paid for time spent chatting. An e-mail sent to 31 workers by two team leaders in the city's benefits department also warned staff "to be aware of the reason why they are here, which is to work and not to treat the office as a day-to-day holiday camp". The GMB Union representative at the council, Ged Craig, said the message was "ridiculous and a disgrace - it is suggesting that if, for example, you are standing in a queue for the photocopier having a chat you should clock out." The e-mail went on to say that the way staff previously worked could not be sustained in the "current economic climate". Following the outrage of the staff and the involvement of the union, the rule was dropped. Daventry Council, in Northamptonshire, introduced rules for dog walkers which decreed they can be fined up to ?¡ê100 if they walk their dog without carrying a bag to dispose of its waste. This means that if you get stopped after disposing of a used bag, you would still be susceptible to the fine. Dogwalkers should therefore either carry a spare to flourish when challenged, or become one of those owners who keep the full bag with them.

Question: An 800 - year - old dress code banning women from taking off their hats may finally be @placeholder later in Norfolk . But what other old - fashioned , or just plain strange , rules are in place around England ?


Net profit for 2012 at EADS rose 19% to 1.23bn euros ($1.61bn; ?¡ê1.06bn). Revenues rose 15% to 56.48bn euros. Revenues at Airbus rose 17% to 38.59bn euros, mostly due to commercial sales. However, EADS's profit in the fourth quarter fell sharply after taking one-off charges at its helicopter and defence electronics divisions. Net profit in the three months to December fell 47% from a year ago to 325m euros. This was after a 198m-euro hit at its defence electronics contractor Cassidian due to restructuring costs, and a 100m-euro charge at Eurocopter after renegotiating contracts with government customers. Looking ahead, EADS said its focus was on growing profits, adding there was "still some way to go to meet our profitability targets". For 2013, it is targeting an operating profit of 3.5bn euros and expects to see "moderate growth" in revenues, though results will be affected by problems with its A350 XWB model. Shares in EADS rose more than 7% in lunchtime trading in Paris. In 2012 the group's order intake showed "continuing commercial momentum across the EADS portfolio", the firm said. At the end of 2012, its order book had increased by 5% to 566.5bn euros. The bulk of that came from Airbus. Its order book increased 6% to 523.4bn euros, although it took fewer orders in 2012 than the year before. "A strong focus on deliveries helped to significantly improve cash generation during the fourth quarter," said chief executive Tom Enders in a statement. "Going forward, the focus on bottom line growth remains our priority number one as a management team." Last month, rival Boeing also reported a sharp rise in profits, thanks in part to stronger sales of commercial planes. Earlier this month, Airbus said it would not use lithium-ion batteries in its forthcoming A350 plane because of problems that have grounded Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. International regulators grounded all 787 Dreamliners in January so that safety checks could be carried out on their batteries after incidents on a Japan Airlines plane and an All Nippon Airways plane. Investigations into the battery have so far proved inconclusive. Airbus's A350, which was intended to challenge the Dreamliner, has been delayed because of a problem with its wings. "The A350 XWB programme remains challenging," EADS said. "Any schedule change could lead to increasingly higher impact on provisions." EADS also invited shareholders to an extraordinary meeting on 27 March to approve its new governance structure and a share buyback programme for up to 15% of its stock. Last year, the group announced sweeping governance changes that will result in Germany and France eventually holding equal stakes in EADS of about 12%, and Spain holding 4%. This followed the collapse of a proposed merger between EADS and BAE Systems after political deadlock between the UK, French and German governments.

Question: Aerospace and defence group EADS has reported a rise in profits and sales in 2012 , boosted by a strong @placeholder from its aircraft maker Airbus .


Born at the height of Britpop, the female protagonist of computer game Tomb Raider became one of the pillars of Cool Britannia - but also provoked the ire of feminists who criticised her sexualised image. Her journey took in two Hollywood films, numerous magazine covers and advertising campaigns but began in the comparatively unglamorous English city of Derby. Tomb Raider was created by a small team of people working for Core Design, a video game developer founded in the city in 1988. "The story goes that within the industry it wasn't easy to sell a female heroine," says Heather Gibson, one of the six developers who created the original game. "Up until then they were quite masculine characters because your main market was men or boys." The character was thought up by one of Heather's colleagues, Toby Gard, who has cited the comic character Tank Girl and musician Neneh Cherry as inspirations. "He wanted a strong female character as the lead role," says Ms Gibson. "It was pooh-poohed in its very original form but Toby just stuck with it." The game was launched on 25 October 1996 - three months after Spice Girls released their debut single Wannabe. "It's not coincidence that it was that sort of time," says Iain Simons, director of the National Videogame Foundation and the GameCity festival. "I think she [Lara Croft] was part of a broader movement towards a new kind of powerful feminism that came about." While the game's developers expected it to appeal to men and boys, it found an unexpected audience among women and girls. In fact, early data from parent company Eidos suggested that 40% of the early players were female. Among these was Meagan Marie, who was 12 when the first game was released. "The initial attraction to the game was feeling represented," she says. "It was really cool to see this beautiful woman who was so powerful and in control." Ms Marie, who has written an official book - 20 Years of Tomb Raider - to mark the anniversary, says that Lara inspired her to push herself. "That's one of the reoccurring things that I hear, especially with women specifically in my age range, in their early 30s," she says. "I know so many women who talked about wanting to be an archaeologist or wanting to go into these other fields because Lara inspired them." Ms Marie says there was a "perfect storm" when Lara popped up into public consciousness. "She was a female protagonist and there weren't many," she says. "It was also really at the time where Girl Power was starting to gain movement because of the Spice Girls." The game was originally launched on the Sega Saturn but it really took off when released on the more popular PlayStation the following month. Its lead character soon became ubiquitous, gracing not just the covers of videogames magazines but lifestyle magazines too. Brands used her to endorse their products, with notable adverts including Lucozade, Seat cars and Visa. The band U2 used the character during their PopMart tour in 1997, where she appeared on stage in custom footage broadcast across a massive screen. Lara also had a stab at becoming a pop singer herself and Rhona Mitra, the official Lara Croft model for 1997-8, recorded two whole albums with Dave Stewart, best known for being one-half of Eurythmics. Even the government was keen to capitalise on the game's success. Lara was named as an ambassador for British scientific excellence. "There was a kind of Britsoft along with Britpop, it was 97 when [Tony] Blair got in [as prime minister]," says Mr Simons. "I think she's part of that fabric of icons that came out of Britain, that was part of that Cool Britannia, Blur and Oasis, Spice Girls sort of period." Ian Livingstone CBE, who launched Tomb Raider when he was executive chairman of Core Design's parent firm Eidos, said nobody expected the game to be as successful as it was. "I think we had budgeted 100,000 units... and we ended up selling 7.5 million units of the first Tomb Raider. Lara Croft became arguably as iconic as James Bond did in films." Angelina Jolie starred in two blockbuster Hollywood adaptations - Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and the sequel Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003). Jolie has said that filming in Cambodia for the first film was a life-changing experience. She adopted her first child from the country shortly after the film's release, and it also sparked her humanitarian work. In the film companion she explained her reservations about how the film would thrust her into the limelight. "Did I really want to star in a massive blockbuster that was going to up my profile like never before and would make it impossible to disappear from the public eye?" she said. Jolie said she was "extremely out of shape" before the film but spent months training to prepare for the role, including weapons training by an SAS instructor, fight training, gymnastics, motorcycle riding and dog sledding. She only wore shorts once throughout both films and her bra was only padded by one extra cup size. Jolie said: "My Lara has still got what makes her a cyber-icon, but I'm more athletic than curvy, in control rather than cute." She recently returned to Cambodia to direct a film adaptation of First They Killed My Father, the memoir of Cambodian human rights activist Loung Ung. It was a hit because it was "an amazingly high-quality game", Mr Livingstone says, and having a powerful, female central character boosted its appeal. "Men wanted to play the character of Lara Croft and a lot of women wanted to be Lara Croft." However, the character's exaggerated feminine image has antagonised many. Feminist Germaine Greer dubbed her a "sergeant major with balloons stuffed up his shirt" and "not a real woman". Sex was certainly used to sell the games. A series of models were hired to play her, including former Page 3 girl Nell McAndrew - who was later fired when she posed nude as Lara for Playboy. "Sex has been used to market things in the world since marketing pretty much started," says Mr Simons. "And that's not peculiar to videogames by any means." And while the games emphasised Lara's athleticism, Mr Simons said later versions featured a character who now had noticeably larger breasts. However, Ms Marie thinks being a sex symbol is not incompatible with being a powerful female icon. "To some people Lara was a sex symbol and was this beautiful woman who was positioned as a pinup character in the advertising," she says. "But she was also inspirational on so many levels and had a fairly fleshed out character and a very interesting one, and inspirational in terms of her independence and quick wit." Now, 20 years on, Tomb Raider has evolved and the Lara Croft character is noticeably less sexualised - the hotpants have gone and her breasts have shrunk. The 2013 reboot featured a younger Lara, and explored her origins and how she became the Tomb Raider. "This Lara was definitely positioned as more of a flawed character in that she's very human," says Ms Marie. "So she expresses fear and has to push through that to be courageous and save her friends." Lara may be less prominent in mainstream media now, but the 2013 reboot was the best-selling game in the history of the franchise, and a new film is set to come out in 2018. "It's really incredible to see that 20 years after Lara first debuted she is still doing incredibly well and the future looks very bright for the franchise," says Ms Marie.

Question: A feminist icon , a virtual blow - up doll , the sixth Spice Girl , a cyberbabe , an ambassador for Britain , or a @placeholder male fantasy ? Lara Croft , who turns 20 today , has been described as all of these .


The visitors led 24-0 at the break through a brace from Sneyd and tries from Fetuli Talanoa and Albert Kelly. Kelly bagged his second after the restart and Josh Griffin and Carlos Tuimavave scored before Sneyd crossed for his third of the evening. Sam Wood and Oliver Roberts got consolation scores for the Giants in the second half. Huddersfield stand-off Danny Brough, who needs six points to move up to ninth on the all-time domestic points scorers list, missed both his attempts at goal. The dominant victory moves the Black and Whites up to second in the Super League table before the rest of the weekend's fixtures. Huddersfield Giants: Mason, Ormsby, S. Wood, Mellor, McIntosh, Brough, Brierley, Rapira, Leeming, Ikahihifo, Roberts, Smith, Hinchcliffe. Replacements: Wakeman, Clough, Dickinson, M. Wood. Hull FC: Shaul, Fonua, Tuimavave, Griffin, Talanoa, Kelly, Sneyd, Taylor, Houghton, Bowden, Manu, Minichiello, Thompson. Replacements: Connor, Green, Matongo, Washbrook. Referee: Phil Bentham. Attendance: 5,176.

Question: Marc Sneyd scored a hat - trick and @placeholder eight goals as Hull FC comfortably won at Huddersfield Giants .


The funding will see the town's Grand Theatre produce the work about the giant gorilla in 2017, using "multiple art forms in a variety of locations". A theatre spokesman said a "surprise" show for a "secret and fantastical site" was also planned for this year. Chief executive Ruth Eastwood said the works would celebrate "the uniqueness of this amazing town". The theatre was given the funding after applying to the council's Ambition For Excellence fund, which is aimed at "stimulating and supporting ambition, talent and excellence across the arts sector in England". The spokesman said the productions would "involve artists of international standing as well as local talent" and be created in conjunction with local arts company LeftCoast. He added that exact locations for the production had yet to be confirmed. LeftCoast artistic director Michael Trainor said the award was "a huge vote of confidence in Blackpool's creative community and will bring the very highest quality creative experiences to the amazing locations". Source: IMDB The "surprise" show, due to be staged later this year, will be created with help from theatre company Dreamthinkspeak, which has created several works for the Brighton Festival and for Liverpool's City of Culture programme in 2008. Artistic director Tristan Sharps said he had been "dreaming about this project for the last two years" and was "really looking forward to creating a show for a secret and fantastical site at the heart of the town". "I'm really excited to explore and discover how the project will adapt and develop in response to this remarkable town's past, present and future," he added.

Question: Blackpool is to stage a " reimagining " of the King Kong @placeholder , thanks to a ¡ê 680,000 Arts Council grant .


Tests were scheduled across India but those at Kamptee, Nagpur, Ahmednagar, Ahmedabad, Goa and Kirkee have now been delayed. More than 300 candidates are being questioned in connection with the leak, officials said. In addition, 18 other people have been arrested in Maharashtra and Goa states. An internal investigation has been ordered, army officials say. Some reports suggest tests at other centres are likely to be cancelled. Police said the students were allegedly given the question papers in advance by people connected to coaching institutes. The exams were for lower-level posts in the Indian army such as soldier-tradesman and soldier-clerk.

Question: The Indian army has cancelled recruitment exams in six centres in the @placeholder of the country after question papers were reportedly leaked .


The Council of Islamic Ideology - which came under fire last month for suggesting husbands should be allowed to lightly beat their wives - said it had declared such killings to be un-Islamic in 1999, and made clear it was restating its position following a spate of killings in recent weeks. A working group formed to look into the matter has recommended that while "adultery, obscenity and immodesty are grave sins and Islam prescribes harsh punishments for them, it does not allow an individual to act in an extra-judicial manner". The CII said it was up to the courts to declare an individual guilty or innocent. Its statement says that anyone guilty of such killing should be tried under a range of existing laws that cover different categories of murder.  These laws, it says, are in conformity with Islamic teachings and therefore no new legislation is required. There have been at least four cases in the past month in which a woman was killed in a marital dispute. It is alleged the murders were carried out by family members or relatives of a rejected suitor, either on their own or following the verdict of local elders. Last week a young woman, Zeenat Rafiq, was allegedly burnt to death in Lahore by her mother for marrying without family consent, triggering widespread anger. A week earlier school teacher Maria Sadaqat was set on fire in Murree near Islamabad for refusing a marriage proposal. She died of her injuries. And last month a teenager was burnt to death near Abbottabad on the orders of village elders because she helped a female friend to elope, police said. On Sunday, ahead of the CII statement, a group of Pakistani clerics issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, declaring honour killing to be against the teaching of Islam. According to the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), at least 109 people were killed for "honour" during just four months, between January and April this year. Human rights monitors say the incidence of such killings is on the rise. The HRCP reported 1,100 honour killing incidents in 2015, 1,105 in 2014 and 869 in 2013. Increased media coverage may be one reason but changing lifestyles amid continuing social conservatism are also a major factor. For example, women's education and their exposure to changing lifestyles and fashion in the media have been growing. Mobile phones and the internet have also empowered many women. But social norms continue to prevent them from practising this newfound liberation. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the killers are often close relatives - a brother, father, cousin, even a mother, or a maternal or paternal uncle. Most killings take place after the woman concerned is accused of having a pre-marital or  extra-marital affair, marries a man of her choice despite her family's opposition, or refuses a marriage proposal brought by her family. Since honour killings are largely a family affair, most cases go unreported - so police rarely make arrests. Even in the reported cases the families involved often reach an out-of-court settlement and the alleged killers walk free. Under a 1980s law the next-of-kin of the victim have the right to pardon the person accused of killing them. Attempts to introduce stricter laws have often been abandoned following opposition from religious lobbyists. A law passed by the Punjab parliament in February which criminalised all forms of violence against women has still not been enacted after the CII said it violated Islamic teachings. There is the sanction of society. Honour killing is a function of culture, and so it cuts across religions. One example is the recent murder of a Christian teenage girl in Sialkot. The police said that Anum Masih wanted to marry a Christian neighbour but her family was opposed to the proposal. On Sunday morning, her 23-year-old brother, Saqib Masih, smashed her head with a log, police said. In an article published in Dawn newspaper, Lahore-based intellectual Mushtaq Soofi explained the phenomenon by linking it to the origin of private property and the concomitant evolution of modern family in societies that have not progressed beyond feudal ethics. "Once consigned to the household, a woman was gradually reduced to a piece of property," he wrote. "And property if left unguarded is taken by someone else." This, he said, was also "the secret of endogamous marriage". Women also needed to be "monitored and controlled" because of their reproductive power. "She is considered a machine that makes men," Mushtaq Soofi added. "If she goes off with a man not accepted by her family, she in fact creates the male competitors who would challenge the family muscle."

Question: The Council of Islamic Ideology ( CII ) in Pakistan has declared that killing in the name of family honour is un - Islamic and against the law . The group , which advises the government on religious aspects of law and society , issued its statement after a recent spate of killings shocked many in Pakistan and around the world . Will anyone @placeholder ?


Media playback is not supported on this device Ards midfielder Gareth Tommons and Crues attacker David Cushley were sent-off before Owens headed in from a Paul Heatley cross to clinch victory. Ballymena United fought back from two down to draw 2-2 with Dungannon Swifts while Portadown beat Carrick 4-0. Jamie McGonigle hit a double in Coleraine's 3-0 win at Ballinamallard. Relive the Premiership action on our text commentary Ian Parkhill put the Bannsiders ahead seconds into the second half at Ferney Park before McGonigle sealed a win which takes Coleraine up three places to sixth. Ards had the chance to replace Crusaders as leaders but Stephen Baxter's side showed the stuff of champions to take all three points at the Bangor Fuels Arena. Media playback is not supported on this device Tommons was first to go on 50 minutes followed by Cushley 20 minutes later, both straight reds for poor tackles. "Ards made it tough for us and you have to give them credit," said Crusaders matchwinner Owens. "I think they will do well this season. Our performances have not been great but we dug in and got the result. "It was a great ball in by Paul Heatley and I got on the end of it." Andrew Mitchell put the in-form Swifts in control against Ballymena, scoring twice in four minutes at Stangmore Park. Conor McCloskey reduced the deficit with a diving header before Cathair Friel's second-half equaliser. It was a debut to remember for Portadown midfielder Alan Byrne, with the former Shelbourne and Drogheda player netting in an impressive display from Shamrock Park hosts. Aaron Haire was injured in scoring Portadown's third goal and he required lengthy treatment for a head injury before being stretched off.

Question: Jordan Owens struck in @placeholder time to give champions Crusaders a 1 - 0 away win over Ards and stretch their lead at the top of the Premiership to four points .


Stephen McCusker, who worked at the Rachel House Hospice in Kinross, downloaded 1,740 images of children, 40 of which were considered indecent. The 48-year-old, from Glenrothes in Fife, said he could offer no excuses except "curiosity mixed with wine". The Nursing and Midwifery Council banned him for 12 months. Panel chairman Brian Yates said McCusker had a 20-year career without any disciplinary action or complaint. He also said that the images were at the lower end of the indecent image scale. The nurse pleaded guilty last year to one count of taking, or permitting to be taken, indecent photos of children over a four-year period. He was given a three-year supervision order by the court and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work. The court heard McCusker had been viewing the material for "quite some time" and he had told officers that he would "view it, feel disgusted and then delete it". McCusker said he was "interested" in young boys and girls but had never sexually abused a child, adding he could offer "no explanation" for his behaviour. He was not present or represented at the Nursing and Midwifery Council. He sent a letter which said: 'I was a nurse for 20 years with an exemplary record. I find it difficult to put in words my shame at the damage I have inflicted on the reputation of the Children's Hospice Association Scotland and the NMC." McCusker resigned from his post at the hospice immediately after his arrest, the Nursing and Midwifery Council was told. Mr Yates said: "Mr McCusker has brought the profession into disrepute as a consequence of his conviction and in particular by reason of the nature of the offence involved. "Members of the public would be deeply concerned to learn that a learning disabilities and children's nurse, working in a children's hospice had a conviction for offences relating to possession of indecent images of children."

Question: A nurse at a children 's hospice who downloaded hundreds of indecent images of youngsters out of " curiosity " has @placeholder being struck off .


The diversity and racial inequality campaign in America has been ditched after it was criticised as opportunistic and inappropriate. Starbucks spokesman Jim Olson said the coffee chain's race initiative would carry on without the messages. The campaign was launched after national protests in the US over several police killings of black men in New York and Ferguson, Missouri. "While there has been criticism of the initiative - and I know this hasn't been easy for any of you - let me assure you that we didn't expect universal praise," a company memo from CEO Howard Schultz said. Some customers said they didn't want to talk about race while being served coffee. The #racetogether hashtag was also hijacked after being promoted on Twitter. "Most people come to Starbucks for coffee," said Ninette Musili, a 19-year-old African-American student at the University of Michigan. "Race is an uncomfortable thing to bring up, especially in a Starbucks." Another customer, Shane Mulholland, 46, said Starbucks wasn't the place to talk about race. "They're here for coffee. They're not here to push their political agenda," he said. "I even contemplated not coming here because of it." He said Starbucks should remain neutral on topics like race because it's an established brand, rather than risk putting customers off. "There are other ways you can go about doing things to stimulate interest in what you're doing," said Mulholland. "They must be doing so well they don't have to worry about losing customers over that." Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

Question: Starbucks baristas wo n't @placeholder Race Together on customers ' cups any more .