A man who was convicted of killing a man in a road rage incident in Leeds has been jailed for life.
The court heard the victim, who was a passenger in a car driven by McMeekin, was killed when the defendant drove into a tree.
The court heard McMeekin had been drinking

A motorist was driving "like a lunatic" when he caused a crash which killed two teenage passengers and severely injured two others, a court heard.

Article: Manchester County Court said Ryanair could not cut the time a passenger has in which to claim from six years to two by adding a clause to its small print.
The ruling sets a precedent for delayed EU passengers on all airlines.
Ryanair said the six-year rule was "unnecessary and unreasonable" and that it would appeal against the decision.
The Supreme Court ruled last year that delayed passengers in England and Wales have six years to claim, but Ryanair says passengers who book with it accept their terms and conditions, and therefore the claim limit is two years.
But at Manchester County Court, Judge Platts ruled Ryanair could not use a clause in its small print to impose a limit.
Ryanair disputes the suggestion from some lawyers that it could be exposed to hundreds of millions of pounds worth of compensation claims from customers who suffered delays.
The airline says that even if its appeal against the Manchester County Court ruling is unsuccessful, its maximum potential liability is €5m (£3.6m).
The low figure is the result of the fact that, according to Ryanair, more than 90% of passengers affected by delays make a valid claim within two years.
That means that very few would need to submit one between two and six years after the event, even if they realised that they had the option.
Nevertheless, Ryanair and other airlines are deeply unhappy about the EU-wide system triggering payouts which can be way in excess of the cost of the ticket.
The consumer group, Which?, said airlines should hold their hands up and pay compensation where it is due.
Lawyers say the ruling stands to affect millions of air passengers, because if Ryanair had won, all airlines may have been able to impose a two-year time limit on all existing and future flight delay claims.
Passengers can claim between £180 and £440 for a delay of at least three hours, depending on the length of the wait and the distance to be travelled.
The Independent's travel editor, Simon Calder, said airlines were "absolutely furious" with the ruling.
He added:...

Summary: Ryanair has lost a test case over flight delays, which could affect compensation claims being made by millions of passengers.
###
Article: In a statement, the army said it had "returned security to Aleppo" and called it a "crushing blow" for rebels.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed "all civilians who wished to be evacuated have been, as well as the wounded and fighters".
This is the biggest victory for President Bashar al-Assad since the uprising against him began in 2011.
At least 34,000 civilians and rebel fighters have been removed from eastern Aleppo over the past week, a UN official said earlier.
Heavy snow, strong winds and the poor state of vehicles have slowed the evacuation, forcing thousands of people to wait for hours in freezing conditions.
The UN, which is monitoring the pull-out, called the process "traumatic, with crowding and vulnerable people waiting for hours" in freezing temperatures.
The evacuees from eastern Aleppo are being taken to rebel-held territory in the countryside west of the city, and in Idlib province.
As part of a deal brokered by Russia and Turkey, residents of the government-controlled towns of Foah and Kefraya in Idlib province, besieged by rebels, are also being removed.
ICRC spokeswoman Krista Armstrong said that everyone from each side who wanted to be evacuated had now been moved, and the process was complete.
"This victory represents a strategic change and a turning point in the war against terrorism on the one hand and a crushing blow to the terrorists' project and their supporters on the other hand," the Syrian army statement said. The government usually refers to the rebels as "terrorists".
The statement said the victory was a further incentive for the army to carry on fighting to "eradicate terrorism and restore security and stability to every span on the homeland".
Yasser al-Youssef, of the rebel Nureddin al-Zinki group, said the return of Aleppo to full government control was a "great loss".
"For the revolution, it is a period of retreat and a difficult turning point," he told the AFP news agency.
Aleppo was once Syria's largest city and its commercial and industrial hub...

Summary: The Syrian army says it has retaken full control of Aleppo, following the evacuation of the last group of rebels.
###
Article: In its election guidelines, the broadcaster said its programmes should ensure that the party get a "proportionate share of the coverage".
The Scottish Greens said the move was a "victory for common sense".
But it attacked a ruling by Ofcom that could limit the amount of coverage it gets on commercial TV stations.
The broadcasting watchdog, which regulates commercial broadcasters such as STV, has formally classed the Scottish Greens as a "smaller party" for the purposes of the election, meaning it will get less guaranteed airtime.
The Scottish Greens said they were "angry" about the Ofcom ruling, which they said risked "relegating us from daily coverage of the election campaign" on commercial stations.
The BBC's draft guidelines had previously suggested that the Scottish Greens - who had two MSPs elected in 2011 - should be classed as a smaller party, meaning they would get less coverage.
But the corporation confirmed earlier this week that the Scottish Greens would be represented in both of its televised leaders' debates ahead of the election on 5 May.
In its finalised election guidelines, which were released on Friday, the BBC said that the SNP, Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats should receive broadly similar levels of coverage during the election campaign.
The guidelines added: "In some programmes and formats, the Scottish Green Party may receive similar levels of coverage to the four largest parties.
"This may include debates, items detailing distinctive policies, as well as sequences of interviews with party leaders or other senior party figures or candidates.
"In BBC Scotland, programmes should ensure that the Scottish Green Party is getting a proportionate share of the coverage each week."
Responding to the move, a Scottish Greens spokesman said: "With our positive polling, surging membership and a strong figurehead in Patrick Harvie, we look forward to taking part in the full range of BBC programming in the run-up to an election that will be crucial in deciding the future direction of...

Summary: The Scottish Greens have welcomed a decision by the BBC that should increase the coverage the party gets ahead of the Holyrood election.
###
Article: George Wharton, 14, and Rhy Baker, 13, died when Thomas McMeekin crashed into a tree in Morley, near Leeds, on 7 March.
The defendant and a teenage passenger were also left paralysed by the crash, Leeds Crown Court was told.
McMeekin, of Bruntcliffe Road, Morley, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.
One witness told the hearing McMeekin had driven "like a lunatic".
He was accused of "showing off" while driving the car, which had been bought for him by his mother just five days before the crash.
The court heard he had advertised "lifts cheaper than taxis" on social media.
He will be sentenced next month.

Summary:


A virtual reality headset which allows gamers to experience a virtual gaming world.
### Article: A virtual reality headset which allows gamers to experience a virtual gaming world.
### Article: A virtual reality headset which allows gamers to experience a virtual gaming world.
### Article: A virtual reality headset which allows gamers to experience a

The Oculus Rift is finally available to buy from high street stores and online in the UK, six months after it was released in the US.

Article: It was in Japan and all he could have was a milkshake.
He loved it.
He is now the man behind McDonald's in India, responsible for the phenomenal growth the company has had in the country.
When the American fast-food giant first contacted him in 1994 Amit's first challenge was close to home, convincing his vegetarian family to invest in the business.
"From my family's point of view we thought through this carefully," he tells the BBC.
"What convinced us was that McDonald's was willing to localise. They promised that there would be no beef or pork on the menu.
"Nearly half of Indians are vegetarian so choosing a vegetarian to run their outlets here makes sense."
Across the world the Big Mac beefburger is the company's signature product. Amit and his partners had to come up with their own signature product for India, so the Chicken Maharajah Mac was born.
Originally Amit was the local partner in the south and west of India, running the chain as a joint venture with the global McDonald's company.
Later he bought out the McDonald's stake and now solely runs the chain in the south and west of the country.
It hasn't been an easy journey.
"From a consumer point of view I had to start with the message that a burger is a meal," he says.
His research shows that in 2003, of 100 meals that people ate in a month, only three were eaten out.
They introduced a 20 rupees (20p) burger called Aloo Tikki Burger, a burger with a cutlet made of mashed potatoes, peas and flavoured with Indian spices.
"It's something you would find on Indian streets, it was essentially the McDonald's version of street food. The price and the taste together, the value we introduced, was a hit. It revolutionised the industry in India," he says.
Now eating out has gone up to 9-10 times per 100 meals and McDonald's in India has more than 320 million customers a year.
"Whether you love or hate McDonald's, they deliver a formula very well," says Edward Dixon, chief operating officer of Sannam S4, which provides market entry advice and support for...

Summary: A staunch vegetarian, Amit Jatia was 14 when he walked into a McDonald's for the first time.
###
Article: Tech firm Bijou Commerce believes so. Its platform enables fashion and beauty apps to offer single-image browsing - customers can swipe right if they like a product, and left if they don't.
Working with retail companies like Nobody's Child, Bijou is on a mission to make fashion shopping simpler and more engaging for customers.
"Most retailers' apps and mobile sites put between four and 12 products on a single screen," chief executive Beth Wond tells the BBC.
"These images look small on most mobile phones, meaning individual products struggle to stand out."
She also believes retailers should understand that this Tinder-style swipe technology isn't just a gimmick.
"For fashion brands the biggest asset is your image, so single-image browsing is crucial," she says.
This is just one example of how fashion retailers are responding to the new world of smartphones and social media.
How about "liking" your way to an outfit choice?
Charese Embree co-founded a US-born site and app called Fynd, a fashion search engine that lets shoppers "like" their way to the look they want.
Say you search for "cocktail dresses" and a wide selection comes up, you can home in on the style and colour you're after by clicking the heart icon on the ones you like. An algorithm narrows down the search for you based on your preferences - "speed dating for dresses" as the website describes it.
"The like button works because of our familiarity with it," says Ms Embree. "Our concept is just an extension of your Facebook or Instagram page, but helps you find that perfect outfit you've been looking for."
Fynd works with department stores such as Bloomingdales to give them the ability to showcase their wares.
"We enable retailers to reach social media-savvy consumers much quicker than they can do in store," she says.
Tammy Smulders, managing director of online fashion platform Luxhub, believes smartphones have made us into impatient buyers.
"We are seeing a shift. It's not that people are more demanding, it's just that the norm is to have everything...

Summary: We use smartphone swipe technology to find a date on Tinder, so can we use it to find the perfect outfit as well?
###
Article: The Baden-Wuerttemberg state justice ministry, heading the investigation, said 49 guards had been investigated, of whom 30 should be prosecuted.
The 30 are spread across Germany, and another seven are living abroad. They are said to be aged up to 97.
Auschwitz was the biggest Nazi death camp. More than 1.1 million people, most of them Jews, were murdered there.
The case of Ukrainian-born John Demjanjuk two years ago changed the legal situation concerning people who worked at the death camps.
Demjanjuk died last year while appealing against his five-year jail sentence for complicity in the murder of more than 28,000 Jews at the Sobibor camp in Nazi-occupied Poland.
A judge had ruled that even though there was no clear evidence that he had committed murder directly, his mere activities as a worker at the death camp facilitated mass murder.
Previously German courts only considered cases where Nazi suspects were accused of personally committing atrocities.
In July, the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish organisation which investigates Nazi war criminals, launched a poster campaign in Berlin seeking evidence on such fugitives from justice, with the slogan "Late - but not too late".
The justice agency in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Wuerttemberg, which heads German investigations into Nazi war crimes, said that of the 49 ex-guards from Auschwitz, in Nazi-occupied southern Poland, nine had died.
The agency said it was now handing over its findings to prosecutors in the German states.
Six of the cases will be handled by Baden-Wuerttemberg, seven by Bavaria, two by Saxony-Anhalt, four by North Rhine-Westphalia, four by Lower Saxony, two by Hesse and one each by Rhineland-Palatinate, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
An official said the focus was now on bringing to justice the thousands of people who helped to manage the Nazi camps.
"The accused... are all former guards at the concentration camps Auschwitz-Birkenau and we take the view that this job - regardless of what they can be...

Summary: German justice officials have said 30 former Auschwitz death camp guards should face prosecution.
###
Article: It's a virtual reality headset which when worn will allow gamers to experience a virtual gaming world.
It won't be cheap though, it's being sold for Â£549 and you'll need a very powerful computer to even be able to use it.
Similar products on the market include HTC's Vive VR headset which was launched earlier this year and Sony will be releasing it's own virtual reality headset called the PlayStation VR in October.
Earlier this year Ricky got to try out the Oculus Rift and some of it's accessories.

Summary:

Article: {{document}}

Summary: ||| {{target}}


A new service has been launched to help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
The service, which is being run by the charity Crisis, will provide a range of support services to help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
The service will be based at the charity's new base

The most advanced flight incubators in the UK for sick babies will be used by Wales Air Ambulance later this month.

Article: Scotland's Rural College (SRUC) hopes its new mobile scanner will help to improve Scotland's sheep stocks.
Using low dose x-rays, the scanner produces images showing muscle shape, internal fat and pelvic shape of live animals.
SRUC's sheep geneticist Dr Nicola Lambe said the scans could help indentify "attributes" that produce the best lambs for meat.
Dr Lambe told BBC Alba: "The scanner is the same as you would get in a hospital and it is usually used for medical purposes.
"But we use it for CT scanning sheep.
"The interesting thing is that you can look at all the different body tissue and organs.
"We can use it to select the top animals for breeding with."
A number of pedigree sheep breeders have already made use of the mobile scanner to check for their best animals.

Summary: A medical CT scanner is being used to identify the best sheep for breeding.
###
Article: Stephen Henderson Jewellers in Union Street was targeted by two suspects who took items from the shop and ran off.
It is understood the man has been identified but not yet traced.
Officers issued descriptions of two men who were seen running towards Dundee railway station following the theft.
No description of the items stolen or their value has been released, although owner Stephen Henderson said the theft was "substantial".
A Tayside Division spokeswoman said: "Police Scotland can confirm that a 30-year-old man has been reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with a theft from Stephen Henderson Jewellers, Union Street, Dundee that happened on Friday 6 February 2015."

Summary: A 30-year-old man has been reported to the procurator fiscal in connection with a high-value theft from a Dundee jewellers in February 2015.
###
Article: Mr Clegg said the party had taken a "hard look in the mirror" since sexual harassment claims against the former Lib Dem chief executive first emerged.
Lord Rennard was suspended for bringing the party into disrepute after failing to apologise over the allegations.
But disciplinary action was dropped and the matter declared closed on Tuesday.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said the issue had been "very painful" for the party.
In a statement, Lord Rennard said he was "pleased" and pointed out that none of the allegations against him had been proven.
"I remain a committed member of the Liberal Democrats and a strong believer in the principles of the party, as set out in the constitution, and based on the values that led me to join the Liberal Party in my teens," he said.
He had initially refused to apologise over the allegations by four female activists last year. However, he later expressed regret, conceding that he may have "inadvertently" encroached upon "personal space".
By Iain Watson, BBC political correspondent
The long-running disciplinary process inside the Lib Dems wasn't just about the reputation of one man - it was about the reputation of the party itself.
The result of the independent investigation by a QC into allegations of sexual harassment produced the worst possible political outcome - the women's evidence was said to have been broadly credible, but the allegations weren't proven beyond reasonable doubt.
That led to the complainants claiming the party wasn't taking their concerns seriously, while it made Lord Rennard at first wary of apologising for what he later called inadvertent encroachment of personal space - in case that appeared to be an admission of guilt.
So the new disciplinary proceedings that followed his initial failure to say sorry also led to further bad headlines for the Lib Dems.
And despite Lord Rennard's subsequent apology, some of his accusers continued to press for his expulsion from the party.
Party officials knew a line had to be drawn under the row well before the...

Summary: Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has insisted the "party has changed" after Lord Rennard had his membership suspension lifted.
###
Article: The charity said the new technology would provide an alternative to road ambulance journeys, offering significantly quicker transport of vulnerable babies between hospitals.
The service began carrying Babypods for emergency missions in 2013.
But the new incubators will attach to existing equipment in the helicopter, providing warmth and oxygen.
They also have a transparent chamber, allowing babies to be monitored during flights.
Welsh medics went to Switzerland to help in the design process and, at a cost of Â£70,000 each, two new incubators have been bought by NHS Wales.
They will be used on Wales Air Ambulance's newest helicopter, the fourth in its fleet.
Weighing 15st 10lb (100kg), the incubators will be fitted to a sled and require two people to lift them into the air ambulance.
Since April 2015, helicopter crews have been joined on board by consultant doctors.
Dr Dindi Gill, the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service Cymru interim director, said: "Having the incubator system will further enhance the ability of the EMRTS teams to manage neonates born at home or in hospital.
"It is recognised that temperature control is extremely important to this group of patients and, therefore, we welcome the ability to carry the incubator on Wales Air Ambulance's helicopters."
Following crew training, the incubator service will run as a trial to the end of 2016.

Summary:


The UK's biggest banks have warned that the UK's economic recovery is "not yet complete" and that the UK's economic growth could slow to a "slight" pace in the coming months.
The UK's biggest banks have warned that the UK's economic recovery is "not yet complete" and that the UK

A late-night levy on Liverpool's bars and clubs will not be introduced after councillors rejected the proposals.

Article: The UK government has confirmed the change as peers prepare for one of the final Wales Bill parliamentary debates.
It means ministers in Wales will get responsibility for licensing gaming machines where the maximum stake is more than £10.
Wales Office Minister Lord Bourne said in November he was prepared to consider the change.
But campaigners say the move does not go far enough as it only applies to new licences and not existing machines, and fear any ban could open the Welsh Government up to a "minefield" of legal challenges.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling estimates customers in Wales lost over £50m on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) between September 2014-15.
The terminals feature games including roulette, bingo, simulated greyhound and horse racing and slot machines, where people can gamble as much as £100 per spin, in theory every 20 seconds.
Adrian Parkinson, of the campaign, said he had seen people lose thousands of pounds in just a few hours playing roulette on the machines.
Mr Parkinson, who worked in the industry for 26 years, described customers going bankrupt, losing their jobs and homes, through their addiction to the terminals.
"When they are playing on the FOBTs it is just them and the machine, they get in the zone," he said.
"If you are playing five times faster than in a casino, you are going to lose money five times faster."
Betting shops are restricted to four machines in each shop, but critics say that had led to clusters of shops as companies try to increase the number of the terminals on the high street.
Mr Parkinson said the new licensing powers could see the Welsh Government or Welsh local authorities face legal challenges if they tried to impose further limits on new terminals - costing the taxpayer potentially tens of thousands of pounds.
"They look at this as if it is a power for the Welsh people, it is not, it's a potential minefield," he said.
But a spokesman for the Association of British Bookmakers said betting shops in Wales were the "safest place" to gamble as they were...

Summary: The power to ban high-stakes gambling machines in Wales will be given to the Welsh Government.
###
Article: In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 closed down 0.95% at 5,226.40.
Analysts said iron ore prices were continuing to move towards the decade low reached earlier this year.
The commodity is Australia's biggest export and was trading at $44.20 a tonne in China on Monday.
Independent economist and commodities specialist Andy Xie has predicted that iron ore prices will fall below $40 a tonne before the end of the year.
He said prices could even sink as low as $30 for much of next year as demand from China continues to decline.
Three of the biggest iron ore producers recorded falls in their Sydney-listed shares. BHP Billiton closed down 1.8%, Rio Tinto fell 1.5%, while Fortescue Metals was the biggest loser, sinking 3.2%.
Japan's Nikkei index spent much of the day flat but made gains late in the day to close up 0.23% at 19,924.89 points.
Shares in the country's troubled electronics maker Sharp surged more than 35% at one point on reports its lenders may waive some of its debts.
Without citing sources, Kyodo News said a state-backed fund may invest in Sharp if Japanese lenders agreed to write off an unspecified amount of its debt.
Investors seem to shrug off fresh numbers released earlier on Tuesday that showed Japan's manufacturing activity expanded in November as new orders and output increased.
The Markit/Nikkei Japan Flash Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rose from 52.4 in October to 52.8 in November. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.
The PMI figure was the highest it had been since March last year - ahead of the introduction of the country's sales tax.
Marcel Thieliant from Capital Economics said the reading suggested Japan's economy had returned to growth this quarter.
"Today's survey confirms that economic activity is on the mend. But with large amounts of spare capacity dampening price pressures, we still think that the Bank of Japan may have to step up the pace of easing in coming months," he added.
In China, the Shanghai Composite index closed up 0.2% at 3,616.11, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng...

Summary: Asian markets experienced mixed fortunes on Tuesday following declines in the US and as slumping iron ore prices continued to hurt mining companies.
###
Article: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said 469,696 new cars were registered in the month, a rise of 1.6% from 462,517 last year.
It is the highest sales total for September on record, but the figures also showed sales to private motorists fell for the sixth month in a row.
The best-selling new car in September was the Ford Fiesta.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: "September is always one of the biggest months for Britain's new car market.
"The new 66-plate, combined with a diverse range of exciting new models featuring the latest technology, has certainly helped draw buyers into showrooms."
The total number of cars registered so far this year has now reached 2.15 million, according to the SMMT. Fleet sales continued to drive growth, climbing 7.3% year on year in September.
But registrations to private motorists slipped by 1.7%, the sixth consecutive month of decline.
This followed "record levels of growth in 2015", the SMMT cautioned. But Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, warned consumers were "recoiling" from making big-ticket purchases due to uncertainty about the economy.
"Car manufacturers also are beginning to raise prices in response to sterling's depreciation," he added.
"In addition, much of the pent-up demand from households that put off car purchases during the recession also has now been satiated.
"As such, with growth in households' real incomes set to slow sharply, as inflation revives and firms pause on hiring, and loan rates now at a floor, we expect [private] car sales to continue to fall over the next year."
Source: Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
Mr Hawes also said the car industry continued to face uncertainty.
"Business and consumers place September orders many months in advance," he said.
"So the ability of the market to maintain this record level of demand will depend on the ability of government to overcome political uncertainty and safeguard the conditions that underpin consumer appetite."
In September, Mr Hawes warned...

Summary: UK new car sales rose in September, helped by strong purchases from fleet buyers and the new 66 number plate.
###
Article: The council's licensing and gambling committee blocked a plan to introduce an annual charge for any establishment staying open after midnight.
Up to 800 licensed premises would have paid between Â£299 and Â£4,400 to offset the costs of the night-time economy.
The committee said the net income generated by the plan would be unlikely to produce "significant improvements".
Merseyside Police had estimated the annual cost of policing the city centre from midnight to 06:00 to be about Â£540,000.
Some bars and clubs in Liverpool had opposed the levy and pub chain JD Wetherspoon called it "an unfair tax on pubs".
A similar late-night levy was introduced in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 2013.

Summary:


The far-right is not a new phenomenon in Ukraine.
The NSS was founded in the early 1990s and has been active in Ukraine ever since.
The party has been accused of being a neo-Nazi and a fascist.
The party's leader, Volodymyr Groysman, is a

Ever since Ukraine's February revolution, the Kremlin has characterised the new leaders in Kiev as a "fascist junta" made up of neo-Nazis and anti-Semites, set on persecuting, if not eradicating, the Russian-speaking population.

Article: Supporters of President Hassan Rouhani won 42% of the 290 seats, short of an outright majority but comfortable enough to pass his legislative plans.
Independents took nearly 30% and many of them are said to be reform-minded.
Women took a record 17 seats, the most since the 1979 revolution, and more than clerics gained.
Hardliners won just under a third of seats in a humiliating performance, a BBC correspondent reports.
Why Iran's moderates must capitalise quickly
The run-off was held on Friday in constituencies where no candidate had won the minimum 25% of the vote at the first round in February.
The results are regarded by many as an endorsement of the nuclear agreement that the government of President Rouhani signed with the US and other world powers to curtail Iran's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of international sanctions.
President Hassan Rouhani will look at the results of the run-off elections with a good deal of satisfaction. The moderate and independent candidates have dwarfed his hard-line opponents.
Many of the independents are generally believed to be supporters of the government. This means he will have little trouble in the next parliament, which is due to start work in less than a month from now.
His first priority, according to his Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, is the introduction of bill to guarantee citizens' rights - a major step, he hopes, that will improve human rights in the country and the rule of law.
But he still faces other centres of power that are in the hands of the hardliners, who may block his every effort to steer Iran towards moderation.
Of the 17 women who won seats, at least 11 are considered moderates, AFP news agency reported. It almost doubles the number of women in parliament, giving women the same share of seats as countries including such as Thailand, Nigeria and Haiti.
In February, reformists also made gains in elections for the Assembly of Experts, which appoints the country's most powerful official, the Supreme Leader.
Dr Sanam Vakil, an associate...

Summary: Run-off elections have given moderates and reformists a working majority in the Iranian parliament for the first time in more than a decade.
###
Article: The festival was founded in 2005 and is usually held on or near 6 August, Jamaican Independence Day.
In recent years the event, which is free, has attracted up to 15,000 people and closed roads in the area.
The organisers said they were "incredibly disappointed" by the decision.
Lambeth Council refused their application to hold the event this year, saying in a statement the 2015 event drew "a large number" of complaints from local residents.
The council stressed that the cost of policing and cleaning up afterwards "ran into hundreds of thousands of pounds".
A council spokeswoman said: "Sadly, last year's event became a victim of its own success and we need to pause it for this year, let the community take it back to its roots as a safe, fun event for everyone with professional organisation."
The founder of the festival, Ros Griffiths, joined the council in appealing for more people to get involved in order to ensure the event could go ahead in 2017.
She said: "The community needs to reclaim this as a celebration of Brixton, not a free-for-all that creates chaos, mess and unease."
But organisers who were in the process of planning this year's Brixton Splash spoke out against the decision, saying they feared it did not fit with the council's "gentrified image" of Brixton.
Brixton Splash director Shezal Laing claimed: "We've been trying to ensure we plan a safe event, we've been seeking meetings with the council and other stakeholders, including the police, and at every level we've been blocked."

Summary: The Brixton Splash music festival has been cancelled for 2016, with Lambeth Council saying it costs too much to police and to clear up afterwards.
###
Article: It concluded that the exhausts
          were definitely a cause of lung cancer
 and may also cause tumours in the bladder.
It based the findings on research in high-risk workers such as miners, railway workers and truck drivers.
However, the panel said everyone should try to reduce their exposure to diesel exhaust fumes.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, had previously labelled diesel exhausts as probably carcinogenic to humans.
IARC has now labelled exhausts as a definite cause of cancer, although it does not compare how risky different carcinogens are. Diesel exhausts
          are now in the same group
 as carcinogens ranging from wood chippings to plutonium and sunlight to alcohol.
It is thought people working in at-risk industries have about a 40% increased risk of developing lung cancer.
Dr Christopher Portier, who led the assessment, said: "The scientific evidence was compelling and the Working Group's conclusion was unanimous, diesel engine exhaust causes lung cancer in humans.
"Given the additional health impacts from diesel particulates, exposure to this mixture of chemicals should be reduced worldwide."
The impact on the wider population, which is exposed to diesel fumes at much lower levels and for shorter periods of time, is unknown.
Dr Kurt Straif, also from IARC, said: "For most of the carcinogens when there is high exposure the risk is higher, when there is lower exposure the risk is lower."
There have been considerable efforts to clean up diesel exhausts. Lower sulphur fuel and engines which burn the fuel more efficiently are now in use.
The UK Department of Health said: "We will carefully consider this report. Air pollutants are a significant public health concern, we are looking at this issue as part of our plans to improve public health."
Cancer Research UK said employers and workers should take appropriate action to minimise exposure to diesel fumes in the workplace.
But director of cancer information Dr Lesley Walker said the...

Summary: Exhaust fumes from diesel engines do cause cancer, a panel of experts working for the World Health Organization says.
###
Article: This is demonstrably false. Far-right parties failed to pass a 5% barrier to enter parliament, although if they had banded together, and not split their vote, they would have probably slipped past the threshold.
Only one government minister has links to nationalist parties - though he is in no way a neo-Nazi or fascist. And the speaker of parliament, Volodymyr Groysman, is Jewish. He has the third most powerful position in the country after the president and prime minister.
But Ukrainian officials and many in the media err to the other extreme. They claim that Ukrainian politics are completely fascist-free. This, too, is plain wrong.
As a result, the question of the presence of the far-right in Ukraine remains a highly sensitive issue, one which top officials and the media shy away from. No-one wants to provide fuel to the Russian propaganda machine.
But this blanket denial also has its dangers, since it allows the ultra-nationalists to fly under the radar. Many Ukrainians are unaware that they exist, or even what a neo-Nazi or fascist actually is, or what they stand for.
This hyper-sensitivity and stonewalling were on full display after President Petro Poroshenko presented a Ukrainian passport to someone who, according to human rights activists, is a "Belarusian neo-Nazi".
The Ukrainian leader handed out medals on 5 December to fighters who had tenaciously defended the main airport in the eastern region of Donetsk from being taken over by Russian-backed separatists.
Among the recipients was Serhiy Korotkykh, a Belarusian national, to whom Mr Poroshenko awarded Ukrainian citizenship, praising his "courageous and selfless service".
The president's website showed a photo of Mr Poroshenko patting the shoulder of the Belarusian, who was clad in military fatigues.
Experts who follow the far right have strongly objected to President Poroshenko's decision.
They say Mr Korotkykh was a member of the far-right Russian National Unity party and also a founding member of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Society (NSS) in...

Summary:


The price of West Texas crude fell to $37.65 (Â£24.99) a barrel, a drop of 5.8%, while Brent Crude fell 5.3% to $40.73 a barrel.
### Article: The price of West Texas crude fell to $37.65 (Â

The price of oil fell to its lowest level since 2009 as global production continues to remain high.

Article: Former Scotland captain Coetzer, 31, joined Northants in 2011 and helped the side win the FLt20 in 2013.
But Coetzer, who went to the World Cup with Scotland earlier this year, only played four Championship matches this summer, with a batting average of 5.29.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old paceman Chambers moved from Essex in 2013 and played just five Championship games in 2015.
Northants head coach David Ripley told the club website: "Kyle has been a model professional during his time here, he deals with success and failure in equal measure, a very valuable thing in a cricket dressing room. We wish him and his family well in the future.
"After a slow start in 2014, Maurice has put in a big effort this year but has been unable to get past our other seam bowlers and play regularly in the first team."

Summary: Northants have released Scotland international Kyle Coetzer and bowler Maurice Chambers.
###
Article: That's how its been since the App Store's inception seven years ago.
But soon Apple will for the first time lower its App Store commission on one condition: if an app can retain a subscriber for over a year, the revenue split will be 85/15.
The change will apply immediately to existing apps with users that are more than a year old - potentially providing an injection of extra revenue for many companies.
Spotify, for example, boasted of having 20 million subscribers this time last year.
For the sake of argument, if even just half of those subscribers are still paying members today, the change could potentially represent around $15m (£10.3m) in extra subscription revenue for Spotify every month, and that's probably a conservative estimate.
As well as price, Apple will introduce another significant change to App Store subscriptions. Until now, only apps in certain categories - media and entertainment content - could charge subscription fees. Soon, any app will be able to offer such an option.
This is widely seen as a way for Apple to encourage high-end productivity apps onto its mobile operating system, iOS.
"This could be the change that makes the market for professional-calibre iPad apps possible," wrote John Gruber, a technology writer and long-time Apple watcher.
"I think this is terrific news both for developers and users."
The danger, of course, is by opening up subscriptions to every type of app, Apple risks creating a frustrating environment that's irritating for users who were accustomed to the simple model of paid or free apps.
Then again, subscriptions are surely more likely to encourage quality compared to one-off payments - the challenge for developers shifts from being convincing people to pay once, to convincing them to keep paying, again and again.
Mr Gruber noted, however, that there was still some uncertainty about whether all apps could use the new business model.
The revenue split change is just one piece of Apple's plans for its store, which now has 1.5 million apps on offer - second only to...

Summary: If you sell an app, subscription or other product through the App Store, Apple gets 30% of the money.
###
Article: A report carried out for the Education Select Committee said "questionable practices" were being signed off.
However, the report stressed that cases of deliberate fraud were rare.
Education Secretary Nicky Morgan will be questioned about "loopholes" in academy regulation when she appears before the committee next month.
The research - carried out by the University of London's Institute of Education - found that while regulation had improved since 2010, problems were still occurring, including potential conflicts of interest.
One interviewee described an academy head teacher who had spent Â£50,000 on a one-day training course run by a friend.
Another cited the chairman of a multi-academy trust, who was also a lawyer specialising in education, who used his company to provide all legal services for the trust.
Another said the chairman of governors in one academy told staff they would be dismissed if they discussed with students or used textbooks referencing abortion or contraception.
The chairman of the committee, Graham Stuart, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that most academies were "working hard in challenging conditions to raise standards."
And he said the "greed, nepotism, and self-serving behaviour of a few" should not bring "the academies movement in general into disrepute".
"Issues around at-cost provision of services, and some other technicalities, are still pretty weak in regulatory terms," Mr Stuart added.
"I think we will want to question the secretary of state pretty strongly on that."
The report said the "vast majority of academy trusts" were staffed by "honourable people".
It added: "Cases of deliberate fraud are rare and many of the instances where real or perceived conflicts have arisen are the result of people being asked to work too fast with too few controls.
"Nevertheless, the general sense from the literature and the evidence collected for this study is that the checks and balances on academy trusts in relation to conflicts of interest are still too weak.
"In the course of the research...

Summary: Checks and balances on how academy schools in England spend large amounts of public money are "too weak", research commissioned by MPs has found.
###
Article: The price of West Texas crude sank to $37.65 (Â£24.99) a barrel, a drop of 5.8%, while Brent Crude fell 5.3% to $40.73 a barrel.
The slumping price comes as OPEC - a group of the largest oil producing nations- refused to cut oil production.
OPEC- whose production covers about 30% of the world's oil demand - met in Vienna last week to discuss production.
The group has faced growing competition from new supplies, including in the US where techniques like fracking are used to tap previously hard-to-reach oil reserves.
"The decision by OPEC members to keep oil production output at record high levels has seen oil prices plummet again," said Sanjiv Shah, chief investment officer of Sun Global Investments.
The group had traditionally kept a tight rein on oil production to regulate price, but announced last Friday it will continue to pump out approximately 31.5 million barrels of oil a day, going past the group's former 30 million barrel target.
In 2014 Saudi Arabia led OPEC in a decision to keep output high to defend its market share.

Summary:


A former care worker at Kincora has been convicted of child abuse.
The former care worker, who was convicted of child abuse, was found guilty of three counts of child abuse and one of sexual assault.
The court heard that the former care worker, who was convicted of child abuse, was found guilty of

A judicial review has begun over the decision to exclude the former Kincora boys' home in east Belfast from a child abuse inquiry being held at Westminster.

Article: The college is to become a school of fine art with "inspirational and truly world class teaching and learning spaces".
The work at the former Stow College is part of a Â£80m campus development project being undertaken by GSA.
It is scheduled to be completed in time for it be in use in the academic year 2018/19.
The design is the work of BDP architects.
GSA director Prof Tom Inns said: "The Stow Building has been a distinctive part of Glasgow's educational landscape for over 80 years.
"BDP's design harnesses the full potential of the original 1930s building, with the new roof extension, while carefully considered to meet the very specific needs of fine art internally, plays tribute to Glasgow's industrial heritage externally."
BDP Scotland chairman and architect principal Scott Mackenzie added: "BDP is delighted to be part of the GTMS team working with the Glasgow School of Art to rejuvenate the former Stow College building as a School of Fine Art.
"This project not only brings new life to a cherished Glasgow landmark, but also provides the School of Fine Art with inspirational and truly world class teaching and learning spaces."

Summary: The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has released details of how the former Stow College building will be converted.
###
Article: "Because I think the politics of Wales have changed quite profoundly in recent years and I think the picture you're going to see in the south Wales valleys will be similar to the results we've seen in the north east of England and some of these old industrial working-class areas which have shifted very markedly towards 'out'.
"And this will be one of the, I think, the stories of this referendum campaign - the way the spotlight has been shown on some of these quite marked social divisions and it poses a challenge not only to use as a Conservative government but to all the Westminster parties who increasingly look and sound the same."
It poses a challenge to parties in Wales too. Wales has 40 MPs; only five backed Brexit. Every single Welsh Labour MP backed remain. Many Labour supporters who voted for the party only last month in the Welsh Assembly elections clearly voted against the party line (if they knew what it was) on Thursday.
Some MPs are less surprised than others. One said he had been shouted at for the first time by a constituent during the referendum campaign. Others reported back on a virulent anti-politics mood and "our broken politics". One Labour source questioned the timing of Wednesday's announcement that the Assembly is to be asked to re-brand itself a Welsh parliament.
Not so long ago Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood advocated a Welsh veto on an English-led Brexit, warning: "An English vote for exit should not - by dint of sheer numbers - be able to trump a desire in Wales to stay in."
That challenge doesn't arise but Ms Wood warned at the time of a constitutional crisis if the UK's different nations voted in different ways, and with Scotland voting to remain, she may be proved right.
Welsh parties complained that the proximity of the vote with the assembly elections had made it difficult to campaign together effectively, although the timing didn't stop the Scots voting to remain.
In his resignation statement, the prime minister said Britain must prepare for negotiation with the EU. "This will...

Summary: It was shortly before 02:00 BST (I listen so you don't have to) when Stephen Crabb told radio listeners that he would not be surprised if Wales voted for Brexit.
###
Article: New legislation in the Queen's Speech will mean that the amount workers are allowed to earn before paying tax is likely to rise faster than inflation.
The national minimum wage for adults is due to rise by 3% in October, the largest real-terms rise in seven years.
Chancellor George Osborne has said it will rise from £6.50 to £8 by 2020.
The personal allowance is currently £10,600, but is due to rise to £12,500 by 2020.
As a result, the government is promising that no one working for 30 hours a week on the national minimum wage will pay tax.
At the moment, an adult working for 48 weeks a year at that rate earns £9,360, so is below the tax threshold.
However, the new law will prevent such workers having to pay tax when the national minimum wage rises at a faster rate than inflation, which is currently -0.1%.
It is also expected that the increases will feed through to the higher rate tax threshold, suggesting that the higher rate could also rise faster than inflation.
That will benefit workers who currently earn more than £42,385 a year.
Such taxpayers have been affected by so-called fiscal drag, under which more people were dragged into a higher tax bracket, as the allowance failed to be uprated in line with inflation.
Legislation being outlined will also prevent rises in income tax, VAT and national insurance during the current Parliament.

Summary: Future increases in the income tax personal allowance will be linked to rises in the national minimum wage, the government has announced.
###
Article: A victim is taking legal action to force an independent inquiry with power to compel witnesses and the security services to hand over documents.
Gary Hoy was abused by two men who were subsequently convicted.
There have been allegations that a paedophile ring at Kincora was linked to the British intelligence services.
The government has so far refused calls for the abuse scandal at the Belfast home to be included within the scope of the inquiry established by Home Secretary Theresa May and headed by New Zealand judge Lowell Goddard.
The government has said that as child protection is a devolved matter, the right place for the Kincora allegations to be examined is Northern Ireland's Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, which has been sitting in Banbridge.
The victims of Kincora claim the Northern Ireland inquiry lacks the powers to compel evidence or witnesses from government agencies.
Amnesty International, which is supporting the victims' legal challenge, says two military intelligence officers have alleged that the security services blocked police investigations into the child abuse at Kincora in the 1970s.
The judicial review is expected to last several days.
Three senior care staff at Kincora were jailed in 1981 for abusing 11 boys.
At least 29 boys were abused at the home between the late 1950s and the early 1980s.
One of the men who was later convicted, William McGrath, is believed to have been an MI5 agent.

Summary:


The BBC has said it will not be able to continue to fund the BBC World Service in the event of a No vote in the referendum on Scottish independence.
The BBC said it would not be able to continue to fund the BBC World Service in the event of a No vote in the referendum on Scottish independence.
The

People who have served in the armed forces in the past 50 years are not at greater risk of suicide than those who have not, according to a new study.

Article: The clause will be included in a draft of the BBC's next Royal Charter.
Currently, the BBC only reveals the salary details of executives who earn more than £150,000, but the government wants it to go further.
But BBC Trust chairwoman Rona Fairhead said the move was not "in the long-term interests of licence fee payers".
Speaking in the House of Commons on Thursday, Mrs Bradley said publishing the salaries would bring the BBC "in line with the civil service" on transparency.
The culture secretary said it would help ensure the BBC "produces value for money for the licence fee" and that more transparency could lead to savings that could be "invested in even more great programmes".
Strictly Come Dancing host Claudia Winkleman - one of those expected to be on the list - said last week she was "all for" BBC stars' earnings being disclosed because they are "working for the public".
The BBC has said releasing stars' salary details would affect its ability to attract and retain top talent and that it has already cut the amount it pays its broadcasting stars by £8m.
Mrs Fairhead said: "We don't agree with the government on everything and are disappointed with the decision on the disclosure of presenters' pay. We don't believe this is in the long-term interests of licence fee payers."
Last month, a spokesman for the corporation said publishing stars' salaries would amount to a "poacher's charter" - which would give competitors an advantage, allowing them to make better financial offers to attract talent away from the BBC.
But the corporation must now publish the salary details of all of its staff, including on-air presenters, who earn more than £150,000 - and specify which £50,000 salary band they fall in to - in next year's annual report.
Director general Tony Hall said: "Our position on talent pay has not changed and all major broadcasters have questioned the merit of the proposal.
"The BBC operates in a competitive market and this will not make it easier for the BBC to retain the talent the public love."
The lower...

Summary: The BBC will have to name all employees and presenters paid more than £150,000 a year, culture secretary Karen Bradley has said.
###
Article: Jeremy Peat told MSPs that Scottish viewers might not have "free and unfettered" access to all BBC services.
He suggested that digital services could be cut off and viewers could be required to pay for other services.
The Scottish government said viewers "would still be able to watch all the BBC's output post-independence".
Mr Peat, appearing before the Scottish Parliament's education and culture committee, argued: "I don't think there can be the presumption that access would continue on a free and unfettered basis to all services."
In response to a question from Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur on what was likely to happen in the event of a Yes vote in September's referendum, Mr Peat said: "So far as access to BBC services is concerned post-independence, my understanding is DTT (digital terrestrial television) could be cut off close to the border."
He added: "Already so far as the iPlayer is concerned and the web is concerned, for countries outwith the UK there is a requirement to pay for access and a somewhat different service is provided.
"I would assume that the starting point again would be that those services would be available to Scotland as an independent nation in a different way from the way they are at the moment, for payment, and potentially a different service."
Mr Peat, who was a member of the BBC's governing body from 2005 to 2010, said viewers in Ireland had "access to the majority of BBC services" but that he believed it was on "a commercial basis".
Viewers in the UK pay a TV licence fee to fund the BBC. The Republic of Ireland's public service broadcaster, RTE, is funded through a licence fee and by advertising.
In 2010 the governments of the UK and the Republic of Ireland signed a memorandum of understanding enabling "the widespread availability of RTE services in Northern Ireland on a free-to-air basis, and BBC services in Ireland on a paid for basis".
In its White Paper on independence, the Scottish government proposed the establishment of a Scottish Broadcasting Service (SBS).
The SBS...

Summary: Access to BBC services in an independent Scotland "would require a great deal of negotiation", a former BBC Trust member has claimed.
###
Article: It comes over claims of irregularities in the use of Fifa grants.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied claims by Dalung that there is $802,000 (£656,500) unaccounted for in its finances.
The discrepancy has led to world football's governing body halting its annual $1.1 million grant to Nigeria.
The federation insists there were no distortions during an earlier audit and that 'the minister was clearly misinformed about the activities of the NFF board'.
The audit report must be made public so as to promote transparency, build credibility and enhance your market value.
But Dalung, who was speaking at the NFF's Annual General Meeting in Lagos, wants a fresh audit of federation finances to examine how Fifa money was awarded and spent.
"According to a report, Fifa has withheld all development funds to Nigeria for lack of proper documentation of $802,000 out of the funds released to NFF," said Dalung.
"This is a very serious issue that must be given urgent attention to avoid another international embarrassment.
"Even more so that the present administration under the leadership of Mr. President, His Excellency, Mohammadu Buhari has zero tolerance for any act of misappropriation, misapplication, embezzlement or fraud in any guise.
"To this end, the NFF is directed to immediately provide my office with detail information of receipt, disbursement and application of the Fifa development grant accordingly.
"In addition, a reputable audit firm should be appointed urgently to check the account books of the federation to ensure that funds are judiciously expended.
"The audit report must be made public so as to promote transparency, build credibility and enhance your market value."
However, the NFF released a communiqué after the AGM saying its congress expressed satisfaction with the explanation provided by the NFF board on the issues raised by the minister.
It states that: "the audited account of the Federation for the year, as audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, an internationally reputable audit firm, was...

Summary: Nigeria's sports minister Solomon Dalung has called for a "reputable audit" of the country's football federation.
###
Article: However, there is an increased risk in certain groups, the University of Glasgow research found.
Overall, veterans were at no greater risk than the general public, whilst both Falklands and Gulf War veterans had a lower risk of suicide.
The team studied veterans in Scotland who served between 1960 and 2012.
The study compared suicide risk among 56,205 veterans born between 1945 and 1985 with 172,741 matched non-veterans.
While overall there was no significant difference in the figures for veterans and non-veterans, the risk increased for:
Young veterans were not found to be at increased risk - a finding at odds with an earlier study by the Centre for Suicide Prevention which suggested that ex-servicemen under the age of 24 had a much higher rate of suicide.
Asked to explain the differences, lead researcher Dr Beverly Bergman said the two studies used different data and methodologies.
She said: "We have a smaller number of veterans but have studied them over a longer time period.
"In our study we had only two veterans under the age of 25 who died by suicide. The two studies are not directly comparable."
Dr Bergman said there was growing evidence that there is no overall difference in long-term risk of suicide between veterans and non-veterans in the UK.
She added: "This is an important study which provides reassurance that military service in the last 50 years does not increase people's risk of suicide overall, but it draws our attention to those people whose increased risk may be overlooked, such as older veterans and women veterans.
"It also confirms that early service leavers have a slightly increased risk but that may not manifest itself until middle age."
The study, which used data from the Scottish Veterans Health Study to examine deaths classified as due to suicide or self-harm, is published in Occupational Medicine.

Summary:


The Duke of York Stakes is the first race of the season for trainer William Haggas.
He said: "I'm very pleased with the way the colt is going.
"He's a very nice horse and he's got a good attitude.
"He's a very nice horse and he

Shutter Speed overcame rain-softened ground to win the Musidora Stakes at York under Frankie Dettori and will now be aimed at next month's French Oaks.

Article: In Wales, councils are responsible for funding and overseeing schools.
But in England, Mr Osborne's plan will mean local authorities will cease to have a role in providing education.
Academies are directly funded by central government and head teachers have more freedom over admissions and to change the way the school works.
It is a significant development in the continued divergence of schools systems on either side of Offa's Dyke.
And although the Welsh Government will get extra cash to match the money for English schools to extend the school day, it can spend it on any devolved policy area.
Ministers have no plans to follow suit.
At the moment, governing bodies are responsible for setting school hours and they need ministerial permission to make significant changes.
There are already more than 2,000 secondary academies in England and its extension to all state schools is unlikely to shake the Welsh Government's attachment to what they call a "community, comprehensive model" for schools.
It rejects claims that freedom given to academies can help drive up standards, and it points to academy-free Scotland as the best performing school system in the UK.
Education Minister Huw Lewis said there was "very little evidence to suggest" academies have a positive impact in driving up standards and Wales would not be following the model.
"The Tories have wasted hundreds of millions of pounds on academies and free schools and as the Chancellor finalises his budget plans to slash vital services even further, he is committing them to wasting even more on a failing endeavour.
"We have no plans to introduce the chaos and waste of academies and free schools here in Wales."
None of the main parties in May's Assembly election - including the Welsh Conservatives - have said they want to introduce academies in Wales.
Owen Hathway, NUT Cymru's policy officer, called the academy plans for England "scandalous.".
"There is no evidence that academies work, no evidence that they raise standards, no evidence that they offer better...

Summary: As Chancellor George Osborne announced all English state schools will become academies, the Welsh Government continues to reject the model here.
###
Article: A campaign group has launched a Twitter account: Shut Up Tube Chat.
It comes after travellers were handed leaflets with badges encouraging them to talk to one another on the Tube.
The Tube Chat pin is supposed to indicate to other commuters that the wearer is happy to have a conversation.
It has provoked a strong reaction, with many people making their own badges designed to discourage anyone from approaching them.
Volunteers from the Shut Up Tube Chat campaign began handing out their badges at Liverpool Street station on Friday morning.
Commuters were handed leaflets with the new badges reading: "Want nothing less than a 'chat' with one of your fellow passengers?
"Wear this badge to let them know that you'd rather drink a pint of bleach than talk with them."
The badges, which read "Don't even think about it" are designed to ensure wearers can make their way to work in peace.
The man behind the campaign, Brian Wilson from Hackney, told BBC London he had given out 500 badges.
"I can't stand the idea of having to talk to strangers on the Tube on my way to work.
"We handed loads out this morning and everyone was loving it. Proper Londoners know the score," he said.
Commuters who want nothing more than to listen to their music, read a book, stare at their smartphone screen or just ignore their fellow travellers have also expressed alarm at being encouraged to talk to one another.
Actress and writer Emma Kennedy tweeted: "Whoever came up with those Tube Chat badges has fundamentally misunderstood the misanthropy of the London commute."
Richard Cook tweeted: "Imagine being someone who willingly wears a #Tube_Chat badge, sitting there beaming, just waiting for a conversation that will never come."
And Madelaine Hanson tweeted: "The day I willingly talk to anyone on the tube will be the day I have to tell someone that their hat is on fire."
Jonathan Dunne, who came up with the idea of the Tube Chat badges and is originally from the US, admitted it was difficult to get commuters to take one of the free pins.
"I would...

Summary: London commuters have attempted to prove they are insular and unfriendly by wearing badges discouraging fellow passengers from talking to them.
###
Article: Matt Baggott told the BBC that a new way must be found to deal with such cases.
He made the comments in an interview marking his final day in office.
He told the BBC that there was a "need to separate the past from the present".
"I think how ever that is done, the PSNI should no longer be accountable for dealing with issues that pre-date the Good Friday Agreement," he said.
"We have to create a situation where police resources are focused on the here and now, without taking away from the needs of justice or victims.
"But that can be done in a different place, under a different authority."
Northern Ireland attorney general John Larkin QC said last December that there should be no further police investigations, inquests or inquiries into any killings pre-dating the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
The conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century is known as the Troubles.
More than 3,600 people were killed and thousands more injured.
During a period of 30 years many violent acts were carried out, with the vast majority being committed by paramilitaries and a lesser number by the security forces.
Read more about the Troubles
Mr Larkin's proposal prompted First Minister Peter Robinson to say it was "effectively an amnesty" and that those who were victims of the Troubles had a right to expect prosecutions.
More than 3,500 people were killed during three decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.
Mr Baggott, who has been a police officer for 37 years, first took up the job as head of the PSNI in August 2009.
His tenure in Northern Ireland included overseeing what was described as the safest G8 summit ever held, a policing operation praised by protesters and US President Barack Obama.
However, he also found himself heavily criticised by unionists and nationalists over how police dealt with flag protests and parades.
Protests over the flying of the union flag started in December 2012 after many people within loyalist communities were angered by the decision of Belfast City Council to restrict the number of days...

Summary: The outgoing chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland has said his force should not investigate Troubles-related murders from before the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
###
Article: Trainer John Gosden let the unbeaten 4-7 favourite race after he walked the course and she beat runner-up Vintage Folly by a length and three quarters.
She goes to Chantilly next rather than the Oaks at Epsom, in which stablemates Enable and Coronet are top contenders.
Tasleet (14-1) took the Duke of York Stakes for trainer William Haggas.
Jim Crowley's mount won comfortably from Magical Memory in second, with Comicas third.
Shutter Speed, whose last run at Newbury saw her beat Enable into third, brought a fifth Musidora win for both Gosden and Dettori.
"We got away with it. The ground was very soft. It was hard work for her," said Dettori.
"She'll be a better horse on better ground. She's top drawer. Everything she does is very classy."
Gosden is concerned about the ground for his colt Cracksman in Thursday's Dante Stakes and will again walk the course before deciding whether he runs in the Derby trial.
BBC Sport horse racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght
Shutter Speed's clearly in very good order and she coped well with the soggy conditions.
She'll be off to France's Oaks, staged over 'her distance' of a mile and a quarter, and Gosden will rely on Enable and Coronet in the longer Epsom Oaks.
The trainer said he was pleased to now have a month to prepare Shutter Speed for Chantilly.
Meanwhile, the gap between Thursday's Dante Stakes and the Derby is just 16 days, so Gosden's colt Cracksman may not be asked to line up in what's sure to be an examining Dante, in terms of both quality and going.

Summary:


The Co-op Bank has been forced to put itself on the market in February after it was unable to reach a strong enough footing to satisfy Bank of England regulations.
### Article: The Co-op Bank has been forced to put itself on the market in February after it was unable to reach a strong enough footing to

The Co-operative Bank says it is no longer up for sale, pending an announcement on fund-raising proposals aimed at safeguarding its future.

Article: The block measures about 720 sq km in area - roughly eight times the size of Manhattan Island in New York.
Scientists have been waiting for the PIG to calve since October 2011 when they first noticed a spectacular crack spreading across its surface.
Confirmation that the fissure had extended the full width of the glacier was obtained on Monday.
It was seen by the German TerraSAR-X satellite.
This carries a radar instrument that can detect the surface of the ice stream even though the Antarctic is currently in the grip of winter darkness.
The berg that broke away was part of the PIG's ice shelf - the front segment of the glacier that lifts up and floats as it pushes out into the ocean. The shelf will reach tens of km beyond the grounding line.
German researchers have been receiving images from TerraSAR-X every three days or so, hoping to understand better the processes that drive the glacier forward and prompt it to fracture.
This will help them improve the computer models that are used to forecast future changes in the Antarctic.
"We were very keen to see how the crack propagated," said Prof Angelika Humbert, a glaciologist with the Alfred Wegener Institute.
"We need proper calving laws, to be able to describe the evolution of ice sheets over centuries," she told BBC News.
Very big tabular bergs will come off the end of the ice shelf every 6-10 years. Previous notable events occurred in 2007 and 2001.
It is a very natural process and scientists say it should not be tied directly to the very real climate changes that are also affecting this part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Satellite and airborne measurements have recorded a marked thinning and a surge in velocity of the PIG in recent decades.
This has been attributed in part to warmer waters getting under, and melting, the ice shelf. The PIG's grounding line has pulled back further and further towards the land.
The glacier's behaviour means it is now under close scrutiny, not least because it drains something like 10% of all the ice flowing off the west...

Summary: Pine Island Glacier (PIG), the longest and fastest flowing glacier in the Antarctic, has spawned a huge iceberg.
###
Article: John Donnelly, 74, emigrated to Australia from Scotland 40 years ago.
He abused four girls when he made return trips to Scotland during the 1970s and 80s.
Donnelly was jailed at the High Court in Glasgow after being convicted of the offences following a trial in March.
The crimes had been reported to police in 2006, with the Crown Office then initiating lengthy extradition proceedings to bring Donnelly to trial.
It eventually led to the Australian justice minister granting Donnelly's return to Scotland in 2014.
Donnelly's trial heard he had preyed on the girls during return trips to Scotland between 1978 and 1988.
The abuse occurred at houses in Glasgow and Prestonpans, East Lothian.
One victim told a jury how she was left "terrified" at the hands of Donnelly.
She also recalled seeing Donnelly sneak into a young relative's bedroom before ordering him out.
Another girl was abused by him after he was allowed to stay overnight at the family home.
Passing sentence, judge John Morris QC said Donnelly had once been something of a "hero" to those who had known him.
The judge told the Donnelly that such serious offences meant a jail term had to be imposed.

Summary: A pensioner who was convicted of child abuse offences after being extradited from Australia has been jailed for four and a half years.
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Article: From September 2017, up to 1,000 NHS staff will be able to take up the training without having to go down the conventional university route to get a nursing degree.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says it complements the nursing associate role announced a year ago.
Both initiatives aim to offer flexible routes into nursing in England.
They might also give students an affordable way to train, since ministers plan to scrap student bursaries for nurses in September 2017.
Student nurses at university are currently entitled to bursaries of £4,500 to £5,500 if they live in London - on top of a grant of £1,000 each year during their course.
The course fees are also covered.
But the government has proposed scrapping these and introducing university fees to bring health staff in line with other students.
The NHS will still provide some financial support towards expenses such as travel costs for placements.
Trainees on the apprenticeship scheme will typically be funded by the trust they work for and can join the course at different stages, depending on their qualifications and experience, and stay in work while learning.
Similarly, nursing associates get their training paid for while remaining in work.
At the end of the training - which will usually take five years - a nurse apprentice will have a nursing degree, whereas a qualified nursing associate would still need more training to become a registered nurse.
The Royal College of Nursing said it was great news that there would be more training places and opportunities for staff, but it would be important to ensure any new courses fulfilled educational needs.
Its chief executive, Janet Davies, said: "Nursing has progressed over many years, we must be careful to learn from the lessons of the past when student nurses were often seen as nursing on the cheap.
"We must be careful we do not create a two-tier system which reduces equality of opportunity.
"We need to attract people of all ages and from diverse backgrounds into the profession."
Mr Hunt said: "Nurses are the...

Summary: Aspiring nurses can soon enrol on a new on-the-job apprenticeship role, the government says.
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Article: Co-op Bank was forced to put itself on the market in February after it was unable to reach a strong enough footing to satisfy Bank of England regulations.
But in June, it said it was in "advanced discussions" with a group of existing investors on recapitalisation.
Now the bank says the plan has been "substantially agreed".
The Co-op Bank, in which the Co-operative Group still has a 20% stake, was rescued from the brink of collapse by a group of hedge funds in 2013.
In a statement, the bank also said talks were continuing over the separation of its pension fund from the Co-operative Group's scheme.
Under the current arrangement, the bank must carry a share of the Co-op Group's £8bn pension liabilities, something which is proving unattractive to potential investors.
Earlier this year, it reported its fifth annual loss in a row, although the £477m deficit for 2016 was an improvement on the £610m loss recorded in 2015.
When it offered itself for sale, the Co-op Bank blamed low interest rates and the higher-than-expected cost of its turnaround plan for its failure to meet the Bank's Prudential Regulation Authority rules.
The Co-op Bank has four million customers and is well known for its ethical standpoint, which its board had said made it "a strong franchise with significant potential" to prospective buyers.

Summary:


Northern Ireland's economic growth will remain the lowest of the 12 UK regions in 2015, a new report has said.

Article: AB InBev, the owner of Budweiser, agreed last year to buy SAB Miller, the FTSE 100 beermaker that counts Peroni and Grolsch among a stable of brands that spans the world. It agreed to pay investors with shares of the new combined company - and gave them a less valuable alternative of taking cash and shares.
The cash element was in sterling. Since the Brexit vote, the pound has fallen about 10% against other big currencies, leaving shareholders demanding more. On Tuesday AB InBev delivered, increasing its offer by £1 a share to £45 a share - an increase that will in aggregate cost it about £2bn more. It said that its offer was final, preventing it from making another increase.
That was still not enough for some. Aberdeen Asset Management, a top-10 shareholder in SABMiller, said the offer "remained unacceptable".
SAB directors now face a turbulent few days as they decide whether to recommend the final AB InBev offer. Later this week the final, and arguably most important, remaining regulatory clearance is expected when China's competition authority, Mofcom, rules on the takeover.
If the Chinese give the go-ahead, the SAB board is expected to meet this weekend. If they reject the offer, they face the unenviable task of placating all those shareholders who have already agreed to back it, including the two big investors - Altria, the American tobacco giant that owns Marlboro cigarettes, and Colombia's Santo Domingo family. Together the two own nearly 40% of SAB.
There is also the unenviable task of withdrawing from giant disposals that have been agreed to get the deal past other competition regulators. In Europe, for example, Asahi of Japan has agreed to buy Peroni and Grolsch.
If the SAB board accepts, they risk alienating institutional investors such as Aberdeen Asset Management ahead of possible shareholder votes to approve or reject the deal.
On top of that, there is still a risk that a British court could upset their plans.
SAB told the stock market last year that because there were two different offers -...

Summary: The £50bn takeover of one of the world biggest brewers is expected to receive a vital green light from China this week - but remains under threat from the double threat of the Brexit vote and a UK court ruling.
###
Article: Mr Ward tweeted on Tuesday: "The big question is - if I lived in #Gaza would I fire a rocket? - probably yes."
In a statement subsequently released by the Lib Dems, he said: "My comments were not in support of firing rockets into Israel. If they gave the opposite impression, I apologise."
A Lib Dem spokesman had said the party "utterly condemned" the MP's tweet.
The spokesman later added: "In light of this apology, the party and the whips will decide in due course if further disciplinary action should be taken."
Mr Ward, the MP for Bradford East, was suspended from the Lib Dem parliamentary party in July 2013 and had the whip withdrawn for three months over comments he made about Israel.
He was asked on Wednesday morning by BBC Radio 5live if he stood by his tweet on Tuesday or would apologise for it.
Declining to apologise, he said he condemned violence on both sides of the conflict, but had been seeking to understand the motives of those firing rockets at Israel.
"The question is why would they want to fire missiles when they know that the missiles will result in further Palestinian deaths, to a disproportionate level? Why are they doing it?" he said.
"They are doing it because they are absolutely desperate and politicians in the West are failing them."
He continued: "The people in Gaza cannot escape... I understand the plight of the people firing the rockets."
Referring to his original tweet, the Lib Dem MP later added, in another BBC interview: "What I was saying was, if I was there, if I had been living for year after year after year, hemmed in by air, land and sea by a mighty military force that was brutally killing my people, and the world was not responding, I think I would have to do something."
Asked if he might decide to leave the Lib Dems in protest over the official party line on Gaza, he said: "I am not going to walk away from the Liberal Democrats. They may decide to walk away from me, but I certainly am not going to walk away from them."
His later statement released by the party, containing...

Summary: The Lib Dems say David Ward has given a "categorical apology" for his comments on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
###
Article: Hundreds of fans had queued outside London's Prince of Wales theatre on Monday to see the first UK performance.
The Book of Mormon, which lampoons religion and musicals, has already been a huge Broadway hit.
To deafening cheers, Parker said: "It's very cool to be here for the fan performance."
He added: "We heard that a lot of you lined up overnight for tickets... and we want to say from the bottom of our hearts, you're... crazy. We don't know that any show can live up to that."
By Will GompertzArts editor
The Book of Mormon's reputation is built on its biting satire, crude humour and the mocking of Mormonism. There is plenty of all three.
But having now seen the show twice, I suspect that at least some of its success is down to its rather conservative nature.
Strip away all the vulgarities and what you are left with is a traditionally structured, feel-good musical, which is chock-full of catchy show tunes.
The Book of Mormon follows the story of two missionaries who are sent from Salt Lake City to preach in a remote Ugandan village.
Written by Stone, Parker and Avenue Q's co-creator Robert Lopez, the show is directed by Parker and Casey Nicholaw.
The Broadway show won nine Tony awards last year. It recouped its $11.4m (Â£7.3m) investment in nine months, making its money back in part by charging up to $477 (Â£304) for tickets.
The West End show is sold out until the end of July, with a small number of daily tickets available via a lottery system.
The show's content is not for the faint-hearted, with strong language and jokes about religion, Aids and female circumcision.
"We never sit down and say how can we shock," Parker told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme.  "It is unconventional material for a musical. That's the sort of stuff that we love."
Stone added: "It's about two white Mormon boys who grew up in Utah and are sent to a place with Old Testament problems - and nothing they've been taught helps them at all with these problems."
Elder Clifford Herbertson, a senior spokesman for the Church of Jesus...

Summary: South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have taken to the West End stage to introduce their satirical musical The Book of Mormon.
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Article: PwC's Northern Ireland economic outlook said this was despite overall unemployment having fallen by more than 10,000 since June 2014.
It said poor productivity remains the single biggest challenge to Northern Ireland's sustained recovery.
PwC's Esmond Birnie said the pace of recovery was "decelerating".
"Over the past seven months business confidence has been mixed, sometimes negative but always lagging the GB regions," Mr Birnie, who is PwC's chief economist in Northern Ireland, said.
"There have also been recent mixed messages around consumer confidence, with June 2015 seeing the first rise in unemployment for more than two years; this may simply be a blip - or it may be indicative of a deeper malaise.
"Currently, Northern Ireland's output is still 8% below the pre-crisis peak of 2008 and is something of a two-speed economy with employment contracting in public sector and financial services but growing fairly rapidly in advanced manufacturing, pharma, food processing and tourism.
"PwC forecasts that Northern Ireland's economic growth will remain the lowest of the 12 UK regions at around 1.8% in 2015 - lower than the 2.2% growth experienced in 2014 - and will fall again in 2016 to around 1.7%."
The report said that Northern Ireland's unemployment claimant count increased by 200 between May and June, the first month-on-month increase since December 2008.
It said that 62% of those registered as unemployed have been out of work for more than 12 months, while 19.7% of young people aged 18-25 are unemployed - well above the UK average of 13.2%.
PwC said the recent budget "confirmed that welfare reform and austerity will continue and that Northern Ireland probably faces a further four years of challenging economic circumstances, particularly around public spending".

Summary:


The study of 712 Italian-American mafia members in the 1960s showed their income had risen by 7.5-8.5% per extra year of education.
### Summary: The study of 712 Italian-American mafia members in the 1960s showed their income had risen by 7.5-8.

Mafia criminals who are better educated tend to earn more, research suggests.

Article: Catriona Bhatia claimed that despite major investment the service was failing to live up to its name.
She said there were big differences in speeds being received by homes and businesses covered by the provision.
BT said it had invested heavily to ensure the service reached premises which would not have received it on a commercial basis.
Ms Bhatia was speaking after a report highlighted the progress made and challenges faced in improving broadband access in the south of Scotland.
Scottish Borders Council has invested Â£8.4m in the rollout of services across the region.
You shouldnt be getting 2MB when somebody down the road is getting 20MB and youre paying exactly the same amount of money.
However, she said the results were variable.
"If you pay for your electricity, you get 240 volts delivered to your house - it should be the same for your broadband speeds," she said.
"You shouldn't be getting 2MB when somebody down the road is getting 20MB and you're paying exactly the same amount of money."
Ms Bhatia said she felt the local authority was not getting the provision it had paid for.
"We have also invested a large sum of public money in this to get a contract that would deliver 94% superfast broadband across the Borders," she added.
"Not everybody within that 94% is getting the same level of service - I think it is actually a bit of a scandal and some further investigation needs to be done."
A BT spokeswoman said it had invested Â£126m in the Digital Scotland rollout on top of its commercial investment.
She said that the four-year programme was only just past its halfway point and had already benefited more than 23,600 premises in the Borders and more than 41,000 in Dumfries and Galloway.
"Every phone line is different and many factors can affect the speed of broadband, ranging from the length of the line from the fibre-enabled street cabinet, to faulty routers and existing wiring or equipment in people's homes," she said.
"When someone decides to move to a fibre-based service, their service provider should...

Summary: A Borders councillor has said she believes people are being short-changed by a superfast broadband rollout.
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Article: However the study suggests performance has improved in other areas and there is no evidence that Wales is "lagging behind" any other part of the UK.
The research - comparing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - shows a significant deterioration in Welsh waiting times since 2009.
This was during an "unprecedented squeeze" on finances.
Those behind the research claim the performance on waiting times should "set alarm bells ringing amongst policy makers" at a time when governments across the UK are considering how to prioritise spending in a time of austerity.
But across a number of other measures - such as rates of avoidable deaths - the research suggests the NHS in Wales is broadly in line with the rest of the UK or has improved to a "similar level to England".
According to Health Minister Mark Drakeford the study proves Prime Minister David Cameron's recent attacks on the performance of the Welsh NHS had been "utterly unfounded".
"I would say this report shoots Mr Cameron's fox good and proper," he told BBC Wales.
The research, jointly commissioned by Nuffield Trust and The Health Foundation, also concludes that "the performance gap between England and the rest of the UK has narrowed in recent years" and that "there is little sign that one country is moving ahead of the others consistently across the available indicators of performance".
It also suggests differing health policies, introduced across the UK since devolution, may have had less effect on performance than may have been expected.
WAITING TIMES
In the years leading up to 2009/10, the length of time patients had to wait for a wide range of common procedures improved significantly in Wales and across the UK.
But since then waiting times in Wales for many of those procedures have lengthened substantially. This is in contrast to the trends England and Scotland.
The research notes that in 2012/13 patients in Wales waited on average about 170 days for a hip or knee replacement, compared to 77 days in England and 67 days in Scotland.
The study...

Summary: The Welsh government's decision to cut NHS funding may be responsible for longer waiting times, a report claims.
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Article: Anyone walking into a busy pub in Manchester may well be confronted with a rather shocking sight.
At one table it looks like a group of friends are smoking, but there is no smell in the air and no ashtrays on the table. What they are using are e-cigarettes.
One of the women, Steph, says the e-cigarette has helped her to stop smoking.
"I've tried patches and inhalators," she says. "They're a lot better because you feel like you're having a cigarette."
"They're a great idea," says another woman, Lisa. "You've got the health benefits from it and it does taste like a cigarette."
The e-cigarette comes in two parts.
In one end there is liquid nicotine, in the other a rechargeable battery and an atomiser. When the user sucks, the liquid nicotine is vaporised and absorbed through the mouth. What looks like smoke is largely water vapour.
Because there is no tobacco in e-cigarettes, there is no tar and it is the tar in ordinary cigarettes that kills.
The e-cigarette market is growing fast. A survey by the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggests 700,000 people in the UK were using e-cigarettes last year.
The charity estimates that number will reach a million in 2013 and some medical experts see huge potential benefits.
"Nicotine itself is not a particularly hazardous drug," says Professor John Britton, who leads the tobacco advisory group for the Royal College of Physicians.
"It's something on a par with the effects you get from caffeine.
"If all the smokers in Britain stopped smoking cigarettes and started smoking e-cigarettes we would save 5 million deaths in people who are alive today. It's a massive potential public health prize."
There are however concerns about the safety and regulation of e-cigarettes.
They can legally be sold to children. There are few restrictions on advertising. Critics say some of the adverts glamorise something that looks like smoking.
Unlike patches and gum, e-cigarettes are not regulated like medicines. It means there are no rules for example about the purity of the nicotine in...

Summary: The number of people using e-cigarettes in the UK is expected to reach a million this year but while some believe the electronic alternative to tobacco could help save hundreds of thousands of lives others think they normalise what looks like smoking and may be unsafe.
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Article: The University of Essex study of 712 Italian-American mafia members in the 1960s showed their income had risen by 7.5-8.5% per extra year of education.
Those involved in complex crimes such as charging exorbitant rates for loans or extortion saw three times the boost of those who committed violent crimes.
But, on average, the 712 left education a year earlier than other white men of a similar age in their neighbourhoods.
"Criminal careers are known to start very early and are likely to be interwoven with schooling choices," the study says.
Lead researcher Prof Giovanni Mastrobuoni said education tended to have a protective effect against getting involved with crime, but he added: "It is also true that if you decide to be a criminal it's better to be a better-educated one."
The study says: "Private returns to education exist not only in legitimate but also in the illegitimate activities that imply a sufficient degree of complexity,"
"Mobster returns (in terms of income) to a year of schooling are around 7.5 to 8.5%, compared to 9-10% for the neighbour sample.
"Moreover, for mobsters who, according to the Federal Bureau of Narcotics records, were involved in white-collar crimes that require running an illegal business (ie racketeering, loan sharking, bootlegging et cetera) we found returns to education that are about three times as large as for those who are involved in violent crimes (ie robberies, murders et cetera)."

Summary: