Pope Francis has called for a third country, such as Norway, to mediate between North Korea and the US, saying the situation has become "too hot".
Speaking as he departed from a visit to Cairo, the Pope warned that "a good part of humanity" would be destroyed in any war between the two sides.
He said: "I call on - and will call on - all leaders, as I have called on leaders of various places, to work to seek a solution to problems through the path of diplomacy.
"There are so many facilitators in the world, there are mediators who offer themselves, such as Norway for example."
:: Trump: North Korea missile test 'disrespects' China
Norway brokered a deal between Israel and the Palestinians in the early 1990s known as the Oslo Accords.
The Pope also called on the United Nations to re-assert its leadership, saying it had become "too watered down".
He added that he was willing to meet US President Donald Trump when he is in Europe next month but he is not aware of the President having requested this.
North Korea recently test fired a ballistic missile, the third in the past few weeks, and this was described by Mr Trump as being "disrespectful" to China.
Mr Trump also said late last week that there was a chance of "major, major conflict" with North Korea, adding that finding a diplomatic solution was "very difficult".
But Pope Francis warned: "This question of missiles in (North) Korea has been brewing for more than a year but now it seems the situation has become has become too hot.
"We are talking about the future of humanity.
"Today, a widespread war would destroy - I would not say half of humanity - but a good part of humanity, and of culture, everything, everything.
"It would be terrible. I don't think that humanity today would be able to withstand it."
Sunday, April 30, 2017
David Cameron buys luxury hut for writing but his children have other ideas
While Theresa May grapples with Brexit and fights to win a General Election, her predecessor has pressing matters of his own to get to grips with.
David Cameron has just bought a £25,000 custom-made hut which he had planned to turn into a writing den for his garden in the Cotswolds.
But the former PM has revealed his children have their own plans for the Farrow and Ball-painted hut.
Mr Cameron, who left Downing Street after Britain voted to leave the EU in a referendum last year, said: "Well, there's been a bit of a fight already.
"My children want to use it as a Wendy House, I want to use it as a book-writing room and my son also wants it as an alternative bedroom. So, quite a lot of competition.
"When it first arrived there was great excitement - who was going to spend the first night in it?
"Who won? That was my son ... I wasn't going to take him on!"
The 16ft x 7ft hut is no ordinary garden shed. It boasts sheep's wool insulation as well as mod cons such as a dimmer light, classic Bakelite switches, a corner-set wood-burning stove and a pull-out double sofa bed.
Mr Cameron and his wife Samantha decided to buy the hut after admiring one owned by his mother-in-law in her garden in Scotland.
He googled the hut and found a company in Oxfordshire called Red Sky Shepherds Huts.
Its founder, Paul Bennett, took a phone call from Mr Cameron saying he wanted to buy a hut.
Mr Bennett says Mr Cameron's policy of allowing people to cash in their pensions at 55 that provided him with the money to set up his business.
He had been in a stressful job and had dreamed of becoming an artisan cabinet maker.
Mr Bennett said: "The new rules allowing people my age to release the money tied up in pensions was like a gift from heaven for me."
David Cameron has just bought a £25,000 custom-made hut which he had planned to turn into a writing den for his garden in the Cotswolds.
But the former PM has revealed his children have their own plans for the Farrow and Ball-painted hut.
Mr Cameron, who left Downing Street after Britain voted to leave the EU in a referendum last year, said: "Well, there's been a bit of a fight already.
"My children want to use it as a Wendy House, I want to use it as a book-writing room and my son also wants it as an alternative bedroom. So, quite a lot of competition.
"When it first arrived there was great excitement - who was going to spend the first night in it?
"Who won? That was my son ... I wasn't going to take him on!"
The 16ft x 7ft hut is no ordinary garden shed. It boasts sheep's wool insulation as well as mod cons such as a dimmer light, classic Bakelite switches, a corner-set wood-burning stove and a pull-out double sofa bed.
Mr Cameron and his wife Samantha decided to buy the hut after admiring one owned by his mother-in-law in her garden in Scotland.
He googled the hut and found a company in Oxfordshire called Red Sky Shepherds Huts.
Its founder, Paul Bennett, took a phone call from Mr Cameron saying he wanted to buy a hut.
Mr Bennett says Mr Cameron's policy of allowing people to cash in their pensions at 55 that provided him with the money to set up his business.
He had been in a stressful job and had dreamed of becoming an artisan cabinet maker.
Mr Bennett said: "The new rules allowing people my age to release the money tied up in pensions was like a gift from heaven for me."
Marine Le Pen gaining on Emmanuel Macron in French election polls
The centrist favourite to win the French presidency is losing his lead over his far-right rival with just a week to go until the vote.
Emmanuel Macron's lead over Marine Le Pen has slipped six points since polls conducted just before the first round last Sunday.
However, he is still as much as 20 points ahead.
According to pollster Harris Interactive, who correctly predicted the result of the first round with remarkable accuracy, Mr Macron now has a lead of 61% against Ms Le Pen's 39%.
:: Marine Le Pen: Who is National Front candidate in France election?
That compares to a poll carried out under the same conditions just before last Sunday's vote which put Mr Macron at 67% and Ms Le Pen at 33%.
Importantly, the most recent Harris poll was conducted before Ms Le Pen announced an alliance with the defeated first round presidential candidate Nicolas Dupont-Aignan.
Mr Dupont-Aignan was sixth in the first round contest, securing 4.7% of the vote.
His party, Debout La France (Stand Up France), is an off-shoot of the conservative right. The alliance will be seen by some right-wing voters as attractive.
Ms Le Pen has said that Mr Dupont-Aignan would become her prime minister.
He once claimed he could never form an alliance with the far-right.
:: French presidential election: Who is Emmanuel Macron?
His policies are less extreme than hers, though he is deeply eurosceptic and a longstanding critic of the eurozone.
The newly formed duo released a joint statement on Saturday alongside a modified manifesto.
Within it, some of Ms Le Pen's campaign pledges seem to have become more ambiguous.
There is no explicit mention of her promise to quit the single currency, and only a looser reference to ditching French membership of the EU.
Sections of the French media are claiming it represents an important u-turn designed to lure more voters.
Elderly right-wing voters had been particularly concerned about the pledge to quit the eurozone because of the effect it could have on their savings.
The two candidates have spent the weekend campaigning in different parts of the country.
Ms Le Pen was in the south of France on Sunday with a particular campaign message on the environment - a key issue for the now defeated far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon.
It's possible that far-right Ms Le Pen could, curiously, attract a proportion of far-left voters because despite their opposing views on immigration, Mr Melenchon and Ms Le Pen share some anti-establishment and anti-globalisation visions.
Ms Le Pen and her campaign team claim Mr Macron represents a bubble that will burst at the first national crisis.
He is, they say, representative of the globalist, borderless elite of politicians and financiers who have no interest in looking after real people.
Emmanuel Macron's lead over Marine Le Pen has slipped six points since polls conducted just before the first round last Sunday.
However, he is still as much as 20 points ahead.
According to pollster Harris Interactive, who correctly predicted the result of the first round with remarkable accuracy, Mr Macron now has a lead of 61% against Ms Le Pen's 39%.
:: Marine Le Pen: Who is National Front candidate in France election?
That compares to a poll carried out under the same conditions just before last Sunday's vote which put Mr Macron at 67% and Ms Le Pen at 33%.
Importantly, the most recent Harris poll was conducted before Ms Le Pen announced an alliance with the defeated first round presidential candidate Nicolas Dupont-Aignan.
Mr Dupont-Aignan was sixth in the first round contest, securing 4.7% of the vote.
His party, Debout La France (Stand Up France), is an off-shoot of the conservative right. The alliance will be seen by some right-wing voters as attractive.
Ms Le Pen has said that Mr Dupont-Aignan would become her prime minister.
He once claimed he could never form an alliance with the far-right.
:: French presidential election: Who is Emmanuel Macron?
His policies are less extreme than hers, though he is deeply eurosceptic and a longstanding critic of the eurozone.
The newly formed duo released a joint statement on Saturday alongside a modified manifesto.
Within it, some of Ms Le Pen's campaign pledges seem to have become more ambiguous.
There is no explicit mention of her promise to quit the single currency, and only a looser reference to ditching French membership of the EU.
Sections of the French media are claiming it represents an important u-turn designed to lure more voters.
Elderly right-wing voters had been particularly concerned about the pledge to quit the eurozone because of the effect it could have on their savings.
The two candidates have spent the weekend campaigning in different parts of the country.
Ms Le Pen was in the south of France on Sunday with a particular campaign message on the environment - a key issue for the now defeated far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon.
It's possible that far-right Ms Le Pen could, curiously, attract a proportion of far-left voters because despite their opposing views on immigration, Mr Melenchon and Ms Le Pen share some anti-establishment and anti-globalisation visions.
Ms Le Pen and her campaign team claim Mr Macron represents a bubble that will burst at the first national crisis.
He is, they say, representative of the globalist, borderless elite of politicians and financiers who have no interest in looking after real people.
More wonky veg should be sold to cut food waste
Knobbly and crooked vegetables should not be banished from supermarket shelves simply because they aren't a perfect shape, MPs have said.
Around £10bn worth of food is thrown away by households every year, much of it simply because it looks unusual, according to a report by Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
Chairman Neil Parish, who is MP for Tiverton and Honiton, said: "It's ridiculous that perfectly good vegetables are wasted simply because they're a funny shape.
"Farmers supplying fruits and vegetables to UK supermarkets currently get their produce rejected on the grounds that it fails to meet cosmetic quality standards set by the big retailers.
"Knobbly carrots and parsnips don't cook or taste any different. It's high time we saved them from the supermarket reject bins," he said.
Some supermarkets recently launched wonky veg lines which were positively received by shoppers.
Asda was the first, with a "wonky veg box" containing 5kg of fresh produce including carrots, potatoes, peppers, cucumber, cabbage, leeks, parsnips and onions.
The committee made a range of suggestions, including a national reduction target to cut the food waste that costs the average person £200 a year; raising awareness from a young age; more funding for waste reduction body Wrap and a review of food date labelling, particularly "best before" dates.
Other suggestions included requiring food businesses over a certain size to separate food waste for collection; increasing the amount of surplus food given to charities; and requiring supermarkets to publish data on the amount of food they throw out, something already done by Tesco and being looked at by Sainsbury's.
Mr Parish added: "Economically, food waste costs households hundreds of pounds a year and causes increased disposal costs to local authorities, pushing up council tax bills.
"Socially, it is a scandal that people are going hungry and using food banks when so much produce is being wasted.
"And environmentally it is a disaster, because energy and resources are wasted in production only for the food to end up rotting in landfills where it produces methane - a potent climate-changing gas."
Around £10bn worth of food is thrown away by households every year, much of it simply because it looks unusual, according to a report by Parliament's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
Chairman Neil Parish, who is MP for Tiverton and Honiton, said: "It's ridiculous that perfectly good vegetables are wasted simply because they're a funny shape.
"Farmers supplying fruits and vegetables to UK supermarkets currently get their produce rejected on the grounds that it fails to meet cosmetic quality standards set by the big retailers.
"Knobbly carrots and parsnips don't cook or taste any different. It's high time we saved them from the supermarket reject bins," he said.
Some supermarkets recently launched wonky veg lines which were positively received by shoppers.
Asda was the first, with a "wonky veg box" containing 5kg of fresh produce including carrots, potatoes, peppers, cucumber, cabbage, leeks, parsnips and onions.
The committee made a range of suggestions, including a national reduction target to cut the food waste that costs the average person £200 a year; raising awareness from a young age; more funding for waste reduction body Wrap and a review of food date labelling, particularly "best before" dates.
Other suggestions included requiring food businesses over a certain size to separate food waste for collection; increasing the amount of surplus food given to charities; and requiring supermarkets to publish data on the amount of food they throw out, something already done by Tesco and being looked at by Sainsbury's.
Mr Parish added: "Economically, food waste costs households hundreds of pounds a year and causes increased disposal costs to local authorities, pushing up council tax bills.
"Socially, it is a scandal that people are going hungry and using food banks when so much produce is being wasted.
"And environmentally it is a disaster, because energy and resources are wasted in production only for the food to end up rotting in landfills where it produces methane - a potent climate-changing gas."
RESPECT! Best Twitter reactions to Joshua victory over Klitschko
The biggest heavyweight fight in over a decade had something for everyone, but in the end it was Anthony Joshua who finally turned things around for good in the 11th round.
Here is how the world of sport and its fans have reacted to the spectacular showdown on social media.
Tyson Fury, who beat Klitschko to become world heavyweight champion in 2015, said: "Wellldone @anthonyfjoshua good fight, you had life & death with @Klitschko & I played with the guy, let's dance ='."
Here is how the world of sport and its fans have reacted to the spectacular showdown on social media.
Tyson Fury, who beat Klitschko to become world heavyweight champion in 2015, said: "Wellldone @anthonyfjoshua good fight, you had life & death with @Klitschko & I played with the guy, let's dance ='."
Five people killed as three tornadoes hit eastern Texas
Five people have been killed and dozens more injured after tornadoes swept through eastern Texas.
At least three tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service east of Dallas - in Canton, Eustace and Caney City.
Local media reported that as many as five may have hit the region, but that has not yet been confirmed.
Canton Fire Department Captain Brian Horton told local media that five people had died, but added: "We still may have people unaccounted for."
At least three tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service east of Dallas - in Canton, Eustace and Caney City.
Local media reported that as many as five may have hit the region, but that has not yet been confirmed.
Canton Fire Department Captain Brian Horton told local media that five people had died, but added: "We still may have people unaccounted for."
'Philip Green Charter': PM vows to protect pensions from 'irresponsible' bosses
Theresa May has unveiled a plan to crack down on "irresponsible bosses" who fail to protect workers' pensions from a repeat of the BHS scandal.
In what some have dubbed the "Philip Green Charter", the Government is considering a new criminal offence for bosses who put pension schemes at risk.
The Conservative Party's General Election manifesto will contain a commitment to increase the punishments for those found mismanaging schemes.
The Prime Minister also wants to give more powers to the Pensions Regulator to block takeovers where there is a risk of insolvency to the pension scheme.
Mrs May says the plans would "ensure the pensions of ordinary working people are protected against the actions of unscrupulous company bosses".
"Safeguarding pensions to ensure dignity in retirement is about security for families, and it's another example of the choice in this election," she said.
Sir Philip faced widespread calls to be stripped of his knighthood over his alleged role in the collapse of BHS, which he owned for 15 years before selling it to Dominic Chappell for £1 in 2015.
The Topshop owner came under fire for taking more than £400m in dividendsfrom the chain, leaving it with a £571m pension deficit.
Mr Chappell, a former racing driver, had previously been bankrupt and had no retail experience.
Sir Philip has now agreed to pay £363m to help settle the BHS pension scheme.
A Government statement about the new proposals does not mention Sir Philip directly but states: "In recent years, the employees of several large, household-name companies have had their pensions put at risk by the irresponsible behaviour of bosses.
"Meanwhile, responsible companies managing their pension schemes in the right way have found their competitive position suffer as a result. This is bad for ordinary working families and bad for the market."
In what some have dubbed the "Philip Green Charter", the Government is considering a new criminal offence for bosses who put pension schemes at risk.
The Conservative Party's General Election manifesto will contain a commitment to increase the punishments for those found mismanaging schemes.
The Prime Minister also wants to give more powers to the Pensions Regulator to block takeovers where there is a risk of insolvency to the pension scheme.
Mrs May says the plans would "ensure the pensions of ordinary working people are protected against the actions of unscrupulous company bosses".
"Safeguarding pensions to ensure dignity in retirement is about security for families, and it's another example of the choice in this election," she said.
Sir Philip faced widespread calls to be stripped of his knighthood over his alleged role in the collapse of BHS, which he owned for 15 years before selling it to Dominic Chappell for £1 in 2015.
The Topshop owner came under fire for taking more than £400m in dividendsfrom the chain, leaving it with a £571m pension deficit.
Mr Chappell, a former racing driver, had previously been bankrupt and had no retail experience.
Sir Philip has now agreed to pay £363m to help settle the BHS pension scheme.
A Government statement about the new proposals does not mention Sir Philip directly but states: "In recent years, the employees of several large, household-name companies have had their pensions put at risk by the irresponsible behaviour of bosses.
"Meanwhile, responsible companies managing their pension schemes in the right way have found their competitive position suffer as a result. This is bad for ordinary working families and bad for the market."
Jeremy Corbyn: 'Insecure' Theresa May will make damaging mistakes
Jeremy Corbyn has accused Theresa May of being "insecure" about her authority - and retreating into a "presidential bunker mentality" reminiscent of Tony Blair.
The Labour leader said he believed in "empowering others to make up their minds and come on board when they are ready", while the Prime Minister was obsessed with stifling dissent.
Mr Corbyn said Tony Blair's premiership showed what can go wrong if leaders go unchallenged.
:: Corbyn urges young voters to stop 'Brexit for few'
Speaking to an audience of supporters in London's East End, he said he recognised similar characteristics in Mrs May.
He said: "It taught me that if leaders go unchallenged, they can make some of the most damaging mistakes.
"And if party leaders put themselves ahead of serving the people, they stop listening and even put our country at risk.
"Barely nine months into Theresa May's premiership, there are clear warning signs that she and her closest advisers are slipping into that presidential bunker mentality.
"Whereas it is the job of leadership to hold open the space for dissent, new thinking and fit-for-purpose policy.
"So while it might not be the stuff of soundbites, I have always believed in standing firm and empowering others to make up their minds and come on board when they are ready.
"It is the mindset that gets community centres and nurseries built, and increasingly defends them from closure.
"It is the mindset that negotiates hard for better conditions in the workplace. It is the mindset that serves the many, not the few."
:: Why it might be worth a punt on a Corbyn win
Mr Corbyn said he had previously thought political leaders had no choice but to give in to "vested interests" while manipulating the public.
"I didn't want to be like that. And it wasn't clear to me there could be another way," he said.
"But I've learned there is. Whereas insecure leaders want to feel stronger by asking you to give them more power, I recognise strong leadership as equipping you with more power."
The Labour leader said he believed in "empowering others to make up their minds and come on board when they are ready", while the Prime Minister was obsessed with stifling dissent.
Mr Corbyn said Tony Blair's premiership showed what can go wrong if leaders go unchallenged.
:: Corbyn urges young voters to stop 'Brexit for few'
Speaking to an audience of supporters in London's East End, he said he recognised similar characteristics in Mrs May.
He said: "It taught me that if leaders go unchallenged, they can make some of the most damaging mistakes.
"And if party leaders put themselves ahead of serving the people, they stop listening and even put our country at risk.
"Barely nine months into Theresa May's premiership, there are clear warning signs that she and her closest advisers are slipping into that presidential bunker mentality.
"Whereas it is the job of leadership to hold open the space for dissent, new thinking and fit-for-purpose policy.
"So while it might not be the stuff of soundbites, I have always believed in standing firm and empowering others to make up their minds and come on board when they are ready.
"It is the mindset that gets community centres and nurseries built, and increasingly defends them from closure.
"It is the mindset that negotiates hard for better conditions in the workplace. It is the mindset that serves the many, not the few."
:: Why it might be worth a punt on a Corbyn win
Mr Corbyn said he had previously thought political leaders had no choice but to give in to "vested interests" while manipulating the public.
"I didn't want to be like that. And it wasn't clear to me there could be another way," he said.
"But I've learned there is. Whereas insecure leaders want to feel stronger by asking you to give them more power, I recognise strong leadership as equipping you with more power."
British woman dies after falling from Benidorm apartment
A British woman has died after falling from a 10th-floor apartment in the Spanish resort of Benidorm.
There are reports she had been partying with other Britons at the Apartamentos Payma block in the area known as 'Little England' when she fell.
Police said they were questioning people at the party, but it is not yet clear how the incident occurred and whether the woman was on holiday or lived in the resort.
Local newspaper Diario Informacion reported she was 25 years old.
Benidorm's apartment blocks, fast-food outlets, bars and nightclubs have long drawn British tourists looking for cheap package holiday.
Last November, 21-year-old Danielle Hall from Newcastle also died after falling from a ninth-floor Benidorm apartment.
There are reports she had been partying with other Britons at the Apartamentos Payma block in the area known as 'Little England' when she fell.
Police said they were questioning people at the party, but it is not yet clear how the incident occurred and whether the woman was on holiday or lived in the resort.
Local newspaper Diario Informacion reported she was 25 years old.
Benidorm's apartment blocks, fast-food outlets, bars and nightclubs have long drawn British tourists looking for cheap package holiday.
Last November, 21-year-old Danielle Hall from Newcastle also died after falling from a ninth-floor Benidorm apartment.
Saturday, April 29, 2017
100 days of President Trump, but limited progress. What's the deal?
It happens to every president.
100 days in office is a big, if arbitrary, deal.
Impact, progress, delivery of campaign promises… all these things are scrutinised along with the inevitable mishaps and missteps that occur in fledgling administrations.
:: Trump aide's insight into his first 100 days
Donald Trump doesn't like this very much.
He's declared the milestone "meaningless".
But as with many things in Mr Trump's world, what he says is not often what he means.
And so a flurry of activity is under way as the milestone arrives and tallies of victories and failures are counted.
Let us look first at what HAS been achieved.
There have been lots of executive orders. Lots.
There have been orders deregulating the energy industry, big finance, approving pipelines, reviewing foreign workers' visas, bolstering Border Patrol, withdrawing from trade deals and many more.
100 days in office is a big, if arbitrary, deal.
Impact, progress, delivery of campaign promises… all these things are scrutinised along with the inevitable mishaps and missteps that occur in fledgling administrations.
:: Trump aide's insight into his first 100 days
Donald Trump doesn't like this very much.
He's declared the milestone "meaningless".
But as with many things in Mr Trump's world, what he says is not often what he means.
And so a flurry of activity is under way as the milestone arrives and tallies of victories and failures are counted.
Let us look first at what HAS been achieved.
There have been lots of executive orders. Lots.
There have been orders deregulating the energy industry, big finance, approving pipelines, reviewing foreign workers' visas, bolstering Border Patrol, withdrawing from trade deals and many more.
Trump: North Korea missile test 'disrespects' China
Donald Trump has accused North Korea of "disrespecting the wishes of China" following its latest ballistic missile test.
China is the North's main trading partner and the US president has been urging Beijing to try to rein in the reclusive state's military activities.
South Korea said Kim Jong-Un's regime had fired the rocket from around Pukchang, which is near the North's capital Pyongyang.
Seoul and Washington said it had apparently failed shortly after its launch.
A US official said it was likely to have been a medium-range KN-17 missile, which appeared to have broken up within minutes but did not leave North Korean territory.
It is believed to have reached a height of 44 miles, and was the third unsuccessful test in recent weeks.
The US leader wrote on Twitter: "North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!"
Speaking in London about the latest developments, Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe said North Korea threatened world stability and posed a grave threat to his country.
He called on the international community to show solidarity against the rogue state.
He said: "Despite strong warnings by the international community, North Korea today went through its ballistic missile launch.
"It is a grave threat to our country. This is absolutely not acceptable. We strongly condemn such acts."
Mr Trump has warned there is a chance of a "major, major conflict" with North Korea due to rising tensions over its nuclear ambitions and missile tests.
The US president said he would "love to solve things (the North Korean problem) diplomatically but it's very difficult".
And at the UN meeting in New York US secretary of state Rex Tillerson urged the Security Council to put economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.
He said it was only a "matter of time" before the communist state was capable of hitting mainland America with a nuclear weapon.
Speaking after the meeting, North Korea's deputy ambassador to the UN said the country's nuclear weapons would never be part of "political bargains and economic deals".
"In a nutshell, DPRK have already declared not to attend any type of talks which would discuss its nuclear abandonment, nuclear disbandment," Kim In Ryong said.
He added that the nuclear programme "is the product of the United States' hostile policy towards DPRK".
South Korea has warned if the international community does not respond to the North's repeated provocations now, "we will only further feed the appetite of the trigger-happy regime in Pyongyang".
China is the North's main trading partner and the US president has been urging Beijing to try to rein in the reclusive state's military activities.
South Korea said Kim Jong-Un's regime had fired the rocket from around Pukchang, which is near the North's capital Pyongyang.
Seoul and Washington said it had apparently failed shortly after its launch.
A US official said it was likely to have been a medium-range KN-17 missile, which appeared to have broken up within minutes but did not leave North Korean territory.
It is believed to have reached a height of 44 miles, and was the third unsuccessful test in recent weeks.
The US leader wrote on Twitter: "North Korea disrespected the wishes of China & its highly respected President when it launched, though unsuccessfully, a missile today. Bad!"
Speaking in London about the latest developments, Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe said North Korea threatened world stability and posed a grave threat to his country.
He called on the international community to show solidarity against the rogue state.
He said: "Despite strong warnings by the international community, North Korea today went through its ballistic missile launch.
"It is a grave threat to our country. This is absolutely not acceptable. We strongly condemn such acts."
Mr Trump has warned there is a chance of a "major, major conflict" with North Korea due to rising tensions over its nuclear ambitions and missile tests.
The US president said he would "love to solve things (the North Korean problem) diplomatically but it's very difficult".
And at the UN meeting in New York US secretary of state Rex Tillerson urged the Security Council to put economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.
He said it was only a "matter of time" before the communist state was capable of hitting mainland America with a nuclear weapon.
Speaking after the meeting, North Korea's deputy ambassador to the UN said the country's nuclear weapons would never be part of "political bargains and economic deals".
"In a nutshell, DPRK have already declared not to attend any type of talks which would discuss its nuclear abandonment, nuclear disbandment," Kim In Ryong said.
He added that the nuclear programme "is the product of the United States' hostile policy towards DPRK".
South Korea has warned if the international community does not respond to the North's repeated provocations now, "we will only further feed the appetite of the trigger-happy regime in Pyongyang".
Drinking duty-free booze on planes 'should be a criminal offence
Drinking alcohol bought in duty free on board planes should be made a criminal offence, according to airlines.
Airlines UK - which represents carriers such as British Airways, EasyJet, Thomas Cook and Virgin Atlantic - has told Sky News the move would help reduce incidents of "air rage" fuelled by booze.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) there were 421 incidences of disruptive passengers at UK airports in 2016, with the majority thought to be down to alcohol.
Twenty-three passengers from at least two different stag parties were thrown off a flight at Manchester Airport earlier this month for "disruptive behaviour".
Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade told Sky News: "Alcohol is the single largest contributory factor and it is clear that it needs to be sold and consumed responsibly, for the safety of all.
"Alcohol purchased in the airport and then consumed covertly on-board is hard for crew to monitor and control and so airlines are asking Government to amend the Air Navigation Order to make this type of consumption a criminal offence.
"We're hopeful that the changes to the ANO - alongside strict adherence to the code of practice - will be adequate to see the number of incidents come down and we remain open to any additional solutions put forward in the future."
In response, a Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Passengers should be able to enjoy journeys from the UK's airports without having their journeys spoilt by a disruptive minority.
"We strongly support efforts to tackle the problem of passengers who cause disruption on flights and welcome an industry-wide Code of Practice that has been published recently.
"There are no plans to change the rules around drinking on flights."
A CAA spokesperson told Sky News: "There is a range of work by the aviation industry to reduce disruptive passenger incidents and we will continue to engage with the industry as it explores further options for how best to tackle this issue."
The intervention comes in the wake of a parliamentary committee recommending restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol at terminals.
The Lords Licensing Act committee said it was "not for one moment" convinced the voluntary code of conduct introduced last year was proving effective in dealing with the problem.
The committee wants the 2003 Licensing Act to apply to airports like it does to other premises selling alcohol.
This could potentially mean an end to early morning airport drinking and hours more in line with pubs and restaurants.
However, the Airport Operators Association has rejected such calls.
A spokesman for the industry body, which represents the UK's airports, said the organisation thinks the code "is the best way to address the issues raised in this report".
Airlines UK - which represents carriers such as British Airways, EasyJet, Thomas Cook and Virgin Atlantic - has told Sky News the move would help reduce incidents of "air rage" fuelled by booze.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) there were 421 incidences of disruptive passengers at UK airports in 2016, with the majority thought to be down to alcohol.
Twenty-three passengers from at least two different stag parties were thrown off a flight at Manchester Airport earlier this month for "disruptive behaviour".
Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade told Sky News: "Alcohol is the single largest contributory factor and it is clear that it needs to be sold and consumed responsibly, for the safety of all.
"Alcohol purchased in the airport and then consumed covertly on-board is hard for crew to monitor and control and so airlines are asking Government to amend the Air Navigation Order to make this type of consumption a criminal offence.
"We're hopeful that the changes to the ANO - alongside strict adherence to the code of practice - will be adequate to see the number of incidents come down and we remain open to any additional solutions put forward in the future."
In response, a Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Passengers should be able to enjoy journeys from the UK's airports without having their journeys spoilt by a disruptive minority.
"We strongly support efforts to tackle the problem of passengers who cause disruption on flights and welcome an industry-wide Code of Practice that has been published recently.
"There are no plans to change the rules around drinking on flights."
A CAA spokesperson told Sky News: "There is a range of work by the aviation industry to reduce disruptive passenger incidents and we will continue to engage with the industry as it explores further options for how best to tackle this issue."
The intervention comes in the wake of a parliamentary committee recommending restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol at terminals.
The Lords Licensing Act committee said it was "not for one moment" convinced the voluntary code of conduct introduced last year was proving effective in dealing with the problem.
The committee wants the 2003 Licensing Act to apply to airports like it does to other premises selling alcohol.
This could potentially mean an end to early morning airport drinking and hours more in line with pubs and restaurants.
However, the Airport Operators Association has rejected such calls.
A spokesman for the industry body, which represents the UK's airports, said the organisation thinks the code "is the best way to address the issues raised in this report".
UKIP leader Paul Nuttall to stand in Boston and Skegness
UKIP Leader Paul Nuttall has announced he will stand in the Lincolnshire seat of Boston and Skegness at the General Election.
The constituency has been described as the "most Brexit" in the UK.
Boston recorded the biggest majority for leave at last June's referendum, with more than 75% of voters opting to quit the EU.
The area has witnessed an influx of mainly Eastern European immigrants over the last decade, drawn to the opportunity of work in agriculture and tourism.
The seat, where UKIP came in second at the last election, is currently held by the Conservatives with a majority of 4,336.
The sitting Tory MP Matt Warman backed the remain campaign in last year's poll.
Mr Nuttall, who unsuccessfully stood at a by-election in Stoke-on-Trent Central earlier this year, said: "I will make it my mission to stand up for the people of Boston and Skegness and ensure there is no backsliding on Brexit."
But Mr Warman said: "A vote for any other candidate risks a coalition of chaos led by Jeremy Corbyn putting our nation's future at risk.
"That's why I supported Theresa May to become Prime Minister and voted in Parliament for her to trigger Article 50."
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Nuttall denied he was being opportunistic in again standing in an area where he had no links.
He said: "Listen, you do not have to be from a local area to be an MP. This is not a local council by-election or something like that in Boston and Skegness.
"The simple fact is, this is an election which has been called on Brexit.
"I am the leader of the most Eurosceptic political party in Britain and therefore makes sense for me to go to the most Eurosceptic area in the country."
Mr Nuttall also rejected suggestions his party's policies, including calling for a ban on full-face veils in public were "out of the BNP playbook".
He pointed out it had been UKIP's position since 2010, while ban's were already in force in a number of European countries including France and Belgium, with others considering following suit.
Mr Nuttall also dismissed Mr Corbyn as a "throwback to the 1970s" and predicted a "good number" of Labour voters would back UKIP at the polls.
The constituency has been described as the "most Brexit" in the UK.
Boston recorded the biggest majority for leave at last June's referendum, with more than 75% of voters opting to quit the EU.
The area has witnessed an influx of mainly Eastern European immigrants over the last decade, drawn to the opportunity of work in agriculture and tourism.
The seat, where UKIP came in second at the last election, is currently held by the Conservatives with a majority of 4,336.
The sitting Tory MP Matt Warman backed the remain campaign in last year's poll.
Mr Nuttall, who unsuccessfully stood at a by-election in Stoke-on-Trent Central earlier this year, said: "I will make it my mission to stand up for the people of Boston and Skegness and ensure there is no backsliding on Brexit."
But Mr Warman said: "A vote for any other candidate risks a coalition of chaos led by Jeremy Corbyn putting our nation's future at risk.
"That's why I supported Theresa May to become Prime Minister and voted in Parliament for her to trigger Article 50."
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Nuttall denied he was being opportunistic in again standing in an area where he had no links.
He said: "Listen, you do not have to be from a local area to be an MP. This is not a local council by-election or something like that in Boston and Skegness.
"The simple fact is, this is an election which has been called on Brexit.
"I am the leader of the most Eurosceptic political party in Britain and therefore makes sense for me to go to the most Eurosceptic area in the country."
Mr Nuttall also rejected suggestions his party's policies, including calling for a ban on full-face veils in public were "out of the BNP playbook".
He pointed out it had been UKIP's position since 2010, while ban's were already in force in a number of European countries including France and Belgium, with others considering following suit.
Mr Nuttall also dismissed Mr Corbyn as a "throwback to the 1970s" and predicted a "good number" of Labour voters would back UKIP at the polls.
Corbyn urges young voters to stop 'Brexit for few'
Jeremy Corbyn has made a direct plea to young people to "step up" and register to vote.
The Labour leader believes that more than two million young people who are missing from the electoral register could be key to his success.
Mr Corbyn argued that young people are being "held back" by the Conservatives and he urged them to overcome "apathy and resignation" and make sure they cast their vote.
:: Why it might be worth a punt on a Corbyn win
He said: "Over 2.4 million young people are missing from the UK's electoral register. Barely 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds turn out to vote.
"The Conservatives are more than happy with this state of affairs. Apathy and resignation will secure them seats on election day."
Young people certainly helped Mr Corbyn gain the leadership of his party and he clearly sees them as playing a crucial role in this election if they can overcome their historic tendency to stay away from the ballot box.
Labour's anti-austerity stance and desire to ban tuition fees could also encourage young voters to back the party.
However, 75% of all 18 to 24-year-olds who voted in the referendum wanted to remain in the EU, meaning many could be attracted to the Liberal Democrats, who are pitching themselves as the anti-Brexit party.
During a speech in east London, Mr Corbyn questioned the Conservatives' intentions over Brexit. He cast scepticism over Theresa May's plan for a trade deal with the US and accused the Conservatives of preparing to deliver a deal which will only benefit the wealthy.
He warned that "a Brexit for the few is now brewing, one where any money saved is handed out as tax cuts to the super-rich and their corporations, where new trade deals with the US and elsewhere are used to drive down our working conditions, and environmental and food standards".
Responding to extracts of the speech, Conservative Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin said: "At this election there is a very clear choice on the ballot paper.
"Do you want Theresa May to protect Britain's interests through Brexit and beyond - or the weak, floundering and nonsensical Jeremy Corbyn who doesn't even have the confidence of three quarters of his own MPs?"
Meanwhile, in an interview with the i newspaper, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said he wants to be the leader of the opposition. He described Jeremy Corbyn as "a perfectly nice man" but "demonstrably the worst leader in British political history in terms of effectiveness".
He added: "Britain needs a decent strong opposition and I'm asking the British people to give that job to me."
The Labour leader believes that more than two million young people who are missing from the electoral register could be key to his success.
Mr Corbyn argued that young people are being "held back" by the Conservatives and he urged them to overcome "apathy and resignation" and make sure they cast their vote.
:: Why it might be worth a punt on a Corbyn win
He said: "Over 2.4 million young people are missing from the UK's electoral register. Barely 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds turn out to vote.
"The Conservatives are more than happy with this state of affairs. Apathy and resignation will secure them seats on election day."
Young people certainly helped Mr Corbyn gain the leadership of his party and he clearly sees them as playing a crucial role in this election if they can overcome their historic tendency to stay away from the ballot box.
Labour's anti-austerity stance and desire to ban tuition fees could also encourage young voters to back the party.
However, 75% of all 18 to 24-year-olds who voted in the referendum wanted to remain in the EU, meaning many could be attracted to the Liberal Democrats, who are pitching themselves as the anti-Brexit party.
During a speech in east London, Mr Corbyn questioned the Conservatives' intentions over Brexit. He cast scepticism over Theresa May's plan for a trade deal with the US and accused the Conservatives of preparing to deliver a deal which will only benefit the wealthy.
He warned that "a Brexit for the few is now brewing, one where any money saved is handed out as tax cuts to the super-rich and their corporations, where new trade deals with the US and elsewhere are used to drive down our working conditions, and environmental and food standards".
Responding to extracts of the speech, Conservative Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin said: "At this election there is a very clear choice on the ballot paper.
"Do you want Theresa May to protect Britain's interests through Brexit and beyond - or the weak, floundering and nonsensical Jeremy Corbyn who doesn't even have the confidence of three quarters of his own MPs?"
Meanwhile, in an interview with the i newspaper, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said he wants to be the leader of the opposition. He described Jeremy Corbyn as "a perfectly nice man" but "demonstrably the worst leader in British political history in terms of effectiveness".
He added: "Britain needs a decent strong opposition and I'm asking the British people to give that job to me."
Friday, April 28, 2017
Tillerson says 'matter of time' before North Korea can strike US
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said it is a "matter of time" before North Korea gains the ability to strike the American mainland with a nuclear weapon.
His statement came as he chaired a ministerial level meeting at the United Nations Security Council in New York, where he urged the organisation to agree new economic and diplomatic pressures on Pyongyang.
The approach stood slightly at odds with President Donald Trump's escalating rhetoric on the issue.
In an interview with the Reuters news agency, Mr Trump said a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible.
He has repeatedly insisted that "all options are on the table", including the use of military force.
Mr Tillerson singled out China during his remarks, imploring Beijing to use its relationship with North Korea to influence the unpredictable nation.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson echoed his counterpart's words.
He said: "There could hardly be a clearer threat to world peace, more demanding of a unified response, than the activities of one member of the United Nations, North Korea, breaking its Treaty obligations, ignoring the will of this Council, and making blood-curdling threats to inflict grievous harm on peoples of other countries.
"We urge other partners with direct influence on North Korea to use their leverage to the full, with the aim of easing tensions and ensuring compliance with the expressed will of the UN."
However China seems reluctant to do so.
Addressing the Security Council chamber, China's foreign minister Wang Yi said the answer to the problem did not lie with his country.
He warned that the use of force in the region would lead to "disaster", and that the existing situation could easily "spiral out of control".
His statement came as he chaired a ministerial level meeting at the United Nations Security Council in New York, where he urged the organisation to agree new economic and diplomatic pressures on Pyongyang.
The approach stood slightly at odds with President Donald Trump's escalating rhetoric on the issue.
In an interview with the Reuters news agency, Mr Trump said a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible.
He has repeatedly insisted that "all options are on the table", including the use of military force.
Mr Tillerson singled out China during his remarks, imploring Beijing to use its relationship with North Korea to influence the unpredictable nation.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson echoed his counterpart's words.
He said: "There could hardly be a clearer threat to world peace, more demanding of a unified response, than the activities of one member of the United Nations, North Korea, breaking its Treaty obligations, ignoring the will of this Council, and making blood-curdling threats to inflict grievous harm on peoples of other countries.
"We urge other partners with direct influence on North Korea to use their leverage to the full, with the aim of easing tensions and ensuring compliance with the expressed will of the UN."
However China seems reluctant to do so.
Addressing the Security Council chamber, China's foreign minister Wang Yi said the answer to the problem did not lie with his country.
He warned that the use of force in the region would lead to "disaster", and that the existing situation could easily "spiral out of control".
Celebrity luxury event Fyre Festival turns to 'mass chaos'
A celebrity-sponsored luxury music festival in the Bahamas has been called a "scam" after ticket-holders were reportedly left stranded.
Co-organised by rapper Ja Rule and promoted by models Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Baldwin, the Fyre Festival sold tickets costing up to $12,000 (£9,200) for two weekends of "music, art and food".
Tickets included a flight to a private island in the Bahamas district of the Exumas and VIP treatment with live bands, gourmet food and outdoor activities.
Instead, there were numerous reports of flights cancelled, ticket-holders stranded, no tents to sleep in and a dinner consisting of a cheese sandwich with a side salad.
"So Fyre Fest is a complete disaster. Mass chaos. No organisation. No one knows where to go. There are no villas, just a disaster tent city," festival goer William Finley wrote, sharing photos of the event.
Co-organised by rapper Ja Rule and promoted by models Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Baldwin, the Fyre Festival sold tickets costing up to $12,000 (£9,200) for two weekends of "music, art and food".
Tickets included a flight to a private island in the Bahamas district of the Exumas and VIP treatment with live bands, gourmet food and outdoor activities.
Instead, there were numerous reports of flights cancelled, ticket-holders stranded, no tents to sleep in and a dinner consisting of a cheese sandwich with a side salad.
"So Fyre Fest is a complete disaster. Mass chaos. No organisation. No one knows where to go. There are no villas, just a disaster tent city," festival goer William Finley wrote, sharing photos of the event.
Liam Gallagher threatens 'war' with Damon Albarn and brother Noel
Liam Gallagher has threatened to reignite a "war" with Damon Albarn and his brother Noel for collaborating on a new Gorillaz album.
The former Blur now Gorillaz singer invited former rival Noel Gallagher to lend his vocals to one of the band's new tracks.
We Got The Power featuring Noel and Savages' Jehnny Beth is part of Gorillaz' latest album Humanz, released on Thursday.
Oasis and Blur were Britpop rivals in the 1990s, before the two Gallagher brothers had a high profile fallout.
"Now that d*** out of Blur and the creepy one out of Oasis need to hang their heads in shame as it's no Dancing In The Streets - as you were," Liam tweeted on Thursday, following the album's launch.
"That gobs**** out of Blur might have turned Noel Gallagher into a massive girl but believe you me, next time I see him there's gonna be war," he added.
:: Gorillaz take over the internet with new album Humanz
Noel and Albarn were asked about burying the hatchet and not inviting Liam, to which Noel answered: "Listen, nobody gives a f*** what Liam thinks about anything."
"I mean now it feels like, completely, you know, not news at all really," Albarn said.
"He's fantastic in the studio and it's nice when you see how someone goes about their business."
Last month, Liam Gallagher was announced to headline the Reading & Leeds festival with his latest album titled As You Were.
In a series of tweets, he said he would be playing old Oasis songs "bigger and better than Noel".
"Opening with Don't Look Back In Anger," he wrote.
"To all you Noel Gallagher fanboys I can and will sing any song he wrote bigger and better than him even if I was kicked in the b***** by a wood pigeon".
The former Blur now Gorillaz singer invited former rival Noel Gallagher to lend his vocals to one of the band's new tracks.
We Got The Power featuring Noel and Savages' Jehnny Beth is part of Gorillaz' latest album Humanz, released on Thursday.
Oasis and Blur were Britpop rivals in the 1990s, before the two Gallagher brothers had a high profile fallout.
"Now that d*** out of Blur and the creepy one out of Oasis need to hang their heads in shame as it's no Dancing In The Streets - as you were," Liam tweeted on Thursday, following the album's launch.
"That gobs**** out of Blur might have turned Noel Gallagher into a massive girl but believe you me, next time I see him there's gonna be war," he added.
:: Gorillaz take over the internet with new album Humanz
Noel and Albarn were asked about burying the hatchet and not inviting Liam, to which Noel answered: "Listen, nobody gives a f*** what Liam thinks about anything."
"I mean now it feels like, completely, you know, not news at all really," Albarn said.
"He's fantastic in the studio and it's nice when you see how someone goes about their business."
Last month, Liam Gallagher was announced to headline the Reading & Leeds festival with his latest album titled As You Were.
In a series of tweets, he said he would be playing old Oasis songs "bigger and better than Noel".
"Opening with Don't Look Back In Anger," he wrote.
"To all you Noel Gallagher fanboys I can and will sing any song he wrote bigger and better than him even if I was kicked in the b***** by a wood pigeon".
Paraguay's biggest-ever heist as vault targeted in £9m cash raid
Police are investigating Paraguay's largest-ever heist, following a brazen robbery involving around 50 attackers, prosecutors have revealed.
A gang stole $11.72m (£9.08m) in cash after blasting their way into a vault near the border with Brazil, where the gunmen are believed to have fled to.
Gunmen armed with assault rifles used explosives on the headquarters of the armoured company Prosegur in the city of Ciudad del Este.
Before targeting the building early on Monday, the gunmen set fire to around 20 vehicles and also used grenades at three nearby sites.
They also attacked a police station, killing one officer and injuring four others.
The vault was believed to have held $49m (£38m) before the assault.
Paraguay's police commissioner Abel Canete confirmed Brazilian organised crime organisation, known as the First Capital Command (PCC), had infiltrated the country and was operating from the capital city Asuncion.
He said: "The use of explosives with gel inside automatic rounds, assault on money transport vehicles, bank robbery, excavation of tunnels.
"Prior to this, it was a myth if they (PCC) were there (in Asuncion).
"But given the events that we have investigated we have determined and we have identified members of the PCC. That is to say they exist."
Paraguay's interior ministry has said three suspected members of the gang were killed in a shoot-out with Brazilian federal agents, about 45 miles north of Ciudad del Este.
Brazil's federal police arrested about 15 men suspected of being involved in the theft. But seven have now been released due to lack of evidence.
Ciudad del Este is in the 'Triple Border' region, where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet and where illegal drugs and arms flow across porous borders.
A gang stole $11.72m (£9.08m) in cash after blasting their way into a vault near the border with Brazil, where the gunmen are believed to have fled to.
Gunmen armed with assault rifles used explosives on the headquarters of the armoured company Prosegur in the city of Ciudad del Este.
Before targeting the building early on Monday, the gunmen set fire to around 20 vehicles and also used grenades at three nearby sites.
They also attacked a police station, killing one officer and injuring four others.
The vault was believed to have held $49m (£38m) before the assault.
Paraguay's police commissioner Abel Canete confirmed Brazilian organised crime organisation, known as the First Capital Command (PCC), had infiltrated the country and was operating from the capital city Asuncion.
He said: "The use of explosives with gel inside automatic rounds, assault on money transport vehicles, bank robbery, excavation of tunnels.
"Prior to this, it was a myth if they (PCC) were there (in Asuncion).
"But given the events that we have investigated we have determined and we have identified members of the PCC. That is to say they exist."
Paraguay's interior ministry has said three suspected members of the gang were killed in a shoot-out with Brazilian federal agents, about 45 miles north of Ciudad del Este.
Brazil's federal police arrested about 15 men suspected of being involved in the theft. But seven have now been released due to lack of evidence.
Ciudad del Este is in the 'Triple Border' region, where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet and where illegal drugs and arms flow across porous borders.
UK economic growth shows weakest growth since Brexit vote
The UK economy grew by 0.3% in the first three months of the year, suggesting a Brexit-linked slowdown, according to worse-than-expected official figures.
In a blow to the Chancellor ahead of the General Election, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales were the biggest drag on first quarter growth, which came in at its weakest level since the EU referendum last June.
The first estimate - which is subject to revision as more information becomes available - marked a sharp slowdown on the 0.7% expansion achieved in the final quarter of 2016 when the economy had continued to defy pre-referendum predictions of a recession in the event of a Leave win.
Economists had been expecting a growth figure of 0.4% at the start of the year amid clear evidence of a squeeze on household budgets.
Labour's shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, seized on the performance, saying: "Today's GDP figures reveal the threat to living standards under the Tories."
"This General Election is a choice between a Labour Party who will stand up for the many and a Tory party which only looks after the privileged few," he added.
Chancellor Philip Hammond said: "Britain's economy is forecast to grow at 2% this year, employment is at record highs and it's set to go higher still."
He said the choice facing the electorate was between strong and stable government under Theresa May or a Jeremy Corbyn-led "coalition of chaos".
:: Is Chancellor Philip Hammond being gagged over GDP?
In a blow to the Chancellor ahead of the General Election, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales were the biggest drag on first quarter growth, which came in at its weakest level since the EU referendum last June.
The first estimate - which is subject to revision as more information becomes available - marked a sharp slowdown on the 0.7% expansion achieved in the final quarter of 2016 when the economy had continued to defy pre-referendum predictions of a recession in the event of a Leave win.
Economists had been expecting a growth figure of 0.4% at the start of the year amid clear evidence of a squeeze on household budgets.
Labour's shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, seized on the performance, saying: "Today's GDP figures reveal the threat to living standards under the Tories."
"This General Election is a choice between a Labour Party who will stand up for the many and a Tory party which only looks after the privileged few," he added.
Chancellor Philip Hammond said: "Britain's economy is forecast to grow at 2% this year, employment is at record highs and it's set to go higher still."
He said the choice facing the electorate was between strong and stable government under Theresa May or a Jeremy Corbyn-led "coalition of chaos".
:: Is Chancellor Philip Hammond being gagged over GDP?
Roman Polanski film to open at Cannes film festival
Fugitive director Roman Polanski's latest film has been announced as a last-minute entry to the Cannes Film Festival line-up.
The movie, Based On A True Story (D'apres Une Histoire Vraie), will be screened out of competition and stars Emmanuelle Seigner as a Parisian author who meets a mysterious woman, played by Eva Green, at a book signing.
The film marks Polanski's return to the Croisette, four years after his latest film Venus In Fur competed for the Palme d'Or.
:: Cannes 2017: Politics, TV and Adam Sandler
It also comes weeks after a Los Angeles judge rejected the director's bid to end his long-running underage sex abuse case.
Polanski's lawyers requested for the case to be closed without the French-Polish director having to appear in court or serve any more prison time.
Polanski was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl at actor Jack Nicholson's house in 1977, but fled the United States after serving just 42 days in jail.
The woman raped by Polanski took his side on his latest attempt to return to the US without risking jail time.
Samantha Gailey's lawyers revealed a letter in which she accuses prosecutors of not protecting her.
"You have treated me with contempt using a crime committed against me to further your own careers," she said.
Ms Gailey has said in the past she thinks the director's exile has been punishment enough and wants the proceedings to come to an end.
However, prosecutors insist he should return to the US to face justice and should not receive special treatment because of his fame.
Polanski had been set to preside over France's Cesar Awards in February, but withdrew after the protests of feminist groups.
The director has always been welcomed in Cannes, having both Venus In Fur and The Pianist in competition.
Based On A True Story is co-written by Polanski and director Olivier Assayas, whose latest movie Personal Shopper, starring Kristen Stewart as an American in Paris, won the Palme d'Or at Cannes just last year.
Another new addition to the festival lineup is Force Majeure director Ruben Ostlund's drama The Square, starring Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West.
The movie, Based On A True Story (D'apres Une Histoire Vraie), will be screened out of competition and stars Emmanuelle Seigner as a Parisian author who meets a mysterious woman, played by Eva Green, at a book signing.
The film marks Polanski's return to the Croisette, four years after his latest film Venus In Fur competed for the Palme d'Or.
:: Cannes 2017: Politics, TV and Adam Sandler
It also comes weeks after a Los Angeles judge rejected the director's bid to end his long-running underage sex abuse case.
Polanski's lawyers requested for the case to be closed without the French-Polish director having to appear in court or serve any more prison time.
Polanski was found guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl at actor Jack Nicholson's house in 1977, but fled the United States after serving just 42 days in jail.
The woman raped by Polanski took his side on his latest attempt to return to the US without risking jail time.
Samantha Gailey's lawyers revealed a letter in which she accuses prosecutors of not protecting her.
"You have treated me with contempt using a crime committed against me to further your own careers," she said.
Ms Gailey has said in the past she thinks the director's exile has been punishment enough and wants the proceedings to come to an end.
However, prosecutors insist he should return to the US to face justice and should not receive special treatment because of his fame.
Polanski had been set to preside over France's Cesar Awards in February, but withdrew after the protests of feminist groups.
The director has always been welcomed in Cannes, having both Venus In Fur and The Pianist in competition.
Based On A True Story is co-written by Polanski and director Olivier Assayas, whose latest movie Personal Shopper, starring Kristen Stewart as an American in Paris, won the Palme d'Or at Cannes just last year.
Another new addition to the festival lineup is Force Majeure director Ruben Ostlund's drama The Square, starring Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West.
EU 'to pave way for united Ireland membership' at Brexit summit
EU leaders are set to pave the way for automatic membership for Northern Ireland if it decides to reunify with Ireland in the wake of Brexit.
Dublin is expected to ask the bloc's 27 leaders to endorse the idea when they gather in Brussels on Saturday - without Britain - to adopt the EU's guidelines for exit negotiations, according to multiple reports.
"We expect Ireland to ask on Saturday for a statement to be added to the minutes of the European Council, which states that in case of a unification of the island in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement, the united Ireland would be a member of the EU," an EU Council source told the AFP news agency.
"We do not expect a change of the guidelines themselves, but only a statement to the minutes" of the meeting, they added, on condition of anonymity.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has previously asked fellow EU leaders to acknowledge that Northern Ireland would, like East Germany in 1990, automatically become a member in the event of unification with an existing member state.
Irish and EU legal experts have said this is the established position in international law of such territorial changes.
Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, referenda would have to be held on both sides of the border to approve unification.
Another source told Reuters the statement would "state the obvious, i.e. that also a united Ireland would continue being a member of the EU".
They added: "The EU does of course not take a stance on the possibility of a united Ireland.
"Should this question arise, it would be for the peoples of Ireland and Northern Ireland to decide in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement."
Ahead of the summit, European Council President Donald Tusk has said Britain must honour its outstanding financial commitments to the EU before trade talks can commence.
Mr Tusk said discussions about future relations can only start once "we have achieved sufficient progress" on key exit issues:
:: Britain settling outstanding financial commitments to the EU
:: A deal on the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and Britons living in the EU
:: Action to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic
Mr Tusk said: "In other words, before discussing our future, we must first sort out our past."
Dublin is expected to ask the bloc's 27 leaders to endorse the idea when they gather in Brussels on Saturday - without Britain - to adopt the EU's guidelines for exit negotiations, according to multiple reports.
"We expect Ireland to ask on Saturday for a statement to be added to the minutes of the European Council, which states that in case of a unification of the island in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement, the united Ireland would be a member of the EU," an EU Council source told the AFP news agency.
"We do not expect a change of the guidelines themselves, but only a statement to the minutes" of the meeting, they added, on condition of anonymity.
Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has previously asked fellow EU leaders to acknowledge that Northern Ireland would, like East Germany in 1990, automatically become a member in the event of unification with an existing member state.
Irish and EU legal experts have said this is the established position in international law of such territorial changes.
Under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, referenda would have to be held on both sides of the border to approve unification.
Another source told Reuters the statement would "state the obvious, i.e. that also a united Ireland would continue being a member of the EU".
They added: "The EU does of course not take a stance on the possibility of a united Ireland.
"Should this question arise, it would be for the peoples of Ireland and Northern Ireland to decide in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement."
Ahead of the summit, European Council President Donald Tusk has said Britain must honour its outstanding financial commitments to the EU before trade talks can commence.
Mr Tusk said discussions about future relations can only start once "we have achieved sufficient progress" on key exit issues:
:: Britain settling outstanding financial commitments to the EU
:: A deal on the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and Britons living in the EU
:: Action to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic
Mr Tusk said: "In other words, before discussing our future, we must first sort out our past."
Obese woman to move to UAE after 'losing 250kg' in India
An Egyptian woman believed to have been the world's heaviest is to be moved to the UAE after a row over her weight loss at the Indian hospital where she was being treated.
Mumbai's Saifee hospital said Eman Abd El Aty had weight loss surgery and was free to go as she now weighed 172kg (380lbs), down from an estimated 500kg.
But her sister accused doctors of lying and pleaded for her to stay.
She will now go to Burjeel hospital in Abu Dhabi.
A statement released by Ms Abd El Aty's doctors said she would receive "secondary physiotherapy" there as the hospital is "closer to home for Eman and her family".
Saifee hospital added that it was proud of the efforts of its team of doctors, stating that "she came on a chartered cargo plane and goes back as a passenger on a flight in business class".
New facility for '500kg' woman's surgery
Obesity boom 'fuels malnutrition rise'
India 'heaviest baby' weighs 15lb
Fat-shamed policeman thanks 'mean' tweet
Earlier, the hospital had angrily rejected the allegations by Ms Abd El Aty's sister Shaimaa Selim, who released a short video on social media alleging that her sister was still unable to speak or move and had not lost as much weight as the hospital was claiming.
Obesity surgeon Dr Muffi Lakdawala also strongly denied the allegations in a tweet.
Mumbai's Saifee hospital said Eman Abd El Aty had weight loss surgery and was free to go as she now weighed 172kg (380lbs), down from an estimated 500kg.
But her sister accused doctors of lying and pleaded for her to stay.
She will now go to Burjeel hospital in Abu Dhabi.
A statement released by Ms Abd El Aty's doctors said she would receive "secondary physiotherapy" there as the hospital is "closer to home for Eman and her family".
Saifee hospital added that it was proud of the efforts of its team of doctors, stating that "she came on a chartered cargo plane and goes back as a passenger on a flight in business class".
New facility for '500kg' woman's surgery
Obesity boom 'fuels malnutrition rise'
India 'heaviest baby' weighs 15lb
Fat-shamed policeman thanks 'mean' tweet
Earlier, the hospital had angrily rejected the allegations by Ms Abd El Aty's sister Shaimaa Selim, who released a short video on social media alleging that her sister was still unable to speak or move and had not lost as much weight as the hospital was claiming.
Obesity surgeon Dr Muffi Lakdawala also strongly denied the allegations in a tweet.
Ridley Scott: Aliens exist and they will come for us
Film director Ridley Scott has revealed he is convinced that aliens are really out there - and one day they will come for us.
The veteran filmmaker is preparing to release the sixth film in the Alien sci-fi horror series, Alien: Covenant, next month.
He said: "I believe in superior beings. I think it is certainly likely.
"An expert I was talking to at NASA said to me 'have you ever looked in the sky at night? You mean to tell me we are it?' That's ridiculous.
"The experts have now put a number on it having assessed what is out there. They say that there are between 100 and 200 entities that could be having a similar evolution to us right now.
"So when you see a big thing in the sky, run for it. Because they are a lot smarter than we are, and if you are stupid enough to challenge them you will be taken out in three seconds."
The new film - the second prequel which is set before the 1979 original starring Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt and Yaphet Kotto - is set in 2104 on board a spaceship carrying 2,000 cryogenically frozen colonists to a distant planet.
On their journey, they chance upon an uncharted paradise, but it soon turns into a nightmare.
Scott, 79, said he has never tired of scaring moviegoers.
He said: "When I did the first Alien I had to get a sense of responsibility because the reaction to the kitchen ('chestbuster') scene with John Hurt was beyond anything I expected - and it was not good.
"But the film was very successful because people are perverse.
"Everybody was half underneath the seat watching by the time you get to the kitchen scene. There was a woman underneath the seat with her husband holding her."
The director, however, is not so easily scared.
He said: "Nothing scares me. I have a 9mm (pistol).
"If there is a problem I tend to close down into calm. When you walk in in the morning on a film and 600 people turn and all look at you, that is scary."
Scott, who was knighted in 2003, is about to make a film about the Battle of Britain during World War II.
:: Alien: Covenant opens on 10 May.
The veteran filmmaker is preparing to release the sixth film in the Alien sci-fi horror series, Alien: Covenant, next month.
He said: "I believe in superior beings. I think it is certainly likely.
"An expert I was talking to at NASA said to me 'have you ever looked in the sky at night? You mean to tell me we are it?' That's ridiculous.
"The experts have now put a number on it having assessed what is out there. They say that there are between 100 and 200 entities that could be having a similar evolution to us right now.
"So when you see a big thing in the sky, run for it. Because they are a lot smarter than we are, and if you are stupid enough to challenge them you will be taken out in three seconds."
The new film - the second prequel which is set before the 1979 original starring Sigourney Weaver, Ian Holm, John Hurt and Yaphet Kotto - is set in 2104 on board a spaceship carrying 2,000 cryogenically frozen colonists to a distant planet.
On their journey, they chance upon an uncharted paradise, but it soon turns into a nightmare.
Scott, 79, said he has never tired of scaring moviegoers.
He said: "When I did the first Alien I had to get a sense of responsibility because the reaction to the kitchen ('chestbuster') scene with John Hurt was beyond anything I expected - and it was not good.
"But the film was very successful because people are perverse.
"Everybody was half underneath the seat watching by the time you get to the kitchen scene. There was a woman underneath the seat with her husband holding her."
The director, however, is not so easily scared.
He said: "Nothing scares me. I have a 9mm (pistol).
"If there is a problem I tend to close down into calm. When you walk in in the morning on a film and 600 people turn and all look at you, that is scary."
Scott, who was knighted in 2003, is about to make a film about the Battle of Britain during World War II.
:: Alien: Covenant opens on 10 May.
Trump: Chance of 'major conflict' with N Korea
Donald Trump has said there is a chance of a "major, major conflict" with North Korea.
The US President said he would "love to solve things (the North Korean problem) diplomatically but it's very difficult".
"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea, absolutely," he added.
Mr Trump was speaking during an Oval Office interview with Reuters ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.
:: Senior adviser to Trump gives an insight into his first 100 days
The North Korea nuclear threat is one of the biggest challenges facing the Trump administration, with some experts saying the country could have a nuclear missile capable of reaching the US some time after 2020.
Mr Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he met in Florida earlier this month, for his efforts in deterring North Korea from its nuclear programme.
"I believe he is trying very hard," he told Reuters.
"He certainly doesn't want to see turmoil and death, he doesn't want to see it.
"He is a good man, he is a very good man and I got to know him very well."
:: Hannah Thomas-Peter - Trump is milking the North Korea crisis for all it's worth
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has revealed China has warned North Korea that it will impose its own "sanctions actions" if there is another nuclear test.
Mr Tillerson was speaking to Fox News and his words suggest that China has made its toughest threat yet against its defiant neighbour and ally Pyongyang.
He said that China had asked North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear tests, adding: "In fact, we were told by the Chinese that they informed the regime that if they did conduct further nuclear tests, China would be taking sanctions actions on their own."
The US President said he would "love to solve things (the North Korean problem) diplomatically but it's very difficult".
"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea, absolutely," he added.
Mr Trump was speaking during an Oval Office interview with Reuters ahead of his 100th day in office on Saturday.
:: Senior adviser to Trump gives an insight into his first 100 days
The North Korea nuclear threat is one of the biggest challenges facing the Trump administration, with some experts saying the country could have a nuclear missile capable of reaching the US some time after 2020.
Mr Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he met in Florida earlier this month, for his efforts in deterring North Korea from its nuclear programme.
"I believe he is trying very hard," he told Reuters.
"He certainly doesn't want to see turmoil and death, he doesn't want to see it.
"He is a good man, he is a very good man and I got to know him very well."
:: Hannah Thomas-Peter - Trump is milking the North Korea crisis for all it's worth
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has revealed China has warned North Korea that it will impose its own "sanctions actions" if there is another nuclear test.
Mr Tillerson was speaking to Fox News and his words suggest that China has made its toughest threat yet against its defiant neighbour and ally Pyongyang.
He said that China had asked North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear tests, adding: "In fact, we were told by the Chinese that they informed the regime that if they did conduct further nuclear tests, China would be taking sanctions actions on their own."
Arkansas executes Kenneth Williams - fourth inmate to die in eight days
Arkansas has executed Kenneth Williams, the fourth inmate it has put to death in eight days.
Williams was executed by lethal injection on Thursday night at the Cummins Unit prison in Varner.
A prison spokesman said three minutes after the injection began, Williams shook for about 10 seconds before being pronounced dead at 11.05pm.
A reporter from Associated Press who witnessed the execution said Williams had been "lurching, convulsing, coughing and jerking".
The 38-year-old was executed for the death of former deputy warden Cecil Boren, 57.
Williams had murdered Mr Boren after escaping from prison in 1999.
Williams was executed by lethal injection on Thursday night at the Cummins Unit prison in Varner.
A prison spokesman said three minutes after the injection began, Williams shook for about 10 seconds before being pronounced dead at 11.05pm.
A reporter from Associated Press who witnessed the execution said Williams had been "lurching, convulsing, coughing and jerking".
The 38-year-old was executed for the death of former deputy warden Cecil Boren, 57.
Williams had murdered Mr Boren after escaping from prison in 1999.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Alexander Blackman who shot an injured Taliban fighter is released from jail
Alexander Blackman, who had his sentence reduced for shooting dead an injured Taliban fighter, has been released from prison.
The former Royal Marine, who spent more than three years in prison, left Erlestoke Prison, near Devizes, Wiltshire, is the early hours of the morning.
Blackman shot the insurgent, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol in Afghanistan in 2011.
He was originally convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years, but this was quashed last month by the Court Martial Appeal Court and replaced with diminished responsibility manslaughter.
The judges ruled that Blackman was suffering from an "abnormality of mental functioning" at the time of the shooting, when he was serving in Afghanistan with Plymouth-based 42 Commando.
The Court Martial Appeal Court found the killing was not a "cold-blooded execution" as the court martial concluded but the result of mental illness, an "adjustment disorder".
The judges described Blackman as "an exemplary soldier" before his deployment to Afghanistan in March 2011 but said he had suffered from "exceptional stressors" during that tour.
They found his ability to "form a rational judgment" was "substantially impaired".
Blackman's sentence was reduced to seven years which meant he was likely to be freed within weeks.
The decision was described by his wife Claire Blackman as "the moment that we have all been fighting hard for".
During the original trial in 2013, Blackman was known only as Marine A.
His identity was made public after his conviction.
The former Royal Marine, who spent more than three years in prison, left Erlestoke Prison, near Devizes, Wiltshire, is the early hours of the morning.
Blackman shot the insurgent, who had been seriously injured in an attack by an Apache helicopter, in the chest at close range with a 9mm pistol in Afghanistan in 2011.
He was originally convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 10 years, but this was quashed last month by the Court Martial Appeal Court and replaced with diminished responsibility manslaughter.
The judges ruled that Blackman was suffering from an "abnormality of mental functioning" at the time of the shooting, when he was serving in Afghanistan with Plymouth-based 42 Commando.
The Court Martial Appeal Court found the killing was not a "cold-blooded execution" as the court martial concluded but the result of mental illness, an "adjustment disorder".
The judges described Blackman as "an exemplary soldier" before his deployment to Afghanistan in March 2011 but said he had suffered from "exceptional stressors" during that tour.
They found his ability to "form a rational judgment" was "substantially impaired".
Blackman's sentence was reduced to seven years which meant he was likely to be freed within weeks.
The decision was described by his wife Claire Blackman as "the moment that we have all been fighting hard for".
During the original trial in 2013, Blackman was known only as Marine A.
His identity was made public after his conviction.
Westminster terror alert: Man arrested just 100m from Downing Street
Armed officers have arrested a man in connection with preparing a terror attack just yards from Downing Street.
Police say the 27-year-old was carrying a rucksack containing several knives, which are being examined by forensic officers.
The suspect was known to police prior to his arrest, according to Sky sources.
Roads were locked down as officers carried out the arrest - pushing the man to the ground before holding him at the scene.
No one was injured in the incident, and Whitehall has since reopened northbound.
The Metropolitan Police said the man was stopped at 2.22pm as part of an ongoing operation. He has been taken to a south London police station where he is being held under the Terrorism Act.
The arrest took place at the Parliament Street junction with Parliament Square, close to the scene of last month's terror attack which killed five people, including police officer Keith Palmer, on 22 March.
Police say the 27-year-old was carrying a rucksack containing several knives, which are being examined by forensic officers.
The suspect was known to police prior to his arrest, according to Sky sources.
Roads were locked down as officers carried out the arrest - pushing the man to the ground before holding him at the scene.
No one was injured in the incident, and Whitehall has since reopened northbound.
The Metropolitan Police said the man was stopped at 2.22pm as part of an ongoing operation. He has been taken to a south London police station where he is being held under the Terrorism Act.
The arrest took place at the Parliament Street junction with Parliament Square, close to the scene of last month's terror attack which killed five people, including police officer Keith Palmer, on 22 March.
United Airlines to offer passengers up to $10,000 to give up seats
United Airlines has said it will offer passengers who volunteer to give up their seats on an overbooked flight up to $10,000 (£7,700).
It is one of several new policies it has unveiled in its efforts to avoid a repeat of the controversy and public relations disaster in which a passenger was dragged off one of its flights earlier this month.
Dr David Dao, 69, was filmed being forcibly removed from an overbooked US domestic flight on 9 April after refusing to give up his seat.
United offered until now $800 (£622) in compensation for passengers who agree to forfeit their seats.
The new offer comes after rival Delta raised to $9,950 (£7,733) the amount it would pay for volunteers to get off overbooked flights.
United also promised fewer oversold flights and better staff training.
It said passengers who were already seated would no longer be required to give up their seats on overbooked flights.
The airline also said it would adopt a "no questions asked" policy on permanently lost baggage, paying customers $1,500 (£1,165) for the value of the bag and its contents, from June.
Mr Dao was a paying passenger who was already in his seat when he was removed from the Chicago to Louisville flight to make way for additional crew members.
The raft of changes announced by the airline on Thursday following a two-week review of the incident included a pledge to ensure crews in future are booked onto flights at least an hour before departure, unless there are available seats.
United again apologised for its initial response to the incident and confirmed it would no longer use police to remove passengers.
"This is a turning point for all of us at United and it signals a culture shift toward becoming a better, more customer-focused airline," said Chief Executive Oscar Munoz, who has faced calls to step down after referring to Dr Dao as "disruptive and belligerent" immediately after the incident.
"Our policies got in the way of our values and procedures interfered with doing what's right," Mr Munoz added.
Footage of a bloodied Dr Dao - who suffered concussion, lost two front teeth and broke his nose in the scuffle - quickly went viral and sparked a public outcry.
Videos of his treatment caused millions of dollars to be wiped off the value of United's parent company United Continental Holdings and social media users from around the world called for a boycott of the airline.
Dr Dao's lawyers appear to be preparing to launch legal action against the airline.
His lawyers have filed an emergency request with an Illinois court to make sure the airline preserves evidence such as videos, cockpit voice recordings, passenger and crew lists and other materials related to United Flight 3411.
It is one of several new policies it has unveiled in its efforts to avoid a repeat of the controversy and public relations disaster in which a passenger was dragged off one of its flights earlier this month.
Dr David Dao, 69, was filmed being forcibly removed from an overbooked US domestic flight on 9 April after refusing to give up his seat.
United offered until now $800 (£622) in compensation for passengers who agree to forfeit their seats.
The new offer comes after rival Delta raised to $9,950 (£7,733) the amount it would pay for volunteers to get off overbooked flights.
United also promised fewer oversold flights and better staff training.
It said passengers who were already seated would no longer be required to give up their seats on overbooked flights.
The airline also said it would adopt a "no questions asked" policy on permanently lost baggage, paying customers $1,500 (£1,165) for the value of the bag and its contents, from June.
Mr Dao was a paying passenger who was already in his seat when he was removed from the Chicago to Louisville flight to make way for additional crew members.
The raft of changes announced by the airline on Thursday following a two-week review of the incident included a pledge to ensure crews in future are booked onto flights at least an hour before departure, unless there are available seats.
United again apologised for its initial response to the incident and confirmed it would no longer use police to remove passengers.
"This is a turning point for all of us at United and it signals a culture shift toward becoming a better, more customer-focused airline," said Chief Executive Oscar Munoz, who has faced calls to step down after referring to Dr Dao as "disruptive and belligerent" immediately after the incident.
"Our policies got in the way of our values and procedures interfered with doing what's right," Mr Munoz added.
Footage of a bloodied Dr Dao - who suffered concussion, lost two front teeth and broke his nose in the scuffle - quickly went viral and sparked a public outcry.
Videos of his treatment caused millions of dollars to be wiped off the value of United's parent company United Continental Holdings and social media users from around the world called for a boycott of the airline.
Dr Dao's lawyers appear to be preparing to launch legal action against the airline.
His lawyers have filed an emergency request with an Illinois court to make sure the airline preserves evidence such as videos, cockpit voice recordings, passenger and crew lists and other materials related to United Flight 3411.
Scan showing brain age can predict early death, study finds
Neuroscientists say they can predict whether or not someone will die young simply by scanning their brains.
Researchers working at Imperial College London looked at the MRI brain scans of thousands of individuals alongside long-term studies of hundreds of elderly patients and found that the older a person's brain age, the more likely they are to develop negative health traits.
So detailed is the research that they say they can predict a person is likely to die before they reach 80 if they have a brain age eight years older than their real age for a man or two years older for a woman.
The potential for doctors to predict and prevent early death is huge but there are obvious implications for individual patients too.
I went along to get my brain scanned and waited patiently for the 20 minutes it took lead researcher Dr James Cole to analyse my brain using specialist software.
It turns out I have the brain age of a teenager despite being 31.
As amused as the Sky newsroom was about my 15-year-old brain, it was good to hear.
There will no doubt be ethical questions about whether or not patients would want to know their future health but the tests are still many years off being ready for mass-use.
"In the long run it would be great if we could do this accurately enough so that we could do it at an individual level," said Dr James Cole.
"Someone could go to their doctor, have a brain scan and the doctor could say 'your brain is 10 years older than it should be', and potentially advise them to change their diet or lifestyle or to start a course of treatment.
"However, at the moment, it's not sufficiently accurate to be used at that sort of individual level."
At the heart of the method is a technique first developed in 2010 that measures brain volume and uses machine learning to estimate the overall loss of grey and white matter - a hallmark of the ageing process in the brain.
Dr Cole took this basic technique and refined it by testing it on publicly available datasets of MRI scans of more than 2,000 healthy people's brains, resulting in normalised maps which accurately predicted the person's age.
Following this fine-tuning, it was then applied to scans of 669 people from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, a well-studied group of adults all born in 1936 who had undergone MRI scans at age 73, giving them a score for predicted brain age.
Scientists say the factors that could alter a person's brain are to do with healthy eating and exercise as well as alcohol intake and smoking.
GP Dr Andrew Boyd told Sky News: "It's just another bit of scientific evidence that adds to the whole host of other things that are out there that say that if you look after your health then the brain's going to look after itself as well."
Researchers working at Imperial College London looked at the MRI brain scans of thousands of individuals alongside long-term studies of hundreds of elderly patients and found that the older a person's brain age, the more likely they are to develop negative health traits.
So detailed is the research that they say they can predict a person is likely to die before they reach 80 if they have a brain age eight years older than their real age for a man or two years older for a woman.
The potential for doctors to predict and prevent early death is huge but there are obvious implications for individual patients too.
I went along to get my brain scanned and waited patiently for the 20 minutes it took lead researcher Dr James Cole to analyse my brain using specialist software.
It turns out I have the brain age of a teenager despite being 31.
As amused as the Sky newsroom was about my 15-year-old brain, it was good to hear.
There will no doubt be ethical questions about whether or not patients would want to know their future health but the tests are still many years off being ready for mass-use.
"In the long run it would be great if we could do this accurately enough so that we could do it at an individual level," said Dr James Cole.
"Someone could go to their doctor, have a brain scan and the doctor could say 'your brain is 10 years older than it should be', and potentially advise them to change their diet or lifestyle or to start a course of treatment.
"However, at the moment, it's not sufficiently accurate to be used at that sort of individual level."
At the heart of the method is a technique first developed in 2010 that measures brain volume and uses machine learning to estimate the overall loss of grey and white matter - a hallmark of the ageing process in the brain.
Dr Cole took this basic technique and refined it by testing it on publicly available datasets of MRI scans of more than 2,000 healthy people's brains, resulting in normalised maps which accurately predicted the person's age.
Following this fine-tuning, it was then applied to scans of 669 people from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, a well-studied group of adults all born in 1936 who had undergone MRI scans at age 73, giving them a score for predicted brain age.
Scientists say the factors that could alter a person's brain are to do with healthy eating and exercise as well as alcohol intake and smoking.
GP Dr Andrew Boyd told Sky News: "It's just another bit of scientific evidence that adds to the whole host of other things that are out there that say that if you look after your health then the brain's going to look after itself as well."
Trump is 'milking the North Korea crisis for all it is worth'
Donald Trump seems to have recognised North Korea as a defining issue of his presidency.
He has been sending military hardware to the region, ending America's "era of strategic patience", pressuring China to exert influence on its ally and urging the UN Security Council to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang.
But perhaps the most theatrical element of all of this geopolitical choreography occurred at home, when he "invited" (summoned) the entire US Senate to the White House for a briefing on the issue.
Charitably, this is evidence of a world leader taking the threat of an escalating nuclear crisis very seriously and urging his colleagues to do the same.
Cynically, the image of grown men and women being loaded on to buses and shipped to the headmaster's office for a stern talking-to projects an image of unmistakable power and influence.
As Trump approaches his 100 day marker, with all the scrutiny that entails, this very much suits him.
Above all, America's new commander in chief is an opportunist.
With crisis and drama comes a chance to distract from real problems at home: the failed healthcare bill, problems funding the border wall, opposition from federal judges on travel bans, an FBI investigation into collusion with Russia.
In the end there were no great revelations from the unusual Senate briefing.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and top defence and intelligence officials merely repeated, in a statement, that North Korea represented an urgent and growing national security threat.
They said the Trump administration believed pressure on Pyongyang could be exerted through diplomacy and increased economic sanctions, but that America stood ready to defend herself and her allies should it be necessary.
In other words, unless they were given some explosive classified material that no-one is talking about, there wasn't an obvious reason to haul approximately 100 people in to the White House as the world's cameras watched.
Mr Trump is milking the North Korea crisis for all it is worth.
He has been sending military hardware to the region, ending America's "era of strategic patience", pressuring China to exert influence on its ally and urging the UN Security Council to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang.
But perhaps the most theatrical element of all of this geopolitical choreography occurred at home, when he "invited" (summoned) the entire US Senate to the White House for a briefing on the issue.
Charitably, this is evidence of a world leader taking the threat of an escalating nuclear crisis very seriously and urging his colleagues to do the same.
Cynically, the image of grown men and women being loaded on to buses and shipped to the headmaster's office for a stern talking-to projects an image of unmistakable power and influence.
As Trump approaches his 100 day marker, with all the scrutiny that entails, this very much suits him.
Above all, America's new commander in chief is an opportunist.
With crisis and drama comes a chance to distract from real problems at home: the failed healthcare bill, problems funding the border wall, opposition from federal judges on travel bans, an FBI investigation into collusion with Russia.
In the end there were no great revelations from the unusual Senate briefing.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and top defence and intelligence officials merely repeated, in a statement, that North Korea represented an urgent and growing national security threat.
They said the Trump administration believed pressure on Pyongyang could be exerted through diplomacy and increased economic sanctions, but that America stood ready to defend herself and her allies should it be necessary.
In other words, unless they were given some explosive classified material that no-one is talking about, there wasn't an obvious reason to haul approximately 100 people in to the White House as the world's cameras watched.
Mr Trump is milking the North Korea crisis for all it is worth.
Boris Johnson launches attack on 'mugwump' Jeremy Corbyn
Boris Johnson has cemented his intervention in the General Election campaign with a savage attack on Jeremy Corbyn, describing him as a "benign herbivore".
His colourful assault on the Labour leader suggests voters are tempted to feel compassion when they see his "meandering and nonsensical" performances.
But the Foreign Secretary writes in The Sun that voters should not feel sorry for the "mutton-headed old mugwump" as, he says, Mr Corbyn poses an extreme danger to the country.
:: Sky Views: It's game on for Crush Corbyn
He says the Opposition leader's long record as a peace campaigner and his anti-military stances actually mean "the consequences would be calamitous" if he ever became Prime Minister.
"Have you ever thought the Leader of the Opposition is an essentially benign Islingtonian herbivore?" the Foreign Secretary writes. "Have you felt a pang of sympathy for his plight? If so, fight it.
"The biggest risk with Jeremy Corbyn is that people just don't get what a threat he really is."
Mr Johnson concludes his article with a warning on Brexit. "Corbyn's approach would be a recipe for paralysis and uncertainty - and for Britain to get totally stiffed in the negotiations," he writes.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said: "It seems Boris Johnson has finally been allowed out of hiding, on the condition he only talks delusional nonsense.
"He talks about creating a 'global Britain', yet the Tories have overseen the greatest diminution of British influence on the world stage in a generation.
"With his crass and offensive remarks Boris Johnson has single-handedly damaged Britain's chances of getting a good deal with the EU.
"And after his broken promise of £350m a week for the NHS, why should anyone believe a word he says?"
His colourful assault on the Labour leader suggests voters are tempted to feel compassion when they see his "meandering and nonsensical" performances.
But the Foreign Secretary writes in The Sun that voters should not feel sorry for the "mutton-headed old mugwump" as, he says, Mr Corbyn poses an extreme danger to the country.
:: Sky Views: It's game on for Crush Corbyn
He says the Opposition leader's long record as a peace campaigner and his anti-military stances actually mean "the consequences would be calamitous" if he ever became Prime Minister.
"Have you ever thought the Leader of the Opposition is an essentially benign Islingtonian herbivore?" the Foreign Secretary writes. "Have you felt a pang of sympathy for his plight? If so, fight it.
"The biggest risk with Jeremy Corbyn is that people just don't get what a threat he really is."
Mr Johnson concludes his article with a warning on Brexit. "Corbyn's approach would be a recipe for paralysis and uncertainty - and for Britain to get totally stiffed in the negotiations," he writes.
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said: "It seems Boris Johnson has finally been allowed out of hiding, on the condition he only talks delusional nonsense.
"He talks about creating a 'global Britain', yet the Tories have overseen the greatest diminution of British influence on the world stage in a generation.
"With his crass and offensive remarks Boris Johnson has single-handedly damaged Britain's chances of getting a good deal with the EU.
"And after his broken promise of £350m a week for the NHS, why should anyone believe a word he says?"
Brexit: Theresa May wants 'deep and special partnership' with EU
Britain wants a "deep and special partnership" with the EU after Brexit, Theresa May has told Brussels chiefs in talks at 10 Downing Street.
The Prime Minister held a "working dinner" lasting an hour and 45 minutes with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.
After the meeting, a No 10 spokesperson said: "The PM had a constructive meeting this evening with President Juncker of the European Commission.
"Following the UK's letter of notification under Article 50, she reiterated the UK's commitment to achieving a deep and special partnership with the European Union."
The meeting appeared to begin in cordial fashion as Mrs May greeted Mr Juncker with a kiss on both cheeks as she greeted him in Downing Street.
But the PM and Brexit Secretary David Davis, who was also at the dinner, soon began putting the UK's case on a number of key areas of dispute at the start of Brexit negotiations.
These are contained in a blueprint drawn up by European Council president Donald Tusk, who was not present, ahead of a summit of the other 27 EU leaders in Brussels on Saturday.
They include:
:: Demands by Brussels for a "divorce bill" of up to €50bn when the UK leaves the EU
:: The rights of EU citizens living in the UK and British ex-pats living in Europe after Brexit
:: The threat of a veto for Spain on the future status of Gibraltar after Brexit.
The Downing Street dinner came at Mrs May's invitation after she called the General Election. She wanted the Brussels chiefs to be aware of the UK's position before Saturday's meeting of EU leaders.
One Government insider said the dinner was an attempt to improve the atmosphere before Brexit talks start in earnest in June after the General Election. "It was the first stage in the negotiations," one of those present told Sky News.
Also present at the talks were other key figures in the Brexit negotiations.
From Brussels were Mr Juncker's right hand man Martin Selmayr, Mr Selmayr's diplomatic adviser Richard Szostak, Mr Barnier's deputy Sabine Weyand.
From the UK Government were No 10 joint chief of staff Nick Timothy and the chief Brexit department official Olly Robbins.
Earlier, addressing a conference in London, Mr Davis said of the Brexit negotiations: "The UK has a very good reason to feel optimistic.
'"The discussions I have had confirmed to me that on both sides, negotiations with our European partners will be conducted in a spirit of sincere cooperation. It is a spirit we have shared through our common history.
"Indeed, one of my key messages on my visits to the four countries over the past couple of days, and more than a dozen over a longer period, is that the UK wants to see the European Union succeed and prosper, politically, socially and economically.
"And when it comes to it, our European partners know - even those that were most dismayed by our departure after the UK referendum result - that it will be in their interests for the UK to do the same."
Mr Davis said he was confident of a "very early" deal on the Irish border and reciprocal rights for EU nationals in Britain and UK citizens on the continent.
He said he was optimistic about the opportunities for the future and added: "The Government will do its best to ensure that those opportunities are available to everybody."
The Prime Minister held a "working dinner" lasting an hour and 45 minutes with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.
After the meeting, a No 10 spokesperson said: "The PM had a constructive meeting this evening with President Juncker of the European Commission.
"Following the UK's letter of notification under Article 50, she reiterated the UK's commitment to achieving a deep and special partnership with the European Union."
The meeting appeared to begin in cordial fashion as Mrs May greeted Mr Juncker with a kiss on both cheeks as she greeted him in Downing Street.
But the PM and Brexit Secretary David Davis, who was also at the dinner, soon began putting the UK's case on a number of key areas of dispute at the start of Brexit negotiations.
These are contained in a blueprint drawn up by European Council president Donald Tusk, who was not present, ahead of a summit of the other 27 EU leaders in Brussels on Saturday.
They include:
:: Demands by Brussels for a "divorce bill" of up to €50bn when the UK leaves the EU
:: The rights of EU citizens living in the UK and British ex-pats living in Europe after Brexit
:: The threat of a veto for Spain on the future status of Gibraltar after Brexit.
The Downing Street dinner came at Mrs May's invitation after she called the General Election. She wanted the Brussels chiefs to be aware of the UK's position before Saturday's meeting of EU leaders.
One Government insider said the dinner was an attempt to improve the atmosphere before Brexit talks start in earnest in June after the General Election. "It was the first stage in the negotiations," one of those present told Sky News.
Also present at the talks were other key figures in the Brexit negotiations.
From Brussels were Mr Juncker's right hand man Martin Selmayr, Mr Selmayr's diplomatic adviser Richard Szostak, Mr Barnier's deputy Sabine Weyand.
From the UK Government were No 10 joint chief of staff Nick Timothy and the chief Brexit department official Olly Robbins.
Earlier, addressing a conference in London, Mr Davis said of the Brexit negotiations: "The UK has a very good reason to feel optimistic.
'"The discussions I have had confirmed to me that on both sides, negotiations with our European partners will be conducted in a spirit of sincere cooperation. It is a spirit we have shared through our common history.
"Indeed, one of my key messages on my visits to the four countries over the past couple of days, and more than a dozen over a longer period, is that the UK wants to see the European Union succeed and prosper, politically, socially and economically.
"And when it comes to it, our European partners know - even those that were most dismayed by our departure after the UK referendum result - that it will be in their interests for the UK to do the same."
Mr Davis said he was confident of a "very early" deal on the Irish border and reciprocal rights for EU nationals in Britain and UK citizens on the continent.
He said he was optimistic about the opportunities for the future and added: "The Government will do its best to ensure that those opportunities are available to everybody."
Zac Goldsmith to fight for seat he quit over Heathrow runway row
Zac Goldsmith is to re-contest his old seat for the Conservatives after quitting the party over its policy on Heathrow.
His comeback comes just months after he left the Tories in protest at their backing of expansion at the UK's largest airport.
He lost the constituency to Sarah Olney from the Liberal Democrats in a by-election last December.
The Liberal Democrats' chief whip, Tom Brake, said: "By standing as a Conservative after resigning over Heathrow, Zac Goldsmith has just lost his last shred of credibility.
"Zac Goldsmith couldn't stand on a Conservative platform last time, so what's changed?
"Sarah Olney beat him once, she will beat him again."
Mr Goldsmith had forced the by-election so that he could run as an independent, opposing Heathrow becoming bigger.
But despite his re-emergence for the party in Richmond Park, he will still be opposing its policy on Heathrow.
Nevertheless, constituency chairman Georgina Butler said she was "delighted" that Mr Goldsmith had been reselected.
Meanwhile, former employment minister Esther McVey has been selected by the Conservatives to fight George Osborne's old seat in Tatton.
The former chancellor tweeted his "huge congratulations", describing Ms McVey as "a real star", adding that he "couldn't have a better successor".
Mr Osborne, who was in charge at the Treasury from 2010-2016, also referenced one of his key projects, saying that Ms McVey was a "one-woman Northern Powerhouse".
Sky's Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig said: "Esther McVey, who is from Merseyside, had told friends she was keen to return to the Commons for a seat in the north, preferably the north west. So Tatton is perfect for her.
"She will have had George Osborne's backing, as the two worked closely when she was an employment minister and he was chancellor.
"But she was in demand. She was wanted in Chester, also in the north west, which is held by Labour with a majority of under 100, and Hornchurch and Upminster, a safe seat in east London where the veteran MP Angela Watkinson is retiring.
"Her only problem now is that Tatton is due to disappear in boundary changes before the next election, but she will be well placed to fight a new seat in Cheshire."
The Conservative majority she will be defending in Tatton stands at more than 18,000.
Before deciding to step down, Mr Osborne had been criticised for staying on as an MP while also becoming editor of the London Evening Standard.
But even after leaving the Commons, he will be kept busy with a variety of positions.
His comeback comes just months after he left the Tories in protest at their backing of expansion at the UK's largest airport.
He lost the constituency to Sarah Olney from the Liberal Democrats in a by-election last December.
The Liberal Democrats' chief whip, Tom Brake, said: "By standing as a Conservative after resigning over Heathrow, Zac Goldsmith has just lost his last shred of credibility.
"Zac Goldsmith couldn't stand on a Conservative platform last time, so what's changed?
"Sarah Olney beat him once, she will beat him again."
Mr Goldsmith had forced the by-election so that he could run as an independent, opposing Heathrow becoming bigger.
But despite his re-emergence for the party in Richmond Park, he will still be opposing its policy on Heathrow.
Nevertheless, constituency chairman Georgina Butler said she was "delighted" that Mr Goldsmith had been reselected.
Meanwhile, former employment minister Esther McVey has been selected by the Conservatives to fight George Osborne's old seat in Tatton.
The former chancellor tweeted his "huge congratulations", describing Ms McVey as "a real star", adding that he "couldn't have a better successor".
Mr Osborne, who was in charge at the Treasury from 2010-2016, also referenced one of his key projects, saying that Ms McVey was a "one-woman Northern Powerhouse".
Sky's Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig said: "Esther McVey, who is from Merseyside, had told friends she was keen to return to the Commons for a seat in the north, preferably the north west. So Tatton is perfect for her.
"She will have had George Osborne's backing, as the two worked closely when she was an employment minister and he was chancellor.
"But she was in demand. She was wanted in Chester, also in the north west, which is held by Labour with a majority of under 100, and Hornchurch and Upminster, a safe seat in east London where the veteran MP Angela Watkinson is retiring.
"Her only problem now is that Tatton is due to disappear in boundary changes before the next election, but she will be well placed to fight a new seat in Cheshire."
The Conservative majority she will be defending in Tatton stands at more than 18,000.
Before deciding to step down, Mr Osborne had been criticised for staying on as an MP while also becoming editor of the London Evening Standard.
But even after leaving the Commons, he will be kept busy with a variety of positions.
Joshua and Klitschko bring fight fascination to Sky campus
It's partly the journeys of the two pugilists; it's partly the pull of young meeting old and, let's be honest, it's partly because no sport does self-promotion quite like boxing.
But the result is that when Britain's Anthony Joshua defends his world heavyweight title against the former champion Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday, the 90,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium will break a UK record.
And even for the pre-fight news conference, being held in Sky's flagship London building, Sky Central, workers are preparing to abandon their desks and watch the two 6ft 6in giants engage in verbal combat before their fists are called upon.
Three hundred journalists from around the world are expected to gather beneath the new glass-walled Sky News studio in Osterley to hear from the two Olympic champions.
"It promises to be an amazing day here in Osterley and it's a great opportunity for the outside world to see our new campus," said a Sky spokesman.
The reporters and the onlookers will get a chance to look into the eyes of the 41-year-old Ukrainian, whose Soviet Air Force colonel father died of a cancer the family attribute to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Does Klitschko still have the hunger and the fitness to wrest the title back from the 27-year-old Londoner?
Joshua won Olympic gold in London in 2012, 16 years after watching in awe as his opponent on Saturday achieved the same feat in Atlanta.
If local support counts for anything, Joshua will be fine.
A man who once spent two weeks on remand in Reading Jail ("for fighting, crazy stuff") has turned his life round to the extent that children at his old school in Watford talked this week of his giving them "something to aspire to".
Is he - as some experts contend - still too raw as a boxer? He has won all 18 fights as a professional by knockout, but Klitschko's trainer Johnathon Banks warns: "You can't buy experience."
Britain's former world champion Lennox Lewis, who retired after winning a bloody battle against Klitschko's brother Vitali, is among the media throng here, working for German TV.
"You don't want to be learning in big fights like this," he says, while finding himself unable to predict which way it will go.
Is the fight too early for Joshua or too late for Klitschko?
There is an undeniable fascination.
Hence the crowds.
But the result is that when Britain's Anthony Joshua defends his world heavyweight title against the former champion Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday, the 90,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium will break a UK record.
And even for the pre-fight news conference, being held in Sky's flagship London building, Sky Central, workers are preparing to abandon their desks and watch the two 6ft 6in giants engage in verbal combat before their fists are called upon.
Three hundred journalists from around the world are expected to gather beneath the new glass-walled Sky News studio in Osterley to hear from the two Olympic champions.
"It promises to be an amazing day here in Osterley and it's a great opportunity for the outside world to see our new campus," said a Sky spokesman.
The reporters and the onlookers will get a chance to look into the eyes of the 41-year-old Ukrainian, whose Soviet Air Force colonel father died of a cancer the family attribute to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Does Klitschko still have the hunger and the fitness to wrest the title back from the 27-year-old Londoner?
Joshua won Olympic gold in London in 2012, 16 years after watching in awe as his opponent on Saturday achieved the same feat in Atlanta.
If local support counts for anything, Joshua will be fine.
A man who once spent two weeks on remand in Reading Jail ("for fighting, crazy stuff") has turned his life round to the extent that children at his old school in Watford talked this week of his giving them "something to aspire to".
Is he - as some experts contend - still too raw as a boxer? He has won all 18 fights as a professional by knockout, but Klitschko's trainer Johnathon Banks warns: "You can't buy experience."
Britain's former world champion Lennox Lewis, who retired after winning a bloody battle against Klitschko's brother Vitali, is among the media throng here, working for German TV.
"You don't want to be learning in big fights like this," he says, while finding himself unable to predict which way it will go.
Is the fight too early for Joshua or too late for Klitschko?
There is an undeniable fascination.
Hence the crowds.
Trump has 'no intention' of releasing his tax returns, despite clamour
President Donald Trump "has no intention" of releasing his tax returns to the public, the US treasury secretary has said.
Mr Trump has repeatedly refused to make his past returns public, breaking a decades-long tradition adhered to by his predecessors in the White House.
He has claimed the decision is because his taxes are being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Steve Mnuchin, treasury secretary, made the claim during a news conference on the President's new proposed tax plan on Wednesday.
He said: "The president has released plenty of information and I think has given more financial disclosure than anybody else.
"I think the American population has plenty of information."
It comes as Mr Trump proposed slashing the US tax rate on corporate tax from 35% to 15% as he looks to boost economic growth and bring jobs to America.
:: Trump administration proposes corporate tax cuts of 20%
Mr Trump also wants to reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three, double the standard deduction that Americans can claim on their tax returns and repeal the estate tax and alternative minimum tax.
Under those proposals, Mr Trump's family would stand to save significantly in future years. Mr Mnuchin declined to comment on any potential conflict of interest the changes could raise.
Under US law, only Congress can make major tax law changes.
A petition launched in January calling for Mr Trump's full tax returns to be released received more than one million signatures, meaning the White House has to make a formal response to it.
The wording of the petition read: "The unprecedented economic conflicts of this administration need to be visible to the American people, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal the foreign influences and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the emoluments clause of the Constitution."
Protests have taken place across the US asking for the returns to be published, but earlier this month Mr Trump claimed those taking part had been "paid" to do so.
Mr Trump's tax returns dating from 2005 were leaked last month, and revealed he had paid $36.5 or roughly 25% on the $153m he earned that year.
That figure is well above the 10% rate the average American taxpayer is faced with, but below the average of 27.4% of those earning more than $1m a year.
Mr Trump has repeatedly refused to make his past returns public, breaking a decades-long tradition adhered to by his predecessors in the White House.
He has claimed the decision is because his taxes are being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Steve Mnuchin, treasury secretary, made the claim during a news conference on the President's new proposed tax plan on Wednesday.
He said: "The president has released plenty of information and I think has given more financial disclosure than anybody else.
"I think the American population has plenty of information."
It comes as Mr Trump proposed slashing the US tax rate on corporate tax from 35% to 15% as he looks to boost economic growth and bring jobs to America.
:: Trump administration proposes corporate tax cuts of 20%
Mr Trump also wants to reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three, double the standard deduction that Americans can claim on their tax returns and repeal the estate tax and alternative minimum tax.
Under those proposals, Mr Trump's family would stand to save significantly in future years. Mr Mnuchin declined to comment on any potential conflict of interest the changes could raise.
Under US law, only Congress can make major tax law changes.
A petition launched in January calling for Mr Trump's full tax returns to be released received more than one million signatures, meaning the White House has to make a formal response to it.
The wording of the petition read: "The unprecedented economic conflicts of this administration need to be visible to the American people, including any pertinent documentation which can reveal the foreign influences and financial interests which may put Donald Trump in conflict with the emoluments clause of the Constitution."
Protests have taken place across the US asking for the returns to be published, but earlier this month Mr Trump claimed those taking part had been "paid" to do so.
Mr Trump's tax returns dating from 2005 were leaked last month, and revealed he had paid $36.5 or roughly 25% on the $153m he earned that year.
That figure is well above the 10% rate the average American taxpayer is faced with, but below the average of 27.4% of those earning more than $1m a year.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Lib Dems drop 'anti-Semitic' candidate David Ward
A former Liberal Democrat MP branded "anti-Semitic" has been dramatically sacked as a candidate only hours after being condemned by Theresa May in the Commons.
David Ward, MP for Bradford East from 2010-15, was selected by party activists in the constituency as their General Election candidate in a bid to win back the seat from Labour.
But just two hours after the Prime Minister hit out at his "questionable views", the Lib Dem leader Tim Farron - in an abrupt and spectacular U-turn - announced that he had sacked him.
"I believe in a politics that is open, tolerant and united," said Mr Farron. "David Ward is unfit to represent the party and I have sacked him."
Yet two hours before PMQs, Mr Farron - despite saying Mr Ward had said things that were "wrong, offensive and above all anti-Semitic" - had declared: "It is not the job of the leader to impose who and who isn't the candidate."
Mr Ward's dismissal by his party leader came after he was attacked during the final Prime Minister's Questions before the election by the former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Eric Pickles.
Sir Eric, a former leader of Bradford City Council who is quitting as an MP, said party leaders must do more than "pay lip service" to tackling anti-Semitism.
And he asked the PM: "Do you share my disgust that a former member of this House, criticised by the Home Affairs Select Committee for his anti-Semitic utterances, is now the official candidate in Bradford East for the Liberal Democrats?"
Mr Ward has been a controversial figure since accusing Jews of "inflicting atrocities on Palestinians" in a 2013 blog in which he compared Jewish suffering in the Holocaust with Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.
In 2014 he was forced to apologise after suggesting he might be ready to fire rockets from Gaza into Israel. A year later he lost his seat to Labour in the 2015 general election.
But when Mr Farron gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee's anti-Semitism inquiry last year, he said the ex-MP had "served his time".
Replying to Sir Eric's question, Mrs May said: "People will be, I think, rightly disappointed to see the Liberal Democrats re-adopt a candidate with a questionable record on anti-Semitism.
"It is important that all parties maintain the strongest possible censure on all forms of intolerance and send that message to our communities."
David Ward, MP for Bradford East from 2010-15, was selected by party activists in the constituency as their General Election candidate in a bid to win back the seat from Labour.
But just two hours after the Prime Minister hit out at his "questionable views", the Lib Dem leader Tim Farron - in an abrupt and spectacular U-turn - announced that he had sacked him.
"I believe in a politics that is open, tolerant and united," said Mr Farron. "David Ward is unfit to represent the party and I have sacked him."
Yet two hours before PMQs, Mr Farron - despite saying Mr Ward had said things that were "wrong, offensive and above all anti-Semitic" - had declared: "It is not the job of the leader to impose who and who isn't the candidate."
Mr Ward's dismissal by his party leader came after he was attacked during the final Prime Minister's Questions before the election by the former Tory Cabinet minister Sir Eric Pickles.
Sir Eric, a former leader of Bradford City Council who is quitting as an MP, said party leaders must do more than "pay lip service" to tackling anti-Semitism.
And he asked the PM: "Do you share my disgust that a former member of this House, criticised by the Home Affairs Select Committee for his anti-Semitic utterances, is now the official candidate in Bradford East for the Liberal Democrats?"
Mr Ward has been a controversial figure since accusing Jews of "inflicting atrocities on Palestinians" in a 2013 blog in which he compared Jewish suffering in the Holocaust with Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.
In 2014 he was forced to apologise after suggesting he might be ready to fire rockets from Gaza into Israel. A year later he lost his seat to Labour in the 2015 general election.
But when Mr Farron gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee's anti-Semitism inquiry last year, he said the ex-MP had "served his time".
Replying to Sir Eric's question, Mrs May said: "People will be, I think, rightly disappointed to see the Liberal Democrats re-adopt a candidate with a questionable record on anti-Semitism.
"It is important that all parties maintain the strongest possible censure on all forms of intolerance and send that message to our communities."
Jurassic Park: Jeff Goldblum reprises role in sequel
Jeff Goldblum will reprise his Jurassic Park role in the upcoming sequel to the 2015 spin-off Jurassic World.
The 64-year-old actor will play sarcastic mathematician Dr Ian Malcolm for the third time in his career, after starring in the sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Goldblum will appear alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the upcoming spin-off, directed by JA Bayona.
The Spanish filmmaker was behind the 2016 fantasy film A Monster Calls and the 2012 disaster movie The Impossible.
Colin Trevorrow, who directed Jurassic World, wrote the script for the sequel with Derek Connolly.
Jurassic World earned $1.67bn worldwide in 2015 and is the fourth-highest-grossing film in history.
It comes after Goldblum said he had not been asked to appear in Jurassic World and he was "entirely satisfied" with his work on the franchise.
"If I never did any more, I'd be entirely nourished and happy and fulfilled from having done these," he said.
"They're doing spectacularly well without me."
Later this year, Goldblum will appear in Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok as the Grandmaster - the first film since his latest box-office flop Independence Day: Resurgence.
The as-yet-untitled Jurassic World sequel - the fifth instalment in the franchise - is due to be released in June 2018.
The 64-year-old actor will play sarcastic mathematician Dr Ian Malcolm for the third time in his career, after starring in the sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Goldblum will appear alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the upcoming spin-off, directed by JA Bayona.
The Spanish filmmaker was behind the 2016 fantasy film A Monster Calls and the 2012 disaster movie The Impossible.
Colin Trevorrow, who directed Jurassic World, wrote the script for the sequel with Derek Connolly.
Jurassic World earned $1.67bn worldwide in 2015 and is the fourth-highest-grossing film in history.
It comes after Goldblum said he had not been asked to appear in Jurassic World and he was "entirely satisfied" with his work on the franchise.
"If I never did any more, I'd be entirely nourished and happy and fulfilled from having done these," he said.
"They're doing spectacularly well without me."
Later this year, Goldblum will appear in Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok as the Grandmaster - the first film since his latest box-office flop Independence Day: Resurgence.
The as-yet-untitled Jurassic World sequel - the fifth instalment in the franchise - is due to be released in June 2018.
UN warned Trump that ObamaCare repeal could violate international law
The United Nations warned the Trump administration earlier this year that repealing ObamaCare without providing an adequate replacement would be a violation of multiple international laws, according to a new report.
Though the Trump administration is likely to ignore the U.N. warning, The Washington Post reported the Office of the U.N. High Commission on Human Rights in Geneva sent an "urgent appeal" on Feb 2.
The Post reported that the confidential, five-page memo cautioned that the repeal of the Affordable Care Act would put the U.S. “at odds with its international obligations.”
The warning was sent to the State Department and reportedly said the U.N. expressed “serious concern” about the prospective loss of health coverage for 30 million people, that in turn could violate “the right to social security of the people in the United States.”
Congressional Republicans failed in March to pass an ObamaCare replacement bill. A new proposal is emerging on Capitol Hill, but it's unclear when it might be considered and how sweeping it may be.
A spokesman for the U.N.’s human rights office in Geneva confirmed the authenticity of the letter, which was sent by Dainius Puras, a Lithuanian doctor who serves the U.N. as “Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”
Xabier Celaya, a spokesman for the U.N., said Puras cannot comment on his ObamaCare letter until it becomes public in June.
Though the report calls out the Trump administration, there’s very little the U.N. can actually do.
According to the report, the letter sent to the Trump administration also was supposed to be shared with the majority and minority leaders in both houses of Congress -- but that did not happen.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer’s office said they never received the letter, as did officials in House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office. The letter from Puras did make its way to the Department of Health and Human Services, where an unnamed employee supposedly leaked it.
Though the Trump administration is likely to ignore the U.N. warning, The Washington Post reported the Office of the U.N. High Commission on Human Rights in Geneva sent an "urgent appeal" on Feb 2.
The Post reported that the confidential, five-page memo cautioned that the repeal of the Affordable Care Act would put the U.S. “at odds with its international obligations.”
The warning was sent to the State Department and reportedly said the U.N. expressed “serious concern” about the prospective loss of health coverage for 30 million people, that in turn could violate “the right to social security of the people in the United States.”
Congressional Republicans failed in March to pass an ObamaCare replacement bill. A new proposal is emerging on Capitol Hill, but it's unclear when it might be considered and how sweeping it may be.
A spokesman for the U.N.’s human rights office in Geneva confirmed the authenticity of the letter, which was sent by Dainius Puras, a Lithuanian doctor who serves the U.N. as “Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”
Xabier Celaya, a spokesman for the U.N., said Puras cannot comment on his ObamaCare letter until it becomes public in June.
Though the report calls out the Trump administration, there’s very little the U.N. can actually do.
According to the report, the letter sent to the Trump administration also was supposed to be shared with the majority and minority leaders in both houses of Congress -- but that did not happen.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer’s office said they never received the letter, as did officials in House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office. The letter from Puras did make its way to the Department of Health and Human Services, where an unnamed employee supposedly leaked it.
Thailand Facebook Live killing: Mum doesn't blame social media site for daughter's murder
The wife of a man in Thailand who filmed himself killing his 11-month-old daughter live on Facebook has said she bears no anger towards the social media site or the users who shared the videos.
The disturbing footage showed her husband Wuttisan Wongtalay tying a rope around his daughter's neck before dropping her from the roof of a building in Phuket.
His body was found next to his baby but his suicide was not broadcast.
Two video clips showing the child's murder were accessible on his Facebook page for around 24 hours before they were taken down.
Thai police said Wongtalay was paranoid about his wife leaving him.
Local television images later showed the child's mother, 21-year-old Chiranut Trairat, in tears as she held her dead baby girl in her arms.
"I am not angry at Facebook or blaming them on this," she told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Two video clips showing the child's murder were accessible on his Facebook page for around 24 hours before they were taken down.
Thai police said Wongtalay was paranoid about his wife leaving him.
Local television images later showed the child's mother, 21-year-old Chiranut Trairat, in tears as she held her dead baby girl in her arms.
"I am not angry at Facebook or blaming them on this," she told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
The disturbing footage showed her husband Wuttisan Wongtalay tying a rope around his daughter's neck before dropping her from the roof of a building in Phuket.
His body was found next to his baby but his suicide was not broadcast.
Two video clips showing the child's murder were accessible on his Facebook page for around 24 hours before they were taken down.
Thai police said Wongtalay was paranoid about his wife leaving him.
Local television images later showed the child's mother, 21-year-old Chiranut Trairat, in tears as she held her dead baby girl in her arms.
"I am not angry at Facebook or blaming them on this," she told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Two video clips showing the child's murder were accessible on his Facebook page for around 24 hours before they were taken down.
Thai police said Wongtalay was paranoid about his wife leaving him.
Local television images later showed the child's mother, 21-year-old Chiranut Trairat, in tears as she held her dead baby girl in her arms.
"I am not angry at Facebook or blaming them on this," she told the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Alice Ruggles murder: Soldier Trimaan 'Harry' Dhillon jailed for 22 years
A soldier who stalked his ex-girlfriend before cutting her throat from ear to ear has been jailed for 22 years after being found guilty of her murder.
Lance Corporal Trimaan "Harry" Dhillon left Alice Ruggles to bleed to death on her bathroom floor after breaking into her flat in Gateshead and slashing her neck.
He fled without calling 999 but remembered to take her phone and the murder weapon.
The 26-year-old had denied the killing, saying it was Miss Ruggles who had attacked him with a knife, accidentally stabbing herself in the process.
However, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court took less than two hours to dismiss his story.
The court heard that Miss Ruggles, 24, had been terrified of her former partner, and had received an official police warning to stop him from contacting her.
However, the Special Forces hopeful ignored it, driving from his Edinburgh barracks to Gateshead to kill her in October.
Sentencing Dhillon to life with a minimum of 22 years, Judge Paul Sloan said the murder was an act of "utter barbarism".
He said: "Not a shred of remorse have you shown from first to last - indeed you were concentrating so hard on getting your story right when giving evidence you forgot even to shed a crocodile tear."
Miss Ruggles, from Leicestershire, had met Dhillon online, while he was serving in Afghanistan.
When she ended the relationship in August last year he became obsessive, hacking into her Facebook account and sending her pleading messages.
He continued even after the police order, the court heard.
When Miss Ruggles contacted police again, they asked if she wanted him to be arrested but she declined. However, she later told a friend she felt she had been "palmed off", and told her sister that the police would only "respond when he stabs me".
Following her murder, Dhillon initially denied being at her flat altogether, but was forced to change his account after Miss Ruggles' blood was found on his Help for Heroes wristband and in his BMW.
He then claimed that she had attacked him.
Miss Ruggles suffered 24 injuries while Dhillon, who was almost a foot taller and three stone heavier, escaped unharmed.
The jury was played a harrowing 999 call from Miss Ruggles' flatmate, Maxine McGill, who discovered her body.
Miss McGill named Dhillon as the culprit in the emergency call, and he was arrested at his barracks that evening.
Lance Corporal Trimaan "Harry" Dhillon left Alice Ruggles to bleed to death on her bathroom floor after breaking into her flat in Gateshead and slashing her neck.
He fled without calling 999 but remembered to take her phone and the murder weapon.
The 26-year-old had denied the killing, saying it was Miss Ruggles who had attacked him with a knife, accidentally stabbing herself in the process.
However, a jury at Newcastle Crown Court took less than two hours to dismiss his story.
The court heard that Miss Ruggles, 24, had been terrified of her former partner, and had received an official police warning to stop him from contacting her.
However, the Special Forces hopeful ignored it, driving from his Edinburgh barracks to Gateshead to kill her in October.
Sentencing Dhillon to life with a minimum of 22 years, Judge Paul Sloan said the murder was an act of "utter barbarism".
He said: "Not a shred of remorse have you shown from first to last - indeed you were concentrating so hard on getting your story right when giving evidence you forgot even to shed a crocodile tear."
Miss Ruggles, from Leicestershire, had met Dhillon online, while he was serving in Afghanistan.
When she ended the relationship in August last year he became obsessive, hacking into her Facebook account and sending her pleading messages.
He continued even after the police order, the court heard.
When Miss Ruggles contacted police again, they asked if she wanted him to be arrested but she declined. However, she later told a friend she felt she had been "palmed off", and told her sister that the police would only "respond when he stabs me".
Following her murder, Dhillon initially denied being at her flat altogether, but was forced to change his account after Miss Ruggles' blood was found on his Help for Heroes wristband and in his BMW.
He then claimed that she had attacked him.
Miss Ruggles suffered 24 injuries while Dhillon, who was almost a foot taller and three stone heavier, escaped unharmed.
The jury was played a harrowing 999 call from Miss Ruggles' flatmate, Maxine McGill, who discovered her body.
Miss McGill named Dhillon as the culprit in the emergency call, and he was arrested at his barracks that evening.
'Muddy' men's jeans on sale for £330 at Nordstrom in US
US clothing chain Nordstrom has launched a line of 'dirty' jeans which come with a 'crackled, caked-on muddy coating'.
The new product is apparently aimed at those with plenty of cash, as the retailer pockets a cool $425 (£330) for each pair.
The firm's website describes the jeans as typifying 'rugged, Americana workwear' and 'hard-working action... that shows you're not afraid to get down and dirty'.
Some reviewers, however, have not given them a clean bill of health, including the host of TV show Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe.
"Finally - a pair of jeans that look like they have been worn by someone with a dirty job… made for people who don't. And you can have your very own pair for just $425," Rowe wrote in a Facebook post that was shared thousands of times.
"The Barracuda Straight Leg Jeans aren't pants. They're not even fashion. They're a costume for wealthy people who see work as ironic - not iconic."
Another review wrote: "This is a joke, right? Do you also sell jeans covered in cow manure? Oh, that must be the deluxe model."
But not everyone was so dismissive.
"What's the beef about buying mud jeans?" one commentator said on Twitter. "If someone can afford $400 for a pair of dirty jeans, so what? Go for it!"
The chain is no stranger to pushing fashion boundaries, launching jeans with 'knee windows' last month - but for a far cheaper $95 (£74).
If you fancy giving the idea a leg-up by investing in a pair, beware of the strict cleaning instructions - machine wash cold, line dry only.
The new product is apparently aimed at those with plenty of cash, as the retailer pockets a cool $425 (£330) for each pair.
The firm's website describes the jeans as typifying 'rugged, Americana workwear' and 'hard-working action... that shows you're not afraid to get down and dirty'.
Some reviewers, however, have not given them a clean bill of health, including the host of TV show Dirty Jobs, Mike Rowe.
"Finally - a pair of jeans that look like they have been worn by someone with a dirty job… made for people who don't. And you can have your very own pair for just $425," Rowe wrote in a Facebook post that was shared thousands of times.
"The Barracuda Straight Leg Jeans aren't pants. They're not even fashion. They're a costume for wealthy people who see work as ironic - not iconic."
Another review wrote: "This is a joke, right? Do you also sell jeans covered in cow manure? Oh, that must be the deluxe model."
But not everyone was so dismissive.
"What's the beef about buying mud jeans?" one commentator said on Twitter. "If someone can afford $400 for a pair of dirty jeans, so what? Go for it!"
The chain is no stranger to pushing fashion boundaries, launching jeans with 'knee windows' last month - but for a far cheaper $95 (£74).
If you fancy giving the idea a leg-up by investing in a pair, beware of the strict cleaning instructions - machine wash cold, line dry only.
British Islamic State terrorist killed by drone 'posed serious threat'
A British terrorist killed by a drone strike in Syria "posed a very serious threat to the UK" and was a "prolific recruiter and attack planner" for the Islamic State group.
Reyaad Khan, along with another Briton, Junaid Hussain, "encouraged multiple operatives around the world to conduct attacks against the UK and our allies," Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) concluded.
The assessment was based on 25 intelligence reports provided to the committee and two formal intelligence assessments carried out by MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
Khan was killed by a British drone on 21 August 2015 near Raqqa. Two other men died in the strike, one of them, Ruhul Amin, was also British.
The strike was exceptional because it was the first time the UK had carried out a lethal drone strike outside of a military campaign. At the time Parliament had not voted and approved British airstrikes in Syria.
"It was a highly specific, targeted operation," chair of the committee Dominic Grieve MP said.
Three days later, Khan's close associate Hussain was targeted and killed by an American drone.
In evidence given to the Committee, an unnamed intelligence officer said the strikes made the UK safer.
"We have not seen anywhere near the pace of operational activity that we saw from Khan and Hussein," the intelligence officer said.
"I would describe the effect of the disruption as being immediate and serious on the network."
Khan was judged to have the ability to orchestrate and incite attacks "within a short period of time" - although it is not thought the drone strike was ordered in relation to a specific attack.
The committee did not seek to make a judgement on the legality of the strikes.
But a crucial document was withheld by the Prime Minister. This was "profoundly disappointing", Mr Grieve said, and meant the Committee was unable to conclude whether or not the strike was proportional and necessary.
The intelligence agencies provided evidence showing they considered other options to "disrupt" Khan's planning but concluded he was unlikely to travel outside IS-controlled territory and would not be dissuaded from his terrorist activities.
"The threat he posed was ongoing and there appears to have been no realistic prospect of it diminishing."
Although the intelligence agencies did not fear Khan would carry out an attack himself, MI5 feared he might contribute to a terrorist plot that might be missed "due to gaps in coverage".
The report has been heavily redacted in areas by Downing Street and the intelligence agencies.
The ISC notes that it has been unable to challenge the redactions, as it usually would, because it has been rushed into publishing the report before the upcoming General Election.
Brazil murder plot goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes de Souza sent back to jail
A goalkeeper convicted over the murder of his girlfriend, whose body was fed to dogs, has been sent back to jail after he was controversially released.
Three out of four judges on Brazil's supreme court ruled that Bruno Fernandes de Souza should go back behind bars.
The 32-year-old former player for Rio's famous Flamengo side was let out on a technicality in February while he appealed against his conviction.
He was signed by a second tier club, Boa Esporte.
Souza was serving 22 years for arranging the 2010 killing of Eliza Samudio, who was tortured and strangled before her body was fed to Rottweilers.
"Bruno" - as he is known to many in Brazil - was convicted of "meticulously" arranging the murder to avoid paying child support for the couple's baby, who was conceived while he was still married.
The player claimed at his 2013 trial that he "accepted" the plot but had not instigated it.
However his cousin, who helped carry out the murder, told police the footballer was present when the mother of his child was killed and mutilated.
Souza, 32, had been tipped for Brazil's 2014 World Cup squad and was said to be on the verge of a transfer to a big European club.
His return to professional football sparked outrage among many in Brazil and his new club lost five sponsors.
Some fans still supported him though, chanting his name at matches and training sessions.
Three out of four judges on Brazil's supreme court ruled that Bruno Fernandes de Souza should go back behind bars.
The 32-year-old former player for Rio's famous Flamengo side was let out on a technicality in February while he appealed against his conviction.
He was signed by a second tier club, Boa Esporte.
Souza was serving 22 years for arranging the 2010 killing of Eliza Samudio, who was tortured and strangled before her body was fed to Rottweilers.
"Bruno" - as he is known to many in Brazil - was convicted of "meticulously" arranging the murder to avoid paying child support for the couple's baby, who was conceived while he was still married.
The player claimed at his 2013 trial that he "accepted" the plot but had not instigated it.
However his cousin, who helped carry out the murder, told police the footballer was present when the mother of his child was killed and mutilated.
Souza, 32, had been tipped for Brazil's 2014 World Cup squad and was said to be on the verge of a transfer to a big European club.
His return to professional football sparked outrage among many in Brazil and his new club lost five sponsors.
Some fans still supported him though, chanting his name at matches and training sessions.
PMQs: Theresa May refuses to guarantee pensions triple lock
The Prime Minister has refused to guarantee the triple lock on pensions.
Theresa May twice failed to answer the question during a record 58-minute Prime Minister's Questions, saying only that "under a Conservative government, pensioner incomes would continue to increase".
It is understood that Mrs May is coming under increasing pressure to drop the pledge, which means pensions always rise by 2.5%, from the Conservative manifesto.
:: May sets record for longest-ever PMQs
During a rowdy questions session, she was put on the spot in the last PMQs before the General Election by the SNP's Angus Robertson.
Mrs May replied: "I've been very clear that under this Conservative government, we have seen pensioners benefit as a result of what we've done to the basic state pension to the tune of £1,250 a year.
"I am clear that under a Conservative government, pensioner incomes would continue to increase."
When she failed to answer Mr Robertson asked her again and said: "Is not the message to pensioners you cannot trust this Prime Minister, you cannot trust the Tories on your pension."
Theresa May twice failed to answer the question during a record 58-minute Prime Minister's Questions, saying only that "under a Conservative government, pensioner incomes would continue to increase".
It is understood that Mrs May is coming under increasing pressure to drop the pledge, which means pensions always rise by 2.5%, from the Conservative manifesto.
:: May sets record for longest-ever PMQs
During a rowdy questions session, she was put on the spot in the last PMQs before the General Election by the SNP's Angus Robertson.
Mrs May replied: "I've been very clear that under this Conservative government, we have seen pensioners benefit as a result of what we've done to the basic state pension to the tune of £1,250 a year.
"I am clear that under a Conservative government, pensioner incomes would continue to increase."
When she failed to answer Mr Robertson asked her again and said: "Is not the message to pensioners you cannot trust this Prime Minister, you cannot trust the Tories on your pension."
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Spain arrests nine people over 'links to Brussels terror attacks'
Spanish police have arrested nine people accused of belonging to Islamic State and having links to the Brussels terror attacks.
Eight Moroccans and one Spaniard living in Catalonia were detained in a series of 12 raids in five towns, including Barcelona.
The men were aged between 30 and 40 years old and most had previous criminal records for drug trafficking.
The arrests followed an eight-month investigation by Spanish officers, working with their Belgian counterparts.
Four of the detainees are suspected of having links to people arrested in connection with the Brussels attacks.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the atrocities at Brussels airport and on a train on the city's subway that killed 32 people and wounded 300 more.
The assaults in March 2016 are thought to have been carried out by some of the same individuals responsible for the Paris attacks the previous November.
Documents, computers and memory drives were seized in the raids as well as at least three guns and drugs including marijuana.
Moroccan police are now searching several properties with connections to the men.
Police said they started tracking the gang as a result of a tip from a member of the public reportedly concerned about drug trafficking.
Spain raised its national security alert to one level below the maximum in 2015 and has arrested around 200 suspected jihadists since then.
Eight Moroccans and one Spaniard living in Catalonia were detained in a series of 12 raids in five towns, including Barcelona.
The men were aged between 30 and 40 years old and most had previous criminal records for drug trafficking.
The arrests followed an eight-month investigation by Spanish officers, working with their Belgian counterparts.
Four of the detainees are suspected of having links to people arrested in connection with the Brussels attacks.
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the atrocities at Brussels airport and on a train on the city's subway that killed 32 people and wounded 300 more.
The assaults in March 2016 are thought to have been carried out by some of the same individuals responsible for the Paris attacks the previous November.
Documents, computers and memory drives were seized in the raids as well as at least three guns and drugs including marijuana.
Moroccan police are now searching several properties with connections to the men.
Police said they started tracking the gang as a result of a tip from a member of the public reportedly concerned about drug trafficking.
Spain raised its national security alert to one level below the maximum in 2015 and has arrested around 200 suspected jihadists since then.
Mirror Group settles dozens of celebrity phone-hacking claims
Dozens of celebrities have received damages and an apology from Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over phone-hacking.
Lord Jeffrey Archer, Dame Mary Archer, ex-footballer Kevin Keegan, actress Patsy Kensit and former home secretary Charles Clarke were among 44 people whose cases were settled at London's High Court.
It took more than two hours for the agreed statements settling their actions for misuse of private information to be read out.
It is understood some of the settlements exceed the £260,250 record damages awarded to actress and businesswoman Sadie Frost following a High Court trial in 2015.
None of the well-known names involved - which also included singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, actor Colin Salmon and actress Gillian Taylforth - attended the hearing.
Solicitor Gerald Shamash told the court that "significant damage and distress" had been caused to Lord Archer and Dame Mary, while Mr Keegan's solicitor said the former England manager had suffered a "devastating intrusion".
Callum Galbraith, representing Patsy Kensit, said MGN's actions caused the actress distress during "difficult times" when her marriage to Liam Gallagher was breaking down, when her wedding to Jeremy Healey was cancelled and during health scares suffered by her and her son.
Meanwhile, barrister David Sherborne said the activities of MGN were a source of "enormous stress" for Mr Clarke and his family and caused them to "drastically adapt" their way of life.
MGN has reportedly put aside £52.5m to pay damages and legal costs relating to phone hacking.
In December, its parent company Trinity Mirror said it had made "good progress" on settling civil claims.
It said: "Although there still remains uncertainty as to how these matters will progress, the board remains confident that the exposures arising from these historic events are manageable and do not undermine the delivery of the group's strategy."
Lord Jeffrey Archer, Dame Mary Archer, ex-footballer Kevin Keegan, actress Patsy Kensit and former home secretary Charles Clarke were among 44 people whose cases were settled at London's High Court.
It took more than two hours for the agreed statements settling their actions for misuse of private information to be read out.
It is understood some of the settlements exceed the £260,250 record damages awarded to actress and businesswoman Sadie Frost following a High Court trial in 2015.
None of the well-known names involved - which also included singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, actor Colin Salmon and actress Gillian Taylforth - attended the hearing.
Solicitor Gerald Shamash told the court that "significant damage and distress" had been caused to Lord Archer and Dame Mary, while Mr Keegan's solicitor said the former England manager had suffered a "devastating intrusion".
Callum Galbraith, representing Patsy Kensit, said MGN's actions caused the actress distress during "difficult times" when her marriage to Liam Gallagher was breaking down, when her wedding to Jeremy Healey was cancelled and during health scares suffered by her and her son.
Meanwhile, barrister David Sherborne said the activities of MGN were a source of "enormous stress" for Mr Clarke and his family and caused them to "drastically adapt" their way of life.
MGN has reportedly put aside £52.5m to pay damages and legal costs relating to phone hacking.
In December, its parent company Trinity Mirror said it had made "good progress" on settling civil claims.
It said: "Although there still remains uncertainty as to how these matters will progress, the board remains confident that the exposures arising from these historic events are manageable and do not undermine the delivery of the group's strategy."
Sky Views: Macron's victory masks France's distaste for EU
The nightmare is over. The surge of anti-establishment feeling that produced the Brexit vote and propelled Donald Trump to the White House is in retreat.
The French, of all people, pioneers of revolution, have seen off their pitchforked populists and brought the world to its senses.
As if.
The sighs of relief in Brussels are almost audible across the channel. Emmanuel Macron, their man, is almost certain to prevail in the French elections.
EU officials like Michel Barnier could not contain themselves, despite their professed commitment never to interfere in elections.
The man who will negotiate Brexit, tweeting this soon after Macron's victory seemed likely: "A European and patriot I have confidence in Emmanuel Macron for 7th of May. France must remain European."
But if the EU reacts to the French vote as it has so far to Brexit, it may well be doomed.
Barring something very unexpected, Marine Le Pen is almost certain to lose the second round runoff.
That, though, is not the point. Look at the number of French voters supporting extreme eurosceptic positions.
Add her support to that for hard leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and another minor candidate and almost half of France voted for candidates promising a Frexit referendum.
The French are deeply worried. Whole swathes of the North East's industrial heartlands are hollowed out. Once thriving towns and villages across the country are empty and void of people or economic life.
There are multiple reasons for the malaise, but many blame the EU and its commitment to globalisation, open economies and the free movement of people and goods washing through open borders.
Polling has revealed the same fears behind Brexit have helped Le Pen in France. The fear of losing something precious. The country the French once knew and held dear is disappearing, they say.
Rightly or wrongly, economic failure and the EU's inability to reverse it are unleashing powerful and extreme political forces across Europe.
The French, of all people, pioneers of revolution, have seen off their pitchforked populists and brought the world to its senses.
As if.
The sighs of relief in Brussels are almost audible across the channel. Emmanuel Macron, their man, is almost certain to prevail in the French elections.
EU officials like Michel Barnier could not contain themselves, despite their professed commitment never to interfere in elections.
The man who will negotiate Brexit, tweeting this soon after Macron's victory seemed likely: "A European and patriot I have confidence in Emmanuel Macron for 7th of May. France must remain European."
But if the EU reacts to the French vote as it has so far to Brexit, it may well be doomed.
Barring something very unexpected, Marine Le Pen is almost certain to lose the second round runoff.
That, though, is not the point. Look at the number of French voters supporting extreme eurosceptic positions.
Add her support to that for hard leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and another minor candidate and almost half of France voted for candidates promising a Frexit referendum.
The French are deeply worried. Whole swathes of the North East's industrial heartlands are hollowed out. Once thriving towns and villages across the country are empty and void of people or economic life.
There are multiple reasons for the malaise, but many blame the EU and its commitment to globalisation, open economies and the free movement of people and goods washing through open borders.
Polling has revealed the same fears behind Brexit have helped Le Pen in France. The fear of losing something precious. The country the French once knew and held dear is disappearing, they say.
Rightly or wrongly, economic failure and the EU's inability to reverse it are unleashing powerful and extreme political forces across Europe.
Man in Thailand broadcasts himself killing his baby daughter live on Facebook
A man in Thailand filmed himself killing his 11-month-old daughter and posted the footage on Facebook before committing suicide.
Two video clips showing the child's murder were accessible on the father's Facebook page for around 24 hours before they were taken down.
In the disturbing footage Wuttisan Wongtalay can be seen tying a rope around his daughter's neck before dropping her from the roof of a building in Phuket.
His body was found next to his daughter but his suicide was not broadcast, said Thai police.
Officers said Wongtalay was paranoid about his wife leaving him.
Local television images later showed the child's mother weeping and holding her dead baby.
Shortly before they were taken down the first video was viewed 112,000 times and the second had been watched 258,000 times.
A Thai police spokesman said the incident was the first known killing to be broadcast on Facebook.
"It could be influenced by behaviour from abroad, most recently in Cleveland", he said.
Internet users in Thailand were outraged by the video, with one user calling it the "most evil clip I've seen in my life".
"How can he watch his own child stop breathing? He should have just died alone," said another.
A Singapore-based Facebook spokesman said: "This is an appalling incident and our hearts go out to the family of the victim. There is absolutely no place for content of this kind on Facebook and it has now been removed."
The social media company announced it was reviewing how violent footage was monitored after a video of a man shooting an elderly man in Cleveland, Ohio was visible on the site for two hours.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company would do all it could to prevent such content ending up on the site in the future.
Two video clips showing the child's murder were accessible on the father's Facebook page for around 24 hours before they were taken down.
In the disturbing footage Wuttisan Wongtalay can be seen tying a rope around his daughter's neck before dropping her from the roof of a building in Phuket.
His body was found next to his daughter but his suicide was not broadcast, said Thai police.
Officers said Wongtalay was paranoid about his wife leaving him.
Local television images later showed the child's mother weeping and holding her dead baby.
Shortly before they were taken down the first video was viewed 112,000 times and the second had been watched 258,000 times.
A Thai police spokesman said the incident was the first known killing to be broadcast on Facebook.
"It could be influenced by behaviour from abroad, most recently in Cleveland", he said.
Internet users in Thailand were outraged by the video, with one user calling it the "most evil clip I've seen in my life".
"How can he watch his own child stop breathing? He should have just died alone," said another.
A Singapore-based Facebook spokesman said: "This is an appalling incident and our hearts go out to the family of the victim. There is absolutely no place for content of this kind on Facebook and it has now been removed."
The social media company announced it was reviewing how violent footage was monitored after a video of a man shooting an elderly man in Cleveland, Ohio was visible on the site for two hours.
Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said the company would do all it could to prevent such content ending up on the site in the future.
Ceremony for police officer Xavier Jugele killed in Paris
A ceremony has been held in Paris for the police officer shot dead by an Islamist extremist on the Champs-Elysees last week.
The two remaining French presidential candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, were among the politicians and officials paying their respects in a courtyard at police headquarters.
The capital's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, and former President Nicolas Sarkozy were also there.
Xavier Jugele, 37, was hit by two bullets to the head after a Frenchman born in the Paris suburbs, Karim Cheurfi, opened fire on the crowded boulevard with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Cheurfi, who was shot dead by police, also wounded two other officers.
More than 50,000 police and soldiers were "fully mobilised" afterwards.
The attack came just three days before the first round of voting in the French presidential elections.
Islamic State said it was to blame.
In his eulogy at the ceremony, Mr Jugele's partner Etienne Cardiles said: "I suffer without hatred."
The two remaining French presidential candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, were among the politicians and officials paying their respects in a courtyard at police headquarters.
The capital's mayor, Anne Hidalgo, and former President Nicolas Sarkozy were also there.
Xavier Jugele, 37, was hit by two bullets to the head after a Frenchman born in the Paris suburbs, Karim Cheurfi, opened fire on the crowded boulevard with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Cheurfi, who was shot dead by police, also wounded two other officers.
More than 50,000 police and soldiers were "fully mobilised" afterwards.
The attack came just three days before the first round of voting in the French presidential elections.
Islamic State said it was to blame.
In his eulogy at the ceremony, Mr Jugele's partner Etienne Cardiles said: "I suffer without hatred."
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