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The GMB claim half of the staff working at the Glensanda Quarry, north of Oban, face the sack from a new contractor.
The union fears Spanish-owned Oban Earth Works will cut 50% of staff when it takes over excavation and haulage operations at the quarry.
That work had been carried out by the Hargreaves company on behalf of Aggregate Industries.
A spokeswoman for Hargreaves said their contract ended in May, but they would remain during a handover period until the end of July.
They say staff have been transferred across to the new company.
A spokesman for Aggregate Industries said: "As with any commercial operation, it's important for Aggregate Industries to review and renew our partnerships, to ensure we can offer the best service available.
"We are switching load and haul provider at our plant in Glensanda, and as part of that process there are individuals who will be transferred from our current provider Hargreaves, to our new one (FERPI). Unfortunately, due to increasing production efficiencies on site, there are some employees at risk of being made redundant by FERPI.
"We understand and appreciate that this is a potentially difficult time for those individuals affected and have been in close contact with FERPI to ensure employees are offered all the support they need throughout the consultation process."
The BBC has been unable to speak to anyone from Oban Earth or Aggregate Industries.
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Up to 25 jobs are under threat at Europe's biggest granite quarry in Argyll, according to union leaders.
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Scans of 21 people showed the brain was more attracted to food if breakfast was missed so people had more food at lunch.
Scientists said it made losing weight challenging as missing meals made calorific food even more appealing.
Nutrition experts say breakfast is known to take the edge off appetite.
However, researchers were curious about what happened inside the brain to alter the food people choose to eat.
Twenty one people, who were all normal weight, were shown pictures of calorie packed foods while they were positioned in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine at Imperial College London.
On one day they were given no breakfast before the scans and on a different day they were fed a large, 730 calorie, breakfast an hour and a half before.
The researchers said skipping breakfast created a "bias" in the brain in favour of high calorie foods.
The results, presented at the Neuroscience 2012 conference, showed the brain changed how it responded to pictures of high calorie foods, but not low calorie foods, when breakfast was skipped.
They showed part of the brain thought to be involved in "food appeal", the orbitofrontal cortex, became more active on an empty stomach.
When the researchers offered the participants lunch at the end of the study, people ate a fifth more calories if breakfast was missed.
Dr Tony Goldstone, from Imperial College London, said: "Through both the participants' MRI results and observations of how much they ate at lunch, we found ample evidence that fasting made people hungrier, and increased the appeal of high calorie foods and the amount people ate.
"One reason it is so difficult to lose weight is because the appeal of high calorie food goes up."
Dr Catherine Hankey, a senior lecturer in nutrition at the University of Glasgow, said research had shown that breakfast "takes the edge off appetite" and that the latest study was an "interesting" insight.
She said breakfast was linked to stable blood sugar levels, which "keeps you on the straight and narrow".
Future studies will investigate how obesity affects the same system in the brain.
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Brain scans show that skipping breakfast makes fatty, high calorie foods appear far more attractive later in the day, according to researchers.
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The 24-year-old was scheduled to play seven group games, but will now undergo elbow surgery without making an appearance in the competition.
The club will instead give their young players a chance to feature.
"We are looking forward to seeing how the young players go when given an opportunity," head coach Chris Silverwood said.
"As a club we are renowned for investing in youth and we will continue to do so to improve their experiences over the remaining matches of the campaign. Giving them opportunities now will only help them in the future."
Meanwhile, bowling coach Donovan Miller has left the club for Caribbean Premier League side Jamaica Tallawahs.
Miller played club cricket in the Middlesex, Essex and Hertfordshire leagues from 2000-2012, while completing his coaching qualifications.
"I am delighted to be joining the Tallawahs. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to ensure I keep getting better as a coach," he said.
Former England one-day wicketkeeper Paul Nixon is Tallawahs head coach.
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Essex will not replace injured New Zealand international fast bowler Adam Milne in their T20 Blast squad.
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Both men will contest the opening Superbike and Senior TT races on the SG5 Norton machine.
Donald, a two-time winner who has represented the team since 2014, said Norton have made a "huge amount of progress in that time".
Fellow countryman Johnson, who made his TT debut in 2010 winning the Newcomers Trophy, is a rising star of the sport.
The Adelaide racer said: "It is going to be an incredible experience riding a Norton around the Isle of Man Mountain Course, and with Cameron Donald as my team-mate is a massive honour.
"I'm really stoked and will give it my best shot."
Stuart Garner, chief executive of Norton Motorcycles, added: "We've made incredible progress since taking Norton back to the TT.
"This was always going to be a long-term project and we're definitely on the next stage of our evolution. Running a two-man team will give us the best opportunity to move things forward."
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Norton have signed the Australian duo of Cameron Donald and David Johnson for the 2016 Isle of Man TT races.
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Lincolnshire County Council health watchdog voted to refer the ongoing overnight closure to Jeremy Hunt.
The Grantham and District Hospital first reduced the unit's opening hours in August.
Melissa Darcy, of Fighting 4 Grantham Hospital, welcomed the decision and said it was the "best scenario and outcome of the meeting".
The A&E department currently only opens from 09:00 to 18:30 daily.
United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust, which is in charge of Lincolnshire's hospitals, said in September it was trying to recruit more doctors and would fully reopen Grantham's A&E as soon as possible.
Christine Talbot, chairman of the Health Scrutiny Committee, said: "We do not believe that overnight A&E services will be reinstated by February 2017, in fact the committee concluded that although indicated as temporary, the closure is in effect permanent."
The trust said closing Grantham would enable to it maintain safe staffing levels at its two other A&E departments, both of which take a higher number of patients.
Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust operates a daily walk-in service for minor injuries between 18:30 and 23:30 at the hospital.
The trust said this service was not a replacement for the A&E department.
The decision came at a meeting in Lincoln as anti-closure demonstrators gathered to protest.
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The closure of Grantham's A&E services due to a lack of doctors is to be referred to the health secretary.
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Undercover researchers filmed Ashley Commerce College in Ilford sitting or forging exams for untrained students to become security guards or bodyguards.
Some 20 courses have now been cancelled while authorities investigate. About 90 would-be students have been refunded.
College director Haji Yunis told the BBC he was co-operating with inquiries.
Secretly filmed footage had showed Mr Yunis laughing about the scam he presided over.
He told the researcher that for £1,200 he would "bring you in the back door" and "fast track" him to a bodyguard qualification without any training.
Mr Yunis told the researcher not to worry about the police. Fraudulent use of SIA cards in fact carries a maximum six-month prison sentence.
Both the exam board whose certification was fraudulently obtained, Industry Qualifications (IQ), and the Security Industry Authority (SIA) are investigating the college.
An audit is currently taking place, with the aim of ascertaining how many qualifications awarded at the college to enable security guards to become licensed by the SIA were bogus.
Jobseekers must sit mandatory exams to get an SIA card.
A statement placed on Ashley Commerce College's website by IQ read: "Following the BBC broadcast, IQ has been working with the regulators Ofqual and the SIA to formulate a plan for identifying learners affected by the fraud.
"We do expect to find evidence that some learners have received their qualifications without having done their course or tests properly. These qualifications will be reviewed.
"We know that this will leave many learners who attended ACC worried about the authenticity of their qualifications and IQ is working hard to find out how many learners may be affected."
The statement said every student who obtained an SIA licence through the college may be affected.
The college has been operating since 2010.
The statement added: "Where we cannot guarantee that a qualification has not been affected by fraud, we are required to remove the qualification immediately and notify the Security Industry Authority."
Mr Yunis would not say how many students' qualifications were now being reviewed.
Keith Vaz MP, the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, called the fraud a "major scandal".
A Home Office spokesman has said any criminal behaviour would be addressed.
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All courses on offer at a college exposed selling fraudulent security qualifications for cash have now been cancelled, the BBC has learned.
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Another 11 were injured when the driver lost control of the minibus and ploughed through a crash barrier.
Local media said no foreign tourists were among the passengers.
Turkish media said the vehicle was heading towards Marmaris for a mother's day event, which is celebrated on Sunday there.
The victims are believed to be mainly women and children.
Amric Cicek, governor of Mugla province, suggested the brakes may have stopped working.
But the mayor of Marmaris, Ali Acar, told Turkish newspaper Hurriyet: "I think that the accident was a result of driver error."
Turkey's Andalou news agency said the crash took place on the Mugla-Antalya road at the Sakar Gecidi pass.
The vehicle landed on another section of road below after it went through the crash barrier.
Rescue teams were dispatched and the injured were taken to hospital, Andalou said.
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At least 23 people have died after a tourist bus fell from a cliff near the southern Turkey seaside resort of Marmaris.
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The 30-inch sword was found by Goran Olsen, a hiker who found it when he sat down to rest.
Experts say it's in surprisingly good condition after surviving hundreds of years of frost and snow.
The ancient weapon will be able to help archaeologist work out how people lived in Viking times.
The sword will go on display at the University Museum of Bergen.
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A twelve hundred year old Viking sword has been found buried in rocks in southern Norway.
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15 August 2016 Last updated at 16:27 BST
Shaun Whiter was helping friend Joey Abbs change a tyre near Newmarket, Suffolk, when the pair were struck by a vehicle.
Jan Adamec, 40, of Haverhill, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He is on remand and will be sentenced in September.
Mr Whiter, 27, said: "Without a doubt it's good to know that the guy is off the streets."
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A footballer who lost both legs in a hit-and-run crash said he is pleased the driver responsible is "off the streets".
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President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met in Nicosia's neutral buffer zone.
UN envoy Espen Barth Eide said they "shared their vision for a united Cyprus".
Mr Akinci was elected last month. The Turkish-controlled north broke away in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup.
Since a Turkish military invasion in 1974 the island has been effectively partitioned, with the northern third inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and the southern two-thirds by Greek Cypriots.
Peace negotiations stalled last October, when the Greek Cypriots walked out in protest at the presence of a Turkish ship prospecting for natural gas off the island's south coast.
Correspondents say there are hopes that Mr Akinci, a leftist moderate, can push forward the new round of negotiations.
"The talks took place in a very positive climate and I believe that working in similar fashion, we can hope for progress," Associated Press quoted Mr Anastasiades as saying after Friday's UN-brokered meeting.
In an initial move, Turkish Cypriot authorities agreed to no longer require Greek Cypriots to fill in visa forms at crossing points to northern Cyprus, UN envoy Mr Eide told reporters.
Compensation for those displaced by the conflict is expected to be one of the thorniest issues in the talks.
UN peacekeeping forces estimate that 165,000 Greek Cypriots fled or were expelled from the north, and 45,000 Turkish Cypriots from the south, although the parties to the conflict say the figures are higher.
The self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is diplomatically isolated, recognised only by Turkey.
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The leaders of the divided Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus have resumed peace talks amid a "climate of optimism", the UN mediator says.
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A total of 106 people donated organs in hospitals across Scotland last year compared with 54 in 2007.
The statistics showed a 62% increase in organ transplants from deceased donors, with 341 operations carried out.
However, about 600 people remain on the transplant waiting list.
Some 2,110,881 people living in Scotland have now joined the UK Organ Donor Register.
The figure means 40% of the Scottish population has registered, compared to 32% across the UK as a whole.
Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: "First and foremost I want to offer my thanks to every donor and every donor's family in Scotland who have demonstrated such kindness and benevolence in the face of tragic and difficult circumstances.
"It is our responsibility to ensure that people's organ donation wishes are respected and to ensure that we make every donation count."
Mr Matheson added: "It's important to remember, however, that around 600 people in Scotland are still waiting for an organ and we must be doing all we can to give them hope."
Peter McGeehan, 64, from Dunfermline, suffered serious heart failure and was listed for a transplant in 2004. In the ten years since a heart transplant, the father-of-two said he has thought about his donor every day.
He said: "People take living for granted, but as I approach the ten-year anniversary I can honestly say there's never a day where I've woken up and haven't thought about my unnamed donor."
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The number of people who donated their organs after death in Scotland has almost doubled over a six-year period, according to government figures.
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Thorpe, 23, has made seven appearances for the Millers this season, but last featured in the 5-2 defeat by Ipswich on 7 November.
The former Manchester United trainee could make his Bradford debut against Millwall on Saturday.
The Bantams are currently seventh in League One, outside the play-offs on goal difference.
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Bradford City have signed Rotherham United defender Tom Thorpe on loan until the end of the season.
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The Ramsdens Discount Department Store on Cleethorpe Road was opened in 1946.
The company said there would be some redundancies, but added it hoped "to be able to offer alternative employment to some employees".
Last year planning permission was granted by North East Lincolnshire Council to redevelop the site into a new retail park.
The store is expected to close over the summer.
In a statement, the firm's directors said the store had "continued to decline in what has become a very tough and competitive local market".
It added its nearby Home Interiors store would continue to trade.
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Up to 47 jobs are at risk after a Grimsby shop confirmed it is to close after nearly 70 years of trading.
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The dramatic victory draws Higgins, 40, level with Ronnie O'Sullivan and to within one of Steve Davis's total for ranking tournament wins. Fellow Scot Stephen Hendry leads the way with 36.
England's Martin Gould, 33, playing in only his second ranking final, made a break of 138 in the 11th frame.
But Higgins held his nerve in the decider to take the £36,000 prize.
World-ranked 26 Gould, also helped by a break of 101 in the third frame, led 4-2 before the pair reached the interval locked together at 4-4 with Higgins managing a 112 in the seventh frame.
The Scot, ranked 13 in the world, then took three of the first four frames in the evening session.
Gould hit back to make it 7-7 before the next two frames were shared with the Londoner taking it into a final frame.
But Higgins - whose last tournament win was the Welsh Open in February - responded with a break of 89 to claim the first ranking title of the season.
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John Higgins secured his 27th ranking title with a 9-8 win over Martin Gould in the Australian Open final.
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Iranian patrol boats surrounded a US cargo ship in the strait on Friday.
Earlier this week, Iranian naval ships reportedly fired warning shots near a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship before seizing it and its crew.
The strait connects the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.
The US navy will not be escorting the ships - a different procedure from accompanying them. Instead, it will monitor the area as the ships pass across the strait.
The crew of the Marshall Islands-flagged container ship seized by Iran in the strait on Tuesday are safe and "in good spirits", Danish shipping company Maersk said.
Maersk said it still did not know the reason why the Marshall Islands-flagged vessel was seized, and noted it had been in an international shipping lane.
Iranian media cited an official as saying the ship was seized based on a court order in connection with a complaint made by a private Iranian company about debts.
The crew includes a British national, but no Americans, as initial reports suggested.
The narrow strait lies partly in Iranian waters.
Shipping traffic is allowed to pass through under an internationally-recognised protocol called "innocent passage", so long as the ships are not carrying weapons, collecting intelligence, or violating other restrictions.
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Defence officials have said that US Navy ships will accompany US-flagged commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, to make sure they are not interfered with by Iran.
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Number Seven Boat Trips and Bristol Ferry Boats both operate services in the city's harbour. Number Seven Boat Trips said the changes were "unjust".
Bristol Ferry Boats disagreed and said the new timetable was "fairer than the previous one".
The city council said it was introduced "following feedback from customers".
Both companies operate the same route between Temple Meads and Hotwells, at staggered times.
Previously, the two boats collected people every 10 minutes in a 20 minute slot - and then one boat picked up passengers over the next 40 minutes.
Changes now mean ferries collect at regular 20-minute intervals and passengers can now stay on the same boat for the whole trip, instead of changing in the city centre.
Richard Rankin, of Number Seven Boat Trips, said: "We're told to move from our timetable on the Hotwells route - which we've run for 15 years - 10 minutes earlier.
"What it does then is, by running two boats close together it maximises the potential for what passengers there are to get on the other side's boats.
"That strikes me as being very unjust."
But Philippa Bungard, from Bristol Ferry Boats, said feedback indicated the service was "better for everybody".
"[It] is much fairer than the previous timetable and everyone so far seems very happy," she added.
In a statement, the council said the changes were made to manage journeys in the "most effective way".
"The changes have been made following feedback from customers using the services, to ensure timings between the two do not overlap and deliver the best experience for visitors," they explained.
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A ferry boat firm in Bristol is claiming a new timetable "imposed" by the council favours its rival.
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The Planet Earth presenter said his work took him away for months at a time when his two children, Susan and Robert, were growing up.
Sir David told the Radio Times: "If you have a child of six or eight and you miss three months of his or her life, it's irreplaceable. You miss something.
"Perhaps you can't have your cake and eat it."
Attenborough said his wife, Jane, who died in 1997, had been very "understanding", however.
A month after celebrating his 91st birthday, Sir David told interviewer Louis Theroux that he thinks about his own mortality "all the time", because "it's more and more likely that I'm going to die tomorrow."
Asked if he expects anything to happen afterwards, he said simply: "No."
On the subject of global warming, Sir David warned: "We should be very, very worried about it.... the land is being scorched, deserts are spreading, and the seas are warming - all those factors cause great changes in our fortunes."
When asked which animal he felt a kinship with, Sir David replied: "That has to be an ape. Because our kinship is a reality. I don't feel it with a mosquito or, indeed, a whale."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
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Sir David Attenborough says his only career regret is missing out on time with his children.
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And now he has become Scotland's only Labour MP by retaining his Edinburgh South seat in the face of an SNP landslide in the Westminster election.
As the chairman of the Foundation of Hearts, a supporters group which helps to fund the club via monthly donations, Mr Murray had a central role in getting the club out of administration.
He was first elected for the seat in 2010 after serving as an Edinburgh councillor between 2003 and 2010 for the capital's Liberton and Gilmerton ward.
Mr Murray has served in parliament as a Parliamentary Private Secretary and Shadow Business Minister. Up until the election in May he was the Shadow Minister for Trade and Investment.
Murray was born to a cooper father and shop worker mother in August 1976.
Brought up in the Wester Hailes area of Edinburgh, he went to Dumbryden primary school, then Wester Hailes Education Centre.
Mr Murray studied social policy and Law at Edinburgh University and graduated with an Honours degree at the age of 20.
He worked to fund his studies with a part-time job in a local fish and chip shop, where he then set up and ran a pizza delivery service.
After graduating in 1997, Mr Murray worked in financial services before setting up an internet television station.
He then started his own event management business running large festival events. He has also owned a small bar and hotel business, running several premises.
In 2004, Mr Murray organised a charity concert for a Landmine Free World with artists Billy Bragg, Chrissie Hynde, Steve Earle, Joan Baez and Emmylou Harris, which raised more than £100,000.
Mr Murray, who lives with his partner Hannah, also organised a student exchange programme in Nepal to fund school buildings and staff.
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He is the man who led the campaign to save Hearts Football Club from administration - winning over fans across Edinburgh.
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Officials said Mr Guelleh won 87% of Friday's vote, which activists complained was preceded by political repression and curbs on basic freedoms.
Mr Guelleh, in power since 1999, begins a fourth five-year term in power.
He faced five rivals in the election, but three opposition parties boycotted the poll.
The opposition complain of police brutality and media bias under Mr Guelleh's rule.
"The people of Djibouti have again entrusted me with the state's highest office," Mr Guelleh, 68, said in a speech on national TV.
More on this and other African news stories
Djibouti election: What you need to know
Djibouti’s thin-skinned democracy
Djibouti's strategic position on the Gulf of Aden means that it is home to US and French military bases.
The country is also seen as relatively stable in a region which includes Somalia, where the government does not control the whole country, and Yemen, where there is a civil war.
Observers say this explains the muted criticism of President Guelleh from the West.
Some 180,000 people were eligible to vote, around a fourth of the population.
The opposition were angry that the president rescinded his earlier decision not to seek another term.
His main rival, representing the opposition Union for National Salvation (USN) coalition, was Omar Elmi Kaireh, a Djibouti independence hero.
He came second, with 7%, according to provisional results announced by Interior Minister Hassan Omar.
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Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh has won a landslide victory in an election criticised by opposition parties and rights groups.
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The Regatta Quay development, which includes a 20-storey building known locally as the 'wine rack', was taken over by administrators in 2010.
The Irish government owns the site after buying Irish bank debts.
The administrators said completing the ??100m buildings was dependent on the property market.
Work on Regatta Quay started in 2007, but it stopped as City Living Developments (Ipswich) Ltd, which had borrowed from the Anglo Irish and Allied Irish banks, went into administration.
Ben Gummer, Conservative MP for Ipswich, said it was "almost a metaphor" for the British economy.
"It's property speculation gone mad and a banking system which is bust, so it's going to take a lot of time to put that right," he said.
"The administrators are actively trying to find a developer to take on the work, so things are moving now but I'd like to see them move quicker."
Baker Tilly were appointed administrators for Regatta Quay by Ireland's National Asset Management Agency.
The accountancy firm is also the administrator for The Mill development next to Regatta Quay.
Regatta Quay has 118 flats built, with space for 150 more in the 'wine rack'. The Mill has 194 completed and 140 uncompleted flats.
Nigel Millar, from Baker Tilly, said: "It's very difficult to say when building work could resume.
"We'll certainly be in administration for two years. How long we'll be in administration depends on how sales progress."
Savills, which is the estate agent for the sites, said sale prices for a two-bedroom apartment had dropped from about ??300,000 in 2008 to ??175,000.
Andy Redman, from Savills, said: "If we can continue to sell at the rates we're achieving of 3-4 flats a month, then it may bring things forward, but it's dictated by market conditions."
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Administrators say work will not resume on an unfinished block of flats on Ipswich waterfront until 96 completed apartments are sold.
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Cleveland Potash, which runs the site near Saltburn, said the development would secure the plant for 40 years.
Plans include extending the mine to the east and upgrading facilities to increase production capacity.
Some groups have raised concerns the development could have an intrusive effect on the local area.
The company hopes to extend its planning permission with the North York Moors National Park Authority to 2063.
Cleveland Potash's parent company Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL) is set to invest £300m in the area over the next five years.
As well as funding the development of the Boulby site, the investment will go towards upgrading the company's Teesport operation near Middlesbrough, which exports potash mined at Boulby.
One of the first steps will be the £16m replacement of the tower at the top of the Boulby site's rock shaft, which lifts the mineral up from the mine.
The renewal will raise the amount of ore lifted to around 5.3 million tonnes a year, a one million tonne increase on the current maximum.
The mine's underground equipment, which Cleveland Potash general manager Phil Baines described as "aged", will also be modernised.
Mr Baines said: "Our present combination of potash resources and reserves totals around 70 million to 80 million tonnes, but following a major exploration programme we expect this figure will increase significantly over the new few years.
"Our plan is to extend operations out to the east in parallel to the area worked over the past 40 years, effectively providing a new mine for the next 40 years."
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Plans to extend a potash mine at Boulby in East Cleveland are expected to create more than 270 jobs by the end of 2015, the owners said.
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Ward, from Montana, has been one of the featured drivers for the last five of the History Channel show's 10 seasons.
The show follows drivers as they battle the elements to deliver supplies to remote communities in northern Canada.
In the UK, the latest series of Ice Road Truckers had around 900,000 viewers per episode on Channel 5.
A statement on Ward's Facebook page said he had been travelling from a truck show in Dallas, Texas, to start filming the pilot for new a documentary about the recovery of plane wrecks in Montana.
The statement said his co-pilot, who was unnamed, also died in the crash,
"Trucking has always been a large part of Darrell's life; from running the harvest rigs with his grandparents and family, to driving trucks from Montana to Alaska and all roads in between," it read.
"In his free time, you could usually find Darrell giving back to the community any chance he got, he had promoted the most recent food drive to help victims in the Louisiana Floods and was scheduled to appear as the grand marshal for the Truck Convoy for Special Olympics in Nova Scotia."
The message added: "His motto, 'any road, any load' fits his personality perfectly."
A statement from History said: "We are saddened by the tragic loss of Darrell Ward, a beloved member of the History family.
"He will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email [email protected].
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Darrell Ward, one of the long-haul drivers made famous on TV's Ice Road Truckers, has been killed in a plane crash at the age of 52.
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12 September 2014 Last updated at 06:51 BST
But the contrast could not be more different in India where consumers are being bombarded with low-priced smart devices.
These cheaper handsets are set to open up new online opportunities, as millions of people take to the internet for the first time. From Delhi, David Reid reports.
Watch more reports on Asia Business Report's website.
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Smartphones were one of the big themes of the week - and the release of Apple's latest iPhone could well shake things up at the top end of the market.
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It comes despite the party's policy to support renewing the Trident nuclear weapons system remaining unchanged at the recent Labour conference.
Mr Corbyn was also criticised by many of his MPs for saying he would never use nuclear weapons if he became PM.
However, CND said Mr Corbyn was stepping down as its vice-chairman because of his "increased workload".
Mr Corbyn joined the organisation as a teenager in 1966 and has long campaigned against the replacement of Trident.
But many Labour MPs, including the party's new shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle, have openly disagreed with Mr Corbyn's views on nuclear weapons.
BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said his new role at CND was likely to increase tensions within his party over the issue.
"Privately some are deeply concerned at the uncertainty over Labour's position on such a key issue," she added.
A guide to Trident and the debate about its replacement
Is there such a thing as a nuclear button?
How important is Trident to the UK's security and international standing?
CND's general secretary Kate Hudson said Mr Corbyn's new role was a "fitting tribute to a very principled man with a lifelong commitment to CND and the cause of nuclear disarmament".
"Working together, with enormous support from across society, we will prevail against trident and secure a crucial step towards global disarmament," she added.
Russell Whiting, from CND, said Mr Corbyn "stood on a clear anti-trident platform" when he was elected as Labour leader "with a massive mandate".
"He's challenging the consensus that has developed at Westminster around Trident," he said.
"And that's something we're looking forward to taking forward with him."
Mr Corbyn had been due to address a CND conference in London this weekend, but is now said to have other engagements.
Meanwhile, one Labour MP has raised concerns about a group that campaigned to get Mr Corbyn elected as party leader and and has now rebranded itself as Momentum.
The group promises to "organise in every town, city and village to create a mass movement", but Mike Gapes, the Labour MP for Ilford South, has told the BBC he fears some members of the campaign have an agenda.
He said: "I hope they are just going to be a discussion organisation like Progress or the Fabian Society, but I fear some of the people behind it have another agenda which is about deselecting MPs."
However, a spokeswoman for Momentum said such fears were a misunderstanding, and she said it was "a positive, outward looking" organisation.
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Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to become the vice-president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
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Ex-servicemen and women joined many members of the general public to reflect on those who died or have been injured in service to their country.
Here are images from some of the acts of remembrance from those who took part.
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The nation fell silent for two minutes on Wednesday to remember the nation's war dead on Armistice Day.
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As Test Match Special celebrates its 60th anniversary, BBC Radio 5 live Sport brings you Our TMS.
People of all ages tell their stories of enjoying Test Match Special - from those who have listened for all 60 years to those who have only tuned in recently.
We hear about the sailors who listened to Geoffrey Boycott's 100th first-class hundred while aboard the Ark Royal, the mother following the Ashes from a maternity ward, and the boy who would take his transistor radio and watch the Test outside a TV shop.
Discover more about the captain of a sinking boat pumping out sea water as Devon Malcolm took nine wickets against South Africa, people listening at Lord's when John Arlott commentated on his final spell, and the listener who had the infamous 'leg over' incident played at her funeral.
There will also be the odd recognisable voice or two paying their tribute to the programme.
Our TMS will be on BBC Radio 5 live at 19:30 BST on Tuesday, 25 July.
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What is a programme without its listeners?
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The consumer goods maker was among the top gainers on the FTSE 100 index, up 3.6% on the strength of better-than-expected third-quarter sales, up 5.7%.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 69.06 points or 1.1% at 6,338.67.
Miners rose but then fell. Glencore turned a 3% gain into a 2% fall and BHP Billiton a 1.3% rise into a 0.6% fall.
Burberry was 8% lower at the end of play, having been 12% down on a warning of an "increasingly challenging" Chinese market and a fall in sales there.
On the currency markets, the pound was flat against the dollar at $1.5484 and rose 0.49% against the euro at €1.3540.
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(Close: London's leading shares closed up more than 1% in Thursday trading, partly thanks to strong results from Unilever.
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The 44-year-old former Celtic boss will be assisted by Garry Parker at Easter Road.
The Northern Irishman has been out of work since parting company with Bolton in March.
He succeeds Alan Stubbs, who left for Rotherham United last week after two seasons in charge, culminating in a Scottish Cup final triumph.
"As soon as Neil was identified as the outstanding candidate we were determined to bring him to Easter Road," said Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster.
"He has managed at a very high level, taking Celtic to the last 16 of the Champions League, and we were attracted by his ability to get the most out of players and his driven, winning mentality."
Lennon served Celtic as a midfielder for six-and-a-half years, winning five Scottish titles and six domestic cups to add to the two League Cups he won with Leicester.
After a spell back in English football with Nottingham Forest and Wycombe Wanderers, Lennon rejoined Celtic as a coach in 2008, taking over as manager in 2010.
He enjoyed further success at Celtic Park with three successive top-flight titles and two Scottish Cup triumphs before leaving in the summer of 2014.
A move to Bolton followed later that year and, although Wanderers initially improved under Lennon, they were bottom of the Championship by the time he left, with the side eventually relegated.
Hibs have spent the last two seasons in Scotland's second tier and missed out on promotion to the Premiership after a play-off semi-final defeat by Falkirk, having also lost out at the same stage of the play-offs in 2015.
But after ending their 114-year wait to win the Scottish Cup, the Edinburgh club will enter the Europa League qualifying rounds, with their first match on 14 July.
Englishman Parker, 50, was a team-mate of Lennon's at Leicester and was part of his coaching team at both Celtic and Bolton.
Hibs have called a media conference for 14:00 BST on Thursday.
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Neil Lennon has been confirmed as the new manager of Hibernian after signing a two-year deal.
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The watercolour, attributed to Queen Victoria's favourite artist Sir Edwin Landseer, was sold by JP Humbert of Whittlebury, Northamptonshire.
The painting has attracted both firm supporters and those who doubt whether it does depict the Brontes.
It was sold to a collector who plans to do more research and resell it.
Bidding took off just 15 minutes before the end of the "timed" online auction with the painting sold for £40,550 hammer price (£50,038 including buyers premium) to an private investor believed to be based in the UK.
Auctioneer Jonathan Humbert said: "We are very pleased our theory has been accepted and endorsed by the establishment.
"The evidence was compelling that this is the Brontes as painted by Landseer and its successful sale has proved that research and factual evidence will overcome apathy and negativity."
Mr Humbert had decided to pull the picture, which he believes to be of "national importance", from an auction in 2012 so more research could be done.
Landseer was a popular Victorian painter best known for his animal portraits and designing the bronze lions in London's Trafalgar Square.
The Bronte family moved to Haworth, West Yorkshire, in 1820 where the Reverend Patrick Bronte was appointed Curate of Haworth.
They lived at the Haworth Parsonage from 1820 to 1861, which is now the Bronte Parsonage Museum.
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A painting claimed to be a previously unknown portrait of the three Bronte sisters has sold for more than £40,000 at auction.
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Emergency services were called to the scene close to Knockmore industrial estate at about 06:45 GMT on Thursday.
No one was hurt. The train was evacuated and passengers were transferred to buses.
Translink and the Health and Safety Executive have begun investigations and the line will remain closed all day.
The transport firm's spokeswoman said: "We would hope to be in a position to resume a full train service from tomorrow [Friday] morning."
On Thursday afternoon, rail passengers were advised that a bus substitution will operate between Moira and Lisbun until 18:30 GMT to "accommodate peak time commuter traffic".
After the rush hour, a bus substitution will operate between Portadown and Lisburn and cross-border passengers will be bussed between Belfast and Newry for the rest of the day.
Translink's statement added: "Safety is our top priority and an investigation is currently ongoing.
"We are now taking steps to get the line cleared; our engineers have been on site and will be working throughout the night in order to get services back to normal for our customers."
The firm said it will be working with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) during the investigations.
Translink has apologised to their customers for the inconvenience.
The Knockmore Road, which was closed between the Moira Road and Ballinderry Road, has now reopened.
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A train hit a piece of construction equipment on the railway line near Lisburn, County Antrim, a Translink spokesperson has said.
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Police said detectives were investigating the blaze which started shortly before 04:50 GMT on Coniston Road.
The force added the fire is being treated as unexplained and a joint investigation with the fire service has been launched.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said it sent five fire engines to the scene to tackle the blaze.
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A person has died in a house fire in Lancaster.
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The office in Cowbridge Road has been closed with a note placed on the window advising claimants and jobseekers where to go instead.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed the incident.
A Public and Commercial Services union spokesman has claimed several workers had oxygen therapy after a suspected carbon monoxide leak.
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Some members of staff at a Jobcentre in Cardiff have been sent to hospital following a gas leak.
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The growing problem needs "an urgent response" coordinated by the Home Office, NAO head Sir Amyas Morse said.
Almost two million cyber-related fraud incidents were estimated to have taken place last year, it added.
The Home Office said government, the police and industry were working together to tackle the problem.
Sir Amyas said the Home Office, while not solely responsible for tackling the issue, was the only organisation that could oversee the system and lead change.
The Home Office's Joint Fraud Taskforce, which was launched in February 2016, was a positive step "but there is still much work to be done", he said.
"At this stage it is hard to judge that the response to online fraud is proportionate, efficient or effective."
Analysis: BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw
According to the Office for National Statistics, fraud is now the most commonly experienced crime in England and Wales, with most offences committed online.
But the National Audit Office says only one in every 150 police officers specialises in fraud - and it doesn't even feature in a third of the policing plans issued by local police and crime commissioners.
The NAO also criticises a Home Office taskforce set up last year to tackle online fraud, saying it's too focused on banking, lacks proper governance and hasn't established measures for its performance.
The Home Office says the taskforce is making a positive difference but it acknowledges there's more to do.
In the year to 30 September 2016, the Office for National Statistics estimated there were 1.9 million cyber-fraud incidents in England and Wales, or 16% of all estimated crime incidents.
Online fraud includes criminals accessing citizens' and businesses' bank accounts, using their credit card details, or tricking them into transferring money.
The report said: "Fraud is now the most commonly experienced crime in England and Wales, is growing rapidly and demands an urgent response.
"Yet fraud is not a strategic priority for local police forces and the response from industry is uneven."
The Home Office said that tackling online fraud "demands a collaborative and innovative response to keep pace with the emerging threat", which is why it had launched the Joint Fraud Taskforce.
Improved data-sharing between banks and law enforcement had closed thousands of accounts linked to fraud, it said, adding that it was working with Financial Fraud Action UK on its Take Five to Stop Fraud awareness campaign.
Tom Ironside of the British Retail Consortium said: "The retail industry strongly supports a much closer partnership between the government, law enforcement and industry to tackle online fraud."
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Online fraud has been "overlooked" by the government, police and business, according to public spending watchdog the National Audit Office.
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The road closed for a time last week after a landslip during Storm Frank.
It closed again on Monday amid concerns about the boulder, which is about 175m above the carriageway.
The Old Military Road diversion, which was in use since 09:00, closed at 16:30. An alternative diversion via Dalmally will be in place overnight.
In a statement, roads operator Bear Scotland, said that efforts to make safe the boulder had been been "ongoing since first light this morning".
"A helicopter bringing materials to site was delayed reaching the area due to inclement weather but the specialist teams have now begun to install the anchors required to remove the boulder safely," Bear said.
"Good progress has been made and preparatory works should be completed today ready for works to make safe the boulder to take place tomorrow morning."
Bear said the "monitoring process cannot continue safely during the hours of darkness and the Old Military Road will close at 4:30pm this evening and reopen at 9:00am tomorrow".
During this time, the diversion via Dalmally and Crianlarich will be reinstated.
Overnight, the A83 will remain open from Inveraray to the B828 junction, allowing continued access to Lochgoilhead, Dunoon and the ferries to Gourock.
At the south side of the closure, access is available from Tarbet to Ardgartan.
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The A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll has been closed overnight as efforts continue to make safe a 150 tonne boulder on the hillside.
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The Denmark international, 29, played in all 38 of the Foxes' league fixtures last season, keeping 15 clean sheets.
He has made more than 200 appearances for Leicester since arriving from Leeds United in 2011, having started his career at Manchester City.
"We've taken some massive steps and ever since I arrived it's been fantastic," Schmeichel told LCFC TV.
"It was a case of coming back after winning the Premier League and making sure that the hunger was the same within myself and the squad. I've come back absolutely convinced that this is the place for me to be."
Boss Claudio Ranieri has said the club will not sell anymore of their best players after N'Golo Kante joined Chelsea last month.
England forward Jamie Vardy also signed a new deal with the champions in June, ending speculation that the 29-year-old would join Arsenal.
The Foxes begin their season with the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday, when they face FA Cup winners Manchester United.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.
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Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has signed a new five-year deal with Premier League champions Leicester City.
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And to be fair, he was telling them in a state where anyone who tried to do so would probably be arrested, or at least stared down. He told his crowd of supporters to do that because - he said - the votes would not be properly counted. His line throughout this campaign has been that the system is skewed against him and that he would be cheated out of a win.
The line would sound shocking if it weren't vintage Trump. The candidate for president has said he will decide on the day whether to accept the results of the actual election. But curiously, the call to "re-vote" is not as crazy as it sounds.
There are seven US states in which the practice is perfectly legal. In Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Mississippi, New York and Connecticut. If you have a change of heart, you can go back and do it again.
There are some restrictions. In Minnesota, it must be done by the week before. In Wisconsin you can only (only) go three times. In Pennsylvania you can change right up to election day itself - but you have to do so in person.
Few people make use of this curious loophole, but Donald Trump wants to exploit it to the full - telling Democrats who already voted for Clinton before the FBI reinvestigation to "go back and vote again". Presumably he has thought through the ramifications.
It works both ways after all.
Emily Maitlis is presenting BBC Newsnight's coverage of the US presidential election. You can follow her on Twitter and watch more of her reports here,
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The first time I heard Donald Trump in Colorado call on voters who had already voted to go back and vote again, I nearly fell off my chair.
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Lee Joon-seok, 68, is accused of leaving the ship as it was sinking while telling passengers to stay put, reports Yonhap news agency.
He was among the first to be rescued by coast guards at the scene.
The Sewol ferry disaster on 16 April killed 281 passengers, most of whom were high school students. Another 23 are still missing.
Besides Mr Lee, three crew members - the chief engineer, the chief mate and the second mate - are also being charged with manslaughter. If convicted, they could face life imprisonment.
"The [four people charged] escaped before the passengers, leading to grave casualties," prosecutor Ahn Sang-don told journalists.
Prosecutors have indicted another 11 crew members for negligence.
Only 172 passengers survived the sinking of the ferry, including 22 of the 29 crew members.
Meanwhile, the results of an interim investigation has found that a sharp turn was the main cause of the sinking, Yonhap said.
The Sewol "made a sharp turn at a 15 degree angle before tilting and capsizing", Yonhap reported, quoting police and prosecution officials.
The overloading of cargo and the lack of water in ballast tanks to balance the load made recovery from its sharp turn difficult, officials added.
The captain of the ferry was not on the bridge when the ferry capsized, with a third mate at the helm.
The authorities have also arrested several people who were not on the ferry at the time of the sinking.
These include five officials of the ferry owner, Chonghaejin Marine Company, and an employee of a private safety device inspection company.
The latter is suspected of conducting poor inspections of the ferry's safety equipment.
South Korea is looking to reform its safety and emergency response system in the wake of the ferry's sinking.
President Park Geun-hye said on Tuesday that the government would soon release details of this move, said Yonhap.
She has previously apologised for the way the government handled the incident, amid questions over the initial rescue effort.
Following the recent death of a civilian rescue diver, Seoul also plans to provide psychological help for rescue workers "suffering from physical and mental agony", said local media.
It comes amid reports the ship, submerged for nearly a month, has begun to deteriorate, making it even more difficult for divers to search for bodies.
Officials said that divers had spotted walls "getting weaker and about to collapse". Rescue workers are now plotting new routes through the hull.
Earlier reports said that some bodies had floated away from the ship, prompting workers to deploy nets around the site.
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The captain of the sunken South Korean ferry has been charged with manslaughter, reports say.
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The 59-year-old spent last season at the Daggers under boss John Still, whom he worked with at Luton.
Harris has become Wood boss Luke Garrard's number two on an undisclosed-length contract.
"I can bring experience with me because I have been very fortunate during my time with John Still," Harris said.
He added to the club's official website: "If you are a number two then you are the eyes and ears of the players and you certainly have an input into the coaching side and an input into the game management side and, as I said, I have been fortunate in the clubs that I have been with.
"With Dagenham, for instance, we got out of the Ryman league and then we got out of the Conference, as it called then, and we then took Dagenham into League One in the Play-off final against Rotherham."
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National League side Boreham Wood have named former Luton, Stevenage and Dagenham coach Terry Harris as the club's new assistant manager.
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He was just 0.033 seconds quicker than Rosberg as the dust settles on the controversy following their collision at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix.
Mercedes say the drivers are on their "last warning" and risk "financial and sporting penalties" if they crash together again.
Hamilton is 11 points behind Rosberg in the championship going into the race.
Force India's Nico Hulkenberg was third fastest, 0.8secs behind the Mercedes and just 0.009secs ahead of Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
Even at this early stage, the margin between Mercedes and the rest suggests they will be in a world of their own this weekend, a continuation of the recent trend that has seen any sense of a threat from Ferrari evaporate.
And Vettel - who tested the new 'halo' cockpit safety system during the session - coasted into the pits at the end with what appeared to be a gearbox problem.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was fifth fastest, despite a wobble through Vale corner at the end of his lap, and ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, who it was announced before practice will stay with the Italian team for another season in 2017.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was seventh, ahead of the second Force India of Sergio Perez, Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz and the McLaren of Fernando Alonso, whose team-mate Jenson Button was 12th, behind the other Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat.
Alonso said before the weekend that McLaren were hoping for a step forward at Silverstone thanks to the circuit suiting their car better than recent races and a step forward in engine performance thanks to an intake/induction upgrade from Honda.
Englishman Jolyon Palmer was 17th fastest at his first British Grand Prix, 0.8secs ahead of reserve driver Esteban Ocon, who was driving Kevin Magnussen's car in the first session.
British Grand Prix first final practice results
British Grand Prix coverage details
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Lewis Hamilton beat team-mate Nico Rosberg to the fastest time as Mercedes dominated British GP first practice.
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Connacht's Lam will join this summer as the long-term replacement to former boss Andy Robinson, who was sacked in November, and will be assisted by Connacht backs coach Conor McPhillips.
Bakewell, who signed a two-year deal at Bristol in 2016, will work with them.
The New Zealander was previously Bath's forwards coach between 2006 and 2009.
"I've spoken to Pat," Bakewell told BBC Radio Bristol. "I'm here next season, so I'm really looking forward to that.
"At this stage, what I would love to be able to do for Pat and everyone is keep Bristol in the Premiership. That's our focus at the moment."
Bristol are bottom of the Premiership with five matches remaining, having won three of their 17 league games since returning to the top flight.
In February it was confirmed that Mark Tainton - interim head coach since Robinson's departure - is to become Bristol's chief operations officer at the end of the season, overseeing recruitment once Lam arrives.
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Bristol forwards coach Mark Bakewell has said he will stay on the club's coaching staff when Pat Lam joins as head coach at the end of the season.
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Former Grimsby boss Hurst was appointed on 24 October, with the Shropshire club at the bottom of the table.
After beating Oxford, losses to Sheffield United and Fleetwood plus a 0-0 draw at home to Port Vale have seen Hurst's side return to bottom spot.
"Sometimes you need a bit of a joker," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.
"I'm a believer you can have fun while working hard still. They're a quiet group. I don't know if they feel they're still getting to know me, but I want a bit more from them.
"Characters - that's what you sometimes need. I don't want them to feel down."
Shrewsbury host fellow third-tier side Fleetwood in the FA Cup second round on Saturday.
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Shrewsbury Town manager Paul Hurst has urged his squad to have more fun and lighten up, in a bid to help their League One relegation battle.
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A judge had dismissed the case against PT Bumi Mekar Hijau (BMH), saying there was not enough evidence that the firm failed to prevent recurring fires.
Haze from forest fires in Indonesia affected South East Asia for months.
BMH supplies Asia Pulp and Paper, one of the world's biggest such companies.
The $565m in damages from the lawsuit would have been the largest financial reward ever levied against such a firm.
The government alleges BMH failed to prevent recurring fires in 2014 and this year on about 20,000 hectares of land in a region of Sumatra.
But presiding judge Parlas Nababan in a South Sumatra court said: "The lawsuit against PT Bumi Mekar Hijau is rejected because the evidence is not proven."
The director of law enforcement at the ministry of environment, Rasio Ridho Sani told the BBC the government is looking into its legal options now and companies must be held responsible for the fires in their areas even if they were not caused directly by the firm.
The forest and peatland fires, which caused dangerous levels of pollution in large parts of South East Asia in the second half of the year, were largely located on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
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The Indonesian government has said it will appeal against a court decision that rejected a $565m (£381m) lawsuit against a plantation company accused of causing forest fires.
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A gold medal in the race gives an athlete global recognition. Breaking the world record over the distance ensures sporting immortality.
American Donald Lippincott and Czech Marie Mejzlikova were the first, with Jamaica's Usain Bolt and Florence Griffith-Joyner of the United States the current holders of the crown.
Before the 2016 Games in Rio, at which Bolt and compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce will defend the 100m titles they won in London four years ago, BBC Sport presents a chronological history of world records in the event, showing each time it has been broken and when.
An accessible version can be found here
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The 100m is arguably the Olympic Games' most iconic event.
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He told MSPs that the operators of Prestwick Airport had a bid team in place.
The owners of Campbeltown airfield were also interested in attracting the venture.
Stornoway, Newquay and Llanbedr are also on a UK government shortlist of potential sites.
RAF Leuchars has been identified as a potential temporary facility.
Ministers are keen to see the spaceport established by 2018. It would be used to launch commercial flights and satellites into space.
Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Brown said the Scottish government "was keen" to see the port built in Scotland.
He said: "I am aware Glasgow Prestwick Airport is making considerable progress.
"It has a bid team in place and is working with a range of local and national partners to develop its proposal."
Mr Brown added: "The owners of Campbeltown air base are also interested in progressing a bid."
Campbeltown is a former military air base and part of the site is used by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (Hial).
Earlier this month, the leader of the council in the Western Isles said Stornoway had "critical features" that made it the "ideal location" for a spaceport.
Angus Campbell, of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said Lewis's geography and access to research and development facilities were suited to a facility.
Hial, which operates Stornoway Airport, said it would potentially support a venture.
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Two Scottish airports are actively bidding to host the UK's first spaceport, according to Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown.
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After the draft deal was published two weeks ago, an irate editorial in the French newspaper Le Monde fumed that the concessions made to Britain were "exorbitant".
And while some in Mr Cameron's own Conservative Party dismiss his renegotiation as a watery fudge, politicians in Paris have a very different view.
Of particular concern here is the question of future financial regulation. UK ministers, too, think this is the most important part of the whole renegotiation.
The issue is this: The majority of EU countries that have the euro are integrating further and building a banking union with common rules and regulations. That process will deepen in the coming years.
Mr Cameron wants legal guarantees that the eurozone will not rig the rules in a way that could harm the interests of countries that do not have the euro. But France frets that the UK is seeking special treatment for the City of London, that could harm the single market in financial services.
France is also concerned a new mechanism that would allow non-euro countries to escalate their concerns could clog up decision-making.
The UK insists it is not asking for any veto or competitive advantage, but this is likely to be the focus of the hastily arranged talks here this evening.
President Hollande also faces an election next year - and while he wants the UK to stay in the EU, he will not do a deal that gives his opponents a chance to claim he sold out to Britain.
EU renegotiation: Did Cameron get what he wanted?
Referendum timeline: What will happen when?
The view from Europe: What's in it for the others?
More: BBC News EU referendum special
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Prime Minister David Cameron is to meet French President Francois Hollande in Paris shortly - the latest leg in his drive to negotiate new EU membership terms for the UK.
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Watson, 23, beat Croatia's Ana Konjuh 7-5 4-6 6-3, while Bedene, 26, defeated France's Kenny de Schepper 6-3 6-3. Both are ranked number two in Britain.
However, British number three Naomi Broady went down in three sets to the USA's Christina McHale, 4-6 6-3 1-6.
Laura Robson was knocked out in the first qualifying round on Saturday.
Earlier on Sunday, Dan Evans failed in his attempt to win a second Challenger title in a row, losing 6-4 6-4 to Russia's Konstantin Kravchuk in the final in Busan, South Korea.
The Italian Open is the final major ATP World Tour tournament on clay before the French Open, which begins in Paris on 22 May.
British number one Andy Murray, seeded second, is likely to be in action in Rome on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old Scot - who takes on Novak Djokovic in the Madrid Open final later on Sunday - has been granted a bye in the first round and will meet either Borna Coric or a qualifier in round two.
Listen live to Sunday's Madrid Open final on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra from 17:30 BST
Never want to miss the latest tennis news? You can now add this sport and all the other sports and teams you follow to your personalised My Sport home.
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Britons Heather Watson and Aljaz Bedene are through to the main draw of the Italian Open after victories in the second qualifying round.
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Councillors voted in favour of the Local Development Plan by 21 votes to five.
Protestors who feared the plan would negatively affect the numbers of Welsh speakers in the area had met outside the council offices in Llangefni.
Gwynedd councillors approved the plan on Friday.
Anglesey and Gwynedd had prepared a joint land use development strategy.
It includes some houses which have already been built or have planning permission.
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A plan for 8,000 new houses in Anglesey and Gwynedd over the next 15 years has been approved by councillors on Anglesey.
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The Danish study looked at more than 21,000 couples seeking IVF treatment.
They found women who were unsuccessful in having a child were four times more likely to die prematurely than women who had been mothers.
Critics stress that the risk of early death was low - with just 316 people in total dying over the 11 year study.
The authors of the paper also point out that their research suggests a link between childlessness and premature death and not a cause. They wrote: "Mindful that association is not the same thing as causation, our results suggest that the mortality rates are higher in the childless."
The researchers based their findings on data obtained from various population registers in Denmark on births, deaths and IVF procedures from 1994 to 2005.
During this time 21,276 childless couples registered for IVF treatment, 15,149 children were born and a total of 96 women and 220 men died.
Four times more likely
After analysis, the results suggested having a child cut the risk of early death, particularly among women.
Childless women were four times more likely to die early from circulatory disease, cancers, and accidents than those with children- and men were about twice as likely.
Critics stress it is hard to determine the underlying cause of the results seen.
Ingrid Collins, a consultant psychologist, said: "This is a very specific situation of people who are trying to have children - the study's findings cannot be used to generalise across the whole general population.
"People having IVF tend to be desperate for a child, if they are unsuccessful they may be depressed- it may even be this rather than childlessness that is playing a part. One can only guess.
"It is complicated and many factors play a part in death rates- people with deep spiritual belief, being married, having a higher social class - these can all help in living longer."
Others point out that a family can psychologically help and support those that are dying.
Dr Helen Nightingale, a clinical psychologist, said: "Being childless without a doubt reduces your fight for life.
"If you draw on cancer as an example - the support of a family, the focus on your children - your grandchildren and the desire to watch how they will turn out drives your psychological resistance to survive.
"You fight for them, people hang on - it shows the power of relationships."
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Involuntary childlessness may increase the likelihood of early death, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reports.
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According to his family, the 85-year-old died on Monday following a stroke.
White was chosen ahead of Ringo Starr in September 1962 to play drums on the single version of Love Me Do and its B-side, P.S. I Love You.
White, who was born in Glasgow in 1930, is also believed to have played on the album version of Please Please Me.
He could therefore legitimately claim to be one of the so-called "Fifth Beatles", alongside the likes of Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe and others.
White also played drums on Lulu's 1964 cover of Shout and Sir Tom Jones' 1965 single It's Not Unusual.
He went on to tour with Marlene Dietrich, Burt Bacharach and Rod Stewart and perform with the BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra.
In a 2009 interview with a New Jersey newspaper, White revealed he was often called to London's Abbey Road studios in the 1960s.
"I would get a call from EMI and you never knew what you were going to be asked to do," he told The Progress.
White was paid a one-off fee - £5 - for his three hours with the Beatles and received no subsequent royalties.
Starr, who played drums on earlier versions of Love Me Do, can be heard playing the tambourine on the White recording.
"You could tell it was something different and very special," White told the Daily Record in 2012. "But I didn't know just how special it would become."
In later life White emigrated to the US, where he married the voiceover actress Thea Ruth and became a drumming instructor.
The New York Metro Pipe Band, one of the bands with whom he worked, described him on Facebook as an "all round gentleman".
He was also called upon to teach drums to musician turned actor Steven van Zandt for his role as Silvio Dante in TV hit The Sopranos.
Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, White's family paid tribute to his "amazing humility and humbleness about his many achievements".
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Andy White, the Scottish studio session musician who played the drums on Love Me Do and other early tracks by The Beatles, has died in New Jersey.
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Demonstrators sang Christmas carols and listened to speeches about immigrants and asylum seekers.
Weekly rallies by a group called Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West, or Pegida, began in October.
Several counter-demonstrations were being held on Monday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior politicians have spoken out against the Pegida rallies.
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A record 17,500 people have turned out for the latest "anti-Islamisation" rally in the German city of Dresden, according to police estimates.
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Jon Andrewes, 63, from Totnes, misled a Somerset hospice where he was chief executive from 2004 and Torbay Care Trust when he became chairman in 2007.
He also misled Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust where he became chairman in 2015.
Exeter Crown Court Judge Geoffrey Mercer told Andrewes that for 10 years "your outwardly prestigious life was based on a staggering series of lies".
More on the NHS fraudster, plus more Devon and Cornwall news
Andrewes admitted obtaining money by deception when he secured a job at the St Margaret's Hospice in Somerset, and two counts of fraud.
These related to making misleading statements before he was appointed as chairman of the Torbay Care Trust and of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT).
His total earnings from the health bodies between 2005-16 was £1,072,076.
Among the fake claims he called himself "Dr", despite him not having a PHD.
Andrewes also falsely claimed degrees from Edinburgh, Plymouth and Bristol universities, although he did have a Higher Education Certificate in Social Work.
He had actually spent most of his career as a probation officer, customs officer or youth worker.
Chairman of St Margaret's Hospice, Michael Clark, who appointed Andrewes, said the hospice made "significant progress" under his leadership and he had "no doubts about his ability to do the job".
But he would not have employed Andrewes if he had known about the fake qualifications.
Cameron Brown, prosecuting, told the court that Andrewes' employment was a mixed bag with a range of performance, and he was "not actively doing damage".
But he said the grounds for prosecution were "not his performance but the fact he was there".
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A bogus NHS boss who lied about his qualifications and raked in more than £1m has been jailed for two years.
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The government operates radio services and a TV channel. Private TV stations freely criticise the government.
There were 295,200 internet users by November 2015 (via Internetworldstats).
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Guyanese newspapers are free to criticise the government, although journalists are apt to exercise self-censorship.
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Companies bidding for government contracts worth more than £10m must show they have a "reasonable proportion" of apprentices.
"The greatest asset any employer has is their workforce," the Prime Minister said.
"And by investing in them, they are investing in the success and future of their business."
The government also reaffirmed plans for an apprenticeship levy, with large companies investing in a fund that is used to train workers.
The size of the levy has not yet been set, according to a spokesperson from 10 Downing Street.
"Skilled people are the lifeblood of a strong economy, but for too long UK businesses have invested too little in developing their employees' skills to meet the demands of a competitive, global market," said Skills Minister Nick Boles.
A government consultation is seeking views on paying the levy, which is expected to be in place by April, 2017.
The plan for a levy raised questions from EEF, the manufacturers' organisation.
"With little detail of the level of the levy, who will be required to pay it and how much government will give back in return, manufacturers have a right to remain sceptical that the levy will create the three million additional quality apprenticeships that we all wish to see," Terry Scuoler, chief executive at EEF, said.
He added that a number of large manufacturers "will be surprised by the suggestion from government that it is they who are currently failing to invest in apprenticeships".
The government said levy systems already operated in more than 50 countries.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) welcomed the announcement of the apprentice plan.
"Apprenticeship schemes can play a part in meeting important ambitions to boost skills and drive-up productivity," said John Longworth, the business group's director general.
But he added that plans to encourage apprenticeships should focus on small businesses, not just larger corporations.
"Government policy is currently too focused on major employers, but equal effort ought to be put on encouraging and supporting smaller businesses to offer apprenticeships," Mr Longworth said.
The plan is part of the government's commitment to create three million apprenticeships by 2020.
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David Cameron has shared plans to increase the number of apprenticeship programmes that big businesses offer.
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Emergency services were called earlier after reports two men were in the water at the mouth of the Wear, near to the Old Pier, Sunderland Yacht Club.
It is believed they went into the water to swim and got in to difficulty, police said.
For updates on this and other North East stories.
One of the men has been rescued, along with two 17-year-old women.
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A sea search is under way for a 17-year-old after three teenagers were rescued after jumping off a dinghy off the North East coast.
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While the main stages do not open until Friday, many smaller venues put on live music, DJs and films for those arriving early.
The first performer on the official line-up is flautist Frei Zinger, on the Croissant Neuf Bandstand at 11:00 BST.
There will then be entertainment in the circus field, Groovy Movie Picture House and many of the dance arenas.
Some 177,000 people are due on site during the weekend. Tickets, costing £225, sold out in 26 minutes last October.
But the weather is not expected to be as bad as 2014, when performances were halted due to a lightning storm. According to BBC Weather, there will be some light showers on Friday morning and on Sunday.
This year's headliners are chart-topping singer Florence and the Machine, US rapper Kanye West and rock legends The Who.
US rock band Foo Fighters were due to headline on Friday, but were forced to pull out after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg.
Florence Welch's last-minute promotion to the headline slot comes eight years after her first Glastonbury performance - a disastrous show in the Tiny Tea Tent for which her guitarist did not turn up until halfway through.
"If you had seen that performance at the Tea Tent there is no way you'd ever imagine I'd be headlining," she recently told The Times. "But I love Glastonbury. I'll do anything I can to help them out."
Organisers have not yet announced who will fill the vacant slot below Florence on Friday.
The following night, Kanye West's performance will be watched with interest after a petition calling on Glastonbury to drop him in favour of a rock band attracted 134,000 signatures.
Organiser Emily Eavis said she also received death threats from those who do not want him to play.
But Eavis wrote in The Guardian: "There is no question in my mind that we have got one of the greatest artists of his generation headlining, and we have no regrets at all about booking him."
Other names on the line-up include Motorhead, Mary J Blige, Burt Bacharach, Lionel Richie, Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson and The Chemical Brothers.
More unusual bookings include Professor Stephen Hawking, who will appear in the Kidz Field, and the Dalai Lama.
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Music fans have begun setting up camp at the Glastonbury Festival after the gates opened for this year's event.
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But on closer inspection, it turns out the Barcelona striker has not swapped La Liga for the League of Ireland.
It is in fact 16-year-old Barry Cotter, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Brazil World Cup star.
While Neymar will line-up in the Champions League, former Avenue United and Ennis Town forward Cotter will play in the under-17 National League after signing for Limerick.
But he shares his doppelganger's confidence telling the club website: "I'm looking to score at least one or two goals in each game for the rest of the season."
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On first glance it looks like Limerick have pulled off the transfer of the century and signed Barcelona striker Neymar.
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The 24-year-old du Preez joined the Pro12 club after leaving Southern Kings in 2013, while Cochrane, 32, arrived from London Wasps the following year.
Du Preez is enjoying working under compatriot and coach Alan Solomons.
"The squad karma is really good and the club is moving forward," said du Preez in a club statement.
"I enjoy working with Alan and it's good that he's staying on. I know what he expects from me."
Du Preez had previously worked under Solomons at his former club, but he suffered a serious lower leg injury last season.
"It was difficult coming back from injury, but our club physios did a great job to fix me up and all's good now," he said.
"I'm looking forward to helping the club stay in the top group of the Guinness Pro12 and challenging for a place in the Champions Cup next season."
Cochrane, who had spells with Rotherham Titans, Doncaster Knights and Bedford Blues, also praised Solomons' work and relished the challenge of winning a place in the team.
"We have some talented young hookers coming through the club, which is great and keeps me on my toes," said the Edinburgh-born forward, who made a mid-career switch from the back row.
Solomons was delighted to retain both players.
"Cornell is a class player who has proved invaluable for us," he said. "He is also a great bloke and a good team man.
"Neil has made a terrific contribution to the team since returning home from Wasps.
"He is a superb hooker and a very good leader."
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South African number eight Cornell du Preez and Scottish hooker Neil Cochrane have signed two-year contract extensions with Edinburgh.
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Strathbungo residents are being asked to take part in Window Wanderland at 18:00-21:00 on Saturday 25 February.
Artist Lucy Reeves, who ran her first event in Bristol in 2015, said it helped bring out people's playful side.
Previous events have seen windows with paper silhouettes, laser projections and people staging performances.
The event aims to encourage people to come outdoors for an evening walk around the neighbourhood.
Ms Reeves said: "I wanted to make an event that anyone can participate in, is easy to do, and creates something different.
"This brightens up the long winter nights giving everyone a great excuse to get outdoors.
"We have had displays made by schools, grandparents, even pets, some are silly, some are serious.
"It is a proper community event, some roads had almost every house participating, using campervans, top floor windows and even decorating hedges with lights."
Residents are being encouraged to sign up on the event's Facebook page or website.
Following the Bristol trail, seven areas in the UK ran an event in 2016, with a further 11 planned this year.
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A Glasgow neighbourhood is being encouraged to create a window display in their home to help turn the area into an outdoor evening gallery.
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Drought has taken a savage toll on the town of McKinlay in north-west Queensland, Australia, so a downpour of rain just before Christmas was the best present he could imagine.
Suspecting water would begin to flow on 18 December, Senior Constable Hansson drove to the riverbank and started filming when the water began to cut through the dust.
"Come on down … Come to papa!" he can be heard yelling in the video.
"Here she comes... wow, I can't believe how lucky I am!"
His enthusiastic and very Australian response to the river's return to life would perhaps have gone unnoticed were it not for his daughter, Tahnee, who uploaded the video to YouTube on 19 December.
This week the internet noticed it, and turned Snr Con Hansson into an overnight sensation.
Speaking to the BBC from McKinlay Police Station, the straight-talking police officer said he was excited the river had run, but his chief concern was seeing the area emerge from drought.
"It's desperate times," he said. "For about three months it looked like a desert, with no green grass left."
"The ground was bare and a lot of our pastoralists had been hand-feeding the stock to keep them alive."
"We had more rain across the Christmas season than we've had in the past two years."
He said he was so excited on the video because he had not seen the river flow since moving to the area four years earlier.
"I patrol the area anyway so I just pulled up for a minute to see if the river would start. I just couldn't believe it," he said.
Living in a remote area which relies on satellite internet, Snr Con Hansson remains unaware of the extent of the video's popularity.
"My daughter's been keeping me appraised of the situation. She said she had uploaded the video to YouTube and I said, 'So what?'.
"But I'm excited people get to know about north-west Queensland and how tough it is out here, and how tough the people are.
"They've done well to keep their heads up it's good to see a smile on a few faces and cattle with their heads down having a good feed."
Tahnee Hanson said her father's performance in the video reminded her of an American man's infamous reaction to a double rainbow, which went viral in 2010.
"I put it on my YouTube and it wasn't really doing anything, then I woke up this morning and overnight it went from 500 views to 40,000.
"I said, 'It's going viral dad', and he kind of didn't give a rat's ass," she said.
A total of 86.1% of Queensland was declared drought-affected in December, with the extended dry spell taking a heavy toll on farmers.
Interviews by Ashley Donnelly
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Police officer Des Hansson could not contain his excitement when water began to flow through the dry bed of the McKinlay River.
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Hayne, 28, quit the NFL after just one season to try to play rugby sevens for Fiji in this year's Rio Olympics.
The former San Francisco 49er previously played for Paramatta Eels in Australia's National Rugby League.
"I thought the boys needed a bit of added competition," said Fiji coach Ben Ryan.
"Jarryd has trained well. In attack he is comfortable on the ball, he has good spatial awareness and has good footwork. In defence he is a good tackler."
Fiji need eight points to claim this season's World Series title.
Hayne, who joined the Fiji camp as an injury replacement, left Australia's NRL in 2014 to pursue a career in the NFL as a running back.
He played international rugby league for both Australia, where he was born, and Fiji, who he qualifies for via his father.
Have you added the new Top Story alerts in the BBC Sport app? Simply head to the menu in the app - and don't forget you can also add alerts for your rugby union team, cricket scores, football and more.
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Former NFL and rugby league player Jarryd Hayne is in Fiji's squad for this weekend's final round of the World Rugby Sevens Series in London.
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Major international artists include Hermann Nitsch, Melvin Moti, Dieter Roth and Rachel Mayeri.
There are new commissions from Susan Philipsz, Andrew Miller, Emily Speed, Kevin Harman and Anthony Schrag.
There are also retrospectives of acclaimed artists such as Ian Hamilton Finlay, Leslie Hunter and John Bellany.
Scots-born sound artist Philipsz, who won the Turner prize in 2010, will bring Timelines to the capital - a multi-site installation, developed in response to one of Edinburgh's famous One O'Clock Gun.
The gun is fired every day, except Sunday, from Edinburgh castle.
Philipsz's voice will call out each day in response to the firing of the gun, creating a domino effect as speakers sound along the timeline from Calton Hill to Edinburgh Castle.
Other new commissions include a pavilion made from salvaged materials and artworks made from rubble in skips.
As well as the commissions, the festival will feature new exhibitions by international artists such as Rachel Mayeri.
The Los Angeles-based artist collaborated with comparative psychologist Dr Sarah-Jane Vick to develop Primate Cinema: Apes as family.
It is a two-screen video installation that presents a drama written for chimpanzees and performed by human actors alongside the reactions of an audience of chimps.
It was researched and partly filmed at Edinburgh Zoo.
Dutch artist Melvin Moti is holding his first UK solo show, at the National Museums of Scotland.
One Thousand Points of Light features a new film focusing on light-reactive minerals and objects the artist has chosen from National Museums of Scotland's collections, ranging from fluorescing fossils to a glowing jellyfish.
There will also be several "summer blockbuster" exhibitions, with one exploring Picasso's lifelong connections with Britain, at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Another major exhibition will feature the work of Van Gogh and Kandinsky, at the Scottish National Gallery.
As well as the major artists, there is an exhibition by TV presenter Harry Hill, who will also be performing during the Fringe, entitled My Hobby.
Edinburgh Art Festival was founded in 2004 and will run until 2 September.
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Edinburgh's art festival has begun its "most ambitious" programme yet, with 45 exhibitions showing in 30 of the city's museums and galleries during August.
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The 30-year-old Scot, who raced for Force India from 2010 to 2013, will be back-up for race drivers Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll.
Deputy team principal Claire Williams said: "It's great for us to retain someone of Paul's experience."
Di Resta will combine F1 duties with racing for Mercedes in Germany's DTM touring car series.
He said he was "delighted" to stay at Williams and "looking forward to understanding the new regulations" introduced to F1 this season in an attempt to make the cars faster, more dramatic and more appealing to the audience.
Williams' new car will be revealed to the public on Friday before pre-season testing starts in Spain on 27 February.
Di Resta's best race results in F1 have been two fourth places in Singapore in 2012 and Bahrain in 2013. He was the DTM champion for Mercedes in 2010.
Part of his responsibilities at Williams will involve helping Brazilian veteran Massa, 35, support Stroll, an 18-year-old Canadian rookie who brings financial backing reported to be at least £20m to the team.
Massa retired at the end of last season but was persuaded to come back for one final year after Mercedes approached Williams to release Valtteri Bottas to them following world champion Nico Rosberg's retirement.
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Paul di Resta is to stay as Williams reserve driver for a second season in 2017.
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The 21-year-old, from Meon Valley Golf Club, followed in the footsteps of fellow Hampshire golfer Scott Gregory in 2016 by winning the trophy.
The victory guarantees Ellis will play at Royal Birkdale next month as well as the Masters and US Open next season.
"The magnitude of what I did is starting to sink in," Ellis said.
Ellis came from four holes down with five remaining in the 36-hole final to beat Australia's Dylan Perry at Royal St George's in Kent on Saturday.
Victory was only secured after two play-off holes for the man who became the youngest to win the English Amateur Championship, aged just 16, in 2012.
"I still feel a little numb," he told BBC South Today. "The task was getting a lot tougher to come away with the trophy and I knew I just had to keep myself going.
"It all came out when the winning putt was sunk. It was years of hard work and a lot of disappointment matched with the excitement of holing that putt."
Ellis has just completed his third year on a scholarship at Florida State University, where he hopes the experience will stand him in good stead for an appearance at Augusta next season.
He revealed US Open champion Brooks Koepka was among those to text their congratulations after Saturday's win.
"Justin Rose and Scott Gregory also sent some nice messages," Ellis said. "It's been really nice to receive those and I'm really excited for the opportunities ahead."
The Open begins at Royal Birkdale on 20 July.
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Harry Ellis admits he still "feels numb and in shock" after securing his spot at The Open in July by winning the British Amateur Championship.
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It means control over new machines with maximum stakes over £10 will be devolved, as the Wales Bill cleared its final hurdle in Parliament.
Shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens wanted the power extended to existing terminals with maximum stakes over £2.
UK ministers expect the bill to gain Royal Assent in February.
The Wales Bill will hand Welsh ministers extra powers over transport, energy and electoral arrangements - including the power to increase the number of AMs.
It will also allow the Welsh Government to make some alternations to income tax.
But critics, including the Welsh Government itself, said other changes introduced too many restrictions on what it could or could not do.
On Tuesday, in the Commons, UK government amendments introduced in the Lords were accepted, devolving powers over water, fishing vessels and the right to be consulted over coastguard policy.
Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said it was a "landmark day" and the bill "brings clarity to the settlement and accountability for Welsh Government".
In October, the UK government announced a review of FOBTs amid concern about their attraction to vulnerable people.
On the question of devolving FOBT regulation, a UK government spokesman said it was "giving Wales the same powers as Scotland has to address the local social problems that these machines can sometimes create".
Labour had claimed fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) were highly addictive, allowing players to stake up to £100 every 20 seconds, compared to the £2 maximum bet on a fruit machine.
The party pointed to research showing there were four times as many betting shops in areas of high unemployment as in areas of low unemployment.
The Campaign for Fairer Gambling estimates that customers in Wales lost over £50m on FOBTs between September 2014-15.
The Association of British Bookmakers defended betting shops in Wales as the "safest place" to gamble as they were the most highly regulated retailer on the high street.
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A final attempt by Labour to give Wales more power to ban fixed-odds betting terminals has been defeated in the House of Commons.
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Zac Mitchell, 20, was injured in April while working on a remote farming property in Western Australia.
"A bull kicked my hand into the fence," Mr Mitchell said of the incident.
He underwent two unsuccessful operations to reattach his thumb before doctors opted to relocate his big toe in surgery lasting eight hours.
Mr Mitchell said fellow workers had attempted to preserve his thumb immediately after the accident.
"They put it in the esky [cooler] with some ice," he told the BBC.
Mr Mitchell was flown to hospital in the state capital of Perth, but efforts to save his thumb ultimately failed.
Despite initial reluctance, the cattle worker agreed to the transplant operation at the Sydney Eye Hospital two weeks ago.
Lead plastic surgeon Dr Sean Nicklin said he was not surprised it took time to accept.
"It is a bit of a crazy idea - they [patients] do not want to be injured in another part of their body," he said.
"[However] even if you have got four good fingers, if you do not have something to pinch against them, your hand has lost a huge amount of its function."
Mr Mitchell will need more than 12 months of rehabilitation, but he plans to return to farm work.
The Sydney Eye Hospital said it was rare to transplant a complete toe, like in Mr Mitchell's case, although partial toe relocations were more common.
"A lot of people think their balance and walking is going to be significantly affected which it generally isn't," Dr Nicklin said.
Mr Mitchell's mum, Karen, said he was making a good recovery.
"Two weeks since the operation his walking is almost back to normal."
Doctors say Mr Mitchell should eventually be able to return to his hobby of bull riding.
Reporting by the BBC's Greg Dunlop
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An Australian cattle worker whose thumb was severed by a bull has had his toe surgically transplanted in its position.
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Bale, 27, hobbled out of Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League win at Sporting Lisbon with what has been diagnosed as a "traumatic dislocation of the peroneal tendons" in his right ankle.
He will be operated on in London and is at risk of missing Wales' 2018 World Cup qualifier against Republic of Ireland in Dublin on 24 March.
That game is exactly four months away.
Chris Coleman's Wales are currently third in Group D, four points adrift of leaders Ireland and two points behind Serbia.
Bale extended his Real deal in October and is now tied to the Spanish giants until 2022.
He has made 20 appearances for club and country since August, scoring 11 goals.
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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale will have ankle surgery next Tuesday and is expected to be out for four months.
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The fire service apprentice mechanic died in the collision on the A5 in Capel Curig in Snowdonia on Tuesday.
North Wales chief fire officer Simon Smith said: "Today our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident, but particularly with the family of the colleague we have lost."
Support has been offered to staff.
Mr Roberts was based at the fire service's fleet department at Llandudno Junction, Conwy county.
Mr Smith said: "Our service attends road traffic collisions often and they are always difficult for our staff to deal with, but even more so when they involve a close colleague."
The crash, near the Siabod Cafe, involved Mr Roberts' red Seat Leon and a silver Mercedes car.
North Wales Police has appealed for witnesses.
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The man who died in a two-car collision in north Wales has been named as 19-year-old Trystan Rhun Roberts.
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The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is overseeing the dismantling of several UK sites, including Dounreay near Thurso in Caithness.
Representatives from the NDA and oil and gas experts have met in Aberdeen to share information.
One of the areas covered was the decommissioning of oil pipelines.
The event was held at Aberdeen's Oil and Gas Technology Centre.
The NDA said it was actively looking outside its sector for technologies to use in the decommissioning of nuclear power sites.
Among major Scottish oil and gas installations being decommissioned are the Buchan Alpha floating production vessel off Aberdeen, and the Beatrice complex in the Moray Firth.
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The nuclear industry is looking at how it might use technologies being used in the decommissioning of North Sea oil and gas installations.
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The UK's largest arena operator SMG was chosen in partnership with the largest international live entertainment company Live Nation.
The decision was announced by Bristol Mayor George Ferguson at a meeting of the council's cabinet earlier.
Bristol Arena, a 12,000-seat music venue, will be located at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone.
The arena is part of the city's plan to regenerate about 70 hectares (170 acres) surrounding Bristol Temple Meads station and is due to open in 2017.
The winning bidders will be involved in the design of the arena and in charge of operating, maintaining and managing it for the duration of the 25-year lease.
Mr Ferguson said: "SMG and Live Nation will bring the combined expertise of two global businesses in delivering an extremely exciting programme of concerts."
West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will contribute £53m towards the cost of building the arena, with the remaining £38m funded by Bristol City Council.
Colin Skellett, of the LEP, said: "This is a project that Bristol desperately needs, it's been talked about for so long, and we will make it work between us."
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Two companies have been announced as the combined preferred bidder to operate a £91m arena in Bristol.
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The 31-year-old, who was in his first managerial role, appears to have paid the price for a shock League Cup exit.
A Hearts statement read: "The board wishes it to be known that this was a very difficult decision, reluctantly made, as every member of the board recognises Ian is an extremely talented young coach with a very bright future.
"We thank Ian for all of his efforts and wish him well in the future."
Former Newcastle United, Valencia and Rio Ave coach Cathro was appointed head coach at Tynecastle in December, working under the club's director of football Craig Levein.
The Scot oversaw a 2-0 defeat away to Rangers in his first game, and in the 22 Premiership matches he was in charge last term his side lost 13, drew four and won five.
As a result, the Jambos finished fifth and missed out on a spot in Europe.
His side were also knocked out of the Scottish Cup in a replay against city rivals Hibernian.
Cathro was backed in the summer as the club brought in a number of new faces, including Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty and Scotland defender Christophe Berra.
The Gorgie men open their Premiership campaign at Celtic Park on Saturday, but results in the League Cup appear to have cost Cathro.
Hearts started the group stage with wins over Elgin City and East Fife but lost at League One outfit Peterhead and then drew 2-2 with Dunfermline, losing the resulting penalty shootout and crashing out of the tournament.
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Hearts have sacked head coach Ian Cathro after seven months in charge.
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The South Stream pipeline, financed by Russia's state gas giant Gazprom, would ship gas to western Europe via the Balkans, thus avoiding Ukraine.
But the European Commission says the pipeline may break EU competition rules and asked Bulgaria to suspend work.
Serbia's prime minister has denied his country has also halted building work.
Reports on Sunday had quoted Serbian ministers as saying the work was on hold until the EU, Russia and Bulgaria resolved their dispute.
But speaking on Monday, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said no such decision had been made.
Serbia is in talks with the EU on joining the bloc. Bulgaria is already an EU member state.
Construction work on the South Stream pipeline began in Bulgaria in October 2013.
It is intended to deliver Russian gas to southern Europe without passing through Ukraine and if built, it would deliver 63 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year.
The project was initiated amid disagreements between Gazprom and Ukraine and Belarus over the pricing of Russian gas, which led to gas supplies to some parts of Europe being cut off. It took on added significance following the upheaval in Ukraine.
But the European Commission says Bulgaria may have broken EU public procurement laws by choosing local and Russian bidders for its part of the pipeline, and earlier this month, asked Bulgaria to stop work.
On Monday, Russia's EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov said the move by Brussels was a "creeping shift to economic sanctions against Russia".
"It is hard to shake off the feeling that the European Commission's blocking of the start of work on the construction of Bulgaria's key section of South Stream has been done for purely political purposes," Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
Bulgaria has previously said it is being targeted by Brussels as a means of retaliating against Russia over the situation in Ukraine.
Bulgarian Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev said on Sunday that the project remained "irreversible and important for both Europe and Bulgaria" and that he was sure a solution would be found.
The EU and the US have imposed sanctions on a number of Russian individuals and companies following Moscow's intervention in Ukraine and its annexing of the Crimean peninsula, but Gazprom has not been targeted.
The firm supplies 30% of Europe's gas - some 15% via Ukraine - and has warned exports will be affected if sanctions are expanded.
Meanwhile, Gazprom has also threatened to cut supplies to Ukraine over an unpaid gas bill that it puts at more than $2bn (£1.2bn). This too would affect European supplies.
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Russia has accused the European Union of imposing "creeping" economic sanctions following Bulgaria's decision to halt construction of a gas pipeline.
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The 21-year-old Welshman failed to match Serik Sapiyev's work-rate at the ExCel Arena on Sunday and lost 9-17 in the welterweight final.
Evans' silver brought the number of Olympic medals won by Welsh competitors at London 2012 to seven, their highest total from any Games.
Jade Jones, Tom James and Geraint Thomas were the three gold medallists.
Evans joined Chris Bartley and Hannah Mills in winning silver, while Sarah Thomas added a bronze to the Welsh haul.
Evans's success gave Wales its best boxing medal in the history of the games, trumping Ralph Evans's bronze in 1972 Munich Games.
His hard road to the London 2012 final, which also included an enthralling single point semi-final win over Ukraine's world champion and world number one Taras Shelestyuk, caught up with him as Sapiyev pulled away to win.
"I've had four hard fights and I've got no excuses. He was sharper on the day and I didn't stick to my plan quite as I should have," Evans said.
"I beat the Ukrainian world champion, the number one in the world. Obviously I'm still young, I'm only 21 - I'm one of the youngest seniors here - so I've done well and I'm over the moon with getting to the final."
Evans's fellow martial artist Jones in the taekwondo,coxless four rower James and team pursuit cyclist Thomas led the way for the Welsh contingent at London 2012 by winning gold medals as part of a great British performance that claimed 29 golds in a 65-medal haul.
Lightweight four rower Bartley and 470 class sailor Mills have claimed silvers at London 2012, with hockey player Thomas winning bronze.
Welsh athletes had claimed five medals at three previous Olympics - at Stockholm 1912, London 1948 and at Beijing four years ago - so a total of seven Olympic medals at these Games represents a stand-out achievement.
The haul was reached despite two of the top tips for gold, 400m hurdler Dai Greene and triathlete Helen Jenkins, not fulfilling expectations after their preparations were disrupted by injury.
Green also finished just outside the medals as part of the GB 4x400m relay team that came fourth in the final, while sprinter Christian Malcolm's last hopes were dashed when the 4x100m relay team was disqualified in the heats.
The only milestone missed was equalling the mark of four gold medals won at a single Games set at Antwerp 1920.
Ninety-two years ago it was water polo players Paulo Radmilovic and Christopher Jones, along with 4x400m relay runners Cecil Griffiths and John Ainsworth-Davies who spearheaded the Welsh effort under the banner of Great Britain.
Wales also contributed a record 30 competitors to the GB squad, boosted by the five footballers selected for the men's team that lost on penalties to South Korea in the quarter-finals.
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Boxer Fred Evans had to settle for a silver medal as a record-breaking Olympics for Welsh competitors ended.
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The National Statistics Institute said the number of unemployed Spaniards fell by 12.4% to 4.78 million last year, thanks to a strengthening economy.
In the fourth quarter the rate dropped to 20.9% of the workforce, compared with 21.2% three months earlier.
The figures, which are better than predicted, are at their lowest level since mid-2011.
The economic recovery pushed the number of unemployed people down by 678,200 for the whole year.
But there is concern that much of the growth depends on short-term jobs
The data showed almost twice as many temporary posts were created in 2015 than permanent ones.
Vincenzo Scarpetta, a political analyst at Open Europe in London, said: "If the economic cycle starts going less well, those jobs could start to evaporate."
Economists fear that the inconclusive election, which has yet to result in a government, could delay much needed reform of the labour market.
Spain has suffered a double-dip recession that pushed unemployment to just under 27% at the end of 2013.
Retail sales grew 3.6% in 2015 as a whole, which is the biggest rise in 15 years.
A fall in the active workforce also helped the drop in the unemployment rate in the fourth quarter, reflecting the flow of workers going abroad and inactivity among the long-term unemployed.
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Spanish unemployment figures have experienced their biggest annual fall but unemployment remains at over 20%.
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Sixfields Tavern became engulfed in flames at about 14:30 GMT on Saturday afternoon.
Eighty firefighters worked for five hours to contain the fire and no-one was hurt.
Minor demolition work is to be carried out, as police and firefighters assess the damaged site.
Barry Mullan, incident commander, said: "The local employees did a great job in getting everyone out."
He said the fire began in a rear compound which contains a bin store and walk-in freezer, although the exact cause is not yet known.
Firefighters remain at the site watching for hotspots, which may reignite as the unstable areas are demolished.
The pub is at Sixfields Leisure, a site of shops, restaurants, fast food outlets and a cinema just yards from Sixfields Stadium, the home of Northampton Town.
Flames and billowing smoke could be seen above the stands as The Cobblers defeated Northwich 3-2 in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Lewis Dunnachine, who was in the pub, said: "We were finishing off our lunch prior to going to the Northampton Town match when I spotted spotted black smoke before the fire alarm went off.
"Our seats at the game enabled us to watch the building burn to the ground."
The game was unaffected and police assisted as supporters left the ground at full-time.
At the blaze's peak, firefighters were supported by crews from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
The operation was scaled down after 18:00 GMT.
A smell of burning lingers in the area where this time yesterday, Sixfields Tavern was a busy restaurant and pub.
It's now a carcass, burnt beyond all recognition. Part of the front of the building is still standing but from what I can see through the broken windows the inside is damaged beyond all reasonable repair.
It's a sad sight. This was a popular local and the pub of home fans on match day.
Police advised people to avoid the area on Saturday night and said Weedon Road roundabout remained closed on Sunday.
A Hungry Horse spokesperson said: "The pub will not be open for the foreseeable future and we will be working with the emergency services to establish the cause."
They added: "We sincerely apologise to our customers who have Christmas bookings with us, and will be contacting those whose telephone numbers we have as soon as we can to help them re-arrange their bookings, or where necessary, offer a refund of their deposits."
The venue was fully-booked for Christmas Day lunch.
James Stirling and Brian Miller were working at the pub when the fire took hold.
They described it as heartbreaking.
"I've already cried," said Mr Miller.
It is understood pub workers have been unable to collect their cars from the car park because their personal belongings, including keys, were in the staff room.
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Staff at a fire-wrecked pub in Northampton have been praised by a fire officer for their quick actions in helping customers to safety.
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The Richard Burnett collection of instruments from the 17th to 19th Century went under the hammer on Wednesday.
The auction in Newbury saw strong bidding with some items more than doubling their estimated guide price.
The instruments were bought by collectors in the UK, China, USA and Germany.
Proceeds from the auction, which topped £835,462, will go to the Finchcocks Charity, which works to keep historical instruments in playing condition.
Dr Graham Wells, specialist at Dreweatts and Bloomsbury Auctions, said: "This has stood out as one of the most exciting auctions that I have worked on."
The collection was put up for sale after Finchcocks Museum in Goudhurst, Kent - owned by Mr Burnett - closed in December following his retirement.
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A collection of 70 historic keyboards belonging to a concert pianist has sold for more than £835,000 at auction.
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Daria Gavrilova had earlier defeated Elina Svitolina 6-4 7-6 (8-6) in the women's rubber of the mixed event.
Svitolina had six set points at 6-1 in the second-set tie-break but lost the last seven points of the match.
Kyrgios, ranked 30th in the world, beat Britain's world number two Andy Murray in the group stage on Wednesday.
The tournament hosts, who had two squads competing in the eight-team event, last won the competition in 1999.
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Nick Kyrgios secured the Hopman Cup for Australia Green by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-4 to give his team a 2-0 victory over Ukraine in Perth.
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Winger Martin Donnelly scored the first with a low curling accurate shot from outside the box in the 35th minute.
Just before half-time Ards keeper Ryan Brown made a brilliant save from striker David McDaid's penalty.
McDaid did make it 2-0 on 62 minutes by turning the ball in from about six yards and late on sub Stephen Garrett wrapped it up with a close-range third.
Seconds before Donnelly had netted the opener, Ards fluffed a great chance to take the lead when Jordan Baker put a six-yard header wide.
And, just after going 2-0 down, Ards half-time substitute Stephen O'Neill went close to scoring against his former club but saw a header cleared off the line.
The historic win also brought a first trophy for manager Gerard Lyttle, who last October took on the job of succeeding Tommy Breslin, the north Belfast club's most successful manager.
Breslin, who had guided the Reds to eight trophies, stood down after Cliftonville's early-season league form stuttered.
Lyttle, with Celtic for a spell as a player, took over originally on a temporary basis.
But, after a promising start results-wise, the Solitude board gave Lyttle the full seal of approval and they will feel vindicated by this success.
Ards had gone into the final as massive underdogs, even more so having agreed to play on their opponents' ground, rather than a neutral venue, to benefit from bigger gate receipts.
Manager Niall Currie's main target is to get the North Down club, who were relegated in April 2014 and haven't had their own ground since the late 1990s, restored to the top flight of the Irish League.
They will feel heartened. by giving a good account of themselves when the odds were stacked against them, and will be many people's favourites to go on and win the Championship One title.
Cliftonville manager Gerard Lyttle: "We told the lads to play themselves into the history books.
"Winning is everything to me and you have to get trophies at this club.
"I cannot believe it, winning as a manager is completely different.
"All the hard work pays off when you get a trophy at the end of it all."
Cliftonville's David McDaid: "It was great to score in the final after missing it last year.
"The keeper made a good save from my penalty and the lads kept me head up at half-time.
"This is history for the club, the whole team played well and I'm thrilled to be part of it."
Ards: Brown, Hall, Gage, Cully, Lambe, Dorrian (O'Neill 45), McMillen (E McAllister 73), Arthurs, McAllister, Baker, Carson.
Cliftonville: Devlin, Cosgrove, Smyth, McGovern (Flynn 77), Ives, M Donnelly, Catney, Knowles, Curran (George 86), J Donnelly, McDaid (Garrett 81).
Referee: Andrew Davey (Bangor)
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Cliftonville became the first club to win the League Cup four years in a row by beating Ards in Saturday's final.
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Train drivers' union Aslef said passengers were forced to leave the train due to a row over running longer, 12-car trains without a guard.
The union is now balloting drivers over industrial action.
Gatwick Express said it had been talking to Aslef for a year and was "puzzled" by the situation.
Trains have been introduced gradually since February, with 12-car trains due to officially replace 10-car services from Monday.
Gatwick passenger services director Angie Doll said a driver was not prepared to carry passengers on Saturday's first 12-car service.
She said: "Unfortunately the train was cancelled and around 30 passengers were moved to a train on the adjacent platform which left seven minutes later.
"The driver did take the train to Gatwick and back but not with any passengers on board."
The company said letting the train out of Victoria without anyone on board was the best solution.
It said the train would otherwise have blocked the busy platform and caused significant disruption, with no time available to split it or take it elsewhere.
Ms Doll said the union was aware the trains were being introduced and drivers had already operated the trains and been given training.
She said the company was open to further talks.
Simon Weller, from Aslef, said the union had told Gatwick Express that members were not prepared to work 12-car trains.
He said: "The problem is running driver-only trains with passengers.
"The problem we have is with passengers boarding and alighting with only one person on the train.
He said the union wanted Gatwick Express to put guards on the trains and said: "The driver-only operation is a legacy of the shoestring economics of British Rail."
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A train made a return journey from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport without passengers in a dispute over a new service.
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Figures collected by the City regulator showed that, in particular, personal accident cover sold alongside home or motor insurance rarely led to payouts.
Nobody claimed over the course of a year on one particular policy covering the risk of serious injuries.
A campaigner accused insurers of abusing customers' lack of expertise.
Add-on insurance is where a policy is sold alongside another product.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the main financial regulator, has said that there is a risk that many of these policies offer poor value for money, previously declaring that "firms must start putting consumers first, and stop seeing them as pound signs".
Thousands of complaints have now led the FCA to publish data showing the frequency of claims, their success rate, and average payouts in the 12 months to the end of August.
Under personal accident cover add-ons, four of the eight policies included in the data saw a maximum of one claim from an average of at least 25,000 policies.
In the case of one policy from Liverpool Victoria (LV), nobody at all claimed throughout the year.
The company defended itself and said: "All LV= comprehensive car policies cover personal accident with a limit of £10,000, but customers who want extra peace of mind can choose an extended personal accident benefit of £100,000.
"The extended personal accident benefit is selected by a relatively small proportion of our customers.
"The add-on represents good value to those customers who want extra protection, by providing what is essentially catastrophe cover, for the modest price of £19.90 per year."
The company said it had questioned whether the FCA's analysis was suitable for such cover.
Campaigner James Daley, of Fairer Finance, said customers who only occasionally bought an insurance add-on had no idea whether they were paying a fair price or not.
As the policies were sold alongside another product, customers did not have the chance to check on price comparison sites to see whether these add-ons were a good deal.
"There needs to be a mechanism in place to ensure this is not abused," he said.
But the insurance industry said customers should consider whether they really needed these policies.
"Our own claims analysis has highlighted some common areas of misunderstanding and we have published a home insurance guide to help consumers," said James Bridge, assistant director at the Association of British Insurers.
"Customers also need to ensure that they do not simply buy on price but make sure they have cover at the levels they need."
He pointed out that the vast majority of actual claims were paid out.
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Thousands of insurance policy "add-ons" only produce a handful of claims, new data shows, raising renewed concerns over their value.
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Raj Odedra, a postmaster in Burghfield Common, Berkshire, hoped the postbox in Recreation Road would be painted gold to congratulate the diver.
After Royal Mail refused to paint the postbox Mr Odedra decided to place a replica in front of it.
It has since become a popular landmark for "selfies".
Mears and his diving partner Jack Laugher won Great Britain's first ever Olympic diving gold in the men's synchronised 3m springboard event.
Dozens of people have posted photos of their "postbox selfies" on the Burghfield Community Facebook page.
"It started off as a low key tribute to our Burghfield boy, but the postbox has since become really popular in the community - particularly on social media," Mr Odedra said.
"People from all over Reading to Tilehurst have come to visit the postbox and to take a selfie in front of it.
"It has really helped bring the community together to help support the success of Chris Mears and his family who live here."
Royal Mail defended its decision not to paint post boxes gold.
A spokesman said: "After London 2012, we confirmed that all 110 post boxes would remain gold on a permanent basis, with a plaque naming the athlete and their achievement.
"However Brazil, as the host nation of Rio 2016, has the honour of celebrating the games in its own way".
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The home village of Olympic gold medallist Chris Mears has installed a golden cardboard postbox as a tribute to his Rio 2016 success.
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A picture of a Chinese university student in the city of Wuhan apparently studying hard at his desk surrounded by murky flood water has surfaced on Chinese micro-blogging site Weibo.
The city of Wuhan has been placed on red alert for heavy rainfall, after torrential downpours left parts of the city submerged and some state media estimates suggest flooding has killed more than 180 across China.
This young man is reported to be a student at Wuhan University and was said to be studying for exams when water started coming into his room. He then simply moved to squat on top of his chair as it continued to rise.
Reports say he later left the room in search of higher ground when water levels reached the height of his desk, returning only when the water had receded.
Local media pounced on the image lauding the young man's apparent dedication to his studies, a paragon of studious virtue.
"His roommate commented that the exam he is taking is very difficult," reported the Chutian Metropolis Daily. "But he has had a history of good results."
Many reported that he was looking to head overseas after graduation, and so had much invested in these exams.
But netizens on Weibo were not all so kind. Some took jabs at the picture and suggested it might have been staged.
"Alright, you can turn around now that the picture's taken," said one netizen.
"Who took the photo? He's just as skilled," asks another.
"Is he actually watching Harry Potter?" another Weibo user posted.
Another user simply pointed out that the student could surely have just "brought the books and gone upstairs".
Perhaps the final word should be saved for this poster: "Oh man, I should really go study too."
Reporting by Yvette Tan.
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If you thought you were hardworking, you might want to think again.
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Pre-tax profits dropped to £49m from £53.5m in 2014.
But the Cardiff-based society - the largest in Wales - said it had helped 3,500 first-time buyers onto the housing ladder, up by 1,200 on the previous year.
It also warned 67 workers at its Nemo secured loans business that they were at risk of redundancy.
It has been trying to offload Nemo and said it would no longer take on any new customers.
However, the building society said it believed it could find jobs for many of the staff within its 1,000 strong workforce.
Meanwhile, Principality, which is the sixth biggest society UK-wide, said mortgage lending to home-buyers had passed the £5bn mark for the first time.
Graeme Yorston, group chief executive, said it had been "another strong 12 months".
He said the society would continue to respond to technological demands, which have included rolling out mortgage interviews on Skype and online appointment booking.
Underlying profit was £57.8m, up from £51.9m.
This included dealing with one-off issues like stopping new lending from its subsidiary Nemo, which provides secure loans on properties.
There has been speculation over recent years that Principality would look to sell this part of its business.
It will continue to manage accounts it currently has.
Mr Yorston said although Nemo had made a £14m profit, it did not want to "increase our participation in this market".
Looking ahead at economic prospects, he said he did not expect to see any rise in the official Bank of England base rate until 2017 and "when it does it is likely to be modest".
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Principality Building Society has announced a dip in its profits for 2015, after a record the year before.
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Louis Harris, 18, has been missing since he was spotted near the pavilion walking up steps towards the pier at 04:30 GMT on 14 February.
Dorset Police said it was "totally out of character" for him to disappear and they were "extremely" concerned.
A spokeswoman added that specialist dive teams have been looking in Weymouth harbour.
Mr Harris is white, about 5ft 10ins, slim, with brown short hair.
He was last seen wearing a blue and white hooded Lacoste top, a white Fat Face checked shirt with a blue and red checked pattern, blue jeans and Vans shoes.
Chief Inspector Steve Horton, of Dorset Police, said his family has not heard from him since he went missing.
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Police divers have been searching for a missing Dorchester man who was last seen on Weymouth beach.
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North-East Labour MSP Richard Baker highlighted the recent postponement of operations at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as proof of a lack of funding for health services in the area.
Mr Baker said the situation had reached crisis point.
NHS Grampian has apologised to the patients affected.
It admitted that since the 6 January it has been experiencing pressure on hospital beds, resulting in a number of operations at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary being postponed.
Mr Baker told BBC Scotland: "We have had serious issues in terms of local health services. It's now absolutely clear this requires a response."
In a statement, the Scottish government said NHS Grampian and local authority partners were working very closely to address the issues, and meetings would assess what further help could be provided.
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Scottish Health Secretary Alex Neil has been asked to investigate a reported catalogue of problems at NHS Grampian.
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The American, 34, reached her 88th career final by beating Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 7-6 (7-1).
It took 2012 champion Azarenka just over two hours to see off Karolina Pliskova, with the 26-year-old Belarusian winning 7-6 1-6 6-2.
"This year has been great. It feels so great to be supported," said Williams, twice a winner of the tournament.
"It's been a great comeback here in Indian Wells. I'm excited about that."
Williams won seven games in a row to take the first set and go 3-0 up in the second, before seven successive points clinched victory in the tie-break.
She has won 23 of her 24 matches at Indian Wells, taking a self-imposed 14-year exile from the event amidst allegations of racial abuse from fans after sister Venus withdrew minutes before their semi-final in 2001.
"I had a lot of support, I heard a lot of 'go Serenas' and that was kind of cool," added Williams, who won the tournament in 1999 and 2001.
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World number one Serena Williams will face Victoria Azarenka in Sunday's BNP Paribas Open final at Indian Wells.
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Ms McIlveen's new department is an amalgamation of the former agriculture and environment ministries.
One challenge will be to balance the executive's push for significant growth of the agri-food industry without compromising environmental protections.
The DUP was the only party to launch a specific agriculture mini-manifesto ahead of the assembly elections.
It was titled "A Friend of the Farmer and Natural Heritage".
Despite holding a ministry in the last executive, Ms McIveen is not a regular in the media.
Her low-key approach may, in part, be reflected in a line attributed to Margaret Thatcher which she retweeted recently.
In it Mrs Thatcher is quoted as saying: "If you want anything said, ask a man, if you want anything done, ask a woman".
First minister Arlene Foster suggested an advisory role for the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to help farmers protect the environment, as well as its enforcement role.
The first minister has said in the past that while farmers acknowledge the need for regulation she felt there was "over regulation".
On the environment, Ms McIlveen will have to consider whether Northern Ireland is set to introduce its own climate change legislation.
Conservationists and her SDLP predecessor Mark H Durkan, have also called for the debate around an independent Environmental Protection Agency to be re-opened.
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The new Minister for Agriculture and Environment, Michelle McIveen, faces many challenges.
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The pony followed a family down a mountainside near Coedty Reservoir, above Tal-y-Bont in Conwy county, for about four miles earlier this month.
The foal collapsed and was carried further by the family, but there was no way of reuniting him with his mother.
RSPCA Cymru has urged people to try and stop foals following them for long distances.
Fiona Jones, of RD Owen Equine Clinic who works closely with the RSPCA, collected the pony after it became stranded.
He is now "thriving" at a rescue centre.
Ms Jones said: "However well intentioned someone may be, we're urging people to not lead foals like this way away from their mothers.
"This foal had apparently walked some four miles and it was impossible to retrace steps in this Snowdonia mountain range to return the equine from where he'd come from.
"It is so important people walking near equines do not entice, inadvertently or not, foals away - and, if that does happen, they make every effort to return them, as soon as possible.
"Had this happened in this instance, this foal would still be with the mother."
Gareth Johnson, RSPCA equine rehoming officer, added: "Fortunately, this foal is doing brilliantly, and is thriving on the bottle - so, thankfully, this story may well have a happy ending."
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A baby foal has been rescued after becoming stranded from his mother on Snowdonia.
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Malcolm Fyfield has suffered severe post traumatic stress disorder since surviving the flooded Gleision drift mine in September 2011.
He told Swansea Crown Court the only sign of water near the point being mined was "ponding" on the ground.
Mr Fyfield and owners MNS Mining Ltd deny manslaughter charges.
David Powell, 50, Charles Breslin, 62, Philip Hill, 44, and Garry Jenkins, 39, died when 650,000 gallons of water rushed into the area they were working in after they blasted into a flooded old section of the pit.
Mr Fyfield managed to escape and spent 12 days in hospital recovering from a broken hand and bruising and swelling as a result of a "near-drowning experience".
The former mine manager insisted he had not inspected the wrong part of the mine and said he was sure he was not mistaken because of the angle and gradient of the underground road.
The jury was told Mr Fyfield also suffers from "survivor guilt" and certain words used to describe the flooded mine trigger a feeling of being back in the pit.
Elwen Evans, QC, defending, told the court that "ponding" water found in the area before the controlled explosion was not unusual and Mr Fyfield did not think it was particularly significant.
Miss Evans reminded the jury Mr Fyfield was working alongside the men, adding: "It would have been incredibly reckless to make the breakthrough at a location he had not inspected, putting at risk the lives of four men as well as his own.
"We are dealing with someone whose reputation was as sky high as it comes.
"Year after year he did everything by the book. He knew how to do it, but this time he did not? It does not make sense."
Miss Evans asked the jury to decide the case according to the facts and to not base their verdicts on emotion.
The trial continues.
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The manager of a mine where four workers drowned checked three times for any signs of water or danger the day before it flooded, a court has heard.
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The band were named best international artists, beating Eminem, Coldplay and Pharrell Williams.
They also performed Steal My Girl at the ceremony in Sydney.
Katy Perry and 5 Seconds Of Summer were also on red carpet selfie duty... to the max.
See Liam trying to look happy, but not massively succeeding, in this Vine video (posted by 18styles).
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube
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One Direction posed for many MANY selfies at the Aria Awards in Australia before picking up yet another award.
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The Peaks Parkway site has been identified by planning consultants SLR as the club seeks to move from its current Blundell Park home.
The location is recommended for approval in a report for North East Lincolnshire Council.
Six sites were analysed by SLR, but Peaks Parkway was the only one "reasonably available" the report said.
The stadium is planned to be an initial 14,000 capacity, with capability to be expanded to 20,100 seats.
It will feature leisure facilities, community football pitches and changing facilities.
The land between Peaks Parkway and Weelsby Avenue is currently green space, council buildings and allotments.
The site is close to Grimsby Crematorium.
The report is on the agenda for the council's cabinet meeting on 31 August.
It also states a detailed viability analysis and outline business case for the site would need to be presented to the council by November.
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A preferred site for a new community stadium for Grimsby Town Football Club has been revealed.
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Scottish right-back Grimmer, 21, returns to the Town following a seven-game loan spell last season.
Former Manchester United youngster Cole, 22, has been at the Greenhous Meadow since September, having so far scored two goals in 19 appearances.
Both players are scheduled to stay with Shrewsbury until the end of the season.
"Jack's full of power and pace and we have seen the importance of that in this division," said Mellon. "We need to try and get as much of that in the team as possible in the coming weeks."
"Cole's an exciting player. He has that pace, trickery and League One quality we are looking for."
Shrewsbury, 20th in League One, just a point clear of trouble, are also hopeful of bringing back striker Andy Mangan from Tranmere Rovers and have been linked with Northampton Town midfielder Lawson D'Ath.
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League One strugglers Shrewsbury Town have re-signed Fulham defender Jack Grimmer on loan and extended the stay of Cottagers midfielder Larnell Cole.
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Kerber, 28, beat Caroline Wozniacki in her semi-final as current number one Serena Williams lost against Karolina Pliskova to end 186 weeks at the top.
Germany's Kerber will officially become her country's first number one since Steffi Graf in 1996 when the new rankings are released next week.
"To be number one in the world sounds amazing," said second seed Kerber.
"For me it's amazing to be, after Steffi, the number one player from Germany," added Kerber, who is also the first German singles player to reach a US Open final since Graf in 1996.
Find out how to get into tennis in our special guide.
"Steffi is a great champion, a great person and I think she's proud of me to be the next number one after her."
In becoming number one, she also protects her compatriot's record of consecutive weeks at the top of the rankings as Williams' defeat to Pliskova of the Czech Republic leaves the American tied with Graf on 186 weeks.
Australian Open champion and Wimbledon runner-up Kerber, who won Olympic silver in Rio, will take on Pliskova in Saturday's final in New York, as she attempts to win a second Grand Slam title.
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US Open finalist Angelique Kerber says that being able to call herself the new world number one "sounds amazing".
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Fellow Briton James DeGale, 29, who was the mandatory challenger, will now fight for the vacant title.
Froch, 37, wants to defend his WBA super-middleweight title this summer.
Talks have taken place over a potential bout against Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez Junior in Las Vegas, or two-weight world champion Bernard Hopkins, 50, in Froch's home city of Nottingham.
Froch told BBC Radio 5 live a fight in Vegas or at Nottingham Forest's City Ground would be motivation to continue his career, although he has not ruled out retirement.
"Something needs to happen soon because if it doesn't, I will be retiring," added the boxer, who has won 33 of his 35 fights.
The four-time world champion said he felt frustrated at having to pull out of a fight with Chavez which was originally scheduled for March.
"I know what it's like to wait for a shot and I didn't want to hold James up in fighting for a world title," he said.
"James is a great fighter and I hope he can go out and win that title. Who knows... we may even meet later in the year."
DeGale earned the right to face Froch after beating Brandon Gonzalez on the undercard of Froch's Wembley fight against George Groves in May 2014.
Promoter Eddie Hearn is in negotiations for Degale to fight American Andre Dirrell for the IBF title and hopes the clash can take place on 25 April at London's O2 Arena.
"I'm making history," said DeGale. "I'm going to be the first British Olympic gold medallist to win a world title."
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Carl Froch has vacated his IBF super-middleweight belt as he recovers from an elbow injury.
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Between the first quarter of 2016 and the same period this year, the amount of goods sold in Scotland rose by 0.2%, compared with British growth of 2.1%.
Meanwhile, the value of shop sales north of the border grew by 1.8%, while Britain saw a rise of 4.8%.
The figures were included in the latest Retail Sales Index for Scotland.
Scotland outperformed Britain in the first three months of this year, however, in both value and volume terms.
The first quarter saw the volume of sales in Scotland fall by 0.4%, while the figure for Britain showed a drop of 1.4%.
And while the value of sales across Britain flat-lined, Scotland saw growth of 0.5% between January and March.
Commenting on the figures, Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said: "The improvement in the headline figure for the total value of retail sales in the first quarter of this year is encouraging at first glance, but it looks less rosy once falling shop prices are taken into account.
"Indeed, shop prices have fallen each month for the past four years which demonstrates that retailers are having to work ever harder to maintain let alone grow sales values."
Euan Murray, from Barclays Corporate Banking, said: "Increased supply chain costs and issues could go some way to explaining the falling figures in this quarter - from the bad weather in Spain affecting food imports to the weak value of sterling, you don't have to look far for a reason.
"The sector has also had the added pressure of a later Easter, which could have resulted in less consumer spend in quarter one."
He added: "With 36% of UK e-retail sales via mobile, retailers must invest in their online and mobile shopping platforms to improve the user experience and drive growth.
"However, with inflation in the UK set to accelerate faster than earnings growth for the first time since 2014 and consumers planning to spend less on every category with the exception of grocery, it is looking like it's going to be an uphill battle for the high street."
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Retail sales in Scotland have grown much more slowly over the past year than in Great Britain as a whole, according to new figures.
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The Merthyr and Rhymney AM will stand down before this year's election after 17 years in Cardiff Bay.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement programme, he said many politicians, including some in his own party, were nervous and sceptical about devolution in 1999.
But that view is now "long gone".
While he was "a very early convert", he said the closeness of the referendum result - 50.3% voted for and 49.7% voted against setting up the assembly - created "a great deal of nervousness".
He said: "My opinion was always the proof of the pudding is in the eating, it's about what the institution does - in terms of social change - that really matters."
Mr Lewis felt strongly that devolution could be used to tackle areas in which Wales was at a particular disadvantage to England, including health, education and combating poverty.
The former chemistry teacher described taking on the education portfolio as "a dream come true" and said reforms to the curriculum and teacher training were two of his proudest achievements.
He said: "The old England and Wales schools-based education agenda no longer exists.
"Wales now has its own distinctive path and own distinctive future in terms of what our schools are going to look like."
He said the reforms happening here were based on "real evidence" and not "ideologically driven", which is what he fears is happening in England with the "marketisation of education".
By implementing a Scandinavian-style model - that includes children learning through play - he hopes teachers will be better skilled and standards will rise.
"We're not emulating England, we're emulating the best," Mr Lewis said.
This is despite an assumption he believes is made by many that Wales should see England as a "gold standard" and if something different is tried here, it is somehow suspect and second rate.
"I hope, that as devolution has matured over the years, we are finally beginning to break away from that kind of mentality," he added.
"We are quite capable of setting out our own agenda and following it and basing it, in global terms, on what the best looks like.
"That's the real dividend from devolution. That should always be where we're thinking.''
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Wales has "broken away" from England and is now capable of setting its own agenda thanks to devolution, outgoing education minister Huw Lewis has said.
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National Grid applied to install the overhead line which would carry electricity from the proposed new nuclear power station, Hinkley C.
The Planning Inspectorate has announced it will hold a six-month inquiry, during which local people can comment.
It will then make a recommendation to the Secretary of State.
Sir Michael Pitt, chief executive for the Planning Inspectorate, said the application "met the required tests" and the decision was made after "careful consideration".
"The applicant must now decide when to publicise the fact that its application has been accepted to proceed to examination and announce when members of the public will be able to register with the Planning Inspectorate as an interested party in the application," he added.
The National Grid plans were submitted last month. A company spokesman previously said it had taken "five years of consultation".
It will see 30-miles of overhead wires carried on pylons and a five-mile section under the Mendips, connecting the station, near Bridgwater, Somerset, to the National Grid's 400,000 volt substation at Avonmouth.
It would also see the removal of 246 pylons and 42 miles of cabling between Bridgwater and Avonmouth, and Nailsea.
Those against the pylons argue the entire route should be underground or sub-sea - but National Grid had previously said this option would be too expensive.
Now the plans have been accepted for examination, the documents will become public. A final decision will not be made until late 2015.
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Plans for more than 140 pylons connecting Hinkley Point to Avonmouth have been accepted for examination by the government.
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Rutherford, 26, will play in all three forms of the game while Dilshan plays in the Caribbean Premier League.
Rutherford, who is part of the Kiwi Test side touring England this summer, has played 16 Tests, scoring 755 runs.
"Hamish is a talented top-order batsman," said elite performance director Graeme Welch.
"He has international pedigree in both the long and shorter formats which will be key as he joins us at what is a busy part of the summer."
Rutherford also had a spell playing for Essex during the 2013 season.
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Derbyshire have signed New Zealand opening Test batsman Hamish Rutherford as cover for Tillakaratne Dilshan from mid-June until the end of July.
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6 October 2015 Last updated at 08:13 BST
The nine-day event will host more than 500 balloons, representing 20 different countries.
Thousands of visitors are expected to enjoy the spectacular sights.
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The 44th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is under way in the US.
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Swansea's 5-0 defeat at Tottenham and Sunderland's win over champions Leicester City means Bob Bradley's side are bottom of the league.
Sunderland are two points ahead of Swansea in the relegation zone and visit the Liberty Stadium on Saturday.
"It's one of the most important games of the season," said Amat.
"We have to learn from [the Spurs game] and be ready for next week because it's a final."
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Saturday's heavy defeat at White Hart Lane ended Swansea' two match unbeaten run which had seen them draw 1-1 at Everton and beat Crystal Palace 5-4.
After facing Sunderland, the Swans travel to West Brom and Middlesbrough and then have back-to-back home games against West Ham United and Bournemouth.
"I believe we've got a strong team and we need to be better," Amat added.
"In the last two games we were playing good - the idea was clear. We need to come back like the last two weeks.
"This month is so important for us."
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Swansea City defender Jordi Amat says their home game against Premier League relegation rivals Sunderland will be like a "final."
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Downie, 15, became the first British woman to win an international all-around medal in her first senior year.
Purvis also finished third in the men's competition to claim his second career European all-around bronze.
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Fellow Britons Sam Oldham and Claudia Fragapane finished sixth in their respective overall competitions.
Downie, in her first senior year, scored 56.623, behind winner Giulia Steingruber of Switzerland and Russia's Maria Kharenkova.
"I'm over the moon. I never thought coming here I'd be among the medals," Downie told BBC Sport in Montpellier. "I was hoping for a top six or eight finish - it's just absolutely amazing."
Downie, younger sister of European uneven bars champion Becky, made a good start on bars then followed with solid routines on beam and floor - where she was marked down for stepping out of the field.
She finished strongly with 14.8 on the vault - her strongest apparatus, and the one where she will aim for another medal in Saturday's final, as well as the uneven bars.
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"I was really nervous going into the vault," she said.
"I knew if I nailed it I could have a shot at a medal so I just tried to keep calm and do what I do in training."
Britain's second medal of the day came thanks to 24-year-old Purvis who scored 87.423 over his six apparatus routines.
Ukrainie's Oleg Verniaiev took the all-around gold ahead of David Belyavskiy of Russia.
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Ellie Downie and Dan Purvis each delivered Great Britain a bronze medal at the European Gymnastics Championships in Montpellier.
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