Apple has added a two-step verification system to its iCloud service to prevent hackers from accessing accounts.
The move comes after a number of high-profile hacks, including the iCloud hack that saw intimate photos of celebrities posted online.
The two-step verification system is an extra step after an account holder has typed their

Apple has expanded its use of "two-step verification" checks to protect data stored online by its customers.

Article: Jackson held a 50% stake in Sony ATV Music Publishing as part of a business partnership that began in 1995.
The purchase will give Sony the rights to about three million songs, including works by the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift.
However, the deal does not include Jackson's master recordings.
His estate will maintain its holdings in Mijac Music, which owns all the songs written by Jackson, as well as EMI Music Publishing.
The agreement will reportedly help reduce the Jackson estate's remaining $250m debt and give the late musician's three children more financial flexibility.
The purchase of Jackson's stake also strengthens Sony's US entertainment business, which includes a film studio and music recording company.
"The entertainment businesses have long been a core part of Sony and are a key driver of our future growth," Kazuo Hirai, Sony's president and chief executive, said in a statement.
"These businesses will continue to contribute to our success for years to come."
John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of the Jackson estate, said the deal "further validates Michael's foresight and genius in investing in music publishing".
"His ATV catalogue, purchased in 1985 for a net acquisition cost of $41.5m, was the cornerstone of the joint venture and, as evidenced by the value of this transaction, is considered one of the smartest investments in music history."

Summary: Sony is paying Michael Jackson's estate $750m (£526m) for the late pop star's share of a joint music publishing venture that it does not already own.
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Article: The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) spoke to 7,300 businesses in the manufacturing and services sectors, and found the percentage seeking to hire had grown by up to 9% in the last quarter.
But most also experienced "high levels of recruitment difficulties" which the BCC said was a risk to growth.
The government said it was working to deliver a highly-skilled workforce.
According to the trade group's quarterly economic survey, both manufacturing and services firms reported "solid growth" in their businesses in first three months of the year, with domestic and export sales up since the previous quarter.
It also found "confidence in turnover and profitability is improving", and that some 86% of manufacturing firms, up from 77% in the last quarter, and 59% of services companies, up from 53%, wanted to find new recruits.
But despite this, around 74% of manufacturing firms and 58% of services firms said they were struggling to find staff.
Suren Thiru, head of economics at the BCC, told the BBC: "The main issue is finding enough people with the right skills, and of course the workforce is aging.
"A lot firms are also finding their costs rising and this is deterring business investment, including investing in training their staff."
He said new upfront taxes were partly to blame, such as the recently introduced immigration skills charge and new National Living Wage.
But he also said that the rising cost of imported raw materials, resulting from the weakness of the pound since the Brexit vote, had squeezed business spending.
"Another emerging issue is whether firms can continue to get workers from overseas both in the run-up to, and after, Brexit," he added. "Industries like hospitality and construction are heavily dependent on EU workers."
A government spokesman told the BBC: "The UK economy has shown sustained momentum since the EU referendum and it's encouraging to see continued investment and growth in important sectors like manufacturing and services.
"We know that businesses need a highly-skilled workforce to...

Summary: UK firms want to recruit more workers but cannot find or afford the right staff, a survey has found.
###
Article: It follows suggestions third-party software had been used to steal intimate photos of celebrities - posted online last month - from iCloud.
The action should stop the tool from being able to infiltrate Apple's internet storage service if the safety measure is implemented.
However, the security facility remains an opt-in choice.
One expert suggested that Apple should instead make it the default option.
The process works by introducing an extra step after an account holder has typed their username and password into a device they have not used before.
They are also required to enter a four-digit code that is either texted to a trusted mobile phone number or sent via Apple's Find My iPhone app.
If the person does not enter the code, they are refused access to iCloud and are blocked from making an iTunes, iBooks, or App Store purchase.
They can, however, use a 14-character recovery key to regain access to the account in the event their trusted device is lost or stolen. They are told to keep this in a safe place to avoid being locked out.
While Apple had offered the two-step verification system in the past, until now it had not come into play when device owners used the firm's back-up service.
That meant that even if people had switched on the two-step feature to prevent cyber-thieves logging into their accounts with a stolen or guessed password, the attackers could still download a complete back-up of their data by using Elcomsoft's Phone Password Breaker.
Several hackers' forums contain discussions about using of pirated copies of Elcomsoft's "forensic" software, which is marketed as a tool for law enforcement agencies to access iCloud content without needing to be in possession of a suspect's iPhone or iPad.
ElmcomSoft's Moscow-based owner told the BBC earlier this month that he believed his software had been used in the recent hacks, as it was "the only one able to do that".
He has now acknowledged that Apple's changes guard against the technique he had used.
"I think that implementation is secure, and so there...

Summary:


Pope Francis will visit Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR) in a bid to promote peace and reconciliation in the region.
The Pope will visit Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR) in a bid to promote peace and reconciliation in the region.
The Pope will visit Kenya, Uganda and

Pope Francis will go to Africa for the first time this week, visiting a refugee camp, a slum and a mosque.

Article: The money, invested over three years, will be used to help health boards and councils provide support packages for people in their own homes.
Figures from last October showed a rise in number of patients waiting longer than four weeks to be discharged.
The health secretary said the funding would "ease pressure" on the system.
Delayed discharge, often referred to as bed-blocking, is when a patient is judged clinically ready to go home but continues to occupy a hospital bed while plans are made for appropriate follow-up care.
Health Secretary Shona Robison has said cutting the number of people stuck in hospital waiting for a care package to be arranged is an "absolute key priority" for the Scottish government.
The plans for the funding were announced on a visit to Cowan Court care home in Penicuik.
It is part of wider efforts to better integrate health and social services.
Meanwhile, Holyrood's presiding officer, Tricia Marwick, has accused Ms Robison of "gross discourtesy" for making a major policy announcement outside the Scottish parliament.
At the start of parliamentary business, Ms Marwick told MSPs she found the decision to reveal the funding at a Midlothian care home "unacceptable".
Ms Robison earlier told BBC Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that the funding was a three-year package.
She said: "It gives the integrated partnerships - health and social care coming together - a three-year ability to plan and develop services."
The health secretary said the fact that health and social services were being integrated showed there had been a "realisation that those systems had to be brought together if we were really going to be able to tackle delayed discharge in a sustainable way".
She said that health boards and councils would work together with an aim of discharging patients within 72 hours of clinical readiness.
Ms Robison said: "My plan is to get rid of delayed discharge, for it to become something of the past, and move to a 72-hour standard where people are discharged within 72 hours of being...

Summary: The issue of patients stuck waiting to be discharged from hospital is to be tackled with £100m of funding from the Scottish government.
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Article: Nathan Gill said he would quit as an MEP if elected as an AM, but with no UKIP member to replace him he said he did not want to force a by-election.
The party's ruling National Executive Committee had threatened him with expulsion if he did not resign from one of the posts by Sunday.
But on Monday it voted to put the matter to the membership.
UKIP chairman Paul Oakden told BBC Wales it was the right thing to do.
Mr Gill did not respond to the request to step down by the deadline so was briefly expelled from the party.
But the NEC voted to reinstate him and let members decide his fate.
Mr Oakden said: "The NEC believes, as I do, that members in Wales are the best people to make this decision.
"I will now decide how to do this fairly, cleanly and as soon as possible."

Summary: UKIP members in Wales will vote on whether their leader should be allowed to continue in his two elected roles.
###
Article: He will make 19 speeches during his tour of Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic (CAR) and they will probably address these issues:
He is expected to focus on religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence at a time of rising political instability and extremism in much of the region.
Security is expected to be tight throughout the trip, as the faithful flock to see this popular Pope, who has previously said that Christians would be wrong to equate Islam with violence.
His first stop, Kenya, has seen some of the worst Islamist violence: Two years ago, gunmen from the Somali militant group al-Shabab massacred at least 67 people inside Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall.
In Uganda, his second stop, al-Shabab bombed sports bars in Kampala where fans were watching the 2010 football World Cup on TV.
Many think the third stop on his trip, the CAR, is too dangerous for him to visit.
The Pope's visit to the capital, Bangui, where many have died in violence between largely Muslim Seleka rebels and mainly Christian "anti-balaka" militias, is seen as his most dangerous yet - but potentially also one of his most fruitful as a peace-maker.
In short: He will probably urge Christians and Muslims to get along.
2. Poverty
This is a Pope who has been hailed as the champion of a church for the poor.
His emphasis on the developing world, and the example of simplicity he sets in his own life, will be welcomed in countries where corruption in public life is often seen as an issue.
His capacity to look beyond Europe and embrace the concerns of people around the world is also likely to endear him to the faithful, and to those of other faiths, as this Pope from the southern hemisphere offers a message of hope to the dispossessed, and the struggling.
In Kenya, 75% of the wealth is owned by around 1% of the population, so Pope Francis's message may well prove popular among many of the remaining 99%.
He is likely to criticise inequality and corruption and will visit Kenya's multi-ethnic Kangemi slum - home to around 100,000...

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The DUP and Sinn Féin have failed to agree on a way forward for the Northern Ireland Assembly, with the DUP saying it will not support the Welfare Reform Bill.
The DUP said it would not support the bill because it did not go far enough in protecting the most vulnerable in society.
The party said it

The finance minister has said she cannot move the budget bill forward because of the inability of the Stormont parties to resolve the deadlock over welfare reform.

Article: The figure is down 1% on the equivalent number for last year which was a record high.
The drop across the UK as a whole is significantly greater.
The Scottish government noted that the number of 18-year-old applicants from deprived areas still went up.
However, the number of applicants from EU countries fell 5%, suggesting uncertainty surrounding Brexit may have deterred some people from applying to study in Scotland.
Universities Scotland noted the number of Scottish applications was down by about 2,000 but said this followed a record high last year and it did not see the fall as a cause for concern.
A spokeswoman said: "The appetite for university remains very high amongst Scots. This year's applications by the January deadline are still 13% up on just four years ago.
"The very modest levelling-off from last year's peak in applications will do little to take the pressure off places given the very high standard of applicants."
The number of applications from EU countries also fell by around 2,000. EU students who start courses this year will be entitled to free tuition on the same terms as Scottish applicants.
This is currently required under EU law and the Scottish government has confirmed it will ensure EU students who begin their courses this year will be entitled to free tuition until they graduate although the expectation is that the UK will have left the EU by then.
The number of applications from other parts of the UK and countries outside the EU - all of whom are charged tuition fees in one form or another - rose.
Scottish and EU students in effect compete against each other for the same free places - the drop in the number of applicants could make it slightly easier for some applicants to get in. Universities can decide for themselves how many paying students from the rest of the UK and countries outside the EU to let in.
Scottish government education minister Shirley-Anne Somerville said: "The initial UCAS applicant figures for 2017 show that, in the face of a general decline in applicants to...

Summary: The number of Scots applying to university has fallen slightly, according to the latest official figures from admissions service UCAS.
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Article: The government was forced to publish the unredacted report after a decision by data watchdog the Information Commissioner's Office.
Defra said the report was incomplete and "not analytically robust".
It added that the conclusions of the draft report "amount to unsubstantiated conjecture".
United Kingdom Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG), the industry lobby for the UK onshore oil and gas industry, said the report was "in danger of extrapolating the experiences of other jurisdictions that have different regulation, planning regimes and geologies."
The internal document - called 'Shale Gas: Rural Economy Impacts' - had several key sections obscured when it was published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) last summer in response to a request under freedom of information laws.
Energy and climate campaigner Daisy Sands of Greenpeace, which led the request, said: "It's a complete vindication of Lancashire County Council's decision to reject Cuadrilla's bid to frack in their region, and provides other councils with compelling reasons to do the same."
Defra has now been forced by the Information Commissioner's Office to publish the document in full.
It reveals that potential negative impacts of the controversial process of fracking had been redacted.
Among the deleted sections were suggestions that house prices could fall by up to 7% in close proximity to shale gas exploration sites, while rental prices in the area could be pushed up by people coming to work on the developments.
Properties located up to five miles from the fracking operation could face additional insurance costs to cover losses in case of explosion on the site, the study suggested.
While the redacted version of the report flagged up the job opportunities created by fracking, the unredacted version also sounds a note of caution, warning it was less clear how sustainable shale gas investments would be and if rural communities would be able to take advantage of them.
"New York state has just made its fracking ban permanent," said...

Summary: Fracking could reduce house prices, increase traffic and noise and damage the landscape in rural communities, according to a draft official report.
###
Article: Arlene Foster was speaking after a meeting of the executive on Thursday afternoon.
She told the BBC there were no solutions on the table.
The Stormont parties failed to pass the Welfare Reform Bill on Tuesday.
Mrs Foster said failure to pass the legislation meant that there was a £600m hole in her budget.
She said she cannot move the budget bill required to give Stormont officials the legal authority to carry on spending money after the end of July.
The minister said she is seeking a meeting with the Treasury in London early next week to assess her options.
Sinn Féin's John O'Dowd said Stormont ministers should present a united front and seek a joint meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron.
However, both the Alliance Party and Ulster Unionist ministers said they were pessimistic about the chances of a resolution to the executive's difficulties.

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The Oscar-winning animated film Frozen has become the biggest-selling movie of all time, with sales of the film's soundtrack and merchandise reaching $1.27bn (£857m) worldwide.
The film, which was released in November, has been a huge success, with the soundtrack selling more than any other

Disney has announced it will produce a sequel to its runaway hit Frozen, which last year became the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Article: The government wants parents to agree their child maintenance agreements "amicably" or face a charge.
It said the changes were necessary as the old set-up was costly for taxpayers.
But a charity said the changes could force some parents into "unstable" arrangements.
Child maintenance is financial support that helps towards a child's living costs when its parents have separated.
If parents split, maintenance should be paid to the person who takes care of the child on a day-to-day basis.
Under the old system many single parents used the Child Support Agency (CSA) to sort out maintenance payments, but ministers announced last year the CSA would be abolished.
A government spokesman said the old CSA was using an IT system that was "totally inadequate and notoriously riddled with defects", and as such it was costing £74 million per annum to run in operating costs alone.
Source: Department for Work and Pensions
The spokesman added that the old maintenance system "took responsibility away from parents, encouraging conflict and hostility at huge expense to the taxpayer".
In an effort to improve the situation the new replacement "Child Maintenance Service" has been gradually rolled out, which the government said is designed to act as a backstop for parents having trouble.
This week more than 50,000 letters are being sent out by the Department for Work and Pensions to parents in England, Scotland and Wales who currently pay and receive child maintenance through the old CSA.
Ministers want to encourage people to come to voluntary arrangements but if that is not possible - and the new statutory service is used - then both parties will be charged.
Under the new rules if an amicable arrangement cannot be reached the paying parent - usually the father - will have a 20% fee added to the maintenance payment, while the receiving parent will pay 4% to get the money.
The charges will be introduced later this year, and all single parents will be charged an upfront fee of £20 for registering with the new service.
However, the chief...

Summary: Thousands of letters are to be sent to single parents in Britain informing them of changes to their child maintenance arrangements.
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Article: The timing on triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty means the UK looks set to leave the EU by summer 2019.
Mrs May told the Tory Party conference - her first as prime minister - the government would strike a deal with the EU as an "independent, sovereign" UK.
Voters had given their verdict "with emphatic clarity", she said, and ministers had to "get on with the job".
In a speech on the first day of the conference in Birmingham, she also gave details of a Great Repeal Bill which she said would end EU law's primacy in the UK.
She attacked those who "have still not accepted the result of the referendum", adding: "It is up to the government not to question, quibble or backslide on what we have been instructed to do, but to get on with the job."
She told delegates: "We are going to be a fully independent, sovereign country - a country that is no longer part of a political union with supranational institutions that can override national parliaments and courts.
"And that means we are going, once more, to have the freedom to make our own decisions on a whole host of different matters, from how we label our food to the way in which we choose to control immigration."
Mrs May said a "truly global Britain is possible, and it is in sight", adding: "We don't need - as I sometimes hear people say - to 'punch above our weight' because our weight is substantial enough already."
Reacting to Mrs May's comments about Article 50:
The PM, who had previously only said she would not trigger Article 50 this year, ended speculation about the government's timetable on BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday morning.
She said it would be done by "the first quarter of 2017", marking the start of a two-year exit process.
The process of leaving the EU would be "quite complex", she said, but added that she hoped there would now be "preparatory work" with the remaining EU members so that "once the trigger comes we will have a smoother process of negotiation".
She added: "It's not just important for the UK, but important for Europe as a...

Summary: The UK will begin the formal Brexit negotiation process by the end of March 2017, PM Theresa May has said.
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Article: The Oscar-winning picture made $1.27bn (Â£857m) at box offices worldwide, and led to record sales of related merchandise.
Frozen 2 will reunite the team behind the original feature, including director Chris Buck, writer Jennifer Lee and producer Peter Del Vecho.
The studio did not name a release date.
Shares in parent company Walt Disney were up by almost 4% following the news.
Toy-maker Mattel, which currently owns the license to sell Frozen products, saw its shares rise by almost 5%.
Last month, Disney credited the continuing success of toys based on Frozen for an "incredibly strong quarter".
Net income rose 19% to $2.2bn (Â£1.5bn) in the three-month period, with revenues up 9% to $13.4bn - both figures better than forecast.
In December, Frozen became iTunes' biggest-selling movie of all time, while the soundtrack sold more than any other album in the US in 2014.
Additionally, DVD and Blu-ray sales of the animation broke the three million mark on the first day of their release.

Summary:


The Dambusters raid was the first time a British aircraft had been used in a daylight daylight raid.
The raid was a success, but the Germans were able to repair the damage to the dams and the operation was not repeated.
The Dambusters were the first British aircraft to be used in a daylight raid

A set of rare photographs showing the impact of the Dambusters' "bouncing bomb" raids have been sold at auction.

Article: State-run al-Iraqiya TV said government forces were "advancing" but progress has been slowed by roadside bombs.
Security sources said they had captured villages and oil fields east of the city, and blocked a key IS supply line to neighbouring Diyala province.
The offensive is being overseen at least in part by an Iranian general.
On Tuesday, the top US general said Iran's role in Tikrit could be positive, as long as it did not fuel sectarian tensions.
Some 30,000 soldiers and militiamen from the Popular Mobilisation (al-Hashd al-Shaabi) force, backed by Iraqi jets and helicopters, have advanced gradually since the offensive began on Monday.
On Wednesday, a source in the Samarra Operations Command told the BBC that government forces had taken control of the village of al-Maibdi, on the road between Tikrit and the Kurdish-controlled city of Kirkuk, as well as the nearby Ajil and Alas oilfields. The road was a key supply route for IS between Salahuddin and Diyala provinces, the source said.
Another official told All Iraq News that the villages of Siha and Mazraat al-Rahim, just to the north of Tikrit in al-Alam district, had also been retaken.
However, the soldiers and militiamen have not breached IS defences around Tikrit and al-Dour, a town 19km (12 miles) to the south, which officials say is another stronghold of the jihadist group.
Military officials said on Tuesday that al-Dour had been surrounded and sealed off, but that an assault on the town had not yet been launched.
Can Iraq's army dislodge Islamic State?
How Iran is involved in battle for Tikrit
Tikrit campaign key to rolling back IS advance
A senior army commander said the operation was focused on preventing IS from launching more attacks, and cutting supply lines to stop reinforcements and weapons reaching Tikrit.
The next step would be to "surround the towns completely, suffocate them and then pounce," Lt Gen Abdul Amir al-Zaidi told the AFP news agency.
Gen Zaidi said progress along roads into Tikrit had been slowed by sniper fire and roadside...

Summary: Iraqi army soldiers and Shia militiamen are seeking to encircle Islamic State fighters in Tikrit, on the third day of a major operation to retake the city.
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Article: The woman, failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, and al-Qaeda operative Ziyad Karboli - both Iraqi nationals - were hanged at dawn, officials said.
The executions came hours after IS posted a video appearing to show pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive.
He was seized after crashing during an anti-IS mission over Syria in December.
Jordan had attempted to secure Lt Kasasbeh's release in a swap involving Rishawi, but IS is believed to have killed him a month ago.
The militants initially sought Rishawi's release as part of a deal to free captive Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, but later killed him.
Rishawi had been on death row for her role in attacks in Jordan's capital, Amman, which killed 60 people in 2005. Karboli was convicted in 2008 of killing a Jordanian national.
The two prisoners were executed at 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT), government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said on Wednesday morning.
The BBC's Paul Adams in Amman says talk of an exchange appears to have been a IS tactic to string Jordan along and foster doubt among Jordanians over its role in the US-led coalition.
Jordan vowed an "earth-shattering" response after IS posted a video online appearing to show the pilot standing in a cage engulfed in flames.
One of the leading authorities in Sunni Islam condemned the killing, saying the burning to death of Lt Kasasbeh violated Islam's prohibition on the mutilation of bodies.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar University in Egypt, called for the "killing, crucifixion of IS terrorists".
Mamdouh al-Ameri, a spokesman for the Jordanian armed forces, said on Tuesday that Lt Kasasbeh had "fallen as a martyr", saying their "revenge will be as huge as the loss of the Jordanians."
Safi al-Kasasbeh, the pilot's father, called for the Jordanian government to do "more than just executing prisoners".
The blood of his son was the blood of the nation, he said, "and the blood of the nation must be avenged."
"I call for [IS] to be eliminated...

Summary: Jordan has executed two convicts, including a female jihadist, following the killing of one of its air force pilots by Islamic State (IS) militants.
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Article: The raids by 19 RAF Lancaster bombers destroyed two strategically significant German dams and damaged a third.
Taken by the Nazi authorities before and after the raids - on 16 and 17 May 1943 - the aerial images are stamped "Secret Command Document".
The photographs were sold in Nottingham for Â£2,100 - considerably more than the list price of Â£1,200.
As well as the time and date of the images, they also carry a warning forbidding them to be copied.
The revolutionary bombs skipped across the lakes behind the dams and showed how precision attacks were possible in an age when most missions were lucky to get within miles of their target.
Eight aircraft were lost and 56 of 133 aircrew were killed or captured.  An estimated 1,600 people died on the ground.
International Autograph Auctions, of Nottingham, offered a set of reconnaissance images showing the Mohne and Edersee dams.
Two pairs show the Mohne and Edersee dams before and after the attacks and a fifth image of a reserve dam on the Mohne reservoir shows how part of it had emptied out.
Carl Buck, senior researcher at International Autograph Auctions, said: "The usual pictures we see of the dam raids are from photo-reconnaissance Spitfires despatched after the mission or close ups from Germany."
Dambusters expert Charles Foster said: "The fascination with the Dambusters themselves is because it combined so many different things which contributed to the war effort - a revolutionary new weapon, supreme airmanship skills and raw courage in pressing home an attack under fire.
"The fact that it was then immortalised in what is now regarded as one of the best ever British war films just adds to its mystique."

Summary:


The government has announced plans to cull badgers in England.
The cull will be carried out in two areas of England, in west Gloucestershire and west Somerset.
The government says the cull will be carried out in two areas of England, in west Gloucestershire and west Somerset.
The government

The Badger Trust has launched a new legal challenge to the government's plans to cull badgers in England.

Article: It is part of a planned expansion of the league, with the inclusion of a London-based team likely to follow.
"We are looking forward to having Milton Keynes on board,"  said Elite League chairman Tony Smith.
"We are very pleased that we are expanding the league. Hopefully this isn't the end of the expansion."
MK Lightning were founded in 2002 and are coached by Pete Russell, who is also in charge of the Great Britain senior men's team.
"The way hockey is going right now this is a really good move for a club which is growing," Russell told the Lightning website.
"I think we have a real core of top-end Brits, and if we can keep them here we will have a really good base to build from."
The Elite League currently has 10 teams - four from England, four from Scotland and one each from Northern Ireland and Wales.

Summary: Milton Keynes Lightning are to play in the Elite League, the highest level of professional ice hockey in Britain, from the start of the 2017-18 season.
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Article: MSPs passed legislation on 2012 which set a minimum unit price of 50p.
But European Court of Justice advocate general Yves Bot said the move risked infringing EU rules on free trade.
In an official opinion, he said it would only be legal if it could be shown no other mechanism could deliver the desired public health benefits.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the opinion, saying it confirmed that minimum unit pricing was not precluded by EU law.
The Scottish government, which has argued that minimum pricing is vital to address Scotland's "unhealthy relationship with drink", has been unable to implement the policy while the legal process is ongoing.
The Scottish legislation was challenged by the Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) in 2013, when it argued that it acted as a barrier to trade.
Its legal bid was initially rejected by judge Lord Doherty at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
What's happening in Scotland? Keep in touch through our live page.
But following an appeal hearing, the case was referred to the European court in Luxembourg last year.
In an opinion released on Thursday, Mr Bot said a minimum unit pricing (MUP) system risked infringing the principle of the free movement of goods and would only be legal if it could be shown that no other mechanism was capable of achieving the desired result of protecting public health.
He stated that "a Member State can choose rules imposing a minimum retail price of alcoholic beverages, which restricts trade within the European Union and distorts competition, rather than increased taxation of those products, only on condition that it shows that the measure chosen presents additional advantages or fewer disadvantages by comparison with the alternative measure".
The European court is expected to take up to six months to issue its final ruling, before the case is referred back to the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "We welcome this opinion, in which the advocate general confirms that minimum unit pricing is not...

Summary: Plans to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland face further delay, following an initial ruling by Europe's highest court.
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Article: In December, the government announced finalised plans for a cull, initially in pilot areas, as a way to curb the spread of tuberculosis in cattle.
In applying for judicial review, the Badger Trust says culling will not stop TB and may in fact help spread it.
Other campaign groups are considering action under the Bern Convention, which protects European wildlife.
The government's plans are likely to result in farmers funding contractors to shoot badgers in a number of areas of England, with two initial pilots in west Gloucestershire and west Somerset taking place later this year.
"We have identified some serious flaws in the way by which the Secretary of State [Caroline Spelman] reached her decision to cull badgers," said Gwendolen Morgan of Bindmans solicitors, lawyer for the Badger Trust.
"Given that Defra's proposals come at an enormous cost to farmers, and threaten to prompt rather than prevent the spread of disease, we hope that this ill-conceived decision will be struck down by the court."
She pointed to government projections that culling would reduce TB incidence by 12-16% over nine years.
TheProtection of Badgers Actsays licences to kill can be granted for "preventing the spread of disease" - and the trust argues that the slow-down in the rate of increase, or "reduction in new incidence", projected by Defra does not qualify as "prevention".
The government's plan involves having Natural England issue culling licences. The Badger Trust says the guidance given to Natural England is unlawful.
Potentially the most important element of its case concerns the methods used to kill badgers.
In the landmark UK study, the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT), badgers were trapped before being shot.
However, the government plans to allow licensed contractors to shoot badgers as they roam - "free shooting" - which is likely to be less efficient and to increase disruption of badger families.
The RBCT showed that when badger's social groups are disrupted, they roam further, carrying the TB bacterium to more...

Summary:


The Scottish government has published a list of the made orders for the A9 at Berriedale Braes.
The list includes the names of the contractors who have been appointed to carry out the work.
The list also includes the dates when the work will start and the timescale for completion.
The list also

Construction of planned improvements to a challenging hairpin bend on the A9 at Berriedale Braes could begin next year, the Scottish government has said.

Article: Asda has given a commitment to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that it will alter the way it presents promotional deals.
However, the supermarket said there were no specific findings against it.
The regulator was investigating whether supermarkets were misleading customers with confusing price promotions.
The investigation came after a super-complaint by the consumer group Which?.
At the time it issued the super-complaint, in April 2015, Which? cited several examples of what it called misleading pricing by supermarkets:
In July last year, the CMA said it had found evidence that supermarkets were misleading consumers with promotions, and found some examples that "could be in breach of consumer law".
Presenting the CMA's latest findings, executive director Michael Grenfell said: "The CMA's examination of the market, following the super-complaint, found that supermarkets generally take compliance seriously, but there were some promotional practices that could mislead shoppers."
The CMA said it had "had particular engagement with Asda in relation to specific areas of concern".
It added that Asda had made a commitment to change the way it operates "was/now" and multi-buy pricing deals.
Asda has said it will ensure that:
A spokesperson for Asda said, "All supermarkets were asked to review their pricing practices and make any necessary changes.  The CMA has asked for a commitment from Asda on our promotional pricing rules and we were happy to provide this.
"It's important that customers know that the CMA did not make any findings against Asda, and it hasn't questioned our commitment to every day low prices."
The CMA said Asda had been asked to make the changes by August this year - and it would check how those changes were working six months later.
Richard Lloyd, Which? executive director, said: "We are pleased to see the CMA investigation has resulted in Asda taking action to stop misleading special offers.
"Asda has been found breaking the rules and now must immediately clean up their act."

Summary: Asda is to change its price promotions after being singled out by the competition regulator in a probe into supermarket pricing practices.
###
Article: The Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) blasted off from the Naro Space Center at 16:00 (07:00 GMT).
Science Minister Lee Ju-ho said the satellite, which will collect climate data, was in its correct orbit.
The launch comes weeks after North Korea used its own three-stage rocket to place a satellite into orbit, sparking international criticism.
South Korea's 140-tonne rocket, known as Naro, was built in partnership with Russia, which had agreed to work with Seoul for three launch attempts.
Analysis: What is driving North Korea's nuclear test plan?
Previous launches in 2009 and 2010 failed, and this attempt had been postponed twice for technical reasons.
But officials said Wednesday's launch from the site 480km (298 miles) south of Seoul had gone as planned and that the rocket had reached its target altitude and deployed its satellite.
"After analysing various data, the Naro rocket successfully put the science satellite into designated orbit," Mr Lee told reporters. He said the satellite had detached 540 seconds after launch.
"We now have leapt up a step to become a space-power nation," he said, adding that South Korea would use this "overwhelming moment as a strong, dynamic force" to help drive an independent space programme.
The satellite, called Science and Technology Satellite-2C, is designed to collect climate data.  The Yonhap news said it was expected to make contact with its ground station at 05:00 on Thursday, at which point its operators will be able to make the final judgement on whether the launch achieved its goals.
South Korea does already have satellites in space, but they were launched from other countries.
On its first attempt to carry out a launch on its own soil, in 2009, the satellite failed to detach from the rocket in orbit. In 2010, the rocket exploded seconds after take-off.
Pressure for success has increased since North Korea launched a rocket that placed a satellite in orbit on 12 December. It followed the launch by announcing plans for a "high-level nuclear test" and more...

Summary: South Korea says its third attempt at launching a rocket to put a satellite in space has been a success.
###
Article: The trunk road drops from 150m (492ft) to 20m (65ft) as it enters a valley at the braes in Caithness.
There have been accusations from business leaders and politicians that the problem with this section of the A9 was being "ignored".
Documents key to progressing the improvements have been published.
The documents, called made orders, are part of the process towards eventually appointing a contractor and then starting work in 2018, Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has said.
He added: "The Scottish government has been working to progress the much-needed improvements to the A9 at Berriedale Braes.
"The hairpin bend and steep hill at Berriedale Braes has presented drivers, in particular HGVs and other long vehicles, with a very challenging road to negotiate.
"Having got the go-ahead last December following the public local inquiry, we are now able to publish the made orders for the scheme as a clear signal of our commitment to deliver this scheme."

Summary:


The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the SNP had "swept to an historic third term" in the Holyrood election.
The BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the SNP had "swept to an historic third term" in the Holyrood election.
The BBC

As the counts got under way in the Holyrood election the Scottish papers were predicting an SNP victory and there was little change as updated editions were published through the night.

Article: Many environmentalists believe capitalism - and the financial architecture that supports it - is the source of the climate change problem, rather than a potential solution.
That is a mistake.
Because if anything is likely to save us all from the catastrophe that is uncontrolled global warming, it is global capitalism.
Some of you may think that sounds like opinion, but hear me out.
It is my contention - held for some time - that global capitalism is the only engine (if you'll excuse the pun) capable of driving the transformation towards a low-carbon economy.
And the good news is that it is already happening.
There are two key reasons.
The first is the collapse in the price of solar energy.
The cost of generating a kilowatt-hour of electricity from solar in a reasonably sunny country is expected to be the same as that from a coal-fired power station within a year or two.
Indeed, In India - where I currently live - some producers are now selling solar-generated electricity for the knockdown price of just 4.34 rupees (4.5 pence; 7 cents) a kilowatt-hour!
But the other reason is international finance - and here's where it gets interesting.
The economics of renewable energy are very different from those of other sources of power.
Unlike coal, gas or nuclear power stations, renewable sources don't have to pay anything for their fuel. The sun, wind or water comes - pretty much - free.
That transforms the nature of the investment decision.
Just think for a moment about what it means.
With traditional fossil fuel power plants, the investment case will be made as a balance between the costs of building the power station, the future price of electricity and a projection of the future costs of the fuel needed to keep it producing power.
With renewables it is almost all about the initial capital cost - how much it costs to build the thing in the first place - and the electricity price.
That means the cost of solar in the long run is a combination of the cost of the panels, the price of electricity and - crucially - the...

Summary: For some reason green campaigners don't tend to be very interested in international finance.
###
Article: Here is a list of all the local authorities that run crematoriums in the UK - showing their prices for a daytime adult cremation from 2010-11, 2015-16 and the percentage change.
Different councils provide different services for the basic fee listed below.
Where 2015-16 figures were unavailable the 2014-15 figures have been used (marked with *).
Angus Council is listed but now no longer carries out cremations.
Lewisham, North Lincolnshire, Salford City and Wakefield run crematoriums but have not responded to the BBC's Freedom Of Information request.
Find your local authority below:

Summary: The average cost of a cremation at a public crematorium has risen since 2010, according to a BBC Freedom of Information request.
###
Article: At 05:00 The Scotsman's front page declared a "historic victory for SNP".
The Herald also published a 5am edition. The paper said: "Sturgeon triumphant as Labour humiliated."
"Victory's at hand" was the earlier headline in The National, with a full page picture of Nicola Sturgeon with her husband and SNP chief executive Peter Murrell. The paper said she was "on course to win her mandate".
"Just Like Nat" was the headline on the front page of the Scottish Sun. Earlier, shortly after the polls closed, the newspaper tweeted that the Tories would "comfortably" seal second place.
The Daily Record published its first edition with the caption "01:30 election latest". The headline was "Five more years" and the paper said Nicola Sturgeon was set to be returned as first minister.
The Scottish Daily Express said Nicola Sturgeon had been warned that there would be "no more excuses" for failing to deliver for Scotland as the SNP "swept to an historic third term" in the Holyrood election.
The Daily Star headline was "Five more years". It also predicted the SNP was poised to "hold Holyrood".
The Scottish Daily Mail had published three editions by 03:00. Its most recent said "SNP set for victory, Tory vote surges in push for second and Labour disaster as seats tumble".
The Daily Telegraph said Nicola Sturgeon "could be denied" a new independence referendum.

Summary:


The council has announced plans to use night-vision goggles to tackle dog fouling.
###Article: The council has announced plans to use night-vision goggles to tackle dog fouling.
###Article: The council has announced plans to use night-vision goggles to tackle dog fouling.
###Article: The

Night-vision goggles are to be used by council staff to catch dog owners who do not clean up after their pets.

Article: Ransomware encrypts data on infected machines and then asks for money before restoring access to information.
The FBI is analysing a strain of ransomware called MSIL/Samas that tries to encrypt data across entire networks rather than single computers.
The plea comes as security firms warn about other novel strains of the fast-growing, data-scrambling cyber-threats.
The FBI sent out the request for help after discovering that the group behind MSIL/Samas had stepped up its efforts to find victims.
In the confidential advisory obtained by Reuters, the FBI said the group used a publicly available security program called Jexboss to scan networks looking for vulnerable versions of the widely used JBoss software.
When a vulnerable system is found, the malware launches an attack that seeks to scramble data on servers. It also finds and deletes the back-up files firms could use to restore data scrambled by ransomware.
Cisco said it had seen a "widespread campaign" using Samas targeting firms involved in healthcare. Early versions of the malware charged a ransom of one bitcoin (£300) for every machine hit but later versions upped this to 1.5 bitcoins.
"It is likely the malware author is trying to see how much people will pay for their files," wrote Cisco security analyst Nick Biasini in an advisory. "They even added an option for bulk decryption of 22 bitcoin (£6,600) to decrypt all infected systems."
The FBI's request for aid comes as security firms warn about recently created ransomware variants that use different methods to lock up systems and force victims to pay.
The Petya malware targets a key Windows system file called the Master Boot Record that helps a PC get started. By overwriting this file, people are prevented from getting at any data on their PC unless they pay up.
Trend Micro said it had seen Petya distributed in email messages crafted to look like they are from someone looking for work. The CV attached to the message is a booby-trapped program that launches Petya, said Trend security engineer Jasen...

Summary: The FBI is seeking help from US firms as it investigates a nasty strain of ransomware, Reuters reports.
###
Article: The company plans to use the gas as a raw material for its chemicals plants, including Grangemouth in Stirlingshire.
Grangemouth is currently running at a loss, but Ineos believes shale gas will transform the economics of the plant.
Shale gas extraction is promoted as an important potential energy source, but has sparked opposition from environmental groups.
Ineos chairman Jim Ratcliffe said he wanted his company "to become the biggest player in the UK shale gas industry".
The firm added that "substantial further investment would follow if the company moved to development and production".
Shale gas is extracted through a technique known as fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, in which water and chemicals are pumped into shale rock at high pressure.
Numerous anti-fracking groups have formed and protests have been staged at several sites over fears of earthquakes, water pollution and environmental damage.
Ineos is currently building Europe's largest shale gas import facility to feed its petrochemicals plant at Grangemouth - but it wants to produce home-grown shale gas as well.
In recent months it has been buying up rights to explore across hundreds of square miles of the Midland Valley around the Stirlingshire site.
Ineos is also thought to have applied for further licences as part of the government's ongoing onshore licensing round.
The company outlined plans on Thursday to invest $1bn (£640m) in UK exploration.
"I believe shale gas could revolutionise UK manufacturing and I know Ineos has the resources to make it happen, the skills to extract the gas safely and the vision to realise that everyone must share in the rewards," said Mr Ratcliffe.
BBC industry correspondent John Moylan said the move will be seen as a significant vote of confidence in the sector, and will position Ineos as one of the major players in the emerging industry.
But, he added, it will also put Ineos in the sights of protesters who believe shale gas and fracking are dangerous and harmful to the environment.
A spokesman for Greenpeace UK...

Summary: Chemicals giant Ineos has announced plans to invest up to £640m in shale gas exploration in the UK.
###
Article: The £200 "monocular", which has a built-in laser illuminator to improve viewing in the dark, will be used by Stafford Borough Council inspectors.
During winter months it is more difficult to catch irresponsible dog owners, the council said.
Staff members who use the monocular will be uniformed and wear a badge, a spokesman added.
Updates on this story and more from Staffordshire
"The only people who should be worried (about this) are the inconsiderate dog owners who are not clearing up after their dogs," a spokesman said.
Previous council schemes have involved people ringing a phone line to highlight the worst-hit areas.
Staff are already targeting these "hotspots", the council said, but have found it difficult since the clocks went back.
Councillor Frank Finlay, cabinet member for environment and health, said the council had tremendous support from the community to get rid of this "disgusting crime".
"These night-vision goggles will help us overcome this problem and let people know that, even under the cover of darkness, they cannot get away with showing blatant disregard to their fellow citizens," he said.

Summary:


The UK's decision to leave the European Union has been described as a "catastrophe" by the former head of the European Commission.
Theresa May has said the UK will leave the EU "as soon as possible" after the referendum on 23 June.
But Jean-Claude Juncker, the former

A UK withdrawal from the European Union could make policing in Northern Ireland slower, more complicated and more costly, the head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said.

Article: Joshua Oppenheimer spent years filming accounts of mass killings in the country that took place in the 1960s.
His film won the Bafta award for best documentary on Sunday.
"I would love to be able to go back," Oppenheimer told the BBC in an interview before the ceremony.
"The film is, in a way, my love letter to Indonesia. At the same time one of the saddest things for me about releasing the film is that I can't safely go back now."
The Act of Killing has shocked audiences around the world with its first-hand accounts of the murder and torture of alleged Communists in 1965-66.
The documentary tells the story from the perspective of the unrepentant killers.
But what makes it extraordinary is that they are invited to re-enact their murders in the style of their favourite American movies.
During his Bafta speech on Sunday, Oppenheimer dedicated the award to his anonymous Indonesian crew and his co-director who had "risked his safety knowing that he could not stand with me to accept this award until there is major change in Indonesia".
The Act of Killing is also a front-runner to win an Oscar on 2 March.
Its Academy Award nomination last month prompted an Indonesian government official to say the country had been portrayed as "a cruel and lawless nation".
The Jakarta Globe quoted Teuku Faizasyah, the presidential spokesman for foreign affairs, as saying: "The film portrayed Indonesia as backwards, as in the 1960s. That is not appropriate, not fitting. It must be remembered [that] Indonesia has gone through a reformation. Many things have changed."
At the Baftas, Oppenheimer said the government's response had been "inadequate", but acknowledged it marked a change in the official line on the killings.
"Until that moment the government has maintained the genocide was something heroic and to be celebrated," he said.
The Act of Killing focuses on Anwar Congo, one of a group of former black market gangsters who operated out of cinemas in Medan, Northern Sumatra.
Anwar was the 41st perpetrator that Oppenheimer...

Summary: The director of the hard-hitting documentary The Act of Killing says it isn't safe for him to return to Indonesia after the release of his film.
###
Article: South Africa did not want to execute ICC arrest warrants which would lead to "regime change", a minister said.
Last year, a South African court criticised the government for refusing to arrest Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir.
He is wanted by the ICC on charges of genocide and war crimes.
Mr Bashir was attending an African Union summit in Johannesburg, when the government ignored an ICC request to arrest him.
He denies allegations that he committed atrocities in Sudan's troubled western Darfur region.
Several media outlets say they have obtained a copy of the "Instrument of Withdrawal", signed by South Africa's foreign minister.
"The Republic of South Africa has found that its obligations with respect to the peaceful resolution of conflicts at times are incompatible with the interpretation given by the International Criminal Court," the document says.
Justice Minister Michael Masutha said at a press conference that the government would table legislation in parliament to withdraw South Africa from the ICC.
The Rome Statute, under which the ICC was set up, required the arrest of heads of state for whom a warrant was issued.
The consequence of this would be "regime change" and the statute was incompatible with South African legislation which gave heads of state diplomatic immunity, he added.
Analysis: Anna Holligan, BBC ICC correspondent
The ICC has a notoriously fractious relationship with the African continent. Despite 34 African nations voluntarily signing up to the court's jurisdiction - in recent years a handful of governments have decided their idea of international justice is incompatible with that set out in the Rome Statute.
When the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was charged with crimes against humanity, the African Union argued that heads of state should be entitled to immunity for the duration of their term in office, a direct contravention of the ICC's raison d'etre to hold the most powerful to account.  The trial against Mr Kenyatta later collapsed because of a lack of evidence.
There were almost...

Summary: South Africa has formally begun the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), notifying the UN of its decision.
###
Article: George Hamilton was speaking to MPs on the Northern Ireland affairs committee.
It is investigating how a UK exit from the EU could affect Northern Ireland.
Mr Hamilton said the PSNI would "not take a position on exit or not" and would work with whatever circumstances are in place after the EU referendum.
Voters will go to the polls in June to decide whether the UK should remain a member of the EU.
Asked on whether an exit from the EU would affect policing, Mr Hamilton said: "I think all of this is probably doable with an exit, but it will be slower, complicated and more costly is the view we would take from a practical policing perspective."
But he said the PSNI had a "very good working relationship" with a number of police forces in non-EU countries, "most notably America".
Mr Hamilton, who appeared before the committee with Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr, also said he did not think the PSNI's link with the Irish police would suffer in the case of an exit from the EU.
He said "the relationships are secure".
He added that if a so-called Brexit - a shorthand term for a UK exit from the EU - took place he was "absolutely sure the quality of the relationship and the professionalism of both organisations would not be diminished".
The committee is examining areas like the economy and the border with the Republic of Ireland.
It has already heard evidence from a wide range of politicians and business leaders.

Summary:


The UK government has announced a new £1.5m fund to help tackle the growing problem of drug-related deaths in the UK.
The fund will be used to support the work of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of Bath.
The NDARC is a partnership between

A sea captain has been convicted of being drunk in charge of a merchant ship in Belfast Lough.

Article: The surprise outbreak of screwworm has killed off more than 100 Key deer in the Florida Keys, and there are fears it could spread to livestock.
Scientists release the sterile flies so that they mate with the females but produce no offspring – killing off populations.
Screwworm was eradicated from the US in the late 60s, after it caused hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of damage to agriculture.
It is a grisly pest. The "worm" is the larval stage of the blowfly, which burrows its way into live flesh like a corkscrew, effectively eating animals alive. In rare cases, it can also infest humans.
The US had been free of the parasite for decades until late 2016, when cases were confirmed in the endangered Key deer, a sub-species of white-tailed deer that now lives only in the Florida Keys.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) told BBC News that it was releasing more than three million sterile flies twice a week in order to quell the infestation before it spreads further.
Pamela Manns, a public affairs specialist for the USDA said: "We don’t know exactly how long this process will take, but eradication efforts like this can last four to six months. It is not uncommon and we expect that to be the case here."
The solution being used now is the same one developed in the 1950s that eradicated screwworm from the US and other parts of the Americas.
Scientists breed large numbers of blowflies, blast them with radiation to sterilise them and then release them into the wild. The sterile males mate with native females but can produce no viable progeny, causing populations to crash.
After wiping out the fly from US territory in the 60s, America subsequently worked to eliminate the flies from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Since then the US has maintained a buffer zone across the Darien gap in Panama between the screwworm-free north and South America, where the flies still roam.
In the late 1980s, sterile flies were released in Louisiana, Florida and Puerto Rico after isolated cases were reported. But the...

Summary: Authorities in Florida have been releasing sterile flies in a bid to stamp out a flesh-eating livestock disease that has returned to the US for the first time in 30 years.
###
Article: The Scottish government acted after an inquiry into a serious Clostridium difficile (C. diff) outbreak.
Regulations have been put before Holyrood which would let Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) inspectors close wards to protect patients.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said the powers would be "a last resort".
A review of care at Vale of Leven Hospital in West Dunbartonshire found that C. diff was a factor in the deaths of 34 out of 143 patients who tested positive for the infection in 2007 and 2008.
Lord MacLean said NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde had "badly let down" patients, with the board apologising unreservedly for its "terrible failure".
The new system, announced by the government in 2015 and now set to go before MSPs, would see inspectors have the power to intervene and shut wards down in response to safety concerns ranging from cleanliness to staffing levels.
Ms Robison said Scotland had a "very robust scrutiny and inspection regime", with HIS carrying out almost 100 inspections each year.
She said: "Protecting patient safety is of critical importance and that is why we want to go further and give HIS the powers to close hospital wards if they consider it necessary.
"Let me be clear that this would only ever be used as a last resort, and in the majority of cases we would expect HIS to work with health boards to put in place improvements on wards first.
"But on the very rare occasions that inspectors have concerns about the safety of patients on a ward, they should have the powers to take firm and direct action."
The OECD has recommended stronger scrutiny of Scotland's health system amid fears HIS could "mark its own homework", calling for better arrangements for dealing with mistakes and poor performance.

Summary: Inspectors could be given powers to close hospital wards to new patients from April, if the move is approved by MSPs.
###
Article: Eugenijus Tulauskas, from Lithuania, was up to four times over the maritime limit when arrested in September last year.
A pilot had to take control of the container ship to ensure its safe passage into harbour.
The 44-year-old seaman, of no fixed abode was fined Â£1,500 at Belfast Magistrates' Court.
Tulauskas had contested a charge of having excess alcohol while on duty as professional master of a ship.
His lawyers argued that he was not on duty at the time of the offence.
The court was told that an experienced pilot sent out to guide the ship into port thought he smelled alcohol on Tulauskas' breath.
He contacted Belfast Harbour Police who detained the defendant and took a breath sample.
Talauskas confirmed at that stage he had not taken any alcohol in the previous four hours.
The district judge said she was "satisfied on the evidence that the defendant was not just master of the vessel, but was on duty at the time".
Talauskas' lawyer argued that he was aware of the pilot's actions and had congratulated him on his manoeuvres.
"It's not a case that he was totally incoherent," the lawyer said.
The court heard that the captain had since lost his job.
The judge, who could have fined him up to Â£5,000, commented that "if the defendant were in employment I would be looking at the upper region (of a fine)".

Summary:


A further 13 pupils at a fee-paying school in London have been suspended for using E-cigarettes.
The school has strict anti-drugs and anti-smoking policies.
A letter to parents said: "Following the discovery of a small amount of cannabis on school property, three pupils in F3 have now

Three pupils at the High School of Dundee have been expelled following the discovery of cannabis on school property.

Article: The main risk factors for the disease are a lack of exercise, smoking, depression and poor education, it says.
Previous research from 2011 put the estimate at one in two cases, but this new study takes into account overlapping risk factors.
Alzheimer's Research UK said age was still the biggest risk factor.
Writing in The Lancet Neurology, the Cambridge team analysed population-based data to work out the main seven risk factors for Alzheimer's disease.
These are:
They worked out that a third of Alzheimer's cases could be linked to lifestyle factors that could be modified, such as lack of exercise and smoking.
The researchers then looked at how reducing these factors could affect the number of future Alzheimer's cases.
They found that by reducing each risk factor by 10%, nearly nine million cases of the disease could be prevented by 2050.
In the UK, a 10% reduction in risk factors would reduce cases by 8.8%, or 200,000, by 2050, they calculated.
Current estimates suggest that more than 106 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer's by 2050 - more than three times the number affected in 2010.
Prof Carol Brayne, from the Institute of Public Health at the University of Cambridge, said: "Although there is no single way to treat dementia, we may be able to take steps to reduce our risk of developing dementia at older ages.
"We know what many of these factors are, and that they are often linked.
"Simply tackling physical inactivity, for example, will reduce levels of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, and prevent some people from developing dementia.
"As well as being healthier in old age in general, it's a win-win situation."
Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at charity Alzheimer's Research UK, said there was still much to discover about the disease.
"While age is the biggest risk factor for most cases of Alzheimer's, there are a number of lifestyle and general health factors that could increase or decrease a person's chances of developing the disease.
"However, we still do not fully understand the...

Summary: One in three cases of Alzheimer's disease worldwide is preventable, according to research from the University of Cambridge.
###
Article: Florida is one of five key states holding primary elections on the same day. Full results are available here after polls close, provided by the Associated Press.

Summary: Voters in Florida go to the polls on Tuesday to choose their preferred candidate to contest the presidential election.
###
Article: A further thirteen pupils at the fee-paying school have been suspended for using E-cigarettes.
Another pupil has been suspended and given a final warning after the discovery of the class B drug.
In a letter to parents, rector Dr John Halliday said police were conducting an investigation into the incident.
Dr Halliday wrote: "Following the discovery of a small amount of cannabis on school property, three pupils in F3 have now left the school for their involvement in this incident.
"As I intimated last week, the school immediately notified the police, who are conducting their own investigation.
"We obviously cannot comment on their investigation but I can reassure you that no pupil still at school is under investigation by the police."
Dr Halliday said the 13 pupils suspended following E-cigarette use were given "clear warnings" and guidance.
He said that the school had strict anti-drugs and anti-smoking policies.
He wrote: "Breaches of the policy are treated with the utmost seriousness, with the resulting disciplinary decisions reached after full and thorough consideration of the facts and circumstances.
"I and my senior colleagues have been addressing these incidents directly and believe that we have taken appropriate action in support of the school's standpoint that such behaviour cannot be tolerated."

Summary:


The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has warned that the world's oceans are in danger of being "overfished" by 2030.
The WWF says that by 2030, the world's oceans will be overfished by 30% and that the fishing industry will be responsible for the deaths of more than

A turtle, thought to be from the Gulf of Mexico, that washed up on a Cumbrian beach has died.

Article: In 2015, UK residents took 65.7m foreign holidays or business trips.
That was despite a number of high profile terrorist attacks in Europe.
They included the deaths of 130 people in Paris in November, and the killing of 38 holiday-makers on a beach in Tunisia in June.
The travel industry said the figures showed the "resilience" of UK travellers.
"The 9.4% growth recorded in overseas holidays during the year is the largest annual rise in nearly twenty years, and spending on holidays exceeded pre-crisis levels for the first time since the recession," said a spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).
Spain was easily the most popular country for UK residents to visit, with 13m trips there during the year. That accounted for nearly a fifth of all foreign travel by Brits.
At the same time the number of trips by foreign visitors to the UK rose by 5.1%, to a record high of 36.1m.
But while foreigners spent £22.1bn on visits to the UK, Brits spent £39bn abroad.
That spending gap of £16.9bn is the highest since 2008, and accounted for a large slice of the UK's overall balance of payments deficit of £96.2bn in 2015.
The French were the biggest visitors to the UK, with 4m trips.
Behind them were the Germans and the Americans, with 3m visits each. However American visitors spend more, so are more important to the economy.
Outside London, the cities with the highest number of visitors were Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham, each of which had more than a million foreign visits.

Summary: The number of trips by UK residents abroad increased by 9.4% last year, the largest rise since 1998, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
###
Article: Natural England is preparing to issue licenses that will allow farmers to shoot badgers at night in parts of Gloucestershire and Somerset.
The government says action is needed to help combat cattle TB, which costs the UK more than Â£100m per year.
The Badger Trust, which claims the government is acting illegally, is taking its case to the Court of Appeal.
In July, it lost a legal bid at the High Court to block badger culling in England.
Gwendolen Morgan of the law firm Bindmans LLP, which represents the Badger Trust, told BBC News: "Culling as proposed is likely to do more harm than good and we hope that the Court of Appeal will find in our favour and prevent this recipe for disaster and prompt more productive means such as vaccination and cattle control measures."
The Badger Trust argues that the cull is illegal, as it will at best make a small impact on the disease and could make it worse.
However, the government argues that bovine TB is taking a terrible toll on farmers and rural communities, and action is needed now.
A Defra spokesperson said: "Nobody wants to cull badgers. But no country in the world where wildlife carries TB has eradicated the disease in cattle without tackling it in wildlife too."
If what Defra calls "controlled shooting" of badgers is to take place this year, the six-week cull must begin soon, before the badger breeding season begins.
Culling is not permitted when there is a risk that badgers feeding their young might be killed, leaving their cubs underground without food.
In England, two companies have been set up by farmers to manage the cull, using trained marksmen to shoot badgers at night on farm land in two pilot areas each the size of the Isle of Wight.
Natural England, the government agency in charge of issuing the licenses, says holders must liaise closely with the local police, including on dates, times and areas where badger control will take place.
A spokesperson from Natural England said there was no definitive time scale for issuing the licenses but "we would hope to...

Summary: Badgers could be shot across England within weeks, barring a last minute legal challenge.
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Article: The Kemp's ridley turtle was one of two found on beaches near Formby, Merseyside, and Cumbria's Walney Island on 22 December.
The reptile found in Merseyside died soon after, but the other was being looked after at the Lake District Coast Aquarium in Maryport.
Aquarium owner Mark Vollers said it had struggled to feed itself.
The turtles were believed to be from the Gulf of Mexico 5,000 miles (8,000 km) away and were among a small number which washed up on British and European shores last month.
Mr Vollers told BBC Cumbria: "We thought we had a 50/50 chance, which would've improved if it had started feeding.
"It was getting some sustenance in other ways but not really enough to recover.
"We were following a strict agreed protocol arrived at after consultation with vets here and in other countries - people who have experience of this species of turtle."
The turtle, possibly aged about 20, is now with a specialist vet who will determine the cause of death.
Source: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

Summary:


The education secretary has said he will not impose a budget on Northern Ireland if the Stormont parties cannot reach a deal.
The Department for Education said the indicative figures included a 2.5% cut to education.
At the time, the group of more than 40 principals in schools in the Belfast area called the proposals

Belfast City Council has backed a group of principals who say they will refuse to make cuts to school budgets.

Article: Ms Suu Kyi's presence is seen as a sign of improving ties with the military since her release from house arrest.
Addressing the gathering, army chief General Min Aung Hlaing told troops the military would maintain a role in national politics.
The event comes ongoing communal violence in central Burma.
Armed Forces Day marks the 68th anniversary of Burma's uprising against Japanese rule.
Over 6,000 troops were in attendance, as military jeeps and tanks took part in the parade in Burma's capital, Nay Pyi Taw.
Aung San Suu Kyi's attendance is a striking symbol of the reconciliation between her and the institution that locked her and so many of her supporters up for many years, the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head reports.
In the past she was a strident critic of the military's grip on Burma. Today she is making conspicuous efforts to build good relations with the armed forces, which still hold an automatic quarter of the seats in parliament, our correspondent adds.
Elections in November 2010 replaced decades of military rule with a military-backed civilian government, which has since initiated a series of reforms.
Ms Suu Kyi was freed from years of house arrest in late 2010. Her NLD party, which boycotted the polls, now has a small presence in parliament after rejoining the political fold and contesting subsequent by-elections, which resulted in a landslide win.
But the military-backed party has a much larger presence in Burma's new chamber.
"While the country is moving toward modern democracy, our military plays a leading role in national politics," General Min Aung Hlaing said at the parade.
"We will keep on marching to strengthen the democratic path wished by the people."
The army chief also addressed the anti-Muslim clashes in central Burma that have led to 40 reported deaths and made an estimated 12,000 Muslims homeless.
"Our independence came from all Burmese people, including every ethnic minority - therefore we have to protect it," he said.
"The conflict that is going on now, the army...

Summary: Burma has marked its Armed Forces Day with a military parade, with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in attendance for the first time.
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Article: Meg Hillier says just eight out of 151 local councils know where all their care leavers are living, despite a duty to stay in touch with them.
Two-thirds of care leavers' services have been rated inadequate or requiring improvement by Ofsted, she adds.
Town hall bosses say the care system is becoming an increasing challenge.
The Local Government Association says this is due to the growing number of youngsters entering the care system and increasingly stretched budgets.
The National Audit Office report: Care Leavers' Transition to Adulthood, scrutinised by the committee, says the number of young people leaving care has grown significantly, almost doubling from 6,900 in 2003-04 to 10,310 a decade later.
The report says young people in care have often had difficult lives but have to start living independently much earlier than their peers.
Some 62% of children in care are there because of abuse or neglect, which can have a lasting impact on their mental and emotional health.
The report says the government aims to ensure that care leavers receive the same level of care and support as a child does from a reasonable parent.
This would include help in finding a job or setting up home, and general support for them to move successfully into adulthood.
But high staff turnover and heavy workloads mean sometimes care leavers are not getting the support to which they are entitled, it says
Mrs Hillier said: "It seems local authorities are turning their back on young people leaving their care, when two-thirds of local authority services for care leavers have been rated 'inadequate' or 'requiring improvement' since November 2013.
"Care leavers are in dire need of effective care and support, but this report finds care leavers who are not involved in their care-leaving plans and who do not know what support they are entitled to."
The report also finds local authorities have no information on 17% of their 19- to 21-year-old care leavers, even though they are often vulnerable.
Care leavers often face difficulties in accessing...

Summary: England's local authorities are "turning their backs" on young people leaving their care, the chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee says.
###
Article: In April, Northern Ireland's secretary of state published a plan for a budget to be imposed if the Stormont parties could not reach a deal.
The indicative figures included a 2.5% cut to education.
At the time, the group of more than 40 principals in schools in the Belfast area called the proposals "totally unacceptable".
They sent a letter to parents, the Department of Education, the Education Authority and the secretary of state saying they could not impose the cuts "without seriously compromising their children's education".
On Tuesday, they went to a meeting of Belfast City Council to ask for support in fighting the cuts.
Lord Mayor Alderman Brian Kingston has now agreed to write to the secretary of state, MLAs and MPs.
Damian O'Neill, principal of the Good Shepherd Primary School in Dunmurry, told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme the principals did not know where else to turn.
"They (Belfast City Council) are the only elected body at the minute who we could reach out to.
"It's very, very important for us as principals that we see the best-possible outcomes for our children.
"But the circumstances at the minute would suggest to me that we won't be able to do that."

Summary:


A man has been jailed for 16 months after he was found guilty of a string of burglaries in the Manchester area.
Michael Patterson, 49, of Field Bank Grove, Gorton, admitted three counts of burglary and possession of a Class B drug.
He was jailed for 16 months at Manchester Crown Court.

A prolific burglar has been banned from all of Manchester's back alleyways.

Article: Mr Norman, who built his reputation as boss of Asda, will replace Robert Swannell, who joined M&S in 2010.
The announcement comes days after M&S hired the boss of Halfords, Jill McDonald, to take charge of its clothing, home and beauty business.
Mr Norman, former executive at retailer Kingfisher, stood down as ITV chairman last year.
He joins M&S as chief executive Steve Rowe continues the fight to improve flagging clothing sales, and revamp product ranges and prices, while attempting to create a leaner and more focused business.
Mr Rowe has already announced a big expansion of the M&S food operation.
Mr Norman said: "I am looking forward to taking on the role of the chairmanship of Marks & Spencer as the business under Steve Rowe's leadership faces into the considerable challenges ahead in a rapidly changing retail landscape."
Retail analyst Nick Bubb said: "Some people thought that Archie was too heavyweight for the role, which is non-executive, and it remains to be seen how much of 'a back-seat driver' he is to CEO Steve Rowe.
"When he took over at the struggling Asda in 1991 he famously played down expectations of the turnaround and we see he is up to his old tricks again in today's statement."
Mr Norman has held a number of high ranking positions, including:
He has also served as chairman of Lazard London and Hobbycraft.
In a statement, Mr Swannell said: "I am delighted that Archie, with his deep, relevant experience is to be M&S's next chairman.
"It has been a real privilege to have served as chairman and to have worked with so many exceptional people who are so passionate about this great business.
"With the appointment of Steve Rowe in 2016, I am confident that we have an excellent team, well-equipped to grow and strengthen the business. I wish them all the very best for the future."
Mr Norman has a reputation for turning around businesses. He is most famously credited with transforming Asda, which was ailing at the beginning of the 1990s but was sold for Â£6.5bn to Wal-Mart in 1999.
In interviews he...

Summary: Retail veteran and former Conservative MP Archie Norman has been named Marks and Spencer's new chairman.
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Article: Tata Steel, which employs more than 7,500 people in Wales, revealed plans to close the final salary pension scheme on Friday.
Trade unions accuse Tata Steel of being "hell bent" on closing the pension scheme and refusing to compromise.
Tata said it will consult employees on the closure of the pension scheme.
The firm has sites in Port Talbot, Llanwern in Newport, Shotton in Flintshire and Trostre, Carmarthenshire.
A company spokesman said: "We have been unable come to an agreement that would have enabled defined benefit provision to continue.
"We remain committed to providing employees with competitive future pension provision,"
It proposes to replace the current pension scheme with a defined contribution one.
Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the Community trade union, said Tata's decision to close the current scheme is "unnecessary and profoundly disappointing".
He said: "We have made every effort to compromise with the company, even discussing the possibility of meeting the deficit through changes to member benefits. Sadly, the company rejected this offer.
"We have lost all faith in the company and its leadership, which has brought us to the brink of a major national industrial dispute for the first time in over 30 years."
Tata Steel insists that it is cooperating with the unions.
"Those discussions have been held in a constructive and transparent atmosphere," said its spokesman.

Summary: Unions representing Tata Steel workers in Wales are set to ballot members over industrial action after a plan to close their pension scheme was announced.
###
Article: Michael Patterson was handed the order after being convicted of break-ins in the Levenshulme and Longsight areas of the city.
His "consistent method" was to carry out burglaries after entering rear alleyways, magistrates heard.
The 49-year-old, of Field Bank Grove, Gorton admitted three counts of burglary and possession of a Class B drug and was jailed for 16 months.
The ban, known as a criminal behaviour order, will run indefinitely after his release.
It will ban Patterson from entering rear alleyways with the exception of the one behind his own home.
The order also prohibits him from entering an area of Stockport Road, from Stanley Grove in Longsight up to Albert Road in Levenshulme, and the surrounding streets.
Premises targeted in the break-ins included a takeaway, a solicitors' office and a mobile phone shop.
Nigel Murphy, Manchester City Council's executive member for neighbourhood services, said: "Michael Patterson has used the same technique repeatedly to commit a number of offences and this order will prevent him continuing the pattern."

Summary:


The European Commission has launched an investigation into Facebook's privacy practices.
The European Commission has launched an investigation into Facebook's privacy practices.
The European Commission has launched an investigation into Facebook's privacy practices.
The European Commission has launched an investigation into Facebook's privacy practices.
The European Commission has launched an investigation into

Facebook "tramples" on European privacy law by tracking people without consent, Belgium's privacy watchdog has said.

Article: Now imagine the same landlord throws in a bowl of chips for free - because you are a regular at the pub three nights a week.
Then the pub closes for a couple of weeks for refurbishment. So, you go to another pub - The Red Lion - a few hundred yards further down the road.
A little surprisingly, the landlord at that pub knows your favourite pint too, even though you have never been in before.
You find out that the Dog and Duck landlord has sold on information about your tastes to the landlord at The Red Lion.
How do you feel? A bit concerned, perhaps.
But worse is to come. You subsequently find out that - knowing what you are going to order - the landlord at The Red Lion has charged you 10p more than he has charged another customer.
You don't even get a free bowl of chips!
This might seem like a very far-fetched example. However, shift this whole buying process online - and it sums up a big issue for internet shoppers.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) wants to know more about personalised pricing. This occurs if a retailer offers different prices depending on information they have collected about that customer.
This is done primarily in two ways. Firstly, retailers can collect details of a customer's previous purchases made on the website. Secondly, they can buy information about the customer's purchases or internet searches from a third party.
The OFT wants to know if consumers are aware that all this data is being collected about their shopping and searching preferences, as well as if this puts consumers off buying on the internet.
The regulator says that there is no evidence, but a lot of concern, that this information allows retailers to charge a higher price to certain customers - just like the hypothetical landlord at The Red Lion.
"It is important we understand what control shoppers have over their profile and whether firms are using shoppers' profiles to charge different prices for goods or services," says Clive Maxwell, chief executive of the OFT.
Concerns have been raised about flights or hotel rates....

Summary: Imagine going into your local pub - the Dog and Duck - and being greeted by the landlord who already knows your favourite tipple and starts to pour it before you even reach the bar.
###
Article: It said low inflation was adding to the benefits of higher employment and the positive effects of lower oil prices.
Item Club chief economic adviser Peter Spencer said the financial markets seem prepared for further Greek problems.
But potential headwinds were a weak government and EU referendum, he said.
The forecast growth is slightly down on the 2.9% expansion that the Item Club previously predicted, due to official fourth-quarter GDP figures coming in weaker than expected.
The Item Club forecasts growth in 2016 of 3%, up from 2.9% estimated previously.
Inflation has fallen to zero in recent months and, along with improvements in employment, is boosting consumer confidence, the Item Club's spring forecast said.
The report said an added bonus was coming from recovery in the eurozone, helped by the European Central Bank's â‚¬1.1 trillion (Â£790bn) asset purchase stimulus programme.
The euro bloc's recovery should offset a hit to overseas trade from the strength of the pound, the Item Club said.
Mr Spencer said: "The economy is taking the general election in its stride as 'noflation' trumps politics. The eurozone recovery is bedding in and completes the positive UK growth picture that we anticipate for 2015 and 2016.
"This is a mirror image of what we saw in 2010-12, when unemployment and inflation were high and Europe was in the doldrums.
"If the strength of the headwinds that held back the economy during the first years of the coalition is anything to go by, the tailwinds enjoyed by a new administration post 7 May should be strong enough to outweigh the effects of any political uncertainty."
The report expects the eurozone recovery to boost trade - with UK exports predicted to rise by 5.9% this year and 4.9% in 2016. But Mr Spencer added: "However, it's not all plain sailing and possible risks around a weak government and an EU referendum remain.
"In Europe, the Greek tragedy has yet to reach a denouement, although European banks and investors seem prepared for a disorderly outcome.
"But worries about...

Summary: Low inflation and stronger eurozone growth should help the UK economy expand 2.8% this year despite political uncertainty ahead of the election, according to an EY Item Club report.
###
Article: The country's Privacy Protection Commission accused Facebook of dodging questions from European regulators.
Internet users were also urged to install privacy software to stop Facebook tracking them, regardless of whether they had accounts with it.
The social network said it complied with data protection law and questioned the Belgian watchdog's authority.
The commission attacked Facebook after trying to find out more about its practices.
"Facebook tramples on European and Belgian privacy laws," it said after publishing a report analysing changes that the company made to its privacy policies in January.
In a statement, it said that Facebook has refused to recognise Belgian and other EU national jurisdictions, insisting it was subject only to the law in Ireland, the site of its European headquarters.
"Facebook has shown itself particularly miserly in giving precise answers," the watchdog said, adding that the results of its study were "disconcerting".
The body, which was working with its German, Dutch, French and Spanish counterparts, said that Facebook would not explain in detail how it used data it collected.
A Facebook spokeswoman questioned the Belgians' authority but said it would review the study's recommendations with the Irish data protection commissioner.
"We work hard to make sure people have control over what they share and with whom.
"Facebook is already regulated in Europe and complies with European data protection law, so the applicability of the [commission's] efforts is unclear," she said.
This is the second damning report this year on Facebook's use of data from the Belgian Privacy Commission. In February, it said it placed "too much burden" on users to navigate its complex settings.

Summary:


The longest serving leader of Gwynedd Council has announced he will step down at the local elections in May.
###Article: The 65-year-old said he was going to "miss it dreadfully" but there always comes a point when things must end.
"I'd always decided this was going to

Sir Eric Pickles, the former Conservative Party chairman, has announced he is standing down as Brentwood and Ongar MP after 25 years.

Article: Donald Trump Jr said he met Natalia Veselnitskaya but that "no meaningful information" on Mrs Clinton was shared.
Also at the meeting was the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign head Paul J Manafort.
US officials are investigating alleged Russian meddling in the US election.
The FBI and Congress are both looking at whether Trump campaign officials colluded with the alleged Kremlin plot. The inquiries have yet to show evidence of collusion.
The meeting with Ms Veselnitskaya took place on 9 June 2016 at New York's Trump Tower, just two weeks after Donald Trump secured the Republican nomination.
It is thought to be the first confirmed private meeting between a Russian national and a member of US President Donald Trump's inner circle.
The New York Times first reported the meeting on Saturday. At the time, both Mr Trump Jr and Ms Veselnitskaya confirmed the meeting but said the US presidential campaign was not discussed.
On Sunday, the New York Times said that Mr Trump Jr had agreed to the meeting after being offered information that would potentially prove detrimental to Mrs Clinton, who was Democratic presidential candidate at the time.
The New York Times cited three White House advisers briefed on the meeting, and two others with knowledge for it, as its sources.
In a statement on Sunday, Mr Trump Jr said an acquaintance had asked him to meet "an individual who I was told might have information helpful to the campaign".
"I was not told her name prior to the meeting. I asked Jared [Kushner] and Paul [Manafort] to attend, but told them nothing of the substance."
"After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs Clinton."
"Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information," he added.
Mr Trump Jr said Ms Veselnitskaya then moved the...

Summary: US President Donald Trump's son agreed to meet a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer last year after being promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton, the New York Times reports.
###
Article: Dyfed Edwards, leader of the council's Plaid Cymru group, has said he will not stand for re-election to the council after 13 years.
Mr Edwards was elected to the council in 2004 and became leader in 2008 -  he will be the council's longest serving leader when he steps aside in 2017.
He said: "I had no intention of being a councillor for life."
He will also step down from his seat on the council as representative for the Penygroes ward.
Mr Edwards, who has been outspoken about council cuts in his role as deputy presiding officer for the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), said despite financial challenges, he believed local authorities could still make a difference.
"Success is achieved by reaching out and acting positively rather than retreating to an island of negativity," he said.
"I am optimistic about the future and am hopeful that Gwynedd will remain at the heart of building the new Wales."

Summary: The longest serving leader of Gwynedd Council has announced he will step down at the local elections in May.
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Article: The 65-year-old said he was going to "miss it dreadfully" but there always comes a point when things must end.
Sir Eric also served as secretary for communities and local government between 2010 and 2015.
He is one of several high-profile MPs who are standing down, including George Osborne and Alan Johnson.
Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Tuesday she intended to call a snap general election, a move that was backed by MPs the following day. The election will take place on 8 June.
Labour MP for Nottingham North Graham Allen also announced on Saturday that he is to step down as an MP, due to ill health.
Speaking to the BBC, Sir Eric said: "I think it's always better to leave when people are asking why you're going, rather than why you're staying.
"I'd always decided this was going to be my last Parliament having served 25 years and came to the view that it was time Brentwood and Ongar had a new MP."
He said he had told Mrs May of his decision, and wrote on Twitter that he would be continuing in his role as the prime minister's special envoy on post-Holocaust issues.
Which MPs are quitting - and who might stand?
In a letter sent to his local Conservative association, Sir Eric wrote: "It has been an enormous honour to represent the constituency for 25 years; Brentwood and Ongar is a wonderful place to live.
"Throughout that quarter of century, I have enjoyed success and some setbacks, but have always been sustained by the friendship back home in the patch."
He added that he was grateful for the invitation to serve a further five years but that after "much heart searching" he had concluded it was the "right time for Brentwood and Ongar to have a new representative in Westminster".
Sir Eric, who was born in Yorkshire into a Labour-supporting family, joined the Keighley Young Conservatives in 1968, going on to become chairman. He was knighted in 2015.
Formerly a Eurosceptic, in 2016 he joined the group of Conservative MPs supporting the campaign to remain in the European Union subject to David Cameron's...

Summary: