The IAAF has announced that it will review the rules for the heptathlon, the long jump and the shot put after the latest doping scandal.
The IAAF has announced that it will review the rules for the heptathlon, the long jump and the shot put after the latest doping scandal.
The I

Kelly Sotherton says athletics chiefs should consider tweaking events rather than rewriting existing world records.

Article: Media playback is not supported on this device
The 40-year-old won Olympic heptathlon bronze for Britain in 2004 and has been upgraded to two more bronze medals from 2008 after retrospective drug tests.
All world records set before 2005 could be rewritten under a new proposal from European Athletics, after the sport's latest doping scandal.
Sotherton said tweaking events would create "a new slate" and new records.
She said: "Could we go back to yards or run 101m instead of 100m?
"We all know that some of the records are completely out there. But not all of those records were achieved by people who cheated.
"Scrapping those records is unfair on those athletes. And what about my pre-2005 performances? Did they happen? Does this apply to national records too?"
Sotherton referred to the IAAF's decision to remodel the men's javelin in 1986.
Changes were made to the javelin's design because of increasingly frequent flat landings. All existing records were reset after the change, but not erased.
"I am open to the discussion - for the greater good of the sport it's a good thing," she added.

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The deadline for tax credits is approaching.
The deadline for tax credits is approaching.
The deadline for tax credits is approaching.
The deadline for tax credits is approaching.
The deadline for tax credits is approaching.
The deadline for tax credits is approaching.
The deadline for tax credits is approaching.
The

Thousands of people face a deadline of the end of Sunday to renew tax credits and pay tax owed, or face losing payments or being hit with penalties.

Article: Up to a million people still needed to complete their tax credit renewals in the final week before the deadline.
They would have received information about their annual review notice in a white A4 envelope, but they can renew online up until Sunday night.
Separately, many of those in the self-assessment system must pay a tax bill.
This so-called payment on account is the equivalent of half the previous year's tax bill, as an advance payment on their next bill. The other half is paid on 31 January.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) warned that anyone who failed to renew their tax credits could be in danger of having payments stopped, or find themselves paying more than they needed to.
"It is great that millions of people have renewed their tax credits or reported changes so far, but anyone who has not done so yet should take action now - it only takes a few minutes to renew online," said Nick Lodge, of HMRC.
Renewals can now also be completed via smartphone apps. The tax credit helpline - 0345 3003900 - is open until 20:00 BST on Saturday and Sunday.
To renew, they will need their renewal pack, their National Insurance number, their and their partners total income for the tax year to April 2016, the 15-digit number on their renewal pack, and details of any changes to their circumstances, such as working hours and children.
Claimants who received notices in a brown A5 envelope will see their tax credits renewed automatically and are only required to contact HMRC if they need to make any corrections or notify HMRC of any changes to household circumstances.
Those whose notices came in a white A4 envelope must renew, even if their circumstances have not changed.
The tax payment deadline affects everyone in the self-assessment system unless:
There are various ways of paying but those leaving it to the weekend are likely to be limited to paying via online or telephone banking, or via the HMRC website using a debit or credit card.
Interest is charged if the payment deadline is missed. After 28 days without payment,...

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The release of Disney's Beauty and the Beast has been postponed in Malaysia.

Article: The much-anticipated film sparked controversy last week after it emerged it would feature a "gay moment".
It was due for release in Malaysia on Thursday, but Disney said it was being held for a "review" of its content.
The Malaysian Censorship Board (LPF) said on Tuesday it had approved the screening but with "a minor edit concerning a gay moment in the film".
Homosexual activity is illegal in Muslim majority Malaysia, although the country's tourism minister has said banning the film is "ridiculous".
A new release date has yet to be announced.   The live-action remake was granted a "P13 parental guidance classification".
"We have approved the film so there is no more issue. Once a film receives approval, it means it can be screened," LPF Chairman Datuk Abdul Hamid said.
"However, the date of screening and where the screening takes place is not under LPF's jurisdiction. We only look at the content and give a decision on whether the movie gets approved or not."
Local cinema chains have been offering refunds for customers who have purchased tickets in advance.
Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon has spoken about the "exclusively gay moment" in the film.
It involves LeFou - the sidekick of the film's main antagonist Gaston - who tries to come to terms with feelings for Gaston that swing between lust and admiration, as a side-plot to the main story.
The decision to review the Disney classic in Malaysia courted criticism from netizens, many of whom called it "stupid and laughable".
"Malaysia bans 'Beauty and the Beast' but is okay with nonsense Malay movies with no moral values, just full of brainless jokes," wrote a Twitter user in a tweet which drew more than 4,500 re-tweets.
Priyanka Laxmiâ€

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The council has been asked to consider a proposal to build a new city centre station.
The council has been asked to consider a proposal to build a new city centre station.
The council has been asked to consider a proposal to build a new city centre station.
The council has been asked to consider a proposal to

Parts of Leeds city centre could be closed to traffic in a bid to make the city less "road heavy".

Article: Councillors have discussed plans aimed at improving the city's transport network and changing its image as what a report calls a "motorway city".
City Square could be closed off to through traffic by 2021, as could Neville Street that runs past Bridgewater Place into the city centre.
The move forms part of the city's 2023 European Capital of Culture bid.
The plan was to get more people cycling and walking around the city, the report said.
Cycles, buses and taxis would still be allowed in City Square that lies close to the railway station.
Councillor Richard Lewis said: "It's about how me make the city both liveable and prosperous in the future."
An upgrade of Armley Gyratory, one of the busiest junctions in the city, was also in the council's plans, he said.
There were still many details to be worked out and there would be feasibility studies and consultations, Mr Lewis added.
The plans are part of a discussion on a 20-year vision for the city.
The HS2 high-speed rail network is planned to stop at a new city centre station in Leeds by 2032/33.
The council must register its capital of culture interest by December 2016 and submit a final bid in 2017. The winning bid is expected to be announced in 2018.

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A man has been jailed for six months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The court heard that on 19 December 2014, Mr Wright, of The Dell, Kempston, was driving his VW Golf on Bedford Road Lower School, Kempston, when he collided with Mrs Blackburn, a lollipop lady for 20

A driver "blinded" by the sun drove through a red light at a pedestrian crossing and knocked down a lollipop lady, a jury has heard.

Article: Sylvia Blackburn, 72, suffered serious head injuries outside Bedford Road Lower School, Kempston, on 19 December 2014.
Luton Crown Court heard Brian Wright, 55, of Kempston, said he was unable to see at the point of impact.
He denies causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Prosecutor Sally Mealing-McLeod said Mrs Blackburn, a lollipop lady for 20 years, had been on duty in Bedford Road as pupils were leaving school on the last day of term.
She was wearing a long-sleeved high-visibility orange and yellow coat which had reflective strips and "school crossing patrol" written on the back.
When the traffic lights turned red, she stepped out to escort a woman and her six-year-old daughter across the road.
Traffic travelling in the opposite direction stopped, but Mr Wright's VW Golf failed to stop and hit her at 14mph, the jury heard.
Witnesses described Mrs Blackburn's head hitting the screen pillar of the windscreen before she struck the wing mirror and then the road.
The married mother of three was airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
She was later transferred to Bedford Hospital and is now at a residential care home for people with an acquired brain injury.
Mr Wright, of The Dell, declined to comment in police interview but in a statement said he was blinded by the setting sun and lowered his visor but was unable to see when the collision happened.
The court heard the sun was 10 minutes from setting and could have been shining into Mr Wright's eyes.
Ms Mealing-McLeod told the jury that if his vision had been affected he should have stopped.
The trial continues.

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Edinburgh Airport said there was "congestion" as passengers had to be checked in manually from 07:30.
Edinburgh Airport said there was "congestion" as passengers had to be checked in manually from 07:30.
Edinburgh Airport said there was "congestion" as passengers had to

A "glitch" which shut down all the computer systems at Edinburgh Airport caused "massive disruption" and some flight delays.

Article: BAA said the problem had been caused by a hardware fault which saw the check-in desks and boarding screens fail for almost three hours.
Edinburgh Airport said there was "congestion" as passengers had to be checked in manually from 07:30.
Flights were also delayed as passengers did not know which gates to go to.
The problem was fixed at about 10:00.
A man at the airport told the BBC Scotland news website he was delayed at the airport for about an hour.
He said: "My flight didn't leave until 10am because the computers were down. There were queues at the check-in desks and people didn't know where to board their flights.
"There was massive disruption."
A BAA spokesman said: "We had a slight issue this morning with the network which meant that we lost some computer services.
"It did not cause any cancellations or any great delays, but it did cause some queuing in the check in area between 7am and 9am.
"Our team were on it and, following investigation, it was found to be a hardware fault that was sorted quickly."
He added: "We saw some flights delayed by about half an hour, and congestion in the check-in area which was cleared as soon as the fault was fixed."

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The European Commission says it is Europe's most comprehensive study so far of bee colony deaths.
The study, called Epilobee, described 10% as an acceptable threshold for bee colony mortality - and Greece, Italy and Spain were among the countries with rates below that threshold.
The study, called Epilob

A new study covering 17 EU countries says that far more honeybees are dying in the UK and other parts of northern Europe than in Mediterranean countries.

Article: The European Commission says it is Europe's most comprehensive study so far of bee colony deaths.
Winter mortality was especially high for bees in Belgium (33.6%) and the UK (29%) in 2012-13. But in spring-summer 2013 France was highest with 13.6%.
Bumblebees and other wild bees were not studied, nor were pesticide impacts.
The study, called Epilobee, described 10% as an acceptable threshold for bee colony mortality - and Greece, Italy and Spain were among the countries with rates below that threshold.
The mortality percentages are national estimates based on representative samples. All 17 countries applied the same data collection standards, the report says.
The survey covered almost 32,000 bee colonies.
But there is also much concern about death rates among wild bees, which are vital pollinators too.
Last year the EU introduced a ban on four chemicals called neonicotinoids which are used in pesticides.
They are believed to be linked to the collapse of bee colonies across Europe, though there is a heated scientific debate over the chemicals' impact and many experts say further studies are needed.
The Commission wanted pesticide impacts to be included in the Epilobee study, but it was overruled by member states' governments.

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"I'm frustrated to say the least, but very pleased that we've stayed in this division," Hodges told BBC Cornwall.
"In a couple weeks time I'll be pleased we're still in this division, but we're going to have to raise the bar."
"Well done for staying up," he

Lee Hodges says his Truro team have underachieved by a "country mile" by finishing the season one place above the National League South drop zone.

Article: "I'm frustrated to say the least, but very pleased that we've stayed in this division," Hodges told BBC Cornwall.
"In a couple weeks time I'll be pleased we're still in this division, but we're going to have to raise the bar."
The Cornish side were safe going into their final game, which they lost 4-0 at relegated Bishop's Stortford.
"Well done for staying up," he added. "But we've underachieved by a country mile."
Having been play-off semi-finalists in 2015-16, after finishing fourth in the table, the White Tigers dropped to 19th in 2016-17, letting in 99 goals from their 42 league games, more than any other side above the bottom three.
Hodges says he will meet chairman Peter Masters this week to discuss plans for next season.
"There are a lot of decisions to be made on players," he said. "There's a few bonuses there for players who have done very well and competed, and others know that they've not been up to the standard."

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Adam Wilson, of Lostock Hall, was found with serious injuries at a property on Albrighton Crescent in Lostock Hall near Preston in September.
Adam Wilson, 21, of Westfield, Lostock Hall denied murder but was found guilty after a trial by jury.
At Preston Court, he was ordered to

A man who murdered a Lancashire man in a "jealous, frenzied knife attack" at his ex-partner's house has been jailed for life.

Article: Adam Wilson, of Lostock Hall, was found with serious injuries at a property on Albrighton Crescent in Lostock Hall near Preston in September.
Jason Taylor, 21, of Westfield, Lostock Hall denied murder but was found guilty after a trial by jury.
At Preston Court, he was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years.
Mr Wilson died as a result of catastrophic bleeding from a stab wound in his thigh, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Sophie Lorimer from the CPS North West said the "brutal attack" in front of his ex-partner was "purely motivated by jealousy".
"He could not accept that the relationship with his ex-girlfriend was over," she said.
Taylor's girlfriend said he bombarded her with text messages and phone calls which "progressively became more and more abusive".
"The final text he sent to her stated he was giving her one last chance before things turned sour.
"Minutes later he violently broke into her house where Adam Wilson was also present."
Ms Lorimer said Taylor then stabbed Mr Wilson numerous times with a large knife which he had taken with him.
Taylor carried out the "frenzied" knife attack "fully aware" there were two young children also present at the house, she said.
He then fled and hid from police in a neighbouring garden, she added.
Ms Lorimer said Taylor had shown "no remorse" throughout the case in which he claimed he was acting in self-defence.
Det Ch Insp Neil Ashton of Lancashire Police said Taylor's actions were carried out "in anger and jealousy".
He said: "His actions were completely unprecedented and resulted in the needless and very sad loss of a young man's life."

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The UK's biggest lottery jackpot is the £161m Euromillions jackpot won by North Ayrshire couple Chris and Colin Weir in 2011.
The UK's biggest lottery jackpot is the £161m Euromillions jackpot won by North Ayrshire couple Chris and Colin Weir in 2011.

A UK ticketholder who won a £34m jackpot in Friday's Euromillions draw has come forward to claim the prize.

Article: National Lottery operator Camelot said that, subject to validation, the prize could be paid out on Monday.
It was the eighth ticket in the UK to take the top Euromillions prize so far this year and the fourth this month.
A £19.7m jackpot was shared by three tickets from the UK on 2 September. Friday's winning numbers were 5, 8, 14, 22, 32, and Lucky Stars 2 and 11.
When jackpots are paid, winners can decide whether to reveal their identities or stay anonymous.
A family syndicate from Monmouthshire won more than £61m in the Euromillions jackpot in August.
UK ticketholders also won jackpots of £24.6m and £24m in February this year, and £51.8m in April.
The biggest lottery prize in UK history is the £161m Euromillions jackpot won by North Ayrshire couple Chris and Colin Weir in 2011.
Tickets for Euromillions are sold in nine countries - the UK, Austria, Belgium, France, the Irish Republic,  Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland - with ticket-holders in all each country trying to win a share of the same jackpot.

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A man has been charged with the murder of Becky Demetrius.
The body of Becky Demetrius was found in a field in Barton Court, Bristol, on 19 February.
The body was found by a member of the public who had been walking her dog.
The body was found in a field in

Four people have appeared in court accused of helping to hide or dispose of teenager Becky Watts' body parts.

Article: Karl and Donovan Demetrius, both 29, Jaydene Parsons, 23, and James Ireland, 23, were charged with assisting an offender earlier.
All were remanded in custody after a short hearing at Bristol Magistrates' Court.
Becky's stepbrother, Nathan Matthews, 28, appeared in court earlier charged with her murder.
Karl and Donovan Demetrius, and Ms Parsons, all of Barton Court, Bristol, and Mr Ireland, from Avonmouth, will appear at the city's crown court on 26 March.
They all face a single charge of disposing or concealing Becky's body parts with the intent "to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Nathan Matthews".
A fifth person - a 23-year-old man also arrested on 2 March - was released without charge.
The 16-year-old's stepbrother, of Warmley, Bristol, appeared at the city's crown court via video link earlier, charged with her murder.
He was also remanded in custody to appear at crown court on 26 March.
Mr Matthews' girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, 21, appeared alongside him at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Thursday charged with perverting the course of justice.
She will appear before the crown court on 2 April.
Becky was last seen on 19 February and was reported missing the following day.
The discovery of her body came after an extensive search of various locations across Bristol.

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The Green Party has called for a new referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union.
The party's leader, Caroline Lucas, said: "The referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to take back control of our country.
"The people

Postal ballots with the names of two candidates missing in a Hull constituency have been replaced.

Article: More than 480 papers for the Hull East constituency were sent out without listing Labour's Karl Turner and the Green Party's Sarah Walpole.
Hull City Council apologised and said a printing error had affected people who registered to vote after 1 April.
The authority said it had hand-delivered the new ballot papers to the voters concerned.
A council spokeswoman said: "Robust processes have also been put in place to identify any invalid ballot papers that are returned to ensure that they are replaced by the valid papers, once received."
The council said that a first run of postal ballot papers - sent out to more than 5,450 homes - had been printed successfully with the full list of candidates.
Ian Anderson, the acting returning officer for the general election in Hull, said: "We do apologise that this error occurred, but having quickly identified it we are confident that we have taken every available step to rectify the situation and manage it effectively."
The candidates for Hull East are:

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The fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua is the biggest heavyweight fight in history.
The two heavyweights will fight for the IBF title and vacant WBA belt in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley on Saturday.
The fight is the biggest heavyweight fight in history.
Klitsch

Anthony Joshua's world title bout with Wladimir Klitschko comes at the "perfect time", says former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

Article: Media playback is not supported on this device
The two heavyweights will fight for the IBF title and vacant WBA belt in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley on Saturday.
Joshua, 27, is undefeated in 18 fights since turning professional, while 41-year-old Klitschko had his first defeat in 11 years against Tyson Fury in 2015.
"Klitschko doesn't have the legs, the power that he used to," said Lewis.
"He has a chink in his armour after getting beat by Tyson Fury. Anthony Joshua is now taking that challenge, going after the man."
Joshua himself asked the question in the build-up to Saturday's fight of whether "Father Time has caught up with the former champ?".
But Lewis, who like Joshua won a super-heavyweight Olympic gold medal, says the Ukrainian's age is not the only reason he fancies the British fighter's chances.
"Now is the perfect time for him," the 51-year-old told BBC Radio 5 live.
"I believe Joshua is more focused, more aimed. Does he want to be undisputed champion? Absolutely."
Media playback is not supported on this device

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The first gentoo penguin chick has hatched at the London Zoo.
The first gentoo penguin chick has hatched at the London Zoo.
The chick, which was born on Monday, is the first of its kind at the zoo.
The chick is the first of its kind at the London Zoo.

Egg-cellent news the first gentoo penguins chicks have arrived at Edinburgh zoo this year.

Article: 9 May 2015 Last updated at 09:34 BST
Gentoo penguins tend to live in ice-free areas near Antarctica, and make special circular nest made out of stones, moss and feathers.
Their steam-lined bodies mean they can swim up to 22 miles and hour underwater, faster than any other diving bird.
Senior penguin keeper at the zoo Dawn Nicoll said: "We are really happy that the first of the gentoo penguin eggs have hatched".

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The government has announced that it will provide up to Â£5,000 to homeowners who have been affected by flooding in December.
The money will be available to homeowners who have been affected by flooding in December.
The scheme is administered by the Environment Agency and requires a survey to be carried out on the flooded

York residents are being put off applying for flood protection grants as the process is "incredibly complicated", a local MP has claimed.

Article: Homeowners hit by the flooding in December can apply for up to Â£5,000 from the government's Future Flood Prevention Funding scheme.
Figures seen by the BBC show that only 13 people have applied for the money.
Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, said she had received complaints about accessing the fund.
"The form filling is incredibly complicated and that's where people have been struggling," she said.
"It's putting off a lot on people."
Hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded in the city after the Rivers Foss and Ouse burst their banks.
The scheme is administered by City of York Council and requires a survey to be carried out on the flooded property before funding can be applied for.
The council said that 360 private homes were eligible for the grant.
The authority added: "We very much welcome grant applications but know that this can take time while people wait for quotes and loss adjustor reports.
"We're appointing a case worker to help residents and businesses through the application process."

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Ikea is recalling a beach chair sold in the UK after reports that it can collapse and cause injury.

Article: The Swedish giant asked customers who bought any model of the Mysingso chair to return it for a full refund.
The global recall comes after Ikea received reports from Finland, Germany, the US, Denmark and Australia that users had received injuries to their fingers that needed medical treatment.
Ikea's statement said the chair had a "risk of falling or finger entrapment".
It said: "After washing the fabric seat it is possible to re-assemble the chair incorrectly leading to risks of falls or finger entrapments.
"Ikea has received five incident reports in which a Mysingso beach chair collapsed during use due to incorrect re-assembly. All five reports included injuries to fingers and required medical attention.
It added that a full investigation had led to an improved design "to further mitigate the risks of incorrect re-assembly and injuries" and the updated chair would be available from next month.
Ikea has more than 300 stores in 27 countries.

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PC gamers will have to wait a little bit longer if they want to play Grand Theft Auto V.

Article: Rockstar have announced the game's release has been delayed until 24 March.
The latest version of the open world adventure was due to go on sale on 27 January.
A statement from Rockstar said: "The game requires a few extra weeks of testing and polish to make it as good as can be."
"Moving a release date is never a decision we take lightly and is a choice we make only when we know it is in the best interests of the game and our fans.
"Thanks everyone for your understanding and we assure you these few extra weeks will be worth it when the game does arrive in March."
It's not all bad news though. The company announced that eagerly-awaited online heists are coming to consoles before the PC release date.
Screenshots from the PC version of GTA V have been released, with Rockstar promising "even greater levels of detail".
Los Santos and Blaine County will be visible in 1080p at 60fps, with up to 4K resolution and support for up to triple monitor configurations.
While you're waiting for the game to be released you can make sure your PC is up to scratch.
Minimum specifications required to run GTA V have also been published.
Grand Theft Auto V became the fastest-selling entertainment product ever when it was released on 17 September 2013, taking just three days to generate $1bn (Â£620m) in revenue.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube

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The US-led coalition has been bombing IS positions in Iraq and Syria for more than a year, but the group has been able to regroup and launch attacks in the past few months.
The US-led coalition has been bombing IS positions in Iraq and Syria for more than a year, but the group has been

Reaching its centenary amidst a general chorus of vilification around the region, the legacy of the secret Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 has never looked more under assault.

Article: As Iraq lurches deeper into turmoil and disintegration, Kurdish leaders in the already autonomous north are threatening to break away and declare outright independence.
And the militants of the self-styled Islamic State (IS), bulldozing the border between Iraq and Syria in June 2014, declared their intention to eradicate all the region's frontiers and lay Sykes-Picot to rest forever.
Whatever the fate of IS, the future as unitary states of both Syria and Iraq - central to the Sykes-Picot project - is up in the air.
In fact, virtually none of the Middle East's present-day frontiers were actually delineated in the document concluded on 16 May 1916 by British and French diplomats Mark Sykes and Francois Georges-Picot.
The Iraq-Syria border post histrionically erased by IS was probably several hundred kilometres from the famous "line in the sand" drawn by Sykes and Picot, which ran almost directly from the Persian border in the north-east, down between Mosul and Kirkuk and across the desert towards the Mediterranean, veering northwards to loop around the top end of Palestine.
The region's current borders emerged from a long and complex process of treaties, conferences, deals and conflicts that followed the break-up of the Ottoman Empire and the end of World War One.
But the spirit of Sykes-Picot, dominated by the interests and ruthless ambitions of the two main competing colonial powers, prevailed during that process and through the coming decades, to the Suez crisis of 1956 and even beyond.
Because it inaugurated that era, and epitomised the concept of clandestine colonial carve-ups, Sykes-Picot has become the label for the whole era in which outside powers imposed their will, drew borders and installed client local leaderships, playing divide-and-rule with the "natives", and beggar-my-neighbour with their colonial rivals.
The resulting order inherited by the Middle East of the day sees a variety of states whose borders were generally drawn with little regard for ethnic, tribal, religious or linguistic...

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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally approved the proposed merger between BT and EE.
The European Commission has announced its decision to launch an in-depth investigation into the proposed merger between O2 and Three.
And Ofcom has previously cast doubt on this merger winning regulatory approval.
In a

Ofcom is to delay the start of its auction for another chunk of 4G spectrum, after threats of legal action from Telefonica and Hutchison, parent companies of O2 and Three.

Article: They want Ofcom to wait until a decision is made about their plan to merge the two mobile companies.
BT and EE are also planning to merge.
The spectrum, formerly used by the Ministry of Defence, would provide 4G services for mobile companies.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally approved the proposed merger between BT and EE.
But the European Commission has announced its decision to launch an in-depth investigation into the proposed merger between O2 and Three.
And Ofcom has previously cast doubt on this merger winning regulatory approval.
In a statement on Thursday, Ofcom said it had received letters from Telefonica and Hutchison stating their intention to bring legal action against the regulator over its decision to begin the auction before the outcome of the European Commission's findings.
"After careful consideration, given these specific circumstances, we have decided for reasons of good public administration to delay commencing the auction process," it said.
Legal action also held up the previous 4G auction - as mobile companies disagreed about how spectrum should be distributed.
Ofcom had been due to start accepting applications for the spectrum this month, with plans for the auction to take place in February or March.
Now, it looks unlikely to begin before the summer - with the European Commission's judgement on the O2-Three merge expected in May.
The spectrum on offer could add capacity to 4G networks, but it is considerably smaller than the previous chunk of 4G spectrum.
It has a reserve price of Â£70m, compared with Â£1.3bn for the previous portion of the airwaves.
Matthew Howett, an analyst with research company Ovum, said: While Ofcom doesn't have spectacular form when it comes to awarding spectrum on time, in this instance it probably makes sense to delay things.
"Should the merger between Three and O2 be approved, then remedies around spectrum holdings will almost certainly take time to work out and any future spectrum award would need to be reconsidered...

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Spotify has launched a new offering that allows users to listen to a selection of music tracks from the BBC's radio stations.
The service, called BBC Minute, is a 60 second conversation of shareable news, updated every half hour.
The service is already available to other digital platforms.
The BBC says it has

Spotify has announced it is adding more non-music content to its app.

Article: The new offerings include news bulletins from National Public Radio, the BBC and others as well as longer video and audio podcasts and clips.
Spotify has more than 60 million regular users across 58 countries. It says about 20% pay for its premium ad-free subscription services.
Chief executive Daniel Ek said that represents more than half of the global market in "streaming dollars".
The company said it had also taken steps to match the music tracks it suggests to the various activities users engage in throughout their day.
This includes a new running mode, which matches music to the pace of the subscriber based on feedback from their smartphone's built-in sensors.
The firm said it had also created a new type of audio format that allows a song's tempo to be altered to match a runner's footsteps while keeping it in tune.
And it has commissioned new track from composers and DJs including Tiesto, who made a brief appearance at the firm's New York press conference.
"If it works, the ability of Spotify to adapt what it plays you as the day progresses is interesting," commented Andy Malt, editor of the music business news service Complete Music Update.
"Being faced with a choice of tens of millions of tracks is daunting for a lot of users when they open the app, and while that catalogue is a big sell for the engaged music fans who were streaming's early adopters, it's less appealing to mainstream users.
"The less users have to interact the more music the app can serve up to them. Adding non-music content, including podcasts and video, also has the potential to keep users within the Spotify app for longer."
One of the new pieces of audio content is BBC Minute - an "alternative" round-the-clock news service, aimed at a youth audience, already offered to other digital platforms.
Launched in April, it is a 60 second conversation of shareable news, updated every half hour.
In addition, for a year-long period, overseas Spotify users will be able to listen to around 50 speech-only podcasts from BBC stations.
"These...

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The eurozone's leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss the Greek bailout.
The eurozone's leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss the Greek bailout.
The eurozone's leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss the Greek bailout.
The eurozone's leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss the Greek bailout.
The eurozone's leaders

Not for the first time over the five years of Greece's euro crisis - or the eurozone's Greece crisis - I am confused.

Article: My confusion stems from the proposals for tax, benefit and economic reform submitted by the Greek government to secure, at the very last minute of the last hour, a deal from their creditors to avoid tumbling out of the euro.
Having obtained a copy of this paper, headed "Greece: Prior Actions - Policy Commitments and Actions to be taken in consultation with the EC/ECB/IMF staff", it feels very familiar.
That familiarity stems from its great similarity to the bailout proposals put to Greece by the creditors - the eurozone governments, the European Central Bank and the IMF - last month.
Pretty much everything wanted by the creditors is there - with the odd tweak or softening, but nothing which looks as though it ought to be noxious to them.
So there is a pledge for budget surpluses rising in steps to 3.5% of GDP or national income by 2018; VAT would be raised to three rates of 23% (the standard rate), 13% (for food, energy, hotels and water) and 6% (for medicine and books) - increases that would raise revenue equivalent to 1% of GDP; and Athens is eating the dust of comprehensive reforms of pensions to make them more affordable; and so on.
So here's why I am a bit baffled.
Only a few days ago the Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras won an overwhelming mandate from the Greek people, in a referendum, to reject more-or-less these bailout terms.
And today, on the back of that popular vote, he is signing up to the supposedly hated bailout.
This is big politics that would make Lewis Carroll proud.
Does that mean the eurozone can go back to life as normal, of inadequate economic performance but Greek Armageddon deferred (again)? Is a rescue done and dusted?
Not yet.
Tsipras has to get these proposals through the Greek parliament today - though his pax of earlier this week with the main opposition parties will surely deliver that (at the price of the splintering away of some of his own supporters).
Then there is the small question of whether eurozone ministers will stump up the 35bn euros requested by Greece from the...

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The protein-infused patch encourages the growth of healthy cells and leads to less scarring.
The researchers say the patch may one day revolutionise treatment.
The protein-infused patch encourages the growth of healthy cells and leads to less scarring.
The researchers say the patch may one day revolutionise treatment

A prototype patch could help the repair the damage caused by a heart attack, scientists say.

Article: The early work, carried out on mice and pigs, reveals the protein-infused patch encourages the growth of healthy cells and leads to less scarring.
Scarring can be common after a heart attack, making the heart pump less effectively and sometimes fail.
Writing in the journal Nature, researchers say the patch may one day revolutionise treatment.
During an attack, muscle cells in the heart die because of a lack of blood flow and scientists believe repairing or replacing some of these cells may help reduce long-term damage.
In this trial an international team of researchers soaked a collagen patch in a protein known as Fstl1 and stitched it on to the hearts of animals who had experienced heart attacks.
Though the protein occurs naturally in healthy hearts, it becomes depleted in a key layer of the heart after an attack.
Two weeks later the hearts began to grow fresh muscle cells and new blood vessels, while showing signs of pumping more effectively.
Prof Pilar Ruiz-Lozano at Stanford University (which has patented the patch), said: "Many were so sick prior to getting the patch that they would have been candidates for heart transplantation.
"The hope is that a similar procedure could eventually be used in human heart attack patients who suffer severe heart damage."
Commenting on the study in Nature, Prof Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic at Columbia University, said the work "could lead to entirely new modalities for treating heart infarction".
But she cautioned that further studies needed to be done to understand whether this type of approach would work on larger animals and ultimately humans.

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A "boiling hot" water pipe burst above two classrooms at a new school, an MSP has revealed.

Article: Noss Primary in Wick is closed until 30 May following what Highland Council described as a "significant failure" at the Â£15.4m building on Tuesday.
Gail Ross, who is the local MSP and a councillor, said it was "a saving grace" that pupils were having their lunch and not in the rooms at the time.
The new school only opened to pupils last month.
It was built as a replacement for Wick's North and Hillhead primary schools.
Ms Ross, who helped to unveil the name for the new school in 2014, described Tuesday's burst as "worrying" and "concerning".
She told BBC Radio Scotland: "I spoke to the headmaster yesterday. He told me he came upon it in the corridor and its was like a sauna - a boiling hot water pipe had burst above two classrooms.
"The only saving grace was that the children were in the dining hall at the time because it doesn't bear thinking about the consequences of that if the kids had been in the classrooms."
Highland Council said the school was closed "due to a significant failure" of a hot water connection to the heating system in the ceiling of the east wing of the building.
The local authority said work repairing and testing the system was expected to take three days.
Graham Nichols, an officer at Highland Council, said: "While this is disappointing, the testing will give us confidence in the integrity of the water systems, and allow additional time for the building to dry out."

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The RMT and Aslef unions have called a 24-hour strike on 1 February.
The RMT said: "We are calling for a 24-hour strike on 1 February to protest at the failure of Arriva Trains Wales to offer a satisfactory resolution to the long and ongoing dispute with its drivers.

Arriva Trains Wales drivers are set to go on strike for the second time this year, the Aslef union has said.

Article: The 24-hour strike, on 1 February, comes as part of a row over conditions.
Members of the RMT and Aslef unions walked out on 4 January this year, the day many returned to work after the Christmas break.
The pay side of the dispute has been accepted, but Aslef previously claimed Arriva was trying to "railroad through" changes to terms and conditions.
A union statement read: "Aslef today announced that, in the light of Arriva Trains Wales' failure to offer a satisfactory resolution to the long and ongoing dispute with its drivers, our members will withdraw their labour for 24 hours."
Arriva said it "regretted" the disruption January's strike caused to more than 1,000 services it runs each day, when people complained of queues for tickets, long delays and overcrowding.

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A man has been charged with the murder of a woman in a suspected hate crime.
The victim, a woman in her 20s, was found dead in a car park in Manchester on January 1, 2017.
The man, who has not been named, is accused of killing the woman in a suspected hate crime

A former professor at a prestigious music school used his "power and influence" in order to rape a female student, a court has heard.

Article: Malcolm Layfield, 63, denies raping an 18-year-old from Chetham's School of Music in the early 1980s.
Manchester Crown Court heard the attack occurred during a trip to Cornwall.
Prosecutor David Cadwallader said the alleged victim didn't complain at the time "because nobody would have believed her back then."
She said Mr Layfield plied her with drink, took her to a remote spot in his car and raped her.
The court heard the student went on to have a consensual relationship with Mr Layfield.
But Mr Cadwallader said she only "went along" with it despite her reluctance, because the teacher was "critical" to her success at the school and future career.
"It is alleged, in short, that he used his power and influence improperly," the prosecutor said.
"He admits that he had inappropriate sexual relationships with a number of female students.
"The complainant in this case was one such student."
During a filmed interview shown to the jury, the woman described the encounter alleged to have taken place in Mr Layfield's car.
"He was going to have sex with me and there wasn't a thing I could do about it.
"I gave in and I have hated myself for that ever since."
Mr Layfield, of Castle Quay, Castlefield, also taught at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM).
In 2001, the woman wrote to RNCM alleging Mr Layfield had been involved in inappropriate relationships with students.
He was later promoted to head of strings, Mr Cadwallader said.
The trial continues.

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A new study suggests that organic farming can help to maintain biodiversity.
Organic farming is a form of farming that uses natural methods to control pests and weeds.
It is a form of farming that uses natural methods to control pests and weeds.
Organic farming is a form of farming that uses natural methods to control

Organic farms act as a refuge for wild plants, offsetting the loss of biodiversity on conventional farms, a study suggests.

Article: Fields around organic farms have more types of wild plants, providing benefits for wildlife, say scientists.
The research is likely to fuel the debate over the environmental benefits of organic farming.
Studies suggest that organic farming produces lower yields than conventional methods but harbours more wildlife.
The new study, by researchers at the University of Swansea and institutes in France, looked at fields sowed with winter wheat in the region of Poitou-Charente.
They found that organic farming led to higher weed diversity on surrounding conventionally farmed fields.
"Wild plants are important for birds, bees and other farmland species," said Dr Luca Borger of the department of biosciences at Swansea University.
"Organic farming has advantages in maintaining these, but even a mixture of organic and non-organic farming in an area can help maintain this biodiversity.
"Even only 25% of fields being organically farmed can make a difference."
Farmland provides essential habitat for many animals but intensification of agriculture has led to a loss of biodiversity.
However, in order to provide the extra food needed by the bigger human population of the future, without destroying forests and wetlands, farming needs to be made more intensive.
Supporters of organic farming say the method could be a potential compromise between meeting food security needs and providing habitat for bees, birds and other wildlife.
The researchers say land-sharing between organic farms and non-organic farms could have benefits for both crop production and biodiversity.
This theory needs to be tested in follow-up studies, they say.
The study is published in the journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B- Biological Sciences.

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Two people have been re-arrested after a toddler suffered serious injuries in a dog attack.

Article: The girl was attacked in the Jenkins Dale area of Chatham on 4 April and is still in hospital with serious injuries, Kent Police said.
The dog was shot by firearms officers.
A man and a teenager have been re-arrested on suspicion of offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Both had been detained on the day of the attack but released later.
Live: More news from Kent
The teenager was previously arrested over the same offences and the man has been now also been detained on suspicion of supplying cannabis.
A woman arrested on 5 April on suspicion of dangerous dogs offences answered bail on Wednesday and was released pending further inquiries, a police spokeswoman said.
Kent Police confirmed they had received a call from a member of the public shortly before the attack at 17:10 BST about a dog pulling its handler nearby.
They said there was no information "the dog was behaving aggressively or was of a dangerous breed as described under the Dangerous Dogs Act".

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The Health and Social Care Board has said new guidelines are in place and add that no children have gone missing since 2014.
Separated children are children outside their country of origin and separated from their parents or legal guardian.
When they arrive in Northern Ireland they are taken into the care of the local health trust.

An "urgent inquiry" is needed into separated children who have gone missing from care, the Social Democratic and Labour Party has said.

Article: On Tuesday, a BBC Spotlight programme revealed that eight children had gone missing in Northern Ireland.
Two of the girls were Somali teenagers who disappeared in 2005 and 2012.
The Health and Social Care Board has said new guidelines are in place and add that no children have gone missing since 2014.
Separated children are children outside their country of origin and separated from their parents or legal guardian.
The term can also include unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and trafficked children.
When they arrive in Northern Ireland they are taken into the care of the local health trust.
Eight children have gone missing since 2005 and they remain missing.
The SDLP's health spokesman Mark H Durkan said he would be raising the issue at the Northern Ireland Assembly's health committee and his party colleague Alex Attwood would be raising it at the justice committee.
"The number of children who cannot be accounted for is something that needs urgent inquiry and investigation," he said.
"There is a lot of very good work being done to look after the welfare of unaccompanied young people, but clearly we now have some very big questions that need to be answered."
Ulster Unionist MLA Jo-Anne Dobson said it was "frankly appalling" to hear that eight children had gone missing.
"I have written to Health Minister Michelle O'Neill on this issue to seek further clarification and to demand details of how the department, health trusts and the Health and Social Care Board have sought to address each of the cases involved in the investigation," she added.
The Green Party leader Steven Agnew also said it was extremely worrying that children can disappear without a trace.
Paula Bradshaw from the Alliance Party added that the health trusts and police "need to work closer over the handling of these cases".
In a statement, the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland said: "Our director of investigations will be reviewing the contents of the programme to ascertain if there are any issues of police conduct which may need further...

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Pope Francis has granted a Christmas-time clemency to Spanish Monsignor Lucio Vallejo Balda, who served half of his 18-month sentence, the Vatican said.
The pontiff granted "conditional freedom" to the priest, who was convicted in July.
The Vatican statement added that

Pope Francis has freed a priest jailed for leaking official documents in a trial known as Vatileaks II.

Article: The pontiff granted Spanish Monsignor Lucio Vallejo Balda a Christmas-time clemency after he served half of his 18-month sentence, the Vatican said.
The priest was convicted in July. The leaked papers were cited in books published in 2015, that alleged corruption in the Catholic Church.
A former colleague of the priest was given a 10-month suspended sentence.
On Tuesday, the Vatican said in a statement that Pope Francis granted "conditional freedom" to Mgr Angelo Lucio Vallejo Balda.
"This is a clemency measure which allows him to regain his freedom. The penalty is not quashed."
The statement added that all his professional ties to the Vatican had ended, and he would now be under the authority of the Bishop of Astorga in Spain - the priest's original diocese.
Mgr Balda has made no public comment on the latest developments.
The books, by journalists Emiliano Fittipaldi and Gianluigi Nuzzi, were based on leaked materials and exposed waste and financial mismanagement in the Church.
The original Vatileaks episode saw the last Pope's former butler, Paolo Gabriele, sentenced to 18 months in jail in 2012 after being found guilty of stealing sensitive documents from the pontiff's desk.
He served nearly three months of his sentence under house arrest in the Vatican before Pope Benedict visited him and personally pardoned him.
The Vatican has only two prison cells but it can ask Italy to house its prisoners under the terms of a 1929 treaty.

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A Stranraer Academy student has set up a petition to ensure a life-enhancing drug is made available to a fellow pupil with an extremely rare disease.

Article: Katie Milby, 13, has Morquio A, a degenerative syndrome which affects about 105 people in the UK.
It leads to the progressive deterioration of mobility, health and stamina.
Her friend Kyle Pirrie has started a petition seeking to see the medicine Vimizim made available on the NHS.
There is no known cure to Morquio syndrome but the drug improves the life of people with the condition.
It replaces a missing enzyme which allows children to continue to grow, as well as improving stamina and the ability to walk. It also relieves pain.
The drug's manufacturers have been providing the treatment to patients at their own expense but they are going to withdraw it unless the NHS in England and Scotland commit to funding it.
The Stranraer Academy student said her life would be markedly different without the drug.
"I wouldn't be able to move I'd just be in so much pain," she said.
"And I probably wouldn't be able to go to school."
It was that situation which prompted her friend to launch the petition which now has nearly 2,000 signatures.
"As a friend I suppose I felt kind of bad that she was going to be denied this because I know she has got a great outlook on life," Kyle explained.
"She's funny, she's friendly and I would hate to see her in pain all the time."
Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Alex Fergusson has also backed the petition.
"This is not a cheap medication but, as Katie herself asked me, how do you put a value on a human life?" he asked.
"There are only just over a hundred sufferers throughout the UK, with just five in Scotland, and those who have had treatment with Vimizim report a massive reduction in pain and the other symptoms of this syndrome.
"Life expectancy, which rarely exceeds the mid 20s without treatment, can be considerably extended with this treatment, and it is enormously to the credit of Katie and her friends that they have raised this petition to try to ensure that the treatment is available to all."
The Scottish Medicines Consortium said the drug was currently going through its assessment...

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A man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a young girl.
The 30-year-old, from Greenock, was found to have a stash of indecent images of children and sexually assaulting a young girl.
He was also given a two-year licence, which means he will be monitored after being released from prison

A man has been jailed after he told a stranger that he wanted her to have a baby with her so he could abuse it.

Article: Robert McNab was sentenced to almost three years in jail for downloading indecent images of children, sharing them and sending offensive messages.
The 30-year-old admitted carrying out the offences between 2007 and 2016 at his flat in Greenock.
He was also given a two-year licence, which means he will be monitored after being released from prison.
Greenock Sheriff Court heard how McNab, who has previous convictions for hoarding indecent images of children and sexually assaulting a young girl, chatted to people on Facebook and WhatsApp using a fake name.
He talked about sexually abusing children and raping a baby.
The sex offender, who is also known as Robert Aitman, was found to have a stash of indecent pictures and videos - including footage of babies and children up to the age of 14 being sexually abused.
Defence solicitor Gerry Keenan said McNab was the victim of repeated sexual abuse when he was a child.
"Clearly there are issues which would require to be addressed in the public interest to minimise and reduce the risk of further offending," he said.
He asked for McNab to be spared jail and said he would engage with a treatment programme for sex offenders.
However, Sheriff Derek Hamilton ruled that a custodial sentence was required for such a "disturbing" case and jailed him for 35 months
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

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The gender pay gap is still a problem in the UK, but the government is taking steps to close it.
The gender pay gap is still a problem in the UK, but the government is taking steps to close it.
The gender pay gap is still a problem in the UK, but the government is taking steps

Parity is this year's theme for International Women's Day so 46 years after the introduction of the Equal Pay Act, BBC Rewind looks back on the history of the gender pay gap.

Article: 8 March 2016 Last updated at 17:25 GMT
Despite equal pay legislation being introduced in 1970 a gender pay gap still exists today. According to the Office of National Statistics, women are still paid 24.6% less than their male counterparts in skilled trades.
Video produced by BBC Rewind

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The US lifeline for death row dog Stella has been cut off.
Stella was seized by Devon and Cornwall Police in 2014 and kept in a cage without exercise.
A campaign to save Stella has gained momentum with more than 20,000 signatures on combined petitions.
Police said the dog was "deemed too

A lifeline has been offered to death row dog Stella by an American pit bull sanctuary which has offered to fly her to the United States.

Article: US lifeline for death row dog Stella
Stella was seized by Devon and Cornwall Police in 2014 and kept in a cage without exercise.
A campaign to save Stella has gained momentum with more than 20,000 signatures on combined petitions.
Police said the dog was "deemed too dangerous to walk due to her aggressive behaviour".
Nicole Bruck, from the pit bull rescue centre Animals R Family based in Connecticut said: "We will take Stella and fly her to the US at our cost. Breed specific legislation is banned in Connecticut.
"Breed specific legislation is wrong and ineffective. In the US, pit bulls are one of the most popular dogs for family pet."
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed Stella's owner has "launched a late appeal against the destruction order against Stella" and she will "remain in kennels until the outcome of the appeal is known".
Owner Anthony Hastie had 21 days to appeal a destruction order passed by Torquay Magistrates' Court on 8 February.
Tina Wagon, from the firm Wheldon Law, is acting on behalf of Mr Hastie.
Ms Wagon said: "Plan A is that Antony would like his dog back. Plan B is for us to get some help."
Mr Hastie said: "The appeal has been lodged now. I want Stella back, but if that's not possible I just want to make sure she's kept alive."
Animals R Family states on its website: "We rescue cats and dogs who have been abused, neglected, abandoned, and provide vet care, training, food, shelter and lots of love, while finding them a loving, forever home."
A joint statement from Devon and Cornwall Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner on the forces website said "we wish to answer as many of the concerns as possible on this highly emotive issue".
Chief Superintendent Jim Nye said: "Many of you have been in contact following BBC Inside Out's story on dangerous dog Stella.
"We had to seize Stella, she is both an illegal breed and an extremely dangerous dog.
"The welfare of dogs are extremely important to us. In the past year we have seized in the region of 100 dogs, and only Stella has been assessed...

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A judge has ordered a former USA Gymnastics doctor to be tried on sex assault charges, as an accuser said he abused her during hide-and-seek.

Article: A 25-year-old woman testified that Larry Nassar molested her from the age of six until 12 during family visits to his Michigan home.
Mr Nassar, 53, is accused by more than 60 former patients and athletes of sexual abuse during pelvic procedures.
He is facing separate federal charges for possession of child pornography.
After testimony at a court in Mason, Michigan, Judge Donald Allen ordered Mr Nassar to stand trial on three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13 years old.
The accused, a sports doctor who treated US Olympic gymnasts, faces up to life in prison if convicted.
He was stripped of his medical licence last month, amid at least six criminal and civil lawsuits.
The unnamed woman, who was neither a patient nor an athlete, testified against him for more than two hours on Friday.
She detailed how Mr Nassar allegedly molested her during family visits to his home in Holt, Michigan, from 1998 to 2005.
"Almost every time I was there for a couple of years, something occurred," she told the court.
Some of the abuse happened under a blanket as he sat next to her on the sofa, while her unwitting older brother sat nearby, she said.
When she tried to tell her parents about the molestation, they did not believe her.
"They made me feel like I had done something terrible," she said, adding that they told her to apologise to the doctor. She refused.
When the woman left home for university, she again told her parents about her experience with Mr Nassar.
Her father, who committed suicide in March 2016, "crumpled" when she repeated her claims.
Mr Nassar was fired in September after working for decades as a doctor for gymnasts at Michigan State University, as well as USA Gymnastics - the sport's governing body.
Allegations of sexual assault were first revealed by the Indianapolis Star newspaper in September 2016 when he was accused by two former gymnasts.
Since then, more than 60 women have accused him, and at least 40 have filed lawsuits.
Several of those suits name USA Gymnastics as a...

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Two employees of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) were initially quarantined in the office.
The group's lawyer posted a message on Facebook that said: "It's frightening to experience the hate manifest itself to such a real level. This will not deter us from continuing to protect the civil rights and

A leading Muslim organisation in the US has evacuated its headquarters in Washington after receiving a hateful message and white powder in the post.

Article: Two employees of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) were initially quarantined in the office.
A note reading "die a painful death, Muslims," was in the envelope with the powder, the group's lawyer said.
Initial tests showed that the powder is not hazardous, and the quarantine has been lifted.
The BBC's James Reevell at the scene says the package is now being passed to the FBI for further inspection.
Hazardous materials crews locked down the building and surrounding area shortly before 14:00 local time (19:00 GMT), while staff from CAIR waited outside.
In recent days, President Barack Obama has warned against anti-Muslim sentiment in the wake of deadly terror attacks in San Bernardino, California.
The Muslim group's leaders said that threats were not uncommon, and had increased since the attacks in Paris about a month ago.
Mr Awad tweeted that the office was "evacuated by DC Fire Dept after receiving envelope with suspicious powdered substance [with] hate message".
The group's lawyer posted a message on Facebook that said: "It's frightening to experience the hate manifest itself to such a real level. This will not deter us from continuing to protect the civil rights and liberties of all Americans."
Police cordoned off the area, which is located about a half-mile (0.73km) from the US Capitol building.
According to its website, the CAIR is an "organisation that challenges stereotypes of Islam and Muslims".

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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that a Virgin Media broadband adverts for a 12-month contract were misleading.
The ASA said that the adverts were misleading because they failed to disclose that the minimum term of the contract would increase during the minimum term.
The ASA said that the adverts were

Teaser deals in adverts are masking the long-term cost of broadband packages, a charity has claimed.

Article: Citizens Advice said that hidden charges such as line rental and delivery costs could add Â£20 a month to the advertised price.
It highlighted one case in which a customer would pay Â£465 more than the amount advertised during a contract.
The trade body for internet service providers, ISPA, said broadband prices were "clearly presented".
Nicholas Lansman, ISPA secretary-general, said: "It is important that customers look at the full terms of an offer when choosing a provider.
"Ofcom recently concluded that the UK has one of the most competitive broadband markets among major European economies, as the average price of a fixed broadband package has fallen by 40% and speeds have greatly increased."
Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said confusing teaser rates and hidden costs made it difficult for consumers to work out whether they were getting a good deal.
"Internet providers need to be upfront about broadband costs, ensuring adverts are transparent and people know what they are signing up to," she said.
"Some broadband firms are starting to accept that prices need to be clearer. Now the whole industry needs to up its game."
The charity said that line rental was the most expensive additional cost.
The ISPA said that service providers using the BT network were required to levy a line rental charge, which went toward maintaining the network used by most of the UK for both phone calls and broadband.
The report comes as Virgin Media was criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for one of its broadband adverts.
Two customers complained that they had signed up to the operator's 12-month broadband contracts only to be told that their monthly charges would be increasing during the minimum term. They said this was misleading.
The company argued that it could not predict price rises at the start of a contract and so was unable to advertise potential increases.

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One of Northern Ireland's best-known birds has been added to a list of those that are giving major concern to conservationists.

Article: The curlew, Europe's largest wading bird, is recognisable by its long down-curved bill and evocative call.
It has been added to the red list in a survey of the 244 regularly occurring birds in the UK.
The RSPBNI said it could now be considered the "UK's most pressing conservation issue".
The curlew has suffered a severe population decline and has now been included on the red list of the British Birds of Conservation Concern 4.
There has been an 87% decline in its population in Northern Ireland between the mid-1980s and 2013.
The Antrim hills and County Fermanagh are two areas where the bird is most likely to be spotted.
Fermanagh holds 10% of the entire population on the island of Ireland.
Glenwherry in County Antrim is the only other place that holds what is considered a viable breeding population.
The number of pairs there has recovered a little in recent years and now stands at 39 pairs, down from 80 pairs in the mid-1980s.
Other birds seen in Northern Ireland and included on the red list include the Greenland white-fronted goose and the pochard, a type of duck.
It is thought the numbers of pochard are dropping at Lough Neagh because milder winters mean they do not have to migrate so far south.
The puffin has also been added to the red list. However, Northern Ireland's important colony on Rathlin is fairly stable.

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The Welsh language is the national language of Wales and is spoken by over a million people.
The Welsh language is the national language of Wales and is spoken by over a million people.
The Welsh language is the national language of Wales and is spoken by over a million people.
The Welsh language is the national language

This week musicians and music industry leaders from across the globe are in Cardiff as WOMEX, the world's leading World Music Expo arrives in Britain.

Article: Each evening Cardiff Bay will become the venue for a world music Showcase Festival featuring a tapas of world music from around the world.
Folk music played a large part in this year's opening ceremony featuring Cerys Matthews and other leading Welsh musicians taking the audience on a journey of Welsh music and culture spanning 30,000 years.
We asked ten of the leading exponents of Wales' folk music to share songs that best represent what makes each tradition so unique.
The earliest surviving manuscript of harp music in Europe - the manuscript of Robert ap Huw, comes from Wales.
"The tablature of the Ap Huw manuscripts provide a vital insight into early, traditional music and his music is still celebrated and performed widely" said internationally renowned harpist, Catrin Finch.
"Caniad Y Gwyn Bibydd" (The Song of the White Piper) demonstrates his music's amazing ability to sound contemporary, even though it was written nearly five centuries ago."
This unique tradition of singing or chanting poetry to harp accompaniment is a direct descendent of the form used by early bards to intone poetry in praise of their kings and princes.
Gwenan Gibard, a musician and leading exponent of the tradition chose the track  Bum Yn Caru Cainc Y Datgeiniad by one of the old style singers, Einion Edwards, from Meirionydd - a stronghold of the tradition for centuries.
Considered by many to be Wales's national instrument, the triple harp was brought to Britain from continental Europe in around 1630. It became popular with harpists in London, many of whom were Welsh and brought it to Wales where it became popular amongst the Gipsy community.
"The 'shimmering' voice of the Triple Harp's three rows of strings is truly as timeless and unique as the Welsh language itself" said Robin Huw Bowen, a full-time professional Welsh harpist specializing solely in the Welsh Triple Harp.
The track Pwt Ar Y Bys (Fingering Vamp) shows off the harp's capability and the Welsh tradition to great effect.
In many parts of Wales Christmas Day meant...

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A man has been jailed for life after he was found guilty of murdering his wife and her lover in a double murder in Leicester.
The court heard how the couple were found dead in their home in the city's West End in March 2016.
The court heard how the couple had been living together for a number of

A man who admitted causing a fatal crash while being pursued by an unmarked police car has been jailed for nine years.

Article: Guy Tomlinson, 37, was being chased by officers when his car hit a tipper truck in Leicester on 9 March 2016.
David Anger and Christopher Needham, who were both passengers in the car, died in the crash on Fosse Road South.
In addition to the prison term, Tomlinson was also given a 15-year driving ban at Leicester Crown Court.
The collision was described as "horrific" by Leicestershire police.
More on this story and other news in Leicestershire
Tomlinson previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving, two counts of causing death by driving while uninsured and two counts of causing death by driving while unlicensed.
Two people in the lorry suffered minor injuries during the crash and damage was caused to a shop on the corner of Upperton Road.
Det Sgt Mark Watling said: "This was a horrific collision which resulted in the death of two men.
"Prior to the collision Tomlinson was travelling at speeds in excess of 64mph (102kmph) and failed to stop for a police officer on Narborough Road South.
"He took a massive risk that night when he disregarded the traffic lights and used excessive speed, he will now be facing a considerable amount of time in prison."
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is still investigating the crash.

Summary:


Video replays were used for the first time to send off a player for a professional foul in a Major League Soccer reserve match.

Article: The technology is being trialled at New York Red Bulls' stadium, with a video assistant referee taking 30 seconds to review a challenge in a Red Bulls II match against Orlando City.
A screen at the side of the pitch helped the officials decide to dismiss Orlando's Conor Donovan for denying a goalscoring opportunity just outside the penalty area.
Video replays will be used to advise on "game-changing" decisions in United Soccer League matches - the third tier of US football. That includes goals, red cards, mistaken identities and penalties.
They will also be tested in six other countries in the next two years, including Germany and Italy.
The game's lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), wants to decide by 2019 on whether to introduce video replays across the sport.

Summary:


A new study has found that a new drug called TKIs can be used to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML).
The study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the drug, called TKIs, can be used to treat chronic myeloid le

New research could see patients with a rare blood cancer live longer without the side-effects of drugs, doctors say.

Article: Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) patients are often required to take tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) indefinitely.
But 93% of those in a new study stayed cancer-free after stopping or reducing treatment.
Cancer Research UK said the results were "promising" but dosages should not be changed without a doctor's advice.
In 2000, trials of TKIs proved successful in controlling the rare disease, but also had side-effects,  including an increased risk of infection, skin rashes, nausea, hair loss and in some cases hormone disorder and a build of fluid around the heart.
The follow-up study, led by the University of Liverpool and involving consultants from Newcastle's Freeman Hospital, saw patients being given half the standard dose for the first 12 months. If leukaemia levels remained low, the drug was then stopped completely.
So far, out of 174 patients tested, 93% have shown no evidence of their leukaemia relapsing one year after reducing their dosage and many reported a significant decrease in side-effects within the first three months.
Source: CML Support
Dr Wendy Osborne, who is leading the Destiny study in Newcastle, said: 'We've gone from having patients with a potentially incurable disease and requiring toxic chemotherapy and transplantation, to now selecting some patients, again in a clinical trial setting, to stop the drug completely to remove any side-effects they have.
"This in itself is moving towards saying we've cured some patients and this is all because of research."
Dr Ã

Summary:


Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel is accused of murdering the beautician, while her father Chaudhry Muhammad Shahid is being held as an accessory to murder.
The men's lawyers, however, say they will apply to have the case dismissed due to a "complete lack of evidence".
The judge ordered

Lawyers representing the first husband and father of alleged "honour killing" victim Samia Shahid say they will seek to have the case thrown out.

Article: Chaudhry Muhammad Shakeel is accused of murdering the beautician, while her father Chaudhry Muhammad Shahid is being held as an accessory to murder.
The men's lawyers, however, say they will apply to have the case dismissed due to a "complete lack of evidence".
Ms Shahid, 28, from Bradford, died in July in Pakistan.
Live updates and more from across West Yorkshire
Following a court hearing in Jhelum, in the state of Punjab, both men were remanded into custody ahead of their next appearance on 20 October.
The judge ordered that Ms Shahid's second husband Syed Mukhtar Kazim should also appear on that date.
Mr Kazim, who married Ms Shahid in Leeds in 2014 before the couple moved to Dubai in 2015, claims his wife was murdered because her family disapproved of their marriage.
It is thought Ms Shahid had travelled to Pakistan to visit family in the village of Pandori after being told her father was ill.
Her relatives in Pakistan initially said she had suffered a heart attack but a post-mortem examination confirmed she died as a result of being strangled.

Summary:


The US has been hit by a wave of protests over the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died in police custody.
The protests have been led by the Black Lives Matter movement, which has been calling for an end to police brutality.
The protests have been led by the Black

Fans were locked out of Baltimore Orioles' game against Chicago White Sox following violent protests in the city.

Article: Protesters have been on the the streets since Freddie Gray's death on 19 April - a week after a police encounter where he sustained unexplained injuries.
Shops have been looted and objects thrown at police, injuring several officers.
It was the first time in the history of professional baseball that fans had been locked out of a game.
The game at Camden Yards started at 14:05 EDT due to the city's 22:00 curfew in the wake of the riots, with Baltimore winning 8-2.
Among the few able to witness the match were those who had paid for balcony rooms in the nearby Hilton Hotel, which overlooks the stadium.
Journalists accredited to cover the game reported that the voices of players on the infield could be heard clearly.
"Attention media: For record-keeping purposes, today's official paid attendance is ... zero," an announcement made over the press box public address system said.
Other reports said the stadium still played the traditional US baseball anthem - Take Me Out To The Ballgame - during the traditional seventh-inning stretch.
The Orioles and Major League Baseball officials had said the decision to shut out fans had been taken for safety reasons.
But Brendan Hurson, one of the 40 spectators gathered by a fence near the stadium's main gate, said it was a missed opportunity and held up a sign reading "Don't forget Freddie Gray".
Six police officers have been suspended following Gray's death and an internal investigation is under way.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 protesters were on the streets of Baltimore and at least 12 arrests made.
Gray, who was 25, is the latest of a series of black Americans to die in police custody in recent months, triggering angry protests accusing the police of brutality.

Summary:


Festival-goers are being invited to have a go on what is claimed to be the world's largest bouncy castle.

Article: The organisers of Common People commissioned the inflatable structure for the event on Southampton Common on Saturday and Sunday.
The castle, measuring 23.8m by 20.7m by 12.8m, is taller than the Great Wall of China and can be used by 100 people.
It will also appear at the organisers' other festivals - Bestival on the Isle of Wight and Camp Bestival in Dorset.
Festival organiser Rob da Bank said: "We do love breaking a record and this is one of our funnest builds so far."
There is currently no record for the world's biggest bouncy castle.
Guinness World Records is yet to verify the record.
Common People, now in its second year, features Duran Duran, Primal Scream, Craig David and Public Enemy.
For the first time, a simultaneous event is also being held in South Parks, Oxford.
The current record for a bouncy castle was set in 1997 by Dana Caspersen and William Forsythe, the festival said.
The castle, measuring 19m by 19m by 12m, took six hours to erect at the Roundhouse in Camden, north London.

Summary:


Thousands of people have come forward following a worldwide appeal to find a stem cell donor for a Cardiff University student who needs a match in the next two months.

Article: Vithiya Alphons, 24, has acute myeloid leukaemia but her Sri Lankan background makes the search hard as not many South Asian people are on donor registers.
She launched a social media campaign  to help find a match.
Charity Anthony Nolan said 5,600 have signed up in the last week.
"The impact of Vithiya's appeal has been nothing short of incredible," said Ann O'Leary, head of register development, at the charity.
"But Vithiya still needs to find her stem cell match and there are people just like her all across the world who are still waiting.
"We need to continue to diversify the register so we can find a match for all."
Miss Alphons was diagnosed with the aggressive form of blood cancer after falling ill just days after returning for her final year as an optometry student at Cardiff University.
She started feeling unwell with severe sickness and a fever, while she had a pain in her leg, so she went to her doctor for tests.
She underwent chemotherapy in Cardiff before being well enough to be transferred to a hospital in London, where she is from.
After her third course of chemotherapy, Miss Alphons felt better and thought she had beaten her illness.
But further tests showed the leukaemia was still in her blood and doctors told her the best option was a stem cell transplant from a donor, which is needed in the next two months.
Speaking to BBC's Asian Network Miss Alphons said she is grateful for all the support.
"I would just like to say thank you so much to everyone who has registered so far and please, please do carry on registering because you can save my life and you can also save so many other's lives.
"Please spread the word and help me to save my life."

Summary:


Eels have been found in a stretch of river where they have not been seen for nearly 40 years.

Article: The two small eels were found in a routine fish survey on the River Tud, a tributary of the Wensum in Norfolk.
Increased numbers have also been seen at the New Mills fish pass in Norwich, which was installed eight years ago.
The Environment Agency, which monitors numbers, said it was encouraging but did not "herald the recovery of the species as a whole".
Jez Wood, a specialist at the Environment Agency, said the discovery of the eels on the River Tud was important.
"Two doesn't sound like many, but these are the only small eels we've found on this stretch for years," he said.
"While this does not herald the recovery of the species as a whole, it does show the positive benefit of eel passes at barriers to migration."
The status of the European eel is regarded as "critical", and globally the population has fallen over the past 40 years, with numbers down by as much as 95%, the Environment Agency said.
Barriers to upstream migration is thought to be one of the reasons for the decline.
These reduce access to the freshwater habitat preferred by eels while they mature.
In Norfolk, the Environment Agency is creating passes at several key obstruction areas on rivers to help increase numbers.
It said numbers in Norfolk rivers rose to a record of 34,000 in 2009 after a pass was introduced at New Mills Yard, in Norwich.

Summary:


The UK's new independent slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland, is due to address the All Wales Anti-Slavery Conference in Llandudno on Friday.
Summary: The UK's new independent slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland, is due to address the All Wales Anti-Slavery Conference in Lland

It is imperative that those involved in modern day slavery in Wales are caught and brought to justice.

Article: That is the message from police and other experts gathering for a special event highlighting the issue on Friday.
Victims are due to share their experiences at the All Wales Anti-Slavery Conference in Llandudno.
Gwent Police officers who rescued a man who worked unpaid for 13 years on a Newport farm are also taking part.
Det Supt Mark Pierce from North Wales Police, who is the lead officer for the force on tackling slavery and human trafficking said: "It's imperative we identify and prosecute those responsible and make our communities safer.
"Human trafficking is serious and organised crime with those involved likely to be involved in the other serious crimes like drug production, kidnapping and the criminal use of firearms."
Among the guests also expected to address the event is the new UK independent slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland.
North Wales Police are also launching a 'Say No to Slavery' campaign on its website on Friday.

Summary:


The London Underground is to close more than 250 stations over the next five years as part of a £4.2bn plan to save £4.2bn by 2020.
The closures will see the number of stations on the Tube fall from 1,000 to 1,200.
The closures will also see the

Ticket offices will start closing on the London Underground later in a move that has prompted past strikes.

Article: South Wimbledon and Queensway stations will be the first to see their staff moved from ticket offices into ticket halls and on to platforms.
Transport for London (TfL) said it would save £50m annually as it tries to save £4.2bn by 2020.
But Manuel Cortes, from the TSSA union, said London Mayor Boris Johnson was "rushing through" the closures.
Mr Cortes, leader of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association said: "Talks on the safety implications of closing over 250 stations have not even been concluded.
"The mayor doesn't seem concerned about how millions of tourists will cope with fewer staff to help them on their way."
TfL said all stations would remain staffed and 150 new ticket machines would be installed by April 2016.
It added that new visitor centres would be created at larger stations such as Victoria and King's Cross to help visitors.
Nick Brown, London Underground's chief operating officer, said more staff were being placed "where they can offer the best possible assistance" as only 3% of Tube tickets were bought at ticket offices.
He said: "This forms part of our wider vision for the Tube, which includes a 24-hour weekend service on core parts of the network."
But the changes have led to previous strikes by the Aslef and RMT unions.
Labour's London Assembly transport spokeswoman Val Shawcross said: "When he was elected, Boris Johnson promised Londoners he would protect the capital's ticket offices, but today he starts the process of dismantling each and every one of them.
"Whilst there is obviously a big role for ticket machines to play, there is no substitute for a member of staff."
London Underground said after 100 meetings with unions the number of roles to be reduced had fallen from 950 to 897 with no member of staff facing compulsory redundancy or losing money.

Summary:


Police investigations into claims of historical child abuse should "take precedence" over a UK government-ordered inquiry, a Welsh MP says.

Article: Cardiff North MP Jonathan Evans said it was "a tragedy" there was no agreement on who should chair the inquiry, set up after claims of paedophiles operating in Westminster in the 1980s.
The Conservative MP said cases should be investigated by the police first.
Child abuse survivors have urged the government to scrap the inquiry.
Instead, they want it replaced with a more powerful body.
It comes after Home Secretary Theresa May told inquiry members their panel might be disbanded.
The Met Police said earlier this month that detectives were investigating three alleged murders as part of their investigation into historical child abuse.
Mr Evans, who is chairman of the Welsh Tory party and a former deputy chairman of the Welsh NSPCC council, said: "Now I hear that a number of the groups who are representing victims have suggested the whole of the process should be stopped and a different sort of inquiry created.
"I don't know exactly what the terms of that inquiry should be and I'm not really sure what they mean by setting up a stronger inquiry because I think the inquiry that was being set up was a pretty strong one."
He said ongoing police inquiries introduced a "new dimension", and that they appeared to be proceeding on the basis of new evidence "in which the police have already made it clear to the media that there are real issues that are being investigated".
"It seems to me that those police inquiries have got to now take precedence. We ought not to have a situation in which we set up an inquiry and then we can only do half the job because police inquiries are ongoing."
Mr Evans, who was a Wales Office minister in the 1990s when the UK government set up the Waterhouse inquiry into abuse allegations at children's homes in north Wales, added: "It seems to me that the police inquiries are now at the forefront."
He said Mrs May should not be blamed for delays to the inquiry, which has been held up by the resignation of her first two choices of chairperson.
Victims must have confidence in the process, Mr Evans...

Summary:


The dark web is a part of the internet that requires specific software to access, in order for users to remain anonymous.
While the trade was unlikely to fuel large-scale terrorist operations, it had the potential to become the platform of choice for "lone-wolf" terrorists to obtain weapons and ammunition, the report

Criminals and terrorists are using the so-called dark net to buy weapons, a new study has suggested.

Article: Those selling the illicit weapons often disassembled and sent them in different packages or embedded them in old stereos or printers, the report found.
Researchers found that firearms and related goods generated 136 sales per month and a monthly revenue of $80,000 (Â£62,000).
The firearms trade has gained attention following recent terrorist attacks.
The dark net is a part of the internet that requires specific software to access, in order for users to remain anonymous.
While the trade was unlikely to fuel large-scale terrorist operations, it had the potential to become the platform of choice for "lone-wolf" terrorists to obtain weapons and ammunition, the report said.
Non-profit organisation Rand Corporation Europe, working with Manchester University, found 52 unique vendors selling weapons or similar items such as ammunition, explosives, or components such as silencers across 811 listings and 18 markets.
Police believe the 2016 Munich shooting, which left nine people dead, used weapons purchased on the dark net.
Lead author of the research, Giacomo Persi Paoli, said: "Recent high-profile cases have shown that the threat posed by individuals or small groups obtaining weapons illegally from the dark web is real.
"The ability to not only arm criminals and terrorists, who can make virtually anonymous purchases, but also vulnerable and fixated individuals is perhaps the most dangerous aspect."
Guns account for less than 1% of items sold on the platform, with its main trade being in narcotics.
Nevertheless, the volume being sold "can be considered sufficiently high to be a cause of concern for policy makers and law enforcement agencies", said the report.
The study involved collecting data from 12 dark net marketplaces during a week in September 2016.
Most of those selling guns were based in the US, but Europe was the most popular destination for the weapons they sold.
Judith Aldridge, co-investigator on the study, said: "In very simple terms, anyone can connect to the dark web and within minutes have access to a...

Summary:


The study by Edinburgh Napier University found those on benefits were anxious that changes to their circumstances would push them into "crisis situations".
Scottish Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil urged the UK government to rethink its reforms.
But the Department for Work and Pensions said the reforms were designed to help people into work.

Welfare reforms are making people live in "constant fear" of cuts to their benefits, according to a report.

Article: The study by Napier University found those on benefits were anxious that changes to their circumstances would push them into "crisis situations".
Scottish Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil urged the UK government to rethink its reforms.
But the Department for Work and Pensions said the changes were designed to help people into work.
The Welfare Reform Tracking Study, which was carried out by Edinburgh Napier University on behalf of the Scottish government, also highlighted criticism of how the details of reforms were communicated to recipients of benefits.
Some disabled people who took part in the study said they felt they had to present themselves in a "negative light and focus on their limitations" when claiming.
Other participants spoke of stress, anxiety and depression brought on by assessments, and a fear of further changes.
Mr Neil accused the UK government's "austerity agenda and benefit cuts" of having a "damaging effect" on people in Scotland.
He added: "Their approach is slashing the incomes of some of our poorest households and pushing 100,000 children into poverty.
"The study is further evidence that people are living in constant anxiety about changes to their entitlements and are already suffering from the effects of around Â£6bn of cuts taken from Scottish welfare expenditure over the last five years.
"Despite these frustrations we will do all we can to use our new powers to make our system fairer and simpler and work to improve the experience for people."
However, a spokesman for the Department of Work and pensions said the reforms were about giving people peace of mind.
He added: "Reforms to welfare are designed to help people into work, giving more people the peace of mind and security that comes with a steady income - there are now near record numbers of people in Scotland in a job.
"The government provides a safety net to support millions of people who are unemployed or on low incomes, spending Â£94bn a year across the UK on working age benefits."

Summary:


A school has been forced to close until Monday after more than 145 pupils and staff came down with a sickness bug.

Article: Dene Magna School in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire, has about 750 pupils on its roll.
Headteacher Stephen Brady said: "It's just got worse and worse - we had to send 26 pupils home today, sometimes common sense has to rule."
A private cleaning firm will begin a deep clean on Friday to sterilise the school ahead of it reopening.
The school normally has an attendance of 97%, with fewer than 20 students off in a day, but on Thursday this had fallen to 80%.
"We've had a steady increase in the number of students and staff coming down with this. I think we've been hit with what is a perfect storm of bugs," Mr Brady said.
"Some of the students have experienced nausea and sweating, others with vomiting and diarrhoea."
He also said a supply teacher had come in for one day but was forced to go home, after falling ill within a matter of hours.
It is expected that the pupils will recover from the bug within 72 hours.
"My only message is with the students don't let them go out and about at the weekend," added Mr Brady.
"If you can keep them in so they don't spread this amongst their friends.
"A good wash would go down very well so they can be back on Monday, nice and healthy."

Summary:


Sky has apologised for the problems it is experiencing with its broadband services.

Sky has acknowledged that some of its customers are experiencing slow internet speeds as a consequence of it signing up new subscribers.

Article: The firm said that it was working to boost capacity at telephone exchanges in the worst hit areas.
The news coincided with the launch of Sky Go Extra - a service allowing users to download movies and TV shows so they can be watched offline.
One expert said the product might add to the strain.
Sky Go Extra still works at slow internet speeds - however, Sky's other streaming services rely on the user having a 2 megabit per second connection. Some subscribers have complained their download speeds have fallen below this level at peak times.
A Sky spokeswoman apologised for the problems.
"Following a combination of an underlying increase in network traffic as well as a high rate of new customer additions, we are aware of capacity issues in a small number of exchanges," she said.
"We are working on adding new capacity to those exchanges as quickly as we can. We apologise to all customers who have been impacted by this issue."
She confirmed a report by The Register that users in Doncaster, North Wales and Bristol were among those affected, but declined to be more specific or name other locations.
However, the firm has provided an online postcode checking facility for its subscribers to check if their local exchange has been flagged as having an issue.
Sky also indicated that less than 5% of its broadband customer base used the affected exchanges.
Andrew Ferguson, editor of the Thinkbroadband news site noted that Sky had recently run a major promotion highlighting the fact it did not place "fair use" caps on the amount of data its customers use.
As a result, he said, the firm had probably attracted subscribers who downloaded significantly more than the average 23 gigabytes per month consumed by the average UK broadband user.
"Sky had this problem last year in some of its exchanges, and it's definitely not the only service provider to have experienced this problem," he told the BBC.
"It's very much related to the firms' promotional activities. Sky has also been pushing its fibre products recently - they offer higher...

Summary:


The Colombian government and the Farc have agreed to a ceasefire, but the Farc has refused to disarm.
The Farc has said it will not disarm until the government agrees to a bilateral ceasefire.
The Farc has said it will not disarm until the government agrees to a bilateral ceasefire.
The Farc

The Colombian government and the left-wing Farc rebel movement have both asked the UN for a mission to oversee the end of their decades-long conflict.

Article: Negotiators for the two sides at peace talks in Cuba said they would ask the UN to send a 12-month mission to oversee any ceasefire.
The UN has yet to agree to the proposal. The two sides have been holding peace talks for three years.
Both sides say they hope to reach a final peace deal by March 2016.
The BBC's Colombia correspondent Natalio Cosoy says the mechanism would only start to work once a final deal is agreed.
However both sides have insisted the announcement is more than a mere formality, suggesting it should be read as a signal that a definite deal is close, our correspondent adds.
"We have decided to ask the UN Security Council to create (a mission) of unarmed observers for a period of 12 months," the two sides said in a joint statement at peace talks in the Cuban capital, Havana, on Tuesday.
They said the mission would guarantee that any ceasefire and disarmament would be genuine and permanent, reports say.
Humberto de la Calle, the government's lead negotiator, described the announcement as a "transcendental" moment.
He said it was an "unequivocal demonstration of our desire to end confrontation", according to the Associated Press.
The joint announcement in Havana is a clear indication that the Colombian peace process is moving towards its final phase.
Since the negotiations were launched in November 2012, the Farc has announced several unilateral ceasefires and urged the government to do the same.
But even though the government has scaled down military operations recently, it has refused to join the Farc in a bilateral ceasefire.
President Juan Manuel Santos has said repeatedly that the rebels must first agree to lay down their weapons and give up their armed struggle.
Government and negotiators have now invited the UN Security Council to join them as an honest, reliable broker and oversee the end of the conflict.
The two sides have invested too much politically to let more than three years of negotiations fail at such a late stage, when difficult issues such as justice for the victims have...

Summary: