A petition to hold a referendum on the creation of a directly elected mayor for Bath and North East Somerset has been signed by more than 6,000 people.
The petition, which was launched on Monday, says: "We believe that a directly elected mayor would offer more dynamic leadership and rise above party politics.
"

A referendum on an elected mayor for Bath and North East Somerset will be held in 2016, after a petition reached the threshold of 6,437 votes.

Article: Provisional data for the 12 months to March 2017 revealed an increase of 4% on the previous year's recycling rate of 60%.
Wales is well ahead of the rest of the UK, second in Europe and third in world recycling league tables.
Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths said the statistics made for "extremely satisfying reading".
The Welsh Government has set statutory targets for recycling that local authorities must meet or risk facing fines.
The target for 2016-17 was 58%, rising to 64% by 2019-20 and then 70% by 2024-25.
By 2050, the Welsh Government is aiming for no waste at all ending up in landfill.
The figures showed all but one local authority - Blaenau Gwent - met the current 2016-17 target.
Top of the recycling league was Ceredigion, recycling 70% of its waste and hitting the 2025 target nine years early.
Although Blaenau Gwent missed the 58% target, its 57% recycling rate was an increase on the 49% seen a year earlier.
Newport and Torfaen have missed targets in recent years but managed to exceed the goal this year.
The residual household waste generated per person decreased by 4%, falling to 48kg per person between January and March 2017 compared with the same quarter in 2016.
Ms Griffiths said Wales should be "extremely proud of our recycling performance".
"This is an area where we lead the way in the UK and indeed just two countries in the whole world recycle more than we do," she said.
"We are always looking at how we can continue to improve. Only last week I announced I intend to consult on plans to halve food waste by 2025."
The most recent recycling rate for England was 43.9% and 44.2% for Scotland, based on figures for 2015.
Recycling experts have put Wales' success down to the introduction of statutory targets and better separate waste collections.

Summary: A target for 64% of waste to be recycled in Wales by 2019-20 has been met four years early.
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Article: Whitbread confirmed it had added pork to a dish served in Table Table and Whitbread Inns restaurants, but denied claims in the Sun that it had continued to advertise it as a "beef lasagne".
The chain said although online menus had not been immediately updated, menus in "all restaurants" had been changed.
A spokesman said pork was part of "a traditional Italian lasagne recipe".
According to the Sun, which carried the story on its front page on Tuesday, the restaurant outlets did not change some of their menus for three months after pork had been added to the recipe.
The newspaper said the dish was still being advertised as a "beef lasagne" even though it had pork in.
The paper said the move could offend Jewish and Muslim customers, who do not eat pork for religious reasons and could have ordered the dish in the belief it contained only beef.
A Whitbread spokesman confirmed it had changed its recipe in the restaurants in September, saying "most people will be aware a traditional Italian lasagne recipe would typically include a beef and pork ragu".
"We mistakenly, and with no ill intent, missed updating the website/online menus for our Table Table and Whitbread Inns brands, but as soon as we were alerted to this we corrected them," the spokesman added.
"This was a genuine mistake on our part and we sincerely apologise to customers if this resulted in any confusion when they were presented with the correct menu at the restaurant."
However, the firm denied it had misled customers.
"We strongly refute the Sun's claim that we have added pork to our lasagne recipe at our restaurants without telling customers," the spokesman added.
"We believe that the Sun are using an old menu which has not been in use in our restaurants for some time.
"We changed the menu from 'beef lasagne' to a more authentic 'lasagne' recipe that includes pork in September last year and, at that point, we updated the menus in all of our restaurants to reflect the change."
It added: "We are confident, therefore, that our customers would have been...

Summary: A restaurant chain has apologised for failing to update its online menu after it added pork to its lasagne recipe.
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Article: Legally, it needs at least 5% of local electors for a referendum to go ahead.
Those behind the petition say a mayor would offer more dynamic leadership and "rise above party politics".
Council leader Tim Warren said it felt "unnecessary" so soon after the elections. If successful, a directly elected mayor would replace him.
The council announced on Monday that it had received 6,818 valid signatures. A further 2,789 signatures were ruled to be invalid.
Directly elected mayors were created by the Local Government Act 2000 as one option for local government, as long as the idea was backed in a referendum.
Bath & North East Somerset Council said the threshold set out under the 2000 Act had been reached and "it is anticipated that the referendum will be held early next year".
In Bath, the council is run by a leader and cabinet system.
Philip Raby, one of the team working for a referendum, said they favoured holding it on 5 May 2016, the day of the police and crime commissioner elections.
He felt a directly elected mayor would offer "visible and accountable leadership" for the wider area - something he felt the current system did not offer.
Mr Warren said there were "challenging budgetary issues" to concentrate on and questioned whether there was much public appetite for a referendum.
Local petitions sparked referendums which resulted in elected mayors in Salford, Greater Manchester in 2012 and in Copeland, Cumbria in 2015.
The Localism Act 2011 allowed central government to trigger referendums for elected mayors - but of the ten held in May 2012, only Bristol voted in favour of getting a mayor.

Summary:


A man has been jailed for three years and nine months after pleading guilty to five counts of misconduct in public office.
The court heard how the man, who was a police officer, had been involved in a number of incidents involving women.
He was suspended from the force in 2012 after an investigation into a complaint made

A "manipulative and calculating" police officer who abused his position to have sex with vulnerable women he met while on duty has been jailed.

Article: Queen's University, Belfast, (QUB) was involved in a European project to solve the mystery of an "extraordinarily brilliant" light in a distant galaxy.
Last year, US scientists assumed that the light came from an exploding star.
But after studying it for 10 months, QUB astronomers believe the star was ripped apart by a spinning black hole.
Black holes are regions of space where gravity is so powerful that even light cannot escape.
The largest type of black hole is referred to as "supermassive" and the one under examination is believed to have a mass of "at least 100m times that of the sun", according to QUB.
The team from QUB's Astrophysics Research Centre was involved in gathering months of data from a selection of telescopes, both on earth and in space, including the Hubble space telescope.
The light source, named ASASSN-15lh, was initially categorised in the US in 2015 as the brightest supernova (exploding star) ever seen.
However, QUB Professor Stephen Smartt, said: "We observed it and thought: 'Nah, it doesn't look like a supernova to us.'"
Prof Smartt is the leader and principal investigator of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) project, based in Chile.
"We've a big group at Queen's," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme.
"We work in the School of Maths and Physics at Queen's and our speciality is looking for things that move - like asteroids that might hit the earth, or things that flash, which might be supernova or these black holes."
He said the light "puzzled us for months" but based on their telescopic observations, the QUB team proposed a new explanation for the object in a galaxy far, far away.
It believes the sun-like star wandered too close to the black hole and was "ripped apart", a phenomenon known in astronomy as a "tidal disruption event".
In the process, the star was "spaghettified and some of the material was converted into huge amounts of radiated light," said a QUB statement.
"This gave the event the appearance of a very bright supernova explosion, even though the...

Summary: Belfast-based astronomers have helped to discover a very rare celestial event - a star being "swallowed" after it passed too close to a black hole.
###
Article: Police Scotland and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) said that ecstasy - especially in crystalline form - was "potent" and potentially deadly.
They said there had been recent cases of young people "experiencing significant adverse effects".
The warning comes with the UK's outdoor music festival season under way.
Det Insp Michael Miller, Police Scotland's national drug co-ordinator, said: "Any drug can be dangerous and MDMA in crystalline form is likely to be far more concentrated.
"These incidents highlight the dangers of taking MDMA in both its crystalline and pill form.
"These drugs are potent and you are putting your health at risk if you take ecstasy."
He added: "The festival season has now started, ecstasy and other drugs will be in circulation with some people trying them for the first time.
"The police message is clear -  taking any illicit drug puts your health in danger and if you are found with illegal drugs you will be reported to the procurator fiscal and may be arrested."
Dr Richard Stevenson, NHS GGC's consultant in emergency medicine, said anyone who feels unwell after taking illegal drugs should seek medical help as soon as possible.
"A description or if possible the substance/tablet taken brought with the patient to the department to assist in treatment would also be helpful."

Summary: A health warning has been issued about the dangers of ecstasy (MDMA) after some young people became ill on taking the drug in tablet or crystal form.
###
Article: Darren Heath, 45, from Taynton, was sentenced to three years and nine months after pleading guilty to five counts of misconduct in public office.
Bristol Crown Court had heard how Heath got one of his victims pregnant and convinced her to have an abortion.
Gloucestershire Police believe there may be more victims.
In sentencing, Judge Neil Ford QC described Heath's behaviour as "corrosive to the reputation of the police service generally".
The force said Heath used his position to identify women - "often victims of crime who were already extremely vulnerable" - whom he could offend against.
He was described as "manipulative and calculating" by the force, which suspended him last year following an investigation into a complaint made against him in 2012.
The offences took place between 2002 and 2012.
Previously, Bristol Crown Court had heard that Heath was first warned about his behaviour in 1996 - a year after joining Gloucestershire Police - following a complaint by a student.
He had asked her if she "fancied a bit of fun".
"She subsequently made a complaint which was dealt with by Pc Heath being given advice."
Heath met his first victim in 2002 after she was arrested for drinking and driving.
Six years later he met another victim who approached him in a police car after a man fell unconscious in the street.
He later visited her home where the pair had sex and then persisted with visits - up to four times a week - before the woman fell pregnant with twins.
Heath, who has two children of his own, then convinced her to have a termination.
He met another victim after arranging a restorative justice programme for her son.
The woman ended the relationship after realising Heath was "only interested in a sexual relationship", the court heard.

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The UK's biggest cinema chain, Odeon, has been bought by a Chinese company.
The deal, which is worth £921m, is subject to competition clearance from the European Commission.
The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The company, which has more than

The leader of Cheshire East Council has rejected a call to resign over claims he "misled" councillors about contracts awarded to his physiotherapist's firm.

Article: Odeon & UCI is currently owned by private equity firm Terra Firma, and has 242 theatres with 2,236 screens.
Dalian Wanda, the world's biggest movie theatre operator, is led by China's richest man Wang Jianlin.
Odeon & UCI will continue to be based in London and will operate as a subsidiary of AMC.
Adam Aron, AMC's chief executive and president said in a statement: "This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire Europe's leading cinema chain and create the world's biggest and best theatre operator."
He said there were uncertainties created by Brexit, but added "we are encouraged that current currency rates are highly favourable to AMC with the pound falling to a three decade low versus the dollar".
The addition of Odeon & UCI will mean AMC has 627 theatres and more than 7,600 screens in eight countries.
The sale is still subject to competition clearance from the European Commission.
David Hancock, head of film and cinema at IHS Technology, said: "AMC is part of the Wanda group, which includes screens in China, AMC in the US, Hoyts in Australia and now Odeon UCI in Europe: all major exhibitors in their part of the world and making Wanda the largest global cinema exhibition group.
"In addition, Wanda has built the world's largest film production studio in China and acquired Legendary Entertainment, a US producer of blockbuster features, as well as assets in big data, entertainment marketing and gaming distribution."
Wang Jianlin was born in 1954 and spent 16 years in the People's Liberation Army before moving into property.
He founded Wanda in 1988 and built it up to become China's biggest commercial real estate firm.
Wanda's expanding entertainment and tourism sector spans movie cinemas, theme parks and film production.
The company owns a share in a US film studio, Legendary Entertainment, the maker of blockbuster hits such as Jurassic World and the Dark Knight Batman trilogy.
As well as AMC, the Chinese giant has picked up a slew of other foreign companies - with a focus on investing in hotels and big...

Summary: Odeon & UCI Cinema Group has been bought by AMC Entertainment, a US chain owned by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, in a deal worth £921m ($1.21bn).
###
Article: The Economists for Brexit argue that if the Vote Leave campaign is successful on 23 June, the UK can look forward to faster growth, lower prices and a larger economy.
They are up against formidable opposition - what those who support Britain remaining in the EU call the "consensus view" that the UK would be poorer if Brexit were to happen.
The group that make this argument includes the Bank of England, the Treasury, the International Monetary Fund, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the London School of Economics.
The studies they have produced are indeed substantial and serious.
One Remain source told me this morning that "the economic case against leaving the EU is beyond doubt".
And that claiming the debate was in any way "balanced" between in and out was akin to disputing climate change evidence.
Certainly, the weight of established economic opinion has favoured Britain staying in the European Union on economic grounds.
But that does not mean that the Economists for Brexit group can lightly be dismissed.
First its membership includes Patrick Minford, professor of applied economy at Cardiff University who was formerly one of the "wise people" advising the Treasury between 1993 and 1996.
And Gerard Lyons, former chief economist at Standard Chartered Bank who is now adviser to Boris Johnson, the London Mayor and of course prominent Brexit campaigner.
Many would baulk at describing such figures as "lacking credibility", despite the efforts of some in the Remain campaign.
"Tinpot" was one word I heard used.
Second, the economic model they use to forecast the future - though different from the Treasury's for example - has a long track record and has been influential in the past.
That economic model does produce a radically different view of the future if Britain were to leave.
Where the Treasury report last week said the economy would be more than 6% smaller - and poorer - by 2030 if Britain leaves the EU, today's report says it would be 4% larger, and richer.
I asked Professor Minford why there was such a...

Summary: Today eight economists have struck out against much mainstream economic thinking and suggested that the UK economy would flourish outside the European Union.
###
Article: Hilda Gaddum, the mayor of Cheshire East, said her fellow Conservative Michael Jones's position had become "untenable".
The council waived its own financial rules three times when granting Core Fit Ltd contracts totalling £156,000.
Mr Jones said he was "clear" that he had "not misled council".
The fitness company runs classes in schools and is owned by Mr Jones's personal physiotherapist, Amanda Morris. Neither Ms Morris nor her company have commented on the claims.
Mr Jones has previously said he had publicly declared his interest in the firm, while a council spokesman said there had been no "unlawful expenditure or any breach of EU procurement rules".
However, Ms Gaddum said Mr Jones had "misled" councillors at a meeting in October, where he questioned why his link with the company was "being brought up", and had lobbied for it to receive help.
The BBC has seen a letter written by Mr Jones to local MP George Osborne - whose Tatton constituency is included within Cheshire East - in which work carried out by Ms Morris's company is praised.
Emails released following a BBC Freedom of Information Act request show Mr Jones helped Ms Morris write a positive assessment of how Core Fit had fulfilled one of the council's contracts.
Core Fit Ltd contracts
June 2014
March 2015
Ms Gaddum said she had written to Mr Jones asking for his resignation, which led to "a very, very difficult meeting with him".
In a statement, Mr Jones said he would "not be resigning but thank the mayor for recognising the many good things I have achieved".
"I am disappointed, given that I vigorously sponsored her mayoralty to my group, at the comments made. But that is Hilda for you."
The council has not responded to requests for a comment.

Summary:


The NHS is to offer free counselling to people who have been sexually abused as a child, it has been announced.
The move comes after a review by the National Audit Office found that the NHS was not doing enough to help victims of abuse.
The review found that the NHS was not doing enough to help victims of

NHS staff in England have been told that they should no longer help people access gay conversion therapy.

Article: Media playback is not supported on this device
The world number one, who claims he rejected £110,000 to lose a match early in his career, says there is "no real proof" of fixing among the elite.
"It's just speculation," said the Serb 10-time Grand Slam champion.
The BBC and BuzzFeed News have obtained secret files that contain evidence of suspected match-fixing in tennis.
Those files indicate that, over the past decade, 16 players who have been ranked in the world's top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over suspicions they have thrown matches.
All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Chris Kermode, head of the Association of Tennis Professionals, has rejected claims that evidence of match-fixing had "been suppressed for any reason or isn't being thoroughly investigated".
But he added: "While the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information."
Tennis match-fixing Q&A
UK Government minister John Whittingdale has told the BBC that tennis should "learn from the mistakes of other sports" and take prompt action.
He said that "past allegations of this kind" against athletics and football were seemingly "swept under the carpet".
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport added: "These are serious allegations and they need to be looked into very quickly."
Prime Minister David Cameron said he is "deeply concerned" that another sport is facing accusations of corruption.
His official spokeswoman said that "fans suffer most" from this alleged wrongdoing and these issues need to be investigated.
According to the BBC and BuzzFeed News, tennis authorities were presented with an examination of 26,000 matches in 2007, three of them at Wimbledon, which contained enough evidence to root out offenders.
However, no action was taken.
Nigel Willerton, who heads the TIU, insisted there had been a rigorous examination of...

Summary: Novak Djokovic says match-fixing is not prevalent at the top level of tennis, as allegations of corruption overshadow the start of the Australian Open.
###
Article: Dale Vince said his company, Ecotricity, could generate tidal energy at a lower price than Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) - the company behind plans for a tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay.
He wants the project to be open to tender to ensure cost effectiveness.
The UK government is currently reviewing the sector.
On Thursday, Ecotricity - one of the first green firms in the UK -  said it had written to ministers to try to challenge TLP's £1bn plans to be the first to develop tidal energy in the UK.
The Swansea Bay lagoon would pioneer technology needed to build five other lagoons around Britain, including in Cardiff and Newport.
But Ecotricity said it would not want to build a lagoon in Swansea, claiming the bay would be too small for the technology needed.
Developing it elsewhere along the south Wales coast would allow the size of the turbine to be bigger, said Mr Vince, meaning electricity could be generated at a lower price and financed over a shorter time than TLP.
"We're proposing something better, something much more cost-effective," Mr Vince, Ecotricity's founder and chief executive, told BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales.
"We're asking for a level playing field. Let's have a competitive tender for tidal and see what the price comes out as."
Ecotricity currently operates nearly 70 wind turbines, has 175,000 customers and powers the equivalent of more than 40,000 homes.
It believes tidal power can work at a lower price than the £168 per megawatt hour (MWh) across 35 years that is being discussed for Swansea Bay.
Mr Vince added: "We believe it can be done for about the cost of nuclear - about £90 per megawatt hour... conservatively across 30 years."
TLP - which last week said it welcomed the idea of competition - envisages work to start in Swansea next year.
Cardiff and Newport would be among future locations for larger lagoons, which would be able to produce power even more cheaply.
A spokesman for the firm said: "The emergence of a competitive marketplace for the future is another clear sign that Swansea Bay...

Summary: Companies should be able to bid to develop tidal lagoons off the south Wales coast, the boss of a green energy firm has said.
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Article: The treatment isn't offered on the NHS, but it's understood some staff have occasionally put patients in touch with organisations who provide it.
Experts say attempting so-called "gay cures" can be "dangerous" and "damaging".
Fourteen organisations, including NHS England, have signed an agreement to stop gay conversion therapy being offered to patients.
Although in general, referrals to conversion services are rare - there is evidence that GPs, counsellors and psychotherapists have made them.
They will also be providing training for staff to enable them to improve support available to lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people seeking advice.
The agreement, The Memorandum of Understanding on Conversion Therapy in the UK, makes it clear that NHS England, the organisation which has day-to-day responsibility for running the NHS, "does not endorse or support conversion therapy" and will make this clear to staff.
It essentially means GPs will not be able to refer patients for gay therapy and that no-one employed by the NHS can provide it.
Amber Dowell, communications officer at the UK Council for Psychotherapy, told Newsbeat the agreement was "really important".
"It's very common for people to have feelings where they might question their sexuality, where they might want to explore the attractions they're feeling.
"We want people to be able to do that in an environment that is safe, supportive and free of judgement."
There are no official figures for how many people attempt conversion therapy every year, but the Department of Health has acknowledged to Newsbeat it does occasionally happen.
Amber suggested that an "ignorance of the issue of the ethics involved" rather than staff being "prejudiced against LGB people" was to blame for it being offered by the NHS in the past.
"I think, in trying to help people mistakenly, referrals had been made in the past," she said.
Newsbeat has spoken to people who said they had experienced conversion therapy.
Louise from West Yorkshire said she was blackmailed into receiving...

Summary:


The BBC has been told to stop using the word "fake news" in its reporting.
The corporation's director of news, Mark Thompson, has been told to stop using the term in his reports.
The BBC's news website, the iPlayer, and the iPlayer app have been told to stop using the

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and The Radio City Rockettes will perform at Donald Trump's inauguration, it has been announced.

Article: Sir Anthony Hart said their inclusion would bring the total number to 22.
He stressed that the inquiry, which has held 157 days of oral hearings, will still complete its work by July 2016.
The HIA was set up in 2013 to investigate child abuse in residential institutions in Northern Ireland over a 73-year period, up to 1995.
These included a range of institutions, run by the church, state and voluntary sector.
Six new institutions to be investigated by HIA
Sir Anthony said that in drawing up the list of six additional institutions, the inquiry had carefully considered information in respect of 54 homes and institutions in relation to which at least one person had made an allegation.
However, he said to hold hearings in respect of each of these could take a further two years and cost at least another Â£8m without significantly adding to the inquiry's understanding of the nature and extent of systemic failings.
The chairman also spoke about the need for financial redress for those who had suffered abuse despite the HIA's investigations still continuing.
'Targeted consultation'
"What we can now say is that from the evidence we have heard so far we will recommend that there should be a scheme to award financial compensation to those children who suffered abuse in children's homes and other institutions in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1995," he said.
Sir Anthony said the inquiry would be conducting a "targeted consultation" to gather views and suggestions on redress from all the applicants who had contacted either the inquiry or the acknowledgement forum.
The consultation period will run until Friday 8 January 2016 and more details can be found on the HIA website.
Sir Anthony told Banbridge Courthouse on Wednesday that the final decision on redress did not rest with the inquiry.
"Although our terms of reference provide that the inquiry will make recommendations and findings on a number of matters, the final decision as to whether there should be any form of redress, and what form it may take, are matters for...

Summary: A further six institutions are to be investigated by the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA), its chairman has announced.
###
Article: The South Eastern Trust has agreed to temporarily lift the prohibition while a review is undertaken.
On Thursday, a judge in Belfast's High Court was told the review would decide if the ban should be extended to inpatients in mental health wards.
The review is expected to take at least six months.
The ruling is the outcome of a legal fight by a 23-year-old woman detained on an acute psychiatric ward.
Under legislation introduced last month no staff, patients, contractors or visitors can smoke on any Health and Social Care site in Northern Ireland.
Lawyers for the woman claimed there was a failure to carry out proper consultation on the ban.
They also say the ban discriminates against a patient who is currently unable to leave.
The woman, who has been granted anonymity in the case, is being detained for up to six months at a hospital in the South Eastern Trust.
Her application for a judicial review aimed at securing an exemption for those in her position.
In court on Thursday it was confirmed that a resolution had been reached. The Trust agreed to review its decision to implement the smoke-free policy in its acute mental health inpatient wards and environments.
Counsel for the trust confirmed they would examine the process to ensure all concerns expressed are addressed.
Dismissing the judicial review challenge on that basis, the judge awarded legal costs to the woman.
Outside court, her solicitor insisted the legal action was not about smoker's rights.
He said: "It was about the conditions and restrictions which can lawfully be placed on the most vulnerable in our society, if their health means they have to be detained in a mental health ward."
He also stressed that his client sought the judicial review on behalf of others within her area in the same position.
He said: "I am sure other trusts in Northern Ireland will look very carefully at this case."

Summary: Inpatients at some mental health units in Northern Ireland are to be exempt from the ban on smoking on hospital grounds.
###
Article: The US president-elect's transition team confirmed the acts would perform at the ceremony on 20 January.
Several high-profile musicians including Elton John and Celine Dion have refused to perform at the event.
But Mr Trump has claimed many celebrities have been requesting tickets for it.
On Friday, he tweeted: "The so-called 'A' list celebrities are all wanting tixs to the inauguration, but look what they did for Hillary, NOTHING. I want the PEOPLE!"
That is seemingly a reference to the fact his democratic rival Hillary Clinton lost last month's presidential election despite having the support of many celebrities, including Katy Perry and Beyonce.
One performer who has already been booked for Mr Trump's inauguration is 16-year-old former America's Got Talent singer Jackie Evancho.
Boris Epshteyn, the communications director for Mr Trump's inaugural committee, confirmed on Thursday that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Radio City Rockettes would join her.
The Rockettes are a dance company, established in 1925, who have performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York since 1932.
Their style covers many genres of dance, including ballet, tap, modern, and jazz.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is a 360-piece singing group made up of volunteers.
It is named after the Salt Lake Tabernacle in Utah, where the group has performed for more than 100 years.
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary:


A new study has found that the number of planets in our galaxy is increasing.
The study, published in the journal Nature, found that the number of planets in our galaxy is increasing.
The researchers used data from the Kepler telescope, which is a space telescope that was launched in 2009.
The telescope has been

Nasa's Kepler telescope has recently found 216 new planets, meaning it has now discovered more than 4000 potential new worlds!

Article: Lynovex, developed by Aberdeen-based bio-technology company Novabiotics, is one of a number of new drugs being worked on to tackle the condition.
Cystic fibrosis affects one in every 2,500 babies born in Britain.
Sufferers often die before they reach 40 as mucus from the disease damages their lungs, risking infection.
Lynovex controls the bacteria and fungi that causes lung infections and could help the lungs to work effectively for as long as possible.
The results of Phase II clinical trials are due to be presented today in Brussels at the annual conference of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society.
Aberdeen-based Novabiotics concentrates on developing drugs for conditions which are rare or difficult to treat.
Last month, it was announced that a new combination drug had been developed which stops the genetic disorder damaging the lungs.
However, although the new drug is suitable for a lot of patients, it is not yet a 100% cure and there remains a critical need for more effective, safe, long-term treatments.
Lynovex breaks down the sticky mucus in the lungs of patients.
The active component of the new medicine is Cysteamine, a drug used for 20 years to treat an unrelated rare condition called cystinosis.
The fact it is already approved for clinical use means it could be quickly approved for use on people with cystic fibrosis.
"We know it's safe," said Novabiotics principal scientist Dr Douglas Fraser-Pitt. "Now we just need to prove its effectiveness in this group of patients in further trials.
"It has the potential to make a big difference to care.
"It is also a re-purposed drug so there is lots of potential for this drug to reach everyone who needs it quickly."

Summary: Scottish researchers believe a new drug could ease the symptoms of people with cystic fibrosis.
###
Article: Laurie Seaborn, 71, from West Bergholt, Essex, who is 6ft 6in (1.98m) tall, cannot fit inside Colchester General Hospital's MRI scanner and instead has to travel to Croydon.
He is calling on Colchester's managers to get a "decent-sized" MRI scanner.
The hospital has apologised for the "inconvenience this causes".
Mr Seaborn said he damaged his knee, back, head and neck in a motorbike accident 43 years ago and has been receiving treatment ever since.
He is awaiting an MRI scan for a problem with his spine but says he is too "broad-shouldered" to fit in the scanner at Colchester or a mobile unit.
Mr Seaborn, who weighs about 20 stone, said the situation was "unacceptable".
"It was a proper emergency ambulance that had to take me there - there was a driver, his assistant and a chaperone to take me there and back," he said.
"I think the hospital ought to get their act together and get this thing sorted out as soon as possible, because everyone knows the NHS is in dire straits, and surely this is adding insult to injury."
A spokesman for Colchester General Hospital said: "As far as we are aware, there is not a single NHS hospital in Essex which currently has a wide-bore MRI scanner for scanning larger patients.
"Therefore, about 10 of our patients a year who are either too heavy for the table or too wide for the scanner have to travel further afield for their MRI scan. This is about half the number of patients who have to travel to be scanned in a wide-bore or open MRI scanner because they have claustrophobia.
"We will look at the needs of all patients requiring MRI scans when the current arrangement for providing this service expires."

Summary: A hospital patient who is unable to fit inside an "outdated" MRI scanner has said he is forced to make a 150 mile (241km) round trip for treatment.
###
Article: Of these 216 planets, 10 of them could potentially be home to some sort of life, because they are 'Earth-like'.
This means they have 'rocky' characteristics, and they are located in the 'Goldilocks Zone' of their solar system.
If a planet is in a 'Goldilocks Zone' it is not too hot or too cold, which means water can be in its liquid form there.
The Kepler Telescope has made some amazing discoveries since it was launched in 2009, but here are the top five findings...
In 2014 the telescope made a huge discovery by finding a planet nicknamed: 'Earth 2.0'.
The planet called, Kepler-452b has been dubbed as 'Earth 2.0', because it shares many characteristics with our Earth, even though it is 1,400 light years away from us.
The first potentially habitable planet the telescope found was Kepler-22b, way back in 2011.
Scientists agreed the planet was could be liveable because it was the perfect distance from its sun.
In April 2017 the telescope found a super-Earth.
This is a planet called LHS 1140b. It is a good candidate for life and orbits a red dwarf star 40 light years away.
However, scientists think the planet might have had an ocean made entirely out of magma! - which released steam into the atmosphere.
In February 2017, Kepler discovered seven new Earth-sized exoplanets.
Exoplanets are planets that orbit a different star to our Sun - in a different solar system to the one we are in.
In 2011 Nasa discovered the first planet to orbit two suns!
It is called Kepler-16b, and is roughly 200 light years away from Earth.
Some scientists have compared it to Luke Skywalker's home planet Tatooine, from the Star Wars movies, which also had two suns.

Summary:


The US Justice Department has asked a judge to force Apple to help circumvent security software on Farook's iPhone, which the FBI said contains crucial information.
The FBI wants Apple to help it unlock the iPhone of Syed Rizwan Farook, who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California in December.
Apple

A judge in the United States has ruled that Apple cannot be forced to give the FBI access to a locked iPhone in a case that echoes an ongoing legal battle.

Article: "If you want to be selected, one of the things you have to do is sign," said UK Athletics boss Ed Warner.
He wants the agreement in place for the 2016 World Indoor Championships, taking place in Portland, Oregon in March.
He told British MPs such an agreement "has never been tested" in court but said UKA was talking to its lawyers.
Warner also called for Russia to be prevented from sending an athletics team to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The country was banned from international athletics competition following an independent World Anti-Doping Agency report that alleged widespread doping by Russian athletes.
Warner believes the "state-organised" scandal has been so serious that Russia should not be allowed to send athletes to Brazil.
Former British world champion sprinter John Regis told BBC Radio 5 live: "I would have found it very easy to sign for the simple reason that I know that I'm a clean athlete. I would have just read it, said yeah that makes a lot of sense a put my signature down the bottom."
According to Warner, speaking at a Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Tuesday, Doha's bids for the 2017 and 2019 World Championships have been referred to the IAAF ethics commission.
However, he refused to reveal the names of the IAAF figures who had told him of rumours of brown envelopes full of cash being handed out just before the vote for the 2017 World Championships, which London won.
Warner said: "I have had a number of discussions with the IAAF and they have told me the 2017 and 2019 bids by Doha have been referred to their ethics commission."
Asked if IAAF president Lord Coe was one of those who had told him of the rumours, Warner replied: "It could have been any number of people."
Coe was a senior member of London's bid team before succeeding Lamine Diack as IAAF president in August last year.
Leaked emails from Diack's son, Papa Massata Diack, have revealed he appeared to request $5m from Doha while it was bidding against London.
Papa Massata Diack is wanted on corruption charges by...

Summary: British athletes will be asked to sign an agreement that will ban them from competing for GB if they are found guilty of a serious doping offence.
###
Article: Not using full names and proper titles, speaking without being called and naming officials who do not have the right to reply are the most common contretemps of 30 categories of behaviour highlighted.
The list, compiled by assembly officials, was acquired by BBC Wales using the Freedom of Information Act, and covers the period from the beginning of the assembly in 1999 to this year's election in May.
The presiding officer has warned current AMs to respect the assembly's dignity.
The list of more than 80 cases - which is not comprehensive - includes that of Mick Bates, a Liberal Democrat AM, who appeared in the chamber dressed as Father Christmas in 2002.
On another occasion, in 2006, he raised his middle finger arguing he was showing someone which finger to use to operate the assembly's push button voting system.
Cases of "disregarding the authority of the chair" include Plaid Cymru AM and now party leader Leanne Wood, who refused to withdraw her reference to the Queen as "Mrs Windsor" in 2004.
In 2013, former Conservative AM Antoinette Sandbach apologised "unreservedly" for statements on Twitter "which could have called into question" the presiding officer's role.
The Presiding Officer Elin Jones has warned AMs that she would "call to order anyone who detracts from the dignity of this assembly, or who insults the integrity of other members or the voters who elected them".
The list distinguishes between "chatter during question time", "standing and shouting", "interrupting replies to questions" and "barracking".
Other categories include:
Less serious categories are "standing in the body of the chamber", "asking ushers to distribute leaflets or documents" and "entering in a disruptive manner".
Here are some of the other categories:
On 4 December 2002, Conservative AM Alun Cairns raised a point of order, an issue concerning the assembly's rules, after Liberal Democrat AM Mick Bates appeared in a Santa suit to raise money for charity.
Mr Cairns, then AM for South Wales West and now Welsh Secretary, accused Mr...

Summary: Dressing as Father Christmas, raising a middle finger and calling the Queen "Mrs Windsor" are among the actions that have been ruled out of order in the Welsh Assembly chamber.
###
Article: The judge in Brooklyn denied a motion by the US Justice Department to get Apple to unlock a phone in a drug case.
In an unrelated case, the FBI wants Apple to unlock the iPhone of Syed Rizwan Farook, who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California in December.
But Apple has resisted, calling that demand "dangerous" and "unprecedented".
The ruling in Brooklyn on Monday centres on the same point as the San Bernardino case.
The two court cases are not linked - the magistrate in San Bernardino doesn't have to pay any attention to the ruling and remarks from the New York judge.
But Apple feels the decision in New York gives added strength to its position. A senior Apple spokesman told reporters in a conference call that he was confident the San Bernardino judge would carefully analyse the New York ruling.
Most promising for Apple is the reason for which Judge Orenstein threw out the New York case.
He said he was not at all convinced the All Writs Act, a law more than two centuries old, could be used to force Apple to comply. The same law is being used in San Bernardino.
The All Writs Act is designed to give law enforcement powers not specifically addressed in other laws - but using it requires meeting certain strict criteria, too burdensome to detail here.
No legal precedent has been set here - but as the magistrate in San Bernardino considers her ruling, momentum certainly appears to be with the computing giant.
Apple v the FBI - a plain English guide
Apple's boss hits back at FBI conduct
Bill Gates calls for terror data debate
Fourteen people were killed and 22 injured when gunman Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik opened fire in the Californian city in December.
A court order in California demanded Apple help circumvent security software on Farook's iPhone, which the FBI said contains crucial information.
Apple's CEO Tim Cook said the request was "an overreach by the US government" and risked giving authorities "the power to reach into anyone's device to capture their data". Last week, the company asked a...

Summary:


The number of people who have been convicted of a crime in the last year has fallen by more than a third, according to a new report.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people convicted of a crime in the UK fell by more than a third in the last year.
The ON

US consumer confidence fell sharply this month, a closely-watched report has suggested.

Article: Andy Marsh was appointed Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset last week but he is married to an assistant chief constable, Nikki Watson.
PCC Sue Mountstevens said a policy would be in place so Mr Marsh will "not be directly line-managing his wife".
The former Hampshire Police chief replaces Nick Gargan, who quit after being found guilty of misconduct.
Mr Marsh, who has taken a pay cut to return to the force, is due to take up office alongside his wife next February.
But Ms Mountstevens said the situation was "not unique in the workplace" and neither Mr Marsh or his wife "should be discriminated against".
"They have both been appointed through separate, independent and open processes," she said.
"The appointments panel and I were unanimously satisfied that a policy could be put in place around reporting lines and discipline matters.
"Mr Marsh will not be directly line managing his wife and if any discipline matters were to arise surrounding his wife these will be dealt with by a Chief Constable of another force."
Avon and Somerset has had four chiefs in the last three years.
Mr Gargan was appointed by Ms Mountstevens in January 2013, after his predecessor Colin Port quit when she asked him to reapply for his job.
Acting chief constable John Long filled in following Mr Gargan's suspension in May 2014.

Summary: A police and crime commissioner has defended recruiting a married couple as a new police chief and assistant chief.
###
Article: John Jamieson and Graham King, both 36, left Peter Shickle dying in his flat in Stevenage with 75 injuries last November, Luton Crown Court heard.
Jamieson, the instigator, was sentenced to a minimum term of 19 years and King was jailed for at least 16 years.
Both of Mr Shickle's daughters told the court they were traumatised about the level of violence inflicted on him.
Jamieson admitted he hit the father of two twice with the TV thinking Mr Shickle was holding a Stanley knife.
Judge Richard Foster told them: "The jury must have been satisfied that you entered his flat intending to inflict really serious bodily harm or death.
"You were both the aggressors throughout - this was not a case of excessive self defence."
A pathologist said his injuries were consistent with the TV being used as well as punches, kicks and stamps.
Dr Nat Carey told the court the 58 year old suffered a traumatic brain injury, 16 fractured ribs, damage to his voice box, a fracture to the nose and jaw and a split liver.
The court had been told that Jamieson from Wigram Way, Stevenage, and King, from Harrow Court, Stevenage, had gone to Mr Shickle's flat a few days after he had a row in a pub with Jamieson's mother.
Prosecutor Martin Mulgrew said Jamieson had decided on "a plan for brutal retribution".
King, who was described as "muscle back-up" did not give evidence, but his barrister Abbas Lakha QC said there was no evidence of his client going to the flat to cause any harm.
Both defendants were found guilty on Monday. Sentencing was delayed until Friday following psychiatric reports.

Summary: Two men convicted of a revenge murder in which a flat-screen TV was used as a weapon have been jailed for life.
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Article: The Conference Board's index of consumer attitudes fell by 8.3 points to 59.7 in March.
The research group primarily blamed the fall on the US federal budget cuts that came into force at the start of this month.
Separate data on Tuesday from the Commerce Department was more positive, showing a rise in durable goods sales.
Sale of such long-lasting factory products rose by 5.7% in February, the biggest increase in five months.
Yet the Commerce Department also said that sales of new US homes fell in February.
Sale of new residential properties fell to a seasonally adjusted 411,000 in February, 4.6% lower than the 431,000 sold in January, which had been a five-year high.
The government cuts - called the "sequester" cuts - came into force earlier this month. They were due to the federal government running out of funds before a new budget was finally agreed by the US Senate on 20 March.
"This month's retreat was driven primarily by a sharp decline in expectations, although consumers were also more pessimistic in their assessment of current conditions," said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board's economic  indicators.
"The recent sequester has created uncertainty regarding the economic outlook, and as a result consumers are less confident."

Summary:


A British man has been jailed for five years for straying into Indian waters and carrying a gun without permission.
The court heard that the man, who was working on a ship, was arrested in October, 2013, and was held in custody for five days.
He was then released on bail.
The court

Five British men who were being held on arms charges have been freed on bail from an Indian jail, according to a lawyer close to the case.

Article: The research, in the
          British Medical Journal
, compared the costs of giving birth in different places and the health outcomes for mother and baby.
More than 60,000 low-risk women in England were studied over two years.
The Royal College of Midwives says all women should receive one-to-one care.
For women having their first baby, however, planned home birth was more risky for the baby but still the most cost-effective option.
The study used data from the Birthplace in England national study to calculate the cost, and health effects, of women at low-risk of complications giving birth.
It looked at planned births in obstetric units, midwifery units located in the same hospital as an obstetric unit, free-standing midwifery units not in a hospital and at home.
BBC Health: More about home births
The study takes into account all NHS costs associated with the birth itself - such as midwifery care during labour and immediately after the birth, the cost of pain relief in hospital, and the cost of any stay in hospital or neonatal unit immediately after the birth, either by the mother or the baby.
The costs for planned home and midwifery unit births take account of any hospital care a woman may receive if she is transferred into hospital during labour or after the birth.
But the costs do not include any longer term costs, for example the life-long cost of caring for babies who suffer serious birth injuries.
The study found that the average cost per low-risk woman planning birth at the start of labour was £1,631 for an obstetric unit, compared with £1,067 at home.
When the researchers analysed women who had already given birth or who had no complicating conditions, the cost differences between planned places of birth narrowed.
The authors of the study conclude that giving women the opportunity to give birth at home or in a midwifery unit saves the NHS money and is safe for baby and mother, resulting in fewer expensive interventions.
Source: BMJ study
Liz Schroeder, health economist and co-author of the study...

Summary: Planned births at home and in midwifery units are more cost-effective than giving birth in hospital, particularly for women who have given birth before, University of Oxford research suggests.
###
Article: An international trial on 945 patients found treatment with ipilimumab and nivolumab stopped the cancer advancing for nearly a year in 58% of cases.
UK doctors presented the data at the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Cancer Research UK said the drugs deliver a "powerful punch" against one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.
Melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is the sixth most common cancer in the UK - it kills more than 2,000 people in Britain each year.
Harnessing the immune system is a rapidly developing field in cancer research.
The immune system is a powerful defence against infection. However, there are many "brakes" built in to stop the system attacking our own tissues.
Cancer - which is a corrupted version of healthy tissue - can take advantage of these brakes to evade assault from the immune system.
Ipilimumab, which was approved as an advanced melanoma treatment by the UK's health service last year, and nivolumab both take the brakes off.
An international trial on 945 people showed that taking both drugs led to tumours shrinking by at least a third in 58% of patients - with the tumours stable or shrinking for an average of 11.5 months.
The figures, published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine, for ipilimumab on its own were 19% and 2.5 months.
Dr James Larkin, a consultant at the Royal Marsden Hospital and one of the UK's lead investigators, told BBC News: "By giving these drugs together you are effectively taking two brakes off the immune system rather than one so the immune system is able to recognise tumours it wasn't previously recognising and react to that and destroy them.
"For immunotherapies, we've never seen tumour shrinkage rates over 50% so that's very significant to see.
"This is a treatment modality that I think is going to have a big future for the treatment of cancer."
The first analysis of the data received top billing at the cancer conference in Chicago, but the key piece of information - how long treated patients live - is still...

Summary: A pair of cancer drugs can shrink tumours in nearly 60% of people with advanced  melanoma, a new trial has suggested.
###
Article: They were on board an anti-piracy vessel, the Seaman Guard Ohio, which was detained in October, 2013.
They face charges including straying into Indian waters and carrying weapons without permission.
Another British man, Paul Towers from Yorkshire, remains in jail along with the ship's Ukrainian captain.
News of the men's release was confirmed by an international maritime lawyer who is close to the case. He said: "Yes, they are out. Checking in to hotel and looking forward to a beer."
The five men freed on bail were: Billy Irving, 33, of Oban in Argyll, John Armstrong, of Wigton, in Cumbria, Nick Dunn, 28, of Ashington in Northumberland, Ray Tindall, 38, of Chester, and Nicholas Simpson, originally of Cottingham in East Yorkshire.
All of them must remain in India.
Their employer AdvanFort, a maritime security patrol specialist, has always insisted the men were working to provide protection to other ships from pirate attacks.
Nick Dunn's sister Lisa has commented on social media: "After 169 horrific days that Nick Dunn has spent in prison and another five being detained on the ship, I'm over the moon to say that the first hurdle is now cleared ... he's out!"

Summary:


The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that a retired German man in a same-sex civil partnership should enjoy the same tax status as a married man when his pension is calculated.
The ruling is a victory for the European Union's principle of equal treatment for all EU citizens.
The case was brought

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson is to host a summit of experts to consider how the UK's Brexit vote could affect Scotland's justice system.

Article: The annual report from the Census Bureau also found that the poverty rate fell for all racial groups, in the steepest decline found since 1968.
Low income workers received the largest boost, bringing median income levels back to before the recession.
This was the first recorded rise in American household incomes in eight years - or since the Obama presidency.
Figures for Americans who lack healthcare also dropped, as did the poverty rate.
In 2015 there were 43.1 million Americans living in poverty, 3.5 million fewer than in 2014.
Angry US middle classes feel the squeeze
The 40-year hurt
Real median household income was $56,500 (£42,900) in 2015, the Census Bureau reported, up from $53,700 (£40,700) the year before.
About 2.4 million more Americans have found full-time year-round work in 2015, according to Census officials.
But median incomes only rose for workers in US cities, and not for rural or farm workers.
There is still a large disparity between white and black workers' incomes.
The median household income for black Americans in 2015 was $36,898 (£28,000). The median household income for white Americans was $63,000 (£47,770).
Income inequality has been a major issue throughout the 2016 campaign.
Hillary Clinton has promised equal opportunities to all American workers, while Donald Trump says he will be the "the greatest jobs producing president that God ever created".

Summary: Average American incomes rose by 5.2% in 2015, in the fastest increase ever recorded by the federal government.
###
Article: The city of Hamburg had rejected Juergen Roemer's plea to be put in a more favourable tax category.
But that decision may amount to sex discrimination, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled.
Mr Roemer claimed he was entitled to 302 euros (£265) a month more.
The judges said that under German law same-sex partnerships - called "registered life partnerships" - are now comparable to marriage.
Mr Roemer had worked for the Hamburg city authorities for 40 years. He retired in 1990 and in October 2001 told his former employer that he had established a registered life partnership with his male partner.
Mr Roemer had been living with his companion since 1969 and German same-sex partnerships were given legal status in February 2001.
While many European states recognise homosexual civil unions, only Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Norway and Iceland legally acknowledge same-sex marriage.
The ECJ ruling on Tuesday may give legal weight to similar claims in other EU countries.
The judges said individuals could claim against a local authority for the right to equal treatment under EU law, even if national law contained no provision relevant to their case.

Summary: The EU's top court has ruled that a retired German man in a same-sex civil partnership should enjoy the same tax status as a married man when his pension is calculated.
###
Article: The meeting will be attended by police officers, lawyers and Scotland's Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC.
The focus will be on how leaving the EU could affect law enforcement and criminal justice in Scotland.
It will also look at the possible implications for civil and family law, and commercial issues.
The meeting, which will also include experts from the Scottish Universities Legal Network on Europe and the Standing Council on Europe, is due to take place in Edinburgh on 24 November.
Mr Matheson said: "The UK Brexit vote raises many uncertainties for Scotland's unique justice system.
"That is why I am bringing together leaders and experts to help us understand these issues - and any steps we can take now to mitigate the risks.
"The cessation of EU membership and single market access would have significant and wide-ranging ramifications from a justice and legal perspective.
"The issues range from tackling cross-border crime through to an individual with an EU ex-partner securing child maintenance payment, from Europol co-ordination with other countries to protecting Scots consumers' rights when buying from abroad online."
It follows a court ruling that parliament must vote before the UK can start the process of leaving the EU.
The ruling means the UK government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - beginning formal exit negotiations with the EU - on its own.
The justice secretary added: "The summit discussions will help inform us of risks like these - and others - as the Scottish government continues to press for full involvement in all negotiations between the UK government and the EU.
"Despite the uncertainties caused by the threat of Brexit, we will continue our efforts to safeguard Scotland's communities and the integrity of our justice system, while protecting the personal and commercial interests of our families, consumers and businesses."

Summary:


A Suffolk man has been fined Â£1000 plus costs after dumping rubbish on his own land.
The 44-year-old admitted dumping rubbish on his own land at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates Court.
The 44-year-old admitted dumping rubbish on his own land at Bury St Edmunds

A farmer has been fined after dumping 40 tonnes of industrial waste outside a village.

Article: Cheaper petrol and lower food prices - helped by a supermarket price war - cut the rate from 0.5% in December, Office for National Statistics figures show.
January's figure is the lowest rate of CPI inflation since estimates of the measure began in 1988.
The Bank of England said last week that inflation may temporarily turn negative in the spring.
Inflation as measured by the Retail Prices Index fell to 1.1% from 1.6% the previous month, the Office for National Statistics said.
"Falling prices for motor fuels and food were the main contributors to the slowdown in the rate of inflation," it added.
ONS statistician Phil Gooding said average petrol prices had fallen on the month, as had prices for foodstuffs such as milk and fruit, while games, toys and hobbies had also become cheaper.
He added that a slowdown in the rate of price inflation for alcohol and some recreational goods and services had also contributed to the overall slowdown.
The ONS said that while the cost of food and fuel is lower than a year ago, prices for other items, such as clothing and furniture, are rising.
A lower inflation rate was "excellent news for the consumer's purchasing power", said Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist for IHS Global Insight.
"With inflation likely to fall further and earnings growth now finally trending upwards, consumers should see appreciable improvement in their purchasing power as 2015 progresses," he said.
However, he noted that core inflation, which strips out food, energy, alcohol and tobacco prices, rose to 1.4% in January from 1.3% the month before.
"The rise in core inflation highlights the fact that the UK is far from suffering generalised deflation," he said.
Martin Beck, senior economic adviser to the EY Item Club, said price cuts recently announced by the "big six" energy suppliers should help lower domestic energy costs, which could help lower inflation.
He added that the drop in oil prices was "sharply" lowering the price of goods bought and sold by manufacturers, which could also feed...

Summary: The rate of UK Consumer Prices Index inflation fell to 0.3% in January, its lowest level since records began.
###
Article: Silicon Valley will be keenly watching - it's the first glimpse at how the company may perform long term, and it comes at a time when the company faces an existential threat from its biggest, perhaps only, rival: Facebook.
When Snap floated on the market in March, its price surged by 44% to give it a value of almost $30bn.
But make no mistake, Facebook's F8 recent developer's conference was an onslaught on Snapchat's future. The disappearing messages app, popular with teens, has seen its core features lifted wholesale by Facebook's engineers and offered to its own 1.9bn users, a figure which dwarfs Snapchat's base.
Facebook's own head of messenger, David Marcus, admitted to me that Snapchat got there first with innovation in ephemeral messaging and augmented-reality filters - but the message from him was essentially: what does it matter? Facebook thinks it can bring the technology to the next level, crushing Snapchat in the process (something you suspect Mark Zuckerberg has had his eye on ever since he was snubbed by Snap founder Evan Spiegel).
The key thing to look out for on Wednesday is Snapchat's user growth, though as I'll explain in a moment, it won't be the whole picture.
An inability to attract new users has continually hobbled Twitter on Wall Street, and it's growth that will most likely dictate which way Snap's shares go in after-hours trading. It's not expected to be good news - the company has already warned growth is slowing, a symptom of saturation in its core market, the US.
That warning came amid intense competition from Instagram, the Facebook-owned messaging app that launched its own version of Snapchat's "Stories" feature in the middle of last year.
"Snapchat's growth is being cannibalised by Instagram Stories in literally every single market in the world," according to ValuePenguin, a financial research service.
But Snap can't blame all its user abandonment on Instagram or Facebook. In India, a massive campaign to boycott the app took hold after Mr Spiegel was quoted as saying he didn't...

Summary: Snap, the company that owns Snapchat, is posting its first earnings as a public company on Wednesday.
###
Article: William Johnston, of Walsham-le-Willows, Suffolk, admitted dumping the rubbish, described as building material and household waste, last April.
Suffolk Police said it was a "potential danger to motorists and other members of the public".
The 44-year-old admitted the whole episode was "hugely embarrassing" and "regrettable" as he left court.
He dumped the rubbish, described as building material and household waste, at the side of Finningham Road on 9 April last year.
Updates on this story and others from Suffolk
Police officers and the Environment Agency removed the waste, which they believe was unloaded using a tractor and trailer.
Johnston was fined Â£1000 plus costs of Â£1600 after pleading guilty to fly-tipping at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates Court.
In a statement, he said the rubbish had been unlawfully dumped on his own land before he moved it, and he later paid Â£4,000 for it to be cleared up from the side of the road.
Jonathan Reed, prosecuting on behalf of Mid Suffolk District Council said he was pleased the court had recognised the "severity of the offences as well as the dangers to users of the highway."

Summary:


A new study has found that the number of people with diabetes in the UK has increased by more than a third in the last decade.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that the number of people with diabetes in the UK has increased by more than a third in the last decade.
The number

A Botswanan cheetah called Legolas that was being studied by researchers has been killed, conservationists said.

Article: Scientists calculated individuals carrying this extra weight could contribute to more than 12,000 cases of cancer in the UK population every year.
They warn if obesity levels continue to rise there may be an additional 3,700 cancers diagnosed annually.
The study of five million people is the largest to date to confirm the link.
Doctors often warn being overweight can increase the risk of developing cancer, but this study highlights those forms of the disease where the risk is greatest.
Led by scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine researchers gathered data on five million people living in the UK, monitoring changes to their health over a period of seven years.
They found each 13-16kg (2-2.5 stone) of extra weight an average adult gained was linked firmly and linearly to a greater risk of six cancers.
How big this risk was varied depending on tumour type.
People who had a high body mass index (calculated using weight and height) were also more likely to develop cancer of the liver, colon, ovaries, and post-menopausal breast cancer.
But the effects for these cancers were less clear-cut and were influenced by individual factors such as the menopause.
Researchers say though obesity was associated with the development of the most common cancers  - which represent 90% of the cancers diagnosed in the UK, some showed no link at all.
And there is some evidence to suggest a higher BMI is associated with a lower chance of getting  prostate cancer.
Dr Krishnan Bhaskaran, who led the research, said: "There was a lot of variation in the effect of BMI on different cancers.
"For example, risk of cancer of the uterus increased substantially at higher body mass index, for other cancer we saw a more modest increase in risk or no effect at all.
"This variation tells us BMI must affect cancer risk through a number of different processes, depending on cancer type"
Tom Stansfeld, at Cancer Research UK, said: "Although the relationship between cancer and obesity is complex, it is clear carrying excess...

Summary: Being overweight and obese puts people at greater risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers, according to research in the Lancet medical journal.
###
Article: Emmi, who has no management or record deal, was hand-picked to sing the film's only song, called Blind Pig.
She recorded the vocal in her childhood bedroom after being contacted out of the blue by director David Yates.
However, she was kept in the dark about his identity, and the song's destiny, for almost a year.
"It feels too good to be true," says the singer, who will see her song on the big screen for the first time at the film's premiere in London on Tuesday night.
"I feel like it's a bit of a joke. I don't feel like it's real."
The 29-year-old was born in Devon but raised in Perth, Australia. She now lives in London, where she has been making music full-time for seven years.
A former child actress, who had a small role in Home and Away, she has spent much of that time writing for other artists, but decided to make music under her own name in 2013.
Her second single, Sleep On It, attracted the attention of Taylor Swift, who tweeted it as part of her playlist: "New Songs That Will Make Your Life More Awesome".
Although that raised her profile, she decided not to capitalise on the hype.
"I had a couple of deals on the table but I felt I wanted to do things in a more independent, organic way," she says.
"I wanted to make some mistakes on my own, and create something that was wholly me before I got a whole team on board."
When Yates got in touch in summer last year, she was back at her parents' house for a holiday.
"I have two weeks with my family ever year and I got this email from someone I didn't know saying, 'Do you mind singing this? Here are some lyrics, give it a try,'" she recalls.
"I was like, 'Well, this is a difficult time for me. I'm on holiday with my parents and we're about to eat pizza, can we put this off?'
"And they were like, 'Probably not. You should probably give this a go.'"
When the singer looked at the lyrics, she found references to magical creatures like the Hippogriff and Billywig.
"I started thinking, 'This sounds like something from Harry Potter,' so I Googled the words and...

Summary: An unsigned singer from Devon has been given her big break in the new Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.
###
Article: Legolas, named after an elf in Lord of the Rings, helped researchers understand how the animals hunt together.
The body was found next to a highway along with a shotgun cartridge, in what Cheetah Conservation Botswana called an "unnecessary and unprovoked attack".
The death is being investigated as a poaching case.
It comes after another famous big cat, Cecil the Lion, was killed in Zimbabwe by a US dentist, sparking worldwide condemnation.
Legolas was not posing a danger to livestock because there were no cattle in the area, indicating the animal had instead been shot in an opportunistic attack, CCB said.
The group said it sympathised with farmers who have problems with predators, but described the killing as "needless and heartbreaking".
At 68.5kg in weight, Legolas was one of the biggest cheetahs ever caught.
He and two of the three other cheetahs he hunted with were fitted with collars that CCB said had "revolutionised" the study of the animals' collaborative hunting techniques, which until then had remained largely unknown.
The killing of Legolas means three of the seven cheetahs fitted with collars for the research project have been shot.
The estimated population of 10,000 wild cheetahs in Africa today is classified as 'vulnerable' in the IUCN's Red List of threatened species.

Summary:


The Pirate Bay has been blocked in the UK, but a new service is being launched to allow users to access the site.
The Pirate Bay has been blocked in the UK, but a new service is being launched to allow users to access the site.
The Pirate Bay has been blocked in the UK, but a

File-sharing website The Pirate Bay (TPB) has been hit by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.

Article: The sport's European governing body is already trialling a new way for penalties to be taken in decisive shootouts.
Instead of teams alternating spot-kicks, Uefa is considering a new system similar to the tie-break in tennis.
The system is being tried out at the European Under-17 Championship, which began in Croatia on Wednesday.
What makes the perfect World Cup shootout penalty?
As it stands, teams take turns in a shootout, with the choice of who goes first decided by a coin toss.
For example, team A goes first, then team B, then team A again.
The new system is called 'ABBA' and sees team A followed by team B - before team B goes again. Team A would then get two successive penalties, and so on until there is a winner.
A coin will still be tossed to decide who goes first.
The idea is to stop the team going second having to always, potentially, play catch-up. The sport's rule-making body, Ifab, approved the trial after looking at research it says proves the team taking the first penalty have an unfair advantage as they win 60% of shootouts.
"The hypothesis is that the player taking the second kick in the pair is under greater mental pressure," said Uefa.
The system is also being trialled at the women's European Under-17 Championship, which began in the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

Summary: Penalty shootouts in football could be transformed to make them fairer under new plans being looked at by Uefa.
###
Article: Kev Brady will paddle 208 miles (335km) along the Mahaweli and then around the island, adding 800 miles (1,287km) to his trip.
He said he felt compelled to do the challenge after "falling in love" with the country's rivers and coasts.
His previous feats include canoeing along the Mississippi and swimming the length of the River Severn.
Speaking before he began his challenge, he said: "I started paddle-boarding when I finished the swim (of the River Severn) and I've become obsessed with it.
"So a year on I want to take a paddle board abroad and take it on a big adventure.
"I had a voluntary job in Sri Lanka I was looking forward to and it fell through.
"By that time I'd already looked into Sri Lanka's rivers and coasts and I'd fallen in love with it."
When he began his challenge on Tuesday, he told the BBC some stretches of the river could not be paddled along due to shallows, waterfalls and rocks.
He said: "I'll be going through some really dense jungle along the river and I'm told there are 5m (16ft) crocodiles but apparently they won't come near me if I'm in the middle of the river, they just stalk things on the bank."
He added that wild elephants would also be a risk as the male elephants could be aggressive during the mating season.
Mr Brady, who has been training along the River Severn, hopes to complete the Sri Lanka river challenge in four months.

Summary: A paddle boarder has begun his quest to travel from source to sea along the longest river in Sri Lanka.
###
Article: The site has been largely inaccessible for the last 24 hours, and the service is intermittent in the UK.
The Pirate Bay has confirmed the attack on its Facebook page, saying that it did not know who was behind it, although it "had its suspicions".
A provider of DDoS defence systems said that it was unlikely that the attack came from hacking group Anonymous.
"There will be further attacks, but what's significant about this whole story is that people think that it is the Anonymous attacking a site which is typically a type of site that they defend," said Andre Stewart of Corero Network Security.
"It could be the record labels, or a government somewhere that has had enough of not being able to catch The Pirate Bay, it could be just one person who had rented some cloud power from Amazon and is sitting in a cafe, and is able to launch an attack."
Although some users may have attempted to access the site using proxies, TPB itself warned them against doing so.
"Use proxies at own risk. Don't login unless you trust the proxy supplier. Don't freak out. You'll get your TPB fix tomorrow," said the site.
TPB allows users to illegally obtain copyrighted songs, films and other content for free.
Copyright holders argue this causes a significant loss in revenue.
However, others say that it is very difficult to assess the impact of downloading on sales.
"If they're losing money and seeing that the government is not being able to stop it, there's a real monetary value reason for them to try and bring it down," said Mr Stewart.
"And if they can do it in the name of Anonymous then it's great for them.
"Equally the governments that protect these industries are frustrated as well because they haven't been able to see it close down, unlike a number of other torrent sites."
Virgin Media began preventing access to the file-sharing site following a High Court order last week.
Some time later the Virgin Media website suffered a hack attack that many thought was organised to protest against efforts to block access to TPB.
Twitter feeds...

Summary:


A new study has found that a common type of bacteria found in the gut can cause cancer.
The study, published in the journal Nature, found that the bacteria, called Bacteroides fragilis, can cause cancer in mice.
The researchers found that the bacteria caused tumours to grow in the lungs

The deadly spread of cancer around the body has been cut by three-quarters in animal experiments, say scientists.

Article: In the Royal Economic Society's annual lecture on Tuesday, Professor Rachel Griffith will argue corporate tax should be charged like VAT.
"A preferable way to tax corporate income would be to tax profits at the destination of sales", she will argue.
Ms Griffith is professor of economics at Manchester University.
"We currently try to tax corporate profits at the location where value is created, under international agreements formed in the 1980s.
"Implementation of this system is increasingly difficult in the presence of intangible and internationally mobile assets," she is expected to say.
The fact that a company's assets often didn't have a physical presence - such as patents, trademarks and brands - made it difficult to calculate what a firm should pay and where, she believes.
"The most valuable ideas are often those that can be combined with other ideas to create even greater value.
"Tying the value created in this way to a physical location - and thus to a tax jurisdiction - can be very difficult," an advance version of her speech said.
Prof Griffith's lecture comes a month after social networking giant Facebook revealed it paid £4,327 in corporation tax in the UK in 2014, less than the £5,392.80 in income tax and national insurance contributions someone on the average UK salary of £26,500 would pay.
Several multinational corporations are being investigated by the European Commission over the tax arrangements they have with EU member states.
Amazon, Fiat Chrysler, and Starbucks are among several companies subject to the investigation and the Commission has said it could widen its probe.
The investigation came after Starbucks was revealed to have paid £8.6m in UK corporation tax in the 14 years between 1998 and 2012, despite making more than £3bn of UK sales in the same period.

Summary: Multinational companies should pay tax on their profits based on where their products are sold, not where they are made, a professor is to suggest.
###
Article: Initially broadcasters will be able to film the Court of Appeal from October.
Justice Minister Damian Green said the government had "a view to extending this to sentencing decisions in the Crown court in due course."
Cameras have been allowed in Scottish courts since 1992 but only if all parties have given their consent.
Crown courts deal with serious criminal cases such as murder, rape or robbery, and trials are heard by a judge and a 12-person jury.
Proceedings in the Supreme Court - the final court of appeal - can already be filmed, and later this year lawyers' arguments and judges' rulings in appeal cases will also be allowed to be filmed.
Mr Green said: "We believe televising court proceedings will help improve transparency and bring greater public confidence and understanding of the criminal justice system.
"We are working with broadcasters to ensure that any costs from broadcasting are not met from the public purse.
"Subject to passage through Parliament we intend to allow broadcasting from the Court of Appeal from October 2013, with a view to extending this to sentencing decisions in the Crown court in due course."
In Scotland a review of the filming policy was announced late last year, as Scotland's most senior judge said technology had changed dramatically in the 20 years since broadcasters were first allowed to televise some proceedings.

Summary: TV cameras could be allowed to film sentencing in crown courts in England and Wales under government plans to expand the scheme.
###
Article: Tumours can "seed" themselves elsewhere in the body and this process is behind 90% of cancer deaths.
The mouse study, published in Nature, showed altering the immune system slowed the spread of skin cancers to the lungs.
Cancer Research UK said the early work gave new insight into how tumours spread and may lead to new treatments.
The spread of cancer - known as metastasis - is a fight between a rapidly mutating cancer and the rest of the body.
The team at the Sanger Institute in Cambridge was trying to figure out what affected tumour spread in the body.
Researchers created 810 sets of genetically modified lab mice to discover which sections of the DNA were involved in the body resisting a cancer's spread.
The animals were injected with melanomas (skin cancer) and the team counted the number of tumours that formed in the lung.
Their hunt led them to discover 23 sections of DNA, or genes, that made it either easier or harder for a cancer to spread.
Many of them were involved in controlling the immune system.
Targeting one gene - called Spns2 - led to a three-quarters reduction in tumours spreading to the lungs.
"It regulated the balance of immune cells within the lung," Dr David Adams, one of the team, told the BBC News website.
"It changes the balance of cells that play a role in killing tumour cells and those that switch off the immune system."
The field of immunotherapy - harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer - has delivered dramatic results for some patients.
A rare few with a terminal diagnosis have seen all signs of cancer disappear from their body, although the drugs still fail to work in many patients.
Dr Adams said: "We've learnt some interesting new biology that we might be able to use - it's told us this gene is involved in tumour growth."
Drugs that target Spns2 could produce the same cancer-slowing effect but that remains a distant prospect.
Dr Justine Alford, from Cancer Research UK, said: "This study in mice gives a new insight into the genes that play a role in cancer...

Summary:


A Lincolnshire man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13.
Tony Standford, prosecuting, said: "The girl was meeting Coles and when she returned home she showed police messages between them on her phone.
"Clearly there was a lot of inappropriate conversation and activity had taken place

A man has been jailed for grooming a 12-year-old girl on Facebook who he went on to abuse.

Article: The jet will be the launch platform for the satellite rocket being developed by another of the entrepreneur's companies - Virgin Galactic.
The 747 will carry this booster to high altitude where it will be released to ignite its engine and go into orbit.
Jumbos have long played a role in space activity, most famously to transport Nasa's old shuttles across America.
Virgin Galactic will be air-launching a tourist spaceplane from underneath a jet vehicle, and originally had planned for the satellite rocket to use the same platform.
But the performance requirements of the booster have driven engineers to seek an alternative carrier.
Earlier this year, they announced they would be increasing the payload capability of the forthcoming rocket after consultations with prospective customers - a jump from 120kg of satellite payload to 200kg, into a standard orbit.
That meant stretching the tanks on the booster to accommodate more propellant, and, as a consequence, its mass and length had to increase.
The old 747-400 jumbo can handle this. Coincidentally, it used to fly in its Virgin Atlantic livery under the nickname "Cosmic Girl". It will now get a new paint job in the Virgin Galactic colours. The company has produced a video visualisation of how the system will work.
"The Boeing 747 has a very special place in my heart: we began service on my first airline, Virgin Atlantic, with just one leased 747," Sir Richard said in a statement.
"I never imagined that today one of our 747s would get a second chance and help open access to space. I'm absolutely thrilled that Cosmic Girl can stay in the Virgin family - and truly live up to her name!"
Virgin Galactic is calling its satellite booster LauncherOne.
It intends to debut the liquid oxygen/kerosene rocket in 2016 or 2017, selling missions for under $10m. The company believes that with this price it can grab a major share of the market for launching small satellites.
Already, it has done a deal with satellite telecommunications company OneWeb. This British Channel...

Summary: Sir Richard Branson is reassigning one of his old Virgin Atlantic 747-400 jumbos to the service of space.
###
Article: Its demise was approved by MPs without a vote this afternoon. The lockstep, for those among you who have better things to do than focus on fiscal devolution, was the clause of the Wales Bill that would have ensured any change in the basic rate of Welsh income tax had to be mirrored by a similar change in the higher or top rate. Our devolution dictionary is here, should you require further assistance.
Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb told MPs: "By removing the lockstep we are removing what was widely seen as a deterrent to the Welsh government accepting the devolution of income tax in Wales."
He accused Labour First Minister Carwyn Jones of hiding behind "the self-imposed barrier of funding" in opposing the partial devolution of income tax until Wales gets a better financial settlement from Westminster. Mr Crabb suggested only Colin Jackson was capable of clearing all the hurdles Labour wanted to erect over income tax.
His Labour shadow, Owen Smith, said the UK government had performed a hand-brake U-turn on the lockstep months after it opposed its removal. He suggested that in the light of the Smith Commission report in Scotland there was now a case for going further with the devolution of income tax to Wales.
Mr Crabb said the tax powers transferred by the bill - and the full devolution of income tax - could see the Welsh government becoming responsible for raising around a quarter of the money it spends.
That share will only be reached after a referendum Carwyn Jones appears to be in no hurry to hold. Montgomeryshire Tory MP Glyn Davies suggested Mr Jones was now adding the non-devolution of air passenger duty to the list of hurdles stopping him holding a referendum.
Mr Davies's solution? Ditch the referendum and devolve tax powers if they're proposed in the winning party's (or parties') manifesto in next May's election. Wales Office Minister Alun Cairns gave a non-committal response to Mr Davies's suggestion.
There is sympathy in UK government circles for the tax referendum being a general plebiscite on a...

Summary: The lockstep is dead.
###
Article: Shaun Coles, 24, of Church Street, Louth, admitted a charge of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13.
Lincoln Crown Court heard he and the girl had initially messaged each other on Facebook before meeting.
The messages between the two were uncovered by the girl's mother after she went missing. Coles was jailed for a total of 30 months.
Read more about this story and others from across Lincolnshire
The girl was meeting Coles and when she returned home she showed police messages between them on her phone.
Tony Standford, prosecuting, said: "Clearly there was a lot of inappropriate conversation and activity had taken place.
"There were numerous references to them being in love and to kissing and cuddling."
Coles admitted in police interviews he knew the girl was only 12 and that his behaviour was unacceptable.
Grace Hale, for the defence, described Coles as "very immature" and said he had issues with ADHD.
"He has been candid in his admissions to the police," she said.
"He had only known the girl for a short time before this incident.
Judge Michael Heath, imposing sentence, said: "You knew that she was 12 years old. You were twice her age.
"This was not the girl's fault. She was the victim and you should not have behaved in the way you did."
In addition to the jail term the judge also placed Coles on the sex offenders' register for life,
He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Summary:


The Green Party has pledged to end "period poverty" by providing towels and tampons to secondary school pupils and women in financial need.
A 5% tax on sanitary products has caused controversy and 320,000 people have signed a petition to abolish it.
The pledge may be funded by a tax on airship

Free sanitary products for those who cannot afford them have been promised by the Green Party of England and Wales.

Article: Counting moles on the right arm was found to be a good indicator of total moles on the body. More than 100 indicates five times the normal risk.
The study, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, used data from 3,000 twins in the UK.
GPs could use the findings to identify those most at risk, it said.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer affecting more than 13,000 people in the UK each year.
It develops from abnormal moles, so the risk of being diagnosed with a melanoma is linked to the number of moles a patient has.
Researchers from King's College London studied a large group of female twins over a period of eight years, collecting information on skin type, freckles and moles on their bodies.
After repeating the exercise on a smaller group of around 400 men and women with melanoma, they came up with a quick and easy way to assess the risk of skin cancer.
Females with more than seven moles on their right arm had nine times the risk of having more than 50 on their whole body.
Those with more than 11 on their right arm were more likely to have more than 100 on their body in total, meaning they were at a higher risk of developing a melanoma.
The findings could help GPs to identify those with an increased risk of developing a melanoma.
Lead author Simone Ribero, of the department of twin research and genetic epidemiology at King's, said: "The findings could have a significant impact for primary care, allowing GPs to more accurately estimate the total number of moles in a patient extremely quickly via an easily accessible body part."
Consultant dermatologist and study co-author Veronique Bataille said if a patient was worried about an abnormal mole and went to see their GP, counting moles on one arm "might ring alarm bells" and highlight those patients who should be seen by a specialist more quickly.
Dr Claire Knight, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said the study findings were helpful, but added that fewer than half of melanomas develop from existing moles.
"It's important to know what's...

Summary: Having more than 11 moles on one arm indicates a higher-than-average risk of skin cancer or melanoma, research suggests.
###
Article: The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) calculated that a mid-range household's income between 2013 and 2014 was 6% below its pre-crisis peak.
This was felt equally across high and low income groups when the cost of living was taken into account.
But those on low incomes could feel the squeeze more in the coming years.
This was the result of further cuts to benefits and tax credits, the IFS said.
The findings will further fuel the political debate about the UK's economic recovery and whether this will benefit all groups of society equally. The IFS suggested that, so far, this debate had suffered from a lack of up-to-date information.
In an early release of a chapter of the annual IFS Green Budget, the group has calculated that a household in the middle of the income scale has seen a 6% drop in income since 2007 to 2008, although the fall in income had now come to a halt.
The analysis suggests that those near the top end of the scale, 10% from the very richest, have seen their incomes hit hardest, with a fall of 9% since the recession.
Are we really better off?
Meanwhile, those near the bottom, 10% from the very poorest, have seen their incomes drop by 2.4% over the same period.
This reflected the fact that earnings had increased slower than prices, while benefit rates had kept up with the cost of living.
However, the IFS said that those with relatively high incomes had benefitted from cheaper mortgage rates.
In contrast, rising food and energy prices, which formed a bigger proportion of the spending of poorer households, had risen faster than the average cost of living measured by inflation.
The report said that inflation between 2008 and 2013 was 20%, while energy prices rose by 60% and food prices were up by 30% over the same period.
"Looking forward, there is little reason to expect a strong recovery in living standards over the next few years," the report said.
"Given this, it seems highly unlikely that living standards will recover their pre-crisis levels by 2015 to 2016."
It added that earnings might...

Summary: Average UK living standards have fallen "dramatically" since the recession and will not reach pre-crisis levels by the next election, economists have said.
###
Article: The Greens pledged to end "period poverty" by providing towels and tampons to secondary school pupils and women in financial need.
A 5% tax on sanitary products has caused controversy and 320,000 people have signed a petition to abolish it.
The pledge may be funded by a tax on airship sales and aircraft repairs.
Sanitary products are not exempt from VAT, as some medical products are. Campaigns to end the tax on them have taken place in countries across the globe.
In the UK, a further row broke out in April when it was revealed some of the money raised from the tax and promised by the government to women's charities had been given to an anti-abortion group.
Of the Â£12m given to 70 UK charities, Â£250,000 had gone to Life.
Green MEP Molly Scott Cato, who has pressed in the European Parliament for a VAT exemption on tampons, towels and mooncups, said it was an "outrage those on low incomes are forced to use socks or newspapers during their period because they can't afford a sanitary product".
Children in secondary school from low-income backgrounds were routinely missing days at school, she said.
The Green Party said it wanted to work with health companies to provide the free products.
It will look at funding them by taxing other products and services such as air craft repairs and maintenance and airship sales.

Summary: