Parliamentary candidates for Newcastle-under-Lyme all called for a "joined-up policy" on health and social care in north Staffordshire at a public debate.

Article: It said attackers could exploit this by requesting users to preview or open a specially crafted email or web content.
Microsoft said it was "aware of targeted attacks" and was investigating.
The issue affects Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Office 2003 - 2010, and Microsoft Lync.
Recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Office are not affected by the issue - which centres on a graphics component. Details of which products are at risk are listed on the firm's site.
Microsoft said it would take appropriate action to address the issue, which "may include providing a security update through our monthly release process or providing an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs".
In the meantime, it has advised customers to apply workarounds - a setting or configuration change that "does not correct the underlying issue but would help block known attack vectors before a security update is available".
According to Microsoft, the flaw lies in the handling of the Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) image files by a graphics processing component in the affected software versions.
In a blog post on the Microsoft Security Response Centre, Dustin Childs a communications manager, said any move by hackers "requires user interaction".
He said that the attacks are disguised as an email requesting potential targets to open a specially crafted Word attachment.
If the attachment is opened or previewed, it attempts to exploit the issue using a malformed graphics image embedded in the document.
"An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the logged on user," Mr Childs said.
Microsoft added that hackers could also exploit the issue via a web-based attack.
"An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit this vulnerability and then convince a user to view the website," it said.
However, it added that an attacker would have "no way to force users to view the attacker-controlled content".
"Instead, an attacker would have...

Summary: Microsoft has warned that hackers could exploit a "vulnerability" in its operating system to gain user rights to the affected computers.
###
Article: The council started to provide portable urinals two years ago following complaints by local businesses.
The move was welcomed by many traders in Wind Street, which is popular with drinkers, but the problem has not gone away.
From Friday, police will start handing out fixed penalty notices.
"Urinating in public is a major irritation to authorities and businesses who are left to clean up their own doorways and streets after people under the influence of alcohol feel it is acceptable to treat the city centre like a toilet," Ch Insp Dean Thomas said.
"It is certainly not acceptable and I am pleased the police are able to work with the council in enforcing fixed penalty notices against those caught in the act."
The pilot operation between the council and police is aimed at ensuring the public knows urinating in the street will not be tolerated.
The council deploys portable urinals every weekend in the city centre at known problem areas and says they are well used.
But not everyone chooses to use them, prompting the latest move follow a warning two years ago that  anyone caught would be fined or arrested.
Bruno Nunes, owner of Peppermint bar and Bambu Beach bar, welcomed the action.
"The impact of this action will be felt not only by those hit in the pocket, but the many others who will hear about the tough stance being taken," he said.
Council cabinet member June Burtonshaw said: "Public urination is a contentious issue that has been troubling authorities, organisations and businesses working together to create a cleaner, healthier and safer city centre.
"We've tried the soft approach, which has had some effect, but now it is time to get tough. Urinating in shop doorways, alleys, lanes or bushes is not acceptable.
"There are toilets provided in every night-time venue, as well as the additional portable urinals on the streets. If people still can't control their bladders, they could find themselves with a hefty fine."
Similar toilets are used in other UK cities including Manchester, Bristol, Cambridge and...

Summary: Revellers will receive £75 fines if they are caught urinating in streets and doorways instead of using open-air urinals in Swansea city centre.
###
Article: The quarterly house price index compiled by the Ulster University suggests prices dropped 6.5% between the end of 2015 and this March.
Its report said there was "a mini-correction" in the market.
It said uncertainty at the outcome of the 23 June EU vote "will undoubtedly have impacted negatively on the market."
Last week, official government figures showed Northern Ireland property prices fell for the first time in three years.
The university's research suggests the average house price in the first quarter of 2016 was Â£146,472.
Over the quarter, all property types, with the exception of semi-detached bungalows, suffered reduced price levels.
Professor Stanley McGreal from Ulster University said: "The research statistics are reflective of mixed feelings by the sector across Northern Ireland.
"Some estate agents attribute the apparent slowing in first quarter simply to a seasonal fluctuation, others attribute it to house buyers' concerns of economic uncertainty."

Summary: Another report on the Northern Ireland housing market shows price falls, with a claim that the upcoming EU referendum was a contributing factor.
###
Article: The Grade II-listed City Pool and Turkish Baths in Newcastle shut in 2013 as part of Â£100m council cuts.
Fusion Lifestyle Ltd plans to renovate the building and restore the baths which are set to reopen in 2018.
The charity leisure operator found the photos which include one of the construction of the entrance pillars before it opened for use in 1928.
Peter Kay, chief executive of Fusion Lifestyle, said: "We're so lucky to have rediscovered the amazing past of the baths and we're proud to give this historic building a proper future.
"The history of baths on this site goes back even further, to when famous [North East architect] John Dobson initially built private baths in 1838 at a cost of Â£9,500."
The facility, which opened on Northumberland Road in 1928, will be one of about a dozen left in operation.
Fusion has also taken over Newcastle City Hall, which was under threat of closure as part of a consultation into multimillion-pound budget cuts in the city.
It will be sub-leased it to the Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust, which will continue to operate it as a concert and entertainment venue.

Summary: Historical photos of Turkish baths which have recently been saved from closure have been found.
###
Article: The candidates were responding to a question about proposed changes to health care in Staffordshire at a debate run by BBC Radio Stoke.
They were asked about a consultation by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) which buy health services in the area.
The consultation is looking at reducing bed-blocking and improving efficiency.
Ian Wilkes, for the Liberal Democrats, told the debate, at St George's Centre in Newcastle, health care and care in the home were not "joined-up".
"When you come out of hospital there should be care ready and waiting," he said.
Phil Wood for UKIP, said at the moment too many people in the NHS were "trying to protect their own budgets and let someone else have the problem".
He said his party would put £3bn a year in to stop "[its] creeping privatisation".
Replying, Sam Gibbons, the Green Party's candidate, claimed UKIP leader Nigel Farage had said he would like a private-style health care system.
Mr Gibbons said cuts had meant managers at hospitals, including his mother who was a nurse and ward manager, still provided clinical care alongside "heavy workloads".
Labour's Paul Farrelly said the first question should be "what does the individual need?" and not "whose budget is it coming from?".
Questioned on Labour's objection to plans for the tendering of NHS cancer and end-of-life contracts across Staffordshire, he claimed the area was being used as "a guinea pig for further creeping privatisation".
Tony Cox, parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party, said his party recognised "there needs to be better integration" between health and social care but the move had been hampered by "some reluctance" from councils and some NHS departments.
"But locally this year Staffordshire County Council have this year invested another £20m into social care which is where we've realised the pressures are actually happening," he said.
David Nixon is standing as an independent a parliamentary candidate for Newcastle-under-Lyme.
The candidates for this constituency are
Conservative, Tony Cox
Labour,...

Summary:


Nationwide has reported a sharp fall in mortgage lending, mainly due to making fewer buy-to-let loans.

Article: Ujjal Singh, 63, who was visiting from Ipswich, died from a knife wound to the neck after he was found in Lidiard Street, Crumpsall, on 1 December.
He had argued with Naunihal Singh, 54, who was visiting from India, about their respective son and daughter's ability to conceive, police said.
At Manchester Crown Court Naunihal Singh was jailed for 21 years.
He was told he must serve at least 17 years.
Police said on 30 November the pair had a "heated discussion, which was fuelled by alcohol" and Ujjal Singh accused Naunihal Singh's son of "firing blanks".
During a series of arguments, Naunihal's son punched a glass photo frame, injuring his hand.
Ujjal Singh was put to bed while the remaining family members, with the exception of Naunihal Singh, went to hospital to get the hand treated.
While Ujjal Singh was sleeping, Naunihal Singh went into his room and stabbed him in the neck.
Police said he then fled, leaving the family to discover the "horrific scene" when they returned.
He handed himself into police two days later.
Senior investigating officer Bob Tonge, said it was a "heinous crime" that "ended in absolute tragedy".
"The one saving grace is that he has not subjected them to further torment by making them endure a trial and has faced up to his crime and subsequent, inevitable punishment."

Summary: A man has been jailed for life after pleading guilty to stabbing his son's father-in-law to death as he slept.
###
Article: The free-flow Dart Charge replaced toll booths on the Kent side a year ago.
Figures showed that out of nearly 42 million chargeable journeys, UK drivers had about 1.5 million penalty notices and foreign drivers more than 340,000.
The AA said the system still had faults, but Highways England said there was still more work to do.
Edmund King, from the AA motoring organisation, said: "We still think it could be even better if they scrap the tolls altogether.
"You get some other drivers who hesitate around the crossing because they're a little unsure about how they pay, when they should pay, what hours apply, and even the signs aren't clear."
The Freedom of Information request submitted by the BBC showed that 41,367,973 chargeable journeys were recorded, 1,519,162 penalty charge notices were issued to UK drivers and 340,861 to overseas drivers.
Under the Dart Charge, the penalty fine is Â£70, which is reduced to Â£35 if paid within 14 days, but increased to Â£105 if a driver does not pay.
Dart Charge project director Nigel Gray said the scheme had successfully sped up journeys, with peak-time return trips now 15 minutes shorter, and hundreds of thousands of drivers had also benefitted from discounts of up to a third.
He said more work had to be done on improving traffic flow on the Kent side, but the Dart Charge was a medium-term solution to congestion at Dartford, while the long-term answer was a third Lower Thames Crossing.
He said: "Figures show that the vast majority of people are paying their Dart Charge on time and non-payment is being followed up appropriately.
"The first penalty issued for any vehicle includes an offer to pay any outstanding crossing charges within 14 days and have the penalty or penalties cancelled. This approach has been very successful and we have no plans to end it."

Summary: More than 1.8 million penalty charge notices have been issued to drivers failing to pay the new cashless payment system on the Dartford crossing.
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Article: Combined Parking Solutions took Edward Wales to court for parking in a SkyPark car park in Glasgow, used by McDonald's customers, on 33 occasions last year.
Mr Wales and the company reached a settlement before a civil hearing.
The company warned there was a misconception that drivers could park in private car parks.
There are a number of red signs at the car park site on Houldsworth Street in the west of Glasgow warning of the maximum stay conditions for customers of the nearby McDonalds restaurant.
If they stay more than two hours they receive a fixed parking charge of £100 which is reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. It increases to £150 per ticket to cover costs if it remains unpaid.
The company claimed that on each occasion Mr Wales was issued with a ticket he did not appeal, and that he later said he had been told and read online that charges for private parking were not enforceable in Scotland.
Mike Perkins, operations manager of Combined Parking Solutions, said: "Yet again this is another case of someone logging onto the internet forums or listing to unqualified people that parking charges are not enforceable and yet again the courts agree they are fully enforceable and they continue to do so.
"If Mr Wales had consulted a real solicitor from the outset he would have only received one charge at £60 and not almost £3,000."

Summary: A man who repeatedly parked in a private car park for longer than the two-hour limit has had to pay almost £3,000 in unpaid parking fees.
###
Article: A regional breakdown of installations published by the Stephen Nolan Show on Radio Ulster shows the biggest cluster is around Dungannon, County Tyrone.
There are 342 boilers there - about one-in-six of the total.
The statistics show the total of 2,128 recipients are split roughly between commercial and farming interests.
Around Ballymena and Ballymoney there are 276 boilers.
Poultry farmers are heavily represented, accounting for 871 of the installations.
The two main clusters are close to Moy Park's processing plants in Northern Ireland, in Ballymena and Dungannon.
Poultry farmers use the boilers to heat chicken houses where the birds are reared.
Many switched from LPG gas to biomass in recent years.
Other areas where there are significant numbers of boilers by postcode include Armagh which has 112 and Omagh which has 82.
Last week, Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir said a Moy Park briefing with his officials had raised "issues" about the operation of the RHI scheme.
Moy Park later issued a statement but made no reference to those issues.
On Monday, the former DETI minister Jonathan Bell claimed under assembly privilege that he had been told DUP special advisers Timothy Johnston and John Robinson had extensive interests in the poultry industry, and that he would not be allowed to reduce the RHI tariff as a result.
The DUP later issued a statement of categorical denial on behalf of both men.
John Robinson said he had "no personal interest" in the poultry industry. He said two of his brothers were poultry farmers but were not in the RHI.
Timothy Johnston said he had "no family connections to the poultry industry". He said he had two brothers in law in the poultry industry but neither had any connection with the RHI.
On Tuesday, Mr Bell said he was prepared to repeat allegations he made about the role played by special advisers in the RHI scheme, to a judge-led inquiry.
He was speaking during an an opposition debate in the Assembly calling for a public inquiry into the controversial scheme.
He also made...

Summary: Most companies on the lucrative RHI scheme are based in mid-Ulster and north Antrim, according to information passed to the BBC.
###
Article: Net mortgage lending fell to £2.4bn in the April-to-June quarter, down from £3.5bn a year earlier.
The building society also said more people opened a current account with it during the three-month period than with any other provider.
Nationwide's profits for the quarter fell 20% to £322m, after last year's results were helped by a one-off gain.
A year earlier, the building society had received a £100m boost to its profits from the sale of its investment in Visa Europe.
Announcing the latest results, chief executive Joe Garner said "Profit performance in the first quarter remained comfortably within our strategic target range and, after allowing for one-off items, was broadly consistent with the prior period."
Nationwide had a 13% share of the mortgage market in the quarter, down from 15% in the same time last year.
A spokesman for the building society said it expected its buy-to-let lending to remain "broadly flat".
Nationwide had "raised the bar for landlord's affordability before most other lenders with the aim of helping ensure our borrowers can meet future repayments", he added.
"This, together with a softening of lending due to Stamp Duty and tax changes, led to a decline in buy-to-let."
In the first quarter Nationwide opened 202,000 new current accounts, a rise of 17% on the same time last year.
The company also said that more than a fifth (22.4%) of all people switching current accounts had moved to Nationwide.

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A celebrity who wants an injunction to keep an extra-marital relationship out of the media will put his case at the Supreme Court on Thursday.

Article: The front-runner is a former state governor and Dalit (formerly untouchable) leader, Ram Nath Kovind.
He is being challenged by opposition candidate and India's first woman speaker Meira Kumar who is also a Dalit.
Indian presidents are not elected directly by the people but by an electoral college made up of members of parliament and state assemblies.
The results of the poll are expected to be announced on 20 July.
The winner will replace Pranab Mukherjee, a political veteran of the main opposition Congress party, who has held the post from 2012.
Polling began in parliament in the capital, Delhi, and state capitals, at 1000 (04:30GMT). Voting is expected to end at 1700 hours.
A total of 4,896 lawmakers - parliamentarians and legislators - are expected to vote in Monday's election.
Mr Kovind, 71, a trained lawyer, has been a two-time BJP MP and governor of the Bihar state. If elected he will be India's second Dalit president.
Congress veteran Meira Kumar, 72, a former lawyer and diplomat, is also from the Dalit community. She has been elected to parliament five times and holds a seat in the state of Bihar.
She is the daughter of the late Babu Jagjivan Ram, a prominent Dalit leader and former deputy prime minister of India.
The Indian president's position is largely ceremonial, but presidents do play decisive roles in in determining who forms the government when national elections do not produce clear results.

Summary: Voting is being held in India to elect a new president.
###
Article: Ahead of their child obesity strategy, ministers asked Public Health England to review the evidence on how to reduce sugar consumption.
But PHE has come under criticism for not releasing the findings of its report.
And the body has now confirmed a sugar tax is one of its recommendations.
The acknowledgement came after PHE director of diet and obesity Dr Alison Tedstone appeared before MPs on Tuesday saying the organisation "does see a role for a fiscal approach" and the higher the tax increase "the greater the effect".
Afterwards, sources at PHE confirmed the report specifically called for him to consider a sugar tax, adding this was not the most important of its recommendations.
In her evidence to the Health Select Committee Dr Tedstone said action was also needed on promotions and advertising, citing:
The food industry must also be pressured to cut the amount of sugar in its products in the same way it had done with salt, Dr Tedstone said.
But she added: "PHE does see there is a role for a fiscal approach in reducing sugary drink consumption.
"The higher the tax increase the greater the effect," she said, pointing out that in Mexico a fizzy drinks tax had led to a 6% fall in consumption, with the biggest impact on the poorest people.
"The point of the tax is to nudge people away from purchasing these things towards purchasing things that are more consistent with a healthy balanced diet," she said.
However, Dr Tedstone also said that her review had concluded tax was only the fourth most effective way to fight obesity.
"We think there could be bigger impacts from getting a handle on promotions, and of getting a handle on the deep, consistent advertising our children are exposed to on unhealthy foods," she said.
About 40% of food sold in England was discounted and these deals were "heavily weighted" towards sweet and fatty products, Dr Tedstone's research found.
She said these promotions did not cut costs for consumers but simply "lead to us buying more food".
She added: "PHE are advising that promotions need...

Summary: Public health chiefs have advised the health secretary to introduce a sugar tax as part of a range of measures to tackle child obesity.
###
Article: He told BBC Two's Newsnight programme he did not like the idea of "clobbering people" and preferred a Lib Dem idea of adding new council tax bands.
"It will take longer to introduce, that's true, but it will be more effective and efficient," he said.
Labour said it was right to ask the rich to make a bigger contribution.
The mansion tax is one of Labour's main 2015 manifesto commitments, with the proceeds due to be used to fund the recruitment of 38,000 new GPs, nurses, midwives and other NHS professionals.
Several Labour candidates for Mayor of London in 2016 have expressed concerns that the steep rise in house prices in the English capital in recent years will see family homes become liable for the tax.
And Lord Mandelson, a leading Blairite who served as business secretary in the last Labour government, suggested it was not the best way to address problems of inequality and concentration of wealth among an increasingly small, international elite.
"We don't have an efficient way of taxing property in Britain," he said. "I don't happen to think the mansion tax is the right policy response to that, I think it's crude, I think it's short-termist.
"What we need is what I think the Liberal Democrats are proposing and that is the introduction of further bands that relate to different values of property within the council tax system. That's what I would like to see.
"It will take longer to introduce, that's true, but it will be more effective and efficient in the long term than just sort of clobbering people with a rather sort of crude, short-term mansion tax".
Under its plans, Labour has said most people who own homes worth between £2m and £3m will pay £250 a month in extra taxes while owners of homes worth "tens of millions" and second home owners would pay much higher rates.
It has said the tax would apply to fewer than 0.5% of homes in the UK, since the threshold for the tax will rise in line with average prices for high-value properties, not inflation.
Labour MP and London mayoral candidate Diane Abbott...

Summary: Labour's proposed "mansion tax" on properties worth more than £2m is "crude" and "short-termist", ex-Cabinet minister Lord Mandelson has said.
###
Article: But her first passion is ballet, and as president of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Bussell is excited about the return of the prestigious Genee International Ballet Competition, which has come home to London after a five-year hiatus.
The Genee, named after the RAD's first president, Dame Adeline Genee, attracts top dancers aged 16 to 19 from across the globe, who are trained in the RAD syllabus.
The competition began in 1931 in London and was held there annually - bar the odd year where the contest didn't run - until 2002, when the RAD held the competition outside London for the first time, in Australia.
Since then it has travelled to countries including Canada, Singapore and South Africa.
Following a rigorous audition process, the 70 or so dancers selected each year have the chance to work with renowned choreographers and teachers for five days at Sadler's Wells before a select few perform at the semi-finals, and then the final - this Saturday - where they compete for a range of medals.
Past Genee medallists have gone on to dance for the Royal Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre and the English National Ballet, to name but a few.
But Bussell is keen to widen the talent pool, and for the first time this year, the RAD has offered nine bursaries - bearing Bussell's name - to dancers who would not otherwise be able to finance their trip to the competition.
The scheme is open to any individual from any country wishing to compete and will run for five years.
"There are lots of talented kids who can't afford to come to the competition. The bursary is to get them here.
"I'm excited - it's back in London, and it's bigger and better than ever.
"We intend to get nine (bursaries) every year, getting these kids the opportunity - there's so much talent out there that can't be seen."
Bussell never entered the Genee herself, but she did compete in Switzerland's Prix de Lausanne, where she unsurprisingly won a prize back in 1986.
So what do the Genee finalists get out of the competition?
"You're getting coached by the...

Summary: Former principal ballerina of the Royal Ballet Darcey Bussell has her fingers in lots of pies these days, not least as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing.
###
Article: He is appealing against an appeal court ruling lifting a ban on him being named in the media in England and Wales.
The Supreme Court said it will now hear arguments about whether it should grant an appeal, and if so, decide if it should be "allowed or dismissed".
An interim injunction will remain in place until the end of the hearing.
On Monday, Court of Appeal judges gave the man - who has young children, and whose spouse is also in the public eye - until 10:00 BST on Tuesday to apply to take the case to the UK Supreme Court.
In that ruling, they said there must be no publication leading to disclosure of the celebrity's identity before 13:00 BST on Wednesday.
The Supreme Court said that interim injunction will now remain in place until the conclusion of the next hearing.
The Sun on Sunday wants to publish an account of alleged extra-marital activities by the man, who is referred to as PJS.
But he argues he has a right to privacy and has taken legal action.
Monday's court judgement said the celebrity had "occasional sexual encounters" with another person - referred to in court as AB - starting in 2009.
They had a text message exchange in December 2011 in which they discussed a "three-way" with AB's partner, CD.
Accordingly, the three met for a three-way sexual encounter.
In January, the two other parties approached the Sun On Sunday with the story.
That month a High Court judge refused to impose an injunction barring publication.
But the man appealed and two appeal court judges ruled in his favour. They prevented him being identified in publications in England and Wales.
Lawyers for News Group Newspapers - publishers of the Sun On Sunday - then asked Court of Appeal judges to lift the ban.
They argued that stories had been published in the US, Scotland and elsewhere where the injunction does not apply. The story had also spread across the internet and on Twitter.
PJS opposed that application and said the ban should stay.
On Monday, the judges ruled that PJS was now unlikely to be able to get a permanent...

Summary:


Three has announced that it has abolished international roaming charges in seven countries.

Article: Duesseldorf, Muenster, Essen and Mainz are among the major centres to have cancelled events on Rose Monday.
However, Cologne is going ahead with its parade, with some restrictions.
The city stepped up policing for its first major public event since New Year, when many women were victims of sexual assaults and mugging.
More than one million people were expected to attend events in Cologne for carnival week, which began last Thursday.
Ahead of the carnival, organizers printed leaflets in Arabic and other languages explaining the event and stressing there would be zero tolerance by police over sexual assaults, the Deutsche Welle website reported.
Many of the assaults on New Year's Eve were blamed on migrants, especially from North Africa.
Other cities reported to have called off their Rose Monday parades because of the weather include Krefeld and Hagen.
German weather forecasters said a low-pressure system was expected to bring gales on Monday, with winds gusting at up to 100 km/h (60 mph) in places. Thunderstorms and heavy showers could also be expected.
Duesseldorf's carnival committee leader Michael Laumen told ARD TV that the gale warnings made it "simply too dangerous" to go ahead with the parade.

Summary: Traditional carnival parades have been called off in a number of west German cities and towns because of warnings of storms on Monday.
###
Article: The new rates will be implemented in October and will benefit a million workers.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said he had accepted a recommendation from the Low Pay Commission that the minimum wage should increase by 3%.
It is the first time in six years that the rise will be higher than inflation.
The rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will go up by 10p to £5.13 an hour, a 2% increase.
The rate for those aged 16 and 17 will rise by 7p to £3.79, also a 2% rise.
Apprentices will earn an extra 5p an hour, taking their wages to at least £2.73.
The consumer prices index (CPI) rate of inflation is currently 1.9%.
"The recommendations I have accepted today mean that low-paid workers will enjoy the biggest cash increase in their take-home pay since 2008," said Mr Cable.
He also suggested that all companies should consider helping their staff to share in the fruits of an improving economy.
"I urge businesses to consider how all their staff - not just those on the minimum wage - can enjoy the benefits of recovery," he said.
Meanwhile, the man who set up the minimum wage 15 years ago, said it is in need of major reform.
Professor Sir George Bain, founding chair of the Low Pay Commission, said the benchmark was a "child of its times" when launched in 1999.
But speaking to BBC Newsnight on Wednesday, he said it had become a "blunt instrument" and that many employers could now afford to pay their workers much more.
"If you set it at the 'living wage', which is about £7.65 an hour, you would cause massive unemployment in areas like retail and social care," Sir George added.
"But there's only about five sectors where this is true. There's a whole range of sectors where you could easily afford to pay more than the minimum wage."
Sir George, who has chaired a review of the minimum wage for think-tank the Resolution Foundation, also said there should be a "special case for London to have a higher national minimum".
His report also recommends that the Low Pay Commission give longer-term forecasts for the benchmark, to help employers...

Summary: The national minimum wage will increase by 19p an hour to £6.50, the government has announced.
###
Article: Militia groups aligned to the UN-brokered Libyan Government of National Accord launched an operation in May to rid Sirte of IS and regain control of the city. The battle to expel the jihadists has achieved more success recently with the help of US air strikes.
It has damaged the jihadists, but does not spell the end for their presence in the country.
Losing Sirte is a blow to the group's image. In its propaganda, IS had repeatedly portrayed the city, close to western Europe, as a key position outside of its main areas of operation in Iraq and Syria.
IS turned key buildings in Sirte into its own institutions and prisons, and used the local radio station to air its propaganda.
The city, which was the birthplace of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, also brought IS close to Libya's oil-rich area.
No, but it is still present elsewhere in the country.
Its militants have long been fighting other forces in pockets of Libya's second city, Benghazi, and have recently launched several attacks on its western outskirts.
IS took complete control of Sirte in June 2015 after it was pushed out of its initial stronghold of Derna in Libya's far east by rival militias aligned with al-Qaeda
There are no reliable figures about the number of IS militants in Libya but it is estimated that the group has about 5,000 fighters in the country, many of who were thought to have been deployed in Sirte.
Caught on the back foot, the group may initially dissolve into desert areas and revert to earlier tactics.
Before it lost Derna, the group made its presence felt elsewhere in Libya by carrying out repeated bombings in the key cities of Tripoli and Benghazi, as well as of oil installations partly run by Western companies.
And now, putting up resistance as it loses the battle in Sirte, IS has again been employing suicide bombings as a means of attack.
Some believe IS fighters might flee to remote areas in the south. If they choose this route, they could head for the Sahel-Sahara area, where other jihadists are present and operate relatively...

Summary: Militants of so-called Islamic State (IS) are on the verge of being ousted completely from their stronghold in Libya's central coastal city of Sirte.
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Article: The deal followed talks between the EU and Norway.
It was agreed that the total allowable catch (TAC) for cod can increase by 15% and North Sea herring by 16%.
Haddock catches have been given a 30% boost with an extra 17% for vessels affected by the discard ban, taking the total increase to 47%.
Scottish Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "These significant increases for both haddock and cod, in line with scientific advice, are good news for the fishing industry.
"Following a year which saw landings up by nearly a fifth and revenues worth over Â£500m these increases in quota mean fishermen can further boost catch and profits and could be worth over Â£15m.
"This will also help the fleet manage the discard ban, which will stop dead haddock being thrown back into the sea, which will in turn improve the stocks of fish."
Conservative MEP for Scotland Ian Duncan said decisions for every species have yet to be taken, but he voiced his delight with the outcome reached on Friday.
He said: "Let me be clear, on the whole this is a fantastic result for the Scottish fishing industry and I pay tribute to them and all the hard work and pain they have endured over the last decade or so to be in a position today that sees cod TAC increase by 15% to 27,930 tonnes in EU waters.
"Considering where we were not that long ago, this in itself would be incredible.
"But the news for haddock; an increase of almost 50% and north sea herring; an increase of 16% on top of the cod figures leaves the industry in very good heart this evening."
Bertie Armstrong, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, said: "This agreement reflects the healthy nature of our stocks and will bring some welcome relief to our hardworking fishermen who are committed to a sustainable future.
"Challenges remain, and while the quota uplift for haddock and other stocks to cope with the discard ban will be welcomed, only time and a great deal of effort from fisheries managers, the Scottish fleet and the supply chain as whole will help ensure the...

Summary: Significant increases in fishing quotas for Scottish fishermen have been agreed for key stocks next year, according to ministers.
###
Article: The service is available to Three customers travelling to the Republic of Ireland, Australia, Italy, Austria, Hong Kong, Sweden and Denmark.
European authorities have been clamping down on roaming charges.
But Three is the first network to abolish them altogether, albeit in selected countries, where it has sister networks.
Three says customers on a pay monthly contract would be able to use their allowances of free minutes, texts and data with no extra charges for being abroad.
However, those on unlimited plans will be subject to some restrictions.
In a press release, Thomas Malleschitz, marketing director at Three, said: "By abolishing expensive roaming charges in select countries, we are allowing our customers to get even more value from their minutes, texts and data abroad by removing the fear associated with staying in touch while travelling."
Analysts say that other operators of mobile phone networks are likely to follow Three's lead, particularly those who already have a presence in other countries.
Matthew Howett, a senior analyst at consultancy firm Ovum, says the deal from Three is also interesting because it applies to nations outside the European Union, where there has been pressure from authorities to lower roaming charges.
"Reducing roaming charges outside of that bloc will welcomed by many, since prices have remained stubbornly high in some countries," he said.

Summary:


Ten retired senior military officers have written to the prime minister to voice their concerns over the loss of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal.

Article: The England and Wales Cricket Board is considering the proposals, which are designed to encourage counties to produce a better standard of pitches.
"I'm all for playing on wickets where there's no advantage to batting or bowling first," said Morgan.
"It poses challenges for the batters, more so towards the end of the game."
Morgan, whose side are preparing for a three-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan, also believes the proposals - which are likely to be trialled in Division Two of the domestic four-day game - would encourage spin bowlers.
"If it's to improve the standard of wickets that we play on, and potentially produce a couple of wickets where spin might be conducive to that particular ground, I think absolutely," Morgan, 29, told BBC Test Match Special.
"The benefit in county cricket might not be at the very beginning, but potentially for younger guys coming through - they'll develop different skills which will in turn give them a greater base, if they do get picked for England, to play around the world and do it successfully."
England's Twenty20 side are beginning to focus on the World T20, which is being held in India in March, and play the first of three matches against Pakistan on Thursday.
They have only played twice in this format in 2015, but have beaten India, New Zealand and Australia in their last three matches.
They have a good record against Pakistan, winning seven of their 10 meetings against the 2009 world champions, and enter the contest having won the the one-day international series which preceded it 3-1.
"The formula we play with in ODI cricket, and the aggression we play with, actually complements our T20 team," said Morgan.
"There's not a great deal of change in personnel for this series which is encouraging because the cricket we have been playing in the ODIs will hopefully rub off on the T20 side. I like to think the skills are transferrable, especially with the bat.
"It's a learning curve for us and if we can start the series well, our learning will increase rather than if we...

Summary: England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan believes plans to scrap the toss in some County Championship games next season will benefit the national team.
###
Article: The revered 82-year-old emperor's comments came in only his second-ever televised address to the public.
Emperor Akihito did not explicitly say he wanted to abdicate as he is barred from making political statements.
PM Shinzo Abe said the government would take the remarks "seriously" and discuss what could be done.
"Upon reflecting how he handles his official duty and so on, his age and the current situation of how he works, I do respect the heavy responsibility the emperor must be feeling and I believe we need to think hard about what we can do," he said.
Akihito, who has had heart surgery and was treated for prostate cancer, has been on the throne in Japan since the death of his father, Hirohito, in 1989.
In his 10-minute pre-recorded message, he said he had "started to reflect" on his years as as emperor, and contemplate his position in the years to come.
Why can't the emperor abdicate? Abdication is not mentioned under Japan's existing laws, so they would need to be changed for the emperor to be able to stand down. The changes would also have to be approved by parliament.
What do the public think? Most support the emperor's desire to step down - a recent survey by the Kyodo news agency found more than 85% saying abdication should be legalised. But the move is opposed by some more conservative sections of Japanese society.
Is this the first time a revision of the law has been discussed? A debate about whether or not a woman would be able to ascend the throne was triggered in 2006 when the emperor had no grandsons, but was postponed after a boy was born to the imperial family.
What does the emperor do? The emperor has no political powers but has several official duties, such as greeting foreign dignitaries. Japan's monarchy is entwined in the Shinto religion and the emperor still performs religious ceremonies. He also plants and harvests a small rice paddy inside the palace while the empress raises silkworms.
If he were to abdicate, it would be the first time a Japanese emperor has stepped down since...

Summary: Japan's Emperor Akihito has strongly indicated he wants to step down, saying he fears his age will make it difficult to fulfil his duties.
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Article: B2Space and Snowdonia Aerospace Centre want to create 93 specialist jobs at Llanbedr airfield, Gwynedd.
The number is based on it launching 30 satellites a year by 2020 for purposes including tracking changes to the environment and coastlines.
The former military airfield is also one of eight shortlisted by the UK government to launch commercial space flights.
B2Space's Valentin Canales said about 3,000 micro satellites will need launching in the next five years as we "use space in a way that hasn't been considered before".
His firm and the aerospace centre have bid for grants totalling £10m to make the field, near Harlech, a key UK site for this.
Other possible uses for them include providing communications to remote areas or for natural disaster management.
"Wales is already a centre of excellence for aerospace manufacturing and has the physical and intellectual infrastructure to support the growing space market," said Mr Canales.
His firm will relocate from Bristol to Llanbedr if the project is successful in providing people, companies and organisations with access to small satellites.
A spokesman for the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre said the development of a low-cost satellite launch operation will be a catalyst for innovation and jobs.
"The project has the potential to attract technology, research, and investment from around the world," added John Idris Jones, chairman of Snowdonia Enterprise Zone.
"The development means lots of opportunities for the north Wales supply chain and will provide a real boost to the wider Wales space sector."
Llanbedr has also bid to become the UK's first commercial passenger spaceport and bids for £10m funding were submitted to the UK Space Agency in April.

Summary: Satellites could soon be launched into space from Snowdonia.
###
Article: The European Commission's plan for standard time limits for flying will now come into force across the EU.
The transport committee rejected the plan last week, after safety concerns were raised by the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) and others.
But the changes have broad support from member governments, including the UK.
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also backed the plans.
The transport committee's recommendation to dismiss the new rules was rejected by 387 MEPs, with 218 voting in favour and 66 abstaining.
Balpa argues the proposals could mean some aircrews fly for longer, with more risk of pilots falling asleep at the controls.
However, EU officials insist the new rules will boost safety standards and ensure that all European airlines have the same maximum time limits for flying.
Under the new act
There has been a huge row over whether the proposals really will make flying safer, the BBC's Duncan Crawford reports from Strasbourg.
Balpa argues that loopholes in the proposals could result in British aircrews being on shift for longer, with pilots potentially being awake for 22 hours before needing to land an aircraft.
The group is concerned that the new limits lower existing UK standards - saying that, for instance, crews might have to do up to seven 05:00 starts in a row, up from three.
The maximum of 1,000 flying hours is an increase on the current 900 that applies in Britain - though airlines will be free to stick to the 900 if they wish.
Jim McAuslan, Balpa's secretary general, said after the vote: "British pilots want to make every flight a safe flight and are deeply concerned that these unsafe new EU rules will put the lives of passengers at risk."
He accused the British government and CAA of forcing through the new regulations.
"Passengers and pilots deserve flight safety rules based on rigorous science and evidence, not secret dodgy deal-making in Strasbourg, which will mean that Britain no longer has the safest skies in Europe," he said.
That claim has been dismissed as a...

Summary: The European Parliament has backed a bill to regulate pilots' working hours despite its rejection by their own transport committee.
###
Article: A former field marshal, three generals and six admirals say the loss of Ark Royal and its fleet of Harrier jets has damaged Britain's defence capabilities.
They say Britain can no longer mount amphibious operations without putting troops' lives at "considerable risk".
Defence Secretary Liam Fox has defended the "difficult decisions".
The BBC's defence correspondent, Jonathan Beale, said the letter, which was leaked to the Daily Telegraph, raises questions about what military rescue operation forces could mount in the future.
In December, Dr Fox announced that the frigate sent to evacuate British nationals from Libya - HMS Cumberland - is to be decommissioned in April, following the strategic defence and security review (SDSR).
Our correspondent says this is not the first time former military top brass have warned that recent cuts in the armed forces have left Britain dangerously exposed.
Labour has already called for the defence review to be reopened in light of events in Egypt, Bahrain and Libya.
The letter - written before the current evacuation operation in Libya - is signed by, among others, Field Marshal Lord Bramall, a former chief of the defence staff; Maj Gen Julian Thompson and Adm Sir Jeremy Black, who commanded the carrier Invincible during the Falklands conflict.
Dr Fox insists Britain still has the "right military assets" in place to respond to crises.
But this group of former military commanders is calling on the prime minister to reassess the decisions made in the defence review.
They have called for a re-evaluation of the SDSR, which they say is "unduly trusting in an uncertain, fast-moving and dangerous world".
However Dr Fox defended the steps taken to tackle the Â£38bn deficit left by Labour and said the review would not be reopened.
"For our future carrier strike capability, it makes strategic sense to move towards greater inter-operability with the US and France and installing catapult and arrestor gear will deliver this.
"Sustaining both Tornado and Harrier would be prohibitively...

Summary:


A woman thought her husband had "lost the plot" when he woke her up to tell her there was a raccoon on their roof.

Article: He added that "the buck must stop" with LTA chief executive Michael Downey, who he says has done "a poor job".
Following Great Britain's Davis Cup victory, Andy Murray said that speaking to the LTA about the future of British tennis is a waste of his time.
"The LTA do not run the game very well. They haven't for many, many, many years," Lloyd told BBC World Service.
"They have poor management, poor systems."
The former Davis Cup captain and successful businessman said the LTA had invested millions "but not in the right places".
LTA boss Downey said in a statement on Tuesday: "We value the opinions of all of our players on how we grow the game in Britain and our door is always open to Andy, Dan [Evans], Dom [Inglot], James [Ward], Jamie [Murray] and Kyle [Edmund] to hear their views and work collaboratively with them and all of our partners."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Murray criticised British tennis' governing body after inspiring his country's first Davis Cup win in 79 years against Belgium in Ghent over the weekend.
The 28-year-old said he "did not know where the next generation are" and that on a visit to the National Tennis Centre (NTC) in October he found "not one person using any of the indoor courts and not one person in the gym".
Lloyd, 67, who accused Murray of not putting enough back into the British game before the Davis Cup final, said it is "fantastic" that the Scot spoke out as he has "enormous power in controlling the way the game should be run".
"Someone must take the blame," Lloyd added. "Bob Brett was hired [as director of player development] and then left within a year, not because he wasn't good but he was in the wrong job. They hired him for a job that he can't do.
"You've got to put people in the right positions if you're running a company. The buck has to stop at the chief executive's door. He has done a poor job."
Lloyd, who says he twice applied for the LTA chief executive job but was turned down on both occasions, believes the governing body squanders the annual...

Summary: British tennis is "a mess" and the Lawn Tennis Association must make changes, says former player David Lloyd.
###
Article: Mairead McCallion was taken into police custody and her partner was arrested in 2014 after he allegedly attacked her.
She was rushed to hospital hours later after being sick in the back of a police car, and died the next day.
A Police Ombudsman's report says the officers failed in their duty of care.
It says they did not alert a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) doctor who examined her that Ms McCallion, from Omagh in County Tyrone, had claimed to have suffered a head injury.
This was in spite of the fact police officers are taught to immediately seek medical attention when dealing with a possible head injury.
The family of 36-year-old Ms McCallion said they believe she might still be alive if the doctor had been alerted and she had been taken to hospital immediately.
"She told the police officers her partner had pulled her hair, banged her head against the wall and threw her into the garden," her sister Patricia O'Brien said.
"She had clumps of hair visibly hanging off her shoulders - that should have been taken very seriously.
"Had that have been taken seriously, Mairead should have been given urgent medical attention.
"That did not happen."
Ms McCallion had previously suffered domestic abuse, and had been drinking on the day she told officers she had been assaulted in February 2014.
The Police Ombudsman's report says that made it even more important that a PSNI doctor who examined her at Omagh police station was told about her head injury claims.
As part of their training, police officers are told that alcohol consumption can mask symptoms of a head injury such as slurred speech.
The officers who spoke to Ms McCallion when she claimed to have been assaulted told the ombudsman's investigators that they assumed she would make the doctor aware of her head injury.
The ombudsman says that was wrong, and they had a duty to inform the doctor and other colleagues.
"It was inappropriate that the officers put the onus on Mairead to pass on the details of her injuries in an unfamiliar setting to an unfamiliar...

Summary: Two police officers have been disciplined for not seeking medical attention for a woman who died after telling them her head had been hit against a wall during an assault.
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Article: A study of 99 men attending a US fertility clinic found those eating junk food diets had poorer sperm quality.
High intakes of omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and plant oils, were associated with higher sperm concentration.
More work is needed to confirm the findings, the researchers report in the journalHuman Reproduction.
The team, led by Prof Jill Attaman from Harvard Medical School in Boston, questioned men about their diet and analysed sperm samples over the course of four years.
Compared with those eating the least fat, men with the highest fat intake had a 43% lower sperm count and 38% lower sperm concentration (number of sperm per unit volume of semen).
Men consuming the most omega-3 fatty acids had sperm with a more normal structure than men with the lowest intake.
Prof Attaman said: "The magnitude of the association is quite dramatic and provides further support for the health efforts to limit consumption of saturated fat given their relation with other health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease."
However, 71% of participants were overweight or obese, which could have had an impact on sperm quality. Furthermore, none of the men had sperm counts or concentrations below the "normal" levels defined by the World Health Organization of at least 39 million and 15 million per millilitre.
Commenting on the research, British fertility expert Dr Allan Pacey, of the University of Sheffield, said: "This is a relatively small study showing an association between dietary intake of saturated fats and semen quality.
"Perhaps unsurprisingly there appeared to be a reasonable association between the two, with men who ate the highest levels of saturated fats having the lowest sperm counts and those eating the most omega-3 polyunsaturated fats having the highest.
"Importantly, the study does not show that one causes the other and further work needs to be carried out to clarify this. But it does add weight to the argument that having a good healthy diet may benefit male fertility as well as being good general...

Summary: A diet high in saturated fat has been linked with a reduced sperm count.
###
Article: It has sold more than 680,000 copies in its first three days alone, beating Fifty Shades of Grey which sold 664,478 in a single week in 2012.
At its current rate, it is on track to become the second biggest single-week sales for a book since records began.
That title is currently held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, according to The Bookseller.
The final novel in the Potter series sold 1.8 million copies - as well as 780,000 copies of the version aimed at adults - in its launch week in July 2007.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has also become the fastest-selling script book, said publishers Little, Brown.
Meanwhile, the script has also sold more than two million print copies in North America in its first two days, according to publishers Scholastic.
Reviewers have complained the script is an "incomplete experience" as the story "demands to be seen", but theatre critics awarded the play five-star reviews.
The stage production in London's West End is currently sold out, but a new batch of 250,000 tickets is being released on Thursday.
Written by Jack Thorne and approved by Potter author JK Rowling, the production focuses on Harry and Draco Malfoy's sons - Albus and Scorpius.
Kate Skipper, buying director at Waterstones, said she was certain the script would be the chain's "biggest book of the year".
She said: "Our sales for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script book have been phenomenal. We saw our biggest first day figures since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in 2007 and after just two days' sales Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is already our biggest-selling hardback since Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol in 2009.
"By the end of this first week, we expect to exceed The Lost Symbol sales and to match the lifetime sales of our bestselling script book ever, An Inspector Calls by JB Priestley."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram at bbcnewsents, or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child script has become the fastest-selling book in the UK this decade.
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Article: The runaway critter was spotted on top of the house in Cambridgeshire.
Fenland Animal Rescue was called in, but it was "a bit of a wrestle as he was not the friendliest of raccoons", said the charity's Josh Flanagan.
"That said, I've never met one before, and we don't train in raccoon rescue techniques," he added. They are hoping to locate the animal's owner.
Click here for more news from Cambridgeshire
"Raccoons aren't native to this country, so he must have escaped from somewhere," Mr Flanagan said.
"You can imagine their surprise when the householders saw one on their roof.
"The woman thought her husband had lost the plot, but when she looked out, there it was, staring back at her through the window."
With the animal jumping from the house to a garden shed roof, it was a short game of "cat and mouse" as Mr Flanagan tried to catch him.
"At one point I was sat on the rooftop with him, and we were both eating bananas. I don't think I'll ever experience anything like that again, but it's why I do this job," he said.
Eventually the animal was brought down safely, using a control pole.
A few days after its ordeal, the racoon is settling in - but "causing havoc" - at the rescue centre's Whittlesey base.
"He's a devilish boy, a bit vicious," Mr Flanagan said. "They look all cute and adorable, but they're not."
If no one comes forward to claim him, he will be moved to a specialist rescue centre "where he can live his life in a safe and secure environment with other raccoons to call friends".

Summary:


Leicester Cathedral has defended its decision to stage Shakespeare's Richard III a few feet from the monarch's final resting place.

Article: Regulators say the reforms will end the phenomenon of "too big to fail" banks.
The proposals, set out by global financial regulators are designed to avoid the need for taxpayers to bail out the banks in a future crisis.
Instead investors will be required to accept a loss on their investments.
Leaders of the G20 group of nations will be asked to endorse the reforms.
Under the proposals drawn up by the Financial Stability Board (FSB), chaired by UK Bank of England governor Mark Carney, banks will be required to issue "buffer bonds" by 2019 equivalent to 16% of the risk-weighted assets they hold, rising to 18% in 2022. Such assets can include government debt and cash.
In the event of a financial crisis the value of those bonds could be written down and used to raise funds for the bank.
As a result investors in those bonds would bear the burden of keeping the bank solvent by taking a "haircut" or loss on their investments.
The reform means investors will be the first to take a financial loss before taxpayers are asked to bail out the bank in question.
The "buffer bonds" are the last major reform to be announced by the FSB since the G20 tasked it with introducing changes to the regulate the banking industry in 2009.
The FSB has since increased bank capital requirements and imposed restrictions on bankers' bonuses.
Mr Carney said many key reforms have already been implemented.
"As a consequence, the financing capacity to the real economy is being rebuilt and significant retrenchment from international activity has been avoided," Mr Carney said in a letter to G20 leaders ahead of their summit next week.
The FSB believes the reforms will allow a big bank to fail without creating the level of panic in financial markets after Lehman Brothers went under in 2008.
The "buffer bonds", known as Total Loss-Absorbing Capacity or TLAC, are on top of the minimum core capital requirements a bank must already hold.
The FSB is also assessing the risks to financial stability from the activities of big asset managers and said it...

Summary: The world's top 30 banks will be required to issue "buffer bonds" as the final part of reforms designed to prevent a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis.
###
Article: Malcolm Beer made his comments ahead of a Windsor council aviation forum later.
He said a third runway north-west of the airport could create the need to use greenbelt land for housing.
A Heathrow spokesman said: "There will be little or no need for additional house-building over and above current local authority plans."
The housing concern comes after a recent report by the Airport Commission, which stated the Heathrow expansion would create between 47,400 and 112,400 jobs by 2030, which in turn would require an extra 29,800 to 70,800 homes to be created in the surrounding area, including Windsor, Slough and London boroughs.
Mr Beer said "anxious" Windsor residents associations would be organising a public meeting in the next 10 days ahead of the commission's public consultation deadline on 3 February.
Mr Beer, who is on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Borough aviation forum committee, said: "We have an enormous housing problem in the area.
"We are having a real problem considering if we have to release greenbelt land for housing, which is an unpopular suggestion.
"Apart from the noise, the whole area will be urbanised - that's what a lot of people don't realise.
"The impact will be felt across the Thames Valley - it's commercial greed gone mad."
The borough council forum will present its own residents' poll plans after a Heathrow report stated most residents were in favour of expansion.
The Heathrow spokesman said the expansion plans would benefit 700,000 existing residents in the area "who are unemployed, under-employed or are commuting out of the area at present".
The aviation forum takes place at 19:00 GMT at The Guildhall Chamber, Windsor.

Summary: Creating up to 70,800 homes if Heathrow expansion plans go ahead would cause "absolute turmoil", a Windsor councillor has said.
###
Article: She was a regular and enthusiastic visitor to Glamis Castle in Angus, the home of her mother's family, as she revealed in a letter to her grandparents.
"Darling Granny: Thank you very, very much for having us to stay with you at Glamis.
"It was one of the happiest weeks I have ever spent.
"With lots of love, from Lillibet."
That letter was written when the Queen was 11 and staying at Balmoral Castle, another of her favourite places.
Scotland has always also played a significant role in her Royal duties.
When she became Queen, on the death of her father King George VI, one of her first official tasks was to plant a cherry tree at the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, the parish church for the Palace of Holyrood House.
And after the Coronation, the first to be televised live, huge crowds lined the streets of the Scottish capital as she received the Honours of Scotland - the Scottish crown, sceptre and sword of state.
When she travelled to Glasgow, the city's George Square was so packed with well-wishers that 300 people were injured in the crush.
But Richard Finlay, professor of History at Strathclyde University, said there was also controversy during the early years of the Queen's reign.
"There was the optimism because she was young, it was after the war, she represented youth and hope and aspiration.
"But her Royal advisors put their foot in it by insisting on the numeral two, and of course there hadn't been an Elizabeth who was Queen of Scotland before.
"And many middle class Scots got quite irate about this, because it was seen to be ignoring Scottish history."
He said there were attempts to blow up pillar boxes with the EIIR emblem on them and anger when, in a Christmas message from New Zealand, the Queen described herself as Queen of England.
Over the years, affection for the monarch, and interest in her visits to Scotland have waxed and waned.
But Professor Christopher Smout, the Historiographer Royal, told the BBC the Queen has embraced the new Scotland and has opened each session of the new Holyrood...

Summary: Scotland has held a special place in the Queen's affections from a very young age.
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Article: Keen to get retailers on board, Facebook is sending out free Bluetooth beacon devices to firms that request them.
Other tech companies, including Apple, have experimented with similar systems.
One marketing expert told the BBC it is important the systems do not become "intrusive".
Facebook has been conducting a trial of Place Tips in New York City since the start of the year, where more than 100 businesses have taken part.
Currently it only works with Apple devices, but a version that supports smartphones powered by Google's Android operating system is being developed.
The social network has now announced it is rolling out Place Tips across the US, but has not said when it plans to bring the system to other parts of the world.
Once a business - such as a coffee shop or restaurant - sets up a beacon, it can detect when a Facebook user is within a set distance.
The beacon can then send "fun, useful and relevant" information into the user's News Feed.
According to Facebook's explanation page, this information could include content posted by friends in the same place, as well as popular menu items and upcoming events.
The page notes that the feature can be turned off.
Aaron Wachsstock, a digital content strategist at the Virginia-based Borenstein Group, told the BBC that Facebook would need to be careful in how it allowed information to be sent out.
"I can definitely see the potential, but I can also see how people could feel it is intrusive.
"If people get all these messages when they enter a store, they could view it as spam."
Facebook told the BBC that companies would not yet be able to use the service to advertise, but that this position may change in the future.
The social network was also keen to stress that information sharing is "one way".
"The beacons don't collect any information from people or their phones or change the kind of location information Facebook receives," the company explained.
Apple's own beacon technology - iBeacon - is also currently being tested by businesses around the world,...

Summary: Facebook has begun a roll-out of Place Tips - a system allowing businesses to send updates to a person's smartphone when they are nearby.
###
Article: The Richard III Society branded the decision as a "monumental mistake" which would be "humiliating" to the king.
However, the Very Revd David Monteith, Dean of Leicester, said the play would be "sensitive" towards him.
He was reburied at the cathedral in 2015 in a specially designed tomb.
The remains of the last Plantagenet monarch were placed under the cathedral two years ago, after they were discovered under a car park in the city in 2012.
Shakespeare's play is critical of the king, calling him a "poisonous bunch-back'd toad."
Philippa Langley, from the Richard III Society, is not against the play but is opposed to it being performed in Leicester Cathedral.
"To perform this play right beside this man's grave is quite frankly, a deliberate humiliation," she said.
"This is not what the great city of Leicester and its people is about."
Source: Royal Shakespeare Company
The Cathedral has said the show will go ahead as planned in July, despite the criticism.
"King Richard III lies in peace," Revd David Monteith told BBC East Midlands Today.
"What we now know is that he belongs to the whole nation and not just to one section of people particularly committed to his story.
"I've heard most people say how glad they are that Richard III, the Shakespeare play, will be performed here."
The play will also be performed at Peterborough, Ely, Gloucester, Bristol and Salisbury cathedrals in July.

Summary:


The Scottish government has confirmed that it is to hold a public consultation on the Borders Railway.
The consultation will be held in the autumn.
The Scottish government said that it would be looking at the feasibility of extending the railway to Hawick and Carlisle.
The Borders Railway is expected to open in September.

Transport officials from the Scottish government have held talks on the possibility of extending the Borders Railway beyond Tweedbank.

Article: The EC's doubts about the arrangement were detailed in a document on Friday.
The EC said that its "preliminary view is that the tax ruling... by Luxembourg in favour of Amazon constitutes state aid."
However, Amazon said it "has received no special tax treatment from Luxembourg".
"We are subject to the same tax laws as other companies operating here [in Luxembourg]," it said.
The Luxembourg finance ministry said: "Luxembourg is confident that the state aid allegations in this case are without merit and will be able to convince the Commission of the legitimacy of the anticipatory decision in question and that no competitive advantage was granted," it said.
The European Commission began a probe of the tax arrangement last year, saying that it had suspicions it broke EU rules.
The Commission document, which was sent to the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs in October, gives its rationale for launching the investigation.
The Commission said it had "no indication" that the tax arrangement was "compatible with the internal market".
The current European Commission chief, Jean-Claude Juncker, was prime minister of Luxembourg when the deal was struck.
Mr Juncker has come under pressure over claims that around 340 global companies were granted tax  avoidance deals during his 18 year tenure in Luxembourg.
Commission doubts over the Amazon deal included whether Luxembourg had properly looked into Amazon's "transfer pricing" proposals about how money would be moved between different Amazon subsidiaries.
Doubts also existed about whether the country had assessed that the proposed tax regime was in line with market conditions before agreeing the deal in 2003, the European Commission document said.
The Commission also had questions about how royalty payments between certain Amazon companies were calculated, and whether "Amazon has a financial incentive to exaggerate the amount of the royalty" between its Luxembourg head office company and an Amazon firm that holds shares in the head office company.
"If the royalty is...

Summary: The European Commission has disclosed a preliminary finding that Amazon's tax arrangements in Luxembourg probably constitute "state aid".
###
Article: In 2013, 284 out of every 100,000 people died from cancer. In 2003, it was 312. Improvements in diagnosis and treatment are thought to be the reason.
The death rate for men fell 12% and for women by 8%, narrowing the gender gap.
But the actual number of cancer deaths rose - from 155,000 in 2003 to 162,000 in 2013 - as more people live longer and develop the disease in old age.
"The population is growing, and more of us are living longer," Cancer Research UK chief executive Sir Harpal Kumar said.
Almost half of all the cancer deaths in 2013 were from lung, bowel, breast or prostate cancer.
Although the combined death rate for these four cancers had dropped by about 11% over the past 10 years, some other cancers, such as liver and pancreatic, had increased death rates.
Sir Harpal said: "Too many people are still being diagnosed with and dying from cancer, not just here in the UK but around the world."
He said CRUK was focusing research on how to achieve earlier diagnosis and manage hard-to-treat cancers.
"Our scientists are developing new tests, surgical and radiotherapy techniques, and drugs," he said.
"It's important to celebrate how much things have improved, but also to renew our commitment to saving the lives of more cancer patients."
Cancer Research UK compiled the cancer death rate data, which was taken from cancer registries in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Summary: Cancer death rates in the UK have fallen by about 10% in the past 10 years, the latest figures show.
###
Article: Helen Carmichael is a councillor for Highland Council's Aird and Loch Ness ward.
The earliest reference to a provost of Inverness was a "provost junor" in the 1400s.
In another first for the historic position, Ms Carmichael is also leader of the council's Inverness and Area district.
It had previously been a separate post but has been merged with the role of provost.

Summary: A woman has been elected provost of Inverness for the first time in the 600-year history of the civic role.
###
Article: They pressed for extra capacity at Tweedbank to cope with charter trains.
The Campaign for Borders Railway said that an original "downbeat verdict" could have seen "an embarrassingly sub-optimal offer" for tourists.
The Scottish government said it had included communities and campaigners in the process of reopening the line.
The route between Edinburgh and Tweedbank in the Borders is to reopen next month.
CBR's UK Parliamentary Officer Nick Bethune said that a feasibility study in 2000 had not recognised the tourist potential of the route.
He said that, alongside the Waverley Route Trust, his organisation had argued "long and hard" for a bigger role for the railway.
He said research and lobbying, along with the efforts of MSP Claudia Beamish had prompted the "eleventh-hour decision" to authorise the extension of Tweedbank to accommodate 12-coach tourist charter trains.
He added that the scenic qualities of the route between Edinburgh and the Borders had since been "enthusiastically endorsed" by the transport minister at the time Keith Brown and former First Minister Alex Salmond.
"Our view is that the combination of a half-hourly ScotRail service plus charter trains from across Britain will be enormously attractive to the tourist market," he said.
He said it could bring "substantial new spend" to the Borders economy and Midlothian.
Mr Bethune also highlighted other tourism-related enhancements to the original rail specification which have been secured by CBR's campaigning.
He said those included saving the original Stow station building from demolition, better window and seat positioning and enhanced luggage and bike space.
"The reality is that if it hadn't been for rail campaigners' efforts this new railway would have provided an embarrassingly sub-optimal offer to the tourist market," he added.
A Scottish government spokesman said that, with less than two weeks until reopening the line, the excitement was now "palpable" along the route.
He said that the feasibility study in 2000 had been delivered under a...

Summary: Borders Railway campaigners have said they helped to avoid embarrassment for the Scottish government by highlighting the route's tourist potential.
###
Article: Infrastructure minister Keith Brown has confirmed that officers have discussed a feasibility study on linking the rail line with Carlisle, through Hawick.
News of the discussions emerged in response to a parliamentary question tabled by MSP Jim Hume.
The new 30-mile Borders Railway is expected to open in September.
In answer to Mr Hume's question, Mr Brown said the government had played an active part in taking forward the Borders Railway Blueprint for the Future.
He added: "Transport Scotland officials have already met with partners and offered initial advice on a scoping document which will explore the possibility of extending the Borders railway towards Hawick and Carlisle."
The announcement was welcomed by the Lib Dem MSP for the south of Scotland.
Mr Hume said: "I have no doubt that such a project would greatly benefit communities not just in the Borders but also in Dumfriesshire, and would draw even further on the already clear tourism opportunities from the line reaching Tweedbank.
"Local campaigners such as the Campaign for Borders Rail have kept the focus on this issue and this positive response from the Scottish government must now be the building blocks for progress on an extended rail link.
"I will continue to encourage Ministers to drive the initiative forward."

Summary:


Japan's Nikkei index closed lower, with shares in Toshiba sinking nearly 10% as the firm predicted record losses.

Article: They include a new setting that filters out age-inappropriate titles, so that youngsters do not see them in Google Play's market places.
The move was announced at the search giant's annual developers' conference.
It follows the firm's decision to hand over responsibility for age-rating its apps to a third party.
Google Play was created just over three years ago, and sells films, ebooks, music, magazines and apps for Android devices.
The store has more than one billion active users, and has recorded more than 50 billion app downloads over the last 12 months.
Last year's release of Android Lollipop added the ability to set up "restricted profiles", which can be used to prevent access to some apps, including the Play service itself.
The new update presents a version of Play that screens out potentially unsuitable content and highlights child-focused material.
Users will not, however, be locked into this version of the store, so parents may still wish to supervise their children's activity.
A new label will be used to flag titles that are ad-supported and new icons will provide information about the age range at which an app is targeted.
It coincides with a switchover to a new grading scheme run by the International Age Rating Coalition.
The body will issue age classifications based on an app's content - taking into account factors such as nudity, violence and references to gambling and drugs.
Unlike Google's earlier self-run system, the ratings will also be location-specific. So, an app might get a different grade for users in North America to those in Europe, Brazil or Australia.
Read more about how the new app rating scheme works
Google is also making other child-focused changes including:
"The character pages will include, for instance, Dora the Explorer where familiar icons can be associated with a broad range of content, including ebooks, TV and video," Mark Bennett, head of Google Play's Europe team, told the BBC.
"Parents will be able to go to those pages and their children explore the franchise."
The...

Summary: Google has added new features to its online media and app store to help parents ensure the content is suitable for children.
###
Article: Peter Neumark said he wanted to turn Classic Motor Cars Ltd in Shropshire into an employee-owned trust, meaning the 60 staff will own and run the firm.
It follows the John Lewis department store model, in which staff share benefits and profits from the business.
Mr Neumark said he "couldn't think of a better set of owners" to run the firm he started 23 years ago.
"If I keel over tomorrow - which I'm not planning to, but you never know - then it was important to me that this business had a good home and I can't think of a better set of owners than the employees themselves," he said.
The Bridgnorth-based company, which turned over more than Â£5m last year, has restored numerous classic vehicles, including many famous Jaguars.
New chairman, David Barzilay, it was important the skilled workforce was able to continue.
"Restoring cars in a traditional manner has been something of a dying art." he said.
"Classic Motors Cars is one of the companies that has brought that back from the brink.
"We have just over 60 people here but we have seven apprentices - one for every 10 members of staff - because we believe these skills are very important and should be maintained."
Mr Neumark said the move was "great for the staff, great for Shropshire and the West Midlands and great for the classic car world, which every year creates several billions for the British economy and is respected worldwide".

Summary: The founder of a classic car restoration company has given the business to his employees.
###
Article: The FTSE 100 in London closed down 2%, or 121 points, at 5,923 - the first time the index has been below the 6,000 mark since February.
The Cac in Paris sank 2.3%, while Frankfurt shed 1.4%.
Jitters sent the interest rate on 10-year bonds issued by the German government negative for the first time.
Recent opinion polls have suggested that there may be growing support for a Brexit vote in the 23 June referendum.
"Markets are on the verge of a full-blown panic sell-off due to rising probability of Brexit," said Rabobank analysts.
PVM Oil Associates analyst Tamas Varga said: "Safe havens are back in fashion. The thought process is that if the UK leaves the EU, then the EU might slip back into recession."
Markets were already jittery over the health of the global economy and worries over when the US may start raising interest rates.
A new survey from Bank of America Merrill Lynch showed fund managers were holding more cash than at any time since 2001 and have reduced the number of shares they own to four-year lows. "Globally, sentiment remains weak," the survey said.
How trade and the UK's economy are affected by membership of the EU.
Returns on 10-year UK government bonds fell by a significant amount - 0.06 percentage points - to a record low of 1.146%, while 20-year and 30-year "gilts" also dropped to record lows.
The decline in yields, or returns, for government bonds reflects strong demand from investors for a safe place to park their money.
In the case of Germany, the yield fell as low as minus 0.032% - meaning investors were prepared to pay, rather than be paid, to own "Bunds".
Luke Hickmore, co-manager of Aberdeen Asset Management's Strategic Bond Fund, said that Bund yields could fall as low as minus 0.1%: "This is just investors getting, very, very, very nervous about the way this [Brexit] vote is going to go."
Ulrich Kater, economist at DeKaBank, said the uncertainty about a possible Brexit was driving investors to the safe haven of German bonds. "The drop in yields below the zero mark once again shows...

Summary: Stock markets across Europe fell on Tuesday as investors weighed up the consequences of next week's EU referendum vote.
###
Article: Thousands of people joined a march and the rally in Trafalgar Square.
Labour leader Mr Corbyn said peace was not achieved by "planning for war", while Scottish First Minister Ms Sturgeon described Trident as "immoral" and "impractical".
The MoD estimates renewing the Trident system will cost Â£31bn over 20 years.
That involves acquiring four new submarines to carry the missiles, while a further Â£10bn has been earmarked for any unexpected costs.
Mr Corbyn told campaigners: "We live in a world where so many things are possible. Where peace is possible in so many places.
"You don't achieve peace by planning for war, grabbing resources and not respecting each other's human rights."
He added: "Today's demonstration is an expression of many people's opinions and views. I'm here because I believe in a nuclear-free Britain and a nuclear-free future."
Mr Corbyn has asked shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry to carry out a review of Labour defence policy, including its stance on Trident renewal.
The Labour leader supports unilateral disarmament but some members of the shadow cabinet, including shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn, are in favour of Trident.
SNP leader Ms Sturgeon said the norm in the world today was to be nuclear-free.
"It is the exception to the rule to possess nuclear weapons, let that message ring out loudly and clearly,"  she said.
"The use of Trident nuclear weapons would bring about human devastation and suffering on an unimaginable scale."
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood said: "The world has been and continues to be an unstable and unpredictable place but there are some values that we should hold on to through peace, through war, through instability and unpredictability.
"It is never acceptable, it is never justifiable to unleash weapons of mass destruction on a population. Nuclear weapons belong in the dustbin of history alongside the Cold War."
Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas described nuclear weapons as "a Cold War relic".
"To contemplate using nuclear weapons is both illegal and...

Summary: Politicians including Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon have condemned plans to renew the UK's Trident nuclear weapons system, at a London rally.
###
Article: The Nikkei 225 closed down 0.4% at 18,916.02, although the index had been as much as 1.6% in earlier trade.
Shares in Toshiba fell 9.8% on reports it was expecting record losses for the year to March.
After the market closed, Toshiba said it would cut 6,800 jobs at its consumer electronics division and report a record loss of 550bn yen ($4.53bn).
The news follows findings that Toshiba had overstated its operating profit for the past six years by a total of 151.8bn yen.
The US dollar fell to 121.20 yen, compared with last week's rate of 123 yen after the US rate rise, and the stronger yen weighed on Japan's major exporters.
Toyota shares closed down more than 1% and Honda ended down 0.7%. A stronger yen makes the products Japan's big exporters make more expensive to buy overseas.
Lower oil prices continued to weigh on energy-related shares. The price of Brent Crude fell to its lowest since 2004 in overnight trade to $36.17 a barrel, before recovering slightly to $36.49. West Texas Intermediate prices fell to $34.53 a barrel.
In China, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed up 0.2% at 21,791.68, while the Shanghai Composite index closed up 1.8% at 3,642.47 - a four week high.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 index recovered early losses to close just 0.05% higher at 5,109.05.
South Korea's benchmark Kospi index closed up 0.3% at 1,981.19.

Summary:


Bangladesh police say a top gay rights activist and editor at the country's only LGBT magazine is one of two people who have been hacked to death.

Article: Sickness levels have remained "fairly stable", but, anxiety and depression have risen since 2012, it added.
Its figures showed more than 700 days were lost to post-traumatic stress.
The force said life outside work was to blame and the figures "did not reflect the overall trend".
Nigel Rabbitts, chair of Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: "Our concern is that there has been a dramatic rise in some of the stress-related psychological disorders which coincides with the reduction in numbers.
"This needs further investigation and early intervention to protect officers and mitigate the cause and effect."
He said an operational shake-up and compulsory retirement over the past five years could also be behind the rise.
In a Freedom of Information request to Devon and Cornwall Police, it said at the end of March it had 2,851 full-time serving police officers, compared to 3,339 in March 2010.
However, if part-time officers and those seconded out of the force or on a career break were included, it would have 420 fewer officers, rather than almost 500, the force said.
The force has been cutting the number of officers because of spending shortfalls and savings plans.
Despite the fall in officers, the number of reported crimes that have ended in a conviction, caution, penalty notice or restorative justice, has stayed between 34% and 37% since April 2011.
Mr Rabbitts said: "With 500 less officers, the resilience within the system has gone.
"In the end, long-term sickness only builds further pressure on those still on the frontline."
Devon and Cornwall Police said the federation's figures did not include "a number of sub categories so did not truly reflect the overall trend".
Ch Supt Steve Swani said: "Devon and Cornwall Police recognise the demands our officers and staff face.
"Absence through psychological disorders has remained consistent.
"We monitor absence closely and we know from staff feedback and our providers, who deliver counselling support to staff, that the...

Summary: A "dramatic rise" in stress-related sickness in Devon and Cornwall Police has coincided with cuts of almost 500 officers, the force's police federation has said.
###
Article: Lords King, Blair, Carlile and West wanted measures on communications data, rejected by the Lib Dems in 2012, to be included in the bill, saying they were vital tools for combating terrorism.
But they withdrew their amendment and it did not go to a vote.
The counter-terrorism bill will give new powers to UK security services.
It will also allow the home secretary to impose temporary exclusion orders on British terror suspects.
The legislation had already cleared its first hurdle in the House of Lords, and undergone detailed scrutiny in committee.
During the first of two days of report-stage scrutiny, Lord King, a Conservative former defence secretary, said there was a "significant gap," exposed by the recent Paris shootings, which could be plugged by a temporary stop-gap measure.
But he said that without the required support the amendment to add communications data powers was doomed to fail.
He said: "We will lose an opportunity to put in place a temporary stop-gap measure that could have reduced the threat to our nation from terrorism at the present time.
"We just have to pray that we don't pay too high a price for that."
Along with former Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Blair, former Lib Dem independent reviewer of anti-terror laws Lord Carlile and former Labour security minister Lord West, Lord King wanted to add whole sections of the defeated Communications Data Bill to the counter-terrorism legislation.
The proposed amendments sought to require internet service providers to log more of what people do online and to make that data more easily accessible to law enforcement and security services.
They scaled back the number of agencies that could demand access to the data from the hundreds included in the original bill to just three: the police and the two security services.
Opponents of the so-called snoopers' charter say it would amount to mass surveillance of internet communications by the state.
The Counter Terrorism Bill also includes a requirement on universities and councils to take steps to...

Summary: A cross-party group of peers has dropped a second attempt to add the so-called "snoopers' charter" to the government's counter-terrorism bill.
###
Article: Independent councillor David Clifft said offences committed inside Featherstone Prison were skewing the perceived level of risk in Essington.
The national crime map did not distinguish between offences committed in jail and those outside it, he said.
Staffordshire Police said crime had fallen overall in the area since 2009.
Staffordshire Police investigated 30 crimes at Featherstone Prison in 2008-2009 compared to 24 and 16 in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.
South Staffordshire councillor Mr Clifft said: "We're calling for those crime stats to be kept separate and also for the Hilton Services crimes to be kept separate too.
"They don't give a true reflection of crime in Essington.
"Essington is quite a safe place to live."
He said the misleading information was having a negative impact on pensioners' insurance premiums.
June Smallman, from nearby Westcroft, said it was "unfair".
"I'm a pensioner. There are a lot of pensioners in Essington and the surrounding districts and when you are on a fixed income you've got to consider every aspect of money," she added.
Mr Clifft said police forces were also potentially misallocating their resources based on the area's skewed crime statistics.
"Police are obviously using their facilities on where it says the crime spots are and they are putting policing in Essington where it is not wanted and really it could better serve somewhere else."
He said with plans to expand Featherstone Prison for up to 2,000 inmates. the situation could get worse.
"Featherstone is soon to become a super prison, and obviously the crime stats are going to be a lot higher," he added.
Graeme Trudgill, from the British Insurance Brokers' Association, said a customer's claims history was still the most important factor in pricing any home or car insurance premiums.
He said there were many insurance providers and anyone who was unhappy with their current broker's service should shop around.

Summary: Crimes committed inside a south Staffordshire prison are adversely affecting home and car insurance in a nearby village, a councillor says.
###
Article: Speaking in Paris, he said the world could not be "silent spectators to slaughter" after Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons against its civilians.
The US accuses President Bashar al-Assad's forces of killing 1,429 people in a gas attack on 21 August.
EU foreign ministers say there should be no action before a UN report.
French President Francois Hollande, a key ally for the US on military action against Mr Assad, has said he expects the preliminary UN report into the incident to be submitted at the end of next week.
A G20 summit in Russia failed to produce international agreement on military action, with US President Barack Obama at odds with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who blames the gas attack on rebels.
Mr Obama has said any military action will be "limited both in time and scope - designed to deter the Syrian government from gassing its own people again and degrade its ability to do so".
Sources: CSIS, RUSI
Syria chemical attacks: What we know
Syria's chemical weapons stockpile
Q&A: Threatened strike on Syria
Syria crisis: Western military options
Syria's options in case of US strike
Some 100,000 people have been killed in the two-and-a-half-year-old Syrian conflict, according to the UN.
Mr Kerry, who is in Europe for a four-day visit, met his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Paris, where both men spoke of their determination to respond to the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Repeating a phrase he used earlier in the week, Mr Kerry said the international community was facing a "Munich moment" - a reference to the policy of appeasement that failed to stop Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
"We in the United States know, and our French partners know, that this is not the time to be silent spectators to slaughter," he said.
"This is the time to pursue a targeted and limited but clear and effective response that holds dictators like Bashar Assad responsible for the atrocities which they commit."
"There are a number of countries, in the double digits, who are prepared to take military action," Mr...

Summary: US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the number of states ready to take military action against Syria's government is in the "double digits".
###
Article: The US ambassador to Bangladesh condemned the killing of Xulhaz Mannan, who also worked at the US embassy.
Another person was also injured when the attackers entered a Dhaka flat.
Since February last year suspected militants have killed several secular or atheist writers and members of religious minority groups.
The two men were murdered two days after a university teacher was hacked to death by suspected Islamist militants.
So-called Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility - but the Bangladeshi government insists there is no IS presence in the country.
Lurching from secularism to sectarian terror?
Who is behind the Bangladesh killings?
"I am devastated by the brutal murder of Xulhaz Mannan and another young Bangladeshi," said US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat.
"We abhor this senseless act of violence and urge the government of Bangladesh in the strongest terms to apprehend the criminals behind these murders," she added.
BBC Bengali Service editor Sabir Mustafa said staff at Roopbaan, a magazine and activist group for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community that had not been condemned by the government and received some support from foreign embassies, had been careful to protect their identities but had not believed their lives were at risk.
Suspected extremists in Bangladesh are gaining a sense of security that they can carry out killings with impunity, he says.
A British photographer who knew Mr Mannan and the other victim, known as "Tonoy" and named in Bangladeshi media as Tanay Mojumdar, said they and other friends had set up Roopbaan with the aim of spreading tolerance.
Homosexuality is technically illegal in Bangladesh and remains a highly sensitive issue in society.
Both men were openly gay and believed that if more gay Bangladeshis came out then the country would have to accept them, the photographer, who asked not to be named, said.
They were also were behind the annual "Rainbow Rally", held on Bengali New Year, 14 April, since 2014. This year's rally was banned by police as part of...

Summary: