The Foreign Office has confirmed that a British man has died in Phuket.
The Foreign Office has confirmed that a British man has died in Phuket.
The Foreign Office has confirmed that a British man has died in Phuket.
The Foreign Office has confirmed that a British man has died in Ph

The Foreign Office says it is urgently investigating reports that a British man has died at a shooting range in Thailand.

Article: He said the quicker it began, the less likely the UK was to be "dragged down" should the Eurozone collapse.
The former SDP leader accused Downing Street of "manipulating the FTSE 500" to back the Remain campaign.
The Bank of England, the IMF and Barack Obama are among those to have warned about the impact of a British exit.
A Treasury analysis suggested the UK economy would be 6% smaller if it left the EU than it would otherwise be by 2030, which Chancellor George Osborne said would leave a £36bn hole in the public finances.
But in a speech in London, the former Labour foreign secretary and SDP leader Lord Owen said: "There is no fine calculus that can weigh up the consequences of either [remaining in the EU or leaving].
"Economics is not pure science, there are too many behavioural consequences to assess. Almost all the forecasts are ridiculously short-term."
The peer, who backed Britain's membership in the 1975 referendum, dismissed Treasury projections as "ridiculous".
He accused No 10 of "manipulating the FTSE 500 corporates" during EU negotiations - referring to a letter from the boss of Serco to David Cameron mentioning how EU support could be "mobilised" among some of the UK's largest firms.
Lord Owen said: "With few exceptions, the voices of doom we hear today were telling the British people 17 years ago we had to join the euro."
How trade and the UK's economy are affected by membership of the EU.
He added: "Technically anyone can always predict a short-term hit to the economy if one pre-supposes a big enough psychological or confidence set-back."
But he said in the long term, other factors were more which influenced the economy such as "the pace of technical change and other influences on 'total factor productivity'".
He suggested Britain could save £10bn a year - about £190m a week - by leaving.
Vote Leave's official position is that leaving the European Union would save £350m a week - a figure that has been criticised for not taking into account money which flows back to the UK from the EU.
The...

Summary: Vote Leave's Lord Owen has dismissed the "voices of doom" warning against Brexit and said the sooner the UK can quit the EU, the better.
###
Article: Local reports from the southern resort island of Phuket say a British man died after turning a pistol on himself.
The Foreign Office (FO) could not confirm the reports.
An FO spokesman said: "We are urgently working with the authorities in Thailand to establish whether a British national has died in Phuket."
The Bangkok Post, quoted a taxi driver who said the man had hailed him near a local resort and asked to be taken somewhere where he could shoot. He had shown no signs of stress while in the taxi, the driver said.

Summary:


The Supreme Court has ruled that the UK government cannot trigger Article 50 without the backing of MPs and peers.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the UK government cannot trigger Article 50 without the backing of MPs and peers.
The court also said UK ministers were "not legally compelled" to consult the devolved legislatures in Scotland

Westminster should listen to the assembly before triggering the Brexit process, the Welsh Government's top law officer has said.

Article: Mining firm Scotgold Resources extracted the gold from 2,400 tonnes of ore which was taken from Cononish mine near Tyndrum.
The gold was sold in "rounds" stamped with the Scottish Gold Mark and a unique serial number.
The average price was Â£4,557.9 per ounce, which Scotgold said was a premium of 378% over current prices.
Richard Gray, the chief executive officer of Scotgold, said: "This unique and historic event is the first demonstration of our ability to attract a premium for Scottish gold.
"The next opportunity to show the continued support for this precious metal from the Highlands will be the conclusion of agreements with members of the Scottish jewellery trade, who appreciate the value that can be added to their products by the proven provenance of the stag's head Scottish Gold Mark."
News of sales will be published in the New Year.
The gold rounds were minted by Baird & Co Bullion Merchants and sold in a sealed bid auction.
The Cononish project was first launched nearly a decade ago but has faced delays as a result of falls in the price of gold, lack of finance and problems with planning permission.
Scotgold has a licence to look for gold in an area covering more than 4,000 sq km of the Highlands, and is confident that other deposits similar to Cononish can be found.
The price of gold has recovered this year, having slumped from about $1,770 an ounce in August 2012 to just over $1,000 last December.

Summary: The first gold to be commercially mined in Scotland has been sold at auction in Edinburgh.
###
Article: Counsel General Mick Antoniw said he was "delighted" by the Supreme Court ruling against the UK government on Brexit.
The Supreme Court said UK ministers were "not legally compelled" to consult the assembly and that AMs have no veto.
Mr Antoniw said it is likely AMs would get a vote on the triggering process.
But he said it will not be a veto on leaving the EU.
AMs could decide to hold a vote in the assembly on article 50 if they feel that the legislation on article 50 affects devolution.
There is a convention - called the Sewel Convention - whereby the assembly has a say on legislation in Westminster that affects devolution in the form of a vote in the chamber.
But Tuesday's ruling that AMs do not have a veto on Brexit means that whether or not the vote has meaning will depend on the UK government's reaction.
Mr Antoniw told AMs on Tuesday: "As the Article 50 Bill proceeds through Parliament, we would expect the UK government to respect the Sewel Convention, so that Parliament has the opportunity to listen to the assembly and to the other devolved legislatures."
Mr Antoniw said there was "every likelihood of a vote (in the assembly) because a trigger bill will impact on Welsh legislation".
The court ruled Theresa May cannot trigger Article 50 - the formal exit process from the EU - without the backing of MPs and peers.
The court also said UK ministers were "not legally compelled" to consult the devolved legislatures in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Analysis by BBC Wales political correspondent Daniel Davies
It sounds like the eleven Supreme Court judges sent the Welsh Government packing.
They all agree: there's no legal reason for Theresa May to consult the assembly.
But there is a political reason for Parliament to listen. And if Parliament must vote on Brexit, it leaves the door ajar for the assembly to influence things.
That means there might be a vote in the assembly on triggering Article 50, as well as in Westminster.
I am also sorry to disappoint anyone who hopes that a vote in Cardiff Bay...

Summary:

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The number of people in England and Wales in arrears of more than 2.5% of their mortgage balance has fallen by 4% in the second quarter of the year, according to the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
The number of people in arrears of more than 2.5

The number of homes repossessed in the UK fell again in the second quarter of the year as fewer owners fell behind on mortgage repayments.

Article: But yesterday's announcement by Ed Miliband that as prime minister he would abolish non-dom status may well be the last nail in the coffin of a political approach - not quite an ideology - which had at its core the idea that it was better to get the wealthy and powerful in the tent, rather than doing what they typically do if they are outside the tent.
To understand the scale of the shift, I spoke to a New Labour veteran. This is what he said to me about the non-dom cull: it would "alienate some people whose goodwill is a good investment for us, send the wrong signal about the UK and [is] a rather useless piece of posturing (as the last Labour government concluded for 13 years)".
In other words, it is a powerful and important symbolic break with the Blair era. But Ed Miliband would say the policy is about a good deal more than gesturing. At its kernel, for him, is a big change in his assessment of how to fulfil Labour's mission of helping the poorest.
Tony Blair's view was that reaching an accommodation with the wealthiest and most powerful was not only the route to electoral success, but was also the best way of stimulating economic growth that would generate the tax revenues that could then be deployed to lift up the poorest.
Until the great crash and recession of 2008, he and his successor Gordon Brown could argue that their calibration of Labour's style of left-wing politics, as friendly to the City of London and to those accumulating vast fortunes here, had helped to generate prosperity which in turn could be used to fund a massive expansion of spending on schools and hospitals - and therefore went with the grain of Labour history.
But for Miliband, that calculation has had to be re-done, as living standards were savagely squeezed in the years after that profound economic shock, and the welfare state has been rolled back.
Miliband would also say that the stagnating gap between the incomes of rich and poor and the widening wealth gap have shown that collaborating with the wealthy has not delivered...

Summary: The last rites have been read over New Labour, as opposed to Miliband-brand Labour, quite a few times over the past few years.
###
Article: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said that 2,500 homes were repossessed in April, May and June, down from 3,000 in the previous quarter.
This was also a fall from 5,400 in the same quarter last year.
Lenders said low interest rates were keeping the numbers down but homeowners must prepare for a rate rise.
"This trend is very welcome. Low interest rates are acting as a significant support for homeowners in general, and are likely to be helping to stave off low level arrears for stretched households in particular," said CML director general Paul Smee.
"As ever, we urge borrowers to think ahead to when interest rates rise, and to contact their lender without delay if they are in difficulty. Prompt action helps to prevent problems worsening."
Earlier this week, it was revealed that more than a million householders had never experienced a rise in the Bank of England's base rate while owning a home.
Some 11.1 million mortgages are outstanding in the UK, with loans worth more than Â£1.3 trillion.
The CML figures showed that 1,800 homes were repossessed from owner-occupiers, and 700 were seized from landlords in in the buy-to-let market in the second quarter of the year.
The number of owners falling into arrears on mortgage repayments had also fallen in the second three months of the year compared with the first quarter, the CML said.
Some 100,700 owner-occupiers, and 5,700 landlords, had arrears of more than 2.5% of the mortgage balance.
Ministry of Justice figures, also published on Thursday, show that the number of homeowners in England and Wales facing court action at the earliest stage of the repossession process fell during the second quarter of the year.
However, the number of tenants evicted by landlords in the second quarter of the year rose by 4% compared with the same period last year, to 10,361. Seasonally adjusted figures show a 1% decrease compared to the first three months of the year.
Campbell Robb, chief executive of Shelter, said: "These figures are a stark warning that relentless rent rises...

Summary:


Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov has ruled the country for more than two decades.
The country's president has ruled the country for more than two decades.
The country's president has ruled the country for more than two decades.
The country's president has ruled the country for more than two decades.
The

The departure from the helm by Uzbekistan's long-serving President Islam Karimov is likely to have wide-ranging repercussions for the region.

Article: Roy Moore, 69, violated judicial ethics with an order seen as directing probate judges to deny marriage licences to gay couples, a judicial panel ruled.
The decision was a "politically motivated effort" by radical groups, he said. His lawyer has vowed to appeal.
It is the second suspension for Mr Moore, an outspoken conservative.
In 2003, he was removed for refusing to take down a monument of the Ten Commandments he installed at a state building.
He was re-elected as chief justice of the state's Supreme Court in 2012.
In Friday's decision, the nine-member Alabama Court of the Judiciary unanimously decided to suspend him for the remainder of his term without pay.
The move essentially removes Mr Moore from the bench, as he will be unable to seek re-election at the end of his term, in January 2019, because of age restrictions, his lawyer Mat Staver said.
Reacting to the decision, Mr Moore said in a statement: "This was a politically motivated effort by radical homosexual and transgender groups to remove me as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court because of outspoken opposition to their immoral agenda."
The panel found that Mr Moore's ruling in 6 January showed "disregard for binding federal law" after the US Supreme Court landmark decision in June 2015 affirming gay marriage rights.
Testifying in his defence, Mr Moore said there was uncertainty after conflicting opinions on gay marriage from state and federal courts.
Mr Moore is known for his opposition to same-sex marriage, and has called homosexuality an "inherent evil" in the past.
His suspension was celebrated by the civil rights group that filed the complaints in 2003 and 2016.
"Moore was elected to be a judge, not a preacher," Richard Cohen, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in a statement.
"The people of Alabama who cherish the rule of law are not going to miss the Ayatollah of Alabama."

Summary: Alabama's top judge has been suspended for the remainder of his term for defying federal court rulings that legalized same-sex marriage.
###
Article: The Uzbek government announced his death on Friday after a period of rumours about his ill health.
As is often the case with strongman regimes, no tried and tested succession mechanism is in place in Uzbekistan, and the transition of power may well be a complicated process.
Uzbekistan is the most populous Central Asian country and has the largest army.
Mr Karimov, who came to power during the Soviet era, has led the country since independence in 1991.
During his long rule, President Karimov has built a relatively stable secular regime in a region threatened by Islamist radicalism.
But many believe this has been done at the expense of human rights, and has often been an excuse to hound legitimate opposition.
It also has not completely eradicated the long-term risk posed by Islamist militancy.
Many Uzbek Islamists have simply dodged the tight security at home by fighting for the Islamic State group abroad, but should the secular government weaken, they might be tempted to come back.
Some also say that Uzbekistan's fractured and exiled opposition may turn to Islamism to boost its appeal in the majority Muslim country.
Positioned on the ancient Great Silk Road between Europe and Asia, Uzbekistan enjoys a strategic location that has attracted the interest of many foreign states throughout its long history.
Most recently, it has been one reason why Russia and Western powers have been vying for a foothold.
In 2001, Uzbekistan allowed the US to use its air bases in support of military action in Afghanistan, but four years later all foreign troops were evicted following Washington's criticism of the Uzbek government's human rights record.
Moscow will be keen to ensure that Mr Karimov's successor leans towards Russia rather than the West.
So far, unlike most Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan has been wary of Russian influence. In 2012, it withdrew from the main Russia-led regional military bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.
Political instability caused by Mr Karimov's demise could be felt far beyond...

Summary:


The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the global economy is not out of the woods yet.
The IMF has warned that the global economy is not out of the woods yet.
The IMF has warned that the global economy is not out of the woods yet.
The IMF has warned that the global

China's economy grew by 6.9% in 2015, compared with 7.3% a year earlier, marking its slowest growth in a quarter of a century.

Article: Seventy people a year are killed, and hundreds of thousands are injured, as a result of fires in cookers, fridges and tumble driers.
The Electrical Safety Council(ESC) said manufacturers need to do more to trace their customers if they need to warn them about safety issues.
It said the current guidelines are not good enough.
Last December Catherine Paterson, from Middlesbrough, had a fire that destroyed her garage.
The fire started in her tumble drier, which was only four months old.
She later found out after searching on the internet that the model she was using had a problem and had been recalled by the manufacturer.
"About ten minutes after the drier was switched on we got a call from the neighbour, who told us the garage was on fire," she told the BBC.
The fire was so fierce that it destroyed the garage in fifteen minutes, and caused Â£10,000 worth of damage.
"They knew the product was faulty since the end of November but no one got in touch," said Catherine.
It was beginning of February when someone got in touch to let us know that there was something wrong."
That was two months after the fire.
According to Trading Standards, the manufacturer of the tumble drier that Catherine owned did everything it could to tell people that the product was faulty.
That included putting notices in the media and online.
But Steven Curtler, product safety manager at the Electrical Safety Council (ESC), said Catherine's case highlights how current guidelines for manufacturers are not good enough. He is now calling for changes need to be made to industry procedures to ensure peoples' safety.
"One area we believe there could be significant improvement is in the traceability of products," he said.
The ESC wants more information about consumers to be taken at the point they buy the appliance.
"The more information you have about the person who has purchased that product the easier it will be to provide critical information about the safety of the product," he added.
According to figures from the ESC, on average 70 people die...

Summary: Safety experts have called for better standards, to protect consumers from faulty goods that can catch fire.
###
Article: China's growth, seen as a driver of the global economy, is a major concern for investors around the world.
The news comes as the International Monetary Fund said it expected China's economy to grow by 6.3% this year and 6% in 2017.
Beijing had set an official growth target of "about 7%".
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has said weaker growth would be acceptable as long as enough new jobs were created.
But some observers say its growth is actually much weaker than official data suggests, though Beijing denies numbers are being inflated.
Analysts said any growth below 6.8% would likely fuel calls for further economic stimulus. Economic growth in the final quarter of 2015 edged down to 6.8%, according to the country's national bureau of statistics.
Asia Business correspondent Karishma Vaswani on what the figures tell us
China editor Carrie Gracie - Is slower growth China's 'new normal'?
Can you trust the figures?
After experiencing rapid growth for more than a decade, China's economy has experienced a painful slowdown in the last two years.
It's come as the central government wants to move towards an economy led by consumption and services, rather than one driven by exports and investment. But managing that transition has been challenging.
Some argue that China's focus on creating an economy driven by consumption is misplaced. They say as the country attempts to rebalance its economy, it should focus on productivity in order to sustain high growth.
"While higher consumption can support growth in the short run, there is little in economic theory that emphasises the expenditure side of GDP as a driver of growth," HSBC's John Zhu said in a note.
Mr Zhu also said that China's current stage of development would require more investment, not less, and that the country would rebalance naturally towards consumption and services in time.
"Pushing the economy along those paths too soon would be dangerous," he said.
Analysis: Karishma Vaswani, Asia Business correspondent
It's said so often that it has become a financial markets...

Summary:


A High Court judge has ruled that a father can take his young daughter on a family holiday to Florida despite the school's refusal to authorise the trip.
The council took him to court after he refused to pay a fine.
He won his case after he told magistrates that Section 444 of the Education Act did

A father is preparing for a High Court legal battle to give parents the right to take children on term-time holidays.

Article: Chevron's Kent Robertson told the BBC the case was an "extortion scheme", and accused Ecuador's state-run firm of polluting the country's Amazon region.
The legal wrangle has been going on for almost two decades, and has spawned lawsuits in the US and Ecuador.
Analysts say further appeals are likely to drag on for years.
The oil firm Texaco, which merged with Chevron in 2001, is accused of dumping billions of gallons of toxic waste into unlined pits and Amazon rivers between 1972 and 1992.
Campaigners say crops were damaged and farm animals killed, and that local cancer rates increased.
But Chevron says Texaco spent $40m cleaning up the area during the 1990s, and signed an agreement with Ecuador in 1998 absolving it of any further responsibility.
Mr Robertson, the firm's spokesman, told the BBC's World Today programme that Texaco had "operated admirably" and blamed Ecuador's state-run firm Petroecuador for any ongoing problems.
"The oilfields in question have been solely operated by the government of Ecuador's own oil company Petroecuador for the last 20 years," he said.
"Petroecuador has a deplorable environmental record and Chevron is getting blamed for actions in a country that we've never even operated in."
He accused Petroecuador and Ecuador's government of failing to live up to their responsibilities. Neither have responded to the claims.
The lawsuit was brought on behalf of 30,000 Ecuadoreans, and their lawyer Pablo Fajardo described the court ruling as "a triumph of justice over Chevron's crime and economic power".
But he said the damages were not enough, and pledged to appeal.
Environmentalists hoped the case would set a precedent, forcing companies operating in developing countries to comply with the same anti-pollution standards as in the industrialised world.
US-based lobby groups Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network said in a joint statement that the decision was "historic and unprecedented".
"Chevron has spent the last 18 years waging unprecedented public relations  and lobbying campaigns...

Summary: US oil giant Chevron says it will appeal against an $8.6bn (Â£5.3bn) fine imposed by Ecuador judges, carrying on a long-running row over pollution.
###
Article: Jonathan Platt successfully contested a fine from Isle of Wight Council for taking his young daughter on a family holiday to Florida in April.
He will now speak up on behalf of other parents when the council seeks High Court clarification on the law.
He is crowdfunding for Â£25,000 expected legal costs and raised more than Â£1,000 in the first 24 hours.
The father wrote on the fundraising page he would spend the money on "nothing other than legal fees for solicitors and barristers".
He added: "I will take nothing personally from the money, not even travelling costs."
Isle of Wight Council is asking the High Court for clarification on what constitutes "regular" attendance at school. As Mr Platt is a "person of interest" in the case, he has a right to attend.
He said he is arguing "on behalf of all parents".
Comments on the online crowdfunding page include: "Thank you for being our voice Jon, we are all behind you."
"Well done and good luck, let's hope common sense prevails."
Mr Platt took his children to Disneyland in Florida in April despite his daughter's absence being refused by her primary school.
The council took him to court after he refused to pay a Â£120 fine.
He won his case after he told magistrates that Section 444 of the Education Act did not put restrictions on holidays during term time, provided pupils otherwise attended school regularly.
The council has applied to the High Court for an opinion on whether "the unauthorised absence of a child for seven consecutive school days on holiday... amounts to the child failing to attend the school regularly".

Summary:


The IAAF has announced that it will review the world record for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
The IAAF has announced that it will review the world record for the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
The IAAF has announced that it will review the

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

Article: Yongzim claims to be better at handling complex searches involving several words in the language than any alternative.
But a spokesman for the government in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, told the BBC it could also be used as a "platform to promote propaganda to legitimise the illegal occupation of Tibet."
Tibet is governed as an autonomous region of China. Beijing claims a centuries-old sovereignty over the Himalayan region, yet the allegiances of many Tibetans lie with the exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, seen by China as a separatist threat.
Exile groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) around the world accuse Beijing of suppressing the region's culture and tradition with the Tibetan language being a big part of it.
Both Google - which is blocked in China and therefore also in Tibet - and the Chinese search engine Baidu can also carry out searches in Tibetan.
But Yongzim is entirely in Tibetan, including all the elements of its interface - and in that respect it is indeed a first. Its name translates as "master" or "teacher".
According to Chinese state media, the service will promote the Tibetan language and provide a dedicated platform for Tibetan-language websites.
"[It will] meet the growing needs of the Tibetan-speaking population and facilitate the building of Tibetan digital archives and the expansion of databases in the Tibetan language," an official said.
Kyinzom Dhongdue, of the Australia Tibet Council, told the BBC she welcomed the initiative as a "positive step towards popularising the use of the Tibetan language" but cautioned it could become a "propaganda tool" for Beijing.
Aynne Kokas, an expert on Chinese media at the University of Virginia in the US, also described it as being a "major technological advancement" that could be useful for "non-sensitive queries". But she said it would also "make it easier to redirect web traffic" to sites that tallied with the Chinese government's views.
The Free Tibet movement noted that the effort marked a change of...

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

Summary:


The government has announced that it will be introducing a new system of tax credits to replace the current system of tax credits.
The new system will be called Universal Credit and will be rolled out from April 2017.
The new system will be paid for by a combination of a new personal tax credit and a new work-

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

Article: Manchester-based executive Katy Jones, who previously worked on Jimmy McGovern's ITV drama about the 1989 football disaster, died on Friday aged 51.
She also worked for ITV's World in Action programme and, in recent years, produced education content for the BBC.
Sinead Rocks, head of BBC Learning, said she was "hugely talented".
"She was passionate about education and learning and her enthusiasm, energy and determination knew no bounds. Our thoughts are with her family at this very sad time."
Peter Salmon, director of BBC England, added: "Katy brought huge energy and commitment to everything she worked on. We will miss her enormously at MediaCityUK."
She was on the Hillsborough Independent Panel which, in 2012, released its report into the disaster.
Mrs Jones was also a producer on Jimmy McGovern's Sunday - about the events of the 1972 Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland - Bafta-award winning drama Mark of Cain and the 9/11 film Yasmin.
She also founded the education company Child's Eye Media in 2005 before joining the BBC when it moved to Salford in 2011.
The mother-of-two was married to Mike Spencer, who worked with her at ITV Granada.

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

Summary:


The film is based on the true story of a young girl who is forced to marry a man she does not love.
The film is based on the true story of a young girl who is forced to marry a man she does not love.
The film is based on the true story of a young girl who is

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

Article: The new revised agreement will be submitted to Congress for approval, rather than put to a popular vote.
But opposition groups say it still does not go far enough in punishing rebels for human rights abuses.
The deal is aimed at ending five decades of armed conflict, which has killed more than 260,000 people.
After four years of formal talks between rebel and government negotiators, the two sides reached an agreement earlier this year.
The deal was signed in an emotional ceremony before world leaders in the Colombian city of Cartagena on 26 September.
But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos had said from the start of the negotiations that he wanted the Colombian people to have a say in the peace process.
He asked them to endorse or reject the peace agreement in a popular vote held on 2 October.
Polls had suggested the deal would pass by a comfortable margin but in a shock result it was narrowly rejected.
A bilateral ceasefire was extended until the end of the year to give the two sides time to plan their next steps.
President Santos met former President Alvaro Uribe, a vociferous opponent of the peace deal, to listen to his objections.
The government and the Farc then went back to the negotiating table to try to strike a new deal acceptable to those who had voted "no".
Changes were made to all but one of the 57 points in the original agreement.
The five main points which have been changed are:
President Santos has announced that the revised deal will be signed in a low-key ceremony in a theatre in the capital, Bogota, on Thursday.
The deal will then be sent to Congress, where the government has a solid majority, with a vote expected to be scheduled for next week.
The Democratic Centre party, founded by ex-President Uribe, has already said it will vote "no".
Its leaders say that the changes are only "cosmetic" and object to the fact that the government has said the new deal is "final".
It wants more of its demands met, including harsher sentences for Farc rebels who have committed crimes.
It also demanded...

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

Summary:


The UK's first ever "super-court" is to be built in Leeds.
The city is to be the home of the country's first ever "super-court", which will be able to hear cases of up to three million pounds.
The new court will be built in the city centre and will be

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

Article: The chamber voted 54-45 on Friday to seal the confirmation of Denver appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch.
Republicans took the historic step this week of changing the chamber's rules in order to ram through their pick.
At stake is the final legal say on everything from gun control to abortion to election finance to workers' rights.
Mr Gorsuch, 49, was confirmed within 65 days of his nomination, but the battle to appoint another justice to the judicial bench began with the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative darling, in February last year.
It was the longest period a seat has remained unfilled on the Supreme Court since during the American Civil War in 1862.
Though Mr Gorsuch proved evasive when questioned on legal matters during his confirmation hearings, he has a solidly conservative pedigree and is expected to rule accordingly.
Republicans hope Mr Gorsuch will hand the bench's bloc of conservative justices a winning 5-4 majority.
"He's going to make an incredible addition to the court," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.
But Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who led the anti-Gorsuch opposition, said the court was "increasingly drifting towards becoming a more pro-corporate court that favours employers, corporations and special interests over working America".
On Thursday, Mr McConnell triggered a legislative manoeuvre known as the "nuclear option" when Republicans lacked the 60 votes required to end debate on Mr Gorsuch.
The chamber's majority leader tore up the rulebook after Democrats mounted the first filibuster of such a nominee in half a century.
The result is a triumph for Donald Trump's young presidency. For many of those who voted for him, getting a conservative judge on to America's highest court was a top priority.
"Congratulations to an exceptionally qualified and respected judge," the president tweeted.
The vacancy on the nine-judge bench had left the justices to pass over many controversial issues, possibly to avoid a 4-4 stalemate.
The Democrats were left fuming last...

Summary: The US Senate has confirmed President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, after a bitter, 14-month battle for control of the highest court in the land.
###
Article: Councillors have discussed plans aimed at improving the city's transport network and changing its image as what a report calls a "motorway city".
City Square could be closed off to through traffic by 2021, as could Neville Street that runs past Bridgewater Place into the city centre.
The move forms part of the city's 2023 European Capital of Culture bid.
The plan was to get more people cycling and walking around the city, the report said.
Cycles, buses and taxis would still be allowed in City Square that lies close to the railway station.
Councillor Richard Lewis said: "It's about how me make the city both liveable and prosperous in the future."
An upgrade of Armley Gyratory, one of the busiest junctions in the city, was also in the council's plans, he said.
There were still many details to be worked out and there would be feasibility studies and consultations, Mr Lewis added.
The plans are part of a discussion on a 20-year vision for the city.
The HS2 high-speed rail network is planned to stop at a new city centre station in Leeds by 2032/33.
The council must register its capital of culture interest by December 2016 and submit a final bid in 2017. The winning bid is expected to be announced in 2018.

Summary:


The jury has been discharged after a week-long trial of a man accused of murdering his wife.
The jury was told that the defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with the murder of his wife, who was found dead in their home in Bedford Road, Kempston, on 19 December 2014

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

Article: Polling stations opened in all the city's 73 constituencies at 07:00 BST with results expected to be declared after midnight.
Votes will be counted after the polls close at 22:00 BST.
For the latest news from all the counts on London, go to our election live service or check the results on your constituency profile page.

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

Summary:


A man at Edinburgh Airport was delayed for about an hour.
A BAA spokesman said: "We had a slight issue this morning with the network which meant that we lost some computer services.
"It did not cause any cancellations or any great delays, but it did cause some queuing in the check in

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

Article: The program works by tracking variations in the shape of a subject's mouth and jaw, and then searching a pronunciation dictionary to find alternative words that match the moves.
The firm says it can "literally put plausible words" into a person's mouth.
But for now, the examples it has produced are of limited use.
A video posted to YouTube shows an actor saying the short phrase "salary and tenure".
The software identifies thousands of alternative phrases that could replace the utterance based on factors such as when the lips open to enunciate a vowel or close to express certain types of consonants.
The program then ranks the strings of words according to the likelihood they would appear in that order in normal speech. This prevents it using ungrammatical phrases.
A voice synthesiser subsequently creates some of the highly ranked phrases, ensuring each bit of sound - known as a phoneme - is timed to coincide with the appropriate lip movements. This is then used to replace the original sound.
Examples of the replacement expressions created include:
The system appears to have limitations.
The actor involved had to be asked to keep the position of his head as still as possible and speak in a neutral tone to get the best results.
And even with the ranking mechanism, many of the generated phrases appear to be gibberish.
Disney's researchers acknowledge that the primary application of speech redubbing is to translate films and television programmes from one language to another.
And it seems unlikely that the system could be used to find enough suitable matching phrases to re-voice a complete film or programme imperceptibly.
However, it could potentially be used for more gimmicky applications.
One YouTube video maker, for example, already specialises in making clips that replace the voices of well-known personalities with deliberately ridiculous lip-synched utterances for comedic effect.
His creations include Beyonce singing nonsensically at US President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony and a version of Game Of...

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

Summary:


The European Commission has published a report on the impact of neonicotinoid pesticides on bees.
The report says the pesticides are not the cause of the bee die-off, but that the use of the chemicals is a "major factor".
The Commission says the pesticides are not the cause of the bee die-

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

Article: The Family Division of the High Court said the boy should receive care to minimise suffering in his final months.
He was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2012. His parents had argued that doctors could still treat his symptoms.
He is expected to live for three to six months, and specialists said "curative treatment" was no longer possible.
Doctors told the court the boy should have "palliative chemotherapy" to reduce pain, and medication.
But his mother, a former nurse, said she thought the tumour was slow growing, and was worried about the side effects of chemotherapy and a "cocktail of painkillers".
The boy's parents had appealed for their "beautiful" son's "right to life", and his father wept as the judge outlined the decision.
Mr Justice MacDonald said the case was "unbearably sad" and said the youngster's parents were suffering "unimaginable agony".
But the judge said he was satisfied the boy's prognosis was terminal and that pain could become unbearable if not treated.
The treatment put forward by doctors was in the boy's best interests, he added.
The hearing was not open to the public and the judge banned the reporting of anything which might identify the boy, including his age, address or name of hospital authority with responsibility for care.
Mr Justice MacDonald said: "Neither the mother or the father in this case are anything other than loving parents who are simply trying to stay upright in the darkening storm which has engulfed their family."

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

Summary:


The Tigers have been relegated from the Championship.
"I'm not going to be here next season," he said.
"I'm not going to be here next season.
"I'm not going to be here next season.
"I'm not going to be here next season."
"I'm

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

Article: Sian, who's 15 and goes to school in Aberystwyth, passed the indoor skydiving exam as part of her physical education course.
It's believed Sian is the first person ever in the UK to take the exam as part of her GCSEs.
She needed special permission from her teachers before she was allowed to take it. Sian passed her exam with 'flying' colours, achieving a mark of 93%!
Indoor skydiving allows people to experience freefall without having to leap out of an aircraft with a parachute.
Sian says she "loves the feeling of weightlessness".
Both of Sian's parents are skydivers and her 83-year-old grandmother performed an indoor sky dive for her 80th birthday.
There are only three skydiving tunnels in the UK, at Manchester, Milton Keynes and Bedford.

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

Summary:


A man has been jailed for life for murdering his ex-partner's new partner.
The court heard how the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was stabbed to death in a "brutal attack" in a "brutal attack" in a "brutal attack" in a

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

Article: Now the Conners are coming back, more than 20 years after the last episode of Roseanne was aired.
All the original cast are returning - after getting up to some successful and surprising stuff in the intervening two decades.
In another reality, instead of President Trump, we might now be talking about President Barr.
In 2012, the real Roseanne ran for president. She didn't get very near the White House, though - she failed to gain the presidential nomination for the Green Party and ended up running for the Peace and Freedom Party, gaining 67,000 votes.
As well as that, she's had her own talk show, done stand-up comedy, judged Last Comic Standing, hosted Momsters: When Moms Go Bad and starred in the reality show Roseanne's Nuts, about her macadamia nut farm in Hawaii.
And in 2015, she revealed she has macular degeneration and glaucoma, saying at the time her vision was "closing in now".
Goodman was brilliant as Roseanne's husband Dan and he's remained one of America's best-loved actors, plying his trade in films like The Big Lebowski, The Flintstones, 10 Cloverfield Lane and Kong: Skull Island.
On TV, he's starred in political comedy Alpha House and middle-age coming-out sitcom Normal, Ohio - and reunited with Barr for a pilot of a sitcom called Downwardly Mobile in 2012. But it was never made into a series.
That same year he spoke about a 30-year battle with alcoholism, telling the Guardian: "It was becoming more and more debilitating. It was life or death. It was time to stop."
Metcalf found fame as Roseanne's little sister Jackie, but has certainly stepped out of her on-screen big sister's shadow.
She's had Emmy nominations for guest spots in 3rd Rock from the Sun, Monk and Desperate Housewives - and in 2016 got a hat-trick of Emmy nominations in a single year, for Getting On, Big Bang Theory and Horace and Pete.
On stage, she's had four Tony Award nominations for her appearances on Broadway - including for Misery in 2016 and A Doll's House, Part 2 this year.
Gilbert, who played sardonic younger daughter...

Summary: They were one of America's favourite families in the late 1980s and '90s - with their affectionate bickering, everyday crises, growing pains and belly laughs beamed into more than 20 million homes in the US.
###
Article: Adam Wilson, of Lostock Hall, was found with serious injuries at a property on Albrighton Crescent in Lostock Hall near Preston in September.
Jason Taylor, 21, of Westfield, Lostock Hall denied murder but was found guilty after a trial by jury.
At Preston Court, he was ordered to serve a minimum of 25 years.
Mr Wilson died as a result of catastrophic bleeding from a stab wound in his thigh, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Sophie Lorimer from the CPS North West said the "brutal attack" in front of his ex-partner was "purely motivated by jealousy".
"He could not accept that the relationship with his ex-girlfriend was over," she said.
Taylor's girlfriend said he bombarded her with text messages and phone calls which "progressively became more and more abusive".
"The final text he sent to her stated he was giving her one last chance before things turned sour.
"Minutes later he violently broke into her house where Adam Wilson was also present."
Ms Lorimer said Taylor then stabbed Mr Wilson numerous times with a large knife which he had taken with him.
Taylor carried out the "frenzied" knife attack "fully aware" there were two young children also present at the house, she said.
He then fled and hid from police in a neighbouring garden, she added.
Ms Lorimer said Taylor had shown "no remorse" throughout the case in which he claimed he was acting in self-defence.
Det Ch Insp Neil Ashton of Lancashire Police said Taylor's actions were carried out "in anger and jealousy".
He said: "His actions were completely unprecedented and resulted in the needless and very sad loss of a young man's life."

Summary:


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

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

Article: In fact, Anshuman Magazine, chairman and managing director of property consultancy firm CBRE South Asia, said in a recent article that "around 12 million completed houses" were "lying vacant across urban India".
A similar point is made by Akhilesh Tilotia in his book The Making of India - Gamechanging Transitions, where he states that India has more homes than households or families.
He writes that India's households increased by 60 million - from 187 million to 247 million - between 2001 and 2011. The number of houses went up by 81 million - from 250 million to 331 million - over the same period. In urban areas, there were 38 million new homes for 24 million new households.
And despite this, there is a huge shortage of housing in urban India. The latest official Economic Survey says there is a shortage of nearly 20 million homes in India.
So what is happening?
Many of these homes have been bought as investments by people who have "extra" money to invest.
A substantial portion - no one knows how much - of this is black money on which taxes haven't been paid. Hence, homes have been bought but nobody is living in them.
Further, most builders like catering only to the affluent population in India and home prices have gone beyond the reach of many of them too.
But the shortage in housing mainly hurts people at the lower income levels. A total of "95.6% [of housing shortage] is in economically weaker sections/ low income group segments", the Economic Survey points out.
Mr Tilotia estimates that the demands of people who can afford to pay between 500,000 ($7,817; £5,055) and 1m rupees ($15,661; (£10,116) for a home are largely unmet by the builders.
A recent report by real estate rating and research firm Liases Foras points out that the average price of a home in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, as of March, was 13m rupees ($203,602; £131,512).
The average price of a home in Bangalore and Delhi are 8.6m ($134,690; £87,000) and 7.4m rupees ($115,897; £74,860) respectively.
Given these high prices, it is not...

Summary: If you travel through the suburbs of the Indian capital, Delhi, you will see miles and miles of built homes with nobody living in them.
###
Article: National Lottery operator Camelot said that, subject to validation, the prize could be paid out on Monday.
It was the eighth ticket in the UK to take the top Euromillions prize so far this year and the fourth this month.
A £19.7m jackpot was shared by three tickets from the UK on 2 September. Friday's winning numbers were 5, 8, 14, 22, 32, and Lucky Stars 2 and 11.
When jackpots are paid, winners can decide whether to reveal their identities or stay anonymous.
A family syndicate from Monmouthshire won more than £61m in the Euromillions jackpot in August.
UK ticketholders also won jackpots of £24.6m and £24m in February this year, and £51.8m in April.
The biggest lottery prize in UK history is the £161m Euromillions jackpot won by North Ayrshire couple Chris and Colin Weir in 2011.
Tickets for Euromillions are sold in nine countries - the UK, Austria, Belgium, France, the Irish Republic,  Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland - with ticket-holders in all each country trying to win a share of the same jackpot.

Summary:


A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a woman in Bristol.
The body of a woman was found in a field in the Avon Valley.
Police were called to the scene in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The body of a woman was found in a field in the Avon Valley

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

Article: In January, a painting showing Donald Trump and singer Madonna went viral. But who is artist Michael Forbes and why did he paint it?
The painting, called Not My President, was made in the days leading up to Mr Trump's inauguration as the 45th president of the USA.
It depicts the billionaire businessman as King Kong sitting on the head of Madonna. The superstar singer is portrayed as the Statue of Liberty, holding up a placard protesting against his election.
Madonna, a critic of Trump, posted an image of the painting to her Facebook and Instagram accounts. The posts soon gathered thousands of "likes".
The US singer is a fan of Forbes, who exhibits artwork at a gallery in Manhattan, New York City, and whose other celebrity supporters include Monty Python's Terry Gilliam and comedian Ricky Gervais.
Forbes describes himself as a Pop Surrealist.
His work has referenced women's rights campaigns, featured "mash ups" of glamorous Hollywood icons, also past US presidents such as Barack Obama and Abraham Lincoln as well as bears wearing sunglasses.
But Forbes was born and brought up far from the glamour - and occasional controversy - of the subjects of his paintings.
The son of a mechanic, Forbes was born in Dingwall in Easter Ross and he grew up in the area surrounded by peers who joined the Armed Forces after leaving school.
But he was drawn in a different direction.
"I grew up in a world without 'art'," says Forbes. "There were no trips to museums or art galleries. I didn't know any artists and I remember at 15 having not even taken art in secondary school."
Later he was given a harsh lesson that carving a successful career in the Arts would not be easy.
Forbes says: "I was once stopped by someone taking a survey on Inverness High Street. I agreed to take her survey as she said no-one had stopped.
"I had some time to kill before catching my train. Her first question was 'what is your occupation? I said 'artist'. She went through her whole list of occupations but couldn't find 'artist'.
'It's not there," she said....

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

Summary:


The Conservatives have won the general election in Hull East.
The Conservatives have won the general election in Hull East.
The Conservatives have won the general election in Hull West.
The Conservatives have won the general election in Hull North.
The Conservatives have won the general election in Hull South.
The Conservatives have won

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

Article: From 8 April, immigration officials will record passport details of everyone when they leave the country.
Eurotunnel's John Keefe said the changes were likely to cause tailbacks.
The government said the exit checks were needed to combat illegal immigration and would be introduced with the "least possible disruption".
"On a peak day we might be carrying 10,000 or 12,000 cars. The smallest delay in the journey at any point in the terminal results in an immediate tailback," he said.
"Those tailbacks - cars or trucks - are the kind of thing that can very quickly overflow on to the motorway and if they overflow on to the motorway then we're into a broader problem and we've got the possibility of Operation Stack being brought into place.
"If we can generate a system for the future which is much more automated and uses the advances in technology that have happened over the past few years and are growing apace at the moment then we could find a technological solution to this."
But Mr Keefe added: "It's unlikely the technological solution will be in place by 8 April.
"If trade and tourism is stopped at the border by the border control process, somehow we've missed the point."
When Operation Stack is put in place lorries are parked on the M20 and non-freight traffic diverted off the motorway.
A spokeswoman for the Home Office said: "We already collect most of this information automatically in advance, and have been working closely with ports and carriers to ensure checks on remaining routes are introduced properly and with the least possible disruption to customers.
"The data collected will provide the most comprehensive picture we have ever had of whether those who enter the UK leave when they are supposed to.
"It will improve our ability to identify which people have overstayed, take targeted action against those abusing the law and identify and tighten the immigration routes and visas that are most vulnerable to abuse.
"Exit checks will also improve security by helping the police and security services track the...

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

Summary:


The IBF super-heavyweight title fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko is the biggest fight in the sport's history, according to the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The IBF super-heavyweight title fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko is the biggest fight in the

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

Article: A so-called "Brexit" would disrupt established trading relationships and cause "major challenges" for both the UK and the rest of Europe, it said.
The IMF said the referendum had already created uncertainty for investors and a vote to exit would only heighten this.
Vote Leave said the IMF had been "consistently wrong" in past forecasts.
The IMF, one of the main pillars of the global economic order with a mandate to oversee the international monetary and financial system, also cut its UK growth forecast.
It now expects 1.9% growth in the UK this year, compared with its January estimate of 2.2%. For next year, it expects 2.2% growth, unchanged from its earlier forecast.
If the 23 June referendum in the UK were to produce a vote in favour of leaving the EU, the IMF would expect negotiations on post-exit arrangements to be protracted, which it warned "could weigh heavily on confidence and investment, all the while increasing financial market volatility".
It also believes a UK exit from the EU would "disrupt and reduce mutual trade and financial flows" and restrict benefits from economic co-operation and integration, such as those resulting from economies of scale.
However, the Fund said that domestic demand, boosted by lower energy prices and a buoyant property market, would help to offset the impact on UK growth ahead of the EU referendum.
Chancellor George Osborne said the IMF's comments reinforced the case for staying. "The IMF has given us the clearest independent warning of the taste of bad things to come if we leave the EU," he said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "The IMF is right - leaving the EU would pose major risks for the UK economy. We are stronger, safer and better off in the European Union."
Maurice Obstfeld, economic counsellor to the International Monetary Fund and the organisation's chief economist, says there could be "severe regional and global damage" if Britain were to vote to leave the European Union.
An exit would present "major challenges" and a prolonged period of...

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

Summary:


A new study has found that the penguin's ability to dive to depths of up to 22 miles (35km) is the fastest of any bird.
The penguin is the only species of penguin that breeds on the Antarctic continent.
The penguin is the only species of penguin that breeds on the

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

Article: The hole represented a "profound security flaw" that could allow access to bank details and other personal data, experts said.
Dell has issued guidance on removing the software that produced it.
The news comes after Lenovo was also criticised for pre-installing adware that potentially compromised security.
One user, posting on Reddit, reported finding that their Dell machine came pre-installed with a self-signed root certificate authority, called "eDellRoot", and the private key associated with it.
In a statement released on Monday, Dell acknowledged the vulnerability and linked to a guide on permanently removing the software that caused it.
"We became aware that a certificate (eDellRoot), installed by our Dell Foundation Services application on our PCs, unintentionally introduced a security vulnerability. The certificate was implemented as part of a support tool and intended to make it faster and easier for our customers to service their system. Customer security and privacy is a top concern and priority for Dell; we deeply regret that this has happened and are taking steps to address it."
It stressed that the certificate was not itself "malware or adware", nor was it "being used to collect personal customer information".
It said: "We will also push a software update starting on November 24 that will check for the certificate, and if detected remove it. Commercial customers who reimaged their systems without Dell Foundation Services are not affected by this issue. Additionally, the certificate will be removed from all Dell systems moving forward."
The firm thanked users who brought it to their attention and invited others to flag up any further security issues.
Certificates are used by computer operating systems and internet browsers to identify websites as safe. However, security experts said the software installed by Dell had two flaws: firstly, the software would allow traffic to be intercepted, potentially exposing sensitive information; secondly, the key could be used to make a user's computer...

Summary: A security hole that could allow attackers to access users' personal data was inadvertently placed on Dell computers, the company has admitted.
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Article: 9 May 2015 Last updated at 09:34 BST
Gentoo penguins tend to live in ice-free areas near Antarctica, and make special circular nest made out of stones, moss and feathers.
Their steam-lined bodies mean they can swim up to 22 miles and hour underwater, faster than any other diving bird.
Senior penguin keeper at the zoo Dawn Nicoll said: "We are really happy that the first of the gentoo penguin eggs have hatched".

Summary:


The government has announced a new £5m fund to help people affected by flooding.
The Future Flood Prevention Fund will be used to help people who have been affected by flooding.
The government said it would be used to help people who have been affected by flooding.
The money will be used to help people who

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

Article: A freight train came off the tracks last October four miles from Gloucester station on the line to Newport.
A report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found there were dips in the track known as "cyclic top", but repairs had been ineffective.
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is investigating whether health and safety laws have been breached.
The report said a speed restriction should have been put on the stretch of line, on which daily commuter services between Gloucester and Cardiff run.
It showed the train had been travelling at 69 mph (111 km/h) when the rear wagon derailed on 15 October 2013. An empty container fell off a wagon.
The investigation found that Network Rail had identified a problem with the track and carried out repairs, but water flowing beneath the track caused the problem of cyclic top to re-occur.
The RAIB report found: "The severity of the dips required immediate action by Network Rail, including the imposition of a speed restriction for the trains passing over it, but no such restriction had been put in place."
By the time the train stopped at Gloucester station, the rear wagon was severely damaged, the empty container it was carrying had fallen off, and there was damage to four miles of track, signalling cables, four level crossings and two bridges.
The line remained closed for four days while repairs were carried out. Repairs included replacement of 1,300 yds (1.2 km) of track, two sets of points, 300 sleepers, two miles of cable and a level crossing.
The report showed the type of wagon that derailed was susceptible to becoming derailed on track with dips in it, especially when loaded with the type of empty container it was carrying.
The investigation also found there were not enough staff working for Network's Rail's maintenance team.
The ORR said an Improvement Notice was served on Network Rail in June, after it found the Health and Safety at Work Act could have been contravened.
The inspector said an investigation indicated "that you are not conducting your...

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

Summary:


The Swedish giant has issued a global recall of its Mysingso chair after receiving reports of injuries to users' fingers.
The Swedish giant has issued a global recall of its Mysingso chair after receiving reports of injuries to users' fingers.
The Swedish giant has issued a global recall of its Mys

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

Article: The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) backed moves to reject a new wave of grammars in the absence of proof that it aids social mobility.
Its conference heard how Conservative plans to expand selection would add to pressures on schools.
Prime Minister Theresa May argues grammars boost opportunities for bright but disadvantaged children.
But Labour and the Liberal Democrats disagree.
The NAHT argued that investment in early-years education is a more effective way of ensuring that poor children get as good an education as their richer peers.
It said that by the time children leave primary school, the advantages of coming from a wealthy background are entrenched.
Proposing the motion at the NAHT conference in Telford, Robert Campbell said: "The government is fixated with delivering a policy for the few at the expense of the many."
However, it is not clear exactly how head teachers would actually oppose the planned expansion of selective schools.
The union is using its conference to highlight what it describes as a "perfect storm" of difficulties for secondary schools this summer which could have "dire consequences for pupils and standards".
Issues range from a new secondary exam system, struggles with recruitment or retention, and the Â£3bn real term cuts to schools budgets by 2020.
On funding, General Secretary Russell Hobby said there was a sense that the pleas of head teachers, teachers and parents over school funding were still not being heard by ministers.
He said: "All that's left is for us to make it a general election issue.
"We need to make sure that all our parliamentary constituencies are asking questions on school funding."
NAHT heads said schools were increasingly being required to fill the gaps left by under-funded public services, as finances become progressively stretched at local level.
Past president Kim Johnson said schools in his area, Medway, were being asked to part-fund police officers working in schools but they simply did not have the funds to do so.
He said out of the Â£6m...

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

Summary:


The BBC has announced that it will be launching a new website, BBC Newsbeat, which will be a "digital news service for young people".
The BBC has announced that it will be launching a new website, BBC Newsbeat, which will be a "digital news service for young people".
The BBC has announced

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

Article: The plans come as the government is to due publish its White Paper on the future of the BBC on Thursday.
The organisation has faced criticism for under investment in the city, once home to the fabled Pebble Mill studios.
The BBC said the plans meant a Â£10m boost for "fresh talent and innovative digital content for young audiences".
The new investment is on top of an existing Â£125m already tied to the second city base in The Mailbox, it said.
Under the plans, the commissioning, publishing and some production of BBC Three's short-form content, along with the social media team that supports it, would relocate to Birmingham by 2018.
The channel, which targets 16 to 34-year-olds with a mix of comedy, documentaries and current affairs, went online only in February, to save Â£30m. It will also still be based in London.
A new youth team will also be set up at The Mailbox site, which will be the main suppliers of news content for the channel's Daily Drop, BBC Three's new, mobile-first platform.
The local newspaper partnerships - outlined in September by director general Tony Hall as a pool of local reporters who will share work with local papers - are expected to be based in Birmingham alongside the English Regions HQ.
"These teams, together with Birmingham's young and diverse demographic, will be harnessed to act as part of the hub for the identification, development and commissioning of new diverse talent and programmes as announced in the BBC's Diversity and Inclusion strategy last month," a spokesman said.
"To support this, the BBC Academy will launch a new scheme, the Birmingham Production Apprenticeship, for new off-air talent from diverse backgrounds."
Lord Hall said Birmingham had benefited from recent extra investment, but there was more to do.
"Now we're putting Birmingham at the heart of our innovation with BBC Three and making it home to a new youth team for BBC News.
"The city's incredible diversity also means it's the perfect place to lead our work to ensure we reflect the changing face of...

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

Summary:


The UN has called for a "comprehensive, long-term solution" to the Syrian crisis, but the US and its allies are pushing for a military solution.
The UN has called for a "comprehensive, long-term solution" to the Syrian crisis, but the US and its allies

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

Article: The Salvation Army said it had helped 151 suspected victims in the 12 months before summer 2015, compared with 37 in 2012.
One woman it helped said she had her passport confiscated and was fed scraps from her "employer's" dinner table.
It is not clear whether the rise is due to greater awareness of existing cases or there are more victims.
Anne Read, the charity's director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery, said victims were tricked into following their dream and then trapped.
"It doesn't always involve keys and chains and locks," she said.
"People are held by the threats of the traffickers. They're told this will happen to you, maybe you'll be thrown in prison, or 'something dreadful will happen to your family if you try to escape'."
Maria, who did not want to give her real name, left the Philippines to work as a maid because she needed to buy medicine for her dying mother. But her salary was not paid.
Instead, her Saudi employers brought her to London and confiscated her passport and told her she was expected to look after the children round-the-clock.
Maria was then told to sleep on the floor and was fed on leftovers from her employer's dinner table.
On one occasion, the family took Maria, who had not had a meal, to the park.
"They bought a special bread," she said.
"I thought it's a yummy lunch for me. But I was shocked when they called the ducks and then they gave the bread to the ducks.
"They treated me like a slave."
Another victim was forced to sleep in a "duck pen" on a housing estate in Nottingham, by Gavin Pascoe and Vicki Jepson, who forced her to cook and clean for them and look after their children.
Pascoe and Jepson, who were both jailed last December, used beatings and threats to control the 24-year-old, who had learning disabilities.
Det Con Chris Berryman of Nottinghamshire Police said he was very shocked by what he saw.
"She looked quite malnourished, quite underweight," he said.
"They threatened to cause injury to her child if she escaped."
Tackling all forms of modern slavery has...

Summary: A charity helping victims of domestic slavery says it has seen a four-fold increase in referrals since 2012.
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Article: As Iraq lurches deeper into turmoil and disintegration, Kurdish leaders in the already autonomous north are threatening to break away and declare outright independence.
And the militants of the self-styled Islamic State (IS), bulldozing the border between Iraq and Syria in June 2014, declared their intention to eradicate all the region's frontiers and lay Sykes-Picot to rest forever.
Whatever the fate of IS, the future as unitary states of both Syria and Iraq - central to the Sykes-Picot project - is up in the air.
In fact, virtually none of the Middle East's present-day frontiers were actually delineated in the document concluded on 16 May 1916 by British and French diplomats Mark Sykes and Francois Georges-Picot.
The Iraq-Syria border post histrionically erased by IS was probably several hundred kilometres from the famous "line in the sand" drawn by Sykes and Picot, which ran almost directly from the Persian border in the north-east, down between Mosul and Kirkuk and across the desert towards the Mediterranean, veering northwards to loop around the top end of Palestine.
The region's current borders emerged from a long and complex process of treaties, conferences, deals and conflicts that followed the break-up of the Ottoman Empire and the end of World War One.
But the spirit of Sykes-Picot, dominated by the interests and ruthless ambitions of the two main competing colonial powers, prevailed during that process and through the coming decades, to the Suez crisis of 1956 and even beyond.
Because it inaugurated that era, and epitomised the concept of clandestine colonial carve-ups, Sykes-Picot has become the label for the whole era in which outside powers imposed their will, drew borders and installed client local leaderships, playing divide-and-rule with the "natives", and beggar-my-neighbour with their colonial rivals.
The resulting order inherited by the Middle East of the day sees a variety of states whose borders were generally drawn with little regard for ethnic, tribal, religious or linguistic...

Summary:


The European Commission has announced that it will launch an in-depth investigation into the proposed merger between Three and O2.
The European Commission has announced that it will launch an in-depth investigation into the proposed merger between Three and O2.
The European Commission has announced that it will launch an in-depth investigation

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

Article: AB InBev, the owner of Budweiser, agreed last year to buy SAB Miller, the FTSE 100 beermaker that counts Peroni and Grolsch among a stable of brands that spans the world. It agreed to pay investors with shares of the new combined company - and gave them a less valuable alternative of taking cash and shares.
The cash element was in sterling. Since the Brexit vote, the pound has fallen about 10% against other big currencies, leaving shareholders demanding more. On Tuesday AB InBev delivered, increasing its offer by £1 a share to £45 a share - an increase that will in aggregate cost it about £2bn more. It said that its offer was final, preventing it from making another increase.
That was still not enough for some. Aberdeen Asset Management, a top-10 shareholder in SABMiller, said the offer "remained unacceptable".
SAB directors now face a turbulent few days as they decide whether to recommend the final AB InBev offer. Later this week the final, and arguably most important, remaining regulatory clearance is expected when China's competition authority, Mofcom, rules on the takeover.
If the Chinese give the go-ahead, the SAB board is expected to meet this weekend. If they reject the offer, they face the unenviable task of placating all those shareholders who have already agreed to back it, including the two big investors - Altria, the American tobacco giant that owns Marlboro cigarettes, and Colombia's Santo Domingo family. Together the two own nearly 40% of SAB.
There is also the unenviable task of withdrawing from giant disposals that have been agreed to get the deal past other competition regulators. In Europe, for example, Asahi of Japan has agreed to buy Peroni and Grolsch.
If the SAB board accepts, they risk alienating institutional investors such as Aberdeen Asset Management ahead of possible shareholder votes to approve or reject the deal.
On top of that, there is still a risk that a British court could upset their plans.
SAB told the stock market last year that because there were two different offers -...

Summary: The £50bn takeover of one of the world biggest brewers is expected to receive a vital green light from China this week - but remains under threat from the double threat of the Brexit vote and a UK court ruling.
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Article: They want Ofcom to wait until a decision is made about their plan to merge the two mobile companies.
BT and EE are also planning to merge.
The spectrum, formerly used by the Ministry of Defence, would provide 4G services for mobile companies.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally approved the proposed merger between BT and EE.
But the European Commission has announced its decision to launch an in-depth investigation into the proposed merger between O2 and Three.
And Ofcom has previously cast doubt on this merger winning regulatory approval.
In a statement on Thursday, Ofcom said it had received letters from Telefonica and Hutchison stating their intention to bring legal action against the regulator over its decision to begin the auction before the outcome of the European Commission's findings.
"After careful consideration, given these specific circumstances, we have decided for reasons of good public administration to delay commencing the auction process," it said.
Legal action also held up the previous 4G auction - as mobile companies disagreed about how spectrum should be distributed.
Ofcom had been due to start accepting applications for the spectrum this month, with plans for the auction to take place in February or March.
Now, it looks unlikely to begin before the summer - with the European Commission's judgement on the O2-Three merge expected in May.
The spectrum on offer could add capacity to 4G networks, but it is considerably smaller than the previous chunk of 4G spectrum.
It has a reserve price of Â£70m, compared with Â£1.3bn for the previous portion of the airwaves.
Matthew Howett, an analyst with research company Ovum, said: While Ofcom doesn't have spectacular form when it comes to awarding spectrum on time, in this instance it probably makes sense to delay things.
"Should the merger between Three and O2 be approved, then remedies around spectrum holdings will almost certainly take time to work out and any future spectrum award would need to be reconsidered...

Summary:


Spotify has been criticised for not offering a free service.
The firm has been criticised for not offering a free service.
The firm has been criticised for not offering a free service.
The firm has been criticised for not offering a free service.
The firm has been criticised for not offering a free service.

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

Article: Between 2008 and 2016 investors quintupled the amount of money they put into such platforms, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said.
Companies such as Hargreaves Lansdown, Nutmeg and Interactive Investor now manage £592bn of savers' money.
The FCA will examine whether such firms help investors make good decisions.
It follows a previous inquiry into those who manage the funds that are sold on investment platforms, which found high levels of profitability.
The study found typical profit margins in the industry of 36% - and concluded that investors should be quoted a single fee, rather than a complex mix of charges.
Savers putting money into investment platforms pay a fee to each fund manager, as well as to the platform itself.
"With the increasing use of platforms, and the issues raised by our previous work, we want to assess whether competition between platforms is working in the interest of consumers," said Christopher Woolard, the FCA's executive director of strategy and competition.
"Platforms have the potential to generate significant benefits for consumers, and we want to ensure consumers are receiving these benefits in practice."
The FCA will look at:
One of the UK's biggest investment platforms, Hargreaves Lansdown, saw its share price hit in May when US firm Vanguard announced a cut-price service for UK investors.
Vanguard plans to charge investors a maximum fee of 0.15% on its tracker funds, capped at £375 a year.
Hargreaves Lansdown charges 0.45% to hold investments in its Vantage service.
The FCA will also look at investment platforms' "model portfolios" where they suggest recommended funds to their clients.

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

Summary: