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

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

Summary: A target for 64% of waste to be recycled in Wales by 2019-20 has been met four years early.
###
Article: Legally, it needs at least 5% of local electors for a referendum to go ahead.
Those behind the petition say a mayor would offer more dynamic leadership and "rise above party politics".
Council leader Tim Warren said it felt "unnecessary" so soon after the elections. If successful, a directly elected mayor would replace him.
The council announced on Monday that it had received 6,818 valid signatures. A further 2,789 signatures were ruled to be invalid.
Directly elected mayors were created by the Local Government Act 2000 as one option for local government, as long as the idea was backed in a referendum.
Bath & North East Somerset Council said the threshold set out under the 2000 Act had been reached and "it is anticipated that the referendum will be held early next year".
In Bath, the council is run by a leader and cabinet system.
Philip Raby, one of the team working for a referendum, said they favoured holding it on 5 May 2016, the day of the police and crime commissioner elections.
He felt a directly elected mayor would offer "visible and accountable leadership" for the wider area - something he felt the current system did not offer.
Mr Warren said there were "challenging budgetary issues" to concentrate on and questioned whether there was much public appetite for a referendum.
Local petitions sparked referendums which resulted in elected mayors in Salford, Greater Manchester in 2012 and in Copeland, Cumbria in 2015.
The Localism Act 2011 allowed central government to trigger referendums for elected mayors - but of the ten held in May 2012, only Bristol voted in favour of getting a mayor.

Summary:


A new study has found that the "dark side" of the universe is not as dark as it once was.
The study, published in the journal Nature, found that the dark side of the universe is not as dark as it once was.
The study, published in the journal Nature, found that the dark

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

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

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

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

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

Summary: Odeon & UCI Cinema Group has been bought by AMC Entertainment, a US chain owned by Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda, in a deal worth £921m ($1.21bn).
###
Article: Hilda Gaddum, the mayor of Cheshire East, said her fellow Conservative Michael Jones's position had become "untenable".
The council waived its own financial rules three times when granting Core Fit Ltd contracts totalling £156,000.
Mr Jones said he was "clear" that he had "not misled council".
The fitness company runs classes in schools and is owned by Mr Jones's personal physiotherapist, Amanda Morris. Neither Ms Morris nor her company have commented on the claims.
Mr Jones has previously said he had publicly declared his interest in the firm, while a council spokesman said there had been no "unlawful expenditure or any breach of EU procurement rules".
However, Ms Gaddum said Mr Jones had "misled" councillors at a meeting in October, where he questioned why his link with the company was "being brought up", and had lobbied for it to receive help.
The BBC has seen a letter written by Mr Jones to local MP George Osborne - whose Tatton constituency is included within Cheshire East - in which work carried out by Ms Morris's company is praised.
Emails released following a BBC Freedom of Information Act request show Mr Jones helped Ms Morris write a positive assessment of how Core Fit had fulfilled one of the council's contracts.
Core Fit Ltd contracts
June 2014
March 2015
Ms Gaddum said she had written to Mr Jones asking for his resignation, which led to "a very, very difficult meeting with him".
In a statement, Mr Jones said he would "not be resigning but thank the mayor for recognising the many good things I have achieved".
"I am disappointed, given that I vigorously sponsored her mayoralty to my group, at the comments made. But that is Hilda for you."
The council has not responded to requests for a comment.

Summary:


The BBC has been accused of "misleading" the public about the treatment of gay people.
The BBC has been accused of "misleading" the public about the treatment of gay people.
The BBC has been accused of "misleading" the public about the treatment of gay people.
The BBC has been

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

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

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

Summary:


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

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

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

Summary:


Scientists have found a new type of life on Mars.

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

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

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

Summary:


The US government has been accused of using a "black box" to spy on the US elections.
The US government has been accused of using a "black box" to spy on the US elections.
The US government has been accused of using a "black box" to spy on the US elections.
The

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

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

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

Summary:


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

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

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

Summary:


The British government has been accused of using the Seaman Guard to smuggle drugs into the Indian Ocean.
The Seaman Guard is a British navy vessel that was detained in October, 2013.
The men were on board an anti-piracy vessel, the Seaman Guard Ohio, which was detained in October, 2013

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

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

Summary: Planned births at home and in midwifery units are more cost-effective than giving birth in hospital, particularly for women who have given birth before, University of Oxford research suggests.
###
Article: They were on board an anti-piracy vessel, the Seaman Guard Ohio, which was detained in October, 2013.
They face charges including straying into Indian waters and carrying weapons without permission.
Another British man, Paul Towers from Yorkshire, remains in jail along with the ship's Ukrainian captain.
News of the men's release was confirmed by an international maritime lawyer who is close to the case. He said: "Yes, they are out. Checking in to hotel and looking forward to a beer."
The five men freed on bail were: Billy Irving, 33, of Oban in Argyll, John Armstrong, of Wigton, in Cumbria, Nick Dunn, 28, of Ashington in Northumberland, Ray Tindall, 38, of Chester, and Nicholas Simpson, originally of Cottingham in East Yorkshire.
All of them must remain in India.
Their employer AdvanFort, a maritime security patrol specialist, has always insisted the men were working to provide protection to other ships from pirate attacks.
Nick Dunn's sister Lisa has commented on social media: "After 169 horrific days that Nick Dunn has spent in prison and another five being detained on the ship, I'm over the moon to say that the first hurdle is now cleared ... he's out!"

Summary:


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

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

Summary: Average American incomes rose by 5.2% in 2015, in the fastest increase ever recorded by the federal government.
###
Article: The meeting will be attended by police officers, lawyers and Scotland's Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC.
The focus will be on how leaving the EU could affect law enforcement and criminal justice in Scotland.
It will also look at the possible implications for civil and family law, and commercial issues.
The meeting, which will also include experts from the Scottish Universities Legal Network on Europe and the Standing Council on Europe, is due to take place in Edinburgh on 24 November.
Mr Matheson said: "The UK Brexit vote raises many uncertainties for Scotland's unique justice system.
"That is why I am bringing together leaders and experts to help us understand these issues - and any steps we can take now to mitigate the risks.
"The cessation of EU membership and single market access would have significant and wide-ranging ramifications from a justice and legal perspective.
"The issues range from tackling cross-border crime through to an individual with an EU ex-partner securing child maintenance payment, from Europol co-ordination with other countries to protecting Scots consumers' rights when buying from abroad online."
It follows a court ruling that parliament must vote before the UK can start the process of leaving the EU.
The ruling means the UK government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - beginning formal exit negotiations with the EU - on its own.
The justice secretary added: "The summit discussions will help inform us of risks like these - and others - as the Scottish government continues to press for full involvement in all negotiations between the UK government and the EU.
"Despite the uncertainties caused by the threat of Brexit, we will continue our efforts to safeguard Scotland's communities and the integrity of our justice system, while protecting the personal and commercial interests of our families, consumers and businesses."

Summary:


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

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

Summary: The rate of UK Consumer Prices Index inflation fell to 0.3% in January, its lowest level since records began.
###
Article: William Johnston, of Walsham-le-Willows, Suffolk, admitted dumping the rubbish, described as building material and household waste, last April.
Suffolk Police said it was a "potential danger to motorists and other members of the public".
The 44-year-old admitted the whole episode was "hugely embarrassing" and "regrettable" as he left court.
He dumped the rubbish, described as building material and household waste, at the side of Finningham Road on 9 April last year.
Updates on this story and others from Suffolk
Police officers and the Environment Agency removed the waste, which they believe was unloaded using a tractor and trailer.
Johnston was fined Â£1000 plus costs of Â£1600 after pleading guilty to fly-tipping at Bury St Edmunds Magistrates Court.
In a statement, he said the rubbish had been unlawfully dumped on his own land before he moved it, and he later paid Â£4,000 for it to be cleared up from the side of the road.
Jonathan Reed, prosecuting on behalf of Mid Suffolk District Council said he was pleased the court had recognised the "severity of the offences as well as the dangers to users of the highway."

Summary:


A new study shows that people who are overweight and obese are more likely to develop cancer.
The study, published in the journal Cancer Research, found that people who were overweight and obese were more likely to develop cancer.
The study, published in the journal Cancer Research, found that people who were overweight and obese were

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

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

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

Summary:


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

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

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

Summary:


The UK government should pay more tax on profits from multinational companies that make profits from their products.
The government should pay more tax on profits from multinational companies that make profits from their products.
The UK government should pay more tax on profits from multinational companies that make profits from their products.
The UK government should pay

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

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

Summary: Multinational companies should pay tax on their profits based on where their products are sold, not where they are made, a professor is to suggest.
###
Article: Tumours can "seed" themselves elsewhere in the body and this process is behind 90% of cancer deaths.
The mouse study, published in Nature, showed altering the immune system slowed the spread of skin cancers to the lungs.
Cancer Research UK said the early work gave new insight into how tumours spread and may lead to new treatments.
The spread of cancer - known as metastasis - is a fight between a rapidly mutating cancer and the rest of the body.
The team at the Sanger Institute in Cambridge was trying to figure out what affected tumour spread in the body.
Researchers created 810 sets of genetically modified lab mice to discover which sections of the DNA were involved in the body resisting a cancer's spread.
The animals were injected with melanomas (skin cancer) and the team counted the number of tumours that formed in the lung.
Their hunt led them to discover 23 sections of DNA, or genes, that made it either easier or harder for a cancer to spread.
Many of them were involved in controlling the immune system.
Targeting one gene - called Spns2 - led to a three-quarters reduction in tumours spreading to the lungs.
"It regulated the balance of immune cells within the lung," Dr David Adams, one of the team, told the BBC News website.
"It changes the balance of cells that play a role in killing tumour cells and those that switch off the immune system."
The field of immunotherapy - harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer - has delivered dramatic results for some patients.
A rare few with a terminal diagnosis have seen all signs of cancer disappear from their body, although the drugs still fail to work in many patients.
Dr Adams said: "We've learnt some interesting new biology that we might be able to use - it's told us this gene is involved in tumour growth."
Drugs that target Spns2 could produce the same cancer-slowing effect but that remains a distant prospect.
Dr Justine Alford, from Cancer Research UK, said: "This study in mice gives a new insight into the genes that play a role in cancer...

Summary:


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

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

Summary: Sir Richard Branson is reassigning one of his old Virgin Atlantic 747-400 jumbos to the service of space.
###
Article: Shaun Coles, 24, of Church Street, Louth, admitted a charge of sexually assaulting a girl under the age of 13.
Lincoln Crown Court heard he and the girl had initially messaged each other on Facebook before meeting.
The messages between the two were uncovered by the girl's mother after she went missing. Coles was jailed for a total of 30 months.
Read more about this story and others from across Lincolnshire
The girl was meeting Coles and when she returned home she showed police messages between them on her phone.
Tony Standford, prosecuting, said: "Clearly there was a lot of inappropriate conversation and activity had taken place.
"There were numerous references to them being in love and to kissing and cuddling."
Coles admitted in police interviews he knew the girl was only 12 and that his behaviour was unacceptable.
Grace Hale, for the defence, described Coles as "very immature" and said he had issues with ADHD.
"He has been candid in his admissions to the police," she said.
"He had only known the girl for a short time before this incident.
Judge Michael Heath, imposing sentence, said: "You knew that she was 12 years old. You were twice her age.
"This was not the girl's fault. She was the victim and you should not have behaved in the way you did."
In addition to the jail term the judge also placed Coles on the sex offenders' register for life,
He was also given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Summary:


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

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

Summary: Having more than 11 moles on one arm indicates a higher-than-average risk of skin cancer or melanoma, research suggests.
###
Article: The Greens pledged to end "period poverty" by providing towels and tampons to secondary school pupils and women in financial need.
A 5% tax on sanitary products has caused controversy and 320,000 people have signed a petition to abolish it.
The pledge may be funded by a tax on airship sales and aircraft repairs.
Sanitary products are not exempt from VAT, as some medical products are. Campaigns to end the tax on them have taken place in countries across the globe.
In the UK, a further row broke out in April when it was revealed some of the money raised from the tax and promised by the government to women's charities had been given to an anti-abortion group.
Of the Â£12m given to 70 UK charities, Â£250,000 had gone to Life.
Green MEP Molly Scott Cato, who has pressed in the European Parliament for a VAT exemption on tampons, towels and mooncups, said it was an "outrage those on low incomes are forced to use socks or newspapers during their period because they can't afford a sanitary product".
Children in secondary school from low-income backgrounds were routinely missing days at school, she said.
The Green Party said it wanted to work with health companies to provide the free products.
It will look at funding them by taxing other products and services such as air craft repairs and maintenance and airship sales.

Summary:


Evidence of progress on reducing the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medication in care homes has been demanded by the Older People's Commissioner for Wales.

Article: But in September 2013, the process of switching became a lot less painful.
That was when Britain's 50m current account holders were first able to move their bank account to another provider within seven days.
It followed a recommendation from the Independent Commission on Banking, which said there should be more competition in the market.
So how easy is it to switch? What can go wrong? And what guarantees do you have if your bank makes a mistake?
How common is switching?
Before the 7 day switching service started, around a million people switched bank accounts every year. In the first two years of the service, 2.25m switched. But the number of switches declined by 14% between 2014 and 2015.
Where do we bank at the moment?
The big four High Street banks have a 77% share of the market, according to the Competition and Markets Authority. Lloyds Banking Group (which includes Halifax and Bank of Scotland) is the largest bank in the UK, with 27% of all current accounts. Both Barclays and RBS (which includes Nat West) have 18%, and HSBC has  12%, according to Cass Business School.
How can I switch?
You can contact your new bank, or choose a new one via www.simplerworld.co.uk. Once you have switched, payments in or out of your old account will be automatically re-directed for a period of 13 months, to cover once-a-year payments. So your employer, for example, will be notified, and payments will be automatically switched to your new account. No one whom you pay, or who pays you, will have to take any action.
So how long will switching take?
Once your new bank has acknowledged your application, the switching will take seven working days. Or the switch can happen on a date of your choosing.
Do I have to notify my old bank?
No, you only need notify the new bank. It will tell your old bank, and transfer all your direct debits and standing orders automatically. You will be given a new bank account number, and a new sort code.
What happens if I miss a payment as a result of the switch?
If anything goes wrong, and you miss a...

Summary: A survey for Santander found that 20% of those questioned would rather go to the dentist than switch their bank accounts.
###
Article: In 2014, Sarah Rochira published the results of a major review of the experience of care home residents.
The use of antipsychotic drugs was a recurrent theme which she has branded a "national scandal".
Health boards and care homes have said changes are being made.
The commissioner is asking them to show significant improvements in practice.
"I know professionals don't like this phrase, but across Wales older people in care homes, through the inappropriate use of these drugs, are being 'chemically coshed'. That's the reality of it.
"It is a national scandal. I made that clear when I published my review. I was very clear I would come back and look for evidence of changes and I've now begun that process.
"I will publish the findings from the health boards later this year and I cannot be any clearer in my expectation that they understand how inappropriate the current situation is and that they can evidence real progress."
Antipsychotic drugs are primarily used to treat conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
A survey last November by the Royal College of Psychiatrists found nearly one in five - 18% - of dementia patients were being prescribed antipsychotics.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Wales published its own report into the use of medicines in care homes following the Ms Rochira's report.
The society's director in Wales, Mair Davies, told BBC Radio Wales' Eye on Wales programme that there were examples of expert practice.
"What we need is to make sure that happens in every care home in Wales," she said.
Steve Ford, the dementia care lead for Care Forum Wales, which represents more than 450 independent care homes in Wales, believes progress is being made.
"We need to look at the underlying reasons for unwanted behaviour that challenges, rather than picking up the phone to the GP and requesting those prescriptions," he said.

Summary:


The man reportedly calls himself Harald Hitler.
The man, sporting a side parting and a trademark moustache, had been seen having his photograph taken outside the house in Braunau am Inn in which Adolf Hitler was born.
The lookalike had recently moved to the town on the German border, police spokesman

A Hitler lookalike has been arrested in Austria on charges of glorifying the Nazi era, local officials say.

Article: Austfonna on Norway's Svalbard archipelago covers just over 8,000 sq km and had been relatively stable for many years.
But the latest space data reveals a marked acceleration of the ice in its main outlet glacier to the Barents Sea.
The research was presented in Brussels on Thursday to mark the launch of the EU's new Sentinel-1a radar spacecraft.
This satellite has been in orbit barely a month but is already being tasked with a range of science observations and other duties.
European Commission officials are keen to showcase the platform's capabilities before it goes into full service, including what it can do at high latitudes.
Radar is particularly useful in these regions. It senses the surface whatever the weather conditions and even in the darkness of polar winter.
Scientists had suspected the Arctic's Austfonna Ice Cap was losing substantially more ice through its major drainage glacier at Cap Mohn, and asked if Sentinel-1a could take some pictures.
"We've observed Austfonna with various satellite radar datasets over the past 20 years, and it hasn't done very much," explained Prof Andy Shepherd from Leeds University, UK.
Copernicus uses a range of technologies to get a broad picture of the health status of the planet
"But we've now looked at it again with the new Sentienl-1a spacecraft, and it's clear it has speeded up quite considerably in the last two or three years. It is now flowing at least 10 times faster than previously measured."
That previous measurement was done using the German national TerraSAR-X radar mission.
The speed of a glacier is judged by how far prominent features such as a big crevasse travel in time.
An "ice cap" is much smaller than an "ice sheet", a term that more properly describes the huge frozen masses covering Greenland and Antarctica.
An ice cap does, however, share a similarity with its bigger cousin in that it too has glaciers flowing away in many directions.
The Earth's ice caps and glaciers have become a key focus for scientists because these are the ice fields that...

Summary: Melting at one of the largest ice caps on Earth has produced a big jump in its flow speed, satellite imagery suggests.
###
Article: The 25-year-old man reportedly calls himself Harald Hitler.
The man, sporting a side parting and a trademark moustache, had been seen having his photograph taken outside the house in Braunau am Inn in which Adolf Hitler was born.
The lookalike had recently moved to the town on the German border, police spokesman David Furtner told the BBC.
Mr Furtner said this was not a joke or a piece of performance art.
"The young man knows exactly what he is doing," the police spokesman said.
He said the man had also been spotted in Vienna and Graz.
Pictures of the man were published by Austria's Heute.at news website on Monday.
Glorifying the Nazi era is a crime in Austria.
Last October, the Austrian authorities decided to demolish Hitler's birthplace house to stop it becoming a focal point for neo-Nazis.
Hitler was born in a rented room on the top floor of the building on 20 April 1889.
During Nazi rule, the house was transformed into a shrine to Hitler as the town drew in a wave of tourists.
But as the Nazis began to lose control in 1944, it was shut.

Summary:


The Welsh government is not making the most of a £425m contract to roll out superfast broadband in rural areas, according to the former head of BT in Wales.

Battersea Power Station is being offered for sale on the open market for the first time.

Article: John Davies says more needs to be spent on marketing the project, which is heavily backed with public money.
Take up in areas that have had it for a year is 19% with just over £300,000 spent on marketing, which is around 1% of the overall cost so far.
But ministers said take up was where they expected it to be at this stage.
The Welsh government signed the deal - the largest of its kind in the UK - with BT in 2012 to roll out super fast broadband across Wales.
Download speeds of up to 80 megabits per second (Mbps) are being offered to domestic customers, compared to the average download speed currently available in Wales of around five to six Mbps. Even faster speeds are available to businesses.
The project, called Superfast Cymru, aims to ensure that 96% of homes in Wales are covered by 2016 and is seen as vital for Welsh businesses in an increasingly competitive global market.
Welsh ministers are spending £58m on the scheme, with a similar amount coming from the UK government and £90m from European funding.
In two years, the aim is for around 700,000 premises to have access but so far it has gone past the 150,000 mark.
Mr Davies, who chairs the Welsh advisory committee for the communications watchdog Ofcom, said the project was transformative but more needed to be done to make people aware of when it is rolled out in their communities to encourage demand for the high-speed broadband.
He said: "For small and medium sized businesses, it gives them an opportunity to compete on equal terms with businesses elsewhere in the UK and elsewhere in the world, and on the back of that they should be able to cut their costs and increase their revenues."
He added: "There is undoubtedly take up, there are undoubtedly benefits accruing now.
"The question is, if more is done on the stimulation side, can those benefits come through faster?"
In a statement the Welsh government said: "We are at an early stage in the programme and the marketing activity.
"Current take up figures for cabinets that have been in place for over one...

Summary: Wales is not making the most of a £425m contract to roll out superfast broadband in rural areas, according to the former head of BT in Wales.
###
Article: It is hoped the sale, to be handled by estate agent Knight Frank, will cover the Â£502m debts accrued by a firm which tried to redevelop the landmark site.
The 39-acre property is on the Thames and a new public park is planned there.
Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed government backing for plans to extend the London Underground's Northern Line into the heart of the area.
Stephan Miles-Brown, head of residential development at Knight Frank, said: "This is the first time Battersea Power Station has ever been offered for sale on the open market.
"As one of the UK's most recognisable landmarks, Knight Frank anticipates considerable interest in a scheme that is among the most exciting in the world today.
"Battersea Power Station is as iconic as the Chrysler Building in New York or the Eiffel Tower, and familiar to people who may have never even been to London."
The Grade II listed building opened in 1933 and generated power until 1983.
As such any building work would require listed building consent - even minor works, such as painting.
It was acquired by Real Estate Opportunities, the majority owner of the holding company, in 2006.
Last year its debts on the project were called in by creditors.

Summary:


The US government has announced that it will not use child labour during the cotton harvest.

A second manufacturing unit at the Ineos KG ethylene plant in Grangemouth will be brought back to life eight years after it was mothballed.

Article: Uzbekistan is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of cotton, a mainstay of its economy.
Human rights campaigners say hundreds of thousands of children are being forced to bring in the harvest for minimal wages and under harsh, sometimes dangerous, conditions.
As the picking season gets under way in the Central Asian country, dozens of leading international clothing companies have pledged to avoid Uzbek produce.
In the US, the organisers of New York Fashion Week recently cancelled a show by the Uzbek president's daughter, amid protests by labour rights activists.
Gulnara Karimova was forced to hire a private venue in Manhattan to unveil her new collection, with protesters gathering outside the opulent Cipriani restaurant, waving placards and chanting.
Islomiddin Dolimov, a leader of an Uzbek opposition group who took part in the protest, said: "The main reason is to show how children are forcibly being taken to the cotton fields in Uzbekistan and to say it is time to stop this."
The Uzbek government denies that children are forced to harvest cotton and has signed up to International Labour Rights standards.
But so far it has refused to let international inspectors into the country to independently verify the progress the authorities say they have made.
The BBC's Uzbek service has received reports of school children being bussed to agricultural areas in various parts of the country.
One human rights worker in Uzbekistan said she had talked to a 10-year-old girl who said her class was made to pick cotton in the mornings and attend lessons only in the afternoon.
The activist was later detained by police for questioning.
"They said, 'you have no right to be here,' and started putting pressure on us, demanding that we should sign a paper stating that we will never visit the area again," she told the BBC.
Officers confiscated her bag, papers and camera and threatened to strip her to find the memory card, she said.
More than 60 international companies have now signed a pledge to not knowingly source...

Summary: Pressure is growing on the government of Uzbekistan to prove that it is ending the use of child labour during the cotton harvest.
###
Article: The firm successfully completed operational trials of the Train 2 unit ahead of it receiving shale gas ethane from the US this autumn.
New docks and a new pipeline network have been built to receive the gas.
The company said the move means it is now in "great shape" to run the plant at full capacity.
The KG ethylene cracker was unable to operate at full capacity in 2008, leaving Ineos "no option" but to close the second manufacturing unit.
Ineos said the US ethane will be used as a supplementary feed for the KG ethylene plant and will allow the plant to run at increased rates.
Gordon Milne, Ineos Grangemouth operations director, said: "With the successful completion of the Train 2 trial we are now in great shape to receive shale gas from the US and to finally run the Grangemouth plant at full rates.
"All the parts of the jigsaw are finally coming together and Grangemouth will soon be back in the premier league of European petrochemical plants."
The plant's chief executive John McNally said: "Bringing the site back into profitability is the best way to secure our future here in Scotland.
"We know that ethane from US shale gas has transformed US manufacturing and we are now a step closer to seeing this advantage being brought to here to Grangemouth."

Summary:


The South West will have three teams, with one based at The Oval with Surrey, who pipped a joint bid by Middlesex and the MCC for the one London spot.
There will also be a team based in the south west and another in Hampshire.
The north will have two sides, in Lancash

The six team hosts for this summer's inaugural Women's Cricket Super League have been announced.

Article: A study by Swansea and Milan universities found young people had "negative moods" when they stopped surfing the net.
Heavy internet-users also tended to be more depressed, the research found.
Internet addiction is said to be a clinical disorder marked by out-of-control internet use.
Swansea University said around half of the 60 young people it studied spent so much time on the net that it had negative consequences for the rest of their lives.
The results are part of a study looking at the negative psychological impacts of the internet.
The university said over the past decade internet addiction had became widely debated in medical literature.
Its research said the so-called addicts' web usage was varied, but it was common for them to gamble and access pornography online.
Prof Phil Reed, of Swansea University's college of human and health sciences, said: "Although we do not know exactly what internet addiction is, our results show that around half of the young people we studied spend so much time on the net that it has negative consequences for the rest of their lives.
"When these people come off-line, they suffer increased negative mood - just like people coming off illegal drugs like ecstasy.
"These initial results, and related studies of brain function, suggest that there are some nasty surprises lurking on the net for people's wellbeing.
"These results corroborate previous reports regarding the psychological characteristics and traits of internet users, but go beyond those findings to show the immediate effect of the Internet on the mood of those who are addicted."
The study explored the immediate impact of internet exposure on the mood and psychological states of internet addicts and low internet-users.
The 60 volunteers, made up of 27 men and 33 women aged in their 20s, were given psychological tests to explore levels of addiction, mood, anxiety, depression and autism traits.
They were then given exposure to the internet for 15 minutes and re-tested for mood and anxiety.
The research found the mood of...

Summary: Internet addicts can suffer a form of cold turkey when they stop using the web - just like people coming off drugs, according to research.
###
Article: The south will have three teams, with one based at The Oval with Surrey, who pipped a joint bid by Middlesex and the MCC for the one London spot.
There will also be a team based in the south west and another in Hampshire.
The north will have two sides, in Lancashire and Yorkshire, while the Midlands team for the Twenty20 league will be at Loughborough University.
Loughborough is also the long-term base of the England women's team.
All six hosts have been awarded hosting rights for a four-year period from 2016-2019.
The tournament will be played in a Twenty20 format this season, before adding a 50-over competition in the future.
The group stage of the 2016 competition will run from 30 July to 14 August, with the top four teams qualifying for a finals day.
Further details, including team names, will be revealed at a later date.
"This is a key day in the creation of the Women's Cricket Super League," said England & Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison.
"The bidding process for obtaining the hosts was competitive from the outset."
There were 28 initial expressions of interest for the WCSL.
Hampshire Cricket with partners: Berkshire Cricket Ltd, Dorset Cricket Board, Isle of Wight Cricket Board, Oxfordshire Cricket, Southampton Solent University, Sussex Cricket Ltd, Wiltshire Cricket Ltd
Lancashire County Cricket Board with partners: Lancashire County Cricket Club, Lancashire County Cricket Club Foundation
Loughborough University
South West: Somerset County Cricket Club, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, University of Exeter
Surrey County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club

Summary:


A man who was born with a rare disease and had the life-saving transplant on Thursday.
He was born with a rare disease and had the life-saving transplant on Thursday.
His father Simon donated part of his liver after no suitable match was found from the organ donor register.
Grandmother Alison Price,

The grandmother of a four-year-old boy who received part of his father's liver has said all is going "according to plan" following the operation.

Article: Millions of spermatogonia produce a constant supply of sperm in the testes.
But the University of Oxford study showed mutant spermatogonia gain a "tumour-like" competitive edge, leading to a greater proportion of sperm becoming defective.
Experts said couples should consider having children earlier in life.
A range of diseases including autism and schizophrenia are more likely with older dads due to mutations in their sperm.
And the risk of very serious health problems goes from around four in every 200 births to five in every 200 once the father passes the age of 50.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analysed 14 testes from men aged between 39 and 90.
The sexual organs were considered healthy, but were removed for other conditions such as a hernia causing swelling in the groin.
The researchers explored the "massive tangle of spaghetti" inside the testes to find the areas producing diseased sperm.
The analysis of the DNA - the instructions for life - in those defective zones showed mutations linked to a range of bodily processes.
They were linked to malformations and a predisposition to cancer, but they also had a role in growth and reproduction in the testes.
The same mutations that were ultimately damaging to children were encouraging the defective spermatogonia to spread - leading to a greater proportion of sperm being defective.
Prof Andrew Wilkie, one of the researchers, told the BBC: "This is why we call it selfish selection.
"These mutations within the testes get an advantage over their normal neighbours, but if that sperm fertilises an egg then that [mutation] carries a disadvantage to that person and causes disease.
"It's the first time anyone has been able to look at a piece of testis and say that's where this is happening."
That "selfish" growth is more commonly seen in cancer.
The researchers were able to find the mutations because their impact is so severe.
It is still unclear what the study means for the sections of DNA that increase the risk of disorders...

Summary: Mutant sperm-factories spread in men's testicles as they age to increase the risk of children with genetic diseases, researchers have shown.
###
Article: Harry Maceachen, from Shrewsbury, was born with a rare disease and had the life-saving transplant on Thursday.
His father Simon donated part of his liver after no suitable match was found from the organ donor register.
Grandmother Alison Price, a former theatre sister, said: "The consultants are very happy with their progress."
She said it had been a "very, very difficult 12 months", adding: "The operations were satisfactory. Everything is going on according to plan....the consultants are very happy with their progress."
Harry was born with biliary atresia, which meant he had blocked bile ducts.
He had a transplant before his first birthday but that liver had begun to fail, so a second one was required.
Harry underwent the operation on Thursday at Birmingham Children's Hospital and Mr Maceachen was operated on at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the city.
His grandmother said: "I used to look after him (Harry) three days a week when his mother went back to teaching and he got to know me very well.
"I think we've got a special bond. He was born on my 63rd birthday."
She said Harry's two-year-old brother, Sam, has been "impeccably behaved".
"It's hard for him. It's the first time he's been away from his mother for as long as this and he obviously misses Harry, as we all do."
She added: "It's brilliant with the support (the family have) had and the support we've had as grandparents.
"The whole family's pulled together and they have a wonderful lot of friends."

Summary:


The film is based on the true story of a young boy who is forced to live in a small town in the South Pacific.
The film is based on the true story of a young boy who is forced to live in a small town in the South Pacific.
The film is based on the true story of a

Cinemas in the US are scheduling extra screenings of 12 Years a Slave after it won the best picture Oscar.

Article: Six cats which went missing in the Croydon and Norwood areas in south London were later found dismembered.
It was initially thought the animals had been killed by foxes.
But animal rescue workers have now urged owners to keep their pets indoors "where possible", saying it had become clear that "something sinister" was going on.
Boudicca Rising of South Norwood Animal Rescue and Liberty (SNARL) said her organisation had received a "deluge" of further concerns from local residents.
The animals had suffered "gruesome" injuries which appeared to have been made by a blade, she told BBC Radio 5 Live.
She urged anyone who comes across an injured animal in the area to contact her group.
A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: "We will be surveying any evidence we are given to see if there is deliberate cruelty involved here."
"Thankfully acts of deliberate violence against dead cats are rare and thorough research has shown that these kind of injuries can be caused by wildlife after death."
She added the police were leading on the investigation but said the RSPCA will provide any support as needed.
The Met confirmed it had received reports of animals being harmed and was working with Surrey Police.
Sgt Ross Spanton, of Surrey Police said:  "I would like to reassure the local community that active enquiries are under way to identify those responsible and I would urge anyone with any information to contact the police."

Summary: Animal welfare workers believe the same person may be responsible for a string of "gruesome" cat killings.
###
Article: Steve McQueen's drama will play at more than 1,000 locations in the US and Canada from Friday, up from 411 last weekend, according to Variety.
The memoir on which the film is based has seen a similar boost, jumping more than 300 places in Amazon.com's chart.
Solomon Northup's book is now in 16th place, having previously been ranked in 326th place before Sunday's ceremony.
The title charts even higher on this side of the Atlantic, currently occupying third place in the Amazon.co.uk bestsellers' countdown.
12 Years a Slave was named best picture at this year's Oscars and won additional honours for supporting actress Lupita Nyong'o and screenwriter John Ridley.
The film has made more than $50 million (Â£27 million) in North America, according to the Box Office Mojo site, and has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray.
McQueen's film tells of how a free-born black man, played by British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, is kidnapped and forced into slavery before finally winning his freedom 12 years later.
Interest in Northup's 19th Century memoir has been revived following the success of the film, with many public high schools adding it to their curricula and reading lists.
According to Screen Daily, film distributor Lionsgate is also planning to increase the number of screens that Dallas Buyers Club is playing on in the US and Canada.
The film, about an HIV positive rodeo cowboy who uses illicit means to obtain unlicensed Aids medication, also received three Oscars on Sunday.
Stars Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto were named best actor and best supporting actor respectively, while the film received an additional accolade for its make-up and hair styling.
Meanwhile, the Walt Disney studio has announced that Frozen - winner of this year's best animated feature Oscar - has now made more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
It says the film is now the biggest non-sequel animated film ever released and the second biggest animated film of all time globally, after Toy Story 3.

Summary:


An examination for students in South Korea and Hong Kong hoping to study at US colleges has been cancelled after "credible evidence" emerged that it had been leaked in advance.

Article: The singer gave the record player as a wedding gift to Ellen Marschhauser in Germany in 1959, where he was stationed during his Army service.
She and husband Jim Jenkins retired to Cornwall, where she died in 2010.
The Perpetuum Ebner Musical 5v Luxus was expected to fetch £2,000, but sold for £4,400 to an overseas bidder at Penzance Auction House.
Proprietor David Lay said he had never come across anything that had created so much interest.
Mr Jenkins said the record player had also been a "thank you" from Elvis to his wife for doing some translation work for the singer's father, Vernon.
He said he and his wife had used the record player at parties, but it had been put away in the loft when the needle broke.
As well as playing records on it, it is believed that Elvis also used the player as an amplifier for his guitar.

Summary: A record player that once belonged to Elvis Presley has sold for double its estimated price at auction.
###
Article: Administrators of the ACT test took the decision just hours before some 5,500 students were due to sit it.
The ACT is one of two entrance exams available to international and domestic students wanting to go to a US college.
This is not the first cheating scandal to hit the tests in East Asia.
The other entrance exam - the SAT - was cancelled in South Korea in 2013 because some of the questions were leaked.
The ACT test was due to be held at 56 test centres in both South Korea and Hong Kong on Saturday morning.
The Associated Press said teachers at some of Seoul's private "cram schools" said they were not notified until about an hour before the students were due to sit the test.
ACT Inc, an Iowa-based non-profit organisation that was operating the test, said it took the decision after receiving "credible evidence that test materials intended for administration in these regions have been compromised".
The organisation said in a statement that all students would get a refund but would only be able to resit when the tests are held again in September.

Summary:


A polar bear cub is a rare sight in Scotland.

YouTube has warned it will clamp down on users who buy 'fake views' to make their videos look more popular than they really are.

Article: Polar bear cubs were last born in the UK almost 25 years ago.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has begun preparations to pair up two bears at its Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore.
A crate has been placed in the male bears' enclosure which will be used to transport Arktos to where the female, Victoria, is kept.
RZSS said captive breeding formed an important part of conserving polar bears, which are classified as "vulnerable" on the International Union Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species.
But animal welfare organisations OneKind Scotland and Born Free Foundation said tackling climate change to better protect wild bears should be the focus of conservation efforts rather than captive breeding.
Arktos shares an enclosure with a younger male bear called Walker.
The older bear has been selected for breeding because he is considered to be a genetically more important male, according to RZSS. Walker's genes are already well represented within the captive population.
Victoria, who was brought to Scotland from Aalborg Zoo in Denmark last year and is kept in an enclosure about a mile away from the males, previously raised cubs in 2008.
Over the course of about a month, park staff hope Arktos will become accustomed to the 3m (9ft 10in) by 1.5m (4ft 11in) by 1.8m (5ft 10in) crate to a point where he can be safely locked inside and moved to the Victoria's enclosure.
Arktos will later be moved back to his own enclosure. RZSS said the areas where it keeps polar bears were larger than those of any other zoological institution in the world.
Douglas Richardson, head of living collections at the park, said: "When we first take Arktos to Victoria, he will live in a separate enclosure adjacent to hers.
"The two bears will be able to communicate and interact through a secure large fence to start with. We fully expect to see them showing an interest in each other right away.
"As with any introduction of large predators, the process must be approached slowly and carefully, paying close attention...

Summary: An attempt to breed polar bears in Scotland looks set to go ahead this year.
###
Article: With 100 hours of video added to the site every minutes it can be hard to get noticed, so some people buy fake views.
There are many companies that will sell YouTube views, likes or comments for a fee.
Most videos have genuine views but the website wants to crack down on the small number that don't.

Summary:


A new NHS trust set up to run Stafford's hospital requires improvement, inspectors have said.

Article: Despite the win, party members were left in shock when the council's Tory leader Robert Gould lost his seat to the Liberal Democrats.
UKIP was left without a seat while the Liberal Democrats won 11 seats, the Green Party won two and the Labour Cooperative retained one seat.
The ruling Conservative group will meet next week to elect a new leader.
The authority previously had 45 councillors, but now has one more following a boundary review.
In 2013, the Conservatives had 27 seats, Liberal Democrats 12, while Labour took three and its "sister party" Labour and Cooperative won two. UKIP gained one seat.
Election 2017: Full results from across England
Mr Gould lost his Sherborne Town seat by 22 votes as Jon Andrews for the Liberal Democrats gained the seat with 1,493.
The local election comes amidst plans to reorganise local government in Dorset with two unitary authorities.
The authority has said it will not be revealing plans for the restructure until after the general election on 8 June but, if they go ahead, it could mean Dorset residents face another election in two years' time.
Mr Gould replaced Spencer Flower as leader in 2014.
Councillor Flower, who won Verwood for the Tories alongside his wife Toni Coombs, said overall it was a "strong performance" for the party.
"Politics is a surprise, you get occasions where you get outcomes you didn't expect. It's obviously always very disappointing when you lose a colleague but it happens and we just need to move on from there," he said.
Representing UKIP, who failed to win a seat, Robin Grey said it had been a "very bad night".
Labour's David Stokes said: "It's been a difficult night in the county as a whole but our share of the vote has increased. We're very optimistic."

Summary: The Conservative Party has retained control of Dorset County Council after winning 32 of the 46 seats.
###
Article: The verdict came from the Care Quality Commission's first inspection since the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust was created in November.
The hospital was at the centre of a Â£6m public inquiry into care failings.
But despite the CQC's overall finding being critical, the trust said it was "highly complimentary" about the standard of care in some areas.
Inspectors visited County Hospital, formerly Stafford Hospital, and Royal Stoke University Hospital, also run by the trust, in April. They carried out unannounced inspections in May.
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which ran Stafford, was dissolved in November after a report concluded it was not "clinically or financially sustainable".
700,000
People served by the hospital trust
194,954
Combined A&E visits to the two hospitals (2013-14)
1,508 Beds provided across the two sites
8,848 Equivalent full-time staff employed by the trust
The NHS in Staffordshire was given almost Â£300m to create the new trust and relocate some services in the county.
The CQC said it recognised "that the leadership of the new trust has had the significant task of bringing together two organisations at a challenging time. We have seen that progress has been made but there is still more to be achieved".
The trust was rated as good overall for how caring its services were, but told it required improvement to ensure safe, effective and well-led services. It received an inadequate rating in relation to whether services were responsive.
Several initiatives within children and young people's services at Stoke were rated as outstanding in relation to whether they were caring.
Outstanding work was also seen in the specialised neurological unit at County Hospital, inspectors said.
But the trust was told it must address high waiting times in its emergency department, and inspectors noted the Royal Stoke had "consistently and frequently failed the four-hour waiting time target".
It also said the trust should review capacity and adequacy of critical care services, and...

Summary: