Barclays Bank has agreed to sell part of its Spanish business for £633m to the country's third largest lender CaixaBank.

The sale includes Barclays' retail, wealth management and corporate banking business in Spain.
In a statement, Caixa said the deal involved 270 branches and approximately 555,000 new clients.
Barclays is reorganising its business by cutting jobs and selling off parts of its European operations.
In May, it announced plans to cut 19,000 jobs by 2016, of which 9,000 will be in the UK, as well as to create a "bad bank", which included its retail banking operations in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France.
The idea behind the "bad bank" was to group together businesses no longer considered central to Barclays, with a view to selling them off or listing them on the stock market.
"We were clear [in our update in May] that this business, while not central to Barclays' strategy, could be attractive to another owner - and today's announcement reflects that perspective," said Antony Jenkins, chief executive of Barclays.
"Under the ownership of CaixaBank, a leader in retail banking in Spain, these businesses will have a greater opportunity to grow and thrive," he continued.
The deal does not include Barclays' Spanish credit card operations or its investment banking business.
"This acquisition will enable us to enhance our personal and private banking businesses in Spain, strengthening our counselling offer to our customers," said the chief executive of CaixaBank Gonzalo Gortazar.
19,000
Jobs to be cut by 2016
Around 9,000 in the UK
38,800 retail banking
26,000 investment banking


A fossil stored in a Doncaster museum for 30 years has turned out to be a new species of ancient reptile.

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19 February 2015 Last updated at 08:50 GMT
The 200 million year old fossil was hidden away in the museum store room.
It's thought to be the remains of an ichthyosaur - an extinct marine reptile.
The man who found it says scientists now know it lived in the waters around Britain, and that its last meal was a squid.
It is not uncommon to find ichthyosaur fossils in England. The sharp-toothed marine reptiles swam in large numbers in the seas around Britain when the dinosaurs roamed.


The Scottish government is facing fresh calls to end a "birthday discrimination rule" which sees some children lose 400 hours of free nursery education.

The anomaly means children born in August receive two years of free provision, but a child born in January gets just 15 months.
Amendments to a Scottish government bill that would have closed the loophole were voted down in 2014.
The Tories have now urged ministers to act "as a matter or urgency".
The anomaly exists because most children are not eligible for free childcare until the start of the term after their third birthday.
But the Scottish government said local authorities can and do start children earlier where they have capacity to do so, which is for the councils to fund and manage.
A report by think tank Reform Scotland has calculated that the loophole can cost some parents up to Â£2,800 in additional child care costs.
The report said that:
It said the Scottish government could use its planned expansion of free childcare to address the situation once and for all.
And it called for a system where all children are offered a full two years of government-funded nursery provision regardless of when their birthday falls.
This would mean all free nursery provision starting at a fixed point in the year - most likely August - two years before the child is due to start school.
The report forms part of the think tank's submission to a Scottish government consultation on early-years learning and childcare, which closes this week.
Reform Scotland's research director, Alison Payne, said the wide variation in entitlement was "unacceptable and unfair".
She added: "The Scottish government has set a goal of closing the attainment gap. However, many children start school already at a disadvantage and playing catch up simply because they have not been given the same access to pre-school education.
"While many factors contribute towards the attainment gap, it is unacceptable that one of those is as a result of the Scottish government's birthday discrimination which could be so easily resolved."
Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith argued that the issue was "not a complex thing to sort out", and should be done "as a matter of urgency".
She added: "For several years, we have urged the Scottish government to address this discrimination, but our plea has been steadfastly refused at every turn.
"It is plainly wrong that a child loses out on hundreds of hours of nursery education purely because he or she was born in the 'wrong' month.
"This is not the mark of a government which claims to promote social justice. The discrimination also has a financial impact on families who are missing out on hundreds of pounds of free entitlement."
A spokesman for the Scottish government said work was already under way to increase free early learning and childcare to 1,140 hours by 2020.
He added: "The starting dates for three-year-olds are set out in legislation, however local authorities can and do start children earlier where they have capacity to do so, and this is for them to fund and manage.
"Children who start their entitlement in April can have an extra year of funded early learning and childcare if parents choose and children who start their entitlement in January are eligible for an extra year at the local authority's discretion."
He said the government will analyse all of the submissions to its early learning and childcare consultation, with its response to be published in the spring.
Scottish Labour MSP Daniel Johnson said: "A child's birthday shouldn't change how much early learning and care a child receives, especially when we know how important high-quality childcare can be to one's future life chances.
"As the government looks to expand early learning and childcare, it should look again at the birthday rule to see whether the system can be made fairer for all families."


Preston striker Sean Maguire is a new face in the Republic of Ireland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Serbia.

Maguire was top scorer in the Irish Premier Division with Cork City last season before his move to Preston.
Republic boss Martin O'Neill has named a 39-man extended panel for next month's Group D matches.
Uncapped duo Matt Doherty and Liam Kelly are included along with Greg Cunningham, whose last cap was in 2013.
O'Neill's side are level on points with group leaders Serbia, who they play in Dublin on 5 September and three days after the away encounter against Georgia.
"These two matches will make ferocious inroads into the make up of the group - goal difference is pretty important too," said O'Neill.
"We need to remain unbeaten if we can and probably need to win at least three out of the four games."
Maguire has been capped at underage level up to U21s and his 20-goal haul for Cork last season earned him a move to Preston and now a senior international call-up.
There are also recalls for Rob Elliot, Paul McShane, Ciaran Clark, James McCarthy, Stephen Quinn, David Meyler, Shane Long and Kevin Doyle, who all missed the games against Mexico, Uruguay and Austria.
Republic of Ireland squad:
Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Rob Elliot (Newcastle United), Colin Doyle (Bradford City)
Defenders: Cyrus Christie (Middlesbrough), Richard Keogh, Alex Pearce (Derby County), Paul McShane (Reading), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), John O'Shea (Sunderland), John Egan (Brentford), Greg Cunningham (Preston North End), Kevin Long, Stephen Ward (Burnley), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Midfielders: Aiden McGeady (Sunderland), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion), Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Jeff Hendrick, Robbie Brady (Burnley), James McCarthy (Everton), Stephen Quinn, Liam Kelly (Reading), David Meyler (Hull City), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Eunan O'Kane (Leeds United), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City), Jonathan Hayes (Celtic), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), Alan Browne, Daryl Horgan (Preston North End)
Strikers: Jonathan Walters (Burnley), Shane Long (Southampton), Daryl Murphy (Nottingham Forest), David McGoldrick (Ipswich Town), Kevin Doyle (Colorado Rapids), Sean Maguire (Preston North End)


The prime minister will be curled up on the sofa watching traditional British TV on Christmas Day.

While being a fan of "Scandi dramas" like Borgen, Theresa May told the Radio Times she'd tune in to Doctor Who and "a nice Agatha Christie".
Earlier in the day, she'll have a drink with friends before helping churches in her Berkshire constituency who provide lunch for elderly people.
The PM also said she enjoys Strictly Come Dancing, but wouldn't take part.
"I always like to see Doctor Who on Christmas night, if possible, and a nice Agatha Christie to curl up with. David Suchet was a great Poirot - he got him to a T," she said in the Christmas issue of the magazine.
Church has always been an important part of Christmas, she said, as her father was a vicar.
"As a child I had to wait until my father had finished his services before I could open my presents. It felt like a very long wait."
Theresa May: The woman behind No 10
Discussing her TV tastes as a younger woman, the prime minister said she liked watching Diana Rigg and later Joanna Lumley in The Avengers, but never viewed them as role models.
"I have never had a female role model - I've always just got on with doing what I am doing," she said.
Mrs May admitted she had not seen much of former shadow chancellor Ed Balls on Strictly as she tended to be busy on Saturday evenings.
Asked if one day she would be tempted to give the show a try herself, she replied: "I can't dance. It's not a good idea."


A buy-to-let tycoon who banned Indian and Pakistani tenants from renting his homes "because of the curry smell" is facing legal action.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has applied for an injunction against Fergus Wilson.
In his latest letting criteria, the Kent landlord has also banned zero-hour workers, single parents and "battered wives".
Mr Wilson has defended his lettings policy on economic grounds.
EHRC chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath said it had applied for an injunction at Central London County Court.
She said: "We have asked the court if it agrees with us that Mr Wilson's lettings policy contains unlawful criteria and, if so, to issue an injunction."
Mr Wilson said: "Given that I have not had any Indian or Pakistani person apply for a house during the past five years, I am not sure what the EHRC seeks to achieve."
Long regarded as Britain's biggest buy-to-let investor, Mr Wilson has hundreds of properties in Kent.
As well as zero-hour workers, single parents and "battered wives", he has also banned parents with children under 18 in his latest letting criteria.
The EHRC last month demanded a written assurance from Mr Wilson that he would not refuse to let a property based on race, colour, nationality or national origins.
It said it would now begin an investigation into his policy on women.
Despite having to call in police following online abuse, Mr Wilson has refused to back down and insisted his motivation was to avoid financial risk.
He said: "Like any business we are consistently fine-tuning to best advantage".
He has insisted he is not racist and has rented to "non-white" people, including Gurkhas.
Mr Wilson said: "It is not the colour of their skin, but the smell of the curry.
"The EHRC appears to be saying that the purchaser then must let the house to someone who does cook curry."
Advocacy group Hope Not Hate said: "Mr Wilson needs to join the 21st century.
"It's almost as if he has taken a tick box to offend every vulnerable group in Britain.
"We hope these legal proceedings will help him rapidly re-focus his outdated views."


A judge has backed Madrid's decision to force a bright orange bus emblazoned with an anti-transgender message off its roads.

Jose Juan Escalonilla said the bus could not move until the slogans, including "if you are born a man, you are a man", were removed.
The bus belongs to Catholic group, Hazte Oir, which had planned to take it on a nationwide tour of Spanish cities.
The public prosecutor is investigating whether it is a possible hate crime.
Other messages on the side of the bus state "boys have penises, girls have vulvas. Do not be fooled" and "if you are a woman, you will continue to be one".
Mr Escalonilla did not find the bus went as far as being a hate crime.
However, he said he believed the bus was an "act of contempt" meant to "injure" the dignity of people of a different sexual orientation, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.
The bus is believed to be a response to posters put up in northern Spain by a transgender rights group, which read: "There are girls with penises and boys with vulvas. It's as simple as that."
The vehicle was impounded after it was spotted in Madrid on Monday.
Though the outrage centres on its message, the bus has technically been ordered off the roads for breaching municipal rules on outdoor advertising.
Councilman for Security Javier Barbero said on Tuesday that police had halted "the bus of shame".
Ignacio Arsuaga, the president of Hazte Oir, which translates as "Make yourself heard", argued that the group had a right to protest against "laws of sexual indoctrination" and had the right to freedom of speech.
The group argued Madrid City Council's "kidnap" of the bus was "clearly illegal".
Mr Arsuaga claimed the slogan on the bus stated only "a fact of biology that is studied in schools".
The group told the BBC on Wednesday it was not expecting to meet so much opposition.
Mr Arsuaga said: "We are going to appeal this unjust decision and file a criminal case against the extreme-left Madrid mayor."
Hazte Oir intends to visit nine Spanish cities over two or three weeks, and is looking at getting a second bus.


Police are investigating after a man was attacked and robbed in his wheelchair in Broughty Ferry.

The 52-year-old was on King Street at about 21:00 on Monday when he was approached by a man who assaulted him and took his shopping bag from the back of the wheelchair.
The suspect is described as being 5ft 7in tall, in his early 20s, with dark hair and facial hair. He was wearing a dark hooded top and blue joggers.
Officers have appealed for witnesses.
The victim suffered minor injuries. The shopping bag was recovered a short time later.


Dispute still rages in the US about exactly what happened in Benghazi, Libya on 11 September, and who knew what when.

After initially saying the attack may have been spontaneous, US authorities now say it was a pre-planned strike. Libyan authorities have said militants probably used an anti-US protest as cover for the attack, and may have had help from inside the country's security services.
Here is the timeline of events that US officials believe led to the death of US ambassador Christopher Stevens, his state department colleague Sean Smith and former Navy Seals Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.
10pm: Attackers open fire at the consulate, which has a main building and a smaller annex.
10.15pm: The assailants gain entry to the complex and the main building is engulfed in flames.
Many of those trapped inside escape but Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith and a regional security guard remain.
The security guard manages to escape and returns shortly afterwards with others to try to rescue Mr Stevens and Mr Smith.
They find Mr Smith dead and pull him from the building, but no sign of Mr Stevens. They are driven from the building by thick black smoke, fire and gunfire.
10.45pm: Security staff try to retake the main building but come under heavy fire and retreat.
11.20pm: A second attempt to retake the main building is successful. Fighting moves to the annexe.
Midnight: Fighting at the annexe - reported to last about two hours - results in the deaths of two more Americans, later named by US authorities as former Navy Seals whose job was to protect the other staff.
1.15am: Mr Stevens arrives at a nearby hospital - it is not known who took him. A doctor there has told the BBC that he spent an hour trying to revive him, but that Mr Stevens died from smoke inhalation.
2.30am: Security forces regain control of the annexe.


The son of former US Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Kaine has been arrested in a protest against a pro-Donald Trump rally in Minnesota.

Linwood Kaine, 24, was among five people detained on Saturday in a clash with Trump supporters outside the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul.
He was accused of second-degree rioting, but was not charged.
His father, Tim Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton's running mate, expressed disapproval.
The Virginia senator said in a statement released to the Pioneer Press through a spokesperson: "We love that our three children have their own views and concerns about current political issues.
"They fully understand the responsibility to express those concerns peacefully."
The youngest son of Senator Kaine was released from jail on Tuesday morning.
He was among a group that disrupted the rally in support of the president with a smoke bomb, air horns and chants, reports the Pioneer Press.
A 61-year-old woman was reportedly struck in the head in the fracas, according to the newspaper.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office said neither Linwood Kaine nor the other demonstrators would be prosecuted due to "insufficient facts to prove felony-level riot".


Northampton Town forward Marc Richards is anticipating a memorable weekend for the Cobblers as they face Notts County.

Chris Wilder's team could potentially win promotion from League Two on Saturday, on the same day they open Sixfields' new East Stand.
"I was here 10 years ago," Richards told BBC Radio Northampton. "To see a packed out Sixfields was amazing.
"Fingers crossed, if all the safety regulations go through, it'll be almost like a party atmosphere."
Work on the East Stand resumed in February, three months after Kelvin Thomas completed his takeover of the club, who hope to open it to supporters on Saturday.
"It's exciting times for the club, for the players and the fans, to sit in there and finally fill that bottom tier of the stadium," Richards continued.
A win against Notts County, plus favourable results in the games involving Accrington and Bristol Rovers, would see Northampton promoted.
Richards, 33, has scored 18 goals this season and having recently recovered from an injury that kept him out for six weeks, he is focused on helping the Cobblers finish the season in style.
"Stuck in four walls inside the physio room, it's tedious, it's hard, it's mentally tough," said the former Port Vale striker. "I want to help the lads now to get over the line.
"It's going to be a tough game, they're no mugs Notts County. They're not totally on form but you could say that about ourselves. We're not playing like we have been all season.
"We're so close you almost don't want to talk about it, but it (promotion) is going to come and when it does it will be amazing."


Justin Thomas made history for the second time in two days as he set a record for the lowest 36-hole total in PGA Tour history with his score of 123 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

The American, 23, became the youngest man to card a sub-60 round with an opening 59 in Honolulu.
He followed it up with 64 on Friday to move to 17 under par - five shots clear of Gary Woodland at the halfway point.
England's Justin Rose is among those in a tie for third on 10 under par.
Thomas, who last week won the Tournament of Champions, also in Hawaii, had six birdies and eagled the last for the second day in a row.
He told the PGA Tour's official website: "It's cool, any time you can get your name in the record books is awesome.
"I had no idea until I finished, until I signed and [someone in the scoring tent] said '123', and I was like 'man, I'd love that a couple more times in my career'."
Olympic champion Rose made seven birdies and one bogey to move to 10 under alongside American pair Hudson Swafford and Zach Johnson.
Scotland's Russell Knox is among a group of players on nine under, with world number five Jordan Spieth a further shot back.


A private health care company is creating 20 jobs and investing another £3m in an expansion programme.

3fivetwo said most of the money will be spent on building a cardiac assessment and imaging centre as part of the Kingsbridge Private Hospital on Belfast's Lisburn Road.
CT and MRI scans will be available as well as cardiac investigations.
The group said it will also be spending £350,000 on a training centre on the Boucher Road in south Belfast.
"As waiting lists have grown, so has demand for our services," Mark Regan, 3fivetwo's business development director said.
"With government budget cuts set to bite even deeper, we expect demand to increase exponentially into 2016 and beyond."


Church bells over a century old have been restored to their former glory after a five-year appeal.

St Mary's Parish Church, in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, raised Â£30,000 to carry out repairs to eight 105-year-old bells.
Work included refurbishing the frame and fitting and rehanging the bells.
Dave Bamford, from Taylor's Bell Foundry in Leicestershire, who helped restore and reinstall them, said help from local offenders on community service was "absolutely incredible".
The original bells, from 1732, were recast and added to the church in 1910.
Mr Bamford said the offenders carried out much of the heavy-lifting and the "lightest is over half a tonne".
"You've got to get the bells out of the mechanisms and get the mechanisms down all the steps to the bottom," he said.
"Without them [the offenders] we would probably still be working on it to this day."
Erewash Borough Council and the community donated money towards the restoration work.
Councillor Chris Corbett, leader of the authority, said: "This council values the history and heritage of our borough and is committed to protecting it - so keeping the church bells ringing, an age-old tradition in this country, is very important to us."


The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has said there will be no further meetings of the Northern Ireland Executive unless in "exceptional circumstances".

First Minister and DUP leader Peter Robinson made the announcement as the NI assembly returned on Monday.
Mr Robinson said the DUP's ministers would focus on talks to try to resolve the crisis that are due to begin on Tuesday.
Stormont was plunged into crisis after the murder of Kevin McGuigan Sr.
The police have said they believe IRA members were involved in his murder.
But they added there is no evidence at this stage that the killing was sanctioned by the organisation.
Sinn Féin rejected the police assessment and said the IRA had "gone" and was not "coming back".
However, Mr Robinson said the DUP was not "prepared to continue as if nothing had happened".
Analysis Chris Page BBC NI political correspondent
The DUP announced their decision in Stormont's Great Hall just as the speaker called MLAs to the assembly chamber for the first time this term.
The assembly will continue to function - but its biggest party have decided to take action at the executive level.
Stormont ministers will not hold their regular executive meetings, unless the DUP deem there are "exceptional circumstances".
And if the talks don't lead to a "satisfactory outcome", the DUP say their ministers will resign - triggering an election and then a devolution deep-freeze.
"A man has been murdered at the hands of those linked to a party of government.  This is unacceptable," Mr Robinson said.
He said if the DUP was not satisfied that the parties were committed to finding a resolution, they would initiate further steps.
The DUP leader said as a last resort ministerial resignations would follow.
Mr Robinson said that any election which followed would not see a return to the present assembly arrangements as the DUP would not nominate a first minister until a "fundamental and more wide ranging negotiation produced a system that could fully function".
In response, Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy said if the DUP chose to resign, there was "nothing we can do about that".
"We're not going to allow ourselves to become distracted by the electoral contest that's going on within unionism," he said.
"We are mandated to be here to do business.
"It's up to others to explain what effect their actions will have on our ability to deliver collectively for communities."
Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister criticised the DUP's actions.
"An executive that doesn't work, that doesn't deliver, isn't going to meet - big deal, that's it, that's the big DUP response to murder," he said.
"This is an executive that once didn't meet for six months and nobody noticed."
Following the police assessment about Mr McGuigan's murder, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) announced that it was withdrawing from the executive.


A woman who wants to testify at the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA) is not entitled to legal representation at public expense, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

The decision overturned an earlier ruling by the High Court.
The inquiry had said witnesses did not need legal representation, nor should it be met by public funding.
In January, the High Court said that decision was wrong, but on Friday the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling.
The inquiry is examining allegations of child abuse in children's homes and other residential institutions in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 1995.
It is the biggest child abuse public inquiry ever held in the UK.
The witness, known as BP, wants to give evidence regarding alleged abuse she suffered while living in institutions run by the Order of the Sisters of Nazareth.
She also wants to give evidence of being sexually abused by an outside and independent person (referred to in court as X) during the period when she was in care.
She made an application for legal representation at the inquiry as it was envisaged that her allegations would be robustly rejected and challenged in public.
BP has suffered from severe mental health issues and is currently serving a prison sentence.  She submitted that being questioned in public on her background could amount to a significant detriment being cast on her character.
BP's request for legal representation was refused.  She then asked for an oral hearing before the chairman, Sir Anthony Hart.  Her application was again rejected.
She challenged this decision by way of judicial review and the High Court ruled in her favour.
However, that ruling was appealed by the HIA.


Widnes Vikings remain top of Super League with a comeback victory at third-placed Wigan Warriors.

The hosts led 8-0 and seemed in control at half-time thanks to tries from Liam Farrell and Josh Charnley.
Matt Whitley reduced the arrears just after the break, before Charnley ran in for his second try and Wigan looked set to replace Widnes at the top.
But two tries in two minutes from Stefan Marsh and Charly Runciman saw Widnes go two points clear at the top.
The victory made it a best-ever start to a Super League season for Widnes and inflicted a first home Super League defeat on Wigan for 21 months.
Wigan took the lead when Farrell intercepted Joe Mellor's pass to run 70 yards to score, but Matty Smith pulled his conversion to the left.
Wigan forced a way to the line for their second try and Dan Sarginson's pass found Charnley to roll over in the left-hand corner, although Smith's attempt at goal drifted to the right.
Warriors' eight-point half-time lead was cut to two when a great pass from Mellor saw Matt Whitley go over and Rhys Hanbury added the extras.
Corey Thompson fumbled with Widnes approaching the try-line and Wigan made them pay as Charnley ran in for his second after Widnes allowed a high kick to bounce.
Two tries in two minutes turned the game on its head as Marsh ran in on the left-hand side, followed by Hanbury splitting the Wigan defence to send Runciman in to score under the posts.
Hanbury's conversion stretched the visitors' lead to four points and then added a penalty to make it 18-12 - and secure Widnes a sixth win in seven matches.
Wigan coach Shaun Wane:
"They were good for the win. They're the best team in the comp and, if you make defensive errors and give them field position, they're going to burn you.
"They stayed with us a long time and I knew eight points were not going to be enough.
"We went away from our system, which is disappointing. We had a good record here and that's gone, and in a cheap way. It's hard to take.
"Their last plays were better than ours but we fixed it a bit in the second half and, if we had been a bit smarter, we would have got the game.
"But in the end the best team won."
Widnes coach Denis Betts:
"It's hard not to say it's a fantastic night for the club and the players. We've had some tough days here.
"We looked a bit uncomfortable at times but we rode that and showed a lot of character and belief.
"It was an emotional day for us - there are a lot of ex-Wigan players in the group. Emotion burns energy very quickly and we looked shot after 20 minutes.
"But when we came in at half-time we tried to take the emotion out of the game and our composure was better in the second half."
Wigan: Sarginson, Manfredi, Gelling, Gildart, Charnley, O'Loughlin, Smith, Clubb, Powell, Flower, Farrell, Bateman, Tautai.
Replacements: Mossop, Sutton, Burke, Gregson.
Widnes: Hanbury, Thompson, Dean, Runciman, Marsh, Mellor, Brown, O'Carroll, Heremaia, Dudson, Sa, Houston, Cahill.
Replacements: Manuokafoa, Gerrard, Leuluai, Whitley.
Referee: Richard Silverwood (RFL).


Sixteen people have been arrested or summonsed to court in just 10 days for hare coursing offences in Lincolnshire.

The coursers, from outside of the county, were dealt with for various hare coursing offences at either Dowsby Fen, Rippingale or Stickney.
Police said a new approach to tackle the illegal act, by increasing patrols to be based where there is a known issue, was a "great success".
A small team of wildlife officers were previously responsible for the county.
Since 2005, hare coursing has been illegal throughout the UK. The Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to hunt wild mammals with dogs.
In the latest cases, five men from Surrey were arrested after a report of hare coursing at Dowsby Fen.
Eight men from Middlesbrough and North Yorkshire were caught near Rippingale and summoned to appear at court.
Another three men from Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire were summoned after being caught at Stickney.
Also three men from Berkshire were escorted to the Cambridgeshire border after being stopped at Deeping St James.
Lincolnshire Police have also seized vehicles used by the coursers until the court hearing.
Ch Insp Jim Tyner, of Lincolnshire Police, said: "We continue to have Operation Galileo [police operation to tackle hare coursing] in place to respond to reports of hare coursing.
"However, this year, rather than a team of five officers who were expected to respond to incidents throughout the 2,687 square miles of Lincolnshire, we have made the decision to equip and skill our local neighbourhood officers in the powers and legislation which relate to hunting with dogs."
Hare coursing is recognised as having a significant impact on rural communities and disproportionately increasing the fear of crime and anti-social behaviour.
"Our message to hare coursers is very clear," Ch Insp Tyner said.
"If you come to our county to commit offences, our officers are ready to deal with you."
Source: Lincolnshire Police


A chemical spill at a school sealed off a street in Perth on Thursday night.

One litre of formalin, a formaldehyde-based chemical, was spilled in a classroom at St John's RC Academy, which is part of the North Inch Community Campus.
The fire, police and ambulance services all attended the scene, after a call was made at about 18:15
A spokesman for Perth and Kinross Council confirmed that no-one had been hurt in the incident.
He said that no pupils were in the building at the time as it was out of normal school hours, and that although there had been some "accidental damage", the school was opened as normal on Friday.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) sent two appliances from Perth fire station (including a heavy rescue unit) and an appliance from Dunkeld.
SFRS crews in breathing apparatus and gas tight suits cleared up the spill, which they soon identified as formalin - a chemical traditionally used for embalming bodies, and as an agricultural cleaner.
Fire station manager Bob Rearie, who was at the scene, said that the school had been evacuated and a cordon had been put in place as a precaution.
He explained that two cleaners had attempted to clean up the spill and were overcome with the fumes. They were checked by medics but did not require hospital treatment.
Mr Rearie said the area had been made safe and a cordon would remain in place until the area was cleaned and the materials removed.
He said the spillage would not affect the environment and that there was no risk to the public.


The Irish Army's bomb disposal team has been called to examine suspected bomb parts found near the Irish border in a dissident republican investigation.

Police have discovered ammunition and items they believe to be component parts of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at Jenkinstown, County Louth.
The search operation is focused on a home and lands in the area.
Local officers, a dog unit and members of the Garda (Irish police) Special Detective Unit are involved.


A man has been airlifted to hospital after a paragliding crash in the Brecon Beacons.

The man, in his 50s, crashed off Corn Du, near Pen y Fan, at about 15:20 BST on Thursday.
Rescue teams were called and treated him for suspected spinal and pelvic injuries, Brecon Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) said.
He was then flown to Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales.
Central Beacons and Western Beacons rescue teams were also involved, along with a helicopter from the Maritime Coastguard Agency.
Brecon MRT team leader Mark Jones praised passers-by who helped the injured man.
"In this instance having help from passers-by was critical," he said.
"Those members of the public that helped this gentleman were calm and professional and were able to help his breathing difficulties without compromising any spinal injuries that he may have suffered until mountain rescuers were on scene."


A police officer who thought his childhood abuser had died before he chanced across him online has said the man's conviction brought him "closure".

John Stevenson Wright was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to 18 months for sexually abusing Darren Kenny.
The court heard the offences took place when Wright worked at a pub run by Mr Kenny's parents in Rochdale.
Wright, 68, abused Mr Kenny as a teenager when he used to sleep over at the pub.
He was convicted of gross indecency, indecent assault and inciting a child under 16 to engage in a sexual act between 1978 and 1981.
Wright's sentence will be added to the 22 years he is already serving for sexually abusing boys.
Mr Kenny, 50, an officer with Greater Manchester Police in Tameside, was repeatedly abused as a teenager and thought Wright was dead until he typed his name into an internet search engine.
While looking for his abuser's obituary, he was "horrified" to learn Wright had been jailed for child sexual abuse in Rochdale.
He added: "We had been told he had died - I had my closure and then when we found out he wasn't dead I had no closure any more and I needed it back."
Mr Kenny, who has waived his right to anonymity, contacted the officer who had investigated Wright and said: "I've got another victim - me.
"Even if wasn't a policeman I would have come forward.
"The length of sentence isn't important... returning the guilty verdict is what is important."
Mr Kenny encouraged other abuse victims to speak out.
"Look at me - I'm here, I'm a 50-year-old cop, and if I can do it I'm sure they can."


A woman has released a selfie she took moments before the hot air balloon she was in crashed, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

Shortly after taking the photo, Rebecca Fry cowered at the back of the basket as the balloon drifted into overhead power lines in Northamptonshire.
She suffered serious burns in the 33,000-volt shock last May.
Miss Fry, 22, said: "I remember hitting the power line and the electricity, the fire. I remember everything."
She had been a single passenger in the early morning flight on 22 May. The 64-year-old male pilot next to her was not injured, police said.
Miss Fry, who took to the sky alongside eight other balloons at the time, spent four weeks recovering in a specialist burns unit in Birmingham.
Speaking almost a year after the Earls Barton crash, she said she had curled into the brace position at the back of the basket to prepare for the impact.
"I was conscious through most of it," she said. "I felt as if my neck was going to snap and I remember screaming through clenched teeth."
"I remember being terrified that I was going to die and I remember the pain and just being so scared."
She described how her body went numb as she felt a wave of heat ripple through her, before eventually losing consciousness.
Miss Fry was treated on the ground by a Magpas Air Ambulance team before she was airlifted to a specialist critical care burns unit.
She suffered severe burns to her limbs and face and continues to receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr Rupert Hurry, a volunteer with Magpas, has met with Miss Fry. He said the worry for medics had been caused by a combination of her fall from a height, the burns she suffered and possible electrocution.
"I don't often get to see patients once I've treated them," he said.
"She looks really well and she looks happy. I'm glad to see her here - and walking and talking - and alive."


Swansea City match-winner Andre Ayew says there is better to come from him as he grows more accustomed to the Premier League.

Ayew, 25, scored a late winner against Aston Villa on Saturday to end Swansea's six-match run without a win.
The Ghana midfielder has now scored five goals in 11 appearances since joining Swansea on a free transfer from Marseille over the summer.
"I believe if I continue to work hard I can do much more," he said.
"It's about getting to know the league better, getting to know my players better. They are helping me with that and giving me the confidence.
"I'm sure with time I can even get better."
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Ayew was disappointed not to have given Swansea the lead at Villa Park when a slightly heavy touch allowed on-rushing goalkeeper Brad Guzan to smother his shot in front of goal.
The miss proved even more significant as Guzan's save set Villa on their way to a counter attack that brother Jordan Ayew finished to put Villa ahead.
"It's good for him, but it's even better for us because we got the three points. I'm happy for him but I'm happier for us," added the elder Ayew brother.
Swansea's visit to Villa had been billed as a meeting between two managers under pressure.
Garry Monk's position at Swansea had been brought into focus after failing to win since August, while Tim Sherwood was under far greater scrutiny with just one win to Villa's name all season.
Doubts over Sherwood's future will intensify, as he acknowledged after the match, but Ayew insisted there has been no tension within the Swansea camp.
"The manager never showed any pressure," he said.
"He stayed confident and believed in us. We also believe in what we do and believe in what he proposes to us in training.
"We have great confidence in our manager. That wasn't an issue at all. We just wanted to win because we are all like a family.
"When things are difficult in a family you need to stay united and fight together. That's what we did."
While happy to accept the plaudits for his winning goal, Ayew described Gylfi Sigurdsson's equaliser as the "real match-winner".
Sigurdsson scored a trademark free-kick six minutes after Swansea had fallen behind, giving the visitors fresh impetus to believe a first away win of the season was possible and fuelling Villa's fears of losing again.
"If we hadn't have scored that it would have been a whole different game. But we got the goal and the game changes," said Ayew, already a contender for the best signing of the season.
"We're happy and we hope we're going to continue you like that."


Dozens of complaints about how G4S ran three youth offender centres were ignored, a report has concluded.

It found the Youth Justice Board was made aware of at least 35 incidents from over seven years but failed to act.
Details emerged in a report into Medway Secure Training Centre in Kent, where the BBC's Panorama secretly filmed staff assaulting children.
The government has confirmed it would take over the unit in Chatham in July.
The inquiry found G4S oversaw "a culture of bullying and falsification of records" and ran Medway as a "place of coercion" for the "corralling and control of children, rather than their full rehabilitation".
In a ministerial statement, Justice Secretary Michael Gove said young offenders should spend time in "secure schools" not "junior prisons".
He said a new governing body would scrutinise and support all three secure training centres at Medway, Oakhill in Milton Keynes and Rainsbrook near Rugby.
The Youth Justice Board was aware of many of the failings exposed by Panorama, the report said.
An analysis of the complaints included:
In response, Lin Hinnigan, Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Board, said:  "We are reviewing our policies for people to raise concerns with us so whistle-blowers feel supported and their concerns are thoroughly investigated. Our new, more robust system of monitoring will also ensure greater scrutiny of STCs (Secure Training Centres), essential to protect children in custody.
"Whilst in the past we did take action on individual concerns raised with us and referred these to the relevant authorities for investigation, this was clearly not enough to address the cultural failings identified."
Peter Neden, of G4S UK and Ireland described the behaviour of some of its staff at Medway as "shocking and completely unacceptable" but said it reported the allegations of mistreatment to police and local authority immediately and dismissed staff involved.
"The behaviour was not in accordance with our standards and policies and was inconsistent with the training provided to officers.
"These events were deeply disappointing after seven years of Medway achieving a good or outstanding rating from independent government inspectors and it is clear that the multiple levels of internal and independent oversight of the centre failed to detect the behaviour of these staff."
He added: "We welcomed the decision of the secretary of state to commission an independent review and we will continue to work closely with the MoJ [Ministry of Justice] to ensure that oversight and safeguards are strengthened."
Following the Panorama programme, four men were arrested on suspicion of child neglect while a fifth was held on suspicion of assault.
All have been released on police bail.
The Panorama programme included footage apparently showing staff mistreating and abusing inmates.
Allegations relating to 10 boys, aged 14 to 17, included use of unnecessary force, foul language and a cover-up at the centre.
Five members of staff were sacked and three more suspended, while the unit's director, Ralph Marchant, stood down.
The unit takes youths aged 12 to 17 both on remand and after conviction.
In April, it emerged further allegations had been made by a young person who had been placed at the centre since the documentary was aired.


A woman who faces putting her disabled son on public toilet floors to change him is demanding better facilities.

Sarah Brisdion, whose son Hadley, five, has cerebral palsy, cannot use baby changing facilities as he is too heavy.
Mrs Brisdion, from Hampshire, says the experience "brings tears to my eyes".
Government regulations do not make providing such facilities a legal requirement and, according to charity Changing Places, there are only 750 appropriate toilets in the UK.
The charity, which has developed ideal facilities, estimates there are 250,000 people across the UK with disabilities that mean they are in a similar position to Hadley.
Mrs Brisdion, from Brockenhurst, says the nearest suitable changing area she can use is in West Quay shopping centre in Southampton, nearly 15 miles away.
A video showing Mrs Brisdion's campaign has been viewed thousands of times on social media site Facebook.
Mike Le-Surf, of Changing Places, said the problem was stopping many people from leaving their house, because changing someone on a "dirty floor" was "not acceptable".
In 2013, the government reviewed building regulations, but did not make it a legal requirement for new large developments to include adult changing tables, although it said providing such facilities was "desirable".
A Department for Communities and Local Government spokesman said a further review was being carried out to see if changes to building regulations are necessary.
A full Changing Places bathroom takes up 12m sq (130 ft sq), and costs Â£18,000, but campaigners say simply putting a static changing bench into wheelchair-accessible toilets would make a huge difference to many carers and people with disabilities.
Mrs Brisdion said she was planning to contact Southampton Football Club, Southampton's train station and Southampton General Hospital about her campaign.
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust said changing room toilet facilities were already under construction at Southampton General Hospital, while Southampton FC said installing a changing room was "on the table for discussion".
The station is yet to comment.


The children's laureate and eight well-known children's authors are calling on the education secretary to ensure school libraries are preserved.

Goth Girl author Chris Riddell says in a letter to Justine Greening that many lack investment and need funding via a central government grant.
Supported by eight former children's laureates, Riddell is asking Ms Greening to set out required standards.
The government said it was up to schools to spend as they saw fit.
In his letter, Riddell, supported by authors such as Michael Morpurgo, Jacqueline Wilson and Quentin Blake, said: " I have seen personally, in my school visits up and down the country, how they promote reading for pleasure and in doing so, turn pupils into avid readers.
"I am deeply concerned that this role is not fully appreciated and, worse, is being undermined through lack of economic and intellectual investment.
"In recent months two major school library services closed in Dorset and Berkshire, and year after year the School Library Association loses members as school library provision shrinks through lack of funding."
He said he had seen how library provision was "wildly inconsistent", with great examples of well-funded and staffed libraries.
He said the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Libraries had asked the DfE to gather statistics on school library provision so that the extent of this problem could be understood, but this had not yet happened.
Riddell also said: "While schools face insidious pressure on budgets and staff, things cannot change.
"That is why, with the backing of my fellow laureates, I am now calling on Justine Greening and the Department of Education to act on the all-party group's request and then set out clear standards of library provision, and put into place the necessary funding."
This way, every school would have a library service it could be proud of, with books to borrow and, wherever possible, a school librarian to help children choose, he said.
A Department for Education official said reading was a key part of a child's education and ultimately helped them to reach their full potential.
"That's why we've strengthened the curriculum to focus on developing their reading and writing skills, and teaching phonics helps children acquire the basic building blocks of reading," the official said.
"We want all children to have the opportunity to read widely - school libraries play a role in this, and schools are responsible for deciding how to provide this service for their pupils.
"This is backed up by a record Â£40bn schools budget this year, and it is up schools to spend their funding as they see fit."


Ninety-two human skeletons have been found on the site of a medieval church in Oxford.

Archaeologists made the discovery near the Kassam Stadium after a valuation was carried out as part of a planning application for a new hotel.
Paul Murray, from John Moore Heritage Services, described the discovery of the burials as "amazing".
The derelict Priory pub is the only building that remains of a nunnery founded on the site in 1110AD.
Whilst its location was known to experts, the full extent of its contents is only now becoming clear.
A series of "very unusual burials" were found at the site, including a woman found in a face down position, another who was a victim of blunt force trauma to the back of the head, and a stillborn child.
"It's unusual for someone so young to be buried within the church," Mr Murray said.
"And sometimes women found in prone positions are considered to be witches.
"Another possibility is that she sinned during her life and to atone for her sins she requested to be buried face down."
Isotope analysis is taking place at Reading University to determine more about the diets and lifestyles of the people buried in the church.
The bodies will eventually be reburied on consecrated ground.
Littlemore Priory was closed by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 and turned into a farmhouse.
In 2012 ,a dig at the site unearthed a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age arrowhead.


Hundreds of people have attended the funeral of former Peterborough United and Cambridge United manager Chris Turner.

Turner, who spent nine years as a player with Peterborough before winning back-to-back promotions as manager in the early 1990s, was diagnosed with frontal lobe dementia in 2006.
He died on 27 April at the age of 64.
Fans from both teams attended the funeral at Peterborough Cathedral.
Turner, who also played for Cambridge United, Luton, Swindon and Southend, started his playing career at Peterborough in 1969, making more than 300 appearances for the club.
He retired as a player in 1984 and took over as Cambridge United boss the following year, managing them until 1990.
His successful reign at Peterborough ended in 1992, when he stood down to become chairman.
Turner's family and friends were joined at his memorial service by fans, staff and players from both clubs, including former Cambridge United and Manchester United player Dion Dublin.
A Peterborough Cathedral spokesman said 730 people attended the service while dozens of others stood outside to pay their respects.
Tributes were paid to Turner, including one from a fan sporting a "Posh at Wembley 1992" commemorative hat.
"I've come along to represent my family to say well done and thanks to Chris because he gave us the most amazing days of our footballing career," she said.
"He was a manager who made fans feel like they were part of a great big team."
Phil Adlam, from Peterborough United, confirmed the club was working "to find a way of commemorating Chris that is fitting, and to make sure we celebrate the life of Chris in the right way".
After being diagnosed with dementia, Turner's wife Lynne said doctors told her the illness was "caused by heading too many balls" and called for greater research into the health risks surrounding the sport.


The man whose death at an Anglesey pub sparked a murder investigation has been named as David Jones.

Landlord Mr Jones, 46, died at The Blossoms public house in Holyhead on Friday afternoon.
Following a stand-off with police on the roof of a neighbouring pub, a 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in custody
A family tribute read: "A partner, soul mate, father, brother, uncle and our best friend. We love you."
A post mortem examination was carried out on Saturday but North Wales Police say they are not releasing Mr Jones's cause of death yet.
Officers have made a specific appeal to speak to people who were on board the number four Arriva Bus which left Bangor bus station at 14:00 GMT on Friday and arrived at Summerhill in Holyhead at about 16:00.
Det Chf Insp Iestyn Davies said: "It is understood that the bus was caught in traffic around the Black Bridge area of Holyhead as events at the Blossoms public house were unfolding."


The founder of Kids Company has defended the charity's "exceptional" value, after a report revealed it received at least £46m of public money.

Funding given to the charity, which collapsed in August, included at least £28m from the Department for Education, the National Audit Office said.
It received the money despite warnings about its financial management.
But founder Camila Batmanghelidjh said an "extremely distorted picture" of the charity was being painted.
She said former staff and mentors at Kids Company were now "too scared" to defend it because of a "media frenzy and biased reporting".
She added: "The state gave Kids Company money to do the job it couldn't do. It wasn't doing the charity a favour."
Evidence would have demonstrated Kids Company's "exceptional clinical and financial value as well as its rigorous accountability", had it not been "lost" by the Department for Education, Ms Batmanghelidjh said.
But a Department for Education spokesman said: "We do not recognise Camila's version of events."
Prime Minister David Cameron said he thought it had been right to give Kids Company the chance to keep going, and that was why it had access to public money.
The NAO found that Kids Company received public funding for at least 15 years, with at least £42m provided in government grants, including £28m from the Department for Education and its predecessors.
It also received about £2m from councils and £2m from the National Lottery.
The key findings of the report were:
The NAO, an independent body which audits government departments, found that despite "repeatedly expressed concerns" from officials, the government "continued to respond to the charity's requests for funding".
Its report said civil servants had noted that other organisations "appeared to offer better value for money" than Kids Company.
It found "a consistent pattern of behaviour" of the charity writing to ministers to express fears of redundancies and the impact of service closures, while raising the same concerns in the media.
This meant that from 2013 it did not have to compete for grants, the NAO found.
Ashley McDougall, from the NAO, said it was not clear why government had continued to fund Kids Company "year after year" when concerns were known.
2002: Officials criticised Kids Company's record of financial management and said other similar organisations were more effective.
2003: Kids Company had not complied with conditions attached to a previous emergency grant, debts at the charity were mounting, and its long-term financial viability needed to be evaluated, officials said.
2008: Officials raised concerns Kids Company's dependency on government funding was being prolonged and the government could be accused of favouritism.
2013: Kids Company grants were significantly higher than those to similar charities, yet it had limited reserves and consistent cash flow difficulties, officials said.
March 2015: Cash flow problems were persisting and officials were concerned that the charity would continue to rely on public funding.
June 2015: Officials cast doubt on the financial figures produced by Kids Company, and said they had limited confidence in the charity's willingness or ability to change. They advised ministers not to provide emergency funds - but were overruled.
What went wrong at Kids Company?
BBC's Chris Cook: How ministers were 'bullied'
Do Kids Company's sums add up?
Former children's minister Tim Loughton said he warned the Department for Education against giving a "very sizeable" grant to Kids Company in 2012.
But he said he was "overruled" by Downing Street after Ms Batmanghelidjh wrote a "Dear David letter" to Number 10.
Asked if he had he personally approved a loan for the charity, Mr Cameron said: "I'll have to look and see precisely the actual letter you're referring to, but my role in this has always been to try and help keep that organisation going because it was doing very good and important work."
He said the government - and the last Labour government - had been "confronted by difficult situations where this organisation doing this good work was finding it difficult to be financially viable".
Labour MP Meg Hillier, who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee, which will question officials on Monday, said it was "unbelievable" so much was given to the charity with "little focus" on its achievements.
Speaking in the Commons, Labour MP Paul Flynn said: "There is compelling evidence now that three prime ministers were unwittingly but directly involved in an enterprise that cost the tax payers many millions of pounds."
Kids Company was founded in 1996 in south London. It provided support to inner-city children and ran youth centres in London, Bristol and Liverpool.


Spain's Princess Cristina, the 51-year-old sister of King Felipe and sixth in line to the throne, has been cleared in a tax fraud trial.

However her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, was given a six-year-and-three-month jail term by the court in Majorca.
Urdangarin was accused of using his royal connections to generate business income used for private spending.
The case began in 2010 and became symbolic of perceived corruption among Spain's elites, including the royals.
There were 16 other defendants in the case, including former government minister Jaume Matas, who was sentenced to three years and eight months.
Urdangarin's former business partner, Diego Torres, was given eight years and six months. Nine defendants in all were acquitted.
Princess Cristina, who now lives in Switzerland, was the first member of Spain's royal family to go on trial since the monarchy's restoration in 1975.
In 2015, King Felipe stripped her and Urdangarin, 49, of their titles as Duke and Duchess of Palma de Mallorca.
Although she was absolved, Princess Cristina will still have to pay a fine of €265,000 (£227,000; $282,000) as she has civil responsibility for benefiting, albeit unknowingly, from illegal gains.
The couple were not in court for the verdict, which is subject to appeal. Both had denied wrongdoing.
The princess had been accused of being an accessory to tax fraud.
Public prosecutors had declined to press charges against her but the three judges agreed to continue with the prosecution using evidence filed by the anti-corruption group Manos Limpias, meaning "Clean Hands".
She told the court last March that her husband was in charge of family finances, saying: "I didn't get involved in that."
Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball medallist, had faced a slew of more serious charges.
He was accused of using the non-profit Noos Institute sports foundation he ran as a vehicle to win falsely inflated contracts from regional government bodies, before channelling the money to personal accounts via tax havens.
Noos is alleged to have received more than €6m (£4.4m; $6.5m) of public money, most of it from the Balearic Islands and Valencia regional governments.
One of the companies said to have received money, real estate firm Aizoon, was jointly owned by Cristina and Urdangarin.


Two of the bloodiest battles of World War One, Verdun and the Somme, are being marked 100 years on, but in Switzerland, centenary commemorations are taking place for a far less known wartime event.

The first contingent of wounded British soldiers arrived on 30 May 1916 for internment in the tiny village of Chateau d'Oex.
Between 1916 and 1918, Switzerland accepted 68,000 sick and injured soldiers: French and German as well as British.
Under the agreement of the warring parties, and with the help of the Red Cross, they were transferred to Swiss mountain villages to recover, and to sit out the war.
It was, says Swiss historian Cedric Cotter, a pragmatic solution welcomed by all sides. "A lot of the prisoners needed medical care, but there weren't enough doctors in the POW camps, they were all at the front taking care of their own soldiers."
And, he adds, it was a chance for Switzerland, surrounded by belligerents at the time, to show that its neutrality could be useful. The example of neutral Belgium, invaded by the Germans in 1914, had shocked the Swiss, and for two years the government had, according to Mr Cotter, been trying to find policies that would keep the country safe.
"Humanitarian action {became} an important tool of Swiss foreign policy," he says.
But amid all the wider European events commemorating the centenary of the Great War, what happened in Switzerland might have been forgotten had it not been for Chateau d'Oex resident Guy Girardet, who began to wonder about a plaque in his local village church.
"It says 'In memory of the British soldiers who were interned in Switzerland from 1916 to 1918'," he explains. "And I was intrigued, what were they doing here in the First World War, and why does no one know anything about it?"
Mr Girardet began doing some research, and uncovered a dramatic tale. When the first train carrying wounded prisoners crossed the border into Switzerland, he learned, the rail tracks were lined with cheering Swiss citizens.
"There was a band at the station in Montreux," says Mr Girardet. And by the time the train arrived in Lausanne, "thousands of people were waiting, throwing flowers into the carriages".
On that train was Susie Kershaw's grandfather, Cyril Edward Joliffe, a captain in the Cheshire Regiment, who had been severely wounded in 1914, and had spent two years as a prisoner of war, being shunted from one German military hospital to the next.
"When he entered Switzerland, he was on a train with 27 officers and 304 men," says Susie Kershaw.
"They were completely overwhelmed by the kindness and welcome they received. He was on crutches by then, he wasn't ever really able to walk again properly."
Britain's ambassador to Switzerland at the time, Sir Evelyn Grant Duff, went to Chateau d'Oex to welcome the British soldiers, and wrote in his diary that evening: "It is difficult to write calmly about it for the simple reason that I have never before in my life seen such a welcome accorded to anyone, although for 28 years I have been present at every kind of function in half the capitals of Europe. At Lausanne some 10,000 people, at 5am, were present at the station.
"Our men were simply astounded. Many of them were crying like children, a few fainted from emotion. As one private said to me: "God bless you, sir, it's like dropping right into 'eaven from 'ell."
But why were the Swiss so very welcoming? The country was poor, and suffering food shortages because of the war, but its population of just four million was apparently delighted to accept 68,000 seriously injured young men, all of them requiring accommodation, food, and medical attention.
"I think they really wanted to help," says Cedric Cotter, "but there was also a certain amount of curiosity. People didn't have TV of course, so the only news they got of the war was from newspapers.
"But when they saw the internees, for some it was their first view of people that had lost a leg, an arm, some with a face totally destroyed, some so shocked they couldn't speak anymore. So they could realise how terrible the war is."
But there was another reason too: the start of World War One had virtually destroyed Switzerland's tourism industry. The traditional guests from Britain and Germany were simply no longer coming.
When Alpine resorts heard that the Swiss government was planning to build barracks for the internees, they offered to house them in their own empty hotels.
"They actually competed to host the soldiers," says Guy Girardet. "The reason Chateau d'Oex got the first contingent of British soldiers was because its letter [to the Swiss government] arrived first."
This was more than just an act of charity: the British, French, and German governments were paying for the upkeep of their soldiers.
While no-one got rich out of Switzerland's internee programme, Guy Girardet believes that for many hotels it made the difference, during the war, between survival and bankruptcy.
And so thousands of wounded soldiers were sent, not just to Chateau d'Oex, but to Verbier, Zermatt, Murren, and many other now well-known resorts.
The good food, mountain air, and peaceful surroundings were beneficial, but the return to health of so many young men caused a problem: boredom.
"Verbier is a tourist resort now," points out Cedric Cotter, "but in 1916 there was practically nothing, not even a pub."
The Swiss soon decided that parents, wives, and fiancees would be allowed to visit.
One young woman, Connie Kirkup, writes of getting lost on the long journey across Europe, and then arriving in the Alps to find her fiance Angus, well recovered from his injuries, taking part in a bobsleigh race: "My heart stood still, but oh it was great - and the English team won!"
Susie Kershaw's grandmother, Millicent, arrived in Chateau d'Oex in June 1916 to visit her husband Cyril, and, as Susie has just learned, her visit became more permanent.
"What we have is a [Swiss] baptism certificate for her first baby, dated May 1917, my uncle Geoffrey. So she stayed," she explains.
Her grandfather never fully recovered from his war injuries, dying in 1931 aged 48. But Susie Kershaw believes the transfer to Switzerland was of considerable help: "He had three children afterwards. Perhaps I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that."
One hundred years on, historian Cedric Cotter believes the welcome for so many wounded prisoners of war paid political dividends for Switzerland, encouraging its European neighbours to view its neutrality in a more positive light.
He suggests it even influenced the decision to use Geneva as the base for the new League of Nations, and ultimately the European headquarters of the United Nations.


Sepp Blatter's 17-year reign as head of world governing body Fifa has ended in ignominy after the world body's ethics committee banned him for eight years.

For months football's most powerful man has been weighed down by a slew of corruption allegations.
He has always denied the allegations, and will appeal against the eight-year ban, but it seems impossible for him to continue as Fifa president now.
He was banned for allegedly signing a contract "unfavourable" to football's governing body and making a "disloyal payment" to Uefa president Michel Platini, who has also been suspended for eight years.
The ethics committee launched its investigation after the Swiss attorney-general began its own investigation into the disloyal payment - and this is still ongoing.
The embattled Fifa head had already announced earlier this year that he would be stepping down as president next February following the indictment of key Fifa officials on corruption charges by the US justice department.
Sepp Blatter's troubles, however, do not stop there.
He is also being investigated by the ethics committee over allegations surrounding a 2005 TV rights deal between Fifa and Jack Warner, the former president of Concacaf, the governing body of football in North and Central America and the Caribbean.
His decision in June to resign early came as a surprise. Days before, he had been re-elected for an unprecedented fifth term and had insisted he was the man to lead reform at the organisation.
But the dramatic arrest of Fifa officials in their Zurich hotel rooms as they gathered for a congress on 27 May cast a dark cloud over his re-election.
What drove a man, soon to be 80, through four terms in such a high-profile, and highly scrutinised, position?
Mr Blatter was born to a modest family in the alpine town of Visp. Legend has it he was the king of the playground at the local primary school in the 1940s, and the only boy there who possessed a professional-quality football.
After school Mr Blatter followed a not unusual career pattern for a Swiss man in the 1960s and 70s. He did his obligatory service in Switzerland's militia army, rising to the rank of colonel. While there he made contacts which would serve him later in life.
Mr Blatter worked in the watch industry, and increasingly in sports management, serving at the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation before moving to Fifa as its technical director in 1975.
When he was first elected as Fifa president in 1998 there was a certain amount of national celebration in his home country, remembers Roland Buechel, a Swiss member of parliament and campaigner for more transparency at the top of football.
"We were proud to have a Swiss person in charge of such an important international organisation," he says.
In Visp, Mr Blatter's old school was renamed after him. His portrait hangs in the hall and sports days regularly bear his name.
He continues to receive a warm welcome when he visits the town.
"He's very uncomplicated, very approachable," says Hans-Peter Berchtold, sports editor of the local newspaper Walliserbote.
Nevertheless, Mr Berchtold admits that when it comes to the allegations of corruption at Fifa, even Mr Blatter's oldest acquaintances are "not blind".
"Everyone knows there are problems at Fifa," he says. "But they don't think Sepp Blatter should be made responsible for all of them."
Mr Berchtold argues that there are plenty of positive aspects to the Fifa president's record, among them promoting football in developing countries, successfully staging Africa's first-ever World Cup, and, more recently, committing Fifa to a process of reform.
But that is precisely where some of Mr Blatter's critics disagree. "He has had 17 years to improve governance at Fifa," says Eric Martin, head of the Swiss branch of the anti-corruption NGO Transparency International.
In 2011 an independent panel convened by Fifa proposed a package of reforms. Fifa's decision to ignore its recommendations for fixed terms, age limits, and full disclosure of cash, was criticised by Transparency International.
And while some old friends describe him as down to earth and open, others who have worked with Mr Blatter say he resents opposition, pointing to the swift departure of Fifa colleagues who dared to question him.
Mr Blatter had bluntly turned down a suggestion of a television debate with candidates standing against him.
When asked once about his reaction to criticism of his stewardship of Fifa, the loudest of which has come from media in World Cup heavyweights Germany and England, Mr Blatter replied, somewhat ominously, that he could "forgive, but not forget".


A student faces being deported and losing his place at Oxford University due to uncertainty over his citizenship status.

Brian White, from Wolverhampton, moved to the UK from Botswana aged 15 with his adoptive family.
An application for naturalisation was rejected and he now fears being returned to his country of birth.
The Home Office said it had reassured Mr White it was trying to resolve his application as soon as possible.
A spokesman added it understood the "urgency" of his case.
A petition highlighting his battle has been signed thousands of times and received celebrity support on Twitter.
See more stories from across Birmingham and the Black Country here
Mr White, 21, lived in a Zimbabwean orphanage until the age of six. He was fostered and later adopted by the White family, who moved to Botswana and later returned to the UK.
In 2014, his application to become a British citizen by naturalisation was rejected as when he arrived in the UK, he was granted limited leave to remain by the Home Office, rather than indefinite leave which is required.
The family appealed, but that was also rejected. He is now awaiting the decision of a current application.
He was unable to take up his place to study chemistry at Oxford in 2016 after being deemed ineligible to receive student finance.
Mr White said the university kept his place open for him for a year, but it could be in jeopardy if his application is not approved.
"I don't think I've ever had time to sit down and think about it," he said.
"I'm trying my best to get it out of my mind."
He added he was "astounded" at the support of the petition, which has been shared by the likes of journalist Caitlin Moran and writer Philip Pullman and signed over 4,000 times.
End of Twitter post  by @PhilipPullman
End of Twitter post  by @caitlinmoran
Friend Luke Wilcox, who set up the petition, said it would be "disgusting" if the application was rejected.
"It's terrifying. He has got no links there, no family, no friends," he said.


Google has announced a conversation-based tool to control smartphones, smartwatches and other devices.

Google Assistant can be used to find information, play media and carry out tasks - such as booking cinema tickets - via a back-and-forth chat between the user and the software.
The firm also announced a voice-activated device with a built-in speaker called Google Home to deliver the tech to living rooms.
It will compete with Amazon's Echo.
Amazon launched its own dialogue-based smart home device in 2014, which is powered by the firm's proprietary virtual assistant Alexa.
Google's chief executive Sundar Pichai credited Amazon with pioneering the idea.
His announcement was made at the start of the firm's IO developers' conference in California.
"Google's new Assistant is its attempt to bring together a set of disparate efforts that have lacked a coherent brand," commented Jan Dawson from Jackdaw Research.
"Referring to the combined functions of Google Now, OK Google, and other elements has been tough in the past, because there wasn't a single name for this functionality.
"This should help Google compete more effectively both with Amazon's Echo device but also with better-branded personal assistants like Siri, Cortana, and Alexa."
Google Assistant can link into third-party services including Ticketmaster, Spotify, Uber and Whatsapp. But Alexa already works with many more.
"Amazon should take note of Google Home given Google's search and artificial intelligence capability, but Alexa has an early lead in third-party integration," noted Geoff Blaber from the CCS Insight consultancy.
Google Assistant also plays a role in a new chat app called Allo, in which it can make suggestions based on what the user is talking about with their friends.
One executive demonstrated the AI tool proposing a restaurant to visit when two users discussed wanting to eat Italian food.
Allo's other unusual feature is that it can provide replies on a user's behalf.
This includes commenting on pictures sent by friends, thanks to its use of image recognition algorithms.
The company said the suggestions should improve the more people use the app.
A partner video chat app called Duo was also unveiled. A distinguishing feature is a live view of the caller, which is shown on the recipient's screen before they decide whether or not to answer.
In the past, Google IO has provided a first look at the next version of smartphone operating system Android.
But this year many details about Android N were released weeks ahead of the event.
However, there were new details about a forthcoming virtual reality feature called Daydream.
It introduces a dedicated VR app store and provides a set of specifications that devices must meet in order to provide a lag time of less than 20 milliseconds between movements of the user's body and on-screen responses.
Daydream also includes a reference design for a VR headset mount - into which a variety of smartphones could be fitted - and a controller - a handheld device featuring a trackpad and two buttons.
Google is not making either, but hopes that manufacturers will put the designs into production.
"One of the worst things about Samsung's Gear VR [headset] is the control system - Daydream looks much better," said Mr Dawson.
The firm also announced an upgrade to its smartwatch operating system Android Wear.
It now supports "standalone" apps, meaning the software can go online via wi-fi or a watch's own 3G/4G connection, rather than having to link up via a smartphone.
This should make apps run faster and addresses a problem that had also plagued apps on the original version of Apple's rival Watch OS.
In addition, the updated Android Wear provides ways to reply to messages beyond speaking into the device's microphone.
Users will able to:
How practical this will be is unclear, particularly as an on-stage demo went wrong.
"Android Wear 2.0 is a reset for Google's wearables platform," said Mr Blaber.
"Having learned lessons from the first generation, Google and partners will hope 2.0 will kick start wearables adoption and usage."
Very impressive, Google, but it feels like you're a little behind.
Facebook already has a smart chat app. Amazon already has a cool assistant you can talk to in the kitchen.
And Oculus and Samsung have the Gear VR, a smartphone-powered headset.
So, the task for Google is both straightforward and enormous. Do all that, just better than everyone else.
Google's head-start in smart messaging is that its algorithm is by far and away the smartest.
And unlike Samsung's VR headset that needs a Galaxy phone, Google's Daydream mount is designed to work with a range of handsets.
The biggest cheer, mind you, wasn't for any of the new products.
Instead, it was news of a fresh range of emoji depicting female professionals that drew delight from the audience here.
Google rounded off IO's first event of the week with a look at a feature that could shake up one of Android's key principles.
Rather than making users install an additional app each time they want to access a new service, the firm wants to make it possible to quickly download just the code needed to carry out a specific task.
"We are evolving Android apps to run instantly without installation," explained Google executive Ellie Powers.
"We call this Android Instant Apps.
"As a developer... you'll modularise your app and Google Play will download only the parts that are needed on the fly."
Examples given included a parking meter app that automatically presents its payment interface when a motorist leaves their car at a stand, and a news app that streams its videos when a user clicks a link.
The idea echoes the Scopes found in Ubuntu's smartphone OS and Microsoft's App-V facility, which both aim to provide access to third-party services without making users download full apps.
Analysts had mixed feelings about the proposition.
"Android Instant Apps [are the] first real signs of the post-app era," tweeted Gartner's Brian Blau.
But Creative Strategies' Carolina Milanesi wrote: "Is it like a smart preview that will get me to install the apps I don't have?"
And Moor Insights' Patrick Moorhead added: "When I think about Android Instant Apps, why is the first thing I think of [a] security panic?"


The Republic of Ireland's second largest political party, Fianna Fáil, has rejected an offer of partnership government with its rivals, Fine Gael.

The two parties held talks almost six weeks after a general election produced a hung parliament, in which no party won enough seats to govern alone.
Fine Gael, led by acting Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny, remains the biggest party with 50 seats.
Mr Kenny said Fianna Fáil's refusal of the offer was a "serious mistake".
The Fine Gael leader claimed the rejection was "driven by narrow party interests rather than the national interest".
"Ireland needs a stable and lasting government to meet the many national and international challenges facing the country," Mr Kenny added.
"Fine Gael's preferred option of a full partnership is the best option for providing the necessary stability and it is very regrettable that Fianna Fáil has rejected this historic opportunity."
However, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told a press conference "the best interests of the Irish people are not served by a government made up of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael".
"We made this promise consistently in advance of the election, we made it very clear to the Irish people and to those who were voting for us that we would not go into government with Fine Gael and we're remaining consistent and true to that commitment," he added.
Both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael trace their origins in the Irish Civil War, when their founding fathers were on opposite sides of a bitter dispute over the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty, which partitioned the island of Ireland.
The historic political rivals are both centrist parties but have never shared power in a state where coalition governments are the norm.
Irish state broadcaster RTÉ has reported that Fine Gael's offer of partnership government remained on the table, but added that no further talks are planned between the two largest parties.
It also said Mr Martin has told his party that he was in favour of a Fianna Fáil minority government.
Fianna Fáil had a successful election and more than doubled the number of seats they held in the last parliament, but still have six fewer elected members (known as Teachtaí Dála or TDs) than Fine Gael.
Sinn Féin is the third largest party with 23 seat, the Labour Party has seven TDs while smaller parties and independents make up the other 34 seats.


Real Madrid do not know when Gareth Bale will return from injury - with the Champions League final in his home city of Cardiff just three weeks away.

The Wales international forward, 27, has not played since tearing a calf muscle against Barcelona on 23 April.
La Liga title favourites Real face Juventus in the 3 June European final.
"We have to take it day by day but for now he's not with us and I don't know when he will be, but I hope it's soon," said Real boss Zinedine Zidane.
Real have three La Liga games remaining this season, starting with Sunday's home match with Sevilla (19:00 BST).
They are second to Barcelona - who visit Las Palmas at the same time - on the head-to-head rule, but have a game in hand.


A teenager has been raped in Glasgow city centre.

The 19-year-old woman was attacked in Renfrew Street, near Charing Cross, at about 03:00 on Tuesday.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland confirmed that they were investigating a report of a serious sexual assault on a woman.
She added: "Inquiries are at an early stage to establish the circumstances."


A Teesside pub "condoned domestic violence" when it asked customers if they would "punch your ex in the face for a parmo", the advertising watchdog has ruled.

An online promotion by the George Pub in Stockton-on-Tees "trivialised" a serious issue, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said.
The pub claimed the post was meant as a joke and attracted positive comments.
The ASA said the ad was "not prepared in a socially responsible manner."
Parmos are a Teesside fast food made from a piece of chicken or pork in breadcrumbs which is then deep fried and covered in bechamel sauce.
The promotion, which featured on the pub's Facebook page in May, resulted in a complaint to the ASA on the grounds it encouraged domestic violence.
An ASA spokesman said: "We considered that the phrase 'punch your ex in the face' referred to domestic violence and was likely to cause serious offence.
"We considered that referring to domestic violence in an advert for a fast food dish trivialised and condoned domestic violence and concluded that the ad was not prepared in a socially responsible manner.
"The ad must not appear again in its current form. We have also told the George Pub and Grill not to trivialise or condone domestic violence in its advertising."


Food giants including Asda, Tesco, KFC, Costa, Subway and The Co-operative Food have outlets in Wales which scored poorly in food hygiene ratings.

KFC in Pontypool was given a zero score on the Food Standards Agency website meaning urgent action is needed.
Co-operative stores in Pontardawe, Porth, and Birchgrove, Cardiff scored one, along with Subway in Queen Street, Cardiff and Harvester in Cardiff Bay.
Costa in Brecon, Tesco cafe in Maesteg and Asda in Aberdare had a two rating.
That means improvement is necessary.
There are more than 26,000 businesses in Wales which have ratings, carried out by local authorities and registered on the Food Standards Agency website.
Of those, more than 1,400 had a two rating or below. The highest score is five.
Russel Smith, chief operating officer, KFC UK, said: "I was extremely disappointed by the rating this restaurant received, which is completely unacceptable.
"We took immediate action to return the restaurant to the standards we demand and are awaiting a re-inspection which we are sure will reflect this."
A spokesman for The Co-operative Food said: "We take our store environment and hygiene procedures very seriously and these three stores represent a very small percentage of our 143 stores across Wales.
"However, as soon as we were aware of the FSA ratings for these store we adopted an action plan to address the issues and we will be requesting the FSA re-score the stores as we are confident that they will fully meet all FSA required standards."
A spokesman for Harvester said: "The business was recently re-rated by an environmental health officer whilst we carried out some essential works. That work has now been completed and we await a re-visit, so that the business can be re-rated. We are confident that the day to day food safety and hygiene practices remain at a high standard."
A Tesco spokesman said: "On the day of the inspection at our Maesteg store cafe there was an issue with the hot water temporarily not working. This has been resolved and colleagues have been retrained on what to do if this happens. We're awaiting a new inspection from the local authority."
A Costa spokesman said: "We set very high standards for both our own and franchise owned stores and will be working to ensure this matter is addressed as a matter of urgency."
Asda said it has applied to be re-rated.
A spokesman added: "We pride ourselves on upholding the highest standards of hygiene in our stores and while on this occasion there were some areas of improvement to be made, we can assure customers that we are in the process of making those improvements and bringing the store back up to our own high standards."
Subway said the rating has been noted incorrectly. It said the store was awarded a four and they are waiting for it to be rectified.
A Cardiff council spokesman said: "The council takes these matters very seriously and there seems to be a discrepancy in this specific case which is currently being reviewed and the risk rating will be confirmed shortly."
The rating shows how well the business is doing overall but takes account of elements most in need of improving and also the level of risk to people's health any of these issues pose.
This is because some businesses will do well in some areas and less well in others but each of the three elements checked is essential for making sure that food hygiene standards meet requirements and the food served or sold to you is safe to eat.
To get the top rating of '5', businesses must do well in all three elements.
Those with ratings of '0' are very likely to be performing poorly in all three elements and are likely to have a history of serious problems. There may, for example, be a lack of sufficient cleaning and disinfection, and there may not be a good enough system of management in place to check and record what the business does to make sure the food is safe.


Up to 80 homes and a village green landscaped around a historic observatory are among plans for a former civic centre site in Swansea.

Enzo's Homes wants to build a mix of two to five-bedroom homes at the former council site in Penllergaer.
The land houses an observatory where photographer John Dillwyn Llewelyn took some of the first images of the moon.
If approved, work will start after Penllergaer Civic Centre is demolished.
Swansea council sold the land to the company last year as part of a review of its buildings ownership.
Two of the five-bedroom homes planned would replicate the appearance of the mansion house where Llewelyn, who was also a renowned botanist, once lived with this family.
He had the equatorial observatory built on the estate as a 16th birthday present for his daughter, Thereza, in 1851 and it was there the pair took one of the first photographs of the moon.
Staff have already moved out of the former Penllergaer Civic Centre building, which was first opened in 1982 for the former Lliw Valley Borough Council.


The Scottish Parliament has initiated legal proceedings to have a group of independence campaigners removed from their Holyrood camp.

The IndyCamp Live group were served with a notice to quit the camp by 17:00, but have vowed to stay put.
The campaigners say they plan to keep their camp outside the parliament manned until Scotland is independent.
A spokesman said the group did not have permission to camp on parliament land, and legal proceedings will now begin.
The camp was set up at the end of November, with founders describing it as a "continuation" of the Democracy for Scotland vigil which campaigned for devolution for five years in the 1990s.
However parliament chief executive and clerk Paul Grice said there had been "a gradual increase in the size and scale of the camp", and there were now "sufficient grounds to pursue a legal remedy to the situation".
Sheriff's officers visited the camp on Tuesday and posted a notice ordering the campers to leave by 17:00 on Thursday. Campers responded by saying they were "going nowhere" and vowed to fight for the right to continue their vigil.
Shortly after the deadline passed with the campers still in place, a spokesman for the Scottish Parliament confirmed legal proceedings would now begin.
He said: "We note that the period given to the campers to remove has passed without them complying with our request.  Accordingly, as we stated in our letter, we are raising court proceedings for recovery of possession and we have arrangements in hand."


The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said any country bidding to host the Games must make a commitment to "non-discrimination".

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Thomas Bach, said countries like Saudi Arabia must allow women to "freely participate" and attend events.
"If this is not applied, the bid would not be admissible," he told the BBC.
The IOC has faced heavy criticism for turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in host cities.
Last year the introduction of controversial Russian laws on homosexuality ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi led to worldwide protests by athletes and human rights campaigners.
Mr Bach, who after Sochi rolled-out an "anti-discrimination" clause to host city contracts, confirmed "decisions of the IOC have political implications".
But the IOC, he added, had to be "politically neutral," in order to "ensure that the rules of sport can be applied worldwide, and that there are not different rules in different countries".
The organisation's responsibility, he said, is that "for the duration of the Games, and for all participants of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Charter applies".
The Olympic Charter codifies the IOC's commitment to "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles" and declares that "every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind".
However Mr Bach said the IOC could only insist on these principles during the Games.
"This is the only area we are responsible for - we are not a super-government".
The German president, who was once an Olympic fencer, referred to the recent Youth Olympic Games in China, at which the participants were given open internet access.
Asked about when an African country would get to host the Olympic Games, Mr Bach said this could happen as early as 2024, with South Africa a potential contender.
He added that African cities had not been given the Games previously  because it was a "question of feasibility".


About a year ago, the leaders of the 10 councils in Greater Manchester signed a ground-breaking devolution deal with the government.

It was agreed that decisions about how to spend budgets totalling £2 billion would be made locally rather than in Whitehall, while the city region would have an elected mayor.
In February came news of another slice of devolution - the £6 billion health and social care budget.
Greater Manchester's leaders say that by taking on these budgets - and responsibility for transport, planning and housing, skills and business support - they can spend them in a more targeted way.
Now they want to cash in on their reputation for being Chancellor George Osborne's poster boys for the so-called Northern Powerhouse.
Having delivered on their promise to install an interim mayor - police and crime commissioner Tony Lloyd has taken on the role until elections in 2017 - Greater Manchester's council leaders are seeking control of another £7 billion.
We'll find out if the government is inclined to hand them over in the Autumn Statement later this month.
As well as being the first to be agreed in England, Greater Manchester's devolution deals also go a lot further than those reached subsequently in other regions.
This is an indication of the confidence Mr Osborne places in the Combined Authority, the body that brings the councils together.
It's fascinating politically because the Combined Authority is dominated by Labour politicians.
Their agreements with a Conservative chancellor went ahead without any real discussion with Labour at Westminster.
Support from the party's new leader Jeremy Corbyn has been lukewarm to say the least.
And the health devolution deal even took the then shadow health secretary and Leigh MP Andy Burnham by surprise.
While being chosen as the "first" and the "best bet" for devolution comes with benefits, it also puts Greater Manchester in the firing line.
Unions have pointed out that the council's "power grab" comes against a backdrop of funding cuts which are only likely to get deeper.
Others demand a referendum on changes they claim the council leaders simply had no democratic right to make.
The people of the region will get to have their say, at least in part, in the mayoral elections in 2017.
By then, and for better or worse, devolution will certainly be shaping Greater Manchester and the lives of everyone in it.


The number of parents appealing against their children's primary school places in England has risen again, government figures show.

Appeals against places allocated for primary schools have jumped from 33,000 to 38,000 - a rise of 16.8%.
At secondary level, there was a drop in appeals - down from 53,400 to 50,200.
The government says the figures show an increasing number of parents are unhappy with the school choices which are available.
Appeals have risen dramatically in the past few years - almost doubling since 2004.
A rise in the number of school-age children has increased pressure on school places, particularly in hot spots such as London and Birmingham.
When parents appeal against a school place allocated to their child, their case can go on to be heard by an independent panel, which decides whether the decision was fairly reached.
The panel assesses whether the school or admissions body (often the local council) followed its procedures correctly.   Parents can also argue that there are "compelling" extra reasons why their child should go to that school.
If the parent succeeds, their child is usually given a place there.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "The figures show that an increasing number of parents are unhappy with the school choices open to them.
"The level of dissatisfaction underlines why it is so important we change the schools system so providers like teacher groups and charities can open new state schools wherever parents want them; and give outstanding schools the freedoms they need to help improve those in more challenging circumstances."
Statistics released on Thursday relate to appeals lodged in 2008-09.
They show that while appeals against primary places rose, parents were less likely to be successful in them than in the previous year and secure a place for their child at their chosen school.
One quarter of parents whose primary school cases were heard by an appeals panel were successful  - down from 27.8% in the previous year.
The chances of success were higher at secondary level, with 33% of parents winning their case, up slightly on last year.
Rates of appeal vary across England.  The highest rates for primary school appeals are seen in Bradford and Leeds, Birmingham and in parts of London.
At secondary level, parents in London are the most likely to appeal.