The environmental role of the Green Investment Bank, after it is privatised, is to be protected by a so-called "golden share".

UK Business Secretary Sajid Javid has conceded there should be a block on any move away from funding green projects.
Unusually, the government is setting up an independent company to control that veto power.
The move is designed to ensure that there is a clear break from any government controls.
This has been necessary to meet European public accounting rules on government ownership and influence over private enterprises.
It follows discussions with the Office for National Statistics, which polices the application of these accounting rules in Britain.
The Edinburgh-based Green Investment Bank (GIB) is being sold to raise capital for the Treasury, reduce government borrowing, and to let it expand by borrowing in private financial markets.
This was announced last June, and is included in the Business Bill currently before parliament. The House of Lords amended the Bill to include the proposal for a "golden share".
After assessing the sale process, parliament's environmental audit committee raised a series of objections and challenges to the way in which it is being privatised.
These included a call for the business plan to be made public, for alternative ownership models to be investigated, and for the government to retain a minority share.
The business secretary has given ground on only the idea of a "golden share", saying it was not his preference, but was a response to parliamentary recommendations.
The business department's responses stated: "The government intends to approve the creation of a special share in GIB, with the right to approve any change to the green purposes of GIB, as set out in the objects clause of GIB's Articles of Association.
"The special share will be held by a separate company, independent of both GIB and government, created specifically to hold this special share."
More detail on who is to control the share, and how, is to be set out later.
Mr Javid commented: "Moving the Green Investment Bank into private ownership makes sense. If you want it to have access to more capital, to make bigger investments and have a bigger impact in green sectors it is the best course of action.
"To ensure the bank's green credentials are maintained, it plans to put a special share structure in place that protects its green mission and keeps it focused on what it does best."
Lord Smith of Kelvin, chairman of the GIB, said: "I have always been confident that any new investor in GIB will be strongly committed to our green mission - our commitment to, and expertise in, green investment is the very reason they would be investing in us.
"That said, I understand the concern among some of our stakeholders over the legislative changes, so I am delighted we have been able to offer them the additional commitment that a special share will bring."
GIB was launched in November 2012 - the first 'for profit' government-owned bank aimed at investing in environmental infrastructure.  It has had £3.8bn of Government capital injected, but was denied the ability to raise further capital in private markets.
It has a requirement to invest across five objectives; reducing greenhouse gas emissions, efficiency in use of natural resources, protection of the environment, protecting or improving biodiversity and promoting environmental sustainability.
Its investment decisions are also required to make a positive contribution to reductions in climate change.
So far, GIB has invested in 63 projects, committing £2.2bn into projects with a total value of £10bn.
These include waste plants, anaerobic digestion, wind farms, street lighting, heat pump installation, district heating projects, energy efficiency re-fits of hospitals and biomass boilers in whisky distilleries.


A World War Two veteran said he is devastated after his medals were stolen in a burglary.

Thieves broke in to 95-year-old Percy Willmott's home in Cleethorpes while he was out shopping with his daughter on Friday.
His five medals, awarded for military service in North Africa and Italy, were taken from bedside drawer.
Mr Wilmott said he could not understand why he or his property had been targeted.
More on this and other North East Lincolnshire stories
"The very fact that these young people can come round and know that there's an old soldier living in this house and there is his medals and 'I think I'll take them' doesn't bring sense to me," he said.
"That these people should do that to us old folk."


A council facing a £10m deficit over five years has agreed a package of £1m of savings, which includes job cuts.

South Northamptonshire Council announced nine vacant posts, including a head of service, will not be filled and another four jobs will go.
The council said the aim to minimise cuts to frontline services and officers would focus on improving the efficiency of the local authority.
It said it hoped to avoid charge increases, but could not rule them out.
Ian McCord, portfolio holder for resources at the council, said: "Further cost reductions will be required.
"When reductions in central government grants and other external factors become clearer, we will announce what further steps need to be taken.
"We will continue to provide the services that our residents need in a cost effective way, and to look at other innovative ways to tackle this issue.
"The council has an estimated five-year deficit in its revenue budget of nearly £10m as a result of the recession.
"This is due to the associated loss of income, anticipated cuts in the revenue support grant, and changes in funding for services such as concessionary fares. Consequently, councillors have some very difficult financial decisions to make."
The decision to find £1m of savings was made at a full meeting of the council on Wednesday.


A licence for a late-night Cuban-themed restaurant and bar has been granted.

Revolucion De Cuba, part of the Revolution chain, will open in the former HMV store in Friar Street, Reading, which closed in 2011.
Reading Borough Council attached a number of conditions, including limiting capacity to 500 and restricting weekend opening hours.
Objections were raised by police and borough councillors over the increased risk of crime and disorder in the area.
Revolucion De Cuba already has venues in Cardiff, Derby, Manchester, Sheffield and Norwich.
It had applied for a capacity of 650 and opening hours until 02:00 between Thursday and Saturday.
The council requested the venue close at 01:00 between Thursday and Saturday and 00:30 Sunday to Wednesday.
Police concerns centred on the potential dispersal of people on to town centre streets at the same time with a number of nearby venues operating similar late-night hours.


There is still time for England to replace Alastair Cook as captain before the World Cup, says former skipper Nasser Hussain.

England's one-day series defeat in Sri Lanka was their fourth in a row under Cook, who scored 119 runs in six games.
They have a maximum of five ODIs before their opening World Cup game against Australia on 14 February.
"It would not be too much of a gamble. It should have happened months ago," Hussain wrote in the Daily Mail.
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"More dynamic players should have been given time to bed into the side."
Left-handed opener Cook, who turns 30 on Christmas Day, has not scored a half-century in his last 22 ODI innings.
Early this month, he was named as captain of England's provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which must be reduced to 15 players by 7 January.
On Saturday, England will announce a 16-man party for January's tri-series in Australia against the host nation and India.
Head coach Peter Moores has said there is no guarantee of Cook being captain for the World Cup, while England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Paul Downton said he would be surprised if Cook did not lead the side.
"We put Test cricket first in this country and that means that predominantly Test batsmen in myself, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss have been in charge for the last three World Cups," said Hussain, who led England at the 2003 tournament in South Africa.
"The fact that Cook is still having to work out his best way to play spin in one-day cricket is a disgrace."
Eoin Morgan, the England vice-captain, scored only 90 runs in seven innings in Sri Lanka, including 62 when he deputised for Cook in the fourth ODI.
"He is England's most important batsman in the one-day game, but his form has in many ways been worse than Cook's," said Hussain, who played 96 Tests and 88 ODIs.
"The captaincy seems to have brought something like the best out of him recent times so maybe that would galvanise him now.
"It is a question of whether they want to rock the boat and hurt the captain they have put such store in by admitting they were wrong and giving the captaincy to Eoin Morgan or, at a push, Joe Root."
England have never won the World Cup, and have failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals since 1996.


A fiddler from Glenfarg in Perthshire has been named BBC Radio Scotland's Young Traditional Musician of the year.

Charlie Stewart, 21, was the unanimous choice of the judges at the event at Glasgow City Halls on Sunday.
He was praised for a "moving and spirited" performance which set him apart from five fellow finalists.
The student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland said he first picked up the fiddle as a nine-year-old, after hearing his godfather perform.
He told BBC Radio Scotland: "My godfather is great musician and he plays mandolin and fiddle a bit.
"I remember him playing in the house and thought it was amazing. I was maybe three or four.
"I didn't start playing till years after but I really liked the fiddle from then on."
He said he was "amazed and so pleased" to scoop the prestigious award, which is part of the Celtic Connections festival.
Mr Stewart also plays with two bands - Dosca and Levack, Stewart, Irving - and he has performed all over Europe.
In 2016, he reached the semi-finals of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, playing with harpist Becky Hill.
Now he has been named the young traditional musician of the year, he wins a recording session with the BBC and a year-long membership of the Musicians Union.
Jeff Zycinski, head of radio at BBC Scotland, said: "Charlie is exactly the type of performer we wanted to shine the spotlight on when we launched the search for this year's winner. His stunning performance was both moving and spirited and really captivated the audience.
"Every year, the judging process becomes more difficult with musicians of such a high calibre coming through the ranks. Our six finalists were magnificent, each one stamping their set with true individuality and flair.
"It was an extremely difficult choice, but Charlie stood out on the night. He will really help to inspire and encourage the next generation of young artists to keep traditional music alive."
Previous winners have used their victory as a springboard to a professional career in music. They include last year's winner, concertina virtuoso Mohsen Amini, and singer Robyn Stapleton, who won in 2014.
The other finalists this year were piper Dougie McCance, from Erskine; Ella Munro, a singer from Skye; accordion player Grant McFarlane, from Paisley; Huntly-based singer Iona Fyfe; and Kim Carnie, a Gaelic singer who is originally from Oban.
Listen to the final of BBC Scotland's Young Traditional Musician 2017 on the BBC iPlayer.


Northampton Saints chairman Tony Hewitt will step down at the end of the season after four years in the job.

The 68-year-old has been involved with Saints for nearly 30 years, and will remain on the board as a director in a non-executive capacity.
Former Northampton player John White, who has been Hewitt's deputy since 2013, will take over as chairman.
Hewitt's announcement comes a week after chief executive Allan Robson said he would also retire.
"When I first took the job I said I'd do it for two to three years. I'm now at the end of my fourth year, so I think the time is right," said Hewitt.
"We've also got a new chief executive starting and I think that'll be a great time for a new chairman to work alongside a new chief executive, to really tackle the challenging issues going forward."
Former Warwickshire chief executive Colin Povey will become deputy chairman following White's move to chairman.
Hewitt took over the role in 2013 from Leon Barwell, who died following an 18-month battle with cancer.
Barwell had succeeded his father Keith, who was influential in Saints' move into the professional game in 1995, and Hewitt paid tribute to the Barwell family.
"We always say we wouldn't be where we are if the Barwells hadn't been there, so it was a really, really sad time in 2013," he told BBC Radio Northampton.
"Leon asked me to take over the chairmanship, which I did. In memory of Leon we went on and won that memorable Premiership in 2014.
"That [is a highlight] and the following season - for us to end the season as number one in the Premiership for the first time, and then in 2016 to complete the Barwell Stand to complete the bowl at Franklin's Gardens."


A historic deal with Iran over its nuclear programme is now within reach - but it's still uncertain whether this rare chance to resolve a major security challenge of our time through diplomacy will be grasped.

This week, the prospect of a final deal, which must be reached by the end of June, could be pulled in two different directions.
In New York, Iran and world powers are resuming negotiations that, earlier this month, ended with a broad framework of understanding on an accord to curb Iran's ability to produce a nuclear bomb in exchange for relief from crippling sanctions.
In Washington, the US Senate will begin debate on bipartisan legislation to subject any final nuclear accord to review by Congress and a potential vote to approve or reject it.
Republican senators have already filed amendments that the bill's sponsors warn could jeopardise a rare bipartisan measure.
They include a requirement that Iran recognise Israel, link a deal to the release of American citizens detained in Iran, and require any final accord to be given the status of a treaty which would need approval by two thirds of the Senate.
"Never underestimate the ability of Congress to wage political guerrilla warfare to stop the deal," warns Paul Pillar, a former CIA officer who is now a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute.
"The real story now is what the presidents of Iran and the United States do to deal with their own domestic resistance to any rapprochement," he said in a recent seminar on Iran at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
"The main problem is in Washington," he added.
Iranian hardliners have also had harsh words for the US. The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has described the US's intentions as "devilish".
However, Mr Khamenei, whose word carries most weight in the Islamic Republic, also said in a speech broadcast live on state television: "I neither support nor oppose the deal. Everything is in the details."
Negotiators from Iran and the US face political battles to sell the deal at home.
One Western diplomat told me there was an agreement not to criticise each other in public over competing political narratives.
After an outline agreement was agreed in April, political discord erupted immediately over the timing of sanctions relief.
Iranian leaders have declared that restrictions would be lifted as soon as a deal was done.
However, Western diplomats say a phased process of easing sanctions depends on IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) verification that Iran has complied with its obligations under the deal, including a two-thirds reduction in the number of its centrifuges, limits on its uranium stockpile, and what's been described as an unprecedented inspections regime.
"If the Ayatollah's version of the framework is the final deal, there's no way this is getting out of Congress," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told journalists last week in a briefing in Washington.
But Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, insists: "Differences are semantic, they're spin, not substance."
"This is still excruciatingly difficult but, in reality, most of the difficult political decisions have already been taken," he says.
In Vienna last week, negotiating teams met to resolve disagreements and sharpen details on outstanding issues including sanctions, and the future of Iran's research and development programme.
"The pace is slow but it is good," was how Iranian negotiator and deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi described efforts so far to start drafting a final text.
This week Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry and the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in New York on the sidelines of a review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Meanwhile, a chorus of critics across the Middle East is calling for sustained pressure on Tehran to halt its nuclear and political ambitions at a time of rising turmoil in the Middle East.
The most vociferous is Israel, which vows to do everything possible to stop a "very bad deal" which it insists threatens it, and the wider region.
Gulf states including Saudi Arabia are also deeply troubled by this engagement with a rival playing a decisive role in destructive wars in Syria and Iraq, as well as in Yemen.
US President Barack Obama has invited six leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council to Camp David this month to discuss concerns and try to convince them of the wisdom of a deal.
"This deal is the right thing to do for the United States, for our allies in the region, and for world peace regardless of the nature of the Iranian regime," he told National Public Radio in an interview that impressed Iranian commentators with its level of detail on the contours of the final agreement.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani is also reaching out to world leaders and his domestic opponents to secure a landmark accord that he hopes could help achieve the economic and political reforms he promised Iranians when he was elected.
"We declare to you we are not negotiating with the US, the US Senate, the House of Representatives. The party we are negotiating with is called the P5+1 group," he said.
A highly technical deal on a major security threat is, in this last punishing stretch, profoundly political.
"Wanting a deal so badly is dangerous but not wanting a deal is equally as dangerous" was how Senator Graham described it.
For now at least, there is a sense that forces pulling for a deal are greater than those pushing against it.


A professional footballer has denied committing five sex offences against a 14-year-old girl.

Oldham Athletic midfielder Jack Tuohy, 19, pleaded not guilty at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday to five offences alleged to have been committed last October.
The player, of Lower Dingle, Oldham, was suspended by the club after he was charged with the offences in May.
He will face a four-day trial at the same court on 20 February next year.
The prosecution outlined two charges of engaging in sexual activity with a child, two of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one of meeting with a child following sexual grooming.
Judge Mark Savill granted bail to the player, who had been on loan to non-league Ramsbottom United, on condition that he does not contact prosecution witnesses.


David Cameron and Nicola Sturgeon are holding talks in Edinburgh, with further powers for the Scottish Parliament expected to dominate.

It is the first meeting between the prime minister and Scotland's first minister since the general election.
Mr Cameron, who is visiting Scotland on a post-election tour of the UK, has promised a devolution bill in the Queen's Speech later this month.
But Ms Sturgeon argues that the proposals do not go far enough.
Ms Sturgeon has been joined at the talks by her deputy John Swinney, who is also the Scottish finance secretary, while Mr Cameron has been accompanied by David Mundell, who is the new secretary of state for Scotland.
The two leaders spoke by phone last Friday - the day after election voting - and agreed to hold more detailed discussions at the earliest possible opportunity.
Ms Sturgeon said she had "made it clear" to Mr Cameron during their brief telephone conversation that "it cannot be business as usual" in Scotland.
Mr Cameron's Conservatives won an overall majority in the election, but Ms Sturgeon's SNP won 56 of the 59 seats in Scotland.
Ahead of their face-to-face meeting at the first minister's official residence at Bute House, Ms Sturgeon said she was "looking forward to serious and substantial talks" with the prime minister and would have a "constructive and co-operative approach" in dealing with the UK government.
"But, as I have made crystal clear, the general election result last week, and the overwhelming mandate that has given the SNP, means that it simply cannot be 'business as usual' when it comes to Westminster's attitude to Scotland - whether on public spending or on more powers for Scotland," she said.
"The proposals of the Smith Commission are a good starting point, but the election result shows that people all across Scotland are keen to move beyond the extra powers it identified."
She pointed to endorsement by the Scottish Trades Union Congress of new powers for the Scottish Parliament, including over issues like the minimum wage and employment law, as showing "the depth of support within civic Scotland for substantial new powers for Holyrood".
It's a question of calculation for Mr Cameron, as it is for Nicola Sturgeon. How far can they make concessions and what level of deal can be reached? The starting point for the prime minister is very much deliver what was in Smith - that's what's been agreed.
"He (David Cameron) is saying that any changes to Smith have to come about through parliamentary process. That's tabling amendments in the House of Commons. Given that he has an overall majority, that keeps the power very firmly in his hands.
Nicola Sturgeon takes a different approach. She says there should be the involvement of Civic Scotland and discussion and debate in Scotland.
It is challenging for David Cameron but it is also challenging for Nicola Sturgeon - what is the exit strategy if the prime minister says 'no'?
Does she threaten a second referendum? She has said that she is reluctant to do so and it is not currently in her plans.
Ms Sturgeon added: "Scotland expects these powers to be delivered, and I expect the prime minister and his government to recognise the democratic mandate that now exists to deliver them."
The Smith Commission was set up in the wake of September's vote against Scottish independence.
The commission's main recommendation was that Scotland needed powers to set income tax rates and bands on earned income - and to keep all the income tax raised in Scotland.
But Ms Sturgeon also wants powers over employment policy including the minimum wage, welfare, business taxes, National Insurance and equality policy to be devolved as a matter of priority.
The first minister has dismissed newspaper reports which quote a "senior SNP source at Westminster" as saying the party could push ahead with a second independence referendum without the consent of Westminster.
Her representative said: "These claims are totally wrong - there are no such plans. The position is crystal clear: the general election was not a mandate for another referendum. And there will only be another referendum if and when the people of Scotland back such a proposal at a Scottish Parliament election."
Some Conservative politicians have urged Mr Cameron to consider offering a more radical package of devolution to Ms Sturgeon, including full fiscal autonomy - full control over tax and spending.
But the prime minister has so far given no indications that he intends to go beyond the proposals contained in the Smith agreement.
Mr Cameron said he was visiting Scotland to "underline my commitment to our United Kingdom and Scotland's important place within it".
"That means remaining true to the promise we made to implement the all-party Smith agreement to make Scotland one of the most accountable and powerful devolved parliaments in the world," he said.
He added: "Scotland has two governments and it is the duty of the first minister and myself to respect each other's roles and responsibilities and to work together for the benefit of all the people of Scotland.
"As more powers are devolved to Scotland, it is time to move beyond the debate about processes and focus on those bread and butter issues that affect every family in our United Kingdom - jobs, homes, good schools and strong public services, and dignity and respect in retirement."


Two-time Olympian Matt McGovern will bid to make the 2020 Games in Tokyo alongside new sailing partner Robbie Gilmore.

Gilmore is a former top NI youth sailor from Strangford Lough Yacht Club.
McGovern partnered fellow Northern Ireland sailor Ryan Seaton in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Seaton and his new partner Séafra Guilfoyle will compete against McGovern and Gilmore to represent Ireland in the 49er class in Tokyo.
Bangor man McGovern and Seaton ended their 49er partnership after finishing 10th at the Rio Olympics last summer.
"The new partnership has added a new freshness to the sport I love," said McGovern.
"Our 2017 goal is to get a good grip on the boat and put in a strong performance at the World Championships at the end of August to give us a platform to move on to and qualify the nation at the subsequent Worlds in 2018."


It takes time to win the trust of hackers who hang out online.

For the last six weeks I have kept strange company. I have mixed with ewhores, quizzed hardened hackers, asked account hijackers how their day is going, tried to get malware makers to talk about their trade and debated ethics with people who steal cash using remote access viruses.
All these people are on web discussion forums I joined as part of a special project taking a closer look at cyber crime. I registered on a few sites known for their interest in hacking but spent most of my time on Hack Forums. Its three million registered members make it one of the biggest places in the world for chatter about hacking - in all its forms.
It is an exhilarating place to visit. It has separate boards dedicated to all kinds of hacking activity, many of which I had heard of and some that I had not. It is also a surprisingly complex community. For every message asking "How do I hack Facebook?" there are as many debating esoteric ways to interrogate a website and find chinks in its armour to get at what lies within.
"The site at first glance seems like a bunch of monkeys trying to figure out algebra," wrote Armada, one of the site's regular members whom I spoke to.
The big problem I faced joining the site is that I am a nobody. Sites such as Hack Forums and many others operate on a reputation economy. Long-standing members who have proved their worth to the community and who have lots of "vouches" from others have the best reputation and highest access.
By contrast newbies, like me, get almost none. I'd have to contribute 25 good quality posts before I could send any personal messages. This would make it hard to contact people directly - my preferred method.
I could, and did, post directly to discussion groups but the risk is that as a journalist I'm a tempting target for anyone keen to make their name by catching me out. Especially as some HF residents specialise in social engineering attacks that help them take control of other people's social media accounts.
So, I went around these blocks and dropped messages to the off-board accounts that long-standing members advertised. Many use HF as a place to offer their own guides and services that are available elsewhere. I got in touch via Skype names, Jabber instant message accounts, email addresses and through website contact forms.
Most often I got no response. Or no further reply after one exchange during which I told them I worked for the BBC. A few people thought I was a cop posing as a journalist looking to trick people into opening up. One asked me to prove who I said I was by taking a picture with some photo ID.
I took the snap but just as I was about to send it some of the folks I contacted, including Armada, had checked me out and reassured themselves that I was who I said I was.
"We have members on an almost universal scale with skill sets ranging from being able to turn a computer on, to critical vulnerability exploitation," wrote Armada.
"Certainly, not all members are great hackers, and not all are completely inept either, but it varies from person to person," wrote True Demon in response to my questions. "The one great thing about HF is that it is a safe place to discuss the fine art of hacking, or whatever else catches your interest."
True Demon added that he was only giving his own opinion rather than speaking for the wider hacker community.
The other main reason for wanting to spend time there is to get to grips with the sub-culture of teenagers who are dabbling with cyber crime.
It is not just me who is curious about members of this rapidly growing group who are often given the name "script kiddies" - this is not a term of endearment.
The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) is also interested in them because of the growing numbers of young men it is dealing with who have been caught because they used the types of tools found on HF or employ the techniques that can be learned there.
"I can think of 10-15 arrests in the last 6 months in which all the people have been under the age of 18," said Richard Jones, head of the NCA's Prevent programme that tries to stop young people tumbling into a life of cyber crime.
Last week, the UK's South East Regional Organised Crime Unit arrested a 16-year-old from the East Midlands who is believed to be part of the Crackas With Attitude hacking group that targeted CIA director John Brennan, among others.
Earlier operations have netted fledgling hackers as young as 12.
"We are seeing more people getting into cyber crime in the UK," said Mr Jones "It is getting more accessible as well - the internet makes it very easy for young people to learn about it."
Many of the low level hacks they use are gateways to ever more nefarious activity, he told the BBC.
The "script kiddy" state of mind is one that is regularly debated on HF. On one lengthy message thread, a member called Disparity kicked off the discussion about morals by calling people who use remote access tools "worthless, ethic-lacking scum". As their name implies, remote access programs give their creators access to a victims' PC. Some use this access to spy, steal or profit.
Instead, said Disparity, such people would be better off learning more and practising more "acceptable morals".
In response, ClawzTech wrote of his victims: "If they're dumb enough to get infected, then they need to be punished."
True Demon said he was also concerned about the decisions some younger members take.
"I still worry about the ethical decisions that some HF users choose," he said. "The majority of HF users, myself included, actively discourage others from performing illegal activity with the knowledge they gain there."
He added that the "scare tactics" of the NCA and others can be counter-productive.
"They should be encouraging kids to learn this stuff, but to do so in an ethical and structured format." he said "They would have a lot more people working with their cyber-division, if they did.
"Government and law enforcement have a tendency to paint hackers as a whole in a bad light, ostracising the subculture as malicious, dangerous, and evil," he said.
"Don't you think it would be better to foster and instruct those kinds of kids to use their skills for good, rather than treating them like they are some kind of criminal?"


Mo Farah ran the fastest 5,000m of 2016 to storm to victory in his last race before the Rio Olympics at the Anniversary Games in London.

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The 33-year-old totally dominated on the same track where he won 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic gold in 2012, crossing the line in 12 minutes 59.29 seconds.
Fellow Briton Andrew Butchart was second, more than 15 seconds slower, with American Bernard Lagat third.
"I just wanted to go for it. It's great to win before Rio," said Farah.
"It wasn't that quick but this track means so much to me.
"I am in good shape and I just have to keep my feet on the ground. In two weeks anything could happen - I've just got to stay cool."
Farah - running in his first competitive 5,000m race of the year - was one of five final-day British wins as athletes intensified their preparations for the Rio Games, which get under way on 5 August.
There was victory for Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the women's long jump with a season's best effort of 6.84m, eight centimetres short of her personal record.
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Fellow Briton and world silver medallist Shara Proctor was second with a season's best of 6.80m, but there was disappointment for Jessica Ennis-Hill.
The world and Olympic heptathlon champion, who'll be competing against Johnson-Thompson in that event in Rio, finished in a disappointing seventh with a jump of 6.19m, more than 40 centimetres below her best of the season.
"It's exactly what I wanted before Rio," Johnson-Thompson told BBC Sport. "It gives me confidence I can get on the board there.
"But Jess is such a strong competitor I know she'll do better than that at the Olympics. Gold will not be an easy job for anyone and I've got to step up to the competition."
There was a British one-two in the men's 4x100m relay, with the A and B teams pushing each other all the way to the line, well clear of the rest of the field.
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Britain's A quartet of James Dasaolu, James Elllington, CJ Ujah and Adam Gemili came home in 37.78 seconds - a world-leading time for the year and only 0.05 seconds away from the British record. The B team finished just 0.03 seconds behind.
Matthew Hudson-Smith's time of 45.03 proved enough for victory in the men's 400m after fellow Briton Martyn Rooney was disqualified for a false start.
American Molly Ludlow had looked set for victory in the women's 800m before Shelayna Oskan-Clarke stole in with a season's best time of one minute 59.46 seconds, with fellow Briton Lynsey Sharp claiming second as Ludlow slipped to third.
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But in the men's 110m hurdles there was disappointment for Andrew Pozzi, who won his heat comfortably with a personal best but was forced to withdraw from the final after suffering cramp in the warm-up.
Lawrence Clarke was then disqualified for a false start, leaving David Omoregie as the sole Briton. His time of 13.64 was only good enough for fifth as Frenchman Dimitri Bascou claimed an emphatic victory in 13.20.
Britain's Dina-Asher Smith was fourth in the women's 100m, won by Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast with a personal best of 10.96 as Jamaica's Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce came third.
And in the women's 200m, world champion Dafne Schippers of Netherlands was the comfortable winner, with Britain's Jodie Williams fifth.
Mo Farah on BBC Radio 5 live: "I know I am in form, training has been going well, but how are my rivals doing?
"It's not as easy as me saying: 'I've run a decent time, I should win in Rio.' It's not like that.
"I will try my best not to have anyone to beat me but anything can happen.
"It's easier to win first time but harder to defend because people have had four years to work out how to beat me."
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson on BBC One:
"It gets more challenging for Farah now he's older. He's dominated but the Kenyans are trying to figure out how to beat him.
"They are coming up with a plan and hoping to catch him on an off-day. It'll be fun because it'll make it even more competitive."
Two-time world 110m hurdles champion Colin Jackson on BBC One:
"My pick for British performance of the weekend is Katarina Johnson-Thompson. She had a busy two days but had two great competitions.
"She had a personal best in the high jump on Friday and then to return today to win the long jump with a personal best was brilliant."


A 12-year-old Yazidi boy has been reunited with his mother in Canada three years after being captured by the so-called Islamic State.

Emad Mishko Tamo was greeted by family at the airport late on Wednesday.
A campaign to bring the boy to Canada was launched after a relative alerted his mother, Nofa Mihlo Rafo, to a photo posted online of him after his rescue.
Ms Mihlo Rafo arrived in Canada this year as a refugee with four of her six children.
She was separated from her husband and two eldest sons after their town was captured by IS in 2014.
The family was rounded up by IS jihadists in their town of Sinjar in northern Iraq and held captive for two years.
Ms Mihlo Rafo eventually managed to escape to a refugee camp with four of her children.
She learned in July that one missing son, Emad, was alive and had been rescued by Iraqi forces.
According to the CBC, Emad, speaking through a translator, told reporters on Wednesday: "I'm happy, I'm very thankful for anyone that had any part in me reuniting with my mom".
Video posted on Facebook from the reunification shows Ms Mihlo Rafo tearful and overcome with emotion, and Emad smiling widely.
The Yazidi Association of Manitoba, the Kurdish Initiative for Refugees, Winnipeg Friends of Israel, and the Liberation of Christian and Yazidi Children of Iraq (CYCI), launched a campaign to reunite the boy with his family, putting pressure on federal politicians to expedite his case.
CYCI founder Steve Maman said Wednesday's reunion was made possible by "the power of many".
Speaking of both mother and son, he said that "both of them have come back alive from hell".
The boy had been living with an uncle in Iraq in the weeks following his rescue.
The Canadian government  has committed to bringing up to 1,200 vulnerable Yazidi women and children and other survivors of IS to Canada.


Owen Farrell and Manu Tuilagi could be doubts for England's tour of Australia after both suffered injuries during Saturday's Premiership semi-final between Saracens and Leicester Tigers.

Both players came off as Saracens beat Tigers to reach the final on 28 May.
Leicester centre Tuilagi, 25, went off with a leg injury, while Sarries fly-half Farrell, 24, had a rib problem.
"Manu has pulled his hamstring. I don't know how bad it is but it's not great," said Leicester boss Richard Cockerill.
"We don't know if he's out of the tour, we'll see how he gets on in the next 48 hours before assessing how bad it is.
"It happens. He's a powerful athlete and he's tweaked his hamstring. That's life, he'll get over it."
On Farrell's injury, Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall said: "I don't how serious it is. He's got a bang on the rib and you know ribs can go one way or another - hopefully it goes the right way."
Saracens became the first professional rugby club to switch to an entirely artificial turf when they moved to Allianz Park in 2013.
Newcastle are the other Premiership side with an artificial surface, while Worcester are also switching from grass next season - but there have been concerns raised in different sports over their possible implications for injuries.
"I'm not a fan of the artificial pitches at all," added Cockerill. "For me, artificial pitches are not for rugby union, there should be minimum standards of grass pitches across the Premiership - rugby should be played on grass.
"My own opinion is that artificial pitches are not great for the body, but I'm sure you could find an argument either way."
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


Grammy Award-winning rapper Nelly has been arrested on drugs charges after police stopped the bus in which he was travelling in Tennessee.

Nelly, real name Cornell Haynes, was pulled over on Saturday morning because the bus was allegedly not displaying legally-required stickers.
The bus was then searched after a state trooper smelled marijuana, authorities in Tennessee said.
Officers are alleged to have found drugs and handguns on board.
The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said Nelly was taken to Putnam County Jail after the bus, which had six people on board, was stopped on Interstate 40.
The 40-year-old rapper was charged with felony possession of drugs, simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and was later released on bail.
One other man travelling on the coach was arrested and charged, authorities said.
A statement said two state troopers searched the bus and found "five coloured crystal-type rocks that tested positive for methamphetamine, as well as a small amount of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia" as well as the guns.
According to CNN, Nelly's lawyer Scott Rosenblum said "there had been 15-20 people that had access to the bus prior to the stop".
He said he was "extremely confident that when the facts come out, Nelly will not be associated with the contraband that was allegedly discovered."
The rapper, whose hits include Hot in Herre, Dilemma and Ride Wit Me, is currently starring in his own reality TV show, Nellyville.
It centres around the star's home and family life with his two children and his sister's two children, who he adopted after his sibling died from leukaemia.


Scientists are trying to find out if bees make different sounds depending on where in Wales they are.

A team from Cardiff University has appealed to more than 3,000 beekeepers to send them photos, videos and audio files from hives over the summer.
The noises will be analysed at the School of Pharmacy.
The research will also help them learn where the bees find their feed by mapping the exact locations they were pictured or recorded.
"The Africanised honey bee makes different sound to the European bees," said microbiology professor Les Bailie.
"The bees we have on the roof of the school here are Italian. Do the bees in Cardiff make the same sound as those in Aberystwyth or Wrexham?"
Prof Bailie said bees could make up to 10 different noises depending on their mood, including angry, calm or ill.
Analysing the "known noises" can help determine where bees are from, but could also be used to play to bees to help their mood.
"A happy bee is a productive bee. If you can make the bee happy by playing them the right sound they can produce more honey," Prof Bailie said.
"Plotting these differences could ultimately help us in our bid to find out which plants help bees the most.
"Gathering photos, video and sound files will help us understand where gaps lie and will help put plants in the right places to make bees more productive."
If enough beekeepers respond, and investigators detect initial differences, the project could be rolled out to include more than 40,000 beekeepers across the UK.


British javelin thrower Goldie Sayers is set to be awarded a bronze medal from the 2008 Olympics after Russia's Maria Abakumova was disqualified.

Re-analysis of a sample from Abakumova, 30, resulted in a positive test for the anabolic steroid turinabol.
Abakumova was second, behind the Czech Republic's Barbora Spotakova.
Britain are also set to receive a 4x400m men's relay bronze from the same Games in Beijing because of another Russian doping offence.
Like Abakumova, Denis Alekseyev, 28, tested positive for turinabol.
Andrew Steele, Robert Tobin, Michael Bingham and Martyn Rooney are the British 400m runners set to benefit.
Steele, who has since retired, said he was "emotional" at hearing the news.
"It's been unofficial for quite a while and we suspected it for even longer, but it's gone so quiet of late I started to suspect it may never come to fruition," he told Athletics Weekly.
"I'm honestly really pleased but also really upset I've not been able to be this pleased for the last eight years."
Rooney, who was also part of the 4x400m team at the recent Rio Games, said on Twitter he was "delighted with the news".
Runner Inga Abitova and cyclist Ekaterina Gnindenko have also been disqualified following more sample re-testing.
Abitova, 34, was sixth in the 10,000m at the 2008 Games, while Gnindenko, 23, came eighth in the keirin at the 2012 Olympics in London.


Police in Austria are investigating how bank notes worth tens of thousands of euros ended up in the River Danube.

The notes were found floating down the river in Vienna on Saturday, leading one passer-by to jump in and salvage the money.
A police spokesman told the BBC that the recovered money was worth some €100,000 (£72,000; $108,000).
Police said there were no crimes were recorded in the area and that it was not clear where the money originated.
Reports in Austria said officers had first believed the money - made up of €500 and €100 notes - was counterfeit, but they now believe the notes to be genuine.
They were first alerted when bystanders spotted a boy in the river on Saturday. Fearing he was attempting suicide, they called police, only to find he was trying to retrieve the money.
Anyone who finds money and hands it to police in Austria is entitled to keep between 5% and 10% of the total.
But if the owner is not found within a year, the whole sum will be handed to the boy.


A British man's military training helped him get his family to safety after his wife was shot at by a group in a Brazilian slum, his mother said.

Eloise Dixon, 46, from Gravesend, was in a car with her husband and children in Angra dos Reis on Sunday when the attack happened, according to reports.
Ms Dixon, 46, was shot twice, once in the abdomen, and is now recovering.
Max Dixon, 46, a Bromley firefighter and former paratrooper "dealt with the situation calmly," Hazel Dixon said.
"He just wanted to get out of it as quickly as possible - to the nearest hospital.
"He told me the car was riddled with bullets," she added.
The attack occurred in the first week of their family holiday.
The couple had been travelling in the car with their three children Isabella, 13, Holly, eight, and seven-year-old Alice.
It is believed a language mix-up led the family, from Hayes, south-east London, into the Agua Santa neighbourhood - a coastal resort about 90 miles (145 km) from Rio de Janeiro.
Authorities said a group approached the car and told the family to get out, but the Dixons did not understand the request.
The group then reportedly opened fire.
Ms Dixon said her daughter-in-law, a part-time classroom assistant at a primary school in Hayes, was lucky to be alive.
She said the family, who travelled a lot and liked to go to adventurous places, were just one week into a three week holiday when the attack happened.
The 46-year-old underwent two hours of surgery and is now in a stable condition waiting to be transferred to a private hospital in Rio de Janeiro.


Rail commuters going south on the East Coast Mainline experienced hours of delays due to overhead wire problems.

Engineers worked throughout the night to repair the damage to the line near Peterborough and minimise delays to services into London's King's Cross.
The problem has now been fixed, and National Rail said all knock-on delays had now finished.
Those affected by the problem were East Coast, First Capital Connect, First Hull Trains and Grand Central.
Several First Capital Connect trains were cancelled while others were delayed by up to two hours.
Some East Coast services were delayed by up to four hours.
The problem developed just after 18:00 BST on Monday between Peterborough and Stevenage, causing huge delays for many travellers.
The disruption mainly affected passengers who were heading south.
Many of those took to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
Gary Lythgoe tweeted on Tuesday morning: "Cancelled trains, Peterborough trains completely full, kings cross underground limited access. Brilliant."
And Chris Culpin tweeted: "Bet @eastcoastuk customer service is busy today. 4.51am arrival at kings cross only 5 hours 45 min delay for me I was one of the lucky 1's".
On Monday night, Gemma Chandler said: "I've been sitting on a stationary train at Peterborough for 1hr45mins & we haven't had an announcement update for 55mins."
An East Coast spokesman said: "Tickets dated for travel on Monday or Tuesday will be valid for travel on Wednesday and customers are advised to try to travel as close as possible to their original booked time."


Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd has accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of "torpedoing" peace negotiations in the Middle East.

The first Israeli PM to visit Australia, Mr Netanyahu had earlier criticised Mr Rudd for saying Australia should recognise a Palestinian state.
In a scathing Facebook post, Mr Rudd said the Israeli leader sabotaged US peace talks "by changing the goalposts" often at "five minutes to midnight".
Mr Netanyahu has yet to respond.
But he dismissed Mr Rudd's earlier call for Australia to recognise a Palestinian state, saying it would be a state that "calls for Israel's destruction".
The Israeli leader is in the middle of a four-day visit to Australia, with current Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as his host.
Mr Turnbull called Israel a "miraculous nation" in a warm meeting with Mr Netanyahu on Wednesday. Mr Netanyahu thanked Australia for defending his nation against UN resolutions.
The tone struck by Mr Rudd in his Facebook post was a marked contrast.
Mr Rudd said he was a life-long supporter of Israel and had publicly campaigned against anti-Semitism. But he added that "to support the state of Israel does not mandate automatic support for each and every policy of Mr Netanyahu".
"The boundaries, internal security, external security, public finance and governance of a Palestinian state have been elaborated in detail in multiple negotiations with the US under the Clinton, Bush and Obama Administrations, most recently in the Kerry Plan," Mr Rudd wrote.
"Mr Netanyahu knows these formulations like the back of his hand. Mr Netanyahu also knows he has torpedoed each of them, often at five minutes to midnight, often by changing the goalposts, to the enduring frustration of both Republican and Democrat Administrations."
The former prime minister also referred to a diplomatic incident in 2010 where four forged Australian passports were used in the murder of a Hamas operative in Dubai.
Mr Rudd's government expelled an Israeli diplomat over the affair. "No apology has ever been received for that action," he said.
A rally protesting against the Mr Netanyahu's visit is expected to be held in Sydney on Thursday night.


The European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker said so:
"We should make sure that everyone understands that the economic and monetary union is irreversible."
Only now, 16 years into the marriage, that seems to have changed.
There is no legal provision in the EU's treaties for a country to give up the currency, at least not without giving up EU membership altogether. Nor is there any formal process for expulsion. Divorce was simply not ever supposed to be contemplated.
But the possibility of a Greek departure has now been explicitly countenanced by some of the currency's guardians.
Mr Juncker acknowledged earlier this month that they had "a Grexit scenario, prepared in detail".
The German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble went further, floating the idea of some time out from the eurozone for Greece.  Some observers believe he would prefer Greece to walk out the door for good.
So what does it mean if the eurozone is not necessarily for keeps?
Does it become more like a fixed exchange rate system that can be revised when the economic calculus suggests a country would benefit from doing so? Not an enduring marriage but a relationship of convenience to be ditched when the going gets a bit rough?
That is what the European Exchange Rate Mechanism was like at times. The ERM was, a system designed to limit exchange rate fluctuations and was, for many - though not all - of its members, part of the preparation for full monetary union.
But it was a rocky relationship at times. In 1992 Britain and Italy were forced out as markets came to the view that their exchange rates were not sustainable. The following year, France was at the eye of the storm. That time the ERM members dealt with it by widening the bands that currencies were allowed to fluctuate within.
It was something they didn't want to do, but under pressure they did. It was an advantage of the ERM over a shared currency. There is flexibility that you can use if you really have to, flexibility to devalue the national currency and to shovel funds into your banking system without having to consult Frankfurt.
The danger is that if euro membership is also perceived to be porous like the ERM, then financial markets will change their view of the project. They will factor in the possibility that any member country might throw in the towel if the economic arithmetic suggests some advantage in doing so.
If the markets do reach that conclusion they might turn their speculative attention to the next country to get in similar difficulty. That would lead to higher borrowing costs for the government concerned, perhaps forcing them to give up the euro.
It is certainly possible. That was the fear that spread across the eurozone in 2012 as borrowing costs rose to painfully high levels for a number of governments - such as Spain and Italy.
Eurozone exit was avoided that time, but it was a very nervous period for officials who wanted to keep the project intact.
The concern now is that simply by admitting there's a possibility of fracture, we may have let a genie out of the bottle that it is hard to put back in.
But there are reasons for supposing that the eurozone is built on foundations that are harder to shake than those of the exchange rate system. The costs of departing a currency union are a lot higher than giving up an exchange rate peg.  There's the cost of introducing a new currency and the continued economic dislocation there would be during the transition period.
It is a bigger loss of credibility for the government concerned to replace a currency rather than alter an exchange rate peg.
You could also argue that such is the economic pain that Greece has taken, that it sends a signal that countries are willing to take truly exceptional steps to stay with the euro: a sign of its resilience.
And then there are the reforms that the eurozone as a whole has started, an attempt at tackling the fundamental design flaws that allowed the region's financial crisis to take hold in the first place.
Some steps toward banking union and to strengthen discipline over government finances have been taken. But it is all far from the level of integration that most economists regard as necessary to make the eurozone truly resilient to major economic shocks.
It is not complete, as the European Central Bank Mario Draghi has acknowledged.
"This union is imperfect, and being imperfect is fragile, vulnerable and doesn't deliver, doesn't deliver all the benefits that it could if it were to be completed. The future now should see decisive steps on further integration."
That process will take many years to complete. What we can say is that the further the eurozone goes down the path of integration in banking and government finances, the less it will look like a temporary and precarious exchange rate fix. It is however a path that's very difficult to travel politically, because it's likely to involve taxpayer's money, especially though not only from Germany.
The question remains: is the euro a marriage that will endure? It could certainly do with some tender loving care.  There's just little of that in evidence just now.


The former Tetley's Brewery site in Leeds has been sold by Carlsberg for an undisclosed sum to be developed for "mixed use".

Vastint, a real estate company part of the Inter IKEA group, plans to "respect the site's history", said Carlsberg.
The 21 acre (8.5 hectare) site is close to retail and financial areas, Leeds station and the River Aire waterfront.
The closure of the brewery in 2011, which had been on the same site since 1822, resulted in the loss of 170 jobs.
Parent company Carlsberg announced the brewery closure in 2008.
The Tetley, an art deco building now used as an art gallery, is to stay open on the site.
Carlsberg UK is to also retain an office building on the site.
Vastint said the redevelopment would be in line with Leeds City Council's plans for the city's south bank.


Two people on board a hot-air balloon had a "lucky escape" when they crashed into an 11,000 volt power line.

About 200 homes lost electricity for about an hour after the accident near Eastington, Gloucestershire, Western Power said.
Heaven Crawley, who was piloting the private flight, said poor light meant she had not seen the overhead cable suspended above a field.
No-one was hurt in the crash, at 20:15 BST on Wednesday.
"We were very lucky, we weren't that far from the ground," Ms Crawley said.
The balloon had taken off from Aston Down, near Cirencester, and was trying to find a suitable place to land on the outskirts of Stroud.
"We spotted this field and the lines on the way in but unfortunately because the sun was low, we saw the first dark line of the telephone but not the power lines behind it," said Ms Crawley.
As she tried to land, she said, the bottom part of the balloon envelope struck the 6m (20ft) high cable.
"Obviously if anything electric had hit the metal poles or the basket that has the gas in it, than potentially you're looking at a different scenario," she said.
"But as it was we broke the cables and landed with very little damage."


Liberia's ex-President Charles Taylor has been sentenced to 50 years in jail by a UN-backed war crimes court.

Last month Taylor was found guilty of aiding and abetting rebels in Sierra Leone during the 1991-2002 civil war.
Special Court for Sierra Leone judges said the sentence reflected his status as head of state at the time and his betrayal of public trust.
Taylor, 64, insists he is innocent and his lawyer has told the BBC he will appeal against the sentence.
In Sierra Leone, where victims of the war gathered in silence to watch the hearing on a large screen in a courtroom in the capital, Freetown, the sentence was welcomed.
The chairman of the country's Amputees' Association, Edward Conteh, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme it came as a "relief" as Taylor was likely to spend the rest of his life in jail.
"It is a step forward as justice has been done, though the magnitude of the sentence is not commensurate with the atrocities committed," AP news agency quotes Deputy Information Minister Sheku Tarawali as saying.
Taylor, wearing a suit and yellow tie, showed no emotion during the hearing.
"The accused has been found responsible for aiding and abetting some of the most heinous crimes in human history," Judge Richard Lussick said.
By Anna HolliganBBC News, The Hague
Sentencing the 64-year-old former president to 50 years means in effect that Charles Taylor will spend the rest of his life locked up in jail.
His defence team were hoping judges would take into account the fact that Taylor has a family: he is a father of 14 children and an educated man.
But the judges decided his role in aiding and abetting the RUF rebels in Sierra Leone was serious enough to warrant 50 years.
It is a sentence that human rights groups say will set a precedent and send a message out to other world leaders - that if they commit crimes against humanity they will be forced to face the consequences, regardless of how powerful they are.
The crimes - which took place over five years - included cutting off the limbs of their victims and cutting open pregnant women to settle bets over the sex of their unborn children, he said.
The prosecution had wanted an 80-year prison term to reflect the severity of the crimes and the central role that Taylor had in facilitating them.
But the judge said that would have been excessive - taking into account the limited scope of his involvement in planning operations in Sierra Leone.
However, Judge Lussick said in return for a constant flow of diamonds, Taylor provided arms and both logistical and moral support to the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels - prolonging the conflict and the suffering of the people of Sierra Leone.
"While Mr Taylor never set foot in Sierra Leone, his heavy footprint is there," the judge said.
"The lives of many more innocent civilians in Sierra Leone were lost or destroyed as a direct result of his actions," he said.
In its landmark ruling in April, the court - set up in 2002 to try those who bore the greatest responsibility for the war in which some 50,000 people were killed - found Taylor guilty on 11 counts, relating to atrocities that included rape and murder.
He became the first former head of state to be convicted of war crimes by an international court since the Nuremburg trials of Nazis after World War II.
This "special status" had put Taylor in a "different category of offenders for the purpose of sentencing," the judge said.
His sentence was in line with others handed down by the Special Court for Sierra Leone. One of the convicted RUF leaders, Issa Sesay, received a 52-year jail term and a rebel from the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) group, Alex Tamba Brima, was given 50 years.
"But the difference is that those two - Brima and Sesay - are direct perpetrators: They carried out the crimes themselves," Taylor's defence counsel Morris Anyah told the BBC.
"The 50-year sentence pronounced today effectively is a life sentence for someone that age - the rules of the court prohibit expressly the imposition of a life sentence," he said.
These concerns - and other mitigating facts rejected by the judges, such as Taylor's role in ending the conflict - would be brought before the appeals chamber, the defence lawyer said.
• 1989: Launches rebellion in Liberia
• 1991: RUF rebellion starts in Sierra Leone
• 1997: Elected president after a 1995 peace deal
• 1999: Liberia's Lurd rebels start an insurrection to oust Mr Taylor
• June 2003: Arrest warrant issued; two months later he steps down and goes into exile to Nigeria
• March 2006: Arrested after a failed escape bid and sent to Sierra Leone
• June 2007: His trial opens - hosted in The Hague for security reasons
• April 2012: Convicted of aiding and abetting the commission of war crimes
• May 2012: Sentenced to 50 years in jail
Charles Taylor profile
Why Taylor will be jailed in UK
Taylor, who accused the prosecution of paying and threatening witnesses in his war crimes trial, had asked judges to consider his age when making their decision, saying he was "no threat to society".
But the trial chamber said that, given his social background and standing, "rehabilitation" was not likely.
The fact that he had not expressed remorse or apologised for his part in the conflict also affected the sentence, the judge said.
Earlier, his lawyers had urged the court not to support "attempts by the prosecution to provide the Sierra Leoneans with this external bogeyman upon whom can be heaped the collective guilt of a nation for its predominantly self-inflicted wounds".
In Liberia, Taylor's brother-in-law in Liberia, Arthur Saye, maintained the whole process had been "politically motivated".
"The sentence is outrageous. How can you give a man 50 years for only aiding and abetting?" he told the BBC.
The case was heard in The Hague for fear that a trial in Sierra Leone could destabilise the region.
The Dutch government agreed only if Taylor would serve any sentence in another country.
He will serve any prison term in the UK but will be held in The Hague until the results of his appeal - a process that could last up to six months, the BBC's Anna Holligan in the Netherlands reports.


A 24-hour strike due to take place on two London Underground lines from Tuesday evening has been suspended.

Drivers on the Piccadilly and Hammersmith & City lines were going to walk out over a breakdown in industrial relations.
But the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) said the action had been called off after talks at conciliation service Acas.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said "significant progress" had been made.
The union said "all objectives" had been achieved in the dispute on the Piccadilly line, while further talks would take place "aimed at a long-term agreement on the Hammersmith & City line".
The strike would have caused major disruption on both lines, with no trains running on the Piccadilly line and a significantly reduced service on the Hammersmith & City line.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the suspension saying that "negotiations can now continue without unnecessary disruption for commuters".
"Nobody wins from strikes on the Underground. Commuters, businesses, TfL [Transport for London] staff and Londoners all suffer. It's a lose-lose situation," he said.
There has been disruption on the Piccadilly Line during the past week because wet leaves on the track have damaged train wheels.


Former world hurdles record holder Colin Jackson has expressed disappointment that Wales will not bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The Welsh Government ditched the idea last month after a feasibility study revealed costs of between £1.3bn and £1.5bn.
The Welshman told BBC Radio Wales it would have been a "magical" experience.
"It's a big loss for the nation, I truly believe that," he said.
Plaid Cymru and Tory politicians have attacked the decision not to bid.
And the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said it was "surprised" by the figures quoted, with the 2014 Glasgow Games having cost £543m.
TV pundit Jackson said: "When you go to major championships like this you really feel the feeling of the general public as well - not just the athletes.
"It really lifts their performance when they get to these competitions on home soil.
"For us to miss out on that magical, magical feeling of games... here in Wales would have been something."


Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne says he will be out for about 10 weeks after injuring his right knee during Wednesday's League Cup semi-final victory over Everton.

The Belgium international, 24, changed the game from the bench but fell awkwardly in injury time.
His agent Patrick de Koster initially said De Bruyne would miss six weeks.
But, after seeing a specialist, the £55m former Wolfsburg player said: "I'll be out for around 10 weeks."
De Bruyne could miss up to 13 league and cup games, including the League Cup final with Liverpool on 28 February, both legs of the Champions League last-16 tie with Dynamo Kiev and the Manchester derby on 20 March.
The Belgian is City's second top goalscorer with 12 this season, four behind striker Sergio Aguero.
De Koster added: "Kevin told me the only thing he can do is work hard and come back. Kevin is sad. His dream is to always be playing football."
De Bruyne scored one goal and set up another to help City to a 4-3 aggregate victory over the Toffees.
Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles, who repeatedly tried to lift up De Bruyne as he lay injured, used social media to say sorry.
"I would like to apologise to Kevin de Bruyne for my reaction to his injury," said the 25-year-old Spaniard.
"In the heat of the moment I didn't realise he was badly hurt. I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery."


In-form Nottinghamshire batsman Alex Hales says he is trying not to think about a Test recall.

The England one-day specialist, 28, has just scored a County Championship double century to add to some superb domestic one-day cricket displays.
Hales, who hit 187 not out as Notts beat Surrey to win the One-Day Cup in July, won the last of his 11 England Test caps against Pakistan in 2016.
"All I can do is score as many runs as I can," he told BBC Radio Nottingham.
Hales, who scored 218 for Division Two leaders Notts in their ongoing county four-day match against Derbyshire, said returning to Test cricket had not really crossed his mind.
"I have not really thought about it at all in the last few months," he added. "I have just been enjoying my cricket.
"And I am going to try not to let it cross my mind for the rest of the season. Hopefully I can just keep enjoying it and keep doing well for Notts."
Hales also smashed 95 off just 30 balls in the T20 Blast against Durham on Saturday, while a new-look England batting order struggled for consistency despite earning a 3-1 Test series win over South Africa.
England coach Trevor Bayliss says the series victory does not "paper over the cracks" in his team, with the positions of opener, number three and number five still up for grabs.
A three-Test series against the West Indies starts later this month, followed by an Ashes series in Australia at the end of 2017.
Hales has previously opened for England in the longest form of the game, but prefers to bat further down the order. His run-a-ball 218 against Derbyshire came batting at number five.
Hales said: "All I can do is knock on the door. I think I get a couple of more four-dayers in before the winter tours. Hopefully I can do well in that and then there is a one-day series against the West Indies. I guess it is just up to me to score as many runs as I can.
"It's a great place to be when you are in a purple patch and enjoying your cricket. All three forms I am enjoying so I am going to keep riding the wave and hopefully keep it up until the end of the season.
"I have felt in really good touch and in really good order across my whole game. It is up to me to not be complacent. It's a big couple of months for Nottinghamshire."
Notts head coach Peter Moores, formerly in charge of the England team, believes Hales has the quality to return to Test cricket.
"I don't think anybody can deny he has the ability to to play well on the big occasion," Moores said.
"We have seen in the One-Day Cup final, we have seen it when there are big crowds at Trent Bridge and I think England have seen it in two or three extraordinary innings in one-day cricket.
"If they are going to look to give him another opportunity, he has now played some Test cricket so he knows what it is about and has had a chance to reflect on it.
"They know they will get a person who can respond to the big occasion and there will be no bigger occasion than the Ashes."


Carlisle United's plans to move to a new ground could be halted in favour of redevelopment because of the December floods, says co-owner John Nixon.

The Cumbrians' current Brunton Park home was affected by the Storm Desmond floods, as were many other areas of the city and county.
Not only has the flooding reduced the value of existing assets, but also highlighted flaws in potential sites.
"It's definitely worth less than we would say it was before," Nixon said.
He told BBC Radio Cumbria: "It had an asset value of in the region of £6m, but if we had put it on the market I don't know whether we'd have got £6m, but we have no intention of putting it on the market.
"What it has taught us is that one of the sites we'd looked at for an alternative stadium, it was flooded. So that's really now not a goer because we'd end up in a flood probably there.
"Probably the way forward now - it hasn't been covered properly in board meetings - if we can with Environment Agency and Government funding, is to develop Brunton Park."
United are set to move their West Stand ground-floor offices to the first floor of the newer East Stand this summer.
Plans had been made for a new venture in conjunction with a developer, who had signed a lock-out agreement in 2014, although no definite site was selected.


A council report has outlined details of the financial commitment given in order to "maximise the economic benefits" of the Borders Railway.

A blueprint to "stimulate business growth, generate employment and boost visitor numbers" was launched in November 2014.
The current cost of projects associated with it is more than £17m.
Scottish Borders Council has committed more than £7m of capital and revenue funding to the schemes.
The multi-million pound line between Edinburgh and Tweedbank in the Borders opened to passengers last year.
The blueprint was developed by Scottish Enterprise along with the Scottish government, Transport Scotland, Abellio ScotRail and the City of Edinburgh, Midlothian and Scottish Borders councils.
£3.5m
Permanent home for Great Tapestry of Scotland
£3m
Central Borders Business Park upgrade
£100,000 Marketing programme
£62,300 Integrated transport at station "hubs"
£39,600 Steam train experience
Since its launch, work has concentrated on an action plan to deliver "key investments and commitments".
The Scottish government has committed £10m in principle to meet any "funding gap" in realising these projects.
Scottish Borders Council has already given its support to a number of the schemes associated with the railway.
A report to the local authority said that without this financial commitment there was a risk the blueprint's "economic and community benefits" would not be realised.
Councillors are being asked to note the "significant progress" achieved while agreeing to get further regular reports on the action plan.


Four new frogs so tiny that they can sit on a thumbnail have been discovered in the forests of India.

Among the smallest frogs in the world, they live on the forest floor and make insect-like calls at night.
Three larger species were also found, bringing to seven the number of night frogs discovered in the Western Ghats.
The mountain range, which runs parallel to the western coast of India, is home to hundreds of threatened plants and animals.
Scientists discovered the new species after several years of exploration in the forests of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
"These tiny frogs can sit comfortably on a coin or a thumbnail," said Sonali Garg of the University of Delhi, who was among the team that found the new creatures.
"We were surprised to find that the miniature forms are in fact locally abundant and fairly common.
"They were probably overlooked by researchers because of their extremely small size, secretive habitats and insect-like calls."
The night frog group, Nyctibatrachus, previously had 28 recognised species, of which three were miniature in size (less than 18mm).
The new species were identified through studying their DNA, physical features and call patterns.
The group is native to the Western Ghats of India, representing an ancient family that arose 70-80 million years ago.
Most of the new frogs live outside protected habitats or close to areas of human habitation.
Prof SD Biju of the University of Delhi, who led the research, has discovered over 80 new species of amphibians from India.
"Over 32%, that is one-third of the Western Ghats frogs, are already threatened with extinction," he said.
"Out of the seven new species, five are facing considerable anthropogenic threats and require immediate conservation prioritisation."
Dr Laurence Jarvis, head of conservation at the UK charity, Froglife, said the finding was globally significant.
"This highly biodiverse region contains many unique amphibian species and the area is under increasing threats from human disturbance," he said.
"The discovery of these new species will increase our understanding of the conservation priorities for amphibians in the region."
The research is published in PeerJ.
Follow Helen on Twitter.


AG Barr is to halve the amount of sugar in its leading Irn Bru brand, ahead of a government crackdown on the fizzy drinks industry.

The Cumbernauld-based firm, which also makes Rubicon and Tizer, said it would cut Irn Bru's sugar content from about 10g per 100ml to just below 5g.
It will reduce the calorie count per can from just under 140 to about 66.
AG Barr said the move was part of a "long-standing sugar reduction programme".
It confirmed in a stock market announcement on Wednesday that more than 90% of its portfolio would contain less than 5g of total sugar per 100ml by this autumn.
Tizer is already below that threshold, while the Rubicon carbonates range will all have less than 5g of sugar per 100ml by the middle of this year, the company said.
The UK government plans to introduce a levy on sugary drinks in April 2018.
The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) will have two bands in the UK - one for soft drinks with more than 5g of sugar per 100ml and a higher one for drinks with more than 8g per 100ml.
Ministers hope the move will help tackle the nation's obesity problem.
A spokesman for the company said: "Irn Bru will still be made with sugar. We are not removing all the sugar, but we are reducing the amount.
"Having worked on this for some time, we are carefully blending and balancing a mix of sugar, sweeteners and our original and best flavour essence to deliver the great taste of Irn Bru but with less sugar.
"We're doing this because evidence shows that most consumers want to reduce their sugar intake while still enjoying great tasting drinks.
"86% of consumers are concerned about the amount of sugar in food and drink that they consume.
"That said, we have taken the soft drinks sugar tax thresholds into account when determining the levels of sugar reduction, but never compromising on taste."
In the past year, the company has introduced two new drinks - Irn Bru Xtra and Rubicon Spring - both of which contain no added sugar.
Chief executive Roger White said: "Evidence shows that consumers want to reduce their sugar intake while still enjoying great tasting drinks.
"We've responded by significantly reducing sugar across our portfolio in recent years, through reformulation and innovation.
"Today's announcement builds on this progress and we are now expanding our successful sugar reduction plans to include our iconic Irn Bru brand."
He added: "We will continue to respond to our consumers and adapt to their changing preferences, offering great tasting products that are right for this generation of consumers and the next."


The Department for Work and Pensions has admitted using made-up stories from fictional claimants to demonstrate the positive impact of benefit sanctions.

A DWP leaflet featured one welfare claimant, "Sarah", who said she was "really pleased" a cut to her benefits had encouraged her to improve her CV.
But after a Freedom of Information request by website Welfare Weekly, the DWP said they were not real claimants.
The stories were for "illustrative purposes only", it added.
Under the sanctions system - introduced by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith - people can lose benefits for anywhere between a few weeks and three years if they fail to meet the government's requirements for jobseekers.
Stephen Timms, Labour's acting shadow work and pensions secretary, said: "You couldn't make it up - but it seems Iain Duncan Smith can. The only way he can find backers for his sanctions regime is by inventing them."
The leaflet features the apparent stories of two sickness benefit claimants, Sarah and Zac.
"Sarah" - whose story features alongside a woman's picture - says she failed to complete a CV despite agreeing to do so on her work "action plan".
"I didn't have a good reason for not doing it and I was told I'd lose some of my payment. I decided to complete the CV and told my work coach," she says.
Sarah says her benefits were cut for two weeks, but now she is "really pleased with how my CV looks" and it will really help her find a job.
Zac, meanwhile, says he let his work coach know when he was going to miss a meeting and because he did so, "my benefit payment hasn't changed".
According to Welfare Weekly, the response to its Freedom of Information request from the DWP said the images used were "stock photos and along with the names do not belong to real claimants".
The DWP later said in a statement: "The case studies were used for illustrative purposes to help people understand how the benefit system works. They're based on conversations our staff have had with claimants.
"They have now been removed to avoid confusion".
The system of benefits sanctions - introduced under the coalition government - has been accused of having a detrimental impact on some claimants.
Earlier this year, the Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee called for an independent inquiry into the way the sanctions were applied, saying that in some cases they were causing food poverty and "severe financial hardship".
Mr Timms added: "Instead of fabricating quotes pretending the system is working, [Iain Duncan Smith] should scrap unfair sanctions targets for jobcentre staff and do more to protect vulnerable people from facing benefit sanctions."
Learning disability charity Mencap accused the DWP of "unacceptable" behaviour and of misleading the public by giving them "an unrepresentative view of the sanctions regime and its impact on disabled people".


Victims of the Troubles have said they are more optimistic agreement can be reached on new agencies to examine the past.

The Victims' Forum held discussions with Secretary of State Theresa Villiers.
The recent inter-party talks did not bring an agreement on legacy issues.
Ms Villiers said that the government was prepared to consider "alternatives" when negotiating on the key issue of national security.
The government has been accused of failing to deliver on a commitment made in the Stormont House Agreement, by insisting on a veto on material to protect national security.
Speaking after the meeting, Ms Villiers said: "We put some compromises on the table in relation to national security, such as a direct right of appeal to the High Court. We feel that we stretched ourselves on that but we're obviously open to consideration of alternatives."
She also said that agreement on the matter was closer than ever before.
"There's a long list of other issues which have been more or less resolved, so I continue to be optimistic about the prospect of getting these bodies up and running sometime soon," she said.
The Victims' Forum described the meeting as "very positive".
Jennifer McNern, who lost both legs in the Abercorn bombing in 1972, said: "I'm more confident than I was a couple of weeks ago that the secretary of state will speak to politicians again, hopefully with new energy and a will to compromise."
Mitch Bresland, a former UDR member, said: "We took some reassurance from the fact that the secretary of state had plans, and she felt we could move forward."
On Sunday, Northern Ireland's victims' commissioner said new talks between the political parties to try and get agreement on dealing with outstanding legacy issues needed to start now.
Judith Thompson told the Sunday Politics programme there was a level of energy and common purpose that was not there before.
Last month, a deal, known as Fresh Start, was agreed between the British and Irish governments and Northern Ireland's two largest parties, the DUP and Sinn FÃ©in.
It followed 10 weeks of talks and secured agreement on outstanding issues relating to paramilitaries and welfare reform.
However, they failed to break the deadlock over legacy issues arising from Northern Ireland's Troubles.


Serie A side Palermo have sacked their fourth manager of the season as Diego Lopez paid the price for winning just one of his 10 games in charge.

Lopez, appointed at the end of January, was dismissed after a 4-0 defeat at AC Milan on Sunday which left Palermo eight points adrift of safety.
President Paul Baccaglini said: "A big shake-up is needed.  I am trying everything possible to get the team to react with their heads up."
Coach Diego Bortoluzzi will take over.
Baccaglini was named as president last month, replacing Maurizio Zamparini, who oversaw nearly 40 coaching changes during his 15 turbulent years in charge.
Palermo went through five coaches in just three months last season, and former Swansea City coach Bortoluzzi is the 12th change of manager in two seasons.
They began the season under Davide Ballardini who left by mutual consent in early September.
He was replaced by Roberto de Zerbi who was sacked at the end of November and followed by Eugenio Corini, who resigned in January.


(Closed): US stocks shook off early losses to close higher on Wednesday led by gains in tech and health care.

The Dow Jones rose 78 points, or 0.44%, to 17,918.62.
The wider S&P 500 index was up 11.18 points to 2,099.73, while the tech-focused Nasdaq climbed 36.26 points to 4,859.16.
Data from the Institute for Supply Management showed the US services sector, which accounts for two-thirds of the US economy, picked up in June.
The US trade deficit however increased by 10% as the stronger dollar led to decreasing exports.
Pharmaceutical companies led the market gains. Horizon Pharma climbed 4.7%, while Progenics Pharmaceuticals was up 9.3%.
Biotech firms AbbVie  and Biogen each rose 2.3% after European regulators approved a new multiple sclerosis drug.
Tech firms also had a strong day.
Facebook's shares climbed 2.4%. Google's parent company Alphabet was up 0.6%.


A suspicious car next to a Newport shopping centre which prompted an evacuation and the bomb squad to be called was a false alarm.

Friars Walk was emptied and a major road shut for nearly five hours in May.
A suspect package was also reported at the nearby George Street bridge.
Gwent Police is continuing its investigations but said, while it was treated as a genuine threat to the public at the time, it turned out to be a false alarm.
No arrests have been made.


An Oklahoma City police officer has been convicted of raping and sexually assaulting black women in the poor area he worked in.

Daniel Holtzclaw, 29, stopped the women while out on patrol, searched them and then forced himself upon them.
Holtzclaw was convicted of assaults on eight victims, including a grandmother in her 50s and a 17-year-old.
The jury recommended a prison term totalling 263 years. He is due to be sentenced in January.
"Justice was done today, and a criminal wearing a uniform is going to prison now," Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said.
Standing with 'imperfect' accusers
The verdict was delivered on Holtzclaw's birthday - a reporter at the trial tweeted a video of supporters of the victims singing Happy Birthday in celebration at the verdict.
The case has drawn attention on social media, with some users commenting on a perceived lack of interest in the case from major media outlets.
The court heard from several women during the trial.
The grandmother said she was driving home late at night when Holtzclaw pulled her over, asked if she had been drinking and then told her to get into his squad car and and ordered her to perform oral sex.
Another victim, who was 17 at the time, said Holtzclaw pulled up in his car as she walked home one night, drove her there, told her he had to search her, forced off her clothes and raped her.
Holtzclaw's lawyer insisted his client had been attempting to help the drug addicts and prostitutes he encountered in his work. Many of the women had arrest records or histories of drug abuse.
Two of the victims spoke out on their experiences at a news conference a day after the verdict was handed down.
"I wasn't a criminal, I have no record, I didn't do anything wrong," said Janie Higgins. "He picked the wrong lady to stop that night."
"I was helpless, I thought he was going to shoot me and kill me," she said. "He did things to me I didn't think a police officer would do."
Ms Higgins said she was traumatised and had a stroke following her encounter with Holtzclaw and that she went to therapy.
"I still live with this day after day."
Another victim, Sade Hill, spoke of her experience being violated by Holtzclaw in a hospital.
"I just couldn't even believe it. I was speechless, I was scared," she said. "I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was in survival mode so I had to do what he was making me do."
Ms Hill was abused in 2013 and did not come forward with her story until this July.
She said she never doubted during the trial that Holtzclaw would be brought to justice.
"My faith was strong in this whole situation," she said. "Black lives do matter. We matter. We are survivors."


Sending out letters to tell ratepayers their bills have been delayed due to the Stormont crisis has cost Land and Property Services more than £40,000.

The figure does not include the postage costs.
The rates process has been hit by Stormont's failure to agree a budget for 2017/2018.
"The approximate cost for stationery, data handling and printing is £43,582 for the issue of 581,102 letters," a Finance Department spokesperson said.
"Land and Property Services is not currently in a position to provide a cost for postage until the mailing has been completed."
Direct debit payments - currently made by about 270,000 people or businesses - will not be taken until after bills have been dispatched.
Normally, annual rates payments are spread over 10 months, from April to January.
A budget for 2017/2018 has not yet been agreed because of the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly.


England's Ian Poulter is struggling to secure his PGA Tour card for the rest of the season after a poor first round at the Valero Texas Open.

Poulter, 41, carded a three-over 75 to leave him tied for 128th place and in danger of missing the cut.
Playing his final tournament on a medical exemption after foot surgery last year, he needs to win at least £23,905 - equivalent to a top-30 finish - to retain his place on the tour.
Branden Grace leads on six under.
The 28-year-old South African hit seven birdies and one bogey in a round of 66, one shot ahead of Americans Will MacKenzie, John Huh, Stewart Cink and Australia's Steven Alker.
Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell is part of a 13-way tie for sixth on four under in San Antonio.
England's Luke Donald was in contention on level par at the turn but hit two bogeys and one double bogey on the back nine to fall one shot behind Poulter on four over.
Poulter, beginning his round on the 10th hole, started with back-to-back bogeys, also hitting one at the 14th to reach the turn at three over.
He made a further bogey on the fourth before recording his only birdie of the round on the eighth to ensure an even-par 36 on the closing nine.
Should he fail to retain his tour card, the 2008 Open runner-up would need invitations to compete on the PGA Tour.


A 32-year-old man has died in hospital after a collision involving his motorcycle near Glenariff, County Antrim.

It is understood the motorcycle he was riding struck a telegraph pole on the Glenariffe Road at about 18:20 GMT on Saturday.
Police said the man who died was travelling with another motorcyclist when the collision happened.
They said the other man was not involved in the incident.


St Helens centre Mark Percival faces up to three months out after he ruptured medial ligaments in his knee.

The 21-year-old suffered the injury at the AJ Bell Stadium as Saints lost 44-10 at Salford Red Devils on Thursday.
Percival scored two tries as Saints won their Super League opener against Huddersfield six days earlier.
"Luckily we've got plenty of players and a bit of thickness in our squad," head coach Keiron Cunningham told BBC Radio Merseyside.
After their defeat at Salford, Cunningham's side host Australian side Sydney Roosters in the World Club Series opener on Friday.
"We're all excited about the game, we got rid of the hangover from the weekend," he added.
"It wasn't a pretty video, it was a bit raw but sometimes you've just got to rip the plaster off and move on and that's what we did.
"I'm really hopeful we'll be a better side on Friday."


Civil rights activist Darcus Howe has died aged 74, his biographer has said.

The writer and broadcaster campaigned for black rights for more than 50 years and organised the 1981 Black People's March after the New Cross fire in which 13 black teenagers died.
His biographer Robin Bunce said Mr Howe "died peacefully in his sleep" at his Streatham home on Saturday and that his wife Leila Hassan confirmed the news.
In 2009, Mr Howe wrote in The Guardian about his prostate cancer diagnosis.
"Long live the NHS", he wrote, after describing how his treatment had been successful following the 2007 diagnosis.
Mr Howe was born on 26 February 1943 in Trinidad, where his father was a vicar and his mother a teacher.
He came to the UK in 1961.
Mr Howe, who lived in Brixton for more than 30 years, started his journalism career with the magazine Race Today, where he was editor for 11 years, and more recently he was a Voice Newspaper columnist.
He made his name in the British Black Panthers, successfully challenging racism in the police during the Mangrove Nine trial at the Old Bailey in the early 1970s.
As a journalist he contributed to a wide range of newspapers and had a regular column in the left-wing New Statesman magazine.
He began his broadcasting career in the 1980s, presenting shows for the BBC, LWT and Channel 4.
In 2003 he wrote and presented the controversial series White Tribe, which explored the idea of Englishness and involved travelling around the country.
The campaigner also spoke out after the London riots in the summer of 2011, which were sparked by the shooting of Mark Duggan.
Mr Bunce told the BBC that Mr Howe was "an outstanding black activist" and a "powerful voice for black rights in Britain".
"He took on the Metropolitan Police, the Home Office and Special Branch in a 55-day trial as one of the Mangrove Nine," he said.
"Taking on the police in the 70s at a time of enormous police racism and police corruption was an incredibly courageous thing to do.
"He was able to turn the table on his accusers and he was able to win his case.
"And not only was he able to win his own freedom, but he was able to expose police racism and force the first official acknowledgement of institutional racism in the United Kingdom as a result of that case."
Poet and friend Linton Kwesi Johnson told the BBC: "Darcus was a fearless warrior in the struggle against racial injustice in this country."
Friend and writer Farrukh Dhondy, a former commissioning editor at Channel 4, told the BBC that Mr Howe was "one of the bravest, one of the most courageous, and one of the most significant activists for black people's rights in this country".
He was a "very modest leader who would speak directly to the people," Mr Dhondy said.
Tributes are also being paid to Mr Howe on social media.
The Voice News tweeted: We regret to inform you that respected journalist, activist & former @TheVoiceNews columnist #DarcusHowe has died. May he rest in peace.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott tweeted: "So sad to hear that Darcus Howe has passed away. One of the standout activists & public intellectuals of his generation."
Film maker Amma Asante tweeted: "May u RIP Darcus Howe. British #BlackPanther & a pioneer in the fight for #equality in UK. I enjoyed our last talk immensely & learned much."
Labour MP Helen Hayes tweeted: "Sad to hear of the passing of Darcus Howe, great loss to Brixton & to the cause of equality and human rights RIP."
Playwright Bonnie Greer tweeted: "First person I was told to meet when I arrived here 30 years ago was RIP #DarcusHowe. Always supportive; optimistic."
Journalist Jesse Bernard tweeted: "Will always be grateful for the work Darcus Howe did."
London Assembly member Florence Eshalomi tweeted: "Sad to hear of #DarcusHowe passing. May his soul rest in peace."


Bernhard Langer has become the first man to win all five senior majors with victory at the Senior PGA Championship.

It is a record ninth senior major win for the German, who moves past Jack Nicklaus to the top of the list.
Langer, 59, went into the final round one behind Vijay Singh but shot a four-under 68 to Singh's 70 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington DC.
"It was a very tight race until we got to 16 and 17. Then I got in front by two and never looked back," he said.
The seniors majors are for players aged 50 and over.
The US Senior Open which starts in late June, is next followed by the Senior Players Championship in July which Langer has won the past three times.
The British Seniors Open is the last of the year, taking place at Royal Porthcawl from 27-30 July.


Scotland's Russell Knox will play the opening two rounds of the US Masters with Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and America's Rickie Fowler.

The trio will set off at 15:12 BST on Thursday, with Knox aiming to improve on missing the cut in his Augusta National debut last year.
Sandy Lyle plays alongside English amateur Scott Gregory and Sean O'Hair.
England's Danny Willett begins his Masters defence alongside Matt Kuchar and Australian amateur Curtis Luck.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy plays alongside Spain's Jon Rahm and Japan's Hideto Tanihara at 18:41, while world number one Dustin Johnson is in the final group with two-time winner Bubba Watson and Jimmy Walker at 19:03.
The 31-year-old Knox, ranked No 23 in the world, has won twice on the PGA Tour and in 2015 became the first Scot to win a World Golf Championship.
Knox and 1988 champion Lyle are the only Scots in the field, which contains a record 11 Englishman.