Image copyrightLADY GAGAImage captionLady Gaga tweeted this photo of the audience at Birmingham Arena, that she took from the stage last week
“I’m so devastated I don’t know how to describe it,” Lady Gaga, 31, wrote. “All I know is that if I don’t do this, I am not standing by the words or meaning of my music.”
The announcement comes after she started the UK leg of her tour at Birmingham Arena.
The European leg of her Joanne World Tour had already been rescheduled due to her condition and followed a decision to pull out of a performance at Rock In Rio in Brazil in September, after she was hospitalised with “severe physical pain.”
The Born This Way singer was due to perform in Zurich, Koln, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Paris and Berlin in the coming weeks.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionInspections of ships have been stepped up, but the UN says more must be done
North Korea earned nearly $200m (£141m) last year by exporting banned commodities in breach of international sanctions, a UN report says.
The report by a panel of experts said several countries including China, Russia and Malaysia had failed to stop the illegal exports.
It said there was evidence of military co-operation with Syria and Myanmar.
Pyongyang is subject to sanctions from the US, UN and EU over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
But the report, which was submitted to the UN Security Council, said the North “continued to export almost all the commodities prohibited in the resolutions… between January and September 2017”.
The report said several unnamed multinational oil companies were being investigated for their alleged role in supplying petroleum products to North Korea.
It said shipments of coal had been delivered to China, Malaysia, South Korea, Russia and Vietnam in breach of sanctions using “a combination of multiple evasion techniques, routes and deceptive tactics”.
The expert panel accused North Korea of “exploiting global oil supply chains, complicit foreign nationals, offshore company registries, and the international banking system”.
China’s embassy in North Korea denied flouting Security Council sanctions, but said in a statement that the two neighbours had maintained “normal trade exchanges”. It said Chinese food, fruit and household products were still being sold in North Korea.
What are the UN sanctions against North Korea?
Sanctions in recent years have targeted North Korea’s coal trade with China, as well as banned exports of ore and other raw materials and imposed travel bans and asset freezes on individuals and companies linked to its nuclear programme.
The latest UN sanctions, announced in December, were estimated to reduce the nation’s petrol imports by up to 90%. It included a ban on exports of North Korean goods, such as machinery and electrical equipment. Meanwhile, all North Korean nationals working abroad were told to return home within 24 months.
UN monitors found that Myanmar and Syria continued to co-operate with North Korea’s main arms exporter, Komid, despite it being on a UN sanctions blacklist.
The report said there was evidence that the North was helping Syria to develop chemical weapons and providing ballistic missiles to Myanmar.
Media captionHow would war with North Korea unfold?
Between 2012 and 2017 the panel revealed there had been more than 40 North Korean shipments to companies acting for the research centre overseeing Syria’s chemical weapons programme.
Syrian officials had told the monitors that the only North Korean experts on its territory were involved in sport.
Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN said the country had no arms relationship with North Korea.
Image copyrightEPAImage captionThe hotel room contained more than 20 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition
A man who sold ammunition to Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock has been charged with conspiracy to manufacture and sell armour-piercing bullets without a licence.
Police said they found Douglas Haig’s fingerprints on unused ammunition at the hotel room from where Paddock shot dead 58 people last October.
Mr Haig earlier told a news conference he had nothing to do with the attack.
He said he had met Paddock in September and sold him 720 rounds of ammunition.
Mr Haig, 55, of Mesa, Arizona, is the first person to be charged in connection with the mass shooting – the deadliest in modern US history.
Image captionStephen Paddock opened fire from a hotel room overlooking the Las Vegas Strip
Paddock opened fire on hundreds of people attending a music concert from a 32nd floor window of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
When officers stormed the room they found Paddock dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had smuggled 24 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition into the hotel concealed in 10 suitcases.
According to the charge sheet, investigators also found a cardboard box with Mr Haig’s name and address on it that had contained some of the ammunition.
Mr Haig has been released on bail pending a preliminary hearing in Phoenix on 15 February.
Image copyrightEPAImage captionPresident Trump says he is the victim of a “witch hunt”
Senior Democrats have warned President Donald Trump not to use a controversial memo as a “pretext” to fire the special counsel investigating alleged Russian involvement in the US election.
They warned that such action could trigger a constitutional crisis not seen since the Nixon era.
The memo, written by Republicans, accuses the FBI of abusing its powers.
President Trump approved the declassification of the memo and said it revealed a disgraceful story.
It accuses the FBI and the justice department of using an unsubstantiated and Democratic-funded report to obtain the warrant that gave permission to spy on an aide to Mr Trump.
Democrats said the release of the memo was aimed at disrupting investigations into alleged links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. President Trump has consistently denied any such collusion.
The FBI had warned against the memo’s release and said key facts had been omitted.
What have Democrats said?
Democrats say the memo, released on Friday, is a “shameful effort to discredit” the FBI and inquiries into Russian meddling.
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Nancy Pelosi and eight other senior Democrats warned Mr Trump against trying to sack special counsel Robert Mueller or the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein.
“We write to inform you that we would consider such an unwarranted action as an attempt to obstruct justice in the Russia investigation,” the statement said.
They said such action could result in a constitutional crisis not seen since the 1970s when then President Richard Nixon gave orders to fire justice officials involved in the Watergate scandal.
The White House later said “no changes” would be made at the Department of Justice and Mr Rosenstein was fully expected to continue in his job.
What is in the memo?
It focuses on the court-approved wiretapping of Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign who was put under electronic surveillance by the FBI.
But the memo accuses the FBI and the justice department of using unsubstantiated evidence to obtain the October 2016 warrant.
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller is leading the inquiry into alleged Russian interference in the US election
It says that they did not tell the authorities their claim to the warrant was partially based on a dossier funded in part by the rival campaign of Hillary Clinton.
It also says that the author of that dossier, a former British intelligence agent called Christopher Steele, told a senior justice department official that he was “desperate” that Donald Trump not win the vote.
What have Republicans said?
Republicans who support the release of the memo say it exposes malpractice and political bias within the FBI and justice department.
Asked about the contents of the memo, Mr Trump said a lot of people should be “ashamed of themselves”.
Media caption“I think it’s terrible…I think it’s a disgrace”, Trump said of the controversial memo
Earlier on Friday the president accused top officials of politicising FBI and justice department investigations to damage his Republican party.
Devin Nunes, who commissioned the memo, has said it shows “serious violations” of public trust and he hopes it will trigger reforms.
Mr Page said he would use the memo in upcoming legal action against the justice department.
But not all Republicans supported the release of the memo.
Senator John McCain accused his party colleagues, and Mr Trump, of playing into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Our nation’s elected officials, including the president, must stop looking at this investigation through the warped lens of politics and manufacturing partisan sideshows,” he said in a statement.
“If we continue to undermine our own rule of law, we are doing Putin’s job for him.”
What other reaction has there been?
Former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by President Trump in May, tweeted that the memo was “dishonest and misleading”.
The current Director, Christopher Wray, in an email to staff, said: “Talk is cheap; the work you do is what will endure.
“I stand by our shared determination to do our work independently and by the book. I stand with you,” he said.
Analysis: Bomb or dud?
By the BBC’s North America reporter Anthony Zurcher
The mystery is over, the memo is out, and the results are… pretty much what everyone expected.
Whether the Republican-generated document is as explosive as it had been made out to be depends on how one views the now-infamous Christopher Steele dossier and whether one believes the memo’s assertion that it was an “essential part” of the Carter Page Fisa warrant’s approval – or if there was other pertinent information the Republican memo-writers omitted.
The memo makes the case that the Fisa judge should have been told about information about Steele that could call his objectivity into question – including his expressed views about Donald Trump, his contacts with the press and the fact that his investigation was funded, in part, by Democratic Party interests.
Would such a disclosure have been enough to make the Page warrant request one of only a handful of the tens of thousands of Fisa applications that have been rejected by judges since the system was set up in 1978? And is the surveillance of Page – who had drawn the attention of US intelligence services as far back as 2013 – enough to call into question the entire Russia investigation, which had been initiated months before the warrant was approved?
The answers to those questions will determine whether the memo was a bomb or a dud.
The UK government must act to fix Scotland’s “unacceptable” mobile phone coverage, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is set to tell MPs.
The FSB says official figures show 17% of Scotland’s landmass has 4G mobile coverage, compared to 60% in England.
It will also tell Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Committee that superfast broadband availability still lags behind the UK as a whole.
The UK government say coverage where people live and work is improving.
The Scottish Affairs Committee is currently investigating digital connectivity in Scotland.
The industry regulator Ofcom has produced figures showing indoor 4G coverage in Scotland sits at 53% in Scotland, while it is 58% across the UK and 60% in England.
It also says superfast broadband availability is 87% north of the border, but 91% UK-wide and 92% for customers in England.
Representatives of the FSB will tell the committee on Monday that Scotland-specific coverage obligations should be attached to future mobile spectrum sales.
‘Spotty connectivity’
Andy Willox, the FSB’s Scottish policy convenor, said: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a corporate high-flyer, a local tradesperson or an international tourist, Scotland’s spotty mobile connectivity results in missed opportunities and wasted time.
“While some allowances could be made for differences in geography and population density, these figures show that the gap between Scotland and England is unacceptably wide – as it has been for some time.
“Ofcom have suggested that nation-specific coverage obligations might be a means to address this embarrassing problem. The Scottish Affairs Committee must push the UK government to take up this proposal.”
Mr Willox said the Scottish government, UK government and local government must work more closely together “to develop digital infrastructure that works for Scotland”.
He said: “Improving Scotland’s historically patchy digital infrastructure is a top priority for Scotland’s business community. Therefore, politicians from across the political spectrum must work constructively to develop realistic plans which deliver for local economies and communities.”
Easier and cheaper
A spokesman for the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “We recognise the geographical challenges of delivering improved mobile coverage in Scotland, however coverage where people live, work and travel is improving.
“But we know there is more to do which is why we reformed outdated laws, making it easier and cheaper to install and upgrade digital infrastructure.”
A Scottish government spokesman said: “Despite powers being reserved, we have been using all the powers at our disposal to ensure that mobile coverage is improved in Scotland.
“Last year we announced the launch of the Scottish 4G Infill programme to deliver improved coverage. In developing this programme, we have acted upon learned lessons from the UK government’s failed Mobile Infrastructure Project which delivered only three of a planned 84 sites in Scotland.
“We have also published our Mobile Action Plan, the first of its kind in the UK to bring together industry and government to improve mobile coverage.”
Image copyrightPAImage captionA total of 106 doctors and medical professionals gave evidence to the inquiry
The inquiry was set up in 2004 to investigate the deaths of Adam Strain, Claire Roberts, Raychel Ferguson, Lucy Crawford and Conor Mitchell.
The chairman said that the deaths of Adam Strain, Claire Roberts and Raychel Ferguson were the result of “negligent care”.
Health and social care leaders from across Northern Ireland met on Friday to discuss the inquiry report.
‘Detailed action plan’
Department of Health NI Permanent Secretary, Richard Pengelly, said on Friday he would be “establishing a dedicated team, led by the department and answerable to him, to develop a detailed action plan in response to the 96 recommendations in the report”.
Mr Pengelly said a “critical element in the success of this work will be engagement with the public we serve, particularly those affected”.
“A key early priority for the team will be the finalisation of legislative and policy options for an incoming minister on the establishment of a legal duty of candour for health care professionals,” he added.
“Building on a previous ministerial commitment to this principle, preparatory work on policy and legislation has been undertaken.
“Trusts, as employers, will address issues relating to individuals named in the report.
Mr Pengelly said a “critical element in the success of this work will be engagement with the public we serve, particularly those affected”.
“A key early priority for the team will be the finalisation of legislative and policy options for an incoming minister on the establishment of a legal duty of candour for health care professionals,” he added.
“Building on a previous ministerial commitment to this principle, preparatory work on policy and legislation has been undertaken.
“Trusts, as employers, will address issues relating to individuals named in the report.
“Contact has already been made with the independent National Clinical Assessment Service and the General Medical Council (GMC) and agreement has been reached on the approach in relation to the concerns raised by the inquiry regarding doctors’ actions.”
‘Public confidence damaged’
Mr Pengelly said the GMC “requires any doctor who is criticised in an inquiry” to inform it.
“We expect full compliance with this requirement,” he said.
“A way forward is also being discussed with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.”
Mr Pengelly said that “everyone” who attended Friday’s meetings “is in no doubt that public confidence has been damaged”.
Image captionThe inquiry’s report made 96 recommendations
Mr Justice O’Hara was scathing of how the families were treated in the aftermath of the deaths and also of the evidence given to the inquiry by medical professionals.
He said that “doctors and managers cannot be relied on to do the right thing at the right time” and that they had to put the public interest before their own reputation.
He also said that some witnesses to the inquiry “had to have the truth dragged out of them”.
In total, the inquiry made 96 recommendations including the establishment of a duty of candour on medical professionals “to tell patients and their families about major failures in care and to give a full and honest explanation”.
Mr Pengelly said “that the necessary support and resources are being made available to Mr Justice O’Hara to further explor
Mr Tappu told jurors he went to meet his co-defendant in the area of the alleged kidnap to collect money he was owed for labouring work.
He said he had gone home without seeing Mr Arshid after waiting in his car for about two hours.
He told jurors he “smoked a joint,” used his iPad, and “nodded off” for a while.
Mr Tappu, from Acton, said the only conversations he had with Mr Arshid around the time in question related to building work, his health, and a proposed plan to grow cannabis.
He denied being known as Jay – which prosecutors said was his nickname, heard by the surviving woman during the kidnap.
Prosecutor Mr Emlyn Jones told Mr Tappu he had “been roped into committing an appallingly serious criminal offence” and “now the net is tightening around you”.
Mr Tappu said he was being “implicated” by his co-accused.
“I’m nothing like Mujahid,” he added.
Image copyrightUNKNOWNImage captionMujahid Arshid (left) and Vincent Tappu are charged with kidnapping Ms Dookhran and the second woman
Mr Tappu denies kidnap, conspiracy to falsely imprison, and possession of a firearm with intent.
Mr Arshid, of no fixed address, denies all charges. The trial continues.
Image caption(From left) George Wilkinson, Harry Rice and Josh McGuinness died after a car mounted the pavement in Hayes, West London
A young kick-boxer who was killed after being hit by a car on his way to a birthday party was a “great martial artist”, his coach said.
George Wilkinson, 16, died alongside friends Harry Rice, 17, and Josh McGuinness, 16, after a car mounted the pavement in Hayes, west London.
Dave Gentry, from Rock Solid Kickboxing, said losing the teenagers has “hit the community so badly”.
He spoke ahead of a vigil held by the boys’ families and friends.
Locals from Harefield, 10 miles from the crash, set off a balloon on the village green and lit candles outside their homes at 20:40 GMT on Friday evening – exactly a week after the crash on 26 January.
Mr Gentry taught George and Josh kick-boxing for five years and said George was a black belt in the making.
Image captionDave Gentry, from Rock Solid Kickboxing, said losing the teenagers has “hit the community so badly”
He was “cheeky, loveable and fun” as well as talented, Mr Gentry added.
“The loss of the three boys has hit the community so badly. It’s devastating to me and everybody,” he said.
A fundraising event by the kick-boxing club in Uxbridge to raise money for the London Ambulance Service has had more than £1,000 in donations.
“So much is being done by everybody,” Mr Gentry said.
“A message from George’s dad to everybody is that he cannot thank you enough for all that you’re doing, all that you care about.”
Image copyrightCHARLOTTE BENNETTImage captionA tribute event hosted by the kick-boxing club saw candles circle the area George and Josh used to train in
The boys were on their way to a 16th birthday party with a group of friends when the incident happened, close to the Esso garage near junction four of the M4.
Image copyrightAFP/GETTYImage captionThe Dow sank by nearly 1.4% on Tuesday
The blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its steepest decline since June 2016 on Friday, amid wider losses in US markets.
The fall came after a string of disappointing earnings reports from giants such as Apple.
Strong wage growth in the latest payrolls data also spooked investors raising the possibility of higher interest rates than expected.
The Dow fell more than 665 points or 2.5% to 25,520.96.
The S&P 500 tumbled 59.8 points, falling 2.12% to 2,762.13, while the Nasdaq closed 144.91 points lower at 7,240.9, down 1.96%.
The losses touched every sector, with the steepest declines in energy and technology stocks.
Chevron and Exxon, which both reported quarterly earnings to investors on Friday, were the two biggest losers on the Dow, falling more than 5%.
Apple, which reported after the close of trading on Thursday, was number four, retreating 4.3%.
Stocks were also rattled as the yield on the 10-year Treasury note hit a four-year high after Friday’s payrolls report.
The gain in bond yields, which come as central banks globally ease stimulus programmes and raise rates, have touched off fears that stocks could become a less attractive investment, while signalling higher borrowing costs that could crimp consumer activity.
Analysts said markets may also be responding to outstanding political and policy issues, such as trade tensions with partners such as China and how tax cuts will shift corporate financial strategies.
“There are still a number of question marks on the side of fiscal policy,” said Lindsey Piezga, chief economist at Stifel Fixed Income.
‘Real investing activity’
For the week, the Dow fell 4%, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 each slipped by more than 3%.
Analysts cautioned against reading too much into the market declines, which follow a massive rally in 2017 that was fuelled by a strengthening global economy and high expectations for US corporate tax cuts.
The three major stocks indexes also closed January up more than 5%.
The Dow, which tracks about 30 major companies, in particular is not a good gauge, said Brian Barnier, head of analytics at Valuebridge Advisers.
“It’s very important to separate trading activity from real investing activity,” said Mr Barnier, who also teaches at the Colin Powell School at the City College of New York.
Assuming they have well-designed portfolios, “mom and pops sitting at home… should not be concerned, given the massive run up in the market,” he added.
BRIAN SAMUELSON
LADY GAGA
OP's News 