Man held by police outside Parliament

A man was brought down with a Taser outside the Palace of Westminster after he reached for a knife when approached by officers, Scotland Yard has said.
A bearded man, wearing black trousers and a grey sweatshirt, was seen being held against the fence with his arms behind his back by a police officer.
Police said the man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife.
But they "remain open minded as to whether terrorism was a motive", they said.
The man was held just yards from where PC Keith Palmer was stabbed to death by terrorist Khalid Masood in March.
Joe Murphy, London Evening Standard political editor, tweeted: "There were shouts of 'knife, knife, knife' and man was brought down with a Taser."
BBC deputy political editor John Pienaar said the latest incident ended very swiftly with the man being taken away in a police van.
While the gates are closed, the road and pavement opposite remained open and the incident had no effect on traffic in Parliament Square, he said.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said "it is too early to understand the motivation" of the man "so we have not declared this a terrorist incident".
"However, given the location, the circumstances and recent tragic events, the MPS Counter Terrorism Command will be investigating this incident.
"We remain open-minded as to whether terrorism was a motive."
Eyewitness Bradley Allen, 19, from Barking, east London, who was walking past Parliament, said he saw a man "who looked quite angry with fists quite clenched".
"He stared at me and my mate and we walked past him. Within seconds there was a shout and police ran out of the front gate shouting at him 'Get on the floor, get on the ground'.
"Within seconds he was on the ground - I'm not sure whether he was Tasered - I'm not sure how he got down there, but in seconds it was over.
"Armed police everywhere, telling everyone to move back, and we all got pushed back."

Security tightened

Security around Westminster was tightened following the attack by Masood, who was shot dead after fatally stabbing PC Palmer as he guarded Carriage Gate.
A review of security at the perimeter of the parliamentary estate was ordered by Commons Speaker John Bercow following the incident.
The use of armed officers and physical barriers have become more visible, while a permanent barrier has been erected to protect pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, where Masood murdered five people and injured more than 50 others by mounting the pavement in a car.
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Archaeologists in Ethiopia uncover ancient city in Harlaa

A forgotten city thought to date back as far as the 10th century AD has been uncovered by a team of archaeologists in eastern Ethiopia.
Artefacts from Egypt, India and China have been found in the city in the Harlaa region.
The archaeologists also uncovered a 12th Century mosque which is similar to those found in Tanzania and Somaliland.
Archaeologists says this proves historic connections between different Islamic communities in Africa.


This discovery revolutionises our understanding of trade in an archaeologically neglected part of Ethiopia. What we have found shows this area was the centre of trade in that region," lead archaeologist Professor Timothy Insoll from the University of Exeter said.
The team also found jewellery and other artefacts from Madagascar, the Maldives, Yemen and China.

'City of giants'

BBC Ethiopia correspondent Emmanuel Igunza says there was a local myth that the area was occupied by giants because the settlement buildings and walls were constructed with large stone blocks that could not be lifted by ordinary people.
However the archaeologists found no evidence of this.
"We have obviously disproved that, but I'm not sure they fully believe us yet," said Prof Insoll.
A statement from the team says the remains of some of the 300 people buried in the cemetery are being analysed to find out what their diet consisted of.
Further excavations are expected to be conducted next year.
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Islamic State leader Baghdadi 'may have been killed by Russia'

Russia's defence ministry is investigating whether one of its air strikes in Syria killed the leader of the Islamic State militant group (IS).
The ministry said an air strike may have killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and up to 330 other fighters on 28 May.
It said the raid had targeted a meeting of the IS military council in the group's de facto capital of Raqqa, in northern Syria.
There have been a number of previous reports of Baghdadi's death.
This is the first time, however, that Russia has said it may have killed the IS leader. Other media reports have previously claimed he had been killed or critically injured by US-led coalition air strikes.
Forces opposed to IS have been closing in on Raqqa in recent weeks.
Russia sent an air force contingent to Syria in September 2015 to shore up President Bashar al-Assad, bombing both IS and other rebel groups opposed to the government.

What are the Russians saying about the air strike?

Thirty IS field commanders and up to 300 fighters were at the meeting in a southern suburb of Raqqa, the defence ministry said on its Facebook page.
Baghdadi and the others had gathered to plan escape routes from the city, the ministry said.
The Russian air force launched an air strike between 00:35 and 00:45 local time (21:35 and 21:45 GMT 27 May), after notifying the US military in advance.
Su-35 and Su-34 jets were used in the strike, which was preceded by drone reconnaissance flights, the ministry said.
According to the Russian defence ministry, which published photos of the site targeted before and after, other IS figures killed in the strike include Emir of Raqqa Abu al-Haji al-Masri, Emir Ibrahim al-Naef al-Hajj and IS security chief Suleiman al-Sawah.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters he was still seeking the facts of what had happened, saying, "I do not have 100% confirmation of the information about the elimination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi."

Does the Russian account stack up?

Hours after the air strike, IS media released a video showing extensive damage to buildings and a number of dead people, mostly covered up, blaming "US air strikes".
The US-led coalition said on Friday it could not confirm whether Baghdadi had been killed.
There has been no official comment from Syria's government.
Baghdadi's whereabouts have been unknown for some time, although he was believed to be in Mosul in Iraq before a US-led coalition began an effort to reclaim the city in October 2016.
He has made only one public appearance in recent years - in a video delivering a sermon in Mosul on 5 July 2014, shortly after IS captured the city.
His last audio message was released on 2 November last year.
Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying he had information that Baghdadi was in another part of Syria at the end of May and was not killed.
In March, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that "nearly all" of Baghdadi's deputies had been killed.

Who is Baghdadi?

Baghdadi - a nom de guerre rather than his real name - is believed to have been born in Samarra, north of Baghdad, in 1971.

Reports suggest he was a cleric in a mosque in the city around the time of the US-led invasion in 2003.
Some believe he was already a militant jihadist during the rule of Saddam Hussein. Others suggest he was radicalised during the four years he was held at Camp Bucca, a US facility in southern Iraq where many al-Qaeda commanders were detained.
He emerged as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, one of the groups that later became Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (IS), in 2010.
In October 2011, the US officially designated Baghdadi as a terrorist. It has offered a reward of up to $25m (£19.6m) for information leading to his capture or death.

What does the online chatter say?

So far, there has been minimal reaction from online supporters of IS to news of the reported death of the group's leader, BBC Monitoring reports.
IS sympathisers typically ignore reports from unofficial IS sources or ridicule them, especially given that Baghdadi's death has been reported several times in the past.
One high-profile IS supporter on the messaging app Telegram shared a post denying the news and saying that when an IS leadership figure is killed, the group does not hide it.
IS normally does not rush to confirm the death of leadership figures, and would belatedly and sometimes indirectly announce them in general messages or by naming military campaigns after the deceased leader.
However, in the case of IS spokesman Abu-Muhammad al-Adnani, the group rushed to announce his death on 30 August 2016, the same day he was targeted in a US air strike in Syria, pre-empting any reports by the military or media.
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London fire: Queen and Prince William visit Grenfell Tower centre

The Queen and Prince William visited a relief centre for Grenfell Tower fire victims, while the missing could number as many as 76, the BBC understands.
Their visit to the Westway Sports Centre comes after police say some of those killed may never be identified.
Police have confirmed that at least 30 people have died as a result of the blaze at the west London flats.
Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy said that of those who were killed, one died in hospital.
He also said there was nothing to suggest that the fire was started deliberately, and that everyone in hospital has now been identified.
The fire broke out shortly before 01:00 BST on Wednesday.
The Queen and Duke of Cambridge met volunteers, residents and community representatives.
The Queen paid tribute on Thursday to the "bravery" of firefighters and the "incredible generosity" of volunteers now offering support.
Emergency services are to spend a third day searching for bodies in the burnt-out Grenfell Tower in North Kensington.
Fire chiefs say they do not expect to find more survivors, while PM Theresa May has ordered a full public inquiry.
Police said on Thursday that they had launched a criminal investigation into the fire.
The prime minister - who faced criticism for not meeting survivors of the tragedy on a visit to the scene on Thursday - said the victims "deserve answers".
Mrs May visited those injured in the fire on Friday morning, and will chair a cross-Whitehall meeting later on how the authorities can help the community recover.
Housing minister Alok Sharma said the government was working with the local authority to ensure that "every single family will be rehoused in the local area".
But a statement from Kensington and Chelsea Council said, while they were trying to rehouse people in the borough, it is "possible the council will have to explore housing options that may become available in other parts of the capital."
Six victims of the blaze have been provisionally identified.
However, Commander Cundy has said earlier there was "a risk that sadly we may not be able to identify everybody".
When previously asked about the number of dead, he said he hoped the death toll would not reach "triple figures".
He added: "We as the police, we investigate criminal offences - I am not sitting here and saying there are criminal offences that have been committed, that's why you do an investigation, to establish it."
The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council - the authority that owns the tower block - told BBC Two's Newsnight it would not use the type of cladding fitted to Grenfell Tower on other buildings in the borough.
The cladding - installed on the tower in a recent renovation - has come under scrutiny, with experts saying a more fire resistant type could have been used.
Cllr Nicholas Paget-Brown also said there had not been a "collective view" among residents in favour of installing sprinklers during the renovations.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Chris Philp said the public inquiry should produce interim findings to ensure swift action can be taken if residents in other tower blocks are at risk.

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Events held to remember murdered MP Jo Cox

Communities will come together later to celebrate the life of the murdered MP Jo Cox.
The 41-year-old was shot and stabbed in Birstall, in her Yorkshire constituency of Batley and Spen, on 16 June 2016.
To mark the first anniversary of her death her family and friends have urged people to hold events that celebrate her life.
The Great Get Together, involving picnics, street parties and concerts, runs across the weekend.
Organised by the Jo Cox Foundation, it aims to reinforce the message in Mrs Cox's maiden speech in the House of Commons that "we have more in common than that which divides us".


Mrs Cox's sister, Kim Leadbeater, said the events were "nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with religion".
"Nothing to do with anything other than getting together with people in your communities," she added.
"People are desperate for it - people want something that is about coming together and being positive."
The Labour MP's former constituency will be the focus of a number of events.
School children across the area will participate in special assemblies and Upper Batley High School is renaming its conference centre in honour of Mrs Cox.

'Captured a moment'

There will also be moments of reflection in Birstall around a tree of remembrance.
Nationally more than 100,000 events have been planned between 16 and 18 June, the foundation said.
Mrs Cox's husband Brendan said he was "awed" by the numbers of people who planned to take part.
Ms Leadbeater said: "I think we've captured a moment in the nation where we need it more than ever, and people have certainly embraced it.
"Jo would have loved it. She would have been in the middle of it all trying to get to as many events as possible and talking to as many people as possible."
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China nursery blast: Eight dead in Jiangsu explosion

At least eight people have been killed and dozens injured in an explosion at a nursery in China.
State news agency Xinhua said the blast took place just outside the kindergarten in the town of Xuzhou in Jiangsu province on Thursday afternoon.
No children or teachers were among the casualties, it said.
The cause of the blast is not clear but media reports say the police are treating the explosion as a criminal offence and have identified a suspect.
The explosion happened at about 17:00 (09:00 GMT).
Two people were killed immediately and six others died from their injuries, Xinhua reported.
According to the news agency, 65 people have been injured, with several in a serious condition.
Unverified images circulating on social media showed adults and children lying on the ground, while video footage showed injured people holding crying children and one woman with burned clothing staggering unsteadily.
It is the second tragedy to strike a Chinese kindergarten in recent weeks.
Last month, 11 children died when a bus packed with kindergarten pupils burst into flames inside a tunnel in eastern Shandong province.
It later emerged that the fire had been started deliberately by the driver, who also died.
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Kabul mosque attack claimed by so-called Islamic State

So-called Islamic State has said it carried out a deadly attack on a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul in an area dominated by minority Shia Muslims.
The Sunni extremist group claimed responsibility for the al-Zahra mosque suicide bombing, which left four people dead, through its Amaq news agency.
Among those reportedly killed were a police officer and a prominent local figure who founded the mosque.
The attack comes during the holy month of Ramadan.
It took place at the end of the daily fast. There have been reports that senior officials had been due to attend services at the mosque, on the western edge of the city.
During these particular nights of Ramadan, the Shia hold rituals for martyrdom of Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.
According to a statement on interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish's social media profiles, the attacker had attempted to enter the mosque but was barred from reaching the prayer hall.
Instead, he triggered a bomb in the kitchen.
It has also been reported that the sounds of gunfire rang out after the explosion, which also left four police officers and four civilians wounded.


An attack last month in Kabul killed 90 people when a suicide attacker detonated a bomb hidden inside a tanker truck close to the heavily protected diplomatic area during the morning rush hour.
Some 400 people were injured by that blast, which left a deep crater.
No group has said it carried out that attack but Taliban militants denied being involved. Recent bomb attacks in Kabul have been claimed either by the Taliban or so-called Islamic State (IS).
The attack was followed by a series of protests against the deterioration of security, during which five people died when police fired on protesters.
Suicide bombers later targeted the funeral of one of the protesters, killing at least seven people. Another 100 people were injured.

Why are people being attacked during Ramadan?

In recent years, there seems to have been a noticeable spike in violence during Ramadan - despite it being a time for penance and temperance.
But while most Muslims view it as such, Shiraz Maher, of King's College London, explained in an article for the BBC last year that others see it differently.
"For 30 days, Muslims abstain from drink and food during sunlight hours and believe that God is at his most forgiving during this time," he wrote.
"Mosques are consequently fuller than usual, typically packed with worshippers seeking divine mercy and blessings.
"Juxtaposed alongside that ascetic puritanism is the view of radicals who regard Ramadan as a month of conquest and plunder.
"They believe it is an opportune moment to double down on their millenarian war against civilisation and therefore launch more attacks than normal."

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Apple to scan iPhones for child sex abuse images

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