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Female knife possession offences rising steeply

Increasing numbers of women are being caught carrying knives by police in England, with the number of offences up 73% over the last five years, data obtained by the BBC shows. Some 1,509 were recorded in 2018, according to figures from 38 of England's 39 forces. Jennifer Blake, a gang leader-turned community worker from Peckham, in south London, tells the BBC: "For some women it's a normal thing to have in your bag, like lipstick. We have got girls that stab, but... no-one wants to talk about it because no one knows how to deal with it."

Youth workers say some women carry weapons for gangs as they are less likely to be stopped by police if, say, they are pushing a pram. Heather Nelson, of the Black Health Initiative in Leeds, says: "They're asked to be the couriers of these weapons and they'll agree to do that because they want to please their partner." With a record number of fatal stabbings in England and Wales in the last year, the Home Office says it's investing £220m into steering young people away from violent crime. For female offenders specifically, it says it's funding advocates to work with gang-affected young women in London, Manchester and the West Midlands.

NHS to set up national artificial intelligence lab

Ministers are setting aside £250m to create a national artificial intelligence laboratory for the NHS in England, with the aim of enhancing care of patients and research. Health Secretary Matt Hancock says AI has "enormous power" to improve care, save lives and ensure doctors have more time to spend with patients. Our health and science correspondent James Gallagher says AI has already shown its potential - such as in spotting cancers or eye conditions from scans - but that it's not routinely used across the health service. Its use also poses challenges for managers, from training staff to enhancing cyber-security and ensuring patient confidentiality, he adds.

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Zara uncovered: Inside the brand that changed fashion

Is it possible for a company to be sustainable in an industry bent on getting shoppers to buy as much clothing as possible? That's what BBC business reporter Priya Patel asked Pablo Isla in a rare interview with the chairman of fashion chain Zara and its parent company Inditex. "There is no contradiction at all between sustainability and profitability of the company," Mr Isla insists. He says it is built in to the business model, which uses store sales data to dictate what it produces, allowing it a "low level of inventory" to minimise waste and avoid widespread discounting. Campaigners, though, argue the company could do more by providing better information about where their clothes are made to be held accountable for standards. Read the full report.

What's wrong with buying a dinosaur?

By Beth Timmins, BBC News

Fossils are in fashion, with private buyers snapping up prehistoric remains online and at auction, but the trend is raising concerns within the scientific community. For one thing it is fuelling the illicit trade in fossils. "Poachers don't have skills and only go for the parts that'll make them money, like destroying whole skeletons just for teeth," says palaeontologist Bolortsetseg Minjin.

"It's treating them like a commodity but these fossils are priceless." Private buyers might not realise it, she says, but unless they are sure of a fossil's provenance, buying it could indirectly be causing harm by fuelling that black market trade.

Read the full report

What the papers say

The woes of holidaymakers appear on front pages, with the Daily Mail reporting the "airport misery" suffered by thousands of British Airways passengers who had been due to travel on flights grounded by IT failures. Meanwhile, the i predicts a "summer of air chaos", with Ryanair pilots having voted to take strike action over pay. Attempts to rule out a no-deal Brexit - one by rebel MPs, another by Labour - lead other papers. Read the full review for more.

Daily digest

Mass shootings Trump visits Dayton and El Paso

Police stabbing Officer attacked with machete after attempting to stop a van

Brexit No-deal risks cattle cull in NI, industry insiders warn

Compensation Commuter gets £27k for 'possible pigeon poo slip'

Transfer latest Live coverage of deadline day for English football's top clubs

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Look ahead

12:00 A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is due to appear at the Old Bailey, charged with the attempted murder of a boy, six, who was thrown from the roof of the Tate Modern gallery on Sunday.

14:00 The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will race against each other, acting as skippers in the inaugural eight-boat regatta The Kings Cup, in the Isle of Wight.

On this day

1988 The Duke and Duchess of York announced the birth of their first child, later named Beatrice Elizabeth Mary, at the Portland Hospital in central London.

From elsewhere

First casualty of Kashmir: A 17-year-old boy (HuffPost)

Apple stands in global antitrust crosshairs (Politico)

The house painted with 'spiteful' smileys, and other emoji rows (Guardian)

Transfer deadline day: Whatsapp messages, spinning plates and a 'Catch-22' (CNN)