BBC Local Live: Oxfordshire

A technology company in Oxfordshire has been granted £233,000 to make vehicles drive more efficiently in the future to cut carbon dioxide emissions.  

After a fine evening with some late sunshine, a dry and fairly humid night will follow with clear spells. 

These clear skies, coupled with light winds will allow a few mist patches to form. Lows of 13C (55F).

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Friday will be another warm and humid day with some good spells of sunshine.

However, the sunshine will turn increasingly hazy through the day as high level cloud spreads in from the west.

Here are your top stories this evening: 

• Southern Health NHS trust has accepted full responsibility for the death of 18-year-old Connor Sparrowhawk, who drowned in a bath at its Slade House facility in Oxford
• The Oxford parents of Jack Letts, alleged to have travelled to Iraq to join the so-called Islamic State group, have been remanded in custody after appearing in court today on terrorism charges
• And £12.5m plans for major changes to the road layout in the Headington area of Oxford have been approved by the county council

• One lane is closed and there are now queues on the A34 northbound between Kidlington Junction and Bicester because of a multi-vehicle accident. Congestion back to Peartree Interchange
• Heavy traffic on the A338 northbound in Frilford between the A415 Frilford Road junction and The Ride junction
• And it's slow on the A415 Ock Street in both directions in Abingdon at the A415 Stratton Way junction. Congestion to the B4017 Bath Street junction, to the Colwell Drive junction and to The Burycroft junction

Get up-to-the minute details on these incidents, and the rest of the county's travel news on the BBC Travel site or follow@BBCOxTravel.  

People who want to take part in research trials can now access a dedicated 'volunteers wanted' board online.

More than 30 teams looking into issues from baby vaccines to heart disease to teenage sleep education are now calling for volunteers.

Plans for major changes to the road layout in the Headington area of Oxford have been approved by the county council. 

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The £12.5m scheme aims to ease congestion and improve access to hospitals and universities.

Several road junctions will be revamped, including Headley Way and the John Radcliffe Hospital access road, while parking places could be lost to accommodate new cycling lanes.

Drugs and a blade have been seized after two boats and a property were searched today by police.

Police say there have found nothing to suggest the suspected chemical leak at a WHSmith store in the centre of Henley yesterday was a criminal act.

Charles CousinsCopyright: Charles Cousins

They say WHSmith is now conducting its own internal review, and questions over what caused the incident should be directed to the retail chain.

Books, stationery, gifts, private investigations...

There will only ever be one Paul the prescient Octopus though, Serena...

Patients in Oxfordshire need to be more proactive in telling their GPs how to run their surgeries. 

As part of Patient Participation Group Awareness Week, GPs across the area are inviting people to join their patient groups.

They want patients to fill in surveys asking them what they'd like their doctors to do to make it easier to see them.

Your mid-afternoon news headlines:

• Southern Health NHS trust has admitted it was responsible for the death of Connor Sparrowhawk in Oxford in 2013, and agreed to pay the family compensation
• The parents of a man alleged to have travelled to Iraq to join the so-called Islamic State group have appeared in court to deny terrorism offences
• And a man's body was undiscovered at his flat for up to seven months after he died, despite council officers visiting the property when he stopped paying rent

Connor Sparrowhawk's family solicitor has welcomed the admissions by Southern Health NHS trust, but said it was "shameful this was not done sooner". 

Sara RyanCopyright: Sara Ryan

Quote Message: This full admission finally shows what Connor’s family have known for years – that Connor and they were repeatedly failed by Southern Health. It comes after a three-year struggle by Connor’s family and the #JusticeforLB campaign. ...at last, the full extent of the trust’s failings in Connor’s care have been accepted. from Charlotte Haworth Hird Family solicitor

This full admission finally shows what Connor’s family have known for years – that Connor and they were repeatedly failed by Southern Health. It comes after a three-year struggle by Connor’s family and the #JusticeforLB campaign. ...at last, the full extent of the trust’s failings in Connor’s care have been accepted.

As part of the settlement with Connor Sparrowhawk's family, Southern Health has agreed to pay the family £80,000 "by way of compensation for its unlawful acts and omissions".

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It also says Connor's mother Dr Sara Ryan has conducted herself and the Justice for LB campaign in "a dignified, fair and reasonable way".

After a lengthy meeting yesterday, Southern Health has: 

• Admitted responsibility for Connor's death
• Accepted independent investigation which found his death was preventable and there were significant failings in the care provided
• A lack of leadership, and training and guidance for staff
• A series of failings in the care provided to Connor
• Failings identified by the investigation and in the inquest breached Connor's and his family's human rights

Southern Health NHS trust has admitted it was responsible for the death of Connor Sparrowhawk, the 18-year-old who who drowned in a bath at the Slade House care unit in Headington in July 2013.

Sara RyanCopyright: Sara Ryan

The under-fire trust made the admission as it reached a settlement with Connor's family after meeting them yesterday.

Among the key points of a statement now released on its website, Southern Health admits it breached both Connor's and his family human rights - the right to life protected by Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

People around the world will pay their respects to Muhammad Ali tomorrow as his funeral takes place in Louisville, Kentucky. 

But Abingdon man Paddy Monaghan will be remembering a friend and "brother". 

He collected more than 22,000 signatures calling for Ali to be given back his World Heavyweight Championship title after it was stripped from him for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War.