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business | Cost of living: Are you missing out on unclaimed universal credit? | As she guides struggling families in Blackpool through their financial choices, Jill Kerr is fully aware of the seriousness of their situation.
"They are living hand-to-mouth, but when the hand gets to the mouth, it is empty," says Ms Kerr, advice services manager at Blackpool Citizens Advice.
It is not only people on the breadline who come in for benefits checks and debt advice, as the cost of living soars.
Working parents with a mortgage and an annual income of £40,000 are also seeking help, she says. So are pensioners, eager to check whether they are claiming all the money to which they are entitled.
"Older people used not to talk about that. They used to come in about consumer issues," she explains.
Many, however, are still too proud to claim, unsure of taking what they perceive to be a handout. The reality is that many have a legitimate claim for pension credit, which tops-up the state pension and is a crucial gateway to the government's cost of living payments and other discounts.
One charity's rough estimate is that £15bn of benefits are unclaimed each year - an income that would help ease the burden of rising grocery and domestic energy bills.
government's welfare bill is well over £200bn a year, but the system is complex and interconnected. While most benefits need to be claimed by individuals, others are paid automatically to those who are eligible.
People who are working and on a low income, or are out of work, are most likely to be claiming universal credit. Universal credit is an overarching payment that replaces individual benefits, such as housing benefit and income support. These are now known as legacy benefits.
Anyone who wants to claim a benefit for the first time will need to apply for universal credit. Internet search interest about universal credit is as high now as it was at the start of the pandemic.
Citizens Advice points out that lockdowns created the biggest surge ever seen in universal credit claims, so the rising cost of living could be having a similar impact. Anyone who receives universal credit is automatically entitled to an extra £650 in government payments, to help pay rising energy bills.
government has said that technical issues are preventing it from making estimates about how much universal credit is unclaimed. The switch over from legacy benefits means the calculations have been put on hold.
However, the charity Entitledto says that billions of pounds will not be claimed, but it is impossible to give an accurate figure on how much.
More accurate estimates do exist for pension credit, which is a benefit paid to those on low incomes who are above state pension age. It is designed to help with living costs by guaranteeing them a minimum income.
quates to a top-up on weekly incomes to £182.60 for those who are single, or a joint weekly income of £278.70 for couples. Significantly, it can also lead to the automatic payment of additional support, including the cost of living payments, housing benefit, a council tax discount, help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs, and a free TV licence for those aged 75 and over.
It goes to 1.4 million pensioners, but an estimated 850,000 pensioner households are failing to claim a total of £1.7bn, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
It is possible to claim online, on the phone or by post, and charities can also help for free. Ms Kerr, from Citizens Advice, stresses that this is a benefit to be claimed, not a handout taken in desperation.
Ms Kerr says other common enquiries include:
fits can help, and the knock-on effects can be significant. Somebody on disability benefits, for example, will be exempt from the benefits cap which limits how much an individual can receive even if their entitlement is higher.
raction between different benefits can affect how much money people receive.
Ultimately, the benefits system is extremely complex. People should have all their financial details, and personal circumstances, available to check their entitlement on benefits calculators.
Many people may then need to get free advice from charities to make sure they are not missing out.
Even after claiming everything they are entitled to, some of Ms Kerr's clients still have a negative budget. This means their budget is in the red, with income failing to cover daily living costs, even before paying bills such as credit card repayments.
In May, the charity said the proportion of clients in this situation was rising. The fastest increase was among those who did not receive, or perhaps had not claimed, benefits.
result was more demand for food and fuel vouchers. Some people, she says, are "clutching at straws".
But even when a solution is not immediately obvious, the first step is to check every penny they are entitled to is being claimed. | /news/business-62223978 |
entertainment | Kanye West: Adidas investigates after claims of 'toxic' behaviour | Adidas has launched an investigation into reports that rapper Kanye West created a "toxic environment" when he was working with the brand.
Rolling Stone reported claims from some workers on the Yeezy collaboration, saying he showed them explicit pictures and videos as part of bullying tactics.
In a letter, they said bosses were aware of West's "problematic behaviour" but "turned their moral compass off".
Adidas said it did not yet know whether the allegations have any merit.
"It is currently not clear whether the accusations made in an anonymous letter are true," the company said in a statement on Thursday.
"However, we take these allegations very seriously and have taken the decision to launch an independent investigation of the matter immediately to address the allegations."
West, who was dropped by the company last month after he posted anti-Semitic comments online, has not responded to the Rolling Stone story.
Rolling Stone reported allegations from anonymous staff members that he attempted to intimidate them through behaviour that the magazine described as "provocative, frequently sexualized, and often directed toward women".
reportedly included showing them explicit images of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and his own explicit videos, it said.
It quoted from the letter, in which staff members complained to Adidas about "the toxic and chaotic environment that Kanye West created" and "a very sick pattern of predacious behaviour toward women" who worked for him under the partnership.
According to Rolling Stone, the letter said: "He has, in years past, exploded at women in the room with offensive remarks, and would resort to sexually disturbing references when providing design feedback. This type of response from a brand partner is one that Adidas employees should never be subjected to, nor should Adidas leadership ever tolerate."
West has not as yet commented on the claims. The BBC has attempted to contact West. | /news/entertainment-arts-63747492 |
health | Strep A cases could level off within weeks, paediatrician says | Cases of strep A in Northern Ireland are expected to level off within weeks, a leading paediatrician has said.
Dr Ray Nethercott said it was difficult to be precise but that there could be a "settling" or drop in infections.
On Wednesday a record 227 children attended the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, although it is not clear how many had strep A.
But it is understood that more children with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and flu are being cared for on wards.
All routine procedures have been postponed due to pressures caused by a rise in bacterial and viral infections.
"This is an infection that [normally] starts in early spring time, it peaks after several weeks and then settles down again," Dr Nethercott told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster programme.
"It's really difficult to be precise, but I would be expecting that we will see this infection settle over the space of another few weeks."
Northern Ireland officer for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said infections would begin to level off once children who had not yet been exposed to the infection developed antibodies and natural defences.
He also urged parents to remain vigilant and consult the Belfast Trust's online symptom checker if they were concerned about their child.
Dr Nethercott added that while there was a marked increase in infections generally, the message for parents was one of reassurance.
"We are really keen to convey to parents that for the very vast majority of children this will be a mild infection that is unlikely to have very serious or tragic consequences."
Another senior doctor said the healthcare system had already been under pressure but the spike in illness meant it was struggling to cope.
Chairperson of the Royal College of GPs Northern Ireland Council, Dr Ursula Mason, acknowledged parents were having to be persistent to obtain GP appointments, but added: "This is a system at breaking point and we are doing all we can with the capacity that we have in general practice."
Most strep A infections are mild - a sore throat or a skin infection that can be easily treated with antibiotics.
But some people who catch it can get very sick.
Some people develop scarlet fever, which causes a skin rash (that feels like sandpaper) and flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature.
Figures show there were at least 104 cases of scarlet fever in Northern Ireland in November, up from 43 in October.
Very rarely, Strep A can cause something called invasive group A streptococcal infection or iGAS, which can be deadly.
Invasive disease happens when the bacteria get past your body's immune defences.
Since September, 15 UK children have died after invasive strep A infections, including Stella-Lily McCorkindale from Belfast.
government said that during a similar period in 2017-18 - the last high season for iGAS infection - there were four deaths in England.
But the number of cases of iGAS - the most serious form of infection - is 33 so far in 2022, compared to 55 in 2018 and 72 in 2019 (before the pandemic).
Public Health Agency said there was no indication Northern Ireland was seeing more deaths from iGAS than in previous years.
As a parent, if you feel that your child seems seriously unwell, you should trust your own judgement. Contact your GP if:
Call 999 or go to A&E if: | /news/uk-northern-ireland-63915308 |
politics | Which policies will Rishi Sunak stick with or twist? | Rishi Sunak's first Prime Minister's Questions and a briefing from No 10 have given us a flavour of what he is planning to do as prime minister - and, crucially, how he'll differ from his predecessor Liz Truss.
A lot of policies, ones involving public spending decisions, will not be confirmed until the now-delayed autumn statement on 17 November.
But here's what we know so far.
Liz Truss had lifted the ban on fracking where there was "local consent" - although her plans never got far enough to confirm how they would measure this. She faced a backlash from some Tory MPs, and opposition parties, who did not support fracking and thought MPs should get a say. Mr Sunak, in answer to a question from Green Party MP Caroline Lucas at PMQs, suggested that ban would now be reinstated unless the science changes - which was later confirmed by his official spokesman. That's despite Mr Sunak saying in the summer leadership campaign that he also backed a return of fracking where there was local consent.
Liz Truss confirmed that pensions would still rise in line with inflation - as opposed to average wages, which is lower. On Wednesday No 10 did not commit to whether or not they would. But they did say that Mr Sunak would be guided by the Conservative 2019 manifesto, which committed to this, and that he would be "compassionate" to the most vulnerable. We're likely to hear more about that at the chancellor's economic statement on 17 November.
Whether or not to raise benefits in line with inflation was an issue that split Ms Truss's cabinet. There was speculation her government may not decide to proceed with that commitment, despite some of her cabinet ministers like Penny Mordaunt saying it was the right thing to do. On Wednesday No 10 did not commit to raising benefits in line with inflation, but said this would be a matter for the chancellor on 17 November. However, answering a question in the Commons, Mr Sunak said he had "always acted in a way to protect the most vulnerable" when he was chancellor - a hint there that he may well be in favour of the rise.
government cut its pledge to spend 0.7% of national income on international aid to 0.5%, in response to major government spending during the Covid pandemic. One of the key Conservative MPs who rebelled against this cut, Andrew Mitchell, is now back in government as an international development minister. No 10 have not committed either way on whether the initial pledge will be reinstated, saying that a lot has happened since Mr Sunak indicated he would like it to eventually return. Again, this is one we will need to wait and see on.
w chancellor Jeremy Hunt has already ditched Ms Truss's pledge to scrap the planned rise to corporation tax. No 10 say this will be a decision for the fiscal statement on 17 November, but Mr Sunak had always intended when running for Tory leader to keep the planned rise to this tax next year.
No 10 say that Mr Sunak wants "offshore not onshore wind". The former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and former prime minister Ms Truss had paved the way to loosen planning rules for onshore wind in England after saying they would bring onshore planning "in line with other infrastructure to allow it to be deployed more easily in England". Currently, planning restrictions mean it is very hard to build new onshore wind farms in England. Opposition parties want the rules loosened, arguing its one of the quickest and cheapest forms of homegrown energy.
No 10 has not committed to raise spending on defence to 3% of GDP by 2030, saying it will be a matter for that economic statement on 17 November. The chancellor has already hinted this pledge may be rowed back on - saying every department including the Ministry of Defence would need to find efficiencies as he makes "difficult" decisions on the economy. Mr Hunt hasn't committed to any timings of when defence spending may rise, a pledge that Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has been keen the government sticks to.
One of the big differences between Mr Sunak and Ms Truss in the summer leadership contest was that Mr Sunak said he did not want to cut taxes until inflation had been brought down, saying tax cuts risked fuelling price rises further. In the summer he said he would cut income tax by 1p in April 2024 and a further 3p by end of the next Parliament. On Wednesday No 10 today said that he prioritised cutting taxes, and a path to that by 2024, when he was chancellor but "could not speculate" long term into the future and this was a matter to be discussed with his chancellor.
Answering a question by Liz Truss's former chief whip Wendy Morton on Wednesday, Mr Sunak committed to pursuing a "brownfield-first" approach to housebuilding - i.e. building on land that has already been developed in the past, rather than on so-called green belts which are areas between towns and countryside. Liz Truss had reportedly been intending to loosen some planning rules in England to encourage more housebuilding - particularly in what she described as "investment zones" which would be identified around the UK.
Mr Sunak's No 10 operation says it "remains important" to meet the 2019 manifesto commitments, which include bringing down net migration numbers. The "exact mix" will be set out in due course and be "guided" by the principle that the UK needs skills and talents but should also train people in the UK, they say. Ms Truss had been reportedly planning to loosen certain immigration rules to help fill vacancies and shortages in certain sectors, although some cabinet ministers in her government were not on board with the idea. | /news/uk-politics-63407273 |
business | What are my rights if my flight is cancelled? | Strike action by airport border staff risks causing delays and cancellations to flights at some of the UK's biggest airports.
Passengers have been told to expect disruption over the Christmas period owing to the industrial action.
So what are your rights?
If your flight is covered under UK law, your airline must let you choose between either getting a refund or an alternative flight, regardless of how far in advance the cancellation was made.
You can get your money back for any part of the ticket you have not used. So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.
If you still want to travel, your airline must find you an alternative flight. If another airline is flying to your destination significantly sooner, or there are other suitable modes of transport available, then you have a right to be booked onto that alternative transport instead.
Several airlines are allowing passengers with flights arriving in the UK on strike days to change their tickets free of charge, so travellers should check with their airline.
If you are stuck abroad or at the airport because of a flight cancellation, airlines must also provide you with other assistance until you are able to fly to your destination.
udes:
If your airline is unable to arrange assistance, you have the right to organise this yourself and claim back the cost later. In this case, the Civil Aviation Authority advises people to keep receipts and not spend more than necessary.
You are entitled to the same assistance if your flight is delayed by more than two hours.
You may also be able to claim compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late. Again, the amount is based on how far you are flying.
If you are delayed by more than five hours and no longer want to travel, you can get a full refund.
Disruption caused by things like airport or air traffic control employee strikes, bad weather or other "extraordinary circumstances" are not eligible for extra compensation.
However, in other circumstances - which are the airline's fault - you have a number of rights under UK law if you are flying from a UK airport on any airline, arriving at a UK airport on an EU or UK airline, or arriving at an airport in the EU on a UK airline.
What you are entitled to depends on what caused the cancellation and how much notice you were given.
If your flight is cancelled with less than two weeks' notice, you may be able to claim compensation based on the timings of the alternative flight you are offered.
mount you are entitled to also depends on how far you were travelling. For example:
If you booked a package holiday with a company that is an Abta member and your flight is cancelled, you are entitled to a suitable alternative flight or a full refund. | /news/business-61646214 |
sports | Phoenix Suns & Phoenix Mercury set for record $4bn sale | Billionaire Mat Ishbia is closing in on a deal for the Phoenix Suns and Mercury in an agreement that will value the franchises at $4bn (£3.3bn).
Mortgage executive Ishbia has made a deal in principle with Robert Sarver, who is selling after being suspended for racist and sexist behaviour.
"Both teams have an incredibly dynamic fanbase. I have loved experiencing the energy of the Valley," said Ishbia.
would be a record for the purchase of an NBA team.
Ishbia's investment in a controlling stake in the Suns and WNBA side the Mercury values the franchise at $4bn, more than the $3.3bn price tag that Joe Tsai's deal put on the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center in 2019.
Ishbia played college basketball at Michigan State and was a fringe player in the team's NCAA Championship win under the long-serving coach Tom Izzo in 2000.
"Basketball is at the core of my life, from my high school days as a player to the honour of playing for Coach Izzo and winning a national title at Michigan State University," he added.
Ishbia's arrival in the sport was welcomed by NBA great Magic Johnson, who also played for Michigan State, although in a different era.
"All of the other 29 NBA teams better watch out because Mat's a winner!" Johnson wrote.
Ishbia said in November that he was considering a bid to buy American football's Washington Commanders after he lost out in the bidding for fellow NFL side the Denver Broncos in August.
Current Phoenix owner Sarver was fined $10m and suspended from basketball for a year in September after an investigation into claims of racism and misogyny found he had "engaged in conduct that clearly violated common workplace standards".
He announced he was looking to sell the franchise shortly after, saying it was "the best course of action for everyone". | /sport/basketball/64048800 |
technology | Netflix loses almost a million subscribers | After enjoying a long reign as the king of streaming, Netflix faces a tough fight to keep its crown.
It lost almost a million subscribers between April and July as more people decided to quit the service.
reaming giant has now lost members for two quarters in a row, but the drop was smaller than it feared.
Asked what slowed the exodus, the firm's boss Reed Hastings, said: "If there was a single thing, we might say 'Stranger Things.'"
w season of the hit drama has been a phenomenal success, and may have helped stem the exodus of Netflix customers.
mpany reported its first subscriber loss since 2011 in April, news that was followed by hundreds of job cuts and a sharp drop in its share price.
Rivals are challenging its dominance, while price hikes have taken a toll.
ubscriber losses reported on Tuesday were the biggest in the firm's history, with the US and Canada seeing the highest number of cancellations in the past three months, followed by Europe.
Guy Bisson, executive director at Ampere Analysis, said it was "inevitable" that Netflix would start to see its grip on the market loosen.
"When you're the leader, there's only one direction to go, especially when a large amount of competition launches, which is what Netflix has seen in the last couple of years," he said.
It is a stark change for Netflix, which enjoyed years of seemingly unstoppable growth, as it revolutionised the way people around the world consumed entertainment.
Its position as a global giant was cemented when the pandemic hit in 2020 and people, stuck at home with few other options for entertainment, flocked to monster hits like Squid Game and The Crown.
But as pre-pandemic habits return, Netflix has struggled to attract new sign-ups - and maintain the loyalty of existing members, especially as the rising cost of living leads to people cutting back.
mpany also faces fierce competition from the likes of Apple TV, HBO Max, Amazon Prime and Disney+. Netflix was once the disruptor, making video rental stores like Blockbuster redundant. But the disruptor is fast becoming the disrupted.
Netflix's move to make its service more expensive has also put off some customers.
A "standard" plan in the US - which allows people in the same home to watch on two devices simultaneously - now costs $15.49, up from $14 in January and just $11 in 2019.
In the UK, basic and standard plans have both increased since January by £1 a month to £6.99 and £10.99 respectively.
"At some point, yes, they're going to reach a threshold where a significant number of people say enough is enough," Mr Bisson said. "Because of the additional choice... price hikes are a more risky strategy."
For now, surveys suggest that Netflix is managing to lure back a higher share of deserters than its rivals. Many households also continue to identify it as the streaming option they would retain if forced to have only one.
In all, the company had roughly 220 million subscribers at the end of June - still well north of its closest competition.
But the company, long accustomed to posting double digit growth, is grappling with its most serious slowdown in years, with revenue in the April-June quarter of $7.9bn, up just 8.6% year-on-year.
firm's share price has dropped more than 60% so far this year, as investors sour on its prospects.
"Netflix's subscriber loss was expected but it remains a sore point for a company that is wholly dependent on subscription revenue from consumers," said Insider Intelligence analyst Ross Benes.
"Netflix is still the leader in video streaming but unless it finds more franchises that resonate widely, it will eventually struggle to stay ahead of competitors that are after its crown."
Shares climbed more than 7% in after-hours trade on relief that the losses were not larger. The firm had warned it could lose as many as two million subscribers.
Netflix has said it will jumpstart growth with a new ads-supported service and by clamping down on password sharing - which one study estimated was costing Netflix $6bn a year.
It is already charging more for sharing accounts in some countries in central and South America. It hopes to replicate this model around the world.
However, the company has known about problems with passwords sharing for years, and has so far failed to find a solution.
In its shareholder update, the company said it was "encouraged by our early learnings and ability to convert consumers to paid sharing in Latin America".
It said it expected its less expensive, ad-supported option to launch in early 2023, starting in "a handful of markets where advertising spend is significant".
"Like most of our new initiatives, our intention is to roll it out, listen and learn, and iterate quickly to improve the offering," the company said.
rvice has the potential to attract both existing customers inclined to cancel over price hikes, as well as new households hesitant to commit to a subscription, Mr Bisson said.
It should be possible for Netflix to make the same amount of money - or more - per user than it did by relying on subscriptions, he added.
"Assuming they get it right - and by getting it right I mean the price ... and the amount of advertising on it - then it's potentially a strong strategic move for them," he said.
But he said Netflix's most critical task is ensuring it has strong material for people to watch - a job that has grown harder as it pushes to reach an increasingly broad audience.
New sign-ups in the US, for example, are coming from an increasingly older crowd, with different tastes than the younger viewers who were early streaming converts.
"They're increasingly competing for that generalist audience, so the breadth of content that is needed becomes much wider and that's why I think people are saying 'there's now a lot of stuff I don't like'," Mr Bisson said. "It's a very big challenge."
Netflix needs "more frequent hits", said Eric Steinberg of Whip Media, adding that Netflix also has room to experiment staggering its releases to keep a hold on its subscribers.
mpany has already taken steps in that direction by releasing episodes of the fourth season of Stranger Things in two batches this year, but the "pressure is on" he said.
"They don't have the sandpit to themselves anymore," he said. "In an inflationary environment like the one we're in and also great programming [at the competition], people are going to re-evaluate how much they're willing to pay."
Cast of Stranger Things returns for penultimate series | /news/business-62226912 |
health | China Covid: Beijing eases some curbs despite rising cases | China has slightly relaxed some of its Covid restrictions even as case numbers rise to their highest levels in months.
Quarantine for close contacts will be cut from seven days in a state facility to five days and three days at home.
Officials will also stop recording secondary contacts - meaning many people will avoid having to quarantine.
ght easing comes weeks after Xi Jinping was re-instated as party leader for a historic third term.
Mr Xi held his first Covid meeting with his newly elected Standing Committee on Thursday.
China's zero-Covid policy has saved lives in the country of 1.4 billion people but also dealt a punishing blow to the economy and ordinary people's lives.
re is increasing public fatigue over lockdowns and travel restrictions.
Stories of suffering and desperation have also circulated on social media, fuelling many outbursts of civic anger.
China's National Health Commission (NHC) insisted the changes did not amount to "relaxing prevention and control, let alone opening up", but were instead designed to adapt to a changing Covid situation.
NHC also said it would develop a plan to speed up vaccinations.
On Friday, the changes were announced even as the country grapples with its worst wave of Covid in months.
f Beijing, Guangzhou and Zhengzhou are currently seeing record numbers.
On Thursday, China recorded over 10,500 new Covid cases - the highest daily total since April when China shut down its largest city Shanghai to combat a wave there.
People in China, and analysts watching the country, have been waiting for some indication from the government that strict Zero-Covid measures might be eased.
On the one hand, Beijing is not officially backing down from its commitment to its current strategy, but it has announced a series of measures it has described as "adapting" to the situation rather than "relaxing" the policy.
For Chinese people who have become exhausted by Zero-Covid it doesn't really matter if the government finds the need to save face semantically, as long as the changes are real and that they are.
moves announced today may not seem like much if you are not living in China but, inside the country, three years into a crisis, with no indication of when or how an off ramp may appear, any steps towards re-opening are steps which are not going backwards.
Ending the punishment for airlines carrying infected passengers will mean more flights, more seats, cheaper inbound tickets, and an end to abrupt Covid-induced cancellations. This is significant.
A reduction of seven days in hotel quarantine plus three days at home to five days plus three is only a small alteration but the expectation is that this could continue to come down at some point in the future.
Again, for a country with an economy being smashed by Zero-Covid, baby steps are better than no steps.
Raising the bar for centralised quarantine inside China will also ease tensions for ordinary people, if only because it provides a glimmer of light at the end of the Covid tunnel.
It is hard to explain to people in other countries just how fed up with Zero-Covid locals have become. They were living through this crisis well before the rest of the world and while other countries have now found a way to move on, they're still stuck with it, as if China has been frozen in a massive 2020 time block.
Despite the small changes however, most restrictions still remain in place. Mr Xi has insisted on sticking to a stringent zero-Covid policy involving lockdowns even as the rest of the world has moved on.
means in many cities residents have been subject to sudden restrictions on their movement and disruptions to work and schooling.
For example, this week in Guangzhou - the current epicentre of the Covid wave in China - locals in one district were barred from venturing outside and only one member of each household was allowed outside to grocery shop.
Public transport has been suspended while schools and workplaces are also shut down.
In Zhengzhou, another Covid centre at the moment, lockdowns there prompted many workers living at a vast factory owned by Taiwanese iPhone-maker Foxconn to flee the area on foot to escape restrictions. | /news/world-asia-china-63594255 |
entertainment | Louise Fletcher: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's Nurse Ratched dies aged 88 | Louise Fletcher, who won an Oscar for her unforgettable role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, has died aged 88.
US actress died at her home in the south of France, her agent said.
While she was best known for her portrayal of Nurse Ratched, Fletcher's career spanned six decades, including TV and film.
Former colleagues and fans paid tribute to the actress, calling her an "absolute great".
Fletcher was a relative unknown when picked to play Nurse Ratched in 1975's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. She began her acting career in the 50s but paused for more than a decade to raise her children.
Leading actresses including Angela Lansbury and Ellen Burstyn had all turned down the part.
Set and filmed in a psychiatric hospital in Oregon in the US, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was directed by Milos Forman and based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same name.
film proved hugely popular, winning a raft of awards and making it into many lists of the greatest American films of all time.
Central to the film's appeal was Fletcher's cruel and calculating Nurse Ratched, a fearsome symbol of institutional authority who is pitted against the individualism of Jack Nicholson's Randle McMurphy.
American Film Institute put Nurse Ratched behind only The Wicked Witch of the West, Darth Vadar, Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter in its ranking of film's greatest villains.
Fletcher won an Oscar in 1976 for her role, part of a rare clean sweep that saw the film also bag Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay.
A child of deaf parents, she thanked them using sign language in her acceptance speech.
While her career never again hit the same heights, Fletcher had a recurring role in the TV show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and gained Emmy nominations for guest-starring in Picket Fences and Joan of Arcadia, in 1996 and 2004 respectively.
She married producer Jerry Bick in the 1960s, before getting divorced in 1977. She is survived by two sons, John and Andrew.
Friends and fans shared tributes on social media.
Marlee Matlin, a deaf American actress who worked with Fletcher on Picket Fences, wrote on Twitter that she was a "brilliant actress", and highlighted that she was first to use sign language in an Oscar acceptance speech.
Robert Hewitt Wolfe, a writer for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, said: "'It was an honour and a pleasure to write for Louise Fletcher, one of the absolute great A blazing talent and a compete class act." | /news/entertainment-arts-63019250 |
health | West Suffolk Hospital's plans for replacement are approved | Plans for a new, larger hospital to replace one deemed "past its use-by date" have been given the go-ahead.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) wants to build a new hospital to replace the current one in Bury St Edmunds which was built in the 1970s.
West Suffolk Council's development control committee was split over the proposal which it heard would result in the loss of "irreplaceable habitat".
But, councillors decided, the need for a new hospital outweighed concerns.
West Suffolk Council's approval allows WSFT to submit a business plan as part as an application for funding from central government, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
mmittee heard the current building had structural defects associated with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) used in its roof and walls.
It was expected the current building would not last far beyond 2030 and government funding was gained to replace it under the New Hospitals Programme - with a commitment to have it built by 2030.
Under the plans, the new hospital would be located on the Hardwick Manor site, owned by WSFT, on Hardwick Lane.
Most of the Hardwick Manor site is wood pasture parkland and, according to the officers' report, the development was expected to result in the loss of 11.5 hectares of waxcap grassland, which is classified as irreplaceable habitat.
Independent councillor Jason Crooks said: "This is a real shame. The applicant has chosen to destroy parkland that's hundreds of years old and it is completely irreplaceable when we all know there are better alternatives.
"It is so frustrating. I don't think I can vote for this because of the destruction of the parkland," he said.
Concerns were also raised about emergency access to the site.
But Conservative councillor Andrew Drummond, who had the deciding vote as chairman, said: "The care you get at West Suffolk Hospital is fantastic. But the building is past its use-by date and that will inevitably affect services."
A full planning application to change the use of Hardwick Manor from residential to health-related was also approved.
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk | /news/uk-england-suffolk-63810841 |
health | 'The company I work for gives me time off when I am on my period' | A company in Bristol has introduced a period policy so women and people with a cervix can have time off, or flexible working if they need it.
mpany has also introduced free sanitary products for its staff.
Megan Thompson said some months her period is very painful and it causes her to have migraines.
She said the policy has “benefitted her hugely”.
“I talk to my friends from Wales, and they’re like ‘oh no, we still have to remember our products, and we have time off we almost have to fake an excuse.’
“It’s sad that it’s like that, when you are working in a company like this with all these policies, and when we are so progressive.” | /news/uk-wales-politics-62165448 |
business | House prices drop for the first time this year, says Rightmove | Asking prices for homes have dropped for the first time this year, down £4,795, because of a summer lull in activity, says sales portal Rightmove.
Although interest rates are rising - which would increase the cost of a mortgage - it said seasonal factors were key to the drop in prices.
king price fell by 1.3% between July and August to £365,173.
wo years had been "frenzied" in the UK housing market, said Rightmove.
Prices soared as the pandemic prompted many people to search for more space in which to live and work.
How big an impact the rising cost of living, and consistent increases in interest rates, will have on the housing market will be watched closely.
m Bannister, Rightmove's director of property science, said: "A drop in asking prices is to be expected this month, as the market returns towards normal seasonal patterns after a frenzied two years, and many would-be home movers become distracted by the summer holidays."
1.3% drop in August was in line with the average drop seen that month over the past 10 years, Rightmove said.
"We are still expecting price changes for the rest of the year to continue to follow the usual seasonal pattern, which means we'll end year at around 7% annual growth, even with the wider economic uncertainty," Mr Bannister added.
He said that data showed the rising interest rates were yet to have a significant impact on the number of people wanting to move home.
"For those looking to move who are concerned about interest rate rises, it's important that they get a mortgage in principle early on in their moving journey to understand what they could afford to borrow, and find out about the rates available to them to assess what they are able to repay each month," he said.
rage five-year fixed rate mortgage has now breached 4%, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk, but experts expect rates to climb further.
ggest risk to making mortgage repayments is usually the loss of a job, but anyone in that position should get help, at least in the short-term, from their lender.
Debt advisors say anyone in financial trouble should talk to their mortgage provider as soon as possible. | /news/business-62549477 |
sports | Modern Pentathlon: Kate French and Jo Muir complete World Cup one-two | Kate French won gold and fellow Briton Jo Muir took silver in the opening International Modern Pentathlon Union (UIPM) World Cup of the season in Budapest.
French set a world record in fencing on her way to finishing in first place, winning 31 of her 35 bouts.
Muir's second place followed up her gold medal win in Cairo in March 2020.
was the last World Cup competition to be held before sport was put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Honestly, it's been a rollercoaster of emotions," said Muir.
"Today has been really hard. While we've been training really hard, we haven't had access to any competition or been to any training camps, so it's been really difficult.
"I'm just so thrilled with this result."
Lithuania's Gintare Venckauskaite took the bronze medal while Francesca Summers completed a good day for the British as she finished sixth.
final of the men's competition takes place on Saturday. | /sport/modern-pentathlon/56545831 |
entertainment | The Beatles: Love Me Do celebrated at Sir Paul McCartney's former home | wo acts have recorded versions of the Beatles' debut single at Sir Paul McCartney's childhood home to mark the 60th anniversary of the song's release.
Released on 5 October 1962, Love Me Do reached number 17 in the UK and number one in the US two years later.
Jazz singer Ni Maxine and indie pop band TRAITS performed in Liverpool's 20 Forthlin Road, where the track was written by Sir Paul and John Lennon.
Maxine said there had been "a lot to live up to" in recording in the house.
rformances were arranged by the National Trust, which cares for 20 Forthlin Road, as part of a series of events to mark the anniversary.
were chosen by Sir Paul's brother, Mike McCartney, the music writer and DJ Pete Paphides and representatives of the trust.
RAITS singer Kieran McCarthy said it had been "the most special thing we could possibly imagine".
"We only started the band in January and from this, it's got to be Glastonbury [next], as I can't top this."
Maxine said there had been "a lot to live up to".
"It's such an amazing song and such an amazing legacy that follows it, so it's a real honour to be part of this," she added.
McCartney said he wanted his old home to be a focal point for the anniversary, as it was the place where the Beatles first found their sound.
"We want our little house to continue to inspire new creative generations," he told BBC North West Tonight.
"Our message is [that] something extraordinary can happen, whoever or wherever you are, with creativity and love.
"Everyone is welcome here and we hope everyone is inspired here."
use was where Lennon and Sir Paul rehearsed and wrote about 30 early songs, including Love Me Do, on the front room floor.
McCartney said he could remember when he first heard the pair playing Love Me Do and how it was picked to be the band's debut single.
"There were many beautiful songs that floated upstairs to me, but that was the one was that was chosen," he said.
"I heard them all from nothing. I could hear the guitar [and] the chords being formed.
"Our kid and John would always choose chords and change them and make them different and that was the genius of that group."
Paphides said it was "impossible to hear Love Me Do without thinking about the pop-cultural revolution for which it was undoubtedly a catalyst".
"John Lennon's harmonica sounded to me like the bracing stink of Mersey mud.
"And yet, I'd never been to Liverpool."
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk | /news/uk-england-merseyside-63145207 |
entertainment | Who are voices behind Netflix's Harry and Meghan? | release of Harry and Meghan's new Netflix documentary featured a kaleidoscopic cast of characters, some speaking about their relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex publicly for the first time.
From family and friends to experts and witnesses, dozens appeared within the first three episodes.
r on-screen contributions added flavour to the highly anticipated "tell-all" docuseries, but left many wondering: Who are they?
So here's some off-screen background information about a few of the cast.
Ashleigh Hale, one of the more elusive media targets among the Harry and Meghan camp, spoke out publicly for the first time.
Ms Hale, an attorney, is the daughter of Meghan's older half-sister, Samantha Markle. In the show, Ms Hale says she was raised by her paternal grandparents and that she later connected with Meghan over email.
's when they "hit it off", Meghan told viewers. From there, the friendship grew.
"There's like a sister element," Ms Hale said. "There's something maternal, she's a best friend."
However, Meghan's nuptials with the prince proved a source of friction with Ms Hale, who was not invited to the royal wedding.
Ms Hale tells the interviewer she was "hurt on some level". The explanation given was that she was not invited because her mother, Samantha, wasn't.
Meghan says inviting one without the other would have been difficult to explain to media.
Doria Ragland is Meghan's mother. In the docuseries, she shares her first extensive public comments.
Ragland told the interviewer: "I am ready to have my voice heard."
She describes the last five years of her life as "challenging" since Meghan's engagement to Prince Harry in 2017.
Incessant paparazzi, whose interest in the royal couple is noted in the series, was troublesome for Ms Ragland, too. She says she felt "stalked" by them.
Ms Ragland attributes to race a negative media frenzy over Meghan in the wake of her engagement.
She says she regrets not having conversations about race with her daughter earlier in life.
Silver Tree is a Hollywood producer, director and writer who developed a relationship with Meghan during production of the US TV drama Suits, where Meghan was a lead actress.
In a social media post last year, Ms Tree wrote that Meghan "is one of my very nearest and dearest. Like all friends, I love her madly".
Ms Tree outlined in the post acts of kindness by Meghan - including giving her peonies on her birthday - and wrote: "This is Meg before she met H (Prince Harry). This is Meg now. She's always been this person."
In the programme, Ms Tree recalls her initial scepticism upon first hearing that Meghan was going on a date with the prince. "We thought it was really funny. We were like, 'in what world does this happen?"'
However, she describes Meghan as "crazy" about the duke after meeting him.
Argentinian polo player, celebrity and model Nacho Figueras is known to be a longtime friend of Prince Harry.
He first met the duke at a charity event for Sentebale in 2007 - an organisation co-founded by the prince - and is now an ambassador for it.
Over the years, the two have also appeared on multiple polo pitches and recently played as teammates on the Los Padres team at the Santa Barbara Polo Club. Mr Figueras later described the moment in an interview with Vanity Fair as "a dream come true".
In the docuseries, Mr Figueras commented on the early part of Harry and Meghan's relationship saying: "You could tell right away that those were the eyes of someone that had fallen in love."
Harry and Meghan's unseen video moments - the BBC's Jonny Dymond takes a look. | /news/world-us-canada-63911640 |
business | Covid: Have the lockdown success stories lost their shine? | Lockdown measures imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic led to a surge in demand for online services, but two years on, have those trends reversed?
Stuck indoors, there was a boom in demand for takeaways, online shopping, streaming and online fitness.
But as restrictions eased, some pandemic darlings are now finding life tougher.
Netflix, Peloton and Boohoo have all seen the popularity they enjoyed during the pandemic fade.
So who is still winning and who is losing?
With lockdowns came the closure of gyms, yoga studios and fitness centres, meaning people turned to screens for their daily endorphin hits.
Peloton, the global firm that sells exercise bikes and membership subscriptions for remote classes, was one of the first companies to really cash in on online fitness.
However, as people have returned to gyms, the company's shares have slumped. Shares are down by more than 60% this year already.
Peloton saw its losses spiral in the first three months of the year, with the company warning that growth will remain difficult.
Many personal trainers also switched to online sessions during the pandemic - but after restrictions eased some say this is no longer such a popular option.
Roxy Sullivan, a personal trainer based in Bristol, says she only has a handful of clients that continue to train online, with the rest done in person.
"I just prefer training clients face-to-face," she says. "It's much easier to engage with people in person and as a personal trainer it's nice to be able to motivate them whilst being in the same room."
But not all online fitness has lost its shine.
ularity of online yoga during lockdown is a trend that is "here to stay", according to the British Wheel of Yoga, the sport's national governing body.
Ian Vollum, founder of Fat Whippet Yoga, moved his classes online during the pandemic and now says he has no plans to restart in-person sessions.
Mr Vollum says many of his clients got used to exercising indoors during the pandemic and feel happier doing classes from the comfort of their own homes.
"[Clients] have realised they don't want to be in the gym with what they call 'yoga bunnies' or younger people working out where they feel watched and intimidated," he tells the BBC.
He says keeping classes online is also good for clients who are still worried about Covid.
"They don't want to be going back to packed-out places that put them at risk," Mr Vollum says. "The restrictions might be gone but there are still a lot of people who care about that."
Drew Cockton says sales for his candle business, Owen Drew, boomed when everyone was stuck at home.
Since then, he's seen a sharp reduction in sales. The reopening of physical stores has meant a pick-up in competition, and he says businesses like his, which are primarily online, have suffered as a result.
"Everyone was bored during the lockdowns, furlough money was burning a hole in people's pockets, and we did really well out of that," he says.
"That trend has now reversed and people are shopping online less."
Official figures also suggest the pandemic surge for online retail has not been sustained.
Online retail sales peaked during the coronavirus lockdowns, and have been on a slow decline since then, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
most recent ONS data shows that retail sales in March fell by 1.4%, as the cost of living rose. The biggest contribution to the slide came from a drop in online sales.
Online retail giants such as Asos, Boohoo and AO World saw their share prices jump in the early days of the pandemic but have now come crashing back down.
"Online retailers were big beneficiaries from the pandemic and lockdowns, but there is now a willingness to get back to High Streets, helped by lower levels of fear over catching the virus," says Nick Carroll, from market research firm Mintel.
"Those online retailers without physical stores are naturally going to find it harder."
Michelle Ovens, founder of campaign group Small Business Britain, says online businesses are having to think more creatively in order to survive.
"As the demand for e-commerce rebalances following the lockdown boom, small businesses are using their new resiliency and creativity to develop new innovative routes to market," she says. "This includes click and collect models, hybrid experiences and bringing the best of both digital and physical worlds together."
Saima Salahuddin, a chef from east London, started taking online orders for her South Asian meals during the first lockdown.
"Our business, Chattpatta Kitchen, really flourished during Covid," she says. "We started by selling on Facebook but then expanded to Deliveroo and Uber Eats."
Saima says sales have held up even after restaurants reopened and dining out returned. However, she says she does need to offer some attractive deals and discounts for her customers.
"During the pandemic, people have gotten used to the comfort and ease of ordering food at home," she tells the BBC. "We do have to work a bit harder to attract consumers now, but they are still coming to us for the convenience."
Figures from accountancy firm KPMG suggest that when it comes to dining, consumer habits have changed for the longer term.
Before the pandemic, Britons spent around £38 per month on takeaways, home deliveries and meal kits, KPMG says. But between spring 2020 and spring 2021 average monthly spend per person reached £53.
figure has remained high into 2022, says Will Hawkley, KPMG's global head of leisure and hospitality.
"At the moment, we're not seeing a drop off," he says. "The trends we saw during lockdown are continuing, with people still ordering meals online," he says.
However, he warns this might now start to decline, as consumers tighten their belts in response to the rising cost of living. | /news/business-61182406 |
politics | Rishi Sunak promises to call out Putin's regime at G20 | Rishi Sunak is promising to "call out Putin's regime" at a gathering of world leaders in Indonesia.
rime minister is travelling to Bali on Sunday afternoon for a summit of the G20 - the world's biggest economies.
British officials had prepared for this get-together assuming Russia's president would be there.
rime minister was expected to join other world leaders in condemning Vladimir Putin to his face.
But Moscow said last week he wouldn't be attending and the Kremlin would be sending Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, instead.
So the words of anger will be directed at him.
Speaking before setting off for Indonesia, the prime minister said: "Putin's war has caused devastation around the world - destroying lives and plunging the international economy into turmoil.
"This G20 summit will not be business as usual. We will call out Putin's regime, and lay bare their utter contempt for the kind of international cooperation and respect for sovereignty forums like the G20 represent."
G20 is a hotchpotch of countries with little in common beyond big economies.
An economic forum whose members have been hammered, economically, by one of their own, Russia.
So the backdrop is awkward, to say the least.
re won't even be one of the basic diplomatic niceties of these gatherings this time, what is known as the family photo, where the leaders pose for a group picture.
r leaders refuse to be seen smiling in the presence of Russia.
Recent precedent suggests another usual staple of these affairs, what is known as a communique, a set of agreed conclusions published at the close of the summit, probably won't happen either.
Almost three weeks into the job, this is Mr Sunak's second overseas trip as prime minister, after last week's dash to the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.
He managed to see a good number of fellow European leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh.
rip to Bali will mean he can meet plenty from the Indo-Pacific region, a part of the world the government has been increasingly focused on since Brexit.
And, perhaps, a first chance to meet US President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, back home, as Laura Kuenssberg writes, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will continue preparing what is called the Autumn Statement, a budget in all but name, to be delivered on Thursday, just hours after the prime minister gets back home.
Downing Street is seeking to frame both the summit and the Autumn Statement as responses to the same shock: the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
A desperate global economic situation, as they describe it, with big domestic implications, that they seek to be trusted to grapple with, after the chaos of the Liz Truss administration.
But a fractious summit followed by what many will see as a bad news Budget won't make for an easy week for Mr Sunak. | /news/uk-politics-63610049 |
health | South Cumbria: Hospital trust warns public of 'significant pressure' | A health trust has warned of "significant and increasing pressure" facing all NHS services for south Cumbria.
re are also "exceptionally high" numbers attending A&E and GP practices, University Hospitals Morecombe Bay NHS Foundation Trust said.
It comes as some North West Ambulance Service staff are on strike.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has criticised unions for walking out when the system was under pressure.
rust, which covers Lancashire and south Cumbria, including Furness General Hospital in Barrow, said it was experiencing "a sustained increase in demand" for all services.
It urged the public to call NHS 111 to ensure they are directed to the correct service.
"Our priority, as always, is to ensure safe and high-quality care for people in Lancashire and south Cumbria," it said.
"Irrespective of how busy local NHS services are, and any industrial action, it is essential that people who need urgent medical care continue to come forward - especially in emergency and life-threatening cases, when someone is seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk."
Meanwhile, thousands of ambulance staff in England and Wales are striking over pay and conditions, which saw a walkout of more than 10,000 paramedics, control room staff and support workers who are members of the Unison, GMB and Unite unions.
Ambulances will respond to life-threatening situations.
Jennie Dennett, BBC Radio Cumbria
Barrow's ambulance station has been alive with the sound of beeping car horns - not sirens - today.
As drivers passed the striking line of paramedics in florescent jackets, there were plenty of waves and honks of support.
"People have mostly been lovely," one paramedic told me, "but we did get one man shout 'murderers' at us."
Supportive members of the public offered the striking workers snacks and sweets, including five tubs of chocolates.
ket line will be here until their shifts end, some staying until midnight.
A picket line formed outside Barrow Ambulance Station in Duke Street.
BBC Radio Cumbria's Jennie Dennett said there had been "loads of beeps of support" with the public giving those on strike snacks and tubs of sweets, but one man had shouted abuse as people stood outside.
Laura Milner from Ulverston has been with the ambulance service for more than 20 years and said she had "never known it so bad".
She said paramedics were "frustrated" queueing in A&E for up to eight hours and unable to leave to respond to the most serious emergency calls.
"We are getting calls and going five hours later and people are deceased - it's just so wrong," she said.
"The care system is broken - it just needs money ploughing into it."
Paramedic Michelle Doherty, who is also a representative for the GMB, said it was patient safety and not pay that was the biggest issue for strikers.
"The NHS can't go on the way its going - it is just going to internally combust and there is going to be nothing to help get it back to where it needs to be," she said.
"Everyone is going above and beyond their normal duties to try and help people out.
"Some politicians are saying that today we are potentially putting people at risk but we are still responding.
"They don't understand that because of the way the system's going and the amount of money that they have stripped from the social care fund and the NHS means that patients are getting put in jeopardy every day."
Matt Cooper, from the North West Ambulance Service, said it would be running at about 35% of its usual operational capacity, with the military called in to help.
"We are here for people that are suffering life-threatening emergencies and we would urge them still to call us," he added.
North Cumbria Integrated Care said it had plans in place to manage the impact of industrial action and its "priority is to keep our patients safe".
It said that it was working to keep ambulances on the road by creating additional space in and next to our A&E departments so they were not "held up at our hospitals".
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said most ambulance staff had received a pay rise of at least 4% and further rises were unaffordable.
"We know these are challenging times for everyone and we have given a fair pay settlement that strikes a careful balance between recognising the vital importance of public sector workers whilst minimising inflationary pressures and managing the country's debt," they said.
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. | /news/uk-england-cumbria-64055917 |
technology | Drones take to sky for festive Telford show | A festive drone show has taken place in the skies above Telford.
During two public displays over Telford Town Park on Wednesday, the flying craft created images in light of the Iron Bridge and the old Ironbridge Power Station cooling towers.
w included music written by Telford-born rapper Trademark Blud.
Highlights from the event have been captured by BBC Midlands Today's Andy Grindley. | /news/uk-england-shropshire-64064480 |
politics | Rishi Sunak: World leaders welcome next UK prime minister | World leaders have been reacting to Rishi Sunak's victory in the race to be the next British prime minister.
Many offered their congratulations, and expressed hope for stability after a "turbulent" few weeks.
What the leadership is saying: "As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, referring to a framework agreement struck between the two countries. "Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership."
What the press is saying: Mr Sunak's appointment has been big news in India, with Indian news channels breaking into rolling coverage. "Indian son rises over the Empire, history comes full circle in Britain," was how one channel put it.
kground: It is no surprise that there is a lot of interest in Mr Sunak's rise in India. His grandparents come from Punjab, while his father-in-law is Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys and one of India's best-known businessmen. Sunak is also a Hindu who took his oath as MP on the Hindu holy book the Bhagavad Gita. India and the UK have been trying to strike a free trade deal, but talks reportedly stalled over fears among Sunak's party it could lead to more immigration.
What the leadership is saying: Kenya's president, William Ruto, has yet to comment publicly on Mr Sunak's new position.
What the press is saying: The Taifa Leo newspaper called Mr Sunak's rise another "Barack Obama moment". "Sunak's case is nearly similar to that of former US President Barack Obama, who is an American citizen but has Kenyan roots as his father was born in Homa Bay County," Citizen Digital website said. Popular newspaper commentator Macharia Gaitho said "Kenya has conquered the British Empire".
kground: Mr Sunak's father, Yashvir, was born in colonial Kenya to parents who had moved from Gujranwala, now in Pakistan, in the 1930s. Mr Sunak's father moved to the UK in the 1960s, where he became a GP.
What the leadership is saying: European Council President Charles Michel said: "Working together is the only way to face common challenges... and bringing stability is key to overcoming them."
kground: Rishi Sunak is a Brexit supporter, but many EU leaders will have breathed a sigh of relief that he, not Boris Johnson, is taking over as prime minister, our Europe editor Katya Adler says. He is considered a pragmatist, and EU officials will want to work with him on rising energy costs, and the difficult issue of the Northern Ireland protocol, an important trading arrangement struck during Brexit talks.
During the August leadership contest, Mr Sunak said a trade war with the EU was not in the UK's interest. But finding compromise may be politically difficult for him, and Brussels fears he might shun working with the EU to protect his political support at home.
What the leadership is saying: Irish PM Micheál Martin said he looked forward to working with Mr Sunak, "on the important issues we face on these islands and globally".
What the press is saying: The Irish Times welcomed Mr Sunak's reputation for "sensible politics", but said he will face challenges, particularly with Brexit. It is not yet clear what his election means for the Northern Ireland protocol, the paper said. The Irish Independent said the new prime minister had been "vindicated" after the "folly" of Ms Truss's tax cuts.
kground: Brexit remains one of the key issues between the UK and Ireland, with the Northern Ireland protocol now at the forefront of the agenda. Currently, goods being imported from Britain are checked before entering Northern Ireland. But the UK government previously called for a two-tier system, with checks only being conducted on goods destined for onward travel to the republic.
Watch: Biden calls Sunak's rise to UK prime minister a "ground-breaking milestone"
What the leadership is saying: At a White House event to mark the Hindu holiday of Diwali, President Biden described Mr Sunak's nomination as the UK's next prime minister a "ground-breaking milestone". The US president is holding back on formally congratulating Mr Sunak until he has met King Charles and been asked to form a government, as protocol dictates.
What the press is saying: The New York Times lauds the "record of representation" built by the Conservatives in recent years, saying Mr Sunak's victory is another milestone in a history of promoting women and people of colour to prominent positions. The Washington Post also emphasised Mr Sunak's position as the first person of colour to be prime minister. The paper added that it would be "the first time in history that the residents of Downing Street are richer than those of Buckingham Palace".
kground: Joe Biden has already said he would maintain a "close relationship" with whoever succeeded Ms Truss. He called her abandoned plans to cut taxes a "mistake", causing some eyebrows to be raised - US presidents tend to avoid commenting on allies' domestic policies.
What the leadership is saying: China wants to "advance ties with the UK" under Sunak, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. He added: "We hope that we can work with the UK side on the basis of mutual respect and win-win co-operation and advance China-UK relations along the right track."
What the press is saying: State-run CGTN highlighted reports that Mr Sunak will be the first prime minister to be richer than the monarch. "His experience managing the UK's finances, and in particular his strongly-voiced opposition to Truss' disastrous plans for borrowing-funded tax cuts, prompted many in the party to view him as the safest choice," it said. Shanghai-based The Paper wrote that Sunak's victory "would appear to signal a new achievement in his efforts to overcome racism in British politics" but that it "could not overshadow his other controversies", mentioning the BBC video clip of him saying he had no working class friends in 2007, and his wife's previous non-domiciled status which excused her from paying some tax.
kground: Rishi Sunak has favoured closer ties with China than his predecessor, and was criticised by Ms Truss for pursuing a trading relationship when chancellor. Ms Truss spoke of a need to avoid "dependency" on China, and during the summer leadership race said she would declare the country a "threat" to national security - a label already given to Russia. She also was reported to have privately supported declaring China's actions against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjang a genocide.
What the leadership is saying: President Zelensky tweeted his congratulations to Mr Sunak. "I wish you to successfully overcome all the challenges facing British society and the whole world today. I'm ready to continue strengthening the Ukraine-UK strategic partnership together!" he said. Oleksandr Kornienko, the First Deputy Chairman of Ukraine's parliament, said he welcomed Mr Sunak as a "colleague". He added: "Congratulations to the people of Great Britain on the fact that they have political stability again. After a short stage of turbulence."
What the press is saying: The Glavkom website said both Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson would have been "good news" for Ukraine. Mr Sunak's remarks on Ukraine so far have been "promising", the website said, contrasting his statement in a debate that he does not want to meet Vladimir Putin with Liz Truss's readiness to speak to the Russian president.
kground: UK policy towards Ukraine will not change under Mr Sunak. During the summer leadership contest, he said he would continue backing Ukraine, and make an early visit to Kyiv. But while Ms Truss promised to increase defence spending from 2% to 3% of national wealth - measured by gross domestic product - by 2030, Mr Sunak has said that target was "arbitrary" and "not a plan".
What the leadership is saying: Russia sees no reason to expect relations with the UK to improve under Mr Sunak, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
What the press is saying: All three main TV channels - the state's official Rossiya 1, state-controlled Channel One, and Gazprom-Media's NTV - have pointed out that Mr Sunak was elected unopposed. TV's London correspondent Liza Gerson said this was an example of "British democracy not for everyone" - with Sunak voted in by so few that it amounted to a statistical "margin of error". Channel One correspondent Timur Siraziyev said Mr Sunak was toeing his party's line on Ukraine - "to keep the conflict in Ukraine going as long as possible" - and it was therefore "not to be expected that with the advent of the new prime minister, relations between our countries will improve".
kground: Russia-UK relations have soured even further since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. The UK responded with several rounds of sanctions, and it is one of the main backers of President Zelensky. The UK has also provided substantial military support to Ukraine.
What the leadership is saying: Treasurer Jim Chalmers called Mr Sunak a great friend of Australia. "I don't think it's insignificant a country like the United Kingdom has its first prime minister of colour," he said.
What the press is saying: "Sunak — one of the richest men in the House of Commons — may not be breaking the Tory tradition of elevating Oxford-educated elites, but his leadership will be historic. He will be Britain's first prime minister of colour."
kground: Mr Sunak previously criticised the trade deal with Australia and New Zealand that Liz Truss negotiated as trade secretary, calling it "one-sided", and saying the UK "shouldn't be rushing to sign trade deals as quickly as possible". | /news/uk-63378673 |
health | Linden Centre: Alarm 'possibly would' prevent patient's absconding | A 23-year-old man may have been prevented from fleeing a mental health unit if all staff were wearing their security alarms, an inquest heard.
Jayden Booroff was found dead after absconding from the Linden Centre in Chelmsford, Essex, on 23 October 2020.
A coroner heard a nurse tried to "grab" Mr Booroff as he fled, but was not carrying her alarm to alert colleagues.
Doreen Mhone, the matron at the time, said the alarm "possibly would have" prevented the incident.
Ms Mhone, who was overseeing three acute wards and is now a service manager, said staff are told to bring their Pinpoint alarms to each shift.
Mr Booroff, described as a talented musician, was sectioned in October 2020 and taken to the Linden Centre, run by the Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.
quest was told he had a history of undiagnosed mental health issues, and had previously been treated at The Lakes in Colchester.
He went missing at about 19:45 BST and his body was found near Chelmsford railway station about two hours later.
Jurors also heard staff were reminded in 2017 to ensure doors were closed behind them after an inpatient "tailgated" a nurse out of the building.
Area coroner Sonia Hayes asked Ms Mhone why a similar incident happened nine days later.
Ms Mhone admitted staff were likely to have been unaware of the new guidance, but added: "We would look at the incident not as an isolated incident, and try to ascertain where it went wrong, have a discussion with the team basically, on what they've learnt from that incident."
Mr Booroff's keyworker on the ward admitted she went on annual leave on 22 October having not completed his care plan.
She told jurors Mr Booroff did not engage with her, adding: "When I came back to work on the Wednesday [the following week] I had paperwork ready to sit with Jayden because I really believed that after the weekend and a few days of rest he might have been able to engage better with myself.
"I had the kind of view that he was into music and arts, so I really wanted to sit with him and see where he wanted to go following admission."
urt heard the junior nurse had not read all of Mr Booroff's previous care notes, which were more than 70 pages long and included suicidal thoughts, and had not updated his risk assessment.
"You can navigate through the system and look at different case notes and histories, but it is not a simple task of clicking and showing all [the records] rolling one after another," she said.
wo-week inquest at Essex Coroner's Court is due to conclude on Friday.
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sports | Ukrainians resume badminton training in Ipswich | A group of elite badminton players from Ukraine are receiving regular coaching after being given refuge in Suffolk.
Eight youngsters have been found host families in Ipswich, in a scheme organised by coach Helen Thornton and Badminton England.
It means they can attend sessions at the town's Badminton Performance Centre at sixth form college Suffolk One.
"It's absolutely everything to all the people who are here - it's a huge sport for them," said Ms Thornton.
"There are two things they wanted to be - one, was to be safe and two, to be somewhere they could play badminton.
"That was their second requirement over and above school, and having a nice home."
Yana, 17, and her elder sister, Yuliia, from the central Ukrainian city Dnipro, initially fled to Poland, and have lived with Alex and Jane Gooch since May.
r family are still in Ukraine, caring for grandparents, and are in daily contact.
"Our parents are really grateful to our sponsors because their daughters are in a safe place, we have a home, food and great people to live with who care about us," said Yana.
university student - who is now studying remotely - had been expected to compete in a four-day badminton tournament the day war broke out.
"I'm really happy to be playing badminton again because I can't tell you how much I love the sport," she added.
"It helps me to think about something else - not the war, the news - I can concentrate on my training."
Ms Thornton added the integration over the past few weeks has been "incredible".
"The kids are so involved and [playing badminton] gives them some sense of normality," she said.
"As soon as they walk in the hall they've got a smile on their face, and they work really hard.
"It also raises the level here, because the kids are really good players."
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politics | Labour Senedd member reprimanded for 'vulgar' tweet | A Labour MS breached the Senedd's code of conduct by tweeting a "vulgar and grossly offensive personal attack", the standards commissioner has concluded.
It follows an investigation by Douglas Bain into a tweet by Caerphilly Senedd member Hefin David in March.
In his report, Mr Bain noted the MS had apologised and deleted the post early the next day.
Senedd members are expected to vote to formally reprimand Mr David in the Welsh Parliament next week.
He admitted to the commissioner that the tweet was inappropriate.
mmittee decided not to include the contents of the tweet in its report "as we consider it may cause further distress to the subject and their family to do so, particularly as they were not the complainant".
In his report to the standards committee, Mr Bain says Senedd members "are rightly required to show leadership and to be exemplars of good behaviour".
He said "abusive use of social media reflects badly on him but also tends to bring the Senedd into disrepute" and concluded that Mr David's conduct "fell very far below the required standards".
Mr Bain says the MS has told him he has taken steps to prevent "any further misuse of social media" and that he had urged him to "take care in his use of that medium".
Mr David declined to comment.
He was previously found in breach of the code of conduct for calling someone a "coc oen" (Welsh for "lamb's cock") on Twitter in 2019, although he was not formally punished. | /news/uk-wales-politics-63675965 |
sports | Commonwealth Games: England's Emily Campbell wins weightlifting gold | England's Emily Campbell added Commonwealth gold to her weightlifting medal haul with a record-breaking performance at Birmingham's NEC.
Campbell, 28, lifted a Games-record total of 286kg in the women's +87kg to beat Samoan defending champion Feagaiga Stowers, who managed 268kg.
She also broke the snatch Commonwealth record with 124kg and did the same in the clean and jerk, with 162kg.
Campbell was the first Team GB woman to win an Olympic weightlifting medal.
"I'm absolutely elated," Campbell told BBC Sport.
"I knew this would be a tough competition. I knew someone was not going to hand it to me on a plate, I knew I would have to work for it but I said, 'whatever I needed to lift today to win that gold medal, I was going to do it'.
"I hope people see how beautiful our sport is. Throughout the week you have seen it doesn't matter what you look like, what shape you are, what size you are, you can pick up a bar and do it.
"It is not about coming to the Commonwealth Games or coming to the Olympics, it is is about doing something you love."
One of two flagbearers for England at the Birmingham 2022 opening ceremony, Campbell took silver in Tokyo in 2021 and is a two-time European champion.
NEC announcer informed fans before the final that the weightlifting venue had become known as "the party arena" and the crowd made sure it lived up to its name.
Every time Campbell entered the stage they welcomed her with adrenaline-boosting cheers and she repaid the favour with a high-energy performance.
With her hair arranged in two buns on top of her head - one white and one red - she took on the role of circus ringmaster, opening her arms wide in celebration after every successful lift.
"We've been in the training hall in the back and we've heard the crowds all week and it has been mad, absolutely immense," Campbell added.
"There was a full house today. It is very nice to see actual fans coming to see weightlifting, it is all we have ever wanted."
Stowers was her only close competitor for gold, with Australia's Charisma Amoe-Tarrant winning the battle for bronze.
Campbell looked dominant throughout, breaking the Games record with her second snatch attempt of 121kg before extending it to 124kg as the Samoan had to settle for 121kg.
Records continued to tumble as Stowers set a new Games total of 268kg with her first clean and snatch attempt.
Campbell immediately passed that as she raised her total to 276kg, then Stowers failed her next two attempts to give the England athlete gold with two attempts remaining.
me lifter, who uses her platform to advocate for better sports clothing for plus-size women, continued to put on a show, successfully lifting 162kg to bring the crowd to their feet before whipping her belt around her head in celebration. | /sport/commonwealth-games/62410337 |
health | Isle of Man Covid review widened to cover entire pandemic response | A review into the actions of the Isle of Man government during the coronavirus pandemic has been expanded.
wald backed changes to the probe by Kate Brunner KC, who requested it be widened to cover December 2019 up to the removal of restrictions in April.
robe had previously been due to cover up to September 2021.
Home Affairs Minister Jayne Poole-Wilson said the changes would see the review cover "the entirety of government's response".
ges to the review also give Ms Brunner the power to decide which evidence she may publish while considering confidentially, practicality and cost.
weaked remit of the probe also give Council of Ministers and Tynwald Public Accounts Committee (PAC) the power to make further changes to its terms of reference without parliamentary approval.
Ms Poole-Wilson said this was a "timely" way of making other changes if needed as the review progresses.
PAC chairman Juan Watterson SHK said the committee acknowledged its role in "ensuring the independence of the review".
wald had backed the review in November 2021 as an alternative to a "costly and lengthy" public inquiry, Ms Poole-Wilson said.
Why not follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to IsleofMan@bbc.co.uk | /news/world-europe-isle-of-man-63680379 |
entertainment | The long struggle of Dumfries to get its cinema back | When the Odeon in Dumfries closed its doors in 2018 it left a big hole in the entertainment offering.
It means the closest large-scale cinema to the town is actually in another country - over the border in Carlisle, more than 30 miles away.
A council-commissioned feasibility study has identified potential for a £10m multi-screen facility.
It is now being asked to commit a further £75,000 to develop the project aimed at boosting the town centre.
Martin O'Neill, creative director with The Stove Network arts and community group in the town, said the suggested five-screen, 433-seat facility could give a major lift.
"I think something like that for Dumfries extends the cultural offer beyond what we currently already have, which is fantastic, but perhaps not as mainstream as people would like," he said.
"To see anything major you would have to go to Carlisle or further afield to actually see the next Star Wars or what have you.
"I think, beyond that, something like this could support businesses and other enterprises and contribute - potentially fairly significantly - to the regeneration of Dumfries.
"It has the potential to really bring Dumfries into some new territory, into some new realm."
He said the loss of the old Odeon had been something which was on the cards for some time.
"I think the cinema quietly passed away, I don't think it was a blow as such, I think it sort of faded out of people's way of life," he said.
He said that was an issue facing cinemas across the country.
"But I think what this type of cinema can do is bring back those experiences and memories," he added.
"If you are a Doonhamer of the last 10 years or more you will have a memory of being in that cinema - you learned Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's dad in that cinema.
"Everyone has that kind of experience at the cinema and to not have that currently feels like we are depriving ourselves a little bit."
At present, the town has the 69-seat council film theatre at the Robert Burns Centre with a small multi-screen about 15 miles away in Annan or the larger sites in Carlisle.
re is also a "pop-up" cinema being offered by the Big Burns Supper.
Its chief executive, Graham Main, said there was no doubt there was an appetite for the big screen in the town.
"Interest in screenings at our pop-up cinema at the Loreburn Hall has been much higher than we anticipated, particularly around mainstream cinema releases," he said.
"Doonhamers like to get out and watch movies, there is no question about that.
"We have been pretty vocal about safeguarding culture in Dumfries in our 12-year history so we fully endorse this idea, in principle."
He said it would be great to see a community group take the plan forward but pointed out that smaller operators often had to wait longer to get major titles.
"In practical terms, this means that Dumfries screenings would lag behind four to five weeks if a national operator didn't step forth and this doesn't feel good enough for our local community," he said.
Mr Main said whatever happened he hoped there would be some kind of interim solution offered until the ambitious multi-screen plan was delivered.
Otherwise, Dumfries will still have to wait a few more years before it gets to see the latest blockbusters on the big screen as soon as they are released. | /news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-63622975 |
entertainment | Norwich Puppet Theatre bridge brought back into use after 30 years | A unique bridge in a puppet theatre that gives audiences a "magical" experience has been brought back into use after more than 30 years.
metal structure at the Norwich Puppet Theatre was restored after a £41,000 Arts Council England grant.
Built in the 1980s, its use declined as long-string marionettes fell out of fashion in favour of glove and rod puppets like The Muppets.
Puppeteer Rachel Leonard said bringing the bridge back was "very special".
It is being used in the production Cinderella, with the grant funding also contributing to puppeteer training and making the show accessible.
Created by Boulton and Paul, who made their name from creating prefabricated buildings during war time, the bridge is unique in its ability to move across the stage and be rigged on split levels.
It hides the puppeteers from the audience and offers them a birds-eye view of the "miniature actors" on long strings to the stage below.
"The marionette is like the Stradivari of the puppet world," said Mark Mander, producer and director of Cinderella.
"In the 1940s marionettes were the predominant style of puppetry, then television came along with The Muppets and that become the predominant image of puppetry," Mr Mander said.
"But for many people marionettes are proper puppets, it takes real skill to operate them on very long strings, about 3m (10ft) in this case, and as you don't see the puppeteer at all it creates a very magical, immersive world."
Ms Leonard added: "It's such a lovely chance to do a puppet show where you're unaware of the puppeteers.
"We use a wooden control with wire pieces so what you're doing with your hands is not the same as what the puppets are doing. It's like playing an instrument."
uppeteers on Cinderella have worked on some of the world's most loved shows including Star Wars, The Muppets, Rainbow, The Dark Crystal from Netflix and Disney's new live-action version of Pinocchio staring Tom Hanks, shot at Cardington Studios in Bedfordshire.
Puppeteer Ronnie Le Drew was Tom Hanks's double in the Disney live action remake of Pinocchio
"I was very thrilled Disney said that they were going to use a proper marionette at the beginning of the film," said Ronnie Le Drew, who has also operated Zippy from the children's TV show Rainbow since the 1970s.
He added: "Of course after the Blue Fairy comes in Pinocchio becomes a CGI character but the first few moments there was real puppet manipulating walking across the workshop floor. It was just a joy."
"It's one of the most exciting things I've done for film."
re director Peter Beck said the venue was aware families were struggling with cost of living, and had held its ticket prices.
"Post-pandemic it's been a challenging time for theatres, especially small theatres in terms of funding, but if we can't provide some entertainment, some light relief when people are working endless hours - what's the point?"
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health | Top hospitals targeted by nurse strikes | A host of leading hospitals will be affected in next month's nurse strikes, the Royal College of Nursing says.
ude Great Ormond Street and Alder Hey children's hospitals and leading cancer centres.
Overall, around a quarter of hospitals and community services in England and nearly all those in Northern Ireland and Wales will see nurses walkout on 15 and 20 December.
Emergency care will continue to be provided during the strike action.
In total, 76 NHS organisations will see nurses walk out.
ude leading cancer centres the Royal Marsden and Liverpool's Clatterbridge centre alongside major hospitals in Birmingham, London, Liverpool, Newcastle and West Yorkshire.
All the health boards in Northern Ireland and all-but-one in Wales, the Aneurin Bevan, will see strike action take place.
But action has been suspended in Scotland after ministers there made a fresh pay offer, which the RCN is consulting on.
Meanwhile, Unison has announced ambulance staff including paramedics and call handlers, have voted to strike in five of England's 10 ambulance services. A walkout is expected before Christmas.
urnout was too low in the remainder for the votes to count, as well as in all but two of England's hospital and community trusts.
No services in Wales voted for strike action, but a walkout will happen across all services in Northern Ireland on 12 December, Unison said.
Overall, up to 100,000 nurses could be involved in the nurse walkout the RCN says, which would amount to about a quarter of nurses in those three nations.
RCN warned the government if a deal could not be agreed more services would be involved in the strike action next year.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: "Ministers have declined my offer of formal pay negotiations and instead chosen strike action.
"It has left us with no choice. Nursing is standing up for the profession and their patients.
"We've had enough of being taken for granted and being unable to provide the care patients deserve."
Watch this video quiz to test your knowledge of nurses' pay
rike action will last from 08:00 to 20:00 GMT.
Under trade union laws, the RCN has to ensure life-preserving care
kely to mean some cancer services, urgent tests and scans and ongoing care for vulnerable patients will be protected alongside A&E and intensive care - although it will be up to local health bosses and union leaders to negotiate exact staffing levels on strike days.
But it seems almost certain the walkout will increase the backlog in non-urgent hospital treatment - a record seven million people are already on the waiting list in England.
GP services, however, will be unaffected as nurses working in practices were not entitled to take part in the ballot.
In England, the RCN only has mandates for strike action in just over half of NHS trusts as the turnout was too low in the rest.
For the forthcoming strikes the union's leadership has decided to only announce walkouts in around half of those eligible to take action.
RCN has called for a rise of 5% above the RPI inflation rate, which currently stands at above 14%, but no UK nation has offered close to that.
In England and Wales, NHS staff, including nurses, have been given a rise of at least £1,400 - worth about 4% on average for nurses.
In Northern Ireland, nurses are yet to receive a pay award because there is no working government.
Earlier this month Scottish ministers made a fresh offer worth more than 8% for a newly-qualified nurse, with more senior nurses being offered less. This prompted the re-starting of talks.
During the ballot - the results of which were announced two weeks ago - the RCN had argued this year's below-inflation pay award came after years of squeezes on nurse's salaries.
But England Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said the RCN's demands are not affordable.
He has said the government had met the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in giving its award.
And it followed a 3% pay rise last year, in recognition of work during the pandemic, despite a public-sector pay freeze.
Welsh government said it was unable to enter pay talks without extra funding from the UK government.
will only be the second time RCN members have been on strike.
In 2019, nurses in Northern Ireland walked out over pay, while nurses who are members of Unison in England walked out in 2014 over pay.
A host of other major health unions, including Unison, the Royal College of Midwives, GMB and Unite, have all started balloting members. | /news/health-63799244 |
politics | What made Senedd members laugh in 2022? | Senedd's official record, which provides a transcript of proceedings, does not easily reflect the emotions involved in parliamentary debate, but it does indicate "[laughter]" when it's particularly conspicuous.
So what has made Members of the Senedd (MSs) laugh in the Siambr - the Senedd chamber - in 2022?
Are they things that cross the divide to the written format or did you have to be there to appreciate the humour?
You can decide for yourself with this selection.
Some of the matters that tickled funny bones involved animals. Conservative group leader Andrew RT Davies - a farmer who famously described himself as "19 stone of prime Welsh beef" - seemed to surprise himself with a question about biodiversity on the Senedd estate.
He asked: "Have you thought about putting habitats in place, such as hedgehog houses, so they can hibernate in those houses and people can show greater interest in the wildlife that's in the bay area? I can't believe I've asked this question, to be honest with you."
When Minister for Climate Change Julie James made a statement on biodiversity she referred to a film about Yellowstone park in the western United States and the reintroduction of wolves there.
She said the Welsh government had been looking "at whether the reintroduction of beavers is a good idea in some of our rivers. I have no idea yet - nobody panic."
Llywydd (presiding officer) Elin Jones drew a laugh by confessing "I'm panicking more about wolves, actually."
Huw Irranca-Davies joined in by teasing his fellow Labour colleague Mike Hedges, MS for Swansea East, that he was "looking forward to the wolves in Singleton Park" in the city.
Julie James, who represents Swansea West, couldn't resist adding "there are some people who would say there were already wolves in Singleton Park".
On the tangential topic of animal produce, when Janet Finch-Saunders was thinking about a summer event and told her Conservative colleague Laura Anne Jones "I'm very much looking forward to sharing a roast pork and apple sauce", the latter immediately made clear "I'm not sharing".
When the Senedd's only Liberal Democrat, Jane Dodds tried to stand up for farmers by emphasising the financial pressures they face, her comments were open to misinterpretation.
"I'm interested to hear from Mike Hedges that he knows of farmers with pockets full of gold. I'd love to be introduced to them, please."
Some of the humour came about when members shared insights into their personal lives, hobbies and interests.
Plaid Cymru's Heledd Fychan told members about her enjoyment of the Anglesey Show.
"I've always visited since being a child, with my lifelong friend Ann, going on the waltzers. We used to do that, and we still do - we're not too old for that.
"So, I look forward to doing that again. I think I'm sharing too much today, perhaps."
Conservative James Evans admitted "golf is probably my number one love in life".
After seeing reaction from other members, he added "no, I won't tell my girlfriend. I spend much of my time on the golf course, and she isn't very happy about that either".
Health minister Eluned Morgan revealed that she shares her birthday with former senior Labour UK minister Peter Hain, media personality Amanda Holden and John Taylor from Duran Duran "so I'm in very good company".
Conservative Tom Giffard's love of the Eurovision Song Contest was illustrated when, in calling on the Welsh government to back a bid for Cardiff to host the contest, he urged ministers to show " 'Ooh Aah...Just a Little Bit' more ambition", a reference to the UK entry in 1996, performed by Gina G.
Mr Giffard later referred to something else as "one of the Conchita Wurst suggestions I've heard in this chamber", before acknowledging the groans, "no, that one didn't land. Okay." Conchita Wurst won the contest in 2014.
racticalities of contributing to proceedings can give rise to humour.
Conservative Russell George apologised for "confusion" which he said was caused by "trying to remove my face mask at the same time as not having my translation equipment on." The Llywydd Elin Jones responded dryly "multitasking can be difficult for some". Mr George acknowledged, "especially for men, yes".
An unknown MS was waving at a colleague at the precise moment the Llywydd was asking whether anyone was objecting to a proposal to agree a motion. The Llywydd advised "perhaps you should consider the timing of the wave for next time".
When deputy presiding officer David Rees called on members to "avoid heckling" Andrew RT Davies "so much", Mr Davies replied by channelling Dad's Army's Corporal Jones, "they don't like it up 'em'."
When the Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans, brought her contribution to a debate to a close having seen the Llywydd's facial expression she explained, "I thought I might have been going on too long."
Llywydd responded: "I need to work on my poker face, obviously."
Seeking to compliment Jane Mudd's leadership of Newport City Council, deputy minister Hannah Blythyn muddled her up with her Welsh government colleague Jane Hutt.
She valiantly tried to recover the situation: "Jane Hutt shows leadership as well."
Finally, what kind of question does the first minister deem to be impossible to answer without attracting criticism in Wales?
One came from his Labour colleague Huw Irranca-Davies.
"What is your favourite part of the Wales coast path?"
"Oh dear, oh dear," Mark Drakeford responded.
"You know a hospital pass when it comes your way in Wales, don't you?
"To choose a part of a path that goes all the way around Wales is guaranteed to offend far more people than it will ever please, so I thank the member for that opportunity."
He put his head on the block, citing the walk between Pendine and Amroth.
Humour can be a powerful weapon to score party political points on policy issues, but in the spirit of the season of goodwill, that is a matter for another day. | /news/uk-wales-politics-63986150 |
entertainment | North East tourist boards pilot £2.25m scheme to boost visitors | rth-east of England is to pilot a £2.25m project aimed at attracting tourists and major events.
A partnership of Visit Northumberland, the Newcastle Gateshead Initiative and Visit County Durham will target investment, new businesses and jobs.
will run across the region's seven local authority areas.
Newcastle Gateshead Initiative chief Sarah Green said it was an opportunity for "reinforcing local pride in our place".
She said: "Our region will act as a blueprint for the rest of England.
"From Auckland Castle to Alnwick Gardens, from dark skies to sparkly venues, from fish and chips to fine dining, the aim of this partnership is to provide an inclusive welcome for all."
A review last year of tourism boards, which market areas to businesses and visitors, found there were too many.
Having more than 150 of different sizes made it confusing for tourists planning breaks and businesses looking to invest, the report concluded.
government set out plans earlier this year to streamline tourist boards, now known as destination management organisations (DMOs), by concentrating on the top performing bodies.
It hopes they will increase visitor numbers, create jobs, and attract major business, cultural and sporting events, highlighting the Tour de Yorkshire and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as examples.
It believes by working in partnership, DMOs will be able to attract new hotels, make use of heritage and culture, and exploit the potential of the region's natural assets, including its dark skies, beaches and national parks, while making them sustainable and fully accessible.
urism Minister Stuart Andrew said the North East had much to offer tourists but "we want to go further and attract even more visitors".
government wanted to streamline the way the region's tourism bodies worked together to "improve the region's offer and the way it markets itself", he said.
will be monitored and, if effective, the partnership model could be rolled out to other regions.
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business | Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng hails 'new era' as he unveils tax cuts | Watch: Stamp duty to income tax - What to know about Kwarteng's 'new era'
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has unveiled the biggest package of tax cuts in 50 years, as he hailed a "new era" for the UK economy.
Income tax and the stamp duty on home purchases will be cut and planned rises in business taxes have been scrapped.
Mr Kwarteng said a major change of direction was needed to kick start economic growth.
But Labour said it would not solve the cost-of-living crisis and was a "plan to reward the already wealthy".
It comes as the Bank of England warns the UK may already be in recession.
und sank to a fresh 37-year low against the dollar as the chancellor gave his statement.
In a departure from Boris Johnson's economic policies, Mr Kwarteng has scrapped plans to push up taxes to pay for public services, with the aim of boosting economic growth.
In a Commons statement, being dubbed a mini-budget, he said high tax rates "damage Britain's competitiveness", reducing the incentive to work and for businesses to invest.
He announced that the basic rate of income tax would be reduced by one percentage point to 19% in April - one year earlier than planned.
He also unveiled a cut to the top rate of income tax from 45% to 40%, meaning the UK will have a single higher rate from April.
Other measures include:
Mr Kwarteng fulfilled promises to reverse the rise in National Insurance payments introduced by Mr Johnson to pay for social care and tackle the NHS backlog.
He confirmed a planned corporation tax increase from 19% to 25% would also be scrapped.
f the permanent tax cuts announced by the chancellor are estimated at almost £45bn by 2027, which the chancellor said would "turn the vicious cycle of stagnation into a virtuous cycle of growth".
"We need a new approach for a new era, focused on growth," he added.
Government borrowing will increase by £72bn as a result of the announcements, according to the Treasury.
ges to income tax do not apply in Scotland but cuts to corporation tax and national insurance are UK-wide.
Paul Johnson, director of the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the statement amounted to the biggest tax cuts since the 1972 Budget, with the cuts 50% bigger than had been expected.
He said that the UK could be borrowing £120bn in three years' time to afford the measures.
Mr Johnson added that the plans were a "big gamble", with money being pumped into the economy when inflation remains high. However, he said they were "manageable" if economic growth "really picks up".
mini-budget. This is a radical tax-cutting economic intervention, which is a significant change of course.
Boris Johnson's tax plans have been junked. Many households will save some money, but some of the biggest tax cuts will be for those with the biggest salaries.
And this will cost a lot of money.
r's calculation is that it's worth it. People need help with bills and slashing tax will stimulate growth. If you grow the economy, there will be more tax raised and that will help pay the debt in the medium term.
But many are sceptical it will work.
Senior Conservatives have been warning for months that the strategy is wrong and will saddle future generations with debt.
Opposition parties believe the government has the wrong priorities with tax cuts for the wealthy and should be raising more money from a windfall tax on energy company profits.
reasury hasn't said when it expects to achieve its desired economic growth.
But the chancellor is determined to press ahead with a radical change of direction. The big question now: will it work?
Labour described his statement as "an admission of 12 years of economic failure".
"The Conservatives cannot solve the cost-of-living crisis, the Conservatives are the cost-of-living crisis, and our country cannot afford them anymore," shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said.
"The chancellor has made clear who his priorities are today. Not a plan for growth. A plan to reward the already wealthy. A return to the trickle-down of the past. Back to the future, not a brave new era."
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: "This was the billionaire's budget, showing the Conservatives are completely out of touch with families struggling to pay the bills."
Watch: Labour says Tories created 'vicious circle of stagnation'
ment also included details of the cost of the government's plan to cap energy bills for households and businesses.
Mr Kwarteng said these estimated costs were "particularly uncertain, given volatile energy prices" but based on recent prices the total cost of the package for the six months from October was expected to be around £60bn.
"We expect the cost to come down as we negotiate new, long-term energy contracts with suppliers," he added.
government normally releases an independent forecast of how major tax changes will impact the economy, but Mr Kwarteng has opted not to do this, as his statement is not technically a Budget.
However, Mr Kwarteng promised the Office for Budget Responsibility would publish a full economic forecast before the end of the year, with a second to follow in the new year.
uge increase in borrowing comes at a time when inflation - the rate at which prices rise - is at a 40-year high, leading to higher interest payments.
On Thursday the Bank of England raised interest rates from 1.75% to 2.25% - the highest level for 14 years - in an attempt to cool soaring prices.
A not-so-mini-budget: What’s it all about?
What are your questions on the cost of living crisis? What would you like to know about the chancellor's mini-budget? Send your questions to yourquestions@bbc.co.uk.
You can also send your questions in the following ways:
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entertainment | Debbie McGee to sell off Paul Daniels magic props | Debbie McGee is selling off £200,000 of illusion tricks and props that belonged to her late husband Paul Daniels.
udes cards, wands, his top hat, equipment used on his BBC show, and a letter from Harry Houdini.
An illusion box, which would be filled with swords with McGee inside, is expected to fetch £12,000, while 500 vintage magic posters could sell for £60,000.
ms are being auctioned by Special Auction Services in Newbury.
Paul Daniels died in 2016 aged 77 at his Berkshire home, a month after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Special Auction Services said the auction included the "biggest collection of magic posters ever to be sold in the UK".
Director Thomas Forrester said: "Magic appeals to everyone of all ages. It has the ability to transport you back to childhood and to the time when you first saw magic being performed.
"Paul Daniels gave that sense of amazement to his audiences throughout his illustrious career and we are honoured and privileged to be selling his fabulous collection."
Daniels collected vintage posters and other related items during his travels around the world, which date back to the 1800s.
re is a poster of legendary magician Chung Ling Soo, estimated at £2,500, and a letter from Harry Houdini to Liverpudlian magician Will Goldston, estimated at £1,200.
were all stored at the house Daniels and McGee shared in Wargrave, Berkshire.
McGee told Hello magazine: "For the magical world to have even a little something of Paul's is a big thing.
"I don't need to hang on to all of this - my memories are what I have."
uction will take place on 23 and 24 November.
Some of magician Paul Daniels' best tricks
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sports | Tennis in 2023: What can Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic & Emma Raducanu expect? | The new tennis season starts this week with the inaugural United Cup in Australia.
mixed team event, running from 29 December to 8 January, will feature many of the world's top players and offer a chance to gauge their form before the opening Grand Slam of the year - the Australian Open - starts on 16 January.
Before the first ball of the season is hit, we consider what the big tennis questions for 2023 might be and ask BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller for his verdict.
Rafael Nadal won two Grand Slam titles in 2022, taking his tally to a men's record 22 major singles trophies.
It was something of a resurgence for the 36-year-old - he had not won back-to-back Grand Slams for 12 years - and his 14th French Open title came despite having "no feeling" in his left foot as he was having multiple injections to numb chronic foot pain.
After the victory in Paris he had a nerve-burning treatment so that he could avoid further jabs and he went on to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals before withdrawing with an abdominal injury.
He shed tears in September when he played alongside Roger Federer as the Swiss called time on his career and while Nadal's mind clearly wants to continue playing tennis at the highest level, it seems that his body is becoming increasingly reluctant and it may not be too long before he follows his great rival into retirement.
Nadal will play at the United Cup so we should get an early clue as to what his physical condition looks like before he defends his Australian Open title.
Russell Fuller's verdict: Not entirely, I suspect, but Nadal proved last year he can still win Grand Slams in between rest periods. And he is a past master at getting himself fit for the second week at Roland Garros.
A year ago Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia before he could begin the defence of his title after his visa was cancelled in a row over his Covid-19 vaccine status.
He was automatically banned from entering the country for three years but that has been overturned and the former world number one will now return to Melbourne seeking a record-extending 10th title.
ga dominated the headlines in the build-up last year, splitting public opinion, and it is unclear what kind of reception the Serb will get when he walks out on court. Tournament director Craig Tiley said last month he expected the crowd to be "fair".
Russell Fuller's verdict: My hunch is quite a good one. I'm sure there will be some anger on radio phone-ins as he arrives in the country, and a few larrikins in the stands come the Australian Open, but he is a nine-time champion who can win those fans over.
ree out of the four men's major titles were won by Nadal and Djokovic in 2022, continuing a pattern of recent years - the pair have won 15 of the past 18 Grand Slam titles.
But the past three editions of the US Open have been won by different players, with Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz winning their maiden Grand Slam titles in New York.
Nadal has question marks over his fitness, Djokovic is short of match practice after his vaccination status ruled him out of various events in 2022 and Federer has retired, which may open the door for some new champions.
Denmark's Holger Rune put himself firmly in the conversation by coming from behind to beat Djokovic in the final of the prestigious Paris Masters final in November and the 19-year-old has set his eyes on more.
"I know what I want," he said. "I want to win Slams. I won an ATP 250, reached an ATP 500 final and won a Masters 1,000. It's time for a Slam win."
Norwegian 23-year-old Casper Ruud, runner-up at the French and US Opens in 2022, will be hoping to go one better, while Australian Nick Kyrgios, 27, will be aiming to carry on the momentum he built with a Wimbledon final appearance and a US Open quarter-final.
In the women's game, Tunisia's Ons Jabeur will be keen to take one of the big prizes after back-to-back finals in the last two Grand Slams of last season.
Russell Fuller's verdict: Ons Jabeur and Casper Ruud now have Grand Slam final experience and a very high seeding and I don't see any reason why they can't take the final step. And, more speculatively, could China's Zheng Qinwen or even 17-year-old Czech Linda Fruhvirtova go the distance?
Wimbledon organisers were fined for their decision to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the grass-court Grand Slam this year because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
re is no end in sight to the war so Wimbledon is likely to face a sensitive decision in the coming months about whether to continue to ban the players.
men's ATP Tour and women's WTA Tour also stripped Wimbledon of ranking points in response to the ban and while last year players were still attracted to the event, it could become less appealing to them if there are no points once again.
Russell Fuller's verdict: The All England Club will be extremely anxious to avoid a repeat of last year and return the championships to full strength. But it will still be very difficult for them to ignore any strong governmental direction (whether public or otherwise) to ban Russian players.
Emma Raducanu's first full year on the tour was frequently interrupted by injuries and coaching changes, with the 20-year-old Briton unable to build on her stunning 2021 US Open success with more titles.
In a bid to make herself less prone to injury, she has been working with physical trainer Jez Green, who played a key role in Andy Murray's physical development early in his career.
"My biggest goal in 2023 is to be more injury free," she told lifestyle magazine SheerLuxe earlier this month.
"This year, the demands of the tour, going from having no training or stamina to being thrown into competing at the top level, my body has struggled.
"So, I'll be working hard to keep my body in good shape and improving. If you want a 'resolution' it's probably to be consistent. Put in the work, day in, day out."
Russell Fuller's verdict: The omens are more encouraging. Despite the wrist injury she took into pre-season, Raducanu has had a much better training block. She avoided Covid this year, and looks set to share Jez Green with Dominic Thiem on tour next year.
r marked a breakthrough season for 21-year-old Briton Jack Draper, who rose to a career-high world number 41 from 265 at the start of the year.
He reached the Eastbourne semi-finals and an ATP 1,000 quarter-final in Canada, was well as the Next Gen Finals, which are for the Tour's best players aged 21 and under.
Victories against top-10 players Stefanos Tsitsipas and Felix Auger-Aliassime, as well as former world number three Dominic Thiem, showed he can compete at the highest level and makes him one to watch in 2023.
Russell Fuller's verdict: Finishing the year in the top 20 would be fantastic, and not implausible. He starts the year at 42 - trying to halve your ranking in a season is always a good target for aspiring young players.
It's not entirely impossible.
Since a farewell ceremony at the US Open in September following the 41-year-old's announcement she was "evolving away" from tennis, the American 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has maintained that she is "not retired".
And last month she posted a photo of a tennis racquet in plastic wrapping with the words "I'm a little bored".
Surely, she couldn't?
Russell Fuller's verdict: No. But I am sure she will think about it in the spring with Wimbledon and the US Open fast approaching. | /sport/tennis/63985689 |
business | Up to 200 jobs at risk at Meggitt in Coventry | About 200 people are set to lose their jobs at an aerospace and weapons firm.
Meggitt, based at Coventry's Ansty business park, was taken over by US firm Parker last month.
Parker Meggitt said the merger of the two businesses had meant some of the work previously undertaken at Meggitt may no longer be required, potentially affecting up to a 10th of the company's UK workforce.
Bosses are "committed" to reducing the impact of the changes, it has said.
About 2,300 people are employed by the company across the UK in total.
Following the announcement, a consultation with employee representatives would begin soon and last a minimum of 45 days, the firm has said.
A spokesman for the company said: "Parker Meggitt is committed to a clear and transparent process with options to reduce the impact of the proposed changes, including the consideration of voluntary redundancy."
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sports | Welsh Sports Hall of fame: Kevin Ratcliffe, Georgia Davies and Helen Jenkins inducted | Ex-Wales captain Kevin Ratcliffe and Olympians Georgia Davies and Helen Jenkins have been inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame.
Ratcliffe skippered Everton to two First Division titles as well as an FA Cup and European Cup Winners Cup.
Swimmer Georgia Davies represented Team GB at London 2012 and Rio 2016 and won 20 international medals, including Commonwealth gold.
Double world triathlon champion Jenkins competed at two Olympics.
Maurice Richards and Robert Weale were also inducted, with Ted Peterson and Mike Davies posthumously inducted during a ceremony at Cardiff City Stadium.
BBC Sport Wales producer and programme maker Craig Withycombe won the Peter Corrigan Welsh sports media award following his documentary "Slammed" which tells the story of the tumultuous years of Welsh rugby between 1998 and 2008.
Former Wales dual code rugby international Richards was part of the British and Irish Lions that toured South Africa in 1968 and also won two Great Britain rugby league caps.
Weale won six Commonwealth Games lawn bowls medals, including gold at Edinburgh 1986 and Delhi 2010, and was world indoor champion in 2000.
Peterson, often described as Mr Baseball, won eight Wales caps and, as well later managing the team, was chairman of the Welsh Baseball Union and then president until his death in 2005.
Mike Davies, who died in 2015, was once ranked Britain's number one male tennis player. A Davis Cup player, he reached the Wimbledon men's doubles final in 1960 before a successful career in administration of marketing of the game.
re have now been 153 individuals from 30 different sports who have been inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame since 1989.
Former Welsh rugby international turned endurance athlete Richard Parks received the Rhodri Morgan award. | /sport/wales/62969711 |
entertainment | 'I learnt how to channel my addiction into art' | A former homeless drug addict has turned his life around and is now an up-and-coming graffiti pop artist hosting an exhibition in an east London gallery.
Opake, also known as Ed Worley, was recently offered a lucrative contract by a top gallery, but he turned the offer down and chose Quantus Gallery, where he decided to host a homeless breakfast with Centrepoint.
His exhibition, "Sanity Through Repetition", follows the influences of his personal journey through addiction.
It is running until 19 November.
Video journalist: Olivia Demetriades | /news/uk-england-london-63474060 |
technology | New Bedford vertical farm to help food security - minister | An agriculture minister said she expected indoor farms to "play a large part in the future" of farming.
Jo Churchill MP made the comment at the opening of a vertical farm in Bedford, which is one of the largest in Europe.
facility - Infarm - which measures 10,000 sq m (2.5 acres) in size, has the capacity to grow millions of crops each year in tall units without soil.
mpany said the farm used 95% less water than traditional farming methods and no chemical pesticides.
Ms Churchill, Conservative MP for Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, said indoor farms, growing food using the hydroponic method, would play an important role in helping UK food security and sustainability.
Under the method, plants are fed directly with mineral nutrients in water, often under artificial light.
minister for Agri-Innovation and Climate Adaptation, said: "This is innovation, we have the traditional but we also have this high-tech development.
"The world needs food, so actually finding better and diverse ways to deliver that, both to the customer, there is space for everybody to produce optimally.
"This is definitely going to play a large part in the future."
Bedford site is Infarm's first high-capacity growing centre in the UK and can feature up to 40 cloud-connected farming units, each standing 10 metres high.
Each unit can grow more than 500,000 plants per year - the equivalent of a football field worth of crops.
Ms Churchill said she expected this method of farming to generate more jobs for young people, especially in the areas of robotics, artificial intelligence and plant breeding.
Bedford MP Mohammad Yasin, Labour, said the venture would create between 50 and 70 new jobs.
"The UK is overly dependent on food imports leaving us dangerously exposed to food insecurity and soaring food prices," he said.
"I'm really excited that Bedford is now home to one of Europe's largest vertical farming facilities at the forefront of new ways to grow more food domestically."
Infarm said an estimated 2.5 million litres of rainwater would be captured and used in its Bedford farm.
Water which evaporates from plants would also be recycled back into the system.
f produce grown this way included herbs, leafy greens, salads, microgreens, and mushrooms.
Strawberries, peppers, cherry tomatoes and peas would also be grown going forward, the firm said.
"Every vertical farm is connected to a central farming brain which gathers data constantly to improve plant yield, taste and nutritional value, while further reducing the use of natural resources," said Infarm.
Erez Galonska, co-founder of Infarm, said: "The opening of this UK facility is aligned with our goal to change the food system for the better by improving the safety, quality and environmental footprint of our food."
Bedford farm said it planned to install solar panels to provide renewable energy.
"By the end of 2022 we aim to procure close to 100% green-certified, renewable and low-carbon sources of electricity across our network," it said.
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entertainment | Museum bids to save tram that killed Coronation Street villain Alan Bradley | A museum is trying to save a piece of TV history by offering a new home to the tram that knocked down and killed Coronation Street villain Alan Bradley.
1989 episode when Bradley chased his long-suffering partner Rita Fairclough into the path of the tram in Blackpool was watched by 27m people.
Blackpool's Tramtown Museum needs to raise £2,500 by end of the year to rescue the tram.
money is needed to transport the tram from Fleetwood.
Local Democracy Reporting Service said the double decker, which is known as tram number 710, is owned by the Fleetwood Heritage Leisure Trust and currently based on land at Fleetwood Docks.
But it needs a new home by the end of the year.
ramtown volunteer and local councillor Paul Galley said: "This is a unique opportunity to save a bit of Blackpool's history.
"We know it will be popular as 'where is the tram that killed Alan Bradley?' is the most popular question we get asked by visitors to Tramtown."
Blackpool Transport's head of heritage Bryan Lindop said: "We know that not only can we save this unique tram, but tram 710 can work for Blackpool in a different way over the years, to become an attraction in its own right."
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk | /news/uk-england-lancashire-63769067 |
entertainment | Camp Bestival Dorset: Grace Jones and Craig David among headliners | Grace Jones, Craig David and The Kooks will be among the headliners for Camp Bestival's 15th birthday event in Dorset, organisers have announced.
family festival returns to Lulworth Castle from 27 to 30 July 2023.
Melanie C, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Sam Ryder, Ella Henderson and Confidence Man are also among the performers.
A sister Camp Bestival show will be held in Shropshire in August after making its debut last year.
In 2022, the festival in Dorset broke the world record for the largest disco dance, raising money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust.
r's event will see festivalgoers dressed in animal costumes to match the theme "Animal Snap".
Organiser Rob da Bank said the festival was in a strong position after briefly entering administration in 2018.
He said: "We've already sold over half the tickets so demand is huge.
"We've kept our prices the same... this year going into next year. We're... very conscious that coming to Camp Bestival, like any festival, is not cheap."
kets will go on general sale from Thursday.
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sports | Ulster Club SFC: 'Years of hurt fuel Glen's rise to Ulster summit' | For Glen, Sunday's Ulster Club Football Final represented a tantalising opportunity to shed the last remnants of a reputation that has haunted the club for decades.
Last year, the men from Maghera finally smashed through the glass ceiling in Derry. For so long they had been looked upon as the county's perennial underachievers, the nearly men.
g-awaited and hugely emotional county triumph paved the way for a debut Ulster campaign that ended in heartache.
Having overcome Scotstown, Glen's dreams of conquering Ulster at the first attempt were dashed by Kilcoo in a tense semi-final.
feeling of anguish was nothing the Glen players hadn't felt before, but their hurt was only deepened by watching Kilcoo go on to claim the Ulster and All-Ireland titles.
However, having defended their Derry crown in October, the Watty Graham's side overcame Errigal Ciaran and Cargin to set up another date with Kilcoo and the chance to extinguish the painful memories of 12 months ago in their first Ulster final.
me, it was to be Glen's day and the emotion poured out of those in green and gold at the final whistle of a gripping championship slugfest, their elation contrasting starkly with the Kilcoo players' devastation.
For Michael Warnock, Sunday's win was redemption after "years and years of hurt".
"We've even listened to it [criticism] last year and we weren't happy with ourselves last year," admitted the Glen centre half-back.
"We felt we didn't go for the game, maybe the occasion got to us and we said this year 'we're going to come and win it'.
"After the Errigal game, we said 'this is a massive opportunity'. We've only ever won two Derry championships so to get over the line in our second year in Ulster against a team like Kilcoo really is special."
While Glen were far from their best in the semi-final win over Cargin, hitting six wides in an errant first-half showing, they came flying out of the traps in an engrossing Athletic Grounds showpiece.
Malachy O'Rourke's side led 0-5 to 0-0 after 11 minutes thanks to scores from five different players, and while Aaron Branagan's goal brought Kilcoo back into it, Paul Devlin's missed penalty saw the Derry champions hold a slender one-point advantage at the break.
And Glen's early scoring burst helped them keep their noses in front before pulling away in the closing stages, with Alex Doherty's injury-time goal capping the biggest result in the Derry club's history to spark jubilant scenes among those who had travelled down from the Oak Leaf county.
"I didn't even see the ball going in the net. I'd already turned around and was going nuts," smiled Doherty.
"I saw the crowd celebrating. At that point you just knew it was over so it was an unbelievable feeling.
"A fast start is massive against a team like Kilcoo. They're always going to be chipping away and coming back to getting the lead early was massive - we went out and targeted that."
Glen were able to count on star performers throughout the team. Conor Glass and Emmett Bradley got through a mountain of work in midfield, while goalkeeper Connlan Bradley made a crucial save to deny Ceilum Doherty 11 minutes from time.
Man of the match Conleth McGuckian in attack and full-back Ryan Dougan made telling contributions at either end of the field, while Glen's spirit was summed up by the indefatigable Tiarnan Flannagan, who produced a heroic effort a week after undergoing a heart procedure to have an artery widened.
r cause was also aided by stalwart forward Danny Tallon, who added 0-5 to the 1-4 he struck against Cargin, and the 26-year-old echoed his captain Connor Carville's post-match speech as he portrayed the satisfaction of shaking the 'underachievers' label.
"Connor summed it up there. We've been seen as underachievers. Getting over the line in Derry was a relief. This is another relief," said Tallon, who made his championship debut for Glen in 2013.
"We made our first Derry final in 2019 [against Magherafelt], probably went into that one as favourites and didn't get it done, so that drove us on.
"But we have a good age profile, a good, young team so we weren't panicking either. We knew that if we kept doing the right things, we'd get over the line."
right. Nine of the 15 players that started for Glen on Sunday are 26 or younger. The age profile is there for Glen to establish themselves as mainstays at the highest echelons of the Ulster club scene.
mmediate concern, of course, is an All-Ireland semi-final against Galway's first-time Connacht champions Moycullen in January. And Tallon allowed himself - just for a moment - to dream of going beyond the last four.
"It's the stuff of dreams, going to an All-Ireland final with your club," Tallon admitted when asked about being one win away from a trip to Croke Park.
"But I'm sure Moycullen will be very strong and tough to get over in the semi-final.
"We'll enjoy this on Monday, and maybe even Tuesday, then we'll concentrate on them and give it our best shot."
So far, Glen's best shot has been pretty good. It's brought them two Derry titles and now an Ulster crown.
Emulating Kilcoo's All-Ireland win will take a monumental drive from a group of players who have already poured everything into this campaign.
But after so many hurtful defeats down the years, they're just grateful to have the chance. | /sport/gaelic-games/63912380 |
sports | Lucy Renshall: British judoka retains Grand Slam title in Abu Dhabi | British world number one Lucy Renshall has retained her Abu Dhabi Grand Slam gold medal with victory over Portugal's Barbara Timo.
Renshall, 26, cruised past her opponent in the final of the -63kg category to earn a fifth career Grand Slam title.
It is her fourth Grand Slam victory since last year's Olympic games after adding wins in Baku and Antalya to her first title in Abu Dhabi.
Fellow Briton Jemima Yeats-Brown won bronze in the women's -70kg category.
27-year-old took 19 seconds to beat Israel's Maya Goshen in the bronze medal match to secure her second Grand Slam podium finish.
Renshall said she was "grateful" to be able to return to action after recovering from an elbow injury which ruled her out of the Commonwealth Games last summer.
"I am so happy to get my fifth Grand Slam gold medal today, but it's really all down to the team behind me at British Judo," she said.
"Fourteen weeks ago I had surgery, and to get me back fighting at this level this quickly I am so grateful." | /sport/judo/63359613 |
politics | PMQS: SNP accuses new PM of 'sleazy deal' to get into power | Ian Blackford has accused Rishi Sunak of doing a "sleazy backroom deal" with Suella Braverman in order to get into No 10.
SNP Westminster leader claimed there was a “return to the sleaze and scandal” of previous governments and called for the home secretary to be sacked over an email data breach.
She resigned over the issue under former PM Liz Truss, but was reappointed by Mr Sunak just a few days later.
In response, Rishi Sunak spoke of his phone call with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on his first day in office, saying he wanted to work with her and he believed in “a strong United Kingdom".
Live: New PM Rishi Sunak in first Starmer clash at PMQs | /news/uk-politics-63399204 |
entertainment | Pavement on their reunion: 'We're like an uncaged tiger' | Depending on who you ask, Pavement are either the greatest indie band of the nineties, or a minor blip on the rock landscape.
Formed in California in 1989, they were the ultimate underground band, whose noisy, shambolic songs were laced with enough melodic charm to lodge permanently in your brain.
r first two albums, Slanted and Enchanted (1992) and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994) were hailed as masterpieces of lo-fi, slacker rock - a description that's technically true, but which fails to capture their magic.
From the fuzzy squall of Summer Babe to the celestial balladry of Spit On A Stranger and the goofiness of Cut Your Hair, Pavement knew their way around a pop song, no matter how awkward the delivery.
uilt an audience who gorged on frontman Stephen Malkmus's wayward song structures and cryptic lyrics ("Lies and betrayals / Fruit-covered nails," he sang, mystifyingly, on Trigger Cut).
But after Crooked Rain pushed Pavement towards the limelight, an unpredictable follow-up - 1995's Wowee Zowee - put them back in the shadows.
It was an act of commercial self-sabotage that only deepened their cult appeal. Pavement never committed the "sin" of having a hit song and they quit while they were ahead: Disbanding in 1999, with just five almost-perfect albums to their name.
r last show, in London's Brixton Academy, hinted at internal tensions. Attaching handcuffs to his microphone, Malkmus told the audience: "These symbolise what it's like being in a band all these years." When the gig ended, the band left on one side of the stage, and Malkmus walked off in the opposite direction.
But percussionist Bob Nastanovich says the myth surrounding Pavement's demise is more dramatic than the reality.
"It's never been anywhere near as bad as people thought it was," he says. "There really wasn't that much drama at all. It was more about exhaustion and desire to do other things."
For Nastanovich, that meant a career in horse racing - but today he's speaking on Zoom from San Francisco, where Pavement are in the middle of a reunion tour (their second, after a previous fling in 2010).
We're quickly joined on the call by Malkmus, mid-order at a local coffee joint. Americano in hand, he chats enthusiastically about their upcoming London shows and the band's giant video screen, which he's nicknamed R2-FU.
"The tour's been great so far," he beams. "I'm sort of like a tiger let out of the cage. An older, greyer tiger."
His sunny disposition might seem out of character to longtime fans. In Pavement's prime, Malkmus was often accused of being surly and aloof. According to drummer Steve West, there were times he refused to speak to his bandmates, pulling a jacket over his head and referring to himself as "the little bitch".
But he rejected those characterisations, telling one reporter it was all "part of the act".
"I'm nice at the bottom of my heart, but I like the 'tough love, bitchy performer' thing."
, he seems mellow. He talks in ellipses and apologises several times for rambling - but there's an obvious affection for Pavement and its fans.
fanbase has only expanded in recent years.
As the dust of the 90s settled, Pavement's stock rose, with acts like Blur, Animal Collective, Deerhunter and Beabadoobee citing them as a major influence. Rolling Stone recently ranked Slanted and Enchanted at number 199 in its top 500 albums of all time. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain landed at 343 and Wowee Zowee (which has undergone a critical reappraisal) was at 265.
"It's a great compliment," says Nastanovich. "But I mean, they had to put something from early 90s on there, other than Nevermind."
Over the years, the band's archives have been raided for a series of album reissues that further enhanced their reputation, but Malkmus claims not to have heard them. Instead, he prepared for the Pavement reunion on YouTube.
"I listened to every song, just about, that we ever did, starting from the very beginning to make sure I had enough material to surprise people and make it magical and every show different."
He has kept his word.
ur is designed as a series of mini-residencies, and every night delivers "a different set and a different vibe", raved Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield. "Twenty-five songs in two hours, rampaging all over their catalogue, rocking the house each night with a couple dozen of the greatest tunes ever written for electrically amplified string instruments."
roblem? That big video screen ruins their spontaneity.
"We're used to passing out setlists 20 minutes before we go on stage," says Nastanovich, "but to get everything set up for the show to work, it needs to be in five hours beforehand."
Even so, the band have frequently thrown their plans out the window.
"Last night we had a couple of band meetings on stage and changed a couple of songs," he confesses. "I'm sure it's thoroughly entertaining for the audience to watch, you know? A cluster of people deciding what to play next."
But the tour also sees a level of professionalism Pavement lacked first time round.
"We had a proper rehearsal this time," says Malkmus, only half-joking. "In the 90s, tours were hammered down our throats at all times and we'd just jump on them.
"This time, we worked on our chops, which is a funny thing to say with Pavement. The drummer in particular spent a year practicing. We never had a chance to do that before.
"But it's still loose, it's still Pavement," he reassures. "The emotions coming at you are gonna take you back to when you first heard us."
One track, however, is a new addition to the set.
Harness Your Hopes, a b-side recorded during sessions for 1997's Brighten The Corners, has suddenly risen from obscurity to become Pavement's most-streamed song,
Malkmus only became aware when he heard the song in a bakery near his home in Portland, Oregon. At first, he thought it was the Rolling Stones' Tumblin' Dice. Then the vocals kicked in and "my kids said they knew the song".
It turned out the 25-year-old track had inspired a TikTok dance craze.
"I assumed it was a kind of smaller viral hit," he says, "but it turns out we're like a strong Omicron."
He laughs when I mention the second verse: "Show me a word that rhymes with pavement/And I won't kill your parents and roast them on a spit" (the joke being that the second line describes the word "depravement")
"That's the kind of thing you write when you're feeling cocky and you think it's a b-side," says Malkmus.
"It's sort of bizarre, how history rewrites itself."
g has brought Pavement a new audience, although Malkmus grumbles that they never make it to the moshpit.
"I hate to say it, but there's, like, a halo of wealth at the front, where the tickets cost more. And it's fine, but it's almost always older people with disposable income."
Ultimately, though, Pavement are happy on the nostalgia circuit.
"I like going to reunion shows," says Malkmus, "because, almost always, the dudes and women are psyched to be up there.
"I mean, I hear stories about mega-bands like The Police who exist in separate rooms and are mailing it in for the cash. This is not that.
"The feeling in the band is pretty much the exact same as it was the first time we ever got into a minivan in the 90s."
g he won't consider, however, is adding to Pavement's body of work.
"That'd be really weird," he says. "These songs are solid. They're old but they're still alive. I don't know why you would do it."
Pavement play four nights at London's Roundhouse from 22 October. | /news/entertainment-arts-63157311 |
politics | Ukrainian refugees told to leave hotel next month | One of almost 60 Ukrainian refugees who have been told they have a month to leave a Perthshire hotel says she hopes to be able to stay in the area.
Nataliia Parkhomenko has been living in the Killin Hotel since July and expected to be there until February.
refugees have now been told that they will have to leave their temporary accommodation next month.
Scottish government said it was doing what it could to accommodate people wishing to stay in Killin.
Its minister for refugees from Ukraine said it was constantly reviewing its temporary accommodation provision and did not expect people to be rebuilding their lives from hotels.
Nataliia has worked in a local cafe near the hotel for two months and said she felt at home in the area.
She told BBC Scotland's The Nine: "I don't feel like a refugee here.
"It's really good because people here try to help a lot with, for example, to find a place to work, or to help with English classes."
Nataliia said she was surprised when she was told the refugees would have to relocate.
"We built our plans according to this schedule," she said. "But I understand the hotel where we live, it's like temporary accommodation for us.
"So we will be happy with any other place the government will give us to live."
Nataliia works with three other Ukrainians at the Real Food Cafe in Killin.
Owner Sarah Heward said she was devastated at the prospect of potentially losing them.
She said: "This is real, this is people's lives. It's people's livelihoods."
refugees came to Scotland under the super sponsor scheme.
Neil Gray, the Scottish government's minister for refugees from Ukraine, said hotels by their nature were temporary accommodation.
He said the government wanted the refugees to be in long-term, sustainable accommodation.
He added: "A lot of people had contacted us wanting to move into a more central location
"We don't expect people to be building their lives from hotel accommodation. We're also wanting to give people choice over where they are staying.
"So for some people in Killin, they want to be closer to Stirling.
"We understand that and we'll do what we can to offer that opportunity.
"For those that are keen to stay in Killin, we're working with the hotel and Stirling Council to ensure that we can offer people that choice."
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: "We are continuing to work with guests to support moves from temporary accommodation, based on their individual needs." | /news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-63413097 |
business | Energy bills could break firms, warns ex-chancellor | Soaring energy bills could be the "straw that finally breaks the camel's back" for small businesses, former chancellor Alistair Darling has warned.
Mr Darling, who was Labour chancellor during the financial crisis, said "bold action" was needed to help the economy.
rgy price cap for households will soar by 80% from October.
But firms are not covered by the cap and Mr Darling said that after surviving Covid, energy costs risked finishing them off.
Mr Darling described the current situation as a "lethal cocktail" and said it required "bold action" to be taken by the government.
Both candidates in the Conservative Party leadership race, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, have come under pressure to outline further support for households and firms following the announcement that energy bills would rise again this Autumn.
w leader - and prime minster to succeed Boris Johnson - will be announced next Monday.
Ms Truss has so far confirmed she will cut National Insurance and green levies on bills. Mr Sunak has proposed tax cuts on energy bills as part of a £10bn package.
It emerged at the weekend that Ms Truss is considering a "nuclear" option of cutting VAT by 5% as well as raising the threshold at which people start paying tax.
In May, the government announced £37bn worth of help for households with the rising cost of living.
But Mr Darling told the BBC's Today programme the government needed to announce more support.
"You've got to announce it now," he said.
"Frankly the stuff that's been announced so far might have passed muster earlier this year, it simply won't do now, you need something far more substantial."
Mr Darling said many firms, "especially the smaller ones who have been struggling through the whole Covid problems over the last couple of years may find that [the cost of energy] is the straw that finally breaks the camel's back".
He said: "My fear is if the government doesn't do something, you will not just have hardship for individuals and businesses, but you will find that people's spending goes down.
"And the risk is, at the moment people are saying the chances of us going into recession are 50-50. It could just tip us into recession, which of course would be disastrous for us."
He added: "One lesson I drew from what happened in 2008 is you've got to do more than people expect, and you've got to it more quickly than people expect, if it's going to work."
A spokesperson for the Treasury said it was "making the necessary preparations to ensure a new government has options to deliver additional support as quickly as possible, as the chancellor has made clear".
"And as the prime minister has made clear, no major fiscal decisions will be taken until the new prime minister is in post," they added.
On Friday, energy regulator Ofgem announced a rise in the energy price cap. It means a typical household will pay £3,549 a year for gas and electricity starting in October up from £1,971 currently. And some economists have warned that could rise even further.
Wholesale gas prices have been rising since last year but have worsened recently because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Kremlin's decision to squeeze energy supplies to Europe.
Small businesses across a number of industries have voiced their concerns over rising energy bills.
More than 750 restaurant and café owners called on the government and Conservative leadership candidates for support through VAT cuts, grants and business rate rebates.
In an open letter, the signatories said takeaways were being quoted "eyewatering bills" that were "simply impossible to pay".
"The government has waited until the last moment to act before, but now cannot be one of those times.
"It must work with the Conservative leadership candidates on a plan to support Britain's smallest restaurants before it's too late," said Ibrahim Dogus, chair of the British Takeaway Campaign.
Jon Long, who runs five fish and chips shops in Dorset, told the BBC if he had to pay the current market rate for gas and electricity, it would mean the end his business after four generations in his family.
He managed to fix his gas and electric rates with his energy provider in 2021 and secured a two-year contract, but many businesses aren't in his position.
"What seemed to be extortionate then now seems like an absolute steal," he said.
59-year-old said currently his average bill per shop is about £15,000 per year, but based on current wholesale prices, it would cost him up to £80,000.
"We are on a war footing here. There has been a lot of talk, a lot of sympathy, they (the government) have been listening but no action," he said.
"Businesses coming out of contracts need drastic help, and they need it now or we face losing thousands of previously viable businesses."
Bank of England recently warned that the UK economy will fall into recession later this year as rising energy costs push up the rate of inflation. It recently raised interest rates by 0.5% - the biggest increase in 27 years - in an attempt to cool rising consumer prices which hit 10.1% in July.
Mr Darling said the financial crisis more than a decade ago was different to today's economic climate, but warned the current situation was "just as threatening to people, [and] to the economy as the financial crisis was back in 2008".
"It's not just people on low incomes who are going to be affected by this, it's going to be people right up the income chain," he said. | /news/business-62712188 |
business | Train strikes: Passengers told to avoid travel on Saturday | Passengers should avoid travelling by train unless absolutely necessary on Saturday due to expected widespread disruption from strikes, the rail industry has said.
Unions are striking as part of a long-running series of disputes over jobs, pay and conditions.
Only a fifth of trains are set to run on Saturday, with services starting late and finishing early.
RMT union members in 15 rail companies and Network Rail will strike.
ghth day of action taken by the union over pay and conditions.
will be joined by members of the TSSA union, who staff station ticket offices and work in on-board operational roles, affecting Avanti West Coast, c2c and Transpennine Express services.
Disruption is set to continue into Sunday morning.
National Rail Enquiries warned customers that it is "inevitable that services will be cancelled or severely disrupted".
"There will be a very limited service on Saturday 8 October with no service at all in some places. Please only travel by train if your journey is absolutely necessary, plan ahead and check before you travel."
Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strikes can use their ticket on Friday, or up to and including three days later, rail operators said.
People can also change their tickets to travel on an alternate date or get a refund if their train is cancelled or rescheduled.
RMT strikes will be widespread due to Network Rail's signalling staff striking across England, Scotland and Wales, so even where train operators are not directly involved in the dispute, only a fraction of usual services will run.
For example, the last direct train from Newcastle to London will leave at 13:53 and the last train from London to Nottingham will go at 16:32.
re will be no trains between London and Edinburgh, with passengers having to travel via Glasgow. Nor will there be any direct services between London and Norwich.
Separately, there will be further strikes on Monday in Scotland after the RMT rejected a 5% ScotRail pay offer which it described as a "kick in the teeth".
ScotRail warned of "significant disruption" to services, saying it would run "very limited" services on just three lines on the day.
rains will only run between 07:30 and 18:30, with two an hour between Milngavie and Edinburgh via Bathgate, and one train an hour between Glasgow and both Lanark and Larkhall.
RMT said more than 40,000 railway workers would take part in the action on Saturday.
In an open letter to Transport Secretary Anne Marie Trevelyan, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch suggested the ongoing dispute would cost the government more than £100m.
government should "unshackle" the train operators, he wrote, suggesting the Department for Transport's role in the strike was blocking the path to a settlement.
Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA union, described workers' demands as "reasonable", saying his members deserved a pay rise after several years of pay freezes.
"We urge employers and government to bring forward talks to find a resolution to the concerns that rail workers have over pay, conditions and job security," Mr Cortes said.
On Wednesday, Ms Trevelyan told the BBC she wanted unions and train operators to "come together and find something that we can all live with".
She continued "nothing is ever perfect, negotiations are compromises, but what we need is for our customers, our passengers to be at the centre of everyone's decision making."
Since taking up her post last month, the transport secretary has met the leaders of the RMT and Aslef unions. She also told the BBC she would also meet the train companies over the next few weeks. | /news/business-63170168 |
business | House prices climb 11% despite cost of living squeeze | House prices are continuing to rise despite the growing cost of living crisis.
Nationwide said prices climbed 11% in the last 12 months, although the rise over the last month was just 0.1%.
"The housing market has retained a surprising degree of momentum," said Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist.
But he said that there were "tentative signs of a slowdown in activity".
July figure was slightly ahead of June's annual rise of 10.7% and left the average house at £271,209.
"Demand continues to be supported by strong labour market conditions, where the unemployment rate remains near 50-year lows and with the number of job vacancies close to record highs," said Mr Gardner.
"At the same time, the limited stock of homes on the market has helped keep upward pressure on house prices."
Bank of England is expected to increase interest rates by as much as 0.5% on Thursday when and that could "exert a cooling impact on the market" he said.
"We continue to expect the market to slow as pressure on household budgets intensifies in the coming quarters, with inflation set to reach double digits towards the end of the year."
First-timer buyer mortgage completions remain around 5% above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Nationwide, despite the rising affordability pressures caused by the cost of living squeeze.
"First-time buyer numbers remain strong but that is likely to reflect significant financial input from the Bank of Mum and Dad, as deposit levels rise along with house prices and interest rates," said Mark Harris, chief executive of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients.
Borrowers remained extremely keen to secure a fixed-rate mortgage before rates go up again, as they are expected to later this week, he said. "Minds are focused on getting deals done before the cost of borrowing inevitably rises further still."
"Today's market is being fuelled by people's desperation to find a home before interest rates rise further and the cost of living crisis bites deeper," said Nicholas Finn, managing director of Garrington Property Finders.
ursday's expected bank rate rise to 1.75% will have a "dampening effect on the market," said Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at Bestinvest.
She predicted the effects of soaring inflation and the cost-of-living squeeze will "add more pressure on the property sector".
"There are a barrage of challenges to come - from the surge in energy prices in October, to runaway inflation continuing to outstrip wage growth - and the pressure on household finances will intensify."
Gabriella Dickens, senior UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said rises in mortgage rates will cause buyer demand to cool further.
"The rate for a two-year 75% loan-to-value fixed-rate mortgage already has increased to 2.88% in June from 1.57% in December - the fastest six-monthly increase since at least 1995," she said.
uld rise to about 3.1% by the end of the year if the Bank of England increased rates in line with current market expectations, she added.
If the recession many are predicting sees unemployment rise sharply, the property market will invariably take a hit, said Andrew Montlake, managing director of mortgage broker Coreco.
"Even then, though, the impact on prices will be limited due to the abject lack of supply and homes being built." | /news/business-62390578 |
entertainment | Cambridgeshire TikTok star vows never to wear shoes again | A man who has spent a year walking everywhere barefoot after deciding to give up wearing shoes has become a hit on social media.
George Woodville, from Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, has built up more than 325,000 followers on TikTok by chronicling his life without footwear - and has even sold pictures of his dirty feet to some fans.
He admitted getting used to his shoe-free life was one of the most difficult things he had ever done, but he now "feels free".
"I had a random brainwave on a walking holiday and when I got back to the hotel I took my shoes off and thought, I'm not wearing shoes ever again," he said. | /news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-62385539 |
entertainment | Eurovision 2023: Glasgow and Liverpool await decision on UK host city | Glasgow and Liverpool will find out later on Friday which of the two cities has been chosen to host the Eurovision Song Contest next May.
ular music show will be staged in the UK after this year's winner, Ukraine, was unable to take up hosting duties because of the war.
wenty UK locations initially expressed an interest, and they have since been narrowed down to just two.
uncement will be made on BBC One's The One Show from 19:00 BST.
Previewing the announcement, BBC Radio 2's Ken Bruce said: "The finish line is finally in sight, because I can confirm that on the One Show tonight, Graham Norton will finally reveal which city will be hosting the Eurovision Song Contest.
"He'll also tell us the date of the grand final," Bruce confirmed.
UK has hosted Eurovision eight times in the past, most recently in Birmingham in 1998. But the contest has never been to Liverpool or Glasgow.
Both are Unesco cities of music, and the chosen location will attract thousands of visitors and be in the global spotlight, with around 160 million TV viewers around the world watching this year's show live.
Liverpool's leaders have said they would host the event "on behalf of Ukraine", while a Glasgow spokesperson said a Scottish Eurovision would also be "a celebration of Ukraine".
A winning country normally hosts the following year's contest, but Essex singer Sam Ryder's second-placed finish this May led the UK to be asked to step in for 2023.
Glasgow was a bookies' favourite from the off, with its OVO Hydro venue having a capacity of 14,300.
rena would be a fitting setting in some ways after being filmed for the exterior of the venue in Will Ferrell's 2020 Netflix movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
And of course, Glasgow's Lulu won the 1969 contest with Boom Bang-a-Bang. She says it's "the perfect place... and it's about time".
Fellow Glaswegian Scott Fitzgerald came second in 1988 when he was beaten to the top spot by none other than Celine Dion.
r of Glasgow City Council said the city had "everything it takes" to host Eurovision.
"The competition has been very strong but Glasgow has an unrivalled track record for successfully hosting major global events," Susan Aitken said.
re venue is also next to exhibition centres that could be useful for facilities like a press centre, and has a nearby station and hotels. It has previously hosted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and events during the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
me of The Beatles has a rich musical history that attracts thousands of international visitors every year. Its past major events have included the MTV Europe Music Awards in 2008.
Sonia, who was born near Liverpool, came second in the contest back in 1993 with Better the Devil You Know. The city has also been represented by Jemini, who sadly got nul points in 2003.
Eurovision would be staged at the 11,000-capacity dockside M&S Bank Arena, which is next to a conference centre and near the city centre's hotels and rail links.
Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson said she was "absolutely delighted" the city had made the final two.
"Nowhere throws a party quite like us," she tweeted. "The people, communities & businesses of our city are ready to put on a show - for Ukraine, the UK & for Europe."
rtlisted cities were scored on a set of criteria including:
Eurovision organisers say a host venue should accommodate about 10,000 spectators, be within easy reach of an international airport and have enough hotel accommodation for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and ticket-buyers.
ue will be needed for preparations for six to eight weeks ahead of the song contest, meaning the host city will need to move concerts and events that are already in their schedules.
uld include the likes of Sir Elton John, who has concerts in Liverpool on 22 and 23 April, and the Magic Mike arena tour, which is booked for both cities in late April. | /news/entertainment-arts-63158155 |
health | New South Wales scraps tens of thousands of Covid fines | More than 33,000 Covid fines will be withdrawn or refunded in Australia's most populous state after a court deemed them invalid.
An Australian legal advocacy group challenged the pandemic-era fines on the basis they were "too vague".
"fail to comply" fines were issued for a range of alleged offences - from carpooling to attending a public gathering.
ranged from $1,000 (£559) to $3,000 (£1,677).
Ultimately, government lawyers conceded the fines did not meet legal requirements in the New South Wales Supreme Court. Shortly after the decision was handed down, the Commissioner of Fines Administration withdrew 31,121 of the 62,138 fines.
In a statement, Revenue NSW said it prioritised the health and safety of residents during the pandemic.
However, while it said it would withdraw the "fail to comply" fines, it added the decision "does not mean the offences were not committed".
Redfern Legal Centre (RLC), which brought the challenge to the Supreme Court, hailed Tuesday's decision as a "momentous win" in a tweet.
Before the ruling, centre solicitor Samantha Lee said "this case is about more than just two people's fines".
"It is about the need to properly adhere to the rule of law, even during a pandemic."
RLC has also alleged fines were disproportionately issued to people living in poorer areas, saying statistics "show the majority of Covid-19 fines were issued to those residing in low-socioeconomic areas and areas with a large proportion of First Nations populations".
An independent review into Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic found women, children and people with disabilities - among others - "bore the brunt".
It also found Australians in the lowest 20% of socioeconomic status were three times more like to die of Covid-19 than those in the top 20%.
Australian states and territories imposed strict restrictions during the pandemic, which included limits on travel and movement outside the home and bans on travelling interstate.
federal government also banned international travel for almost two years in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
New South Wales is currently experiencing its third Covid-19 Omicron wave with the state recording more than 31,000 cases this week.
judge presiding over the case is expected to release the full judgement at a later date. | /news/world-australia-63798388 |
health | Covid: Why are some places testing Chinese arrivals? | When a country of 1.4 billion people suddenly ended its zero-Covid policy after nearly three years, there was little doubt what would happen.
Poor immunisation levels and little natural immunity meant an explosion of cases - just as China is about to lift restrictions on its citizens travelling abroad.
So now, some countries - wary of an influx of cases - are imposing Covid testing, and possible quarantine, on visitors from China.
Covid wave hitting China is not due to some radical new variant, but Omicron in its different forms.
BF.7 and BQ.1 are both sub-lineages of BA.5, which itself is part of the Omicron "family" - more contagious, more infectious than any previous Covid strain.
But these Omicron sub-variants have all been widely detected outside China - including in the UK.
Omicron has been the dominant global variant for more than a year, but that does not exclude the possibility that a new variant of concern will emerge in future.
A key reason that many countries are imposing Covid checks on travellers from China is the lack of surveillance data coming out of the country. The more Covid that is circulating, the more chance there is for the virus to mutate.
But new variants can pop up anywhere - the UK, Brazil, South Africa and India have all been the likely origins of previous variants of concern.
So will the new Covid test restrictions make any difference?
Several countries are asking travellers from China to produce a negative Covid test in order to gain entry.
US said this would "slow the spread" of the virus, while scientists worked to identify any potential variants that may emerge. But no-one is suggesting that this will stop Covid cases coming in.
Italy has gone further, and is imposing mandatory post-arrival PCR tests on travellers from China. Those that test positive will need to quarantine for several days.
ge of enabling genomic sequencing of the virus, and so aids the search for new variants. But it will also add to airport congestion.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that those travellers from China who have tested positive so far are carriers of "Omicron variants already present in Italy". Italy wants an EU-wide approach on the issue - but the EU's disease agency says, for many reasons, that is "unjustified".
In the UK, there is plenty of Covid about. Probably well over a million people a week are getting infected, either at work, home or socialising - in other words anywhere people gather. The latest ONS survey estimated that around 1 in 45 people had the virus earlier this month.
But most of the UK population is very well protected from severe illness, via a combination of vaccines and repeated natural infection.
means Covid - while still a potential danger here - is no longer the threat it once was.
Watch: Hope and worry as Beijing relaxes zero-Covid policy | /news/health-64122626 |
health | Scarlet fever: Three more cases at Carmarthenshire school | ree more cases of scarlet fever have been found in pupils at a primary school where two children have needed hospital treatment after an outbreak.
It takes the total number of reported cases at Brynaman Primary School, in Carmarthenshire, to 33.
re have been no further cases of invasive Strep A identified, meaning the figure stands at three.
Since September, 15 UK children have died after invasive strep A infections, including seven-year-old Hanna Roap.
Hanna, from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, was described by her family as "bubbly" and "always smiling".
In a letter to parents, Brynaman Primary School said it was working with the council, Public Health Wales (PHW) and Hywel Dda health board.
PHW has previously said the scarlet fever cases at the school occurred over six weeks and that the number was higher than would normally be expected.
PHW health protection consultant Sion Lingard said: "Invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS) is a rare complication which usually affects fewer than 20 children in Wales each year.
"Although iGAS is concerning, the majority of these children will recover with proper treatment."
It is caused by a bacteria group called streptococcus, also known as strep A.
rash of scarlet fever often begins with small spots on the body which then spread to the neck, arms and legs. It is often sandpaper-like to touch, but is not itchy.
Your child may also have a:
It is a notifiable disease, meaning health professionals must inform health protection teams of suspected cases. This is so they can be treated quickly and possible outbreaks brought under control.
If a parent or carer suspects scarlet fever or invasive strep A infection, they should call their GP or NHS 111 as prompt treatment with antibiotics can prevent serious illness and stop infections spreading. | /news/uk-wales-63907568 |
business | Government is undercutting UK institutions, says former Bank governor | Mark Carney said the government was "working at cross-purposes with the Bank"
Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney has accused the government of "undercutting" the UK's key economic institutions.
Mr Carney told the BBC the government's tax-cutting measures were "working at some cross-purposes" with the Bank.
He also pointed to a decision not to publish economic forecasts by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) alongside Friday's "mini-budget".
mini-budget sparked turmoil on financial markets and hit the pound.
Investors had been demanding a much higher return for investing in government bonds, causing some to halve in value. Pension funds, which invest in bonds, were forced to start selling, sparking fears of a fresh market downturn.
Bank of England was forced to step in to calm markets and on Wednesday, said it would buy £65bn of government bonds over the next fortnight in an attempt to restore stability.
Sterling hit a record low against the US dollar of around $1.03 on Monday. It has since risen to around $1.08 after the Bank's announcement and remained there after Prime Minister Liz Truss said she would stand by the measures announced in the mini-budget.
f government borrowing, however, edged higher and the interest paid - or yield - on 10-year government debt rose.
Speaking to the BBC's Today programme, Mr Carney said that while the government was right to want to boost economic growth: "There is a lag between today and when that growth might come."
He said: "There was an undercutting of some of the institutions that underpin the overall approach - so not having an OBR forecast is much-commented upon and the government, I think, has accepted the need for that but that was important."
OBR provides independent forecasts of the impact of government's plans on the economy as well as on public finances. The Treasury decided not to publish its forecasts on Friday, which fuelled market turmoil.
"Unfortunately having a partial budget, in these circumstances - tough global economy, tough financial market position, working at cross-purposes with the Bank - has led to quite dramatic moves in financial markets," Mr Carney said.
reasury has subsequently said the OBR will release a full forecast when Mr Kwarteng announces his medium-term fiscal plan on 23 November.
Mr Carney also said that the government's mini-budget showed it was "working at some cross-purposes with the Bank in terms of short-term support for the economy".
Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled the country's biggest tax package in 50 years on Friday. But the £45bn-worth of tax cuts has sparked concerns that government borrowing could surge along with rising interest rates.
Bank has a target to keep inflation at 2%. But prices are rising at their fastest rate in four decades and the Bank has been lifting interest rates to cool inflation.
Since the mini-budget, some economists believe interest rates could rise faster and higher, to as much as 6% by next May.
At the helm of the Bank of England until 2020, Mark Carney was charged with rebuilding the reputation of British financial systems after the crash of 2008.
While it is not usual for former governors to comment on current issues, his stark words will be a further blow to the government as it defends its tax cuts. Mr Carney has indicated that the fall-out from these plans, by contributing to market turmoil, has consequences that may damage rather than enhance prosperity.
Bank of England has been forced to inject billions of pounds into bond markets. That is after a plunge in their value threatened the viability of the pensions funds that manage workers' retirement pots.
During times such as the the financial crisis to the pandemic, the Bank of England has, on occasion, provided emergency help to ease global shocks. Doing so to offset the consequences of domestic government policy is far more rare.
With the markets remaining uneasy, analysts say an emergency interest rate hike can't be ruled out.
Ms Truss insisted that the government's plan was "right".
In her first remarks since Friday's announcement, Ms Truss told the BBC: "Of course there are elements of controversy, as there always are."
But she said: "This is the right plan that we've set out."
On Wednesday, Treasury Minister Andrew Griffith said that every major country "is dealing with exactly the same issues" as the UK such as Russia's war with Ukraine and the effect on energy prices.
But while Mr Carney conceded that the global economy is "going through some difficulties", he said that over the last week "developments have centred around the UK" and that recent financial turmoil was a response to the government's mini-budget.
Mr Carney was the governor of the Bank of England for almost seven years, from July 2013 to March 2020.
Before that he led Canada's central bank for five years, where he is seen as having played a major role in helping the country avoid the worst effects of the 2008 global financial crisis.
His successor as governor, Andrew Bailey, declined to comment on Thursday on whether the Bank would make further interventions.
Some economists - including former deputy governor Sir Charlie Bean - suggested that the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee call an emergency meeting and raise interest rates before a scheduled meeting on 3 November,
Mr Carney said it was "important that the system functions" but added: "We're talking about an interest rate meeting five weeks from now and it is important to see the persistence of the exchange rate moves, it is important to see what else the government does and take that into account."
He added: "This is a robust system, this is a resilient system, it has had a big knock but it will move forward."
Bank is widely expected to raise interest rates before Mr Kwarteng announces his fiscal plan in late November.
uld set out how the government intends to follow its own fiscal rules. The current fiscal rules state that debt should be falling as a share of the UK's gross domestic product - which is all the goods and services that the country produces - by 2024-25.
rules also dictate that by that same financial year, daily public spending should be balanced by revenues.
But it is possible that Mr Kwarteng could set out his own rules in November, changing those drawn up by his predecessor Rishi Sunak in November 2021. | /news/business-63070485 |
politics | Labour MP Ian Byrne reselected as Liverpool West Derby candidate | An MP who had faced a battle to be chosen to represent Labour at the next election has been reselected as the party's candidate.
Ian Byrne, who has represented Liverpool West Derby since 2019, was announced as the winner of a ballot on Sunday.
He had had to compete for the seat after losing a series of votes in local constituency branches.
Mr Byrne and the Labour Party have been approached for a comment by the BBC.
MP had faced competition from Liverpool councillor Anthony Lavelle and Lancashire councillor Kimberley Whitehead.
During the contest, he accused Mr Lavelle's supporters of "intimidation", a claim which was strongly denied by the councillor's backers.
Mr Byrne was first selected to replace the previous Labour MP Stephen Twigg in early 2019.
At the time, he was a local ward councillor in Everton and was a vocal supporter of then-party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
He is a member of the Socialist Campaign Group of backbench Labour MPs and is a familiar face on match days on Merseyside, collecting donations for the charity he set up, Fans Supporting Foodbanks.
In Parliament, he has campaigned for a right to food to be established in law and for the Hillsborough disaster to be added to the national curriculum.
Ian Byrne is part of the Socialist Campaign Group parliamentary caucus of Labour MPs - made up of MPs on the left of the Labour party.
Some Labour left-wingers, including supporters of the former leader Jeremy Corbyn, have claimed in recent months they are being frozen out of standing for the party at the next general election as Sir Keir Starmer seeks to remake the party in his own image.
But a Labour spokesperson previously said that the party's "due diligence is about weeding out candidates who could cause electoral damage".
However, the fact Mr Byrne was not automatically selected prompted criticism by Labour's left - including the group Momentum, who said that despite "a deeply flawed trigger ballot process which broke with basic principles of fairness", he had "roared back to victory".
"also struck a blow... against an out-of-control Starmer machine willing to break Labour's own rules, disregard trade unions and attack its own MPs in the service of their right-wing purge".
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk | /news/uk-england-merseyside-63699407 |
sports | Mikolaj Oledzki & Luke Hooley: Leeds Rhinos pair to miss Super League season start | England prop Mikolaj Oledzki and new signing Luke Hooley will miss the start of the season for Leeds Rhinos after having shoulder and ankle operations respectively.
Both players are expected to be out for 12-14 weeks in their recovery.
Oledzki, 24, played in September's Grand Final loss to St Helens and then the World Cup, having nursed the issue through the latter part of the season.
Full-back Hooley, also 24, was signed after impressing at Batley in 2022.
Having helped the Bulldogs to the Championship play-off final in 2022, he joined the Rhinos this off-season but damaged his ankle in an innocuous training ground accident.
former Bradford and Wakefield junior has 42 tries and 58 goals in 97 games in total, while Oledzki has 13 tries in 144 appearances.
"Understandably, Mik was keen to push himself for England selection for a home World Cup and that was his reward for an outstanding season with the Rhinos," head coach Rohan Smith told the club website.
"Unfortunately, his time away has worsened the injury and he has immediately gone to have the operation."
"Luke rolled his ankle in training which didn't look serious at the time however the scans have revealed an issue." | /sport/rugby-league/63970852 |
politics | Truss resignation: Global media ask what's happened to Britain | British politics rarely troubles the front pages of international media.
But in the last few days, all eyes have turned towards Liz Truss's short tenure in Number 10.
"The past six weeks have been not so much a cautionary tale as much as a textbook example of what happens when political ideologues are let off the leash, allowed to shut out anyone with opposing views and given the keys to the kingdom," argues Rob Harris in Australia's Sydney Morning Herald.
"Britain ruled India for 200 years, but see the twist of fate," says an anchor on India's Aaj Tak TV channel. "Today, the same British political system has weakened so much that their Prime Minister Liz Truss had to resign from her post in barely 44 days."
Closer to home, Europeans saw another culprit: Brexit.
"What happened to British politics, to its reputation of stability and moderation, its venerable parliament, buffeted by accelerated convulsions since Brexit?" asks France's Le Monde.
russ "tried to put the Brexit ideology into practice", Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung notes. "As soon as the shackles of the EU are thrown off and taxes are lowered, an almost fairytale economic growth should be triggered, so the theory goes."
UK and its institutions have traditionally been revered on the continent. But its parliament has been a "madhouse" since the Brexit vote, adds another German paper, Die Welt.
"Again and again, politicians fail when it comes to leaving the EU - and there are good reasons for that."
Italian media reacted angrily to suggestions that British politics have reached Italian levels of chaos - Italian politics is notorious for its rapid turnovers of governments. Commentators rushed to point out that Westminster and Brexit are to blame.
UK political crisis "has no parallels with Italy or any other country", argues the leading daily Corriere della Sera.
renewed dispute "will paralyse the government again, instead of tackling the country's numerous challenges such as the energy crisis, the consequences of Brexit and Scotland's quest for independence," Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper adds, pointing out this turmoil comes as more and more people in Britain are struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis.
But there are positives to be taken.
In the Middle East, some commentators contrast Truss's decision favourably with the reluctance of leaders in the Arab world to step down.
"This is the difference between the courage of the leader appointed through elections and who respects [their] people, and the military man who comes atop a tank and scares the people with weapons," says Egypt's Al-Masriyun newspaper editor.
"Is there a single example among politicians in Iraq showing this English patriotic spirit which feels duty and fears for repercussions on her country's economy?" asks Iraqi opposition politician Abdulamir Altharb.
Yet others see warnings.
"As fun as it might be for outsiders to gawk at the political chaos engulfing the UK, Prime Minister Liz Truss's resignation Thursday is a sideshow," warns Joseph C Sternberg in the US's Wall Street Journal.
"The bigger problem is that recent events in Britain are an alarming vision of a fate that potentially awaits all of us in developed economies." | /news/uk-politics-63342558 |
politics | Rishi Sunak backtracks on £10 missed NHS appointment fines | Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has scrapped a Tory leadership campaign pledge he made to fine patients in England £10 if they miss GP or hospital appointments.
He made the pledge during this summer's leadership contest against Liz Truss.
Mr Sunak had argued it was "not right" some patients were failing to turn up, taking slots from those in need.
But a No 10 spokeswoman said that, after "listening to GPs", the government decided it was "not the right time" for the policy.
She added that Mr Sunak wanted to deliver "a stronger NHS and the sentiment remains that people should not be missing their appointments and taking up NHS time".
Critics of the proposal included doctors' union the British Medical Association (BMA), which said it would "make matters worse" and threaten the NHS's principle of free care at the point of need.
BMA welcomed the decision to scrap the plan and said it "cannot be brought back to the table later down the line".
It said "punishing" patients was not the answer to the many reasons people miss appointments, and the policy would "only deter the most vulnerable from seeking the help they need, worsen health inequalities, and ultimately undermine the essential trust between doctor and patient".
Instead, the BMA said the government must work to improve pay and other conditions to ensure the NHS has safe levels of staff.
Reflecting a similar view, the Royal College of GPs said the plans would have disadvantaged some of the NHS's most vulnerable patients.
Chairman of the college Prof Martin Marshall said the move would "simply have been tinkering at the edges given the scale of the crisis facing GPs and our teams".
Outlining the policy in July, Mr Sunak said patients would be given the "benefit of the doubt" the first time they missed an appointment without providing sufficient notice, but further absences would incur a £10 charge.
Fines would also be waived in exceptional circumstances, such as if a patient had an emergency.
He explained the system would be "temporary" as backlogs caused by the pandemic were cleared.
But he gave few details of the how the system would work, writing in the Sunday Telegraph: "If we have people who are now showing up and taking those slots away from people who need [them], that's not right.
"I'm all for a healthcare system that's free at the point of use, but not one that's free at the point of misuse."
Asked if other pledges on the NHS made during the summer leadership campaign still stood, she said Mr Sunak's "initial ideas" over summer would be discussed with cabinet ministers and any announcements would be "set out in due course".
Mr Sunak had also pledged to eliminate one-year waiting times by September 2024, and get the number of people waiting for non-urgent treatment in England falling by next year.
He pledged to do this by boosting the number of "diagnostic hubs" outside hospitals, including by repurposing empty High Street shops. He also pledged to reform dentists' NHS contract, and ring fence the annual £3bn NHS dentistry budget.
WATCH: Catherine Poole, aged 77, tells Rishi Sunak NHS staff should be paid more
me as Mr Sunak met patients and staff at Croydon University Hospital in his first visit as prime minister.
A patient was filmed telling the prime minister he needed to "try harder" to pay NHS staff more.
Mr Sunak replied "he would take that away" following the exchange.
During the summer the Conservative Party membership chose Ms Truss over Mr Sunak, but this week he succeeded her by winning enough nominations from Tory MPs on Monday following her resignation. | /news/uk-63429244 |
sports | The Open: Young Tom Morris, Old Tom Morris and how it all began | Young Tom Morris was just 13 years old when he first beat his dad. This was no ordinary victory though. Old Tom Morris was the reigning Open champion.
Scot would go on to become the youngest Open champion, winning the 1868 title at the age of 17, and also the next three to set records that are yet to be bettered some 150 years later. However, his life ended in tragic circumstances at the age of 24, dying of what many say was a broken heart.
week's Radio 5 Live Sport podcast, building up to July's 150th Open Championship, looks at the tournament's humble origins and the stories around those pioneers who founded what has become the oldest and most revered of all majors.
It all began with the death of Allan Robertson in 1859.
"He was the champion golfer In the 1840s and 1850s," said renowned golf historian Roger McStravick. "He was untouchable. Some competitions wouldn't let him play because he was so good.
"But when he died, aged 43, he left that question, who is the champion golfer and that is why Prestwick created the Open Championship."
Prestwick had only been in existence for nine years when it hosted the first Open on the afternoon of 17 October, 1860. Eight golfers whizzed around the 12-hole links course three times and had a spot of lunch at the Red Lion in five hours.
"It comes as a surprise to many to hear that the Open was first played at Prestwick because it tends to be assumed it must have been at St Andrews," says club archivist Andrew Lochhead.
"The reason it came to Prestwick is James Ogilvie Fairlie, an Ayrshire landowner who had been captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews."
Fairlie wanted to build a course on the west coast of Scotland and in 1851 recruited Old Tom, who had just been fired by Robertson for using a new-fangled guttie ball that was threatening the featherie that Robertson made and sold.
"It shows how much respect Old Tom had for Fairlie to leave St Andrews," said Lochhead. "It was a big leap of faith to move across country with his wife and son to a place he'd never visited before.
"He became Prestwick's keeper of the greens, ball and club maker and it was thanks to the skills of Morris that the 12-hole course quickly established its credentials as a proper test of golf."
In the mid-19th Century golf was an expensive hobby, predominantly for the rich, so the professionals, like Robertson and Old Tom, made a living from playing for bets, being employed as a caddie or making balls and clubs.
Many players would bring their caddies to Prestwick from the east coast of Scotland and, following the death of Robertson, Fairlie invited 11 clubs, 10 in Scotland and Blackheath in London, to send a "respectable caddie" to determine his successor.
winning prize, donated by the Earl of Eglington, was a red Moroccan leather 'Challenge Belt', thought to be influenced by his passion for sports like boxing and medieval pageantry.
Willie Park senior of Musselburgh edged out Old Tom by two strokes to become the first champion.
"Tom designed Prestwick so he would have been favourite," said McStravick. "He was looking really strong and then fell in the last couple of holes. He would have felt like he'd let everybody down.
"He was the best golfer in the world and he would go on to win it in 1861, 62, 64 and 67."
Park would also go on to win four titles, as would Young Tom, who won all his in successive competitions.
"Young Tom was the Tiger Woods of his day," continued McStravick. "He was the first all-out professional. He was not a ballmaker, he was not a caddie, just a professional through and through. When he went on tours in England he was paid to play.
"He won the Open Championship three times as a teenager, aged 17, 18 and 19.
"He was exceptional and took the game to a different level."
His victory as a 17-year-old still stands as a record as the youngest major champion, while no player since has matched his run of four successive titles.
mmy registered The Open's first hole-in-one in 1869 and the following year he became the first player to average under four strokes per hole when he carded a 47 for 12 holes. His cause was helped by holing his third shot from 200 yards at the 578-yard opening hole in the first round - this was at a time before holes had par scores.
"According to the rules of The Open when it started, if anyone won the belt three years in a row they got to keep it so Young Tom won it outright in 1870," said Angela Howe, the R&A World Golf Museum's heritage director.
Because there was no prize sorted in time for 1871, the event was not played. But by 1872, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, Prestwick and the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers had put their heads together and come up with a new trophy - the Claret Jug.
Young Tom was victorious for a fourth successive time but although the trophy was not ready for presentation, his name was the first to be etched on it.
"The game was exploding and Tommy was King," said McStravick, "and it's tragic how it all ended".
It was 1875 and Tommy and his father had just won a big money match at North Berwick when he received a telegram to say his wife was in labour. Before they could set off in the boat back to St Andrews - the Morris family had returned to the east coast in 1864 - another telegram arrived saying his wife had died in childbirth.
"He was just broken-hearted. For the next three months he was inconsolable," said McStravick.
"People tried to get him to play matches and he did play one. At 4UP he broke down and lost the last five holes."
mmy moved back in with his parents. He spoke with them on Christmas Eve before saying goodnight but when he didn't appear in the morning, his dad went to wake him.
Old Tom found his son lying in his bed. He was 24 and had effectively bled to death of a burst aneurysm in his left lung.
"It was tragic," said McStravick. "It's like Tiger Woods dying before his seventh major. What would he have won? What could he have done? How many courses would he have designed? He was such a maverick." | /sport/golf/61641438 |
sports | World Cup 2022: Wales match beats England game in TV ratings | More viewers watched Wales play their opening World Cup match than England play theirs, overnight ratings show.
An average UK audience of 7.4 million watched England play Iran on BBC One, according to ratings body Barb.
mpares with 9.4 million who watched Wales play the USA on ITV.
fference can be partly explained by the timings - the England match took place during office hours in the UK on Monday, while the Wales match took place in prime time evening hours.
BBC also drew attention to the large number of viewers who were watching the England match on iPlayer, figures which aren't fully reflected in Barb's terrestrial data.
It is likely that a larger number of viewers than usual would have been watching on iPlayer during office hours, while away from their traditional TV sets at home.
While England took part in the last World Cup in 2018, the Wales match marked the nation's first in a World Cup for 64 years.
England beat Iran 6-2 on the first day of the tournament in Qatar, while Wales drew 1-1 with the USA.
Wales match also aired on Welsh-language broadcaster S4C, the audience of which is not included in the ITV figures. BBC News has asked S4C for their own audience data.
Gareth Bale said he had "no doubts" about taking the penalty which brought Wales their first World Cup goal since 1958.
USA had been heading for victory until Bale was fouled by Walker Zimmerman and stepped up to score the 82nd-minute penalty.
Prince of Wales showed his support by tweeting in the Welsh language, with a picture of his Wales supporters bucket hat.
England's match saw Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka score twice, while the other four goals game from Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.
roughout the tournament, the total number of viewers watching any particular match will be higher when further data is added - such as people who watched at different times or on certain catch-up platforms.
More from the World Cup: | /news/entertainment-arts-63715578 |
sports | Winter Olympics: Beijing 2022 - all the best stats | A heady mix of spectacular action has been served up at Beijing 2022.
re have been twists, turns and tumbles as almost 3,000 athletes from 91 nations competed.
After 109 gold medals were won, what are the key stats from this Winter Olympics? BBC Sport and Simon Gleave, head of sports analysis at Nielsen Gracenote, take a look...
For the second Winter Games in a row, Norway have finished top of the medal table, with an Olympic record of 16 golds. They won medals in nine of the 15 sports at Beijing.
Germany finished second again, while hosts China had their best ever Games.
Great Britain's lowest tally at a Winter Games since 2010. They finish 19th overall in the medal table, thanks to women's curling gold and men's curling silver.
Despite that, GB have now won gold at each of the past four Winter Olympics - a new record for them, beating the three Olympics in a row between 1976 and 1984.
women's curling team gold follows Amy Williams' skeleton gold in 2010 and Lizzy Yarnold's back-to-back medals in the same discipline in 2014 and 2018.
Women have won all of Britain's Winter Olympic golds since 1984. The last man to win gold for Great Britain was Christopher Dean, who won alongside Jayne Torvill.
Athletes representing the Russian Olympic Committee finished with 32 medals, consisting of six golds, 12 silvers and 14 bronze.
It is the best haul of any Russian or Soviet team at a Winter Games.
However, they finished only ninth overall in the medals table. The only teams containing Russian athletes that have not been in the top five of a final medal table are Russia in 2010, the Olympic Athletes from Russia in 2018 and this year's team.
China's previous best position in the medal table was their seventh-place finish at Vancouver in 2010.
"China did not increase its medal total by as much as most of the recent host nations have, winning only 67% more than in the Games prior to hosting," says Gleave.
"However, gold medals improved from one to nine and were 80% higher than China's previous best of five.
"The only hosts since 1988 to have improved their highest number of Winter Olympic gold medals by more than China's 80% are Japan (1998) and Canada (2010) whose best gold total went up by 400% and 100% respectively."
New Zealand won their first ever Winter Olympics gold medal when Zoi Sadowski-Synnott triumphed in the women's snowboard slopestyle.
Nico Porteous then doubled their tally a day later in the ski halfpipe.
Speed skater Bart Swings gave Belgium their first gold for 74 years, while Germany claimed gold in all six of the luge and skeleton events.
Japan won 18 medals, surpassing their previous best of 13 in Pyeongchang, while Italy's 17 gave them their best Winters return since 1994, when they won 20.
Johannes Thingnes Bo's victory in the men's mass-start biathlon steered Norway to their record-breaking 15th gold medal in Beijing.
He finished with four golds and a bronze, making him one of only three biathletes to win five medals at an Olympics.
Bo is also the second person to win four gold medals at a Winter Olympics and the first to do so since US speedskater Eric Heiden won five golds in 1980.
Compatriot Marte Olsbu Roiseland also departs with five medals - three golds and two bronze - while Quentin Fillon Maillet claimed two golds and three silvers for France.
Russian Alexander Bolshunov won a medal in each of the five events he competed in, and now has nine Olympic medals to his name.
"Just over 40% of the medals awarded at the Beijing Olympics were given to competitors aged 25 to 29," Gleave says.
"The 20-24-year-olds won just under 24% of medals and 30-to-34-year-olds picked up over 26%, while 36 medals went to veteran athletes aged 35 or over."
American snowboarder Nick Baumgartner, 40, was the oldest gold medallist after he and Lindsey Jacobellis won the mixed snowboard cross.
15-year-old Kamila Valieva was the youngest medal winner when she won figure skating team gold alongside her Russian compatriots. The medals have yet to be awarded after it emerged Valieva had failed a drugs test before the Games.
Fellow Russian figure skater Anna Shcherbakova was the youngest gold medal winner in an individual event, while 18-year-old Chinese freestyle skier Eileen Gu became the ninth teenager to win two gold medals at a Winter Olympics and the sixth teenager to win three medals at a Games.
Friday, 11 February proved to be a good day for breaking records.
Dutch short-track speed skater Suzanne Schulting broke the 1,000m world record in the quarter-final, clocking one minute 26.514 seconds. She would go on to win gold later that day.
Swedish speed skater Nils van der Poel broke the world record that he set last year when he won men's 10,000m gold in 12:30.74.
re were 15 disciplines across seven sports in Beijing, with some countries dominating in certain areas.
"The Netherlands (speedskating), Switzerland (alpine skiing), France (biathlon), South Korea (short track), Finland (cross country skiing) and Slovenia (ski jumping) all won at least 50% of their medals at Beijing 2022 in one sport," Gleave says.
"Biathlete Quentin Fillon Maillet was responsible for 36% of France's medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
"Germany are also worth a mention for their reliance on the three sliding sports of bobsleigh, luge and skeleton which contributed 16 of the country's 27 medals [59%] and nine of the 12 golds [75%]." | /sport/winter-olympics/60401755 |
politics | Aberconwy asylum hotel plan attacked by Welsh government | It is unacceptable that a north Wales hotel is housing asylum seekers without the Welsh government, councils or police being told, a minister has said.
Labour Social Justice minister Jane Hutt warned the Home Office risks fostering extremism and said the hotel was in a rural location with none of the specialist services needed nearby.
g used to ease overcrowding at Kent detention centres.
Home Office said hotels provided a short-term, safe solution.
BBC Wales is not naming the hotel for safeguarding reasons.
Ms Hutt compared the situation to the lack of consultation over Penally, an army camp used to house asylum seekers which was closed after it was criticised by inspectors.
"The Welsh government is aware of the pressures faced by the Home Office in providing accommodation for asylum seekers," Ms Hutt said in a letter, seen by BBC Wales, to the UK Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.
"However, it is unacceptable that your department has failed to contact or notify the Welsh government, members of the Senedd and key partners such as local authorities, health boards and the police in Wales before putting these arrangements in place."
She said the north Wales hotel was being used "with no prior consultation or notification of use".
Ms Hutt said that without proper engagement "there could well be a lack of trust and confidence within the wider community; this in turn could result in increased risks for the asylum seekers themselves.
"We have particular concerns about the impact on community cohesion within the areas of hotels being established, which may also experience increased, adverse interest from hostile organisations which are active within Wales.
"It is short-sighted to focus dogmatically on one Home Office aim - to reduce the costs of the asylum system - in ways which are likely to foster extremism which the Home Office seeks to eliminate."
Manston asylum numbers are back below 1,600, says Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.
Ms Hutt added the north Wales hotel is in a rural location "with none of the specialist services which asylum populations require - including traumatic stress mental health services, communicable disease specialists, English for Speakers of Other Language tutors, immigration legal advisors, interpreters, or refugee drop-in services".
She asked that Welsh ministers are informed in the same way and at the same time as MPs and councils, urged the Home Office to use contingency accommodation and "provide sufficient funding" to minimise the risk to residents at hotels and within the community.
Mr Jenrick told the Commons on Monday that he had agreed with officials that all MPs should be informed of new facilities opening in their constituency ahead of time.
Earlier this week Conservative Aberconwy Senedd member Janet Finch Saunders said the decision had sparked local anger.
Writing to the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, she expressed "serious concerns" and demanded the decision be reversed.
Conwy council said it was also not given advance warning of the Home Office plan.
An email from the operators to local politicians on Saturday, seen by the BBC, said: "With the current crisis in Kent in relation to the overcrowding of detention centres, the Home Office have reached out asking us to take a short-term accommodation contract, which we felt was the right thing to do.
"This was an urgent project for them and we have been contracted with immediate effect.
"The agreement we have entered appoints us as the host accommodation provider, but all security is provided by the Home Office."
Home Office said it cost £5.6m every day to house more than 37,000 asylum seekers in hotels.
A spokesman added: "We have received Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt's concerns and thank the Welsh government for their continued cooperation thus far.
"We accept that while hotels do not provide a long-term solution, they do ensure accommodation provided is safe, secure, leaves no-one destitute and is appropriate for each individual's needs." | /news/uk-wales-politics-63570024 |
entertainment | Splinter Cell: Audio drama, gaming's next frontier? | Whether it's World of Warcraft, Uncharted or the upcoming Super Mario movie - games characters have been all over our cinemas in recent years.
Last of Us is coming to television screens, where shows based on Resident Evil and Halo have found audiences.
Now, BBC Radio 4 is getting in on the act.
Sam Fisher, leading man from the Splinter Cell game series, can call the radio station home, thanks to a first-of-its-kind adaptation that producers say no-one had thought possible.
Radio 1 film critic Ali Plumb says that with so much competition for audiences these days it's no surprise that commissioners are giving the green-light to projects with a "built-in audience".
He argues that we live in a world that is dominated by content: "From podcasts to music, TV, movies, games and audiobooks - frankly its tricky for anyone to cut through the noise.
"The art of finding intellectual property, using the built-in fan base of that property and engaging with them in something you want to say about the world is the trick that many creative people are trying to do."
Splinter Cell: Firewall is an eight part dramatisation of a novel based on the famous video game franchise. Sam Fisher, the series' main protagonist, is a covert special agent who excels at sneaking around military bases at night, silently killing terrorist guards and generally saving the world.
Bringing the gaming revolution to audio drama makes perfect sense to actor Andonis Anthony, who plays Sam in the Radio 4 drama, which is also available on BBC Sounds. He argues that with more people turning to "non-music audio", it's a good time for BBC radio to tell stories that offer a "cinematic experience".
"Given the rise in podcasts, and audiobooks being so popular - more and more people are getting used to listening to audio as a story experience. Everyone's going out and about with their air pods on these days and listening in a different way to before."
A paramilitary secret agent is a bit of a change for Anthony who's perhaps better known to Radio 4 listeners as Russ Jones, an art gallery curator living in Ambridge. "It's the polar opposite of what I'm doing in the Archers," he laughs.
Other platforms have adapted video games into audio dramas recently, with stories from franchises like Assassin's Creed and Bioshock being available to listen to, but this is the first time the BBC has got involved.
For a few years now the the organisation has been trying to appeal to new and younger audiences - on television, online and radio.
Sebastian Baczkiewicz, who adapted the Firewall story for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds, hopes that just because this is a story based on a gaming franchise, it won't be pigeonholed as something for younger listeners only: "Trying to reach new audiences is always part of what we do and hopefully this will find an audience.
"But I don't know if they'll be younger. People in their 50s, 60s and 70s play - gaming is a massive global phenomenon."
Video games are inherently a visual medium - which is why high-profile crossovers have focused in the main on film and television, and Baczkiewicz admits the adaptation was "an extraordinary challenge", but one he was excited about.
"The genius of this is that no-one actually thought it was possible, but I always think of anything in radio in a very visual way. I'm not sitting here thinking how it will sound, but rather what does it look like, what's happening in the scene and what are people doing.
"With access to all the sound effects from the game we were able to bed the drama into the world of the game - and show fans that we're not leaving the game behind, instead we're slap bang in the middle of the action."
While plenty of executives and commissioners have been happy to back movie and television gaming crossovers in recent years, not all of them have been box office successes - and many have been critical failures.
Ali Plumb believes there are clear lessons to be learned from these failed experiments: "Embracing what makes the originals so beloved but also doing what makes sense for the new medium - finding this balance is the key to making a success of these crossover projects, whether it's TV, film or audio drama."
He argues that projects aimed at children - like Sonic and Angry Birds - have found the greatest success in doing this: "Maybe because, without being too rude, they don't have to pass such a high critical bar to be successful in their own terms. As long as they're putting smiles on faces, then they're doing their job nicely."
Splinter Cell has a more mature fan base than those examples - so the job of making a success of this adaptation may be a little harder.
m behind it say paying respect to the source material is the key, Andonis Anthony explaining it was a major focus for everybody involved, "from the production team, from writers to the performers, all of the cast".
Sebastian Baczkiewicz added: "There's no winking as it were, there's no 'this is all a bit crazy, isn't it?!' This is the world we are in and we are being true to it. We were really keen to make sure we maintained that throughout.
"The audiences of these games are passionate and why wouldn't you treat them and the story with respect."
Splinter Cell: Firewall is broadcast on Fridays on Radio 4 at 14:15 GMT. All episodes are on BBC Sounds now.
For more gaming content - go to Press X to Continue - the BBC Sounds gaming Podcast. | /news/entertainment-arts-63874745 |
politics | Sir Keir Starmer calls for 'much better' asylum processing | Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK-France deal over migrants is a "step in the right direction" but insisted that more needed to be done.
He agreed with Home Secretary Suella Braverman that the asylum system was broken, but added: “They broke it”.
Sir Keir said most people would be "pretty shocked" to learn that only 4% of asylum applications of those arriving in boats had been processed.
UK strikes revised deal with France on Channel migrants | /news/uk-politics-63624557 |
health | Ambulance staff in England vote for strike action | Members of two unions representing ambulance staff have voted for strike action in England and Wales as the NHS pay dispute deepens.
Paramedics, call handlers and other staff at 10 ambulance services have backed a walkout in the ballots run by Unison and the GMB.
Strikes are likely to start before Christmas, but the rules requiring emergency care to be provided mean their impact will be limited.
Nurses are walking out in December.
Strikes on 15 and 20 December will affect a quarter of frontline services in England and nearly all of those in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Unions have suspended industrial action in Scotland while they consider a new pay offer.
GMB members at nine ambulance services and Unison members at five backed strikes.
Only the East of England service will not be affected.
Unison - the biggest union in the health service - also balloted members at more than 200 other NHS organisations, including hospitals, mental health teams and community services.
Alongside ambulance staff, they also represent cleaners, porters, nurses and health care assistants.
Only three NHS organisations backed strike action with the turnout too low at the others.
But a strike by Unison members will take place in Northern Ireland across ambulance and other NHS services on 12 December as turnout requirements are lower there.
Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said with ambulance services struggling to respond to calls - the response times are the longest since modern records began - staff there felt they had no choice.
Just last week, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives warned patients were dying because of the "crippling delays".
Ms McAnea said until the government acts on wages, staff shortages would not be addressed and delays would continue.
But she added: "Patients will always come first and emergency cover will be available during any strike."
Have you experienced a long wait for an ambulance or at A&E? Get in touch.
It will now be up to ambulance managers to negotiate with unions to decide on the exact level of cover.
Most at risk will be the lowest category 999 calls that do not require patients to be taken to hospital, and transport services between hospitals.
five regional services that voted for strike action are London, North West, North East, Yorkshire and the South West.
Patients around the UK will face widely different levels of care as a result of the looming NHS strikes in December.
Because of turnout rules for strike ballots to be valid some trusts wont see any disruption. But it will be a very different story at neighbouring hospitals and ambulance services affected by walkouts.
Ambulance staff staged four hour strikes over pay in late 2014 - emergency care was maintained but there were long waits for some cases including fractures and falls. Military backup was needed.
me the NHS is under much greater strain and the walkouts may well be longer. The Royal College of Nursing has never taken this level of action before so the strikes will take the NHS into uncharted territory.
Crucially the precise definitions of the emergency care which will be maintained have not been finalised. Operations, appointments and even some cancer care will be postponed at a time of growing waiting lists and warnings of intense winter pressures.
While talks progress in Scotland with strike calls suspended there appears to be deadlock in the UK's other nations.
uncement of the ballot comes as the Royal College of Nursing announced which hospitals and other NHS services will be affected by its strike on 15 and 20 December.
Nurses at a quarter of NHS trusts in England will be involved, along with nearly all services in Northern Ireland and Wales.
It will affect leading cancer centres and children's hospitals, including London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.
r two main ambulance unions, GMB and Unite, are expected to announce the results of their strike ballots in the coming days.
All the unions have asked for above-inflation pay rises.
But the governments in England and Wales have given NHS staff an average rise of 4.75%, with staff guaranteed a minimum of £1,400.
England Health Secretary Steve Barclay said paying what was being asked for was "unaffordable" and he pointed out the award met the requirements of the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body.
"I'm hugely grateful for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff and deeply regret some will be taking industrial action - which is in nobody's best interests as we approach a challenging winter," he added.
Strike action has been suspended in Scotland after a fresh pay offer was made, which unions are consulting on. | /news/health-63806656 |
sports | Winter Olympics: Norway win record 15th gold as Johannes Thingnes Bo takes biathlon victory | Johannes Thingnes Bo steered Norway to Winter Olympic history as they won a record-breaking 15th gold in Beijing.
Bo's victory in the men's mass start biathlon was his fourth gold of the Games, and his fifth medal overall.
His country's tally surpassed the previous best at a Winter Games of 14, first achieved by Canada in 2010.
Norway's Marte Olsbu Roiseland, meanwhile, has become the first person to win a medal in all four individual biathlon events at a Winter Games.
Roiseland took bronze in the women's mass start biathlon, to add to the gold she earned in the sprint and pursuit biathlon events, and bronze in the individual.
31-year-old also won gold in the mixed relay, meaning she is the first woman to win five biathlon medals in a single Winter Games.
Justine Braisaz-Bouchet took gold in the women's mass start event, becoming the first Frenchwoman ever to do so.
ril Eckhoff, in second, is the first female biathlete to win a mass start medal at three successive Games.
As Bo, 28, took victory in the men's event, he became the third biathlete to win five medals at a single Games after France's Quentin Fillon Maillet, who claimed gold in the individual and pursuit events at Beijing, plus silver in the sprint and both relays, and Roiseland.
Martin Ponsilouma of Sweden took silver with another Norwegian, Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen, winning bronze.
Fillon Maillet finished fourth to narrowly miss out on a historic sixth Olympic biathlon medal.
freezing temperatures and high winds throughout both races, with the women's event brought forward 24 hours because of forecast bad weather.
Finland reached their first men's Olympic ice hockey final in 16 years after a 2-0 victory over Slovakia.
Sakari Manninen scored the opener in the first period for Finland, who have never won the gold medal.
Harri Pesonen scored into an empty net to seal the win late on after Slovakia netminder Patrik Rybar joined their attack in search for an equaliser.
Finns had beaten Slovakia 6-2 in their tournament opener but this was a much closer affair, with Manninen's opener one of a few scoring chances in the opening period.
rest of game was then dominated by the two netminders, with Slovakia's Rybar making 25 saves, while Harri Sateri made 28 to earn the shutout for Finland.
While they have never claimed Olympic gold, Finland - the number two-ranked team in the world - have claimed a medal in three of the past four Games, including silver in Turin in 2006.
will face the Russian Olympic Committee in Sunday's gold medal match after the defending champions squeezed past Sweden on penalties.
Arseni Gritsyuk scored the decisive goal at sudden death in the shootout.
Sweden's Anton Lander had earlier cancelled out Anton Slepyshev's opener midway through the third period, with the sides still unable to be separated after overtime, when ended with the score 1-1.
Canadawon bronze in the men's curling after a 8-5 victory over the USA, the defending champions.
A tight and tense contest turned in the ninth end when US skip John Shuster gave up a steal of two, which opened up a three-point deficit they were unable to recover from.
Victory avenges Canada's defeat by the US in the semi-finals in Pyeongchang four years ago, which ended the Canadians' run of three successive golds in this event.
ronze will be Canada's only curling medal at the Beijing Games after their women's and mixed doubles teams did not make the playoffs.
Great Britain, who beat the USA in the semi-final on Thursday, play Sweden in the men's gold medal match on Saturday. | /sport/winter-olympics/60428141 |
health | Largest nursing strike in NHS history starts | Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have started a nationwide strike in the largest action of its kind in NHS history.
Staff will continue to provide "life-preserving" and some urgent care but routine surgery and other planned treatment is likely to be disrupted.
Royal College of Nursing said staff had been given no choice after ministers refused to reopen pay talks.
UK government said the RCN's 19% pay rise demand was unaffordable.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen has called on the government to "do the decent thing" and resolve the dispute before the year ends.
Ms Cullen told BBC Breakfast the strike marked "a tragic day in nursing".
"We need to stand up for our health service, we need to find a way of addressing those over seven million people that are sitting on waiting lists, and how are we going to do that? By making sure we have got the nurses to look after our patients, not with 50,000 vacant posts, and with it increasing day by day," she said.
Health Minister Maria Caulfield, a former nurse, accepted "it is difficult" living on a nurse's wage, but said that a 19% pay rise "is an unrealistic ask".
will involve nurses in around a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all health boards in Northern Ireland and all but one in Wales. Nurses are not striking in Scotland.
Watch Make Sense of Strikes on iPlayer and find out more about why people are striking and whether industrial action works.
Under trade union laws, the RCN has to ensure life-preserving care continues during the 12-hour strike.
Chemotherapy and kidney dialysis should run as normal, along with intensive and critical care, children's accident and emergency and hospital neonatal units, which look after newborn babies.
Beyond that, it will be up to NHS boards and trusts to negotiate services on a local level, with discussions likely to come down to the circumstances of some individual patients.
ggest impact is likely to be in pre-booked treatment such as hernia repair, hip replacements or outpatient clinics.
NHS has said it is "vital" people continue to come forward for emergency care during the strikes and anyone not contacted to reschedule an appointment should attend as planned.
"Nurses have had enough - we are underpaid and undervalued," a nurse and local RCN steward Lyndsay Thompson, from Northern Ireland, says.
"Yes, this is a pay dispute but it's also very much about patient safety.
"The fact we cannot recruit enough nurses means patient safety is being put at risk."
Ms Thompson, who has worked as a registered nurse for 12 years, says her colleagues "absolutely do not want to strike" but feel the need to take action "to protect the NHS" after a period of below-inflation pay rises.
"We just feel we have no other option, because the government is not listening to us," she says.
RCN balloted more than 300,000 nurses across individual NHS trusts and boards rather than in a single, national vote.
means some nurses are not entitled to take industrial action, because the turnout in their local area was too low.
In England, the first round of strikes will go ahead in 44 of 209 hospitals, mental-health trusts and community services.
Strikes are also going ahead in all of Northern Ireland's health boards and all but one in Wales, the Aneurin Bevan.
Most GP services will be unaffected, as nurses working directly for practices were not entitled to take part in the vote, but the strike will include district nurses working in people's homes or community settings.
A second day of strike action will go ahead on 20 December, unless there is a breakthrough in talks.
Watch this video quiz to test your knowledge of nurses' pay
In England and Wales, most NHS staff have already received a pay rise of roughly £1,400 this year - worth about 4% on average for nurses.
uation in Northern Ireland meant there was a delay in processing the increase - but nurses should receive backdated payments before the end of the year.
RCN wants a larger rise, of 5% above the RPI inflation rate, which currently stands at 14%, saying its members have received years of below-inflation pay increases.
England's Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, said further pay rises would mean taking money away from other front-line services.
"I've been working across government and with medics outside the public sector to ensure safe staffing levels - but I do remain concerned about the risk that strikes pose to patients," he said.
Mr Barclay added that the government had followed the recommendation of the independent NHS Pay Review Body, which said in July NHS staff should receive the £1,400 increase, with slightly more for the most experienced nurses.
, made up mainly of economists and human-resources (HR) professionals, had been asked to base that recommendation on a range of factors, including:
Welsh ministers said they were unable to enter pay talks without extra funding from the UK government.
In Scotland, the RCN's strike action has been "paused", after ministers made a fresh offer worth just over £2,200 a year for most NHS staff. Nurses have been asked to vote on that deal, with results due next week.
David was meant to have a pacemaker fitted on Thursday at a hospital in Wales.
Since he had major heart surgery five years ago, his NHS treatment has been "second to none", he says.
But being called and told Thursday's procedure had been postponed has left him "frustrated and disappointed" - and he has not yet been given a new date.
"If you're [working] in a profession where lives are at risk, I feel [it is] wrong to strike," David says.
"Particularly at Christmas and when other people are striking as well, it's not a good time."
Union bosses have offered to suspend strikes if the UK government agrees to reopen serious discussions over pay.
But a face-to-face meeting earlier this week broke down, with the RCN accusing Mr Barclay of "belligerence" and having "too little to say".
will be only the second time RCN members have walked out in its 106-year history. Until 1995, the union had a formal no-strike policy in its rulebook.
In 2019, nurses in Northern Ireland went on strike over pay. And in 2014, those in England who were members of Unison walked out - also over pay.
winter, a number of other major health unions, including Unison, the GMB, Unite the Union and the Royal College of Midwives, have also voted to strike in different parts of the UK, with a series of walkouts planned over Christmas and the new year.
Are you taking part in the strike action - or affected by it? Please email us: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | /news/health-63946730 |
entertainment | NI Screen: Blade Runner 2099 to be filmed in Northern Ireland | Blade Runner 2099, a TV series based on the iconic Blade Runner films, is to be filmed in Northern Ireland.
ries has been commissioned by the streaming giant Amazon with Ridley Scott, who directed the original 1982 Blade Runner film, as executive producer.
Northern Ireland Screen chief executive Richard Williams made the announcement on Tuesday.
He said pre-production would start almost immediately.
Filming is due to begin in spring 2023.
"Most people are familiar with Blade Runner, this is a television series in that world," he said.
"It'll be big, it'll be very big."
Alcon Entertainment, who made the 2017 feature film sequel Blade Runner 2049 starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, are behind the TV series.
first Blade Runner film has become one of the most iconic science fiction films of all time.
Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young and Darryl Hannah, it told the tale of a police officer whose job was to hunt down synthetic humans - or replicants - in a dystopian Los Angeles.
It has influenced many other films and popular culture, as well as predicting developments in technology and climate change.
It is not yet known who will star in the new TV series, which is set 50 years after the action of the 2017 sequel.
uncement was made as Northern Ireland Screen's new 2022-2026 strategy outlined that the TV, film and video game industries should aim to generate more than £430m for the Northern Ireland economy over the next four years.
It plans to spend about £53m on TV, film and video game production until 2026 to generate an "ambitious and challenging" £431m return.
But there is less money for Irish language and Ulster-Scots broadcasting this year compared to 2021/22.
Northern Ireland (NI) Screen said that was due to the end of "an uplift in funding in 2021/22 following the implementation of commitments within New Decade New Approach".
New Decade New Approach (NDNA) was the agreement which restored the Northern Ireland Executive in January 2020.
It included a government commitment to increase funding to the Ulster Scots Broadcast Fund and Irish Language Broadcast Fund.
"one-off uplift" was provided by the UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
However, NI Screen's business plan for 2022/23 said "the uplift in funding is not to be sustained in 22/23 and future years".
"A one-year increase in production funding is challenging to manage as it increases demand for the funding from the production companies which cannot be met in future years," it said.
"The reduction in funding from DCMS will impact the number of projects that can be supported and the number of training places and skills development that can be supported in 2022-23."
re will be about £3.9m available for the Irish Language Broadcast Fund in 2022/23 and about £1m for the Ulster Scots Broadcast Fund.
will fund a number of things including 60 hours of television in Irish, 10 hours of television and some radio in Ulster-Scots and employment for a number of trainees through both funds.
Richard Williams, the chief executive of NI Screen, told BBC's Good Morning Ulster there was no reason the creative industries could not sustain growth in the coming years but added that he was very disappointed by the reduction in Irish and Ulster-Scots language funding.
NI Screen's 2022/23 business plan covers the first year of the body's new strategy for 2022-26, called Stories, Skills & Sustainability.
revious strategy from 2018-2022 included plans to grow the television drama, independent film and animation industries and to increase the number of video game companies.
For instance, NI Screen spent about £300,000 per year on video game production funding until 2022.
2018-22 strategy also included an overall target to deliver a minimum of £300m return to the Northern Ireland economy from the screen industries over that period.
NI Screen said that target had been exceeded and so it had been increased for the new 2022-26 strategy.
"The strategy includes an uplifted economic spend target of £430 million, a 43% increase on the £300 million target for Opening Doors 2018-22," the business plan said.
Department for the Economy (DfE) provides the majority of NI Screen's income and has increased its funding to almost £18m in 2022-23.
NI Screen's total budget for 2022/23 is about £27m.
Mr Williams praised early efforts made by former first and deputy first ministers Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness in developing the film industry in Northern Ireland, but added that recent governments have "not delivered to the same extent".
"Would it be more impactful, particularly in the American market, if there was the joined-up leadership that there had been in the past? Yes it would," he added.
Among the recent productions filmed in Northern Ireland which NI Screen has invested money in are Paramount's Dungeons & Dragons, starring Hugh Grant and Chris Pine, and Netflix's The School for Good and Evil, featuring Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington.
Major TV series recently shot in Northern Ireland include Bloodlands and Line of Duty.
Plans have also been unveiled for Studio Ulster - a £25m cutting-edge virtual production studio to be built in Belfast by 2024.
However, in June a major television series from Star Wars director JJ Abrams, which was due to film in Belfast, was cancelled.
Mr Williams said he understands the pressures freelance workers are feeling and that a new project will be announced "within a matter of days", adding he was not in a position to provide further details.
"I am extremely confident that we will have projects to fill both Titanic Studios and Belfast Harbour Studios. Unfortunately I don't have full control on the information that underpins that," he said.
"The work absolutely will come in… we continue to get the support of the Northern Ireland Executive, which gives us the tools and allows us to develop the physical infrastructure, provide the modest incentives and to develop the crew that will allow us to continue to bring the work."
NI Screen's 2022-26 strategy also includes plans to give about 100 people training and placements in the film and TV industry.
Creative Industries New Entrants programme is funded by the Department for Communities and run by NI Screen in partnership with BBC Northern Ireland.
It will target opportunities to those least likely to enter the industry including to those with a disability, from an ethnic minority or from a lower socio-economic background. | /news/uk-northern-ireland-63206462 |
sports | Welsh Grand National: The Two Amigos and David Prichard win at 16-1 | The Two Amigos won the Welsh Grand National at 16-1 at Chepstow Racecourse with Welsh jockey David Prichard giving home fans a festive win to cheer.
Prichard made the early running and held off the challenges of the 14-1 The Big Breakaway and The Big Dog, who started at 9-2, to win.
It was the first Welsh National to be held in front of spectators since 2019 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
wo Amigos finished second in 2021 and fifth in 2019.
Prichard told ITV: "Obviously it is the biggest win of my career so far.
"We only just got in, we did not think we were going to get in to be honest and even worse I thought I was going to have 10 2 (10 stone 2) a couple of days after Christmas, luckily the weights went up.
"He (The Two Amigos) is ultra-consistent, he chucked in a few bad runs, but that was mainly because the yard was not in great form last year, but Nicky (Nicky Martin, trainer) has got them all firing this year."
Prichard added: "We thought we were coming in with a real chance, especially with the ground getting softer by the minute and on such a featherweight, it was just brilliant.
"I would like to thank Nicky and John for all the chances they have given me.
"I am a proud Welshman, to win our own national is absolutely incredible.
"My mum and dad are from near Pontypridd, it is a big day."
It was also a memorable, if poignant day for 16-year-old Freddie Gingell, who guided Truckers Lodge to fourth, and The Big Breakaway's trainer Joe Tizzard.
race was run in memory of Freddie's late mother, Kim Gingell - Tizzard's sister - who died aged 43 from cancer in 2020. | /sport/horse-racing/64102232 |
politics | Rishi Sunak admits not enough asylum claims are being processed | Keir Starmer says PM did 'grubby deal' to avoid an election
Rishi Sunak has admitted not enough asylum claims are being processed, but promised to fix the system.
He was responding to questions from Sir Keir Starmer who accused the government of having lost control.
Labour leader also called for Suella Braverman to be replaced with a "proper home secretary".
Last week MPs were told that just 4% of those coming to the UK via small boat Channel crossings in 2021 had received decisions on their asylum claims.
government is also facing questions about severe overcrowding at the Manston asylum processing centre in Kent, which has reportedly led to outbreaks of disease and violence.
re have been reports of over 4,000 people staying at the centre, despite it being meant to hold just 1,600 when it was built.
Migrants are supposed to be kept at the centre for 24 hours only but the chief inspector of immigration has said some people had been there for over a month.
On Monday, Ms Braverman said illegal migration was "out of control" and acknowledged the system was "broken".
Repeating her comment at Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir asked Mr Sunak "who broke it?"
"If the asylum system is broken and his lot have been in power for 12 years - how can it be anyone's fault but theirs."
rime minister defended his government's record, pointing to an increase of staff at Manston and the number of hotel beds available for arrivals.
"These are significant steps that demonstrate we are getting a grip of this system," he told Sir Keir.
He accused Labour of not having a plan to fix the problem, describing their policy as "a blank page".
Sir Keir said the government had wasted £140m on the Rwanda scheme which has so far failed to deport any failed asylum seekers.
He urged the government to "scrap the Rwanda gimmick, crack down on smuggling gangs, end the small boat crossings, speed up asylum claims and agree an international deal on refugees?
"Start governing for once and get a grip."
was a difficult PMQs for the new prime minister for two reasons.
Firstly, he is Conservative prime minister number five after 12 years of Conservative government, and so there is nowhere to hide and no-one else to blame when things go wrong.
And secondly, because of the bluntness of his home secretary.
Suella Braverman said the other day that illegal immigration was "out of control".
And Sunak was forced to admit the speed of processing asylum claims isn't good enough.
rime minister is, for now, managing to keep his side on side - with tribal stuff that Conservative MPs lap up about Keir Starmer having wanted Jeremy Corbyn to become prime minister.
But you have to wonder about the shelf life of those attack lines as the problems for the government stack up.
Earlier this year, the government announced plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda where they could claim refuge.
Ministers argue this would reduce the numbers crossing the English Channel, but the policy has been held up by legal challenges.
Almost 40,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats so far in 2022 - the highest number since figures began to be collected in 2018.
rocessing asylum claims is partly down to a rule change from 2019, whereby the Home Office scrapped a target for decision-making.
Council leaders in Kent have warned the home secretary the county is at "breaking point" dealing with the migrant issue, with public services coming under "extreme pressure".
Earlier this week, Ms Braverman described the numbers arriving in the UK as an "invasion on the south coast".
United Nations Human Rights Commissioner has now criticised the home secretary, saying invasion was "a horrible word".
Speaking in Geneva, Volker Türk said politicians had to be sure their words didn't "add fuel to the fire on issues that are about human beings".
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has also expressed anger at the rhetoric used in the UK, after figures showed a big rise in the number of Albanians coming to the UK in small boats.
"Targeting Albanians (as some shamefully did when fighting for Brexit) as the cause of Britain's crime and border problems makes for easy rhetoric but ignores hard fact," he tweeted.
"Albanians in the UK work hard and pay tax... [the] UK should fight the crime gangs of all nationalities and stop discriminating [against] Albanians to excuse policy failures." | /news/uk-politics-63486665 |
politics | Post Office scandal: Anglesey honours wrongly jailed sub-postmaster | A former sub-postmaster who was disqualified as a councillor 16 years ago when he was wrongly jailed has been honoured by the local authority.
Noel Thomas, 75, was one of more than 700 sub-postmasters convicted in the Post Office IT scandal.
He was sent to prison for false accounting in 2006, but had his conviction quashed last year.
Anglesey council gave him "a long delayed vote of thanks for his service".
Post Office IT scandal was the UK's most widespread miscarriage of justice, and the prosecutions were based on flawed information from the Horizon computer system.
Mr Thomas, from Gaerwen, Anglesey, first represented Plaid Cymru as a councillor in 1986.
He received a letter of disqualification when he was serving nine months in Kirkham prison, Lancashire in 2006, because of the length of his sentence.
Council chairman Dafydd Roberts, who also presented Mr Thomas with a gift, said: "Noel had to leave the council through no fault of his own, but our hands were tied.
"We have great sympathy for him, he has been treated horrendously by his employer, and we appreciate the way he has conducted himself during this egregious miscarriage of justice.
"There is nothing the council can do to right the wrong, but we can take a small step to show we have the greatest respect for him."
He added that they wanted to show their appreciation as a council, and "he was and always will be a pillar of the community".
former sub-postmaster, who will be 76 on Christmas Eve, said he was extremely grateful for the honour, and he vividly remembered getting the disqualification letter in prison.
"What could I do?" he said.
"I read it, and had a lump in my throat, helping people was the main thing about being a councillor - it was the Post Office's fault not the council."
His daughter Sian said the vote of thanks was welcome "after all these years".
"We as a family think it's a lovely idea, as at the same time the authority had no choice at the time but to dismiss him." | /news/uk-wales-63879540 |
sports | Winter Olympics: Spanish figure skater Laura Barquero fails doping test | Spanish figure skater Laura Barquero tested positive for a banned substance at the Winter Olympics, according to the International Testing Agency (ITA).
ITA said a sample taken on 18 February contained a metabolite of clostebol, which is on the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Barquero was tested during the pairs skating short programme in Beijing.
"The athlete has been informed. She has the right to request the analysis of the B-sample," said the ITA.
"The matter will thereafter be referred to the anti-doping division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport [Cas] for adjudication under the IOC [International Olympic Committee] anti-doping rules applicable to the Olympic Games Beijing 2022.
"Given that the case is under way, there will be no further comments during the ongoing proceeding."
20-year-old, alongside partner Maurizio Zandron, finished 11th in the pairs skating event at the Beijing Games.
It is the fourth positive test from the Games, which were dominated by the case of 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva.
Russian Valieva was allowed to compete in Beijing despite testing positive for banned angina drug trimetazidine before the Winter Olympics. | /sport/winter-olympics/60480117 |
technology | Drone technology used to inspect Scotland's sewers | How drones are replacing people in Scotland's sewers
Scottish Water is pioneering the use of drones to inspect Scotland's sewers.
utility company said the technology replaces the need for workers to carry out inspections, will provide more accurate readings about conditions and will help reduce emissions.
It carried out the UK's first drone inspection at a sewer on Bath Street, Glasgow in July.
Similar inspections are expected to be rolled out in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and some rural areas.
Scottish Water said the more accurate inspections will cut the cost of repairs and maintenance and reduce the risk of flooding and pollution.
gh-tech drones are fitted with cameras and laser technology called light detection and ranging (LiDAR), which scans sewers for issues like cracks, holes, partial collapses, infiltration, and root ingress.
wo workers pilot a drone as it flies along pipes and can inspect the area using video.
method replaces 15 workers who would have traditionally carried out inspections - though this method will still be used in other parts of the network.
Scottish Water said the drones help cut down on staff working in dangerous conditions in confined spaces with the risk of hazardous gases.
It added that the technology would not adversely affect jobs, pay or conditions of any workers involved.
A spokesperson added: "It will actually create more work because, as we roll it out, we'll be able to carry out more sewer inspections on parts of our waste water network that we could not reach using the traditional 'worker entry' methods. Sewer inspections are also just one part of these workers' job remits."
gy including its software was developed by Environmental Techniques, a surveyor based in Northern Ireland.
Scottish Water said the drones would be flown to parts of its 33,000-mile network that traditional surveys could not reach.
It added this method could reduce carbon emissions from sewer surveys by as much as 80% by reducing the number of site vans and vehicle deliveries.
Iain Jones, the company's risk and life cycle planning manager, said: "Drones have been put into sewers elsewhere with limited capabilities and limited success. But the specific adaptation of both drone and the 3D LiDAR modelling is what makes this special.
"The 4K quality outputs combined with accurate modelling is the innovative thing. That quality is four times better than a HD TV and it's certainly a first in Britain.
"Some of the sewers pre-date the Victorian era and are more than 160 years-old and we need information to enable us to make good decisions about how to rehabilitate them if necessary." | /news/uk-scotland-63048466 |
sports | Hazara: The female karate champions 'breaking out of the cage' | Many of Pakistan’s top female karate players are from the Hazara ethnic minority. The community has endured decades of persecution and targeted bomb attacks.
One of the deadliest was in 2013, when multiple bombings in the city of Quetta left more than 200 people dead.
Hazara community lives in isolated ghettos in the city, cordoned off by checkpoints. For many Hazara women karate is a way of fighting back and breaking out of the restrictions they face.
Filmed by: Musa Yawari. Directed by: Kevin Kim and Musa Yawari. Edited by: Kevin Kim. | /news/world-asia-60827251 |
technology | Nissan Sunderland's £10m battery assembly line begins manufacturing | Electric versions of the Qashqai and Juke are being manufactured at Nissan in Sunderland thanks to a £10m state-of-the-art battery assembly line.
Battery packs for the plant's two most successful models are now made onsite and fitted into the crossover vehicles.
Built alongside the Nissan Leaf, it means every model built in the UK now has an electrified version.
Vice president of manufacturing Alan Johnson said it was "fantastic" to see them rolling off the production lines.
wo electrified models are part of a previously announced £500m investment by Nissan into the plant to build the current generations of Qashqai and Juke.
Mr Johnson added: "Both e-POWER and hybrid technologies are firsts for the team in Sunderland.
"Our plant is built on the foundations of 36 years of manufacturing excellence from our world-class people and advanced facilities.
"Two million hours of training just for electrification shows we are taking that to the next level, as we lead the charge towards an electrified future."
Last Year Nissan announced a major expansion of electric vehicle production at the plant in Sunderland as part of a £1bn investment.
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. | /news/uk-england-tyne-63027180 |
sports | Meggan Dawson-Farrell: 'I said I would run away from sports camp' | Meggan Dawson-Farrell's comic timing may be the key to Britain securing wheelchair curling success in Beijing - as she knows how to quell a tense situation.
"It helps, if games aren't going so well, to give the team a lift," she says. "But I've been told I'm not allowed to tell any more jokes, because they are really bad!"
Dawson-Farrell didn't play sport at school, but attending a sports camp as a teenager transformed her life.
"I told my mum I would run away, but three days later when she came to pick me up, I didn't want to leave," she says.
29-year old - a Paralympic debutant in Beijing - will be hoping Britain can repeat previous medal successes in the event - a bronze in 2014, and a silver when the sport made its debut in 2006. | /sport/av/disability-sport/60601952 |
sports | Tokyo Olympics: British medal hope Amber Hill withdraws after testing positive for Covid-19 | British medal hope Amber Hill has withdrawn from the women's skeet competition at this summer's Olympics after testing positive for Covid-19.
World number one Hill won silver at the shooting World Cup in May and finished sixth at the Rio 2016 Games.
Hill says she is "absolutely devastated" by the news, which came before she had left for Japan.
She was due to participate in Sunday's qualifying event with the final scheduled to take place on Monday.
British Olympic Association confirmed Hill's positive test and added there would be no replacement for the 23-year-old.
"There are no words to describe how I'm feeling right now," Hill said.
"After five years of training and preparation, I'm absolutely devastated to say that last night I received a positive Covid-19 test, meaning I've had to withdraw from Team GB's shooting team.
"Although I don't have any symptoms, I will now isolate as per the government guidance."
Swimmer Ilya Borodin, 2020 European champion in the men's 400m individual medley, will also miss the Games, the Russian Swimming Federation said.
18-year-old tested positive for coronavirus during a training camp before departing for Japan.
One athlete who feared her Games might be over after she was identified as a close contact of a member of the public who tested positive on the flight to Japan has been given hope she can compete.
British 400m hurdler Jessie Knight was part of a group of six athletes identified as a close contact of someone two rows away on her flight.
"When I was initially told, I was just told 'Oh Jessie we need to speak to you' so my heart dropped and to be honest I thought I'd tested positive," the 27-year-old told BBC Sport. "The fact that I was just a close contact, I was really relieved."
rotocols in place mean she is isolated from athletes who have not been affected but with twice-a-day testing, and social distancing between her and her coach, she is still able to train.
"You don't want to miss 14 days of training going into the biggest race of your life so I was panicking but it was communicated so quickly that I would be able to train so long as we were providing those negative tests."
m GB chef de mission Mark England said: "This is a rule that was presented to everybody only in the last 48 hours by the IOC and Tokyo 2020.
"Any athlete in the Olympic Games that has been contacted for track-and-trace and is isolating, as long as they presenting negative tests they are allowed to enter the field of play."
Knight is due to compete in the early rounds of the women's 400m hurdles on 31 July. | /sport/olympics/57917553 |
entertainment | David Walliams made 'disrespectful comments' about Britain's Got Talent contestants | David Walliams has admitted making "disrespectful comments" about two Britain's Got Talent contestants during a break in filming in 2020.
A leaked transcript of a recording showed the talent show judge making derogatory and sexually explicit remarks, according to the Guardian.
He has said sorry, and that the remarks "were never intended to be shared".
w's producers said they had spoken to him about his "future professional conduct".
median and author has appeared on the ITV programme since 2012.
In a statement, the TV personality said: "I would like to apologise to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain's Got Talent in 2020.
"These were private conversations and - like most conversations with friends - were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry."
mments were picked up by microphones during discussions between the judging panel while recording an audition show at the London Palladium, the Guardian said.
One was reportedly aimed at an older performer who had made a jibe about Walliams while joking with the judges.
r incident occurred shortly after a woman had walked off stage, with Walliams apparently referring to her as a "slightly boring girl you meet in the pub" who thinks you want to have sex with her.
In a statement, ITV said: "We do not condone the language outlined in these allegations, and we have spoken to the producers of Britain's Got Talent.
"Duty of care towards all participants on any of our programmes is always of paramount importance and we have protocols and guidelines in place for all our production partners."
A spokesperson for Thames TV, which produces the show, said the company regarded Walliams' comments as private, but that his use of language was "inappropriate".
: "Even though it was private, those involved have been spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities and the show's expectations as to future professional conduct."
A spokesperson for Cowell and Syco Entertainment, the co-producer of Britain's Got Talent, said they were "unaware" of the alleged conversation until contacted by the newspaper, stressing that "Britain's Got Talent is a family show and we do not condone the use of any such language".
re is no suggestion that Cowell or any other judges made any such remarks.
Noted for his on-screen chemistry with Cowell on the show, Walliams was named best judge at the National Television Awards in 2015, 2018 and 2019.
He rose to fame in the noughties as the star and co-creator of hit BBC sketch show Little Britain and has gone on to enjoy success as a best-selling children's author.
However, in 2020, he and Little Britain co-star Matt Lucas apologised for using black face in the show; and last year a story about a Chinese boy was removed from one of his books after criticism that it contained "harmful stereotypes". | /news/entertainment-arts-63584677 |
health | Nottingham: Tech issue resolved after hospital services disrupted | A technology problem at a Nottingham hospital trust that led to delays and overcrowding in its emergency department has been resolved.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust alerted patients about the IT issue on Wednesday evening.
rust says the issue has now been fixed and disruption at the Queen's Medical Centre's emergency department has "much improved".
Some planned procedures and outpatient appointments have been postponed.
rust is encouraging people to attend scheduled appointments unless they have been told otherwise.
Additional steps were taken to maintain safe services, including bringing in more staff and seeking support from the health and social care sector, according to the trust.
A statement said: "The IT issue that we experienced yesterday has now been resolved and we are able to process and report on blood samples as normal.
"We would like to thank our health and social care partners for their support and our staff for their continued hard work.
"Please attend your planned procedure or outpatient appointment as normal today, unless you have been contacted."
Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk. | /news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-63743445 |
politics | No pot of money for teachers' pay deal, says education secretary | re is no separate pot of money in the education budget to fund an improved pay deal for teachers, the education secretary has said.
Shirley-Anne Somerville said any enhanced offer would have to be paid for by cuts elsewhere.
Scotland's largest teachers' union announced strike action on Thursday after rejecting a 5% pay offer.
rs across the country will stage a 24-hour walkout on 24 November with further industrial action planned.
Conservatives have accused Ms Somerville of being "missing in action" during the teachers' pay dispute and called on her to "get a grip" and resolve the issue.
ucation secretary told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that strike action "is not inevitable".
She insisted the Scottish government was "absolutely determined" to work with local authority body Cosla to try to come up with a pay increase closer to the 10% called for by the EIS union.
But she said "difficult decisions would have to be made" because the Scottish government's budgets had already been fully marked out.
Ms Somerville said: "We've made it very clear to teachers, and everyone across the public sector, that we have huge sympathy for public sector workers, with high inflation and the cost of living that we have.
"But we do also have to bear in mind the reality and the context. The Scottish government has a fixed budget. It cannot change taxes in the year. Its reserves have been fully utilised.
"If we're looking to fund public sector pay offers, that money has to come from somewhere else in the budget.
"There is no separate pot of money in the education budget or anywhere else within the Scottish budget to allow these deals to be made."
Ministers have repeatedly said there is no more money for public sector pay deals - that their budget is already spent.
Yet it is clear they intend to find more cash to make an improved offer to teachers to try to avert a national strike.
rs to mean trimming cash already allocated for other things within the education budget and diverting it to salaries.
While the EIS is seeking a 10% rise - double the 5% currently on offer - they are unlikely to get that when a separate dispute with local government workers was settled at around 7%.
Scottish government does not seem to be proposing a similar approach in health.
Why? Partly because they have already raided NHS budgets to improve the nurses' pay offer and worry that switching more cash could put patient health at greater risk.
re also hoping the UK government will come up with some more cash to help resolve this dispute, with the first minister arguing that without it the NHS across the UK is close to breaking point.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney announced £615m of spending cuts in his emergency budget review earlier this month.
It came on top of £560m cuts to public services in September.
Ms Somerville said she was still hopeful a deal could be done with teachers before the first walkout at the end of this month.
She said: "When we met the trade unions yesterday, along with Cosla the employers, there was a clear understanding that no-one wanted to get to the stage where there was industrial action.
"We all appreciate the huge disruption that children and young people have faced over the past few years.
"And that's why, as a Scottish government, we are absolutely determined to see... if there is additional funding that we can provide to Cosla to allow an enhanced pay offer."
Scottish Conservatives called on the education secretary to "show some leadership" and give education and skills "the priority it needs".
rty's education spokesman Stephen Kerr told Good Morning Scotland: "The Scottish government have had the largest block grant in history.
"The is about political priority and the top priority should be education.
"The Scottish government need to show some flexibility and creativity and solve this dispute.
"We have seen in the past they've been able to find the money when they needed to find the money."
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said Ms Somerville's comments that the Scottish government was determined to make a new offer were "somewhat positive".
She added: "There has been very little movement since around the third week in September.
"So it is good to hear that the Scottish government is prepared to look again to see how it might be able to provide additional funds in order that Cosla can make a better offer than that 5%, which falls far short of inflation and would amount to an almost 8% real terms pay cut for teachers." | /news/uk-scotland-63596443 |
sports | Commonwealth Games 2022: Adam Peaty & Brummie rapper Mist face funny kids questions | Adam Peaty and rapper Mist face some tough questions from Birmingham schoolchildren ahead of the Commonwealth Games.
Watch coverage of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 across the BBC from 28 July. | /sport/av/commonwealth-games/62254235 |
sports | Andy Murray regrets not playing in Scotland more after Battle of the Brits appearance | Andy Murray wishes he had played in his Scottish homeland more after taking part in this week's Battle of the Brits in Aberdeen.
Dan Evans beat Andy Murray as England clinched the tournament with an 8-4 win over Scotland.
However, Murray and older brother Jamie teamed up to beat Evans and Neal Skupski 6-3 6-4 in the final match of the event.
"I haven't played here since 2006 I think it was," Andy Murray said.
"Great to be back. I wish I had done more of this during my career. I regret that a little bit after experiencing the last couple of days, it was great."
ree-time Grand Slam and 2015 Davis Cup winner Murray, 35, has played at Glasgow's Emirates in recent years but last year's Battle of the Brits had to be postponed because of rising Covid cases.
Aberdeen event is organised by Jamie Murray, 36, and came as the younger Murray brother finished 2022 with a ranking of 49 after 26 wins from 45 singles matches.
"My movement was good this week," added Andy Murray.
"I'm hoping that in 2023 there's some good things coming and I want to finish my career off strong." | /sport/tennis/64076369 |
technology | Bailey Sarian: 'I'm just a true crime enthusiast' | YouTuber Bailey Sarian talks to the BBC's Dearbail Jordan about her approach to her true crime videos. | /news/business-62178072 |
sports | Valentino Rossi: The end of an era for motorsport legend | It is the end of an era.
After 432 grand prix starts, 115 race wins and nine world titles, Valentino Rossi - the most successful motorbike racer of his generation - is bringing down the curtain on his glittering MotoGP career.
In August, the 42-year-old announced this season would be his last, meaning Sunday's finale in Valencia will mark his farewell.
In 26 years, Rossi has become a global phenomenon, transcending the sport itself and, with it, amassing cult-like status with fans around the world.
As MotoGP commentator Nick Harris observes, he is "someone who has changed the sport and brought it to places it had never been to before - without a doubt there has never been anyone like Valentino Rossi in 73 years of grand prix racing".
many, Rossi is truly one of the motorsport greats, up there with Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Giacomo Agostini, Mike Hailwood and Mick Doohan.
But why? Let names such as Max Biaggi, Fabio Quartararo and Lewis Hamilton fill you in.
First, just look at the stats.
Rossi's incredible record shows he is still the only rider in history to win World Championships in 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP.
His first title in the premier class came in 2001 at the age of 22, the first of five successive championships - on the Honda and then with Yamaha. His final two championships came in 2008 and 2009.
He is the only rider to have started 400 or more races in the sport's history, and has 89 victories in the premier class - no-one in the history of grand prix racing has ever come close to that.
One man who knows what it's like to work with Rossi is his former mechanic, Alex Briggs. He was with Rossi from 2000, when he made his debut in the 500cc class, until 2020.
"It is like you are comparing people with computers, it is like he has a bigger hard drive and bigger memory than the rest of the guys," Briggs told BBC Sport.
"He was very good at understanding a race - if he was in third or fourth he knew in his mind that he could win, but then he got so good that it was too easy for him for a while. He would drop back like a kitten plays with a mouse - he would play with some of the other guys.
"I think he could have probably ridden a wooden motorcycle around the track for a few years and still would have won."
On and off the track Rossi has always been larger than life. He became famous worldwide for his unique celebrations - from wearing a Robin Hood outfit on the podium, to pretending he was in charge of a chain gang and even running to a portable toilet on a slow-down lap.
"He was different to anything we had ever seen before," Harris told BBC Sport. "He was cheeky, charismatic, fun-loving and understood exactly what he had to do and it just took off.
"I have been involved in F1 with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna and the rollercoaster Rossi produced was even bigger than them - it was extraordinary."
'cult of Rossi' is worldwide - in Tokyo you will find shops dedicated to the Italian, in the Caribbean you will see Rossi merchandise sold on the beach. In China you will see his race number, 46, in car back windows - and even in a small village in Cheshire you will find Rossi flags flying high in back gardens.
"When he found out there was a Rossi fan club in Hawaii, he flew some people over and had a paddling pool in the paddock garage with palm trees," said Harris. "The whole crew, his leathers and the bike had palm trees on them in Hawaiian colours. That's the effect he had."
His hometown of Tavullia has become a place of pilgrimage for many fans - more than 20,000 visit each year, from Europe, Asia and South America.
Even Hollywood A-listers can't resist his charms. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Daniel Day-Lewis are huge fans, as is seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
"One of the biggest highlights of my career was the day we spent together riding and swapping vehicles. It was so cool to do it with somebody I had watched and admired for such a long time," Hamilton told BBC Sport.
"Vale has an incredibly long career, and he was always pushing and never giving up. He has shown he is a great team player, humble with his approach and always smiling and positive.
"I think there is a lot to take away from the great leader that he is. It's beautiful to see he has achieved everything he wanted."
Rossi has made it on to the podium 235 times since making his debut in 1996. His final podium came in 2020, a third place in Jerez.
2000s were no doubt the Rossi glory years but this past decade has seen the rise of other superstars - most notably Spaniard Marc Marquez, winner of six titles between 2013 and 2019.
Only the best of the best can say that they have gone head-to-head with Rossi and for those who have, it has sparked some of the biggest rivalries in the sport's history.
Six-time world champion Max Biaggi was 'The Doctor's' first true rival. Both Italian, both passionate, both wanted to win.
"We had a lot of championships together and we were rivals. We were the same nationality and that makes the rivalry very true," Biaggi told BBC Sport.
"On track with him you never knew how it could go - he was good from the start, not so many weak points but it was always nice to race against riders who have that talent.
"He can adapt very easily and do more than one style. He was very strong on brakes but also in the wet he was fast. He was not the cleanest of riders because his style wasn't the cleanest - still he was able to have great results over the past 20 years."
2001 at the opening round in Suzuka, while in Catalunya the same year they had an altercation on the steps leading up to the podium. But for Biaggi, his greatest battle against his countryman came at Phillip Island in Australia in 2001 - a Rossi win that handed him his first premier class title.
"I remember in Australia where he won by 00.1s. Wow - there was almost nothing [between us] and the race was fantastic. I didn't expect to be overtaken on the last lap and I was able to get second by a small margin," he said.
"Those kind of races created a lot of adrenaline and a positive feeling, even on a bad day it was great - we were fighting on the track in front of thousands of people and they were there to see a great battle."
Harris said: "He was brave and fearless - one of the greatest races ever was in 2008 in Laguna Seca where he beat [Australian two-time MotoGP champion] Casey Stoner and took him at the corkscrew. No-one who was there could ever forget that move. He was prepared to take enormous risks."
Stoner ended up crashing and Rossi won the race and eventually the title.
In 2009, it was the turn of Rossi's Yamaha team-mate, Jorge Lorenzo. The stage was the Catalunya GP, and the championship was on the line - it all came down to the last corner, where Rossi made his move and took the win by less than a tenth of a second.
His biggest rival over recent years has been Honda's Marquez. Things came to a head at the 2015 Malaysian GP, where Rossi was penalised for appearing to kick Marquez off his bike.
But with Rossi's longevity and his epic battles on tarmac, he has inspired the next generation of motorbiking superstars, none more so than 2021 MotoGP champion Fabio Quartararo.
"Valentino was and is my idol," said the Frenchman. "When I was six I saw one of his races and he was overtaking on the last corner in Jerez in 2005, and that was the moment I wanted to be there, fighting with MotoGP riders.
"He is amazing because normally people stop racing at 35 or 36 and I thought I would never have the chance to ride with Vale - but he was still riding when I signed my MotoGP contract and I said at least I had the chance to ride with him."
So what is next for the rider who loves Batman movies, Bob Marley and eating pizza with mayonnaise?
He will probably not dwell on his final season in MotoGP with the Petronas Yamaha satellite team. He experienced his worst start ever to the season, his best finish eighth at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. A 10th title has eluded him, leaving him feeling "a little bit sad", but there is plenty to keep Rossi busy during his retirement.
He will still be in the MotoGP paddock in 2022, as his VR46 racing team will be venturing into the premier class. He also runs his VR46 ranch in his hometown which is an academy for up-and-coming racers - and he will become a dad for the first time too.
But based on his comments at a recent media conference, it looks like Rossi could be turning his attention to four wheels.
"I love to race with cars, so I think I will race with cars from next year, but it is not decided yet.
"I feel I am a rider or a driver all life long." | /sport/motorsport/59250378 |
politics | What's happening in Parliament next week? | week's drama is backloaded to Thursday, when Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will deliver his Autumn Statement, his package of tax rises and spending cuts to restore long-term market confidence in the UK's finances.
going to be a major event, probably the defining political event up to the next election, so expect a noisy and confrontational Commons.
-up is a mostly humdrum diet of general debates and low-key law-making, perhaps with legislation to postpone the Northern Ireland Assembly elections dropped in somewhere along the way.
And keep an eye out for some of the big-ticket legislation currently missing in action, in particular the eagerly-awaited Online Safety Bill which ministers are apparently rethinking.
Meanwhile, more select committee chairs are up for election. Jonathan Gullis, David Simmonds and Robin Walker are vying to succeed Robert Halfon in Education, and six candidates are seeking to succeed Huw Merriman in Transport: Jack Brereton, Jackie Doyle-Price, Katherine Fletcher, Chris Loder, Karl McCartney and Iain Stewart.
g will take place with the results announced later in the afternoon.
Commons: Home Office Questions at 14:30, after which there will be a general debate about the Australia and New Zealand trade deals.
Westminster Hall: At 16:30, MPs will debate an e-petition which argues the government should not reduce the existing adult-child ratios in early years childcare. The petition attracted 106,903 signatures.
Committees: Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has his first meeting with Foreign Affairs Committee (16:00), while Public Accounts (16:00) considers the Defence Digital Strategy - how Britain's armed forces are acquiring cyber-warfare and information-handling capabilities.
Lords: At 14:40, two new peers take their seats: Labour's Fiona Twycross, Deputy Mayor of London, and Michael Hintze, hedge fund manager and Conservative donor. Questions will include the Green Party's Baroness Jones asking why there has been a delay in water companies producing their plans for dealing with sewage discharges.
main event is the final committee stage day on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill.
Commons: Treasury Questions at 14:30 - watch out for a debut intervention from new Treasury Committee Chair Harriet Baldwin - after which the main debate will be on a Labour motion, to be announced.
Minute Rule Bill: Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts wants to create a commission to look at the way the tax system impacts different groups in society. It would look at issues like non-dom status, increasing taxes on high-profit industries, and equalising tax rates on income whatever its source.
Adjournment: Labour's Richard Burgon leads a debate on the merits of enabling the public to call a general election.
Committees: Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (10:15) hears from witnesses from Amazon and Zoom, as well as from trade unions Prospect and the GMB, in its inquiry into post-pandemic economic growth and the labour market. Public Administration (10:00) looks at how the Lobbying Act 2014 is working.
Lords: At 14:30, peers will be asked to approve another job lot of orders and regulations: University Institutes, Social Workers, Pensions Dashboards, Financial Services, Police and Crime Commissioner Elections, Assistance with Voting for Disabled People, Prescribed Persons (Reports on Disclosures of Information), and Climate Change (Targeted Greenhouse Gases).
re will also be a short debate on calls for peace talks between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Commons: Scottish Questions at 11:30 will be followed by Prime Minister's Questions.
main debate will be on the report stage of the National Security Bill - the point at which MPs can put forward changes. The bill updates existing espionage laws and make it harder for hostile states to steal information for commercial or political advantage. or to interfere in British society covertly.
An interesting change is being mooted by Labour's Chris Bryant, who chairs the Standards Committee. He wants people convicted of illegal work for a foreign power to be disqualified from sitting in Parliament - in part this reflects his committee's long-standing queasiness about foreign powers using all-party parliamentary groups to influence Westminster.
Similar concerns were expressed by Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, now guiding the bill through Parliament, in his previous incarnation as chair of the foreign affairs committee; it will be interesting to see how he responds.
Minute Rule Bill: Labour MP Alex Norris will propose imposing on the government a new duty to promote the safety and well-being of teenagers.
Committees: Work and Pensions (09:30) takes expert evidence on the Plan for Jobs and employment support; Women and Equalities (14:30) focuses on sexism and inequality in football; and Human Rights (15:00) has a session on asylum seekers
Lords: At 15:00, peers will hold the first of two committee stage days on the Public Order Bill.
Commons: Environment Food and Rural Affairs Questions, from 09:30, with new Secretary of State Therese Coffey, will be followed at 10:10 by mini question times for the MPs who speak for the Church Commissioners, the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body (about the plans for a multi-billion pound restoration of the Victorian Palace of Westminster), the Public Accounts Commission, and the Electoral Commission.
main business will be Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's Autumn Economic Statement.
Westminster Hall: New Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Alicia Kearns leads a debate on the committee's report, "The cost of complacency: illicit finance and the war in Ukraine".
Lords: From 11:00, peers will debate subjects raised by Lib Dem peers - on long Covid, and the problems affecting tenures in the housing market in England - plus there'll be a short debate on celebrating national women's sports.
Commons: From 09:30, MPs will debate second readings of a series of private members' bills - new laws proposed by backbench MPs. First is Conservative Bob Blackman's Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Bill, which deals with the specialised social housing used for prison leavers, recovering addicts, refugees, and those fleeing domestic violence.
It gives local councils new powers to drive out poor practice following a report by the Levelling Up select committee, of which he is a senior member. The committee has even held a scrutiny session to go through the bill in detail. This is the second time Mr Blackman has tried to put committee recommendations into law, after his Homelessness Reduction Act in 2018.
's followed by Labour MP Alex Cunningham's Terminal Illness (Support and Rights) Bill, which would require utility companies to provide financial support to customers with a terminal illness, and the SNP's Chris Stephens's Corporate Homicide Bill.
Lords: From 10:00, peers will also debate private members; bills, starting with the second reading of Conservative constitutionalist Lord Norton of Louth's House of Lords (Peerage Nominations) Bill. This aims to give real teeth to the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC)'s role, by requiring the prime minister to wait until it has advised on whether an individual nominated for a peerage has "conspicuous merit" and a "willingness and capacity to contribute".
With two sets of nominations incoming from prime ministerial resignation honours lists, this is particularly well-timed. I doubt even Lord Norton expects this bill to become law, but it might prod ministers a bit.
Next will be committee consideration of the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill from the Green Party's Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb.
Lib Dem peer Lord Redesdale is planning to strip out most of the content of his Climate and Ecology Bill, honing it down to a simple commitment to reverse biodiversity loss, based on the argument that this will make the measure harder for the government to resist.
Finally, there's the committee stage for Conservative Lord Hayward's Ballot Secrecy Bill which aims to curb so-called 'family voting', where other members of a family accompany voters into polling stations, particularly women, and pressure them to vote a particular way. | /news/uk-politics-63596885 |
technology | Holocaust activist seems to talk to guests at her funeral | Holocaust campaigner Marina Smith appeared able to answer questions at a funeral celebration of her life, thanks to new technology - her son has said.
Mrs Smith died in June, aged 87, but video technology, built by her son's firm, meant those attending her funeral could watch her respond to their questions about her life.
Stephen Smith said it enabled his mother to be "present, in a sense".
His company predicts many uses for its "conversational video technology".
use of the technology at Mrs Smith's funeral was first revealed by The Telegraph.
Mr Smith, the chief executive and co-founder of StoryFile, told the BBC the technology meant, once a person had died, it was possible to have a conversation with them "as if they are there, and they will answer you".
He said it meant his mother had brought "the aspects of her life that were most important to her to the people who loved her most. And it was very meaningful to them".
His mother's words were her own, and not the creation of artificial intelligence (AI), Mr Smith stressed.
make a conversational video, a person must make a recording while still alive, answering numerous questions about their life.
Later, after that person's death, an AI system selects appropriate clips to play in response to questions from people viewing a remembrance video; the person in the video appears to listen and reply.
Rollo Carpenter, who created the chatbot CleverBot - and has no connection to Mr Smith's company StoryFile - said the system was not trying to construct its own replies and was not using AI to invent answers.
"It's just selecting from a pre-recorded set of sequences and cleverly allowing people to cause them to be played," he said.
Mrs Smith co-founded the National Holocaust Centre in Nottinghamshire, from where she ran a successful Holocaust education programme. She was awarded an MBE in 2005 for her work.
founders of StoryFile hit upon the idea for the company while working on creating interactive holograms of Holocaust survivors for the USC Shoah Foundation.
firm sees a wide range of possible commercial applications for the technology, from customer service to sales.
It has also encouraged some famous contemporary celebrities to document their careers using the tech, including the Star Trek actor William Shatner, whose video can be interacted with on the company website.
Looking ahead, Mr Smith envisages a world in which people document their lives on a continuous basis, suggesting that users could "speak to your 18-year-old self, when you're 50, or introduce your children to your 16-year-old self".
Previously, it has been suggested that AI could be used to create fully synthetic versions of dead people.
But Mr Smith rejects the idea that current technology is capable of this: "Everything about us is so absolutely unique to us," he said. "There is no way you can create a synthetic version of me, even though it may look like me."
Mr Carpenter agrees, saying that using current AI technology to create a "computer-generated" person would risk "putting words into the deceased person's mouth - and it could be worse than that, those words could be believed by the audience".
mits of AI conversationalists were demonstrated by Meta's BlenderBot 3, which was criticised for making offensive remarks and said unflattering things about the company's co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Meta said that it was a prototype created for research purposes, adding it had warned users they should expect it to say things it ideally should not. | /news/technology-62552696 |
health | Cornwall tourist died after two-hour wait for ambulance, inquest hears | Ambulance delays in Cornwall "significantly reduced" the chances of a man surviving a stroke, an inquest has heard.
Reedman, 54, died four days after suffering a stroke while on holiday in Cornwall in June 2021.
quest heard he waited nearly two-and-a-half hours for an ambulance to take him from his holiday cottage to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Truro.
mong three in the county raised with the government.
Andrew Cox, senior coroner for Cornwall, said ambulance delays in the case of Mr Reedman and two others, David Morganti and Winnie Barnes-Weeks, were either the cause or a contributing factor in their deaths.
Mr Reedman, from Norfolk, started feeling unwell on the evening of 26 June and his wife, Jill, dialled 999.
rs suspected he was having a stroke and graded him as a priority two - meaning an ambulance should have reached him within the national target of 18 minutes.
He underwent surgery in hospital, but developed a cerebrovascular infarction and died four days later.
Guy Davies, assistant coroner for Cornwall, said the delay in the ambulance reaching Mr Reedman directly led to the delay in treatment starting at hospital, which could have saved his life.
"I find that the delay between the 999 call and Tony being taken to hospital significantly reduced his chances of surviving the blood clot," he told Cornwall Coroner's Court.
"The average stroke patient has a one in three chance of a positive outcome following treatment by thrombolysis in the first hour following a stroke.
"This is reduced down to one in 30 after four-and-a-half hours. Tony's stroke was more serious than the average.
"I find on the evidence it is not possible to definitively determine whether Tony would have survived if he had arrived at a hospital earlier and been treated earlier."
In a preventing future deaths report to Health Secretary Steve Barclay, Mr Cox said hospital bed-blocking and ambulance delays were "recurring themes" in the cases.
He said he had been told by the medical director at the South West Ambulance Service Trust that delays were being caused by ambulances being in the "wrong place at the wrong time".
"When they are required for emergency responses, they are parked outside Royal Cornwall Hospital with patients in the back for extended periods," he wrote.
"On occasions this summer and autumn, there have been queues of over 20 ambulances outside the emergency department and delays have been longer than a paramedic's shift."
roner said the Royal Cornwall Hospital's medical director had told him there had been at times the equivalent of five wards of patients fit for discharge, but they could not leave due to problems with the social care sector.
Mr Cox wrote about a fourth inquest into the death of Robert Conybeare, which found he died after suffering a fall in hospital at a time when he was fit to be discharged but there was no suitable social care support.
He wrote: "My central concern is how the delays that are currently manifest can be mitigated in the intervening months, particularly given the likely increase in demand for ambulances/hospital admissions during the winter months."
report gives the Department of Health and Social Care until 10 January to respond to the coroner's concerns.
A spokeswoman said: "Each of these four deaths is a tragedy and our sympathies are with the families affected.
"We have received the prevention of future deaths report and will be responding to the coroner in due course.
"We have prioritised health and social care in the autumn statement, with an additional £6.6bn available over the next two years, to tackle the backlog, speed up discharge and ensure patients are getting the care they deserve quickly."
In a joint statement Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board (ICB), Cornwall Council, Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust extended their sincere condolences to the families of the patients referenced in the report.
Kate Shields, ICB CEO, said: "The report highlights the complex pressures on all parts of our health and care system that our staff are working tirelessly to resolve.
"We have recently introduced new ways of working with the aim of reducing delays in patients' journeys from their admission through to discharge in both our acute and community services.
"These changes have resulted in some improvement in ambulance response and handover times in Cornwall but we will continue to focus our efforts until we are confident all patients get timely access to care."
Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. | /news/uk-england-cornwall-63709653 |
entertainment | Brian Eno on how Woodbridge helped create ambient music | "father of ambient music" has been speaking about the influence of US airbases on his musical education.
Brian Eno, the former synth player with Roxy Music, has worked as a collaborator and producer with world-famous artists and bands including David Bowie, U2 and Coldplay.
Eno returned to his birthplace of Suffolk at the weekend to open the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival.
He said he was happy ambient music had returned to Woodbridge.
f a postman, now in his 70s, Eno lived in Woodbridge for 18 years.
He attended Ipswich Civic College in the 1960s where he studied painting and experimental music.
festival audience at St Mary's Church heard about the influence of the nearby US air force bases at RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge, since vacated by the Americans.
He said Woodbridge then had a population of about 4,000 locals with some 17,000 Americans within a five-mile radius.
He described hordes of large Cadillac cars regularly getting stuck in the narrow Suffolk lanes.
"We had something like 11 or 12 coffee bars with jukeboxes... which had almost exclusively American Southern R&B music," he said.
"So there was an entirely different music world here than almost anywhere in England.
"What was playing in these jukeboxes was so much better than the English version of rock n roll at that time."
Eno said it was those formative experiences that got him "thinking about music".
"What became very clear was that you had to search out good music. You couldn't just switch on the radio and get it automatically," he said.
"I eventually ended up exchanging cassette tapes with other people who were into music, and finding I liked tapes where the music did not change very much, where there was not much variety."
Eno said in the 1960s "albums always had the idea that there had to be variety".
"So you'd have a fast song and a slow song and another fast song. The assumption being, nobody would want to stay in the same mood for more than three-and-a-half minutes," he said.
"I was very clear that I liked staying in the same mood for hours on end if I could.
"I remember I used to take walks towards Kyson Point [overlooking the River Deben estuary] and I used to imagine what would it be like if you could make music like a painting."
Eno said he liked music "that stayed still, so that you were the person that did the moving in relation to them".
By the time he got to art school, he had begun listening to left-field classical composers like Philip Glass, Terry Riley and Steve Reich who were creating what has been termed as minimal music.
r sounds often had an "intense repetition" that was attractive to the young Eno, but he still felt "it was all a bit too spectacular".
musician said it was "really here in Woodbridge where I started imagining this idea of a kind of endless, rather still, music".
He began making ambient records in the 1970s.
"I came up with the idea of ambient music. Of course it wasn't just me - there were a lot of people who also felt it in the air and wanted to work in that musical area - I just gave it a name."
Eno was speaking to an audience about his musical connection to the area just before introducing tabla player Talvin Singh and pianist Tom Rogerson.
He ended by saying: "I'm here just to introduce this concert and to say how glad I am that ambient music has come back to Woodbridge. I hope you enjoy it."
Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk | /news/uk-england-suffolk-63049337 |
health | China Covid: How many cases and deaths are there? | re is concern over the spread of Covid in China following the recent easing of strict lockdown measures.
re have been reports that hospitals across the country are under pressure amid a fresh wave of infections.
Officially, there have only been 13 Covid deaths throughout December.
However, China has limited criteria for confirming Covid-19 deaths, which only includes those who die directly from respiratory illnesses caused by coronavirus, and not deaths caused by its knock-on effects.
unting method does not correspond with WHO guidance, and results in a figure that is way below the death toll in many other countries.
China has already stopped mass testing and it is only recording positive cases at hospitals and fever clinics where the patient has Covid symptoms. Asymptomatic cases and positive results from home testing kits are not recorded in the data.
Currently the official count only records about 5,000 cases a day.
UK-based research company Airfinity said its model estimates cases in China could reach more than three million a day in January.
Despite the official numbers being low, the World Health Organization has warned the healthcare system in China could be under severe pressure.
Reuters have reported that Chinese hospitals have been overwhelmed during the Christmas period, with footage showing long queues for clinics and patients on hospital beds in the middle of busy waiting rooms.
Videos have been emerging on social media throughout December appearing to show crowded hospitals.
By cross-referencing with other images posted online, the BBC has been able to verify two videos of overcrowding at a children's hospital in the city of Tianjin in northern China.
However we have not been able to verify many of the other videos which have emerged.
It's difficult to confirm how severe the situation is compared with normal as China strictly controls information coming out of the country.
BBC's team in Beijing have reported on long queues outside health clinics, and on the high demand for fever remedies at pharmacies.
mporary health centres are being set up along with intensive care facilities across the country.
National broadcaster CCTV has reported that Beijing's Chaoyang Hospital will boost its capability as the number of incoming patients increased by fourfold.
It's also been reported that in Shanghai an extra 230,000 hospital beds have been made available.
re has been a sudden lifting of many of China's Covid restrictions following November's protests against strict lockdowns across the country.
Before the recent relaxation, China had one of the toughest anti-Covid regimes in the world - known as its zero-Covid policy.
measures included strict lockdowns even if only a handful of Covid cases had been found, mass testing in places where cases were reported, and people with Covid having to isolate at home or under quarantine at government facilities.
Lockdowns have now been scrapped, and quarantine rules have been abolished.
A negative Covid test is no longer required to enter public transport, restaurants, gyms and other public buildings (with the exception of orphanages and care homes).
Chinese authorities have also said they will fully open borders from 8 January with no travel restrictions or quarantine measures for arrivals.
Several countries including the US have imposed Covid testing on visitors from China due to its ongoing Covid surge.
Overall, China says more than 90% of the population has been fully vaccinated.
However, less than half of people aged 80 and over have received three doses of vaccine. The vaccination rate back in April among this age group was much lower - less than 20%.
uthorities now say they require local health services to "strengthen immunization of the whole population, particularly the elderly".
re are doubts over whether the main vaccines used in China - Sinovac and Sinopharm - are effective against Omicron, the most widespread strain.
China has refused to use Western vaccines widely.
government has given no official explanation. However, national pride may be a factor according to Dr Yu Jie, Senior Research Fellow on China at the international affairs think tank Chatham House:
"I think it's Xi Jinping really thinking of things in terms of economic self-reliance - that need to have China produce and use its own vaccine, rather than import it from somewhere."
Reporting by Wanyuan Song, Jake Horton and Jeremy Howell. | /news/59882774 |
politics | Sri Lanka down to last day of petrol, new prime minister says | Sri Lanka's new prime minister says the country is down to its last day of petrol as it faces its worst economic crisis in more than 70 years.
In a televised address, Ranil Wickremesinghe said the nation urgently needs $75m (£60.8m) of foreign currency in the next few days to pay for essential imports.
He said the central bank would have to print money to pay government wages.
Mr Wickremesinghe also said state-owned Sri Lankan Airlines may be privatised.
's economy has been hit hard by the pandemic, rising energy prices, and populist tax cuts. A chronic shortage of foreign currency and soaring inflation had led to a severe shortage of medicines, fuel and other essentials.
Ravindu Perera, who lives in the capital Colombo, said he and his family had begun searching for fuel before daybreak on Monday.
"We went to several fuel stations and most of them were closed. At around 5.30am we took a chance and joined a queue at Townhall which is the station usually providing fuel for government vehicles," he told the BBC.
"It was less crowded - but the queue gradually grew to about 2km long. We were lucky enough to get fuel around 9.00am once fuel was delivered."
He said his friends outside the capital were having to wait even longer. "I'm working from home now to try and save fuel because who knows when I'll get a full tank again."
Auto rickshaws, the most popular means of transport in Colombo, and other vehicles have been queuing at petrol stations around the capital.
"At the moment, we only have petrol stocks for a single day. The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives," said Mr Wickremesinghe in Monday's address.
However, shipments of petrol and diesel using a credit line with India could provide fuel supplies in the next few days, he added.
Mr Wickremesinghe, who was appointed prime minister last Thursday, said the country's central bank would have to print money to help meet the government's wage bill and other commitments.
"Against my own wishes, I am compelled to permit printing money in order to pay state-sector employees and to pay for essential goods and services. However, we must remember that printing money leads to the depreciation of the rupee," he said.
PM Ranil Wickramasinghe: "There won't be a hunger crisis"
He also proposed selling off Sri Lankan Airlines as part of efforts to stabilise the nation's finances. The carrier lost 45 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($129.5m; £105m) in the year ending March 2021.
In recent weeks, there have been large, sometimes violent, protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his family.
Last week, the president's elder brother Mahinda resigned as prime minister after government supporters clashed with protesters. Nine people died and more than 300 were wounded in the violence.
On Friday, Mr Wickremesinghe told the BBC, that the economic crisis is "going to get worse before it gets better".
In his first interview since taking office, he also pledged to ensure families would get three meals a day.
Appealing to the world for more financial help, he said "there won't be a hunger crisis, we will find food".
Are you in Sri Lanka? How have you been affected by the issues in this story? haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | /news/business-61474732 |
politics | Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says £600 energy support payment will arrive in NI this winter. | Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the £600 energy support payment for Northern Ireland will be delivered this winter.
His comment comes after Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said energy firms had suggested it could take until June for all households to receive the payment.
Mr Sunak did not say when the discount would be applied to bills but said an announcement would come "very shortly".
Read more: Sunak promises NI energy payment update 'shortly' | /news/uk-northern-ireland-64002277 |
entertainment | K-pop fans in Birmingham find sense of community | Fans of K-pop say they are finding a sense of community in Birmingham, as places dedicated to the musical genre continue to spring up.
first studio dedicated to the music opened in the city in April and new shops cater to the area's fanbase.
ularity of K-pop has continued to spread with bands topping the UK album chart in the past three years.
"Seeing it grow and be able to have a place to go and buy my albums is really special," one fan, Hannah, said.
KPOPPINUK, which claims to be the first dedicated K-pop shop in Birmingham, held a photo-trading-card event on 4 December to allow fans to meet friends and buy merchandise.
Owner Jane Langley said: "We have a really big community, it's about having somewhere to buy albums physically and also being able to interact personally with other fans."
Fan Lexy said she used to be made fun of at school for liking the chart-topping music, but she said it was considered more normal now and "the atmosphere at K-pop concerts is really friendly".
w spaces were allowing people to find a sense of community, the fans said.
Korean-exchange student Hayoon said she felt welcomed by the growing British interest in Korean pop culture.
It gave her confidence and had been, she said, "a great way to make new friends".
K-pop dance studio XI only opened in Birmingham in April, although fans have already found ways to learn routines together and perform in public places.
IVIX is just one of several K-pop dance groups in Birmingham and leader Emily Hancocks described the group as a second family.
She said: "We meet up pretty much every weekend, it just makes me feel really happy."
genre's popularity has been notable, as band Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to top the UK album charts, three years after boyband BTS did the same.
ustry annually generates about $10bn for South Korea, according to non-profit group International Socioeconomics Laboratory.
Although none of the biggest K-pop acts have yet played a concert in Birmingham, fans in the West Midlands are hoping that will change in the near future.
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entertainment | Alexei Ratmansky: The challenges of staging Ukrainian ballet during war | Russian-born choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, who recently staged a production of Giselle in London with The United Ukrainian Ballet, has told the BBC about the challenges of working on it while the war in Ukraine is ongoing.
"The dancers have families. I have a family in Kyiv. We are all checking the news constantly," Ratmansky, who grew up in Ukraine, told the Hardtalk programme's Stephen Sackur.
"You wake up in the morning and you want to know which cities were bombed, how many people were killed, which buildings were destroyed and check that all your loved ones are OK and safe."
United Ukrainian Ballet is a group of Ukrainian dancers, technicians and creatives who fled their country when Russia invaded and are now based in the Netherlands.
Ratmansky, a former principal dancer with the Ukrainian National Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet, was artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet from 2004 before joining the American Ballet Theatre in 2009 as artist in residence. He was working on a new production with the Bolshoi when the conflict began and he left Russia.
Watch the full interview on BBC World News on Monday 26 September. | /news/entertainment-arts-63010556 |
sports | European Beach Handball Championships: Norway hit with 1,500 euros bikini fine | Norway have been fined 1,500 euros (£1,295) for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms at the European Beach Handball Championships.
European Handball Federation (EHF) said it had imposed the fineexternal-link because of a case of "improper clothing".
Norway's players wore shorts instead of bikini bottoms during a bronze medal match against Spain in Varna, Bulgaria.
Norway's Handball Federation (NHF) had already stated it would pay if their players were fined.
An EHF statement said a disciplinary commission had imposed a fine of "150 euros per player, for a total of 1,500 euros".
It added that Norway had played with shorts that are "not according to the athlete uniform regulations defined in the IHF [International Handball Federation] beach handball rules of the game."
Kare Geir Lio, the head of NHF, had told news agency AFP any penalty would be paid but added: "It should be a free choice within a standardised framework.
"The most important thing is to have equipment that athletes are comfortable with."
And following the decision to fine the players, the NHF said: "We are very proud of these girls who during the European Championships raised their voices and announced that enough is enough!
"We at NHF stand behind you and support you. Together we will continue to fight to change the rules for clothing, so that players can play in the clothes they are comfortable with."
Before the Championships, Norway approached the EHF to ask for permission to play in shorts but were told that breaches of the rules were punishable by fines.
A Norwegian motion to amend the current rules will be discussed by the bodies in the coming months.
"The EHF is committed to bring this topic forward in the interest of its member federations - however, it must also be said that a change of the rules can only happen at IHF level," said EHF spokesman Andrew Barringer.
ue has been debated in beach sports circles for several years as some players find the bikini both degrading and impractical.
Norway's Minister for Culture and Sports, Abid Raja, tweeted after Monday's ruling: "It's completely ridiculous - a change of attitude is needed in the macho and conservative international world of sport."
President of the Norwegian Volleyball Federation, Eirik Sordahl, was critical too, telling national news agency NTB: "In 2021, it shouldn't even be an issue." | /sport/handball/57890430 |
health | Molly, seven, has hair cut for charity | A seven-year-old from Derby has cut off 14 inches (35cm) of hair to donate to the Little Princess Trust.
After being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Molly has now raised more than £2,300 for the Macmillan Cancer unit at Royal Derby Hospital and for the Derby Diabetes Fun Club - a total that has risen since she had the trim.
Her mother Amy said she had been "flabbergasted" by the response to Molly’s fundraiser.
Video journalist: Sian Filcher
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sports | World Taekwando Grand Prix: Great Britain win three more medals in Manchester | Great Britain's double Olympic champion Jade Jones won silver in the -57kg at the World Taekwando Grand Prix in Manchester on Saturday.
Welsh fighter did not drop a round on her way to the final against China's Luo Zongshi, who won gold.
She won the first round 5-0 but lost the second 12-4 and the third 11-3.
Wales' Lauren Williams won Britain's second medal with bronze in the -67kg after losing to France's Magda Wiet-Henin in the semi-final.
Olympic silver medallist narrowly lost the opening round 4-2 before Wiet-Henin cruised to victory with a 12-3 score in the second.
Meanwhile, Great Britain's European champion Bradly Sinden withdrew from the final of the -68kg category on medical grounds.
Sinden, who beat Sweden's Ali Alian in the semi-final, still claimed silver despite not being able to continue in the competition.
"I was coming back from a previous injury so to pick up another one is disappointing," he said.
"We've got a World Championships in three weeks so it's great to have won some ranking points towards the Paris 2024 Olympics and secured another Grand Prix medal along the way." | /sport/taekwondo/63361244 |
sports | NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Bucks to win over Warriors | Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 30 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Golden State Warriors 128-111 in a testy match between the NBA's last two champions.
Warriors beat the league-leading Boston Celtics on Tuesday but this was their 12th loss in 14 away games.
Coach Steve Kerr earned a technical foul for his furious reaction after Stephen Curry appeared to be caught on the head as he made a three-point shot.
"I felt like we were on the bad end of things to start the game," he said.
"That needs to be called."
Warriors were 14 points down early in the second quarter but briefly threatened to reel in the Bucks - who they succeeded as NBA champions in June - as they closed to within six.
But the hosts proved too strong and Kerr pulled his starters out of the game in the final stages in order to prepare for their trip to the Indianapolis Pacers on Wednesday.
Elsewhere the Celtics got back on track with a 122-118 overtime win at long-time rivals the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jayson Tatum scored 44 points for the visitors, who improved their NBA-leading record to 22 wins and seven defeats this season.
Anthony Davis scored 37 points with 12 rebounds and LeBron James added 33 points with nine rebounds and nine assists but the Lakers lost for the fourth time in their last five games.
Lakers, who are 12th in the Western Conference, were subjected to stinging criticism from NBA great Charles Barkley.
"The Lakers stink," he told TNT. "We have to talk about the Lakers, but the Lakers are awful.
"We don't talk about no other 12th seeds. In the East, we don't talk about the Washington Wizards do we?" | /sport/basketball/63968476 |
entertainment | Plaque commemorates site of Bournemouth's first BBC radio station | A blue plaque has been unveiled to commemorate Bournemouth's first BBC radio station.
6BM started broadcasting 99 years ago above a pram and cycle shop at 72 Holdenhurst Road on 17 October 1923.
, which could be heard up to about 25 miles (40km) away, stopped transmitting in June 1939.
BBC Radio Solent broadcast its breakfast show from the site of the former station ahead of the plaque's unveiling by the town's deputy mayor.
que has been placed on the Ocean 80 building - an office block on Holdenhurst Road - as the station's original building was demolished a number of years ago.
Councillor David Kelsey said: "It's a great pleasure for me to unveil this plaque - it's really important to have this place recognised."
featured a children's hour and broadcast a wide range of live music including the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra - which later became the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
It was the eighth wireless relay station set up by the BBC to enable it to cover the whole of the country.
que has been paid for by the Bournemouth Civic Society.
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politics | Scotland doesn't need parades commission, says report | reation of a Northern Ireland-style parades commission is not necessary in Scotland, a report has found.
move was proposed last year after police made several arrests at a series of Orange Walks in Glasgow.
But a working group on peaceful assemblies in Scotland said there was "no present need" for such a body.
It concluded improvements would be best handled at a local as opposed to a national level.
rades commission in Northern Ireland was set up in 1998. It followed the Drumcree crisis over an Orange parade marching through a nationalist area in County Armagh.
It has the power to place restrictions on public processions and related protest meetings.
In Scotland, the local authority receives notifications of processions and is the central decision-making body.
Last year, concerns were raised in the Scottish parliament after anti-social behaviour linked to Orange Walks, including sectarian and racist singing.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the government would give "further consideration" to whether a commission should be established.
reation of a short-life working group featuring experts on marches, human rights, community engagement and mediation.
It has now made 18 recommendations but concluded there was no need for major reform.
report said: "While we have found there to be many fruitful comparisons between the regulatory processes in Northern Ireland and Scotland, we have not heard evidence that would justify the transplantation of the NI Parades Commission model to Scotland."
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: "Marching, parading and protesting is of great importance to many people in Scotland for cultural, community and political reasons.
"The Scottish government fully recognises this and is committed to freedom of speech and to upholding the human rights of those seeking to participate in such events.
"But in doing this we must also ensure that the rights of those seeking to go about their business undisturbed are also protected."
Mr Brown added it was important to strike a balance between the rights of those who seek to march or protest and the communities affected as a result of such events.
"We will continue to hold meaningful and productive dialogue with march and parade organisers, community representatives, Police Scotland and local authorities to ensure that, collectively, we continue to work towards achieving the correct balance of right for all," he added.
Prof Dominic Bryan, who chaired the working group, said: "Members of the working group were impressed with much of the work already undertaken by local authorities in sometimes challenging circumstances.
"We believe that our recommendations will offer a sustainable way forward for the facilitation and regulation of processions in Scotland reflecting important human rights considerations."
report also calls for improvements to the notification process around marches to ensure relevant information is available for communities.
And it recommends exploring ways to limit the need for public order policing.
For example, it highlights examples from Derry where the Apprentice Boys train their own stewards in order to reduce the policing required at their events.
It said this model could be supported in Scotland through providing resources to groups.
report adds: "Such funding offers a community policing alternative to the deployment of public order resources and thus potentially saves money.
"It also underpins the state's commitment to protecting the right of peaceful assembly and other rights and freedoms."
Key partners, including the Scottish government, the City of Edinburgh Council, Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland, Cosla and human rights experts will now come together to consider the report recommendations and agree the best way forward. | /news/uk-scotland-63485851 |
sports | UK triathlon challenge helps Hampshire mum's mental health | When Elle English was struggling with her mental health, she decided to take on an epic physical challenge.
31-year-old mother of two from Twyford in Hampshire said she wanted to show her children they can "achieve anything that they set their mind to".
man Triathlon is a route first covered in 2021 to raise awareness of men's mental health.
It involves cycling from John O'Groats in Scotland to Lands End in Cornwall, climbing the UK's three highest peaks and swimming across the three largest lakes.
Elle said being the first woman to complete the feat has helped her overcome many of her problems.
She has also been raising money for a mental health charity so more people can be helped.
Video journalist: Ellie Cleverley
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entertainment | Zumba instructor with Down's syndrome lands dream job | A woman who is believed to be the first Zumba instructor in the UK with Down's syndrome has landed her dream job teaching in a gym.
Hannah Payton, from Atherton, has started running her first classes after securing a job at Pure Gym in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester.
25-year-old, who qualified as an instructor last year led a class attended by Joe Wicks as part of a Children In Need event in November.
She said she wanted to inspire other people with disabilities to pursue their dreams and "have some fun and just be yourself".
Video journalist: Molly Brewer
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