Datasets:

autoevaluate

/

autoeval-eval-xsum-default-7e15d4-93465145851

like 0

Follow

Evaluation on the Hub 34

The 58-year-old moved from his position as chief executive to director of football earlier this year. Spireites director Ashley Carson said the role was now "redundant". Turner, who joined Chesterfield in 2011, told the club website: "I am very disappointed to be leaving Chesterfield, but I can understand the situation and I leave on good terms."

Chesterfield director of football Chris Turner has left the struggling League One club.

39129331

The finding was one of the takeaways from a US central bank survey of more than 6,640 adults published on Friday. In total, the number of respondents with no more than a high-school diploma who said they were "living comfortably" or "doing okay" fell to 60% from 61%. Overall, the annual survey showed US economic health improving. Some 70% of respondents said they were either "living comfortably" or "doing okay," up from 69% the year before, and 62% in 2013 when the Federal Reserve started the survey. But there were continuing signs of instability, with over a third of US households (35%) saying they could not cover their monthly bills or an unexpected $400 (£307) expense, according to the survey. The survey also suggested that disparities between households with different education levels was growing. Gap between rich and poor 'keeps growing' Enriching the rich in the US - but what about the rest? "A clear pattern over the past two years across these measures is that the improvements have been most pronounced among those with greater levels of education," researchers wrote in the report. Nearly 100 million Americans have no education beyond high school, according to US government estimates. (The estimate excludes members of the military and people in institutional facilities such as prison.) That fact is tied to wide differences, the survey found. About 46% of adults with at least a college degree reported family incomes of $100,000 or more, compared to just 9% of respondents with a high school degree or less. Adults with at least a college degree were more likely to report earning money from online activities - such as renting out properties using a website - and more likely to have a steady stream of income from month-to-month. They were also more likely to say they received a raise in the last year, and more likely to say it exceeded the growth in their expenses. "The thing is that earnings are so highly correlated with education and employment," said Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank. "It's hard to imagine how a sense of financial wellbeing would not be correlated with education." Jobs in sectors that once supplied well-paid work for school leavers, such as manufacturing, have fallen. At the same time, the overall labour market has become more unstable as employers cut back on benefits and pay rises. The share of Americans in the workforce is also shrinking - particularly among those with lower levels of education, said Valerie Wilson, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. "The workers we would expect to have the strongest labour attachments have actually been becoming less attached," she said. Among survey respondents who did not attend college, nearly 40% said it was too expensive or that they needed to earn money. Their status was also closely tied to whether their parents had attended college. But Ms Baum said simply getting everyone to go to college is not the solution. "There could be more work done to equalise things at the level of higher education but the problem is never going to be solved just at the college level," she said.

American adults without a college education saw their overall financial circumstances decline last year for the first time in three years.

39979176

Jayden Stockley headed wide from Jonny Hayes' cross early in the second half and Rangers quickly capitalised on that miss when Kenny Miller tucked in. A powerful Lee Hodson shot doubled the home side's advantage. The hosts' Clint Hill and Aberdeen's Ryan Jack were each dismissed for two bookings, with Andrew Considine heading a late consolation for the Dons. The Ibrox side had started the day level on points with Hearts but trailing them on goal difference. However, with Hearts held to a draw by Ross County, Mark Warburton's side go two points ahead of the Tynecastle side and remain eight behind leaders Celtic. Rangers had lost at Hearts in midweek while Aberdeen were coming off a 3-0 defeat by Celtic in Sunday's League Cup final, with the Dons aiming to end a 25-year wait for a win at Ibrox. But that run continues with Warburton's side winning by the same scoreline that they lost by at Aberdeen's Pittodrie in September. The visitors had their chances in Glasgow with James Maddison - who scored a stunning free-kick winner in the sides' last meeting - seeing a set-piece effort bounce wide. Stockley got a foot to a Graeme Shinnie cross to draw a save from Wes Foderingham and came close to putting Derek McInnes' side ahead three minutes after the break. Hayes got round his man to cross from the left but Stockley could not direct his header from six yards on target. Maddison failed to get a hold of a couple of shots before Rangers' second but the midfielder did deliver the free-kick for Considine's goal. Captain Lee Wallace fired wide in the hosts' best first-half advance and it was the composure of Miller that finally broke the deadlock. Moments after Stockley's miss, 36-year-old striker Miller, deployed in midfield, latched on to Joe Garner's speculative cross and finished first time. Barrie McKay had the vision to find Hodson inside the box amid a spell of pressure and the Northern Ireland international lashed a shot into the roof of the net for Rangers' second, having started ahead of regular right-back James Tavernier. McKay's replacement Harry Forrester forced a save from Joe Lewis as the pressure continued. Defender Hill had earlier escaped unpunished following a risky challenge on Shinnie inside his own box but bookings for fouls on Maddison resulted in the 38-year-old's dismissal. Jack, 24, followed Hill up the tunnel after being cautioned in the wake of a lengthy spell of pushing following a Rangers foul, the Dons skipper having earlier been booked for impeding Michael O'Halloran. And there were further bookings in stoppage time to take the tally to 11. Rangers' Mark Warburton: "The players were more than irked by comments made about them, by comments questioning their battling qualities and their desire. "But they responded really well, there was a lot of nonsense written about them and they more than answered those questions. "First half nobody really controlled the game, it was pretty neutral. But, second half, we stepped on and won second balls and I felt we deserved to win." Aberdeen's Derek McInnes: "From penalty box to penalty box I thought we were the better team. "We really got after Rangers, we pressed them high, we were competitive, we were winning tackles, we were fully committed. I thought we really frustrated them. "But we said to the players at half-time, it was important in the final third to carry more of a threat ourselves,. We got in good areas and rushed that last wee bit. "We had more opportunities to apply pressure with the ball rather than just without the ball, and Rangers scored when we were having our best spell. "We started the second half really on the front foot, got into good areas, still should be doing more with it, but Jayden's is clearly the one we all remember. "It was a good stand-up from Jonny and Jayden would normally eat that type of service up, but he misses. It happens but unfortunately for us it was pivotal." Match ends, Rangers 2, Aberdeen 1. Second Half ends, Rangers 2, Aberdeen 1. Second yellow card to Ryan Jack (Aberdeen). Martyn Waghorn (Rangers) is shown the yellow card. Goal! Rangers 2, Aberdeen 1. Andrew Considine (Aberdeen) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the high centre of the goal. Assisted by James Maddison with a cross. Foul by Lee Wallace (Rangers). Niall McGinn (Aberdeen) wins a free kick on the right wing. Peter Pawlett (Aberdeen) is shown the yellow card. Lee Wallace (Rangers) is shown the yellow card. Foul by Jason Holt (Rangers). Andrew Considine (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Joe Garner (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Andrew Considine (Aberdeen). Second yellow card to Clint Hill (Rangers) for a bad foul. Foul by Clint Hill (Rangers). James Maddison (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Joe Lewis. Attempt saved. Harry Forrester (Rangers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Andy Halliday (Rangers) wins a free kick on the left wing. Foul by Niall McGinn (Aberdeen). Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Martyn Waghorn. Foul by Joe Garner (Rangers). Ash Taylor (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Rob Kiernan (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Adam Rooney (Aberdeen). Attempt missed. Joe Garner (Rangers) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is close, but misses to the right. Andrew Considine (Aberdeen) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Lee Hodson (Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Andrew Considine (Aberdeen). Joe Garner (Rangers) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Ash Taylor (Aberdeen). Corner, Aberdeen. Conceded by Rob Kiernan. Clint Hill (Rangers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Clint Hill (Rangers). James Maddison (Aberdeen) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Rangers. Conceded by Mark Reynolds. Substitution, Rangers. Harry Forrester replaces Barrie McKay. Substitution, Aberdeen. Peter Pawlett replaces Graeme Shinnie. Substitution, Aberdeen. Niall McGinn replaces Kenny McLean. Jason Holt (Rangers) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Rangers beat Aberdeen to go second in the Scottish Premiership in a match that featured a red card for each side.

38113711

As well as improving people's mood, the experiment showed "significant" reductions in participants' heart rates and blood pressure, the authors added. Previous studies have linked contact with nature and improved wellbeing but this study is believed to be the first controlled experiment of its kind. The findings appear in the journal Environment and Behavior. "There have been a few studies that have looked at things like the number of bird or butterfly species in parks and researchers have asked people in those parks about how they felt," explained co-author Mathew White from the University of Exeter's European Centre for Environment and Human Health (ECEHH). "Generally, people felt happier in parks that had more birds or more butterflies, although people did not really appreciate the levels of biodiversity." Dr White told BBC News that there were a number of reasons why the team of researchers from the ECEHH, Plymouth University and the National Marine Aquarium were interested in the potential impact of aquariums on people's wellbeing. "Firstly, we were particularly interested in aquatic environments," he said. "Obviously most people cannot see different kinds of fish because they do not dive etc, so aquariums are a nice way to make the invisible marine environment just outside our doors visible and accessible. "More fundamentally, we were interested in how natural environments could be brought to urban populations and to people who might not be able to access nature very well." Blue gyms Collecting data from participants in the aquarium provided the researchers with a unique opportunity to examine the links between human wellbeing and contact with nature. "What we were able to do here was - as far as we know in the world's first controlled experiment: we knew exactly the number of species and the number of [fish] that people were looking at, and they were systematically altered over time - monitor people's heart rate, blood pressure and various changes in mood over a 10-minute period while they watched the very large tank (500,000 litres), " Dr White explained. "As you might expect, people felt a lot more relaxed and significantly happier after watching the tank with more fish - in other words with more biodiversity - and there were significant drops in heart rates and significantly lower blood pressure. "Most of the physiological changes happened within the first five minutes and then plateaued out, so it happened quite quickly and then stabilised. However, the psychological measures showed that the benefits continued over the entire exposure - people got happier and happier, basically." In order to rule out the possibility that the participants were responding to the biodiversity in the tanks rather than the tranquil environment, the first set of data was gathered while the participants looked at an empty tank, which only contained rocks and lighting etc. The experiments were carried out during the day while the aquarium was open so people taking part in the experiment were experiencing the normal conditions of the aquarium, such as noise etc. Dr White added: "The first thing to notice is that people relaxed, even watching an empty tank, and the benefits increased as we introduced more fish over the course of about a four-week period." The team were interested in exploring whether the experiment's results could be replicated in a medical setting. "For example, if we were to put a live (video) link into Derriford (the local hospital) into waiting rooms or even into some of the wards and we could show clinically meaningful reductions in heart rate and blood pressure among specific groups, such as hypertension for example, it could be really important for medical reasons," Dr White suggested. He also said the findings also highlighted another potential ecosystem service that humans received from biodiversity. "If you flipped our study on its head, and you were to take fish away and be losing biodiversity, what we show is that the predicted losses in biodiversity over time as a result of climate change and other anthropogenic threats could actually undermine human wellbeing in a way that we have not really thought about. "Potentially, the effects could be quite large and could be another effect of climate change etc that we have not really understood to date."

People who spend time in aquariums could improve their physical and mental wellbeing, a study has suggested.

33716589

Brothers Jason Russell, 28, and Darren, 26, and their friend Daniel Hughes, 36, were trekking in a remote area when the quake struck. Mr Hughes' sister, Joanne, said they arrived at Manchester Airport on Saturday and that they were very tired. They had been rescued on Thursday after an earlier attempt to find them failed. The were taken to a military base in Kathmandu to await their flight home. The whereabouts of 1,000 EU citizens remain unknown and according to a Red Cross missing persons list posted online, 28 people from Britain and Ireland remain unaccounted for. The death toll has risen to over 7,000 and the Nepalese authorities have ruled out finding more survivors.

Three Wrexham backpackers left stranded in Nepal following the earthquake have returned home, according to the sister of one of the men.

32553079

He passed away peacefully in hospital on Tuesday after a short illness. Born in Tourmakeady, County Mayo, he worked as a teacher before securing a part in the premiere of the Brian Friel play Translations in 1980. Lally became a household name in Ireland for his role as Miley Byrne in the RTE soap opera Glenroe and later starred in the BBC series Ballykissangel. He also appeared in the Hollywood movie Alexander and provided the voice for the Oscar-nominated, animated Irish film, The Secret of Kells. As a fluent Irish speaker and advocate of the language, Lally had roles in several Irish language films. He is survived by his wife Peggy and their children Saileog, Darach and Maghnus.

One of Ireland's best known actors, Mick Lally, has died at the age of 64.

11138697

Fire crews were called to the blaze in a second-floor property on George Street at about 05:15. The man's condition is not thought to be serious.

A man has been taken to hospital following a fire at a flat in Aberdeen.

36042316

Scientists have found that two types of chemicals called neonicotinoids and coumaphos are interfering with the insect's ability to learn and remember. Experiments revealed that exposure was also lowering brain activity, especially when the two pesticides were used in combination. The research is detailed in two papers in Nature Communications and the Journal of Experimental Biology. But a company that makes the substances said laboratory-based studies did not always apply to bees in the wild. And another report, published by the Defra's Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), concluded that there was no link between bee health and exposure to neonicotinoids. The government agency carried out a study looking at bumblebees living on the edges of fields treated with the chemicals. Falling numbers Honey bees around the world are facing an uncertain future. They have been hit with a host of diseases, losses of habitat, and in the US the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder has caused numbers to plummet. Now researchers are asking whether pesticides are also playing a role in their decline. To investigate, scientists looked at two common pesticides: neonicotinoids, which are used to control pests on oil seed rape and other crops, and a group of organophosphate chemicals called coumaphos, which are used to kill the Varroa mite, a parasite that attacks the honey bee. Neonicotinoids are used more commonly in Europe, while coumaphos are more often employed in the United States. Work carried out by the University of Dundee, in Scotland, revealed that if the pesticides were applied directly to the brains of the pollinators, they caused a loss of brain activity. Dr Christopher Connolly said: "We found neonicotinoids cause an immediate hyper-activation - so an epileptic type activity - this was proceeded by neuronal inactivation, where the brain goes quiet and cannot communicate any more. The same effects occur when we used organophosphates. "And if we used them together, the effect was additive, so they added to the toxicity: the effect was greater when both were present." Another series of laboratory-based experiments, carried out at Newcastle University, examined the behaviour of the bees. The researchers there found that bees exposed to both pesticides were unable to learn and then remember floral smells associated with a sweet nectar reward - a skill that is essential for bees in search of food. Dr Sally Williamson said: "It would imply that the bees are able to forage less effectively, they are less able to find and learn and remember and then communicate to their hive mates what the good sources of pollen and nectar are." 'No threat' She said that companies that are manufacturing the pesticides should take these findings into account when considering the safety of the chemicals. She explained: "At the moment, the initial tests for bee toxicity are giving the bees an acute dose and then watching them to see if they die. "But because bees do these complex learning tasks, they are very social animals and they have a complex behavioural repertoire, they don't need to be killed outright in order not to be affected." The European Commission recently called for a temporary moratorium on the use of neonicotinoids after a report by the European Food Safety Authority concluded that they posed a high acute risk to pollinators. But 14 out of the 27 EU nations - including the UK and Germany - opposed the ban, and the proposal has now been delayed. Ian Boyd, chief scientist at Defra, said: "Decisions on the use of neonicotinoids must be based on sound scientific evidence." He said that the results of the Fera bumblebee study suggested that the extent of the impact might not be as high as some studies had suggested - and called for "further data based on more realistic field trials is required". Dr Julian Little, communications and government affairs manager at Bayer Crop Science Limited, which makes some of the pesticides, said the findings of laboratory-based studies should not be automatically extrapolated to the field. "If you take an insecticide and you give it directly to an insect, I can guarantee that you will have an effect - I am not at all surprised that this is what you will see," he explained. "What is really important is seeing what happens in real situations - in real fields, in real bee colonies, in real bee hives, with real bee keepers."

Commonly used pesticides are damaging honey bee brains, studies suggest.

21958547

After an initial spot-kick, teams each take pairs of kicks in an attempt to reduce the pressure on the side taking the second kick in a shootout. The system has already been used on a trial basis in some international tournaments by Uefa during the summer. It will be implemented in all ties in the Carabao Cup, Checkatrade Trophy and EFL play-offs. As the current system stands, teams take turns in a shootout, with the choice of who goes first decided by a coin toss. For example, team A goes first, then team B, then team A again. The new system sees team A followed by team B - before team B goes again. Team A would then get two successive penalties, a little like the tie-break in tennis, and so on until there is a winner. A coin will still be tossed to decide who goes first.

The "ABBA" format for penalty shootouts will be used in all English Football League competitions in 2017-18.

40783273

Naming rights are among the powers set to be devolved in the Wales Bill now going through the UK Parliament. But Jane Hutt, Labour's chief whip in the assembly, will call for the Welsh Parliament name to be adopted "at the earliest opportunity", and used unofficially until formalised. AMs will debate the issue in the Senedd next Tuesday. Ms Hutt will table a motion proposing that "the National Assembly for Wales agrees that: (a) its name should be changed to the "Welsh Parliament" at the earliest opportunity; and that (b) it should be known unofficially by that name until such a name change can be formalised". A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "The First Minister is opening up debate among Assembly Members, early in the life of this Assembly, to consider the most appropriate name for the institution. "It is ultimately a matter for the National Assembly itself; legislation is not required to change what the institution calls itself." Asked for a response, a Wales Office spokesman said: "The Wales Bill will give the Assembly the power to call itself what it wants." Glyn Davies, the Conservative backbench MP for Montgomeryshire, said he would refer to the assembly as a parliament, saying on Facebook that AMs "should have done it years ago". In May, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns spoke of the Wales Bill offering opportunities "to deliver a real parliament for Wales, with greater powers and a government responsible for raising as well as spending money". However, differences remain between the two governments on whether powers over income tax should be devolved without a referendum. Welsh Labour ministers claim that alleged underfunding of Wales by the UK Treasury should be addressed first, while some Tory MPs say their party should keep its promise to voters to hold a referendum.

The Welsh Assembly could be renamed the Welsh Parliament before AMs have the legal right to make the change.

36595575

Marcel Lazar, known online as "Guccifer", pleaded guilty in May on charges of aggravated identify theft and unauthorised access of a computer. Lazar, who targeted former Secretary of State Colin Powell and the Bush family, was arrested on hacking charges in Romania in 2014 and given four years. He was extradited to the US to face charges in March 2016. The 44-year-old inadvertently uncovered Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email account in 2013 after hacking the account of her former political adviser, Sidney Blumenthal. Two years later, it was revealed that Mrs Clinton exclusively used her personal account, which was connected to a private server at her New York residence, while serving as secretary of state. Mrs Clinton's use of private email while at the State Department became the subject of an FBI investigation and has dogged her on the campaign trail. Earlier this year Lazar claimed he had hacked into her private server, but the Clinton campaign has denied there was any such breach. The FBI also has said there is no evidence to prove he had hacked her. Lazar, a former taxi driver in Romania, is believed to have hacked into about 100 US email accounts between 2012 and 2014. In June, a hacker who goes by the alias "Guccifer 2.0" claimed data breaches on the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. US intelligence officials have said they believe Guccifer 2.0 is linked to Russian intelligence services, suggesting that the hack was state-sponsored. There is no known connection between Lazar and Guccifer 2.0.

A Romanian hacker who targeted high-profile US politicians has been sentenced to 52 months in prison.

37250907

She is the co-founder of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), which she says was formed to stop the "Islamisation of America" and "creeping sharia" in her country. AFDI is listed as an anti-Muslim group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group. A flamboyant rhetorical style on social media, in which she is not afraid to be provocative and offensive, has recently powered Pamela Geller's rise. In May 2015, Ms Geller played a key role in organising a conference on cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in a suburb of Dallas, where two gunmen were shot dead after opening fire outside the venue. In typically emotive language after the attack, she defended the decision to stage the exhibition. "The idea we are going to bridge our freedom, our most basic inalienable right in order to not offend savages, is egregious, it is outrageous," she told Fox News. In April 2015, the AFDI was also in the headlines when it arranged for a controversial advertisement - which referred to Muslims killing Jews - to be displayed on New York's buses. A former financial analyst, Ms Geller was described by the New York Times as "sky-rocketing to national prominence" in 2010 as a firebrand blogger vehemently opposed to plans to build a Muslim community centre close to the World Trade Center. She has been denounced by critics as a "bigoted blogger", reportedly has no formal journalistic qualifications and operates outside traditional Washington power centres. Ms Geller insists that she is not against Islam in general - only radical Islam. However, expressing views that even her supporters have criticised as being excessive, she has, for instance, been quoted as describing the faith as a "genocidal ideology". She has equally strong views on numerous other issues - calling over the last decade for the removal of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem where Islamic tradition says the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, and an end to President Barack Obama's healthcare reforms which she described as an "act of national rape". In favour of abortion and same-sex marriages on the one hand, she is an enthusiastic supporter of right-wing small government - including cutting taxes and reducing budgets - on the other. Born in 1958 - the third youngest of four girls - Ms Geller dropped out of university and worked on the business desk of the New York Daily News throughout the 1980s, proceeding to become associate publisher at the New York Observer. She began blogging after 9/11, almost immediately focussing on various contentious issues but with Islam as her principal target. In 2006, one of the websites she formed took the decision to publish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad which had earlier been printed in a Danish newspaper, sparking widespread protests in several countries. A little while afterwards, Ms Geller attended a "counter-jihad" conference in Brussels and developed links with various anti-Islamic Europeans including the English Defence League, which opposes the construction of mosques in Britain. While critics argue that she is guilty of spreading fear of Islam, her supporters say that she is prepared to say things other commentators on social media too easily shy away from.

From an unknown blogger in the months following the 9/11 attacks, Pamela Geller has become one of the most outspoken US critics of Islam.

32580059

Speaking on TV, Maria Zakharova said Jews had told her they donated both to Mr Trump and Hillary Clinton. She joked that American Jews were the best guide to US politics. The diplomat's remarks caused shock. Anti-US propagandists in the last century peddled an idea that rich New York Jews controlled US politics. Ms Zakharova was speaking on a chat show on Russian state TV at the weekend but her comments drew more attention after being picked up by media outlets on Thursday. She said she had visited New York with an official Russian delegation at the time of the last UN General Assembly, in September. "I have a lot of friends and acquaintances there, of course I was interested to find out: how are the elections going, what are the American people's expectations?" she said. "If you want to know what will happen in America, who do you need to talk to? You have to talk to the Jews, of course. It goes without saying." At this, the TV studio audience applauded loudly. "I went here and there among them, to chat," she continued. Imitating a Jewish accent, Mrs Zakharova said Jewish people had told her: "'Marochka, understand this - we'll donate to Clinton, of course. But we'll give the Republicans twice that amount.' Enough said! That settled it for me - the picture was clear. "If you want to know the future, don't read the mainstream newspapers - our people in Brighton [Beach] will tell you everything." She was referring to a district of Brooklyn with a large diaspora of Jewish emigres from the former Soviet Union. Russian opposition activist Roman Dobrokhotov wrote on Twitter (in Russian) that the spokeswoman had "explained Trump's victory as a Jewish conspiracy". Michael McFaul, the former US ambassador to Moscow, commented on Facebook, "Wow. And this is the woman who criticizes me for not being diplomatic." During the election campaign, Mrs Clinton accused Mr Trump of posting a "blatantly anti-Semitic" tweet after he used an image resembling the Star of David and stacks of money. Mr Trump, whose son-in-law Jared Kushner is Jewish, dismissed the accusation as "ridiculous". An exit poll by US non-profit J Street suggests an overwhelming majority of US Jews voted for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.

A spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry has said Jewish people in New York told her they had mainly backed Donald Trump in the US election.

38018439

The Tykes went ahead inside the opening 10 minutes when Roberts converted Conor Hourihane's corner. Fletcher doubled the lead following another Hourihane set-piece, smashing home after an error from Coventry goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook. Barnsley are now seventh in the table, level on points with Coventry in sixth. Having endured a run of nine successive league defeats earlier this season, the Tykes have lost just once in their last 12 matches. Coventry have now lost two on the spin going into this Saturday's home game with Rochdale, when Barnsley will be at fourth-placed Walsall. Sky Blues boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire: "We needed the players to turn up and not enough of them did. My standards are high and they did not do enough all night long. "Barnsley are a powerful side. Their two centre backs were colossus tonight. They played like men. "Everyone is down on confidence. The players have been great all season but we need them to get back to the high levels they have shown."

Marc Roberts and Ashley Fletcher scored either side of half-time to help Barnsley to victory over fellow League One play-off-chasers Coventry City.

35637125

The team is processing satellite images to show how rocks in a belt that stretches from Europe's Alps to China are slowly accumulating strain. Movements on the scale of just millimetres per year are being sought. The new maps are being made available to help researchers produce more robust assessments of seismic hazard. The kind of change they are trying to chart is not noticeable in the everyday human sense, but over time will put faults under such pressure that they eventually rupture - often with catastrophic consequences. "We may well discover regions that have very small strain rates that we have not been able to detect before," said Dr Richard Walters. "And that may well tell us that earthquakes are more likely in some areas that traditionally have been thought of as being completely stable and not at risk of having earthquakes at all." Dr Walters is affiliated to the UK Centre for Observation and Modelling of Earthquakes, Volcanoes and Tectonics (COMET). He announced the start of the new service here in San Francisco, at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Key to the UK scientists' work is the high performance of the EU's new Sentinel-1 radar satellites. This pair of spacecraft repeatedly and rapidly image the surface of the globe, throwing their data to the ground using a high-speed laser link. And by comparing whole stacks of their pictures in a technique known as interferometry, the COMET group can begin to see the very slow bending and buckling that occurs in the crust as a result of shifting tectonic plates. To initiate the service, the researchers are concentrating on the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt. This is the sector where most of the deaths arising from big earthquakes occur. In time, however, the mapping exercise will be extended to cover all major seismic hazard zones, including the rim of the Pacific basin - the so-called "ring of fire", where large tremors are also a regular occurrence. To be really effective, the team's maps need to be sensitive to movements of about 1mm per year over 100km. The system is not quite there yet, but as the Sentinels gather more and more images, the desired standard should be realised. As a proof of principle - and to give an example of what the new system can do - the COMET group showed off its maps of Turkey at AGU. These capture the 20-25mm/year westwards march of the Anatolian plateau relative to Eurasia. The focus of interest is how tectonic strain is building up along the North and East Anatolian Faults - the trigger points for so many damaging quakes in the past. Prof Tim Wright, the director of COMET, said one of the breakthroughs that had made the new service possible was simply the prodigious volumes of data the Sentinel satellite system could now feed to the ground. "To give you an example, in just one year of Sentinel operation there are 156 terabytes of data; whereas the entire 10-year archive of Envisat (a previous European radar satellite) has just 24TB. "And we now process the data from the Sentinels automatically within a few hours of getting it." Dr Walters added: "This is a big data project. We've had funding from the UK's Natural Environment Research Council to build a big data-processing facility, to take these data from the European Space Agency, which they provide for free, and make useful geophysical measurements. "We then serve that to the community. We put the data out there not just for us to analyse and think about seismic hazards, but for scientists all over the world to use." The "Looking inside the Continents from Space" project has just sent live a website where all the processed maps can be accessed. COMET is also working on a very similar system that would allow scientists to track the behaviour of volcanoes. The Sentinels will also see their slow developing bulges of magma that may precede eruptions. Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos

British researchers are now routinely mapping a great swathe of Earth's surface, looking for the subtle warping that ultimately leads to quakes.

38323832

It shrunk tumours in around half of women who took part in a small trial. Researchers had only been testing the drug to see if it was safe for humans to take, but found it had an almost instant clinical effect. It is hoped the drug could help women who have stopped responding to all other currently available treatments. So far, it has only been tested in 15 women, and the researchers say it may not be safe to take for more than a few months. However, ovarian cancer is a difficult disease to treat, and the prognosis in the advanced stages is very poor. Marianne Heath, 68, one of the patients who received the drug, said: "I had no other treatment choices, so I felt this was my only option. "I just want to keep going so I can keep the tumours at a level where I can enjoy my life. It isn't a cure, but it is life extension for me." Marianne had treatment over six months, and the drug shrunk all three tumours in her body, taking away much of the pain she was experiencing. One tumour - in her back - has started growing again since she stopped the treatment in January, and she is undergoing radiotherapy for that, but the others are stable. Blood tests spot ovarian cancer early NHS Choices: Ovarian cancer The researchers, from the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London, wanted to establish whether the drug, known in the study as ONX-0801, was safe, so they tested it on a small number of patients. But they found it significantly shrunk tumours in seven of the 15 patients who took the drug - all seven carrying a particular molecule that the drug was specifically designed to target. ONX-0801 is the first in a new class of drugs which work by mimicking the ability of folic acid selectively to latch on to cancer cells, while leaving healthy tissue alone, thus reducing the side-effects often seen with traditional chemotherapy, such as infections, diarrhoea, nerve damage and hair loss. Once locked on to a cancer cell, the drug disrupts its chemistry by blocking the action of a key molecule, causing widespread DNA damage and cell death. The researchers, who hope to carry out bigger clinical trials as soon as possible, have also developed a test that can detect which women are most likely to benefit from the treatment. Study leader Dr Udai Banerji said: "The results we have seen in this trial are very promising. It is rare to see such clear evidence of reproducible responses in these early stages of drug development. "The beauty of this particular drug is that it is targeted to the cancer cell. This means there are fewer side-effects, making it a kinder treatment for ovarian cancer patients. "It's early days of course, but I'm keen to see this treatment assessed in later-stage clinical trials as soon as possible." Dr Catherine Pickworth, from Cancer Research UK, said: "It's encouraging to see this new drug is showing promise as a potential new treatment for ovarian cancer. "The next steps will be for researchers to test the drug in larger clinical trials to confirm it works and is safe, and to work out which women with ovarian cancer this drug could help." Prof Michel Coleman, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, urged caution. He said: "Shrinkage of tumours is important, but as the authors point out, that is not the same as producing the hoped-for extension of survival for women with ovarian cancer. "The excitement of the investigators is completely understandable, but one should be cautious about interpreting this result as a breakthrough for ovarian cancer patients until data on longer-term outcomes are available." The results of the trial were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago on Saturday.

A new targeted treatment for ovarian cancer has shown "very promising" results in women in the advanced stages of the disease.

40097274

Market Cross Jewellers on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough was targeted on Tuesday by men carrying what were thought to be axes. No-one was injured, and police have not released any details of what was taken. In November, watches, and diamonds worth hundreds of thousands of pounds were stolen during a raid at the store's branch in Yarm. A 24-year-old man from Manchester was arrested on 8 January in connection with that robbery and later bailed pending further inquiries. Temporary Det Ch Insp John Ward said: "There are clearly similarities between [yesterday's] robbery and the one that took place in Yarm in November and numerous lines of inquiry are being pursued in both cases. "Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have seen, or have knowledge of, a silver Citroen C Crosser motor vehicle bearing the registration plates MK60 XCD. "We believe this vehicle was involved in the [Middlesbrough] robbery and it was later discovered abandoned in the car park next to Leader timber merchants on Newport Road, Middlesbrough. "We would also appeal to local hoteliers and to those who run local bed and breakfast venues to alert us should they have had any guests who may have raised their suspicions over recent days and who may have spoken with a North West accent."

An armed raid at a jewellers could be linked to one at another branch three months ago, police have said.

30809356

Hull city councillor Steven Bayes also pleaded not guilty to possessing an extreme pornographic image when he appeared at the city's crown court. The 55-year-old was suspended from the Labour Party in October after it "became aware of a police investigation into him", a party spokesman said. He was released on unconditional bail and is due to stand trial on 5 February 2018 at the same court. Mr Bayes was first elected as a councillor in 1985. He was involved in Hull's bid to secure the UK City of Culture title and is a former vice chair of the Hull 2017 company, which is organising arts activities and events for the year-long celebration.

A councillor has denied two counts of making indecent images of children.

40062271

The White House and state department said plans for up to 300 new homes and an industrial zone were diminishing prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel insisted fewer than 100 homes had been approved. Its foreign ministry said the new homes would be built within the area of an existing settlement. Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) secretary general Saeb Erekat said while Palestinians welcomed Washington's criticism, they expected it "to take real action". "After almost 50 years of systematic Israeli colonisation and belligerent military occupation of the State of Palestine, the US must implement the necessary tools to end Israeli settlements, including through the UN Security Council, end funding to Israel, and stop funding settlements through US-based organisations fuelling violence and discrimination against Palestinians," he said. About 570,000 Israelis live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. In July, world powers warned of "perpetual occupation and conflict" between Israelis and Palestinians. "The actions of the Israeli government in announcing this settlement undermine the pursuit of peace," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. State department spokesman Mark Toner said the new settlement would be "another step towards cementing a reality of perpetual occupation" that would "further call into question Israel's commitment to achieving a negotiated peace". It was "deeply troubling", Mr Toner said, because Israel had announced it so soon after the US agreed last month to a 10-year $38bn (£30bn) military aid package for the country. However, Israel's foreign ministry said the new units did not constitute a "new settlement". "This housing will be built on state land in the existing settlement of Shilo and will not change its municipal boundary or geographic footprint," a statement said. "The real obstacle to peace is not the settlements - a final-status issue that can and must be resolved in negotiations between the parties - but the persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any boundaries," it added. Palestinians want an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital, and say settlements make this impossible.

The US has "strongly condemned" Israel for approving plans for new settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.

37570670

The move would reverse a long-held policy of not naming alleged war criminals in the Syrian conflict. Investigators said on Friday there had been an "exponential rise" in atrocities committed in Syria. UN figures show that more than 220,000 people have been killed during Syria's four-year civil conflict. The investigators - from the UN's Commission for Inquiry on Syria - said they had prepared five lists of names including "a variety of perpetrators from different groups". The Commission refused to say how many suspects were named, but diplomatic sources told the BBC there were approximately 200. The Syrian government has carried out innumerable air strikes on rebel-held territory throughout the conflict, and has been accused by human rights organisations of killing thousands of innocent civilians in the process. The UN's High Commissioner for Refugees says more than nine million Syrians have been displaced as a result of continuing fighting. Speaking after a briefing of the UN Security Council on Friday, a spokesperson for the Commission said that they were "weighing the pros and cons" of publishing the lists of suspects. The BBC understands that if they decide to publish the lists it will coincide with the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on 17 March. In a report published on Friday, the Commission stressed that both the Syrian regime and the main Islamist militant groups active in Syria - Islamic State (IS) and al-Nusra Front - had committed atrocities, as well as other smaller factions. The report warned that despite the Commission's "long-standing position" not to name suspects, maintaining that policy would "reinforce the impunity" of alleged war criminals. Speaking on Friday, investigators said that they had increasingly been sharing information with countries to enable them to prosecute their own citizens for crimes committed in Syria. They revealed that four of the lists of names of alleged war criminals had been passed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and a fifth would be handed over in March. The five lists, compiled since the Commission began investigating in 2011, are understood to contain approximately 30 to 40 names each. The death toll for 2014 from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is just the latest grim statistic from years of war. Syria's refugee crisis Conflict in numbers Noting the rise in atrocities over the four-year conflict, the Commission's report said the scale of war crimes in Syria "raises questions about the inadequacy of the response of the international community". A spokeswoman for the Commission said that the UN Security Council "was not acting" despite damning evidence of human rights abuses. "We expect really after four years that something must be done," she said.

United Nations investigators are considering revealing the names of an estimated 200 individuals suspected of committing war crimes in Syria.

31557395

The Nottingham Pram Company made pushchairs and perambulators from a factory in the city. All the items, including a Victorian pram made between 1880 and 1885, belonged to John Whitby, who ran the firm for 55 years. The 15 lots sold for £6,700, exceeding the expected £2,500 price tag. Auctioneers said the collection was "a snapshot of a much-loved company" and was bought by various private collectors across the UK. The family business was founded in the mid-19th Century by Mr Whitby's grandfather. More on this story and other news from Nottinghamshire He took over in 1946, opening a shop on Goose Gate that sold the company's prams, which were manufactured on Alfreton Road, as well as treats for children, such as toys and comics. Auctioneer Nigel Kirk, of Mellors and Kirk, said the Victorians were "very keen on prams". "Mr Whitby's father, a builder, and his grandfather were clearly men of considerable importance in Victorian and Edwardian Nottingham, of which they were both appointed freemen," he said. "When he retired [in 2001], John Whitby had the foresight to carefully preserve everything connected with his grandfather's enterprise. "For half a century the company was something of a Nottingham institution, selling not just prams but everything for the young child." The Victorian pram, which beat its estimate and sold for £590, has a "coach-built body" similar to the style used by the Royal Family to transport Princess Charlotte to her christening. A painted wooden sign, which once hung outside the shop, was also auctioned, as well as catalogues, photographs, toys, comics, shop display material and World War Two posters and souvenirs. Mr Kirk said: "Some of the items would not have been considered valuable in many people's eyes - for example the trade catalogues from the 1960s, 70s and even 1980s, might have been overlooked in a house clearance. "However, these lots sold incredibly well, particularly to online bidders."

A collection of vintage prams and memorabilia stretching back almost 150 years has been auctioned.

34923701

The pharmacies say that online drug retailers are putting customers at risk by failing to follow existing rules. The government says it is in the process of drawing up guidelines to regulate online drug sales. A number of companies are selling drugs online to tap a market which is estimated to be worth $10bn (£65m). Although the pharmacies will be shut, customers will be able to buy emergency drugs using special telephone numbers printed on posters and newspapers. "It is going to be a 100% strike. Approximately 800,000 chemists will be on strike," All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists chief JS Shinde told AFP news agency. "Our own investigation has shown that anti-pregnancy pills, sleeping pills and steroids are being sold freely online." Mr Shinde said 40-50% of the business of India's bricks-and-mortar sellers had been affected because of online drug sales. "We want the government to close down all illegal online pharma companies immediately." India's health ministry said it was drawing up plans to regulate online drug sales. "A sub-committee has been constituted to look into the matter, which has so far undertaken only preliminary discussions with the stakeholders to ascertain their views," the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

At least 800,000 pharmacies in India are on a one-day strike, demanding an end to online drug sales which they say is affecting their business.

34524842

Parcels containing cannabis and so-called legal highs were removed at HMP Altcourse in Liverpool. The contraband had become lodged on the 60ft (18m) roof after attempts were made to throw it over the prison walls. A prison spokesman said the crane is now being used as a deterrent, "a bit like visible police street patrols". Dave Thompson, director of the privately-run Category B jail, said: "These items were thrown over the prison walls by criminals on the outside. "We are committed to preventing drugs coming into our prison and we are encouraged that at the same time as our seizures of banned substances have increased, the numbers of prisoners testing positive for them has come down. "Altcourse's latest independent inspection report by government monitors praised our drug intelligence work, which they said led to effective drug searches in the prison." Government figures confirmed that 290 mobile telephones and SIM cards were seized in Altcourse in 2013 - the second highest number in England and Wales.

Prison staff had to use a "cherry picker" crane to remove packages of drugs and mobile phones which had become trapped on the roof.

32481837

A Gareth Anscombe drop-goal edged Blues 23-20 ahead after Gloucester Josh Hohneck was yellow carded. Alex Cuthbert had helped level the scores after the sin-binning, scoring his second try after Ross Moriarty and Tom Marshall scores put the hosts up. But unanswered second-half tries from Jonny May, Marshall, Mark Atkinson and Henry Purdy sealed Gloucester's win. The Cherry and Whites, who went out at home at the quarter-final stage last year, won the competition in 2015. Defeat for the Blues means they have failed to progress beyond the last eight of any European Cup competition since winning the continent's second-tier title in 2010. In a seesawing opening 40 minutes, scores were locked on four separate occasions, with Cuthbert and Moriarty trading tries before Blues' Steven Shingler and Gloucester's Billy Burns swapped penalties. More of the same followed when Billy Twelvetrees took over kicking duties from Burns, following a head injury, as both sides landed further penalties and Marshall's first try put Gloucester 20-13 up. However, Blues racked up 10 points while Gloucester were a man down to take a three-point advantage into the break. Shingler extended that lead to six, but that is as good as it would get for the Pro12 side, who had Wales' Sam Warburton at blind-side flanker after impressing in the position for Wales during the Six Nations Championship. England coach Eddie Jones was in the stands at Kingholm to see May, the only Gloucester player he called upon for their triumphant Six Nations campaign, cross for the first of the hosts' four second-half scores to seal an ultimately convincing win that sees them progress to play La Rochelle - a side they met twice and beat once in the group stage this term. Gloucester: Marshall; Sharples, Trinder, Twelvetrees, May; Burns, Heinz (capt); McAllister, Hibbard, Hohneck, Savage, Thrush, Moriarty, Rowan, Morgan. Replacements: Matu'u, Thomas, Afoa, Galarza, Ludlow, Braley, Atkinson, Purdy. Cardiff Blues: Morgan; Cuthbert, Lee-Lo, Shingler, Scully; Anscombe, Williams; Jenkins (capt), Dacey, Filise, Earle, Hoeata, Warburton, Navidi, Williams. Replacements: Rees, Domachowski, Assiratti, Cook, Bennett, Williams, Halaholo, Summerhill. Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France) For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.

Gloucester overcame Cardiff Blues to set up European Challenge Cup semi-final at La Rochelle.

39419795

The call came after "significant human remains" were found at the site of a former home in the Republic of Ireland. The home was run by the Bon Secours order of nuns in Tuam, County Galway. The bodies ranged from premature babies to three year olds. The discovery was made as part of an investigation into claims by a local historian that up to 800 babies and young children died at the home and were buried in unmarked graves. Amnesty International has said that archaeological surveys should be carried out at all former mother-and-baby homes in Northern Ireland. Archbishop Martin said many in the church and society were "ashamed" of what had emerged at the home in Tuam. He added that "families are owed an apology" and that the church had repeated an apology it made in 2014 when the claims "first came to light". "It makes me feel awful. I feel incredibly sad in recent days. We as a church do not want to repeat the awful mistakes of the past." He added: "It's an appalling time for us and everyone in society. "We're opening up a whole chapter in the society in Ireland and the rest of the world where there was a terrible stigma against unwed mothers. "There was a terrible time, we in society and in the church isolated and stigmatised them." Meanwhile, the Irish children's minister Katherine Zappone has said that 474 "unclaimed infant remains" from mother-and-baby homes were transferred to medical schools between 1940 and 1965. Irish national broadcaster RTÉ made claims about the transfer of remains in a 2011 documentary. Ms Zappone told the Dáil (Irish parliament) that the transfer of remains was "part of a tapestry of oppression, abuse and systematic human rights violations that took place all over this country for decades". She also said an interim report into the home in Tuam would be published by the end of March, a move Archbishop Martin said the Catholic Church supported.

The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has backed a call by Amnesty International for an inquiry into mother-and-baby homes in Northern Ireland.

39224430

Infectiously-catchy earworm 'PPAP' (short for Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen') was performed by animal print-clad DJ Piko-Taro, a fictional character played by Japanese entertainer Kazuhiko Kosaka. And it goes like this: "I have a pen. I have an apple. Apple-pen! I have a pen. I have [a] pineapple. Pineapple-pen! Apple-pen. Pineapple-pen. Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen." But how did the 40-year-old DJ come up with such a bizarre song about fusing a pen with an apple and a pineapple? "When I was making this music with play, I was [just] singing it too soon," the newly-crowned internet star explained in a tweet to fans from an account created for his newly-coined character. It has all the ingredients for a viral video formula: an addictive beat, silly lyrics and a hilariously simple dance routine to back it up. And it was only a matter of time before the minute-long song, first uploaded onto Piko-Taro's official YouTube channel, quickly spread to Facebook. While the original video has gone on to amass more than 4m views, entertainment portal 9GAG's Facebook video surpassed that to draw more than 44m views. "I'm ruined - I will never get this song out of my head," lamented Facebook user Carlos Andrés Silva in a comment. Nelson Rivera Adrian Paige agreed, voicing concern for the number of times he has looped the video. "I am both highly amused as well as extremely confused." Other users like Daniel Hou who watched the video pointed out Piko-Taro's unique wardrobe. "Am I the only one who noticed that this guy is the real-life version of Borsalino [Kizaru] from One Piece," he said, drawing reference to the popular flamboyantly-dressed manga-anime character. But one man's catchy viral song may prove to be another's jarring burden. "Please stop sharing this annoying song, it's exploded on my feed and is driving me up the wall because it's so irritating to listen to," said Facebook user Hiro Kenshida in a plea. At time of writing, few mainstream Japanese news sites have covered this particular earworm, even though it has been widely picked up internationally. It has not particularly trended on Japanese social media. He has already been dubbed the next Psy and it could even be that this was precisely what was in mind - one catchy ditty, pushed by digital influencers but with the precise aim of becoming a global phenomenon. But the hype did not stop there. Hundreds of tributes and covers of Piko-Taro's tune have also appeared on Facebook, each gaining cult followings of their own. Many Japanese stars, including popular duo Riko and Rika, came up with vines of their own. There's even been a heavy metal tribute as well as a cover from Thai social media star Happy Polla. What a time to be alive.

You are about to witness viral history in the making and none of it will make any sense to you.

37480920

The team at King's College London say smokers are more likely to develop the disorder and at a younger age. Published in the Lancet Psychiatry, their analysis of 61 separate studies suggests nicotine in cigarette smoke may be altering the brain. Experts said it was a "pretty strong case" but needed more research. Smoking has long been associated with psychosis, but it has often been believed that schizophrenia patients are more likely to smoke because they use cigarettes as a form of self-medication to ease the distress of hearing voices or having hallucinations. The team at King's looked at data involving 14,555 smokers and 273,162 non-smokers. It indicated: The argument is that if there is a higher rate of smoking before schizophrenia is diagnosed, then smoking is not simply a case of self-medication. Dr James MacCabe, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's, said: "It's very difficult to establish causation [with this style of study], what we're hoping that this does is really open our eyes to the possibility that tobacco could be a causative agent in psychosis, and we hope this will then lead to other research and clinical trials that would help to provide firmer evidence." Clearly most smokers do not develop schizophrenia, but the researchers believe it is increasing the risk. The overall incidence of the condition is one in every 100 people normally, which may be increased to two per 100 by smoking. The researchers said nicotine altered levels of the brain chemical dopamine, which has already been implicated in the psychosis. Prof Michael Owen, the director of the Institute of Psychological Medicine at Cardiff University, said the researchers had made a "pretty strong case" that smoking may increase the risk of schizophrenia. "The fact is that it is very hard to prove causation without a randomised trial, but there are plenty of good reasons already for targeting public health measures very energetically at the mentally ill." The charity Rethink Mental Illness said: "We know that 42% of all cigarettes smoked in England are by people with mental health problems, and so any new findings about the link between smoking and psychosis is a potential worry. "However, longer-term studies are needed to fully understand this potential link."

Smoking could play a direct role in the development of schizophrenia and needs to be investigated, researchers say.

33464480

However, it says it will still co-operate with its larger neighbour. Speaking earlier in Miami, Florida, Mr Trump said he was reimposing certain travel and trade restrictions eased by the Obama administration, condemning a "completely one-sided deal". But he is not reversing key diplomatic and commercial ties. "The government of Cuba denounces the new measures toughening the embargo," Cuban state TV said. But it also reiterated "its willingness to continue the respectful dialogue and cooperation". Barack Obama attempted to thaw relations by loosening trade and tourism bans. President Trump says his new policy will tighten rules on travel and on sending funds to Cuba. Announcing the changes on Friday, he cited human rights concerns, saying doing a deal with the "brutal" Castro government was "terrible" and "misguided". Later that night, Cuban state news was also talking tough. "Any strategy aimed at changing the political, economic and social system in Cuba - whether by pressure or imposition or through more subtle means - is destined to fail," it said. However, President Trump is not rowing back on all parts of Obama's deal. He will not close the US embassy in Havana, commercial flights from the US will continue, and Americans will still be able to return home with Cuban goods. "The embargo should continue. Why give credit to a country where the people don´t see a penny? They are still starving and there is no freedom whatsoever. Why should we keep feeding the people who are on top when they repress their own people." Jose Nadal "I am 100% Republican. I agree 150% with everything Trump says and does. They should impose more sanctions against Cuba. When Obama made the agreement and restored relations with the Cuban government, he gave them everything they asked for. We received nothing from the Cuban government. This is why Trump wants to strengthen the sanctions." Cathy Henderson "I am against the embargo. The Cuban tyranny uses the embargo as a pretext to justify that it has failed. Everything bad that happens in Cuba, they blame the embargo." Santiago Portal Courtesy of BBC Mundo 1959: Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro leads a guerrilla army into Havana overthrowing the Batista regime. 1960: In response to Castro's communist reforms, US breaks off diplomatic relations with Cuba and imposes a trade embargo. 1962: Castro agrees to allow the Soviet Union to deploy nuclear missiles on the island bringing the US and the USSR to the brink of nuclear war. April 2009: President Barack Obama lifts restrictions on family travel and the sending of remittances to Cuba. July 2015: The US and Cuba reopen embassies in each other's capitals and restore full diplomatic ties. March 2016: President Obama makes a three-day visit to Cuba and holds talks with President Raul Castro. He expresses hope the embargo will be ended, but it can only be lifted by the US Congress which is controlled by Republicans who oppose the move. Aug 2016: US commercial flight arrives in Cuba for the first time in more than half a century.

Cuba's government has denounced US President Donald Trump's decision to roll back on policy changes towards the island nation.

40311287

She is in possession of WTA ranking points once again after proving too strong for Roberta Vinci in her first match since a 15-month ban for taking the banned drug meldonium. There were errors, of course, and her movement is a work in progress, but she served strongly and returned with aggressive intent: hitting nearly twice as many winners as unforced errors. And she played with sheer bloody mindedness, in the way she always has. The Stuttgart crowd was respectful of Sharapova, and generous in her moment of victory, although the real warmth was reserved for her opponent. This first win will move the former world number one to the cusp of the top 500, but her ambitions for the week will stretch further, given the way she played and the frailties of some of the top seeds. Defeats for both Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbine Muguruza mean Sharapova cannot face a seeded player before the semi-finals. The top players in the women's game remain maddeningly inconsistent, and with Serena Williams pregnant, Victoria Azarenka on maternity leave and Petra Kvitova still recuperating from December's stabbing, there are opportunities galore. Sharapova is a five-time Grand Slam champion, and a likely future champion. This may be her 15th year on tour, but she has missed more time than most due to shoulder problems, as well as the ban. And rest did Roger Federer no harm before the Australian Open in Melbourne, when he clinched his 18th Grand Slam title after a six-month injury lay-off. She has won Slams on all surfaces and is brimming with motivation on her return from what she considers an unduly harsh ban imposed for an administrative error. And mentally, she is stronger than anyone bar Serena Williams. But it will probably take time. Stringing together seven wins in a row at a Grand Slam is notoriously difficult when you lack match practice and sharpness, and Sharapova may have to negotiate an extra three matches of qualifying at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. This was one of the main themes of her first news conference with regular tennis writers for 15 months. I thought she seemed nervous, quite frosty and was confrontational at times. "I'm not getting a wildcard to receive a trophy or a golden platter," she said when asked about the numerous tournament invitations which have upset so many of her peers. "I have to get through the matches and I still have to win them and that's my job." Caroline Wozniacki and Radwanska are just two players to have questioned why a player returning from a doping ban is being offered so many wildcards. The former world number one and number two were dismissed as "journeyman" players by Sharapova's agent Max Eisenbud. "I don't control my manager's words," Sharapova said when asked for her response, and then made no attempt to distance herself in the slightest from the sentiments. "I'm sure he's been watching everyone's comments in the previous 15 months and he's entitled to his own opinion." Sharapova's lack of camaraderie has never held her back in the past, and she still has no desire to form friendships on tour. That wouldn't help her tennis, she pointed out. The locker room is where you go for an ice bath, she argued. Her true friends can be found away from the workplace. Sharapova would love to be at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, and she says she would be "prepared to play in the juniors" if it helped. She would need to reach the final here in Stuttgart to earn sufficient ranking points to gain direct entry into the qualifying draw of the French Open. If she fails to do so, her fate will be revealed to great fanfare on the evening of Tuesday 16 May, when wildcards for both qualifying and the main draw will be announced on Facebook Live. The All England Club is unlikely to go down the same route. Officially, wildcard recipients will not be determined until Tuesday 20 June, by which time Sharapova could be back in the top 100 and eligible for the main Wimbledon draw. To do so she will need to earn close to 600 ranking points from this week and her next two tournaments in Madrid and Rome. A return of one semi-final and one quarter-final is likely to be enough, but that would still be some effort after so long away from the sport.

From Maria Sharapova's perspective, Wednesday 26 April could not have gone much better.

39723929

Nearly 400 children under the age of 12 have been spoken to by police in the last three years in England and Wales. Figures obtained by the BBC show more than 4,000 cases since 2013 where children have taken explicit pictures of themselves and sent them to others. It is illegal to possess, take or distribute sexual images of someone who is under 18, including of yourself. The five-year-old, from County Durham, was spoken to by officers of Durham Constabulary last year. He is the youngest person to be investigated for sexting by police forces in England and Wales who responded to a BBC Newcastle request for information. The force's DCI Steve Thubron said sexting issues were dealt with on a case by case basis, with a focus on safeguarding children. He said incidents were recorded in line with national crime recording standards. "We deal with incidents proportionately and obviously do not criminalise children," he said. "We have worked with other agencies to provide advice and guidance to both schoolteachers and young people. "We would urge any children who are worried to speak with a trusted adult or call 101." The most common age of those involved in sexting is 13 or 14. A 10-year-old boy - only just at the age of criminal responsibility - has been cautioned by Northumbria Police for sexting. The boy sent a sexual image of himself to an 11-year-old child using Oovoo - a free social media video and image sharing app. Greater Manchester Police recorded the highest number of child sexters with 695 cases looked into - including four seven-year-olds and four eight-year-olds. Even if a child isn't prosecuted for sending, distributing or possessing an indecent image or video, once it has been sent, it is no longer in the sender's control. If the content is then posted on a public social media page, it could be viewed by friends and family, or potential employers. Many children have spoken of instances where an image has been shared with a girlfriend or boyfriend, only for the image to then be circulated more widely. Kerry Smith of Plan International UK, which works for children's rights, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme: "Girls are being pressured - sexting is a gendered issue - more girls are being asked to share. "There are double standards. When they do (share), the girls are shamed, not the boys who are holding the phones or the pictures or asking for them." She said education was key. "People know there's an issue. They want that knowledge shared with their children and we've got to make sure that's what's happening in our schools," she said. Natalie Smith educates children about issues including sexting through a theatre group. She said young people believe the phone is their personal, locked property, but actually it's often the parent who is liable for its content because they pay the bill. "We try to help them understand that very little is private on the internet, and anything they share on their phone, their parents can have access to and would be able to see," she added. "That often is enough to make them think about exactly what they're doing." The National Police Chiefs' Council's lead for child protection, Chief Constable Simon Bailey, said while police took a "common sense approach" it was important not to view it as harmless teenage behaviour. "There are significant risks involved for children and young people; once an image is sent, control is lost, and it can cause significant distress when it gets into wider hands," he said.

Thousands of children, including a boy aged five, have been investigated for sexting, the BBC has learned.

40566026

Two women aged, 18 and 19 from Grangetown, and a third aged 19, from London, have been charged with fraud by false representation. The arrests were made after people were approached by cold callers who claimed to be collecting money for Unicef. But the charity confirmed no one had been authorised to fundraise in the area. The women appear at Cardiff Magistrates Court on Friday 1 May. Two other men who were also arrested have been released on bail pending further investigations.

Three people have been charged over allegations of fraudulent fundraising in Cardiff.

32443765

The group are due to be brought to a hostel in the countryside near Great Torrington, Devon on Sunday or Monday. The children will be transported from Croydon, south London, where they were taken from the Jungle camp by a private security company. The Home Office said they are unaccompanied, vulnerable children. It is not clear if the children are among a group that arrived under the "Dubs amendment" which grants refuge to particularly vulnerable individuals, such as those who are unaccompanied and without family ties in the UK. The purpose of the temporary facility is to provide a safe and welcoming place before the children are reunited with family members or moved to other parts of the country, Devon Country Council said. The council said it is working with the police, NHS and other local authorities as part of the "emergency response". "These will be vulnerable young people," Councillor James McInnes said. "They will be frightened and they will be exhausted, and we as an authority have a statutory responsibility to support those that present in Devon." Dozens of private security guards will accompany the group. A source told the BBC most of those expected in Devon are over 16 years old. Geoffrey Cox, Conservative MP for Torridge and West Devon, said the move will not be a "permanent institution". "The majority of the children will only be here for a few days," he said. "They will be under 18 and there is no question of anyone over 18 coming." The Home Office declined to comment on the details of the transfer, but added the children were often traumatised and their privacy should be respected as they received support to rebuild their lives.

Up to 70 child migrants from the Jungle camp in Calais are expected to arrive at a temporary Home Office "respite facility", the BBC has learnt.

37744012

An Israeli TV report revealed $127,000 of public money was spent on fitting the room on his flight to attend former UK PM Margaret Thatcher's funeral. The expense met with anger in Israel, which is facing austerity measures. Mr Netanyahu's office said the prime minister had been unaware of the cost. Israeli media reports said the cost was incurred by having four walls and door installed around a double bed, and 22 business class seats fitted on a plane chartered from El Al, Israel's national airline. The flight from Israel to the UK takes about five-and-a-half hours. The aircraft cost about $300,000 to use, before the custom fittings. Israel's Channel 10 first reported the story, which triggered angry reactions in the media. "Bibi is king, and in a monarchy, when the king and queen fly, price is no object," said political commentator Sima Kadmon, referring to Mr Netanyahu by his nickname, in Israel's biggest-selling newspaper Yediot Ahranot. Mr Netanyahu's office said the prime minister needed a good night's sleep on the flight ahead of a day of busy schedules. It later said the prime minister had not been aware of the additional cost and had ordered cut-backs. Reports said customised "rest chambers" would no longer be used on European flights, while other media quoted his office as saying they would be dropped all together. The news came at a time when Israelis face tax rises as part of austerity measures being discussed by the cabinet. It also follows the revelation earlier this year that the prime minister's office had an annual budget of $2,700 for ice-cream bought by his staff from a Jerusalem shop. Mr Netanyahu scrapped the allowance after the story came to light.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will change his sleeping arrangements on flights after criticism over the cost of installing a special bedroom on a trip to the UK, his office says.

22507949

Archibald was on Swindon Town's managerial shortlist last season and has been linked with other vacancies. Osman says the loss of Archibald - who guided Thistle to a top six finish last season - would be a hard act to follow. "Since I signed, he's only got better, every season. It's no surprise teams are interested in him," Osman said. "We don't want him to go anywhere. He's probably one of the best managers I have played under. The boys love him. We just pray he stays here for another season." Osman's Partick Thistle team-mate Adam Barton echoes his captain's sentiments. "I would be personally disappointed because what he has done is really good," the midfielder said. "As a footballer, you like managers who really stick by their players. You come across so many managers who chop and change things and I have been through that many managers that many times. "New managers come in and they don't even want to see you play, they just want to bring their own players in and chop and change. To see him go would not be a good thing." Partick Thistle are on the verge of losing promising centre-back Liam Lindsay, who has travelled to Barnsley for a medical following the clubs agreeing a fee for the player. Subject to the completion of the medical, Lindsay will sign a three-year deal at Oakwell.

Partick Thistle captain Abdul Osman says the players are praying manager Alan Archibald stays at the club for another season.

40369861

Its reach has also expanded across the Sahel region south of the Sahara Desert, attracting members from Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Senegal as well as from within Mali where, in alliance with other Islamists, it is fighting French troops on the ground. During the Mali crisis, its fighters have dramatically increased their profile, allowing them to further their aim of spreading Islamic law and jihad across West Africa. AQIM's influence over other nascent Islamist cells comes from its wealth: it is one of the region's best-armed groups thanks to the money it makes from kidnapping Westerners and drug and cigarette trafficking across the Sahara. It emerged in early 2007, after a feared militant group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), aligned itself with Osama Bin Laden's international network. Back in the 1990s, against a background of Islamist political groups testing their strength across North Africa, the military-backed authorities in Algeria at first permitted the Islamists to play a full part in the nation's political life. But then, when the Islamic Salvation Front was poised to sweep the board in a 1992 general election, they annulled the whole process and took power back. The political ferment immediately moved into violence. Armed Islamists mounted attacks across Algeria, the security forces fought back; and sometimes it was hard to tell which group had carried out which atrocity. Other states in the region - Tunisia and Morocco, Mauritania to the west and Libya to the east - also battled against Islamists. But the conflict in Algeria was particularly brutal, killing perhaps 150,000 people. It peaked in the 1990s, until an amnesty offer to Islamists in 1999 led to gradual improvements. Violence fell and the country's economy recovered during the early years of the 21st Century. However, the most feared of the militant organisations, the Armed Islamic Group or GIA, rejected the promised amnesty and continued a violent campaign to establish an Islamic state. By then it had split, with the most extreme faction calling itself the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat - a name which echoed an Islamist group in Morocco. The Arabic word "Salafist" means fundamentalist, in the sense of going back to the original texts of Islam. In September 2006 the GSPC said it had joined forces with al-Qaeda, and in January 2007 it announced that it had changed its name to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb to reflect its new allegiance. At the time there had been much debate in intelligence circles about the significance of the move. Some officials dismissed it as an act of desperation by a group on its last legs, seeking to attract new recruits by aligning itself with Osama Bin Laden. Others, who saw it as far more worrying development, proved correct, as al-Qaeda has succeeded in persuading North Africa's Islamist extremists to take a more global view. In fact, the head of the US Africa Command said he believed that in 2012 AQIM, Nigeria's Boko Haram and the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab were co-ordinating their efforts. The merger announcement delighted al-Qaeda's then deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who described it at the time as "a source of chagrin, frustration and sadness" for Algeria's authorities. Shortly afterwards, seven bombs exploded in Algeria's eastern Kabylia region, killing six people, and in April 2007 at least 30 people were killed in bomb attacks on official buildings in Algiers. AQIM said it had planted the bombs. More attacks followed: on buses carrying foreign oil workers; on American diplomats; on soldiers; and in September 2007, a suicide bomb attack in Batna, aimed at the motorcade of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. The president was not injured, but 20 people were killed. Two days later, a car bomb killed more than 30 people at a coastguard barracks in the town of Dellys. In December, twin car bombs claimed by AQIM killed at least 37 people in Algiers, including 17 UN staff. The death toll continued to mount in 2008. Back-to-back attacks on 19 and 20 August killed dozens of people. The first was a suicide car bombing at a police college in Issers, east of Algiers, killing 48 people. A day later, two more car bombings struck in quick succession in Bouira, south-east of Algiers. The second explosion in Bouira killed 12 Algerian employees of the Canadian engineering firm SNC-Lavalin. The attacks continued into 2009, when suspected al-Qaeda militants in February killed nine security guards who were working for the state-owned gas and electricity distributor Sonelgaz at a camp near Jijel, east of Algiers. Algerian Islamists represent the largest national grouping in al-Qaeda, according to Jill Carroll's 2007 briefing paper How Did Al-Qaeda Emerge in North Africa? Abdelaziz Belkhadem, Algeria's prime minister in 2007, warned that the bombers wanted to take the North African country back to "the years of hardship". But other incidents across the Maghreb pointed to the group's regional ambitions. In January that year, 12 people were shot dead by the security forces in Tunisia near the small town of Solimane, south of the capital, Tunis. The authorities initially described their adversaries as criminals but later admitted that the men were Islamist militants with connections to the GSPC. Meanwhile, Morocco's security forces clamped down on several militant cells - arresting, trying and jailing their leaders - after four incidents blamed on al-Qaeda-inspired groups in 2007. The security forces were said to be on the lookout for militants who were believed to be crossing into Morocco from Algeria. And of course the Madrid train bombs, which killed almost 200 people in 2004, were the work of a Moroccan gang. In December 2008, AQIM militants abducted the United Nations special envoy, Robert Fowler, and his assistant, Louis Guay, near Niger's capital, Niamey. They were released in April 2009. The group also seized four European tourists who disappeared in January 2009 along the Mali-Niger border. Two were freed in April. The group threatened to kill one of the remaining pair - a Briton - unless a radical Islamic cleric convicted of terrorism in Jordan, Abu Qatada, was released from jail in the UK. And in June 2009 the British government said it believed AQIM's claims on an Islamist website that the death threat had been carried out against the British captive, Edwin Dyer. In July 2010 AQIM said it had killed French hostage Michel Germaneau - kidnapped in northern Niger three months earlier and transferred to Mali - in revenge for the killing of seven comrades in a failed rescue raid. In November 2011 a German was killed and three other foreigners kidnapped by AQIM in the ancient tourist city of Timbuktu in northern Mali. The group is thought to have between 600 and 800 fighters spread throughout Algeria and Europe - and according to the independent think-tank the Council on Foreign Relations, most of its major commanders trained in Afghanistan. Since 2004, the leader of the militants is thought to be Abou Mossab Abdelwadoud, a former university science student and infamous bomb-maker. In 2005, deputy GSPC leader Amari Saifi was sentenced to life in prison by an Algiers court for kidnapping 32 European tourists in 2003. The former paratrooper was captured by Chadian rebels in mysterious circumstances and passed on to Libya before standing trial in Algeria. Another leading member was Mokhtar Belmokhtar, known as "The One-Eyed", a former soldier and infamous cigarette smuggler at the centre of the 2013 hostage drama in Algeria. He left AQIM in late 2012 after falling out with some leaders and has been involved in operations in Mali. He organised the importation of arms for the underground network from Niger and Mali. He is wanted in Algeria on terrorism charges.

Al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), to give its full name in English, has its roots in the bitter Algerian civil war of the early 1990s, but has since evolved to take on a more international Islamist agenda.

17308138

They believe ministers are placing too much emphasis on the environment at the expense of trees grown for timber. Britain is currently the world's third largest importer of wood. Ministers said they were encouraging commercial forestry organisations to invest in woodland creation. Conifer forests have been a familiar sight for half a century in Wales and have helped the timber industry grow. But Confor, which promotes the forestry industry, warns that at least 16,000 hectares - or 40,000 acres - of commercial forest have been lost since 2001 and need to be re-planted to meet needs. Half of the woodland is managed by Natural Resources Wales with the the other half by private companies. As an industry, it is estimated to be worth more than £450m a year to the Welsh economy. But there is a conflict with environmental policy. Successive ministers have wanted more native, broadleaf species of trees and better access for walkers and bike riders while conservationists claim commercial forests are bad for wildlife. However, some forests in Wales are difficult to reach and hard to harvest while transporting the timber through rural communities can bring companies into conflict with local residents. The Welsh government wants a balance between the environmental, the economic and the social in how forestry is developed. It points to its Glastir scheme which encourages farmers and other landowners to plant woodland. It said its Woodlands for Wales forestry strategy "sets out how we want Wales to be known for its high quality woodlands that enhance the landscape, provide real social and community benefits, support thriving woodland-based industries and contribute to a better quality environment". Martin Bishop, of Confor, which represents 200 businesses in Wales, believes the emphasis on environmental aspects is seen as "sexier" than commercial forestry. He said the current system is also too bureaucratic for creating new woodland areas. Mr Bishop said 90 hectares were planted last year but there needed to be 20,000 hectares a year to meet long-term targets set by ministers. "There's a huge market for our timber. Every saw miller tells me he would double or treble production if the timber was there to feed that mill," he added.

Woodland bigger than the size of Cardiff needs to be re-planted in Wales to make up for commercial forestry lost over the past 15 years, industry experts have warned.

33960105

The snap drill in the Rostov region was ordered by President Vladimir Putin. The southern military district includes Crimea - the peninsula annexed by Russian forces in 2014 - and areas on the border with eastern Ukraine. Pro-Russian rebels also held military drills in eastern Ukraine last week. The self-styled "Donetsk People's Republic" tested heavy artillery and rocket systems in the Torez area, near the rebel-held city of Donetsk. Nato, Western leaders and the Ukrainian government accuse Russia of sending heavy armour and regular troops to the rebels. Moscow denies that, but admits that Russian "volunteers" are helping the rebels. A shaky ceasefire is in place, but both sides - the rebels and Ukrainian government forces - are still far off fulfilling the Minsk peace deal they signed up to. The Russian military did not indicate any connection between the current exercises in southern Russia and the Ukraine situation. The exercises include the rapid deployment of troops from 3,000km (1,860 miles) away and the preparation of emergency runways for the air force. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said its monitors in the eastern Ukraine conflict zone had seen continuing use of "proscribed weapons, heavy artillery", despite the Minsk agreement. In a statement to the BBC, the OSCE said the tension levels "still ebb and flow". In late January there were more than 1,000 ceasefire violations "in different places along the contact line", but in early February the conflict zone "remained relatively calm", the OSCE said. The main hotspots remain: the area north of Horlivka, especially Zaitseve village (about 45km north of Donetsk), also around the Donetsk airport, Debaltseve and the triangle Kominternove-Pavlopil-Oktiabr south of Donetsk. Russia's exercises come as its air force contingent in Syria carries out heavy bombing to push anti-government rebels away from the city of Aleppo. Some of Russia's latest military equipment is involved in the Syria mission, including four Sukhoi Su-35S fighters - a type that only entered service with the Russian military last year.

Russia is holding combat readiness exercises involving 8,500 troops, with dozens of ships and aircraft, in a southern region near areas of eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian rebels.

35532842

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones said a so-called "fix room" could reduce drug deaths and the spread of infection. He said the proposed plan came in response to Rhosddu residents' concerns over dumped hypodermic needles. Mr Jones' comments come after a similar facility was recently announced for Glasgow. The Glasgow centre, which will be the first of its kind in the UK, will aim to address the problems caused by users who inject on the city's streets. Similar schemes already operate in 10 other countries, including Australia, Germany, France, Holland and Switzerland. Mr Jones said: "At the moment, all you're getting is the authorities treating the symptoms of substance abuse and drug addiction rather than the underlying causes. "Drug addiction should be treated as a public health issue rather than as a criminal matter." If given the go-ahead, he said the rooms could also offer "wrap around" services such as health care, counselling, housing and welfare advice. He said he also wanted to see a heroin-assisted treatment centre, which would see "chaotic" addicts prescribed medicinal heroin to help them beat their addiction. He added this would also help tackle low-level street drug dealing. Mr Jones said he was in discussion with members of Wrexham council about how such a project could work. He added: "This approach would be better for those suffering from the blight of addiction, society in general and the residents of Rhosddu in particular. "The people who make a good living out of drugs are the organised criminals. They are the people we need to be going after with all our might."

Calls have been made for a room in Wrexham where heroin users can inject safely under supervision.

37988598

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa is charged with allowing a private firm to establish a floating armoury. It is claimed the move deprived the state of more than $75m (£57m). Mr Rajapaksa, who denies wrongdoing, served as defence secretary during the presidency of his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, which ended last year. The charges were filed in a Colombo magistrates court by a special anti-corruption commission. The discovery of the floating arsenal off southern Sri Lanka, and of another weapons haul in the capital, came in the days after Mahinda Rajapaksa was voted out of office. Rajapaksa family's crashing fall from grace Private firm Avant-Garde Security Service said the weapons were for escorting commercial ships, but police said they received complaints that the firearms were used for intimidation. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has also been dogged by accusations, which he denies, of human rights abuses linked to the final defeat of Tamil Tiger militants in 2009. Several other members of the Rajapaksa family are also under investigation over alleged corruption. Earlier this month, Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of Mahinda, was arrested on suspicion of money-laundering. He denies wrongdoing. Namal's brother, Yoshitha, faces money-laundering charges while Mahinda's other brother, Basil, the former economic development minister, has been arrested three times over suspected misuse of funds and money-laundering. He is currently on bail. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has promised to investigate claims that members of the Rajapaksa family siphoned off billion of dollars of public money during Mahinda's nearly 10-year presidency. The former president, now an opposition lawmaker, has also been heavily criticised over alleged human rights abuses by the Sri Lankan military during a long-running war with Tamil separatists.

One of Sri Lanka's most controversial politicians has been charged with corruption involving the illegal transfer of state-owned weapons.

37234654

Two women lost a leg and three other people were seriously hurt when their carriage hit a stationary carriage on the Smiler ride on 2 June. The ride, which has been closed since the accident, is to reopen on 19 March when the Staffordshire theme park reopens for its new season. The owner of the attraction is to be prosecuted over the crash. Merlin Attractions Operation Ltd will appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on 22 April, the Health and Safety Executive announced last week. Four people sitting in the front row of the carriage were among those most seriously hurt in the crash. For updates on this and other Staffordshire stories Vicky Balch, 20, from Lancashire, had six rounds of surgery in a bid to save her leg before needing an amputation. Leah Washington, 17, from Barnsley, also had one of her legs amputated, while her 18-year-old boyfriend, Joe Pugh, shattered his knees. Daniel Thorpe, 27, from Buxton, Derbyshire, was treated for a collapsed lung and leg injuries. The fifth person, Chanda Chauhan, 49, from Wednesbury, underwent surgery after suffering internal injuries.

The Alton Towers rollercoaster ride on which five people were seriously injured is to reopen later this month.

35694710

A Bhuvneshwar Kumar throw hit Reiffel on the back of the head on day one and he was replaced by Marais Erasmus. Scans gave the Australian the all clear but he has been advised to rest. Erasmus will continue alongside Bruce Oxenford on the field for the rest of the match, while Chettithody Shamshuddin takes over as third umpire. "Paul Reiffel underwent precautionary tests yesterday (Thursday), which came back all clear," said an International Cricket Council statement. "Paul, however, has been advised to rest - which is the normal course prescribed following a concussion. "As such, he will not take any further part in the Mumbai Test and has been replaced by Marais Erasmus." Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.

Umpire Paul Reiffel has been replaced for England's fourth Test in India as he recovers from concussion after being hit on head by a stray throw.

38260068

Media playback is not supported on this device The 30-year-old Celtic midfielder will win his 50th cap if he features in a friendly against Denmark on Tuesday, when six players could earn first caps. "He's not only been a good footballer, but he's been a good help to young players now," said Strachan. "He's been a big part of my career over the last 10 years." Brown was signed from Hibernian by the Scotland coach when he was in charge of Celtic and also made him captain while Darren Fletcher was absent through prolonged illness. "He is good with people, he likes being with people, he makes everyone welcome here and then he trains to the maximum," said Strachan. "He is a leader and Darren Fletcher is too." Aberdeen midfielder Kenny McLean won his first cap after starting in Thursday's 1-0 friendly win over the Czech Republic in Prague. Tony Watt, the Charlton Athletic striker currently on loan with Blackburn Rovers, and Birmingham City full-back Paul Caddis also made their Scotland debuts from the bench. On Tuesday, it could be the turn of Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney and Nottingham Forest midfielder Oliver Burke to earn their first senior caps at the age of 18. Dundee goalkeeper Scott Bain, Leeds United defender Liam Cooper, Hibs midfielder John McGinn and Brighton winger Jamie Murphy are also possible debutants. Burke has only made six starts and come off the bench 13 times for his English Championship club. However, Strachan said: "I've seen him a right few times now and seen his debut and he impressed and I've got to say he has impressed everyone here so far. "If you are playing in a successful team, you are ready for international level. "It doesn't matter to me if you are Gordon Greer at 34/35, or Oliver Burke at 18." Tierney has ousted Honduras international Emilio Izaguirre from Celtic's starting line-up this season. "He has played European football against top sides, so that's been a benefit to him and to Celtic and to us," said Strachan. "He did not look out of place in the games I seen him and he's got a good way about him - determined and he's got a bit of humility about him. "I think it's helped that Scott Brown's been round him and people like that." Brown, who thinks Tierney's progress this season "has been exceptional", was looking forward to matching the feat of Alan Hutton, the Aston Villa right-back having earned his 50th cap on Thursday. "It feels like I'm getting old," said the Scotland captain. "I was told that Kieran was eight years old when I had my first international cap." Brown praised Strachan for his role in his own progress when asked how he had changed since that debut against United States in 2005. "I was a bit of a hothead from Hibs at the time and now I'm a hothead at Celtic, so not too much," he joked. "He has put a lot of faith in me and I've got a lot to thank him for over my career, for signing me and making me a better player since signing from Hibs. "He understands the game way more than anyone I have ever worked with." Goalkeepers: Scott Bain (Dundee), Craig Gordon (Celtic) Defenders: Ikechi Anya (Watford), Paul Caddis (Birmingham City), Liam Cooper (Leeds United), Gordon Greer (Brighton), Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers), Charlie Mulgrew (Celtic), Kieran Tierney (Celtic), Steven Whittaker (Norwich City) Midfielders: Liam Bridcutt (Leeds United, on loan from Sunderland), Scott Brown (Celtic), Oliver Burke (Nottingham Forest), James Forrest (Celtic), Shaun Maloney (Hull City), John McGinn (Hibernian), Jamie Murphy (Brighton), Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) Forwards: Steven Fletcher (Marseille, on loan from Sunderland), Leigh Griffiths (Celtic), Chris Martin (Derby County)

Captain Scott Brown has been a "terrific influence" on players looking to make their Scotland debuts, according to coach Gordon Strachan.

35911950

The 32-year-old was making his debut at the TT after recovering from a serious accident at last year's North West 200. The organisers of the event passed on "their deepest sympathy to Franck's family and friends". Petricola died at Sulby Crossroads, becoming the 141st fatality at the races since they began in 1907. Organisers added that the coroner of inquests had been informed and an investigation was under way. Clerk of the course Gary Thompson said: "Franck showed incredible character to battle back from the serious injuries he suffered at the North West 200 last year when many a lesser man would have given up. "It showed his determination to compete on the mountain course." "The road racing community has lost a remarkable man and I extend my deepest sympathy to his family and friends." Two riders were killed during last year's festival. Petricola suffered multiple fractures and a head injury after crashing in practice at the North West 200 in Northern Ireland in 2014 and was in a coma for several days. He was flown home after the meeting but made a full recovery and raced at the event just last month. Speaking about his 2014 crash earlier this year, he said: "I don't remember why I crashed but I accept it. I am a big boy. "When you ride in a road race you know it is possible to have a hard crash like this. It is not a problem." Practice week continues on Thursday night, with the first race of this year's event held on Saturday.

French rider Franck Petricola has died following an accident during a qualifying session on Wednesday at the Isle of Man TT Races.

33001908

Tawel Fan ward at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Denbighshire, was closed more than three years ago and a report found some patients were treated like animals. It has emerged that at least seven patients' families were told treatment may have contributed to their deaths. Betsi Cadwaladr health board said an investigation was under way. It acknowledged the quality of care provided could have been a contributory factor to the deaths of some patients. A review of mortality rates on the ward has never been published although it is understood it has been completed. Relatives of one patient told BBC Wales Today they were told medical care on the ward was inadequate. Correspondence seen by the programme included an apology from the health board to the family, who do not want to be identified. One letter said: "Experts found that there were problems in the health care which may have contributed to the death." It added that "the board is very much engaged in a thorough search for the truth about the Tawel Fan ward". But the family were unconvinced lessons had been learned and said questions remained unanswered and, as far as they were aware, nobody had lost their job, let alone be prosecuted. The scandal of Tawel Fan pushed the already troubled health board into close supervision by the Welsh Government. It remains in special measures which costs £5m a year. An initial report into what happened at Tawel Fan was published almost three years ago. Two more reports are due later this year. One of them, being compiled by the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (Hascas), is expected to include details of a mortality review of Tawel Fan patients. But Geoff Ryall-Harvey, who leads the patient watchdog Community Health Council in north Wales, said it should be released as soon as possible. "It may stop this practice elsewhere," he added. A Betsi Cadwaladr health board spokesman said: "We acknowledge that the quality of care provided could have been a contributory factor to the death of some patients. "Whether this is the case will be established as part of the independent Hascas investigation, which is currently being carried out. "In order to establish whether or not the quality of care contributed to any patients' death, every aspect of every patient's care has to be investigated. "This is a complicated and time consuming process, but must be carried out in order to determine whether or not the care provided was a contributory factor to any patients' death. "Every family involved in the investigation will receive an individual report detailing the care provided to their relative. These reports will also help inform the findings of the Tawel Fan investigation."

The quality of care on a scandal-hit ward for dementia patients may have contributed to at least seven deaths, BBC Wales can reveal.

39782027

The Canaries were all but down before kick-off, and Ramsey's volley on the angle and Carl Jenkinson's opportunistic strike sealed their fate. Earlier, Norwich keeper John Ruddy had to be alert to keep out Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud. Gunners keeper Lukasz Fabianski denied Jamar Loza and Robert Snodgrass. It was a sombre finish to a disastrous season for Norwich, who could only have survived if they had won and West Brom had lost to Stoke, coupled with a highly improbable 17-goal swing. Media playback is not supported on this device Whether Neil Adams starts next season's Championship campaign in charge is yet to be seen, after the former youth coach had the unenviable task of trying to keep City up following Chris Hughton's sacking with five games left. Striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel, the £8.5m signing whose only goal this season came on the opening day, was conspicuous by his absence from the squad. There was good news for England fans the day before Roy Hodgson names his World Cup squad as Arsenal's Jack Wilshere returned after a foot injury for the final 30 minutes, while knee injury victim Abou Diaby also came on for the Gunners in his first game in 14 months. But it was Ramsey, also returning from injury, who shone for the visitors, rifling in a superb volley from Giroud's delicate chip to the back post. It was the Welshman's 17th goal of an injury-disrupted season, and fans will wonder if Arsenal's title challenge, which looked promising until February, would have flourished had he not missed so much football. Arsenal went into the game with a Champions League spot already secured and with the prospect of a first trophy for nine years still to come in next week's FA Cup final, and a strong Gunners side rarely had to rise above second gear at Carrow Road. Media playback is not supported on this device After Ramsey's opener, Jenkinson grabbed his first Arsenal goal, pouncing on Podolski's deflected shot from Kieran Gibbs's cross. Norwich never wilted, and debutant Loza stung Fabianski's fingers while the Polish keeper had to be quick off his line to close down Snodgrass. But City face a summer of upheaval if they are to mount a challenge to make an immediate return to the top flight. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "Unfortunately it's the first time in the Premier League that you finish fourth with 79 points and it was very tight. "We can be frustrated. We have won 11 games away from home, I think it's the best in the league and it was our 17th clean sheet - that is remarkable as well. "We just wanted to finish the season well and we did it in a serious way, so it is a good basis to prepare for the FA Cup final." Match ends, Norwich City 0, Arsenal 2. Second Half ends, Norwich City 0, Arsenal 2. Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Russell Martin. Attempt saved. Elliott Bennett (Norwich City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Foul by Mikel Arteta (Arsenal). Jamar Loza (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Attempt saved. Yaya Sanogo (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jack Wilshere. Attempt saved. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Mesut Özil. Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Lukasz Fabianski. Attempt saved. Robert Snodgrass (Norwich City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Gary Hooper. Attempt missed. Robert Snodgrass (Norwich City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Russell Martin. Attempt saved. Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Ryan Bennett (Norwich City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Yaya Sanogo (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Ryan Bennett (Norwich City). Attempt saved. Elliott Bennett (Norwich City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Robert Snodgrass. Mesut Özil (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing. Foul by Bradley Johnson (Norwich City). Attempt saved. Jamar Loza (Norwich City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Gary Hooper. Substitution, Norwich City. Elliott Bennett replaces Nathan Redmond. Substitution, Arsenal. Yaya Sanogo replaces Olivier Giroud. Substitution, Arsenal. Vassiriki Abou Diaby replaces Tomas Rosicky. Foul by Mesut Özil (Arsenal). Robert Snodgrass (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Corner, Norwich City. Conceded by Bacary Sagna. Substitution, Arsenal. Jack Wilshere replaces Aaron Ramsey. Goal! Norwich City 0, Arsenal 2. Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Attempt blocked. Lukas Podolski (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kieran Gibbs. Attempt missed. Nathan Redmond (Norwich City) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Jonny Howson. Substitution, Norwich City. Jamar Loza replaces Alexander Tettey. Substitution, Norwich City. Gary Hooper replaces Johan Elmander. Goal! Norwich City 0, Arsenal 1. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) right footed shot from the right side of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Olivier Giroud with a cross. Attempt missed. Lukas Podolski (Arsenal) header from very close range is just a bit too high. Assisted by Bacary Sagna following a corner. Corner, Arsenal. Conceded by Michael Turner. Foul by Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal). Johan Elmander (Norwich City) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Second Half begins Norwich City 0, Arsenal 0. First Half ends, Norwich City 0, Arsenal 0. Offside, Norwich City. Robert Snodgrass tries a through ball, but Johan Elmander is caught offside. Attempt blocked. Robert Snodgrass (Norwich City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Russell Martin.

Norwich City's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed as a stunning Aaron Ramsey strike spurred fourth-placed Arsenal to victory.

27273461

The issue has been described as the biggest challenge facing police focussed on breaking up organised crime groups. Police Scotland said they made more than 2,100 arrests in relation to organised crime last year. They estimate 220 gangs are currently dealing in drugs, firearms, high-value theft, fraud and human trafficking. Some 122 people arrested in the last 12 months were described by officers as being principal players involved in serious and organised criminal activity. Police Scotland said it had enjoyed "significant successes" in detecting and disrupting criminal networks. Senior officers believe most gangs are still profiting from "traditional" crimes but are using online resources to do deals and avoid detection. Det Ch Supt Gerry McLean, head of the organised crime and counter-terrorism unit, said organised crime is still down to "profit, power and people". But with fierce debate around the use of the Regulations of Investigatory Powers Act (Ripa) to access communications, officers know there is a balance to be struck when tracking people. Det Ch Supt McLean said: "[Gangs] are taking the additional step or layer of security around their communications because of the success we have had over the last decade or so in communication strategies that show where calls were made and placed. "They want to take themselves away from conventional itemised telecommunications billing and use apps based on their phone. "We've got to be alive to the possibility that they will use any kind of means to communicate, what we are seeing more use of is the use of encrypted devices - telephones with software within them that have been about for a number of years." The officer added: "I think discussions around Ripa and in terms of how law enforcement can secure communications data in the future is something they are alive to and will change their methodology. "Particularly the type of crime groups we are targeting - that top 20% - the ones that have got perhaps the most to lose are always looking at new methods of communications. "We're firmly in the camp of trying to catch criminals but we need to give that reassurance to the community and there is a balance to be struck." A number of high profile cases have concluded this year where the leaders of organised crime groups have been jailed. Stephen Nisbet, who ran a drug business despite being in jail for murder, was sentenced to 12 years as part of an operation that led to 66 people being arrested, including his brother James Nisbet junior. Stephen was jailed for 12 years, while James was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Scotland's first "cuckoo smurfing" case - a complicated international money laundering scheme - was also concluded with Muhammad Hameed, Saleem Shikari and Shahid Aslam jailed for a total of nine years. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "There's no place for serious organised crime in Scotland and I'm proud of the efforts of our law enforcement agencies in taking on and taking down these criminals who are exploiting law-abiding communities and businesses. "Today's latest figures show another successful year of operations in dismantling these criminal operations. As we move into 2016, there will be no let-up in our efforts."

Organised criminals are using apps and encrypted messaging to evade them, senior police officers believe.

35190233

Media playback is not supported on this device Dusmatov, 23, was awarded a unanimous points victory - two judges scoring the fight 30-27, and one 29-28. Martinez, 24, is the first Olympic boxing finalist from Colombia. The United States' Nico Hernandez, 20, and 19-year-old Cuban world champion Joahnys Argilagos took bronze after losing in the semi-finals. Find out how to get into boxing with our special guide. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.

Uzbekistan's Hasanboy Dusmatov won Olympic gold in the men's light-flyweight with victory over Colombian Yuberjen Herney Martinez.

37066389

"It was extraordinary to have found yourself a symbol of freedom of expression, though for the wrong reasons," the 73-year old Bogdanov tells the BBC World Service's Witness programme on the 30th anniversary of his trial. Accused of procuring an act of "gross indecency" likely to cause offence for his production of The Romans in Britain at London's National Theatre, Bogdanov says he felt "enormous relief" when the case collapsed and the prosecution withdrew its evidence on the third day of the hearing. He also says he felt "very angry" that the private prosecution brought by the morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse had been allowed to happen at all. Mrs Whitehouse, he says, "confused reality with an illusion" on the stage. If he had been convicted, Bogdanov could have been jailed for up to three years. Written by the playwright Howard Brenton, The Romans in Britain, which opened in London in October 1980, was always likely to provoke controversy. With vivid imagery, strong language and violence, the play sought to draw graphic parallels between the Romans' invasion of the British Isles and the presence at the time of British soldiers on the streets of Northern Ireland. But it was one short scene involving the attempted rape of a young Druid called Marban by a Roman soldier ("a metaphor for the rape of one culture by another," according to the director), that eventually landed Bogdanov in court. When he was first handed the play by the National's then artistic director, Sir Peter Hall, Bogdanov says he thought it contained some of the best new writing he had read. The attempted rape scene, to be performed with naked actors in full light and centre-stage, was "brilliantly written". But though nudity was not uncommon on the stage - and Bogdanov was careful that no sexual contact was actually made between the actors (the Roman used his bunched up fist and thumb as a substitute for his erect penis) - Sir Peter was clearly worried. He asked Bogdanov to consider moving the scene upstage, in half light. The director stood his ground, arguing the scene's artistic merit. Sir Peter eventually acceded, but not before warning that there could be trouble ahead. Though playing to packed audiences, the play's nudity and strong language attracted fervent media attention. But more ominously, it quickly came to the notice of Mrs Whitehouse, then head of the National Viewers and Listeners' Association. She refused to attend a performance in person but in December 1980 sent her solicitor to watch the play in order to collect evidence. He came back convinced there had been a sexual act on stage likely to cause offence. Listen to the programme Download the podcast Having tried and failed to force the Attorney General to initiate a prosecution against the National, the morality campaigner then began her own proceedings under the 1956 Sexual Offences Act, accusing Bogdanov of being the "pimp" who had allegedly procured the act on stage. Three decades on, Bogdanov's memories of those days are still vivid. He and his colleagues had initially dismissed the possibility of being taken to court, believing their defence of dramatic effect would be enough to discourage a prosecution. But a magistrate and then an Old Bailey judge both ruled that the case should be heard. Bogdanov became increasingly concerned: "I can't pretend it was easy, it felt like some huge juggernaut rolling over me, especially when they spent hours discussing whether I should be kept in the cells overnight," he says. Anonymous letters arrived at the family home, while his children became the object of unwanted attention at school. "At one point I was the only thing on the front pages." The collapse of Bogdanov's trial three days after it began was one more act in the long-running drama of The Romans in Britain. Keen to establish what Mrs Whitehouse's solicitor, and chief prosecution witness, had actually seen on stage, Bogdanov's defence team asked him to tell the jury where he had been sitting in the theatre. "At the back," came the answer - much to everyone's amazement. Lord Hutchinson, lead defence counsel, leapt up: "What if I told you that what you thought you saw was not an erect penis, but a thumb?" And he proceeded to bunch up his fist and thumb under his robes, pulling them aside to reveal his hand to the witness and jury. Bogdanov, looking on from the dock, says members of the jury burst out laughing, while the prosecution barrister went pale and immediately requested an adjournment. The prosecution withdrew its evidence, and the court set Bodganov free. Outside the court, Mrs Whitehouse claimed victory. The case, she said, had set an important legal precedent that the Sexual Offences Act could be applied to events on stage and that simulated sex could amount to gross indecency. But for Bogdanov, the play that got him into trouble has left other lessons. The Romans in Britain, he says, is just one in a long line of stage productions down the years that have caused controversy. "The thing that gives me most pleasure is that the theatre still has the power to shock," he says. Mike Lanchin spoke to Michael Bogdanov for the BBC World Service programme Witness. Listen to the programme at 0950 GMT on the BBC World Service,via i-playerordownload the podcast.

Thirty years after he went on trial at London's Old Bailey for staging an act of simulated male sex in the play The Romans in Britain, the renowned British theatre director Michael Bogdanov, says he is proud to have been "among those people willing to stand up and be counted".

17339182

Susie, a 12-year-old collie and Jilly, a 10-year-old cairn terrier, were taken in by Snowdonia Animal Sanctuary after 72-year-old Jennifer Taylor was killed in a crash near Betws-Y-Coed. Sanctuary owner Anne de Berry said the dogs were moved to a "brilliant" new home on Tuesday. "They have a new mum and dad. It's fantastic," she said. "[The new owners] had a dog which had to be put down a month ago due to old age. "One of our volunteers went to do the home check this morning and text me: 'Brilliant'. It's a brilliant home." The dogs' owner Mrs Taylor lived in Dolgarrog. She was the passenger on a BMW bike when it collided with a Nissan Qashqai on the A470 close to Waterloo Bridge in the town on 4 October.

Two dogs left homeless after their owner died in a Conwy county motorbike crash have been rehomed together.

34780777

The Windsor attraction has been busy during half term. One visitor told the BBC his family queued for more than two hours as they tried to leave the park. Legoland said it had spent more than £10,000 in the last year developing alternative entrance and exit routes. Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council said road signs had been altered recently to prevent traffic travelling through the centre of Windsor. "The problem is Legoland is very popular," said councillor Colin Rayner, cabinet member for transport. "I'll be working very closely with the park to ensure the system we've developed is working. We want to support them as it does bring a lot of employment and business to the area." Ian Calkin, from Croydon, took his two children to the park on Wednesday. "We left at 6pm when the park closed and were ready to go 10 minutes later," he said. "But, we didn't get through the car park barriers to scan our exit pass until well after eight o'clock. "It was then another 30 minutes before we hit the main roads." Legoland said it had worked incredibly hard with the council over recent years on traffic management and would continue to do so. "We understand a delayed exit from the car park would be frustrating," a spokesman said. "We have employed a number of additional staff to help and provided guests with instructions to turn right out of the park to utilise the new routes."

Legoland has apologised to people who have spent hours stuck in its car park.

32928438

"The gritters are now travelling to various workshops for maintenance, just like getting a car serviced," said a highways official. The "low-risk" season begins in October with "high-risk" starting in November. The county council said they had to think about the upcoming winter even when it was "boiling hot". The fleet of more than 40 vehicles covers about 1,865 miles (3,000km) of roads including all major traffic routes and selected A and B roads. Officials said the service was stood down in April but had to start again surprisingly soon. Richard Fenwick, from county council highways, said: "The end of summer is a busy time, even when it is boiling hot we have to think about it. "We have drivers go out during the day to make sure they know the routes, iron out any wrinkles." The authority said it had about 35,000 tonnes of salt in stock and would expect to use about 25,000 tonnes in an average year.

Gritting lorries and snowploughs have been out and about on Lincolnshire's roads - in preparation for the start of the snow risk season.

34096333

Joseph Michael Schreiber faces at least 30 years in prison if convicted on charges of arson with a hate crime enhancement, said authorities. The suspect allegedly made multiple anti-Muslim posts on social media. The Islamic Center of Fort Pierce was heavily damaged in the fire, which was set on the anniversary of 9/11. Omar Mateen, who occasionally went to the mosque, shot dead 49 people in Pulse nightclub in June before being killed. He professed allegiance to the Islamic State group. On Wednesday evening, St Lucie County Sheriff's Office said Mr Schreiber owns a motorcycle consistent with one shown on surveillance video footage outside the mosque on the night of the fire. "Other evidence collected also linked Schreiber to the arson," Maj David Thompson told a news conference. Schreiber has made a number of comments against Islam on what appears to be his Facebook page. One post said: "ALL ISLAM IS RADICAL , and should be considered TERRORIST AND CRIMANALS and all hoo participate in such activity should be found guilty of WAR CRIM". Mr Schreiber was previously sentenced twice to state prison for theft, according to the Florida Department of Corrections records. He served his first term from 2008-09 and his second stretch from 2010-14. No one was injured in the weekend's blaze, which coincided with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. The FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the investigation. The blaze has left the mosque's members "saddened and scared", said assistant imam Hamaad Rahman. In addition to Mateen, the mosque was also visited by Moner Mohammad Abu Salha, who became the first American to commit a suicide bombing attack in Syria.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested over last Sunday's fire attack on a Florida mosque, which was attended by the Orlando nightclub gunman.

37369652

Ben, from Sheffield, was 21 months old when he disappeared from near a farmhouse in Iraklis on 24 July 1991. The site, which is 750m from where he was last seen, is close to where officers started digging last month. They were clearing an area where it is believed a digger driver may have accidentally run Ben over on the day he disappeared. Officers are working on the theory that Konstantinos Barkas, who died of cancer in 2015, might be responsible for Ben's death. Read more about this story and others from across Sheffield and South Yorkshire Det Insp Jon Cousins said the search at the second site was of "great significance" and would take four days. "It is at a different site to the farmhouse but I understand from what other people are telling me... that some material is believed to have been moved from that area and could well be here," he said. Mr Cousins said the searches, which have now been taking place for nearly two weeks, would continue in the area around the farmhouse. "There are still primary sites here [at the farmhouse] that I need to make sure we go through. But I do think it's important to start work on the second site as well." On Wednesday, Ben's grandfather Eddie Needham spent about two hours with police touring the area when the toddler was last seen. Mr Needham was renovating the farmhouse when his grandson went missing and police hoped he would be able to explain how the site looked at the time. An extension of the building, added since Ben's disappearance, was demolished on Wednesday. A team of 19 South Yorkshire Police officers, forensic specialists and an archaeologist have been excavating the area as a result of a television appeal earlier this year which brought the theory about Mr Barkas to the attention of the force.

Police searching for missing toddler Ben Needham on the Greek island of Kos have started digging at a second site.

37572865

Alistair Spagnoletti, 21, of Luton, and Curtis Walker, 23, of Watford, pleaded guilty to controlling a child at Harrow Crown Court. Callum Ward, 19, of Watford, was found guilty of the same charge. Police said the men groomed a 17-year-old girl into prostitution in one of the most "damaging" cases of child sexual exploitation they had seen. Det Sgt Iain MacPherson, of Hertfordshire police, said: "This is one of the most damaging cases of child sexual exploitation we have encountered in Hertfordshire. "It has also been an extremely complex case. These men had groomed their 17-year-old victim into having sex with men for money which they took, she believed that by providing her with food, drink, drugs, they were looking after her and they were people she could trust. "The power they wielded over her was so great that she felt she could not support police action against them. Sadly she may never recover from what they have done to her. "These acts are deplorable and I am in no doubt these men pose a risk to other children. It is right they are now serving time in prison." Spagnoletti, of Wauluds Drive, Luton, was jailed for six years and eight months. Walker, of Lord Street, Watford, was jailed for four and a half years and Ward, of The Thrums, Watford, was jailed for two years.

Three men have been jailed for sexually exploiting a teenage girl in Hertfordshire.

37046813

Doctors realised Maia Collingswood needed the transplant after her father Dan revealed he also had the procedure in 1997. Maia, from Barmouth, Gwynedd, had the transplant at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital in August after a three-month wait for a new heart. She has now been welcomed back to her school, Ysgol y Traeth. Maia, a year five pupil, fell ill at Easter while visiting her grandparents in Telford, Shropshire. "Maia was out of breath and could not move," explained her mother, Hannah Carter. "She was taken to the local hospital and then transferred to the Birmingham Children's Hospital where a heart problem was diagnosed." But Maia's father said when he questioned doctors and revealed he had undergone a heart transplant, the medical team realised her condition was serious. She was transferred to the London Children's Hospital, where surgeons confirmed she also needed a heart transplant. Her condition continued to deteriorate over the next three months, until she finally received the donor heart she needed on 15 August. It was three months of desperate worry for her parents, who are are separated, but remain friends. The local community rallied around to ensure they could spend as much time as possible with their daughter in London. "Dan's family, my family, the school, friends and indeed the whole community here in Barmouth and in Telford have been magnificent and supported us throughout the summer after Maia was taken ill," said Mrs Carter, who works for the Gwynedd home care team. Mr Collingswood, who works at a private care establishment near Dolgellau, added: "I am with the local lifeboat here in Barmouth and the RNLI helped us out financially when we had to visit Maia in hospital in London. "The community has been great, there were collection tins everywhere for Maia and it helped us out. We could not have managed without the support of the community." On Tuesday, Maia was greeted by pupils and the head teacher as she returned to class, seven weeks ahead of schedule. "Maia would have liked to have gone back to school last week but we had to travel to Great Ormond Street for check-ups," said her mother. "She asked if she could go back to school after returning home from London and the expert medical team said that it was OK. Maia was delighted." The long wait for the transplant meant Hannah's mother had to give up her flat in Barmouth to be with her daughter, but she has now moved into a new home with Maia after being rehoused by housing organisation Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd. Mrs Carter added: "I started back to work this week, Maia has started school, we have a new flat, it is all coming together. "It has been a long and traumatic summer and without the support of family, friends and the community and the medical team, I don't know how I got through it." Maia herself said she was delighted to be back in the classroom, and revealed how she had coped with her long stay in hospital. "I used to talk to my school friends on Skype when I was in hospital in London and the headmaster visited me a couple of times." She also had a number of special visitors while on the hospital wards. "When I was in hospital I met the singer Adele, racing driver Lewis Hamilton, Alexandra Burke from the X Factor and two American astronauts, " she said.

A nine-year-old girl has undergone a heart transplant, 14 years after her father had the same operation.

15756691

The big political parties didn't make much of it during the campaign. Both the Conservatives and Labour are broadly in favour, though the Greens are very critical. TTIP was however addressed in the manifestos. War on Want (who oppose the plans) have compiled the parties' positions on the issue. Outside the political arena there are some very strong opinions. Many business voices are enthusiastic, but there is also very vocal opposition. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or it will be if the negotiations are completed. The aim is to boost the economies of the EU and the US by removing or reducing barriers to trade and foreign investment. President Obama said, when the talks were launched, that TTIP would promote "new growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic". Critics reject that claim - more of that below. A study by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) - done for the European Commission - estimated the potential gains for the EU as up to €119bn (£85bn; $134bn) a year and €95bn (£68bn; $107bn) for the US. For a family of four that comes to €545 per year in the EU and €655 in the US. Wages would be higher, by 0.5% in the EU and just under 0.4% in the US. The CEPR has done a more specific estimate of the benefits for the UK, which suggested gains in annual national income of up to £10bn. By eliminating almost all tariffs (taxes applied only to imported goods) on trade between the US and the EU. But the tariffs imposed by the US and EU are already relatively low for the most part, although there are some exceptions in, for example, farm produce and textiles. The bigger gains envisaged would come from reducing what are called non-tariff barriers. In particular the two sides think they can promote trade through what they call regulatory co-operation. This is about costs to business. Complying with regulations involves a cost. A firm that wants to export may incur further costs meeting the regulatory requirements of the country it's selling into. The European Commission says that rules in Europe and the US often achieve the same level of consumer safety and product quality, but differ in their technical details and their methods for ensuring that firms have met the rules. One of the aims of TTIP is to reduce this burden on business. One option is recognising one another's standards. That's under consideration for many types of goods. They also plan to co-operate more closely on new regulation. That basic idea is that by reducing the cost of exporting, TTIP would encourage more of it. The idea here is to encourage transatlantic foreign investment. The European Commission says an agreement in this area would prohibit discrimination against foreign investors, expropriation, denying access to the courts and arbitrary and abusive treatment. If a foreign investor felt these rules had been violated, they would have access to a system known as investor state dispute settlement, or ISDS. This is a system of tribunals that could award compensation to the investor if they had lost money as a result of a breach of the rules in the agreement. Regulation Much of the concern is about the regulatory aspect: that it would lead to lower standards of consumer and environmental protection and safety at work. A group of 170 European civil society organisations said in a statement that regulatory co-operation as envisaged in TTIP would result in "downward harmonisation". There is also a concern that TTIP could undermine governments' right to regulate in the public interest. They say it will also give business groups a disproportionate influence over new regulation, and therefore, they argue, it is undemocratic. Economic benefits Others question the analysis behind claims that TTIP will be economically beneficial. Jeronim Capaldo of Tufts University in the US says the European Commission's study makes unrealistic assumptions about how easy it would be for workers who lose their jobs to find new employment. He argues that Europe would actually be worse off, in terms of economic activity, wages and government revenue. Investment There are also questions about whether a TTIP agreement would really stimulate more investment. A London School of Economics Study for the British Department of Business, Innovation, and Skills concluded that an investment chapter would be "highly unlikely to encourage investment above and beyond what would otherwise take place". ISDS has generated a lot of heated opposition. One complaint is that it will discourage governments from regulating in the public interest. Olivier Hoedeman of Corporate Europe Observatory, a Brussels-based campaign group, said it would act as a "chill factor" on governments who would fear that business regulation might lead to protracted legal challenges and bills for compensation. ISDS arrangements are common in international investment agreements. But research by the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development suggests investors have made more use of the tribunal system in recent years. Perhaps the most high-profile - some would say notorious - examples were the actions taken by the tobacco company Philip Morris against Uruguay and Australia over new rules on the packaging of their products, rules intended to make them less attractive to consumers. Neither case has been completed. There is a particular concern expressed by British campaigners about the possible impact of ISDS on the National Health Service. There is, they argue, a danger that if a government wants to reverse any arrangements to contract services out to private suppliers, it might risk being sued under ISDS. European and British officials insist that TTIP's ISDS provisions won't have that effect, but many campaigners don't believe it. A summit of European leaders in December called for a comprehensive agreement by the end of 2015, though the European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström has said that is probably unrealistic. That will be challenging, given the technical complexity and the vigorous opposition. It would then have to be approved by the European Parliament and European Trade Ministers. The Ministers usually vote on trade by what is called qualified majority though unanimity might be required - that is both a legal question and a matter of political judgement. Depending on the legal nature of the final agreement it might also need to be approved by all the EU member states, and Commissioner Malmström has said that is likely to be necessary. So there is plenty of scope for delays. And it will need approval by the US Congress. President Obama is struggling unsuccessfully so far - to get Congress to give him what is called Trade Promotion Authority which would make US ratification less difficult. There is a global trade negotiation under way in the World Trade Organization (WTO). It's known as the Doha Round, because that is where it was launched - back in 2001. It has been very slow. At the end of 2013 the WTO members finally agreed a part of that agenda. It's called the Trade Facilitation Agreement and it's about the mechanics of international commerce - customs procedures, for example. The really hard stuff is still not agreed. Trade Facilitation is sometimes called the Doha Round's "low-hanging fruit", yet it still took 12 years to pick. Frustration with the slow pace has led many countries to pursue bilateral and regional deals. The WTO's Director General Roberto Azevedo has said: "These initiatives are important for the multilateral (global) trading system — but they do not substitute it." The other really big example is the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which involves 11 countries, including the US and Japan (but not China). TPP is also still under negotiation.

There's one big issue for the new UK government that stayed below the radar during the election campaign - trade negotiations between the European Union and the United States, known as TTIP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

32691589

House masters, in charge of residential halls at the university, will become known as "faculty deans". Harvard Law School is also deciding whether to change its official seal, because of links to slavery. US campuses have faced a series of protests over allegations of racism. Harvard has not agreed that the use of "master" represented a link to slavery, but it has accepted campaigners' calls for a name change. It will mean changing the job titles of 24 members of staff - but will not affect other uses of "master", such as a master's level degree. Harvard academics say that the word "master" derives from the Latin term "magister" - a form of address for scholars or teachers. It is similar to terms such as "school master" or "head master". But protesters have argued that whatever its original derivation, the word now has connotations of slavery. Student campaigners are also calling for a change in the official seal of Harvard Law School, with a sit-in being held this week. The seal includes the coat of arms of 18th Century college donor Isaac Royall, who as well as establishing the college's first professorship in law, was a notoriously brutal slaveholder. Isaac Royall, whose money helped to endow the university, has been accused of burning slaves alive. A decision on whether to change the seal is expected to be made soon. Disputes about race and identity have affected many US campuses. Carol Christ, director of the Center for Studies in Higher Education, University of California, Berkeley, has said that "symbolic fights are always about real and current political issues" and race and diversity remain major campus issues. "Race is so traumatic and central an issue in American culture," said Dr Christ. Last month, Amherst College, in Massachusetts, accepted student demands to drop links with its informal mascot, Jeffery Amherst, an 18th Century general accused of advocating infecting native Americans with smallpox. And there have been sit-ins at Princeton in a bid to rename a school named after Woodrow Wilson, because of claims the former US president held racist views. The protests by US students are part of a wider international campaign challenging historical titles, statues and emblems. But further demands for "safe space", where some students have called for the right to study away from attitudes or behaviour they find offensive, have been rejected by university leaders and others who have argued for the importance of protecting free speech. In South Africa, a statue of Cecil Rhodes was removed from the University of Cape Town, with protesters attacking the statue as an emblem of colonialism and apartheid. But a call to remove a statue of the 19th Century politician from Oriel College in Oxford University was rejected. Louise Richardson, the university's vice-chancellor, said students needed to be able to debate and confront "ideas that make them uncomfortable".

Harvard University in the US is going to remove the word "master" from academic titles, after protests from students who claimed the title had echoes of slavery.

35659685

It says this affects the majority of UK youngsters who do not take A-levels (Highers in Scotland) or degrees. The report says youngsters are let down by an over-emphasis on higher education and lack of training options. The Department for Education said it was investing in apprenticeships in England. The report's findings were supported by Malcolm Trobe, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union. "The intense academic focus of the existing curriculum is too narrow for some students and a new approach is needed." The Lords report argues that while there is so much focus on the numbers entering university, the majority of young people in the UK do not opt for academic study after the age of 16. "In England, in 2013-14, of a total population of 1,285,800 16 and 17-year-olds, only 47% (601,500 people) started A-levels, whereas 53% (684,300) did not do so," the report says. The Lords research finds that for those who do not follow an academic route, the system is "complex and incoherent". "Careers advice and education are being delivered in a way which means that too many young people simply drift into further studies or their first job, which often has no real prospect of progression." The report says league tables encourage schools to focus on academic results and this "can dishearten young people" who are middle-ability achievers and can limit social mobility. While recognising the value of apprenticeships, the committee says they are only taken by 6% of 16 to 18 year olds. Among those beginning apprenticeships in 2014-15, 77% were over 19 and 42% over 25. The Lords report also notes that government policy has protected schools and university funding, but not the budgets of post-16 colleges which serve the majority of youngsters who do not go on to university. It finds an inequality in investment, with a university student receiving about £6,000 more per year of public funding than a young person attending college. It criticises a "confused" qualifications system that has been subjected to continual change and does not guarantee quality employment. "The qualifications themselves are often poorly understood by employers. Employers cannot be expected to understand what skills unfamiliar qualifications represent and cannot be expected to have knowledge and faith in their quality." The report says: "There is a culture of inequality between vocational and academic routes to work. The culture pervades the system and the incentives to everyone involved." The report cites Switzerland and Germany as countries which operate successful and respected systems of both vocational and academic pathways into employment. The Lords' recommendations include: "The message was 'do your A-levels, then progress on to university', as though that was the only route!" "I left three months before the end of my A-levels due to stress, pressure and anxiety... I was not prepared for any other options - I did not know about apprenticeships." "I had always been told that I had to do A-levels and then go to university. I decided that that wasn't what I wanted to do, but had no idea what to do when I left school." Committee chairman Baroness Corston said the current system for helping people move from school to work was failing most young people, limiting their opportunity for social mobility. "To focus on university or apprenticeships, to the exclusion of other routes, is to the detriment of many talented and able young people," she said. "A young person considering their options for further education or employment is presented with gobbledygook - it is totally unclear to them how they can get the skills needed for a successful career." The report was welcomed by Alice Barnard, chief executive of the Edge Foundation, which campaigns to raise the status of vocational education. "The Social Mobility Committee is absolutely right. The inequality between academic and vocational education is unfair, restricts social mobility and does not meet the UK's economic needs." A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "We have introduced a more rigorous curriculum so every child learns the basic skills they need such as English and maths so they can go on to fulfil their potential whether they are going into the world of work or continuing their studies. "We will invest £70m in our careers strategy over the course of this parliament to transform the quality of careers education." The Scottish Government says it is taking forward a range of actions aimed at reducing youth employment by 40% by 2021. This includes bringing schools, college and employers closer together to open up work opportunities to everyone, whatever their background or gender.

Young people who do not go to university are "overlooked and left behind", says a report by the House of Lords social mobility committee.

35968423

The Labour leader has warned the terms of reference, which have yet to be published, could be too "narrow" and residents not properly consulted. He wants an interim report on the cause of the fire by September, followed by a wider probe into building regulations, council funding and other issues. The presumed death toll stands at 80. Police have warned the final figure will not be known until at least the end of the year. The leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, Nick Paget-Brown, which was criticised for its response to the disaster on 14 June, quit on Friday. Retired former Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick was appointed to head the inquiry on Wednesday. It will sit in public and have the powers to compel witnesses and obtain evidence. Visiting the scene of the blaze on Thursday, Sir Martin said he believed the probe and its recommendations would be "pretty well limited" to what had caused the fire and its rapid spread. Setting out his ambition to produce a report within a year, he said he was aware that people in the area want a broader investigation but he was not sure that his inquiry would be the right setting. The prime minister has said she expects an interim report to be made available as soon as possible and that survivors and residents should be consulted on the terms of reference. But Mr Corbyn said he wanted a guarantee the initial findings would be published by the end of the summer. In a letter to Mrs May, he said the inquiry would be best served by being split into two parts to ensure "timeliness would not have to be sacrificed for rigour". While understanding how the fire started was of the "utmost importance", he said survivors and other residents had a multitude of other questions about how their safety had come to be compromised and what could have been done to prevent the disaster. "Whilst the detail of the specific failures at Grenfell needs to be uncovered, it is also clear that the Grenfell fire has much wider implications for national policy issues," he said. The issues that must be addressed, he said, included: "An inquiry within narrow terms of reference risks failing to learn all the lessons of this tragedy." The PM has said the immediate priority is to establish the facts of what happened at Grenfell Tower and to take the necessary action to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again. But she has said the "wider lessons" must be learn from both this catastrophe, and the inspections of other buildings around the country that followed it.

The public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire must be split in two stages to ensure all lessons are fully learned, Jeremy Corbyn has said.

40460624

It is hoped the theatre, founded in 1875, will be used for theatrical performances, cinema screenings, comedy and live music. The BBC studios, at the eastern end of the Palace, will also be repaired and refurbished. If successful in raising funds it is hoped the theatre will reopen in 2018. The theatre and studios form part of a larger east wing restoration project to transform Alexandra Palace into a new cultural destination. As part of the renovations, the glazed east court will become a space for the public and for exhibitions. Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is contributing £18.8m towards the project, while Haringey Council is contributing £6.8m. The entire east wing will be refurbished at a cost of £26.6m. Alexandra Park and Palace Charitable Trust have committed to raising the final £1m by summer 2017. The theatre, which has languished unused for decades, still has much of its original decor and stage machinery in place. It was created to showcase opera, musicals, plays and all kinds of entertainment, even hosting early cinema screenings.

Alexandra Palace has started a £1m fundraising campaign to bring its Victorian theatre back to life after lying unused for 80 years.

36884752

The 40-year-old former New Zealand player is currently forwards coach at Clermont Auvergne and he previously held a similar position at Leinster. Gibbes will work under director of rugby Les Kiss, while current head coach Neil Doak's future is unclear. "The respect I have for Les as a coach and person was one of my main reasons for making this decision," said Gibbs. Ulster are sixth in the Pro12 table and out of the European Champions Cup in what has been a largely disappointing season. "Les sold his vision of where he wants to take Ulster over the next few years," added Gibbes. "Ulster is a team that I know well, having come up against them on a number of occasions. The Clermont-Ulster games this season gave me an insight into the strengths of the squad and it's exciting to think that I'll be part of that environment from next season." Gibbes, who joined Leinster in 2008 and won three Heineken Cups during his spell in Dublin, said: "With six years at Leinster and three at Clermont in the Top 14, I've been afforded many different experiences, working with some very talented coaches and players. "I hope to apply what I've learned to the role at Ulster and my family and I are looking forward to integrating into a strong community in Belfast." He moved to France in 2014 and was part of a coaching set-up that guided Clermont to the Top 14 and Champions Cup finals in his debut season. "Jono's CV speaks for itself and I know that he's looking forward to joining Ulster and working with the team," said Kiss, 52. "Since his retirement from playing, Jono has had an integral role in the coaching teams of two of European rugby's most successful sides. "Jono's expertise as a forwards coach is obvious, however his wealth of knowledge in other areas of the game will be really important for us." "A review of the coaching structure is ongoing ahead of next season and the appointment of Jono as head coach is the first part of that process. "A further announcement will be made in the coming weeks, which will focus on getting the right balance in our coaching team."

Jono Gibbes is to become the head coach of Pro12 side Ulster on a two-year deal in the summer.

38955991

The drones will be used to scan and assess Easyjet planes and report damage back to engineers. The flying robots are being developed by a team that includes experts from the University of Bristol. Easyjet is also developing virtual reality video technology. In addition, Easyjet wants apps to help with maintenance, and the airline is fitting "paperless plane" technology. Durable laptop computers will replace printed navigational charts in planes. "We have examined and assessed cutting edge technology across many different industries and are now applying a range of new technologies to the aviation sector for the first time to help us run our fleet of aircraft more effectively, efficiently and safely," said chief executive Carolyn McCall. Easyjet plans to test the drones within coming months. "Aircraft inspection is a great application for drones," said Dr Arthur Richards, head of aerial robotics at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. "Coupled with smart navigation and computer vision, they can get accurate data from really awkward places." The flying robots are being developed by Bristol Robotics Laboratory, a collaboration between University of Bristol and the University of West England. Drone company Coptercraft and software company Measurement Solutions are also involved in the project. The drones are fitted with high definition video cameras, but can also use lasers to scan the outside of the aircraft, Easyjet head of engineering Ian Davies told the BBC. "We could zoom [the laser scanner] up and down the aircraft and map the surface," he said. "If we've mapped the aeroplane we can have a complete history of its full life." He added that it is safer to have drones working at height than humans having to go up on a rig. One of the main challenges for the drones is how to get them to work outside in windy conditions, Mr Richards said. The drones are built to be light in weight, but that can make them vulnerable to gusts of wind on an airfield. They plan to use research into how animals such as bees and birds cope with blustery weather to "see how nature solves the same problem". Another challenge is to automate drone flights, he added. Easyjet is also hoping to use virtual reality to help sort out technical problems with planes that are a long way from its engineering team. At the moment engineers and pilots email pictures and call Easyjet's control centre to try to resolve issues over the phone. But Easyjet is planning to use hi-tech glasses that can relay high definition video images back to base. Engineers could be directed to do repairs by a team looking at the video stream coming from the glasses, Mr Davies said. The technology also uses "augmented reality", where a computer image is superimposed on the view as seen through the glasses. For example, an engineer can compare an image of a fuselage projected onto the glasses with the actual fuselage, to see what work needs to be done. "It's a very simple Robocop outfit people would wear," Mr Davies said. "We are using the human almost like a robot." The airline wants to use the technology in airports such as Sharm el Sheikh and Tel Aviv. At the moment, the data is transmitted using 4G, but Easyjet is discussing options for satellite links with communications company Iridium, Mr Davies said. When choosing the type of glasses to use, Easyjet evaluated Google Glass, but found the technology "too fragile for industrial use", he added. There has been a surge in interest in drones in recent years, and they are being developed for a variety of uses. The United Arab Emirates wants to use small government drones to provide services, like ID-card delivery, by next year. Google bought solar-powered drone maker Titan Aerospace in April to help the firm's efforts to expand internet access. Amazon is in the process of testing drones for deliveries, and a photographic drone that uses a dog-lead as a fail-safe has been developed.

Easyjet is developing drones to inspect its fleet of Airbus aircraft, and may introduce the flying maintenance robots as early as next year.

27308232

The cygnets and their mother had recently become a familiar sight around Lisnarick, outside Irvinestown. Pat Masterson, who lives in Lisnarick, photographed the swans shortly before they were killed on Tuesday evening. "When I saw their mother walking them along the road, all in line, I stopped to take a picture," said Ms Masterson. "They've visited our farm every day over the last few weeks so I've photographed them before, but I thought that the way the wee cygnets were following their mother was just so lovely I had to stop and watch. "I still can't believe that they were run over so soon after." Enniskillen-based vet Kevin Leonard, who happened to be passing moments after the birds were killed, said he was shocked by what he saw. "The five of them were just lying in a row behind the mother, who was injured as well. "Four of them were dead and the fifth was so badly mangled I had to put it down with an injection. "The sixth one only had minor injuries, so I gave it an anti-biotic cream and guided it into a nearby field alongside its mother. "It was actually quite an upsetting sight. I can't believe whoever killed them just drove on." Paul Hoy, who had also stopped when he saw the dead swans, assisted the vet in moving them to safety. He said he was "disgusted" by what he saw. "A girl who was there said she saw the car running them down and driving on. "We're all wondering how this could have been an accident - it's a 30mph speed limit there and it wasn't dark so the swans were very visible. "If you can't see six swans on the road, what are the chances you'll see a child? As native wild birds, swans enjoy statutory protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to intentionally injure, take or kill a wild swan. The act similarly protects the eggs and nests of swans. It is an offence to take or possess the egg of a wild mute swan, or to damage or destroy the nest of a mute swan whilst in use or being built. The RSPB said anyone who witnesses an offence against swans or other wildlife should contact their police Wildlife Liaison Officer through their local police station.

Residents in a County Fermanagh village have expressed anger at the "heartless act" of a driver who killed five cygnets.

36737543

A 26-year-old man sustained facial injuries during the incident on a number 9A bus travelling on Paisley Road, Tradeston, towards Penilee. The disturbance happened at about 20:00 on 20 December. Police described the man they are looking for as white, in his 50s, of heavy build. He has blotchy skin and a shaved head. He was wearing a hooded black body-warmer with a blue zip-top underneath. Officers have asked anyone who recognises the man or has any further information to contact them.

Police have released CCTV images of a man they want to speak to following a racist assault on a Glasgow bus.

36023698

Lord Carey writes in the Daily Mail that he has dropped his opposition to the Assisted Dying Bill "in the face of the reality of needless suffering". But the current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has called the bill "mistaken and dangerous". Peers will debate the bill on Friday. Tabled by Labour peer Lord Falconer, the legislation would make it legal for adults in England and Wales to be given assistance ending their own life. It would apply to those with less than six months to live. Two doctors would have to independently confirm the patient was terminally ill and had reached their own, informed decision to die. Some 110 peers are already listed to speak when the House of Lords debates the private members bill on Friday. Insisting it would not be "anti-Christian" to change the law, Lord Carey said the current situation risked "undermining the principle of human concern which should lie at the heart of our society". He added: "Today we face a central paradox. In strictly observing the sanctity of life, the Church could now actually be promoting anguish and pain, the very opposite of a Christian message of hope." When Lord Carey was still the Archbishop of Canterbury he was among the opponents of Lord Joffe's Assisting Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill, which was successfully blocked in the House of Lords in 2006. But in his article in Saturday's Daily Mail Lord Carey said: "The fact is that I have changed my mind. The old philosophical certainties have collapsed in the face of the reality of needless suffering." He said it was the case of Tony Nicklinson, who had locked-in syndrome and died after being refused the legal right to die , who had had the "deepest influence" on his decision. Mr Nicklinson's widow Jane, said Lord Carey's switch was "huge". "I'm amazed actually and thrilled because the Church has always been one of our greatest opponents," she told BBC Radio 5 live. "Someone shouldn't be forced to stay alive with daily suffering - his life was a living hell." There's been something of a shocked reaction to what Lord Carey said. Let's remember he's a former archbishop. He still has some influence in the Church, especially among the more traditionalist minded Anglicans. So what he said really will have some consequences. He'll also have some influence presumably in the House of Lords, having argued in the past strongly against similar legislation. One of the most telling things about what Lord Carey has said is that he now thinks it's not "un-Christian" to allow people to take their own lives when they're suffering at the end of their lives. It speaks to a body of people, including in the Anglican church, who now feel they can to some extent re-interpret what it is to be Christian, to be Anglican and how to put that into practice in their everyday lives. To hear that coming from a stalwart defender of biblical truth like Lord Carey is pretty significant. Lord Falconer told BBC Radio 5 live that Lord Carey "makes the point that it's not anti-Christian to support the change in the law that my bill proposes". "I believe it reflects the view of almost everyone in the debate that - whatever view you take about the issues - nobody wants people who are properly motivated by compassion to be prosecuted. And he puts those arguments incredibly powerfully." However, the current Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby warned Lord Falconer's bill would mean elderly and disabled people coming under pressure to end their lives. "What sort of society would we be creating if we were to allow this sword of Damocles to hang over the head of every vulnerable, terminally-ill person in the country?" he wrote in the Times. "It would be very naive to think that many of the elderly people who are abused and neglected each year, as well as many severely disabled individuals, would not be put under pressure to end their lives if assisted suicide were permitted by law. "It would be equally naive to believe, as the Assisted Dying Bill suggests, that such pressure could be recognised in every instance by doctors given the task of assessing requests for assisted suicide. "Abuse, coercion and intimidation can be slow instruments in the hands of the unscrupulous, creating pressure on vulnerable people who are encouraged to 'do the decent thing'." The 1961 Suicide Act makes it an offence to encourage or assist a suicide or a suicide attempt in England and Wales. Anyone doing so could face up to 14 years in prison. The law is almost identical in Northern Ireland. There is no specific law on assisted suicide in Scotland, creating some uncertainty, although in theory someone could be prosecuted under homicide legislation. There have already been several attempts to legalise assisted dying, but these have been rejected. The Commission on Assisted Dying, established and funded by campaigners who have been calling for a change in the law, concluded in 2012 that there was a "strong case" for allowing assisted suicide for people who are terminally ill in England and Wales. But the medical profession and disability rights groups, among others, argue that the law should not be changed because it is there to protect the vulnerable in society. In other countries, such as Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, legislation has been introduced to allow assisted dying. France is considering a possible introduction of similar legislation, although there is opposition from its medical ethics council. Campaign group Dignity in Dying predicts that a lot more countries will follow suit. The Bishop of Carlisle, the Right Reverend James Newcome, said Lord Carey's comments would not influence any vote by bishops in the House of Lords. "The general synod has debated it and come to a conclusion. That's the position to which we're sticking." But Lord Carey did received support from Rabbi Jonathan Romain, an inter-faith leader for campaign group Dignity in Dying. He said the experience in the US state of Oregon - where assisted dying became legal in 1997 - showed "very few people" would use the right to get help to end their lives. The Church of England said in a statement that its governing body, the General Synod, had passed a motion on the issue in February 2012. The motion reaffirmed the Church's "support for the current law on assisted suicide as a means of contributing to a just and compassionate society in which vulnerable people are protected". And Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin, who is the Speaker's chaplain in the House of Commons, said having an assisted suicide law would sanitise death. "I just happen to believe that matters of life and death in that way is not for us to play with. There are lots and lots of vulnerable people out there... you cannot make a law that is going to have a serious impact on a majority of people." Dr Peter Saunders, chief executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship said he was concerned about vulnerable people being exploited. "We've got to think about the people who are going to feel a duty to end their lives so as not to be a burden to others. "I'm worried about the disabled people, the depressed and elderly, who are going to be put at danger by this bill which really just has eligibility criteria and not safeguards."

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey says he will support legislation that would make it legal for terminally ill people in England and Wales to receive help to end their lives.

28274531

Maud Kells, who is 75 and from Cookstown, was shot outside her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She narrowly missed death or paralysis after the bullet hit her in the shoulder. Ms Kells said she wants to help free a man who has been imprisoned for involvement in the crime. "There are two of our Christians who are falsely accused of being involved in my shooting incident and they were completely innocent," said Ms Kells. Ms Kells said she hopes to go back to the town of Mulita at the end of the year and help one of the men who remains in prison. "I'd really like to go out and get him released." Ms Kells also said she would like to meet with those who carried out the shooting. "I did feel that they should be arrested, they should get the punishment that's due to them but I would love to see them really regret it, repent and ask for forgiveness. "I can honestly say I feel sorry for him, he must have a dreadful conscience. "I would meet him and I would challenge him and find out his motives."

A County Tyrone missionary who was shot by bandits in Africa plans to return to fight for justice for a man she said is "falsely accused".

34172051

Visitors from boats have also built bonfires and cleared vegetation on Les Minquiers - a group of islands and rocks to the south of Jersey. The States is urging boat owners and visitors to respect Jersey's wildlife laws and the "fragile environment". Dozens of people from France and Jersey visit the reefs each summer. Dr Paul Chambers from the Environment Department said the reefs were "ecologically important". The States said that between March and August the main islands were home to nesting seabirds and it was an offence to disturb them. Then in autumn large numbers of migrating birds are dependent on the vegetation on the reefs for shelter and food.

Birds' nests have been deliberately destroyed and seals and dolphins disturbed around Jersey's offshore reefs, the States has said.

32438377

The 30-year-old midfielder moved to McDiarmid Park for a second spell in February 2016 after a frustrating five months with Hearts. He has scored 14 goals in 48 appearances since then, having netted twice while on loan in 2015. "The pull of Hibernian was too much for me," said Swanson. "It's always been an ambition of mine to play for the club and I am looking forward to this new challenge and to help achieve their goals back in the Premiership." The Championship winners are yet to reveal details of the contract agreed with the former Dundee United, Peterborough and Coventry City player. Saints offered the midfielder new terms, with Swanson adding: "The decision to leave St Johnstone has been a difficult one for me. I've felt settled at the Saints and really enjoyed my football, and my period at the club has been the most enjoyable and satisfying time of my career. "So, it goes without saying, my decision to leave McDiarmid Park was not taken lightly. "I want to thank the manager, Tommy Wright, who has supported me in so many ways, on and off the field. "His trust in me on the football park allowed me to flourish. The way he treated me like an adult off the park also helped me to mature and develop as a person. "Now that we are in the top six yet again, which is yet another fine achievement, for the next five games it's my focus to make sure I play my part in helping St Johnstone qualify for a European place." Saints are currently fourth in the top flight, five points ahead of Hearts in the race for the final Europa League spot. Asked what Swanson would bring to his Hibs team, head coach Neil Lennon told his club website: "Goals from midfield, hopefully, creativity, "He's had a great season, into double figures. "I think he sees a pass, he's a fit lad, he crosses the ball well. And, whenever I have seen him play for St Johnstone, he has probably been their best player and more likely to create something. "And, allied to that, he is a Leith boy. He gets the club and that's always important as well." Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Danny Swanson has confirmed that he is leaving St Johnstone to join Hibernian, saying he could not resist the lure of his boyhood favourites.

39703189

Some of the men come from families with close links to the government. One has escaped from custody. The victim, Zouhoura, is the daughter of an opposition leader and was threatened with death if she spoke about the attack. A video of her rape sparked a wave of protests in Chad in February. Africa Live: More on this and other news stories

Seven men have been sentenced to 10 years for the rape and kidnapping a schoolgirl in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena.

36684643

Derby fans were left with a sinking feeling despite seeing the end of their goal drought at the iPro Stadium, while an England Under-19 keeps banging them in for Bristol City. They are just two of five things you may have missed from Saturday's EFL action. Remember that kid at school who found football insanely easy? Tammy Abraham was probably one of those people. He scored 74 goals in 98 youth games at different levels for Chelsea and has carried on that form since joining Bristol City on loan. The 18-year-old has taken well to life in the Championship, netting his seventh league goal of the season against Fulham on Saturday, and his 10th in 12 appearances in all competitions since moving to Ashton Gate. His early volley against the Whites helped set the Robins on their way to a 4-0 win at Craven Cottage - and their first league win since beating Aston Villa on 27 August. England Under-19 international Abraham is one of 38 players Chelsea have out on loan and it looks like he will be one to watch this season, as he bids to become a long-term successor to Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi at Stamford Bridge. If you are a fan of well-drilled free-kick and corner routines, then Queens Park Rangers might be the team for you. The west London side are yet to score from open play in the Championship this season, with all 11 of their goals coming from set-pieces. Centre-back Steven Caulker helped continue that trend on Saturday, heading home Tjaronn Chery's corner to give Rangers a 1-1 draw at home to Birmingham. Even though four of their 11 league goals have come from the penalty spot, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's side give new meaning to the cliche "dangerous from set-pieces". Derby County reached the Championship play-offs last season but former Leicester boss Nigel Pearson has not had a great start to life at the iPro Stadium. The Rams are the lowest scorers in the whole of the EFL so far this season, having found the back of the net just three times in their first nine league games. Striker Matej Vydra bagged Derby's first home goal of the Championship campaign to give them the lead against Blackburn, ending a goal drought of more than 425 minutes in the east Midlands. But any joy could not have lasted long, as Rovers equalised within a minute and then Danny Graham scored the winner three minutes later to give the visitors a 2-1 victory. Pearson's side are now 22nd in the table, just a point above bottom side Wigan. Cheltenham manager Gary Johnson said his return to Yeovil Town on Saturday would "feel like a home game". The 60-year-old spent seven years in charge of the Glovers over two separate spells, leading the club out of non-league in 2003 and into the Championship for the first time in their history in 2013. Johnson spoke of his hopes of "a happy return" to Huish Park but that did not prove to be the case - the Robins were 2-0 down inside 16 minutes and trailed 3-1 at half-time. Cheltenham rallied after the break but eventually lost 4-2, leaving them one point above the League Two relegation zone with seven points from their opening nine games of the season. There were 14 red cards across the three divisions of the EFL on Saturday, but the dismissal of Luton's Danny Hylton must have been the strangest of them all. He was sent off in stoppage time of the Hatters' 3-1 win at home to Doncaster for a second bookable offence. However, Luton's Twitter account suggested referee Andy Haines might have been a bit harsh on the striker, who was dismissed after "throwing a piece of rubbish" to the side of the pitch. The League Two club later suggested Hylton got his second yellow for his reaction after sliding into an advertising board in front of the visiting fans at Kenilworth Road. "I'm disappointed with Danny because he showed a lack of discipline," Luton boss Nathan Jones said. "I won't say too much as I've told him in the dressing room. He's so far in credit that we'll give him that one but we lost him [to suspension] now." Exeter's Jordan Moore-Taylor received the quickest red card of the day, in the 24th minute at Stevenage for a pull-back on Tom Pett, but it did not hinder the Grecians as they won 2-0. Meanwhile, Huddersfield winger Rajiv van La Parra picked up two bookings in the space of three minutes - the second for dissent - as he saw red inside 26 minutes at Reading, a match the Terriers lost 1-0 to slip off the top of the Championship. Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox.

The nights may be drawing in and autumn is coming, but the English Football League continues to provide thrills and spills for players, managers and supporters.

37463210

The loggerhead turtle was affected by the cold, had shell damage and had signs of an infection. It was found on the stretch of beach between the Dicq shack and Rice bowl and was taken to the nearby New Era Veterinary Hospital for treatment. After an appeal it is being moved to a special tank at the fresh fish company at La Collette. A number of turtles have washed up in the UK in recent months, but most have been too ill to save. Vets have been treating it with antibiotics and fluids and say the turtle has a "poor prognosis". They will use the tank to slowly raise its temperature.

A turtle which was found on a beach in St Clement is being treated at a veterinary hospital in Jersey.

35253213

He said he still favoured the use of Sterling, but said the independence case needs "refurbishment". The MP believed a better case for the retention of the pound would prevent the independence case being "gazumped" by opponents in a future referendum. Had Scotland voted "Yes", the planned independence day would have been 24 March. When asked by BBC Scotland's political correspondent Glenn Campbell about the pro-independence camp's stance on currency, Mr Salmond said: "I think the argument you have got to put forward is one which can withstand any position adopted by your opponents. "So, you mustn't allow yourself to be gazumped by your opponents. "Now, I think sterling is the right currency for Scotland, because of a whole range of reasons that we gave during the campaign." The former SNP leader was speaking a matter of weeks after current leader and Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, announced plans for a fresh campaign for independence. She told her party's spring conference in Glasgow, that she would hear "concerns" and "address questions". In September 2014, voters north of the border decided by 55% to 45% to stay part of the United Kingdom. The SNP's new strategy will begin in the summer, after May's Holyrood election and June's EU referendum. Ms Sturgeon said the party was prepared to challenge some of the answers it gave 18 months ago. Reacting to Mr Salmond's comments, Scottish Labour's Iain Gray said: "As far as I can make out he seems to be arguing again for Sterlingisation, a proposal that would have meant Scotland would have become an independent country and at that very moment given up control over its currency and much of its fiscal policy. "That didn't make sense in 2014, the majority of the Scottish public didn't think it made sense, and it still doesn't make sense now." Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson said Mr Salmond had "a bit of a cheek" in "acknowledging 18 months after the fact that his currency case was always flawed". She said: "People in Scotland have been well served by the pound as part of the UK, particularly with all the shocks and instability we've seen over the last few years in the world economy. "If there is a united push from the SNP to get us back to yet another referendum, I'll be standing full square behind the decision that we as a country made to stay part of the UK." Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie said it was time to move on from the whole matter to focus on the "big challenges". He added: "There's no doubt that currency was one of the weakest arguments during the referendum. But the SNP need to move on - we all need to move on from the last five years. It was dominated by independence. "If we keep dragging over the coals from yesterday's argument, we'll never sort out the future." Scottish Green Party co-convener Patrick Harvie said it was "welcome" and "probably almost inevitable" that the SNP would re-evaluate its position on the pound. He went on: "That idea of a currency union failed to convince us, because Scotland would have been in a situation where it didn't have the freedom to set its own economic policy. There were a great many Yes voters who were not sold on that notion of a currency union. "It's inevitable that there were many people who might ultimately have been persuaded to vote yes, who voted no, and one of the reasons was the lack of clarity on currency."

Former first minister Alex Salmond has called for a fresh look at the currency options for an independent Scotland.

35887257

27 June 2016 Last updated at 16:41 BST Even though the UK as a whole voted to leave the EU, in Scotland most people voted to remain. Now, some people are saying that Scotland should get independence from the rest of the UK, so that it can join the EU again on its own. Naz has been in Scotland to see what kids there think.

One of the biggest questions to come out of the historic decision that the UK should leave the European Union is about the future of Scotland.

36641271

Paceman Milnes, 22, was part of the team that clinched the 2012 County Championship after signing in 2011. Lewis, 24, featured eight times in the T20 Blast this summer and McKay, 20, deputised for wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose. "All three have given everything and it will be sad to see them leave," said director of cricket Dougie Brown. "Sadly opportunities at senior level have been limited, since signing their first professional contracts, so we believe that it's in their best interests to look at new opportunities."

Warwickshire trio Tom Milnes, Tom Lewis and Pete McKay are to leave the club at the end of the season when their contracts expire.

34279760

The top seeds defeated Australia's Dylan Alcott and South Africa's Lucas Sithole 6-0 3-6 6-2. "It's an amazing feeling and a lovely end to a tough couple of days," said 24-year-old Lapthorne. Meanwhile, fellow Britons Jordanne Whiley and Gordon Reid both reached their respective doubles finals. Whiley and Japanese partner Yui Kamiji stayed on track to retain their women's doubles title after the Grand Slam-winning pair defeated Germany's Katharina Kruger and Dutchwoman Sharon Walraven 6-4 6-3. In Friday's final they will face Dutch second seeds Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot who they beat in the Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open finals last season, although the Dutch pair won their most recent encounter in the Sydney International Open. "I'm really happy to make the final, but it wasn't my best day," said Whiley. "I certainly need to play better in the final." Reid will contest his second Australian Open men's doubles final after partnering Argentina's Gustavo Fernandez to win their semi-final against second seeds Joachim Gerard of Belgium and Maikel Scheffers of the Netherlands 6-1 7-5, having come from 2-0 down and 5-3 down in the second set. "I'm delighted to be back in the final after a good solid performance from us - we're pleased how we battled through the second set," said Reid, who lost in last year's final. Reid and Fernandez will play defending champions and top seeds Stephane Houdet of France and Shingo Kunieda of Japan in Friday's final. Earlier on Thursday, Lapthorne saw his hopes of a place in the quad singles final fade when he was edged out 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) by Sithole in his second of three round-robin singles matches.

Britain's Andy Lapthorne won his fourth Australian Open quad doubles title after he and world number one David Wagner retained their Melbourne crown.

31037623

The Bluefin-21 submersible robot had finished its search of the area and found nothing, they said. Efforts would now focus on reviewing search data, surveying the sea floor and bringing in specialist equipment. Flight MH370 went missing on 8 March as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Using satellite data, officials have concluded that the airliner, which had 239 people on board, ended its journey in the Indian Ocean, north-west of the Australian city of Perth. No trace of the plane has been found and there is no explanation for its disappearance. Four pings that officials believed could be from the missing plane's "black box" flight recorders were heard by search teams using a towed pinger locator device. These pings were used to define the area for the sea-floor search, conducted by the Bluefin-21. It had scoured over 850 sq km of the ocean floor, JACC said. "Yesterday afternoon, Bluefin-21 completed its last mission searching the remaining areas in the vicinity of the acoustic signals detected in early April by the towed pinger locator," a statement from the Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre (JACC) said. "The data collected on yesterday's mission has been analysed. As a result, the JACC can advise that no signs of aircraft debris have been found by the autonomous underwater vehicle since it joined the search effort. "The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has advised that the search in the vicinity of the acoustic detections can now be considered complete and in its professional judgement, the area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH370." Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said the search had been based on "the best information available at the time". The statement came hours after a US Navy official told CNN that the acoustic signals probably came from some other man-made source. The failure of the autonomous sub Bluefin-21 to find any wreckage in the ping search zone is a hammer blow to the families. It's also a sharp reminder to everyone of just how difficult this whole exercise will be. Were the pings real or were they simply spurious, a misinterpretation of sound in what is already a very noisy environment? The investigating teams will review again all their data. They will not jump to immediate conclusions. The water column can do strange things with sound, sending it in unexpected directions. The teams will be mindful also that the Bluefin-21 was at times operating beyond its qualified limits. The authorities have now recognised the need to make a proper bathymetric (depth) survey of the wider search zone - some 60,000 sq km in area. It will take at least three months, but once they know precisely the shape and depth of the sea bed they can then better choose the most appropriate vehicles to continue the underwater sweep. Wreckage could be in a ravine, covered by shifted sediment. Without the right tools, the job of finding MH370 will be that much harder. "Our best theory at this point is that [the pings were] likely some sound produced by the ship... or within the electronics of the towed pinger locator," Michael Dean, the US Navy's deputy director of ocean engineering, told the US broadcaster. "Always your fear any time you put electronic equipment in the water is that if any water gets in and grounds or shorts something out, that you could start producing sound," Mr Dean said. A US Navy spokesmen subsequently described his comments as "speculative and premature". In its statement, JACC said an expert working group would continue to review and refine existing data to better define a search area for the missing plane. A Chinese ship had already begun mapping an area of ocean floor in a survey process that was expected to take three months. Meanwhile, the ATSB would soon seek bids from commercial contractors for the specialist equipment needed for the underwater search - a process expected to begin in August, JACC said.

The area where acoustic signals thought linked to the missing Malaysian plane were detected can now be ruled out as the final resting place of flight MH370, Australian officials say.

27615173

Bromyard Community Hospital in Herefordshire is drafting in help from the Philippines and Europe to bridge the 80-post gap. It comes after staff agreed to work extra hours to save the in-patient ward from closure. But The Wye Valley NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said this was a temporary measure. Paul Hooton, the hospital's deputy director of nursing, said: "We are very pleased with our staff and how they have stepped up and said they could do extra to help us to keep in-patients open. "But we have to review it on an ongoing basis to make sure that we can ultimately deliver safe inpatient care." "We have a major recruitment campaign going on locally to try and attract nurses living within our local community back into nursing." Its recruitment advert said it was looking for newly-qualified nurses and people who had left the profession. Mr Hooton added: "To put it into context, we are not the only trust in the country that is desperate to recruit nurses - this is a national problem."

Hospital bosses say they will continue to hire foreign workers to try and solve a "desperate" shortage of nurses.

34137409

Media playback is not supported on this device Play has been stopped 10 times in five days, leaving a backlog of matches that have to be played on the two-week tournament's traditional rest day. There will be at least eight guaranteed singles' matches, plus any more which are not completed on Saturday. Tickets must be purchased in advance online, with none available on the day. Full Wimbledon forecast Further details will be released at 13:00 BST on Saturday, added Wimbledon organisers. Play will start on all courts, including Centre and Court One, at 11:30 BST. It will be only the fourth time in Wimbledon's history - after 1991, 1997 and 2004 - there has been play on the middle Sunday. Organisers were forced to close the roof on Centre Court on Friday, while Novak Djokovic - the defending men's champion - was two sets down against world number 28 Sam Querrey on Court One when play was stopped for the day about 20:15 BST. "It was a pretty straightforward decision because we're here on Friday night and have still got second-round matches to be played," said former British number one Tim Henman, who is part of the Wimbledon organising committee. "You have got to avoid sections of the draw getting too far apart and therefore have to hold those matches back. "If we weren't to play on Sunday then we would have the scenario on the women's side where they would have to play third-round matches on Monday, fourth-round matches on Tuesday, quarter-finals on Wednesday and semi-finals on Thursday. And that's if we have good weather. "From the tournament's point of view, our hand was forced. It is a good decision." You can now add tennis alerts in the BBC Sport app - simply head to the menu and My Alerts section

Wimbledon will have play on the middle Sunday for the first time since 2004 after the opening week's schedule was disrupted by rain delays.

36686867

Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Trump said the US would only come to the aid of allies if they have "fulfilled their obligations to us". Members of Nato have all signed a treaty that says they will come to the aid of any member that is attacked. Mr Trump will speak on Thursday at the Republican National Convention. In a preview of what he will tell convention-goers in his speech, he outlined a foreign policy strategy aimed at reducing US expenditure and involvement abroad. What the world wants to know about Trump - Q&A from Cleveland Although the White House has not responded directly to Mr Trump's comments, spokesman Josh Earnest said on Thursday the US commitment to NATO was "ironclad". He said potential enemies should not misjudge Washington's commitment to defend its NATO allies. "The president renewed that commitment just two weeks ago today when he travelled to Warsaw, Poland, to attend the NATO summit." Mr Trump's comments hit at the fundamental basis of the Atlantic alliance; that an attack on one ally is an attack on all. Under Article 5 of Nato's founding treaty, allies are bound to come to the aid of a member under attack. The US has long been pressing its European allies to spend more on defence. That is slowly beginning to have an effect. But never has there been a suggestion that the US would renege on its responsibilities. His comments on Turkey suggest that the Republican contender also seems reluctant to insist upon Nato members maintaining strong democratic principles. Mr Trump's positions will be seen by Washington's Nato partners as at best eccentric and at worst alarming. At a time of growing tensions with Moscow, the idea that the US might become an unreliable ally is a nightmare for Nato's European members. Asked about Russian aggression towards Nato countries in the Baltic region, Mr Trump suggested the US might abandon the longstanding protections offered by the US to such nations. The divisive Republican candidate also said that, if elected, he would not pressure US allies over crackdowns on political opposition and civil liberties, arguing that the US had to "fix our own mess" before "lecturing" other nations. He said: "Look at what is happening in our country. How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?" Asked about the failed coup in Turkey on Friday, the Republican candidate praised Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been criticised by some Western leaders over his increasingly authoritarian rule. "I give great credit to him for being able to turn that around," Mr Trump said of the failed coup. "Some people say that it was staged, you know that," he said. "I don't think so." US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Mr Erdogan to follow the rule of law, amid a crackdown on opposition figures by the Turkish leader in the wake of the coup attempt. But Mr Trump chose not to make a similar statement. "When the world sees how bad the United States is and we start talking about civil liberties, I don't think we are a very good messenger," he said. The Republican candidate also said that he would reassess the costs to the US of longstanding defence treaties, potentially forcing allies to take on those costs. He said he would "prefer to be able to continue" existing agreements - but not if he felt allies were taking advantage of the US. Referring to what he said were US trade losses, Mr Trump said: "We are spending a fortune on military in order to lose $800bn. That doesn't sound very smart to me." He also suggested he would close US bases abroad. "If we decide we have to defend the United States, we can always deploy" from American soil, he said "and it will be a lot less expensive". Mr Trump will address the convention on Thursday following speeches from his running mate, Governor Mike Pence and his wife Melania Trump. Mrs Trump's speech caused embarrassment when journalists noticed that sections of the text appeared to have been copied directly from a speech given by Michelle Obama at the 2008 Democratic Convention. Senator Ted Cruz, who came second in the Republican primaries, was booed by convention-goers on Thursday after opting not to endorse Mr Trump in his speech.

Donald Trump has said that if he is elected president he may abandon a guarantee of protection to fellow Nato countries.

36852805

Rana Rahimpour was told by US authorities she could not travel under a visa waiver scheme. Under new laws, dual citizens from several nationalities must instead apply for a visa at the US embassy. But Ms Rahimpour said advice from the embassy on whether the rules had been implemented was unclear. The UK foreign office website says the rules come in on 1 April, while the US State Department website says the authorities have "begun the process of implementing changes" to the waiver scheme. Dual citizens fight new US visa rules It was only after contacting the agency overseeing the waiver while at the airport, that Ms Rahimpour - a presenter at the BBC's Persian service - was told her nationality excluded her from travelling. Two of her cousins were also prevented from flying. They had all been due to travel on the flight from Heathrow to a family birthday in the US. Ms Rahimpour described the new rules as "very unfair", pointing out they restrict Iranians who have gained their nationality through marriage or parentage. She tweeted: "My fully #British daughter can't attend her #American cousin's bday cos her mum was born in #Iran." The new rules, which also affect Iraqi, Syrian and Sudanese dual citizens, have sparked anger. They were enacted in the wake of raised security concerns following the Paris attacks, but a joint statement from European ambassadors warned of dual nationals being "disproportionately and unfairly affected".

A BBC journalist with dual British-Iranian nationality has been prevented from flying to the US after falling foul of changes to visa rules.

35358362

The original game was postponed on 26 November because of a frozen pitch. The offer from the Latics is for both home and away supporters visiting SportsDirect.com Park. Oldham, who are next to bottom of the table, three points from safety, have just exited a transfer embargo and reappointed John Sheridan as manager. "We want as many supporters to welcome back the manager to the football club as he takes his place on the sidelines for the first time," said a club statement. Supporters are, however, being invited to make a donation to a local charity. Brentford were the first team to offer free entry for a league game in England when they played Peterborough in 2001.

Oldham Athletic have offered free entry to all fans for their rearranged League One fixture against Peterborough United on Tuesday, 24 January.

38668683

Police seized 12kg of "high purity cocaine" equivalent to 48kg of "cut cocaine" worth between £1.5m and £4.5m. Cardiff Crown Court heard at least 36kg of mephedrone worth up to £300,000 was also seized. Eleven of the 13 defendants from Blaenau Gwent, Newport and Rhondda Cynon Taff were jailed for drugs offences. Ashley Burgham, 28, from Blaina was described as the head of the organisation with Michael Barnes, 32, from Abertillery, as his second in command who met national suppliers. Others were couriers who supplied "downstream customers" and met suppliers. Gwent Police also seized £205,494 in cash during the operation. Originally, the gang met an Albanian crime group to get hold of drugs, but when this relationship ended, they turned to a supplier in Spain. Det Chf Insp Roger Fortey said: "Officers carried out a meticulous enquiry to dismantle this sophisticated organised crime group. "The defendants in this case were motivated by greed and profits and had convinced themselves that they were untouchable."

Members of an organised crime gang who plotted to supply millions of pounds worth of drugs have been jailed.

35074571

Media playback is not supported on this device In an interview with Football Focus, the Argentine, 31, revealed the shock of his diagnosis last year and the subsequent support from his team-mates. "It was really emotional to be back," he said. "I feel born again and like I'm enjoying things for the first time. "Of course, now I want to prove I can still be a Premier League player." Gutierrez had an operation to remove his left testicle in September 2014 after the discovery of a tumour, before undergoing chemotherapy. He made his return to the Newcastle first team for the 1-0 defeat by Manchester United on 4 March as a substitute. Gutierrez, who joined the Magpies from Real Mallorca in July 2008, is out of contract in the summer but is just focused on playing regularly again for the time being. "I know my situation here is a little tricky," he said. "The one thing I can do is work hard and do my best. "I want to stay in England and I love the Premier League, but I don't know about the future. "At present, I am with Newcastle and have two months to finish the season. When the season finishes, I start thinking about the future." The full interview with Jonas Gutierrez can be seen on Saturday's Football Focus at 1130 (GMT) and below are some of the highlights. "When they told me I had cancer, it was a shock. I remember I was with the Newcastle doctor and I started crying," said Gutierrez. "I went to my house to speak to my dad and he thought I was making a joke with him. He didn't realise and believe what I was telling him." He added: "Chemotherapy is a hard treatment. I was just thinking after each session it was a day less I had to recover. "I received a lot of support. To be back and train, do what you love, is another thing that makes you recover quickly." "It was really emotional to be back. It was good to have a first step a few days before against Aston Villa and be on the bench," said Gutierrez. "When I came on against United, I could just focus on the game. It was unbelievable and to get the armband was a great touch. "Now I want to fight for my place. What is in my head is to work hard, do all I can to get minutes on the pitch." "When the doctor told me I was recovering, I wanted to make a new tattoo," Gutierrez added. "I love Eminem, so I put part of a song on my arm and I put the date. It says: 'I am alive again, more alive than I have been in my whole entire life.'"

Newcastle midfielder Jonas Gutierrez says he feels "born again" following his return to Premier League action after overcoming testicular cancer.

31991181

Dunkley, 25, made 52 appearances in all competitions for Oxford last season but rejected a new contract and will join Wigan on 30 June on a free transfer. The former Crewe and Hednesford Town centre-back joined the U's from Kidderminster Harriers on loan before signing permanently in 2015. He is new manager Paul Cook's first signing since arriving on 31 May. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Wigan Athletic have signed defender Chey Dunkley on a three-year deal from League One rivals Oxford United.

40159991

Lorenzo Insigne's deflected 25-yard shot gave the hosts the lead six minutes before the break. Giacomo Bonaventura levelled at the far post five minutes later with Milan's first shot on target. Napoli, chasing their first league title since 1990, are a point behind Juventus, who drew 0-0 at Bologna on Friday.

Napoli wasted a chance to return to the top of Serie A when they were held at home by AC Milan on Monday.

35634626

Christian Englander will now face trial, with jury selection scheduled for 23 September, Assistant District Attorney Anastasia Martin said. Each charge carries a maximum jail term of six months and a possible $500 fine. Police said Englander had acknowledged throwing the peel after he was offended by jokes Chappelle made about a friend. "If I can, I would like to avoid a trial," Englander said on Monday, following a brief hearing before Judge Donita Sena in the magistrates' court. "I'm not afraid of the end result, but it's a waste of human resources." There are "real criminals out there that they can try. If there is a plea offering, I'll take it," Englander added. The case has attracted attention after Chappelle said throwing a banana peel was a racist act. On Monday, Englander, who is white, said that after the police apprehended him on 30 March, Chappelle came to the police station to speak to him. According to Englander, Chappelle asked him: "Don't you know bananas are racist?" Englander said he told Chappelle, 41, that he did not agree. Lieutenant Andrea Dobyns of the Santa Fe Police Department confirmed that Chappelle attended the police station that night to talk to Englander.

The man accused of throwing a banana peel at comedian Dave Chappelle during a New Mexico show has been charged with disturbing the peace and battery.

33686490

The attacker made the devices print a warning urging their owners to cut off remote access. Large printers in offices, domestic devices and tiny receipt printers in restaurants were all caught up in the hack. The attack came soon after a German academic study found vulnerabilities in a wide range of printers. Over the weekend, a hacker using the alias Stackoverflowin ran an automated program that scoured the internet for printers that did not have basic security controls switched on. Once it discovered a vulnerable device, the program made them print a page announcing the invasion and telling the owner to close the "port" used to hijack it. "For the love of God, please close this port, skid [script kiddie, ie novice coder]," said the message. Early versions of the program also added ASCII art depicting different robots or a computer. Also included were an email address and a Twitter handle for Stackoverflowin. Many people posted pictures of the printed messages to social media and asked questions about what was happening on technical support forums and social networks such as Reddit. Printers made by HP, Brother, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Minolta and many others were hit by Stackoverflowin's program. The hacker said he did not intend to abuse the access he had gained to the printers. "I'm about helping people to fix their problem, but having a bit of fun at the same time," he told the Bleeping Computer tech news website. "Everyone's been cool about it and thanked me to be honest." Last week, computer security researchers Jens Muller, Vladislav Mladenov and Juraj Somorovsky, from the Ruhr University, in Germany, released an academic paper summarising work they had done on printer security. The trio tested 20 separate printers and found that all of them were vulnerable to at least one type of attack. They found ways to put the printers in to an endless loop so they were never available to users, or to hijack the devices so they could be used as an entry point to the computer networks on which they sat.

A hacker has briefly hijacked more than 150,000 printers accidentally left accessible via the web.

38879671

The double Olympic champion, 23, pipped Katie Archibald in a repeat of Friday's one-two in the individual pursuit. Archibald helped Pearl Izumi to gold in the women's team pursuit, while Katy Marchant won the women's keirin. Jason Kenny (1km time trial), Lewis Oliva (sprint) and Oliver Wood (points) won their respective finals. In the team pursuit, Olympic champion Joanna Rowsell Shand, Ciara Horne and Dame Sarah Storey joined forces with Archibald to secure victory. Elsewhere, double world championSophie Thornhill and her pilot Helen Scott claimed their second gold medal with victory in the Para-cycling BVI 200m time trial. The duo had won the standing-start time trial on Friday. Defending champions Lora Turnham and Corrine Hall retained their mixed BVI pursuit title, while Jon Gildea did likewise in the mixed C1-5 pursuit. Cambridge sprinter Jody Cundy claimed gold in the C1-C5 200m flying-start time trial. Trott and Scot Archibald were in a class of their own in the women's scratch, twice lapping the field before the English rider powered ahead in the sprint for the line. Three-time Olympic champion Kenny, meanwhile, clocked 62.042 seconds to win his race, with men's keirin winner Matt Crampton second and Steve Burke third. Welshman Oliva went one better than the silver he earned in Friday's keirin with a dominant performance in the men's sprint, beating Bolton's Matt Rotherham. Yorkshire rider Wood scored 66 points to win his race ahead of 2014 champion Mark Stewart (63) and Chris Latham (47). In the final event of the evening, Manchester-based Marchant added to her gold in the individual sprint on Friday with another title in the keirin. She came from the back and held off Becky James, with Jess Varnish taking bronze ahead of Trott. The championships conclude on Sunday with the men's scratch, team pursuit and team sprint, and the women's points and team sprint.

Laura Trott retained the women's scratch title to win her second gold medal at the National Track Championships in Manchester.

34370024

The tram, which currently serves the Nottingham area, would also run to East Midlands Airport and the proposed HS2 station at Toton. The 19 councils in the region described the scheme as one of several "priority projects" in devolution negotiations. The timetable and costs of the project are not discussed in the document. The information was revealed in a document detailing requests to be made from the government as part of a deal to devolve power. Andrew Braddock, chairman of the Light Rail Transit Association, which supports the project, said the trams would be an efficient and effective way of moving passengers from the HS2 station to the cities of Derby and Nottingham. Updates on this story and more from Derbyshire He said: "I am not surprised by the move… as they start to look at it… they will realise that creating an East Midlands light metro network… is a good idea. "There have been a rash of modern new tramways across France as city mayors say... it's time we took the streets back for the people. "In Germany, they've had trams since the 1880s and were sensible and kept them." A transport review in 2013 estimated the cost of a new tram line at £20m for each mile of track, putting the cost of a link from Toton to Derby at about £200m. Another cost estimate for a tram line from Nottingham to Ripley in Derbyshire via Eastwood, Kimberley and Langley Mill was put at £180m. The document said the East Midlands councils are determined to "reach a unified position on the strategic transport interventions required to maximise the growth potential of the region". Other projects backed by the local enterprise partnership include: You also can read more about this story on our Nottinghamshire live page.

A multi-million pound project to extend the Nottingham tram system to Derby is being treated as a "priority", the BBC has learned.

34782082

The black and white story sees Patrick Troughton's second Doctor battle robot yeti in the London Underground. Also recovered is a complete version of Troughton's six-part story The Enemy of the World. It is thought to be the largest haul of missing episodes recovered in the last three decades. "It's thrilling," said Mark Gatiss, an actor and writer for the 21st Century incarnation of Doctor Who. "Every single avenue seemed to have been exhausted, every now and then something turns up - but to have two virtually complete stories out of the blue is absolutely incredible." The BBC destroyed many of the sci-fi drama's original transmission tapes in the 1960s and 1970s. However, many episodes were transferred on to film for sale to foreign broadcasters. It is often these prints found in other countries that are the source of retrieved episodes. In this case, 11 Doctor Who episodes were discovered, nine of which were missing, in the Nigerian city of Jos. The find was made by Philip Morris, director of a company called Television International Enterprises Archive. Mr Morris said: "The tapes had been left gathering dust in a storeroom at a television relay station in Nigeria. I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words, Doctor Who. When I read the story code I realised I'd found something pretty special." He said it had been a "lucky" find given the high temperatures in the African country. "Fortunately they had been kept in the optimum condition." Only episode three of The Enemy of the World already existed in the BBC archive. The Nigerian discovery of episodes one, two, four, five and six complete the story. Episode one of fan favourite The Web of Fear existed, with the rest thought lost forever. Now episodes two, four, five and six have been recovered. Episode three is still missing, but has been reconstructed from stills to enable restored versions of both stories to be made available for sale via download on Friday. The latest find means that the number of missing episodes of Doctor Who has dropped from 106 to 97. One episode from each story - both last seen in 1968 - were shown at a special event in London on Thursday by BBC Worldwide, the BBC's commercial arm. Among the guests were actors Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling, who played Troughton's Tardis companions Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield. Episode one of The Enemy of the World is a James Bond-style thriller complete with an exploding helicopter, a hovercraft, gun-toting henchmen and a foreign-accented villain, Salamander (also played by Troughton). The story opens with the Tardis arriving on an Australian beach where the Doctor strips to his long johns and goes for a dip in the sea. The Web of Fear is a claustrophobic tale that sees the Doctor battle his old foe, the Great Intelligence, and the yeti in the tunnels of the London tube system. "It's the quintessential Doctor Who story," said Gatiss. "It has the return of the Abominable Snowmen in an iconic location." He said it showed Troughton "at the height of his powers". Frazer Hines recalled that the underground station sets had been so realistic that London Transport accused the BBC of filming at a tube station in secret. The story also featured an appearance by Deborah Watling's real-life father Jack, reprising his role as Professor Travers. Recalling Troughton's "wonderful sense of humour" on set, Watling said: "We all got on so well, we were like a family and Pat was always to me like another dad or an uncle. We had a chemistry and I think it showed." How did she feel when she heard about the recovery of the lost episodes? "I couldn't quite believe it. There had been hoaxes before. I thought it was just another hoax." Her only other complete story in the archive had been The Tomb of the Cybermen, all four instalments of which were discovered in Hong Kong in 1991. Hines said: "This now gives me hope that more stories of Patrick's will come out of the woodwork." The latest find comes as Doctor Who celebrates its 50th birthday. A special episode featuring the current Doctor, Matt Smith, and his predecessor, David Tennant, will be shown on the programme's anniversary on 23 November.

Nine missing episodes of 1960s Doctor Who have been found at a TV station in Nigeria, including most of the classic story The Web of Fear.

24467337

The committee is intending to investigate the £1bn sale of Nama's Northern Ireland loan portfolio. Its chairman Daithí McKay said they had written to Michael Noonan asking him to ensure Nama appeared at the inquiry. However, they said Mr Noonan has so far not responded. Mr McKay said: "Nama have a responsibility to come before the committee to answer questions and it is disappointing that Michael Noonan has so far not responded. "Officials from the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) will attend the committee inquiry tomorrow [Thursday] and I look forward to their contribution. "The finance committee and the wider public are entitled to access the truth about the sale of the Nama assets." The committee postponed its first hearing of the inquiry last week, but is due to meet again on Thursday. Mr McKay had said they wanted to ensure they did not prejudice a police investigation or any potential criminal trial. The National Crime Agency is leading the criminal inquiry into the Nama loan sale controversy and is concerned its investigation could be undermined. The National Assets Management Agency (Nama) is the Republic of Ireland's "bad bank", set up to deal with toxic loans during the Irish banking crisis. Nama's Northern Ireland portfolio, known as Project Eagle, was sold to the US investment fund Cerberus for more than £1bn last year. An Irish politician, Mick Wallace, has alleged that a payment of £7m was due to be made to a Northern Ireland politician in the wake of the deal. Mr Wallace told the Irish parliament the money had been moved for that purpose to an Isle of Man bank account controlled by the Belfast solicitor Ian Coulter. Mr Coulter is the former managing partner of Tughans solicitors in Belfast and worked on behalf of the buyers in the Nama deal. He said he had directed that money be transferred to the Isle of Man account for "a complex, commercially and legally-sensitive" reason. He said that no politician, nor any relative of any politician, was ever to receive any money. The money moved to the Isle of Man was later retrieved, though Mr Coulter and and his former partners at Tughans remain at odds on the circumstances of that transaction. BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight programme has established the Isle of Man account was intended to facilitate payments to non-lawyers or deal fixers. All those involved in the deal deny any wrongdoing.

Stormont's finance committee has said it is "disappointed" that the Irish finance minister has not replied to its request for Nama officials to appear before its inquiry.

33628065

The victim, named by police as Ali Nasrollahi, 22, was found collapsed in Barnet on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Nasrollahi, who was found at the junction of Woodside Grange Road and Grangeway, was treated by paramedics for a single stab wound but died soon after arriving at hospital. Police have launched a murder inquiry and have appealed for witnesses to come forward. No arrests have been made. Det Insp Julie Willats said: "We know that the victim had driven to Woodside Grange Road with one of his friends and met up with another friend, who had also driven there. "At some stage, the victim interacted with a group of up to four suspects, during that interaction we believe he was stabbed. "The group of suspects then ran off down Grangeway and into an alleyway that leads on to Woodside Avenue." The victim's friend Mohamed Musalam said: "I'm shocked... I had to call 10 people to confirm because it was just unreal. "He didn't deserve it at all, he wasn't that sort of a person where he hangs around with the wrong crowd or anything like that. "He was a happy guy, the sort of guy that comes into a group and makes everyone laugh. I am heartbroken." Officers are carrying out a forensic search in the area.

A man has been stabbed to death in a street in north London.

35923205

The Paralympian was transferred to house arrest last month after serving one year of his five-year term for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius, 28, shot her through a locked toilet door in 2013 but insists he thought she was an intruder. No date was set for the judgement that could see Pistorius return to prison. Pistorius and his family did not attend the hearing at South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein. Ms Steenkamp's mother, June, was present, as well as some women activists of the governing African National Congress who said they came to show solidarity with her. The proceedings were broadcast live on television. State prosecutor Gerrie Nel outlined the state's case for the verdict to be changed to murder from culpable homicide, or manslaughter. The five appeal court judges did not consider the facts but the application of the law, in a highly technical case. What is on everybody's lips is what Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux was overheard saying at the end of the hearing. "I'm going to lose", he is reported to have said in a conversation with Mr Nel while their microphones were still open. But the context in which he made the comment is unclear so it would be wrong to conclude that he conceded victory to his rival. What is clear, though, is that Mr Roux had a tougher time in court, and there are many here who feel that the scales of justice tilted in favour of a murder conviction. But this case has thrown up so many twists and turns that no-one can confidently predict which way the court will rule. The five judges who heard the appeal are among the most senior in South Africa, and came from across the racial and gender divide. It will, therefore, be difficult to fault their judgement. They did not take new evidence, but heard arguments from both sides on whether the trial judge interpreted the law correctly, especially the charge of dolus eventualis, also known as common-law murder. In South African law, this charge applies if the accused knew they might kill someone but still went ahead with their course of action. The prosecution argued that Pistorius should have foreseen that by firing four shots through a locked door into a toilet cubicle, the person behind the door would have been killed. Trial judge Thokozile Masipa disagreed, and Mr Roux did his best to convince the appeal judges to uphold her verdict. Was it enough to keep Pistorius out of jail? My friend Reeva Steenkamp Pistorius: From prison to mansion Mr Roux told the judges that the athlete suffered from an anxiety disorder, and he fired in quick succession. "The law is not designed to punish you for a wrong state of mind," he added. Pistorius' action was lawful, and he genuinely believed that he was shooting at an intruder, Mr Roux said. During his trial, the athlete said he believed there was an intruder in the house and thought his girlfriend was in the bedroom. The prosecution argued that who was behind the toilet door was irrelevant, and Pistorius' intent was to kill. The prosecution also want his jail sentence to be increased from five years to a minimum of 15 years. The final ruling will not be known for some weeks, reports say. Pistorius was found guilty of the culpable homicide of his 29-year-old girlfriend at a trial in October last year. Ms Steenkamp's relatives have said they think Pistorius is "getting off lightly". The double amputee was released from prison on 19 October. Under South African law, he was eligible for release under "correctional supervision", having served a sixth of his sentence. His family said he would "strictly" adhere to his parole conditions at his uncle's upmarket home in Pretoria. Pistorius competed in the 400m at the London 2012 Olympics, wearing carbon-fibre blades to run against able-bodied athletes.

South African judges have heard an appeal on whether athlete Oscar Pistorius should be convicted of murder instead of culpable homicide.

34708305

Actresses including Meryl Streep, Sally Field, Sandra Bullock and Cameron Diaz saluted the 76-year-old Oscar-winner at Thursday's event in Hollywood. "I'm so happy to add another woman's name to the list," she said. Fonda's brother, Easy Rider star Peter Fonda, said "Jane, I've never been prouder of you, and I know Dad is too." Their late father, actor Henry Fonda, was an Oscar-winner aged 76 for the 1981 film On Golden Pond and received the AFI award in 1978. Presenting the honour to Jane Fonda, actor Michael Douglas said: "Jane, you are true film royalty, not through birth, but through your talent." Fonda, nominated for seven Academy awards, has won two Oscars for 1971's Klute and 1978's Coming Home. Fellow Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, who made her film debut opposite Fonda in 1977's Julia, said of her initial meeting with the star: "She had an almost feral alertness, like this bright blue attentiveness to everything around her. Sally Field added: "She brought this new kind of raw sexuality, of gritty innocent honesty, vulnerable to the core - and I had never seen anything like it." There were moments of lightness during the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, as actor Jeff Daniels, one of Fonda co-stars in the HBO series The Newsroom, sang a tribute to the actress, offering lyrics about her "abs, buns and thighs" as one of her exercise videos played on a screen behind him. And comic actress Wanda Sykes took the stage dress in a silver parody of the outfit worn by Fonda in her 1968 film Barbarella, directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim. As she accepted the award, Fonda offered some advice on career longevity for the roomful of celebrities gathered: "Ask questions, stay curious. It's much more important to be interested than to be interesting."

A cast of stars have paid tribute to actress and political activist Jane Fonda as she accepted the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award.

27728495

The QPR defender, 36, released a statement saying his "wonderful wife and soul mate" Rebecca Ellison had "passed away peacefully" at a London hospital. Ms Ellison, 34, who married Ferdinand in 2009, had breast cancer. She leaves behind three children, Lorenz, nine, Tate, six, and four-year-old Tia. In a statement, Ferdinand said she died on Friday night. "Rebecca, my wonderful wife, passed away peacefully after a short battle with cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London," the footballer said on QPR's website. "She was a fantastic loving mother to our three beautiful children. She will be missed as a wife, sister, aunt, daughter and granddaughter. She will live on in our memory, as a guide and inspiration. "Myself, my parents Janice and Julian, along with Rebecca's parents Lesley and Stephen, would like to thank our families, friends and my club colleagues who have rallied around in these desperate days, weeks and months." Ferdinand thanked the staff who treated his wife at the south London hospital, adding: "I would also like to express my gratitude for the dedication and expertise of the staff led by Professors Johnstone and Clark at the Royal Marsden. "Their valiant efforts to prolong Rebecca's all-too-short life will not be forgotten." Messages of support have been posted on Twitter from the world of football. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel wrote: "Really sad news that Rebecca Ellison, the wife of Rio Ferdinand has passed away. My condolences to Rio, their children and the family. RIP" BBC presenter and former England captain Gary Lineker tweeted: "Thoughts are with Rio Ferdinand and his family. How dreadfully sad." In a statement, the west London club said: "The thoughts of everyone at Queens Park Rangers Football Club are with Rio and his family at this immensely difficult time." Manchester United said: "Everybody's thoughts at #mufc are with Rio Ferdinand today, whose wife sadly passed away last night." Ferdinand, who grew up in Peckham, south-east London, was capped by England 81 times and has also played for West Ham United and Leeds United. Both sets of players wore black armbands in QPR's match against Liverpool at Anfield, which the home team won 2-1. When Leroy Fer scored in the 73rd minute, he lifted his shirt to reveal a "stay strong family Ferdinand" message. Other team-mates also tweeted their condolences. QPR captain Joey Barton posted: "Just heard the terrible news. RIP Rebecca." Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy wrote: "Devastating news about Rebecca Ferdinand... My thoughts go out to him and his family."

The wife of former Manchester United and England captain Rio Ferdinand has died from cancer.

32563022

Ed Joyce and Chris Nash both hit half-centuries between interruptions in play, before Nash was bowled by Rob Keogh for 53 before lunch. Joyce was trapped lbw by Ben Sanderson after the break to give the visitors a slight hope of grasping a win. Bad light stopped play with the hosts 145-2 as they held on to share the points with no further play possible. Northants' seventh draw from their eight Division Two matches leaves them seventh and leave them trailing leaders Essex by 34 points. With only one side promoted from the second tier this season, both sides are struggling, with Sussex lying in sixth position and only three points better off - albeit with a game in hand.

Heavy rain denied Northants the opportunity to push for victory as they drew against Sussex at Arundel.

36629791

Luke Gale put Tigers ahead, grounding a loose ball after Salford failed to handle a high kick. Murdoch-Masila's try reduced the deficit to two as Gareth O'Brien missed the conversion, but Greg Minkin powered over to extend Castleford's lead. Murdoch-Masila scored his second try to get Salford within two points, before O'Brien's penalty and drop-goal won it. Castleford had been top of Super League before the game after winning their opening four matches, but Wigan's draw with Huddersfield means they fall to second in the table. Tigers are the leading scorers in the competition this season, but they struggled to break down a resilient Salford defence. O'Brien missed his first attempt at a drop-goal, but Castleford knocked on from the restart to allow the former Tigers loanee a second effort. His kick earned Salford their third win of the season, taking them up to fifth in the early table. Salford head coach Ian Watson told BBC Radio Manchester: "I just thought our team mentality and our group unity in what we set out to do this week was brilliant. "I thought our middles were phenomenal, they controlled our pack. "He [Ben Murdoch-Masila] is a tough kid and he's a great player as well, we just need to get him up fully fit now and get him running properly." Castleford head coach Daryl Powell told BBC Radio Leeds: "I'm disappointed, it was a poor performance. "It was a tight game, conditions dictated a fair bit, but I thought we just went into ourselves way too much in the second half. "It was just one of those games where we just couldn't quite get going, but I thought they played really well. "If we'd have got a draw at the end it would have probably been a travesty, I thought they deserved to win the game." Salford: O'Brien; Johnson, Welham, Sa'u, J Carney; Lui, Dobson; Walne, Tomkins, Mossop, Murdoch-Masila, Griffin, Flanagan. Replacements: Brining, Krasniqi, Lopczak, T Carney. Castleford: Hardaker, Minikin, Webster, Shenton, Eden; Roberts, Gale; Lynch, McShane, Massey, Sene-Lefao, McMeeken, Milner. Replacements: Millington, Moores, Cook, Springer.

Ben Murdoch-Masila scored two tries as Salford fought back to end Castleford Tigers' unbeaten start to the season.

39274264

Herbert Kilpin left Nottingham to work in Italy in the 1890s and later set up the club, becoming the team's first superstar in the process. Robert Nieri has been fundraising for a plaque to go outside his birthplace to mark 100 years since his death. He said Kilpin was the "father of Italian football" and deserved more recognition in Nottingham. You can read more stories about people who have helped shape sport on our Pinterest board The footballer, who was born at the back of a butcher's shop in Mansfield Road, started Milan Football and Cricket Club in 1899. Kilpin led the club to its first three championships and even designed its legendary red and black striped shirt. He died in 1916, aged 46, and his grave was believed lost until a historian tracked it down. In 1999, AC Milan paid for a new tombstone and he was reburied in the Monumental Cemetery in Milan. Kilpin's name adorns shirts in Milan and his image can be seen on giant banners on match days. However, in Nottingham, there has been little recognition of his achievements and writer Mr Nieri set out to change that. "We need to bring Kilpin to the fore," he said. "He is the founder of one of the most successful clubs in the world and the father of Italian football. "He taught the Italians to play. He's massive [in Milan]." On 22 October, the 100th anniversary of Kilpin's death, a ceremony will take place outside his birthplace, and the Sheriff of Nottingham will name a bus after him. Mr Nieri, whose book The Lord of Milan is set to be released, is also due to fly to Italy to start filming a documentary about the star. The humble man who made Milan Details about Herbert Kilpin's remarkable life only started to emerge over the past few decades. How did a whisky-guzzling, chain-smoking son of a butcher from Nottingham come to set up one of the world's biggest and most successful clubs? Other English ex-pats helped him, of course, but it is Kilpin who has remained in the imagination here and in Italy. While his friends became part of the fledgling Italian football association, Kilpin just wanted to play football. And that is why, according to some, he is a "grassroots football icon" - concerned only by what happened on the pitch. It is hoped more recognition of his story will inspire a generation of young footballers. Source: The Lord of Milan

An Englishman credited with founding football giants AC Milan is to be honoured in his home city.

37561828

The 19-year-old moved to Glasgow a year ago and has played in more than 40 games for the Scottish champions. His 18-month deal ends in the summer and Roberts intends to return to City to battle for a place. "I'll always have that belief; the more you play, the more you improve," said Roberts. "It's been my first proper season playing men's football. I did a bit at Fulham, but I was in and out, the same at Man City, so coming here, the manager before [Ronny Deila] played me a lot and Brendan's [Rodgers] been really good with me as well. "It's been good and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I came here to improve, to win trophies and score goals. "Hopefully at the end of the season I can take that back with me to City and have a good go there. It's been a great experience and I'm thankful for that." Roberts has often found Scott Sinclair and James Forrest starting games ahead of him this season, but the winger says he has learned from working alongside Sinclair in particular. He also insists that the camaraderie within the squad has been a significant factor as Celtic reached the Champions League group stages and have put together a run of 25 unbeaten domestic matches. If Celtic can avoid defeat against St Johnstone on Wednesday, they will equal the record of 26 set by the Lisbon Lions in the 1966-67 season. Roberts, though, insists that the players are not giving too much thought to the record. "The team spirit's been great since day one, when the manager came in and the boys came back for pre-season," he said. "We've kept each other going, we've had good times, fun together, and done well on the pitch. It shows in results and if we continue to do that, it should be a very good season for us. "It's [about] momentum, you feel good, positive and go into every game believing you can win. The more you win, the more positive you are. We're in good stead right now and we'll go into Wednesday firing and ready to go. "We're just going out with the mentality to win every game. On Wednesday we'll show that again. We'll be buzzing to be back in the league and looking to put on a good show. "It's more other people [looking at the record], we just focus on trying to win. We'll do all we can to do that and focus on the game."

Patrick Roberts believes his loan spell at Celtic will prepare him for the challenge of trying to break into the Manchester City first team.

38725134

The leading human rights charity said the deal failed to hide the EU's "dogged determination to turn its back on a global refugee crisis". Under the plan, migrants arriving in Greece will be sent back to Turkey if they do not apply for asylum or their claim is rejected. In return, Turkey will receive aid and political concessions. Under the EU-Turkey deal, Greek authorities will still process requests for asylum individually. However, many migrants, including Syrians, are keen to go to Germany and other northern European Union countries and have previously refused to apply for asylum in Greece, as requested by the current procedure. The deal says that for every Syrian migrant sent back to Turkey, one Syrian already in Turkey will be resettled in the EU. John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's Director for Europe and Central Asia, said promises by the EU to respect international and European law "appear suspiciously like sugar-coating the cyanide pill that refugee protection in Europe has just been forced to swallow". He added: "Guarantees to scrupulously respect international law are incompatible with the touted return to Turkey of all irregular migrants arriving on the Greek islands as of Sunday. Scepticism hangs heavy in the air about a host of legal issues, and about whether the agreement can actually work in practice. The idea at the heart of the deal - sending virtually all irregular migrants back to Turkey from the Greek islands - is the most controversial. European leaders insist that everything will be in compliance with the law. "It excludes any kind of collective expulsions," emphasised European Council President Donald Tusk. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) will take part in the scheme, but it is clearly uncomfortable with what has been agreed. Read more from Chris Turkey is "not a safe country for refugees and migrants", Mr Dalhuisen said, adding that any deal to return migrants based on claims it was would be "flawed, illegal and immoral". It is hoped the plan, agreed at a summit in Brussels, will deter people from taking the often dangerous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece. As part of the arrangement, EU countries will resettle Syrian migrants already living in Turkey. EU leaders have welcomed the agreement, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of legal challenges to come. Some of the initial concessions offered to Turkey have been watered down and some EU members expressed disquiet over Turkey's human rights record. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu hailed it as a "historic" day. European Council President Donald Tusk said there had been unanimous agreement between Turkey and the 28 EU members. The UN warned that Greece's capacity to assess asylum claims needed to be strengthened for the deal. Implementation was "crucial", the organisation said. Since January 2015, a million migrants and refugees have entered the EU by boat from Turkey to Greece. More than 132,000 have arrived this year alone. Tens of thousands are now stuck in Greece as their route north has been blocked. Greek Interior Minister Panagiotis Kouroublis has compared conditions at the Idomeni camp, on the border with Macedonia, to a Nazi concentration camp. The Turkey-EU statement in full A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.

Amnesty International has accused European leaders of "double speak" over a deal to return migrants to Turkey.

35849167