Datasets:

autoevaluate

/

autoeval-staging-eval-project-xsum-f0ba0c18-12915728

like 0

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said the Dyfed-Powys and north Wales forces "required improvement". South Wales and Gwent police forces were ranked "good". The reviews are part of HMIC's annual inspection of England and Wales' 43 forces. Police and crime commissioner Christopher Salmon said: "We have more officers investigating the most serious crimes and my Help Hub has increased support for victims. "There is always more to do but I am confident that Dyfed-Powys is effective and keeping people safe and reducing crime." Police and crime commissioner Winston Roddick said: "Over five years North Wales saw a 17.4% cut in crime which is better than the England and Wales average reduction of 12.6%. "The chief constable accepts, as I do, there is always room for improvement and together we must make sure that the improvements recommended by HMIC are carried out as soon as possible." Police and crime commissioner Ian Johnston said: "It is pleasing to hear that all of that hard work has been recognised by HMIC and that the force has been found to be effective at protecting from harm those who are most vulnerable. "This report is very good news and the challenge now is to build further still on the findings of the inspectors." Alun Michael, police and crime commissioner, said: "This report recognises that the priorities set by the chief constable and myself reflect a strong commitment to prevent crime, to support victims and to work in partnership. "This is set out in our latest Police and Crime Reduction Plan, published last month, which had a strong focus on early intervention and prompt, positive action as well as effective partnership working."

Two of Wales' four police forces have been told they must improve how they keep people safe and reduce crime.

35597715

Media playback is not supported on this device Ibarguen, 32, who went on a 34-meeting unbeaten run after finishing second in London in 2012, won with her fourth round jump of 15.17m. Her victory gives Colombia their second gold of the Games after weightlifter Oscar Figueroa. Yulimar Rochas of Venezuela took silver with 14.98m and defending champion Olga Rypakova of Kazakhstan settled for bronze with 14.74m.

Colombian Caterine Ibarguen won the women's triple jump in Rio.

37080267

Mother-of-two Tracy Kearns, 43, of Kinmel Bay, has not been seen since about 20:00 BST on 7 May. On Thursday, a 48-year-old man, who police said was known to Ms Kearns, was arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with her disappearance. Police said specialist searches were focused on land alongside Tir Prince leisure park and extensive searches were ongoing in Kinmel Bay and Towyn. Ms Kearns is described as 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall with sandy coloured shoulder-length hair. Supt Sian Beck, from North Wales Police, said: "We are still trying to find Tracy. "Officers are carrying out house to house inquiries, speaking to local people who may have information."

Specialist teams have joined the search for a woman missing in Conwy county.

39901217

Michael Gunn, a retired chartered accountant, wants to spend some of it on a new roof for the church hall. But in defiance of experts, he also wants to use the money for a transatlantic cruise. The changes take effect on Bank Holiday Monday, so Mr Gunn will receive the payment on Tuesday morning. "I had no idea they'd whisk me into the limelight, and say I am the first," he told the BBC. "But I don't mind that." Initially he wants to donate cash to the fund for the church hall roof - in the village of Newton Poppleford - after it burnt down in a fire. But later in the year he is planning to take his wife across the Atlantic on board the Queen Mary Two. Mr Gunn was not prepared to say how much he would be taking out of his pension pot, but he has taken care to heed warnings about tax bills. "What I like about this is that you are totally in charge of how much tax you are exposed to - to stay within a lower tax band," he said. Last week the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said thousands of people withdrawing money might find themselves paying much more tax than they needed to. Other experts have pointed out that, in any case, people taking out cash will have to pay what is called "emergency tax". Unless individuals can show a P45 tax form, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will treat any payments as if they are a new monthly salary. In other words, they will charge tax on the basis that the new income is repeated every month for a year. So anyone cashing in a pension of £18,000 - assuming nothing is taken tax-free- would be charged an immediate tax bill of £6,592. Those in that position will have to reclaim the tax using forms P50 or P53. However HMRC has promised they will get the money back within a month. Meanwhile, hundreds of staff from Citizens Advice - and Citizens Advice Scotland - are preparing to offer free face-to-face interviews with anyone who needs help, from Tuesday. Those aged 55 or over can go to one of 500 offices in England and Wales, or 90 in Scotland. Those living in very remote areas of Scotland can arrange home visits. But customers will only receive "guidance", not advice. "What we don't do is provide any details of which companies people can go to for pensions - or which particular products," said Richard Chilton, one of those who will be conducting the interviews. "But we provide guidance on what the options are," he said. Anyone wanting to book an interview, or receive telephone guidance, should call the Pension Wise service, on 030 0330 1001. Are you planning to cash in your pension? What do you think about the changes? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist, please include a contact telephone number. Email your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, upload them here, tweet them to @BBC_HaveYourSay or text 61124. If you are outside the UK, send them to the international number +44 7624 800 100. Or WhatsApp us on +44 7525 900971 Read our terms and conditions.

A 57 year-old man from a Devon village has emerged as one of the first people to cash in their pensions under the government's reforms.

32152728

Russia's Interfax news agency said on Monday that Bastion missile-launchers had been sent to Kaliningrad. In a statement to the Associated Press, Nato said the move "does not help to lower tensions or restore predictability to our relations". The Kremlin has accused Nato of stoking tensions by expanding eastwards. Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania. Baltic warning over Russian move on Nato Missile deployment in Kaliningrad ups the stakes for Nato In October, Russia sent nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad, a move Poland described as of the "highest concern". Russia said the deployment was part of military exercises and had happened before. The Russian exclave of Kaliningrad represents an important military outpost between Poland and Lithuania with its coastline on the Baltic Sea. The accumulation of radars and air defence systems, as well as coastal anti-shipping missiles, all form part of Moscow's developing "anti-access and area denial strategy", which in essence seeks to push Nato forces away from Russia and to make it very difficult to reinforce Nato members in the Baltic region in the event of a crisis. However, in a separate statement on Monday, the RIA news agency quoted Russian defence committee chairman Viktor Ozerov as saying Iskanders and S-400 surface-to-air missiles were deployed in Kaliningrad to counter a planned US missile defence shield in eastern Europe. The Bastion system fires Oniks cruise missiles, which have a range of up to 280 miles (450km). Russia has already used them in the Syrian civil war where it is supporting President Bashar al-Assad. On Tuesday, Nato urged greater transparency on military activities "to avoid incidents and the risk of misunderstandings". US state department spokesman John Kirby also called the latest Russian moves "destabilising to European security". Kaliningrad profile "Russia has made threats to move its Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad for the past decade in response to a variety of developments in Europe, none of which demand such a military response," he said. "We call on Russia to refrain from words or deeds that are inconsistent with the goal of promoting security and stability." His comments brought a stinging rebuke from the Russian defence ministry, which said that "all recent threats to European security" were a consequence of US military policy.

Nato has accused Russia of "aggressive military posturing" following reports that it has deployed anti-ship missiles in its westernmost Baltic region.

38070201

Figures show the number of women taking their holy vows has trebled in the past five years, from 15 in 2009 to 45 last year - the highest number since 1990. Fourteen of the women who entered convents in 2014 were aged 30 or under, the latest figures show. The Church says women are being drawn to religious life because of a "gap in the market for meaning in our culture". Sister Cathy Jones, from the National Office for Vocation, said: "We are never going to be at the place we were at 50 years ago, Catholic culture was at a very different place. "But the fact that more women are becoming nuns than there has been in the past 25 years shows that as a generation we have turned a corner." The figures show that in the 1980s around 80 women were becoming nuns each year but the numbers gradually declined until 2004 when only seven women joined a convent. The small number of entrants has gradually increased again in the last 10 years, reaching 45 in 2014. Sister Cathy said nuns were now less visible in communities but they were now doing more hidden work with trafficked women or working as counsellors. And she added that some women may have been driven to the work after having seen more poverty in the UK during the economic downturn. "It doesn't tend to be those who are coming from quite vulnerable places who become nuns, but there are people who want to be reaching out to those on the margins, who join," she said. Theodora Hawksley, 29, was until recently a postdoctoral researcher in theology at the University of Edinburgh, but at the beginning of the year she decided to end her career as an academic, and begin her training to become a nun. She joined the Congregation of Jesus in January and is now living in their house in Willesden, north London, while taking the first steps towards making vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Ms Hawksley said: "In one sense it is a bit like trying to explain to somebody why you are marrying the person you are. You can list their qualities, but in the end it is a relationship of love. "I don't have to worry now about practical things like making a career for myself. I'm free to go where I'm needed and meet people at the margins. "You are not on your own. It is an unusual life choice, but you are not the only one making it. There are plenty of people asking themselves the same questions." She admitted some of her friends were a "bit bewildered" when she revealed her plans, but most have been very supportive. Last year the majority of new nuns - 27 out of 45 - chose to be active religious sisters, who have a ministry outside of the convent, working in a community in areas such as nursing or teaching. Religious sisters are often sent to live in different communities every few years, both in the UK or abroad. Last year, BBC Northern Ireland political reporter Martina Purdy quit her 25-year career in journalism to become a nun. She entered the Adoration Sisters last October.

The number of women becoming nuns has reached a 25-year high, the Catholic Church in England and Wales says.

32417296

The images of Europe taken from the International Space Station (ISS) have notched up tens of thousands of reactions on Facebook. Belgium can be seen glowing more brightly than its neighbours. The country's dense road network enjoys near-total streetlight coverage, with lights kept on throughout the night. It uses about 2.2 million bulbs to illuminate Belgium's roads - with 186 bulbs per square mile, the New York Times reports. The 39-year-old French astronaut posted an image on Twitter showing the Aurora Borealis - also known as the Northern Lights - visible towards the north of the globe, and also noted that Belgium "stands out as usual". In another, on his Facebook page, he said London, Paris and Brussels "form a very European triangle". The photos are taken from the "cupola" - a module of the ISS built by the European Space Agency. In his blog, Mr Pesquet says he likes to look out on the Earth while working out on an exercise machine positioned there. "There are not a lot of gyms with such a view!" he writes. He describes in detail life on board the space station, explaining - among other things - that tortillas are better than bread in space, as they don't leave crumbs to plague the astronauts in their weightless environment. Most social media responses to the images marvelled at the beauty of the Earth viewed at night from some 400km (248 miles) above. But some complained about the wasted power and light pollution: "We can see very well the glitz and wasted electricity! Awful for lovers of the sky!" wrote Christian Cellier on Facebook. And one user, Michel-L Saucy said, was more concerned about extra-terrestrial visitors: "Hope that the aliens are not too attracted to light... We cannot accommodate them all once!"

Belgium's penchant for extravagant motorway lighting is suddenly in the spotlight thanks to pictures posted by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

39900940

The House of Lords heard the government had not yet taken a decision as to whether an inquiry will be held. Launching one now could prejudice the on-going investigations into the Hillsborough disaster, it heard. About 10,000 strikers and 5,000 police officers clashed at the coking plant near Rotherham in June 1984. More than 120 officers and pickets were injured and 93 people arrested. On Tuesday, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) ruled a full report into allegations of police misconduct will not be made public. Live updates on this story and others in South Yorkshire What was the 'Battle of Orgreave'? What happened at Hillsborough? Lord Richard Keen, Lords spokesperson for the Home Office, said a barrister had been commissioned to go through 10,000 police documents "in the context of the investigation at Orgreave". In response to a question from Lord Richard Balfe, he said: "The IPCC has told the Home Office officials that if it announces any action to set up an inquiry or other investigation relating to Orgreave it would have an impact on the Hillsborough investigation. "For that reason, the decision will only be taken after that part has been concluded." He added work was still on-going to "assess whether material related to the policing of Orgreave is relevant to the Hillsborough criminal investigations". Barbara Jackson, from the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, said: "We respect all that the Hillsborough campaigners have had to go through, but we would like our issue dealt with as quickly as possible, as soon as their verdict is in the public domain."

Any inquiry into police actions during the Battle of Orgreave would not take place until Hillsborough investigations conclude, the Home Office said.

36777547

Councils are relying on agency workers to cover nearly 4,000 out of 5,500 otherwise empty posts. Social workers say they are under constant pressure because of media coverage and criticism of their role in high profile cases such as the death of Ayeeshia Jane Smith. Local authorities say social workers leave for better pay as agency staff. And the Department for Education (DFE) said it was investing £100m to recruit graduates and professionals. There were 26,500 full time equivalent posts filled by children's social workers at the end of September 2015, 1,880 more than the year before. Yet a further 5,470 were vacant. The number of agency workers filling vacant posts was equivalent to more than double the total number of employed children's social workers in the North East. Official figures showed there were 4,400 new starters as children's social workers in English councils between September 2014 and September 2015. Over the same period, 4,200 people left. The picture varies from council to council. 26,500 Children's social workers 5,470 Vacant posts 3,850 agency staff in vacant posts 4,440 social workers started jobs between September 2014 and 2015 4,200 social workers left jobs over the same period The DFE said part of the increase "can be explained by improved data quality" with some councils now including management roles that were not in previous years' figures. The rise in vacancies "is an unexpected increase" and may be down to councils not having previously counted vacancies covered by agency workers. The figures show that Havering in east London saw the biggest percentage fall in the number of social workers, down from 86 to 50. It meant the borough went from one social worker for every 13 children in need to one for every 34. Tim Aldridge, head of children's services, said it had been happening to councils across England. "This is for several reasons including the public sector pay freeze seeing only 1% increases since 2010, compared to the salaries on offer to agency workers in the range of £30 an hour or more," he said. At Northamptonshire County Council, 50% of posts were being filled by agency workers. A spokesman said the figure had fallen since the statistics were compiled through a scheme to attract new social workers. "We want to increase the number of permanent children's social workers but this will take time," he said. The official figures also showed more than a quarter of all children's social workers in England had less than two years of service. Just 9% have been in service at their local authority more than 20 years. Get the data here A social worker in the North East, the author of the Social Work Tutor blog, with 139,000 followers on Facebook, says staff are having to spend too much time on paperwork and not enough with families. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said: "It's a revolving door. Social workers reach their peak after about two or three years. People come in, they burn out and they leave. "Every local authority is so scared of having another Baby P (Peter Connelly) or Ayeeshia Smith. The view is that unless there's paperwork to prove it, it didn't happen. And that leads to accountability being placed above the job of actually working with people. It puts social workers under huge pressure." Writing about the Ayeeshia Jane Smith case on Facebook, in a post shared more than 55,000 times, he added: "The media seeks to pin the blame for this harrowing tale on social workers. "We are told that we should have known this would happen, that we should have done more to prevent this tragedy. We are told that we are to blame for this little girl's death and there are lessons to be learned. "But these are lessons we have known for decades. We have too many cases, too little time and far fewer resources than we need." A serious case review is being carried out by the Derbyshire safeguarding children's board into the death of 21-month-old Ayeeshia Jane Smith. She died from a fatal heart laceration, an injury usually found in crash victims, and had suffered other injuries including a bleed on the brain in the months before she was killed. Derbyshire's children's services were rated good by Ofsted in their last inspection in 2013. Maris Stratulis, England manager at the British Association of Social Workers, said: "There is increasing pressure on local authority social workers to predict risk, which adds to the stress of the work. At the same time, more families are struggling because of austerity and there have been cuts to preventative services, all of which adds further to the pressure and workload of a social worker." Claude Knights of the charity Kidscape said there had been "avoidable child deaths" because recommendations from serious case reviews were not being implemented. Calling for a government task force to address the challenges, she said: "A great concern is that when the alarm bells are ringing loudly potentially life saving decisions are not made more swiftly." A Department for Education spokesman said: "Excellent social workers help transform lives, which is why we are committed to recruiting and retaining the very best into the profession. We need more high quality social workers who have the skills and confidence to make the decisions and judgements which are in the child's best interests. "That's why we have invested £100m in programmes to recruit the best and brightest graduates and professionals into the sector."

Almost a fifth of all children's social worker jobs in England are vacant, despite a rise in recruitment.

36026098

Giving evidence against Ralph Clarke the woman, now in her 50s, said she did not want "to go to my grave knowing that I let him get away with it". The former lorry driver is alleged to have committed 31 offences against three children, including one as young as seven, between 1974 and 1983. Mr Clarke, of Holly Lane, Erdington, Birmingham, denies the charges. The alleged victim told jurors she went to police because she was unable to cope with the "guilt" of not making a complaint. See more stories from Birmingham and the Black Country here The witness told the court she had decided to complain to police in August last year after suffering nightmares and flashbacks. She told Birmingham Crown Court she had hidden abuse she suffered as a young child from school friends. Responding to questions from Mr Clarke's barrister Darron Whitehead, the alleged victim said: "I hid it from everybody because you feel dirty and ashamed - I felt as if I had done something wrong." When Mr Whitehead said Mr Clarke denied abusing her, the woman added: "I am not going to my grave knowing that I let him get away with it; I am not taking that guilt to my grave. "He's a monster. I couldn't cope with it any more." Mr Clarke denies 17 charges of indecent assault, 12 offences of indecency with a child and two attempted serious sexual offences. The trial continues.

A 101-year-old man accused of child sex offences was described as a "monster" by an alleged victim.

38227116

Matsuyama shot a six-under 66 in the last round of the WGC-HSBC Champions to finish seven clear of Sweden's Henrik Stenson and American Daniel Berger. His 29 birdies at Sheshan International was three short of the PGA Tour record. Finishing on 23 under par, his total was also just one shot off the 72-hole record score at the Chinese course. The win will lift Matsuyama to a career-high sixth in the world rankings. Northern Irishman McIlroy carded a 66 to finish tied with American Bill Haas and will move up one place to second when the rankings are published on Monday. Scotland's defending champion Russell Knox fell away in the final round, shooting a two-over-par 74 to end up ninth alongside Spaniard Sergio Garcia. Englishmen Ross Fisher, Paul Casey and Matthew Fitzpatrick all posted final rounds of under 70 to finish seventh, 12th and 16th respectively. We've launched a new BBC Sport newsletter, bringing all the best stories, features and video right to your inbox. You can sign up here.

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan became the first Asian winner of a World Golf Championships event as Britain's Rory McIlroy finished fourth.

37815098

City will pay an initial £28.5m for the Argentina international, who was named in La Liga's 2014-15 team of the season and played in the Copa America final. "To be here inside a club that looks so wonderful from the outside is a dream," said the 27-year-old ex-Porto player. City manager Manuel Pellegrini said: "He's strong, he's excellent in the tackle and he's very good technically." The Chilean added: "He is an established international for one of the best nations in world football and I have no doubt that he has the right mentality to fit into a squad where he will find many familiar faces, including Eliaquim [Mangala] and Fernando, who he played alongside in Portugal." Former Argentina coach Diego Maradona gave Otamendi his first senior cap when he was called up for the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Panama. He was a member of the squad that qualified for the tournament in South Africa, but was dropped by coach Alejandro Sabella for the World Cup in Brazil four years later. Otamendi is City's third major summer signing following the arrival of England internationals Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Manchester City have signed defender Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia on a five-year deal worth £32m.

34002463

Leahy, 24, scored 12 goals in 158 appearances with Falkirk, having joined the club from Rugby Town in 2012. The left-back made 38 appearances last season, helping the club finish second in the Scottish second tier before they lost to Dundee United in the play-offs. He joins Walsall on a free transfer after his contract expired and is the League One club's first summer signing. Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Walsall have signed defender Luke Leahy on a two-year contract from Scottish Championship side Falkirk.

40279536

Costco store manager Roger Cooper, 41, and ex-soldier David Cooper, 39, both deny killing Sameena Imam, 34. Her body was found buried at an allotment in Leicester in January after allegedly been killed with chloroform. Ms Imam had been having a two-year affair with Roger Cooper and issued him with an ultimatum to leave his partner. Roger Cooper, of Coventry, denies murdering his colleague after driving her from Coventry to Leicester on December 24, claiming he dropped her off at a supermarket following an argument. His brother, of Leicester, has admitted burying Ms Imam's body but denies doing anything to cause her death. The prosecution claim Roger Cooper wanted Ms Imam out of his life as he conducted three relationships, and enlisted the help of his brother to "plan and execute" the alleged murder. A trial at Birmingham Crown Court, which began in August, was told by a toxicologist that several metallic elements were found in the body of Ms Imam. She had worked at Costco outlets in Cardiff, Coventry, Southampton and Bristol.

A jury trying two brothers accused of murdering a cash-and-carry manager from Cardiff has retired to consider its verdicts at Birmingham Crown Court.

34575514

A review into the murder of Rhys Jones, who was killed by a man released five days earlier, questioned whether his killer's risk to the public should have been reassessed. But Mr Jones' family were initially blocked from reading it. Plans to transfer the management of such reviews to HM Probation have been put on hold. Mr Jones, 36, who had schizophrenia and had been under the care of mental health services for much of his life, was stabbed to death by Rhys Barnes in November 2015 at the Solas supported housing hostel where they were living in Newport. Barnes, 28, who had 17 previous convictions for 41 separate offences including grievous bodily harm, assault and carrying offensive weapons, was jailed for life in March 2016. At the time of the killing he was being supervised by the National Probation Service after his release from prison, having been assessed as a high risk to his family and a medium risk to the public. He had been readmitted to prison at the beginning of November for breaching supervision conditions, but five days after coming out, he murdered Rhys Jones following a row about a girlfriend. A review into the killing questioned whether Barnes' level of risk to the general public should have been reassessed, and whether a multi-agency public protection meeting should have been held. The report said staff should consider referring prisoners who breach their licence conditions to a probation-approved premises following re-release. The findings of the review were shared with staff across Wales, "to highlight areas of learning so that staff across the organisation can embed the learning into their own practice". But Mr Jones' family had to push to see it after they claim they were initially told it "would not benefit" them to know the findings. David Hanson, Labour MP for Delyn and a member of the justice select committee in Westminster, said it was important families and the public know what went wrong in cases such as these. "That means that the report has to be published for the victim, but also for those like myself who take an interest to make sure the system is working well," he said. "Without that we think something may well be hidden and something may not be dealt with that could be dealt with." Labour's Newport East AM John Griffiths, who had been supporting Mr Jones' family, echoed his call. "I would pay tribute to Rhys' family because they've shown dogged determination to try and ensure that the whole of the circumstances are understood, and that lessons are learnt for the future, crucially, to try and minimise the chances of further tragic loss of life in these sorts of circumstances," he said. "The more openness the better, for public confidence; if people feel things are being hidden that arouses suspicions and concern." Tania Bassett, of the National Association of Probation Officers, called on the government to honour its pledge to transfer management of serious further offence reviews from the probation service to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation. She said: "We welcome that [the transfer] because it would apply a much more consistent approach across the board: everyone would have the same treatment, it would be an external independent body looking at that investigation rather than those who may have their own commercial interests, and also it would mean greater transparency for the public, which we think is the right way forward." The National Probation Service said: "Serious further offences such as this [Mr Jones's murder] are rare but each one is taken extremely seriously and investigated fully. "Public protection is our priority. A full review was undertaken and all identified learning was taken forward." Nick Taylor, of Solas Cymru, said an internal hostel review of Mr Jones' killing found there was "absolutely no way that this incident could have been predicted".

Inquiries into serious crimes committed by recently-released prisoners should be published, politicians have said.

39171535

Brandon Flowers invites the BBC into his bedroom. It's an unusual start to our interview - but a camera crew is setting up in the living room of his rented London apartment. He checks his hair in the mirror ("a few grey hairs now") and settles on the edge of the pristine white bed to talk about his new record, The Desired Effect. The singer has been in the limelight for more than a decade now, as the frontman of stadium rock superheroes The Killers. But despite his onstage swagger, the 33-year-old is softly-spoken and full of nervous energy, with a tendency to giggle after he speaks. He confesses he'd rather be promoting this new record with his bandmates. "I'm the singer in The Killers. That's what I am," he says. "That's a big part of my identity. And I do wish that we were all here. That's the dream - a band of brothers going out to take on the world." The Desired Effect is Flowers' second solo album - the rest of The Killers are unable, or unwilling, to keep up with his prodigious work rate. While its predecessor (2010's Flamingo) seemed like an extension of his day job, this record veers towards the melodramatic pop of the late 80s, full of orchestra hits and Phil Collins drum sounds. Lead single Can't Deny My Love could easily fit on the soundtrack to St Elmo's Fire. And, when it appeared online in March, the response was unanimous: "This is the record we've been waiting for Brandon Flowers to make for years". "Right when I started doing interviews, I realised I'd made The Killers' second record," he laughs. "I mean, I made what we were supposed to do on our second album, but we never gave anybody that pleasure. We threw everyone a little bit with Sam's Town." Did he know that people wanted him to be a pop star? "No," he replies. "Sometimes you want to be more macho and you want the word 'rock' next to your name. But I'm not ashamed of it or anything. I love pop music. And I definitely have a knack for it." Flowers spent a year recording the album in Las Vegas and Los Angeles with producer Ariel Rechtshaid (Haim, Vampire Weekend). Staying true to the 1980s vibe, they enlisted Bruce Hornsby to play piano, and called in a guest appearance from Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant - who delivers a typically laconic line on the Bronski Beat-sampling I Can Change. "I just texted Neil with the line and within minutes I got a voice memo," Flowers says. "We just stuck it right on the computer. It's cool. Incredible. He didn't even hear the song or the tempo or anything. It just worked." But the sessions weren't entirely smooth. "Ariel had a big job, because he's used to going in with people who are just starting out," Flowers explains diplomatically. "I always have a lot of ideas and my demos have a really strong identity. So he had to take it and bring it into his world and pray that we both liked it. "Sometimes he maybe went a little bit too far." Rechtshaid was nearly fired "four times", says the singer, "but it was mostly over scheduling. He's a sought after guy right now, and I want all the attention!" Flowers grew up in America's Southwest. The youngest of six children, he was born in Las Vegas and moved to Utah aged eight when his father became a Mormon. His elder brother educated him in music, giving him cassettes of British indie bands like New Order and The Cure; and aged 16 he moved back to Las Vegas to live with an aunt, playing keyboards in a group called Blush Response while working as a bellhop. When the band abandoned him and moved to LA, he stayed behind, answering an advert placed in a local paper by guitarist Dave Keuning. Inspired by an Oasis gig, they decided to form a group that placed as much emphasis on guitar as the synthesizer. Naming themselves The Killers after a fictional band in a New Order video, they wrote Mr Brightside almost immediately - propelling them to international stardom. It was a big change for the frontman, whose previous ambition had been to get a job as a car valet. "That was the top of the ladder," he laughs. "I was working in restaurants and I was a bellman at a hotel and I worked on a golf course. I loved working for tips. It was exciting. And the upper echelon, the top shelf of that in Las Vegas is the valet parkers. They make a lot of money." He's still connected to that world - writing songs about life on the breadline and the struggle to keep love alive in hard times. Those fears are crystallised on the track Between Me and You, where Flowers observes a fractured home life, singing: "chasing every dollar - is that what I was born to do?" "I really wanted to represent men in this song, and the pressure that is placed on you to provide and lead your family," he says. "I don't have to worry about that - but I'm definitely not far removed from people that do." "So I'm speaking about problems I see with people that are around me. I try to take it all in, then you squeeze the sponge and the song comes out." Flowers says the general theme of The Desired Effect is "growing up" after a decade on the road. He gave up alcohol nearly eight years ago after recommitting to Mormonism, and spends his days off raising his three young children - cooking barbeques in the back garden and doing the school run. "I'm a late bloomer but I'm definitely an adult now," he says. "It takes a while." What does he make of Bono's assertion that rock stars remain frozen at the age they became famous? "I think it can be a wonderful thing - being young at heart and all of that - but it can also be terrible," he muses. "You meet people you assume are full-blown grown ups but they've been millionaires since they were 19 because they're in big bands and they act like they're 19. I've witnessed that and I don't want to be like that. I hope that I have grown." "I'm happy. I'm happy to be on this earth." The Desired Effect is out now on Virgin EMI.

The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers has won rave reviews for his new album - but he tells the BBC he's uncomfortable striking out on his own.

32779300

Michael Forney, Jonathan Boxill, James Desmarais, Matt Nickerson, David Rutherford, Mark Garside and Brandon Benedict are staying at the SSE Arena. It follows the announcement last week that captain Adam Keefe had signed a new deal to remain with the Giants. Belfast finished fourth in the league standings last season.

Seven players have re-signed for the Belfast Giants as the Elite League team continues to build its roster for the 2016/2017 campaign.

36255276

The 27-year-old still had two years left on his existing deal but he has now committed himself to New Road for another season. He is the ninth player in five months to sign a new deal with Worcestershire, who will be back playing in County Championship Division Two in 2016. "It was very pleasing to see the other contract extensions," said Shantry. "It shows the level of morale at the club, even though we had a difficult year in Championship cricket. We've got a group of players here that are only going to improve." Shantry, Ed Barnard, Joe Clarke, Brett D'Oliveira, Tom Fell, Joe Leach and Charlie Morris have all signed for three years, England Lions man Ross Whiteley has signed for four years and Tom Kohler-Cadmore has agreed a two-year deal.

Worcestershire left-armer Jack Shantry has signed a contract extension with the relegated county until 2018.

35305028

According to the military, militants now control only small pockets within the southern Philippine city. But there are still reports of fighting on the ground and thousands of civilians trapped. Nineteen civilians are known to have died. Some were found dead in a ravine with gunshot wounds to their heads. Militants allied to the so-called Islamic State came out onto the streets of Marawi last week after the army attempted to capture a top militant leader. Many residents fled the city as clashes erupted, but a local official said about 2,000 people were unable to leave areas held by the militants. Spokesman for the Philippines' Armed Forces Brig Gen Restituto Padilla said troops were in "complete control of the city except for certain areas" held by militants from the Maute group, the local militants who have declared allegiance to IS. He said that "around 40 to 50 armed elements" were still present in the city, but this may increase given the militants' activities on the ground including the freeing of more than 100 prisoners from a local jail. He added that 18 military and police personnel had been killed and more than 61 Maute fighters. Reports say the remaining fighters are still believed to be holding several hostages, including a priest and a number of Christians. The violence began when the army failed in its attempt to capture Isnilon Hapilon, believed to be the main IS leader in the Philippines and linked to the Maute. In response the Maute swarmed the city, taking over a hospital and burning down buildings. President Rodrigo Duterte then declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao, where Marawi is located. The Philippines, which is majority Catholic, has faced Muslim separatist movements for decades in Mindanao with its significant Muslim population. Marawi is known as "Islamic City" in the Philippines for its Muslim-majority population.

The Philippine military says it has made gains retaking Marawi city from Islamist militants amid clashes that have left about 100 people dead.

40081331

Mullah Mansour was named as the new leader on Thursday, after the death of former head Mullah Omar was confirmed. But a Taliban spokesman told the BBC he had not been appointed "by all Taliban", going against Sharia law. The audio message said fighters should unite as "division in our ranks will only please our enemies". It also said that the Taliban would "continue our jihad until we bring an Islamic rule in the country". The 30-minute recording - in which a crying baby is heard at some points - was released to journalists by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid on Saturday. The first public message from the Afghan Taliban's new leader, Mullah Mansour, indicates that his way of doing things will be different from that of his reclusive predecessor, Mullah Omar, who relied on issuing written statements. The recording is of a speech that he made to a gathering of apparently dozens of his supporters, after his appointment on Thursday. Faced with opposition to his selection from several high-ranking Taliban, the new leader is now focused on consolidating his power and establishing his authority. The speech repeatedly calls for unity and is primarily aimed at calming dissent. Mullah Mansour says that his new role is not a "kingship" but a huge responsibility. He is also trying to present himself as a tolerant, forgiving and conciliatory person whose decisions will be "based on Islamic Sharia". There doesn't seem to be a major policy shift from the past. In his speech, he sounds relaxed and doesn't seem to be reading from notes. Taliban leaders 'not consulted' Some Taliban figures have accused pro-Pakistani circles of imposing Mullah Mansour, who is known for his support for peace talks, on them. But in the audio message, Mullah Mansour dismissed peace talks as "propaganda campaigns by the enemy". At least one Taliban faction would have preferred Mullah Omar to be succeeded by his son. Another Taliban spokesman, Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, said those who elected Mullah Mansour had not followed the rules. "According to Islamic rule and principles, when a leader dies, a Shura (council) is called, then its leader is appointed," he added.

The new leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, has called for unity in an audio message, saying that the group will continue fighting.

33746487

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) missed a deadline to name a squad for the tournament after the International Cricket Council (ICC) changed its revenue-sharing model. However, a BCCI statement said it "unanimously decided that the Indian cricket team will participate". A meeting to select the team will now take place on Monday, 8 May. The initial deadline to name a Champions Trophy squad was 25 April but India will not face a sanction for not doing so. At a recent ICC meeting, the BCCI was outvoted 13-1 in a bid to halt the revised deal which considerably reduces India's share from global events in the 2015-2023 cycle. Acting BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary will now continue to negotiate with the world governing body over the issue. The BCCI statement added: "The board unanimously authorised the acting honorary secretary of the BCCI to continue negotiations with the ICC in the best interest of the BCCI, while keeping its legal options open."

India have confirmed they will compete in the Champions Trophy being held in England and Wales from 1-18 June.

39834859

A trailer was taken from Burton's Foods Ltd on Ty Coch Way, Cwmbran, Torfaen on 17 June. The two men, from Liverpool and Cheshire, had been charged with theft. A hearing at Newport Magistrates' Court heard a third man will appear in court in relation to the alleged theft on Friday.

The case against two men accused of stealing £20,000 of biscuits from the makers of Jammie Dodgers and Wagon Wheels has been dropped.

34443723

Clinical trials are the key to getting that data - and without volunteers to take part in the trials, there would be no new treatments for serious diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and arthritis. But one disastrous drug trial at a London hospital in 2006 threatened to derail that system. In what became known as the Elephant Man trial, six healthy young men were treated for organ failure after experiencing a serious reaction within hours of taking the drug TGN1412 in a clinical trial. Big rise in medical trial volunteers After they were all admitted to intensive care, two became critically ill, the worst affected lost his fingers and toes, and all the men were subsequently told they would be likely to develop cancers or auto-immune diseases as a result of their exposure to the drug. In follow-up interviews, the men described feeling like their brains were "on fire" and their "eyeballs were going to pop out". Experts queued up to say the outcome of the trial had been unprecedented and exceptional, but could it happen again? Prof David Webb, professor of therapeutics and clinical pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh and vice president of the British Pharmacological Society, says it is "much less likely to happen again". He says things have changed for the better since 2006, following a number of recommendations made in the Duff Report, written in response to the trial. "The MHRA [Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency] now ensures committees look at pre-clinical data, to decide whether the first dose given to humans is the right dose and has rules for stopping if things don't go as expected." Before a drug is tested on humans, it goes through laboratory and animal testing. Medicines are also tested for toxicity before being given to people. Then there are four stages of drug testing in humans. Phase I - studies, on a small number of healthy volunteers, to understand what effects a new medicine has on human subjects - what happens to the compound in the body from the time it is swallowed or injected until it is excreted. Study participants are monitored for side effects. Phase II - designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a drug in patients who are at the same stage of a specific disease or condition. They are given various doses of a compound and closely monitored. Phase III - used to confirm a new drug's safety and efficacy, while working out the best dosage regimen. Studies are carried out in large numbers of patients with a specific disease or condition. Safety and efficacy is compared to the currently accepted standard treatment. Phase IV - these studies take place after the drug has been approved for marketing. They evaluate the long-term effects of the drug in larger numbers of patients, sub-populations of patients. Less common adverse events may be detected. MHRA This is particularly important when trials involve drugs that affect the immune system, he says. But is it possible to eliminate the risks entirely? "You can mitigate against the risks, but nothing is 100% certain. We can never be sure," Prof Webb says. The trial, which was privately run at a research facility at Northwick Park Hospital in north London, involved the first testing of a new drug on humans. This is the initial phase in assessing the safety of a drug before moving onto larger-scales studies in patients themselves. The report said Parexel, the company managing the trial, had been unclear about a safe dose to start testing on humans and it should have tested the drug on one person at a time. The MHRA, which regulates clinical trials and medicines in the UK, and which was criticised at the time for giving the green light to the TGN1412 trial, says the conduct on these phase-one trials "has moved on significantly". "Additional provisions and guidance has been put in place for certain novel products to provide as much assurance on safety as possible," the agency says. It adds that it has simplified and streamlined the regulation of clinical trials and collaborated with other bodies and experts to collect as much information as possible on risk factors before a trial is authorised. Phase-one trials, when drugs are tested on humans for the first time, only happen after extensive testing on tissue samples and animals in the lab. Getting this stage right before moving onto research in humans is crucial. Dr Catherine Elliott, director of clinical research interests at the Medical Research Council, which funds clinical trials in the UK and globally, says there is a move to refine the models used at the pre-clinical stage. "Animal models are the mainstay, but we are trying to develop other models too to have more tailored disease models." She says researchers are making use of brain imaging to understand the mechanisms of illness in humans and using IT to predict the effects of new drugs. Testing on animals, which has its own controversies, can get scientists so far - but someone always has to be the first person to test a new medicine. The volunteers for phase-one clinical tests always have to be healthy young men because of the risk to a woman's eggs or foetus. Prof Webb says we are indebted to the 50 to 100 people in the UK each year who step forward to begin the testing of every new drug. "There are so many effective medicines for cancer, heart disease et cetera - and they all come from volunteers who have taken part in small, early studies." He believes that everyone who wants to should be able to register themselves available for clinical research through their GP. "I would argue that everyone should be a volunteer. We'd get the payback eventually because by the time we're in our 60s and 70s most of us will end up on medicines." Although volunteers are compensated for their time and inconvenience during the trial, they are not paid for taking part - and Dr Elliott says this is the correct approach. "There shouldn't be an incentive to do something they wouldn't otherwise do. It shouldn't be related to risk. People have to be able to give free consent." Despite all this, there appears to have been no reduction in interest in participating in early-stage trials since Northwick Park. The MHRA says the number of UK clinical trial authorisation applications has been fairly stable at 900-1,000 per year since May 2004. Prof Webb says he has always found it relatively easy to find volunteers for the "first in man" trials he oversees at his approved research centre in Edinburgh. The MHRA is in no doubt about the safety of drug trials, seven years on from Northwick Park. A representative said: "Clinical trials in the UK have an excellent safety record and they play a vital role in the development of new medicines, providing evidence so that clinicians can make informed prescribing decisions. "Safety problems associated with clinical trials are rare and the risk of a repeat of the incident in 2006 concerning the TGN1412 drug is extremely low."

Before any new medicine can be given to patients, detailed information about how it works and how safe it is must be collected.

22556736

Media playback is not supported on this device The top two in Super League will also meet in the final eight as Hull FC, last year's winners, host leaders Castleford Tigers. Leeds Rhinos host Championship side Featherstone in a local derby, while Wakefield make the trip to Salford. The ties will be played on the weekend of 17-18 June. Warrington Wolves v Wigan Warriors Leeds Rhinos v Featherstone Rovers Salford Red Devils v Wakefield Trinity Hull FC v Castleford Tigers

Nineteen-time winners Wigan Warriors will travel to local rivals and 2016 runners-up Warrington Wolves in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.

39916655

In the capital Nairobi and other cities, many shops remain open. At least 24 people have been killed in violence since the 8 August election, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights has said. Mr Odinga said the poll was rigged to give President Uhuru Kenyatta victory, and called for a "day of mourning for the fallen patriots". However, Kenyans on Twitter have been using the hashtag #TurudiKaziniChallenge (Swahili for "Let's return to work" ) to urge a return to normalcy following last week's disruptions. Mr Kenyatta repeated his appeal for peace. "At the end of the day we are all Kenyans, we don't need to fight one another, we don't need to destroy each other's property, we don't need to take life," he said in a statement. "Kenyans have said that the election is behind them, the majority have returned to work," he added. Young people have been burning tyres in Kibera, a Nairobi slum where Mr Odinga has strong support, reports the BBC's Tomi Oladipo from the scene. However, some of Mr Odinga's supporters in Kibera have opened their shops, saying that while they agree with him that the result was rigged, they cannot afford to lose business, our reporter adds. Businesses are open as usual in the coastal city of Mombasa. In the western city of Kisumu, a stronghold of Mr Odinga, there has been a mixed response to the strike, with shops open in some areas and shut in others. The official results gave President Kenyatta about 54% of the vote, and Mr Odinga 45%. "This is a failed regime that is resorting to killing people instead of addressing the real issue. The vote was stolen. There's no secret about that," Mr Odinga told his supporters on Sunday, as he called for a strike. Foreign observers have declared the poll free and fair. European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan are among those who have urged Mr Odinga to seek redress through the courts - something the opposition coalition says is not an option.

Many Kenyans have ignored opposition leader Raila Odinga's call for a strike over disputed elections.

40924352

Angus Carpenter, of Liverpool, who has played in the city centre for more than 30 years, denied three counts of fraud. The 62-year-old was found guilty of one count when he played with a Hillsborough Justice Campaign banner draped on his bagpipes in April 2015. He was cleared of the two other counts by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court. Sgt Chris Gaynor told the court during the two day trial that Carpenter, from Woolton, gave the impression he was collecting cash for the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. In his defence, Carpenter - who usually wears a kilt and piper's regalia when he performs - said he had piped for the charity in the past but on this occasion he was simply busking. Kenneth Derbyshire, chairman of the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, said he had given Carpenter permission to design and display a banner featuring the eternal flame and the word justice. But he said he had made it clear he was not use it to collect funds for the charity. Carpenter told the court the banner was a tribute to the victims, not an attempt to deceive anyone. He also told the court he was a familiar face on match days at Anfield and known as a busker to the Hillsborough Justice Campaign. He will be sentenced in January.

A bagpipe-playing busker has been convicted of duping people in Liverpool into thinking he was collecting for a Hillsborough charity.

38333121

Media playback is not supported on this device World champion Hamilton started from the back, suffered a broken front wing on lap one and did five pit stops. The Briton faces the prospect of trying to overhaul a 36-point deficit in the remaining 18 races of the season. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel came second despite colliding with team-mate Kimi Raikkonen on the first lap. The incident damaged both cars, with Raikkonen fighting back to fifth behind the Red Bulls of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo. Raikkonen's rise through the field included passing Hamilton in the closing stages, Ferrari's decision to use soft tyres for the final stint as opposed to the mediums chosen by Mercedes giving the Finn an advantage as the Briton fought in vain to try to pass the Williams of Felipe Massa. Hamilton will express his confidence at being able to erode Rosberg's points lead and will expect his awful luck of the first three races to turnaround - but the fact remains that no driver who has won the first three races of a season has failed to go on to claim the World Championship. The race was shaped by an incident-packed opening, with a number of collisions on the first lap leading to the introduction of the safety car on lap four. By that stage, Hamilton and Raikkonen had already pitted once to replace front wings damaged in first-corner collisions. Raikkonen moved right into Vettel's path as the German moved left to ensure he was not tagged by an aggressive dive down the inside by Kvyat. Hamilton was then turned into by Sauber's Felipe Nasr as he avoided Raikkonen's damaged car swerving back on to the circuit. Vettel confronted Kvyat about the incident in the pre-podium room after the race, saying: "If I don't go left, you crash into us and we all three go out - you are like a torpedo." Kvyat replied: "We didn't crash." Vettel responded: "You didn't. You were lucky this time." Kvyat shrugged: "I'm on the podium; you're on the podium." In the post-race interviews, Kvyat added: "You see the gap, you go for it on the inside. You see one car it is hard to see both. It was a risky move, I agree with Seb but you have to take risks and I am on the podium." Listen to Vettel's post-race rant At the front, Ricciardo had made a stunning start to take the lead from pole-sitter Rosberg at the first corner. In the process his left-rear wheel had been tagged by Rosberg's front wing. Whether it was that or the debris on the track, Ricciardo suffered a left-rear puncture on lap three, allowing the Mercedes to pass. Ricciardo would almost certainly not have been able to hold off Rosberg in any case, but his removal from the lead left the German serene out front. Mercedes decided not to stop him under the safety car and when the race re-started on lap nine, Rosberg simply drove off into the distance. Listen to the first-lap madness Hamilton, meanwhile, was in the wars. Mercedes stopped him twice under the safety car, doing only one lap on the super-soft tyres in an attempt to ensure he could use only the softs for the rest of the race. So Hamilton had done three stops within the first six laps and he was lying third from last at the restart. He began his fightback from there, with the Ferraris doing the same - Vettel starting from 11th and Raikkonen not far behind Hamilton, who said his progress had been affected by damage to the car in the incident with Nasr. "The car was pretty damaged," said the 31-year-old afterwards. "I'm sure it was some aero components but I think it was the suspension as well because it was flexing all over the place." Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff said the front wing had damaged the leading edge of the floor and the barge boards when it came off and that the car had lost a "lot of aerodynamic performance". After a further switch to the medium compound tyres to last the race, Hamilton was not able to recover as much ground as the Ferraris and faces an uphill battle if he is to stop Rosberg winning his first world title this year. Chinese Grand Prix race results Chinese Grand Prix coverage details

Nico Rosberg took his third straight win of 2016 as Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton fought back to seventh in a hectic Chinese Grand Prix.

36063085

The 23-year-old crowdfunded her way to Rio to compete in the women's single sculls, but finished 20th in the finals last Saturday. However, six days later Snoop Dogg posted a photo of Ukogu on Instagram, telling his nearly 12 million followers that she had won a silver medal - Nigeria's first at these Games: We all have to admit that following the Olympics can be confusing, with heats and umpteen rounds before the finals. Ukogu did get through her heats, and made the quarter-finals, but needed to finish in the top three to progress to the semis with a chance of getting a medal. She came fifth in her race so was demoted to the "C/D" semis and final. In her "final D" race she came second, but her time of 7:44:76 put her 18 places below silver. What may have led Snoop Dogg up the garden path was a tweet last Saturday suggesting she had won silver for Nigeria: This then got picked up on Monday and was retweeted a bit: More of such tweets appeared on Friday - though it's not clear if this was before or after Snoop Dogg instagrammed. At the time of writing, his post had nearly 97,000 likes and more than 1,000 comments, some of which pointed out that it was not true - with others saying Ukogu was still impressive and made Nigerians proud. "We have to celebrate her for the sacrifices and selfless service to the nation," posted Olufemisylvester. And there is no denying that Chierika Ukogu has made history. She is the first athlete to represent Nigeria in a rowing event at the Olympics. Known to her friends as "Coco", she raised $15,000 (£11,400) herself as she said the Nigerian Rowing Federation was not able to give her financial support. She was born in the US to Nigerian parents and became hooked on rowing at senior school. She continued to row at university - she plans to become a doctor. "I put medical school on hold to dedicate my time to training," she said on her GoFundMe page. "I hope that my athletic endeavours will inspire other Nigerians to take up rowing and experience the same joy I feel every time I'm on the water." Her enthusiasm is a soothing balm to what has been a bumpy Rio ride for Nigeria - Africa's most populous nation. The men's football team, playing for bronze later on Saturday, is Nigeria's only realistic medal hope. The footballers only arrived hours before their first match. They had been delayed in the US city of Atlanta because of problems paying for their flight. And Nigeria's Olympic kit only turned up a few days ago, after most athletes had completed their events. For the popular Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji, Ukogu's success was all about "girl power". Nnaji who also posted her praise on Instagram on Friday, but did not make the mistake about the medal. She said: "She believed in herself, strangers believed in her.... That's how we change the narrative. Stop asking your country what she's done for you and start asking what you can do for her."

Nigeria's Olympic rower Chierika Ukogu has an inspirational story - but without the mistaken promotion of US rapper Snoop Dogg, she is likely to have sunk without trace.

37144514

Gunners Joseph Rowbottom, 27, from Wrawby, North Lincolnshire, and Albert Venus, 22, from Hull, died on 24 May 1915 during the Second Battle of Ypres. Their remains were found during work on a new housing estate. Relatives attended Ypres Town Cemetery where their bodies were reinterred, in coffins draped with the union jack. The soldiers' remains, with shoulder titles from the North and East Riding Batteries of the RFA, were uncovered in the town in April 2013. Ministry of Defence (MoD) researchers were only able to identify the two men of the six found. Gunner Venus's great nephew John Howden, 73, from Roos, East Yorkshire, was handed the folded union jack that had draped his coffin. He said: "When they handed me the flag I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes and I did not think it would affect me that way. "You are at a distance and all of a sudden you're involved and it's near, it's just emotional." Mr Howden said he had not known about his great uncle until he got a letter from the MoD. He said he was pleased the link was proved following a DNA test. Caroline Rowbottom, Gunner Rowbottom's cousin's granddaughter, received the flag on behalf of his relations. Mrs Rowbottom, from Brigg, North Lincolnshire, said it had been a shock when the family received an MoD letter. "Up until that point we did not even know of his existence - we did not have him in the family tree, which is very sad. "The ceremony itself was very moving and very well put together," she said. The traditional five-gun salute did not take place due to the heightened security level in the country in the wake of last month's attacks in Brussels. Gunner Rowbottom had been a milkman before the war and was nicknamed Milky Joe in the local newspapers. Gunner Venus enlisted in the 2nd Northumbrian Brigade in December 1914 and joined the Hull Batteries to complete his training as a gunner.

Six British soldiers who fought in the First World War have been given military burials more than a century after they were killed in Belgium.

36092534

It is their first competitive action since the ICC World Twenty20 in March, when they beat Hong Kong to record a first win at a major tournament. "Winning that last game against Hong Kong was pretty crucial for us," batsman Coetzer told BBC Scotland. "Coming away with that against our name was hugely important." That eight-wicket triumph took its time too - 21 attempts over 18 years - and the 32-year-old thinks more fixtures against higher-ranking teams like Afghanistan are vital if they are to continue building on that hard-fought success. "The schedule is very bare at the moment and, if you are trying to produce players to compete against the top 12 nations in the world, that's going to be very hard to do if you're not playing any cricket," said Coetzer. Scotland and Afghanistan met during the World T20 in Nagpur in March, when this week's visitors secured a 14-run victory along with qualification from the group stages, where they also beat the eventual winners West Indies. But Coetzer believes the Scots are coming at this series, being played at The Grange in Edinburgh on Monday and Wednesday, with the strongest squad they have probably ever had. "We've got some options with the bat and some more options with the ball now, so it's really given us a more rounded squad," said the vice-captain. And, after that win over Hong Kong the team, led by Preston Mommsen, will be "quietly confident" they can put pressure on the visitors in what he thinks will be a "tightly contested" series. With the temperature in Afghanistan hitting the mid-30s, Coetzer believes there could be an advantage against the team ranked 10th in the world. "At training, they all turned up well wrapped up as it's only 13 degrees and I guess that's not what they're used to," he said. "The pitch conditions too, the wicket may well suit our players and hopefully things like that will go in our favour - you've got to make your home ground a fortress wherever that is and that's The Grange at the minute." Someone who has a heads-up on the disappointment of a Scottish summer is Lalchand Rajput - the former India and Scotland international who has taken charge of Afghanistan for their tour of Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands. The 54-year-old from Mumbai spent 10 seasons with Perthshire and another five with Strathmore and may know a thing or two about July temperatures here. While Rajput has been quoted as calling Scotland his second home, that fondness will be swept aside as he takes the reins for the first time against the Scots, although Coetzer claims they are not expecting any massive surprises. Having tasted success on the world stage this year, Scotland are hoping to use that to build excitement around the sport nationally. That is perhaps hindered somewhat by the fact they do not play again until 14 and 16 August against the United Arab Emirates in Aberdeen. "We are in a little tricky stage at the moment as our fixtures are few and far between," Coetzer told BBC Scotland. "That's the challenge we face with reducing funding from the International Cricket Council (ICC). "It's challenging when players are trying to be professional, but you can only be together for one day leading into this series. "That's no preparation for a one-day series, so we do have a lot of work to do in this country."

Scotland vice-captain Kyle Coetzer believes the "monkey is off their backs" when they host Afghanistan in two one-day internationals this week.

36699668

Robert Boyd-Stevenson, 38, of Headford Road, Bristol, had admitted a charge of making a bomb hoax by communicating false information last year. He texted security threats to a phone linked to the airport on 29 August. The airport remained open but raised its security threat level and police officers were called to the scene. Days earlier, Bristol Airport had been evacuated in a separate, unconnected bomb scare. CCTV footage showed Boyd-Stevenson topping up the phone in Knowle West at 05:39 that morning and in the airport itself at about 06:00 BST. He was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday. PC Simon Broad said the "strength of evidence against him" had meant Boyd-Stevenson admitted his guilt early on. "Robert Boyd-Stevenson intended to cause disruption to staff and passengers at Bristol Airport, as well as the emergency services, through his reckless actions," the officer said. A spokesman for the airport said the sentence would send "a strong message" about making bomb threats. He added: "Only the prompt and professional action of Bristol Airport staff and Avon and Somerset Police on the day prevented significant disruption to the travel plans of thousands of passengers."

A man who made bomb threats to Bristol Airport in a series of text messages has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

35374482

Sales volumes increased by 1.7% in November from the month before, the Office for National Statistics said. Compared with the same month last year, sales were up by 5%. However, Keith Richardson from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking said it was "too early" to say whether Black Friday was really a success for retailers. "Retailers were better prepared this year and adapted the US-style Black Friday to better reflect British culture. Some chose not to take part while many others spread the discounts over several days to better protect margins and ease the burden on their websites and IT platforms." The ONS said the amount spent by shoppers was up 1.4% in November compared with the month before, and was also up 1.4% from the same point a year earlier. The value of online sales increased by 4.9% in November from October, and were 12.7% higher compared with last year. "Retailers may see some pay-back after the Black Friday promotions led shoppers to pull-forward spending that would otherwise have taken place in December, but the underlying sales trend looks set to remain strong as we head into 2016," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit. He added that spending was not just being driven by discounts. "Households are benefitting from improved job security, low inflation and falling energy prices, the latter helping free-up more income to boost retail sales."

UK retail sales rose by more than expected in November, as shops offered promotions at the end of the month in the run up to Black Friday.

35119827

Prisoner distress, self-harm and suicide attempts are too often seen as signs of manipulation, rather than vulnerability, research by the Centre for Mental Health and the Howard League for Penal Reform found. A record number of prisoners killed themselves in 2016, figures have shown. The government said an internal inquiry into deaths in custody was under way. The report by the two charities, which is based on interviews with healthcare staff working in prisons, found that the majority of prisoners have multiple and complex needs, including poor mental health. But many do not get access to mental health support. The report claims that staff shortages, a "toxic" working environment and a failure to recognise the impact of prison on both prisoners and staff, all contribute to an "unsafe environment". It recommends three steps to help prisons shift away from a "primarily punitive approach" to a culture centred on wellbeing, recovery and rehabilitation: Sarah Hughes, chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, said: "We need to bring about a culture change in prisons that puts safety top of the agenda, that understands the traumas both prisoners and staff too often live with, and that means people get the right help when they need it." Last month, the Ministry of Justice said there were 119 self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales in 2016 - 29 more than the previous year and the highest number since records began in 1978. Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said it was "time for action". She added: "No-one should be so desperate while in the care of the state that they take their own life. "Staff who work in prisons should never feel so under pressure that they cannot stop and listen." A government spokeswoman said: "Increased support is now available to those at risk of self-harm or suicide, especially in the first 24 hours, and we have invested in mental health awareness training for staff. "An internal inquiry is also under way looking at all deaths in custody in the last year, to further our understanding of why these events happen."

Prisons in England and Wales need a "profound culture change" which focuses on inmate safety, a new report says.

38949665

Plans by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) would remove one of the two weeks when games are not played to create space for a new global international season. If agreed, a six-week tournament would start after the 2019 World Cup. "To squeeze it into a shorter period is potentially damaging," Davies told BBC Radio Wales Sport. "Yes they are professional and very well paid but the nature of rugby being such a physical game, I think we are meddling with players' health." Last week Scottish Rugby Union chief Mark Dodson told BBC Sport that reducing the tournament from seven weeks to six would be a threat to player safety. The plans for a condensed tournament will be discussed at April's Six Nations review meeting where Ian Ritchie, chief executive of England's RFU, will be lobbying for its implementation. However, speaking to the BBC earlier this week England fly-half George Ford voiced concerns over a shorter Six Nations, saying it was "important" to have rest weekends. "If we are looking at the intensity at which these guys play at international level these days, and the way they train in between, it's not just the playing of course," Davies added. "It's the fact you're condensing the training into a far shorter period and I just can't see any argument for shortening it." Meanwhile, Davies welcomed the news that an independent review will take place into Wales' controversial 20-18 defeat by France in the Six Nations - a game which lasted for 100 minutes. France brought Rabah Slimani back on for fellow prop forward Uini Atonio in the 81st minute against Wales. Wayne Barnes allowed Slimani to return to the field after France's team doctor said Atonio needed a head injury assessment. Slimani's reappearance, which is to be investigated further, coincided with a series of scrums on the Wales line and France finally won in the 100th minute. "There were some people who thought this could possibly be brushed under the carpet. To be fair to the executives at the Six Nations and the people who have led on the inquiry, they have come to the conclusion that it should go to a totally independent inquiry to really get to the bottom of what has happened," Davies added. "Obviously the result of that can't be changed, we understand that but it is important because once we start manipulating the rules as it were, that is a dangerous road to go down. "Rugby does pride itself on its level of integrity and honesty and I think this was obviously something that has threatened that."

Condensing the Six Nations Championship by a week would "meddle with players' health", says Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) chairman Gareth Davies.

39520704

Supporters and colleagues gathered outside the Alvorada Palace to bid her farewell, some handing her flowers. Ms Rousseff was dismissed last week after the Senate found her guilty of manipulating the budget. She denies wrongdoing and has dismissed her impeachment as a "coup d'etat". Brazilian television showed Ms Rousseff walking out of the presidential residence surrounded by former ministers and Congressmen from her Workers' Party. How will history look back on impeachment? Profile: Dilma Rousseff Supporter Cecilia Monteir, 56, said she was "very, very sad, feeling like the country will be left a bit orphaned". More supporters awaited Ms Rousseff as she arrived at an airport to board a plane to the southern city of Porto Alegre, her adopted hometown. On her arrival she was greeted by more well-wishers. Hours after the impeachment vote, Ms Rousseff's vice-president Michel Temer, was sworn in, ending 13 years in power for the left-wing Workers' Party. He will serve out Ms Rousseff's term until 1 January 2019. Ms Rousseff has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the Senate's decision but correspondents say it has very little chance of succeeding.

Former Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has left her official residence in the capital Brasilia for the last time following her impeachment and removal from office.

37293119

Atletico lost Tuesday's quarter-final first leg 2-1, with goalscorer Fernando Torres sent off when they led 1-0. Luis Suarez scored both home goals, but earlier appeared to kick Juanfran. "I don't know what Barca players have to do to get sent off just like us," said Brazil left-back Luis. Holders Barcelona, aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back Champions Leagues, take a slender advantage into the second leg at the Vicente Calderon next Wednesday. Atletico scored a potentially valuable away goal through Torres, but the game turned when the Spain striker was sent off for two needless bookings inside seven minutes. Atletico manager Diego Simeone was incensed by the decision of German referee Felix Brych, who also seemingly missed Suarez lashing out at Atletico right-back Juanfran near the byeline. Media playback is not supported on this device "We shouldn't have got the red card, it was totally unfair," said former Chelsea defender Luis. "It is not easy to play against Barcelona in the Champions League. We know it is really dangerous if they go out in the quarter-finals. We have to play against everyone and everything. "You can tell there is fear that Barca will be eliminated." Luis acknowledged Atletico faced a "really difficult" task to reach the semi-finals but added: "We are still alive. It is possible." Simeone said he was not "angry" with Torres, though the 32-year-old former Chelsea and Liverpool forward later apologised and took responsibility for his dismissal.

Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis believes "there is fear that Barcelona will be eliminated" from the Champions League, and claims his side were treated unfairly at the Nou Camp.

35973760

Claire Lomas, from Leicestershire, was paralysed from the chest down in a riding accident in 2007. She began the half marathon, which runs from Newcastle to South Shields, on Wednesday and crossed the finish line at about 10:00 BST. The 36-year-old, who is 16 weeks pregnant, said she was "over the moon" to finish the run. Live updates from the Great North Run. Mo Farah wins for a record third year in a row. She broke her neck, back and ribs and punctured a lung when her horse threw her off as she took part in the Osberton Horse Trials in Nottinghamshire. Mrs Lomas has no feeling below her chest and used a ReWalk robotic exoskeleton, which relies on motion sensors to help her move and lift her legs to walk the route. Speaking to BBC Women's Hour before the Great North Run she said even standing in the suit was challenging. "It's taken some learning. It's not just physical work, it's the concentration with every step," she said. "It doesn't just walk for me. I have to use the parts that aren't paralysed to make it walk." She walked about three miles a day with the help of her husband Dan and was met at the finish line by her five-year-old daughter Maisie. She said she had struggled to train because of morning sickness which meant there were times when she did not think she would make it to the start. Other problems were caused by the heat, hills on the course and injuries caused by straps on her suit. "I had quite a lot of morning sickness. I didn't have the lead up I wanted, but I really did not want to lose this opportunity," she said. In 2012, Mrs Lomas completed the London Marathon in last place, inspiring many people with her courage and determination.

A paralysed woman wearing a "bionic" suit has completed the Great North Run, five days after she started it.

37332178

But Mikel, 25, has been charged by the FA with misconduct following his involvement in the incident. The Blues had claimed Clattenburg directed racial language at Mikel in their home defeat by Manchester United. "The FA's verdict of no case to answer against referee Mark Clattenburg was hardly a surprise. "Ever since it emerged the alleged victim John Obi Mikel hadn't even heard the comment but was relying on second-hand evidence from Brazilian team-mate Ramires, Chelsea's case looked as wafer thin as their managerial contracts. "Rightly, given how high the stakes were, the FA has taken its time to be sure. "And while their reluctance to criticise Chelsea for bringing the case is designed to avoid other players from clamming up if they believe they have been racially abused, this is yet another damaging blow for a club which seems a magnet for trouble." Clattenburg said it was "truly frightening" to have faced the prospect that his career might be over. Following the match at Stamford Bridge on 28 October, the FA interviewed Clattenburg, Mikel and several other Blues players before reaching its decision to clear the official and charge the Nigerian. "It is alleged that in or around the match officials' changing room at the end of the fixture, Mikel used threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour," an FA statement read. Mikel has until Friday, 30 November to respond. Chelsea have indicated he will not deny the charge but will request a hearing to "explain the mitigating circumstances". The evidence for Chelsea's allegation towards Clattenburg came from their midfielder Ramires who, when interviewed, explained that his instinctive reaction was to seek confirmation from Mikel as to what the referee said. Mikel, who was being spoken to by Clattenburg, was much closer than Ramires and did not hear what it is suggested was said to him. The two assistant referees and the fourth official revealed they did not hear any of the comments Clattenburg was accused of making, despite being linked up to the referee via microphones. An FA statement also said the complaint by Mikel's team-mate Ramires was "made in good faith". Clattenburg, 37, has always maintained his innocence and the Metropolitan Police dropped its own inquiry earlier this month. He missed four weekends of Premier League matches while the FA investigated Chelsea's complaint. "I am looking forward to putting this behind me and concentrating on refereeing in the Premier League and other competitions," said Clattenburg. "The messages of encouragement from those inside and outside of the game have helped me through the most stressful time of my professional life. "To know you were innocent but there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening. "Racism has no place in football and this experience should not discourage those to speak out if they genuinely believe they are a victim of abuse. "However, there are processes that should be adhered to in order that any investigation can be carried out in a manner that is fair for all parties involved. "I know first hand the ramifications of allegations of this nature being placed into the public domain ahead of a formal process and investigation. I hope no referee has to go through this in the future." What has happened over the last few weeks should not overshadow the fact the on-pitch relationship between match officials, players and managers is the best we've ever known it Responding to the announcement, a Chelsea statement said: "Chelsea Football Club accepts the Football Association's decision regarding Mark Clattenburg and welcomes the fact that the FA recognises the club and players were correct in reporting the matter. "The club accepts the case is now concluded and notes the FA states the allegation was made in good faith. "Chelsea FC has a duty of care, as do all employers, to act responsibly when such allegations are reported by employees. "We did not take the decision to lodge a formal complaint with the FA lightly and followed the correct processes and protocols throughout." Referees' union Prospect, on behalf of Clattenburg, are asking Chelsea for a full apology and compensation. Police dropped an investigation into the alleged comments towards Chelsea's Mikel and Juan Mata in the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge last month. Chelsea initially suggested Spanish midfielder Mata had also been verbally abused by Clattenburg, before deciding there was insufficient evidence to support these claims.

The Football Association has cleared referee Mark Clattenburg of using "inappropriate language" towards Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi.

20420934

Around 200 people are feared to have drowned as they tried to cross from Zuwara, west of Tripoli, to Italy. Police in Italy have detained 10 suspected traffickers after 52 people were found dead in the hold of a ship off the coast of Libya on Wednesday. President Obama's spokesman said the migrant crisis showed that unrest in the Middle East had a worldwide impact. Josh Earnest said Europe should get tougher on traffickers who were exploiting migrants. On Friday workers from the Libyan Red Crescent were undertaking the grim task of recovering migrants' bodies which had washed up on the coast. "We, the Red Crescent, work with nothing. Some fishermen help us with a boat," Ibrahim al-Attoushi from the Red Crescent in Zuwara told Reuters. "We only have one ambulance car." Around 100 bodies have already been found, and the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) said a further 100 people are unaccounted for. Some of those who died were trapped in the hull of one of the boats. The Libyan coast-guard had worked overnight on Thursday, searching for survivors from the two boats. At least 150 survivors of the sinkings have been taken to a refugee centre and a detention centre in Libya. Ayman Talaal, a Syrian survivor, said he and his family had been "forced into this route". "It's called the route of death. It is now called the grave of the Mediterranean sea," he said. While most of the victims of Thursday's capsizes are thought to be from Syria and African countries, a Bangladeshi diplomat told the BBC that at least five Bangladeshi nationals, including a six-month-old baby, were among the dead. Some survivors were rescued having spent the night in the water, clinging to life jackets. Meanwhile officials in Palermo investigating the deaths of 52 migrants found dead in a boat's hold on Wednesday have detained 10 of the 571 survivors brought ashore, on suspicion of murder, Rai TV reports. Prosecutor Maurizio Scalia told AP that those detained included seven Moroccans, two Syrians and a Libyan. A Swedish coastguard ship, the Poseidon, working with the EU's Frontex border agency, brought the survivors and the bodies to the Sicilian port. Thousands of people set off from lawless Libya every night, packed into boats, trying to reach safety in Europe. Many of the vessels are not seaworthy and are overcrowded. Since the overthrow of Col Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has descended into chaos, with various militias fighting for power. The internationally-recognised government has been forced to leave Tripoli and does not control the country's western coast, from where most migrant boats depart, aiming for Italy. The UNHCR says more than 2,500 people have died trying to reach Europe so far in 2015, not including Thursday's deaths. Meanwhile Austrian police have confirmed that 71 people died inside a refrigerated lorry found abandoned on a motorway near the Hungarian border. They think that at least some of the dead were from Syria. "If we had an orderly safe way for people to come to Europe then we would avoid these tragedies," the UNHCR's William Spindler told the BBC. "We would also have less incentives for illegal immigration because we would have legal avenues to come, so people would not have to risk their lives in this way".

Libyan workers continue to search for bodies at sea and on shore after two migrant vessels capsized on Thursday.

34088691

The figures come ahead of Wednesday's AGM where investors will quiz management over their plans for the Hinkley Point nuclear plant in the UK. EDF, 85% controlled by the French state, has struggled to find the cash for its 66.5% stake in the project. In April it pushed a final decision on the £18bn plant back to September. Chief financial officer Thomas Piquemal resigned in April following an internal disagreement over whether to press on with the controversial project. However, EDF has outlined plans to raise €4bn, with up to €3bn provided by the French government. Credit rating agencies are due to assess the group in the coming days and their verdict on its finances will determine how easy it will be for the group to raise cash. Meanwhile, tough market conditions mean EDF is cutting costs and planning to sell €10bn in assets by 2020, including a stake in French power-grid operator RTE. On Tuesday the new chief financial office Xavier Girre, said the management was not considering spinning off any part of the group to raise money. Its latest earnings report shows it has reduced its target for 2016 nuclear output to 408-412 terawatt-hour from 410-415. The scaling down of its output reflects continuing problems at its Paluel nuclear facility in France where a steam generator collapsed during maintenance. Sales fell 7% to €21.4bn in the first three months of the year, with sales in the UK down 9.8%. The company said its earnings forecast for 2016 remained on track.

French energy giant EDF says sales fell 7% in the first three months of the year in the face of stiff competition, a mild winter and lower energy prices.

36262029

The Swift Archway Cranford 545 caravan was stolen from a site in Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, on Thursday night. Davis tweeted "My touring caravan was stolen.. even though it was locked up with hitch & wheel lock! I want to swear... #rotters". He added the thieves could have "headed north or south on A1, or west on A14". Cambridgeshire Police said: "We have had a report of a caravan being stolen in the Yaxley area between 5pm on Thursday and 12.45pm on Friday. We are investigating." Davis, who played the role of Wicket in the third of the original Star War movies, is also appearing in the forthcoming Star Wars: Episode VII. Davis's credits include Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films and Nikabrik in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Anyone with information about the caravan is asked to call Cambridgeshire Police.

Star Wars and Harry Potter star Warwick Davis, who played an ewok in Return of the Jedi, has taken to Twitter to help recover his stolen caravan.

34490431

The Westgate development in the city centre will eventually have more than 100 shops, 25 restaurants and cafes, a cinema and 61 flats. The multi-storey car park on the site was demolished last year. It will be replaced with a 1,000-space underground car park. The development is due for completion in autumn next year. It will include rooftop terrace dining and new public spaces. Site owner Westgate Oxford Alliance, a joint venture between commercial property company Land Securities and The Crown Estate, said the development would cover 800,000 sq ft (74,322 sq m) when complete. Preparatory work began in February 2015 following planning approval by Oxford City Council.

Work has begun to demolish a 1970s shopping centre in the centre of Oxford as part of a £440m redevelopment.

35550658

Meden Sports Centre in Warsop, Nottinghamshire, has faced ongoing maintenance issues with a temporary closures and £500,000 spent on repairs. Mansfield District Council has said it is "unsustainable" and has launched a consultation on its future. However, Warsop Parish Council said it was "essential" to the area and it would fight to keep it open. The centre, which dates from the 1960s, was closed for six months in 2014 after an inspection identified fire safety concerns. Officials have said renovation or rebuilding costs could cost between £1m to £8m. Andrew Tristram, district council portfolio holder for the environment, said: "The council has undergone a review of leisure services at Meden Sports Centre and concluded that the current operating model is not sustainable for the future. "There are increasing uncertainties about the running costs and capital investment due to the condition of the building". However, parish council chairman Andy Wetton said: "The centre is essential to the area but this administration seems hell-bent on closing it. "There was money available to replace it but this has been spent on other things. "Any attempt to close it would be a declaration of war on Warsop and we would fight it hard." The district council said no changes would be made before April 2018.

Any move to close a sports centre would be a "declaration of war" on the local community, a councillor has warned.

38115983

The 24-year-old, played stormtrooper Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and was a member of Theatre Peckham's company from age nine to 14. Newsround sent Jonas who goes to Theatre Peckham now to interview Boyega and even got John to do his best Chewbacca impression. Boyega is currently filming Star Wars Episode Eight. "As a graduate of the company, I am honoured to be in a position to give back." He said. The theatre's founder Teresa Early, said: Boyega "will be a huge boost for our young members", adding: "Now there's an act for them to follow."

Star Wars actor John Boyega has given his support to the theatre he worked with when he was younger.

36451064

Stephen Martin, 56, from Rustington, West Sussex, was due to face trial on charges of involuntary homicide after the pair died during a dive in 2014. Larissa Hooley, 48, from Aylesbury, and Nigel Haines, 59, of Hove, died during the incident off the island of Gozo. "I feel I can finally start grieving for Larissa and Nigel," Mr Martin said. The Maltese authorities had wanted Mr Martin to face trial as he was the most experienced diver of the three, and had been due to appeal the request for extradition at the High Court in London. It was despite a UK inquest ruling that their deaths were accidental. The charges were dropped following a visit to the island's attorney-general by officials from the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) Mr Martin said: "I was absolutely elated, but it is a bittersweet success really because at the end of it two of my very, very good friends died." The IT manager and father-of-three, who is an advanced diver and open water instructor with BSAC, said his "utter nightmare" was now over. "I feel I can finally start grieving for Larissa and Nigel. I just can't keep back the tears," he said. Mr Martin had been on bail in the UK since he was held on a European Arrest Warrant last July, subjected to a daily curfew from midnight to 7am and told to report to police three times a week. He recalled how he and a group of friends had been on a routine dive - one they had done several times before - when Ms Hooley began to descend rapidly. "The two friends behind me rescued her immediately, and I realised the situation was a lot more worse," he said. Mr Haines died during the frantic attempts to rescue her. Both were found to have died from immersion pulmonary oedema - when a diver experiences an accumulation of fluid in the lungs.

A scuba diver facing extradition to Malta has spoken of his elation after charges against him over the deaths of his girlfriend and friend were dropped.

35350295

The study examined footage of the footballer before and after 2007, the year the Beckhams moved to Los Angeles. David dropped his H sounds at the start of words far less often than before the move to the US, the study found. And in a separate video study of wife Victoria, the ex-Spice Girl was found to be "definitely getting posher". A university spokesman said the research was part of a study into "how changing circumstances affect the way we pronounce words". Researchers contrasted the way Beckhams spoke before and after their move to the US, when David signed for Los Angeles Galaxy. Charles Boorman and Alix Roberts looked at changes in David's speech, while Naomi Proszynska and James Pickett investigated how Victoria spoke. The research revealed that David dropped the H in words such as "him" and "has" 80% of the time before the move to the US, but only 20% of the time afterwards. Mr Boorman said it was "clear that Becks, once a broader Cockney, nowadays speaks with more of a standard English accent". "In fact, he's even hyper-correcting himself, because he puts Hs into words when it's not really required - in America, they use the H sound more, which explains how he acquired it. "But my guess is that his dropping of those Cockney vowels was linked to his ambassadorial role for the Olympics and his subsequent high social status." Victoria - dubbed Posh Spice during her days with the Spice Girls - was found to correctly pronounce Ls in words such as "all" 25% of the time in 1997, with the figure rising to 46% in 2012. "All" can be pronounced "awe" by "working-class people in the south-east of England", the researchers said. Source: University of Manchester Ms Proszynska said: "In 1997, her speech resembled what we associate with the classic Essex girl but, by 2012, her speech no longer so strongly represented her Essex roots. "We think this may be connected with the fact that she's forged a different career as a widely respected fashion designer." Linguistics lecturer Dr Laurel MacKenzie said pronunciation was not "static" in adults. "The general assumption is that once we pass puberty our way of speaking is fixed," she said. "But recent research has revealed the extent to which we can be chameleons in the way we speak, even into adulthood. "Factors such as social mobility and geographical location can have an impact on the way adults pronounce words."

David Beckham has changed his speech over the past decade to "sound less working class", University of Manchester academics have concluded.

22179969

In their broad shade, there is another familiar sight: Lines of men, in plastic chairs, most of them jobless. They wait and talk, scouring the thin pickings of the local newspapers. Victor Lajar is one of them. He is 51 - his purple-striped shirt is perfectly pressed; his grey trousers have crisp vertical creases. Over a cup of clove-laced tea, he tells me he used to be a local government official. He was from the northern city of Malakal. He fled, during the civil war. He has a family to support and no job. I ask my first guileless question: "The war's over; why don't you return?" Mr Lajar answers with his own question: "You don't know about Malakal?" he asks. "It's ashes," he tells me. Few journalists go to Malakal. There are horrors aplenty elsewhere, and for long periods, the airport at the town has been inaccessible because of the fighting. I arrive, on a tiny United Nations charter, at Malakal airfield. We swiftly have company. A queue of large Russian-made transport planes, with no tail markings, land: Three in one hour, to re-supply the government forces, the SPLA, who currently hold the city. Before I head to Malakal itself, though, I visit the UN camp, just to the north-east. It is where 45,000 former residents of the city now live. Listen to From Our Own Correspondent for insight and analysis from BBC journalists, correspondents and writers from around the world Broadcast on Radio 4 on Saturdays at 11:30 and on the BBC World Service Listen to the programme Download the programme I am lucky - the rainy season is almost over. All I have to contend with is the broiling sun and the clouds of mosquitoes. When it is wet, the ground is awash with mud and human waste. The place carries the marks of the refugee camp. The new arrivals, strung out, hollow-eyed at its entrance. The tents and shacks for long-term residents crammed into a crazed puzzle; the attempts to winnow a bit of extra cash: Men selling heaps of rusty nails; children selling single cloves of garlic; women selling small piles of clothes. And there are the stories from their time in Malakal town: Of mothers and brothers shot, their bodies left to rot; of children lost in the chaos of fleeing. So many stories, so much trauma, that by the end of my first afternoon, I have to check my notebook to pick out Nyabed's misery from Teresa's from Mary's from Nyangit's. In the morning, I get a rare tour of the city, in a UN military patrol, with an SPLA escort. It is unlike any place I have ever visited. Malakal is - was - South Sudan's second city. In the decades of war with the north, it thrived. Now it is empty. Parts have been razed to the ground in the rage of warfare. But much has been wrecked simply by looting and vandalism, as rival forces allied to rival ethnic groups swept back and forth. Malakal has changed hands 12 times during this civil war. The children's hospital was built as a prize of independence. Now it is a shell, scorched, roofless, slowly strangled by the returning bush. But I could see no bullet holes, no splashes of shrapnel. It, like the Red Cross headquarters, had been wrecked and pillaged by fighters not battling for a front line, but drunk on ownership. Inside the Red Cross offices, amid the dust and destruction and fug of faeces, I find a discarded notebook. "Rules for the Red Cross", a neat hand has written. Avoid "real or perceived breaches of neutrality and impartiality for multiple reasons, including ethnicity". I have seen places wrecked by war, but never a city vanish like this. Back at the UN camp, plans are quietly under way to be ready to deal with another 40,000 people who may yet cross over the White Nile to seek sanctuary and food. South Sudan's elusive peace: Five obstacles to peace in South Sudan And I ask my second guileless question. It is addressed to one of the UN workers - he is a local, from Malakal. Is he going to watch the football that afternoon on TV? South Sudan is playing its first World Cup qualification match. "How can I cheer for this country?" he asks. "We were so happy at independence. I remember the moment. My father - he'd been an agricultural scientist, who'd joined the struggle, and been killed in the struggle. "But what was it for? Now, I only feel shame. We are so much worse off now." How to listen to From Our Own Correspondent: BBC Radio 4: Saturdays at 11:30. Listen online or download the podcast. BBC World Service: At weekends - see World Service programme schedule or listen online. Subscribe to the BBC News Magazine's email newsletter to get articles sent to your inbox.

The roads of central Juba, the capital of South Sudan, bear witness to the British colonial town it once was: They are lined with neem trees, tall and narrow-leafed, their seeds transported from India.

34571435

The Spaniard, whose opening round in Munich contained six birdies, trails leader Wade Ormsby of Australia by two shots and Belgian Thomas Detry by one. England's Tommy Fleetwood, who finished fourth at the US Open on Sunday, is tied for sixth, three strokes adrift. Defending champion Henrik Stenson of Sweden also carded a five-under-par 67. Fleetwood's compatriots Richard Bland, James Morrison and Matthew Southgate matched Fleetwood and Stenson's score. "I felt like I played quite well, but not spectacular," said Garcia, whose Masters triumph at Augusta in April was his first major title. "There's still three more rounds to go, so we're going to keep playing hard and hopefully we'll be up there on Sunday."

Sergio Garcia shot a six-under-par 66 to share third place at the BMW International, his first event in Europe since winning the Masters.

40376350

The Spain international has scored five goals in his last six games to help the Swans pull five points clear of the relegation zone. Four of those have been headers, and Clement believes his aerial prowess compares to the world's best players. "Llorente is wonderful at heading the ball," he said. Clement continued: "[Cristiano] Ronaldo is also fantastic, [Gareth] Bale also good from a striker perspective. "You have to look at John Terry and Sergio Ramos, central defenders who always did so well when they went forward into the box. "He [Llorente] is doing very well and he's proven to be a key player during this period." Clement worked with Ronaldo, Bale and Ramos at Real Madrid, while he coached Terry during his time with Chelsea. Since taking over at Swansea, the former Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain assistant manager has overseen five wins from eight Premier League matches. That run of results has lifted the Swans from the foot of the table to 16th place, and Llorente has been pivotal to their upturn in fortunes. A summer signing from Sevilla, the 32-year-old scored two goals to give Swansea a vital 3-2 win over Burnley on 4 March and take his personal tally for the season to 11. "He's scored five goals since I've been here - the two at Liverpool, one at Chelsea and then the two against Burnley," said Clement. "What's helped him is he's getting good supply into the box, and that was very clear in the game against Burnley - not just the two that he scored but other opportunities he had as well. "He's a very good player when you get crosses into the box for him." Meanwhile, Swansea will be without right-back Kyle Naughton for Saturday's trip to Hull with what Clement described as a "minor" hamstring injury. The 28-year-old is expected to return for the match at Bournemouth the following weekend.

Swansea City striker Fernando Llorente's form is "key" to their hopes of Premier League survival, says head coach Paul Clement.

39219355

Some 1.57m sq km (600,000 sq miles) of the Southern Ocean will gain protection from commercial fishing for 35 years. Environmentalists have welcomed the move to protect what's said to be the Earth's most pristine marine ecosystem. They hope it will be the first of many such zones in international waters. At this meeting in Hobart, Australia, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) agreed unanimously to designate the Ross Sea as an MPA, after years of protracted negotiations, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced. The Ross Sea, its shelf and slope only comprise 2% of the Southern Ocean but they are home to 38% of the world's Adelie penguins, 30% of the world's Antarctic petrels and around 6% of the world's population of Antarctic minke whales. The region is important to the rest of the planet as the upwelling of nutrients from the deep waters are carried on currents around the world. The Ross Sea is also home to huge numbers of krill, a staple food for species including whales and seals. Their oil is critical for salmon farming. However there are concerns that overfishing and climate change are having significant impacts on their numbers. The proposal, introduced by New Zealand and the US, and accepted by all the other nations, will see a general protection "no-take" zone where nothing can be removed including marine life and minerals. As part of the compromise that emerged in negotiations, there will be special zones where fishing from krill and toothfish will be allowed for research purposes. "I'm absolutely overjoyed," said Lewis Pugh, the UN Patron for the Oceans, and someone who has campaigned for years in support of this new MPA. "This is the biggest protected area on the land or the sea, this is the first large scale MPA on the high seas, they are largely unprotected." The ocean advocate and swimmer drew attention to the Ross Sea with a series of swims in the icy waters - and for two years he has engaged in a series of meetings, dubbed "speedo diplomacy" with Russian officials to convince them of the value of the MPA. At the end of negotiations last year, Russia was the one country holding out against a consensus on the Ross Sea. But this year there has been what Mr Pugh describes as an "environmental glasnost". Russia's President Vladimir Putin has designated 2017 as the Year of Ecology and the country has recently expanded an MPA around Franz Josef Land in the Arctic. Sergei Ivanov, President Putin's Special Representative for Ecology, welcomed the new deal. "Russia has a proud history of exploration and science in Antarctica. In this time of political turbulence in so many parts of the world, we are pleased to be part of this collaborative international effort to safeguard the Ross Sea," he said. One of the key questions in the negotiations was how long the MPA should last. China is on the record as stating it believes that 20 years is long enough for a designation. Many conservationists say this is far too short, given the lifespan of creatures that life in the Ross Sea, such as whales. Ultimately, the parties agreed on 35 years. The designation was welcomed not just by campaigners but also by those with close links to the Ross Sea. "The Ross family are euphoric that our family legacy has been honoured in the 175th anniversary year since James first discovered the Ross Sea," said Phillipa Ross, great, great, great granddaughter to Sir James Clark Ross, after whom the Ross Sea is named. One of the other big concerns that delayed the proposal was the fact that it could set a precedent for other high seas negotiations around the world, such as in the Arctic and in attempts by the UN to develop a new marine biodiversity treaty. Lewis Pugh is very hopeful that this will be the case. And he's willing to keep swimming until it happens. "This to me represents a first step, I am heading back down to the Antarctic peninsula to carry on swimming, I want to see a series of MPAs around this continent that I feel so much about," he explained. "For me this is an issue about justice - justice between generations. There seems to be something fundamentally wrong with us destroying our oceans so our children and grandchildren have absolutely nothing." Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathBBC and on Facebook.

Delegates from 24 countries and the European Union have agreed that the Ross Sea in Antarctica will become the world's largest marine protected area (MPA).

37789594

The Toffees have been working with Liverpool City Council to find a replacement for Goodison Park, where they have played since 1892. Everton chief executive Robert Elstone said the plan was at "an early stage". He hoped the new sites would provide a "more straightforward, deliverable opportunity" to build a new stadium. Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri bought a 49.9% stake in Everton in February and quickly outlined plans for a move from Goodison, which has a capacity of 39,572. "Goodison Park has served the club extremely well but we need to make sure the club has a suitable stage to perform on for the future," he said. An initial plan was to build a stadium at Walton Hall Park, a short distance north-east of Goodison, but it was strongly opposed by local protestors. Mayor Joe Anderson said the site would now remain a park. "Most people will be aware that I did give a commitment to Everton to support a potential scheme at Walton Hall Park with the aim of regenerating the area and creating new jobs," he said. "However, through the work that the club and the council have done, we have concluded that effectively building a new village in north Liverpool with lots of retail space is a step too far in this current economic climate." Across Stanley Park at Anfield, Liverpool are in the process of expanding their main stand which will take their capacity to around 54,000.

Everton have abandoned plans for a new stadium at Walton Hall Park but have identified two possible alternative sites within the Liverpool boundary.

36300361

Iain Duncan Smith said the raft of changes should save the taxpayer £50bn by the end of this Parliament. He said the reforms - including tougher criteria for people seeking disability allowances - would "help and benefit" those who wanted to return to work. The Disabilities Trust charity said the reforms were part of a "triple whammy" of factors hitting disabled people. Speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Duncan Smith said: "I think the work programme is now for the first time ever working with people, who were once on sickness benefits and who are now not, going back to work." He said the new regime would see disabled benefits claimants assessed on a regular basis to determine whether they need more support with their ailments or help to get work. "There were over a million [people] not looked at for over 10 years," Mr Duncan Smith said. "These regular reviews, I think, will help them and benefit them. We haven't introduced this to hurt or to harm disabled people. The purpose is to try to support disabled people." He added: "The idea is to get people assessed so that we can find out those whose conditions have improved can then seek work, and many are going back to work now, and those who need full support get that full support." The government has been gradually rolling out the new Personal Independence Payment (Pip) to replace the Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Under the old disability regime, claimants had to prove they could walk no further than 50m without support to receive the top end of the allowance. Now, they will have to prove they can manage no more than 20m to benefit from the top payment. Mr Duncan Smith insisted this was not a straight forward change, and that people would be assessed in two stages - on how much difficulty they have in reaching 20m first, and then 50m. "What we're trying to do with these reforms is to get them to be fair so that the people who need them get better payments, and those who don't need the higher levels don't take the higher levels," Mr Duncan Smith said. Under the DLA system, he said, 70% of people who made a claim got awards "for life". The new regime will include regular face-to-face checks to establish the extent of claimants' ailments. He said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) expects almost half of the £50bn in savings to come in the next 12 months. The raft of welfare reforms, introduced a year ago, also included what the government calls the removal of the "spare room subsidy" but critics call the "bedroom tax". Mr Duncan Smith, defending it, said it was not a tax but rather a "balanced and fair" policy for taxpayers. However, Sarah Clifford, director of communications for the Disabilities Trust, said the reforms were part of a "triple whammy" of factors affecting disabled people. She said the changes needed to be seen alongside cutbacks by local authorities and changes to housing benefit in England, Scotland and Wales. The housing benefits changes - dubbed the "bedroom tax" by critics but described by ministers as the removal of a "spare room subsidy" - were introduced in April last year. A committee of MPs warned last week that the measures were creating "financial hardship and distress" for disabled people. Ms Clifford said: "We just hope Mr Duncan Smith can deliver on the promise that this will be a fair system and will not be unfair or unjust on people with disabilities." Meanwhile, the work and pensions secretary said the government had sought to end a contract with the firm Atos, which was tasked with assessing whether benefit claimants were fit to work. Mr Duncan Smith denied reports it was Atos that had ended the arrangement, saying the taxpayer would pay nothing for the early break in the contract.

The work and pensions secretary has defended changes to the welfare system, including disability benefit reforms.

26909658

The incident was said to have happened as Mr Galloway gave a talk in the university's New King's building. He tweeted that he had an "unknown substance in my eyes and lungs" but added later that he was "feeling better... just needed a good shower". Police confirmed they had been called to a disturbance at 19:45. Mr Galloway, who is from Dundee, also tweeted: "Someone calling themselves "Trans" and an "anarchist" led a five person attack on me on the platform at Aberdeen University. I continued." He also said on Twitter that his pregnant wife had leapt forward to defend him. A Police Scotland spokesman said officers had attended High Street in Old Aberdeen following reports of a disturbance. "Inquiries are at an early stage and no further details are available at this time," he said.

Police were called to the University of Aberdeen following reports that a group of protesters had thrown glitter over former MP George Galloway.

38073287

Media playback is not supported on this device The Scot, 28, beat world number 87 Taro Daniel 6-1 6-3 6-1 in his first match since becoming a father last month. World number six Kei Nishikori brought the visitors level with a 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3) win over Dan Evans in Birmingham. Victory in the best-of-five first-round tie will secure a quarter-final place and World Group status in 2017. Dom Inglot and Jamie Murray are scheduled to take on Yoshihito Nishioka and Yasutaka Uchiyama in Saturday's doubles contest, although the line-ups can change up to an hour before the 14:00 GMT start time. "We will wait and see," GB captain Leon Smith told BBC Sport. "[It will be] hopefully our strongest team, put it that way." Britain are defending the title they regained last November for the first time in 79 years with victory against Belgium. "It was amazing," Murray said of the reception he received after needing only 90 minutes to see off Daniel. Media playback is not supported on this device There were signs of rustiness - four double faults and 25 unforced errors slowing his progress at times - but the Scot broke serve six times and saved both break points he faced in a one-sided win. Murray, 28, won the opening 11 points in his first match since losing to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final 33 days ago. He wrapped up the first set in 28 minutes and took hold of a more competitive second after a double fault at 3-3 from Daniel, the US-born 23-year-old with just five ATP wins to his name. Two blistering returns gave Murray the decisive break at the start of the third and he wrapped up the 28th Davis Cup singles win of his career in style. "The last few weeks have been the best of my life, really special," Murray said of becoming a father to Sophia. "It has been tough the last few days being away from her for the first time but it had to happen to some stage, and it is a pleasure to represent my country and be with team-mates that we won with last year. "The second set was tough - a lot of close games and some tough points, which was good for me. "I was getting a little out of breath but I played a good match, served well, missed a few second serves but the first serve went extremely well, so it was a nice start." Evans, from Solihull, had the support of his home crowd and the confidence from a victory in his only previous meeting with Nishikori, but the Japanese player was still too strong. It is over three years since he surprisingly lost to Evans at the US Open and Nishikori has since become established among the game's elite. Evans, 25, once again played above his ranking of 157 but could only convert four of 13 break points that came his way. After dropping serve twice in the first set he failed to capitalise on 0-40 early on in what proved to be a tight second. Both players missed break point chances and a tie-break loomed with the Briton serving at 6-5, but after saving two set points he then netted a volley and double faulted. With both men apparently tiring, the third set saw a rash of service breaks - six in eight games - with Evans unable to build on leads at 3-2 and 4-3. Nishikori, 26, was similarly vulnerable on his own serve but got himself across the line in the tie-break after two hours and 44 minutes. Andy Murray slipped fairly seamlessly back into the day job, but Kei Nishikori had to absorb a lot of pressure from Dan Evans to make sure the tie is level heading into Saturday's doubles. But who will play? Murray told me he "would love to play if it's the best thing for the team," as long as his body feels fine in the morning. But will Nishikori be on the other side of the court? It is looking likely - even though he has only ever played two Davis Cup doubles matches for Japan. "He missed a few balls and looked a bit rusty but overall you've got to give Andy a 9/10. He just wanted to feel the ball out there but he looked sharp, and will be looking forward to the big match against Nishikori on Sunday. "Nishikori got very nervous against Evans for a while there, but in the end the class player came through and upped his game." Friday Andy Murray beats Taro Daniel 6-1 6-3 6-1 Kei Nishikori beats Dan Evans 6-3 7-5 7-6 (7-3) Saturday doubles Dominic Inglot & Jamie Murray v Yoshihito Nishioka & Yasutaka Uchiyama Sunday Andy Murray v Kei Nishikori Dan Evans v Taro Daniel Listen to State of the British Game - a 5 live sport special

Andy Murray returned to action with a comfortable win as Great Britain ended day one of their Davis Cup defence tied at 1-1 against Japan in Birmingham.

35728097

Ray Houghton's tumbling goal celebration at the 1994 World Cup and Salvatore Schillaci's whoops of delight after scoring in the same fixture four years earlier are snapshots of the fervour on display. Angelo Fusco, 81, has been a keen observer of Italy's games against the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland for decades, and can boast connections linking all three. He was brought up in Belfast, educated in Dublin, and his father had strong links with the Comino Valley. "I always supported Italy in football and Ireland in rugby as I went to school in Dublin at Blackrock," he said. "Italy comes just a wee bit above the Irish, my mother was Irish and my dad was Italian. "My brother, Carlo, supported Inter Milan and the other three brothers, myself included, supported AC Milan. "I remember in 1990 when Italy won against Ireland at the World Cup, someone threw a brick through the window of a brother's shop in Belfast. "My favourite Italian players have been Cesare Maldini and his son Paolo. I saw Cesare play for AC Milan in the 1963 European Cup final in London against Benfica, I went over to the match with my brothers. "I also went to the Rome derby once between AS Roma and Lazio - I don't know all the Italian curses, but there was a lot of swearing around me. "My brother Carlo played for Distillery, Cliftonville and Portadown in the Irish League. "At Portadown he was a teammate of Wilbur Cush who went on to play at the 1958 World Cup for Northern Ireland." Angelo and his brothers witnessed the infamous 'Battle of Belfast' in December 1957, when Northern Ireland and Italy drew 2-2 in an explosive encounter at Windsor Park. Juan Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia, who scored Uruguay's winning goal in the 1950 World Cup final before becoming a naturalised Italian, both featured in the game. It was invalidated as a World Cup qualifier after the Hungarian referee Istvan Zolt's flight was held up by fog, but its new designation as a "friendly" did not stop tempers boiling on and off the pitch. "We all, as brothers, went to the game against Northern Ireland in Belfast in 1957, we were all there supporting Italy and it was a shambles," Angelo said. "It was supposed to be a World Cup match, but the referee did not turn up. "In those days, the goalkeeper in Italy was sacrosanct and was not to be touched. Northern Ireland forward Peter McParland tackled the goalkeeper and took him out, the match turned on that. "When the fans invaded the pitch after the match, they got one of the full-backs on the ground, Harry Gregg and some of the other Northern Ireland players got round him and shielded him." Angelo also recalled how both sets of players met up at a dance hall venue in north Belfast after the game. "There was a big do at the Floral Hall at Bellevue, which was attended by players from the Italian and Northern Ireland teams," he added. "We as brothers sold tickets for the dance that night. The Northern Ireland players that were there included Peter McParland, Danny and Jackie Blanchflower and Wilbur Cush. "The Italian players that were there included Juan Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia "The match was rough, but when it is over, it is over and the players move on." Paul Loughran is one of 24 fans from the West Belfast Ireland Supporters Club who will be travelling to the Euro 2016 finals. He said a number of them would be attending the Italy v Republic of Ireland game on 22 June near Lille and highlighted the history that linked the two teams. "It is always a good match, there is always a lot of excitement and tension for both sets of supporters and across the generations," he said. "Ireland had Giovanni Trapattoni as manager, he was born on St Patrick's Day so that was his Irish connection, he also had Marco Tardelli who was Italian, as his assistant. "Liam Brady was a big player for Ireland and he also played for Juventus in Italy and Trapattoni managed him there." Angelo, meanwhile, is just happy to soak up the occasion, whatever the result. "It is great that that the three of them are there, (Italy, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) - it doesn't happen very often."

When the Republic of Ireland and Italy clash at football, passion and pride are usually not far away.

36491302

Belcher and Angela Hannah's K2 500m boat also provisionally qualified for Rio pending official confirmation. But Olympic champion Ed McKeever only managed eighth in the K1 200m B final and still needs to qualify. Belcher finished almost four seconds behind Maryna Litvinchuk of Belarus. "I'm pleased to come away with a medal although it would have been nice to get the gold," Belcher said after taking the only medal for GB's Olympic canoeing team. "I think we've had an up and down regatta, to be honest. "For the girls the main focus was to come away with six athlete quota places. "We've definitely got four so we're hoping to get those other two as well." McKeever would have sealed a place in Brazil had he won his B final. "It's really frustrating because training over the last few weeks has been really good," McKeever told BBC Sport. "It's difficult to explain. I felt a bit flat. I was motivated but just didn't perform." Canadian paddler Mark de Jonge defended his K1 200m world title in the A final. McKeever's result in Milan means the 31-year-old must come first or second in next May's European qualifiers in Duisburg to secure an Olympic place. "I've got to go there and prove my worth and come away with a good result," he said. "I'm more than capable of doing that. "Watching the A final there was tremendously frustrating but hopefully that will drive me on and I'll come back stronger next year." On Saturday, Liam Heath and Jon Schofield qualified a boat in the K2 200m. The K4 500m boat of Rebii Simon, Jessica Walker, Rachel Cawthorn and Louis Sawers sealed GB's second confirmed spot at the Rio Games with a fifth-placed finish in their final. GB's women's K2 500m was provisionally qualified as other athletes in their final also qualified places in larger boats. Nations whose athletes qualify in multiple races can only take up one Olympic place in the larger boat event. Their vacated spots are then allocated to other countries. The regatta was more successful for the Paralympic squad who won two golds and five silvers as well as qualifying four boats for next September's Games, where canoeing makes its debut.

Lani Belcher won K1 5000m silver for Great Britain while the K4 500m women also qualified their boat for Rio 2016 at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan.

34035061

Baxter, 24, played the last of his 93 league games for United in February, with the ex-Everton trainee then banned for an unspecified reason by the club. In July 2015 he was suspended by the Football Association for failing an out-of-competition drugs test. Midfielder Ryan Flynn, 24, who scored 13 goals in 153 league games, has also been released. Meanwhile, Dean Hammond, who made 34 Blades appearances during his loan spell from Leicester City in the 2015-16 season, has activated a clause in his contract to remain at Bramall Lane on a permanent deal. However, the 33-year-old has immediately been placed on the transfer list alongside Kieron Freeman, Kieran Wallace, James Wallace, Paul Coutts, Martyn Woolford and Diego De Girolamo. Goalkeeper George Long has been offered a new deal while Alex Baptiste, David Edgar and Conor Sammon have left the club after their loan deals expired. Mark Howard, Bob Harris, Callum McFadzean, Terry Kennedy, Harrison McGahey, Jay McEveley, Florent Cuvelier and Jamal Campbell-Ryce have all been released.

Forward Jose Baxter, who was suspended twice in nine months, is among 10 players released by Sheffield United.

36347192

The court refused permission to Salvatore Girone to travel to Italy for Christmas. It also rejected Massimiliano Latorre's request to extend his stay in Italy by two more months. He was allowed to go home in September for four months for medical treatment. The marines are on bail pending trial. On Tuesday, the court said the trial had already been much delayed and that legal proceedings must resume soon. The marines were guarding an Italian oil tanker when they opened fire, killing two men off the Kerala coast. The marines said they mistook the fishermen for pirates. India has ruled out the possibility of a death penalty and invoking the anti-piracy law to try the marines. Italy has always insisted that as the shooting had taken place in international waters, the men should be tried in Italy. Last year, Delhi and Rome were involved in a bitter diplomatic row after Italy refused to send the marines back when they were allowed to go home to vote in the February 2013 elections. The marines eventually returned to Delhi a month later and the court withdrew its controversial order.

India's Supreme Court has rejected travel appeals of the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012.

30494612

A series of abusive Twitter remarks were posted on an account on Tuesday, directed to Flower, who was sent off in Saturday's Super League Grand Final. Flower received a six-month ban for hitting St Helens stand-off Lance Hohaia. One comment on the single account said Flower's "last days are approaching". Other Twitter messages said that Flower "deserves to be shot", adding that he is a "dead man". Greater Manchester Police (GMP) tweeted: "We've been made aware of abusive social media activity about the Rugby League Grand Final. Please be reassured that we are looking into this." More than 70,000 fans at Old Trafford and millions of television viewers saw the player hit Hohaia, who lay motionless on the ground just two minutes into the match. St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus said after the ban: "We must assist [Flower] in any way that we can and accept him back into the sport. There is a person behind the player, and I am reliably informed by all that it is a good one." Mr McManus also said of the punching incident: "These matters have to be dealt with by the appropriate body within the game and it has so been." A GMP spokesman said any decision to take action against Flower would depend on conversations it had with St Helens.

Death threats made against Wigan rugby league player Ben Flower, who punched an opponent as he lay on the ground, are being investigated by police.

29625986

The grant will see six hectares of Broadcroft Quarry in Portland, Dorset, restored and opened as a trail. The two-year project is one of the first steps towards the main Jurassica attraction, which is planned in the 40m (132ft) deep quarry. The work will see a team of more than 100 volunteers work with conservation experts at the Dorset Wildlife Trust. Funding for the attraction is being raised through donations, grants and sponsorship from businesses. The proposed subterranean park on the World Heritage Site would see a glass and steel roof, about a third the size of the Millennium Dome, installed over the quarry. It would house an aquarium with robot swimming plesiosaurs, fossils and interactive displays. The charity behind the museum, which will cover three geological time periods, said it planned to submit a full planning application later this year. Sir David Attenborough is the project's patron and the Eden Project's Sir Tim Smit is its trustee. It also has the backing of the Royal Society and the Natural History Museum. Jurassica is the idea of science writer Michael Hanlon who died last year aged 51 after a heart attack.

Plans for an £80m dinosaur-themed museum in a quarry have been boosted by £37,300 of Heritage Lottery Funding.

39325318

The clash with Edinburgh is Townsend's last as Glasgow head coach, before he takes charge of the national team. He will name his squad for the June fixtures against Italy, Australia and Fiji on Monday. "This game is really important in finalising who we're going to take," Townsend told BBC Scotland. "We thought about announcing it a couple of weeks ago, but thought that wouldn't have been fair on the players who are involved in this game. Media playback is not supported on this device "It's the last game of the season, we'll know who is available in terms of injuries after this weekend, and it's an opportunity for certain players that may be close to selection to push themselves into that final squad." Townsend's Warriors have failed to earn a Pro12 semi-final spot for the first time in five seasons, finishing in sixth place regardless of Saturday's result. Their inter-city rivals have endured a torrid league campaign - ending a run of eight successive defeats with Friday's win over the Dragons - and can finish no higher than ninth. The incoming Scotland boss will lead his new charges on a three-Test southern hemisphere tour, taking on Italy in Singapore, Australia in Sydney, and finally Fiji in the archipelago capital of Suva. "The one positive from a Scotland perspective about neither Glasgow or Edinburgh making the play-offs is that we'll have more time to work with the players," Townsend added. "We'll have a three-week build-up to our tour. It'll be really exciting, we're going to a new environment, Singapore to play Italy, then Sydney to play Australia, then on to Fiji. So six weeks working with that group of players is invaluable for us as new coaches." The former Scotland international, who won 82 caps, will have a near-full-strength compliment of players at his disposal, with Warriors duo Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour the only Scots to win selection for the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand. "We'll be looking to take our strongest squad," Townsend said. "So after this weekend the players that are available, players that are on form, players who've played well for Scotland, have got the best chance of going on that tour." Townsend will also have former Scotland captain Mike Blair at his flank, with the retired scrum-half joining the national coaching set-up for the trio of Tests. Blair took up the role of skills coach with Glasgow after retiring from playing last April, and will remain with the Warriors staff outside of international windows. "Mike's a new coach, he's only been coaching for this season, but he's shown a really good commitment to the role," Townsend said. "He works very hard, he's been a big help to me in terms of the attack, he's been a big help to the players too with the skill work he does and the close work he does with the scrum-halves. "So to have him when we're on tour and when we're in Test windows will be great, but also for him to continue [at Glasgow] working with the group will be excellent for the Glasgow players."

Gregor Townsend says Saturday's 1872 Cup derby provides one last chance for players to force their way into his first Scotland squad.

39824915

Guards at the site saw the pair pick up the items from the ground, the judge at a court in Krakow was told. The pupils, from the independent Perse School in Cambridge, say they picked them up to show their guide. They deny stealing artefacts of special cultural importance during a school visit in June 2015. The court in Krakow heard the items were found on the students by police. The pupils were in an area of the Nazi death camp where the belongings of Jews who were sent to the gas chambers were kept, the court was told. The court heard police also found a fragments of a spoon and glass on the pair, who were 17 at the time. Initially they pleaded guilty to the charge and accepted a fine, but once back in the UK they changed their pleas. If found guilty, they face prison sentences of up to 10 years. The Nazis murdered 1.1 million people at Auschwitz in occupied Poland during World War Two. The trial continues.

Two British teenagers stole items including buttons and a rusted hair clipper from the Auschwitz death camp, a court in Poland has heard.

37322599

Rangers were knocked out of the Europa League qualifiers while Alves was on international duty with Portugal. The 35 year old has now started training with the club and has set his sights on winning trophies at Ibrox. "Even if we didn't play European games of course I would have joined this club," Alves said. "It was [frustrating] because I have expectations to play European games but it was not this year. "Maybe it is going to be next year. We need to be focused now." Alves signed a two-year deal at Rangers after leaving Serie A side Cagliari, but was late joining up with the squad in pre-season because he was playing in the Confederations Cup in Russia with Portugal, who finished third. Rangers defeated Progres Niederkorn 1-0 in the first-leg at Ibrox, but lost in Luxembourg 2-0 as manager Pedro Caixinha tries to blend in his summer signings - with nine players having joined the club this summer. Alves is the most experienced, and the former Porto, Zenit St Petersburg and Fenerbahce defender is focused on helping the Ibrox club to a successful season. "I already know how big is this club and for me I am proud to come here and join this team," he said. "Everybody has good expectations for the season and we are working very hard to achieve what we propose to do. "I can bring my experience and what I have learned in football. "I have won with almost all of the clubs I have played with and I hope to bring that again to this big club. "I am looking forward to putting the jersey on and playing and giving my best and also learn because football is continuous learning. It is going to be a good experience for myself."

Portuguese international Bruno Alves says playing European football was not a factor in his decision to move to Ibrox.

40671697

The Labour politicians, representing Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Liverpool, say northern motorways are reaching "saturation point". And they say train capacity in what has been dubbed the Northern Powerhouse economic region is "at the limit". The Treasury says an extra £1.3bn will be spent UK-wide to tackle congestion. The chancellor will give an update on a number of government spending projects during his Autumn Statement on Wednesday, including transport upgrades. The Northern Powerhouse idea is aimed at ending the UK's economic reliance on London. Earlier this year the Conservative government said it was spending £13bn on transport for the Northern Powerhouse over the course of this Parliament "including dramatic improvements to our roads and railways in the North". But the Labour figures, who include Greater Manchester mayoral candidate Andy Burnham, say there is now an added need, following the "wake up" call of the Brexit vote, which will see changes to the economy once the UK leaves the EU. They say investors could lose confidence in the region - and the concept of a "Northern Powerhouse" - if there is not a realignment of how money is invested in regional transport. "Decades of unfair allocations from the transport budget have left the North with an inadequate rail system and motorways that are at saturation point," said Mr Burnham. "If people in London and the South East had to put up with the North's transport system, there would be protests in the streets. It is our turn to come to the front of the queue for transport investment and that must start this week." In the 2016 Budget, the-then chancellor, George Osborne, announced £60m would be allocated to develop plans to cut journey times to around 30 minutes between Leeds and Manchester, as well as improving transport connections between other cities in the north. It was Mr Osborne, in a speech in 2014, who said: "I'm here to talk to you today about what we can do to make the cities of the north a powerhouse for our economy."

Politicians in northern England want Chancellor Philip Hammond to prioritise transport links in the region to make it more attractive to investors.

38043443

The train was suspended last week after two incidents in which passenger doors opened mid-journey. The refurbished trains are due to run on the Belfast to Dublin route from the end of February. Translink said that the suspension has been lifted after an investigation of the door mechanisms. "We would strongly reassure our passengers and the wider public that there was no imminent danger for our customers travelling on board as a result of these two unrelated door faults," said Ian Campbell, general manager of engineering at Translink. "We have worked closely with the Railway Safety Commission (RSC) and, having satisfied their concerns, the upgraded train will now be returned into service this afternoon (Wednesday 13 January)." Translink has previously described the refurbished trains as a "major milestone" in its £12.2m NI railways upgrade programme.

A newly-refurbished Enterprise train is back in service after having its safety licence in the Republic of Ireland restored.

35301331

Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue team was called to Yr Elen, in the Carneddau range, at about 14:00 GMT on Saturday. The man, who had rib and back injuries, was flown to hospital in a rescue helicopter.

A man in his 60s has been airlifted to hospital after falling while walking in Snowdonia.

38196591

The screenplay has been written by Eric Roth - who won an Oscar for Forrest Gump. Leakey is former head of the Kenya Wildlife Service and was key to stemming the trade in illegal ivory. "I've felt a deep connection to Africa and its culture for much of my life," said Jolie. Leakey's extreme measures to tackle poachers, including sending helicopter gunships into the national park, have helped Kenya's elephant and rhino populations recover from the brink of disaster. He made international headlines in 1989, when a stockpile of 12 tonnes of ivory was burned in Nairobi National Park. Jolie said Africa is about "a man drawn into the violent conflict with elephant poachers, who emerged with a deeper understanding of man's footprint and a profound sense of responsibility for the world around him". Producer David Ellison - whose company Skydance co-produced films including True Grit and Jack Reacher - called Leakey "inspirational," adding, "Africa is a story that deserves to be told". Jolie's next movie, Unbroken, starring British actor Jack O'Connell is due in cinemas later this year. She is currently directing and starring opposite her husband Brad Pitt in the film By The Sea, based on her own screenplay.

Angelina Jolie has signed up to direct Africa, a film about celebrated conservationist Richard Leakey's battles with ivory poachers.

29300047

Ali Asghar Zarean told state TV that Iran would sign an agreement with China to modify the reactor before doing so. On Monday, the semi-official Fars news agency cited unnamed sources as saying the reactor had been decommissioned. It would represent a final step towards the implementation of July's nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Iran has agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Iran has for years been building a heavy-water nuclear facility at Arak, the spent fuel from which would contain plutonium suitable for a nuclear bomb. The P5+1 group of world powers - the US, UK, France, China and Russia plus Germany - had originally wanted Arak dismantled because of the proliferation risk. But they eventually agreed that Iran could redesign the reactor so it would not produce any weapons-grade plutonium. Monday's report by Fars, which is close to the powerful Revolutionary Guards, said technicians had removed the core of the existing reactor and poured concrete into the cavity. In July, Iran agreed a landmark nuclear deal with six world powers to limit its sensitive nuclear activities for more than a decade in return for the lifting of crippling sanctions. The US is confident the agreement will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran says it has the right to nuclear energy - and stresses that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only. Iran will not see the UN, US and EU sanctions lifted until the global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), certifies that it has fulfilled its commitments under the deal. The precise date of the so-called "implementation day" has not been determined. But Iran says it has met those commitments earlier than expected and last week US Secretary of State John Kerry declared: "We are days away from implementation." The sanctions have cost Iran more than more than $160bn (£102bn) in oil revenue since 2012 alone. Once they are lifted, the country will be able to resume selling oil on international markets and using the global financial system for trade. Iran has the fourth largest oil reserves in the world and the energy industry is braced for lower prices. Iran will also be able to access more than $100bn in assets frozen overseas. But on Tuesday, Mr Zarean insisted that Iran would not decommission the reactor until it had signed a deal with China regarding its redesign - something that is expected next week. "Definitely, we will not apply any physical change in this field until a final agreement is finalised," he said, without making reference to the Fars report directly. Mr Zarean also said that once the modifications were completed and Arak went online, Iran hoped to export excess heavy water produced there to the US for research purposes, via a third country. Iran estimates it will need about 6 of the 20 tonnes a year of heavy water it will produce for medical isotopes. Government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht separately announced on Tuesday that the sanctions on Iran would be lifted "in the coming days". The precise date when the nuclear deal is implemented and the sanctions are lifted by the UN, US and EU has not been determined and depends on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certifying that Iran has fulfilled its commitments.

Iran's deputy nuclear chief has denied a report that the core of the Arak heavy-water reactor has been removed and filled with concrete.

35302628

The area around Green Park, which also has a large business park, is notorious for its long traffic queues, particularly on match days. Plans for Green Park Station were put on hold two years ago, but the council now wants work on it to start within three years. Reading Borough Council is set to re-submit planning proposals for the stop next year. The stop, by junction 11 of the M4 on the Reading to Basingstoke line, is expected to cost up to ??8m to build. The plans were pulled two years ago when a key developer dropped out. Simon Beasley, network manager at the council, said: "I think it will make a real difference, a positive difference. "Clearly we don't know how it will be serviced by trains but if there's anybody who can divert from the roads to the railways, then of course that's going to be positive."

A new railway station could be built near the Madjeski Stadium in Reading.

25198432

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year will be named during a live awards show on Sunday, 14 December 2014 (BBC One & BBC One HD). Voting details and criteria are below. An expert panel (hereafter 'the Panel') will be convened in November 2014 in London to decide the shortlist for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. The BBC Sports Personality of the Year production team will provide the Panel with a list of the top 50 or more sportspeople from 2014, including information on their achievements. The Panel will be free to consider other potential candidates. The Panel will comprise 12 members this year: •Representatives from BBC Sport: Barbara Slater (Director, BBC Sport), Philip Bernie (Head of TV Sport) and Carl Doran (Executive Editor, BBC Sports Personality of the Year). •Former nominees: Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Rebecca Adlington and Denise Lewis •Representative from BBC Radio 5 live: Jason Roberts •Pan-sports broadcaster/journalist: Alison Mitchell •Representatives from newspaper sports editors: Mike Dunn (Independent, the i and Evening Standard) and Howard Wheatcroft (Express Newspapers Head of Sport) and Alex Butler (Sunday Times). •Representative from UK sports industry: Louise Martin (Chair - sportscotland) The panel will: •Determine the shortlist of 10 for the main BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. •Undertake a back-up vote for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places for the main award (in the unlikely event of voting difficulties on the night of the show). •Decide the top 3 positions for Team of the Year. •Decide the top 3 positions for Coach of the Year. •Decide the top position for Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. The Panel will select a short list of 10 sportspeople on the basis of the following criteria: • Reflects UK sporting achievements on the national and/or international stage; • Represents the breadth and depth of UK sports, and; • Takes into account 'impact' over and beyond the sport or sporting achievement in question. The Panel will endeavour to produce a shortlist based on reaching a consensus view. If a consensus view cannot be reached on all or some of the candidates, then the Panel will be asked to vote for the remaining candidates. In the event of a tied vote, the chairperson's decision (Director, BBC Sport) will be binding. The shortlist of 10 contenders will be announced during 'The One Show' on Monday, 24 November (BBC One, 19:00 GMT) and will also appear on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year website. Vote on the night The public only will decide the winner from the shortlist of 10 contenders during the live show with a vote. This will be overseen by an independent adjudicator. In the unlikely event of: • A tie in the public vote amongst the two contenders obtaining the highest number of votes, the award will be shared amongst those two. There will be no award in second place category and the third place category award will go to the contender scoring highest after the two in the tie. • A tie in the public vote amongst the three contenders obtaining the highest number of votes, the award will be shared amongst the three and there will be no awards in second and third place categories. • A tie in the public vote amongst two contenders obtaining the second highest number of votes, the second place award will be shared amongst those two and there will be no award in third place category. • A tie in the public vote amongst two contenders obtaining the third highest number of votes, the third place award will be shared amongst those two. • A full list of the number of votes polled by each contender will be available on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year website after the show. Voting Terms and Conditions 1. Voting for the main award will be from a shortlist of 10 contenders presented during the live show on BBC One & BBC One HD on Sunday, 14 December 2014. Voting will be available by phone or via the BBC website. The number to call for each contender will be revealed during the programme. There is no voting via email, Red Button or by text. The telephone numbers will be available through Red Button and via the BBC website. 2. Telephone Vote: Voters in the UK can choose either to call from their landline using the long (11-digit) number for the contender(s) of their choice or from their mobile phones using the shortcode (7-digit) number for the contender(s) of their choice. Please note that callers from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man should call from their landlines using the long (11-digit) number to avoid higher mobile charges. Calls to the long (11-digit) number cost 15p from BT landlines, other networks may vary. Calls to the long (11-digit) number will cost considerably more if made from a mobile device. Therefore, only call the long (11-digit) number, when dialling from a landline. To vote from your mobile in the UK, call the short (7-digit) number announced for your chosen contender(s). You cannot text and you cannot dial the short (7-digit) number from a landline. Online Vote: You can also vote online. In order to vote you will need to be registered with the BBC sign in system, BBC iD. You can register at any time. If you are already registered with a BBC iD, you do not need to do anything but will have to sign in in order to vote on the night. (Online votes will be limited to one vote per BBC iD account). The online vote will be open during the same period as the telephone lines. The results of the telephone vote and the online vote will be aggregated prior to any announcements. 3. If you are watching BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014 on iPlayer, following through a website or any other time shift or catch up service you should not vote since the lines will have closed. 4. Voting is only open to individuals as consumers from the UK, and not to any agencies, businesses and/or companies. Please note that BBC employees who are in any way connected to the vote, their close relatives or anyone directly connected in any way with the production of the programme or the provision of telephony services to the programme is not eligible to vote. 5. You must obtain the phone bill payer's permission before voting. 6. Opening and closing times will be specified on the programme. 7. Please be sure you carefully dial only the number of the contender you wish to vote for. 8. Please do NOT call before the lines open, or after the lines have closed, as your vote will not be counted, but you may still be charged. The winner will be announced live on the programme. 9. The BBC reserves the right to disqualify votes if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that fraudulent, excessive or suspicious patterns of voting have occurred or if it considers there has been any attempt to rig the voting. 10. All voting will be overseen by an independent verification service. 11. The BBC reserves the right to cancel or suspend voting at any time. In the event of any such cancellation or suspension, a technical failure or any other malfunction with the vote, the BBC reserves the right to arrange for the winner to be decided by a contingency arrangement from the votes cast by a pre-agreed contingency panel. This panel will be the same as one which devised the shortlist - see above for details. 12. For purpose of verifying any claim for refunds (where offered) or investigating possible voting irregularities, the BBC may need to request the network operator to disclose the telephone number that you are voting from. Please note that this will still be required where you have originally opted not to disclose your telephone number (caller's line identification barring). If you do not agree to this, you should not vote. For the purpose of investigating possible voting irregularities when voting on bbc.co.uk, the BBC may use cookies (to log IP addresses, or analyse the information from your BBC iD account). Where such investigations are required, the BBC will only ever use your personal information for the purposes of running the vote (including processing refunds or investigating possible voting irregularities) and in accordance with the BBC's Privacy and Cookies Policy. The BBC will not publish or provide your personal information to anyone without permission, except where required for enforcement of these terms. You can read more about the BBC Privacy and Cookies Policy here. 13. The BBC, its sub-contractors, subsidiaries and/or agencies cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem with any telephone network or line, system, server, provider or otherwise which may result in any vote being lost or not properly registered or recorded. 14. The voting in this programme accords with the BBC's Code of Conduct for Competitions and Voting, details of which can be found here. Definition of who is eligible Voted for by the public live during the TV show, this prestigious award will be given to the sportsman or woman whose actions have most captured the public's imagination in 2014. Non-playing coaches or management are not eligible. People are eligible to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year if they are citizens of Great Britain or Northern Ireland or all of the following criteria apply: - They play a significant amount of their sport in the UK; - Their core achievements that year were achieved in the UK, and not with a non-UK based team (in which case they would more likely qualify for the Overseas award); - They are residents in the UK. To the foreign sportsman or woman who has made the greatest impression in the world of sport this year. (Includes all non-UK sportsmen and women who do not qualify for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award under its criteria.) The expert panel responsible for choosing the shortlist for the main BBC Sports Personality of the Year award will decide an overall winner for the Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award based on reaching a consensus view. If a consensus view cannot be reached on the winner, then the Panel will be asked to vote. In the event of a tied vote, the chairperson's decision will be binding. The winner will be announced during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme, with full details on the BBC website. To the coach who has made the biggest impact in UK sport. The expert panel responsible for choosing the shortlist for the main BBC Sports Personality of the Year award will decide the top three candidates and the overall winner for the Coach of the Year award based on reaching a consensus view. If a consensus view cannot be reached on the top three, then the Panel will be asked to vote. In the event of a tied vote, the chairperson's decision will be binding. The winner will be announced during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme, with full details on the BBC website. For the team in an individual sport or sporting discipline that has achieved the most notable performance in the calendar year to date. The team should have significant UK interest or involvement. The expert panel responsible for choosing the shortlist for the main BBC Sports Personality of the Year award will decide the top three candidates and an overall winner for the Team of the Year award based on reaching a consensus view. If a consensus view cannot be reached on the top three, then the Panel will be asked to vote. In the event of a tied vote, the chairperson's decision will be binding. The winner will be announced during the BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme, with details on the BBC website. This will be awarded to the outstanding young sportsperson aged 17 or under on 1 January 2014, selected from nominations made to the BBC and by sports governing bodies via the Youth Sport Trust. Nominations close on 3 November 2014. People are eligible to win the award if they are the right age and they are citizens of Britain or Northern Ireland or all three of the following criteria: - They play a significant amount of their sport in the UK; - Their core achievements that year were achieved in the UK, and not with a national team (in which case they would more likely qualify for the Overseas Sports Personality award); - They are residents in the UK. Judging panel BBC Sport's John Inverdale chairs a panel which includes three representatives of Youth Sport Trust, former winner of the award Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, 2013 main award nominee Hannah Cockroft, Blue Peter presenter Lindsey Russell, a Blue Peter competition winner, Radio 1's Tina Daheley and the executive editor of BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The panel meet to decide the top 10 contenders from the list of nominations collected by the Youth Sport Trust and the BBC. They will select the winner by secret ballot and the final vote will be independently verified. The top three will be announced on Blue Peter and invited to the live event at The Hydro in Glasgow. The other top seven contenders will be notified out of courtesy that they have not made the final shortlist. The winner will be announced live on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme and the BBC Sport website on Sunday, 14 December 2014. By way of explanation the young judge selected by Blue Peter will be done so using the following criteria: •The applicant will have been successful in their application for a Blue Peter Sport Badge 2014 and the quality of the Sport Badge application may also be taken into consideration. •The quality of the answer to the question, "Why would you be a great judge for Young Sports Personality of the Year 2014?" will be assessed. The answer must demonstrate a passion for sport, show why they are good at making decisions and be all their own work. If there is any reasonable doubt about this the application will not be considered. •In a phone interview the candidates will be assessed on their suitability for the role, confidence in a judging situation and ability to deal with the task and appearing on camera. •Being part the panel that decides who wins Young Sports Personality of the Year 2014 is a responsible role, the young judge will need to be confident working with adults and making informed decisions. A special BBC award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity. There is no vote. It is in the gift of the BBC to choose the winner, who is decided by the board of BBC Sport. The award will be presented live on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme on Sunday, 14 December 2014. The Lifetime Achievement award honours someone who has made a major impact on the world of sport during their lifetime. There is no vote. It is in the gift of the BBC to choose the winner, who is decided by the board of BBC Sport. The award will be presented live on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme on Sunday, 14 December 2014. 1. Any UK resident (incl. Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) aged 18 or over on 1 January 2014 is eligible to be nominated, except previous winners of the BBC Sport Unsung Hero Awards, BBC employees OR any person connected to the Awards and their close relatives. Proof of age, identity and eligibility may be requested. 2. The nominee must: (i) either be an individual or no more than two people who are both involved in the same sporting activity (ii) help amateurs participate in a sports activity (iii) offer help that does not form part of their job or take place at their place of work (iv) help voluntarily with no financial reward (v) in the opinion of the nominator be deserving of a BBC Award (vi) not bring the BBC into disrepute (in the BBC's sole discretion) (vii) have consented to be nominated. 3. Nominations can be made via bbc.co.uk/unsunghero from Monday 8 September 2014, and must be received no later than Monday 20 October 2014. 4. Only one nomination is permitted per person and it should be on the official BBC form. Nominators should declare any professional or personal relationship with the person or people nominated. 5. The BBC will appoint a representative in each of its 12 English Regions plus Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who will each shortlist no more than 10 nominees for their regional voting panel. The shortlisting criteria will be (i) The extent of the nominees' contribution at the grassroots level of their sport (ii) the range and number of people helped (iii) the impact on their local community (iv) the personal sacrifices or commitment made. 6. Regional judging panels consisting of BBC staff and non-BBC members will meet to select a BBC Get Inspired Unsung Hero Award for their respective area from those shortlisted and based on the criteria above. The 15 regional winners become eligible for the overall BBC Get Inspired Unsung Hero 2014 Award. 7. A national judging panel will then meet to select the overall winner from the 15 regional winners based on the aforementioned criteria, any supporting documentation and a short BBC film about each of them. It is intended that the panel will consist of representatives from the BBC, leading sports figures and a previous BBC Unsung Hero winner dependent on availability. The judging process will be overseen by an independent verifier. 8. Nominees may be asked to disclose details of any and all criminal and civil actions pending against them, or served against them plus any unspent convictions. Entrants asked for this information must keep the BBC informed of any changes to that disclosed up to the point the winner is announced. This information will be handled in the strictest confidence as will all personal information, accordance with the BBC Privacy Policy. 9. Following standard industry practice, the BBC may undertake background checks of the shortlisted finalists. Information discovered or that may have been disclosed by the entrants themselves will inform the decision as to the selection of the regional winners and overall winner. 10. The overall winner will be announced live on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014 programme, to be held in Glasgow on Sunday 14 December and to which all regional winners are invited to attend. 11. The judges' decision as to the winner is final. No correspondence relating to the awards will be entered into. 12. The regional winners will each receive a regional BBC Get Inspired Unsung Hero Award 2014 trophy and the national winner will receive the national BBC Get Inspired Unsung Hero Award 2014 trophy. There are no cash alternatives and the award cannot be sold or transferred in any circumstances. 13. Nominees must agree to take part in any post-award publicity if required. 14. The BBC reserves the right to: (i) vary the opening and closing times for making nominations and to vary the date of the announcement of the awards; (ii) disqualify any nominee who breaches the rules or has acted fraudulently in any way (iii) cancel or vary the awards or any of the selection processes or criteria, at any stage, if in its opinion it is deemed necessary or if circumstances arise outside its control. 15. The BBC, its sub-contractors, subsidiaries and/or agencies cannot accept any responsibility whatsoever for any technical failure or malfunction or any other problem which may result in any nomination not being properly registered. 16. The BBC will only use personal details for the purposes of administering this award and will not publish or provide them to anyone without permission. You can read more about the BBC's Privacy Policy at bbc.co.uk/privacy 17. Nominators and nominees (on accepting their nomination) will be deemed to have accepted these rules and agree to be bound by them.

BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR 2014, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Sunday 14 December.

24145324

Crickhowell High School approached Powys council offering to manage the town's library to benefit pupils and the community. It would mean the service can meet its local savings target. The library would stay in its Silver Street location, and the council said the handover would be seamless with no disruption to the public.

A Powys high school has offered to take over a town library to secure its future.

38340569

It is the first time the high-security facility has invited watchdog Healthwatch to speak to its residents. They will be asked for their views on a range of healthcare issues, including GP services and dentistry. West London Mental Health NHS Trust, which runs the unit, said it was a "groundbreaking initiative". The announcement came after the hospital, based in Crowthorne and home to some of the UK's most notorious killers, was issued with a Care Quality Commission warning notice in December. Carolyn Regan, chief executive of the trust, said receiving patient feedback was "crucial to ensuring we are providing a responsive and high-quality service". She said: "Having an external independent organisation such as Healthwatch listen to patient feedback is even more valuable." Mark Sanders, of Healthwatch Bracknell Forest, said: "Patients within a high secure forensic hospital should have as much say about the services they receive as any other patient. "We are happy to be able to support that voice for patients and feedback to West London Mental Health NHS Trust to improve the services and environment offered."

Psychiatric patients detained at Broadmoor are being asked for feedback on their care by an independent watchdog.

39330853

Elections are being held in 27 English county councils and seven unitary authorities, last contested in 2009, as well as in Anglesey in Wales. Labour are defending the South Shields seat in a contest caused by the resignation of David Miliband in March. Mayoral contests are also being held in Doncaster and North Tyneside. Polls for all the contests opened at 07:00 BST, and close at 22:00 BST. Blue sky and sunshine are covering much of England, as millions of voters choose who will represent them on their local council. More than 2,300 seats are up for grabs in county councils and unitary authorities across the length and breadth of England, including Derbyshire, Lancashire, Somerset, Essex, Surrey, Leicestershire, Kent, Durham, Bristol and Cornwall. The Conservatives and Labour are putting up candidates in most seats, with 2,263 and 2,168 candidates respectively. The Lib Dems have 1,763 candidates. UKIP is fielding 1,745 candidates, three times as many as it did the last time these seats were fought in 2009, and the Greens have 893 candidates. Other parties standing include the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, which is fighting 120 seats, the BNP, with 99 candidates and the English Democrats, with 38 candidates. There are around 900 independent candidates. No elections are taking place in London, Scotland or Northern Ireland. The majority of council results are expected on Friday between 11:00 BST and 18:30 BST, although six councils - Lincolnshire, Dorset, Somerset, Essex, Gloucestershire and Hampshire - will declare their results in the early hours of Friday morning. The result for the South Shields by-election is also expected early on Friday morning.

Voters across England are going to the polls for council elections and a parliamentary by-election in South Shields.

22376584

Lagavulin is launching a single cask edition of 522 bottles of its single malt to raise funds for local projects. Sales of the £1,494 bottles are set to see £310,000 donated to Islay Heritage to help build a story of the island's past based on its archaeological sites. The Finlaggan Trust, which maintains the historical home of the Lord of the Isles, should also receive £60,000. The Lagavulin 200 Legacy is set to make further contributions to the local swimming pool, cyber cafe and arts and festival organisations, as well as a new partnership with the RSPB to restore and conserve peatlands on the island. Nick Morgan, of Lagavulin's owners Diageo, said: "We have had a fantastic year celebrating the 200th anniversary of Lagavulin, both on Islay and with the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who adore the whisky. "Islay and its remarkable local community are at the heart of Lagavulin. "That's why we were determined there should be a legacy from the anniversary which would directly benefit the island and its people. "We believe that our contribution to Islay Heritage is not only of great significance to the island itself but is an important contribution to conserving and promoting the history and heritage of Scotland." Bottles of the Lagavulin 1991 Single Malt Scotch Whisky cask can only be purchased through an online ballot on The Whisky Exchange. The first bottle will be auctioned separately to raise more charitable funds, and one bottle will be donated to the Diageo Archive and the Whisky Exchange. Steven Mithen, trustee of Islay Heritage and professor of archaeology, said: "Islay Heritage is hugely grateful to the Lagavulin 200 Legacy for the support it is providing to further our knowledge about the archaeological sites and monuments on Islay. "This investment in our heritage will greatly benefit both the local community and visitors to the island. "While some of Islay's sites and monuments are very well known and accessible, others are virtually unknown, difficult to find and rarely visited. "There are no doubt many more waiting to be discovered which will help tell us more about not only Islay's story but that of Scotland, Europe and the path of human culture as a whole. "We are delighted that Lagavulin shares our vision to reveal Islay's past so that it can be explored and enjoyed by everyone."

A whisky distillery plans to invest £580,000 in community projects to mark its 200 years on the island of Islay.

38484254

"Caucasian Heritage Night: Irish, Italian, Scandinavian, German --- or even Utahn! Whatever your background, celebrate it at the Home of the Owlz!" a calendar entry reads. Other promotions included "Christmas in August" and "Throwback Night". The team is associated with the Angels, a major league team in California. "Our goal in this promotion, like any of our promotions, is to have fun and make fun of everyday normalcies," the team said. "Our night was to include wonder bread on burgers with mayonnaise, clips from shows like Friends and Seinfeld and trying to solve the vertical leaping challenge. "We understand, in light of recent tragic events, that our intentions have been misconstrued. For that, we sincerely apologise." On Wednesday night, nine people were shot dead in an African-American church in South Carolina in what police termed a hate crime. The Owlz are a rookie-league team - the most entry level division of the minor leagues. The league is designed for new players hone their skills. On Friday, "Caucasian Heritage Night" quickly became a top trending term on Twitter in the US.

A minor league baseball team in Utah has cancelled plans to host a "Caucasian Heritage Night" in August, according to the team's website.

33209329

The Richard III Society branded the decision as a "monumental mistake" which would be "humiliating" to the king. However, the Very Revd David Monteith, Dean of Leicester, said the play would be "sensitive" towards him. He was reburied at the cathedral in 2015 in a specially designed tomb. The remains of the last Plantagenet monarch were placed under the cathedral two years ago, after they were discovered under a car park in the city in 2012. Shakespeare's play is critical of the king, calling him a "poisonous bunch-back'd toad." Philippa Langley, from the Richard III Society, is not against the play but is opposed to it being performed in Leicester Cathedral. "To perform this play right beside this man's grave is quite frankly, a deliberate humiliation," she said. "This is not what the great city of Leicester and its people is about." Source: Royal Shakespeare Company The Cathedral has said the show will go ahead as planned in July, despite the criticism. "King Richard III lies in peace," Revd David Monteith told BBC East Midlands Today. "What we now know is that he belongs to the whole nation and not just to one section of people particularly committed to his story. "I've heard most people say how glad they are that Richard III, the Shakespeare play, will be performed here." The play will also be performed at Peterborough, Ely, Gloucester, Bristol and Salisbury cathedrals in July.

Leicester Cathedral has defended its decision to stage Shakespeare's Richard III a few feet from the monarch's final resting place.

39856414

North Wales Police said the group damaged windows at the Mold branch before damaging cars elsewhere. A local resident also needed hospital treatment after being assaulted on Saturday night. The incidents happened between 18:00 and 21:00 GMT. Seven people have been bailed and one released without charge.

Eight teenagers have been arrested after a large group of youths attacked a McDonald's in Flintshire on Halloween.

34719006

The tortoise, known as Speed, had been in geriatric decline for some time. Keepers at San Diego Zoo had used acupuncture and hydrotherapy to treat his arthritis and other ailments. Speed had been brought to California in 1933 as part of a programme to preserve the endangered species from the Volcan Cerro Azul island of the Galapagos, off Ecuador. Thirteen Galapagos tortoises remain at the zoo. The group has produced more than 90 offspring which can be found in many other zoos. Many of them have been sired by Speed.

A giant Galapagos tortoise more than 150 years old has been put down at a zoo in California.

33214297

With England's 2016 fixtures completed, captain Heather Knight is heading to Australia, and another season leading Hobart Hurricanes in the Women's Big Bash League. A lot has happened in the past 12 months, and it's been a bit of a crazy year to be honest! Having taken over as England captain in June, the past five months have been some of my most enjoyable and rewarding in an England shirt. There's no doubt that it's been challenging along the way, but I'm really enjoying leading this team. As a group we feel like we've come a long way in the past year and a lot of credit has to go to our head coach Mark Robinson and assistant coach Ali Maiden for that. Alongside the England captaincy, I've also led Hobart Hurricanes, Western Storm and Berkshire in the past 12 months, so I've certainly had to manage a broad range of different people - from county players who have never played in front of a decent crowd before, to established overseas international players, and England team-mates who have won more than 100 caps. That is sometimes one of the hardest things to get right as a captain - knowing what to say and when to say it, to try to get the best out of those different characters on the pitch. It's not an exact science, but I feel like I'm learning and growing as a leader all of the time. I know that as soon as I stop trying to do that, I'll be in trouble, so I'll always be looking at ways I can get better. That's an attitude I've always had with my cricket, so I don't see why captaincy should be any different. During the second ODI against Sri Lanka earlier this month, I had a bit of a slip when I was batting and aggravated an old hamstring tendon injury, which unfortunately forced me to sit on the sidelines for the third match. Although I'm generally dreadful at watching, and always want to be involved, the girls did a brilliant job and, in my absence, they were skippered to a comfortable win by Danielle Hazell. The old hamstring injury was actually the reason I started bowling off-spin in 2014, as I was no longer able to send down my (very average) 'dibbly dobbly' seamers in the nets. So something good came out of four months on the sidelines at least! I was quite surprised to be told that, at the conclusion of the ICC Women's Championship last week, I had finished as the second highest wicket-taker in the competition. I think a lot of those wickets have probably come down to the bowlers at the other end, but I'm proud of a good couple of years with the ball all the same. I think I'll always see myself as a batter who bowls a few tweakers, but it's nice to be able to contribute to the team in another way. I'm definitely glad I decided to go down the spinner's route following my injury and with a bit of encouragement from our former spin coach Carl Crowe. After about 10 days at home, I'll be heading off to Australia for the Women's Big Bash League - along with a number of my England team-mates - and rejoining the Hobart Hurricanes. After a good season with the 'Canes last year, I'm massively excited to meet up with the team again and see what the second edition of the WBBL holds. Also, as an England team, we can now start looking forward to next summer's ICC Women's World Cup. As a player I don't think there is anything more exciting than getting the chance to play in a World Cup on home soil. I keep saying it, but it is so true, we have the best women's cricket supporters in the world, so hopefully we will get to play in front of some passionate home fans throughout the tournament next year. As a West Country girl, it's great that two of the group-stage venues - Taunton and Bristol - are in this part of the country. We are also looking forward to playing at Derby and Leicester, and with a bit of luck and some good performances, at Lord's in the final on 23 July! You can read more BBC columns from Heather during the winter.

After a year which included so much change and so many firsts for us as a team, it felt strangely appropriate that our final international outing of 2016 ended with another first for us all - a one-day international spread over two days in Colombo because of rain, which we won to secure a 4-0 series victory against Sri Lanka.

38110941

Richard Broughton, 37, died on Sunday after he was knocked down by a car in Elsecar at around 19:00 GMT on Friday. The car did not stop at the scene. South Yorkshire Police has since recovered a vehicle in connection with the crash. A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and a 35-year-old man has been held on suspicion of violent disorder. Both men remain in custody. Police said a disturbance was reported prior to the incident on Welland Crescent. Officers have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Two men have been arrested following an alleged hit-and-run in Barnsley.

39769835

No-one here is in any doubt that Boko Haram did it. It seems people do not know where to vent their anger now but hostility hangs in the air. Inside the mosque, the sight is shocking. Beyond the blood-soaked steps, the floor is strewn with debris: scattered prayer mats, beads, smashed spectacles and pages from the Koran. There are bullet marks on the pillars and the suicide bombers' blood can be seen splattered across the walls and right up inside the dome. "We heard a loud sound outside, but people said let's continue praying," said Adamu Magashi, who was inside facing the imam who had just finished his sermon at the time of the attack. "Then a bomb went off right inside the mosque and somebody started shooting. We tried to move towards the imam and there was another blast - we couldn't even see each other as we tried to escape," he told me after returning to the scene. Outside, a large crowd stands over the twisted remains of the motorbikes and bicycles that were engulfed in the flames when the first bomber struck, driving a car into the assembled worshippers. Policemen occasionally disperse the agitated throng. Another crowd stares at a collection of blackened shoes that has been gathered up in the large open sandy area in front of the green domed mosque. "This was the first time ever the five daily prayers were not observed in this mosque," one shocked man, who has often prayed here, told me, describing the attack as unimaginable. On Friday, the terror swiftly turned to fury when three of the gunmen were overpowered right outside the mosque. They were beaten and burnt to death. Had their lives been spared, they could have provided useful intelligence on the group behind the violence - not that the police have a good record of investigating and prosecuting. Boko Haram's former leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed when in police custody in 2009. At one of the hospitals, where the hundreds of injured are being treated, the police had to intervene to stop a mob lynching a man who had somehow caused fury by taking a photograph. By targeting such a prominent place of worship, the jihadists have sent shockwaves right across Nigeria. This was not just another attack - Boko Haram seemed to be stating it had no respect for the way Islam is practised here. The people of Kano have been shocked and traumatised before by bombers and gunmen working in tandem. This was by no means the first Boko Haram attack on a mosque. But it was possibly the most devastating. And whilst some have portrayed the Boko Haram insurgency as a war on Christianity, this attack is yet another stark reminder that the vast majority of victims in the conflict have been Muslims. Back in April 2007, a high-profile Muslim cleric was killed in Kano. Sheikh Ja'afar Mahmoud Adam, was gunned down as he prayed at a mosque here after criticising the group's hardline ideology. Seven years on and the list of targets has grown to include policemen, soldiers, government workers, schoolchildren, teachers, vigilantes, entire barracks as well as towns and villages that have recently been captured by the Islamist insurgents. Anyone who does not subscribe to Boko Haram's own interpretation of Islam is a potential victim. The mosque is situated right next to the emir of Kano's palace and is where the outspoken Mohammed Sanusi II regularly preaches. Some people suggest it is no coincidence that the jihadists chose this mosque. Just last week, in the very same building, the emir warned people not to rely on protection by the military, urging them to defend themselves against attacks by the insurgents. "If people flee the villages, the terrorists slaughter our male children and abduct our girls to force them in to slavery," he said. He was out of the country when the gunmen and bombers struck, but he returned on Saturday, visited the mosque twice and sounded defiant. "We will never be intimidated into abandoning our religion, which is the intention of the attackers," he said. He later lead evening prayers at the bloody scene. As trucks take away the debris, people are now cleaning up the mosque ready to pray again. But the jihadist attacks are so relentless that no-one knows where they will strike next. In the 10 days prior to the Kano attack, 188 people were killed by Boko Haram in four separate attacks. And those are just the incidents we heard about. The loss of life here is on a staggering scale, but the politicians hardly mention it. There's a presidential vote in February, and election fever takes precedence.

The tension is palpable in Kano, after bombers and gunmen struck killing more than 100 people at the central mosque.

30266868

Uefa's control, ethics and disciplinary body imposed the punishment for "acts of violence against the referee". Lennon was sent to the stand during last month's Europa League qualifying match against Brondby after remonstrating with officials. He was automatically banned from the touchline for the return leg in Denmark, with Hibs losing on penalties. The 45-year-old described his dismissal on his debut at Easter Road on 14 July as "pathetic". The former Celtic boss was incensed after Jason Cummings had a goal disallowed after 30 minutes that television replays showed was onside. Hibs lost the first leg 1-0 but levelled the tie away from home before Brondby won through on spot-kicks. The Edinburgh club responded via Twitter, saying: "Hibernian are aware of the sanction imposed by Uefa on head coach Neil Lennon and are in the process of appealing the suspension."

Hibernian are to appeal against the five-match European ban given to manager Neil Lennon.

36958137

Hanson Academy strictly enforced its school uniform policy on Tuesday, with almost 10% of pupils failing to reach the academy's standards. Angry parents took to the school's Facebook page to complain about the new measures. But Hanson Academy claims it "communicated clearly" its expectations for this school year. Pupils face being sent home for a variety of reasons, including if they wear hoop earrings, two earrings or more per ear or patterned trousers. Students are also not allowed to have an unnatural hair colour or wear jumpers, jackets or coats indoors, and there are strict rules about the type of footwear allowed. Principal Elizabeth Churton told the BBC that a further 63 pupils were sent home on Wednesday. She said in an earlier statement: "We explained that students who arrived to school with a uniform issue that could be resolved would be sent home to rectify and parents would be contacted. "As forewarned, some students were sent home for this reason. "They were sent home to change and the majority rectified this immediately and returned to school ready to learn." The principal said rules were an important part of growing up to get students ready for "adult life". She said: "This is part and parcel of a much wider push on conduct, on behaviour, on attitudes and respect. "Uniform and the way in which we wear our clothes is all part and parcel of the way in which we communicate with each other. "It is all part of the educational experience which you would find in any good to outstanding school." Caren Oxlaide's son was one of those sent home for not wearing the regulation black leather shoes. She said: "It states black shoes, lace-up, no trainers and flat-soled. That's exactly what his are, pure leather." She said buying new shoes was not an easy option. "I can't really afford them, not on income support. But I've got to somehow do it because my son's education is important." Diane Hickey's daughter Cassidy, 13, was sent home on Wednesday because she was wearing black pumps. "I'm not buying her a new pair of shoes. I'm a single parent. I can't afford a new pair of shoes," she said. Another parent expressed concerns about how they were being informed their children had been sent home. Fiona Taylor, who has two children aged 13 and 11 at the school, said: "Parents yesterday didn't receive text messages until after 14:00. "So all day their children have been sent away and these parents who were out at work did not get informed until late in the afternoon." The school insists it will persist with the policy, but Mrs Churton admitted there had been mixed feedback from parents. She said the school would work with parents who were struggling to dress their children appropriately.

An academy in Bradford has sent home 152 pupils for arriving at the school gates without meeting its dress code.

29911712

The 28-year-old had another year left on his deal but is moving to France, with Racing Metro keen on the player. Prop Jerry Yanuyanutawa and flanker Tyrone Holmes are also leaving, while hooker Kevin Bryce will join Edinburgh. "These type of opportunities only come around once and I couldn't turn it down," said Nakarawa. "This is a new challenge which I'm looking forward to, but that is next season and my focus just now is trying to retain the Pro12 trophy and end my time at the club on a high. "Glasgow Warriors have helped me a lot with the coaches and backroom staff improving my game and making me stronger." Nakawara, who has played 66 games since joining Glasgow in 2013, turned in a man-of-the-match display in last season's Pro12 final, as Glasgow overpowered Munster. "Leone has attracted a lot of interest from other clubs due to the form he's been in over the last year," head coach Gregor Townsend explained. "During the World Cup a lot of clubs were interested in signing him and although we were looking to retain him, we have now agreed to let Leone leave a year early. "Right from when there was interest in him I've been fully involved with Scottish Rugby in the discussions with Leone and his agent, and the deal which was subsequently agreed has allowed us to strengthen our squad for next season. "Leone has been a fantastic player for the club and has been a pleasure to coach. He has worked hard and developed into one of the best second rows in the world during the past three years. "We are looking forward to Leone delivering similar performances as we enter a very exciting run of games at the end of this season." Glasgow, two points behind Leinster and Connacht at the top of the Pro 12, host Italian side Zebre on Friday, 29 April before concluding the regular season away to Connacht on 7 May. Bryce, whose brother Glenn is also moving from Warriors to Edinburgh next season, will switch from hooker to tight-head prop with the capital outfit. The decision evolved following last year's World Cup, when he won the last of this three Scotland caps as a replacement against the USA. "The more I thought about and discussed it, the more I thought it would be the right move," said the 27-year-old. "It's not massively different, just a matter of making a number of technical adjustments. My dad [Jock, who helped Heriot's win the Scottish club championship in 2000], made the move from flanker to loose-head during his playing days so it's not so unusual to make some sort of change." Edinburgh head coach Alan Solomons added: "It is terrific news for the club. He is an abrasive, physical player who will fit in well at Edinburgh." Confirmed Glasgow departures (appearances in brackets): Duncan Weir (106), Leone Nakarawa (66), Mike Cusack (48), Taqele Naiyaravoro (20), Jerry Yanuyanutawa (46), Tyrone Holmes (34), Glenn Bryce (15), Kevin Bryce (12), Will Bordill* (7), Shalva Mamukashvili (6), Fergus Scott (3), Gregor Hunter* (2), Jason Hill* (0) and Javan Sebastian* (0). *Partnership players. Retiring: James Eddie (126), Mike Blair (12).

Glasgow Warriors have announced that influential Fiji international second row Leone Nakarawa is to leave at the end of the season.

36149536

The summertime routes were due to end in late September but due to poor seat sales, the airline is stopping the service at the end of August. The airline said it had reallocated its planes to "routes with greater demand". It said it would offer a "full refund or alternative flights" to customers who were booked to fly in September "We apologise sincerely for the inconvenience caused," said an Aer Lingus statement.

Aer Lingus has apologised to customers after it cancelled all its September flights from Belfast to Majorca and from Belfast to Alicante, Spain.

40520319

The minimum prison term has risen from 20 to 40 years. It will apply for all abductions, including those that last only a few hours or days, so-called "express kidnappings". The maximum prison sentence will rise from 50 to 140 years for those who kill their victims. Kidnappings committed by a public security official, such as a member of the police or military, will be punished with up to 100 years in prison. Kidnappers will also have to pay heavy fines. In reality, few people ever receive sentences longer than 60 years for federal crimes, but kidnapping is considered in a separate category. The number of kidnappings reported to the police has risen dramatically in Mexico in recent years. In 2007, 438 kidnappings were reported, but the number had risen to almost 1,700 last year. And the government estimates the number of kidnappings reported to the police could be fewer than 2% of the total. If that is the case, the real number of abductions could be about 105,000 per year. Analysts say accurate figures are hard to come by, as many abductions only last for hours or a few days until the victims empty their bank accounts at gunpoint or pay a ransom. Most are never reported to the authorities for fear of reprisals from the criminal gang which carried out the kidnapping. In January this year the Mexican government launched a nationwide effort to fight kidnapping. A federal prosecutor, Renato Sales, was named to head an anti-kidnapping committee that would co-ordinate efforts to fight abductions in the 10 Mexican states (out of 31) where 74% of all kidnappings take place. "Mexico needs to deal quickly and efficiently with the humanitarian emergency that this crime entails," said Mr Sales at the time.

Mexico has published new sentencing guidelines that will double prison sentences for kidnapping.

27689664

Speaking to Radio Times magazine, Paxman, 63, said: "If a chap can't shave on holiday, what can he do? Beards are so 2013." Paxman unintentionally created a media storm when he fronted Newsnight with a full beard on BBC Two last August. At the time, he branded the BBC "pogonophobic" - which means having a fear of beards. He also explained his reasons, saying: "I have grown a beard for the last few summers, and suddenly wondered whether I really needed to shave it off to present Newsnight. "Unless you're lucky enough to be Uncle Albert on Only Fools And Horses, Demis Roussos or Abu Hamza, the BBC is generally as pogonophobic as the late-lamented Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha." Expanding on his thesis, he told the Telegraph: "Beards promise freedom." "They cover a multitude of chins. They spare you having to look in the mirror at the ravages of time, absolve you of pointless, never-to-be-acted-upon promises to yourself, and they remind you that you're not going into the office today." Paxman's newly-hirsute appearance caused a flurry of comment and opinion pieces during the summer's slow news season. Radio broadcaster Robin Lustig, a beard of the year winner, agreed that the BBC was biased against beards. "On TV, yes definitely, the evidence is there," he said. "There's no bearded current affairs presenter. "Michael Buerk once was told to shave off his beard if he wanted to carry on presenting." Celebrities also waded into the debate, with Comedian Russell Brand, telling Paxman his beard was "gorgeous" during a Newsnight interview. "If the Daily Mail don't want it, I do," he added. "I'm against them, grow it longer, tangle it into your armpit hair." Paxman replied: "You are a very trivial man." The Beard Liberation Front, which describes itself as a British and international pressure group which campaigns in support of beards and opposes discrimination against those who wear them, said it was a shame Paxman had decided to return to his clean-shaven look. "We support people's right to dress and appear as they want so, while we regret Jeremy Paxman's decision to shave off his gravitas-adding beard, the choice should be entirely up to him, BBC pogonophobia notwithstanding." While Paxman made the shortlist for the Beard Liberation Front's Beard of the Year 2013, he was beaten by choirmaster Gareth Malone and actor John Hurt, who claimed joint first place.

Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman has shaved off his infamous beard for the new year.

25635272

Profits for the three months to March rose to $3.8bn (£2.6bn), compared with $2.1bn for the same period in 2015. The stronger performance in Europe helped Ford to outpace Detroit rival General Motors. Ford chief executive Mark Fields said the company had an "absolutely terrific start to the year". Shares rose 3.2% in New York, but are still 11% lower than this time last year. Ford's European business made a pretax profit of $434m in the quarter - higher than the total for all of last year - and substantially better than a $42m loss for the same period in 2015. By comparison GM made a $6m loss in Europe during the first quarter of 2016, better than the $239m loss last year. Ford remained the region's best-selling commercial vehicle brand, reflecting the popularity of the Transit and Ranger lineups. In North America, Ford's F-150 trucks and SUVs were a major contributor to the company's profit growth. Pretax profit in the region rose to $3.1bn, outpacing GM's $2.3bn and more than double the $1.5bn for the first quarter of 2015. Earlier this month the company said it had set up a new subsidiary, Ford Smart Mobility, in a bid to combat growing competition from the technology sector. Ford has been investing in driverless cars and earlier this year tested a self-driving vehicle in the snow.

Ford posted a record quarterly profit following strong sales in Europe and moving more pick-up trucks and SUVs in North America.

36163472

A "terrorist hide" was uncovered at Capanagh Forest near Larne after two members of the public found suspicious objects in the woods on Saturday. Some of the items found included an armour-piercing improvised rocket and two anti-personnel mines. The main line of police inquiry is the arms belonged to dissident republicans. Last week, Home Secretary Theresa May said MI5 believed an attack on targets in Great Britain by dissident republicans had become "a strong possibility". Analysis: Vincent Kearney, BBC News NI's home affairs correspondent The discovery of what appears to be a second dissident republican arms dump near Larne within three months has left police baffled. Based on location alone, the analysis would be that the items found most likely belonged to loyalist paramilitaries. But the nature of what was found suggests otherwise and the finger of suspicion firmly in the direction of dissident republicans. Det Supt Kevin Geddes said the threat level in Northern Ireland from dissident republican groups remains "severe" and an attack is "highly likely". Police officers found three barrels hidden in holes in the forest. As well as rockets and mines, there were also several pipe bombs, assault rifle ammunition and parts to construct a "substantial number of explosive devices". Det Supt Geddes said the seizure was significant "both in terms of its size and its capability". "A number of these devices were ready to be deployed," he added. "This seizure has undoubtedly saved lives." He said the type of weapons that had been found meant police would focus their investigation on dissident republicans. In March, an arms find was made at Carnfunnock Country Park near Larne, and police said the were investigating a connection between the two discoveries. "There are links in terms of the general location and the manner and method of storage and packaging of these munitions," Det Supt Geddes said. He added that police are "indebted" to the two people who noticed the suspicious objects in the Capanagh Forest.

A discovery of arms in a County Antrim forest was one of the most significant in recent years, police in Northern Ireland have said.

36315883

The Norwich City skipper - along with his team-mates - has remained in Malta for a training camp following Sunday's disappointing 1-0 loss to Italy. And with the Scots having failed to reach this summer's tournament, it will be the players' last game of a long season. However, it is a very different story for the French who face Gordon Strachan's side in their final warm-up match before they open the tournament against Romania in Paris on 10 June. And Martin acknowledges they need to improve if they are to avoid back-to-back friendly defeats after struggling to impose themselves on the Italians. "I think we're disappointed that we didn't show how good we can be, but it's the end of a long season, you have to take that into account," he told BBC Scotland. "We need to be braver on the ball and show a bit more quality and I think in the second half we did that. We're pleased with how we dug in and showed a lot of team spirit. "Now we're looking forward to another game against extremely tough opposition. "Hopefully on Saturday we will be able to put on a bit of a better show with the ball and keep that spirit and doggedness without it." Martin agreed with Strachan that Sunday's defeat will prove valuable if Scotland again need to counter the 3-5-2 tactics deployed by Italy coach Antonio Conte. The 30-year-old - who could earn his 25th cap in Metz - also believes taking on opponents of the standard of the Italians and French will benefit the younger players in the squad in particular. "I think we learned how to play against a difficult system that we're going to come up against in the World Cup qualifying campaign," he said. "The manager and players have taken quite a bit out of that, but we also learned to be a top team, the kind of risks you have to take. "We played against a top team on Sunday and I think the young lads, even those who didn't play, will look at those players as something to aspire to, because we have some really good young ones in this squad. "They have a chance to hit those heights if they want to, if they really want it. It'll show them how hard they'll have to work, it gives them someone to emulate and look up to. "We need to make sure we can compete with these nations and qualify for a tournament." Although accepting that the French will likely represent a superior challenge, Martin wants the squad to embrace it and use the occasion as inspiration for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. "It'll be a step-up in terms of intensity and tempo I think," Martin said. "They're obviously the home nation, they've sold it out already and it'll be a taste of what the atmosphere is going to be like at the Euros. "We'll need to be at it from the start, it's as simple as that and we know that. "They've probably got a little bit more flair in attack but probably not as good defensively as the Italians so it's a different test for us. We'll go there and we'll have a go."

Scotland defender Russell Martin wants the team be brave when they travel to Metz on Saturday to face Euro 2016 hosts France.

36422274

Australia are in a commanding position after two days of the second Test at Lord's as they look to square the series after England's win in Cardiff. Johnson, 33, was named man of the series following Australia's Ashes win in 2013-14 when he took 37 wickets. "I hope so. That'd be nice, to have those scars come back out," he said. Left-arm paceman Johnson had a chastening time at the first Test in Cardiff as he finished with match figures of 2-180. But he looked back to something like his best at Lord's with 2-16 from a six-over spell as England recovered from 30-4 to reach 85-4 after Australia had declared on 566-8. "Nothing's changed for me. It's always nice to go out there and perform and to bowl at good pace," Johnson added. "The ball's been swinging over here too and I've really enjoyed that. When the ball swings at good pace it makes it a little more difficult." He also appeared to make light of England's talk of playing a more attacking style of cricket under new coach Trevor Bayliss. "We were hoping they would come out and play the aggressive brand they've been talking about," he said. "We hope they come out in the morning and do the same thing." And he added: "I guess Ben Stokes is a very aggressive player anyway so we'd like to see him play some shots and hopefully get a couple of quick wickets in the morning. "I can't decide for them, if they want to play aggressive cricket or if they want to go the other way." England paceman Stuart Broad, who took four for 83 in Australia's first innings, accepted his side had succumbed to the pressure of the tourists' huge total. "It's always a tricky period when you've conceded a lot of runs to then go out and bat for 30 overs," he said. "It's always a big test for you and I think mentally we didn't switch on for 20 minutes - and lost four wickets. "We'll have a few batsmen in that changing room wishing they could face their balls again and play them pretty differently, I think."

Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson says Australia's attack can reopen the scars of England's batting struggles from their 5-0 Ashes whitewash down under.

33577840

Fifty people were on the First Great Western rail replacement service from Oxford to Didcot when it was hit at Drayton, at 00:30 GMT. One of the three people taken to hospital sustained serious but non life-threatening injuries, police said. The southbound carriageway has been reopened but investigations are continuing. The remaining passengers, who did not require hospital treatment, were taken to Abingdon police station. Passenger Rebecca Crow posted a picture of her injuries on Twitter and wrote: "I was on the bus, it was insane. Very thankful for no fatalities; just a bust up face!" The bus was a replacement for the 00:05 First Great Western service from Oxford to Didcot. Bus passenger Adam Graves said on Twitter: "One moment the bus power failed, a minute or 2 later the lorry hit us. Bus ended up part down the embankment. #a34" He later told BBC News: "It sort of jumped forward. There were people screaming inside. "Then you suddenly noticed you're falling out of your seat - everyone was flying everywhere. "Once that initial shock had passed people were quite calm. "A lot of people on the bus had been coming back from a gig in Oxford, that's where I'd been, that kept people calm as a few recognised each other." In a statement, a First Great Western spokesman said the firm was "keen" to offer support to all of the bus passengers and their families. He said initial reports from its own contractor "suggest the driver followed correct safety procedures", but added police were investigating. "We are offering them any assistance we can to understand the full details of the incident," he said. The A34 was shut between the Botley and Milton interchanges. It had been due to reopen at 11:00 but was delayed due to difficulties in recovering the vehicles, police said. Officers on site were having problems earlier with drivers ignoring the closure and driving through, according to BBC Radio Oxford travel reporter Sara Dumbell. She said diversions had also led to lengthy traffic delays in the area.

Three people were injured when a broken-down bus was hit by a lorry on the A34 in Oxfordshire.

30474952

Joseph Pilates dedicated his life to refining the system of physical exercises he created whilst detained at the Knockaloe camp near Peel. Organisers said Pilates' methodology had "benefited millions worldwide". Pilates spent about three and a half years interned at the camp, which was designed to hold about 23,000 people. The Knockaloe camp was divided into 23 compounds, each designed to hold 1,020 internees. Organisers recreated that figure for the one-off 45-minute class. A spokeswoman said the class had been inspired by seeing a postcard depicting internees putting on a Pilates display, just 15 days after he arrival at the Knockloe camp. During his time in the camp it is believed the young Pilates worked in the camp's hospitals and was highly respected. He spent his time developing a comprehensive system of physical exercise which he called "Contrology". Mo Sherring, of the Isle of Man Pilates Studio, said it is "not just a series of exercises" but a "conceptual approach to movement". Pilates invented his own unique apparatus formed from the springs from his dormitory bed. He also studied the movement of animals. After the war he dedicated his life to refining his methods which are still used widely across the world.

More than 1,000 people have taken part in a Pilates class at the place where its German creator was interned on the Isle of Man in World War One.

37287262

Brantano employs about 2,000 staff in 140 stores and 60 concessions across the UK. Administrators from PwC are now running the Leicestershire-based business, which they said would trade normally while they sought a buyer. PwC's Tony Barrell said the chain was a victim of changing consumer habits. "The continuing challenging conditions for 'bricks and mortar' retail stores are well documented. "Like many others, Brantano has been hit hard by the change in consumers' shopping habits and the evolution of the UK retail environment." Brantano, along with Jones Bootmaker, was bought by retail investment firm Alteri Investors in October from Dutch-based Macintosh Retail Group. Jones is not affected by the administration. Brantano is one of the first sizeable retailers to fall into difficulty this year after the key make-or-break Christmas trading period. BBC business correspondent Emma Simpson said that Alteri specialise in turning around failing business, but "it appears that Brantano's trading position was worse than than expected. Christmas trading, I'm told, was also below expectations." She understands that a number of possible buyers have already approached PwC. Mr Barrell added: "The administrators are continuing to trade the businesses as normal whilst we assess the trading strategy over the coming days and weeks. "Staff will be paid their arrears of wages and salaries, and will continue to be paid for their work during the administration."

Discount shoe retailer Brantano has gone into administration, about four months after the chain was bought by an investment firm.

35377799

Katy James was refused leave to remain because her British husband Dominic, a self-employed bike dealer, earns less than £18,600 per year. Mr and Mrs James live in Eastbourne and have a daughter, Madeleine, aged two. Immigration Minister James Brokenshire has written to their MP to say after an interval review the Home Office would reconsider her application to remain. Caroline Ansell MP wrote on her website she was confident the government would reverse the decision because "the three have a right to family life under human rights legislation and because of the impact on young Madeleine should Katy be forced to leave." Katy's father-in-law Jim Needham told BBC Sussex: "It is a great relief, it is early days yet but we are very hopeful things will progress and justice will be done." The couple, who married in 2006, said they were victims of a rule change in 2012 which requires British citizens with non-EU spouses to prove an income of at least £18,600. Mrs James said on Wednesday it was "outrageous" the Home Office thought a child did not need her mother. Legal commentator Joshua Rozenberg said the purpose of the income threshold was to prevent non-Europeans marrying into the UK and becoming a burden on the taxpayer.

The government is to reconsider a visa for an American mother facing deportation from the UK.

35997066

While music fans around the world mourned the loss of artists like David Bowie, Prince and Leonard Cohen, two important local voices were also silenced. After a career playing alongside figures like Joe Cocker, Paul McCartney and Jimi Hendrix, legendary guitarist Henry McCullough died in June. Meanwhile, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and Van Morrison were among those to pay tribute to Belfast singer-songwriter Bap Kennedy, who succumbed to cancer aged only 54 in November. Artist Basil Blackshaw also passed away this year and, in December, poet John Montague died in his adopted home of France. Both had reputations in their respective arts which spread far beyond Northern Ireland. It was also announced this year that a permanent memorial to another local legend, Rory Gallagher, was planned. A statue of the great guitarist is to be put up in 2017 outside the Ulster Hall, where Gallagher played regularly throughout the Troubles in Northern Ireland. There were also a number of notable musical birthdays in 2016. BBC Radio Ulster's Across the Line, which has always championed local music, celebrated its 30th, while The Undertones marked 40 years together with a special BBC gig. Despite recent doubts over its future, the Ulster Orchestra celebrated its half century with a special day of 50 concerts across Belfast in September. After putting it on a more stable financial footing, Sir George Bain stepped down as chair late in the year, replaced by Stephen Peover. Money worries elsewhere in the arts did not disappear, however. With the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) abolished, the arts became the responsibility of the Department for Communities (DfC) under a new minister, the DUP's Paul Givan. The new department subsequently cut their grant to the Arts Council of Northern Ireland by £500,000 in July. As the Arts Council is the main funding body for many arts organisations, this led to more concerns over sustainability for some. One major artist also announced she would be leaving Northern Ireland early in 2017. Former Belfast poet laureate Sinead Morrissey announced she was departing the city for a new post at Newcastle University. She is one of Britain's leading poets having won the world-renowned TS Eliot prize in 2014 for her collection, Parallax, following in the footsteps of both Seamus Heaney and Paul Muldoon. There were, however, some notable successes on the big and small screen for Northern Ireland linked productions. In September, Game of Thrones broke the record for the highest number of Emmy Awards won by any fictional series with a total of 38. However, in August, US broadcaster HBO confirmed that the series would end after its eighth season in 2018. As it is mainly filmed in Northern Ireland it will leave a big gap, although NI Screen also said it would leave a strong legacy of local expertise in the industry. Elsewhere, Belfast production company Sixteen South won a children's Bafta, while World War Two drama, My Mother and Other Strangers, which was set and shot locally, was broadcast on a prime Sunday night slot on BBC 1. At the prestigious Venice film festival in September the red carpet came out for the global premiere of The Journey, written by Bangor's Colin Bateman. The drama was a fictional account of the relationship between Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness and the late first minister Ian Paisley, starring Colm Meaney and Timothy Spall. An artistic portrayal of an even more notable figure was unveiled in November. County Down artist Colin Davidson was present as his portrait of the Queen was unveiled by the monarch in London. Mr Davidson said that he felt the work was a "symbol" of the Queen's role in advancing a closer relationship between Britain and Ireland. One art form which has taken Irish culture to the world put on a show at Belfast's Waterfront Hall in November. Around 1,600 competitors from all over the globe took part in the week-long 2016 All- Ireland Irish Dance Championships, bringing a dash of colour to what had been, at times, a dark year.

In the arts, 2016 has been a year of farewells, in Northern Ireland as across the globe.

38382184

The crash happened outside Castle Bytham, south of Grantham, on Wednesday afternoon. The 73-year-old pilot, from Thurnby, Leicestershire, is being treated for back and leg injuries. A 52-year-old tanker driver was treated for minor injuries and the 61-year-old occupant of the property was unhurt. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has said it is aware of the incident and is making inquiries. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said the man who lives in the bungalow was in the garden and pushed the tanker driver out of the way, to prevent them both being hit. The pilot became stuck in the plane, which was embedded in the building, and the aircraft's landing gear broke off and landed on a bed. A police guard remains in place at the bungalow while recovery work is carried out. Pete Wiles, from the fire service, said: "If they hadn't moved... they would have been hit. "It's a fairly miraculous escape... there's an overhead power line nearby which it missed as well."

An investigation into how a small plane narrowly avoided two men and then struck a bungalow on a farm in Lincolnshire is continuing.

30127722

Well the first part of it, that there are no commitments in the manifesto that require additional borrowing, is binding up until May 7 - in the sense that Labour is not offering goodies to voters without saying what services or benefits will be cut or which taxes will be increased to pay for those goodies. Ed Miliband was at pains to contrast this putative prudence with Tories' promise to increase NHS spending by £8bn or their pledge to increase the 40% tax threshold and the tax-free threshold - which would also cost around £8bn - without saying where the £16bn odd would come from. So in that sense Labour has subjected itself to discipline which the Tories have decided they don't need (largely because they think voters will give them the benefit of the doubt, based on the cuts they've delivered in the current parliament). But to state the bloomin' obvious, this first element in the lock can only keep Labour fiscally honest until the election. After that, and if in power, they could in theory launch on a grateful or ungrateful nation any number of initiatives that would not be funded by tax rises or commensurate spending cuts. So Ed Miliband has forsworn offering us unaffordable bribes to get elected. But it is the other parts of the lock that would be important to keep a Labour government - if such arrives after May 7 - fiscally constrained (which may or may not be a good thing, by the way). What are they? Well again the first one - that the deficit will be cut every year - would on current forecasts for economic growth allow quite a bit of additional spending: the overall deficit would still fall as a share of GDP so long as overall spending increased marginally slower than GDP, all else being equal; and it would also fall in absolute terms so long as economic growth generated an increment to tax revenues marginally greater than the spending increment. So this rule again wouldn't tie the hands of Ed Balls desperately tightly, if he became chancellor. That leaves the third and most important pins and levers in the lock, that Labour would "get national debt falling and a surplus on the current budget as soon as possible in the next parliament". Now as it happens the current government expects the national debt to fall as a share of GDP, by a smidgeon, this year - from a record 80.4% of GDP to 80.2% of GDP - in large part because it plans to sell more shares in semi-nationalised Lloyds Bank and other banking assets acquired by the Treasury during the 2007-8 banking crisis. Since Labour has already committed to the spending targets for 2015-16, and since it presumably would also sell those banking assets if market conditions permit, Ed Balls could meet his target of cutting the debt within months of taking office. In other words, it is probably the very last bit of the lock - of achieving a surplus on the current budget "as soon as possible" before 2020 - which matters most. But even there, Ed Balls has retained considerable fiscal flexibility. Because, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the scale of tax rises or spending cuts he would need to make falls dramatically the later in the parliament he balances the current budget. Now to remind you, the current budget is all day-to-day spending, excluding investment. And the IFS says that if it were balanced in 2017-18 - which is when the Tories and Lib Dems are committed to balance it - Labour would need to make £18bn of cuts. But that would fall to £6bn of cuts, if balance was deferred to 2018-19, and zero cuts if balance was postponed till the last year of the next parliament. Which will doubtless prompt the Tories to argue that Ed Balls isn't committed to serious public service reform at all. To which he would say three things: In other words Ed Miliband and Ed Balls have opted for a policy of constrained discretion rather than absolute constraint. And that will come at a political price, which is that those of their critics who see them as irredeemably spendthrift will believe that the Budget Responsibility Lock will be picked the moment the political going gets tough. Now of course the Tories and LibDems will attempt to characterise Labour as less serious about cutting the deficit than they claim to be. But the biggest difference is arguably that those two government parties have pledged to generate a surplus on the current budget by 2017-18. After 2017-18, the LibDems' fiscal approach is identical to Labour's. By contrast, the Tories would be more hairshirt. They are committed to balancing the overall budget in all "normal" years. That means, for example, Labour could borrow £32bn to finance investment in 2019-20 (the amount pencilled in for the current government's plans) whereas the Tories could not borrow that sum. Which may seem a big deal. But there are at least as many credible economists arguing for Labour's approach of borrowing to invest - which they see as stimulating growth, and thus making a higher absolute level of debt more affordable - as for the Tories' preference for reducing the record national debt a bit sooner and a bit faster.

So how constraining on Labour is its self-imposed "Budget Responsibility Lock"?

32291251

The actor was charged with culpable homicide in Mumbai for the September 2002 incident. Mr Khan has always denied he was at the wheel. If convicted, he faces 10 years in prison. Mr Khan is one of Bollywood's biggest stars and has starred in more than 80 Hindi-language films. Several of his films, including Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun, have been huge commercial hits. Late on the night of 28 September 2002, his Toyota Land Cruiser hit the American Express bakery in the Bandra area of Mumbai, authorities say. The vehicle ran over five people sleeping on the street, killing 38-year-old Noor Ullah Khan and seriously injuring three others. Another person received minor injuries. The prosecution has alleged that Mr Khan was driving the car and that he was drunk. In March the actor told the court he was not drunk and was not driving the car. But many witnesses have said that was not the case. A constable attached to Mr Khan's security said in a statement to the police that the "drunk" actor had lost control of the car. The policeman died in 2007 of tuberculosis. In April, Mr Khan's driver told the court that he had crashed the car after a tyre burst. At the scene, Simon Atkinson, BBC News, Mumbai It's not uncommon most days to find people camped outside the house of Salman Khan hoping for a glimpse of the star. But on Wednesday morning dozens of journalists and fans gathered as they waited for the actor to leave on the way to court. Even Mr Khan's father was ambushed as he went on a morning stroll along the seafront encircled by security guards - proof this is a case that has gripped Bollywood and wider India.

An Indian court is due to rule on whether Bollywood star Salman Khan is guilty of running over five men sleeping on a pavement, killing one.

32603596

The case of the missing planes was raised when PM David Cameron met Burmese President Thein Sein. A Downing Street source said it was "hoped this will be an opportunity to work with the reforming Burmese government". The exact location of the planes is unknown. The planes were buried in 1945 by the RAF amid fears that they could either be used or destroyed by foreign forces, but in the intervening years they have not been located. At the time they were unused, still in crates, and yet to be assembled. Until a general election in 2010, Burma was ruled for almost half a century by a military junta. It has been reported that experts from Leeds University and an academic based in Rangoon believe they may have identified the sites where the craft are concealed using sophisticated radar techniques. On Friday, officials said President Thein Sein was "very enthusiastic" about the prospect of finding and restoring the planes. A Downing Street source said: "The Spitfire is arguably the most important plane in the history of aviation, playing a crucial role in the Second World War. "It is hoped this will be an opportunity to work with the reforming Burmese government, uncover, restore and display these fighter planes and get them gracing the skies of Britain once again."

British and Burmese authorities could work together to find 20 Spitfires buried in Burma at the end of the World War II, officials say.

17710598