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The numbers behind Canada’s worst wildfires season - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | This has been the worst wildfire season in Canada's history, as shown in these maps and charts. | Fire crews are working to protect Yellowknife from a fire burning near the northern town's outskirts
This has been - by some distance - the worst wildfire season in Canada's history.
This week, thousands of people in the western and northern parts of the country have been forced to flee their homes.
Others have been told to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
There are over 1,000 active wildfires nationwide and two-thirds of those are classed as out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.
In terms of acres burned, the 2023 season far outstrips all previous years.
The fires are currently burning in provinces in both the east and the west, including in the Northwest Territories and the province of British Columbia.
This summer the fires caught the world's attention when the smoke caused the air quality to plummet in many major US and Canadian cities, including New York City, Washington DC and Toronto.
Another way of showing how bad 2023 has been for fires in Canada is to show the speed in which they spread over the summer months, compared with recent years.
The focus in the last few days has been on the Northwest Territories where one of the largest evacuation operations in Canada's history has been taking place.
Long queues of vehicles could be seen snaking down a highway out of the city of Yellowknife.
The flights out of the city are also full, the final chance to leave ahead of a Friday deadline set by authorities to get the 22,000-strong community out of danger.
The fires were nine miles (15km) away from the city late on Thursday and could reach the outskirts of Yellowknife over the weekend.
Hay River further south was also the scene of people fleeing. One couple told CBC News parts of their car melted in the heat.
The other wildfire hotspot is Kelowna in British Columbia where thousands are fleeing the encroaching McDougall Creek wildfire, which exploded in size on Thursday.
There has been "structural loss" in West Kelowna and almost 5,000 properties in the area had been told to evacuate.
Flights have been grounded at Kelowna International Airport in order to prioritise aerial firefighters.
One resident there, Alastair Richards, took this photo from his garden in the early hours of Friday. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66543362 |
Sara Sharif murder inquiry: Searches continue for father of 10-year-old - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Two police teams are assigned to find Urfan Sharif in Pakistan, BBC News is told. | Sara Sharif suffered extensive injuries over an extended period of time, police said
Police in Pakistan say they are continuing to search for the father of a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in a house in Surrey.
Sara Sharif's body was found at her family home in Woking, in the early hours of 10 August.
Surrey Police have confirmed they want to speak to Urfan Sharif, along with his partner and brother.
BBC News has been told two police teams in Jhelum, north Punjab in Pakistan, are looking for Mr Sharif.
Mr Nasir Mehmood Bajwa, in Jhelum, told the BBC that after police find Mr Sharif they are likely to take him into custody after receiving the go-ahead from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad.
Pakistan's foreign ministry and the FIA have not confirmed or shared any verbal or written orders on this case.
Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool are sought by police
Mr Sharif, his partner Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik all left the UK for Pakistan on 9 August, a day before Sara's body was discovered.
Surrey Police have said Mr Sharif, 41, made a 999 call from Pakistan shortly after landing in Islamabad with his partner, his brother and five children, aged between one and 13.
The call led officers to the house in Woking where they found the body of Sara who had sustained "multiple and extensive injuries", likely to have been caused over a sustained period of time.
Floral tributes were laid at the scene where Sara Sharif was found
BBC News spoke to a Woking travel agent who said he was contacted by Mr Sharif at about 22:00 BST on Tuesday 8 August, saying he wanted to book tickets to Pakistan as soon as possible.
He confirmed that eight one-way tickets - for Mr Sharif, his brother, his wife and five children - were used on a flight on 9 August that landed in Islamabad at about 05:30 local time, on Thursday 10 August.
When police discovered Sara's body at the house in Woking no-one else was there, detectives confirmed.
Det Supt Mark Chapman, from Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, said: "While the post-mortem has not provided us with an established cause of death at this time, the fact that we now know that Sara had suffered multiple and extensive injuries over a sustained and extended period has significantly changed the nature of our investigation, and we have widened the timescale of the focus of our inquiry."
Police are working with the Crown Prosecution Service, Interpol, the National Crime Agency and the Foreign Office to carry out their investigation and in liaising with Pakistani authorities.
There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan.
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-66554083 |
Hospital bosses ignored months of doctors' warnings about Lucy Letby - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Hospital bosses failed to investigate allegations and tried to silence doctors, BBC investigation finds. | Dr Stephen Brearey, lead consultant on the neonatal unit, raised concerns about her in October 2015
Hospital bosses failed to investigate allegations against Lucy Letby and tried to silence doctors, the lead consultant at the neonatal unit where she worked has told the BBC.
The hospital also delayed calling the police despite months of warnings that the nurse may have been killing babies.
The unit's lead consultant Dr Stephen Brearey first raised concerns about Letby in October 2015.
No action was taken and she went on to attack five more babies, killing two.
Letby has been found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others in a neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital, in Cheshire.
The first five murders all happened between June and October 2015 and - despite months of warnings - the final two were in June 2016.
BBC Panorama and BBC News have been investigating how Letby was able to murder and harm so many babies for so long.
We spoke to the lead consultant in the unit - who first raised concerns about Letby - and also examined hospital documents. The investigation reveals a catalogue of failures and raises serious questions about how the hospital responded to the deaths.
Dr Brearey says he demanded Letby be taken off duty in June 2016, after the final two murders. Hospital management initially refused.
Before June 2015, there were about two or three baby deaths a year on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. But in the summer of 2015, something unusual was happening.
In June alone, three babies died within the space of two weeks. The deaths were unexpected, so Dr Stephen Brearey, the lead consultant at the neonatal unit, called a meeting with the unit manager, Eirian Powell, and the hospital's director of nursing Alison Kelly.
"We tried to be as thorough as possible," Dr Brearey says. A staffing analysis revealed Lucy Letby had been on duty for all three deaths. "I think I can remember saying, 'Oh no, it can't be Lucy. Not nice Lucy,'" he says.
The three deaths seemed to have "nothing in common". Nobody, including Dr Brearey, suspected foul play.
After the first three deaths in summer 2015, Lucy Letby was identified as a common factor but no-one yet suspected foul play
But by October 2015, things had changed. Two more babies had died and Letby had been on shift for both of them.
By this point, Dr Brearey had become concerned Letby might be harming babies. He again contacted unit manager Eirian Powell, who didn't seem to share his concerns.
In an email, from October 2015, she described the association between Letby and the unexpected baby deaths as "unfortunate". "Each cause of death was different," she said, and the association with Letby was just a coincidence.
Senior managers didn't appear to be worried. In the same month - October 2015 - Dr Brearey says his concerns about Letby were relayed to director of nursing Alison Kelly. But he heard nothing back.
Dr Brearey's fellow consultants were also worried about Letby. And it wasn't just the unexpected deaths. Other babies were suffering non-fatal collapses, meaning they needed emergency resuscitation or help with breathing, with no apparent clinical explanation. Letby was always on duty.
In February 2016, another consultant, Dr Ravi Jayaram, says he saw Letby standing and watching when a baby - known as Baby K - seemed to have stopped breathing.
Dr Brearey contacted Alison Kelly and the hospital's medical director Ian Harvey to request an urgent meeting. In early March, he also wrote to Eirian Powell: "We still need to talk about Lucy".
Three months went by, and another two babies almost died, before - in May that year - Dr Brearey got the meeting with senior managers he had been asking for. "There could be no doubt about my concerns at that meeting," he says.
But others at the meeting appeared to be in denial. Dr Brearey said Mr Harvey and Ms Kelly listened passively as he explained his concerns about Letby. But she was allowed to continue working.
By early June, yet another baby had collapsed. Then, towards the end of the month, two of three premature triplets died unexpectedly within 24 hours of each other. Letby was on shift for both deaths.
After the death of the second triplet, Dr Brearey attended a meeting for traumatised staff.
He says while others seemed to be "crumbling before your eyes almost", Letby brushed off his suggestion that she must be tired or upset. "No, I'm back on shift tomorrow," she told him. "She was quite happy and confident to come into work," he says.
For Dr Brearey and his fellow consultants, the deaths of the two triplets were a tipping point. That evening, Dr Brearey says he called duty executive Karen Rees and demanded Letby be taken off duty. She refused.
Dr Brearey says he challenged her about whether she was making this decision against the wishes of seven consultant paediatricians - and asked if she would take responsibility for anything that might happen to other babies the next day. He says Ms Rees replied "yes".
The following day, another baby - known as Baby Q - almost died, again while Letby was on duty. The nurse still worked another three shifts before she was finally removed from the neonatal unit - more than a year after the first incident.
The suspicious deaths and collapses then stopped.
Instead, she was moved to the hospital's risk and patient safety office. Here she is believed to have had access to sensitive documents relating to the hospital's neonatal unit. She also had access to some of the senior managers whose job it was to investigate her.
On 29 June 2016, one of the consultants sent an email under the subject line: "Should we refer ourselves to external investigation?"
"I believe we need help from outside agencies," he wrote. "And the only agency who can investigate all of us, I believe, is the police."
But hospital managers thought otherwise. "Action is being taken," wrote medical director Ian Harvey in his reply. "All emails cease forthwith."
Two days later, the consultants attended a meeting with senior management. They say the head of corporate affairs and legal services, Stephen Cross, warned that calling the police would be a catastrophe for the hospital and would turn the neonatal unit into a crime scene.
Rather than go to the police, Mr Harvey invited the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Heath (RCPCH) to review the level of service on the neonatal unit.
In early September 2016, a team from the Royal College visited the hospital and met the paediatric consultants.
The RCPCH completed its report in November 2016. Its recommendations included: "A thorough external independent review of each unexpected neonatal death."
In October 2016, Ian Harvey also contacted Dr Jane Hawdon, a premature baby specialist in London, and asked her to review the case notes of babies who had died on the neonatal unit.
The result was a highly caveated report. According to Dr Hawdon, her report was "intended to inform discussion and learning, and would not necessarily be upheld in a coroner's court or court of law".
It was not the thorough review the consultants had wanted - or the thorough external independent review that the RCPCH had recommended. But even the limited case-note report by Dr Hawdon recommended that four of the baby deaths be forensically investigated.
Rather than calling police, Ian Harvey asked the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to review the neonatal unit
In early January 2017, the hospital board met and Mr Harvey presented the findings of the two reviews. Both had recommended further investigation of some of the baby deaths - and yet that message did not reach board members.
Records of the meeting show Mr Harvey saying the reviews concluded the problems with the neonatal unit were down to issues with leadership and timely intervention.
A few weeks later, in late January 2017, the seven consultants on the neonatal unit were summoned to a meeting with senior managers, including Mr Harvey and the hospital's CEO Tony Chambers.
Dr Brearey says the CEO told them he had spent a lot of time with Letby and her father and had apologised to them, saying Letby had done nothing wrong. Mr Chambers denies saying Letby had done nothing wrong. He said he was paraphrasing her father.
According to the doctor's account, the CEO also insisted the consultants apologise to Letby and warned them that a line had been drawn and there would be "consequences" if they crossed it.
Dr Brearey says he felt managers were trying to "engineer some sort of narrative" that would mean they did not have to go to the police. "If you want to call that a cover-up then, that's a cover-up," he says now.
Managers also ordered two of the consultants to attend mediation sessions with Letby, in March 2017. One of the doctors did sit down with the nurse to discuss her grievance, but Dr Brearey did not.
Yet, the consultants didn't back down. Two months after the apology, the hospital asked the police to investigate. It was the consultants who had pushed them into it.
Dr Brearey and his colleagues finally sat down with Cheshire Police a couple of weeks later. "They were astonished," he says.
The next day, Cheshire Police launched a criminal investigation into the suspicious baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital. It was named Operation Hummingbird.
Mr Chambers told the Panorama his comments to consultants had been taken out of context and that prompt action had been taken after he was first told of serious concerns in June 2016 - including reviews of deaths.
Letby had not yet been arrested and was still working at the hospital's risk and patient safety office. But Operation Hummingbird was in full swing and Dr Brearey was helping the police with their investigation.
Late one evening, he was going through some historic medical records when he discovered a blood test from 2015 for one of the babies on his unit. It recorded dangerous levels of insulin in the baby's bloodstream.
The significance of the test result had been missed at the time.
The body produces insulin naturally, but when it does, it also produces a substance called C-Peptide. The problem with the insulin reading that Dr Brearey was looking at was that the C-Peptide measurement was almost zero. It was evidence the insulin had not been produced naturally by the baby's body and had instead been administered.
"It made me feel sick," Dr Brearey recalls. "It was quite clear that this baby had been poisoned by insulin."
Dr Susan Gilby, who became medical director after Letby's arrest, says files revealed serious issues with the hospital's response
A few months later, Letby was finally arrested and suspended by the hospital. But three years had passed since Dr Brearey had first sounded the alarm.
When a new medical director and deputy chief executive, Dr Susan Gilby, began work the month after Letby's arrest, she was shocked at what she found.
She says her predecessor, Mr Harvey, had warned her she would need to pursue action with the General Medical Council, the doctor's regulator, against the neonatal unit's consultants - those who had raised the alarm. Mr Harvey denies this.
However, inside a box of files left in his office, Dr Gilby found evidence the problems lay elsewhere. Marked with the word "neonates", the files revealed how a meeting of the executive team in 2015 had agreed to have the first three deaths examined by an external organisation. That never happened.
The management team had also failed to report the deaths appropriately. It meant the wider NHS system could not spot the high fatality rates. The board of the hospital trust was also unaware of the deaths until July 2016.
Dr Gilby says the trust's refusal to call police appeared to be heavily influenced by how it would look. "Protecting their reputation was a big factor in how people responded to the concerns raised," she says.
Later in 2018, after Tony Chambers resigned, Dr Gilby was appointed chief executive and she stayed in post until 2022. She is now suing the trust for unfair dismissal.
The rate of baby deaths at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit has now fallen
Dr Brearey, says hospital managers had been "secretive" and "judgemental" throughout the period leading up to the nurse's arrest.
"There was no credibility given to our opinions. And from January 2017, it was intimidating, and bullying to a certain extent," he tells BBC News. "It just all struck me as the opposite of a hospital you'd expect to be working in, where there's a safe culture and people feel confident in speaking out."
Letby would ultimately be charged with seven murders and 15 attempted murders between June 2015 and June 2016. She was found guilty of all seven murders and seven attempted murders.
She was found not guilty of two counts of attempted murder. The jury also failed to reach a verdict on a further six counts of attempted murder, including all charges related to Baby K and Baby Q.
In a statement, Tony Chambers, the former CEO, said: "All my thoughts are with the children at the heart of this case and their families and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. I am truly sorry for what all the families have gone through.
"The crimes that have been committed are appalling and I am deeply saddened by what has come to light. As chief executive, my focus was on the safety of the baby unit and the wellbeing of patients and staff. I was open and inclusive as I responded to information and guidance."
He added: "I will co-operate fully and openly with any post-trial inquiry."
Ian Harvey said in a statement: "At this time, my thoughts are with the babies whose treatment has been the focus of the trial and with their parents and relatives who have been through something unimaginable and I am sorry for all their suffering.
"As medical director, I was determined to keep the baby unit safe and support our staff. I wanted the reviews and investigations carried out, so that we could tell the parents what had happened to their children. I believe there should be an inquiry that looks at all events leading up to this trial and I will help it in whatever way I can."
The Countess of Chester Hospital is now under new management and the neonatal unit no longer looks after such sick babies.
The current medical director at the hospital, Dr Nigel Scawn, said the whole trust was "deeply saddened and appalled" by Letby's crimes.
He said "significant changes" had been made at the hospital since Letby worked there and he wanted to "provide reassurance to every patient who accesses our services that they can have confidence in the care that they will receive".
Since Letby left the hospital's neonatal unit, there has been only one death in seven years.
Watch the full investigation, Panorama - Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed - on BBC iPlayer | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66120934 |
England lose Women's World Cup final: Lionesses miss opportunity to cement legend status - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | When the full-time whistle was blown in Sydney, it felt like the Lionesses' best opportunity to win a Women's World Cup had passed them by. | When the full-time whistle went in Sydney and the Lionesses fell to the floor, many in tears, it felt like their best opportunity to win a Women's World Cup had passed them by.
Optimism had swept through England beforehand - they were European champions and had only lost once in 38 games under manager Sarina Wiegman, widely considered the best female coach in the world.
They had seen off serious injuries and a two-match suspension for Lauren James to make it to the final, overcoming obstacles, grinding out results and finding ways to win when they weren't at their best.
They just needed to do it once more.
• None 'They are still heroes' - reaction to England's defeat
But England's luck had run out, Wiegman's genius had been tested to the limits and they simply came up against a much better team on the day.
Spain's talent was unquestionable even before they had kicked a ball. Their starting XI contained seven players who won Barcelona's second Women's Champions League crown in June.
They had Ballon d'Or holder Alexia Putellas on the bench having not quite returned to full fitness. But a dispute involving 15 players and the Spanish football federation meant some stars were missing in Australia.
As a result, England went into the final knowing it would be a tough match but full of confidence - they had seen off Spain in the quarter-finals en route to winning Euro 2022 after all.
Defending champions the United States had been knocked out in the last 16 of the tournament, European giants Germany did not even make it through the group stages and Sweden had seen off Japan, who had impressed early on. This was surely the year England were going to go all the way?
They arrived again in Sydney where they had seen off Colombia and co-hosts Australia in the previous eight days. Wiegman even named the same starting XI and this time they had the majority of support in the 75,000 crowd.
Chants of "En-ger-land" and "It's Coming Home" could be heard within five minutes of kick-off after Lauren Hemp had bounced back up after a crunching tackle from Irene Parades and forced an early save from goalkeeper Cata Coll.
Hemp smashed an effort off the crossbar - things seemed to be going well.
Then Spain turned up. They had survived England's intense start and quickly worked out where the spaces were in behind their press.
One-touch passing, neat flicks, a few nutmegs and intelligent movement saw Spain cause England so many problems that by half-time, with the Lionesses' trailing 1-0, it felt like a bit of a let-off.
This was Wiegman's moment to shine and she acted swiftly. On came James and Chloe Kelly for Alessia Russo and Rachel Daly as she switched formations from a defensive back three to the trusted 4-3-3 that has delivered so much success in her two-year tenure.
It was an improvement and England started to create opportunities. They were less vulnerable when their full-backs attacked but a handball from midfielder Kiera Walsh in the box gave Spain another opportunity.
England had come from a goal down in Euro 2022 against Spain so when the ever-dependable goalkeeper Mary Earps superbly saved Jenni Hermoso's penalty, it felt like that could be the catalyst for a momentum shift.
Wiegman said afterwards she had been "convinced" England would score but something was missing this time, Spain looked comfortable and the Lionesses were rapidly running out of ideas.
A final corner delivery - 14 minutes into stoppage time - was held by Spain goalkeeper Coll and the referee's full-time whistle followed. England defender Lucy Bronze immediately fell to the floor with her face buried in the grass of the six-yard area.
Bronze, who gave the ball away in the build-up to the goal, was the most desperate of all the English players to win. She has a trophy cabinet bursting with individual and club honours but this was the one she wanted the most - the biggest prize in football, the one that would cement her place in history... the World Cup.
At 31 years old she may never get a chance to win it again and she was a heartbroken figure as she walked past the trophy to collect a runners-up medal, before watching many of her Barcelona team-mates celebrate lifting it in front of her moments later.
It was an image that will live long in the memory.
However, despite the result, the success of this particular Lionesses group will have a lasting impact on women's football in England.
They have broken records, created history, challenged societal views on women's sport, asked for more support from the UK government and inspired a nation.
They were the team that were supposed to go all the way and complete the fairytale. They were supposed to be the names joining those revered from the 1966 men's team - the only English footballers to have won a senior World Cup.
The ingredients were there - it was a golden generation of female players in England, they had the world's best manager and the odds were on their side.
But for all the joyous moments they have given supporters, this will always feel like a missed opportunity for a group of players who had given everything. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66562418 |
Police officer rescues child and adult from sea at Clacton - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Two people had got into difficulties in the water at Clacton-on-Sea on Saturday afternoon. | Two people were pulled to safety after getting into difficulty at Clacton on Saturday
A police officer rescued two people after they got into difficulty in the sea at a busy beach.
Officers were patrolling Marine Parade West in Clacton-on-Sea at about 14:00 BST on Saturday when a child got into difficulty in the water.
A member of the public had gone into the sea to try to help, but was also struggling.
An Essex Police officer managed to pull both back to shore where they were checked and were said to be fine.
Ch Insp Ella Latham, district commander for Tendring, said: "I'm really proud of the actions of this officer who went into the water to help the child and the member of the public without a second thought.
"I'm pleased to say that both are fine.
"This incident highlights the lengths our officers go to, to help people and keep them safe."
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-66562953 |
William Gladstone's family to apologise for slavery links - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Family of 19th Century prime minister will visit the Caribbean to apologise for an ancestor's role in the slave trade. | The family of 19th Century prime minister William Gladstone will travel to the Caribbean to apologise for the part an ancestor played in the slave trade.
William was the son of John Gladstone, who was one of the largest slave owners in the British West Indies.
A joint statement by descendants said they believed his actions amounted to "a crime against humanity".
They said they hoped to "make a better future".
Charlie Gladstone, whose family's ancestral home is Hawarden estate in north Wales, is due to travel to Guyana, South America, with five other family members to make an apology for John's ownership of Africans, according to The Observer, which first reported the story.
They will travel from 24 to 28 August, which coincides with the 200th anniversary of the 1823 rebellion in Demerara, a British colony that later became part of Guyana.
It started on one of Gladstone's plantations - some historians argue its violent suppression had a role in bringing an end to slavery.
The statement, by two generations of descendants, said John Gladstone "held the people of Guyana in slavery and was highly instrumental in bringing indentured labour to Guyana too".
"We believe that his actions amounted to a crime against humanity and wish to apologise to the people of Guyana. We know that we can't change the past, but we believe that we can make a better future."
The Gladstone family plan to make their official apology at the opening of the University of Guyana's International Institute for Migration and Diaspora Studies, which it said it hopes to help fund with a grant of £100,000.
"For us this isn't just about money though. It is about acknowledging that the slavery still has a massive impact on many people's health and wider socio-economic status across the world," the statement said.
Rob Gladstone, Charlie's brother, called on the UK government to begin "reparative justice" by apologising for slavery within the British Empire.
The Atlantic slave trade saw millions of Africans enslaved and forced to work, especially on plantations in the Caribbean and Americas, for centuries from about 1500.
The British government and the monarchy were prominent participants in the trade, alongside other European nations.
Britain also had a key role in ending the trade through Parliament's passage of a law to abolish slavery in 1833.
Rishi Sunak has refused to apologise for the UK's role in slavery.
Asked at Prime Minister's Questions in April by Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy whether he would offer a "full and meaningful apology", Mr Sunak said he would not, and that it was important to "have a society that is inclusive and tolerant from people from all backgrounds".
"Trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward and is not something we will focus our energies on," he said.
John Gladstone was a Scottish merchant who made a fortune as a Demerara sugar-planter and had hundreds of enslaved people working in plantations in the decade before emancipation.
After slavery was abolished in 1833, John received the largest compensation payment made by the Slave Compensation Commission - about £93,000, the modern equivalent of about £10m.
In 2020, there was a campaign to remove a memorial to William Gladstone from the grounds of Gladstone's Library in Hawarden
In 1831, William Gladstone, who was Liberal prime minister on four occasions in the 19th Century, used his first Commons speech to argue in favour of compensation for slave owners.
But by 1850, his family said he was a "changed man", with the former leader describing slavery as "by far the foulest crime that taints the history of mankind".
Charlie Gladstone told The Observer: "John Gladstone committed crimes against humanity. That is absolutely clear.
"The best that we can do is try to make the world a better place and one of the first things is to make that apology for him.
"He was a vile man. He was greedy and domineering. We have no excuses for him." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66558156 |
Women's World Cup: Watch Mary Earps penalty save following VAR handball review - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | Watch England goalkeeper Mary Earps saves Jennifer Hermoso's penalty in the Women's World Cup final. | Follow coverage of the Fifa Women's World Cup across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds & the BBC Sport website & app.
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/66562980 |
Fifa Women's World Cup final: Welsh Guards in musical tribute to Lionesses - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The Welsh Guards play a musical tribute to the Lionesses at the Wellington Barracks in London. | The Welsh Guards have played a musical tribute to the Lionesses at the Wellington Barracks in London. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66563323 |
'Lucy Letby is a hateful human being' - twins' parents - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The nurse was found guilty of murdering one of their babies and attempting to murder the other the following day. | The parents of twin brothers who were among Lucy Letby's 13 victims have told the BBC the nurse is a "hateful human being" who has taken "everything" from them.
Letby murdered one of their baby boys, and tried to kill the other twin the following day.
The nurse was found guilty of murdering a total of seven babies who were being looked after on a neonatal ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital between June 2015 and June 2016.
She was also found guilty of attempting to murder another six babies, with the jury undecided on the attempted murder of a further four. She was found not guilty of two counts of attempted murder.
If you, or someone you know, need help after reading this story, details of organisations offering assistance can be found on the BBC Action Line website.
Panorama - Lucy Letby: The Nurse Who Killed - will be on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 20:00 BST (UK only) on Friday 18 August. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66382674 |
Women's World Cup final: How England became good at women’s football - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | More than 50 years after a ban on women's football was lifted, England are in to the World Cup final - but how did we get here? | Anyone over the age of 53 today lived at a time when women were banned from playing football in England.
It's a fact that, given the context of this history-making weekend, is almost laughable.
"The game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged," read a statement from the Football Association in 1921, announcing the ban that would stand for almost 50 years.
Another half century on, the story tells of a remarkably different time. Already European champions, England's Lionesses stand on the cusp of global glory with a Women's World Cup final against Spain coming up on Sunday.
So how did we get here?
It perhaps feels strange to start in 1966, the year England won the men's World Cup, but a young Patricia Gregory was watching that match on television.
Caught up in the excitement of that, and Tottenham's FA Cup win the following year, the 19-year-old wondered why women couldn't play the game too.
She put a notice in her local paper to ask for players and was inundated with replies, but the council said she could not legally rent a pitch for matches against other women's football teams.
Undaunted, Gregory eventually managed to get a pitch and ended up running both it and a women's football league, as well as founding the Women's FA as the game's governing body in 1969 - the year before the FA rescinded its ban on women.
Hope and change in the 90s
It was in 1972 that the first official England women's side played an international match - beating Scotland 3-2 - but another 26 years passed until a full-time head coach was put in post. Enter Hope Powell.
The 1990s brought many firsts for women's football. In England, it saw the first Centres of Excellence, the first national league, and the women's game being brought under the control of the FA. On a global scale, the 90s brought the first official Fifa Women's World Cup.
But when Powell took charge of England in 1998, it would mark the start of a 15-year reign in which she led England to two World Cups and four European Championships, and cemented her place as a pioneer of women's football in the country, playing a substantial part in the successes we see today.
The Women's Euros came to England for the first time in 2005, held in Blackburn, Blackpool, Manchester, Preston and Warrington with Germany lifting the trophy at Ewood Park.
It was a tournament that offered a glimpse in to the future. Fans wearing replica shirts with players' names on the back flocked to games, an average attendance of 23,160 accompanied by more than two million people tuning in to England's games on the BBC. Yes, interest diminished after Powell's side failed to get out of their group, but it was a start.
But after the tournament, then Uefa president Lennart Johansson provoked an angry reaction when he said sponsors of women's football could cash in by promoting the players' physical attributes. "Companies could make use of a sweaty, lovely looking girl playing on the ground, with the rainy weather," he said.
Four years later, another step in the right direction. Seventeen players, including the likes of Casey Stoney, Steph Houghton, Jill Scott and Rachel Yankey, were awarded central contracts by the FA, receiving salaries of £16,000 each.
Those contracts, lasting four years, took the pressure off those players needing employment outside of football - though they could still work for up to 24 hours per week - and required them to be available for all training camps, matches and tournaments, as well as personal appearances.
At the time, Powell said: "We hope this will allow our girls time to concentrate on helping England qualify for major tournaments on a consistent basis and competing at the very top level against the best teams in the world."
The start of the Women's Super League
The year 2011 saw the launch of the Women's Super League, featuring eight predominantly semi-professional sides who received licenses from the FA after meeting a strict criteria.
The clubs were given £70,000 from the FA for each of the first two seasons - to be spent on infrastructure - and signed up to a salary cap, meaning no more than four players in each side could be paid more than £20,000 in a bid to ensure star players were spread fairly across teams.
The opening fixture, held at Tooting & Mitcham's Imperial Fields in south London, saw Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0 in front of some 2,500 paying fans, though a bobbly pitch caused issues for both sides.
Poor pitch standards - where have we heard that before?
Wembley Stadium. The Home of Football. Well, men's football - until 2014 that is, when England women played their first headline international match at the new Wembley.
England women had played there before, in 1989, but that was as a curtain-raiser ahead of a men's match against Chile.
Mark Sampson's side lost 3-0 against Germany, watched by a then-England record crowd of 45,619. That number should have been higher, given all 55,000 tickets were sold, but almost 10,000 fans did not turn up with transport problems in London and the weather to blame.
In 2019, their next appearance at the national stadium which also ended in defeat by the Germans, 77,768 were in the crowd, but that number had grown to 87,192 by 2022, when England exacted their revenge on Germany in the Euros final.
More on that later.
Sampson was England head coach from 2013 until his sacking in 2017, leading the Lionesses to third place at the 2015 Women's World Cup.
But a lengthy, messy dispute resulted in two of his England players, Eniola Aluko and Drew Spence, eventually receiving an apology from the FA for Sampson's racially discriminatory remarks, after an independent barrister ruled he made unacceptable "ill-judged attempts at humour" on two occasions.
Sampson was actually dismissed over safeguarding issues after evidence emerged of "inappropriate and unacceptable" behaviour with female players in a previous role. He later brought an unfair dismissal case against the FA, which was settled "confidentially" in 2019.
At the time, the FA was criticised for its handling of the Sampson case and, at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee session hearing in 2017, questions were raised about the management culture around the England team and the FA's duty of care towards its women's team.
The summer of 2018 saw huge change for the WSL, transitioning to full-time professional status with a restructured one-tier, 11-team league.
The FA brought in new licence criteria for clubs, meaning all teams had to re-apply for their places, with a requirement to offer a minimum of 16 contact hours per week for players and an academy.
In 2022, BBC analysis suggested the average WSL player now earns £47,000 a year, and after the Lionesses' Euros success, WSL attendances increased by 267%, helped by big games being held at the country's biggest stadia, including Old Trafford, Emirates Stadium, Anfield and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Former Manchester United player Phil Neville was appointed in January 2018, despite no previous experience in the women's game. He won the SheBelieves Cup in 2019 and England came fourth in that year's World Cup in France.
But a dip in results followed, with seven defeats in his last 11 games amid some fixture disruption due to the Covid pandemic, left Neville's record and England progress being questioned - especially against the best sides.
When he left for Inter Miami in January 2021, six months before his contract was due to end, Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA's director of women's football, praised his "significant contribution" to raising the "profile" and "championing" the women's game.
But when the FA announced Sarina Wiegman would succeed Neville as England's head coach in September 2021, they knew they were bringing in a "proven winner".
Having led the Netherlands to the European title in 2017, and the World Cup final two years later, she had the track record of "building a winning team".
And so it has proved. In her 38 games in charge, England have lost just once. Of her 30 wins, the biggest to date came little more than 12 months ago, when the Lionesses created history by winning Euro 2022, a first major title that catapulted many of the players to household name status.
Victory on Sunday, in a maiden World Cup final for the Lionesses, would be even bigger.
And so to that final.
On Sunday, the Lionesses have a golden opportunity to become the first senior England side to win the World Cup since 1966, a year in which women like them were prohibited from playing the sport.
Maybe, just maybe, football is suitable for females after all.
• None Go here for all the latest from the Women's World Cup | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66533140 |
Who is Sarina Wiegman: England v Spain World Cup final - the mastermind behind the Lionesses' success - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | BBC Sport speaks to players and coaches to get an insight into Sarina Wiegman as she prepares to lead England into the World Cup final. | Coverage: Watch live on BBC One, listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds and follow on the BBC Sport website & app.
Sarina Wiegman's list of achievements is as long as it is impressive.
When England take to the pitch at Sydney's Stadium Australia on Sunday for their Women's World Cup final against Spain, it will be the Dutch coach's fourth major tournament final in a row.
Since becoming an international football manager in 2017, the 53-year-old has masterminded back-to-back wins at the Women's Euros, first with the Netherlands in 2017 and then with England in 2022.
Those two triumphs were separated by a defeat for her native country in the 2019 World Cup final against serial winners the United States.
Here, BBC Sport speaks to some of the players and coaches she has worked with over the years to get an insight into the woman attempting to make history again by leading the Lionesses to their first world title.
• None Wiegman has 'no plans to leave' England job
It was on the streets of the Hague that Wiegman first discovered football, playing alongside her twin brother at a time when there were no girls-only teams. She was called up by the Netherlands for the first time in 1986, aged 16, and later moved to the US for a year to study and play football at the University of North Carolina (UNC).
Wiegman's university team, the North Carolina Tar Heels, weren't any ordinary side, with future World Cup winners Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly also in the ranks.
Lilly, who would go on to become the most-capped player in the history of the sport with 354 appearances for the United States, has fond memories of sharing her freshman year with the Dutchwoman.
"I can picture her smile - there were always some laughs going on," she says. "She was nice, friendly, and a very crafty midfielder, so I loved having her on my team. She worked hard.
"As a player she had this little feistiness, competitiveness about her, that I think now as a coach you wouldn't see from her as much, because you have to be on an even keel. But as a player, I can see her game face, and it was tense when she played. I loved that."
Wiegman has spoken of being anxious as she embarked on that first trip to the US, saying she was completely out of her comfort zone, but her nerves weren't apparent to those looking on.
"I don't think it was a daunting experience for her," says Anson Dorrance, who ran the women's soccer programme at UNC before he became the USA's national coach.
"She was already a Dutch international, travelling all the time. She didn't appear in the least to be self-conscious or paranoid or afraid. She appeared wonderfully well-adjusted.
"We embraced her immediately. All we could see was an immediate adjustment to the American culture. The Dutch would be called the Americans of Europe - a swashbuckling nation, very frank and direct. She fitted right in."
Wiegman combined her playing career with teaching PE, then started football coaching when she retired as a player. When the Women's Eredivisie was created in 2007 she landed her first full-time job as a coach at ADO Den Haag, having initially turned it down when it was only offered on a semi-professional basis.
Former Netherlands international Leonne Stentler was one of the players Wiegman took to ADO Den Haag in her first season there.
"The way she welcomed me and the way she talked about how she wanted to do it was warm but really ambitious," says Stentler.
She recalls an unusual rule from Wiegman's early days that prevented anybody in the team being allowed to take a drink of water by themselves - it had to be done together.
"At first she was a hard coach with a lot of rules, but during the first year she made so many changes and worked on herself," she says.
"I know she reads a lot of management books so that was what she was doing and we experienced all the exercises she read about. We really felt the development of ourselves, but also the development of her."
Initially, a lively pre-match dressing room, with music blaring, would leave the new manager perplexed.
"Sometimes I looked at her and she couldn't understand why people were dancing and laughing - she was like: 'You should be concentrating and focusing on the game… this is going to be a disaster'," says Stentler.
"She had to learn that that was the preparation for some specific characters."
Wiegman spent seven years at the club, but Stentler says those first few months were the biggest learning period for the future England coach.
"She let us find out what rules worked for us but she would make sure the frames were really clear," she said. "Inside those frames, we were totally free."
After seven years at Den Haag, Wiegman became assistant coach of the Netherlands national team. To continue her development as a coach, she became one of a handful of Dutchwomen to earn the Uefa Pro Licence - the highest coaching course in the professional game.
As part of the requirements of her Pro Licence course, Wiegman needed to carry out an internship. She wrote to Sparta Rotterdam head coach Alex Pastoor, asking if she could coach at his club - a men's team in the Dutch second tier.
Pastoor says Wiegman, the first female coach on his team, came across as very "serious" about her work.
"She had the experience of playing herself," he says. "The tactical things, we all discussed together. She took part in it and saw the same things we saw.
"As a coach, you need to have a certain leadership and authority, and this was something she had when she was leading parts of the training."
When the season finished, Pastoor asked Wiegman to return as assistant to the under-23 team, making her the first female coach in Dutch professional men's football. That was cut short, however, when the national team required more of her time.
But Pastoor has no doubt she would have flourished whichever route she chose.
"I honestly think if she would coach at a professional men's football team in Holland, she would succeed," he says.
Wiegman twice stepped up as interim head coach of the Netherlands before taking the job permanently in January 2017. She won the Euros seven months later, and led the team to the World Cup final in 2019. She took over as England manager in September 2021.
Wiegman took over a Dutch squad low in morale and, because of her association with the previous regime, she had to win over the players and her new staff. That included vastly experienced coach Foppe de Haan, who was brought in to assist Wiegman.
"In the beginning we had to find our place," says De Haan. "We made an agreement about what was my part of the job, and what was her part of the job."
Yet despite De Haan being older and more experienced, he says Wiegman was very comfortable in the leadership role.
"She knows what she wants, but she was also open and keen to hear other people's ideas."
Trying to get her to switch off during that first tournament was more difficult, though.
"She's a workaholic," says De Haan. "Every day, every moment she is working, working, working. I told her: 'You have to take the rest. You have to relax sometimes.' I tried to delegate to the others."
There were stressful moments during that first tournament but De Haan says one of Wiegman's strengths is "she is always calm, she never panics".
Dutch international Vivianne Miedema was part of her Euro-winning team, and she describes Wiegman as playing a big role in her career, having joined the set-up when she was 18 when Wiegman was the assistant.
"Not many coaches out there are open to discussions, but she was always open to having a footballing discussion with someone," she says. "I really enjoyed that because it made me a better player."
Miedema says they were fortunate not to experience losing very often under Wiegman's leadership but she does remember a bad performance they put in against Spain after winning the Euros.
"At half-time she came in and said 'guys this isn't good enough but also I wasn't good enough before the game'.
"So she was very open and honest. We fixed it up together as a team and the coaching staff."
When Wiegman became England manager, she took over a squad short on confidence and in a state of transition.
But she knew exactly how to bring the players together.
Lionesses goalkeeper Hannah Hampton recalls the new head coach turning one room at the team's training base into a "massive firepit with beanbags, hot chocolate, the lot".
In that homely environment, the players were encouraged to share their stories and create bonds with their team-mates.
"I think from then it changed everyone's attitude and the atmosphere changed... you definitely felt closer to one another and we definitely all looked out for each other.
"We are just a massive family."
Calm, clear and direct are words that crop up regularly when people are asked to describe Wiegman.
Striker Beth England calls her a "very good people person" but adds: "She tells us when things aren't right; and she's not shy to be savage and brutal when she needs to be."
After plotting England's victory at Euro 2022, many of the players commented afterwards how the coach had made their roles clear from the start - whether that was as a starter, a super-sub, or a squad player, they knew where they stood.
"She's honest and up front and as a player I respect that," says striker Alessia Russo. "It's nice to have an honest conversation.
"She is a winner. She sets the standards so high in training and she leads with real class. It's great for us because it's so competitive and everyone is so focused on one goal but away from the pitch she let's us relax which is so important. She makes camp a really fun place to be."
Baroness Sue Campbell, the director of women's football at the Football Association, said they knew they were getting a great coach when they appointed her but didn't realise they were getting such a "unique person".
"She's built a collective - not just among the players, but the team around the players - which is very, very special. I've not seen anything like it in all my time in sport.
"She is a quite remarkable leader and a very special person."
Wiegman was born in the Hague, in 1969, and is married to Marten Glotzbach, a youth football coach, with whom she has two daughters.
"Sarina is just a genuinely lovely person that shows a lot of empathy towards you. She wants to know you on a human level, not just as a player. She has conversations with you about your family."
Those were the words of England's record goalscorer Ellen White, and have been echoed by many of those who have worked with her.
Dorrance, Wiegman's university coach, says one of his most striking memories of his former pupil came a few years after she had left the US, when he had been invited to give a talk to a group of Dutch coaches in the Netherlands.
He says he presented his philosophy - which was to use data to show how skilful a player was - but his audience quickly let him know they did not agree with the concept.
"All I can remember from that experience is poor Sarina basically absorbing the blows with me, and I could see the consternation on her face," he says.
"To some extent she was embarrassed about the way I was treated. I've never forgotten that. I still have a wonderful picture of her compassionate face looking up at me, just hoping that her colleagues would give me a break."
For Stentler, that human side sets Wiegman apart from other coaches she worked with during her career.
"She really feels what players need - and makes sure you feel warm and welcome and open to say anything to her. If I was in a really bad situation, I could tell her without any consequences. And that feeling of openness is not very common in coaches.
"I definitely had moments where I was not happy with Sarina but when I look back at my career she was the best coach, the best human, in my career."
A version of this feature was first published in July 2022. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62016998 |
Burnt-out shell of 1954 Ferrari fetches $2m at auction - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The legendary car was left untouched for decades until a hurricane blew the roof off a Florida barn. | The burnt-out shell of an old Ferrari racing car has sold at auction in the US for nearly $2m (£1.5m).
It caught fire during a race in the 1960s and was not touched for decades.
It was driven by Franco Cortese, Ferrari's first racing driver. Analysts say the new buyer may want to restore it so it can race again.
The 1954 car is a 500 Mondial Spider Series I - one of 13 ever made, with a body produced by designer Pinin Farina.
In 1954, Cortese drove the Mondial to a 14th overall finish at the Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile (1,600km) race through Italy.
Over the years, the Mondial crashed numerous times and suffered fire damage.
In 1978, it was bought by a US collector who preserved it in its damaged condition.
In 2004 the car was discovered - alongside 19 other Ferraris - when a hurricane blew the roof off a barn where they were kept in Florida.
Auctioneer RM Sotheby's says the vehicle will require "a comprehensive restoration to return the car to the condition of its glory days", but the process promises to be "very rewarding". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66563807 |
New Brit School North in Bradford gets go-ahead - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Plans for a new performing arts school to match its successful London namesake are approved. | Amy Winehouse was one of the most famous and successful gradates of the Brit School in south London before her death aged 27
Plans to base a northern version of London's renowned Brit School in Bradford have been given the go-ahead by the government.
The new Brit School North will be free to attend for 500 pupils aged 16 to 19.
It will offer courses in dance, music and theatre.
The original Brit School in Croydon, south London, opened its doors in 1991 and has helped launch the careers of stars including Adele, Amy Winehouse, Tom Holland and Jessie J.
The concept is backed by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), and graduates at the London school have collectively sold more than 250 million albums and won 15 Brit awards over the past three decades.
Announcing that the BPI's plans had been approved, the government said the school will be supported by large music industry firms like Sony Music Entertainment UK, Universal Music UK and Warner Music UK.
No start date is being given at this stage, but when the BPI submitted the plans in February, it said it hoped the school could be opened in 2026.
Bradford, which has a population of 546,000 according to the 2022 census, has one of the most diverse populations in the UK and the BPI said earlier this year that it had an equally vibrant cultural scene.
Music stars to have emerged from the city in the past two decades include former Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh, solo star Gareth Gates, former One Direction star Zayn Malik and Bad Boy Chiller Crew, who were nominated for best group at this year's Brit Awards.
Bad Boy Chiller Crew are nominated for Group of the Year at this year's Brit Awards
Other big names from Bradford include Zayn Malik, Kiki Dee and Justin Sullivan of New Model Army
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the move will mean more young people in the north of England could reach their potential, adding that the government is broadening opportunities so more of our children can "access this springboard to success".
Jo Twist, who took over as chief executive of the BPI in July, said she was "delighted" with the government's decision and added: The UK is a world-leader in music and across the creative industries and if we want this to continue, we must invest in talent and the highly transferable skills needed for a competitive economy.
"This school will not only focus on producing our next generation of performers, but crucially train young people with the important technical qualities needed for our industries to thrive and provide them with opportunities that they otherwise might not be able to access." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-66562002 |
PSNI data breach: Man charged over documents linked to FoI - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | A 50-year-old man is charged with possessing documents or records likely to be useful to terrorists. | A 50-year-old man has been charged with possessing documents or records likely to be useful to terrorists following a major police data breach 11 days ago.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) mistakenly released details on 10,000 of its employees in response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request.
The man was also charged with having articles for use in terrorism and is due in court in Coleraine on Monday.
The FoI details were published online after being released by the PSNI.
They were taken down from a website at the PSNI's direction a short time later.
Police have confirmed the list is in the hands of dissident republicans, amongst others.
It was one of three separate PSNI data breach incidents being examined by police.
On 6 July, in an unrelated incident, a police-issue laptop and radio, as well as a document containing the names of more than 200 staff, were stolen from a private vehicle in Newtownabbey, County Antrim.
In another incident, on Thursday 17 August, a PSNI laptop and a police officer's notebook fell from the roof of a moving car on the M2 in Belfast.
The incident happened on the M2 motorway on Thursday
It happened on the Foreshore stretch of the motorway in the north of the city.
The PSNI confirmed that this notebook contained details of 42 officers and staff and sections of the book still have not been found.
They said the laptop that fell off the vehicle on the M2 was recovered and "immediately deactivated".
On Friday, a police spokesperson said the PSNI would be contacting the Information Commissioner about the M2 incident.
They added that Stormont's Department of Justice and the Northern Ireland Policing Board, which holds the PSNI to account, had already been informed about the breach. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66553837 |
UK weather: Storm Betty brings more August wind and rain - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | It's just the second time since 2015 that the UK has has seen two named storms in August. | Gusts of 57mph were recorded at Mumbles Head, Swansea, on Saturday
Storm Betty has brought heavy downpours and high winds to much of the country as the UK's unpredictable August weather continues.
It is the second time since 2015 the UK has seen two named storms in August.
Windspeeds topping 60mph were recorded in Wales, and parts of Northern Ireland had more than their average rainfall for the month in a single night.
While conditions are expected to improve for most, this week's outlook is mixed, according to BBC Weather.
Betty is the second named storm to hit the UK this month, following Storm Antoni.
It is only the second time that two August storms have been significant enough to name since the system was adopted in 2015. The other year was August 2020 with Storm Ellen and Storm Francis.
Areas around the Irish Sea saw the strongest winds, with gusts between 50-60mph being recorded late on Friday and early on Saturday morning.
The strongest gusts (66mph) were recorded on high ground at Capel Curig in north-west Wales, while Aberdaron in the same region and Pembrey Sands in south Wales also saw speeds around the 60mph mark.
Cornwall also saw strong gusts, with speeds of around 55mph being recorded in some places,
Northern Ireland saw the worst of the rain, with many areas experiencing downpours of 25-35mm in a matter of hours.
Katesbridge, a small hamlet in County Down, was the wettest place in the UK, with 45mm of rain in 12 hours - which is over half the August average in just one night.
There has been travel disruption in Scotland, with some localised road flooding and rail cancellations.
Cars negotiated a flooded section of the A921 between Inverkeithing and Aberdour, as Scotland experienced heavy rain last December
Widows' Row in Newcastle with high tides following Storm Betty
George Goodfellow, senior meteorologist at BBC Weather, said Storm Betty is now moving away so conditions are improving.
The forecaster added: "The next few days will see low pressure close to the north of the UK, so whilst it isn't going to be as wet and windy as [Friday] night, we do still expect showers and perhaps some longer spells of rain across the north of the UK.
"There could also be some spells of very breezy, locally windy weather across Scotland and perhaps Northern Ireland and parts of northern England, but again we're not expecting winds as strong as last night.
"The south should remain relatively dry through the rest of the weekend and first half of next week.
"Temperatures are currently a little above average and are expected to remain so for the next few days too, although the next few nights should be a little cooler and fresher."
Storm Betty also brought some dramatic weather to Ireland, especially in coastal areas.
In Dungarvan, County Waterford, a boat broke free from its berth was thrown onto the harbour by powerful waves.
Are you personally affected by Storm Betty? You can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66554592 |
Nurse Lucy Letby to be sentenced for murdering seven babies - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Letby has indicated she will not be in court for sentencing, sparking calls for more powers to force criminals to attend. | Lucy Letby was convicted following a two-year investigation by Cheshire Police
Nurse Lucy Letby is due to be sentenced later after being found guilty of murdering seven babies, making her the UK's most prolific child serial killer in modern times.
The 33-year-old was also convicted of trying to kill six other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
The trial lasted for more than 10 months and is believed to be the longest murder trial in the UK.
She has indicated she will not be in court for the hearing.
Her legal team said she also does not want to follow proceedings via a videolink from prison, the reasons for her non-attendance at Manchester Crown Court have not been disclosed.
If Letby does fail to show up to the hearing, she will not hear the families' victim impact statements - where people have a chance to tell the court about how a crime has affected them and those around them.
She will also not hear the judge, Mr Justice James Goss, give his sentencing remarks where he will explain the reasons for the length of the prison sentence handed down to her.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch the moment police arrest Lucy Letby at her home
Letby - who deliberately injected babies with air, force fed others milk and poisoned two of the infants with insulin between June 2015 and June 2016 - refused to appear in the dock as the latest verdicts were read out on Friday.
They had been delivered over several hearings, but could not be reported until all the verdicts were returned.
Letby, originally of Hereford, broke down in tears as the first guilty verdicts were read out by the jury's foreman on 8 August after 76 hours of deliberations.
She cried with her head bowed as the second set of guilty verdicts were returned on 11 August.
The refusal to attend court last week has led to renewed calls for a new law to compel convicted criminals to attend court for sentencing hearings.
Letby's expected absence from the dock is the latest in a series of high-profile trials where convicted murderers have refused to turn up, including the killers of Zara Aleena in London and nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liverpool.
Former prison governor Prof Ian Acheson told the BBC judges should have the power to compel criminals into the courtroom "to be sentenced in front of the people they have harmed".
Earlier this year, the government said it was committed to introducing legislation to ensure criminals are made to appear in the dock for sentencing.
Former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland backed the government's announcement, saying defendants should face tougher consequences if they refuse to appear in the dock, such as receiving longer sentences.
Facilitating "better ways in which defendants really have nowhere to hide" when it comes to listening or seeing the court "even if they're in the cell" is another option for the government to explore, Sir Robert added.
"We use television, video links all the time when it comes to defendants who might be on a live link from the prison, for a procedural hearing or even a sentence hearing," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
He said this would avoid "disruptive behaviour" that would "cause upset to the victims and the wider public".
Families of victims said they will "forever be grateful" to jurors who had to sit through 145 days of "gruelling" evidence.
The defendant was found not guilty of two attempted murder charges and the jury was undecided on further attempted murder charges relating to four babies.
Nicholas Johnson KC, prosecuting, asked the court for 28 days to consider whether a retrial would be sought for the remaining six counts of attempted murder.
During the trial, which started in October, the prosecution labelled Letby as a "calculating and devious" opportunist who "gaslighted" colleagues to cover her "murderous assaults".
She was convicted following a two-year investigation by Cheshire Police into the alarming and unexplained rise in deaths and near-fatal collapses of premature babies at the hospital.
The government has ordered an independent inquiry into the circumstances behind the baby murders.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-66545358 |
Niger coup leader Gen Tchiani promises to handover power in three years - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Gen Tchiani said that Niger did not want a war but would defend itself against foreign intervention. | The junta head said that Niger did not want a war but would defend itself
Niger's coup leader has promised to return the West African nation to civilian rule within three years.
Gen Abdourahamane Tchiani made the announcement after meeting mediators from the West African regional bloc Ecowas in the capital, Niamey.
Ecowas has threatened military action to reverse last month's overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum if talks fail.
The junta head said that Niger did not want a war but would defend itself against any foreign intervention.
"If an attack were to be undertaken against us, it will not be the walk in the park some people seem to think," he warned in his televised address on Saturday evening.
Gen Tchiani also reiterated criticism of what he called the "illegal and inhumane" sanctions imposed by Ecowas on the landlocked country.
This has included cutting electricity, resulting in blackouts in Niamey and other major cities, as well as blocking crucial imports.
Lorry drivers have been stuck for weeks waiting to bring in supplies, forcing up food prices.
"Sanctions are not conceived with the aim of finding a solution but to bring us to our knees and humiliate us," Gen Tchiani said.
Thousands of men came to a stadium in Niamey on Saturday to register for a volunteer force in case of invasion - although overcrowding prevented the registration process starting, the Reuters news agency reports.
Ecowas rejected the three-year timeframe after talks on Sunday.
"Ecowas is not accepting any prolonged transition again in the region. They just have to get ready to hand over in the shortest possible time," Abdel-Fatau Musah, the bloc's commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, told the BBC.
He said the "military aspect is very much on".
He added: "The earlier they give power back to civilians and concentrate on their primary responsibility that is defending the territorial integrity of Niger, the better for them."
Crowds near General Seyni Kountche Stadium in Niamey on Saturday
Regional efforts to reverse the coup have been backed by the US and France, which both have military bases in Niger. These bases are part of efforts to tackle jihadist groups in the wider Sahel region.
The junta leader, who headed the presidential guard before seizing power on 26 July, said military intervention could worsen the Islamist insurgencies linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
"They seem ignorant to the fact that it is in large part thanks to the professionalism and valour of the defence and security forces of Niger that Niger has remained a barrier preventing terrorist hordes from destabilising the whole region," he said.
The coup mirrors similar recent takeovers in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali.
And the influence of Russia in the wider Sahel region is also growing through its mercenary group Wagner.
Gen Tchiani did not give details about the handover of power, but said the principles for the transition would be decided within 30 days at a "dialogue" hosted by the coup leaders.
Their delegation was led by former Nigerian military leader Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar and also included Nigeria's most senior Muslim leader, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa'adu Abubakar III.
He wields huge influence in Niger, part of which used to be in the Sokoto Caliphate, a powerful kingdom before colonial rule.
Saturday's meeting was the first between leaders of the junta and Ecowas. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-66562765 |
Women's World Cup final 2023: When do England play Spain? How to watch on BBC & kick-off time - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | The Women's World Cup final between England and Spain on Sunday will be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
The Women's World Cup final between England and Spain on Sunday will be shown live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
Television coverage of the match, which kicks off at 11:00 BST, will begin at 09:45.
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will have radio commentary as both sides aim to win their first World Cup.
The BBC Sport website and app will provide live text commentary.
The final, a first for England's women's or men's teams since 1966, takes place at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
• None Go here for all the latest from the Women's World Cup
The match will also be shown live on ITV, which will broadcast the third-place play-off between co-hosts Australia and three-time bronze medallists Sweden on Saturday at 09:00 BST.
European champions England beat co-hosts Australia 3-1 in Wednesday's semi-final thanks to goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.
England are fourth in the Fifa rankings, two places above Spain, who beat Sweden in a dramatic semi on Tuesday.
Have you changed your plans in order to watch the World Cup final on Sunday? Do you have tickets to see the game at Stadium Australia? Tell us your story by emailing: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
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If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66521251 |
Women's World Cup 2023: Jorge Vilda says Spain players are 'eternal' after they beat England - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | Spain boss Jorge Vilda says his players are "eternal" and have a "star on their chest forever" after they defeat England to win the Fifa Women's World Cup. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
Even in glorious triumph, sounds of disapproval rang out in Jorge Vilda's direction.
As his players celebrated winning the World Cup for the first time after defeating England 1-0, boos rang out in the crowd when the jubilant Spain boss was pictured on the big screen being congratulated by Spain's Queen Letizia at Stadium Australia.
Moments earlier, Vilda had looked up to the sky, raised his hands and screamed with joy when the referee ended the match to confirm Spain as world champions.
Controversy has followed Vilda at every turn of this tournament and even in victory there was no escape.
This will go down as one of the most remarkable triumphs in Women's World Cup history, with Spain entering the tournament amid a backdrop of unrest and a number of players unhappy with Vilda, who had survived a player revolt to keep his job.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) released a statement revealing that 15 players had submitted identical emails saying they would not play for Vilda unless "significant" concerns over their "emotional state" and "health" were addressed.
"Las 15", as the players became known, denied claims they had asked for 42-year-old Vilda to be sacked, but tension followed amid reports of concern over training methods and inadequate game preparation.
Yet in Australia and New Zealand, his players put aside their differences to conquer the world in an impressive style at just their third World Cup, prompting Spain's official Twitter account to post: 'VILDA IN '.
"The girls are eternal now and they have a star on their chest forever," said Vilda. "It's been very easy [to manage the group].
"We are a family, we are world champions with a family of players."
• None 'They are still heroes' - reaction as England beaten by Spain in World Cup final
Spain were made to wait before they could finally celebrate. After 13 minutes of stoppage time were signalled at the end of 90 minutes, it was not until the 105th minute that the referee brought the final to an end.
Some of Spain's players were in disbelief as the magnitude of their achievement started to sink in. Others were in tears.
Spain came into the tournament missing some of their best talent due to the player revolt, including several members from Barcelona's triumphant Champions League campaign like Mapi Leon, Patri Guijarro and Sandra Panos.
Three of the 15 selected were recalled after having been frozen out of the national set-up after a protest, including midfielder Aitana Bonmati and defender Ona Batlle, who both started all seven games in Australia and New Zealand.
When they lost 4-0 to Japan in their final group game, they looked a long way from being world beaters.
"No-one should lose hope," said Vilda after that defeat in Wellington on 31 July.
"We have not seen the best Spanish team yet. This defeat hurts, the players are angry and I am convinced they will be better."
After his side's World Cup victory, Vilda described the Japan defeat as a "turning point", adding: "It made us react, the team changed and the players increased their contributions. Mentally they were much stronger.
"I believe these reasons helped us reach the final and won the final."
Indeed, Spain bounced back from that setback to defeat Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden to make the final.
Against European champions England, La Roja produced a tactical masterclass. Even after captain Olga Carmona's winner, they enjoyed more possession and attempts on target.
"For me, it's credit to those players," former England striker Ellen White told BBC One. "To win a World Cup is just absolutely phenomenal.
"It takes a lot of guts, mentality, desire, hard work, togetherness. The way this Spanish team played today was just unbelievable.
"The way they moved the ball was just ridiculous."
Seventeen of the 23-player squad were appearing at their first World Cup including keeper Cata Coll and 19-year-old forward Salma Paralluelo.
Despite the controversy that followed him around, Vilda was not afraid to make bold decisions.
After the defeat by Japan, he gave a senior debut to Coll, while Paralluelo came off the bench to score in back-to-back games as Spain performed admirably throughout the knockout stages before deservedly overcoming England.
Spain's players performed on the pitch despite all of the noise off it.
Before the semi-final win over Sweden, long-serving forward Jenni Hermoso spoke emotionally of the progress made in the women's game since she made her senior international debut in 2012 when she used to play in front of crowds of a few hundred.
On Sunday, she celebrated winning the World Cup in front of 75,000 in Sydney.
Spain now have women's world titles at senior, under-17 and under-20 levels.
"This Spanish side, this nation, what they have achieved in women's football over the last two years is phenomenal," added White.
Vilda, who has been in charge since 2015, was asked afterwards whether he would pursue other job opportunities after masterminding Spain's World Cup success.
His contract with the national team is due to expire in 2024.
"Right now we are going to celebrate," said Vilda. "We are going back to Spain to see our loved ones and we will see."
"We have suffered a lot over the past 12 months. This has made us a stronger team," she said."We had the feeling we were going to do it; this is unstoppable."
The Spanish FA revealed that Carmona sadly found out after the match that her father had died. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66563205 |
Olga Carmona told after Women's World Cup final that father has died - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | Olga Carmona, who scored Spain's winner in the Women's World Cup final, is told after the game against England that her father has died. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
Spain captain Olga Carmona, who scored her country's winner in the Women's World Cup final, was told after the game that her father had died.
Carmona, 23, scored the only goal as Spain beat England to claim the trophy.
The Real Madrid left-back's father had been fighting a long illness and died on Friday, Reuters reported.
"I know you have been watching me tonight and that you are proud of me. Rest in peace dad," Carmona wrote on social media.
Carmona included a picture of her kissing her winners' medal along with the message.
She added: "And without knowing it, I had my star before the game started. I know that you have given me the strength to achieve something unique."
A gold star is added to the shirt of the winners of a World Cup, above the national team crest, every time they win the trophy.
In a later statement on Monday she added: "I have no words to thank [you for] all your love. Yesterday was the best and the worst day of my life."
"The RFEF deeply regrets to announce the death of Olga Carmona's father," the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) wrote on social media.
"The footballer learned the sad news after the World Cup final.
"We send our most sincere embrace to Olga and her family in a moment of deep sorrow. We love you, Olga, you are Spanish soccer history."
Carmona started five of Spain's seven games at the World Cup.
Spanish media outlet Relevo said her family and friends decided not to tell her so she could focus on the final, with her mother and brothers arriving in Australia on Saturday to support her.
Her club Real Madrid also expressed "condolences and affection for Olga, her relatives and all her loved ones".
• None Watch the chilling crime thriller, Wolf, from the makers of Inside Man and Sherlock
• None Behind the scenes in London's most expensive hotel: It costs up to £27k a night and no request is too big | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66566564 |
Lucy Letby: Hospital bosses were misled, former chair claims - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | NHS trust board was told there was 'no criminal activity pointing to any one individual', he says. | The nurse was found guilty of murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital
The former chairman of the NHS trust where serial killer Lucy Letby worked believes the board was "misled" by hospital executives.
The nurse was convicted on Friday of murdering seven babies and trying to murder another six at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Sir Duncan Nichol, who was the board's chair, said it was told there was "no criminal activity pointing to any one individual" despite concerns.
An inquiry has been ordered.
Letby targeted the babies between June 2015 and June 2016, when they were dying or suddenly collapsing at five times the average annual rate at the hospital's neonatal unit.
However the board was not alerted to the problems until July 2016, by which time 13 babies had died.
At a meeting, the board then agreed to ask for the deaths to be externally investigated.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Police arrested Lucy Letby at her home in 2018
The trust initially turned to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, who conducted a review of the unit but told the hospital executives they should conduct a separate "thorough external independent review of each unexpected neonatal death".
Ian Harvey, who was then medical director at the hospital, contacted London-based neonatologist Dr Jane Hawdon.
The doctor, who specialises in the care of newborns, did a brief review of each baby's medical notes.
However she told the trust she did not have the time to conduct the thorough investigation the Royal College had recommended.
It is understood Dr Hawdon did not speak directly to the board but sent her report and it was up to executives to brief the board on its findings.
In a statement to the BBC, Sir Duncan said: "I believe that the board was misled in December 2016 when it received a report on the outcome of the external, independent case reviews.
"We were told explicitly that there was no criminal activity pointing to any one individual, when in truth the investigating neonatologist had stated that she had not had the time to complete the necessary in-depth case reviews."
In response to Sir Duncan's statement, the hospital's then chief executive Tony Chambers - who went on to lead three other NHS trusts on an interim basis after leaving Chester in 2018 - said that "what was shared with the board was honest and open and represented our best understanding of the outcome of the reviews at the time".
Inside the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital
In a BBC interview, Dr Susan Gilby - another former chief executive at the hospital - said she also had concerns the board may have been misled.
When she joined the trust shortly after Letby's arrest in 2018, she examined internal information about the nurse's actions.
"The documents that I have seen from the neonatologist [Dr Hawdon] and the briefing and the papers that were presented to the board are diametrically opposed.
"It's hard to understand - unless there is something that I haven't seen - how the board were led to believe that a comprehensive review had taken place."
Mr Harvey, who was medical director at the hospital trust until 2018, said: "The statements I gave to the board were true to the best of my knowledge."
Three years ago, Sir Duncan, who stepped down in 2019, and Dr Gilby commissioned an external review by the health consultancy Facere Melius into how the hospital trust had handled the allegations.
It has not been published.
Both have welcomed the public inquiry into the events at the trust and said they would cooperate.
Paediatric consultants who raised concerns about Letby's conduct have recently told the BBC of being bullied, ignored and forced to send her a letter of apology.
Letby was charged in November 2020 with murder and attempted murder
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to northwest.newsonline@bbc.co.uk | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-66553970 |
New shooting mars election campaign in Ecuador - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Another shootout prompts a call to tackle gang violence ahead of Sunday's presidential vote. | Otto Sonnenholzner is an economist who served as vice-president between 2018 and 2020
A candidate in Sunday's presidential election in violence-hit Ecuador has called for an investigation after shooting erupted near a restaurant where he was having breakfast.
Otto Sonnenholzner, a conservative politician, was with his family and supporters when shots rang out.
He is not believed to have been the target. But the campaign has been marred by a surge in gang attacks.
Candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated in the capital last week.
The incident involving Mr Sonnenholzner, 40, occurred on Saturday in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city.
A video posted on social media shows the former-vice president talking to supporters in the restaurant before shots are heard, sowing panic. Local journalists said there was robbery in the vicinity.
Afterwards, Mr Sonnenholzner tweeted: "Thank God we are all fine but we demand an investigation into what happened... We can't go on like this."
While no other presidential candidate has been directly targeted since Mr Villavicencio's murder in Quito, shootouts like this serve to demonstrate just how dangerous Ecuador has become.
They are, sadly, part of everyday life, especially in cities like Guayaquil which has been overrun by drug-traffickers.
Earlier this week, a similar thing happened during the campaign event of fellow candidate Daniel Noboa. And a local politician was shot dead in northern Esmeraldas province.
Candidates are eager to highlight these dangers ahead of the vote.
The shooting of Fernando Villavicencio upended campaigning, with candidates now very much focusing on peace and security - because that is what every Ecuadorean wants to be reassured about.
Bulletproof vests are also making more of an appearance on the campaign trail - and many candidates dialled down their closing campaign events, with many Ecuadoreans exercising a huge amount of caution ahead of the elections.
There is real fear of more violence to come as people get ready to vote.
Mr Villavicencio was an outspoken journalist who had uncovered corruption and denounced links between organised crime and officials.
Six men have been arrested in connection with his assassination, all of them Colombian citizens.
In another development on Saturday, the mayor of the coastal town of La Libertad said he had been the target of an assassination attempt.
Mayor Francisco Tamariz said gunmen had fired 30 shots at his vehicle on Friday night, but he escaped unharmed.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Fernando Villavicencio was shot as he left a rally in Quito | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66559621 |
Lucy Letby: Families of victims call for greater powers in inquiry - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Families of some of the babies attacked said a non-statutory inquiry was 'inadequate'. | Lucy Letby has been convicted of killing babies on the neonatal unit where she worked
Families of some of the babies attacked by Lucy Letby have said the inquiry into the case should have powers to compel witnesses to come forward.
An independent inquiry was ordered on Friday after the nurse's conviction for the crimes at a hospital in Chester.
But lawyers for two of the families said this inquiry does not go far enough and needs to be statutory to have "real teeth".
The government said the inquiry aimed to ensure lessons were learned.
Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015-16, following a 10-month trial.
She was found not guilty on two attempted murders and the jury could not reach verdicts on six others. She will be sentenced on Monday.
Separately an inquiry will now look into the circumstances surrounding the events leading up to the murders and attempted murders of the babies by the neonatal nurse.
The announcement of the non-statutory inquiry has divided opinion on how effective it will be in examining the case.
Slater and Gordon, the law firm representing two of the families, said a non-statutory inquiry "is not good enough" and lessons had to be learned by the hospital, NHS and wider medical profession.
"As a non-statutory inquiry, it does not have the power to compel witnesses to provide evidence or production of documents and must rely on the goodwill of those involved to share their testimony," the firm said in a statement.
Labour's City of Chester MP Samantha Dixon told the BBC a judge should lead the inquiry, also highlighting how that as it stood the inquiry would rely on "the goodwill of witnesses to attend".
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Twins' parents: "They passed him to us and he died"
In contrast Conservative MP, Dr Caroline Johnson, said she agreed with the current approach.
Dr Johnson, a consultant paediatrician and MP who sits on the health select committee, said lessons needed to be learned quickly and the government could decide to order a statutory inquiry at a later date if extra powers were needed.
"I appreciate that people can't be compelled in quite the same way, I would hope that people would still nevertheless come forward," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Dr Bill Kirkup, who has led non-statutory reviews for other maternity units, said non-compliance had not been a problem in his experience and people were "ready and willing to cooperate".
The patient safety investigator told the BBC he had identified common features between the Letby case and the reviews he had conducted - including managers accused of "protecting reputations" above listening to staff concerns.
After the verdict, Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said it was "extremely sorry" the crimes happened in its hospital and it had since made "significant changes" to their services.
Former chief executive of the hospital Tony Chambers and former medical director Ian Harvey, who were in charge at the time Letby was working at the hospital, have said they will co-operate fully with the inquiry.
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by the issues raised here, there are details of organisations that may be able to offer support on the BBC Action Line.
• None Warnings ignored as Letby killed more babies | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66553245 |
Man dies after fall from cruise ship at Port of Cromarty Firth - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The Viking Cruises crew member was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after the incident on Friday. | The man is a crew member for Viking Cruises
A man has died after falling from a cruise ship at a port in the Highlands.
The Viking Mars crew member, understood to be in his 40s, was airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after the incident at the Port of Cromarty Firth in Invergordon.
The alarm was raised at about 11:00 on Friday and two ambulances, a helicopter and trauma team were sent to the scene.
But on Sunday Viking Mars confirmed the crew member, who has not been named, had died from his injuries.
A company statement said: "It is with great sadness that we confirm a crew member passed away following an incident in Scotland on 18 August.
"We shared our deepest sympathies with the crew member's family and are working to ensure they have the support they need during this difficult time.
"Viking's focus remains on the safety and wellbeing of our crew and guests.
"Our operations team is working with local authorities to determine how this occurred."
Police Scotland confirmed on Friday that they had received reports of the man having fallen from the ship at Saltburn Pier.
On Sunday a force spokesperson said: "Emergency services attended and the man was taken by helimed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where he died a few hours later. "A report has been sent to the procurator fiscal."
Officers previously said the Health and Safety Executive had been made aware of the incident.
• None Man in hospital after fall from cruise ship at port | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-66562826 |
Leftist leads Ecuador presidential poll count amid spike in violence - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Luisa Gonzalez faces a run-off in a race marred by violence, as voters choose to end Amazon oil drilling. | Luisa Gonzalez is promising a return of generous social programmes in the impoverished country
Left-winger Luisa Gonzalez is leading in Ecuador's presidential election overshadowed by the assassination of one of the candidates.
With nearly 80% of the votes counted, electoral officials say she has 33%, while her closest rival Daniel Noboa, a businessman, is on 24%.
The top two candidates will now go into a run-off on 15 October.
The poll was combined with a referendum, in which voters chose to end oil drilling in the Amazon.
The decision, supported by nearly 60% of those who voted, means the state-owned oil company will have to stop its operations in a block of Yasuní National Park, one of the world's largest biodiversity hotspots.
The area is home to hundreds of species of birds, amphibians and reptiles as well as indigenous people like the Tagaeri and Taromenani - who live in self-isolation.
The outcome is a significant blow to outgoing President Guillermo Lasso, who argued revenues from oil drilling were crucial for Ecuador's economy.
The Waorani tribe is one of those opposed to oil drilling in the Yasuni reserve
Some 100,000 police and soldiers were deployed to protect Sunday's first round of voting.
The snap election was called after Mr Lasso - a conservative former banker - dissolved parliament to avoid impeachment.
Sunday's voting was peaceful, much to the relief of Ecuadoreans fearful of the political violence that has taken hold of the country.
However, there were several shooting incidents in the run-up to the vote.
The new president will take office on 26 October and will serve only 18 months - the remainder of Mr Lasso's term.
Ms Gonzalez, a 45-year-old protégé of leftist ex-President Rafael Correa, was seen as the firm favourite of the eight politicians vying for the presidency.
But the assassination of candidate Fernando Villavicencio on 9 August in the capital, Quito, made the election difficult to predict.
Ms Gonzalez's promises of a return of generous social programmes appeal to Ecuadoreans hit hard by an economic crisis.
Daniel Noboa (centre) is seen by many voters as a pro-business candidate
Mr Correa still looms large in the country: he cut poverty while in power, but was then mired in corruption scandals and is now in exile in Belgium.
Those who want an end to his influence in Ecuador will back pro-business candidate Daniel Noboa, aged 35.
The only thing that unites Ecuadoreans is their need for peace and security. Everyone is hoping for a peaceful campaign ahead of the run-off.
Mr Villavicencio, 59, was an outspoken journalist who had uncovered corruption and denounced links between organised crime and officials.
Six men have been arrested in connection with his assassination, all of them Colombian citizens.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Fernando Villavicencio was shot as he left a rally in Quito
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Spain v England: Key moments from the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | England and Spain have both reached the Women's World Cup final for the first time. BBC Sport takes a look back at some of their key moments on the way. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One, listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds and follow on the BBC Sport website & app
England take on Spain in the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup final on Sunday at 11:00 BST.
It is the first time either country has reached the final - so what tests did they face along the way?
BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key moments for both teams as they progressed through the tournament.
England began their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Haiti and scored early on in the second match against Denmark.
But their concern was then focused on defensive midfielder Keira Walsh, who suffered a knee injury in the first half and was carried off on a stretcher.
There were fears she had suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage - but luckily, the injury was not as bad as it first looked. She missed the third group game against China, but has started England's other five matches to date.
James superb as England hit China for six
Lauren James was England's matchwinner against Denmark and was in unstoppable form against China.
She scored two excellent goals, created three assists and was unlucky to be denied another goal by a controversial video assistant referee decision.
James helped England secure a 6-1 victory as they cruised through as group winners with nine points from three matches.
James was the star against China but had a moment to forget in the last 16 when she was sent off for standing on the back of Nigeria's Michelle Alozie, who was lying face down on the grass.
England had to battle throughout extra time a player short and stayed in the game to force a penalty shootout.
Georgia Stanway, who scored a retaken penalty in the 1-0 win over Haiti, went first and shot wide, only for Nigeria's Desire Oparanozie to also miss. Beth England scored and Alozie fired over the bar to give the Lionesses the advantage.
Rachel Daly and Alex Greenwood converted their efforts before Chloe Kelly, who netted the winner in last summer's Euro 2022 final, kept her cool to take England into the quarter-finals.
England also had to fight hard in their quarter-final with Colombia.
Leicy Santos put the South Americans ahead, lobbing goalkeeper Mary Earps, just before half-time, but England grabbed an equaliser through Lauren Hemp in the sixth minute of first-half injury time.
Alessia Russo put the Lionesses ahead after 63 minutes and although Colombia had chances to take the game to extra time, Earps and the England defence denied them to advance into the final four.
Russo seals final spot with late goal to see off co-hosts
With Spain already through to the final, England took on co-hosts Australia for the right to join them.
Ella Toone fired a superb strike into the top corner to put Sarina Wiegman's side ahead, only for Chelsea striker and Australia captain Sam Kerr to equalise with a stunning goal of her own.
Hemp capitalised on a defensive error to restore England's lead, then set up Russo, who added a third to secure a first World Cup final spot and end Australia's hopes of winning the tournament.
Spain put off-field problems behind them in great start
Spain's build-up to the tournament had been dominated by a player revolt, with a number of players wanting head coach Jorge Vilda to be sacked.
But Vilda stayed on, and his side made a superb start, beating Costa Rica 3-0 and Zambia 5-0.
Despite dominating possession, Spain were thrashed 4-0 by Japan in their final Group C match.
The 2011 world champions scored three times in the first half, two from Hinata Miyazawa and one from Riko Ueki before substitute Mina Tanaka added a late fourth to leave already-qualified Spain in second place in the group.
But Spain returned to form in style as they gained a 5-1 victory over Switzerland to secure their first knockout-stage win at a World Cup.
Aitana Bonmati scored twice and made two further goals, with Alba Redondo, Laia Codina (who had earlier scored a bizarre own goal from 40 yards out) and Jennifer Hermoso also on the scoresheet to ensure a place in the last eight.
The Netherlands, runners-up four years ago, were Spain's quarter-final opponents with Vilda's team scoring an 80th-minute penalty from Mariona Caldentey.
Stefanie van der Gragt grabbed a 91st-minute equaliser for the Dutch to force extra time, but 19-year-old Salma Paralluelo became her country's youngest scorer at a Women's World Cup with her winner in the 111th minute.
Sweden, a side third in the world rankings, were Spain's opponents in the semi-final and it was another thrilling finish, with all three goals scored inside the last 10 minutes.
Paralluelo opened the scoring, Rebecka Blomqvist equalised but just 93 seconds later captain Olga Carmona scored an 89th-minute winner to spark wild scenes of jubilation among the Spanish supporters.
• None Go here for all the latest from the Women's World Cup | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66539278 |
Chernihiv: Russian missile strike kills seven and injures 144, Ukraine says - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | A Russian missile strike hits the heart of the northern city of Chernihiv, Ukraine says. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: At the scene of missile strike on Ukrainian theatre
Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed when a Russian missile struck a theatre in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday morning, officials have said.
Fifteen children were among 144 people wounded, the police said. At least 25 people were in hospital.
Among the victims were people who had been celebrating an Orthodox Christian holiday at church.
A main square and a university building were also damaged in the attack.
The UN called it "heinous", while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed a firm response by Ukrainian soldiers to a "terrorist attack".
Chernihiv is located about 50km (31 miles) south of Ukraine's border with Belarus. It was besieged by Russian troops in the first few months of President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.
The city's imposing theatre was hit directly. Tiles were blown off the roofs of neighbouring buildings with one catching fire 100 metres away.
The theatre was hosting a gathering of drone manufacturers, the acting mayor of Chernihiv told the BBC.
"I understand that their aim was a military event taking place in the building of the drama theatre and that it was their target," Oleksandr Lomako said.
"But it is clear that the Russians launching those missiles and those giving them orders in the middle of the day to the civilian city realised that the victims will be primarily civilians.
"There is no other way to interpret it than a war crime against civilians, yet another Russian war crime," he added.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko later said all those inside the theatre had managed to reach shelter in time.
He said that "most of the victims were in their vehicles or crossing the road at the time of the rocket strike, as well as returning from a church".
The city centre of Chernihiv is a popular area for people to stroll around, especially on the weekend, locals told the BBC.
Anna Zahreba, the manager of a Crimean Tatar restaurant just across the street from the theatre, said her staff were getting ready for a busy day when the missile hit.
"I ran outside to see what was going on," she said. "There were two 12-year-old girls here and a lot of blood. One had her leg badly wounded. Another girl was screaming.
"We applied a tourniquet and waited for an ambulance. It was taking a long time to get here, but some man stopped his car and we took a girl to a hospital."
Anna says staff rushed to help injured people with medical kit and blankets.
"There are always many people walking around here, with children and baby strollers. Many restaurants and cafes in the area," she tells us.
"We did not expect a day like this."
In his video address late on Saturday, President Zelensky said the child killed in the Russian strike was a girl named Sofia.
Earlier, he said that Russia had turned an "ordinary Saturday" into "a day of pain and loss".
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The UN said it was "extremely disturbed" by the attack.
"It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to the church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians," Denise Brown, the current head of the UN in Ukraine, said in a statement.
"Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law," she said. "It must stop."
Three days of mourning have been announced in the city.
Moscow is yet to comment.
Elsewhere, Russia has claimed that a Ukrainian drone hit a military airfield in the northwest Novgorod region, causing a fire that was quickly put out.
One plane was damaged but no casualties have been reported, it added.
Ukraine has not commented on the alleged drone attack.
Meanwhile, Kyiv's air force said the Ukrainian military had shot down 15 out of 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Moscow in an overnight strike. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66554412 |
England v Spain in Fifa Women's World Cup final - all you need to know - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | The Lionesses will become the first England side since 1966 to win a senior final on the global stage if they defeat Spain at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Sunday. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website & app from 09:45; commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live with build-up from 10:00; live text & highlights on the BBC Sport website & app
European champions England have the opportunity to create history for the second time in just over a year when they take on Spain in the Women's World Cup final in Sydney on Sunday.
The Lionesses will look to claim the title for the first time, as well as become the first England team since 1966 to win a senior final on the world stage.
Standing in their way is a Spain side also playing in their maiden final, with some 75,000 fans expected at Stadium Australia (11:00 BST kick-off).
Millions more will watch the match live on BBC One, with build-up from Australia starting at 09:45.
The winners will become the fifth different nation to be crowned world champions in the ninth edition of the tournament.
The United States (four times), Germany (two times), Norway and Japan are the only other winners.
"Everyone's talking about 1966, so let's be at our best on Sunday and try and be successful," said England manager Sarina Wiegman.
"Making a final is special but with this team and the challenges we had, how we find a way all the time to solve problems has been amazing - [it's] very special being in a final but now we want to win it too."
The Lionesses, who will be wearing their blue kit, are going for world glory 13 months after defeating Germany at Wembley to win the European Championship for the first time.
• None Sarina Wiegman: The mastermind behind the Lionesses' success
While England's path to the Euro 2022 crown was fairly serene, their journey to the World Cup final has been anything but.
They lost three stars of that triumph to knee injuries prior to this tournament - Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby - while they have also been tested in Australia, losing key players Keira Walsh and Lauren James to injury and suspension respectively and coming through a penalty shootout against Nigeria.
But Wiegman's side have been calm under pressure and they have been behind for just seven minutes - against Colombia in the quarter-finals.
Meanwhile, Walsh only missed one game after her injury was not as bad as first feared and James is available for the final after serving her two-match ban for stamping on Nigeria's Michelle Alozie.
Wiegman will have to decide whether to stick with the line-up which performed so impressively in the 3-1 semi-final win over Australia, or bring back James, who was England's best player at the tournament before her red card.
Captain Millie Bright, who was given the armband for the World Cup after the injury to Williamson, said: "It's a dream come true to be in the World Cup final. Leading the girls out is a special feeling.
"We have got a game plan that we have to go out and execute. Everyone knows how big this is. We know how passionate our nation is back home and how much they want us to win."
• None 'Wiegman is raising the hopes of all women'
• None Listen: Where it all started - the first Lionesses
Against a backdrop of unrest, disharmony, and a 4-0 defeat by Japan in the group stage, it is remarkable that Spain, who are ranked sixth in the world - two places below England - have managed to reach the final.
Reports of a rift between boss Jorge Vilda and his players have followed La Roja all the way in this tournament.
La Roja, appearing in just their third World Cup, have impressed since that heavy defeat by Japan, knocking out Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Centre-back Irene Paredes said: "Spain has always been a football loving country but it was not our space, or at least that's how they made us feel.
"We want to play football and [those who came before us] pushed so they invested more in women's football. We have the opportunity to play in a final of a World Cup. It is the time to enjoy it."
The majority of their squad is made up of players from Champions League winners Barcelona, including 2021 and 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas.
However it is 19-year-old forward Salma Paralluelo who has stolen the headlines, following up her winning goal in the quarter-final against the Netherlands by scoring against Sweden in the semi-finals, both times after coming on a substitute.
• None Alexia Putellas wins award for best female footballer in 2022
• None Listen: 'We always believed' Spain would reach World Cup final
While England boss Wiegman has rightly won widespread plaudits for uniting her squad and taking them to the next level, Spain head coach Vilda has been surrounded by controversy since a player revolt last September.
The Dutchwoman has reached a fourth major tournament final in a row, having won back-to-back Euros with the Netherlands and England, either side of a World Cup final defeat with her native country at the 2019 World Cup.
The only defeat of Wiegman's 38-game reign with the Lionesses so far came in a friendly against Australia at Brentford in April - and she has won 18 out of 19 matches at major tournaments as a manager.
Vilda, meanwhile, has been involved in a feud with 15 of his players amid reports of concern over training methods and inadequate game preparation.
A stand-off ensued and only three of those players were included in his World Cup squad, meaning some world-class talent such as Champions League winners Patri Guijarro, Mapi Leon and Claudia Pina were left at home.
England and Spain have never faced each other at a World Cup, while the Lionesses have only lost two of their past 13 games in all competitions against La Roja (winning seven and drawing the other four).
Their most recent meeting came in the quarter-finals at Euro 2022, when England needed a late equaliser from Ella Toone and an extra-time winner from Georgia Stanway to squeeze into the semi-finals.
"It was a game that we know we were on top, but the result is what counts," said Vilda. "[Sunday] will be a tactical match and it's a final that we're going to fight with everything."
The final, which is a 75,784 sell-out, kicks-off at 20:00 local time in Australia, which is nine hours ahead of England.
La Roja will be cheered on in Sydney by royalty, with Spain's Queen Letizia attending the final.
Football Association President Prince William has wished the England women's national team good luck and said he is "sorry" for not attending the game in person in a video message.
Football fan zones in London have already sold out in anticipation of the Lionesses' match.
If England do win, the government has said there are "no plans" for an extra bank holiday.
I have backed England from the start and I'm not going to change my mind now.
Spain have got quality players and will have lots of possession but England also have world-class players. And they have the big-game experience, having beaten Spain on their way to winning Euro 2022.
The teams are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to togetherness. The problems within the Spanish system and the debate over coach Vilda's methods are well documented, while England are closely knit and are enjoying themselves.
I think this, together with Wiegman, are the extra percentage points that will get England over the line.
And I'm confident it could be a similar scoreline to England's win in the semi-final. I think they will start with the same XI as they did in the semi-final but will bring James and Chloe Kelly off the bench, to play their part too in the final.
• None Wiegman has 'no plans to leave' England job
• None Listen: Jill Scott speaks to some of the Lionesses who have made it to the World Cup final | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66541041 |
Women's World Cup 2023: Lionesses tournament journey from 1995 to present day - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | From reaching the quarter-finals in 1995 to securing a spot in this year's final, we look back at the Lionesses' World Cup journey. | From reaching the quarter-finals in 1995 to securing a spot in this year's final, we look back at the Lionesses' World Cup journey.
Follow coverage of the Fifa Women's World Cup across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds & the BBC Sport website & app. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/66554852 |
Prostate cancer: Incontinence bins call in male toilets - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | One prostate cancer patient says he was forced to carry used "nappies" around in a backpack. | Raymond Starr is taking part in Prostate Cancer UK's Boys Need Bins campaign
Prostate cancer patients have described the "horrendous" experience of urinary incontinence, which some men undergo as a result of surgery.
Raymond Starr, 68, described being "like a running tap" and feeling "agitated and embarrassed".
Charity Prostate Cancer UK wants legislation to ensure sanitary bins are available in all male toilets.
The Welsh government said it had already introduced legislation to improve toilet facilities.
Mr Starr, a retired public servant from Abergele, Conwy county, was diagnosed in 2017 after a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test offered to over-55s identified abnormal levels.
He opted for a radical prostatectomy, after which patients are fitted with a catheter which is later removed, commonly followed by urinary incontinence.
"You're aware of it, but I don't think you really take on board what's likely to happen," said Mr Starr.
"I was literally like a running tap. It was horrendous."
Prostate Cancer UK said early stages of the disease often had no symptoms, so the side effects of treatments had the biggest effect on people's quality of life.
The charity said one in eight men got prostate cancer in their lifetime - one in four for black men - and stressed the importance of knowing the risks.
The incontinence was so bad that Mr Starr said he "couldn't see a way out".
"I thought, 'if I'm going to be like this for the rest of my life, I wish I'd never gone ahead with this'.
"I got quite agitated about it, I felt embarrassed. Every time I'd get up from a chair there would be leakage. If I tried to go upstairs to the toilet, by the time I got to the top I was wet through."
Nigel Rowland from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, had a similar experience last year, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and opted for surgery in September.
The 65-year-old tow boat captain said: "I was aware that incontinence could well be a side effect, as well as erectile dysfunction, but I thought 'I want it out and that's it, I don't want to be playing around'."
Mr Rowland said the incontinence was "sort of OK" at home, but problematic when he was ready to get out again.
"Whenever we went out for a walk, or even when I went with my mates for a drink, I had to take a backpack with me.
"Basically you put the soaking wet nappy into the plastic bag. At the start it might even be two. You'd have to walk around and find a bin somewhere, or take it home with you."
Mr Rowland recalled one occasion when he visited a National Trust site with his family and ended up rushing to the toilet while his daughter's partner went to retrieve his bag from the car.
"By the time I got to the toilets, it was so wet it was pouring down the inside of my shorts. I felt so embarrassed, uncomfortable," he said.
"To put it bluntly, I'd drastically wet myself and it's not a nice feeling."
Nigel Rowland says carrying a "soaking wet nappy" around is "embarrassing"
Prostate Cancer UK's Boys Need Bins campaign hopes to prompt legislation to mandate sanitary disposal bins in all men's toilets.
Mr Rowland continued: "It's psychological as well, you don't want to be walking around with what's just happened inside your bag."
Mr Starr added that the "unpleasantness of it all" put him off leaving his home and the NHS-supplied pads were "quite a big, bulky thing".
"Where do you dispose of that? It's impossible. It takes a toll on mental health and it limits the freedom of actually moving from home."
Mr Rowland added: "I made a bit of a joke about it with my friends, because that's the way I dealt with it, eventually.
"I tried to relate it to cars doing so many miles per gallon, so when I was out with my mates it was how many pints per pad."
Both men have had successful outcomes from their surgeries and no longer suffer from regular incontinence, but hope that speaking out will raise awareness about the need for bins.
Mr Starr added: "It's up to the Senedd to be one of the leaders on this. I hope Wales could be the first to roll it out."
Nick Ridgman of Prostate Cancer UK said there were hundreds of thousands of men with urinary incontinence and it was "deeply unfair" that many men felt anxious about leaving the house.
He added: "It's frustrating, it creates worry and it doesn't allow those men or their families to go about their day with dignity."
Prostate Cancer UK has worked with Phs group to create a suitable sanitary bin for men's toilets
The awareness raising efforts of charities have recently seen a prostate cancer storyline introduced for Shane Richie's EastEnders character Alfie Moon.
In May, male incontinence was debated in the Senedd, with Labour's Carolyn Thomas admitting that she had been "naïve" to the issue before a "chance meeting" with a prostate cancer patient on a train who explained his wife often had to put his used pads in her handbag until they found a bin.
The Welsh government said: "In Wales, local authorities are legally required to produce local toilet strategies and, in doing so, they should take every opportunity to talk to the public and representative groups about the challenges they face in accessing local toilet facilities, listening to their concerns and delivering potential solutions.
"We have issued guidance to local authorities and this highlights that accessible toilets are more important for those with conditions such as incontinence, urgency and prostate problems." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66458778 |
Man kills shopkeeper in US state of California after disparaging Pride flag - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The gunman is shot dead by police, as Hollywood director Paul Feig pays tribute to the victim. | A US shop owner was shot dead after a dispute over a Pride flag displayed outside her business, police say.
Laura Ann Carleton, 66, was found with a bullet wound at her Mag Pi shop in Cedar Glen, California, on Friday.
A suspect - who fled the scene on foot - was killed by police when found nearby, allegedly still armed.
Ms Carleton was described as a "wonderful friend" by Hollywood director Paul Feig, who posted an image of them together.
The suspect made "disparaging remarks" about the rainbow flag before shooting the victim, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers then located the suspect, armed with a handgun, the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department said.
At this point, "a lethal force encounter occurred and the suspect was pronounced deceased".
Officials on Monday identified the suspect as Travis Ikeguchi, 27.
Feig - known for films such as Bridesmaids as well as the Freaks and Geeks TV series - said his friend had been shot after confronting the suspect for ripping down the flag.
In an Instagram post, he said he was "devastated" for Ms Carleton's family and the LGBTQ+ community, "for whom Lauri was such a true ally".
"This intolerance has to end," he wrote. "Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realise their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people."
Local group Lake Arrowhead LGBT said the incident marked a "very sad day" for the area and that Ms Carleton, a "friend and supporter", would be "truly missed".
She was "murdered defending her LGBTQ+ Pride flags in front of her store", the group wrote in its own Instagram post.
"Lauri did not identify as LGBTQ+, but spent her time helping & advocating for everyone in the community." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66564605 |
Colombia earthquake: Guests leave as live TV broadcast disrupted - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The news anchor remained calm and went to a commercial break. | An earthquake with a 6.1 magnitude has interrupted a live TV broadcast in Bogota, Colombia.
The tremor was followed by a series of aftershocks, estimated at 5.6 and 4.8 magnitudes. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66553771 |
Hurricane Hilary weakens but could still be deadly - US - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The storm is expected to hit Mexico's Pacific coast and then move towards southern California. | Residents of Seal Beach, California, filling up sand bags to help fortify their homes on Saturday
Hurricane Hilary has weakened as it heads towards Mexico's Pacific coast and California but could still cause "life-threatening" flooding, US meteorologists warn.
With winds of 85 mph (140 km/h), it has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm.
Heavy rain lashed parts of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and the south-western US overnight.
One man died after being swept away while crossing a stream in Baja California, an official said.
The man had been travelling in a car with his three children and a woman. The others all survived, local media reported.
Hilary is expected to weaken further to a tropical storm before it reaches southern California. Even still, it would be the first tropical storm to hit the US state in more than 80 years.
In its latest update at 06:00 GMT on Sunday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Hilary was roughly 90 miles (145km) south of Baja California's westernmost point of Punta Eugenia.
Its centre will "move close to the west-central coast of the Baja California peninsula" on Sunday morning and will then move across southern California on Sunday afternoon, the NHC said.
"Hilary appears to be weakening quickly," John Cangialosi, a senior hurricane specialist at the NHC, told the Associated Press news agency on Saturday.
"The eye is filling and the cloud tops in the eyewall and rainbands have been warming during the past several hours," he added.
Hilary was earlier a powerful Category 4 storm with winds up to 130mph.
Rainfall could reach 10in (25cm) in some areas of southern California and southern Nevada, the NHC said it Sunday morning's update. "Dangerous to catastrophic flooding is expected."
Heavy rain and winds hit Cabo San Lucas in Baja California, Mexico, on Saturday
In San Diego, the National Weather Service (NWS) earlier issued a warning for the "high potential" of flash flooding. Nearly 26 million people in the south-western US were under flood watch.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) had "pre-positioned personnel and supplies in the region".
"I urge everyone in the path of the storm to take precautions and listen to the guidance from state and local officials," he said.
Parts of Mexico are under a tropical storm watch and its government has placed 18,000 soldiers on standby to assist in rescue efforts.
As the storm approached, Major League Baseball rescheduled three games in southern California, while SpaceX delayed the launch of a rocket from its base on the central California coast until at least Monday.
The National Park Service also closed Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve, both in California, to prevent visitors from being stranded in the event of flooding.
Local officials in cities across the region, including in Arizona, have offered sandbags to residents seeking to safeguard their properties against potential floodwaters.
Hurricanes and tropical storms are reasonably common in Mexico. But the last time a tropical storm made landfall in southern California was in Long Beach in 1939.
Experts say the abnormal weather events plaguing the US - and several areas across the globe - are being influenced by human-caused climate change.
In the wake July 2023 - the hottest month on record according to Nasa - the deadliest wildfire in modern US history spread across Hawaii on 8 August, killing at least 111 people.
The damage was escalated by hurricane winds passing through the area. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66499946 |
Sara Sharif murder inquiry: Girl known to authorities, council says - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Surrey County Council says it is "working tirelessly" to understand what happened to Sara. | Sara Sharif suffered extensive injuries over an extended period of time, police said
A 10-year-old girl who was found dead in Surrey was known to the authorities, the county council has confirmed.
Sara Sharif's body was found at her family home in Woking early on 10 August, prompting a murder inquiry.
Surrey Police confirmed they wanted to speak to Sara's father Urfan Sharif, and his partner and brother who flew to Pakistan the day before she was found.
Surrey County Council said it would "work tirelessly" to gain a "full understanding" of the situation.
Council leader Tim Oliver said previously the National Child Safeguarding Panel had been notified and a multi-agency review was under way.
"This Rapid Review will determine whether a Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review is to be undertaken by the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership," Mr Oliver said.
He explained: "A Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review is a statutory process, bringing together partners including the police, health, social care and education to review practice of all agencies involved, organisational structures and learning."
BBC News has been told two police teams in Jhelum, north Punjab in Pakistan, are looking for Mr Sharif.
Urfan Sharif and his partner Beinash Batool are sought by police
District police officer Nasir Mehmood Bajwa, in Jhelum, told the BBC that after police find Mr Sharif they are likely to take him into custody after receiving the go-ahead from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Islamabad.
Pakistan's foreign ministry and the FIA have not confirmed or shared any verbal or written orders on this case.
Mr Sharif, his partner Beinash Batool and his brother Faisal Malik all left the UK for Pakistan on 9 August, a day before Sara's body was discovered.
Surrey Police have said Mr Sharif, 41, made a 999 call from Pakistan shortly after landing in Islamabad with his partner, his brother and five children, aged between one and 13.
The call led officers to the house in Woking where they found the body of Sara who had sustained "multiple and extensive injuries", likely to have been caused over a sustained period of time.
There is no formal extradition treaty between the UK and Pakistan.
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-66563430 |
Cats: The mum and daughter living with more than 70 pets - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | Karen and Lauren say their "therapeutic" way of life has become a "living hell". | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What is it like to share your home with 70 cats and kittens?
Can you imagine living with more than 70 cats?
That is the reality for Karen Smy and her daughter Lauren Sheldrick from mid Wales, who run a small-scale rescue and are "passionate" about the animals.
They say having so many cats helps their mental health and is an all-consuming way of life.
But demand for cats to be rehomed has become "overwhelming" and the sheer number of cats can be "a living hell" which many people do not understand.
There are cats in every room of the house in Nantmel, Powys, including the bathroom and kitchen.
"We've always been a multi-cat family," said Karen, who has previously worked as a nursery practitioner.
"I think there's about 60 that are rescues, and then if you add Lauren's eight and you add my 10, you've got to be looking at over 70 cats at the minute."
Lauren, a trained art and design teacher who now works in the charity sector, said: "I have been through a lot of experiences with friends and family, where people have let me down and I haven't been in very nice situations and that's what's pushed me to cats. These guys never really let me down.
"I kind of use it on dating sites as a deterrent and, if someone isn't going to stick around [after] finding out that I live with this many cats, then they're not worth my time."
Lauren (left) and Karen live with more than 70 cats in their home
Karen added: "We're passionate about cats, more than we can explain.
"I think you've got to be a special kind of person to not just love animals, but make animals your world. And a lot of people don't get that."
The much-adored animals all have names and unique personalities, and Karen and Lauren can quickly identify each and every one.
"We've had them escape, we've had them hide in drawers, we've had them dive off balconies. They'll constantly steal food, if they can find it. They love the laser pen, that's hilarious," said Karen.
Karen and Lauren say they're always chasing around after cats who love to chase mice and steal food
"We'll sit there and watch telly and you'll see them come in with a random mouse that's found its way in here and then you have to chase them around."
Karen's Cat Community began in 2017, as there was a lot of demand in the area for homes for cats.
It started with people in the community asking Karen for advice on cat care, but soon spiralled "out of control" with the boundaries set by her being pushed by people "eager to get rid" of their cats.
Karen and Lauren spend about £135 per day on food and litter, plus extra for the specialist food some cats need.
On top of that, neutering costs £45 for each male cat and £78 for each female, and all of the cats need double vaccinations for £63 each. The pair say they have about £3,713 left to fork out for these planned medical costs for the cats they currently have.
There are cats in every room of the family home in Powys
Karen, 56, said the main issue was owners failing to neuter their cats which leads to unexpected kittens, as well as people taking on pets during the pandemic that they can no longer cope with.
"[People] took them in lockdown and then, let's face it, we came straight out of lockdown and we went into a recession. So then everyone went, this isn't such a good idea, this animal is costing me money," she said.
Karen said that vet fees have increased and the cost of cat food has "nearly doubled" since before the pandemic.
"Who doesn't want a mini cat? But the trouble is with mini cats, they grow. Kittens grow. And they're seen as a low maintenance animal, but they're not, they're quite complex creatures.
"What I find shocking is that Britain is supposed to be a nation of animal lovers, but the situation is getting worse."
Karen said there was a "misconception" about cats.
"They're not considered as sentient beings and they are. They've got very good memories so they remember the abuse, they remember the neglect," she said.
Lauren and Karen regularly go to bed in the early hours of the morning, only to wake up just a few hours later to begin their daily feeding and cleaning routine.
"It's not enjoyable anymore, it's got to the stage where it's hard work and sometimes it's a living hell," Karen said.
Lauren, 26, added: "We make sure they all have breakfast and then sometimes we'll do a bit of paperwork but then we'll go round and do the cleaning.
"If you do that nice and early then you can keep up on it for the rest of the day, but what tends to happen is that, by the time we've finished all the cleaning for the morning, it is two o'clock in the afternoon, so then you go round and do everything again."
The cats keep Lauren and Karen occupied from morning till night
Despite the difficult times, both Karen and Lauren say that looking after cats brings them joy.
"My mum has always been my best friend," added Lauren. "Now we're both here, as adult women, and this is what we've chosen to do with our lives, and this is what makes us happy.
"The positives definitely outweigh the negatives."
The pair hope to have found forever homes for all of their rescued cats by October, so that they can take a break over the winter, before returning as a registered charity in 2024.
Although raising money can be "like pulling teeth", Karen says platforms like TikTok have helped them find fellow cat-lovers willing to help.
"People on TikTok are absolutely brilliant. We've had compassion, empathy. We've met beautiful people on TikTok who have gone to the ends of the earth," she said.
"Someone has got to have a voice for them. That's what keeps us going. If we didn't take them, where would they go?
"I just absolutely adore them, and we'll just keep fighting until I'm six-foot under probably." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66451560 |
Vietnam War: The pastor who survived 17 years in forgotten jungle army - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | In 1975, Y Hin Nie fled the Vietnamese army into the jungle. He didn't emerge until 1992. | Hin Nie was a lieutenant colonel and pastor who fought Communist forces in the Vietnam War
Pastor Y Hin Nie, 75, preaches the gospel from the comfort of his church in the US state of North Carolina. But as a young man he survived nearly two decades in the jungle, giving sermons to his comrades fighting Vietnamese troops long after the war had ended - his AK-47 never far from his side.
On the run and cut off from the world, Hin Nie and his unit of insurgents foraged for food and hunted for tiger skins to pay the Khmer Rouge. His "forgotten army" did not give up arms until 1992, after Hin Nie negotiated their freedom.
The first time Y Hin Nie nearly died was on the night of 30 January 1968, when the Vietcong, fighting for the Communist North in Vietnam, launched a massive attack, firing barrages of rockets on US-held areas under the cover of Tet - or New Year - celebrations.
Hin Nie, who grew up in Vietnam, was living with American Christian missionaries in Buon Ma Thuot, the largest city in Vietnam's Central Highlands. His own mother and father had left him with the missionaries when he was eight because they were poor and wanted him to have a better life, he says.
His adopted "godmother", Carolyn Griswold, was sleeping when the rockets hit. Separate reports from missionaries say Communist troops also detonated explosives inside the home.
Carolyn's father, Leon, died immediately. Hin Nie - who happened to be staying at a friend's that night - rushed home and helped to dig Carolyn out of the rubble. She died soon after.
"My godmother died with suffering," he says. "God saved my life."
Many other missionaries were killed and captured while Hin Nie hid in a bunker.
Despite his losses he picked himself up and carried on, throwing himself into Bible school and working at a church.
He did not join the war until a decisive battle in March 1975, when the US-backed South's troops were destroyed and forced to retreat from Buon Ma Thuot.
As bombs rained down, Hin Nie and 32 bible school students escaped, walking for miles.
This was when Hin Nie was approached by fighters of the United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races (Fulro), an armed insurgent movement that advocated autonomy for ethnic minorities called Montagnards. These highland people have long faced persecution in Vietnam for reasons including their Christian faith.
They hoped Hin Nie's close links with American missionaries and his spoken English could help reconnect them with US troops, who had recruited tens of thousands of highlanders as frontline fighters before withdrawing from the war in 1973.
US special forces recruited Montagnards during the Vietnam War
Hin Nie said he felt drawn to join the fighters, who were devout Christians like him. "I had no choice, it touched my heart."
On 10 March 1975, he fled into the jungle with them.
For the first four years, they stayed within Vietnam, constantly on the run, hiding from the army.
"Shoot and run, shoot and run. We didn't have strong weapons," Hin Nie says, adding that he wasn't involved in direct combat himself, but carried an AK-47 for self-defence and hunting.
By 1979, Vietnamese troops were expanding their operations searching for Fulro, so the group fled into Cambodia, to Vietnam's west.
"We couldn't stay, so we crossed the border - it was too dangerous," he says.
But leaving Vietnam brought new perils. Guerrillas of Pol Pot's genocidal Khmer Rouge controlled pockets on Cambodia's eastern border.
Remnants of the regime - responsible for an estimated 1.7 million deaths during four years of terror in Cambodia - had fled there after being overthrown by Vietnam-backed forces.
Fulro needed permission from the Khmer Rouge to stay so Hin Nie met their local commanders in the jungles of Mondulkiri province.
"I said, 'We have the same enemy' - it was the only thing we agreed on. If the communists come from Vietnam to this side, then we could tell them," he says.
The Khmer Rouge allowed Hin Nie and his battalion to stay. But they demanded monthly "taxes" by way of large amounts of tiger and python skin, and deer horn.
Hin Nie says his unit caught tigers in traps. While the fear of tigers was real - tigers killed three people in the camp - the fear of the Khmer Rouge was even greater.
"They were very angry, they counted everything," he recalls. "Many times they threatened us: 'If you don't pay tax you have to go back.'"
Fulro would still carry out patrols and there were occasional skirmishes with Vietnamese forces as the unit moved from one jungle clearing to another, never settling for longer than a month.
Hin Nie remembers a "wild life" - the Fulro fighters roamed like animals, eating whatever they could find, including leaves from trees, he says.
"We walked and walked and walked… we'd shoot elephants, anything we could see."
Around this time he married his wife H Biuh, who was part of the group. They had three children in the jungle, but one died.
Religion was a constant in the camp.
The first thing Hin Nie would do when they arrived at a new spot was erect a cross. He would then hold sermons for the soldiers, women and children.
Christmas was never missed. One celebration stands out for him.
In 1982, they were singing carols one night, which some local Khmer Rouge heard from a distance. A handful of them walked over.
"A general asked if they could join us because the songs were very beautiful, and they stayed with us in the camp," Hin Nie recalls. "We sang and I preached in two languages - Khmer and Bunong."
Vietnamese communists also heard the singing and approached, he says, but Fulro and the Khmer Rouge chased them away.
Along with being the Fulro pastor, Hin Nie was also its chief liaison officer. This meant dealing with local Khmer Rouge, but also tuning in to shortwave radio each morning, including the BBC, Voice of America and Vietnamese radio, to try to follow what was happening in a world that had forgotten them - and which, with the Cold War over, had changed beyond recognition.
By 1991, Cambodian forces under then-Prime Minister Hun Sen - who only handed over the reins to his son earlier this month after 38 years in power - had become a new threat for Hin Nie to negotiate.
But apart from a few local Khmer Rouge and Cambodian soldiers, hardly anyone was aware the Fulro fighters were still in the jungle. Their former comrades had no idea if they were still alive, far less where they were - and neither did the international community.
So it was a great surprise when, in 1992, Hin Nie started negotiations with UN officials. They had arrived in the wake of the genocide to administer the Cambodian national election as part of a peacekeeping mission.
Grainy footage shows Hin Nie, centre right, showing officials around the Fulro camp
Hin Nie says he met a local UN official and wrote on a piece of paper in French: "We are Fulro - waiting for freedom and waiting for your help."
Two months later, a group of UN officials came to meet Hin Nie. "They kept interrogating me for one week to make sure why I lived in the jungle," he says. They wanted to know if he was Khmer Rouge. He told them he wasn't.
Another UN meeting followed, where Hin Nie requested more weapons "to fight the communists" but was told that was not possible.
"You only have 400 [fighters] - there are millions of soldiers in Vietnam. We don't want you to die," was the response, he says.
Then in August 1992, American journalist Nate Thayer visited the camp and the story of the last Fulro fighters became known to the outside world.
Thayer reported in the Phnom Penh Post that the group were still waiting for instructions from their leader who, unknown to them, had been executed by the Khmer Rouge 17 years earlier.
"Please, can you help us find our president, Y Bham Enuol?" Fulro Commander-in-Chief Y Peng Ayun asked. "We have been waiting for contact and orders from our president since 1975. Do you know where he is?"
Some of the group wept when they were told he had died. News of the Fulro president's death had never reached Hin Nie on his shortwave radio set.
He and his comrades had heard the war was over but there was still an unrealistic hope the US might get back in contact and provide support. Although they were trapped on the border, the Fulro fighters were loath to give up the struggle for their homeland and become refugees.
Hin Nie was asked how he felt towards the US. "I am not angry, but very sad that the Americans forgot us. The Americans are like our elder brother, so it is very sad when your brother forgets you," he told Thayer.
Upon learning that their leader was gone, the Fulro fighters agreed to put down their weapons and sought asylum in the US.
The group bypassed normal refugee channels and were on planes within months. Thayer, who Fulro veterans credited with telling their story to the world, joined them every step of the way (he died in January - Hin Nie presided over the memorial and veterans attended).
Landing in the US back in November 1992, Hin Nie was greeted by a banner welcoming the "forgotten army". He and H Biuh moved to Greensboro with their surviving children, who remain in the US.
Soon Hin Nie started speaking out against the persecution of his people, testifying to the US Congress. Because of his preaching, he remains a target in Vietnamese state media to this day.
The Vietnamese government claims Fulro still exists, and accuses exiled former members like Hin Nie of trying to wage insurrection in Vietnam. In 2021, the VOV news agency said he was behind a "reactionary organisation disguised as a religious sect based in the Central Highlands, which aimed to incite local people to sabotage the united Vietnamese state".
Hin Nie says this is nonsense.
Hin Nie at his church in Greensboro - a lifetime away from his years in the jungle
Under Communist rule, the Montagnards still face widespread intimidation, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment in Vietnam.
Vietnam's government did not respond to a request for comment.
At Hin Nie's United Montagnard Christian Church in Greensboro there are hundreds in the congregation. He preaches to them in English, Vietnamese and Rade, and sometimes sings songs in other languages of the Central Highlands.
"They still put propaganda against me but Fulro has died. Everyone has died," he says.
"The Vietnamese try to shut the mouths of people in Vietnam - but I am here." | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-63374482 |
Women's World Cup: England fans in tears as Spain's supporters ecstatic - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | England fans are heartbroken after their one-nil defeat to jubilant Spain in the Women's World Cup final. | England fans in London showed their disappointment after the Lionesses were defeated by Spain 1-0, while Spain fans in Madrid erupted into cheers of joy. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66563442 |
Canada wildfires: The past 2 days in 75 seconds - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | As Canada's northern and western provinces battle historic wildfires, thousands have been displaced. | This video can not be played
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Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into Moon - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The unmanned craft spun out control before its planned landing on the Moon's south pole. | The Luna-25 craft blasted off from far-east Russia on August 11
Russia's unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon after spinning out of control, officials say.
It was Russia's first Moon mission in almost 50 years.
The craft was due to be the first ever to land on the Moon's south pole, but failed after encountering problems as it moved into its pre-landing orbit.
It was set to explore a part of the Moon which scientists think could hold frozen water and precious elements.
Roscosmos, Russia's state space corporation, said on Sunday morning that it had lost contact with the Luna-25 shortly after 14:57pm (11:57 GMT) on Saturday.
Preliminary findings showed that the 800kg lander had "ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon", it said in a statement.
It said a special commission would look into why the mission failed.
The loss of Luna-25 is a blow to Roscosmos. Russia's civilian space programme has been in decline for several years, as state funding is increasingly directed towards the military.
Russia was racing to the Moon's south pole against India, whose Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to land there in the coming days and send a rover to explore the rocks and craters, gathering data and images to send back to Earth.
Parts of the Moon's south pole remain permanently in shadow, which makes finding water a possibility.
A spokesperson for the Indian space agency Isro described the Luna-25 crash as "unfortunate".
"Every space mission is very risky and highly technical. It's unfortunate that Luna-25 has crashed," they told the BBC.
Roscosmos had acknowledged that the Luna-25 mission was risky and could fail. The craft launched from Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region of Russia on 11 August, and then successfully entered the moon's orbit on Wednesday of this week.
It was expected to make history by making a soft landing on Monday or Tuesday, just days before the Indian touchdown.
No country has ever landed on the Moon's south pole before, although the US, Soviet Union and China have landed softly on the Moon's surface.
Luna-25 was Russia's first Moon mission since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. That mission, Luna-24, landed successfully.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Russia launches first space mission to Moon in 47 years
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Women's World Cup 2023: England beaten by Spain in final - highlights - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | England's wait to win a first Women's World Cup goes on after defeat by Spain in the 2023 final in Sydney. | Watch highlights as England suffer heartbreak in a 1-0 defeat by Spain in the 2023 Women's World Cup final in Sydney.
Follow coverage of the Fifa Women's World Cup across BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds & the BBC Sport website & app.
Available to UK users only. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/66470705 |
Women's World Cup memorable moments: Lord of the Rings, dislocated shoulders and presidential bets - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | The Women's World Cup has provided many memorable moments on the pitch. Here are some you may have missed off it. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
The Women's World Cup is almost over and has provided many memorable moments on the pitch.
Great goals have been scored, heroes have been made and on Sunday England or Spain will be crowned champions.
But away from the football there have been other memorable - and amusing - moments you may have missed.
Fortunately, BBC Sport has collated some of the best...
Lord of the Rings fan goes viral
There's always one, isn't there?
Australia's run to the semi-finals brought many joyous scenes as the country celebrated the Matildas' historic progress.
It was clear that even non-football fans were getting wrapped up in the moment, and one of the most memorable scenes after Australia's thrilling quarter-final win against France was from inside a plane where everyone was gripped by the penalty shootout.
Well, almost everyone.
With dozens of screens showing those tense final moments, one person was blissfully unware of the surrounding drama as they watched Lord of the Rings.
It is a great film, but perhaps the biggest surprise is that it is 2023 and there exists someone who hadn't seen it yet.
That moment when you're watching the wrong game...
While people on the ground and in the air were gripped by that tense shootout, for one person Australia's progress to the semi-finals felt less intense.
That's because, while former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce was watching Australia beat France, the hotel he was at inadvertently put on a replay of a friendly between the two sides from July.
Australia won that game 1-0, so nowhere near as nerve-wracking as penalties.
"I know it was an incredible penalty shootout which we never saw. We went and had dinner because we thought they'd won 1-0," Joyce said.
Australian journalist injured in the line of duty
It isn't every day you see your team reach the World Cup semi-finals, so it's understandable if celebrations get pretty wild.
However, reporter Isobel Cootes celebrated Australia's victory over France so much she dislocated her shoulder.
She was back to work the following day, albeit with her shoulder in a sling.
It wasn't to be for Australia as they were beaten by England in the semi-finals, but perhaps it was a good thing for Isobel that there wasn't another chance for a wild celebration...
It has become a World Cup tradition - after the partying and celebrations of a Japan win die down, their players and fans stay behind long after the final whistle to make sure they leave everything spotless.
The Japanese once again drew global praise as supporters were seen picking up litter in the stands following the 5-0 victory over Zambia in the group stage.
The players did their bit too as they tidied up the dressing room and left messages of thanks to stadium staff before they left.
There are about 10,000 miles between Colombia and Australia, but that didn't stop the South Americans being one of the best-supported teams at the World Cup.
The loud, colourful Colombians were one of the outstanding features at the tournament and their ear-splitting, goose bump-raising renditions of the national anthem had to be heard to be believed.
Much of the backing came from expatriate communities of Colombians in Australia.
"There is a trend in Colombia to go and work in Australia, to travel, to study English - many Colombians are doing that. So there are a lot all over Australia," Valentina Pena, sports broadcaster for W Radio Colombia, told BBC Sport.
"The thing is, we are not only so many - we are really loud. We are Latino people."
We get it. An international tournament goes on for a long time and, behind all the tension and excitement of games, and once most of the touristy bits are done, there are long spells with very little for players to do.
Maybe it's not so bad if you are based in a bustling city like Sydney or Wellington, but for those situated in smaller places with not quite as much to do, it is understandable things may eventually get a bit dull.
That's what happened in the case of Spain, who left their training base in the Palmerston North in New Zealand early because of boredom.
Team officials stressed that the players and staff did enjoy their time there, praising the people, their hotel and the facilities, but the lack of things to do, particularly in the evenings, ultimately took its toll.
On the eve of Sweden's World Cup semi-final against Spain, coach Peter Gerhardsson will have had a lot on his mind.
That's the excuse he should have used when he finished his pre-match news conference by standing up and walking straight into a broom cupboard.
Gerhardsson looked a little perplexed when he opened the door to see shelves and household cleaning products, but was promptly redirected to the actual exit by a geographically sound cameraman.
If doing it in a room full of people is nerve-wracking enough, imagine doing it in front of thousands inside a stadium?
That's what officials at this World Cup have had to do, with decisions made by the video assistant referee (VAR) now being communicated to the fans.
It is the first time that this has been done at a senior international tournament, with the responsibility for making the announcement falling to the on-pitch referee.
It has had a couple of teething problems, namely in Spain's group game against Zambia when Jennifer Hermoso initially had a goal ruled out for offside.
After a lengthy VAR check, referee Oh-Hyeon Jeong initially stood by the decision, announcing "no goal", but then swiftly backtracked: "No, wait... no offside. Goal!"
This World Cup has been talked about everywhere from pubs to the corridors of power.
Before Australia's quarter-final against France, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, tagging French President Emmanuel Macron, wrote on social media: "How about a bet Emmanuel Macron? If the Matildas win tonight, you'll support Australia in the semi-finals. If France win, I'll support France. Deal?"
Macron took up the bet and followed through on the deal after France lost, throwing his support behind Australia for their semi-final with England.
"Nothing personal against our English friends, but a bet is a bet," Macron posted. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66531964 |
Newry: Elderly couple's deaths not being treated as suspicious - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The couple found dead at a home outside Newry are believed to have died some time ago, the PSNI say. | The couple's bodies were discovered on Thursday after local residents shared concerns about their welfare
An elderly couple who were found dead at a house outside Newry, County Down, three days ago are believed to have died some time ago, police have said.
They have been named locally as husband and wife Jim and Mary McLaughlin.
Their remains were discovered at their home on Greenan Road, between Burren village and Newry city, on Thursday.
Post-mortem examinations have taken place and police said that the deaths are not currently being treated as suspicious, but inquiries are ongoing.
It is understood the couple had not been seen in the area for some time.
A police cordon was erected outside the house after the discovery
Police cordoned off the house while forensics investigators examined the scene on Friday.
Newry, Mourne and Down Councillor Declan McAteer told BBC News NI on Friday that he believed the couple had no close relatives living nearby.
He said the couple did not have much contact with the local community, but their neighbours were very shocked and saddened by the discovery of their bodies. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66560490 |
Sweden 2-0 Australia: Kosovare Asllani stunner secures World Cup bronze for Sweden - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | Kosovare Asllani's stunning second-half strike seals victory for Sweden as they beat Australia to finish third at the Women's World Cup at Brisbane Stadium. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
Kosovare Asllani's stunning second-half strike sealed victory for Sweden as they beat Australia to finish third at the Women's World Cup.
She rifled in a shot from the edge of the area to add to Fridolina Rolfo's first-half penalty as Sweden won the bronze medal match for the second World Cup in succession.
Despite the defeat, this represents co-hosts Australia's best ever World Cup finish but the Matildas were unable to end on a high.
Rolfo's penalty gave Peter Gerhardsson's side the lead after a video assistant referee (VAR) check confirmed that Claire Hunt had clipped Stina Blackstenius in the box after 26 minutes.
And on the hour mark, Blackstenius played a superb square ball to Asllani, who stroked in a first-time shot to double their lead.
"It was an incredibly important match and the final 10 minutes were really tough," said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson.
"So when that final whistle went and we had won, there was a great sense of relief and it was a wonderful feeling.
"It's great to win a match of this magnitude - there's been a lot of attention paid to this tournament back in Sweden."
The Matildas' achievement in finishing fourth cannot be understated in a country where football is not the number one sport.
Their 3-1 semi-final defeat by England was the most watched TV event in Australian history with 11.15 million viewers tuning in.
But they seemed deflated on Saturday and put in a tired performance, with even their talisman Sam Kerr struggling to make an impact on the game - in fact, she had the fewest touches of any player on the pitch in the first half.
Their best chances fell to Hayley Raso and Clare Polkinghorne, but they were both denied by Sweden goalkeeper Zecira Musovic.
"We wanted to have some hardware to take home, it wasn't to be," said captain Kerr.
"We've proved to the world - and also within Australia - that we are a footballing nation."
Australia, who had only ever reached the quarter-finals once previously, in 2015, were the first hosts to reach the semi-finals since United States in 2003.
Their efforts in this tournament have certainly captured the hearts of the fans in green and gold and the hope will be that that leaves a lasting legacy.
"We have a massive amount of work to do now to capitalise on this," said Australia's coach Tony Gustavsson.
"Now there needs to be long-term investment to really make sure we really benefit from this crossroads moment in women's football in this country."
Sweden have plenty of experience of playing in the third-fourth place match, having reached the semi-finals on five occasions but only making the final once - in 2003, when they were beaten by Germany.
And they dominated the game to win bronze for a fourth time.
They were already on on top before Rolfo beat the dive of Australia keeper Mackenzie Arnold with a well-placed penalty into the bottom left corner to give them the lead.
And Asllani's super strike secured victory in a game of a few clear cut chances.
It has been another fine tournament for the Scandinavians who topped their group with maximum points before knocking out defending champions the United States in the last 16.
An impressive victory over Japan followed, but their failure to successfully negotiate a semi-final once again after their dramatic exit at the hands of Spain, will be their lasting memory of this tournament.
• None Attempt missed. Caitlin Foord (Australia) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.
• None Lina Hurtig (Sweden) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Alex Chidiac (Australia) wins a free kick on the right wing.
• None Attempt missed. Emily van Egmond (Australia) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
• None Attempt missed. Kyra Cooney-Cross (Australia) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
• None Elin Rubensson (Sweden) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
• None Alex Chidiac (Australia) wins a free kick on the right wing. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66543416 |
Lionesses 'inspired' nation despite defeat - William - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The Prince of Wales has led a flood of support for England after they narrowly lost the World Cup final. | England players slumped to the ground at the final whistle as World Champions Spain celebrated
The Prince of Wales assured the Lionesses they have "done yourselves and this nation proud" as support flooded in for the defeated side.
Royals, ex-players and politicians heaped praise on the England team after they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Spain in the Women's World Cup final.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said "it wasn't to be, but you've already secured your legacy as game-changers".
The King told the Lionesses "let none of you feel defeated".
England lost by one goal to Spain after a tense ninety minutes and going close by hitting the bar, pushing the eventual champions right up until the final whistle.
Supporters across the country have expressed their pride over a team which lifted the European Championships trophy last year, and had already made history by becoming the first England women's national team to reach a World Cup final.
William, who received criticism from some for not attending the final in person, shared a message of support shortly after the final whistle.
The royal - who is president of the Football Association - said: "Although it's the result none of us wanted, Lionesses you have done yourselves and this nation proud.
"Your spirit and drive have inspired so many people and paved the way for generations to come.
"Thank you for the footballing memories. Congratulations to Spain."
Charles, who was attending church near Balmoral with the Queen during the match, also sent his thoughts and commiserations to the team.
"While I know how sore it must be, let none of you feel defeated, for to have reached the final at all is an immense tribute to your skill, determination and team spirit in the finest sporting tradition," he said.
It was heartbreak for fans watching the final across the country
Jeannie Allott, a member of the original Lionesses team of 1972, heaped praise on England goalkeeper Mary Earps, who frustrated the Spaniards with a stunning second-half penalty save.
Speaking at Boxpark Wembley after the match, she said: "I wish she was my sister. I love her. An absolutely brilliant keeper. She will go far."
She added: "If I'm really honest, I think Spain were that little bit better, but not always the best team wins of course.
"We did have three or four chances not taken, shame. Otherwise it could have been a different match, but Spain were a really good team."
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, who was sent to Sydney to represent the government, said: "They inspired millions across the country with glorious performances, moments of magic and relentless determination and desire.
"An incredible journey has come to an end but it will never be forgotten."
Mr Sunak said "we are all incredibly proud of you" after the match, which he watched in a pub in his Richmond constituency.
"You left absolutely nothing out there Lionesses," he added. "It wasn't to be, but you've already secured your legacy as game changers."
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the defeat was "heartbreaking" but was "just the beginning" for a side which includes several young players likely to play for England for many years.
He added: "So proud of the England team who inspired the whole country."
Match of the Day host and former England striker Gary Lineker said: "Gutted for the Lionesses who gave their all, but congratulations to Spain on winning the World Cup.
"They were the better team and thoroughly deserved their victory."
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Storm Hilary hits California after lashing Mexico - BBC News | 2023-08-20 | The storm lashed Southern California and is heading to north to the state of Nevada. | People have been preparing for stormy weather in Palm Springs, California
Tropical Storm Hilary hit the US state of California on Sunday night, bringing fierce winds and flooding to the Pacific coast.
Now headed north to Nevada, the storm passed over Southern California, with record rainfall and flash flooding predicted in the Death Valley National Park.
It moved across the border from Mexico, where the Baja California peninsula saw winds of 70 mph (119km/h).
A number of houses are now submerged in the town of Santa Rosalia, Mexico, while some residents in California have been forced to evacuate.
Schools have also had to close for Monday, including Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the country.
The last time a tropical storm made landfall in Southern California was in Long Beach in 1939.
Hilary is set to weaken as it moves north, but forecasters warn it could still bring dangerous and catastrophic flooding to the state.
"Areas that normally do not experience flash flooding will flood," the National Weather Service said. "Lives and property are in great danger through Monday."
Experts say recent abnormal weather events that have plagued the US - and several areas across the globe - have been influenced by human-caused climate change.
In Mexico, 18,000 soldiers have been put on standby to assist in rescue efforts
The storm made landfall in the northern part of Mexico's Baja California peninsula at 11:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Sunday, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
In Mexico, 18,000 soldiers were placed on standby earlier to assist in rescue efforts.
The man who died in the state of Baja California Sur was in a car with his wife and children, local officials said - his family survived.
In Santa Rosalia, on the state's eastern coast, dramatic videos have emerged showing powerful torrents of muddy water cascading down the main street.
Across California, residents have been putting out sandbags, including in Long Beach and Palm Springs. About 57,000 people in the state are without power, according to poweroutage.us.
Eugenie Adler, a resident of Long Beach, told Reuters: "Flooding where people lose some property is one thing, but flooding where people die is another. And I'm afraid people might die."
"But Los Angeles has deep experience responding to crises whether it be wildfire or earthquakes," she said. "The city is prepared."
Nearly 26 million people in the south-western US are under flood watch.
Hilary was downgraded to a Category 1 storm after weakening on Saturday, but officials kept up their warnings.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 240 miles (390 km) from its centre, according to the NHC.
Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, said Hilary could be one of the worst storms to hit the state in more than a decade.
"Make no mistake," she told a news conference on Saturday. "This is a very, very dangerous and significant storm."
Up to 10 in (25cm) of rain is expected in parts of Mexico, California and Nevada, according to the NHC. On Sunday, rain began to fall in Southern California deserts.
As the storm approached, Major League Baseball rescheduled three games in southern California, while SpaceX postponed the launch of a rocket from its base on the central California coast until at least Monday.
The National Park Service also closed Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve, both in California, to prevent visitors from being stranded in the event of flooding.
In the wake of the hottest month on record, July 2023, according to Nasa, the deadliest wildfire in modern US history spread across Hawaii on 8 August, killing at least 111 people.
The damage was escalated by hurricane winds passing through the area.
And in Canada, hundreds of wildfires are raging in the province of British Columbia, scorching homes and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
How have you been affected by the storms? If it's safe for you to do so, you can get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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England 'heartbroken' after Women's World Cup final defeat by Spain, says Millie Bright - BBC Sport | 2023-08-20 | England captain Millie Bright says the defeat to Spain in the Women's World Cup final is "really hard to take". | England are "absolutely heartbroken" after losing the Women's World Cup final, says captain Millie Bright.
Spain captain Olga Carmona's first-half goal was enough to give Jorge Vilda's side a 1-0 victory as they claimed their first title on the world stage.
The Lionesses were looking to become the first England senior side since the men's team in 1966 to win the World Cup.
"This is really hard to take. We gave it everything," Bright said.
"We had chances, we hit the bar, but we just didn't have the final edge and they got theirs in back of the net.
"We're absolutely heartbroken. We gave everything. Unfortunately we just weren't there."
England boss Sarina Wiegman has now lost two Women's World Cup finals in a row after she led her native Netherlands to a 2-0 defeat by the United States in 2019.
"Of course it feels really bad now, very disappointing," Wiegman said.
"You go into the final and you want to give everything and then you lose it.
"That happens in sports but what we have done, how we have shown ourselves, who we are, how we want to play as a team, overcoming so many challenges - I think we can be so proud of ourselves, although it doesn't feel like it at the moment."
Wiegman, who suffered just her second defeat in 39 games as England manager, said she hopes to get a "new moment with the team I work with because it's very special to play finals.
"We will start in September in the Nations League to try to qualify for the Olympics. You want to improve all the time," she added.
"This team and this group of players are so eager to be successful. We want to grab every moment to be better. We hope we come back and play good games again to win."
Despite the defeat, midfielder Georgia Stanway said England can be proud to wear a "special" silver medal, but added that she hopes it will be gold in four years.
"It's gutting, it's devastating, but that's football," Stanway said.
"It's hard to watch another team celebrate when it's your goal and your dream. When the dust settles, we'll be really proud of this.
"We've faced a lot in this tournament, before the tournament, people probably didn't have us written to be in this situation, so to reach a World Cup final is an achievement alone.
"We hope we've inspired many many people. We're the Lionesses, so we won't stop what we're doing, we'll continue to break barriers, we'll continue to push on."
England defender Jess Carter, who started six of England's seven matches in Australia, added: "As much as we're disappointed we've achieved something huge here. I'm massively proud of that.
"It's going to be a difficult ride home but we have to reflect on that and take the time to recover, regroup and get ready to go again."
FA chief Mark Bullingham said: "[It] didn't go our way, but to reach our first World Cup Final since 1966, and our first away from home is a huge achievement.
"Everyone is hurting, but we are so proud of the Lionesses, Sarina and the whole support team. We thank them all for everything they have delivered in these special few weeks."
'It hurts but this is a proud moment'
Former England defender Alex Scott said on BBC One that it was a "bittersweet moment" to watch England lose in the World Cup final.
"These Lionesses continue to inspire everybody to want to play, to want to be involved, to want to have a voice," Scott said.
"It hurts but this is a proud moment. To see an England team even make a World Cup final.
"To have everyone at home tuning in, seeing them. They should be so proud of themselves. Yes it hurts but the amount of work and sacrifice that has gone on to get to this moment. This is what we need to remember right now."
Ex-Lionesses midfielder Fara Williams said England's run in the tournament will help to "put respect on women's football".
"They will go back to the UK in a couple of days and they are heroes, getting to the World Cup final, the first time for an England team since 1966," Williams added.
"Little boys will allow little girls to play football together in the playground, that's the difference this will make."
Ellen White, who retired from football after winning the Euros with England last summer, said: "This England side can be so proud of what they have done for this tournament, what they've done for women's football, what they've done for our sport back home as well, inspiring a generation and inspiring and empowering women as well."
• None Go here for all the latest from the Women's World Cup | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66563706 |
Strong winds and downpours hit parts of the UK - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The spell of unseasonal weather showed no sign of easing as forecasters issued weather warnings for wind and rain. | Racegoers shelter from the rain as they arrive at Goodwood Festival in Westhampnett, West Sussex
Heavy rain and strong winds have hit parts of the UK, as August's spell of unseasonal weather showed no sign of easing.
The Met Office issued a severe yellow weather warning for wind covering parts of southern England on Wednesday.
Forecasters also warned of thunderstorms in central and south-east England and Wales.
The bad weather in the UK was due to an area of low pressure bringing wind and rain, meteorologists said.
Gusts were forecast to reach around 60mph in the most exposed parts of the southern England coast. Some locations were expected to face 40mm of rain within a few hours.
Some other exposed coastal locations, such as Berry Head in Devon, and Portland, Dorset, saw gusts of up to 50mph, the Met Office said.
Last summer, the UK saw record-breaking temperatures of more than 40C - but last month was one of the wettest Julys on record, according to provisional data.
The Met Office said the UK had its sixth rainiest July since data started being collected, and its wettest since 2009.
The wet weather has been bad news for holidaymakers enjoying the school holidays.
Lisa Vickery, owner of MacDonald's Farm in Porthcothan, told BBC Radio Cornwall "quite a few" campers had left due to heavy rain, or cancelled at the last minute.
"I think everyone wakes up praying that today's going to be a dry day, but we've never seen weather like this in the four years we've been here," she said.
"Whether that will mean next year they might rethink coming down here for their summer holiday and go abroad, we could see next year this has an impact."
In West Sussex, people on Worthing's beachfront told the BBC that the weather was "dreadful".
Clair McKinney-Williams said the rain was so strong that it was coming into her cafe, forcing her to close early.
Elsewhere, Farmers told the BBC that they were worried about how the weather would impact their crops.
Robin Milton, a farmer in north Devon, said that oats which were a "nice, level, even crop" a fortnight ago are now spoiled and rotting from the rain.
"We're seeing a climate now that's showing extremes, rather than a more seasonal pattern that we became used to."
David Chugg of the National Farmers Union told the BBC that this season could be a "write-off" with crops deteriorating so quickly.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch the latest weather forecast for where you are
Meanwhile on the Isle of Wight, Cowes Week - the world's largest sailing regatta - cancelled all races on Wednesday due to the high winds forecast.
In Redcar, North Yorkshire, horse racing has been abandoned due to the weather. Hastings Pier has been closed due to winds.
BBC Weather meteorologist Darren Bett said it should become drier in England and Wales at night time, with the strong, gusty winds starting to change direction and the rain moving away,
The French Meteorological Department has given the storm a name - Patricia - because of the impact it is likely to have in the Brest peninsula and in Brittany, BBC Weather presenter Carol Kirkwood explained.
"We had a supermoon last night, high tides and strong winds whipping up waves for France. We're likely to see some issues with coastal flooding," she said.
As for Thursday, Met Office chief meteorologist Dan Suri said the low pressure should pull away eastwards from the UK during Wednesday evening and night, making for a calmer Thursday - although heavy showers could persist.
People hold umbrellas while in a punt in Cambridge
Traffic slowed in the heavy rain on the M62 near Brighouse in West Yorkshire | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66381122 |
Jacob Crouch: Murdered baby 'born into a culture of cruelty' - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Jacob Crouch suffered at least 39 rib fractures and died from a "vicious assault". | A baby who was murdered by his stepfather was "born into a culture of cruelty," police have said.
Jacob Crouch suffered at least 39 rib fractures, and died from a "vicious assault" at the hands of Craig Crouch.
The 10-month-old died "in his cot, alone" on 30 December 2020 at home near Swadlincote, Derbyshire, having suffered a "living hell".
Crouch was found guilty of murder following a seven-week trial.
Jacob's mother Gemma Barton has been cleared of murder but she was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.
Speaking on the steps of Derby Crown Court, Det Insp Paul Bullock of Derbyshire Police said: "Jacob Crouch was born into a culture of cruelty where both of the people who he should have been able to trust above any other allowed him to be subjected to assault after assault." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-66388917 |
Chris Hughes told Barbie comment was 'not appropriate' by BBC - BBC Sport | 2023-08-02 | Presenter Chris Hughes has been told by the BBC that a comment he made to Australian Maitlan Brown during The Hundred was "not appropriate". | Last updated on .From the section The Hundred
Presenter Chris Hughes has been told by the BBC a comment he made to Australian all-rounder Maitlan Brown during The Hundred was "not appropriate".
Hughes interviewed Brown, 26, pitchside during BBC Two's coverage of Southern Braves' win over Trent Rockets.
After Brown said she had been to see the Barbie movie with her Braves team-mates, Hughes replied: "You're a little Barbie yourself with your blue eyes."
Hughes, who first found fame on Love Island, added: "She's blushing now."
The comments were criticised on social media.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the BBC said: "We have spoken to Chris and explained that his comment was not appropriate."
Brown has played for the Australia A team and has received call-ups to the full Australia squad.
In addition to presenting coverage of The Hundred, Hughes has also worked on ITV's horse racing programmes.
• None The face you know, the story you don't: The life and legacy of Marilyn Monroe from a modern perspective | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/66387195 |
Mattel toy firm hunts for £3,500 a week chief Uno player - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The successful applicant could get paid more than $17,000 for four weeks of work in New York. | Mattel is trying to stir up interest in a new version of the classic Uno game
Toymaker Mattel is hunting for someone to help promote its new Uno game - and wild-card applicants are most definitely welcome.
The company is asking enthusiasts of the card game to apply on TikTok for a chance at the part-time post of "Chief Uno Player".
The gig will be based in New York for four weeks starting in September.
Responsibilities include playing the new game, Uno Quatro, for four hours a day, four days a week.
Applicants must be US residents and aged 18 or over to be selected for the job, which pays $4,444.44 (£3,500) a week.
The company declined to say how many people had responded since the job offer was posted on Tuesday.
A TikTok video announcing the role had received about 9,000 likes - and hundreds of replies - many of them from accounts expressing interest. The deadline to apply is 10 August.
"We're constantly looking to create new ways for fans to engage with Uno - and with the nationwide search for the first-ever Chief Uno Player, we're bringing in-person gameplay to fans in a way they've never experienced before," Mattel's global head of games, Ray Adler, said announcing the post.
The person selected for the job is expected to help create and star in social media posts, give interviews and challenge strangers to play the new version of the classic game, which relies on tiles instead of cards.
The company also warns that candidates must be able to "sit for long periods, lift and carry 50 lbs, and set up playing tables & tents on location".
The stunt comes after Mattel won plaudits for its success in stirring up excitement about the Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
But the toymaker is also in need of hits. It recently reported sales in the April-June period of about $1bn (£786m), down 12% compared with the prior year.
Profits in the quarter also slumped to $27m, compared with $68m in the previous year. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66387417 |
Dua Lipa faces new copyright lawsuit over hit Levitating - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The singer is accused of using a recording on remixes of the popular single without permission. | Dua Lipa is one of the biggest names in pop music
Singer Dua Lipa is facing a multi-million dollar copyright claim over the use of a recording in her hit single Levitating.
The legal action was filed by musician Bosko Kante, who claims the star used a recording made with his talk box in remixes of the song without permission.
The talk box is a wearable device that makes vocal vibrations sound like musical instruments.
Dua Lipa and her label Warner Music Group have not responded to the claims.
Levitating is one of Dua Lipa's most popular tracks from her 2020 album Future Nostalgia.
The legal action, which was filed in Los Angeles on Monday, claims Bosko is entitled to more than $20m (£15.6m).
It says British-Albanian star Dua Lipa had permission to use the talk box on the original recording but not on any remixes, Reuters reported.
It alleges the 27-year-old reused the work without permission on further releases, including The Blessed Madonna remix, which featured Madonna and Missy Elliott, another remix featuring DaBaby and a performance by Dua Lipa at the American Music Awards.
Bosko is yet to comment publicly on his claim, however Billboard reports his lawyers say he has made "numerous attempts" to resolve the matter, which they call a "blatant infringement" of his copyright.
Lawyers maintain Bosko has taken legal action because the singer and her label had shown "unwillingness to co-operate or accept responsibility".
It is not the first time Dua Lipa, who is currently in the charts with her song Dance the Night Away, has faced copyright claims over Levitating.
According to Reuters, a court complaint from reggae group Artikal Sound System was dismissed in June - and a separate claim, by songwriters Sandy Linzer and L. Russell Brown, continues.
In 2021, she was also sued over claims she put a paparazzi photo of herself on Instagram without permission.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 BST weekdays - or listen back here.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-66381899 |
Watch moment police dog sniffs out €1m hidden cash - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The Italian canine named ‘Elio’ foiled a cash smuggling attempt at a bus station near the city of Florence. | An Italian police dog named ‘Elio’ has thwarted a cash smuggling attempt by sniffing out over €1,075,600 (£925,000) stashed in two suitcases while on patrol at a bus station near Florence.
Authorities said the owner of the bags was a Chinese national residing in Italy, and a formal investigation has been launched. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66379987 |
Women's World Cup 2023: England announce arrival with 6-1 win over China - BBC Sport | 2023-08-02 | England's performance against China makes a statement to their rivals and dispels doubts around their Women's World Cup campaign. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
The 'ole' chants had kicked in before 40 minutes had been played and the same fans were rocking out to Van Halen at half-time. England had arrived at the Women's World Cup. The party atmosphere evolved throughout England's scintillating 6-1 victory over China, confirming their place in the last 16 as group winners. The Lionesses swept aside China with slick, unpredictable and entertaining football in one of the best performances in the tournament so far. It was a display that sent a statement to England's rivals in Australia. The European champions mean business and have finally shown their quality. When half-time arrived, England were in cruise control at 3-0 up - a goal and two assists already in the bag for Chelsea sensation Lauren James.
• None How to watch England v Nigeria on the BBC
• None Go here for all the latest from the Women's World Cup England were one of the pre-tournament favourites but injuries to key players Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby had dominated the build-up to the World Cup. Sarina Wiegman's side then opened Group D with an unconvincing 1-0 win against Haiti, ranked 49 places lower than them, before they had to rely on a James stunner to help them over the line in a 1-0 victory against Denmark. England had six points in the bag and sat top of the group, but the performances had created more questions than provided answers. Struggling for fluidity, their goalscoring touch also seemed to have deserted them, with just one goal from open play in their past four matches - while none of England's strikers had got off the mark. To add to the concern, instrumental midfielder Keira Walsh picked up a knee injury - so by the time the Lionesses were lining up to face China in their final group match, English pessimism had started to creep in. Lauren James (left) and Rachel Daly (right) both scored against China Tension was hardly reduced when Wiegman named her starting XI for Tuesday's match in Adelaide and few could state confidently what the formation was. It was rogue, unpredictable and risky by a manager who had named the same team throughout Euro 2022 and has rarely switched from a favoured 4-2-1-3 formation. This was an uncharacteristic experiment in the middle of the game's biggest tournament. Instead of her favoured flat back four, England set up with a back three - and it worked almost instantly. China, perhaps as unprepared as everyone else, could not work out how to track England's runners and they attacked relentlessly, creating chances in abundance. Alessia Russo, who looked incredibly sharp, opened the scoring within four minutes. James then sprang into life, linking up well with Lauren Hemp, while defender Millie Bright - who had looked rusty in the first two games on her return from injury - won the ball back on numerous occasions in the midfield area as England added to their tally. Rachel Daly and Lucy Bronze barely left the China half from their wing-back positions and the attacking verve did not relent after the break when substitutes Chloe Kelly, Bethany England and Laura Coombs entered the stage. "It is like we've finally arrived," former England midfielder Karen Carney told ITV. "This is why Sarina Wiegman is paid the big bucks." While it was undoubtedly a victory built on a flowing team performance, 21-year-old James' display stole the show once again. Her talent left even the opposition in awe, as she departed the field to a standing ovation by some members of the Chinese media as well as the majority of the 13,000 supporters in Adelaide. With two goals and three assists to her name, she became only the third player on record - they began in 2011 - to be directly involved in five goals in a Women's World Cup game. Her display alone will have struck fear into England's opponents, while it will surely not have gone unnoticed that the Lionesses are starting to click by building the connections Wiegman vowed they would. England may be without several star players - and only six of the Euro 2022 winning side are available - but this performance was reminiscent of what they produced last summer. Even the celebrations were familiar, as England fans belted out 'Sweet Caroline' at full time, while Wiegman gave a debrief in a huddle on the pitch. England face Nigeria next in the last 16, live on BBC One on Monday, and, just as they did at Euro 2022, they will hope they are starting to build momentum to take them deep into the tournament.
• None The face you know, the story you don't: The life and legacy of Marilyn Monroe from a modern perspective | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66375630 |
Paris robbery: Smartly dressed gang stage €10m jewellery raid - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Two men in suits and a woman wearing a dress target a store in a street full of luxury jewellery shops. | The robbers grabbed luxury items from the store's display cases
Two men in suits and a woman in a dress have robbed a prestige jeweller's in the fashionable heart of Paris making off with goods worth millions of euros, reports say.
The trio, carrying a handgun equipped with a silencer, targeted the Piaget store at lunchtime in the chic Rue de la Paix, a stone's throw from the Opera in the city's second district.
Staff were forced to the ground, a police source told Le Parisien website.
The robbers then fled on foot.
Prosecutors believe luxury jewels worth €10m-€15m (£8.5m-£13m) were taken as the trio plundered the shop displays. No-one was reported hurt.
France's special BRB police unit targeting armed robbery and burglaries has taken over the inquiry, one of several high-profile investigations into organised gangs and hostage-taking in Paris.
Only three months ago, another smart-fronted jewellery store was targeted 100m (330ft) down the street. The Bulgari shop on Place Vendôme was attacked on a Saturday afternoon, again in broad daylight, by three armed robbers who sped away on two motorbikes.
Both Rue de la Paix and Place Vendôme are renowned for their luxury jewellers' shops. But unlike the Bulgari raid, the gang that robbed the Piaget store were smartly dressed.
French reports speak of two men in grey suits and a woman wearing a green dress and black trousers.
Sandrine Marcot of France's jewellery and watches union told French TV the number of raids was worrying: "Even though it's true the level has dramatically fallen over the years, since the end of Covid in the past couple of years, the number of robberies and burglaries has been growing."
Less than two weeks ago, Italy and Paris St-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and his partner were tied up in their Paris flat as their attackers made off with jewellery, watches and other luxury goods.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66372354 |
UK foreign aid cuts: Thousands will die as a result, says report - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Women will face unsafe abortions, and thousands will not get healthcare, ministers are warned. | Thousands of women in Africa will die in pregnancy and childbirth as a result of cuts to the UK's overseas aid budget, ministers have been warned.
According to an internal assessment by civil servants, almost 200,000 more women will also face unsafe abortions.
Their report reveals the impact of cuts this year to the overseas aid budget.
The Foreign Office says its budget for low-income countries has been cut in the short-term to hit a savings target, but will then nearly double.
The internal document says a 76% cut in aid for Afghanistan will leave some of the world's most vulnerable women and girls without critical services.
And half a million women and children in Yemen will not receive healthcare.
The document outlines cuts to the department's Overseas Development Assistance budget worth more than £900m for this year.
The conclusions come in an assessment made by Foreign Office civil servants earlier this year, to inform ministers before they decided what to cut.
Andrew Mitchell, the development minister, gave it to the International Development Committee as part of his efforts to make UK aid spending more transparent - as it used to be before the Department for International Development was merged with the more secretive Foreign Office.
Previous governments have rarely published such detailed calculations about the impact of their spending reductions.
Many of these reductions were imposed on the Foreign Office after the Treasury allowed the Home Office to spend about a quarter of the aid budget housing refugees in Britain.
This is allowed under international rules for the first year of a refugee's stay in the UK.
But the arrival of so many refugees and asylum seekers in small boats over the Channel has sent the costs of hotel bills soaring.
And that has meant less can be spent on the government's priorities overseas.
The assessment said that as a result of 76% cuts in aid to Afghanistan, the Foreign Office "will not be able to support critical services for women and girls… reducing funding will potentially leave some of the most vulnerable women and girls in the world without critical services".
Across Africa, it said that reductions to the Women's Integrated Sexual Health Programme would reduce protection for women with "the number of unsafe abortions averted from nearly 300,000 to approximately 115,000; number of maternal deaths averted will drop from 2,531 to just over 1,000".
In Yemen, it said that half a million women and children in Yemen will not receive healthcare and "fewer preventable deaths will be avoided". "It may cause lasting damage to health systems in Yemen, if other donors are unable to fund," it said.
In Somalia, the Foreign Office will have to "delay this year, and potentially stop altogether" a programme to counter female genital mutilation.
And in South Sudan, cuts the humanitarian budget will mean "27,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition will go untreated, of which 12% (3,000) could die".
The report suggests cuts in aid to Afghanistan would strip women and girls of critical services
To try to soften the blow of these cuts, the Foreign Office has used "in-year underspends and other resources" to find a little more money to spend on aid this year, including a further £41m for Afghanistan, £32m for Yemen, £30m for Syria and £30m for Somalia.
And in his letter to the Development Committee, Mr Mitchell emphasised that aid spending would increase next year, with almost double being allocated to Africa.
But Labour's Sarah Champion, chair of the International Development Committee, said the impact of the cuts was "absolutely horrific".
The MP told BBC Radio Four's Today programme that while a Labour government would not immediately restore the foreign aid budget "because it knows what it would be inheriting", it would prioritise fighting poverty and helping the most marginalised people.
"The UK has been an incredible leading light [in foreign aid]. It's given us enormous reach, enormous credibility, and so to continue to throw that away as has been happening is not something we're planning on doing," she said.
Asked whether attention should focus on the cost of living crisis and demands on government spending in the UK, she said she understood that but "we're talking 7p in £10 that would be going on this".
"We can either treat causes at source whether that be the reason they are fleeing their homes... or we can wait till it gets bigger and bigger and ends up on our shores. And for me that small investment is definitely worth it," she added.
Ian Mitchell, senior policy fellow and co-director of Europe at the Center for Global Development, said: "The abrupt nature of the budget reduction imposed by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt last year meant that [the Foreign Office was] unable to protect the poorest or most vulnerable groups; or even stated government priorities like girls' education or climate."
Gideon Rabinowitz, policy and advocacy director at Bond, a network for international development organisations, said the report "illustrates the devastating impact of continued cuts to the UK aid budget and the urgency of restoring spending so we can meet our international obligations".
A spokesperson from the Foreign Office said UK aid spending would rise to £8.3bn next year, with a focus on dealing with humanitarian crises, protecting women and girls and supporting vulnerable people, "while delivering value for money for taxpayers".
"While the budget for low-income countries has had to be reduced in the short term to achieve our savings target - it is due to nearly double for these countries the year after, including in Africa where aid will rise from £646m to £1.364bn."
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Capitol riots timeline: What happened on 6 January 2021? - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Here's a reminder of what happened on the historic day a mob stormed the Capitol. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Officer Harry Dunn is still traumatised by the attack on the Capitol
Former US President Donald Trump has been charged with plotting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
He is accused of four counts including conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
The indictment caps an inquiry into events which led up to the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol - when supporters of Mr Trump stormed Congress in a bid to thwart the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.
Mr Trump, who is again running for president, denies wrongdoing.
Here are the key moments from 6 January 2021.
President Donald Trump tweets allegations of vote fraud ahead of his rally in Washington DC.
Members of the Proud Boy movement, a right-wing militia, are seen heading towards the Capitol. Speaking to Newsnight's US correspondent David Grossman, one member of the group says: "We're taking our country back."
One of the group has a radio. "It was clear he was communicating - getting messages, sending messages to somebody," our correspondent said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. What the Proud Boys were doing before Trump's speech that day
President Trump begins his speech to supporters in Washington. Some 15 minutes into it, he starts urging them to converge on the Capitol.
"I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard," he said.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. "We will never give up, we will never concede", Trump tells supporters
As the president speaks, a crowd outside the Capitol is swelling. They begin marching towards the police barrier and get past officers. The police, outnumbered, try to contain them.
Trump supporters wield flags and weapons. One man stands on a makeshift gallows, complete with a noose. The crowd chants: "Fight for Trump."
Some have argued in court that they went to the riot because Donald Trump told them to
Minutes later, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi commences the certification process.
Mr Trump ends his speech with the words: "We fight. We fight like hell and if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore. So let's walk down Pennsylvania Avenue."
"They're throwing metal poles at us," he says. "Multiple law-enforcement injuries," he adds in a panicked voice.
Protesters surge past Capitol police protecting the west steps, the side facing the White House.
Minutes later, an officer declares there is a riot at the Capitol. "We're going to give riot warnings," he says. "We're going to try to get compliance but this is now effectively a riot."
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch dramatic new footage of police under attack at the Capitol riot
Meanwhile Vice President Mike Pence is continuing to preside over the session.
Secret Service quickly and suddenly evacuate Mr Pence from the Senate floor.
The protesters break through the windows. They push inside, hopping through the broken glass. They then kick open the doors to let others in. Some wear hoods and helmets, some hold cameras or Confederate flags.
An immediate recess of the Senate is called.
A minute later, Officer Eugene Goodman runs to respond to the initial breach. He warns Senator Mitt Romney that the mob is approaching. Mr Romney turns and runs through a capitol hallway to safety.
The mob, a floor below them, has already begun to search for the Senate chamber.
Officer Goodman makes his way down to the first floor where he encounters the mob.
The officer was seen confronting a rioter during the attack
He lures the armed rioters away from the upper chamber. Many of these individuals have been calling for Mr Pence to be hanged.
By that point, the rioters are "within 100ft" (30m) of Mr Pence and a foot away from one of the doors to the chamber. Many senators are still inside.
At the same time, Ms Pelosi is rushed from the house floor. She is evacuated entirely from the Capitol complex to a secure off-site location.
Her staff barricade themselves into a conference room, hiding under a table.
Staff members of the House leader speak softly, frantically, to each other. Just outside, rioters are spreading out across the building, searching for Ms Pelosi herself.
The rioters chant: "Where are you Nancy?" In an audio clip, we hear one staff member whisper: "They're pounding on doors trying to find her."
One man breaks open the outer door to the office where the staff are hiding, but not the inner door. Another tries as well, but eventually moves on.
At the same time, Mr Pence is evacuated to a secure location.
Rioters start to spread through the buildings. Others break in from outside through various doors around the building.
They open the east side door of the rotunda to let more people in, flooding through the doors and overwhelming the officers.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. See how close the mob got to Mike Pence, Mitt Romney and other lawmakers
The House floor debate is suspended to update members. House members are told to reach for tear gas masks and be prepared to use them.
The House is called back into session in the hope of continuing the count.
But minutes later the House is abruptly recessed. Members are told to get down under their chairs if necessary.
"Folks have entered the rotunda and are coming this way," lawmakers are told.
Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell sends a text to his wife: "I love you and the babies. Please hug them for me".
The mob outside the chamber grows larger and they get within feet of the house door.
President Trump called Senator Mike Lee, according to the Utah Republican who has provided the trial lawyers with a copy of a log from his mobile phone.
According to his office, he received a call from the White House switchboard number - and the call lasted four minutes. Mr Lee has said that apparently the call was meant for Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville, and that he handed his phone to his colleague.
Mr Tuberville told reporters that he informed Mr Trump that Mr Pence had been evacuated from the Senate floor. "I said: Mr President, they've taken the vice-president out. They want me to get off the phone, I gotta go."
House impeachment managers say it is further evidence that the president knew how much danger his vice-president was in.
Ashli Babbit is seen turning the corner towards the House lobby doors as members are leaving.
House Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern is spotted by the mob as he leaves the House floor.
In a hallway outside the House chamber, a group attempts to force its way through a set of locked doors. The glass window panes on the doors are shattered. A rioter uses a baton to smash through as the crowd around him chants "break it down, break it down".
Footage shows the hands of an officer on the other side, holding a gun and pointing it toward the mob. We hear a shot and see Babbitt fall to the ground.
People still inside the gallery of the chamber are trapped. They tell each other to take off their congressional pins.
In the meantime, a number of rioters reach the inside of the Senate gallery.
"Is this the Senate?" one demands to know. "Where are they?" another asks, apparently referring to the evacuated senators.
Video footage shows some rioters rifling through papers and materials left behind by lawmakers. "There's got to be something we can use against these scumbags," one says.
Trump tweets asking for people to "remain peaceful".
Meanwhile the mob are still at the Capitol.
Footage shows a sprawling mob, a sea of people on the Capitol grounds. A Confederate flag waves in the foreground.
Trump releases a video in which he tells the mob to go home.
Fifteen minutes after police confirm Ashli Babbitt has died, Trump tweets again.
He refers to those at the Capitol as "great patriots". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56004916 |
Supermoon: NI Weather watchers look to the skies - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | There are two supermoons in August, with the full Sturgeon Moon rising on Tuesday evening. | A full Moon when the Moon is closest to the Earth appears larger and brighter than usual
While most years have 12 full Moons, 2023 will have 13 of these lunar events.
There are two supermoons in August - the full Sturgeon Moon which rises on the evening of 1 August and the full Blue Moon on 30 August.
The final supermoon in 2023 will rise on 29 September - the Harvest Moon.
The names are mostly English interpretations of Native American names; some are also Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, medieval English, or neo-pagan.
The names can have a spiritual meaning, such as the Sturgeon Moon, which is said to embody the final days of summer and signals the beginning of harvest season.
Some people believe the different phases of the Moon impact the behaviours of both people and animals - with some pet owners saying their dogs behave differently when there is a full Moon.
Of course, we need cloud-free skies to be able to see these celestial events - especially when the nights are still quite short.
Technically, the Sturgeon Moon rises on 1 August, but it will still look full for the following couple of nights.
Weather conditions will not be good for viewing on Tuesday night but should be better on Wednesday night into Thursday.
On Monday, Joe McNeill got lucky with this photograph taken during cloud gaps when the Sturgeon Moon was almost full cloud over Newry, County Down
Of course, we can always look ahead to the once-in-a-blue supermoon at the end of August, this year's extra full Blue Moon. This only occurs now and then (hence the name) and can have a blueish colour.
The final supermoon of 2023 will occur on 29 September. This will be the Harvest Moon which only occurs once every four years.
The other three years it comes in October and is then called Hunter's Moon as, traditionally, people in the Northern Hemisphere spent October preparing for the coming winter by hunting, slaughtering, and preserving meats, giving it its Anglo-Saxon name.
Weather watchers may recall the Buck Moon in July - it is named after the new antlers that emerge from a buck's forehead around that time of the year, as male deer or bucks shed their antlers and grow new ones every year.
Gerard McCreesh captured the Buck Moon in Warrenpoint and Stephen Henderson spotted the Wolf Moon above Belfast's Titanic Museum
Before that there was the Strawberry Moon in June which is thought to mark the beginning of a fruitful season, helping different cultures to celebrate the ripening of berries and the bountiful harvesting season ahead.
It is thought that January's full moon came to be known as the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time, maybe because they were hungry.
As the Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical shape rather than in a circle, its distance to us varies over time.
A supermoon is a phenomenon that occurs when a full Moon takes place at the same time as the perigee - when the Moon is closest to the Earth.
A full Moon during perigee will appear 14% larger and 30% brighter than a full Moon during apogee - this is when the Moon is furthest away from Earth, an event known as a micromoon.
A supermoon is also about 7% larger and 15% brighter than the average full moon.
"The full Moon occurs at a very specific moment in time - down to the second - when the Moon is directly opposite the Sun in the sky," explains Dr Darren Baskill, an astronomer and astrophotographer based at the University of Sussex.
"But to our eyes, the Moon will look full, or almost full, for two or three days either side of the exact moment that the full Moon occurs." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66362580 |
Jake Paul: YouTuber claims his dad physically abused him - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The social media star-turned boxer makes the allegations in a Netflix documentary about his life. | Jake Paul has found success in the boxing world, with some lucrative fights against former UFC stars
YouTuber Jake Paul has claimed he was physically abused by his dad growing up.
The 26-year-old social media star-turned boxer made the allegations in a Netflix documentary about his life.
He says his father Greg "would slap" him when he was younger.
Greg Paul also takes part in the show where he denies the claims - saying he had "never laid a hand" on his sons but admitted to throwing them "on a couch couple times".
Jake's older brother Logan goes on to describe their father as "a menace" in the documentary.
The YouTuber, who is now a WWE wrestler, says Jake is "still traumatised to this day about how my dad treated him".
"And they still don't get along like they should," he says.
"Jake may throw around the word abusive, I prefer not quite legal."
Defending himself in the documentary, Greg describes his actions as something "dads are supposed to do".
Jake says he doesn't "resent" his father Greg for slapping him when he was younger
Despite those allegations, both Jake - who has more than 20 million YouTube subscribers - and Logan credit their father for the success they've found online.
"He was so hard and so tough on us that my brother and I's imaginations really started to flare up," Jake says.
"So one day we get a camera, and we just start filming our lives."
The documentary - Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child - also covered different areas of his life, so here are three other things we learnt about the social media star:
While the brothers are now seen passionately supporting each other, there was a time Jake and Logan weren't on the best of terms.
Jake says it became "a competitive race" when they first became popular, with both of them making content dissing each other.
"We were more focused on business and making money and growing our brands."
Logan also says "there was a point where we hated each other… legitimately, not for clout, not for clicks".
Jake gives an example of when the competition led to Logan doing "some conniving things", like mentioning his ex-girlfriend in one video.
"Logan definitely crossed the line, but I get it from his point of view."
Logan (left) says he "didn't care at the time how bad I was hurting my little brother"
But it was moments of adversity that brought them together again.
Jake Paul faced an allegation of sexual assault in 2021, which he denied, while back in 2018 Logan faced criticism for filming a dead body in a Japanese forest.
"In those moments of peril, Jake and I realised we will always be there for each other no matter what," Logan says.
Jake has become a commercially successful boxer in his own right, with a 6-1 record as a professional.
He lost his last fight against former Love Islander Tommy Fury but is facing UFC star Nate Diaz in his next match this weekend.
In the documentary he says he took up the sport because of a need to find happiness again.
"Boxing reinvigorated something inside of me. It made me feel alive again, like I had something to work for."
He says he felt he was "not only not making progress, but I was hurting myself" on YouTube.
"For the longest time I didn't like myself. I wasn't happy.
"And so when I got into something [where] I could slowly make progress, it brought back happiness in my life."
Jake's fights have led to big box office revenues and interest, with Mike Tyson crediting the brothers for increasing interest in boxing.
But while he's very serious about the sport, he says he still loves the glitz, glamour and attention.
"Boxing is the showbusiness, but first and foremost it's a show," he says.
Jake says after being the villain on YouTube, it's easier to play that role in boxing when promoting fights.
"In the world of YouTube, when I was a villain, my videos would get demonetised.
"Sponsors didn't really wanna mess with me because I was controversial and polarising.
"In the world of boxing, being the villain is the best thing."
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-66382242 |
AI offers huge promise on breast cancer screening - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Swedish study found computer-aided detection could spot cancer at similar rate to two radiologists. | Researchers led by a team at Lund University found computer-aided detection could spot cancer at a "similar rate" to two radiologists.
But they said more research was needed to fully determine whether it could be used in screening programmes.
Experts in the UK agreed AI offered huge promise in breast cancer screening.
This is not the first study to look at the use of AI to diagnose breast cancer in mammograms - X-rays of the breast.
Previous research, including some carried out in the UK, has looked retrospectively, where the technology assesses scans which have already been looked at by doctors.
But this research study saw AI-supported screening put head-to-head with standard care.
The trial, published in Lancet Oncology, involved more than 80,000 women from Sweden with an average age of 54.
Half of the scans were assessed by two radiologists, known as standard care, while the other half were assessed by the AI-supported screening tool followed by interpretation by one or two radiologists.
In total, 244 women from AI-supported screening were found to have cancer, compared with 203 women recalled from standard screening.
And the use of AI did not generate more "false positives" - where a scan is incorrectly diagnosed as abnormal.
The false-positive rate was 1.5% in both the AI group and the group assessed by radiologists.
Lead author Dr Kristina Lang said AI has the potential to be deployed in breast cancer screening, helping to address the shortages of radiologists seen across the world.
But she said more research was needed in this area to fully understand its potential and cost-effectiveness.
"The greatest potential of AI right now is that it could allow radiologists to be less burdened by the excessive amount of reading.
"While our AI-supported screening system requires at least one radiologist in charge of detection, it could potentially do away with the need for double reading of the majority of mammograms, easing the pressure on workloads and enabling radiologists to focus on more advanced diagnostics while shortening waiting times for patients."
An NHS England spokesman said: "This research is very encouraging, and plans are under way to assess the best ways of implementing this technology into the NHS Breast Screening Programme."
Dr Katharine Halliday, president of the Royal College of Radiologists, added: "AI holds huge promise and could save clinicians time by maximising our efficiency, supporting our decision-making and helping identify and prioritise the most urgent cases.
"There is a great deal of research interest in how AI could support reporting for mammograms because they are complex, requiring significant oversight and interpretation by clinical radiologists. The UK's shortfall in radiologists, at 29%, makes this challenging.
"While real-life clinical radiologists are essential and irreplaceable, a clinical radiologist with the data, insight and accuracy of AI will increasingly be a formidable force in patient care." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66382168 |
Sturgeon Moon: Supermoon pictures from around the world - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The full Moon appeared bigger and brighter than usual as it lit up night skies on Tuesday night. | The supermoon rose behind the dome of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta, Malta
Stargazers across the world were treated to a bigger and brighter full Moon than usual on Tuesday night.
This month's full Moon, dubbed the Sturgeon Moon, lit up the night's sky as it rose above the horizon shortly after sunset.
It's the first of two supermoons this month - the next full moon on 30 August will be called a Blue Moon as it the second full moon to appear in one calendar month.
In the meantime, here are some of the best photos of Tuesday's supermoon from around the world:
Tuesday's Sturgeon Moon, named after the increase in sturgeon fish in North American lakes at this time of year, glows over buildings in Pristina, Kosovo
And here it is pictured in Nicosia, Cyprus, lighting up the night's sky as it rises behind the Liberty Monument
The supermoon was also spotted behind an air traffic control tower at Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv in Israel
It is seen here perfectly aligned with a TV tower in Huai'an City, Jiangsu province, China
A bright, fiery supermoon appears over the Galata Tower in Istanbul, Turkey
It shone brightly as the night sky grew darker over the Grand Camlica Mosque in Istanbul
And it was seen shining here over the Cuatro Torres business area in Madrid, Spain | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-66376332 |
PMDD: Period-related condition causing extreme distress - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Sufferers of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) say they face extreme emotional distress. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. 'I remember sitting on the floor and screaming'
An extreme hormonal condition has left some women battling emotional distress because of a lack of help, campaigners say.
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), which is linked to periods, is thought to affect more than one in 20 women.
Sufferers want medical students to get compulsory education on a problem one called an "evil monster" inside her.
The Welsh government said it recognised there was insufficient recognition of PMDD and its devastating consequences.
Bella Humphries said she was more than happy to tell people that "my period sometimes makes me want to take my life", adding: "It's secrecy and silence that will kill people, not the disease or the disorder."
Rhondda MS Buffy Williams said she was unable to do anything for three weeks a month and described her experience as "soul-destroying", with her symptoms so severe she had a hysterectomy at 34.
PMDD causes a range of mental and physical symptoms in the two weeks leading up to a period, including anger, depressed mood and anxiety - which lift completely during menstruation.
According to the International Association for Premenstrual Disorders, 34% of people who have been diagnosed with the condition have attempted suicide.
"You're on a seven-day bender where you're making the worst possible decisions of your life, you're sort of setting your life on fire on purpose," is how Bella described it.
Bella Humphries has been using laughs to spread awareness of the condition by describing the impact it had on her
The 29-year-old from Conwy has turned the devastating impact it had on her life into a radio comedy.
She joked she decided not to drive into a tree because it would harm the reputation of female drivers - but the suicidal feelings behind her gags were a monthly occurrence.
For Ms Humphries, she knew something was wrong the moment she started having periods - and said from then, her symptoms got worse.
"I was not getting out of bed, I couldn't get through basically any conversations without crying," she said.
"There was a lot of screaming and just feeling like my world was over and it didn't really matter what anybody said to me, they couldn't understand how it felt inside of me."
According to the Royal College of Nursing, PMDD affects 5% to 8% of menstruating people, yet Ms Humphries admitted she had never heard of it until she was diagnosed privately.
Campaigner Becci Smart, 36, wants to make it compulsory for medical students in Wales to learn about PMDD.
Her symptoms started at 14, yet it took her 18 years to get a diagnosis.
"Nobody told me that feeling suicidal before your period isn't normal," she said.
Labour politician Buffy Williams has called for more research into how women can be helped
She described it as an "evil monster" inside her wanting to break out every month, saying the "black cloud" took its toll on family relations.
If a petition she has launched gets 10,000 signatures, it will be debated in the Senedd.
Ms Williams, a Labour member of the Senedd, said: "It was almost like every single movement, every single part of my life revolved around my period.
"You'd be back and fore the doctor, making appointments all the time, going to see the nurse, and the answer was always the same, it's just what women go through."
Her case was so severe, she had to have a hysterectomy - surgery to remove her womb.
"I was totally petrified, but I felt like I had no alternative" she said.
"Surgical intervention shouldn't be the answer, we need far more research into PMDD."
After Ms Williams spoke about her experiences in a Senedd debate, Health Minister Eluned Morgan made commitments to improve care in Wales and make more information available on the NHS website.
There is a lack of understanding and knowledge of PMDD, especially in the UK, according to Dr Lynsay Matthews.
An expert on the condition, based at the University of the West of Scotland, she described the problems as "complex".
"What we hear is that [health professionals] themselves are frustrated with the lack of information, the lack of training, the lack of referral routes for them," she said.
Dr Matthews said teams of experts in mental health, gynaecology and primary care could work together to improve the situation - but research had to happen first.
NHS guidance recommends anyone who suspects they have PMDD keep a diary tracking their symptoms and takes it to their GP.
The Welsh government said: "We recognise that there is insufficient recognition of PMDD and the devastating impact it can have.
"We are working with the NHS Executive to explore expanding online menstrual health information and guidance, inclusive of PMDD." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66376351 |
Rishi Sunak: I care about reaching net zero carbon emissions - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The PM says he listens to his daughters' concerns about climate change but they are not "eco-zealots". | Rishi Sunak has insisted he cares about reaching net zero but that the 2050 target needs to be achieved in "a proportionate and pragmatic way".
The prime minister has faced criticism from environmental groups and some of his own MPs that he is not committed to tackling climate change.
Mr Sunak told LBC he wanted to leave the environment in "a better state than we found it in" for his two daughters.
But he added that the UK would still need fossil fuels in the future.
Asked if he was confident he could win over his environmentally conscious daughters, Mr Sunak said they were not "eco-zealots" and like most people, were "open to sensible, practical arguments".
He has previously described his daughters as "passionate environmentalists", who have often asked him what he is doing about climate change.
Mr Sunak is facing pressure from some Conservative MPs to review the government's green policies, after the party's surprise win in the Uxbridge by-election, when it capitalised on anger over London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (Ulez).
However, he has said the government is committed to reaching net zero by 2050 - which means no longer adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which are increasing global temperatures.
Other leading climate campaigners in the Conservative Party have criticised Mr Sunak's commitment to environmental issues.
Lord Goldsmith recently resigned from the government, accusing the prime minister of "apathy" over climate change.
The prime minister has also attracted criticism for the number of domestic flights he has taken to travel for government business across the UK.
Earlier this week he defended flying to Scotland, to announce support for a carbon capture project, as "an efficient use of time for the person running the country".
"If your approach to climate change is to say that no one should go on holiday, no one should go on a plane, I think you are completely and utterly wrong," he told BBC's Good Morning Scotland.
In his interview with LBC he also revealed he was taking his family on a summer holiday to California this week, including a visit to Disneyland.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The prime minister is due to head on a family holiday this Thursday
Mr Sunak has announced the government is granting 100 new North Sea oil and gas licences, as well as supporting a carbon capture project in the north east of Scotland.
The decision was criticised by environmental campaigners, who said it would "send a wrecking ball through the UK's climate commitments".
Conservative MP Chris Skidmore said the move was "the wrong decision at precisely the wrong time" and "on the wrong side of history".
However, Mr Sunak said: "I 100% believe that what I'm doing is right," adding that even after meeting the 2050 target the UK would still need fossil fuels.
He argued it was "sensible" to use "the energy we have here at home", as this would be better for jobs and avoid the environmental cost of shipping energy from abroad, as well as reducing the UK's reliance on other countries.
Meanwhile, Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps is meeting oil and gas bosses in Downing Street to talk about the government's decision to invest in home-grown energy sources, including renewables and North Sea oil and gas.
Mr Sunak is also facing pressure over measures to move towards electric cars.
Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch is understood to have raised concerns about rules due to come into effect next year that require car manufacturers to sell a certain proportion of electric models.
From January, 22% of vehicles sold have to be zero emission, or car makers could be hit with fines.
Some manufacturers have been calling for a softening of the rules, and as first reported by the Politico website, Ms Badenoch has passed on their concerns to her cabinet colleagues.
But Labour said the sector was "crying out for certainty" and Ms Badenoch's reported comments were a "threat to investment".
Ministers have insisted the government remains committed to banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, despite calls from some Tory MPs for a delay. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66382265 |
MrBeast sues fast food company over 'revolting' burger - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | MrBeast is the most popular YouTuber in the world, with more than 172 million subscribers. | Top YouTuber Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson is suing the company behind his fast food chain, and says fans called the food "revolting".
Donaldson, the biggest YouTuber in the world with 172 million subscribers, opened MrBeast Burger in 2020.
He claims Virtual Dining Concepts - the company behind the burger - is hurting his brand and reputation by serving a subpar product.
He is asking a judge to give him the right to terminate the arrangement.
Donaldson is known for his philanthropy, as well as videos featuring huge prizes and cash giveaways.
The legal action, filed in New York on Monday, accuses Virtual Dining Concepts of not ensuring the quality of the burgers, claiming they were at times "inedible".
"As a result, MrBeast Burger has been regarded as a misleading, poor reflection of the MrBeast brand," the lawsuit claims, going on to say it "has caused material, irreparable harm to the MrBeast brand and MrBeast's reputation".
It also claims Donaldson "has not received a dime" from the partnership.
The BBC has approached Virtual Dining Concepts for comment.
Donaldson has previously apologised to fans on Twitter who were disappointed by their food, and said he "can't get out of" his deal with the company.
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MrBeast Burger delivers from more than 1,000 so-called "ghost kitchens" worldwide.
Also known as dark kitchens or virtual restaurants, these are food delivery services which operate out of the kitchens of other businesses.
For example, in early 2022 fans in London could have a MrBeast Burger delivered to them from Shoreditch, in the east of the city, where it was made in the kitchen of a different burger joint - Dirty Bones.
It drew national media attention in September 2022, when Donaldson filled a shopping centre in the US with thousands of fans for the opening of his first bricks-and-mortar burger restaurant.
Fans queued for hours for a burger, and a chance to meet him at the location, in New Jersey.
Donaldson has the second-largest YouTube channel in the world, and is the most-subscribed individual creator on the platform.
The only channel bigger than his belongs to Indian record label T-Series, which features thousands of Hindi-language music videos.
In 2021, he launched a separate philanthropy-themed YouTube channel, which itself has more than 10 million subscribers, and he has a licensed charity that functions as a food bank to feed communities across the US. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66372675 |
Jacob Crouch: Father denies working with mother to murder son - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Craig Crouch and Gemma Barton are on trial accused of murdering 10-month-old Jacob Crouch. | A man accused of murdering his 10-month-old son said he "didn't see anything" that could have caused broken ribs or a fatal injury.
Craig Crouch and partner Gemma Barton are on trial over the death of Jacob Crouch, who died at home in Linton, Derbyshire, in December 2020.
Derby Crown Court previously heard the baby had suffered at least 39 rib fractures and endured a "culture of cruelty" before he died.
The court has been told Jacob died from a "vicious assault", which saw him "kicked or stamped on with such severe force that it fractured a rib and caused a tear in his stomach and bowel".
Jacob later contracted peritonitis - an infection of the lining of the abdominal organs - and died "in his cot, alone", jurors heard.
Mr Crouch, 39, denied lying to police when he said Jacob seemed normal in the days before he found his cold and lifeless body on the morning of 30 December.
Under cross-examination from prosecutor Mary Prior KC, he said he "physically couldn't work out" where blood stains found on a Moses basket sheet in May 2020 had come from.
During the final day of his evidence to the court on Tuesday, he was shown footage of him "dunking" Jacob in a paddling pool, which he denied was a bid to stop him crying.
"If I was doing wrong or mistreating him, I wouldn't be recording it," he said.
Invited to comment on an image sent to him by Ms Barton in August 2020, showing a "nasty bruise" to Jacob's right ear, Mr Crouch said he was told it was the result of him "face-planting" on the floor.
Asked who squeezed Jacob so hard his ribs were broken more than once, he said he now wished "I had noticed something".
"It wasn't me and in front of me I didn't see anything," he said.
"He never gave us any reason to think that he was in pain."
The court heard Ms Barton and Mr Crouch gave police no explanation of how Jacob suffered his injuries
Mr Crouch denied Jacob "screamed like he had never screamed before" and cried for most of the night after being injured, saying he did not remember any crying.
Denying working with Ms Barton to hurt her son and cover up what they had done, he said he "would have pushed harder" for information from her "if I could go back".
"I stayed with Gemma because the very deepest part of my heart was telling me she couldn't have done anything to that boy," he said.
"That boy was a very happy boy in my eyes."
Ms Barton, of Ray Street, Heanor, Derbyshire, and Mr Crouch, of Donisthorpe Lane, Moira, Swadlincote, both deny murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, causing a child to suffer serious physical harm, and three counts of child cruelty.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-66175041 |
Ukraine war: Kyiv warns Russia as Moscow skyscraper hit in second drone attack - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The building in Russia's capital was struck in a drone attack for the second time in two days | Damage could be seen on the skyscraper's facade
A skyscraper in Russia's capital Moscow has been attacked by a drone for the second time in two days, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has said.
Several drones were shot down overnight on Monday, he said, but "one flew into the same tower at the Moskva City complex" that was targeted on Sunday.
Kyiv did not comment on responsibility but warned Russia that the conflict could soon move to its territory.
It did not address separate Russian claims that three Ukrainian sea drones were destroyed while trying to attack Russian naval ships in the Black Sea, though did dismiss as "fictitious" further claims that Russian civilian ships had also been targeted.
No one was injured in the skyscraper attack. Moscow mayor said the IQ-Quarter Tower 1 building's "glazing was destroyed over 150 sq m".
The building houses teams from Russia's ministry of economic development, the digital ministry, and the ministry of industry and trade. Staff at the former have been told to work from home, Reuters news agency reports.
Two more Ukrainian drones were shot down by anti-aircraft systems elsewhere in the Moscow region, Russia's defence ministry said, claiming to have thwarted a Ukrainian "terrorist attack".
Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of carrying out drone strikes on its territory in recent months, including one on the Kremlin - President Vladimir Putin's official residence in the capital - back in May.
Although Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for specific incidents, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said attacks on Russian territory are an "inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process".
Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, Ukrainian presidential official Mykhailo Podolyak said the conflict would soon move to the territory of the "authors of the war" and bring "more unidentified drones, more collapse, more civil conflicts, more war".
Also on Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry said in a statement that, during the night, Ukraine had made an "unsuccessful attempt to attack the Sergei Kotov and Vasiliy Bykov patrol ships of the Black Sea fleet with three unmanned sea boats".
It said the two ships had been controlling shipping 340 km (211 miles) southwest of the Crimean peninsula and would continue to do so.
Later, in a briefing, the ministry also said three Ukrainian semi-submersible unmanned boats had been destroyed while trying to carry out a "terrorist attack" on Russian civilian transport ships heading towards the Bosphorus Strait.
In response, Mr Podolyak told Reuters: "Undoubtedly, such statements by Russian officials are fictitious and do not contain even a shred of truth.
"Ukraine has not attacked, is not attacking and will not attack civilian vessels, nor any other civilian objects."
He did not respond to the claim that Ukraine had used sea drones to target the Russian navy.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia's emergencies services were working at the scene on Tuesday | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66368016 |
Prince Harry and Meghan in united front against cyberbullying - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The couple are helping fund online safety projects for young people, personally phoning some recipients. | Meghan and Prince Harry called people getting funding for online safety projects
Prince Harry and Meghan are helping to fund online safety projects for young people, personally phoning some of the recipients.
This was their first public appearance together since an award ceremony and chaotic car chase in New York in May.
They were shown side by side, billed in a video as "Harry and Meghan" without any reference to their royal titles.
The couple's Archewell Foundation is one of 14 groups and charities giving a combined $2m (£1.56m) in funding.
After a swirl of rumours and speculation about the couple's future, Prince Harry and Meghan's video shows them together contacting some of the 26 projects getting funding from the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund.
The aim is to back "more equitable and more inclusive technology" and to find ways to make online life less toxic for young people.
Meghan, who has spoken about the pressure of facing hostile comments online, praised the "enormous impact" that could be made by tackling the harmful aspects of social media and online misinformation.
The amount donated by Archewell has not been specified, but Trisha Prabhu said that her cyberbullying project, ReThink Citizens, had received $50,000 (£39,000) from the fund.
"This is exactly why we do what we do," Prince Harry said to her about supporting her efforts to stop online bullying.
Ms Prabhu described getting a call from Prince Harry and Meghan as an "incredible moment", admiring them for the way they "challenge the status quo".
But much of the attention will be on the California-based couple themselves.
This announcement marks a return to public appearances and with it the media spotlight, with a visible statement of togetherness. It's a carefully-staged garden scene, likely to be seen as sending a message about the couple's future.
The last time they were at a public event together was at an awards ceremony in May, which ended up in media claims and counter-claims about a paparazzi car chase through the streets of Manhattan.
It was followed by Prince Harry's appearance in the witness box for his court case in London over hacking claims against Mirror Group Newspapers.
While much of the rest of the Royal Family will be making their annual August migration to Scotland, Prince Harry now has a series of public events lined up.
Next week he's taking part in a sports summit in Japan, then a polo match in Singapore to raise funds for his Sentebale charity for vulnerable children in Botswana and Lesotho.
The polo match has previously raised £11m ($14m) for his charity, with Prince Harry saying that this year's fundraising will support children with Aids, helping them to "eliminate the stigma".
In September the Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry for wounded or injured military personnel, will be held in Germany.
His team in the US say it is still undecided whether Prince Harry will attend another London newspaper court case in person in the new year. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66382707 |
Sepsis victim warns of silent symptoms after losing both legs - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Beth Budgen tells the BBC she was seemingly healthy before becoming seriously ill at Christmas. | Ms Budgen has only recently returned home from hospital
A woman who was in seemingly good health has described how a hard-to-detect case of sepsis resulted in her having both legs amputated.
Beth Budgen, from Newbury in Berkshire, thought she just had a cold when she woke up feeling ill on Christmas Eve.
But she started developing agonising pain the next day, vomited blue liquid and was rushed to A&E in Basingstoke.
The 46-year-old spent seven months in hospital but is now back at home trying to adapt to her new way of life.
Ms Budgen appeared to have nothing more than a common cold when she first became ill
Warning: This story contains a graphic image that some readers may find upsetting.
She told BBC Radio 5 Live she wanted to share her shocking story to raise awareness so others could spot the symptoms earlier.
A few hours after arriving at hospital, doctors told her family to "prepare for the worst" as she was put into an induced coma for six weeks.
"It think it all kind of happened pretty quickly from there... by Boxing Day I had a complete organ failure," she said.
Ms Budgen was not responding to life support and medics soon established that - as well as flu and pneumonia - she had contracted the strep A bacterial infection that ultimately led to sepsis.
When she came out of the coma her feet were black and doctors told her she had to have both legs amputated.
"I can't honestly tell you how that felt," she said.
"I think I was just so utterly shocked by it."
She underwent surgery at Southampton General Hospital, where she also had parts of her hands removed.
"It's surreal. At first everything is bandaged... you can see everything is shorter but you can't really see what they look like," she said.
Ms Budgen uses prosthetics and is trying to adapt to her new way of moving around
It was only when the bandages were taken off that reality sunk in.
But Ms Budgen said she considered herself lucky and has "always been an optimistic person".
Returning home after the amputation, however, has presented her with difficult challenges.
"First night I was here on my own in my own house I made the mistake of leaving my medication downstairs, so having made the 30-minute trip getting upstairs I realised I didn't have my medication - and that was my first meltdown," she said.
"I am pretty determined to wear my [prosthetic] legs as much as I can. It's just exhausting."
"If this happened to me it can happen to anyone that you love," Ms Budgen said.
"People really need to be aware of the signs of sepsis and educate themselves."
Ms Budgen's family has launched a campaign to help her raise money for everything else she will need, from various adaptions to her home to a bespoke pair of legs.
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Jacob Crouch: Stepfather guilty of 'vicious' baby murder - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | A court hears 10-month-old Jacob Crouch, who sustained 39 rib fractures, suffered a "living hell". | Craig Crouch and Gemma Barton referred to Jacob as "the devil" in one text message
The stepfather of a 10-month-old baby who endured a "culture of cruelty" has been found guilty of his murder.
Jacob Crouch suffered at least 39 rib fractures, and died from a "vicious assault" at the hands of Craig Crouch, Derby Crown Court heard.
Jacob died "in his cot, alone" on 30 December 2020 at home near Swadlincote, Derbyshire, having suffered a "living hell".
His mother Gemma Barton has been cleared of murder.
However, she was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.
The pair will be sentenced at the same court on Friday.
Craig Crouch was convicted of murder while co-accused Gemma Barton was acquitted of murder but found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child
During the trial, prosecutors said Jacob's injuries had been caused by him being kicked or stamped on.
They said neither parent gave him the care he "needed or deserved" or sought medical attention for him.
The seven-week trial had heard Barton, 33, met Crouch, 39, while four months pregnant with Jacob and they became "very close, very quickly", calling Jacob "our little boy" after only a month.
Jacob was born healthy on 17 February 2020, with Crouch named as his father on the birth certificate.
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But prosecutor Mary Prior KC said he was assaulted "causing bruising on a regular basis for at least six months" from the age of just four months, and was referred to as "the devil" in one text message.
The jury heard Jacob had suffered "repeated physical abuse" in the days before he died in Linton.
Forklift truck operator Crouch, of Donisthorpe Lane, Moira, near Swadlincote, was also convicted of three counts of child cruelty.
He had given evidence to say Jacob's injuries had nothing to do with him.
Barton, of Ray Street, Heanor, Derbyshire, was also cleared of an alternative charge of manslaughter, and two counts of child cruelty, but was found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and a third count of child cruelty.
She had also denied harming Jacob and, when asked by prosecutors who had caused his injuries, said: "It was not me, so that leaves Craig."
Both Crouch and Barton were asked how Jacob was injured by police and suggested he may have hurt himself.
However, experts told the court was "not remotely" possible that the injuries could have been self-inflicted.
Forensic pathologist Dr Michael Biggs gave evidence to say he would expect to see injuries such as Jacob's in car crash victims or those who had suffered a multi-storey fall.
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After the verdict, Det Insp Paul Bullock, of the East Midlands Special Operations Regional Policing Unit, said: "Jacob Crouch was born into a culture of cruelty where both of the people he should have been able to trust above any other allowed him to be subjected to assault after assault.
"Heartbreakingly, for much of Jacob's short life he would have been in significant pain as a result of the serious and repeated assaults."
"It is clear from the evidence found on Gemma Barton and Craig Crouch's phones, through text messages, videos and audio recordings, that they were equally responsible for the culture of cruelty inflicted on baby Jacob.
"As a father I cannot comprehend what happened behind closed doors and my thought remain with Jacob's wider family who have been left devastated by his death.
"I hope today's verdict brings with it a degree of closure for them and begins the process of them being able to grieve for Jacob and remember the happier times with a much-loved child."
Following the case, a spokesperson for the Derby and Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (DDSCP) said: "We extend our sympathies to all those affected by the tragic death of Jacob."
The spokesperson said agencies had supported police in reviewing the circumstances of Jacob's death and that policy and training changes had already been made to create new "Keeping Babies Safe" guidance.
The DDSCP said there were no plans to publish the findings of the review.
The spokesperson added: "The DDSCP is required to share the review report with the National Safeguarding Review Panel who agreed with the decision of the partnership not to initiate a local child safeguarding practice review into this case."
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-66307905 |
Remote working in NI has more than halved since pandemic peak - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The rate of remote working in NI is well below the UK average of 31% and the lowest of any UK region. | The employee survey found that two to three days per week working from home was the norm for more than half of respondents
Just over 17% of the Northern Ireland workforce is engaged in some form of remote working, new analysis by Ulster University economists suggests.
That compares to 41% at the peak of the pandemic in April 2020 and under 10% before the pandemic in 2019.
The rate of remote working in Northern Ireland is well below the UK average of 31% and the lowest of any UK region.
The analysis draws on official data as well as an employee survey and interviews with NI employers.
The online survey of 865 employees, 87% of whom worked at least one day a week away from their workplace, was conducted in early 2023.
The consultation with business owners or senior HR managers covered 14 private sector firms, five public sector organisations and three focus groups with other businesses.
All were organisations that adopted remote working in the pandemic and have managed this since.
The researchers said the consultation with employers suggests that "current working patterns are probably here to stay, that they are working well for staff and there is no evidence of a 'secret longing' to return staff to the office".
However, the consultees said concerns remain around certain aspects of work, including collaboration, team culture and the impact on younger people and new recruits as they try to integrate into the workplace and build networks.
This in turn has raised issues around the need for support and development for line managers to develop new approaches in a hybrid environment, with many feeling they have been "left to figure it out themselves".
The employers also suggested the impact on productivity remains an open question.
Measurement remains a difficult issue and consultees were not sure whether more hours worked meant more output or better quality.
The employee survey found that two to three days per week working from home was the norm for a majority (55%) of respondents.
There was a high levels of satisfaction (80%) among those where a hybrid or remote working policy is in place - particularly if there is certainty around the arrangements.
Issues typically fell into two categories: equity - where the policy is not being implemented consistently by all line managers across the organisation - and communication.
The survey respondents were overwhelmingly of the view that their productivity was higher when working remotely, a similar outcome to most self-reported surveys in the UK, Canada, US and elsewhere.
Economist at Ulster University Economic Policy Centre Ana Desmond, said: "Where remote working is possible, it appears from this research the best way to strike a balance between management and employees at present is a hybrid environment where workplace days are coordinated bringing teams together to facilitate innovation and creativity, alongside fostering corporate culture, whilst at-home days allows specific tasks to be completed with more focus and attention."
"Businesses may need to adapt management and mentoring practices to ensure employees feel visible, integrated, and appropriately trained for the job within the workplace."
She added that those with management responsibilities "may now be responsible for creating a sense of place within the workspace alongside coordinating employees". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66363792 |
Atlantic orcas 'learning from adults' to target boats - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Juvenile killer whales in the Atlantic are learning a dangerous game by copying adults. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
A strange, dangerous game of targeting and ramming into small sailing and fishing boats is spreading through a population of orcas off Spain's coast.
Scientists say at least 20 Iberian orcas have now learned the behaviour by copying their elders.
It is believed that one or two orcas started interacting with and damaging small sailing vessels in 2020.
Scientists told the BBC the animals appear to be "playing" with the boats rather than acting aggressively.
"It's only a game. It isn't revenge [against boats], it isn't climate change, it's just a game and that's it," said Dr Renaud de Stephanis, a scientist based on the south coast of Spain.
Iberian orcas hunt for tuna in the same locations as fishing boats
Dr de Stephanis is president of Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans (CIRCE), a marine conservation organisation. He said the orcas, also known as killer whales, appeared to be playing a "game" focused on the boats' rudders - part of the moveable steering apparatus that sits in the water.
He and his colleagues have now pinned satellite tracking tags to the fins of two of the fewer than 60 animals in this population, which is critically endangered.
The Spanish government is using maps of their movements to help inform sailors about how to avoid these marine mammals, which hunt for tuna along the coast of Portugal and Spain, and through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
French sailor Lou Lombardi had his own encounter with the orcas near Gibraltar in July. He and the rest of the crew watched as five of the animals nudged and spun his boat around for 80 minutes - hitting the rudder until it split apart.
An orca plays with a floating piece of debris after breaking a sailing vessel's rudder
Talking to us in the shipyard in Barbate in Spain, as he and his colleagues prepared to put their repaired boat back into the water, he said the encounter appeared playful rather than aggressive.
"There's foam inside the rudder that went into the water, he explained, "and the orcas were pushing it around with it on their noses - like a toy.
"I had the feeling they were training each other," he told us. "There were two calves, and the adult would do it, then watch while the calf did it - like they were transmitting something."
Orcas, like this pod in the Pacific, are known to engage in play
Orcas are known to be highly social mammals. Other subspecies of killer whale have been recorded playing with floating seaweed, toying with fishing gear and one population in the Pacific even went through an apparent phase of carrying dead salmon around on their heads.
Using boat rudders as playthings is novel behaviour and it is currently confined to this small, endangered Iberian population, but the young animals do appear to be copying adult orcas.
By examining footage and images, captured by sailors, scientists have identified some of the animals involved.
Monica Gonzalez is a marine biologist with the organisation Orca Iberica, which is logging and mapping the orca encounters reported by sailing vessels. She explained: "The adults are very targeted - they're focused on the rudder - just the rudder.
Tourists pay for close encounters with these orcas
"But the juveniles seem to approach, move away, explore the whole boat - it's a very different kind of behaviour."
These large, intelligent and now troublesome marine mammals are causing confusion and division in both the sailing and the scientific community along this stretch of the Atlantic coast.
Some scientists have suggested that one female orca started "attacking" boats as revenge, because she had been injured by a vessel.
There are ongoing discussions on social media among sailors, with a few proposing methods of defending their boats, including carrying firecrackers to throw into the water if the orcas approach.
Dr de Stephanis, who has studied the marine mammals since 1996, hopes his tagging and tracking work with help show sailors "killer whale hotspots" to avoid.
The animals appear to target smaller sailing vessels
"They tend to stay in the same place for 2-3 hours, because they're looking for tuna," he explained. "So the official advice from the Spanish government is not to stop if you see orcas - move away from the area as quickly as possible."
That, however, is in direct contradiction to last year's advice and current recommendations from the Portuguese government which is that if orcas approach, stop your boat.
The idea behind that, explained Monica Gonzalez, was to be as boring as possible. "Keep the rudder still, don't throw anything, don't shout," she said. The orcas should simply get bored and move on.
Dr Luke Rendell, a marine mammal expert from St Andrews University, is not optimistic that sailors will simply be able to navigate around defined hotspots of orca activity.
"It's a risk that it's going to escalate and that sailors will take matters into their own hands," he said.
"Ultimately, if we want the behaviour to stop, we have to take the boats out of that environment. That's a radical step for us as a species - to say we're going to restrain our behaviour for the sake of another."
There are fewer than 60 orcas in this population
Dr Rendell thinks, in the future, there might be economic, rather that scientific reasons, for some boats to avoid the waters - and perhaps avoid sailing during the season - in which most of these encounters happen.
"Insurance companies might be looking at this," he said." It might require an extra premium to navigate those waters, which could reduce the density of vessels there. That might be the most favourable outcome for the orcas."
Meanwhile, as sailors and the fishing industry try to work out how to avoid the animals, tourists on the coast of Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar pay to go on whale-watching trips to catch a glimpse of them.
Nuria Riera, an artist who lives in Tarifa on the southern Spanish coast, and who volunteers with the conservation and whale-watching organisation Firmm, says the language that has been used to describe the orcas' behaviour is simply unfair.
"Scientists don't even know why they are doing this," she said. "And yet I'm reading reports about orcas attacking - it's such aggressive language.
"We have to remember that the sea is their home - we're the intruders," she said.
Iberian orcas hunt in one of the world's busiest waterways - the Strait of Gibraltar
Hear more insight about the Iberian orcas and their strange behaviour on BBC Inside Science on Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
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Donald Trump indictment: Ex-president charged with bid to overturn 2020 election - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The former US president is accused of four counts and "prolific lies about election fraud". | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Trump charged with conspiracy to defraud US
Former US President Donald Trump has been charged with plotting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
He is accused of four counts including conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
The indictment caps an inquiry into events surrounding the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol.
Mr Trump, 77, who is again running for president, denies wrongdoing. On social media he called the case "ridiculous".
The Republican politician has already been charged in two other cases: with mishandling classified files and falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star.
The election investigation has focused on Mr Trump's actions in the two-month period between his loss to Joe Biden and the riot in Washington DC, where his supporters stormed Congress as lawmakers certified the Democrat's victory.
The man leading the inquiry, special counsel Jack Smith, did not charge the former president with inciting the mob that day but he told reporters: "The attack on our nation's capital on January 6 2021 was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy.
"As described in the indictment it was fuelled by lies."
Mr Smith wrapped up his brief statement by pledging to seek "a speedy trial", while emphasising that the former president "must be assumed innocent until proven guilty".
Mr Trump is due to appear in court on Thursday in Washington DC.
The 45-page indictment lists six unnamed co-conspirators: four lawyers, a justice department official and a political consultant.
The court document accuses Mr Trump of a "conspiracy to impair, obstruct, and defeat the federal government function through dishonesty, fraud and deceit".
Rioters clash with police at the front doors of the Capitol on 6 January 2021
Addressing Mr Trump's allegations of voter fraud in 2020, prosecutors say: "These claims were false and the defendant knew that they were false."
They also say Mr Trump tried and failed to convince Vice-President Mike Pence to attempt to block Mr Biden's certification as president on January 6, 2021.
"As violence ensued, the Defendant and co-conspirators exploited the disruption by redoubling efforts to levy false claims of election fraud and convince members of Congress to further delay the certification based on those claims."
The indictment also lists the numerous US officials and senior Trump campaign workers who, it says, informed the outgoing president that he had lost and that there was no evidence of voter fraud.
Each of the four charges against Mr Trump are punishable by prison time.
Obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy to obstruct, both carry up to 20 years, while conspiracy to defraud the government is punishable by up to five.
The fourth charge - conspiracy against rights - carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Trump allies have claimed the charge is punishable by the death penalty, but that is only the case if the crime involves murder, rape or kidnapping. The indictment does not allege Mr Trump's actions led to the deaths that occurred during or after the Capitol riot.
Mr Trump, who now faces 78 criminal counts overall in three different cases, is currently the frontrunner in the Republican Party's contest to pick its next presidential candidate.
Whoever wins will challenge the Democratic nominee, expected to be President Biden, in November 2024.
These latest charges mean Mr Trump will have three criminal trials to attend in the next 12 to 18 months, complicating his second run for the White House.
The BBC's North America editor Sarah Smith said these are the most serious charges he has faced so far.
But the Trump campaign said in a statement that Tuesday's indictment amounted to election interference.
"The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes," said the campaign.
It added: "These un-American witch hunts will fail."
His 2024 Republican rivals were quick to respond. While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the charges showed the "weaponisation of the federal government", Mr Pence said anyone who put themselves over the Constitution should never be president.
Democratic leaders in Congress gave a joint statement which said: "This indictment is the most serious and most consequential thus far and will stand as a stark reminder to generations of Americans that no one, including a president of the United States, is above the law."
Dozens of top Trump administration officials and advisers were interviewed as part of the investigation, including Mr Pence and former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch dramatic footage of police under attack at the Capitol riot
Prosecutors in the state of Georgia are also investigating the former president on similar grounds, focusing on whether he illegally pressured officials there to discard Mr Biden's poll victory.
A decision by prosecutors in Atlanta on whether to indict Mr Trump is expected this month.
Republicans in other states are being investigated for allegedly helping Mr Trump's push to stop Mr Biden from taking office.
State prosecutors in Michigan charged a former Republican attorney general candidate and another Trump supporter with tampering with voting machines in an effort to prove that Mr Trump had lost due to widespread voter fraud.
The riot at Congress led to Mr Trump's second impeachment in the House of Representatives - making him the first US president ever to be impeached twice.
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UK weather: Storm and wind warnings for England and Wales as NI sees wettest July - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The Met Office confirms July has been been one of the wettest on record - and there's more to come. | Weather warnings are in place across England and Wales on Wednesday as the UK's wet and windy weather continues.
A yellow alert for storms stretching from London to Manchester, covering much of the Midlands and Wales, will last from 09:00 to 19:00 BST.
Another yellow warning is in place throughout the day for strong wind due to hit the south coast of England.
The Met Office confirmed last month was one of the wettest Julys on record, according to provisional data.
It said the UK had its sixth rainiest July since data started being collected, and its wettest since 2009, with 140.1mm of rainfall, more than two thirds higher than the average for this time of year.
Northern Ireland has had its wettest July on record, the Met Office data shows. The region saw more than double its average rainfall (185.4mm).
And Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside also saw their wettest July since records began, all seeing long periods of rain.
Rain, wind and cool temperatures have dominated the forecast in recent weeks - in stark contrast to the dangerous heatwave sweeping much of Europe.
Meteorologists say the wet and cool weather is due to the position of the jet stream, a core of strong winds sitting about five to seven miles above the Earth's surface, and which dictate much of the UK's weather.
The jet stream marks the boundary of cold air to the north in the polar regions and hot air to the south, a contrast which produces pressure differences.
Last year, the jet stream was positioned further north, so the UK saw warm and dry weather created by the high-pressure system sitting over the country.
But this month, the jet stream has been stuck to the south of the UK, meaning its low-pressure system has been bringing cold and wet weather.
The weather has forced some summer festivals and events to cancel in recent weeks, including the Tiree Music Festival, a folk event held on the island of Tiree off Scotland's west coast.
Around 600 members of staff, volunteers and ticket holders were already on the remote island when powerful winds meant it had to be cancelled at the last minute.
Co-founder Daniel Gillespie told BBC News: "We thought we might be able to be able to continue but once the winds strengthened and forecasts got worse, we had to start to evacuate.
"The festival takes a year of planning and then it all goes down the drain in a matter of days, but we had a good plan in place.
"We also had families on the island turning up to the site in their cars and taking campers home to crash on their couches."
He said he was confident the event will be back next year, but said cancellations have knock-on impacts for performers and businesses and called predictions of more extreme summer weather in the future "concerning" for people who organise outdoor events.
A number of local events have been forced to cancel, including the Penarth Summer Festival in south Wales, which attracts visitors from around the UK for its downhill homemade go-kart race.
Nick McDonald from Penarth Town Council said the 60-year-old festival is a boost for local businesses and "is meant to signal the start of the summer holidays" - but instead was cancelled because of a weather warning for high winds.
The wet weather has also hit domestic holidaymakers. Stephen Felce from Hertfordshire said he cancelled his 10-day trip to Cornwall after seeing heavy rain predicted throughout.
The 79-year-old told the BBC he decided to stay at home because heavy rain was forecast "on all but two days of 10, and I just thought you can put up with so much, but that's a bit too much."
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said pubs haven't had the "boost" of sunny weather this month.
She told BBC News: "We hope people will support their local or visit a new pub on their holidays whatever the weather, but we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for more sun before summer's over."
A woman shelters under an umbrella during a heavy downpour of rain in Belfast
Some scientists think that higher temperatures due to climate change in the Arctic - which has warmed more than four times faster than the global average - are causing the jet stream to slow, increasing the likelihood of high pressure and hot weather remaining in place.
Global warming means hot temperatures and wetter periods will become more typical for the UK.
Hotter air is able to hold more moisture - and it falls back to ground in heavy downpours.
A recent study from the UK Met Office and University of Bristol, published in March, found that the intensity of downpours can increase by up to 15% for every degree of global warming.
Global temperatures are expected to climb by 2.4C by the end of the century based on projected emissions levels.
While the rainfall has eased some of the pressure on natural water sources after last year's droughts and a dry May and June this year, Steve Turner from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology told the BBC that a wet July won't totally replenish rivers and lakes.
He said: "This unsettled weather in the short term will have eased the pressure on the environment, but there are some areas still seeing ecological stress following the very dry summer last year.
"Because the summer last year was so severe, although we have had some rain, it just takes a longer time to replenish that and get back to normal."
He added that intense rainfall can increase the risk of river pollution.
"After our dry June and now having some more intense rainfall there will have been some run off from the land and potentially some water quality issues but we don't yet have data to confirm this," he said.
Ireland has seen its wettest July on record, according to provisional data gathered by the Irish Meteorological Service, with more than four times the amount of rain falling this month than in July 2022. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66371704 |
How big are Donald Trump's legal problems? - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | He has been criminally indicted four times and will have a series of trials to attend in 2024. | Donald Trump has been criminally indicted four times, and will have a series of trials to attend in 2024 as he runs again for the White House.
His candidacy now also faces a challenge from the Colorado Supreme Court, which has ruled Mr Trump cannot run for president because he engaged in an insurrection with his actions in the days leading to the US Capitol riot on 6 January 2021.
Here's a guide to the five cases and what they could mean for the former president and current frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
The Colorado Supreme Court declared Mr Trump ineligible for the presidency under the US Constitution's insurrection clause - Section 3 of the 14th Amendment - which disqualifies anyone who engages in insurrection from holding office.
Voting 4-3, the state's top court found Mr Trump had incited an insurrection in his role in the 6 January 2021 storming of the Capitol by his supporters. Mr Trump has repeatedly denied responsibility for the riot.
The bombshell ruling directs the Colorado secretary of state to exclude Mr Trump from the state's Republican primary on 5 March, where registered party members vote on their preferred candidate for president. But it could also affect the general election in Colorado next November.
It does not stop Mr Trump running in other states.
Similar lawsuits to to remove the Republican from the ballot in Minnesota, New Hampshire and Michigan have failed.
What will his defence be?
During a one-week trial in Colorado in November, the former president's lawyers argued Mr Trump should not be disqualified because he did not bear responsibility for the riot.
Following the Colorado Supreme Court's decision Mr Trump's campaign said immediately it would appeal the decision to the US Supreme Court, where it's likely a similar argument would be made.
His legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said the ruling "attacks the very heart of this nation's democracy."
"It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order," she said.
The Colorado Supreme Court put its ruling on hold until at least 4 January. If Mr Trump appeals, that pause will continue until the country's top court weighs in.
If the Supreme Court does take up the case, which experts say is likely, it could be forced to decide Mr Trump's eligibility beyond Colorado to all 50 states.
That court has a 6-3 conservative majority with three justices appointed by the former president himself.
What are the charges in Georgia 2020 election investigation?
This is the most recent indictment, the one that saw the first ever mugshot of a former US president after Donald Trump turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail on 24 August. The charges for Mr Trump - listed now as inmate no. P01135809 on Fulton County Jail records - were unsealed last month.
Mr Trump and 18 others are named in a 41-count indictment for alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.
The investigation was sparked in part by a leaked phone call in which the former president asked Georgia's top election official to "find 11,780 votes".
Mr Trump was hit with 13 criminal counts including an alleged violation of Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico).
His other charges include solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiring to commit impersonating a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery, conspiring to commit false statements, and writing and conspiring to file false documents.
What are the potential penalties?
The racketeering charge, which is mostly used in organised crime cases, carries a maximum 20-year jail sentence.
Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis would need to prove that there was a pattern of corruption from Mr Trump and his allies aimed at overturning the election result in order to bring a conviction.
As for making false statements, that carries a penalty of between one to five years in prison or a fine.
And a person convicted of first-degree criminal solicitation to commit election fraud will face between one to three years in jail.
What will his defence be?
Mr Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the case and has entered a plea of not guilty.
He has defended the phone call in question as "perfect" and accused Ms Willis of launching a politically motivated inquiry.
There is no confirmed date for the trial yet.
What are the charges in 2020 election investigation?
Donald Trump has been criminally charged in a separate federal investigation into efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.
The 45-page indictment contains four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
They stem from the former president's actions in the wake of the 2020 election, including around the 6 January Capitol riot, which occurred while Congress was meeting to certify Joe Biden's victory.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch the moment Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building
What are the potential penalties?
But there are logistical, security and political questions around whether Mr Trump would serve time even if charged and convicted.
What will his defence be?
Mr Trump was formally charged in court in Washington DC on 3 August. A tentative trial date is scheduled for 4 March 2024.
He argues that the charges are an attempt to prevent him from winning the 2024 presidential election. Before leaving Washington after his arraignment hearing, he told journalists the case "is a persecution of a political opponent".
Mr Trump has repeatedly denied responsibility for the riot on 6 January 2021.
His legal team is also likely to argue that the former president is not directly responsible for the violence that unfolded that day because he told supporters to march "peacefully" on the Capitol and is protected by First Amendment free speech rights.
What are the charges in classified documents case?
Mr Trump is facing 40 criminal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified material after he left the White House.
Thousands of documents were seized in an FBI search at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago last year, including about 100 that were marked as classified.
The charges are related to both his handling of the documents and his alleged efforts to obstruct the FBI's attempts to retrieve them.
The majority of the counts, are for the wilful retention of national defence information, which falls under the Espionage Act.
There are then eight individual counts which include conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record and making false statements.
Will Donald Trump go to jail?
These charges could - in theory - lead to substantial prison time if Mr Trump is convicted.
But the logistics, security and politics of jailing a former president mean a conventional prison sentence is seen as unlikely by many experts.
Looking at the letter of the law, the counts under the Espionage Act, for example, each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Other counts, related to conspiracy and withholding or concealing documents, each carry maximum sentences of 20 years.
Counts relating to a scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations carry sentences of five years each.
But while there is no doubt the charges are serious, many questions remain unanswered about the potential penalties should he be convicted.
What will his defence be?
Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and the trial is set to begin on 20 May 2024.
The former president has offered shifting defences for the material found at his property, mostly arguing that he declassified it. No evidence has been provided that this was possible or is true.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Trump supporters outside court: 'They're afraid of him'
His lawyers may argue in court that Mr Trump was unfairly targeted and that other politicians, namely Hillary Clinton, Mike Pence and current President Joe Biden, were never charged for their handling of classified documents.
But experts say the former president's case is different in a number of ways. For one, other politicians were willing to return whatever documents they had, while prosecutors allege Mr Trump resisted.
What are the charges in New York hush money case?
Mr Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
The charges stem from a hush-money payment made before the 2016 election to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, who says she had an adulterous affair with Mr Trump.
While such a payment is not illegal, spending money to help a presidential campaign but not disclosing it violates federal campaign finance law.
What are the potential penalties?
Each of the charges carries a maximum of four years in prison, although a judge could sentence Mr Trump to probation if he is convicted.
Legal experts have told BBC News they think it is unlikely Mr Trump will be jailed if convicted in this case and a fine is the more likely outcome.
What will his defence be?
Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial in the case on 25 March 2024.
He denies ever having sexual relations with Ms Daniels and says the payment was made to protect his family from false allegations, not to sway the election.
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Rishi Sunak heckled by angry publican over alcohol tax - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The prime minister was challenged about changes that will see alcohol duty rise overall. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The prime minister's visit comes as alcohol duties rise by 10.1%
Rishi Sunak has been heckled during a visit to the Great British Beer Festival in central London.
As the PM pulled a pint to promote his changes to alcohol tax, publican Rudi Keyser shouted: "Prime minister, oh the irony that you're raising alcohol duty on the day that you're pulling a pint."
Mr Keyser later told the BBC: "I wasn't expecting to see the prime minister but when I saw him he really riled me up."
Earlier, Mr Sunak defended the new system as "inherently more sensible".
Speaking to reporters he said he was "radically simplifying" the system to ensure that the less alcohol in a drink, the lower the tax imposed.
Under the changes, duty will rise overall, particularly on wine and spirits, but fall on lower-alcohol drinks and most sparkling wine.
Taxes on draught pints will not change, an additional measure that will reduce it to a lower rate than the tax on supermarket beer.
Mr Sunak said his changes would be beneficial to "thousands of businesses across the country".
However, during a tour of the Great British Beer Festival, Mr Keyser - a brewer turned publican - expressed his anger at the changes.
After heckling the prime minister, he told the Press Association that the "draught relief" was "smoke and mirrors" adding: "It's robbing Peter to pay Paul. So across the board, it's all going up.
"I can tell you from my side now in the trade, the consumer is going to see an increase and he has the audacity to come and pull a pint for PR."
The prime minister received another, less-hostile, heckle when a member of the crowd shouted out: "Prime minister, it's not Coca-Cola."
Mr Sunak, who is teetotal, has previously expressed a passion for the fizzy drink.
The British Beer and Pub Association welcomed some of Mr Sunak's changes saying it would help "incentivise the production of lower strength products".
However, it expressed concern that the 10.1% duty increase would have a "huge impact" and urged the government to guarantee there would be no further rises.
The Scotch Whisky Association described the rise as "a hammer blow for distillers and consumers". | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66370651 |
Pittsburgh synagogue gunman gets death penalty - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | A jury has sentenced Robert Bowers for the 2018 attack - the deadliest antisemitic attack in the US. | Robert Bowers shot and killed 11 people at Pittsburgh synagogue and injured several more
A US judge has sentenced the attacker who killed 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in October 2018 to death by execution.
A 12-member jury agreed unanimously for the death sentence to be imposed. Prosecutors had asked the jury to vote for the death penalty.
The same jury found the man guilty of all 63 charges stemming from the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue.
It was the worst antisemitic attack in American history.
The jury's decision was delivered to US District Court Judge Robert Colville on Wednesday. Mr Colville formally imposed the sentence at a hearing on Thursday.
He did so after hearing emotional testimonies from survivors and family members.
The jury in the case deliberated for 10 hours over two days. A decision was reached on the second day of deliberations.
Robert Bowers killed 11 worshippers in the attack, ranging in age from 54 to 97. Seven others were injured, including five police officers who rushed to the scene.
Three congregations - Dor Hadash, New Light and the Tree of Life - shared the synagogue.
Reporters inside the courtroom said Bowers had no reaction as the death sentence verdict was read.
Most families of those killed in the attack have said they support the death penalty for Bowers, although some, including the Dor Hadash congregation, have stated their opposition.
At a news conference on Wednesday, many families and survivors said they were relieved at the verdict.
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Congregation, a survivor of the attack, said the jury's decision provides some closure to the community.
"Today we've received an immense embrace from the halls of justice around all of us, to say our government does not condone antisemitism in the most violent form that we have witnessed," Rabbi Myers said.
Audrey Glickman, another survivor, said the verdict is "a step in the right direction".
"Had we not had this trial, the deeds of this criminal would have been glossed over in the annals of history," she said.
Family of Rose Mallinger, one of the victims, said: "Returning a sentence of death is not a decision that comes easy, but we must hold accountable those who wish to commit such terrible acts of antisemitism, hate, and violence."
In a statement, the Dor Hadash congregation thanked prosecutors and those who participated in the trial.
Prosecutors had argued during the trial that the death sentence was necessary because the 50-year-old truck driver continues to espouse a hatred for Jews and has demonstrated no remorse for his actions.
"This is a case that calls for the most severe punishment under the law - the death penalty," US Attorney Eric Olshan said.
Bowers' defence argued that he suffers from mental health issues that causes him to hold delusional beliefs about Jewish people.
In Wednesday's verdict, the jury unanimously said the defence failed to prove the gunman suffered from a mental disorder or committed the crimes "under mental or emotional disturbance".
They also ruled that all five aggravating factors in the case were proven, which included Bowers' killing of the worshippers inside the synagogue as well as the permanent impact left on the survivors.
Federal prosecutors rarely pursue the death penalty. Between 1988 and 2021, only 79 defendants in such cases were sentenced to death, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The jury's ruling marks the first federal death sentence under Joe Biden's presidency.
It is the second federal death penalty prosecution during Mr Biden's administration, after a jury failed to unanimously vote to execute a man inspired by ISIS who attacked a New York City bike path in 2017.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Rabbi Doris Dyen: 'I'm broken and I can't pray' (from 2018) | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66388484 |
Zendaya pays tribute to Euphoria co-star Angus Cloud - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Tributes are continuing to be posted following the death of the actor aged 25. | Zendaya (pictured here with Cloud last year) is the star of Euphoria
Zendaya has said that "words are not enough to describe the infinite beauty" of her Euphoria co-star Angus Cloud, following his death aged 25.
The actress, who stars as recovering addict Ruby "Rue" Bennett in the HBO series, shared a black and white image of Cloud on Instagram, celebrating his "boundless light, love and joy".
Rappers Drake - an executive producer on it - and Kid Cudi also paid homage.
Cloud died on Monday at his family home in Oakland, California, a publicist confirmed. "It is with the heaviest heart that we had to say goodbye to an incredible human today," said the Cloud family.
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Posting on Instagram, Zendaya wrote: "I'm so grateful I got the chance to know him in this life, to call him a brother, to see his warm kind eyes and bright smile, or hear his infectious cackle of a laugh (I'm smiling now just thinking of it).
"I know people use this expression often when talking about folks they love...'they could light up any room they entered' but boy let me tell you, he was the best at it. I'd like to remember him that way.
"For all of the boundless light, love and joy he always managed to give us. I'll cherish every moment."
Drake shared an image of Cloud simply captioned "Good Soul", while Kid Cudi posted on X (formerly known as Twitter): "This hurts man. One of the realest dudes in this business."
Cloud attended his father's funeral in Ireland last week and, according to his family, "intensely struggled with this loss".
There was some comfort in knowing he was now "reunited with his dad, who was his best friend", they said in a statement.
"Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence," it said.
"We hope the world remembers him for his humour, laughter and love for everyone."
His cause of death has not been given.
Cloud's career took off after he was cast as Fez, a high school drug dealer in Euphoria
The actor was one of the breakout stars of Euphoria, appearing in both series alongside Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney.
Sweeney, who played Cassie Howard, also paid tribute on Tuesday, calling Cloud as "an open soul, with the kindest heart" who "filled every room with laughter".
"You will be missed more than you know, but I'm so blessed to have known you in this lifetime, and I'm sure everyone who has ever met you feels the same," she wrote in an emotional tribute online.
In a statement, HBO said: "We are incredibly saddened to learn of the passing of Angus Cloud. He was immensely talented and a beloved part of the HBO and Euphoria family."
Euphoria creator Sam Levinson said: "There was no one quite like Angus. He was too special, too talented and way too young to leave us so soon."
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Sydney Martin, the model who was rumoured to be in an on-off relationship with Cloud, shared broken heart emojis on Instagram after his death was announced.
Cloud's co-star Javon "Wanna" Walton, known in the show as Cloud's adoptive brother, Ashtray, wrote on Instagram: "Rest easy brother."
Alexa Demie, who plays Maddy Perez in the drama, posted a simple broken heart emoji on a black background, while Colman Domingo, who plays Ali Muhammad, wrote on his Instagram story: "Couldn't be more real, original and sweet. Loved this kid. Always smiles. I hope this sensitive soul is at rest. check on loved ones. Check on them."
California congresswoman Barbara Lee lamented the loss of "Oakland's own", in a post on X.
"His immense talent touched the lives of countless people. His work & legacy will forever live on and make Oakland proud," she wrote.
Actress Kerry Washington also posted on the platform: "You will be deeply missed. Rest in power."
Actor Danny Ramirez also paid tribute on his Instagram story.
The Oakland Roots sports club said they were "heartbroken" by the news.
"Rest easy fam. He was a day one supporter and an Oakland legend. You will be missed."
Cloud had minor acting credits in two films, North Hollywood and The Line. He had also appeared in music videos for artists including Becky G, Karol G and Juice WRLD.
But his career really took off after he won the part of Fez, a high school drug dealer in Euphoria.
After first airing in June 2019, Euphoria quickly became a hit, and by 2022 - two seasons in - was the most tweeted-about TV show of the decade in the US.
The main character, played by Zendaya, is a 17-year-old who struggles with drug abuse. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66375353 |
Why you should go to sleep at the same time all week - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Social jetlag has an impact on what we eat, which may affect the species of bacteria in our guts. | Small differences in sleeping habits between work and rest days could lead to unhealthy changes to the bacteria in our guts, a study suggests.
This may be partly a result of people with "social jetlag" having slightly poorer diets, the UK researchers found.
Heavily-disrupted sleep, particularly shift work, is known to have a negative impact on health.
Keeping bed times and wake times consistent and eating a balanced diet may help reduce our risk of disease.
The study of nearly 1,000 adults by Kings College London scientists found that even a 90-minute difference in the midpoint of your night's sleep over the course of a normal week could influence the types of bacteria found in the human gut.
Having a wide range of different species of bacteria in your digestive system is really important. Some are better than others, but getting the right mix is key to preventing a number of diseases.
"[Social jetlag] can encourage microbiota species which have unfavourable associations with your health," said Kate Bermingham, study author and senior nutrition scientist at health science company Zoe.
Going to sleep and waking up at very different times during the week, compared to the weekend, is known as having social jetlag.
It is thought to affect more than 40% of the UK population, the study says, and is most common in teenagers and young adults, then tapers off as we age.
Participants in this study, in the European Journal of Nutrition, had their sleep and blood analysed, stool samples collected and recorded everything they ate in a food questionnaire.
Those who had social jetlag (16%) were more likely to eat a diet laden with potatoes, including crisps and chips, plus sugary drinks, and less fruit and nuts.
Previous research showed people with social jetlag ate less fibre than those with more consistent sleeping times. Other studies found social jetlag was linked to weight gain, illness and mental fatigue.
"Poor quality sleep impacts choices - and people crave higher carb or sugary foods," says Dr Bermingham.
An unhealthy diet can then affect levels of specific bacteria in the gut.
The researchers found that three out of the six microbiota species which were more plentiful in the guts of the social jetlag group are linked to poor diet quality, obesity and higher levels of inflammation and stroke risk.
The relationship between sleep, diet and gut bacteria is complicated and there is still a lot more to find out, the research team says.
In the meantime, their advice to keep things consistent, if you can, over the course of a week.
"Maintaining regular sleep patterns, so when we go to bed and when we wake each day, is an easily adjustable lifestyle behaviour we can all do, that may impact your health via your gut microbiome for the better," says Dr Sarah Berry, from King's College London.
The NHS website recommends you try to:
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-66372087 |
Hemel Hempstead boy finds megalodon shark tooth at Walton-on-the-Naze - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Wildlife experts call it a "rare find" but a museum says it may have been restored and sold in a shop. | Ben with the 10cm-long (4in) tooth he found at Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex
A 13-year-old boy has found a shark tooth belonging to a giant prehistoric creature on the Essex coast.
Ben discovered the 10cm-long (4in) tooth at Walton-on-the-Naze during a summer holiday weekend break.
The teenager's dad, Jason, said his son was "over the moon" with the find, which wildlife experts called "rare".
However, The Natural History Museum said it could have been purchased in a shop and lost on the beach by someone else.
Jason and his son were on a weekend break from their home in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire especially to go searching for fossils.
They arrived on Friday evening and by Sunday morning had already clocked up 16 miles (26km) of walking along the coast.
Essex Wildlife Trust said the tooth found by Ben was a megalodon
They were up at the crack of dawn on Sunday and were down at the beach first thing when Ben found the giant tooth under rocks at about 07:00 BST.
Jason, 50, said: "We could just see the edge of it, sticking out, and Ben knew straightaway it was something and pulled it out of the sand."
The pair took their find to Essex Wildlife Trust's Discovery Centre at Walton-on-the-Naze where they confirmed it was a megalodon tooth.
Jason said he and his son go to Walton-on-the-Naze to go fossil hunting once a year and also to the Jurassic Coast, a 95-mile (153km) long stretch of coastline in southern England.
He said Ben wants to be a palaeontologist when he is older and the giant tooth was a "great addition" to his collection.
Essex Wildlife Trust said the tooth would be from 20 million years old to 3.6 million.
It said several had been found at The Naze but more commonly they were fragments of the teeth.
The Natural History Museum, which was sent images of the tooth for identification, said: "Normally the teeth have been reworked from other deposits and rolled around which means they lose the sharp triangular shape with the serrated sides.
"This tooth shows little corrosion and its crown is near pristine and it looks like it may have been restored.
"To us this looks very similar to fossils found in Java which are regularly sold in UK fossil shops. We believe it may have been lost on the beach."
Megalodon was a giant and dwarfed all other sea creatures
The cartilaginous fish (whose skeleton is made of cartilage rather than bone) was a carnivore and had no known predators
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-66372259 |
Lizzo accused of sexual harassment and fat-shaming Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Three former dancers allege the singer contributed to creating a hostile work environment. | Lizzo, pictured at this year's Met Gala, is best known for hits such as Truth Hurts, About Damn Time, Juice, Good As Hell and 2 Be Loved
Pop star Lizzo is being sued by three of her former dancers over claims including sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
The legal action includes accusations of sexual, religious and racial harassment, discrimination, assault and false imprisonment.
The singer is also accused of fat-shaming and pressuring a dancer to touch a performer's breasts.
Lizzo and others who are accused have been approached for comment.
The singer has not yet responded publicly to the allegations made in the case, which remain to be tested in court.
Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez are the former dancers bringing the case against the singer, her dance captain and her production company Big Grrrl Big Touring (BGBT).
The legal action, filed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, includes allegations the dancers were pressured into attending sex shows and interacting with the dancers between 2021 and 2023.
Among the claims against Lizzo - whose real name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson - are that she "pressured Ms Davis to touch the breasts" of a performer in a nightclub in Amsterdam, and Ms Davis - after resisting - eventually acquiesced "fearing it may harm her future on the team" if she didn't do so.
Lizzo - who is known for celebrating her body and self-love - is also accused, along with dance choreographer Tanisha Scott, of fat-shaming Ms Davis on tour.
Ms Davis alleges the two questioned whether she was "struggling with something as she seemed less committed to her role on the dance cast", the case details.
"In professional dance, a dancer's weight gain is often seen as that dancer getting lazy or worse off as a performer. Lizzo's and Ms. Scott's questions about Ms. Davis's commitment to the tour were thinly veiled concerns about Ms Davis's weight gain," the documents allege.
Though never explicitly stated, the questions "gave Ms Davis the impression that she needed to explain her weight gain and disclose intimate personal details about her life in order to keep her job", the legal documents say.
Lizzo performed at the Glastonbury music festival earlier this summer
The case also alleges that staff working for BGBT scolded dancers for "unacceptable and disrespectful" behaviour while working on the tour, without specifying what that behaviour was.
The dancers allege that "only the dance cast - comprised of full-figured women of colour - were ever spoken to in this manner, giving [the dancers] the impression that these comments were charged with racial and fat-phobic animus".
Additionally, it alleges the dance team's captain, Shirlene Quigley, pushed her Christian beliefs on performers and derided those who engaged in premarital sex.
She is also accused of openly discussing one of the former dancers' virginity, and posting about it on social media.
Accusations including racial discrimination are also levelled at BGBT's management team.
It alleges black members of the dance troupe were "treated differently" from other members of the team.
They were accused of being "lazy, unprofessional, and having bad attitudes" - the case claimed these are tropes often used "to disparage and discourage" black women and that other dancers were not treated like this.
Both Quigley and Scott have been contacted for comment by the BBC.
The plaintiffs also allege Lizzo and the production company team did not pay them fairly while on parts of Lizzo's European tour.
They say they were offered only 25% of their weekly pay as a retainer during their time not performing on the tour. They also claim that Lizzo and the company preferred them not to take on other jobs during these breaks.
Two of the three dancers involved in the legal action, Ms Davis and Ms Williams, met Lizzo in March 2021 while preparing to compete on the reality TV show Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, the legal action says.
The third, Ms Rodriguez, was hired later in May 2021 to perform in Lizzo's Rumours music video. She then remained part of the dance troupe, it adds.
Ms Davis and Ms Williams were fired from the dance team, while Ms Rodriguez later resigned over the alleged treatment of her fellow colleagues.
Lizzo is best known for hits such as Truth Hurts, About Damn Time, Juice, Good As Hell and 2 Be Loved.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66379169 |
Lauren James: England star did 'special things' in win over China - BBC Sport | 2023-08-02 | England's Lauren James did "special things" in their impressive 6-1 victory over China in the Women's World Cup, says manager Sarina Wiegman. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
England's Lauren James did "special things" in their impressive 6-1 victory over China in the Women's World Cup, says boss Sarina Wiegman.
The 21-year-old produced one of the individual performances of the tournament, scoring twice and assisting three times as England booked their place in the last 16 as group winners.
"She feels good, you can tell - she did special things today," said Wiegman.
England will play Nigeria in their next match, live on BBC One, on 7 August.
James, starting her second match in Australia, set up Alessia Russo for England's opener within four minutes and later slipped the ball through to Lauren Hemp to make it 2-0.
The Chelsea forward then struck a first-time finish into the left corner from the edge of the box before another stunning effort was ruled out by the video assistant referee (VAR) for offside in the build-up.
James then volleyed in Jess Carter's cross for her second goal and grabbed a third assist when she played in Chloe Kelly, who took advantage of a goalkeeper error.
"Unfortunately that one goal was cancelled," added Wiegman. "But [James] flows over the pitch.
"I could tell [she was enjoying herself] but you could tell that from the whole team. Of course she was one of them. The whole team was enjoying every goal except the one from China!"
James said it was "what dreams are made of" and hopes to now continue her impressive form, having also scored the winner in the 1-0 victory over Denmark.
"Everyone is buzzing," she added. "We are looking forward to the next round. I felt free, whether I'm on the wing or in the middle, I'm happy to be playing and contributing to goals.
"I think [I'm] just playing with freedom, just enjoying my football and tonight showed that."
On her disallowed goal, James added: "I was disappointed in the moment obviously but that's football for you."
• None Go here for all the latest from the Women's World Cup
'She just wanted to give me a yellow card for fun'
England defender Lucy Bronze was involved in the build-up to James' disallowed goal - where she fired superbly into the far corner from outside the box and would have completed an impressive hat-trick.
However, the VAR ruling was controversial as the ball appeared to bounce off a Chinese defender despite Bronze being in an offside position and clearly not attempting to play the ball.
"I'm sad for LJ [James] because I don't know why it's been called offside," said Bronze. "If Hemp scored the cross, I wouldn't have been offside.
"The [defender] deliberately played it. I said that at the time, I said that to the referee, 'I don't know why you've given me offside'."
Bronze was later shown a yellow card for handball after China were awarded a penalty, which Shuang Wang put away to prevent goalkeeper Mary Earps from keeping a third clean sheet.
She did not shake the hand of referee, Australian Casey Reibelt, after the match either.
"As a team it's something we've been through before," added Bronze. "I had more go against me than anyone else. It wasn't a fun game in that respect.
"I knew it hit my hand but it wasn't deliberate. Unless I cut my arm off I don't know how I get my arm out the way. We sit down with referees every tournament to discuss the rules.
"I guess she just wanted to give me a yellow card for fun. Playing for England you tend to know that sometimes decisions don't go your way and luckily enough for us we finished the game off ourselves.
"I think LJ's [James'] goal should have stood, she should have had a hat-trick and it would have been a huge moment for her in her first World Cup to score a hat-trick for England." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66375627 |
Beyoncé pays tribute to dancer fatally stabbed while dancing to her music - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | New York Police are investigating the death of O'Shae Sibley, a gay man, as a possible hate crime. | This tribute to Mr Sibley was posted to Beyonce's website
Beyoncé has paid tribute to O'Shae Sibley, a professional dancer who was fatally stabbed in Brooklyn, New York while dancing to her music.
Mr Sibley, 28, was voguing while he and friends filled up at a petrol station when men approached and told them to stop, friends reported.
The men began using slurs and Mr Sibley, a gay man, confronted them, according to video of the altercation.
No arrests have yet been made, but police said on Tuesday that they were seeking a teenage boy in connection with the killing. The New York Police department has also said it is investigating Mr Sibley's death as a possible hate crime.
Mr Sibley's friends told US media that while some of their group filled up their car at a Mobil petrol station in Brooklyn on Saturday, the professional dancer and choreographer played Beyoncé's latest album, Renaissance, and danced to the music. Renaissance, is considered a celebration of black and queer dance culture, featuring artists like Big Freedia, Syd and Honey Dijon.
After a group of men approached Mr Sibley and his friends, surveillance video appears to show the two groups in a heated argument.
The confrontation escalated, and one man stabbed Mr Sibley, police said.
Otis Pena, one of Mr Sibley's friends, pressed on his wound to stop the bleeding before Mr Sibley was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, the New York Times reported, where he was pronounced dead.
"They murdered him because he's gay, because he stood up for his friends," Mr Pena said in a Facebook video. "They killed my brother right in front of me," he wrote in another post.
Mr Sibley's death has rocked the LGBTQ+ community in New York, where friends said he had moved to continue his dance career, and beyond.
Philadelphia dance organisation Philadanco, which said Mr Sibley had been involved with them since he was a teenager, released a statement calling his death "absolutely heartbreaking".
"We believe no one deserves to be targeted for simply being themselves and living in their truth," the statement said.
Mr Sibley was also recognised by New York's leaders, including Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul, who wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "discrimination, hate, and violence" have no place in our state. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66388976 |
Fitch downgrades US credit rating from AAA to AA+ - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The rating agency said it had noted a "steady deterioration" in governance over the last 20 years. | Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen described the downgrade as "arbitrary"
The US government's credit rating has been downgraded following concerns over the state of the country's finances and its debt burden.
Fitch, one of three major independent agencies that assess creditworthiness, cut the rating from the top level of AAA to a notch lower at AA+.
Fitch said it had noted a "steady deterioration" in governance over the last 20 years.
It was based on "outdated data" from the period 2018 to 2020, she said.
Investors use credit ratings as a benchmark for judging how risky it is to lend money to a government. The US is usually considered a highly secure investment because of the size and relative stability of the economy.
However, this year saw another round of political brinkmanship over government borrowing.
In June the government succeeded in lifting the debt ceiling to $31.4 trillion (£24.6 trillion) but only after a drawn-out political battle, which threatened to push the country into defaulting on its debts.
When Congress returns from its summer recess, lawmakers will have to work to reach an agreement on next year's budget before the end of September to prevent a government shutdown.
"The rating downgrade of the United States reflects the expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years, a high and growing general government debt burden, and the erosion of governance" relative to peers, said Fitch in a statement.
"In Fitch's view, there has been a steady deterioration in standards of governance over the last 20 years, including on fiscal and debt matters, notwithstanding the June bipartisan agreement to suspend the debt limit until January 2025," the rating agency said.
Ms Yellen said she "strongly" disagreed with Fitch's decision.
"Treasury securities remain the world's preeminent safe and liquid asset, and... the American economy is fundamentally strong," she said in a statement.
The timing and rationale behind the downgrade has taken many economists by surprise.
Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said Fitch's decision is "bizarre and inept," particularly as the US economy "looks stronger than expected," he said in a post on Twitter, now known as X.
Mohamed El-Erian, the chief economic adviser at financial services giant Allianz, said the Fitch announcement was "a strange move".
"This announcement is more likely to be dismissed than have a lasting disruptive impact on the US economy and markets," he posted on the Threads social media platform.
Fitch also said it expects the US to slip into a mild recession later this year.
However, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman said "the biggest economic news over the past year has been America's remarkable success at getting inflation down without a recession".
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Alec Phillips, the chief US political economist at Wall Street bank Goldman Sachs said: "The downgrade mainly reflects governance and medium-term fiscal challenges, but does not reflect new fiscal information."
The move "should have little direct impact on financial markets as it is unlikely there are major holders of Treasury securities who would be forced to sell based on the ratings change," he added.
Others questioning the timing of the Fitch announcement included Jason Furman, who was an economic adviser to former US president Barack Obama. He called it "completely absurd."
• None A simple guide to the US debt ceiling | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66379366 |
Warning over medical clinics using fake Google reviews - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The BBC tracked down UK companies using fake reviews to boost their visibility in Google results. | Medical clinics are using fake Google reviews to boost their profiles online, a BBC investigation has found.
Consumer groups say fake reviews are a "significant and persistent problem" and have called on internet firms to do more to remove them and fine companies.
Which? has warned it could be a serious issue if someone chooses a treatment clinic based on reading a fake review.
The government said it was toughening the law to protect consumers, while Google said it removed fake reviews.
Fake reviews can be bought online and have been known to appear on Amazon, Trustpilot and the App Store.
One of the companies the BBC's investigation examined was the Ipswich Spine Clinic run by Dr Amit Patel.
The chiropractic clinic had a 4.9 star rating on Google reviews.
Reviews left on Google for firms highly recommended them to customers
But our investigation found a number of people who had given this clinic five stars on Google, had also reviewed 16 of the same business in the US, Australia, Austria and Canada, for products as diverse as property conveyancing, car repairs, and hookah pipes.
One of the fake customers wrote: "Dr Amit was brilliant…he assessed my injury quickly and came up with a treatment plan, I felt that I was in safe hands and highly recommend this place".
We also found that five people who had rated Ipswich Spine Clinic highly, posted negative comments on one of their local competitors.
When we contacted the clinic, Dr Amit Patel told us he had outsourced his marketing to a company in India, and hadn't been aware of the reviews posted on Google.
He said since being contacted by the BBC he had asked for reviews which were not genuine to be taken down.
Our investigation also looked at Smiles Better dentistry business in Manchester.
Emma Vardy visited one of the firms in Manchester
One reviewer Rose Bellamy wrote "I'm so happy with my new smile. Super fast service and everyone was so helpful and kind".
But in the same month, Rose Bellamy had also appeared to review a removal company in Australia, a restaurant in Sweden, an immigration company in Canada, and a spa in the US.
A number of its reviewers who had posted five star ratings on Google had also reviewed the same pattern of businesses around the world.
Smiles Better had replied to some of its fake Google reviews, writing thank you messages.
The dental firm did not provide a response when it was contacted several times by the BBC.
Harry Kind from Which? said "I think it's bad enough if you buy a pair of dodgy Bluetooth headphones off a fake review, but if you try and get a medical treatment done and it turns out that the review you chose the establishment on was fake, that could have really serious repercussions.
Selling them, buying them, and hosting them on your platforms should be illegal, they should be facing a fine there needs to be some deterrent from just buying a load of fake reviews because for now it's easy to do."
Which? are among consumer groups arguing for measures to protect citizens from fake online reviews
A Department of Business and Trade spokesperson said that the government's digital markets, completion and consumers bill will provide new powers to address this.
"We're strengthening the law against fake reviews to protect consumers who spend an estimated £23 billion a year on items based off online reviews.
"We will publish a consultation later this year on our proposals so we are ready to implement these after the Bill receives Royal Assent, including giving the [Competition and Markets Authority] the power to fine these rogue traders."
Google said it does remove fake reviews and suspend fake accounts.
A spokeswoman said: "Our policies clearly state reviews must be based on real experiences, and when we find policy violations, we take swift action ranging from content removal to account suspension and even litigation." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-66329833 |
Firefighter misses his retirement party to rescue calves - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Commander John Holmes says he did not hesitate to go on his final rescue mission after 42 years. | Commander John Holmes (left) helped to rescue 28 calves that had fallen into a slurry tank
A firefighter whose retirement party was put on hold as he helped rescue 28 calves from a slurry tank has said it was "no bother at all".
Colleagues of Commander John Holmes were planning to toast his retirement from Newcastle fire station in County Down, after 42 years of service.
But at about 17:30 BST on Monday officers received a call to 28 calves trapped in a slurry tank near Cullyhanna, County Armagh.
It meant he missed the barbecue organised at Newcastle Fire Station, where he was due to receive a certificate.
"I didn't hesitate to go to the incident - it was no bother at all," he told BBC News NI.
"I love animals and I wanted to help them - we have helped rescue hundreds of animals over the years.
"I was on call and was not to be finished until midnight that night.
"I went down into the slurry tank with two others to get the final 10 calves.
"We were wearing the right overalls and breathing apparatus - the fumes would have killed you otherwise. My colleagues were shocked to see me."
Rescuing the calves was not the final task for Commander Holmes.
"I got another call at 20 past 11 that night in Newcastle," he said.
"A faulty smoke alarm went off - I still had to turn out just in case - and I left my shift at half past midnight."
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said Commander Holmes' rescue mission in Cullyhanna was "testament to his 42 years of dedicated service".
"John took charge of the animal rescue team, playing a central hands-on role in the safe and successful rescue of every one of the 28 calves," said NIFRS, on social media.
Commander Holmes hailed the camaraderie forged over four decades as a firefighter and recalled being honoured for saving a man's life, in tandem with his brother, following a chip pan fire.
"In 1988, I received a chief fire officer's commendation for live rescue - both myself and my brother Derek saved a man's life without having breathing apparatus," Commander Holmes added.
"The man was lying over a coffee table after a chip pan fire, he had gone to sleep.
"He is still alive today."
Commander Holmes added: "I love the job, it is about helping people in the local community.
"You give up a lot to do the job, it is an inner pride."
Commander Holmes and his colleagues will instead celebrate next week
The retirement presentation for Commander Holmes has now been rescheduled.
"I am looking forward to spending more time with my wife, she was part of it too," he said.
"Next Monday, we will have the leaving barbecue again - providing there are no fire calls." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66374382 |
Jacob Crouch: Mother and father accused of murdering baby - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Prosecutors say 10-month-old Jacob Crouch endured a "culture of cruelty" from his parents. | A 10-month-old baby was regularly attacked by his mother and father before they murdered him, a trial has heard.
Gemma Barton and Craig Crouch are accused of killing their son Jacob who died at home in Linton, near Swadlincote, Derbyshire, in December 2020.
A trial at Derby Crown Court heard Jacob suffered at least 39 rib fractures in four separate assaults.
Mary Prior KC, prosecuting, said Jacob endured a "culture of cruelty" and died from a "vicious assault" which saw him "kicked or stamped on with such severe force that it fractured a rib and caused a tear in his stomach and bowel".
The court heard Jacob later contracted peritonitis - an infection of the lining of the abdominal organs - and died "in his cot, alone" on 30 December 2020.
Ms Prior said: "Our case is that these two parents created an environment in which they encouraged and applauded each other in their control and punishments of this little baby.
"Neither of them, in this very small house where no-one could be alone, could have committed these offences without the knowledge and assistance of the other.
"Neither sought medical help for Jacob at any stage for the pain and suffering caused when his bones were broken or in the few days that followed."
She added: "Neither got Jacob out of what must have been a life with episodes of significant pain and suffering.
"Jacob was not given the care that as a baby he needed and deserved."
The court heard Ms Barton and Mr Crouch gave police no explanation of how Jacob suffered his injuries
Ms Prior told jurors Jacob had visible bruises on his face and chest when he died and there was evidence of "severe and significant blunt force trauma" to his abdomen.
The court heard Ms Barton, 32, met Mr Crouch, 39, while four months pregnant with Jacob and became "very close, very quickly" with Mr Crouch, calling Jacob "our little boy" after only a month.
Jacob was born healthy on 17 February 2020, with Mr Crouch named as his father on the birth certificate, but Ms Prior said that he was "assaulted causing bruising on a regular basis for at least six months" from the age of just four months, and was referred to as "the devil" in one text message.
Jurors were told Mr Crouch texted Ms Barton, in June 2020, asking whether she had "put back what Jacob threw back down him" - referring to vomit - with Barton confirming she had.
In September Mr Crouch said in texts that Jacob was "pushing us to our limits".
The court heard Mr Crouch sent Ms Barton texts urging her to "smack his hand" if he cried, adding: "You need to be harder on him with this and not let this take over us. This will only get worse if not addressed now."
Ms Prior said messages showed when Ms Barton told Mr Crouch she was bathing Jacob, he replied "three foot deep, just hot water and some bleach xxxx".
Mr Crouch later told police that had been "banter".
The court was told when the couple were arrested they claimed they were unaware of any non-accidental injury and have never given an explanation as to how the injuries occurred.
Ms Prior said: "Despite the regimental discipline and the unreasonable behavioural expectations being placed on this little boy by Barton and Crouch, Crouch suggested in interview that Jacob was the beneficiary of their love and care.
"The prosecution say that the bruises on Jacob's body, the broken ribs and the manner of his death fly in the face of such an assessment."
The court heard Ms Barton told police Mr Crouch would call her names such as "fat" and that he controlled her finances, but despite being bailed with conditions not to contact each other they were soon living together because Ms Barton was Mr Crouch's "rock", and he was her "everything".
"What mattered to them was their love affair and their love story," Ms Prior said.
Barton, of Ray Street, Heanor, Derbyshire, and Crouch, of Donisthorpe Lane, Moira, Swadlincote, both deny murder, causing or allowing the death of a child, causing a child to suffer serious physical harm and three counts of child cruelty.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-65847407 |
Violinist who played during brain surgery reunites with doctor - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Dagmar Turner played the violin while surgeons were removing a brain tumour in January 2020. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Dagmar Turner played the violin while surgeons removed a brain tumour at King's College Hospital
A woman who played the violin during her brain surgery has been reunited with the surgeon who removed her tumour.
Dagmar Turner's operation in London in January 2020 was planned so that her ability to play the violin would not be impaired as a result of the surgery.
The 57-year-old has since returned to playing music in the Isle of Wight.
She said she was "eternally grateful" to consultant neurosurgeon Prof Keyoumars Ashkan.
The former management consultant re-watched the operation at the Hunterian Museum, Royal College of Surgeons in London with Prof Ashkan, of King's College Hospital.
"When I saw him, I just had to smile, he always makes me laugh," she said.
"I've been eternally grateful to him for what he did with my tumour in my head, because it wasn't supposed to be there."
Dagmar Turner returned to orchestra rehearsals within weeks of her brain surgery
Ms Turner returned to the Isle Of Wight Symphony Orchestra soon after the surgery.
She played the violin as her tumour was removed to help ensure parts of the brain that control delicate hand movement and coordination were not harmed during the operation.
She later suffered side effects including fatigue, which still has an impact on her.
Prof Ashkan explained that when "everything is working" after brain tumour surgery there can be "euphoria" for patients, but long-term issues can include fatigue.
"Obviously, Dagmar gets monitored regularly and so far, so good, we keep our fingers crossed that things remain well for her," he said.
"And she continues to play amazing, wonderful violin."
Ms Turner was first diagnosed with a slow-growing glioma in 2013 and had a seizure while playing.
She had radiotherapy to treat the tumour, but underwent surgery after it became more aggressive in 2019.
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• None Patient plays violin during her brain surgery. Video, 00:01:01Patient plays violin during her brain surgery | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-66378288 |
'It's like playing with death' - Ukraine's female front-line soldiers - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Women in the Ukrainian military describe their battles against Russia and sexism within their ranks. | Andriana, pictured at a rehabilitation centre in Ukraine, where she is training to return to the front line
Ukrainian women have been signing up in growing numbers to serve as combat troops against Russia. The BBC spoke to three of the 5,000 female front-line soldiers who are fighting both the enemy, and sexist attitudes within their own ranks.
A slim, blue-eyed, brunette woman is working out in a gym. This might be unremarkable were it not for the fact that, according to the Russian media, she is dead.
Andriana Arekhta is a special unit sergeant in the Ukrainian armed forces, preparing to return to the front line.
The BBC found Andriana in a rehabilitation centre in Ukraine - in a location we cannot name for her safety - after she was injured by a landmine in the Kherson region in December.
Numerous text and video reports in Russian celebrate her "death" in graphic detail.
"They published that I am without legs and without hands, and that I was killed by them," says Andriana. "They are professionals in propaganda."
The reports include lurid descriptions of her - such as "executioner" and "eliminated Nazi".
Accusing her of cruelty and sadism without any proof, they appeared shortly after the Ukrainian army had liberated Kherson.
"It's funny to me. I am alive and I will protect my country," she says.
Eighteen months on from Russia's invasion, there are 60,000 women serving in the nation's armed forces. More than 42,000 are in military positions - including 5,000 female soldiers on the front line, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine told us.
It added that no woman could be conscripted under Ukrainian law against her will.
But there are particular combat roles which some believe are better performed by women.
"I came to my commander and I asked him, 'what can I do the best?' He said: 'You will be a sniper,'" recalls Evgeniya Emerald - who carried out the role on the front line until recently.
Evgeniya Emerald, pictured with her three-month-old baby, ran a jewellery business before the war
She says female snipers have been romanticised since World War Two, adding there is a very practical reason for this reputation.
"If a man hesitates whether to make a shot or not, a woman will never.
"Maybe that's why women are the ones giving birth, not men," she adds, cradling her three-month old daughter.
The 31 year old, who had military training after Russia invaded Crimea but only joined the army in 2022, was the owner of a jewellery business before the full-scale war.
She has used her entrepreneurial experience to build a strong social media following, to help raise the profile of Ukrainian female soldiers.
Like Andriana, Evgeniya has been widely referred to as "a punisher" and "Nazi" by Russian media, with hundreds of reports discussing her front line role as a female sniper, and her private life.
Working as a sniper is particularly brutal - says Evgeniya - both physically and mentally.
"Because you can see what is going on. You can see hitting a target. This is a personal hell for everyone who sees that in a [sniper's] scope."
Evgeniya, and the other front-line women we have spoken to, cannot reveal the number of targets they have hit. But Evgeniya remembers the heightened emotion she felt when she realised she was probably going to have to kill someone.
"For 30 seconds I was shaking - my whole body - and I couldn't stop it. That realisation that now you'll do something that will be a point of no return.
"But we didn't come to them with a war. They came to us."
Evgeniya Emerald says working as a sniper is a particularly brutal form of warfare
The percentage of women in the Ukrainian military has been growing since the first Russian invasion in 2014, reaching over 15% in 2020.
But while many female troops are serving in combat roles against Russia, they say there is another battle within their own ranks - against sexist attitudes.
Evgeniya says she faced this before she established her authority and confidence as a front-line sniper.
"When I had just joined the special forces, one of the fighters came to me and said: 'Girl, what are you doing here? Go and cook borshch [Ukrainian traditional soup].' I felt so offended at that moment I thought, 'are you kidding me? I can be in the kitchen, but I can also knock you out'!"
Another Evgeniya, Evgeniya Velyka from the Arm Women Now charity - which provides help to the Ukrainian female soldiers - agrees: "In society [there] exists a strong opinion that girls go to the army to find a husband."
She says women have also told her about cases of physical abuse.
"We can't imagine the scale of the problem because not every female soldier wants to talk about this," she says.
Ukraine's deputy defence minister, Hanna Malyar, told the BBC those were just a "few cases" in contrast to the "hundreds of thousands" mobilised.
In 2021, the Ukrainian military released pictures of female soldiers practising for a parade in heels - sparking outrage
Women in the Ukrainian army do not have gender-appropriate uniforms. They are issued with ill-fitting male fatigues, including male underwear, and outsized shoes and bulletproof vests.
Even the deputy defence minister, Hanna Malyar, says her field uniform is designed for a man - which she has had to alter as she has "a small height". She adds the ceremonial uniform includes shoes with heels.
If women in the army want to wear female fatigues, they must currently either buy their own generic kit online, or rely on charities or crowdfunding.
This is why Andriana co-founded a charity called Veteranka [Ukrainian Women Veteran's Movement], which campaigns for equal rights for female military personnel, and for reforming Ukrainian army legislation to bring it in line with Nato legislation.
But Ms Malyar says the government has made progress. A uniform for women has been developed, tested and will enter mass production in the near future - although she could not specify when.
Sniper Evgenya Emerald says that despite such issues, "war doesn't have a gender".
"A war doesn't care whether you are a man or a woman. When a missile hits a house, it doesn't care if there are women, men, children - everyone dies.
"And it's the same on the front line - if you can be effective and you're a woman, why wouldn't you defend your country, your people?"
Iryna says a sniper's role in war has been romanticised
In the eastern Donbas region, sniper Iryna is involved in the counter-offensive right now. We secure a brief connection with her during a moment of peace on the battlefield.
She could be held up as an example of the reforms so many combat women have been working hard for - she is acting-up as a female commander of an all-male unit.
"A sniper's image is romanticised… and is beautiful due to the movies. In reality, it's hard work."
She describes how snipers lie still on the ground for up to six hours to fire a shot, followed by a rapid change in position.
"It's like playing with death," she adds.
The thousands of women serving have left behind careers, as well as their families.
Andriana left her job as the UN consultant on gender equality, under the Ukrainian Ministry of Veterans' Affairs, to join the Ukrainian military when Russia invaded last year.
"They took the best years of my life," the 35-year-old says. Thinking back to a time before the war, she adds: "I could travel and be happy, build a career and have a dream."
The mother of a primary school-aged boy, Andriana tearfully tells me she has not held her son for more than seven months. As she shows me pictures of him on her phone, a smile appears on her face, replacing her tears.
She is driven by the desire to secure him a peaceful future in his native country - not having to risk his life by fighting like his parents.
Andriana first joined the armed forces when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014
Unlike Evgeniya Emerald, who joined up after Russia's full invasion last year, Andriana has previous military experience.
In 2014 when Russia first attacked Ukraine, annexing Crimea and invading Donbas, she left her job as a brand manager and joined one of the first volunteer battalions - along with thousands of other Ukrainians. At the time, the military was smaller than it is now and was struggling.
Aidar battalion, where Andriana was serving, was accused by the Kremlin and Amnesty International of human rights violations - but the Ukrainian army told the BBC no substantive evidence to support such claims had been provided.
Amnesty also urged Ukrainian authorities to bring the volunteer battalions under effective lines of command and control, which they did.
Despite Andriana never being linked to any acts of misconduct, and her leaving Aidar eight years ago, Russian media continually accused her of "sadism", providing no evidence.
In Ukraine, she has been awarded medals for her service - one "for courage", another for being a "people's hero"
Andriana, who told the BBC she is no longer part of Aidar, said she felt obliged to re-join the army on the front line in 2022, as she already had much-needed combat experience.
Andriana working out in preparation to return to the front line
While Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said it could not provide the number of combat casualties - due to sensitivities of such information during wartime - the BBC has obtained data suggesting 93 Ukrainian servicewomen have been killed in action since the recent Russian invasion.
The data, from charity Arm Women Now, says more than 500 have been injured.
Andriana's phone book has turned into a list of the dead.
"I lost more than 100 friends. I don't even know how many phone numbers I need to delete."
But the price already paid was too high to give up, she said - as she turns to finish her rehabilitation training in the gym.
Sign up for our morning newsletter and get BBC News in your inbox. | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66254964 |
Manager at closed Nottingham care home 'knew lives were at risk' - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Inspectors say a manager admitted Ashleigh House was not safe and "people needed to leave". | Ashleigh House care home has been closed after it was put into special measures
A care home has been closed after inspectors discovered it was dirty and understaffed, with a manager admitting people's lives were at risk.
Two inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) arrived unannounced at Ashleigh House in Nottingham in May.
They found several problems at the home, which cared for 18 people with autism and learning disabilities, and placed it in special measures.
It has now been closed by the provider that ran it, W Scott.
The CQC inspectors found mattresses soaked with urine in bedrooms, unclean communal toilets with urine and faeces stains, as well as an unclean laundry area and kitchenette.
In its report, the CQC added there was no housekeeper, with the home unable to maintain cleaning on some days due to understaffing.
Fire officials visited the home on the day of the CQC's inspection. It was found the home had "insufficient fire detection equipment" and no clear plan to evacuate during a fire.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service then served an immediate prohibition notice, which restricted everyone in the three-storey building to the "ground and basement area only".
The CQC's report added the home was not managing medicines safely, and the only person trained to give emergency medication to a resident who suffered seizures lived 40 minutes away.
One resident had 124 tablets unaccounted for, while another had "a discrepancy" of 28 tablets.
Radiators were not covered properly, the CQC said, and wardrobes were not fixed to walls.
The care home in Devon Drive should also have had 3.5 to four staff, but inspectors found only two staff were allocated for day and night shifts.
And the registered manager, who would make sure the home was up to standard, was no longer working at the home.
The report said: "The culture of the home was negative, the manager told us the home was not safe and people needed to leave, meaning there was no drive for improvement or quality of the service.
"The provider failed to demonstrate any understanding regarding the severity of the concerns, only telling us, 'we are in a bad place', and stating the significant environmental factors and fire risks 'would all be sorted by tonight'.
"They gave us no assurances the provider was able to make the required improvement."
Rebecca Bauers, the CQC's director for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said: "We found signs of a closed culture where people felt they couldn't raise concerns due to management changes which resulted in no consistency or clear guidelines for staff to follow.
"It was clear the manager acknowledged the seriousness of our concerns, telling us that they knew people's lives were being put at risk by the provider, W Scott, and that they would prefer people to be moved out of the home to keep them safe.
"What we found at this inspection was completely unacceptable."
W Scott has been contacted for comment.
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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-66376938 |
Jacob Crouch: Footage shows arrest of baby boy's parents - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Police have shared footage of the arrest of Craig Crouch and Gemma Barton over their son's murder. | The stepfather of a 10-month-old baby who endured a "culture of cruelty" has been found guilty of his murder.
Jacob Crouch suffered at least 39 rib fractures, and died from a "vicious assault" at the hands of Craig Crouch, Derby Crown Court heard.
Jacob died "in his cot, alone" on 30 December 2020 at home near Swadlincote, Derbyshire, having suffered a "living hell".
His mother Gemma Barton has been cleared of murder. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-66388912 |
El Salvador: Entire region 'under siege' to hem in gangs - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Thousands of soldiers and police surround an area bigger than New York City in the latest gang crackdown. | Thousands of soldiers in El Salvador have surrounded a rural region larger than New York City to flush out gang members who are allegedly hiding there.
The military deployment in Cabañas was ordered by President Nayib Bukele as part of his ongoing war on gangs.
More than 70,000 suspected gang members have been arrested since a state of emergency was declared in March 2022.
Thousands of people with no discernible link to gang activity have also been swept up in the dragnet of arrests.
Lorries loaded with soldiers were seen on the streets of the regional towns of Tejutepeque and Ilobaso on Tuesday, AFP news agency reports.
"Since this morning, 7,000 soldiers and 1,000 police officers have established a security fence," Mr Bukele posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The president said that his government's security strategies had succeeded in dismantling the gangs in the country's large urban centres and forced them into hiding in rural areas.
This latest operation was aimed at "completely surrounding them" and "extracting them from their hideaways", he added.
The president stressed that the siege would not be lifted until "all the criminals" were apprehended. At the same time, he assured Salvadoreans that "honest people, visitors and tourists have nothing to fear" but did not clarify how the security forces would distinguish between the two groups.
Cabañas is an agricultural region which covers an area of just over 1,000 sq km (390 sq miles) and is home to more than 160,000 people.
It is not clear whether residents will be able to leave the area while the military siege is under way and how they would be able to "go about their normal activities" as the president said they would.
It is not the first time the security forces have sealed off a whole area. In December, troops surrounded the city of Soyapango as part of a gang crackdown.
Rights groups have been highly critical of the mass arrests carried out under the state of emergency, saying they have led to thousands of people being arbitrarily detained.
There are also concerns about a recent move by the country's lawmakers to allow mass trials. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66379555 |
Conwy care home overdosed man, 88, claim family - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Family of a man who developed a massive bedsore say he died a "horrible" death. | Kevin Collinson (left) said he would go on walks with his father John Collinson before the medication incident
An 88-year-old man with dementia was given 10 times his usual dosage of medication twice a day just weeks before he died, his family has claimed.
John Collinson's family said he was left "comatose" after being overdosed for a week at a care home in Kinmel Bay, Conwy, where he developed bedsores.
He died in hospital weeks later in August 2022.
Kinmel Lodge Dementia Home said it could not comment ahead of an inquest.
It added: "The management and staff of Kinmel Lodge have been deeply saddened to learn of the death of our former resident, Mr Collinson, who sadly died some six weeks after being moved from Kinmel Lodge care home to an alternative residence."
The date for the inquest, which will determine the cause of death, is yet to be fixed.
Mr Collinson's family said he had been dancing at the late Queen's jubilee celebrations at the care home just weeks before he was "bedridden" in July 2022.
Mr Collinson, a grandfather of 10 and great-grandfather of 12, had often walked with son Kevin along the seafront.
But upon a visit to the care home Kevin Collinson noticed his father was unresponsive and "incapacitated".
He said he told staff he believed the drugs were to blame but was repeatedly told this was not the case.
Kevin said a week later he received an email from someone at the care home who said his father had been overdosed "with an anti-psychotic drug".
Kevin's sister Rhian Collinson said: "In the time dad had been bedridden, he had developed the most awful bedsore. Dad's heel was the size of a boiled egg.
"Subsequently the bedsore was actually what finished my dad off. For the next eight weeks he couldn't walk, it was septic."
A bedsore develops when blood supply to the skin is cut off for more than two to three hours. If left untreated it can lead to blood poisoning.
Mr Collinson developed a bedsore on his heel the size of a "hard boiled egg"
Kevin said he had been "a raving fan of Kinmel Lodge, especially through the lockdown" but "then standards properly slipped" and they "started to lose a lot of staff".
On one visit the siblings got their father out of bed and into a chair, which they say was not a pressure-sensitive mattress as it should have been if a patient was bedbound.
He said he did not want to leave his father still in the chair and stayed until a member of staff came to put his father to bed. That did not happen until just before midnight, Kevin said.
Mr Collinson had been left for "eight to 10 hours" in the chair, his son said, and it took staff "four hours" to get him into bed.
Kevin said there were two members of staff at the time - one upstairs and one downstairs.
Mr Collinson's children Kevin, Rhian and Kathy say they have been excluded from council communications surrounding his death
Kevin offered to help but he said the staff member refused as Kevin was not hoist trained, and the other member of staff was busy.
Kevin said he did not blame the individual staff members because "when you're under intense pressure, we can make mistakes" and believes the responsibility was with the owners of the business.
The family moved Mr Collinson to Llys Elian in Colwyn Bay and Rhian said they were "grateful" for their help.
But his health deteriorated and he was moved to a hospital, where he died on 30 August, 2022.
The family have been in contact with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), Conwy council, North Wales Police and Denbighshire Coroner's Court.
"Fundamentally, so far every one of those parties has been a bit of a joke," said Kevin.
"There are so many cracks in this system. The bit that grinds is the fact that nobody seems to care about connecting the relevant bodies, and ensuring it doesn't happen again."
Kevin says his dad was "much loved" by their family
The family claim they were excluded from discussions about the case with Conwy council for almost seven months after Rick's death.
In a call to the family on 24 March this year, a council representative said none of the four key people involved in managing the case had seen a photo of Rick's bedsore.
They said the council was first notified about the overdose on 18 July 2022.
"In theory, under the Wales safeguarding procedures, they [Kinmel Lodge] have a duty of care to report immediately so we should have been told within the first 24 hours of them finding out," the representative said in the call.
But Kevin said this meant the council should have been notified on 7 July, as this was when he received an email from a staff member at the home saying there had been a "medication error" issued to his father.
John Collinson was under the care of Kinmel Lodge for two years
Kinmel Lodge said in a statement: "Any public comment or speculation could be deemed prejudicial to these proceedings [the inquest] and it would be wrong of us, or anyone else, to make any conjectures on this until such time as the inquest is concluded.
"We continue to be committed to providing the very best care to all our residents at Kinmel Lodge and would be happy to talk to any resident or family member who has any concerns about any public comments."
CIW said Kinmel Lodge was subject to its "enforcement process therefore it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at this time".
It added that local authorities were "responsible for safeguarding investigations where a person may have suffered harm" but it would "always take action where we find evidence that a provider has not complied with the regulations for providing a care home service".
Denbighshire Coroner's Court, North Wales Police and Conwy council all declined to comment. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66279594 |
Ukraine war: Drones target Odesa grain stores near Romania border - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | A grain silo was damaged and fires broke out in Ukraine's Danube port of Izmail. | Images of the overnight drone attack were released but officials did not specify which port was hit
A Russian drone strike has hit Ukrainian port facilities at Izmail on the River Danube, a short distance from Nato member state Romania.
A grain warehouse and an elevator for loading grain were damaged.
Almost 40,000 tonnes of grain destined to African countries, China and Israel were damaged, Ukraine said.
Russia began targeting Ukraine's ports after abandoning a UN deal that enabled the safe grain export between both countries across the Black Sea.
"These are the very ports that have become the foundation of global food security today," Ukrainian minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on his Twitter.
Video, filmed from the Romanian side of the Danube roughly 3km (1.9 miles) away, showed an extensive fire raging in the port area of Izmail early on Wednesday.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis condemned Russia's continued attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure "in the proximity of Romania" as unacceptable.
Odesa regional leader Oleh Kiper said emergency services were working on the site of the latest Russian attack and there were no reports of any casualties.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "unfortunately there has been damage" - and the regional chief posted several images on social media indicating that several structures had been hit.
Ukraine's defence ministry said an elevator had been damaged. Officials said the Izmail district prosecutor had launched an investigation into a cargo terminal, a warehouse and an elevator that were all damaged, without detailing exactly where in the Odesa region.
Ukraine is one of the world's major exporters of wheat and corn.
According to data from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, in 2021 Somalia relied on Ukraine and Russia for 90% of its wheat.
More than 50 million people across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan are in need of food aid because of successive years of failed rains.
According to the UN, under the grain deal Ukraine shipped 625,000 tonnes of food as humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
France's foreign ministry accused Russia of "deliberately putting global food security at risk" following the damage to grain exports at the Ukrainian port.
Last week, Russian drones also attacked grain warehouses in Reni, further up the River Danube and also next to Romanian territory.
President Iohannis said on Wednesday that the attacks so close to Romania were war crimes that further affected Ukraine's "capacity to transfer their food products towards those in need in the world".
Russia had earlier attacked the big Black Sea ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, where authorities said 60,000 tonnes of grain were destroyed.
Ukrainian officials posted images of the damage to buildings at the port in Izmail
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has been accused by the West of "weaponising" food. But in a phone-call with Turkey's president on Wednesday, he stressed that he would not return to the UN deal until Russia's own exports of grain and fertiliser were guaranteed.
Moscow is frustrated with its own struggles to export and wants sanctions relaxed.
When it pulled out of the grain deal on 17 July, Russia threatened to target any vessels heading towards Ukraine's Black Sea ports, where the bulk of Ukraine's shipments had been moving - essentially imposing a naval blockade.
Now that Ukraine is unable to use its main Black Sea ports to export, the Danube is seen as the next best option. Moscow hopes the sight of burning warehouses and silos might make it look less appealing.
Even with the river route, it is feared Ukraine's grain exports will drop by a further half. It is also logistically more expensive.
The not-so-subtle message Russia is trying to convey by continually hitting Ukrainian ports is: you need us to export grain.
At the heart of these negotiations are Ukraine's wounded economy, as well as the millions of people who could be at risk of starvation if Ukrainian grain does not make it to them.
Ships have continued to sail across the Black Sea to Ukraine's ports on the Danube. Grain can also reach the Danube by road or rail via Moldova as well as Ukraine.
Once it gets to the Danube, much of the grain is transported by river to the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta, from where it can be safely exported south.
Although Ukraine's seaports' register still listed Izmail as open on Wednesday, sources told Reuters news agency that operations there had been suspended.
Grain is also exported over land via Poland.
Ukraine has been looking into other possible routes with the help of European Union "solidarity lanes". This week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had agreed with Croatia on the possibility of using its ports on the Danube and Adriatic Sea.
Moving Ukrainian grain across EU countries has become a difficult domestic issue for several states because of its impact on local markets. Poland and Romania are among EU members that have temporarily banned the sale of Ukrainian wheat and maize on domestic markets, while allowing transit elsewhere.
Wheat prices spiked on world markets immediately after the Russian withdrawal from the grain deal.
There are now also concerns about global food security, especially for impoverished African and Asian nations.
Overnight, Russia also launched more than 10 drones against Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, local officials say.
All the projectiles were destroyed by anti-aircraft systems, but several non-residential buildings were damaged by falling debris, the officials say.
Russia has so far not publicly commented on the reported attacks. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66379561 |
South Africa 3-2 Italy: Thembi Kgatlana reveals family sorrow as Banyana Banyana march on - BBC Sport | 2023-08-02 | Thembi Kgatlana scores a stoppage-time winner as South Africa beat Italy to book their place in the last 16 of the Women's World Cup. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
South Africa are into the last 16 after claiming their first Women's World Cup win with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Italy in Wellington.
Thembi Kgatlana's stoppage-time winner came after Italy fought back to level with an Arianna Caruso header.
The late drama completed an emotional fortnight for the South African goalscorer.
"Over the last two weeks, I've lost three family members. I could have gone home but I chose to stay with my girls," Kgatlana said.
"Because that's how much it means."
The Racing Louisville forward, who suffered an Achilles injury in 2022 that kept her sidelined for 10 months, added: "I came back from a very, brutal injury to be here, to play for the country, to represent every single girl that wanted to be here, to make history with the girls for South Africa."
South Africa will play Group E winners the Netherlands on Sunday.
• None What do you know about past 24 hours at World Cup?
• None World Football podcast at the World Cup: Jamaica and South Africa make history
After earning a first World Cup point in their 2-2 draw with Argentina, the Banyana Banyana have shown significant progress from their debut appearance at the tournament in 2019, when they lost all three group matches.
There were scenes of jubilation for the South Africa players when the final whistle confirmed they had made history for their nation.
"They fought like warriors," manager Desiree Ellis said.
"They fought like the heroines that we know that they are. They fought to be historically remembered and they've made history not just getting our first win, but going to the round of 16 and that is freaking amazing.
"This victory is for everyone back home, people that got up in the early hours of the morning to support us - that is for them."
Knowing a win would guarantee their place in the knockout rounds, Italy got off to the perfect start when they were awarded a penalty as Karabo Dhlamini caught the heels of teenager Chiara Beccari and Caruso calmly converted to put her side in command of their World Cup future.
However, South Africa were gifted a leveller as Benedetta Orsi, playing her first World Cup match, was left red-faced when she hit a no-look back pass to a surprised Francesca Durante and it rolled into her own net.
Ellis' side burst into the lead when Kgatlana slipped a clever ball through the Italy defence to put Hildah Magaia through on goal and she lifted it over Durante.
VAR seemed like it may have come to South Africa's rescue when Caruso equalised from a corner, but after a lengthy delay the goal was given.
A draw would have been enough to take Italy into the knockout rounds, but their hearts were broken when Magaia stepped through the defence and squared to Kgatlana, who made no mistake in finding the back of the net.
• None Attempt blocked. Benedetta Glionna (Italy) with an attempt from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Valentina Giacinti with a headed pass.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Substitution, South Africa. Sibulele Holweni replaces Karabo Dhlamini because of an injury.
• None Delay in match because of an injury Karabo Dhlamini (South Africa).
• None Attempt saved. Elena Linari (Italy) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lisa Boattin.
• None Substitution, South Africa. Wendy Shongwe replaces Hildah Magaia because of an injury.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue.
• None Delay in match because of an injury Hildah Magaia (South Africa).
• None Attempt missed. Valentina Giacinti (Italy) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Cristiana Girelli.
• None Goal! South Africa 3, Italy 2. Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Hildah Magaia. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66380363 |
Rhodes fires: Free holiday for evacuated tourists, Greek PM says - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | The Greek PM encouraged tourists to return to the island as an "act of generosity" after wildfires. | Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated that Greece is "absolutely safe" for tourists
The Greek prime minister has pledged to give tourists who had to escape the recent wildfires on the island of Rhodes a free one-week holiday there.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said people could take up the offer in the spring or autumn of 2024.
But he did not give details of how the free week could be claimed, or how the scheme would work.
More than 20,000 people were evacuated when wildfires broke out in July.
Thousands of UK holidaymakers were flown home to the UK.
Mr Mitsotakis said: "Not a single human life was lost in Rhodes, and no injuries were reported... We understand that guests have been inconvenienced, but I am happy to tell you that Rhodes is more welcoming than ever. The island is back to normal."
He also referenced the hospitality and "support" offered by Rhodes residents to stranded holidaymakers, and encouraged people to consider the island as a last-minute holiday destination to give something back to the island.
He pointed out that Greece was prepared for incidents such as wildfires and repeatedly stated that Greece was "absolutely safe".
Mr Mitsotakis acknowledged that, while wildfires have always affected the Mediterranean, their intensity had increased "as a consequence of climate change".
In July, Rhodes battled wildfires fanned by strong winds amid a prolonged and intense heatwave. Many British tourists had to cut short their holidays and return home on repatriation flights.
In one instance, an EasyJet pilot flying British tourists to Rhodes even urged passengers to get off the plane before take-off as he said it was a "bad idea".
Instead of formally advising holidaymakers not to travel to the affected Greek islands, the UK Foreign Office said people should check with their hotel and travel operator before travelling, and explained how to sign up for emergency alerts.
Some Greeks took to social media to share their frustration at Mr Mitsotakis' initiative. "Greeks may not get to go on vacation, but they will pay for foreigners' vacations," said one user of X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Not a single day of paid hotel for the locals, Greeks and immigrants, who lost their homes all over Greece and slept in the ruins," said another.
A third said that "the wretchedness of compensating tourists while not funding the protection of dwindling flora and fauna goes beyond all limits".
There is growing frustration at the Greek government's perceived inaction in the wake of last week's devastating wildfires.
On Tuesday night, hundreds of Rhodes residents gathered in front of the island's town hall to demand compensation for livestock breeders and farmers, safeguarding for workers, businesses and homeowners who lost their jobs and properties, and the immediate reforestation of the areas that burned down.
A spokesman for opposition party Syriza criticised the PM's offer to pay for evacuated tourists to come back to Rhodes, saying that "Mr Mitsotakis thinks that he will heal the blow suffered by the image of Greek tourism by promising a week's free holiday".
"A serious plan is needed for prevention and treatment. A plan that the government demonstrably does not have," he said.
A recent European Commission report on the impact of climate change on European tourism states that global warming will translate into decreased demand for southern Europe.
Tourism generally accounts for more than 20% of Greece's GDP, while Rhodes is one of the world's top 100 tourist destinations. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66374033 |
Canada PM Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie separate - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie split after 18 years, following "meaningful and difficult conversations". | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Watch: Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie together - in Cuba, Mexico and with Joe Biden
Canada's PM Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie are separating after 18 years, following "meaningful and difficult conversations".
The couple said they would remain "a close family with deep love and respect" in an Instagram post.
They were married in Montreal in 2005 and have three children together.
In a statement, Mr Trudeau's office said that while the couple had signed separation agreement they will still make public appearances.
"They have worked to ensure that all legal and ethical steps with regards to their decision to separate have been taken, and will continue to do so moving forward," the statement said, adding they would be on holiday as a family next week.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau will no longer take part in official duties, nor will the government help in arranging her own appearances, Canadian media reports.
The couple have asked for privacy for the "well-being" of their children, Xavier, 15, Ella-Grace 14, and Hadrien, nine.
"We remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build," Mr Trudeau, 51, and Ms Grégoire Trudeau, 48, said.
They have been seen together publicly less frequently in recent years, though they attended the coronation of King Charles III together in May and hosted US President Joe Biden in Canada in March.
When Mr Trudeau first became prime minister in 2015, the couple appeared in a high-profile Vogue spread where she told the magazine that at the end of dinner after their first date he said, "I'm 31 years old, and I've been waiting for you for 31 years".
Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire got married in Montreal in 2005
The couple have asked for privacy for the "wellbeing" of their three children, seen here in 2016
In a wedding anniversary post on Instagram in May 2022, Ms Grégoire Trudeau wrote about the challenges of long-term relationships, saying "we have navigated through sunny days, heavy storms, and everything in between".
Mr Trudeau has also spoken about the challenges in their marriage, writing in his 2014 autobiography: "Our marriage isn't perfect, and we have had difficult ups and downs, yet Sophie remains my best friend, my partner, my love. We are honest with each other, even when it hurts."
The two began dating in 2003, when Ms Grégoire Trudeau was working as a TV personality. She is also known for her charity work around mental health and eating disorders.
Coincidentally, Ms Grégoire Trudeau had been at school with Mr Trudeau's younger brother, Michel.
Mr Trudeau is the second Canadian prime minister to announce separation while in office. The first was his father, the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau, and mother Margaret Trudeau, who announced their split in 1977 after six years together. They later divorced. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-66389069 |
Nicholas Rossi: US fugitive who faked his death can be extradited - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | A sheriff says Nicholas Rossi is "as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative". | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The story of Nicholas Rossi, the US fugitive who ‘faked his own death’ (Video by Morgan Spence, Graham Fraser and David MacNicol)
An American fugitive who faked his own death can be extradited from Scotland to his homeland, a sheriff has ruled.
Nicholas Rossi, who claims to be Arthur Knight and a victim of mistaken identity, is wanted in Utah to face rape charges.
Sheriff Norman McFadyen said Rossi was "as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative".
The final decision on his extradition now rests with Scottish ministers.
Rossi, 35, was being treated for Covid-19 when he was arrested at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on 13 December 2021.
BBC Scotland News later established he was a registered sex offender in the US and spoke to his ex-wife Kathryn Heckendorn, who said she was physically and psychologically abused during their seven-month marriage.
On Wednesday he appeared before Edinburgh Sheriff Court via videolink to learn the outcome of the extradition case.
Earlier in the morning the fugitive sat slumped in his wheelchair before the camera in Edinburgh's Saughton Prison with his face hidden.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Sheriff Norman McFadyen said Nicholas Rossi was "as dishonest and deceitful as he is evasive and manipulative".
But as Mungo Bovey KC was asking for his client to be excused, Rossi raised his head and shouted at the sheriff, calling him a "disgrace to justice".
At that point the clerk cut the video connection.
When the court reconvened Sheriff McFadyen said Rossi's character had "undoubtedly complicated and extended what is ultimately a straightforward case".
He also highlighted unreliable testimony from the fugitive, ranging from the length of time he had been in a wheelchair to his claim that he couldn't lift his hands above his head.
Rossi, pictured during a previous hearing, claims to be Arthur Knight and a victim of mistaken identity
The sheriff concluded that there was no legal barrier to extradition.
He added: "It follows that I must send the case of the requested person Nicholas Rossi to the Scottish ministers for their decision whether he is to be extradited."
Last November Sheriff McFadyen ruled that he was Nicholas Rossi and not Arthur Knight, as he had repeatedly claimed, with the bizarre story making headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.
Authorities in the US have said Rossi was known by several aliases, including Nicholas Alahverdian.
He was involved in local politics in the state of Rhode Island and was a critic of the state's child welfare system.
Rossi was supported in court by his wife Miranda Knight
In December 2019 he told media in his home state that he had late-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had weeks to live.
Several news outlets in Rhode Island reported that he had died in February 2020.
A memorial posted online described him as a "warrior that fought on the front lines for two decades" for children's rights and said his ashes had been scattered at sea.
But less than two years later Rossi, who was the subject of an Interpol wanted notice, turned up on a hospital ward in Glasgow during the pandemic.
In March last year, as he awaited his extradition hearing, the fugitive was interviewed by BBC Scotland reporter Steven Godden in Glasgow.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The man who claims to be Arthur Knight denies he is Nicholas Rossi
Rossi, who was in a wheelchair and wearing an oxygen mask, maintained he was not Nicholas Rossi - and claimed to have never even been to America.
But in 2008 he was found guilty of sexual imposition and public indecency while a student at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.
Rossi also introduced his wife, Miranda Knight, during the interview and claimed the couple got married in Bristol in 2020.
He brought a pile of documents to BBC Scotland's Pacific Quay headquarters but said he had no birth certificate as he was adopted in Ireland before moving to London in his teens.
But last November a court in Edinburgh ruled that he was Rossi after hearing that his fingerprints and distinctive tattoos matched those of the fugitive.
He appeared in court in a wheelchair every day during the three-day identification hearing, and his accent changed several times while he was giving evidence.
Staff at a Glasgow hospital recognised Rossi by the distinctive tattoos on his arms
Despite the ruling Rossi maintained he was the victim of mistaken identity - and said he had been tattooed while he was lying unconscious in hospital in an attempt to frame him.
He returned to the city's Sheriff Court in June of this year for his extradition hearing.
Mr Bovey urged the court to refuse extradition of his client or adjourn proceedings to allow fuller investigation of Rossi's mental health.
But three medical witnesses said Rossi showed no signs of acute mental illness and a GP at Saughton also cast doubt on the state of his health in general.
Dr Barbara Mundweil told the court there was "no reason" for Rossi to be using an electric wheelchair and that his legs were "strong and athletic".
She also said she saw a video appearing to be of Rossi kicking open a door and kicking a prison officer in the face, despite using a manual wheelchair in prison.
Sheriff McFadyen had been due to deliver his ruling last month but the hearing was delayed after Rossi tested positive for Covid.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, it emerged last year that Rossi was wanted by Essex Police for questioning over a rape allegation in the UK.
Watch Now on BBC iPlayer: Unmasking A Fugitive - The story of Nicholas Rossi, the US fugitive who came to the UK with a new identity | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66374767 |
China 1-6 England: Lauren James' stunning display powers England into last 16 - BBC Sport | 2023-08-02 | Lauren James produces a sensational performance as England sweep aside China to book their place in the last 16 of the Women's World Cup. | Last updated on .From the section Women's World Cup
Lauren James produced a sensational individual performance as England entertained to sweep aside China and book their place in the last 16 of the Women's World Cup as group winners.
It was a display worthy of their status as European champions and James once again lit the stage alight in Adelaide with two sensational goals and three assists.
The 13,497 in attendance were treated to a masterclass from Chelsea's James, who announced her arrival at the World Cup with the match-winner against Denmark on Friday.
She helped England get off to the perfect start when she teed up Alessia Russo for the opener, and later slipped the ball through to Lauren Hemp to coolly place it into the bottom corner.
It was largely one-way traffic as England dominated and overwhelmed, James striking it first time into the corner from the edge of the box to make it 3-0 before another stunning finish was ruled out by video assistant referee (VAR) for offside in the build-up.
China knew they were heading out of the tournament unless they responded, so they came out with more aggression in the second half, unnerving England slightly when Shuang Wang scored from the penalty spot after VAR picked up a handball by defender Lucy Bronze.
But James was not done yet - she volleyed Jess Carter's deep cross past helpless goalkeeper Yu Zhu for England's fourth before substitute Chloe Kelly and striker Rachel Daly joined the party.
England, who had quietly gone about their business in the group stages, will have raised eyebrows with this performance before their last-16 match against Nigeria on Monday, which will be shown live on BBC One at 08:30 BST.
China are out of the competition after Denmark beat Haiti to finish in second place in Group D.
• None What do you know about past 24 hours at World Cup?
Manager Sarina Wiegman kept everyone guessing when she named her starting XI, with England fans anxiously waiting to see how they would set up without injured midfielder Keira Walsh.
Wiegman's response was to unleash England's attacking talent on a China side who struggled to match them in physicality, intensity and sharpness.
James oozed magic and unpredictability, Hemp used her pace to test China's defence and captain Millie Bright was ferocious in her tackling, winning the ball back on countless occasions.
After nudging past Haiti and Denmark with fairly underwhelming 1-0 wins, England were keen to impose themselves from the start. Although China had chances in the second half, they were always second best.
Goalkeeper Mary Earps will be disappointed not to keep a clean sheet, but she made two smart saves to deny Chen Qiaozhu.
While England are yet to meet a side ranked inside the world's top 10 at the tournament, this will help quieten doubts that they might struggle without the instrumental Walsh.
"We're really growing into the tournament now," said captain Bright. "We got a lot of criticism in the first two games but we were not concerned at all.
"It's unbelievable to be in the same team as [the youngsters]. It feels ridiculous and I'm quite proud. Players feeling like they can express themselves on the pitch is what we want."
• None How to watch England v Nigeria on the BBC
• None Harder stars as Denmark beat Haiti to reach last 16
The name on everyone's lips following England's win over Denmark was 'Lauren James', and those leaving Adelaide on Tuesday evening will struggle to forget her performance against China any time soon.
She punished China for the space they allowed her on the edge of the box in the first half and could have had a hat-trick were it not for the intervention of VAR.
Greeted on the touchline by a grinning Wiegman, James was substituted with time to spare in the second half and went off to a standing ovation from large sections of the stadium.
"She's special - a very special player for us and for women's football in general," said Kelly. "She's a special talent and the future is bright."
She became only the third player on record (since 2011) to be directly involved in five goals in a Women's World Cup game.
With competition for attacking places in England's starting XI extremely high, James has proven she is far too good to leave out of the side and is quickly becoming a star at this tournament at the age of 21.
• None Attempt missed. Laura Coombs (England) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Chloe Kelly.
• None Attempt missed. Shen Mengyu (China PR) right footed shot from the left side of the box is too high. Assisted by Yao Wei.
• None Attempt missed. Laura Coombs (England) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Alex Greenwood.
• None Attempt saved. Chen Qiaozhu (China PR) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
• None Goal! China PR 1, England 6. Rachel Daly (England) right footed shot from the left side of the six yard box to the top left corner. Assisted by Laura Coombs.
• None Attempt missed. Laura Coombs (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Bethany England.
• None Delay over. They are ready to continue. Navigate to the next page Navigate to the last page | http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66369572 |
Matt Hancock: Anti-vax protester guilty of harassing former health secretary - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Geza Tarjanyi shoulder-barged and shouted conspiracy theories at the former health secretary. | This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
An anti-vaccine protester who accused former Health Secretary Matt Hancock of murdering people during the pandemic has been found guilty of harassment.
Geza Tarjanyi, 62, of Leyland in Lancashire, shoulder-barged and "shouted ridiculous conspiracy theories" at the MP, a court heard.
The judge said Tarjanyi "deliberately intimidated and harassed" the MP.
Tarjanyi was ordered not to approach or contact Mr Hancock for three years.
The former DJ and children's entertainer was also given an eight-week prison sentence suspended for two years, and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £930 plus a surcharge of £128.
Mr Hancock said he was "relieved at the verdict".
In a victim impact statement read to the court, he said: "I felt directly targeted.
"I feel less comfortable using public transport now.
"My security is under review."
The incidents took place near Parliament in London on 19 January and on a tube train on 24 January.
Mr Hancock previously told Westminster Magistrates' Court he felt "intimidated" when Tarjanyi followed him through Westminster Underground station and on to a tube train.
He said he feared being pushed down an escalator and tried to get Transport for London staff to intervene but Tarjanyi began harassing "anybody who was going to come to my aid".
He told the court Tarjanyi then got onto a tube train with him and accused him of murdering "millions of people".
Tarjanyi's mobile phone footage of the second incident, played to the court, showed him calling Mr Hancock a "murderous scumbag" and saying lockdown amounted to the harassment of the country due to his "lies and deceit".
Mr Hancock said he feared Tarjanyi was willing to commit a crime, alleging the defendant had told him he "wanted to go to court".
Geza Tarjanyi was found to have harassed Matt Hancock on two occasions
During the other incident, Mr Hancock, along with a member of his staff, passed an anti-vaccine protest near Parliament, when Tarjanyi filmed him, asked why he had "killed so many people" and shoulder-barged him during a five-minute interaction.
Tarjanyi denied the charge of harassment without violence and described the claims as "laughable".
He repeatedly denied following Mr Hancock and told the court he was "interviewing him".
Senior district judge Paul Goldspring said Tarjanyi "wanted a day in court to question Mr Hancock".
Responding to the verdict, Mr Hancock said: "We in the UK pride ourselves as a global symbol of democracy, built around respectful debate to build a more inclusive and harmonious society. Violence against anyone for their political beliefs is unacceptable."I would like to thank the CPS, Transport for London and the British Transport Police who have been fantastic throughout."
The MP for West Suffolk currently sits as an independent and announced last year he would not seek re-election.
He was suspended as a Conservative MP last year after signing up for the ITV reality show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, which saw him trade Westminster for the Australian jungle.
The 44-year-old became a household name in spring 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, when he was a key figure overseeing lockdown restrictions and the subsequent vaccine rollout.
He was forced to resign from his job the following year, after images emerged showing him kissing one of his advisers, who later became his partner. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-66384100 |
East Belfast: Pipe bomb explodes in residential area - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Residents were evacuated following an explosion in an alley off Hyndford Street | Motorists have been asked to avoid the Hyndford Street and Ballyquinn Road areas
A pipe bomb exploded in a residential area of east Belfast on Tuesday night, police have confirmed.
Residents were evacuated from their homes in the area of Hyndford Street off the Beersbridge Road.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have said that officers discovered what they described as a "crude pipe bomb-type device" next to a household bin.
Minor damage was caused to the bin and there were no reports of injuries.
The PSNI said they were contacted after a loud bang was heard at around 20:20 BST.
Inspector Greg Dawson described the incident as "a reckless act carried out in a residential area with no consideration given as to who this device could have injured or killed".
Meanwhile, in Dungiven, County Londonderry, a security alert on Ballyquinn Road has now ended.
The alert at a business park in the area was first reported on Tuesday night.
Sinn Féin Councillor Dermott Nicholl told BBC News NI that the search has concluded and nothing untoward was found. | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66377392 |
The fury in Pakistan sparked by a misogynist minister - BBC News | 2023-08-02 | Khawaja Asif's remarks reflect ingrained attitudes in Pakistan society, but women are pushing back. | Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sparked an outcry with his misogynist comments
When Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stood up in parliament last week and labelled female opposition leaders in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party as "trash and leftovers" of its chairman Imran Khan, he probably wasn't expecting the strength of the backlash that was to follow.
After all, Pakistani writers, cricketers, celebrities and judges have all made similarly sexist remarks. As Sharmila Faruqi, a member of the provincial assembly, told local media: "Men have a licence to get away with sexism."
It was also not the first time Mr Asif had expressed such sentiments in parliament. In an earlier joint session, the 73-year-old called former federal minister Sheerin Mazari, a "tractor trolley" - a crude reference to her weight.
It was far from the first time that such language had been used in the legislature. Mr Asif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and the PTI have frequently made sexist and misogynist remarks about female parliamentarians in opposing parties.
This time, however, the outcry against Mr Asif was loud and across the board.
Parliamentarians from the PTI and other parties rounded on him on social media, while many media outlets also lambasted him for his comments. Dawn, the largest English-language newspaper in the country, put out a scathing editorial declaring "Khawaja Asif, our indefensible defence minister, needs schooling on gender equality".
Mr Asif eventually took to Twitter to claim that his comments were "taken out of context" and that "calling someone 'trash' and 'leftover' is not gender-specific". But he did not apologise.
Nevertheless, sociologist Nida Kirmani believes this was a sign of change.
"Some years ago, there would not have been such an outcry, and he would not be required to give any kind of response or explanation," she says. "The recent response to Khawaja Asif's sexist comments are the culmination of a long and sustained struggle by women's rights activists."
She says social media has been an obvious gamechanger, offering women the space to speak up.
And that is also visible in conversations far removed from the national spotlight. Recently, a clip from the popular ongoing drama Baby Baji, which showed a husband slapping his wife, went viral, with some men praising the scene for "finally putting the woman in her place".
But women were quick to push back.
Amina Rehman was among them, commenting: "I saw a lot of abusive husbands in my circle celebrate it along with their abused wives. The misconstrued idea of a woman being the root of all evil is perpetuated so much that when the slap finally happens, people rejoice."
Demonstrators gather for the annual Women's Day march in Karachi earlier this year
Many Pakistani women believe popular entertainment has had a role to play in this, often turning to regressive portrayals of women. Video blogger Sabahat Zakariya laments that dramas on TV or streaming platforms have embraced sexism more over time - she recalls TV shows in the 1980s that were far more progressive, showing women who had both careers and families.
Some shows have tried to break that mould - such as Churails, a fictional, subversive tale of women detectives. But it proved too bold for Pakistan's censors, who banned it after a backlash.
"Pakistani society has not accepted a woman as an individual, a human or to give her the right to live the way she deserves," says actor and activist Adeel Afzal.
"And every crude thing that we hear or read or watch is built around that thinking. As a result, when a woman complains about being mistreated or abused or harassed, we fight and go against her and the culprit runs away."
But sometimes the outcry is strong enough to force a conversation.
Back in April, Nabil Gobol of the Pakistan People's Party sparked a controversy with his comments in a podcast. Referring to political compromises, he said "There is a saying in English, that when rape is inevitable you may as well enjoy it."
Many took to Twitter and Facebook to voice their unhappiness, tagging Mr Gobol's party leader and demanding that action be taken. The party eventually asked him to apologise. And he did.
"With sustained critique, politicians and people would stop themselves before saying anything offensive against women," Ms Kirmani says. "Hopefully this day will come eventually." | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66368714 |