The Danish study looked at more than 21,000 couples seeking IVF treatment. They found women who were unsuccessful in having a child were four times more likely to die prematurely than women who had been mothers. Critics stress that the risk of early death was low - with just 316 people in total dying over the 11 year study. The authors of the paper also point out that their research suggests a link between childlessness and premature death and not a cause. They wrote: "Mindful that association is not the same thing as causation, our results suggest that the mortality rates are higher in the childless." The researchers based their findings on data obtained from various population registers in Denmark on births, deaths and IVF procedures from 1994 to 2005. During this time 21,276 childless couples registered for IVF treatment, 15,149 children were born and a total of 96 women and 220 men died. Four times more likely After analysis, the results suggested having a child cut the risk of early death, particularly among women. Childless women were four times more likely to die early from circulatory disease, cancers, and accidents than those with children- and men were about twice as likely. Critics stress it is hard to determine the underlying cause of the results seen. Ingrid Collins, a consultant psychologist, said: "This is a very specific situation of people who are trying to have children - the study's findings cannot be used to generalise across the whole general population. "People having IVF tend to be desperate for a child, if they are unsuccessful they may be depressed- it may even be this rather than childlessness that is playing a part. One can only guess. "It is complicated and many factors play a part in death rates- people with deep spiritual belief, being married, having a higher social class - these can all help in living longer." Others point out that a family can psychologically help and support those that are dying. Dr Helen Nightingale, a clinical psychologist, said: "Being childless without a doubt reduces your fight for life. "If you draw on cancer as an example - the support of a family, the focus on your children - your grandchildren and the desire to watch how they will turn out drives your psychological resistance to survive. "You fight for them, people hang on - it shows the power of relationships."

Summary: Involuntary childlessness may increase the likelihood of early death, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reports.


The operation was aimed at preventing attacks being planned by Pakistan-based militants, a senior army official said. He said "significant casualties have been caused to the terrorists and those who are trying to support them". Pakistan denies India carried out any strikes and says two of its soldiers were killed in cross-border shelling. "The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists' bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by India to create false effects," the Pakistani military said in a statement. Pakistan said its soldiers died in "unprovoked" firing along the Line of Control (LoC)dividing the disputed region. A territorial dispute between the two countries over Muslim-majority Kashmir has been running for decades, but tensions flared earlier this month after a militant attack on an Indian army base in Kashmir left 18 soldiers dead. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied the claim. The operation is thought to have taken place in the early hours of Thursday. Later, Pakistan captured an Indian soldier in a village in the Goi sector on the Pakistani side of the LoC. "One soldier from 37 Rashtriya Rifles with weapons has inadvertently crossed over to the Pakistan side of the Line of Control," said a statement from an Indian army official in Delhi. India's military gave few details of the operation it says it carried out overnight. At a joint press briefing by the army and the foreign ministry, officials said the "motive of the operation was to hit out at terrorists who were planning to infiltrate into our territory". India's Director General of Military Operations, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, also blamed Pakistan for "being unable to control terror activities in territories under its control". "Based on receiving specific and credible inputs that some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launch pads along the Line of Control to carry out infiltration and conduct terrorist strikes inside Jammu and Kashmir and in various metros in other states, the Indian army conducted surgical strikes at several of these launch pads to pre-empt infiltration by terrorists," a statement said. It said the "surgical strikes" had caused "significant damage to terrorists". But the army did not say whether troops had entered Pakistan-administered Kashmir or had fired across the border. If Indian troops did cross the LoC it would be a serious escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. However, the Press Trust of India quoted sources saying the operation took place between midnight and 04:30 local time on Thursday, that it was a combination of helicopter and ground forces, and seven militant "launch pads" had been targeted. Some unconfirmed Indian media reports said more than 30 militants had been killed in the operation. Pakistani army officials said the fighting started in the early hours of Thursday morning and continued for about six hours. Indian army's anger over Kashmir killings Narendra Modi's BJP government swept to power promising a tough line on Pakistan, so it has been been under tremendous pressure to retaliate after the 18 September attack on the army base in Uri in Indian-administered Kashmir. The raid was the

Summary: India's army says it has carried out "surgical strikes" against suspected militants along the de-facto border with Pakistan in Kashmir.


In a procedure described as a milestone in neonatal care, a six-day-old baby girl's kidneys and liver cells were given to two separate recipients after her heart stopped beating. Experts argue there is potential for more life-saving donations, but say current UK guidelines are prohibitive. An official review is expected by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health this year. Writing in the journal Archives of Diseases in Childhood, doctors describe the case of the baby girl who was born in extremely poor health. Tests suggest she had been starved of oxygen before birth and despite resuscitation had profound brain damage. Doctors at Imperial College NHS Trust in London say in an act of "extraordinary generosity" her parents agreed that her organs could be donated once her heart stopped beating. Her kidneys were given to a patient with renal failure. And in a separate operation her liver cells were transfused to someone with a failing liver. Medics said the surgery was incredibly difficult and intricate. The kidneys at this stage of life are around 5cm long. Doctors hope the donated organs will completely transform the lives of the recipients. They have not disclosed any further information about the patients who were given her organs. But they say the neonatal organs could be donated to young babies, children or even adults. Prof James Neuberger of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "We are pleased the first transplant of organs from a newborn in the UK was a success and we praise the brave decision of the family to donate their baby's organs. "The sad reality is for everybody to get the lifesaving transplant they are desperately in need of, more families who are facing the tragic loss of their young child will need to agree to donation." Dr Gaurav Atreja, who was involved in the transplant, told the BBC: "This turned out to be a positive thing for the family. "They could see something positive out of a negative experience. "We hope that neonatal units across the UK will actively start thinking about this noble cause." Official waiting lists suggest some 15 infants under the age of two currently need organs across the UK. But experts say the number may be higher - many do not make it on to the list because of the scarcity of options. A handful of donations have taken place involving infants who were nearly a year old. But NHS Blood and Transplant says for young babies requiring transplants, the size of the donor organ is often critical to success, meaning organs from older donors will not always work. Despite newborn organ donations being performed in the US, Germany and Australia, doctors say guidance about the diagnosis of newborn death in the UK may hamper life-saving operations. Unlike some other countries, clinicians in the UK are not allowed to declare brain death in a baby under two months of age. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is to review this and report back in March. NHS Blood and Transplant says it welcomes any clarification that will

Summary: Doctors have performed the first organ transplants from a newborn in the UK.


Darren Sykes, 44, set fire to his home in Penistone, South Yorkshire after luring Jack, 12, and brother Paul, nine, there with new a train set. Sheffield Coroner's Court heard Jack, who later died, told doctors and police his father had set the house on fire. Both boys were unlawfully killed, coroner Christopher Dorries ruled. Mr Sykes, who had been divorced for two weeks at the time of the fire, was caught on CCTV buying petrol in portable containers from a filling station near his home in Tennyson Close on the day of the blaze. He died in the fire on October 22 along with Paul. Monday's inquest into his death recorded a verdict of suicide. Before his death, Jack was heard to say "he did it" to doctors and police, the inquest heard. Claire Sykes, the boys' mum, told the court she still carries guilt for what happened. She wished she had been home earlier from work, she said, and been able to stop Jack and Paul from going to see their father. "I wasn't there when they really needed me as a mum," she added outside court. "The only thing I could do was hold them in my arms when they died." Andre Spencer, Mr Sykes' former boss, said he was one of a number of people to get a text from his employee just moments before the fire started. "To be honest, I thought he was being a bit dramatic and that he would be at work the following day," he said. "It was only when I got a phone call from another person who received the same message that we decided to contact the police. "He was very depressed. He thought that he was going to lose access to his children." Barnsley Council said it had begun a serious case review into the deaths.

Summary: A father who killed himself and his sons in a deliberate house fire was identified by one of the boys as the culprit behind the blaze.


Ciaran Murtagh's goal helped Roscommon lead by three at half-time but Donegal moved three up before a Conor Devaney goal levelled matters on 64 minutes. Mark Anthony McGinley saved a glorious Ronan Stack goal chance before McHugh's dramatic injury-time winner. Both Monaghan and Cavan missed a host of chances in their Division One game. A number of Cavan's misses were particularly glaring with Seanie Johnston having a poor free-taking day but Monaghan will feel that they should have snatched victory late on as the normally reliable Conor McManus and Owen Duffy both missed great chances to seal victory. With both sides having lost several experienced squad members in recent months, the Dr Hyde Park encounter was billed as a relegation battle and it was Donegal who came out on the right side of the result after a frantic finish. Managers Rory Gallagher and Kevin McStay got involved in spot of jostling and verbal exchanges in the closing seconds after McHugh had kicked Donegal ahead, with the Roscommon boss unhappy at the duration of a substitution by the visitors. Moments earlier, Stack had squandered a glorious chance to seemingly secure Roscommon's victory as he opted to goal for goal from point-blank range which allowed Donegal keeper McGinley to make a brilliant save. Donegal led by two early on but Roscommon took a three-point lead after McGinley's misdirected short kick-out was punished by Murtagh bundling the ball over the line. The visitors had a great chance to respond with a three-pointer of their own but Michael Carroll's low shot skimmed over the crossbar. Trailing 1-6 to 0-6 at the break, Frank McGlynn's half-time introduction spurred a Donegal comeback as three points from the impressive Marty O'Reilly and further scores by the impressive Caolan Ward, Jamie Brennan, sub Darach O'Connor and Eoin McHugh helped the visitors move three ahead. Roscommon levelled with six minutes of normal time left as Devaney lashed an unstoppable shot past McGinley. Stack seemed certain to win it but took the wrong option in going for goal and relieved by the let-off, Donegal clinched victory as McHugh pointed in the final minute of injury-time. Scores were at a premium at Castleblayney but Cavan probably should have edged the verdict after missing some great chances. Johnston's early missed free set the tone for his day although he did help the Breffnimen move into a 0-2 to 0-0 lead. Monaghan didn't open their account until McManus' 21st-minute free and he quickly added two more scores to nudge Monaghan ahead. Cavan's Niall Clerkin then created a goal chance for himself after a superb run but attempted to find a colleague instead of shooting himself and the chance was intercepted. Killian Brady did level before the break but with Cavan continuing to misfire in front of goal, Monaghan led by two on three occasions in the third quarter. However, the Farneymen failed to score in the closing 18 minutes, with Cavan also unable to split the posts in the final 15 minutes of play after points from Shane Tierney and Gearoid McKiernan. Cavan did have

Summary: Eoin McHugh's late point helped Donegal snatch a 0-16 to 2-9 Division One win in Roscommon as Monaghan drew 0-7 to 0-7 with Cavan at Castleblayney


According to his family, the 85-year-old died on Monday following a stroke. White was chosen ahead of Ringo Starr in September 1962 to play drums on the single version of Love Me Do and its B-side, P.S. I Love You. White, who was born in Glasgow in 1930, is also believed to have played on the album version of Please Please Me. He could therefore legitimately claim to be one of the so-called "Fifth Beatles", alongside the likes of Pete Best, Stuart Sutcliffe and others. White also played drums on Lulu's 1964 cover of Shout and Sir Tom Jones' 1965 single It's Not Unusual. He went on to tour with Marlene Dietrich, Burt Bacharach and Rod Stewart and perform with the BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra. In a 2009 interview with a New Jersey newspaper, White revealed he was often called to London's Abbey Road studios in the 1960s. "I would get a call from EMI and you never knew what you were going to be asked to do," he told The Progress. White was paid a one-off fee - Â£5 - for his three hours with the Beatles and received no subsequent royalties. Starr, who played drums on earlier versions of Love Me Do, can be heard playing the tambourine on the White recording. "You could tell it was something different and very special," White told the Daily Record in 2012. "But I didn't know just how special it would become." In later life White emigrated to the US, where he married the voiceover actress Thea Ruth and became a drumming instructor. The New York Metro Pipe Band, one of the bands with whom he worked, described him on Facebook as an "all round gentleman". He was also called upon to teach drums to musician turned actor Steven van Zandt for his role as Silvio Dante in TV hit The Sopranos. Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, White's family paid tribute to his "amazing humility and humbleness about his many achievements".

Summary: Andy White, the Scottish studio session musician who played the drums on Love Me Do and other early tracks by The Beatles, has died in New Jersey.


Demonstrators sang Christmas carols and listened to speeches about immigrants and asylum seekers. Weekly rallies by a group called Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West, or Pegida, began in October. Several counter-demonstrations were being held on Monday. Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior politicians have spoken out against the Pegida rallies.

Summary: A record 17,500 people have turned out for the latest "anti-Islamisation" rally in the German city of Dresden, according to police estimates.


Jon Andrewes, 63, from Totnes, misled a Somerset hospice where he was chief executive from 2004 and Torbay Care Trust when he became chairman in 2007. He also misled Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust where he became chairman in 2015. Exeter Crown Court Judge Geoffrey Mercer told Andrewes that for 10 years "your outwardly prestigious life was based on a staggering series of lies". More on the NHS fraudster, plus more Devon and Cornwall news Andrewes admitted obtaining money by deception when he secured a job at the St Margaret's Hospice in Somerset, and two counts of fraud. These related to making misleading statements before he was appointed as chairman of the Torbay Care Trust and of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT). His total earnings from the health bodies between 2005-16 was £1,072,076. Among the fake claims he called himself "Dr", despite him not having a PHD. Andrewes also falsely claimed degrees from Edinburgh, Plymouth and Bristol universities, although he did have a Higher Education Certificate in Social Work. He had actually spent most of his career as a probation officer, customs officer or youth worker. Chairman of St Margaret's Hospice, Michael Clark, who appointed Andrewes, said the hospice made "significant progress" under his leadership and he had "no doubts about his ability to do the job". But he would not have employed Andrewes if he had known about the fake qualifications. Cameron Brown, prosecuting, told the court that Andrewes' employment was a mixed bag with a range of performance, and he was "not actively doing damage". But he said the grounds for prosecution were "not his performance but the fact he was there".

Summary: A bogus NHS boss who lied about his qualifications and raked in more than £1m has been jailed for two years.


The government operates radio services and a TV channel. Private TV stations freely criticise the government. There were 295,200 internet users by November 2015 (via Internetworldstats).

Summary: Guyanese newspapers are free to criticise the government, although journalists are apt to exercise self-censorship.


Companies bidding for government contracts worth more than Â£10m must show they have a "reasonable proportion" of apprentices. "The greatest asset any employer has is their workforce," the Prime Minister said. "And by investing in them, they are investing in the success and future of their business." The government also reaffirmed plans for an apprenticeship levy, with large companies investing in a fund that is used to train workers. The size of the levy has not yet been set, according to a spokesperson from 10 Downing Street. "Skilled people are the lifeblood of a strong economy, but for too long UK businesses have invested too little in developing their employees' skills to meet the demands of a competitive, global market," said Skills Minister Nick Boles. A government consultation is seeking views on paying the levy, which is expected to be in place by April, 2017. The plan for a levy raised questions from EEF, the manufacturers' organisation. "With little detail of the level of the levy, who will be required to pay it and how much government will give back in return, manufacturers have a right to remain sceptical that the levy will create the three million additional quality apprenticeships that we all wish to see," Terry Scuoler, chief executive at EEF, said. He added that a number of large manufacturers "will be surprised by the suggestion from government that it is they who are currently failing to invest in apprenticeships". The government said levy systems already operated in more than 50 countries. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) welcomed the announcement of the apprentice plan. "Apprenticeship schemes can play a part in meeting important ambitions to boost skills and drive-up productivity," said John Longworth, the business group's director general. But he added that plans to encourage apprenticeships should focus on small businesses, not just larger corporations. "Government policy is currently too focused on major employers, but equal effort ought to be put on encouraging and supporting smaller businesses to offer apprenticeships," Mr Longworth said. The plan is part of the government's commitment to create three million apprenticeships by 2020.

Summary: David Cameron has shared plans to increase the number of apprenticeship programmes that big businesses offer.


Jayne Hickey and her son Christian were shot when two men knocked on their front door in Gillingham Road in Eccles, Salford on 12 October. The gun was one of two firearms seized when a vehicle was stopped in Faulkner's Lane, Mobberley in Cheshire on 15 December at about 21:20 GMT. Two men have appeared in court charged with possession of firearms. A weapon has also been linked to a man's shooting in Ashton-in Makerfield, Wigan on 30 March.

Summary: A gun that is believed to have been used to shoot a mother and her seven-year-old son has been seized by police.


Emergency services were called earlier after reports two men were in the water at the mouth of the Wear, near to the Old Pier, Sunderland Yacht Club. It is believed they went into the water to swim and got in to difficulty, police said. For updates on this and other North East stories. One of the men has been rescued, along with two 17-year-old women.

Summary: A sea search is under way for a 17-year-old after three teenagers were rescued after jumping off a dinghy off the North East coast.


Last week, it emerged almost one million drink-driving tests recorded by police did not actually take place. An Garda Síochána (Irish police) also admitted an error that caused almost 15,000 wrongful traffic convictions. Ms O'Sullivan was appearing before an Irish parliamentary justice committee. She said gardaí have still not established the reasons why almost one million false breath tests were recorded. Ms O'Sullivan said she apologised "for the grave mistakes and wrongdoing during the last decade that have led to the two controversies we are here today to discuss". "Those mistakes and wrongdoings are unacceptable in policing terms, unacceptable in ethical terms, unacceptable in terms of public trust, and, most critically, unacceptable to the advocacy and support groups involved in road safety and to those who were wrongly brought to court," she added. "They have raised serious issues about how we managed the service, how certain gardaí operated on the ground and their supervision. "Given the scale of these issues, they can't simply be blamed on one individual or one area. It is a collective failure. From top down to bottom up." Some deputies at the committee wanted to know if bonuses and performance targets were a factor in the exaggeration of the figures. Ms O'Sullivan said some divisional officers' performance targets which led to bonuses were connected to reductions in road deaths. She said that a hypothesis may be that the recording of data on the mandatory alcohol checkpoints, which she said were preventative measures, was not seen as important in the detection of offences. Ms O'Sullivan said all senior managers have committed to delivering on a reform programme. Meanwhile, the officer in charge of roads policing, Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn, emphasised that there was no competition between garda regions to see who had the highest figures. He said he was satisfied with the accuracy of the data on checkpoints. He also said it was an error on his part that the Irish Minister for Justice was not informed. On Thursday evening, gardaí clarified that the last claim for a bonus payment for senior officers was made for activities in the year 2007. They said the scheme was ended by the Department of Finance in 2009. Gardaí say they do not believe senior officers were paid for breath tests and are clarifying the situation regarding checkpoints. Gardaí said that no bonus payment was made to current members of the garda executive. At the weekend, Ms O'Sullivan said revelations over penalty points and breath test discrepancies are "unacceptable". She said on Saturday that the police service was on a journey of radical reform and "it is inevitable that we will identify more examples of bad practice". On Tuesday, the government announced it was planning two separate investigations. Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Enda Kenny announced an independent review of the overall operation of the force. A second investigation will probe the wrongful convictions of almost 15,000 motorists, and apparent false data on breath tests. Mr Kenny also said on Tuesday that the government continues to have confidence in Commissioner O'Sullivan. She was already

Summary: Irish police commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan has acknowledged gardaí (police) may have acted dishonestly by inputting false breath test figures into the force's computer system


While the main stages do not open until Friday, many smaller venues put on live music, DJs and films for those arriving early. The first performer on the official line-up is flautist Frei Zinger, on the Croissant Neuf Bandstand at 11:00 BST. There will then be entertainment in the circus field, Groovy Movie Picture House and many of the dance arenas. Some 177,000 people are due on site during the weekend. Tickets, costing Â£225, sold out in 26 minutes last October. But the weather is not expected to be as bad as 2014, when performances were halted due to a lightning storm. According to BBC Weather, there will be some light showers on Friday morning and on Sunday. This year's headliners are chart-topping singer Florence and the Machine, US rapper Kanye West and rock legends The Who. US rock band Foo Fighters were due to headline on Friday, but were forced to pull out after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg. Florence Welch's last-minute promotion to the headline slot comes eight years after her first Glastonbury performance - a disastrous show in the Tiny Tea Tent for which her guitarist did not turn up until halfway through. "If you had seen that performance at the Tea Tent there is no way you'd ever imagine I'd be headlining," she recently told The Times. "But I love Glastonbury. I'll do anything I can to help them out." Organisers have not yet announced who will fill the vacant slot below Florence on Friday. The following night, Kanye West's performance will be watched with interest after a petition calling on Glastonbury to drop him in favour of a rock band attracted 134,000 signatures. Organiser Emily Eavis said she also received death threats from those who do not want him to play. But Eavis wrote in The Guardian: "There is no question in my mind that we have got one of the greatest artists of his generation headlining, and we have no regrets at all about booking him." Other names on the line-up include Motorhead, Mary J Blige, Burt Bacharach, Lionel Richie, Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson and The Chemical Brothers. More unusual bookings include Professor Stephen Hawking, who will appear in the Kidz Field, and the Dalai Lama.

Summary: Music fans have begun setting up camp at the Glastonbury Festival after the gates opened for this year's event.


Rugby league convert Burgess only made his union debut for Bath in November and won his first England cap against France in August. The 26-year-old's inclusion means there is no place for fellow centre Luther Burrell, a regular during the past two Six Nations campaigns. Media playback is not supported on this device Head coach Stuart Lancaster has also left out fly-half Danny Cipriani. Cipriani's omission comes despite the 27-year-old Sale player putting in an impressive performance off the bench in the 25-20 defeat by France in Paris on Saturday, later tweeting he was "very disappointed" and had done "everything I could for the white shirt". Exeter's Henry Slade, 22, is named as one of four centres alongside Burgess, Saracens' Brad Barritt and Jonathan Joseph of Bath, while Kieran Brookes is picked ahead of loose-head Alex Corbisiero, who has struggled with fitness recently. Ben Morgan is named as one of the back rows, despite having played just 40 minutes of competitive rugby since suffering a broken leg and, in the second row, George Kruis has beaten Dave Attwood to a spot in the 31. The other players to miss out are centre Billy Twelvetrees, number eight Nick Easter, flanker Calum Clark and hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie. Head coach Lancaster, whose side begin their tournament against Fiji at Twickenham on 18 September, admitted to shedding tears over the selection of his squad. He informed successful and unsuccessful players of his decisions in one-to-one meetings and when asked about the emotion of the talks, said: "Just by me. No tantrums, just tears." He added "Selection wasn't easy and it is tough to leave anyone out but it's important to stress that the players not in this group are still part of our wider squad and could come in at any point. "It's really positive that we have such depth and options to choose from. "After 10 weeks in camp we have made our final selection of players and we believe we have a great group to take us into the tournament. "With three weeks to go before we play Fiji we feel we are in good shape as we head into next Saturday's game against Ireland." England backs coach Andy Farrell, who himself converted from rugby league to play in the 2007 World Cup with England, said of Burgess: "To force our hand to put him into the squad, he should be unbelievably proud of himself." However, earlier this week, former England captain Will Carling said that Burgess should not be taken to the World Cup after frequently being caught out of position against France. "There is no-one I have spoken to who I respect - ex-players, coaches - who thinks he's ready," said Carling, who won 72 caps for England and led them to the 1991 World Cup final. "I don't understand what the rush is and it's unfair on him. I feel sorry for him. If he wants to make it in union, there's plenty of time. "He's been playing union for 10 months and half of that was in a different position

Summary: Sam Burgess has been included in England's 31-man squad for the World Cup, which starts next month.


The testimonies include one from an RAF officer who took part in the 1944 Great Escape and the daughter of resistance heroine, Violette Szabo. About 4,000 people applied to the UK Foreign Office in 1964-65 for help from a £1m fund, paid for by West Germany. A quarter of claims were successful. Many were rejected because, though the claimants had suffered under the Nazis as prisoners of war or civilian internees, their imprisonment had not been illegal. Others were rejected because they were not British citizens. The archives contain often brutal accounts of suffering and persecution, as well as the responses of Foreign Office bureaucrats charged with administering the fund. The money was aimed principally at concentration camp survivors who had not won compensation under a separate German scheme set up in 1953. Among those whose claims were rejected was Jimmy James, who took part in the Great Escape from Stalag Luft 3 in 1944 - made famous in the film of the same name. Fifty of the escapers were shot. Jimmy James, along with others, was sent to a punishment camp known as Sonderlager A at Sachsenhausen concentration camp, north of Berlin. By 1964, his file shows he was working for the Foreign Office as a visa officer at the British Embassy in Prague. The file includes his handwritten account of his years in Nazi captivity, including his imprisonment with 18 others - six of them British - at Sachsenhausen - and a period spent in solitary inside the main camp when he once again tunnelled his way out, only to be recaptured. He acknowledged the conditions he was kept under were not as harsh as those in Sachsenhausen proper, and that he could claim no permanent disability, before adding laconically, "although, naturally, this is an experience which I should have preferred to have avoided". His claim was rejected on the grounds that as a prisoner of war he was not a victim of "Nazi persecution". But there was a sequel. Some of his fellow "Great Escapees" went to the newspapers to complain and the foreign secretary set up an inquiry which resolved on pay-outs to the Sachsenhausen victims after all. All were officers and two bore the name Churchill. In 1968 James got a cheque for £1,192 and 15 shillings. That emboldened others to underline their own claims. Another file contains correspondence with an anonymous former soldier in the Cameron Highlanders regiment. The names of people in many of the files have been blacked out, or redacted, on data protection grounds. In 1964 he had applied for compensation, describing himself as "an incorrigible escaper and troublemaker" who had "suffered persecution in four punishment camps". His claim was rejected. In 1968 he wrote a long and outraged letter in the wake of the Sachsenhausen decision. It reiterated his prison camp record, the ill-treatment he had suffered and the effects on his health, adding that he had also spent time in Buchenwald. "Do I need to appeal to the House of Lords like the elite who were awarded this money?" he asked.

Summary: Harrowing accounts of Nazi persecution against UK victims have been revealed in 1960s files from the National Archives, which show them claiming compensation for their suffering.


But on closer inspection, it turns out the Barcelona striker has not swapped La Liga for the League of Ireland. It is in fact 16-year-old Barry Cotter, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the Brazil World Cup star. While Neymar will line-up in the Champions League, former Avenue United and Ennis Town forward Cotter will play in the under-17 National League after signing for Limerick. But he shares his doppelganger's confidence telling the club website: "I'm looking to score at least one or two goals in each game for the rest of the season."

Summary: On first glance it looks like Limerick have pulled off the transfer of the century and signed Barcelona striker Neymar.


The move was agreed at a regional summit in Chad, whose president described CAR as a "wound in the heart of central Africa". "Armed bands loot, hold to ransom and racketeer the population," he said. The former rebels had asked both their neighbours and former colonial power France to increase their forces. The current 500-strong multinational peacekeeping force Fomac was "insufficient to do the job", Mr Deby said earlier, reports the AFP news agency. He said the reinforcements would help restructure the security forces. South Africa, which lost at least 13 troops during the rebel takeover, has said it is pulling its forces out of CAR. South Africa's President Jacob Zuma attended the summit, along with central African leaders and a delegation from the CAR's new leaders. The summit of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) accepted former rebel head Michel Djotodia as the country's leader but that he should not be called president, Reuters news agency reports. "Mr Djotodia will not be called president of the republic, but head of state of the transition," it quotes President Deby as saying. Mr Djotodia was declared interim president last week and says he will hold elections within 18 months. Earlier, the UN children's agency warned that increasing numbers of children are being wounded in the conflict. Unicef's emergency co-ordinator in Bangui, Robert McCarthy, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme that all armed groups should ensure that children were protected. "We're calling for: Number one, the protection of children by all parties - by everyone with a gun, everyone in command of soldiers, we have to protect the children, equally women, vulnerable populations. "Equally, we need security to resume the most basic of life-saving interventions for the aid providers in the city and especially in the countryside." The Seleka rebels, an alliance of armed groups, seized power after a peace deal negotiated with ousted President Francois Bozize collapsed. Mr Djotodia is a former civil servant who fell out with Mr Bozize and went into exile, before returning under the peace deal in January as defence minister. He resigned in March before seizing power. Correspondents say he does not have widespread international support and has fallen out with some of his former allies. CAR has an unstable history and is extremely poor, though it has large deposits of minerals including gold and diamonds.

Summary: The Central African Republic's neighbours have agreed to send an extra 2,000 troops to help restore security following last month's rebel takeover.


The 24-year-old du Preez joined the Pro12 club after leaving Southern Kings in 2013, while Cochrane, 32, arrived from London Wasps the following year. Du Preez is enjoying working under compatriot and coach Alan Solomons. "The squad karma is really good and the club is moving forward," said du Preez in a club statement. "I enjoy working with Alan and it's good that he's staying on. I know what he expects from me." Du Preez had previously worked under Solomons at his former club, but he suffered a serious lower leg injury last season. "It was difficult coming back from injury, but our club physios did a great job to fix me up and all's good now," he said. "I'm looking forward to helping the club stay in the top group of the Guinness Pro12 and challenging for a place in the Champions Cup next season." Cochrane, who had spells with Rotherham Titans, Doncaster Knights and Bedford Blues, also praised Solomons' work and relished the challenge of winning a place in the team. "We have some talented young hookers coming through the club, which is great and keeps me on my toes," said the Edinburgh-born forward, who made a mid-career switch from the back row. Solomons was delighted to retain both players. "Cornell is a class player who has proved invaluable for us," he said. "He is also a great bloke and a good team man. "Neil has made a terrific contribution to the team since returning home from Wasps. "He is a superb hooker and a very good leader."

Summary: South African number eight Cornell du Preez and Scottish hooker Neil Cochrane have signed two-year contract extensions with Edinburgh.


Strathbungo residents are being asked to take part in Window Wanderland at 18:00-21:00 on Saturday 25 February. Artist Lucy Reeves, who ran her first event in Bristol in 2015, said it helped bring out people's playful side. Previous events have seen windows with paper silhouettes, laser projections and people staging performances. The event aims to encourage people to come outdoors for an evening walk around the neighbourhood. Ms Reeves said: "I wanted to make an event that anyone can participate in, is easy to do, and creates something different. "This brightens up the long winter nights giving everyone a great excuse to get outdoors. "We have had displays made by schools, grandparents, even pets, some are silly, some are serious. "It is a proper community event, some roads had almost every house participating, using campervans, top floor windows and even decorating hedges with lights." Residents are being encouraged to sign up on the event's Facebook page or website. Following the Bristol trail, seven areas in the UK ran an event in 2016, with a further 11 planned this year.

Summary: A Glasgow neighbourhood is being encouraged to create a window display in their home to help turn the area into an outdoor evening gallery.


Drought has taken a savage toll on the town of McKinlay in north-west Queensland, Australia, so a downpour of rain just before Christmas was the best present he could imagine. Suspecting water would begin to flow on 18 December, Senior Constable Hansson drove to the riverbank and started filming when the water began to cut through the dust. "Come on down â€¦ Come to papa!" he can be heard yelling in the video. "Here she comes... wow, I can't believe how lucky I am!" His enthusiastic and very Australian response to the river's return to life would perhaps have gone unnoticed were it not for his daughter, Tahnee, who uploaded the video to YouTube on 19 December. This week the internet noticed it, and turned Snr Con Hansson into an overnight sensation. Speaking to the BBC from McKinlay Police Station, the straight-talking police officer said he was excited the river had run, but his chief concern was seeing the area emerge from drought. "It's desperate times," he said. "For about three months it looked like a desert, with no green grass left." "The ground was bare and a lot of our pastoralists had been hand-feeding the stock to keep them alive." "We had more rain across the Christmas season than we've had in the past two years." He said he was so excited on the video because he had not seen the river flow since moving to the area four years earlier. "I patrol the area anyway so I just pulled up for a minute to see if the river would start. I just couldn't believe it," he said. Living in a remote area which relies on satellite internet, Snr Con Hansson remains unaware of the extent of the video's popularity. "My daughter's been keeping me appraised of the situation. She said she had uploaded the video to YouTube and I said, 'So what?'. "But I'm excited people get to know about north-west Queensland and how tough it is out here, and how tough the people are. "They've done well to keep their heads up it's good to see a smile on a few faces and cattle with their heads down having a good feed." Tahnee Hanson said her father's performance in the video reminded her of an American man's infamous reaction to a double rainbow, which went viral in 2010. "I put it on my YouTube and it wasn't really doing anything, then I woke up this morning and overnight it went from 500 views to 40,000. "I said, 'It's going viral dad', and he kind of didn't give a rat's ass," she said. A total of 86.1% of Queensland was declared drought-affected in December, with the extended dry spell taking a heavy toll on farmers. Interviews by Ashley Donnelly

Summary: Police officer Des Hansson could not contain his excitement when water began to flow through the dry bed of the McKinlay River.


Hayne, 28, quit the NFL after just one season to try to play rugby sevens for Fiji in this year's Rio Olympics. The former San Francisco 49er previously played for Paramatta Eels in Australia's National Rugby League. "I thought the boys needed a bit of added competition," said Fiji coach Ben Ryan. "Jarryd has trained well. In attack he is comfortable on the ball, he has good spatial awareness and has good footwork. In defence he is a good tackler." Fiji need eight points to claim this season's World Series title. Hayne, who joined the Fiji camp as an injury replacement, left Australia's NRL in 2014 to pursue a career in the NFL as a running back. He played international rugby league for both Australia, where he was born, and Fiji, who he qualifies for via his father. Have you added the new Top Story alerts in the BBC Sport app? Simply head to the menu in the app - and don't forget you can also add alerts for your rugby union team, cricket scores, football and more.

Summary: Former NFL and rugby league player Jarryd Hayne is in Fiji's squad for this weekend's final round of the World Rugby Sevens Series in London.


The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) states that women should be offered counselling and told of the risks first. Ultimately, however, the decision would be made by the mother-to-be, it said. NICE said this was "a very long way" from offering all women surgery. The last set of NICE guidelines, which were published in 2004, clearly stated that "maternal request is not on its own an indication for Caesarean section" and that clinicians could decline the procedure "in the absence of an identifiable reason". The rules on requesting a C-section have been revised. Clinicians say this is to bring the instructions into line with what is already taking place in hospitals. The 2011 guidelines say that women requesting a C-section because of anxiety should be offered mental health support. A phobia of childbirth is thought to affect 6% to 10% of women. Nina Khazaezadeh, a consultant midwife at St Thomas' Hospital, says she often meets patients who want a Caesarean due to a "perceived lack of control, fears of inadequate care provision and lack of support during labour and delivery". "But, after a discussion of all the pros and cons of both types of birth, and having been assured of one-to-one midwifery support and an individualised birth plan, they will choose to try for a vaginal birth." The updated guidelines state that if such women still wanted a C-section, they should get one. Women with no medical need can also ask for a Caesarean section. The guidance states that they should be told of the risks and discuss their request with a clinician, but their request cannot be denied. Malcolm Griffiths, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist who led the development of the guidelines, said: "Caesarean section is a major operation, it's about as major as a hysterectomy. "It's not a major operation that most pregnant women are interested in or want to have." Dr Gillian Leng, deputy chief executive of NICE, said: "This guideline is not about offering free Caesareans for all on the NHS. "It is about ensuring that women give birth in the way that is most appropriate for them and their babies. "Offering these women a planned Caesarean section in these circumstances is a very long way from saying that Caesarean section should automatically be offered to every woman." Planned Caesarean section may reduce the risk of the following in women: Planned Caesarean section may increase the risk of the following in babies: Planned Caesarean section may increase the risk of the following in women: Source: NICE There will be wider changes to clinical practice. Being HIV positive will no longer be treated as grounds for an automatic C-section. Improvements in anti-retroviral therapies mean it is now safe for some woman with HIV to deliver vaginally. There will also be changes to break the mentality of "once a Caesarean, always a Caesarean". The latest evidence suggests that even for women who had up to four previous C-sections, that the risks of fever, bladder injuries and surgical injuries were the same for planned vaginal and planned Caesarean

Summary: Pregnant women who ask for a Caesarean delivery should be allowed to have the operation, even if there is no medical need, according to new guidelines for England and Wales.


19 July 2016 Last updated at 14:39 BST The suspected gunman was among the dead in the shooting near the Castle Swimming Pool in Spalding. Lincolnshire Police, who were called to Pinchbeck Road at about 09:00 BST, said no shots were fired by their officers. Those killed are believed to be two women and a man. Police said they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. Aerial footage shows the scene of the shooting.

Summary: Three people have died in a shooting near a swimming pool in Lincolnshire, police have said.


Major international artists include Hermann Nitsch, Melvin Moti, Dieter Roth and Rachel Mayeri. There are new commissions from Susan Philipsz, Andrew Miller, Emily Speed, Kevin Harman and Anthony Schrag. There are also retrospectives of acclaimed artists such as Ian Hamilton Finlay, Leslie Hunter and John Bellany. Scots-born sound artist Philipsz, who won the Turner prize in 2010, will bring Timelines to the capital - a multi-site installation, developed in response to one of Edinburgh's famous One O'Clock Gun. The gun is fired every day, except Sunday, from Edinburgh castle. Philipsz's voice will call out each day in response to the firing of the gun, creating a domino effect as speakers sound along the timeline from Calton Hill to Edinburgh Castle. Other new commissions include a pavilion made from salvaged materials and artworks made from rubble in skips. As well as the commissions, the festival will feature new exhibitions by international artists such as Rachel Mayeri. The Los Angeles-based artist collaborated with comparative psychologist Dr Sarah-Jane Vick to develop Primate Cinema: Apes as family. It is a two-screen video installation that presents a drama written for chimpanzees and performed by human actors alongside the reactions of an audience of chimps. It was researched and partly filmed at Edinburgh Zoo. Dutch artist Melvin Moti is holding his first UK solo show, at the National Museums of Scotland. One Thousand Points of Light features a new film focusing on light-reactive minerals and objects the artist has chosen from National Museums of Scotland's collections, ranging from fluorescing fossils to a glowing jellyfish. There will also be several "summer blockbuster" exhibitions, with one exploring Picasso's lifelong connections with Britain, at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Another major exhibition will feature the work of Van Gogh and Kandinsky, at the Scottish National Gallery. As well as the major artists, there is an exhibition by TV presenter Harry Hill, who will also be performing during the Fringe, entitled My Hobby. Edinburgh Art Festival was founded in 2004 and will run until 2 September.

Summary: Edinburgh's art festival has begun its "most ambitious" programme yet, with 45 exhibitions showing in 30 of the city's museums and galleries during August.


The 30-year-old Scot, who raced for Force India from 2010 to 2013, will be back-up for race drivers Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll. Deputy team principal Claire Williams said: "It's great for us to retain someone of Paul's experience." Di Resta will combine F1 duties with racing for Mercedes in Germany's DTM touring car series. He said he was "delighted" to stay at Williams and "looking forward to understanding the new regulations" introduced to F1 this season in an attempt to make the cars faster, more dramatic and more appealing to the audience. Williams' new car will be revealed to the public on Friday before pre-season testing starts in Spain on 27 February. Di Resta's best race results in F1 have been two fourth places in Singapore in 2012 and Bahrain in 2013. He was the DTM champion for Mercedes in 2010. Part of his responsibilities at Williams will involve helping Brazilian veteran Massa, 35, support Stroll, an 18-year-old Canadian rookie who brings financial backing reported to be at least £20m to the team. Massa retired at the end of last season but was persuaded to come back for one final year after Mercedes approached Williams to release Valtteri Bottas to them following world champion Nico Rosberg's retirement.

Summary: Paul di Resta is to stay as Williams reserve driver for a second season in 2017.


Kayley Olsson, a 20-year-old student hairdresser in Waterloo, Iowa, posted on Facebook on Tuesday about a girl who came into her salon with densely matted and tangled hair. "Today I had one of the hardest experiences - I had a 16-year-girl come in who has been dealing with severe depression for a few years now," Kayley wrote in the post, which has been shared over 55,000 times. The teen had explained to Kayley she "felt so down and so worthless she couldn't even brush her hair, she only got up to use the restroom." The teenager had a school photograph scheduled and she asked the salon to cut off all her hair because she couldn't face the pain of combing out the matted knots and tangles. But Kayley and her colleague Mariah Wenger, who are both beauty therapy students, refused to shear the teen's waist-length hair. "Cutting her hair was absolutely not a option for me. "I knew right then and there that we had to keep as much hair as possible," Kayley told the BBC. "Shaving was a last resort and something none of us going in wanted to do," Mariah added. The women untangled and combed the teenager's hair for 10 hours, spending two days with her. "It took a lot of encouraging words, reassurance, and just plain conversation to take her mind off of the pain involved in removing the matting and to boost her self esteem and confidence. "I was able to very closely relate to her mental health problems and the daily struggle that comes with them, due to my struggles with postpartum depression and anxiety," explained Mariah, who has two children. "I understood how it felt to feel worthless - a child should never feel like that. "I knew I had to help her, just like people helped me. We all deserve to feel beautiful," Kayley said. After detangling it as far as shoulder height, Kayley and Mariah cut and shaped the teenager's hair. "Let's just say we both let out tears of joy! "Her last words to me were, 'I will actually smile for my schools pictures today, you made me feel like me again,'" Kayley explained. The post has received nearly 60,000 comments (at time of writing), including women relating their own experiences of mental health problems. "It's happened to me - I suffer with bipolar and had an episode and didn't brush my hair or take care of myself - just remember beautiful girl you're not on your own," wrote Sarah-Lee on Facebook. "I work with mental health and good for you. I see this daily it's sad but so true," said Renay St Amand. "I've been in this position and I can't tell you how comforting and important it is for a hairdresser to be kind and understanding. I wasn't judged either and got my hair back to being beautiful," wrote Claire McDonald. "I have been struggling with my depression and suicidal thoughts. It's hard to even get out of bed but I try to fight everything negative. Plus you are beautiful

Summary: Beauty rituals may not be the first thing you think about in relation to mental health, but when an American hairdresser told her story about a teenage client with depression, thousands responded.


Patrick Sullivan, 25, a former French foreign Legionnaire and member of the republican splinter group, the Irish People's Liberation Organisation, was knifed to death in February 1992. A west Belfast man was later convicted of his manslaughter. His sister and brother met the police in Belfast on Friday morning. Mr Sullivan was killed after confronting someone he suspected of anti-social behaviour in the Divis area. He was stabbed in the neck and back and died from his injuries. The family have always believed more than one attacker was involved and claim a post mortem examination that they have recently obtained backs up their assertion. Patrick's sister, Margaret, and his brother, Seamus, accompanied by their solicitor, Padraig Ómuirigh , met detectives for an hour-long meeting on Friday. The family would not reveal what had been said, but their solicitor said they hoped the new information they had would be enough to re-open the case. "We had a constructive meeting with the police and hope to bring further information to them," said Mr Ómuirigh. "The family have also lodged a complaint with the Police Ombudsman in relation to the standards of the original investigation and we also have a meeting with the ombudsman in the coming weeks." When asked for a comment on the meeting, a police spokesman said: "We can confirm that local police met with members of the Sullivan family today." The Police Ombudsman said: "We have received a complaint about the police investigation into the killing of Patrick Sullivan in Belfast in 1992. "We are currently investigating the complaint, and investigators are due to meet Mr Sullivan's family on 30 August."

Summary: The family of a west Belfast man who was killed 20 years ago have called for a fresh investigation into his death.


Ozil was a picture of composure as he ran through on goal, chipped the keeper and cut inside two defenders before slotting in from close range for a dramatic winner. Earlier on, Arsenal's hopes of a repeat of their 6-0 win in the reverse tie were quickly dispelled when Jonathan Cafu put Ludogorets in front against the run of play by steering in a left-footed volley from a Wanderson free-kick. Cafu turned provider three minutes later as he jinked past Kieran Gibbs and squared a ball for Claudiu Keseru to turn in as the Bulgarian side shocked the Gunners with a second in a frantic opening. Granit Xhaka guided in a 15-yard shot from an Ozil cross to pull one back for Arsene Wenger's side before Olivier Giroud expertly headed in Aaron Ramsey's clipped cross to equalise. Arsenal keeper David Ospina twice saved from Wanderson before Ozil secured his side's progress into the last 16 and extended their unbeaten run to 15 games. Relive Ludogorets Razgrad v Arsenal One of the highlights of Arsenal's season so far has been the goalscoring form of Ozil. The German playmaker has already taken his tally this season to seven, having scored eight for the Gunners in total last term. He should have opened the scoring early on when Francis Coquelin played him through on goal, but he struck a tame shot that was easily saved. Ludogorets punished the miss with two goals, but Ozil then played a key part in Arsenal's recovery as he gesticulated for his team to increase their effort. He set up Xhaka for his first Champions League goal and timed his run to perfection to meet Mohamed Elneny's pass on the way to his goal, adding to his hat-trick in the first game against Ludogorets at the Emirates. Ozil has now been directly involved in eight goals in his past five games for Arsenal in all competitions, with five goals and three assists. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said his side's "prime target" was to win Group A in order to avoid playing tougher opposition. The Gunners have gone out at the first knockout stage of the Champions League in the past six seasons, having last won their group in 2011-12. Wenger's side showed vulnerabilities at the back when Ludogorets went on the counter-attack, but they demonstrated spirit and character to recover. This means they could be ready to avoid the capitulations which have marred previous European and Premier League campaigns. Arsenal's mental strength will again be tested when they face Tottenham followed by Manchester United in the league before what could be a decider to finish top of Group A when they host Paris St-Germain. The energy and goals of Alexis Sanchez playing as a central striker have proved a major success for Wenger this season. However, with Giroud returning to fitness and scoring two key goals in Saturday's top-flight win at Sunderland, Wenger chose to give the Frenchman his first start of the season against Ludogorets with the job of leading the Gunners' attack. Sanchez was shifted out to the

Summary: Mesut Ozil scored a stunning late goal as a resilient Arsenal came back from 2-0 down to beat Ludogorets Razgrad and reach the Champions League knockout stages.


The ITV2 show sees single men and women put together in a Majorcan villa to find love and win a Â£50,000 prize. So far this series, there have been several instances of, shall we say, intimate behaviour taking place. But broadcasting regulator Ofcom says it has actually received far more complaints about scenes that show the contestants smoking. The series airs after the 21:00 watershed but has still attracted 46 complaints to date. More than half of those - 24 - were from viewers objecting to the portrayal of smoking. Fifteen of the complaints were made about the promotion of "sexual material and promiscuity". The remaining complaints were for bad language, grievances about a racial slur and violence (for the time when a contestant threw a cushion "aggressively"). Ofcom has said it will assess the 46 complaints before deciding whether to investigate further. The ITV2 show has a large following and an audience that includes pop singer Adele. Speaking at the second of her Wembley dates last week, she labelled one of the contestants a "tramp" for taking part in a show in which "real people have real sex on real TV". Falling in love isn't easy - let alone falling in love on national television, writes entertainment reporter Genevieve Hassan. But that's what 13 sexy singletons hope to do on Love Island, which is halfway through its third series on ITV2. If you've never seen it before, the premise is to couple up and convince the public to keep you on the island in order to win Â£50,000 - all while trying to find your perfect match. Think Big Brother but with board shorts, bikinis and more under-the-sheets shenanigans than you can shake a stick at, as the couples chop and change throughout the series. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

Summary: Viewers have been complaining about Love Island - but not for the reason you might think.


Media playback is not supported on this device The 21-year-old, from Meon Valley Golf Club, followed in the footsteps of fellow Hampshire golfer Scott Gregory in 2016 by winning the trophy. The victory guarantees Ellis will play at Royal Birkdale next month as well as the Masters and US Open next season. "The magnitude of what I did is starting to sink in," Ellis said. Ellis came from four holes down with five remaining in the 36-hole final to beat Australia's Dylan Perry at Royal St George's in Kent on Saturday. Victory was only secured after two play-off holes for the man who became the youngest to win the English Amateur Championship, aged just 16, in 2012. "I still feel a little numb," he told BBC South Today. "The task was getting a lot tougher to come away with the trophy and I knew I just had to keep myself going. "It all came out when the winning putt was sunk. It was years of hard work and a lot of disappointment matched with the excitement of holing that putt." Ellis has just completed his third year on a scholarship at Florida State University, where he hopes the experience will stand him in good stead for an appearance at Augusta next season. He revealed US Open champion Brooks Koepka was among those to text their congratulations after Saturday's win. "Justin Rose and Scott Gregory also sent some nice messages," Ellis said. "It's been really nice to receive those and I'm really excited for the opportunities ahead." The Open begins at Royal Birkdale on 20 July.

Summary: Harry Ellis admits he still "feels numb and in shock" after securing his spot at The Open in July by winning the British Amateur Championship.


In those two decades, the country has come a long way but still faces many problems. Tour guide Businesswoman Cafe owner Choir mistress Farmer South Africa Direct While many blacks have moved up the economic ladder, poverty remains high, tensions still exist between blacks and whites in some areas and South Africa has one of the highest number of HIV/Aids patients in the world. For Working Lives, the BBC's Lerato Mbele travelled to Johannesburg to meet five very different South Africans living and working in and around the city. Hair salon entrepreneur Mankwane Chakela is a proud member of South Africa's growing black middle class. She grew up in a township but now lives in one of Johannesburg's more affluent suburbs. Hoping to make a similar transition is Jeff Mulaudzi, who runs tours of Alexandra, one of Johannesburg's sprawling townships. He spotted a gap in the market for adventurous tourists wanting to see the real South Africa and now shows small groups around his neighbourhood. Another part of the city undergoing a revival is Johannesburg's Central Business District where Nick Christowitz caters to a multi-racial clientele in his impeccably designed and achingly cool cafe. School choir mistress, Makgopa Gomba, had to flee her township home in the last years of the apartheid era on account of her husband's job as a policeman. But now, she is back and working in the local community. White farmer Louis Meintjes says he can trace his South African heritage back to the 1730s. Farming has never been an easy life but in the past it was more certain.

Summary: It is 20 years since South Africa held its first non-racial elections which ended white rule and saw the transfer of power to the African National Congress.


Wednesday had a penalty appeal turned down when Richard Keogh appeared to handle Adam Reach's shot on the line. Christie then met a Tom Ince corner to nod Derby ahead from close range. Liam Palmer went closest to a leveller, with a deflected shot off the post, before Alex Pearce prodded home Derby's second from eight yards. Steve McClaren's Rams moved up three places to 18th in the Championship table with their second win in four games since the former England manager returned as Derby boss. Kieran Lee was first to test Derby goalkeeper Scott Carson, and Fernando Forestieri was also kept out before the penalty shout on nine minutes. Christie, among Derby's most industrious players along with Ince and Jamie Hanson, netted the opener and ensured the home side led at half-time in a match for just the second time in all competitions this season. Palmer and Forestieri threatened for the Owls before Pearce pounced on a deflected shot from Jacob Butterfield to make it 2-0, with Wednesday - beaten for the first time in three matches - suffering further as Steven Fletcher was forced off following a head knock just 16 minutes after coming off the bench. REACTION: Derby boss Steve McClaren speaks to BBC Radio Derby Derby manager Steve McClaren: "Keogh made a great save without his gloves on and we rode our luck in that. "Game's are turned on that one way or another and it turned our way and what you have to do in those instances is take advantage and that's what we did. "It's a huge win, we said put a marker down at five o'clock and they've done that. There were aspects of the performance that improved immensely and we created chances as well." Sheffield Wednesday head coach Carlos Carvalhal on Adam Reach's penalty appeal: "In my opinion, it's the worst decision in the Championship so far. I have seen nothing like it this season. "I have nothing against the ref, nothing against the person but the decision was very, very poor and it had a big impact on the game. "People talk a lot about how we need technology but why do we need a camera or a video when we have three referees on the pitch, one of them must see it. They have communication and can say it's a clear penalty." Match ends, Derby County 2, Sheffield Wednesday 0. Second Half ends, Derby County 2, Sheffield Wednesday 0. Offside, Derby County. Matej Vydra tries a through ball, but Jacob Butterfield is caught offside. Foul by Tom Lees (Sheffield Wednesday). Matej Vydra (Derby County) wins a free kick on the right wing. Substitution, Derby County. Max Lowe replaces Johnny Russell. Attempt missed. Bradley Johnson (Derby County) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Ikechi Anya. Sam Hutchinson (Sheffield Wednesday) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Foul by Matej Vydra (Derby County). Atdhe Nuhiu (Sheffield Wednesday) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Foul by Atdhe Nuhiu (Sheffield Wednesday). Johnny

Summary: Cyrus Christie scored his first goal of the season to help Derby beat Sheffield Wednesday and extend their unbeaten run against the Owls to 17 matches.


It means control over new machines with maximum stakes over £10 will be devolved, as the Wales Bill cleared its final hurdle in Parliament. Shadow Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens wanted the power extended to existing terminals with maximum stakes over £2. UK ministers expect the bill to gain Royal Assent in February. The Wales Bill will hand Welsh ministers extra powers over transport, energy and electoral arrangements - including the power to increase the number of AMs. It will also allow the Welsh Government to make some alternations to income tax. But critics, including the Welsh Government itself, said other changes introduced too many restrictions on what it could or could not do. On Tuesday, in the Commons, UK government amendments introduced in the Lords were accepted, devolving powers over water, fishing vessels and the right to be consulted over coastguard policy. Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns said it was a "landmark day" and the bill "brings clarity to the settlement and accountability for Welsh Government". In October, the UK government announced a review of FOBTs amid concern about their attraction to vulnerable people. On the question of devolving FOBT regulation, a UK government spokesman said it was "giving Wales the same powers as Scotland has to address the local social problems that these machines can sometimes create". Labour had claimed fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) were highly addictive, allowing players to stake up to £100 every 20 seconds, compared to the £2 maximum bet on a fruit machine. The party pointed to research showing there were four times as many betting shops in areas of high unemployment as in areas of low unemployment. The Campaign for Fairer Gambling estimates that customers in Wales lost over £50m on FOBTs between September 2014-15. The Association of British Bookmakers defended betting shops in Wales as the "safest place" to gamble as they were the most highly regulated retailer on the high street.

Summary: A final attempt by Labour to give Wales more power to ban fixed-odds betting terminals has been defeated in the House of Commons.


Daniel Pelka was murdered in Coventry in March 2012 by his mother and her partner. City council leader Ann Lucas said more children's social workers was "the answer" to the "huge pressures" her staff faced. The council said cases rose from 3,085 in March 2013 to 4,529 in March 2014. Ms Lucas said reports of suspected child abuse had increased dramatically since Daniel's death. The council currently has a team of 197 children's social workers. But, Ms Lucas said the authority had grown increasingly reliant on agency workers, who were more expensive and did not provide the same consistency on cases. "We have no choice - we have to take in agency workers," she said. "There aren't enough trained social workers. "Social workers also have a huge burn-out rate. These people are working at the coal-face. "I take my hat off to them. I think they are heroes - I don't know why they do it. They are castigated at every turn." One social worker Chris Horne, told the BBC: "The bottom line is if there's more work than there are social workers, we're always going to struggle." Senior social worker Sarb Bhambra added: "Staffing is always an issue. It's impossible to manage all the priorities because everything is a priority and there's only so many of us." A freedom of information request reveals the number of reports of suspected abuse in Coventry has soared by 40% since 2011. There were more than 21,000 in 2013. The results of an Ofsted inspection of children's services in Coventry are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Summary: Children's social workers on a council that "missed chances" to save a four-year-old boy's life say they need more staff to cope with rising caseloads.


Owners of Mila, a Bedlington Terrier, found her cowering in a bush in their Halesowen back garden on Thursday evening. Burglars beat the dog - leaving her with nerve damage - after breaking into the house, West Midlands Police said. Homeowner Julie Green said she was "heartbroken" to find Mila wounded by burglars, who did not steal anything. "Whoever is responsible is heartless," said Ms Green. "She is the friendliest dog and would greet anyone. Even though she is poorly she has been trying to roll over and wag her tail." Vets believe Mila has neurological nerve damage, preventing her from placing her front feet on the ground. Ch Insp Phil Dolby said police are following several lines of inquiry. He added: "This did not happen in the dead of night - there will be people around the Albrighton Road area who could have seen the offender or offenders responsible for the break-in." More on this and other Black Country stories

Summary: An 18-month-old family dog is unable to walk after burglars repeatedly kicked it in the head, police said.


Zac Mitchell, 20, was injured in April while working on a remote farming property in Western Australia. "A bull kicked my hand into the fence," Mr Mitchell said of the incident. He underwent two unsuccessful operations to reattach his thumb before doctors opted to relocate his big toe in surgery lasting eight hours. Mr Mitchell said fellow workers had attempted to preserve his thumb immediately after the accident. "They put it in the esky [cooler] with some ice," he told the BBC. Mr Mitchell was flown to hospital in the state capital of Perth, but efforts to save his thumb ultimately failed. Despite initial reluctance, the cattle worker agreed to the transplant operation at the Sydney Eye Hospital two weeks ago. Lead plastic surgeon Dr Sean Nicklin said he was not surprised it took time to accept. "It is a bit of a crazy idea - they [patients] do not want to be injured in another part of their body," he said. "[However] even if you have got four good fingers, if you do not have something to pinch against them, your hand has lost a huge amount of its function." Mr Mitchell will need more than 12 months of rehabilitation, but he plans to return to farm work. The Sydney Eye Hospital said it was rare to transplant a complete toe, like in Mr Mitchell's case, although partial toe relocations were more common. "A lot of people think their balance and walking is going to be significantly affected which it generally isn't," Dr Nicklin said. Mr Mitchell's mum, Karen, said he was making a good recovery. "Two weeks since the operation his walking is almost back to normal." Doctors say Mr Mitchell should eventually be able to return to his hobby of bull riding. Reporting by the BBC's Greg Dunlop

Summary: An Australian cattle worker whose thumb was severed by a bull has had his toe surgically transplanted in its position.


Bale, 27, hobbled out of Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League win at Sporting Lisbon with what has been diagnosed as a "traumatic dislocation of the peroneal tendons" in his right ankle. He will be operated on in London and is at risk of missing Wales' 2018 World Cup qualifier against Republic of Ireland in Dublin on 24 March. That game is exactly four months away. Chris Coleman's Wales are currently third in Group D, four points adrift of leaders Ireland and two points behind Serbia. Bale extended his Real deal in October and is now tied to the Spanish giants until 2022. He has made 20 appearances for club and country since August, scoring 11 goals.

Summary: Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale will have ankle surgery next Tuesday and is expected to be out for four months.


The fire service apprentice mechanic died in the collision on the A5 in Capel Curig in Snowdonia on Tuesday. North Wales chief fire officer Simon Smith said: "Today our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident, but particularly with the family of the colleague we have lost." Support has been offered to staff. Mr Roberts was based at the fire service's fleet department at Llandudno Junction, Conwy county. Mr Smith said: "Our service attends road traffic collisions often and they are always difficult for our staff to deal with, but even more so when they involve a close colleague." The crash, near the Siabod Cafe, involved Mr Roberts' red Seat Leon and a silver Mercedes car. North Wales Police has appealed for witnesses.

Summary: The man who died in a two-car collision in north Wales has been named as 19-year-old Trystan Rhun Roberts.


The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is overseeing the dismantling of several UK sites, including Dounreay near Thurso in Caithness. Representatives from the NDA and oil and gas experts have met in Aberdeen to share information. One of the areas covered was the decommissioning of oil pipelines. The event was held at Aberdeen's Oil and Gas Technology Centre. The NDA said it was actively looking outside its sector for technologies to use in the decommissioning of nuclear power sites. Among major Scottish oil and gas installations being decommissioned are the Buchan Alpha floating production vessel off Aberdeen, and the Beatrice complex in the Moray Firth.

Summary: The nuclear industry is looking at how it might use technologies being used in the decommissioning of North Sea oil and gas installations.


The UK's largest arena operator SMG was chosen in partnership with the largest international live entertainment company Live Nation. The decision was announced by Bristol Mayor George Ferguson at a meeting of the council's cabinet earlier. Bristol Arena, a 12,000-seat music venue, will be located at the Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. The arena is part of the city's plan to regenerate about 70 hectares (170 acres) surrounding Bristol Temple Meads station and is due to open in 2017. The winning bidders will be involved in the design of the arena and in charge of operating, maintaining and managing it for the duration of the 25-year lease. Mr Ferguson said: "SMG and Live Nation will bring the combined expertise of two global businesses in delivering an extremely exciting programme of concerts." West of England Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will contribute £53m towards the cost of building the arena, with the remaining £38m funded by Bristol City Council. Colin Skellett, of the LEP, said: "This is a project that Bristol desperately needs, it's been talked about for so long, and we will make it work between us."

Summary: Two companies have been announced as the combined preferred bidder to operate a £91m arena in Bristol.


The 30-second spot is narrated by a stern-sounding male voice and features grainy images of Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The advert also includes photos of the San Bernardino attackers, so-called Islamic State militants, a US warship firing cruise missiles, exploding buildings and undated footage of migrants purportedly crossing the US-Mexican border. The commercial concludes with Mr Trump offering his trademark call to "make America great again", delivered before a cheering crowd. It wouldn't be Trump without some measure of controversy, of course. The fact-checking website Politifact says the border video is actually from Morocco - and the Trump campaign has since said the use of the footage was intentional and that it was what the US border could eventually look like if it is not adequately secured. Up until now, Mr Trump has maintained his position at the top of presidential preference polls thanks to his seemingly unique appeal to a blue-collar segment of the Republican electorate, buttressed by near-nonstop news media coverage of his non-traditional campaign and his often controversial comments. Mr Trump, in a news release announcing the advert, said that his campaign is currently $35 million (Â£24 million) "under budget". He added that he wasn't sure he needed to spend money on television commercials, but "I don't want to take any chances". While Mr Trump spent about $300,000 on three radio adverts last fall, the release says his new television campaign will cost about $2 million (Â£1.4 million) a week in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire. According to a recent report in the New York Times, however, the Trump campaign has yet to reserve airtime in either state - which casts some doubts about the actual size of the advertising purchase. What's clear, however, is that Trump's video has once again made him a top story in the political media, generating yet another wave of free publicity. His campaign gave the Washington Post a sneak preview on Sunday, leading to a 1,300-word article that featured Mr Trump talking about the details of the advert design, including his preference for using campaign rally footage instead of the more traditional, candidate-talks-to-the-camera style. "I don't like sitting down and shooting an ad because I don't think you capture the same energy you see at our events," he said. The content of the advert has some analysts scratching their heads, however. According to the Atlantic's David Graham, a new television campaign traditionally aims to appeal to voters not already in the candidate's camp. "If the point of these ads is to win over new voters, is a recap of months-old messages the most effective way to do it?" he asks. Even if the advertising purchase does total the $2 million a week that Mr Trump promises, that will - at best - only put him on roughly equal footing with competing candidates in terms of paid media over the coming weeks. A group supporting Texas Senator Ted Cruz has announced a $4 million buy over the coming weeks, for instance, and a political action committee tied to

Summary: Donald Trump is taking to the television airwaves, and his first advert prominently features his controversial call for temporarily halting the entry of all Muslim into the US and a border wall "paid for by Mexico".


The 31-year-old, who was in his first managerial role, appears to have paid the price for a shock League Cup exit. A Hearts statement read: "The board wishes it to be known that this was a very difficult decision, reluctantly made, as every member of the board recognises Ian is an extremely talented young coach with a very bright future. "We thank Ian for all of his efforts and wish him well in the future." Former Newcastle United, Valencia and Rio Ave coach Cathro was appointed head coach at Tynecastle in December, working under the club's director of football Craig Levein. The Scot oversaw a 2-0 defeat away to Rangers in his first game, and in the 22 Premiership matches he was in charge last term his side lost 13, drew four and won five. As a result, the Jambos finished fifth and missed out on a spot in Europe. His side were also knocked out of the Scottish Cup in a replay against city rivals Hibernian. Cathro was backed in the summer as the club brought in a number of new faces, including Northern Ireland striker Kyle Lafferty and Scotland defender Christophe Berra. The Gorgie men open their Premiership campaign at Celtic Park on Saturday, but results in the League Cup appear to have cost Cathro. Hearts started the group stage with wins over Elgin City and East Fife but lost at League One outfit Peterhead and then drew 2-2 with Dunfermline, losing the resulting penalty shootout and crashing out of the tournament. Media playback is not supported on this device

Summary: Hearts have sacked head coach Ian Cathro after seven months in charge.


The South Stream pipeline, financed by Russia's state gas giant Gazprom, would ship gas to western Europe via the Balkans, thus avoiding Ukraine. But the European Commission says the pipeline may break EU competition rules and asked Bulgaria to suspend work. Serbia's prime minister has denied his country has also halted building work. Reports on Sunday had quoted Serbian ministers as saying the work was on hold until the EU, Russia and Bulgaria resolved their dispute. But speaking on Monday, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said no such decision had been made. Serbia is in talks with the EU on joining the bloc. Bulgaria is already an EU member state. Construction work on the South Stream pipeline began in Bulgaria in October 2013. It is intended to deliver Russian gas to southern Europe without passing through Ukraine and if built, it would deliver 63 billion cubic metres of natural gas a year. The project was initiated amid disagreements between Gazprom and Ukraine and Belarus over the pricing of Russian gas, which led to gas supplies to some parts of Europe being cut off. It took on added significance following the upheaval in Ukraine. But the European Commission says Bulgaria may have broken EU public procurement laws by choosing local and Russian bidders for its part of the pipeline, and earlier this month, asked Bulgaria to stop work. On Monday, Russia's EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov said the move by Brussels was a "creeping shift to economic sanctions against Russia". "It is hard to shake off the feeling that the European Commission's blocking of the start of work on the construction of Bulgaria's key section of South Stream has been done for purely political purposes," Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying. Bulgaria has previously said it is being targeted by Brussels as a means of retaliating against Russia over the situation in Ukraine. Bulgarian Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev said on Sunday that the project remained "irreversible and important for both Europe and Bulgaria" and that he was sure a solution would be found. The EU and the US have imposed sanctions on a number of Russian individuals and companies following Moscow's intervention in Ukraine and its annexing of the Crimean peninsula, but Gazprom has not been targeted. The firm supplies 30% of Europe's gas - some 15% via Ukraine - and has warned exports will be affected if sanctions are expanded. Meanwhile, Gazprom has also threatened to cut supplies to Ukraine over an unpaid gas bill that it puts at more than $2bn (Â£1.2bn). This too would affect European supplies.

Summary: Russia has accused the European Union of imposing "creeping" economic sanctions following Bulgaria's decision to halt construction of a gas pipeline.


Media playback is not supported on this device The 21-year-old Welshman failed to match Serik Sapiyev's work-rate at the ExCel Arena on Sunday and lost 9-17 in the welterweight final. Evans' silver brought the number of Olympic medals won by Welsh competitors at London 2012 to seven, their highest total from any Games. Jade Jones, Tom James and Geraint Thomas were the three gold medallists. Evans joined Chris Bartley and Hannah Mills in winning silver, while Sarah Thomas added a bronze to the Welsh haul. Evans's success gave Wales its best boxing medal in the history of the games, trumping Ralph Evans's bronze in 1972 Munich Games. His hard road to the London 2012 final, which also included an enthralling single point semi-final win over Ukraine's world champion and world number one Taras Shelestyuk, caught up with him as Sapiyev pulled away to win. "I've had four hard fights and I've got no excuses. He was sharper on the day and I didn't stick to my plan quite as I should have," Evans said. "I beat the Ukrainian world champion, the number one in the world. Obviously I'm still young, I'm only 21 - I'm one of the youngest seniors here - so I've done well and I'm over the moon with getting to the final." Evans's fellow martial artist Jones in the taekwondo,coxless four rower James and team pursuit cyclist Thomas led the way for the Welsh contingent at London 2012 by winning gold medals as part of a great British performance that claimed 29 golds in a 65-medal haul. Lightweight four rower Bartley and 470 class sailor Mills have claimed silvers at London 2012, with hockey player Thomas winning bronze. Welsh athletes had claimed five medals at three previous Olympics - at Stockholm 1912, London 1948 and at Beijing four years ago - so a total of seven Olympic medals at these Games represents a stand-out achievement. The haul was reached despite two of the top tips for gold, 400m hurdler Dai Greene and triathlete Helen Jenkins, not fulfilling expectations after their preparations were disrupted by injury. Green also finished just outside the medals as part of the GB 4x400m relay team that came fourth in the final, while sprinter Christian Malcolm's last hopes were dashed when the 4x100m relay team was disqualified in the heats. The only milestone missed was equalling the mark of four gold medals won at a single Games set at Antwerp 1920. Ninety-two years ago it was water polo players Paulo Radmilovic and Christopher Jones, along with 4x400m relay runners Cecil Griffiths and John Ainsworth-Davies who spearheaded the Welsh effort under the banner of Great Britain. Wales also contributed a record 30 competitors to the GB squad, boosted by the five footballers selected for the men's team that lost on penalties to South Korea in the quarter-finals.

Summary: Boxer Fred Evans had to settle for a silver medal as a record-breaking Olympics for Welsh competitors ended.


Louise James's partner, two sons, mother and sister died when their car left Buncrana pier in County Donegal and entered Lough Swilly on Sunday. The only survivor was her four-month old daughter Rionaghac-Ann. A funeral service for the victims will take place in Londonderry later. Those who died were Sean McGrotty, 49, his sons Mark, 12, and Evan, eight, Ruth Daniels, 57, and her 14-year-old daughter Jodie Lee Daniels. The family's priest said Ms James had a very emotional meeting with her baby's rescuer. Davitt Walsh dived into the lough, swam to the family in their car, and brought Rionaghac-Ann to safety. Fr Paddy O'Kane, who will officiate at Thursday's funeral service, said he was moved to tears when Ms James met Mr Walsh for the first time. He said: "They looked at each other for some time and Louise began by saying: 'Davitt, I thank you so much for saving the life of my little girl - if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here now.'" The priest added that she told Mr Walsh she would be grateful to him for the rest of her life and that the rescuer would "always have a special bond" with her baby. "Then Davitt told us how sorry he was, because he would loved to have done more and he couldn't save the others," Fr O'Kane said. "But she said: 'No, you did what you had to do. You did the right thing, you had to save her, because if you hadn't, and tried to save more, we could have had seven coffins here, not five.'" The priest said Mr Walsh began to cry and told Ms James: "I needed to hear that from you." The pair then embraced and wept together. Fr O'Kane said he believed he would never again see "such intensity of feeling". Mr Walsh will attend the funeral at Holy Family Church in Ballymagroarty at 14:00 GMT. Speaking ahead of the service, Fr O'Kane said: "It's going to be very sad to have five coffins here in our church, we've never had that happen before." But he said the community was "united in grief" and wanted to support the family. Hundreds of people in the city have signed books of condolence, including Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers. Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness visited the family home on Thursday morning to meet Ms James and other family members. The leader of the Catholic church in Ireland also made what he said was a "heartrending" visit to the family home in Londonderry. Archbishop Eamon Martin, a native of the city, gave his condolences to Ms James and her extended family on Wednesday evening. "At a time like this I realise that any words of mine are totally inadequate," he said. "The enormous tragedy that has struck this family has stunned us all into silence. "Even in the midst of such awful tragedy this family has made us all think of how precious and important our loved ones are to us."

Summary: A Londonderry woman who lost five family members in a drowning tragedy off the Irish coast has had an emotional meeting with the man who rescued her baby in the incident.


The National Statistics Institute said the number of unemployed Spaniards fell by 12.4% to 4.78 million last year, thanks to a strengthening economy. In the fourth quarter the rate dropped to 20.9% of the workforce, compared with 21.2% three months earlier. The figures, which are better than predicted, are at their lowest level since mid-2011. The economic recovery pushed the number of unemployed people down by 678,200 for the whole year. But there is concern that much of the growth depends on short-term jobs The data showed almost twice as many temporary posts were created in 2015 than permanent ones. Vincenzo Scarpetta, a political analyst at Open Europe in London, said: "If the economic cycle starts going less well, those jobs could start to evaporate." Economists fear that the inconclusive election, which has yet to result in a government, could delay much needed reform of the labour market. Spain has suffered a double-dip recession that pushed unemployment to just under 27% at the end of 2013. Retail sales grew 3.6% in 2015 as a whole, which is the biggest rise in 15 years. A fall in the active workforce also helped the drop in the unemployment rate in the fourth quarter, reflecting the flow of workers going abroad and inactivity among the long-term unemployed.

Summary: Spanish unemployment figures have experienced their biggest annual fall but unemployment remains at over 20%.


Sixfields Tavern became engulfed in flames at about 14:30 GMT on Saturday afternoon. Eighty firefighters worked for five hours to contain the fire and no-one was hurt. Minor demolition work is to be carried out, as police and firefighters assess the damaged site. Barry Mullan, incident commander, said: "The local employees did a great job in getting everyone out." He said the fire began in a rear compound which contains a bin store and walk-in freezer, although the exact cause is not yet known. Firefighters remain at the site watching for hotspots, which may reignite as the unstable areas are demolished. The pub is at Sixfields Leisure, a site of shops, restaurants, fast food outlets and a cinema just yards from Sixfields Stadium, the home of Northampton Town. Flames and billowing smoke could be seen above the stands as The Cobblers defeated Northwich 3-2 in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon. Lewis Dunnachine, who was in the pub, said: "We were finishing off our lunch prior to going to the Northampton Town match when I spotted spotted black smoke before the fire alarm went off. "Our seats at the game enabled us to watch the building burn to the ground." The game was unaffected and police assisted as supporters left the ground at full-time. At the blaze's peak, firefighters were supported by crews from Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The operation was scaled down after 18:00 GMT. A smell of burning lingers in the area where this time yesterday, Sixfields Tavern was a busy restaurant and pub. It's now a carcass, burnt beyond all recognition. Part of the front of the building is still standing but from what I can see through the broken windows the inside is damaged beyond all reasonable repair. It's a sad sight. This was a popular local and the pub of home fans on match day. Police advised people to avoid the area on Saturday night and said Weedon Road roundabout remained closed on Sunday. A Hungry Horse spokesperson said: "The pub will not be open for the foreseeable future and we will be working with the emergency services to establish the cause." They added: "We sincerely apologise to our customers who have Christmas bookings with us, and will be contacting those whose telephone numbers we have as soon as we can to help them re-arrange their bookings, or where necessary, offer a refund of their deposits." The venue was fully-booked for Christmas Day lunch. James Stirling and Brian Miller were working at the pub when the fire took hold. They described it as heartbreaking. "I've already cried," said Mr Miller. It is understood pub workers have been unable to collect their cars from the car park because their personal belongings, including keys, were in the staff room.

Summary: Staff at a fire-wrecked pub in Northampton have been praised by a fire officer for their quick actions in helping customers to safety.


The Richard Burnett collection of instruments from the 17th to 19th Century went under the hammer on Wednesday. The auction in Newbury saw strong bidding with some items more than doubling their estimated guide price. The instruments were bought by collectors in the UK, China, USA and Germany. Proceeds from the auction, which topped £835,462, will go to the Finchcocks Charity, which works to keep historical instruments in playing condition. Dr Graham Wells, specialist at Dreweatts and Bloomsbury Auctions, said: "This has stood out as one of the most exciting auctions that I have worked on." The collection was put up for sale after Finchcocks Museum in Goudhurst, Kent - owned by Mr Burnett - closed in December following his retirement.

Summary: A collection of 70 historic keyboards belonging to a concert pianist has sold for more than £835,000 at auction.


Cafodd corff Janet Commins ei ddarganfod gan blant ar gae ysgol yn y dref wedi iddi fynd ar goll ar 7 Ionawr y flwyddyn honno. Roedd Stephen Hough, 58 oed o'r dref, yn gwadu cyhuddiad o'i llofruddio, ac fe'i cafwyd yn ddieuog o hynny gan reithgor yn Llys y Goron Yr Wyddgrug ddydd Iau. Ond barn y rheithgor oedd ei fod yn euog o ddynladdiad yn ogystal â chyhuddiadau o dreisio. Aeth Janet ar goll ar ôl gadael ei thŷ i fynd i nofio, ac mae dyn arall eisoes wedi treulio chwe blynedd dan glo am ei dynladdiad. Fe wnaeth Noel Jones, oedd yn 18 oed ar y pryd, gyfaddef ei lladd a bu yn y carchar am hanner ei ddedfryd o 12 mlynedd. Ond dywedodd wrth y rheithgor yn yr achos yma ei fod wedi cael ei wneud yn "fwch dihangol" gan yr heddlu am ei fod yn sipsi oedd prin yn gallu darllen ac ysgrifennu. Clywodd y llys bod Janet wedi ei lladd yn ystod ymosodiad rhyw, a bod ei chorff wedi cael ei symud yn ddiweddarach i'r man ble cafodd ei ddarganfod. Dywedodd Mark Heywood ar ran yr erlyniad bod y ferch wedi marw o ganlyniad i gael ei thagu yn ystod yr ymosodiad rhyw. Roedd DNA oedd yn cyd-fynd ag un Hough wedi ei ddarganfod ar samplau oedd wedi'u cadw o'r safle be gafodd y corff ei ddarganfod. Clywodd y rheithgor fod y DNA "biliwn gwaith" yn fwy tebygol o fod yn sampl gan Hough nac unrhyw berson arall. Fe fydd Hough yn cael ei ddedfrydu ar ddyddiad i'w bennu.

Summary: Mae dyn wedi ei gael yn euog o dreisio ac o ddynladdiad merch ysgol 15 oed yn Y Fflint yn 1976.