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For Zimbabwean MP Joseph Chinotimba, a loyal supporter of President Robert Mugabe, 2016 began with romance.
The 66-year-old war veteran and his wife Vimbai kissed their way into the Book of African Records, after scooping the top prize in a competition organised as part of Valentine's Day celebrations.
The couple, who have been married for eight years, won "The Longest Kiss in Africa Challenge", locking lips for a record 10 minutes and 17 seconds, beating the previous African record by five minutes and 17 seconds.
Though the Chinotimbas' passion didn't quite match that of the world record holders from Thailand, who kissed for 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds.
Later in the year, one Nigerian MP gave an example of just how far women still have to go in the battle against abusive language and gender equality.
After a row during a closed door session of the Senate in July, Dino Melaye allegedly threatened to beat up and "impregnate" a female colleague, Oluremi Tinubu.
Mr Melaye later denied saying this, releasing a statement that shocked some commentators: "Biologically, it is even impossible to impregnate Tinubu because she has arrived at menopause."
According to Nigeria's Punch newspaper, Ms Tinubu said she would forgive the comments, but would remain defiant in public life in socially conservative country.
"I am not championing a cause for women. I am only standing in my space and if my space is encroached upon, I have to fight back.
"Rosa Parks wasn't an activist; she just decided to sit in her space and not give up her space anybody in a bus. And that sent a message."
Despite the various ways in which women are denied basic human rights across Africa, they are allowed to vote.
But during past elections in Zambia, women wearing nail varnish were not allowed to cast their ballot unless they first wiped their fingernails clean.
Officials complained that the nail varnish prevented them from applying the indelible ink correctly.
However, the situation changed this August when Zambia went to the polls in an election that led to a fresh term for President Edgar Lungu.
A few days before the votes were cast, the country's electoral commission posted on social media, saying women with "painted nails and/or false nails" could exercise their democratic right.
In a peculiar move towards gender equality, Cameroon's parliament in June debated a new law which would see men who commit adultery sent to jail.
Women in the country already faced being jailed for between two to six months for having sexual relations outside marriage.
The law, which had the backing of President Paul Biya's party, was approved, and men in the country now face up to six years' incarceration for adultery, as well as a fine of up to $160 (£130).
"Men having children out of wedlock should be punished because that is evidence of adultery," one MP, Tomaino Ndam Njoya, is reported to have said during the debate.
Cecil the lion is gone from this world and probably from many of our minds, but an elephant in Zimbabwe suspected to have been targeted by poachers was not so keen to follow suit.
Nicknamed "Pretty Boy", the 25-year-old animal lived with a bullet in his head for between three and six weeks, before being treated by veterinarians in Mana Pools National Park in June.
"We think he was shot outside of the park and came into the park for refuge," said Lisa Marabini, one of the team from Aware Trust Zimbabwe, who cleaned Pretty Boy's wounds but judged it safer to leave the bullet in place.
It would come as no surprise to learn that a group of people you saw chatting boisterously and laughing exuberantly at an international airport was made up of Nigerians.
Whether it is in conversation or in parties or in appearance, the citizens of Africa's most populous country are usually happy to be loud.
But, in June, the government of Lagos State decided that it had had enough of the loud singing in Christian congregations and the Muslim call to prayer, shutting down 70 churches and 20 mosques accused of being too noisy in the commercial city.
Though with more than 20 million inhabitants in the city, the task of policing all the hundreds of thousands of churches and mosques could take years.
Women in South Africa seemed to spend quite a bit of time this year protesting about what goes on their heads.
In addition to the well-publicised demonstrations about what hairstyles should be allowed in the country's schools, there was also the lesser-known debate about the "doek", or headscarf, in the corporate world, after it emerged that the story of a news reporter for ENCA, an independent news channel, had been taken off air because she filmed it wearing a doek.
Following the social media storm that ensued, the channel, while explaining that its dress code does not allow on-air journalists to wear headgear to work, said it would review that policy and had "zero-tolerance" towards racism.
But for hijab-wearers it has been a more positive year, given a spate of bannings across the continent in 2015.
Separate courts in Kenya and Nigeria ruled that schools, even those funded by Christian churches, could not ban Muslim girls from wearing them as part of their uniforms.
Although in Nigeria's Osun state it has led to a war of the robes, with some Christian students turning up wearing church clothes - such as choir gowns - over their school uniforms.
And after Zimbabwe started the year with a kissing competition, Kenya rounded it off with a beauty pageant for people with albinism.
Jairus Ong'etta, who went on to be crowned Mr Albinism, reportedly said during a performance: "It will always remain black boards need white chalk, white bible pages - black inscriptions.
"So white in Kenya doesn't just stand for peace, it means a people, a face."
Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa, on Instagram at bbcafrica or email [email protected]
More from Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani: | Africa has contributed its fair share of captivating headlines this year, but submerged in the coverage of migrations and mass killings, Nigerian novelist and journalist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani picks out some of the quirkier stories you might just have missed. | 38340179 | [
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The 29-year-old centre-back turned his left ankle during the second half of last Saturday's 4-0 win over West Brom.
"When your mind is positive it's easier to recover," said the Argentine boss. "He doesn't require surgery.
"We have players that can perform in his place and we are very happy with the squad and the players we have."
Analysis: The best defence? the most powerful midfield? - How good are Tottenham?
Vertonghen has played in 20 out of 21 league matches this season, forming part of a defence that has conceded just 14 goals - the best record in the league.
Pochettino, however, was unsure as to when attacking midfielder Erik Lamela would return to action. The 24-year-old has been sidelined since the end of October with a hip problem.
"He will have a scan on Friday," he added.
"Still it is difficult to give the time that he can come back. We need to wait tomorrow because there is still some problems, and we are still not sure of the diagnosis." | Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen is expected to be out for six weeks with an ankle ligament injury, according to his manager Mauricio Pochettino. | 38685142 | [
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Gerard Kevin Hughes, 29, and Gavin Martin Hughes, 31, who are both from Springfield Park in Belfast, appeared in court alongside their older brother Joseph Christopher Hughes, 35, from The Meadows in Downpatrick.
The trio all appeared at Belfast Crown Court.
The charges arose from incidents in 2013.
The court hearing was told that on 9 October, 2013, a car driven by Gavin Hughes was stopped in north Belfast, and when the vehicle was stopped a black plastic bag was located on the passenger seat. The bag contained five compact cubes of cocaine which amounted to 1.27 kilos of the Class A drug.
When Gavin Hughes was searched, another amount of cocaine was found in the pockets of his jeans, and he was taken into custody.
The following day, officers travelled to an address in the Ligoniel area of the city, which at the time was being rented by Gavin Hughes.
When they arrived, police found Gavin's two brothers Gareth and Joseph at the property. Both the property and a vehicle parked outside the house were searched, and further packages of cocaine were seized, alongside items and equipment associated with mixing drugs. Also located during the search were 21 ecstasy tablets.
The court heard it was the Crown's case that the rented property was being used to mix the cocaine and prepare it for sale. The total amount of cocaine seized on 9 and 10 October 2013 amounted to 3.25 kilos.
The Hughes brothers subsequently pleaded guilty to a number of drugs offences, while Gerard Hughes also admitted two further offences - namely possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and possession of amphetamine on 6 August, 2013. These offences were linked to the seizure of drugs in a car park in east Belfast.
Regarding the drugs seizures in October 2013, Gavin Hughes pleaded guilty to five charges, including possessing cocaine with intent to supply.
He was handed a four-year sentence and was told he will serve a year in prison, with the remaining three years on licence upon his release.
His brother Gerard - who appeared on charges arising from two separate incidents in August and October 2013 - was handed a sentence of five years. Half of this sentence will be spent in jail, with the remaining two years and six months on licence when he is released from prison.
Joseph Hughes, who pleaded guilty to a single charge of possessing cocaine with intent to supply, was given a three-year sentence. Six months of this will be spent in jail, with the remaining 30 months on supervised licence upon his release. | Three brothers from Belfast have been jailed for drugs offences linked to a significant seizure of cocaine. | 32390756 | [
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Owners the British Racing Drivers' Club says it cannot afford to host the race after 2019 unless a new deal is agreed.
Horner says the decision to exercise its break clause risks the race being moved to a London street track.
"They signed a contract. They knew what they were entering and they've now realised they can't afford it, despite having a full house every year."
He added: "They either shouldn't have signed it in the first place or they got their maths wrong."
The BRDC had a contract until 2027 but it contained a break clause to end the deal after 2019 which had to be activated before this year's race this weekend.
Silverstone sought to reach a compromise agreement with F1's new owners Liberty Media but these talks failed.
Liberty offered a series of options to try to help Silverstone but the track believed these were not satisfactory.
Media playback is not supported on this device
F1 is hosting an event in London on Wednesday, with all the teams and many drivers taking part in a demonstration at Trafalgar Square.
Horner is a member of the BRDC but said he did not involve himself in any club decisions.
He added: "Liberty have made a commitment that there'll be a British Grand Prix but with this London event happening, if that was a success - which hopefully it should be - with the recent legislation changes there have been in the City of London, you can imagine a London grand prix being pretty attractive to the Liberty guys.
"So Silverstone need to be a little bit careful how they handle themselves and negotiate, that they don't find themselves losing out. I'm amazed they have triggered their break clause."
John Grant, the BRDC chairman, dismissed the idea of a street race in London.
"Most informed observers would say a London event is just not feasible - politically, environmentally or commercially," he said.
Horner added: "From Liberty's perspective this is a historic problem rather than something recent. Silverstone get favourable rates anyway. It is hard to imagine they lose money putting 120,000 people in there, plus all the corporates and everything else during the course of the weekend.
"I'd question how it's been managed and the negotiation they had in the first place."
Grant said Silverstone had "sustained losses of £2.8m in 2015 and £4.8m in 2016, and we expect to lose a similar amount this year".
The current contract was negotiated by a previous management team, which left the track under a cloud a few years ago.
It started at £12m in 2010, but costs £16.9m this year and would have been £27.5m in 2027 had Silverstone not exercised its get-out clause.
The contract was predicated on updates to the track, including a new pit and paddock complex, but Horner said these had been badly executed.
"They spent a fortune on the pits and put them in the wrong place," he said.
"They've created a paddock that has zero atmosphere at one of the most historic race tracks in the UK so there was some serious misjudgement and management, one would say.
"But it is the British Grand Prix and Britain should absolutely have a grand prix. But there have been some questionable calls made.
"It would be shocking to lose Silverstone from the calendar and even more shocking to lose a British Grand Prix when you consider 80% of the teams are based within the UK and how much the UK contributes to F1 from a historical point of view." | Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says he is "amazed" Silverstone has ended its British Grand Prix contract. | 40576257 | [
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Thomas Bebbington, 22, from Shrewsbury, was last seen entering the river near the Dana Steps at about 19:20 GMT on 10 November.
A body was found by a member of the public on private land near Leighton, about 10 miles (16.09km) away from the centre of Shrewsbury, on Monday.
Mr Bebbington's family has been informed, West Mercia Police confirmed. | Police searching for a man who went missing last month have found a body on the banks of the River Severn. | 35031875 | [
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Now, as Jaguar Land Rover announces plans to create an extra 1,700 jobs at its base in Solihull - on top of 800 created in January - is the West Midlands town becoming "Land Rover Land"?
Discovery, Defender, and Freelander models line the leafy cul-de-sacs that surround the plant on the outskirts of the town centre.
Families talk about the difficulty of finding their cars in supermarket car parks because there are now so many of the same cars from the same company.
Even Solihull Council is in on the act, with the mayoral car being - of course - a black 2013 Range Rover Vogue.
"Suddenly they are everywhere, throughout the streets of Solihull," said mayor Joe Tildesley.
"I look out the window and it's the first car I see. It's a status vehicle people aspire to have.
"They are here and are - quite properly - endorsed by many people, including the council. I don't see it as a bad thing."
Mother-of-three Julie Henn, lives in Nerstal Drive in Solihull, just a stone's throw away from the Jaguar Land Rover site.
The 55-year-old said she regretted leaving her Land Rover behind so much when she moved to the UK from South Africa about eight years ago that she ended up buying a replacement soon afterwards. Her husband is now hoping to buy a new one as well.
"There was not a day that went by when I did not regret it," she said.
"Now I can't believe how many there are. On Saturday I saw four in a row.
"A Range Rover, two Discoveries and a Freelander - one after the other."
Mrs Henn said she knew people who struggled to find their Land Rovers in supermarket car parks because they were so common.
Mother-of two Joanne Rumney, who lives around the corner in Oakslade Drive, owns a Land Rover Discovery from the 1990s.
"People are proud to have JLR here," said the 38-year-old.
"It has a status that people like. They are good family cars."
Jaguar Land Rover, which also has manufacturing bases in Castle Bromwich and Halewood on Merseyside, has said the latest announcement will bring the total number of jobs it has created in the UK over the past three years to almost 11,000.
Mr Tildesley said the firm's investment had "undoubtedly" boosted Solihull with other firms benefiting from knock-on trade.
Rachael Eade, from the Manufacturing Advisory Service, said every job created by vehicle manufacturers leads to two or three in the supply chain.
"It's a huge confidence booster locally and UK-wide," she said.
"It's 1,700 jobs and three times that in the supply chain.
"I think the new technology involved will attract a new, younger market and will make a difference to the supply chain.
"Younger people have more of a desire to be involved in that as they probably view car manufacturing to be a bit dusty, dirty and not for them."
But not everyone is happy.
Some shops said the expansion had brought with it increased parking problems.
Terry Cosma, manager of Solihull Fish Bar in Hob's Moat Road, said: "I have not noticed any change in business. We have always had a steady flow of JLR workers.
"The big problem is the lack of parking round here. They are along the pavements, the grass verges, sometimes it's difficult to get into the side roads."
Julie Jones, who works at Trev's Hairdressers, also in Hob's Moat Road, said: "The parking is ridiculous - diabolical.
"There is nowhere for us to go because all the Land Rover workers are there."
In 2005, MG Rover based at Longbridge, less than 10 miles from Solihull, went into administration. About 14,000 people employed by the Rover group were based at the site.
But Ms Eade said she did not believe Solihull would suffer a similar fate and collapse if JLR's fortunes changed in the future.
"The automotive industry has learnt lessons from MG Rover," she said.
"They are not as heavily reliant on one customer now and if you are a designer you probably work for JLR, Mini, JCB, Ford.
"I don't think the bubble will burst for the foreseeable future." | Swindon is known by some as "Honda Town" and Detroit as "Motor City". | 24030689 | [
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The 24-year-old was under contract with the Stags, but Marcus Bignot's side have reached an agreement to bring him in on a free transfer.
He spent the first half of the season on loan at Crawley, scoring three goals in 23 appearances.
The ex-Burton player will officially join on 1 January and becomes Bignot's first signing for the Mariners. | Grimsby have signed striker Adi Yussuf on an 18-month deal from fellow League Two side Mansfield. | 38479017 | [
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West Midlands Ambulance Service said the car was discovered on Sunday at 09:35 GMT by two cyclists in Crakemarsh near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire.
A spokesman said the black Ford Fiesta appeared to have hit a tree in very foggy conditions on the B5030.
The girl, in the back of the car, was treated at hospital for minor injuries.
The man, who was 25 and from the local area, has not yet been named.
Updates from this story and more from Staffordshire
An ambulance service spokesman said: "This was an extremely difficult incident for all involved including the two cyclists who made the discovery."
Staffordshire Police appealed for witnesses to the crash, and said specially trained family liaison officers were working to support the family.
A spokesman added: "At this early stage of the investigation it is not known at what time the collision occurred." | A five-year-old girl has been found with her dead father in a crashed car which had been in a ditch "for some time". | 34696511 | [
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He faces a number of charges. First, he pulled out of a long-planned trip to Moscow after the US missile strike on a Syrian airfield. It was agreed the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should go instead.
Poodle, cried his critics.
Next, Team Boris briefed journalists that the foreign secretary wanted to get the G7 to agree new sanctions against Russia at its meeting in the Italian city of Lucca. But Mr Johnson entirely failed to persuade other countries to agree.
Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said there was no consensus new sanctions would help and argued they could push Russia into a corner.
Mr Johnson's own view of the Syrian conflict seems to have swerved around like a shopping trolley since he became the UK's chief diplomat in July.
Giving evidence to a House of Lords committee at the start of 2017, he signalled a shift in UK policy towards Syria. Mr Johnson said the "mantra" of calling for President Assad to go had not worked and the military space had been left open to Russia to fill.
The Foreign Secretary told peers President Assad should be allowed to run for election as part of a "democratic resolution" of the civil war.
Now, however, Mr Johnson believes the Syrian leader has to go.
How much of this is fair? And what might the episode say about Boris Johnson's standing in Theresa May's government?
First, the UK was a bystander to the Trump administration's missile strike on Syria. The government was given a courtesy call to say it was coming but the UK was not asked to be involved.
Mr Johnson's trip to Moscow (which would have been the first by a British foreign secretary to Russia for five years) was long planned and quickly binned. I understand Mrs May told Mr Johnson it was his call whether he wanted to go or not. After speaking to Rex Tillerson, Mr Johnson and his US opposite number agreed it was best for one man to deliver a single message to Moscow.
Mr Johnson then spent a weekend hitting the phones to other G7 countries trying to get a united position agreed ahead of the meeting in Lucca. In its final communique, the G7 did agree to state the Assad regime had to end.
But further sanctions - an idea endorsed by Number 10 - got nowhere. It was clearly a snub to Mr Johnson although government sources insist sanctions have not been taken off the table.
On Wednesday, the Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, said other countries were "less forward-leaning" than the UK on the issue.
Diplomacy is tough. But it may have been unwise for the Foreign Office to suggest sanctions were an ambition when key G7 nations clearly didn't agree.
At the weekend, I was told by Team Boris that he was very relaxed about the sniping and criticism being lobbed his way in recent days. And Mr Johnson has provoked quite a lot since he became foreign secretary, largely because of his use of decidedly undiplomatic language.
He was taken to task by a Swedish MEP in February for calling Brexit a "liberation". A month before that, Mr Johnson warned the French president not to respond to Brexit by administering "punishment beatings" in the manner of a World War Two film.
Guy Verhofstadt, who speaks for the European Parliament on Brexit, branded the remarks "abhorrent and deeply unhelpful". It was several days after President Trump's election that Boris Johnson said it was time for Mr Trump's critics to get over their "whinge-o-rama" - a comment I know left some officials in Brussels agog.
Mr Johnson is always keen to speak with the swashbuckling pluck of the newspaper columnist he once was. His many fans in the Tory party might love it. But even Mrs May has hinted at exasperation.
At the Conservative Party conference last autumn, the prime minister said: "Do we have a plan for Brexit? We do. Are we ready for the effort it will take to see it through? We are. Can Boris Johnson stay on message for a full four days? Just about."
It was a joke. But not many prime ministers joke about their foreign secretary's erraticism. Then in December, Mrs May described Boris Johnson as an FFS - saying that in this case it stood for being a Fine Foreign Secretary (and not the punchy abbreviation for a term of exasperation).
When Mrs May was home secretary and Mr Johnson was London mayor they had a prickly relationship. She then beat him to the job he craved.
Her appointment of the Brexit campaign's most prominent champion to the job of foreign secretary stunned Westminster and it remains one of the most intriguing political relationships within the government.
While happy to clip his wings publicly from time to time, Theresa May also needs Boris Johnson on board as she embarks on Brexit.
A force so effective in persuading Britain to vote to leave the EU is not a politician the prime minister wants sniping from outside the cabinet as the negotiating trade-offs begin. | There is, to use Boris Johnson's own lingo, a "whinge-o-rama" raging among the foreign secretary's political opponents and in parts of the press about his performance in the current Syria crisis. | 39580761 | [
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Federations must rule on whether Russians can compete in Rio following the country's doping scandal.
The Union Cycliste Internationale said three cyclists were withdrawn due to previous drugs cases, with another three implicated in the doping scandal.
Wrestler Viktor Lebedev, who returned a positive doping test at the 2006 Junior World Championships, was also banned.
Following a report conducted by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren, which said Russia operated a state-sponsored doping programme from 2011 to 2015, the International Olympic Committee ruled any Russian athlete who has served a doping ban will not be eligible for Rio 2016.
So far, more than 110 of the 387-strong Russian team have been banned from the Games, which get under way on 5 August.
The final line-up will be announced on 30-31 July, according to the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC).
Eleven of Russia's 17-strong cycling squad have been cleared to ride in Brazil.
United World Wrestling cleared 16 Russian wrestlers, while all four Russian badminton players have been told by the sport's governing body they can compete.
Badminton World Federation's Thomas Lund said the governing body was satisfied the athletes had been tested in and out of competition.
"We have had a rigid drug-testing programme, especially leading up to Rio 2016," he added. "Their samples have been analysed outside of Russia."
Boxing, golf, gymnastics, handball, taekwondo and weightlifting are still to confirm their eligibility decisions.
"We will tell how many people will go in the next few days," said Alexander Zhukov, the head of the ROC.
About 70 Russian athletes left Moscow for Brazil on Thursday, following a farewell ceremony hosted by Russian president Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
"They have got us fired up but in a good way," said handball player Polina Kuznetsova of the cheering crowd at Moscow's Sheremetevo airport.
"We are going to fight more to prove that it is difficult to break Russia. We will fight for those who were not able to go."
Olympic champion pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva and world champion hurdler Sergey Shubenkov are among 67 of the 68-strong athletics team to have been banned by the International Athletics Federation.
Isinbayeva corrected reports on Thursday suggesting she might be the Russian team's flag bearer in Rio, despite not being able to compete.
"We should clarify one very important thing!" she said via Instagram. "Flag bearer at the Olympics in Rio have already been defined, it is a great athlete, Olympic champion Sergey Tetyukhin (volleyball)." | More Russian athletes have been banned from competing at next month's Olympics by their sports' governing bodies. | 36912152 | [
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The 56-year-old man, from Essex, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in a field off Burrows Lane, in the Middle Stoke area, on Sunday.
His next of kin have been informed. No-one else was in the aircraft.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) attended and are investigating the cause of the crash, which happened at about 16:18 GMT.
Louise Holloway, who lives nearby, was outside in the garden when she heard a "huge bang" and saw "a massive orange flash right across the sky".
"One man ran across the field but there was no way the pilot could have got out. It's really sad," she said.
Representatives from UK Power Networks and fire crews also attended. | A pilot has died after his microlight hit an electricity pylon and burst into flames near Rochester in Kent. | 35860140 | [
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In a letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the group accused the social network of "disproportionate censorship of Facebook users of colour".
The coalition wants the site to specify which rule a deleted post has broken, and provide an appeal process.
Facebook has previously responded to a letter submitted by the group, but has not yet replied to the latest one.
The social network sometimes removes content that has been reported or flagged by members, if it is judged to have broken the website's guidelines.
But the coalition argued that the moderation was "racially biased".
"Activists in the Movement for Black Lives have routinely reported the takedown of images discussing racism and during protests, with the justification that it violates Facebook's community standards," the coalition wrote.
"At the same time, harassment and threats directed at activists based on their race, religion, and sexual orientation is thriving on Facebook.
"Your recent response indicates you are adequately addressing the problem. We disagree."
The social network has faced a variety of complaints over perceived censorship of content such as political views, nudity and historical photographs.
The coalition behind the letter includes organisations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, Color of Change, and the Center for Media Justice.
It said it wanted Facebook to:
In a statement, Facebook said: "We have received the letter and are reviewing it." | A coalition of more than 70 civil rights groups has urged Facebook to be clearer about the content it removes. | 38678489 | [
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The LottoNL-Jumbo rider triumphed in a sprint ahead of Australia's Caleb Ewan, with Briton Chris Opie third.
That came after several riders fell heavily in a dramatic crash in the final metres in Scarborough.
Britain's Adam Blythe also finished in the top 10, placing eighth on the 173km run from Bridlington, the first of three stages.
Groenewegen also took narrow victory ahead of Ewan in the opening stage of the 2016 event, eventually won by Thomas Voeckler, who is defending his title this year.
"The last climb was hard but the team brought me back into position so I could sprint for the win. It's a beautiful race with a lot of people on the road, that gives you a lot of motivation," he told ITV.
"Today was one chance and tomorrow is another but we'll see."
Saturday's second stage will start on the bridge in Tadcaster that has been rebuilt after being damaged by floods, and is expected to end in a bunch sprint in Harrogate.
Sunday's finale is a gruelling 194.5km ride from Bradford to Sheffield which takes in eight King of the Mountain climbs, including the Cote de Silsden and the cobbles of Haworth's main street, with four ascents saved for a final 22km circuit.
The women's race, featuring Britain's former world champion Lizzie Deignan, takes place over the same 122.5km route earlier in the day.
The Tour de Yorkshire, now in its third year, began as part of the legacy of the county hosting the 2014 Grand Depart for the Tour de France.
Overall classification after stage one:
1. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/LottoNl-Jumbo) 4hrs 09mins 28secs
2. Caleb Ewan (Aus/Orica-Scott) +4secs
3. Chris Opie (GB/Bike Channel Canyon) +6secs
4. Angel Madrazo (Spa/Delko) +8secs
5. Nacer Bouhanni (Fra/Cofidis) +10secs
6.. Steele von Hoff (Aus/One Pro) Same time
7. Kristian Sbaragli (Ita/Dimension Data) Same time
8. Andre Looij (Ned/Roompot) Same time
9. Adam Blythe (GB/Aqua Blue Sport) Same time
10. Baptiste Planckaer (Bel/Katusha) Same time | Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen claimed the opening stage victory in this year's Tour de Yorkshire. | 39750673 | [
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Arlene Foster added her voice to the campaign after meeting a group of people affected by the drug at Stormont on Monday.
The drug was developed in Germany as a sedative, but it was also used to ease morning sickness in pregnant women.
It was linked to thousands of birth defects and was withdrawn in 1961.
The Stormont delegation included Kim Fenton, a former mayor of Castlereagh, who was born with shorter arms and legs because of Thalidomide.
She told BBC News NI that she believes survivors of the drug scandal are close to a breakthrough in securing compensation from Germany.
Ms Fenton, who is in her 50s, said that life is more of a struggle now, as her body has been so weakened by the strain of using her arms to walk.
"As a child, I didn't feel there were huge challenges. Before my mid-30s, the only time I kind of struggled was in pregnancy," she said.
"But since then, things have changed quite drastically. Because I've been using my arms as legs, the wear and tear over the decades has been severe.
"All the bones in my shoulder have disintegrated. Wearing my artificial legs has dislocated my hip and they can't operate because my bone structure is so complex."
On Monday, Kim and other people affected by Thalidomide asked Mrs Foster to add her voice to those appealing to the German government to recognise its responsibilities towards victims.
In 2012, German-based pharmaceutical company Gruenenthal issued its first apology over the drug in 50 years.
However, it said Thalidomide's possible side-effects "could not be detected" before it was marketed.
In March, a debate in the European Parliament centred on claims that the German government prematurely ended court action in the 1970s which would have helped those affected in the UK.
Kim and other campaigners want the German government to explain whether it protected Grunenthal directors and staff from prosecution and to properly compensate survivors.
An EU resolution that is expected to be passed in January next year could force the country's government to recognise its responsibilities towards victims.
"All eyes will be on Germany when this resolution is passed," Ms Fenton said.
"They're already embarrassed by this and it will be difficult for them not to respect the authority of the European Parliament.
"But we need our own politicians to take a stand and support our campaign."
Kim's increasingly complex medical needs are a strain on her financially - as well as regular physiotherapy, she has to travel to London to see specialists.
"Health insurance doesn't cover existing illnesses, so it would be pointless. This compensation would give me back my independence, which I have lost so much of since my health really began to deteriorate," she said.
"I came to terms with how I am a long time ago. There is nothing I can do to change it, but I want to continue to make the most of what I am and do everything I'm capable of, and to do that, I need support.
"It wouldn't be just a monetary victory though - it would feel like a moral victory if the German government did the right thing." | Northern Ireland's first minister is to write to the German chancellor to seek support for a new compensation package for victims of the Thalidomide scandal. | 37880151 | [
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It will add an extra 600 seats a day for commuters into the Welsh capital after being criticised for having too many overcrowded trains.
Arriva Trains Wales, whose Wales and Borders franchise expires in 2018, is adding morning weekday services into Cardiff Central from Barry and Radyr.
Economy minister Ken Skates had said Arriva's profits were "too high."
The Wales and Borders franchise - which is one of the UK's most heavily subsidised, receiving between £110m-£160m a year - has seen passenger numbers rise from 18 million in 2003 to 30 million.
About 265,000 people use Cardiff Central station weekly and a BBC investigation found overcrowding in Cardiff stations during the morning commute was rising at a faster rate than anywhere else outside London, according to figures from the Department for Transport.
Arriva Trains Wales now plans to add extra capacity and extra trains from 22 May on the following routes
Arriva Trains Wales said the additional trains were "subject to railway approval processes" but the announcement is "one of the most significant improvements to valleys commuters in a decade".
It said to implement the changes, the operator "needed to remove one midday Penarth service and one midday Barry service".
The firm has a zero growth contract - which means it has the same number of trains it had when it began operations in 2003.
It said the additions "would not have been possible" without Network Rail's recent £300m signalling upgrade works and new platform eight at Cardiff Central.
"This is one of the most significant improvements to valleys commuters in a decade, since the opening of the Ebbw Vale line," said Arriva Trains Wales customer services director, Lynne Milligan.
"With only a limited number of trains in our fleet and the lack of availability in the UK we have had to work hard to get the most from what we've got."
Network Rail Wales said "more trains are travelling through Cardiff than ever before". | Capacity on the "busiest trains" into Cardiff will double from May, Arriva Trains Wales has said. | 39436502 | [
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Megan Lee, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, died on 1 January, two days after she was admitted to hospital.
Royal Spice has been temporarily closed by Hyndburn Council due to below standard allergen management and a mice infestation.
Two men from the takeaway held on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter by gross negligence have been bailed.
Blackburn magistrates granted the Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order earlier.
The authority said the premises in Union Street, Oswaldtwistle, will remain closed until it was satisfied health risks had been removed.
Police have said a post-mortem examination had been carried out but the full results would not be known "for some time".
The arrested men, aged 37 and 38 and from Rossendale and Blackburn respectively, have been bailed until 7 July. | A takeaway has been shut down following a teenager's death from an apparent allergic reaction to one of its meals. | 38584147 | [
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The concept will be known as Vulcan, and it is expected to start operations in 2019.
United Launch Alliance - the joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin - currently flies the Atlas and Delta rockets.
These are routinely used to loft Nasa science probes, spy satellites and other US national security missions.
In time, both vehicles will be retired as the new Vulcan components come on stream.
The first element to be introduced will be the first-stage booster, which will feature an all-new, all-American liquid-fuelled engine.
This will enable ULA to end its use of Russian-made RD-180 rocket motors – something Congress has mandated.
Politicians on Capitol Hill dislike the fact that American national security missions are launched with the aid of Russian propulsion technology.
ULA's preference is to incorporate a liquid methane-oxygen power unit currently being developed by Blue Origin, the space company run by Amazon entrepreneur Jeff Bezos.
When the new Vulcan booster makes its debut, it will initially be married to the current Centaur upper-stage of the Atlas.
But early in the 2020s, this too will be replaced by a bespoke upper-stage that should give the new rocket a performance that allows it to exceed even the Delta IV Heavy – the biggest, most powerful rocket in the world today, capable of putting upwards of 25 tonnes in a low-Earth orbit.
Critically, though, the Vulcan will be substantially cheaper to build and operate.
"A Delta IV Heavy at today’s launch rates costs about $400m, give or take, depending on the mission and its complexity. I fully expect the Next Generation Launch System to be less than half that," said Tory Bruno, president and CEO of United Launch Alliance.
Some cost savings will be made by recovering and reusing the engines on the first-stage booster following a flight.
The idea is that after separation from the upper-stage, the engines would detach from the propellant tanks and fall back to Earth, deploying an inflatable shield to protect them from burning up on re-entry into the atmosphere.
Parachutes would then deploy and a helicopter would swoop in to pluck the engines out of the air and return them safely to the ground for servicing and re-integration into a new booster.
ULA will not say how much the Vulcan development programme is costing, but it will run into the billions of dollars.
ULA has to modernise, however. The priority status it has enjoyed with government contracts is coming to an end, and it is facing increasingly stiff competition – at home, from a bullish SpaceX company, whose low-cost rockets are winning favour with Nasa and commercial satellite operators; and abroad, where Europe and Russia are both moving to new-generation rocket systems that aim to reduce their launch prices also. | The company that conducts most of America's rocket launches has released details of its next generation vehicle. | 32296629 | [
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The UK's businesses are considering what reforms, if any, will be best for them.
Helena Morrissey, chief executive of Newton Asset Management, told the BBC the EU was no longer fit for purpose.
But co-founder of Innocent Drinks, Richard Reed, says the UK gets a lot more out of the EU than it thinks.
David Cameron, who has said he wants the UK to remain in a reformed EU, is busy trying to renegotiate Britain's terms of membership of the European Union.
"As a nation we have done so well by going out into the world, not from retreating from it," Mr Reed told Radio 4's Today programme.
His own firm, which was set up 15 years ago, is now trading with 17 countries across the EU. He said 50% of sales were into the EU, whereas 85% of the company's workers were in the UK, showing it's possible to get more out of the trading bloc than is put in.
"In the recession of 2008 if we had not had our European markets, we would probably have gone out of business," he added.
Ms Morrissey, who as well as running the fund manager Newton Asset Management is part of Business for Britain, which is lobbying for renegotiated terms for Britain's EU membership. She says she is concerned about the EU's "ever-closer union" and that "we have delegated a lot of decision-making".
"If we leave we would need to leave with good partnership with the EU... we could play our part as the UK on the world's stage," she said, dismissing the idea that an exit of the union would diminish the UK's international standing.
"It would be a lot easier for Britain to negotiate trade agreements with individual countries," she said, pointing out that Iceland - not an EU member - has a trade agreement with China and has a much smaller population and economy than the UK.
Big companies have threatened to rethink basing their European operations in the UK should Britain leave the EU, including Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank.
"I do think big businesses want often to maintain the status quo" which can help them thwart smaller firms, said Ms Morrissey. And she maintained that the debate should not be about immigration: "We benefit hugely from having people come to us... for me that's not the issue here."
For Mr Reed: "Overall, we are stronger and safer and culturally more enriched in than out.
"Things we want to change we can change... you get to influence the rules much more if you are on the committee making them."
He said the union was not perfect, and he would like to "improve the situation", but the vote would be "binary, in or out". For him, it is "definitely in".
The head of GE, the US conglomerate which makes everything from jet engines to trains and medical equipment and employs 17,000 people in the UK, told the Daily Telegraph that it did not matter if the UK remained in the European Union.
Jeff Immelt told the newspaper the UK was an "export country" that had "good relationships around the world". He also said that the formation of a union between European countries similar to the one shared by states in the US was probably not going to happen in his lifetime. | A topic of debate at this week's Conservative Party conference will be the UK's relationship with Brussels ahead of a referendum due in 2017. | 34439925 | [
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The 84-year-old, who played the British spy in seven films between 1973 and 1985, praised Craig's performances in his new book, Bond on Bond.
"I loved Casino Royale and Daniel Craig. He is a wonderful actor, certainly the best actor to play Bond," he said.
He added he thought the 44-year-old had "the best build of any Bond".
Recalling his years as 007, the veteran actor said: "Back then I could leap out of a chair without fear of my knees cracking.
"[I] could chew a toffee without fear of losing a tooth; could admire my flowing locks and my bronzed, slim torso.
"With a twitch of the old eyebrow I set pulses racing across the world, they say. These days it's my pacemaker that keeps my pulse racing."
Craig's third Bond film, Skyfall, is due for release in the UK on 26 October.
A new trailer for the movie was unveiled last month, showing Bond being "killed" in action and his boss M typing up his obituary.
It also gave fans the first glimpse of Bond villain Silva - played by Oscar winner Javier Bardem - in action. | Sir Roger Moore has said he believes Daniel Craig is the best actor to have played James Bond. | 19389882 | [
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Dal Babu, a chief superintendent until 2013, said many Muslims did not trust the "Prevent" strategy and many saw it as a form of spying.
Prevent is a multi-agency programme which aims to stop people being drawn into terrorist-related activity.
The Home Office defended the scheme, saying 130,000 people had been trained to identify and prevent extremism.
With an annual budget of £40m, the Prevent programme is one of four strands of Contest, the acronym given to the government's multi-pronged counter-terrorism strategy.
The Home Office says there are now Prevent programmes in place in all key sectors, including local government, health, education, prisons, immigration and charities.
But Mr Babu, who retired from the Metropolitan Police two years ago, said cases like those of the three London schoolgirls who have gone to Syria had caught the authorities unaware.
He said because police counter-terrorism units were mainly white, with few Muslim officers, they did not fully understand issues of race, Islam and gender.
He said: "Sadly, Prevent has become a toxic brand and most Muslims are suspicious of what Prevent is doing."
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Prevent, when it was introduced, was a good idea. It is about engagement of local communities.
"But over the years it has become less and less trusted.
"Cameras were implemented, without the community understanding them, in Muslim areas of Birmingham."
Mr Babu, a highly respected figure in policing circles, helped found the National Association of Muslim Police during a 30-year career in which he became one of the most senior Asian officers in the UK.
He said that organisations who have taken Prevent funding have a considerable credibility gap within the Muslim community.
"A lot of public money is given to organisations that say they can stop extremism, but we don't know if they are successful.
"You need a strategy for dealing with extremism. But how is that strategy measured, has it been successful?
"We should not put Muslims in a separate box when safeguarding young people.
"You need to look at children services. There is also a spectacular lack of diversity in hierarchy of children services.
"They are all white. I am not aware of a single non-white chair of an independent safeguarding board.
"In diverse areas like Manchester, Birmingham, Thames Valley, London and Yorkshire you need to make sure you have services that reflect the community."
Sir Peter Fahy, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police defended the Prevent strategy, saying: "Overall it has been a very successful programme.
"If you ask the Muslim communities whether they have confidence in policing, they have a higher confidence in policing than the mainstream population [does]."
"It's very difficult to measure the success of a programme that's about prevention because obviously the success rate here is that no bombs have gone off."
He said that parents had to take "prime responsibility" for stopping young people being attracted by Islamic State.
He added: "But there is a recognition that the Muslim leaders themselves have allowed too many extremists to take the ground. They are the prime people that need to find a solution to this."
Mizahur Rahman, who underwent a deradicalisation programme after serving a prison term for soliciting to murder, told the BBC that the Prevent programme was never going to work as there was an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
He told BBC Radio 5 live on Friday: "The Prevent mentors, deradicalisers or whatever you want to call them, are going to be seen as agents of the government, intelligence gatherers.
"There is no way to have a trusting relationship with someone in that position.
"I never felt comfortable at all, despite what they said. I felt if I asked him something I would go to prison."
The Home Office spokesperson defended the programme in a statement: "This Government fundamentally revised the Prevent strategy in 2011 to ensure it challenges terrorist ideology, supports people who are vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism and works with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation.
"We will soon be coming forward with a new extremism strategy that deals with the whole spectrum of extremism."
A Scottish government spokesman said that its programme, run through the Scottish Preventing Violent Extremism Unit, took a different approach, "based on community engagement and the strength of the relationship between our Muslim communities and our police service". | The government's anti-terror strategy has become "a toxic brand", a Muslim former senior police officer has said. | 31792238 | [
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Cornish-born Glover was meant to be back with winning partner Heather Stanning, but
Glover, 27, won the with Swann last season.
"We had a whole year together last year so hopefully it'll click into place," she told BBC Radio Cornwall.
"It's clicking into place fairly easily, we just need to get back onto the same page technically and get doing the same things."
Swann replaced Stanning last season after she
Glover and Swann won three World Cup events together last season as well as the world title in South Korea.
And with a good performance in Amsterdam, Glover says there could be some tough decisions for the Great Britain selectors as to who partners her in the coxless pair for the rest of this season.
She said: "It's going to be a quite interesting one with Heather coming back after taking a year out with the army and Polly staying here.
"There's lots of selection things about who will be in the pair out of those two.
"But I want to keep my eye on the World Championships at the end of August in Amsterdam.
"It'd be great to try and hold on to our world champion title, whoever else is in the boat with me." | Helen Glover expects her partnership with Polly Swann to develop quickly as they prepare for the European Championships in Belgrade. | 27422441 | [
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Northampton Town's League One 3-0 home win over Coventry City was disrupted several times by fans on Saturday.
Northamptonshire Police said six arrests were made when spectators from the away stand invaded the pitch and a further three when flares were let-off.
Coventry City said the disruption was "unacceptable". Northampton declined to comment. Those arrested were bailed.
Northampton Town said it would not comment until a decision was made by the Football Association or English Football League on an investigation.
"The repeated disruptions to yesterday's match at Northampton Town were unacceptable," a Coventry City spokesman said.
"Coventry City FC will support all subsequent investigations by the police and football authorities."
Match reports said the fans were protesting against the Coventry club's owners.
Supt Chris Hillery said: "During the fixture we were made aware that some of the spectators in the away South Stand had planned a mass pitch incursion at a designated time.
"As a result, match officials turned off the scoreboard time display and officers were placed in front of the West Stand and in the players' tunnel to prevent people intent on disorder entering these areas en masse."
There was no serious disorder, violence or injury, police said. | Nine men have been arrested over a pitch invasion and flares being thrown at a football match. | 38788089 | [
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Rezgar Zengana posed as a taxi driver to pick up his 25-year-old victim in Argyle Street before raping her at a flat in Cessnock on 10 December 2006.
The 33-year-old Iraqi national fled after being convicted of the attack.
Zengana features in a most-wanted list of nine UK suspects who are thought to be in the Netherlands.
The list has been put published by the UK charity Crimestoppers and the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Dave Allen, from the NCA, said: "Those who believe they can use the Netherlands to evade capture or continue illegal activities soon find out that it is not a safe haven." | One of Scotland's most wanted fugitives is still believed to be hiding in the Netherlands almost 10 years after he raped a woman in Glasgow. | 35755536 | [
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The space agency has set out a three part plan, which it hopes will eventually lead to humans living on Mars by the 2030s.
Unlike the Moon, humans have never physically set foot on Mars, we've only ever used robots like the Curiosity Rover.
By exploring Mars with robots for the last 40 years Nasa has found out lots about our neighbouring planet, including the recent discovery that there is flowing icy water under the crust.
They hope that this huge mission will help us to learn even more about not just Mars, but Earth as well.
So, how will they do it?
Since 2010 Nasa has been testing out the effects of what living in space can do to the human body, to prepare them for the journey to Mars, and also for living there.
They have done this by sending astronauts to live onboard the International Space Station for long periods of time.
Nasa also sent a team of scientists to live in a "Mars-like" dome for a year near a volcano on Earth, to see if the team can live happily on their own, away from everyday human-life.
They are also doing a number of tests on Mars spacesuits and are currently trying out technology which could be used on the planet.
In the "Proving Ground" part of their plan, Nasa hope to be able to do experiments in a "deep space" environment which will allow scientists and astronauts to return to Earth in a matter of days.
Most of these experiments will take place in the Moon's orbit.
Some of their plans include teaming up with the European Space Agency as part of their Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission in 2020, which aims to take a large asteroid from a near-Earth orbit, and move it to travel around the Moon instead.
Astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft will then explore the asteroid in the 2020s, and return to Earth with samples.
NASA will also be testing out its powerful new systems such as the Space Launch System rocket and Solar Electric Propulsion, which would be used for sending supplies to the team, and also for long space travel.
Nasa will build a new rover robot to join the Curiosity rover in 2020. It will have lots of new gadgets to test out on Mars.
One of these gadgets is called MOXIE, and will be trying to make oxygen, which is an important part of the air we breathe here on Earth, from carbon dioxide, which is in the atmosphere on Mars,
Researchers will also be investigating ways astronauts can recycle better in space.
In the "Earth Independent" phase of Nasa's plan, they hope to be able to send humans to Mars, using all the research and new technology they discovered in the previous phases.
At the moment it takes around eight months to travel to Mars, but scientists are looking into ways to reduce this time.
By 2030 Nasa are hoping they will be able to send people to the edges and surface of Mars, not just to visit, but also to live there for a long period of time.
They will be looking into ways to make fuel, water, oxygen and building materials on the Red planet.
Nasa will also be looking into improving their communications systems with Earth, to allow for quicker exchanges of research and data
For years scientists have been curious about the Red planet, and whether or not humans would be able to live there.
Recent research has proved that there is water on the planet, and that at one point Mars' climate was perhaps similar to that on Earth.
Robot rovers are also looking for the possibility of whether there is alien life there too.
Sending humans to the planet could help speed up the research and allow us to better understand the history of Mars.
Nasa are also curious to find out if studying Mars could help us find out more about our own planet, and even how our solar system was born.
However Nasa could be pipped to the post in the race to Mars, as a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands has said they will land humans on Mars by 2027. | Nasa has revealed its plans to try to get humans living on Mars in the next few decades. | 34528622 | [
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It is a talent that helped him move from being bankrupt, aged 32, to becoming a multimillionaire by the time he was 48.
Along the way he created and sold best-selling upmarket crisps brand Tyrrells, and won a high-profile battle against supermarket giant Tesco.
Now 56, and the founder and owner of Chase Vodka, a luxury version of the spirit made from potatoes grown on his farm, the serial entrepreneur says: "People love stories, the real stories behind things.
"And the media was very important to me from the first days of Tyrrells.
"I was a guy who had been beaten up by the supermarkets, and people love to support the underdog."
The son of potato farmers who lived near the Herefordshire town of Leominster, Mr Chase bought the family farm from his dad when he was 20 after he "managed to find a bank manager brave enough to lend me £200,000".
As the cost of potatoes can rise and fall sharply, business was up and down for the next 12 years, until torrential rain in 1992 meant he couldn't harvest his crop, which he had to leave to rot in the fields.
Overextended financially, the business collapsed, and Mr Chase had to file for bankruptcy. He says: "I was very ashamed and embarrassed."
After "running away to Australia" for a few months, he returned to Herefordshire, and was able to borrow funds to buy back the farm from the receivers, and start up in business again.
This time, to make extra money, he became a potato trader, buying spuds from a number of farms, and then selling them on to supermarkets.
Yet while he got himself back on his feet financially, Mr Chase says he became increasingly frustrated that supermarkets would reject potatoes that weren't "cosmetically perfect".
He adds: "I'd send off 10 loads of spuds every day, and I'd be getting five back. It was very painful how the supermarkets were treating us farmers."
Mr Chase's life-changing moment came in 2002 when he found out that rejected potatoes were being bought up by the UK operation of US crisp-maker Kettle.
At the time Kettle was one of new companies making so-called "posh crisps", potato crisps which were cut a little thicker than the mass-market brands, and fried by hand.
Despite having no crisp-making experience or knowledge, Mr Chase was convinced he could set up his own upmarket crisps brand.
So he phoned a few UK crisp-makers to ask if he could see how they did things, and all said "no". Undeterred, he flew out to the US and visited facilities in Pennsylvania and Colorado.
Returning to the UK, he built a crisp-making facility at the family farm, and Tyrrells [taking its name from the property] was up and running six months later.
Quick to tell his story to local newspapers to build up publicity, Mr Chase hit the road to spend two weeks visiting independent food shops across the UK with samples of his crisps.
He says: "Tyrrells grew and grew very quickly, and it was a brilliant cash cow. We'd sell the bags to shops for £1 and they would retail them for £2. For us the net profit was 35%."
Supermarkets such as Waitrose soon followed suit, but Mr Chase was adamant that he would not sell to the largest - Tesco - because he didn't like what he saw as the pressure it put on farmers to lower their prices.
Then one day in 2006 a friend told him that Tesco was selling Tyrrells' crisps. It transpired that Tesco had been buying them on the grey market, and selling them below the recommended retail price.
An incensed Mr Chase demanded that Tesco stop selling them. After the supermarket refused, Mr Chase started a media campaign that included an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Tesco then did back down.
With sales of Tyrrells crisps continuing to grow over the next few years, and annual turnover hitting £14m, Mr Chase borrowed money from his bank to expand production. The condition the bank set was that he had to bring in a management team to help him run the business.
Mr Chase, who had previously been very hands on, and liked to help out with all parts of the business, says that bringing in new managers ultimately changed the business - to its detriment.
"We got to a stage where I didn't like where the business was going," he says. "We were employing corporate people who were arranging meetings about more meetings."
Unhappy with Tyrrells' new big business ethos, and going through a "messy divorce", Mr Chase - who was the sole shareholder - decided to sell up in 2008 to a private capital business for almost £40m.
Looking for a new business venture, and with the new owners of Tyrrells choosing to buy their potatoes from elsewhere, Mr Chase came up with the idea of turning his spuds into premium vodka.
So with money no longer a problem, he bought a distillation system, and Chase Vodka was born.
Aimed at the luxury end of the market, it retails for £35 a bottle.
While Mr Chase admits it isn't anywhere near as profitable as selling crisps, it appears to be very much a labour of love. And focused very much on exports, he spends a lot of time travelling the world to build up sales.
And showing that he has lost little of his public relations skills, every year he flies influential barmen and women from around the world to visit his farm in Herefordshire to see how the potatoes are grown, and vodka is made.
Also now making a gin and a whisky, the Chase Distillery sells 10,000 bottles a week.
Mr Chase says: "You have to tell people your story if you want to build your brand. But there has to be real DNA behind it if you want to be successful." | For a Herefordshire potato farmer, William Chase is impressively savvy about the need for positive publicity, and the importance of telling a good story. | 35491792 | [
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Williams driver Felipe Massa suffered two left-rear wheel failures and Renault's Kevin Magnussen a suspected broken left rear suspension.
The session was stopped for 30 minutes as officials launched an investigation and cleared the track of debris.
Williams had a wheel problem. Renault's turned out to be a suspension failure.
Williams driver Valtteri Bottas said the team had found a problem with the "rim clearance" - the distance between the wheel and the wheel assembly - and that he had had the same problem as Massa but had been "more lucky".
"If there is something under the rim too close, that can cause problems," the Finn said.
Both Massa's failures happened on his first lap out of the pits on the entry to the Turn Six hairpin.
On the first, Massa was pitched into a spin. On the second, he did not lose control, but the tyre appeared to simply pop off the rim.
There were no clear television pictures of the failure on Magnussen's car.
Williams did not send either of its cars out again when the session was re-started with eight minutes remaining. Magnussen, who had broken rear suspension, was also consigned to the pits.
In a busy final few minutes of running, Rosberg supplanted early pace-setter Hamilton at the top of the times with a lap of one minute 38.037 seconds.
The world champion was 0.146secs behind in the second Mercedes.
Rosberg returned to the pits at the end of the session in "limp-home mode", his engineer telling him over the radio that he thought there was "an engine issue".
Mercedes later diagnosed it as an ignition problem and said they hoped it would be solved for second practice.
Hamilton already knows that he has a five-place grid drop from wherever he qualifies because of a gearbox change after the team discovered a potential problem and decided not to risk a retirement.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was third quickest, 0.628secs off the pace and 0.396secs quicker than Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo in fourth.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fifth, ahead of Red Bull's Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz and the McLaren of Jenson Button.
Fernando Alonso returned to the McLaren after being forced to miss the last race in Bahrain because of a broken rib sustained in his high-speed crash at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The Spaniard faces further medical checks after the first session to establish whether he will be allowed to continue for the rest of the weekend but he made no public reports of any physical discomfort.
Alonso was 12th fastest, 0.564secs slower than Button.
Chinese Grand Prix first practice results
Chinese Grand Prix coverage details | Nico Rosberg headed Lewis Hamilton as first practice at the Chinese Grand Prix was disrupted by three failures on two separate cars. | 36051426 | [
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The unit was assisted by officers from Humberside, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and the West Midlands.
The arrests are part of a pre-planned operation relating to alleged terrorism offences under Italian legislation.
Police said the four men will appear before Westminster Magistrates Court but did not specify a date.
The arrests took place under European Arrest Warrants, police added. Those arrested face extradition to Italy.
Jihadist cell in Europe 'sought recruits for Iraq and Syria'
The men were part of raids in several European countries connected to a suspected "jihadist network" which was allegedly plotting to free its leader, Mullah Krekar, who is in detention in Norway.
Six suspects were detained in Italy and three in Norway. Krekar was among those arrested.
Italian police said the group was planning to seize Norwegian and British diplomats to try to secure Krekar's release.
Italy's Ansa news agency said the suspects were being accused of international terrorism association.
The men arrested in Britain are:
The terrorism unit said the men are being held at a police station in the north of England and will not be questioned by officers in the UK.
The addresses of the men are being searched, and after appearing before magistrates they will be handed over to Italian authorities.
A statement from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit said: "We understand that people may be concerned following today's arrests.
"However, we would like to reassure communities that today's activity is as a result of an ongoing investigation which is intelligence led.
"There is no evidence to suggest that communities are at risk." | Four men have been arrested in the UK following a counter-terrorism operation led by Italian authorities, the North East Counter Terrorism Unit says. | 34798337 | [
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The 34-year-old Somalian woman was attacked outside the Co-op on Water Eaton Road, Bletchley, on 6 August.
David Gallacher, 37, of no fixed abode, has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, assault by beating and two counts of racially or religiously aggravated assault.
He has been bailed to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on 14 March.
Mr Gallacher allegedly assaulted both the woman and a 40-year-old man in the attack in August.
He is also charged of three counts of assaulting a police officer on 14 September in Larch Grove, Bletchley. | A man has been charged with an attacking a pregnant woman who went on to lose her unborn twins. | 38884942 | [
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Speaking after talks with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara, the UK prime minister said Islamic State (IS) was a "common enemy" that must be confronted.
He hailed the countries' existing intelligence co-operation and said this would be stepped up further.
The US and EU want Turkey to take a more active role in tackling IS.
At a press conference in the capital, Turkey's prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the two countries shared a "strong and common political will" to address the threat posed by foreign fighters travelling to and from conflict zones in Syria and Iraq.
Mr Cameron said that British jihadists had "sometimes" passed through Turkey and the two men had had "productive discussions" over how they could be detained and, if possible, prosecuted.
The UK government is seeking greater powers to confiscate the passports of people returning to the UK from Iraq and Syria who are thought to pose a threat to national security, with Parliament currently debating changes to the law.
Asked whether Turkey could be doing more to identify and stop suspects at its borders, Mr Cameron said the two countries were already working "as closely as we possibly can" to tackle the threat.
He said: "Whether it is about stopping people coming through Turkey to Syria or Iraq to fight for Islamic State, whether it's about making sure we deal with people when they return, whether it is the highest levels of intelligence co-operation that we can possibly achieve between our countries, this is all about making sure people are safer in Turkey and making sure people are safer back home in the UK."
As well as addressing the "extremist ideology" that fuels Islamic State, he reiterated his calls for a transition to a more democratic and representative government in Syria and more efforts towards reconciliation by the new government in Baghdad.
Mr Cameron also hailed a growth in economic links between the UK and Turkey, saying bilateral trade had increased by 60% since 2010.
Making his first visit to Turkey since 2010, Mr Cameron will later be hosted at a dinner by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mr Cameron will not return to the UK in time for Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, with Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg expected to step in for him. | David Cameron has said the UK and Turkey are working "hand in glove" to prevent British jihadists returning home after fighting in Iraq and Syria. | 30384646 | [
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The Right Reverend Rachel Treweek, 53, has taken over from The Right Reverend Michael Perham after his retirement.
Two women bishops have already been appointed, but Bishop Treweek is the first woman to run a diocese.
At a service in Gloucester Cathedral she was presented with her pastoral staff and placed in her bishop's chair.
She also preached her first sermon as a bishop.
During the service, she was welcomed by the Dean of Gloucester, the Very Revd Stephen Lake. | The most senior woman bishop in the Church of England has formally begun her new role as the Bishop of Gloucester. | 34302125 | [
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Milkins' five losses in-a-row, saw the 40-year-old slip to 31st in the world rankings, but he ended his slump with a 6-1 win over Hamza Akbar.
"I was under a lot of pressure because I just haven't won a match for ages.
"That is such a weight off my shoulders winning that. I needed it money-wise and ranking-wise," Milkins said.
The Gloucester potter, who plays Hammad Miah in the second round at the weekend, had his best run at the UK Championship in 2002 when he reached the quarter-finals.
He added: "I feel like I am going to take off but because I haven't won a match it has been really difficult. When things aren't going they aren't going, but maybe that is just the win I needed.
"I played alright. There weren't a lot of breaks but I didn't miss many balls.
"I have been playing so well in practice and I think that practice has got me through a few frames because I was really sharp.
"It's really tough when you are losing, any little thing can put you off. The last two or three matches I have lost because of my head and not because of how I have been playing. You get in a rut but I am out of it now."
Sign up to My Sport to follow snooker news and reports on the BBC app. | Robert Milkins feels his form is about to "take off" after ending a five-match losing streak with a first-round win in the UK Championship. | 38086981 | [
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The decision of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to leave rates at their new, historically low, level was no surprise.
Last month the Bank halved its bank rate from 0.5% as it tried to ensure the stability of the UK's banking system in the aftermath of the June Brexit referendum vote.
That was the first rate cut since 2009.
But the Bank said again that it might cut rates further in the coming months, even though the immediate economic after-shock of the Brexit vote now appears to be weaker than first thought.
"A number of indicators of near-term economic activity have been somewhat stronger than expected," the Bank said in the minutes of its latest MPC meeting.
It added that if its economic forecasts in November were similar to those it had formulated in August, then "a majority of members expected to support a further cut in bank rate to its effective lower bound at one of the MPC's forthcoming meetings during the course of the year."
The Bank noted that a variety of economic indicators have suggested that the UK economy has shrugged off the post-referendum surprise in the short-term.
As a result, the Bank is not as gloomy about the short-term state of the economy as it was a month ago.
But it said that it still expects the pace of economic activity in the July-September period to have halved from the growth rate recorded earlier in the year.
The Bank's internal judgement is that growth in Q3 (that's July to September) will now be between 0.2% and 0.3%, a pretty chunky upgrade on its August forecast of 0.1%.
It's not an official forecast, but given the Q3 growth figure will be announced before the next meeting of the MPC in November, it is as close as we are going to get.
Looking at 2017, the MPC says it is harder to make a judgement, but if the present economic momentum continues, then expect an upgrade in growth forecasts for next year and 2018 after brutal downgrades last month.
It still says that is considering cutting interest rates again - to 0.1% - but the chances of that must be lower given the better economic news.
Read Kamal's full analysis here
Under a new timetable which replaces the long-standing practice of monthly meetings, the next MPC meeting will take place in November.
It is at that point that some City economists expect a further cut in bank rate to just 0.1%.
The latest vote of MPC members, who include the governor Mark Carney, was unanimous - at 9-0.
Suren Thiru, head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: "The Bank of England's decision to keep interest rates on hold was unsurprising.
"Although the post-referendum economic data has been decidedly mixed, we expect growth to slow sharply in 2017.
"We anticipate the MPC will move again to cut interest rates before the end of the year," he added.
The MPC also voted to stick with the expansion of its quantitative easing (QE) policy, which it announced in August.
That means the bank will now buy an extra £60bn of government bonds - taking the total to £435bn - along with a further £10bn of corporate bonds, as part of its continuing attempts to keep the economy from sliding into recession. | The Bank of England has left its main interest rate at 0.25% but says another cut is still a possibility. | 37373094 | [
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King, who won team pursuit gold with GB at London 2012 and is a three-time world champion in the discipline, has focused on the road since 2014.
Southampton-born King, 26, represented England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games but is now based in Wales and meets the qualification criteria.
"It is a possibility," King said.
"It's still being decided at the moment."
King trains in Cardiff and is engaged to Welshman and former rider Matt Rowe, brother of Team Sky cyclist Luke Rowe.
"I think my major target would be the road, but I'd like to think I could go well in the bunch races on the back of road training and specific track training as well," King said.
"At the moment I'm focusing on the road, but I do miss racing on the track."
King was left out of British Cycling's plans for Rio 2016 having won gold four years earlier with Laura Kenny and Joanna Rowsell-Shand.
The four-rider, four-kilometres team pursuit - one rider and one kilometre was added to the women's event in late 2014 - is part of the Commonwealth Games programme.
Wales could potentially have a a strong team with 2016 Olympic champion Elinor Barker, world medallist Ciara Horne, Manon Lloyd and Amy Roberts also in contention.
"It's whether it would fit with my specific target and also whether I'd be good enough to slip into a team pursuit line-up," King added. | Olympic gold medallist Dani King could cycle for Wales at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, having previously represented England. | 39704623 | [
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Lewis-Francis took up the sport four months ago with the aim of competing at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.
He won 4x100m relay gold at the 2004 Summer Games.
GB performance director Gary Anderson said it was a "tough call" to leave the 33-year-old out.
Instead, Britain have gone for a mixture of youth and experience in their squad.
Lamin Deen, fifth in the World Championships in Winterberg last time out, pilots GB1 in the four-man alongside John Baines, Joel Fearon and Andy Matthews.
Double Olympian John Jackson pilots GB2 with Bruce Tasker, Ben Simons and new recruit Tremayne Gilling.
Winter Youth Olympics silver medallist Mica McNeil leads the British challenge in the women's competition alongside Natalie DeRatt.
The World Championships take place on 12-21 February.
World Championship squad
GB1 4-man: Lamin Deen, John Baines, Joel Fearon, Andy Matthews
GB2 4-man: John Jackson, Bruce Tasker, Ben Simons, Tremayne Gilling
GB1 2-man: Bruce Tasker and Tremayne Gilling
GB2 2-man: Brad Hall and Ben Simons or Ben Simons and John Baines
Women's: Mica McNeil and Natalie DeRatt | Olympic sprinting gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis has been named on standby for Great Britain's provisional bobsleigh squad for next month's World Championships in Austria. | 35388079 | [
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Speaking at an annual meeting of central bankers, Janet Yellen was cautiously upbeat about the US economy.
She said economic growth and a stronger jobs market meant "the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months".
There has been a growing expectation that US interest rates will rise this year.
Some economists are saying that the next hike could even come next month.
The central bank raised interest rates at the end of last year for the first time in nearly a decade, but has held them steady amid concerns over persistently low inflation.
Ms Yellen, speaking at a three-day symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, did not comment on when rates would rise. But she said "the US economy was nearing the Federal Reserve's statutory goals of maximum employment and price stability".
She added: "In light of the continued solid performance of the labour market and our outlook for economic activity and inflation, I believe the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months."
However, Ms Yellen emphasised that future rate increases should be "gradual".
She noted that inflation is still running below the Fed's 2% target, but said this is being depressed mainly by temporary factors.
Subadra Rajappa, head of rates strategy at Societe Generale, in Washington, said: "We weren't really expecting her to signal a hike at the September meeting, but she's just kept the door open for a hike sooner rather than later.
"I think that the Fed wants to get the market to start pricing in a hike for this year, which they weren't doing earlier, and now I'm seeing the probability of a hike by December has gone up slightly over a coin toss."
John Canally, economist at Boston-based LPL Financial, added: "It looks like she is warming a little more to a hike this year, probably not September but probably December."
Signs of slow improvements in the US economy came in data published on Friday. Although the growth rate of second quarter GDP was revised down slightly, from an annual rate of 1.2% to 1.1%, consumer spending - which makes up more than two-thirds of US economic activity - was revised up from 4.2% to 4.4%.
Separately, US Labor Department figures showed that claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 261,000 for the week ended 20 August. It was the third straight weekly decline in claims.
On Tuesday, Commerce Department data showed that US new homes sales jumped in July to their fastest rate in nearly nine years.
Ms Yellen's remarks helped lift US share markets in early trading. On the currency markets, the dollar was flat against the euro at $1.1286 and slightly lower against the yen at 100.28 yen. | The case for raising US interest rates has "strengthened", the head of the Federal Reserve has said. | 37197921 | [
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The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analysed data from 48 separate trials.
The Canadian team concluded that sticking to a diet was more important than the diet itself.
Obesity experts said all diets cut calories to a similar level, which may explain the results.
Diets go in and out of fashion on a regular basis, with a current debate around the relative benefits of low carb and low fat diets.
Scientists at McMaster University in Ontario and the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto analysed data from 7,286 overweight dieters.
The range of diets covered included, Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Biggest Loser, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Ornish and Rosemary Conley.
It showed that after 12 months, people on low carbohydrate and low fat diets both lost an average of 7.3kg (16lb). Those on low carb meal plans had lost slightly more at the six-month marker.
The report said: "The differences [between diets] were small and unlikely to be important to those seeking weight loss."
It concluded: "Our findings should be reassuring to clinicians and the public that there is no need for a one-size-fits-Âall approach to dieting because many different diets appear to offer considerable weight loss benefits.
"Our findings suggest that patients may choose, among those associated with the largest weight loss, the diet that gives them the least challenges with adherence."
However, the study did not look at wider health issues, such as levels of cholesterol, which may vary according to diet.
Prof Susan Jebb, from the University of Oxford and a government advisor on obesity, said diets were more similar than they appeared, advocating cutting calories to 1,500 a day, sticking to strict meal times and avoiding biscuits, cakes and chocolate.
"The issue is about adherence and it's how closely and how long can you keep sticking to the plan over time that matters.
"That probably means finding the right diet for you, rather than one being so particularly better than the others."
She said people should try to match diets to their lives.
Vegetarians would struggle more with a high protein, low carb diet, while people living on their own may find liquid (instead of meals) diets easier than those who would still have to cook for a family. | All diets - from Atkins to Weight Watchers - have similar results and people should simply pick the one they find easiest, say researchers. | 29031985 | [
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1 July 2016 Last updated at 11:22 BST
The Leave campaigner, who shocked Westminster on Thursday by pulling out of the Tory leadership race, said: "It's going to be up to someone else now."
Asked what he thought of his fellow Leave campaigner Michael Gove's decision to run instead, Mr Johnson added: "I wish him every possible success." | Boris Johnson has been quizzed by reporters as he left his home in London this morning. | 36683970 | [
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At 05:00 The Scotsman's front page declared a "historic victory for SNP".
The Herald also published a 5am edition. The paper said: "Sturgeon triumphant as Labour humiliated."
"Victory's at hand" was the earlier headline in The National, with a full page picture of Nicola Sturgeon with her husband and SNP chief executive Peter Murrell. The paper said she was "on course to win her mandate".
"Just Like Nat" was the headline on the front page of the Scottish Sun. Earlier, shortly after the polls closed, the newspaper tweeted that the Tories would "comfortably" seal second place.
The Daily Record published its first edition with the caption "01:30 election latest". The headline was "Five more years" and the paper said Nicola Sturgeon was set to be returned as first minister.
The Scottish Daily Express said Nicola Sturgeon had been warned that there would be "no more excuses" for failing to deliver for Scotland as the SNP "swept to an historic third term" in the Holyrood election.
The Daily Star headline was "Five more years". It also predicted the SNP was poised to "hold Holyrood".
The Scottish Daily Mail had published three editions by 03:00. Its most recent said "SNP set for victory, Tory vote surges in push for second and Labour disaster as seats tumble".
The Daily Telegraph said Nicola Sturgeon "could be denied" a new independence referendum. | As the counts got under way in the Holyrood election the Scottish papers were predicting an SNP victory and there was little change as updated editions were published through the night. | 36218833 | [
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They argue that the total volume of water in aquifers underground is 100 times the amount found on the surface.
The team have produced the most detailed map yet of the scale and potential of this hidden resource.
Writing in the journal Environmental Research Letters
, they stress that large scale drilling might not be the best way of increasing water supplies.
Across Africa more than 300 million people are said not to have access to safe drinking water.
Demand for water is set to grow markedly in coming decades due to population growth and the need for irrigation to grow crops.
Freshwater rivers and lakes are subject to seasonal floods and droughts that can limit their availability for people and for agriculture. At present only 5% of arable land is irrigated.
When water falls as rain or snow, much of it either flows into rivers or is used to provide moisture to plants and crops. What is left over trickles down to the layers of rock that sit beneath the soil.
And just like a giant sponge, this ground water is held in the spaces between the rocks and in the tiny inter-connected spaces between individual grains in a rock like sandstone.
These bodies of wet rock are referred to as aquifers. Ground water does not sit still in the aquifer but is pushed and pulled by gravity and the weight of water above it.
The movement of the water through the aquifer removes many impurities and it is often cleaner than water on the surface.
Now scientists have for the first time been able to carry out a continent-wide analysis of the water that is hidden under the surface in aquifers. Researchers from the British Geological Survey and University College London (UCL)
have mapped in detail the amount and potential yield
of this groundwater resource across the continent.
Helen Bonsor from the BGS is one of the authors of the paper. She says that up until now groundwater was out of sight and out of mind. She hopes the new maps will open people's eyes to the potential.
"Where there's greatest ground water storage is in northern Africa, in the large sedimentary basins, in Libya, Algeria and Chad," she said.
"The amount of storage in those basins is equivalent to 75m thickness of water across that area - it's a huge amount."
Due to changes in climate that have turned the Sahara into a desert over centuries many of the aquifers underneath were last filled with water over 5,000 years ago.
The scientists collated their information from existing hydro-geological maps from national governments as well as 283 aquifer studies.
The researchers say their new maps indicate that many countries currently designated as "water scarce" have substantial groundwater reserves.
However, the scientists are cautious about the best way of accessing these hidden resources. They suggest that widespread drilling of large boreholes might not work.
Dr Alan MacDonald of the BGS, lead author of the study, told the BBC: "High-yielding boreholes should not be developed without a thorough understanding of the local groundwater conditions.
"Appropriately sited and developed boreholes for low yielding rural water supply and hand pumps are likely to be successful."
With many aquifers not being filled due to a lack of rain, the scientists are worried that large-scale borehole developments could rapidly deplete the resource.
According to Helen Bonsor, sometimes the slower means of extraction can be more efficient.
"Much lower storage aquifers are present across much of sub-Saharan Africa," she explained.
"However, our work shows that with careful exploring and construction, there is sufficient groundwater under Africa to support low yielding water supplies for drinking and community irrigation."
The scientists say that there are sufficient reserves to be able to cope with the vagaries of climate change.
"Even in the lowest storage aquifers in semi arid areas with currently very little rainfall, ground water is indicated to have a residence time in the ground of 20 to 70 years." Dr Bonsor said.
"So at present extraction rates for drinking and small scale irrigation for agriculture groundwater will provide and will continue to provide a buffer to climate variability."
The publication of the new map was welcomed by the UK's secretary of state for international development, Andrew Mitchell.
"This is an important discovery," he said. "This research, which the British Government has funded, could have a profound effect on some of the world's poorest people, helping them become less vulnerable to drought and to adapt to the impact of climate change." | Scientists say the notoriously dry continent of Africa is sitting on a vast reservoir of groundwater. | 17775211 | [
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The 31-year-old, who began his career at Killie, returned to the Ayrshire club in 2013 and made 38 appearances last season.
Samson had another year to run on his deal but had lost his starting place to summer signing Jamie MacDonald.
Capped at Under-21 level, he has been involved in the Scotland squad before but never selected to play. | Kilmarnock goalkeeper Craig Samson has agreed an early release from his Rugby Park contract. | 33807546 | [
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The home side only made 162 despite a last-wicket stand of 67 between Tim Bresnan (47) and Ryan Sidebottom.
Prolific Chris Rushworth (4-37) and Graham Onions (3-41) proved too much to handle for the Championship leaders.
But Sidebottom (4-44) led the way as Durham were dismissed for 156 in reply, with Yorkshire 10-0 at the close.
Yorkshire went into the game with a 34-point lead over Warwickshire, but soon found themselves in dire straits on 54-5.
Gary Ballance's hopes of finding form after being omitted from England's Test squad came to nothing as he made six from 27 balls before being caught at slip off Onions.
Glenn Maxwell's 36 was the only score of any note before Bresnan and Sidebottom came together at 95-9.
Bresnan was eventually bowled by Paul Harrison, but then struck the first blow in Durham's reply when Graham Clark gave a catch to point.
With Paul Collingwood absent because of a back problem, acting skipper Mark Stoneman was caught hooking at long leg and 18-year-old debutant Jack Burnham was bowled by Liam Plunkett for a four-ball duck.
Durham's decline continued, with Sidebottom taking three of the last four wickets, including Ryan Pringle for 40, as their innings lasted just two balls longer than Yorkshire's.
Umpires Nick Cook and Jeremy Lloyds confirmed after the match that they were happy with the way the pitch had played and would not call in a pitch liaison officer.
Yorkshire bowler Ryan Sidebottom:
"It was certainly a bizarre day's cricket and I don't think I have played in one on day one like that before.
"I thought we batted pretty poorly in the morning with some poor shot selection but they also bowled well. What a fightback it was by our boys who needed to get us back into the game and now the momentum is in our favour but Durham are still a good side.
"It was a good wicket with carry and bounce but if you put the ball in the right areas at Scarborough you are always in the game although this was still a bizarre day." | Yorkshire and Durham proved that Championship cricket can be just as action-packed as an Ashes Test as 20 wickets fell on day one at Scarborough. | 33804901 | [
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Several decades later it had become, in the words of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India's "greatest internal security challenge".
Maoists are also known as "Naxalites" because of the violent left-wing uprising in 1967, which began in the West Bengal village of Naxalbari.
Although this was eventually quashed by police, over the years India's Maoists have regrouped and asserted control over vast swathes of land in central and eastern India, establishing a so-called "red corridor".
This spans the states of Jharkand, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh and also reaches into Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.
The Maoists and affiliated groups are active in more than a third of India's 600-odd districts, the authorities say.
And more than 6,000 people have died in the rebels' long fight for communist rule in these states.
The Maoists' military leader is Koteshwar Rao, otherwise known as Kishenji.
He reportedly suffered temporary paralysis in June 2010 when a police bullet hit him in the knee.
Normally a regular communicator with the press, Kishenji was little heard of until January 2011 when he issued a statement saying he expected India to succumb to a Maoist revolution by 2025.
Latest estimates suggest he commandes at least 20,000 armed fighters. They are said to get most of their weapons by raiding police bases.
Analysts say the longevity of the Maoist rebellion is partly due to the local support they receive.
The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of indigenous tribespeople and the rural poor who they say have been neglected by governments for decades.
Maoists claim to represent local concerns over land ownership and equitable distribution of resources.
Ultimately they say they want to establish a "communist society" by overthrowing India's "semi-colonial, semi-feudal" form of rule through armed struggle.
The BBC's Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta says that while there is little prospect of them making any headway in urban areas - or indeed non-jungle rural areas - the rebels remain a force to be reckoned with in remote areas where the security forces are thin on the ground.
Our correspondent says the key question now is whether to deploy the army against the rebels in the same way it has been used in Indian-administered Kashmir and some north-eastern states.
Such a move would be highly controversial, because it would inevitably been seen by some critics as evidence that the rebels are making headway in what is seen by some as "mainland India".
Over the years the Maoists have managed to launch a series of damaging attacks on Indian security forces.
In 2009, rebels gained virtual control of Lalgarh district in West Bengal barely 250km (155 miles) from the state capital, Calcutta.
For many months, rebels, supported by local villagers, held hundreds of paramilitary forces at bay. The Maoists declared it to be India's first "liberated zone" but Indian security forces finally overwhelmed the rebels.
April 2010 saw rebels ambush paramilitary troops in the dense jungles of central Chhattisgarh state, killing at least 76 soldiers. Correspondents say it was the worst-ever Maoist attack on Indian security forces.
In 2007, also in Chhattisgarh, Maoist rebels killed 55 policemen in an attack on a remote police outpost.
Almost every week, Maoist rebels are blamed for minor skirmishes and incidents across India's north-east - common tactics include blowing up railway tracks and attacking police stations.
In 2010, the Maoists faced India's biggest ever anti-Maoist offensive.
Nearly 50,000 federal paramilitary troops and tens of thousands of policemen took part in the operation across several states.
While the rebels were pushed back deep into their jungle strongholds, they have continued to carry out hit-and-run attacks and numerous high-profile kidnappings.
India's government in turn has pledged to crack down even harder unless rebels renounce violence and enter peace talks.
At the same time there have been differences not just within the central government over how to tackle the rebellion, but also between Delhi and various Indian states affected by the insurgency.
Experts say that disagreements over whether to deploy the army against the rebels is a manifestation of these tensions.
On one issue however the analysts remain united - the chances of any kind of meaningful dialogue with the rebels in the foreseeable future are slim. | India's bloody Maoist insurgency began in the remote forests of the state of West Bengal in the late 1960s. | 12640645 | [
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Mr Jammeh has been given until noon on Friday to leave office or be forced out by UN-backed regional forces.
Troops have been told to halt their advance until the deadline passes.
The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) is acting in support of Adama Barrow, who was sworn in as the new Gambian president on Thursday.
His legitimacy as president, after winning last month's election, has been recognised internationally.
Last-ditch mediation talks, led by Guinea's President Alpha Conde, are due on Friday morning.
Chairman of the Ecowas commission, Marcel Alain de Souza, said that if the meeting with Mr Conde proved unsuccessful, militarily action would follow.
"If by midday, he [Mr Jammeh] doesn't agree to leave The Gambia under the banner of President Conde, we really will intervene militarily," he said.
Ecowas said that its forces had encountered no resistance after entering The Gambia on Thursday.
Troops from Senegal and other West African countries crossed into The Gambia after an initial deadline for Mr Jammeh to stand down passed with his resignation.
Mr Barrow, who remains in Senegal, has said that he will not return to Gambia's capital, Banjul, until the military operation had ended.
The threat by the West African regional bloc Ecowas to remove Mr Jammeh by force is supported by the 15-member UN Security Council, although the council has stressed that a political solution should be the priority.
A Senegalese army spokesman, Col Abdou Ndiaye, told the BBC that troops who were now in The Gambia were prepared to fight if necessary.
"It is already war, if we find any resistance, we will fight it," he said, adding: "If there are people who are fighting for the former president, we will fight them."
But Col Ndiaye said the main goal of Ecowas was to restore democracy and to allow the newly-elected president to take power.
In his inaugural speech at the Gambian embassy in Senegal's capital, Dakar, President Barrow ordered all members of The Gambia's armed forces to remain in their barracks.
Any found found illegally bearing arms would be considered "rebels", he said.
After first accepting defeat he reversed his position and said he would not step down. He declared a 90-day state of emergency, blaming irregularities in the electoral process.
The electoral commission accepted that some of its early results had contained errors but said they would not have affected Mr Barrow's win.
Mr Jammeh has said he will stay in office until new elections are held.
Remaining in power would also give him protection against prosecution for alleged abuses committed during his rule. | West African leaders have given Yahya Jammeh a final opportunity to relinquish power after Senegalese troops entered The Gambia. | 38686144 | [
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Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said his team had been in "constant" contact since the Paris attacks.
Elsewhere, hundreds are protesting over plans to clear away homeless residents in central San Francisco.
The Super Bowl is the climax of the American football season, and a crowd of 70,000 is expected for the game.
The Denver Broncos will be taking on the Carolina Panthers in the biggest National Football League (NFL) game of the year, as part of a landmark Super Bowl 50 - marking half a century of the big game.
Thousands of police and security officers are expected to be deployed across the San Francisco Bay area, which covers nine different counties. The game will be held in Santa Clara, about 40 miles (64km) south of San Francisco.
Officials say they are not responding to a specific threat, but have been urging the public to remain vigilant.
"We are always informed by recent events and what we see in the world situation," Mr Johnson told reporters earlier this week, referring to the deadly attacks in Paris in November last year which killed 130 people.
"The threat picture is different every February," he added, keeping a tight lid on further details of the security plans.
A senior NFL official, Jeffrey Miller, told Reuters that some 4,000 private security staff had been brought in to support police in securing the area.
Meanwhile, CNN reports the US Air Force is deploying two of its aircraft - an F-15 Eagle and a Cessna 182 - to provide air cover for the major sporting event.
The use of drones from flying within 32 miles of the Super Bowl stadium in Santa Clara, California, has also been banned between 14:00 and 23:59 PST on 7 February.
In a video to sports fans released on Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned the stadium is a "no-drone zone".
It comes as protests erupted this week over plans by the authorities to clear the streets of San Francisco of its homeless residents.
Some 200 people gathered in the city on Wednesday shouting "no penalty to poverty", and demanding the authorities do more to help the city's estimated 7,000 homeless people.
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee indicated in August last year that they would make efforts to remove them, saying "they're going to have to leave".
But city officials insist they are offering alternative accommodation for homeless people before telling them to move - a claim protesters deny.
Another point of contention raised by the demonstrators is the $5m expenditure on the Super Bowl, as well as the millions spent on TV advertisements during the game, which some argue could have gone towards housing hundreds of homeless residents. | US officials in California have been seeking security advice from French officials, as the San Francisco area prepares to host the Super Bowl. | 35507259 | [
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Research shows Europeans are a mixture of three major ancestral populations - indigenous hunters, Middle Eastern farmers and a population that arrived from the east in the Bronze Age.
DNA from ancient remains in the Caucasus has now revealed a fourth population that fed into the mix.
Details are published in Nature Communications.
Scientific advances in recent years have allowed researchers to retrieve and analyse genomes from ancient burials. The genome is the genetic blueprint for a human, contained within the nucleus of every cell.
This deluge of data has transformed our understanding of the modern human genetic landscape. It has also shown that present-day genetic patterns are poor guides to ancient ones.
The first layer of European ancestry, the indigenous hunter-gatherers, entered Europe before the Ice Age 40,000 years ago. But 7,000 years ago, they were swept up in a migration of people from the Middle East, who introduced farming to Europe.
About 5,000 years ago, herders called the Yamnaya entered Europe from the eastern Steppe region - in present day Ukraine and Russia.
These horse riding metal workers may have brought Indo-European languages with them; today this language family comprises most of the tongues spoken in Europe. The discovery of plague DNA in Yamnaya burials and a population decline in Europe around the same time has led some researchers to wonder if their passage west was facilitated by the spread of disease.
The Yamnaya transformed the gene pools of northern and central Europe, such that some populations, like Norwegians, owe around 50% of their ancestry to these Steppe pastoralists.
But the Yamnaya were themselves a mixed population. Around half of their ancestry came from a sister group to the hunter-gatherers who inhabited Europe before farming, while the other half appears to be from a population related to - but noticeably different from - the Middle Eastern migrants who introduced farming.
Researchers have now analysed genomes from two hunter-gatherers from Georgia that are 13,300 and 9,700 years old. The results show that these Caucasus hunters were probably the source of the farmer-like DNA in the Yamnaya.
The Caucasus hunter-gatherer genomes show a continued mixture with their Middle Eastern cousins to the south, who would go on to invent farming 10,000 years ago. However, this mixing ended about 25,000 years ago - just before the time of the last glacial maximum, or peak of the Ice Age.
At this point, populations shrank - as shown by their genes homogenising, a sign of breeding between those with increasingly similar DNA.
Once the ice retreated, the Caucasus groups came into contact with a different group of hunter-gatherers living on the Steppe and mixed with them, laying the genetic foundations of the Yamnaya people.
"The question of where the Yamnaya come from has been something of a mystery up to now," said co-author Dr Andrea Manica, from the University of Cambridge.
"We can now answer that as we've found that their genetic make-up is a mix of Eastern European hunter-gatherers and a population from this pocket of Caucasus hunter-gatherers who weathered much of the last Ice Age in apparent isolation."
The researchers also suggest that the Caucasus hunter-gatherers influenced populations further east, particularly in South Asia.
They suggest that this strand of ancestry may also have been associated with the spread of Indo-European languages to the region. | Geneticists have detected a fourth ancestral "tribe" which contributed to the modern European gene pool. | 34832781 | [
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He complained that Dawn Bowden referred to "Goebbels-like propaganda from the right-wing media" in a recent debate.
He claimed Eluned Morgan "trivialised suicide" when saying Brexit would "slit the wrists of the Welsh economy".
Mr Davies has written to Presiding Officer Elin Jones asking her to remind AMs to use more appropriate language.
"There is a danger that the aggressive nature of debates on the subject of Britain's vote to leave the European Union is likely to worsen any tensions which exist in Welsh society," Mr Davies said in his letter to Ms Jones.
"Whatever we may feel individually and collectively about the result we all have a responsibility to conduct that civic discussion in a rational manner and with respect."
An assembly spokesman said the presiding officer had "received this correspondence on Friday afternoon and will reply to the Leader of Welsh Conservatives soon".
In response, Ms Bowden said she stood by what she said, criticising the way the "right-wing press" has portrayed recent issues such as immigration.
She added: "If he [Mr Davies] has a problem with that then my view would be, he is being over sensitive."
Ms Morgan have been asked to comment. | "Aggressive" language used by some AMs in debates about Brexit is heightening public tensions over the issue, Welsh Tory leader Andrew RT Davies has said. | 39007447 | [
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John Jackson worked in the Witham-based criminal justice mental health team when concerns were raised about his internet use in 2013.
A Health and Care Professions Council panel heard 40% of his work internet use between May 2012 and May 2013 involved "adult pornographic material".
Mr Jackson admitted the findings of the investigation, the panel was told.
Live: For more on this and other Essex stories
An investigation into Mr Jackson's internet use found he had viewed pornography on 1,296 occasions.
The panel also heard how Mr Jackson, who was employed by Essex County Council but seconded to the North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as a senior practitioner, "no longer wished to work as a social worker".
Mr Jackson was dismissed following an internal disciplinary hearing in August 2013. His appeal against that dismissal was dismissed.
Essex County Council has yet to comment on the case. | A senior social worker who viewed adult pornography more than 1,000 times using a work computer has been struck off. | 38127614 | [
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In Theresa May's letter triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty she states: "We believe its necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU.'
But Donald Tusk responded today: "Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time as suggested by some in the UK will not happen."
Bluntly, the divorce bill would have to settled before talks on trade can begin.
What's more, only one party to the break-up, the European Council, would decide if the settlement is good enough.
This rebuff was always likely, and the Downing Street response restrained - in effect, reminding us we were simply at the beginning of the negotiating process.
So no flames fanned, but it may not be long until Theresa May feels the heat.
Ahead of a divided Labour Party in the polls, she may be at the zenith of her political popularity.
Because now her own party's apparent unity is set to be tested.
If some of her own MPs don't like the size of any proposed financial settlement, they may not only suggest it's better to walk away with no deal, but attempt to apply pressure to this end.
That in turn might lead to the largely self-muting Remainers in her ranks to find their voice.
And there are more time bombs in Tusk's draft guidelines.
If Theresa May wants a transitional deal, she will have to accept a "supervisory" regime for a time - presumably the European Court of Justice whose jurisdiction she wants to end.
So UKIP are likely to claim by the next election that we are still "half-in, half out".
And with the EU refusing to do a final trade deal until after the UK has left, it may be difficult for her to demonstrate the benefits of leaving - allowing the Liberal Democrats to claim we should never have cast aside single market membership in the first place.
It's an old political adage but one with which Theresa May will be familiar: "you cannot please all of the people all of the time."
But she may find it a challenge to please some of the people some of the time, even in her own party. | A tale of two sentences, drafted in two different capitals, exposes the clear blue water between London and Brussels. | 39453354 | [
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Play was suspended on Friday afternoon as winds reached 36mph and blew trees over at Emirates Golf Club.
Garcia, who was eight under after five holes when play was stopped, added five birdies and a bogey as he carded a five-under-par 67 to move 12 under.
Nacho Elvira is nine under, a shot clear of Open champion Henrik Stenson.
England's Chris Paisley carded the joint-best second round with 66 as he completed 14 holes in the better conditions to sit tied for fifth on seven under.
"Obviously we got a bit lucky with the weather today. I was expecting it to be windier, but you still have to hit good shots," said Garcia, who is looking for his first European Tour win since 2014.
"I played nicely again and made some nice putts, so I'm very happy with where I am."
The third round is under way with plans to try and complete it on Saturday. | Spain's Sergio Garcia opened up a three-shot lead in the Dubai Desert Classic as the delayed second round was completed on Saturday morning. | 38866742 | [
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David Brown became ill in Maghaberry Prison in December 2012 and died later in hospital from a brain haemorrhage.
The Prisoner Ombudsman said staff left him unattended for five minutes in an unresponsive state and did not raise the alarm immediately.
The watchdog has concluded the response of the Prison Service was "inadequate".
The report by Prisoner Ombudsman Tom McGonigle also found that a nurse treating the inmate was not made aware that it was an emergency situation and other prisoners were not locked in their cells during the incident.
However, Mr McGonigle, said: "While some things could have been done better, a key finding of this independent investigation is that there was no possibility to achieve an alternative outcome for Mr Brown."
The Prisoner Ombudsman's office is required to investigate all deaths in custody in Northern Ireland, including deaths due to natural causes.
The report into David Brown's death said painkilling drugs were found in the 46-year-old's system during toxicology tests, but added that the drugs had been prescribed to him.
It said the medication was found at "concentrations that lay within their respective therapeutic ranges".
"This is important as there was speculation about a white powdery substance that was found around Mr Brown's nose at the time of his death," a statement from the ombudsman said.
Despite criticising prison staff for their immediate reaction to finding the prisoner unconscious in his cell, the report did not find fault with the inmate's medical management during his time in the jail.
A clinical reviewer who investigated the case "did not feel that an opportunity to achieve an earlier diagnosis existed, or that there would have been a possibility to achieve an alternative outcome for Mr Brown".
The ombudsman's report into the handling of the prison's case identified four matters that required improvement.
Two of the four areas related to record-keeping and post-incident support for staff.
The need for improvement in these two areas had already been highlighted to the prison authorities and the South-Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, which treated the inmate.
The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has accepted the ombudman's four recommendations and said they have already been implemented.
The health trust has also accepted their recommendation, and told the ombudsman it has been reiterated to their staff and will be considered at a "Lessons Learned" forum.
Mr McGonigle has expressed sympathy to the prisoner's family. | A watchdog has criticised prison staff in Northern Ireland for their reaction when an inmate, who later died, was found "unresponsive" in his cell. | 28671023 | [
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Jordan Edwards, 15, died after Officer Roy Oliver fired a rifle into a car that was driving away from a party in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs.
Police initially said the car reversed "aggressively" towards the officer, but footage discredits that claim.
Police Chief Jonathan Haber said he "misspoke".
Officer Oliver has been fired violating several department policies, a police statement said, adding that the department "cannot give further details on which policies have been violated since Roy Oliver can appeal the termination".
Officer Oliver fired into a car full of teenagers as they left a party on Saturday night, Chief Haber said after reviewing the body-cam video.
The car was actually driving forward - away from police - and not reversing toward them when the shots were fired, he explained.
"I was unintentionally incorrect yesterday when I said that the victim's vehicle was backing down the road," Mr Haber said on Monday.
"In fact, according to the video that I viewed, the vehicle was moving forward as the officers approached."
The officer's behaviour "did not meet our core values", the police chief said.
Jordan, who was in the front passenger seat, died after being shot in the back of the head.
His 16-year-old brother and three friends were detained at the scene and taken to the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, where they were interviewed as witnesses.
Jordan's cause of death has been ruled a homicide, however, that does not necessarily mean charges will be filed against the officer.
The Dallas County Sheriff's Department and the Dallas County District Attorney's Office are conducting a criminal investigation.
The incident occurred on Saturday night when police responded to reports of underage drinking at a house party where around 100 kids had gathered, neighbours said.
Officers were inside the home trying to find the owner when they heard outside what they believed to be gunshots, causing panic at the home as people fled.
After going outside, the police officer fired several shots which killed Jordan, a first-year American football player at Mesquite High School.
His coach, Jeff Fleener, told the Dallas Morning News that he was "crushed and heartbroken" to learn that Jordan had been killed.
"You create a checklist of everything you would want in a player, a son, a teammate, a friend, and Jordan had all that. He was that kid," he said.
A vigil was held at the school on Monday evening, and the school district said they are "mourning this terrible loss".
Lee Merritt, lawyer for Jordan's family, demanded the officer's arrest on Monday.
"We are declaring war on bad policing," he said as Jordan's parents sat silently beside him, wiping their eyes with tissues and gazing downwards.
"America throughout the country must figure out a way to police its citizens without killing them," he continued. | A Texas police department has changed a key detail in the shooting of an unarmed black teenager, amid mounting calls for the officer to be arrested. | 39783509 | [
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Entertainers Starkidz were "cornered" by the gang after a Christmas lights switch-on in Formby, Merseyside.
The performers, including one as young as 13, were abused, with one punched and another threatened with an airgun, said the troupe's manager Jan Hayes.
"We may not return to Formby next year," she said.
"We've been going for five years and we have never had any trouble like this.
"It started off with these teenagers trying take their hats or telling the children they are not real elves.
"Later on, a gang of about 20 cornered our group and one member was punched in the stomach as they were abused."
Ms Hayes said the one of the performers had an airgun held to his head.
"It was a very traumatic experience," she added. "The group member is extremely upset by this."
The elves have received dozens of messages of support via social media from parents.
One local mother, Nicola Cowie, said: "Starkidz bring so much to our community, they bring magic to life.
"Her Elves give it their all, they live and breath as elves while they're dressed in those costumes. I'd be so disgusted if my child acted they way those youths did."
A Merseyside Police spokesman said it was investigating a report of anti-social behaviour by a group of youths at the event. | A group of performing Christmas elves has been left "traumatised" after being attacked by a gang of teenagers. | 34911239 | [
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The incident happened at the Co-op store in Thornton at about 02:15 on 17 May.
A Ford Transit flatbed van, stolen in Station Road, reversed into the premises. Extensive damage was caused to the building and an attempt was made to steal an ATM.
A 25-year-old man is expected to appear at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court court on Monday.
Det Insp Stewart Andrew of Glenrothes CID said: "Officers have been pursuing various lines of enquiry ever since this incident took place, which has included liaison with our colleagues in Durham Constabulary.
"I want to thank local residents for their support throughout and reassure the community that we will use all resources at our disposal to investigate such incidents." | A man has been charged after a ram-raid at a shop in Fife. | 40309473 | [
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Brook, 30, who moved up two weight divisions to face the unbeaten middleweight champion, will have an operation in Sheffield on Monday, promoter Eddie Hearn said.
He suffered the injury in the second round in London and had blurred vision before being stopped in round five.
It was Brook's first defeat in his 37th professional fight.
Hearn paid tribute to Brook for accepting the challenge against Kazakhstan's Golovkin, who has 33 knockouts from 36 fights, including 23 in a row.
"Fans always want to fighters step up and fight the best and he did that," he said.
"Kell stepped up from welterweight to middleweight. He wanted the big fights and it was a hell of a fight. I think Kell deserves lot of respect."
Hearn told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek that Brook's trainer Dominic Ingle was correct to throw in the towel to signal defeat in the fifth round.
"Kell traded with him and had a real go but it was absolutely the right decision from Dominic Ingle," the promoter said.
"I know there were a few boos from the crowd but he knows his fighter more than anyone and that kind of injury can get worse and worse in a fight and ultimately end someone's career."
Having initially questioned his trainer's actions, Brook agreed the day after the defeat that Ingle had been correct.
"He's like a father figure. It was the right decision and I can fight another day," he said.
"I was getting caught, and getting caught. It could have ended up seriously bad."
In beating Brook, Golovkin recorded his 17th world middleweight title defence.
Ex-world heavyweight champion David Haye on BBC 5 live:
"That stoppage was absolutely spot on. You've got to realise, Kell Brook is a current welterweight champion - he had no business taking that onslaught on the ropes.
"I'm so happy Dominic Ingle did that and didn't watch his fighter get drilled to the canvas, because give it six months and he's back in the ring, he's still earning money for his family, he's still defending his welterweight title.
"Great bit of corner work by Dominic Ingle - the best I've seen for a very long time."
Before he was taken to hospital, Brook spoke of his intention to return at light-middleweight.
Hearn told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek there are numerous options for the Sheffield fighter when he considers a return to the ring.
"He is still world champion at welterweight. It's going to be difficult for him to go back to 147lbs but in terms of worldwide stock, I think Kell's rose considerably," the promoter said.
"[US TV network] HBO asked me if I would do the re-match with Golovkin but I can see him [Brook] returning to light-middleweight, there are some huge fights out there for him.
"There is the Canelo [Alvarez] fight, the Amir Khan fight should have happened a dozen times and hasn't, maybe they feel it is the right time for that, there are other world champions out there at light-middleweight.
"The Golovkin re-match, if people want to see it in time to come, who knows? But it is not something that is going to happen in the very near future."
Hearn added that a fight with Britain's Khan, a former light-welterweight world champion, would be his own preference.
"They don't like each other and as a promoter there is nothing better in a build-up than two fighters that don't particularly like each other," he said.
"The Canelo fight is one of the biggest in world boxing but for now it is about getting that eye tidied up, having some rest and probably returning in the spring/summer of next year."
Meanwhile Hearn's father, the veteran promoter turned World Snooker supremo Barry Hearn, condemned a tweet from British middleweight champion Chris Eubank Jr to Golovkin after the fight.
Eubank challenged Golovkin to a bout and, with reference to Brook having moved up two weight divisions, said it would be "with a real British middleweight" before adding "my corner don't own towels".
Hearn senior described the tweet as "shameful" and wrote: "Possibly the most ignorant comment I have ever read on social media."
Know someone who volunteers in sport and deserves recognition for their efforts? Give them the chance to shine by nominating them. | Kell Brook will have surgery on the broken eye socket he sustained in Saturday's defeat by Gennady Golovkin. | 37331915 | [
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Media playback is not supported on this device
It was Bradford's first home defeat of the season and the second time that League Two Stanley have beaten the Bantams this season, having won on penalties at home in the EFL Cup in August.
Bradford began well, almost taking the lead in the third minute but James Hanson's header was cleared off the line by Mark Hughes.
Accrington went in front after 30 minutes though with a goal by Romuald Boco, who had seen his 25-yard shot rebound off the crossbar 13 minutes earlier.
Sean McConville delivered a cross from the right and Boco scored with a near-post header.
Bradford keeper Colin Doyle did well to deny the visitors a second goal early in the second half, diving full length to save Clark's shot from the edge of the penalty area, before the home side managed an equaliser in the 72nd minute.
Substitute Billy Clarke delivered an inswinging corner from the right and Matthew Kilgallon scored with a close-range header.
Accrington continued to attack and were rewarded with a winning goal in the 80th minute when Boco flicked the ball into the path of Clark on the left and he scored with a superb angled shot.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Bradford City 1, Accrington Stanley 2.
Second Half ends, Bradford City 1, Accrington Stanley 2.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Steven Hewitt replaces Shay McCartan because of an injury.
Delay in match Shay McCartan (Accrington Stanley) because of an injury.
Attempt saved. James Hanson (Bradford City) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Romuald Boco.
Daniel Devine (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley).
Substitution, Accrington Stanley. Shay McCartan replaces Jordan Clark.
Attempt missed. Timothee Dieng (Bradford City) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is close, but misses to the right.
Attempt missed. Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner.
Goal! Bradford City 1, Accrington Stanley 2. Jordan Clark (Accrington Stanley) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Romuald Boco.
James Hanson (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley).
Corner, Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Rory McArdle.
Goal! Bradford City 1, Accrington Stanley 1. Matthew Kilgallon (Bradford City) header from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Billy Clarke with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Jordan Clark.
Nicky Law (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Seamus Conneely (Accrington Stanley).
Corner, Bradford City. Conceded by Sean McConville.
Attempt missed. Jordan Clark (Accrington Stanley) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Substitution, Bradford City. Nicky Law replaces Filipe Morais.
Substitution, Bradford City. Billy Clarke replaces Mark Marshall.
Rory McArdle (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Terry Gornell (Accrington Stanley).
Attempt missed. Timothee Dieng (Bradford City) header from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Attempt saved. Filipe Morais (Bradford City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Rory McArdle (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Matty Pearson (Accrington Stanley).
Corner, Accrington Stanley. Conceded by Stephen Darby.
Foul by Daniel Devine (Bradford City).
Seamus Conneely (Accrington Stanley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt saved. Jordan Clark (Accrington Stanley) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Attempt saved. Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila (Bradford City) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt missed. Matthew Kilgallon (Bradford City) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top left corner.
Second Half begins Bradford City 0, Accrington Stanley 1.
Substitution, Bradford City. Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila replaces Haris Vuckic.
First Half ends, Bradford City 0, Accrington Stanley 1.
Foul by Terry Gornell (Accrington Stanley). | Jordan Clark scored a late winner as Accrington Stanley stunned League One promotion hopefuls Bradford with victory at Valley Parade, in the FA Cup first round | 37807179 | [
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The former Scunthorpe, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston player worked with Blackpool manager Gary Bowyer as a trainee at Blackburn.
The 27-year-old was released by York in January after making 18 appearances for the League Two side.
"I've played against some of the lads before - there are some good players, and some good signings have been made this summer," he told the club website.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Blackpool have signed ex-York defender Eddie Nolan on a one-year deal. | 36958198 | [
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The side's appearance in France will be its first at a major tournament since the 1958 World Cup.
Players and coaches left their base at the Vale Resort, Vale of Glamorgan, on Saturday and headed to Cardiff Airport.
After a send-off from pupils from Ysgol Treganna, Cardiff, the team took off for a friendly in Sweden on Sunday.
They will then head to France ahead of the team's first game of the tournament against Slovakia on 11 June. | Wales' football team has departed the country as their Euro 2016 preparations reach a climax. | 36446387 | [
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Michael Hoolickin, 27, suffered multiple stab wounds in a fracas between a group of men and women on 14 October in Middleton, Greater Manchester.
Timothy Deakin, 21, of Lever Street, Heywood, denied murder but was found guilty by a jury at Bolton Crown Court.
He was ordered to serve a minimum of 27 years.
Deakin was also sentenced to three years for wounding and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, which he had also denied, and 12 months for assault, which are to be served concurrently.
The 21-year-old admitted the assault charge.
After sentencing Mr Hoolickin's family said: "Michael was much loved by all his family and friends and had his whole life ahead of him."
The family said he was taken away in "completely unnecessary circumstances".
"We cannot express how devastated we are that his life has been stolen from him.
"Today his killer has been sentenced and justice has been served."
His family added: "We can try to repair our heartache although no matter how long the sentence is, it will not bring Michael back or make our loss any easier." | A man has been given life imprisonment for murdering a man in a mass street brawl. | 39506256 | [
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Murray, 27, outsmarted the 19-year-old to win 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 and set up a clash with Tomas Berdych on Thursday.
Kyrgios threatened a comeback in the second set tie-break but two superb lobs helped the Scot to a crucial lead.
The sixth seed is through to his fifth Australian Open and 15th Grand Slam semi-final.
In the last four he will take on seventh seed Berdych, now working with Murray's former coach Dani Vallverdu who left the Briton's team in November.
While Berdych enjoyed a landmark win over Rafael Nadal in his quarter-final, Murray overcame the great new hope of Australian tennis - and a packed and expectant crowd on Rod Laver Arena.
"I didn't go into it obviously thinking like that," said Murray about facing the home favourite.
"I was just trying to win against Nick, which was tough because he has an exceptional serve and makes it very difficult for you when he's serving.
"And it was very tricky conditions as well, so I was quite happy with the way I handled everything tonight."
The dominant force from the outset, particularly on serve, Murray used a variety of spins and angles to keep Kyrgios off balance.
When Kyrgios did suggest a fightback, the Briton was able to find a big serve or a winner to halt the momentum.
Two terrific lunging returns set up a break point in game six and a sliced backhand drew the error when Kyrgios went for too much.
On a cold and breezy evening, the home crowd needed their man to bring a bit of heat to the contest and, after saving an early break point in the second, he worked his way into the match.
A tie-break was required and Kyrgios looked likely to take it when he turned around a 2-0 deficit to lead 4-3 with a break, but Murray played a magical forehand lob to wrestle back the initiative.
The Australian had a half-chance facing a second serve at 5-5 but could not make the return, and Murray produced another winning lob off the backhand to clinch the set.
A furious Kyrgios risked a point penalty when he smashed his racquet, having earlier been warned for an audible obscenity, but at least escaped that punishment as he faced the prospect of recovering from two sets down for the second time in three days.
Murray further tightened his grip when he made it a hat-trick of unplayable lobs on the way to breaking for 4-2 in the third, only to slip up with the finish line in sight.
It took nearly two hours for Kyrgios to earn a break point but he converted his second when a distracted Murray netted a backhand, and the crowd came to life.
Murray needed to snuff out the danger quickly and he did just that, thanks in part to a poor line call at 30-0 down which he capitalised on with two thumping cross-court forehand winners.
It left the British number one serving for the match, and there were no alarms this time as he sealed it with a smooth forehand winner down the line.
"It was a really good experience," said Kyrgios, who was aiming to become the first Australian man to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since Lleyton Hewitt in 2005.
"That was my first Aussie Open Grand Slam match playing on Rod Laver, so that was really cool. But he was way too good for me tonight.
"I thought he served really well. A lot of variety. I thought if I could get that second set it's a totally different match, but he won the second set and he was too good." | Britain's Andy Murray ended the run of home favourite Nick Kyrgios with a brilliant display to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. | 31000718 | [
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Researchers hope to learn how much it weighed, how it moved and what it used its iconic back plates for.
A UK team has scanned each of its 360 bones into a computer and has digitally reconstructed the dinosaur.
The specimen, nicknamed "Sophie", has been acquired by the Natural History Museum in London.
Although Stegosauruses are one of the most well known dinosaurs, they are among those that scientists know the least about. There are only six partial skeletons of the creature, which lived around 150 million years ago.
It could grow to the size of a minibus and the gigantic plates which ran along its back were its most distinctive feature.
Surprisingly, it was 100 years ago that the dinosaur's skeleton was properly assessed and scientifically described. Now, using medical imaging techniques and 3D modelling, researchers at the Natural History Museum hope to learn much more about this iconic creature.
Prof Paul Barrett, who is leading the research, said that they were particularly interested in finding out what stegosauruses used their plates for.
"We want to find out whether they were used for defence or whether they were used as a radiator to help the animal pick up or lose heat," he told BBC News.
Sophie is 80% complete and is thought to be the most complete specimen in the world. Dr Charlotte Brassey, who is working with Prof Barrett, helped to scan in its 360 bones and digitally recreate it on her computer as a detailed 3D model.
"I reconstructed the skeleton to see what it might have looked like and then began to reconstruct the muscles and how they connected with the skeleton. From that we can begin to say how effective its muscles were and eventually in the future we would like to reconstruct how it moved," she told BBC News.
Among the mysteries the researchers would like to solve is how the species was able to walk with such small front legs and such large back legs.
Follow Pallab on Twitter | Scientists have begun the most detailed analysis ever carried out on a Stegosaurus skeleton. | 30301895 | [
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Caven Vines claimed during an interview in January 2015 the MPs knew about the abuse but did not intervene.
MPs Sir Kevin Barron and John Healey were awarded £40,000 each in libel damages at the High Court in London.
Mr Justice Warby said the "offensive and wrong" allegation had caused "real anger and distress".
Lawyers for the MPs said the allegation was "extremely grave" and could not have been more serious for politicians serving constituencies in the town, ahead of the General Election.
Sir Kevin, MP for Rother Valley, said he felt an anxiety and unease that he had not felt in other campaigns, which made it "very stressful". His integrity "had been called into question which was a very grave matter", the hearing was told.
Mr Healey, who represents Wentworth and Dearne, said the allegation had been damaging to his relationship with his constituents and had taken the focus away from things that needed to be done.
He considered they had left "a very dark stain on him and his integrity" which might never fully be removed, the judge was told.
Mr Vines, the former UKIP group leader in the town, claimed the pair had not suffered in any way, highlighting that both were returned to Parliament with an increased majority.
Judge Warby recorded the judgment after concluding Mr Vines had failed to put forward any defence which could possibly succeed. | An ex-UKIP councillor has been ordered to pay £80,000 in damages to two Labour MPs over remarks he made about the Rotherham's child abuse scandal. | 36427499 | [
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The Iron are currently sixth in the National League, one point and one place outside the play-off spots.
"I thought we asked a lot of questions of a very good Barrow team," Cowley told BBC Essex.
"When you come off the back of a six or seven-hour journey and you concede a goal after five minutes it's always going to be tough."
Barrow extended their unbeaten league run to nine games with the victory, and although Braintree's losing run extended to three games, Cowley remained positive.
"What we've done so far has been nothing short of remarkable," he continued. "But if anyone thought this journey was going to be easy, then they're living in cloud cuckoo land.
"We're a part-time team. This is our toughest challenge to date, but we're going to embrace it. We're going to enjoy it and see where it takes us." | Braintree manager Danny Cowley said the task ahead of his team is "a brilliant challenge" after the defeat at Barrow. | 35977985 | [
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In addition to original versions of the games, Halo: The Master Chief collection will also include a new visually-upgraded version of Halo 2.
Purchasers of the November release are also being promised "beta" access to the multiplayer version of the forthcoming Halo 5.
One company watcher said it illustrated the firm was listening to its fans.
"I think it's a smart move," said David Scarborough, from GamesTM magazine.
"It shows a willingness to satiate the appetite of Xbox hardcore gamers, which is what Microsoft sees the Halo franchise as - it's biggest hardcore gaming franchise.
"It also feeds into the hype for the next entry in the series.
"But I personally don't think it will be something that will incentivise people who haven't yet bought a new console to buy an Xbox One."
Xbox gamers who already bought the titles on earlier versions of the Xbox are being given an added reason to buy the games again: the package will also include access to watch a new live-action series called Halo: Nightfall.
The episodes, produced by Ridley Scott, are currently being filmed in Ireland, and are separate to the Steven Spielberg Halo TV series promised last year.
While new pre-rendered trailer footage of Halo 5 was shown to the audience at the firm's E3 press conference in Los Angeles, developer 343 Studios was not yet ready to demo gameplay or confirm a launch date.
Xbox chief Phil Spencer told the crowd at the Microsoft event that Halo was the "reason Xbox is here today".
He also acknowledged that his firm had changed its strategy to take account of customer feedback - a nod to it abandoning restrictions on the sale of second-hand disks and releasing a cheaper version of the console without its Kinect voice/camera sensor.
He pointedly said at the event's outset that this year's conference would be dedicated exclusively to showing off new games, rather than sharing the time to show off other multimedia features.
Microsoft's rival Sony had exploited previous attempts to promote the Xbox as both a games machine and a means to control cable TV, pitching the PlayStation 4 as the machine for serious gamers. That move helped the Japanese company to enjoy stronger sales since both machines launched last November.
Other new titles on show for the Xbox One included the hyper-reality game Sunset Overdrive, which features a character who skids across rails blowing up people who have been turned into mutants by a poisonous fizzy drink.
The colourful game is an Xbox One exclusive and due out later this year.
Microsoft Game Studios showed off another new Xbox One exclusive at an earlier stage of development called Phantom Dust - which is billed as a "battle for reality". It had previously released an action-strategy title by the same name for the original Xbox a decade ago.
The in-house games publisher also previewed a dragon-fighting title - developed by Japan's Platinum Games - called Scalebound for the new console, and a fresh version of its open-world third-person shooter Crackdown, originally released for the Xbox 360.
One expert said offering such distinctive titles could prove critical to Microsoft's attempts to woo those who had not yet upgraded to a "new-gen" console.
"Since Xbox dropped the DRM [digital rights management] stuff before launch and then ditched the Kinect as a must-have about a month ago, the actual level of differentiation between PlayStation 4 and Xbox One has really shrunk," said Ed Barton, an analyst at the Ovum consultancy.
"So, one of the only differentiators left is exclusive game titles - there's not much left in to pick between them based on hardware."
Analysis from E3: Dave Lee, Los Angeles
First stop at this year's E3 was the Galen Center, a venue usually used for basketball, where Microsoft rolled out its portfolio for the coming year and a bit.
At its heart, the crowd-pleasing announcement of the Halo Master Collection - a complete compendium of the Halo series, plus a "beta" of the latest entry in the series, Halo 5 Guardians. It won the biggest cheer in the arena, for mostly nostalgia purposes.
But a new console can't rely on old franchises, even if they are of Halo's calibre. That's where Sunset Overdrive comes in - an (almost) open-world game with a lead character that, at first glance, is more than slightly irritating.
While the Xbox event was a typically loud, brash affair - it was intentionally no-nonsense. This was all about games, and the firm has set out a convincing staple for the year ahead, even if it is a little reliant on tried and tested brands.
It all points to a strong 2014 and 2015 for Xbox One. It needs to be if it is to claw back some of the ground lost to the PlayStation 4.
Tellingly, there was only a brief mention of the Kinect - a peripheral touted last year to be integral to the Xbox One experience.
Not so this time - only two titles mentioned the Kinect directly: a dancing game and a baffling music-creation game based on the old Disney film, Fantasia.
Later we get to see what Sony has to offer.
Square Enix picked the show to premiere a trailer for its next Lara Croft game, called Rise of the Tomb Raider. The character appears to be suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after her previous origins story, but little of the new plot was revealed.
Activision was more forthcoming with a long sequence from its forthcoming Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare game, showing soldiers fighting swarms of drones in a battle-hit city. However, there was only a brief glimpse of its star Kevin Spacey in the footage.
Several titles on show took advantage of the Xbox's extra processing power to offer fast-paced multiplayer campaigns. They included: | Microsoft is recoding the main games in its Halo series to run on its recently released Xbox One console. | 27771931 | [
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The 21-year-old, who joined Chelsea in January 2012, spent last season on loan at English Championship side Middlesbrough, making 22 appearances.
His switch comes after a vow to fight for a place at Chelsea this season.
"The target is to get a lot of playing time and help Kasimpasa achieve their objectives," he told BBC Sport.
"I've come to Turkey to reciprocate the club's determination to bring me here. I want to show the manager and the fans that they have made a good choice and I am completely focused on breaking into the squad and prove myself here.
"They have strong faith in my ability and I need to prove it. Last season was difficult because of injuries which affected me both at club and international level but I have put all that behind me.
"Kasimpasa approached Chelsea in a professional manner and the chance to test myself in a top league is very challenging."
Omeruo underwent his medical at Kasimpasa on Tuesday before signing a deal, which includes an option for the Turkish club to buy him at the end of the loan.
He joined Chelsea from Belgian side Standard Liege in 2012 and developed on loan at ADO Den Haag in Netherlands in an 18-month spell from 2012 to 2013.
Omeruo made 14 appearances in his first loan spell at Boro after joining in January 2014 and returned for the whole of last season.
The centre-back was first called up by Nigeria in January 2013 and he went on to play at that year's Africa Cup of Nations and Confederations Cup - and at the 2014 World Cup. | Nigeria international defender Kenneth Omeruo has joined Turkish Super Lig side Kasimpasa on a season-long loan deal from English champions Chelsea. | 33582958 | [
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The accusation comes days after the US and Taiwan said China appeared to have deployed surface-to-air missiles on a contested island in the region.
Vietnam has called the reported move a "serious violation". The Philippines and Australia also expressed concern.
China dismissed the reports as "hype", but said it had the right under international law to defend itself.
Several nations claim territory in the resource-rich South China Sea, which is also an important shipping route.
Taiwan and US officials say satellite images taken on 14 February indicate that China has deployed missiles on Woody or Yongxing Island in the Paracels.
The island is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday: "There is every evidence, every day, that there has been an increase of militarisation from one kind or another. It's a serious concern."
However, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei hit back on Friday, telling reporters that US air and naval patrols in the region were what had "escalated tensions" in the region.
"That's the real militarisation of the South China Sea," he added.
The US says it does not take sides on territorial disputes, but has previously sent B-52 bombers and a naval destroyer near the disputed islands.
It says it conducts such "freedom of navigation" operations to ensure access to key shipping and air routes.
On Friday, Vietnam said it had issued diplomatic notes to the UN Secretary General and the Chinese embassy to protest against China's apparent deployment of missiles on Woody Island.
"These are serious infringements of Vietnam's sovereignty over the Paracels," foreign ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said.
The Philippines also said it was "gravely concerned", and that China's actions would "aggravate the already tense situation".
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said China should avoid "falling into the Thucydides Trap", where "a rising power creates anxiety among other powers such that conflict occurs".
Rival countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years.
Its islets and waters are claimed in part or in whole by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.
China has backed its expansive claims with island-building and naval patrols, while the US says it opposes restrictions on freedom of navigation and unlawful sovereignty claims - by all sides, but seen by many as aimed at China.
The frictions have sparked concern that the area is becoming a flashpoint with global consequences. | China has accused the US of militarising the disputed South China Sea through its air and naval patrols. | 35610809 | [
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Amnesty International supporters are zipped into some of the bags in the first few rows, alongside a banner saying #DontLetThemDrown.
Bags are lined up in rows in front of the East Sussex resort's Big Wheel close to the pier.
The protest comes ahead of an EU leaders' meeting over the crisis.
David Cameron will attend the summit in Brussels, which will discuss a response to the growing problem.
Amnesty UK director Kate Allen said: "Until now, the UK government's response has been shameful but finally they have been woken up to the need to act.
"EU governments must now urgently turn their rhetoric into action to stop more people drowning on their way to Europe." | Two hundred body bags have been placed on Brighton beach in a protest to highlight the UK's response to the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean. | 32411431 | [
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The body of Omar Omran was found at an apartment in the Riverside complex, Kimmage, on Monday evening. He had been stabbed to death.
His mother Maha Al Adheem, a doctor who is originally from Iraq, appeared at Dublin District Court on Thursday.
The 42 year old was remanded in custody until next week.
During the hearing, a detective sergeant gave evidence of the arrest.
He said that about 45 minutes after she was charged, Maha Al Adheem said: "Yes it was my knife. Yes it was my hand.
"It was not me. It was the power." | A woman has appeared in court in the Republic of Ireland charged with the murder of her three-year-old son at their Dublin home earlier this week. | 40594046 | [
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Trailing 7-0 from the first leg, the home side went in front on the night when Alvaro Negredo rolled home.
And Neville was on course to celebrate a rare victory as Valencia coach before Barca substitute Wilfrid Kaptoum side-footed in a late equaliser.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The result means Barcelona are unbeaten in 29 games, a Spanish record.
Their opponents in the final will be either Celta Vigo or Sevilla, the latter of whom lead 4-0 going into Thursday's second leg.
Neville is under pressure at Valencia, with the former Manchester United captain winless in nine league games since taking charge on 2 December.
He made it clear that Saturday's La Liga match with Espanyol was his priority by making sweeping changes, though Barca too named an under-strength team.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar were all rested by Luis Enrique, who left 11 first-team regulars out of the squad.
The attendance at the 55,000-seater Mestalla was 16,200.
"I'm thankful for the fans who came to the stadium," said Neville. "Some didn't want to come and that was their right.
"We weren't playing under the best circumstances after what happened in the first leg last week, but the players played with dignity. We deserved to win.'' | Barcelona reached the Copa del Rey final as they beat Gary Neville's Valencia 8-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw at the Mestalla Stadium. | 35464088 | [
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Stefano Brizzi, 50, told the Old Bailey that PC Gordon Semple visited his flat on 1 April for "the purpose of having fun".
They had previously agreed to meet on gay dating app Grindr for sadomasochistic sex.
Mr Brizzi, from south London, denies murdering the 59-year-old officer but admits disposing of his body.
Asked if he deliberately killed PC Semple, Mr Brizzi replied: "No."
Asked if he had any intention of causing him harm, he said: "None whatsoever."
Mr Brizzi told the jury that PC Semple had been at his flat "for the purpose of a casual sexual encounter".
But, appearing to cry, he accepted he had dismembered and destroyed his body.
Mr Brizzi told the court that he had become addicted to crystal meth and quit his job at Morgan Stanley in 2015.
He said he lived off his savings while trying to solve his addiction problems.
The jury heard that on the day of the policeman's death, Mr Brizzi and PC Semple took drugs together and engaged in sexual activity.
Mr Brizzi said PC Semple appeared to be "very happy" to be with him and told the jury the police officer said he wanted to "explore some extreme fantasies".
The court has previously heard that Mr Brizzi placed a hood over PC Semple's head upon his request to be restrained and whipped.
The trial continues. | A man accused of strangling a police officer has told his trial he had no intention of hurting him. | 37786881 | [
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Shyam Acharya is accused of stealing a doctor's name and qualifications in India before moving to Australia.
He used the credentials to work in local hospitals between 2003 and 2014, New South Wales (NSW) Health said. He also became an Australian citizen.
Mr Acharya was never the individual subject of a complaint.
He is facing a fine of up to A$30,000 (£18,600; $18,700) but is likely to have left Australia, said NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Wednesday.
"It is quite disturbing that a foreign national could get through our border protection with a false passport and ID based on an Indian citizen who had trained as a doctor," Mr Hazzard said in a statement.
Local media reported the false identity was that of Sarang Chitale, a doctor who had previously worked in India.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) notified NSW Health it was investigating Mr Acharya in November last year.
He worked at four New South Wales (NSW) public hospitals - two in Sydney, and two on the state's central coast - before his employment ended in 2014.
NSW Health deputy secretary Karen Crawshaw said he was classified as a junior doctor, meaning he was supervised by other practitioners.
Although never the sole target of a complaint, Mr Acharya was part of a clinical team investigated over the treatment of one patient.
Mr Hazzard said he would offer to meet with the patient, who had been told of the alleged deception.
Australian police and immigration officials are investigating how Mr Acharya was awarded citizenship.
"The belief is that he actually trained in a medical course, possibly in India," Mr Hazzard told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"Whether he actually completed that qualification is a moot point."
NSW Health said the registration process for doctors had undergone significant changes since 2003.
Mr Hazzard said he would examine "every aspect of registration" to prevent any future breaches. | A man who allegedly masqueraded as a doctor in Australian hospitals for over a decade is believed to have left the country, authorities have said. | 39201763 | [
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The tie-up, announced in March, is expected to be completed by the end of this year or early 2017.
It will create one of the world's largest exchange companies with a combined value of about £21bn.
Each of the two companies has more than 5,000 staff.
The LSE said its shareholders would be asked to approve the merger on 4 July.
It added that the deal was expected to produce €250m in annual cost savings in five years, with €160m of those savings achieved by year three.
If the deal goes ahead, LSE shareholders will own 45.6% of the new holding company, while Deutsche Boerse shareholders will own 54.4%.
The two companies said together they should be able to make cost savings of €450m (£354m) a year - about 20% of the combined group's operating costs of €2.2bn last year.
The LSE group already owns Milan-based Borsa Italiana.
The newly merged company will keep both the London and Frankfurt headquarters. The new holding company, UK TopCo, will be incorporated in the UK. | The London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) has said its forthcoming merger with Deutsche Boerse could lead to as many as 1,250 job losses. | 36425929 | [
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The EU is expected to renew sanctions in a matter of weeks.
Alexis Tsipras was speaking at a joint news conference in Athens with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Putin said there would be "no discussions" about Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that was seized by Kremlin-backed forces in 2014, leading to sanctions from the EU and US.
The territory, which has an ethnic Russian majority, later voted to join Russia in a referendum that Ukraine and Western countries deem illegal.
How Russia's relationship with Europe has evolved
Mr Tsipras told reporters: "We have repeatedly said that the vicious circle of militarisation, of Cold War rhetoric and of sanctions is not productive. The solution is dialogue."
Mr Putin said: "As far as Crimea is concerned, we consider this question is closed forever. Russia will not conduct any discussions with anyone on this subject."
Mr Putin's visit to Greece is an attempt to reinforce a relationship with one of Russia's friends in Europe at a time when diplomatic tensions continue between Russia and the EU and US, the BBC's Thomas Fessy in Athens says.
Mr Putin also said that Russia would be forced to respond to US moves in Europe, warning that Washington's missile shield bases in Romania and Poland were a direct threat to his country's security.
"If yesterday in those areas of Romania people simply did not know what it means to be in the cross-hairs, then today we will be forced to carry out certain measures to ensure our security."
Earlier this month, the US activated the anti-missile base in southern Romania. The base in Poland is expected to be operational in 2018.
The US says its shield is to protect Nato countries from short- and medium-range missiles, particularly from the Middle East. | The Greek prime minister has said sanctions imposed on Russia over its actions in Ukraine are not productive. | 36403129 | [
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McDonnell, 30, will face Rosas on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's IBF world heavyweight title bout with Charles Martin at the O2 in London.
It will be McDonnell's first fight in the UK since he defeated Argentina's Javier Chacon in Liverpool in 2014.
The Doncaster fighter, who has won 27 of his 30 fights, beat Japan's Tomoki Kameda in both of his past two bouts.
McDonnell won the WBA title with a 10th-round stoppage of Thailand's Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat at Wembley Stadium in May 2014.
He had previously been stripped of the IBF title for failing to fight the federation's mandatory challenger in the advised timeframe.
"I cannot tell you how good it feels to be back fighting in the UK," said McDonnell. "It has been a long time coming.
"Rosas has won world titles. He has mixed it with the best and is very experienced.
"He will bring a lot to the table. He is only 31 so he will still be hungry. I hope we can put on a great fight and I am 100% confident I can beat him."
In other fights on the Joshua undercard, Lee Selby defends his IBF world featherweight title against Eric Hunter, three-time world super-middleweight title challenger George Groves faces unbeaten Scot David Brophy and Nigel Benn's son Conor makes his professional debut. | British WBA world bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell will defend his title against Juan Alberto Rosas on 9 April. | 35940986 | [
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The girl's account was given to police and the video recording of the interview was shown at the player's trial at Bradford Crown Court.
Mr Johnson, 28, who has 12 England caps, is accused of two counts of sexual activity with a child.
The former Sunderland and Middlesbrough footballer denies the charges.
The girl, who was aged 15 at the time of the alleged incident, described how the winger was her favourite player.
"I got a message from Sunderland player Adam Johnson who I'd idolised for quite a while," she said.
The girl said that after exchanging messages, she first met up with him on 17 January 2015 when he signed two Sunderland shirts for her.
She said the player continued to message her, requesting a "thank you kiss".
"I was well up for it. It was a surreal type of thing," she told the police officer.
"I met up with him again. I gave him his thank you kiss and more," she said.
Mr Johnson sat in the dock watching the recording of the girl give her account on two large video screens.
The court heard her describe how Mr Johnson exchanged WhatsApp messages with her after their first meeting, saying "you owe me for this".
At the second meeting, in the player's Range Rover, she claimed he said to her: "I've come for my thank you kiss."
The girl said: "I was kissing him for quite a while.
"He undid the button on my trousers. It took him a while to do that."
The girl then described sexual activity between the pair.
Later in the interview, the police officer asked the girl what the player knew about her.
She replied he knew her age, her school year and where she sat at Sunderland home matches. "He asked me when I was 16," she said.
Asked how she felt, the girl said: "As much as I expected it to happen, I was a bit shocked it had. I sort of knew I had done something wrong.
"It wasn't that I didn't want it or anything. I just knew it was wrong."
The jury of eight women and four men was played a second police interview during which the girl described more serious alleged sexual contact.
She said a sex act happened for three or four seconds during the pair's second meeting in his car, on 30 January last year.
The woman police officer asked her how she felt. She said: "Not very good. I was disappointed in myself."
When the officer asked her why she did not mention the more serious sexual contact in the first interview, she said that there was evidence on text messages to back up everything else she said, but not this sex act.
The girl broke down in tears and asked for a break when she was questioned over a video link by Mr Johnson's barrister Orlando Pownall QC about why she had asked friends to lie about what happened.
After a short break granted by Judge Jonathan Rose, she said: "I wanted to keep him (Johnson) out of trouble. I didn't want to get him in more trouble than he was.
"I was scared that people wouldn't believe me. I didn't want to believe that it had happened.
"I tried to forget about it. I was trying to live normally.
"At the time I didn't realise it was wrong. I didn't realise what had gone on was wrong."
Born in Sunderland, Mr Johnson began his career at Middlesbrough before moving to Manchester City and then on to Sunderland for £10m in 2012.
The trial continues.
The footballer has previously pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity with a child and one charge of grooming. He was sacked by Sunderland as a result. | A girl has described how she met footballer Adam Johnson for a "thank you kiss and more" after he signed football shirts for her. | 35579014 | [
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In a speech, Ian Murray said the party could take inspiration from dominant figures such as John Smith, Donald Dewar and Gordon Brown.
However, Mr Murray added that a new generation must now be responsible for safeguarding the party's future.
Party members are set to vote for new leaders at Holyrood and Westminster.
The Shadow Scottish Secretary has given his backing to Scottish leadership contender Kezia Dugdale, ahead of her MSP rival Ken Macintosh.
He is also backing Yvette Cooper to become the next Labour Party leader.
In his speech at Morningside Parish Church in Edinburgh, he said: "Our lowest points can be the catalyst for our greatest victories.
"We will elect a new leader in a matter of weeks and the hard work will begin.
"A fresh team, a fresh approach, a new generation. I'll play my part in whatever way I can.
"A party which takes inspiration from those who went before - Smith, Dewar, McConnell, Brown. All of them made their own unique and lasting contribution to our party and to our country.
"But the Scottish Labour Party can no longer turn to the big beasts. It falls to a new generation to take the Scottish Labour Party forward."
For many years, Scottish Labour figures played a dominant role on the UK political stage and in government.
Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling, John Reid, the list goes on.
But these figures have since stepped down from frontline politics, while the party has fallen out of favour with voters.
Today, Labour supporters gathered at Edinburgh's Morningside Church - where former Labour leader John Smith's funeral was held 21 years ago - not to dwell on the past, but to look forward.
Speaking at the event, Ian Murray - now Scotland's only Labour MP - told them that while the legacy of these "big beasts" should serve to inspire, the party must now turn to a new generation of party talent.
His comments were, in part, a nod to one of the youthful audience members, Kezia Dugdale, who Mr Murray has backed to become Scottish Labour's new leader over Ken Macintosh, an MSP since 1999.
At the same time, he also gave his support to Yvette Cooper for the UK Labour leadership at a time when veteran MP Jeremy Corbyn is seen by some as a favourite to get the gig.
Ian Murray and his Labour colleagues are all too aware of the challenge ahead, and with polls indicating victory for the SNP in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, the party knows it will have to work extra hard to win back the trust of voters.
Mr Murray added: "I want us to look back 20 years from now, in government in the UK and in Scotland, and be able to say that when the burden of responsibility passed to the next generation we were up to the challenge.
"This will be the work of the new generation. It has to be the work of the new generation because we cannot go back."
Mr Murray was the only Labour candidate to win in Scotland at May's election, when the SNP took 56 of the 59 seats.
Recent polling suggested the SNP is also on course for a landslide in next year's Holyrood election. | Scottish Labour can no longer turn to the "big beasts" as it recovers from the general election defeat, according to the party's only MP in Scotland. | 33706241 | [
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Melissa Reid, 22, from Lenzie, near Glasgow, was arrested with Michaella McCollum, of Co Tyrone, after being caught with 24lb (11kg) of cocaine at Lima airport in 2013.
They struck a plea deal for a reduced sentence of six years and eight months.
Reid, who was expelled from Peru under an early release scheme, arrived at Glasgow Airport on Wednesday evening.
She touched down in Glasgow at 21:44 after travelling from Lima, via Amsterdam, with her father William.
She did not appear before waiting media at the international arrivals area, and is thought to have accepted an airside transfer.
It is understood that Reid will not have a criminal record in the UK as a result of her Peruvian conviction.
Any offences she committed in the UK before she became a drugs mule would remain.
McCollum, 23, was released at the end of March under parole conditions which mean that she has to remain in Peru for an undisclosed period of time.
Reid has served about a third of her sentence and under Peruvian law was eligible to be deported according to the early release scheme for foreign prisoners.
She has also paid a fine of 10,000 Peruvian soles, just over £2,000.
A spokeswoman for Peru's prison service, Janeth Sanchez, said Reid "served her time in prison according to the law and can now go to her country, free".
A Scottish Prison Service spokeswoman confirmed it was not involved with Reid's case.
Both Reid and McCollum were caught with an estimated £1.5m-worth of cocaine at Lima airport on 6 August 2013 while attempting to board a flight to Madrid, in Spain.
The cocaine was discovered in food packets hidden inside their luggage.
They had initially claimed they were forced to carry the drugs, but pleaded guilty to charges later that year.
They had faced the prospect of a maximum 15-year prison term but struck a behind closed doors plea bargain to secure a shorter sentence.
Following her release, McCollum told the Irish broadcaster RTE she had been "very naive, so young and very insecure".
Reid's father William has previously said the impact of his daughter's imprisonment on his family had been "horrendous".
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We continue to provide assistance to Melissa Reid and remain in contact with her family and local authorities." | A Scottish woman jailed in Peru for smuggling drugs has arrived back in Glasgow after being released from jail. | 36599110 | [
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While that might be true of clouds in the real world, those in cyberspace are turning out to be very different entities indeed, especially when it comes to security. Some of them are downright dangerous.
The captivating idea behind using a "cloud" of computers is that it does away with having a dedicated data centre. Instead, companies get their number crunching done by a benevolent source of computational power that sits out there, somewhere, anywhere, on the net.
It's the word cloud itself that is responsible for making this sound much more ephemeral than it actually is, said Martin Borrett, IBM's cloud security adviser.
"There's a misconception that clouds are one thing and they are all fluffy," he said, "but clouds do not have to be nebulous."
Researchers have shown that clouds are anything but misty and mysterious. The computer servers providing that on-tap processing power can be identified, enterprising scientists in Germany and Finland have found. Software tools written by these researchers identified individual servers making up a cloud and interrogated them to find out which chip that computer was running.
That was important, they found, because more powerful chips get processing done more quickly. Given that many on-demand cloud services price by the hour, that could add up to a considerable saving. The researchers estimate up to 30%. Interrogating a cloud to work out how to save money sounds good on face value.
But cyber-clouds are not as insubstantial as their name suggests. Unlike their wispy namesake, they can be found and become a target. That's bad because, as cyber-thieves and hackers know, there is a fine line between interrogating a computer and bullying it into coughing up details that help control it or can aid another attack.
Researcher Yingian Zhang at the University of North Carolina and colleagues from Wisconsin and security firm RSA have already shown how this can provide a route to attacking and hacking a cloud.
The technique developed by the team is complicated, but involves finding out how hard servers are being worked in a particular cloud.
"Because we're sharing the resources there's a possibility some information will leak," Mr Zhang told the BBC. That's significant because many cloud providers run the computational jobs from different clients on the same hardware. There's no way for one company to know who its data is sharing memory with. It could be a bank, a bookshop or a bad guy.
"Using the same resources is key to the cost and business model of cloud firms," he said. Knowing how hard those servers work under different conditions can give hints about the types of jobs they are being asked to do, he said.
"How much resource is being allocated is dependent on the length of a cryptographic key," said Mr Zhang. Knowing how hard a server is working helps infer all kinds of useful information about what type of key is being used. That information is useful to attackers as it could radically cut down the number of possible combinations they have to try to unlock data encrypted or scrambled with that key.
The dawning realisation that clouds can be found, interrogated and potentially attacked has given rise to a number of start-ups that aim to secure processing done on those cloud platforms.
"Outsourcing your data cannot remove the obligation to protect that data," said Pravin Kothari, head of CipherCloud which provides tools to companies to scramble the data being uploaded and processed in a cloud.
Fears about how the security of core business information when it was committed to the cloud had the potential to dampen moves to use the technology, he said.
"Most of the growth in the use of cloud services is happening at the bottom end of the market," he said. "It's small businesses taking it up.
"When you get to large companies people are not comfortable," he said, "And with sensitive applications that's when people get very uncomfortable."
For one of the biggest cloud firms, many of the security worries being flagged up by ingenious researchers are problems that are yet to be seen by the bad guys. Stephen Schmidt, security head for Amazon Web Services said the attack mounted by Mr Zhang and colleagues only worked in the lab.
"Those kind of attacks tend to be more theoretical than practical," he said, adding that the many checks and balances on a live cloud service would stymie such an attack.
However, he said, that was not to be complacent about the security of computation work being done in the cloud. All day, every day, he said Amazon helped its customers defeat hack attacks of all kinds.
In many cases, he said, moving to the cloud helped companies finds out what was vulnerable.
"Security starts with what knowing what you have," he said. "In the cloud because of the way it works, you cannot log someone on under the desk. You can see exactly what you have." | The word cloud evokes images of all things soft and gentle; the kiss of a kitten or the soft touch of a lambswool mitten. | 21754034 | [
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The charity said there had been a total of 137 convictions in the same period.
The maximum sentence for offenders is six months in prison and/or an unlimited fine, but campaigners want it to be raised to up to three years.
Brian Wheelhouse, who runs a dog rescue centre, said offenders only cared about financial gain and not about the dog.
Eduardo Goncalves, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: "Evidence from the UK and abroad points to the activity being a 'gateway' crime to serious and organised offences, such as drug and gun crime.
"In the United States dog fighting is recognised as a Grade A felony by the FBI."
France applies a sentence of up to two years, and Germany and the Czech Republic apply a sentence of up to three years.
The RSPCA said the highest number of calls it had received had been in Greater London (924), followed by the West Midlands (469), West Yorkshire (305) and Greater Manchester (238).
Rural counties are also affected, including the areas of Kent, Essex and Lancashire.
Get the data for your area here
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said there were "strict laws in place" to deal with people who were not properly looking after animals.
A spokesman said: "Anyone who is cruel to an animal or does not provide for its welfare needs may be banned from owning animals, given an unlimited fine or sent to prison."
Campaigners including the League Against Cruel Sports, the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust, along with the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) have all called for tougher sentencing as a deterrent.
Deputy Chief Constable Gareth Pritchard, the NPCC's lead for dangerous dogs, said "this kind of animal abuse" caused "untold distress and harm to the animals involved".
We had a call from the dog compound. There was concern because this dog had obviously been used for dog fighting, or as dog bait, with the injuries it had sustained.
A dog that attacks another dog will go for the jugular vein - for the neck - so Benji has got injuries all around his neck, [and] around his face.
Dog fighting is done by individuals that are fighting them for financial gain.
They're not bothered what happens to the dog at the end of the day as long as it wins.
They're not bothered about the injuries because they're not going to be taking it to the vets and having it treated.
They'll leave it to heal up by itself. If the dog dies then so be it.
To inflict injuries and do horrible things on these poor creatures just beggar's belief.
Last year, two kittens were found in Bradford with their fur coloured using marker pens.
It is thought they were to have been used as bait in a dog fight, where people would have bet on which one would have died first.
They came in through a police officer who'd been to a property and seized them.
We'd never seen anything quite like it before - one was coloured blue with a marker pen, and one was green.
Thankfully nothing terrible had happened before they came to us.
We believe that they may have been coloured in to be used for dog fighting.
It was horrendous and we were thinking those cats were probably minutes away from being ripped to shreds by dogs, and they were tiny.
We're aware of other incidents where cats have been used as bait for dog fighting. | Nearly 5,000 calls about organised dog fighting in England and Wales have been made to the RSPCA since 2006, according to figures released to the BBC. | 38653726 | [
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The money will be spent on designing systems to allow the chassis of future models to be made out of aluminium.
The first of these models will be a new mid-sized sports saloon car to be introduced in 2015.
The announcement was made at the Frankfurt motor show by JLR chief executive Ralf Speth.
"Today's announcement signals Jaguar Land Rover's ambitions to push the boundaries and redefine premium car ownership," he said.
"Jaguar Land Rover is a business driven by design, technology and innovation and this investment and level of job creation is yet further evidence of our commitment to advancing the capability of the UK automotive sector and its supply chain."
The design teams will be creating what they call an aluminium architecture, which is the part of the car on which the bodywork, seats and engine sit.
The idea is that it will be flexible enough to be the base for future model of either Jaguar or Land Rover cars.
In pictures: Jaguar C-X17
Carmakers are increasingly using aluminium in their vehicles because its light weight improves fuel efficiency.
The first car using the aluminium platform will be a smaller than other Jaguar models.
But in order to demonstrate the flexibility of the system, JLR has also unveiled a concept car called the C-X17, which is halfway between a sports car and an SUV, and could also be based on the new chassis.
JLR said that the jobs at the Solihull site would bring the total number of jobs it had created in the UK over the last three years to almost 11,000.
It also stressed that the investment would involve significant extra spending with its suppliers.
JLR has been owned by India's Tata Motors since 2008. | Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plans to create 1,700 jobs at its plant in Solihull as part of a £1.5bn investment in expanding its product range. | 24018350 | [
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The Iridis4 has state of the art coprocessors which can each perform a trillion calculations per second - a measurement known as a "teraflop".
The university said the new machine would allow academics to work on more projects at faster speeds.
Iridis4 will be used for subjects such as engineering, archaeology and medicine, as well as computer science.
Pro vice-chancellor Prof Philip Nelson said: "Staying ahead of the game in high performance computing [HPC] is vital to help the university stay competitive.
"Simulation and computation enabled by HPC are recognised globally as the third pillar of modern research and this investment will ensure we remain world leaders in this field."
Iridis4 will be used for a range of research, including engineering, archaeology and medicine, as well as computer science.
The world's most powerful computer is China's Tianhe-2, which can perform 33,860 trillion calculations per second.
The university said its new computer ranked among the top 10 in the UK.
The most powerful is at the Science and Technology Facilities Council in Warrington.
Others are based at the University of Edinburgh, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the United Kingdom Meteorological Office. | A £3.2m supercomputer, one of the most powerful in the UK, has been installed at the University of Southampton. | 24534053 | [
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Monday's bond sale was Apple's third such sale in as many years and was just over half the $12bn the company raised in April 2014.
The California-based firm plans to return more than $130bn to shareholders by the end of this year.
The move comes despite the company sitting on a cash pile of $178bn.
Some of the bonds are set to mature in five years, while others will not do so for another three decades.
Analysts have said that Apple could increase the amount it returns to its investors to as much as $200bn over the next three years.
Even when Apple's $35bn of debt is taken into account, it still has $142bn in cash.
Almost 90% of the cash is held outside the US, and it would have to pay the top corporate tax rate of 35% if it returned the money from abroad, which is why it is borrowing the money instead.
Apple is rated by Moody's as Aa1, the second-highest available, and bonds from companies with high credit ratings are popular with investors.
Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs are the banks managing the capital-raising.
Last week, Apple reported a record quarterly profit for a public company of $18bn for the three months to 31 December, with revenue up almost 30% to $74.6bn after the new iPhone 6 proved a huge hit with consumers globally.
Shares in Apple closed up 1.25% to $118.63 in New York on Monday, valuing the company at about $684bn. | US technology giant Apple raised a better than expected $6.5bn (£4.3bn) through a corporate bond sale, as part of a plan to return cash to investors. | 31092041 | [
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John Fell, from Cumbria, is confident his 1.5kg ostrich egg covered in meat will earn him a Guinness World Record.
The existing record was set in 2008 in a London hotel when the snack produced weighed in at just over 6kg.
Mr Fell, Calderbridge, used 10kg of sausage meat and 1.5kg of breadcrumbs - about five loaves' worth.
It took him seven hours to cook his giant snack - the Ostrich egg was boiled for two hours and it took another three hours to cook the meat.
His attempt in a chip shop in Leith, Edinburgh, was filmed by Scottish television and watched by an official record monitor, with each stage carefully documented.
Mr Fell said: "I am a judge in a competition entitled the Egg Awards 2014 - we support local egg producers, and encourage people not to buy supermarket eggs.
"This is to promote local eggs. But ironically the egg used had to come from Mexico as I couldn't track any down in England.
"About 60 people watched me cook the egg and helped us eat it - it was nice - the meat was based on an old Cumberland sausage recipe."
He now has to wait six weeks to find out whether his enormous savoury delicacy will be officially classed as a record-breaker. | A chef is hoping he has cooked the world's biggest scotch egg - a whopping 11kg (24lbs) - which took three hours to deep fry. | 29681776 | [
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The telecoms giant said in an emailed statement it was important to retain access to the EU's free "movement of people, capital and goods".
It was too early to "draw any firm conclusions regarding the long-term location for the headquarters".
But Vodafone said that it would "take whatever decisions are appropriate".
Last week, chief executive Vittorio Colao told the BBC - ahead of the referendum vote - that Britain risked exclusion from plans for a giant new single market in digital services if it left the EU.
Vodafone said in the email to several media organisations that EU membership, including the free movement of people, had helped drive its growth.
The firm employs 13,000 people in the UK. It has an operating division at Newbury, Berkshire, but the group headquarters are in London.
Vodafone said that 55% of group profits in the last financial year came from its European operations, with the UK providing just 11%. The company is also to start reporting its financial results in euros, rather than pounds.
Vodafone said the single legal framework spanning all member states, as well as freedom of movement, capital and goods, were "integral to the operation of any pan-European business".
The company said: "It remains unclear at this point how many of those positive attributes will remain in place once the process of the UK's exit from the European Union has been completed," it said.
Vodafone said it would strengthen its regulatory and public policy activities in Brussels "to ensure the group's substantial businesses within the European Union continue to be represented appropriately".
Vodafone is the seventh largest company listed on the FTSE 100, with operations in 26 countries. It employs 108,000 staff outside the UK.
Other businesses have expressed alarm at the vote to leave the EU and the consequences of not being part of the European single market.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid hosted a meeting of business representatives on Tuesday to discuss the issues.
Mr Javid said: "The biggest issue raised was the need to secure continued access to the single market. While I am not in any position to make promises, I assured everyone that my number one priority will be just that in the negotiations to come," he told a news conference after the meeting.
After the meeting, the head of the CBI employers organisation said the government was "a long way off" having a plan.
"There are very high levels of real and genuine concern in the business community," CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn told reporters. | Vodafone has warned it could move its headquarters from the UK depending on the outcome of Britain's negotiations to leave the European Union. | 36656039 | [
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Who were the victims?
Calls in Germany for tighter gun laws
German train stabbing: De Maiziere warns of lone attacks | Two days after a German-Iranian teenager killed nine people and then shot himself dead at Munich's Olympia shopping centre, this is what we know from the information given by police and prosecution sources. | 36879067 | [
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A horse-drawn chaise post retraced the route taken in 1815 from Old Royal Naval College, in Greenwich, to St James's Square, where news from Belgium was delivered to the Prince Regent.
A procession to mark the occasion has also taken place in central London.
Events have been staged in Belgium and the UK to remember the battle.
In June 1815 - following the victory of the Duke of Wellington's allied forces over Napoleon's French army - Major Harry Percy left Belgium carrying a letter written by the Duke relaying news from the battlefield to an expectant nation.
But the ship carrying the dispatch began to drift in the English Channel, resulting in the men having to row the 20 miles to shore, landing at Broadstairs, in Kent.
From there, the dispatch was taken by carriage to the Prince Regent, who was at a dinner party in London.
Once there, the Prince Regent initially thought Major Percy - who was still covered in blood from the fighting - was bearing bad news.
But once told of Wellington's victory, guests then rushed into the street to celebrate.
Actors dressed as Major Percy and Commander James White - who also helped to carry the original victory message - have retraced the original three-day journey from Waterloo.
They travelled across London in horse-drawn carriage, along with replicas of two captured Imperial Eagles and Standards of the French army.
An actor playing Major Percy delivered the message at the East India Club in St James's Square - where the message of victory was originally received by the Prince Regent - in front of Princess Anne.
He told the Princess Royal: "I've come to you directly from the Duke of Wellington's headquarters in the village of Waterloo.
"His grace, along with our Dutch and Belgian allies, and the Prussian forces as well, have met the Corsican Empire in the field and have dealt him the most shattering defeat."
The eagles were then presented to the Princess Royal.
The carriage then joined the Waterloo Parade along The Mall, accompanied by military bands.
Julian Farrance, who played Major Percy during the commemoration, said the whole experience had been "simply astonishing".
"It has been an astonishing privilege for us to be able to do this - to be able to ride the post chaise through the middle of town, but also to have started out at Waterloo and followed this journey through."
The 200th anniversary of the battle has seen a series of events re-enacting important moments.
On Saturday a huge re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo took place in the same Belgian fields where Napoleon's army was defeated.
Around 6,000 volunteers dressed as infantry and cavalry officers to recreate the battle and commemorate those who died.
The volunteers dressed as soldiers, with 300 horses and 100 cannon, carefully re-enacted the battle for a crowd of 60,000 spectators.
On Thursday, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and Prime Minister David Cameron were among guests at a commemoration service at St Paul's Cathedral in London. | Commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo concluded with a re-enactment of the moment news of the allied victory reached London. | 33215599 | [
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They had previously hoped to have a deal for the Championship club, who are in administration for the third time in four years, agreed by Friday.
The Bulls said in a statement "it had not been possible to complete the due diligence in the time available" but work would continue over the weekend.
Joint administrator Gary Pettit asked fans to "remain patient".
He added: "My legal team and my colleagues will continue to work hard over the weekend to give every prospect of success for the survival and renaissance of Bradford Bulls.
"Obviously, we wish to end the uncertainty for all concerned as quickly as is possible. We recognise and understand the human aspects for everyone (and their families) who has the best interests of Bradford Bulls at heart.
"I would reiterate that it is crucial we obtain the right deal - rather than the quickest deal - for the club's future." | The joint administrators of Bradford Bulls have extended the deadline to buy the club to Monday, 19 December. | 38347902 | [
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Adamu is alleged to have breached Fifa's code of ethics but no further details were provided.
"I don't know (about the investigation)," Adamu told BBC Sport. "I'm not even aware of it."
The 62-year-old also said he had not been contacted by the Ethics Committee about the case.
Adamu was a member of Fifa's executive committee for four years until 2010, when he was banned from all football activity for three years.
He was banned over claims he asked for money in exchange for World Cup votes.
Adamu's suspension expired in October 2013.
He was a high-ranking government official for Nigerian sport for 20 years and was once considered to be a leading candidate to succeed long-serving Issa Hayatou as president of the Confederation of African Football. | Nigerian Amos Adamu is under investigation by Fifa's ethics committee, football's world governing body revealed on Wednesday. | 34597846 | [
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Southern Cross is holding a crisis meeting with landlords, lenders and government officials.
Of central importance is how to ensure continuity of care for the 31,000 people at the firm's 751 care homes.
The care home provider says it cannot afford to pay the full rent on its homes.
Families and staff 'in the dark'Q&A: Care home closures
Landlords will agree to a compromise in order to allow the care home provider to remain solvent, the BBC's business editor, Robert Peston, has learned.
The restructuring may leave the Darlington-based firm with just 250 to 400 homes, with the others being taken over by different care providers.
But the biggest landlord, NHP, which owns 249 of the homes, is expected to stick with Southern Cross.
The government has been putting intense pressure on landlords not to abandon Southern Cross altogether, according to Robert Peston.
Southern Cross said last month it planned to stop paying about a third of its rental bill.
The company's landlords met on Monday, and are expected to table their own proposal for the firm's future at the meeting on Wednesday.
"The landlords have agreed in principle that they will make significant financial concessions in order to achieve a sustainable solution," said Daniel Smith, who chaired their meeting on Monday.
By Robert PestonBusiness editor, BBC News
Read Robert Peston's blog
"Our overriding concern at this time remains minimising disruption and concern for residents and their families."
In return, it is expected that the government and lenders will also agree to write off some of the money Southern Cross owes them.
Under their joint proposal, individual landlords would reportedly be given various options, including:
Southern Cross is the UK's largest care home operator, employing 44,000 staff, of which the company has already said it will cut 3,000. | Landlords at troubled care home provider Southern Cross have pledged to do all they can to help it avoid bankruptcy, the BBC understands. | 13767245 | [
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MacDonald made 67 league appearances for National League club Torquay after signing in 2014 following the collapse of previous club Salisbury.
The 23-year-old former England Under-19 international has also played for Reading and Wimbledon.
"Our squad is young and hungry, and Angus fits that mould perfectly," head coach Paul Heckingbottom said.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Championship side Barnsley have signed Torquay defender Angus MacDonald on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee. | 36958859 | [
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The choir was established by Henry VIII in 1539 and is currently made up of 20 boys and 12 adults.
The Dean of Gloucester said including girl choristers would be an "exciting new chapter" in the choir's history.
The aim is to find youngsters from local schools and a range of backgrounds who may not have considered singing in a cathedral choir before.
Adrian Partington, director of music at Gloucester Cathedral, said the aim is to "discover" some very talented girls.
New recruits will play a full part in the cathedral's musical worship, beginning with rehearsals in September before singing at evensong each Monday from October as well as at Christmas and Easter services.
The dean, the Very Reverend Stephen Lake, said: "This will ensure that young girls and boys will be lifting their voices in song at Gloucester Cathedral for many years to come."
The cathedral is hosting a "come and sing" open day on 9 April with girls and boys aged between seven and 12 invited to experience singing in the cathedral.
Auditions for girls will be held on 23 April. | Girls are being invited to audition to join Gloucester Cathedral's Choir for the first time in its 477 year history. | 35868942 | [
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On Wednesday the US Congress voted for a law allowing families of nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks to sue.
In doing so they overrode a veto by President Barack Obama, who said it would set a "dangerous precedent".
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers that day were Saudi nationals, but the kingdom has denied any role in the attacks.
In a statement, the country's foreign ministry said: "The erosion of sovereign immunity will have a negative impact on all nations, including the United States."
The 9/11 bill row, explained
Their argument parallels the one made by Mr Obama. He said on CNN after the vote that the law set a "dangerous precedent" and could lead to the US being opened to "a situation where we're suddenly exposed to liabilities for all the work that we're doing all around the world and suddenly finding ourselves subject to private lawsuits".
Meanwhile, leaders of the Republican party in Congress have said they want to reconsider the law. The Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell admitted that lawmakers had not understood the possible consequences of the legislation.
"Everybody was aware of who the potential beneficiaries were but nobody really had focused on the downside in terms of our international relationships,'" Mr McConnell said.
The White House spokesman Josh Earnest said it was "a pretty classic case of rapid onset buyer's remorse".
On CNN, Mr Obama also suggested that that voting patterns in Congress were influenced by political concerns.
"If you're perceived as voting against 9/11 families right before an election, not surprisingly, that's a hard vote for people to take," he said.
"But it would have been the right thing to do."
Saudi Arabia, an oil-rich kingdom and key US ally in the Middle East, had lobbied furiously against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism (Jasta) legislation.
It has stopped short of specifying how it might retaliate but has called on Congress to reverse the decision.
Relatives of those killed in 9/11 have welcomed the bill's passing.
"We rejoice in this triumph and look forward to our day in court and a time when we may finally get more answers regarding who was truly behind the attacks," said Terry Strada, national chair of the 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism. | Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has said it is a matter of "great concern" that 9/11 relatives in the US may be able to sue the kingdom for damages. | 37515049 | [
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Premiership
Inverness CT 0-0 Partick Thistle
Kilmarnock 3-2 Ross County
Motherwell 0-2 Rangers
St Johnstone 3-0 Hamilton Academical
Championship
Ayr United 1-4 Greenock Morton
Dunfermline Athletic 1-1 Dundee United
Queen of the South 0-1 Hibernian
Raith Rovers 1-3 Dumbarton
St Mirren 1-2 Falkirk
Sunday's Premiership
Celtic v Heart of Midlothian (13:00)
Friday's Premiership report
Aberdeen 3-0 Dundee | Match reports from Saturday's Scottish Premiership and Championship games. | 38782795 | [
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Raikkonen was 0.109 seconds clear of his team-mate, with Rosberg 0.237secs off the pace as Ferrari hinted they may offer a threat to Mercedes in Shanghai.
Hamilton, with a five-place grid penalty as a result of a gearbox change, was 0.433secs off the pace.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was fifth ahead of Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen.
Defending champion Hamilton, who trails Rosberg by 17 points in the standings, said it had been "a difficult day" and said it had been "quite windy" on the track.
He added: "Ferraris are particularly strong, so I think we're going to have a fight this weekend.
"It seems like we're going to have a bigger fight than we've ever had, so it'll be good for the fans."
Double world champion Fernando Alonso, who has been cleared to race after missing the last grand prix in Bahrain on medical grounds, was 11th quickest, just ahead of McLaren team-mate Jenson Button.
Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix - the third of the season - is live on the Sport website and radio 5 live at 07:00 BST.
There was no repeat of the spectacular left-rear failures that afflicted Williams driver Felipe Massa twice and Renault's Kevin Magnussen in the first session.
Massa was 14th after the team apparently solved the two wheel failures suffered by the Brazilian in the first practice session.
Williams head of performance Rob Smedley said the team were "fairly confident" they knew what the problem was but refused to go into details.
Valtteri Bottas, who was 10th, said the team had found a problem with the "rim clearance" - the distance between the inside of the wheel and the wheel assembly.
Magnussen also had a problem with the left rear of his car in the first session.
That turned out to be a suspension failure and he did not run in the second session as the team worked on a solution.
Ferrari's pace in heading the Mercedes in the timesheets might appear to suggest that they can challenge McLaren this weekend, but Ferrari have flattered to deceive already this season.
Vettel, for example, was fastest in final practice at the last race in Bahrain, only for the Mercedes cars to go half a second quicker than the Ferraris in qualifying.
"If we get everything right, we can potentially be a bit closer," said Vettel. "But it is only Friday, so I wouldn't put too much importance in the times."
Headline lap times can be misleading as teams can manipulate the fuel loads, while the times set on the race-simulation runs on heavier fuel loads can present a more accurate picture.
On these, Mercedes had a clear pace advantage, although Raikkonen appeared able to make the super-soft tyre on which the top teams will start the race last longer at a stronger pace than Rosberg and Hamilton.
Chinese Grand Prix Second practice results
Chinese Grand Prix coverage details | Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel topped second practice at the Chinese Grand Prix, ahead of Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. | 36051736 | [
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The 68-year-old from Bournemouth died when his Vauxhall Astra hit a Nissan Juke on the A31 near Corfe Mullen.
The road, near the Coventry Arms pub, was closed for more than five hours after the crash happened at 13:20 BST.
The driver of the Nissan, a 49-year-old woman from Waterlooville, was seriously injured and airlifted to Southampton General Hospital but police said her condition was not life-threatening.
Three men who were travelling in the Nissan sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries and were taken to Poole Hospital.
Sgt Mark Scammell said: "I would like to thank motorists for their patience during the road closures which are necessary to allow emergency services to deal with the incident." | A man has died in a crash involving two cars on one of Dorset's busiest routes. | 39582812 | [
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Rogers needed 14 stitches in his lip after a challenge by Tyrone's Tiernan McCann at the start of the game.
"I think Brendan was quite shocked. Some people were quite horrified," said the Derry manager.
"I'll leave it to other people to make up their minds."
The Slaughtneil man had the stitches inserted last Sunday and Barton expects Rogers to be out of action for a couple of more weeks.
Rogers was named at midfield for the McKenna Cup final and the match video suggested he may have been caught by McCann's right elbow immediately after challenging for the initial throw-in.
After the ball was thrown in, McCann came in from the side and the footage showed the Tyrone man clattering into Rogers although the Red Hand county player appeared to be focusing on the ball rather than the Derry midfielder when the contact was made.
"Brendan has been very quiet about it and we have been very quiet about it as well," said Barton after Derry's opening 3-13 to 1-10 Division 2 Football League victory over Fermanagh at Celtic Park.
"It was quite an horrific incident. I wouldn't like to expand on it to be quite frank.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"It was an incident that thankfully you don't see very often."
Barton added that he "couldn't speak" after the game such was his upset about the incident.
"I think it affected the mood of all of us.
"It overshadowed for me what was a positive night for football.
"I think the amount of respect that was shown between Derry and Tyrone was very evident but it's one of those things I'll let people make up their own minds about."
In terms of Sunday's opening league win, Barton felt that his team had laboured badly in the first half before going on to clinch a nine-point victory over the Erne County.
"We were very flat at the start of the game. We turned over a serious amount of ball under no pressure.
"I was glad to see our first goal going in (before half-time) and I was very happy to see half-time because it gave us an opportunity to restructure and talk about what we felt we were going wrong.
"Getting in the ball in early in the second half to our men inside worked nicely in the inclement conditions but we'll have to up our performances over the next couple of weeks." | Derry football manager Damian Barton has described the facial injury sustained by his player Brendan Rogers in last weekend's Dr McKenna Cup final as "horrific". | 35455958 | [
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It is not binding on the government, which said it would be a mistake to give guarantees to EU nationals in the UK without similar concessions for UK nationals living elsewhere in the EU.
How do the numbers compare?
The UK has a population of 63.7 million, of which 5.3 million (8%) are non-British, and just over half of those - 2.9 million (5%) - are from Europe.
Just under 1.2 million UK nationals live elsewhere in the EU.
Of the non-British population from EU countries, the largest group was Polish nationals, with about 853,000, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) Population of the United Kingdom by Country of Birth and Nationality report.
The Irish were the second-largest group, with 331,000 residing here. Romanian and Portuguese nationals are in joint third place, with 175,000 people from each country living in Britain.
These figures include only those living in the UK for at least a year.
Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has already said that the country would work in negotiations to "ensure that Poles living in Great Britain retain their privileges".
The Irish government has also announced its contingency plans now that the UK has voted to leave the EU, including making preparations for increased numbers of UK citizens applying for Irish passports.
Of those 2.9 million EU nationals living in the UK, about 2.15 million are working.
Five years ago that figure was 1.33 million and 10 years ago it was 758,000.
There are about 1.19 million non-UK nationals from outside the EU working in the UK.
The figure of just under 1.2 million UK nationals living in the rest of the EU comes from the United Nations.
These are the best statistics available, although they are not perfect, with some countries counting international migrants by birthplace while others judge by the passport someone holds.
Of the 27 EU countries, Spain had the most UK nationals with just under 310,000 migrants from the UK living there in 2015. Ireland was second with 255,000 and France third with 185,000.
Of those UK nationals in Spain, 106,610 were claiming the UK state pension, according to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions, while 133,250 pensioners were living in the Republic of Ireland.
Read more: The facts behind claims about our relationship with the EU | On 6 July, a motion in the House of Commons calling on the government to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK was passed by 245 votes to two. | 36745584 | [
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West Ham manager Slaven Bilic questioned Dean's decision to send off Sofiane Feghouli in his side's 2-0 defeat by Manchester United on Monday.
It was the fifth red card Dean has shown in 15 matches this season.
The Hammers are appealing against Feghouli's dismissal.
Dean sent off the Algeria international midfielder after just 15 minutes following his collision with Phil Jones, but Bilic felt the United defender had committed the more dangerous tackle.
The dismissal was the 25th by Dean since the start of the 2013-14 season - the highest number by any current Premier League referee in that period.
Writing in The Times, former player Tony Cascarino said Dean "lost all control of the game" while Sky Sports pundit Niall Quinn called Dean "arrogant" and the decision "rank bad refereeing".
But former Manchester United captain Gary Neville later tweeted: "I was critical of Mike Dean's performance in the game. He was poor. But I think the reaction since towards him is disgraceful.
"Yes, he should be criticised but to suggest he wanted to be centre of attention and he should be sacked or not referee again is wrong!"
Sunday's FA Cup match between Tottenham and Aston Villa is live on BBC One from 15:35 GMT, and full match commentary will be available on BBC Radio 5 live from 16:00 GMT. | Mike Dean will referee Sunday's televised FA Cup third-round tie between Tottenham and Aston Villa - despite recent criticism of his performances. | 38508121 | [
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The 1999 Open winner has dropped to 424th on the world rankings from a high of 26.
"I hate the position I'm in," the Aberdonian told BBC Scotland. "I don't like not being a good golfer.
"I've been putting off an operation on my foot for about four or five years now and I'm going to go in and get it done this winter."
Lawrie explained that he has a bone spur and cist on his foot.
"Once I hit 100 balls, my foot is in total bits and I can't handle any more," the Scot revealed. "My game is not in the best of states.
"I'm going to go in, get it done and hopefully next year I'll come back a little stronger.
"I'm going to bite the bullet and it's going to be a couple of months recuperating with it.
"I want to be up there. I want to be challenging and I've had a few bits and pieces in the last few years that have stopped me.
"It's just so difficult when you've got an injury and you're playing against these guys who are all younger, all fitter, all stronger, all hitting it past you but you still feel competitive."
Lawrie, who is a vice-captain with the European Ryder Cup team, will be at Castle Stuart this week for the Scottish Open, which acts as a dress rehearsal for the Open at Troon.
"I can't wait," he added. "Castle Stuart has been a brilliant venue in the past.
"The thing a lot of players didn't want was to be battered on a golf course that was mega-tough before the Open.
"They didn't want their swing wrecked and Castle Stuart is just perfect.
"You want it to blow round there and be a challenge, but you don't want it to be silly tough before you go into the Open." | Paul Lawrie hopes foot surgery this winter will help breathe new life into his golfing career at the age of 47. | 36698807 | [
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The march from Camberwell, south London, to Downing Street has been called to raise awareness of vulnerable people who used the service.
The charity was closed following a row over funding. Kids Company has denied allegations of financial mismanagement.
The prime minister said the government had been right to give the charity one more chance.
Before it shut its doors on Wednesday, Kids Company provided practical, emotional and educational support to some of the most deprived and vulnerable inner-city children and young people in London, Liverpool and Bristol. It was founded in 1996 by Camila Batmanghelidjh.
David Cameron said he was sad at the closure of the charity, which had been given a £3m government grant last week.
He said: "The government thought it was the right thing to do to give this charity one last chance of restructuring to try and make sure it could continue its excellent work.
"Sadly that didn't happen, not least because of the allegations that were made and private donors withdrawing their money but I think the government was right to say let's have one last go trying to keep this charity going, given the work it's done for so many young people."
Some 150 people gathered outside the charity's former centre in Camberwell to take part in the march to Parliament.
Lisa Moodie, who has been a youth worker with the charity for seven years, said: "Today isn't about Camila, it's about love, it's about making sure the children's voices are heard.
"I agree people need to be accountable for what happens to our young people, it's not acceptable that we just leave them discarded. These are very vulnerable young people, they live chaotic lifestyles.
"When they mess up, we're here for them just as your parents would be. It's very difficult to measure success in a hospital - it would be how many broken bones do you have. How we measure success can be in small things. It might be learning how to use a knife and fork."
Anita Ebirim, who brought her eight-year-old daughter to the charity, said: "Why did they close Kids Company? It's a place we come to save our lives.
"Every day we come here to eat our lunch... we get breakfast, we get clothes. A lot of young men come who don't work, but it stops them messing around and getting into drugs."
Kids Company employs 600 paid staff, as well as working with a pool of about 8,000 volunteers and 500 students.
Marie, a 30-year-old volunteer from Wimbledon, said: "It makes no sense, it hasn't really sunk in yet. The kids keep coming and find out by the notice on the gates . We didn't have time to say our goodbyes to the kids."
The charity has been beset by problems, including allegations of financial mismanagement and accusations by former staff that the charity failed to deal with allegations of serious incidents.
Kids Company is also being investigated by the Met Police's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command.
Ms Batmanghelidjh has strongly denied any wrongdoing. | Supporters of the closed charity Kids Company are taking part in a march in London. | 33815896 | [
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Jason Gillespie's side will launch the county season on 22 March when they play an MCC XI in Abu Dhabi in the traditional four-day curtain-raiser.
The Championship begins on 12 April, with promoted Hampshire facing Sussex.
The NatWest T20 Blast starts on 15 May and the Royal London One-Day Cup on 25 July, with holders Durham at Northants.
The basic format for the summer remains unchanged with most Championship fixtures starting on Sundays, the majority of T20 Blast games on Friday evenings and the group stage of the 50-over One-Day Cup congested into a period of 26 days.
The opening round of Championship games will also see Middlesex, a disappointing seventh in 2014, at home to Nottinghamshire and Somerset, with new director of cricket Matthew Maynard in charge for the first time, playing host to 2013 champions Durham.
Only two matches will take place in Division Two in the opening week, with Leicestershire, who have not won a four-day game since 2012, but have a new head coach in Australian Andrew McDonald, taking on Glamorgan at Grace Road while relegated Northants, led by new four-day skipper Alex Wakely, at home to Gloucestershire.
Ashley Giles, newly installed as Lancashire director of cricket, will have to wait an extra week until 19 April before his side's opening fixture away to Derbyshire as they look to regain their place in Division One at the first attempt.
The second round of Division One games sees Yorkshire away again, this time meeting Notts at Trent Bridge, the ground where they clinched the title in September, while runners-up Warwickshire enter the fray by taking on 2014's Division Two champions Hampshire at Edgbaston.
Lancashire's relegation means the only Roses clashes of the summer will take place in the T20 Blast, unless Lancashire and Yorkshire progress beyond the group stage of the One-Day Cup and are then drawn to face each other.
Yorkshire will host the first T20 Roses fixture at Headingley on 5 June, with the return game on 3 July.
Trophy holders Birmingham Bears, Warwickshire's guise for the format, who beat Lancashire by four runs in the 2014 final, meet Notts at Trent Bridge in their opening game on 15 May, with the two nine-team groups unchanged from 2014.
The final round of group games takes place on Friday, 24 July, with the quarter-finals taking place from 12-15 August.
Edgbaston will play host to finals day for the seventh time on Saturday, 29 August, six days later than this summer.
The One-Day Cup final at Lord's, which Durham won with victory over Warwickshire by three wickets this summer, will take place on 19 September.
The final again comes before the last round of Championship fixtures, starting on 22 September, in which Yorkshire will be at home to Sussex, who last won the title in 2007 but have boosted their pace bowling options by signing Ajmal Shahzad and Tymal Mills.
Group A: Surrey, Derbyshire, Worcestershire, Yorkshire, Northants, Leicestershire, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Durham.
Group B: Kent, Hampshire, Sussex, Essex, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire, Glamorgan.
North: Birmingham Bears (Warwickshire), Durham, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Northants.
South: Kent, Essex, Sussex, Hampshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Glamorgan. | Champions Yorkshire will travel to promoted Worcestershire in the opening round of the 2015 County Championship to start the defence of their title. | 30119993 | [
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