article
stringlengths 0
2.3k
| summary
stringlengths 1
373
| fineweb-edu-classifier_score
float64 -0.59
4.45
| fineweb-edu-classifier_int_score
int64 0
4
|
|---|---|---|---|
The Project Literacy alliance says that 11% of the world's population remains unable to read or write.
The campaign is lobbying leaders attending the United Nations general assembly in New York, which has been setting global education targets.
"The curse of illiteracy is global and devastating," said campaign spokeswoman Kate James.
The Project Literacy campaign says it is creating a virtual "petition" on behalf of 757 million people who cannot write their own name.
The partnership brings together charities such as the National Literacy Trust, BookAid and Room to Read, along with education businesses such as Pearson.
The campaign says that illiteracy is a major barrier to economic development, costing $1.19 trillion (£1.25tn) per year.
Global education targets, such as the goal of providing primary education for all, have been set since 1990.
But the campaign says that in sub-Saharan Africa, there are 37% more illiterate adults than there were in 1990.
The project highlights the gender gap in who is taught to read and write. Women represent about five in seven of those who are illiterate around the world.
The campaign argues that literacy is linked to better health, reducing crime, job opportunities and democratic engagement.
There are 32 million illiterate adults in the United States and more than 70% of the US prison population have the literacy levels of a nine-year-old or lower.
The impact of illiteracy was "inequality, poverty and disease", said Ms James.
World leaders have been gathering at the United Nations to approve global development targets - the sustainable development goals.
These replace pledges made in the millennium year.
Although some progress was made, none of the targets for education, such as universal primary education, were fully achieved by the deadline of 2015. | A coalition of charities and businesses is calling on world leaders to make tackling illiteracy a global priority. | 2.746315 | 3 |
It is taking legal action against Bossland at a court in California over the "cheat" tools for that and various other titles.
It said that the tools lost it millions of dollars in sales and ruined the game for legitimate players.
But the German company said a US court would have no jurisdiction over it.
"Blizzard's business depends upon its games being enjoyable and fair for players of all skill levels, and Blizzard expends an enormous amount of time and money to ensure that this is the case," the games developer said in a statement.
"The Bossland hacks destroy the integrity of the Blizzard games, thereby alienating and frustrating legitimate players and diverting revenue from Blizzard to defendants."
The Bossland cheat tool Watchover Tyrant offers Overwatch players variety of features, including making enemies visible.
Blizzard already has 10 other continuing legal cases against Bossland in Germany.
But the chief executive of Bossland, Zwetan Letschew, told news site Torrent Freak that he was surprised by the latest legal action and asked why it had taken "five years" for Blizzard to act.
He added Bossland had not yet received the latest complaint.
Howard Rubin, a partner at law firm Bird and Bird, said the US court would have jurisdiction over Bossland, because "it is likely that the licence agreement is subject to US law".
And Blizzard has previously won similar cases - notably against MDY Industries, which creates similar tools.
But Mr Rubin said Blizzard would nevertheless face an "uphill struggle" in its case against Bossland.
"They are pursuing the contractual angle - that this is a breach of the end-user agreement - and that the use of cheats induces a breach of contract, but I don't think that they will be successful," he said. | Games developer Blizzard is suing a German company over software that offers gamers advantages in its popular first-person shooter game Overwatch. | 0.829258 | 1 |
Six return flights per week will operate between London Heathrow and Tehran, which BA described as "an important destination".
It follows the lifting of some sanctions against Iran in January and the reopening of the British embassy in the Iranian capital in 2015.
BMI was the last UK airline to fly to Iran, but the service ended in 2012.
The BA Boeing 777 is due to depart from Heathrow just after 21:00 BST.
BA offered the first scheduled flights between London and Tehran in 1946.
However, it ended its service - which at the time was provided by franchisee British Mediterranean Airways - in 2007.
The flights were then operated by British Midland International (BMI), but services were suspended in 2012 as part of BMI's integration into British Airways.
The British embassy in Iran reopened in August last year, after it was ransacked by a mob in 2011.
The reinstatement of regular UK flights also comes after a long-term deal on Iran's nuclear programme was agreed with six world powers - the US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany - in 2015.
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale said BA's decision to resume direct flights may help to improve the UK's relationship with Iran.
Air France resumed flying to Tehran in April after a seven-year break. | British Airways is to resume direct flights to Tehran later - the first UK carrier to fly to Iran for four years. | 1.719486 | 2 |
Jonathan Briers, of Cherryhill Road in Dundonald, County Down, was so drunk on the day of the hijacking that he has no memory of his actions.
But the 33-year-old admitted four charges linked to the incident.
The judge at Belfast Crown Court told him the hijacking would have been "terrifying" for the woman he targeted.
Briers, who has 126 previous convictions, will serve 18 months of his sentence in prison, with the remaining period on licence when he is released.
The court heard that on 4 December last year, Briers' victim had closed a community centre in Glenbank in west Belfast and was getting into her car when he grabbed her and told her to hand over her car keys.
She gave him the keys to the community centre and ran from the scene to seek help from a shopkeeper.
The woman returned to her car with two men - a member of staff from the shop and a customer.
They found Briers in the driver's seat trying to start the car with the wrong key.
When he was confronted, he got out of the car, apologised and tried to walk away.
One of the men tried to restrain Briers, who lunged at him.
The other man "acted in self-defence" and punched Briers, who fell to the ground.
He refused to give a preliminary breath test when police officers arrived, and while in custody he smeared excrement in a police cell.
The court heard that Briers committed the hijacking less than a week after he was released from prison for serving a sentence for robbing a fast food shop on Belfast's Shankill Road.
His solicitor said that Briers was "completely appalled" by what he did to the woman and that he was "ashamed and embarrassed" by his behaviour in the police station afterwards.
He added that Briers wanted to offer a "full apology" to the woman and the men who came to her aid for the "unsavoury incident". | A man who hijacked a car from a "vulnerable" community worker in west Belfast has been given a three-year sentence. | 0.869718 | 1 |
The Pro12 champions open their European campaign away to French side Racing 92 on Saturday.
Northampton Saints and Scarlets are also in Pool 3 and meet at Franklin's Gardens later on Saturday.
"We certainly have a playing group I believe can get to the latter stages of the Champions Cup," Townsend told BBC Scotland.
"We are playing a team we don't know much about but we know who they've got in their roster and they are very strong.
"They have played eight or nine games this season and we've had a good look at them.
"We know that, if we can put our game in place, both defensively and in attack, it's going to cause any team problems."
Townsend described Northampton as "one of the strongest teams in England over the last 10 years" and Welsh side Scarlets as "the form team in [Pro12]".
"All three teams are going to be threats," he said.
The Warriors did not progress from the pool stage in last season's inaugural Champions Cup tournament and Townsend warned that his side must play to their full potential throughout.
"You've got to play very well, close to your best, for the six games," Townsend said.
"Last year, we won against Bath and Montpellier, but it wasn't good enough as we only won one more match after that.
"We've had more experiences of winning big games [since then] - winning the semi-final and final in the Pro12.
"Our players, most of them that are going to be involved this weekend, have played in the World Cup. So they have had excellent experiences since they last played in the Champions Cup, but it's how we play right from the start." | Head coach Gregor Townsend is confident Glasgow Warriors can go far in this season's European Rugby Champions Cup. | 0.913599 | 1 |
Blair Logan, 26, also faces two other charges - one of attempted murder, and one of assault to injury, danger to life and attempted murder.
Cameron Logan, 23, died in the fire at his family home. His partner Rebecca Williams was rescued and his parents were treated for smoke inhalation.
Mr Logan made no plea or declaration at Dumbarton Sheriff Court.
He was fully committed for trial and remanded in custody.
He had also been remanded in custody after his first court appearance on 16 January, where he made no plea or declaration.
Ms Williams, a journalist with Global Radio, was initially taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in a critical condition.
She was later transferred to Glasgow Royal Infirmary and has since been discharged. | A man charged with murdering his brother in a house fire on New Year's Day has made a second court appearance. | 0.489487 | 0 |
Thick smoke could be seen rising from the area, where there is also a base for African Union (AU) peacekeepers.
Local journalists said one of the bombs was detonated by a suicide attacker near a checkpoint. Another blast hit the airport's perimeter wall.
Those killed were believed to include security guards at the checkpoint.
The militant Islamist group, al-Shabab, has said it was behind the blasts and its target was the AU force's headquarters.
The AU mission in Somalia condemned "these senseless attacks that aim to disrupt and cripple the lives of ordinary Somalis".
Al-Shabab has carried out frequent attacks in Somalia, including in Mogadishu, in an attempt to oust the UN-backed government.
The group, which is allied to al-Qaeda, has been pushed out of most of the main towns it once controlled, but analysts say it remains a potent threat.
It has been increasing its attacks ahead of planned elections in Somalia.
Hotels have been attacked by car bombs and then armed assault teams over the past few weeks.
The large airport area in Mogadishu is a secure "green zone" for UN operations, the AU peacekeeping force and foreign embassies.
The Somali government, with the help of AU forces, is fighting al-Shabab militants in several parts of the country. | At least 13 people have been killed in two car bomb attacks near an entrance to the airport in Mogadishu, Somali police say. | 1.478471 | 1 |
Gestede, 28, has made just eight Championship starts for Villa this season and only three since Bruce took over in October.
"The two clubs are talking," he told BBC WM. "We'll see how that develops.
"He's not been playing as much he wants and we've got a bit of an imbalance in the squad, which isn't healthy."
Bruce added: "I've got six centre forwards and I've got to maybe sell one to buy in a midfield player or another defender."
Benin international Gestede joined Villa, then in the Premier League, from Championship club Blackburn Rovers on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee in July 2015.
Meanwhile, Villa are still hoping to have top scorer Jonathan Kodjia available for Monday's trip to Cardiff.
He has been called up for Africa Cup of Nations duty for the Ivory Coast and could be away for up to five weeks, depending on how the Ivorians progress.
The Africa Cup of Nations final is scheduled for 5 February, in Libreville, in Gabon. | Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce is willing to let striker Rudy Gestede go to Middlesbrough to help fund new signings in the January transfer window. | 0.878698 | 1 |
The midfielder, whose father manages Real, fired wide a 14th-minute spot-kick, before his dismissal in stoppage time for two yellow-card offences.
Enzo, 21, is the oldest of Zidane's four sons and scored on his first-team debut in the Copa del Rey in November.
He has not played for the senior side since, but is a reserve-team regular. | Zinedine Zidane's son Enzo missed a penalty and was sent off as Real Madrid reserves lost 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao B in Spain's third tier. | 0.568315 | 1 |
The Korean trio featured Kim Woo-jin, who set the first world record of the Games in the 72-arrow ranking round on Friday.
It was the nation's fourth team title in the last five Olympics - they lost to the USA in the 2012 semi-finals.
Australia won their first archery medal in 12 years by defeating China in the bronze medal play-off.
Subscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox. | South Korea thrashed United States 6-0 to win the Olympic archery men's team gold at Sambodromo in Rio. | 0.936475 | 1 |
This week, ministers indicated the timetable for electrifying the line to Bristol Parkway by 2016 and Swansea by 2018 may be pushed back.
Lib Dem Baroness Randerson asked if the government had committed enough money.
Transport minister Lord Ahmad said there had been unexpected planning delays, but it remained a "priority".
"The government is committed to delivering electrification from Paddington to Swansea," the Conservative peer said.
"There are challenges which have arisen from electrification and construction and planning consents have taken longer than expected."
He said Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin had asked Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy to report back on "issues of deliverability and affordability" by the autumn.
In June the government said it would delay or cut back a number of modernisation projects planned for Network Rail but said the Great Western line was a top priority.
Network Rail's £50m programme aims to cut journey times on the route between London Paddington to Swansea.
But on Monday, Mr McLoughlin told the Commons Transport Committee electrification was "providing some very big engineering problems".
Asked whether the line to Oxford, Chippenham and Bristol Parkway would be electrified by December 2016, as planned, he said: "I can't give you a yes or no answer."
Earlier this week, Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb could not confirm the electrification of the line to Swansea would be done by 2018, as planned. | The government has admitted the electrification of the Great Western main line faces "challenges" amid peers' questions over delays. | 1.669231 | 2 |
More than 2,500 patients were admitted to government hospitals in Gorakhpur city this year, Press Trust of India quoted a health official as saying.
At least 270 patients were still being treated at the hospitals, he said.
Nearly 6,500 children have died of encephalitis in the region since the first case was detected in 1978.
The disease occurs regularly during the monsoon in Gorakhpur and adjoining districts which border Nepal in the foothills of the Himalayas.
The low-lying areas are prone to floods, providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes which commonly transmit the virus.
Doctors say affected patients come from 10-12 districts in the region, and are mostly rural poor.
Until 2005, the majority of deaths were caused by Japanese encephalitis, caused by a mosquito-borne virus, doctors say.
But in the past six years, children have been dying of other forms of viral encephalitis, the exact cause of which is unclear.
The diseases cause head aches and vomiting and can lead to comas, brain dysfunctions, seizures and inflammations of the heart and kidney.
Doctors say children between the age of six months to 15 years are the worst affected.
A fifth of the children who survive have to live with neurological weaknesses, doctors say.
The government says it has tried to check the regular outbreak of the encephalitis in the region.
The encephalitis outbreak in Gorakhpur has attracted national and international attention - scientists from US-based Centers for Disease Control visited the area in 2009, and took away medical samples to examine the virus.
In 2005, a virulent outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in Gorakhpur killed 1,000 people, mostly children. This was the worst outbreak since 1978. | At least 390 people, mostly children, have died in an outbreak of viral encephalitis in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, officials say. | 2.774637 | 3 |
It follows an incident which saw a S92 spin more than 180 degrees on landing.
One-off inspections of the tail rotor on all S92 helicopters around the world took place last week, following the incident on the West Franklin platform in December.
Operators are now being told to increase inspections on the aircraft's tail rotor.
No-one was injured in the incident, but there was significant damage to the deck of the platform.
As a result of the initial safety checks, 11 tail rotor bearings were returned to manufacturer Sikorsky for further tests.
The Federal Aviation Administration has now said further inspections using specialist cameras must be carried out every 10 hours of flying time.
North Sea operators said they were fully complying with the latest directive. | Additional checks are being carried on a North Sea helicopter fleet in the wake of safety fears. | 1.401595 | 1 |
The 24-year-old has yet to make an appearance for the Premier League side since joining on a free transfer after his release by Blackburn in the summer.
Kean made his professional debut for Rovers, and has previously had loan spells at Hartlepool, Rochdale, Oldham and Yeovil.
He comes in after Jamie Jones' loan from Preston ended in December.
"It was either come here and play some games or stay and play a couple of reserve-team games," Kean told BBC Essex. "Every player that works Monday to Friday wants to play.
"My time at Norwich so far has been absolutely brilliant, there's a great bunch of lads and staff there. I've really enjoyed working with (goalkeeping coach) Dean Kiely and he's been good enough to let me come here."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | League One side Colchester United have signed goalkeeper Jake Kean on an initial 28-day loan from Norwich City. | 0.795296 | 1 |
Second quarter operating profit rose nearly 5% to 3.49bn euros (£2.47bn).
But it listed a raft of potential problems, including "fierce competition, interest rate and exchange rate volatility, and fluctuations in raw materials prices".
The results come one day after news VW had overtaken Toyota to become the world's biggest vehicle maker.
But VW noted that robust growth in the global economy lost momentum in the first half 2015 and it said it expected the same level of growth for this year as in 2014.
VW cited risks to global financial markets resulting from "the strained debt situation of many countries".
It expects the strongest growth to come from Asian emerging economies, with moderate rates of expansion from major industrialised nations.
The company's shares are down more than 2% in Frankfurt. | The German carmaker Volkswagen reported a rise in its quarterly profit, but noted slowing demand in key markets. | 1.230275 | 1 |
Ashton's mouth appeared to make contact with Waller's hand during a tangle on the floor in the first half of Sarries' 27-12 win on Saturday.
Referee Greg Garner took no action, and Ashton's fate now rests with match citing commissioner Mike Rafter.
"There is a good chance Chris will be cited, so we will see what happens," Sarries boss Mark McCall said.
Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder confirmed after the game that Waller said he had been bitten on the hand.
Speaking at his post-match news conference, McCall added: "I have heard the accusation. I haven't seen the incident. These things will run [their] course."
Ashton received a 10-week ban last season for making contact with the eye area of Ulster back Luke Marshall during a European Champions Cup game, although he protested his innocence throughout.
That suspension ruled him out of England's Six Nations campaign, and the 29-year-old has not featured for the national side since Eddie Jones became head coach.
Meanwhile, Waller could also face further action after receiving a yellow card for a second-half clash with Jamie George after performing a dump-tackle on the Saracens and England hooker off the ball.
Waller, 26, could be in trouble not only for the tackle, but also for the resulting skirmish when his head made contact with George's face. | Saracens winger Chris Ashton could be cited after being accused of biting the hand of Northampton prop Alex Waller. | 0.83577 | 1 |
Sinead Higgins, 37, and her seven-year-old son Oisin were found inside the property in The Fairway, Ruislip, on Wednesday.
Formal identification is yet to take place.
Officers have said nobody else is being sought in connection with the deaths at this stage.
A Metropolitan Police statement said the causes of deaths remained inconclusive after post-mortem tests, but stated: "Detectives are satisfied that the deaths are consistent with a murder and a suicide."
The force is awaiting further toxicology tests.
Officers responded to concerns for the pair's welfare at about 10:50 GMT and forced their way into the house.
Police said next-of-kin had been informed. | The deaths of a mother and son whose bodies were found in a house in west London were a murder-suicide, detectives have said. | 0.536064 | 1 |
St Johnstone, like Rangers, will be at home for the first leg when they welcome Lithuania's Trakai.
Northern Ireland's Crusaders were paired with Latvia's Liepaja, while Ballymena United and Coleraine are away first to Norway's Odds and Haugesund respectively.
Bangor City will play Denmark's Lyngby.
Fellow Welsh side Bala Town were paired with Liechtenstein's FC Vaduz and Connah's Quay Nomads take on the Finnish club HJK Helsinki.
Ties will be played on 29 June and 6 July.
Aberdeen, who were runners-up to Celtic in the Premiership, the Scottish Cup and the League Cup, enter the competition in the second qualifying round, which takes place early on Monday afternoon.
More to follow. | Rangers' return to European football will be against Luxembourg's Progres Niederkorn in the first qualifying round of the Europa League. | 0.654577 | 1 |
Oakley, 21, was given his first-team debut by the Dons in 2014 as a late substitute at Northampton Town.
A hamstring tear and a broken leg, which he sustained in training in January 2016, kept him out for much of last season.
He went on loan to National League South club Welling United in November and scored four times in seven games. | Maidstone United have signed striker George Oakley on a month-long loan deal from AFC Wimbledon. | 0.426973 | 0 |
Bridgnorth Cliff Railway in Shropshire has been bought by Suffolk-based property developers Devitt and Sons.
The family firm said it was not intending to make big changes and that it would be "business as usual".
The cliff railway, which was built in 1892, has been owned and operated by Allan and Jean Reynolds for the last 15 years.
One of the new owners Malvern Tipping said: "My family are immensely excited about our involvement in this historical railway.
"We are very much looking forward to continuing this great service and tradition both for Bridgnorth and the many visitors."
Mr and Mrs Reynolds put the railway, incorporating Grade II listed buildings at the top and bottom of the cliff, on the market in March.
Jonathan Bengough, of agents Knight Frank, said: "The railway was sold after an unprecedented amount of interested was shown from right across the UK."
The railway transports people up and down the town's 111ft (33.8m) sandstone cliffs.
Two cars on parallel tracks, connected by steel ropes, counterbalance each other - as one rises to the top station, the other runs to the bottom station between High Town and Low Town.
The cars are now powered by an electric winding engine, but were originally driven by a system of water balance.
Mrs Reynolds, who is retiring with her husband, said at the height of the tourist season the railway made 200 journeys a day and carried 2,000 people, who pay £1 for a return ticket.
There are thought to be about 15 working seaside funicular railways left in England. | England's last inland funicular railway has been sold for more than £700,000. | 1.59486 | 2 |
Dredge shared second place with Russell Knox, after finishing three shots behind winner Rory McIlroy.
The 42-year-old, who has won twice during his career on the European Tour, fired a superb final round of 66 at the K Club.
"I played well and hopefully I can kick on from here," Dredge said.
"We've got another good event next week and we'll see what happens there."
Dredge will next be in action at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, which begins on Thursday, 26 May.
He contemplated retirement after losing his European Tour card for the 2013 season and then health problems forced him to take an extended break.
Having regained his place on the European Tour, Dredge's performance at the Irish Open earned him the biggest payday of his career to date.
Dredge secured a cheque just short short of £270,000, eclipsing his prize for winning the European Masters in 2006.
"You try not to think too much about the money. You try and go out there and try and win the tournament," Dredge added.
"And if I play well I give myself a chance of doing that, like I did and you need things to happen then to actually win." | Wales' Bradley Dredge is pleased with his current form and hopes to build on his joint second placed finish at the Irish Open. | 0.742611 | 1 |
Royston Pratt, of Wickham, was driving a Land Rover Defender on 22 December when he hit Robert McQueen, 37, at Staples Cross near Fareham, Hampshire.
Pratt, who earlier admitted causing death by driving without due care and attention, was given a 16-weeks sentence, suspended for 12 months.
He was also handed a five-year driving ban at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court.
Pratt was told he must take an extended driving test at the end of the disqualification period before his licence can be returned.
He was also ordered to pay costs and charges totalling £165.
Mr McQueen, 37, from Port Solent, was pronounced dead after his Triumph motorbike hit the Land Rover on the B2177.
Speaking after the case, Hampshire Police road safety Sgt Rob Heard recommended people "regularly assess their abilities to drive safely on the road". | A 90-year-old who killed a motorcyclist in a crash days before Christmas has been given a suspended sentence. | 0.932622 | 1 |
Melanie Hartshorn, 27, has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which causes her skull to sink into her spine.
Her condition is so severe that last year she had to complete her Newcastle University degree exams lying down.
But now the money has been raised for her to have an operation in Barcelona to fuse her skull to her spine.
The syndrome means Miss Hartshorn's joints dislocate and cannot hold her body together.
The operation, which will be carried out by a specialist neurosurgeon, involves fixing the cranium to her vertebrae to allow her to sit up and prevent brain damage.
The cost of the surgery is £80,000 and a further £20,000 has raised in the last few days for an air ambulance flight to take her to Spain.
Miss Hartshorn's condition is degenerative and she has needed multiple operations.
While doing her degree, Miss Hartshorn, of Cramlington, Northumberland, had to do her exams on a stretcher and to work on assignments from home.
She said: "This is really life-saving surgery for me because it will basically attach my skull to my neck with screws.
"So far the plan is for the operation to be done on Monday. I know of five other people with the same condition as me who have had the same surgery and they are doing quite well.
"I hope it will be successful. If it is it will mean no more seizures, my skull would be stable and I would be in a lot less pain and be able to sit up. Not to mention being able to get out an access the world again." | A disabled woman who collected her university degree on a stretcher is to undergo a life-changing operation after well-wishers raised £100,000. | 2.02929 | 2 |
It was unclear whether the missiles caused any damage, they said.
On Wednesday, Russia said it had launched 26 cruise missiles at targets in north and north-west Syria. It has reiterated comments made at the time that all reached their targets.
The news came as Nato renewed assurances to defend its allies in view of Russia's "escalation" in Syria.
Nato is boosting its response forces to be able to deploy troops speedily.
The US officials provided no details of where the missiles might have landed.
However, Iran's Irna news agency reported on Wednesday that an unknown flying object had crashed in the village of Ghozghapan in the Iranian province of West Azerbaijan, said to be under the missiles' flight path.
Moscow denies Western accusations that it has mainly targeted opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, insisting its strikes have hit the infrastructure of the so-called Islamic State (IS) and other militant groups.
IS militants have seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.
The Russian air strikes had "weakened" IS, Syrian Army Chief of Staff Gen Ali Abdullah Ayoub said on Thursday, enabling the army to start a "big attack" to retake towns and villages.
Heavy fighting was reported in areas of Idlib, Hama and Latakia provinces, where a coalition of rebels - including the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front - operates.
Government-backed troops had moved into the key Ghab plain area, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. | Four Russian cruise missiles fired at Syria from the Caspian Sea landed in Iran, unnamed US officials say. | 1.548382 | 2 |
Scotland-born lock George Biagi comes into the starting XV, along with flanker Maxime Mbanda, hooker Ornel Gega and centre Tommaso Benvenuti.
Dries van Schalkwyk and Leonardo Ghiraldini drop to the bench.
And the injured Michele Campagnaro and Glasgow Warriors flanker Simone Favaro do not feature in the squad.
Replacement Federico Ruzza could win his first senior cap.
Italy have lost all of their matches so far in this year's championship, while Scotland have two wins from four.
However, the Azzurri won on their last visit to Murrayfield, beating the Scots 22-19 in 2015.
E Padovani (Zebre), A Esposito (Treviso), T Benvenuti (Treviso), L McLean (Treviso), G Venditti (Zebre), C Canna (Zebre), E Gori (Treviso); A Lovotti (Zebre), O Gega (Treviso), L Cittadini (Bayonne), M Fuser (Treviso), G Biagi (Zebre), M Mbanda (Zebre), A Steyn (Treviso), S Parisse (Stade Francais, capt).
Replacements: L Ghiraldini (Toulouse), S Panico (Calvisano), D Chistolini (Zebre), D van Schalkwyk (Zebre), F Ruzza (Zebre), F Minto (Treviso), M Violi (Zebre), L Sperandio (Treviso). | Italy head coach Conor O'Shea has made four changes to his side to face Scotland in the final round of this year's Six Nations. | 0.904724 | 1 |
Officers were called to Warehouse in London Road, Stroud at 02:07 GMT to find the 24-year-old being treated by paramedics.
The man died at the scene and an investigation into his death has been launched, Gloucestershire Police said.
A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in currently in police custody.
Witnesses to the incident which took place in the upstairs bar area of the venue are asked to contact the force. | A man has died following an alleged assault at a nightclub in Gloucestershire. | 0.408496 | 0 |
French emergency crews have called off a search and rescue operation following an unsuccessful search for the crew member overnight.
The 31-year-old Filipino man fell from the Celebrity Eclipse, which was travelling between Cherbourg and Southampton, at 2215 BST on Friday.
Support is being provided for his friends and family, a spokeswoman said.
The vessel was returning to Southampton following a 14-night cruise around the Mediterranean.
The incident occurred eight miles (12 km) north of the French port.
Passenger Ben Davis told the BBC an announcement was made over the PA system that a man had gone overboard.
"An emergency announcement came over the PA system for all crew from the cruise director who hurriedly announced, 'Oscar, Oscar Oscar, port side' four times," he said.
"The ship circled for a few hours scanning the sea with its spotlights, along with other ships in the area and a lifeboat.
"We could see the street lights of Cherbourg, France, in the distance. The sea outside our window was illuminated by the ship."
A spokeswoman for parent company Celebrity Cruises said the ship turned around immediately.
"Celebrity Cruises' care team is providing support to the crew member's family, as well as his friends and colleagues onboard, and our thoughts and prayers are with them," she added.
A French coastguard official said an extensive search was carried out but teams could not find him.
"We deployed our resources to find him but it was to no avail and we can now presume that he is dead," he said.
"The water was very cold and there is no hope for him."
Solent Coastguard Maritime Rescue confirmed it had received information.
The Eclipse, a Solstice class vessel, joined the fleet last year. | A man is missing presumed dead after falling overboard a cruise ship in the English Channel off the French coast. | 1.08526 | 1 |
Nay Lin of the BBC Burmese service was convicted by a court in Mandalay of assaulting a policeman during student protests in 2015.
A lawyer for the reporter said his client unintentionally hurt the officer while trying to help a protester who had been knocked off a motorbike.
The BBC said it was working with his lawyer to support his appeal.
Nay Lin was arrested on 27 March in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, as protesters demonstrated in support of students who had been detained the week before in the southern town of Letpadan.
Nay Lin was covering the demonstration and was arrested during a commotion after a policeman tries to stop protesters on motorbikes.
The demonstrators were marching from Mandalay to Yangon, the main city in Myanmar (also known as Burma), in protest at a bill they said curbed academic freedom.
Riot police stopped the protests and dozens of activists were arrested and charged.
"Nay Lin will appeal against this decision and the BBC will continue to work with his lawyer to support his appeal," a BBC statement said. | A BBC reporter jailed for three months with hard labour in Myanmar will appeal against his sentence. | 1.227006 | 1 |
Figures from the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery showed the unit at University Hospital of Wales (UHW) had a survival rate of 98.67%.
It was placed with Southampton and Papworth as the three best-performing.
The figures, from April 2011 to March 2014, suggest Morriston Hospital, Swansea, was ranked sixth out of 39 units.
Its cardiac centre started work on a £6.6m upgrade earlier this month.
UHW's lead cardiac surgeon Indu Deglurkar said the NHS in Wales still had a "long way to go" to address waiting times for cardiac surgery.
Two years ago the Royal College of Surgeons highlighted "grave concerns" at the number of patients dying while on waiting lists for scheduled heart surgery at the hospital.
Miss Deglurkar said cardiac surgery services have since come a long way, but there is still room for improvement.
She added: "Cardiff has come out as one of the top three centres in terms of outcomes for patients. This demonstrates Cardiff results are top class and and the quality of care patients expect is very, very good.
"The issue has never been about the quality of care that was rendered. Its always been about the numbers. We have come a long way but still have a long way to go."
Health Minister Mark Drakeford praised cardiac surgery staff at UHW for their achievements.
"I'm pleased to see that the cardiac surgery team has been recognised as one of the best performing teams in the UK - this reflects the commitment of the staff who work there," he said.
The UK average surgery survival rate is 97.7%. | A cardiac unit in a Cardiff hospital has been rated among the best in the UK for surgery survival rates. | 1.409302 | 1 |
When, as expected, the bill is signed by the king, Belgium will become the first country in the world to remove any age limit on the practice.
It may be requested by terminally ill children who are in great pain and also have parental consent.
Opponents argue children cannot make such a difficult decision.
It is 12 years since Belgium legalised euthanasia for adults.
In the Netherlands, Belgium's northern neighbour, euthanasia is legal for children over the age of 12, if there is parental consent.
Under the Dutch conditions, a patient's request for euthanasia can be fulfilled by a doctor if the request is "voluntary and well-considered" and the patient is suffering unbearably, with no prospect of improvement.
One man in the public gallery of Belgium's parliament shouted "murderers" in French when the vote was passed, Reuters news agency reports.
Supporters of the legislation argue that in practice the law will affect an extremely small number of children, who would probably be in their teens, the BBC's Duncan Crawford reports from Brussels.
The law states a child would have to be terminally ill, face "unbearable physical suffering" and make repeated requests to die - before euthanasia is considered.
Parents, doctors and psychiatrists would have to agree before a decision is made.
Protesters have lobbied politicians against the changes.
Church leaders argued the law is immoral.
"The law says adolescents cannot make important decisions on economic or emotional issues, but suddenly they've become able to decide that someone should make them die," Brussels Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, head of the Catholic Church in Belgium, said at a prayer vigil last week.
Some paediatricians have warned vulnerable children could be put at risk and have questioned whether a child can really be expected to make such a difficult choice.
Last week 160 Belgian paediatricians signed an open letter against the law, claiming that there was no urgent need for it and that modern medicine is capable of alleviating pain.
But opinion polls have suggested broad support for the changes in Belgium, which is mostly Catholic. | Parliament in Belgium has passed a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit, by 86 votes to 44, with 12 abstentions. | 1.929924 | 2 |
Stormont has so far not put in place changes to benefits that have been implemented in other parts of the UK.
This has led to fines from the government.
Justin Welby told BBC Radio Ulster that there should be extra help to assist people here out of poverty.
"Should Northern Ireland itself be a special case?" he said.
"Yes it probably should, although not as a basket case or a charity case, but as a recognition of what has gone wrong in the past."
Secretary of State Theresa Villiers said the government continued to recognise Northern Ireland's special circumstances.
"That is why public spending per head is 23% higher here than the UK average," she said.
"When it comes to welfare reform Northern Ireland has much to gain from replacing a failed system that traps far too many people into dependency with a modern system that ensures work always pays."
The Northern Ireland parties had agreed on a welfare reform deal in December but Sinn Féin withdrew its support in March.
Inter-party talks in Northern Ireland began in September in a bid to resolve the current political crisis at Stormont.
The two key issues being discussed are the impasse over welfare reform and paramilitary activity. | The Archbishop of Canterbury has said he believes Northern Ireland should be treated as a special case when it comes to the issue of welfare reform. | 1.737163 | 2 |
The navy and coastguard despatched vessels to rescue the migrants from five different boats.
The UNHCR says almost 3,500 people died and more than 200,000 were rescued trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe last year.
The chaotic political situation in Libya has added to the crisis.
The coastguard despatched four vessels and the navy another after receiving satellite telephone distress calls from three migrant boats.
Two more boats were found to be in trouble when the rescuers arrived.
The migrants were transferred to Lampedusa island and the ports of Augusta and Porto Empedocle in Sicily.
Last year, Italy dealt with 170,000 migrants who entered the EU by sea.
Officials say the numbers for the first two months of this year are up 43% on January and February in 2014. | Some 1,500 migrants have been rescued from boats trying to cross to Italy in the space of 24 hours, the Italian coastguard has said. | 1.928447 | 2 |
This was compared to 27,650 mothers taking maternity leave according to figures obtained by BBC Wales from HMRC for 2016/17.
It means less than 1% of new fathers in Wales received payment for shared parental leave to look after their newborn children.
The figures are for the first full financial year since shared parental leave was introduced in 2015.
The Freedom of Information request also found in England 6,100 fathers and 542,850 mothers received a statutory payment to take time off work with their children.
The figures, obtained by BBC Radio Wales' Eye On Wales, account only for men who received shared parental pay and women who received statutory maternity pay.
A spokesman said: "Parents may also take unpaid leave. HMRC are not able to identify these individuals and therefore cannot identify everyone taking shared parental leave or maternity leave."
The numbers were rounded to the nearest 50.
Source: UK Government; ACAS
Cardiff University IT worker Tom Green, 37, took six months of shared parental leave to look after his son Sam.
He said: "Even though women take maternity leave this is accepted as the norm - I was the first person to take shared parental leave in my part of the university, so it wasn't usual.
"If I'm a pioneer, I'm a pioneer. I don't feel like it. I'm just trying to do the best for my family."
Jennifer Liston-Smith from My Family Care, which advises employers be more family friendly, said: "To come out, if you like, as wanting to share parenting, and certainly for guys in corporate cultures that is a little different and there are things for them to think about - is it going to affect their careers? Anything like this takes time to become more popular."
She said some fathers were using shared parental leave - which can be taken in blocks and at the same time as the mother is on maternity leave - as an add-on to paternity leave.
Ms Liston-Smith added: "What tends to happen is that a partner will take the statutory paternity leave and then take two maybe four weeks of shared parental leave when the baby first arrives. Then towards the end of the parental leave the partner might take another chunk of leave, but not a huge absence from his job." | Just 250 fathers officially took shared parental leave in Wales last year. | 1.617758 | 2 |
The Hawk Racing BMW rider finished more than 12 seconds ahead of runner-up, Lincolnshire's Ivan Lintin, on the RC Express Kawasaki.
Manxman Dan Kneen was third for the Mar-Train Yamaha team on his return to action after injury.
The race was initially red-flagged on the first lap when Dean Harrison crashed out unhurt at Ballakeighan.
The Bradford rider did not compete in the re-start which was run over a reduced distance of six laps of the 4.25-mile Billown circuit, near Castletown.
For 27-year old Dunlop the victory represented a repeat of his success in the same race last year.
"We'd been having some trouble with the bike for a couple of days but the boys worked really hard to sort it," said Dunlop after his triumph.
"I pushed on early in the race but was able to back off on the last couple of laps."
Jamie Coward, Dan Hegarty and debutant Alan Bonner made up the top six, with James Cowton best of the 600s.
Another newcomer, Darryl Tweed from Ballymoney romped to victory in the 400cc/125cc race.
The pole position man led throughout and won by 17.6 seconds from Manxman Dan Sayle, who was riding a Moto3 machine.
Sayle came home just 0.03 seconds ahead of Adrian Kershaw, who completed the podium positions.
Adam McLean from Magherafelt was the first 125cc finisher.
Racing continues on Wednesday evening, followed by a busy programme on Thursday morning and afternoon.
Guy Martin, Solo Champion for the past three years, is missing this week's event.
The Lincolnshire rider informed the organising club last weekend that he had not sufficiently recovered after completing the gruelling Tour Divide cycle race in the United States.
William Dunlop is also absent as he awaits the birth of his first child, due this week. | Michael Dunlop won the 1000cc race on the opening night of racing at the Southern 100 on the Isle of Man. | 0.842174 | 1 |
Mabbutt, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes as a teenager, underwent a five-hour operation to replace the main artery in his left leg in 2013.
The 53-year-old's diabetes triggered peripheral arterial disease, which blocked the blood vessels in his leg.
"I can no longer do any sport or go running, and my life is now a lot more sedentary," he told BBC Radio 5 live.
"It is frustrating that I cannot kick a ball ever again, but I still have my leg, which is the most important thing."
The former England international, who played for Tottenham for 16 years between 1982 and 1998, says he sought treatment after he woke in the middle of the night with leg pain.
"I was getting terrible pains in my left leg, which was freezing cold. I stayed up all night and called the specialist at 6 o'clock in the morning, and I was rushed to King's College Hospital in London," he said.
Mabbutt, who needed 112 staples in the leg to heal the 30-inch wound, says he is speaking about his situation to raise awareness for Diabetes UK's "Putting Feet First" campaign.
"In this country, there are 120 amputations on diabetics every week, of which 80% are avoidable if there is early identification and treatment is given," he said. | Ex-Tottenham captain Gary Mabbutt has revealed he cannot kick a ball or run again after surgery to save his leg. | 1.969443 | 2 |
Malcolm Fyfield has suffered severe post traumatic stress disorder since surviving the flooded Gleision drift mine in September 2011.
He told Swansea Crown Court the only sign of water near the point being mined was "ponding" on the ground.
Mr Fyfield and owners MNS Mining Ltd deny manslaughter charges.
David Powell, 50, Charles Breslin, 62, Philip Hill, 44, and Garry Jenkins, 39, died when 650,000 gallons of water rushed into the area they were working in after they blasted into a flooded old section of the pit.
Mr Fyfield managed to escape and spent 12 days in hospital recovering from a broken hand and bruising and swelling as a result of a "near-drowning experience".
The former mine manager insisted he had not inspected the wrong part of the mine and said he was sure he was not mistaken because of the angle and gradient of the underground road.
The jury was told Mr Fyfield also suffers from "survivor guilt" and certain words used to describe the flooded mine trigger a feeling of being back in the pit.
Elwen Evans, QC, defending, told the court that "ponding" water found in the area before the controlled explosion was not unusual and Mr Fyfield did not think it was particularly significant.
Miss Evans reminded the jury Mr Fyfield was working alongside the men, adding: "It would have been incredibly reckless to make the breakthrough at a location he had not inspected, putting at risk the lives of four men as well as his own.
"We are dealing with someone whose reputation was as sky high as it comes.
"Year after year he did everything by the book. He knew how to do it, but this time he did not? It does not make sense."
Miss Evans asked the jury to decide the case according to the facts and to not base their verdicts on emotion.
The trial continues. | The manager of a mine where four workers drowned checked three times for any signs of water or danger the day before it flooded, a court has heard. | 1.466483 | 1 |
A 28-year-old man was arrested by Nottinghamshire Police on suspicion of conspiracy to cause actual bodily harm and has since been bailed.
The suspensions follow an investigation into a suspected plot to harm someone.
National newspapers said the prison officers allegedly goaded Muslim inmates until they needed to be restrained as part of a racist game.
The Prison Service confirmed eight people had been suspended from HMP Nottingham but said it would be "inappropriate to comment further."
More on this story and other news in Nottinghamshire
A police spokesman said: "The 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause actual bodily harm and has been bailed pending further inquiries.
"A further seven members of staff have been suspended from duty while an investigation is carried out."
He said the alleged incidents happened "some time ago".
Nottingham Prison is a category B local prison with a maximum capacity of 1,060 men.
It takes prisoners from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. | A prison officer has been arrested and seven others suspended following a police investigation. | 0.900313 | 1 |
Speaking to the Today programme in Yangon, she said that the world had "really lost interest in reform".
She also called for the constitution to be amended to allow her to stand for the presidency.
The 66-year-old spent almost two decades under house arrest because of her efforts to introduce democracy.
A clause in the new constitution states that anyone whose spouse or children are foreign citizens cannot run for the top job.
Ms Suu Kyi's late husband was British and her two sons are British citizens. Elections will be held in late 2015.
Aung San Suu Kyi said she believed that the majority of the people of Myanmar were in favour of changing the law in order for her to stand.
"We believe absolutely that the constitution will be amended in the right way, sooner or later. And the sooner the better. I do believe in the influence of the people over a so-called democratic form of government."
Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a landslide victory in the by-elections in 2012.
It did not contest the November 2010 general election because of laws it said were unfair.
Ms Suu Kyi is the daughter of Myanmar's independence hero, Gen Aung San, who was assassinated in 1947.
She was born in Myanmar but lived in the UK after studying at Oxford University where she met her husband Michael Aris.
She returned to Myanmar in 1988 as the country was experiencing a period of political upheaval. She took part and eventually led the revolt against then-dictator, General Ne Win.
The protests were brutally suppressed by the army who seized power in a coup that year, calling elections in May 1990.
But the junta refused to hand over control after the NLD won a majority vote despite the fact that Ms Suu Kyi was under house arrest and disqualified from standing.
A process of reform has been under way in Myanmar since November 2010, when military rule was replaced by a new military-backed civilian government. | Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader in Myanmar (also known as Burma), has told the BBC that the international community must do more to aid reform. | 1.773634 | 2 |
Henry Engelhardt, who has been in his role since the company was founded in 1991, will leave his post in a year's time.
Admiral employs more than 7,000 people and has four million customers. It is Wales' only FTSE 100 company.
Mr Engelhardt will be replaced by co-founder and current chief operating officer David Stevens. | The boss of Admiral insurance is to stand down as chief executive, the Cardiff-based company has announced. | 0.559475 | 1 |
Portuguese Bancessi, 19, signed for his parent club from Benfica in 2013 but has yet to play a first-team game.
He could feature against Shrewsbury in League Two on Saturday.
Gornell's request comes after he scored in Wednesday's 3-1 Johnstone's Paint Trophy defeat by Bristol City, his first goal in almost a year.
The club have confirmed they have received interest for the 24-year-old striker from another club but the player has rejected the move.
Manager Mark Yates told the club website: "Terry wants to go on the list, so we'll see what happens, but I don't have any problems with him.
"He is a great lad and no bother around the place, but I understand why he wants to go out and play because it's not quite happened for him here.
"At this moment in time, maybe it will take a change of scenery to spark something to maybe he can come back here and do well again." | Wolves forward Eusebio Bancessi has joined Cheltenham on a month-long loan, while striker Terry Gornell has asked to be placed on the transfer list. | 0.786686 | 1 |
The poster, headed "searching for you" is on display at Stafford station.
If the tall man who was wearing a grey suit recognises himself, he is urged to contact staff at the counter.
A Virgin Trains spokesman said the love-struck woman had contacted them to help find the man she saw on 6 August.
A hopeless romantic is looking for the man she exchanged lots of smiles and eye contact with here on Thursday 6th August between 5:50-7pm.
Was it you? Tall, silver/grey hair, wearing a grey suit, black shoes and with a black wheeled case.
If so you will recognise the lady in question... slim, blonde hair, luggage, black leather jacket, black boots, 44yrs old.
Her train arrived at platform 1 at 6:56pm and you went over to watch her board. She was too shy to speak but would really like to get in touch.
If this was you & you would like to make contact, please see a member of ticket office staff.
The Virgin Trains spokesman said: "Being the soppy, romantic souls we are we're hoping this brief encounter will lead to a fairytale ending.
"So if the mystery man is out there please do get in touch."
The notice, a picture of which has been posted on Facebook by BBC Radio Stoke, has attracted comments including "hope all goes well", "I hope she finds him", "he could be married but good luck" and "he was just perving. You won't be the only one". | A "hopeless romantic" has put an advert in the window of a railway ticket office in an attempt to track down a man she "exchanged smiles and eye contact with". | 0.63287 | 1 |
Coleman, 46, led Wales to their first major tournament in 58 years when they reached Euro 2016 in France.
During the competition, they made it to their first semi-final before losing to eventual winners Portugal.
Coleman played for Swansea City, Crystal Palace, Blackburn and Fulham but his career was cut short following a car accident.
He later had spells as manager of Fulham, Coventry and Spanish side Real Sociedad.
He was appointed Wales manager following the death of his good friend Gary Speed in 2012 and after a difficult start, turned things around on the pitch to reach Euro 2016.
Swansea lord mayor, councillor David Hopkins, said: "Freedom of the city is the highest honour the people of Swansea can confer on one of its own.
"And after the amazing, incredible exploits of the last month in France, I think I can safely say everyone in Swansea believes it's richly-deserved." | Wales manager Chris Coleman is to be offered the freedom of his home city, Swansea. | 1.213882 | 1 |
A three-month-old boy was brought to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on Saturday at 11:00 BST, police said.
He was taken to Bristol Children's Hospital where he remains in a critical but stable condition.
A 20-year-old woman and 26-year-old man have been arrested and remain in police custody .
Police said a "scene guard" was in place on Archdeacon Street in Gloucester and said it was thought to be "an isolated incident with no wider risk to the public". | Two people have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a baby was seriously injured in Gloucester. | 0.641876 | 1 |
Fly-half Finn Russell and prop Allan Dell were drafted in last Saturday, but have played a combined total of 15 minutes from the bench.
"I don't understand why he called those guys in if he's not going to use them," said Tait.
"What was the point in bringing those guys in?"
Tait questioned why Dell was not introduced while Joe Marler was seemingly carrying an injury during Tuesday's draw with the Hurricanes.
"If the players are there, and the game's in the balance, the boys were tired, at least put those boys on," Tait told BBC Scotland.
Russell replaced Welshman Dan Biggar for a head injury assessment in Wellington, while Dell's sole on-field contribution came in last week's win over the Chiefs, when he replaced James Haskell with England loose-head Marler sin-binned.
Gatland said after Tuesday's match: "So much was made about devaluing the jersey, so we made a decision we would try and get through the game with as many of the starting XV as we could."
The Lions, who lost the first Test in Auckland, face New Zealand in the second Test in Wellington on Saturday and the final Test in Auckland on 8 July.
Tait, part of the series-winning Lions squad that toured South Africa in 1997, fears a backlash if the Lions cannot turn the series around.
"Those guys know they're not going to be involved in the next two Test matches," Tait told BBC Scotland.
"They're just going to be there to hold shields and run against the opposition in team runs.
"The guys will just deal with what they're there to do, but they'll be pretty disappointed and wondering why they're there.
"They'll keep doing their jobs, but I think at the end of the tour, they might ask themselves, will they be judged on that until the end of their days? You were a Lion, but you didn't actually play.
"A lot of guys sit on the fence on this because it all depends on what Gatland does in the next two Tests.
"If they win on Saturday and the week after there'll be nothing said and he'll be this great coach again.
"But this time if they do lose the Test series, it will probably erupt." | Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions centre Alan Tait says the Scots called up by head coach Warren Gatland will be "wondering why they are there". | 1.012326 | 1 |
Victoria Luben told Cardiff Crown Court she heard an officer say: "We're in."
Det Sgt Stephen Phillips, 47, of Swansea, Det Con Christopher Evans, 38, of Llangennech, Carmarthenshire, and Michael Stokes, 35, from Glynneath, Neath Port Talbot, deny theft.
Mrs Luben said she was "scared" during the Penlan raid on 1 April 2011.
Under cross-examination she denied her husband had encouraged her to give a "false statement" about giving the code.
She told the court she had not known about her husband's savings.
Mr Phillips is accused of four counts of theft while Mr Evans and Mr Stokes both face two charges.
The case continues. | The wife of a Swansea man who says police officers stole £30,000 during a house raid has claimed an officer asked for the code to a safe. | 0.454068 | 0 |
The 24-year-old, capped 32 times by England, has been out of action since November with a knee injury.
However, it is understood his recovery has progressed quicker than expected.
Vunipola could now be in contention to face Scotland on 11 March, or Ireland a week later.
He was one of England's outstanding performers throughout their unbeaten year of 2016, and his ball-carrying and dynamism has been missed by Eddie Jones' side.
There were initial fears Vunipola would miss the whole of England's Six Nations title defence, but it is understood he has looked sharp on his return to full training this week, and is targeting a quick return to international rugby.
Vunipola's older brother, Mako, recently made his own comeback from a knee problem, and came off the bench in the win over Italy. | England number eight Billy Vunipola is set for a shock early return to action for his club Saracens against Newcastle on Sunday, boosting his hopes of a 2017 Six Nations call-up. | 1.001998 | 1 |
The company's flotation is the largest on the London market so far this year. Its shares were initially offered at 240p each, after its private equity owners sold a 51% stake in it.
Worldpay processes more than 30 million mobile, online and in-store transactions every day.
The company employs about 4,500 staff, mostly in the UK and the US.
Company chief executive Philip Jansen described Worldpay's listing as "a significant milestone".
He added that more than £1bn had been invested in the company, "helping [it] become an advanced technology-led organisation".
Worldpay was sold by the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2010 to its current owners, Advent International and Bain Capital. In terms of money raised, the flotation also means it is Europe's largest private equity-backed listing.
In a statement, the London Stock Exchange Group said Worldpay's decision to list in the UK "confirms London's position as [a] leading global financial centre" and "highlights [an] exceptional investor appetite". | Payments processing firm Worldpay has listed on the London Stock Exchange in a sale raising more than £2bn. | 1.381453 | 1 |
The lead was taken from a container outside the house sometime between 14:00 on Tuesday and 08:00 on Wednesday, along with some power tools.
Police said a sizeable vehicle would have been needed to remove the "huge" quantity of lead from the site.
A white Ford Transit van was seen near the scene at 17:00 on Tuesday, driven by a man aged between 30 and 40.
Officers have appealed for anyone with information to come forward. | Police are investigating after almost two tonnes of lead was stolen from a house under renovation in Balquhidder. | 0.667821 | 1 |
The project at the £1.2bn Romandisea resort has been condemned as in "bad taste" by members of the British Titanic Society.
The resort's American designer said plans for a simulated iceberg crash experience had now been abandoned.
The Chinese firm said the attraction would be "respectful".
Shaojun Su, chief executive of Yongle Seven Star Cultural Tourism Development Company, said the Titanic had "many Chinese fans" thanks to the 1997 film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Speaking through an interpreter at the British Titanic Society convention, he said the full-size replica would "respect history and the universal love" of those who died.
The convention - a gathering of Titanic enthusiasts and relatives of those on board the ill-fated liner - was held between Friday and Sunday in Southampton.
One participant, Jean Legg, whose father was a steward on the ship, said: "They are using the Titanic because of the tragedy - it's upsetting."
Ms Legg said: "My dad lived to be nearly 90 and the sights and sounds of people fighting for their lives stayed with him to the end of his days.
"If he knew this was being replicated, I think he'd be turning in his grave.
"I find it very upsetting, I feel they could have replicated another liner - it's in poor taste."
Robert Burr, the grandson of a steward who lost his life, had the same objection. "It doesn't suit the situation," he added.
But the society's president, Commodore Ron Warwick, said the replica would "perpetuate the memory of those who lost their lives".
Bruce Beverage, whose American firm is helping to design the theme park, said he had convinced Mr Su to drop plans for a simulated iceberg crash as part of a "6D holiday experience".
He said: "When they hired me I said, 'No, it would be in poor taste'."
The original liner, built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast, sank when it hit an iceberg on 15 April 1912 on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York.
The replica is set to form the centrepiece of the theme park in Sichuan province, which is due to admit its first visitors in August.
Work on the ship began in May 2014 and is due to be completed by early 2019. | A project to create a full-size replica of the Titanic at a theme park in China has upset relatives of victims and survivors of the 1912 disaster. | 1.621289 | 2 |
Hull City Council had hoped the decorative stones would help raise the profile of those in the city who were visually impaired.
They were supposed to spell out the poem, The City Speaks, by Shane Rhodes.
But Braille teacher Barry Wheatley said it made no sense as the Braille is too big and lacks spaces between words.
The council said it was only intended to be "creative" tactile paving.
Read more about this and other stories from East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire
Mr Wheatley said he initially thought the stones along Jameson Street and King Edward Street were a great idea but soon realised they were pointless.
"Braille is the size of your fingertips and to get down on your knees and feel this, well it is meaningless," he said.
"Even if you are a sighted Braille reader then it is like reading a sentence in print without any spaces in it.
"It is just gobbledygook."
He also said it did not work to guide blind or partially sighted people down the street, as it ran into street furniture.
Councillor Martin Mancey said he did not believe anything had "gone wrong" with the paving, which had only recently been installed.
"It was never intended to be a clearly legible form of the poem, it was an artistic interpretation.
"It has already achieved one of its purposes which was to raise the awareness of the needs of blind and partially sighted people in the city centre."
He said he was not aware of any obstacles that prevented it being used as a navigational guide. | A council which installed Braille paving stones branded "gobbledygook" has said the slabs were only intended to be "creative". | 2.123917 | 2 |
Net profit was 43bn yen ($436m; £280m) in the year to 31 March, compared with a 457bn loss a year earlier.
Sony said the yen's recent fall, which makes its goods cheaper for foreign buyers, boosted sales. A weak yen also lifts profits when firms repatriate their foreign earnings back home.
But some analysts said gains from asset sales had skewed the latest numbers.
The firm said it expected its profits to rise to 50bn yen in the current financial year, with the yen forecast to remain weak.
The Japanese currency has fallen more than 20% against the US dollar since November last year, after policymakers unveiled a series of aggressive measures aimed at spurring growth in the economy.
Sony, which was once a market leader in various product categories, has seen its fortunes plummet over the past few years.
Increased competition, falling prices and narrowing profit margins have hurt its business, especially in the TV segment which has been making a loss for the past eight years.
As a result, Sony has been trying to restructure its business model and reduce its costs.
As part of the restructuring process, the firm has sold key assets over the past few months, including its US headquarters in New York and some of its shares in M3, a medical research and marketing firm.
The firm has also offloaded its "Sony City Osaki" building in Tokyo.
Sony said the sale of all these assets had resulted in gains of nearly $2.5bn during the last financial year - and the figure contributed to the rise in its earnings during the period.
Analysts said that given the impact these sales have had on its profit - the numbers were not a true reflection of the firm's success.
Gerhard Fasol of Eurotechnology Japan said that these gains "really need to be subtracted from the results, to understand the regular operating results".
Mr Fasol pointed out that the firm's results indicated that its electronics division continued to struggle and that the unit had not been turned around yet. | Sony has reported an annual profit for the first time in five years, boosted by asset sales and a weakening yen. | 1.061456 | 1 |
The baby has been named Adira - a combination of the parents' names.
The award-winning actress, 37, has starred in many hit films and worked with Bollywood's biggest names.
Chopra, 43, who has produced and directed several hit films, is the son of legendary film-maker Yash Chopra
Yash Raj Films studio, of which Mr Chopra is the chairman, announced the news of the birth on Twitter:
Congratulatory messages have been coming in from the couple's friends, colleagues and fans:
The couple, who were dating for several years, married in Italy in April 2014.
Mukerji has acted in many hit films, including Saathiya, Hum Tum, Veer Zaara, Bunty aur Babli and Dil Bole Hadippa!.
Chopra directed one of Bollywood's biggest romances - Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. He also directed Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Mohabbatein.
Yash Raj Films was established by Chopra's father - Yash Raj Chopra - and the studio has helped establish some of Indian cinema's biggest names, including Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. | Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji, who married film-maker Aditya Chopra last year ending years of speculation about their relationship status, has given birth to a baby girl. | 0.741792 | 1 |
Peter Liang could face up to 15 years in prison for killing Akai Gurley.
Advocates for police accountability have closely watched the case because US police officers who injure or kill civilians rarely face criminal charges.
Gurley's death in 2014 came amid several high-profile cases in which officers killed unarmed black men.
The deaths of black men such as Eric Garner of New York and Michael Brown of Missouri sparked protests across the US.
Authorities declined to bring charges against the officers involved in those cases.
The officer's supporters have said Liang, who is Chinese American, is being made a scapegoat for previous injustices. His defence team said the shooting was an accident, not a crime.
However, prosecutors said Liang, a newly recruited officer, handled his weapon recklessly and did little to help Gurley after he was shot.
"Instead of shining a light, he pointed his gun and shot Akai Gurley," prosecutor Joe Alexis said in his closing argument.
Liang, 28, testified that he was patrolling a stairwell inside a public housing complex in Brooklyn when he was startled by a sound and fired his weapon by mistake.
The bullet ricocheted off the wall and hit Gurley, 28, who was standing on a lower floor.
"I was panicking. I was shocked and in disbelief that someone was hit," said Liang who wept during his testimony. | A New York City police officer has been convicted of manslaughter for fatally shooting an unarmed black man in a darkened stairwell. | 1.332903 | 1 |
The replacement vessel is being built in Wales and is due to be in operation at the end of this year or the start of 2017.
Leader of the council, Jonathan Bacon, said the new floating bridge would be more efficient than the current chain ferry.
He said: "Capacity will be improved to carry more vehicles.
"Having a new vessel will also help to improve reliability."
The council said a funding agreement for the new floating bridge is being finalised with the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership.
It is expected to be in service for the next 25 years and is part of the Solent Gateways project.
A new ticketing system, using self-service machines and pre-paid cards, is also due to start later in the spring.
The floating bridge is being built by Mainstay Marine Solutions Ltd. | A £3.2m floating bridge has been commissioned to connect Cowes and East Cowes, Isle of Wight Council has said. | 1.396357 | 1 |
The IAAF voted to suspend Russia's federation (Araf) on 13 November after the publication of an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report that alleged "state-sponsored doping".
The IAAF has outlined conditions Araf must meet for the ban to be lifted.
The Olympic athletics programme begins in Brazil on 12 August.
Russia, which said in November it is "fully committed" to reforms, will only be reinstated if it fulfils strict criteria, including compliance with all Wada and IAAF anti-doping rules.
The athletics federation must cut ties with all convicted dopers, resolve current disciplinary cases and investigate potential cases if it is to be readmitted to competition.
Media playback is not supported on this device | Russia's participation in athletics at the Rio Olympics will be decided when the council of world governing body the IAAF meets on 17 June in Vienna. | 1.397927 | 1 |
Last week two lawyers said they could no longer represent Saleh Abdeslam, as he was remaining silent and refusing to co-operate with the investigation.
"I ask my brother to speak," Mohamed Abdeslam told France's RTL Radio.
He said he wanted to know "exactly what had happened before and after" the attacks in which 130 people died.
So-called Islamic State said it was behind the co-ordinated assaults on bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France.
Salah Abdeslam - described as the sole surviving member of the group - was arrested in Brussels in March and has kept silent since his transfer to France in April.
Mohamed Abdeslam said his brother had withdrawn into himself and he had the impression that he was even more radicalised than before.
"During my visits to Belgium, I really saw a Salah Abdeslam who was ready to talk. A few months later, it feels like I am looking at another person. I can confirm that Salah is more withdrawn, more closed now," the suspect's sibling added.
"His incarceration, the extremely difficult conditions of his detention, his withdrawal into himself; I sometimes have the impression he is more radicalised now, rather than de-radicalised," said Mohamed Abdeslam, who has visited his brother in prison every three months.
He said he was aware that Salah Abdeslam's silence was particularly hard for the families of the victims, and that it would be "a disappointment for us all" if he refused to testify at his trial.
Salah Abdeslam's refusal to co-operate is said in part to stem from anger at the conditions in which he is being held - and particularly being under 24-hour video surveillance, his former lawyers have said.
He is thought to have played a key role in planning the Paris attacks and transporting the attackers, but investigators are yet to determine his specific role.
Another Abdeslam sibling, Brahim, blew himself up in the attacks. | The brother of the main surviving suspect in last November's jihadist attacks in Paris has called on his jailed sibling to speak. | 1.440798 | 1 |
Gog the dog is a Leicester celebrity, famed for wearing clothes and being wheeled around by owner Monti Shortt.
But last week someone walked off with the buggy when Ms Shortt briefly popped into the Haymarket Shopping Centre.
Leicestershire Police have released an image of a woman with the buggy and appealed for information.
Ms Shortt, 69, who has cancer, said she needs to get her pet back urgently because Gog needs surgery on her knees.
Leicestershire Police said the dog was in a navy blue pushchair taken from outside Cafe Nero in Humberstone Gate at about 15:00 GMT.
"Who is this woman? Do you know where the dog is now? Has anyone offered you a Yorkshire Terrier?" a spokesman asked.
Speaking earlier this week, Ms Shortt said: "I haven't been without her since I've had her. We come into town regularly and she lights everybody's day up."
Ms Shortt's coat, bag and inhalers were also in the stolen buggy but she is only concerned about getting Gog back. | Detectives searching for a Yorkshire terrier wheeled away in a pushchair have released a picture of a mystery woman they wish to speak to. | 0.976497 | 1 |
The pictures were taken in late November and show the prince in a courtyard at Kensington Palace.
The young Prince is now almost 17 months old.
The shots of the prince were taken by Ed Lane Fox who works for Prince Harry and is also a photographer.
BBC royal reporter Peter Hunt said one reason Prince William and Catherine have shared the photos is to say thank you to the media.
The couple is pleased that unofficial pictures of Prince George, taken by paparazzi photographers, have not been published.
They want Prince George to grow up without newspapers and television cameras intruding on his life. | The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have revealed three Christmas photographs of Prince George. | 0.670444 | 1 |
President Trump had said the executive order would be announced this week, but White House officials have now told reporters it is being delayed.
The original order banned refugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the US.
The order sparked mass protests and confusion at airports, and US courts have temporarily blocked the ban.
The White House has said the rewritten order will address some of the issues brought up in the courts, while Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has said it will be a "tighter, more streamlined version of the first executive order".
It is not clear how the new text will differ from the original measure.
Commentators say a repeat of the chaos that followed the initial order could be another blow to an administration that has been at the centre of a series of controversies with just one month in office.
Mr Trump's initial order, signed in January, banned anyone from seven majority-Muslim countries - Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya - from entering the US for 90 days.
It also halted refugee resettlement for 120 days and banned Syrian refugees indefinitely.
But the measure was blocked by a Seattle court, in a decision that was later upheld by 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals, which said the government had not proved the terror threat justified reviving the ban.
Mr Trump has criticised the court decision, saying "the security of our nation is at stake". | The US government has pushed back the unveiling of a new, updated travel ban until next week. | 1.848489 | 2 |
Academy-graduate Cox, 24, had one year left on his existing deal but has now agreed to stay at New Road until at least 2020.
"I'm a Worcester boy through and through - to sign for another four years is brilliant," Cox said.
"I've been here since I was nine-years-old and never thought of leaving. I want to play my cricket here."
Cox famously made his debut for the club as a 17-year-old schoolboy in September 2009 against Somerset at Taunton.
He scored 61 and claimed former England opener Marcus Trescothick as his first victim behind the stumps.
Cox's tally of 778 runs - including a maiden hundred and five half-centuries - was Worcestershire's second-highest as the county were relegated from Division One of the County Championship in 2015.
"To have somebody of his loyalty towards the club, and passion for the club, to reward him with a long contract is exactly what we are all about." director or cricket Steve Rhodes said.
"He's a terrific cricketer now, as consistent a wicketkeeper in county cricket that I have seen and to do that at a young age is incredibly good.
"But also his match-winning experience and ability with the bat in the different formats has been excellent."
Cox is the 10th player to have signed a new long-term contract at Worcestershire in the last 10 months. | Wicketkeeper-batsman Ben Cox has signed a new four-year contract with Worcestershire. | 0.865877 | 1 |
The 27-year-old scored one and made another before limping off in the 80th minute at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking after the match, interim Blues boss Guus Hiddink said Costa had been "in a lot of pain" - although it is unclear how long Costa could be out.
Chelsea next play away to Premier League leaders Arsenal in a 16:00 GMT kick-off on Sunday.
Spain international Costa has scored five goals in five games for Chelsea since Dutchman Hiddink was appointed in December.
He was their top scorer last season with 20 goals as Jose Mourinho led to the club to a Premier League and League Cup double, but had scored just four times before the Portuguese was sacked. | Chelsea striker Diego Costa suffered a bruised tibia in Saturday's 3-3 draw with Everton, scans have shown. | 0.745959 | 1 |
The men are accused of a catalogue of serious sex offences against seven females aged between 13 and 23 at the time of the alleged abuse, police said.
They were held under Operation Doublet, investigating child sexual exploitation of teen girls by older men in Rochdale.
The offences are alleged to have happened between 2005 and 2013.
They include rape, conspiracy to rape, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual activity with a child and sexual assault.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said the investigation was not connected to an ongoing inquiry into historical abuse at Knowl View School.
Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett said: "This investigation is one of a number of cases which comes under the umbrella of Operation Doublet, which is the continued investigation into child sexual exploitation (CSE) that arose following the 2011 investigation into CSE in Rochdale.
"The operation is an investigation into CSE in Rochdale and across other areas of Greater Manchester.
"So far, 65 people have been arrested as part of Operation Doublet and the investigation continues.
"This is an extremely complex and challenging investigation which started in May 2012. The investigation will continue over the coming months and further arrests are anticipated."
The charges have been welcomed by Rochdale's Labour MP Simon Danczuk, who has called for more action to expose historical sex abuse crimes.
Mr Danczuk said: "There have been some who have urged me not to campaign on grooming, but I believe that this news shows what can be achieved by keeping up pressure and pushing for change."
The men have been charged as follows:
The men have been bailed to appear at either Bury or Tameside Magistrates' Court later this week. | Ten men have been charged by police investigating child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. | 0.892687 | 1 |
28 October 2016 Last updated at 14:32 BST
An employment tribunal in London ruled the drivers are workers rather than self-employed.
Uber says it will appeal against the decision.
The BBC spoke to two Uber drivers for their views of the job. | Uber drivers in the UK will be entitled to holiday pay, paid rest breaks and the National Minimum Wage after a landmark ruling. | 0.53736 | 1 |
The Reuters and AFP news agencies say they have been told by judicial sources that the company is being investigated for breaking consumer protection laws.
Diesel emissions have been under the spotlight since the Volkswagen scandal.
But PSA said its vehicles have never been fitted with software to let its diesel engines deceive pollution tests.
A PSA spokesman said the company "respects regulations in all countries where it operates" and denied doing anything illegal.
The group was referred to French prosecutors by the consumer watchdog DGCCRF after its staff seized documents from PSA offices in France a year ago.
The accusation against PSA is that the emissions from its diesel engines might "render its merchandise dangerous for human or animal health".
Fraud investigators have already accused the partly state-owned Renault car firm of cheating on pollution tests for diesel and petrol engines for over the past 25 years, and with the knowledge of its top executives.
Since September 2015, Germany's Volkswagen has admitted fitting 11 million cars - 8.5 million of them in Europe - with devices to fool diesel emissions tests.
Last month, PSA agreed to buy Opel and Vauxhall from the US firm General Motors for £1.9bn in an attempt to challenge Volkswagen. | The French car firm PSA Peugeot-Citroen is under investigation by French prosecutors for cheating diesel emission tests, according to reports. | 1.723603 | 2 |
A news helicopter filmed the miles-long gridlock on the 405 motorway in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday.
"It's called the 405 for a reason: It takes you '4 o' 5' hours to get anywhere," one Facebook user quipped.
Almost 49 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles for Thursday's turkey feast holiday.
That's a million more than last year, and the most since 2007, according to the American Automobile Association.
Some social media users said it looked like the 405 interstate - which is no stranger to congestion - had been decorated with Christmas lights.
Another called the gridlock "the Most Epic Mannequin Challenge EVER!"
Thanksgiving dates back to the Pilgrims' 17th Century arrival in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where they dined with the Native-Americans at the first holiday meal. | Aerial footage has gone viral of a massive traffic jam, captured during the great Thanksgiving getaway in southern California. | 1.656077 | 2 |
Rangers won promotion to the top flight for this season and will face defending champions Celtic on 10 September.
"When you see the intensity and the passion in the crowd and the expectation, it's addictive," Lennon told BBC Scotland.
"In my career, when I've left this environment, it's never the same."
Lennon feels the midfield joust between Rangers' Joey Barton and Celtic's Scott Brown adds particular intrigue.
"It'll be interesting," Lennon said on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.
"He [Brown] has certainly got the athleticism, the power, pace. He'll certainly dominate Joey in that department. I think Joey's technically, probably slightly better.
"I didn't think he [Brown] had a great season last year but I think that was down to injury. I watched him last Sunday against Hearts. I thought he was back to his best."
Looking back on his own experience of Glasgow derbies, Lennon spoke of his on-field rivalry with Rangers captain Barry Ferguson - a friend off the pitch.
"When you have a nemesis, you have to put your marker down, in Old Firm games especially," Lennon explained. "You put your marker down early.
"Barry would've gone for me and I would've gone for Barry because we were seen as the two leaders in the team. It'll be the same with Barton and Brown, maybe.
"I had total respect for Barry. I thought he was a fantastic player - technically superb, could see a pass.
"Socially, it was very difficult but every now and again, we'd meet up quietly out of the road. We'd chew the fat but we never ever fell out or anything like that.
"We had words on the pitch and then it was forgotten about afterwards. There was a real high level of respect there." | Former Celtic captain and manager Neil Lennon is excited by this season's Old Firm derbies, saying of the rivalry: "There's just nothing like it." | 0.877006 | 1 |
The second round of group games include must-win matches for England, against Uruguay, and Spain, who face Chile, after both teams suffered defeats in their opening fixtures.
Brazil and Mexico are the first teams to play their second game, on the same day as the opening fixtures in Group H. Those results are also included in Lawro's predictions.
Before the tournament, Lawro picked his two teams to go through from each group and reach the knockout stage.
He is backing Argentina to win the World Cup and lift the trophy at the Maracana on 13 July, and believes England will reach the quarter-finals.
Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.
Brazil 0-0 Mexico
Read the match report.
Cameroon 0-4 Croatia
Read the match report.
Lawro's pre-tournament picks to go through: Brazil and Mexico
Australia 2-3 Netherlands
Read the match report.
Spain 0-2 Chile
Read the match report.
Lawro's pre-tournament picks to go through: Spain and the Netherlands
Colombia v Ivory Coast (19 June, 17:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Japan v Greece (19 June, 23:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Lawro's pre-tournament picks to go through: Colombia and Ivory Coast
Uruguay v England (19 June, 20:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Italy v Costa Rica (20 June, 17:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Lawro's pre-tournament picks to go through: England and Italy
Switzerland v France (20 June, 20:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Honduras v Ecuador (20 June, 23:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Lawro's pre-tournament picks to go through: France and Switzerland
Argentina v Iran (21 June, 17:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Nigeria v Bosnia-Hercegovina (21 June, 23:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Lawro's pre-tournament picks to go through: Argentina and Nigeria
Germany v Ghana (21 June, 20:00 BST)
Read the match report.
United States v Portugal (22 June, 23:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Lawro's pre-tournament picks to go through: Germany and the United States
Belgium v Russia (22 June, 17:00 BST)
Read the match report.
South Korea v Algeria (22 June, 20:00 BST)
Read the match report.
Lawro's pre-tournament picks to go through: Belgium and Russia | BBC Sport's football expert Mark Lawrenson is predicting the outcome of every game at the 2014 Fifa World Cup. | 0.824075 | 1 |
The museum is scheduled to open in the West Yorkshire city in 2020 to mark the 125th anniversary of the code's formation in nearby Huddersfield.
The museum will display the sport's historical artefacts within Bradford City Hall.
It is to be funded from a range of sources, including private benefactors and government grants, charity Rugby League Cares said.
Bradford was selected by a working group chaired by the director of the National Football Museum, Dr Kevin Moore.
Bradford club Manningham were founder members of the Northern Union (now Rugby League) in 1895 and won the game's first championship before later switching to football and becoming Bradford City.
The city also holds the UK record for the biggest crowd for a rugby match when an official 102,575 spectators watched the Challenge Cup final replay, Halifax v Warrington at Odsal Stadium in 1954.
Bradford Bulls have also made six summer-era Grand Final appearances, winning three times.
Chris Rostron, of Rugby League Cares, said it had seen the city's "positivity for this very prestigious project".
Brigid Power, heritage manager for the charity, said: "We have some fantastic objects and archive material in our collection, which we are continually adding to.
"Our most recent donation has come from one of Bradford's finest rugby league legends, Ernest Ward, whose son Trevor has very kindly donated some of his father's medals, boots and photographs."
Ward played more than 390 matches for Bradford Northern in the 1940s and '50s. | The new National Rugby League Museum is to be based in Bradford. | 1.851769 | 2 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
It was reported on Wednesday that the Anfield club were close to a £20m deal for the Manchester City keeper, who is currently on loan at Torino.
Hart, 30, is expected to leave City but Klopp is content with current keepers Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius.
"He's a fantastic keeper, the highest quality, but it's not for us at the moment, nor in the future," he said.
Hart told BBC Sport in March that he is "surplus to requirements" at City and does not see himself playing for the Premier League club again.
He moved to Italian side Torino on a season-long loan in August after being told he was free to leave City by manager Pep Guardiola.
"If you're not going to win there is no point in fighting, especially someone as powerful as that," Hart said.
Guardiola has maintained that no decision will be taken until the end of the season.
Media playback is not supported on this device
Klopp also confirmed that midfielder Adam Lallana should return to full training in the latter part of next week after his thigh injury, and that forward Danny Ings is running again after a serious knee problem.
However, midfielder Jordan Henderson remains sidelined with a knee injury.
"At this moment he cannot really train. We must wait. We are in intense talks with different medical departments," Klopp said.
"He looks really healthy but he can't play football." | Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out trying to sign England goalkeeper Joe Hart. | 0.864563 | 1 |
The 22-year-old, who can play as a winger or full-back and has joined Batley Bulldogs from Doncaster for the 2016 season, is the 12th winner of the Dave Valentine Award.
It is based on performances in Scotland's 2015 international campaign.
Scotland head coach Steve McCormack said: "Davie was outstanding for us."
Scott started playing rugby league at Easterhouse Panthers and joined Featherstone Rovers in 2013.
He was loaned to Doncaster, made the switch permanent in 2014 and will play in the second-tier English Championship for Batley in the coming season.
Scott made 28 appearances for Doncaster, scoring two tries and 36 conversions.
He played for Scotland in the 2013 World Cup and their recent European Cup campaigns.
"He is the perfect example to all the kids coming through, showing there is a pathway for teenage players in Scotland," added McCormack. | David Scott has become the first product of Scotland Rugby League's development pathway to win the player of the year award. | 0.892145 | 1 |
The warship's hull has been constantly sprayed with water and wax chemicals since it was raised from the seabed.
Work to remove 100 tons of water from the hull could take up to five years.
The hull will be kept in a "hot box" chamber but visitors to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard will be able to view it through windows from 31 May.
Inside the airtight chamber conditioned air will be directed at the hull to gradually remove water from the wood, dry and preserve it.
Mark Jones, head of conservation at the Mary Rose Trust, said: "It really will be a unique chance for visitors to see our team preserve a treasured artefact as they can see through windows into the "hot box" containing the Mary Rose when the new museum opens."
The 16th Century hull was first sprayed with chilled fresh water to remove salt and later with a water-soluble wax which prevents shrinkage of the timbers.
The spray jets have now been switched off four weeks from the official opening of the Mary Rose Museum before the hull undergoes the technical drying process.
The new museum finally reunites the Mary Rose with thousands of the 19,000 artefacts raised from the wreck.
The bulk of the £35m funding for the museum and conservation project came from a £23m Heritage Lottery Fund grant, with remaining cash raised through various charitable trusts, fundraising and sponsors.
The Mary Rose saw 34 years of service before she sank while leading an attack on a French invasion fleet in 1545, and was raised 437 years later on 11 October 1982.
King Henry VIII watched from Southsea Castle as his ship sank killing all but 35 of the 500-strong crew. | Jets used to spray the hull of Henry VIII's flagship the Mary Rose have been switched off for the first time in almost 30 years. | 3.226206 | 3 |
London Fire Brigade advised people living near the fire on West Mews to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution because of smoke.
A spokesman said firefighters "don't believe" anyone was inside the burning building.
At one stage crews were using jets to protect a 2,000-litre diesel fuel tank. The cause of the blaze is not known.
The front of the building, a single-storey unit, has partially collapsed.
Four people from a nearby building were initially unaccounted for but were located by firefighters.
London Fire Brigade said it was called at around 18:20 BST to the incident. Ten engines and 72 firefighters and officers are at the scene.
From there station manager Charles Hanks said: "Crews were confronted with a large fire when they arrived and are now working hard to confine it to the bakery and stop it from spreading to any neighbouring factory units.
"There is some fuel stored on site but crews have isolated the supply and it is not involved in the fire."
He added: "The fire is producing a lot of smoke so we are advising residents to keep their doors and windows closed as a precaution while it is going on. Thankfully though no injuries have been reported." | More than 70 firefighters are dealing with a blaze at an industrial bakery unit in Tottenham. | 1.570938 | 2 |
The 30-year-old reached the gold medal match but lost to American Walton Eller in the double trap at the Gabala World Cup meet in Azerbaijan.
Scott, based in Battle, East Sussex said his only goal for the past year had been to win a quota place for Rio.
"I was very nervous going into the semi-final because there was so much riding on it," he said.
"But my training kicked in and thankfully I was able to just stick to my technique and keep hitting the clays," he added.
"After achieving the goal I've been aiming for over the last year, I relaxed quite a lot going into the gold medal match.
"As much as I wanted to go on and win, I think I probably took my foot off the gas a little bit."
He joins Amber Hill, Ed Ling, Elena Allen and Jennifer McIntosh in the list of British Shooting athletes who have secured Team GB quota places for Rio 2016. | Steve Scott secured a fifth shooting place for Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games by winning World Cup silver. | 0.875357 | 1 |
The 25-year-old admits Antonio Conte's side "started bad" with defeat at home on the opening weekend of the season.
They responded with Sunday's 2-1 victory over Tottenham.
"We don't have the easiest start but this victory is good for the confidence," he said.
"Maybe we needed as a group a little wake-up call and say 'look, we need to give 150% this year and not 100%'."
Marcos Alonso scored both of Chelsea's goals at Wembley, the second of which came in the 88th minute.
Captain Gary Cahill and midfielder Cesc Fabregas missed the game through suspension after being sent off in the 3-2 loss to Burnley, while Eden Hazard is still out through injury.
"Physically we dug very deep," said Courtois. "Spurs, especially the last 15, 20 minutes of the first half, they had a lot of pressure on us. As well in the second half.
"You see that physically we are very good and for us that is important."
Spurs have now lost seven of their past 10 games at Wembley. | Chelsea may have needed the "wake-up call" of losing to Burnley last week to show them the level of effort required to defend their Premier League title, says goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. | 0.970763 | 1 |
The idea of wearing a safety pin as a political message was used in the UK after the vote there to leave the European Union, following an increase in alleged cases of hate crime.
The Republican said in his victory speech that he would be a "president for all Americans".
But the billionaire ran a campaign in which he made remarks that offended Muslims, Latinos, women and the disabled, among others.
Hours after his victory, alleged cases of abuse against minorities were reported in many US cities.
In California, authorities were investigating the reported attack of a Muslim student wearing a headscarf at the San Diego State University campus by two suspects. They allegedly made comments about Mr Trump's election.
Officials said the assault on the woman, who was wearing a hijab and was not hurt, happened in a parking complex. The suspects stole her car keys, and the vehicle was later reported missing.
Police were also investigating spray-painted obscene messages in South Philadelphia, the Philly Voice reported. Pro-Nazi graffiti was also spotted - it was not clear if the cases were related.
There was also at least one false claim. In Louisiana, an 18-year-old student admitted she fabricated a story that two white men, one wearing a Trump hat, had attacked her near the University of Louisiana campus hours after the Republican's victory. She gave no reason for the false account.
There were also cases of violence against Trump voters. Police were investigating an incident in Chicago, where a man was beaten after a traffic incident, with bystanders yelling "Don't vote Trump". A video of it has gone viral.
Safety pins were first used as a symbol of unity and hope back on World War II, when the Netherlands were invaded. The Dutch wore them under their collar to show loyalty to the queen and not be persecuted by the Nazis. | Safety pins have again become a symbol of solidarity with victims of racist, religious or homophobic abuse, following alleged attacks in the US in the wake of Donald Trump's election win. | 1.673117 | 2 |
It will take place at Analeentha, Mallow in north Cork, on Tuesday afternoon.
Ms Buckley, 24, a nurse and student, went missing following a night out at the Sanctuary nightclub in Glasgow on 11 April.
Her body was found at High Craigton farm, near Drymen, four days later.
Alexander Pacteau, 21, from Glasgow, has appeared in court charged with her murder.
Ms Buckley moved to Glasgow in February to study occupational therapy at Glasgow Caledonian University. She lived in the city's Garnethill area.
She was an only daughter. Her parents and brothers brought her back to her native Cork on a specially commissioned flight from Glasgow at the weekend.
Her funeral Mass will be held at the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Analeentha at 14:00 BST on Tuesday, before burial at St John's Cemetery in Burnfoot.
On Monday night, thousands of people attended the removal of Ms Buckley's body in Mallow. | The funeral for Irish student Karen Buckley, who was murdered in Glasgow earlier this month, is be held in County Cork later. | 0.780143 | 1 |
Both players will miss Friday's Super League fixture against St Helens, as well as the semi-final on 29 July.
Charnley, 25, pleaded guilty to Grade C contact with a match official in their 18-16 defeat by Leeds Rhinos.
Tautai, 28, was found guilty of a Grade B dangerous contact on Adam Cuthbertson in the same game on 15 July.
The duo have both been given a £300 fine in addition to their suspensions.
Charnley, who will cross codes to join Sale Sharks at the end of the season, has scored 19 tries in 23 appearances and is Wigan's top try-scorer this campaign. | Wigan Warriors pair Josh Charnley and Taulima Tautai will miss the Challenge Cup semi-final against Hull FC after both were given two-match suspensions. | 0.835735 | 1 |
Jamie Hodson, 35, from Wigan, was fatally injured in Northern Ireland's Dundrod 150 race at the Joey's Windmill section of the course on 10 August.
The road racer won the Supertwins MGP race in 2016, which is held on the Isle of Man TT course.
A service will be held in Douglas at 14:00 BST and another in Wigan.
A spokesman for St Ninian's Church said the Isle of Man service is being held with the "kind permission of the Hodson family" and will be conducted by Rev John Coldwell.
A "celebration of Jamie's life" will also be held in his home town of Wigan, he said.
Hodson's brother Rob was also involved in the same crash but was not seriously hurt.
Gavin Lupton, 37, from Otley in Yorkshire, died from injuries sustained in a different crash on the same day.
Lupton competed at the Isle of Man TT and North West 200, as well as the Ulster Grand Prix, in recent years. | Memorial services for a former winner of the Manx Grand Prix (MGP) who died in a crash while racing will be held later. | 0.922387 | 1 |
Dr Saleyha Ahsan, an emergency doctor at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Gwynedd, said £220,000 has been raised by crowd funding to help those affected by the civil war.
The support was "staggering", she said.
"This act in itself has been a massive display of solidarity with these doctors who are risking their lives."
Dr Ahsan was part of a convoy supported by a number of human rights organisations who responded to a call from the doctors to build a unit to serve 66,000 children near Aleppo where thousands have been evacuated.
They handed over the equipment to members of Syria's Independent Doctors Association at the border.
Dr Ahsan returned to north Wales on Friday in time for her Christmas weekend shifts at the hospital. | A Welsh doctor has returned from a 6,000 mile round trip to take supplies to Syrian doctors building an entire hospital from donations. | 1.39569 | 1 |
The Lebanese army says the US-bound missiles were for training purposes and did not contain explosives.
Serbian officials, quoted by Reuters, said they were trying to establish whether the missiles were live or not.
They said sniffer-dogs had found the missiles on an Air Serbia flight at Belgrade airport on Saturday.
Air Serbia said it was helping with the investigation.
A source at the Serbian prosecutor's office told Reuters: "Experts are determining whether the missiles were equipped with live or training warheads.
"They were packed in proper transportation crates and supplied with paperwork."
The missiles were due to be transferred to another flight to Portland, Oregon, the source added.
In a statement, the Lebanese military said: "They [the missiles] belonged to the Lebanese army, which decided to send them back to the American company that manufactured them upon agreement with it, in accordance with legal and administrative procedures and after training with them had been completed."
The AGM-114 Hellfire is a laser-guided missile that can be deployed from an attack helicopter or an unmanned drone.
Last month, Cuba returned to the US an inert Hellfire missile that had been wrongly shipped to Havana in June 2014. | Serbian authorities say they are investigating after two US-made Hellfire missiles were found on a passenger flight from Lebanon. | 1.664928 | 2 |
This year, NBC is charging advertisers $4.5m (£3m) for a 30-second spot. But with an expected US audience of 110 million, and more streaming the most popular ads online, it's a price companies are willing to pay.
The BBC's Franz Strasser takes a look at the price of the products advertised and asks how many items you could buy for the cost of a commercial.
Budweiser's one-minute ad tells the story of a lost dog that is reunited with his owner. Nine million dollars can buy you a lot of beer cans at the price of 58 cents in a 12-pack.
For the first time in seven years, Victoria's Secret is paying up to air a spot during the biggest game. The brand sells one of its "everyday" bras for $39.50.
Dove Men will show a spot about fathers to advertise their body wash. The price of one item is $5.39, compared to the price of $4.5 million for the ad.
The German carmaker is using an old news clip and TV personalities to advertise its electric car. The starting price for a BMW i3 is $42,300.
Advertisers will pay close to $41 per one thousand viewers, if 100 million Americans tune in. A rate slightly above the industry average of $37.
Additional production by Savannah Stephens | The adverts shown during the Super Bowl are often as talked about the next day as the game itself. | 0.98764 | 1 |
Nigel Williams, 39, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies the murder of Mark Munday in the Grafton Hotel in Midland Road on 4 December.
The incident was described as a "one punch homicide case" at Luton Crown Court on Tuesday.
Judge Michael Kay QC remanded Mr Williams in custody. A trial will now take place in May.
Mr Williams, an electrical engineer of Cowper Street, Olney, appeared in court via video link from Norwich prison.
Mr Munday, 48, from Kempston, died in hospital several hours after an incident at the hotel on 4 December.
Prosecutor Tim Prober-Wood told the judge: "This is a one punch homicide case. It seems likely the plea tendered will be accepted."
He added that the results of a full post-mortem examination will also have to be taken into consideration.
A further hearing will take place on 10 April. A trial date has been set for 15 May. | A man has admitted killing a friend with a single punch in a pub in Bedford. | 0.636015 | 1 |
Maesteg in Bridgend county, Ammanford in Carmarthenshire, Fishguard and Narbeth in Pembrokeshire and Churchill Way, Cardiff will all close.
Holyhead on Anglesey, Holywell in Flintshire, Llanrwst in Conwy county and Knighton, Powys will also lose their HSBC branches.
The bank said 180 jobs were at risk across the 62 UK branch closures announced.
"Fewer people are using branches. More than 90% of our interactions with customers are now through our digital channels - an increase from 80% last year," said Francesca McDonagh, HSBC's head of retail banking. | Nine branches of HSBC are to close in Wales in 2017 as the banking giant concludes a restructuring programme. | 0.841325 | 1 |
The hosts could not have got off to a better start when Tubbs headed home a free-kick by Mohamed Chemlal after just seven minutes.
Forest Green pushed for a second with Chemlal looking the man most likely to add to the score.
But Sutton scored an equaliser when Nick Bailey struck from the spot after Drissa Traore brought down Bedsente Gomis in the area.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Forest Green Rovers 1, Sutton United 1.
Second Half ends, Forest Green Rovers 1, Sutton United 1.
Roarie Deacon (Sutton United) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Sutton United. Maxime Biamou replaces Ross Stearn.
Substitution, Sutton United. Shaun Cooper replaces Gomis.
Nicky Bailey (Sutton United) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Rob Sinclair replaces Drissa Traoré.
Substitution, Sutton United. Chris Dickson replaces Dan Fitchett.
Substitution, Forest Green Rovers. Elliott Frear replaces Fabien Robert.
Goal! Forest Green Rovers 1, Sutton United 1. Nicky Bailey (Sutton United) converts the penalty with a.
Kieffer Moore (Forest Green Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Second Half begins Forest Green Rovers 1, Sutton United 0.
First Half ends, Forest Green Rovers 1, Sutton United 0.
Kieffer Moore (Forest Green Rovers) is shown the yellow card.
Ross Stearn (Sutton United) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Forest Green Rovers 1, Sutton United 0. Matt Tubbs (Forest Green Rovers).
First Half begins.
Lineups are announced and players are warming up. | Matt Tubbs' first goal for Forest Green Rovers was not enough to clinch a first victory of the season after a 1-1 draw with Sutton. | 0.820055 | 1 |
Kathryn Smith said she received £52 a week in income support, some of which was used to buy the Class B substance.
Jurors previously heard she was concerned 21-month-old Ayeeshia Jane Smith may have had a seizure after taking drugs kept at the house.
Ms Smith and ex-partner Matthew Rigby both deny murder.
More on this and other stories from Stoke and Staffordshire
The toddler, known as AJ, died in 2014 at the couple's flat in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.
Under questioning from prosecutors, Ms Smith, 23, said she did not initially tell doctors treating Ayeeshia over her fears she had accessed drugs because she feared they would think she was "a bad mother".
She also said she did not tell police about the drugs being at home because she knew they were illegal.
A quantity of cannabis worth £30 was found inside a Tommee Tippee plastic cup at the property on Britannia Drive after Ayeeshia's death but Ms Smith said her daughter did not use the cup as it was broken.
The court heard a senior social worker had reported seeing Ms Smith, of Sandfield Road, Nottingham, looking "spaced out" during a home visit a week prior to Ayeeshia's collapse, although her daughter had not been in the house at the time.
Two social workers had tried to conduct an on-the-spot drugs search at the flat on 17 April 2014, days before Ayeeshia died, after smelling cannabis, but Ms Smith refused to comply.
Text messages made by Ms Smith to Mr Rigby and her parents were mentioned by the prosecution, including one where she threatened her father on the day Ayeeshia died.
Christopher Hotten QC, prosecuting, said the message showed her in a bad temper "on the day somebody killed your daughter in anger".
However, Ms Smith said: "Nobody was angry on that day, or the day before that, nobody was being angry that day."
Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court previously heard her death was caused when her heart was torn by a forceful stamp.
Medical experts said the injuries were normally only seen in car crash victims or people who have fallen off buildings.
The trial continues. | A woman accused of fatally stamping on her daughter used the money she received in benefits to fund her cannabis habit, a court heard. | 0.787462 | 1 |
Graham will have surgery on the injury, which he suffered while playing for New Zealand in a World Cup qualifier.
The 24-year-old had made six appearances for the Spireites in all competitions this season.
"It is really unfortunate for him with his first-team and international career now starting to take off," physio Rodger Wylde told the club website. | Chesterfield defender Liam Graham will miss the rest of the season after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament. | 0.380953 | 0 |
Mr Livingstone's comments feature in Total Politics magazine.
Croydon Tory MP Gavin Barwell said: "Comparing rival politicians to Hitler is in incredibly poor taste."
But Mr Livingstone's aides said his comments were "light-hearted". City Hall declined to comment.
In comments, reported in the latest issue of the magazine, the former London Labour mayor said next year's mayoral race was "a simple choice between good and evil - I don't think it's been so clear since the great struggle between Churchill and Hitler."
"The people that don't vote for me will be weighed in the balance, come Judgment Day," he continued.
"The Archangel Gabriel will say 'You didn't vote for Ken Livingstone in 2012.
"Oh dear, burn forever. Your skin flayed for all eternity.'"
Mr Livingstone added he would "come round with a serious pitch nearer the time".
However, Mr Barwell, MP for Croydon Central, said: "After the events of the last week, Londoners need a mayor who will unite our city, not one who regards people who don't share his views, as evil.
"To joke that Londoners who don't vote for him will 'burn forever' after everything we have been through in the past two weeks is crass even by Ken Livingstone's standards." | London mayoral candidate Ken Livingstone has compared his battle to regain City Hall from Boris Johnson with the "great struggle between Churchill and Hitler". | 1.140264 | 1 |
The Championship club have had three bids for the 22-year-old Gills midfielder rejected.
And Edinburgh told BBC Radio Kent: "I spoke to Bradley and he made it quite clear he didn't feel that Bristol was the right move for him at this present time, which I was delighted with.
"He just wants to have success here with Gillingham right now."
City were told their bids were short of Gillingham's valuation before the Robins did secure the signing of a midfielder - QPR's Ben Gladwin on a three-month loan deal.
Gillingham, currently third in League One, were reportedly offered £1m for Dack, who has scored 13 goals this season.
But Edinburgh is convinced the former Charlton youngster is worth substantially more than that figure.
"Our valuation is a long way off that," he said.
"With 13 goals and 12 assists, I don't think there's a more valuable player in the league." | Gillingham manager Justin Edinburgh has insisted that Bradley Dack has no interest in joining Bristol City. | 0.799342 | 1 |
The midfielder, who also plays for Real Madrid, is suspected of making false statements at the tax fraud trial of Zdravko Mamic, his former manager.
He could not immediately be reached for comment, Reuters news agency reports.
Mr Mamic, a powerful figure in Croatian football, was Mr Modric's boss at leading club Dinamo Zagreb.
Mr Mamic, his brother Zoran Mamic, and two others are accused of corruption that reportedly cost Dinamo Zagreb more than 15m euros (£13.1m; $16.7m), and the state 1.5m euros.
Cash is said to have been embezzled via phoney deals where they took a cut from the sales of players.
If found guilty of perjury, Mr Modric could face between six months and five years in prison.
Mr Modric was asked to testify about his multi-million pound transfer from Dinamo to the English club Tottenham Hotspur in 2008.
The perjury allegation hinges on exactly when he signed an annex to his contract with Dinamo, setting out the terms for future transfer fees.
According to prosecutors, at a tribunal on 13 June, Mr Modric falsely said he had signed it in July 2004.
Prosecutors say the annex - which allowed Mr Modric to receive half the transfer fee - was actually signed in 2008 when he had already left the club.
Prosecutors also say Mr Modric told investigators in 2015 that the annex had been signed when he had already been sold to Tottenham.
The state attorney's office believes the player changed his testimony in his former manager's favour.
The 31-year-old looked visibly uncomfortable while giving evidence to the trial, which has attracted huge media interest in Croatia. | Croatian authorities have launched an investigation into the captain of the national football team, Luka Modric. | 0.9166 | 1 |
Police found 2,489 packages and envelopes in Grant McCrone's property in Balmoral Avenue in Dumfries in May.
Dumfries Sheriff Court heard that the mail dated back to between September and December 2012.
McCrone, 26, who admitted stealing and intentionally delaying the mail, was sentenced to a community payback order and 180 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard that of the packages discovered, 2,388 were not addressed.
The Royal Mail had a contract to deliver them to certain postcode areas. It was likely they contained promotional material.
The remaining 101 packages were addressed to individuals. A total of 60 had been opened.
Sheriff Brian Mohan was told that McCrone was "a hard working, intelligent and, with the exception of this matter, a law abiding man".
He committed the crime when his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
He initially hid the mail at his family home before he moved to Balmoral Avenue after his father's death.
Sheriff Mohan said McCrone had breached the trust of the Royal Mail and its customers and he had narrowly avoided a prison sentence.
The court was told that McCrone was sacked by Royal Mail for gross misconduct on 6 June. | A postman stole more than 2,000 items of mail and hid them in his outhouse for more than two years. | 1.157995 | 1 |
George Jones put Cornwall ahead from a driving maul and Matt Shepherd kicked a penalty to earn an 8-0 half-time lead.
Ten minutes after the break, Anthony Bingham ran from the halfway line to go over and give Lancashire a lifeline.
Tom Burtonwood and Scott Armstrong crossed shortly afterwards to secure Lancashire the title.
Victory meant they have been champions in six of the past nine years, while Cornwall have now been beaten by their opponents in three finals since 2013.
It also denied Cornwall head coach Graham Dawe, a former England international, a third successive County Championship triumph after wins over Cheshire and Lancashire in the past two competitions. | Lancashire came from behind to score 19 unanswered second-half points and beat Cornwall in the County Championship final at Twickenham. | 0.751942 | 1 |
The Briton, seeded second, won 6-4 6-1 6-4 as a storm passed over New York, suspending play on the outside courts.
Murray goes on to face Frenchman Gilles Simon or Paolo Lorenzi of Italy in the last 32 on Saturday.
Fellow Briton Dan Evans will play Germany's 27th seed Alexander Zverev later on Thursday.
Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori beat Russia's Karen Khachanov 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3, and Austrian eighth seed Dominic Thiem saw off Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 6-4 6-3 6-2.
In the women's draw, Naomi Broady was beaten 7-6 (11-9) 6-3 by Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska.
A flurry of resistance from Granollers at the end of the first set, and a stadium reverberating to the noise of spectators and rain, could not derail Murray.
"It's tough, you couldn't really hear the ball, which makes it tricky, but we're lucky to play under the roof because otherwise there'd be no tennis right now," said Murray.
The Scot, 29, went through in two hours and 22 minutes to take his record to 24 wins and one defeat since the beginning of Queen's Club in June.
There were 34 winners but a first-serve percentage of just 43% and 28 unforced errors will give him something to work on before he returns to action on Saturday.
Granollers, ranked 45th, quickly fell 5-2 behind but a shift to more aggressive tactics made Murray work hard to close out the set, the second seed needing 23 minutes and seven set points to clinch the final two games.
Murray also had to see off a couple of break points early in the second set but then eased away with five games in a row for a two-set lead.
The match had begun under the new roof that covers the 23,000-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium, which has the effect of keeping out the rain but also trapping in the noise of the spectators.
With a torrential downpour beating on the new structure, the second half of the contest was played out amid a persistent buzz of noise, but Murray remained focused and grabbed the decisive break at 4-4 in the third set.
"I hit quite a lot of winners, although first-serve percentage wasn't great," Murray said.
"I won a lot of points behind my first serve. I would have liked to make a few more first serves but it is a little bit different serving under the roof, a little heavier conditions." | Andy Murray beat Spain's Marcel Granollers to reach the third round of the US Open as rain hammered down on the new roof above Arthur Ashe Stadium. | 1.002864 | 1 |
Adam Buxton put the hosts ahead with a free-kick that went in off the crossbar before Hartlepool striker Ellis Harrison hit the post.
Shay McCartan's solo effort made it 2-0 and the forward fired home his second of the night after the break.
The visitors scored through Rakish Bingham's right-footed, 20-yard shot.
Accrington, who were playing their first home game since 14 November, missed early chances as Piero Mingoia headed just wide and Billy Kee was superbly denied by Trevor Carson.
But they gradually took control of the game to register their 12th victory of the season.
Hartlepool remain 21st in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone. | Accrington Stanley have moved up to sixth in League One, six points off automatic promotion, after beating Hartlepool. | 0.632838 | 1 |
With a revised putting technique, the Australian held off Sergio Garcia with a level-par 70 to win on nine under.
Former Masters champion Scott has been forced to return to a conventional short putter following a ban on anchoring putters to the chin or chest.
"I have made some nice progress in all areas, especially noticeably on the greens," said the 35-year-old.
The last time Scott won a tournament with a short putter was more than five years ago at the Singapore Open.
He then switched to a broomstick at the 2011 Match Play Championship and went on to win seven titles with an anchored putter, including his first major at the 2013 Masters.
Scott began the final round by sinking a 15-foot putt to birdie the par-four first and then buried a 10-footer at the fifth to move two strokes clear.
Garcia, 36, who had been bidding for a ninth PGA Tour title, had to settle for second place after bogeying the 16th and 17th holes, before rebounding with a birdie at the last for a 71. | Adam Scott claimed a one-shot victory at the Honda Classic in Florida to end a title drought of nearly two years. | 0.841867 | 1 |
The trade union Unite says that the shop floor jobs are to go from the firm's "complementary labour force".
That part of the workforce is made up from temporary and contract workers and tends to fluctuate depending on demand.
The company confirmed that up to 130 contract workers are being let go and described it as "regrettable".
Last year, Bombardier cut 300 temporary and contract jobs and made 90 people redundant from the permanent workforce.
The aerospace company is one of Northern Ireland's biggest employers.
About 5,000 permanent employees and about 1,000 temporary and contract staff work at its Belfast base.
In a statement, Bombardier said "the need to be competitive" meant the company had to make adjustments to its staffing levels.
Bombardier has had a difficult few years with the development of its C Series plane badly delayed and a business jet project suspended.
That has been reflected in its Northern Ireland workforce - Tuesday's announcement brings the number of job losses to more than 500 in six months.
Last week, the Canadian firm appointed a new chief executive in an attempt to find a way out of the current problems.
The new man, Alain Bellemare, needs to convince more airlines to buy the C Series, an aircraft which has cost more than $5bn to develop.
"Our manpower situation is kept under constant review. We have reviewed our latest requirements based on current customer demand," the firm said.
"Up until mid-2014, we had increased our complementary labour force by over 1,000 positions, but lately we have had to reduce this level."
A spokesman for the union Unite said the cuts were "another savage blow" to the company's workforce.
Regional coordinating officer Davy Thompson said: "This announcement highlights the inadequacy of existing employment protection, in particular for that afforded to agency workers who are making up more and more of the Northern Ireland labour force.
"There's a need for Stormont politicians to get serious on action to improve job security protections for workers, particularly within the manufacturing sector where there is a real risk of de-skilling." | Bombardier is planning to cut 130 jobs from its agency and contract workforce in Belfast. | 1.396615 | 1 |
The 3,000m (10,000ft) volcano is in Argentina's south-western Neuquen province, near the Chilean border. It began spewing ash and gas on Saturday morning.
In Argentina, the authorities have told residents of local villages to monitor the situation.
Many people have already left the area as a precaution.
Ash has been raining down on both sides of the border.
The Chilean authorities raised the alert - first issued on Saturday - to the highest level in Biobio region after the Copahue volcano increased seismic activity overnight.
Roads were being cleared for possible evacuation.
The plume of smoke is about 1,500m (5,000ft) high and the wind is pushing it away from Argentina, said Chile's emergency office (Onemi).
Planes flying over the southern Andes have also been warned to avoid the area.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled last year due to the eruption of Puyehue volcano, in Chile.
That eruption caused huge economic damage not only to property in the area but also to tourism in Bariloche and other resorts.
The Copahue eruption comes at the height of the tourism season.
Visitors from all over the world go to the area in the summer months to enjoy the mountains, lakes and also the Copahue and Caviahue thermal spas.
Copahue in the indigenous Mapuche language means "sulphur waters". | Chile has raised the alert level for the Copahue volcano to red, the highest possible. | 2.561347 | 3 |
Media playback is not supported on this device
Devils won 6-2 at Sheffield Steelers to seal their fifth league crown and their first for 20 years.
"Three years ago we were ninth placed and now we're winning the league in Sheffield. It doesn't get any better than this," Canadian Lord said.
"There's been so much work put in by everyone involved. It's truly amazing."
Lord, who scored in the win over Steelers, was also thankful for the support of the team's fans, who had travelled in large numbers to South Yorkshire.
"I'm so happy for the fanbase," Lord added. "We're so fortunate to play here and they make it great."
Cardiff-born forward Matthew Myers had previously won the Elite League with the Nottingham Panthers in 2013.
The 32-year-old added another Elite League title to the Challenge Cup medal he won with the Devils earlier this season.
"It's great to win anything and we've been fortunate to win two this season," Myers said.
"Sheffield did not want us to win in their own building and they played a good game but thankfully we came out on top." | Player-coach Andrew Lord said Cardiff Devils' "unbelievable" Elite League title win is fully deserved for all the hard work this season. | 0.925061 | 1 |
Daniel Njuguna and James Kiarie are now in hospital in the Somali town of Dhobley, the army says.
They are now in the care of Kenyan troops working with the African Union force in Somalia, Amisom.
Kenya sent troops into Somalia in 2011 following a spate of kidnappings in border areas.
Amisom troops are helping government forces battle al-Shabab, an Islamist militia which is part of al-Qaeda and which controls much of southern and central Somalia.
Dhobley is under the control of Kenyan troops and is near the border.
Kenyan army spokesman Col Willy Wesonga disputed reports the pair had been freed in February after converting to Islam.
He told the BBC that if you release someone you have kidnapped, you have to hand them over to the authorities.
The pair will be transferred to Nairobi on Saturday, the army says.
Mr Kiarie works for Care International, the army says. Mr Njuguna works for a company that was contracted to MSF when he was seized.
They were originally kidnapped along the Kenya-Somalia border, where there is a huge aid operation to cope with the hundreds of thousands of Somalis who have fled two decades of violence.
Dadaab, across the border from Dhobley, is said to be the world's largest refugee camp. | Two Kenyan aid workers have been found "lost and disorientated" in Somalia after being kidnapped by al-Shabab in 2011, the military says. | 1.336993 | 1 |
The rise was helped by wet and windy weather in Scotland and Ireland, which boosted renewable output.
However, the company's chief executive, Alistair Phillips-Davies, warned market conditions continued to be challenging.
He said he expected profits in domestic energy supply to be lower at the end of the year.
SSE's preliminary results for the first six months of 2015 also revealed that;
The firm said its transmission business was the fastest growing in Europe with "record investment", including completion of the Beauly to Denny transmission line and the starting of the Caithness to Moray subsea transmission link.
Mr Phillips-Davies said: "We've had a solid start to the financial year but half-year profits are only half the story. There are many variables in energy and so they should be treated with caution - that's why we focus on full-year results.
"The last six months have seen us invest substantially in the UK's energy infrastructure - committing one and a half times what we've made in profit in the first half of the year.
"We've upgraded our fleet of gas fired power stations, opened our new multi-fuel power plant and completed the Beauly to Denny transmission link and started work on the vital subsea link between Caithness and Moray. | SSE made an adjusted pre-tax profit of just under £549m in the six months to the end of September - up 48% on the same period last year. | 1.276275 | 1 |
Tubbs joined National League side Eastleigh on loan in February, while McGurk and Naismith both featured in Sunday's League Two play-off semi-final defeat by Plymouth.
Defender Ben Davies and midfielder Danny Hollands remain in talks over new contracts at the club.
Ben Close, Adam May and Ben Tollitt have triggered one-year extensions.
Pompey have also announced Brian Murphy, Chad Field and Snorre Nilsen have been released following the expiration of their contracts.
Youngsters Alex Bass, Calvin Davies and Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain were offered one-year professional deals in April. | Portsmouth have placed forwards Adam McGurk, Kal Naismith and Matt Tubbs on the transfer list. | 0.304962 | 0 |
Subsets and Splits
No saved queries yet
Save your SQL queries to embed, download, and access them later. Queries will appear here once saved.