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The rock was thrown from a footbridge near the Derker Metrolink stop on Monday evening, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) said.
The driver managed to continue driving to the next stop near Oldham, where he was met by emergency services.
No passengers were injured in the attack.
Danny Vaughan, TfGM's head of Metrolink, said: "This one reckless action has injured the driver and left him, understandably, very shaken.
"We condemn such behaviour in the strongest possible terms and are working closely with the police, operator and other partners to tackle problems of anti-social behaviour along the line."
New Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said: "Attacks on Metrolink will not be tolerated.
"The consequences of last night's incident were disgraceful. Nobody in Greater Manchester should be made to feel unsafe while travelling or at work." | A tram driver has been taken to hospital with face and chest injuries after a large rock was hurled through his windscreen in a "reckless" attack. | 39851500 |
The 41-year-old was walking in Westwood Crescent, Hamilton, when he was attacked by three men who got out of a dark BMW car at about 16:15 on Monday.
The man is being treated for his injuries at Wishaw General Hospital.
Police are trying to establish a motive and are studying CCTV footage and conducting door-to-door inquiries. They have appealed for witnesses.
The three suspects are described as between 20 to 30 years old.
Two of the men were wearing black jackets with goggles stitched into the hoods.
The third man was wearing a camouflage jacket. He had blond hair which was shaved close on the side.
Dot Sgt Martin McKendrick, of Police Scotland, said: "This was a particularly vicious attack and as yet we have still to establish a motive.
"I want to reassure those living in the area that incidents of this nature are rare. We are doing all that we can currently to trace those responsible. We have conducted door-to-door inquiries and we continue to analyse available CCTV.
"I would like to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of Westwood Crescent on 12 January around 1600 hours who either witnessed this attack or has noticed a dark BMW vehicle in the area."
Det Sgt McKendrick added: "It's important we trace those responsible and any information you may have could greatly assist our investigation." | A man is in a stable condition in hospital after being stabbed in an unprovoked attack in South Lanarkshire. | 30796462 |
Both residents and activists described the clashes as "unprecedented", and said rebel fighters were attacking government positions on several fronts.
The fighting had spread to previously peaceful districts, they added.
On Thursday, the UN said the number of Syrians fleeing to other states could exceed 700,000 by the end of the year.
More than half a million are believed to have already crossed into Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, but only 294,000 have registered with the UN.
UN agencies and other humanitarian groups have issued a funding appeal for $488m (£300m) to help them meet the needs of the refugees.
Activists said the start of the rebel offensive in Aleppo was announced in calls from mosques at about 16:00 (13:00 GMT) on Thursday.
In interviews with foreign media and videos posted online, members of the Tawhid Brigade said a "decisive" battle for control of the city had begun. The offensive involved hundreds of rebel fighters attacking government positions on several fronts, they added.
"We wanted to surprise the Syrian army which had started to creep forward towards the southern neighbourhoods," Bashir al-Haji, the Tawhid Brigade's commander, told the Guardian newspaper.
"There are 6,000 fighters of the Tawhid Brigade taking part in the battle now, in addition to a few other brigades like al-Fatah and Ahfad al-Fatihin for the Turkmen."
He denied the FSA had declared "decisive" battles for Aleppo before.
"We are not aiming to liberate the whole of Aleppo with this battle but to regain control of most of the city and get back as many neighbourhoods as we can."
The rebel claims could not be immediately verified, but activists and residents reported heavy clashes and shelling in the districts of Izaa, Saif al-Dawla, Salah al-Din, Amariya and Sukkari on Thursday night and Friday morning.
"The fighting is unprecedented and has not stopped since Thursday," said Rami Abdul Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, told AFP news agency.
"The clashes used to be limited to one or two blocks of a district, but now the fighting is on several fronts."
But the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says there is little sign so far that the rebels have made much progress.
Syrian state media reported some unusual mortar fire onto south-eastern districts of the city which have so far been relatively untouched.
Attacks by rebels had been repulsed in several places, and heavy losses had been inflicted by government forces, they said.
For more than a month, the struggle for control of Aleppo has been at a stalemate, with government forces unable to dislodge the rebels, and the latter unable to take complete control, our correspondent adds.
Meanwhile, several north-eastern and southern districts of Damascus which were supposedly recaptured by the army weeks ago saw further violence on Friday, with troops and militia moving back in.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 60 people, including 30 civilians, had been killed across the country on Friday. | Fierce fighting has been reported in Syria's second city of Aleppo, a day after the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) said a "decisive" battle had begun. | 19755140 |
Eddie Jones' side won all three Test matches against the Wallabies in June.
"To lose 3-0 in Australia was very difficult, particularly as a former player and being pretty passionate about Australian rugby," Larkham told BBC Radio 5 live.
"I think we let a lot of people down through that series."
The former Wallabies fly-half added: "It was very embarrassing to lose the series 3-0 on our home soil, so we're certainly looking forward to this one."
After June's series defeat, Australia finished second to New Zealand in the Rugby Championship and come to Twickenham having won three games from four on their end-of-year tour.
The two head coaches have exchanged critical words in the media as they prepare for the match; England's Jones has spoken of the "disrespectful" treatment his team experienced down under in the summer, while counterpart Michael Cheika feels his fellow Australian is damaging his legacy back home.
Both have also accused each other's scrum of using illegal tactics, but Larkham says it is inevitable that the two former team-mates are on the offensive.
"They're very similar actually - they can be quite intense - Eddie probably more so," said Larkham, who was coached by Jones at both the Brumbies and Australia.
Find out how to get into rugby union with our special guide.
"But I think they're both very passionate about rugby. They've both got a very good technical knowledge of the game and they're both extremely competitive."
Larkham was a key part of the Australia side that reached the World Cup final under Jones' leadership in 2003.
"We kept in contact via email mostly," he added. "They're pretty short and to the point, which is good though. I've sat down with him a couple of times and spoken to him about coaching."
Larkham has worked as part of the Wallabies set-up since the start of 2015, and will join the coaching team permanently next year.
He describes working with Cheika as "entertaining, enjoyable and a great experience in terms of career development".
As the team's attacking coach, Larkham set up the supreme offensive display that brought a 32-8 win over Wales in Cardiff on 5 November, but says he is prepared to be patient before thinking about the top job.
"Not at this stage," he said. "But inevitably that's where any Australian coach would like to end up."
Hear more from Stephen Larkham on the Matt Dawson Rugby Show on BBC Radio 5 live on Thursday at 21:00 GMT. Matt's other guests include Eddie Jones and England captain Dylan Hartley. | Australia are desperate to avenge an "embarrassing" summer series whitewash by England when they meet on Saturday, backs coach Stephen Larkham says. | 38144505 |
The pub in Ripley, Derbyshire, fittingly named The Angel, has 53 Christmas trees of various sizes.
The largest, which is 22ft (6.7m) tall, cost over £1,000 including decorations.
There is also a permanent 9ft (2.7m) golden angel above the entrance, which was previously used on the set of the soap opera Crossroads.
Owner Peter Clay said he started decorating the pub in this way three years ago.
"It started back in the middle of the recession," he said.
"Everyone was depressed and saying it's doom and gloom.
"I'm a partly-sunny guy, not a partly-cloudy guy, so we thought we would do something to cheer everybody up.
"That's how it started and then from year to year we keep exceeding ourselves."
Customers are asked to help decorate the pub by attaching baubles to the trees.
The building was built in 1888 to commemorate the jubilee of Queen Victoria.
It has been mistaken for an old chapel or church from the outside, but it was originally a "men-only" club before becoming a pub. | A pub owner believes he has "the most Christmassy pub in England" after spending four days and thousands of pounds festooning it with decorations. | 30233305 |
Last year, the commission's board apologised for its handling of a dispute with crofters over the management of common grazing land.
Board members also asked Mr Kennedy to resign. He has refused to do so.
His name has been put forward for re-election as the representative for the South West Highlands.
The ballot takes place in March. The other South West Highlands candidates are Ronnie Campbell, Catherine MacKinnon, Billy Neilson and Uilleam Smith.
Mr Kennedy has argued he did nothing wrong in the months-long dispute with crofters over their grazings, and that the board's vote last September asking him to resign was not valid.
In October last year, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scottish government ministers had the power to intervene in the affairs of the troubled Crofting Commission.
Ms Sturgeon said ministers would not ordinarily get involved in the internal operations of the commission.
However, during a First Minister's Questions session in Holyrood, she said legislation did give ministers the power to intervene if required. | Colin Kennedy, whose actions at the Crofting Commission have been the source of a row, is standing for re-election to the public body. | 38809459 |
She takes over from Christy Burke following a voting pact between Sinn Féin, Labour, the Green Party and most of the independents.
Sinn Féin became the biggest party on the city council after last year's local elections
The role puts the party centre stage for the 1916 centenary celebrations.
Cllr Ní Dhálaigh was elected with 42 votes, defeating Cllr Jim O'Callaghan of Fianna Fáil who got nine and Independent Cllr Mannix Flynn who got eight. | Dublin has its first Sinn Féin Lord Mayor with the election of Críona Ní Dhálaigh. | 33321110 |
Ivanka Majic, a digital consultant, said she and her husband were woken at 06:00 by calls from the media.
They told her she featured in a tweet to Donald Trump's 20 million followers.
Mr Trump was quoting praise for his daughter from another Twitter user, who had used the wrong username.
Users were quick to jump in and point out the mistake, and Ms Majic has since replied:
Ms Majic, who has worked for the Labour Party in the past, said she discovered what had happened when a news agency texted her husband.
"I came downstairs to check my phone and I had so many notifications," she told the BBC. "It's very unusual to be speaking to both ITV and the BBC 45 minutes into your day."
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Ms Majic's username is @Ivanka, while Ivanka Trump's is @IvankaTrump.
She said she has regularly been mistaken for Ms Trump on Twitter over the past year, but never on such a scale.
"Without Donald Trump it's a steady simmer of mentions," she said. "I am kind of like that @johnlewis bloke but John Lewis is probably nicer to be associated with."
"During the election I had a Twitter bot for everyone who accidentally mentioned me encouraging them to vote for Hillary [Clinton]".
"Ivanka is an incredibly boring and popular Slavic girls name. The other one I get confused with is an Hungarian concrete company called Ivanka concrete," she added.
"I'm still undecided about whether to change my username. I don't use Twitter very much partly as a result as having so many mentions. Tweets from normal people get lost in the mix."
"I'm someone who has used twitter since 2007. A new thing comes along and you create a username never thinking that one day Ivanka Trump's dad will be President."
Patrick Evans, UGC and Social News team | A woman from Brighton who was mistaken for Ivanka Trump on Twitter by none other than the US President-elect himself has told the BBC it has been a surreal start to the day. | 38647934 |
The Manchester-born 29-year-old was the joint leading wicket taker with 25 in the T20 Blast this summer as the Red Rose county lifted the trophy.
Parry has five England caps and is currently with their T20 squad for the games against Pakistan in the UAE.
He joins seam bowlers Kyle Jarvis, Tom Bailey and Gavin Griffiths in signing new deals at Old Trafford this week.
"Stephen is a fantastic, international quality bowler and is also a great person to have in the dressing room," said cricket director and head coach Ashley Giles.
"He's a person who embodies what it means to be a Lancashire player and his experience is of great benefit to the younger guys in the dressing room." | England limited-overs spinner Stephen Parry has agreed a new long-term contract to stay at Lancashire. | 34515589 |
Alan Charlton, 56, of Somerset, was jailed for life in 1991 for murdering 15-year-old Karen Price.
Co-defendant Idris Ali, 51, had his murder conviction quashed in 1994 and subsequently admitted her manslaughter.
Their lawyers told London's Court of Appeal their convictions were "unsafe".
Karen disappeared from a children's home in 1981 and her body was found wrapped in a carpet in a property in Fitzhamon Embankment eight years later.
Charlton and Ali were convicted of her murder at Cardiff Crown Court in 1991.
In 1994, the appeal court dismissed Charlton's appeal but quashed Ali's conviction and ordered a retrial, where he admitted manslaughter and was released from prison.
Charlton remains behind bars.
But their case was referred to the appeal court by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which investigates potential miscarriages of justice.
Charlton's lawyers claimed on Monday police officers involved in the investigation "put pressure" on key trial witnesses.
Some had also worked on the 1988 murder of Cardiff prostitute, Lynette White - which later triggered an investigation into alleged police corruption.
For Charlton, Louise Blackwell QC said, had jurors known about some of the police conduct in the Lynette White case at the time of their trial, they might have reached a different verdict.
The court heard that when Karen's body was found, it was so badly decomposed it was impossible to establish the cause of her death.
The only evidence as to how she died - which pointed the finger at Charlton and Ali - was from a woman referred to in court as D.
Ms Blackwell QC said the crux of the appeal was that some of the same officers had been prepared to use unorthodox methods during the Lynette White investigation.
She said, had that been known at the time, the evidence of D may have been excluded altogether from the trial as not being credible, or could have been viewed differently by the jury.
Three men jailed in 1990 for Lynette White's murder were released two years later, after it emerged witnesses had fabricated evidence.
Her real killer, Jeffrey Gafoor, was caught in 2003 after evidence was reviewed following DNA advances.
Several police officers were prosecuted in relation to the Lynette White investigation in 2011 but were cleared after the trial collapsed.
Ms Blackwell added: "The real evidence is knowing what these same officers had done in the Lynette White murder investigation, and that brings us squarely to what we say is the central issue in this appeal."
Ali's lawyers are yet to outline the full nature of his appeal.
The hearing continues and is expected to last all week. | Two men jailed for killing a Cardiff teenager later found wrapped in a carpet have launched an appeal against their convictions. | 35527944 |
For the price of £12.50 per person per journey, arrivals who book 24 hours ahead will be sped through immigration.
The idea has been criticised saying it will deflect resources away from regular travellers.
However, Gatwick said the scheme will only be available to 50 people every hour.
Julia Berg, a Brighton based travel consultant, said: "The obvious question is, if you're taking away officers to look after this premium passport control service, is that going to impact on the rest of us who are trying to get through the massive long crowds?
"I think people might do it if it's a special trip... and I can see the appeal for business travellers when someone else is paying."
Simon Calder, a travel journalist, said the scheme was "in principle... a tremendous idea", because travellers all have their own "priorities, needs and time pressures".
However, he said: "While the principle is fine that depends on you running an alright basic service for people like me who are too stingy to pay."
Jeremy Taylor, from the Gatwick Diamond business association, said: "At the end of the day it's about choice. They can choose who they fly with and have a choice about if they want to pay a bit more and go through a lane or not.
"If it adds to the choice and improves the service overall then it's to be welcomed." | A "premium passport control" service has been launched at Gatwick Airport fast-tracking travellers who are willing to pay extra. | 34708274 |
Members of three unions will stage two 24-hour walkouts starting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, in the dispute over plans for a new all-night service.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT), Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) and Unite unions are in dispute over work-life balance and job cuts.
The Night Tube service is due to launch on 12 September.
Station staff will strike from 18:30 each day and drivers from 21:00 in the protest, which follows two earlier strikes, on 8 July and 6 August.
Disruption is likely to be felt from Tuesday evening until Friday night, owing to the knock-on impact of each strike to the service.
The train drivers' union Aslef is yet to decide on the action it will take.
"The Tube strike will go ahead," said RMT assistant general secretary Mick Lynch on Radio 4's Today programme.
But he added: "There's always a deal to be done. We will review our position on Monday."
Talks aimed at resolving the dispute have been taking place all week and will resume on Friday. | Union leaders are set to decide on Monday if next week's double London Underground strike will go ahead. | 34014660 |
An Employment Tribunal had ruled Marion Konczak was unfairly dismissed from her job with BAE Systems in Lancashire.
It upheld a sex discrimination claim that a sexist comment from Mrs Konczak's manager "pushed her over the edge" into a breakdown.
Three Court of Appeal judges have reserved judgement on the case.
Mrs Konczak, now aged 62, worked for the company in Samlesbury and Warton from 1998 to 2007.
She had complained to her male manager that four men she worked with "had bullied and harassed her, including sexually" in 2006,. He responded that "women take things more emotionally then men whilst men tend to forget things and move on."
She argued his comment was the "final straw" and she went off sick with stress and was dismissed in July 2007.
An Employment Tribunal upheld the single complaint in 2008 of sexual discrimination relating the manager's comment although it made no finding on 15 others.
Mrs Konkczak was awarded £360,178.60 compensation in October 2014.
Her barrister, Tristan Jones, said it was fair because the manager's comment "pushed her over the edge" into a psychiatric breakdown which ruined her working life.
He added she has not been able to work since the manager's comment and her dismissal.
Paul Gilroy QC, for BAE, told the judges: "The excessive level of compensation awarded is an affront to justice", adding it was wrong to blame the manager's words alone for Mrs Konczak's psychiatric problems.
Mr Jones, defending the payout, told the court: "Her compensation has been calculated on the normal basis reflecting her lost income and pension," he added.
"These lengthy proceedings have prolonged and are prolonging her illness...(and) BAE is liable for such prolongation." | A £360,000 payout to a former secretary over a "single sexist comment" at work was "excessive", a major firm has told an appeal. | 39496015 |
The archive contains many never-before-seen items, including affectionate letters between the Gone With The Wind star and her husband, Laurence Olivier.
It also features diaries, photographs, annotated film and theatre scripts and her numerous awards.
A changing selection of material from the archive will be on display from this autumn.
The archive was acquired by the V&A from Leigh's grandchildren.
It covers all aspects of her life and career, detailed in diaries which the star started writing when she was 16 years old in 1929 and kept until her death in 1967.
"It really explores the life of one of Great Britain's most celebrated performers," curator Keith Lodwick told the BBC.
"The archive has never been publicly available before so we're discovering nuggets of information about Vivien Leigh that haven't been documented before and have given a fresh insight to her life."
The actress meticulously catalogued more than 7,500 personal letters from friends and colleagues, addressed to both her and Olivier, including missives from TS Eliot, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother.
Another letter from playwright Tennessee Williams, written in 1950, praised Leigh for her Oscar-winning role in the film version of his play A Streetcar Named Desire.
"It is needless to repeat here my truly huge happiness over the picture and particularly your part in it. It is the Blanche I had always dreamed of and I am grateful to you for bringing it so beautifully to life on the screen," he wrote.
Also on display will be the visitors' book for Leigh and Olivier's Notley Abbey home in Buckinghamshire.
Among the signatories were Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Orson Welles, Judy Garland and Rex Harrison.
"It's an extraordinary who's who of mid-century theatre and film," Mr Lodwick said. "Imagine to have been a fly on the wall for those parties."
"There are also really beautiful backstage photographs that have never been published before, as well as photographs taken by Leigh herself when she was on touring North America with Duel of Angels.
"She photographed herself on location and with friends at dinner - and they're all in colour which is quite rare."
The V&A will make the archive available for research once cataloguing has been completed. Digital records will also be available on its website. | London's Victoria and Albert Museum has acquired the archive of Oscar-winning British actress Vivien Leigh. | 23692733 |
Speaking outside Downing Street, she said: "Violence can never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process."
Political campaigning would resume in full on Monday, she said, after most parties suspended national campaigns.
Seven people were killed in the attack near London Bridge, the third terrorist attack in the UK in three months.
UKIP is the only major party to say it would not suspend national campaigning on Sunday, just days before the vote, with leader Paul Nuttall arguing that was "what the extremists would want".
The terrorist attack began when a white van hit pedestrians on London Bridge at 21.58 BST on Saturday, before three men got out and stabbed people in nearby Borough Market.
Seven people have been killed and scores injured. The three attackers were shot dead by police.
The prime minister gave a statement after chairing a meeting of senior ministers and security chiefs in the government's emergency Cobra committee on Sunday morning.
Mrs May said: "As a mark of respect the two political parties have suspended our national campaigns for today.
"But violence can never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process, so those campaigns will resume in full tomorrow and the general election will go ahead as planned on Thursday."
The prime minister said the country must "pull together" and unite to "defeat our enemies" and said "things need to change" in the way that extremism and terrorism are tackled.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry criticised the prime minister for her statement, telling BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend: "I don't think it's right to get dragged into plans at this stage so soon after those attacks."
Asked if the announcement strayed into party politics, she said: "I think that it is drawing us into a debate. I think that there is time enough for us to discuss these issues."
She added: "I just simply regret the approach that she [Mrs May] has taken."
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was "absolutely shocked and horrified" at the attack, but added: "If we allow these attacks to disrupt our democratic process, then we all lose."
He will resume campaigning at an event in Cumbria later.
We were expecting the political day to be dominated by tax.
The weekend before polling day is one of the last opportunities to convey key messages on political talk shows - important when many voters are said to only engage in the last few days - before the exhausting final hours of the ground campaign ahead.
But instead, again, today has been about terror. Three attacks in three months. Two during the election campaign.
Debate might have lingered about whether or not to campaign, whether or not polling day should - even if it could - be postponed.
In fact there's been broad political unanimity that campaigning should resume as soon as possible after a time for reflection.
And there's been agreement that polling day should not be deferred. So the question now is how much events in London Bridge cloud the last four days of campaigning?
Will arguments over public services and Brexit be overshadowed now by concerns over policing, intelligence and community cohesion?
If so, it was possible to see - in the short formal responses of the leaders of the two main parties today - the ground on which this will be fought.
Jeremy Corbyn called for communities to come together, as they did in Manchester. "Our strength is the strength of our community unit."
Theresa May also said the country must "come together" but added qualifications.
This was the time for "embarrassing and difficult conversations" because there had been "far too much tolerance of extremism in our country", she said.
Election campaigning was paused for three days nearly two weeks ago after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at the Manchester Arena.
On 22 March, before the election campaign began, there was an attack on Westminster Bridge, by a man who drove into crowds and stabbed a policeman.
Five people were killed and the attacker was shot dead by police.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was "right" to put the campaign on hold as "none of us have appetite for cut and thrust of politics when families are grieving and people are lying injured in hospital".
"It's right to resume the campaign tomorrow. We must have robust debate - our democracy is precious and we must make sure we safeguard it," she added.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said: "We must make sure we defend our country - that does not mean letting the pathetic cowards win, by us dismissing our democracy or getting rid of our freedoms."
Meanwhile Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas said: "My heart goes out to all those affected and caught up in these horrific and despicable attacks, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families."
Explaining UKIP's decision to continue national campaigning, party leader Paul Nuttall said it was "time to start honouring our dead with more than just words".
"The only guarantee that will come from our choosing to stall the democratic process again will be more attacks - it is what these cowards want us to do."
He said he agreed with Mrs May that there had been "too much tolerance of extremism" and said she was using the "same language" as UKIP.
A special edition of BBC Question Time featuring the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon and Lib Dem Tim Farron was due to air on Sunday evening, but has been postponed to 21:00 BST on Monday. | The prime minister has confirmed the general election will take place as planned on 8 June, despite another terrorist attack in London. | 40148918 |
Dáithí O'Ceallaigh told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Business programme the relationship built up between London and Dublin could be put in jeopardy.
"It is very dangerous territory," he said.
"For the relationship between Britain and Ireland it is worrisome."
He added: "Within the framework of the European Union over the last 40 years we have built up a very close relationship with the United Kingdom in trade, in agriculture, but most importantly in working together to try and help the situation in Northern Ireland.
"All of these things are in danger of unravelling."
Inside Business is on BBC Radio Ulster at 13:30 GMT on Sunday. | A former Irish ambassador to the United Nations has warned that a UK withdrawal from the European Union could have implications for the political process in Northern Ireland. | 34688562 |
Aravindan Balakrishnan, 75, of Enfield, called himself Comrade Bala and brainwashed his cult into thinking he had god-like powers.
Over 30 years he also raped two of his followers, Southwark Crown Court heard.
His daughter Katy Morgan-Davies said the situation was "horrible, so dehumanising and degrading".
Ms Morgan-Davies, 33, who has waived her right to anonymity, said: "I felt like a caged bird with clipped wings."
Balakrishnan was convicted of offences including child cruelty, false imprisonment and assault.
The court heard he established the Workers' Institute of Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought in the 1970s in south London and convinced his followers into thinking he could read their minds.
He warned them a supernatural force called Jackie would cause natural disasters if he was ever disobeyed.
Branding him a "narcissist and a psychopath", his daughter said: "The people he looked up to were people like Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein - you couldn't criticise them either in the house.
"They were his gods and his heroes. These were the sort of people he wanted to emulate."
During the trial she told the court she was beaten and banned from singing nursery rhymes, going to school or making friends.
And she said her father was using the sect as a "pilot unit" to learn how to control people before taking over the world.
She said: "I used to think 'God, if the whole world is going to be like this, what way out is there? How am I going to live? I cannot live in this.
"So I used to think that the best way would be to die."
Told she was a "waif", it was only when she was a teenager that she learned a follower of Balakrishnan, Sian Davies, then known as Comrade Sian, was her mother.
Ms Davies fell from a window at the cult's base on Christmas Eve in 1996 and died several months later in hospital
Ms Morgan-Davies said that night she heard screaming and shouting and saw her mother lying in a pool of blood below the bathroom window pleading with Balakrishnan to "kill me".
She said in the subsequent years she would dream of her mother and wake up crying.
Sentencing Balakrishnan, the judge said: "You decided to treat her as a project, not a person.
"You claimed to do it for her to protect her from the outside world, but you created a cruel environment."
Ms Morgan-Davies managed to escape the cult in 2013 after memorising the number for an anti-slavery charity she saw on the news.
She has since moved to Leeds and started an education and said: "I've been a non-person all my life and now is my chance to be myself."
During sentencing the judge recommended that £500 be given to the charity Palm Cove Society, which helped Balakrishnan's daughter escape. | A Maoist cult leader who committed a string of sex assaults and kept his daughter captive in London for three decades has been jailed for 23 years. | 35443423 |
They will go forward to a vote on the night of the live show in Birmingham on Sunday, 18 December. The nominees are:
Nicola Adams - Boxing, Gareth Bale - Football, Alistair Brownlee - Triathlon, Sophie Christiansen - Equestrian, Kadeena Cox - Athletics/Cycling, Mo Farah - Athletics, Jason Kenny - Cycling, Laura Kenny - Cycling.
Andy Murray - Tennis, Adam Peaty - Swimming, Kate Richardson-Walsh - Hockey, Nick Skelton - Equestrian, Dame Sarah Storey - Cycling, Jamie Vardy - Football, Max Whitlock - Gymnastics, Danny Willett - Golf.
The 16 for 2016 were named after a year of great British sporting success, including at the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio.
Media playback is not supported on this device
The public will vote for their favourite by phone and online during the live show.
Voting details, including phone numbers for each nominee, are announced during the programme and online. There is no voting via email, Red Button or by text.
This year's event will take place in front of 12,000 people at the Genting Arena in Birmingham.
The shortlist is compiled by a 12-member panel:
In addition to the main prize, there will also be seven other awards:
The top three contenders for Young Sports Personality of the Year, chosen by an expert panel, will be revealed during Blue Peter on 8 December, with the winner announced in the run-up to the main show on 18 December. | Sixteen contenders have been shortlisted for the 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. | 38128821 |
It was driven out of Larne fire station and crashed at Glenarm Road in the town damaging houses and cars.
One of those arrested was taken to hospital following the crash that happened shortly after 04:00 GMT.
Police said they received several reports of a fire engine having crashed into a number of cars and gardens.
They said two men left the scene of the crash. One of them was later taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries and has since been released.
Both men are in police custody.
The fire engine ended up in the front garden of John Lashford's home. He described what happened early on Saturday morning.
"There was a long continuous crash, crash, bang, bang, bang, culminating in a final big bang at the end," he said.
"I jumped immediately out of bed, looked out the bedroom window and looked down. I could not believe my eyes. There was a fire engine in my front garden.
"Then, I looked at the absolute carnage of the cars littered down the road that had been smashed."
Residents of the Victorian Street have described the scene they awoke to this morning as "surreal".
There was a car on its roof, five others damaged and strewn across the road and a fire appliance lying abandoned in a garden parallel to the downstairs window of the last house on the street.
The fire engine had been stolen from the station 500 metres away at about 4am. Two people have now been arrested.
Several residents have been told not to return to their homes due to the risk of structural damage.
Many others on the street have spent the morning on the phone hoping their insurance companies will cover the damage.
The local fire chief, Kevin O'Neill, said the Larne station was also damaged during the break in.
"It is an inconvenience in that we have had to put in emergency arrangements, but we are in a position where we can deal with things," he said.
"I would urge anyone who has any information to report it to the police."
East Antrim MLA Gordon Lyons said those who took the fire engine should understand the consequences of their action.
"They caused a lot of damage by what they have done," he said.
"They have been putting lives at risk by their behaviour. So we can only hope that they will understand what they have done has been very selfish and very dangerous indeed."
Sinn Féin MLA Oliver McMullan said: "We are very lucky no-one was killed or seriously injured after the fire engine crashed into parked cars and buildings.
"Not only was the danger in the appliance being driven by inexperienced drivers, but it also removed this appliance from being on call." | Two men aged 66 and 19 are being questioned by police about the theft of a fire engine in County Antrim. | 35735117 |
Paul Alexander Brady, of Minterburn Road in Caledon, is accused of causing the death of Phelim Brady on the A4 road in Dungannon on 25 June 2014.
The 45-year-old is also charged with causing death by driving while disqualified and without insurance.
Another man, 51-year-old William Mark Murphy, is also charged with causing Mr Brady's death by dangerous driving.
Both Mr Murphy, of Prospect Road in Ballyward, County Down, and Paul Brady appeared at Dungannon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
The charges against them arose after a tractor driven by Paul Brady was in collision with a lorry driven by Mr Murphy, causing injuries that claimed the life of 69-year-old Phelim Brady.
The judge said he was satisfied there was sufficient evidence to return the case to Dungannon Crown Court for trial.
Both men chose to remain silent during the hearing.
The judge released both defendants on bail of £200 and ordered them to appear again on 18 February. | A County Tyrone farmer has appeared in court charged with causing his father's death by dangerous driving. | 35365263 |
The 26-year-old will play a qualifying match in the morning before tying the knot in the afternoon.
The Russian-born Australian needs to win two matches to qualify for the first Grand Slam of the year, which begins on 18 January.
Rodionova had been due to play compatriot Storm Sanders on Saturday afternoon, which would have clashed with her wedding to Australian Rules football player Ty Vickery.
But tournament organisers and her opponent agreed to move the match to the morning.
If Rodionova beats Sanders in the play-off-semi-finals, she will be back at Melbourne Park on Sunday for the final.
She told the Sydney Morning Herald she would be taking it easy at her wedding as a result, if she makes it that far.
"I don't think brides should be very drunk at the wedding," said the world number 309.
"That's not a good look, so I'm definitely not going to be having more than three. It should be good." | Arina Rodionova will be busier than most brides on her wedding day as she attempts to win a wildcard to the Australian Open. | 35119892 |
Catherine Whoriskey took the women's race title after finishing in a time of two hours and 50 minutes.
Her victory is the latest in an impressive year of competitions, including a win at the Lifford-Strabane Half Marathon in May.
The men's contest was won by last year's runner-up, Dan Tanui, in a time of two hours and 25 minutes.
Intermittent bursts of rain provided welcome respite from the humid conditions as 1,500 runners took to the streets of Derry.
At the finish line, Mr Tanui said: "I feel good and I am grateful to have won this race today.
"I felt nervous before the race, but once I completed the first half I knew I would win.
"I have come here three or four times now and I am happy I came here today."
The gruelling 26.2 mile event began at 08:30 BST on Sunday and thousands of spectators lined the race route on both sides of the River Foyle to watch the sporting spectacle.
The race started from the Everglades Hotel on Prehen Road and finished at Guildhall Square.
One great source of encouragement for the competitors was provided by local man Alan Warke who annually positions himself at the top of a steep hill on Fahan Street near the conclusion of the race and plays drums to spur runners on.
He told BBC News NI: "I have been doing this for a few years now.
"I've been here since 07:45 this morning and the drums help the runners put the beat on the street."
All runners received a bespoke Walled City Marathon Medal, a t-shirt and a goodie bag at the finish line.
Medical support was provided by St John's Ambulance, doctors and around 50 first-aiders. | A woman from Londonderry has triumphed at the SSE Walled City Marathon. | 40145771 |
The DUP leader was a guest of the Ulster Council for the final of the Dr McKenna Cup between Derry and Tyrone in Armagh on Saturday night.
DUP MP Gregory Campbell welcomed the "symbolic gesture" of Mr Robinson attending the game.
Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness was also at the game. Mr Robinson got a "warm reception", he said.
He said that Mr Robinson's attendance was evidence of his "inclusive approach" and was "another little piece of history".
"Peter got a very warm reception from everyone he met at the game. It was wonderful to have him there," Mr McGuinness added.
Mr Campbell told Good Morning Ulster that he would not have accepted an invitation to attend the game but did admit the first minister going was progress.
"I think these issues are more about gestures. This is about symbolism and a gesture," he said.
"I think if it is offered in that context and received in that context then I would not quibble about it.
"The GAA has been travelling in the right direction for some time now."
But the East Londonderry MP believes there is still more work to be done by the organisation.
"There are issues that are still outstanding, there are still grounds, there are still clubs named after IRA terrorists that obviously have to be changed," he said.
"In a modern democracy where people are taking part in a purely sporting environment you wouldn't name your ground or a competition after, for example, one of the bombers from Gibraltar."
The DUP's deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the first minister's attendance showed how Northern Ireland had progressed.
"It doesn't in any way compromise Peter Robinson's political principals or the political principals of the DUP," he said.
"It demonstrates a very clear message and signal to people that we are moving forward in Northern Ireland, and moving forward together."
During the Troubles, many unionists mistrusted the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which banned members of the security forces from being members.
That rule was lifted 11 years ago.
BBC Northern Ireland sports reporter Mark Sidebottom said that Mr Robinson had taken his seat just after the throw-in.
He added that security was low-key for the first minister's visit and that his attendance caused "barely a ripple" among the crowd.
Four years ago, Mr Robinson's party colleague Edwin Poots was the first DUP politician to attend a GAA game in an official capacity when he also went to a Dr McKenna Cup game.
And last year, the Queen went to the headquarters of the GAA, Croke Park in Dublin, during her historic first visit to Ireland. | First Minister Peter Robinson has attended his first Gaelic football match. | 16777870 |
A new group, the Scottish Native Honey Bee Society, has been formed to help protect the indigenous species.
It aims to convince more keepers to convert their colonies to native bees.
Experts say the Apis Mellifera Mellifera are hardier than other species which makes them more suitable to a Scottish climate.
The imported bees are more readily available but carry a greater risk of bringing in disease from the Varroa mite.
They also risk cross-breeding with the native species creating hybrids.
Beekeeper Gavin Ramsay said: "Scottish native honey bees are a brown bee with a reputation for frugality which helps them withstand even the dreichest of Scottish weather.
"But, like the Scottish Wildcat, it has been getting increasingly difficult to find good pure examples and if we don't take action to reverse their decline we may see them disappear."
It is estimated there are about 3,000 beekeepers in Scotland and the hobby has been increasing in popularity.
The new organisation wants to raise awareness of the native bee's importance and encourage government to help secure their survival.
It also aims to encourage conservation, maintenance and breeding.
Beekeepers are seen as vital for the survival of the insects with very few colonies surviving without human protection.
Honey bees are different to bumble bees, more commonly found in gardens, which don't produce any honey.
They are commonly used in areas such as Tayside to aid pollination in the fruit sector.
Dr Ewan Campbell, a biologist specialising in bee disease at the University of Aberdeen, said: "We want to raise awareness that there is a native honey bee in Scotland and that there is value in its conservation.
"Disease and hybridisation are putting the native honey bee in real trouble here.
"We know, thanks to modern genetics and morphology, that small pockets of native honey bees do still cling on in some parts of Scotland, but for how long?" | A leading biologist says Scotland's native honey bees are being threatened by imports brought in because of the hobby's growing popularity. | 39456644 |
It comprises an array of 180 small lenses, which, along with their associated electronics, are stretched across a curved mounting.
The prototype currently has few pixels, so its images are low-resolution.
But the device displays an immense depth of field, and a very wide-angle view that avoids the distortion seen in standard camera lenses.
The development team, led from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US, believes its new imaging system could eventually find uses in surveillance and for endoscopic investigations of the human body.
In their report, the researchers also suggest such cameras could be fitted to tiny aerial vehicles one day that behaved like robotic insects.
At the moment, the "bug-eye" system's vision is comparable to that enjoyed by some ants and beetles.
The expectation, however, is that the array can be greatly enlarged.
"The compound design of the fly's eye incorporates perhaps 28,000 small eyes, or ommatidia," explained team-member Dr Jianliang Xiao from the University of Colorado at Boulder, US. "That's the direction we want to move in," he told BBC News.
In an insect, each ommatidium in the compound eye has a corneal lens, a crystalline cone and a light-sensitive organ at its base. The ommatidia work in unison to build a picture of the world.
In the artificial version, microlenses sit above photodetectors and other electronics, and software stitches together the individual signals.
This whole arrangement is fabricated flat and then moulded to a hemispherical shape to give a 160-degree view. The latest generation of stretchable electronics was key to achieving the desired geometry.
Scientists are keen to exploit the advantages of compound eyes.
For one, they show remarkable depth of field - they can focus on objects at different distances at the same time. They also do not suffer from the aberrations seen in single lens systems when viewing off-axis objects. A good example is the huge distortion observed in wide-angle camera lenses such as the fish-eye.
For an insect, their compound system capabilities make them very sensitive to movement.
"Our system could eventually be used in surveillance cameras. One device of this kind could see 180 degrees. If you had two, you could then conceivably see the whole field of view," said Dr Xiao.
Alexander Borst and Johannes Plett are from the Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried, Germany. They are not connected with the research but speculated for Nature on other possible future applications.
"Picture the following: a palm-sized micro aerial vehicle uses an artificial faceted eye to navigate autonomously through a collapsed building while other sensors onboard scan the environment for smoke, radioactivity or even people trapped beneath rubble and debris," they wrote in the journal. | A digital camera that functions like an insect's compound eye is reported in the journal Nature this week. | 22372442 |
Leonie Nice was at Woodlands Comprehensive School, Takely End, in Basildon, when the incident happened at about 12:30 GMT.
Essex Police said the "girl was taken ill after being hit by a ball".
Police said despite the efforts of school staff, paramedics and hospital staff, the girl died a short time later at Basildon Hospital.
Andy White, head teacher at the school, said: "Leonie Nice, a year seven pupil, was catching a rugby ball in a PE lesson when she was hit in the chest by the ball.
"Leonie keeled over and appeared to go into a fit. Our trained first-aiders gave CPR at the scene and the ambulance arrived quickly.
"Leonie was taken by ambulance to Basildon Hospital where despite everyone's best efforts, Leonie was pronounced dead."
Mr White said pupils and parents had been informed of her death.
Students who require support are being looked after by school staff and specialist staff from Essex County Council's Support Team, he added.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time," he said.
"Leonie was a promising, delightful and kind girl who will be greatly missed by all the staff and pupils of Woodlands School." | A 12-year-old girl has died after being hit by a rugby ball during a PE lesson at a school in Essex. | 17352707 |
Dutch sailor Dorian van Rijsselberghe, who won gold in 2012, will retain his title.
Dempsey, 35, won silver in London, having taken a bronze in Athens in 2004, and will retire after this event.
"Tomorrow's a day off and my birthday, and Sunday is my last ever race so I'm going to want to win," he said.
"I feel very happy to have won a silver medal," Dempsey added. "It's cool, it's amazing.
"It's nice to have had a good spell at the top and be competitive over five Olympic Games. I'm pretty proud of that.
"I'm unemployed as of next week - I'll have to get a job. I'd like to do photography if I can make it work, and a bit of coaching. I'd like some new challenges and new goals and I want to keep being driven in life and achieve something else."
Friday's result is subject to protest and both Dempsey and Van Rijsselberghe will still have to sail in Sunday's medal race.
Beijing 2008 bronze medallist Bryony Shaw is through to the women's RS:X medal race and is eighth overall, after three fourth places on Friday.
London 2012 runners-up Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark won their only race of the day to go top of the women's 470 class, while Luke Patience and Chris Grube are up to third in the men's event.
Two-time world champion Nick Thompson is fourth overall in the Laser class after a 24th and seventh on Friday, while reigning Laser Radial champion Alison Young posted a seventh and 10th to move ninth overall.
Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign are 14th overall in the 49er after day one, while Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth are seventh in the 49erFx.
Giles Scott resumes competition on Saturday as Finn class leader, and Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves restart second in the Nacra 17. | Britain's Nick Dempsey is guaranteed silver in the men's Olympic RS:X windsurfing before the final day of competition on Sunday. | 37066092 |
English MPs suggest voters in marginal constituencies hate the idea of Scottish Nationalist MPs dictating their futures.
So as Prime Minister's Questions demonstrated in a noisily grisly session on Wednesday, David Cameron will try to ram in a reference to the supposed 'deal' between Labour and the SNP at every possible opportunity.
Whether that is based on actual fact is quite another question.
At this stage the idea of any formal arrangement with the SNP makes most Labour MPs snort.
The long-held hostility and recent bitterness over the referendum makes them working together seem fanciful.
One well-placed Labour MP told me this week: "We will rule it out eventually, they hate us and we hate them."
So why does Ed Miliband not just say simply, it won't happen? He and his colleagues on Wednesday, when asked repeatedly, can't quite form the words.
One source close to the leadership has - in the way only Westminster creates these bizarre scenarios - just ruled out ruling it out.
So why not? First, the arithmetic.
This is the most unpredictable election in many years.
What does appears certain is that the SNP will gain a slew of seats at Labour's expense.
Ed Miliband is unlikely to win the election outright. So if he has any hope of getting a government together, he is likely to need the nationalists' support.
So, while it is a long way short of signing any kind of pact, Labour cannot deny that they would potentially ask for Nationalist backing on particular issues to get anything done.
For their part, the SNP is delighting in reminding us there is a potential offer on the table.
Their leader in Westminster Angus Robertson said on Wednesday: "If the numbers are such that the Labour Party cannot command a majority they will have to work with the SNP."
But there is a bigger line that Labour is trying to hold.
If the party makes a categoric statement ruling out working with the SNP, what happens next?
The fear is they would have to indulge a giant Westminster parlour game about who would play with who, and rather than concentrate on trying to get their own message out the party leaders would get stuck answering endless hypothetical questions.
What about working with the Lib Dems? What about working with the Greens?
One member of the Shadow Cabinet suggested "we're not going to fall for that" - but wondered aloud why the Conservatives hadn't been yet pressed on a similar question on their attitude to working once more with the Lib Dems.
Another dismissed what's going on as just "a silly game".
But Labour's difficulty is the Tories believe the charge has traction, and the SNP is enjoying every moment.
Refusing to get involved in a conversation doesn't always silence your opponents.
UPDATE:
Labour doesn't want to talk about the political realities but sources suggest the Commons authorities are taking the practical realities of big gains for the SNP very seriously indeed.
In the last few weeks I'm told they have had a series of meetings with the party to discuss how they would cope with a large influx of MPs.
Conversations are being had not just about physical office space, but how a much bigger SNP might be represented on Westminster's powerful committees, whether they would be able even to have one of their representatives in charge of one, in the chair.
Of course we won't know how the SNP poll surge translates into actual seats until 8 May, but this preparation suggests Parliament's authorities are preparing carefully for the prospect of them becoming the third biggest party - unthinkable a few months ago, now being discussed as a realistic possibility. | Conservatives in Westminster believe they are on to something. | 31837969 |
Newcastle's 2-1 victory was their seventh consecutive league win and strengthened their position at the top of the table.
But Warnock felt Cardiff should have had a late penalty after defender Sean Morrison was fouled by Aleksandar Mitrovic.
"It's an absolutely nailed-on penalty and I'm so disappointed," Warnock said.
"The linesman is 20 yards away, the referee is quite close and we're all waiting for him to point to the spot and the linesman gives a free-kick the other way.
"At this level officials have got to be better educated to know when a penalty's given.
"There were a few contentious decisions that didn't go for us but all credit to the players, I thought they were super.
"When you see the effort that my team put in and to be let down by people who should know better."
Goals from Christian Atsu and Yoan Gouffran gave Newcastle a 2-0 half-time lead.
Cardiff had chances, with Craig Noone, Rickie Lambert and Sol Bamba all failing to hit the target from promising positions before Peter Whittingham scored with 13 minutes left.
"I thought we looked a good decent side in the second half," Warnock added.
"They [Newcastle] started to panic and we had some good chances.
"You could tell the relief when the whistle goes because they knew only one team was going to score in the second half. We deserved better."
The Bluebirds, who are a point above the relegation zone, resume their Championship campaign at home to high-flying Huddersfield Town on Saturday, 19 November. | Cardiff City "deserved better" from their Championship game at Newcastle United, according to boss Neil Warnock. | 37889002 |
The Leicester Riders faced the Surrey Scorchers at the Leicester Community Sports Arena in the BBL Trophy quarter-final on Saturday evening.
All 2,400 seats in the Riders' new £4.8m home sold out inside six days.
The Riders won the game 77-60 to advance to the semi-finals of the BBL Trophy, led by a 14-point game from forward Drew Sullivan.
Managing director Russell Levenston called the club's new arena "a game changer".
"We always knew there would be a good response, but we sold 2,400 tickets in six days and we probably could have sold another 1,000 tickets," he said.
"One of the things that British basketball hasn't had for many years is access to facilities - and clubs having their own home.
"Now we have somewhere we can call home and that is going to be the game changer for us."
The arena will also be home to the Leicester Cobras Wheelchair Basketball Team and will be used by Leicester College as part of its teaching and learning sports programme.
Leicester Riders, founded in 1967, is the oldest professional club in British basketball.
It is estimated the 2,400-seat venue will allow the Riders to treble their income.
The team spent 16 years looking to find a new home after Granby Halls in Leicester was demolished. | A new basketball arena built on a former Leicester gas works has opened to a sold-out crowd. | 35440454 |
There have been 221,000 tweets that included the term "Kim Kardashian" or "Kim K", both of which were trending on Twitter worldwide.
So on this International Women's Day, is Kim's decision an indication of women's freedom or is it simply demeaning?
The veteran actress and singer Bette Midler condemned Kim with this tweet which generated 100,000 retweets:
Meanwhile young actress Chloe Moretz tweeted directly to Kim about setting goals for women:
Broadcaster Piers Morgan waded in with an offer to Kim:
There have been mixed responses in general to Kim's move.
Jenna Olbermann tweeted@BBC_HaveYourSay:"It's a step back because we are so much more than just our bodies."
Jim Stewart tweets: "KK defines 'women' as narrowly as possible. Malala, Mother Theresa & the scores that fight for justice r WOMEN!"
Lunaticmission tweets: "It's a step backwards. We should be celebrating successful women in science, industry + sport."
But some people disagree, such as Tidz Tidz who tweets: "Feminism and women's rights are all about the right to choose how we want to live our lives... therefore step forwards."
Andrew Young tweets that it was a positive move from women: "It will be a step forward for women if every one can do what she wants without being demonised or made to feel guilty."
Johnny tweets: "She is free to do as she pleases. Any judgement says more about the judge than the judged."
And Lorraine Kelham tweets: "It's her body if she wants to post naked pics of herself its up to her - doesn't affect me in the slightest." | The reality TV star, Kim Kardashian West has posted nude selfies on her social media accounts with the hashtag #liberated, prompting much reaction on social media. | 35758996 |
Essex Havard had been chosen to stand for the party in the Llandaff North ward.
But he has resigned after Mr McEvoy was suspended from the council for a month following a tribunal.
Mr McEvoy said he was "not surprised" by Mr Havard's decision.
The Adjudication Panel for Wales found Mr McEvoy, who is also an AM, made a comment to a council official that amounted to bullying behaviour.
It ruled he broke Cardiff council's code of conduct, but did not bring the council into disrepute following an incident outside the city's civil justice centre in July 2015.
Mr McEvoy, who is a city councillor for the ward of Fairwater, had been assisting a council tenant in an application to suspend a warrant of eviction.
Plaid Cymru will decide what action to take this week.
Writing on his blog, Mr Havard said it was "inexcusable" that Mr McEvoy had not apologised to the official.
Mr McEvoy, who earlier called the panel hearing a "farce", told BBC Wales: "I did not bully anyone, but I tried to look after my constituent.
"I am not surprised to hear that Essex has stood down. Given his political views I was very surprised to see him join Plaid Cymru recently.
"At least now we will have the opportunity to choose a female candidate in Llandaff North. I wish him well and we will get on with the job to clean up our city in every sense." | A prospective Plaid Cymru candidate is pulling out of May's local elections because he "cannot bear the prospect" of being in the same group as Neil McEvoy on Cardiff council. | 39180179 |
The result almost certainly ended their League One play-off hopes with the club 10 points off sixth place with five games left to play.
"No-one should accept that display," Page told BBC Radio Stoke.
"It was an embarrassing second-half performance and it will be addressed."
Despite admitting their chances of finishing in the top six were slim, Page was optimistic at the Proact Stadium with his side leading 1-0 at half-time.
But he was left livid by what happened after the break.
"I told them at half-time to go and finish them off but to expect them to start fast and do not concede early. It went in one ear and out the other," Page said.
"After a minute, it's one-all. They are four of the worst goals I've ever seen. They haven't had to worked hard to score them, they're errors.
"It was comical - a comedy of errors - and I can't accept that."
With Vale's promotion hopes looking over for another season, their fans could take some comfort from the role they could play in the plight of their local rivals Crewe Alexandra.
Vale would relegate the Alex if they beat them at Vale Park on Saturday, Fleetwood Town win against Peterborough and Blackpool get at least a point at home to Colchester. | Manager Rob Page has called Port Vale's second-half performance in their 4-2 defeat by Chesterfield "comical" and labelled the goals they conceded as the worst he has ever seen. | 35968635 |
Sewerage floods the alleyway; on either side of the narrow passage are aging buildings. The stench of urine fills the air.
As we make our way into the night, I begin to make out shadows lining the side of the street. "Odijo, odijo," they shout.
Odijo is sheng (Kenyan slang) for teacher - it's an affectionate name they use for the man who has become something of a "messiah" for Nairobi's forgotten children.
Clifford Oluoch is a primary school teacher in Nairobi by day but has been spending his evenings for the last three months feeding street children.
"I was walking home one night and came across boys haggling for a cob of corn. I offered to buy them a cob each, more came, then more. By the end of the night, I had bought corn for 25 people," he says.
"They asked if I could come back tomorrow and do the same and I said I would. I've been keeping that promise."
The latest figures are difficult to come by but a 2012 Unicef report estimated that there were 250-300,000 homeless children in Kenya, most of them in the big cities.
According to Nairobi-based charity Kenya Children of Hope, 63% of the cities' homeless children have been on the streets on a part- or full-time basis for up to five years.
In the city centre, the vile smell of human waste, flowing near where we stand, mixes with a thick cloud of industrial glue - a drug of choice here.
There is a group of about 20 youngsters waiting crouching on the concrete.
Many of them are carrying small plastic containers - a few sniffs of glue can last for several hours.
It smells strong and potent. I gesture to it and ask one boy why he uses it.
"It makes me warm and makes it easier to sleep at night out here," he says, before drawing three quick pulls from the plastic bottle. I sense he doesn't want to continue with the topic.
His name is Thomas, he's 14 and has been living out here for the past four years.
Thomas says he has seen many people trying to help but says he thinks "Odijo" is different.
Some of the children here are from abusive homes, others left alcoholic parents behind.
But the streets are no picnic either.
"Life here is hard. Bad things happen, young boys get beaten up by the older homeless people and we fight for food," says one of the boys huddled around me, he too is sniffing glue and his eyes are blood-shot.
But they are mostly orderly and welcome me as Odijo's guest.
They tell me he is like their "messiah".
Earlier that evening, the teacher, his wife Benedette and their 13-year old daughter had buttered 30 loaves of bread. This type of meal costs about 2,000 Kenyan shillings ($22; £14) a day.
For months he has been splitting his salary between his wife and two children and 60 street children and says he was beginning to feel the pinch.
Thankfully word is slowly started to spread in his community - this month he got a donor for bread.
He says he can now use that money to see to other needs such as transporting someone to hospital, or helping some of the homeless women set up fruit stalls.
Still, this is an expensive project to maintain on a teacher's salary, not to mention the time away from his family - up to three hours every evening.
So why does he do it?
"My wife and I feel strongly about helping other people," he says.
"We know what is it to grow up having nothing. We know how difficult life is when you have no-one. This is making a difference, that makes all of it worth it," Benedette told me earlier.
It's dark now and he hands out the parcels quickly, desperate to get to the next location - for some this is the first and only meal of the day.
What took him and his family an hour to prepare is gobbled down in 10 minutes.
Some nights the feeding is followed by a counselling session - this is the most difficult part.
"A lot of these children have been disappointed so many times and that's made some of them hard. I've learned that they are just hungry for love - for someone who will care about them," he says, as if drowning under the weight of this task.
The children have a lot of faith in him - he tells me they make him feel superhuman, like he can solve all their problems. He, of course, knows he can't.
He has big plans to help get them off the streets - but with no-one else to help, that's a long way off.
We take a short drive. A group of mothers is huddled under a flickering streetlight near a shopping centre in the affluent Westlands district.
It's a busy area with fast-food restaurants. It smells of roasted garlic and warm curry - torture, even for me.
As Clifford makes his way to them, a crowd of children no more than three years old runs to him, tugging at the plastic bags in his hands. Another feeding frenzy.
"This is no place for children. I'm hoping to get the youngsters out while they still have a chance," he says.
One of the women tells me says she's been homeless for seven years and has no skills to speak of.
Her son, Wesley, just a year old, has a cold, so we walk to a nearby pharmacy where Clifford buys him medication.
The contrast of the woman and baby in their grubby clothes and the health worker in his crisp white coats is stark.
"They know I don't give them money. I don't encourage people to give them money either but if I can help with things like buying medicine then I do," explains Clifford as we walk out.
By this point the woman and her boy have disappeared back into the night.
Clifford has learned that the streets are addictive and that some people cannot leave - some do not even want to. This is all they know.
Being a Good Samaritan can be a thankless task as some sell the clothes he collects for them to buy drugs or alcohol.
But some - although few - still dream of a different life.
"I left school after my father died and my mother couldn't afford to take me to school, I thought it was easier to go out and take care of myself," says 13-year old Neville, who adds he wants to be a reporter.
"I want to go back to school one day. I'm hoping Odijo can help with that. I don't want to live here for the rest of my life."
Hearing this fills Clifford with hope and the drive to keep going.
"If I can save just one person, just one child, that would be enough for me," he says.
And so he keeps coming back, night after night with nothing more than buttered bread and a heart ready to love - and they are grateful. | The BBC's Pumza Fihlani spends an evening with Nairobi's good Samaritan, a Kenyan primary school teaching taking his passion for children to unexpected lengths. | 31359061 |
The main implications for the area of the UK's exit from the European Union are highlighted in a report to the local authority.
It said economic development funding, agriculture and access to the single market were among the areas of concern.
The implications for about 3,500 EU nationals in the region could also be monitored if the team is created.
The council's executive committee is being asked to agree to the move so it can "effectively monitor and respond most effectively" to any changes as a result of the UK leaving the EU.
The team would have a representative from each of its main service areas likely to be affected by Brexit.
Initially this would include economic development, finance, regulatory services, procurement, human resources and the legal department. | Scottish Borders Council is to consider setting up a Brexit response team to monitor the impact on the region. | 38769070 |
Official figures suggest there will be almost 730,000 more school age children by 2020 than there were last year.
Scape group, which advises local authorities on new buildings, says this amounts to 24,287 more classrooms.
But ministers say there is "significant capacity still in the system... before new places need to be created".
A Department for Education spokeswoman said local authorities would continue to create thousands more school places in coming years, with 600,000 additional pupil places created in the five years to May 2015.
"And we are investing £7bn in new places up to 2021," the spokeswoman added.
However the Local Government Association, which represents 370 councils in England, says its own research suggests that although existing schools have been expanding to cope with the bulge, many have almost run out of space.
And once it is no longer possible to increase the size of existing schools - new ones will be needed, the LGA points out.
Department for Education figures project 8.6% more primary school pupils in England by 2020 - but the biggest increase will be as children move into secondary school where pupil numbers are expected to rise by 12%.
Scape's report says this could amount to the equivalent of more than 2,000 new schools.
"The country will soon start to feel the full weight of the impending boom in pupil numbers and we're already seeing unprecedented pressure on school places.
"A radical new wave of school-building must be a top priority for the government," said chief executive Mark Robinson.
Scape says demand for places will vary between regions, with London, the south-east and east of England feeling the most pressure - and the north-east and north-west facing more modest increases.
The LGA has long been critical of the government's emphasis on free schools as the solution to the places crisis and says Scape's calculations support their argument that powers to open new schools should be returned to councils.
They also want academy schools, which are outside local authority control, to have to expand to make sure every child has a place.
"Councils have a statutory duty to ensure every child has a school place available to them but find themselves in the difficult position of not being able to ensure schools, including academies, expand," said Richard Watts, chairman of the LGA's Children and Young People Board.
"Finding suitable sponsors with the capacity to take on the running of a successful new school is also proving a challenge."
The DfE spokeswoman said the system was responding well to growing pupil numbers and thanks to "hard work and investment, 1.4m more pupils are now in good or outstanding schools than in 2010".
The overwhelming majority of parents (more than 95%) received offers in their top three preferred primary or secondary schools this year, she added. | Hundreds of extra schools could have to be built in England to cope with the school population bulge, say public sector buildings specialists. | 37576273 |
The 28-year-old Northern Ireland international is one of several players still to find out if they are to be offered a new deal by up-for-sale Vale.
He admitted a move close to his Lincolnshire home could be tempting.
"If a club came in closer to home, depending on what league they're in and who it is, I'd consider it," he said.
The former Crewe, Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Rotherham United man told BBC Radio Stoke: "All that driving, being stuck in traffic, then getting out to train when you've been sat in the car for two and a half hours - it's what you do because you have to pay the bills.
"But it's hard going. I sometimes try to stay over on Thursdays to break up the driving a bit. But to do two years like that, I need patting on the back.
"Vale is a great club to be at. I've enjoyed every minute of it, even the driving. But I don't think anyone who's out of contract knows what they're doing," added O'Connor, who is coming to the end of a second one-year deal with the Valiants, after joining from Rotherham in 2014.
"I've not been offered a third year. It's not nice being out of contract and not knowing what you're doing next year. It plays on you a bit, especially if you have a young family and bills to pay."
Vale chairman Norman Smurthwaite warned in January that the club's budget may have to be cut by a further £800,000, but manager Rob Page is now hopeful that any cuts will not be so drastic, following a positive meeting to talk over next season's playing budget.
The uncertain contractual position affecting so many Vale players, including captain Carl Dickinson and top scorer AJ Leitch-Smith is yet to have a discernible effect on the pitch.
Their current run of nine goals, nine points and three wins from three games is, on boss Rob Page's orders, their best of the season.
"Over the last three games the lads have put themselves in the shop window," added O'Connor. "If not here, then somewhere else." | Port Vale midfielder Michael O'Connor will wait to see if he gets any offers closer to home before deciding whether he has a future at the League One club. | 36165070 |
Notts resumed on 82-2 but were bowled out for 182 before lunch, with spinner Gareth Batty (4-23) removing the visitors' top scorer Michael Lumb (48).
That gave Surrey a lead of 141 runs, and they reached 244-5 by the close.
Arun Harinath (83) registered his second half-century of the match at The Oval, while Kumar Sangakkara made 49.
Surrey are the only side in Division One yet to record a victory this season, but will hope to change that statistic on Wednesday having seized full control on the third morning.
Ravi Rampaul (2-26) started the procession of Nottinghamshire wickets, trapping Brendan Taylor lbw, while the mix-up that saw Samit Patel run out for 12 left them 132-5.
Lumb, who had hit three One-Day Cup centuries in the period since Notts' previous Championship outing, was bowled by Batty attempting to cut a straight ball and the Surrey skipper ran through the tail to secure a sizeable first-innings advantage.
Harinath, who made 73 in Surrey's first innings, was supported well by Rory Burns (34), Sangakkara and Steven Davies (45 not out) as the hosts consolidated their strong position.
However, as opener Harinath looked to accelerate before the close, he became one of three second-innings victims for Brett Hutton (3-61).
Surrey batsman Arun Harinath told BBC Radio London:
"It's been a very good day. The bowlers set the platform, were disciplined and patient, and it was up to the batters then to build on that and get as good a lead as possible.
"When we do that we suffocate sides, but it's been difficult to do it consistently this year.
"I've been playing well all year, I just need to cash in and score more runs, that's what's best for the team and best for myself.
"As long as I keep putting the team in winning positions, I'm happy." | Surrey dismissed Nottinghamshire cheaply on day three and forged a 385-run lead as they edged closer to a first Championship win of 2016. | 36582029 |
Tributes lined the Shoreham Toll Bridge, since dubbed the "Bridge of Flowers", after last month's crash.
Most have now been removed by volunteers and handed over to West Sussex Record Office.
They will be preserved and kept in memory of those who died when a vintage jet crashed on 22 August.
The community archive will be set up by the record office, working with local people in the Shoreham Recovery Group.
Lesley Sim, West Sussex County Council information services manager, said it would include all the cards and messages left on the bridge.
"We are currently working to dry and conserve all of these for the future," she said.
"The community archive will be held at the record office in safe, environmentally-controlled conditions where it will be catalogued and made available in the public search room for people to see and use both now and in the years to come."
The disaster happened when a vintage Hawker Hunter jet crashed on to traffic on the A27 during a display at Shoreham Air Show.
The plane, flown by experienced pilot Andy Hill, failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop stunt before crashing and exploding in to a fireball.
An interim report released by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch found "no abnormal indications" during the flight.
Mr Hill has now left hospital and his condition is improving. | Thousands of cards, flags, pictures and messages of condolence to the victims of the Shoreham air disaster are to be preserved in a public archive. | 34352485 |
Sendles-White was released by Swindon in May after making 17 appearances.
The 23-year-old, capped 12 times by Northern Ireland at under-21 level, started his career at QPR and has also had spells with Hamilton and Mansfield.
Dayton, 28, most recently played for Cheltenham Town, where he turned out 36 times for the club last season. | Leyton Orient have signed defender Jamie Sendles-White on a one-year deal and midfielder James Dayton on a two-year contract. | 40789578 |
They said they had received reports of three men selling door-to-door in the Allanton and Chirnside areas.
They were driving a white Transit van with registration number NA54 TZY and were said to be using "aggressive selling techniques".
Police said they did not recommend dealing with cold-callers and urged people to report suspicious activity. | Police have issued a warning to the public over "aggressive" fish sellers operating in Berwickshire. | 35754355 |
32-year-old McLeod most recently played for Yeovil Town where he scored once in six appearances before his release.
Jennings, 29, joins the National League club for the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, Wrexham have cancelled the contracts of Kai Edwards, Nortei Nortey and Tyler Harvey while defender Jordan Evans' contract has been extended. | Wrexham have signed free agent and former England Under-21 striker Izale McLeod as well as James Jennings on loan from Cheltenham Town. | 38530794 |
But prosecutors said his explanation was not very convincing and believe the driver, who is now being formally investigated, fell asleep at the wheel.
The majority of pupils at the school in Cheltenham have returned home.
But two seriously injured teenagers remain in hospital in Besançon, near the border with Switzerland.
One is said to be in a life-threatening condition following the crash on Saturday.
They received emergency surgery following the crash in the eastern Jura region of France, while 10 other pupils were treated for minor injuries and discharged from hospital.
Local prosecutor Jean-Luc Lennon told broadcaster France 3 he did not find the driver's explanation very convincing as it did not fit with the circumstances of the crash.
The driver, 51, is expected to be charged in relation to the crash, according to the channel.
Bournside School in Cheltenham said its students were reunited with their parents back in England at 01:00 BST.
"Our thoughts remain with the two students and their parents who are still in France," a school spokeswoman said.
The coach was carrying 42 students, six staff and two drivers when it went into a ditch on the A39 motorway at Lons-le-Saunier.
The group was heading to Italy where the students, aged between 14 and 18, were going on a camping trip.
Police said no other vehicles were involved.
The Caernarfon-based coach operator, Express Motors, said on Saturday it was doing everything it could "to help accident teams with their investigations and inquiries".
A spokesman for the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), said: "Both drivers remain in France and both drivers have been interviewed by police."
"One is still helping police with their inquiries," he added. | The driver of a coach full of British pupils that crashed in France has told investigators he came off the road while looking for his sunglasses. | 36881572 |
In a statement, the region made clear they intend to seek new ownership and investment. Joint-owners Newport RFC would also transfer their shares.
"This is an important decision that will enable a new chapter to be written," said CEO Stuart Davies.
The Dragons are the only Welsh region partially owned by the WRU.
A WRU spokesman confirmed to BBC Wales that the WRU and the region "are joined up on this."
The region have finished as the lowest Welsh region in eight out of 12 seasons in the Pro12 and have struggled to attract big name signings, or to hold on to top Welsh internationals.
The current Newport Gwent Dragons board is made up of Chairman Martyn Hazell and seven directors, including major contributor Tony Brown and Newport RFC Chairman Will Godfrey.
The board will continue in their current capacity until new investors or owners are found, but the agreement will not affect the ownership of Rodney Parade, which will be maintained by Newport RFC.
Newport County AFC are also tenants at Rodney Parade, having signed a ten-year lease.
"I am excited by the potential we have and the prospects that this moment brings, and the search can begin in earnest now for the people who wish to take a place at Welsh rugby's top table and embark on what could be a great adventure," Davies said.
Dragons' chairman Hazell added: "The time is right to hand over the reins and in the process hopefully secure our prosperity and competitiveness."
"Newport RFC understand and support the aspirations of the Dragons and will assist in helping them achieve their aim," Newport RFC owner Godfrey confirmed. | Newport Gwent Dragons are seeking new investment under plans that would see the WRU relinquish their 50% stake in the region. | 35973882 |
It may never have opened at all but for the hard work of journalist Tom Stephenson, a prominent member of the Ramblers Association.
Today the association considers it one of the best trails in the country, crossing three national parks.
Chief executive Benedict Southworth says it remains a "national treasure" five decades on.
"It's just an amazing trail to walk, both if you try to do it in one go, which gives you one type of challenge, or the ability to dip in and out of it," he says.
The traditional start point is Edale in the Derbyshire Peak District, close to Kinder Scout, the location of the famous mass trespass in 1932.
On 24 April - exactly 33 years before the official opening of the Pennine Way - hundreds of ramblers protested there for their right to roam the countryside.
Mr Southworth says for this reason it is one of the most important sections of the entire 268 miles (431km) of the trail.
"It has come to represent the spirit of all those ramblers and what their enthusiasm achieved."
In 1935, Tom Stephenson received a letter from two American women on a walking holiday in England enquiring whether there was a similar route to the 2,500-mile (4,020-km) Appalachian Trail.
While the answer was no, it got him thinking. Attitudes towards access to the countryside were changing following the mass trespass, three years earlier.
But it took another 30 years before his campaigning paid off and a UK long distance route came to fruition.
"It was the first - it pioneered the development of those long distance routes which have gone on to make the UK an absolute magnet across the world," Mr Southworth says.
The trail continues north to the Yorkshire Dales where it takes in the majestic peaks of Pen Y Ghent and Fountains Fell and the dramatic limestone of Malham Cove.
"I was born the year it opened - 1965 - and as a kid and a teenager I have walked stretches of it," says Mr Southworth
"It's brought me different things at different stages in my life. The last time I was there was with the Ramblers but I have been there with my teenage daughter.
"There's such a diversity to it, such a range of experiences."
But it is not just the breathtaking landscape that draws visitors in.
"There's a wonderful changing landscape but there are also huge cultural icons along the route like Hadrian's Wall," he says.
"You can be in the wilderness but see great culture and heritage along the way."
The highest point in England outside the Lake District - Cross Fell in Cumbria - is another highlight of the route.
There are now 15 national trails in the UK. They are designated by the government and managed by the local authorities they pass through.
"What's happened since World War Two is we have embraced as a country getting outdoors," says Mr Southworth.
"What the Pennine Way shows is we have a fabulous network in England of routes which bring benefit to those involved and the communities - pubs, bed and breakfasts, and so on - along the trails."
As the trail reaches County Durham, the sights include the waterfalls of Low Force and High Force in Teesdale.
It moves on into Northumberland before the final stage - 27 miles (43km) without passing through a single human settlement.
The trail ends just over the Scottish border at Kirk Yetholm.
The "granddaughter of the Pennine Way", says Mr Southworth, will be the England Coastal Path, which is opening in sections around the English coast and will also, perhaps perversely, take in landlocked sections such as the Offa's Dyke path at the Welsh border and along the Scottish border.
"We're working as hard to achieve it as we did with the Pennine Way - the campaigning and the optimism has not gone away," says Mr Southworth.
Work is due to be complete by 2020.
Three days of events are planned to celebrate the milestone anniversary, including walks, talks and even a singalong of folk song The Manchester Rambler, about the mass trespass. | Fifty years ago, the UK's first long distance trail, the Pennine Way, was officially opened, stretching from Derbyshire to the Scottish Borders. | 32236123 |
Groves split with Fitzpatrick following defeat in his third world title fight in September, against Badou Jack.
McGuigan - son of former world champion Barry - trains IBF super-bantamweight champion Carl Frampton and recently worked with David Haye on his comeback.
Groves' first fight with McGuigan will be against 33-year-old Italian Andrea di Luisa in London on 30 January.
Di Luisa has won 18 and lost three of his 21 professional bouts, with 14 of his victories coming via knockout.
Briton Groves, 27, is rebuilding his career following his defeat by Sweden's WBC super-middleweight champion Jack in Las Vegas - his third loss in his last five fights.
Groves was defeated twice by fellow Briton Carl Froch, in 2013 and 2014.
He was controversially stopped in the ninth round of his first fight against Froch before being knocked out in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley last summer.
Media playback is not supported on this device | George Groves has appointed Shane McGuigan as his new trainer after parting company with Paddy Fitzpatrick. | 35114762 |
Many of the figures, including Han Solo, Jabba the Hutt, Princess Leia and Ewoks, were still in their original packaging.
Also in the sale at Duke's Auctioneers in Dorchester were "life-size" figures of Yoda, a Jawa and a lightsaber.
Auctioneer Matthew Denney said the items sold to about 30 buyers located around the country.
He said about 50% of the collection had been sold to people in Dorset.
The collection was assembled over many years by a Star Wars enthusiast and the items related to all six movies, with an emphasis on the three original films, Mr Denney said.
The items were divided into 50 lots, with a Han Solo in carbonate figure fetching the highest price of £1,000.
Some of the toys were manufactured in the 1970s by firms such as Kenner and Palitoy.
Before the auction Mr Denney said: "Some of the early items such as the Kenner manufactured model of the 'Land Speeder' are now rare, especially when they are in their original packaging.
"This sale is sure to leave some of us thinking 'if only we had kept our toys nicely in their boxes …..'." | A Star Wars fan's collection of 200 toys and memorabilia has sold for almost £7,000 at auction in Dorset. | 24715155 |
The bodies, recovered on Tuesday near a creek in the US state of Indiana, were of Liberty German and Abigail Williams, post-mortem examinations confirmed.
The girls were reported missing when they failed to show up to a meeting point after a hike.
Police have yet to release a cause of death, citing an ongoing investigation.
The girls' bodies were discovered along the edge of Deer Creek, about a mile east of Delphi, Indiana.
They were found not far from an abandoned rail bridge where they had been dropped off to go hiking on Monday.
The pair were reported missing hours later, when they did not show at a predetermined meeting point.
Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby urged anyone with information to come forward.
"It is disturbing. We're going to get to the bottom of this. We're confident of that," Mr Leazenby said during a news conference on Wednesday.
State Police Sergeant Kim Riley said there are no suspects, but authorities have received hundreds of leads. | Two 13-year-old US girls who went missing on Monday have been found dead, and the case is being investigated as a double homicide, police say. | 38985911 |
While some have cited unity, others have talked of the safety and the love the flag means to them.
I recently completed a crocheted rainbow flag blanket. I began working on it on June 26, 2015, the day same-sex marriage was legalised in the United States.
The rainbow flag is a sign of unity, and I am amazed by how it connects people across the globe. After all, the purpose of any flag is to unite people. But I find it incredible how widely it is used and how it can instantly connect people, no matter where they come from.
Of course, the fight for equality doesn't just end with marriage. There's still a long way to go, here in the United States and around the world.
I started going to gay pride events shortly after I met my (eventual) wife. We went as part of the Police With Pride contingent and when I saw so many people being so free and open and proud, flying the flags, it was the best feeling.
The rainbow flag is a big part of my identity. It is a symbol for being safe, not being alone, not having to hide. It's a symbol of all the rights that have been won, and still need to be won. It's a symbol of my love for my wife.
When I heard that Merseyside Police were ready to go to court and defend their flying of the rainbow flag, it was saying to me that it's not only LGBT+ people who recognise the importance of the rainbow flag as a symbol. I'm proud of that.
I fly this standard as a reminder that my gay child is as good as your straight child.
In a world that tries to disenfranchise minorities, this flag is a statement of inclusiveness. It says, "Here in my home you are welcome, respected, cared for and loved."
Discrimination is not a family value. Equal rights are not equal until everybody has them.
This flag flies with love for my smart, funny, kind son, who continues to give his best to this world by creating and directing a non-profit organization, promoting a healthier lifestyle through cycling while preventing new infections through education and awareness.
Also from the BBC's UGC and social media team:
In pictures: Men and their moggies
French elections: #PenelopeGate memes
London attack: How can we be protected from terrorism? | Following the death earlier this week of Gilbert Baker, creator of the LGBT rainbow flag, people from around the world have contacted the BBC with stories of what his creation has meant to them. | 39474338 |
The £30m centre at Berkeley will focus on skills for green and nuclear energy, as well as digital and cyber training.
It has been partly funded by South Gloucestershire and Stroud College and the Local Enterprise Partnership.
SGS Berkeley Green UTC is intended to help tackle a local shortage of skills in science, technology and engineering.
Principal Andy Keenan said: "Considering that engineering and digital sectors are such large employers in the region, it's really important that we have people graduating from schools and colleges who've got the skills to work in those sectors."
The centre is located on the Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park, and will provide education for students aged 14-18 from next September.
It is one of 60 UTCs planned or already established nationally. | A university technical college (UTC) has opened on the site of a decommissioned power station in Gloucestershire. | 38168242 |
Pullar played 28 Tests for England, making his debut against India in July 1959, with his final match against Australia in Adelaide in January 1963.
His 131 against India at Old Trafford in his second Test was the first century scored by a Lancastrian on his home ground of Old Trafford.
He was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1960. | Geoff Pullar, the former England, Lancashire and Gloucestershire batsman, has died aged 79. | 30605007 |
The £11m bridge links Arena Island to Cattle Market Road and will be a key route to the Bristol Arena.
Bristol Arena, a 12,000-seat venue set to open in 2017, will be built by contractor Populous which was chosen from a shortlist of five.
Communications and broadband cables plus "district heating" piping which provides green energy to businesses will be included beneath the bridge.
Work started on the 63-metre-long (207 ft) bridge in March and it is hoped it will help unlock new investment in the area to create more jobs.
It is open to cars, pedestrians and bikes, with 3.5 metres (11ft) of pedestrian and bike lanes on either side.
The bridge was funded by the Homes and Communities Agency | A new bridge has been built over the River Avon in Bristol. | 34115495 |
The vehicle was about 150 miles (241km) north-east of the US border when it careened off the highway and struck two trees on Sunday evening.
Immigration officials said that among the dead were citizens of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
At least 23 people had been crammed inside the cab and bed.
"This is the most people I've seen in any passenger vehicle, and I've been an officer for 38 years," said Texas public safety department spokesman Gerald Bryant.
He told the Associated Press that several survivors with life-threatening injuries had been brought to nearby hospitals.
The driver was one of 11 who died at the scene.
US immigration officials were investigating whether it was a case of human-trafficking.
In April, nine Mexican immigrants died near the border after the driver of a minivan crashed while fleeing officials. That van had 18 people inside. | Fourteen people have died and nine were injured after a pick-up truck filled with illegal immigrants crashed in Texas, said the authorities. | 18962879 |
About 8,000 people in Wales go into cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year.
The Welsh Ambulance Service says every minute without using a defibrillator cuts the chance of survival by 10%.
The campaign is being launched on Wednesday, backed by rugby legend Shane Williams and footballer Lee Trundle.
"I never fully understood how important it is knowing where your nearest defibrillator is. It literally saves lives," said former Wales international and all-time leading try scorer Williams.
Dr Brendan Lloyd, Medical Director for the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: "When someone goes into cardiac arrest, early defibrillation is a crucial part of the chain of survival.
"In fact there are a number of people in Wales who are alive today thanks to the quick-thinking actions of bystanders in using a nearby defibrillator.
"That's why we're encouraging everyone to familiarise themselves with where they can find the closest piece of lifesaving equipment available to them."
As well as taking photographs, people are being urged to share them on social media, with prizes on offer for posts on Twitter, including two defibrillators for schools - and tickets for the Wales football World Cup qualifier against Austria.
"Hopefully you will never need to use it, but it really could make all the difference," added Dr Lloyd. | People are being urged to take selfie photos next to defibrillator machines, so they know where the equipment is to help save lives. | 38813846 |
It is an image that takes you back to 22 youngsters crammed into a tiny playground. But this is not a lunchtime kickabout - it's the top division of women's football in the United States.
When Western New York Flash could not use their usual home at Rhinos Stadium for a meeting with Seattle Reign because of a concert, they put forward Frontier Field - a baseball stadium in Rochester.
They won 3-2 in their temporary home on Saturday but there could yet be repercussions over the venue choice as the visitors from Seattle got rather less than they bargained for - specifically, a pitch on which the touchline was only a few feet from the edge of the penalty area.
Not a fixture in which wingers were likely to shine, then.
Old Trafford measures 115 yards by 74 yards.
Seattle manager Laura Harvey claims she was told the pitch at Frontier Field would be slightly smaller than regulation but described what her side had to play on as a "farce".
"The result and outcome are secondary to what impact this will have on our sport," said the former Arsenal Ladies manager, who claimed the pitch was 110 yards long but only 58 wide.
"Tonight became a farce that can never happen again," she said.
Harvey claims National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) officials initially agreed the pitch was not acceptable several hours before the fixture but that stance changed closer to kick-off without any adjustments having been made to its dimensions.
In a statement, the NWSL said: "Due to various factors, the league office made the decision to grant an exception for this evening's match. In retrospect, we made the wrong decision.
"As a professional league, we need to ensure the integrity of the game is always respected, both on and off the field. We did not do that tonight and we apologise to the NWSL players, coaches and fans."
The two sides play again at Seattle next weekend. It remains to be seen whether the hosts use an extra wide pitch in a bid to bamboozle their visitors. | Keeping a tight, compact defence has never been so easy. | 36757719 |
The paid-mod system was only switched on four days ago.
The game-maker had been heavily criticised on its own forums and in social media for the way the payment system was set up and being run.
Valve said it took the decision because of the "dump truck" of feedback it received from players and mod-makers.
The cancellation will involve Valve refunding any payments gamers made to buy mods.
"We've done this because it's clear we didn't understand exactly what we were doing," explained Valve in a blog posted to the forums of its online game service Steam.
Before Valve introduced the paid-for mod system, most mods available via Steam were free. The only way that creators of add-ons and extensions for games could get paid was to have their code included in official updates for Valve games.
Mods add all kinds of new content to games. Some just let people clothe characters in new outfits or use new weapons or mounts. The most ambitious mods add new levels, enemies and challenges to games.
Valve said it started the payment system in a bid to expand the ways it could reward people who create game content for players.
"Our main goals were to allow mod-makers the opportunity to work on their mods full-time if they wanted to, and to encourage developers to provide better support to their mod communities," said Valve.
However, it added, it had underestimated the difference between its own revenue-sharing model and the complexities involved in the wider modding world.
"It's obvious now that this case is different," it said. "We think this made us miss the mark pretty badly, even though we believe there's a useful feature somewhere here."
Game-maker Bethesda also released a statement about shutting down paid mods. One of its games, Skyrim, was the first on Steam to be put in to the paid-mod system.
"Even though we had the best intentions, the feedback has been clear - this is not a feature you want," it said. "Your support means everything to us, and we hear you."
Graham Smith from game news site Rock Paper Shotgun said Valve liked to experiment in public and adapt to the feedback it got but the response was so negative that it simply had to pull the system.
Mr Smith said the response was probably so strong because Skyrim already had a well-established modding community that was used to getting extras for free.
"I think it'll be interesting now whether we see paid mods re-introduced with one of Valve's own games or whether they'll find a third-party partner who is planning on launching something new," he said.
It might also look again at the way cash was split between modders, game makers and Valve, he said. With Skyrim mods, creators only got one-quarter of the cash paid for a mod.
"I think if this system is launched again, modders need to get a higher starting cut than 25%, in order to make players feel like they're doing a good thing when they buy a mod," he said. "Ideally, a planned pay-what-you-want system would help with that." | Angry gamers have forced Valve to end a system that let people who make modifications or "mods" for games get paid for their work. | 32493895 |
The crew of LÉ Eithne worked together with Italian, German and British ships on the rescue operation 60km north of Africa on Thursday morning.
The migrants were trying to cross the south-central Mediterranean sea on five makeshift inflatable boats.
They included men, women and children, and were given them food, water and first aid by the LÉ Eithne crew.
The migrants will be transferred to the British navy vessel HMS Bulwark and will then be taken to a port in Italy.
The LÉ Eithne was sent by the Irish government to join the humanitarian rescue operation earlier this month.
The rescue was the crew's first since arriving in the Mediterranean, where they could be based for up to six months. | An Irish Naval Service vessel has helped to rescue 201 migrants off the coast of Libya. | 32923603 |
The 33-year-old took charge of the Sandgrounders in March after former manager Dino Maamria left the club for "family and travel reasons".
Southport have lost just once in seven games under player-manager Bishop to climb from 17th in the table to 15th.
"I've played a lot at this level so I know what it takes," he told the club website.
"I've really enjoyed every aspect of management so far. My target is to improve on this season and let's see where it takes us." | National League side Southport have appointed interim boss Andy Bishop as manager on a full-time basis. | 36152839 |
31 October 2015 Last updated at 09:19 GMT
Yamaha Motors say they're making a robot that could beat even the fastest human motorbike champion.
Right now the Motobot is remote controlled, but in time the company want the robot to steer itself. | This robot can ride motorbikes at speeds of up to 200 miles an hour. | 34687452 |
Workers building a sports stadium had earlier unearthed the bomb in the town of Goettingen.
It was not immediately clear why the bomb, reportedly weighing 500kg (1,100lb), had detonated.
Unexploded WWII bombs dropped by Allied planes are frequently found in Germany, though it is unusual for them to explode unexpectedly.
A special commission is investigating the causes of the explosion, while prosecutors are considering whether the team leader should face charges of manslaughter through culpable negligence, the BBC's Oana Lungescu reports from Berlin.
The blast happened an hour before the defusing operation was due to start.
Officials said the three men who died were experienced sappers, or combat engineers, who over 20 years had defused up to 700 bombs.
More than 7,000 people were immediately evacuated when the 500kg bomb was found. Several schools, a kindergarten and local companies remain closed.
Last week, another device was successfully defused close to the site.
In Berlin, four bombs have been found in the past two months, including one near the capital's main airport. | Three people have been killed and six injured trying to defuse a World War II bomb in central Germany. | 10212890 |
The results forced RBS to devise plans to bolster its balance sheet by £2bn through cost cuts and shedding assets.
Under the "very severe" tests, banks had to be able to handle a house price crash in the UK and a global recession.
The BoE found Barclays and Standard Chartered also missed key hurdles but had already taken steps to cope.
RBS, which is still 73% owned by the government after its bailout during the 2008 financial crisis, said it had "agreed a revised capital plan... to improve its stress resilience".
It said the change came "in light of the various challenges and uncertainties facing both the bank and the wider economy highlighted by the concurrent stress testing process".
RBS submitted the new plan to the Bank after running its own internal tests and finding its balance sheet would fall short.
The bank said the test applied a hypothetical adverse scenario to the group's balance sheet as at 31 December 2015, and that it had taken a number of actions since then, including the ongoing run down of "risk-weighted assets".
And it said it had continued its reduction in "higher-risk credit portfolios", and reached settlements with regard to various litigation cases and regulatory investigations.
Analysis: Simon Jack, BBC business editor
Eight years on from the financial crisis and taxpayer-owned RBS is still short of the money it needs to survive another one. It came bottom of the class in the Bank of England's tests of financial strength and has been forced to beef up its finances.
Barclays and Asian-focused Standard Chartered also performed poorly in the test, but the Bank said it was happy with their exiting plans to raise additional capital.
These were the two weakest links in a system that overall has strengthened. And just as well. The Bank's Financial Stability Report has plenty of reasons for concern.
The UK's reliance on foreign money to finance its trade deficit - the so-called "kindness of strangers" - is highlighted, along with the vulnerability of the UK's role in providing financial services to the European Union.
Add to that the rapid increase in debt in China and the world looks like a dangerous place - not for the first time. RBS has been found vulnerable.
The Bank said Barclays fell short of one hurdle, but it added that the bank's existing plans to safeguard its balance sheet were enough.
Standard Chartered missed a key metric as well, although it was not asked to take any action.
The Bank's Financial Policy Committee said in light of the findings and action taken by RBS, "the banking system is in aggregate capitalised to support the real economy in a severe, broad and synchronised stress scenario".
And Bank of England governor Mark Carney, referring to the above trio of banks, said: "There were three of the institutions who could see the direction of travel and took actions of their own accord."
Mr Carney added the tests showed the banks would still be able to lend to households and businesses, despite the "very severe shock".
The annual stress test gauges the financial strength and resilience of the UK's seven major lenders - Lloyds Banking Group, HSBC, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Santander, Standard Chartered and Nationwide Building Society.
They were tested against a doomsday scenario which would see economic growth plunge to levels seen during the financial crisis of 2008.
Stress test scenario
Under the five-year scenario, UK house prices would dive 31% and unemployment rise to 9.5%, while China would suffer a recession and oil prices plunge to $20 a barrel.
This is the third year of stress tests for UK banks.
The 2014 stress test focused on risks to the UK household sector, while the 2015 ones focused more on global risks, particularly with a sharp contraction in growth in China.
This year's tests incorporate a more severe global stress than either 2014 or 2015, and a domestic stress which is broadly as severe as the 2014 exercise.
The Bank says it "reflects the desire of policymakers to use the stress-test framework to help set capital requirements and buffers for all stress-test participants each year".
Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland fell more than 4% before paring the losses. Barclays and Standard Chartered shares also saw modest falls. | RBS is the worst prepared of the UK's biggest lenders to cope with another financial crisis, Bank of England (BoE) stress tests have found. | 38135133 |
Saif al-Islam studied at the LSE from 2003 to 2008, gaining both a Master of Science degree and a doctorate.
But allegations have emerged that he used a ghost writer, and copied sections of his thesis.
In 2009, he pledged a £1.5m donation to the LSE from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation.
The LSE's involvement with the Libya prompted student protests last week.
In a statement, the university said: "LSE is aware that there are allegations of plagiarism concerning the PhD thesis of Saif Gaddafi.
"The School takes all allegations of plagiarism very seriously, and is looking into the matter in accordance with standard LSE procedures."
On Monday, LSE director Sir Howard Davies, admitted he felt "embarrassed" by the university's ties with the family of Colonel Gaddafi.
He said the decision to accept research funding from a foundation controlled by Saif Gaddafi had "backfired".
He also expressed regret that he had visited Libya to advise the regime about how it could modernise its financial institutions.
Sir Howard, who is a former head of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and deputy governor of the Bank of England, said the decision to accept £300,000 from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation had been debated "extensively" within the LSE.
Last week the university said it was reconsidering its links with Libya "as a matter of urgency."
But that did not appease angry students.
Last Wednesday a dozen students stormed his offices, demanding the £300,000 of the £1.5m donation already accepted be "paid back" to the Libyan people.
There were also protests outside the School, as students gathered to express their concerns. | The London School of Economics has confirmed it is investigating allegations that Colonel Gaddafi's son plagiarised his PhD thesis. | 12608869 |
The 18-year-old was taken to hospital after collapsing in a street in Abbey Wood, shortly after 23:15 BST on Saturday. He died two hours later.
The Metropolitan Police said he was believed to have been drinking alcohol as well as ingesting legal high nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.
Seventeen people in the UK died between 2006 and 2012 after taking the drug.
The teenager's next of kin have been informed.
"At this stage the death is being treated as unexplained pending the findings of the post-mortem," a Met spokesman said.
The government plans to ban the sale of legal highs, which would include nitrous oxide.
The gas - inhaled using a balloon - can make people feel relaxed, euphoric and giggly, which has led to its nickname.
But abusing nitrous oxide can lead to oxygen deprivation resulting in loss of blood pressure, fainting and heart attacks.
It is not illegal to be in possession of the gas, although it is prohibited from being sold in England and Wales to under-18s if there is a risk they will inhale it.
Daniel, a 19-year-old railway worker says:
"I take them at weekends, festivals and holidays.
I got into it when I saw someone selling it, so I tried it and I liked the feeling of it. I mainly do it during a night out, it just gives you a two minute buzz.
Some of my friends do it and some don't. I wouldn't say it leads to other drugs.
They're popular because they're cheap, they don't stay in your system and it only last a few minutes and you can't get in trouble for doing them.
I didn't think laughing gas was dangerous. I was shocked to be honest when that guy died. I think I would reconsider doing them in future."
Emma, 22, is an office administrator from South Wales.
"I've seen people hurt themselves with laughing gas. They stand up and spin with balloons and I saw one person fall over and land on the steps and crack his glasses.
Some would do a 'double balloon' to hallucinate and a lot would pass out for a few moments.
My friend did it out of boredom stupidly. She did about 50 balloons in her bedroom.
You can buy them abroad for about 1-2 euros but in the UK they can be ordered over the phone and delivered to your house.
I don't think they're very safe because of the lack of oxygen and the burns you can get from the canister and the risk of falling over.
At least with alcohol you can see what you're doing. The gas clouds your vision though and you can't hear properly.
You see colours and there's almost a pulsing sound that comes with it. Seeing people's face after they've done it isn't nice either. I got suckered into doing it once but I never did it again." | A teenager believed to have taken so-called laughing gas at a party in south-east London has died. | 33667330 |
The Scottish SPCA said the discovery was made at St Combs on Wednesday.
A male swan was hit by four shotgun pellets and one pellet was found inside a female.
Scottish SPCA inspector Fiona Shand said: "A post mortem has revealed the pair died from a massive haemorrhage caused by gunshot trauma. The bodies may have been dumped there or could have been washed ashore."
She added: "This sort of animal cruelty is completely unacceptable and we are urging people with any information to contact us in an effort to trace whoever is responsible." | Two swans have been found dead on an Aberdeenshire beach after being shot. | 35933574 |
The Wexford TD alleged in the Dáil on Wednesday that a portfolio officer had asked for the money from a construction company that wanted to discharge its debts to the agency.
His remarks were condemned by the speaker of the house who said the Dáil should not be used as a "star chamber".
Prime minister Enda Kenny said the Public Accounts Committee was the body charged with oversight of Nama.
Mr Wallace first raised claimed about the sale of Nama's Northern Ireland portfolio, alleging in the Dáil that a payment of £7m was due to be made to a politician though no evidence has been produced for that claim.
The chief executive of Nama has said that Mr Wallace had not provided the agency with any information relating to what he spoke about in the Dáil on Wednesday.
In response to Mr Wallace's claims of money being sought by, or paid to, people linked to the agency, Nama's chief executive Brendan McDonagh has written to the country's police chief to ask him to investigate the claims. | Police in the Republic of Ireland have begun an investigation into claims in the Irish parliament (Dáil) by the Independent TD Mick Wallace that an official at Nama sought a bribe from an agency debtor. | 33543644 |
The Gabon international who signed in 2014 for a fee in excess of £5m was out of contract this summer.
Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock said in April that he expected the defender to leave, before offering encouragement that a deal could be agreed.
"I am really pleased to be continuing my adventure with this magnificent club," Manga said.
Cardiff boss Neil Warnock said: "It's been quite a long process to get this one done, but what's been clear to me throughout it all is that Bruno wants to play for this club, which is the most important thing." | Cardiff City defender Bruno Ecuele Manga has signed a two-year contract to remain at the Cardiff City Stadium. | 40421738 |
In the same vein as the "live" space walk that wasn't live - broadcast on 26 October on the social network - a video of a sky-high maintenance job has racked up over six million views.
The Facebook pages for Interestinate and USA Viral this afternoon each posted a video claiming to be of a lightbulb being changed at the top of a 1,999ft (609m) tower.
How to spot a fake US election claim
It claimed the video was live and four hours long. It wasn't and isn't.
It's roughly 18 minutes long, but looped for four hours, a tactic used by the Viral USA page with the space walk video. Unlike the space walk, the video was not said to be from any particular body or organisation.
The earliest copy we could find on YouTube was published on 21 September 2015 at 16:38 UTC. It claims to be of an ascent of the KDLT Tower in Rowena, South Dakota, to inspect the antenna at the summit.
Facebook Live videos are a lightning rod for attention through users' notifications. Look at the screengrab at the top of the page: 251,000 reactions, six million views, more than 54,000 shares, and each one of those turning up in the timeline of other Facebook users.
Facebook has seen its finances improve on the back of the potential of live video as a revenue stream. It has recently begun advertising its live video facility on UK television.
The service has already had some big hits, such as Candace Payne's Chewbacca Mask and BuzzFeed's exploding watermelon.
However, live broadcasts of killings in France and in Chicago, USA, have highlighted the dangers of broadcasting online in real time.
The BBC has contacted Interestinate and USA Viral for comment.
Produced by the BBC's UGC and Social News Team | Yet again, a "live" video on Facebook has brought in millions of views and reactions to something which is not what it claims to be. | 37865920 |
Thursday is his 102nd birthday, which he will be celebrating with family and friends in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
One of the children he saved, 82-year-old Vera Gissing, said of his age: "It's absolutely amazing, he's been such a fantastic figure all through his life and so caring with everyone.
"He still has such incredible wit. It's amazing and very heart-warming to still be part of his life."
She added of the birthday party: "I think he will enjoy it, and I'm sure there will be lots of people there."
Mrs Gissing, originally from Prague, was 10 when she was helped by Sir Nicholas to flee Czechoslovakia just before World War II broke out.
In June 1939, shortly before her 11th birthday, her parents arranged to get Vera and her sister, Eva, on a special train to Great Britain, organised by Sir Nicholas's Czech Kindertransport.
"Nicky Winton came to Prague by chance," she said. "He was packing to go skiing in Switzerland with a friend of his.
"Then the friend phoned him up and said 'forget skiing, come to Prague, I've got something important to show you'."
This was in November 1938, and at that time there were masses of refugees who had fled to Prague from the Sudetenland.
It was part of Czechoslovakia which had effectively been presented as a gift by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to Adolf Hitler in September 1938.
It meant that Czechoslovakia was exposed to future invasions from Nazi Germany.
"There were so many people who had no clothing, no money and many children in makeshift camps," said Mrs Gissing.
"There was no one to help them."
When Sir Nicholas visited the camps he decided to take action.
"He could have put his hand in his pockets to give some money towards the upkeep of the children," said Mrs Gissing.
"But no, his motto was to think large. He decided there and then he would save as many young lives as possible."
Sir Nicholas was only in Prague for three weeks and had to organise the rescue in that time, including liaising with the British Home Office to organise permits for the children and finding homes for them.
"He had over 5,000 names on the list by the time he left Prague, and 669 children actually were saved," said Mrs Gissing.
Vera went to live with foster parents in Liverpool and later attended a school in Wales for Czech refugee children.
By the time she was repatriated to Prague in 1945 she knew that both her parents had perished in the Holocaust.
"But today there are about 5,000 of us who are alive thanks to him," said Mrs Gissing.
"We've had children, grandchildren and some of us even great grandchildren. What an incredible achievement."
A humble man, his story only came to light by chance 50 years later when his wife found papers relating to what had happened in a battered briefcase in his attic.
Sir Nicholas was knighted in 2002 for services to humanity. | Aged only 28, Sir Nicholas Winton helped save nearly 700 Jewish children from Nazi death camps, earning him the nickname the "English Schindler". | 13458953 |
GSA believes the cost of repairing the iconic structure will be between £20m and £35m with additional costs incurred to replace the contents.
The building is insured for £56m. A separate policy covers the contents. It is unclear how much will be paid out.
The blaze broke out in the world-famous Mackintosh building on Friday 23 May.
Firefighters managed to save about 90% of the iconic structure and about 70% of the contents.
GSA has already set up a Phoenix Bursary scheme to help students affected by the blaze to recreate lost work.
The scheme attracted a £750,000 contribution from the Scottish government, which has also pledged £5m in match funding towards the restoration costs.
The UK government has also said it would make a substantial contribution once the restoration costs are known.
Loss adjusters are currently assessing the cost of the damage that will be met from insurers.
The fundraising drive towards repairing the Mackintosh building will be launched later.
GSA hopes that up to £20m can be raised from a public appeal and is understood to be hopeful of attracting donations ranging from small public gifts to larger acts of benevolence from philanthropists. | Glasgow School of Art (GSA) will launch an appeal fund later in a bid to raise up to £20m for the restoration of its fire-damaged Mackintosh building. | 27904397 |
In a statement from BBC Director General Tony Hall we've learned exactly what took place on that night in a North Yorkshire hotel.
A report has been published with blow-by-blow details of what happened in the now infamous "fracas" between Mr Clarkson and one his producers, Oisin Tymon.
This is what we know.
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter, BBCNewsbeat on Instagram and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube | Jeremy Clarkson's contract with the BBC will not be renewed after his physical assault on a Top Gear producer. | 32043552 |
Army Technical Officers attended the scene at Fairmount Park at about 11:00 GMT on Wednesday following the discovery of a suspicious object.
The device has been made safe and has been taken away for further examination.
A number of houses had to be evacuated during the incident while the operation was under way.
Residents have since been allowed to return to their homes and the road has re-opened.
Insp Robert McGowan thanked residents and the business community for their "patience" during the operation.
Police are appealing for witnesses. | The PSNI has said a viable device has been found during a security alert in Dungannon, County Tyrone. | 38671142 |
The police fired a number of plastic bullets and a photographer was hit.
The trouble broke out after police in riot gear took up position ahead of an Orange parade walking past the Ardoyne shops on Tuesday evening.
Police said a number of officers were injured. One received minor burns to his face when his head was engulfed in flames when hit by a petrol bomb.
Stones, bottles and fireworks were thrown at police. Water cannon was used to push back the crowd of about 200 people.
In 2010, there were several days of rioting after the parade was allowed to walk past the shops.
The Greater Ardoyne Residents Collective (GARC), which opposes the Orange parade passing through the nationalist Ardoyne, held a protest in response to the Parades Commission decision to allow the march to pass the shops.
On the Twelfth of July, the Protestant Orange Order takes part in demonstrations across Northern Ireland, commemorating Prince William of Orange's 1690 Battle of the Boyne victory over catholic King James II.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Alistair Finlay said the scale of the violence had been "intense".
"There were a lot of petrol bombs, masonry and missiles thrown at police," he said.
"It was a scale which we regrettably have seen before.
"You can see the level of threat my officers are under and the risk they take in securing the safety of others."
By Andy MartinBBC News
The return Orange Order feeder parade through Ardoyne has been treated as 'contentious' by the Parades Commission for years.
Objections from residents on the nationalist part of the Crumlin Road through which it passes have led to serious rioting in the past. Where mainstream republicans were once able to use their influence to calm trouble, there are now two distinct nationalist groups. Those that subscribe to Sinn Fein's peace strategy, and those who do not.
The difference was plain to see this evening as former senior members of the IRA effectively marshalled one group of protesters, while another threw petrol bombs and bricks at the police. Sinn Fein's influence over this group is limited.
Some are involved because they genuinely object to the parade, others are there because they simply enjoy rioting with the police.
Sinn Fein MLA Gerry Kelly said a parade in the area would continue to be a problem.
"The difficulty was that there was an Orange parade," he said.
"People have made great efforts, but a parade coming through a catholic area is a problem.
"I would appeal to the Orange Order, especially in Belfast where there seems to be an attitude of no talking, they need to talk."
The DUP MP for North Belfast Nigel Dodds said people had to realise that the Crumlin Road was a "shared space and not just a nationalist road".
"The people engaged in the violence didn't even see the parade go past," he said.
"There was a peaceful protest against the parade and it dispersed.
"This violence was intended, created and brought into existence by a small group of militant extreme republicans who were determined to have it, come what may."
ACC Finlay said there had only been two or three arrests following the Ardoyne trouble, however the low number was due to the tactics police used to keep people safe and restore order.
He said CCTV footage would be watched closely to identify rioters.
There were also pockets of violence in Belfast and Londonderry.
In the Markets area of Belfast, a number of youths threw stones and missiles at police in Stewart Street and a car was set on fire.
Police arrested three juveniles and two men on suspicion of riotous behaviour.
In Derry, seven people, including a 14-year-old boy, were arrested for rioting. A crate of petrol bombs was also recovered in the Fahan Street area of the city.
In Armagh, there were reports of public disorder in the Friary Road and Killylea Road areas. And in Ballymena a car was burnt out in Dunclug.
On Monday night, 22 police officers were injured during serious rioting in several nationalist areas of west and north Belfast. | Petrol bombs and other missiles have been thrown at police during rioting in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast. | 14128807 |
Anthony Perry, 43, torched his VW Golf outside his home in Llanbradach, Caerphilly county, in February, putting neighbouring vehicles and homes at risk.
He admitted arson being reckless as to whether life is endangered, fraud and perverting the course of justice.
Perry was jailed for three years at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday.
Judge David Aubrey QC said Perry smashed the windows of his untaxed car and tried to remove items from it on 21 February after the DVLA clamped it on School Street.
He was then seen running away from car after it had been set alight in the early hours of the next day.
One firefighter said: "If we had not extinguished the fire I believe it would have set alight to the houses and the cars parked close-by."
Perry later made a dishonest insurance claim against the vehicle and told police he had not damaged it, only spotting it was burning when he got out of bed to get a drink.
Defending, Edward Mitchard, said Perry had shown remorse and pleaded guilty at an early stage. | A man who set fire to his own clamped car then made a bogus insurance claim has been jailed. | 33931931 |
Sarah Brewster was 21 years old and from the Stafford area, the coroner for north west Wales confirmed.
North Wales Police have said the incident at Blue Lake quarry at Friog, near Fairbourne, on Wednesday, was being treated as an accident.
The coroner has now opened an investigation into her death. | A woman from Staffordshire who died at a lake in Gwynedd has been named. | 40137422 |
And yet somehow the Suzuka weekend was all about the German's Mercedes team-mate, who provided drama both on and off the circuit.
As Rosberg dominated the competitive action, Lewis Hamilton made headlines for the wrong reasons. On track, he looked out of sorts for much of practice. And although he came oh so close to beating Rosberg to pole position, another bad start led to a difficult race and a third place that takes the title race out of his control.
Rosberg will not approach it this way, but all the German needs to do now is finish second to Briton Hamilton in the four remaining races and a first world title will be his.
They say that an elite sportsman should clear his mind of unnecessary distractions - Sir Jackie Stewart calls it mind-management. Hamilton, though, was not taking that approach in Japan.
There have been questions about how Hamilton handled the Singapore weekend where he was dominated by Rosberg two races ago, with it leaking out that he was "not really on it" there.
But according to insiders at Mercedes, there was no questioning his commitment to the task in terms of his work in private with the team in these past two races in Malaysia and Japan.
In public, though, things did not go so well at Suzuka.
Hamilton was, to put it politely, disengaged from his primary responsibilities in the official pre-race news conference on Thursday.
Rather than answer questions about his remarks following his retirement with engine failure in Malaysia, he referred questioners to his social media outlets, where he had posted messages in support of his Mercedes team.
While other drivers answered questions, Hamilton spent considerable time on his smartphone. It soon emerged he was posting on the social network Snapchat pictures of himself and fellow driver Carlos Sainz with bunny ears and rabbit faces.
Hamilton said he found this "quite funny". Some will agree; others won't. Such is the way of humour.
In terms of his general detachment during the news conference, some journalists felt it inappropriate and wrong; others were not bothered. Again, such is the way of things.
Afterwards, though, a respected journalist went down to the Mercedes area to tell Hamilton he thought he should not have behaved in such a manner.
Later, Hamilton posted two messages on Twitter. "Today was meant to be fun," he said, "not at all disrespectful. Some people take themselves too seriously. I had a blast, highlight of my day!
"Re press conference, it's been the same for 10 years. It's not the media or mediator, it's the format. Fans should be asking the questions!"
Inevitably, Hamilton's behaviour was highlighted more on some media outlets than others. None of the reports went particularly hard on him, in the way they sometimes can. But he seemed to take offence at some of them and on Saturday he made his feelings clear.
At his post-qualifying news conference in the Mercedes motorhome, he sat down, tapping his fingers on the small table in front of him. He was smiling. The journalists were smiling back. So was the Mercedes communications boss. Hamilton turned to his colleague: "You're not going to be smiling in a minute.
Then he addressed the media: "I'm not here to answer your questions, I've decided.
"With the utmost respect, there are many of you here who are super-supportive of me and they hopefully know I know who they are. There are others, unfortunately, that often take advantage of certain things.
"The other day was a super light-hearted thing, and if I was disrespectful to any of you guys, or if you felt I was disrespectful, it was honestly not the intention. It was just a little bit of fun. But what was more disrespectful was what was then written worldwide.
"Unfortunately, there are some people here who it is not them who has done it. And unfortunately the decision I will take affects those who have been super-supportive, so that is why I am saying with the utmost respect.
"But I don't really plan on sitting here many more times for these kind of things so my apologies and I hope you guys enjoy the rest of your weekend."
And with that, he walked out.
On race morning, I went down to Mercedes to ask team boss Toto Wolff what he made of the events of the weekend.
"Let him do his talking on the track," Wolff said. "His performance in the car justifies some collateral damage."
Wolff is an approachable and likeable man with an easy manner and a strong sense of humour, and he was genuinely relaxed about the situation.
After the race, he sat down in his own news conference as a couple of journalists were sharing a joke about an unrelated matter.
"You are laughing now," Wolff joked, in obvious reference to Hamilton's remarks the previous day, "but you won't be laughing later."
Be in no doubt, though, that Wolff's charm is allied to a streak of steel. In the nicest possible way, he made it clear that he would be sitting down with Hamilton before the next race in Austin, USA.
It is unlikely their chat will be confined to building Hamilton back up again after the disappointments of an engine failure in Malaysia and a defeat by Rosberg in Japan left him 33 points adrift in the championship and needing some kind of major problem to befall the German to get back into the fight.
Later, Wolff made a particularly perceptive observation: "Lewis is very strong. He needs the enemy. Sometimes more than one. That's how he functions."
Hamilton is not the first F1 driver to do so, but why he needs to make his enemy the media is not clear. The same can be said for his apparent lack of understanding - after 10 years in F1 - of the fact that it is not the media's job to support him. They are there to report what happens objectively and fairly.
The suggestion from some who should know is that Hamilton's actions on Saturday were a reaction to the pressure of the weekend - the combination of his irritation at some of the coverage with the fact he had been out-qualified by Rosberg at a race at which Hamilton badly needed to beat his team-mate.
There is no doubt that his behaviour has put Mercedes in an uncomfortable situation. They cannot afford to have their major star at loggerheads with the media, especially over what is essentially a storm in a teacup, and it is hard to imagine they will let the tension linger for too long.
For all his wealth and star status, Hamilton needs his team and has an obligation to them.
As a result, it would be a surprise if the situation was not resolved sooner rather than later. How exactly that will happen, though, is another matter.
Now F1 is getting to the business end of this season, the shape of the new one is falling into place. The line-ups of most of the major teams have been resolved, but there are still question marks over, particularly, Renault.
While there is no official word, several sources said in Japan that Nico Hulkenberg would next year join the French team from Force India.
Renault is keen to have an established and proven quantity to lead their team as they enter what will effectively be the first real season of their new venture, this one being very much a transition year after their late takeover of Lotus last winter.
Hulkenberg has a contract for 2017 with Force India, who are far more competitive at the moment than his likely destination. But he has been tempted by a multi-year contract on serious money with a factory team and is expected to make the move, and the word from inside Force India is they will not stand in his way.
Meanwhile, it is looking increasingly as if Jenson Button's announcement last month that he would not be racing next year is in fact retirement by another name.
That impression was already building as a result of an inconsistency of the message coming from Button, the odd slip in some of his answers making him sound less likely to be involved on any significant level next season. In Malaysia, he said it was "quite possible" he would never race in F1 again.
In Japan, two sources told BBC Sport over the weekend that it was indeed the case he was effectively retiring.
It is a fact that McLaren have a contractual option for Button to race in 2018, but the chances of them taking that up seem at this stage to be almost zero.
Of course, it's possible that Button's replacement Stoffel Vandoorne will struggle - although it would be a major surprise given how impressive he was on his debut in Bahrain this year.
And even if Fernando Alonso decides to call it a day at the end of next year, Sebastian Vettel will be on the market. The German's honeymoon at Ferrari is well and truly over and even though a new contract is on the table, it is far from clear it will be signed.
The best evidence is that Button is heading into the final four races of an illustrious career. For his sake, one has to hope they go better than the dire performance the entire McLaren team showed at engine supplier Honda's home race. | On the greatest driver's track, Nico Rosberg drove a Japanese Grand Prix befitting a world champion, a title with which he looks increasingly likely to end the year. | 37600049 |
The Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games - John Barrowman and dancing Tunnock's teacakes - was also among the nominees for Best Event.
Other winners included Kevin Bridges for his TV performances and Frankie Boyle for his Referendum Autopsy show.
The Stand comedy club's Aye Right? How No? Referendum Night satirical show also won an award.
Still Game returned with a 21-night live show run at The Hydro in Glasgow after seven years, with the performance broadcast on the BBC late last year.
The Scottish Comedy Awards were set up last year by promoter Alan Anderson as a reaction to what he said was years of Scottish acts being ignored at the British Comedy Awards.
More than 200 Scottish comedians, promoters, producers and journalists voted in the awards, which were hosted by Still Game's Sanjeev Kohli and River City's Tom Urie.
In other categories Breakfast with Des and Jenni was named best radio show, Darren Connell won Best Comedy Actor for his role in Scot Squad and Gary Meikle was named Best Newcomer. | The return of Still Game has won prizes for Best Event and Best TV Show at the second Scottish Comedy Awards. | 32491780 |
The Northern Ireland Teachers Council (NITC), which represents the five teaching unions, said teachers were offered a 1% pay rise in 2016/17.
They called the offer "derisory" and claimed it was a pay cut in real terms.
A meeting between union representatives and DE officials broke up on Thursday without agreement.
Gerry Murphy from the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), who is the salary spokesperson for the NITC, said the offer came "with strings attached".
"An offer of 1% was made subject to teachers giving up their right to automatic incremental progression," he said.
"This is the last straw for NITC in what has been a prolonged and difficult negotiation.
"Teachers are being offered between £230 per year for newly qualified teachers and £370 per year for a teacher after 12 years experience.
"In return, they must say goodbye to their contractual right to automatic movement on the pay scale."
The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) also condemned the offer, calling it a "severe erosion of teachers' pay".
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, called the offer "disgraceful" and said the union would "give serious consideration to the next steps".
The other unions represented by the NITC are the Ulster Teachers' Union, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the National Association of Head Teachers.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: "Teachers' terms and conditions matters, including pay, are negotiated through the forum of the Teachers' Negotiating Committee (TNC), and will therefore be dealt with at that forum."
"Pay negotiations are conducted on a confidential basis."
The spokesperson said it would be inappropriate for the department to comment further. | Teaching unions have jointly rejected a pay offer from Northern Ireland's Department of Education (DE), describing it as an "insult". | 35665438 |
The 34-year-old Pakistan-born left-hander was released by Sussex in September after two seasons at Hove.
Last month he was named the Bangladesh Premier League's player of the tournament after scoring 215 runs at an average of 53.75 and taking 17 wickets.
"When you consider his batting abilities, this really makes sense at this moment in time," said Essex head coach Chris Silverwood.
"We have a number of young players coming through, so someone with Ashar's experience will be invaluable to the group.
"We believe he can make an impact across all three competitions this coming season."
Zaidi has scored more than 5,000 first-class runs, including 12 centuries, and taken 89 wickets at an average of 30.32
"I hope to be able to continue my good form from this winter into the new season," he said.
"Having spoken to a few of the players at Essex, I know they are all excited for the new season under Chris Silverwood and I look forward to linking up with everyone over the next few weeks." | Essex have signed former Sussex all-rounder Ashar Zaidi on a one-year deal. | 35291465 |
Ken Robinson has told his constituency association in East Antrim that he would not be putting his name forward for next years assembly elections.
On 20 September UUP MLA Robert Coulter announced his retirement from the Assembly.
Mr Coulter is currently the second oldest member of the Assembly after Ian Paisley. | Another Ulster Unionist MLA is leaving the Northern Ireland Assembly. | 11462232 |
The unofficial target for the service in England is to get half of the people who turn to it for help to quit in the short-term - that is to say to give up for at least four weeks.
Over all the NHS failed to achieve this in any of the years from 2001 to 2011.
In fact, the data published on the British Medical Journal website shows if anything performance deteriorated slightly.
In the first year examined by the study 35% of those who used the service quit, compared to 34% in the most recent year.
But that would do the service an injustice.
In terms of providing value for money, stop smoking is among one of the most "cost-effective" treatments adopted by the NHS in the past decade, according to Martin Dockrell, of the Action on Smoking and Health campaign group.
Each short-term quitter costs the NHS just over £300 (I say NHS because even though smoking is now the responsibility of local government councils get a ring-fenced budget from health to pay for such schemes).
In terms of benefit to health, which is determined by a complex calculation known as quality adjusted life year, the health service would be prepared to pay five times as much.
Not only this, but the reach it has is impressive.
According to the figures for the year up to March 2011, the service made contact with about 8% of the nation's smokers.
Of course, only a minority end up quitting in the long term.
About 80% of those who give up for four weeks will relapse at some point.
But, nonetheless, the service is helping make inroads into what was considered only a few years ago to be a hardcore group of smokers which were pretty resistant to stop smoking advice.
Since the mid 1990s the numbers of smokers have been hovering stubbornly above the 20% mark.
However, there are signs that is beginning to fall, albeit slowly.
In recent years the numbers have come down by less than 1% a year.
Some of that is down to smokers dying and the success of health campaigns in discouraging a new generation of smokers from taking up the habit.
But some of it is undoubtedly linked to the success of the NHS stop smoking service - and that is why experts are hailing it as the "jewel in the NHS crown". | It is easy to look at the study produced on the performance of the NHS stop smoking service in its first decade of existence and conclude money has been wasted. | 23766071 |
The 27-year-old, who was part of the Germany squad that won the 2014 World Cup, has agreed a four-year deal.
"I heard about the great atmosphere and the fans, so my first impression is very good," he told the club website.
Zieler began his professional career at Manchester United, but never played a first-team game.
He was sent out loan to League One side Northampton in 2009, for whom he played two games.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page. | Premier League champions Leicester City have signed goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler from Hannover 96 for an undisclosed fee. | 36409771 |
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23 September 2014 Last updated at 09:35 BST
The session culminated with a joint performance of First Aid Kit's hit, Emmylou, by the students, together with the band. | As they prepare to play the Albert Hall, later this week, the band First Aid Kit lead a singing workshop for girls from nearby state schools. | 29319391 |
Four Seasons Health Care's closures affect 254 residents and 393 staff.
In response, Mr Hamilton halted the possible closure of 10 statutory homes.
He said he was "open to the idea" of new admissions to state-run facilities "in the context of a reduction in places across the independent sector".
Four Seasons made the announcement on Tuesday, saying the homes had been "operating at a loss".
In total, eight of its 69 homes in Northern Ireland are set to shut, with the closure of Drumragh Care home in Omagh, County Tyrone, having been announced previously.
Mr Hamilton told BBC Radio Ulster's The Stephen Nolan Show that he was "well aware of pressures that are existing in the independent sector".
But he added that the Department of Health had "no indication of closure of any other homes".
He said: "We want to get these 254 residents into the most appropriate accommodation for them, whether that's in the statutory sector or the independent sector.
"It's important that we get them, with the minimum amount of disruption, into the new accommodation as quickly as we possibly can.
"There are some homes that had been earmarked for closure that are going to be kept and reopened for new admissions."
Roberta Shannon, whose husband is in the Four Seasons's Victoria Park home in Belfast, said she was "absolutely devastated".
She received a letter from the company telling her the home would close in February, leaving her with what it described as "plenty of time" to find an alternative accommodation.
She said that had been "an insult".
"It's not a matter of finding a bed, it's a matter of finding a place that's suitable to cope," she said.
"My husband has Alzheimer's and Parkinson's - that upheaval sends [that] into a further level and we never get that back. This is going to affect his health.
"There's no-one addressing any of this."
Kathy Barenskie, whose mother Bridie has lived in Hamilton Court care home in Armagh for 10 years, said a meeting with Four Seasons management on Tuesday provided her with little information on the closure.
"I don't know how they can do this," she said.
"Nowadays, to make a profit out of a home it needs to be a bigger home.
"I said to my mum: 'Do people not matter any more?'"
Evelyn Hoy, the chief executive of the Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland, said there would be difficulties relocating all 254 residents at one time.
"We'd be keen that lots of discussion now takes place with residents and their families, friends and carers about what the alternative provision is," Ms Hoy said.
"That provision has to be as good as or better than what they have been provided with up to now."
She said that the health minister should consider that Northern Ireland's population is aging and "work now to plan for a good mix of choices for people in the future". | Northern Ireland's health minister is to consider allowing new admissions to state-owned care homes after a major private provider announced it is to close seven of its facilities. | 34919933 |
In what the court heard could be a legal first, the 86-year-old will be allowed to follow the trial at London's Southwark Crown Court via video link from Stafford Prison.
He previously pleaded not guilty to seven counts of indecent assault and one of sexual assault.
A trial is due to start in January.
The allegations date from 1971 to 2004 and relate to seven girls and women, one of whom was aged under 13.
Some of the offences were allegedly committed at BBC Television Centre in west London.
Defence lawyer Steve Vullo QC told the judge he had the power to allow defendants to attend their trial via video link in "exceptional circumstances", which applied to the Australian-born entertainer because of his age and health.
Mr Vullo said: "He is an 86-year-old man and he is settled where he is.
"If he is to attend this trial in person he is likely to be transferred to Wandsworth, which causes him some trepidation.
"We would have to say it is exceptional and we say it is exceptional."
Wearing a grey suit, white shirt and multi-coloured tie, the former Animal Hospital host appeared via video link for the short hearing on Thursday.
The virtual links are frequently used to allow defendants being held on remand to follow preliminary hearings and for witnesses to give evidence.
But the court heard discussion over whether a defendant has appeared at their own trial using the technology before in the UK.
Judge Alistair McCreath told the court: "I have no personal or anecdotal evidence of a trial being held in this way."
He added: "This is an elderly man, not in the best of health, who will be much more effectively be able to participate in his trial by following it and giving evidence - if he elects to do so - than if he was here.
"That's a pretty unusual set of circumstances.
"I have no difficulty in finding that they are exceptional."
He added that if the technology broke down the trial would have to continue "in his temporary absence". | Former TV entertainer Rolf Harris will not have to attend his sex attack trial in person because of his age and health, a judge has ruled. | 38329541 |
In the winter, the personal trainer spent her free time snowboarding, while summer sparked the beginning of a love affair with bikes.
The longer days mixed with inspiring scenery, a group of encouraging friends and endless kilometres of quiet roads provided the perfect environment for Leveridge to unearth a previously hidden talent.
Last December, the British based professional cycling team Velosure Starley Primal announced their 2015 roster.
Among the names on the elite women's list was that of Gaby Leveridge.
The 25-year-old from Surrey had been signed up as a specialist climber.
"A lot of people are quite amazed, especially my friends in the UK, because a lot has happened in such a short space of time," she told BBC Sport.
Since 2013, Leveridge has turned cycling from a casual hobby to keep fit for snowboarding, into a serious passion.
She hopes it could eventually lead to a full-time career, but says she found it tough to begin with.
"I used to go out of the front door of the chalet I was working in and pedal as far up the mountain as I could until I was exhausted and then roll back down," she recalled.
Leveridge made swift progress and soon started competing in local races in France and Italy with other female cycling friends, partly for fun, but partly to gain experience of racing.
"A lot of those were mountain road races, so it would be 160km with quite a lot of climbing, usually 3,000-5,000m of vertical ascent, so you are off in the mountains for about five hours racing," she explained.
Spending five hours in the saddle might sound arduous, but it was nothing compared to what Leveridge put herself through in August 2014; the Transcontinental ultra endurance race across Europe.
The aim is simple. Competitors have to cycle from Westminster Bridge in London to Istanbul as quickly as possible.
Leveridge and her boyfriend covered the 3,600km in 12 days.
"You just go, there's no support, you do your own navigation and the clock doesn't stop, so if you need to eat or sleep that slows you down."
Despite sleeping for less than two hours in any 24 hour period and living off biscuits, croissants and high calorie convenience food, Leveridge came second in the women's race, five hours behind the winner.
On completing the endurance event, she got in touch with Velosure Starley Primal, mainly to ask for advice about racing in the UK.
"I sent them my results from the races I had done in France and Italy and spoke to them about the Transcontinental.
"I think because my results from that really stood out, they believed I could transfer those skills and the endurance I had gained, along with the results, to be successful with them in Britain."
Leveridge took the plunge, signed a contract and moved back to the UK.
She is now working part time in sports retail and is following an intense training programme as she prepares for a full season of racing.
The team's first race is the Cheshire Classic in April, which saw podium finishes for GB cyclists Katie Archibald and Laura Trott in 2014.
"I hear it's quite a tough finishing climb, so it will definitely be a good test.
"I really hope to get on the podium in a race this season, that's my biggest goal," she said.
To find out more about how to get into cycling use this handy guide. | Two years ago Gaby Leveridge was working in the French Alps, organising fitness holidays for women. | 31487186 |
PwC said 2015 may bring the first hostile takeover in the sector in living memory.
It warned of "uncertain times" for the estimated 440,000 people employed in the UK's oil and gas industry.
The oil price has fallen from $115 a barrel in the middle of the year to about $60.
Drew Stevenson, PwC's UK energy deals leader, said: "Oil prices remaining at the current level for a sustained period will light the touch-paper for mergers and acquisitions in 2015.
"As the UK industry positions itself for a more uncertain future, we expect to see deal activity levels pick up throughout the year ahead."
PwC said the industry would be "increasingly cash-constrained" with new debt coming at a cost, and existing debt coming under increased scrutiny. | The oil and gas industry is set for a year of mergers and takeovers as a result of the plummeting oil price, a business consultancy has predicted. | 30623292 |
The Manx fisheries department said the number of vessels authorised to fish in Isle of Man waters will fall from 156 to about 88 from next month.
The move follows a recent public consultation regarding the multimillion-pound industry.
The government said the current trend of more fishing boats and larger catch sizes was taking its toll.
A spokesman added: "Stock is under increasing pressure, prompting concerns over the sustainability of this valuable fishery."
In 2015/16, some 4,500 tonnes of king scallops - worth about £4m - were landed on the Isle of Man.
It is thought the licence cap, which will take into account the size of vessels, will protect local fishermen dependant on the fishery.
Manx territorial waters stretch for 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the coast and incorporate about 4,000 sq km. | The Isle of Man is to cut the amount of king scallop fishing licences by almost 50% amid concerns about sustainability. | 37608573 |
Taiwanese officials said the five were flown to China despite a Kenyan court order for them to return to Taiwan.
Chinese authorities said they were suspected of telecoms fraud which targeted people in mainland China, and should be tried in China.
Taiwan does not have formal diplomatic relations with Kenya.
Africa Live: BBC news updates
On Friday the five, along with 35 Chinese nationals, were acquitted of allegedly running an unlicensed telecommunication system on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to prove their involvement, AFP news agency reports.
This is the latest incident in which Chinese authorities have managed to get Taiwanese fraud suspects deported to Beijing.
Taipei has also protested against deportations from Malaysia and Cambodia to China.
In April, Kenyan authorities handed over 45 other Taiwanese people, suspected of conducting telephone scams, to Beijing.
Taiwan labelled the incident "extrajudicial abduction", saying they had been forced on board a plane by Kenyan police wielding rifles and tear gas.
At the time, Chinese authorities praised Kenya for supporting its "one-China policy".
Beijing views Taiwan - self-ruling since 1950 - as a breakaway region that must be reunited with the mainland.
It insists that other countries cannot recognise both China and Taiwan, with the result that Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties with only a few countries. | Taiwan has protested against the "forced" deportation of five Taiwanese citizens who were acquitted of charges of organised crime from Kenya to China. | 37011050 |
What will take up the slack? Those who applaud the move as bold and principled say renewable energy, much of it from wind farms.
And, they add, the gap will be smaller as more efficient buildings and machines become available. The official commission reckons that Germany could cut its electricity use by 10% through this increased efficiency.
More sceptical voices say some of that might happen - but some of it won't, and that will mean renewed life for coal-fired power stations.
It might also, they say, offer attractive new business opportunities to the nuclear industry in the countries bordering Germany.
France has shown no sign of falling out of love with nuclear, and Poland is just falling in love with it, intending to build two atomic power stations.
The possibility of unintended consequences was raised by the Swedish environment minister who is not by any means a fan of nuclear power.
The country has decided to phase out its nuclear stations, leaving them run to the end of their planned lives rather than abruptly shutting them.
Swedish Environment Minister Andreas Carlgren said Germany's decision meant an "uneven energy policy" in Europe, so Germany will "most probably need to increase the import of nuclear energy from France".
He added: "There is a risk they will not manage as quickly to halt the dependency on fossil fuels, especially coal-based energy."
He said that by setting a deadline, there was a risk of "missing the most important issue - that we need to manage the double challenge of both reducing our dependency on nuclear and reducing climate change".
The German official commission set up to study the nuclear issue after the crisis at Japan's Fukushima plant called for pragmatism.
It wants the route to a nuclear-free future to be planned away from the hothouse of electoral politics.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said the intention was to devise a system that was "safe, reliable and economically viable".
Wind power is a great hope of the Green movement which has put pressure on Chancellor Merkel's government by beating the ruling coalition in a string of regional elections.
But that raises issues of what Mrs Merkel calls the "architecture" of the distribution grid. The big wind farms are planned for the North Sea while many of the atomic power stations are in the south, convenient for Stuttgart and Munich.
Energy companies say that this means a new north-south line of high-voltage cables and pylons, what is sometimes called an "energy autobahn".
Already, protest groups in the beautiful heart of the country are opposed to a big expansion of the grid through their region. "Atomkraft, nein danke" but also "pylons, no thanks" is the message they are sending out.
The energy companies have warned that a failure to rejig the grid would mean power blackouts.
Business has been muted in its reaction to the end of nuclear power, though there is some unease.
The economic council of Chancellor Merkel's own party said it was worried about the cost implications of switching from nuclear.
Its president, Kurt Lauk, said: "I've heard lots about a phase-out of nuclear power but little about the costs of phasing in renewable energy."
It is clear that the politics of nuclear power were changed by the disaster in Japan - and may be changed further by Germany's decision.
Chancellor Merkel originally undid the previous government's decision to phase out nuclear. She has now reversed again to a position that may see it end even faster than under the initial policy.
Her opponents will say that she has bowed in the face of a string of strong showings by the Greens in regional elections.
Her defenders might argue that democracy is about listening to voters, and that the whole assessment of nuclear was changed by Fukushima.
One of the things the commission she appointed looked at in a new way, for example, was the result of very unlikely events such as aircraft crashing (or being crashed into) nuclear reactors.
Different sets of probabilities threw up different assessments of viability for nuclear power - and Mrs Merkel, a scientist, recognised the new reality. So might run her defence.
But bowing to the popular view can look like wisdom. It can also look like weakness. | In a decade, one of the world's biggest economies will have switched off the power stations that currently supply just under a quarter of its needs. | 13595171 |
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Jack was knocked down in the first round but ended strongly and floored DeGale in the last round in New York.
One of the judges gave the decision to DeGale by 114-112, but the other two scored it 113-113, meaning both fighters retain their world titles.
Floyd Mayweather, who promotes Jack, called the decision "bad for boxing".
DeGale, 30, suffered damage to his ear drum and teeth during the contest but wanted a rematch with the 33-year-old.
"I thought I'd done enough but it was the knockdown," DeGale told Sky Sports.
"I've had 25 fights, I'm going to get better and I want the rematch.
"I'm glad I'm still the champion and I'm coming home with the title but I'm so upset that I didn't come with the WBC belt. The main thing is I didn't lose, I'm still the champion and I can move forward."
DeGale has now won 23 times, drawn once and lost once as a professional, while Jack failed to win for only the fourth time in his 24-fight career.
The British fighter was making the third defence of his IBF belt and made a bright start, knocking Jack down with a straight left inside the opening three minutes.
But Jack got back into the contest and had success with a number of body shots in the sixth round, and dislodged DeGale's gumshield with an uppercut in the eighth round, which later led to DeGale losing one of his front teeth.
DeGale landed some punches in the 10th, but was floored by a short uppercut in the final round, which ultimately cost him the victory.
Former five-weight world champion Mayweather said Jack would not fight DeGale again and would move up a weight instead.
"We don't need to figure it out, I'm the promoter this is my fighter," Mayweather said. "Badou Jack has got too big for 168lbs. We have plans after this fight to move up to light-heavyweight.
"This [result] is bad for boxing when it's all said and done, this is really bad for boxing." | The super-middleweight unification fight between Great Britain's James DeGale and Sweden's Badou Jack ended in a controversial majority draw. | 38627317 |
The family's lawyer Aamer Anwar said they wanted to express confidence in Police Scotland's new investigation.
He warned that this trust was "not unconditional" and that detectives from the original inquiry needed to answer for actions which had "betrayed Emma".
The family had been meeting the Lord Advocate James Wolffe at the Crown Office in Edinburgh.
Emma Caldwell, a 27-year-old heroin addict who had been working as a prostitute, was discovered dead in woods near Biggar in May 2005.
In May 2015, the Lord Advocate had told Police Scotland to reinvestigate her murder after the most senior officers in the Crown Office considered the case.
Reading a statement outside the Crown Office, Mr Anwar said the family had felt let down by the original investigation, which had failed to bring Emma's killer to justice.
He said: "The Caldwell family made it clear to the Lord Advocate that they had not forgotten that senior detectives from Strathclyde Police had betrayed Emma and they must answer for their actions one day."
He also said they had been frustrated about the length of time the new investigation was taking.
"The Lord Advocate tried to reassure the family that this is a painstaking complex investigation begun from scratch," he said.
Senior investigating officers told him that thousands of documents are being re-examined, which have generated numerous lines of inquiry that need to be investigated.
Police Scotland have also invited the Metropolitan Police to review its investigation strategy.
Mr Anwar said it had robust and painful meeting for the family, but they had welcomed "the dedication and commitment show by Police Scotland and the Lord Advocate to securing justice".
Making a direct appeal to the killer, he said: "Eleven years ago when you took Emma's life, you tore apart her family's lives forever.
"They were unable to bury Emma for some two years.
"Her mother Margaret has never been able to grieve and when William, Emma's father, died in 20001 he made his family promise they would never give up fighting for justice.
"Sadly it is inevitable that other women will have suffered at the hands of this killer and he will have aroused suspicions in his friends and family.
"The Caldwell family urges those who have such information to have the courage to come forward and speak to the police in total confidence."
After the meeting, a Crown Office spokesman said: "In May 2015 Crown Counsel instructed a re-investigation of the murder of Emma Caldwell.
"That investigation is complex and ongoing.
"The Lord Advocate today had the opportunity to meet with Emma Caldwell's family and to discuss the case with them."
The new investigation was launched after a BBC File on Four programme claimed that a local suspect was dropped in favour of prosecuting four Turkish men.
The programme revealed that officers who wanted to charge the local man, one of Emma's clients, were stopped by senior detectives investigating the Turkish suspects.
One of the Turkish men, who was charged with murdering Ms Caldwell, was awarded an out-of-court settlement after suing police for false arrest. | The family of Emma Caldwell who was murdered in 2005 have appealed directly to her killer to give themselves up. | 38844705 |
While the new signing takes over limited-over captaincy, Cosgrove continues as championship skipper.
Director of cricket Andrew McDonald told BBC Radio Leicester: "Paul Horton [Championship] and Clint McKay [one-day] will support them in their respective roles of vice-captain.
"But I am looking for leadership throughout the playing group."
He added: "We had some fantastic candidates in the ranks and the most important thing we are stressing is that you don't need a title after your name to be a leader."
Richard Rae - BBC Radio Leicester cricket reporter
"While promotion from Division Two has to be the priority, this is an indication of the importance Leicestershire are attaching to the one-day competitions this season.
"In the last few months overseas players Clint McKay and Umar Akmal have shown they're right up there with the very best in the world in limited-overs cricket, and Mark Pettini captained Essex to success in the Friends Provident Trophy in 2008.
"Leicestershire will also be hoping that by taking some of the pressure off Mark Cosgrove in the shorter forms of the game, the South Australian will rediscover the sort of form that has seen him take attacks apart in the past. Last season he scored just 54 runs in five innings in the One-Day Cup, at an average of 10.80." | Batsman Mark Pettini will replace Mark Cosgrove as Leicestershire's one-day captain for the 2016 season. | 35578481 |
First - messaging app Telegram says it has blocked 78 accounts that were being used by the so-called Islamic State group to communicate propaganda. It was "shocked" to learn the service was being used in this way. Worth stressing, again, that the BBC reported this fact weeks ago.
My colleagues at BBC Monitoring told me that since the account closures, several new pro-IS channels have been set up on Telegram, rapidly amassing followers.
However, I've just checked one of these new channels and it has been disabled, suggesting Telegram is, like many other apps, engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with extremists.
Second - the call for encryption backdoors has, as predicted, intensified.
The Manhattan district attorney has published a report demanding that a method to access passcode-locked phones be built in to iOS and Android, the two major players in mobile software.
The document reads: "Apple and Google are not responsible for keeping the public safe. That is the job of law enforcement.
"But the consequences of these companies' actions on the public safety are severe."
My colleague Chris Baraniuk has been covering the report today. Read his story here.
And finally, in Paris, there's doubt that the attackers were using encrypted messaging apps at all - according to The Intercept, citing French newspaper Le Monde, communications about the atrocity were sent using bog-standard SMS text messages.
Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC | So, there have been a few important developments since I published my story looking at the encryption debate surrounding how terror groups can communicate. | 34864457 |
Chastain received a special honour at the 2015 Critics' Choice Awards in Hollywood last week.
Picking up her award on what was the birthday of civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King, the Zero Dark Thirty and Interstellar star used her acceptance speech to urge those in the room to "stand together against homophobic, sexist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic and racist agendas".
Hours earlier the Oscar nominations had been announced, with the Academy facing criticism that all 20 contenders in the main acting categories were white and there were no female nominees in the directing or writing categories.
A few days later, Chastain is in London promoting her latest film, JC Chandor's 1980s-set crime drama A Most Violent Year, and happy to expand on the issue.
"The industry has a diversity problem, absolutely," she says. "I don't see it as a situation where there are some bad guys over there and you need to fix this.
"I'm part of the industry so I'm part of the problem."
She points out that only 3% of directors of photography are women. "That's insane to me. Asian-American actors aren't being represented in films. There are a lot of problems in the industry."
After several years working in mainly TV roles, Chastain came to global attention in a string of high-profile films released around 2011-12.
They included Terrence Malick's epic The Tree of Life, opposite Brad Pitt, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes; spy thriller The Debt, and drama The Help which earned the actress her first Oscar nomination.
In 2013, she earned a second Oscar nomination for Kathryn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden thriller Zero Dark Thirty.
"I know I'm very lucky," says Chastain. "I get sent incredible scripts. I'm reading the best material that there is, but when I go to the movies as an audience member I'm longing for many colours. I like a palette that I can learn about life.
"Sometimes I only get one point of view. I'm sad that when I go to a movie I see 20 male characters to every two female. So I would like that to change."
She adds: "I do not think that people in the industry are sexist and racist and homophobic. But there still is this status quo - the stories haven't changed - so the more we in the industry talk about it and say, 'This isn't right,' and do what we can to bring in more female points of view - that's the way to go."
In A Most Violent Year, Chastain plays Anna, a gangster's daughter married to businessman Abel Morales, played by Oscar Isaac, who comes under pressure when his oil trucks keep being hijacked on the streets of New York.
Chastain and Isaac trained together as students at Juilliard School in New York City, but this is the first time they have worked together.
In one of the film's key scenes their car strikes a deer on a road and Anna takes control as they decide how to deal with the injured animal.
"That's when she breaks free from the role she's been playing," explains Chastain. "Anna has a capacity for violence unlike anybody else in the film. I think she gets turned on by violence and probably grew up in a violent household."
Some have compared the character of Anna to Lady Macbeth.
Chastain agrees up to a point: "The difference between Lady Macbeth and Anna is that Lady Macbeth goes mad. She's a lot colder. She doesn't have the vulnerability that Lady Macbeth has."
With almost 20 films on her CV since she stepped into the spotlight in 2011, what's been the biggest change she's had to deal with?
"There's been no real big change in terms of fame," admits Chastain. "Since Interstellar more people recognise me. Now when I go to a restaurant sometimes one person from each table will look at me and then they go on with their dinner. So not that much of a deal."
But she does identify one problem in her professional life. "The one thing I need to work on is that I have a capacity to overwork. I have an affinity for work - I love it.
"I've been given so many opportunities to work that it's very difficult for me to say no. I need to figure out how I can see my family and my friends and be healthy and work where it doesn't shadow my other life."
A Most Violent Year is out in the UK on 23 January. | Actress Jessica Chastain talks about Hollywood's need to address the issue of diversity, and admits: "I have a capacity to overwork." | 30898437 |
There are riddles and enigmas aplenty. Over dinner on Thursday, at a summit in Brussels, David Cameron will make a big pitch to find a compromise over EU migration.
In January 2013, many of us were huddled in Amsterdam to await the prime minister's first major speech on what Britain wanted from Europe.
It was postponed and delivered a short while later in the Bloomberg office in London.
Mr Cameron outlined three major challenges that would be the basis of the UK's renegotiation. Neither migration nor benefits were among them - they didn't even get a mention.
Fast-forward to November 2014 and David Cameron delivers his next big set-piece speech on Britain and Europe. The central theme is migration.
He said: "We have to maintain the faith in the government's ability to control the rate at which people come to this country.
"The British people need to know that changes to welfare to cut EU migration will be an absolute requirement in the renegotiation."
So what had changed? Firstly, politics and the rise of UKIP, who in May of that year had won the European elections.
The Conservatives feared for the unity of their party and were full of foreboding about UKIP's likely impact at the general election due in 2015.
Nigel Farage, the UKIP leader, said one consequence of their victory in the European campaign was that "David Cameron would have to take a much tougher negotiating stance" with Europe.
So come the election this year, a major Conservative pledge was that EU migrants would need to wait four years before they could claim certain in-work benefits or social housing.
Gradually this demand, which did not exist in 2013, came to be the centrepiece of the UK's renegotiation.
It was reinforced by the polls, which indicated that when it came to Europe it was the issue that mattered most to voters and could be one of the main factors that determined how they would vote in the referendum.
Since coming to office, the government's aim had been to demonstrate it was reducing the numbers of migrants arriving from Europe.
The history of miscalculation was widely known. When Poland joined the EU in May 2004 the then Labour government estimated that 13,000 Poles would move to the UK. By 2011 that figure was closer to 600,000.
So the focus of the government was on "pull factors" - what drew migrants to Britain.
A key draw was identified as welfare. The prime minister spoke of "the right to work not to claim".
It has proved, however, very difficult to know how much of a pull factor benefits are.
The latest figures suggest that 61% of EU migrants had definite jobs to go to when they arrived in the UK. There was little evidence that migrants were coming to claim benefits.
Yet the government believed that it had strong support when it said that it was wrong for migrants to be able to claim benefits on arrival when they hadn't paid any taxes into the system.
The prime minister spoke of "people wanting grip" and of the need to "maintain faith in the government's ability to control the numbers".
For some the renegotiation came to be defined as regaining control of the UK's borders.
Yet it was proving equally difficult to reduce the numbers coming from outside the EU, where the government had control of who entered the country, as coming from inside it.
For the year ending June 2015, net migration of EU citizens to Britain was up 53,000 to 183,000. But for non-EU citizens, the numbers also rose by 39,000 to 196,000.
When the government put changes to welfare at the centre of its renegotiations there were warnings that it would contradict the principle of free movement and discriminate between UK and other EU citizens.
Such a step would be open to legal challenges and it would stoke strong opposition from countries in Central and Eastern Europe. And they could block making any changes to the EU treaties.
Yet to the surprise of some other European leaders the prime minister has pushed on in the face of opposition.
Ahead of Thursday's summit there have been conflicting signals that the government was backing off making this key demand whilst also insisting the idea remained on the table.
Some of those in Brussels who have been party to the negotiations have long suspected that the government might stage a row in December in order to demonstrate to the voters that it had fought a hard campaign for Britain's interests.
Others had questioned whether there had been a calculation that the EU, reeling from successive crises, might be more willing to give the UK what it wanted.
If so it would be a misreading of the dynamics of European politics.
It has become almost a cliché in Brussels that no crisis should be allowed to go to waste and that the response to a faltering single currency or to migrants or to terror is to deepen integration.
It has happened over the migrant crisis.
With the suspension of passport-free travel in parts of the Schengen area, the commission has reacted by proposing a new European border and coastguard agency which it could deploy to defend the common European frontier, whether countries liked it or not.
There may well be resistance to the idea when it is proposed this week but if it were backed it would involve one of the largest transfers of sovereignty to Brussels since the launch of the single currency.
I digress, but however embattled the EU may feel it would be unwise to doubt its determination to defend the principle of freedom of movement.
On migrants and welfare there may well be a compromise.
Commentators have been suggesting for months that the answer to the accusation of "discrimination" lies in the UK applying a residency test for in-work benefits that would apply equally to EU migrants and returning British expats.
Or it could be that the UK settles for an "emergency brake" on migrants when the numbers arriving put pressure on social services.
And here is another layer to this complex negotiation. The Office for Budget Responsibility says that changes to budget rules are "unlikely to have a huge impact" on the numbers of migrants.
So if David Cameron wins a deal on migration - and that is looking unlikely to be until February at the earliest - what will the voters make of it?
Will they see it as the negotiation for "fundamental change" as promised?
Will they focus on what has been agreed; less regulation, an opt-out to "ever closer union" and protection against eurozone countries damaging key British interests?
Will voters focus on the detail or will in the end this vote be determined by something far less tangible - a gut response to the EU, or to migration that may well pick up again in the spring?
The strange aspect to this argument about migrants and benefits is that neither side of the debate believes it is the core issue.
Those inclined to leave the EU insist that the referendum is about the return of democratic powers.
Those who want to remain inside the EU say it is about economic security and that the "leavers" will have to describe what life would be like outside. Layers of complexity.
Q&A: What Britain wants from Europe
Guide to the UK's planned in-out EU referendum
BBC News EU referendum special report | In Britain's tense renegotiation with the rest of the EU, nothing is quite what it seems. | 35094352 |
Joost van der Westhuizen, 42, was diagnosed with the progressive neurodegenerative disease in 2011.
The former scrum-half was part of the World Cup-winning Springboks squad of 1995,
He is launching the collaboration with scientists from the University of Edinburgh.
Motor neurone disease (MND) leads to muscle wasting, paralysis and difficulties with speech, swallowing and breathing.
Van der Westhuizen, who is widely regarded as being one of the best scrum-halves of all time, told the BBC in August that he was given two and a half years to live when he was diagnosed with the condition two years ago.
He said: "I realise every day could be my last. It's been a rollercoaster from day one and I know I'm on a deathbed from now on.
"I've had my highs and I have had my lows, but no more. I'm a firm believer that there's a bigger purpose in my life and I am very positive, very happy."
After being diagnosed, he set up the J9 Foundation, which provides support and care to people with MND, which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
The new partnership will see members and supporters of the foundation meet experts from the university's Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research to discuss the latest research.
The foundation's visit to Edinburgh is part of a 10-day tour of the UK aimed at raising awareness and funds to support those affected by MND.
Among the events planned is a fundraising quiz at Murrayfield stadium.
Van der Westhuizen said: "This is going to be the most important tour of my life. We are not only raising awareness and funds, for the first time we are bringing international research partnerships home.
"In the beginning you go through all the emotions and you ask, 'why me?' It's quite simple, 'why not me?' If I have to go through this to help future generations, why not me?"
When he retired from international rugby in 2003, Van der Westhuizen was the most capped South African player.
He will also be honoured by the Scottish Rugby Union before Scotland's match with South Africa in their second Autumn Test at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Prof Siddharthan Chandran, director of the Euan MacDonald Centre, said: "Solving the enormous challenge of MND or ALS requires partnership and collaboration.
"We are delighted to work with South African colleagues and the J9 foundation to promote better understanding of this devastating disease." | A South African rugby star who has motor neurone disease is to team up with university researchers to help tackle the disorder. | 24945071 |
Rebel Remainers though were "delighted", that, stealing Jeremy Corbyn's thunder, a planted question from a loyal Tory MP at PMQs today produced in fact a promise from the Prime Minister that, after all, there will be a White Paper.
It is a climbdown, no question, a last-minute change of heart.
Late last night Brexiteers were being assured there would be no bending, no delay to the government's plans and no giving in to the Remainers.
Even early this morning, government sources were privately suggesting that they were quite happy to have the white paper option up their sleeve, but there were no immediate plans to make that promise.
Then voila, at 1205 GMT, the pledge of a white paper suddenly emerged. As one senior Tory joked, "welcome to the vacillation of the next two years".
It may be being described as a "massive, unplanned" concession but it doesn't seriously hurt the government.
First off, it shows goodwill to the rebel Tory Remainers, many of whom feel their Eurosceptic rivals have had the upper hand of late. Schmoozing matters round these parts.
It takes one of the potential arguments that could have gathered pace off the table, before the Article 50 bill is even published. And, rightly or wrongly, no one expects a white paper will contain anything new that the prime minister has not yet already said.
It's largely a victory for the Remainers about process, rather than substance.
For her critics this is evidence of weakness, that's she has been pushed into changing her mind.
But it doesn't need to change the government's timetable, and today's embarrassment of a climbdown might be worth the goodwill that Number 10 will get in return. | It was only yesterday that the Brexit Secretary, David Davis, told MPs it just might all be a bit tricky to have a White Paper, a formal document outlining the government's plans for Brexit, and stick to the timetable they want to pursue. | 38747976 |
The Croat, aged 37 and five months, beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (14-12) to claim his seventh career title.
Marty Riessen won in Lafayette in 1979, aged 37 years and nine months.
At the French Open this year Karlovic became the oldest man for 25 years to reach the third round of a Grand Slam. | Ivo Karlovic became the oldest ATP Tour title winner for 37 years with victory in the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport, Rhode Island. | 36824677 |
The English language version of the site, which anyone can edit, has more than five million entries and has been edited around 808 million times.
A page about former US president George W Bush has attracted the most attention with 45,862 edits since its creation.
Britney Spears, Adolf Hitler and a list of programmes broadcast by Asian TV channel ABS-CBN also make the top 15.
At the end of Wikipedia's first year, the most edited entry was about Creationism - the religious belief that life is a divine creation - with 179 edits, noted Jeff Elder and Ed Erhart from the Wikimedia Foundation in a blog post.
To date the entire site has been edited 808,187,367 times by Wikipedia's vast community.
The most edited story of 2015 was a page about notable deaths - but the second, an obscure page titled "geospatial summary of the High Peaks/Summits of the Juneau Icefield" was edited more than 7,000 times by one person.
Founder Jimmy Wales recently told the BBC that Wikipedia had a difficult birth.
"The first version of Wikipedia was called Nupedia," he said.
"It was very top-down, very structured. I beat my head against the wall for two years, I knew the system was too complicated, but I didn't want to fail."
The Wikimedia Foundation, which runs Wikipedia, used the site's birthday to announce an endowment scheme to ensure a permanent source of funding for it and says it hopes to raise $100m (£69m) in the next 10 years.
The Foundation regularly asks for voluntary donations from readers and in 2014 raised $75.5m from 4.9m donors around the world, according to its own report.
On 3 December 2014 it received a record $29 (£20) per second, raising more than $2.5m (£1.7m) in one day.
Wikipedia sometimes hits the headlines when people make amusing edits to topical pages - but Jimmy Wales takes a dim view.
"If you wanna do something for your friends, click at it, make the funny change and just hit the preview button and just take a screenshot of that and you don't have to bother the rest of the world with your joke," he told BBC's Newsbeat in 2014.
Aleksi Aaltonen, assistant professor of information systems at Warwick Business School, said the site had come of age.
"The controversy and excitement that surrounded the service in the early days has passed," Mr Aaltonen said.
"As Wikipedia has grown older, it has become progressively more difficult for contributors to improve content. At the same time, Wikipedia's system of rules has become more burdensome.
"However, if Wikipedia can maintain its success, it will be remembered as a gift of an open internet that is now under attack from many directions." | Online encyclopaedia Wikipedia has marked its 15th birthday with a list of the most edited pages on the site. | 35324997 |
Ricci Gallagher, 46, died in hospital a week after suffering head injuries at the farmhouse in Little Burstead, Essex, in July.
The house belongs to Richard Glanville, 60, who was arrested along with a 54-year-old man from Basildon.
Essex Police said they had been released from their bail.
The force said the case against the men was dropped "due to insufficient evidence".
Mr Glanville worked for Aurora Fashions, a holding company that owned Oasis, Coast, Warehouse and Karen Millen until 2013.
Police were called to Mr Glanville's home minutes after Mr Gallagher had reported a fire at his property, about half a mile away in Blind Lane.
Part of the police inquiry was focusing on why Mr Gallagher had been at the farmhouse. | Two men who were arrested on suspicion of murdering a man who was found injured at an ex-fashion executive's home face no further police action. | 36161503 |
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